A/N: I did say I wanted to finish the book this weekend but I decided to use this big cliffhanger to let a few people catch up. So, here's the last update for the weekend, and hopefully, we can make some progress next weekend. 

Frank lay in the bed, staring at the intricate ceiling. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be back in the lavish hotel suite he had previously spent two weeks in when he and Gerard broke up. And yet, here he was. Same fucking bed, same desolate feeling.

He had been here for three days all by himself, no contact with anyone except the hotel staff and Josh. He was here under a fake name, and all of the staff were sworn to secrecy. He had switched his phone off and Josh knew to phone the hotel landline to get ahold of him because his cell was being bombarded by calls from random numbers. It was after the third death threat from an unknown source that he put his phone in the drawer and curled up.

He didn't want to switch on the TV or open social media. Josh had already told him that his name had been plastered everywhere, and on every platform. He had even made news internationally, and he couldn't face it. His eyes were burning and his head throbbed from the near-constant tears. He felt solely responsible for what had happened. He had gotten complacent, lazy, and haphazard with their relationship, he had felt so invincible that nothing would happen. He flew too close to the sun and now the agony of his wounds continued to haunt him. He had no contact with Gerard, he had no idea how he was or if they were even together anymore, and the lack of certainty was killing him.

He rolled onto his side and stared at the gold lamp on the nightstand, squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as he could in an attempt to undo everything. He couldn't even go to work because he had been told to keep his distance. He didn't even know what he could have wished for if he had been given three wishes by some ethereal force. What could he have asked for that could possibly fix this without ruining everything one way or another?

He felt his eyes prick with tears but he rolled his face into the pillow, allowing the darkness to serve as his maladaption. He lay there for a good while before the landline broke his silence with its shrill ringing. He reached over and grabbed the receiver, putting it to his ear, "Yeah?"

"Sorry to bother you, sir," the woman at the front desk spoke, "But I have someone on the line for you?"

"Who?"

"There is a... Miss B on the line. Can I patch her through to you?"

"Sure." Frank sighed and sat up, rubbing his face as he waited. He heard the dial tone change and he immediately felt more anxiety creek into his throat.

"Frank?"

"Hi, Lin."

"How are you holding up, sweetheart?"

"Oh, y'know..." Frank wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder as he picked at one of his toenails idly, "Ruined his life, hiding from the world, being sent death threats, having staff test my food before I eat, not being able to watch TV or anything. Y'know, it feels like a vacation."

She sighed softly, "Three days without you and I forget how snippy you get."

"What's up?"

She sighed softly, the sound more sympathetic than impatient, "I just wanted to see how you were."

"How is he...?"

"Tired," She whispered, "He hasn't been able to leave the house in days and there are reporters here twenty-four-seven even with the police trying to keep them off our property, they know the limits and they're pushing them."

"I know the feeling," Frank muttered, "This hotel room may be fancy as shit, and bigger than my first house, but these walls feel like they're closing in every single day, Lin."

"I'm so sorry, honey. We wouldn't have you there if it wasn't necessary. Until we figure out the damage and how to put this all under the rug as much as possible, it's best if you and Gerard aren't together."

"Can't I at least, I dunno, see someone? Like Ty or Josh or something? I'm all alone here, Lin."

There was a pause of silence on the other end of the phone, "Would that help?"

"A lot."

"Alright, I'll see if either of them are free. Do you need anything else?"

"Fresh clothes would be great." Frank admitted, "And some takeout."

"I'll see what I can do, sweetheart." Lindsey stated before she hung up. Frank rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, zoning out again. He could only imagine just how much Gerard was struggling, how stressed he was, and now Lindsey had essentially confirmed his anxieties were true.

He lay there for God knows how long, minutes and hours seemingly blending together until he had no idea if it was even the same day anymore. He hadn't even moved to eat, ignoring his hunger as some weird sort of punishment, even though he had eaten only a few hours ago and it was most likely stress-eating hunger pains.

The landline rang again and he grunted, reaching over to answer, "What?"

"Good afternoon, sir. I have someone here at the front desk. Can I send them up?" The same woman spoke politely.

"Who?"

"An 'Atticus Finch', sir."

Frank frowned at the name, "What? What does he look like?"

"He has pink hair, sir."

"Oh! Fuck, wait. Yeah, send him up, please." Frank sat up suddenly and hung up, bolting out of bed to throw on a t-shirt and shorts. There was a knock on the door moments later and Frank opened it a little to peek up. He stared up at Josh and his eyes immediately began to fill with tears.

He opened the door and pulled Josh into the room, hugging him so tight as he began sobbing. Josh kicked the door closed and dropped the duffel bag in his hand to wrap his arms around the sobbing submissive that was practically crumbling in place. Josh kissed Frank's head gently and rubbed his back, his hand moving in soft comforting circles, "It's gonna be okay, Frankie, honey. It'll be okay. We can fix this."

Frank let out a sob, clutching onto Josh's shirt for dear life, afraid to let go. Josh held him up, trying his best to comfort the miserable man in his arms, but it was no use. Josh slid into the nearby armchair and pulled Frank across his lap, letting the latter cry into his neck for as long as he wanted.

Frank sniffed and wiped his eyes, "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't, I would be the same. Probably worse." Josh looked down at him with a kind smile, "You're allowed to cry when you're sad."

"I ruined everything, Joshy. I ruined his life." Frank felt his lip wobble and he hid in Josh's neck again, trying to escape from the world.

"You didn't, it's not your fault. This is Sarah's fault for holding a grudge when you did absolutely nothing to her. Neither did Gerard. He's allowed to decide who works for him and who doesn't, and if she and Brendon can't grow up, that's their problem."

"W-Well, no. N-Now it's our problem, too. How are we s-supposed to fix this?" Frank used the bottom of his shirt to wipe his eyes, sniffing and hiccuping quietly.

"First thing we need to do is get you out of here." Josh patted his thigh, "We're gonna sneak you out."

"But, Lindsey said-"

Josh looked down at him, "What, is Lindsey the boss of you?"

Frank rebuked slightly, "Well, no-"

"Who is?"

"...Gerard?"

Josh let out a laugh, "No, you silly goose. You are. Now, what do you wanna do? Sulk here forever or go and see G?"

Frank looked up at Josh with wide eyes, "What? Really? We can go see him?"

"Well, not if you wanna stay here like a fuckin' square, man." Josh shrugged idly, "I thought I knew you better."

"I-I'm not a square!" Frank huffed and scrambled out of Josh's lap, "Am not."

"Nah, I've seen all I need to see. We can stay here in our little safe cocoon until all the big bad reporters are gone." Josh looked away idly again, looking at his nails.

Frank's chest immediately puffed up, insulted at the very insinuation of his cowardice. He scoffed and went to grab his clothes, muttering under his breath about how much Josh fucking sucked. He stuffed all of his clothes and belongings into the duffel Josh had brought and changed into some fresh jeans and a non-crusty t-shirt. He pulled on some sneakers and put his hands on his hips, "Now what?"

Josh bit his lip, "Have you never watched a spy movie before?"

Frank frowned and tilted his head, "Uh, what? 'Course I have. Now, who's a square."

Josh snorted, "Don't take that brattitude with me, I want to help you."

"So, what's the problem then?"

"You look like you."

"As opposed to when I look like Paula Abdul?"

Josh rolled his eyes, "I'd rather you look like Paula Abdul than Frank right now. You're probably more famous at the moment."

"Well, sorry, I don't have fake boobs and a wig on me right now."

Josh slid the duffel toward Frank with his foot, "You do now."

Frank stared at the bag, "You cannot be serious. Josh, now isn't the time for dress up."

"I have never seen a more perfect time to dress up, actually. We need to not be seen, you need to not be you. And the most opposite of you that is humanely possible, is a woman with big tits and long hair. And if you don't put it on yourself, I'll do it for you."

Frank was somewhat startled at the tone in Josh's voice, it had him almost recoil. He swallowed and nodded, snatching the duffel bag to open it again and dig under his old clothes to find what had been hidden underneath it. He stared at the wig and prosthetics and padding and looked up at the other submissive, "You genuinely worry me sometimes."

"Not the first time I've heard that. But you'd be surprised to find out that none of those things belong to me. I only know what you needed because I watch Drag Race."

"Do I wanna know who it belongs to?"

"My sister's friend does drag." Josh waved a hand, "Now hurry up."

Frank got undressed again, grumbling as he pulled on the padded shapewear, nestling the waistband over his ribs. He laughed softly when he saw the chestplate, "Do you think I'd really have boobs this big?"

"You don't have the option to be picky. Take your D cups and go, Florence."

"You're a lot sassier without Ty." Frank whispered as he managed to thread his arms through the latex chestplate, letting Josh gently roll it down over his back until it lay flush over his body. He put his arms through the bra straps next and had Josh fasten it. He sat down and pulled on some thick flesh-colored tights to hide his tattoos, maneuvering them over his new hips.

He looked at himself in the mirror, "This better not awaken something in me."

"You look surprisingly hot." Josh grinned as he held up two dress options for Frank to choose from; one was a pastel pink dress and the other a nude color with little flowers on it, both somewhat figure-hugging and long-sleeved.

Frank took the beige dress and unzipped it, stepping into it and helping it up into place before it was fastened. He pulled on a pair of shorter nude heels and glanced at himself in the mirror, "Jesus Christ, I look like my cousin."

Josh laughed softly, "Is that bad?"

"She's a bitch, but she gets dicked a lot so I guess that means this is believable." Frank snorted as he grabbed the wig from the bag and held it up, "I dunno about this part."

"We can just put it on and put a hat on." Josh shrugged, "I'm parked real close. We just need to get you out here."

Frank nodded, tipping his head over to line the wig up with his forehead and flip it over carefully, pulling the clips and elastic down to the base of his head. He adjusted it in the mirror, the long black hair ended almost at his ribs, but it was beautiful nonetheless. He smiled and pulled on Josh's jacket over it a nude-colored alice-band in his hair.

He put on his sunglasses and turned to look at Josh, putting a hand in his pocket and the other on his hip. Josh let out a very sheepish giggle, his cheeks turning pink, "You look dope."

Frank hummed, "Yeah, but I do look like a dude, still. I need some makeup or something."

"I, uh..." Josh cleared his throat and pulled a nude lipstick from his pocket and an eyeliner, "This was all I could steal from Lindsey before she noticed."

Frank gasped playfully, "Thief."

Josh offered the two items to Frank insistently, and Frank accepted, turning to the mirror and leaning in. He tried to remember what Lindsey had shown him weeks ago, lining his lips with the brown liner as precisely as he could, but just slightly outside of the lines to make them bigger, before he applied the lipstick. He used the liner to give himself some haphazard eyeliner and dabbed the lipstick on his eyelids before he put his sunglasses back on.

He looked at Josh again, "So?"

Josh grinned, "Now let's go."

"Shouldn't we tell the hotel?" Frank asked as he closed the duffel again and handed it to Josh to carry.

"This is a full escape, Francine. Lindsey doesn't even know I came here. She thinks I went to see my sister." Josh took Frank's hand in his and walked out with him, keeping him safe. Frank kept close to Josh, kept his sunglasses on, and tried to remain as calm as possible whilst trying to remember how Lindsey had taught him to walk in heels.

They stepped into the empty elevator and Frank exhaled shakily, "So, why aren't we telling Lin?"

"She would have a fucking stroke if she knew I was breaking you out," Josh snorted, "She thought it was too risky for me to see you in the first place."

"Christ, okay," Frank muttered as the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening onto the lavish lobby he hadn't seen in three days. He swallowed and sucked in his stomach, keeping his head up as he adjusted his collar to hide his Adam's apple. He put his hand in his pocket, hoping to appear as effeminate as possible as they walked through the lobby toward the door.

They crossed the marble floor, Frank's heels clicking quietly, and through the revolving door. He squinted as the sun hit his eyes, grunting softly. He tried his best to avoid eye contact with everyone as they strolled down the sidewalk toward the red Lexus nearby. Josh smiled down at Frank sweetly, squeezing his hand as he unlocked the car and helped Frank into the passenger seat as gracefully as possible.

He climbed in after putting the duffel bag in the back, and started the car, driving off down the street with the biggest grin that Frank had ever seen.

"I didn't see that many reporters." Frank looked back at the hotel in the mirror.

"I don't think you would, they're probably dressed inconspicuously and waiting in their cars for any sight of you." Josh turned the radio up as he drove toward the freeway.

"She's gonna be so mad at us," Frank whispered as he crossed a leg over the other and clipped his seatbelt into place carefully.

"She is, but it was my idea to spring you out. It's not fair keeping you all locked up in there."

"Thanks, Joshy." Frank smiled brightly, looking out the window at the world passing by in a blur, "Where are we going anyway?"

"The safest house in the continental U.S." Josh stated simply.

~

They arrived at Ty's house only ten minutes later and Frank snorted, "Y'know, I was going to make a joke about your previous 'safe house' statement, but between you, Ty, and Mergis, I genuinely think this place could be safer than the Pentagon."

"What about Jim?" Josh asked, gasping.

Frank looked at him over the rim of his sunglasses, "Oh, c'mon, Joshy, be real. He farted when you popped a balloon."

"He was having a stressful day." Josh muttered softly, his previous defense of his pup had been completely dismantled with one argument alone. He huffed as he drove into the garage, parking next to Ty's enormous black Jeep and his old Honda Rebel.

Frank climbed out, taking off his sunglasses, as the enormous garage door shuttered closed. He looked at Ty's leather and wood workshop set up at the back of the garage, smiling when he saw the big list of orders Ty had gotten recently. He followed Josh into the kitchen, greeting Jim with some scratches and pets. He stood up, taking off Josh's oversized jacket to hang it up neatly. He turned, stopping in his tracks when he saw Ty and Gerard standing there, looking just as dumbstruck with surprise.

"What on Earth are you-?' Gerard didn't even get to finish his question when he was suddenly tackled into a hug, stumbling back with a huff as Frank clung to him. Ty chuckled softly and went to give Josh some praise for successfully rescuing the prince from his tower.

Frank sniffed softly, hugging Gerard as tight as he could, his heart hammering in his chest. He looked up at him, "I'm so sorry."

Gerard caressed Frank's cheek with his finger, "I know. I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but it's as much my fault as it is yours. You shouldn't hold yourself to fault."

Frank leaned into the touch, his eyes filling with tears, "You look so tired."

"I haven't slept much, I will admit."

"Neither have I." Frank closed his eyes, holding Gerard's hand to his cheek, unable to let go in fear of him suddenly disappearing.

"Get comfortable, at least. All of that, it looks dreadfully cumbersome." Gerard smiled almost, "I'm not going anywhere, don't you worry."

Frank pulled the wig off and set it down on the back of the sofa before he pulled Gerard into another hug, "Don't care."

He huffed when his close hug was prohibited by his fake boobs. He looked at Josh for help, lifting his arms up, and the submissive came over to unzip the dress, lowering it down around his hips. He helped Frank remove the bra and the chestplate before he simply pulled the dress back up again, not in the mood to change for the third time. He hated how the chestplate felt against his skin, similar to his latex, but so much worse. The rubber was thicker, the boobs themselves were so laborious and constantly got in his way, but he did enjoy the way he looked when he saw himself in the windows of the stores they walked past earlier.

"Can you not put your tits on my kitchen table," Ty chided as he looked at Josh, who giggled as he picked the chestplate up again to find somewhere to store it - away from his Dominant. Gerard wrapped his arms around Frank and held him close, taking in a deep inhale of the top of Frank's head, exhaling slowly as he rubbed his arm gently. Ty cleared his throat, "Let's all decompress."

Gerard nodded in agreement, "Absolutely. We should all try to relax."

Ty led the way down the hall and up the stairs with Gerard behind him, towing Frank along, holding his hand. Josh was behind them all obediently, walking with Jim. They all filed into Ty's rope room and Gerard sat on the sofa along the far wall, pulling Frank down to sit beside him. He wrapped his arms around the small submissive, keeping him as close as physically possible.

"I didn't mean to isolate you." Gerard whispered to Frank as he watched Ty begin to tie a rope harness around Josh's chest with such diligent skill.

Frank looked at them as well, distracted somewhat by the quick work that Ty made of knots and ties. He tore his gaze away and looked at Gerard again, "Lindsey said it was necessary."

"Damage control, I suppose." Gerard whispered again and squeezed Frank's shoulder, "I have been wracking my brain for seventy-two hours now trying to come up with some sort of lie, or even a twisted truth that I could use to explain everything away as quickly as possible."

"A-And?"

Gerard pursed his lips and remained silent, watching as Ty created an intricate system of ropes and carabiners to support his submissive from the large rig above them. Frank sighed softly, taking the silence as his answer. He looked at Josh, watching the way his face twisted in pain as he was hoisted up on his toes by Ty's strength and pulley system.

"Why not tell the truth?"

"My career is hanging by a thread already, Frank. I-I can't just..." Gerard tailed off as tears filled his eyes. He blinked them away, unable to look at his submissive, watching Josh get completely lifted off of the bamboo mat, his one leg pulled tightly toward his head, his pink mohawk now being braided back by Ty's deft fingers. The end of his braid was then tied to another rope, forcing his head back as he, too, began to cry. Sure, it was a different kind of pain to the one that Gerard was experiencing, but Frank knew the kind of catharsis that they were both feeling from finally being able to let go.

Frank climbed over Gerard's lap to straddle him, taking his face in his hands, forcing Gerard to look up at him instead. He leaned in close, "I know you'll do the right thing for us both. I trust you with my life, and I'll support you no matter what. This doesn't change anything in my eyes, and if any of those people who voted for you also feel that way, this shouldn't matter to them. If you decide to explain it away, or tell the truth, there will always be people out there who love and support you."

Frank hugged Gerard's head to his neck, letting him cry quietly. He stroked his hair back gently, resting his head on Gerard's, staring at the wall as his heart broke into a hundred pieces. He didn't even realize that he was also crying until he tasted the salted tears on his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut, exhaling shakily as he hugged Gerard closer.

"It's gonna be okay, papa," He managed to croak out quietly, "I promise."