The Broken, The Beaten, and The Damned

Why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?

A day or two brought on colder weather, but no change in Alexis. Though she would walk, she barely was able to eat (Lena often fed her what she would allow herself to eat), and never seemed to sleep. Frank always seemed to find himself next to her at the fire as they slept, and if he awoke in the night he would always see her awake. Sometimes her mouth would even be moving silently with the thoughts and dreams of the other’s at the campfire. She would remain awake with the dogs on either side of her. The three of them together looked like the universal symbol of suffering, Mellon Collie looking miserable at the realization that she had lost her master and Punk on Alexis’ other side looking confused that her mistress was so sad, and Alexis in the middle looking beyond heartbreak.
In the daylight hours, when they were walking, someone had to keep a constant hold on her arm to keep her upright. It usually fell to Lena or Frank since Bob was the self appointed navigator. Still, even with help, the going was slow with semi-contious Alexis. She was often stumbling over tree roots, rocks, or even her own feet in an attempt to keep up with the group.
But even without Alexis’ ailment the going would have still been slow. Bob had yet to pinpoint their exact location on the map. Their mornings would be filled with Lena trying to force Alexis to eat while Bob and Frank both sat over the map, looking for something…anything that was familiar. By late morning they would begin walking again, and in the evenings they would set up camp for the night so that they could start all over the next morning. They thought of themselves as lucky, because so far they were still under the cover of trees and had not run across a roadblock or anything like it yet, but the lack of civilization was beginning to slowly un-nerve everyone.
“How far could we have gone,” Frank asked on the third evening as they sat around the fire. “I mean, it’s not like we ran for twenty miles…”
“I don’t know,” Bob muttered, the map on his lap. “I think we are in this wooded area,” he muttered, pointing to a dark shaded area that specified trees, “but I don’t know how close we are to any of these towns or anything else. And there are no marks anywhere near us.”
Lena gave Bob a pat on the shoulder, “I am sure we will find our way out soon. There is no reason to get worried.”
Bob sighed into his hands, “I’ll just be glad when this is all over…I’ve never been so tired.”
It was not long after that when the three of them went to sleep. Frank’s eyes kept flashing over to Alexis. He wondered how she was doing on absolutely no sleep. As he looked at her he saw that her eyes looked larger than normal, as if she was watching for something. Frank shrugged it off and turned over to try to get some rest. The next time he awoke, the night still dark, Alexis was no where to be seen.
Frank jumped up at this turn of events. He stood up and blindly ran from the campfire. He heard Punk’s sharp bark and turned slightly to follow it’s sound. When he caught sight of the small dog, she turned and ran in the opposite direction becoming nothing more than a brown and black blur in the night. Frank grabbed a tree branch and made a torch to follow her by, throwing caution and the element of surprise to the wind. That did not matter to him though, he just needed to find Alexis. At night she seemed to be on his watch. What would happen if he let everyone down by letting her get taken from him at night?
It was not a long run, perhaps only fifteen minuets, until he reached where Alexis was. She was standing in front of a tree, her eyes looking up into its dark branches full of dead leaves. Frank was afraid for a moment that someone was just waiting for him, using her as bait. Cautiously he walked to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“L-Lex? You ok?”
Alexis slowly turned her head, looking him in the eyes.
“Lex?”
“They watch us…the trees here are dangerous.”
Frank fought a cheer at the fact that she had talked, but his brow furrowed at her words.
“Trees…they are only wood Lex.”
To prove the point Frank knocked on one, listening to the deep thunking wooden sound. Alexis frowned, “no…they see us…we should leave.”
Frank wanted to shake her, to make her stop her halting speech that he knew would suddenly be gone in the morning like a dream.
“Lex, can we please go back to camp. You can tell Bob and…”
She shook her head, “didn’t think you’d believe me.”
The walk back to camp was a silent one, lead once again by Punk. When they were back the fire was low, but Lena and Bob were still asleep. Frank sat back at his place at the fire and Alexis sat right beside him.
“Lex…are you…are you ok?”
She shook her head, “I hear them. In the trees…and around us. They can find us…why don’t they take us here?”
Frank sighed, deciding to play along, “I don’t know. Just…just stay with me and we can tell Bob tomorrow.”
Alexis sighed, “I know what you think Frankie…don’t forget that.”
Frank ran tired fingers through his hair, “I know Lex…”
Frank watched out of the corner of his eyes as Alexis’ face involuntarily scrunched at the hated nickname. A smile formed on his lips…maybe she would come back after all.
- - - - -
He got a memo four days after their ‘disappearance’. It seemed that Alexis had found the cameras. The shorter male, the pyro, had found her standing under one of their trees in the dead of night, looking at the cameras. He was not surprised, but it was still an inconvenience. They would need to start mapping their progress incase they escaped the cameras. He believed that they still had a few days until they became wise to the whole thing, but one never knew.
As he was gathering plans for the charting and mapping of his little group, Diana came into his office. Her face was set in a pretty pout. He sighed as he saw her, only guessing what she wanted.
“What is it Diana,” he asked through clinched teeth.
“You know where they are?”
He nodded, no use in lying. She would know.
“I want to see them…to see her.”
He stood up from the desk, shaking his head, “no Diana. It will jeopardize everything I’ve been working for over the past three years.”
Diana’s hand left where they were crossed over her breasts and placed themselves on her shapely hips, “I want to see her.”
“Then go to the viewing room.”
“In person,” she screeched, losing her calm edge. A thick headache was beginning in his temple. He began massaging it.
“No Diana. If you don’t calm down you won’t even get to see her when we bring them in.”
“Like hell I won’t!” Diana yelled. She was losing her temper, and that could be bad for him. He calmly pressed his intercom button and called for a few of the flunkies to come in the room. When they entered they were directed to take Diana to her room and keep her there for the night. He heard later that only one of the men survived the trip down the hall. His condolences would be sent to the widows in the morning.

ooOOOOoooo!!! Why's Diana wanna see her so bad?! ...Which her?! ... AND WHO THE *FUCK* IS HE?!

...because i know who i keep picturing... but ive gotta be wrong...

Dawn rang in earlier than it ever had seemed to before. Frank’s body was sore from sleeping upright all night, and when he tried to correct the problem, Alexis’ head slipped off his shoulder leaving her in a crumpled pile on the forest floor. Frank look at her, startled to see that she had moved. As he leaned over her, making sure he had not hurt her, he tried to remember why he had been sitting up, and why Alexis had been sitting so close to him. The memories came quickly, swimming through his head at a fast pace so that by the time Alexis had opened her eyes he had nearly remembered everything. Memories of running through the woods, of Alexis speaking for the first time in nearly a week, and of ‘talking trees’ filled his mind. He quickly shook them away, not wanting to get a head of himself…not wanting to get his hopes up.
Alexis looked up at him, a puzzled look in her eye that cause a knot of fear to find its way into his stomach.
“Lex…are you…”
“Stop calling me that Frankie,” Alexis muttered softly, as she sat up and began looking around as if she had never seen these woods that they had been walking through for days.
“Frank,” she said softer still, “where are we?”
Frank did not understand her question, but before he got a chance to answer Lena let out a sharp gasp that made Alexis and Frank both look her way. When they saw how pale and afraid she looked they both sprang into action, Frank standing to secure the perimeter and Alexis dashing to Lena to see if she had been hurt.
“Lena…Lena speak to me,” Alexis said, a worried look in her eyes. It was as if she had not been the one who had been a mute for the past four days. Lena sent her a look that dictated exactly that before she dove for the younger girl and wrapped her tight in a hug. Alexis at first made a small muffled sound, like perhaps she screamed a bit, but after a moment she relaxed enough to satisfy Lena and make her let Alexis go. Lena looked at Alexis, holding her hands and muttering that she had feared that Alexis had been gone for good.
Frank walked over, nudging Bob with his foot to wake him up. Bob snorted awake, looking around blearily before his eyes settled on Alexis, seeing that she was fully awake. Bob struggled to his feet, looking Alexis over before asking in a soft voice, “what happened to you?”
Alexis frowned, her face turned toward her lap where Lena was still grasping her hand tightly. “I don’t know. It’s never happened before. I mean…I was sad about Pat…how did we escape the agents?”
Bob re-told the tale of how Alexis helped them escape. Causing Lena to hold Alexis closer and Alexis to pale even more.
“You have been like the walking dead ever since,” Bob said, wrapping up his story, “I guess when you do stuff like that…have you always fainted?”
Alexis shrugged, “I…I’m not sure.”
“Do you remember what it was like when you were a-asleep like that,” Lena asked softly.
“It…it was like…like I was static. Everything passed through me, thoughts, words…everything. I didn’t know where I was or anything. I just felt the static and saw the black.”
She then looked up, looking into Bob’s eyes, “I felt you Bob a few days ago…we are lost because you won’t feel for it.”
Bob’s cheeks reddened and Frank was afraid that he was about to shout at Alexis, but instead he sat in front of her.
“I…I feel it…I mean, I thought I felt something…but the map…”
“Don’t follow the map. You are the Seer. You have to see him, a map can’t help that. It will get us close, but not get us there.”
“Did…did you get that in the static,” Lena asked softly, her fingers combing through Alexis’ hair gently.
“No,” Alexis said, her face dark, “I…I found myself in the static, I think it was a day ago…maybe more. I have been trying to come back, grabbing onto your thoughts and pulling myself closer. That’s when I felt the trees…they are watching now.”
Lena and Bob turned to Frank for an explanation, “the trees…she thinks…they...they could be watching us.”
“They,” Bob asked.
“The…the agents and their bosses, I hear them through the wires. The trees are rigged I thought,” Alexis said softly, “I…I woke up yesterday…last night and I went to a tree I could hear and I saw something. I think its cameras…Frankie brought me back here. I might have wandered away if he hadn’t.”
Lena’s eyes grew large, “are…are they coming?”
Alexis shook her head, “no, but they will know we know before long. We have to escape as soon as possible.”
Slowly the four of them began cleaning up camp, like they had the past few days, only today they were more wary or where they were heading. Frank could only hope that Alexis waking up was a good omen, that perhaps now they were even closer to finding “The Dreamer” and their hope for salvation.

Aww Lena is like a mama lion with her cub....

I wonder if that means anything?....

There will be more today, but this is what I got done at work for Lissy.
-------
Gerard was peering out on the lake, time was stretching towards sunset and the lake surrounding him looked as if it were on fire, but not like a lake of blood he couldn’t think of it that way. Either way though, it looked like it had in his dream. He had been watching the light, the lake, and the boat…it looked nearly right. In his dreams the air had been still like this, the lake had been smooth like this, all he needed was to see them walking through the trees. He looked at the drawing in his hands again, seeing the way it looked and trying to imagine it happening. Try to imagine it as a real event, happening at this moment.
Down on the deck below, Gerard saw Mikey sitting in a chair, keeping watch on his shift. Ever since Gerard had his dream over a week ago, they had been keeping shifts in the evenings, but the day was nearly done now and night was well on its way. Another day done, and the dream had still not come to fruition yet. Gerard let out a harsh sigh, fearing that this nights sleep would bring news of their death, after all the future was always changing.
He was just about to go inside his room from the balcony when he heard Mikey’s voice below him let out a shout. Gerard ran to the balcony, looking over to the line of trees.
“What is it Mikes,” Gerard said, not looking away from the tree line where he knew they would walk out.
“I don’t know, but something is not right over there.”

- - -
The group had walked for about three days after Alexis woke up before Bob felt it, really felt it. It was like a force pulling him somewhere, something he could not deny. He was seeing it, he was feeling it. His power was growing stronger, maybe it was Alexis being fully awake that was helping it out, or maybe it was something else. All he knew was that he was feeling it stronger than ever now.
They had made it past where the cameras were, at least that is what Alexis had said, and it seemed true because he was thinking clearer since she had said they were away from them. It was the fifth day after Alexis had awakened that the ground they were walking on changed from dry and leafy to a boggy mess. Bob volunteered to find a way around, but no one wanted to waste the time. They all seemed to be able to feel how close they were getting, they were not sure what it was, but they knew that it might not be able to wait. By that afternoon Bob finally had the feeling that they would reach their destination that day. He did not tell anyone though, not wanting to get their hopes up, but Alexis seemed to know. Her smile radiating brilliance all afternoon as they sloshed through the watery ground without complaint, but she seemed to be keeping his secret as well. By evening they all feeling water logged and frozen, but there was no way that they could sleep on the ground as they had been doing, and besides Bob knew that at any moment they would reach where they were heading.
The sun was burning red in the sky, reflecting against the watery forest floor like rubies by the time that night was fast approaching.
“We are close,” Bob said softly under his breath, “I feel it. We can’t stop now.”
He looked around, feeling for it while Frank helped Lena get the last of their food out of her pack so they could at least eat something as they continued their endless walk through the now marshy woods.
“It feels like it should be right here,” Bob muttered, looking toward Alexis for help, but she only could give a helpless shrug.
Bob let out a rough sigh, dragging his hands through his hair.
“Fine,” he muttered, “I’m going to see if there is anything up ahead. Stay here, ok?”
Everyone silently nodded, watching as Bob crashed through the bushes. A moment later they heard a startled yell from Bob and a loud crash of something Bob sized hitting something…hard.

--------
Alexis dropped her sandwich and ran at the sound of Bob’s fall, having heard a brief panicked blip from Bob’s mind as he disappeared from view. She peered through the bushes in time to see Bob’s head resurface from beneath the water.
“He’s fine,” she called back towards Lena and Frank who were just now making it through the muck towards where Bob disappeared. Frank gave a little laugh as he saw Bob in the water, attempting to climb back up the small incline that had sloped Bob into the water. Frank broke through the bushes and reached for Bob’s hand while he grabbed onto a tree limb to keep himself from the water as he helped Bob up. While Frank was helping Bob, Alexis surveyed the water. She was shocked to see a large riverboat on the water. It looked entirely out of place, on a lake in the middle of the woods, and in terrible need of repair.
“Wonder what that boat is for,” Lena said, voicing Alexis’ internal question as she grabbed Frank’s shirttail.
Bob threw a glance over his shoulder as he grabbed Frank’s hand, his eyes showing interest. Alexis looked at it again too, feeling a certain ache in her head, like there was something more to it. She threw Bob a look, wanting to know what he was feeling from it, if anything. She allowed her mind to slip into Bob’s gently, not wanting to startle him.
The feeling was alarming, jolting her system so much so that she had no idea how Bob was able to stand it. This was it. He was here, he had to be, and he and his brother were both in that boat.
Before she knew what she was doing, she had jumped into the lake. The water immediately began to freeze her with pins and needles as it went over her head, the red water turning black all around her. Alexis attempted to swim, but quickly learned that her helpless flailing was only making her sink further. Soon the black water would have her as its own.

There is a lack of comments...ya know what? No more updates til I get comments.

This is re-cock-ulous!

First I LOVE the Frankie Bear!

and I am VERY excited to see Gerard Finally making an appearance
Two posts in two days! Maybe the posting bug will get me next!

Too long before an update.
- - - - -
As the icy water closed Alexis’ lungs and locked her legs in their cold grip, the world turned black around her…
She blinked once…twice…she didn’t believe her eyes. Suddenly she was standing in the middle of a field facing a large tree. There were people sitting on the branches, but most of them had their faces covered in shadow. All but a blonde headed girl about her age, the highest person in the tree, sitting on an upper branch alone and a man with white hair sitting on the branch below her’s. He looked ill, near death, and he was Artimus. Alexis stood in the field, looking past all of the people who were hidden and trying to get a better look at Artimus. She stepped closer, so close that the girl’s laughter carried to her on a soft breeze. She looked up, seeing that with each of her steps, both she and the girl became younger until they were both about ten years old.
The blonde girl’s hair whipped about her face as her mouth made words that were soundless to Alexis’ ears. Alexis looked up toward the sick Artimus, only to see that he looked well again. His eyes clear and his face full of color as he laughed.
“Artimus,” she asked softly, looking up at him.
He looked down at her, a crooked smile on his face.
“Ah…there you are,” he said as he reached a hand out to take her’s. She placed her smaller hand in his, having him pull her up to sit next to the blonde girl. She smiled at Alexis, her eyes were an alarming green and her smile was faintly familiar.
Alexis looked back down at the lower branch, seeing Artimus looking at the girl next to her with an emotion that frightened her with its intensity, but she couldn’t place it.
Love?
“Artimus,” she said again, her voice soft and slightly frightened.
He turned to her, his eyes growing concerned as he looked at her. “Why am I here Artimus?”
Artimus looked at the blonde girl again, “she is all I have left of her…and I can’t even touch her except for here.”
As if to prove the point, he took the blonde girl’s hand in his. She smiled at him, but the smile didn’t touch her eyes. They seemed frozen in an odd madness.
“Wh-who is she,” Alexis asked.
“She is what is left of Lena and I…you must protect her…save her. You owe me that much…and you will owe me much more by the time they are through.”
Alexis felt puzzled what could she possibly owe Artimus? What had she done already? She wanted to ask him what he meant, but before she could a white light pierced her vision and she felt herself begin falling from the tree.

Alexis blinked water from her eyes as the light in her eyes was waved back and forth. She shivered, freezing cold as she lay on what felt like a wooden plank. She coughed, water pouring from her lungs.
“Turn her so she can breath,” an unfamiliar voice said through the buzzing in her ears.
“She going to be ok?” Frank’s voice seemed familiar in the dark around her. She coughed up more water as someone began patting her back hard.
“Get it all up now,” the unfamiliar voice claimed. “You don’t need to get an infection.”
She coughed again then took in a deep breath, her lungs feeling lighter now in her chest. She shivered again, brushing water out of her face as she sat up.
“What happened,” she croaked, forgetting about her dream and falling in the water all-together.
“You were sinking,” Bob said to her right, “but this guy here saw it happen and ran out there to bring you, and us, up here.”
Alexis looked and noticed that, for the most part, they were all dry except her.
“Oh, th-th-thank you,” she said past chattering teeth.
“No worries,” the guy said with a smile, “names Mikey by the way. Gift of speed, I can run faster than anyone around.”
“A-a-alexis,” she said, holding out her hand.
Mikey shook it as someone else came out of the main door to the cabin of the ship, carrying a load of blankets.
“This is all I could find without stripping beds. I hope its warm enough.”
The man’s voice was familiar, dancing around in Alexis’ waterlogged head until it was recognized a moment before he stepped into their cone of light.
“A-artimus,” she squeaked as he stepped into the light, holding blankets. And in that moment, the man looked just like Artimus. It was all too much for her and a blackness claimed her once more just as the man knelt before her.

Poor Arte He misses Lena!!

But he's STILL holdin on!

holdin on forever maybe?

Maybe Lena can get there in time still!

im so lost Zomb!!! but its so good! my brain hurts!

More Gerard-ness.
----------
Gerard knelt before the girl as she fainted. He heard his brother’s name leave her lips softly before she fainted, but he did not have the time or the energy to think about it now. With a sigh on his lips, he wrapped her in the blankets as Lena knelt next to the girl. Gerard was happy to see Lena, not having seen her since the wedding, and he had just been a boy of fifteen then. Though she looked concerned about the girl, she seemed happier than when he had seen her in his dreams a few months ago. Then she had been sad…alone, now though she had people to watch over again. Lena was always a mothering type.
“Will she be ok,” she asked Gerard softly.
“Yeah…just tired,” he lied, “get one of the others to carry her inside. Put her on the couch in the sitting room, she can rest there for now.”
Lena nodded and got the shorter of the men, the pyro Gerard thought, to pick her up and lead the way to the cabin, followed after by a brown dog. As they left, Gerard turned to the blonde man who was watching Lena and the other’s as they went.
“Glad you made it safe,” Gerard stated, not knowing what exactly to say.
The man grunted, “yeah…its been…difficult.”
Gerard nodded, coming to shake the man’s hand.
“I am Gerard.”
“The Dreamer,” the man muttered, then blushed, “sorry…I am just so surprised that we found you…”
He then took Gerard’s hand, “I’m Bob, the Seer. That girl…she…she’s Alexis. The Mind Warper or…what-whatever…”
Gerard smiled at Bob, “I suppose you have met my wild brother, Mikey. He is speed…and the shorter guy?”
“Oh,” Bob said, “Frank. Pyro, really strong and great control.”
“Great! Fire, we can use that,” Mikey said as he walked over to them from the side of the ship.
“I’ve been having to like, use flint or sticks. This will be so much better.”
Gerard laughed a bit as he led the way inside. Once inside the three of them, a sleek black dog following, walked down a small staircase to their left and entered the sitting room where Frank and Lena were attending to Alexis. He looked at the girl, Alexis, again. There was something oddly familiar about her. Even her sleeping face looked strangely familiar, beyond the familiar that he felt from his dream. He felt something, but was not sure what and he’d have to wait until she awoke to question her. He sighed, sitting on a couch opposite from where the girl was laying with her head in Lena’s lap, waiting for her to awake so that they could figure out what was to become of them.


Miles away, a report landed on a desk…and a man began to laugh.

wtf!!!!

i dont like laughing man at ALLLL!!!!!!

I think the Dreamer has a crush on his big bro's wife

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha i like laughing man... just cause it pissed Lis off so much and made ME laugh.

Come on Lis...the laughter could be good. Chels liked him.

------------
Alexis felt a strange warmth under her cheek as she awoke. She kept her eyes closed, fearing the unknown around her. She heard voices speaking quietly, but mostly what she heard was a soft humming in her ears from above her. Alexis' mind attached its self to that, listening to it and trying to understand why it felt so familiar. Like she had heard it before, a soft lullaby. Suddenly a hand began to stroak across her exposed cheek and down through her damp hair. The hand was warm and inviting, like the half remembered lullaby. Something about ribbons in her hair*. The words seemed mixed up in her mind...and she didn't know why she would even know them. Still, she did not dare move incase this pleasent moment would end. She stayed that way, in a half daze listening to the humming until it came to an abrupt end as Lena asked a question above her head.
"She feels warm...do you think she'll get a fever."
A voice across the from them answered, "its possible. That water is much too cold. Its December after all."
"Wow," Frank's voice was near by, "is it already that late?"
She heard shifting in the room, then an icy hand touched her forehead. She frowned, scooting back against Lena.
"She is pretty hot...and awake I think."
Alexis risked opening her eyes since the humming had stopped, and saw the man the looked like Artimus staring into her eyes. She flinched, not sure who he was.
"Its ok Alexis dear," Lena whispered to her, "its just Gerard...he is the Dreamer."
Alexis frowned, looking at him as Lena helped her to sit up and wrapped her covers around her again.
"G-gerard...but he looks like..."
Gerard held up his hand, a bemused look on his face, "I know. Artimus and I looked a lot a like. Well, except for the hair," he finished the sentance with a small flip of his dark hair.
"Oh," Alexis said softly past chattering teeth, "s-sorry."
Lena felt her forehead again as Frank dug a jar out of one of their packs. She watched Mikey and Gerard's faces show their amazment as Frank started a fire in the jar with no kindle or without it burning anything.
Frank handed her the jar without any flair and sat next to her.
"Wait," Mikey asked, "you did that without any help."
Frank looked up confused, "is it really that unusual?"
Bob shrugged silently from his seat in a chair. He had blankets wrapped about him as well, but he did not fall in the water as badly as Alexis had, so he just seemed to have nothing more than a sniffle.
Mikey and Gerard each gave one another a shrug and let it drop. A moment later Mikey ran to get Alexis and Bob a change of clothing. He was gone and back in a flash, handing Alexis an oversized pair of men's flannel pajamas.
"You can change in the room off the side there," he pointed to her, then directed Bob to another one. She took wobbly steps toward the room still carrying the fire, and was soon inside a nice sized washroom. She quickly pealed off her wet clothing and slipped into the pajamas. They were warm and comfortable, and they along with the fire seemed to be keeping her fairly warm. In the back of her mind she could hear that they were all worrying about her catching something, like the flu. If she got the flu, she might die cause none of them could go to a hospital, especially not her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror before leaving the room. She looked paler than when she had last seen herself, but they had been on the run. It was expected. She did not think she was as bad off as they did.
Alexis carefully hung up her clothes to dry, then left the room hitching up the to big for her pants as she went.
"Perhaps it would be better to talk after you four sleep," Gerard was saying as she sat next to Lena.
"Sleep," Mikey asked, "where are they going to sleep? We have not prepared any rooms yet. You said we still had time."
Gerard blushed, "I know that...but, we will just have to bunk together."
"Great" Mikey muttered, "who's with who?"
Gerard sighed, "well, I guess that the girl's should be together, and Frank and Bob can share the 'other' room."
Mikey pouted a bit, making Alexis have to stiffle a giggle.
"But...what if he come's back," Mikey asked.
"Then you two can have the bed," Gerard said, then seemed to think a moment "but he probably won't tonight."
"He," Alexis asked quietly.
Gerard turned and smiled, "a friend of ours. He comes and goes, so we have him a room."
"He's really funny," Mikey said with a giddy smile, "you guys will love him."
It wasn't long until Mikey and Gerard were showing them to their rooms. Alexis was still fighting a chill when she and Lena were shown Gerard's room.
"You two can stay here," Gerard said with a smile, "its across from mine and Mikey's, so if something goes wrong we can help."
Both of the women nodded. "Thank you Gerard," Lena said with a smile.
Just as the girls were getting settled in the room though, Punk already claiming a spot on the bed while Mel claimed a chair that was too small for her, Frank knocked on the door and asked Lena to step outside. Alexis frowned after them, but was too cold to follow. Instead she bundled under the covers and tried to warm up.
She had just dozed off when she felt someone get in the bed with her. She opened her eyes a crack to see Frank in the bed with her. She lept up, looking at him as if he was lost.
"Um...Frank?"
Frank looked over his shoulder at her, "yeah?"
"Aren't you supposed to be with Bob?"
He rolled over with a sigh, "yeah, but we talked with Lena, and she thinks I'd be better to make sure up warmed up. You gotta get warm or..."
"Or you think I'll get sick...die."
Frank didn't look her in the eyes, instead he rolled over again.
Alexis sat there a moment before laying back down in the bed.
"Thank you Frankie," she said softly.
Frank grunted his reply as Alexis snuggled closer to his unsually warm body.
"Night Frankie," she sighed.
Frank turned over in the bed, looking at her sleeping face illuminated by his finger that he had lit in the dark. She sighed lightly, moving closer. Frank put the fire out in a hurry, not wanting to hurt her by accident.
"Night Lex," he whispered softly. Then turned over and tried to find sleep for himself.

-----------
This is the lullaby that Lena was humming. My mother would sing it to me, and her father sang it to her...its tradition.

"Don't ever take the ribbons from your hair
Each tiny bow is tied with loving care
You're pretty as a picture and I love each precious curle
Your mommy's little problem but your daddy's little girl

You'll never grow too old to wear your bows
They'll always match your little turned up nose
And even when you grow to be like mommy sweet and fair
Don't ever take the ribbons from your hair"