In the End

The soft breeze moved through my hair as I stood outside on the porch of my parents' lake house. I crossed my arms and took a deep breath as I looked over the lake. It looked so peaceful and serene, like nothing could harm the scene at all. Andy, Blayde and I were spending a weekend up here, as a part of staying true to his word about us having our own memories here and this is going to be my silver of sanity until Andy and I both leave to go on tour. I have a big fall tour coming up in a week or so with my band The Pretty Nightmare and having Arch Enemy and Devilment (Also known as Dani Filth's other band) open up for us and Andy is going on tour for Black Veil Brides' new album and it's called the Black Mass tour and my tour is for Going To Hell and the tour had the same title. BVB are starting their shows in the UK and mine start in the US, and we'll be meeting up in a month. I sighed because of the fact that I won't see Andy for a month and I'm going to miss him. I sighed and I bit down on my silver coated nails.

"Faith?" I heard a deep voice and I turned around to see Andy had popped his head out from the sliding glass door. I turned back to the lake and sighed, breathing in the scent of the water and of the pine trees around us. Andy walked up and he wrapped his arms around my body, his hands laying at my waist. I lay against him, my back to his chest.

"There you are." Andy murmured and I nodded as I kept looking at the lake. The sun making the sparkles in my silver nails shine and the shards of silver in my eyes appear. It didn't take long before Andy realized that something wasn't right.

"Baby?" Andy said. I turned so that I could look into his eyes. "I know something isn't right. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just because of the fact that we have to leave each other soon," I murmured. "I'm just feeling heartsick right now."

"Hey." Andy's hand cupped my cheek. "It's not gonna last forever. You know that."

"I know, Light." I whispered. "I just can't shake this feeling."

"It's gonna be okay, Faith." Andy kissed my forehead and he intertwined our hands and I sighed softly before I moved closer and I lay my head on him. Andy stroked my hair with his fingers.

"I'm just gonna miss you." I murmured, into his chest. "That's why I feel so heartsick."

"I know, honey." Andy kissed my head. "I'm gonna miss you too, babe."

I sighed and I looked up into Andy's warm eyes, the ice blue shade full of such love and devotion for me and full of emotion and I just wanted to bask in Andy's warmth and his arms and just enjoy the moment.

"Come on, love." Andy's fingers caressed my face. "Smile for me."

I did as he asked but I gave him a small smile, because of how heartsick I was feeling. Andy then leaned and kissed me softly, almost tenderly and I moved my fingers to tangle in his black hair. He pulled away and he moved his kisses down to my throat, making me shut my eyes, his nose ring made shivers run down my spine and a soft smile came across my lips.

"That's it. Smile for me, baby." Andy murmured. "Everything's gonna be okay. Allright?"

I nod and I just wrapped my arms around his neck and I just sighed, breathing him in again. Letting his warmth comfort me in the best way possible.

"Light," I said, pulling away from him. "I wanna show you something. Come on."

Andy nodded and he took my hand as we walked through the woods and I then spotted the big maple tree that Jayde and I lay under and we had carved our names in the tree, Jayde and I left our initials in it, and I let go of Andy's hand and I walked over to the tree and I caressed the part that had Jayde's name in it. I took a breath because I felt tears in my eyes. The wound from losing Jayde is still fresh.

"Why did you have to go away, Jayde?" I murmured, sniffling. "Why?"

Andy came up and he put his hand on my back, and he started making small circles, comforting me.

"I miss her." I sniffled. Andy then just pulled me into his side as we sat under the tree together, and he ran his fingers gently through my hair.

"I know, my love." Andy kissed my hair.

"I wish Blaze hadn't gotten to her," I said, as tears fell down my face. "She would still be here if it wasn't for him."

"Shh, babe." Andy leaned his head on mine. "It's okay. It's okay. Just know that she's here, somewhere, watching over you. You might not see her, but she's here."

I sniffled again and Andy gently pulled me closer, so that his arms wrapped completely around me.

"I'm sorry, Light. It's just, being here is making me overwhelmed with all of these memories," I said, as a light breeze moved through my black hair.

"Love." Andy murmured, kissing my forehead. "You don't need to be sorry. I understand."

I just buried my head in the skin of his neck and I sobbed softly and he stroked my hair again.

"It's gonna be okay, my love." Andy said. I nodded against his neck and I then looked out at the lake for a moment.

"Jayde and I loved hanging out here," I told him. "It was so peaceful. And we carved our names in this tree as a reminder of how we would always love this place."

Andy reached out with his hand and he stroked the tree that had my initials carved into it.

"I'll do one better," Andy said. He let me go and he reached into his pocket, and he pulled out a swiss army knife and I watched him as he began to carve something into the tree. I couldn't see it, because he had his back to me.

"Light? What are you doing?" I asked.

"You'll see, honey." Andy told me before he stepped away from the tree. Carved into the tree was a heart and it had my name and Andy's in it, and it was right next to mine and Jayde's. My jaw dropped a little bit and my heart began to melt.

"Oh, Light." I murmured. "You didn't have to do that."

Andy grinned and he walked up to me, taking me into his arms, my arms wrapping around his neck.

"I wanted to," Andy kissed my forehead. "I just wanted to make sure that this place not only reminds you of the love that you shared with your family, baby, but the love that you and I share as well."

"Light," I whispered. "You're so sweet. I love you."

Andy kissed me softly, almost tenderly, letting his hold on me tighten a little bit and he brought me closer to his chest. We pulled apart and I could see the love overflowing in the ice blue in his eyes.

"I love you too, Faith." He kissed the back of our intertwined hands. "Don't ever forget how much I love you."

"I won't." I told him. He smiled and kissed me again softly and when we pulled away, he leaned his head on mine, breathing me in and taking me in because he knows he's not going to for a month. I noticed that it was gonna get dark soon, so I let go of him and started standing up, and as I turned to the direction of the house, Andy grabbed my wrist.

"Where are you going?" Andy asked. I giggled softly.

"Inside. It's getting dark." I told him, raising a brow. "Why? Aren't you coming?"

"Not yet." Andy murmured, extending his hand to me. "In fact, baby. Come here. I want you to lay under the stars with me."

"At least let me get a blanket or something." I said. "In case it gets cold, Light."

He nodded and I walked in the direction of the lake house and while I was walking, I heard branches shaking and I looked over my shoulder and I couldn't pinpoint the noise. I kept walking and when I headed inside the house and grabbed a black blanket out of the cabinet and I walked back to where Andy was, sitting there, under the tree, waiting for me. A smile came across his face as he made a gesture for me to come to him. He took the blanket out of my hands and he wrapped both of us in the blanket and he pulled me into his chest. I listened to his calm heartbeat as I lay in his arms. The sun was beginning to set and the night began to appear in the sky. Andy and I lay close, under the stars for a while. I felt his fingers rubbing circles on my back and I just relaxed against him. Andy kissed my temple softly.

"I'm gonna miss things like this when we leave," I said. Andy looked down at me and he caressed my face with his fingers.

"I know, my love." Andy kissed my hair. "I'm just gonna miss not having you close for a month."

I sighed and breathed in his scent again and I kissed his collarbone. Andy smiled and held me closer to him.

"But, what about Blaze's thugs?" I murmured, against his skin.

"Don't worry about them, baby." Andy's voice was soft. "As soon as you and I are together again next month, they won't have a chance."

I nodded and he kissed me again, softly, sweetly, and with comfort. I could feel his fingers intertwine with mine and he squeezed them tightly for a minute before letting go of them.

"I love you, my heart, my everything." Andy pecked my lips.

"I love you, my Moonlight. My life force." I told him and he grinned before we headed back inside the house together, hand in hand.

Andy, Blayde and I headed back home the following morning because I had a photoshoot with Revolver Magazine; They wanted me to grace the cover for 2015's 'Hottest Females In Hard Rock' issue. I graced the cover this past year as well and I was extremely honored to be doing this again. My hair was curled up and I had black eyeshadow, eyeliner and dark to almost blood red lipstick on my lips and I decided to bring my own clothes to wear for this shoot. I wore my brand new AJ Lee shirt, it was black and it had a green web in the shape of a heart with a pink spider with a white heart and on the back it said: 'If I Can't Have You, No One Will' on the back for the first half of the shoot. And for the next and last shoot, I wore my other AJ Lee shirt with the ribcage, spider and spider web and had the words 'Love You Til Your Last Breath' on the back. The one I wear the most around Andy. After the shoot, I had to film the video for 'House On A Hill', the latest hit off of Going To Hell, and Andy suggested that I'd talk to his friend Patrick Fogarty about the video, because he's done so many of BVB's videos, including 'Heart Of Fire'. We filmed most of the video on a set that looked like an old graveyard and had a horror movie feel. The second set looked like the inside of an old abandoned asylum and it was perfect.

~A Couple Weeks Later~

"Lacey! Let's go!" I quickly finished the touches on my makeup and I grabbed Andy's 'Prophet' leather vest to slip on over the dark red corset and black leather skinny jeans I wore for this show. We were playing the House of Blues in Chicago and I hurried out of the backstage door to the stage and I passed Arch Enemy as they came in from being on stage, opening for us. I gave Alissa a quick hug before I took a minute to take a breath and to get focused and I saw Alissa holding Blayde in her arms from the corner of my eye. Even though I was missing Andy more than anything, having Dani and Alissa on this tour makes everything a bit better.

"Nightmare! Nightmare!" I heard the crowd chant for us and it warmed my blood to hear the fans chanting for us. I lit a cigarette and then Eric, Adam, Jade, Raven and I headed out and the crowd cheered for us and screamed. I smiled as I approached the microphone and I opened up our setlist with 'My Medicine' and it made me smile, seeing the crowd singing along with us. After that, we played 'Make Me Wanna Die', 'Just Tonight', 'Miss Nothing' and 'Goin' Down'.

"Chicago! How the fuck are you doing tonight?!" I said and the crowd cheered. "Glad to fucking hear it! Allright, this next song we're going to play is off of our last record, Going To Hell! This song is called 'House On A Hill'!"

The crowd cheered as I began to sing:

"Somewhere in the end of all this hate
There's a light ahead
That shines into this grave that's in the end of all this pain

In the night ahead there's a light upon this
House on a hill
The living, living still
Their intention is to kill and they will, they will
But the children are doing fine
I think about them all the time
Until they drink their wine and they will, they will, they will.."

I noticed at the corner of my eye, two hooded figures in the crowd and in black and I gasped, but it was so quiet, no one heard it and my eyes went huge. No. No. I then tried to shrug it off and continued the song because I couldn't let the fans down by running off the stage in fear and ending the set.

"Somewhere in the end we're all insane
To think that light ahead can save us from this
Grave that's in the end of all this pain

In the night ahead there's a light upon this
House on a hill
The living, living still
Their intention is to kill and they will, they will
But the children are doing fine
I think about them all the time
Until they drink their wine and they will, they will, they will.."

Suddenly, as I was about to do my infamous half spider walk onstage, there was a loud bang noise and it made me freeze in place. Another bang hit Eric's drum set and another bounced off of Adam's guitar and then another made me drop the microphone that was in my hand. I then saw that one of the hooded figures has a 9 mm pistol in his hand. And before I could make any other movements, another shot rang and it hit me straight in the shoulder, causing me to fall to the stage in agony as the security guards tackled the thug with the gun. The pain was unbearable and I screamed.

"Lacey!" Alissa screamed as the fans ran out of the venue. I tried to look up at her and she was about to step out onto the stage.

"Alissa! No! Don't step any further! They've got a gun!" I told her. She froze in place but she sent her guitarist to come help me onto my feet and out of the venue. More shots rang as we headed for the back door. I kept my hand firmly on my shoulder to keep pressure and to stop the bleeding. And I also didn't want to see the chunk of skin ripped off because of it. Alissa took a look and she cringed and I knew it was bad at that point.

"We gotta get her to a hospital before she bleeds out or loses anymore blood." Alissa said.

"What about.." Alissa stopped me mid-sentence.

"Don't worry about Andy and Blayde. Right now, your health's the only thing that matters, Lacey. We need to get you to a hospital." She said and I nodded as she lead me to the Arch Enemy bus and the bus sped to the local hospital, and Alissa put a cloth on the wound to absorb the blood and I was starting to lose consciousness because of the blood loss.

When I came around, I was inside a hospital room and I had a bag of blood next to me, giving me more blood. My shoulder ached to the point where I couldn't move it without screaming. A doctor came into the room as soon as I had finished getting my bearings straight, she had dark red hair and blue eyes and wore dark blue scrubs.

"Hello, Ms. Blackburn," She said. "I'm Dr. Adams. And I'm here to just bring you up to speed as to what has happened regarding your bullet wound. The bullet was removed and the casing wasn't broken. So it made us easier to get access to it. And I have put you on antibiotics and painkillers to reduce the pain in your shoulder."

"Has my husband been informed as to what happened?" I asked. She nodded.

"Ms. White-Gluz has made sure that your husband has been notified." She told me. "He's on his way. Now, get some rest."

I nodded and I sank back into the pillows and took a deep breath. That was really close. If I hadn't gotten whisked away from the stage, I would've been shot and killed right there and I wouldn't be in this room. I would've been in a body bag. Tears filled my eyes then. I wouldn't have been able to hang out with Bam and Rob and hang out with Kat and the rest of the girls and more importantly, Andy would be devastated if it had happened. And I cried myself to sleep.

A few hours later, I woke up to sniffling noises and I saw that it was pitch black outside and I glanced over at the window and I seen Andy's form, he had his back to me and he crossed his arms. I heard him whimpering and I noticed that he had been crying. I lay back against the pillows and I sighed quietly. I knew this was gonna happen and I knew that Blaze's thugs were gonna track me down and find a way to hurt me in some way to satisfy Blaze. Andy turned around then and his face and expression had shifted from worried sick and scared to relieved.

"Oh, my God. Faith," Andy said, rushing over to my side and taking my hand in his and kissing my hand.

"Light." I blinked away tears and I tangled my other hand in his black hair and I just moved my hand down to his jawline and he took a breath, and nuzzled his cheek into my palm.

"I was so worried that I lost you, baby." Andy murmured, as tears filled his icy blue eyes. "I was worried that I'd be too late."

I pulled him closer, so that my forehead touched his and another tear fell from his eye. I wiped it away. I didn't know what to do, because I've never seen Andy really cry before and I had no clue as to comforting him. He sniffled and started to breathe me in.

"Did Blaze's thugs do this to you?" Andy asked. I took another breath and I nodded.

"Alissa got me out of there before they could go at me again." I said as Andy began to pace back and forth in the room.

"I'm gonna rip Blaze's throat out for this." Andy gritted his teeth. "Him and his bitches."

"Moonlight.."

"You almost got killed, Faith." Andy cut me off and his expression changed from enraged to sad and tears blinked in his eyes. "And it's my fucking fault that I left you alone. If I hadn't left you alone, baby, this wouldn't have happened."

"Andy. We both were on tour. There was nothing you couldn't have done." I replied as he walked back over and sat in the chair beside me. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. You're hurt because of me not being there and protecting you." Andy muttered. "It's all my fault."

"Light," I whispered, taking his hand in mine. "You're here now. And that's all that matters to me right now."

Andy leaned across and he kissed my forehead and moved my hair away from my face.

"I know." Andy said. "I'm sorry, Faith. I should've been here sooner."

"Don't be sorry, Light." I said. "I'm just glad you're here now, keeping me safe."

Andy's hand let go of mine and he moved his hand up to my right shoulder, where the bullet had hit me and he placed his hand there. It hurt a little bit because of pressure.

"The bullet was removed as soon as I got here," I said. "It's only a scratch now."

He sighed and he kissed my shoulder, even though it made me flinch a little in pain.

"I'm just happy that you're safe," Andy told me, kissing me and taking my hand in his again. "I love you, Faith. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Moonlight." I kissed his hand and I then heard a knock on the door. I turned my head to see that Alissa had popped her head in and she had Blayde in her arms.

"Sorry to interrupt, you two." Alissa said, with a smile. "Your little one just wanted to see her mommy. And she's also kinda shaken up because of what happened."

I nodded as Alissa set Blayde down on her feet and she walked over to Andy and Andy picked her up in his arms before handing her to me. I held her with my left arm, so that I wouldn't be in pain. Blayde started crying again and I comforted her. Knowing that the gunshots scared her made me worried about if she's ever going to be okay after this.

"I'm so scared, mommy." Blayde whimpered and I stroked her blonde curls.

"It's okay, sweetheart." I told her. "It's over now. It's not gonna happen again."

She was terrified because she seen me get shot by the thugs and I held her closer to me until she finally calmed down after a while.

"Is mommy gonna be okay, daddy?" Blayde asked. Andy turned his head towards her and he nodded his head.

"She'll be okay, angel." Andy said. "It's best if she got some sleep, huh?"

Blayde nodded and she kissed my cheek and I handed her back to Andy and Andy cradled her in his arms. I closed my eyes and tried to get back to sleep, but the images of what had happened just a few hours before kept replaying in my head. The gunshot sounds and the screams from the crowd as they tried to escape the venue, all of it.

I sat up, gasping and tears fell down my face and Andy, who was looking out the window again, quickly turned around and went over to my side.

"Faith?" He said. "Baby? What's wrong? Is it your shoulder?"

I whimpered as Andy sat beside me on the bed and he reached for my hand and he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. His other hand cupped my face, making me meet his ice blue eyes again.

"Honey. What is it?" Andy's voice filled with worry. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just.." I murmured. "I can't even sleep without the images of what happened coming back to me. What if I had died, Light? What if-"

Andy kissed me then, softly and gently and when we pulled apart, he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Don't talk like that, my love." He reassured me, kissing my temple softly. "You're gonna be fine, baby. Everything's gonna be okay."

"Where's Blayde?" I asked.

"She's with Alissa, love." Andy told me, kissing my hair. I nodded and I lay my head on Andy's chest and his arms enveloped around me, like a corset and he kept a semi-tight hold on me. I just wanted Andy to just hold me and to never let me go and it seemed like it was gonna be that way for a while. The doctor came in and gave me more medication for my shoulder pain and changed the gauze on my shoulder and the bandage.

"What are we gonna do about Blaze?" I asked, as I looked up into Andy's eyes again.

"Don't worry about Blaze." He murmured, kissing my head. "The only thing that matters is you recovering from this. Okay?"

"Okay." I nodded. "I'm probably gonna have a really nice scar after this heals."

That made Andy chuckle and he kissed my temple again and he just softly smiled at me.

"And that scar will make you look so much more beautiful." Andy whispered and it made my heart melt. "Don't ever scare me like this again. Please."

"I promise," I said. "As long as you never let me go."

"I promise. Get some sleep, love. I'll be right here in case you wake up." Andy pecked my lips softly and he held me closer to his body before I settled back into the bed and closed my eyes. Andy sat in the chair and he kept a hold on my hand, just a reminder to me that he'll always be there in case I wake up again and I start crying again.

I was sent home after a few days stay in the hospital, but instead of going 'home', I stayed on tour with Andy, so that he could keep an eye on me. My shoulder was beginning to heal and I was given prescription antibiotics and painkillers to take while I was on the road with Andy and BVB and Ashley, CC, Jake and Jinxx stepped up to keep an eye on Blayde while my shoulder's healing and it was so nice of them to do that. I mostly spent the time resting in Andy's bunk because the meds would make me feel so tired. I then heard a knock outside of the bunk and I opened the curtain to see Jinxx, with a soft smile on his face.

"Blayde's asleep, Lacey." Jinxx told me.

"Thanks, Jinxxy." Jinxx gave me a playful glare and I laughed softly. Me, Ashley, and CC have been calling Jinxx 'Jinxxy' just to piss him off and it works.

"You're gonna seriously do that?" Jinxx said, a playful annoyed tone to his voice. I nodded and smirked at him. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jinxx. I can't help it." I replied. I then heard the boys coming inside the bus and I closed the curtain again. I then heard footsteps approach the bunk and I just lay down again. The curtain opened and I saw Andy. I looked up and smiled as Andy moved to lay down next to me and as soon as he did, I just lay my head on him and Andy pulled me close to his body.

"Hey, beautiful." Andy murmured, kissing my head. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Kind of. Sore and my shoulder's kind of stiff." I said, as my arm wrapped around his waist. Andy pressed his lips to my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, baby." He said. "I wish there's something I could do to help."

"There is," I told him. "You're keeping me safe, Light. You're protecting me and you're taking care of me. That's all I need to recover."

Andy nuzzled into my throat and his lips kissed my neck, his nose ring making me shiver.

"I love you, baby." Andy looked up into my eyes, as his hand cupped my cheek. "I love you, Faith."

"And I love you, Moonlight." I kissed him softly, and I lay my head back on his chest, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me closer.

"Everything's gonna be back to normal soon." Andy's breath touched my skin and it made me shiver again and I smiled at him, the ice blue in his eyes was soft and gentle, sincere and warm and filled with love. I then noticed that Andy's finger was wrapped up. He must've gotten a new tattoo there. I just intertwined our tattooed hands. There's no place I'd rather be then in the arms of such a wonderful boy like Andy and I listened to his heartbeat and I closed my eyes as Andy softly began to sing to me, he sang 'Done For You' to me. My shoulder finally healed a week later and it still gets sore here and there and it has a nice scar across my collarbone. But I'll survive. Black Veil Brides released their video for 'Goodbye Agony' as well and I was just grateful that this near death experience because it makes me look at what I love to do and who I love in a different light and it made me an even stronger woman and an a stronger artist.

(Song: 'Nothing Stands In Our Way' by Lacuna Coil)

(Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update! My beloved German Shorthair Pointer of 12 years, Star, passed away a few days ago and I was grieving her loss and that's why I was lacking updating. Star had a tumor in her stomach and she had swelling in her leg and if she didn't get put down, she woulda went into heart failure. And yeah... I do thank you for your patience and I appreciate any love, support and condolences. <3 And Juliet Simms herself sent me condolences regarding Star passing away... I will get back on track with more updates soon! I love you, Black Hearts! Take care!

~Tigerstar 'The Immortal Queen' Massacre~)