𝐃𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐋𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, roger taylor

TEN - GOING SOLO

the band and paul sat around freddie's living room. he had called everyone saying that he needed to speak. well actually, paul called everyone and said that freddie wanted a word. "mtv banned our video. the youth of america. we helped give birth to mtv!" he criticised. he looked around at them. stella was sat on the arm chair of the seat roger was sat on.

"it's america! they're puritans in public, perverts in private," brian exclaimed, this made stella laugh quietly. she thought it was hilarious but she assumed now was at the best time to laugh as everyone seemed to be in a tense and serious mood.

"i'm never touring in the u.s again!" freddie decided. john rolled his eyes at his pathetic-ness. freddie chuckled dryly, "and i'm the one being blamed for it. not you two," he looked over to stella and roger, "whose idea, i believe, it was to dress up in drag." "and not you. not even you, who wrote the bloody thing!" freddie began pacing behind the sofa where brian was sat. "crazy, cross-dressing freddie. freddie the freak. freddie the fag!" he listed a few on the names that he had heard recently. "i'm tired of touring. aren't you? album, tour, album, tour. i want to do something different!"

"we're a band. that's what bands do!" stella exhaled trying not to lose her patience with him, "album, tour, album, tour!" she answered.

"well, i need a break. i'm sick of it!" he snapped.

"what are you saying, freddie?" john was quick to ask. everyone looked away from john then over to freddie. he had turned his back away from the band. there was a long pause of silence. one where freddie kept looking over to paul. i've signed a deal with cbs records," freddie finally admitted.

"you've done what?" stella exclaimed, standing up in shock. the boys watched her in worry. they had noticed how she had been more stressed recently, and they knew how easily she would blow up on freddie, and then they'd have a real problems worry about.

"without telling us?" roger asked.

"what kind of deal?" john pondered, keeping his head hung low with a loud sigh.

"look, i'm not saying we won't record or ever tour again. queen will go on. but i need to do something different. do you know what i mean i need... i need to grow. what... what... what's the song? fly away?" he muttered, looking around at everyone.

"spread my wings and fly away!" john answered for him, freddie nodded while pointing at the curly haired boy

"a solo album?" stella asked.

paul stepped in, hoping to get a raise out of stella. "two, actually. back to back," but instead of attracting the attention of stella, he received rogers anger

"another word out of you and I'll throw you out the bloody window," roger stated firmly. paul rolled his eyes but he wore a smirk. 

"but that's years, freddie. i mean... that'll take years!" john said.

:i don't believe this. how much? what did they pay you?" roger asked. however, freddie did not answer. roger grew impatient of the mans silence and stood up in rage. "i wanna know how much they paid you!" roger yelled.

"4 million dollars!" freddie argued back, cutting roger off a slight bit.

everyone looked at freddie in shock. stella's heart had completely sunk by now. she had lost the old freddie. the one who would always choose stella first. yes, that sounded selfish, but it was true. freddie had changed and he would pick the evil over the good. in this metaphor, paul was the evil.

"freddie, we're a family," brian reminded him.

but freddie snapped back, "no, we're not! we're not a family! you've got families, children, wives. what have i got?"

"you've got 4 million dollars. perhaps you can buy yourself a family..." john trailed off. if it was another situation, one where the greatest band to ever live wasn't breaking up, stella would have laughed. but now wasn't the time for that.

"you were working at heathrow before we gave you a chance!" rog pointed out, pacing back and forth behind the sofa that john was seated at.

freddie almost lunged forward. "and without me... you... you'd be a dentist... drumming 12/8-time blues at the weekend at the crown and anchor!" he then turned to brian, "and you. well, you would be dr. brian may... author of a fascinating dissertation on the cosmos, that no one ever reads!" he then turned towards stella and john.

"deaky and stella... for the life of me... nothing comes to mind," he whispered. john nodded and dropped his head in sadness and disappointment. but stella was furious at this point, she was suprised she didn't jump onto freddie and start attacking him.

"i studied education... but surely you would know that if you were my 'best friend' huh?" she replied. the others could almost feel the anger realising from her.

"and i studied electrical engineering. do we meet your standards?" deaky added.

"perfect," he said before walking past roger, who stopped him.

"you just killed queen," roger informed him. i mean he wasn't wrong. but paul was the origin for this. he was the one who turned freddie into this horrible friend who didn't care for them.

"oh give it a kiss one day. she might wake up," he shrugged

"you need us, freddie. more than you know," stella answered. she had stood up from the arm chair now, standing next to john, who was looking back at freddie.

"i don't need anyone. and i definitely don't need you stella. you have been untruthful and a snake to me. i wish you luck," he said. freddie then walked out of the room. paul then following shortly behind, who put a sarcastic hand on stella's back. but she immediately grabbed onto him, pulling him near.

"one day paul prenter, you are going to suffer and i can't wait to see it. karma is gonna get you so hard. watch out," she warned, before shoving him forward to follow after freddie