Get It Straight, Or Say Good Night

What Luck!

A/N: OMG Manchester vid!

The time had come, it had been months. Louise stood on the doorstep hugging her mother, her father standing chatting with Mal Evans, The Beatles right hand man, driver, fixer, body guard.

"Take care now, we'll come down when the baby comes, alright. Remember to eat, heaven knows I've told you that thousand times" Ma rubbed the bump "I'll miss doing this, I'm ever so excited though. Me, a Grandma, fancy that!"

"Ma, I've got to go, Mal has a long drive" Louie disengaged gently from her mother's arms, seven months pregnant and teetering again on tears, although this time, they were warranted, she was leaving home.

"Bye........... Bye!" Louie waved frantically once more, then did the window up and sat back in the passenger seat.

It was February 1963 and the chill was leaving with the wintery season and life was starting to bloom.

Knowing Mal from the Cavern, gigs and around town she was comfortable to be alone driving to Manchester with the tall, kindhearted man.

It was very much a surprise, Mister Epstein having called up out of blue to the Harrison household inviting Louise to the concert at the Oasis Club. Then, finally, she would be travellng back to London with the boys.

"You alright up front you can sit in the back, lay down if you like" Mal offered kindly.

"No this is perfectly fine" Louise leaned over and grabbed her purse, very much a feat in itself, the bump was certainly taking some getting used to. "Mint?"

"Ta luv" Mal tossed the mint in his mouth and they drove along contentedly quiet in each other's company til almost to the outer reaches of Manchester.

Louise couldn't not ask, it had been dogging her since Mister Epstein's phone call. "Why did Brian ask me along, I thought I was to be invisible"

Mal shot Louie a sideways glance and grinned, pushing his glasses up his nose "Lennon's being a right lunatic of late. Brian, in his wisdom thought you could rein him in"

Louise harrumphed rather loudly then cackled "Oh my, that has got to be the biggest laugh I've had in months!"

"Paul did the very same thing when Brian confided in him last night" Mal conceded, then put the indicator on, they were here.

"Do I look ok?"

"Louise, if there was a modelling show for mummy's and their tummy's you would be centre stage" Mal leaned over the steering wheel looking up at the backstage doors then back at Louie in thought "Surely you didn't buy that dress in downtown Liverpool"

"I made it" she smiled and brushed her hand over her bump, caramel bands light to dark hugged her like a bandage. Ma had grumbled overly loudly but relented on seeing Louise model the dress and agreed it was splendid, if a little too fitted, for her mother's liking. The elasticity of the material allowing the dress to expand as she did, making it go from little bump to humungous belly.

Stepping out into the fading light of the wintery late afternoon Louise slipped on a cream jacket and held Mal's arm as he led her up the ten wooden stairs and into the building through the cherry red backstage door.

She could hear the screams and yelling from the front of the building all the way to where she stood at the back. Female voices loud and unrelenting in the pitch and want, chanting, calling all the lads names, wailing. A few policemen watched as Mal escorted her by "Bobbies, Mal?"

"Security, police, me" Mal laughed deeply, then peered down at her "Don't leave or go outside without me, Brian or Neil, alright....... Louise, it gets pretty hairy.... It could be dangerous for you if you get separated from us"