Union

On the way to the San Francisco airport and driving over the Bay Bridge; Rose was silent as she stared out across the bay at a dreary grey westcoast afternoon.

Her nerves were on edge, and she was only able to contain herself by readjusting her sitting position every few seconds under her secured seatbelt.

Sitting in the backseat of the vehicle with both of her cousins children, Joeseph and Jakob; the older of the two boys took a noticing to her discomfort.

"Rose?" Joey said quietly.

"Hmm?" Rose said as she slowly turned her head away from the window to look at her thirteen year old cousin.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked boldly.

Billie Joe whom was manuevering the vehicle glanced in his rearview mirror at Rose. He readjusted his mirror to reflect his sons image in his vision. "Joe, just don't talk to Rose right now. 'Kay?"

"Okay..." Joey said quietly and slinked down in his seat.

Ten year old Jakob pulled a confused face but just shrugged his shoulders and went back to watching his in-car DVD movie.

Rose sighed and went back to looking across the cloudy bay. She looked back when she noticed Billie readjusting his mirror once again. His reflection peered back at her and he smiled. She returned the smile, thankfully.

Still, on the seven mile long bridge, a thought popped into Rose's mind. It was quite a change of thought, and it brought her much interest. "Hey Billie?" she spoke up suddenly.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Is this the bridge you torched two thousand times before?"

This made Billie laugh humbly as he turned to look at his wife's reaction, "Ah...yeah, it is actually."

"I don't know what made me think of that..." Rose said.

"You're still just an ecstatic fan..." Billie teased looking back in his mirror.

"Yeah, I am," Rose nodded as she began to blush.

"Oh well, want my autograph?" Billie laughed harassingly.

"No I'm good. I have better," Rose grinned.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Your DNA...."

***

"Fuck, we're going to be late!" Mike shrieked as he had already left his own home and had arrived at Tre's house to help him finish up packing.

"I can't fucking do this!" Tre said as he grabbed his head of hair and just about pulled it all out. "I'm too afraid to face her!'

"Man! Calm down! Okay? You've been sober and clean for over a month now. You're doing fucking great. She'll see how much you've changed. I think it will take her a bit to come around, but she will. I know it," Mike said assuringly.

"She will?" Tre said swallowing back a lump in his throat.

"Yes," Mike nodded.

"Okay..." Tre sighed.

"But come on man. We got to go, April is waiting in the car!" Mike urged again.

"Okay! Okay! How come you're still going out with her anyways?" Tre said as he grabbed up his two suitcases and pulled them out his bedroom door and downstairs into the front foyer.

"Man, I swear to God if you ask me that question, one more fucking time..." Mike growled.

"Sorry!" Tre shrieked. "Hmm what a stupid dick," he whispered to himself under his breath.

Throwing his luggage in the back of Mike's BMW, Tre found himself forced to get in the backseat of the car. Yep, apparently Mike's new girlfriend had higher status than a friend of over twenty years.

Not just any girlfriend either. A girl that once ripped him off $450,000 in Rolex watches.

Apparently that day, after Mike had stormed out of his cafe, he felt he had acted quite terrible towards April. In fact, he understood her. Once having a problem with Meth addiction, the two found themselves to have a lot in common.

Ever since the start of her relationship with Mike, April never touched a single intoxin ever again. Unless the word 'intoxin' does not include alcohol.

Making haste for the San Francisco airport, Mike drove frantically across the Bay Bridge, aka. James Rolph Bridge. "Fuck! I'm always late, Bill's going to be pissed at me," Mike sighed.

"There's no hurry..." Tre said nervously as he dreaded the moment Rose and himself would see each other again. He feared she would completely shun him. Or even worse, cut his last ball off.

Yeah, he could picture her doing that more than just shunning him.

***

Pulling up in behind the airports terminal, Billie Joe parked his car on the side of a runway. "Great, Mike and Tre aren't here yet," Billie sighed sacastically as he opened his door and got out. Despite this, he was pleased to see his backup band had arrived on schedule.

"Thank God.." Rose sighed to herself under her breath as she got out of the car.

"Boys, help your dad with the suitcases," Adrienne directed as she also got out of the car. Joeseph and Jake were out of the car in a snap and went to help their dad.

A small private jet slowly drove up the runway towards their parked vehicle and stopped about fifteen feet away. "Shit...I'm having second thoughts..." Rose huffed as her heart began to race at the though of flying again.

"Shit..." Billie said as he tried to deal with the luggage. He gave Adrienne a pleading look, and she nodded.

Going over to Rose, she found a way of consoling the younger woman by kindly rubbing her back. "It'll be okay. You'll get use to doing this lots. I use to hate it too."

"I just...ahh. It's so dangerous," Rose said and she started to hyperventilate.

"Fuck," Adrienne said looking away from Rose to her husband whom was already loading the luggage up with difficulty onto the plane.

"Fuck...I can't breathe," Rose said as she grabbed her chest.

"Calm down..." Adrienne said quietly as she continued rubbing Rose's back.

"Okay...huuuu! I can't...huuuu! Fuck...huuuu!" Rose gasped repeatedly.

Just then a black BMW pulled up beside Billie Joe's car, just where Adrienne and Rose happened to be standing. "They're here..." Adrienne said to Rose who was looking in the opposit direction.

Rose turned to look at the newly arrived BMW and she started gasping worse. "Fuck! Huuuu! Hide me! Huuuu!" she cried to Adrienne as she held her stomach and escaped into the jet.

Adrienne sighed and turned to Mike and his girlfriend getting out of their car. "Ready to go?" Adrienne asked.

"Yep..." Mike sighed.

"What time are we going to get there?" April asked as she came around the car to join Mike.

"At 4:30 PM Central European Time," Mike answered her knowingly.

"Oh cool, I've never been to Germany."

"It's nice," Adrienne said with friendliness before looking past the couple noticing Tre was still sitting inside the car.

Mike saw Adrienne's curiousity of Tre and he also turned to look back at the car. He waved his hand at Tre in a 'come here' motion.

Tre grinned and slowly got out of the car. He looked over at Billie's wife nervously and let out a half-friendly sigh, "Hi Adie..."

"Hey Tre... You ready to go?" Adrienne said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think so," Tre said as he slowly came towards the small group of familar faces.

The Jasons packed on to the large inside, small outside jet with their luggage. Mike happily jotted over to the jet with his girlfriend, leaving Tre behind with Adrienne.

Adrienne sighed as she turned to Tre, "After you..."

Tre shook his head and grinned as he slowly made his way towards the jet. Climbing the removable stairs Tre's heart began to race with fear. This was it, he was going to be with her, face to face.

"You're late!" Tre heard Billie, snapping at the band.

Stepping cautiously through the door into the cabin, Tre looked around at the seating. There was Billie Joe, already buckled in for take off with a scowl on his face and staring at a T.V. intently. Joeseph and Jakob. The Jasons, and Mike and April whom were in the midst of finding their seats.

To his worrisome discomfort, and relief...there was no sign of Rose.

"Hey Tre..." Billie said quietly as he looked away from a television that was mounted into the back of the seat in front of him.

Tre just nodded and gave a faint smile as he found a seat on the opposit side of the plane. He sat down and closed his eyes, wanting to sleep, for what he thought would be ten hour flight from hell.

Adrienne sat down next to her husband, but looked over her shoulder towards the bathroom at the back of the plane. "Is Rose in the bathroom?" Adrienne whispered to her husband as she turned back to look at him.

"I think so," Billie whispered in return.

Just then the awful sound of 'fatal regurgitation' escalated throughout the plane. "Umm...I better go check on her," Adrienne said as she patted her husbands arm and got up, headed for the washroom.

Knocking lightly on the bathroom door, Adrienne decided to allow herself entry before being given permission.

As she entered the tiny, but very luxurious bathroom, she saw Rose standing in front of the sink gargiling some mouthwash. Rose spat into the sink and looked up to see Adi's reflection behind her in the mirror.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Adrienne asked as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Ignoring the strong fowl scent of vomit.

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine..." she lied.

"Good. Well it's really good actually. At least you dealt with your anxiety attack," Adrienne smiled.

"Yeah..." Rose said as she turned around and looked down at the floor.

"Come on Rose, it's time..." Adrienne said quietly.

"I know...I know..." she gasped again, getting herself under control.

"Good, now get out there before I push you out there," Adrienne said jokingly.

"Hey, I'm pregnant, don't do that..." Rose said with seriousness.

"Yeah, and on an emotional high too..." Adrienne added.

"Huh?"

"It was a joke..." Adrienne grinned.

"Oh..." Rose said dumbfoundedly.

Adrienne clapped her hands together quickly, "Now! Snap to it!"

"Okay! Okay!" the young pale-skinned beauty shrieked as she slowly placed her hand on the door handle.

Adrienne helped her deal, by placing her own hand over the younger womans and turning the knob with her. "It'll be fine..." she whispered comfortingly.

Like she had said, 'jokingly' she gave Rose a gentle push out of the bathroom.

Now out in the midst of turned heads and prying eyes, Rose felt very insecure. She came down the middle aisle nervously; not spotting her husband, because he was sunken so far down in his seat.

Tre sat up in his seat at this moment, just out of curiousity of her. He turned his head around as he noticed her freeze. The entire cabin became frozen in time, as their eyes locked for the first time in over a month.