A Ballad For Beulah

In the month that followed, Billie Joe managed to distract Adrienne from going over to Mike's to visit Beulah in hopes that she never laid eyes upon Bailey and made the deduction right there.

It would've been to complicated a thing to explain and Billie Joe just wasn't prepared to explain anything.

And he wasn't sure he ever would be.

Not that having Beulah come over to his house on her own because Adrienne had invited her wasn't awkward enough.

She met his legitimate sons, and they met her. And the green eyed singer wished he could crawl into a hole and die each time. But he put on his brave face and put on an act, just as he could tell there was an ounce of acting on Beulah's part.

Pretending there was nothing wrong. All was fine.

But Billie Joe should know that the inevitable can be put off only so long before it approaches against your will and bites you right in the ass.

* * *

On March 22nd, Bailey was five years old and Mike was intent on giving the boy a great birthday party, but it was difficult to plan because Adrienne asked if she'd finally be able to meet Bailey and bring her sons along.

Normally, Mike would say that it was fine, but Beulah had to remind him that Bailey was aware of what his father's wife looked like and he might blab the truth in all innocence.

And now just wasn't the right time.

Shit didn't need to go down on Bailey's special day.

Then again, they couldn't just say no to Adrienne. So, they had to pull Bailey aside and try explaining to him, that he couldn't say anything to anyone about Billie Joe being his daddy.

It was a secret and it needed to stay that way for a while.

When guests arrived, Beulah was more than surprised when Billie Joe showed up as well. It would be the first time he saw his son since early December when Bailey told him he wasn't his father. And it was clear by the look on Billie Joe's face, that he was nervous about being there at all.

It was also clear that Adrienne had dragged him there, not understanding why her husband was so hesitant on coming over.

"So, where's the birthday boy?" Adrienne asked when they arrived.

Beulah stood in Mike's front hall with her arms folded across her chest, biting her bottom lip. "In his room, playing with Frankito."

While Tre and Mike's voices echoed from one of the rooms downstairs, the Armstrongs began to file inside.

Catching each others' eye, Billie Joe and Beulah looked away shyly after just a brief moment.

"I'll call him down," Beulah added, a little nervous over the matter. Turning to move toward the staircase, she tilted her head up. "Bailey! Come downstairs now!"

After a few seconds, the sound of two sets of feet began to echo through the upstairs hall, until both Bailey and Frankito appeared at the top of the stairs.

Billie Joe immediately locked onto his son and his heart grew heavy. Despite being a shit father to the boy, he desperately felt the need to run up those stairs, meet Bailey halfway and hold him tightly in his arms.

The five year old also noticed his dad right away and hesitated to move. Instead, he looked to his mother and frowned. "What?" he asked her.

"Come down here, Bailey," she urged.

Slowly, the boy gave in, also noticing Adrienne, Joey and Jakob as well. Walking down the steps with Frankito at his side, Bailey reached the bottom step and clung to his mother's leg as he looked toward Adrienne.

Smiling, his father's wife leaned forward. "Hey Bailey. I'm Adrienne, your mommy's friend. These are my sons Joey and Jakob," she introduced, although she was a little curious as to why he seemed to familiar.

It was one of those things where it was at the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't figure it out and it was starting to drive her insane.

"Hi," he replied, looking up at his mom. He wasn't sure how much he should say to them after what Beulah and Mike had told him about keeping it all a secret.

"I've heard a lot about how you're the apple of your mother's eye," Adrienne continued.

"Okay," Bailey said shyly.

"Uh, honey, why don't you take the boys to play in your room?" Beulah suggested, running a hand through her son's wavy hair.

"But you just told me to come downstairs," Bailey retorted, a little confused.

"I know I did. But that was so you could meet your guests," she answered.

"Oh...okay..." Shrugging, Bailey poked Frankito and nodded slightly to Joey and Jakob. "You wanna see my room?"

Given that Joey had just turned eleven the week before, he was really all that interested in playing with a five-year-old he just met, and it showed in his face, which Beulah couldn't help but smirk at.

Bailey clearly wasn't the only one who looked like Billie Joe.

The oldest Armstrong boy not only looked like his father but mirrored his exasperated expressions just the same.

"Sure," Jakob spoke up on him and his older brother's behalf.

As all four boys began to head up the stairs, the adults took note of how Joey gave Jakob a small shove.

"Your son is even cuter in person," Adrienne commented. "I'm just trying to figure out why I feel like I've seen him before."

Beulah's breath hitched, as did Billie Joe's but thankfully it went unnoticed by the older woman because Mike walked into the front hall to interrupt their attention.

"Hey, Adi," the bassist greeted.

"Hey Mike."

Both hugged and then all four adults looked amongst each other.

"So, what are we all standing around for?" Mike questioned. "I got comfy seating with our names on it in the living room."

Slowly but surely, the four of them migrated out of the front hall, with Billie Joe and Beulah trailing behind.

* * *

Later that night, after Bailey opened all his gifts and stuffed his face with cake and ice cream, all the kids seemed to migrate back up toward his room. Even Estelle and she was the only girl there, the poor thing.

The adults seemed to find that lounging about the downstairs with beers and bitch drinks in their hand, talking about everything and nothing was just as amusing as whatever the kids were doing.

When it was close to that time of night where everyone was about to get ready to leave, Billie Joe managed to find an excuse to get Beulah alone by helping her carry some dirty plates and glasses into the kitchen. They stood side by side in virtual silence as she took the dishes from him and popped them into the dishwasher and leaned back against the kitchen island, trying to avoid looking him in the eye.

And he couldn't even think of where to begin in order to break the ice, so he chose to take the lame route.

"So...what's it like being back in the Bay area?" He mentally cursed himself for not being a man and getting to what he really wanted to say, but he just couldn't do it. Despite wanting to. Badly.

"It's a little weird," Beulah replied softly. "I miss Vegas. It was my home for so long. A lot happened there. Things that made me who I am today, no matter how good or bad they were or felt. I had my heart broken in Vegas, yet I got the love of my life in Vegas."

"Mike," Billie Joe nodded.

"No..." Lifting her head, Beulah looked him in the eye. "Bailey."

"Oh."

"Don't get me wrong, I love Mike and everything he's done for Bailey and me, but our...I mean...Bailey comes first in my life," she amended. She watched how the guitarist nodded once more, understanding what she was saying. "I have a certain amount of anger and resentment and hurt toward you, but no matter how much I may ache for what you've done and never will do, I can't be angry at you for giving me Bailey. If anything, I want to thank you."

"But why?"

Beulah shrugged. "I may have lost out on being able to enjoy my twenties as freely as everyone else my age, but having Bailey's made me feel complete and if that's all I ever need in life, I want to thank you for helping bring it about."

"You know I'm sorry for being the worst asshole in the history of man, right?" Billie Joe questioned, looking sheepishly at Beulah's profile as she nodded. "Good. I mean, not good that I was an asshole...still am," he corrected. "Good that you know I don't mean to be the way I am. I want to be a better man. A better dad. A better husband. But I always fuck everything up." He smirked despite himself. "And I don't even have to try to fuck shit up. It's like this immediate reaction of mine. Got something good going in my life? Bam. Fucked up."

"No one's perfect. You're living proof."

"Hey," Billie Joe complained jokingly.

And then silence fell over them. The awkward kind, but with a side of relief.

"It's nice see a genuine smile from you," Beulah spoke. "I hate it when it's tense between us. Because Bailey's getting older and I know he senses things more easily these days. He knows when something's not right, and I hate that."

Billie Joe nodded and dipped his chin to his chest, shoving his hands into his pockets and rocking on the heels of his feet.

"I hate it, too," he agreed. "And I hate that he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you. He's just angry. Angry that you're--"

"A fuck-up."

"Basically."

Meeting her eyes halfway in a gaze, the punk rocker gave a sheepish smile. "You're not supposed to agree with me," he teased mildly.

"Well, I didn't think lying to you would make it all better." Pushing some blonde hair behind her ear, she bit her bottom lip and sighed as she reached for a dish towel, just so her idle hands had something to do. "I want Bailey to know you better. Because, despite your insensitivity, you are a good a man. I know you are. And I need our son to know that too. And...what with us living in the same neighborhood now...maybe you could make more of an effort to stop by. It's not like you need an excuse now. Mike's your friend. You can just say you're going to see Mike when you're really here to see Bailey."

God love Beulah for that unwavering hope of hers. If there was anything she didn't lack in, it was hope. It got her through the hardest moments in her life, and she'd be damned if she gave it all up now.

"I'd like that too. But it's not really a question if we want it. It's a question if Bailey wants it."

Beulah snickered and tried to smile, though the subject made her heart a little heavy. "He's five years old. As far as I'm concerned, I know what he wants more than he does until he's a teenager."

Laughing slightly, Billie Joe turned his body so that he was facing Beulah, yet also facing the direction of the living room. "Yeah. You have him legally for the next thirteen years."

Reaching out, Beulah made the move to touch his arm, letting her small hand wrap around his wrist as Billie Joe's green eyes followed the gesture, swallowing back a lump in his throat.

"You can have him for the next thirteen years, too, you know."

Tears were starting to sting Billie Joe's eyes as he blinked them back, forcing himself not to falter.

"I want that," he whispered when he heard Adrienne's voice call out from the living room, calling upstairs to Joey and Jakob; telling them they would be leaving.

Their eyes meeting once again, Billie Joe and Beulah shared a small smile.

"Even though I still find it a little weird and I'm not all that ecstatic about it happening with Mike, congratulations on the bun in your oven," he told her honestly.

"I wasn't expecting you to celebrate it like everyone else," Beulah admitted. "I may not know you like everyone one else does, but I know enough. Or, at least I think I do."

Without bothering to respond or comment at all, Billie Joe simply gave a bob of his head and looked in the direction of the archway that lead toward the front hall when he saw Adrienne's figure walked into the room with her jacket draped over her arms and Joey following behind her.

"We leaving now, dad?" the oldest Armstrong boy asked.

Billie Joe glanced at his wife first then nodded to his son. "Yeah. You and your brother have school tomorrow."

"Can't I just skip school and say I went instead?" the eleven-year-old asked hopefully, which garnered a smile out of Beulah who was standing quietly in the same spot she'd been in for several minutes.

"How about I ground you and say I didn't?"

Joey scowled. "I was only kidding. God."

Adrienne smirked as she patted her oldest son's head while stepping further into the kitchen to take one of Beulah's hands in hers. "The party was really nice," she muttered. "It was nice that you and your brother got to see each other again after so long."

Beulah nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, what do you say, babe?" Billie Joe threw to his wife, getting her attention with a touch of his hand to her arm.

Turning to look at her husband, Adrienne nodded. "We'll see you later. And give me a call sometime this week, okay? We'll get together for lunch and shopping or something."

"Alright," Beulah agreed as she began to walk the Armstrongs to the front door, just as Mike joined her side and Jakob came bounding down the stairs with Bailey and Frankito in tow.

All three boys were all smiles.

And it warmed Billie Joe's heart that his sons -- who had no idea they were brothers -- were getting along so well. But, at the same time, it weighed heavy on his heart because he'd love it if they knew.

He simply couldn't bring himself to breaking the news and risk losing all he had going good in his life.

Giving each other hugs goodbye, the Armstrong family bid their hosts adieu as they left Mike's house and headed for Billie Joe's Ford Fairlane.

Watching their friends get inside the vehicle and drive away from a window in the front hall, Mike kissed Beulah's cheek as Tom walked up with his car keys in his hand and his wife and two young children at their feet.

"It was so nice to see you again, Beulah," Tom spoke sincerely, pulling his baby sister in for a hug. "I'm sorry we lost touch."

Beulah seemed to melt into her brother's embrace, happy to see him as well. After all, he'd always been her favorite brother, next to Nick.

"Me too," she replied as he kissed her cheek then pulled back.

The siblings looked at their significant others who were chatting with each other about something or another. Then Tom looked at his sister's profile while stealing a glance down at Bailey who was scampering past with his new best friend, Frankito, into the living room.

"So...when were you planning on telling me that You-Know-Who was Bailey's dad?" Tom whispered in his sister's ear.

Turning her head to him in surprise, her mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she stared back at her older brother. "I, uh...is it that obvious?"

Tom shrugged. "It is, and it isn't. I mean, his last name's Armstrong, Beulah. And damn, I'd be blind if I didn't notice the striking resemblance between father and son. Not to mention how the father kept stealing glances at the son all night."

Beulah tipped her head down and frowned. "Yeah," she muttered. "He does love Bailey. Of course, he's not the greatest father toward him, but we're working on that."

"Adi doesn't even know, does she?" Tom questioned, more so rhetorically; his lips to his sister's ear so that no one else listened in on what they were talking about.

Beulah shook her head. "If she does, she hasn't said anything to anyone. And I don't know if I want her too, only because I really enjoy her friendship and I don't want to be responsible for ruining her marriage to...You-Know-Who."

"Well, it takes two to tango, sis."

"I know, I know," Beulah nodded. "I just wish it didn't have to be this hard and complicated. I wish there wasn't anything at risk by coming clean..."

"Yeah. Life's a bitch and then we die, right?" Tom smirked. "Well, hon, I won't say anything, okay? When you and...him, are ready to spill the beans, I'll be there as back up support if you need it. I mean, we're practically around the corner from each other now, so all you hafta do is give a shout."

Beulah smiled. "Thanks, Tommy."

"Oh, God. You haven't called me that since before all of ya moved to San Antonio and left me with Steve," Tom laughed.

"Ready, honey?" his wife, Julie, asked.

Tom nodded. "Yeap." Rounding up his daughter and son, he gestured to Beulah and Mike with a smile before calling out to Bailey. "Hey, Bailey! Come 'ere and say goodbye to your Uncle Tom."

Bailey poked his head around the corner and walked into the front hall, stepping up to his Uncle Tom who crouched down and hugged his nephew.

"Be a good boy for your mom and Mike, 'kay? And I hope you had a nice birthday."

"Okay," Bailey replied.

Standing back up, Tom kissed his sister's cheek once more and then they all said their final goodbyes. Mike turned to look at Beulah's profile as she watched her brother go as he linked his right arm around her waist and nuzzled her cheek with his nose and then brought his lips to her ear.

"How you doin'?" he asked, pulling back to see her expression.

"Not bad."

"But not good?"

Beulah shrugged. "I dunno, Mike. I mean, I felt like I was walking on egg shells all night, okay? And Tom knows that Billie is Bailey's dad...and if Tom knew as soon as he met Bailey in person, then there's no doubt in my mind Adrienne has to know to some extent that something fishy is going on. And that means it's only a matter of time before it all comes out and blows up in my face, and I'm not sure I'm--"

Mike cut her off without warning; placing both his hands on either side of her face and kissing her lips. It silenced her momentarily and caused her thoughts to get blurry as he worked his tongue past her lips to graze the enamel of her teeth.

When the kiss ended, Beulah had to take a second to remember where she was as her heady gaze focused on Mike's eyes.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay, babe?" Mike spoke.

Beulah nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now let's go round up the rest of the guests, kick them out, put Bailey to bed and then go enjoy the rest of the night in bed," he suggested, dropping his hands and then snaking his arms around her waist to wrap around her back, pulling her against his body. "How's that sound?"

She couldn't help but smirk. "That sounds just fine to me."

"Good," Mike repeated with a smirk of his own.

* * *

Slipping out of his clothes for the night, Billie Joe sank to the mattress of his bed in nothing but his boxers and a pair of socks as Adrienne walked into the room from brushing her teeth in the bathroom.

"I think the boys had a nice time at Mike's tonight," she commented. "And Jakob sure got on well with Bailey."

Billie Joe turned to look at his wife at the mention of his illegitimate son's name, noting the weird change in the tone of Adrienne's voice when she spoke.

"Uh, yeah...they did," he replied lamely, looking down at his lap.

As Adrienne crawled up onto the bed and got under the covers, she patted the spot beside her. "Coming to bed, hon?"

Billie Joe turned and looked at his wife. After a moment, he nodded.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm coming to bed.