Somewhere In Time (A Beatles Fan Fiction)

Chapter 31: Public Knowledge

I began to look for flats for us to rent. We finally decided on a small flat a block away from where the other boys had rented one.

I finished out my semester and moved the few belongings Paul and I had to London. Paul was as usual on the road, so Mr. McCartney came with me to London to help me move. I don't think he particularly approved of Paul and I living together, but he never mentioned it me. I once overheard Mr. McCartney telling Paul "You'd better move fast, son, because a girl like Anne won't wait forever." The soft spot I had for Paul's dad grew even larger.

When Paul got back to town we shopped for a bed and a dining table, as my previous flat had been furnished and this flat was not. It was pretty exciting to me, setting up house. Buying things that were mine and Paul's together.

We were able to see each other much more now that we were located in London. Paul and I could get around pretty anonymously at first, but that soon changed. Once we were stopped by a small group of girls as we were making our way to lunch. They asked Paul who I was and he answered truthfully.

Afterwards I told him. "You could have pretended I was your cousin or something, won't Brian be mad if he finds out?"

"Sod Brian. I told him I wouldn't talk about you in interviews, and that's it. The press doesn't need to know everything, that's the only reason I agreed. I'm not hiding you like you're something I'm ashamed of though."

The press soon found out about me on their own. When Paul was then asked about me in an interview, he did acknowledge that I was his girlfriend. He refused to answer anything else about me, saying he'd like to keep that private.

Cyn had stayed back in Liverpool with Julian to avoid detection. However, the press soon found out about their marriage as well. So, Cyn and Julian then moved in with John into a flat in our building. It almost felt like old times having Cyn close by. We were often together when the boys were gone, and I babysat Julian when Cyn needed me to.

When Paul was gone, I also worked on my craft. I took pictures of my new city and the people that occupied it. Julian and Cyn were also often my subjects. When Paul was here I also took pictures of him, the band, the screaming fans. I thought I might feel stifled just being a so called "kept" woman, but it was the opposite. I was free to take pictures of what I wanted, the people I loved.

As for the band, the hits just kept coming. It seemed they could do no wrong. John and Paul would write a song and they would record it in a day. Then when it was released it would go to number one.

One day I asked Paul if I could come to the studio, to take some pictures. Just for a few minutes before they had really started recording. There was an unspoken rule that girlfriends and wives were not allowed at the studio. Paul was hesitant at first, but allowed me to come after I told him I would only stay a short time & would not interfere with their process.

I could tell John was cross when I arrived with Paul, by the angry look he was giving both of us.

"Get off it, Lennon. I only want to take a few pictures, and then I'll go. I won't interfere with the boys only club" I told him, and he could tell he was going to object again. "Come on, let me take a picture of your cute face" I said while lightly pinching his cheek.

He pulled away from me laughing "Fine, Annie but get on it! We've got important work to do. We're a big deal, if ya didn't know"

So, I took pictures of them warming up. One picture was of George moodily strumming on his guitar. Then another of George grinning after John made a joke. Ringo setting up his drums the way he wanted, then sitting on his stool ready to play. Paul and John huddled together discussing their next song. Paul tuning his guitar, then another of him smiling cheekily at me. John giving me one of his funny faces. I then took one of George Martin staring down at us from the booth.

They were about to start recording, so I got ready to go. I was stopped by George Martin asking if I wanted to come up to the booth. I looked at the guys for permission and they didn't object, so I headed up to the booth.

They were recording "She Loves You". I had seen them perform many times, but I never got to see them put a song together. They ran through it, adjusting a few things and then started to record. I took some pictures of them performing, but mostly stood there in awe. John and Paul had only written that song the week before. It was nothing less than magical the way could create music.

They took a break, and I chatted with George Martin for a while. He asked about my photography and told me he had a friend who was hiring for a fill-in staff photographer at a local music hall. Would I be interested?

I eagerly answered yes, and George told me he would have him call me.

After the session was over Paul and I headed home.

"Did you and the guys mind me being up in the booth?" I asked, not wanting to cause any trouble in the band.

"No, it was fine. You didn't interrupt or try to tell us how to do anything. I quite enjoyed knowing you were there listening, but we'd better not make it a regular occurrence" he said.

"Yeah, I don't want to become a Yoko" I said not thinking.

"A Yoko?" Paul asked, confused. Crap!

"Oh, yeah. It's an American term for nuisance" I said, covering up my mistake.

***

The next couple of days, I spent a lot of time working on my portfolio, in anticipation of the call from George Martin's friend. I put a few portraits in, and a lot of live shots of the Beatles. Even a few I had taken at the recording session.

As promised I got a call from the manager of the music hall. I went in for the interview and he was very impressed with my pictures. He hired me on the spot. The job was to be sporadic, as they already had a regular staff photographer. I was to be called on when the full time photographer was busy.

I had avoided telling Paul about the job interview, because I wasn't sure how he would react. Now that I had gotten the job, I had to tell him.

He was upset at first when I told him, but settled down when I said I would not be working all the time like he feared. I wish my job would have been an easy thing to incorporate into our lives, but it turned out to be a huge problem.