Life As It Is

In a matter of a few weeks, Adrienne finally gave birth to her daughter, Alice on September twenty-fifth, making baby Carlen Chappell roughly a month old. This was the final birth of the "Green Day babies" as the press lamely joked.

Ella slowly found herself trying her best to overcome the grief of her estranged father's death. She tried to focus those thoughts on feeling grateful for what she had in her life unlike the Hurricane Katrina victims.

November had come at last. Green Day had officially wrapped up their U.S. part of the American Idiot tour at last. The only things they were looking forward to were some television appearances and a few shows in Australia , wrapping up the tour completely.

Anxiously awaiting Billie Joe to come back home for a few days then once again head off to New York for Total Request Live, an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and then to Fuse's Comp'd. The band had a lot ahead of them. The thirty-three year old front man was also hoping to meet up with someone who was able to help out with Adrienne's designs for Adeline record's clothing line while she had her hands tied with the new baby.

The thirty-four year old woman was tired since Phoebe had been up all night crying and promised she'd have a two hour nap before picking up her boyfriend, but when her cell phone alarm clock went off, she was still asleep.

Billie Joe opened the door quietly to his big home and made his way upstairs where a tired Ella was soundly sleeping. He gave a grin and looked into Phoebe's crib where she looked back at him with the same green eyes, but somehow quietly.

After putting down everything and feeling at home at last, Billie Joe made his way onto the bed, sitting on top of his girlfriend. She didn't budge at all which made Billie Joe have to stifle a giggle.

He sighed and softly pressed his lips against hers, making her chocolate brown eyes open, looking back at his green ones. She looked at him confusingly, closing her eyes then groaned as he stopped kissing her.

"Mmm... what time is it?" She mumbled.

"A little after three."

"Shit, I was supposed to wake up earlier to come down to the airport and—"

"Its okay, El. I'm here now."

"Yeah and you're sitting on me like I'm about to attack you."

He wiggled his eyebrows, making her chuckle a little and pushed him off of her.
"Not now," She answered as she sat up in bed.

"Why not?" He gave her puppy dog eyes.

"If you're not aware, our daughter is lying down in that crib to our right."

"She won't see anything," He crawled over next to her like a scared five year old, clinging on to her.

"Are you willing to have sex in front of your baby?"

He paused. "No."

She snorted in laughter. "You give in too easily."

"What if we have my mom watch her?" He grinned. "We need some adult time."

Ella giggled and sighed. "Fine."

The couple made their way to the home of Mrs. Armstrong who was glad to take in her new granddaughter and was amused at how the two immediately wanted to get home.

As soon as they got home, Billie Joe gave his trademark grin, luring his girlfriend to the bedroom who shook her head and laughed as they ran up the stairs to their bedroom.

"Something tells me you've wanted this for a while," Ella said as he gently pushed her onto the bed.

"Ever since VMA night."

Their lips met once again as Billie Joe passionately kissed his girlfriends neck. She slowly took off his shirt as he did the same. She fumbled with his belt buckle and finally took it off, accidentally throwing it against the door, erupting in giggles as Billie Joe bent down to kiss her once again.

"I love you," He whispered.

"I love you too."

The thirty-three year old man brushed Ella's hair out of her face as he kissed her once again. She pulled him down more by tugging on his jet black hair which had gotten so long since she had last seen him.

After their long intimate moment, Billie Joe and Ella ended up under the covers, the thirty-four year old woman's head on her boyfriend's chest with various tattoos all over. She slowly touched her finger towards the one near his hips that read '80'.

"What?" He asked softly as he noticed her touching it.

"You have a lot of tattoos that represent you and Adrienne," She said softly as her eyes looked up at Billie Joe.

"Yeah... I got that one when I was around eighteen or nineteen..."

"And a bunch of other ones throughout the years," Ella bit her lip.

"El—what's wrong?"

She sighed. "I don't know. The fact that you have all these tattoos about Adrienne but you haven't gotten any about me," She shook her head. "Never mind. It's ridiculous."

"Do you think because I don't have any tattoos for you on my body mean I don't love you?"

"I know you love me," She sat up in bed. "But it makes me feel like I don't mean enough to you like Adie did."

"That's not true."

She shook her head again. "I'm being stupid I know—but sometimes I feel like I'm competing with what you had with her."

Billie Joe paused, not knowing what to say next. He sighed inaudibly and sat up in bed as well, looking at Ella as she looked away, focusing her attention on the night stand.

"You don't need to compete with anyone," He leaned in closer to her, shifting her head to look at her. "Adrienne and I have a lot of history together, like you and I do. She gave me two wonderful boys and you just gave me the most beautiful little girl. But when it comes down to it—you've always been in my heart, El. You're the first person I truly loved, even if I've never said it to the press, it doesn't mean I don't feel that way."

She nodded. "It's just that I feel like I don't mean enough to you... "

"You mean a lot to me. I don't need a tattoo to prove it."

She gave a smile and kissed him, resting her head back on his chest.

* * *
Billie Joe sat in yet another New York hotel on another New York day. Ella, Holly and even Laura had gone to Alternative Magazine as the guys of Green Day decided to stay in and rest.

He heard a knock on the door only to find Mike and Tre on the other side of the door.

"Both ran out of liquor or something?" He quizzically asked his best friends.

"Nope, just here. I checked on all of our goddamn kids," Mike chuckled. "They're all fine."

The lead singer quirked an eyebrow. "I wasn't worried. They're all surprisingly good."

The three stood there in silence as Tre moved around a little.

"What's really going on?"

"Tre needs to go pee."

"You could've told me this a minute ago..." Tre whimpered.

"Yeah but then you wouldn't let us in."

"Well what happened to your room, Tre's room and Jason's room's bathrooms?"

Mike glared at the thirty-two year old drummer who was grinning but holding in his pee and whimpered.

"Your smartass band mate clogged them all with toilet paper."

"How did he do that with—?"

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Tre yelled as he ran towards the hotel bathroom, Billie Joe's eyes widening immediately.

Mike sighed. "Tre is like a five year old stuck in a grown man's body."

"But gets excited all the time."

They heard a toilet flush and a relieved sigh from Tre, the two men directly looked at each other, shaking their heads.

The trio stayed in the hotel room for a while, being bored as usual. Mike and Tre horsed around a bit as Billie Joe flipped through the channels on the hotel television.

"Billie..." Mike said, grabbing Billie Joe's attention away from the TV. He looked towards Mike who was holding a small black box.

Billie Joe pretended to act all girlish. "Mikey, this is so sudden! We've only been going out for a few months!"

The bassist stared at his band mate. "Quit the jokes, man. Is this for El?"

The thirty-three year old man sighed, clicking off the TV. "No, it's for Tre. Yes it's for Ella."

Tre made a pout face, stomping his feet as if he actually were a five year old boy. "I thought we had something."

The two best friends ignored him.

"So you're going to propose?" Mike suddenly had a grin on his face. He had waited so long for his best friend and his girlfriend's best friend to be together for so long. He was anxious when he had first realized they had feelings for one another, both thinking they were perfect for each other, he was devastated when they suddenly broke up, when the two had met once again, and the bassist wanted them to rekindle what they had so many years ago. Never was he the jealous type, he was always happy for Billie and El.

"Yep," Billie Joe nodded a small smirk on his face. "I mean I can get married now, I'm officially divorced from Adie." It still pained him a little to say that, but things had definitely changed. He had moved on and so had she.

"So what are you gonna do?" Mike asked, putting the small black box where he had found it.

"Well, since she and Holly love Conan O'Brien I think we'll take them down to the studio when we go and then after that sort of give her a night on the town and then propose when we get back here."

"Why not in a fancy restaurant?"

"I'm not in the mood to be hounded in a restaurant."

"Good point."

"If you guys get married—" Tre started.

"If?" Mike turned to the drummer. "There's going to be a wedding, no ifs ands or buts."

"I know... " Tre growled then giggled. "You said butts!"

"Thanks for ruining the moment, Tre."

"No problem. But anyway, if you and El have a wedding and stuff... who's gonna be the best man?"

Billie Joe paused; two sets of blue eyes both looking at the Green Day front man who looked down at the floor.

"I don't know... " He mumbled. He looked up again. "When I do I'll uhh—tell you guys."

The door suddenly swung open and the three men jumped a little bit. They all saw that it was Ella, Holly and Laura, both looking oddly at them.

They each went up to their boyfriends. As Ella went up to Billie Joe she gave him a weird look.

"Okay... first off, I feel like I'm in a cheesy romance movie and second off... what's going on?" She gave him a quizzical face.

"Nothing we were just all talking... "

"About?"

"Uhh—guy stuff?"

She chuckled, fumbling around with his shirt collar as the door was shut abruptly by none other than Tre and Laura.

"They're hornier than bunnies... " Holly said.

"No, we're hornier than bunnies," Mike said, putting his arm around his grinning girlfriend.

"Do whatever you want in your hotel room as long as it's not in here," Ella said. "Shoo, shoo!"

The two also scurried off, the room now only consisting of Billie Joe and Ella. The thirty-four year old woman lay down on the bed as her boyfriend did the same. His fingers intertwined with her as they lamely looked up at the wall.

"How was your day, babe?" He asked her.

"Fine. We went down to the office and uhh—Holly and I quit."

The thirty-three year old man looked at his girlfriend. "What? Why? You guys love your jobs."

She shrugged. "It's... just not the same anymore. Our lives are different now and we're both want to do other things. I want to become just a photographer in general; I'm pretty much done with being a photojournalist. And Holly is already thinking about becoming a novelist."

"Oh. Well... yeah, everything isn't the same anymore."

They just might get much more different.

"Exactly. So, that's why we both have been giving a lot of thought lately. It feels right."

I hope you thinking about marrying me will feel right too.

Billie Joe nodded and put his arm around her, pulling her in close and kissing the top of her head.

"What about you?" She asked.

"Nothing... just hung around. I might have to go meet with someone from Adeline tonight."

She frowned.

"So you won't even be here for long?"

He shook his head. "We have to get going for the whole Adeline clothing line ready by sometime next year."

Ella nodded. "Yeah, of course."

He smirked at her. "Don't be mad, babe. I promise I'll make it up to you on Friday."

"You're going to Conan's show on Friday for the taping."

"Who said you weren't coming along?"

She bolted up from the bed. "Really? I mean... I—goodness I feel like such a groupie," She chuckled at herself.

* * *
Friday had finally come. The six adults walked out of the hotel onto the cold New York street , getting into the limo as quickly as they could.

When they made it to NBC studios, Ella and Holly were anxious to get to the show already. The whole time they had been as hyper as twelve year old girls going to see some kind of boy band.

"So... I'm guessing Conan O'Brien is some kind of Jay Leno?" Laura asked as the limo stopped.

The two women's jaws dropped.

"You don't know who he is?" Holly asked.

She shook her head.

"He comes on after Jay Leno," Ella informed Tre's girlfriend as the Billie Joe and Mike rolled their eyes. "I saw that, you two."

When the trio along with Jason White and Jason Freese made their way into their dressing room, the women had stayed in the hallway, noticing a tall man just in front of them.

The two thirty-four year old women looked at each other with wide grins. Laura looked at them strangely.

"I, uh... I think I'll go see Tre," She said, scurrying into the dressing room.

"Conan!" Holly called out as Ella hit her playfully.

The tall man turned around and it was in fact, Conan O'Brien. The tall red haired man gave a nod and walked towards them. It was then that Billie Joe had stepped out of the dressing room.

"Hey, Billie Joe," Conan said with a smile and looked towards the two speechless women. "Is there some hot guy behind me?" The comedian joked and looked in back of himself.

"This is uh my girlfriend Ella and her friend Holly," The Green Day front man said as they all shook hands.

"We're big fans," Ella said with a wide grin on her face.

They talked for a little bit, Conan of course making funny remarks.

"I have to go now," He said winking at them. "They have to go put an ounce full of make up so I don't look all pasty on camera." He cocked his head a little, making his trademark hair move too.

As he walked off, the two women were still giddy.

"I'm speechless," Billie Joe said as he walked back into the dressing room, the two women giving giggles.

* * *
The taping was briefly over at around six which gave Billie Joe and Ella some quality alone time until the following day.

After a nice dinner, the two headed back to their hotel room. There were butterflies in Billie Joe's stomach; he had never done this before because with Adrienne, it was just another story.

Ella took off her shoes, leaving them on the floor. She lay down on the bed as Billie Joe gulped and sat next to her.

"I had a good time," He said softly.

"Me too," She gave a smile. "I think that's the only real date we've ever been on."

"Probably."

He made his way next to her, nuzzling her neck a little as she softly laughed.

"Not tonight, babe. I'm tired."

The thirty-three year old man frowned. If she was tired, there was no way he could propose now. Unless he could do it before she would have a chance to fall asleep.

"Before you do... "

He looked over her shoulder to find that she was already soundly sleeping. She did in fact have a long day. They had gotten up early, gone to the taping and had done a lot from there.

He knew he was going to do it somehow. Billie Joe knew for a fact in his gut that they were meant to be with each other, as cliché as it sounded. They had a connection that he thought he might have never had with Adrienne. They shared a daughter who they had made countless calls to over their dinner, both taking turns talking to the baby.

The man was never a quitter. He was determined to propose and make their love official. But would she say yes?