February, 2011
Los Angeles, California


After many years of dreams and hope, Cincinnati’s biker gang, The Fallen Angels, had relocated to Los Angeles, California to chase down their dreams. The baby of the group, Andy Biersack, had finally graduated high school in the summer of 2010, about four months after his daughter’s first birthday. His bandmate, Jinxx, had finally popped the question to his girlfriend, Sammi, shortly after their son turned two years old in late June the same year. Now he was considering popping the question to the love of his life, who happened to be one of his bandmates and fellow songwriters.

He’d met Ashley Purdy the same day he’d met the rest of The Fallen Angels, his very first day at Taylor High School, and his life had changed drastically ever since. He’d never once believed in love-at-first-sight until he met that one person, and because of them, he’d changed his mind. Not only had he fallen in love, but he’d saved his sweetheart’s life…and admitted, if only to those close to him, that he was gay.

Most people say something like how cute they think his girlfriend is, or how she’s pretty tall for a woman, but they never seem to put two and two together and figure out that the Ashley Purdy he’s been dating since his sophomore year of high school and the Ashley Purdy who plays bass and sings backing vocals in his band are one and the same. Course, most of the time, his sweetheart dresses in drag and talks in falsetto when they go out in public for anything that has nothing to do with the band so they aren’t bombarded with questions, even in a city as liberal as LA. That, and they don’t want some nimrod trying to take their beloved daughter away because they think they’re unfit parents, due to their sexuality.

With a sigh, Andy looked at the picture of his family that he kept near the sound board in the recording studio they used when they weren’t on tour. It wasn’t one of those staged pictures where Ash was in drag; it was a real picture of them, taken the previous summer at a Fourth of July cook-out they’d had right before the release of their band’s debut album, We Stitch These Wounds. They were all so happy in that picture, and he couldn’t believe that they were still together.

“Hey, Andy. You ready to get outta here?”

He looked up to see his bandmate and brother, Jinxx, standing in the doorway. “Yeah, more than. Ash’s been home with Rori all day, and she’s sick, so he’s gotta be ready for a break.”

“You know Sammi wouldn’t mind watching her while we’re in the studio,” he told him, trying to pick up his pace since his legs were shorter.

“And you know that I don’t wanna burden her too much, what with her having Logan and being a deaf-mute, too,” he responded, shortening his strides for his friend.

“It beats you and Ash driving yourselves up the wall trying to raise Rori and keep this band afloat, too,” Jinxx told him.

“Considering that I know how to play bass, as well, I’m amazed he hasn’t just agreed to quit altogether and let me take over that role,” Andy mused. “I mean, he could be a graphic designer and work on his own fashion line from home, and we wouldn’t have to worry about dragging Rori on tour with us when we go, or finding a babysitter for when we’re on stage.”

“Yeah. I mean, he taught you quite a few tricks with a bass that you didn’t already know,” he agreed. “I’m still kinda ticked that you didn’t say anything about being able to play back in high school.”

“Hey, I had to have something to keep secret and let you guys find out later on.” He grinned.

“I guess that’s true enough.” He paused for a moment. “You get on home to your family, and I’ll do the same. I’m starting to wonder if Sammi’s pregnant again because she hasn’t been acting or feeling quite right lately.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus. We don’t need two baby Jinxxes running around,” he chuckled.

“Speak for yourself, Biersack,” he returned, elbowing him in the ribs. “I think it’s more like we don’t need two little Andies or Ashleys running around.”

“Get outta here, ya dork,” he laughed.

“See ya tomorrow, bro.”

Andy merely waved as the shorter man headed over to his car while he lit a cigarette. It was a habit he hadn’t been able to get rid of before moving from Ohio, and considering the amount of stress he was under at the moment, it was a wonder this pack had lasted him all day. Ash kept begging him to quit, not just because he smelled and tasted funny, but because he wanted him to live a long and healthy life, but he just couldn’t. He’d tried several times the past couple years, and nothing seemed to work.

Thinking about how much he loved his Ashes, and the fact that gay marriage was perfectly legal in the State of California, made him want to take their relationship to the next level. He knew that Ash wished they were married, or at least engaged, but he hadn’t done anything to take that step as of yet. Before they moved out here in the summer of ’09, just a few short months after their daughter’s birth, they’d lived in a state where gay marriage was illegal, so he hadn’t bothered. But now, they lived in a more liberal and tolerant state, and on top of that, they’d been dating since September of ’07, meaning they’d been together for over three years without things going to Hell in a handbasket, so to speak.

He made a snap decision to swing by a jewelry store on his way home, hoping he could find the perfect ring to pop the question to his sweetheart with. Ash was definitely the girlier of the pair, so it made sense to him that he be the one to wear the engagement ring with his wedding band, if and when they made it to that point. That, and they’d given their daughter the surname of Biersack, rather than Purdy.

Since they’d used his sweetheart’s money to buy the house they owned when they relocated, his money being saved for other things after selling the house he and his mother’d lived in back in Ohio, he had plenty to spend on this ring. Money wasn’t an issue simply because they had plenty and he was more than willing to splurge a bit, as long as he was happy. Finding the right ring to suit his tastes and personality would be the issue, considering that he preferred silver or, better yet, black over anything else. In fact, if someone tried to give him gold jewelry, he’d accept it to their face and throw or give it away behind their backs.

“Can I help you with anything this evening?” a young woman asked.

“I’m looking for the perfect ring to propose to my sweetheart with,” he answered nervously, tugging at his shirt collar.

“You’re Andy Six, aren’t you?” she countered, enlightenment dawning in her eyes.

“Yeah, that I am,” Andy chuckled. He’d refused to go by his real name and chose Andy Six as his stage name when they released We Stitch These Wounds.

“Then the ring must be for that pretty lady you’ve always got on your arm, Ashley,” she said, nodding.

“That it is. She’s so sweet, but spicy at the same time,” he agreed.

“Any personality traits you can think of that would help?”

“Well, Ash is a bit obsessed with Hello Kitty…”

“Hmm…” She thought for a moment. “C’mere, and maybe we can find something from this case over here.”

Thankfully, the girl hadn’t realized that, not only did his “girlfriend” have an obsession with Hello Kitty, but so did Black Veil Brides’ bassist, and she didn’t question him. He followed her over to a case that held rings of all kinds, but not your typical engagement rings. He saw different stones of all shapes and hues mounted on bands of gold, silver, and even an onyx-colored material, but wasn’t sure which one to pick.

Andy decided to stick with the ones that had silver bands, as he’d noticed how his love preferred silver over anything else, and narrow it down from there. As he stood there scanning over the rings, he kept noticing the flirty look in the sales associate’s eye, something she probably thought he didn’t notice. Well, he might be a bit air-headed and flighty sometimes, due to his ADD, but most of the time, he was far more observant than people gave him credit for. Still, the majority of his attention was on the shiny, obnoxiously-expensive items in the case before him, so he didn’t pay her any mind.

Eventually, there was one ring that caught and held his attention like no other. Mounted on a silver band three millimeters in width was a gorgeous heart-cut ruby, which was nearly the shade of blood. On either side of it were two tiny princess-cut tourmaline stones and a single princess-cut topaz, the three of which appeared to create a pyramid, of sorts, from the way they were anchored. It reminded him of the Hello Kitty items his sweetheart possessed because her nose was yellow, and she wore either a pink or red bow on her left ear.

“See one you like?” the woman asked, her voice pitched to a low, flirtatious tone now. Way too flirtatious for his liking.

“Yeah, that one.” He quickly pointed it out, thankful that she grabbed it just as quickly.

He stood there in silence as she put it into a little black box that was lined with pink velvet after he checked the size. After dating and mixing up their rings numerous times for more than three years, even during and after his pregnancy, he knew his sweetheart’s ring size as well as his own. Once she was done, considering how much of a show she made of such a simple task, he went ahead and got their wedding bands, as well. The one he got for Ash had tourmaline embedded all the way around it, his own being embedded with onyx, and they suited those who would one day wear them perfectly.

When he was finally able to make his escape, Andy couldn’t help the heavy sigh of relief that escaped his lungs. If he’d had to spend one more second around that sales associate, he likely would’ve ripped his hair out right there in the middle of the store. Not only that, but Ash’d started blowing up his phone since he was late getting home and hadn’t said anything about making a stop on his way. Apparently Rori was still feeling bad and driving her mama up the wall.

As he finally headed home, he couldn’t help but start to plan out how he was going to pop the question to his sweetheart, his deviant. They’d been together for so long now that one would think it’d be easy to plan out how to ask him to marry him, but it wasn’t in the least. Should he take him out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, or should it just be a simple, moonlit picnic on the beach they lived a short distance from? Should he dial up the romance, something he hadn’t had a chance to do in a while because of their daughter, or should he just drop down to his knee and get it over with? It was questions like that that tormented him on his drive home and made him wonder just how he was going to do this.

“Buona sera, mio profeta,” Ash said, greeting him with a kiss, just like he always did. “How was your day?”

“Long and tiring,” he answered, stifling a yawn. “How was yours?”

“Oh, ya know. I had loads of fun cleaning up vomit and diarrhea from a sick two-year-old while you were gone, and somehow managing to squeeze in a bit of tracking in between,” he said sarcastically.

“Sorry, mio deviante,” Andy murmured, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him close. “You know it was my day to be in the studio.”

“Oh, I know. We agreed to take turns on the days when we absolutely had to go, and to do whatever we could from our little studio here at home,” he agreed, snuggling into him.

“So has Rori been feeling any better the past couple hours?” he asked, worried.

“Her fever’s come down a little, but it hasn’t broken, and I’m worried about keeping her hydrated.” Ash pushed his hair out of his face, and he could see the bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.

“Go upstairs and go to bed, sweetheart. You’re exhausted,” Andy told him, concern marring his features. “I don’t care if you’re only twenty-three; you need your rest just like the rest of us, and clearly, you haven’t been getting enough.”

“But what about Rori?” his sweetheart asked, unable to stifle a yawn.

“I’ve gotten more sleep than you the past few days; I’ll stay up with her, and even get back up if I fall asleep,” he promised.

“All right. Don’t hesitate to come and wake me up if she gets any worse,” he said.

“I won’t. Just go get whatever sleep you can.”

With a small, exhausted smile, Ash gave him one last kiss before turning and trudging up the stairs to the second story. He sighed softly as he thought about the engagement ring and wedding bands in his pocket, which made him feel sorry for not having really been home the last few days. Rori was such a Daddy’s girl unless she was sick, and during those times, all she wanted was her mommy.

They’d agreed the day she was born that, since he was the one who carried her and had the more effeminate features, his sweetheart would be considered the “mommy.” Since he was the one who’d gotten him pregnant and didn’t look quite as much like a girl, although he still looked like one because of his long hair, and had the basement-deep voice, he’d be considered the “daddy.” It was an arrangement that worked out well for them, and they weren’t going to change things any time soon, especially not for some close-minded fool who couldn’t wrap their head around a gay couple being just as loving and caring as a straight one.

Once he heard their bedroom door close, Andy went to hide the rings in the only drawer of his desk that he could lock. It was the only place he could possibly hide them, and his intentions, from his sweetheart, since he was the only one with a key to said drawer. He always kept it locked and claimed there was nothing in it, but he kept a handgun he usually never went anywhere without, and now their rings, locked safely inside it. And the only reason he had the gun was because of a whacko that’d tried offing him last fall on an outing to the park.

Now that the rings were locked away just as safely as his gun, he turned and headed up the stairs, as well. He quietly stepped into their bedroom, smiling when he saw Ash sprawled out on their bed, obviously nude with the covers pulled up to his toned waist, and already completely zonked. His poor baby had been pushing himself too hard lately, and the sleep he was getting was well-deserved and had best be restful for him. Andy quietly changed into a pair of his Batman pajama pants, a black wife beater, and a pair of black socks, which was his usual “bedtime attire,” only worn when Rori was nearby. He leaned over and gently kissed his sweetheart’s temple before he left the room to go check on their baby, smiling slightly when he moaned in his sleep.

* * *

“Mommy.”

Andy was startled awake Hell only knows how much later, immediately recalling that he’d fallen asleep in the recliner they had in the nursery as he watched over his daughter. She’d been sleeping peacefully when he walked in to check on her, although she still felt a bit too warm, so he’d decided to stay in her room so he’d hear her if she needed him. He looked over at the crib she still slept in to see her sitting up and clutching her teddy bear, tears streaming down her red face as she cried.

“What’s wrong, sugar?” he asked softly, lowering the rail so he could pick her up. “Shhh, mia dolci figlia. Daddy’s here; Daddy’s gotcha.”

“It’s too hot,” Rori whined, trying to pull her shirt off.

“Whew. Seems like your fever’s back with a vengeance, Princess,” he told her, helping her get stripped to her Pull-Up. “Let’s go get the thermometer and see how high it is.”

“Where’s Mommy? I want Mommy!” she sobbed softly.

“Mommy’s in our room sleeping,” Andy told her. “He’s tired from taking care of you, and making sure you’d be all right.”

“I want Mommy.”

“Tell ya what. Once we check your temperature, we’ll go check on Mommy and make sure he’s all right, okay?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“That’s my good girl.”

With their daughter no longer sobbing out loud, though she still had tears running down her face, he headed to the bathroom down the hall from the nursery. He hated seeing her sick just as much as his sweetheart had, and even though she preferred her mommy when she was sick, he knew he had to step up and be the daddy he’d sworn to be while Ash was still pregnant with her.

He kept her settled on his hip as he rifled through the medicine cabinet for the ear thermometer they used for her, cursing softly under his breath in Italian until he found it. After making sure the battery wasn’t dead, he gently slid it into her ear and held it there until it beeped. Rori hated having things in her ears; that much they’d found out before she had her first birthday, but it had to be done and both of them knew it. When the thermometer gave its soft beep to indicate that it had a reading, Andy pulled it back out just as gently as he’d slid it in and turned it around to read it.

Startled to see that her fever was up to one-oh-five-point-four, he gasped and was taken aback as he read the digital display. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he had to go wake his Ashes so they could take her to the hospital; she’d never had a fever this high before, nor could it possibly be good for anyone, let alone a two-year-old. He took her back to the nursery and got her dressed in as light of clothing as he could, despite it being February, before making his way to the master bedroom.

“Mio deviante,” he said softly, gently shaking his sweetheart’s shoulder. He’d set their daughter down on the other side of their king-size bed.

“Mmm. What is it?” he asked sleepily. Clearly, he wasn’t happy to be disturbed in the middle of the night when he was finally sleeping good after days of running on Empty.

“Get up. We need to take Rori to the hospital,” Andy told him. “Her fever’s spiked to a hundred and five-point-four.”

“I’m up, I’m up!” Ash said, immediately bolting upright and tossing the covers off himself. “Where is she?”

“On the other side of our bed, so be careful so you don’t knock her off,” he answered.

“How long has it been this high?” He was clearly worried about her as he dragged on the black skinny jeans he’d been wearing earlier.

“I don’t know. I didn’t check it after you went to bed until she woke me up crying,” he answered honestly. “I felt how hot she was when I picked her up and decided to check.”

“So as far as you know, it’s only been that high for the last few minutes, an hour at most?”

“Far as I know. Could’ve been longer, while we were both asleep, though.”

“Have you tried giving her Advil?”

“No. I figured you’d already been alternating it with Tylenol and that it wasn’t gonna work on a fever this high.”

“All right. Go get her diaper bag and I’ll get the stuff we need,” Ash told him. He was referring to keys, phones, and wallets.

“Sounds good to me. I’ll take her down to the car while you’re doing that once I grab her diaper bag,” he agreed.

With a nod, his sweetheart set about getting the rest of his clothes and his Converse on before grabbing their own essentials. He never wore his cowboy boots to a hospital or other medical facility unless he was going there from wherever he’d been previously, as they made too much racket when he walked. Converse were his footwear of choice because, no matter a person’s weight, unless they stomped like an elephant, they could walk nearly silently on any kind of flooring in them.

Once he had their daughter’s diaper bag, Andy headed back to their room to grab the toddler while his sweetheart stuffed everything but his keyring in his pockets. He tossed the lone keyring at him so he could head down to their ’68 Shelby Mustang and get Rori settled in her car seat while he made sure they weren’t forgetting anything and locked the house up so no one could get in during their absence without a key.

Their little girl was so sick that she was starting to get delirious, and he suspected that was more so from the high fever than anything, but it still scared and worried him. The second Ash got the front door closed and locked, he ran down to the car as if the hounds of Hell were on his heels and jumped into the back seat with her, which gave him a bit of reassurance as he drove. He was going to try not to drive like a madman, but in a city like LA and with a sick child in the back seat, that was going to easier said than done, and he knew it. Still, he kept an eye on both of them in the rearview mirror as he drove, praying they could get her fever down soon.

Upon arriving at the entrance to the ER, he stopped the car right outside the doors, much to the protest of a couple nurses standing there for a smoke break, and got out. He didn’t pay them any attention as he lifted up the seat for his sweetheart to hand their daughter, whom he’d already gotten out of her car seat, to him. He turned and headed for the entrance with the toddler in his arms while Ash grabbed her diaper bag, both knowing he’d go move the car just as soon as someone was able to take a look at little Rori. He yelled out for a nurse or someone to help him, that his daughter had a raging fever and they hadn’t been able to get it down, and was immediately swarmed by medical personnel. They wondered why on Earth two guys were bringing in a little girl at this time of night, but neither of them said anything to answer their questioning looks.

“You go move the car before they tow it,” Ash said softly. “I’ll go back with her, and I don’t care if I have to make heads roll, I’ll make sure you get to come back, too.”

“Sounds good to me, mio deviante,” he agreed, leaning in for a kiss.

Andy headed back out the doors of the ER to where he’d left his car, asking the nurses still standing outside where he should park since he was pretty sure they were going to be here a while. One of them actually hopped in the passenger’s seat beside him and guided him to the visitor’s parking lot, then quickly led him back to where they needed to go once the car was locked. In the ER, he asked about his daughter and the nurse who’d shown him where to park pulled a few strings so that he could escort him back to where she and her mother were. He was worried almost sick about her condition and felt a slight wave of nausea roll through him, but back-burnered it so he could focus on Rori.

“Mommy! Daddy!” the little girl screamed, her mother holding her down as an IV was started.

“Shhh, Princess. It’s okay,” Ash was murmuring, trying to soothe her. “They’re just making sure you have water since you can’t drink anything right now.”

“It hurts!” Rori screamed, trying to move her arm. Luckily, his sweetheart was more than strong enough to hold her still; otherwise, she likely would’ve done serious damage to her arm.

“I know, I know it does,” he crooned. “Mommy’s had needles in his arm, too, and he doesn’t like it, either.”

“Why on Earth is that man standing over the little girl you brought in, calling himself ‘Mommy’?” the nurse at his side asked curiously.

“Because Ash is really a man,” Andy answered. “We’re a gay couple, and have been together for over three years. We found out that he’s got a…gift, if you will, that most men don’t.”

The nurse gave him a curious look.

“Unlike the majority of the male population, Ash can carry children like a woman,” he explained. “He got pregnant with and carried our daughter, and due to that and his very effeminate features, we agreed that he’d be Mommy to her.”

“And what about you?”

“I’m considered Daddy, both because I don’t look quite as effeminate, and because my voice is so deep in comparison. That, and because I’m the one that got him pregnant in the first place.”

“Ah, that makes sense now. At first, I thought he was a tranny or something,” the nurse admitted as enlightenment dawned.

“A lot of people do once they figure out he’s a guy,” Andy chuckled. “But he was born a male, although we still don’t know if his ability to carry a child is a genetic mutation, or because of a twin he never knew he had.”

“Mio profeta, I need some help over here!” Ash said, sounding exasperated. “She won’t let the nurses touch her, but I can’t hold her arms and legs still at the same time!”

“Hey, sugar,” he murmured, dropping his voice down extremely low. “Look at Daddy. Hey, up here.”

Rori opened her eyes, the same chocolate-brown orbs that his sweetheart had.

“Good. Now look at me, and listen, okay?” he said.

She gently nodded her head, still crying a bit.

“I never meant to be the one, who kept you from the dark, but now I know my wounds are sewn because of who you are. I will take this burden on, and become the holy one, but remember I am human, and I’m bound to sing this song. So hear my voice; remind you not to bleed. I am here,” Andy sang softly. It was a song he’d written when he first found out that Ash self-harmed that became their daughter’s lullaby upon her birth, and was being recorded for their sophomore album, Set the World on Fire.

“Saviour will be there when you are feeling alone, oh. A saviour for all that you do, so you live freely without their harm. So here I write my lullaby to all the lonely ones. Remember as you learn to try, to be the one you love, so I can take this pen and teach you how to live, but what is left unsaid…the greatest gift I give. So hear my voice; remind you not to bleed. I am here.”

By this point, Ash had started singing the harmony line along with him, their voices mingling together beautifully, and thankfully, it distracted their daughter.

“Wow, you two are good,” the same nurse who’d led Andy back here said, listening to them as he performed his duties.

They both smiled their thanks at him, not wanting to stop until they were done shoving needles into Rori so she’d stay distracted.

“All right, all done,” the nurse announced, stepping back.

By this point, they’d reached the end of the song, although Andy’d had to use clean vocals since he couldn’t scream in the hospital like he could in the studio.

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it, sugar?” he asked softly, gently kissing her forehead.

“Uh uh,” she answered, gently shaking her head.

“All she needed was a little distraction,” Andy mused, smirking as he chuckled. “I’m surprised you didn’t think to start singing to her, mio deviante.”

“I can’t sing any of our stuff as well as you since my voice isn’t as deep, and I sing harmony,” his sweetheart said a bit defensively.

“Doesn’t mean you couldn’t have found your own little niche to sing it in, or just sang harmony altogether.”

“Eh, true enough. I guess I’m just too worried about Rori.”

“So that’s this little beauty’s name?” the nurse asked, jotting down her nickname. They finally noticed that his nametag read “Bailey Hicks, RN.”

“Acutally, it’s Auroralyn, but we use Rori as a nickname,” Ash answered.

“I’m gonna need her full name for the admittance paperwork,” Bailey told them. “Her fever’s way to high to keep her down here. We’ll have to move her so we can treat her.”

“It’s Auroralyn Maci-Ashley Biersack,” he said, spelling out her surname.

“And what are your names?”

“Mine is Andrew Dennis Biersack,” Andy answered, again spelling out the surname. “I’m technically her father, if you will.”

“And mine is Ashley Abrocket Purdy,” Ash told him, having to spell out his middle and surnames.

“You’re the…mother, I presume?” Bailey asked. He was playing dumb since he hadn’t overheard his lover explaining things to the nurse.

“That would be right. I’m the one who carried her, and even male, I’d say that makes me her mother,” he answered a bit testily.

“All right. I’m gonna go get the majority of the paperwork filled out for ya, although there’ll be a few things that one or both of you will need to fill out yourselves.” He grabbed a clipboard by the monitor they had their daughter hooked up to. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes.”

“Thank you so much,” Andy said, shaking his hand as his sweetheart turned his attention to their baby.

“Uh huh. Just sit tight.”

Nodding, he walked over to the other side of the little crib they had her in, quickly catching sight of the clothes they’d cut off her when they brought her back here. High fever or no, they should’ve taken the time to take them off her body properly rather than cut them to ribbons. It wasn’t like his daughter was in the middle of a heart attack or equally serious emergency when he brought her in.

They both grabbed one of their daughter’s hands, grabbing each other’s free hand with the other, and stood by her bedside until Bailey returned with the paperwork. After Ash filled in the blank spots, the only things that he left blank himself were any allergies that Andy could possibly have, the nurse made sure the paperwork was on the clipboard and hung it on the end of the crib. He then unlocked the wheels and started rolling her out of the room, saying that they were going up to the sixth floor to the childrens’ ward, and beckoned them to follow. Even as exhausted as they were, both men followed him, knowing it was going to be a long night and day.

Notes