It IS a Fashion Statement (This Time) 8/8/07

Tuesday morning arrived and Andie was up before Gerard. The guys' interview and photo shoot was set for Wednesday, and Andie was ready to go shopping to pick out some new clothes for the guys. She was armed with her notes on all their sizes and measurements, the input from each of the guys on any preferences they had, and a Riot Squad charge card Brian had given her in her name.

Andie showered and dressed in a black halter top and khaki capri pants. She walked into the bedroom and quietly sat on the bed to tie her sandal straps around her ankles. She tried very carefully not to wake Gerard, who was sleeping so peacefully. He rarely got to sleep in since she'd come home from the hospital and she really wanted to give him this opportunity to do so.

Her attempts were pointless. He had been such a light sleeper lately from everything going on in his life, that the smallest things would wake him up. Andie heard him stirring and glanced over to see him rubbing his face.

"Mmm...good morning..." he mumbled trying to open his eyes.

"Ohh...I'm sorry, Gerard. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You were gonna slip out on me?" he asked in a gravelly, just-woke-up voice.

"Not really... I just thought I'd give you some peace and quiet while I went shopping for the shoot tomorrow."

"Ahh...I get enough peace and quiet." He sat up behind her and brushed her hair to the side to kiss her bare shoulder and rub the back of her neck. "Hey, I could come with you and help..."

"What? Right after the cancelled shows? And with..." Andie made a gasping sound and touched the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically. "A girl!?"

"Oh who cares? We work together now. I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks," Gerard said, still rubbing the back of her neck. "But you're right about it being too soon after San Diego..."

Gerard ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly and laid back down on the pillow. He stretched his arms up to rest them behind his head.

Andie turned to face him and placed her hand on his bare chest. She could feel his heart beating against her palm and it made her smile.

"So what are you gonna do this morning?" she asked.

"Ahh...I dunno..." Gerard brought a hand out from behind his head to place it over hers on his chest. "I'll probably just work on my comic some more. Ray and Bob said they made some last minute changes to the arrangement of one of the tracks on the new album. So I need to check that out, too."

"Well, you have fun," Andie said as she leaned over and kissed his lips. "I know I will..."

Gerard grinned up at her as she left the room. It was cute how she was suddenly all excited about shopping. When he was sure she was gone, he leaned over to the bedside table and grabbed the phone.

"Hi... It's Gerard... Yeah, she left a few minutes ago... I'd like to do that today while she's gone... Okay... Let me know, I'll be here... Bye."


Andie drove into Santa Monica and had fun picking out different pieces of clothing for the guys to try out at various boutiques. She chose some things that she knew they would like, and a few things that were her ideas of a good look for them, hoping they would see what she saw, or at least be open-minded about it. She felt she knew them pretty well. They were all so easy-going. She was almost positive they would like what she came up with.

She went into Bloomingdale's and gave a salesman her ideas and the guys' measurements. He showed her some Calvin Klein jackets, vests, and ties. What Andie came up with was just...classy. But the guys would really need to be there to try them on.

Andie didn't know if she could pull it off or not, or if Bob and Gerard were up to it, but it was worth a try. She dug her cellphone out of her purse and called Gerard. She asked him if he thought it would be possible for them to all meet her there for just a little bit. A few minutes later, her phone rang again. Gerard said the guys were all for it. They would all meet her there as soon as they could pick up everybody.

Andie went to talk to management about the situation before the guys arrived. She wanted to make sure they would be able to do their shopping without it causing any problems for the guys or anyone else, even though it was a weekday and the store wasn't as busy as it would be on a weekend. The store management was very helpful and promised to keep everything low-key. They notified security to stay in the area just in case they needed to make other arrangements so the guys could finish their shopping.

Gerard, Mikey, Frank, Ray, and Bob arrived, walking in two's or separately, of course, and, so far, nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. They met up with Andie and she showed them what she'd come up with. To Andie's delight, they all liked the classy, mature look that she presented to them.

The best part about everything she had picked out, was that each piece kind of tied in together, whether it was one of the dressy pieces, or a really casual look. So all the guys had choices, some old ideas, some new, but anything they chose would blend in well with what the other guys chose to wear. And the dressy peices she'd chosen could be used for this shoot or something else.

Gerard's comic had given Andie the idea for the dressy pieces. The main character who had reminded her so much of Gerard in personality, wore a dark jacket and striped tie. The guys would have dark jackets, either dressier, like a suit, or military style to choose from. And there were vests and ties she had chosen, all in dark grays. But she chose a special striped tie for Gerard to complete the look.

"Oh, man! Andie! This is great! I can't believe I never thought of this myself!" Gerard said grinning.

"Well...I knew you all liked to wear different jackets together sometimes. And I loved how classy and mature this look was. It really makes you guys look sharp," Andie explained her theory.

Everyone agreed it was an excellent idea and they planned to keep everything that was purchased that day, whether it was used for the upcoming photo shoot, or another down the road.


When Gerard and Andie reached her apartment again, arms full of bags, he took her keys from her to get the door for them. He opened the door and waited, and watched, as Andie walked in first.

Andie sat the bags down on the floor and just barely looked up when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, her baby grand piano from her dad's house sitting in her living room! She covered her open mouth with her hand and gasped.

"But...how??" Andie shook her head in wonder, not knowing what to say. She'd missed playing so much. But she hadn't been able to spend much time at her dad's during the past few years since she'd been going from job to job for the agency. She'd also put it aside after Logan died. She'd lost so much of herself then...

"Your dad and I arranged for it to be moved here for you," Gerard walked up behind her and put his hand on the small of her back.

Andie turned to him and searched his face, at a loss for words.

"You're so talented, Andie. I don't even think you realize how talented you are. And I know you love to play. I saw it when you played for me. I wanted you to be able to enjoy your music again, for yourself." Gerard smiled at her and touched her cheek. "Now, I don't know how much time you'll get to spend at home during the next year or so, but when you are home, I wanted you to be able to play if you felt like it."

Andie wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him so tight.

"You are so wonderful, Gerard! I love you so much!"

She planted kisses all over his face and they both laughed together.