Rhythm of the Rain(Petekey/Frerard/Ryden)

Epilogue

Now, that The Q and Gay is over, you readers who've read previous books know what's going to happen.  You can still comment questions by the way. I'll still be answering.

*20 years later*

Gerard sat with Frankie in between his legs on their couch. Frankie was snuggled into Gerard's chest, snoring softly. Gerard stared out the window and watched as the rain poured down, leaving small paths on the window-sill.

He heard an excited squeal from the other wheel and Frankie jerked awake, startling Gerard in the process.

"Uncle Gee! Frankie! I drew a pi'tcher!" An excited voice squealed. Gerard twisted around as he watched a small girl around 4 gallop from the kitchen. "Do you think Daddy and Papa will like it?" She leaped onto Frankie's lap, and they let out a small 'oof'.

"You're getting so big, Lace," Frankie grinned, repositioning her.

"Look at my pi'tcher, Frankie! See, you, and Gee, Papa, Daddy, and Pete!" She pointed to each of them.

Almost as if on cue, crying came from the other room.

"Ah, geez. Here, I got him," Gerard shifted Frankie and Lacey off of him before going to tend to Pete.

As he entered the room, the one and a half year old's sobs grew louder.

"Hey, buddy," Gerard smiled, leaning over the crib. He scooped up the baby and leaned him on his shoulder, wrapping his arm to balance him.

Pete's cries subsided a little as Gerard began to hum and rock him up and down.

"Just a little lonely, aren't ya, kid? You don't like all of us in there without you?" Gerard cooed, gently. "It's okay, Petey. We aren't going to leave you," he promised. "Your daddy and papa love you very much and so do your uncles," Gerard added. He got the deja vu of holding Mikey when he was little, and comforting Ryan. He heard the phone ring in the other room.

Oh, Ryan...

Gerard sighed and looked up on the window. Pete's crib was in Brendon's room. Well, what was Brendon's room. And, on the window-sill, sat a picture of Brendon and Ryan when they were young.

Ryan had died five years ago, when he was eighteen. Brendon had lost his best friend and his boyfriend as well as his grandmother to cancer. He'd never quite recovered. He'd gotten into drugs and drinking, and he'd had to stay with Frankie and Gerard until he was able to get back on his feet. Gerard knew he'd met a nice girl named Sarah, but he didn't know where Brendon was now. He'd just thanked them both for their hospitality and left with Sarah. The only thing he'd left behind was a picture of Ryan and him.

The last picture of them together, at their senior prom.

Brendon had gotten the nurses permission to let him take Ryan out for a night. What he hadn't known was that Ryan had less than 24 hours to live, but had refused to let the nurses tell Brendon anything. He'd died shortly, the next morning. Brendon blamed himself.

Gerard sighed, wiping a tear away and turned his attention back to Pete, who'd started to get fussy again.

"Oh my god!" Gerard heard Frankie's shout. Gerard cradled Pete into his chest and raced out to the kitchen. Frankie's phone was on the floor and they'd burst into tears, Lacey looking shocked and confused.