A Ballad For Beulah

When Billie Joe returned later that night with Bailey, the little boy was practically slung over his father's shoulder, completely out cold and maybe drooling just a little bit with his thumb shoved in his mouth.

Beulah and Mike were sitting side by side on the couch, having spent the rest of the day simply chatting about everything except their situation.

She simply found it a little awkward to deal with at the moment because she wasn't sure how to go about it all. She knew there was something about Mike that made her feel happier inside but what happened to him simply being her friend? The guy who she could talk to about what was eating at her, instead of him becoming the guy that ate---nevermind.

Turning to watch as Billie Joe let himself in with his son asleep in his arms, Beulah smiled a little at the sight because, frankly, it was touching to see.

"What'd you do today?" she asked, standing up to place her hand on her son's back.

"Took him shopping, and don't get on my case for it," he began, snipping a little at her. "But then I took him to one of those indoor jungle gym extravaganza type places. I forget what it was called. But I bought him some pizza there and then we went out for ice cream, and then he asked me to give him a piggy back ride, so I found a park and walked around with him on my back."

Beulah was a little impressed.

This had to be the most Billie Joe had ever done with Bailey in a single visit, ever.

"Sounds like he had quite a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Billie Joe replied lamely. "Uh...what about you two? Do anything...procreative?"

Mike frowned. "We talked," he muttered. "Watched some TV, had some take-out, talked more."

"Mmhmm," Billie Joe muttered.

"I quit another job today. So I'm kinda jobless," Beulah said as she began to take Bailey from Billie Joe's arms. "And, despite feeling a little scared shitless about what I'm gonna do next, it also feels wonderful."

Billie Joe quirked an eyebrow and looked Beulah in the eye, looked at Mike, then back to Beulah. "What are you gonna do for an income?"

"Mike offered to match your child support so that I can focus on what it is I wanna do with my life aside from being a single mother. And, after all, I think I deserve it."

Nodding, Billie Joe shrugged. "Of course you do."

Giving him a soft smile, Beulah excused herself so she could put Bailey to bed, and at the same time getting him into some pajamas without waking him up.

While she was out of the room, Mike stood up, folded his arms across his chest and approached his best friend.

"Are you planning on stepping up your game and paying Beulah the child support she deserves...and on time?" he inquired.

Narrowing his green eyes, Billie Joe took a step closer to his best friend. "As long as you explain to me how long you've been bangin' Bee."

"I didn't bang her, Bill. I..." Mike trailed. "We made love, okay? Once, this afternoon, right before you showed up. And it wasn't planned on, and I don't regret it." The bassist swallowed back a lump in his throat and sighed, looking down at his feet. "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"Why?" Billie Joe wondered. "D'you love her or something?"

Mike lifted his eyes and shrugged. "I think I might."

Billie Joe shook his head and scoffed. "You make me laugh, Mike. Brittney drops you like a bad habit and you feel the need to go after my---"

"Your what, Billie? Your girlfriend? Your friend? Your mistress?" the blue eyed bassist demanded. "What does Beulah mean to you?"

"That's between her and me."

"Between her and---ha. I don't think she even knows, you dipshit," Mike growled. "She's still holding out for you. That someday you'll love her and adore her the way she's always loved and adored you, and you can't even fucking see that. You've been schlepping her around for practically five years now, and every time you fuck her, you tug on her heart, pulling it until one day she's just gonna break and fall apart."

Glaring, Billie Joe pulled back his arm and socked Mike square across the jaw with his balled up fist. The taller man stumbled back a little, clearly stunned by the gesture. As he found his footing, he held his hand to his chin and stared at his friend in disbelief.

"Why the fuck d'you punch me, you asshole? If anything, I should punch you."

"Do it," Billie Joe dared.

Mike just stood there, brewing in his sudden contempt for Billie Joe, and then, without warning, he lunged and began to pummel his shorter friend.

In a matter of seconds, the two of them were on the floor, beating the shit out of one another, biting out swear words and groans of pain until Beulah came rushing out into the living room and snapped at the both of them, pulling Billie Joe off of Mike, who was pinned to the floor at the moment.

"Hey!" she called out. "Both of you, stop it."

As she pulled Billie Joe off, the force of doing so sent them both flying back onto the floor, with Beulah breaking his fall as he landed between her legs and against her chest; her right arm draped idly across his right shoulder as she groaned.

Slowly, all three adults sat up, as if coming to after a battle had ended.

Which, in essence, it did.

While Mike lifted a hand to touch his bleeding nose, his eyes went right to Beulah, who was rubbing her head, as Billie Joe turned around to face her.

"Sorry," he apologized. "You okay?"

She shrugged, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess." Climbing to her feet, she offered Billie Joe her hand to help him up, which he obliged. "What the hell has gotten into you two?"

"Nothing much," Billie Joe shrugged. "Just a little friendly roughhousing, right Mike?"

Mike stared at his friend, then let his gaze loiter over to Beulah, while still sitting on the ground, but that was until she stepped over to him and crouched down to help him to his feet.

He looked at her the entire time before nodding his head in regard to Billie Joe's response. "Yeah. Just a little messing around. Guy stuff."

"Yeah, well, don't do it here," she snipped, looking at Mike. "I could hear you clear as day swearing like a bunch of goddamn sailors. You should be thankful Bailey didn't wake up."

"I'm sorry," Mike said quietly, meeting her gaze halfway.

She shook it off.

Of the two, Mike seemed to have been pummeled the worse, which went to show that Billie Joe had a lot more spunk than his taller friend.

"I think that you guys should head out," she muttered, a little sadly. "Your bus will be leaving to take you to the next city on your tour. Don't wanna be late."

Nodding, Billie Joe wiped the corner of his mouth where it was slightly cut from a sucker punch Mike gave him. Looking to Beulah he stepped forward and gave her a rather platonic kiss on the cheek.

"Sorry, again," he muttered. "And, um...we'll be having some time off finally next month, so I'll be back to spend more time with Bailey, 'kay?"

Beulah nodded.

"And, uh...I'll get on fixing the who...um, money thing, with the child support. I know it's been less, but I just didn't want Adrienne taking note of the same amount disappearing every other week. So I changed it a bit, so...sorry."

"It's okay. I don't care if it was less. I just wish it was still coming every other week, instead of once a month, if I was lucky."

"Yeah, uh, sorry 'bout that too. Got a little busy."

"Bullshit," Mike mumbled under his breath.

Billie Joe didn't really say anything more and instead simply gave a nod of his head before slipping out of the apartment.

When he was gone, Mike lifted his hand to his nose, clamped his nostrils shut and tipped his head back to keep his nose bleed from continuing just as Beulah placed her hand on the back of his head after grabbing a tissue and holding it to his nose.

"Why were you and Billie fighting?" she asked him quietly.

Mike's eyes flitted to hers; their look, guilty. "It's nothing you need to worry about. We just...sometimes we just say some shit that ends up with us beating each other up." He couldn't tell her the extent of what him and Billie Joe were arguing about. He didn't want her to have that weighing on her mind. "Sorry we were being such asses."

Sighing, she moved the tissue out of the way enough so that it wasn't blocking his mouth. Biting her lip for just a moment, she leaned forward, stood on tiptoe and gave him a peck on the lips before returning the tissue to his nostrils.

"You may be trying to protect me from the big bad whatever you and Billie were arguing about, and not that I don't appreciate it, but I am a big girl," she spoke as she leaned back. "But, uh...yeah." She smirked a little. "Thank you."

Tipping his head back forward, he pulled the tissue away, taking the chance to see that it had stopped for the time being. Looking in her eyes, without much expression, Mike leaned forward this time, snaking his tissue-less hand around her waist and placing it on the small of her back, pulling her against his body.

"I'd like to see where this can go," he spoke, a little shyly. "Us, I mean. I'd like to see where we can go."

Mike licked his lips subconsciously and then kissed her. And feeling her lean into his kiss made all the difference. It almost spoke volumes.

"I guess I can live with that," she smirked a tad. "I think taking it slow would be the best option, because I'm still a little confused right now."

"Which is understandable. It's a lot to deal with, and I want you to know," he began. "I, uh...this afternoon...when we..." Mike was unsure of what to say at that moment, so he just let himself trail off, letting her catch on to where he was kinda sorta going.

Moving his hand from the small of her back and taking her hand in his, Mike began to walk to the door while she opened it for him so that he didn't have to touch the knob with the tissue.

Standing again on tiptoe, Beulah kissed him once more, a little bit on the corner of his mouth where it was bruising from a punch Billie Joe had thrown at him, and then she smiled softly.

"Call me?"

"Every day," he replied. "And if you need anything, you can call me as well. It doesn't matter what you need to call about either. You call, I'll answer. And if I can, I will drop what I'm doing and drive myself to your doorstep."

"Okay, now you're just playing the knight in shining armor card a little too much," she snickered.

Whereas her face was smiling, his was deadpan.

"I'm not playing anything. I'm serious," he insisted. "I know we're at the very, very beginning stages of a possible relationship, but I need you to know that I care a lot about you. And, no matter if I'm your boyfriend or just a regular friend, I will be there for you. And for Bailey. Because I want to. Not because it's my moral obligation."

Beulah bit her lip, her chin quivering for a moment as she did her best to keep from welling up with happy tears.

No man, that she wasn't related to, had ever been like this to her before.

And it was so confusing.

She didn't know how to act.

So, Beulah slipped her arms around Mike's narrow waist and pillowed the side of her face against his chest, inhaling his scent quite subtly.

"Do you need me to call you a cab?" she asked, mumbling against the shirt he wore.

The shirt from last night that had laid on her bedroom floor for the better part of the day.

"Nah," Mike shook his head, staring down at the top of her blond one. "Billie most likely got a hold of the bus driver and is gonna have it come here to pick us up."

Lifting her head, Beulah rested her chin on his chest and smiled a little.

"Is it too forward to say I'll miss you?"

Mike smirked, shaking his head yet again. "Not in the least," he assured, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'll miss you too. If not, more."

Beulah couldn't help but beam.

Hel-lo, Knight In Shining Armor.