Archive of Our Own

Little Wonders (These Twists and Turns of Fate) 

“Clocks Move Forward. But We Don’t Get Older, No. ” - Sunset Curve

Like Trevor Wilson’s introduction to ghosts, Eric Peters’ also started with a laptop and his kids. His sons, Reggie and Luke, had a video on in the kitchen when he got home from work that day. He pressed a kiss to his wife, Kat’s, cheek and hugged his mom, Jenny, who sat in the living room watching the tail-end of their daytime programming. He then made his way to the kitchen, where both of his sons sat staring at a laptop screen. He ruffled their hair.

“What has your attention today?”

“Dad!” The boys whined in unison, not even taking their eyes off the screen and Eric laughed. He slung his arms around his sons’ shoulders as he peered at the computer screen. A girl with dark caramel skin and big, black curly hair was on the screen. She was dressed in a white top and black and white track pants. Butterflies were scattered throughout her hair and adorned her top. She was also singing and playing the piano. 

“Julie and the Phantoms,” Reggie answered. He pushed his new glasses up the bridge of his nose, before he huffed in frustration and set his glasses down on the island. 

Luke snickered, picking up where his brother left off, “They’re a new pop-rock hologram band based in Los Feliz. Or, at least, the girl is. The others could be all over because they’re holograms.” 

The video zoomed in on the girl. She smiled as if she knew a secret no one else did. Her piano playing stopped as she moved to grip her microphone, pulling it free of her stand. He heard the drumbeat before he saw it. Then, in a flash of silver light, a band appeared behind her. But it was who was in the band that really caught his attention, probably because it was his baby brother. The person who Little Reggie was named after. His baby brother, who had died over twenty-five years ago. Yet, there he stood, playing his bass like he didn’t have a care in the world, along with the two of his bandmates: the same bandmates that had died along with him in that fatal accident.

Eric blinked. Then again. And again. No, Reggie, Luke Patterson, and Alex Mercer were still there. (Reggie had just jogged over to meet Luke at his mic.) He rubbed his eyes (the same eyes he shared with his mom and his little brother.) The three boys were still on the screen, playing their instruments like they had until that fateful day. 

(Reggie had wandered back to his side of the stage now. The camera zoomed to focus on him stomping his feet as he ran his fingers up and down the bass’ neck.) 

“T-That’s impossible.” He managed to choke. His heart was beating wildly inside his chest, but it felt like it was his throat.

“Dad?” Lucas Robert (on the screen, his namesake seemed to be pouting because the girl was ignoring him) questioned and where he left off, his twin brother picked it up. The man’s eyes flicked to meet each of his son’s. But he wasn’t really seeing them. Inside, he was spiraling. Reggie was on the screen, looking every bit alive as he did, the last time Eric had seen him, almost twenty-six years ago.

“Are you okay?” 

Eric opened his mouth, but no words would come out. His sons were still staring at him, though, so he forced himself to speak and to sound normal. Or, at least, as close as he could get to it. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” Eric paused, swallowing, but the lump in his throat wouldn’t disappear. Somehow he spoke around it. “Don’t you two have some homework you need to be doing right now?” 

The twins grumbled, but went willingly. It was only when they were out of sight that he called for his mother and wife. When they appeared in the doorway, wearing matching expressions of confusion mixed with worry, Eric knew why. He sounded like a crazy person! ( He was going crazy. ) There was no way that was Reggie and his bandmates. He knew that and yet…

“Mom, I need you to watch this video. I need you to watch it and tell me I’m going crazy because I don’t… I don’t know what happens if I’m not.” He finally managed to get the words out. A war was raging inside of him because, on one hand, Reggie was there on the video. He was bopping around and playing his bass and that was great, if it was actually his little brother. But what if it wasn’t? What if it was just someone who looked nearly identical to Reggie? (He didn’t think that was the case with Alex and Luke also being in the video.) Was it right to get his mother’s hopes up, only to be disappointed when it wasn’t Reggie? 

His mother was only in her early sixties, but after Reggie’s death back in ‘95, it seemed to age her considerably. Despite only being in her early thirties, there were bags under her eyes (from what he could only assume). When Eric brought it up to her (six months after her divorce and Reggie had been gone) because he had been worried, his mother smiled sadly. 

“I don’t mean to worry you. I’m just having trouble coping with Reggie’s death. A child is meant to outlive their parents, not the other way around.” Tears gathered in Jenny’s eyes as she drew in a breath. Eric hugged his mother tight and didn’t bring it up again. 

Was he willing to risk digging up that part of her grief for Reggie? (Because grief never actually went away. It just hurts less with time. Eric knew Mom still missed his little brother, because he still did.) 

He had his answer. “Please, Mom, tell me I’m crazy.”

Then Eric hit play and kept one eye on his mother. The other was on the video that had restarted. The girl introduced her band and thanked everyone for coming. Eric didn’t see this part the first time around. The girl started playing the piano. She smiled secretly again. Again, the older man heard the drumbeat before he saw it. Eric’s eyes flicked to his mom, studying as she watched.  A split second later, there was that flash of silvery light and then the band appeared. Eric knew when his mother saw him, because the mug she had been holding fell and shattered into pieces. 

“Jenny? Are you okay?” Kat exclaimed as it hit the floor. 

Kat was checking her over for cuts or pieces of ceramic glass, when his mother stood up abruptly. 

“I-I-I’m sorry. I’ll get the broom.” She moved in the direction of the hall closet. 

“Jenny, I’m not worried about that. Are you okay? Did the glass hurt you?” Kat asked, but no sooner than she had asked the question, his mother was swaying on her feet. 

“Mom!” 

“Jenny!”  

Eric moved swiftly, arms outstretched to catch the older woman if she fell. But his mother stayed upright and on her feet. She glanced back and reassured him. 

“I’m alright.” 

She wasn’t though. Tears had started to gather and slide down her cheeks. 

“Mom, I’m sorry,” Eric said gently, though what he was apologizing for, he wasn’t sure. Forgiving her hope that Reggie might still be alive? (His head hurt. How was this possible? And how had he managed to stay so young?) 

“We need answers.” His mother said, bringing him back to reality. 

Eric bobbed his head in agreement. He cleared his throat a moment later. “Reggie and Luke said the girl was based in Los Feliz. Don’t Mr. and Mrs. Patterson still live around there?” 

The man watched as the gears in the elderly woman’s head turned. “Luke was in that video, too, wasn’t he?”

“And Alex. But I don’t think we should tell his parents about whatever this is, even if we could find them... From what Reg-” his breath caught in his throat. How long had it been since he brought up something his brother had said? Eric couldn’t remember, “-told me, the Mercers wouldn’t care. After Alex came out to them, they basically disowned him. From that point on, he spent more time and nights bouncing between the Pattersons’ and the Wilsons’ houses. I don’t think he would want them to know.”

Jenny frowned deeply and it seemed to age her even more. She went from seventy-three to eighty-three in the span of three minutes. 

“We all deserve answers, Eric.” The older woman’s voice was twinged with weariness. “Even if they are those kinds   of people. He was still their son. I can only tell them if we can find them. What they do with the information is up to them. They could have changed, too. Alex being gone may have changed them, like Reggie being gone changed me.” It was unlikely. Eric knew that much, that the Mercers had changed. Whereas Jenny Peters changed that night, the Mercers hadn’t. Bobby had been the last to talk to them and according to him, they hadn’t changed, but he couldn’t tell his mother that. She wouldn’t listen. “Now, after I clean up my mess, I’m going to call Emily and Mitch.” With those final words, Jenny Peters marched to the hallway closet to get the broom and dustpan.

It was only when she was out of earshot that his wife rounded on him. Her eyes were wide with confusion. “What the hell is going on, Eric? Why does a video with a hologram band have you and your mom acting like you’ve seen a ghost?”

Kat had never met or seen a picture of Reggie. Eric hadn’t met Kat until after his younger brother was gone, and a fire back in ‘98 had taken any photographs his mother had of Reggie. 

“Because,” Eric sighed (and now he was the one who felt like he had gotten older in a matter of minutes). “One of those boys in the band is my little brother.”

He pointed to Reggie, who stood frozen, playing the bass in the paused video. 

“What?” Kat’s voice was steeped in confusion, “I thought he died twenty-five years ago?” 

“He did.” He didn't know how else to say it. There was no gentleness to this kind of situation. Without warning, memories from that night started playing on a loop in his head. Like a movie that was told in first person. Their house phone rang.  (He could still hear its shrill ringing. It echoed in his head.) His mother and father were in the middle of a fight, so his father, mid-scream, answered the phone. When he learned it wasn’t anyone important (Meaning any of his or Reggie’s friends), he passed the phone to him. Eric had been home from his junior year of college that week for spring break. 

He hadn’t planned on being there that week, but a month earlier, his little brother had called him chattering excitedly. Sunset Curve was playing the Orpheum! Reggie had practically squealed.

“Can you believe it, Eric?” He asked without pausing to hear an answer. “This will be the band’s big break! Can you come? Will you come? Please? It would mean a lot to me and the guys!” 

Eric and Reggie had been close, bonded by the situation they were put in by their parents fighting. Eric always looked out for Reggie. (And, by extension, the rest of Sunset Curve too.) Of course, Eric agreed. 

He had just been about to leave for the concert when his father shoved the phone at him. Though it hung from its cord, the twenty-year-old could hear the faint voice of someone speaking. Holding the phone to his ear, he realized it was Bobby. 

“-please. Mr. Peters, it’s important! It’s about Reggie! I need to tell you!” Maybe it was the frantic way Bobby was speaking. But his words, Bobby begging for his father to listen to him… It set Eric’s teeth on edge. A tug in his gut told him something was wrong. Was Reggie’s friend crying? 

“Bobby,” the frantic pleading screeched to a halt. Another sob was heard from the other end of the line. 

“Eric.” His name was choked as it came through. It didn’t even sound like his name. 

“You said something about Reggie and that it was important. What happened?”

Bobby was talking through his tears, but Eric didn’t hear him. By then, a cop car with its lights on had pulled into his parents’ driveway. The tug in Eric’s gut just a few moments ago? It had pulled his stomach down to his feet now. 

Reggie was gone. 

“Eric? How is that possible?”

”I don’t know. That’s why we need answers.” Reggie’s older brother could only shrug after his wife had led him away from his thoughts of the past. “And it gets weirder, too. The other two, the ones on the drums and guitar? They died that night, too, but none of them look a day older than when it happened.”

“How is that possible?” His wife pressed again, though Eric knew she wasn’t questioning him this time. It was a general question for the universe. Unfortunately, the universe chose to remain silent and leave the question unanswered. 

“Then Maybe Time Would Not Erase Me
If You Could Only Know I'd Never Let You Go.” - Luke Patterson 

“What did you tell them? On the phone?” Eric asked as he merged on the freeway. They had about half an hour before they would reach Los Feliz. 

“That I had something to tell them about the boys and it couldn’t be said over the phone,” Jenny explained. The book she had brought for the drive sat closed on her lap because the closer they got to their hometown, the less the book seemed to be able to keep her attention. 

“How did Mrs. Patterson sound?” He asked. The image of the woman appeared in his mind’s eye. Remembering the way Emily Patterson drew in on herself with the devastation of Luke not being here anymore… His mother and Emily Patterson were akin in that way. His mother grieved for a son she never really knew, only getting to truly know him second hand-through other people’s stories. Mrs. Patterson grieved for a son she knew, but pushed away because she could never accept the thing that made him Luke. 

It didn’t sit right with either boy, but Eric had his mom to worry about.  Bobby, though… Bobby, in addition to his monthly phone calls with Jenny, had dinner with Pattersons every month. And just like the phone calls that had spanned over the last twenty-five years with his mother, the man was willing to bet Bobby still had dinner with Luke’s parents every month. Eric never voiced this, but he thought the former rhythm guitarist had survivor's guilt, being the last member of Sunset Curve still standing. Nobody blamed Bobby for what happened though. (Except for Bobby.) 

“Really good, actually. Before I even had the chance to bring up the boys, she told me that a girl had found a song Luke wrote and brought it to her and Mitch. She said it helped her bring her that final bit of closure she needed,” Jenny explained, interrupting his thoughts about the Grammy-winning rockstar. 

“A girl? You think it could be the same girl from the video?” He asked, checking his rearview and merging onto the exit ramp. 

“I think… that I don’t know what to think about any of this right now. My head is spinning and pulling in different directions of what it could be. Each explanation is crazier than the last one.”

Eric frowned because he knew that feeling very well. It was that feeling that kept him from wrapping his head around what he saw in the video. (Maybe it was the trick of the light or the girl had found rare footage of the boys and used that to make actual holograms? That couldn’t be it because in addition to it being few and far between, any footage that existed of Sunset Curve was in Bobby’s possession and on VHS tapes.) There was no logical explanation insight and that kept Eric up all night. He just felt so wired that he couldn’t sit still that morning. 

Kat kept shooting him sympathetic looks and the boys kept eyeing him worriedly, especially when he explained to them that he wasn’t going to work today and that their mother was going to be driving them to school. 

“Why?” Little Reggie asked around a mouth full of cereal. His twin brother nodded, raising his eyebrows at his father in confusion. 

“I have an errand to run with your grandmother, so I’m taking the day off to help her.” Reggie accepted the answer with a shrug and went back to munching on his cereal. Luke, who inherited Kat’s perceptiveness, continued to eye him. 

“Is everything okay, Dad?” 

That was a good question. Was everything okay? What was he even hoping for here? (Obviously for Reggie and Luke and Alex to still be alive, but that would also present a lot more questions.) 

Eric couldn’t explain any of that too little Luke though. Instead, he plastered a smile on his face. 

“Yeah, buddy, I just need to help your grandmother.”

They pulled into the Pattersons’ driveway. While he turned the car off, he let a deep breath pass through his lips. Then he turned to look at his mother. “Are you ready to do this?” 

“Yes, but I feel like I’m about to give Emily and Mitch hope for… something, when I’m not sure I should be or what exactly I’m giving them hope for,” Jenny answered softly, her head bobbing up and down. 

“Should I not have told you?” The question flew from Eric’s mouth before he had time to realize what he had just blurted out. Now that the question was out there, the dark-haired man couldn’t help but need to know the answer. 

“I… I don’t know. I think I’m still processing what I saw… Do you think it was actually your brother?”

A question for a question it seemed. Eric bit his lip, eyeing his mother.  How could he say that he did think it was Reggie, without giving his mother hope that it was, in case it wasn’t? 

“I don’t know. I’m still processing what I saw. I mean, I called you in there to make sure I wasn’t crazy, didn’t I?” He forced a chuckle. His mother gave him a pointed look. 

“You were never a good liar, Eric,” She told him bluntly, before she got out of the car. Eric sighed heavily. Then, he followed after her. 

Emily greeted them with a smile and a hug for both of them. Eric stood, shell shocked, in the elderly woman’s grasp. Emily Patterson had always been a sweet woman. But after Luke was gone, it was like she was hollow. She was a shadow of her former self. But now? Now, she was bright and reminded Eric of the lady she had been before. Was she completely the way she was before Luke was gone? No, but it was clear that the song his mother had mentioned in the car, had done her good. 

It was only when they (Eric, Jenny, Emily, and Mitch) were sitting at the kitchen table with cups of coffee that the Pattersons brought up their unusual presence. 

“So, this is a surprise! Jenny, I haven’t seen you since you gave me those books right before you moved in with Eric.” Emily turned to look at Eric. “How are Kat and little Reggie and Luke?  You also said you had something to tell us? About the boys?”

Before the boys had ever been born, Eric and Kat had come to ask Mr. and Mrs. Patterson for their blessing to name one of their boys after Luke, but Emily had seemed so out of it at the time that Eric was surprised she remembered. 

“They’re good.” He cleared his throat before he chuckled a little, even with the situation at hand. “I guess you could say history is repeating itself. Luke wants to learn the guitar and Reggie, the bass. They got the idea from a hologram band on YouTube.” 

And just like that, the air in his lungs was stolen. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s what we came here to talk to you about. The hologram band.”

Emily’s brows drew together in confusion. “But Jenny told me you came over here to talk about the boys. What does a hologram band on the internet have to do with them?”

“I- I think it’s best if we just show you?” Jenny offered, saving Eric from trying to find the words to answer with. The older woman looked at him and he nodded his head as he turned to get his laptop out. The video had been downloaded, thanks to his boys, (though they had given him crazy looks when he asked them to download the video, similar to the looks Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were giving them now) and was waiting on the screen when he opened it up. Eric hit play. 

Once more, the girl appeared. Emily let out a sound as the girl thanked everyone for coming. It sounded like a coo. “Oh, that’s Julie. That’s the girl who brought us Luke’s song.”

More questions. More answers that they didn’t have.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Mitch leaned over to pause the video. The girl (Julie, as Emily called her) stopped thanking everyone. “What does all this have to do with the boys?” 

Luke’s father posed a good question. Logically speaking, a girl with a hologram band should have no bearing on three boys, who had been gone for a really long time, but…

Eric opened his mouth, but Jenny once again saved him from trying to find answers to an impossible question.

“Mitch, please, just watch till the end and we’ll try to answer any questions you have then,” Jenny told him softly. The elderly man looked like he wanted to protest, but Emily squeezed his hand and he nodded silently instead. He unpaused the video and Julie continued talking. Then he heard Julie start to play the piano. There was the drumbeat. Eric squeezed his eyes shut and then… Like with his mother, he knew when the Pattersons saw the boys. 

Emily choked back a sob while Mitch gasped. The video was paused again. This time, it was by Emily. 

“H-how?” She whispered to them, though her eyes, never left the computer screen. They never wavered from where Eric knew Luke was on the screen. Eric shrugged at her question. Finally, one he could answer. 

“We don’t know. I came home yesterday and found my Luke and Reggie watching the video and when I saw the boys, I showed Mom, and here we are. You said Julie brought you a song Luke wrote?”

“Yes, she said she found it in the garage the boys used to play in.” 

Bobby’s old house . That wasn’t far away at all. Eric blew out a breath. “I think we need to go talk to this girl. She obviously knows what’s going on.” 

Jenny nodded in agreement. Reaching out, she took Emily’s hand and squeezed it tight, bringing the other woman’s eyes away from the screen. “I think we need this. Even if it’s not them… Even if it’s a bunch of really good lookalikes, at least we’ll know.” 

His mom then looked at Mr. Patterson and after a moment, he nodded too. 

“How do we go about finding her and her family though? I don’t think anyone really uses phone books anymore.” Mitch sighed. 

“No, sir, they don’t. But you said that she found the song that Luke wrote in the old studio where they used to play?”   

Both Mr. and Mrs. Patterson nodded their heads and Eric smiled a true, genuine smile for the first time since he first saw the video. 

“I know where that is. It's Bobby's old house. Their garage, actually. Bobby’s parents let them turn it into their studio.” Eric explained.

“My God, Amazing How We Got This Far. It’s Like We’re Chasing All Those Stars.”- One Republic

Reggie had decided to take the long way home from joining Ray at work because he missed actually riding in a car. He was chatting to Ray animatedly with no stopping point in sight (because the older man couldn’t see him) when they pulled into the driveway. The bass player’s monologue stopped abruptly, though, when he heard Ray’s mutter of “¿que?” 

“What’s wrong, big guy?” Reggie asked, even though he wouldn’t get any response. The dark-haired boy turned his head to see what Ray saw and found two cars sitting in front of Ray’s SUV. It wasn’t Tía, either. Reggie knew her car.

“Who’s that?” He asked again. Once more, Ray didn’t answer. Instead, he got out of his car and the boy poofed out to follow him. Ray led the way up to the house. Reggie trailed behind him. There was a group of people waiting on the porch. Reggie could easily pick out Luke’s parents and his stomach swooped to his feet at the sight, like a bad stomach ache. 

And was that… his mom? Reggie's eyes grew wide at the sight, before he rubbed them. It had been maybe a month since he last saw her? (Was that the right frame of time when he and the boys had been in that dark room where Alex was crying for an hour when it had actually been twenty-five years? Ugh, this all made Reggie’s brain hurt. He’d ask Julie and Alex about it later.) 

“Excuse me,” Ray called, bringing the bass player out of his thoughts. “Can I help you?” 

Everyone turned on the porch turned as he and Ray continued to close the distance. Then they were in front of everyone. His dad emerged from the group. His dad? Wait, it wasn’t his dad. He looked way too young, Reggie thought, looking at his mom, who had grey hair and wrinkle lines. Besides that, Bobby had told them that he hadn’t seen his Dad, since they (as in, Sunset Curve) last saw him back in ‘95, so it couldn’t be him. And his eyes… Those were Reggie’s eyes. This wasn’t his Dad but…

“Eric?” Reggie asked, peering up at his brother because he had gotten their father’s height and broad build. 

“Yes, sir, we hope you can. I’m Eric Peters. We were hoping to find Julie of Julie and the Phantoms here?”

Ray sat the bag of camera equipment he was carrying down, “That’s my daughter. May I ask why you’re looking for her.”

“Well, that’s a little...complicated. It’s about her hologram band. We want to talk to her about it.” His brother explained and Reggie’s eyes grew wide. This wasn’t good. 

“I don’t know how she works those holograms, but Julie’s at school right now. The day’s almost over though, so why don’t you come inside and wait for her...and maybe explain why you’re interested in her band?” 

This really wasn’t good. Reggie needed to warn Julie. Right now, he thought, before he poofed away. 

He landed in the middle of a hallway, but it was the right school. He thought with a sigh of relief. The last time when he tried to poof to Julie’s school, he landed in the middle of a preschool. It was fun to go back to kindergarten for the day though and- 

Focus, Reggie. He needed to find Julie. She had asked/told them not to bug her during class, unless it was an emergency. (He thought this counted as such.) 

Thankfully, whatever connection they shared landed the bass player right in front of the door of her final class. Peering into the class through the door’s window-pane, the dark-haired boy spotted Julie’s curls right away. Taking a deep breath, Reggie walked through the door and Julie looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw him. Giving a small wave, he jerked his head back and hoped she got the message, before he made his way back into the hall. 

A few minutes later, the door opened and she appeared. With the door swinging shut behind her, she told him out of the corner of her mouth, “we’re walking to the bathroom.”

“You have to go to the bathroom?” He asked, distracted momentarily, “I don’t think I should be following you into the bathroom, Julie.” 

“No, I don’t have to go. That’s just what I told my teacher so I could leave. Now, what’s going on? You guys know you’re not supposed to bug me during classes.”

Right. Right. He was here for a reason.  

“Our families are currently at your house, talking to Ray and asking questions about the band,” Reggie explained and Julie stopped in the middle of the hallway.  

“When you say your families are at my house and asking about the band, who do you mean?” Julie questioned, completely forgetting that she wasn’t supposed to talk to them in the open like this, because someone could come out here and see her talking to air.

“My mom and brother… and Luke’s parents,” Reggie answered, frowning when Julie sucked in a breath. 

“Okay. Okay, we can handle this,” Julie mumbled to herself. The statement was meant to be reassuring, but it only made Reggie’s frown grow deeper. She sighed again, before her eyes found Reggie’s again. 

“I have to go back to class. But you work on finding Alex and Luke, then meet me in the studio. We need to come up with a plan on how to deal with this. I don’t know where Luke is. But Alex mentioned Willie teaching him to skate today?” 

Reggie nodded.  He reached out and pulled the curly-haired girl into a hug, “It’ll be okay Jules.” 

Though, who he was reassuring, Reggie wasn’t sure. Then, before she could say anything, he poofed away.

“...Swear the Sky's Falling. I Know That All This Shit's Fabricated.” - Ariana Grande

Julie wasn’t sure how she made it back to class. But somehow she did and now Flynn was eyeing her from where she sat in her chair.  Reggie’s and Luke’s families were at her house. They were talking to her dad and asking questions about the band. Her band… who were ghosts and how was she supposed to handle this? How was she supposed to explain ghosts to the boys’ families and her dad? Her next appointment with Dr. Turner was probably already made.

The bell rang. When the teacher dismissed them, Julie was the first one out of the classroom. On a good day, it usually took Julie ten minutes to make it through the crowd of other students at the end of the day.  But today, she was one of the first people out. 

“Julie,” Flynn panted as she came to a stop. Her hands braced on her knees while she caught her breath, “Where… Where is the fire?” 

She needed Flynn’s full attention for this, so Julie waited for her best friend to stop panting and look at her before she told the other girl what was going on. By the time Julie had finished explaining, Flynn’s mouth was wide open as she blinked back at Julie. Then, she seemed to shake herself out of her stupor and she pulled out her phone. 

“Okay, I’m texting my mom right now to let her know I'm going home with you. We have a plan to make.” 

Julie reached out and pulled her best friend into a hug. Even when her world might be falling down around her, she could always count on Flynn to be there to help her pick up the pieces and build a new one. 

“Are you ready?” Flynn asked, looking back with her hand on the door handle. Julie took a deep breath and nodded. They had a plan. They could make it to the studio before her dad caught them. Right? Right. 

Flynn pushed open the front door. When it swung closed, Julie called out: “Dad! I’m home. I’ll be in the studio with Flynn!”

Then they took off in a run, pretending not to hear her father’s calls. Making it to the studio, Julie sighed with relief and fumbled with the lock on the door. Locking it back up, she sagged against the door, “Okay now we wait for the guys.” 

“Julie,” the knock on the garage door, mixed with her father’s voice, shouldn’t have spooked her, but it did. Every knock was like an echo of her heartbeat. 

“Mija, there are some people who have some questions about your band. Would you come out and speak to them?”

Julie squeezed her eyes shut as she braced herself for what she was about to say to her father, “I’m sorry, Dad, but no. I’m not coming out till Tío Trevor gets here. He’s our manager, after all.”

As soon as the words fell from her mouth, her eyes widened. Tío Trevor! He knew both of the boys’ families! He could help!

“Julie,” Ray tried to reach her again. Now the door’s jiggled, but the lock held firm. There was a pause then the doors shuttered again as someone tried to pull on the doors again. “Julianna, did you move the lock to the inside?”

“You have my answer, Dad. It won’t change.” Julie tried to sound brave and strong, but even she could hear the tremble in her voice. Could they? She wondered as she bit her lip. Finally, she heard her dad sigh softly and apologize to someone before explaining that Julie usually didn’t act like this. Then there was the sound of footsteps retreating.

Julie sighed in relief and pulled out her phone to dial Trevor’s phone number. 

“Trevor, I need your help! I don’t- I don’t know what to do!” Julie told him in lieu of a greeting when the call connected. Since she left school, Julie had felt panicky and like the sky was all falling, but she also thought she was keeping it under control well. 

This was not the case when Trevor told her to calm down and explain what was going on. So she did. She took a deep breath like Dr. Turner showed her, in through the mouth and out through the nose. Then, she explained that both Luke’s and Reggie’s families were here and asking questions about the band.

“They know, Trevor, and I don’t know what to do! How do I explain to them that ghosts are real? I’m going to sound like a freaking crazy person!” 

“Are the boys there?” Trevor asked and Julie shook her head even though the man on the other end of the line couldn’t see her. 

“Not yet. Reggie’s supposed to be finding them and meeting me back here to come up with a plan.” She answered. 

“Okay, I’m picking up Carrie right now. Then I’ll head over there.” 

“Okay.” 

“Julie, it’ll be okay.” 

The girl had been hearing that a lot today. But she didn’t know if she could believe it would be. 

“Dear Maria, Count Me In. There's a Story at the Bottom of This Bottle.” - All Time Low

Just as she hung up, the boys plus Willie poofed in. Alex, Luke, and Reggie all looked just freaked out as they felt. 

“How are you guys doing?” She asked, approaching them. Luke reached out and wrapped his arms around her up in a tight squeeze. Alex joined them, his fanny pack pressing into her side. Then, Reggie followed suit, the leather of his jacket felt cool against her skin. They pulled apart a moment later. 

“We need a plan, a really good plan,” Julie said and all the guys nodded. She nodded back, her curls not so much bouncing as they were waving, and that’s when the pacing started.

He still had his key, so he didn’t knock on the door. Instead, he just opened the front door and shut it quietly behind him. He couldn’t hear the quiet voices talking from the kitchen. 

“Does Uncle Ray know we’re coming?” Carrie asked, looking around. It was her first time being inside the house since she and Julie had had their talk, a week ago. Nothing had changed since she had last been here since eighth grade. 

“Yeah, I think Julie told them we were coming,” Trevor told his daughter, before he made his way to the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, he saw the Pattersons, as well as Eric and Jenny Peters, sitting there with Ray and Victoria. Trevor gave them a tight smile as someone noticed him. It looked like the gang's all here. 

“Robert,” Jenny Peters stood up and wrapped him in a hug. Emily took her place when the other woman pulled away. 

“What are you doing here?” Emily asked just as Ray and Victoria chorused in confusion, “Robert? Who’s Robert?”  

“He was the fourth member of Sunset Curve,” He heard Eric answer. Out of the corner of his eye, the long-haired man saw him point to something. Whatever Eric pointed to, it had Ray muttering, “Dios mío,” under his breath. 

Right. Ray and Victoria didn’t know about Bobby. Victoria had met him just as he had started going by Trevor full time and, as for Ray, by the time Rose met him, Bobby was nothing but a faint memory. Trevor forced himself to speak with a slight laugh, “That’s me. I don’t really go by Bobby anymore though.  Trevor is my middle name and also my stage name.”

He paused before he continued, “And I’m here because Julie called me. Said something about someone asking questions about her band and wanted me here?”  

“Wait, you're their manager? So you know what’s going on too? Did you give her your old Sunset Curve footage? How was she able to get it off of the tapes?” Eric, now standing, asked as he came closer. Bobby held up his hands though, as if that could stop the other man’s questions. 

“I need to talk to Julie first. Before I answer anything.” He told them, then he looked at his daughter, “Carrie, can you stay in here with Ray and Victoria?”

Carrie nodded though she was more entranced with the photo on the tablet that sat on the island. Bobby knew it was the photo from that article that cropped up after the boys became ghosts by the way his daughter said, “Dad looks a lot like my grandpa when he was young.”

When he made it to the garage, he knocked and was met with Julie’s muffled voice, “Tía, I told you, I’m not coming out until Tío Trevor gets here.” 

“It’s not Victoria,” Trevor said and there was a poignant pause of silence before there was fumbling behind the doors. They opened just enough for him to squeeze through and shut the wooden doors behind him. Inside the studio was just Julie and Flynn. Julie was pacing back and forth while she spoke quickly. Raising an eyebrow, he pointed to the other girl while he tried to catch Julie’s eye, but to no avail. 

“I know and she,” Flynn told him with a jerk of chin in Julie’s direction, “Is discussing with the guys about what to do. We haven’t reached a decision yet, though. At least, I don’t think so.” 

“I think you should just tell them the truth,” Trevor called. 

The girl with the box braids flicked one over her shoulder as she sighed, “I already suggested that.”

Julie jerked to a stop at the suggestion and her feet got caught under her. She would’ve fallen; she should’ve fallen. Instead, Trevor assumed one of the boys caught her because she looked like she was leaning against an invisible wall for a moment. Then, the curly-haired girl with brown eyes, pushed back against that wall. She was already shaking her head at him. 

“Okay! I know that someone caught you, but that was trippy to watch.” Flynn said, her own brown eyes wide. 

“Reggie says he's sorry you couldn’t see him. But he’s not sorry for not letting me fall.” Julie relayed the message, then she turned to face him. Again, she shook her head.

“I don’t think they’ll believe me. The guys say that there was a little footage of Sunset Curve. They think that’ll work.” 

Now it was Trevor shaking his head at her, he pushed his hair back away from his face. “No, it won’t. First off, there isn’t that much footage of Sunset Curve, to begin with. Not enough to get their voices or movements perfect, like they appear in the videos Carrie has shown me. Second of all, all of that footage is on VHS tapes. I’m no tech expert, but I don’t think there’s a way to make holograms from tapes, when there’s no way to hook those up to a computer to manipulate that footage.”

“VHS tape?” Flynn asked. 

“It’s like a CD, but bigger and a block. My mom has a lot of her band footage that way. I actually think we still have a VCR, but we’re getting off-topic,” Julie explained, shaking her head. Her eyes refocused on him. “I don’t want to screw this up for the guys or seem like I’m crazy because then Dad’ll send me back to Dr. Turner three times a week.” 

“Julie, I won’t let you seem crazy. You’ll have me there to back you up,” Trevor promised. It did nothing to improve her look of doubt though. She looked away for a moment. Then her frown deepened as she nodded her head. 

“Luke is worried this will hurt his parents more than they already are,” Julie said, glancing back at him. 

Trevor sighed deeply. He faced the direction Julie had been looking at previously. To him, there was nothing but air there. But he still spoke like the guys were right there.

“I don’t think it will. Speaking from a parent’s perspective, I would be happy to know that Carrie was still around in whatever capacity and was happy. That’s all I would care about and I can guarantee you: that’s all your families will care about too.”

There was a pause as the girl looked around, her bottom lip being hidden by her teeth. Then, she sighed and nodded her head. “Fine. We’ll tell them the truth and deal with everything else after.” 

“But Just Hold Quick You're Fading Right. In a Cold Trick of the Light.” - Marianas Trench 

After Trevor had texted her and let her know it was alright to come in, Julie wandered into the house cautiously with Flynn by her side and a piano floating behind her, because Trevor had explained to everyone that it would be better if Julie could show them the band, rather than explain it, and the boys thought it would help convince everyone more if they carried in her piano for her. (Also, it was because she couldn’t just poof her instrument to her like the guys could.) 

Everyone was seated in the living room. She wasn’t looking at them, so she heard the gasps rather than seeing them. Instead, she was focused on the guys. They moved with the piano and looked at her when they saw a clear open space. Nodding her head, she turned to face the crowd with a tense smile. She picked out her father, aunt, and Carlos, who, it seemed, had made it home from baseball practice. Flynn left her side to sit by Carrie and Trevor leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He nodded at her. Julie nodded back. 

“Mija, your piano was floating.” Her father said. 

Her head bobbed up and down once more. “I know and we’ll get to why it was floating in a minute. But for right now, I want to ask that you all keep an open mind and look around. You’ll see there is no projector or any other equipment that can produce a hologram. Now, what I’m about to tell you, might be hard to understand. But… ghosts are real. I know that your sons, Reggie, Luke, and Alex, died twenty-five years ago. I’ve met them, though, and I know that sounds crazy, which it would be, if they hadn’t come back as ghosts themselves.”

She glanced behind her to look at the guys. She watched as Willie pressed his lips to Alex’s then he poofed himself into the crowd. Reggie smiled at her and when Luke caught her eye, he smiled and nodded. 

‘You got this, ’ The guitarist mouthed. Julie turned back to the adults, each giving her varying degrees of confusion or concern. A pit had opened up in her stomach. She did not have this. Still, she had to press on. 

“I found them when I was cleaning out my mom’s studio. I actually played Sunset Curve’s demo and there they were. The thing is, though, that they’re special ghosts. When they play, people can hear them, and when they play with me…” She started to play the opening to Bright, “People can not only hear them but they can also see them.” 

At that moment, the guys appeared. They followed along with the song, though a little softer. While their presence soothes her, the same couldn’t be said for their parents, at least, at first. There were a few yelps and curse words thrown out. She even heard her father mutter, “Dios mío.”

Julie watched as Luke and, she assumed, Reggie’s moms stood and walked closer to each boy. It was Mrs. Patterson who took the leap though. She stuck her hand out and instead of her hand hitting Luke’s shoulder, it went right through it.

“Luke?” She heard the older woman ask, but Julie didn’t get to hear the boy’s answer. 

“So, they’re ghosts? All three of them? You really expect us to believe that?” A man with brown hair and a square jaw asked. He did not look happy. Julie opened her mouth to answer, but Reggie beat her to it. The usually happy bass player shot the man a pointed look.

“Yeah. Eric, all three of us. Don’t be like that to Julie just because you’re upset about it. Because you know who you sound like? Dad.” 

“And if you still don’t believe in ghosts or this…” Julie found Willie and she smiled at him. 

“Willie? Would you mind helping us out?” She asked. Willie grinned back and mock-saluted at her, before he poofed to the blinds. He pulled the string back and forth, making them flap. 

Tía Victoria gasped aloud as she stared wide-eyed at the blinds moving seemingly by themselves. 

“So they disappear when you stop playing?” The question came from Luke’s father. Luke was built like him, Julie noticed, but unlike his son, Mr. Patterson was so soft-spoken. Julie nodded. 

“Yeah. I’ll show you.” She said as she stopped playing her piano, but then something extraordinary happened. 

“What if We Rewrite the Stars? Say You Were Made to be Mine.” - Zac Efron and Zendaya 

“Jules,” Luke’s voice came out choked. But it didn’t sound like something was wrong. When the girl looked over, she saw it wasn’t distress coating the boy’s throat, but awe because the boys- her boys- were glowing again. The golden glow that had appeared on them the night of the Orpheum performance was back and shining brighter than before. 

A strangled yelp drew Julie’s attention away from her boys. Her head snapped back to see everyone staring at Willie. Willie, who, up until this point, no other lifer besides her could see, was also glowing. The same purple mark- Willie’s stamp, Julie realized- floated up to the ceiling before vanishing completely, just like before with the boys. Then, the glow sputtered out like someone finally finding the dimmer switch. 

“What‘s happening?” Willie asked, looking down at his arms. His hands came up to pat himself down, as if to make sure everything was right within himself. Julie opened her mouth to answer, then closed it. What answer did she have? None that made any sense, not to her or to the others, who had little to no experience with ghosts or the afterlife. 

She looked back at the guys. (Their glow was gone now, too.) to see if any of them could provide the answer, but they were all trying to decide what was happening. She reached a hand out to Reggie, who was the closest to her. It was only when her hand made contact with his shoulder, that she realized she wasn’t playing the piano- that none of them were playing their instruments anymore. 

Julie wasn’t playing the piano anymore and the boys hadn’t poofed out. They hadn’t poofed out and everyone could still see them by the way all the adults (sans Trevor) were gaping at them. Everyone could see Willie, by the way, Carlos, Flynn, Carrie, and Trevor were staring at the boy. Julie squeezed Reggie’s shoulder to feel he was now warm to the touch. Not at all like the cool feeling she had come accustomed to when she had physical contact with one of the boys, in the last month. (Like being in water for an extended period of time.)

“Flynn.” Julie tried desperately to quell the hope from her voice. But… But it was hard to, when the glow had given her the ability to hug the guys the first time around. She couldn’t help but wonder what it had given her… them this time? She jerked her head to Willie, trying to make the other girl understand. Her best friend didn’t disappoint. Flynn nodded and moved to the skater, while Julie murmured to the boy, “I’m going to check something okay?” 

“Julie? What’s going on?” Julie couldn’t answer her dad. She didn’t know what was happening yet. What had the Golden Glow given as a gift this time? So, she focused on Reggie and when he nodded, she used her other hand to find the bassist’s pulse point, and there...There was a fluttering against her finger. Reggie’s eyes widened in shock too. Like he didn’t realize he had it until she was pressing her finger against it. 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Heartbeat. Reggie had a heartbeat. Gasping, she jerked her finger away as if she had been burned. Julie glanced at Flynn, who nodded her head fiercely at her unspoken question, before she looked at her other two phantoms. If Reggie and Willie both had a heartbeat then Luke and Alex had to have one too, right? (Please let them have one, too!) 

“Alex, Luke, come here.” Her voice was shaking. She could hear it. It matched the tremor that seemed to take over her whole body. 

“Jules?” Luke questioned as he came closer, but Julie couldn’t answer him yet. Not when she wasn’t sure. (She had to be sure. She had to feel their pulses for herself to be sure.) Instead, she used her hand to wave him forward. 

“What’s happening?” Alex echoed his boyfriend’s words when he reached Julie, high-pitched and panicky. He was shaking too, though Julie was sure his shaking wasn’t from excited hopefulness like hers was, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s okay, Alex. But I- I need to check something okay? Just like what I did with Reg.” She tried to soothe him and finally, he nodded. His chest expanded and fell. The breathing should’ve been indication enough, but the piano player knew that most ghosts (according to Willie) took breaths, not because they needed to breathe, but because it was second nature when they entered the afterlife. 

She placed her finger to his pulse point and felt it there. Though noticeably faster than Reggie’s, Alex’s heartbeat almost had Julie crying tears of joy. Her eyes closed in relief. Julie almost crying must’ve turned into real crying because Alex’s baby blue eyes widened in alarm. (His own eyes had started to prick with tears.) But before he could attempt to comfort her, or ask again what was wrong, she shook her head. a grin split her lips. 

“A heartbeat, Alex. You have a heartbeat, and so does Reggie and Willie.” She whispered to him, because the fear of speaking too loud would make her realize that this was just a dream instead of reality. And if she was dreaming? Julie didn’t ever want to wake up from it. (It would take a while to realize that this wasn’t just a dream.)  

“Closed Your Eyes and Trusted. Just Trusted. Lassoed The Moon and The Stars and Pulled That Rope Tight.” - Pink

Then, Luke was there. Luke was there. He guided his blond best friend into their bass player’s care. Her shaking grew worse. But Luke smiled at her, the same smile that he wore in her daydream in dance class. It was trust… it was complete faith in her. He nodded at her the same way, too. Though, instead of offering her his hands, looked up. Her hand reached up. (Please let him have a heartbeat. Please. She didn’t think she could take it if he didn’t have a heartbeat. Not just for the sake of their ‘interesting little relationship’ but for the sake of him. What would it do to him to know that his best friends’ had been given a second chance at life when he didn’t? To watch them all get older while he stayed forever seventeen?)  She shivered at the bleak thought. 

One thing at a time Julie. She told herself. Her fingertip finally found purchase on his skin (his warm skin) and there. There it was. Fluttering in between the pattern of Reggie’s and Alex’s was Luke’s heartbeat. A half-sob, half-laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Then, even though she knew a group of confused adults, her brother, Flynn, and Carrie were watching them, Julie couldn’t help but launch herself at him. Luke must’ve seen the look on his face because he was ready for her, catching her easily in his arms, his own eyes pricking with what Julie had to guess were tears of joy. Then his arms were banded around her waist. Her face burrowed in his neck as he lifted her off her feet and buried his face in her hair. Her tears were coming out in earnest now, though she made no move to stop them.  Two weights settled against her back, letting her know that Reggie and Alex had joined in on the group hug. (She also caught sight of long brown hair and could only guess Willie was there too.) 

“Someone better explain what’s going on right now.” A stern male voice broke through the bubble the band had created. Her father never usually sounded like that, even when he was mad at her or Carlos. She pulled her face out of its hiding place burrowed in Luke’s neck. Alex, Reggie, and Willie backed away slightly as her other phantom (That was no longer an actual ghost) set her on her feet. None of them wandered far though. Reggie’s arm looped around her shoulders as Luke’s did the same around her waist. From the corner of her eye, she could see Alex and Willie were doing the same too. Making a chain of connected bodies as they faced the sea of almost all adults. 

The person who spoke was Eric, Reggie’s older brother, but when Julie spoke, she addressed everyone. 

“Heartbeats,” she said breathlessly. The blotchy feeling from crying was settling on her face as her tears dried, but she could care less right now, “They all have heartbeats. They’re no longer ghosts. They’re alive again.”

“Welcome to Happiness, Sadness. To Love and to Madness. Welcome to The World.”- The Summer Set 

There was a beat of silence as Julie watched all the grownups in the room process what she had told them. Then she saw when the dots all connected in their heads. Reggie’s and Luke’s family rushed forward. Julie moved to step back, to let them have their moment, but Luke wouldn’t let go of her. He had at least dropped the arm from her around her waist. Instead, though, he had a hold on her hand. 

“Julie!” Flynn called and when the curly-haired girl looked over, she saw her best friend waving her over at the end of their broken chain. Flynn was standing beside Willie. She tried to pull her hand free once more. 

“Jules,” Luke said softly. He was frowning at her. She squeezed his hand, “I’ll be right over there okay? This seems like a family moment, anyway.”

Luke looked like he wanted to say something, by the way, his mouth scrunched up. But before he could, his mom pulled him into what looked like a bone-crushing hug. She shot a soft smile to both of Luke’s parents, before she made her way down the line. Passing by Reggie and his family, she reached out to squeeze the bassist’s hand. 

She saw both Carrie and Trevor talking to Alex. With a grin, she stood on her toes to peer over Alex’s shoulder. 

“He loves Dirty Candi, by the way,” she told Carrie. When she walked away, she heard Alex telling the story of how he vibed with Dirty Candi so much that he poofed on stage during their performance of All Eyes on Me and danced with them. 

Her feet stopped moving on their own, just before she reached her best friend. Her mouth dropped slightly at the sight of Drake Menken.

“Right?” Flynn asked with a nod, brown eyes equally as wide, “Did he ever mention having a brother or twin? And why didn’t you tell me he looked like Drake?” 

“You guys know my twin brother?” Willie asked. Julie nodded with a chuckle.

“He was actually my mentor last year. At school? Flynn and I were freshmen when he was a senior. Assuming you went to Los Feliz too? And that he didn’t change schools.” Julie explained to him. 

Willie shook his head with a small chuckle. “He always said that was a stupid program. I always wanted to do it, though.” 

There was a pause and then the chuckle was gone from his face and voice completely as he said, “I never got that chance though.” 

Julie’s heart clenched tightly. She didn’t know him that well, so she resisted the urge to hug him. Instead, she offered, “He might’ve done it for you, because you couldn’t. You know, I still have his number? No pressure, but if you wanted, we could contact him. We could explain this to him.”

Willie folded his arms so it looked like he was hugging himself. Once more, Julie ached to hug the boy who had captured Alex’s heart. He opened his mouth then sighed, “I don’t… I don’t know. I’ve been a ghost for five years.”

“They’ve been ghosts for twenty-five years.” Flynn pointed out. But it wasn’t in her usual matter-of-fact voice. It was gentle. 

Willie sighed once more, “But their families saw them… saw us come back to life. Drake didn’t. It’s different.”

“Willie, do you want to contact Drake? Do you want him in your life?” Julie asked gently. 

The skater nodded his head. “He’s the only family I have left,” he whispered. 

Now, Julie reached out and squeezed his hand. His eyes lifted to hers and she offered him a smile. “Not anymore. You have us.” She waved a hand to Flynn, then to everyone else who was behind her. “So, we’ll contact him and if he doesn’t believe us, then you’ll still have a family. You’re not by yourself. Not anymore.”

“I’m not one of your boys, though,” Willie whispered. 

She squeezed his hand to get his attention. He looked at her. Julie smiled and nodded her head. “You are. You’ve been one of my boys since you helped us book the Orpheum gig. You’ve been one of my boys since I first heard Alex talk about you. Trust me.”

Willie looked cautious before he nodded his head slowly. Julie’s smile turned into a grin.

 “And I didn’t actually know he looked like Drake. All the other ghosts besides the guys look or looked…” She searched for the right word to answer her best friend’s earlier question before she settled on, “Watery.”

“Alexander Julian Mercer,” Emily Patterson called abruptly, making everyone look up and Alex’s ears twinge pink.

“You’re being called,” Julie heard her Tío tease the blond.

“I’m being middle-named. There’s a difference, Bobby,” Alex scoffed before he made his way over to the older, small woman. Luke was taller than his mother. Next to Alex, she looked practically tiny, but Mrs. Patterson took it all in stride as she pulled him into a similar bone-crushing hug to the one she had pulled Luke into earlier. A second later, she was pulling away from him only to grip his face. Julie couldn’t hear what she was saying but she saw Alex nod. Then, Mrs. Patterson was wrapping both Luke and Alex in another hug. 

An arm wrapped around her shoulder as her father pressed his lips to her head. She could feel Carlos, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned against her father and sighed, her hand still in Willie’s. 

“It’s been a long day,” she mumbled and felt Ray nod his head. 

“I can only imagine, but I’m so proud of you.” 

“You’re proud of me for locking you out of the studio?” She asked skeptically. Her father laughed softly and it made her hair sway gently.

“Less about that and more about the young lady you’re becoming,” Ray said as Tío Trevor wandered over with Carrie tucked under his arm. 

“So, these were your best friends before everything happened in ‘95?” Her father asked the other man. 

Trevor sighed, but there was a fond smile on his lips. “Yeah, Alex and Luke have been friends since they were born. They adopted Reggie into their group in the first grade and me in the fourth.” He chuckled.

“Dad, where is Alex’s family?” Carrie peered up at her father and the smile Julie’s Tío had been wearing formed itself into a scowl. 

“I don’t know and I really think he’s better off without them. It sounds bad, I know, but when he came out to them… I’m not going to go into the details because it’s not my place. But let’s just say they didn’t handle it well and I think that’s why they’re not here now.”

Julie frowned as her gaze wandered over to her blond friend. Her heart constricted for what he must’ve gone through by the dark way Trevor was scowling. 

“It’s a good thing he has us now then,” Julie said. Carrie caught her eye and she saw the brunette nod. A fierce glint was in her eye. Julie had always thought her drummer and Carrie would be fast friends, and the glint Julie saw in Carrie’s eye told her everything. Alex may have not known it yet, but he had just earned a friend in Carrie.

Now that the boys’ families knew they were alive, all that was left was...well, a lot of work, but it was necessary to get the boys back into society as living people. With Willie’s permission, Julie contacted Drake Menken. He, understandably, thought they were crazy at first, but after Willie convinced him, there was another tearful reunion. From there, they got all of the boys' doctor appointments to make sure that they were healthy and actual teenage boys. 

From there… there were numerous court dates and a few more doctors’ appointments, including one very bleak afternoon where all the boys went to court, but all came back wearing grim expressions, though none of them would tell her what happened, no matter how much she prodded.  After it was all said and done, (probably considerably faster with Trevor helping) the boys, her boys… all four of them were recognized by society, no longer ghosts, but living people with their hearts beating and blood pumping in their veins.

“Running From the Past. Tripping on the Now.”- Julie and The Phantoms

“What do you mean you don’t want to come home?” 

It was a few days after the dust settled on doctor visits and court appearances to get the boys recognized as a part of the living in society and now they were having a band/families meeting (minus Julie and Carlos because they were in school) to hash out the final details of everything and, well… Maybe Luke hadn’t told their families that none of the boys could live with them in the right way. 

“Luke, honey, we get it, okay? Music is your dream and your father and I? We’re behind you a hundred percent. We won’t make the same mistake twice.” His mother pleaded as she reached over to grab his hand. A moment passed before she reached over and grabbed Alex’s too. When she spoke next, she glanced at both him and his blond best friend. From beside him, he heard Mrs. Peters echo the same thing to Reggie. 

“You boys have been through enough and deserve to be at home.” Luke’s heart clenched. Not just because of her words, though that was a good chunk of why his restored heart felt as if it was being ripped from his chest. But because she was including Alex in her plans. His parents weren’t here, but Emily and Mitch were still letting him know that he had a family.

“Mom, I know. It’s not that I didn’t want to come home, okay? I know you and Dad get that music is everything to us.” Luke tried to calm her down. He squeezed her hand. He smiled gently at her. “This isn’t me trying to run away again, okay? But we’ve been gone for twenty-five years. How are you going to explain to your friends that your son and his friends came back to life after being ghosts?” 

“Luke’s right.” Reggie told his own mother and big brother, “I’m excited and happy to meet Kat and little Reggie and Luke. But what happens when I enroll in school? Would I go to the same school as them and how could you explain that we’re related and we have the same name? Plus, your friends from before, too, Mom. People would start asking questions and I don’t want to put you guys in a position where you have to lie because of me.” 

“So, where are you going to go? I don’t like the idea of you boys on your own.” Jenny Peters told them and all the adults agreed. 

“They could come stay with me. It’s not like I don’t have the room or money,” Bobby offered, but Luke shook his head.

“We appreciate it Bobby, but you’d run into the same problem. If someone found that article on us on that internet thing, or they found an old copy of our demo and connected the dots… it wouldn’t be good for you or us…” He explained, before he trailed off. He nudged Alex. When the blond looked up, Luke pointedly moved his hazel eyes to where Mr. Molina sat quietly watching this all play out. 

This was their plan. Luke would break the news. He and Reggie would handle the fallout from their families and finally, their drumming best friend would ask Julie’s Dad. (And, most likely, Tía Victoria, too because she was bound to have an opinion.) 

Alex cleared his throat, “Uh, we were hoping that Mr. Molina would let us stay here? Well, maybe not here in the house, but maybe out in the studio? We lived out there before and it won’t be that different from before.” 

“And there’s a bathroom out there now, too!” Reggie exclaimed brightly. Then the room was enveloped into a charged silence as they waited for Julie’s dad to answer.

“You won’t be staying in the studio and…” Ray sighed. Luke barely had enough time to exchange a look of excitement with his boys before Julie's dad continued on, “And I have conditions and a set of rules.” 

“Ray, where would you even put these boys? The only spare room is your office-”

“An office can be moved, Victoria. I haven’t been in there much since Rose passed, anyway.”

“We’ll do whatever you want,” Luke promised, his best friend nodding in agreement. 

“Two of you will have to share a room, and one of you will have to room with Carlos and clear it with him before I even completely agree to it,” Ray warned. Reggie nodded. 

“Already done. We talked to both Julie and Carlos to see if they were cool with this idea, last night. Because we wanted to be prepared on the off chance you said yes. I’ll be rooming with Carlos.”

“No boys in Julie’s room after ten and the door is to remain open at all times, while you’re in there.” While the older man didn’t name anyone in particular, his eyes pointedly found Luke’s. A flush appeared on his face and he shifted in his seat, mumbling an affirmative along with Reggie and Alex. 

“Have any of you also heard of the rule ‘no pass, no play?’ ” 

“Yeah, it was a rule for student-athletes,” Alex said, The man nodded, before he folded his hands together. 

“Now, it applies to you. Your grades slip, you won’t be playing any gigs or practicing with the band until you bring them back up. Understand, mijos?” 

Luke, Alex, and Reggie all exchanged a look, before nodding once more. Ray nodded, too. He glanced at the other adults in the room, his lips thinning into a thin line. Then he nodded to himself. 

“I’ll tell you three the same thing I told Julie, I want to be kept in the loop about the band. Gigs, videos, interviews. I want to know. Also, I want you three to at least consider college. I understand if it's not for you, but I at least want you to think about it. And finally, once a month: family dinners with everyone, even Willie and Drake. That is, if your families are okay with that.” 

“We would love that,” Jenny said quietly. Mitch murmured an agreement and when the brunette looked at his parents, he saw his father pressing his lips against his mother’s forehead. His mother caught him staring and shot him a watery, but genuine smile. He grinned back at her. 

“Anything else, Mr. Molina?” Alex asked. They watched Ray shake his head. 

“Nothing we can’t discuss later. I want to talk to your families before I discuss anything else, but those are my basic house rules.” 

“Awesome! Can we go pick up Jules and tell her the good news?” Luke’s leg started to bob up and down. He had sat still for way too long.

“Carlos, too! We could pick him up for you!” Reggie offered as Alex sighed and pressed a hand against Luke’s knee to stop the bobbing. 

“They are pretty good drivers,” Trevor told Ray and Eric nodded.

“Well, Luke is a little questionable about what the brake is, but otherwise, they are pretty safe.” Reggie’s older brother chuckled at Luke’s squawk of protest. “Besides, those shiny new drivers licenses are probably burning a hole in their pocket.”

“Go ahead and get Julie. Not Carlos, though. He has practice this afternoon and is carpooling with Jeremy’s mom.” 

The boys all stood. Well, Reggie and Alex stood. Luke had all but popped up and was bounding over to the front door. He stopped short and turned. Rubbing the back of his neck, the guitarist remembered they actually needed a car and keys. It was weird, remembering that they didn’t have that anymore. 

When he asked for a car to borrow, Bobby tossed his keys to Reggie before anyone else could.

“Grab Carrie, too,” he told them.

“Do you have your phone?” Eric asked. For the moment, the boys were sharing one of Julie’s old ones. That was something else they needed to do: get the boys each a phone. 

Reggie pulled it out of his back pocket, waving it around for his big brother to see.

“Eric, the question isn’t whether or not they have it. It’s whether or not they know how to use it,” Bobby added. 

“Duh! Jules gave us a crash course in everything electronic.” Luke rolled his eyes. Bobby looked at Eric and the other man shook his head. How much of that crash course had Luke paid attention to and how much of it had he spent staring at Julie? Before either of the men could voice this, Luke had already disappeared out the front door. 

“I know how to use the camera! I’m the king of selfies!” Reggie chimed excitedly as he walked backwards out the door. The two men exchanged another look and Eric sighed. This was not reassuring them. That only left…

“Alex…” 

“Don’t worry, I got this. Willie’s been introducing me to smartphones and tablets for a while now. I know how to text, kind of. But I definitely know how to call someone.” Alex tried to reassure them. Though it was hard to do when everyone who had known them in the ’90s was looking at him like they might not see the three boys again. 

“We’ll be back soon,” The blond drummer sighed, before following his bandmates out the door. 

“This is a Place Where I Feel at Home.” - The Cinematic Orchestra featuring Patrick Watson

Trevor Wilson waited until he saw his car pulling out of the driveway and pulling out onto the street before he looked at his best friend for the last twenty-three years. He opened his mouth. 

“I can’t believe you just did that!” Neither could Trevor, but of course, it would be Victoria that beat him to the punch of voicing that. 

“I mean, three teenage boys!” She started to rant before she realized who she was in front of and quickly backtracked. “I mean, I’m sure they’re perfectly nice boys, but, Ray, they’re still three teenage boys!”

“Why did you do it?” Again, it wasn’t Trevor who asked. It was Eric.  But he still wondered about it all the same. “I mean, you don’t know them as we do… or at all really.” 

“And maybe that’s the point,” Ray explained gently. “I’m not saying this to hurt you, because I know if this happened to my children, I’d be the same way. The thing is, you all looked like you were ready to wrap those boys in bubble wrap for a thirty-minute car ride. I don’t know anything about them besides that they are in a band with my Julie and she cares deeply about them. That’s enough for me to open my home to them.”

“And you know Luke is in love with Julie?” The former rockstar asked, though he suspected Ray did. Like his wife, Ray was very observant. Unlike Rose, Ray was also more attuned to people’s emotions than anyone else Trevor had met, including Alex.

“You’re just now figuring this out? Come on Trevor, I thought you were a little smarter than that. I knew when I was editing that video for YouTube. I knew when they were playing the Orpheum. I knew when they were playing New Music Night at Eats and Beats. I also know Julie returns those feelings.”

“You seem okay with it,” Emily said with a small smile pulling at her lips. Now that it had been pointed out, she could see why everyone thought her son was in love with the girl, who had a big voice and liked to don butterflies in her hair.

“My wife and I always believed that you find your person when you find them. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. I was lucky enough to find mine so early in life, compared to some people that wait a lifetime.”

“And you think that’s our Luke?” 

“I think the way he looks at her says everything. I see that same look on my face in every picture I have with my Rose.” Ray answered, after he thought about the answer for a moment. “And, as a father, there is nothing more than I want for my kids than for them to be cherished by someone. From what I’ve seen, Luke cares very deeply about her.” He paused and smiled. “Actually all three of them do, but in different ways,” Ray said softly. 

“You know she’s probably up there laughing right now, right?” Trevor chuckled softly as he nudged the photographer. No one had to ask who they were talking about. It was clear by the look on Ray’s face, the same look Luke looked at Julie with.

“Oh, I bet she is. She always did love to watch me handle challenges.” 

"Everything Changes. But One Thing is True. Understand. We'll Always Be more Than a Band.”- Lemonade Mouth 

“I just don’t get it,” Julie said, one day after rehearsal. She looked at each one of her boys. Her boys, who now had heartbeats and blood pumping in their veins. Her boys, who really didn’t need her anymore. Her boys, who no longer had to be tied to her. “You guys came back to life. You really don’t need me anymore.”

It was different when they were ghosts and she was the only living person that she could see and hear them. They needed her to be their voice. They needed her so people could see them play music. 

Her boys exchanged a look before they looked back at her. All three of them wore matching frowns. 

Yup. Julie already regretted giving a voice to the thoughts that had been bouncing around in the back of her brain since the golden glow had brought them back to life.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful for the golden glow and what it had done for her boys, but now Julie struggled with her place in their lives. 

“Jules, we always need you. You're our best friend, our piano player,”  Alex told her with his eyebrows drawn together. He couldn’t believe he had to tell her this. 

Julie’s brown eyes dropped down to where her hands rested on her lap. “Yeah, but I wasn’t always. You guys have been friends and a band a lot longer than I’ve been around.” 

“Jules you’re not… you’re not just an add-on for us. We’re Julie and the Phantoms. If anything, we’re the add-ons,” Reggie promised, he sat down beside her. “Alex is right. We’ll always need you. Ghosts or living, you’re a piece of us now and that isn’t going to change. You’re our family.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re our human wrecking ball.” A soft smile tugged at her lips at Luke’s declaration. She bit her lip and looked up at him. His own lip was trapped by his teeth. There was a moment that passed between them. Then, Luke was asking if he could have a moment with Julie. Alex and Reggie shared a smile before they nodded and cleared out of the studio. 

“You Said, ‘Hey, What’cha Doin’ For The Rest of Your Life?’” - The Chainsmokers featuring. Bebe Rexha

Luke was playing with one of his silver rings when he took the spot Reggie had been occupying, beside Julie, though he stopped fidgeting and took her hand after a moment. 

“You’re my brightest burning star.” He told her softly. It made her shiver. The softness in which he spoke felt so tender. She looked at him, a teasing glint in her eyes. But the look in his eyes was so warm that she forgot she had meant to be teasing him. 

“Those are my words.” Julie grinned. 

He gave a small laugh and shook his head. “I know. But just because they’re your words. Doesn’t mean they’re any less true for me.” He paused then squeezed her hand. “You know when I found that song-” 

“You mean when you went through my dream box again without asking.” She rolled her eyes with a laugh. Pointing that out-earned her a whine from the boy in front of her. 

“Jules. I’m trying to do something here. You can tease me later, I promise.” 

“Okay… Okay, I’ll stop. Now, when you found that song-” She started his thought over again and he grinned at her, picking it back up. 

“When I found that song, I was blown away. Not just because of the killer lyrics, but here were my thoughts about you on paper, and they were written by you! That meant my feelings weren’t just one-sided. I was also a little bummed though.” 

Julie went through a course of emotions.  Her heart felt like it was going to come out of her chest when she heard him say that she had captured his feelings for her. It ended all too quickly though when he said he was also bummed? She felt her head tilt to the side, eyes narrowing and brows drawing together in confusion. 

“Why?” 

“I was a ghost and you were alive. It may have worked for a few years, but long term? It was never going to work out. So, I wasn’t even going to try, because why set yourself up for a bigger heartbreak?” That made sense. Julie thought to herself as her eyes squeezed shut. Even though her boys weren’t ghosts anymore, she felt sorry for the Julie and Luke, who were trapped in the past with the knowledge that they were that close to each other, but still so far away.

“But you’re not a ghost anymore,” Julie pointed out. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, before she reached her hand out to trace up his chest. There, through his shirt, his heart thumped rhythmically. His hand fell over hers and he squeezed it. 

“No, I’m not.” The guitarist pulled her hand to his lap. Then there was a cold metal against her finger. When Luke moved his head, Julie could see why. Luke had placed one of his rings on her finger. 

“You’re giving me your ring?” 

“It was a thing back in the ’90s. You give a girl your class ring to show you're in a relationship and since I don’t have a class ring…” Suddenly, Luke looked up, “This is okay, isn’t it? I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

Julie couldn’t help it. Here they were talking about their feelings being the same, and Luke was worried about reading things wrong and making her uncomfortable. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. 

She had pictured kissing Luke many times in her dreams and daydreams. In those, his lips were always soft and cool, much like how they felt when they were still ghosts. It was like being submerged in water for a while. In reality, though, his lips were warm and slightly chapped. In those dreams, she always moved her hand so it was carding through his hair to see if it was as soft as it looked, so that’s what she did now. (His hair was as soft as it looked.) Luke groaned softly, leaning into her a little as his hands moved to cradle her face gently. Julie pulled away first, partially because she needed to breathe and so it wouldn’t get too heated if her dad came in and found them… like that. 

“I think that tells you if it’s okay or not,” she whispered, her lips brushing his with every other word. He chuckled. It made her melt even more because she could actually feel his breath, unlike when he surprised her by singing with her during Edge of Great. 

“I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t reading things wrong, boss.” 

Her brown eyes caught the ring and as unbelievably cheesy as it sounded, she couldn’t help but think it looked so right on her finger. Julie grinned and scrunched her nose at him  “You’re not.”

“There's Too Many Ways to say Goodbye. But it's Quite the Opposite This Time.” - State Champs

“What is that?” Flynn asked. Julie was going to try and act like she didn’t know what the other girl was talking about, until Flynn picked up her hand- the one with Luke’s ring on it- and showed it to Carrie. They were in music class. The one class the brunette girl didn’t share with Kayla or any of the other girls of Dirty Candi. With Nick’s stunt a few weeks ago and Carrie trying to be friends with her and Flynn again, Carrie opted to sit with them these days. She raised a single eyebrow and smirked at Julie.  

“Anything you want to share with us, Jules?” She asked. The curly-haired girl couldn’t even hide her grin as she stared down at the ring. When she looked back up at friends, her eyes were bright with happiness. 

“Luke gave it to me. He said it was a thing in the nineties? You give a girl your ring to show you're in a relationship.”

“Jules,” her friends chorused together excitedly. 

“He asked you to be your boyfriend?” Carrie asked and Flynn rolled her eyes. 

She nudged Carrie and teased, “Of course, he did. They’re so in love, have you ever seen them duet?” 

Julie was saved from whatever the two girls were going to say next by Mrs. Harrison calling for their attention. When she looked up at the woman, her brown eyes caught Luke’s hazel ones. A grin split her lips. Her boys were here. 

“Class, we have three new students joining our music program. Please welcome: Alex Mercer, Luke Patterson, and Reggie Peters. They join us from… Canada? Right, boys?” 

“Yes, Ma’am, but we’re originally from Los Feliz,” Alex answered.

“Well, welcome home, then. I’m sorry to say that we don’t have enough seats today, so I’m afraid you’ll have to sit on the floor for now, but sit anywhere you like.” 

“Sick,” Luke said with a grin before he bounced his way over to her and sat in front of her. Alex took a seat beside Carrie and Reggie sat beside Flynn. 

“You’re wearing sleeves.” Julie leaned forward to talk in Luke’s ear. 

The boy looked at her, a pout already on his face, “Alex made me. Something about my cut-offs being against the dress code and wanting to make a good first impression.” 

“Julie, aren’t these your phantoms?” Someone asked and Julie looked up with a nod. 

“Yeah! We hope you’ll tell your friends, even though we’re no longer a hologram band,” Reggie answered excitedly. 

“Yeah! Now we’re alive and in person, baby!” Everyone laughed, even Julie, Flynn, Carrie, and her boys, who knew the truth behind Luke’s hype. It didn’t matter that everyone else thought it was a joke because the golden glow had brought her boys to her in a way she didn’t think she’d get to have them and for that, she was grateful.