Become What You Know

The cafe had been Gerard's idea. He was sixteen when he realized that the voices in his head weren't so much in his head as he was the only person who could hear them. He was seventeen when he told his parents. They, understandably, tried to have him committed. The voices had awoken him in the middle of the night to the sounds of Gerard's parents arguing over his mental well being.
His father called the hospital.
Gerard didn't stick around long enough to see the men in white coats come for him. He shoved everything he could into a duffle and half fell out his second story window and down the drain pipe. He didn't stop running for what felt like hours. The voices were leading him down deserted roads and alleys, keeping him away from anything that could be dangerous to a teenager out on his own.

He spent the next six months drunk in an alley eating out of garbage cans. When he looks back now he's completely ashamed of himself. The voices got louder, more in control when he was drunk. Harsh whispers kept him alive when nothing should have. Mikey found him sprawled out in an alley somewhere in New York. Gerard couldn't say where, and Mikey never told him how he found him.

One minute Gerard was on his knees retching, the next he was looking up at his baby brother. Mikey was pissed, shaking in anger and little warning bells were going off in his head. He was almost certain Mikey was going to hit him. Gerard blinked up at him, wiped at his mouth, and then he was crying. Huge body wracking sobs, his knees tucked to his chest. “Mikey,” he sniffles.

Mikey pulled him to his chest, huffed, "Idiot." And like that, it was the end of it.

Mikey pulled him to his feet, shuffled them both to the nearest ATM machine and Gerard watched as a twenties and fifties filtered out. Mikey shoved the money into his back pocket and sped walked them a few blocks away to a passable hotel. Gerard wanted to crash, but Mikey steered him to the bathroom, helped him out of his clothes and shoved him under the warm spray.
Gerard was feeling human again by the time he finally fell face first into the pillow. He realized then that maybe he needed Mikey a little more than Mikey needed him.

***

On Gerard's eighteenth birthday he says to Mikey, "maybe we should do something to help others like us". This starts a three day conversation on the probability of people with "abilities" existing outside the Way family. In the end Mikey leaves in what Gerard thinks is a huff. He's scared, for a moment that Mikey won't come back.
Realistically Mikey shows up three days later with enough cash to rebuild the Hoover Dam. They find and buy the right building the next day, because it’s not like they can return the money. ("Sorry, my brother stole this with his mind, but we want to give it back.")

The first person they help is Ray. Ray, who can't help reading other people's emotions. It’s Gerard who finds him, when he slips out the back to take the trash out. There's loud, echoing crying in his mind, and he knows that the spirits are sending it his way. He follows the sounds, follows them blocks and blocks over until the crying is no longer carried on the wind to his mind, and is now coming from this mess of crazy hair, crying hysterically.

"Hey," Gerard says, "Are you okay."

He looks up with these big brown eyes, sniffles, "There's so much pain."

"Hey, hey," Gerard says offering him a hand, "Come with me, yeah?"

This is where it really begins. Ray hides in the room with no windows, getting control over the things he feels, learning to block people's emotions out. It’s harder than it seems, and after a week he has enough of a handle on it that he leaves.

People start coming to them for help after that.

***

The first time Gerard realizes letting Celeste stay may be a problem is when he steps out of the back room, ready to leave for the night. It’s half past the time to close, and usually by now Mikey is counting up the register and turning out the lights. Gerard steps out of the back room and nearly runs right into Mikey. He's holding his Ouija Board in his arms, and his eyes fall to Celeste. She's dancing around to the radio, and wiping down the last of tables.

He doesn't drop his Ouija Board. Mikey doesn't look at him strangely. And she doesn't accidentally read his mind while he's thinking about how nice her ass looks in her jeans. Gerard doesn't squeak and run back to his office, wishing he still drinks. It certainly doesn't take Mikey two hours to get his brother to come out so they can leave. Not at all.

Later Mikey will tease him about his inability to interact with other people properly. Gerard will cuff him upside the back of his head and make it a point to avoid the girl after that. Really it’s none of Mikey's business who Gerard interacts with anyway. Funnily enough the spirits agree with Mikey. "Can't talk to the psychic echoes of those who have passed away forever, you know."

So when Mikey disappears Gerard figures that maybe Gerard's going to need Celeste a little more than he originally hoped for. He doesn't know where she lives. He doesn't know anything about her outside of the cafe. He's not even sure that they pay her to work for them. But he follows his inner monologue and allows the spirits to track her through the city. He finds her at a shitty motel and wishes that he had just waited until she came in for the day.

______________________

The first time it happens like this. Celeste finally gives into the rain, and the cold air and steps inside the shitty motel with the flashing vacancy sign. She's shivering from head to toe. The guy at the desk looks at her appraisingly. His name tag says Matt. He smiles up at her and she can't decide if he's bored, or if it’s calculating.

"How much to rent a room?" she asks, shaking from the cold.

"Thirty for the night, one hundred for the week."

"Oh," her face falls, "All I have is twenty."

He plucks the bill from her shaking fingers easily, hands on her hip as he comes around the counter. He's pressing her forward, pushing her jeans to her knees and bending her over the counter. She shuts her eyes tight and tries really hard not to lose control of her ability. She might maybe be crying a little. Matt lets her stay the whole week, but she doesn't have the money to buy food. Her stomach is grumbling, and she's got a fierce headache working up behind her eyes. But the laundry is free, she showers daily and it’s warm, with winter fast approaching.

***

She finds a five dollar bill on the street. She pockets it and looks around for some place to step out of the rain. This is when she finds The Cafe. It’s nothing special to look at, but the sign in the window guarantees cheap coffee. She orders a plain coffee and a brownie and doesn't spend more than two dollars, which is crazy. She stays nearly the whole day; not wanting to go back to her motel room with the water damaged ceiling and dull walls.

***

The second week she doesn't have any money to pay for the room. She's got ten dollars she's been using to buy dollar desserts from the cafe. She can't go another week without eating. Matt knocks on the door as she's packing her belongings in her bag. She's envisioning the police and being tossed out. When he brushes past her, locking the door she thinks, "oh".
He presses her to the bed, teeth scraping her jaw and she's shivering. She tells herself that people do things to survive all the time. She repeats it over and over in her head.
In the morning she has bruises on her wrists and hips.
He comes back twice that week.

***

She doesn't really make a wage at the cafe. She thinks it’s more because she's never asked for one than because Mikey's just not paying her. She does, however, take home the tips from the tables she waits. It’s enough to feed her, and not owe Matt too many favors.

"How much do you have this week?" Matt asks, and she hands him seventy without blinking.

He counts it out before tucking it in the register. He's already pressing her to her knees, pants around his thighs. His fingers are tangled in her hair, pulling, and she makes a hurt noise. He tugs harder. This is how Gerard finds her, ten minutes later. He steps into the office and starts in a quiet voice, "I'm looking for...oh shit!"
He backs out of the door just as quickly as he came. She crawls to her feet, knees stiff. She's wiping at her mouth furiously when she steps out the door, her lips red, and her eyes are wide.

"How..?" she starts but Gerard blurts, "Jesus Christ, you're just a child."

She flinches back as if she's been slapped. She might not have wanted anyone to know about this, but especially not Gerard. And even though she hasn't had much contact with him since she first came to the cafe, she can see the disappointment in his eyes. She squares her shoulders, puts her chin up, "People do a lot of things they don't like to survive."
It maybe sounds a little desperate.

And yeah, Gerard knows that. Hell, he'd been there, but she's just a baby, and why didn't she tell Mikey what she was doing? Why didn't she ask for help? Gerard is never really all that rational. He's seeing her on her knees over and over in his mind and he can't decide if its anger or jealously that's stirring in his stomach. And now she's stalking away, towards the stairs, and her room.

"Mikey's been kidnapped," Gerard says and she stops mid-step.

She turns slowly to look at him, and her eyes are furious now, "Tell me exactly what happened."

She balances on the edge of her bed, Gerard leans against the desk as he tells her, hands running through his hair. He tells her everything, including how it felt when Agent Anderson stepped into the room. She nods to herself, but doesn't interrupt. He tells her about his trip to the police station and his inability to use his powers to find the woman who took his brother.

"She's a neg," Celeste says, "I've never met one, but I knew this telepath who told me about them. You're abilities won't work around her. Or on her for that matter. Did you try finding Mikey instead?"

"Oh," Gerard flushes, because no, he didn't. Mikey's only been gone for sixteen hours, maybe, and Gerard doesn't really think all too clearly without him.

__________________________________

Back at the cafe Ray looks up from his red velvet cupcakes when they come through the back door. Gerard's shaded a swirl of confused colors that Ray can't even begin to interpret. Some one rings for assistance and Celeste goes to help them without a word. Ray puts his hand on Gerard's shoulder to stop him from disappearing into the room with no windows (the one it has doesn't really count).

"What's wrong, Gerard?" Ray asks, because he's known Gerard for three years, and just Gerard's face alone says that he's upset.

"I--nothing," Gerard says unconvincingly, and steps around Ray, "It’s just. Nothing."

Ray shrugs to himself; he'll figure it out later. He checks on Celeste, and she's swirls of embarrassment and horror. It’s all tinged with worry, and Ray put an arm around her waist briefly, and hugs her tight.

"Don't worry," Ray says into her shoulder, "We'll find Mikey."

She smiles at him, and its maybe a little watery. Ray feels his heart twist, reminds himself that she's seventeen and he's not creepy. "We'll make cinnamon bread later," he promises.

She smiles again, and he sends her comfort in shades of gold and purple, watches her smile at a customer. She apologizes for them being short staffed as she waits the tables during the queue and he slides back into the kitchen.
In between timers Ray finds Gerard in Mikey's office. He's got Mikey's address book with contact information for most of the people they've helped in the past in his hands, and a determined look on his face.

"I'm going to find Mikey," he says, and he sounds so much more confident than he normally does.

"That's good, Gerard," Ray says, and tries to smooth out some of the irrational lines in his aura. Gerard flicks his hand through the air as if he knows what Ray is doing. Which, he probably does. He sets the list down.

"I've already called Bob Bryar," Gerard says, "He's coming back from Chicago, and he's bringing a friend."

"Well, you have my help, man," Ray says, "But I better go check on the brownies."

"Thanks," Gerard says, "Hey; do you know who Patrick Stump is? It says flying next to his name."

"Mikey met him in Virginia, I think," Ray shrugs, "I think they met online."

Gerard nods and picks up the phone, dialing the number next to the name, "Patrick Stump? This is Mikey Way's brother Gerard--"

Ray backed out of the doorway to give Gerard peace to make his calls. In the kitchen the timer goes off just as Ray gets back.

____________________________

Jimmy tips his head as if he's listening to something that neither Frank nor Tarra can see. When he finally turns his eyes to the pair he grins. He's tall and stringy and when he stares its a little disconcerting. Tarra shivers.

"Don't look so discouraged, son of a seraph, we'll find your father for you. You, however need to return to New Jersey. The Way brothers are having a bit of trouble, and could use your help."

"I thought I was supposed to talk to Brian," Frank said, moping.

"I'll talk to Brian," Jimmy says, "You need to turn around and go back. You can't expect something for nothing. Time to pay your dues, little man."

"I'm not that little," Frank seethes, arms crossed. Jimmy just laughs.

He scrawls something down on a post it and hands it to Tarra, "You're going to need all the help you can get."

There are three names in Jimmy's untidy writing, with an address in Boston on it. Tarra tucks it into a pocket and stands. Next to her Frank is glowering, but stands as well.

"Thank you," Tarra says, and its hard not to be sincere when Jimmy is smiling wide and-and goofy at them, "We won't take up any more of your time."

"There's not much to waste," Jimmy says wisely, as they close the door behind them.

Brian steps out of the shadows, and punches Jimmy in the shoulder. "Hey man," Jimmy protests, "We talked about nice touching."

Brian snickers, "It’s a good thing you sent them on their way. I might have had to kill the boy. He's was pretty whiney."

"Shut up, Syn," Jimmy grins, "You'd be pissed if you woke up and suddenly had wings."

"Dude," Syn rolls his eyes, "I killed all life on Mars when I hit puberty. What does the seraph's son have to bitch about?"

"Here come another one of those poor pity me stories."

"You know I could kill you by blinking, right?" Syn leers at Jimmy.

"I'm not scared of you. You'd just have to deal with me being reincarnated, and then who would you have to talk to until I grow into a man? No one. You'd get bored and kill all the life on Jupiter's moons."

"Yeah, and retraining you is a bitch," Syn agreed, "Well, I better go find that kid's father, yeah?"

"Have fun in Heaven."

"Don't I always. Temple virgins here I come," Syn grins at his friend lecherously before he's gone in a blink.

"Oh sure," Jimmy says, "Don't say bye or anything." He shifts to his feet to go find Father Matt. Maybe he can get the father and the alter boy, Zacky to come jam with him in the church basement. It’s been a few weeks since he played the drums.

***

While Tarra and Frank are on their way to find Ryan Ross, Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith Gerard is setting up to recieve most of the people he and his brother have ever helped. Apparently good will is always returned. Bob Bryar was going to be in town in a few hours, with a friend of his. Patrick was bringing a friend with him in from L.A. And Gabe and William from the incident at the public libraries were already in the kitchen bothering Ray. They were assembling quickly.
"Don't worry, Mikey," Gerard whispers into the air, hopes that the spirits will be able to reach him, where ever he is, "We're coming for you."