Best Man

"The tie which links mother and child is of such pure and immaculate strength as to be never violated."
- Washington Irving



Blue eyes stared back at blue eyes while two strong hands fumbled carelessly with a simple, black tie; through nerves and uncertainty of what lie ahead. With each heartbeat beating faster than the last, the fear of the hereafter was once again brought to light, causing the desire to take deep, calming breaths to be inhaled and exhaled.

And, with a pink tongue sticking out briefly to lick chapped lips, those blue eyes began to disappear as its eyelids closed to make the world disappear for just a little while.

"Please, God. If you exist, let this woman Caroline invited over here tonight not be my mother," came hushed words, uttered from Mike's lips. "I don't wanna feel everything I've felt about never knowing her. I understand why she gave me up, but it doesn't change the fact that I was denied my real mother all my life. And I can't handle the possibility of facing her, despite what Caroline says. I mean, shit, I know Caroline believes I'm strong in that way, but I don't think I am and...oh God. I know I never pray but whatever happens tonight...go easy on me. 'Kay?"

When his eyes opened, he realized he still hadn't done up his tie correctly, and one would think that all those times in the past where he'd donned one to award shows, marriages and other festively important events that Mike would have mastered this one skill by now.

But, alas, such was not the case.

"Care?" he called out, like a four-year-old frustrated with being unable to tie his shoelaces.

"Yeah?"

"Can ya c'mere a second?" Looking down at his horribly knotted tie that looked more like a limp dick than an article of clothing, Mike turned his head slightly when he saw Caroline appear from the master bath.

Wearing a simple, black dress with long sleeves and a V-neck, Caroline quirked an eyebrow to see what his problem was and then let out a small laugh.

"You're too cute."

"What? I can't get this," he grumbled, still befuddled. "Can you help me here?"

"Okay, stop right there," she spoke, holding the palms of her hands up to Mike. "In the time we've been together, do you recall me ever understanding that concept?" Caroline questioned, gesturing to his disheveled tie.

"I just thought...fuck." Grimacing, he knew the truth in his fiancee's words. She'd never tied a tie before. Not ever. He'd always gotten Billie Joe to do it for him when they met up for whenever he wore one because it seemed that Billie Joe was at the same place for the same reason. "Should I swallow my manhood and go get Nef or Dave?"

After he spoke, Caroline just looked at him and her expression was evidence enough that she was trying her best to keep from laughing in his face.

And then he realized how what he'd said had sounded out loud.

"Gah, that's so not what I meant. You know that, right? I meant to set aside my Y chromosome's dignity and go ask if one of--"

"I know what you meant but that's not to say it still wasn't funny," Caroline insisted. "And, you know, if you by chance did mean it the way you said it, I'm pretty darn sure Nef would be more than willing to come up here to help you, y'know...swallow your manhood."

Before she could bat an eyelash, Caroline was busting out with laughter, causing Mike to drop his jaw in mild disgust.

Not that he had anything against homosexuals or Nef being one, but he just couldn't think of himself as one; despite being able to acknowledge when a guy is definitely hot shit and very fuckable. He simply looked at it from the woman's point of view when it came to that. Not from some hidden gay man in the back of every straight man's mind point of view.

"You just had to throw that in there, didn't you?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course I did." Grabbing both ends of his horrifically tied tie, she began to undo it and slipped if off from around his neck and dropped it to the bed like a wilting leaf. "I think you look sexier without a tie anyway."

"Well, I wasn't trying to aim for 'sexy' tonight, considering I might be meeting my birth mother," he frowned.

"You are going to meet your birth mother. And, what mother, absent or not, wouldn't be proud to have a son who makes women's panties melt at the drop of a hat?"

Mike caught Caroline's look, raised an eyebrow, and smirked. "I do that for ya, huh?" he questioned impishly. "Get ya'll hot an' bothered down below," he added with a bit of a drawl as he crouched slightly to meet her level while encircling his arms about her waist.

Grinning at him, she tilted her head back and threw her arms around his shoulders as he nestled his face into her neck and began to leave a trail of warm, breathy kisses on her skin; making her toes curl.

"Mike...Mike," she tried to speak between lusty giggles; trying to pull him apart from her. "My libido is not in question right now. We have a bunch to do before the guests start arriving."

"Let Dave and Nef handle it," Mike purred, returning his lips to her neck and moving up to her jawline. "I'm in the mood..."

"That ain't new."

"Can't help it," he replied. Then whispered, "C'mon, my little nymph. What say I rip that dress off you and have my way with you on our bed?"

Pulling apart from him another time, Caroline stared into Mike's lust-filled blue eyes that seemed to entrance her. And she was pretty sure she'd orgasmed just then, too.

"Okay, but it has to be a quickie," she teased.

"My pleasure," he just about growled as he crouched down a bit more to grab the bottom of Caroline's dress and, with hurried hands, pulled it up her body and over her head.

Throwing the dress to the floor without a care in the world, Mike hoisted Caroline up in his arms and decided to forget the bed; instead carrying her over to the short but long-in-width dresser along the wall the master bath shared with the bedroom. Dropping her on it's surface rather roughly, he mumbled a quick apology and then fumbled with his pants while making sure her body was wrapped around his like a vice.

Moments after their bodies had connected in that sweet, pressurable fusion, Dave and Nef were standing downstairs in the living room talking about whatever guys talk about when rough, thumping sounds echoed from the ceiling above; followed by muffled groans and an equally muffled, though clearly audible cry of, "Oh God, yes!"

The bandmates looked at each other, smirked and shook their heads.

"At least someone's getting laid around here," Dave muttered with a laugh as he lit up a cigarette.



Not an hour later, guests began to arrive and the entire time they were filtering into the house, Caroline was completely unaware that her dress was on inside out. She and Mike had heard the guests arriving before they'd finished sewing their wild oats and hurried to get themselves situated and get downstairs to greet everyone.

Running a hand through her tousled, brown hair, Caroline slipped into the kitchen when she'd spotted a car pull up in front of the house from the living room windows. She'd practically scampered to the door on the side of the house and was all smiles when Lucy and her son, Shawn, met her there.

"Hi," she greeted. "I'm really glad you could make it."

"Glad to be invited," Lucy muttered a little nervously. It was obvious in the sound of her voice and the look in her eyes. Not to mentioned her fingers fiddled idly.

"Let me take your coats," Caroline offered, holding her arms out.

The moment she had both coats in her arms and turned slightly, Lucy tapped the younger woman on the shoulder and whispered, "Honey, your dress is on wrong."

Caroline just looked at Lucy and didn't grasp what she'd said until she moved to look at her reflection in the hallway's mirror.

"Oh God," she groaned.

"It's alright, honey. You take those coats wherever you're putting them and go get yourself in order. I got time," Lucy smiled a very Mike type of smile.

"Uh...alright, I'll be right back. Just...stay right here."

Caroline bolted up the stairs to her bedroom and dropped all her coats down on the bed as she quickly shimmied out of her dress and turned it outside in and then pulled it back on. Giving herself a quick look in the mirror and smoothing down her hair, she ran back out of the room without bothering to shut the door.

Finding Lucy and Shawn standing right where she'd left them, Caroline smiled bashfully and then placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Sorry 'bout that. Kinda got dressed in a hurry earlier. I'm kind of a procrastinator and waited until the last minute to get ready, and when I hurry and do stupid things like that," she half lied. Unfortunately, the look Lucy gave her was that of knowing the real reason, but smiling because she thought it was funny. "Well, let's meet Mike, shall we?"

Several feet away in the living room, Mike stood with a glass of red wine in his right hand while his left was shoved into his pocket, laughing with Dave about something or another; completely unaware of the trio approaching behind him.

But that was until Dave looked over the bassist's shoulders with a cocked head and made the comparison between Mike and Lucy, and then stared Mike in the eye with a smile on his lips.

Catching onto the guitarist's expression, Mike's heart began to speed up without even having to know for sure what it was that was behind him.

Turning slowly, his jovial expression changed into that of nervousness and apprehension as he stood before Caroline and the two on either side of her.

"Mike," Caroline began, biting her lip. "This is Lucy Reinhardt and her son, Shawn."

Mike's breath hitched as his blue eyes fell upon Lucy's identical ones which stared back at him with their own nervousness and apprehension. He struggled to even say a simple 'Hi' when Shawn spoke up first.

The 21-year-old was a bit on the hefty side, though not fat. Kinda built like Billie Joe during the Warning era. He had brown hair, brown eyes and glasses. There were some similarities to Lucy, but he clearly looked like whoever his father was.

"It's so cool to actually meet you, and that you're probably my brother is just as awesome," Shawn said, holding his hand out for Mike to shake.

And that Mike did. But Mike was still distracted with Lucy.

Caroline had been right.

The moment he saw her he'd know.

There was no questioning that Lucy was in fact his mother. He could see it and he felt it deep in his heart.

"It's you," he mumbled as his voice cracked.

Tears began to well in Lucy's eyes as she was realizing the same thing he was. She nodded slowly and was surprised when Mike stepped forward and drew her into a strong embrace.

Hell, he surprised everyone.

Tears of his own began to spill down his cheeks and Caroline took his glass of wine from his hands so it didn't spill and interfere with the hug.

His ear pressed against Lucy's, Mike felt as if he could hear her thoughts; thoughts of how wonderful it was to have no hard feelings and just be pure in this moment of greeting.

They were mother and son. No greater bond and it couldn't be questioned.

"Oh God, I can't believe it's you," Lucy whimpered; her voice deep and raspy from numerous years of smoking along with an undoubtedly hard life behind her. "I'm...I'm so damn sorry for everything. For how you were born and giving you away, but I was young and stupid and knew your only chance of surviving in this world would be without me..."

"It's okay, I understand," Mike assured. "I missed you every day and I never even met you. And now..." he trailed, tightening the hug.

"I knew it was you when I saw your picture and I'm glad you can forgive me for being stupid."

"You did what you had to. No one can condemn you for that." Mike pulled away enough to glance over at Shawn and offered an arm out to him. "C'mere." Drawing the younger guy into the hug, the three of them stood there like a nice family reunion. "This new year is gonna be so fucking awesome."



As midnight became a mere second's countdown away, Mike made sure he had Caroline at his right and his mother on his left. And when the clock hit twelve and the ball had dropped in Times Square, Mike turned to Caroline and swept her into a deep embrace and planted a kiss just as deep onto her lips.

"I have all a man can ever ask for," he whispered into her mouth as everyone hooted and hollered around them, ringing in the new year. "I have my mother, a new brother, a beautiful daughter who's unfortunately on the other side of the country, great friends, a dream job, and I'm gonna marry the woman of my dreams."

Caroline smiled up at him and cupped the side of her face with one of her delicate hands.

"Everything is going to get even better," she insisted. "I'm sure of it."

"Can't agree any more."

"We've seen the worse of it, I think."

"Damn well better," he smirked.

Kissing her again, Mike sighed happily.



"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
- Benjamin Franklin