Tomorrow Never Knows - Chapter Thirty-Four

Authors: lovely_rita_mm, jenny_wren28, & pennylane_fic

Starring: The Beatles and Maggie Sue

Rating: M for language, implied sex (though none of it is explicit) & implied drug use. Characters used in this story are either our creation, or are historically-based (ie, The Beatles).

Disclaimer: We don't own any of the Beatles, this obviously never happened, and is a complete work of fiction.

Maggie opened her eyes and when she felt a stab of pain, she promptly closed them again. Her eyes felt gritty, like they'd been rubbed with sandpaper. Between the crying and the pot smoke it was no wonder they were irritated. Wait a minute, pot smoke? Maggie sat bolt upright as last night came back to her, and then had to run for the bathroom where she was very sick. Her head ached and her stomach clenched and unclenched. She'd never felt so hung over. What had she done? After brushing her teeth as gently as she could (even her gums hurt), Maggie crawled back to the bed and got under the covers, shivering.

Maggie cast her mind back to last night and tried to remember exactly what had happened. She remembered the horrible fight with John, and though she wished she could forget, she remembered standing outside the door to Paul's flat listening to John and Yoko laughing together, and then hearing those giggles turn quickly into gasps and moans of pleasure.

She'd come home upset, and called George and he had come over to console her and to help her get high. She'd gotten both high and drunk, and then…oh God. She and George had kissed, and more than kissed they'd made out. She remembered sinking down onto the bed with him on top of her, and then…nothing. That was the last thing she remembered before waking up. Had they….taken things farther? Surely not. George was a married man, and she…well, she didn't know what she was right now. If John was going to leave her for Yoko, then Maggie could have no guilt about last night except for what she had done to Pattie. Of course, George had never had a problem sleeping with women other than his wife.

"Oh God," Maggie groaned. If she had slept with George, then she'd done the very thing she'd been unfair to Maureen about. Maureen had done nothing to deserve Maggie's suspicion yet. Maggie felt like the biggest hypocrite on the planet. Surely she and George hadn't really…. Maggie looked down at herself. At least she hadn't woken up naked. That would be really damning. But she was wearing a t-shirt and not much else. Oh God.

Just then, George strolled into the bedroom, whistling, and wearing nothing more than a towel from their guest bathroom.

"Oh, you're up!" he said, cheerfully, leaning over and giving her a quick peck on the forehead. "Do you think John would mind me borrowing some clothes?"

Probably not nearly so much as he'd mind George having borrowed his fiancé, Maggie thought grimly. Wait - was she still his fiancé? Not after he'd been with Yoko, that was for sure.

"No, help yourself," she said. She winced at the sound of her own voice. Her head was pounding. "Why don't you look like I feel?"

"A misspent youth," he grinned at her, as he headed back to the guest bath with the spare change of clothes. "Come downstairs and I'll make you something to eat."

"I don't think I could," she replied, the nausea rising again.

"I'll make you my hangover cure then," he called back at her. "Hop in the shower first and then meet me downstairs."

"Okay," she managed. George was acting so casual, maybe nothing had happened. Then Maggie remembered how casually the Beatles treated sex. He'd probably act the same way whether they'd slept together or not. If only she could remember…

Standing in the shower, the hot water beating down on her, she thought about what a mess things had become. She'd lost John to Yoko, and followed that up with possibly sleeping with her friend's husband, a man who also happened to be her own best friend AND a Beatle. What was she going to do? She didn't know, but her head was pounding too badly to come up with any solutions.

She dressed slowly and walked carefully down the stairs, trying not to jar her head.

George was in the kitchen. "Here you go," he handed her two aspirin and a glass of water. "Not too much water, now."

Maggie sat on one of the barstools in the kitchen and took the pills. She put her head in her hands, unsure what to do now. She should probably ask George exactly what had happened, but she was embarrassed.

The door opened. Both Maggie and George looked up. It was John. And he wasn't alone.

He pulled the woman behind him into the room.

It was Linda.

Maggie gaped at them.

"John? What are…?" George tried, since Maggie was still speechless.

"Hi Maggie!" Linda smiled and hurried over to give her friend a hug.

Maggie hugged Linda back gingerly. "Hi Lin, what are… what are you doing here?"

"Paul and I, we're together! For real this time!" Linda was unable to keep her excitement contained.

"What? How?"

"Well, Mick called and said the Stones needed some photos done. He joked about doing a special 'centerfold' for me," Linda laughed. "At least, I think he was joking! I got on a plane and flew here. You'll never guess who I literally bumped into at Heathrow! Apparently Paul was on his way to New York to see me!" Linda gave Maggie a knowing smile – Maggie's long-ago advice about playing it cool had finally paid off.

"Paul was going to see you?" Maggie still had a splitting headache, but knowing that Paul had finally made up his mind and had chosen Linda made her smile. There'd be a happy ending for one of them at least. Maggie guessed she herself would be joining Jane in the jilted girlfriend club soon enough. She hoped she and Linda would still be able to stay friends.

"Yes! He told me that he broke things off with Jane and that as soon as it was over, he went home, packed a bag, and rushed off to the airport. He said he couldn't wait another minute to see me, and that he hoped I would give him another chance."

"Oh Lin. I'm so happy for you." Maggie's eyes filled with tears.

"Thanks – but let's not be premature. I haven't agreed to anything just yet. I'm still not sure I'm ready to settle down, let alone with a Beatle. If Paul wants me for real, he has to show me he's serious. But for now this is nice. Besides, there's still Mick's centerfold shot, and I did bring my extra wide lens..." Linda grinned. "Anyway, it was wonderful to see Paul again. We couldn't wait to be alone together. We didn't even make it back to his house," she giggled. "We stopped at Paul's flat and had a little reunion there."

Maggie's head snapped up. "What?"

"We couldn't help ourselves! It'd been so long... We stayed at the flat last night and then went to the studio this morning so Paul could show me all the songs he wanted to work on, which is where we ran into John. John offered to take me home with him so I could see you. Paul's still at the studio. You know how he is."

"You were at the flat with Paul last night?" Maggie repeated.

"That's right." Linda looked puzzled.

Oh God, that meant it had been Linda and Paul she'd heard, not John and Yoko. But where had John been all night then? He certainly hadn't gone straight to the studio after their fight.

Maggie allowed herself to hope, just a little. John hadn't done anything with Yoko in Paul's flat. However, Maggie and George had certainly done something, she just wasn't sure exactly what. The nausea rose in Maggie's stomach.

"I'll be right back, Lin. I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling well this morning. But I'm really happy for you and Paul," she managed before lurching out of her seat and making her way upstairs. She just hoped she'd be able to make it to the bathroom before she was sick. Again.

A/N: This weekend is super busy, so I'm posting the chapter a little bit early! So...there is one more (plus an epilogue) to go! Tune in next weekend for the conclusion!

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