Chapter Text
Epilogue
- 1 Year Later -
“That was quite possibly the worst film I’ve ever seen,” Reggie declares as he walks out of the dim theater, his friends trailing out behind him. “Trust me, I’ve seen a lot of terrible films, but this one really takes the cake.”
“I’ll say,” Alex snorts, putting an arm around Willie’s shoulder. Willie grins and snakes an arm around Alex’s waist in response. “I though we were supposed to be the losers of that contest, but that train-wreck feels more like a punishment than a prize.”
“Illinois gave ‘em a great song, but Sinatra just had to go and ruin it, didn’t he?” Luke agrees with them, shaking his head in disappointment. Julie slaps his side and gives all of them an indignant “Don’t be mean, boys,” but even she is having a hard time masking her giggles.
“Hey, at least the snacks were good,” Carlos speaks through a mouth-full of popcorn.
“Well, my friends,” Flynn sighs. “We can’t just end the day with that train wreck. The night’s still young, how’s about we spend one more night out on the town before the big tour, eh?”
“You know I can’t say no to an offer like that,” Carrie grins as she grabs Flynn’s hand. The rest of the band agrees in a bout of unintelligible, overlapping endorsements, so Flynn takes the lead in walking them to the nearest bar.
And when the closest bar turns out to be the Blue Wisp, Luke doesn’t think of it as coincidence. The fact that they’ve ended up in the same place where they all played together for the first time—it feels more like fate. It’s been over a year now since their first gig, but sometimes it still feels like they’ve barely begun their journey together. Other times, it seems as if they’ve known each other for a lifetime. Either way, as they gather together around the bar where Willie used to work, next to the stage where the band used to play, it feels an awful lot like coming home.
“I think this occasion calls for a toast,” Willie declares after everyone has a drink in their hand. “Here’s to the bullet we dodged with that contest, and the incredible adventure it’s brought us on instead. The success that broadcast brought your band is overwhelming, and so much more rewarding than that shit hole of a movie would have been. I wish you all the best on your tour, and your record. But I hope you know how much I’ll miss all of you while you’re gone. Home won’t be quite the same without the Luke Patterson Band.”
Alex leans against him, resting his head atop Willie’s hair and squeezing his hand tight. Willie tilts his head to gently kiss Alex’s forehead. “Don’t be surprised if you wake up one day to find that I’ve traveled cross country to see you,” he says with a grin, eyes never leaving Alex’s. Alex laughs in turn, the corners of his eyes creasing with his smile. The rest of the band smiles, too, clinking their glasses together and taking a drink for Willie’s toast.
“Here’s to all of the friends that we’ve lost along the way,” Luke says, raising his glass next. His smile has frozen on his face, but it doesn’t disappear. The thought of his fallen friend still makes his heart ache, but it’s more bearable now. He’s able to remember Bobby fondly, to appreciate all of the good he brought to into his life. “We thank them for all they’ve done to help us. To inspire us. May they live on forever, in our memories and in our music.”
“Here here!” Reggie shouts, leading the others in raising their glasses.
“And here’s to the friends that we still have yet to meet,” Julie continues. “Our journey has only just begun, and if life has taught me anything, it’s that good people, the right people, will always meet you at the right moment.” She looks at Luke, and while her smile is melancholy, tinted with grief, her eyes are adoring, shining bright with trust and gratitude.
“You all became a part of my story when I needed you most,” she continues. “When I met you, I was drowning, but you brought me back to life. And our story isn’t over yet. I hope our family will continue to grow. I hope that, maybe, someday, we can be those people again to someone else. We can be the light at the end of their tunnel.”
Luke stares at her in admiration, lovesick smile on his face. He’s almost surprised by how easy it is to imagine a future with Julie. He never considered himself the type to settle down, but since getting together with Julie… his perspective has changed. They’ll spend a few good years on the road, making music together, of course, but after that… who knows? He doesn’t think he would mind moving somewhere quiet with her, adopting a dog, maybe even introducing a couple little musicians into the world themselves.
Or maybe not. Maybe they’ll travel the world, instead. Luke would love to see Europe as a tourist instead of a soldier. They could visit London, Paris, Rome, wherever. It doesn’t really matter where they end up. The only thing that matters to Luke is that they’re together. With Julie at his side, he’ll go anywhere, do anything, all with a smile on his face.
*
The next night marks the beginning of their first national tour. They’re going to play all over the country, in places that they’ve never seen, to crowds of people they’ve never met. It was overwhelming to see the response people had after that fateful performance in New York. They’d expected to be forgotten, for their name to be wiped off the map, but what actually happened was quite the opposite.
In the weeks following the broadcast, they received dozens upon dozens of letters from people who had seen them play on the broadcast. There were ordinary people writing about how much the performance touched their hearts, fellow veterans thanking them for telling their stories and showing people that they aren’t alone, agents and producers and venue owners reaching out to inform the band of their talent and promise, eager to be a part of their inevitable success.
Everything happened so suddenly, they hardly had time to blink before the Luke Patterson Band became a household name across America. Julie and Luke got to work writing song after song. Though they’re sure nothing will ever surpass the emotional significance Welcome Home holds for them all, they did hit quite the minefield of inspiration. The band now has a whole repertoire of brilliant songs that will no doubt become hits once they’re released on the band’s upcoming record.
And so Luke gets up on stage with his bandmates once again, heart racing as they finally begin the first show of their tour. The crowd is larger than they’ve ever played to before, and all of them cheer when they see the band appear. Luke beams out at them. It’s almost surreal, this feeling of finally making it. He can hardly believe he’s actually here.
The only thing more incredible than the roaring audience, the one thing more awe-inspiring than their support and the connection Luke feels with them, is the band who’s gone on this whole journey with him. He couldn’t ask for better people than this.
“You ready for this, Patterson?” Julie looks back at him with a sly smile, her eyes bright with excitement. She’s glowing, and Luke could not be more in love with her in this moment. In just one short year, she has become his sun, moon, and stars. It’s the kind of head-over-heals, butterflies-in-the-stomach, once-in-a-lifetime love that he used to think only existed in movies and storybooks. But every time he looks at her, it’s like his whole world flips around in excitement all over again. So when he meets her gaze to nod in confirmation, his smile only grows wider.
“I’ve been ready for this for a long time,” he breathes, closing his eyes and taking a moment to soak it all in. Despite the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he feels an incredible sense of calm wash over him. Right here on this stage, surrounded by Julie and his friends, he’s never felt more at home. His chest tightens a bit as he imagines Bobby standing by his side as well, but he finds comfort in the fact that Bobby would proud, that Luke’s living out their dream in his name.
When he opens his eyes, Luke finds all of his bandmates looking his way, patiently waiting for his signal. With a deep breath, he looks up at all them and grins. “Let’s do this,” he says with confident determination.
With that, the band does what they do best, what they were always meant to do. They strike up the first song of the set, their energy shocking the crowd to life, and they play. Luke doesn’t think that it would be hyperbole to call it the best show of their careers. At least, Julie would remind him, their best show so far. There will be plenty of amazing shows to top it in the future.
Because if one thing is certain, it’s that this band is only just getting started.