We're Going Down, Down in an Earlier Square?

.:You're P.O.V:.
Arriving back at the unnamed house, Pete and I got out of his car, and raced each other up the stairs with our bags. I think Pete let me win, considering that he was only at the bottom step when I was on the first landing.

Pete and I entered our room, and dropped our bags next to his bed. His arms wrapped around my waist, and his lips searched for mine. Turning my head, our lips touched, and magnetically connecting themselves to each other. Pete pushed me down onto my bed.

His hand slid up my shirt, and mine up his. His lips went from mine, to my neck, but back to my lips. He was about to pull my shirt off, when the door opened.

"This is why they should separate the boys from the girls when assigning them rooms." We looked at the door, and found Billie standing in the frame.

"Hello Billie." Pete said, his voice dripping with disappointment.

"Hello to you too Pete. God! You remind me of me when I was.... out of ... school."

"Oh, yes Bille, we're just like you." I teased. Billie glared at me, and then pulled me out of bed.

"Ready?" he asked. I sighed, and nodded. Closing my eyes, I felt the almost familiar feeling of being swept off my feet and into a place that I only see in my mind.

"What are we going to do today?" I asked, dreading his unsaid answer.

"We're going to work on energy control." he said, "I'm not sure how it works, it's debatable. All I know is that it has something to do with collecting happy thoughts. Magic ya see is run entirely on happy thoughts. Or something really bad can happen if you want it to. Like the ran on your beach, it was triggered by the way you felt and in your mind, some how compared to how you were feeling with the weather. So if you think happy thoughts and keep them in a jar or something, you will be able to use more energy and not tire as quickly has you have before.... Did any of that make sense to you?"

"Um......" you answered like a little child. Billie laughed, and sat you down.

"Just try to picture yourself putting your happy thoughts into a jam jar or something."

"What ever." you closed your eyes, but then opened them, "How will I know it's working?"

"I'll know."

"But Billi, you have no magical bone in your body. How can you tell?"

"Even though "Gifters" can sense magic flawlessly, other people, like me, can sense it too, only it's not as strong."

"Oh."

"So are you willing to give it a try?"

"Yes." I closed my eyes, and instantly, a glass jar was sitting on the floor in front of me. The lid was off, and it was empty. Thinking of my happy thoughts, I concentrated on present and past things.

My mother. She was the only relative that I had and I loved her dearly. When I was nineteen, she passed away, and I wasn't there to take care of her while she was sick. Even though I get sad when I think of her, I still remember the fun times we had. I placed an imaginary picture in the glass jar, and concentrated on my next thought.

Pete. He was the right one. I knew that from the moment we first kissed. Why I didn't realize that I loved him in the first place was beyond me. I was happy with him now, and nothing was going to change that. I gently placed him in the glass jar.

I was about to think of something else, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Opening my eyes, and looking up, I saw Billie with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." he said, "I can't teach you. You remind me too much or Adie. Your personality... your smile... your laugh.... everything."

"Billie!" I exclaimed, shocked, "I need this. Please don't let that get in the way."

"I can't teach you. If I do, I'll probably fall in love with you, and get hurt knowing that I can't do anything with you, or I might get fired."

"Billie, please...." I stood, and held his hands, "Tell me what's wrong, and I'll try to avoid being myself as much as possible." Billie shook his head, "Billie, what happened between you and Adie?"

"No."

"Billie."

"No."

"Please?"

"No." sighing, I placed my hands on his temples and tried to search his memory.

.:Billie's memory:.
"Thank you Mr. Armstrong." said a girl with a Reprise shirt on, "Maybe next time you'll think twice before betting on something stupid."

Handing the money over to her, the door opened and Adrianne Armstrong came through.

"Billie, what's going on?"

"Adie! It's not what it looks like."

"Billie!" Adrianne turned around frustrated, and headed up the stairs.

"Adrianne! Please! It's not what it looks like!"

"Usually when someone says that, it most likely IS what it looks like." Adrianne went into her room, the sound of closet doors opening could be heard.

"Adie! Please!"

"Billie! I told you before that if you continued to do this, I would leave and take Jakob and Joey with me. I wasn't kidding, and how DARE you think I was. Billie, it's not legal, and it's still considered cheating."

"Adrianne! Please! I just lost a bet. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"That's what you said last time." Adrianne placed a suitcase on the bed and started throwing clothes in, "And you said that the time before that, and the time before that. I can't keep waiting for you to 'make it up to me'. I don't have forever Billie. If you need someone to please you, I'm here.... But if you would rather spend money on some whore, then I guess you don't love me any more."

"Adrianne! I love you than anything in this entire world."

"Really?" she looked at him, "Because you sure as hell don't act like it."

"Please Adrianne! You and the kids are the ONLY thing that are keeping me going! I have no clue WHAT the hell I would do if you left."

"What do you mean if I left? Billie.... I am leaving." Adrianne closed the suitcase, and pulled it off the bed. Walking down the stairs, she called Joesph and Jakob to her side. Picking up Jakob, she opened the door, and herded Joey out the onto the front lawn.

"Adrianne! Please! Don't go!" she didn't say anything.

A young Jakob turned and looked at his father over his mother's shoulders. A tear rolled down his tiny face, as he waved good bye. His tinny high pitched voice shot through the air, barely loud enough to hear.

"Bye bye daddy." Adrianne, Jakob, and Joey blurred as tears filled Billie Joe Armstrong's eyes. Jakob turned, and wrapped his small arms around his mother's neck.

The scene faded, and everything was black.

.:End Billie's memory:.

.:You're P.O.V:.
Pulling away from him, a tear rolled down my face. He looked at me, and I looked at him.

"Billie, I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Now you know."

"What really happened?"

"There was a bet going on at the recording room that Tre couldn't eat fifty eggs. I bet against that and said that he could. I lost. When I handed her the money, Adrianne came in and took it the wrong way."

"You slept with other women?"

"Only when I was completely drunk and can't remember anything about it."

"Did you ever tell her that before?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"She never believed me. I was screwed."

"Wow." wrapping him into a hug, I felt his tears soak my shoulder, "I'm so sorry Billie."

"Don't be." he answered, "It wasn't your fault." he pulled away, and sat me down, "Why don't you work on those memories?"