The Miracle Place

10.

{Billy}

"She comes to me when I'm feeling down

Inspires me without a sound

She touches me, and I get turned around..."

BILLY SANG ALONG to the lyrics quietly as he drove with a small smile on his face. He wasn't usually soft and smiling, and this was definitely not the time for either of those things. But for the first time in a long time, Billy let his guard down. Right now he had Jane, a young girl he had met not even a week ago, who happened to remind him of a boy he once knew. After years of uncertainty and hopelessness, Jane had managed to flip his whole view on the days to come. She gave him his life back, however devastating it was for her, and allowed him to feel whole again in such little time.

On top of that, he had Joel, his partner in crime. And the one person who understood him better than himself. Joel happened to know his next move no matter the situation, as if Billy was a formula he'd memorized with utmost thoroughness and care. Joel had always been there for Billy, especially after his mom died. They'd spent the days and nights together, crying, laughing, crying some more, and holding each other until the sun decided it was time to do it again.

They were inseparable. Billy-Joel, the perfect duo. Perhaps that was the true reason he'd scratched out William and Will, and instead, stuck with Billy. It suited him best, was what he'd told himself. When really, it suited them. It glued them together, creating a bond like no other. As hard as it would be to assume, Billy and Joel hadn't seen or spoken to each other in seven months. Nothing personal, they were both busy figuring things out. But after all that time of not speaking, the two of them acted as though they'd spent every day together since then.

He glanced at the man asleep in the passenger's seat, still humming along. He swore he saw the faintest smile on his face, and his eyes twitch. He wasn't sleeping at all. Billy fought the urge to shake him awake, just to bother him, but he decided to leave the teasing for another time.

Jane looked like she really was asleep, hunched over against the window. When he reached a red light, he grabbed his crumpled up jacket from beside him, crumpled it up some more, and reached behind him to nudge the girl awake. Her eyes fluttered open and her eyebrows pinched together. "Here. For your head." Jane took the jacket, stuffed it under her ear, and rested her head back on the window.

"Where's my pillow?" Joel mumbled.

Billy nearly jumped at his voice. "Women and children, Joel."

"Fuck you."

Billy laughed quietly. "Language!" he hissed, nodding to the back. "You weren't even sleeping," he said, stepping lightly on the gas when the light turned green.

"Sure I was."

"Well, you must've been having a good dream because you were smiling."

"I was kind of sleeping. But your singing kept me awake."

"Ah. So, you were smiling about me," Billy said smugly.

"No-No. I was trying not to laugh," he defended. "You were off a little, by the way."

Billy hissed. "Ouch, Joel. You hurt me. Right here." He placed a solemn hand on his chest. "That shit hurts. Worse than a bullet, I'll tell ya."

"You can take it."

"Not from you, sweet cheeks." He winked.

Joel rolled his head back, and Billy had to fight to keep his eyes on the road. Joel groaned. "You take your reputation too seriously. I knew you were a flirt, but you're out of control," he laughed.

"Hey, it's not my fault. I can't help it." Billy shrugged. "And I know for a fact, you loved my singing."

Joel shook his head, looking out the window again. "It is my job to humble you, Knight."

"Well, humour me for once, Skelton."

Joel sighed. "You're not a horrible singer. Though, I can't really judge."

Billy hummed in satisfaction. "So, what's your tattoo?"

Joel whipped his head around, his mouth opening and closing. "Uhm... it's nothing too exciting, just a couple words." He cleared his throat. "What's yours?"

Billy's hands tightened on the wheel. "Just a couple words."

His tattoo was located on his lower back, just above his tailbone. It was something he didn't think twice about before committing to, and something he thought about at least three times a day. Something he'd been looking at for twenty-four hours. Billy Joel written in italic black ink. Not the singer, but the most important team in his life. But anyone who saw it didn't suspect the latter, so sometimes it was the singer.

"Where to next?" Joel asked.

Billy fiddled with the wheel. "I have no clue. Any ideas?"

"Nothing." Joel turned around halfway in his seat, looking back at a sleeping Jane. "What can she do?"

Billy sighed through his nose. "Well, remember when the lab burned down? That was her." He wasn't sure he had the right to talk about Jane's abilities, but he trusted Joel with his life. It's not like the idea of human matches was insane when Joel knew about the labs and what they did to those kids. What they did to Billy. However, if you had told Billy a week ago that he'd be devoting his time to a firebender fugitive, he'd have told you to take an Advil and sleep off the hangover in the morning. Billy didn't mean to see Jane that night, but considered himself lucky. If it were anyone else...

"That's..." Joel breathed sharply. "Really traumatizing. Is she...?"

"No, she's not okay. She's exhausted," whispered Billy. "I know the feeling. Only, I didn't have to run my whole life."

"She won't, either, Billy. This is going to work."

"I want it to- I want to agree with you, but by the looks of things..." He sighed. "If they find out - when they find out - I'll be in trouble, and she'll be taken away. Who knows what they'll do with her."

Joel swallowed thickly. "What happened to wanting to help them? You never told me why they shut down."

Billy shifted in his seat. "Patrick felt threatened. We were well outnumbered. The labs started using the kids against us - turning them into soldiers and murderers. They were young, young, Jane's age, maybe slightly older. Patrick surrendered and shut us down like the coward he is." He blinked away the frustrated tears, focusing his eyes on the road. "They were made to be weapons, killing machines. God, you should've- you should've seen her, Joel. She was terrified. Jane is not a weapon, she's a kid. A kid, and I'm going to make sure she gets to live like one."

Joel glanced back at Jane for a second time. "She's strong-"

"She shouldn't have to be!" Billy said, maybe a little too loudly. He glanced in the mirror at Jane for a split second, making sure he hadn't woken her. "She should be protected." He saw Joel nod, and he laughed humorlessly. "Look at me, Joel. I'm crying! I haven't cried in years. And suddenly she comes along and- and I'm a mother now!"

Joel couldn't suppress a snort of laughter. "A very beefy, very intimidating mother."

Billy laughed. "But, I like it, Joel. I get to teach her how the world works and put the lessons I've learned to good use. She's... she's my second chance at making something of myself. Gah! I'm even starting to sound like a mother."

"You wear it well, though," Joel said, sincerely. "I'm liking this side of you."

"Yeah? Me too." He glanced at Jane once more before turning up the radio. They drove in silence for about twenty minutes. Billy wouldn't look at Joel, suddenly ashamed to be seen with tears in his eyes. Crying at all was weird for Billy, but crying with company was a whole other kind of embarrassment. Joel had seen him cry only once before when his mother died. But after that, Billy found there was nothing more deserving of tears than that. Until the thought of losing Jane became the first and only thought in his head twenty-four-seven.

Joel perked up suddenly, nudging Billy's leg. "I think I know a place we can stay."