A/N: I have to give a shoutout to one of my favorite authors, Sloan Christopher, here. Part of the wedding vows later in the chapter are either from or inspired by her book, Dangerous Obsession. Thanks for sparking my love of reading and talent for writing, Sloan!
~Cyn

Twelve hours later, the married couple-to-be were once again separated, per Sammi’s orders, while they got ready for the ceremony. Luckily she had no idea that they’d spent the night in each other’s arms, as they’d both woken up at dawn, which gave Andy plenty of time to sneak back out of the house and act like he’d never been there. It’d been an easy way to calm Ash’s nerves a bit because he knew, without even a sliver of a doubt, that his lover wouldn’t just leave him at the altar…unless he was dead or dying.

In their bedroom, the older man was getting himself dressed for his wedding. Since he was the girlier of the pair and wore the engagement ring, he’d agreed to be the bride, of sorts, but refused to wear white. There was nothing pure or traditional about him, so he chose to wear black, as always, though he agreed to identify himself as the bride with a black veil.

The only jewelry he wore besides his engagement ring was a star necklace Andy’d given him for Christmas the year he got pregnant, which was embedded with onyx and had “Forever My Outlaw” engraved on the back, a matching star bracelet, and small pair of silver hoops in his ears. Even though it was his wedding day and he normally went all-out, he’d decided to tone it down a bit and keep it simple. Course, the whole wedding was being done in a more simple manner than anyone had expected, especially for him, so it only made sense to keep his jewelry and attire simple, as well.

“Ready to go, Ash?” Jinxx stood in the doorway to his and Andy’s bedroom, waiting patiently.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Ash answered, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“Everybody’s already waiting at the beach for us,” the multi-instrumentalist told him, extending his arm. “Godsmack, I never thought I’d be walking somebody down the aisle until and unless I had a daughter of my own.”

“Well, I am the bride of this relationship,” he laughed, tucking his hand into his friend’s elbow.

“Ya know, if you weren’t one of my best friends and obviously taken, I’d be saying Hell no to this and that this was just too weird, even for me,” he chuckled.

“There ain’t a thing about us that’s traditional, though,” the bassist said, a twinkle in his eye.

“Well, let’s get down to the beach. From what Jake says, Andy’s starting to go ballistic, he wants to see you so bad.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. I’m ready to be married at last.”

“Join the club, Ash. I can’t wait for Sammi and I to get married, either.”

“Well, at least the wedding plans are in the works for you guys.”

With a nod, the multi-instrumentalist began to lead his friend downstairs and out the front door of his house. He and his fiancé didn’t live very far from the beach, and since neither were religious, they refused to have their wedding in a church. They both loved the outdoors and because of that mutual love, they decided that the beach they lived near was the perfect place for their wedding.

Upon their arrival, Ash could see his lover already waiting before the altar, which their friend and fellow musician, Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse, stood behind. Marissa, Sammi, and Shelby were waiting beside Jake, Matt Good, and CC, who would be their escorts down the aisle. Marissa was Ash’s Matron of Honor, although no one but he and the guys knew she’d never been married, Shelby was his Maid of Honor, and Sammi was one of the “bride’s” maids. Jake was Andy’s best man, his second choice since Jinxx was walking his sweetheart down the aisle, while Matt and CC were his ushers.

They’d both decided that, although Casey was older, they wanted Rori to be their flower girl, and she waited with everyone else, her little flower basket in hand. Logan waited beside her with a tiny pillow in his hands, their wedding rings lying in wait on it. They were held in place by a loose stitch Amy’d put in place so that if the little boy tripped, they wouldn’t go flying and get lost. It was a good idea, but he just hoped Andy would be able to break the stitch easily enough when he grabbed them later.

But it was the sight of his lover, decked out completely in black, right down to his dress shirt, that made him grin like a fool as butterflies took flight in his belly. Ash couldn’t ever remember being this nervous when something involved his lover besides the night that he’d, in a sense, taken his virginity all over again. Hell only knew how the younger man was feeling now, and had felt back then. Probably even more nervous than he was, although he refused to show such a human emotion with other people around to witness it. The thought made him chuckle as he clutched Jinxx’s elbow tighter, trying not to give off any other sign of his own anxiety so that people wouldn’t worry about him.

“Don’t worry, Ash,” his friend whispered in his ear. “Everything’s gonna be fine. You need to calm down a bit before you have a panic attack.”

“You’re right, Jinxx,” he agreed, remembering when he’d shared the news of his “gift” and sexuality with all of them.

“When have I ever steered you guys wrong?” Jinxx chuckled lowly. “Especially on tour?”

“Never, that I can remember,” the bassist answered sheepishly, a blush staining his cheeks.

“Then I wouldn’t steer you wrong here. Not on your wedding day,” his friend told him. “You ready? Looks like everything’s about to start.”

“More than I’ll ever be again,” he answered, taking another deep breath. “I can’t wait for us to be married and be able to call him my husband.”

With a grin and a nod, he prepared to walk his friend down the aisle to his waiting lover and fiancé.

Jake, Matt, and CC all extended their arms to the women, Marissa, Shelby, and Sammi all taking their arms by wrapping their hands around their elbows. Rori and Logan stood side-by-side at the front of the group, ready to walk down the aisle together. Casey already sat up front beside Amy, which made Ash sad that not even his grandparents could be here today since they were dead.

Putting all negative thoughts out of his head, he took yet another deep breath to calm his nerves as the music began. Instead of playing the traditional “Wedding March”, they decided to go with “Rebel Love Song”, seeing as how it suited both their personalities better. That would play as everyone from the flower girl and ring bearer to the Matron of Honor and best man walked down the aisle and as they took their places to either side of the altar. Once everyone was in place, the song “The Mortician’s Daughter” would play as Ash was walked down the aisle by Jinxx.

He chuckled at the irony of the song’s title under his breath as he watched everyone walk down the black cloth runner ahead of him. Andy had written the song for him after they got together, much the same way he’d written “Rebel Love Song” for his lover, but since no one outside their friends and family knew they were gay, he’d been forced to call it “The Mortician’s Daughter” to keep up appearances. It’d been recorded and debuted on their debut album, We Stitch These Wounds, and gave him the courage to record “Rebel Love Song” at last.

Once everyone was in place in the chairs provided for the guests, behind the altar, or to either side of it, the one in control of the music started up “The Mortician’s Daughter”. He and Jinxx took their places in sight of the groom at last, and he couldn’t help the grin that split his face when he saw his lover. Andy had an equally big grin on his face as he got to see him decked out in black, his black veil pulled down low over his face, and he couldn’t wait to reach him. By the time the song finally ended, Jinxx was handing him off to his lover with a stern expression on his face that clearly said he’d kick his ass if he ever hurt him, and they chuckled as they took each other’s hands and turned to face Ronnie.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this couple in unholy matrimony,” the other vocalist began. Being an ordained minister, something unbeknownst to the public, he was more than capable of leading the wedding ceremony. “This may be no ordinary marriage, simply because both parties are homosexual, but love can and will conquer anything thrown in its path. Marriage, whether between two men, two women, or a man and a woman, isn’t a challenge for the faint of heart. Are you both up to the challenge?”

“We are,” they answered in unison.

“If anyone here objects, speak now or forever hold your piece,” Ronnie said, a bit of harsh force entering his voice as he dared anyone to speak out against his friends for their sexuality.

Not a soul in the crowd stirred, much less spoke.

“Now for you two to say your vows to one another,” he said, turning first to Ash.

“Andrew Dennis Biersack, you are the love of my life, my one and only. You came into my life at a time when I needed far more than a friend, someone to understand and love me for who I am,” Ash began, having to pause to clear his throat. “You believed in me when no one else did, took care of me like no one else, and even sat in a hospital for twelve hours pumping your blood straight into my veins to save my life because you loved me.

“Now we have an incredibly gorgeous daughter together, we’ve finally begun the journey of achieving our dreams alongside our best friends, and our love has conquered many a stressor and fight over the past three and a-half years. I never want that to change. I want to be by your side for the rest of time as much as I want you by mine, and I swear on my life and all that’s unholy to do everything humanly possible to make sure that happens.”

Ronnie turned to Andy after he closed his mouth.

“Ashley Abrocket Purdy, as sure as the Earth is spinning, you are the apple of my eye, the love of my life, and the only one to hold the key to my heart. No one seemed to understand, love, and care about me besides my mother…until I met you,” Andy began, sounding a bit choked up. “I fell in love with you the first moment I laid eyes on you under that tree outside Taylor High School, but was too afraid to admit it…until I nearly lost you. When I managed to save you, I promised myself I’d admit my feelings, even if you never felt the same.

“After finding out you felt the same way about me that I felt about you, I promised myself that I’d never leave your side unless I was dead. That promise was made even stronger with the birth of our beautiful daughter, the only person that I would ever dream of loving more than you. We’ve been through so much since we met, and still have more to go through yet. I swear on my life and all that’s unholy to make sure we stay together.”

“Andrew, do you promise to love Ashley forever and ever, if you’re sick or healthy, famous or shunned, through Murphy’s Law?” Ronnie asked once they’d said their vows, still looking into Andy’s icy-blue eyes.

“I do,” the younger man answered, grinning.

“Ashley, do you promise to love Andrew forever and ever, if you’re sick or healthy, famous or shunned, through Murphy’s Law?”

“I do,” the older man answered with a chuckle.

“Do you have the rings?” the other vocalist asked.

Nodding, Andy turned and knelt down to Logan’s level, chuckling and ruffling the boy’s hair as he broke the stitch holding their wedding rings onto the pillow.

“Now repeat after me,” he said once he’d handed the onyx-embedded wedding band to his sweetheart. He spoke the words they were to repeat as they slid the symbols of their unity on one another’s fingers, then paused to allow the groom to repeat.

“Ashley, take this ring and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love for the rest of my life. I have chosen you to be my husband to have and to hold, from this day forward. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to cherish, as long as we both shall live,” Andy repeated, holding his hand gently as he slid the tourmaline-embedded band on his left ring finger.

“Andrew, take this ring and with it my promise of faith, patience, and love for the rest of my life. I have chosen you to be my husband to have and to hold, from this day forward. For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to cherish, as long as we both shall live,” Ashley repeated when their friend nodded at him, a tear slipping down his cheek as he gently slid the onyx-embedded band onto his lover’s left ring finger.

“Now you will feel no pain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there is no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you. By the power vested in me by the people and State of California, I now pronounce you man and husband. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr. and Mr. Biersack,” Ronnie said, snapping the tiny book he held closed as he spoke, which ended the most formal part of the day. “You may now kiss your ‘bride’.”

With a huge, shit-eating grin, Andy lifted his veil, wrapped his arms around his sweetheart and pulled him close, then pressed their lips together.

The crowd of friends, family, and decently close bands they’d worked with over the past couple years exploded in an uproar of cheers, flinging birdseed as they ran down the aisle after ending their kiss. They both laughed like maniacs as they made their way to Andy’s old Heritage Softail, which he’d insisted on bringing with them from Ohio, and prepared to hop on.

Before they even so much as put their helmets on, the both grabbed their daughter from her grandmother and gave her a big hug and kiss as they told her bye since they’d opted out of having a reception. Rori was obviously sad to see her parents go, but she’d be in good hands with her grandmother, whom she loved, and the older woman would be getting help from Jinxx and Sammi, too. Once they’d told their beloved baby girl bye, the shed their jackets and shirts, the latter of which got stuffed into the saddle bags, and told their friends bye. Bro-hugs were exchanged between the men, tight bears hugs given to the women.

Now that they were ready to go, Andy hopped on his bike and fired it up once his mother’d taken off with Jinxx, Sammi, Logan, and Rori. The guys still standing around them cheered and whistled as he revved the motor, grinning as he waited patiently for his new husband to climb on. With an equally big grin, Ash hopped on the back to ride bitch, something he hadn’t done in years, and wrapped his fingers around his new husband’s belt loops as he waited patiently.

The younger man leaned back and knocked their helmets together, silently asking if he was ready to go, and he knocked them together again to say that he was. Moments later, he felt the bike’s transmission click as he shifted from Neutral into First, grinning as they took off. Andy barely lifted his feet until they got going good, then lifted them completely onto the foot pegs once they were up to speed, which was when Ash let go of his belt loops. Their relationship was at the highest level that it could be, their marriage official at last, and they were taking off to begin the journey that would be known as the rest of their lives. The first stop on that journey would be their honeymoon in Hawaii, and neither of them could wait.

Notes