Touched by an Angel, Though I Fall Out of Grace

*November 7, 2004*
*Gerard's POV*
I was lying in my bedroom with the lights off and the curtains closed. I was trying to keep out the light because I was dead tired. I was close to falling back asleep when my door opened.

"Gerard, breakfast is ready." I heard my mom tell me.

"I'm not hungry," I said as I rolled over on my side because the light from upstairs was streaming in.

"You didn't ear dinner last night either. Are you sick?" she asked.

"No, I'm just tired," I groaned.

"Hmm, alright," she responded before leaving. I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

*4 hours later*
I woke up again and looked at the digital clock on my nightstand. The red numbers glared 1:30. I groaned and got up, heading upstairs to the bathroom for a shower. When I got out, I wrapped myself in a towel and stood at the sink to brush my teeth. When I was back in my room, I slipped on a pair of black jeans, a David Bowie t-shirt, black low-top Converses and my black, leather jacket. I picked up my phone and car keys and went back upstairs. On my way out Mikey looked up from the TV and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To see Brittany," I said before the front door closed. I got in my car and backed out of the driveway. I turned on the stereo and Iron Maiden's "Phantom of the Opera" was just coming on. I rocked out, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel when I pulled up to the curb in front of Brittany's house. I killed the engine and walked up to the front door, knocking three times before waiting.

The door opened and Brittany stood on the other side. She smiled when she saw me and I smiled back. Brittany stepped back, letting me in and I followed her to the living room and then sat next to her on the couch.

"Where are your mom and dog?" I asked, noticing how silent the house was.

"My mom is at work and Ares is sleeping," she informed me and I nodded. "So, what brought you here?"

"With my super powers, I sensed that you might be lonely," I said with a grin. She laughed and I swear it was on of the greatest sounds in the world.

"Okay, since I'm so lonely, what do you wanna do?"

"I figured we'd hang out, go get something to eat and I could drop you back off before I go visit my grandmother."

"Yeah, okay. I'll be right back," she announced before running upstairs. She reappeared fifteen minutes later wearing a white shirt that said 'I Won't Bite' in red lettering, black skinny jeans and black ballet flats. I stood and followed her into the kitchen, where she refilled her dog's bowl with food and water.

"Alright, let's go," she said. We walked out the front door and she turned to lock it. We headed to my car and I opened the door for her. She smiled her thanks before getting in and I shut the door before going around to the driver's side and getting in. I started the car and the radio came back to life, playing "Scars" by Papa Roach.

"Oh, I love this song," Brittany said. "You mind if I turn it up?"

"No, go ahead," I told her and watched as her hand reached for the volume dial. The song was pounding in our ears as I drove down the road. When I pulled onto the main highway, I looked left and right before turning into the parking lot of Dairy Queen and I noticed a smile appear on Brittany's face. I took her hand in mine as we got out and walked to the entrance. As we stood in line, I asked her what she wanted.

"Just a mint Oreo Blizzard and some fires," she answered. I nodded, stepping up to the counter to order her food and a Reese's Blizzard for myself. When we had our stuff, we found a table and sat down. "You want some of these?" she asked, pushing the basket of fries towards me and I took a few.

We were heading back to my car, with our ice cream in hand, when she looked over at me. "What?" I asked.

"Can we just go to hospital? I want to meet your grandmother," she whispered.

"Is that really what you want to do?" I questioned and she nodded, making me mentally sigh. I took the next exit, taking the road to the hospital. I found a parking spot near the front and took a deep breath as I got out and went to get her door. As I had her between me and the car, I pushed her up against the frame and leaned in to kiss her. I felt her smile as she wrapped her arms around my neck and I placed my hands on her hips.

"Get a room!" someone yelled, making us break apart. Brittany ducked her head as she blushed. I grinned and grabbed her hand. 'Man, I sure enjoyed kissing her,' I thought as we walked to the main entrance of the hospital. We were standing at the receptionist's desk and waited while she talked on the phone. As she hung up, she smiled at us.

"Hi, I'm Sandra. Welcome to Saint Joseph's Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Uh, we're here to see Elena Rush." I stated, quietly.

"Mrs. Rush is on the third floor, room 347." she told us.

"Thanks," I said and nodded my head. Brittany and I walked towards the elevator and I pushed the third button, making the doors close in front of us. When they re-opened, we walked out and began going down the hallway, quickly finding room 347. I opened the door and saw my grandmother lying in bed with her eyes closed; as I gently shut the door, she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Gerard," she said happily.

"Hi, grandma," I whispered.

"And who's this?" she asked, looking at Brittany for the first time.

Brittany stepped forward and shook my grandmother's hand. "Hi, I'm Brittany."

"Oh, you're the girl Gerard is always telling me about."

Brittany looked from my grandmother to me with a small smile on her face. She then looked back to my grandmother and said, "Oh, really?"

"Yes, he's quite infatuated with you, dear."

"Hmm, I learn something new every day," Brittany said with a smile. We spent 90 minutes at the hospital and decided to leave when my grandmother had slowly fallen asleep. As we walked back outside to the car, Brittany looked at me and said, "I like your grandmother, she's nice."

"Yeah, she is. She's the reason for just about everything I do; my art, singing, writing and everything else. She always pushed me to do everything to the best of my abilities."

"That's sweet," Brittany commented as we pulled out of the parking lot. The radio was the only sound in the car and I held Brittany's hand on the center console. When I pulled up to her house, she rested her hand on the door handle. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you today. It was fun."

"It was no problem, and we can hang out whenever you want, just let me know," I told her, leaning over too kiss her on the cheek. She smiled and opened her door. I let down the window and said, "Bye Brittany."

"Bye Gerard, I'll see you tomorrow."

I waved at her and then drove off. I had just parked my car outside my house when my phone started buzzing. I pulled it from my pocket and read the text, it was from Mikey. 'Mom wants you home' was all it said. I didn't even reply as I shut the car door and walked inside. When I entered the living room, I saw Mikey and my mom on the couch. Mikey's expression was unreadable as he stared at the TV, but my mother, however, wore a disapproving scowl.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"I went and hung out with Brittany today," I said, leaning against the armchair.

"Brittany? Who's Brittany?" she questioned.

"A friend," I told her.

"You could have called. I've been worried sick," my mom said with an exasperated sigh before walking into the kitchen.

"She's been weird all day, it's not your fault," Mikey informed me. I nodded and made my way to my room. I turned on the light and then collapsed on my bed. I picked up my sketchbook and pencils, beginning to draw. I was unaware of how late it had gotten when my mom knocked on the door and said, "Come eat dinner."

I guess I had no choice, so I set down my stuff and headed upstairs. As I sat down, I noticed that my dad was home. I took my usual seat at the table and waited for my mom to fix our plates, she always served dinner the old-fashioned way. Afterwards, I was getting ready to head to my room when I heard my mom yell, "Gerard! Get back in here!"

I appeared back in the kitchen and saw my parents still at the table.. "Yes?" I asked, slightly aggravated. She gestured to my seat at the table and I sat down.

"Gerard, your father and I would like to talk to you," my mom said.

"About?" I pressed.

"What happened to you lately? You stay in your room when you're not at school and if you're not there, you're gone all day. Are you suffering from depression? I bet this is all that Brittany girl's fault; she's bad influence on you."

I was pretty sure I had a slightly annoyed look on my face. I shook my head and defended Brittany. "What? You're kidding, right? Brittany isn't a bad influence on me."

"Who's Brittany?" my father asked.

"Some girl," my mom answered. "He was out with her all day."

My dad chuckled and said, "Go get your sketch book, son."

I stood and went to my room. I picked up my sketchbook off my bed. I soon returned back to the kitchen and handed the book to my dad. He began flipping through it; just about every page was detailed with Brittany and though, I smiled at my work, I noticed it was borderline creepy.

"Those are good," my dad praised, pulling me from my thoughts. He turned to my mom and said, "He's not suffering from depression, he's in love. He'll be fine. You can go, Gerard."

I nodded and headed to the front door. "I'll be back later," I said, slamming the door behind me. I got in the car, headed to Brittany's with my dad's words echoing in my mind: 'He's in love.' When I reached Brittany's house, I got out of the car and knocked on the door and Mrs. Davis answered.

"Hello, Gerard." she said, smiling.

"Hi, may I speak to Brittany."

"She's not here right now."

I frowned a bit. "Do you know where I can find her?"

"She mentioned something about the cemetery."

"Thank you," I said, walking back to my car. I waved as I got in and drove away. I parked next to the gate of the cemetery and got out, locking the doors, but leaving the engine running. I began weaving through the many tombstones; when I spotted Brittany, I picked up my pace and hurried over to her. As I approached her, I could hear her sobbing. I kneeled down next to her and reached out to touch her arm. She jumped and looked up at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, not quite sure what to do.

"N-no," she choked out. Neither one of said a word as I moved into a more comfortable position for the both of us; I had sat down completely and she was sitting in my lap with my arms around her and her head on my shoulder.

When her crying had subdued, she looked up at me and said, "I'm sorry for this. I don't usually cry in front of people."

"It's okay. What was wrong? If you don't mind me asking."

"After being at the hospital with you today, I got nostalgic and started missing my own grandmother. Then that led me to thinking about my father and so, I ended up here," she gestured.

I glanced at the two gravestones in front of us. The first one said:

'In Loving Memory of
Christopher Lee Davis
Dear Son, Brother, Husband and Father
December 1, 1967-May 23, 2004'

And the second one said:

'In Loving Memory of
Alice Kathleen Davis
Dear Wife, Mother and Grandmother
February 11, 1927-May 23, 2004'

"Oh," I said, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, not your fault. I just miss them," she said, sniffling. I looked at her and wiped away her tears before gently pressing my lips to hers. The kiss didn't wasn't long, but lasted enough to let her know that I was here and I cared about her.

I rested my forehead on hers and said, "Brittany?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

She gave me a small smile. "You just did, but go ahead."

"Will you be my girlfriend?" I asked and then held my breath, waiting for her answer.

"Nothing would make me happier," she said, hugging me and I kissed the top of her head.

"You should probably get home, it's late. Do you want me to walk me to your car?" I asked.

"I didn't drive, I walked." she stated. I looked at her and said, "Jersey's not a safe place."

She nodded, "I know. Will you drive me home?"

"Yeah, of course." I agreed as we stood up. When we were at my car, I opened the door for her and then got in. We rode in silence and every so often, I'd see her wipe tears from her eyes. As I pulled up to her house, she got out and I followed after her to the door. She turned and hugged me tightly and I hugged her back. I held her close to me as she whispered, "Thank you for being there for me."

"Anytime," I said as we pulled apart.

She reached for the door knob and said, "I'll see you later, Gerard."

"Goodbye, beautiful," I said, making her blush. I began walking away, backwards, so I could watch as she waved goodbye to me. Even after I had gotten in my car, we continued to wave and I waited until she had gone inside and shut the door behind her before driving off. When I got home, I went straight to my room and laid down, I soon fell asleep and dreamt about her.