John's Revenge

**February 10th 1996**
*Mike's POV*
I yawned and poured myself my tenth coffee of the morning. Billie walked in in his boxers, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Hiya Sleeping Beauty," I grinned, yawning.

"Whatever. What's the time?"

"Um, well, it must be quite late, I've had ten coffees... God! It's only 9 am!"

"Really?" Billie began to say something, but was cut off by a huge yawn.

"God, look at us. What happened?" I frowned.

"I don't know," I sobbed. "Look at us! We're exhausted! I've had so much coffee, but I still don't feel a caffeine high, you're bloody exhausted and you only just got up, you're normally so chirpy in the morning, and Tré!"

I gestured to the couch where Tré was passed out, drooling, and snoring slightly.

"He got up five minutes ago, walked across the room, then passed out on the couch! It's not as if he's high or drunk or anything! What happened man?"

We were both sobbing. "We're girls! We're tired, emotional and hormonal and we wanna go home!"

We wailed loudly and cried in each other's arms. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my face and Billie and I sprung apart.

"Pull yourselves together, Girl Scouts!" Tré towered above us. "We're all fucking exhausted, but crying is not the solution! Let's go home!"

"Yeah!" Billie ran to the front of the bus. "Terry! Change of plan! We're going home! No arguments! Step on it!"

*Adrienne's POV*
I sat on the couch watching Joey and Addy play on the floor with their teddies and dolls.

Addy crawled over to me and pulled a photo of Billie off the coffee table, holding it out to me and pointing at him. I pulled her into my knee and hugged her.

"Daddy will be home soon. Just remember that he loves you and Joey very much."

Addy and Joey stared at me and started giggling.

"What? What is it?" I screamed as I felt two arms grab me and pull me off the couch.

A pair of lips came down on mine and kissed me. I pulled away.

"Get off or I swear... Billie! You jerk! I was so scared!" I grabbed a cushion and threw it at him. He ducked, chuckling and yawning. Addy and Joey crawled over with their teddy bears, throwing them at Billie.

"Hey! Cut it out!" he laughed, yawning.

"Sweetie, you look exhausted! What happened?"

"I don't know, all three of us look exhausted because we are exhausted! We've been working almost non-stop for almost three years and we just couldn't handle it anymore, so we've cancelled the rest of the tour."

**March 15th 1996**
I heard the alarm beeping and I turned it off.

"Adie, sweetie, wake up! We've got to get the house ready!"

Adie groaned and sat up. "Billie! It's 4:30 in the morning!"

"It's the twins' first birthday! We've got to get ready!"

Adie was lying back down. I sighed.

"Well, I'm going to have a shower and get dressed, then I expect you to get up, OK?"

After hearing a muffled murmur, I walked into the bathroom. I had a shower and brushed my teeth. Looking in the mirror, I could tell I looked better than I did a month ago. For one thing, I didn't look like the living dead.

I pulled on my battered Ramones shirt, a pair of black jeans and novelty Mickey Mouse socks Tré got me for my birthday.

"Honey, time to get up," I gently lifted Adie out of bed and guided her to the bathroom.

"Thanks, sweetie," she smiled. "You know I'm not a morning person."

"That's OK. I'm going to finish wrapping the presents," I kissed her on the cheek and went downstairs into the living room. I opened the cupboard and pulled out Addy and Joey's presents. I wrapped them and placed them on the table, along with the presents from my Mom, brothers and sisters and Adie's parent's and brothers.

Adie walked downstairs as I was blowing up the first of the balloons. We finished them together and hung them up along with the Happy Birthday banners and streamers.

We tidied up and were drinking coffee when we heard Joey shouting from his and Addy's room.

"Dada! Dada! Mama! Mama!"

We went upstairs together, wearing party hats. He saw us and giggled, pointing at our hats.

"Don't laugh buddy," I grinned, producing another hat from behind my back. "This one's for you!"

I put it on him and he clapped his hands and started jumping up and down.

"Out! Out!"

Adie lifted him out and I picked Addy up.

"Dada!" she smiled, revealing her new, perfectly white teeth, before kissing my cheek.

"Hey Addy," I smiled, hugging her.

"Joe!" She waved to Joey.

"Linn!" he chirped, waving back.

Joey couldn't say Addy, it came out like Daddy, which Adie and I didn't like him calling her.

"Hat," she frowned. "Me hat!"

"Say please."

"Pease hat!"

I took out another hat and put it on her.

"We've got a surprise for you," I smiled as we carried them downstairs.

They gasped when they saw the decorations.

"Oooh!"

"Why?" said Joey, pointing at the décor.

"It's your birthday!"

Joey frowned. "Linn?"

"It's Adeline's birthday too," Adie smiled.

They both frowned.

"A year ago today, Joey and Addy were given to Mommy and Daddy as a very special kind of present," I explained awkwardly.

They still frowned. "Never mind," I sighed.

We sat down on the couch with them and passed them each a present.

"For you."

Joey, remembering Christmas, tore off the paper to reveal yet another teddy bear to add to his collection. He hugged it before placing it next to him on the sofa.

Addy behaved almost identically. After finishing opening the presents (that included teething rings from my slightly senile grandmother) we walked outside.

"You both have one more present," Adie said as we helped the twins walk outside.

We led them down to the bottom of the garden where we had put a pink 'car' for Addy and a blue 'car' for Joey.

"Oooh!" they gasped.

"Joey," Adie said, leading him to the blue 'car', " this is for you." She sat him in the seat and showed him how to walk along to make the car move. Soon, he was racing round the garden.

"Addy," I said as I led her to the pink 'car'. "This is yours." I showed her how to make it move as Adrienne took pictures of us all.

"Dank oo!" She hugged us both and kissed us.

"Why don't you go and show Joey your present?" Adie smiled. Adie and I sat on the patio, watching them and smiling as they 'drove' alongside each other.

"I'd better go inside," Adie said getting up. "I've got to get the cake and all the food ready before everyone gets here."

"I'll help," I said. I walked over to Addy and Joey.

"Mommy and Daddy have gone inside," I said, pointing towards the house. "OK?"

They smiled, giggling.

I walked inside with Adie and I started putting the party food on plates as she made the cake.

We were putting the cake in the oven when the doorbell rang.

"Honey, could you get that?" Adie smiled. "I'll put a table out for people to put presents on."

I opened the door.

"Hi, Liv, Tré, hey Mona," I smiled kissing Mona and Liv on the cheeks, and hugging Tré.

"Adie's in the kitchen," I said, leading them through.

"Where can I put this?" Tré asked holding up a present.

"Um, there's a table over there," Adie smiled, popping up from behind the counter and walking round to greet everyone.

"Where are the birthday girl and boy?" Tré asked, taking Mona from Liv as Adie got out a bottle of wine.

"Outside," I led Tré outside and grabbed two bottles of beer.

We sat down on the patio and watched the three of them play together.

After a few minutes, Mike walked outside.

"Hey guys," he smiled. "How are Joey and Addy?"

"They're great, they're over there with Mona."

We sat in the sun, drinking beer and watching the kids, when Adie, Annie and Liv came outside.

"OK, can everyone go inside now, I just need to get Addy and Joey changed," Adie said, picking up Addy. "Billie, little help?"

Adie and I went upstairs. I put Joey in his jeans, a T-shirt and baby Converses. Addy was wearing a pink dress and some pink hair clips.

We took them downstairs and put them in high-chairs next to each other at the head of the table.

We ate and fed the children. Adie went into the kitchen and got the cake, shaped like a one with a candle at either end, one for each of them.

We sang Happy Birthday and showed Addy and Joey how to blow out the candles, which they did, getting icing everywhere.

Later that evening, we tidied up and took all the decorations down, packing them in boxes until next year.

**August 24th 1996**
*Tré's POV*
I drove Mike over to Billie Joe's house where we were staying the night before Mike and Annie's wedding.

I was Mike's Best Man, Billie Joe was a groomsman, as was Annie's brother, Fred. Annie's best friend, Stephanie is Maid of Honour, Adie, Liv and Mike's sister, Myla are bridesmaids. Joey is the ring-bearer and Mona and Addy are flower girls.

Mike was going between being incredibly nervous and being incredibly excited. At the moment, he was incredibly nervous.

"I mean, what if it all goes wrong? What if she leaves me at the altar? What if she decides she doesn't love me anymore?"

"If, if, if," I mocked. "Look, Annie loves you. She wouldn't be marrying you if she didn't love you. Calm down. From what Liv said earlier, she's practically bouncing off the walls from excitement. Now, breathe... breathe... breathe... "

We pulled into Billie's driveway, me helping calm down Mike using Lamaze-type breathing exercises.

"OK, buddy, are you better now?"

"Um," gulped Mike. "I guess so. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"Hey, it's OK. Everyone gets nervous."

We got out of the car, grabbing our over-night bags and went inside. We were greeted by Billie.

"I've got a surprise for you!" Billie thrust a package into Mike's hands. Frowning, he unwrapped it.

"Oh," said Mike. "Socks." He held up a pair of red woollen socks.

"Yup." Billie grinned proudly. "It's so you don't get cold feet."