Together Burning Bright

It was hot-one of the hottest summers on record and thankfully it was almost over. Odessa felt like she was going to melt-her legs were clad in a pair of cut off shorts and she was wearing a BVB shirt that was old and fading but it didn’t matter. The noise around her made Dess smile and all of a sudden she remembered what this felt like-what being on Warped Tour felt like. The guys were touring, probably for the last time, on Warped Tour this summer and everyone was there for it. All of the kids-all twelve of them-were walking around the venue, but soon enough they would congregate at the side of the stage to watch their old men play. Dess stood at the side of the stage, her elbows leaning up against a guitar storage box and she smiled as Andy waved at her.

His black hair-the locks that once drove girls crazy-were graying and his beautiful blue eyes were getting wrinkles at the corners. Their eldest daughter Arabella was seventeen and would be a senior in high school this coming fall and Dess couldn’t help but feel slightly sad at the thought. Oliver was fifteen and quiet as ever, but he was one of the best guitar players Dess had ever seen. Camellia, twelve, was loud and got excited about everything and she always managed to make her mother and father smile. Her children-growing up and yet when Dess looked at them she could still see them as babies. Holding Aria for the first time had been such a happy, but terrifying moment. Oliver had been an easy baby and Cammy-well the wild girl would forever be just that…wild.

Dess looked to her right and smiled-Kit was there, clipboard in hand as she spoke into a walkie and Dess knew the red head was dying for a cigarette. Kit had taken over managing the guys when Jon had passed three years ago-a sad moment that had left them all shocked-and at first it had been rough. Being managed by your own wife wasn’t easy and Ashley and Kit constantly butted heads. But Dess loved it-now that the kids were old enough to stay home alone, Dess was able to tour with Andy once again. They missed the kids and Dess worried about them constantly while on the road, but this was what their future was going to look like.

The guys had been talking of retiring, but Dess knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. Touring less-absolutely. Recording less-it was a must. But in the end the guys had a love of their music and their fans and they weren’t about to just abandon it all. Dess sighed, running a hand through her silvery blonde hair and she knew that when they got back to the busses that she and Andy would have to stay on the B bus that night. They’d had two busses for a long time and before it had been split up into families, but now it was spilt into the A bus and the B bus. The A bus was for the adults and it was a quieter and calmer environment, while the B bus was for the teens, but one couple would trade off a night to chaperone. Some of the kids were getting mighty cozy with one another and they didn’t need any happy accidents to happen.

Thankfully all of the kids got along-they were all pretty close in age, atleast they had one other kid close in age to themselves. Arabella and Henry were a year apart as were Oliver and Margaret. Edmund and Anthony were the same age, while Camellia and Pierce had been born mere weeks apart. Potter and the twins Molly and Elizabeth were less than a year apart in age and sweet Moira was the youngest, but she always felt included. Dess smiled as she thought of the little band that Cammy, Molly, Potter, Elizabeth and Pierce had started-The Hollywood Rebels. Their fathers were proud and of course Andy was already talking about trying to get them a record deal, but Dess just told him to let them be kids for a little while longer.


“You look like you’re concentrating pretty hard over there…” Kit was standing in front of her and Dess only smiled, her mint green sunglasses thankfully blocking out the brightness of the sun. Kit was before her in a pair of cut off shorts and a tank top and of course her trademark smirk was sitting on her lips.

“Just can’t believe everything that’s happened-how much the kids have grown…Arabella’s going to be a senior next year.” Dess said and Kit only sighed as she stood next to her best friend and they both looked around. They were backstage and there were so many people milling about that Dess didn’t know where to focus her attention.

“Tell me about it. Pierce is twelve-TWELVE! I have a fucking preteen and he’s got doe eyes for your youngest.” Kit laughed and Dess only smirked as she nodded her head. It was true-Cam and Pierce had always been close, even as babies, and now it seemed like they were smitten with one another.

“He better watch it-Andy’s got his blue eyes on that boy.” Dess laughed and Kit only smirked. Arabella had a boyfriend and Oliver had a girlfriend, but Cammy-in Andy’s eyes-was never allowed to date. They’d had enough trouble with Aria-she was a boy magnet-and Dess only hoped that her youngest would focus on school before a boyfriend.

“Speaking of…I need to find our husbands and get them ready to get on in half an hour.” Kit said as she looked over a tattooed shoulder. Dess followed her lead, but it was so hard to pick people out. Warped Tour was always the same-bands coming together that wouldn’t normally and it was fun to watch them interact. There were a lot of new kids on the tour this year and Dess had had a good time listening to every one of them play.

“Don’t ask me-I’m not the manager with the clipboard.” She laughed and Kit only smirked, sticking her tongue out at her best friend. Dess had managed the guys enough in their younger years and she had done it with a then very small t-shirt line and while pregnant.


Her t-shirt line-Misfits Clothing-had completely exploded and Dess had Trish to thank for a lot of it. The girl-now a wife to Toby and a mom herself-had taken the small business and made it boom. Now they had an online store, their clothes were in every major retail outlet that would carry them and they sold out of things on a regular basis. Dess had never thought back then that a small idea that had been born in their kitchen one morning would explode, but it had. She looked around and finally Dess noticed Andy off in the distance-he had walked off but was now joined by the rest of the guys. Things didn’t look good though-Andy’s brow was furrowed and Jake was holding his right hand in his left one with a pained expression on his face.


“Oh shit…” Dess said as she pointed off towards the group and Kit followed her finger. Her heart sank-the aging rockers were looking pretty rough around the edges and thankfully this would be their last time on the summer festival.

“What happened?!” Kit called out and Ashley looked petrified as he approached his wife, CC and Jinxx following slowly behind. They were all in their forties and fifties, but Dess noticed that they all still had a child like quality to them.

“Jake got tackled pretty badly…” Ashley said, his voice low and Dess thought Kit was going to have an aneurism. The guys-while young at heart-were not spring chickens and they shouldn’t be messing around like that.

“What are we going to do?! You guys go on next!” Kit was shouting and Dess felt her heart speed up. The guys all looked tired and she knew they were-this had not been an easy tour. They were getting old, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

“I have an idea…” Andy spoke up, his low voice thick with exhaustion and Dess just smiled as she moved to his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Dess kissed his neck while Andy spoke.

“Okay…” Kit said and they all turned as they heard a loud group approaching and Dess only shook her head-the Band Kids had made it to the stage. Andy seemed to perk up as he caught site of Oliver and immediately Dess knew what was going on and she didn’t like it.

“Oliver can play.” Andy said simply and the group erupted. Kit was cussing, Henry, Edmund and Camellia were all protesting-why not them? Dess noticed the Oliver was only standing there, wide moss green eyes that were looking from her to his father and back. Could he really do this?


Oliver was probably the best guitar player they had-even compared to Henry and Edmund whose fathers actually were guitar players. Jake said it just came to Oliver naturally-he had the hand shape and the finger speed for it. The only thing was-Oliver didn’t really like playing guitar or being on stage. He liked to play in his room where it was quiet and no one was watching him. Dess noticed that her son was now as white as a sheet and she quickly moved to stand beside him. Oliver smirked, his father’s smirk, as Dess grabbed him around the shoulders and faced the group.

“I don’t know…how do you feel about it Oli?” Dess asked and Oliver only smiled as he looked at his father. Andy and Oliver had never gotten too close-Oli was his mother’s son through and through, but Andy had been okay with it. Now they were sharing a look-Andy wanted Oliver on that stage with him…he wanted to play a rock show with his son just one time.

“I-I’ll do it.” Oliver said, his low voice thick with hesitation and Dess felt slightly angry. She knew that this is what Andy had wanted all along-as soon as Jake had gotten hurt Andy had gotten this plan in to his head.

“Fantastic!” Kit shouted over the group-Cammy, Edmund and Henry were all still protesting loudly. It didn’t matter-Oliver was already being handed one of Jake’s guitars and the kid was running his fingers up and down the fret board carefully.

“Andy…” Dess hissed as she moved to stand beside her husband. Andy said nothing, his blue eyes trained on Oliver as he watched the boy go over a few chord for the songs they would be playing. This is what they needed-father and son…it had to happen.

“You heard him Dess…he said he’ll be okay.” Andy said, but as he looked towards the kid he could see that Oli looked more than nervous. Quickly Andy moved away from his fuming wife and his arm was wrapped around Oliver’s shoulders and the two of them were walking off.


Andy had always hoped that he would have a son to share the stage with at some point, but sadly it seemed like Cammy was going to be the rocker of the family. Oliver, with his red hair and green eyes, was gentle and quiet like his mother, but he had his father’s sense of humor and build, which made Andy somewhat happy. As they walked off to a quiet spot, Andy moved to stand in front of his son and noticed that Oliver was almost taller than him. They locked eyes and Andy noticed that Oliver’s held two things-fear and tears.


“You don’t have to do this Oli…Henry can play the songs almost as well.” Andy said softly, his hands resting on Oliver’s arms and the kid just bit down on his lower lip. He was wearing a black tank top and black skinny jeans, which made him look a lot like his father in his younger years.

“I know-I just don’t want to disappoint you.” Oliver said, his tone guarded and Andy felt like shit. He had put so much pressure on his son to be the best he could be, that he had completely missed knowing who his own kid was. Oliver wasn’t a rockstar-he was an artist and he would always be one.

“Look Oliver-you will never disappoint me. You are my son and while I was hoping you would take after me and want to be in a band-you are like someone so much better than me.” Andy said and Oliver was looking at him, confusion behind his moss green eyes.

“Who’s that?” He asked and Andy only laughed as he looked off in the distance and spotted his wife.

“Your mother. The two of you are two peas in a pod and I love you both… I love her more than anything.” Andy said and he smiled as Dess looked towards him and stuck her tongue out. It was almost time for them to get going and Andy knew they needed to get back over to the side of the stage.

“But what if I fuck it up?” Oliver asked and Andy only smirked as he tossed a tattooed arm around Oli’s shoulders and the two of them walked over to join the other guys.

“You might and that’s okay-we’ve fucked up sets plenty of times.” Andy said as the two of them came to a stop and the crowd began to chant. Andy loved the few minutes before getting on that stage-there was nothing like it in the world.

“Thanks dad…” Oliver said as he grabbed a pic and they both turned towards the stage and watched CC job out towards his drums.

“For what?” Andy asked as he stretched his arms over his head and looked towards his son.

“For believing in me…” Oliver said and Andy only smiled as he pulled Oliver in for a hug and then he looked out over the crowd. There was nothing like this-nothing in the world and Andy was only happy that he had another day to do what he loved most in life…and to be able to share it with his only son.


The crowd screamed when they saw the drummer and Andy only smiled as Jinxx and Ashley made their way to the stage. Usually Jake and Jinxx ran out together, but as the crowd roared and CC kicked the bass drum and Jinxx gave a few licks to the guitar, Andy only smiled and walked out with his son. They played a few songs and Andy ran around the stage-slower than he normally would as his knees had been bothering him all summer. The guys knew that this would be it for them-this was their last summer on Warped Tour and as there was a break in their playing, Andy smiled as he looked to the side of the stage.

Dess, Arabella and Cammy were all standing there-watching their boys run around on stage with pride in their light colored eyes. Andy looked towards where Oliver was standing and he felt his own pride swell in his heart. Oliver was playing a solo, his head bent down and his shaggy red hair was swaying back and forth. His son was a great musician, but that wasn’t his passion and that was okay with Andy. Aria would be a vet-she was already looking in to what colleges to go to so that could happen and Oliver would be an artist like his mother. The kid was already interning at DC, which was amazing as he was only fifteen but his mom was Odessa Montgomery-Batman extraordinaire.


“Thank you so fucking much Austin! We are the Black Veil Brides and we will see you sometime soon! This is our last song-it’s called In. The. End!” Andy shouted in to the mic and the crowd went crazy.


This song was always amazing to play for a crowd and Andy felt the tears come to his eyes as he wrapped an arm around Oli’s shoulder right as his son went into the best solo he had ever heard. This song-this band-this family…it meant everything to Andy and he was just happy that for one day he could share it with his son. Oliver would never be a rockstar-he would create art in different ways, but that was okay because they had today…they had this show.

That was all Andy needed…it was something he would remember for the rest of his life.

Notes

The kids are getting older and older...which means that this is almost over. I really wanted Andy to have moments with each kid at some point in these chapters and what better way than for him to connect with Oliver through music.

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