Not Even Once//PT2 of Just Once Series

Chapter 39// Headlines

"Hey, Vik's subscribers! I know, we're not Vik, but we have some news for you..." Alice, surrounded by the whole of the Pack, and the Sidemen, smiled weakly.

"Something terrible has happened," Mitch began.

"And we wanted to tell you about it." Simon finished his sentence, as they'd planned.

"This past week, we gained a life." Preston held Emilia, smiling.

"But we also lost one." Josh glanced at Alice, making sure she was okay. She nodded.

"It's horrible we have to tell you this, it really is." Rob swallowed, holding back his tears.

"Vik, has passed." Lachlan let a tear fall. Still hearing him say that caused a pang of sadness in Alice's chest.

"He died last week in a car accident, coming home from the hospital after Emilia was born." Tobi looked to the floor. Clearly, everyone was dealing with what happened in a different way.

"We miss him so much." JJ broke down crying.

"We will be live streaming his memorial, as a little farewell for you guys. It will be tonight at 5 p.m." Harry added. Ethan nodded, he hadn't wanted to say anything in fear of breaking down.

"The boys and I hope you can join us, it would mean a lot." Alice added before running a finger under her eye, "Sorry..." She barely said.

"It's fine Alice," Josh consoled her, placing an arm around her.

"We'll see you later." Preston waved, walking out of the shot before he, too, broke down into tears. Lachlan followed close behind him.

"Goodbye, Vik's fans. Stay happy." Simon ended, turning off the camera.

"Alice, are you sure you're alright?" Rob asked, rubbing her back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Completely fine." She sniffed, not fooling anyone with her act.

"Why don't you go get ready for the memorial, I'll edit this for you." Mitch offered, Jerome seconding the motion.

"Okay, yeah... I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." Alice stood, hugging all of her friends.

"I'm coming with you, just to make sure you'll be okay." Simon grasped her hand, following her up the steps.

"Thanks Simon. I appreciate it."

"Hey, anything for my best friend, right?"

"Right."

A few hours later, and her whole Twitter was blowing up with condolences from the fans. Every one of them was extremely upset, causing Alice to get extremely upset. Simon had to pull her phone out of her hands to stop her from looking at all of the edits of her late husband.

Eventually, Simon managed to get her into the car and to the church where the memorial was being held. Lachlan and Preston had already set up the streaming stuff, which made life five hundred percent easier for Alice.

The ceremony started with a video of Vik's happiest moments, with the song Everglow by Coldplay playing in the background. Vik loved Coldplay, and so did Alice.

Then his mother and father spoke, constantly looking over at Alice and Emilia for instant smiles. According to many fans, Emilia could light up a room.

"And I think we are going to pass the mic to Alice, Vik's wife." His mother smiled at her as Alice passed Emilia off to Lachlan, who was fond of the child. She was fond of him, too.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Barn, I appreciate it... So, I didn't really prepare a speech for this, but if you all know me, you know I can at least try to wing it... I met Vik because of my brother. He helped me out, when I first moved into the boys house, by cheering me up. That's when I knew I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life." Alice began to cry, so she wiped her eyes on her sleeve and continued. "Vik made so many people happy. From me to fans who live millions of miles away, he never failed to make my days better. I married him for that reason, along with many others. His consistency, kindness, and everything else. I miss him, and one day, so will Emi. So let's take today to honor him, and remember many people around the world who are grieving with us. Thank you," Alice took a step down from the podium, returning to her seat in the church. Lachlan offered Emilia, but Alice gestured no as she stared at the floor.

It was a hard day for Alice, and it was a hard day for everyone else.

The next day, they had the funeral. Only Vik's closest friends and family were there, compared to the hundreds who were at the memorial.

Six feet under. A place Alice had only imagined as dirty and disgusting. A sad place for a loved one, but it had to be done.

They'd had the Latin words from Emilia's bracelet added onto the gravestone, as some sort of link for Emilia to her father.

"Looks like it's going to rain." Simon whispered to her, pointing to the sky as the priest spoke.

"Yeah... It does." Ali looked up. The sky was dark on the horizon.

"What a sad thing on a day like this." He sighed, putting his hands in his suit pockets.

"I have to say," Alice noted, "that suit looks very good on you."

"Thanks. I haven't had an occasion to wear it in a while."

"Well, this is good for you then." Alice crossed her arms, suddenly feeling cold.

"Are you cold?"

"No," Alice shivered, laughing a little.

"Here," Simon took off his suit jacket, helping Alice put it on. It was big, but it felt... normal? As if she was meant to have that jacket on.

"Thank you." Alice smiled, almost forgetting all that had happened in the past week.

It began to drizzle, causing people to look up at the sky, instead of the preacher.

"Uh, I think we've said enough about Vik for today... Let's all get somewhere dry and-and safe." The preacher spoke as the crowd dispersed.

"You coming with us to Nandos?" Josh asked, nudging Alice.

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a little while." Alice answered as she stared at the casket where Vik laid.

"I'll be in the car." Simon smiled, patting her back.

"Alright."

She looked at Vik's headstone.

Vikram Barn
August 2nd, 1995
October 19th, 2019
Viliter Agite
(WE IN THE FUTUREEE BRAH)

She smiled, kissing her palm and placing it against the cold gray stone. "I miss you Vik. I miss you so so much."

"I miss you too." Someone seemed to whisper.

"Vik?" She spun around, but no one was there. Alice shook it off, and walked back to Simon's car.