Together Burning Bright

Andy smirked as he looked around the back stage area and noticed that he knew practically everyone around him. It was a big night-for Camellia, Molly, Elizabeth, Potter and Pierce. They had come together as a band over three years before and Andy had watched them learn, grow and develop as people and as a band. His own daughter, lead singer and acoustic guitar, was pacing around-her platinum blonde hair sticking up in odd places- and Andy only smirked as he watched his baby girl revel in her nervous energy. The band-Hollywood Rebels-had worked hard for three years and finally it had paid off. They were a signed band with Interscope Records and none of them had dropped names to get that contract.

Andy still couldn’t believe that these five kids-all of whom he had watched grow up through the years-had gotten to a place that he himself had always wanted to be. Cam had told him from an incredibly early age what she wanted to do and it always made him proud because she wanted to be him. Andy caught site of Pierce-lead guitarist and Cams boyfriend-and he smirked at the younger kid. He looked just like Ashley, but had Kit’s feisty attitude that made him and Cammy the perfect couple. The guitarist was currently tuning the instrument slung over one shoulder and Andy scanned the room to check everyone else out.

Molly, one of the twins and the rhythm guitarist, was sitting on a stool, chewing down on one of her pink painted nails. Molly looked just like Kit-red hair, pale skin, but her bright green eyes were almond shaped like Ashley’s. Her twin sister and bassist Elizabeth was over in another corner, flirting with one of the merch girls that had gotten back stage. Finally Andy spotted their drummer, Potter, and the kid, like his father, was a ball of energy and probably didn’t need the Monster in his hands. It was a strange grouping of kids-girls and boys mixed, but it worked. Andy had been worried when the three Purdy siblings, Cammy and Potter Coma had come to him saying they wanted to start a band, but Andy felt it in his gut that this could work.

The Purdy kids, who lived right down the road and were over constantly, had Potter staying with them and soon enough the five misfits were practicing in Andy’s home studio. They had started off with BVB covers, then moving on to older stuff like Motley, Metallica and AFI. Andy had left them alone-he and the guys were taking a much needed year off at the time and Andy was trying to get into a clothing line of his own. Pretty soon the kids were playing local shows under the name of Hollywood Rebels and all of them had taken their mother’s maiden names to get by. They didn’t want to be handed things just because of who their father’s were-they wanted to earn their success which Andy could appreciate.

Cammy was still pacing back and forth, her skinny leather pants shining in the dim lighting and Andy knew why she was nervous. This was their big night-they had signed the contract for their record deal this morning and now they were playing a small show in front of record execs, publishers, and a few others. Andy knew Dess was around here somewhere-probably with Kit at the merch table to try and peddle as much Hollywood Rebels merch as possible. Suddenly someone was at his side and Andy smirked as he looked to his left and caught eyes with his best friend and pro-father in crime.


“This is really crazy man…did you ever think they would get this far?” Ashley asked as he sipped the beer in his hands and Andy only smirked and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. He was still keeping it kind of long in the front, but he had stopped dying it over a year ago-almost fifty and it was time to put the dye to rest.

“I never really did. I knew Cam was determined and I figured she would find some way to be in music, but I never expected them to make it work as well as they have.” Andy said as he looked around and saw that his other daughter Aria, with her fiancé Brett, had finally arrived. He waved and the blonde smirked, but continued to talk to Henry, who was here with his wife Stephanie.

“I’m really proud of them though-those three kids have driven their mother and I crazy with the constant playing, practicing and arguments over who gets to play first after they get home from school.” Ashley laughed and Andy watched as the small group of teens finally seem to be coming together and he could hear Cam begin to get her vocal warm ups in. She had her mother’s voice, but his delivery and Andy watched in awe as his daughter went up and down in the scales.

“I know-we knew with Aria that the house was going to be loud, but thankfully she stuck with piano which was pretty quiet unless she got pissed and started pounding on the keys. Oli tinkered between drums and guitar, but guitar won out in the end. Cam just did everything-I think if she could be in a one woman band she would be…she even shocks me sometimes.” Andy said and he and Ashley only smirked at one another. The kids were all heading to the stage-all of them but Camellia.


Andy watched as Ashley walked off to stand with CC, Jake and Jinxx-all of whom had shown up with the other kids in support of the band. It was amazing the huge family that these kids had all grown up with-Andy had always been a loner as a kid and he had worried that his own kids-especially Aria-would go down the same path. Nope-they all were incredibly close and a few of them were together in ways other than just being buddies. Camellia and Pierce, Margaret and Edmund-who were recently engaged, and Andy had noticed that Potter and Molly were getting closer and closer these days.

Now Cam was standing off by herself, her hands over her ears and her blue eyes were closed.

Andy walked slowly, taking his daughter in and he felt his breath catch in his throat-she looked so much like Moira standing there. The tight pants, ripped Black Veil Brides shirt that was showing off her stomach-Andy wasn’t too sure about that-the spider bites on the left side of her lip and her gauged ears…she looked spookily like Moira. Essentially Cammy was just like her aunt-she loved music with a passion and got overly invested in things. Sadly Cam had also suffered with her health and they had all been thankful that her bout of cancer had ended quickly and without tragedy.

That was probably why Cammy was so precious to Andy-she was his everything. For a long time it had been him and Aria-partners in crime, but his eldest had grown up and hanging out with dad had gotten boring by the age of sixteen. Not Cam though-she had loved being with him and the guys in the studio even from a young age and they had always been able to bond over music. Aria liked music, but the older girl was more interested in driving to the nearby Horse farm or vet clinic to work for a summer. Cam always wanted to be around music and she had always wanted to learn as much as she could about the vast subject. Silently Andy closed the space between the young girl and himself and he noticed that Cam had her eyes open and she looked scared to death.


“You doing okay baby girl?” Andy asked as he approached and Cammy only smiled, her pierced lips curling into that smirk that she had gotten from him.

“I’m okay dad…just kind of nervous.” She said, brushing her long pink bangs out of her face and Andy was suddenly reminded of Odessa and the first time he had laid eyes on her. Blonde hair-pink tips and he felt breathless just thinking about it.

“Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?” Andy said as he rubbed a tattooed hand across the back of her naked shoulders. Cam sighed-of course her father didn’t think there was anything to be nervous about…he had done this thousands of times.

“Well there’s just so many important people out there and what if I disappoint them. What if I choke?” She said sadly and Andy only smiled as he kissed his daughter on her temple and led her over to a quiet corner. They only had a few moments before she needed to get on stage, but Andy knew that they needed this time together.

Musician to Musician.

“And? You, Molly, Lizzy, Potter and Pierce have all been working towards this for almost your entire lives. I still remember the look on your face that Christmas when we got you your own guitar for the first time.” Andy smiled as he leaned up against the wall, his long legs spread out in front of him. Andy looked over towards Cam and smiled-she held the exact same stance as him. All of their kids were tall like him, Oli being the tallest with Cammy right behind him.

“And I’m nervous! Come on dad…you’ve been doing this so long you probably don’t even remember what it feels like to be nervous before getting on stage.” She said and Andy only nodded. She was right-it had been a long time, but that didn’t mean anything.

“I still get nervous sometimes, but you are right-I’m old enough not to get nervous anymore. What are you really scared about?” He asked and Cammy only smirked as she looked off towards her bandmates. Pierce was standing there, joking around with Potter and Cam felt her heart grow light. She loved that boy…she probably always had.

“They’ve worked so hard… I can’t even imagine what would happen if I disappointed them.” Cam said and Andy followed her gaze.


She had been staring right at the other four members and now Andy understood-it wasn’t about the people in the audience, or her mother or even him…Cam was scared of letting her bandmates down. Now this was something that Andy could identify with-in his early years he had been petrified of letting Ash, CC, Jinxx and Jake down and thankfully the guys had always been patient with him and understood where he was coming from. Andy had a vision for his band and it was a vision that not a lot of people understood, but those four guys had gotten it. Andy had gone through a lot of band members to get to where he was and there were even times when he and the guys questioned if they could make it work. But they had and they had a great career to prove what hard work could really do.


“Camellia Amy Biersack-you are my daughter and I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed in you…I am incredibly proud of you. You have a dream and you made that dream come true…without my help or my last name.” Andy was teasing her now and Cam only smirked. She wasn’t ashamed of her last name, but Cammy and the other members knew that their last names were powerful and they wanted to be known for their talent…not their names.

“Were you ever nervous? In the early days before mom came along?” Cam asked and Andy only smirked. There probably had been a time when he had been nervous, but one time in particular was sticking out in his mind. His hair had been longer and he had just lost one of the most important people in his life.

“I have-many times, but there is one time. It was before Wretched and Divine came out, but we were playing some songs from it at shows. The first time I ever sung In The End in front of a crowd I was so nervous I almost puked all over your mother.” Andy admitted and Cam only smirked. She remembered that album-her mother listened to it a lot when she cleaned the house and In The End was always played on July 15th-her Aunt Moira’s birthday.

“What did you do?” Cam asked and Andy only smiled and wrapped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders. They walked towards the stage, where the rest of the band was waiting and the crowd was beginning to grow restless.

“I went out there and sang! Sometimes Cam you have to swallow your fear and just do it…you’ll regret it if you don’t.” Andy said and his daughter only smiled as she looked over her father’s shoulder and noticed that her mother had come back stage. She loved her mother-her biggest supporter right behind her father.

“I think I’m ready for this…wish me luck.” Cam said as she wrapped her tattooed arms around his neck and Andy hugged his daughter tightly. He watched as the band of teens ran out on stage and he moved closer to stand near the stage entrance.


Camellia was running around on stage, her combat boots helping her keep balance and Andy couldn’t help but feel his spirit soar. She was his daughter and in that moment he couldn’t be more proud of her. Cam had accomplished her dreams-all of his children had and now as Andy felt his wife sidle up to him and kiss his neck he knew that he only had more to look forward to in life.


He had Odessa and that was all he would ever need.

Notes

The littlest Biersack is all grown up! *cries* Nooooooo...it's ending...all of it will soon come to an end.

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