Together Burning Bright

The chill wind whipped around a pair of frail shoulders, stooped with age and covered with an ancient leather jacket that refused to be thrown away. A pair of crystal blue eyes, clear and bright even with old age, looked down on a headstone that stood tall among all of the others. It was light pink, the words standing out against the rough background and yet the only thing those eyes could focus on was the name. A name his lips had said over and over again, time after time for over seventy years and yet he hadn’t spoken that name in over a year. This beloved person had been gone a year…it was now fall and although it was cold, the old man refused to leave, even though his eldest daughter was still begging him.

No, he needed more time and as Andy looked down at his wife, he read over her stone again and again, hoping that the words would change.


Odessa Annemarie Biersack
Born February 14th 1990-Died July 13th 2080
Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Friend
Forever in our hearts you will not be forgotten
And In The End…we will remember the story of your life


Those words, he had written them so long ago and yet they were fresh in his mind as Andy looked down and smiled through his tears. Odessa had died one day before the anniversary of the day that they met and Andy always found it ironic. What was she doing now? Was she in Heaven? Was she up there, looking down on him and calling him an old fool like she always did when he frustrated her? Did she miss him? Andy sighed, his wrinkled cheeks covered in wet tears and suddenly Andy felt a hand on his shoulder. Aria, old herself and growing tired of the cold, had begun to lead him back towards her car-it was time to go home.

Andy watched as the trees passed while they drove out of the cemetery-the gold, red and orange colors had always been Dess’ favorite part of the year and Andy knew that their wedding anniversary was coming up. What would he do? The same thing he did last year? Make dinner for himself, sit around the kitchen table-a kitchen table that would outlive them all-and look through the dozens of photo albums that Dess had kept organized and on hand. He would start with the oldest one-the one that showed Dess as a young girl, but his wife had also made it equal as there were pictures of a young Andy in there as well. So many faces-so many memories-graced those pages. The band in their younger days, the kids as they grew and figured out who they wanted to be. Wedding photos, vacation photos…even photos of old pets long gone.

They would all be in there and Andy knew he could go back to those photos, even in his greatest time of need.


“Dad? Dad are you sure you don’t want me to stay over?” Arabella was speaking to him and as Andy turned to face his daughter, he realized that they were sitting in his driveway. This driveway-he had taught the kids how to ride their bikes on this driveway and it had been this driveway that they would sit out on, waiting for him to come home from tour.

“I’ll be fine Bells. I’m old, but I’m not helpless. Lunch tomorrow?” Andy said turning to face his eldest daughter-his first born. He could remember holding her for the first time, seeing those eyes looking at him and Andy knew then that he had fallen in love with the most perfect thing ever. Arabella had been his partner in crime-they were both so alike that sometimes it drove Dess nuts, but they had remained close over the years.

“Sure dad. Don’t forget you have your doctor’s appointment tomorrow-I’ll pick you up and then we’ll have lunch.” Aria reminded her father as she shut off the car and got out to help the old man to the front door. Her father was walking slower and slower these days-his knees were so gnarled with arthritis that it was a wonder he still moved around at all.

“I told you I don’t need to go see any damn doctor. I’m fine-the old ticker is ticking away just fine.” Andy grumbled as Aria helped him up the steps and only smirked to herself. Her father had been having heart problems ever since mom died and the kids all knew their father was suffering from something that no professional could fix-a broken heart.

“Yeah well tell that to Dr. Levi tomorrow when you see him. Goodnight dad-I’ll pick you up tomorrow around ten. I love you.” Arabella said as she unlocked the front door and bent down to give her father a kiss on his wrinkled cheek. The old man placed a hand on her shoulder and as Aria looked down, she felt her heart stop. He looked so sad…so alone and they all knew their father just wasn’t the same without their mother around.

“I will. Listen Arabella-I love you…always have, always will. Remember that okay?” He said, his voice low and Aria only smiled as she hugged her father, kissed his cheek and began to head down to her car.

“I love you too dad-see you tomorrow!” She called to him before getting in to her car and Andy only smiled as he stood on his front porch and waved his daughter down the long driveway.


Andy moved around the house quietly for the rest of the evening and as he made himself a cup of tea, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and moved to sit out on the porch, he felt something stir within his heart. He was lonely, but he knew deep down that he was never alone-Dess was always with him. She was in the trees that lined their yard, she was in the clouds that were painted a light orange as the sun set behind them and most of all…she was in his heart. Andy sat out there for a few hours, sipping his tea and listening to the wind as it swept through the trees and made the leaves dance. Finally it was time for bed and as he shut all of the lights off and headed upstairs, Andy got a feeling in his gut. All of this seemed like a ritual-he did it every night and he would continue to do it until his time was up.

Laying in that bed that he once shared with his wife, Andy couldn’t keep his tears from falling down his cheeks. He had lost everything in life-everyone except for his children-and yet he felt like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world. He’d had the most beautiful, kind and loving wife anyone could ever ask for and they had been lucky to have lived together for as long as they did. Andy had watched his friends die, along with their wives and thankfully he hadn’t had to see any of the kids pass. Everyone would be reunited together one day, but until then Andy was going to be thankful for what he had-now and in the past.

As Andy drifted off, his blue eyes closing to the world, he sighed deeply and smiled. He could feel himself rising slowly, and as he opened his eyes Andy realized that he was no longer in his room-or in his house. The bright light in front of him was making his eyes hurt and as Andy looked around at himself, he noticed that his arms and legs no longer ached-his skin was no longer wrinkled and he wasn’t in his pajamas any longer. His legs, young and spry once again, were covered in a pair of skinny jeans that he hadn’t been able to fit into in a very long time and his chest was covered in a white v-neck shirt and a leather vest. His hair had grown longer and Andy smirked-his lip ring was back in his lip and as he finally came to a stop at a pair of golden gates, Andy felt his heart stop.

There was someone waiting for him at those gates…a someone who he had never thought he would ever see again.

Her blonde hair was down in her face, those bangs hanging over one gorgeous moss green eye. Her skin-that pale skin that Andy loved to touch-was smooth and dotted with bright tattoos. Her legs were slightly tan and her shorts were short, black and ragged at the bottom. She had on a teal tank top and Andy finally noticed that her feet were clad in those boots that she had always loved and cried over when she finally had to throw them away. She was standing there, smiling at him and Andy felt his breath catch in his throat as he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around the one person in his entire life who had always been there for him.
Odessa.


“Wha-what is going on?” Andy said and he jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice. It was deep, but no longer frog like from years of smoking. He looked around and noticed that Dess was looking up at him with tears in her eyes and suddenly everything seemed to change. The gates disappeared as they walked forward and suddenly Andy realized where they were-Warped Tour, Summer 2011.

“You’re in Heaven…with me.” Dess was smiling at him, her pierced lips pulled into a light smirk and Andy said nothing as he did the one thing he had been longing to do for over a year. He smirked and then pressed his lips against hers. They were young again and Andy felt a calm and peace wash over him as they stood there and reunited.

“Does that mean?” Andy stopped as Dess only nodded, her arms still wrapped around his neck, but for some reason Andy didn’t feel sad. Arabella, Oliver and Camellia knew that his time was coming-he had been ninety and ready to leave his world without Dess.

“It does, but there are people here waiting for you…come on babe!” Dess laughed as she reached down and put his hand in to hers. Their wedding rings rubbed together and Andy only smiled softly. They had been taken back to that first summer, but nothing had changed. They had still gotten married and he was glad to realize that he could remember that wonderful day with full clarity.


They walked through the crowd filled with kids and as Andy looked around he couldn’t help but smile. There were small stages set up, dotting the wooded area and he noticed that some of his favorite bands were playing-they were doing what they loved to do. AFI, Alkaline Trio, The Damned and a few others waved to him as he passed and Andy was completely lost in this world. This is what Heaven was like-one big, forever lasting festival where he and his best friends could do what they loved. Finally Dess came to a stop and Andy noticed that there was one girl standing in front of them and he felt his mouth drop open.

It was like she had never left them-her black hair was teased heavily, her moss green eyes lined with black and she was wearing her favorite Black Veil Brides t-shirt. Her pale skin was no longer hanging loosely on her bones and this girl standing in front of him looked healthy-happy. It had been so long since he had seen her and as Moira ran towards him and hugged Andy around the middle, he couldn’t help but feel the tears come to his eyes. He had missed her and Andy wasn’t sure if he would ever see Moira again.


“I told you Heaven was awesome…” She said softly as she looked up and him and Andy only smirked as he looked around. It was awesome-he was young again and he was with the woman that he had always loved. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

“You did. Want to show me around?” Andy asked and Moira only smirked as she moved away from her idol and looked towards her older sister. They had been reunited for over a year and while Dess had had a hard time at first, she finally seemed to be getting used to things. Then word got around that Andy’s time was almost up and Dess broke down-happy but sad all the same.

“Of course!” Moira laughed and then they were off. Andy had a hard time keeping his eyes in one spot-there was so much to look at. He saw Kevin-the originator of Warped Tour-and waved at his old friend as they passed. Kids who were walking past seemed to be having the time of their lives and suddenly they came to a stop and Andy looked before him.


There was a large group standing around-four guys and four girls-all young and laughing at whatever they were talking about. Andy felt his jaw drop and suddenly Dess was at his side, her arms around his waist as they approached the group. The first person Andy recognized was Kit-with her fire red hair and loud laugh-and she just so happened to be standing beside Ashley, young again and shirtless like he always was. CC was talking to Jinxx, monster and drumsticks in hand and Andy felt tears come to his eyes as he looked towards his best friends…his fallen brothers. Jake, Ella, Melissa and Christy were all laughing about something, but the laughter died down as they all noticed who was standing in front of them.

Dess left Andy’s side and he watched as she ran towards Kit and the two girls embraced. Kit had been here a while and Andy could feel his tears coming back as he watched the two girls hug one another. It had been hard on Dess when she had lost her best friend-almost as hard as losing Moira, but here they were…all reunited together. He said nothing as Andy just walked towards the group and then he noticed that they were all smiling. A soft chanting could be heard coming from behind the group and as Andy got closer he could finally make out what they were saying. ‘Black Veil Brides! Black Veil Brides’ over and over again and Andy suddenly realized as the group enveloped him in a huge hug that he would get to do what he loved once again.


“We missed you man!” CC said finally and as they all pulled away from one another Andy realized that he had missed these guys more than he thought. He had missed playing with them-they had been off of the stage for a long time-but most of all he had just missed being around his four best friends.

“I missed you guys too-this is fucking crazy!” Andy said and they all laughed as they headed off towards the large stage that had quite a crowd standing in front of it. Could he do this? It had been thirty years since he had been on a stage-did he still remember how to get up there?

“You ready to get up there man? These kids have been waiting for us for a long time…we’ve been waiting for you for a long time…” Ashley said as he tossed a tattooed arm around Andy’s shoulders and the singer only smiled and reached towards Dess.


He was sad to have left everyone behind-Aria, Oliver and Cam were probably devastated-but as they got closer to the stage and Andy looked down in to Odessa’s eyes, he couldn’t help but smirk. Things had come to an end, but thankfully he had made it to a place where they could begin again. As he heard the chanting and saw the kids raising their fists in the air, Andy felt at peace once again. He had been lost, found, lost again and now he was where he belonged. As the guys all got their gear on, Andy just stood there on the side of the stage and looked down at the one person who had always been there for him and Dess only smiled back up at him before she kissed his lips.


“I love you Andy…” She said and as Andy looked from her, out towards the crowd and then back down, he knew that he had always been meant to love this girl.

“I love you too…more than I could ever scream…” He kissed her once more before running out on to the stage.


They had spent so many years setting the world on fire, but now Black Veil Brides had a new audience, a new life, but most of all they had one another…Andy had Odessa back and together they would continue to burn…always.

Notes

I couldn't leave Andy all sad like that : )

So this story is finished, but if you're still craving more storied involving Odessa and the gang then please check out my songfic collection-Sing And Celebrate Your Life-which can be found under my profile.

Also stay subscribed to this story as I will be posting bios for all of the kids, along with pictures that inspired their looks. First up-The Biersack Kids!