Together Burning Bright

The sound of snow crunching underneath boots and soft laughter was the only thing that filled the still cold air as the small group made their way through the snow. It was the day after Christmas and Andy’s 23rd birthday. The one thing he had asked for on his birthday was to go sledding, which Dess thought was silly, but he explained to her that he had never gotten to really go sledding when he was a kid. Not enough snow and no friends to go with-Andy usually sat inside his house whenever the snow fell to the ground in Southern Ohio. Now here they were-walking for what seemed like forever, but Dess knew that they would soon come across their destination.

She had set everything up and she couldn’t wait for Andy to see it. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground which would make for a very good sledding experience and Dess only hoped that everyone else would enjoy this little excursion. She looked behind her, her blonde hair blowing in front of her face and Dess only held up a gloved hand to move it out of the way. Kit was lagging behind, laughing and joking around with Ella as the two girls walked and talked together. Bringing up the very rear was Amy and Chris Biersack, but they were simply walking slow so that they could take everything in. Dess looked around as she kept walking, one gloved hand held in Andy’s while her other was at her side, and she couldn’t believe how magical everything looked.

The tree branches were covered in thick snow and Dess felt at peace as she took everything in around them. The laughter, coming from right behind them, made her smile and she knew that Ashley, CC, Jake and Jinxx were already having a great time. None of them really ever got to play in the snow and Dess only hoped that everyone would find something enjoyable about today.

She huffed out a breath, the light fog floating out in front of her and Andy only smirked down at her as he turned and trained his eyes on her face. She was freezing-they all were-but Dess knew that once everyone began to move around more and get some drinks in them that they would all warm up. Soon enough the group came to the edge of the tree line and before them sat an open space. Dess almost knocked into Andy because she hadn’t realized that he was no longer moving forward.


“Wow…” Andy was breathless as he looked through the branches and took everything in.

“Happy birthday love…I hope this is what you wanted.” Dess said from behind him and Andy only turned to her, his mouth still wide open as he looked down at her. His lips captured hers gently and she only smiled into their kiss as she placed a gloved hand against his cold cheek and pulled away.

“This…this is amazing.” Andy laughed as he rested his forehead against hers. The two of them stayed like that for a bit, just enjoying being with one another while the others all walked past them and either headed towards the sledding hill or towards the bar that Dess had set up.


Dess had created a winter wonderland-with a huge hill being the centerpiece, while a small bar, a long table with food and then a huge fire pit with a roaring fire topped it all off. He had wanted a sledding experience, but Andy had just expected them all to walk to a nearby hill and sled for a few hours-maybe get into a snowball fight and then head home for some delicious hot cocoa. This was beyond his wildest dreams and Andy could only sigh happily as he watched his friends and family enjoy everything.

Kit and Ella were both standing near the fire with drinks in their hands, while the guys were all making their way up the huge hill to begin the sledding adventure. His parents were both cuddled up near the fire and Andy felt his heart melt. Was that how he and Dess would be when they were older?

They both stood there, hand in hand as they took in the winter wonderland that had been created especially for Andy’s birthday. Dess had wanted to do something special for him-they had all worked so hard over the past year and he deserved to have some fun. Currently they were seeing the aftermath of their hard work-AP had been releasing the results of their readers poll and Black Veil Brides and it’s Army was taking the poll by storm.

There was hardly one category that didn’t have the band in it, even if they weren’t in first place. Andy’s cover was voted best cover of the year and it had just been announced that morning that the album had been deemed Album of the Year. All in all it had been a great year and everyone was excited for the year to come.


“What do you want to do first?” Dess asked as she looked up at him and smiled. He looked like a little kid standing there in his black beanie, his hair messy and sticking out in weird angles. His huge winter coat was wrapped tightly around his shoulders and his skinny jeans were already growing wet near the bottom.

“I want to get on a sled and fly down that fucking hill!” Andy laughed as he looked down at her and smirked that boyish grin at her. Dess looked amazing standing there in her black and green pea coat, her blonde hair tucked under a white knit cap and her moss green eyes were filled with love and adoration. She was thankfully dressed warm, her belly covered by a thick sweater and Andy knew she would probably hang out over by the fire for most of the day.

“Okay, well there is lunch when you get hungry. I’m going to go stand near the fire with Kit and Ella-please be careful!” He had kissed her quickly and now Dess watching him as Andy ran over towards the hill, screaming at the top of his lungs like a five year old.


Dess only shook her head as she walked over to the bar first and had the guy behind the makeshift set up make her a hot cocoa. Soon enough Andy was flying down the hill, with CC on the back of his sled and Dess only laughed as she watched them wipe out. Kit and Ella were deep in conversation and Dess really couldn’t take her eyes off of Andy anyways. He kept getting back up and then he would run up the hill, only to come flying down it once again.

The entire time he had the biggest smile on those perfect lips and she knew that she couldn’t wait until their daughter was old enough for him to bring her out here. This had been the perfect birthday and it would be the perfect day-as long as Dess had a go on that hill herself.


“How are you feeling today Dess? How’s baby bun doing?” Kit asked over the rim of her mug. Dess only smiled as she shook her head at her best friend and turned her attention back to the sledding hill. They had been out here for an hour and the guys were still going strong. Even Chris and Amy were now riding down the huge hill on the same sled.

“I’m doing fine actually. She’s kicking my kidneys right now, but ya know that’s nothing new.” Dess laughed as she looked at Kit and noticed that there was a sense of mischief in those bright green eyes of hers. This was not good-it was never good when Kit got that look because it always involved the two girls getting in trouble and breaking the rules.

“Good-then lets get your ass up to the top of that hill and on a fucking sled.” Kit laughed as she grabbed for Dess’ hand and began to drag her best friend towards the hill. Dess wasn’t going to argue-she wanted to sled at least a little bit, but she knew that Andy was really nervous about it. He was afraid she was going to get hurt or that the baby would get hurt.

“You know this is going to piss Andy off…” Dess warned as the three girls began to walk up the side of the hill. Kit only shook her head as she turned around and placed her hands on her hips as she looked down at her best friend.

“I know-that’s why I’m doing it! First of all-there is no reason why you shouldn’t be having fun today! Second-nothing bad is going to happen and he needs to stop being such a fucking puss about everything. Third-I just really love seeing that squinty eyed look on his face…so you’re going!” Kit laughed as she pushed Dess forward and now Dess was leading their small group onward.

“I thought the two of you were good now.” Dess said, near breathless but she was thankful as the edge of the hill came into view. There were a few sleds sitting on the ground and not a rockstar to be seen. Dess looked over towards the fire pit and noticed that everyone was down there, eating and drinking but there was one person who was standing still and Dess groaned as she noticed the angry look on his beautiful face.

Andy had seen her walk up here and he was not happy…


“Oh we are, but I really love busting his balls.” Kit laughed as she pulled a sled up and set it near the very edge of the hill. Dess watched as Kit got on the front of the long sled and then the red head turned and patted the space behind her. Dess only rolled her eyes as she plopped down behind Kit and then Ella sat down behind her.

“I thought Purdy was on your shit list for that fun habit of yours.” Dess said as she wrapped her arms around Kit’s waist and the red head only laughed loudly as she placed her hands on the snow and began to push them off. Ella had her arms wrapped around Dess’ waist and all three girls began to squeal and yell as their sled teetered on the edge and then finally they began to slide down.


Dess felt like she was flying as they zoomed down the hill-the wind was blowing in her face and she felt free in a way. Being pregnant had kept Dess from doing a lot of things that she would normally do and even though she knew that Andy would be pissed at her when she got to the bottom-Dess didn’t care. She opened her eyes and smiled softly as she looked around. This was her home, Virginia had always been her home and this was one of the reasons why.

You couldn’t do this in LA-even if it did snow there, doing something like having a sledding party in the middle of nowhere was impossible because there were always people around. Virginia was such a special place in Dess’ heart that she really couldn’t imagine living anywhere else at this point.

Kit was screaming her head off and Ella was laughing manically, but all Dess could do was look up to the sky as they began to slow down. It was so blue and cloudless that Dess was sure that Moira was looking down at them in that moment. It was perfect-her life was perfect and as they landed and finally came to a stop Dess could only smile. That is until she got a look of Andy’s face.

He was standing there, his hands on his hips and his face was angry and bright red. Kit got up first, reaching a hand out but Andy quickly pushed past her and bent down towards Dess. He placed a hand under each of her arms and pretty much lifted her up into a standing position. Dess could only look up at him and as he looked at her happy face, his own began to soften from a scowl into a soft smile.


“What is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself hurt?” Andy asked lowly as he wrapped his arms around her neck and brought her close. Dess nestled her head against his shoulder and breathed in his scent. Cigarettes and mint-that was the smell she would always associate with him until her dying day.

“No-I’m trying to have some fun on your birthday.” She smiled up at him. She drove him crazy but as he looked down at her, Andy felt his anger dissipate. Dess needed to be careful, but he couldn’t blame her for wanting to have some fun. She couldn’t do much these days and there was nothing overly dangerous about sledding.

“Fine…but I get to sled down with you next!” He laughed as he grabbed for her hand and the couple began to climb towards the top of the hill.


The group all spent the next hour sledding and running around-Dess couldn’t keep the grin off her face. She went down the hill multiple times, but nothing would beat that very first time. She had felt free, truly free…she had no worries in her life in that moment and she knew that she would never feel like that again. The baby would be with them in a few short months and there was still so much to do before then.

But as she and Andy flew down that hill for the hundredth time, his arms wrapped around her with his hands resting on her belly-Dess knew that they would always have this day. They had been through so much in such a short time, but it was worth it because she was with her best friend and she couldn’t imagine a life without him.

Finally things seemed to slow down and everyone was settling around the fire to eat the lunch that had been prepared. As she sat there with her legs resting across Andy’s lap and a huge plate of food in her hands, Dess could only smile as she looked around. CC and Ash had spent two hours making a huge snow man that was now looking over all of them. Kit and Ella were bonding more and more and Amy and Chris seemed to be in Heaven.

Dess could only smirk as she thought about the next event-the cake. After that she had intended to head back home so everyone could warm up, but she had a feeling something was brewing by the devious looks that Andy, Ashley, CC, Jake and Jinxx were all giving one another.

A snowball war was in the works and Dess knew that this was probably going to come to an end in a very cold and wet way. But it would be perfect and she couldn’t eat fast enough.



Dess looked around, a huge smile on her face and she knew that nothing could take that away from her in this moment. They were all standing around, trying to decide how the teams for the snowball war should be divided up. Boys VS Girls? Couples? Or should it just be every man for himself? Dess didn’t really care-she just wanted to throw some snowballs.

Finally it was decided that everyone would pick their partners and Kit and Dess quickly ran towards one another. When she looked over her shoulder at Andy, Dess could only smile at him softly-he looked so crest fallen at her obvious choice. But they had snowball fights all the time at home and so Dess just figured she would be on Kit’s team.

Dess noticed that the teams seemed evenly dispersed. Jake and Ella were together-that was a no brainer. Amy and Chris were both standing beside one another with huge grins on their faces and that made Dess smile even wider. Ashley and Andy had teamed up-looks like it was going to be a duo of best friends against one another.

Finally Dess trained her eyes on CC and Jinxx-bingo. She nudged Kit, who only turned her head and looked in the way Dess was indicating. Both girls began to smile as they took in the weakest team. CC had never really been around snow, having grown up in LA all his life and Jinxx was too nice to go for any of the girls.


“Alright! The rules are-no hitting in the face if you can help it! No rocks or ice! You can quit any time but just remember there will be NO MERCY!” Andy laughed manically towards the very end, looking up towards the sky with his hands held in to fists. Suddenly there was a ball of white flying his way and it smacked him right in the side of the face.

“Shut up Biersack and lets do the damn thing!” Kit yelled, her gloves covered in white powder as she bent down and gathered more snow.

“I said no hitting in the face!” Andy whined and Dess only grinned at him as she bent down and grabbed for as much snow as her tiny hands could handle.

“Quit your bitching and help me!” Ashley said. He had been forming balls and setting them at their feet and Andy quickly bent down and began to form his own pile.


Chaos ensued as everyone began to toss balls of snow at one another and then run and hide behind a tree or a collection of rocks. Dess and Kit had formed a shelter behind the abandoned bar where Kit would form the balls and Dess would throw them out towards passing people. Chris and Amy had only lasted ten minutes and then they had quit-smiling and breathless as they sat near the fire pit and watched. Jake and Ella seemed to have given in as well.

Dess only laughed as she looked to her right and noticed that Jinxx was just standing there with a snow ball in his hands-waiting for Ashley to walk past so he could hit him. CC was chugging a beer and seemed less than enthused since his partner had all but given up on hitting any of the girls and was just going after Andy and Ashley. Dess finally caught sight of Andy, who was pacing behind a grouping of rocks as he tried to form snowballs for Ash.


“Hey Biersack!” Dess called out and smiled as Andy’s head shot up and he smirked as he looked her way. Dess was running at him full force and Andy only braced himself as she got closer. Soon enough she was flying through the air, her blonde hair whipping around her face and Andy only held out his arms.

“Ooof!” Andy grunted as Dess hit his chest full force and they both fell back. A cloud of snow floated up into the air and began to land all around them. Andy was laying there in the snow, looking up at the girl of his dreams. With her rosy cheeks, pink nose and moss green eyes-Andy felt his breath catch. He couldn’t breathe laying there looking at her…either that or he just couldn’t breathe because she was laying on top of him.

“Happy Birthday babe…I hope this is what you wanted.” She was smiling at him, her breath coming out in a cloud and Andy could only smile. This had been the best birthday ever-except for maybe his 21st when they made love for the first time, but this was coming in as a close second.

“This is exactly what I wanted-you are all I have ever wanted.” He said softly and Dess only blushed, her eyes fluttering closed as her lips met his softly.

“I love you…always.” He said as they broke apart and Dess could only smile as she rested her forehead against his.

“I love you…forever.” Andy held her close then, her stomach pressing against his and he could feel the kicking sensation against his abdomen.


It was strangely perfect-this moment that they found themselves in and Andy could have laid there forever, except for the fact that everyone was watching the two of them and their display of perfect adoration for one another.

Oh well…let them watch.

Notes

Who else, besides myself, loves to watch Kit bust Andy's balls? Also-best birthday ever?

Updating on Sunday as long people...

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