A/N: Yes, I know this chapter's short, but I wanted it to be mostly in Ash's POV. That, and what better way to end it than with the dream Andy has? Hehehe...
~Cyn


When the Buried Alive Tour that they joined Hollywood Undead and Asking Alexandria in supporting Avenged Sevenfold on ended in mid-to-late December, Ash was happier than a pig in shit. He was now thirty-two weeks pregnant, and was ready to go home for a while. He was showing slightly more than he had at the beginning of their tours back in October, but not enough to clue anybody who didn’t already know into his pregnancy. Everybody just thought he was putting on a little weight from not taking care of himself properly.

Thankfully, his baby girl had gained enough weight to pull her down slightly, which also added to how much he was showing. She wasn’t quite stuck up under his ribs anymore, meaning that he took more kicks to his bladder than the bones protecting his heart and lungs. She was still a fairly active little rascal, often keeping him up when he just wanted to sleep, but that was nothing.

Finally back home at the house he’d bought over the summer, Ash started getting settled in for the first time in a couple months. Tokyo and Killer were glad to see him, Sammi, and Jinxx, who were going to be living with him until the baby’s arrival. He felt bad that he couldn’t bend down and pick them up like he used to, but Jinxx was nice enough to pick them up and hand them to him. Another thing to be thankful for was that they’d grasped the concept of Daddy not wanting his belly touched, so they didn’t try to pounce on him when they jumped up on the couch beside him.

“So what are we gonna do about the few shows in Central and South America we were asked to play?” Jinxx asked as they settled down in the den.

“You heard what Rebecca said back in September,” he told him. “I can’t fly overseas till after the baby’s born.”

“So Andy’s gonna have to play bass again.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Mmm hmm. He kinda has to since he’s the only other bassist in the band, and I can’t go,” Ash answered, nodding sadly.

“So how are we gonna keep your pregnancy a secret from him now?” the multi-instrumentalist asked.

“I was thinking that, since he’ll likely be stuck up Juliet’s ass the entire time you guys are home, we tell him at the very last minute that I came down with the flu or something,” he answered. “I mean, it’s only a little over a week. The flu tends to stick around for two or three at the worst, so it wouldn’t seem that unlikely, especially with it being cold and flu season.”

“That’ll probably work,” Sammi agreed, nodding. “And even if he were to see you between now and then, it wouldn’t matter. He’s seen you the past two months and still hasn’t figured it out.”

“And I’m showing more now than I was then,” the bassist agreed.

“So the nursery’s finished, and the midwife is gonna start making house calls, now that you’re home again, right?” Jinxx asked.

“Exactly. I told Rebecca that I wanted a home birth, so the midwife’s the best choice for that,” he answered. “That, and it’ll keep the press from catching wind of my pregnancy since I won’t have to leave the house quite as much.”

“And I’m still gonna be here with you when the guys leave, so don’t think I won’t call Erica or Rebecca, if I have to,” the wild child said.

“That’s a relief to know, Sam,” Ash chuckled.

It wasn’t long before they all decided to head off to bed since it was late and they were tired from the long, arduous drive back from Ontario, which was about ten or fifteen miles Northeast of Riverside. The bassist was the most tired since his pregnancy took so much out of him, even on a lazy day, so he was really ready to get to bed. He was so tired at that moment that he doubted even his unborn daughter kicking and squirming could keep him awake for long.

After getting ready for bed, he collapsed into the California-king that dominated the master bedroom, sighing as the memory foam-covered-Sleep Number cradled him like a cloud. He heard Jinxx and Sammi getting ready for bed just down the hall, Tokyo coming to join him while Killer went to sleep at the foot of the guest bed. He was actually surprised that his dog had chosen to sleep near Sammi, even more so when Jinxx didn’t try to kick him out of the room when they turned in for the night. He supposed it was a good thing, though, that his friends like his dogs, and vice versa.

Once snuggled under his covers and comfortable, despite his advanced pregnancy, Ash sighed again as he caressed his growing belly. The baby gently kicked at his hand, as if wishing him a good night’s sleep and sweet dreams, before she settled down within him. It wasn’t long after she settled down for the night and he got comfortable that he drifted into a deep, restful slumber.


Back in the heart of Hollywood, Andy was settling in for the night at his small, lonely apartment. He and Juliet had been fighting more often than not ever since he’d confronted her about whether she was just using him or not, so she wasn’t anywhere near him and hadn’t been in a while. Even if she had been, his thoughts were consumed by Ashley almost constantly, so he likely wouldn’t have paid attention to her.

He’d noticed something odd about his best friend, the man he loved wholeheartedly, on this last tour, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He’d also noticed how the rest of the guys, even CC, and Sammi barely spoke to him unless they had to. The depression he’d fought with all throughout his teens was coming back with a vengeance since he seemed to be losing everyone he’d once thought close to him. In fact, he’d had to find an old bottle of anti-depressants to help keep his mood upbeat and ward off the temptation of busting apart his razor so he’d have a blade.

The frontman constantly asked himself what, other than refusing to dump Juliet and tell Ashley how he felt, he’d done wrong to alienate them all. They were his best friends, his brothers, and to see them distancing themselves from him and taking the bassist’s side more often than not was killing him. It broke his heart to know that the love of his life wouldn’t speak to him, but his friends and bandmates, too?

Andy sighed sadly once again as he trudged around his bedroom, slowly getting himself ready for bed. He was tired after the drive back from Ontario coupled with the late hour from performing, and that was on top of the performance itself. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sleep because of the thoughts that consumed him, but he planned to try, nonetheless. He’d be an absolute monster, for sure, if he didn’t get any sleep, and he knew none of the guys would want to talk to him if he was like that, without a doubt. Sleep was a long time in coming after he crawled under his covers and got comfortable, but when it consumed him, he dreamt of a baby girl with his eyes and skin tone that looked exactly like Ashley.

Notes