Union

'At tonights Green Day concert, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong broke out in an unexplainable fit of rage, and smashed his guitar to pieces on stage, before 20,000 fans. Fellow Green Day members, bassist, Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool both tackled Armstrong, to try and contain his anger. Fans became angered as well, when Armstrong was pulled off the stage and it became quite obvious the concert was not going to go ahead as scheduled. The barricade in which the audience resides behind, was pushed down and fans began to overtake the stage, backstage and outlining areas when riot broke out. After Green Day fled from the arena, riots continued, and are still ongoing in the streets of downtown Berlin. At this time the amount of injured, and or deaths has not been accumalated. But the number of people appearing at hospitals keeps growing every minute. Police spoke to one of our correspondents and have said, that they haven't seen anything like this since anti-Communist riots broke out in East Berlin back in 1953. Tonights show was a postponement date, of the show that was supposed to take place mid last month. We will keep you updated on this story, and if you yourself have any news regarding this story, please call our information line.'

***

"Fuck...FUCK!" Mike shouted with frustration, looking away from the Close Captioned television. As he paced Billie's hotel suite, he worried for his girlfriends safety, and felt unconditional anger towards Billie Joe.

"Would you calm down!?" Adrienne shouted at the bassist as she held Joey and Jakob next to her.

"My fucking girlfriend! She's probably dead! And if she's not fucking dead, then she'll at least hate my guts forever!" Mike said sounding angry, but really just hysterically upset.

"Shut up! Nobody cares!" Tre retorted at Mike, as he grabbed Rose close to him.

"What do you mean you don't fucking care?!" Mike said as he came over and got in Tre's face.

"Whoa!" Rose said jumping back away from the two angry men.

"Mike...you better get out of my fucking face before you don't wake up until next year!" Tre threatened.

"Let's fucking go!" Mike shouted as he stood up tall infront of his friend.

Tre also stood tall, but not near as tall as Mike. "Go ahead Mike...hit me. Hit me..." Tre egged him on mockingly.

"My pleasure!" Mike shouted as he landed Tre one in the jaw.

"Fuck!" Tre shouted as he reacted by tackling the bassist and started smashing him in the chest and face.

"STOP IT!" Rose shouted as she turned away and yanked her head of black hair.

"Mike! Tre!" Adrienne said jumping up. "Billie! Do something!"

"Smash him again!" was Billie's answer. He was cheering both of them on, acting like he could care less.

Somehow the two brawling men ended back up on their feet as the fight continued. "FUCK! I FEEL LIKE KILLING YOU!" Mike shouted as he grabbed Tre's neck and smashed him up against a wall.

"STOP IT!" Rose screamed again in hysteria, feeling very worried for both of their saftey. They both literally seemed angry enough to kill each other. She turned away again and covered her face with the palms of her hands.

"I HATE YOU! " Tre returned, and grabbed Mike and swung him around to be the one smashed up against the wall.

"FUCK!" Mike shouted. He grabbed both of Tre's arms and started pushing him backwards, running him towards another wall across the room.

"Mike stop! ROSE!!" Adrienne warned.

Rose uncovered her eyes and turned around quickly. "What?" she asked Adrienne with confusion.. Just then she was knocked over by Mike pushing Tre. The two men fell on top of her in a chaotic pile up.

"Shit!" Adrienne shrieked.

Billie became more alert now as he looked at his two best friends brawling, which was now ending in them having both fallen on top of his pregnant cousin. "What the fuck!" Billie said jumping up from his seat and darting quickly towards the pile up of people.

"Shit..." Mike muttered as he tried to get up, but hadn't really realized yet what happened.

"Fuck..." Tre sighed, he too was bewildered as to what happened.

"Get the fuck off her!" Billie snapped as he grabbed Mike and Tre by the arms and tried to push them aside.

Rolling over on the floor, Tre saw Rose laying next to him. "Oh shit..." he whispered in pain.

"Ouch..." Rose groaned as Billie Joe sat her up and glared at his two best friends with extreme anger.

"Oh my God, Rose..." Mike said, feeling horribly shamed and shocked.

"Get out of the way!" Tre said, pushing Billie Joe away from Rose and holding her. "Holy fuck... Look what you did to my wife asshole!" Tre shouted at Mike.

Mike stood with a dumbfound look on his face, unable to think up the words for how sorry he was. "I'm sorry Rose.....FUCK!" he shouted before taking off out of the suite and going back to his own down the hall.

"Rose...are you okay?" Tre asked with concern.

"I guess... I think one of you guys elbowed me in the stomach," Rose answered and groaned.

"Fuck...we need to get you to a hospital," Tre said.

"Yeah right..." Adrienne said in the background.

Tre turned his head towards her, "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? I'm sorry...but haven't you looked outside at the swarm of angry fans that has accumalated in the last hour?" Adrienne said.

"Of course I have! I don't care though! Rose needs to get to the hospital and be looked at!" Tre said.

"It's not happening..." Adrienne said.

"Of course it fucking is! Come on Rose..." Tre said. Even with his sore bruised body, he picked her up and started for the door. He brought her out into the hall and made for the elevator.

"Frank...I think Adrienne's right."

"Rose, this is important! You MUST get to the hospital!" Tre said.

The elevator door opened and he brought her in, pressing the button to the lobby. Once down in the lobby, Tre and Rose became more aware of the presence of all the fans outside.

"Security! Security!" Tre shouted. A number of hotel staff looked in Tre's direction. "My wife needs to get to a hospital, ASAP!"

"Sir, there'sa angry peoples outside, they won't allow passeege," the woman at the desk spoke in a German accent.

"Shit! Look, we need to get through!" Tre said again.

"Frank, we can't," Rose said shaking her head.

Tre didn't listen to her and brought her towards the hotel entrance. Stepping outside, Tre was met with another barricaded crowd. When the crowd saw Tre they became stirred and angry.

"BOOOOOO!"

"GREEN DAY SUCKS!"

"BOOOOO!"

"FUCK YOU TRE!"

"WHERE THE FUCK IS BILLIE!?"

"GO HOME!"

"BOOOOO!"

Fans started throwing things at Tre and Rose over the barricade, and it forced them to go back inside, and seek refuge back in the hotel. "Fuck..." Tre sighed.

"Frank, put me down. I can walk," Rose assured him.

He put Rose down and she turned to him as they walked back towards the elevator, "God damn it!' Tre snapped, feeling extremely upset over the reaction the fans had given him.

"Don't worry Frank, It'll be fine...and I'll be fine," she said feeling worried, but trying not to let it show.

"You need to get to the hospital," Tre repeated as he pressed to activate the elevator.

"I'll be fine. I promise you," Rose said as they walked onto the elevator and she pressed the top floor. "Just stay away from Mike. I think we're going to be here for a few days."

***

A day and a half later, the hotel was still surrounded by morbid angry fans, but the crowds were tapering off quite substantially. Germanic officials made quite a few arrests of fans, for destruction of property and loitering.

Today, Green Day and its family were ushered back out to their tour bus, where they would make haste off towards the Berlin airport.

One at a time, hotel security took each of them out to the bus. Flying glass bottles and other assorted crap was used against them as they tried to enter the bus without harm.

Eventually being able to free themselves from the hotel after 24 hours in seclusion, the band headed off. They had their busdriver back once again, and driving the large piece of machinery would not be a burden for any of them.

"Everything's gone to shit..." Mike said as he leaned his head against a window.

"Shut up Bitchard!" Tre retorted, making up an insulting play on words with Mike's last name.

"Look at that!" Mike said suddenly, ignoring Tre, pointing and changing the subject. Everyone in the back of the bus turned to see what Mike was pointing at.

At a red light, they had pulled up beside a city bus with an advertisement for their show mounted on the side. There were some nasty words graffittied over it in German and English.

One of the legible prints read, 'Billie Joe's a fag! Green Day sucks ass!'

Driving down the street some more, they saw poster advertisements of their show mounted on telephone poles, and also big advertisements in all the bus stops. But they too were graffittied with nasty comments about Green Day.

Billie shouted as he kicked his foot against a table leg. At this moment he realized, the whole world was going to blame him for the fall of Green Day. "Fuck..." Billie started crying as he hid his face in the palms of his hands.

***

Arriving at the airport, they all managed to pack on to the jet without disturbance from any prying fans. Rose sat down in a seat next to her husband. Billie sat with Adrienne but was silent as the night. Mike was in the back of the cabin, trying desperately on his cell phone to find out something about his missing girlfriend. And Billie Joe's children sat up with the pilot in the cockpit; something that would help relieve their stresses minimally.

Hanging up his phone in anger, not being able to get through to anyone, Mike felt like venting again. "Congratulations Bill! Not only did you kill our group, but now all our fucking fans hate us!"

"Fuck you asshole..." Billie said in a low drawly voice as he continued to shed tears as he'd done earlier.

"No! You're a selfish prick! You just wrecked all of our careers, and over what!? A stupid fucking guitar?!" Mike shouted.

"SHUT UP!" Billie demanded.

"No!" Mike replied.

The plane took off, much to the displease sad feelings Mike had over his girlfriend. They just knew they had to get out of the country before someone gained access to them and went bezerk.

"ERR!" Rose said as she put on some headphones and turned on her satelite television that was mounted in the back of the seat ahead of her, trying to drown out the fighting. Her jaw dropped when she heard the news come on CNN.

'After the start of last nights riots in downtown Berlin, which resulted from a cancelled Green Day show, we are finally starting to learn and get a taste of the devastation. Twelve people have died, and another three hundred some have been minorly or seriously injured. Outraged parents of the victims plan to organize a ban on Green Day ever reentering the country, and all Green Day merchandise. It is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to downtown businesses and the Olympia Stadium where they were scheduled to play.'

"Fuck..," Rose sighed as she took off her head phones, only to hear Mike and Billie fighting still. She rolled her eyes up at the ceiling and started to cry. This really felt like the end of an era for her. The end of an era of great music, and great friendships between some of her dearest friends.

"I'm never going to forgive you for this!" Mike shouted at Billie.

Billie jumped up from his seat and got in Mike's face, "Mike, you're a little fucking pussy shit!"

"Step down little man!" Mike said as he furiously stared into Billie's eyes threateningly.

"Fuck you I will!" Billie retorted with an equal angry look on his face.

Unable to hold back his anger much longer, Mike started smashing Billie in the face. "You son of a bitch! You've fucking destroyed us!" Mike shouted as he was on top of his friend, beating him badly.

Rose covered her ears and closed her eyes, as Tre sat and watched and did absolutely nothing. "You guys are fucking stupid!"

Billie fought back, but wasn't quite near as strong as Mike. "You fucking prick! You're supposed to be my best fucking friend! I thought you would've fucking understood me!" Billie shouted and cried all at once.

"MIKE! STOP IT!" Adrienne shouted as she watched the two fight it out on the cabin floor; blood flying everywhere.

"I WOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW IF IT WAS FUCKING LEGAL!" Mike threatened with rage.

"It is legal...we're in international airspace right now..." Tre said egging them on.

"Frank!" Rose snapped.

"I'm sorry!" Tre retorted.

Tre had seemed angry the whole time. But I guess he like Rose couldn't cry all the time, even when he was feeling sad. It would just come out in anger. But for some reason at this moment he started to cry.

Rose took her husbands hands in a forgiving way, placed one on her stomach, and just held the other in her own hand as she leant her head down against his shoulder.

***

Some hours later, the fighting between Mike and Billie had retired. They both sat their distance and would not talk to each other. They were in the middle of the Pacific and about another four hours from home.

Rose was getting more use to flying. But with everything that had happened, how could the dangers of flying possibly be on her mind?

Her mind had been fogged of something that was very important, and seriously needed to be discussed with her husband. She thought now that things had calmed, she might approach the subject. "Frank..." Rose whispered.

Tre was half asleep but he reopened his eyes, "Hmm?"

"We have to talk... We really really need to talk..." she repeated in a soft voice.

"I know...I have something to tell you..." Tre said as he looked down with sorrow.

"What?" Rose asked. She didn't like the look that was on his face.

"Go ahead...you go first," Tre whispered.

"I need to know...umm...did you...did you really get me pregnant on purpose?" Rose said as she looked down.

Tre looked up as he could tell her eyes were adverted downwards, "Yes..."

Rose nodded her head slowly. "Why...?" she asked calmly.

Tre sighed, "Because....I...I was in love with you the moment I first laid eyes on you. I knew you were going to go back East, and I was afraid."

"Afraid?" Rose questioned.

"Umm yeah..." Tre nodded. "I did it, because I never wanted to lose you. I couldn't let you away. God...where would I be now without you?" Tre said.

Rose shook her head steadily with confusion, "That's selfish Frank..." she said in a non-angered tone, she slightly understood him. "With me, where are you right now?"

"On a plane in heaven with the woman I love..." Tre said as he kissed her cheek.

Rose felt her heart sink with heartfelt emotion of joy. A tear streamed down her pale face as she looked her husband in the eyes. "Oh God I love you..." Rose said as she brought her lips to Tre's, both shared a passionate kiss.

As their lips parted, their eyes reconnected. "I love you..." Tre whispered.

"Twelve people died..." Rose said loud enough for everyone in the cabin to hear her.

Billie started shaking his head manically and looked up at the ceiling numbly feeling sick to his stomach as he heard her say this. Not only was this about the burden of tearing Green Day apart for Billie Joe. But also, the burden of knowing his actions has cost the lives of twelve innocent people.

"I heard that on CNN. I guess people back home are aware now..." Rose added.

Billie jumped up from his seat quickly and took off for the bathroom. Rose looked at her cousin as he left. She then exchanged glances with Adrienne, who grinned.

Tre sighed, then turned his head to exchange glances with a bruise-faced Mike. Mike glared at Tre and looked down at the floor and closed his eyes.

"Frank...what were you going to tell me?" Rose asked with a small smile on her face as she grabbed up his attention again.

After just basically being forgiven for everything by his wife, Tre found it difficult to want to bring up what he had kept bottled up inside for so long.

"Nevermind...Don't you worry about it, " he answered quickly and he stopped her from asking anymore questions, by placing his lips over hers.

***

Sitting in the back of the plane, Mike was crying over his girlfriend unstoppably. He picked up the airphone and called the Berlin Police Department back again.

"Hello? Is there anyone there that speaks English?" Mike asked as he sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Okay...I'll hold. This is very important though."

Blehh!

Mike turned his head back towards the bathroom, figuring out that Billie Joe was puking his guts out.

Just then Adrienne got up from her seat and rushed to the back of the plane to console her distraught husband. "Billie..." Adrienne said as she came in and closed the bathroom door behind herself.

Billie Joe was basically laying on he floor, his hands grabbing the toilet seat, propping up the front half of his body and leaning his head in the toilet bowl. He felt his wife start to rub his sore bruised back.

"It's okay..." Adrienne whispered comfortingly.

"Adi...I can't fuckng live with this burden....I can't..." Billie said, with his head still leant in the toilet.

Adrienne sighed, "Billie...it wasn't your fault."

'Bleehh!' Billie wiped his mouth as he gasped. "It's all my fault Adi...It's all my fault...Fuck I need a drink right now..."

Just then over the planes radio a signal was picked up from a station somewhere on the planet. It started playing The Beatles: While My Guitar Gently Weeps,

I look at all you see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at the floor and see it needs sweeping
Still my guitar gently weeps
I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love
I don't know how someone controlled you
They bought and sold you

I look at the world and I notice it's turning
While my guitar gently weeps
With every mistake we must surely be learning
Still my guitar gently weeps

I don't know how you were diverted
You were perverted too
I don't know how you were inverted
No one alerted you

I look at you all see the love there that's sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps
I look at you all...
As my guitar gently weeps....

Throughout this song as Billie sat on the bathroom floor with his beloved wife, all he could think about was what Rose sacrificed to try and save something she knew meant so much to him. He started crying even more as Adrienne held him and rocked him back and forth as though he were a lost child.

Another haunting Beatles ballad came on the radio, followed by this. This was the song Billie Joe had once said he'd like to have played at his funeral...

I read the news today, oh boy.
About a lucky man, who made the grade.
And though the news was rather sad.
I just had to laugh.
I saw the photograph.
He blew his mind out in a car.
He didn't notice that the lights had changed.

A crowd of people stood and stared.
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure...
If he was from the house of Lords...
I saw a film today, oh boy.
The English Army had just won the war.
A crowd of people turned away...

The radio suddenly went silent, as the roaring engines shut off...