Summary: When Alice has a vision of the next great musical group, the rest struggle to believe the hype.
Beatlemania
January 11, 1964
The family was in the living room, each doing their own thing, when Alice breezed into the room, followed by Jasper. "Oh, hey guys. You'll never guess what's going to happen." She was brimming with excitement.
Alice and Jasper were still relatively new additions to the family. As such, the Cullens weren't always sold on what her visions foretold, still keeping a healthy dose of skepticism about them.
Rosalie sighed and took the bait. "Oh? What."
Alice bounced on her tiptoes. "There's this band and they're going to be really famous. The US doesn't know about them yet, but they're big in the UK. Girls will go crazy for them. They're gonna be bigger than Jesus."
Carlisle's eyebrows shot up at that last statement. "Excuse me?"
"Yup, bigger than Jesus. One of them will say so himself."
"Okay," Carlisle put his palm up to stop her saying it again. "Please stop saying that."
"What, bigger than Jesus?"
Carlisle sighed in a long-suffering fashion. "Yes."
Alice shrugged. "Kay. Anyway, they're going to be major. They are going to revolutionize music."
Edward scoffed from his spot leaning against the doorframe. "The English? Revolutionizing music." Carlisle turned hurt eyes onto Edward. "Oh, sorry." Carlisle just shook his head and looked at the floor, Esme rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.
"I'm telling you, it's going to happen," Alice insisted.
"Hey, I thought you couldn't see people you don't know," Emmett chimed in.
"She sees major events," Jasper defended.
"Alright, whatever," Emmett deflected, leaning back against the couch and turning his attention back to the TV. There was nothing good on, it was early in television history, there were like 3 channels, but it was incredible new technology so Emmett would watch it all the time. He wished the networks would broadcast for twenty-four hour a night, but the flag came on and the national anthem played every night at midnight and then it turned to static and he had to do one of the other things that had kept him amused over the past few decades, pre-TV.
It seemed the discussion was over as everyone resumed their previous activities. Alice's enthusiasm cooled just a little, but she felt a boost from Jasper and she knew he believed in her.
In time, they would see.
February 7 1964
"Hey!" Jasper called out. "Come see this!"
It was uncommon for Jasper to summon the family, and they all gathered rather quickly. Jasper gestured to the television. The evening news was on, and there was a crowd of screaming, crying, absolutely rabid women and girls mobbing four men on an airplane moving stairway – four mop-topped, dweebie-looking men in matching suits. And this crowd was going bananas for them.
"Ah, see?" Alice said. "I told you so."
"This?" Edward asked, incredulous. "This is the 'bigger than Jesus'-famous band?"
Alice nodded. "Oh yes. It's gotta be."
"I thought you saw it, Alice? Don't you recognize them?" Esme asked, surprised Alice didn't seem entirely sure.
"I heard one of their songs and saw the crowd of women. That was enough information."
Rosalie scoffed. "You've gotta be off. No way a band that looks like that is the band you had a vision of. It has to be somebody else."
"It's them."
Rosalie crossed her arms and gritted her teeth, but held her tongue.
Edward did not. "They look like total nerds."
"Look who's talking," Emmett joked and Edward threw a pencil at him, which splintered into a" million pieces as soon as it touched him.
"Seriously though, what's with the mop tops." Rosalie said, gesturing at the screen.
"The mob is crazed. They're going to start dropping from exhaustion," Carlisle added.
Emmett nodded, "Looks like only dopey kids are interested. Not my cup of tea."
"You haven't heard them yet!" Alice threw up her hands in annoyance. "They're going to be on TV, look, the news man just said! Ed Sullivan show on Sunday. There!" She was happier now. "You'll see."
"Sure, if we can stand to look at them for long enough," Edward laughed and the rest snickered along.
"They look very…British," Jasper said diplomatically.
"The janky teeth?" Rosalie quipped
"Aww, I think they're cute with their little bowl haircuts," Esme put in.
"Cute? You think that schnozz is cute?" Emmett cried, and howled with laughter.
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Esme defended fiercely.
"Well, it's no surprise, she's married to a British dude," Emmett said to Alice behind his hand, to which she giggled. Esme leaned across the couch and smacked his leg playfully. Carlisle self-consciously touched his nose.
"It's not about how they look, it's about how they sound," Alice explained. "You'll see."
Feb 8, 1964
Esme and Carlisle both ended up returning home at the same time, she from the grocery store and he from work. Emmett and Rosalie were playing chess, and Edward was watching.
"Where's Alice and Jasper?" Esme asked when they walked in the door together.
"Oh, they're in their room," Rosalie answered dismissively, absorbed in her next move.
"Well," Carlisle plopped down in an armchair. "Everyone was talking about this group's performance at work today. I mean everyone, from the administration to the nurses to the patients."
"I overheard some customers at the store talking about it," Esme added. "The clerks too. I think we have to watch this show tomorrow night."
Edward rolled his eyes and made a gagging noise. Emmett chuckled. Rosalie looked offended.
"I don't know, Edward, this article says they write their own songs," Esme continued, waving the daily paper at him.
"Great, a bunch of wannabe Elvises trying to compose music. Fantastic. Can't wait to hear what is doubtlessly transcendent music," he sniped, arms crossed.
Carlisle just shook his head at Edward's childish behavior. Such a shame his brain would never develop past that of a broody teenager.
"Well, we're not missing the show," Esme said firmly. "This is going to be big."
Feb 9, 1964
The family gathered in front of the biggest TV available at the time. They crowded around it, even though their vampiric vision could see the small screen from across the room in detail. The Cullens were curious now, to see what all the hype was about.
Ed Sullivan introduced the band, and The Beatles began their set. The audience was loud, nearly drowning out the singers' voices for the first song, so really no decision could be made just yet as to the band's worthiness of all this fervor.
The next song began and thankfully the audience was less rowdy. 'Til There was You' was followed by 'She Loves You', and by the end of the first set, the Cullens were won over. Even Edward couldn't hold back from moving to the music. They were all disappointed they had to wait for the second set.
"Told you," Alice said with a giggle. Everyone laughed and apologized for doubting her.
They watched the second set and afterward, Edward cursed Emmett for playing 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' on repeat in his mind.
"Jesus, Emmett, please! Think of something else – No, not that!"
"I can't help it!" Emmett cried. "It won't stop! It's stuck in there!"
Edward clapped his hands over his ears as if it would keep the song out and moaned miserably.
Alice bounced on her toes. "Told you they'd be famous."
"Yeah, yeah, Alice. No one likes a gloater," Rosalie sniped.
Jasper grinned. "Do you know now? Never bet against Alice."
Author's history note:
The Beatles were not a known entity to America until January of 1964. The band was a big thing in England for two years already before The Beatles ever made it to New York. "I Want to Hold Your Hand' was eventually released in the US and people went nuts for it, because the nation was reeling from JFK's assassination which happened just 2 months earlier. They needed something to feel hopeful about, and the song was catchy and upbeat and different. So, the fans latched onto that and Beatlemania in America was born.
