You and Me, Forever Young

"Where is he? He promised he'd be here!"

"You know how he is sweetie; sometimes he just can't make it."

"But he promised..." Zackie whined sadly.

I turned around in the car to look back at the fidgeting five year old in his seat.

"I know Zackie, and I know daddy breaks promises... but he loves you and I'm sure he'll make it up to you. He has a funny way of working things out." I explained with a comforting smile.

That was all I hoped for too.

Will was suppose to catch the red eye last night from LAX to O'Hare to make it back in time for Zackie's first day of school but thanks to a freak storm it got delayed.

It had been two months since we had actually seen Will as he had been on a world tour with a couple label mates, and it was easy to say we were all taking the distance hard.

-x-x-x-x-

"Lilly I really miss you."

"I know sweetie, but it's your job, it can't be perfect."

He sighed. "It sucks you're always right."

Even though he couldn't see it I nodded, and I knew he knew I nodded.

"I don't feel like much of a dad out here, I'm sorry." He murmured sadly.

I hated it when he felt guilty about being away, so I did the second best thing I could do as opposed to being with him.

"Want me to get the kids on the phone?"

-x-x-x-x-

It was all part of the job description and I had come to accept it with the five years we had been married.

And Will had been true to his word, The Academy Is... had been on hiatus for two and a half years, as much time as they could spare to see their kids grow up.

We flew out to shows when we could, went on tour with them when there was a spare moment, and tried to make it easier for him.

Will had been right all those years ago when he said AP was just a stepping stone for bigger and better things.

With all the work I had put into the band I finally managed to get a job, and a job with Fueled By Ramen of all places.

Working in the same industry as your husband we realized makes things a little easier.

-x-x-x-x-

We were in some random city in the Midwest during the latest The Academy Is... tour and they were just finishing the last song.

I had been there on business to check out a band Fueled By Ramen was considering when I realized the happy accident we had stumbled upon.

Jack had managed to smuggle us in undetected and I held Zackie in my arms as they sang.

I thought I had been doing so good hiding in the wings of the stage but I should've known at least one of the guys would've spotted me, it just happened to be The Butcher.

He stopped playing for a moment to grin to me, then threw his drumstick at William's head.

There was a slightly sour look on his face for a moment before he followed The Butcher's directing finger to Zackie and I backstage.

Words can't describe the look he had on his face, but if it could be compared to anything it'd be a kid on Christmas.

He turned back to the mic, never taking his eyes off us.

"Hey, I know that was our last song, but if I could bother all of you for just moment longer, I'd like to bring my wife and son out here."

He grinned deviously and beckoned us out with one finger.

By this time I had given up fighting him when he did this (I had missed him far too long) and walked out onstage to the louder cheers.

I didn’t even pause in my step as I pulled Will into a kiss no old fashion romance could beat.

After the show we were still kissing as Zackie lay asleep somewhere in Mike and Sisky's room, and we went further still, making up for the months we had missed.

-x-x-x-x-

And that really had been one of the best decisions I had made... and also one of our best mistakes I mused to myself as we sat in our idling car in front of the day care.

I briefly thought of Jamie and Zoe somewhere in the state in the same situation I was in, waiting for their husband/father/favorite musician, to come home.

We were our own support system when the months got rough, when we were alone for holidays.

After the first two years we had given up on the long drives up to our in laws through the snow and traffic in the early hours of holidays, and instead just spent it with each other and whoever was in town without family, which happened to be more people than you'd think.

Our kids had an interesting childhood to say the least, though it was still both of our missions to make sure they didn’t go deaf before their tenth birthday.

It was then Zackie began screaming.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look its daddy! Daddy came!"

I could feel my eyes grow wide as I followed his pointing chubby finger out the window.

It was almost a comical sight, the 6'3, skinny as a stick twenty-eight year old holding the hand of a skipping three year old girl who, even from this distance it was clear she was babbling on about something.

What made the scene even more heartwarming was how William hung onto her every word like it was gold, staring down at her with all the love in the world.

Somehow he had beaten us from Zackie's elementary school to the preschool our daughter went to.

Over the years I had learned not to waste whatever precious time I had with Will, so as soon as I saw him, I got out the car (grabbing Zackie out of his seat of course).

He didn't stay in my arms long with all his squirming and as soon as he got both his feet on the ground he went running toward Will in a blur.

"Daddy!" He squealed, flinging himself at him.

We traded off kids as Kaylie ran toward me.

"Mommy!"

The ball of fire disguised as a little girl came flying at me, her dark pigtails bouncing in the breeze looking too much like a spitting image of Boo from Monsters Inc.

And there we stood on opposite ends of the sidewalk from each other, holding our respective kids.

-x-x-x-x-

We had never planned to have a family, so I suppose our second child being completely unplanned was just the norm for us.

This time though Will was in town to see me panicking.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god!" I exclaimed to myself, pacing.

"What is it?" Will asked in an equally panicked voice.

I looked up at him with wide anxious eyes. "I'm late... I'm late... I'm late."

"For what? A meeting with the Queen of Hearts? Be more specific."

I whirled on him, throwing the pillow in my hand straight for his head.

"I think I'm pregnant you idiot! What kind of Alice in Wonderland shit do you think I do?!" I yelled, shoving him out the door to the drug store.

I had successfully paced the entire house, stared at Zackie reliving the last time we had done this, and bit my nails to quick by the time Will came home with the pregnancy test... a whole bag full of them.

"I didn't know which one to choose, and we have to be sure." He explained, his hands tearing at the plastic bag as if it was completely knotted like our Chinese take out.

Sure enough, twelve tests (twice as many as Zackie) and twelve unholy plus signs later... it was pretty official.

This time though went smoother than the last, definitely less drama, and we gave birth to a healthy baby girl; Kaylie.

She was daddy’s little girl in every way, having not only him but every one of our guy friends wrapped around her finger (she never asked for a pony because that’s what the Butcher was for.)

-x-x-x-x-

"Lilly."

I almost wasn’t aware of Will's voice over the pounding of my heart.

After all these years he still made me weak at the knees and my stomach do somersaults.

I had only set down Kaylie for a moment before Will had gathered me up in his arms.

If I had thought earlier he was looking at Kaylie with love, he could've been saying hello to her with the look he gave me.

"I missed you." He whispered in my ear.

I didn’t even get a chance to tell him the same before he pulled me into a head spinning kiss.

"I missed you too." I breathed dazedly, my eyes half closed.

He chuckled and pulled me closer by the waist.

The two children jumping happily at our feet finally managed to bring us down from cloud nine enough to realize they wanted more attention.

Will scooped up Kaylie in his arms while Zackie settled for locking himself around Will's leg.

We walked like that to the car, half listening to the kids ramble on about their day.

"How did you get here? I thought you were still in LA waiting for your flight?" I asked him as we drove home.

He turned to me, the weariness in his eyes more apparent.

"Darling, I don’t let anything get between me and the people I love." He grinned; I noted the five o'clock shadow on his face and what could've been dried drool on his cheek.

"Good lord Will, really how did you get here?" I asked.

With a mischievous grin he answered me. "Let's just say I was lucky the people working there were big fans of Fall Out Boy... and that I had their numbers in my phone... and if Pete calls I'm not here."

I laughed and felt the usual blush creep up my cheeks as Will reached over for my hand.

The entire drive home he stroked my hand, the one bit of contact making up for the months apart.

We got the kids out of the car with us and let them run along into the house while we took our time walking up, both in each others embrace.

"Lilly, I don't think I told you this in a while, but I love you."

I looked up at him, the setting sun catching in his chocolate brown eyes and making them shine.

I smiled and got on my tip toes to kiss him.

"It has been a while since I've heard you tell me that in person." I smiled, settling back down.

Absentmindedly I turned to him. "Oh by the way, I love you too."

We made it a few steps closer to the house when Will stopped and picked me up in his arms, my toes inches from the ground.

A second later I found myself in an intense kiss with William Beckett that sent me into an entirely different world all our own.

Moments like these were all I needed as reminders of why I put up with the long months without him, the nights I spent staying up till four a.m. just to get a phone call from him in his raspy post show voice, and afterward laying in our bed alone at night trying to recall the feel of his warm body next to me.

He was the reason I woke up everyday, just knowing he was somewhere in the world or, like tomorrow, he'd be in bed next to me and we'd be together.

That was all that mattered these days, that we were together, and that was all I needed to remind myself when the nights were lonely and the months were long.

And by the feeling of his lips still lingering on mine was Will's way of reminding me too.