The Dare to Destroy ~Cashby~

Epilogue

After senior year, although I orginally planned to go back to Boston, to be close to my mom and dad again, I decided to stay right here with Austin and Shayley in California. Instead, we worked hard to convert the shed that my grandparents had in their backyard into a small hut which we filled with my parents things, pictures and memories, a place where I could come and find solace, everytime I felt lonely, or sad. We'd done the same in Austin's and his dad's backyard with his moms things, so they had a place they could go too, although, they usually went to visit her grave.

After that summer, me, Austin and Shayley attended college in California, Austin was studying music, Shayley was studying art and photography, and I was studying to become a vet. We'd all planned to finish college, Austin was going to work in the music industry, maybe as a producer, or a session musician, Shayley was going to become an landscapist and photographer, and me a vet. However, a few weeks into our first year, we met Tino, and Phil.

Quickly, Of Mice&Men where formed, Tino on drums, Phil on lead guitar, Shayley on bass and clean vocals, me on rhythm guitar and Austin doing what he did best...screaming his heart out. Initally, it was just something we did for fun, something we could do on weekend to blow off some stream and relax after a long week of classes and studying. We did gigs occasionally, and we ended up becoming fairly well known around the area, we'd even paid money out of our own pockets to get some of our songs recorded, so our friends, family and fans could listen at home.

We did that for about a year, thinking we would never really get much further, I mean, we all understood how hard it was to make a brake in the world of music. But we never let that stop us, we loved what we did and carried on, we never let the thought of it never being much more then it was dishearten us, so we continued to play, write and perform while we still all attended our classes. But one gig is what changed our fate forever.

One gig, which we played in a small venue to all of about a hundred people a few towns along, was the gig that got Of Mice&Men signed to Rise Records. We had no idea that in that crowd was a scout for the label, we just played as we always did, soaking in the joy and happiness being on stage, together, pouring our feelings into every drum beat, every bass note, every chord, every resonating guitar string, every lyric, every sung note, every scream. It was afterward the man approached us, his eyes filled with joy, wonder and admiration. He kept saying how it had been so long since he'd seen a band perform that looked like they belonged up on that stage. He carried on saying how he could see how much love we held for the music, and each other as we played, and how every single one of our songs struck his heart strings because of the deep meaning behind the words and music. And that's when we where offered a once in a life time oppertunity...a chance of a recording contract.

We could barely believe our luck and we weren't dumb enough to turn down the oppertunity, so he invited us all over to Oregon, where their main headquaters where and gave us the task of writing two new songs to perform to the heads of the company for the meeting which he set in a months time. It was a tough task, because we weren't stupid enough to drop our studies, we knew there was a risk that we wouldn't end up getting signed, or even if we did, getting very far, but we did it.

One month later we where signed and Of Mice&Men joined Rise Records, and now here we where, on stage, during Warped tour, in front of thousands of people about to play the song that we wrote for Austin's mom.

"Okay, so many of you know that five years ago I lost my mom. Loosing my mom was...it was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through, she was my world. She was everything to me, I knew she was sick, she had been for a long time, we knew she didn't have long left, but still she fought for us. She lived way beyond what any medical professional expected her too, because she was a fighter. She wasn't ready to leave her husband and son yet, she knew we still needed her, so she held on. However, five years ago today, as I was sitting in Alan's room, joking and laughing about our first week as seniors, that's when my father called me and told me "She's gone". My mom had passed away in her sleep. Nothing, had ever been so heartbraking, I-I couldn't see my life without her, I-I didn't want to live my life without her. Sh-She was supposed to see me grow old, happy, she was supposed to see me graduate, she was su-supposed to meet her future grandchildren and tell them stories of m-my childhood. But that...that could never be. I was angry for a long time, I was angry with life for taking her from me, I was angry with her for leaving me the way she did. But then one day I realised something. Before she passed, she had been very ill for two years, intially we where told she wouldn't live six months, but she held on for two years. She held on, although she suffered, although she was in pain, she held on because she knew I needed her. But then...then I met Alan. Our first year together was rough, well, rough doesn't even cut it, it was the worst. There was so many tears, and heartbrakes, so much drama and pain. There was even a time I saw no hope for us, it was over between us a-and I never be able to hold Alan in my arms again. But we survived, we fought together and we became so strong, that nothing could tear us apart. And my mom saw this, my mom saw that I had Alan now, and as long as I had him, I know I'd be okay, and she knew it was her time to let go. She knew that Alan could be the one person that could get me through everything, no matter what and she could finally put an end to all her pain and suffering." Austin took a deep breath and began digging around in his jean's pocket before walking over to me. "Alan...if it wasn't for you, I dread to think how much more pain and suffering my mother would have bared just to hold on for me. You gave my mom a reason to smile and know that she could finally let go, knowing that I would be okay. If it wasn't for you, I would have never survived her loss. You changed me in so many ways from the moment I met you. I used to be such a horrible person, I tormented people, I put people through hell, but you made me want to be a better man. So, I became one, because that time I lost you...it was the worst, so I knew I had to do everything I could to win you back. And I did, thankfully, I'm so damn thankful you found it in your heart to forgive me for all that I had done. You changed me into a man my mother could be proud of and you gave my life hope, when all hope felt lost once again. And since that day, you've been by my side ever since. Not once have you ever let me down, not once have you given my mother a reason to doubt her choice to let go and leave my life in your hands. You've given me all the hope, love, joy and happiness in the world, sometimes I wonder if I even deserve it. Everything you do, is out of pure love, love you have for me, and honestly, I have to ask myself sometimes if I'm even worthy of it because you give everything, to everyone and never ask for even the smallest thing back, hell, you don't even ask for a thank you. I know it's been a rough road, and I know that the road ahead isn't going to be easy either, but I know, with you by my side, I can make my mother proud of me. So, with that I have to ask you...Alan Anthony Ashby...." Austin opened the hand that wasn't holding his mic and dropped down on one knee. My heart burst with an overwhelming sense of joy, pride, happiness and love, tears fell from my eyes as a hand covered my mouth in shock and my cheeks burned red. "Will you do me the greatest honor, the greatest honor only the man I love from the depths of my soul to the furthest planet in the universe, and agree to be my husband?"

"Y-Yes...a million times yes!" I nodded my head frantically, carefully putting my guitar down before flinging my arms around him, holding him tight as I sobbed onto his shoulder.

"I love you so much." Austin whispered, holding me tight, before pushing me away and wiping away the tears.

"I love you too." I beamed happily and then he slid on the beautiful, simple, silver ring on my finger.

"HE SAID YES!" Shayley belted down the mic, and suddenly the immense crowd before us, that I'd actually, at the moment forgotten that was there, erupted into to cheers and cries of joy. We could hear them cry 'Cashby, Cashby, Cashby' over and over. I was finally going to become Mr. Alan Carlile, everything we'd been through, back in high school, and the last five years with all his tests, surgeries, the worry with his heart and his Marfan's, the ups and downs with the band, it was all leading to this point and I knew that no matter what, we could make it, as long as we had each other.

I and Austin shared a smile, the type of smile only two people truly in love could share for each other before I picked up the guitar.

"This one's for you mom, I love you," Austin announced and we kicked into Second and Sebring. Yup, as long as we had each other, there wasn't anything we couldn't survive.

A/N: And it's officially over! Omg, I can't believe it, I actually feel a little sad!

Thank you, everyone, who's stuck with this story, read it, voted, commented and support it, it's meant the world to me! I have no regrets with how this planned out and I really hope you all loved it! I can't believe I'm closing this on 7.5k reads! I could dance around doing the happy funky chicken dance right now!

Please go check out my new profile with my new stories over at https://www.wattpad.com/user/FaithColeAuthor

I've even rewritten this story, although the new one is non-fanfic related and a heterosexual one, but if you loved this, I promise you'll love the new one too, I've made it even better and turned it into a trilogy!
Book 1 - The Dare (published)
Book 2- The War (published)
Book 3- The Gamble (coming soon)

My book 'Free' is also up for Wattys2019 so it would mean so much to me!