Together Burning Bright

Andy yawned as he leaned back in his chair and looked around. They were finally on their way to Australia and the seventeen hour flight was thankfully almost over. He was excited to get back to the land down under-they had had so much fun the last time they were there and this time it would be even better for a few reasons. Dess would be with them-having never been to Australia she was the most excited out of everyone. Also they would be there for a bit longer than the last time, since they were also going to New Zealand for the very first time. Andy sat up, looking around and he noticed that Dess was no longer sitting in her seat beside him. Where had she gone?

Pulling out his phone, Andy realized that their flight was finally coming to an end-thank God. He stood, stretching his arms above his head as he faced the front of the plane and scanned the seats. CC and Ash were sitting right in front of him-both guys were fast asleep, Ash’s head resting on CC’s shoulder and Andy was tempted to take a picture. He only laughed as he moved from their seats, passing Jinxx who was awake but had his laptop out and headphones on-working on some stuff that had been rattling around in that brain of his. Jake was nowhere to be found, but Andy just assumed it was because he was in the bathroom-the guy was such a nervous flyer, which was why Andy never sat with him because Andy also didn’t like flying all that much.

Still no Odessa.

Their plane was packed full of people-most of them sleeping soundly as the plane flew through the air. The last time Andy had seen Dess she had been sleeping next to him, her short legs curled up against her growing stomach and he had wrapped a blanket around her. She had been feeling under the weather right before they left, but this time Andy had driven her to the doctor himself…they weren’t going through what happened the last time the guys did a long tour. Thankfully the doctor said Dess just had a cold and a minor sinus infection-everything was fine with their little peanut. They had actually found out their delivery date would be in April, instead of May which made Andy happy, but it was stressing Dess out a little bit.

Looking around, Andy finally spotted Dess’ blonde head sitting half way up the plane and as he walked forward, he heard soft giggling. Who was Dess talking to? There was no one else on the flight in their group-Jon had flown ahead by a day to make sure that everything was settled and all of the crew and security were flying out the next day. It was cheaper to stagger things and they all had some time to spare this way so they could actually see some of the things in Australia.

Andy walked forward, finally coming to a stop where Dess was seated and as he looked down he couldn’t keep the smile from his lips. A little blonde haired, blue eyed girl was sitting there, showing Dess all of the pictures that she had been drawing during their very long flight.

He watched as Dess smiled and laughed with the small child, taking the pictures one by one as she told the little girl what she liked about each one. He could stand there forever watching her-seeing her smile and throw her head back in soft laughter while her hair fell around her shoulders. He knew in that moment that she would make a great mom-there was no denying it. Andy had known from the very beginning that Dess would make a great mother someday. He had watched her take care of Moira and then she had taken care of him and the guys whenever they went out on tour.

It was obvious that it came naturally to her and as he watched, Andy found that he couldn’t wait for April to arrive. He wanted to hold their daughter, to rock her to sleep and make her smile, but mostly he just wanted to watch Dess with her. Watch her hold their precious daughter and see the both of them bond and grow close. He was going to have two girls in his life in a very short time and Andy found that he absolutely could not wait.


“This is my family…see this is my mommy, my brother, my sister, my doggy and my goldfish.” The little girl said as she pointed out each figure on the paper. Andy stayed silent, he wanted to hear this sweet interaction and see what Dess would say.

“No daddy?” Dess asked softly as she ran her thumb over the paper and looked down in to those small blue eyes. She hadn’t expected to be wandering the aisle to stretch to her legs and then get stopped by the most precious little girl she had ever seen.

“No-my daddy is always away so sometimes I forget to add him. I miss him lots, but mommy said his job is important and I have to be a good girl while he’s away.” Dess felt her heart sink as she looked down at the little girl and then at the picture. No father-always gone on business…this had been something that had been nagging her in the back of her mind for awhile. Andy was the same way-he loved his job and loved what he did, but that meant that he would be away from his family for long periods of time.

“Aww well I know he must love you a bunch.” Dess said quietly and her heart sank when she looked down at the little girl sitting beside her. Those blue eyes-they were even lighter than Andy’s-were so sad as she looked up at Dess. Would this be their daughter one day? Feeling neglected and unloved by her own father because he was always away.

“He does, but I miss him. Sometimes when I sleep I wish that he comes home and never leaves because then I would see him every day.” The girl said as she pulled at the bottom of her shirt and Dess said nothing as she just kissed the small girl on the top of her head and then stood up.


She almost knocked right in to Andy, who had been standing there looking down at the both of them. Dess met his eyes and she could see that he had heard what the little girl had said and it had gotten to him. The two of them said nothing as Andy wrapped an arm around her growing waist and led Dess back towards their seats. She had never expected to get up to walk around and then to be flagged down by a small child to sit there with her for over two hours.

The little girl, who Dess had learned was named Caroline, was flying with her mother and two siblings to go out and see their father where he was working in Sydney. The couple walked back to their seats, Andy holding out his hand for Dess to sit back down and suddenly there was a small dinging noise and an announcement for them all to buckle their seatbelts as they had arrived. In silence the couple did as they were instructed, but then Andy turned to Dess, his blue eyes filled with sadness and worry.


“Say whatever it is that is rolling around in that brain of yours Biersack because if you dwell on it you’re just going to get more upset.” Dess said as she took his hand, her thumb rubbing slow circles over his skin. Andy felt minimal comfort-in fact all he wanted to do in that moment was cry.

“Just hearing that little girl say that she thinks her father doesn’t love her because he’s never around…I-I don’t want that to be me Dess. I want to be there for our kid-kids-but I can’t just stop working.” Andy said sadly and he sucked in a breath as the plane began to point downward.

“I know-I was thinking about that as well. The thing is-you still have at least four years before our little nugget is going to be without you. Touring with a small child-while probably difficult-is not impossible and may actually be a lot of fun. I had planned on the two of us coming with you guys for as long as possible. There will be a time when we’ll have to stay home so she can go to school, but until then there’s not much to worry about.” Dess said, her voice calm. She was still holding his hand and Andy was finding great comfort in her words. She was right-their daughter wouldn’t miss him the first few years because Dess was determined to be there every second of every tour.

“I know, but I just don’t want to disappoint her…or you.” His voice was sad and his eyes even sadder as he looked down at his wife. This wonderful person was always there for him-put up with him in a lot of ways and she never gave up hope. They had had their rocky twists and turns, but at the end of the day Odessa Annemarie Montgomery-Biersack was the best thing that had ever happened to him and Andy knew that for a fact.

“You will never disappoint me Andy. I am so beyond proud of you for accomplishing so much. I watched you guys work your asses off on that record and I know it was hard being beaten down time and time again. You managed to make a record that you are proud of and that your fans love and you also have managed to do it without losing yourselves. I’m not just proud of you babe…I’m proud of the entire band.” She was kissing him after her little speech and Andy could only smile into their embrace as he curled his fingers in her soft hair.


They both sat in silence, Dess having her head resting against Andy’s shoulder as he couldn’t help but twirl some of her hair around his fingers. He hoped their daughter had beautiful blonde hair just like her mother-if he could have anything in life that would be it. Andy had worked hard in his younger years and now he was twenty-three, living his dream and he was married to the best girl in the world.

He knew that things couldn’t be more wonderful, but at the same time that scared him because that only meant that things could get worse. What would happen if ten years from now their daughter developed the same cancer that had taken her grandfather and aunt? Could he lose someone else in his life to such a terrible fate?


“Wakey wakey!” Dess laughed as she patted her hands against the two sleepy heads that were still zonked out in the seats in front of them. The plane had landed, but the band stayed behind to allow everyone else to leave before them so that they could all gather themselves and figure out what the next plan was.

“Hmm…no mom…four more minutes.” CC grumbled as he turned over, smacking his lips together and Dess had to hold back her laughter. It was almost as hard to wake CC up as it was to wake Andy, although Dess had figured out how to get Andy up. All she needed to do was whisper in his ear that she was naked and he would sit right up in bed and look at her with those gorgeous sleepy eyes of his.

“Now, Christian, or else I will go get your father…” Dess was trying to keep from giggling, but it was just too funny. She, Andy, Jinxx and Jake were all leaning on the seat backs of the seats around the two slumbering musicians.

“But moooom!” He was awake now and CC only groaned as he realized that he was being stared at, not by his mother, but by his bandmates and Dess. He rubbed his eyes and noticed that Ash was still fast asleep beside him, a line of drool coming out of his mouth and landing on CC’s arm.

“Dude!” CC yelled as he shoved Ashley away from him and finally the bassist cracked open a sleepy eye. He wiped at his mouth, smirking as he noticed five pairs of eyes staring down at him. He had probably had too much to drink-hey it was free…was he supposed to say no-and then he remembered passing out mid sentence as he and CC were talking about the difference between Australian girls and American ones.

“S-sorry. Have we landed?” Ashley asked as he stretched his tattooed arms above his head as he looked around. Everyone looked exhausted and ready to get off of the plane. So without further ado, Ashley and CC both stood up and moved to get out of their seats.


The group collectively got things out from the overhead bins, Andy helping Dess with her bag as he almost smacked Jake in the face with it. They were all tired and could feel the jetlag beginning to settle in. The bad thing was that the guys had a radio interview only a few hours after landing and so they would have to get checked in to their hotel, drive two hours south and then sit in a hot DJ booth for an hour. Dess said she would go along, but as the group walked off the plane and headed left towards customs, she really didn’t feel up to it. She would go though because this was her first time in a place like Australia and she didn’t want to miss anything.

As the group got through customs-they were all pretty used to this by now-and headed off towards baggage claim, they could all hear shouting and screaming coming from up ahead. Dess looked between Jake and CC’s shoulder-they were leading the group-and her eyes grew wide as she took in the scene before her. Hundreds of kids were standing around, yelling and chanting out for Black Veil Brides-their homemade signs held high as they all screamed even louder once the band came into view.

Dess looked over towards Andy and noticed that he was smiling, but he also seemed confused. Was this really all for them? It had been so long since they had been over here that he was sure this crowd had to be for someone else.


“Hey guys!” Andy called out to the crowd-thankfully the airport had noticed the large crowd gathering while they were still in flight and had thought to get security and barriers up as quickly as possible.

“We love you Andy!” A group of girls shouted out and Dess giggled as Andy blushed and walked over towards the group. The other guys had also broken off to meet with some of their fans and Dess was left by herself in the middle of the airport baggage claim.


She didn’t mind though-Dess knew that the guys were much beloved by their fans, especially after the recent AP Reader’s Poll sweep that had happened right before Christmas. That whole thing still made Dess mad-here this group of talented guys worked hard all year, kept their fans happy and had such a loyal fanbase that they won almost every award, but there were still people out there who were crying foul.

The fact that people were attacking not only the guys-which they were used to-but also the devoted fans who took time out of their day to vote and make sure that their favorite band won, made Dess very angry. She had been sorely tempted to take to her Twitter and give everyone a piece of her mind, but lately she avoided social media.

The fans had grown more and more rabid-having nothing better to complain about her and her growing belly. Andy, thankfully, didn’t see much of it because if he did Dess knew it would put him in a weird position. On one hand he would always stand behind her-he loved her after all, but Dess knew that he couldn’t tell his fans off in the way that he wanted to. Standing there, watching as Andy greeted fans, hugged them and thanked them for coming out-Dess knew that she would always be in a constant battle against the BVB Army. It was okay though-Andy loved them and she loved Andy, so Dess would just make the best of it.


“This is crazy!” Andy laughed as he walked over towards her, taking her into his arms tightly. He smelled like mint and she knew that he was probably dying without a cigarette. She looked up at him, those moss green eyes of hers filled with excitement as Andy leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

“I know-I guess the Army got the call that our plane had landed…” Dess laughed as Andy just shook his head, his black bangs falling in his eyes. Dess moved her fingers against his skin to push his hair out of his face and there was a collective ‘oohing’ and ‘awwing’ coming from the crowd that was watching them very closely.


No matter what they would always be on display and Dess made a promise to herself as she walked with Andy through that airport. They could be on display, but their daughter would remain in the background.

Notes

What's going to happen when Dess and Andy can't be together all the time any more? How will their daughter feel when her daddy has to leave to follow his dreams?

Review to get an update on Thursday...instead of on Saturday.