How We Stay Here (or Waiting)

Summary: It's two years later in the Dirnt-Armstrong household and now there's sympathetic pregnancy, problem children, jealousy, and fame to balance . . . will the higher climb equal a higher fall?

It's not NC-17 yet ... but it will be, I promise.

Ages have changed. Billie is 30, Mike's 29. Joey is ten. Stella is five and in kindergarten. Jakob is five and not in kindergarten. I guess that would make Joey a fifth-grader. Oops. I accidentally almost said Billie was 39. 0_0

How We Got Here (or Waiting)
Prologue: Just Another Day

I've been waiting for a long time
For this moment to come

* * * Billie's Point of View * * *

I think the insanity is what keeps us going. Joey's got to do this and that and run to school and run back and damn, the mouth on that kid. Jakob's decided that since he skipped his terrible twos he's going to make up for it double now. And during the time we have Stella she's just as fucking bad. Mike, Tre, and I are running from magazines to television networks to radio shows to award shows to music video shoots.

To top it all off Adie's pregnant. And despite the fact that we're no longer married and the baby's not mine, I've been fucked over with sympathetic pregnancy anyway. So between running everywhere, being tempted to lock the kids in the closet, and me vomitting into the toilet every fifteen minutes . . .

Insanity is probably an understatement to be honest.

* * *

Mike shook me awake at ten in the morning, holding the cordless phone to me. "Adie." he mouthed.

I groaned, taking it and stifling a yawn. "Adie? What is it? Calm down. Of course we'll pick them up. Don't worry about it. It's not like I'm baby-sitting. I know that's not what you meant. Adie, please don't get sick because then I'll get sick. I know you're not meaning to get sick. Trust me, no one's as freaked out by it as me. Don't worry about it, Adie. Just call me and let me know, all right? I know, I know. Love you, too."

I sighed, throwing my head back against the pillow. "We're taking the kids." I said. "Adie's taking a mental health break. Maybe if she gets far away enough I'll quit puking."

"I just can't believe your having sympathetic pregnancy and Blake isn't." Blake is Adrienne's fiance. And I hate him for no real reason other than he looks at people weird.

"No fucking kidding." I yawned again. "What are we supposed to do today?" I asked Mike, pulling the blanket up over my head.

I felt him sit down on the side of the bed, trying to pull the blanket away from me. When he finally wrestled it away from my face, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I brought my arms up, wrapping them around his neck and opening my mouth into his kiss.

"Mike," I whispered against his lips, "I want a baby."

"I think that's physically impossible, Billie." he said back as I pulled away from him and sat up.

"I don't want to give birth to one." I said. "I just want to have a baby. With you. I want us to have a baby."

"Well," Mike said slowly, "there is something I've been wanting to tell you." He looked at me, leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "I'm pregnant."

I pushed him away, rolling my eyes. "You're an idiot. You--"

* * * Mike's Point of View * * *

I made a face as I heard him throwing up . . . again. I walked into the kitchen and filled up a glass with water, wetting a washcloth in the sink. I know it's completely ridiculous, but his having this sympathetic pregnancy thing with Adrienne . . . it's got me worried. Just like him hating her fiance so much.

I know he loves me, I'm just worried he still loves her. More than he should. They have two kids together. They get along just as well now as they did when they were married, maybe even a little better. And they do these lunch dates once or twice a week. They'll just go out and do whatever and he'll come back with a smile on his face that he doesn't ever get around me.

It's stupid. I know that. I walk into the bathroom as Billie Joe falls back against the wall. "This blows." he said, laughing at what he just said. "Literally."

I smile and sit down next to him. He takes the washcloth and the water. He means to throw the washcloth into the bathtub, but instead we hear the sound of breaking glass.

Billie Joe swears.

* * *

"Fucking-A." we hear Joey saying to another kid when we pull up to the school. He doesn't even realize we're there until he's dropped the f-bomb five more times and said something about a 'stupid bitch'.

Jakob knocks on the back window, giving his brother a smirk, knowing exactly how much trouble Joey was going to get in for saying things like that.

Joey turns around, eyes wide, wincing slightly when he sees Billie giving him stare for stare. "Sh--"

"Don't even." Billie said. "Now get your ass in the car." I shake my head at how he curses at his kid for cursing.

"Where's Mom?" Joey mutters as he kicks his bag under Billie's seat.

"Mom's gone for a week or so." Billie said, still surveying his oldest son in the mirror.

Joey mumbles something under his breath, but Billie just shakes his head. "I don't even want to know." he said to me under his breath. "Oh, Jesus." Billie swerves into the gas station on the left side of the street, nearly causing an accident and causing several middle fingers to go up.

He throws his car door open and barely manages to unbuckle before he's throwing up . . . again. Jakob's unbuckled to watch his dad vomit, halfway yelling about how 'awesome' it is. Joey's rolling his eyes and mumbling things under his breath.

It's just another day.

---TBC---