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.

Here's what you've all been waiting for, the big "showdown" between Paul and Maggie. My money's on Martha... ;)

Chapter Eleven

The weeks were spent inside the studio, listening to history being made while the nights were spent in the arms of a man that she shouldn't even know, but now could not imagine living without. John and Maggie had become inseparable, rarely seen without one another, a notion that Paul had become increasingly aware of. Mornings started mostly with Paul seeing the two of them in the corner, whispering and giggling, hands touching and fingers gliding across palms. Maggie would sometimes leave to go shopping with one of the girls, but all too often would hide away up in the recording booth instead, and when Paul would look over to John in order to trade a familiar smile, John would be looking upwards, making faces at the girl above. The only reprieve Paul seemed to get from the two of them was when he went home at night. The next morning though he would be regaled of tales of how Maggie and John spent their evenings playing guitar together, sometimes going into all hours of the night when George and Ringo would drop by to join them. Paul tried to drop by occasionally, just so he didn't seem like he was playing the role of the jealous lover (like Jane was starting to teasingly accuse him of doing), but he never stayed very long. He found that his temper was shortened by miles almost the moment he entered the house.

The fact that John and Maggie clicked, understanding each other on some sort of subconscious level that up until now, only Paul had been privileged to experience, and for so many years, was starting to wear thin. It got under Paul's skin more than he would ever admit, and the more that this little fact presented itself, the more bitter jealousy began to come out and play. Snarky comments were made daily and they were almost always directed towards Maggie. It all boiled down to one thing too. Paul simply did not like John spending time with this woman, and he was becoming increasingly annoyed with the ease that both George and Ringo accepted her, and now even Jane!

John knew Paul was sulky, but figured it would pass soon enough. He loved Maggie, so therefore Paul must certainly love her too in time. George and Ringo figured it was between John and Paul, so stayed out it, and Maggie knew Paul wasn't going to do anything about it other then make things worse. She also knew he wouldn't just "get over it."

Perhaps this was the reason that Maggie was here now, standing outside of a home where she knew she wasn't welcome, biting her nails nervously. The decision to stay here was one that she wasn't budging on, but she knew at the same time that if this was going to work, then the air needed to be cleared with Paul. The relationship that John and he had with each other was too important and Maggie did not want to be the reason why it ended so early on in their lives.

"Is there a reason why you're standing outside of my home?"

Whirling around, Maggie came face to face with Paul. She had yet to even ring the buzzer to summon him and he was already there, catching her off guard. She had had this whole thing planned. Awaking early this morning, she had left a note for John and headed over to Paul's house, hoping that he was home and that he was not home all at the same time. She'd wanted a few more minutes to prepare herself before knocking on his front door to discover which was true, but here he was right in front of her now, Martha's leash in his hands, and Maggie knew that she couldn't avoid this any longer.

The gatebirds were out in full force this morning since it was a Saturday, ignoring Maggie and tossing questions and smiles at Paul. He looked at them graciously and Maggie couldn't help but wonder why he was so willing to accept and smile at girls he didn't even know while he held nothing but disdain towards her.

Maybe because they're not trying to take his best friend away. She thought to herself bitterly. It was the truth. There was no way around it. Paul had decided almost from the moment John took interest in her that Maggie obviously wanted to steal his best friend and keep him for herself. And to be honest, a small part of her did want to keep John all to herself, and not share him with anyone.

Shaking her head clear of her thoughts, she screwed up her courage and faced Paul. "We need to talk." She said over the noise of the chattering girls. Paul tossed her a glance that clearly said go away. Maggie kept her eyes focused though and he had no choice but to nod. As he said his good-byes to the girls before him, he motioned Maggie forward, not chastising any one of them while they threw their less than flattering comments towards Maggie.

"What do you want?" he bit out. As the gate closed behind him, Paul released Martha, watching as she frolicked off to find some sort of trouble to get into. That was the ideal life. No one to answer to, no one to hate you, just a simplistic reality where chasing birds was your daily form of activity.

"I told you," Maggie said, sighing as he refused to look at her. "We need to talk."

Raising an eyebrow, Paul laughed to himself slightly. "Do we now?"

"Yes." Maggie crossed her arms in front of her, holding firm. This needed to end before things between her and John went any further.

Turning to her, Paul smiled at her condescendingly, as if she were child he was simply amusing for the time being. "And what is it that we need to talk about?

"Your jealousy."

"My what?" He laughed, amused and a bit surprised by her declaration. "If you think I'm jealous of John, you're daft!"

"No, Paul," Maggie said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping a bit in frustration. "I think you are jealous of me. Of me and John specifically. Jealous of the fact that John is spending all his time with me, and not you, and bringing me to the studio all the time, and your special little "Beatle Boys" club is being crashed by a girl."

Taking a step back, Paul shook his head. "You're a nutter." His eyes widened slightly as he fidgeted nervously, beginning to walk towards his house, anxious to get inside. "John can fuck whomever he wants whenever he wants for all I care."

Not backing down, Maggie followed him, watching as he unlocked his front door and stepped into the foyer. Before he had a chance to shut her out, Maggie stepped inside, inches away from him. "Yeah, just so long as you are the one person he wants to make music with, and just so long as you are the most important person in his life," she accused, refusing to blink or break eye contact with him. She would not back down.

They stood like that for a moment, faces inches apart, each refusing to give into the other. Paul's eyes clouded over. Maggie saw him slowly recede into himself. Not wanting to appear like he was giving this woman any more ground, he held eye contact with her though, trying to prove to her the inaccuracy of her claims, before he turned and walked towards his kitchen. "You can see yourself out," he called casually over his shoulder.

With a roll of her eyes, Maggie watched as he disappeared around the corner. Somewhere in the distance she heard a door open and then shut very quietly, as if the impending rage wasn't about to burst. "Men!" she muttered to herself, frustrated. Gathering her wits about her, Maggie took a deep and calming breath and went in search of Paul once more. She was not going to let him drive her away so easily. She loved John, John loved Paul, therefore she loved Paul, or was at least going to try to. It was that simple. Anything that was important to John was important to her.

Maggie opened the back door and entered the back garden, the picture before her one of serenity. The air was cool and wisps of clouds glided across the sky, and the atmosphere was one of peace and acceptance. It was the kind of day that most thrived on. It made you stand up and take notice of it, made you look at it in all its beauty. It was only suitable that this was also going to be the backdrop to their upcoming conversation.

Paul sat on the steps, watching absentmindedly as Martha ran around. A bird sat up in a tree, taunting the dog incessantly, engaging it in a game that Martha would never win. Swallowing, Maggie looked at Paul, feeling a pang in her chest as she looked at his dejected form. His shoulders were hunched, elbows resting on his knees, and his head in his hands. Sitting down next to him, Maggie mimicked his position. This was going to be even harder then she had imagined.

Silence passed between them, the sounds coming from the wind, the trees, the taunting bird and Martha, but not a single word was uttered from their lips. Maggie wasn't going to be the first to talk either. Everything she said seemed to irritate him so maybe, just maybe if she stayed silent, he wouldn't be able to come up with a reason to argue with her.

Cloth moved against skin as Paul sat up a little straighter, staring straight ahead into the distance, not even really seeing anything. He cleared his throat, gathering his words. "When I said you could see yourself out, this isn't what I meant."

"I know." Maggie said simply. "But we're not done talking."

Paul's eyes flicked towards her, shining with disbelief over her cheekiness. That was all though. No words were traded back, just a slight acknowledgment and then the staring at the sky resumed.

"The thing is Paul," Maggie finally began after another moment of silence. "You don't need to be jealous. I'm not going to take John away from you. I'm not out to break up the Beatles. In fact, those two things would be the worst things that could possibly happen, in my opinion." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye but his expression had yet to change. Somehow though, she knew he was listening, and the words were coming to her easier now that she had started. "The other thing is, you need to be patient with John." He shifted uncomfortably and Maggie almost regretted her words. Telling him how to deal with John probably wasn't something he appreciated much. According to Paul, he was the master of knowing John's thoughts and emotions and having Maggie tell him how to handle John wasn't something that was going to go over well. The thing was, Maggie needed to tell him what he couldn't see and hope against hope that it might sink in a little. "Right now we are just starting out, and as with anything new and wonderful, you want it all the time, so it's hard for us to be apart. One day, I think you'll understand that for yourself," she said, remembering how Paul and Linda had been criticized for being so inseparable. Opening his mouth, Paul began to interrupt but something stopped him. Licking his lips, Paul firmly closed his mouth and pressed his elbows further into his knees.

"You are still John's best friend, and writing partner, not me." Maggie ducked her head, trying to look into his eyes. "It would be tragic for the two of you to stop writing together… trust me on that one," she said with a slight smile.

Paul swallowed thickly, his fingers tangling into his hair. Martha had given up on the bird in the tree and was now rooting around in the dirt, sniffing things unbeknownst to the rest of them. Maggie and Paul sat in silence for a moment, watching Martha introspectively. The air was becoming cooler and Maggie could feel shivers threatening to run up and down her arms.

Turning her body towards Paul, Maggie felt herself sigh for what seemed like the hundredth time today. "Just because John and I play and sing together, does not mean he's going to stop playing and singing with you," she said quietly. "I'm not going to join the Beatles. I'm not going to force my way into your band. And above everything else, I am not going to let John try to get me to play with you guys on any of your albums." For the first time, Paul turned to her, really looked at her, a wave of panic sweeping across he face. Maggie laughed. "He hasn't asked me to, Paul. That's purely conjecture on my part."

A slight smile came to his face for a moment, the corners of his mouth wanting to twitch upwards. It set Maggie at ease as she looked at it, giving her the courage to move on.

"My point is this," Maggie said. "The Beatles are four guys. FOUR. Not five. There is no fifth Beatle. Yes, I will be coming by the studio to watch, and to say hello, but I want a career of my own. Something to do with science, or maybe even a band of my own, and that won't leave time for me to be following John around everywhere. I don't even want to do that. That's a bit too co-dependent for me. And now I'm rambling…" Biting her lip, she trailed off, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks.

Paul looked at her again, his eyes traveling across her face as he studied her, trying his hardest to find the truth. "So, you're not trying to keep John all to yourself," he finally said. It was clear he didn't want to validate the idea that he might be harboring feelings of jealousy over John, even if they both knew it was true.

"No."

His eyes narrowed. "And you're not trying to join the band?"

"No," Maggie laughed. "Jamming with you guys occasionally is fun, and amazing, but I'm no Beatle."

Her words served as no comfort though. They were there and Paul had a feeling they were true, but he was still uncertain. Maggie sighed, softening completely to him at the brief moment of vulnerability flashing across his eyes.

Resting her hand on his shoulder, Maggie looked at him carefully. "Paul, we both love him. That much is obvious. And I'm willing to share him if you are."

With his eyebrows shooting upwards, disappearing into his hairline, Paul looked at her aghast. "I do not love him! I'm not a poof!"

Maggie burst out into giggles. Oh, if only he knew what would be said about John and Paul's relationship in the future. "I never said you were…though there is at least one group of people on the internet devoted to proving that you and John were involved…physically and romantically." Paul paled at that, wanting to protest but not finding the words to do so. Maggie filed that away for future blackmail and teasing. "But, no, I don't think for a minute that you're gay, not that there would be anything wrong with it if you were. I just know that you have deep feelings for John, and I don't want you thinking I'm out to take him away from you."

Her hand slipped from his shoulder but Maggie kept eye contact with him, trying to show him that she was telling the truth. Sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, Paul chewed on it nervously, a decision being weighed back and forth in his mind. "You mean that?"

"Yes."

Turning towards Martha, Paul seemed to consider this. Finally, seeming to come to some sort of conclusion, he cleared his throat and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "So, what's this you were saying about some group of people who thinks John and I are shagging? And what's the internet?"

Maggie's smile brightened her face as relieved laughter burst from her lips. Paul ducked his head, smiling as well, running his hand through his hair as he looked at her shyly. The two of them were okay. An understanding had been reached and while a sense of awkwardness still remained around the edges, it was better than it had been before.

Maggie laughed and proceeded to tell him all about the web, and most importantly, about all the theories his fans, present and future, would spend hours discussing.

* * *

A/N:

To answer your question, Maggie and Martha are never really able to see eye to eye. Martha is able to sense that Maggie is, in fact, a cat person. DOH!

So, what will happen next time? Will it all be sunshine and ponies now that Maggie and Paul have made nice? Tune in to the next chapter to find out all this and more...

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. :)