Frank groggily opened his eyes for the third time that night, if it was even still dark anymore, he wasn't quite sure, because somehow he had ended up back inside his house, his body stretched out on the couch in the living room, and even though every instinct in Frank's body was screaming at him to go check up on Gerard, any tiny movement sent hot waves of pain surging into his skull, and walking seemed borderline impossible at this point.

Letting his eyes fall shut once again in the hopes of alleviating his pounding headache, Frank tried to process what was happening to him, because now he remembered, fuck - he remembered everything; the memories of his old life had sprung back into the forefront of his mind, filling the gaps that had been left behind, and he finally understood so many things about himself that had previously baffled him.

His intense attraction to Gerard was no longer strange and storybook worthy, because they had met before, they had fallen in love before, so even though he hadn't remembered him, his subconscious somehow had, and that day in the library made so much more sense now, but that wasn't the only thing that was cast in a new light thanks to Frank's forgotten past.

Frank's love of flight was explained as well, not that he ever thought that was odd or strange, but now that he knew he had once been an angel, a being capable of soaring through the air whenever he wanted, his adoration of airplanes and the sky was now revealed as his attempt at relieving something that Frank couldn't even recall experiencing before today, but now that he could, he knew that nothing would ever compare to the sensation of having the wind in his wings.

But the answer Frank had been most desperately searching for lay in the one memory he did not want to acknowledge, and that was Gerard's death; that was why Frank suffered from what he had thought were random bouts of desolation, but they were anything but random. They always started on the day that Lucifer had taken Gerard away from him, and even though Gerard was now alive and well, Frank knew that the fear of losing Gerard would reside in his chest forever now that he remembered what life was like without him.

Knowing that he had to face Brendon and Billie Joe sooner rather than later, Frank forced his eyes to open again, letting out a soft groan so the two angels would be aware that he was now awake. Frank heard the shuffling of footsteps approaching his prone form, and even though it hurt, Frank forced his head to turn slightly to the right, bringing Brendon into his line of sight.

"Frank - thank fuck, I was so worried about you. God had warned us the process would be painful, but I never thought it would be that bad," Brendon heaved out a sigh of relief, his hands fluttering at his side nervously as his eyes raked over Frank's body.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you cracked my skull," Frank chuckled weakly, slowly bringing himself into a sitting position despite his protesting muscles.

"So...did it work, do you remember?" Brendon asked softly, a look of guarded hope crossing over his face as he waited for Frank's answer.

"Yeah...I do - fuck, I can't believe I ever forgot, but that was the condition of becoming human right, I had to lose my memories if I wanted to be with Gerard again?" Frank questioned his one-time friend, trying to test out how accurate his recollection of the past was.

"Yes, at least, that's what God told us, you disappeared without even saying goodbye, which I am still slightly pissed about by the way," Brendon laughed in a teasing manner.

"Oh god, I did...didn't I, but God said it had to be that way, and I couldn't pass up on a chance to be reunited with Gerard, I am sorry though," Frank apologized, his head spinning wildly as he tried to comprehend everything that was going on.

"It's okay, it's not like I wouldn't have done the same if it was Ryan..." Brendon's face fell when he mentioned Ryan's name, but before Frank could question him about it, he had continued speaking. "It doesn't matter anyway, because all we wanted was for you to be happy again, and you were anything but that without Gerard, believe me - I would never have bothered you two if the situation wasn't so dire."

"Where is Gerard, is he still upstairs?" Frank asked, even though he had one thousand other questions swirling around in his head, but Gerard was always his first priority, and he had to make sure he was okay.

"Yeah, he's still sleeping, you can go check on him if you want, but you can't wake him up just yet," Billie sighed heavily, his gaze sliding away from Frank's when he tried to make eye contact with the angel.

"I trust you, but I am confused...you said you needed my help, and you went through all this trouble to restore my memories, so why not give Gerard's back as well?" Brendon twisted in his seat uncomfortably, and Frank wanted to reach out to place his hand on his shoulder, that's what he would have done fifteen years ago, but things had changed now, and Frank wasn't sure if Brendon would appreciate the gesture.

"It's complicated, and I still don't understand everything entirely, but from what God explained to us, your memories were still in your mind, they were simply suppressed by your human nature, and even before we came, some of them were bleeding through the wall that kept them from you, but Gerard's situation is different; he died," Frank flinched slightly at hearing that fact spoken out loud, but he nodded for Brendon to continue when he shot him a concerned look, "so all of his memories were lost when he was restored as a human. Billie Joe would have nothing to bring back for him, only God can restore what he has lost."

"Okay...I guess that makes sense, but where is Billie, and how much power does he have? I know about the experiments he went through, but he seems stronger now than when I last saw him, or maybe that was just my human impression of him." Frank was honestly getting overwhelmed by the amount of information he was in the dark on, but it was to be expected with his extended absence from Heaven - still, there was so much that Frank didn't understand, and he felt as if he could continue to pester Brendon for years and he would still be left out of things.

"Billie's resting in the other room, unlocking your memories took quite a bit of his strength, and yes - he has grown more powerful. We finally understand what the archangels were trying to do with him. Not long after you left, we discovered their secret files - they were trying to make an angel with abilities akin to God's, a God that they could control, and Billie was their greatest success. We still don't know the extent of what he can do, but it's mind boggling, and he learns more every day."

"That's incredible," Frank breathed out, his neck craning in an attempt to see around the door frame, but he couldn't spy Billie from his sitting position, and he wasn't ready to move just yet.

Frank was tempted to ask about the archangels that had illegally experimented on his friend, wondering if they had ever been captured after running from Heaven all those years ago, but Brendon was already talking again, so Frank kept quiet, he doubted they had managed to evade the might of the garrison for very long anyway.

"It is, Billie has been an amazing asset lately, and fuck knows we need all the help we can get," Brendon mumbled, leading Frank into his next question, even though he was already ninety-nine percent positive that he knew the answer already.

"So, the reason you need me now...it's the seventh prophecy isn't it? I remember Billie saying it was about Gerard and I; that is why all of these disasters are happening - right, it's here?" Frank whispered softly, his body shuddering slightly despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Yes, I'm so sorry Frank, we waited as long as we could, but without you and Gerard on our side, we are doomed to fail. These occurrences are only the beginning, the Leviathan hasn't even truly awoken yet, but when it does, the world will end unless you and Gerard can save us."

"Wait - the Leviathan, that's what is causing all of this...I thought it was dead, didn't Michael cast it down into the sea ages ago?" Frank exclaimed, his brow furrowing as he wracked his brain in an attempt to pull up all the information he had learned about the mighty beast.

The Leviathan had terrorized the earth in its early days back when Heaven was still young and humans had yet to discover the marvels of fire, but the archangel Michael had smitten the creature with his infamous sword, at least, Frank thought that is what had happened, but maybe the beast hadn't truly perished after all.

"I was under the same impression, but according to God, Michael wasn't able to slay the beast, he only rendered it helpless, trapping it under the ocean for what he hoped would be forever, but it's regaining consciousness, and if that wasn't bad enough, it's bringing all sort of strange creatures back to the surface with it," Brendon sighed, and Frank was slightly terrified at how helpless he appeared. Even during their darkest moments together, Brendon had never allowed his fear to seep through, which showed Frank how desperate their current situation truly was.

"So...those bat creature that attacked Tokyo, they weren't some strange demons - were they?" Frank hadn't gotten a very good glimpse of them on the television screen, but now that he had his memory back, he knew that he had never seen anything like them before in all his years as an angel.

"Apparently they are another old race, a mix between demons and dragons that came about after a failed experiment of Lucifer's which he named wyrens; they are uncontrollable and blood thirsty, even Lucifer couldn't get them to follow his orders, but soon they will be the least of our worries."

"Fuck - this is bad, I - I don't know if I'm ready to carry all of this responsibility," Frank groaned, his head falling into his hands as he tried to understand all of this new information, ignoring the soft spike of pain that traveled up his spine at the sudden motion. 

"You aren't alone Frank, we will be with you every step of the way, and you can say no; if you want me to, I can have Billie erase your memories again and you can live out the rest of whatever time the world has left with Gerard," Brendon offered, his arms wrapping around Frank in a friendly embrace.

"God - I want to, but I can't, I won't let innocent people die because of my selfishness, and Gerard would say the same thing," Frank heaved out, tears pricking at his eyes as he relaxed into Brendon's touch.

"I knew you would say that, but fuck - I wish there was another way," Brendon murmured against Frank's shoulder.

"Bren - the prophecy spoke of a sacrifice, do you know what it was referring to?" Frank asked softly, even though he didn't want to know, because the answer couldn't be good, and it wasn't like Frank had much of a choice in the matter either way.

"I - I don't, not for sure, and maybe it doesn't mean a person, maybe it's something else, but no one has been able to decipher it yet, not even Billie." Frank tried to detect any hint of omission in Brendon's voice, but all he caught was fear and regret. He didn't think Brendon would lie to him, especially if it had something to do with his or Gerard's death, but it had been so long since Frank had spoken with Brendon, so he wasn't an expert at reading him anymore.

"Okay - so...what happens now?"

"We take you back to Heaven so you and Gerard can be transformed back into an angel and a demon, only God can do that, and their power is weakening as the prophecy grows closer, so they chose not to make the trip to Earth. Once they change you, they will most likely be out of commission until the events of the prophecy have been completed, but they have given us a few hints. You and Gerard must retrieve the sword of Michael, that is the only way to defeat the Leviathan, so we simply have to unearth it before it's too late." Brendon smiled weakly, trying his best to make it sound as if this would be an easy task, even though Frank knew it would be anything but.

Having God taken out of the picture would make everything that much harder, but that was the way prophecies worked; they were predestined events, which not even God could interfere with, so when they came close to completion, God became weak and powerless, removing any chance they had of turning to them for anything besides advice.

"When do we leave?" Frank sighed, because even though he had a million more questions to ask Brendon, he also needed space to think, and he wanted nothing more right now than to curl up in Gerard's arms for a few hours until everything sunk in a bit.

"That is up to you, I know you need time with Gerard, and you are going to have to give him some sort of explanation about this, which is going to be hard without his memories, but I'm sure you will think of something. When you are ready, just call my name, and I will escort you both up to Heaven."

"I - okay, yeah, just give me a day or two...fuck, I have no idea what to tell Gerard," Frank laughed sourly, because trying to explain what was going on to his husband could only end badly, but Frank had never lied to him before, and he knew Gerard would be able to tell that something was wrong the instant he laid eyes on him.

"It will all work out Frank, he trusts you, and knowing Gerard, he will do anything you ask of him, no matter how crazy it sounds," Brendon assured him, and in all honesty, he was probably right, even though that fact did nothing to make Frank feel better, actually - it caused a spike of guilt to shoot throughout his entire body, because even though this wasn't his fault, Frank felt as if he was dragging Gerard into what could be a life threatening situation without his consent, and fuck - Frank wished there was some way to protect Gerard from all of this.

"And there is no chance that I can do this alone, without Gerard...I - I don't want to put him in any danger," Frank whimpered quietly, even though he knew that Gerard was a part of this too, the prophecy had mentioned both of them, but still - it didn't hurt to ask.

"I'm sorry Frank, but without Gerard, we won't be able to defeat the Leviathan. We need the two of you working together if we have any hope of success, and he wouldn't be that much safer on Earth, not with the way the world is right now." Frank nodded weakly in response, because Brendon did have a point; Gerard had almost died the other day, and there was no way Frank could leave him vulnerable and alone, that would literally kill him.

"Okay - can I go see him now, I promise I will call for you soon, I just need a little bit of time," Frank sniffled, wiping away the few tears that had managed to escape down his cheeks.

Frank wasn't even entirely sure why he was crying, but it was mostly because he was overwhelmed and scared, and not for himself, but for Gerard, and as hard as he tried to stay positive, the image of Gerard's bloody body kept flashing before his eyes, and Frank was well aware that it could become more than a thing of the past, that could soon be his future as well, even though he would do everything in his power to save Gerard from whatever was out there waiting for them.

"Of course, I need to return to Heaven soon anyway, Billie will recover better up there. I will be listening for your call, and Frank - it is good to have you back...I've missed you." Brendon pulled Frank in for one last quick hug before striding away, leaving Frank to ascend the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Gerard alone, walking slowly in an attempt to keep his head from jostling about any more than absolutely necessary.

Part of Frank wanted to call out to Brendon, because he had thought up some new questions in the few seconds they had been separated, but Frank kept silent, unsure if his mind could handle one more piece of information tonight - or today...whatever, and in a way, he needed to distance himself from the angel for right now.

As happy as he was about being reunited with his friends, Frank really needed some space to get used to all of this, to come to terms with his old life, and it was hard to do that with his one-time best friend standing beside him, so he continued his trek down the hallway, pushing open the door to the room he had left Gerard in earlier that night.

All thoughts of Brendon, and the future, and how scared Frank was flew out of his head when he caught sight of his husband sleeping soundly in their bed, his black hair splayed across the pillow wildly, his body curled around Frank's usual spot as if he was just waiting for him to come back.

Frank idly glanced at the alarm clock on their dresser, and he was shocked to realize that it was barely five in the morning. It had only taken two hours for his perfect life to fall apart completely, even though it seemed as if years had passed since he had heard the sound that had driven him downstairs in the first place.

Needing to feel the comfort that he could only sense when he was in Gerard's arms, Frank crawled onto the mattress gently, doing his best not to disturb Gerard with his motions, finally lying down with his arms wrapped firmly around his husband's stomach.

Gerard instantly nuzzled into Frank's chest, a soft sigh of contentment escaping his lips as Frank began to stroke his hair gently. Frank felt even more tears forming in his eyes as he held his husband, because this was the last night of their normal lives, and even though Frank knew the world needed him, all he wanted to do was stay here with Gerard forever.

But that was the coward's way out, and there was no way Frank could ever be that selfish. He would have Gerard with him at least, and even though whatever was to come would be dangerous, Frank knew he could make it through it with Gerard at his side, and maybe once this was all over, they would be granted peace again, and it was that thought that allowed Frank to drift off, his head falling onto Gerard's shoulder as sleep overtook his aching body.

I am on this major writing spree, I have no idea where it came from, but I love it, and hopefully it lasts.

This chapter was actually kind of hard to write, because it was a shit ton of dialogue, and I'm not very good with that, but hopefully it turned out okay.

I don't really have much else to say, besides for thank you guys for sticking with this book even though it has been really slow going lately, it means a lot to me.

This chapter is dedicated to tylertherunandgoseph for all of your comments on the last chapter.

((((good vibes))))

<3 starr