Lay Down The Roses

~*~Gerard's P.O.V~*~

I sat next to my cousin Tori, who was playing guitar hero with our friend Alex. Tori had her tongue stuck out the side of her mouth, as if trying to consentrate. Alex laughed as she lifted the neck of the guitar hero controller and released her star power. Tori groaned as she was defeated, letting the controller fall to the floor.

"REMATCH!" She said smirking, "You cheated, Alexis!"

"WHAT!? No I didn't! You just lost! And how many times do I have to tell you, never call me Alexis again!"

Tori smirked and sighed. "Fine! I still want a rematch, though!" Alex looked at the clock and rubbed her eyes.

"But it's two in the morning!"

Tori's eyes darted lazily to the clock on the wall. "Oh, okay. Nevermind. Bed. Now."

I got up and rubbed my face absentmindedly and hugged Tori. "Night," I said sleepily.

"Night, Gee," She said with a slight yawn.

"Night, Guys," said Alex, walking into her room.

I walked into my room and stripped to my boxers before crawling under the covers of my queen-size bed. It was cold in my room, the way I liked it. I layed on my back and faced the ceiling. A melody had formed in my head, which I hummed for a while. I would have to write some lyrics soon. I could hear the bed in the next room, which was Tori's, creek. She must have got into bed. She was always the one to fall asleep faster than anyone else. I, on the other hand, often layed in the dark, lost in my own thoughts. It wasn't till at least four in the morning when I finally drifted off.

~*~Tori's P.O.V~*~

I woke to the sound of a loud moan coming from Gerard's room. What the hell was he doing? I heard another loud moan, as if he were in pain and bolted up out of bed. I walked as quickly as I could to his room where I slowly opened the door. He was writhing in his bed, his blankets being twisted around his body. He was breathing heavily.

"Gerard!" I said, running to his bed. I began shaking him lightly on the shoulder. Suddenly, His eyes snapped open.

"T-Tori?" He asked shakily. I could see a tear fall freely down his cheek, which fell to his pillow.

"Gee, are you okay?" I asked conserned.

"Yeah, just a bad dream," He replied in a cracky voice.

"Oh," I said crawling under the covers with him. It reminded me of when we were kids. Gerard had always been the one that protected me from the "monsters" in my closet or under the bed. Soon, I heard his breathing turn shallow, signeling to me that he was asleep again. I thought I might as well slept with him in case he woke from another nightmare. Soon, I drifted off as well.

~*~Alex's P.O.V~*~

I woke the next morning in my bed. I got up and creeped down the stairs to the kitchen. The aroma of coffee overwhelmed me. I scurried to the coffee machine and poured myself a mug, letting the hot liquid pour down my throat. I sighed with content as I lowered myself into the armchair in the livingroom.

"Hey," said Gerard, walking into the room and flashing me a toothy smile as he sat on the couch next to the armchair, "Like the coffee?"

"Yes!" I said enthusiastically. Gerard laughed. He made the best coffee, I swear. He knew it too.

"Tori still asleep?" I asked taking a sip of my coffee.

"No, she went out with friends. She says there's people who moved from Canada," He said smiling.

"Oh," I said drinking more coffee before speaking up, "Did she say if they were coming here?"

"Yeah, she said they would be here later," He said. He sounded excited. Gerard always loved meeting new people. I nodded and sighed. I was never good with people, being the steriotypical goth/emo person thoughout gradeschool. But I trusted Tori to pick good friends.

"What are their names?" I asked.

"Well, apparently their names are Bob and Samuel," He said setting his now empty mug on the coffee table. I nodded again. I wasn't in the mood for talking much.

"Frank coming over?" I said quietly.

"Yeah, you know Frankie. Always being nosey. He wants to see the new guys too," He said, laughing lightly.

"What about Ray?"

"Him too. Mikey, as well. He's bringing Brookie."

"Oh," I said, sighing.

"So, when are Mikes and Toro coming over?" I asked.

"I just talked to Mikey. He said about twenty minutes."

"Shit!" I said, jumping out of my chair, "I haven't even had a shower yet!" Gerard laughed, and I glared at him, making him laugh even harder. "Not funny, Way!"

"Aw, shut up and take a shower!" He said grinning. I smirked and walked upstairs and into my personal bathroom. This house was huge. It was passed down to Mikey and Gerard by their grandmother, who had died a few years back. They had invited me to live there so I could attend music college, which I accepted right away. The house was a beautiful, victorian style, practically a mansion, two story home. It always smelt like baked goods, due to Gerard's baking habit picked up from his grandmother. I loved teasing him in his apron. I would say something along the lines of 'You look so manly in that apron, Gerard. You know that?'. He would always say something terribly whitty like 'Hey, chicks dig guys who can cook,' which is, in a way, very true.

~*~Gerard's P.O.V~*~

After Alex left to have a shower, I got extremely bored sitting in the TVless living room. All that could be heard was the sound of ticking from the grandfather clock. I thought i might as well find something to do while I was alone. I slid open the pateo doors and stepped out onto the back deck. The bright sun warmed my body from head to toe. A huge crow flew around the old tree and landed on it's branch. You could tell it was one helluva bird because the brach underneath it lowered quite a bit. It's wingspan must have been the length of me, or at least Frank, who was extremely short for his age. I whistled as if I were impressed. The bird looked down and linked it's gaze with mine. I smiled. It's beautiful feathers shone in the warm sun. It was breath-taking. It really was. I don't know why I did what I did next, but I did it.

"Hello, crow," I said softly. The crow cocked it's head but remained where it was and kept eye contact with me. I studied it for a little longer before speaking to it again. "You need a name." The crow didn't move, but continued to stare into my eyes. It was not an uncomfortable stare, though. Oliver. I would call him Oliver.

"Oliver," I whispered smiling. The crow looked at me one last time before lifting off. I could hear it's graceful wings beating agains the air in a steady rythm. Soon, it was out of sight. I was still smiling when Alex walked onto the deck and leaned on the railing next to me. I didn't notice her.

"What's with the dorky smile?" She asked grinning. I didn't want to tell her what had just happened. She would think I had gone completely mad, so I lied. I was quite good at lying on the spot. I guess it comes with many years of experience, hiding a secret from society for my whole life.

"Do you really wanna know?" I smirked.

"Yes."

"a good looking girl just cut through our backyard to take the old trail," I said. Oh yeah, she was buying it.

"Oh?" She said, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah," I said casually.

"Did you talk to her?"

"No." Alex rolled her eyes. She always teased me about being shy from girls. I chose to ignore it this time, though. We were quiet for a while until we heard the front door slam.

"Hello?" piped a farmilliar voice from the kitchen.

"We're out here Frankie!" I called. Soon Frank, Mikey and Ray joined us on the back deck. They sat themselved in the lawn chairs.

"So, You excited about the new guys?" asked frank, opening a can of coka-cola that he had taken from the fridge.

"Are you kidding me! Of coarse I am!" I said jumping up and down excitedly.

"Canada. I wonder if they lived in igloos," Said Ray making a joke. Frank and I laughed. Alex shook her head and walked into the kitchen to grab a can of Coke from the fridge.

"They should be here soon," Said Mikey looking at his watch.

"Where is Brookie?" asked Alex, noticing she was not around.

"There was a change of plans. She is visiting her aunt in the hospital," Answered Mikey. Brookie was Mikey's girlfriend.

"C'ni have another coke, please?" said Frank, smiling innocently. Ray looked at him skeptically.

"Dude, how many have you had?"

"Six," Said Frank, flashing them all a toothy grin. You could see him shaking. He always got so hyped up from sugar.

"No way! No more coke for you!" I said, gathering a few of the empty cans and throwing them into the recycling bin. Frank frowned.

"No fair." Ray laughed.

"Sorry dude. We don't want you scaring the new guys away," Said Alex laughing.

"Aw, fine!" said Frankie, crossing his arms and pouting like a little kid. I heard the front door open, following Tori's voice from the kitchen.

"We're home! Where are you guys?"

"Out here!" Alex called back. Tori walked out onto the deck, along with our friend Zack and two other people.

"Guys, this is Bob," Said Tori, smiling and gesturing to a tough looking guy with a lip peircing.

"Hi Bob!" We all said together, waving friendly at him. He waved back happily.

"And this is Sam," She said gesturing to the other person. My jaw dropped and my eyes got wide.

"Y-you don't look like a Samuel to me," I stuttered. Her shoulder legnth blonde hair fell over her eye in a fringe style as she was almost hiding behind Tori. Tori laughed.

"You thought Sam was short for Samuel? Ha ha! No! This is Samantha," said Tori, giving Sam a slight shove so that she was exposed to everyone.

"Hi, Sam!" Said Mikey, Ray, Frank, and Alex. I didn't say anything. I was still in shock. I thought it was going to be a boy. She blushed and waved shyly. Zacky came out from the kitchen with a can of coke in his hands. It hissed as he pulled the tab, causing everyone to turn to him. He blushed.

"Uhm, sorry. I took the last coke," He laughed, taking a drink. Alex laughed.

"You can blame Frankie for that, Zacky." Zack laughed. Frank glared at Alex, who stuck her tongue out at him. He giggled and relaxed in the lawn chair. Zack walked over to Alex and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. I noticed Sam standing awkwardly beside Bob in silence. Bob was warming up to Frankie, Ray and Mikey quite nicely. I decided I would get her talking.

"Hey," I said, smiling as warmly as possible. She returned my smile shyly.

"Hey."

"Why don't you have a seat?" I said gesturing to an empty lawn chair. She nodded and sat down. I got a good look at her this time. Her swimming blue eyes peirced into mine.

"So what brings you to this neck of the woods?" I asked her, taking a seat on the deck. There were no lawn chairs left, but i didn't mind sitting on the wood.

"Art college," She replied. I raised an eyebrow.

"Art, eh?" I said nodding, "Very nice." She smiled.

"Do you draw?" she asked, looking a little more relaxed.

"Yeah, I'm attending the art college too," I said. Her eyes widened.

"No kidding?"

"Nope," I said grinning.

"You'll have to show me around sometime."

"I would like that," I replied softly. Tori cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. Everyone looked at her.

"Sam and Bob will be staying here for a while," She said happily, "They can take the spare bedrooms." Everyone smiled. It was always nice having more people around the house. More people to cook for, i thought happily.

~*~Samantha's P.O.V~*~

At first, I was skeptical about the new town. I have zero social skills, to be honest. I mean, I trust Tori to a certain extent, and she had always told me her friends were nice, but I guess I needed to be the judge of that. I'm pretty glad I moved down though. Not only, was this a perfect oppertunity to fufill my dream as an aspiring artist, But Tori was right. Her friends turned out to be very nice. I was so excited to stay here.

"Welcome to the Way mansion, guys!" said Alex happily. I smiled, along with Bob. It was nice to have my brother around too. It would be hard without him. We were always so close. I never really fit in with people in our hometown. They looked at me as if I was some sort of freak. Maybe I was a freak. Who knew?

"So, how do you like the house?" I heard Gerard ask me. I turned to face him again.

"It's beautiful," I replied breathlessly as he lead me down a hallway. There were so many rooms and doors. Soon he brought me to a door at the end of a long hallway. The door was magnificent, with trim running down the sides, covered in mystical looking creatures. I spotted what looked like a bird at top and center. "Oh!" I exclaimed as he opened the door and walked in. There were many canvaces covered in white sheets. A huge wooden desk was sat in the right hand corner of the room and on the other side were a few armchairs and a couch, surrounding an elegant looking coffee table.

"This is my studio," He said, sitting in one of the chairs. I walked around the room in awe. I came upon one of the covered paintings and grabbed the sheet to pull it off. "No!" He cried, making me jump and let out a squeel. He ran over to me and grabbed the hand that was still holding on to the cloth. I released my grip and stared at him in confusion. He laughed. "Sorry, it's not finished."

"Oh," I said nodding. I never liked people seeing my unfinished art either, so I understood why he had done that. I walked over to the couch and sat down. He followed me and sat on it next to me and sighed.

"You can use it, if you want," He said smiling.

"What, the studio?" I said in shock.

"Yeah. If you want to, that is."

"Oh, i couldn't," I said in protest. He looked hurt. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings.

"Why not?"

"It's too beautiful. I really couldn't. I know how studios are. They are personal spaces. Sanctuaries, almost. I really don't want to invade that," I replied thoughtfully. He smiled. What happened next shocked me. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a warm hug. I don't know why. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, No. It just completely caught me off guard.

"What, you've never been hugged before?" He asked laughing, making me giggle. "C'mon, let's go see what everyone else is up to." He got up took my hand to help me up as well. I still didn't know where i was going in the house. It was so big! He lead me back to the living room where I found Bob sitting with Ray, Frank, Mikey, Alex, Zack, and Tori around the coffee table.

"Hey guys!" Said Alex, a playful smirk crawling across her face, "Where were you?"

"Oh, shut up, Alex! I was just showing her my studio!" Said Gerard defensively. Ray, Frank and Mikey snickered. I saw Gerard flash them a glare before sitting one of the couches next to Bob. I sat on the other side of Bob and sighed. Bob put an arm around my shoulder.

~*~ Alex's P.O.V~*~

I looked out the window and realised it was getting dark out. I was getting particularly sleepy, letting out a quiet yawn. Zack looked at me and smiled.

"Almost ready for bed?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I'm really tired, actually." I said. "Are you staying or do you have work tomorrow?"

"Nope. I get the week off. I'm staying. You can't get rid of me that easily," He said, flashing me a mischeivious grin. I laughed.

"Why don't you show Bob and Sam their rooms, Gerard," Said Tori. Gerard nodded and stood up. Bob and Sam stood up after him and he lead them down to the spare bedrooms in the left wing. I got up after they left, followed by Zack. I walked into my bedroom and slipped on my pajamas before crawling into bed. Soon, i heard the bed creek beside me as a warm pair of arms wrapped around me.

"Hey," Said Zacky, pressing his body to my back.

"Hey," I replied sleepily.

"What do you think of the new people?"

"They're really nice." He nodded and yawned. I knew he was extremely tired as well. He had worked all week on his night shift at the restaurant his family owned. "Why don't you get some sleep, Zacky."

"Mmhm. I'm planning on it," he said grinning lazily. I turned around so that we were lying face-to-face.

"Night," I said.

"See you in the morning, Sugar," He said giving me a light peck on the lips before closing my eyes. It wasn't long before I drifted off, that he fell asleep as well.

~*~Samantha's P.O.V~*~

I walked behind Gerard and my brother as he lead us down yet another hallway until we finally stopped in front of a door.

"This is your room Bob. Make yourself right at home," Said Gerard, opening the door and smiling. Bob returned his smile and walked in.

"Good night Bob," I said, waving. He waved back and Gerard shut the door.

"C'mon, your room is just down here," he said softly, leading me further into the hallway until we came upon one of many doors. "Here we are," he said opening to door. I gasped. It was the nicest bedroom i had ever seen. The old style walls and furniture almost made you feel you had went back in time. In the middle of the room, the beautiful four post canopy bed was covered with old handmade quilts and throw pillows. To the left side of the room sat a huge wardrobe and full size mirror. The hardwood floors were mostly covered by an elegantly patterned rug. I walked in and set my bag on the neatly made bed. I could tell the room had not been used for quite sometime, although it was kept in good condition. It wasn't dusty and old, just old fasioned.

"Oh my god!" I managed to exclaim, sitting on the bed. I ran my hand over the soft quilt that was on the bed.

"My grandmother made that quilt," he said gesturing to the blanket i was admiring. I smiled.

"It's beautiful," I said, admiring it more. He smiled proudly.

"Well, goodnight," He said turning to the door.

"Goodnight Gerard," I said as he shut the door. Soon I was left alone. I got into my pajamas and crawled into bed. It was so comfortable. I felt like a queen in this house. It was like a castle. It didn't take me long in that comfortable bed for me to fall into a deep sleep.

~*~Tori's P.O.V~*~

I sat on the couch next to Frank, Mikey and Ray. We were talking about useless subjects that aren't really worth mentioning when Gerard returned from the left wing of the house. He sat between me and Frank, causing my fingers, once entwined with Franks, to let go.

"Dude!" said Frank, crossing his arms. Gerard laughed evilly.

"C'mon! I wanna sit next to my Frankie!" I said, also crossing my arms. Gerard laughed again.

"NO! this is my spot," He said pointing at his rear. I giggled. His grin had a look of insanity to it. I knew this look. I knew he was extremely happy. I loved seeing him so happy.

"Well, my sugar buzz has finally worn off. I'm going to bed," said Frank standing up. I stood up too. I was pretty tired myself.

"Are you guys spending the night?" i asked stopping and tuning around to face everyone still sitting on the couch. Mikey and Ray shared an appartment on the other side of town. Frank had lived with them for a long time before we started dating. after that, he moved in with Gerard, Alex and I. I had never understood why Mikey didn't want to live in this house. It was gorgeous. Then again, maybe he didn't want to live with Gerard. Lately he was very moody, and often depressed. I guess I can understand why Mikey would want to get away from that.

"No, Ray and I are going to go home pretty soon, anyway," Said Mikey, looking at the grandfather clock. It was almost 12:30, "Brookie is probably home by now." I nodded and walked into my room, followed by Frank who had closed the door. He walked over to me smiling and gave me a warm hug.

"I love you, Tor," He whispered softly, burrying his face into my shoulder. He was so touchy-feely, almost needy.

"I love you too, Frankie," I whispered back. He looked into my eyes and planted a small but passionate kiss on my lips before pulling away and stripping down to his boxers. I started undressing and put on some warm pajama bottoms and a tanktop. We both crawled into bed and cuddled under the covers. We were both pretty tired at that point so we didn't feel like doing anything but sleep. Soon, we both fell asleep in eachothers arms.

~*~Mikey's P.O.V~*~

I honestly didn't want to leave. Gerard was so happy. He hadn't been like this for a long time. It's been so long since I saw him like this. But I knew Brookie was at home alone. Her aunt had had a heart attack. She was probably pretty upset.

"We have to go, Ray."

"Okay," said Ray nodding and standing up. Gerard looked up at me. I could see how upset he was that we were leaving. I couldn't stand to look at him. I felt so bad.

"Do you have to go now?" he said in all effort to make us stay. I almost gave in, but I couldn't.

"We're really sorry Gee," said Ray. Gerard looked like he was holding back tears. I wanted desperately to not see him at that moment. It was so pathetic.

"I'll make it up to you, Bro," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder before he pulled me into a long hug. He hadn't hugged me like that since...I don't know when. I missed being close to him. "Love you, man."

"Alright, love you too. Bye," he said, giving Ray a nod as we left out the back door and made our way to my car.

~*~Gerard's P.O.V~*~

I didn't know what to do. I wasn't tired at all, yet everyone was asleep. I guess it was pretty late though. I sat on the couch and did nothing but think. There was no TV in the livingroom, but we were supposed to get one soon. I didn't much feel like watching TV at the time, anyway. It was almost one now. It was so quiet.

~*~Samantha's P.O.V~*~

I woke up. My sight was blurred alot when I opened my eyes but when they focused, memories of where I was and how i had got there flooded my thoughts. I looked around the dark room until my eyes moved to the digital clock on my bedside table. It read 2:10 am. I sat up and noticed my door was open a little. In the doorway, I could make out a dark figure. I was scared a little, but I decided it was best if I be silent and wait until they went away. What if it was some robber? I knew the thought was ridiculous, but oh well. I waited for a while but the person didn't leave. They just stood there, watching me. I was really freaked out, to be honest. I could hear their breath.

"H-hello? who's there?" I asked through the darkness. The figure seemed to jump when I spoke. They must have thought I was asleep.

"You're awake! I'm sorry. Did I wake you, Sam?" said the voice in a shocked tone. It was a male voice that wasn't too farmilliar to me.

"You never answered my question. Who are you? should I call the cops?" I said in a more harsh tone. I wasn't going to let some creep get away with robbing this house, or something like that. The man laughed softly. It wasn't a scoffing laugh or mocking. He walked over and sat on the bed. I still didn't recognize them, though I started feeling like I knew them.

"Shhh, I didn't mean to scare you, Sam. It's just me," He said, as his face became visible in the moonlight. I sighed with reliefe.

"Oh my god, Gerard. I'm sorry."

I heard Gerard laugh lightly again. "Don't be. I can understand why you did that. It's kind of creepy to wake up to something like that."

"So...What were you doing, anyway," I asked, now wide awake.

"Oh, Um...I was just...I couldn't sleep. And...I thought I would check up on you," He said. I nodded understandingly. I saw him smile, which I returned. I noticed I was still in bed. Gerard switched positions on the bed so that he was sitting in front of me, face-to-face.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He seemed a little sad, so I thought I would see what was wrong.

"Yeah, I'm fine. just..." He replied trailing off. Suddenly, he leaned in and kissed me gently before pulling away. I felt my cheeks flush. "Sorry."

"I-...Bu-...Gerar-" I said, being cut off by his lips coliding with mine once again. I felt a strong arm push me gently back so that I was leaning on the headboard. I braught my hands up and rested them on the back of his neck, making the kiss deeper. My hands ran through his long black hair, which fell on our faces. A little too soon after, he pulled back and sat up. I sat up after him with a look of question on my face.

"I'm really sorry, Sam. I should go," He said getting up.

"Why?" was all I could say. He stopped and turned around to look at me. I bit my lip nervously.

"I don't know..." He said. I wanted him to stay so badly. I honestly enjoyed that. I enjoyed it alot.

"Please stay," I said. He hesitated and sat back down on the bed. I got out from under the covers and sat beside him. He put an arm around my shoulders and sighed. Suddenly, the phone rang. I felt Gerard jump, making me giggle. We both got up and walked into the livingroom where the phone was. Gerard picked it up and sat on the couch. I sat next to him a listened patiently.

~*~Gerard's P.O.V~*~

I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I said into the mouth peice.

"G-Gerard?" said the other line, "It's Brookie."

"Oh, hey Brookie. Why are you calling so late? It's almost three in the morning."

"Gerard...Mikey-" she said being cut off by a sob. My face dropped. I saw Sam look at me worrily. Something was wrong.

"What? What's wrong with Mikey?" I said, sounding a little panicked. Sam clung on to my arm.

"Gee, Mikey and Ray were in an accident," said Brookie sobbing loudly. I nearly dropped the phone. I didn't know what to say. My brother and my best friend.

"Are they okay?" I asked shaky. All the color had flushed from my face, I must have been as pale as a ghost. Brookie cried even louder but didn't answer. My heart felt like it had stopped.

"Gerard, I'm so sorry," said Brookie finally, "Mikey passed away." I heard Sam gasp next to me. I guess she could hear everything. My emotions swept over me. I started crying uncontrolably. I could still hear Brookie on the other line, crying as well. I noticed Sam was crying too.

"Brookie...I have to go."

"Okay, Bye Gerard," She said hanging up. I looked down at Sam sadly. I didn't know what to do. She pulled me into a tight hug. I sobbed into her shoulder. She rubbed circles on my back comforting me. My brother. My baby brother, Mikey. Gone. Dead. He wasn't coming back. Never.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No, not him. anyone but him. I sat there, doing nothing but stare at the closed coffin. They should have kept it open. They should have let him see the sunlight one last time. He shouldn't have had to die in the first place. Ray was still in the hospital. I know it was a horrible thing to think, but why couldn't he have been the one to lose his life. Why Mikey? He didn't do anything to deserve this. They said his body was too mangled. The transport truck had ran into Mikey's side of the car. Memories engulfed and fogged my mind.

I felt a small fragile hand shake my shoulder slightly, causing my eyes to snap open.

"Gee! Gee! He came! He came!" exclaimed Mikey happily. I rubbed my eyes and smiled at my little brother. So young, so clueless. "Get up, Gerard! Santa came! He came!"

"I'm coming! Just give me a minute to wake up, Mikey, Jesus!" I said. He gasped.

"You said a swear, Gerard! Mom told you not to swear!" I rolled my eyes and sat up. Mikey was wearing his superman pajamas, which made him look even more nerdy with his glasses almost falling off of his nose. My mother had baught those ridiculous pajamas for him last year for his fourth birthday. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" he said impatiently.

"I'm getting up, Mikey!" Mikey took my hand and practically dragged me down the stairs to the living room. The christmas tree was glowing, turning the whole room colorful. I heard Mikey gasp when he saw the neatly wrapped boxes under it, making me grin. I knew there was no such thing as Santa. I was almost nine, after all. I heard footsteps upstairs and soon saw my mother walk down in her pajamas, cup of coffee in hand. I grimanced at the thought of the bitter liquid she was drinking. When I grew up, I would never drink coffee.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, pretending to be as excited as Mikey, "It looks like Santa was happy with your boys' behavior this year!" I grinned and sat on the floor next to the tree and picked up a small package, looking at the nametag. It was for me. I studied it closely and shook it lightly, not too hard though, as to not break it. But to my anguish, nothing moved inside the box. I frowned. I was completely baffled. My mother smirked at me, obviously getting enjoyment our of my confusion. She gave me a nod, giving me permition to open it, finally. It didn't take me two seconds of a second to tear off the paper. I gasped. The tiny man in the box looked up at me, his muscles glimmered in the christmas lights. My mom had gotten me the Batman action figure I had seen in the toy store the other day.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you Mom! I love you so much!" I exclaimed, attempting to open it by wripping the plastic unsuccessfully. My mother gave a playful grin.

"Don't thank me, Dear; Thank Santa." I rolled my eyes and continued admiring my new action figure. I heard Mikey let out a cry of joy and looked up to see what he had gotten.

"Mommy, Mommy, look! Santa got me a dog!" he said happily, holding up his gift triumphantly. It was a tiny brown stuffed dog. I smiled.

"It's beautiful, sweetie!" she exclaimed grinning, "Are you going to name it?" Mikey flopped himself back on the floor and looked at his new 'dog' for what seemed like twenty minutes before looking up at mom again.

"Yes! His name is..." he said scratching his chin like our father did when he was thinking hard about something, "Rex!"

Mikey had never left home without Rex once since that christmas. Even now, he still kept it with him, although, he didn't carry it around anymore. But it had always sat in his room, untouched. I clutched the small faded toy in my hands as I watched them lower the coffin into the ground. My mother stood by my father, who was comforting her. I was glad they were still so close, even after the divorce. Soon, the preist starting going on. I wasn't listening, though. I was too busy thinking about times when Mikey and I had got up to something, or gotten into trouble. Before I knew it, the preist was done talking and everyone was shuffling into a single file line to perform the ceremony of throwing a single red rose on his coffin door before he was...put away. I had been so lost in my thought that i didn't realise people had started lining up, earning me the very last spot at the back. It took ages. Rose after rose, tear after tear, goodbye after goodbye. I was almost ready to leave and throw out the rose when i noticed it was almost my turn. As much as the funeral was depressing me, I might as well have stayed. It had started raining as the person before me threw their rose into the deep hole, in which my brother would be burried forever.
I slowly walked and stood at the edge of the hole. I looked into it and stared at the polished wood covered in roses. The rain fell on my uncovered head and fell down my face, mixing with my tears that were now flowing freely from my eyes. Everyone had left, even Mom. I was alone with my brother, and the preist, and the guys that were going to bury him. I sobbed and threw in my rose in, along with Rex. Mikey never goes anywhere without Rex.

"Bye, Mikes," I whispered in a cracky voice, "I'll make it up to you, bro."