Chapter 10

"I know you're being rough with my boy Nicholai," Bones said calmly, having called Nick to have a chat, "I know Joey screwed up, but Billy is paying the price willingly. I'm not telling you to be all vanilla, but he is exhausted. He can hardly keep his eyes open – let alone walk as far as the entrance door and he's got bruises– do you see where I'm going with this?" he asked sternly.

"Don't worry about Billy," Nick said calmly, leaning on the wall "I want the kid to be as healthy as possible. I'll take care of him."

"You'll take care of him?" Bones asked, "I've heard that before and you know how Morzan ended up."

Nick narrowed his eyes at the mention of his best friend, "If I die, I'll die. Not much I can do about it – but I've made arrangements…"

"Arrangements…." Bones echoed, "As long as you promise –"

"I do."

"He aint' a fuck-toy Nicholai! He's my boy –" Bones stopped short as he heard Joey entering the building. Joey was the only one who showed up at the Body Shop at this time of day.

"Dad?" Joey came into view.

"I'll talk to you later Nicholai, if you please." Bones said politely. Nick nodded and pushed himself off of the wall and walked out with out sparing Joey a glance.

Joey frowned, "What was that about?"

"Nothing you need to worry your head about, boy." Bones said.

"Okay…I wanted to talk about Billy …I'm worried about him – we all are."

"You needn't worry about him. Billy is a big boy. He can handle himself adequately."

"I know - that's what you keep telling me...but…he sick, dad – really sick. He can hardly –"

"Billy will be fine!" Bones said sternly.

"Fuck dad!" Joey snapped, "Billy is not fine. He's throwing up, he can't keep awake for more than a few hours and you tell me he'll be fine?" he kicked the wall in frustration, Bones rolling his eyes. "The guys thinks he's dying for fucks sake!" he sniffed and flicked his nose, and for a brief second, Bones saw a young Billy standing in front of him. "What is Hume doing to him dad? Tell me." He pleaded. "What does he want from him?" Bones turned away and sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands, "Dad?"

"Don't call me that, boy. I'm not your father." Bones said roughly.

Joey stepped back, both hurt and surprised by the words, "Damn, it never seemed like you cared much for us, but I didn't think you'd –"

Bones shook his head, "Billy made me sign the papers stating that I was you father…so they wouldn't take you away from him."

Joe fidgeted, "Da – I mean….what? So you just found me?"

Bones snorted, "Oh no. You're Billy 's boy." He said and opened the safe holding the firearms. Then he pulled the walls away to reveal another door, and typed in a long row of numbers.

"So Billy is like my father? How does that work? Wouldn't he be like…ten?" Joey was still too shocked to fully understand what Bones was saying.

"Father, mother, whatever they call it these days." Bones pulled open the door, "C'mon." he said and walked into the small room.

Joey frowned. What the hell did he mean by that? "What is this place?" He asked curiously as he ducked though the doorway.

"Billy 's spent most of his days, in here when he was little. Sit down." He said and pulled forth an old dusty photo album.

Joe snorted, "Never thought you were the type to keep photos." He said.

"I'm not, but your grandmother was. Somehow it stuck for a while." He said and opened the album.

Joey chuckled at the sight of baby Billy looking up at the camera with curious glee with a pacifier still in his mouth. A woman with wild blonde hair was sitting on the floor next to him. "That Evelyn?" he asked,

"Aye, that's her." he said and flipped the page. They looked through three albums before a face Joey didn't recognize showed on the page.

"Who is that?" He asked and pointed at the picture of the man with dark brown, almost black hair and deep green eyes.

"That is Morzan." Bones said with a sad sigh. "He was Billy 's boyfriend – your father."

"But I though Billy –"

"Billy was just fifteen when he had you. Morzan was…he died a few months before you were born." Bones shook his head, "I've never seen Billy like that, not before, and not after, and I sure as hell hope I never do again." He pointed at a picture, "That is what I want to remember." It was Billy sitting in Morzans lap, a wide smile on his face. Morzans hands were spread on Billy 's tummy and his nose buried in his neck.

Joey cocked his head, Billy looked like he was glowing of pure joy, and his bronzed honey blonde hair tumbling down his shoulders in shiny and wavy locks.

"Why is he so happy?"

Bones snorted, "Morzan didn't react as badly as Billy thought about your impending arrival."

"Why would he react badly?" Joey asked, a flicker of insecurity in his eyes. Hadn't they wanted him?

"Billy was ten-and-some years younger than you are now." Bones said, "Not to mention that Morzan was already married." He shook his head and sighed, "It was doomed from the very beginning but I never thought it would end the way it did."

Joey frowned, "How did it end?"

"Better ask Billy about that. Isn't my story to tell." He said and handed the heavy leather bound album over to Joey, "You keep that, and lord help you if you don't bring it back to me in one piece." Bones warned, "There is a reason for these being locked in a safe, inside a safe, with a double coded door."

When Joe once against stood outside the body shop, he stopped and stared at the photo album in his hands. Who would have thought that Bones' most precious possessions were memories.

A/N really sorry for the long absence folks! real life intervened!