𝕃𝕖𝕥 𝕀𝕥 𝔹𝕖 | 𝕁𝕠𝕙𝕟 𝕃𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕠𝕟 ✅

35

31st October, 1960

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Ruby knew that she had to tell Paul everything - including what she and John had been doing - but it was difficult. This man was her grandfather (even if he didn't know it), and she had to tell him that she had been giving his best friend a blowjob in the back alley.

He was sitting at a table close to the stage with Stu and Astrid, and a girl that Ruby didn't recognise - probably his latest conquest. Despite the fact that Paul was technically still engaged to Dot Rhone, the girl who had lost his baby earlier that year, he played the field quite a bit - and Ruby knew, of course, that he and Dot wouldn't last much longer than 1960. It was unfortunate, because Ruby had since met Dot since finding herself in 1960 and she was quite nice, but it was true.

"Um, Paul," she said, sitting down on his other side, "can I talk to you for a mo?" She was picking up more and more Scouse-isms as the days went by despite not being in the city and instead in an entirely different country.

Paul, who was totally enamoured with the girl who was practically sitting on his lap, asked, "is it urgent, Rube?"

"Um, yeah." She answered, "kind of."

That is the understatement of the century, she thought.

Paul sighed and apologised to the girl before he stood up and gestured for Ruby to follow him. He led her out of the club and down the same back alley that she had just been in with John.

Well if that isn't dramatic irony, Ruby thought, a small smile slipping onto her face at the thought.

Paul stopped about halfway down, "what is it, Rube?" He asked her, "where's John?"

As if he had only just noticed that his best friend was missing - Paul and John were practically joined at the hip.

Paul used the same name to refer to her as John had always done, but she found that she didn't mind now because John used 'baby', 'darling' or 'luv' most of the time.

"That's what was so important, Paul." She paused, wondering how best to explain the situation, "he and I were, um -"

Paul cut her off, "oh God, I can guess what you two were doing - same as you always are when you think that no one's awake or looking." So had the boys actually been awake every time she and John fucked at the Bambi Kino when they had thought they were all asleep?

Now was the time for bigger problems, Ruby decided. John.

"Yes well, um, we were interrupted by some German man shouting at us. John took off after him, and he was really angry."

Paul groaned.

"What did he say?"

"Who?" She didn't want to tell anybody yet that John had referred to her as his girlfriend; no, she had to talk to him about it first.

"The Kraut." Paul replied in a tone of voice which implied his question should have been obvious.

Ruby had to think for a few seconds before she recited what had been said. "Als nächstes bin ich dran, Schlampe." She paused, worried by Paul's widening eyes and quickly paling skin. "Why?" She asked, "what does it mean?"

"John'll fucking kill him..." he spoke as if to himself.

"Why?" Ruby asked again, "what did he say?" Paul was silent, "Paul, I don't speak German very well, you have to tell me! What did he say?"

"He said my turn next, slut." Paul sighed, "Rube, where were you and John?"

"Um..." she looked around the alley, "back here?"

Paul shook his head in disbelief, "the pair of you are fucking idiots." He sighed, "which way did John go?"

"Left." Ruby replied with certainty.

"Right okay," Paul nodded, trying to keep her calm despite the fact that she was not hyperventilating - outwardly, anyway - "go inside and tell Rory that the Hurricanes'll have to do another set. Then stay with Stu and Astrid, yeah?" She nodded and Paul ran to the end of the alley and turned left.

Ruby did as she had been told, going back into the Kaiserkeller and straight over to the steps which led onto the poorly built, rickety stage; The Beatles and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were having a competition to see who could break it first.

Ruby waited impatiently to catch one of their gazes, hesitant to interrupt the set. Ringo noticed her first. He furrowed his eyebrows at her, silently asking why she was there.

So much had happened in the last ten minutes, but she knew that this was the band's last song before the end of their set because they did the same songs every Monday.

When Rory finished, he thanked the crowd and then gestured to each member of his band but didn't introduce them; he didn't want the crowd to hear him stuttering too much. They all received a round of applause. He then noticed Ruby, and looked at her curiously, just as Ringo had done. She gestured for him to come over, and he did - Ringo came, too.

"You alright, luv?" Ringo asked, "something wrong?"

"John and Paul are AWOL, you need to play another set." She was straight and to the point, but it was evident from her tone that something was wrong.

Rory groaned, "w-why h-have they d-disappeared?"

Ringo, ever the peacekeeper, just smiled. "It's not a problem, is it, Rory?" He looked at Rory as if he was daring him to say anything different.

Rory looked at Ringo, who could appear quite intimidating in his leather jacket and black cowboy boots - the same type of which each member of The Beatles had. "N-no," Rory replied after a few seconds of hesitation and a silent argument with Ringo, "n-not at a-all."

Rory turned and went back to the microphone, gesturing to Ty O'Brien to reintroduce them. Rory only ever thanked the audience.

Ringo looked at her, "you alright, Ruby?" He put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her worriedly.

She nodded, though she felt the farthest thing from okay - what if something happened to John? Nevertheless, she nodded. "Y-yeah, Ritchie" she stuttered, before silently cursing her inability to compose herself and her thoughts, "j-just don't know w-where they a-are is all."

Ringo leaned forward and kissed her cheek chastely - the way a brother might to his sister. "They'll be fine, and we'll play 'til they're back, alright?"

Ruby nodded and thanked him, genuinely grateful for everything that he did for her and the rest of the boys. Even when he wasn't a Beatle, he was still looking out for them.

Rory and the rest of the band were impatiently waiting for Ringo to rejoin them - they couldn't start the set without him. Ringo gave Ruby one last supportive smile before he went to sit behind the drums once more. She went back down the stage steps, but made sure she went to the table where Stu and Astrid had been sitting - they weren't there, but they were dancing in the middle of the dance floor, and she assumed that they would be back soon.

She hoped that John was alright, and Paul too, and she also hoped that they would be back soon - because if anything happened to either of them, then she couldn't bear it. Ruby tried to enjoy the music, but so many thoughts were running through her mind a mile a minute each - mostly the fact that John had referred to her as his girlfriend...