Feels Like Home

"Okay you guys, let's get this over with quick so I can get to my kids. It's Halloween." Adrienne called the attention of the Senior meeting that was being held after school. As a senior sponsor, she was obligated to stay and plan the year with them. All Adrienne really wanted to do was get back home to her kids and Billie Joe and finish putting costumes together so they could do homework before trick or treating. "Marcus?" She gave a young man a pointed look and he quickly called the meeting to order.

"All guys, shut up so we can get out of here and go vandalizing." Marcus was the senior class president and it was his job to lead the meetings and head the committees. He held his hands up as the buzzing of the room subsided. "Good. Just so you know, the Winter Formal, aka 'Snow Ball', committee will meet at activity period Thursday so if you're on that committee, you better be there. Okay and the two themes up for Prom are an Arabian Nights theme and a Night In Paris theme."

"I like Arabian." One student piped up from the back.

"That's so gay, I like the Paris theme." Another shot back, voices raising.

"I think they both suck." The student rose, prepared to voice insults.

Every senior ignored Adrienne's and the other sponsors' voices telling them to calm down and to shut up. Chaos ensued the room as the seniors argued and debated possible prom themes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey, I'm home," Adrienne called into the house as she threw her keys on the small table next to the door. "Finally."

"Can we go now? Can we go now? Can we go noooww?" Joey shot to her and jumped up and down in front of her, all ready wearing his Batman costume.

"Not yet. We haven't done your homework." Adrienne reminded him as she gently pushed him aside so she could get into the house.

"But I all ready did it " Joey whined, his little voice thick with agitation.

"I don't believe that. Go get it and we can do it now." Adrienne's patience was wearing thin.

"But I did it." Joey stamped his foot.

"When?"

"Billie Joe helped me with it and we finished it forever ago so can we go now?" Joey's little face was red from arguing with his mother.

"Yeah, we finished it about an hour ago." Billie Joe came in the living room, where Adrienne and Joey were from upstairs. "And he's ready to go. Sydney is waiting on you to help her get ready and your mom went out to get more candy. Plus, we've all ready had one trick or treater. Everything is fine." He pecked a kiss on her lips. "How was your day?"

"Terrible." Adrienne told him quietly. "Joey, get some shoes on and let me get Syd ready and then we'll go okay?"

Joey didn't need second instructions. He ran up the stairs, his cape flapping behind him.

"So what happened?" Billie Joe asked Adrienne as he followed her into the kitchen.

"That ridiculous senior meeting. Is there anything to eat?" She began to rummage around the cabinets.

"There's macaroni and cheese on the stove." Billie Joe pulled out two chairs and sat down in one. "What happened?"

Adrienne fixed herself a bowl and sat down in the offered chair. "Nothing, they just argued over prom and anything they could find. Nobody wanted to listen to reason, they just all wanted to shout and scream and get into fights. Nothing was accomplished." She shoveled the cheesed noodles into her mouth. "So you helped Joey with his homework and made dinner? I'm impressed." She said thickly as she fixed herself a drink.

"Yeah, well, kindergarten homework isn't exactly difficult and I learned how to make mac and cheese when I was, like, eleven so I didn't exert myself too much. Plus, I think your mother refuses to be here when I am. She came in, kissed the kids, and went out for candy even though I put out a full bowl by the door." Billie Joe shrugged, not too fussed by Gloria's odd behavior at the moment.

"I don't know what her problem is." Adrienne muttered as she threw her bowl and cup in the sink, she'd wash them later. "I gotta go get Syd ready."

Joey zoomed down the stairs, his black Batman cape fluttering behind him. "Can we go now? "

"Entertain him while I get her ready." Adrienne gave Billie Joe a pleading glance as she dashed upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, I think we're ready to go." Adrienne came downstairs with Sydney on her arm. "Do you have your bag Joey?"

"Yeah " Joey jumped onto the cushions of the couch, his pumpkin trick-or-treat bag swinging in his clenched fists.

"You look pretty Sydney." Billie Joe said as he looked down at Sydney. "What are you?"

"A fairy princess." She said around Adrienne's legs. Her pink wings and glittering tiara evidence to her answer. She smiled shyly at Billie Joe before she turned away to take her offered trick-or-treating bag from her mother.

Adrienne grinned at her daughter's antics. "Oh, we can't go yet." Her voice was laced with mock disappointment.

"What? Why?" Joey was all ready at the front door, ready to go. His dark eyes were filled with fear.

"Because one of us isn't in a costume." She glared pointedly at Billie Joe.

Billie Joe grinned sheepishly. "Uh, I didn't realize I needed one."

"Well, duh It's Halloween." Joey sighed dramatically.

"Never fear." Adrienne walked over and plunked a pair of devil horns on his head. She grinned from underneath her pink cowgirl hat. "Perfect." She leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "I like my men a little naughty."

"Oh yeah?" Billie Joe whispered back, not paying attention to Joey's huffs of impatience. "Well I like my women a little wild." He tipped the pink hat and winked at her.

"Can we go now? "

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay guys, this is the last house and then we'll go home." Adrienne said to her kids almost two hours later. Joey was leaning on her as she carried his bag and a flashlight. Billie Joe was carrying Sydney in his arms as she was too tired to walk anymore. She dozed lightly on his shoulder as he carried her bag and a flashlight in his hands.

"Is it Grandma's?" Joey's voice held a hint of anticipation.

"Yep." She got a curious glance from Billie Joe. "Even though David and I divorced and he doesn't come around," She told him quietly, "It doesn't mean that I should pull them away from a grandmother who loved them. Nancy adores them and she may not have approved of our divorce, she still loves the kids to come over and they love to go over there."

"Okay." Billie Joe nodded his head understandingly as they stopped in front of a door. Adrienne rang the doorbell as Nancy Wilkerson came to the door. "Oh, trick-or-treat my darlings "

"Trick-or-treat Nana." Joey mumbled, very tired from the night's trek around the neighborhood. Sydney didn't say a word as she buried her little head into Billie Joe's shoulder a bit deeper. Joey opened his bag as Nancy dropped a hefty amount of goodies into it.

"Hello Adrienne and..." Her voice dropped. "I'm sorry. I don't believe we've met." She held out her hand to Billie Joe.

"Oh, sorry Nancy, this is,"

"Nice, nice dear. I would rather hear it from him." Nancy held up her other hand to silence Adrienne, her eyes never leaving Billie Joe's, her tone a great deal cooler than it had been before.

"I'm Billie Joe." He clumsily transferred the flashlight to his hand supporting Sydney and her bag so he could shake her hand.

"Uh huh, and what do you do for a living?" She gave him beady eyes.

"Nancy, the kids are tired and we've got to get home. There's school tomorrow." Adrienne reminded her, dancing around the questions about Billie Joe. She wasn't ready to share him with others yet.

"Of course." She put on a warmer tone. "Well, why don't they just stay here with me so they don't have to walk all the way back home and I'll take them to school and daycare in the morning."

"Can we Mom?" Joey asked over Adrienne's weak concerns and protests.

"Well, I guess. But no silly stuff. You have to go to school in the morning and a game tomorrow." She gave Joey his bag and kissed him on the cheek. "Be good."

"I will. Love you. Bye Billie Joe." He went inside the house, waving at them as he went.

"Bye dude." Billie Joe replied as he leaned forward so Nancy could take Sydney. Sydney jerked back from her embrace and held on tighter to Billie Joe. He gave a look to Adrienne.

"She's really tired." Adrienne said, hoping the excuse would pacify Nancy. "We'll just take her home with us."

"Oh." Nancy said simply. "I'm sure. Anyways, I'll get Joey to school in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Adrienne responded to the closing door.

"Well, that went well." Billie Joe joked as he took her hand and they began to walk to the house.

When they reached the house, Gloria was gone with a note saying that she would be back soon. Adrienne took Sydney from Billie Joe to put her to bed and gave him instructions to find a movie and make some popcorn.

Billie Joe followed the instructions to a tee with the alterations of dimming the lights and lighting a few candles that were all ready scattered about the room. Just as Billie Joe placed the bowl of fresh popcorn on the coffee table, Adrienne came down the hall.

"Sydney wants you to come say goodnight to her." She told him around a bright grin. "This is good. Billie Joe, she adores you. You're all she talked about when I was helping her change." Adrienne put her hands on his chest as her grin shone brighter than the candles. "She has never acted like that with anyone outside of her family, never." She sighed. "This is good."

"Well I can't keep her waiting can I?" He joked as he started down the hall. "Oh yeah," He turned and poked his head around the wall. "There's not shit on worth watching." Before continuing down the hall.

"Hey Syd." He knocked on the partially open door to Gloria's room.

"Hi." Sydney responded, the covers up around her chin. She looked at him in the doorway for a moment before she spread her arms out in an inviting hug.

Billie Joe accepted the gesture and squeezed her tightly and pretended to bit along her neck like a dog, her shrieks of laughter filling his ears. When he let go, he leaned his chin on his arms, which were propped on the bed, "Night Sassafras."

"Night." Sydney hugged him again and kissed his cheek before she laid down on the pillow.

Billie Joe watched her for a moment, stroking her soft hair as she dozed off. This was what was missing in his life, the pure love of a child. No amount of music, booze, or naughty doings could fill his heart the way a kiss on the cheek and a grin from this little girl could. When Sydney's breathing settled into a steady rhythm, he went back into the living room.

"What'd you find?" He asked as he sat down on the couch next to Adrienne.

Adrienne snuggled up to him and wrapped a blanket around the two of them. "Some cheesy horror flick. Not very interesting." She looked up at him with dark eyes, her grin crinkling them wickedly. She moved her body to where she was straddling him. "I could think of something better to do." She said huskily as her hands wandered down his body.

"Wild woman." He reminded her as she undid his belt and zipper.

"Naughty boy." Adrienne pushed him down on the couch and moved her body down.

Billie Joe gripped the cushioned arm of the couch as his eyes rolled into the back of his head in ecstacy. "Fuck Adie." He moved his hand to the top of her head, tangling his fingers in her dark hair as it moved up and down.

The front door opened and closed.

"Oh my God " Gloria stood in the living room, shocked to find Adrienne and Billie Joe in a compromising position in the living room while her grandchildren were asleep upstairs.

"Mom " Adrienne shrieked as she and Billie Joe quickly got up and pulled all necessary clothing up. She lowered her voice as she remembered Sydney was asleep. "We thought you were having an all night thing with your friends over at Melinda's."

"No." Gloria said curtly. "Even so, that does not give you the excuse to engage in that sort of behavior in my house with your children upstairs Adrienne Michelle."

"Mom." Adrienne's face was red from embarrassment and anger. "You have no right to treat me as if I were a stupid child. I am an adult and I will do as I please to whoever I please."

"Adrienne," Gloria's voice was low and warning. Both women had forgotten Billie Joe's presence as they engaged in a fierce feminine battle. "You have all ready had your heart broken by this bum, why do you want to do it again?"

"He's not a bum Mom. He's a talented musician who takes care of me and who loves me. Just because Dad ran out on you doesn't mean it's going to happen to me."

"It all ready did," Gloria hissed. "Twice." Before she stalked past them to her bedroom. "Oh, by the way, you have a little something on your chin." Before her door slammed.