December, 2027



Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, forty-three-year-old Ashley Purdy held the hands of his twin daughters, Legacy and Magick. This was the first time he’d been inside LAX since the night he left California more than seventeen years ago. Ever since his old best friend, Andy Biersack, had found him six months ago, they’d been in a semi-long-distance relationship. He’d finally talked him into coming back to LA to celebrate the holidays—and the younger man’s birthday—and even if they hadn’t been minors, he’d insisted he bring the girls with him.

After collecting their luggage from baggage claim, the trio headed outside the terminal into the bright California sunshine. Even with his aviators, it was blinding for a few moments until his vision adjusted, and he caught the grimaces of his daughters. They waited for only a few moments before hearing a basement-deep voice call out to them.

Turning to his left, Ash saw his boyfriend, the man of his dreams, running toward them. He looked as good as he ever had, despite pushing forty himself. Just seeing his still-slim figure dodging others as he ran toward them brought a smile to his face, and he waved to him. Legacy and Magick grinned and erupted into cheers when they saw their daddy running up to them, giggling as he panted when he stopped.

Being a bit short of breath, both from the running and his continued smoking, didn’t stop him from taking the older man into his arms and greeting him with a kiss. As effeminate as he looked, he wouldn’t have been surprised if those around them thought he was a woman. Additionally, people were generally more accepting of the LGBT community than they’d been almost twenty years ago, so they generally just turned a blind eye. Either way, he didn’t give a damn as he wrapped his arms around Andy’s neck and returned the kiss.

“Well, hello to you, too, Batman,” he chuckled when they parted.

“I’m glad I finally get to see you again, Outlaw,” his boyfriend answered, grinning. “Get over here and give Daddy a hug, you two!”

The twins immediately ran into his arms, almost knocking him down as their combined weight slammed against him.

“Ooof! Jeez, you two. Were you on an all-girls football team back home or something?” he laughed, managing to regain his footing.

“No way!” Magick answered, shaking her head furiously.

“Even if there was such a thing, we’re more into the fine arts than sports,” Legacy agreed, her blue eyes sparkling.

“Sounds like you raised them right, Ashes,” Andy chuckled, grinning and kissing him once again.

“Only the best for the daughters of two musicians,” he said with a matching chuckle.

“Well, grab your bags and c’mon,” his boyfriend told them. “The guys are biting at the bit to meet the one who’s captured my heart.”

“What about us, Daddy?” the twins chorused teasingly.

“Okay, okay. The ones who’ve captured my heart,” the younger man amended.

“Now that’s more like it!” they giggled, grabbing the handles of their suitcases.

Ash let out another laugh of his own, snuggling against his side as he grabbed his own suitcase and started dragging it behind him. He wasn’t too surprised when he led them out to the very same Dodge Charger he’d sworn he’d get when he was nineteen, and he was glad to see that he’d achieved yet another of his dreams.

He quickly got the three of them settled in the front and back seats before stowing their luggage in his trunk. Having missed out on so many opportunities to be sweet to them, he refused to treat them as anything but princesses now. The older man chuckled softly as they all buckled their seat belts, grinning as the man he loved soon seated himself in the driver’s seat next to him. He asked if they were ready to go as he buckled his own seat belt, grinning at their positive responses.

The drive to Andy’s house was actually fairly short, considering where he lived. The sight of three other cars sitting in his driveway, strategically parked to allow him entry to his garage, brought a bit of anxiety to the front of Ash’s mind. He knew that the cars belonged to Jake, Jinxx, and CC without having to be told, and it made him nervous. Jake and Jinxx, he hadn’t seen in nearly twenty years; this would be the first time he met CC.

Once he’d parked the car, the younger man crawled out and clipped up the seat so Legacy could get out. He followed his boyfriend’s lead and let Magick out, the three of them following him to the rear of the car to help grab the luggage. They let the girls take only their carry-ons, the two of them grabbing the suitcases, although Andy didn’t want to let him do that much. When he’d said he planned to pamper the three of them, he’d meant what he said, but having his sweetheart help now meant less trips for him to make later. When it was all said a done, that meant more time he got to spend with them.

“Hey, Andy!” the others chorused when they walked in.

“Hey, guys!” he answered, sounding a bit breathless. “Let us get their things upstairs, and I’ll start introducing everybody.”

“All right, dude,” they agreed. He could tell they thought Ash looked familiar, and with good reason, but decided not to remark on it.

“You can sleep with me in my room, or you can sleep in the guest room with the girls, Ashes,” he said quietly as he led them upstairs.

“Lemme think about it for a little while,” the older man answered nervously. “After all, it’s been nearly two decades since we shared a bed, and even then, we weren’t exactly lovers the last time that happened.”

“I’m fine with that.” He leaned over and gently kissed his temple. “I just want you to be comfortable, Outlaw.”

Ash smiled at the sweet pet name, no doubt inspired by the tattoo he’d gotten while hiding from him all those years.

“Unless your mama decides to sleep with me, you guys’ll be in here, girls,” Andy said, opening the door to his guest room.

The room was a neutral, but soft shade of yellow, and the bedding was a paler shade to match the walls. There was a matching fuzzy rug on the floor next to the king-size bed, which hid a small portion of the pale hardwood flooring. All of the furniture was of a light wood, including the matching dresser and vanity table. It looked almost as if a feminine mind had designed it, and he suspected that if it wasn’t Juliet, it was his boyfriend’s mother.

With soft sighs of relief, the trio set their bags neatly to the side, their carry-ons resting on the foot of the bed. They took their turns in the adjoining bathroom, quickly relieving themselves and freshening up a bit before they headed back downstairs. They did nothing too extravagant to their appearances, both because they didn’t need to and because they felt it was just a little much for spending the day indoors. Besides, the older man figured that if his old friends didn’t accept him for who he was, they weren’t worth having around anymore.

Once they were ready, Andy wrapped his arm around his sweetheart’s shoulders as he led him back downstairs, their daughters following close behind. All the chatter stopped when they entered the living room, Ash gently chewing on his lip nervously. His boyfriend chuckled as he reached up and pulled it from between his teeth, whispering in his ear to stop it before he made him want to do that and more to him.

Blushing furiously at his implied meaning, he nuzzled his face into his neck, almost as if hoping to hide. Andy chuckled softly and hugged him close, their girls still hiding around the corner as their shy side, which they’d inherited from the older man, took effect. Jinxx quietly remarked that his guest seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen him before, if they’d ever met. Chuckling, he admitted that he was quite astute, and that they had, indeed, met before. This drew confused looks from Jake and Jinxx, but CC just sat quietly, his arm wrapped around his wife.

“Take your shades off, Outlaw,” he said quietly, knowing they wouldn’t recognize the silly nickname.

Nodding slightly, he took his shades off and hung them on the front of his shirt before turning to face his old friends.

“Ashley?” they gasped, their eyes widening in shock.

“You actually found him?” Jake asked breathily.

“Yeah, six months ago,” Andy answered, nodding. “He begged me to keep my mouth shut till he was ready to take a trip out here, so I did.”

“It’s so great to see you again, dude!” they said, getting up and smothering him with delighted hugs. “We’ve missed having you around.”

“I missed you guys, too,” he answered, tears welling up as he returned their hugs.

“So this is your old friend Ashley?” the last man asked curiously.

“Yeah. He used to be the bassist in the band till he disappeared on us,” Jinxx answered. “Ash, this is the drummer that replaced Sandra when she left to join Modern Day Escape.”

“Nice to meet ya, CC,” he said, smiling as he shook the man’s hand.

“How’d you know what he went by, Outlaw?” Andy asked curiously.

“Really? You didn’t know that Amethyst Peyton all those years ago was really me?” he countered, rolling his eyes. “Or was that message you sent, saying you knew it was me, just a shot in the dark?”

“It was just a shot in the dark, and that’s all I assumed it was when I never got a response,” his boyfriend admitted sheepishly.

“Anyway, I followed all of y’all with that Twitter account because I needed some piece of my old life to help retain my sanity,” Ash told them, sitting on one of the love seats beside his boyfriend.

“So why’d you leave in the first place?” Jake asked curiously.

“We thought one of your grandparents really had gotten sick at first, but then we weren’t too sure,” Jinxx added.

At the mention of his grandparents, a tear cascaded down his cheek.

“Shit… We’re sorry, Ash…we didn’t know if they were still alive or not,” the other blue-eyed man said.

“It’s okay…they died of old age, and they’re in a better place now,” he said softly. “If it weren’t for them, I never would’ve made it as well as I did.”

“But still…that doesn’t explain why you left…”

“Girls!” he called, knowing they were hiding nearby.

The others looked at him in confusion, wondering what the Hell he meant.

“Yes, Mama?” they asked, sounding a bit nervous and afraid as they barely edged into the room.

All of the guys’ jaws dropped, although Andy smiled at them reassuringly. “It’s okay, girls. You don’t have to be afraid of them.”

“These are the reasons I ran off that night,” Ash said after taking a deep breath. “Guys, I want you to meet our daughters, Legacy and Magick. Girls, these two are Jake and Jinxx, whom were in the band when I left. The other is CC, whom replaced their old drummer, Sandra.”

None of them missed the emphasis he put on the word our, but didn’t quite get what he meant.

“And yes, when I say our, I mean mine and Andy’s,” he elaborated.

“But…how?” Jake managed to ask.

“I’m a hermaphrodite,” he answered simply. “You remember that night on our Sacred Ceremony tour that Andy and I had a bit more…ahem, adult fun, after we went out drinking?”

“Then you ran off a month or so later,” Jinxx said, doing the math. “So you knew when you ran off?”

“Well, I had a positive pregnancy test,” he admitted sheepishly. “It wasn’t till a few days after I got back to Missouri that I went to my doctor and had it confirmed.”

“I know I don’t know you very well, but judging by the stories they’ve told me, why run at all?” CC asked. It was obvious that he was more curious and confused than condescending.

“At the time, I was only twenty-six, so still fairly young. I was working hard to achieve my dream of being in a successful band, and aside from that, none of them knew I was a hermaphrodite,” Ash began. “Before you ask, that means appearing male externally, but having female reproductive organs, as well.”

“Ah, I see,” the drummer said, nodding understandingly. “You were scared of what they, especially Andy, would say, and not exactly thinking right after finding out something so shocking.”

“Exactly. Aside from Andy, whom I didn’t wanna force into fatherhood before he was ready since he was only nineteen at the time, my now-deceased grandparents were the only ones I trusted,” he agreed, nodding. “Therefore, I decided to fly back home to Missouri, which is where I’m from, and let them help me as much as I’d let myself get away with. They were already in their seventies when I found out I was pregnant, and even though they were pretty strong and spry for their ages, I wanted to be somewhat independent.”

“That makes perfect sense, Ash,” Jinxx told him. “But why didn’t you ever contact any of us and let us know what was going on? I mean, you didn’t necessarily have to tell us who their father was; you could’ve lied and said it was a one-night stand, for crying out loud.”

“I felt that by contacting any of you without contacting Andy, I’d be betraying him, to an extent,” he answered. “It didn’t seem fair to get in touch with you, Jake, or Sandra if I refused to get in touch with him.”

“Eh, that makes sense, Jinxx,” the guitarist agreed, nodding. “If he’s gonna treat one of us a certain way, might as well treat us all that way.”

“I’m not disagreeing with that,” the multi-instrumentalist said.

“When he sent me a letter when the girls were five, telling me he was getting married, I was too upset to respond. Well, that, and I didn’t wanna give away where I was living because I still didn’t wanna reveal my secret,” Ash told them, blushing slightly.

“You loved him, even back then, didn’t you?” CC asked.

“I loved him so much that I almost broke down crying,” he answered, nodding. “Actually, I did break down in tears, but not until late that night. I had to go get Legacy and Magick from their first day of school, and after that, I had to wait till they were in bed for the night.”

“You realize that if you’d just written me a response telling me how you felt, you could’ve saved me almost a decade of pain and bullshit, right?” Andy asked.

Since he didn’t know the details of his previous marriage, he merely cocked a brow at him.

“By all accounts online, my marriage to Juliet was a happy one. To anyone who saw what was really going on, like the guys, knew that was a bald-faced lie,” he began. “Once we got married, she proved what a bitch she really was. Not even finding out six months into said marriage, she got her tubes tied behind my back to prevent future children pissed me off as much as her forbidding me to talk about you.”

Outraged, Ash wanted to strangle his boyfriend’s ex-wife.

“I put up with her bullshit, and the pain that came along with it, for nine and a-half years before I finally filed for divorce,” the younger man continued. “The minute the divorce was finalized was when I flew out to find you.”

Purring happily, he snuggled against his side, their daughters sitting quietly in the floor at their feet.

“I love you so much, Outlaw,” he said softly, gently kissing him. “I’m glad we finally get to spend another Christmas and my birthday together.”

“Not to ruin the moment…but why does he keep calling you Outlaw, Ash?” Jake asked curiously.

Laughing, he stood up and hiked up his shirt, which showed off both his tattoo and his faint stretch marks. “I got this tattoo after I moved to Tennessee because I felt like an outlaw while I was hiding from him. That, and you know I’ve always been a bit of a rock ‘n’ roll cowboy.”

The others joined in on his laughter as he pulled his shirt back down and rejoined his boyfriend on the couch.

“I’m actually surprised that your stretch marks are barely visible,” Jinxx noted, sounding intrigued.

“Well, it’s been nearly seventeen years,” Ash laughed. “That, and I really didn’t get quite as big as you’d think with twins.”

“Seriously?” they all chorused.

“Seriously. I looked like I was seven months the day I went into labor,” he answered, grinning. “My doctor told me it was because my abdominal wall was really strong from being so fit before I conceived.”

The guys all wanted to see a picture of him while he was pregnant, and he got a bit of a mischievous look on his face as he pulled out his phone. He’d scanned copies of every picture in his pregnancy album onto his computer, some of which he’d then put on his phone. He decided to show them the picture of where he’d written Suck it on his belly with the arrow pointing to his crotch, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

None of them could stop the peals of laughter that rang out, not even their wives, who’d been introduced as Ella, Sammi, and Nixx, respectively. They all agreed that it was so like him to write those words on his slightly bulging belly, rather than flip the camera off, considering what a pervert he’d been back then.

Once they all quit laughing, he decided to show them a picture from a couple months later, the one where he’d been passed out on the couch. They all thought it was cute, how he laid there on his side with his hand resting protectively on his belly, his shirt ridden up slightly to show a narrow strip of skin. Something Jinxx pointed out that he’d never noticed before was how there was a foot clearly visible on the right side of his belly, just above where his hand rested. It was almost as if one of the girls, Legacy, if he recalled right, was testing the limits of his body as gently as they possibly could.

Ash had a smile on his face as he locked his phone again, somewhat missing the feeling of a new life growing inside him. Then again, considering that the girls were just a little over a year shy of being grown, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to start all over again. Considering that his and Andy’s new-found, hard-won relationship hadn’t even gotten to a sexual point, he didn’t know if they’d ever have that chance. Either way, he’d just take things in stride and enjoy his time with his friends and family.

Notes

All right, guys. I told y'all to keep an eye out for the sequel to Love Never Fades, and here it is. There's plenty more to come, as it's got more chapter than its predecessor and is still a work in progress, to boot. I hope y'all enjoy this one as much as its predecessor, and as much as I've enjoyed writing both.
~Cyn