Communion

With the returning Summer, Green Day had set its hopes on finishing actually writing the material for their new album by the end of that year. 2013 would be reserved for recording and mixing in Hollywood, what the had already created; later that year there would be press conferences and then the start of their world tour.

It was hard and a little bit unbelievable for all members of Green Day to think they'd had such a rough decade emotionally and musically; which had lead to the release of only one album in the last nine years.

They had yet to decide or even bring to the table ideas for the name of their next album. In fact, Billie Joe was the only member of the group that already had a name idea in the back of his mind.

As the month of May passed and died, along with June; Tre was increasingly spending more and more time at Billie's house. Which in turn was becoming very damaging on his relationship with his daughter. Not to go unmentioned, his relationship with his other two children as well. Ramona and Frankito, who he had only seen a speckle at a time during the recent years.

Had Michelle had been only a little older, like her other half siblings, she'd have realized her daddy had a very important job to do. Helping create and perform the ballads; that being the soundtracks to the lives of millions of youths around the world.

And like the bedtime stories her mother told her almost every day about Green Day's infamous career; this is all the young girl understood. She really knew nothing about what: fans, concerts, records, riots and what not was about.

She had only the self-created images of them in her three year old mind.

Rose tried to explain to her daughter, that once daddy was finished with his record; there was a probability they'd all be going on a vacation together (a.k.a. a tour).

Tre would just need to get a permissive bend in his parol restrictions. If he could do it, Green Day would hopefully be back on the road with something they all thought would come close to another Warning Tour.

When the Spring finally faded to the Summer, the California Northern, Oakland County became blastedly warm. The Armstrong's villa, situated in the North Berkeley Hills also became a heat trap. Which made writing and calamerating in Billie's basement no more of a pleasure.

The band could feel it in the air along with the heat. Stillness and motionless. A deep breath before they were to take off in another extraordinary direction in their career. It was borderline nervousness and butterflies in each of their stomachs.

* * *

As Billie Joe sat home alone today, in his upstair's master bedroom producing more and more lyrical masterpieces; he started to think of Rose and her issues. He began to wonder to himself what it was that could be done to help a woman who obviously was uncomfortable with any major changes in her life. A woman who had obviously fallen into a rut she couldn't pull herself back out of.

And today marked the beginning of the Summer of '12. It was to be a quiet summer with little events taking place in the lives of Green Day and their families. In fact, the only thing Billie Joe saw happening in the current, near future, was trying to hoax Rose into attending a protest he'd been invited to to try and keep Redwood Forest better preserved.

He knew she'd hate the crowds, cameras and media attention. But as her loving, caring and concerned cousin, he felt this to be the perfect opportunity to let her get over her meaningless fears.

Her anxiety producing fear of people.

Without a doubt in his mind, something needed to be done. And he knew he was the one to do it. As he gently floated his bare feet over the plush duvét covering his king sized bed, he threw down a notebook on his night table. Sighing as he did so; he jumped off the bed and picked up a wrinkled old dress shirt off the floor and threw it on.

Running his fingers through his hair, Billie gazed out the picturesque window to a nice view of the bay. The long distance he could see over the tall trees that framed the scenery reminded him of looking over a crowd of people. The sun just shone in his eyes like a spotlight beaming him the attention to a stadium of spectators.

And it was at this moment Billie Joe began to wonder himself, how he'd perform and be in front of a large crowd of people after all this time. It brought a grin to the face of this forty-one year old man, whom all of a sudden felt, like making Rose go to a crowded place, with lots of people, was contridicting himself.

Because he to was now feeling paranoia.

But he had to admit, if there was one person he'd like to be with when trying to get back over his own fears of large crowds; like he once had when he was younger gigging in pizzerias. The person he'd feel the most comfortable with was Rose.

As he snapped out of self-absorbed trance, he found himself already on his way downstairs to a house that was silent and vacant. Adrienne had taken the kids to Minnesota to visit her family and would be gone for two weeks; leaving Billie behind, due to how busy he was with the new record.

He sauntered into the kitchen to make himself an instant coffee, before his plans of driving over to the Cool's residence and giving Rose a pleading 'invitation'.

* * *

"It's so good having you home for a day," Rose chattered as she came into the living room; her daughter rested on one hip and a bottle of apple juice in the other.

"I know, I've missed you..." Tre deemed as his twenty-five, soon to be 26-year-old wife sat down on the living room couch next to him. He planted a kiss on Rose's cheek and then that of his daughter who obliged by turning her face in the other direction. Tre's piercing blue eyes gazed up through his lashes at his wife, whom had also noticed her daughter's reaction.

"Michelle, give your daddy a kiss..." Rose whispered in her daughter's ear. Rose wasn't sure what to do or say, but she felt much discomfort and could sense her husband's hurt.

Michelle simply took the apple juice bottle from her mother's hand and placed it in her mouth. She wasn't bothered to say a word that she cleverly knew would get her in trouble.

"I'm sorry..." Rose whispered at her husband. "Michelle hon, why don't you go play in your room?" Rose lowered her daughter off her lap and set her down on the floor. Michelle ran off quickly, yet quietly.

Tre was silent and tilted his head back, resting it on the back of the couch. He took in a deep breath that raised his chest and let it out in a meaningful sigh. Rose was coerced with her own thoughts about Tre's relationship with his daughter, but said nothing at this moment.

"I'm a bad father..." Tre let out with suddeness.

"Frank don't..."

"No Rose, I really mean it. I'm a terrible fucking father..." Tre gasped and swallowed back a lump in his throat. "I mean...I don't know...maybe I should just give up on Green Day. Just let it be a proud part of my past and..."

"Frank! Stop right there..."

"What?"

"You're not allowed to quit Green Day. So long as your alive and I'm your wife, I will not let you quit. I won't allow you to fail Mike and Billie. They're your two best friends. And sure, your daughter is more important than friends...b-but your guy's relationship is fucking legendary. If not to the fans that still exist out there somewhere. To me. I am your guy's biggest fan..." Rose said insesently.

"Rose, I..."

"We've put many rough times behind us Frank. Let's wait until this one's behind us too. Michelle...she's still young. I know she will come around. You'll get to see her all the time on tour. Don't forget that...ever." Rose spoke in a tone that comforted Tre tremendously. He could always count on her for that. Giving encouraging words whenever his spirits were dampened.

Tre leant in towards his wife and embraced her like he discovered her to be his new best friend. "Thank you..." he whispered in her ear. He cradled her back and forth with love and savored this moment with his life. He rested his head on the shoulder of her fragile form, and took in the feminine scent of her lavender perfume, that the heated afternoon just condensated in his senses all the more. She appeared to purr with a breath in return, which was very pleasing and calm to his ears.

"Remember...there's always time..."

This moment that should have remained eternally indefinite, was cut short when a loud chime filled the villa with its eery but pleasant melody. Tre lifted his head off his wife's shoulder and gazed her in the eyes with a grin. "I guess I gotta go get that..."

Rose nodded her head with a similar grin as her husband slowly got up off the couch. She ran her hands over her faded jeans, as she stood up and looked towards the foyer her husband was cheesily tiptoeing towards, inconspicuously. "Who is it?" she asked as she saw her husband gaze out the foyer's only window. She was half-heartedly praying he wasn't about to tell her it was Mike.

Tre sighed, "Hmm...it's Billie."

"Oh, good...cool..." Rose sighed with relief. She flicked her long raven hair back behind her shoulder and placed her hand on her forehead in a stressed manner as she turned back towards the couch.

"Hey Bill, what's up?" echoed her husband's unique differentiating voice throughout the downstairs.

"Ah, not much. Was trying to write some shit, but you know...the heat was getting to me. So, you know, screw that..." Billie laughed as he stepped into the front foyer. "Is Rose home?"

Tre clamped his mouth shut and just took both his hands and sharply pointed them towards the living room.

Billie Joe grinned, seeing Rose with her back turned to the two as she appeared to be suddenly insesently cleaning. "Oh yeah, I'm not takin' my shoes off..." Billie Joe said to Tre arrogantly as he stamped his feet on the floor, knocking any dirt off, he walked out into the carpeted living room. "Hey Rose."

"Fuck you too," Tre whispered jokingly.

The averaged heighted woman turned around slowly to look at her cousin and she smiled. "Hey Billie. What brings you to dullsville?" she giggled.

"Well actually, that's just it. I thought maybe you'd like to do something non-dull," Billie Joe said with encouragement as he let himself carelessly collapse in the couch's many cushions.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, as she lowered her eyebrows and gave her cousin a disconcerting stare.

"Well...see, I got invited to this thing..." Billie began.

"What thing?" Rose asked nervously as she began pulling her fingers and cracking her knuckles.

"Well, it's just this thing...it's a protest," Billie choked out nearly inaudibly.

"A protest?" Rose said with an unassured tone. "You mean, with like...people?"

"Umm...yeah..." Billie replied as he scratched his head with equal nervousness. "So...uh..you wanna come with me?"

"Umm, what are they protesting?" Rose asked, trying her damndest to prolong agreeing to go.

"Umm, it's just one of those "Save the Forest" things...that's all...you know?" Billie replied with a sheepish grin and adverted his eyes to Tre who had now found a spot in a chair opposite his position on the couch.

"Uh...well actually, I do have a lot of stuff to do here...I think I'll pass, thanks Billie," Rose replied as she smiled and began to walk out of the room.

Billie jumped up from the couch quickly, yet didn't chase Rose down. He stood his ground instead, and waited for her to turn around, which by the energy released by his sudden movement he was sure would make her do just that.

Sure enough she did. "Whoa...what?" Rose asked as she gave Billie a freakish grin. She walked a few steps further into the room and crossed her arms with curiousity.

"It...just...I really want you to come with me. Come on, it'll be fun..." Billie begged, showing subtle hints of his desperation. "Will you come with me?"

"Am I invited?" Tre asked as he got up from his chair and nudged Billie with a smile. He turned to look at his wife whom was locking eyes with her cousin and still cracking her knuckles. "Hmm?"

"No. I'm just inviting Rose..." Billie said with that usual tone of seriousness in his voice.

"What!?" Tre shrieked.

"Oh, get over it..." Billie grinned again. "C'mon Rose."

"Billie no, I...umm...how many people are gonna be there?" Rose asked with a stuttery voice.

"Oh. not that many. I bet you at most, fifty people," Billie Joe lied with the skill of a mastermind. "It'll be fine. And it's for a good cause. Don't you care about the forest Rose?"

"Oh Billie, shut up," Rose laughed nervously as she slowly began to pace the room. Her head bowed and her eyes only fixating on the French rug below her feet.

"Good, so it's settled then! Get your shoes on..." Billie Joe commanded like an authoritarian; very odd behavior for an Aquarius.

"What? I never..."

"Grab her Tre! We'll lock her outside until she agrees to go!" Billie Joe coerced as he gave his friend another serious expressioned glance.

"Huh?" Tre said as he looked at Billie, then his wife. He scratched his head before shrugging his shoulders and making his way over to Rose. He didn't say much else after that "huh" he just picked Rose up over his shoulder and started walking back out towards the foyer.

"Frank! Put me down! Billie you asshole!" Rose shouted, feeling half angry and half amused by this unexpected gesture from two of the men most involved in her life.

"Better agree to go, Rose!" Billie shouted as he walked out to the front door and watched Tre place his cousin down on the heated cement walkway outside.

"No, don't lock me out!" Rose retorted as the door was shut behind her. "Frank! This isn't funny! Billie! Billie! Let me fucking in!" She began to pound the outside of the door with her fists, but stopped to see if she could hear anything. She swore the only thing she could hear was Billie's laughter. And she wasn't exactly sure if her husband was joining in on this hysteria. "Let me in!" Rose retorted again. "Frank! Let me in right now! O-or you can sleep on the couch for a month!"

"Oh, Bill...she's threatening me with sex," Tre said as his face grimaced at the thought of no sack sessions for a month.

"Forget about that you weirdo," Billie beemed outrageously.

"What doin'?" echoed a child's voice behind the two men.

Tre turned around to see his daughter standing on the bottom step. He came over and sat down beside her. "We're just playing a game with your mommy," Tre replied with a grin.

"Rose stop swearing, Michelle's downstairs now!" Billie called through the door.

"Well let me in then!"

"You gonna come then?" Billie asked Rose as he placed his hand on the locked door handle, pulling it as though he were going to open it.

"Billie, if I say yes, will you let me in?" Rose asked with a mono-toned voice.

"Yes..." Billie replied with a grin. He knew he was two seconds from conquering Rose's stubborn-minded nature.

"Okay than, I'll go with you," Rose cooed, answering her cousin's request truthfully, but with regrets.

'Cool!" Billie said as he quickly swung the door open.

Rose grinned as she locked eyes with her cousin again and then adverted her eyes over to the stairs where Tre appeared to be deep in conversation with Michelle. "I'm so gonna kick your ass..." Rose whispered as she pointed at her cousin forcifully.

Billie tilted his head to the side and gave her the smile of an angel in disguise. "I don't doubt it for a moment Rose. I don't doubt it at all..."