Radiate

When the sun peered into Sydney's room and hit her eyes with a groan she turned to the other side of her bed, facing away from the window. She tried to go back to sleep, but the annoying thought of having some things to do kept her from falling into much needed slumber. After another couple of minutes she finally got up and headed to the bathroom. When she was dressed and ready she took Billie's car keys and the apartment keys, before realizing she couldn't leave yet. She locked the door and went to her neighbors and knocked on the door. She put on her dark sunglasses as she waited.

"Hello Sydney," a woman in her early 30's opened the door with a bright smile on her face. "I hope you had some fun yesterday."

"You can say that." She sighed, shaking her head. "Listen, Ann, could you take care of my kid for a little while longer? I have something important to do and it can't wait."

"Sure. I don't mind." the two of them smiled at each other after what Sydney excused herself and hurried down the stairs and out of the building.

At first she couldn't see the Fairlane, but after a moment she spotted the familiar car and with a sigh of relief she walked over to the car. As she got into the car she realized how really tired she was and how badly she needed a coffee. It was around 2pm and if Billie had woken up he probably still didn't know about his car being gone, but the thought of him freaking out once he found out it was gone was quite funny and yet scary. Billie was in love with this car ever since he got it.

Sydney slowly drove away from her apartment building and headed in the direction of Billie's house. She wasn't quite sure if she still remembered where it was, but she was sure that it would take some time to get there. On her way she decided to visit the gas station and nearby drive-in, where she ordered a coffee. With that she was ready to go to Billie's house and she drove slowly through the Berkeley. She knew she had to find a familiar looking neighborhood, but she wasn't sure if her memory would cooperate. She took a sip from her coffee when she stopped on the red lights and glanced in the rear-view mirror at the cars behind her. When the lights changed she slowly drove forward and continued with the slow speed, too slow for the other cars that passed her by. She wished to be back home as fast as possible, but on the other hand she didn't want to rush things after the long past night, which still had effects on her. She drank her coffee with eyes half open as she drove. After about twenty minutes she realized that she was being followed, but as she realized who the car belonged too and who was in the car for the first time that day she really knew that she should have stayed home and forget about Billie's car.

Not until this moment she realized that she was ignoring the police car signaling for her to stop. When she finally did, she parked in someone's driveway and waited patiently for the policeman to walk up to her. She rolled down the window as the policeman approached her with a hand resting on his gun. She frowned at the sight, but tried to stay calm not knowing what she did wrong.

"Good morning," she said before the policeman could say anything. "If it's about me driving too slow then I'm sorry. I had a rough night and I-"

"Please, step out of the car and leave the keys in the car."

"Um...Alright?" Sydney got out and as she was about to close the door the policeman got a hold of her arms and pinned her to the car.

"You're under arrest, everything you say or do will be used against you."

"What? I didn't do anything!" Sydney protested as she was handcuffed and escorted to the police car. The other policeman walked up to Billie's car and got in.

"I need to take this car to--"

"This car was stolen, miss."

"It was not!" she exclaimed as the man forced her to get into the car. "It was not stolen." she repeated as the man got in and started the car. "You'll tell the story at the police station. I would suggest not to make this worse."

The color completely drained from Sydney's face as she fell silent and stared wide eyed at the officer. Her mind completely shut off, but repeated the situation over and over again, making her heart pound in her chest and thinking how ridiculous the situation really was.

In complete silence they reached the police station where the policeman almost had to drag Sydney. They immediately took her into the cell where they uncuffed her and left to wait for someone to come and take her for the interrogation despite the fact that it was clear to those who found her in the car that she was guilty. She scoffed at the policeman who closed her in the cell and turned around looking at her surroundings slightly frightened. From the top bunk bed a woman slightly older then her was resting, observing the scene with indifferent expression. Sydney didn't even dare to stare at her for longer then a couple of seconds when their eyes met.

Meanwhile, Billie Joe Armstrong was heading to the police station in the cab. As soon as he got the call from the police about his car being miraculously found on the patrol just an hour after it was reported he couldn't hide his happiness and the feeling of relief that overcame him. He was anxious to see his precious Ford Fairlane, but at the same time he dreaded the moment he would get into the room when he thought he'd have to fill in the papers before he could get back home.

He was wearing some random clothes he'd found on the ground as well as dark sunglasses and a hat. He was still tired and still didn't recover from the hangover. Paying a visit to the police was not welcome. When the cab stopped near the police station he paid the driver and quickly headed into the building where he was asked to wait for someone, who was assigned to his case. Minutes dragged slowly and he waited, observing what was happening around him, which looked like they were doing nothing, and he was getting impatient with waiting. He considered leaving a couple of times, but the thought of his car being locked up in some police warehouse was sickening.

"Mr. Armstrong?" a police officer walked up to him all of sudden just like they read his mind.

"Yes?" Billie Joe got up from his seat, looking at the officer, who was going through some files in his hands.

"Please, follow me." With a silent sigh Billie followed the man somehow regretting waking up that morning.

"Could I at least make a phone call? I've got my rights!" Sydney exclaimed as one of the policemen was passing by her cell. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" She growled and hit her fist on the metal bars. She turned on her heels and slid down to the ground, wrapping her arms protectively around her knees and buried her head in her arms. "Dammit."

She couldn't believe this was happening and as before it seemed just like a nightmare, right now it was too real and too scary for her. Sydney couldn't find any reason why this happened to her. Billie couldn't have been so wasted not to remember her taking him home by his car. She couldn't believe that he could think someone could steal the car. Time dragged by and she was stuck with a tough looking woman in the cell, which was not making her feel any better.

"Hey, you, get up." a voice from behind her said suddenly in an ordering way. She raised her head and did as she was said, but at the same time she could help herself and said in a bitter voice.

"How rude, officer." she crossed her arms as one of the two men walked inside and handcuffed her again. "I want my phone call."

"And you will get it." the other man said. They led her out of the cell and went to take her photo and fingerprints before they led her for the interrogation. There she was again uncuffed and sat down in one of the chairs as one of the policemen left the room and the other took the seat. "Mrs. Armstrong--"

"Oh, please," Sydney winced crossing her arms. "I'm not even married now. You guys are so rude."

"Miss, I'd appreciate if you could keep down your act of a rock star and realize how serious is the situation." The policeman said in a calm voice, propping his arms on the table before himself. His dark eyes were warily observing Sydney.

"If you'd already assumed that I'm the suspect, so why don't you lock me up in some cell?" Sydney asked.

"So, you'll confess? Did you or did you not steal Mr. Armstrong's car?"

"Why would I do that?" Sydney raised her eyebrows.

"Miss, please, answer the question."

"I did not." Sydney replied and leaned foreword, mimicking the officer who was leaning on the table. "Can I make a phone call now?" The policeman sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Was it because you sought revenge on your ex-husband or was it something else?"

"Oh, dear God," Sydney shook her head in annoyance. "How many times will I have to repeat I didn't do anything?! It's...It's ridiculous!"

"Miss, we've found you in the stolen car." the man said in a too calm, annoying voice. "It's hard not to believe that you didn't do anything."

"Fine." Sydney leaned back in the chair, glaring at the policeman and crossing her arms. "I want a lawyer and my phone call."

"A lawyer." the man got up with the roll of his eyes and left. Sydney sighed heavily and bit her lip wondering what would come out of it. She had to get back home fast and take care of Sheena. There was only one person she could call in this case, but she wasn't sure if calling Billie would change anything. In the end she was in that damned police station because of him.

At last the policeman returned and asked her to go with him. He led her to the phone and without hesitation she grabbed the receiver and called Allison. After what seemed like forever the groggy voice on the other side answered.

"Allison, you never believe what happened to me and don't you dare hanging up on me!" she exclaimed as she heard the groan in response. "Ali, please take care of Sheena, she's at Ann Wilson's apartment and I don't want poor Ann to wait until or if I come back home--"

"Wait," Allison suddenly spoke in a surprised voice. "So where the hell are you that you're talking like that?"

"Well, I'm accused of stealing Billie's Fairline. Not that I would ever do that...but still." Sydney shrugged and rolled her eyes glancing at the policeman. "So, will you do that?"

"Sure. How can I help you?" the girl laughed quietly.

"Call someone to call Billie and make him explain everything or find a way to get me out of here!"

"Alright. I'll make sure to--" Sydney glanced to the side to see the cop, who just made her hung up on her friend.

"That's all." he shrugged his shoulders. "I've still got some questions, so if you could--"

"I'm not answering any of your damned questions so, please, escort me to my cell, will you?" she glared at the man. "I didn't do anything and that's my final answer."

The policeman muttered something and got a hold of her arm before taking her in the direction of the cell.

Billie Joe was finished with the paper work and he was about to go see his car with some other cop. He was happy when he thought that soon he'd be home and could relax. He walked out from one of the rooms and passed the interrogation room when he saw something he didn't expect. One of the policeman's was dragging Sydney in the direction of the cells. His mouth fell open as he stared at the sight before his eyes.

"Sydney?" he called in a disbelieving tone of his voice. Her head turned around and when their eyes met he noticed the relief slowly replacing confusion. The cop pushed her a little to go as she came to a stop. Billie ran up to them and blocked the way. "What are you doing here?"

"Billie..." a small smile appeared on her face. "Well, I'm the one accused of stealing your car."

"No way." he replied looking at her wide eyed from behind his dark sunglasses. The policeman was getting impatient with the two and Billie Joe glanced at him and laughed shortly. "Officer, so...there was a mistake. She didn't steal my car."

"Mr. Armstrong...?" the man sighed. "Are you sure she didn't?"

"Positive!" Sydney looked over at the cop waiting for her to let her go. The man shook his head and motioned for the two to follow him. Sydney looked over at Billie mouthing thank you before they followed.

Once they were done with talking and apologizing for causing the problem Billie and Sydney were almost free to go. Sydney told the policeman how she got Billie home, because he was drunk and they were prating with friends. However, the look on the cops face was slightly disturbing. He smiled slyly and shook his head.

"Ms. Armstrong," his smile grew wider. "I'm really sorry to say that, but you did commit a crime and you just confessed. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime."

"Oh, come on!" Billie groaned. "I've wasted half of the day in here! Let us go finally."

"Unfortunately, Mr. Armstrong, I can't let you take the car. The alcohol doesn't just...evaporate after a night of drinking, so---"

"I'll just call my friend, for fuck's sake!" Billie cut the officer off, getting up from his seat and pulling out the mobile phone before exiting the room. Sydney stared after him wide eyed and then looked over at the annoyed policeman.

"I've wasted half of day listening to this..." he shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately, you'll have to pay a fine."

"Sure." she shrugged her shoulders. "I'd like to get my belongings then."

The man got up from his chair muttering something and exited the room. After a moment Billie walked into the room and sat in the chair next to Sydney. They sat in silence for a while with Sydney staring ahead at the wall and Billie tapping his fingers on the arm of the armchair.

"So, it seems that I got you into this mess, huh?" he smirked as Sydney looked over at him. "And where's the kid?"

"The kid is home with Allison and she's perfectly fine." Sydney replied in a cold tone. "And she has a name."

"Uh, Sydney...Sorry for that." he said in a slightly forced voice, not even looking at her. He bit his lip and turned to her in his chair. She sat there with an annoyed expression on her face trying to ignore him. "I'll take you home, alright?"

"It's alright, I'll take a cab." she replied automatically. "Let's not make this situation even more ridiculous. You don't owe me anything, I don't owe you anything. We don't have to meet too much...only when it's necessary--"

"What are you talking about!" he exclaimed. "I'm just taking you home. That's it." She looked over at him letting out a nervous laugh. He shook his head and looked down at the carpeted floor. The doors opened and Billie and Sydney looked at the door to see the policeman with Sydney's wallet and glasses.

"Ms. Armstrong, you're free to go as soon as you pay--"

"Pay?" Billie frowned.

"Sure." Sydney got up, taking her things from the officer. "Where should I--"

"I'll do that." Billie got up and moved her out of the way. She was about to protest, but the officer motioned for Billie to follow him and as they exited the room Billie raised the glasses and winked at Sydney before closing the doors just in front of her face. She groaned in frustration and walked out the office and straight to the exit wishing not to see Billie's face anymore that day.

Unfortunately as she was heading to the exit there was another familiar face waiting by the door of the police department.

"Leslie?" Sydney stopped next to her with a frown on her face. "Are you here to get Billie?"

"Yeah," the girl grinned. "Actually I was supposed to get you home too. Where is he anyway?"

Sydney looked over her arm and then back at Leslie. She shrugged and sighed.

"Anyway I hoped that we could hang out soon or something." the blond said in a hopeful voice. Sydney nodded her head with a smile not really knowing how she could decline this offer. She didn't want to at some point as Leslie seemed like a nice girl and as Billie's girlfriend she shouldn't be treated like a foe of some sort. She didn't do anything to her.

"Leslie!" Billie exclaimed running up the two of them. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug not letting go too fast. Sydney looked away feeling a little awkward. Leslie chuckled and gave Billie a questioning glance as she pushed him away gently.

"Ready to go, huh?" she asked looking from Billie to Sydney.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Sydney nodded her head.

"Right...before they accuse her of something else." Billie smirked at Sydney as they walked out the door.

Sydney glared at him and decided to ignore his comments. He walked over to Leslie and laid his arm around her shoulders, glancing over at Sydney, who found some interest in the cars parked on the police parking lot. His pale green eyes didn't quite want to look away from her.