Life As It Is

The day before New Year's Eve was a complete blur to everyone. The morning was spent packing to get on Green Day's private jet and head off to New York for MTV's Iced out New Year's.

"Something wrong, El?" Billie Joe asked Ella and looked at her a bit funnily.

She shook her head. The truth was she couldn't get over the dream she had had. It seemed way too real for her. As if it had happened. Why couldn't things be easier so she could just be with him? Why where there always obstacles between the two of them?

The group piled into the jet one by one finding somewhere to sit. Holly rested her head on Mike's shoulder and closed her eyes, tired from all the hustle and bustle of the morning while Tre was being the hyper being he was by throwing things to Billie Joe who in return did the same.

Ella sat all by herself, staring out of the window, put her headphones on, and turned on her mp3 player. It was a small little item where she had stored tons and tons of music. Some of which she didn't even remember putting into it.

She pressed play and let it go to the first song.

I wish I could tell you,
But the words would come out wrong,
Oh if you only knew,
The way I felt for so long,
I know that we're worlds apart,
But I just don't seem to care,
These feelings in my heart,
Only with you I want to share

She froze as she heard the song. She couldn't listen to this song. Not now. Not ever. It made her to just sit there and bawl her eyes out. Ella took a deep breath and changed it to the next song. It was a Sex Pistols song. Better than Only of You.

Billie Joe looked over at Ella. Something was definitely wrong. She had stiffened and then suddenly relaxed. He knew it wasn't the pregnancy talking. He threw one last thing at Tre before the plane took off and continued to watch Ella for a little as she rested her head against the window and closed her eyes.

* * *
After its six hour course, the flight from California finally landed.

"Time to see the fans outside." Mike said as he nudged his sleeping girlfriend to get up.

"Fun, fun, fun." Billie Joe mumbled. Not that he hated his fans, but it would have been nice to land in New York after a long flight in absolute peace.

Everyone slowly got out, seeing and hearing the screams of many fans as they walked quickly to the van that would take them all to the hotel they'd be staying at.

As they piled into the van, Holly took a look at Ella and scrunched up her nose as if to ask what was wrong. Her best friend in return made a face to imply that she'd tell her later.

They made it to their hotel and came out of the van as quickly as possible and then got their room keys. Holly would be with Mike of course, while Billie Joe, Ella, and Tre got their own rooms.

"Tre, don't you dare find a way into our fucking room and start ordering porn like a madman." Mike warned his band mate.

"Fine I don't neeed your room!"

He looked over at Billie Joe with pleading eyes.

"Don't even think about it," He said.

"El, good friend of miiine." Tre put his arm around Ella.

"Ha-ha. No," She said immediately and shook him off.

"YOU GUYS SUCK!"

The now thirty-three year old drummer pouted like a child, stomped his foot, and ran to the elevators.

The gang all went into the nearest elevator and stopped at the fifth floor, then separated into their rooms.

As soon as Ella walked into her room, she threw all her bags on the floor and rested on the bed. She felt major jetlag and hoped it wouldn't affect the baby in any sort of way. In a matter of a few moments, she heard a knock at her door.

When she opened the door, a glowing Holly was standing across from her.

"Hey," She said and walked into the room.

"Hey... "

"Okay Ella. What's wrong? You've been pretty silent lately. Something's up."

Ella frowned at her as she sat back down on her bed.

"The same old crap. Last week... I... "

"What?"

"I had a dream about Billie."

Her best friend's eyes widened as she sat down next to her.

"Oh really... "

"Yeah. In my dream he came into my room and was telling me how much he still has feelings for me and then we kissed a lot until—we were about to do it and then my cell phone woke me up and it was him calling me."

"And you were this close to a sex dream." Holly said as they both laughed a little.

"God I'm still really confused, Hol'."

"I know, I know. I wish I knew what to say to make it all better," She said and frowned a little.

* * *
The morning of New Year's Eve, Holly and Ella decided to make the most of their morning by buying maternity clothes. They walked into the nearest maternity store and started looking around.

"Stretchy clothes, ouu I can't wait." Ella said sarcastically as she looked through tons and tons of shirts and pants.

"Hmm, same here."

Later that afternoon, everyone got ready for the event. Since they were all supposed to wear white, they all looked snowy.

Ella walked out of her hotel room and waited with Billie Joe for everyone else to come out of their rooms.

"Hey," Billie Joe said as he looked at her from top to bottom. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her spaghetti strapped white dress and the makeup she had put on which mad her pregnant glow show even more. "You look—amazing. But don't you think it's too cold for that dress?"

She smiled at him. "Thanks. Nah, I'm going to be wearing this on top." She pointed to her sweater and her coat.

They waited in silence as Holly, Mike, and Tre all left their rooms. And off they went to MTV studios.

* * *
Ella walked around the little area of space of MTV studios as the crowd went crazy for one of the artists playing. As she continued to walk around with her drink of water, she accidentally bumped into someone.

"Whoops, I'm sorry," She said giggling a little. She looked up and saw a gorgeous man with jet black hair look down on her. She felt herself redden.

"It's no problem," He said smiling back at her.

"Hi, I'm Ella."

"I'm Jack."

Billie Joe watched Ella and the mysterious man talk from the other side of the room. He felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to be the one to make her look like the way she was at the moment.

He raised his glass of champagne to his lips and chugged it down.

After talking to Jack, Ella realized he had a date with him and didn't bother hitting on him. She was pregnant anyway and wasn't about to do a whole long distance relationship over a simple little attraction.

She continued to look around the room, seeing Mike with his arm around Holly, Tre hitting on a woman, and Billie Joe looking right back at her.

Her heart melted a little as she curved her lips into a smile and signaling for him to come over to where she was.

The two exes started talking and laughing like good old friends.

"This is my first New Year's that I haven't gotten drunk yet."

Billie Joe made a shifty face at her.

"My apologizes again for knocking you up, madam."

Ella laughed and playfully hit his shoulder.

It was time for Green Day to perform. Ella and Holly found themselves and rooted for them as they played American Idiot and watched the crowd go insane.

"Finally a good fucking band to listen to here!" Holly yelled.

"Amen!"

After the song, they all jumped off the stage, had an interview outside, and then headed back into MTV Studios.

"Having fun?" Billie Joe whispered in Ella's ear, scaring the hell out of her.

"AHH! You scared me shitless, Billie!"

He grinned at her and wished he could've kissed her at that moment of her looking so cute.

"It's what I do best... sometimes."

"Stick to your day job."

"Being a rock star is waayy cooler."

He continued to grin.

"Are you a little buzzed right now?" Ella grinned back at him.

"Naah, just sort of hyper. So anyway, I saw you talking to some guy not too long ago. What's the deal with that?"

"Is someone jeaaloouuss?" Ella asked him, playfully poking him in the arm.

"No! Just curious."

"Weell Mr. Armstrong if you're so eager to know, he was some guy I can never hit on because he has a date and I'm three months pregnant with your child."

A sigh of relief came to Billie Joe at the moment but tried to hide it.

"Okay, okay just wondering."

Ella grinned at him and whispered in his ear. "I can tell when you're jealous, Billie. There's nothing to get jealous about."

She walked off to find Holly, leaving Green Day's front man wanting his ex-girlfriend even more.

* * *
Thirty seconds to midnight, everyone scattered around to find someone to kiss when the New Year of 2005 would finally arrive.

Ella knew she wasn't going to find anyone to kiss but scattered around as well until someone accidentally pushed her onto someone else.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" She said loudly as she almost knocked over the person. She looked up and saw the familiar pair of green eyes that she always loved.

"No problem." Billie Joe said as the two walked off somewhere where people wouldn't be pushing them around.

"Listen El, I think we need to talk before the New Year comes and stuff."

"Sure, but you need to hurry up."

"Okay well this last—month has been really hard what with Adrienne and I splitting up and having all these mixed feelings."

Mixed feelings A sudden flashback of Ella's dream came to her.

"Yeah, well you're going to have mixed feelings about Adrienne a lot through your divorce."

A sudden whiff of familiarity came to Ella.

"But they're not mostly about Adrienne."

WHAT? Ella screamed in her head.

"Then... who?"

More flashbacks from Ella's dream were coming back and she waited hopefully for the three lettered word she was dying to hear.

"You."

Ella's heart raced. He felt the same way about her! She stared back at him as his heart raced as well.

Before she could say anything else, the two heard the countdown to the year 2005. They looked over and then at each other again.

"10... 9... 8... " Everyone in the room chanted.

"I feel the same way!" Ella yelled over the chants as she watched Billie Joe smile back at her.

"7... 6... 5... "

They couldn't wait to kiss each other at last.

"4...3... 2... "

"Come on, say one already!" They both yelled.

"1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone chanted at last.

Billie Joe grabbed Ella as soon as they heard the last word and gave her the best kiss she had ever gotten. It was passionate, hungry, and tender.

Ella couldn't ask for more as she returned the kiss and put her arms around him. It was just what they both needed.

"I've been waiting for this for such a long time." She whispered in his ear.

"Me too." He whispered back.

They continued to kiss hungrily to one another until Mike and Holly came over and interrupted them.

Holly's eyes widened at the sight of both of them while Billie Joe wiped his mouth and grinned with Ella.

"Happy New Year!" Mike and Holly said, looking strangely at the two of them.

"Happy New Year!" The two both said as Billie Joe put his arm around Ella's waist.

"OH MY GOD YOU GUYS! IT'S 2005!" Tre screamed as he ran over to the four of his friends, scaring the hell out of them.

The drummer grabbed his band mates and kissed them both on the mouth and then laughed like complete idiots.

"Oh what the hell man." Mike walked over to Billie Joe and gave him a kiss too.

"Ha-ha. Happy New Year buddy." Billie Joe looked at Holly.

"Your boyfriend is an awesome kisser."

She grinned at him.

"Tell me about it."

Holly turned her attention to her best friend just then.

"HEY MAN, KISS YOUR BEST FRIEND!" Tre said as he chugged down some champagne.

The two looked at Tre, getting a sense that he was already drunk as hell.

"Maybe later, Tre." Ella said, laughing.

"You, me—ladies room, now." Holly said, grabbing her best friend by the arm and dragging her.

"They're gonna do it!" They heard Tre yell as they made their way out of MTV Studios.

"Okay, were you and Billie kissing or is that my imagination?" Holly asked Ella as soon as they made it into the rest room.

Ella looked at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were absolutely flushed. Her lip gloss was smudged a little and her hair was a little messy. Yet she was so happy.

"Yes!" She exclaimed and told her best friend what happened.

"Holy shit, that's awesome!" Holly said as she hugged her best friend seeing that she was really happy.

* * *
"Were you and Ella going at it or was I hallucinating?" Mike asked Billie Joe.

"Nope." He grinned. "She feels the same way man and I don't know I'm just so fucking happy."

"What a way to start the New Year, huh?"

The two women came back from the bathroom all freshened up. Ella stood next to Billie Joe as he grabbed her hand and held it like a shy little boy. She looked up and grinned at him.

All of a sudden, the members of Green Day were called up to get ready to perform. Billie Joe let her hand go but then kissed her.

"I have to go do my day job—or in this case my midnight-ish job."

"Quit the mumbo-jumbo." She couldn't stop smiling. "Go and do your thing."

Holly looked at Ella.

"If I had known you guys were this cute together, I would've made you guys get together sooner."

"Well now you know."

The two watched as Green Day performed the single that made them famous. They sang along, knowing every single word after so many times of hearing it.

After their second performance, the guys approached the women.

"You guys wanna leave, we're done for tonight and there's no use partying here anymore." Mike suggested.

The two shrugged.

"Sure, let's go." Holly said as she grabbed the bassist's hand and smiled at him.

Billie Joe looked at Ella and grabbed her hand again as they both left.

The five of them walked onto the loud New York street as they made their way to their limo. It was the perfect night; it wasn't even that cold out.

As Mike, Holly, and a drunken Tre Cool made their way into the limo, Billie Joe grabbed Ella again and gave her a long kiss under the stars.

"Is the champagne getting to you?" She laughed as they went inside the limo.

"No, you are."

Mike and Billie Joe made their calls to wish their kids a Happy New Year as Tre passed out halfway to getting to the hotel in such traffic.

Ella rested her head on Billie Joe's shoulder as she used to love to do at one point and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

"Ellaaa, wake up." Billie Joe nudged the pregnant woman as she opened her eyes quickly, realizing they were finally at the hotel.

She and Billie Joe got out first and then with Mike and Holly tried to figure out how to get Tre up.

They finally decided that Billie Joe and Mike would help carry him to his room safely.

The two pregnant women walked together under the beautiful night as they held the door for their boyfriends to carry in their best friend.

The two band mates successfully dumped their drummer into his hotel room safe and sound onto his bed where he looked like he was completely dead.

"If anyone asks, someone poisoned him." Billie Joe said as they all laughed silently, closing the door on Tre's hotel room.

The foursome went their separate ways. Ella felt someone reaching for her waist and she knew who it was. She gave Billie Joe a lopsided smile and turned to her side to kiss him.

"This has been the best New Year's ever."

"Tell me about it."

"Soo... where now?"

"Well, I was guessing we'd go into my room or maybe yours and... " He trailed off a bit.

"You sly dog." Ella playfully hit him and gave him a flirty smile.

"So where to?"

"Hmm... your room, perhaps?"

"Excellent."

Billie Joe quickly got his room key out and unlocked the door. He looked at Ella and all of a sudden grabbed her and carried her into the room and kicked the door behind him.

The thirty-three year old giggled softly as he softly let her down on his bed. He got on top of her and started kissing her neck.

"Don't crush our baby, okay?" She whispered into his ear.

"I'll be careful."

They slowly undressed each other and continued to kiss one another. Billie Joe kissed her stomach, her neck again, and then her lips—her beautiful lips.

She kissed him from his neck to his lips and continued to tug on his crunchy hair playfully.

The two carried on doing what they were doing until they stopped.

It was the best night the two had had in the longest time possible.