Fire rained down from the heavens, stinging Gerard's skin with painful blisters, but he didn't care - he was here on a mission, and this time, he wouldn't fail...he couldn't fail.

This was his dream brought to life, but instead of being clueless about why he was here, and what his purpose was, he knew. He was awake this time, and this wasn't a series of visions that his mind had chosen to torment him with, this was real, it was happening now, which meant Frank was in danger.

Gerard was in Frank's home that had been set ablaze by the time he had gotten there, most likely by Lindsey, although why she had chosen that method to eliminate Frank confused Gerard, but he wasn't going to question it. She didn't seem to be in the nearby vicinity either, and that gave him a better chance to save his mate, which he was going to do despite all of his previous failures, the determination brewing inside of him helped his fragile body to continue forward despite the sweltering heat and choking smoke obscuring his way.

Gerard couldn't leave, even if he wanted to, but this time, it wasn't because of impenetrable walls or shifting corridors - no - it was his bond with Frank. Gerard refused to abandon him here, even though he was weak and starving, because Frank needed him, and Gerard would save him if it was the last thing he did.

9:55

The red numbers on the clock mounted on the wall galvanized him, only five more minutes until Gerard would be too late - and that wasn't acceptable. He had watched Frank die in his arms hundreds of times, but that wouldn't be the outcome of this evening, Gerard couldn't bear it if it was.

Gerard could faintly feel Frank's emotions in his mind, his fear, his pain, his exhaustion, but it was muted thanks to Gerard's own dismal state, which was a blessing in disguise since it allowed Gerard to keep as clear a head as possible, which he needed if they were both going to survive this.

And they would - they had to, Quinn had said that the future wasn't set in stone, that things could be changed if he fought hard enough, and Gerard clung to his words, because they had to be true, otherwise he was walking into his own death willingly, but even that would be better than existing without Frank.

Keep moving...ignore the flames...don't stop.

Gerard's internal chant kept him company as he continued deeper into the building which was now easily recognizable as Frank's clinic, he could tell that now, even though it had confounded him previously when he had first witnessed it in his dreams. Empty cages lined the walls, many of the doors hung open haphazardly, meaning that Frank had released the animals they had housed, which was so like him Gerard felt a hint of a smile twitching at the corner of his lips even if the expression wasn't really appropriate given his current situation.

Gerard briefly considered the possibility that Frank might have escaped as well if the dogs and cats had gotten free, but it was doubtful. Lindsey wouldn't have bothered chasing down the pets, but she would have made sure Frank was trapped here in the hellish conditions she had created. Gerard had been certain she would simply drink Frank dry, but maybe his blood had been enough for her at the moment, even rogues must get full eventually he assumed.

Lindsey didn't matter right now though...all that mattered was reaching the end of this hallway where Frank would be if his dream was indeed correct.

Gerard realized then that the cat he had fed from might have been one of Frank's animals, which meant that in a way, Frank had provided Gerard with the means he needed to come to his rescue, even if the death of the creature would sadden him, but still - Frank's actions had saved Gerard, now he had to repay that favor.

Gerard was starting to panic as he grew closer to Frank, flames were twisting around him, scorching his skin with every caress of their fiery fingers, his own aches mixing with the agony he could feel emanating from his mate until he wasn't sure whose pain he was experiencing.

He could feel blisters forming underneath his clothing, which was scant protection against the overwhelming heat and smoke that was threatening to bring him to his knees from lack of oxygen, but he ignored it all, smothering his fear with the urgent need to continue moving, because if he stopped, he was dead, and then Frank would perish as well, which was unacceptable.

A door was in sight now, blackened by smoke and cracked open slightly, orange flames visible from within. Putting on a burst of speed, Gerard practically ripped the object off its hinges in his desperate bid to get inside. He could instantly tell that Frank resided within this room, he knew it without a doubt, the scent of his blood filled the air, even as overpowered as it was by the bitter tang of burning wood.

Gerard was aware that he didn't have long now, tears blurred his vision and his lungs were filling up with smoke. He could smell the unpleasant scent of burning flesh, and he tried his best to ignore the fact that it was most definitely his own.

"Frank, are you here?" Gerard called out in a panicked voice, even though he knew that Frank was mostly likely situated underneath the nearby desk just like he always was, but the words were out of his mouth before he could think to stop himself.

"Gerard?" a hoarse voice croaked out, and even though the timbre was different to Frank's usual tone, it was him, just like Gerard had known it would be. "Is that you?"

"Yeah - I'm here," Gerard reassured him, his own sentence cracking audibly as a sudden rush of relief filled him. So far, this sequence of events had followed the pattern of his dream exactly, but Gerard had been so afraid that Frank wouldn't be here, that maybe Lindsey would have taken him away to torment him further, leaving Gerard alone here to die with no purpose and no one to save.

But Gerard quickly pushed his unruly emotions away, allowing his primal instincts to rise to the surface instead, the urge to protect Frank with his life becoming the only coherent thought that filtered through his oxygen deprived brain.

"Lindsey said she killed you," Frank mumbled groggily, a shuffling sound emerging from his hiding place followed by a cry of pain that had Gerard's heart constricting in his chest. "My leg...fuck - I think it's broken," Frank groaned, reminding Gerard with his words of how little time he had left to save them both, because he knew what happened after this, and they had mere minutes before the ceiling caved in on them, if that.

Bending down, Gerard was finally able to view the slight statured man curled up under a hunk of wood that had once passed as a desk as if it would protect him, clutching his injured appendage tightly to his body. Frank was no longer a random human that he should have cared nothing for though, he was his mate, the person that meant everything to him - fuck - Gerard could hardly remember what it had felt like back when Frank had been nothing more than a stranger to him.

As Gerard inched closer, the metallic smell of blood flooded his nostrils, erasing everything else: from the fire, to the smoke, and even to their imminent danger. Gerard knew he couldn't let Frank's scent overwhelm him, but he was hungry - so hungry.

Animal blood could only sustain him for so long, and even though Gerard had taken a decent amount from the cat, it hadn't been nearly enough to quench his thirst, and Lindsey had drained him severely, making Frank's heady scent almost impossible to resist.

But no...Gerard couldn't feed now, and not from Frank, because he was his mate, and he was hurt already. Even if he wasn't injured, Gerard would never violate him in that way again, so although every cell in Gerard's damaged body was crying out at him to sink his fangs into Frank's neck and heal himself with his life-giving blood, he pushed down his baser urges with a monumental effort.

"She didn't, I'm okay," Gerard belatedly assured Frank, not bothering to explain how Lindsey had almost killed him, they would have time to catch up later once they made it out of this. "Let me see," Gerard found himself saying, although he knew what he would view from his previous visions, but he still needed to witness how badly Frank was wounded with his own eyes.

Gerard knelt next to his suffering mate, gently moving aside the torn jeans clinging to his leg so he could observe the damage. Blood flowed freely from a deep gash caused by the protruding point of bone sticking out of the tattooed skin, the image causing even Gerard's stomach to churn slightly, and he had witnessed many gruesome scenes that far surpassed this one, but this was his mate, and seeing him so grievously injured twisted Gerard's intestines, the urge to vomit clogging his throat to the point that he had to turn away before he lost the battle he was fighting with his bodily functions.

"Gerard - we have to get out of here..." Frank gasped out, pain and fear lacing his voice as the flames grew hotter and the smoke pressed down all around them.

Frank was right, of course he was, and Gerard was aware that he needed to pick Frank up and escape as quickly as possible, but he couldn't move. Frank's blood was inundating all of his senses, the red liquid drawing his gaze and capturing his entire attention, paralyzing him to the point of inaction.

It was taking every ounce of self-control Gerard possessed not to drain Frank dry, which was unthinkable, he could never do that to the man he loved with all of his heart, but he felt that if he so much as shifted right now, he would lose the fragile hold he had on his hunger. His sharp upper canines were pressing at his gums, attempting to break through the thin skin despite Gerard's best efforts at keeping them at bay.

"Gerard..." Frank's voice was faint now, the smoke inhalation was beginning to affect him, causing him to lose his grip on consciousness, and Gerard could feel their bond wavering, the connection he shared with Frank growing fuzzy and dim as his mate slipped away from him.

A deep-rooted voice inside of Gerard was screaming at him to do something, to save this man who he loved more than anything, who was his entire world. The internal struggle was tearing him apart; something had to give, and it would either end in both of their salvation, or their deaths.

And finally, something did snap, because Gerard was not going to reenact his failure once more, so drawing from an inner source of strength that Frank seemed to bring out in him, Gerard scooped Frank into his arms, dragging the smaller man against his chest just as the roof began to creak and groan above them.

Gerard sprinted for the door he could barely make out through the dense smoke, slamming his shoulder against it, causing the lock to break and allowing him his first breath of fresh air in far too long, even though it quickly became tainted with the black cloud of toxins that had billowed out with him.

Gerard winced as the building behind him collapsed with a harsh shriek, his feet automatically carrying them away from the source of the destruction, making sure his grip on Frank was secure as he went. He didn't stop running once he was free from the flames, even though the urge to pause for a moment so he could process the fact that he had truly changed the outcome of his dream tugged at him briefly, but he kept going, through the fence and down the street, because he knew if he stopped, Frank's blood would begin calling to him again.

Not that it wasn't already, because it was - fuck, Gerard's throat ached even more than his neck, which still stung from Lindsey's vicious bite, but he consistently reminded himself that this was Frank, his mate, and he had promised that he would never drink from him again unless Frank wanted him to, and that vow held even when he was on the brink of death.

That didn't change Gerard's makeup though, and in all reality, he required blood, and soon, or else he was bound to collapse, and he would be no help to Frank then, who was also in desperate need of medical attention. Gerard wasn't sure where the closest hospital was though, or if he could take Frank there without losing control and biting another human, so he did the only thing he could think of and turned his pounding strides in the direction of the coven.

He could feed there, he knew he had a few blood bags left in his home, that would be enough to revitalize him for now, and then he could get Frank treated, if Frank managed to hold on for that long. He had no idea if the severity of his wounds were life threatening to a human or not, but they could be. Most vampires would heal from a broken leg within a few days, but Frank wasn't one, and he had lost a lot of blood, not to mention inhaled smoke tainted air, and god knows what else Lindsey had done to him.

Gerard had to chance it though, any other option would end in chaos, and Gerard could at least patch Frank up and stop his bleeding once he wasn't so tempted to latch his fangs into Frank's neck. He was aware that he was taking a risk by bringing Frank to a place filled with vampires, but he smelled more like fire and soot than blood at the moment, and if he used the back gate, he should be able to avoid any unwanted detection. Brendon and Ryan's home was near there, so Gerard would head straight to them and pray to whoever was listening that luck was on his side for once.

Gerard held Frank tightly as he continued to sprint toward the coven as quickly as his damaged body would let him, making sure that his mate's chest still rose and fell, that his heart continued to beat, mentally begging him to hang on for just a little while longer, because he couldn't lose him now. Frank's inhales were shallow and ragged, and he was still unconscious, but he was alive, and Gerard needed him to stay that way.

Because they had beaten his nightmare, they had made it out of the fire, which was something Gerard had never before accomplished in his dream, but that also meant he had no idea what the future held, and that was almost more terrifying than being aware of what was coming in a way.

At least Gerard had hope now, he had his mate with him, and he was going to cling to that with everything he had. He refused to let Frank be torn away from him like everything else he loved had been lately, he wouldn't lose him too, he couldn't.

~~~

Lindsey rushed back to the coven once she made sure that Frank wasn't going to escape from the inferno she had left him trapped in, knowing that she needed to be far away before her actions drew the attention of any other humans, or even worse, hunters in the area.

Her mind that had been previously clouded with bloodlust and revenge was sated slightly now that Frank was about to perish, because he deserved death for leading Gerard astray, and although she probably should have simply bitten him so that other vampires would know what she had done, she enjoyed the thought of his suffering too much to regret setting the fire that would lead to his demise.

Once the flames had died down and Lindsey was seen in the coven, providing her with an alibi she might need since Bert was becoming increasingly suspicious of her actions, she could return to the surface again when the coven leader retired and leave a drained body behind if she so chose. She could already feel hunger clawing at her belly again, the blood she had taken from Gerard was dissipating in her system quickly since he wasn't human, making him much less satisfying to drink from.

Lindsey briefly considered going back for Gerard, because as addled as he was after he had allowed Frank to infect him with his humanity, he was still a vampire, but no - she couldn't do that. Gerard would ruin everything if she allowed him to live, no amount of threats would keep him from telling Bert what she had done now that his supposed mate was dead, and as much as she pitied him, she wasn't going to allow her hard work to be tossed aside by someone who had been stupid enough to fall for a human.

Maybe she would at least check on him when she was above ground later, perhaps she would give him one last ultimatum, which would be to leave Belleville forever or wait for the sun to rise. She could decide what to do with him then, after she had fed properly, and judging by his answer, she might find it in her heart to forgive him for attacking her.

The thought of hunting again filled Lindsey with a giddy sense of joy that was so overwhelming, she was nearly tempted to turn back toward the city now and seek out fresh prey, because every human she killed was another success for the vampire race, but logic managed to override her desires for the time being.

She needed to be spotted in the coven before word of the fire spread and Gerard's absence was discovered, that way she could be absolved of any guilt, meaning she would have to wait to drink for a little while longer.

Lindsey lost herself in the thoughts of her next victim as she reached the church that contained her home, considering where she would hit next that would garner the most attention. She had long ago moved on from the prostitutes and users that were a vampire's typical sources of blood, finding that targeting the middle class caused more of an uproar, not to mention that humans tasted much better if they weren't brimming with alcohol and drugs.

Maybe Lindsey would take it a step further tonight, perhaps she would even go so far as to seek out the police chief, or the mayor, someone who meant something to the idiotic humans, hopefully then tales of her deeds would be spread even wider, and other lost vampires would finally make their way here which had been her intentions all along.

And of course, Lindsey was so caught up in her thoughts, not to mention in quite a hurry to make it back to her home before anyone noticed that she was gone that she failed to notice that she was being followed, which was something that would never have slipped her notice if she had been in her right mind, and that, coupled with the fact that she had left open the secret entrance to the coven since she planned to head back out soon would become two of her biggest regrets, she just didn't know that yet.

I honestly have no idea why this took me so long since this was basically a repeat of the first chapter, but it's done now and the finale of this fic is almost here.

And Frank and Gerard survived...at least for now.

I really am going to try and finish this soon like hopefully in the next week or so, but I have been having such a hard time writing so I'm not sure if that will work out.

There is only one chapter left now though and a short epilogue sort of thing, so keep an eye out for that whenever I manage to get it up.

Votes and comments are always lovely to see if you feel like leaving one.

Chapter dedicated to Captainbutt666

They told me that the end is near

xo starr