Author's Note: This one is Emily's, shared by me. Enjoy! I know I did.
Warning for language. F-bombs are dropped.
You're Gonna Lose That Girl
John was wandering around the docks in Liverpool. One could say he was in a state. He'd met a gorgeous bird at a club the other night, and he'd fallen arse-over-teakettle in love. She was funny, sweet, beautiful…
John sighed. There was one rather meddlesome problem; her American boyfriend.
Stephen was hardly a good boyfriend. John could tell that within five seconds of setting eyes on him. They way he flirted with every bird he saw EXCEPT his bird made John sick, but when John attempted to talk with Courtney, he got chewed out by the bastard.
John growled out loud. He knew that bird deserved better. It just wasn't right. Then, John heard voices approaching and ducked into an alley to brood some more.
Much to John's surprise, the passing people were Courtney and Stephen. The former talking about how much she loved the country, the latter not caring to listen, and eventually waving her off while he talked to a bird (who, John happened to know, was waiting for her husband).
Sighting his chance, John stalked over.
"So," Stephen was saying, grinning at the poor girl, "You ever been with an American guy?"
That did it for John. He marched up behind Stephen and spun him around. He was intending to punch that godawful smirk off Stephen's face but held back.
"Don ye 'ave yer own bird?" John roared at the stunned man, "Well? Don ye? Answer me, ye bloody bastard!"
"Uh… Y-yeah…"
John lowered his voice to a growl. "Well, why don ye go to 'er then? Go take 'er somewhere nice, like she deserves."
Stephen had, stupidly, gained some composure at John's low tone. "What's it to you, asshole?"
John snapped. He drove his fist into the side of Stephen's face, and watched him recoil.
"Tell ye wha, ye fuckin piece of shite. DON take 'er out," John snarled at the American on the dirt-covered ground, "I'll take 'er, an then she'll see how horrible ye are an never go back to ye."
With that, John turned and walked away. A few minutes later, Courtney came and saw her boyfriend's bruised face. Stephen only snapped at her when she asked what happened.
John had tailed the pair to where they were staying, a dingy little hotel near the shipyards. John took note of the place and went home.
Five hours later, John stood in the light of a lamppost, smoking a cigarette and pondering what to do. He finally settled on going in to ask.
"'Ey," he said to the woman at the desk, an old, wrinkled pig of a woman, "Is there a Courtney stayin 'ere?"
"Yeah," the woman grunted as she eyed him.
"Gear, 'as she gone out lately? With a Stephen bloke?"
The woman paused, seemingly to judge whether or not to tell John. She finally spoke. "The bird 'asn't left since this morning. The bloke's been out for three hours."
John's face darkened as he held back his anger and disgust at Stephen's actions. "Which room. Is she in?" he growled.
"114."
John stalked down an adjoining hall, looking for the room, quietly growling out the numbers of rooms he passed until he came to 114. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, and rapped on the door.
Courtney answered, looking in surprise at John. He smiled, his rage disappearing.
"Ey," he said, not quite able to think straight.
"Hello," she replied.
"Er, I 'eard ye got left home on a Saturday nigh."
Courtney shrugged, trying to look indifferent, but John could see the look in her eyes, showing how slighted she felt.
"Well, I was thinkin it was a damn shame, leavin such a pretty bird alone on such a nigh, so I was wonderin…" John gulped nervously. "Er, wonderin if ye'd like to go out with me."
Courtney's eyes widened with surprise. her first instinct was to stick by her boyfriend and decline; but after being treated so badly, her rebellious side decided to show through. John's scouser grin sealed the deal for her.
"Sure, just let me get my coat."
Later, the pair were walking back, laughing and talking like the pair of lovebirds they'd turned into.
"They did WHAT?" Courtney laughed.
"Righ in the middle of the room! Cor, ye should've seen Paul an Em's faces…" John chuckled, shaking his head at the memory.
"Courtney!" a voice roared. Courtney stopped dead as Stephen stepped out into the lamplight, two suitcases in hand.
"God damn it Courtney! What the hell are you doing with that asshole?" he snarled at her, throwing down the two cases and advancing on the pair. "You cheating slut. You think I don't know what you're doing?"
John tensed, ready to cripple the bastard for insulting Courtney like that, but she grabbed his arm before he could rush Stephen.
"Stop it! WE didn't do anything, he was just showing me around! You left me sitting at the hotel alone!"
"Yeah, thinking I could trust you to stay the hell put!"
John couldn't stand it. "It's not her fault ye're a fuckin arse and ye go out flirtin with everythin tha breathes!"
"Fuck off, you! C'mon, Courtney, we're going back to the States."
Courtney stood looking at him, remembering all the times he'd left her, all the times he'd hurt her, all the things he'd said to her, comparing that to what John had.
Said scouser reached over to take her hand, begging her in that gesture to stay,
"No," she said, squeezing John's hand. He smiled.
Stephen gaped at her, not believing what she was saying. "What did you say to me?"
Courtney reaffirmed her answer strongly.
Stephen stood, shocked. "…You bitch," he growled before rushing at her, murder in his eyes.
John, however, wouldn't let that happen. he sent a fist into Stephen's face once again, then grabbed the stunned man by the collar.
"Don. Ye. Fuckin. Dare. Ye've lost her, she deserves more than ye," he snarled in the man's face, then threw him to the ground.
Stephen huffed a bit, nose bleeding heavily, before turning tail and running away.
"John?"
John froze, realizing Courtney was still there.
"John… ta."
John turned to look at Courtney, then embraced her. She put her arms around him as well, and the two stood together in the street, just holding on.