Two days later, after his band was done recording, Gerard took a trip to his local comic book shop. He browsed through the new arrivals and talked to the owner for a while, and after all of that was over, he collapsed into his favorite reading chair with one of his favorite comics. He'd read it a hundred times before, but it never got old. Soon, he was lost in thought, completely unaware of everything that was going on around him.

"I thought I might find you here," Frank said, and Gerard snapped back into reality. He looked up from the comic book, and when he saw Frank standing right in front of him, he wondered how he hadn't noticed him earlier. "You looked like you were really into that comic," Frank said. "What were you reading?"

"Sandman," Gerard answered. "It's one of my favorites."

"I've never read it," Frank said.

"I think you'd like it a lot." Gerard paused and then asked, "Anyways, how are things going?"

"I'm okay, given the circumstances."

"What happened?"

"Pencey Prep broke up."

Frank tried his best not to sound too upset about it, but Gerard saw right through his act. "I'm sorry," he said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Frank said. "We all kind of knew it would happen eventually. I just didn't think it would be over so soon."

"How did it happen?"

"We all met up yesterday, and Neil said that he was leaving the band. Then, John quit too, and Shaun said that we couldn't play without a guitarist and bassist, so it was better just to break up." Frank sighed and then added, "I don't know where to go from here. I started that band when I was seventeen, and it was such a huge part of my identity. I was always 'the guy from Pencey Prep,' and now, that's all over."

"You could always join a new band," Gerard suggested.

"I thought about that, but most of the bands around here already have guitarists, and I'm not going to do what Mikey did and switch instruments. Maybe I'm just going to have to go back to school and get a real job."

"Playing the guitar is a real job, and you're amazing at it. I think you'll find another band eventually."

"Thanks, Gerard," Frank said, but he didn't sound too convinced. "Make sure to let me know if you find out about any open guitar slots."

"Of course," Gerard said.

Frank left the comic shop, and as he walked away, Gerard had an idea. It was a simple, elegant solution, one that could fix everything, not just for Frank, but for MCR too. All he had to do was ask his bandmates if Frank could join My Chemical Romance.

Gerard finished the comic book and put it back on the shelf, and as he walked home, he weighed the pros and cons of talking to the rest of the band about letting Frank join. My Chemical Romance was a democracy, not a dictatorship, after all. They would have to make this decision together. Mikey and Matt would probably be fine with it, but Gerard worried about Ray. He didn't want Ray to think that he wanted to replace him, because that wasn't what he wanted at all. Ray was a brilliant guitar player, the best one he knew, but the band needed a fuller sound, and they could make that happen if they had a second guitarist. He only hoped that Ray would see that.

He could hardly sleep that night, between the pain in his mouth and his worries about what would happen the next day. He tossed and turned, playing through different scenarios in his mind. More than anything, he hoped that his bandmates would say yes. He loved the idea of having Frank in the band, playing next to him every night, creating something beautiful with him, and he was so close to finally making that dream a reality.

The next day, just as they were about to start recording, the whole band met up. "I kind of want to change the bass line for Demolition Lovers," Mikey said.

"Not this again," Matt complained. "We already finished that song."

"Yeah, but the bass part's boring."

"Look how far you've come, Mikey," Ray said, smiling. "Six months ago, you couldn't have played that bass line if you tried."

"Hey guys, I have an idea," Gerard said suddenly.

Everyone went quiet. "What is it?" Ray asked.

"I was thinking that it might be nice for us to have a rhythm guitarist, and Frank's band just broke up," Gerard said. "What would you guys think about asking him to join My Chem?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome," Ray said.

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah," Ray said. "I was actually planning to ask all of you about adding a second guitarist, but Gerard beat me to it. I think we're going to need one if we're going to keep 'Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two of Us' on the album. Besides, I've heard Frank play. He'd fit in perfectly with the rest of the band, and I'm pretty sure he already knows all of our songs."

Already, this was going better than Gerard had expected. "Mikey, Matt, what do you guys think?"

"I'm fine with it," Mikey said.

Matt paused and then said, "I like the idea of recruiting another guitarist, but I'm not sure if we should be asking Gerard's boyfriend to join."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Gerard shouted.

"Keep telling yourself that," Matt said.

"I'm serious! We're not together!"

"Yeah, right."

"Break it up, you two," Ray said.

"But Frank and I really aren't..." Gerard started to say, but Ray interrupted him.

"I said, break it up," Ray said. "Let's put this to a vote. Everyone who wants Frank to join the band, raise your hand." Ray, Gerard, and Mikey all immediately raised their hands, while Matt scowled. "Sorry Matt, you're outvoted," Ray said.

"Yeah, whatever," Matt said. "Let's just record. We're supposed to work on 'Drowning Lessons' today, right?"

Everyone nodded, and the four of them started trading song ideas. There was no point in arguing any further over Frank. My Chemical Romance was a democracy, not a dictatorship, after all.

Later that day, Gerard drove to Frank's house and knocked on his door. As he listened to his dogs bark and howl, he thought about Frank, how he was always there when he needed him, how he poured so much energy and passion into his music, how he could make Gerard's heart beat fast and bring a smile to his face. He had told Matt the truth. Frank wasn't his boyfriend, but that didn't mean that he minded the thought of it.

Frank suddenly opened the door. "Hey Gerard," he said. "Come on in." He went inside, trying to get through the sea of dogs crowding the doorway. "How's recording going?"

"It's fine," Gerard said. "I talked to my bandmates, and we're thinking about hiring a rhythm guitarist."

"That would be cool," Frank said.

"We were wondering if you might like to be in My Chemical Romance with us," Gerard said.

Gerard had barely finished his sentence when Frank exclaimed, "I'd love to!"

"Really?" Gerard said. He'd expected Frank to say yes, but he'd thought that he might at least take some time to think about it.

"You don't even know how much this means to me, Gerard," Frank said. "I love MCR so much, and playing with you...that would just be incredible."

"I think so too," Gerard said. "I can't wait to be your bandmate, Frank."

"Me neither," Frank said. "So when do I start?"

"We have a few more recording sessions this week," Gerard said. "You can come tomorrow morning, and maybe you can even play on a couple of tracks on I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love."

"Yeah, that would be great."

As promised, Frank showed up the next day to work on the album with the rest of the band. Once they had a second guitarist, Ray was easily able to rewrite the parts for "Honey, This Mirror Isn't Big Enough For The Two Of Us," so they were finally able to record it. As he waited for his turn to record, Gerard watched Frank play, in awe of his guitar skills. He watched the way he strummed, aggressively hitting every note as his fingers shifted up and down the neck of the guitar. Frank's raw, punk style was nothing like Ray's technical, precise guitar playing, but they complemented each other perfectly. My Chemical Romance felt complete in a way that it never had before.

Over the next few days, they finished recording I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, wrapping up the last few songs and making some last minute changes to the album. The first time Gerard listened to it, he was amazed. He couldn't believe how well it had all come together: his voice, Matt's drums, Mikey's bass, and Ray and Frank's guitars. Even though it had been hard sometimes, he had made a piece of art, one that he could be proud of.

After they were done, there was nothing left to do but wait. Eyeball wasn't releasing the album until July, so they all had some time. They made a few music videos, and they did whatever they could to make sure that the album would be a success. Gerard finally went to the dentist, who confirmed that he was not dying, but he did have a pretty bad dental abscess. He got it treated, and soon, he could sing again without being in constant pain.

My Chemical Romance played a couple of live shows, showing off their new songs and their new guitarist, and when Gerard looked out into the audience, he started seeing bigger and bigger crowds. Sometimes, it made him nervous how many unfamiliar faces were out there, but he always felt better when he caught a glimpse of Frank. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have him in the band, to share a stage with him.

They were more than just friends now. They were bandmates.