Break Me One More Time [McLennon]

in which yoko likes abbey road

One year later found Ringo married, George dating a girl, and John and Paul with their own house out in the countryside. Their careers were thriving, their music was popular as ever.

Yoko was living in a town not so far away from where Paul and John's home stood. She came to dinner from time to time, which was less to John's dismay than ever. In fact she'd come anytime George and Ringo came to dinner and sometimes on her own.

"She's alright," John told Paul at last, after a few years of expressing how annoying he found her. He'd said one time that she was coming around to him, but he'd gone back and forth for a long time. At long last, though: "She's alright."

And oddly enough, this didn't worry Paul. He was sound in what he believed now, and that was that John loved him. Nothing was going to change that, he was absolutely sure of it.

Meanwhile, Barney and Lilly and Kylie were still living with the Unknowables. Barney was still undercover, undetected by the FHO. Darren and Marbella were doing an excellent job of keeping their people a secret, but on the other hand they were doing rather a subpar job of dealing with all the unresolved feelings left between them.

The Shadows were still out for blood, as far as anyone knew, but they were hiding themselves for the time being. Marbella told everyone that if she knew anything about her people, and she did, then they were just biding their time and gathering their resources before they made any attempt to strike.

"There's a difference between my best people and my most loyal people and I'll tell you what it is," Marbella told a few of those who'd been part of the original Unknowables, before the ex-Shadows came along. "My most loyal people followed me here. My best people are a bunch of evil sons of bitches who only think about themselves and what they want — those are the people who are still out there, out for Lennon's blood, shooting to kill."

This unsettled them greatly.

The most important thing, to Paul anyway, was that John was still alive and still as in love with him as ever.

They had a dog, one that Paul had been inexplicably drawn to in the shelter. And if Paul approached the dog in the shelter, scratched behind her ears with a look of wonder in his eyes, and muttered, "Martha," beneath his breath, well John pretended not to hear it. Paul would often say things, words or names or short comments that John didn't understand. He'd long since told himself it was all due to stress, the pressures of fame, losing some people who were very close to him.

And sure, John had lost a lot in his life too. Paul had lost his mother when he was young, and so had John. Paul had lost his father while John never really had one to begin with. Paul lost Brian, and that was a loss for John too, but Brian had died right before Paul's eyes. Paul had walked away from the scene with Brian's blood coating his hands

Still, John waved off Paul's funny little things as being caused by trauma. After all, John had his own little things. And his very big things as well. For instance, the fact that he was a huge raging asshole. Yes, he knew that he wasn't exactly what you'd call a great person, but hell if he cared. It had been a long time since he cared what other people thought of him — the only thing that mattered was what Paul thought of him.

The only thing that mattered was Paul. Paul and the music.

The Beatles' next album was scheduled to be released very soon, only the second one to be released since Brian's death. John, George, and Ringo were coping well enough but Paul wasn't taking it well.

"This is the biggest album yet," George said one night at dinner. "It's a huge deal, guys."

"I don't know if it's the biggest deal." Ringo shrugged. "But it is the longest album yet."

"It's a good one," Yoko said and she nodded slowly. "I like it a lot. Maybe my favorite one yet."

"Do you think it can be topped?" Paul asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yeah, definitely," Yoko said.

"When do you think we'll be able to top it?" Paul questioned.

"Um, not with the next album, but the album after that," Yoko said and she was nodding again. "Yeah, I think that'll be the one to do it. Just blow it all out of the water, you know?"

"Really? The one after the next one?" Paul frowned.

"Yes."

"Basic."

Yoko glared.

"You're both so weird, you know that?" John chuckled.

Paul and Yoko just took one look at one another and burst into a hysterical fit of giggles. John, George, and Ringo all exchanged glances and silently agreed that yeah, those two were weird.

But things were good. Things were good. But the outskirts of Germany, in a long abandoned warehouse, Jason Elliot and Sasha Young were drawing up plans for their Weapon by candlelight.

Olivia, a trusted spy for the Shadows, entered the room, removing her hood from over her face. "McCartney is confident," she told them, an air of humor in her voice. "He thinks all is well."

Sasha grimaced. "Why?"

"Because we've allowed it so," Olivia said, arms crossed.

"It's fine," Jason said. "Everything's fine. We want him to feel safe. If he doesn't feel safe, then he's going to make more of an effort to come after us."

"I suppose," Sasha said. "I just fucking hate him. He thinks he can do whatever he likes, corrupt history just to save his boyfriend."

"I know," Jason sighed. "But it's fine. He'll get what's coming to him. When we find the Unknowables —"

"If," Sasha cut him off. "If we find the Unknowables. Those balls are still in the air."

"Hey," Olivia snapped. "Do I criticize how you're doing in your job?"

Sasha glared.

"Didn't think so," Olivia huffed.

"Both of you, hush!" Jason said. "We will find the Unknowables. Olivia is the best, after all."

"Then why hasn't she found them?" Sasha demanded.

Olivia opened her mouth to shout at Sasha but Jason spoke first, "Because the Unknowables are good, too. They're great. Marbella Giasson may have abandoned everything we stand for, everything she once stood for, but she is not to be underestimated! She knows what she's doing."

"But we have a Weapon," Olivia said.

"Yes," Jason said, grinning. "A Weapon like no other, one that they cannot compare to. A Weapon that will take Lennon and McCartney and every one of them... down."

***

A/N: miss me?