A/N: OMG Manchester vid!

The time had come, it had been months. Louise stood on the doorstep hugging her mother, her father standing chatting with Mal Evans, The Beatles right hand man, driver, fixer, body guard.

"Take care now, we'll come down when the baby comes, alright. Remember to eat, heaven knows I've told you that thousand times" Ma rubbed the bump "I'll miss doing this, I'm ever so excited though. Me, a Grandma, fancy that!"

"Ma, I've got to go, Mal has a long drive" Louie disengaged gently from her mother's arms, seven months pregnant and teetering again on tears, although this time, they were warranted, she was leaving home.

"Bye........... Bye!" Louie waved frantically once more, then did the window up and sat back in the passenger seat.

It was February 1963 and the chill was leaving with the wintery season and life was starting to bloom.

Knowing Mal from the Cavern, gigs and around town she was comfortable to be alone driving to Manchester with the tall, kindhearted man.

It was very much a surprise, Mister Epstein having called up out of blue to the Harrison household inviting Louise to the concert at the Oasis Club. Then, finally, she would be travellng back to London with the boys.

"You alright up front you can sit in the back, lay down if you like" Mal offered kindly.

"No this is perfectly fine" Louise leaned over and grabbed her purse, very much a feat in itself, the bump was certainly taking some getting used to. "Mint?"

"Ta luv" Mal tossed the mint in his mouth and they drove along contentedly quiet in each other's company til almost to the outer reaches of Manchester.

Louise couldn't not ask, it had been dogging her since Mister Epstein's phone call. "Why did Brian ask me along, I thought I was to be invisible"

Mal shot Louie a sideways glance and grinned, pushing his glasses up his nose "Lennon's being a right lunatic of late. Brian, in his wisdom thought you could rein him in"

Louise harrumphed rather loudly then cackled "Oh my, that has got to be the biggest laugh I've had in months!"

"Paul did the very same thing when Brian confided in him last night" Mal conceded, then put the indicator on, they were here.

"Do I look ok?"

"Louise, if there was a modelling show for mummy's and their tummy's you would be centre stage" Mal leaned over the steering wheel looking up at the backstage doors then back at Louie in thought "Surely you didn't buy that dress in downtown Liverpool"

"I made it" she smiled and brushed her hand over her bump, caramel bands light to dark hugged her like a bandage. Ma had grumbled overly loudly but relented on seeing Louise model the dress and agreed it was splendid, if a little too fitted, for her mother's liking. The elasticity of the material allowing the dress to expand as she did, making it go from little bump to humungous belly.

Stepping out into the fading light of the wintery late afternoon Louise slipped on a cream jacket and held Mal's arm as he led her up the ten wooden stairs and into the building through the cherry red backstage door.

She could hear the screams and yelling from the front of the building all the way to where she stood at the back. Female voices loud and unrelenting in the pitch and want, chanting, calling all the lads names, wailing. A few policemen watched as Mal escorted her by "Bobbies, Mal?"

"Security, police, me" Mal laughed deeply, then peered down at her "Don't leave or go outside without me, Brian or Neil, alright....... Louise, it gets pretty hairy.... It could be dangerous for you if you get separated from us"

Mal continued leading Lou into the dimly lit backstage area, it was dank but not as badly smelling as the Cavern on Matthew Street. Nothing could smell like the Cavern...

Another bobbie and that was ten already she had skirted past, which made her question Mal's warning. "Really, the cavern was-"

"The cavern was kindergarten, this is a zoo" Mal stood her to the left of a door and stuck his head inside for a moment, Lou could hear the boys arguing, strumming, tapping, Brian trying to make order, she saw Mal nod then he stepped back and ushered her in.

"Holey guacamole Lou, did you eat our parents?!" George teased then hugged her gingerly as he looked down at the giant bump of her belly, patting it like a cat.

"Louise" Brian smiled politely then hugged her with timid affection "Good trip?"

"Yes thank-you. Hi" Lou smiled and waved a little at Richie, Paul and John who hung back watching her as she stood awkwardly alone in the centre of the room, George having walked off to the loo.

Richie looked at Paul and John and when they didn't move he shrugged then stepped up, leaning in for a good warm hug "Good to see you, Luv. Looks like your dancing days are numbered!"

"Oh, I could manage a slow twist with you Rich" She shrugged off her Jacket just as George returned, he hung it on the door.

"Cor Louise, that's some pregnancy frock!" Paul took her hand and got her to twirl slowly in front of him "Blimey what ya think of that Johnny?" Paul gazed at Lou giving her a wink, then shot a look at Richie, George, Brian and Mal "Alright, let's give 'em ten, lads"

It must have been pre-rehearsed as Paul, Brian and Mal ushered George and Ringo out with no fuss or bother.

John licked his lips but didn't come closer nor say a single solitary word as he sat looking at the floor. This was Lou's show apparently, so she took it upon herself to step toward him and start the awkward conversation.

"So, do you like it" Lou gave a little twirl and presented herself for inspection her hands splayed out to the side, in a 'here I am' stance. John grinned up at her and stood, there that's better already, she thought.

"You look like a caramel bandage of Louise curves. You certainly have bloomed since I saw you last"

Lou frowned "twas a month or more ago, I would hope that the baby was some way nearer getting out!" she replied, she may have looked good but she felt like a bloody lorry, big and lumbering around, maybe an elephant would be apt in this case too.

"John, you're supposed to be my husband when I turn up. Not for my sake but for George's and Richards, I take it Mal knows"

"You surprised me that's all" John smiled and hugged her, pecking her cheek like she was his Auntie "Hard to hug ya properly"

"It's hard to pee but you get used to it!"

"Blimey Lou"

It's true! if I sneeze I pee, if I sleep I need to pee, can't see a bloody thing either!" Lou looked down at her tummy "Could be tribal takeover down there and I wouldn't know"

John leaned over laughing hard at her joke. "Well you're good for a laugh aren't you!"

"It's no laughing matter" she poked his stomach "You try to paint your toenails blindly!" She walked a little closer this was the difficult bit "We need to kiss in front of them, John. Is that alright!? If not, I'll go sit in the car"

"Don't be a ninny. I'll kiss ya good and 'ard like I mean it" John took her hand and they walked to the door "like this" he took her by surprise, he seemed to like it that way, and flung the door open and kissed her soundly , no one was there.

"Well you wasted that little show, didn't you" Lou smiled "Is my lipstick ok" He kissed her again as Paul walked in.

"No" John had smudged her lipstick a little on her bottom lip.

"Alright I'll go again then" Paul thinking John was saying 'no' to him "You're the one that bloody opened the door" Paul huffed and went to leave.

"Not you. You daff pr- "

"John" Lou told him off.

"I was going to say princess" John corrected.

"Yea right and I don't have a tribe in my-"

"Louise! I never" John heckled with a laugh.

"Cokes and chip butties, Lou want some?" George held armfuls of food and drinks.

"Want some? That's all my lot, get your own" Louise started for a coke then took the chips, George turned away to save his dinner "What?! I'm eating for two George"

"And I'm eating to preform Louise" George sat with all his loot but couldn't do anything as his arms were full.

"Yes well, what is it, 20 minutes a show now? Compared to my nine months, I think I win" Louie helped him with the food and shared it around.

Paul strummed his bass then swore "Fuck, oh sorry, Louie. Just the third one today"

"Been scrimming on strings again Paulie?" Lou replied knowingly and proceeded to do what came natural in this environment, clicking her fingers Paul was handing over the guitar instantly and she started trying to wrestle it first on her non-existent lap then pushing the chips aside and laying it on the table.

"Hey up, nick off Mabel" George grumbled over his table disappearing. She clipped his ear for using her middle name "Ouch- sorry, you let John use it"

"No, I don't"

"Not what he said" George nodded toward John.

Louise looked over at John putting on his suit jacket on, adjusting the cuff he then shrugged at her and walked to the mirror combing fingers through his hair, Louise pulled the old string off then looked at George filling his gob "What Winnie calls me and what I call him is nothing to do with you, George"

Mal and Neil walked in as Louie deftly righted the guitar again and tuned it "Can we keep her?" Neil said smiling at Louie.

"Naff off, she's mine Neil" John said possessively making Lou giggle as he walked her away from the 'danger'.

"Thanks for the stringing luv. Good to see you back in the room" Paul walked over and kissed her cheek and John sneered like a goon at him, but Paul carried on, unperturbed "come stand in the wings, Louie!"

John and Lou stood in George and Richie's way and kissed each other fleetingly goodbye for their own show before the Beatles show, Richie 'arrr-ing' at the cute scene.

George looked like he wanted to hurl, but he smiled at Lou then leered at John, something not entirely pleasant in the look. George,Richy and Paul led the way , winding through the halls at the back of the building.

"What was that look for?" Lou asked as she followed John down the hall, Brian a few steps behind.

"I'll tell you later, alright" John turned and looked her up and down once more, smiling "You beat all 'em out there luv, every single one of them" He jogged off before she could react but she smiled as Brian grabbed her elbow, politely escorting her to the wings of the stage to watch.

John may not love her but he sure could make her feel wonderful and pretty.

As John walked away he wondered why he had said it, she was fucking seven months or more pregers, she couldn't be lovelier than a trim taut terrific beautiful bird in the audience throwing her knickers, and self, at him.

Plugging in his guitar they shot off to outer space, the electricity in the room equally terrifying and jubilant as the screams increased and intensified with every note, every word, every second.

He grinned like a man in control of them all, he could have them all with a single wink, this was success~ Birds to take in every shitty hotel room or backstage lav of every town, city and tour.

Money wasn't as quick to come but it was tumbling in better now that they had constant, better paying gigs and album now selling, he leaned forward to the front row and they clawed the stage for him, what a high, what fuckin' luck.

But do they want me for me or me the Beatle.

Paul leaned forward and the crowd rolled his way, George side stepped then danced his feet forward and the crowd, in a frenzy, went toward the middle.

It was all a wave of female breasts, swaying locks of hair and sex rolling toward them, their beach.

Their beach............ any one of them, not his.

He glanced quickly over at the wings of the stage, catching the incredulous look of delight on Louise's face, her lips smiling, genuine; honest and happy for the bands success.

She hadn't once made a move to push him to comply to her mothers and fathers wishes of him being around more, she hadn't pushed him to visit to make the marriage look more real.

She hadn't asked a darn thing of him, just let him be.....

Did she know he was bonking more often than a horny rabbit, probably.

Would she stop him, probably not.

She didn't love him did she, to push him and make him stop.

It was bloody perfect really, a wife to cook and clean and he can go have wild meaningless sex with anyone, anytime he liked and she wouldn't say boo.

Perfect...