Chapter Text
On a beautiful summer's day a few weeks later, life really couldn't be better.
Flynn's taken over the aux like a dragon hoarding treasure (no one complains - they all silently know that she has the best taste). She dances and mouths the words to each song, barely paying attention to everyone else.
Luke and Julie lay on a picnic blanket beside each other, hands intertwined as they gaze at clouds in the clear, blue sky.
"That one is definitely a treble clef," exclaims Julie, pointing at a white clump above them.
"Nope," chuckles Luke. "That is an acoustic guitar. See, if you look at it from this angle..." He takes Julie's face softly in his hands and tilts it sideways.
Julie shakes her head, laughing. "Yeah... I don't see it." She shifts her body so that she's facing Luke, his hand still resting on her face. They smile and laugh into a kiss, soft and warm and beautiful.
"I think you're both crazy," interrupts Reggie, dropping down onto the blanket beside them. "That looks like a rat, one of those big ones you find in dark sewers. The sun is the cheese. See? The rat is slowly floating towards the cheese." Luke and Julie break apart, giggling. "Alex? Back me up here!"
Alex can't hear him, fear in his eyes as Willie climbs higher and higher up an old oak tree. "Calm down," teases Willie. "I'm not gonna die again, you know." Each snapping twig sets Alex's nerves on edge even more, but only seems to rile Willie up.
Then, a familiar riff drifts out of the speaker, making Luke and Julie sit up. " Sometimes I think, I'm falling down... " Flynn grins at them, turning up the volume. " I wanna cry, I'm calling out... "
Julie jumps up, pulling Luke and Reggie up with her. She takes their hands and they sing softly.
"For one more try, to feel alive
And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home
Fight through the dark and find the spark
Life is a risk but I will take it, close my eyes and jump
Together I think that we can make it, come on let's run..."
There's no poofing, no dramatic gestures, but that's what makes it so special. It's just Julie with her best friends, cherishing a moment surrounded by the people she trusts most in the world. Together they dance, unstructured and un-choreographed; pure joy.
"And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever
And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever"
Alex and Willie join them in their dancing (Alex looks very relieved that Willie is finally out of that tree). Even Flynn walks away from her protective guard next to the speaker, jumping in next to Julie. She has no idea where any of the other guys are, and accidently dances through them multiple times.
"In times that I doubted myself, I felt like I needed some help
Stuck in my head, with nothing left
I feel something around me now, so unclear, lifting me out
I found the ground, I'm marching on
Life is a risk but we will take it, close my eyes and jump
Together I think that we can make it, come on let's run"
Now their singing is louder than ever, but they don't care. Endorphins and love flows between the friends, electrifying.
"And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever
And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever"
As if by some silent agreement, the ground stops to let Julie and Luke sing the bridge. Faces close and hands still interlocked, they sing into each other's eyes, expressing so much more than words.
"In time that I doubted myself, I felt like I needed some help
Stuck in my head, with nothing left
And when I feel lost and alone, I know that I can make it home
Fight through the dark, and find the spark!"
The friends close out the song together. For the band, this song was their first performance together, a landmark moment that fundamentally shaped their lives. This song was a new beginning, a symbol of music that truly would shine forever.
"And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever
This song may have been their first, but it will never be their last. A future lies ahead for Julie and the Phantoms, one filled with unknowns and questions that may or may not ever be answered. It doesn't matter. What matters is here, now. A promise to stick together no matter what happens.
"And rise, through the night, you and I, we will fight to shine together
Bright forever!"