Frank sighed under his breath as he locked up his clinic, his back aching slightly after his long day which wasn't over quite yet since he still had to feed the dogs in his care and clean up their cages before he could crawl into his bed.

Jamia had offered to stay behind and help him, but Frank had refused her company, mostly because his mood had been a bit foul lately and he didn't want Jamia catching on to how miserable he really was, although she was already picking up on hints that he wasn't as cheerful as he was pretending to be.

It wasn't that Frank didn't want to talk to her, in fact, he was sure that sharing his burdens would make his separation from Gerard easier to bear. Jamia always knew what to say to make things better, but the problem was that Frank couldn't think of a reasonable explanation for Gerard's disappearance, and it wasn't like he could tell his friend that the person he was dating had turned out to be a vampire.

He had considered telling her that they had broken up, but that wasn't true either, and he knew if he used that excuse, Jamia would insist that he get over him which would involve dragging Frank to clubs he didn't want to be at and attempting to hook him up with the first cute guy she saw, which Frank couldn't face right now, not when he was so fucking in love with Gerard.

And he was - he loved him so damn much it hurt. Frank didn't want to be in love with him, not right now, because it made everything worse, but he couldn't deny that he was, and no oddities or fangs could change how he felt about the other man.

He was glad he had told Gerard though, he didn't regret it at all even though he hadn't intended to air his affections so soon, but Gerard had needed to hear it, to have something to cling onto in the wake of the tragic death of his brother, and Frank was more than happy to give that to him.

It helped that Gerard was irrevocably tied to Frank as well, actually, it meant the world to him. He was still a bit confused about how vampire mating worked when a human was involved, but knowing that Frank was it for Gerard gave him a heady rush that was incomparable to any other relationship he had been in.

And even with everything stacked against them, from Gerard's species - which Frank was still a bit in shock over - to their inability to see each other, Frank still wanted Gerard. Those hindrances seemed paltry when compared to the aching loneliness that was eating away at him every second he spent without his boyfriend.

Frank missed Gerard - he missed him a hell of a lot, and no amount of hardships or common sense was lessening how head over heels he was for a vampire of all people.

Frank had attempted to talk himself out of this, to reason with his heart, but his efforts had been useless so far. Maybe with time, he would be able to forget about Gerard, but honestly, Frank didn't want that to happen. He was willing to fight for him, and although he wasn't ready to give up his home and his life here, he would do almost anything else if it meant Gerard could be his.

But for now, he had no choice but to wait for Gerard to try and work something out, which he hated. He felt useless and trapped lately, which was something he hadn't experienced in quite some time, but all he could do was hope that Gerard found a way around whatever ridiculous rules his leaders had set up and that they would be able to meet up sometime soon.

With the thought of being reunited with Gerard swirling around in his head and lifting his mood slightly, Frank went about opening the animal cages, ushering the occupants outside one by one, making sure to keep the two dogs that seemed unable to get along separated while they ran about in the yard and stretched their legs for a short while.

When everyone seemed to have calmed down a bit, Frank headed back inside, keeping the door open so he could hear any telltale growls which would mean that trouble had started, returning his attention to the one cat that was staying with him, scooping out some food for her and setting her on the ground to see if she wanted to stroll about for a bit as well, but once she was finished eating, she simply hopped back into her bed, leaving Frank chuckling since that was exactly what he wanted to be doing right now.

Frank shooed the dogs back inside earlier than he usually did, but with the two troublemakers present, he didn't trust them in the yard on their own for much longer, and he really needed to start his own dinner which his growling stomach was reminding him of. He'd take them on a proper walk tomorrow to make up for tonight, which would be made easier since the jack terrier that instigated most of the confrontations was supposed to be going home then as well.

As Frank was perusing his cabinets for the noodles he was sure he had purchased but had somehow mysteriously disappeared, or maybe he had just put them in the wrong place, a knock sounded through his house, leaving Frank sighing tiredly as he trudged out of the pantry and into the main room instead.

He hadn't been expecting anyone today, but it was most likely just Brendon and Ryan coming back to visit their dog again which Ryan had proudly named Zeus when Frank had told them that he was going to keep him. Frank had laughed at their choice, but he knew them well enough by now to not bother with changing their minds.

Frank wondered how Brendon and Ryan could get away to see him when Gerard couldn't, and he reminded himself to ask Gerard that when he called him later, but it was most likely because Gerard had been caught so he was now under scrutiny, and honestly, Ryan and Brendon hadn't come by to see him in over two weeks either, so maybe things had gotten stricter for all of them lately.

And when Frank pulled open the door, it wasn't Brendon, or Ryan, or anyone that Frank knew, instead, it was a young woman with black hair who looked slightly flustered and out of breath. Frank didn't see an animal with her, so he wasn't sure why she was here, but he wasn't in the habit of turning away people who seemed in a bit of a bad spot.

"Are you okay?" Frank asked, noticing how the woman's eyes kept darting behind her rapidly, although there was nothing there that he could discern.

"I - I was just wondering if I could use your phone?" the stranger asked breathlessly, her hands smoothing through her slightly disheveled hair as she spoke. "Someone hit my car back there and took off, now it won't start, and of course I left my phone at home, so I really need to make a call, and no one else answered their door."

"Of course," Frank nodded as he turned his head to try and catch sight of her vehicle, but his clinic was close to the corner of the street, and he assumed the accident had happened out of his range of vision. "It's right over there," Frank pointed to the desk in the waiting room since he wasn't certain where he had put his cell, opening the door a bit wider so the woman could slip inside ahead of him. "You aren't hurt or anything are you?"

"No, just had a bit of a scare," the stranger responded, "and thank you for this."

"It's no problem," Frank smiled, giving the woman one last look over to make sure she was okay, and she seemed to be disregarding her rumpled appearance, which was understandable given the circumstances. "I'm just going to pop into the kitchen for a second, but I'll be back soon."

The stranger nodded as she picked up the phone, her dark eyes locking with Frank's momentarily. The sharp gaze he was met with caused a small shiver to run down his spine for no reason that he could uncover, but it still had his smile faltering a bit as he backed away. The uncomfortable feeling passed as soon as the woman averted her stare, so Frank shook it off and returned to his search for his missing noodles.

Frank had just found the sneaky package that he had apparently stored behind his cereal by accident when he heard footsteps in the kitchen. He poked his head back out to see the woman entering the room, and even though he was surprised her call had gone so quickly, he immediately stepped out to greet her.

"You know you aren't what I expected," the stranger commented before Frank had a chance to open his mouth, leaving him confused and slightly shaken as he tried to decipher her meaning.

"Pardon me?" Frank asked when she didn't follow up her statement with anything else, his head cocking to the side as he slowly placed the package in his hand down on the counter.

"Gerard speaks so highly of you, so I just assumed you'd be a bit more...impressive is all," the woman sniffed haughtily.

"How in the hell do you know Gerard?" Frank demanded, his spine going stiff as fear coursed through his veins, his mind churning rapidly as he came to the conclusion that this must be one of the vampires that didn't approve of their relationship. "Fuck - are you Lindsey?" Frank pressed fearfully, unable to keep the edge of terror out of his voice as everything clicked into place.

"Oh, so he's told you about me then? I shouldn't be surprised, although when I first met him, I never expected him to be a traitor," Lindsey hummed in a nonchalant manner that left Frank even more on edge than he already was.

"Get out of my house," Frank ordered, his tone wobbling unsteadily as he began backing away slowly. Gerard hadn't gone into much detail about Lindsey, but he knew enough to be aware that she was dangerous, and that it was her that had threatened Gerard and decided that he was unable to see Frank. "I haven't told anyone that you are here, your secret is safe with me, and I haven't seen Gerard either, so just leave me alone," Frank added on, hoping that the extra assurances would placate Lindsey for the time being, even though he really wasn't sure why she was here in the first place.

There was no reason for her to have searched Frank out unless Gerard had done something else, but he would have let Frank know if he was planning on attempting to visit him again. Gerard hadn't come by, and he swore that he had said that they would only be punished if they continued to spend time with each other, but maybe something had changed that Frank wasn't aware of.

"Oh Frank...if only it was that easy, but unfortunately, you know too much, and as long as you are alive, Gerard will never be able to move on from this silly infatuation, so I really can't do that," Lindsey shrugged in a casual manner that belayed her malicious intent, a smile breaking out across her face that showed her fangs which were poking out just enough for Frank to catch sight of them from where he was standing.

"M-my secretary is coming back any minute," Frank stammered although he had already sent Jamia home for the day, a cold sweat trickling down his shirt as he tried to comprehend what was happening to him.

"Don't try and lie to me," Lindsey sneered, "it won't save you, and do you really think another human's presence would stop me. I would simply kill them as well..."

Frank didn't wait to hear the rest of Lindsey's statement, instead, he bolted while he still could, heading for the hallway to his left where the animals in his care lived, slamming and locking the door behind him once he was through it. Frank didn't know how long that would hold her, but it had caught her off guard at least, now he just had to make use of his temporary advantage while he still had it.

But as Frank hurried down the corridor which led to the rear exit, his eyes lingered on the animals that surrounded him. Frank couldn't leave them locked up here, especially not with a vicious vampire nearby. Lindsey most likely wouldn't harm them, but what if she grew upset with Frank's defiance and took it out on them instead?

So with shaking fingers, Frank began releasing all of the animals from their pens, ushering them out the back door once they were free. He could hear Lindsey battering at the door now, each thud made his heart skip a beat and his eyes clench shut momentarily, but she hadn't gotten through yet, so he could still escape, he had to.

Frank forced himself to continue moving even though his mind was rapidly being paralyzed with fear, but he was managing to shove it away, to keep inhaling even when his lungs seized up, to not look behind him, to contain the scream he felt welling in his chest, to cling to an aura of calm that might be his only chance at getting out of this alive.

Frank sprinted across the yard once the lone cat made its way outside, wrenching open the newly installed fence so harshly that the metal wiring screeched in protest. The animals poured out instantly once the opportunity was given to them, and although Frank was nervous that they would get hit by a car or hurt in some other way, it was better than leaving them at the mercy of Lindsey.

And then Frank was through as well, he had done it, he was out of his house, and around the next corner was a shop that was typically heavily populated, but fuck - no, those were fingers digging into his shoulder, the strong grip appearing so suddenly that Frank hardly had time to process it before he was yanked backward, a startled yelp bubbling past his lips as he was thrown down onto his back porch, his arm and spine throbbing from the rough treatment.

And when Frank raised his head only to meet Lindsey's steely gaze, all of the fight and adrenaline drained out of his body instantly, a wave of fear rushing in to take its place. Frank's breath caught as Lindsey smirked down at him, and never before had he related so much to a mouse that was being used as a cat's play thing.

"Please don't do this," Frank begged, his composure disappearing along with almost everything else when Lindsey raised one of her heeled boots, pressing the tip of it against his chest so roughly Frank was sure it would leave a bruise, although that was really the least of his worries right now.

"Get up," Lindsey ordered sharply, and Frank didn't have any choice but to obey her as soon as she raised the pressure of her foot to kick at his ribs instead, getting his feet under him only for Lindsey to shove him through the still opened door with a fierce push.

A voice inside of Frank's head told him to run for it again, to resist, even if it was useless, but he had no energy left in him, it was hidden underneath the terror and nausea that was rolling through his body at the moment.

"What do you want from me?" Frank whimpered quietly once Lindsey had guided him into his back office that he used when he needed to get away from the distractions of everything else in order to pay bills and deal with things that he tended to put off much more often than he should, his thighs hitting the desk when Lindsey continued to advance toward him.

"Nothing that you don't deserve," Lindsey replied airily, her fingers twisting in her hair idly, the action not appearing innocent at all even though Lindsey surely intended it to be that way.

"I haven't done anything to you, and I never will, I swear," Frank croaked out, his tongue lying dry and thick in his mouth as he tried not to shake too visibly.

"Oh but you have, you've corrupted one of my own, you've somehow convinced him that he is in love with you, like a vampire could ever care for your kind, and because of that, you've unveiled my plan, you've made me kill your lover, and now I have to make sure all of the loose ends are tied up so this entire incident can be forgotten."

"You - you didn't hurt Gerard, you couldn't have - tell me he's okay," Frank cried, the rest of her words fading away next to the statement that had caused his heart to stutter in his chest and tears to form in the corners of his eyes.

"Well - I mean, he wasn't dead when I last saw him, but he will be soon, especially since I drained him dry," Lindsey giggled hysterically, the sound making Frank's skin crawl as he hunched in on himself, his chest burning as he did his best not to break down and sob in front of this woman. "I was going to do that to you as well, leave your empty husk behind here for someone to find eventually, but now I don't think I will. You will get too much pleasure from that, it will be a pleasant death, and I want you to suffer before the end."

Frank didn't respond to her threat, what could he say really? He was too consumed by the mental image of Gerard lying somewhere with blood pooling from his neck, his skin even paler than usual, his eyes closed, his body unmoving, and fuck - as pathetic as it sounded, Frank didn't care all that much if he died anymore, not if Gerard was already dead as well.

That line of thinking was unhealthy, and Frank realized that Lindsey might be deceiving him, but he just couldn't care about himself if Gerard was gone. He had only recently accepted that he loved Gerard, that he needed him, that they could somehow make this work, and now everything was falling apart before they had a chance to even try and discover if they would have been able to overcome the obstacles standing in their way.

Frank was aware that his next action was foolish, and that it would never work, and that he didn't even know where Gerard was, but he was suddenly overcome with the need to find him, to see him one last time before he died, because that was inevitable now. Lindsey wasn't going to leave them be, he probably wouldn't live through another day, and as much as that thought terrified him, Gerard was his primary concern right now.

It was a futile attempt of course, which Frank had known from the start, but he still made once last escape attempt anyway. Lindsey didn't seem at all surprised when he sprinted for the door. She caught him almost instantly, her nails digging into the meat of his thigh as she twisted his leg so roughly he heard the bones snap, wrenching an agonizing cry from his lips as he fell to the ground with a harsh thump.

"You idiot," Lindsey sneered down at Frank as he clutched his wounded limb, his vision going spotty as the pain rolled over him in waves and blood began to soak through his torn jeans where the bone had punctured his skin, "not that I should have expected any differently given how moronic your kind are in general."

Frank was still in shock from his injury, but his mind cleared slightly when Lindsey leaned down, sticking her fingers into his wound and gathering some of the blood dripping from it, her features taking on a feral cast as she lapped at the red liquid eagerly.

"Fuck you," Frank spat in a show of pointless defiance, but the words still felt good to utter, especially when Lindsey recoiled backward slightly, allowing Frank to tuck his bleeding appendage out of her reach which might not have been worth the agony it caused him, but he'd rather die than sit here and watch her drink from him.

Lindsey recovered quickly though, laughing lightly like he had just told a joke, otherwise ignoring him as she began to pace the room, her finger tapping against her red lips as if she was deep in thought.

"I think you will burn for your crimes, like your ancestors did to us all of those years ago, forcing us into the sun and watching as we turned to ash, well now you will get to experience that firsthand," Lindsey announced, displaying her sick smile to Frank who was so woozy by this point that he could barely focus on her. "You will be an example of what happens to those that think they are good enough to fraternize with vampires, because you aren't, you never will be, and one day soon, we will rise up and reclaim what is rightfully ours."

Frank opened his mouth to make some sort of witty remark, although he really had no idea what Lindsey was referring to, but when he did, his stomach churned violently, the pain in his leg growing so intense it left him feeling ill, and before he could stop himself, he was throwing up, his insides emptying themselves as Lindsey laughed manically above him.

When Frank was finished, Lindsey was gone, at least she seemed to be. He could hardly move, making it difficult to be certain, but she appeared to have vacated the room, which would be a perfect opportunity for Frank to flee, except that he couldn't.

His leg was throbbing, fuck - his entire body hurt like the pain from his broken bone was radiating upward, and even the thought of trying to stand on the limb had him retching weakly again. His head was heavy too, and his eyelids, everything was really, and Frank knew there was no way he could get away this time, Lindsey would only find him again if he did.

Even when the room began to smell faintly of smoke, the scent followed by Lindsey's laughter, Frank was unable to find the motivation to save himself. He simply shifted his frame until he was under the nearby desk, his body collapsing once he had made it a few feet, his eyes closing as he resigned himself to his death which was most assuredly coming soon whether it be by fire or blood loss.

~~~

Gerard was shocked to find himself conscious again, because really, he should be dead. Even if he hadn't been completely drained of blood, his body shouldn't have been able to revive itself, leaving him an easy target for the sun's rays whenever it rose, but yet he was awake, and alive, if only barely.

Still, he wasn't sure how long he was going to maintain his current level of coherence. His eyelids seemed to weigh thousands of pounds as he forced them to open, and sitting up still seemed to be an impossible task, leaving him sprawled on his back in the alley he had cornered Lindsey in.

Gerard tried to extend his senses to see if the other vampire was still nearby, but he couldn't tell anything for sure. The sky hadn't darkened all that significantly since he had passed out, so hopefully she hadn't gone far, but honestly, it wouldn't take her long to get to Frank given the close proximity of his clinic, so if Gerard had any chance of saving him, he had to move now.

Gerard might have been on the brink of death, but that didn't matter, he was still going to protect Frank from Lindsey. He had failed miserably so far, but Frank wasn't hurt yet, his bond with him was still calm and complacent for the most part, so Gerard had time, just not much of it.

As Gerard slowly inched his battered frame closer to the wall, planning to use its support to help himself regain his feet, he dared to hope that Lindsey's madness had distracted her from her original task of killing Frank. She obviously wasn't in her right mind, so maybe she had forgotten what she had come up here to do after her attack on Gerard, or perhaps she had regained some semblance of control over herself and retreated to the coven, although the second option was very unlikely.

Still - Frank wasn't in pain yet, or scared, so Lindsey couldn't be there, and it was that fact that gave Gerard the motivation to shift onto his knees. He wasn't too late, he could still defend his mate with his dwindling strength, and even if he stood no chance of actually incapacitating Lindsey in this condition, perhaps he could distract her for long enough that Frank could get away if she was indeed at his place.

But keeping with his current string of terrible luck, almost as soon as the thought had passed through Gerard's mind, panic blossomed in his head, and it wasn't coming from him, but from Frank.

Gerard's instincts were telling him to immediately run to him, to rush across the street that separated them and defend Frank with the meager resources he had, but he couldn't fucking move, no matter how much he concentrated on shifting himself into an upward position.

Gerard wanted to cry as a surge of frustration spiked inside of him, because Frank was scared, which meant Lindsey had to be at his home, but his body was useless. He had hardly any blood left in his veins, he shouldn't even have woken up, and unless he found a source soon, he wouldn't be able to walk, much less fight off Lindsey, but he also wasn't able to seek out a human to drink from in his immobile state.

A few tears did roll down Gerard's face as another surge of fear with a hint of pain overtook Gerard's mind. He knew that whatever he was feeling, Frank was experiencing it in much more potent quantities, and that wasn't right, he had to stop this. Frank was his mate, his love, his everything, which meant he was supposed to protect him, be there for him, but the one time Frank truly needed him, Gerard couldn't get to him.

Gerard made it a few feet before his arms began to tremble and he collapsed again, a weak moan of despair falling from his lips as the rough gravel coating the alley scraped against his cheek which was growing wetter by the second as he continued to sob brokenly, each cry grating at his insides, leaving him feeling weak and utterly helpless as Frank's emotions began to grow more frantic and worrisome inside of his head.

Gerard flinched when he felt something soft brushing up against his limp hand, or he tried to at least although his limbs didn't respond very well. Whatever it was took no notice of his slight shift, instead, it began to purr happily, leading Gerard to believe that it was a cat that was rubbing up against him.

Gerard tilted his head to the side to observe the creature, seeing that it was a slightly chunky tabby cat that appeared to be wearing a collar, meaning it wasn't a stray, so he wasn't quite sure what it was doing out here, but he supposed it could have simply escaped from one of the nearby houses, and it wasn't like it really mattered either way, but observing the cat was helping to distract him from the pulses of abject terror that were bleeding through his bond with Frank.

And when the cat drew closer, Gerard could concentrate on nothing else besides its tiny heartbeat, his starving body instantly focusing on the blood thrumming underneath its skin even though animal blood was nowhere near as potent as that of humans.

Gerard had never been desperate enough to drink from one before, but this situation left him with no other choice, so before the cat could wander away, Gerard used his last remaining strength to grab it by the small collar, bringing it closer to his mouth as his fangs extended, piercing through the animal's fur and into its neck.

The cat let out a startled sound as Gerard drained it quickly before it fell limp in his grasp, allowing Gerard to drink from it without any struggle, and although its blood tasted bitter and not at all pleasant, it was enough to recharge him momentarily, and that was what he needed right now.

Gerard wiped his mouth when the animal was empty, his tongue curling up in disgust as the foul flavor continued to cling to it, but it was worth it, because he could get up now, and even if his legs were shaky and his head spun alarmingly, he could walk, which meant that he could get to Frank.

Frank was still alive, even though he was in terrible pain, the echoes of it were resonating in Gerard's head and traveling down his brain stem as they grew stronger, but it wasn't too late.

Gerard might not be strong enough to fight off Lindsey, but he was going to try if it was the last thing he did. He would get Frank away, he would make him promise to run, then he would hold Lindsey off for as long as he could. Frank would make it out of this alive, and that was all that mattered in the end.

This took me so long to write but I am here and mostly satisfied with it.

I am really not the best with like action scenes though which is why I agonized over it for quite some time. I think I've gotten it mostly decent though now at least I hope I did.

I think there are two more chapters after this and then maybe an epilogue. My planning for this at the end went all wonky but I know what is going to happen I'm just not sure how long it will take me to lay out those events.

Votes and comments are my favorite things if you feel like leaving one.

Chapter dedicated to perfectstars

I want to be free as I'll ever be

xo starr