If You Believe (George Harrison/Beatles FanFic)

Chapter 1

(Note – Trigger warnings are listed in Story Details. Please read them before starting this story. Please do not read "If You Believe" if you are triggered by any of them. Thanks.)

"If you believe - if you believe in you

Everything you thought is possible, if you believe . .

If you believe in me . . .

All your love's reflected back to you

When you believe."

                                      --George Harrison

September, 1974

How could she possibly do this? Was she nuts? She had to be to follow her best friend out to Los Angeles in search of a new start. Twenty five hundred miles across the country in a 10-year old Mustang, 3 cats in carriers in the back seat. She was going to leave everything she knew, every place she went to, her dear parents, her beloved Chicago Black Hawks hockey team. Also, prime in her decision to leave involved her now ex-husband, Steven. Leaving him pissed off, cursing and waving his fist in her rear view mirror was going to be joyous. It would be hard to terrorize her separated by a couple thousand miles. She wondered if it was appropriate to give him the finger as she flew by their townhouse on the way out of town.

Annie Rose Kirk had plotted out her route to L.A. from Chicago to include stops in Nebraska and Utah at pet friendly hotels. Disposable litter pans were at the ready, along with plenty of cat food, but all Annie had was her wits. And she wasn't too sure about those.

Her deficit of confidence was something she hoped to recharge. The effervescent, outgoing Annie had become shy and an expert at not being seen at the smallest of functions under Steven's 10 year reign of terror. Annie, who could talk sports with the boys and Julia Child recipes with the girls had become a silent witness under Steven's expert tutelage. Everyone knew this and is why she was encouraged by her dear friends and even her parents to find herself again. Her best friend since first grade was enjoying life in California and begged her to come out.

Annie said, "What the fuck" and started packing.

She left her apartment for the last time on a clear, bright Chicago Sunday morning, a cassette tape of Beatles' music blasting out of her car windows and 3 cats in the back seat, thinking they were all just taking a 10 minute trip to the vet.

...............................

"Well, I don't know how you did it," Annie's best friend Eve remarked once Annie had completed the 4 day driving marathon. Leaving most of the unpacking for another day, they settled on the sofa to share a bowl of popcorn. "Twenty-five hundred miles, Annie. I wouldn't even have tackled that. You're fucking Wonder Woman."

"I don't feel like Wonder Woman. I feel more Lucy Ricardo...good intentions, but always a fuck up. Anyway, thank you so much for letting me stay with you," Annie said, popping kernels in her mouth.

"Hey, the pleasure is mine. You're paying half the rent and utilities. And if you're Lucy, I'm Ethel...and I don't know how I feel about that!"

They both laughed and changed the channel to Retro in order to watch "Batman" reruns. "I haven't seen this show in 25 years, but I bet I can still name all the villians," Evelyn said proudly. "I don't know how much money is in my bank account, but I can tell you Burgess Meredith played the Penguin, Cesar Romero played the Joker and Eartha Kitt played Catwoman."

Annie bent over hysterical. "You and Bruce Wayne had a special connection," she nodded, seriously joking.

Eve closed her eyes and nodded in reverence. "We did."