Always There

Laughter rang through the Pottery Barn closest to Billie Joe's apartment building as he picked up a brown, suede pillow and chucked it at Maria. She dodged and then gave him a 'knock it off or they'll kick us out' look. In response, he gave her a 'yeah, like I care' look. However, Billie Joe decided not to push his luck and picked up the pillow he'd thrown while pretending to give a yellow, floral vase a once over as he poked Maria in the side and continued walking on as if he had nothing to do with it at all.

"You haven't changed," she muttered, walking over to a brown, leather couch and sitting down on it. "How about this one? It goes with that pillow you childishly threw."

He shrugged. "Okay."

"Okay? Billie...this is your penthouse we're furnishing. Not mine. You need to be sure this is something you want."

"Okay. I love it, I must have it now. Yesterday would've been better. I cannot live without it. Oh, sweet mercy, give it to me now. Ooh baby, ooh baby."

Maria quirked an eyebrow. "You done?"

"Not yet." Billie Joe scrunched his nose and bit his bottom lip as if he was orgasming. "Uhhhh--brown sofa. Do me, do me, do me...yes!"

Several customers turned and looked as Maria covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. When a store clerk walked up to them with her hands folded in front of her as she tried as politely as possible to see what Billie Joe and Maria needed.

"Sir? Can I help you with anything?"

Billie Joe whipped his head around and nodded. "Uh...yeah. I want that couch and, um, this pillow," he replied, holding up the brown pillow. "But we're still looking."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything else, just let me know." The clerk smiled way to sugary for Billie Joe's tastes before she walked away.

Rolling his eyes, he turned and plopped down on the couch beside Maria. "Maybe I should just point to things that look good or put Post-Its on them. I hate furnishing. I never end up matching anything. I should get a interior designer," he ranted, looking over at Maria. "Unless, you wanna help me decorate."

"What do you call this?"

"Shopping with me. There's a difference."

"And when would I do this decorating?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Just a few hours a day. When your kids are in school," he suggested.

"Not all of them are in school, though. Nathan's only four," Maria replied. "But, I suppose, if I catch a train by 8:30, I could be at Penn Station by 9:30, plus cab ride time to your place...that's about another thirty minutes of travel given the fact that this is New York...and I could be here by 10. But in order to get home by three-thirty for my oldest two, I'd have to...let's see..." Maria trailed off.

Billie Joe found it funny to watch the wheels in her head turning. It was also amazing how, at 33 years old, she still looked like the twenty-year-old he first met all those years ago.

"I'd have to leave here by 1:30. So that would give me roughly three and a half hours. Not to mention the fare I'd have to pay for all the train and cab traveling."

"Okay, okay. Don't help."

"It's not that I don't wanna, it's just...I dunno. It's--"

"I'll pay for all your fare. The trains and cabs. I'll get you a train pass. They have those, right?"

"Yeah, but--"

"And you can bring Nathan so it's not like you need a babysitter."

Maria gazed ahead at the other customers milling about. She sighed and turned back to him with a nod as she patted the top of his hand. "Okay," she caved. "I'll help."

Smirking devilishly, Billie Joe winked. "See? I am a man no one can resist."

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

The knock on the penthouse door alerted Billie Joe that Maria had arrived. He looked at his watch and smirked. 10 on the dot. Looking through the eyehole he could see her distorted image.

"Who's there?" he said with a smile.

"Maria."

"Maria who?"

"Billie Joe," she frowned.

"Maria Billie Joe? I don't know a Maria Billie Joe."

"Billie Joe Armstrong, I'm on a time limit here. Don't be an ass."

Swinging open the door, he stood in the doorway with one hand pressed against the doorframe and the other on his hip, quirking an eyebrow at her. "You kiss your mother with that mouth, young lady."

"Shut up. I'm older than you," she replied with a laugh, holding a four year old boy's hand. He was a cutie. He had blonde hair that was close to a bowl cut and Maria's chocolate brown eyes, but he didn't completely look like her.

"Older by a month."

"Still older," she added. "Can we come in?"

"But of course." Billie Joe stepped out of the way as the two of them walked inside as he closed the door behind them. He watched as the little boy looked up at him with wide eyes. "So, this must be Nathan." He crouched down to Nathan's level and smiled. "Hi. I'm Billie Joe. I'm your mommy's friend."

Nathan simply pulled back and hid behind Maria's legs, looking up at his mother for reassurance.

"It's okay, honey," she insisted.

Hesitantly, Nathan stepped back out front of Maria's legs and slowly took the hand Billie Joe offered.

"See? That wasn't so bad," the guitarist smirked. "You wanna watch some cartoons?" Nathan nodded, still not saying anything. "Well, why don't you go wait in the living room and your mommy and me will be right in to find some funny cartoons to watch, 'kay?"

Nathan nodded again and scurried off into the other room as Billie Joe turned to Maria. "Okay, so when do I get to meet your other kids? I've met Nathan, your youngest, but you've only said you also have another son and a daughter."

"Yeah...well...in time. When do I get to meet yours?"

Billie Joe smirked. "Touché."