The flight back home was excruciating for Odessa. She couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. She tried to sketch, but nothing seemed to inspire her. Music even made her cry as she knew that music was Moira’s obsession. Thoughts scrambled around in her brain and Odessa stared out the window and tried to figure things out. Moira was obviously not going to live, that was a fact. How would Dess prepare herself for that? She was thankful that she had been able to leave and felt bad for leaving Andy in her dust. She just couldn’t risk waiting again, not after what happened with her father.


“Passengers. Please buckle your seat belts as we begin our descent and welcome to Virginia.” Odessa followed the instructions that came over the intercom and she silently wished for this damn plane to descend faster.


Finally they touched down and Odessa didn’t even wait for the people in front of her to get their things before she was up, out of her seat and rushing towards the gate. Reaching in her carryon, Dess pulled out her phone and turned it on. She saw that there was a new message from Andy and as she rushed towards customs she clicked his name to view it.


Andy:We just finished the show. I’m heading back to the hotel and then rushing to the airport. Don’t worry about coming to get me. Get to Moira and I will get there as soon as I land. I love you Dess.


She felt grateful for having such a wonderful person in her life and as Dess hailed a cab and gave him her address she stared straight ahead. She didn’t know how Andy was going to take all of this-he had never lost anyone before and she knew that he loved Moira like a little sister. Should she be strong for him? Dess wanted to be able to be the strong one, always, and yet she knew deep down that she would be the one to crumble. She tapped her foot as they drove down the highway, thankful that her arrival was early in the morning and that traffic was headed back the way they came from.

Finally, after the longest hour and a half ever, Odessa saw that they were coming up to her driveway. She handed the driver a fold of cash, thankful to Andy for slipping it into her carry on and she moved to get out of the car. It looked so different here from the last time she had been home. Things were finally starting to turn green and she could see that her vegetable garden was being taken care of. Odessa felt herself shaking as she noticed a small unfamiliar blue car sitting in her normal spot. Hospice. God she couldn’t do this…she didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Reaching out a shaking hand, Dess moved to open the front door, but was met there by her mother. The older woman looked exhausted, there were bags under her eyes and she had lost some weight. Odessa said nothing as she reached in, her arms wrapping around her mother’s shoulders as she felt her mother collapse against her. The two women stood there, the warm spring air drifting around them, and they cried together. Dess felt herself rubbing her mother’s back soothingly and finally the older woman looked up at her eldest daughter.


“I’m so glad you got here in time…She-she’s…” More tears spilled from her mother’s eyes and Odessa just nodded. No details needed-she knew this was it.

“Can I see her?” Dess asked quietly as her mother just nodded and moved to the side.


The house was deathly quiet. Odessa had grown so used to the blasting of Moira’s music that it almost became a normal every day thing. Now there was no sound, except for a distant humming from a television and she could hear slight creaking coming from upstairs. Her feet felt automatic as she headed down the hall and reached the stairwell. She passed Brady, who was sitting on the top step, tears running down her cheeks with her head in her hands. Odessa reached out, placing a slight touch to the girl’s shoulder as she passed. Two doors down the hall and finally Dess could see that the door to Moira’s room was mostly closed, but there was a crack of light showing through.

Dess pushed it silently, her heart beating out of her chest as she sucked in a breath and held back her tears. The room looked just as it always did, the posters lining the walls remained and Andy stared back at her from every corner. There were no clothes on the floor, which seemed funny to Dess as Moira had always been a messy kid. Her sister laid in bed, tubes and machines hooked up all over and there was a slight metallic smell in the air. Odessa noticed that there was an elderly looking woman in one corner, her nose in a magazine, but she did look up at Dess and smiled.


“Hey big sis. You know you won’t have to dress up for me yet…funerals still a few days away.” Dess felt a slight smile play on her lips as she turned to the young girl in the bed.


Moira was a sight. She was literally skin and bones, reminding Dess of the holocaust victims that she had studied in High School. Her hair had been shaved, but she still wore a BVB beanie on her head to keep warm. Moira was, of course, clad in one of her many Black Veil Brides shirts and probably a black pair of sweats. The young girl held out her skinny arms, she was sitting up against some pillows and motioned for Dess to come closer. Dess noticed that Moira had her iPod next to her, the ear buds hanging down from one ear and as she got closer she smiled. Black Veil Brides were blasting from the unplugged bud, of course that would be what her younger sister would listen to on her deathbed.


“Don’t say things like that Moira…” Dess said seriously as the smaller girl just smiled. Dess moved to sit next to her and she smiled as Moira moved over, her thin arms coming to rest in Dess’ lap as the girls faced one another.

“Nice dress…you going to prom?” The younger girl laughed, her eyebrows raised as Dess felt herself blush.

“Sort of…it was supposed to be for the end of tour party last night, but I never got to go.” Dess felt Moira’s hands in hers and the younger girls hands were like ice.

“Please tell me you didn’t rush back here for me…” Moira started, but had to stop and take a few deep breaths.

“Of course I left to come out here! Andy should be here in a few hours himself…he’s so worried about you.” If Moira was blushing Dess couldn’t tell under the girl’s sickly pallor.

“I was hoping he would come. I need to have a talk with him.” Her eyes were serious, just as their father’s had been when he would say those exact words.

“What are you the Godfather now?” Dess giggled and Moira cracked a smile. She frowned slightly, a wince coming to her face and she leaned back on the pillows.

“Yes. I need to make him an offer that I know he won’t refuse.” She kept the joke going, folding her arms over her chest and Dess smiled.


The two girls sat like this for a time, Dess was afraid to leave Moira’s side and the younger girl seemed to enjoy the company. The woman from Hospice finally introduced herself as Margaret and told Dess that she had no taste for the music that Moira enjoyed, hence the headphones.

The girls laughed and it seemed to be making Moira feel better over time. Her face was slightly pink, almost healthy again and Dess felt her heart soar. Moira seemed captivated at the stories Dess told her about being on the road and Dess listened as Moira explained how unafraid she was about what was happening.


“Not even a little bit?” Dess asked as Moira shook her head and looked up from her iPod and stared at her sister.

“What’s left for me in this world? Pain? Agony? In the next life I will be with some of the best musical geniuses that ever lived. Plus dad will be there…” Dess felt the tears stinging her eyes as she moved over and wrapped her arms around Moira.

“So are you going to marry him?” Her sister said suddenly and Dess pulled away from her and held her at arms length.

“I-I don’t know.” She said simply and Moira got a devilish look on her face.

“So, uh, how is he…ya know…” The smaller girl held up her hands, spacing them about eight inches apart and her tongue hung out of her mouth.

“Moira!” Dess felt herself blush and Moira just looked at her and wiggled her eyebrows.

“I’m a dying girl! Inquiring minds want to know!” She giggled, her beanie sliding around on her smooth head and Dess felt sad in that moment. She had always loved Moira’s hair, even as a child she would do Moira’s hair and treat her like a Barbie doll.

“…he’s wonderful. And he’s bigger…” She couldn’t go on as she burst out laughing and felt Moira shove her shoulder lightly.

“God…you’re so lucky. If only I had been born first…” Moira laughed, her hand coming to touch her face and Dess noticed the IV that was attached. Moira was so pale that you could see every last vein in her body. Dess silently wondered how much pain her baby sister was in.

“You are absurd…” Dess smiled over at her sister and looked down at her phone, no message yet from Andy.

“Come on…admit it you thought he was gorgeous the moment you saw him.”Dess felt herself blushing once again and Moira laughed.

“I knew it! You would have banged him that very first day! Why the hell didn’t you?!” The two girls seemed to be having so much fun and as Andy peeked through the crack in the door he decided to just wait for a minute.

“Of course I thought he was gorgeous! A little cocky, but God those eyes…I kept having to look down or else I would have melted under that stare…” Dess smiled at the memory of the first day that she and Andy had ever met. Things seemed so innocent back then.

“Is he romantic?” Moira sighed, falling back onto her pillows and Dess noticed that her younger sister’s gaze had fallen on a poster of Andy that hung across from her bed.

“Terribly. I thought it would fade over time, but he just keeps surprising me…” Dess followed her sister’s gaze and smirked. God that hair…she almost missed it.

“Like right now?” A deep voice sounded from the doorway and Odessa snapped her head to look over her shoulder. He was there, his hip leaning against the door frame and Dess felt her heart begin beating once again. She had felt so lost without him…so alone in her despair.

“Andy!” Moira shouted, breaking Dess’ reverie and Andy smirked down at the younger girl.

“I’m happy to see you Moirabear.” He said, coming over to sit on the side of the bed and he took the smaller girl in his arms.

“I’ve been waiting for you…” She said, her voice seemed almost sad and Dess knew that now with her savior here, Moira would let herself go.

Notes

All of the Moira/Dess feels...it hurts. : (

Moira is very cheeky on her deathbed...once a teenager always a teenager.

Please read and review and I will make sure that every single one of you has enough tissues for the upcoming chapters.

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