~I felt her sigh, I wouldn't like to try the changes she's going through
But I hope love comes right through them all with you.~ 

The first thing Brian did, when he was home was listen to the song by Donovan. 

He couldn't see what the fuss was really about the singer. He didn't sound like Dylan, even if he resembled him, but Brian wasn't interested in that anyway at the moment. Instead he wanted to know if Celeste was really about Celeste. He didn't know how he was supposed to find it out, but trying couldn't hurt. 

Brian had probably replayed the song at least ten times without an answer though. Celeste was a pure and honest song, but Brian couldn't see how it could be related to Celeste, the woman that he felt so strangely entranced with.

He was tempted to call Donovan, really tempted and with every sip he took from his glass of scotch it sounded better and better. It was already late, but Brian didn't care he needed to know this now, especially considering how the evening had ended...

Celeste had nearly thrown him out.

Brian wasn't to blame, at least not from his point of view and considering how Celeste had at first returned his kiss, it couldn't have been totally unwanted from her side as well. His sole mistake had been that he had acted too fast. He could have known that she wouldn't sleep with him, but feeling her lips on his, eagerly returning his kisses and her tempting body so close to his, made him momentarily forget that she wasn't after meaningless sex with a famous musician. He had gone too far when he had tried to take her shirt off,  but Celeste hadn't exactly discouraged him not to do so. She had moaned lovingly at his touch and what else was he supposed to think than that she wanted him too?

She probably had wanted him too, but only due to whatever it was that happened to her in her past, she put an abrupt stop to his advances and asked him to leave. Slightly frustrated at her sudden change of mind, Brian might have called her something he hadn't exactly meant and she had thrown him out, jelling at him 'to never come back'. 

He was angry at her, at himself and mostly at Bob Dylan, who probably was to blame for this mess. Brian's first thought was to call the folk musician and give him an earful, but thought better of it. If he was wrong and Dylan and her had just been friends, Brian would have made himself look like an idiot. 

That's when he remembered Donovan and the song he apparently dedicated to Celeste and started listening to it. It was now at least the 14th replay of the song, the second or third glass of scotch and Brian had enough. 

He dialed Donovan's number.

It rung and it rung and just as Brian was about to angrily hang up, a sleepy voice answered with a very confused sounding 'Hello?'.

"About who is your song Celeste?" Brian demanded, not loosing any time with pleasantries. 

There was a short silence on the other side, then Brian heard somebody sigh. "Who is speaking, please?"

"Brian Jones, so what is that song about?" he asked anew.

"It is very late, Brian. You know you could have called to ask about that tomorrow too..."Donovan replied tiredly, probably very unhappy to be woken up in the middle of the night. 

"No I need to know it now!" Brian nearly yelled, sounding even more desperate than he really was, but the situation with Celeste had unnerved him and the alcohol wasn't helping either. He needed to find out more about her or he wouldn't find any peace ever again. Whatever it was that Celeste had done to him could only end if he saw that she wasn't anything special, just another girl. "Please just tell me and you can go back to sleep."

Donovan took a deep breath, definitely contemplating his choices. They weren't the best of friends, but Donovan had to know that Brian could be rather stubborn if he wanted something and it probably would be easier to just give Brian what he wanted than argue with him.

"It's about a girl I met one night. We talked and she just listened to my problems.. I was thankful for that, that's why I wrote her the song. Nothing more."

"Was her name Celeste?"

"As far as I know, yes. Is that it? I'm really tired..." the folk singer mumbled.

"What can you tell me about her?" Brian asked biting his lip.

Again there was a short silence. "Nothing much. She was a very compassionate person and a friend of Dylan... If you want to know more about her, ask him."

"I might," Brian replied and hung up, not waiting for the other man to reply. Instead he immediately looked up the number of Dylan and dialed him. Brian should have called him right away and not wasted his time with Donovan. Then again the phone call hadn't been completely in vain, after all it had proved true the story of the boy and it had given him one more piece to the puzzle that Celeste was and Dylan might give him another.

No reply. 

Dylan wasn't home and neither was his family apparently. Not that Brian had wanted to talk to Dylan's wife about an old love of her husband, even if she had nothing to fear. If Dylan was David's father it had to have happened sometime in '63 and they weren't married until 65 or 66, Brian couldn't exactly remember the date. All he knew was that they got married sometime before Dylan's accident. 

Brian called again and again, but with the same result. Dylan wasn't home. Everyone would have given up after the third try and decided to call later, but not so Brian. It wasn't until the tenth try that he angrily threw the telephone at the wall and gave up. 

*

He didn't try to call Dylan again. Brian felt ridiculed by himself and angry at Celeste, at how easy she could get him to act like an idiot. She wasn't worth that much effort and his curiosity could do without her. In a month he had probably forgotten about her again and his life would go on as if he had never met her. 

Or it would have, if fate didn't have a very cruel humour. 

It was Bill, Marion was seeing and Brian felt strangely relieved at that. The bassist wouldn't have started anything with her just to spite him. He doubted Bill even knew that Brian had previously been with her. It was rather the case that Marion had started to go out with Bill to spite him, even if he didn't exactly understand why. Then again he didn't care either or he wouldn't have, if Marion hadn't decided to bring somebody else along with her to the studio, Brian could have done without.

Brian rarely bothered to turn up to recording sessions anymore, not that he no longer cared about their music, but it was the hassle with Keith and Mick, he could have done without. In their earlier days they at least tried to work together and listened to his ideas. Now Brian felt ignored in his own band. The Rolling Stones had been his vision, even if there hardly was any trace left of that.

Of course Brian had tried, but whenever he got close to proving his worth once again, the universe hit him full force with a new obstacle and he was back to where he started off. Deep down Brian knew he wouldn't or couldn't get out of this vicious circle on his own, but he had no one he could really rely on either. Sooner or later the people he trusted turned on him and the worst was he couldn't even blame them most of the time. He drove them away, even people like Marion, who only wanted to use him for his name sooner or later gave up on him.

That was what hurt. Brian didn't care that she was with Bill, but it hurt him to know how easy he was replaced and he had to force himself not to say anything, when he entered the studio and saw her sitting with Bill, smiling up at him.

Well he didn't exactly had to force himself, at least not for too long, because it didn't take more than a minute for somebody else to see him.

"You promised to teach me more guitar!"

David, Celeste's son was standing before him with crossed arms  before his chest looking unhappy up at Brian, who was speechless for a moment. "Where is your mother?" was all he got out, when he found his voice again.

"Working. Auntie Rion brought me with her," the boy explained in a tone that made it sound as if Brian had asked a very stupid question.

It probably was, but it still didn't prevent him from wondering about it. Celeste wouldn't have agreed to let Marion take her son to the studio. She obviously had wanted to spend the day with Bill, but had promised her sister to look after the boy and had just brought him along. Considering how interested she was in the boy, she definitely didn't want to look after him. Marion had cheekily smiled at Brian when he had entered, but stopped to pay him any mind, when she saw he didn't care and her attention went back to Bill. David, who had been sitting next to them had gotten up from his seat and run off towards Brian without her even sparing the boy a glance.    

 "You shouldn't be here," Brian told him. Usually he wouldn't have cared and he still didn't care about the boy, but about Celeste and this was certainly not what she would have wanted for her son. "This is no place for a child," he said louder directed rather at Marion than the boy.

Keith, who Brian hadn't seen yet, burst out laughing. He was sitting on a chair, tuning his guitar, but had stopped in the middle of it, when he heard Brian's remark. "Since when do you care about children? I thought you were the last person to worry about the well being of a child."

"Fuck off. I can do what I want," Brian retorted.

"Sur-"

"You said a bad word again," David exclaimed, interrupting Keith for which Brian couldn't have been more thankful for.

"And you can tell your mother about it, when I get you to her. Come on, I'll get you home and I'll teach you some guitar," Brian said, pondering if he should reach his hand out for the boy to take or not. He didn't want to, but it seemed right, especially when he saw the bright smile on the boy's face.

"Really?" he exclaimed happily at the same time Marion yelled out: "You can't just take him".

Brian ignored her. "Yes really. Let's go," he said to the boy.

"You can't take him. I'm supposed to look after him!" Marion exclaimed angrily, getting up from her seat next to Bill. "How do you even know David?"

"He's a friend of mummy and he's going to teach me guitar," David explained, for which Brian nearly was thankful. He certainly was in no mood for this. His day hadn't started so bad... he had a new idea for a song, which he had hoped to talk about with the others and a fight was the last thing he needed.

"You and Celeste?" Marion asked, looking bewildered at Brian. "She wouldn't... no, not with you. She wouldn't even talk to the likes of you and certainly not let them interact with David."

"Considering how you look after him I obviously can't be any worse!"Brian retorted enraged. 

"Nothing is going to happen to him here!"

"Yes, because I'm taking him home with me!"

"No you're not!"

"I am!" Brian exclaimed and took David by the arm, who mumbled something that Brian didn't hear, but he was to occupied with glaring at Marion. 

"Brian, we need to record, so you can't leave and nothing is going to happen to the boy here..." Bill tried to intervene, however in vain. If Brian had his mind set on an idea, he could be quiet stubborn. Even though there was no real reason for him to do so. David wasn't his son nor was it sure that Celeste would forgive him, if he took care of her son for her, but it was the right thing to do. 

"I'm sure, you can manage without me for today... I'll be here tomorrow and then we can work, alright? I need to keep my promise to the boy," he mumbled. Brian didn't want to fight with Bill. He liked the bassist and Bill was always fair to him. 

"Wait! You seriously want to leave us for this brat?" Keith interjected. "Did you now completely lose it? If you keep this up, you know you can just stay away to begin with."

Brian tensed up at Keith's words, but help came from an unexpected source. "You're only jealous that he plays better guitar than you do!"David told him in a very serious tone and Brian nearly burst out laughing at the 4 year old words. 

"So you now need kids to defend yourself, respect," Keith snorted. "Well alright, go and take the brat with you. I won't stop you, it's a good riddance. He's just disturbing us anyway."

"Hey I need to look after him and he's not disturbing," said Marion to Keith, before Brian had the chance to reply. "David promised to be a well-behaved boy and then we'll go eat an ice, isn't that right, David?"

"I want to go with Brian..." was all the boy mumbled and Brian couldn't hide his grin.

*Lyrics by Donovan.

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