No Looking Back, Only Forward

"This is bollocks," cried Roger as the group convened on the roadside next to their broken-down van. They had been travelling back from playing at a bunch of pub gigs when something with the back tire went wrong. "Sold out every pub and uni South of Glasgow and I'm stuck out here in the middle of nowhere eating a ham sandwich!"

"At least you've got good company," spoke up Mallory from where she was leaning against the side of the van.

The group had been playing together for close to a year now, continuing with gigs at universities and pubs, but increasing in number and size. They had also renamed themselves 'Queen', after Her Royal Highness, as Freddie had said. They were all becoming more ambitious though.

John was trying his best, albeit struggling, trying to fix the van's problem. "Bloody tire," he grunted, smacking the side of the van.

"Oi!" said Roger. "Gently with my van."

"It's the love of his life," Mal chuckled.

"It's counter-clockwise I think you'll find, John," Brian instructed, standing over John while he worked, hands in his pockets.

"Oh, is it? Thank you Brian, would you like to do it? Please, feel free."

"No, no, you're doing a good job. Please continue."

"How much do you think we could get for the van?" Freddie suddenly asked.

"I hope you're joking," exclaimed Roger, almost spitting out his bite of sandwich.

"I've been thinking we need to go bigger."

"What do you have in mind, Fred?" asked Brian.

"An album."

"We can't afford an album," spoke up John from where he was crouched almost underneath the van.

"Hence, the van-" The others saw where Freddie was going with this.

"But, my van!" Roger was still gawking at the possibility that anyone would even suggest that he part with his precious van.

"Cheer up, Darling," said Freddie, clapping his hands. "You're recording an album!"

For his birthday, Freddie finally took the band to meet his family, his mum, dad, and younger sister, Kashmira.

The other guests included Freddie's girlfriend and closest friend, Mary, as well as her father.

"Please tell your father it's nice to meet him," Freddie told Mary. Her father was deaf and communicated using sign language.

"I have."

"Then thank him for the lovely birthday cake."

"I have." She smiled.

"Hmm." Freddie lowered his voice, then said, "Then tell him his daughter's an epic shag."

Mary's smile fell. "Freddie, he can read lips."

Freddie's smile also fell and he looked up to see Mary's father staring at him from across the table.

Mary quickly intervened and whispered to Freddie. "Are Roger and Mallory-" She nodded to the two. "Dating?" They had been flirting this whole time, and were sitting very close. She had thought they were a couple the first time she met them, and wasn't the only one to think that.

"I don't think so," Freddie answered, glancing over at his two lovesick band mates. "Though it's hard to tell, isn't it?"

"I think it's cute," Kash joined in, who was sitting on her brother's other side.

"You gonna finish this?" The three watched as Roger asked Mallory, reaching his fork over to her unfinished slice of birthday cake. He was still chewing the last of his cake.

"Yes!" she cried, jumping in and pulling her plate towards her. "Hands off!" She smacked his hand away.

Kash giggled as she watched them. "You can have some more cake if you like," she told Roger. "We've got lots."

"Mary, I can't tell you how long I have waited for Farrokh to bring home a girl," Mrs. Bulsara said.

"Farrokh?" repeated Mary, the others now just as confused.

"Did Farrokh not tell you he was born in Zanzibar?"

"No, he didn't." Now all eyes were on Freddie, who suddenly looked like he wished to be anywhere but there.

"I used to know a girl from Zanzibar," said Roger.

"I thought Freddie was born in London," said John.

"Oh he was, at the age of eighteen," teased Kash, nudging her brother.

"Shut up," sighed Freddie.

"Ah, siblings," Mal chuckled knowingly. "Are you and Freddie close?" she asked Kash.

"Fairly." Kash nodded. "Though not as close as you and Brian."

"Oh, we're not close," joked Brian, earning a kick beneath the table from his sister as well as some laughs.

"Freddie spent nine years away at boarding school," Kash continued. "So we didn't spend a lot of our childhood together."

"I'll be right back-"

"Mum!" Freddie cried when his mother disappeared, utterly embarrassed when she returned and started passing around an album full of photos of his childhood.

"Our family is Indian Parsi," she explained.

"A thousand years ago, the Parsis fled from India to Persia to escape Muslim persecution," Mr. Bulsara told them.

"Really?" cried Brian. "That's terrible. So why did you leave Zanzibar?"

"We didn't leave, we were chased out with just the clothes on our backs."

"Oh wow," said Mal. "I'm studying history. I've come across that in some readings."

"Uh oh, now you've done it. Once she starts on history, she doesn't stop," teased Roger, earning a playful shove from Mal.

"What sort of history do you study?" Mrs. Bulsara asked her.

"Mostly women's history, what role women have played throughout history."

"Ah, very interesting." Mrs. Bulsara nodded and then turned to Brian who was sitting next to her. "And Freddie tells us you're a scientist."

"Astrophysics, actually."

"Ah."

"And he's a dentist." John pointed across the table to Roger.

"I was never a dentist," said Rog.

"He's a dentist," confirmed John, he and Brian nodding in agreement.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Mrs. Bulsara asked Roger and Mallory from where she was sitting across from them.

Brian's head shot up from looking at the photos of young Freddie.

Roger and Mal exchanged a glance. "Oh! Oh, we're, we're not, not actually-" They began speaking over each other. Roger moved his arm away from where he'd had it draped around the back of her chair and she sat up straight from where she had been leaning against him.

"We're just close," Mal explained.

"Oh." Mrs. Bulsara nodded and smiled at them.

Brian raised his eyebrows at his sister from across the table. She just innocently sipped her tea. Roger cleared his throat once, then twice.

In the background, Freddie was playing 'Happy Birthday' on the piano, singing along. "Happy Birthday Mr. Mercury-"

"'Mercury', really?" said Kash.

"So now the family name's not good enough for you?" spoke up his father.

The chatter of the other guests fell silent. A slightly awkward silence now hovered.

"It's just a stage name," his mother tried.

"No, it's not. I changed it legally. Got a new passport and everything."

"Good thoughts, good words, good deeds," continued Mr. Bulsara with a sigh. "You can't go anywhere in life pretending to be someone you're not."

"Exactly," Freddie shot back. "No looking back, only forward."

I think I'm condensing the timeline a little - ah the joys of fanfiction! ;) And I guess I didn't skip right to the recording session, but I've thought of more scenes to add in between! This story will mostly be behind the scenes moments of the band, which were my favourite moments in the movie!

Thank you so much for the reviews so far, always much appreciated! :) And thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! :)