Warning

"Dad." Joey prodded his dad, who was asleep in his bed the next morning, a tattooed arm strewn over his eyes. "Daaaad." He poked him again and Billie Joe simply snored and rolled over on his side.

"Dad!" Joey punched his sleeping father in the ribs.

"What the f.... Joey? No son, I"m not getting up at 6 again. Go back to sleep." Billie Joe yanked his pillow over his head.

It's nine Dad. Who are they?" Joey pointed to the sleeping masses of Jakob and Adrienne.

Billie Joe looked over at the still sleeping forms of his beloved and her son. "Okay," He got out of the bed, "Me and you need to have a talk. Dad to son. Let's go. Where's a shirt?" He picked a random shirt off the floor and led Joey out to the back patio.

"Sit down." Billie Joe sat at one table at the iron wort table and Joey sat at another. "That lady, is a very special friend of mine. Her name is Adrienne. She is very dear to me and I wanted her to meet you because I talk about you all the time. The little boy is her son Jakob and she has a daughter named,"

"Katrina," Joey said quietly. "The ones you've spent so much time with instead of me."

"Joey," Billie Joe started off carefully, "It's not like that."

"Yes it is!" Joey's eyes welled up with tears. "You love them more than you love me! You don't read Harry Potter with me, you read it with them! You left me on Christmas for them! You don't come home because of them!" Tears made furious streaks down his cheeks and he stood, his fists balled by his sides.

Billie Joe's heart seemed to break in a million pieces when he saw his son, his only child, so angry with him. He shook his head. "Joey."

"No! I hate you!" Joey ran inside the house and slammed the door.

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Billie Joe sat on the couch by himself later in the day. Katrina and Jakob were taking a jet-lag nap and Joey was holed up in his grandmother's room, too angry to speak to Billie Joe. He leaned back on the worn cushions and just let his tired mind try to process all that had happened.

"Hey." A warm hand on his shoulder broke his stupor. Adrienne sat down next to him, worry evident on her bruised features. "You okay?"

Billie Joe simply shrugged. "He said he hated me Adie. Hated me."

Adrienne put an arm around his tense shoulders. "I'm sure he didn't mean it."

Billie Joe looked at her in disbelief. "Babe, you didn't see him. He meant it. This is Maria's fucking fault. That damn bitch has been telling him all this shit that's not even really true and he believes it.... ugh." He buried his face in his hands. "I just, never expected my son to hate me. When I was his age, I worshiped my dad, he couldn't do wrong and I wanted to be just like him, but I guess I just shot that to hell."

Adrienne kissed his cheek and hugged him. "It'll be okay. Where is he?"

"In my mom's room and won't come out," Billie Joe sighed. "This is not how I imagined this."

"How did you?"

"I imagined me introducing you guys to him and there would be an instant connection and he would run into your arms and hug you and say how beautiful you are and him and Jakob and Katrina would go off holding hands into the sunset." Billie Joe poked out his lower lip. "I guess I was full of shit."

Adrienne laid her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, you were. This is difficult for him to comprehend. His dad, who has always been just his, is spending time with a new woman and her kids. I could understand where he's coming from, I really can. He doesn't hate you." She ran her fingers through his hair. "I just think that maybe if he spent some time with us, he would understand better."

"Maybe." Billie Joe leaned his neck to the side so Adrienne could have better access as she began to kiss his neck. "Maybe." He kissed her lips lightly, but with full length just as the doorbell rang. "Shit." He got up. "I'll be back." He went to the door to find that it was Maria, his ex and Joey's mother.

"Where is he?" Maria asked Billie Joe in a tired voice.

"Nice to see you to Maria. You look great," Billie Joe sarcastically kissed the air where Maria's cheek would have been if she didn't shove past him.

"Where is he."

"He's not going," Billie Joe told her simply as he shut the door.

Maria huffed and crossed her arms. "He called me and wanted to come home. You did something stupid and he doesn't want to be around you right now."

"Like you never screw up and he wants to be hanging off your tit all the time? Bullshit." Billie Joe leaned up against the wall. "Just because he got jealous and threw a temper tantrum doesn't mean he can just run away and by the way." Billie Joe stepped up to her. "Thank you so very, very, very much for filling his head with shit about me and what I do in Minneapolis. Just made our Christmas peachy keen. Thank you so much."

"I just told him what you were doing," Maria snapped.

"No, you told him what you thought I was doing. If he wanted to know, all he had to do was ask which he would have had to call to do that which you hardly ever let him do. He is my fucking son Maria and I will not let you manipulate him like you did me nor will I let you dangle him like bait for me."

"Joey!" Maria yelled. "Let's go."

Billie Joe bit his tongue. "He's not going."

"Yes, he is."

"No, he's not."

"Billie," Maria snapped, "Don't make this difficult."

"Then leave us alone." Billie Joe and Maria were standing face to face.

"I'll pick him up tonight." She reset her purse strap on her shoulder and pushed past Billie Joe.

"No, I will call you when he is ready to go." Billie Joe held the door open and slammed it in her face. When he turned, he saw Joey peeking from around the hall. "So don't even try calling again. You are going to listen to me if it is the last thing you do."

Joey just shrugged and looked at the floor.

Billie Joe shrugged at him in response and sat at the kitchen table and pulled out the chair next to him. Sit."

Joey sat at the opposite end of the table.

"No." Billie Joe's voice was firm. "Here." He pointed to the chair and with a rippling effect of Joey sitting at every other chair until it was the final one, they were finally sitting next to one another.

"Since I have been in Minneapolis, I have been spending a lot of time with Jakob and Katrina but because," He held up a finger to silence the oncoming protest of his offspring. "They don't know what it is like to have a father to read to them or to play soccer with them or to just talk to them. You do. You know I would bend over backwards for you because I love you so much. I love Jakob and Katrina as well, but you are my son. You are my only child and you are very special to me. I don't see why it is being such a big deal for you for me to spend time with them."

"Because you forget about me," Joey pouted.

"Where do you get that? Those two know everything there is to know about you because I told them. I talk about you all the time and they are dying to meet you and when they get the chance, you're acting like a spoiled little baby. No matter what I am doing, when you call, I stop whatever I'm doing just so I can talk to you. Do I not?"

Joey nodded his head. "But Mom said..."

"Joey," Billie Joe was trying his best to be kind. "You're mother doesn't know what I'm doing in Minneapolis. She doesn't want to know. I don't know why she told you what she did but she was very wrong. I love you and there is no way I would stop. Do you understand?"

Joey nodded his head again. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Billie Joe and Joey hugged and Billie Joe kissed the top of Joey's head. "Just please talk to Jakob and Katrina and be nice to them, especially to Jakob. Can you do that for me."

Joey nodded his head yet again.

"Good. Now go get dressed. We're going to Aunt Anna's for lunch."