We're Setting Worlds On Fire

Lily looked around the corner of a huge amp and scanned her eyes out over the crowd. There were a lot of people here tonight and even though the guys weren’t the headlining act, Lily noticed a lot of kids had shown up in War Paint. The Army. She had missed these kids and Lily felt sad as she thought back to her time in Heaven. She had watched over the guys while she was up there, but she had also kept an eye on some of the Army members as well.

She saw their pain-she saw them cry at home or in the school bathroom, she saw them run away from their problems and then she watched as they took their hate for the world out on their own skin. The only saving grace for these kids was the demo that Black Veil Brides had put out and then finally a month ago the full length album. Lily saw the kids play their music over and over again and she knew that Andy had made a difference.

She smiled softly as she heard the guys warming up behind her and Lily knew that she had work to do. She closed her eyes, rubbing her hands together quickly until she felt a heat pass over her skin. Opening her eyes and focusing, Lily held one hand up to her mouth and blew out quickly. There was a light red mist coming from her palm as she blew and Lily watched as it headed out towards the crowd. It seemed to settle and a smirk graced her lips as Lily watched on.

The crowd had been calm before, but now they were all raising their fists in a chant for Black Veil Brides-even the people that hadn’t been there to see the guys. It wasn’t the best way to get things done-Gabriel would call it cheating-but dammit Andy and the rest of the guys needed the boost on stage. This was their last show on this tour and it needed to count for something.


“Wow that is one pumped crowd tonight…” Someone mused from behind her and Lily only smirked, proud of herself, as she turned around. Jake was standing behind her, his hair teased to the sky and his eyes were covered in black paint just like the rest of his body.

“Yeah-hopefully it lasts through your whole set.” Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned from the guitarist and looked back out over the crowd.

“You’re going to watch us tonight right?” He asked and Lily only groaned lowly and closed her eyes. She hadn’t planned on it-she needed Andy to focus on the crowd and she knew he wouldn’t do that if he knew she was standing mere feet away from him.

“No. I need you to distract him on stage. I have to be out in the crowd…” Lily said as she turned to face Jake. He looked sad standing there and suddenly Lily felt her heart break. She didn’t want it to be this way, but it had to be…these guys couldn’t see her as their friend anymore.

“Lily you know if you aren’t on the side of this stage there is nothing I’m going to be able to do to keep him from noticing.” The guitarist said and Lily knew he was right. Andy was watching them now, she could see his bright blue eyes staring at her from over Jake’s shoulder and Lily sighed.

“I know, but I need you to try. I have to be out in the crowd tonight Jake…there are things that need to be done.” Lily said and Jake only gave her a strange look. She felt bad because she knew that the guys were confused about a lot of things-mainly her reappearing after being dead for seven months. Things would be explained later on that night, but right now she just needed them to focus.

“Promise me Jake…” Lily pushed and she watched as his brown eyes looked down at her and she could see everything in those eyes. He had seen Andy fall apart, he had seen what her death had done to them all and there was no denying that Jake had mourned her death almost as hard as Andy had.

“Lily I-“ Jake stopped talking as the house lights went down and the crowd roared to life. ‘Black Veil Brides! Black Veil Brides!’-they chanted over and over again and Lily knew that was her cue to get out there.

“Promise me!” She shouted over her shoulder at him and Jake only nodded his head sadly as he watched her retreating back.


Lily wove in and out of the crowd-it was a packed house tonight and that made her smile. The room was small and filled with sweaty kids and their parents, but it was something that Lily had missed. She walked silently over towards the bar where she noticed that a group of guys were standing with their backs against the edge of the bar.

The group looked less then enthused about the coming show and Lily groaned internally as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and stood a few steps away from the nearest Neanderthal. She had seen guys like this before-she had taken two of them out back when the guys were in Georgia and they had beat the shit out of Andy. These guys weren’t here for a show-they were here to make things worse.

Smirking, Lily moved closer to the guy nearest her and she bumped in to him softly. She watched as his frown turned into a grin and he raised his hands in the air, horns held high. His buddies only looked at him strangely and Lily only smirked as the first guy clapped the second on the shoulder and he began to smirk just like his friend. It became a chain reaction and soon all four of them were chanting and cheering right along with the kids in the front row.

Lily crossed her arms over her chest as she moved away from the back of the room and headed out into the crowd. She touched people, bumping in to them ‘accidentally’ or she was shoved into them as the kids rushed the stage. Soon every single person in the room was calling out for the guys and Lily felt her heart soar.


“Wow what a fucking crowd tonight!” Andy called out as he walked up to the mic and took it out of the stand. Lily stood on her tip toes and smiled as she saw that all of the guys had made it on to the stage. Andy didn’t seem to be fazed by her absence, which made Lily’s job that much easier.

“I know man! How’s everyone doing out there?!” Ashley called out to the crowd from his own mic. Lily had to fight back her grimace as the bassist addressed the crowd. She was tempted-so tempted-to make him fall flat on his face up there on that stage, but then everything that she had just done would be for nothing.

“Well we are the Black Veil Brides and we are here to play some fantastic music for you guys!” Andy said and Lily couldn’t help but smile as she watched him move around on stage. The guys broke out into All Your Hate and Lily watched as the kids around her sang along.


It was hard not to watch Andy up on that stage-he was such a natural and Lily found herself singing along as she walked through the crowd. Anyone who wasn’t singing along Lily made sure to tap them on the shoulder or bump into their side. She needed the entire room to be chanting along because Lily knew that it would boost the morale of the band in way that she never could. They needed this night-they needed to refocus their minds on what was important-the fans.

Lily turned around, she had been facing away from the stage, and her eyes caught Andy’s for a second. His blue eyes looked so happy as he looked out over the crowd and Lily couldn’t help but laugh as he fell to his back on the stage and writhed around to Jake’s solo. Andy Sixx was in full force up there on that stage and Lily knew it was because she was around.

If she had never have died-who knew what things would be like at this point? The guys would be more focused, fans wouldn’t have died and Satan wouldn’t have the Army that he had at this moment. There again Andy never would have written Beautiful Remains or Heaven’s Calling-which had proved to be very good songs and Lily knew they had been written out of pain. She felt the tears come to her eyes and Lily quickly sniffed them away as she moved through the crowd.

The guys moved from song to song and she knew that they were coming to the end of their set. Everything had gone smoothly-no one had called out to them, shouted out saying that they sucked and Lily knew that that was keeping Andy focused more on the music. With the last song finally upon them, Lily knew that she would have to make her way to the stage. As soon as he walked off that stage, Lily was going to grab Andy and drag him outside-he needed to get outside.


“Alright guys this is our last song and I think we’re going to play a song off of the record that we haven’t played live in a while. This song goes out to a girl who I thought had left my life for good, but she’s back and I just want her to remember what we had…this is The Mortician’s Daughter…” Andy said and Lily felt her blood freeze in her veins as she looked up to the stage. Andy was sitting on a stool, the mic gripped in his trembling hands as Jake stood next to him, an acoustic guitar in his hands.


I open my lungs dear
I sing this song at funerals... no rush.
These lyrics heard a thousand times, just plush.
A baby boy you've held so tightly,
This pain it visits almost nightly
Missing hotel beds, I feel your touch.


Lily closed her eyes as she stood there, having finally made her way to the edge of stage just as the song began. She couldn’t look at him-she knew Andy was probably looking over his shoulder at her in that moment and Lily couldn’t connect with his eyes. She felt herself shaking as she stood there listening to him sing that song…her song. She had hummed that song in the first few days of arriving in Heaven as it had been a comfort to her in her darkest hours.

She missed Andy in those first days-she had missed him every day for over two hundred years, but Gabriel soon showed her that missing someone was a weakness. She had shut Andy out after that-she still watched over him, but it was only to see that he was completing his destiny. Lily opened her eyes as Jake struck the last chord and she felt her heart stop. Andy was looking at her with love in his eyes and she knew that this was going to be harder than she thought.


“Thank you guys so much for coming out! We are the Black Veil Brides and you can get our new record at our merch table or buy it on iTunes! Good night!” Andy said into the mic and Lily watched as he placed the mic back in its stand. Andy then reached out and took some of the hands of the girls in the front row, smiling down at them quickly before leaving the stage.

“Party time!” Ashley laughed as he walked past her and Lily fought the desire within her to bring her foot out and trip the bassist. She sighed as Lily watched Andy leave the stage, holding up his hands into a heart before coming straight for her. He was going to hug her and Lily would just have to let him.

“That was amazing!” He said, his smile wide as Andy ran to her, wrapping his sweaty arms around her middle and instinctively Lily placed her hands on the back of his neck. Their eyes connected as Andy lifted her up but then quickly put her back down.

“Yeah…yeah it was…” Lily said awkwardly as she pulled her shirt down and then crossed one arm over her chest and looked down at her boots. Andy cleared his throat as the two of them just stood there silently.

“Party time man!” Ashley said from behind her and Lily watched as Andy looked up, his smile hesitant as Ashley came over to him and tossed an arm around his bare shoulders. The singer looked to her, his eyes pleading and Lily knew-Andy didn’t want to party anymore…he didn’t want to be that guy anymore.

“Actually Ash-Andy and I were going to go outside and meet some fans. Anyone else want to come?” Lily said quickly, looking around at the others. CC only shook his head-he had already gotten himself a beer and was sipping on it slowly. Jake and Jinxx were both busy talking to two girls that had somehow gotten backstage.

“Looks like it’s just you and me…” Andy said, that stupid grin on his face as he grabbed for her hand and led Lily away from the stage.


Oh goody…this was going to be fun…and incredibly awkward.

Notes

Sorry my updates are so sporadic-I haven't had as much time to work as I thought I would due to the holiday being so crazy. But! Today is the last day for that and I hope to get back to work for you guys because there is a lot of amazing things coming up! I will see you guys next year and lets make it a good one!

Review <3

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