Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
♔
stella couldn't believe it. she was sitting on her and rogers bathroom floor holding a pregnancy test with a shaking hand. mary was right. stella had been acting a bit shyer, almost, a bit different around roger. she didn't want to scare him.
sure, he'd gone on about wanting a kid but what if he was just doing that to please stella. she'd always wanted children with rog, but he could have been lying just to make her happy as she'd gone through a lot.
"stella you okay in there?" roger asked.
she quickly wobbled to her feet, "yeah! yeah i'll be out in a second!" she called back through the door.
she flushed the toilet and slowly unlocked the door, taking a deep breath. when the door opened, roger wasn't stood there, so stella assumed he had walked to their bedroom.
she took small steps, trying to think how she'd say this. she walked into their room and saw roger sitting on his bed, writing in their shared song writing book.
she sat directly opposite him, took the book out of his hands and placed the book down next to her, the test hidden behind her.
"you okay love? you look a bit unwell?" he asked, sitting up in a panic.
she nodded, feeling the tears build up. it felt scarier now, that she was here in the moment. "um... i'm worried and scared to say this, and i don't know how you're going to react which worries me even more and i-"
"stella... just breathe. i'm sure it'll be okay," he reassured, brushing some of her purple strands out of her face.
"i'm pregnant." roger's posture straightened even more. his eyes widened. stella noticed his reaction and the tears fell, "i'm sorry, i kno- i know with everything going on you probably won't want a child right now but i-"
he placed his hands on her face and pulled her in for a hug. "how could i ever not want a child with you? silly thing," he smiled, wiping away her and his tears. "of course i want to be a father of your child especially!"
she pulled him in for a kiss, crying from happiness now. they were having a family. the two of them, after years and years of problems, trouble and struggles. they were becoming normal. well, not normal when you're in one of the most famous bands to exist.
"i also have something to ask stella..." roger pulled away from the kiss. she furrowed her eyebrows and watched him lean over to the bedside cabinet, but when he saw her looking he immediately told her to close her eyes. she complied. roger sat back up and opened the small box. "open your eyes stella."
she slowly opened them and her mouth dropped when she saw what it was. a beautiful ring sat snug in the box. "stella brookes will you become a stella taylor?" he asked. she nodded quickly, too shocked for words, "so that's a yes?" he smiled.
"yes!" she cried with happiness. roger took the ring out the box and gently placed the ring around her finger. just like stella had helped freddie, mary had helped roger. mary being the only person who knew about the proposal and also stella's pregnancy.
the two admired the ring and then each other. "rog... can we keep this secret? you know, until live aid at least. it'll give them something to be happy about or static about?" she asked.
he nodded happily. he pulled her next to him and pulled her onto his chest. "i can't believe you're a taylor now," he brushed through her hair gently.
♔
the band stood in an empty rehearsing space, with miami who was now managing the band. they'd been rehearsing for a few hours now and stella could hear how strained freddie's voice was becoming. after a final voice break, john decided to call it the end of the day.
the music died down and they began stepping away from their instruments. "sorry. i sound like shit. you all are lovely, you sound good. my throat feels like a vulture's crotch," the group chuckled at him.
"we still got a week," roger informed, trying to cheer him up, "we'll get there."
brian nodded in agreement, "yeah, we're in a good place, fred. you just need a bit of rest, that's all." freddie nodded his head, but his head hung low for a moment.
"get a drink, rog? stella?" john asked the couple, who were currently linking arms. stella had her arm wrapped around roger's arm.
"yeah, there's a nice little pub down the road, actually. we've been there a few times," roger replied.
"can i come?" brian then asked.
"no, of course not. invite-only," stella answered sarcastically, the group laughed at her comment.
it was good to have stella back. she was happier. she still had her moment, her mood swings, her constant doubt about her being a mother. but roger was there for her. he had convinced her and motivated her every time she felt down. the band had gotten closer to freddie again. it was almost like before. before paul.
"before you leave... could i have a second?" freddie asked. the group turned towards him.
"yeah. what's up?"
"i've got it," he spoke up.
"got what?" john shrugged in confusion.
"aids," freddie answered. stella's heart dropped. this was it. there was nothing they could do. her best friend of twenty years had something that would eventually kill him. she could already feel the tears build up in her eyes and the sad and negative thoughts fill her head. "i wanted you to hear it from me.
"f-fred," stella's voice quivered, she tried placing her arm onto his shoulder for a comforting manner, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. stella felt he would disappear if she touched him.
"stella stop. don't," he shook his head, "for right now, it's between us. all right? just us." they all nodded in understanding. "so, please, if any of you... fuss about it or frown about it, or, worst of all... if you bore me with your sympathy that's just seconds wasted," he began, "seconds that could be used making music... which is all i want to do with the time i have left. i don't have time to be their victim... their aids poster boy, their cautionary tale. no, i decide who i am. i'm going to be what i was born to be. a performer... who gives the people what they want!" he pointed towards the sky, "touch of the heavens. freddie fucking mercury."
"you're a legend, fred," roger said. the others nodding with roger.
he shrugged his shoulders, a smirk on his face, "you're bloody right i am. we're all legends. but you're right, i am a legend," they all laughed together. miami watched them from across the room, tears in his eyes as well. "now, you give me a chance to get my bitchy little vocal cords in order... and we'll go and punch a hole through the roof of that stadium."
"actually, wembley doesn't have a roof," brian grinned.
"no, he's right. it doesn't," stella laughed.
"then we'll punch a hole in the sky. now, even though you're crying like four little girls i still love you," he smiled. they all nodded.
"come here you lot," stella said. she opened her arms for everyone. they all came together and hugged, rocking side to side while they shared tears and laughter. miami eventually joined the hug. and after a while the band attended the pub john and roger were on about. sitting there until god knows what time, laughing about whatever came out of their mouths.
