If I Fell│John Lennon/Beatles FanFiction

Chapter 41 - 19.Dec.1963

Chapter 41

December 19, 1963 

My boot-covered feet sloshed through the coating of wet snow. The flakes meandered from the sky, creating a slushy mess on the stone sidewalk. Christmas lights glistened in the growing darkness as people bustled about on the streets, their heads down and bags hanging from their arms, getting some last-minute Christmas shopping done.

A mother with her son in tow walked by me, and damn if the kid didn't have a haircut that looked just like the boys' style. And if that wasn't enough, someone had their window open a crack blasting All My Loving on their gramophone. It seemed no family was immune from the Beatles.

I pulled my hood forward as I tipped my head down, my gloved hand clutching a bag filled with food. The local paper and my portfolio were tucked under one arm. A few girls wearing long jackets and hats leaned against a line of parked cars, and the bolder ones snuck a little closer, congregating near the pillars of 13 Emperor's Gate.

"Is that her?" a tall girl with snow-covered hair asked as she pulled at the sleeve of her mate's jacket.

They both stepped toward me as I picked up my pace and kept my head down, gripping the food bag a little tighter. I pushed my other hand into my jacket pocket and clutched my keys.

"Are you John's girlfriend?" a girl asked, stepping in front of me.

"No," I said, my eyes set on the ground. I'd only appeared in a handful of pictures near John, and my name still hadn't been printed in the paper. But I was beginning to be recognized, especially in front of our new flat. I knew it was inevitable...them finding out about me, recognizing me, especially since John had started keeping me closer.

"I've seen you come in and out of here a few times," the fan pressed.

"Well, I do live here." I walked around her, not hesitating as I headed toward the entrance.

"Is John home?" another fan asked, stepping away from the pillars and toward me. "Think the others might be up there, too."

My mouth went dry as I bit at my lip, now only a few steps from the door.

"What's your name, then?"

Two girls stepped behind me, a bit too close for comfort.

"You have a name, don't you?"

"Nope, don't have one of those." It was probably a bit rude to be sarcastic, but I didn't know what else to say. Of course I had a bloody name...I just wasn't keen on sharing it.

Without hesitating, I climbed the single step and pushed the door open, stepping inside and shutting it behind me. I pressed my back against the door and breathed as my eyes slipped closed.

Everything was different since the night at the London Palladium. It had a name now, the hysteria that surrounded the boys everywhere they went: Beatlemania. And it was like a single flame that had spread into a raging fire, with no way to control it.

The Beatles went from begging for press to every national reporter and feature writer chasing them down. Everyone wanted an interview with the Beatles. And as their popularity grew, their escape routes from venues had become more elaborate. One time, they ran into the firehouse next door to a venue and slid down a firepole. While a fire engine clanged out as a decoy, they rode off in a police car. They were practically smuggled in and out of venues. But true to John's word, each night he held my hand securely as we made a run for it.

I walked toward the stairs as I pushed my hood from my head, shaking out my slightly damp hair. With a sigh, I trudged up multiple flights of stairs since the building had no bloody lift. John said it was safer to live on the top floor, but I was sure he only did it because he thought it amusing to hear me complain.