It's always been you

Chapter 63 - Back to work

JOSEPH POV

After that beyond incredible night when Lucy surprised me with dinner and green lingerie, which just the thought of her in that set gives me a partial, we filmed my second audition tape for Stranger Things. I was auditioning for an 80s metal head called Eddie. I didn't know what his story would be yet, but the scene the Duffer Brothers assistant had sent me was a monologue of Eddie basically being antiestablishment and refusing to conform to society's standards.

After I'd watched it about 1000 times to make sure I was happy with it, I emailed it back to them a fortnight ago and since then had been playing the waiting game. Again.

Lucy was currently out at a therapy appointment with Sean and running some errands. I was home with Billy and Freddie encouraging horseplay and destruction. Leave three hyperactive males together and it's your own fault.

Billy was walking a little further every day, breaking in to a trot here and there before he'd lose his balance and land on his little bum, his nappy absorbing the impact, before he'd stand up and take off again.

I was sprawled out on the couch, he may only be 1 but that little dude knows how to wear out his Uncle Doe. I realised it had gone quiet. Freddie was asleep on his bed in the corner.

Shit.

Where's Billy?

I started calling for him as I looked around. My calls were getting more and more frantic. "Billy? Bills where are you mate? Billy?!" I walked in to the kitchen and gasped.

Shit. She's due home any minute. How the hell do I explain this one? She's going to kill me.

LUCY POV

After my therapy session with Sean, I decided to pick up a takeaway for an early dinner for Joe and I. When I let myself inside the house seemed too quiet. I heard splashing in the downstairs bathroom where I bath Billy and could hear Joes voice.

"No Billy stop! I need to clean you and then clean the kitchen before Mama gets back!" Billy looked over Joes shoulder and saw me and clapped his hands giggling and yelling out "Mama!" "Yeah mate mama. Mama's not going to be very happy buddy." "Why isn't mama going to be happy?" Joe winced when he heard my voice and then looked backwards over his shoulder at me.

When his head moved I could see I don't know what smeared all over Billy and all over the front of Joes T-shirt. "What the hell did you two get in to?" "Shit. You're home. Have you been in the kitchen yet?" "No not yet." I held up the bag of takeaway I was yet to put down. "Joe....why is he covered in....what IS that?" He sighed and dropped his head before he went back to cleaning the still giggling baby.

"It's a lot of stuff. Namely everything that was in the fridge." I covered my mouth with my hand trying to hold back my laughter before I walked in to the kitchen and gasped. Freddie was standing in the middle of the kitchen licking some kind of food off the table leg. There was broken eggs all over the floor, an open bottle of milk spilled across the tiles, leftover pasta from last night smeared across the cupboards.

"OH MY GOD!" Joe entered the kitchen behind me holding Billy wrapped up in a towel, with an incredibly guilty look in his face. "Darling I'm so sorry. I think I dozed off for five minutes. I came and found him in the kitchen smashing the last of the eggs on the floor." "Joseph! I-....." I cut myself off and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Luce please I'm so sorry. I'll clean it all up I promise! Here you take the baby and I'll start cleaning up!"

I burst in to laughter taking Joe by surprise. "You're not mad?" "No what's the point?! He's not hurt. And he had fun by the looks of things. A grubby baby and smashed eggs is a minor inconvenience." "Oh thank god! I thought you'd totally lose it at me!" He grinned at me as I continued laughing before handing over the baby who was still giggling and clapping his chubby little hands together. "Billy boy did you make all this mess?! Was this you?!" He squealed at me excitedly and then made grabby hands at the mess.