"Bloody hell, Constance!" Ruby exclaimed as soon as the boys had taken their final bow and exited the stage just as the curtain closed. "They were amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah they were," Connie grinned proudly as Ruby grabbed her hand and began pulling her out of their front row seats and into the main foyer of the theatre, and as she noticed the hysteria from the fans, she muttered, "Dunno why they're all still screaming though,"

Connie knew that Beatlemania was wild, but it was overwhelming, she decided, as the two forced their way through the crowds to get to the back room of the theatre where the press evening was taking place. Looking around at all the fans, mostly girls, she couldn't help but notice the exhausted expressions on their faces, as if they were the ones who'd just performed, the odd person having to be carried out, and Connie couldn't help but muse oer how bizarre it all was. To her, John was just her annoying older cousin, Paul was the boy next door, Ringo was someone who she used to serve at work, and George was the boy who she used to walk home from school with. They were special to her, but in mundane ways, ways that didn't make her scream and cry. The fact that those boys she'd known back in her youth were the reason for people sobbing and fainting was beyond her.

Finally breaking away from the fangirls, Connie and Ruby flashed their press passes to security before being escorted into the press room, which was a harsh contrast to the theatre, where the excitement was overflowing. In there though, there were no mad teenagers, just professional journallists that gave off a strong hegemonic vibe that Connie was used to but didn't enjoy. Most of them were in smart suits, the females dressed like Ruby, and though Connie stuck out like a sore thumb, she didn't care. Work or not, professionalism or not, she was about to see her best friends, the rest didn't matter.

Someone was handing out drinks, free flutes of champagne, and though Ruby politely declined, Connie helped herself. Maybe that was another difference of their upbringings, Connie not used to being offered fancy things for free, or maybe it was the steady build up of nerves that made her want alcohol to get her through, even if she hadn't drank in months, years even. As she took a sip, Ruby grabbed her arm, squeezing it slightly to get her attention.

"Right, so the plan is, I'll do most of the talking, you take the notes," Ruby instructed her, making her bite her lip ever so slightly, not loving the fact that she was taking over.

"Okay..." Connie nodded despite not agreeing, and though she was focused on Ruby, she saw the other girl was looking around the room, desperate to spot one of the Beatles.

"They probably deal with reporters all the time, so I'll ask the questions, we just need to get them all together..." Ruby spoke, sounding as if she was trying to reassure herself more than Connie, until she drifted off. Suddenly her eyes widened, and she hit Connie's arm excitedly, nearly making hr spill her already nearly-empty glass. "Oh, one of them is over there!"

With a small frown in an attempt to hide her elation, Connie spun around to see where Ruby was looking, only to spot none other than Ringo, attempting to weave his way through the press without being noticed. He was probably trying to get to the bar, probably wanting a few moments of peace, and as much as she wanted to speak to him, Connie recognised the fact he'd be exhausted and would want a few moments before being hounded by the press. As she was about to attempt to suggest leaving him alone, Ruby had already begun to make her way over to him, pulling her notebook out of her jacket pocket. With a small sigh, Connie downed the rest of her champagne, handing it over to the nearest server with a small 'thank you', before rushing after her colleague.

"Hi, Ringo, we're on behalf of the New Times Magazine, we were just wondering if we could ask you and the others some quest-" Ruby began, but was cut off as Ringo recognised Connie, stood slightly behind the other woman. The drummer let out a small cheer as he moved past a dumbfounded Ruby to pull the fellow Liverpudlian into a hug.

"Y'alright, Con?" He asked, his happiness over seeing her showing through his accent.

"Ringo!" She cheered, hugging him back tightly, so focused on her old friend that she forgot about Ruby and her work commitments. "That was brilliant, kid! I always said you were the best drummer in the 'Pool, and now you're the best in London, and as for the other lads..."

"Sorry, sorry," Ruby interupted, and as the two pulled out of their hug, Ringo's arm still around her shoulder, Connie noticed she'd gone redder than her hair in the shock and confusion over their greeting. "Do you two know each other?"

"Yeah, she served me a pint back in fivety nine and she hasn't left me alone since," Ringo teased, making Connie slap his arm gently, before she remembered the situation, moving out of his embrace to stand with the still-confused Ruby.

"Ringo, this is Ruby, my co-worker, and we're actually here as press," Connie bit her lip, trying to stay proffessional despite the fact she could feel her accent slipping through. "D'you know where the other lads are so we can ask you some questions?"

"Paul and John are at the bar, and I think George said he was gonna find something to eat," Ringo shrugged, and she was grateful he was ignoring the fact of how different she was, something she knew John certainly wouldn't do. "Gimme five minutes to get 'em, and we'l meet you at that table in the corner, alright?"

"Nice one!" Connie grinned as the drummer snuck off through the crowd, trying to remain unrecognised by the other members of the press as he went off to find the other lads.

A grin still on her face, Connie almost completely forgot about Ruby at her side, until she felt her grab her arm, pulling her round to face her. She saw Ruby's face, thunderstruck, and immediately realised her shock. Connie thought the other girl was speechless, until she let out a small murmur of confusion.

"What the hell was that?" Ruby demanded, finding her voice at last. "You know Ringo Starr? When were you going to tell me?"

"Now, I guess?" Connie shrugged, trying to stay casual, even though she could see how flustered Ruby was. "Though I should probably also tell you that I know the others too, in fact, John and I-"

"Oh god, don't tell me..." Ruby moaned in annoyance, letting Connie know she was remembering their previous conversation.

"No, not that," she grimaced in disgust. "He's my older cousin, actually, my mum was his dad's sister,"

Ruby's face was a picture, and Connie was almost certain she would faint as she paled slightly, her mouth hanging open as she tried to articulate her shock. She would have been amused, except she didn't have the energy to focus on Ruby, instead looking around the room to try and spot the others. She was far too concerned with her own excitement over seeing her best friends, even if they were there for work, to be bothered about Ruby's disgruntlement.

As she looked out over the room, she caught sight of three out of the four Beatles, wandering over to the table Ringo had pointed out. She spotted John first, his features instantly recognisable to her considering they were similar to her own. They had the same nose, same chin, and she was just as tall as him, the only striking difference between them being that she was blonde. John was saying something to Paul, something that made the slightly shorter man laugh, throwing his head back. Ringo was stood between the two of them, grinning as well, though there was no sign of George.

Maybe the lack of George was a good thing for the time being, Connie thought, not trusting her emotions concerning the younger man to hold back, because as thrilled as she was to see the rest, the thought of seeing George had her on edge all night. Seeing him on stage was one thing, being close enough to meet his eye and smirk at him, but to actually talk to him... She felt like she was a teenager all over again.

"Come on, lets get on with it then," Connie gestured her head over to the boys, making Ruby pale slightly. She wondered if it was just general nerves that was making Ruby so cautious, or if it was because, after years of being the underdog in their work, the northern girl had the upperhand. "The lads are over there,"

"God... the lads..." Ruby breathed out, stroking her dress anxiously as Connie led the way.

It didn't take long for the lads to spot Connie out among the other press as she made her way over to them. Paul was the first one to notice her, an animated grin spreading across his face as he nudged John to get his attention to her, and when John met her eye, he winked over to her, trying to hide his own smile.

"Wahey, the great Lady Lennon returns to us all!" Paul cheered as soon as she got close to them, running to close the gap between them. He engulfed her into a tight hug, practically lifting her up off the floor in his enthusiasm, making Connie laugh, though their hug didn't last long as John quickly parted the two.

"Oi, I told you, family first," John snapped at Paul, shoving him off of her, and when he did he stood in front of her for a moment looking her up and down. "You're still scrawny lookin',"

"And you're still blind, where's your glasses?" she shot back, her remark making Ruby gasp slightly, clearly shocked with how coarse the pair were to each other. "Where's George, anyway?"

"Yeah, cause he's the only one of us you care about, is that it? He's off getting a sandwich, he'll be along in a minute," John shrugged, smirking at his cousin, prodding her arm rather roughly though she knew it was out of endearment. "Good to see you, Con,"

"Yeah, well I'm here for business anyway," she told them, trying to sound formal as she turned to Ruby, who was still looking stunned, and actually rather annoyed. "Ruby, do you want to get going on those questions?"

"Right, of course, here, Constance," she said, snapping out of her trance of shock as she handed her their notebook, though her use of her full name made the three Beatles gasp rather dramatically.

"Ey, careful before she starts throwing fists," Paul gasped, and though Connie merely rolled her eyes at him, Ruby let out a sharp laugh.

"Constance, in a fight? I don't think so," she muttered, her comment making the three men laugh as they remembered Connie in her youth, Connie herself turning red.

"Think again, love," John raised his eyebrows, looking fake-shocked as Connie nudged him to be quiet.

"All the lads were scared of her back in the day," Paul, either not realising how much she hated the topic at hand or choosing to ignore her embarrassment in order to tease her, continued.

"Not all of them! Rory Storm wasn't scared of me, otherwise he wouldn't have taken me on that date!" She cut in to defend herself, though it only seemed to make things worse as Ringo now joined in laughing too.

"Only cause you asked me to set that date up!" he reminded her, making the other two lads grin in triumph as they realised they'd succeeded in annoying her. "You could be quite intimidating to be fair, it's not a bad thing, Con,"

"Best punch on our side of the Mersey," Paul's voice called up again, though another said it with him, a quieter voice from behind, and it made Connie spin around eagerly, throwing her arms around the person before she even had chance to look at him properly.

George.

"About time you showed your face, Harrison," she whispered as she hugged him tightly, her chin resting on his shoulder, her eyes screwed shut as she took in a deep breath, savouring the smell of his aftershave. She pulled away, grinning as she looked over his face, her eyes finding his deep brown ones, realising that appearance wise, he'd not changed. "Someone needs to save me from these fools,"

"Oi, didn't you say you were press? If so that makes you the biggest fool out of the lot of us, Con," John spoke up, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"We are here as press," a quite voice spoke, and Connie looked over to Ruby, her face wearing a small glare of disappointment and annoyance.

Ruby's emotions weren't directed to the boys, why would they be, when they've done nothing to her? But maybe it was their overly warm greetings and expressions of inside jokes that left her feeling rather jealous, not to mention the unexpected nature of it all. It was probably a mistake to not tell her in advance about her friendship with the band, Connie decided, knowing her secrecy hadn't helped the situation at all.

"Look at you, press," George raised his eyebrows, squeezing her arm supportively. "Aren't you going up in the world,"

"Could say the same about you," she smirked, enjoying being in his company once again after so long, before she remembered herself, pulling out of his hold as she moved to stand closer to Ruby. "Now, are you gonna let us get on with this interview or what?"

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