A/N: If you've been here before, welcome back. If you haven't, hello! I've decided to do a collection of one-shots until I become comfortable with writing full stories again. I do have a full-chaptered story in mind, but it's about a concept I've never done before and I need to experiment a bit with it before I'm ready to release it (and to write a few chapters). Writing one-shots will help me pass the time until Netflix announces and releases season 2. Of course, all of these will only be canon in relation to season 1. Of course, I've taken liberties with the lore surrounding the guys becoming solid and what it means for them going forward. We don't know what it means and won't until season 2 (again, Netflix, just announce it and we'll be fine). Anyway, hope you guys enjoy it. None of the one-shots posted will be in any kind of timeline order but might reference each other and will have different chapter names. If you've read my stories before, you are aware that I like naming chapters and stories after songs. Obviously, the name for the story as a whole comes from 'Bright' and the name for this chapter comes from The Latency's 'Tonight, I Love You' which I own no part of. Enjoy :)

Chapter song: Tonight, I Love You by The Latency

The Stars Have Never Shined So Bright

He was going to do it. He was going to gather all of his courage to finally take that leap. To finally ask Julie out on an actual date. If only it were that simple. If only one look from her dark eyes didn't make him stutter like an idiot. Or her smile didn't make his undead heart beat like a jackhammer in his chest. Performing in front of thousands of people made Luke less nervous than the thought of asking Julie out. Then the thought of possibly ruining their friendship if she wasn't interested.

It took him a while to decide to do it, mainly because he didn't know where they stood. But he couldn't deny this thing between them anymore. There was something there. Something that had been growing for weeks now. Since he gave her 'Bright,' if he were completely honest with himself. There, in the low light of her kitchen, something shifted and changed everything. He tried to fight this feeling, knowing that it would never work, but his not-so-dead heart refused to listen. So, he decided to go with it. To let himself acknowledge this feeling and to see if she felt it too.

"Will you please stop pacing?" Alex complained as Luke traveled the length of the studio.

"What if she says 'no?'" he asked, completely ignoring Alex's complaint as he continued his stride.

"What if she says 'yes?'" Reggie responded, strumming his bass. This got Luke to stop for a moment before resuming his gait.

"For crying out loud." Alex poofed himself to disrupt Luke's path and grabbed his shoulders. "Will you calm down? You're acting like her saying 'no' would be the end of the world."

Luke sighed. "I know it wouldn't, I just... don't want to ruin what we have. I don't want to find out that I'm just reading too much into it and that she doesn't like me like that."

Alex stood at his full height and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "I get it, dude; I really do. But you're going to be kicking yourself for the rest of eternity if you don't ask her. I promise, though, she won't say 'no,' and that's why you should just ask her."

"Ask who?" All three heads turned to the door where a confused Julie stood.

"Oh, hey, Jules," Reggie said, smiling brightly. "Luke had something he wanted to ask you."

Attention turning to Luke, who stood in the middle of their rehearsal space with Alex, she questioned him with one look. Luke opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Alex, trying to be the supportive best friend, pushed Luke in Julie's direction. Stumbling, he quickly caught himself before he landed flat on his face and made a fool out of himself.

"I, um, was wondering," He scratched the back of his neck out of nervousness then shoved both hands into his pockets, "i-if you wanted to maybe hang out after practice? Maybe go to the pier o-or something."

Her face morphed into a soft smile as she nodded. "Sure. Sounds like fun. I'll invite Flynn to tag along."

"I actually meant just you and me, Jules."

She stared back at him with wide eyes. "You mean...like a date?"

"Yes? No! I mean…it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be." He cringed as he tried to save face. "If you don't wanna go, I'm okay with it. I just thought it would be cool if it was just us, but I don't blame you if…"

"Luke." She grabbed his hand, holding it between both of hers and smiled. He lost his breath staring into her espresso-colored eyes. "Okay."

"Yeah?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face.

"Yes."

He laughed breathlessly. "Okay." He looked to the other two band members, who were watching the display with amusement. "Alright, places, boys. We've got practicing to do."

After practice ended, Reggie and Alex disappeared off to some unknown destination, leaving Luke and Julie alone. Leaning his guitar against the amp, he let his feet lead him to Julie's side. She graced him with a small smile before standing to meet him halfway.

"So, should we go?"

"I'm going to change first. If that's okay with you."

"Of course, Jules."

She nodded. "I'll be right back."

It took her twenty minutes to return. In that time, Luke had changed clothes as well. He switched out his shirts and put on his blue sleeveless hoodie-vest with his dark grey striped coat over it. He was pulling up the sleeves when Julie reappeared, wearing black skinny jeans, a black halter crop top, and her off the shoulder rainbow crop top. Her hair was pulled back, but loose at the ends. She wore minimal makeup, consisting only of eyeliner and lip gloss.

"Ready?" she asked.

He nodded absentmindedly, eyes giving her a once over. She smiled before turning on her heel. He disappeared, then reappeared beside her; falling in step with her.

"So, is your dad driving you?"

She shook her head. "Nope." She held up the car keys. "I am."

"Can you even drive?" he asked.

"If you're asking if I have my license, then the answer is 'yes.'"

He chuckled. "Not what I was asking, but okay."

"Do you wanna meet me there, then, since you don't seem to trust my driving abilities?" she teased.

"Nah. It'll be nice to do something normal. As much as I like being able to appear someplace in a matter of seconds, I want to do this the human way."

He continued to follow Julie to the driveway and poofed himself into her father's car, just in case someone was watching. He didn't want her father to witness him, a stranger to the man, getting into his car with his daughter. He said as much when Julie gave him a look.

"Wow. Cars have changed a lot in two and a half decades," he noted, eyes scanning the interior. "There's no tape deck."

"Nope. Most cars don't even have CD slots anymore. It's all Bluetooth connections."

"What's Bluetooth?"

"Oh, it's…" She stopped, realizing that she didn't know how to explain it. "Let me show you." Grabbing her phone, she paired it to her father's car and then opened Spotify before pressing play.

Luke's eyes widened as music filled the car's speakers. "Whoa. That's cool. How is that possible?"

"Not sure. The wonders of technology. Seatbelt," she said as she clicked the belt in place.

"Seatbelt? You do realize I'm already dead, right?" he asked with a laugh.

"That doesn't mean seatbelt safety isn't important." He expected her to say that she was just kidding. But when she looked at him with an expectant gaze, he knew that she wasn't.

"Okay," he breathed, strapping himself in before she began to drive away from the house.

Light conversation flowed between them as Julie drove them closer and closer to the coast. The Santa Monica Pier came into view and Luke was amazed by how different it looked, yet, somehow, still the same. Julie parked the car and climbed out; nearly having a heart attack when Luke appeared in front of her and took her hand in his. She glanced around to make sure no one had seen that and, luckily, found they were alone in the parking lot.

"I thought you said you were keeping poofing to a minimum?"

He shrugged and grinned. "Doesn't mean I won't do it from time to time." He closed the car door behind her and they started towards the entrance of Pacific Park, the amusement park on the pier. As they stood in line to buy tickets, Luke remembered the most important part of their date. "Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered that I have no money." He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Jules."

"It's okay, Luke. I have no problem paying."

"But I asked you here. I should be the one paying for it."

"Seriously, it's fine."

"Let me make it up to you."

"You can make it up to me by making this the best first date ever."

"Wait." He followed her as the line moved. "You've never been on a date before?"

She shook her head. "Nope." The line moved again, but he lingered; in slight disbelief that he was the first. Quickly catching up to her, he smiled as their eyes met.

"So, you mean to tell me that no one has asked Julie Molina out on a date before?"

"I didn't say that no one's asked before. I just said that I've never been on one."

"Oooo. Who was the poor sap who got turned down by you, Molina?" She mumbled something that he didn't catch. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

She sighed and moved with the line. "I was Nick. Okay?"

"I knew it!" Luke laughed. "I knew pretty boy had a crush on you. He was totally into you that day in the hallway at your school."

"Well, if he had asked me weeks ago, I would have said 'yes,' but…"

He sobered a bit, realizing what she was saying. "But you like someone else." She nodded. "Who is it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He shook his head and she rolled her eyes, but there was a playful smile on her face. "It's you, doofus."

If ghosts could blush, Luke would be completely red. He remained rooted to his spot as Julie walked up to the ticket counter to buy two passes for them. He finally snapped out of it when she cleared her throat and motioned for him to follow. If she moved too far from him, then he would fade from view and that was the last thing they needed in front of all these people.

After breaking Caleb's curse, the boys found out that they could become tangible in front of others without the help of music in Julie's presence. But, if they strayed too far, their corporeal form would flicker out and they would disappear. It happened one day when Flynn stopped by to watch them rehearse. Julie had told Flynn to go on into the studio while she went upstairs to grab her phone charger. Flynn thought she was alone in the studio until Julie came and Reggie suddenly appeared beside Flynn on the couch. Flynn nearly jumped out of her skin when it happened. They all spent the next hour trying to figure out how it worked.

He strode to catch up to her. "So... you like me? As in, more than a friend like me?"

"Yes. Why do you think I agreed to go on a date with you?"

He shrugged. "To let me down easy? I honestly don't know. Dating now seems different from twenty-five years ago. With, you know, online dating and all that. Which, I still don't understand."

Taking his hand in hers, she made him stop walking and face her. "If I didn't like you, Luke, I wouldn't be here. I said 'no' to Nick because I didn't want to waste his time when I knew I wasn't interested."

He smiled as he looked upon this beautiful girl in front of him. This amazing, wonderful, talented, brave, and kind-hearted young woman had chosen him. "So, what do you want to ride first?"

The smile she gave him was bright and full of teeth. "The rollercoaster," she answered as she tugged on his arm.

Chuckling, he let her drag him to his first amusement park ride in years. It wasn't the same as he remembered. Being that he had no stomach, he wasn't able to feel the same force that everyone else could during certain drops and twists and turns. But it didn't sour the experience. Not when he could witness how much fun Julie was having.

"This one next!" Julie announced as she bounded over to a ride that looked like smaller, metal versions of hot air balloons.

"You sure? This looks like a kid's ride."

"It is not, and you should talk. You're a big kid, after all."

He smirked. "You gonna explain this one to me?"

"It spins." He gave her a confused look and she sighed loudly. "Ever been on the teacups at Disneyland?" He nodded. "It's like that. There's a metal piece in the middle that you rotate. So, while the ride itself is lifting you up and down, you can also spin at the same time."

"Oooooh. Sounds like fun."

Fun was an understatement. The moment the ride started, Luke grabbed the metal wheel and began spinning them in circles. Once more, he felt nothing that should have been his body's natural reaction to the physics of the ride, but Julie's laughter made it worth it. She was pressed against his side, her fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. If he could record the sound and keep it forever, he would.

They rode a few more rides afterward but finished within the hour. Luke had to admit that as much as he missed Santa Monica Pier, the amusement park didn't have a lot to do. Once they were done with the rides, they decided to hit the game stands.

"Time for me to show you that I'm not just talented with music," he boasted as he pushed up the sleeves on his coat and grabbed a basketball. According to the rules of the game, he had to sink three baskets to get the big teddy bear. Julie stood off to the side, watching him with an amused smile. All three balls bounced off the rim.

"Oh, so talented."

"That was just me warming up." He gave her a cocky smile. He gave the attendant three more singles from the money he 'borrowed' from Julie. He decided to remove his outer coat to give him better movement. "Hold this for me?" She took it and slung it over her arms. "Thanks." He, once more, got into position and sunk the first one. Then the second. Then the third. "Yes!" He thanked the attendant as he took the bear from him before turning to Julie. "For you."

Smiling, she traded the bear for his coat. "Thank you."

Moving to the next game, a water gun one, they decided to make it a competition. Winner would choose what they would do next. When the bell rang to signal the start of the game, both were neck and neck. Luke reached over to try and distract her.

"Cheater!" she cried, laughing as she pushed his hand away. When the bell rang again, it was to signal the winner followed by a flashing light. Even with Luke's attempts, Julie still ended up winning. "Ha! Take that!"

He grinned as she took the prize from the attendant, a stuffed dog that she placed on his head. "Alright, Molina, you won fair and square."

"With no help from you," she commented, sticking her tongue out at him.

"What do you want to do next?" he asked with a chuckle at her childish behavior.

"Food. Definitely food."

"Alright. Let's go." He removed the dog from his head and held it before standing and following her to the closest food vendor.

Of course, being dead, Luke could do nothing except watch her eat. He still remembered the taste of the food he was able to eat at Caleb's club. There were moments when he wished he could go back to that and savor the food instead of just scarfing it down as he had. But then he would remember how that night ended and snapped out of it.

"You sure you don't wanna try and see if you can eat it?" Julie asked quietly as to not draw attention. "It's been weeks since you guys became solid. Maybe eating food is something you can do now."

Sighing, he reached for one of her fries and took it effortlessly. He was hesitant to put it in his mouth but took a small bite, nonetheless. It was tasteless. He wondered how Caleb was able to make his food taste like how Luke remembered it should taste like. Sighing, he handed Julie the fry.

"I can't taste anything." She gave him a sympathetic glance as she took it from him and finished it off. "This sucks so bad. I miss food."

"Maybe it'll come back in time."

"Or it won't come back at all. Let's be real here, Jules. We have no idea what any of this is. Why did the guys and I become solid that night? How were you able to break Caleb's curse? What is our unfinished business?"

She reached across the table and took his hand. "We'll figure it out. Let's just enjoy right now."

He smiled and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "You're right. So, where to next?"

"You're letting me choose again?"

"Of course."

She made a show of thinking about it. "How about the Ferris wheel?"

"Sounds good," he said with a nod.

Standing, she threw away her trash and reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. He smiled as he pulled her closer.

The conversation had lulled to a comfortable silence between them as they boarded the Ferris wheel. Sitting side by side, they stared at the view of the city in the distance as it slowly glowed to life with the ever dying light of the sunset.

"I forgot how much I used to love coming here," she admitted. "Mom used to bring us here all the time when I was younger. Papa has never been big on heights, so he would go with Carlos to the kiddie rides while Mom and I would ride the Ferris wheel multiple times during the day. It was her favorite ride, and it ended up becoming mine." Luke stared at her, willing her to continue. "We stopped coming after she got sick. She used to tell me that we would come back here when she got better, but…" Her gaze went to the stuffed bear in her arms.

"Jules?"

Her eyes snapped up to his. "Sorry. Got a little lost in my head there."

"It's fine. I know you miss her a lot."

"I do." She smiled. "But I know she's with me always." He returned the smile then noticed that she was shivering.

"Cold?"

"Just a little bit." He removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders. "Thank you."

He draped his arm around her and brought her closer to him. "Anything for you." She snuggled into his coat and his side. He placed a tender kiss to the top of her head and enjoyed this time he had with her.

Luke's mind was constantly in motion. Most of the time, he was thinking about the next song he was going to write. When it wasn't a song, it was on a problem he was facing. Tonight, it was focused on Julie, which turned out to be both a good and a bad thing.

A good thing because it was Julie, the girl who brought him and his friends back to life (sort of) and gave it a new meaning. The girl who had captured his heart from the moment he heard her voice belting out words that her mother wrote. The girl he continued to fall for with each passing second of knowing her, of learning more and more about her. He meant it in more ways than one when he told her that she was a star. She shone brighter than any star in the sky with just one smile. He couldn't even fathom not being able to see her light continue to burn.

And that brought him to his biggest concern.

Julie was a living, breathing, sixteen-year-old girl who would grow into a woman. While Luke was a seventeen-year-old boy, twenty-five years dead and buried, forever stuck as he was. The unfinished business of he and the boys was still an unknown factor that could be fulfilled at any moment, effectively bringing his time with Julie to an end. But, even if they never found out what it was, there would come a time when he wouldn't be enough for her. How many years did they have before she began to resent the fact that she continued to age while he didn't?

These were all dilemmas he faced when he was deciding whether or not to pursue this thing that was between them. He was ready to chalk it up to stage chemistry if she rejected his offer of a date, but she'd said 'yes' and that changed everything. The cons of why this was a bad idea were thrown out the window when she agreed to go out with him.

But as they sat in silence on the slow-moving Ferris wheel, she curled into his side and him with his arm comfortably around her, they came rushing back to him. He wanted this. He wanted to be with Julie - had known it since 'Finally Free,' when he witnessed how brightly she shone - but it was impossible. His heart would never beat again.

"Hey," Julie spoke as they walked away from the Ferris wheel. "You okay? You've been awfully quiet."

"You haven't been Ms. Talkative, yourself," he joked, preferring not to talk about what's been on his mind.

"I'm serious."

"It's nothing."

She stopped walking, the grip she had on his fingers causing him to stop as well. "Talk to me. Please, Luke."

Sighing, he stepped closer to her. "How long do you think we have?" he asked, drawing a confused look from her. "Before, you know. Before the guys and I figure out our unfinished business or before you realize that this - us - isn't going to work for you anymore?"

"Luke," she breathed and he swore his undead heart skipped a beat. "You don't think I don't wonder about that, too? That I don't imagine how this is all going to be in ten years? If you and the guys will still be here? Because I do. I think about it all the time. But that's something I can worry about later. Right now, I'm focusing on spending as much time with you and the guys as I can. I knew the risk when I agreed to this, but I agreed anyway."

He smiled sadly, realizing that she was talking both about joining the band and going on a date with him. "Sure that's a good idea, Molina? Getting attached to us?" To me? The silent question hung in the air.

Her lips quirked as she shrugged. "Probably not, but it's out of my control. It's been that way for some time now, and there's nothing I can do about it. So, I won't fight it anymore."

"Jules, I…"

She pressed her finger to his lips. "You don't have to say anything. I just need you to know that the band means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me, and that the reasons why this could work are greater than the reasons why it shouldn't. I know the risk, and I'm willing to take it."

"You are amazing. You know that right?" She smiled and he held up the small plush dog. "Even Luke Jr. thinks so."

"Really? You named him after you?"

"Of course. One of them needs to have my name, and I figured you would have named the bear after your dad or something."

Smiling she hefted the large stuffed animal into her arms. "Actually, I named him Reggie."

His grin dropped. "Wait. What?"

"Well, I was going to name the dog Reggie, since he reminds me of a puppy, but you already gave him a name, so the bear will have to be Reggie," she answered before walking off.

"Wait, Jules. We can switch names." He ran after her.

She laughed as his hand caught hers. "Fine. The bear can be Luke Jr. and the puppy will be named Reggie." Hand-in-hand, they made their way back to the parking lot.

The ride home was filled with conversation about their next gig and songs that they wanted to work on during their next writing session. Within twenty minutes, they were pulling into her driveway and Luke wanted nothing more for this night to never end. He walked her to the door where she returned her coat to him. He made the argument that she could hold onto it, joking that he knew where she lived. But she made the perfect case in stating that her father would wonder where she got it from as she had chosen not to tell him the truth about where she'd gone and who she was with.

"The last thing I want is for my dad to find out that I was out on a date. He would want to meet you and that's complicated enough as it is since you're not even supposed to be from this country."

He chuckled. "It's fine, Jules. You don't need to explain." He handed over Reggie Jr. as he took his coat from her.

She smiled as she held both stuffed animals in her arms. "Thank you, Luke, for tonight."

"You're welcome," he whispered, smiling softly. Leaning in, he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Night, Julie."

"G'night." He waited until she went inside before poofing himself into the garage.

Alex and Reggie were sitting on the couch when he appeared, smiling brighter than either of them had ever seen.

"By the look on your face, I'm gonna take a guess and say that your date went well," Reggie commented.

Luke nodded. "Yeah."

"So, when's the wedding?" Alex asked.

"Shut up! We just took that first step. I could say the same thing about you and Willie."

Alex looked down when Willie's name was spoken. "That's if I ever find him."

"Still?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Not a peep. Every time I see someone skateboarding, I have to check to make sure it's not him."

"Alex, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. With Caleb M.I.A, I couldn't have expected Willie to be able to come around. Especially not after he helped us break free of Caleb's curse." He smiled. "But let's not get off-topic here. How was your date with Julie?"

Luke bit his lip as he grinned and went into detailing the last few hours with Julie. His friends listened attentively, knowing that Luke had fallen and fallen hard. They knew that it would have been easier to discourage his bond with the talented Latina, but their life had already been cut short and things left undone. They didn't want this to be another. Besides, Luke was happy. He had music, he had his band, and he had Julie.

"Sounds like you two had fun."

"We did. Even though things got a little serious for a moment, I wouldn't change anything about it."

Reggie and Alex looked at each other, smiles on their faces. "We're happy for you, man," Reggie remarked.

"Thanks. So, what have you two been doing all night?"

Reggie went into a passionate retelling of his night. Luke listened, but every so often, his mind drifted to Julie. He wondered if she was asleep or wide awake. He wondered if she was thinking about him like he was thinking about her.

"You know, if you weren't planning on actually listening to what I had to say, you shouldn't have asked."

"I'm sorry, Reg, I just…"

"I know. I know. You've got a one-track mind right now and the song's name is 'Julie.' It's fine."

"I'm gonna turn in."

"But we don't even sleep!" Alex complained.

"Doesn't mean I can't close my eyes and pretend," he said as he climbed up to the loft.

"And think about Julie?" Reggie teased. He received Luke's hoodie to the face in response. "Oh my God! Luke Patterson just threw his hoodie at me! I'm going to keep this and never wash it."

Luke laughed. "You're such a dork."

"Night, Lukey-poo."

"Ugh, please don't leave me with him," Alex groaned.

Sprawling out on the floor of the loft, on the blankets that Julie provided them for just in case, Luke stared at the ceiling. The bickering between his friends became background noise as his mind slipped back to his date. Sighing, he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander. Words came to the forefront and he grabbed his notebook. Sitting up, he began writing.

Let's just take tonight, tonight, slow/ cause I wanna see where this, where this goes/ I'd give you today but it's not mine yet/ I'll ask you to stay here with me till then/ I think I'm falling for you