A frowning teenager sat, legs pulled up to her chest, winding a magenta ponytail around her pale and grubby fingers. Her eyes squinted as she stared straight ahead, unblinking, unphased by the loud bangs and shouts that echoed from the walls around her. She barely even noticed as her friends, the Bohemians erupted into a loud cheer, it wasn't until one of them prodded her painfully in her arm and pointed to the entrance that she even realized what their fuss had been about.
Slowly, coming back to her senses, her eyes widened and a small smile crept onto the corners of her lips. Turning quickly to one side she thumped the Bohemian that had prodded her, "G'errof!" she muttered, standing from her position against the wall and waiting. He was home. After what had felt like months of worry and minimal contact, he was finally home. She watched him as he was high fived by various people. Big Macca and Pop blocked him from view, but she could see that with him also stood Meat, it was almost impossible to miss the top of her head, a mass of violent colours erupting from her braided and tangled hair. There was one other stood with them, although it was difficult to make out exactly who it was as everyone had now formed a tight pack around the new arrivals.
Still waiting she chewed her lip feverently and looked down at her own attire. A heavy black pair of combat boots, worn at the ends and fraying laces hanging on the floor, followed by a torn pair of black fish net tights, revealing the bruises and grazes on her battered legs. Then came the skirt, scraping the middle of her thigh in length, its original colour unknown for it was now so worn and discoloured. On her top she wore one of his shirts, it had been her one comfort while he had been away, she wasn't entirely sure if he even knew she had took it, but she was soon to find out.
"Scaramouche!" the familiar voice that she had been waiting for called her name enthusiastically, she grinned as she watched him push his way through the crowds and make his way towards her.
"Alright Gazza-" even in her efforts to remain collected she couldn't help but grin widely at him, resisting the urge to wrap herself around him.
He returned her smile shyly, now stood face to face with her he leant in slowly to place a soft kiss on her cheek, but was pulled to one side as the vivacious Meat stalked up behind him and grabbed his hand, spinning him around to face her. "C'mon, we've got some celebrating to do, everyone's dying to know what we've been up to-"
Scaramouche glared at the interruption, "Yeah? Well so have we, now bugger off!" she had felt less than friendly towards Meat since she and Galileo had left to accomplish 'an important task' as they had both called it. Scaramouche had protested that she would have been a better candidate for the job but through many arguments it had been agreed that she would stay at the Heartbreak Hotel where it was safe. Her resentment towards Meat had seemed to grow more each day that they had been away. She knew that it wasn't fair to blame her for being left behind but ever since Meats boyfriend Brit' had died, Scaramouche couldn't help but notice the sudden attachment she had formed with Galileo.
Meat frowned at Scaramouches sharp comment. "There's no need for that tone. Now just take your jealous arse over to the corner and let us get on with telling everyone about our trip, will ya'?"
It was Galileo who stepped forwards. Perhaps he sensed Scaramouches urge to hurl her fist towards Meat, or maybe he just didn't want to be stuck in the middle of an argument. Either way he interrupted before Scaramouche had a chance to speak. "L-l-leave it out Meat, let m-m-me and Scara' catch up for a bit first." he reached a hand across to his girlfriend and took her worn palm in his, giving it a tight squeeze before looking back to Meat with pleading eyes.
"Fine. Soppy bastards." she scowled and then stomped away, immediately pounced on by a group of Bohemians, clearly longing to know about the newcomer that they had brought home with them.
Scaramouche raised an eyebrow and placed Galileos hand on her hip, "You're stuttering," she pointed out, "You haven't stuttered since we first met..." tracing a finger tip across his lips she frowned. He pouted slightly, kissing at her calloused fingers and averting her stare. Pulling her hand away from him she sat back and watched him quizzically, "Gaz'?"
Chewing his bottom lip he shrugged slowly, "I d-d-don't know..." he replied defensively, "J-just l-l-l-leave it, will you?" he turned away from her and kicked at a mark on the ground with the end of his boot. She watched him curiously and stood up herself, coming up to only his shoulder in height.
"No. I won't leave it!" she protested, "Your stutter disappeared the day you told me you loved me... the day we realized what we're here to do-"
"Scaramouche! I said LEAVE IT!" he didn't stutter this time, his face was stern as he turned around to face her, "Just trust me, okay? You'll understand soon."
Scaramouche blinked slowly, confusion setting in. They told each other everything, Galileo was the one person in the world who she trusted with her life, yet he couldn't just explain this one small thing to her. Raising her hand to her own mouth she chewed on her dirt embedded fingernails, they were already red raw, she'd drawn blood from them on a daily basis during the time he'd been away. He stepped over to her, taking her hand in his and pulling it down to her side. Delicately kissing her on the forehead he frowned. "I l-love you, sc-sc-Scaramouche."
She didn't meet his eyes but instead tilted her head and leant up on the balls of her feet so that she could kiss his lips. She smiled beneath their kiss, the thing that she had missed most while he'd been away. She pulled away briefly to mutter, "I love you too... Gazza Fizza."
He made a face at her in complaint of the nickname but they both knew that he didn't mind, it was something he had become accustomed to. If she wouldn't use his full name, it was certainly the best substitute. And besides, it was something that they shared, for only she used that name. Everyone else referred to him as 'Gaz', 'Galileo' or his most hated, 'The Dreamer'. The last one had derived from his gift, an ability to see things that others couldn't. But for all the praise he was given for it, all the attention, he couldn't help but begin to see it as more of a burden. He had been certain on the day at Wembley Stadium that the war was over, sure that all there was left was for him and his 'bad-arsed babe' to relax, just them, her guitar and his voice, where ever the road took them. It seemed however that the Killer Queen's army had other plans, for while she was growing weaker everyday, her health diminishing quickly, her dominions became only more determined to capture the ones responsible for the downfall of her virtual world.
So now instead of an open-road, here they both were. Hiding out in the abandoned tube station of what was once Tottenham Court road. It had been the original home of the Bohemians so there was little work to be done to make it livable. In fact, if Scaramouche were honest she quite liked it, but months of being underground was beginning to take it's toll on her. Her skin craved sunlight, even though her complexion had always been pale, she was beginning to turn an anaemic shade.
Galileo reached a hand into the pocket of his jeans, "I g-got you a present." he smiled and took her hand, placing a small object in her palm and then curling her fingers back over it so that she couldn't see it straight away. Opening her hand Scaramouche revealed a black guitar plectrum, a small silver heart scrawled onto the face of it. Her eyes shot up, glaring in his direction.
"Three months you're gone... three months of being stuck on my bloody own... and all you get me is a sodding guitar pick?" she hurled it to the floor in anger, not entirely sure what she'd been expecting from him, nor what else he could have brought her back. "You piss off for three months with Meat and then all you come back with is a stutter, a guitar pick and a-" she stood on her toes to get a look at the person that the Bohemians were crowded around, "Who the hell is that anyway?"
Galileo blinked at her with a hurt expression. "You're unbelievable! I've been back five minutes and already you're starting? There's one part of you I didn't miss while I was away, that's for sure and that was your mouth!"
Scaramouche gawped at him briefly and then shot back at him, "Oh I'm sure Meat was a fantastic substitute though! You've heard the Bohemians talking behind her back, 'does things with her mouth that most men can only dream of' they say. Well, 'Dreamer' I guess you were the perfect candidate to find out, weren't you?"
He laughed spitefully at her, "You're pathetic Scaramouche. Just listen to yourself." shaking his head at her he turned to walk away and join the crowd.
She shouted over the top of the Bohemians heads, although it was no use for he couldn't hear her now, "Well I'm the only one that ever bloody does!"
Scowling she folding her arms fiercely across her chest. Stalking over to the spot where the plectrum had landed she scanned the crowds to check that nobody was looking. Discreetly she bent down and picked it back up again, stroking a thumb over it before putting it securely into her pocket.