"Drinks at the Grapes then lads, lady?" Paul didn't wait for what he knew would be a positive answer, just turned on his heel and led the way through the semi darkened alleyways. Narrow lanes bursting at the seams with assorted small businesses jutted and squeezed together, all shut of course, but the window displays still showing off the shops variety of wares.

Louie was in the midst of the group as they marched up through old stomping grounds, pointing towards places that had a memory or two attached. John held Louie tight to his side, the night was still her foe and he wanted her to feel safe, to know she was safe with him.

"Here's to the best band in the land...."

Lou held up her glass and the boys watched on, waiting for her to continue, waiting for the usual witty joke about them.
She frowned when she realised they were waiting for a retort to the declaration, smiling she finished with the words with the truth...

"The Beatles!!"

The boys all cheered and pushed each other, all happy and buggering around. John a little quieter as he and Lou watched each other thoughtfully, waiting, wanting to find out what was to happen next.
The Beatles would trundle out of town back to London mid-morning tomorrow in a small procession of one car and one beat up, flogged out van and John still had no idea if Louise was going to be with them or not.

Drinks flowed and they all enjoyed imbibing late into the night, a few old friends showing up and having a laugh. Members of Gerry and the Pacemakers arrived, overflowing the group into the next table. They all began heckling and joking around like they used to. It was lovely but lack of time now hampered friendships old and new. Another round of bevies that Lou didn't have to shout were order up and everyone joined in to recall long tales of petty theft or what so and so was up to, or who was up the duff.

Lou fidgeted as she waited patiently, she missed Evie and was so tired, certainly not used to being out so late.

"Want to go home, Lou luv?" John whispered low in her ear as he returned from the bar, handing out the next round of drinks.

"No, I want to go back to Evie"

John sat heavily and, with slight bemusement, gazed at Louise. Wondering why she had said what she said. Was she hedging to the fact her home wasn't in Liverpool or was he reading too much into the sentence. "Isn't that home?"

Lou looked deeply into John's eye's contemplating and weighing her words, keeping his eyes held in hers, she took his hand and sat it on her knee. "No John, Evie is at my parent's house"

"Yes!!" He all but yelled and thumped a delighted palm flat on the table and Lou grabbed him from jumping up out of his seat, he still moved up and down like a loon and it had everyone in the pub gawking and staring at the noisy lad in the back corner.

"What are you jumping up and down about, crabs again John?" George looked down his nose at John and Louise glared at the pair of them, lifting an eyebrow in disgust, she tried to stand.

"I don't have fucking crabs, Harrison, the both of ya Harrisons" John looked about angrily and his gaze settled on Lou as she nibbled her lip worried at how he went off at the drop of a hat. John sighed and tried to relax. It was just a gag, no harm done "Lou is just coming home to London alright. I was just right pleased 'bout it, that's all"

"Well she has to doesn't she, seeing how Ma is kicking her out as we speak. Bags are probably stood at the front door by now" George looked at his watch, oblivious to what his revelation would incite and went back to his drink, tossing it back happily. John turned his head sharply back in Louise's direction. Was Lou just coming back to him because she had nowhere else to go. Was he being used as a halfway house?

"What the hell Louise, is that why" John was hissing under his breath now and looking dead nasty at her. Standing abruptly, leaning over her as she cowered not knowing anything about her Ma's plans "Fuck me, I thought .... Bloody 'ell, just a bloody idiot I am" He knocked the glass from Lou's hand as he pointed and grouched and slammed his fist into the wall beside Lou, then he was gone, left to the street. A table of baffled band mates staring in stunned silence after him.

Louise quickly raced out the door in tears, trying to find John before he disappeared into the night. Trying to catch up to explain.

The street was empty, to the left, the right and the alley they had all walked through to get to the Grapes. Her eyes murky and glistening with unshed tears as she tried to peer into the darkness and search him out. The moonlight filtered feebly down into the narrow lanes and she saw not a sign of him.

Louise hugged herself from the cold and pain she felt from his words and what he was thinking of her. She decided to cross the street and peer down into the next alley, all thoughts with John and none for herself.

No thought whatsoever of another night where she walked Liverpool streets alone.

It was cold and the crystal clear night and light breeze blowing up off the Mersey, sent the temperature plummeting.

Worrying about him and his thinking that she was only using him.
She called out into the darkness but he never responded and her heart dropped as she sank herself onto the bench at the bus stop on the corner.

It was late. The pubs all basically shut with everyone inside til early hours of the morn and soon it would be time for landladies to call last dibs and landlords to shove stragglers out onto the streets.

Tears fell for him and she brushed them from her hazy gaze, she desperately wanted to tell him she didn't know but she was so scared to continue on, into the darkness. She clenched her fists tight to her eyes, berating herself for being so feeble and weak.

Minutes stole by as she grew angrier and angrier at herself.

Her fists thumped her legs, then her arms. She was so angry at herself, so annoyed, that she let an old nightmare stop her from finding him to explain.

Louise stood.

No more waiting.

No more being afraid.

She turned in the direction of Menlove Avenue.

Mendips her destination.

Looking about she didn't see a soul.

The lampposts led her onwards and she walked to each quickly, nothing was different, nothing changed, it was and is, Liverpool.
Another pub, one of many, loomed and she baulked at the sight and once again she felt it...
She had a feeling she was being followed, watched.

But she put it down to just that, a feeling. Like an old memory washing over you, her pace picked up, her heartbeat began to race and she chided her pathetic self for letting imagined nasty scenarios win.

Willing herself to dis-engage and walk on, not falter a step, not look back into the darkness that surrounded her, not to look into the alley ways and shadowy walls that stretched about her from all angle- Upwards, outwards, deep, dark, abysses of unknown.
Lou glanced at the street sign as she passed, soon, soon she would be free of the darkness, soon she would be in his arms. Warm, safe and secure.

Wanted, forgiven, loved.

"Well, hello there little girl" Louise came to an abrupt halt with eyes widening. But having heard the sentence uttered...well, it had her almost laughing instead of cringing back in fear.

Because somehow, in all of the vast city of Liverpool and somehow, out all of the pubs and all of the nights...

The same horrid man that ripped the innocence of youth from her, stood in front of her once again.

And she almost.... almost laughed because he uttered a song title in that sentence. A song that John himself had written, one of his first, one of her absolute favourites, in fact.

How bloody ironic it all was.

"Your friends with you or are you alone?" Lou stood tall, why not find out the damage now and not wait to see what the shadows would deliver to her.

Louise made the horrid creature raise his eyebrows in surprise. Missing tooth, same height, the tattoo, all there mocking her and her incredible idiocy to put herself right smack bang back where this had all started

"Alone tonight my luv but I can give 'em a hoy if you want, no bother" She was unsure if he even recognised her, perhaps he hadn't, perhaps he had... she wouldn't bother to ask, it wouldn't change the outcome of the night.

Such a stupid, stupid girl she was. Such a blight on humanity he was and he could be Evie's father... how terribly depressing is that.

She didn't run, why even try, it might as well have been miles to Mendips and indeed the same distance back to the Grapes, and the heels she wore would have her splattered face down in seconds.

Lou stood in silence, her eyes cleared and she began to regress inside, removing herself from the picture, piece by tiny piece.

Her mind, she let wander away.....taking her somewhere safer.

Losing herself to smiling eyes and memories, snippets of time. Windows of love....

Evie's lips appeared, then her cute little button nose, the lads sitting at the kitchen table, Johns hard piercing stare, Evie's funny squeals, Johns teasing grins, Evie's shining eyes, the lads mucking about, Evie's dimples, Evie's little fingers touching Lou's cheek, Johns wisecracks, Evie crying, John yelling, Lou crying, Lou crying, Lou crying.......Lou was crying and she didn't think she would, or could ever, stop.

He leaned in and touched her cheek ........

And all hell broke loose....