Lucy sat at Paul's piano, and her eyes wandered over the piece of scribbled music on the stand.  It didn't have a title, however it said on the top, 'Write harmony for second verse.'  She knew that Paul would be awhile as he got dressed, so she decided to see if she could think of something for him.  

And before he got out of the bathroom, she had written something.  "Were you playing my piano?"

She shook her head, and played with her red hair.  "No."  

"I thought I heard music."  

But when he examined it the next day at the studio, he realized that the song had been finished for him and they did their best to try and record it.  However it took multiple days to do it.  When he got home that evening he asked if she had finished the new song 'All My Loving'.  She nodded.  "I hope you don't mind."  

"No.  But I'm going to have to ask if you could get song-writing credit."  

Lucy shook her head.  "It's just a little harmony, Paul.  There's no need.  You know I love music, but I don't need that sort of credit.  It's your song."   He pouted.  "But I feel guilty using your work."  

"It's more your work than mine.  Look," she took his hand, "you let me stay at your house.  You do so much for me, and I owe you a lot of things. I will help you when you get stuck on your music."  He smirked.  "I guess that's fair.  But even if you were tone deaf I would still let you live here."

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Paul wanted Lucy more than anything at the time.  Most people wanted what they couldn't have, but perhaps she knew the feeling.  What if there was a small part of her that wanted him back to?  

As he drove over to her house that evening, he thought about one of the times in which he wanted to never leave her side again.  That night...before then, he had never seen her cry so hard.  She had been so scared.  

"Oh, God, I can't ever go back to that job!"

"What happened, Lucy?"  

She had been hired as a private secretary for a business owner.  As she tearfully recalled the day's events, he wanted to throttle the man.  He had asked her if there was a Mister Rydell.  She politely said no, but there happened to be a Mister McCartney.  But he didn't care.  He, while she had been going through some of his files, grabbed her bum and tried to kiss her.  "He pushed me against his desk...he said that he wouldn't tell.  I...I ran out as fast as I could.  I'm afraid he'll tell everyone else not to hire me."  

He held her trembling figure.  "Layla has had it happen to her before...I...I never would have thought it would happen to me.  Paul, please...don't tell anyone.  It's embarrassing.  It's shameful."  

"But it was not your fault.  Lucy, I'll get you a new job.  A safe job.  I promise."  

He hugged her, but he could feel her tears dripping onto his cheek.  

Why did all of the bad things have to happen to her when he couldn't be around to help?

He arrived at her house.  Even though she was wearing trousers, a clothing item she was not allowed to leave the house in, he thought that she looked lovely.  "Hi...um, would you want to go for a walk...and talk things out?"  

She got her coat and quickly left with him, making sure no one saw her leave while wearing slacks.  "I forgot.  I meant to bandage your scars."  

"It was a one time thing, love.  It hurt more than I expected..."  She asked him to see, promising that she wouldn't touch them.  But he refused.  "I don't want you to see them, Lucy."  He suddenly sound hostile.  Normally she would have backed down but this was an important matter to her.  "Why?"

His words were very quiet.  "Because...you'll think I'm weak."  Paul was always the stronger of the two.  It wasn't a gender thing; most could see that Layla somewhat overpowered George.  But Lucy was just a bit more sensitive.  He wanted to make sure she never saw him cry or get oncontrollably angry.  

But that had happened several times before.  

Lucy took his arm gently.  "No.  I was thinking more along the lines of, 'Why hadn't I been there to stop him?'"  When he finally let her roll up his sleeves, he winced at the coldness of the wind against the skin.  The cuts were there, untouched, and quite faint.  They would not be noticed easily.  "I didn't help matters any...it really just gave me another bloody mess to clean up.  It...it hurt really badly."  

"I've seen what's happened to Layla.  No one deserves to be this unhappy...and I wish I could help somehow.  But I feel too nervous about being some sort of doctor and phy-"  Paul kissed her quickly, holding her face and not caring that some neighbors gave them dirty looks.  When she pulled away, he said, "I'm sorry.  I know you're upset with me-"

She shook her head.  "No...I'm doing my best to try to forget what you did.  This doesn't mean I'll be moving in with you again for awhile...but I would like to be together again."  

"Isn't it your birthday today?"  He asked.  She smiled.  "That's why my mother's gone.  They're buying cake and other decorations.  Obviously they weren't expecting to have one for me this year."  Believe it or not, both George and Paul occasionally forgot that their lovers were once dead.  They had spent several months grieving and all of a sudden all of that pain seemed to disappear.  "Let's go to dinner before you have to go home."  

"Won't you be recognized?"  

He pulled his hat down over his eyes.  "Perhaps this will help.  But I'm hard not to see, I mean..." he ran his hands suggestively down his sides.  "Look at me."  

"Oh, shut it."

They went to the same restaurant where they went for the dinner party, but made sure that the food Lucy ordered didn't contain any allergens.   "I've got to find another job," she said.  "I couldn't go back to my old one.  I wonder if people would recognize me if I went out in public more.  I'm afraid that they will freak out about everything that has happened."  

"I could help find you another job.  It would be easy.  Secretaries are in high demand."  Suddenly Lucy froze, and dropped her silverware with a small clatter.  Paul sat up.  "Love, what's wrong?"  

His girlfriend started trembling, and asked, "Paul?", before returning to her strange state.  He walked over to her side.  The waitress had began to take notice.  "Can I get her something?"  

"Um...some water, please."  When the woman left, he touched Lucy's face.  "My dear, please look at me."  What was she seeing?  What was going on inside her mind?  

The poor girl had started crying, and the silent tears were worse than if she had been obnoxiously sobbing.  Paul tried to help her stand but she cried out, "No!"  Many people stopped and stared.  Lucy snapped out of her daze.  He had an embarrassed blush on his cheeks.  

No one had ever signed the check so fast.  

"I'm so sorry, Paul," she cried as he ushered out of the restaurant.  Several girls on the sidewalk recognized him.  "Oh, God, Paul!  Can we have your autograph?"  He tried to politely refuse, and held onto his girlfriend protectively.  There were several times where fans had threatened to hurt Lucy, and he was terrified that words would become actions.  "Paul, please?"  He said no and hurried them both farther away.  The girls muttered some rather rude things as they walked away.  

He asked her what happened as soon as they made it farther down the sidewalk.  "I...I don't know what happened.  Something just came over me, and Catherine was there inside of you.  She kept telling me that it would be easier for everyone to adjust if I had just died."

"Lucy, stop-"

"Do you want to know or not?" she exclaimed.  Paul stopped her on the sidewalk.  "You appeared there...and you pulled her into your lap.  She kissed you, and...let you kiss her everywhere.  You knew exactly where she liked to be kissed."  Paul held her quite close, and did his best to comfort her.  "My dear, I promise I love you and you alone."  

But  Lucy asked if he could walk her back home.  It was a quiet ride there, but poor Paul had no idea what to say or do.  When they finally arrived, shivering and tired, at her apartment, they realized that her family had been waiting.  "Thanks for dinner, Paul."  

He kissed her cheek.  "Happy Birthday, Lucy.  I love you."

"I love you too.  I...I'm sorry for going mad in the restaurant."  

He shook his head.  "I just need to know that you are fine."  Lucy hoped she was.  

The door opened, and light fell onto the doorsteps.  "Lucy, come on in, now."  It was her father.  Noticing the Beatle, he said, "Paul...you could stay if you'd like."  

It was a fun little party.  No one mentioned what had happened at their dinner.  It was late, and Lucy and Paul helped put Robert to bed.  Mr. Rydell relucantly said that if he liked he could stay over night.  "May he sleep in my room?"  

"No, Lucy."  

And so he slept on the couch.  But later that night she went out there and joined him.  He was surprised, as she had promised that she wouldn't do such a thing.  She held him close.  "Mmm...I love you, Paul."  

He kissed the hand that held his promise ring.  "I love you too."

The next few chapters will start to get more interesting.  

But it may be awhile for me to update as this month and the first bit of next month, so please be patient.  

Peace, 

Luna <3