YES IT IS

Authors: pennylane_fic, jenny_wren28 & lovelyrita_mm

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.

Chapter Six

The city was lit with the kind of magic that you once felt every day as a child. It was that innocent kind of wonder, the kind that put a smile on your face and made you look at your surroundings with new eyes.

Maggie knew she should have felt happy, should have been beyond content with her great modern life, and yet, she remained aloof, a stranger in every sense of the word to her surroundings.

She felt lost in her own time.

She had no family, no real friends she could connect with. It was just her, alone in this bleak little universe. She had thought that maybe with her job she would find a sense of purpose. And while she was excited about it, barely able to even sit still when she thought about what she would be doing with NASA, she couldn't help but feel like there was something still missing. That feeling hadn't haunted her before this so called little "trip" she had just taken. No, before her little tryst in EMI, she had felt complete, had felt whole. Her career was the center of her world and that was enough for her. Who needed love when you were on your way to becoming one of the most successful women scientists of your time? Love was fleeting. It simply gave you that warm tingle in the pit of your stomach for a few months before the magic wore off and left you with this bitter loneliness. Someone would hurt someone else, harsh words would be traded, and suddenly, that feeling that you thought would last forever would deflate in a sea of tears and nothing more. Maggie was taking the smart route in life. She was forgetting love and going with her career. Careers were stable. They were indefinite, and in the end, they provided you with so much more satisfaction than a love life ever could.

But she couldn't help but remember the way she had felt like a part of something important only a few brief hours ago. As she walked down the city streets and back to her hotel, Maggie remembered how she had actually played alongside of some of the world's most famous and talented musicians. It wasn't even the fact that it was the Beatles that was making her smile in delight (okay, maybe it was a little bit) but the fact that she actually felt like she belonged there. Not necessarily playing with them, but there, in that lifetime, in that warm embrace of John's eyes.

It was crazy though.

The whole idea was absolutely insane and Maggie couldn't dwell on something like that. She needed to take this as a blessing and then move on. She had been given the chance that girls only dreamed of in life and she had made the best of it, she had warned the Beatles of what was to come and hopefully they had heeded her words, making their lives better for it in the end.

At the thought of what she might have been able to do, Maggie broke out into a run. People looked at her as she raced past them, anxious to get inside her little room and pull out her laptop. The bellhop just glanced at her a little bewildered as she ran into the lobby, opting to take the stairs to her room instead.

The keycard shook in her hand as she attempted to open the door and after several muddled attempts, Maggie managed to break through. Not even bothering to lock the door behind her, and pulling out her laptop, she brought up wikipedia, typing in George's name as fast as her fingers would allow.

As her eyes scanned the small print, she felt a little sigh of relief hit her. George had given up smoking, going through a long struggle in the mid sixties with it, but had prevailed in the end. He was currently still alive today, living out the remainder of his years with Olivia and Dhani. Maggie smiled, feeling relief flooding her system.

Typing in Paul's name she found the same there. Linda had caught her breast cancer early on in life and had managed to fight it off before it became to late. The two of them had four beautiful children together and it looked like they had just recently adopted a fifth. Maggie felt herself laugh in astonishment as she read about their new little girl, Bea, and how the McCartney's had taken her in after finding out she had been abandoned by her crack whore mother.

Ringo had changed just as much as the others had, it seemed, heeding her words of advice as well. He had cut back on his drinking and drug use and from what she could tell, had never needed to enter rehab. He had even been with Maureen though her illness, helping her beat it and had managed to be a lot kinder during their divorce resulting in the fact that Maureen had never attempted suicide.

Maggie felt her rapidly beating heart slow as she read good news after good news about the boys that she had come to know only a few hours prior. Her anxiety and trepidation over John was almost all gone as she typed in his name a little slower than the rest. As his picture popped up on the screen, she had to grin. She missed him already.

Her smile soon faded though as she ran her eyes over the print that read before her. Despite everything she said, despite all the warnings and all the looks of fear that had crossed his features, nothing had changed. Feeling the tears prick her eyes, Maggie felt a wave of panic crash over her like freezing water on her skin. Pushing away from the bed she had settled on, she ran out of her room, bursting outside into the darkening night.

Rain fell down from the storm clouds as her feet pounded heavily against the sidewalk. She had to go back to him, she had to tell him again what had happened. She couldn't let it all end like this.

Heart racing, hair plastered to her face, Maggie reached the studio, her breath coming in short and ragged rasps. She yanked on the front door, feeling her shoulder give a slight pop of protest as the door stayed firmly shut, locked up for the night. Maggie felt herself panic as she continued to pull uselessly on the heavy entryway, hoping that it would suddenly open, hoping that someone inside would hear her screams. The rain swallowed them whole though, causing them to simply disappear into the blackened night.

Pounding her fists on the door one last time, Maggie felt herself sink to her knees, the sobs wracking her form as she fell into the dirty concrete beneath her. The rain fell down around her, soaking her to the bone and drawing her further into herself. There was nothing Maggie could do though as she sat curled on the ground, feeling the bile rise in her stomach. Why couldn't she have saved him?

She dropped her purse down on the entryway table as she made her way inside her little hotel room. Walking numbly to the bathroom, she grabbed a towel, not even bothering to change out of her wet clothes. What was the point?

The computer screen still remained upwards, shining brightly at her with John's face staring back. She locked eyes with him for a moment, feeling the tears swim just beneath the surface, but knowing she was too weak to let them out.

Sitting down heavily on her bed, Maggie took a deep breath, forcing herself to read just exactly what had happened. It seems that John had done as she said, had gone and told the police what he suspected. But, like usual, they hadn't listened. They didn't believe that Mark David Chapman was anything more than a fan and had refused to arrest him. No, they simply went with the theory that John was just another paranoid rocker, strung out on drugs.

John, not knowing what to do, had gone home anyway, attempting to fight his attacker off as the first gunshots rang out. But it was to no avail. The bulletproof vest Maggie had told him to wear seemed to be nowhere in sight. Maggie read an interview with their personal assistant, one dated years later, where he described how John and Yoko had fought that morning over that very subject, John shouting something to the affect of Maggie told him he needed to wear one. It had taken Yoko a few hours, but she had convinced him that a bulletproof vest wasn't necessary and that he needed to let go of this illusion of a girl named Maggie he had been holding onto all these years. It seemed as if this wasn't the first time Maggie had been mentioned. Everyone had written her off though as a bad LSD flashback and because of it, everything remained the same. John had still died just like he had before, shot down in front of his own home as his little boy remained upstairs, fast asleep.

Closing her laptop for the night, Maggie laid down on her bed, feeling her wet shirt stick to her skin. She just stared out her window, watching the rain fall down the glass silently, her body aching in memory.

More determined then ever, Maggie arrived back at the studio the next morning only slightly put off by the fact that there were no tours today. She didn't care; she needed to get inside. Slowly she snuck in the front door, vowing to herself that she would just play dumb if she were caught.

Entering that familiar corridor, Maggie went straight to the picture that had caused this whole ordeal in the first place, and stood firmly in front of it, praying that this would work. When she had awoken this morning, she wasn't all together convinced that the last couple of days were nothing more than a bad dream. But if there was a way to fix this, she had to at least try. Packing an overnight bag, she had made her way here, feeling more and more like a fool every step of the way, and having to fight the urge to simply turn around and leave as she came face to face with the picture. She had to at least try. If she failed, she could go home and pretend none of this had ever happened.

Staring steadily into the photograph's eyes, she had to force herself to remain focused as the world started to spin again. Part of her wasn't sure this was even happening and desperately wanted to look around the room to see if something was changing. But she remained still, not wanting to take her chances. It had to work; it had to.

When it became too much she closed her eyes, pulling a hand upwards to clutch at her head in order to stop the dizziness that was threatening to overwhelm her. What was she doing? What intelligent, rational, human being, who was in the position she was in life, actually did this? By believing in this childish fantasy she was not only jeopardizing the credibility she had worked so hard to gain in this male-dominated world, but she was also feeding into the lack of sanity she currently possessed. While her analytical mind might have accepted what had happened, that she had somehow managed to time travel back to 1964 only two days ago, it still didn't make up for the fact that she was trying to do it all over again. If someone caught her, the excuse that she didn't believe in any of this wouldn't save her. So she refused to open her eyes. She was afraid that when she did, she would still either be here in 2006, or she would be back in 1964. Either possibility led to two things. She was crazy and had imagined it all, or there was no way to get back to John and he was gone forever. Neither option was one she thought she could face…but she knew she couldn't stand here forever.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, not knowing what to expect. She couldn't help but feel the elation at what she saw.

John stood before her, staring at her in disbelief. He looked different, his hair was slightly longer and his eyes were older, battle weary almost, but Maggie knew it was him all the same.

"Maggie?" he whispered, his voice catching as he pulled her tightly in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around him instinctively, tightly, as she buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent, the feel of him sending warm shivers down her spine. "I can't believe it's you," he mumbled into her hair. "I used to come down this hallway every time I had a chance, hoping to find you, but lately…it's been so long…." Squeezing her tighter for a moment, as if to confirm that she was, in fact, there with him, he laughed before pulling her away and shaking his head. "You look just as I remember. You haven't changed one bit!" he exclaimed, pushing her away from him so he could look at her.

Maggie frowned a little at that, watching as he drank her in. "Well, I would hope so. I've only been gone for twenty four hours."

Cocking up one eyebrow, John looked at her in surprise. "Twenty four hours? It's April 20th, 1966. It's been a little more than twenty four hours since you've left, Miss Margaret." Maggie gaped at him in shock at the realization that two years had past since she had last seen him, but he could only smile. Slipping his hand down into hers, he dragged her forward. "Come on," he said excitedly. "We're recording a new album. You have to come and see the boys." With a wicked look, John's lips twitched up into a smirk. "Try not to throw up this time."

Before Maggie could even think about protesting, John was pulling her down the endless hall, his hand tight against hers, almost as if he was afraid to let her go again. Pushing open the door, John cried out triumphantly, pulling Maggie in front of him and showing her off. There was a moment of silence around the room as they all seemed to stare at her in wide-eyed disbelief, almost all of them having nearly convinced themselves that she was nothing more than a dream that had entered their lives not so long ago. But all at once, the laughter burst forth, the cries of joy ringing through the room as George and Ringo came forward, grinning broadly at her much like John had.

"You're back!" George said, barely able to contain the excitement he felt at having a fellow guitar geek in his presence once more. Hesitantly, he stuck out his hand in greeting. As Maggie took it though, she pulled him into a hug, not being able to contain her relief at seeing him again. There was something about George that she just found endearing. "You have to see the new guitar I bought," he said with a grin as he pulled away. "The thing's a beauty and…"

"Let the girl breathe, George," Ringo laughed. Pushing him aside, Ringo pulled Maggie into a great big bear hug, lifting her off the floor slightly and smiling as she gave off a happy little laugh. "Give her a few minutes before you two go off on your boring guitar talk," he said as he set her down, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. "Did you just get back?"

Maggie looked around the room, a little overwhelmed before breaking out into a wide grin and shrugging a little. "Yeah!" she laughed. "I guess I did!"

"You haven't changed a bit, luv." Turning her head a little, Maggie saw Paul leaning against the side wall. He looked at her a bit warily, but he didn't seem as aggressive as he had been the last time around. Given the time period, Maggie suspected that drugs had something to do with that.

"I've only been gone for twenty four hours," Maggie explained hesitantly.

Paul frowned. "Twenty four hours? But it's been…?"

"I know," Maggie said, trying to wrap her mind around it as well. "Time must work differently or something. I'm not sure. It's not logical, but then again, none of this is. I just wish I could study this somehow…"

John swung an arm around her shoulder, smiling broadly. "Luv, we have some work to do, but if it's alright with the others, you could stick around and then we could get something to eat afterwards."

A chorus of approval sounded from both Ringo and George, but like always, Paul remained hesitant. John caught his eye, watching the decision being weighed behind those orbs. Letting go of Maggie, John pushed forward, wrapping his arms around Paul and giving him a pleading look.

"Please, Macca, please can I keep her?" Paul tried his hardest not to smile, to simply put a firm expression on instead, but John persisted. Squeezing him tighter, John began to whine in protest, "Please," he crooned. "I'll be good. Please please please please pleas…"

"All right!" Paul laughed, rolling his eyes at John's shout of joy. "Just get off of me." Leaning forward, John smacked Paul's cheek with a sloppy kiss before running to hide behind Ringo, knowing that Paul would hit him if he got the chance.

Maggie smiled at the exchange, noticing how the studio around them seemed to hold a different atmosphere this time. They were all bubbling over with excitement, jumping up and down and hardly able to sit still. Though a lot of that probably had something to do with the drugs they were taking, she reminded herself. Still, as John hugged her again, Maggie couldn't help but let herself beam.

After squirreling Maggie away upstairs in the sound booth, John went and picked up his guitar. Paul was by his side, unconsciously, Maggie noticed, standing close to him. She had a feeling that it wasn't just her presence that seemed to make Paul act this way, it was just a general protectiveness that he seemed to have over his friend. Maggie being there just heightened it. Sighing, she leaned back in her seat a little bit and looked at the two of them. They were just another perfect example of why she shouldn't be here. She couldn't ruin this friendship and she did not want to go down in history as another Yoko Ono.

Or rather, THE Yoko Ono.

Maggie stopped herself at that. What was she thinking? She was getting bit presumptuous here wasn't she? It had been two years for John, and what was to say that he was even still interested; he wasn't exactly known for is long attention span. And even if he was, it didn't change the fact that he was still a married man. Crossing her arms, Maggie set her jaw, resigning herself. She was going to deliver her message, and then leave. Staring at John and Paul again when she heard them giggle, she realized she couldn't ruin that…she wouldn't ruin that.

They giggled again down below as they tried to make their way through "And Your Bird Can Sing," but both John and Paul were in a mood and ended up laughing if they looked in each other's general direction, and soon they just couldn't stop. George and Ringo rolled their eyes a little bit, knowing that this wasn't going to be something that would calm down anytime soon as Paul snorted into the microphone, sending John's fingers crashing down on the wrong chords.

From up in the recording booth, George Martin sighed by Maggie's side, rubbing a hand briefly across his eyes. A small smile played across his lips, but you could tell that this was going to get old fast if the two of them didn't shape up. "They're doing this more and more as of late," he commented. Maggie wondered if he knew they were smoking pot by now. That among other things. "All right, lads," he called down. "Take five."

They broke apart, both John and Paul still giggling and continuing to sing under their breath as Maggie came down the stairs. She headed to George first, figuring she'd let the boys calm down on their own, and went talk with George about his new guitar. She was anxious to see what he had gotten.

Lifting his eyes, George smiled at her in greeting, but there was something different about him this time. He was more hesitant then he had ever been with her before. Maggie frowned slightly, slowing her steps as she approached him, but George waved her forward.

Sitting down, Maggie looked at him, watching as he shot a furtive glance towards his band mates. Finding them all busy, he turned his attention back to his guitar, looking at Maggie out of the corner of his eye.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, his voice coming out soft and unsure.

Maggie shrugged. "Sure."

"You know all of our songs, right?" She nodded. "Well, we're recording one of my new ones and… what do you think of it, honestly?"

Maggie thought for a moment, trying to remember what album they were on. "Are you talking about Taxman?"

"Yeah," George said, looking at her with amusement. The whole situation was too weird.

"Honestly, I think its one of the best you've ever written. I couldn't get enough of it when I first heard it." Maggie refrained from telling him that she hadn't believed that it was really him when she first heard it because in her mind, his repertoire of songs had been less than desirable before this.

George smiled. "Then… Would you mind listening to one of my other songs? Just to see if it's any good?" He looked at her quickly, not even giving her a chance to respond before trying to correct what he had said. "I'm not trying to take advantage of your knowledge of the future or anything like that. I just… you're a musician too and it'd be kind of nice to get an opinion from someone other then the two headed monster that goes by Lennon/McCartney."

Maggie laughed a little at that last bit. At the same time though, she couldn't help but feel sorry for George. It seemed as if he was always living in John and Paul's shadow and it wouldn't be until after the Beatles broke up that he would be able to get more of an identity of his own. Even then though, he was forever doomed to have his work compared to the rest of them.

"I would love to listen to one of your songs," she said softly, watching as a sort of relief flooded his features.

Strumming his guitar, he paused for a moment, considering what he wanted to play for her. In the background, John and Paul were still deep in conversation, entering into the little world they had created and had restricted access to, while Ringo had wandered out of the room, most likely in search of a cup of tea.

Taking a deep breath, George nodded to himself, almost as if to give himself some courage, before strumming out a few chords, humming the tune under his breath.

Maggie felt her breath catch in the midst of her chest, recognizing the chords to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It was by no means the finished product, nowhere near close to it, but the bones were there, the framework. She swallowed thickly, feeling the surrealism of the moment wash over her as the entrancing melody swam before her, wrapping around her in a note of hope and desperation all at once.

It was over too soon for Maggie's liking and soon George was sitting back slightly, looking at her nervously. Maggie just stared at him though, at a loss for words. George looked down. "Is it that bad?"

Clearing her throat, Maggie shook her head quickly. "No," she stated, her voice coming out in a small squeak. "I just…" she smiled, laughing a little to herself. "I know what song it is, or rather will be, and I can safely say that you're on the right track."

"Really?" he smiled a little.

Maggie nodded. "You should show it to them, George."

His features darkened at that though. As his fingers came down, fingering the chords to his future hit absentmindedly, he shook his head. "What would the point be? They'd only shoot it down in the end."

Maggie frowned, feeling the resentment begin to well inside of him. She just wished there was a way to set his fears at ease. If only he knew what his future held. "Keep polishing it up, flesh it out a bit more, and when you're ready, play it for them," she encouraged. "The song is going to be amazing."

From across the room, the sounds of Ringo entering back into the studio, and John and Paul readying to begin playing again were heard. George quickly stopped all strumming, straightening up and hiding away the notes that had already faded into the thin air. Any argument he had been about to make dissipated as well. Despite all this though, Maggie noticed how the look, the one of failure, the one of inadequacy, still hung on his face.

Leaning forward, Maggie caught his eye. "Don't give up," she whispered to him as the others slowly approached. "Your later songs are some of my favorite."

George shot her a surprised look, but didn't say anything more as John and Paul entered the room, calling attention to themselves.

* * *

A/N:

Will Maggie Sue remember to give John her important message? Or will she give into temptation? Has Paul really seemingly buried the hatchet, or is he just looking for the opportune moment to discredit her? Find out all this and more in Chapter 7.

This is a complete story, so you won't be left hanging! We are planning on post approximately 2 chapters a week.

Also, we'd love to know what you think so far, so please drop us a line. :)