The small vestry's, usually used for storage, sat situated under the same roof-line of the main church building. The rooms were abuzz, Louie, her Ma and Dot all busy doing the many pre-wedding bridal rituals like hair, makeup and of course donning the dress, made by Lou's own hand.

She toyed with the lace as it scratched her skin, she wasn't joyously happy but she was pleased.

Pleased she was safe, pleased her child would not be a bastard with no father and terribly pleased John and she had finally, after many back and forth's, combined forces, signed names and made a deal that should give them both what they need. They even comically shook hands much to Paul's delight.

For Lou, it was simple- safe harbour.

For John, much, much simpler still - a housekeeper and darner of socks.

The moment it became anything more would have them divorcing and going their separate ways. Lou liked John and John, Lou; So they didn't want to wreck the friendship with misinterpretation or messy un-required or unrequited emotions, did they.

The deal may make the marriage of Lou and John simple, but the chattels that came along with it weighted heavy.

They were to marry in Louise's family's eyes, Aunt Mimi eyes, under church laws and any friends and other family that they would interact with would see Mister and Missus Lennon.

They were to live together.

They were to have a baby.

Even when the deal was demolished by a lawyer's ink or ripped up by their own hand, the baby would always be theirs in the eyes of everyone, not ever just hers.

Both hadn't even thought that far ahead, perhaps as Lou's belly grew they would.

"I saiddd toss it here" John was vexed, Paul wasn't doing as he was told and kept jumping on the desk, stepping onto the closet and peering through a small square window every bloody five minutes. "One more ya, tosser"

"No John you'll be right pickled if you keep it up" Paul patted his inside jacket pocket where the flask of Jim McCartney's favourite scotch sat safely and nodded at his own type of parental control over the boorish Lennon.

"I'll take the bloody desk away and leave you in here, high and dry for the night. Stuck there on that closet, ya wank" Doing a slow pirouette to find the door again, John started for it, ready to find his own drinks, or better still, leave the church building altogether.

"Don't you dare" Paul banged the flask on the top of the closet and chucked it to Lennon. Caught, sculled and drained well before Paul hopped off the desk and looked at John's get-up. "Put your tie on, John"

"I don't wanna"

"Baby.... Look mate it's half three you need to be ready by ten ta four. Fix your hair, do your tie" Paul offered up a comb and pointed out the overly ornate mirror as if John couldn't find it himself.

"I can't do this, it's stupid ain't it. Getting married to some broad I don't really want" John flopped on the timber pew that was the only seat in the room, the hard surface making him rub his arse from the drop to the seat.

"John, this was your idea, you did this. Lou's just through there almost ready to walk down the aisle" Paul sat beside John and patted his shoulder lightly "and mate.... This isn't some broad, it's Lou and if you leave her jilted by that altar you won't just have the Harrison's breathing down your neck for blood, you'll have me there too, with the sharp knife"

"Being a bit melodramatic aren't you Paul" John cracked his knuckles and annoyed with the lot, hit his thigh on repeat "Perhaps if you're so sweet on her you should hop on down the damn aisle"

"Oh yes I see it now, excuse me mister minister John and I did swapsies, I'll be taking over from here" Paul heckled then shoved John hard "Come on, I'll show you something"

Paul wandered back over to the desk, standing by the wall "Come on then, son"

"Are you going to push me off?!"

"What?? No, you ninny, just get up here and all will be revealed"

"Bloody magician now, are you" John grumbled then climbed up reluctantly, he watched Paul dangling off the closet, that was until Paul swung a leg over and near clobbered John in the eye "Hey watch the wares, mate"

"Give us ya hand, Winston" Paul was crouched on the top of the closet now and John wished to shove him in the bloody thing.... perhaps, he thought, he could lock him in it instead of moving the desk later. "I can hear you sloshing from here, no more booze alright, now jump!"

It was no good, John wasn't a climber of closets, girl's parent's ivy trestles or drainpipes to get in windows yes but closets no, but Paul was a pro of closets.....

John moved a large stack of leather bound bibles from one end of the desk to the other and basically walked up to the closet roof "Now what? nought up here to make me any more likely to consider making the walk down that bloody aisle"

"Turn around. Face the wall" Paul needed to scoot behind John to let him have the prime position.

"Oh, Paulie you flirt, you" John heckled cheekily as Paul passed him.

"Fuck off, just look through the window you tool"

"Hang on a mo, I need to settle my loins from your slivering over my posterior" John grinned like a looney at Paul's horrified face "Geez you're so worried 'bout your sexuality mate, aren't you"

"For Pete's sake John, focus on the view through the window"

"What! so you can have your way with me"

"That's it, here have your ring and your flask and I'll see you in London at the next recording session" Paul crossed his arms then uncrossed them, finally fumbling in his jacket pockets for the ring and flask.

"Alright, alright. I am now approaching the tiny window. Alright, I am now peering through the tiny win-"

"Now you see?"

The silence was deafening...

"Yea" John said slightly defeated, grabbing his glasses from his pocket he peered back again "She looks........."

"Lovely John, she looks lovely" Paul watched his mate and hoped this did the trick but John was beginning to get very icy cold feet and there was no telling how the day would pan out.

After watching Lou from his high position John climbed back down, jumping from the desk to the floor.

Although Lou was just standing looking in the mirror, swinging her body this way and that to check the dress was sat perfectly, her face flittering from a tad melancholy to giggly when Dot joined her, she was a vision in ivory. John again remembered why he was here- for her.

Finishing up his tie and hair, Paul walked shoulder to shoulder with John down the aisle to their assigned spots by the altar.

"Psssh! brother in law to be" George whisper shouted off to the side of the altar, head turned over his shoulder toward John, motioning for John to join him "Here, for the nerves"

Paul frowned from his best man posting as John wandered off  poking a tongue out at Paul.... he tipped yet another flask to his lips and drank his fill.

'This should be fun' Paul thought as he considered the list:

The many, many bevvies before arrival at the church,

his own flask and now...

Georges offering.

John was going to lose the plot sooner rather than later.

"John dear" Aunt Mimi stood at the bottom step, frowned at Paul who put on a 'it's not my fault face', even though she had no inkling to what John was actually up to while he tete-a-tete with George, then crossed her arms to wait for her nephew.

John tucked a mint in his gob and joined Mimi.

"Well I am pleased you remembered to brush your teeth"

George laughed loudly and Paul rolled his eyes. Mimi glared and got back to it.

"You know I'm not all on board with this, this..."

"Wedding, Mimi. It's a wedding"

"It's a half-attempted affair if ever there was one. A reception in a café, whatever next, getting married while snorkeling?!" Mimi may have been shorter than John but her attitude and terse words rattled him always.

"This is all I can afford Mimi! Now Mister Harrison is putting on some nice sherry that should put a grin on your face Mim, I know you like a tipple of a good sherry" John grinned and touched her brooch, she loved that brooch it was from Uncle George, so John touching it seemed to bring her back softer if she was beginning to get a bit grouchy.

"Oh, alright I suppose the wedding will be lovely how it is. You look very handsome dear, same as those three" Mimi flicked her wrist, nodding at the boys assembled gazing over Johns shoulder.

"Thank you, Missus Smith" was offered in unison after Ringo elbowed the other two boys.

"And you're sure now? Marriage isn't a joke young man, takes hard work and commitment John. And I haven't even hardly seen you with this one and here you are marrying her"

"Louise, her name Mimi, is Louise and yes I'm sure" John offered to try to appease the forthright woman as he escorted Mimi back to her seat in the front pew, he then walked back to his position rubbing his face which he actually felt like slapping.

When John had broken the new's of Lou's pregnancy....

Mimi had bellowed, but until she saw them wed she would not have a bar of the fact Lou was with child, it was totally inappropriate to speak of such untoward matters. And what would the ladies at bridge club say......