Sunshine (Take Two Sequel)

Chapter 24: Freddie

Jim and I were getting married on St. Patrick's Day. It sounded like a great idea, until March came around. Between Joe's attack, Lilly's pregnancy, and Gwilym and Ella's engagement, we hadn't been that focused on planning. Lilly was helping me, but Roger was being so protective of her since she got pregnant. It was hard to get her alone. I went over to her house and knocked on the door. Roger answered, and Lilly and Winter waved to me from the couch.

"Freddie," Roger said firmly. "You can come in, but do not stress Lilly out with all your wedding planning."

"Babe, he doesn't stress me out," Lilly argued. "I'm fine! I want to help him plan. Freddie, sweetie, come sit with us." I gave Roger a cheeky smile and walked in, sitting down between Lilly and Winter. He rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Winter.

"Songwriting," she answered. "But don't worry, Roger yelled at me too."

"I did not yell!" Roger yelled from the kitchen. Lilly laughed softly and shook her head.

"So," she asked me. "How's wedding planning?"

"Horrible!" I blurted out. "The cake isn't ordered, the flowers are all wrong, and I don't even know how my family is getting here and the wedding is in two weeks!"

"Freddie," Lilly said softly. "Breathe. It's going to be fine. I already took care of the family part. I got your mom, dad and sister a flight to LA two days before the wedding and Winter's going to let them stay with her." I looked at Winter and smiled.

"Thank you, Winnie," I said.

"Oh it's my pleasure," she said. "I love your mom's cooking and I'm a little sick of eating take out and pasta for every meal."

"That's wonderful," I said. "But what about the cake?"

"The cake is fine," Roger chimed in. He was walking in from the kitchen holding a cookie. "Rory's parents have a bakery out here, so she put in a special order."

"Are you going to get us any cookies?" Lilly asked him with a small laugh.

"Alright," Roger said. "While I do that, why don't you ask Freddie about his name change." Lilly and Winter both looked at me and smiled.

"Are you changing your name to Jim's?" Lilly asked. "That's so cute!"

"Oh no, darling," I said. "I'm not taking Jim's last name and I'm not going by mine either. I'm taking on an all new one." Winter and Lilly gave me confused looks.

"What is it?" Winter asked.

"Mercury," I said dramatically. Lilly started laughing a little bit and then stopped when she realized I wasn't laughing with her.

"You're serious?" She said. "Freddie Mercury?"

"Yes, darling," I said. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," she said. "But what's wrong with the name you already have?"

"Nobody can pronounce Bulsara right," Freddie said. "You all can, but that's only because you know me."

"I think it's a cool idea," Winter said. "I mean, he already doesn't go by his first name."

"That's different," Lilly argued. "Freddie is a nickname."

"Freddie is not a common nickname for Farrokh," Winter argued back. "Most people named Farrokh just go by Farrokh. He made that up."

"She's right, darling," I said to Lilly. "I like this better. Farrokh Bulsara is so boring and hard to pronounce, but Freddie Mercury? That's a rockstar's name."

"Well I love it," Winter said.

"Well of course you do," Roger said. "You don't go by your real name either."

"Hey both names I go by are legally mine," Winter said. "I just use my middle name as my first name."

"I never understood why you do that," Lilly said. "What even is your first name? You've never told us." Winter sighed and looked at both of us.

"It's Holly," she said.

"That's not a bad name," I said.

"It doesn't sound bad," Winter said. "Until you realize that my mother only named me Holly Winter because I was born on Christmas Eve." Lilly and I laughed softly and Winter rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," she said. "I have to go anyway, but Freddie before I forget, I'm bringing a date to your wedding."

"Really?" Lilly said happily. "Who are you bringing?" Winter suddenly looked away and got very nervous.

"Nobody," she said. "It's not important. Bye!" She tried to run out the door, but Lilly stopped her.

"Why won't you tel me who you're bringing?" Lilly asked. "Do I know her? Is it Anna?"

"It's not Anna," Winter said. "But you do know this person... very well."

"Oh bloody hell!" I blurted out, realizing what she meant. "You're bringing Rose, aren't you?" Lilly looked over at her with wide eyes.

"Winter," she said. "Are you bringing my sister to Freddie and Jim's wedding?" Winter sighed and nodded her head slowly.