Waking Up, chapter 19
"I love you," Billie breathed into Ella's ear as he put his arm around her waist. They continued walking down the street in the crisp winter air.
"No way. I love me too!" she giggled back.
Pushing her away, Billie pretended to pout.
"Yeah, yeah... I love you too, Billie Joe Armstrong,"
Grinning, he kissed her sloppily on her cheek. "That's what I thought." Billie stopped, looking around. "Do you know where we are?"
"Hell no. I think we passed the car already."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because... "
"I see." He said, hugging her tighter. "I'm fucking freezing."
"It's not that cold." She smiled.
Billie grumbled the whole way back to the car, Ella laughing beside him.
"You aren't that brilliant, now are you, Billie?" She asked, snuggling up to his chest and shivering.
Sitting outside of the gate to his apartment, he tried yet another number.
"Shit. Okay, 2234, no. 2998, no. 2093, no... "
"Are you sure it starts with a two?"
"Almost."
"How you forget these things anyway? It's like forgetting your phone number."
"I don't know that either," Billie said with a laugh.
"Come on... Just come to my hotel. I'm going to die."
"Hey, I've planned on that too,"
"Shut up."
"Where is Jacie?"
"In Oregon, with mom," Ella answered from the bathroom where she was taking off her jewelry.
"Why Oregon?"
"After my dad died she... I dunno," she paused, thinking. "Oregon doesn't have much going for it, does it?"
"No," Billie said, plunking himself down on one of the two big beds.
"That's probably why then," she came out of the bathroom and lay next to Billie.
"How many times did I say 'I love you'? tonight?"
"A lot."
"I do though,"
"I know. I love you too... But its... Just hard."
He turned and looked at Ella. "Promise me you'll never run away from me."
"Why?"
"Because."
"I promise."
"I promise too." He closed his eyes with a smile on his lips. "G'night, Ella-love"
She smiled.
"Wake up," Ella said, rubbing her eyes.
"Mehhh... " groaned Billie as he grabbed Ella and pulled her down from sitting.
"Hey! I was almost up too... "
"Ooopsies."
Ella kissed him. "Good morning... "
Billie looked up into her eyes.
"Would you marry me?"
"What?!" Ella exclaimed, pulling away a little. "Billie, you've barely just signed the divorce papers... "
"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking if you would." he asked, smiling mischievously.
She paused for a moment, and kissed him again. "Yeah, I think so."
"Then will you?"
After another pause, she nodded. "But not for a while."
"Can we try it?" he asked, holding her loosely.
"Yes," she said with a giggle.
Billie and Ella bought a house a few months later. Joey and Jakob kind of accepted Jacinthe, although they weren't completely sure about it.
Adrienne, however, wasn't any part of the weird happiness that was hanging in the air. She disappeared for a few days to Las Vegas and reappeared with a new boyfriend. Since then she had been in and out of relationships. And then she took up drinking.
Billie didn't care at first. But then the boys came home complaining about it. That hurt him the most. He kept thinking about asking for custody, which he basically had anyway, but he wasn't sure if that would hurt them more. He wanted them to have their mother; even if they loved Ella just as much, or more.
"So... Going into the studio again today?" Ella asked, scanning the newpaper as she scrambled eggs.
"Yeah,"
"Good," she said, with a small smile and dished the food out. "I'll go get the kids up,"
Billie watched her leave. As much as he wanted to be with her, him and the guys had been doing really well. But somehow he felt guilty.
"Hey dad," Jacie said, rubbing her eyes.
"How ya doing?"
She just gave him a blank stare. "Wanna guess?"
"Nah, I'm fine." He said with a laugh.
His cellphone rang.
"It'sa me, Billie Joe," he answered, in his best Mario voice.
"You coming down?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. I'm eating."
"Oh. 'kay. See you soon,"
"Mmmhmmm... "
He hung up. "Can you tell your mom that I had to go?"
Jacie sighed and nodded.
He hugged her quickly and left, grabbing his coat on the way out.
Ella returned, with a basket of dirty laundry in her arms.
"Mom, he left."
She just grinned. "He's a man with a mission."
"You gonna do some more painting today?"
Ella glanced at her daughter. "Yes,"
"Yay! Can I see after school?"
"Of course," she said frowning slightly.
Joey stumbled into the room with a dazed expression. "Jakob's sick,"
"I know. I took his temperature. I'll walk you guys to the bus,"
Ella sighed as she watched Billie play a board game with the kids. Maybe this isn't exactly what she always wanted. But, at thirty-three years old, she knew she could live with its small imperfections. If they're were any.
"You cheated!" Jakob exclaimed, looking at Billie accusingly.
"What?" he asked innocently, his eyes dancing.
"Hey! You did!" Joey said, frowning at Billie's advanced piece.
"Yeah... It just doesn't make sense, dad... " Jacie joined, also frowning.
"I did not! Just ask Ella!"
Their heads turned to her. She just laughed and shook her head. "I'm getting ice cream,"
"Me too!" screamed Jacie.
"I wanna come!" Joey said.
"Me too." Jakob said, slightly calmer than the others.
They went to get their shoes and Billie smirked and he got up.
"Thanks... " he murmured, nuzzling her neck and kissing it lightly.
"It's a skill," she said, rolling her eyes. "Obviously."
Billie grinned as he picked Ella up, ignoring her shrieks and laughing and carried her to the car.
"Billie?" Ella groaned, sitting up. "It's late, we have to get up."
"Nuh-uh... Saturday."
"Ugh. I can't sleep now anyway."
She got up and left. Billie's eyes followed her, but closed as she left.
The house was quiet and empty, which was kinda nice. In a weird way.
Ella looked out the window for a while, sketching the rose that was growing pressed against the pane.
She had a little secret. She couldn't keep it for long, and she didn't want to. But she was weary of everything.
"I'm gonna take you on date." Billie said proudly.
"Oh?" Ella giggled.
"Yes... To some place that is waaayyy to expensive and you can't even pronounce half the things on the menu,"
She wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Nah, I'm gonna take you to Victoria."
"Huh? Canada, Victoria?"
"Yup." He grinned, relishing in the surprise on Ella's face.
"Wow. Really? That's a bit far,"
Billie just continued smiling, and kissed her softly. "You deserve it, my love,"
And that just took her breath away, as she rolled her eyes, trying to pretend she wasn't so utterly struck by his care.
She had never really loved traveling; it always brought her some place new to deal with. But this time, she decided that she did enjoy it after all.
And Billie loved it too; he loved watching Ella, and noticed something different about her shape, but said nothing.
"You know?" Ella asked, on the last morning of the week long vacation, "This is kinda paradise,"
Billie laughed and kissed her head. "Yeah... It kind of is... "
Ella looked up and him and rested her head on his chest. "I... think I'm pregnant... "
"I know," he said simply, feeling the warmth in his stomach rush to his head.
Ella smiled. "I don't know how I ended up with someone like you,"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know... I guess I just feel lucky."
"Well, yeah. You so obviously should."
Ella shoved him, with a smile on her face.
"No way. I love me too!" she giggled back.
Pushing her away, Billie pretended to pout.
"Yeah, yeah... I love you too, Billie Joe Armstrong,"
Grinning, he kissed her sloppily on her cheek. "That's what I thought." Billie stopped, looking around. "Do you know where we are?"
"Hell no. I think we passed the car already."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because... "
"I see." He said, hugging her tighter. "I'm fucking freezing."
"It's not that cold." She smiled.
Billie grumbled the whole way back to the car, Ella laughing beside him.
"You aren't that brilliant, now are you, Billie?" She asked, snuggling up to his chest and shivering.
Sitting outside of the gate to his apartment, he tried yet another number.
"Shit. Okay, 2234, no. 2998, no. 2093, no... "
"Are you sure it starts with a two?"
"Almost."
"How you forget these things anyway? It's like forgetting your phone number."
"I don't know that either," Billie said with a laugh.
"Come on... Just come to my hotel. I'm going to die."
"Hey, I've planned on that too,"
"Shut up."
"Where is Jacie?"
"In Oregon, with mom," Ella answered from the bathroom where she was taking off her jewelry.
"Why Oregon?"
"After my dad died she... I dunno," she paused, thinking. "Oregon doesn't have much going for it, does it?"
"No," Billie said, plunking himself down on one of the two big beds.
"That's probably why then," she came out of the bathroom and lay next to Billie.
"How many times did I say 'I love you'? tonight?"
"A lot."
"I do though,"
"I know. I love you too... But its... Just hard."
He turned and looked at Ella. "Promise me you'll never run away from me."
"Why?"
"Because."
"I promise."
"I promise too." He closed his eyes with a smile on his lips. "G'night, Ella-love"
She smiled.
"Wake up," Ella said, rubbing her eyes.
"Mehhh... " groaned Billie as he grabbed Ella and pulled her down from sitting.
"Hey! I was almost up too... "
"Ooopsies."
Ella kissed him. "Good morning... "
Billie looked up into her eyes.
"Would you marry me?"
"What?!" Ella exclaimed, pulling away a little. "Billie, you've barely just signed the divorce papers... "
"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking if you would." he asked, smiling mischievously.
She paused for a moment, and kissed him again. "Yeah, I think so."
"Then will you?"
After another pause, she nodded. "But not for a while."
"Can we try it?" he asked, holding her loosely.
"Yes," she said with a giggle.
Billie and Ella bought a house a few months later. Joey and Jakob kind of accepted Jacinthe, although they weren't completely sure about it.
Adrienne, however, wasn't any part of the weird happiness that was hanging in the air. She disappeared for a few days to Las Vegas and reappeared with a new boyfriend. Since then she had been in and out of relationships. And then she took up drinking.
Billie didn't care at first. But then the boys came home complaining about it. That hurt him the most. He kept thinking about asking for custody, which he basically had anyway, but he wasn't sure if that would hurt them more. He wanted them to have their mother; even if they loved Ella just as much, or more.
"So... Going into the studio again today?" Ella asked, scanning the newpaper as she scrambled eggs.
"Yeah,"
"Good," she said, with a small smile and dished the food out. "I'll go get the kids up,"
Billie watched her leave. As much as he wanted to be with her, him and the guys had been doing really well. But somehow he felt guilty.
"Hey dad," Jacie said, rubbing her eyes.
"How ya doing?"
She just gave him a blank stare. "Wanna guess?"
"Nah, I'm fine." He said with a laugh.
His cellphone rang.
"It'sa me, Billie Joe," he answered, in his best Mario voice.
"You coming down?" Mike asked.
"Yeah. I'm eating."
"Oh. 'kay. See you soon,"
"Mmmhmmm... "
He hung up. "Can you tell your mom that I had to go?"
Jacie sighed and nodded.
He hugged her quickly and left, grabbing his coat on the way out.
Ella returned, with a basket of dirty laundry in her arms.
"Mom, he left."
She just grinned. "He's a man with a mission."
"You gonna do some more painting today?"
Ella glanced at her daughter. "Yes,"
"Yay! Can I see after school?"
"Of course," she said frowning slightly.
Joey stumbled into the room with a dazed expression. "Jakob's sick,"
"I know. I took his temperature. I'll walk you guys to the bus,"
Ella sighed as she watched Billie play a board game with the kids. Maybe this isn't exactly what she always wanted. But, at thirty-three years old, she knew she could live with its small imperfections. If they're were any.
"You cheated!" Jakob exclaimed, looking at Billie accusingly.
"What?" he asked innocently, his eyes dancing.
"Hey! You did!" Joey said, frowning at Billie's advanced piece.
"Yeah... It just doesn't make sense, dad... " Jacie joined, also frowning.
"I did not! Just ask Ella!"
Their heads turned to her. She just laughed and shook her head. "I'm getting ice cream,"
"Me too!" screamed Jacie.
"I wanna come!" Joey said.
"Me too." Jakob said, slightly calmer than the others.
They went to get their shoes and Billie smirked and he got up.
"Thanks... " he murmured, nuzzling her neck and kissing it lightly.
"It's a skill," she said, rolling her eyes. "Obviously."
Billie grinned as he picked Ella up, ignoring her shrieks and laughing and carried her to the car.
"Billie?" Ella groaned, sitting up. "It's late, we have to get up."
"Nuh-uh... Saturday."
"Ugh. I can't sleep now anyway."
She got up and left. Billie's eyes followed her, but closed as she left.
The house was quiet and empty, which was kinda nice. In a weird way.
Ella looked out the window for a while, sketching the rose that was growing pressed against the pane.
She had a little secret. She couldn't keep it for long, and she didn't want to. But she was weary of everything.
"I'm gonna take you on date." Billie said proudly.
"Oh?" Ella giggled.
"Yes... To some place that is waaayyy to expensive and you can't even pronounce half the things on the menu,"
She wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Nah, I'm gonna take you to Victoria."
"Huh? Canada, Victoria?"
"Yup." He grinned, relishing in the surprise on Ella's face.
"Wow. Really? That's a bit far,"
Billie just continued smiling, and kissed her softly. "You deserve it, my love,"
And that just took her breath away, as she rolled her eyes, trying to pretend she wasn't so utterly struck by his care.
She had never really loved traveling; it always brought her some place new to deal with. But this time, she decided that she did enjoy it after all.
And Billie loved it too; he loved watching Ella, and noticed something different about her shape, but said nothing.
"You know?" Ella asked, on the last morning of the week long vacation, "This is kinda paradise,"
Billie laughed and kissed her head. "Yeah... It kind of is... "
Ella looked up and him and rested her head on his chest. "I... think I'm pregnant... "
"I know," he said simply, feeling the warmth in his stomach rush to his head.
Ella smiled. "I don't know how I ended up with someone like you,"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know... I guess I just feel lucky."
"Well, yeah. You so obviously should."
Ella shoved him, with a smile on her face.
