In which the illegitimate granddaughter of Beatle Paul McCartney finds herself in Liverpool in the early 1960s, falling hopelessly in love with John Lennon.
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1st November, 1960
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"So what're they like, then?" Ruby asked, referring to John's sisters; Julia and Jackie.
"Well Julia's very smart. Jackie not so much, but she's really good at art - like my mum." Ruby squeezed his hand at the mention of his mother.
"Julia, isn't it? Your sister's named for her."
John nodded, "yes - though neither of the girls look much like her. My mum was gorgeous, y'know. Mimi's got a picture of me and her, I'd like to get it from her to show you."
Ruby smiled, having not heard anything about John's mother but knowing from her research in the twenty-first century that she had been a slightly 'loose' women with four children by three different fathers... but she was sure that Julia Lennon, born Julia Stanley, had been a loving and wonderful woman. She was the woman who had first introduced John to an instrument, and who had taught him to play the guitar - given with banjo chords, yes, but she had taught him to play nevertheless. Without her, there might have never been any Beatles at all.
Ruby squeezed John's hand. He had taken her's first, and neither of them had let go since. They loved touching each other in any way, and they both knew it. They were together now, and couples enjoyed being around each other, but Ruby and John were different entirely.
"That'd be nice, John. I'd love to hear some more about her - and your sisters. I bet you all miss her a lot."
A grey cloud seemed to come over John, then. For a split second, Ruby worried that she might have set him off... but instead, he hesitated for several seconds before replying, "you remind me of her."
A compliment, for sure.
Ruby knew just from the way that he was talking about her that he idolised his mother.
He lightened up a little as Ruby leant closer to him and pecked his cheek. He turned to her before she could pull away and pressed his lips against hers, forcing them open and deepening the kiss. She reciprocated, of course, and they moved closer together, holding each other tightly.
When they pulled apart, John laid his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair awkwardly. He yawned and Ruby smiled. John was precious, and even more so because she knew that he had just twenty years of life left, and she didn't know how many of those years she would share with him.
A part of her wished that she would share all of them and maybe more, and another part wanted everything to go back to the way it was so that he would meet Yoko and have Sean. She had already eradicated one Lennon son, and didn't want to add another to that name. Julian.
"Go to sleep, John," she said quietly, "you must be exhausted. I'll wake you when we get to our stop." They had several changes to make on the trains before making it home to Liverpool, and she had very little in the way of entertainment for herself - but it was important that John looked after himself.
A few seconds later, Ruby heard John's breathing even out by her ear, and she knew that he was okay for the moment.
* * * * *
2nd November, 1960
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Against his own will, John had fallen asleep on every train which they had boarded. He had tried not to, and had promised Ruby that he would chat to her on the way back.
But he had failed, and she didn't mind.
John was exhausted.
As the train pulled into Liverpool Lime Street train station, Ruby gently shook him awake. His head had been resting in her lap, so she leant down awkwardly and kissed his forehead.
"John?" She said softly, "we're home." Ruby had wanted to call him 'darling', or something equally as sickly sweet, but could think of nothing which would suit him. She would work on it, she decided.
John stirred and stretched as well he could in the little carriage which they (thankfully) had to themselves. They were only alone because of how early in the morning it was.
"Hm?" He hummed sleepily in reply.
"We're home," Ruby repeated, "we need to get off now."
John sat up again and yawned. "Christ, that was a long fucking ride."
Ruby giggled, "you slept the whole way!" She elbowed him in the side teasingly and then they stood up. John grabbed their two suitcases and then they got off the train. "It's not far," she reassured him as she caught him yawning.
John chuckled, "I know that, I'm just tired."
"Well when we get back to the flat, we'll go to bed."
"Naked?" John asked hopefully, though somewhat teasingly. The two of them were much too tired to do anything other than sleep.
"Nice try, Lennon," Ruby teased back, "you have to wine and dine me before you try me."
John snorted, "I think you've got that the wrong way round, luv," he replied, "seems I tried you before I wined and dined you, because we still haven't been anywhere yet."
Ruby's heart fluttered. "Y-you want to g-go for d-dinner?"
"Yeah well of course I do, you daft bird."
They were silent on the way back to Gambier Terrace, Ruby unable to believe what her life had turned into. She was dating John Lennon. Pre-Beatles John Lennon.
When they got back to the flat, Ruby used her key to unlock the door. John dropped the luggage in the hallway and closed the door behind him as he had been last in. They went into the bedroom and flopped on the bed, the two of them holding each other close. They fell asleep.
