A Ballad For Beulah

Mike wrapped an arm tightly around Beulah's waist as she slept with her back to him, curled up against his chest. He let his nose graze the back of her head where her blonde hair fell behind her neck, smelling her scent. It was a mix of the shampoo she used, leftover perfume from the night before and just plain ol' Beulah Mason. It was the best scent to invade his nostrils ever.

Smiling lazily, he nuzzled her some more; wanting her to wake up just so he could look into her pretty blue eyes he loved as much as her scent.

"Beulah," he whispered huskily into her ear. "Wakie, wakie."

"Oh," she groaned. "Hmm?"

"Look at me."

It was like she was listening, but not, simply because she was coming out of a good night's sleep and not with it at the moment.

"Mmmkay," she mumbled, very slowly rolling over so that she faced him, but then pressed her forehead into his chest.

Smirking, Mike cupped her face with his right hand, making her look up at him. Opening her eyes, she started to smile as he smiled back more widely as he brought his lips down upon hers.

"I can't think of a better way to wake up every morning," he whispered.

Tilting her head more into his pillow, Beulah studied his face as he stared at her. "Neither can I," she replied, but the tone of her voice didn't seem heartfelt, which triggered a hidden reaction from the punk rocking bassist.

"How's the little one?" he asked, his hand moving from her face, over her shoulder, down her arms, along the curve of her waist and then resting on her stomach.

She was four months pregnant now and she was absolutely glowing. It was that cliche pregnancy glow that everyone talks about women having. Beulah's skin had never been softer, her hair was silkier, and her eyes twinkled, even when she wasn't feeling chipper.

"The little one's doing fine," she replied with a tiny smile.

"I still can't believe you're gonna make me a dad again," he commented, biting down lightly on his bottom lip to keep from grinning like a fool. "It's kinda surreal, you know?"

"Tell me about it," Beulah responded as she rolled onto her back and began to sit up.

Mike watched the way she moved, the way she carried herself as she casually threw her legs over the edge of the bed; her back to him. Propping himself up, he leaned forward.

"You okay, hon?"

Beulah's head nodded. Standing up, she padded across the carpet over to the bathroom where she stepped inside and closed the door.

Mike's face soured, not understanding what her mood was conveying as he listened to the sound of the water running. He looked down, not sure if he should go see if she was okay, just sit there until she came out, or got up and went about his day.

But then the bathroom door opened, causing the blue eyed man to look up and just about drop his jaw.

Beulah simply stood there in the buff. Completely and utterly naked; her hands placed against the doorframe to brace herself as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

Mike looked her up and down, even noting the small pouch she had that gave way to her being four months pregnant.

Tilting her head, she smirked at him. "My pajamas seemed to have accidentally fallen off my body," she muttered in a sex kitten sort of way, her lips pouting and her eyes looking innocent, even though her motives clearly weren't.

"That so?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. What should I do about it?"

Mike began to grin, crawling off the bed and sauntering over to her, but giving her enough space so that he wasn't right on top of her. "Ask for assistance?" he suggested.

"What do you mean? What could I use assistance for?"

"Well," he spoke, looking past her to see the water in the tub filling up and then looking back to her. "Your subconscious is clearly trying to tell you that you feel all sorts of dirty and you need a bath, but in order to follow through with getting clean, you need a helping hand," he explained. "Or two."

Mike closed the gap between them, and without another word, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. Claiming her lips with his own, he backed them both into the bathroom where he proceeded in setting her gently in the tub.

Turning off the water, he snickered down at her and shed his own clothes from his body and climbed in with her.

"Rub-a-dub dub," he teased.

* * *

When Estelle turned nine, she had a small party with her friends from school and later that night, she was sitting with Beulah in the living room, playing with some of her Barbie dolls she got. And, for the love of God, it was a nice change of pace for Beulah to interact with a child that wasn't male. Not saying she didn't mind having a son, but now she was starting to hope that this child she was having with Mike would be a daughter.

Also that night, Mike found himself leaning in the doorway to the living room from the kitchen, watching his daughter and girlfriend interact.

It made him think about many things that were on his mind. Namely their future.

He was going to be a dad again, Beulah a mom again. They would being sharing custody of a child they'd created; living together, loving each other. But he wanted more out of it all. He wanted her for life.

He wanted her as his wife.

Yes, Mike Dirnt -- more privately know as Michael Pritchard -- wanted to marry Beulah.

Every day he saw her walking through his home -- their home, now -- he felt this twisting in his heart. An ache. It was like he wanted to cry happy tears. To blubber like a fucking baby. He wanted to hold her so tight and never let her go.

He never knew unconditional love until his daughter was born.

His life changed. For the better.

Yet, even though he had unconditional love for his daughter, and from his daughter, he hadn't truly experienced unconditional love for a woman. Not even for Anastacia, Sarah, Brittney...

Not one of them had been his, dare he say it, true love.

And he was so sure Beulah was it.

"Daddy?"

Mike turned and looked down to find Bailey standing beside him, looking up with those big green eyes of his and an inquisitive expression on his face.

It still struck a funny chord with the bassist that the boy called him daddy, even when he wasn't his father. "What's up, bud?"

"Do I have any secret sisters?"

Mike furrowed his brow, but smirked a little. "What do you mean?"

"Joey and Jakob are my secret brothers. Do I have any secret sisters too?"

Opening his mouth to answer, Mike couldn't help but let out a small laugh first. "Well, uh...I guess Estelle's kinda like your sister now and, um...your mommy and me might be having a little girl."

Bailey rolled his eyes. "So I don't have no sisters now that are real?"

"Uh...well, not really. Not yet anyway. Maybe." Ugh, why'd he have to get a question like this? Confusing much?

"So you and mommy are gonna have a baby girl?"

Mike shrugged. "We don't know yet."

"When do you know?"

"Next month."

Bailey scrunched his nose up, trying to think. "How long's that?"

"About thirty days."

The five year old frowned. "That's a long time."

Smirking, Mike nodded as he placed a hand on top of Bailey's head and ruffled the boy's wavy brown hair. "Yeah, but it'll go by fast."

"Good," Bailey muttered. As a moment of silence fell over them, they simply stood there until Bailey tugged on Mike's hand.

"Hmm?"

"Can you pick me up?"

Mike smiled. "Sure," he replied, bending slightly to lift Bailey up into his arms.

Bailey wasted no time in throwing one of his wiry arms around Mike's shoulder and leaning into the adult, resting his head against Mike's cheek.

"Wanna go into the living room?"

"Okay," Bailey muttered as if he were very sleepy.

A soft smile dangling from his lips, Mike carried Bailey into the living room and took a seat on the other side Estelle. She looked up at her dad, to Bailey, and back again with a smile.

Without any of them bothering to say anything, Mike looked over to Beulah when the gaze with his daughter broke. She was looking at her son; admiring how he had a consistent father figure in his life now.

Beulah was thinking about her son. How nothing else in this life mattered unless her son was safe, and loved.

And Mike was thinking about Beulah, and how his life wouldn't be complete unless he had forever and for always.