The Only Hope For Me Is You

Chapter 25

"Frannie, what are you doing here?" asked a surprised Gerard in the middle of opening his doorway. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, perfect for staying indoors and yet here I was at Gerard Way's doorstep. The shadows under his eyes, the tangled, messier than usual hair, and the clothes gave me the assumption that he just got out of bed. He was wearing a large white t-shirt, long Mario pajama bottoms, and white socks.

"I don't know." I said slowly, "But I'd like to come in, please. If you hadn't noticed, I'm freezing my panties off." The wind was causing me to chatter my teeth and shiver.

"Oh, yeah. Get in." He said, holding the door out for me. I rushed in, eager for warmth. The house was just like I remembered it: cozy, small, and full of memories. Suddenly I was met with the smell of bacon and pancakes.

"Mmm! It smells amazing!" I said,"Isn't it a bit too late for breakfast?"

He chuckled. Instead of his voice answering, a mature, womanly voice said instead,"Not in our home, honey. We seem to do things out of order most times." A middle-aged woman smiled at me from the doorway to the kitchen, looking me over. "Now who is this beautiful young lady standing in my living room that seems to know my son? I didn't know Gerard had such luck in finding pretty girls like you." Mrs. Way was tall, with a healthy weight and brown hair tied in a messy bun.

I laughed. "Gee, I like your mom." He smiled awkwardly from the corner he seemed to have crawled to.

"He, he, yeah..." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm Frannie. It's nice to meet you." I held out my arm in order to shake hands with her. She grabbed my hand but then pulled me into a hug.

"We don't do that here, sweetie. That's for old people like Mikey." She winked. "Now! I'm going to have to feed you, you need more sugar in those bones. Come on, we've got hashbrown and pancakes!"

"No, no, I couldn't...thank you, though." I smiled. Gerard opened his eyes in disbelief and shook his head. What? Did I say something wrong?

"You are not leaving this house until you eat, missy! You are our guest and guests have to eat whether they like it or not. Come on." She dragged me into the kitchen. I sent a silent plead for help to Gerard but he merely followed me and laughed silently.

"You're gonna love her cooking. You're going to want to eat here every day." Gerard said as we both sat down at the dinner table. He passed a plate and utensils, not without accidentally brushing my hands with his. The butterflies in my stomach were dancing the macarena.

"It smells great." I said, blushing, "I'm sorry I just barged in your family moment. I should have called first or something."

Gerard opened his mouth to answer but was beaten to it by his mom. "It's okay, you're always welcome here, Fanny! You can come in anytime you like." She said while placing pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and hashbrown onto my plate.

"How come any of my other friends can't come any time they want?" Gerard said with his mouth full.

"They do come in anytime they want, more than I'd like them to. And it's because Famy is special. And chew with your mouth closed, we have a guest." She smacked his head lightly before going back to the sink.

"Mmm! This is really-" I started.

"Chew first, talk later." She warned while raising her spatula. I gulped down the warm food and felt it burn down my esophagus.

"This is really good, Mrs. Way. Thank you for forcing me to eat." I said when I completely digested my food.

"It's no trouble, sweetie. I'm glad you like it." She beamed.