Sequel: Hope

Purple Hearts

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This story is the sequel of Cherry Lips and Tattoos. Please read this before you read Purple Hearts, everything will become clearer then. Thank you :)

Adrienne Armstrong sat anxiously in her car outside the airport building waiting for Franky and Charlie to emerge. Their flight had been delayed by an hour and she had been sitting there for what seemed like ages. The headache that she had woken up with was getting worse but then that wasn't surprising after the discovery she had made in Joey's room last night. It was eating away at her and she really needed to confide in Franky. Adrienne was sure that she would be the only one that would understand, Franky would know what to do.

Then she was going to have to tell her the news about Billie, how was she going to take it? Reaching over to her handbag to get some painkillers for her headache and the usual bottle of water that she always carried with her, Adrienne sighed.

**

Brian the tattooist closed the door to his shop and switched the sign around so that it read 'Closed' from the outside. He scratched his head and thought about the last customer that had just left. Brian knew him well as he was well known and he was the second guy that week to have that tattoo done, a purple heart with a name beside it.

Both guys had had the same name done and Brian had recognised it immediately. He was sworn to secrecy though, in his line of work a lot of his clients were famous and some of their tattoos were private. It would be more than his jobs worth to spill the beans or tell anyone about this. The guy that had just left had covered the tattoo over with his watch as if hiding it, just like the previous guy had done.

**

Tre was having a last minute tidy round of the house. He couldn't wait to see Franky again and had missed her. It had only been a month but it had seemed like ages, now he knew how she must have felt when he had been away on tour. He realised now how hard it must be for the one left at home, as the person that was away was experiencing new and exciting things. The month that Franky had been away had dragged for Tre even though quite a lot had happened during it.

He glanced at the newspaper that was lying on the kitchen table and turned to page 3 and the column on the right side. This news had finally hit the newsstands, and had been on the breakfast news only that morning. By tomorrow it would be old news and hopefully everyone will forget about it soon. He read the article again.

GREEN DAY SINGER AND WIFE IN SHOCK SPLIT

Award winning Green Day singer Billie Joe Armstrong and his wife Adrienne have made the decision to separate after 13 years of marriage. They both say it was a mutual decision and have apparently parted on good terms. The split will come as a shock to many as the couple have always seemed very close and have seen through a few troubled times in the past. Billie Joe said that it wouldn't affect his band at all and that they will continue performing together. Billie and Adrienne have two boys together, Joseph 14 and Jakob 11.


Tre flung the newspaper down thinking that whoever wrote that was so wrong and was surprised that they hadn't picked up on what had really been going on. Some of their fansites had even gotten wind of it.

The fact that Green Day were no more.

And that was that. The guys couldn't quite get their act together since their last tour, seven months ago. It was a sad situation and Tre felt so alone. Mike and his wife Jen had a new baby on the way and Billie, well who knew about Billie, as Tre hadn't seen him in a while, not since they'd all been arrested just after Franky had left for England.

What a farce that had been. They'd all been let off of course as they'd all had witnesses to say that they had been somewhere else at the time of the shootings. Thank fuck for that. He was glad those two had gone, Plastic Pam and her sidekick Sven who had been bribing him and Adi for a while. He was glad they were dead but nobody had been arrested yet for their murder. The police said that anybody could have done it as they had made many enemies across the country and had bribed thousands of people over the years. Good riddance thought Tre remembering the bitch vividly and all the trouble she had caused.

Walking out to the hall he caught a glimpse of his favourite photograph of himself and his wife Sammi at Milton Keynes. It made him smile each time and brought back wonderful memories. He didn't feel so sad about Sammi anymore just held such amazing happy times with her in his head and in his heart.

When she had died he had been devastated, she had been the love of his life after all, but he was coming through it with the help of Franky and his old friends. What a sad situation it had been and such a cruel way to die, so young of breast cancer aged only 33.

Tre replaced the photograph back into its usual place and headed downstairs to the basement, his and Franky's favourite room, the room which held all their instruments, all the mementoes of his time with Green Day and family photographs.

A room to just laze around play pool or just sit quietly and read.

A room to do what you wanted in.

He looked over his and Franky's drum kits just sitting there. He hadn't played in a while now and he sorely missed it, he missed the buzz of being with his friends and discovering new beats, the laughter and the messing around. He really missed it but he knew that he was probably the only one out of the three of them that did. He couldn't believe that it had come to this; they had been through so much together.

Glancing at a photograph of him and Franky taken at her 18th birthday just a month earlier his heart lifted once again. He loved Franky so much and he was so proud of her. Her band, The Xtras had been in the public eye just lately as their first single 'Stars and Tears' had had radio play and was tipped by many to be a huge hit. The rest of the band were anxious to get Franky back home and to get their promotional shots taken. Adrienne had designed a special range of clothing just for them and Tre had seen it, it was fabulous.

He glanced at his watch again. Not long now and he would have Franky back home where she belonged. She'd been through a lot just recently he thought but he hoped that she was rested after her break, she was about to begin a rollercoaster ride and he hoped that she was ready.

**

Franky couldn't shift her headache but there was nothing that she could do about it. She couldn't take anything because of the baby; so she'd just have to put up with it. Pulling along her trolley suitcase as she walked through the airport to meet Adi she felt apprehensive all of a sudden.

"Charlie!" she shouted at her oldest friend walking in front of her with his own suitcase trolley.

Charlie turned.

"Are you OK?" he said concern written all over his face.

"I just want to get our story straight once more," Franky said walking up to him.

"Oh Franky you know how I feel about that. Why can't you just tell them the truth that you are pregnant and you're not sure who the father is? It would be fair to everyone. They have a right to know you know, James, Billie and Gerard. You can have a test done to find out who the real father is, it's that simple," he said knowing what her answer would be. They'd been over it a few times already. She wanted to do this her way. That was Franky, stubborn as usual but he loved her for it.

"It would be too complicated," said Franky. "I just want to stick to the original plan, to keep it from them for a couple of weeks then pretend I'd only just found out that I was pregnant and that its some guy from England's that I'd slept with. It would be much easier, easier all round," she said but also suddenly unsure about what she really wanted to say to everyone. She wanted to tell her Dad the truth, but everyone else... she just didn't want them to know. This was the best way; she'd made her decision and was going to stick by it.

"I don't think it will be easier but we've been over this so many times and you know how I feel," said Charlie running his hand through his floppy dark blonde hair.

"When the baby's born I can just say it's a month early," said Franky.

"I'm not sure but I know you've made up your mind and if that's what you want then... I'll go along with it for you," Charlie said.

"You always did what I wanted," said Franky.

"I know and I must have 'MUG' written across my forehead, now come on. Lets go and find Adi, she must have been waiting ages for us," Charlie said gathering up his trolley and shaking his head at his friend.

Franky trundled behind. Why was everything so complicated?

**

"Hey Franky!" called Adi as she got out of the car after seeing the two of them emerge from the airport building.

"Adi!" said Franky a huge smile spreading across her face. "I love your hair, its shorter than I've ever seen it but I'm glad you kept these dreads," she said touching one.

"Thanks, I just felt like a change," said Adi.

"Hi Charlie," said Adi giving him a hug. He was huge at six foot four and he loomed over Adi but still gave her a warm hug, her tendrils tickling against his cheek. His stomach leapt. He'd always had this thing for her.

"Come on, let's get you two home," said Adi opening the back of the car for them to put their luggage in. "Your Dad's missed you," said Adi looking at Franky and noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"And I've missed him," said Franky and she had. She'd missed her Dad and his hugs, the familiar smell of him and his funny ways. She couldn't wait to see him again. She was very tempted to tell him about her baby but she knew that what she was doing was for the best. She was definately going to pretend that the father was someone else, a quick fling from England. Yes, it would be much easier that way she almost convinced herself.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Tre again too," said Charlie. "I haven't had a drink with him in ages."

Adrienne glanced in the rearview at Franky looking out the window.

She still looks tired, even more so than before she left for her break thinks Adi. She's probably just been partying too hard with Charlie over in England.

I have so much to tell her and will try and get her alone so that I can explain everything, explain about my discovery in Joey's room and explain about what has happened to Billie.

I'm so not looking forward to telling her about Billie.