Changes

"Mr. Armstrong, they need to come into the studio with material very soon. Material of their own."
"I've had words with them, and the're adament about staying a cover band."
"The public mood - "
"The public will buy the record if its properly prouduced and if its promoted well."
"It's taking unnecessary risks!"
"Risk...they are a rock band, you moron! Risks are what they make their money off of!"
"Fine. Just get them in studio and we'll see what happens."

The obviously flustered producer slammed down the phone. Billie Joe smirked at his own phone, then hung it up.

Before he could celebrate properly, the front door slammed. Tre jerked out of bed.

"Where's the cannon?" He asked stupidly. Mike cursed and rolled over.
"Shut up...spending the entire fucking night in a fucking hospital again is not fun...I need to sleep."

Billie flipped both of them off and went to see who was home.

Tony and Tom were cracking open some beers, looking extremely pleased with themselves. Billie felt an ominous sensation in the pit of his stomach.

"What have you two been up to?"
"Nothing." Tony replied innocently.

Billie looked at her skeptically.

"Really. It's nothing." Tony kissed him on the cheek, and he caught a whiff of something...else on her skin.

On a whim, he jerked her jacket off, then spun her around. She was wearing only a bra underneath the windbreaker, and it didn't hide the long strip of bandage stuck to her shoulders.

"You've gone and got a tattoo." He accused. Tony pulled her jacket back on, hissing like an angry cat.
"So what? It's not any problem of your's."
"Tony. What if the label doesn't like it?"
"The label can go screw themselves."

Tom choked on his beer and Billie whirled on him.

"And you. You've gone and got one too?"
"Yes..." Tom admitted, somewhat guiltily.

Billie threw up his hands and cursed.

"If the label doesn't like your image, they'll chuck you out!"
"Jesus, Billie Joe, since when have you become so fucking concerned about the shit heads down at the label?"
"Because I care about you and your band, Tony! If you get chucked from the label, there won't be a load of other offers. You aren't a well known group! When you've put out a few albums, then you can do what you want."

Tony just stared at him. Tom dropped his beer bottle and it shattered all over the floor.

"I never thought I'd hear anything like that from you." Tony whispered, shocked. Billie instantly tried to take it back.

"Tony, I just meant - "
"God..." Tom muttered under his breath.
"I'm going back out." Tony announced suddenly.

Her tone was so different, it sparked suspicion in Billie's stomach.

"You're not mad then?"
"Nope." She replied cheerfully.

She didn't even slam the door on her way out. Tom looked at Billie seriously.

"You'll want to hide your guitar...and yourself."

~~~

Tony wasn't quite sure if she was mad or not. She knew Billie was looking out for her, for her band. But then again, just hearing something like that...it shocked her to the core, and it scared her.

"Aw, fuck. And I was so through fighting with him." She sank down and leaned against the wall of the lobby with her eyes closed.
"Fighting with who?" Asked a voice.

Tony looked up and saw Tre, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a bottle of asprin in the other.

"Billie...kind of..."
"Aw...don't you two start...what with Jay having to go for stitches, and Mike getting his panties in a bunch over that, we don't have enough room for more drama."
"I know...I don't want to fight."
"Then what's the problem?"
"He's just...sometimes I wonder where his heart is."

Tre looped an arm around her.

"His hearts with you, where it's always been."