‹ Prequel: Family Reunion
Sequel: Communion

Union

The Wife's Secret II

"I don't hate you Billie," Rose said as she calmly sat in her husbands downstairs studio with her feet put up on the soundboard casually.

"You don't?" Billie said standing behind her.

"Nope. I mean why would I? You were just trying to do Frank a favour right?" Rose said, not turning to look at Billie Joe.

"Umm...well sort of. Nobody liked Sarah anyways, she was just causing problems Rose. She used to get Adrienne and me into fights all the time, just so Adrienne would hang around with her more. And look, you and Tre wouldn't have a relationship now if she was still around. Fuck...she would have cost me my marriage too," Bille Joe explained.

"So you just had her sent off to some foreign country and left me to believe she had been wiped off the face of the Earth?" Rose said rolling her eyes.

"Umm yes..." Billie said nervously. "Wait, why are you taking this so well?"

"I'm not, I'm just in a state of shock."

"Oh."

"But also..."

"Also what?"

"Also, I am a bit pissed off," Rose said taking her feet down off the soundboard and swinging her rotating chair around to face her cousin.

"Uh oh, that's not good," Billie said backing away a bit.

"No...no...just listen for a second. I'm pissed off because you didn't allow me a chance to recover from my birth trauma, before sending her off," Rose sighed.

"I'm sorry, I guess you would have liked to have spent some time with her, even if you didn't know she was going to leave," Billie said.

"No, I wanted to be able to kick her fucking ass for sleeping with my fucking boyfriend," Rose grinned.

Billie looked shocked, "Oh my God. Are you serious?"

"Hell yes."

"Well, she's back now. I guess you could do that if you wanted," Bille Joe grinned.

"Where is she?" Rose asked as she took a sip of an old cup of coffee she found on the soundboard.

"Apparently she's been back for some while now. She's been living at a Convent in Oakland," Billie said rolling his eyes.

"What!? A Convent?! You mean....where nuns live?!" Rose shrieked, spitting her coffee out all over the equipment.

"Yes."

"What the fuck?"

"Tre said she got in touch with some American Christian organization and they helped her to get back to California. And now apparently she's all religious and basically....a nun," Billie answered.

"Oh my God, I'm going to have a heart attack," Rose said grabbing her chest.

"I know, Christian? That really fucking trips me out too," Billie said, looking at his younger cousin shaking his head.

"Oh my God...she was into Wicca when she was a young teenager," Rose said, shaking her head with confusion in return.

"Still going to kick her ass?"

"Umm....no comment."

***

Sitting down on the edge of his bed with the velvet box Rose threw at him Tre sighed. The knowledge of knowing he was being put on trial for attempted murder had caused him so many problems in these past months.

It had started him back on his Methamphetamine addiction; something Rose had taken the blame for. It had given him a horrible drinking problem, and made him violent against his wife. It had nearly cost him his life when he jumped off the roof of his massive house. Not to mention all the other suicide attempts that never got mentioned.

Laying back on the bed, Tre slowly opened the tiny velvet box. Pulling out a small golden band and holding it up infront of his vision.

It was a replica of his stolen wedding band. There be only one difference. Wording in a foreign language was engraved in the inner-ring.

'Vater Ihrer Kinder'

Tre wondered what it meant, but just placed the ring back in the box and got a strong hint of guilt come over him.

***

"Rose, if you're not angry at me, than why are you mad at Tre right now?" Billie asked as he remained in the doorway.

"I'm not mad at Frank," Rose said.

"You're not? 'Cause you could have fooled me."

"I never got mad at him, and started yelling. I just threw his Birthday present at him and said, 'happy Birthday'," Rose grinned.

"Yeah, you seemed a bit ticked off though," Billie Joe added.

"No...not ticked off."

"Than what?"

"Shocked."

"Oh yeah, well I understand that," Billie sighed.

"I still want him to have a happy Birthday," Rose said standing up from her chair.

"Well, he's been really stressed for a long time. So I think he should try to have the best of Birthday as possible."

"I guess it could be his last happy Birthday for awhile..." Rose said looking down at the floor.

"Hey...high spirits," Billie smiled grasping her chin and raising her head up.

"Yeah..." Rose said, looking her cousin in his piercing green eyes.

For some strange reason his eyes mesmorized her at this moment. And a twenty-one year old Rose, turned into a sixteen year old Billie Joe obsessed teenager. Without realizing what she was doing she leant in and kissed him.

"Uhh...." Billie said turning his head away, after she had already planted her lips on his.

"Umm...crap. Let's go back upstairs," Rose said, her face turned twenty shades of bright red as she realized what she had just done.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Billie said as he felt his face equally red. He wondered at this moment if his cousin was really attracted to him, or just confused by early feelings she had for him.

***

Stuffing the ring in his pocket, Tre started for the downstairs foyer. Making his way down the hall, then the stairs, he saw Rose and Billie Joe just coming out into the front foyer.

He didn't say anything, he just was sure that Rose was mad at him again. Billie looked up the stairs and saw Tre coming back down to join everyone. Mike, April and her daughter Cailie also came back out to the foyer.

"Let's go..." Rose said finally breaking the silence.

"You're still going to go?" Tre questioned.

"That's what I just said," Rose said with attitude.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Tre asked.

"No....well sort of. Let's just leave it at that for today," Rose grinned.

"You're the boss," Tre grinned back at her.

"Yes I am," Rose smirked.

Billie Joe scratched his head nervously. He wasn't so sure he wanted to go now after what happened between Rose and himself. But he figured he should, just to be kind to Tre.

"Mike babe, we have to go drop Cailie off with a sitter," April said.

"I can look after myself," the little girl said crossing her arms.

This made all the adults laugh. "She probably won't cause as much chaos as we're going to actually," Billie said.

"Yeah, but whether she likes it or not, she's getting a babysitter," April grinned.

"I guess you need to go pick up Adrienne too, eh Bill?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I do..." Billie said nervously and exchanged glances with Rose.

Rose felt extremely uncomfortable right now, but she knew she couldn't let it faze her mind on this day.

"Come on Frank..." Rose said taking her husbands hand and pulling him out to the car.

"You're freaking me out right now..." he said as he got in the driver's side and Rose the passenger's

"Why?"

"Because, you're acting...not mad at me."

"I already told you I'm not that mad."

"Well, what are you then?" Tre asked as he stuck his keys in the ignition.

"A little bit pissed off, but mostly shocked," she sighed.

"Okay, well what are you pissed off, and what are you shocked about then?"

"I'm shocked that it's obvious you've known about this trial forever and you've kept it from me," Rose answered him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I've been really scared."

"I know," Rose answered.

"Then what are you pissed off about?" Tre asked her.

"I'm pissed off that you didn't allow me a chance to kick Sarah in her anorexic fucking ass," Rose said as they pulled out of the driveway.

"Whoa...what?"

"You heard me."

"Umm...you're more mad at Sarah than me?" Tre said as he scratched his head with confusion.

Rose ignored his question and just said, "Nobody fucking touches my Frank but me."

"That's right..." Tre said giving her a goofy smile and then looking in his rearview mirror. Mike's BMW turned off somewhere, as did Billie's off in the direction of his home.

"I don't feel like waiting around the bay for those dicks, let's just drive to Hollywood right now," Rose said.

"Yeah, agreed. They can call one of us on our cells if they need too," Tre said nodding his head.

"Yeah."

Just then Tre pulled off on the side of the highway and unexpectedly gave his wife a kiss. Rose was a little taken aback by it but got into it after a few seconds.

"What was that for?" Rose asked as their lips parted.

"It's a thank you for the present you got me," Tre answered. "But what does the weird engraving mean?"

"'Vater Ihrer Kinder', it means 'Father of Her Children' in German," Rose answered as she looked into his eyes.

"So what are you saying?"

"I was going to wait until today to tell you. I came back from the doctors a couple of weeks ago, and they were able to do DNA testing of the baby still in the womb..." Rose said.

"They were?" Tre said, starting to get a sense of what she was about tell him.

"Yeah, and...," Rose started.

"Yes?" Tre said.

"You're the daddy Frank..." Rose whispered.