Entry Sixteen: A bitter pill to swallow

We stopped for the night in a sheltered cave, which was the best we could find for sleeping quarters. Frank assured us that there was an abandoned hunting lodge farther ahead, but I hadn't wanted to push Mikey any more today than we already had.

He had seemed slightly better after he rested, and the remainder of the flight had gone smoothly, but I was still worried. His fever hadn't broken, and he had refused all offers of food. At the moment, he was sleeping peacefully, which is what I should be doing, but I couldn't calm my mind, even though my body was exhausted.

I crawled over to where Frank sat near the entrance of the cave, wrapping a blanket around myself for warmth. He had volunteered to take first watch, but I might as well keep him company since I couldn't sleep.

He smiled as I approached, and I felt my own face break into a grin. I was still in awe over the fact that this perfect man loved me, I didn't think I would ever be able to think those words without an accompanying rush of warmth filling my body.

"Hey baby," he wrapped an arm around me and I snuggled closer to him.

"Is Mikey okay?" he asked.

"I am not sure...he seems a little better, but this whole sickness thing has me anxious."

"I know...hopefully it will pass quickly. What about you? Are your injuries healed?"

"Mhmm. They are just scars now. How are you holding up?"

"Fine actually, but you should be resting," Frank teased.

"I know, but how I am supposed to do that with you distracting me?" I smirked.

"I am just sitting here!" he exclaimed in mock protest.

"Exactly." I winked at him cheekily, which elicited a giggle from him.

We stayed silent for a few more moments, and I enjoyed the simple pleasure of the quiet night. Times like this were rare, and I soaked them up like a sponge.

"Tell me about your old life Frankie. I want to know what you were like before you became an angel."

"Hmm...well there really isn't much to tell. I lived a pretty normal life. I had loving parents and I was an only child, I always wanted a younger brother or sister actually. Seeing the bond you and Mikey have reminded me of that."

"They can be a pain in the ass sometimes," I joked.

"I am sure that is true, but I always felt like I was missing out. Anyway, I went to a private school, and I didn't have many friends when I was younger. It wasn't until I went to college that I began to come into my own. I joined a band called Pencey Prep, and it was the most exhilarating experience in the world. I always loved music, and being able to play it live was a dream come true."

"Oh wow - what did you play?"

"Guitar. I still pull it out every now and then, but I am not that good anymore."

"Oh shut up, I am sure you are amazing." I nudged him softly with my shoulder, and he grinned down at me.

"Well I will have to play for you sometime...if I can ever find an instrument that is."

"Definitely. Keep going baby, I want to hear more." I laid my head in his lap and he began to play with my hair absentmindedly.

"Well okay. Our band was doing pretty well, and I meet my girlfriend Jamia at a show. I loved her so much, and it seemed like everything was going wonderfully for me."

"You had a girlfriend?" I think I sounded more shocked than I meant to, but I had assumed that Frank was gay.

"Yeah I did. I always thought I was straight until I met you, but after I died, I started to realize that gender is so unimportant, and if two people love each other, then who cares if they are both boys? I love you for who you are - not your gender, and I would still love you, even if you were a girl, or trans, or maybe even a freaking horse or something...wow - I sound super creepy." He blushed slightly, and I laughed at his discomfort. It didn't matter what his sexual orientation was all those years ago as long as he loved me now.

"Okay - no more interruptions, I'm sorry." I settled back to listen to the rest of the story.

"It is almost over actually. I was driving home from her house one night, and it was storming really badly. My tires slipped, and I crashed headlong into a lamppost. My car was crappy, and the airbag didn't deploy, so I died on impact. I woke up in Heaven, confused as fuck, and that is pretty much it. I went back a few times to check up on Jamia and my parents, she was married and had three beautiful kids last time I saw her, and my parents seemed to be doing all right too," Frank sighed to himself as he finished his tale.

"Do you miss them?" I wondered.

"As callous as this sounds, the pain of being separated from them has pretty much faded away. I honestly hadn't even thought about my old life until recently, so no, I guess not. Being an angel became my whole world, and I was at peace with my death. Now that I am talking about them, I do miss them slightly, but that was so long ago now."

"How long ago did you die?"        

"In a month, it will be eleven years ago."

"Then for the first time, I am glad I turned into a demon when I died."

"What? Why?" Frank gave me a befuddled look, and I smiled at his confusion.

"Because I wouldn't have met you if I hadn't." I internally cringed at my own cheesiness, but the smile that lit up Frank's face made it all worth it.

"Aw love." I shivered slightly as the endearment feel from his lips, and he pulled me even closer to him.

"Maybe everything does happen for a reason," I whispered.

"That is a nice thought," Frank agreed. I was beginning to doze off in his embrace, when he suddenly jolted to his feet, depositing me onto the rocky floor in the process.

"Frank? Is everything okay?" I asked. He continued to stare out into the darkness before finally turning back to me.

"An angel is calling me...a friend I think. I have to go meet him."

"But what if he has come to kill you like Pete?"

"No - they wouldn't have sent him. He isn't a warrior..." His words sounded convincing, but I glimpsed a shadow of doubt in his eyes.

"Fine, but let me go with you. If anything happens, I want to be there to help."

"What about Mikey?" Frank argued.

"He will be fine. If things go to shit, we can rush back here and defend this position easily. You are sure it is just one angel?" A look of concentration appeared on Frank's face, and after a minute had passed, he nodded.

"There is no one else around for miles, but just to be safe, I will call him down out of sight of the cave," he assured me.

"Okay - I'm ready."

"I just want you to do one thing, stay hidden until I tell you to. Brendon shouldn't be a threat, but I never told him about you, and I don't want him panicking at the sight of a demon." I gulped softly as I imagined an enraged angel descending on me in all his righteous fury.

"Fine by me, but if he makes one wrong move, I will be right behind you." A horde of angels couldn't keep me from protecting my love.

"Thanks Gee." Frank smiled before extending his wings, and I did the same. We flew a short distance away from our hiding place before touching down in a wooded area.

"Keep back in the trees. He will sense you presence, but I will explain it to him." I nodded in understanding and ducked down behind a leafy bush. I could still see Frank through the foliage, and I was close enough that I would be able to hear any verbal communication that occurred. Right now, it seemed as if Frank was speaking to the other angel mentally...I wished we could talk to each other that way.

Now that I had nothing to do but wait, my nerves began to take effect. Frank may trust this angel, but I wasn't so sure...Pete had been his friend too, but the archangels had completely brainwashed him.

This whole plan began to seem worse and worse as the minutes ticked by. I knew Frank could handle himself, but if he was forced to kill another of his brethren, it might break him...and I couldn't bear to see that happen.

I swore to myself that if this turned out badly, I would be the one to kill the angel to save Frank the pain.

Just when my feet were beginning to get numb from the cold, the rush of wings reached my ears, and I turned to stare in the direction Frank was facing.

I closely examined the angel that was quickly winging his way toward us. He had medium length brown hair, and from what I could tell, he appeared tall and lanky. His feathers were whiter than Frank's, but smaller too, making me wonder if wing size had anything to do with rank or not.

When he landed in the small clearing, I noticed that he had black square framed glasses on as well. He didn't seem like a fighter, but I refused to lower my guard. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he launched himself toward Frank, and I extended my claws in preparation, but instead of attacking, he pulled Frank into a tight embrace.

"Oh my god - I thought I was never going to find you!" he laughed as Frank returned his sign of affection. Even though I knew it was stupid of me, jealously coiled in my gut. I should have been happy that this Brendon was truly an ally, but instead, I just wanted him to leave.

"Brendon - what the hell are you doing here?" Frank questioned happily.

"Well I get one day off a month to go visit Ryan, but I decided to come find you instead. You left your maps out when you exited the library, and it didn't take a genius to figure out where you might go."

"Oh shit - does anyone else know?" Frank asked worriedly.

"I put everything back as soon as I realized what you were doing. As far as I know, nobody in Heaven has any idea where you are right now." He beamed like a puppy that had successfully performed his first trick.

"So they didn't manage to turn you against me too?" The guarded hope in Frank's voice was evident to me, and Brendon seemed to notice it as well.

"They tried, but I have already learned not to trust the archangels. I have to say, the whole you running off with a demon thing isn't exactly helping your case, but if you trust him, then he can't be that bad." I saw Frank visibly relax, and I was glad that not every angel hated him, even if deep down, I felt like an overly possessive teenage girl with a new boyfriend.

"Speaking of him, he is actually here right now. Can I call him out?" Brendon nodded and Frank glanced toward my hiding place.

Taking the hint, I stood up as my basically frozen feet protested angrily. Not knowing what to say, I simply walked over to Frank's side and waved shyly.

"Gerard - this is Brendon. He was a good friend back in Heaven, and it seems like he still is," Frank smiled as he finished the introduction.

"Well you don't look too evil. In fact, if I wasn't taken, I might snap you up myself," Brendon chuckled, and I felt myself blushing bright red.

"Shut up Bren!" Frank laughed, and I had to repeat to myself over and over that this guy already had a boyfriend, and it didn't matter if Frank had a nickname for him.

I fell into the background as they continued to catch up. I wished I wasn't such an insecure mess, but now that it wasn't just Frank and I against the world, I was beginning to have serious doubts.

What if Brendon wanted to come with us? I mean, we could use all the help we could get, but I didn't know how I would deal with that. I was fully aware that I was being an idiot, but this guy was so much more compatible with Frank than I was.

For one, he was an angel too, and he seemed so easy going and carefree...unlike my moody and depressed self. I sank deeper into my own destructive thoughts until Frank snapped me back to the present by slipping his hand in mine.

"You okay Gee?"

"Yeah sorry, I just zoned out for a second."

They continued to talk about that seventh prophecy that I still didn't understand why it was so important, and someone named Ray was mentioned many times. Then the topic was changed to how out of control the archangels had gotten in the small amount of time since Frank had left.

"They are literally making everyone sign in and out whenever they want to go anywhere. Even the demon hunters travel with an archangel now so they can't slip off once their assignment is completed. Free days basically don't exist anymore, I only got my time to see Ryan because I had my original release note from God himself," Brendon sighed with irritation.

"Won't Ryan be worried when you don't show up?"

"I saw him briefly before I set out looking for you. I explained to him what was going on, and he basically shoved me out the door," he laughed heartily.

"Still, I feel awful that you wasted your free day chasing after me."

"I just wanted to let you know that you aren't friendless in Heaven. Ray and I are still searching for a way to clear your name, and hopefully I will be able to keep you filled in on what's happening upstairs. He is also helping me get into the warerooms to look for the prophecy. We haven't had any luck yet, but I will let you know if we do. They won't let Ray out on his own, because they know how close he was to you, but they will never suspect me. I will just have to keep our visits to once a month, so they will assume I am with Ryan." I huffed softly to myself at the thought of having to see Brendon again, but thankfully Frank didn't notice.

"You don't know how much this means to me. Just be careful okay? Tell Ray the same thing. I don't want you two getting into trouble all because of me."

I wish I knew who he was talking about...I felt like the new kid at school with all of these strange names and places being talked about as if it were common knowledge.

"It's not just us Frank, something isn't right in Heaven, and we aren't the only ones who have noticed it. Everyone else was just too afraid to say anything, but now that you spoke out, it was like a catalyst. Ray knows a few other who aren't comfortable with the way the archangels have taken over either, but we haven't let them in on all our secrets yet. They are up in arms over your death warrant though, and once we make sure they are trustworthy, they are going to be joining us. Everything has gotten so fucked up that more are flocking to our side by the day. Just know that you have a core of supporters, and we are going to help you in any way that we can." He clasped his hand with Frank's, and I swear, you could see the steam rising from my head.

"That is such a relief. I was so terrified that everyone would hate me after I left. You have no idea how badly I needed to hear this."

Hearing the poignant gratitude in Frank's voice calmed me down a bit...he truly did need this after Pete's death, and I shouldn't begrudge him this much deserved balm to his internal wounds.

"We have your back Frank. Just stay alive until we can find a way to do something about this madness," Brendon assured him.

"I will."

"Well the night is almost over, and I need to get back soon. Do you have any idea where you will be staying a month from now?" I mentally cheered at his statement, even though I was being ridiculously childish, I couldn't seem to make myself care.

"We are going to hide out in an abandoned lodge about forty miles north of here. If we can stay undetected for that long, then it should be easy to find us. If not, then we will probably head south, but I can't say where for sure yet."

"At least this time I will have an idea of where to look. I was worried I was going to run out of time before I found you. I swear, I flew halfway around the world tonight!"

"Sorry about that...we are trying to hide though," Frank grinned sheepishly.

"Well it was nice meeting you Gerard." Brendon held out his hand to me, and I shook it, glad that he was finally leaving.

"Wait - before you go...have you ever read anything about a demon getting sick before?" Frank questioned. I could have smacked myself for not thinking to ask that question earlier, but I had been too wrapped up in my jealous thoughts.

"No...why? Is Gerard sick?"

"It's his brother Mikey. He seems to be running a fever, and earlier today he passed out. I have never heard of anything like it before, and we are both getting worried."

"As far as I know, demons don't get sick, but when I get back, I will read everything we have on them. I am not too learned in demon lore, since I never expected to meet one, but if it's somewhere in the library, I will find it."

"Thank you Brendon," I spoke up for the first time all night. If he could find a cure for Mikey, I would be indebted to him, no matter how much I detested his and Frank's friendship.

"Okay - I really need to go. Stay safe guys." With one final wave, Brendon flew off into the rapidly lightening sky. I heaved a sigh of relief at his exit, I didn't care if I was being obnoxious, I was just glad to see his back.

"Everything all right baby?" I plastered on a fake smile and nodded.

"Yeah - I just want to get back to Mikey." We returned to find my brother still fast asleep, and I curled up by the fire gratefully. Frank was too excited to sleep, so he assured me he could hold his watch post for a few more hours.

"So that went better than I could ever have imagined." Frank was giddy with happiness, and I tried to share in his joy. I really wanted to be ecstatic for him, but I had too many fears now.

Putting the whole Brendon thing aside, if there were angels in Heaven that were trying to clear his name, that meant Frank could potentially leave me. A part of me desperately wanted him to go back home...he deserved it...but the selfish side of me ached to think of losing him. If he returned to Heaven, then I would be alone again...even if he came and visited me, it wouldn't be the same.

Could our relationship survive if he was no longer a renegade? I hated myself for thinking this way, but now that it had been brought up, I couldn't banish it from my head. Once he was surrounded by his friends and loved ones, would he still remember me...

"Mhmm," I mumbled into my pillow.

"I know I shouldn't dare to hope, but maybe in a few months, this will all blow over." I squeezed my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep. I knew I was being rude, but I didn't want to talk about this right now.

"Gee?"

"What Frank?" I sighed.

"What's wrong? I though you would be happy that we have some allies?"

"I'm fine...just tired," I lied.

"Oh okay...sorry, I will let you sleep." The note of hurt in his voice stung me.

Ugh - why was I being such a freaking asshole? I debated apologizing to Frank, but in the current mood I was in, I would probably just end up making it worse, so I stayed silent. I just needed time to get over this petty bitch fest. My mind knew that this was a huge asset for us...I just couldn't seem to convince my heart.

Oh my god, I finally managed to get a freaking update in. I sort of had a mental breakdown last night, but after it was over, I seemed to remember how to write again!

This chapter is dedicated to colesarmhair because your comments always make me laugh and I am so happy that you are enjoying my story :)

This story has over 3k reads and almost 300 votes...somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming.

I was thinking about how much longer this story is going to be, and just warning you guys, it has quite a ways to go. I still have a ton of stuff that needs to happen, but I don't want to rush to it, so I wouldn't be surprised if this reached 50 chapters.

I don't really know what else to say besides for thank you guys so much for being so patient with me. All of your comments really made me feel better, and I should be back on track with updating, so the next chapter will hopefully be out sometime soon :)

P.S. If you want to read the next chapter, Wattpad set it on private (I mean it is kind of smutty lol) so anyway, you have to be following me to read it. Sorry :(

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