Ballad of Mona Lisa

[Lisa's P.O.V.]

I heard Brandon's voice calling to me again, and as my senses started awakening, I felt like I was in a more familiar room the where I left. My vision was still failing me, but my ears seemed to be the only things working I heard that same sweet soothing soft voice.
"Lisa...Come back to me..." Brandon's voice filled my ears again.
If this was a dream then my dreams were really fucking with me, and being cruel. The sensation around me didn't feel restrained and strict like the psych ward, they were soft and lenient like the hospital. My vision started coming around. When my eyeballs adjusted to all of the bright lights and stimulation I saw the most beautiful sight ever, Brandon.

"Oh my god Lisa!" He said wrapping his arms around me. I laid in shock at how real this felt. I wrapped my arms around him too and felt his shaking body. He was crying uncontrollably. I put my hand on the back of his head and held him close to me as he sobbed on my shoulder. I looked up and saw my mother standing there, but she didn't look sick or like she had been drinking, okay this dream is weird now. Brandon pulled out of our hug and kissed my lips passionately. He grabbed my face gently and just pushed his lips on mine which felt so right. I reached up and pulled his face in closer to mine.

"I'm so happy you're okay. I was so worried about you babe." He said planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. His touch made me feel incredible. I missed it. I hope to god this wasn't a sick dream.
"Where am I?" I managed to spit out. I couldn't think of anything else to say except that.
"You're in the hospital babe. Do you remember what happened with Andrew?" He asked wiping tears from his eyes with his right hand and reaching for my hand with his left hand. The mention of that name brought back the memories of that awful day, and how the last thing I remembered was being choked by that bastard.
"Yeah, I remember. He choked me and fought you..." I said looking at Brandon's bruised and scarred hands, evidence of the fight I remembered all to well.
"Yes, and he knocked you out you have been unconscious for about 3 days now."
"Wait so I am awake now? I was never in a psych ward?" I said feeling so scared about what my reality has been.
"What? No babe you've been here in the regular hospital. Andrew got moved to solitary confinement at the jail. He was given 25 to life no possibility of bail." Brandon said smiling and becoming overwhelmed with emotion, and started tearing up again. The sudden realization that I just had a horrible nightmare made me want to cry with excitement. I started to sob with tears of joy streaming down my face I reached up for Brandon and pulled him close to me.
"I...Thought....I....Lost....You....." I said clinging to him and uncontrollably sobbing into his shoulder, and he cried into my neck. Then I realized, what I should have realized a long time ago, I can't live with out Brandon in my life. I need him to be there for me because he means so much to me. I started to calm down with the thought of holding Brandon and knowing he wouldn't be going anywhere

"Brandon?" I said pulling away from him and holding his face gently in front of mine.
"Lisa?" He said resting his forehead on mine and kissing my nose.
"Please stay with me? I don't ever want to lose you again. I made a lot of mistakes in these past couple months, but I want you to know I never meant to hurt you and I'm stupid for everything I did to you. Will you please stay with me and help me become a better person?"
"That's not possible..." He said grabbing my hand gently. Oh my god he doesn't wanna stay. I can't blame him, but how will I go on with out him...
"It's not possible because you are already the best person I know, and the thought of leaving you is unthinkable." He said smiling at me, which made me smile back at him. You can't make up this type of love.
"Come on lets get you rested up, and set up to get out of here, and start our normal life together." He said kissing my forehead again. How did I get so lucky? But what did starting our life together mean?

*Five Years Later.*

I stood back stage and listened to the chatter going on in the audience. Couldn't make any of it out, just constant murmur. I looked in the mirror at a much happier healthier face then I remembered from years ago. I had put on a little weight since high school, but not enough to make me fat, but to make me healthy. Brandon helped me learn to start eating right, and exercising so I can be healthy and "skinny". I was nervous to go on in front of this crowd as I was with every crowd I went up in front of. I was getting ready to step out onto stage and I felt my back pocket of my dress pants buzz. I reached into my pants and pulled out my phone which had a text message on it that read, :" Good Luck babe. I know you'll do well " and the text was from 'My Fiancé'. Yup we're engaged!

I never saw it coming but last year after we both graduated from college, we took a trip traveling around the world, and you would think he picked some kind of romantic spot around the world to do it. Instead when we returned home to my child hood home on long island , he got down on his knee and proposed to me. He said "This is where I first told you I loved you, and this is where I'll tell you I wanna love you forever." Yeah it was pretty cute. We plan on getting married in a couple years once we both get settled into our new jobs. Brandon is working a mechanic. He spent so much time trying to fix up his old beat up piece of junk that he learned his way around a car or two, and he opened up his own mechanic shop with his college roommate. He's also going to school to be a teacher. I on the other hand starting doing something completely out of the ordinary that I never saw myself doing.

"Now welcome to the stage Ms Lisa Monar." I heard a principal announce to the audience. An audience of teenagers. I say I never saw myself doing my job because I became a public speaker about domestic violence. This job was never what I saw myself doing because one I don't do public speaking and two I never knew I would be in a abusive relationship. Now I travel the country talking to teenagers about my story, and how horrible Andrew was to me, and I tell them how to prevent these things.

I walked out on to the small auditorium stage with the lights shining on me , and the audience clapping for me. I always have to take a small breath deep down and get calm before I begin. Despite the fact I've done this before, it's always so nerve wracking. And I always use it to my advantage.
"You know I always get so nervous coming out to talk to a crowd like you guys." I start off grabbing the microphone on the stand and walking around on the stage.
"But then I remember how nervous you guys might get one day if you become faced with domestic violence." That comment usually gets the room real quiet.
"I never had anyone to tell me about this stuff. This may be an issue you guys may or may not be familiar with, but I'm here to let you know what the signs are, how to prevent it, and how to stop it." I say walking from end to end of the stage.

I usually go through my story about my life, and I add in some statistics about somethings that I have been through. I tell them the signs of someone who is an abuser, how to avoid it, how to get help if they are being abused and even if they are the abuser. Teenagers need to know that there are other ways around that kind of life, like I wish I had this information when I was a teenager. After every speech I give I always go out into the hallway, and talk to some kids. So far at every show I have had at least one kid, whether it be a boy or a girl, come up to me and thank me for showing them how to get help. I usually give those kids my personal number so I can keep in contact with them and see if what i suggest works. Most of the people I stay in contact with have had successful break throughs. And it's those kind of stories happy that I went through what I did. In a way I look at it as I'm happy to have possibly spared someone else the pain I have gone through.

My pain has been slightly eased now a days especially since I got some bitter sweet news. I heard that Andrew ended up hating himself so much that he ended up killing himself. He hung himself in his jail cell. He wasn't man enough to own up for what he did , and wanted an easy out. I am not saying I am glad he's dead, or that I wished it on him but he did it for a reason and maybe I just agree with the decision.

I owe my life now to Andrew though. The good and the bad. The good in the fact that I have made a living help prevent the awful stuff I went through, and the bad because sometimes I still have horrible flash backs. The fact that if I go a certain place, or see something, or hear something I get scared or upset. But it is making me stronger day by day, and I wouldn't be getting stronger without my amazing fiancé Brandon.

I'm not saying I am or ever will be 100% okay with everything, but all that matters is you have that one person who loves you no matter how okay you are with anything in your life, and that person for me is Brandon Urie. He will forever have changed my life.