What It Is To Burn

The day was calm and cloudless-children all over the country were getting ready to head to school in costumes and trying to keep them calm enough to learn would seem to be a herculean task for most teachers. The wind was blowing gently through the almost barren branches, their leaves in all of their red, gold and orange glory almost all but gone-it was still beautiful. A large plantation on the Potomac River was in chaos with people running around left and right to try and get everything set up. Flowers were being shuffled from one room to the next and four girls were spinning round and round to try and help one of their closest friends live out her dream.

A white dress laid over the back of a plush chair, the pure fabric stark against everything else in the room. She was sitting-calmly-in a high backed chair as the girl in front of her quickly tried to finish up the French manicure that was holding everything up. The room around them was beautiful-with intricate crown molding and the wallpaper was of the floral variety. But no one was thinking of wallpaper or crown molding-they were all looking down at one person and smiling.

Today was Halloween-today was the day that Odessa Annemarie Montgomery would marry the man of her dreams…

Dess smiled up at Kit, who was behind her spraying more hair spray on her hair as Beth was trying to find her other shoe. Sammi and Ella were both downstairs, showing the caterers and flower delivery service where everything was supposed to go. She was calm-everything would fall in to place today and while right now it didn’t seem like it-Dess was more anxious than anyone.

What if she tripped walking down that aisle? What if she stuttered while she was saying her vows? Oh God-what if Andy didn’t show up? Dess bit down on her lip, which felt strange as she had taken her lip ring out and had replaced it with a tiny diamond encrusted stud but no matter. Kit smirked down at her as she finished spraying and Dess only smiled as she took herself in.

Her pure blonde hair was up and out of her face, the back of it falling down in soft curls while her bangs were straight and hanging gently over one eye. The hair dresser had back combed the front slightly, so there was some puff, but not a lot thankfully. Kit kept teasing Dess about her black veil, but they both knew that Dess would be wearing a white veil down that aisle and she was thankful that everyone seemed okay with that.

Her moss green eyes were adorned with a soft shimmering shadow which still made her eyes smokey looking, but not in a dark way. Her eyeliner was winged and her eyelashes were soft as they rested against her cheeks every time she blinked. Her lips were soft pink and moist looking and Dess couldn’t help but smirk at herself in the mirror. Everyone around the world was expecting her to walk down that aisle in heavy makeup, a black veil and carrying black roses-but that wasn’t Dess and it really wasn’t Andy either.


“You look absolutely gorgeous Dess…” Kit breathed as she set down the can of spray and bent down until her face was level with her best friend’s. They both smiled at one another in the mirror and Dess had to sniff as she tried to keep her tears at bay.

“I-I never thought this day would come…” Dess said, sniffing again and Kit quickly moved to get a tissue to hold underneath Dess’ eyes. She looked down at her best friend-clad in a red plaid button up shirt and black sweat pants and she knew-Odessa was going to be the most beautiful bride any of them had ever seen.

“Well it’s here-after a year of all of us hearing about it and stressing about it…the damn day has finally come.” Kit laughed as she moved from Dess and began to try and work on her own hair.

“Oh it hasn’t been that bad…” She laughed as Dess turned in her chair and looked towards her best friend.


Kit was wearing a light teal dress, the heart shaped neck line perfect for the busty red head and Dess could only smile as she looked down at Kit’s feet. She was wearing silver strappy sandals that made her long legs look even longer and Dess only hoped that a certain bassist that was in attendance today would take notice of this devastatingly sexy girl. Kit was fussing with her hair-her red tresses were slightly curled and down around her shoulders but her bangs were straight and in her eyes as usual. Her makeup was similar to Dess’, except she had a slightly darker eyeshadow on and her lips were a little bit more red in color.

She looked beautiful and Dess knew in that moment that her best friend had and always would be there for her. The tears came and Dess held the tissue up to rest underneath her eyes once again and Kit only looked at her and smirked. Dess had been a blubbering mess all day and all of the girls were thankful that in only an hour everything would get into full swing and maybe with a little liquid encouragement the bride would calm down some.


“Is she crying again?” A voice sounded out from behind the two and Dess only smiled a watery smile as she looked up and noticed that Beth had entered the room finally.

“No-“

“Yes…she needs to stop before she ruins that perfect makeup of hers…” Kit said, her wide green eyes staring Dess down and the bride only blushed and sniffed loudly.

“Oh Dess…I know today is hard, but it will be so beyond worth it when you walk down that aisle towards that gorgeous man of yours.” Beth said as she took a seat in the chair next to Dess and the blonde bride only gave her a watery smile.


Dess knew that today was supposed to be filled with happy smiles and laughter, but she couldn’t seem to shake her slight sadness. She would have to walk down that aisle alone and that thought made her want to start crying all over again. She turned away from her two closest friends and looked at herself in the mirror. Odessa Montgomery-23 and getting married. Who would have thought? Not Dess and she smirked at herself as she remembered her pledge with Kit in the eighth grade that the two girls would never marry and instead they would own a record store and have forty cats that they shared and loved equally.

Now Dess was sitting there, her hair all done up like a princess and her makeup was so perfect and she couldn’t help but smile. Soon-in less than an hour-she would be walking down to meet Andy…to become his wife and live out the rest of their days together. She only wished that Moira and her father would be there to see her. Dess looked up as Sammi and Ella walked into the room, Sammi holding a large box and Dess smiled-she knew what this was.


“Special delivery!” Ella smiled at them all as she took the box from Sammi and set it down on the white glass topped table that was sitting in the middle of the room. Everyone held their breath as Ella lifted out one bouquet after another until all five of them were laying gently on the table.

“Wow…” Beth said as she picked up one of the small bouquets and held it up to her nose.

“These are beautiful.” Sammi said, picking up her own small arrangement and she held out a finger to touch one of the petals softly.

“You did such a god job picking out these flowers Dess.” Ella smiled down at the nervous bride as she picked up one of the final remaining bouquets and handed Kit her own. Dess’ was left on the table-no one wanted to touch it because it was so perfect and beautiful that they were afraid that they would break something.


Dess looked around, smiling as she saw all of the girls holding their bouquets and she leaned over the side of her chair to pick up her own much larger one. The moss green, orange and white roses were perfectly arranged, with small branches coming out, along with ivy which would drip down her hands as she carried the flowers down the aisle. Dess turned the arrangement over in her hands, smiling as she noticed one lone flower that didn’t fit in with the rest and her heart leapt in her chest. Holding it up high, everyone became teary eyed as they noticed the two small black and white photos that were hanging down from the bouquet-attached only by a long white ribbon.

Moira’s smiling face and her father’s brooding one looked up at her and Dess felt like crying all over again as she knew that two of the most important people in her life would be able to walk her down the aisle after all. Dess looked up at the girls around-all four of them had been there for her in so many ways it was unbelievable to think that she had ever survived without them in her life at any point.

Sammi-sweet Sammi Doll had been there for Dess right after Moira’s passing and she had been there when Dess thought she had no one. The two blondes had seen the world together, smiling and laughing while they confessed their frustrations with their significant others and at that thought Dess frowned. Poor Sammi-she had been through so much over the past six months and while Dess was grateful that now her close friend seemed to be at peace she knew that Sammi being here was a miracle.

The newly blonde keyboardist had moved to Germany over the summer, leaving behind bad memories and an even worse marriage and Dess was happy to see the girl flourish, even if she missed their late night talks about their boys and how much they drove one another crazy. Dess smiled softly at Sammi, taking in her curly blonde hair, winged eyeliner and cherry red lips and she knew that this girl standing there before her in her dark teal dress-Sammi Doll had become one of her very best friends and she always would be.

Dess looked over at Ella and couldn’t help but giggle-the two girls had only grown close over the past few months, but Dess loved Ella. Here was this gorgeous model who to most people would seem stuck up and only into herself, but she was one of the goofiest and funniest people to be around. Ella wasn’t afraid to look messy or weird-she embraced it and she embraced it with a smile.

Ella had her gorgeous long brown hair up in a high ponytail-stick straight and perfect as usual. Her eyes were smokey and dark, her luscious lips covered in a peachy looking gloss. Her medium teal dress fit her figure perfectly and Dess could only laugh as Ella caught her staring and made a funny face at her-sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth as she crossed her light green eyes.

Her eyes moved to take Beth in and Dess felt like crying. Beth-motherly loving Beth-had always been there for Dess and Kit. She was always the voice of reason and never wanted anything bad to happen, but when something bad did happen she was always there with a hug and comforting words. Beth’s dark hair was down around her face in the short bob style that she favored and Dess smiled as she took in the girl’s conservative makeup and shoes. Her light teal dress was almost covered by a small white sweater and while it was chilly out, Dess knew Beth was wearing it because she didn’t want to show off her shoulders.

Her strappy silver sandals were much shorter than anyone else’s and Dess only smirked-Beth was such a mother it was almost too much. She loved Beth though-they had had some good times and while they had drifted apart when Beth married and started having kids, the two of them had fallen back into their easy banter after Dess’ wedding shower. When Dess was home in Virginia with Andy gone, Beth had become a big comfort to her and kept her company. The two girls smiled at one another and then Dess’ eyes caught site of her absolute soul mate.

Kit was smiling at her, her own small bouquet in front of her face so that all Dess could see was her bright green eyes. She loved this girl-if she hadn’t found Andy Dess was pretty sure that she and Kit would end up living together-raising cats or something until they grew too old to function. The girls had been through everything together-break ups, make ups, parents being parents, bullies, deaths and graduations. They had always been there for one another-holding each other as they cried and Dess knew she wouldn’t be where she was if it weren’t for Kit kicking her in the ass her entire life.

Kit was a survivor-she did what she had to do to make things work, even if that meant moving to a small town to take a chance on a band, being with them the entire way until finally they made it big. Kit was the best at what she did, but more than that she was just a really great friend and as Dess met her eyes and blew Kit a kiss she knew that the two of them would always have one another-always.


“Dess?” Beth asked from beside her and Dess turned her head away from Kit, smiling as she looked at her other best friend and noticed that Beth was smiling at her softly.

“Yeah?” Dess asked and Beth only reached out, hugging her around her neck before moving to get up. Dess watched in silence as Beth moved towards the chair where her dress was hanging and the short girl picked the garment up gently and held it out in front of her.

“It’s time to put your dress on…” All of the girls became deathly silent as they all looked at Dess, who only smiled and stood up.

“You’re right. Lets do this!” Dess laughed as she began to unbutton her shirt and soon she was standing there in front of them with no shirt and no bra and only her sweat pants. Ella gave her a look and soon Dess was pushing her pants down-shivering as she was now only clad in a thin pair of panties that were lined with white and light blue lace.

“Hold up your arms…” Kit said as she moved to help Beth with the dress and Dess did as Kit told her. She held her breath as the soft material was draped over her body and she held the front of it in place as Sammi joined the two other girls behind her and they all began to get things settled.

“C-can I turn around?” Dess asked finally after standing as still as she could and she smiled as Kit touched her shoulder gently and moved Dess to face them all.


Kit’s breath caught in her throat as she looked at her best friend standing in front of her in the perfect princess dress. The white fabric was pure and gentle against Dess’ creamy looking skin and Kit felt like she could breathe once again when Dess smiled at them all gently. Kit watched as Beth moved behind their best friend, the thin gauzy veil in her hands and she had two bobby pins sticking out of her lips as she tried to position the veil in just the right spot. Finally after some tugging and pulling-wincing on Dess’ part-the veil was attached and the image was complete.

Kit said nothing as she grabbed her phone and moved to stand next to Dess, smiles on their faces as they both took selfie after selfie. All of the girls got a turn and Kit only stood by, smiling away her tears as she looked at her best friend. She had given the couple a lot of shit over the past year-she never really believed that a love like theirs could truly exist, but as Kit looked at Dess and saw the smile on her face…she knew that true love was real and she was looking at one half of it right this very moment.



A pair of blue eyes looked over the scene before him and the smirk that graced his perfect lips couldn’t have grown any wider. Everything looked perfect and as Andy stood at the window and looked out over the spot where he and Dess would finally be joined in marriage he felt his heart begin to race. The trees had all but lost their leaves, which was okay since it added to the fall theme of their wedding. There were over three hundred chairs lined up out on the lawn, split right down the middle with the most amazing aisle that Andy had ever seen.

Leaves, deep red, started up at the top where everyone was entering and as it slowly made it’s way down towards their alter, the leaves changed from golden orange, to deep yellow, to a very pale yellow until finally at the very end where he and Dess would be-pure white rose petals. Andy smiled as he saw a few familiar faces amongst the people who had arrived and were currently picking their seats.

The guys behind him-his brothers-were being loud and rowdy, enjoying a pre wedding drink which Andy refused to take part in. He was usually up for a shot or two, but today he wanted to have a clear head. He wanted to remember everything about this day…he wanted the site of Dess walking towards him to be forever burned in to his brain.


“How’s it going man?” Someone asked behind him and Andy turned, smiling as he looked down at his Best Man and best friend.

“Nervous, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stand still until this show gets on the road.” Andy said, turning away from the window, his back leaning against the glass as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at everyone before him.


Ashley, CC, Jake and Jinxx were all spread around the room, their solid black suits a stark contrast against the almost pure white walls. Andy looked down at his own suit, smiling as he took in his boutonniere of one pale orange rose and there was a surprise in there for Odessa that he needed to make sure she didn’t see until he was ready. The guys were all laughing and drinking, but Andy could hardly keep from crying at this moment and he hadn’t even caught site of his bride yet. This day-his wedding day-had been a long time coming and Andy knew that there were a few times where it almost didn’t happen.

Dess had gotten cold feet just the day before and while she apologized, Andy couldn’t shake the feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Ash had promised Andy that Dess was in the building and in her dress at this point-he had formed a small treaty with Kit to make sure that everything was going over smoothly. Andy smirked as CC began to walk over to him, throwing a skinny arm around his shoulders and in that moment Andy was thankful for his four best friends.


“I think we’re about ready to head down dude. You sure you don’t want some liquid courage?” CC asked as he looked over at Andy and smiled. The singer and groom was obviously beyond nervous-he kept biting down on his lip ring and looking out the window and CC had never seen Andy act like this before.

“Positive, but thanks. If you guys want to head out, I’ll be right behind you.” Andy said as he turned towards the room and watched as CC only nodded at him and headed towards the door. Jinxx and Jake both gave him encouraging smiles before following CC out and Ashley moved to leave as well, but stopped as he hit the door frame and turned to face his best friend.

“Andy?” Ash said, his voice quiet and unsure, which was strange for Ashley because he was always so confident and sure of himself.

“Yeah?” Andy asked, looking up, titling his head to one side to try and get his hair out of his eyes.

“I’m really glad that you and Dess have finally gotten to this point. I know I’ve said some stuff, but I truly think that the two of you are meant for one another and I really hope that one day I can find someone like Dess…” Ashley said, his voice teary sounding and Andy felt his heart go out to his band mate.

“Thanks man. I think you have found that person-the two of you just need to stop being so hard headed when it comes to one another…” Andy smirked as Ash only flicked him off playfully and then left the room.


Andy turned from the window and looked around the room before he moved to sink down in one of the plush black and white chairs. He leaned back, resting his back against the fluffy chair and he sighed loudly as he ran his fingers through his pitch black hair and closed his eyes. Moira-all he could see in his mind in that moment was the young girl who he and Dess both had loved with everything in their hearts. Her black hair, fluffed up to mimic his own at the time, those moss green eyes that looked so much like her sister’s that it was very off putting and her smile-that infectious smile that no one could seem to resist.

It would be almost two years since she had left them and Andy felt the tears spring to his eyes once again as he thought about her. She had been so sick and yet no one had suspected anything until it was too late. Was the same thing happening with Dess? Andy knew that she had gone to the doctor recently and had some tests done, hopefully those test results would come to them in time. Andy looked up at the ceiling, bringing his hands together and he did something he hadn’t done since he was a small child.

He prayed.


“God-look, I know you and I haven’t been the closest of friends over the past few years and I know I pretty much doubt your existence on a daily basis…but I need you right now.” Andy said, closing his eyes softly as he inhaled a breath and continued.

“Odessa is the love of my life and I can’t imagine not having her. I know you took Moira from us and Mr. Montgomery before that, but please…I promise if you leave me this wonderful, perfect, beautiful girl I will do everything I can to be a good person. I-I’ll quit smoking…I’ll do anything you want…just please, please don’t take her away from me.” He felt the tears run down his cheeks and as Andy opened his eyes, he moved his fingers to wipe the moisture away.


With that Andy stood, straightening his suit as he turned and left the room, but stopped short as he felt something touch his shoulder gently. Andy looked behind him and saw that no one was there, but deep down he knew-Moira would always be there with him.

Notes

*claps hands* It's starting! Dess is beautiful in her dress, but you guys won't see her until Andy sees her for the first time...which is in the very next chapter.

Thank you every who reviewed, both on this site and off *winkwink*. I still want FIVE reviews/comments from FIVE DIFFERENT people and if I get that then there will be another update tomorrow around this time. Deal?

Now, I know a lot of you don't put much stock into the Tumblr for this story, but these next chapters will have ALOT of visual things going on and they will all be in the Tumblr. All posts relating to this Wedding will be tagged as wbw (We Burn Wedding). So check it out because tomorrow...Dess' dress will be revealed.

What It Is To Burn Tumblr