Alright, here we are everyone! Sorry (again) that this chapter took so long. I hope you like it and, as always, enjoy and review!


Wake up, love," John murmured as he, Charlotte and Allie pulled up to the familiar hotel. Allie's eyes fluttered open tiredly. She yawned and cuddled back into Charlotte's side. John nudged her. "C'mon. You wanna see everybody, don't you?"

"Yeah," she stretched, leaning away from Charlotte's warm body. "M'sleepy though."

"You can sleep after you say hello to your father." Her eyes lit up immediately.

"Daddy?" she squealed. "Daddy's here?"

"Where else would he be?" John chuckled. She followed Charlotte out of the car door and promptly tripped and fell.

"Oh, Allie-Bear!" Charlotte worried. Allie started giggling at Charlotte's silly nickname for her. "What's so funny, there?"

"I'm not a bear!" she said as she stood up. Charlotte brushed off the child's dress with a smile as John rested his hand on her soft blonde hair.

"Let's go," John said nervously. He started to hear high voices coming around the corner. He hustled the girls into the hotel and they took entered the lift. "You excited?"

"Yes!" Allie held one hand of John and one of Charlotte and she bounced with anticipation. The lift opened and Paul and Ringo were waiting in the hallway for her. She ran to them and let them squeeze her in the tightest hugs she'd ever received.

"You're finally back, birthday girl!" Paul roared, swinging her around.

"Tomorrow, Paulie," she smiled. She hugged him around the neck and kissed his cheek before Ringo grabbed her and grinned widely at her.

"Why don't you go and surprise Daddy?" he asked her. "He's been itching to see you." She jumped down from his arms and quietly ran into the suite. George forlornly plucked at his guitar as he gazed out of the window.

"Daddy!" Allie yelled. His head snapped up and he smiled at her, dropping his guitar and running over to her. He picked her up and lifted her into the air. He kissed her many times and finally collapsed onto the sofa with her on his lap.

"Allie, love," he sighed happily. "I missed you so much." She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest.

"I missed you, too, Daddy."

That night, Allie requested that George read her a story and stay with her until she fell asleep. He did just as he was asked because he sure missed his little girl.


"Al!" Leo yelled as he ran into her room at midnight. Her eyes shot open excitedly as Leo began to jump on her bed. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! You smell like a monkey, and you look like one too!"

"Leo!" she screamed excitedly. She jumped up and hugged him tightly. Matilda walked in and Allie greeted her with a bit less exuberance, if not with complete confusion. She'd heard Mat come into the hotel with Leo about two hours ago and later heard her crying, so she didn't understand why she was so happy now.

"Hi, Mat," she smiled shyly. Matilda gave her a warm hug and kissed her cheek.

"Happy birthday, love." Allie suddenly jumped down.

"It's Paul's birthday today too!" she exclaimed. She raced out of her room and hopped onto Paul's bed. He was snoring loudly from a night of excessive alcohol and partying.

"Hey, wake up, Paul! Wake up! It's our birthday!" she giggled loudly. He moaned at his headache and put his pillow over his head. "Hey, silly! Wake up! We've got to eat cake and have fun and get lots of birthday presents! And eat more cake!"

"Allie, darling," he groaned aloud. He plucked her off of his bed and put her on the floor. "Let's have a little more time to sleep and then we'll do all that and then some." He rolled over and started to go back to sleep, but Allie scrambled back onto his bed.

"Paul, you must wake up this instant!" she commanded. His snores gave her the clue that he wasn't getting up anytime soon, so she went into Ringo's room and dozed off next to him.

She woke up around three in the morning and Ringo was still sleeping. However, George and Matilda were not. She could hear them fighting. She pressed her ear to the door and listened closely.

"I guess I'm not pretty the way those girls are pretty, am I?" she yelled angrily. "I'm just not pretty in the right way!" George was silent. "I guess I'm just not the right kind of girl for you."

He was silent once more. "George…"

"No," he said finally. "You're not the right kind of girl."

"Then I'll change," she said immediately.

"No! No, don't change. You're your own girl with your own good parts," he mumbled.

"But if I don't change, then I won't have you! Why can't I have you?" she whimpered. "Why?"

"Because you push too hard!" he exploded. "Every damn minute! There's no time, ever, to just relax and enjoy living! Everything's too serious to be so serious."

"If I push too hard, it's because I want things better," she explained. "I want us to be better; I want you to be better. Sure, I make waves, and I'll keep making them until you're every wonderful thing that you should be and will be!"

"Mat-,"

"No! You'll never find anyone as good for you as I am! To believe in you as much as I do or love you as much!"

"I know that."

"Well, then why won't you come back home after the filming is done?"

"You think if I come back everything is going to be better by magic? Nothing's going to change! What's going to be different?" he asked. She was silent. "We'll both be wrong. We'll both lose."

"Wouldn't we both win?" He ran his hand through his hair.

"God," he sighed, beginning to laugh. Matilda tried to laugh with him but it seemed like a different kind of laugh.

"Look, I like Brigitte Bardot. I can look like her. What's-,"

"God, just stop!" he seethed, still laughing angrily. "Just no, no, please. I can't do this." He walked to the window and sighed loudly. He punched the wall which made Mat laugh a little. He looked out of the curtained window. "Someone's getting up. Are you going to bed yet? Sure you're not tired yet?"

Mat shook her head and grinned. "You are."

"I'm exhausted," he chuckled. He was quiet. "Mat, you expect so much."

Her smile turned sad and she nodded. "Yes, but look what I've got." They stared at each other and George finally wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and laid her head on his warm shoulder. Her stomach turned nervously.

"George?" she said pulling away from him.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask a stupid question?"

"Better than anyone I know," he grinned. She swatted his chest lightly and bit her lip. "So let's hear it."

"Alright, so," she started. "A jealous little small town girl comes to London and tells her guy that um…" He raised his eyebrows. "That she's pregnant, you see."

He stared at her with no expression. "And he…he just looks at her. What do you think he'd say?"

He blinked hard. "You're pregnant?" he asked seriously.

She nodded.

"Matilda," he said, shaking his head. He didn't say anymore and he stepped into his room and closed the door. Allie sniffed sadly and cuddled back up next to Ringo.


"Ritchie," Belly greeted later that morning when Ringo awoke. She, Miranda, and Charlotte had taken Matilda's flanks, comforting her while setting up for Allie's party.

"Ladies," he grinned. He kissed Belly's cheek, leaving a bright pink blush in his wake. Paul soon awoke and touched Miranda's cheek gently. He and Ringo sat down for tea and John, who went to a party with Paul the night before, woke up and gladly accepted a few sips of Charlotte's black coffee.

"So has George even spoken to you after you told him?" Miranda asked quietly. Matilda shook her head sadly.

"No. I think he thinks he's meant to believe that it's…that it might be my ex's baby." Belly's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, dear. You haven't told him that it's his?"

"I hadn't a chance to," Matilda sniffed as she tied the bow on Allie's gift. "He hasn't even looked at me." Leo came to sit on his mother's lap but he instead let Charlotte hold him.

"Well, perhaps you need to make him," Charlotte said wisely. "Your baby needs his father, or will eventually and you may as well break it to George that the kid is not going anywhere and neither are you."

"Charlotte," John called strongly. "Come here, please."

"What is it?" she asked once she was next to him.

"You can't let Matilda force responsibility onto George. You see that he can barely deal with Allie anymore and this will just send him running." He stared at her seriously. "She needs to let him come to her."

"John-,"

"I'm serious. You tell her that or she'll have to deal with the disappointment." Charlotte sighed and looked away. "Char. Don't let her do this."

Before either of them could speak to Mat, George came out with Allie in his arms. Her blue eyes were bright with excitement.

"Happy birthday!" the girls chorused. The men grumbled a tired birthday congratulations. Allie wiggled out of George's arms and hopped into Paul's lap.

"Guess what today is," she grinned widely as the rest of the adults began to chat amongst themselves. He wrapped his arm around her to keep her steady.

"Wimbledon?" he said, his voice rough.

"No!" she giggled. "It's the birthday!"

"The birthday, is it?"

"Yes!" she chirped. Paul smiled weakly and rubbed his aching head.

"Allison," Charlotte called. "Come here, please." She climbed down from Paul's lap and rushed over to Charlotte. Thankful for the diversion, Paul let his head drop on the table. Charlotte pulled Allie onto the couch next to her.

"What's that?" Allie asked, peeking at a small box.

"It's your present. I thought you might want to open one before the party." She handed it to Allie and let her unwrap it slowly.

"It's a bracelet!" she exclaimed. "Just like yours!"

"That's right," Charlotte smiled. She carefully put it on Allie's small wrist. "That way you'll always know you have a friend, even if I'm far away." Allie quickly hugged her and laid her head on Charlotte's shoulder.

"You'll always be my friend, Charlotte?" she asked.

"Always," Charlotte promised.

About an hour later, there was a loud knock on the door. John answered it and smiled widely.

"Hey, love!" he said, sweeping her into his arms. Allie's attention was turned toward the door and she squealed.

"Astrid!" she yelled as she ran to the door. Astrid picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Allie, darling!" she crooned. "I'm taking you and Leo to find a toy! How does that sound?"

"Gear!"

"Matilda, is it alright-,"

"Of course," Mat smiled. "Leo, are you going with Astrid and Allie?" He nodded excitedly.

"Can George come too, Mum?" he asked. He looked up at George enthusiastically. George met Mat's eyes quickly before they went back to Leo's.

"Sorry, Leo," he said, rubbing the boy's hair playfully. "I've gotta talk to your mum." The women's surprised head turned in his direction.

"Alright. Bye, George! Bye, Mum!" He grabbed Allie's hand. "Let's go, Al!"

"Party when you get back, love!" Miranda called after them. The door shut and the room was silent.

"Matilda, may I have a word please?" George asked. She nodded and let him lead her into the hallway. "Tell me right now. Is the baby mine?"

"Yes," she said immediately. He seized the tops of her arms.

"How do you know?" he growled. "You told me that you'd slept with him-,"

"I fucking lied!" she screamed. That was the first time he'd ever heard her curse. "Jesus Christ, couldn't you tell that I was lying? I wanted to stay away from your so you could do what you wanted!"

"Mat…"

"And then," she gulped. "And then that one night we had together when I came back. When I found it I knew it was yours." She squeezed her eyes tightly.

"Mat, I'm so sorry. I'll stay with you and the baby, love."

"I don't need your pity, George," she snapped. You just needed to know. I hope you're happy. You'll never have to see any of us ever again."