The next month of my life passed in a happy blur, time seemed to fly by with Frank by my side, and even though I wanted to savor every moment with him, it was a good feeling. He healed quickly from his head injury, and he fit seamlessly into my world, as if I had always been saving a special spot just waiting for him to fill it.

The worst part was watching him struggle with his withdrawals, I hated seeing him shaking; cold sweat plastering his hair to his forehead as he tried to ignore the intense cravings for the drugs he swore he would never touch again.

He was so strong though, he never once attempted to find a way to get his hands on any sort of substance. Whenever the urge was especially bad, he would tell me, and I made sure not to leave his side until he had calmed down again.

Eventually he overcame it though, and I was so proud of him I couldn't find the words to describe it. I knew he could kick his bad habits, I never once doubted him, and I did everything in my power to make it easier on him; making sure he was never left alone with his dark urges, and in the end he proved me right.

I could almost physically see the changes once the ache for his addictions ended; his eyes were brighter, the way he carried himself had altered, he seemed so much more happy and confident overall, and I told him every day how wonderful he was doing.

He still had bad dreams sometimes, but they were few and far between now, and he would always turn to me for comfort instead of shoving me away in fear. We hadn't spoken about what had happened to him yet either, but I knew he would tell me when he was ready, so I never brought it up.

The court date went smoothly as well, Frank passed his first drug test with flying colors, and I knew he would continue to. It was a relief to put that all behind us, and I could tell Frank felt the same.

Frank had even found a job at the used book store down the street, and the fact that it also sold records and CD's was a bonus that neither of us overlooked. I swear - Frank spent half of his paycheck at that place, but I didn't mind, I loved seeing his excited face when he raced through the door, clutching a bag full of whatever treasured he had picked up that day.

I had to go back to school as well, and at first I had been terrified of leaving Frank alone. I always kept my phone with me, just in case he called, but of course I was worried for nothing. Frank was slowly regaining his feet that had been knocked out from under him, and he was beginning to rely on me less and less. That didn't mean he didn't want me though - thank fuck for that, and we still spent every moment together when we weren't at school or work.

Frank was pacing in front of our closet at the moment, trying to decide what to wear to dinner with my mother and Mikey tonight. I had called her to tell her about Frank the night after he had his seizure, and she had been ecstatic that I had finally found him again, but Frank hadn't been ready to see her until he kicked his drug habit. He said he wanted to make a good impression, even though I knew my mother would love Frank no matter what, I respected his wishes.

"Ugh Gee - help me, nothing I have seems good enough," Frank groaned before throwing himself onto the bed dramatically.

"Just pick out something you would usually wear, it's just dinner with my mom, not a meeting with the president of the United States," I giggled.

"But I want her to like me..." Frank whined.

"Honey, she will like you even if you turn up naked, but please don't do that, I don't want to scar Mikey for life."

"Shut up fucker," Frank smirked at me, and I couldn't resist leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips, which he eagerly returned. We hadn't done anything but kiss during the past month, but I didn't mind, I would never get tired of the feelings of his lips pressed against mine.

"If I pick something, will you stop freaking out?" I asked him teasingly.

"Yes!" he squealed excitedly, so I heaved myself to my feet to begin pawing through his clothes. He didn't have much, he had refused to let me buy him more than a few outfits, and even now that he had a job, he chose to spend his money on other things besides clothes.

"Well how about this?" I held up a black t-shirt coupled with a black and white plaid shirt for his approval.

"Yeah that looks good." Frank smiled before jumping off of the bed, snatching the outfit out of my hands so he could go change. He always insisted on getting undressed in the bathroom, but I was used to his quirks by now.

Finally we were ready to go, I had to literally drag Frank out of the bathroom; he was attempting to do god knows what to his hair with an old straightener that Mikey had left behind, and even though I insisted that he looked perfect, he wouldn't listen to me. I honestly found it kind of adorable how desperate he was to impress my mother, it was like we were going on a first date, and he had to win her approval before he got permission to be with me.

Frank clutched my hand tightly in his as we approached the white painted door, I could feel how clammy his palm was, so I pressed a kiss against his cheek, hoping it would calm him down.

"Relax baby, if I didn't know better, I would think you were walking into a dragon's den."

"I'm just so nervous, I mean it's not just your mom, but your grandma too, and I'm not good with small talk...and -" I cut Frank off with another kiss, this time on the lips.

"Trust me, everyone is going to love you. They already do, because I haven't been able to shut up about you, and even if they didn't - it wouldn't matter, because you make me happy okay?

"Okay..." Frank sighed heavily before giving my hand a squeeze.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Mhmm," he nodded, so I lifted my hand and knocked lightly on the door.

I didn't even get a chance to say hello to my mother before she attacked Frank and I, pulling us into a massive hug.

"Oh my boys - I have missed you both! Come in, come in!" My mother exclaimed happily, grabbing both of our hands and tugging us inside.

I had missed her as well; ever since I started school, I hadn't been visiting her as often as I used to, especially since she had moved in with Grandma Elena, which was about a thirty minute drive from my apartment. She seemed so much happier now that she had quit her job and dedicated herself to caring for her mother, no longer was she exhausted by long nights at the hospital, and she seemed so much more alive lately.

"We have all missed having you around Frank, I am so glad you are back," my mother gushed.

"Nice to see you again too Mrs. Way," Frank stammered out.

"Oh Frank, please call me Donna."

"How have you been mom?" I asked her when she finally released us after leading us into the dining room.

"Wonderful baby, thank you for asking. I'll be right back, I just have to get the lasagna out of the oven," my mother informed us before darting into the kitchen.

"Hey grandma," I smiled as she entered the room, pulling her into a hug as well.

"It's about time you brought your young man over Gerard," she beamed up at me in excitement. I waved Frank over and he joined me nervously, twisting his hands together behind his back.

"Grandma, this is Frank. Frank, this is my Grandma Elena."

"Nice to meet you, I have heard a lot about you from Gerard." Frank held out his hand for her to shake, but she just swatted it away, choosing to hug him instead.

"And I have heard enough about you to fill a book," she chortled, causing Frank to blush a bright red.

"All good I hope?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh yes, in my eyes you are already part of the family after everything you have done for Gerard."

"He has done even more for me, I don't think I would be standing here today if it wasn't for him," Frank responded. I wrapped my arms around him in a grateful embrace, and I could feel his body relax in my hold.

"Gerard - can you get the door? I think I heard Mikey's car pull up," my mother shouted from the kitchen, and sure enough the doorbell rang not even a second later.

Once I had let Mikey in, and Ray as well - apparently Mikey had dragged him along because he wanted him to meet Frank, we all settled down at the table as my mother served up the lasagna, she had even remembered to make a vegetarian portion for Frank.

"So this is the infamous Frank, for some reason I imagined you taller," Ray grinned once introductions had been gotten out of the way once again.

"Fuck Gerard, how often do you talk about me?" Frank blushed again slightly.

"Oh...you might have come up in conversation once or twice," I responded cheekily.

"More like every fucking day." Mikey nudged me in the side, and I ruffled his hair affectionately in response.

"Way to sell me out little bro," I fake pouted.

"Hey - the poor guy should know about your obsession so he can run for the hills while he still has the chance," Mikey shot back.

"Oh I know, but I'm just as crazy about him," Frank cut in, making me grin from ear to ear.

"Love you baby," I whispered in his ear so only he could hear before we began digging into our food.

Frank relaxed almost instantly, everyone was delighted to see him, as if we had been together for years instead of just a month, and he fit perfectly into my family. I never imagined that this day would come, hell - a few weeks ago, I wasn't even sure if I would ever see Frank again, and now look at us.

The night passed quickly, and I couldn't remember ever being happier in my entire life. I was surrounded by the people I adored most, an aura of love and contentment suffused the entire house, and there was nothing I would have changed about this moment.

Eh I had no clue where I was going with this, so yeah basically it's just pointless fluff.

I am drawing close to end of this story, I am not sure how many chapters are left, but it's probably less than ten for sure.

This chapter is dedicated to rosielovesmcr, because I just realized that I haven't dedicated a chapter in this book to her yet, and that is a tragedy.

((((loving vibes))))

<3 starr