All In Good Time - A Time Travel Beatles Fanfiction

Track 35 - Honey Pie

It was the opening night of the Beatles Christmas Show, and as the cinema rapidly filled with ticket holders, Lainey could feel the excitement all down her spine. She was whisked from the ticket window through a crowd of mostly teenaged girls, dressed in their Christmas best and buzzing with anticipation. She had taken pains with her own outfit to not look too out of place in 1964, choosing a red and black plaid skirt and figure hugging thin black sweater covered with a short leather jacket. She paired it with black tights and boots and left her hair in loose curls around her shoulders. Neil cleared the way past security checkpoints and Lainey took a few deep, calming breaths as she drew closer to the one who inevitably made her heart beat triple time.

The moment she saw him in his dark blue mohair suit, white shirt and dark tie, standing there in all his magnificence, she was stunned again by his beauty.

In his boots, Paul was a good six inches taller than she was, giving her a perfect view of his perfect lips, making her want to lean in and kiss him. In front of everyone, the way they'd kissed for the past week, the way they'd kissed goodbye just that morning when he'd left for the final rehearsal.

"You look simply amazing," Paul said, grinning and handing her a glass of something that smelled like whiskey.

"You look like the fantasy lover I had when I was sixteen," Lainey said, giggling. She was grinning so wide her cheeks were starting to hurt.

Paul hooked an arm around her waist and drew her close. "Now you tell me, when I can't do a thing about it," he whispered next to her ear. A chaste kiss on the cheek and he released her.

"We're in the middle of interviews, but Mo is here, you remember Mo?" he said, pointing.

Lainey's gaze fell on Ringo's adorable brunette girlfriend just as she popped up from a leather sofa and came toward her with a beatific smile and an outstretched hand. "All right?" she said in greeting.

Lainey took her hand and pulled her in for an affectionate hug, being careful not to splash whiskey on the two of them. "Maureen! I'm so glad you're here!"

"Ditto! Come and sit, girl, and tell me how you've been going!"

They sat together in a corner of the room, next to a stack of autograph books to be signed, half listening to the Beatles compete with each other to give the silliest answers to silly questions from the Press. Fans were brought back for photos and autographs, and other musicians wandered around the room, tuning instruments and primping in front of a long wall of mirrors, while Lainey and Maureen caught up on each other's lives.

Lainey bemoaned the fact that she hadn't gotten together with Maureen earlier. For the past three days she'd wandered the streets of London alone while Paul spent mornings in the studio and long afternoons rehearsing the Christmas show. She'd window-shopped and strolled through Hyde Park, people watching and day dreaming, all the while wondering if she could actually make 1960s London her home some day. She'd used the money Paul left to buy groceries, and he'd come back to the townhouse each night to a fragrant stew simmering on the stove and Lainey greeting him at the door holding a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows, which always made him laugh.

"I love your boots!" Maureen enthused, calling Lainey's attention back to the dressing room and the present.

"They're from Paul," Lainey stuck her feet straight out in front of her, wiggling her toes happily. Genuine Beatles boots from Anello and Davide, a Christmas present from Paul that had thrilled her to her toes. She surreptitiously checked Maureen's left hand. No ring yet, but she was pretty sure she and Ringo would be engaged soon. "What about you?" Lainey teased. "Does Ritchie know your ring size for Christmas?"