Meat ran as fast as her legs could go, the young girl behind her desperately trying to keep up, "Meat, slow down." She cried in a high voice, Meat knew that if she did then Khashoggi and his guards would catch them, still running she shouted back to the girl.
"I can', they'll ge' us. We're almos' there, I can see the Heartbreak. Hurry!" Meat forced herself not to look over her shoulder as she heard a shriek of "Meat!" come from the girl, then nothing. Meat continued running until she reached the Heartbreak Hotel, out of breath and out of sight from Khashoggi. She looked around the place, it was empty, no-one, not a single Bohemian in sight, "Where is everyone?" she asked herself. A pair of hands grabbed from the back round the waist and pulled her to the floor.
"Get down!" she heard the person behind her shout, but in a soft tone, it was a voice she recognised, for a few moments she resisted the urge to look back at the man, refusing to believe who it was. Then he spoke, this time in a whisper, "It's alright, it's only me." Meat stopped resisting and turned to stare into the eyes of her friend.
"B- Bu' how? You're- you're dead." She stumbled over her words, trying to take a good look at the man's face.
"I was only sleepin' babes." Brit said it a soft tone, meat couldn't resist a smile, no-one had called her 'babes' in a long time, ever since the day they found Galileo, the day she thought she watched Britney die.
"B- Bu' how?" she was still struggling to find the power to speak through her shock.
Brit leaned forward and whispered in Meat's ear "you woke me." He smiled and leaned away to look at the expression on his friends face, she was smiling. Brit suddenly had a mass of long blonde hair lunged at him as Meat hugged him so tight, crying on his shoulder, he was surprised. Taking his hand and rubbing Meat's back in comfort asked "What's wrong?" in a gentle tone, he had never seen Meat like this before, she never cried.
"Meat?" said a voice; Meat looked at Brit with a questioning expression.
"Yeah?" she asked wiping away the tears on her face. He looked at her just as confused as she was looking at him.
"Meat?" it said again. They looked around, trying to search for the voice. No-one. No-one except them.
"It's time for me to go." Brit said breaking the silence. Meat watched in sadness as her companion got up and walked to the door of the Heartbreak Hotel.
"Meat!" she heard again.
Brit turned to Meat and waved a goodbye, he was about to turn back when she shouted "Will yah be back?"
Brit smiled at what little trust his blonde had in him, but to reassure her he said "I always come back." She smiled. Brit waved again, not as though he was going anywhere, but like Meat was leaving.
"Meatloaf!" Meat opened her eyes realising it was all a dream, there was no running, no little girl, no Brit. But there was a Galileo and a Scaramouche standing above her.
"Do yah wan' an eye to match tha' black hair of yours?" Meat snapped in Galileo's direction before sitting up in her bed. He backed away, not because he was scared, but just in case.
"Is it worth putting the happy in front of birthday?" he joked, but soon stopped when he saw Meat was serious about the black eye.
Realising the reason for her friend's violent talk Scaramouche asked in a soft tone "Britney?" Meat looked up at her with soft saddened eyes.
"I don't know if they're gettin' better or worse." She said. "Better 'cause I ge' more time with 'im and it feels so real and believable, bu' worse 'cause he always leaves. An' I still can't save the little girl." She had been in the blonde's dream before, each time Khashoggi is somehow able to capture her no matter what Meat does. Although she doesn't know the girl, Meat is always so caring to her, she loves and is loved by all the Bohemians, though the girl wasn't one yet, Meat still felt responsible for her.
"Have you found out her name yet?" Galileo questioned.
Meat was about to answer when she heard footsteps approaching the door. Through it came Paul McCartney, or 'Big Macca' as he prefers to be called, "She up?" then he wished he hadn't asked such a stupid question.
"She? She? I 'ave a name! So I would prefer yah to use it!" Meat wasn't having any nonsense. Not today.
"That would be a... yes." Scaramouche joked, the 'yes' was all Big Macca needed, he turned on his heels and ran out the same way he came in, with a smile pinned on his face.
"What was tha' all about?" Meat said with seriousness, though wishing she hadn't asked. The two at the end of her bed just looked at each other without a word. "Listen you two! yah know I'm no' in one of mah bes' moods," Meat warned them "and if yah've planned some sor' of surprise or celebration, yah can forge' i'! I'm no' up for a party!" she wasn't lying, the last birthday she had celebrated was 15 years ago, which was a disaster. Ever since, Meat has hated her birthday, to her it's the worst day of the year.
A half an hour later, after Galileo and Scaramouche had finally left her alone, Meat was ready to face whatever monstrosity Big Macca and the gang had planned for her. She was about to exit her room when there was a knock at the door (that just so happened to sound like the tune of 'Happy Birthday') "that's an offence tah music and no' a good way tah ge' me in a party mood Prince." With a sigh she opened the door to the very person she suspected.
"How'd yah know i' was me?" he asked.
Meat stared down at the short Bohemian with an evil smile, and then explained "'cause yah the only one brave enough or stupid to provoke me."
Ignoring what she just said Prince grinned and said "Close your eyes." Meat just looked at him in such a way to imply it wasn't going to happen "At leas' try an' enjoy yahself. Please." Prince said with a sweet smile this time. Giving up her rebellious attempt Meat followed Prince outside, just as she has suspected. Everyone, every single Bohemian, at the Heartbreak had gathered to celebrate her birthday. She playfully rolled her eyes as two of the younger Bohemians, Evanescence and Newton Faulkner, ran up to her and handed her a small box, she laughed slightly as she took it off of Eva. "Thanks" Meat said calmly resisting the urge to run back to her room and stay there.
"Happy birthday" said the black haired girl, who then ran back to Scaramouche, leaving Newton, a small blonde with a bit of kick, standing on her own. When Newt looked eye to eye with Meat she started to shiver in fear, Meat asked her "What's the matter?" she looked behind her to try and find the subject of Newt's view that scared her so much, but saw nothing. Then Miss Loaf realised that the girl was shivering at being in the presence of her. "I don't bite Newt, you know I'd never hurt you."
"That's not what Galileo said." Eva mocked, Scaramouche quickly covered her daughter's mouth with a spare hand. Meat kneeled down in front of the young blonde and held out her palm for Newt to take.
"I won't hurt you." She repeated in a soft tone. Newt grabbed it, Meat smiled that the girl trusted her. With her trust Miss Loaf grabbed her other hand and asked "So, what exactly did Galileo say?" she looked at Newt with a smile, then aimed a glare at Galileo.
"Argh. What have I done now?" he replied to the glare.
"He said you would give me a black eye." Newt grassed.
"Oh yeah, I did say that." Galileo admitted.
Meat stood up, letting go of one of Newt's hands, with just a few strides they reached Galileo, who was right at the front of the crowd. Meat gave him a very harsh look, as though she was going to hit him. She clenched her spare hand into a fist, ready to get Galileo in the shoulder, not hard, just enough to make him regret saying that when Scaramouche cut in.
"I'd rather you didn't teach violence to my child. And I don't think you want to teach it to yours either." She gestured to her friend's hand that was starting to turn slightly pink.
"So exactly how old are you Meat?" Galileo said, looking round as he heard the noise exit the room. "Oh come on. You all want to know." He continued, turning to the crowd behind him. He turned back to his friend as he heard the regrettable agreements behind him.
This caught her off guard, as she wasn't quite sure herself. Meat unclenched her fist, as it was starting to hurt. She added up the years in her head, but before she could put a sentence to it she blurted "twenty-three" out for the whole of the station to hear, as it echoed down the tunnel, Meat then took a sudden interest in the floor as her cheeks turned red with embarrassment. Suddenly a boy ran out of the crowd and up to her with a hug. Brax Loaf, Meatloaf's adopted son and the only Bohemian who didn't take his name from a poster or magazine. "Happy birthday mum." He said with a smile.
"See," Scaramouche said, approaching her friend, leaving her daughter at the front of the crowd, "nothing bad has happened. So can you please start to enjoy yourself?" she was deciphering whether or not to get down on her knees and beg.
"Please mum." Brax said in a pleading tone.
"Go play with yah sister and le' your mum and auntie Scara talk." Meat told her son, looking at her friend to receive the glare she knew she would get by using the phrase 'auntie Scara'. The brown haired boy grabbed Newt's hand and broke into a run.
"Come on." He laughed
"Not out of the Heartbreak!" Meat warned, she then turned back to the Bohemians.
"Eva, why don't you go join them?" Scaramouche encouraged, turning her daughter towards the other two children. Eva ran after them with a grin.
"Oi, wait for me!" she shouted to her friends.
Meat and Scaramouche looked at each other and laughed, Meatloaf then thanked everyone and told them to have a good time at the party. When they were all gone Meat turned to Scaramouche and Galileo to explain "My birthday isn't over yet remember," She reminded them "we've still got six hours for something to go wrong."
Four hours later Meatloaf was starting to enjoy herself. She had started talking to people. Keeping a close eye on her children. Then she heard "Hello, hello, hello." Brax, Newt and Eva ran to their mothers. The Bohemians looked around to for the source of the voice, but they couldn't find anything. The blonde hid her children behind her as she realised where it was coming from, she also knew who the voice belonged to. On the roof of the entrance, to the Heartbreak Hotel, stood commander Khashoggi.
"Scaramouche," Meat whispered, her voice sounding strong, but shaking slightly "take Brax and Newt."
"Why?" Scaramouche replied quiet tone to match Meat's.
"Just do it. Trust me."
Brax held Eva's hand, who was holding Scaramouche's, Newt quickly latched on to her brother.
"I never did get to give my congratulations to the birthday girl." Khashoggi continued, unaware of Miss Loaf and Scaramouche's short conversation.
"What do you want pig?" Aretha shouted.
An evil chuckle slipped out from the commanders lips, turning into a loud laugh. While he was laughing Scaramouche saw her time to escape, she ran past Meat and out the back door, the second in command of the Bohemians blew one last kiss to her children, and then looked back at the intruder as the door shut.
"Get her!" he ordered.
Realising what Khashoggi wanted, Galileo shouted for the Bohemians to protect Meat, but they were no match for the commanders well trained guards. They soon had hold of Miss Loaf. She fought all she could to break the hold of the two who held her arms, it wasn't enough. While she was struggling, a guard picked up a block of wood from the floor and knocked the girl out cold. The Bohemians could do nothing but watch at gun point as Khashoggi and his guards dragged their friend away.