Odessa sighed as she finally finished raking all of the leaves on the left side of the driveway, but cringed as she looked to the right and saw what awaited her. It was the day before Thanksgiving and Moira was supposed to be out here helping her, but she was inside with a cold and their mother didn’t want her to get even more sick. Odessa pushed her hair out of her face, her black bucket hat tilting to the left side of her face as she moved to the right side of the driveway and began to attack the leaves that dared mock her.

She and Andy had been in contact up until yesterday afternoon and Odessa was getting worried because he hadn’t texted her all day and that wasn’t like him. That boy loved only four things in life: His band. His family. Texting. And taking selfies. Odessa smiled as she tried to move a particularly large pile of leaves off to the side and grunted in frustration as she felt her sweaty palms wiggle around in her gloves.

Tossing the rake aside she quickly moved to remove the offending gloves, not caring if her fingers ended up with frost bite. She looked up to the sky, seeing how gorgeous the day was Odessa only wished that Andy could be there with her. The last she had heard from him he was headed back to Ohio to have Thanksgiving with his family before the tour finished up in a few weeks.


“God its fucking cold out here…” She mumbled as she felt her phone vibrating in her jacket pocket and she smiled brightly. Finally Andy was getting back to her.

Andy: …then why don’t you put your gloves back on?


Odessa looked down at the screen, confusion lacing her features as she scrolled back up and reread what she had written before that and then looked back down at his response. Suddenly she felt like she was being watched and Odessa dropped the rake once again as she spun in a circle, her boots crunching down on the still unraked leaves.She looked around but didn’t see anyone and suddenly she felt a chill creep up her spine as she heard more crunching leaves coming from somewhere to her left.


“Hello? Andy?” She called out but received no answer. She jumped as she felt a pair of gloved hands come up to her face, resting against her eyes, but that very familiar smell of Old Spice and cigarette smoke made her smile.

“Yes babe?” She felt his breath against her cheek as he whispered softly into her ear. She shrieked and turned around, coming face to face with him as she threw her arms around his neck.

“Oh my God! What are you doing here?! Don’t scare me like that!” She yelled at him as she pushed his shoulder lightly and then smiled up at him.

“I told my family how much I missed you and they urged me to come here instead of Ohio. I’m sorry babe! I thought it was a pretty funny idea!” He held up his hands defensively as he saw her face soften and tears come to her eyes.


He reached out to her, wrapping his arms around her as he felt her hands grip his shoulders. She smelled of pumpkin and cinnamon and Andy didn’t want to let her go. They stayed like that for a few minutes until finally she broke away from him and looked up to meet his eyes. He leaned down, aiming his lips towards her cheek but she moved slightly to the left and soon his lips connected with hers.

Her nose was like ice as it pressed against his, but Andy didn’t care because he finally had her back. He pulled away from her, his hands taking hers and bringing them up to his mouth he cupped her hands inside of his and blew his hot breath on them, trying to warm her up a little bit.


“I still can’t believe you’re here.” She looked up at him, a bright smile lacing her features as she began to walk them both towards her back porch.

“Well here I am. Do you have an extra rake? If I help you we could get this done in no time and go inside and curl up together and watch Batman…” He smiled cheekily over at her and she rolled her eyes as she went to the shed and got him a rake.


They did manage to get things done rather quickly, only stopping once as Andy had pushed her down into the huge pile of leaves that they had made and she then retaliated by shoving cold leaves down the back of his shirt. They laughed together as they finally finished bagging the leaves and then headed over to sit on her back porch to catch their breath.

Andy sat down next to her, pulling her towards him he felt her cold nose press against the skin of his neck and he shivered. He had lived in LA for so long that he had forgotten just how cold it could get on this side of the country.


“Well we’re all done. Want to go inside and watch a movie? I have hot chocolate with the tiny marshmallows and everything.” She smirked up at him as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her nose.

“Sure. Is Moira home?” He asked as they both stood and Dess moved to open the back door.

“Yeah, she’s upstairs with a cold, hence why I was outside by myself.” She rolled her eyes as she slipped out of her jacket and hung it on a hook by the pantry. Andy handed over his own as he finally came to notice a small woman sitting at the kitchen table, her bright green eyes observing them silently.

“Hey Mom. This is Andy. He just showed up like a stray dog and now he wants to be with us for Thanksgiving…”Odessa looked up at him, her eyes flashing devilishly as Andy moved to give the elder woman a hug.

“It’s nice to meet you Andy. Odessa obviously has no manners.” Dess’s mother hugged Andy back before turning back to peeling the pile of potatoes that sat in front of her.

“It was nice meeting you Mrs. Montgomery.” Andy said as he nodded down at her and looked behind him to see that Odessa was ladling hot chocolate out of a pot from the stove.

“Please call me Rose. You kids have fun.” She smiled up at both of them as Andy turned to take his cup of hot chocolate from Dess and followed her as she led him into the living room.


There was a fire going in the fireplace and Andy followed Odessa’s lead as she sat down on the couch and he sat next her, pulling her legs into his lap as she channel surfed. Finally she had settled onWest Side Story, which wouldn’t have been his first choice but he was with Dess so it didn’t really matter what they watched. They sipped their hot drinks in silence as he smirked and watched Dess sing along with some of the songs that were in the movie. Finally Andy heard the stairs above them creaking and hebraced himself.


“Why am I always the last to know when this stuff happens?” He heard a grumbling voice sound from the doorway and he looked up to find a disheveled Moira standing there staring at them.

“I didn’t even know he was coming thank you very much. Feeling better?” Andy smiled as Odessa’s voice softened as she addressed her obviously still sick sister.

“Not really. Thanks for raking…I’ll shovel the walkway the first time it snows this year to pay you back.” Moira waved quietly to them both as she turned to go back upstairs. Andy looked over at Odessa and she shrugged in response.


Soon the sun had dropped below the trees and the only light in the room was coming from the fire, which casted a soft glow over everything. Andy and Odessa were the only two still awake, her mother having gone to bed early as she had to be up early to put the turkey in the oven. Andy had been telling her all about the band’s shenanigans on tour and she laughed loudly as he smiled over at her. God he had missed that laugh and it just never sounded the same over the phone as it did in person. Finally he noticed that she was drifting off to sleep and before she could fall completely asleep Andy had her by the hand and was leading her up stairs.


The room was filled with light from the full moon and Andy sat on the edge of the bed as he watched Odessa strip down to her bra and panties, her white skin looking ghostly in this light. She pulled on an old the Used shirt and climbed into bed, patting the spot next to her with a sleepy smile on her face. Andy removed his shirt, his bare chest glowing in the light as Odessa noticed he had added a few tattoos since the last time she had seen him.

She watched as he yanked off his pants, giggling quietly at his Charlie Brown boxers, he finally climbed under the covers and shivered next to her. He held out his arms and Odessa didn’t hesitate to fill them as she moved over and rested her head against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead softly as he listened to her murmur in her sleep as he too was finally able to drift off…finally at peace with having her next to him.



The kitchen was a mess, but finally around four o’clock Odessa announced to Andy and Moira, both of whom had been banned from the kitchen and were both sitting in the livingroom watching Batman Begins, that dinner was ready. They all sat around the table in the kitchen as Odessa’s mother passed around bowls of corn casserole, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Andy filled his plate with everything because he knew that if Odessa cooked it, he was probably coming back for seconds…or thirds. The table was gleeful as Andy amused them with his tales from the road and Odessa talked about her time spent on set in LA. Finally everyone was completely stuffed and Andy and Odessa began to move around the kitchen, cleaning silently when her mother spoke up from the table.


“So are you kids official yet? Or is my daughter still being a pain in the ass?” Andy looked up and saw Dess’s mother looking over at them. He heard a dish drop in the sink and looked over to find Odessa hunched over, her knuckles white from gripping the counter so hard.

“We aren’t official no. Dess and I have talked about this many times and while we care for one another deeply I know how hard it is to try and start a relationship with someone who you can only see a handful of times throughout the year.” He reached out, his hand coming to rest on Dess’s back as he rubbed it soothingly.

“I see. Well I think you should just bite the bullet Odessa and give him an answer and stop dragging his feelings through the mud.” Andy felt Dess’s body stiffen and he knew she was literally biting her tongue at this point.

“With all due respect Rose. I agree with how Odessa feels and I know she’ll come to a decision soon and when she does I will fully accept that decision with an open heart.” Andy reached out, placing a soft kiss on Dess’s cheek as he watched Rose shrug and get up from the table to join Moira in the livingroom.

“I am so, so, sorry.” Odessa turned to him then, her eyes burning as she looked to him apologetically.

“Hey, it’s Thanksgiving…most families get alittle crazy today.” He shrugged it off and wrapped his arms around her waist as he leaned in, kissing her softly on the temple as she finished the dishes and turned to him.

“I guess you’ve got to head out soon right?” She asked, looking up at him as he nodded slowly.

“Yeah. I do need to stop by my parent’s house and spend some time with the family before we hit the road to finish out the tour. Wanna walk me out?” He asked as she only nodded and grinned as he made a pitstop, bidding goodbye to both Moira and Rose before heading for the door.


The wind whipped around them as Odessa and Andy walked towards the car that he had rented. He held her small hand in his, their gloved fingers intertwined as he leaned up against the driver’s side door and brought her to him for a hug. He rested his cheek against her head, her hair smelling off apples, he smiled, kissing her head softly he looked down at her. She was crying as she bit her lip and reached up to kiss his lips softly. Andy placed his hands on her cheeks, holding her head in place as he first kissed her lips and then her nose and lastly he placed a very light kiss to her forehead.


“I’ll call you when I get to my parent’s house. The tour will be over right before Christmas so maybe we can try to get together…” He opened the door and looked over at Odessa, seeing her nod silently he moved towards her, taking her into his arms once again, he squeezed her tightly.

“I’ll miss you Biersack.” She mumbled in to his chest as he placed a final kiss on the top of her head and moved to get in to the car.


His heart broke at the sight of her standing there and as he drove down the driveway Andy watched as she followed him, her hands up to cover her mouth as she cried softly. He felt a tear roll down his cheek and he had to force himself to keep driving, even though he wanted to turn around and make it better. Odessa followed him until they reached the road and he saw her grasp the mailbox, holding on for support as she fell to her knees and sobbed. He closed his eyes tightly, gasping for breath he knew he had to keep driving. If he turned back now he would never leave and he knew he couldn’t stay.


Andy swore up and down at that moment that this would be the last time he would have to leave her like this.

Notes

So that's super sad *tears*. Due to a lack of reviews I will be moving the updates back down to once a day. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed : )