Best Thing In Town

Audrey held Katarina's hand as they walked into Mike's house. Both were in so much awe over how spacious it was, compared to the cramped house they'd shared with her grandma. There was definitely a lack of the feminine touch here but if Mike had his way, that would be one of the changes to be made. Audrey was so wide-eyed she even made a little comment, asking if this was a castle. Mike laughed at that as he and Billie Joe dragged the luggage inside and left it on the floor in the front hall.

Billie Joe watched as Mike placed his hand on Audrey's hip and pulled her closer to him, whispering something in her ear. She smiled and nodded, touching her hand to the top of Katarina's head.

"Um, if I can interrupt the happy family, I'm gonna say bye now. I gotta get back home or Adie will castrate me," Billie Joe announced.

Mike and Audrey turned to the dark-haired man and Mike nodded. "Alright, Billie. I'll see you tonight."

Billie Joe gave a small smile and wave to Katarina who waved back. "See ya. Bye Audrey."

"Bye," she replied as the guitarist slipped out the door. Turning to Mike, she took a deep breath and let out a laugh. "Can I just say...wow? This is really nice." She stepped to the right and peered into the dining room and dropped her jaw. "And you're letting us live here?"

"No, I'm not letting you. I want you to live here. There's a difference."

Audrey watched as his slim frame crossed her path and he moved the luggage up against the wall. He turned and leaned down to Katarina's level. Something in Audrey made her heart swell at the thought of her daughter finally able to have a male figure in her life. She'd missed out on having one in her own first four years of life and up until this point so had her daughter.

"You wanna see your bedroom?" Katarina nodded her head vigorously and smiled with her lips and eyes. "Okay, c'mere," he said, scooping her up into his arms and then gesturing for Audrey to follow them up the stairs. "Now, there's five bedrooms," he began. "One's Estelle's. The other is mine. And that leaves three, so I figure Kat can choose whatever one she wants and I wasn't sure what you wanted to do. If you wanted to pick the remaining two or, uh...share with me."

They reached the second floor and Audrey looked over at Mike, giving him a shrug. "I hadn't thought about it," she admitted, sheepishly.

Mike nodded. "It's okay. No rush." Setting Katarina down he opened three doors along the hallway and then stood in the middle. Looking at the four year old he gestured. "Okay, sweetie, look at the rooms that are open and go ahead and pick which one you want."

Skipping and running at the same time, Katarina seemed to move by them in a giddy blur as she ducked into one room. Audrey laughed, peering her head inside as well.

"I know she looks happy, but I can't help but think later she's gonna throw a tantrum talking about missing her old room and my grandma."

"It's understandable. But, she's only four. It's not like you pulled her out of school. She's not in kindergarten yet and she wasn't in day care, so she'll be starting out with making friends and whatnot here."

Audrey nodded in agreement. "I know."

Katarina took that moment to run out of the room and scamper into the one across the hall. Her little voice rang out like a song. "I want this one!"

"Don't you wanna see the last room?" Mike wondered. He stepped inside with Audrey to find the little girl shaking her head and bobbing up and down.

"Nope. Look at the window," she pointed eagerly. "It's round and has a couch. Like a castle tower," she cooed.

Mike smirked and gestured to one of the doors inside the room. "Both this room and Estelle's are connected by that bathroom. Both also have the bay window with seat. That would be the rounded upstairs windows you can see from outside."

Audrey nodded her head, taking it in. "It's a lovely room. What color do you want it to be, Kat?"

"Pink. Pink and purple and blue and white. And Pink."

"Hey, Katarina. How about you play in here for a few minutes while I show your mommy the other bedrooms, okay? Can you promise to stay right here and not go off running anywhere?"

Katarina bobbed her head as she skipped up to the window and hopped up onto the bench to look outside. Mike smirked and lead Audrey out of the room. He showed her the third free bedroom that Katarina hadn't bothered to look at. It was the smallest out of all of them and slightly cluttered with odds and ends that Mike never knew what to do with. Something he apologized for her having to see. She shrugged it off and admired the room nonetheless.

He showed her Estelle's room, loving the cutesy girl design. It was neat and full up with toys and stuffed animals and a little TV and DVD and a stereo just for his daughter. Pictures hung on the wall of Mike holding her when she was a baby and she couldn't help but smile and point and say, 'Aww.' Mike just shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped out of the room, signaling for her to follow him.

"Last but not least...my room." He pushed open the door. It was semi-chaotic in side. "Please, don't mind the mess. It's usually worse," he joked. "But, um...that's my dresser, the walk-in closet's over there, the bathroom, uh...the obvious, the bed..."

Audrey gave him an impish smirk and walked further inside, studying the decor and all the tidbits he had lying around or hanging up. "Mess aside, it's a very nice bedroom." She turned her hazel eyes to his blue ones which she was surprised to find already locked on her. "I like it," she added lamely.

"So, uh...you don't have to decide where you wanna stay right now, but, um...you okay with coming with me to Tre's house tonight for New Years?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Maybe a little awkward, but fun." He looked at her and she pushed some hair behind her ear. "Okay, a lot awkward. I mean, everyone's gonna look at me and whisper, 'There's the woman Mike knocked up and moved into his house.'"

Mike raised an eyebrow. "No one will do that." Off Audrey's 'Yeah, right' look he fixed his statement. "Well, if anyone does...I'll punch 'em."

She laughed. "And if it's a woman that says it? You gonna hit a girl?" she folded her arms and waited expectantly.

"I'll do what I hafta."

Taking a step closer, he looked at the shape of her face and reached an arm out, pushing his fingers into her hair and brushing it back out of her face as his hand cupped her cheek. She brought her own hand to cover his as she leaned into his touch and smiled. He smiled back.

"Welcome home," he muttered.