The Heart Of Paramour Mansion

Chapter Three: Welcome To The Black Parade "We'll Carry On"

(A/N: I do not take this subject lightly, but this chapter involves triggers such as mentioning suicide and touching knives used for you-know-what. Do not let these things upset you. They are merely for the plotline and are never, ever the solution. So long and goodnight!)

CHAPTER THREE

The four teenagers made their way across the inner courtyard of the mansion. Show Pony's rollerskates clicked softly as the wheels turned, and he began the tour.

"This, kids, is the courtyard of course. God, there were so many funny things that happened here." He spun around and skated backwards. "You do know that the last people to live here were part of a band, right?"

Jenny nodded and bounced as she walked. "My Chemical Romance! I love them. Or, we all do. It was so sad when they broke up three years ago, around the time we all first met. Johnny cried."

Her older brother coughed. "I did not."

Helena raised an eyebrow at him. "You had an emotional breakdown and wouldn't talk to anyone for two days."

Johnny opened and shut his mouth quickly. "Whatever."

Show Pony giggled and spun around again. "I remember when Frank fell asleep on this bench," he pointed to a metal bench dusted with a decade of rust and dirt, "And Gerard decided to be a real ass and ziptie Frank's belt to the metal bars. So when he woke up he had to take his pants off and run across the snow to his room to get a pair of scissors."

The four friends burst into laughter.

"I could tell you a year's worth of silly stories with those guys. It's a real shame that they're not really here anymore."

"Do you know where they are today?" Helena asked.

Her answer started with a sigh. "Sadly, no. They went their separate ways and were still in the business until that hacker scam about a new release. Then everything went undercover and they sort of disappeared. The only ones I'm still in touch with are Dr Death, who's at the base in California, and little Scarlet, The Girl, who's somewhere in Romania interviewing guys like us in prison."

Jenny bit her lip. "That's so sad. What happened to them?"

Show Pony shrugged and swerved to avoid the root of an overgrown tree. "They faded into spirits. Dr Death thinks they're at one of the recording studios."

Johnny's eyes lit up. "This was their third studio..."

"Spirits though?" Raymond spoke up at last, "Why not just stay here in bodily forms?"

Stopping at the wooden door which led to the band member's rooms, Jenny took a deep breath and answered the question. "Because they recorded The Black Parade here. It's all about The Patient and how he died. So wouldn't it be fitting for them to fade just like him?"

Show Pony smiled and put a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Exactly, little one. You know the guys almost as well as I do."

"So you were here with them the whole time?" Raymond asked.

"Yes." Their guide nodded solemnly, "And I'll stay with them, to the end."

PART TWO: Demolition Lovers "I'm Trying To Let You Know How Much You Mean To Me"

The paperwork was worse than expected and required a lot of reading, and Ray ended up doing the majority of it, shoving papers in front of Gerard when his signature was needed. Mikey was on his fifth cup of coffee by the time they were finished with all the talking and signing, and Frank had long since fallen asleep on a chair.

Around midnight, the four band members had gathered around Frank's bed, talking rather loudly as he slept.

"I wish I could sleep like him." Mikey sighed.

"Maybe if you weren't drinking that coffee..." Ray began.

Mikey punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

The oldest Way boy snickered. "Ol' Ray has a point, bro."

Stiffling a yawn, Bobby spoke up. "I'm going to bed, guys. I'm worn out from the ride here."

"Don't have nightmares about Dr. Death like I will!" Mikey called, sipping another cup of caffeine-water as Bobby left the room.

Rolling his eyes, Gerard stood up. "Yeah, good night guys."

He left the room with Ray and soon after, Mikey strolled into the courtyard, his head buzzing and keeping him from sleeping.

The chilly wind whipped against his jacket and he pulled it tighter, flinching as he felt the cold metal of the knife in his left pocket.

It was so tempting...

The stress of his emotions was overwhelming. Anxiety never really hit him during his teen years, but ever since the band started, he felt the pressure of responsibility, and the cuts on his wrists and legs showed his method of dealing with it.

"No, no no." Mikey whispered, snatching his hand out of his pocket and rubbing his forehead. "Damn that coffee, damn this knife, damn that Dr. Death guy. I am not going to cut." He whispered to himself hoarsely while slipping the silvery metal out and kneeling by a tree in the middle of the courtyard. Breathing slowly, he gouged the earth and buried the knife.

For Mikey Way might be a lover with a self-demolishing past, but he was no fool.

"Good choice." A voice came from behind him.

Freezing, Mikey replied, "Scar?"

The voice laughed softly and stepped into the moonlight, then knelt down next to him. "Yes."

Her breath was warm on his cheek, causing him to sigh contentedly. "Don't tell Gee that I used to be suicidal, or he'd kill me first."

Scarlet's hand touched his back and rubbed it comfortingly. "I won't."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and skipped off, her black combat boots tapping gently on the brick courtyard.

Feeling that the caffeine had worn off a bit, Mikey made his way to his room and crashed onto the bed, groaning at the immediate relief. He was asleep within seconds.

A/N 2: I am co-authoring with an amazing writer, Spookykid1. If you like this story, please check out her other works. If you absolutely hate us, well, stop reading, and Merci Pour Le Venin!