so, I know Queen was on tour at the beginning of 1976, but I'm skewing the timeline a bit for the sake of the story, so don't attack me or anything -

lmao enjoy the chapter <3

VALERIE AND JOHN had celebrated New Year's alone. Just the two of them. Valerie had gotten a terrible cold two days before Elton John's big new year's bash,  and she had to miss out.

    Of course, John didn't want to leave her alone.

     "You're missing out on a fabulous party just to stay with me." Valerie told John while he handed her a mug of steaming hot tea to help with her throat.

     "Theres always next year. And Elton throws parties all the time anyway. I'd probably have the chance to go to another one in a few weeks." John said as he went over to the boxy television set. He turned it on and tuned the channels until it fell on one that was showing Singing in The Rain.

     They had consulted the TV guide earlier that day and found one of their channels would be showing the movie. John said it was the perfect way to celebrate New Year's.

    "I don't want to get you sick." Valerie said when John settled comfortably behind Valerie, allowing her to adjust herself comfortably in his arms.

      "A cold won't kill me." John mumbled against her shoulder, his face nestled in the blanket that she was wrapped in. Valerie laughed slightly, lapsing into a coughing fit as a result.

     "Well, thank you for choosing to stay here with me." Valerie said, her voice hoarse. She sipped her hot tea, burning her tongue slightly. She leaned forward to set the mug on the coffee table before she settled back into John's warm embrace, her head resting just below his chin.

      "I would never pass up the opportunity to watch Singing in The Rain with you."

    "Even if I was coughing the whole damn time?" Valerie questioned, and John let out a small laugh, kissing her cheek that was slightly warm.

      "Of course. And besides, we never get a chance to watch movies together. Or,  at all." John said, adding the last part as an afterthought. It was true, Valerie was very busy with grading and making up lesson plans. Not to mention, when they first started dating, John had gone on tour and then came back to record Night At The Opera.

      Especially with the holidays and the release of the album, the two of them had been especially busy: John doing press tours, and Valerie having to grade the final exams and projects of her students, the two of them got the evenings together when Valerie didn't have too many things to grade.

That, and John made Valerie's mornings much more enjoyable, but even still, they didn't get much time together.

And so, any opportunity John had to spend time with Valerie, he took it. He was also happy that he got to look out for her in the process.

Even if she did cough through the whole damn movie.

When the movie finished, it was already 10 pm. Two more hours to go, but Valerie was exhausted and awfully stubborn about following through with a tradition her dad had set in stone when she was young.

       "I've got to do the grapes at midnight." Valerie insisted as she and John turned off the lights downstairs as they headed up to their bedroom.

       Valerie was referring to a tradition her and her family had of eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve; each one, you were supposed to make a goal for the new year before eating it.

        "Alright, fine. I'm just saying you need some rest." John said, opening the door to their bedroom, finding Bowie curled neatly on John's pillow.

       "I know, I'm exhausted. But it's tradition. It's his tradition." Valerie said, and John could hear the pain in her voice as she said it. He knew how much it meant to her. She burst into a fit of coughing, turning away from John before she recovered.

        "I know, Val," John said while he carefully moved Bowie from his pillow and settled on the bed, removing his shoes as he lay his legs on top of the blankets. "C'mon." He said, gesturing for Valerie to lie down as well.

       He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the hefty book of Edgar Allan Poe's works while Valerie sat in between his legs, her head resting on his chest as she coughed into her elbow again. The top of her head sat just below his chin.

     John held the book before him, his hand propped on his knee as he began to read from The Telltale Heart.

      Eventually, once they were nearly through the whole story, John set down the book, but neither one of them moved at all.

       John held Valerie gently,  nearly dozing off in the silence until the clock downstairs chimes loudly. It was midnight. Obviously, Valerie had been falling asleep as well, but she tried to make it seem like she wasn't tired at all.

      It made John smile. "Happy new year, Valerie." John said quietly while they got out of the bed. Once they were near the door, John, despite any sickness Valerie had, couldn't resist kissing her, lightly pressing her to the door before Valerie had to step away to sneeze.

      "Happy new year, John. One of your goals for the new year should be getting over that cold I probably just gave you."  Valerie said, sniffling as the two of them came into the kitchen. She laughed hoarsely while she washed her hands before opening the refrigerator door and fishing out a large bowl of grapes.

       "Twelve each. You can say it out loud or in your head." Valerie instructed while she counted out twelve grapes into a small glass bowl and handed it to John.

       "Right,  of course." John said while he waited for Valerie to finish counting out her grapes. She'd had to walk off to cough once.

        "Right, my first one is getting over the cold you gave me." John said as he popped the first grape into his mouth. Valerie laughed at him, rolling her eyes, before they continued the ritual in silence.

       When they were finished, Valerie seemed more at ease. "Okay, my love, now it's really time for you to go to sleep." John said, rubbing Valerie's shoulders while she put the grapes back in the fridge.

      "Alright, alright. I'm tired anyway." Valerie relented. They headed back upstairs in silence, the floorboards creaking beneath them.

      "Thank you for looking out for me." Valerie said quietly before she and John had turned out the light. John turned to her, smiling fondly as he lightly caressed her cheek.

      "Of course. I love you." John said with a smile, the two of them sharing a moment before Bowie meowed loudly.

       "What are some of your goals for the new year?" John asked while Bowie nestled his way under John's arm.

      "I can't tell you. They won't come true."

      John, rolling his eyes at his girlfriend, smiled. "The grapes don't have that much power, my love."

      "You never know, John. Don't be such a skeptic." Valerie sing- songed to him, kissing his cheek goodnight.

      "Never doubt the power of the grapes." Valerie giggled, coughing a few more times before she settled in underneath the blankets.

      "My girlfriend, a grape fanatic. I should've added that into the song." John teased, and Valerie gave him a light push on the shoulder. John laughed, taking her hand and kissing her palm lightly.

      "Okay, grapes, go to sleep now. Won't get better if you don't try." John added after glancing at the clock and seeing it was already half-past midnight.

     "That better not be made a regular nickname, Deacon."  Valerie said while she fluffed up her pillow before allowing herself to get comfortable.

      "It won't, I promise." John said while he turned off the lights,  the room being thrown into darkness.

     "Goodnight, John. I love you." Valerie said, a mix between a yawn and cough following her statement.

     "Goodnight, grapes. I love you too." John replied, stifling his laughter when Valerie let out a sigh of exasperation.

      "There's no getting out of it, is there?"

      "It's inevitable." John agreed, and Valerie gave yet another sigh before reaching over to pat John's shoulder before falling asleep promptly five minutes later.

     And the argument was settled.  The nickname was going to stay.
*****

    "My sister is coming into town, soon." John said, his tone unreadable. It was nearly Valentine's Day, and him and Valerie were enjoying dinner together Thursday evening.

     "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Valerie asked, while she forked some salad onto her plate. She'd gotten off the phone with Periwinkle not that long ago, asking if she needed to take anything for her stress that seemed to be spiraling out of control.

     She had also developed a distaste to beer among other foods, so John was the only one drinking that day. Periwinkle told her she just needed to find her way to cope with the stress and suggested she try to paint more often.

       "Good, I guess? We recently reconciled, but she thinks you're too old for me. Like she knows anything. She's twenty-two bloody years old."

       "And you're twenty four, John. It's not a huge age difference. I can see where she's coming from,  though." Valerie said understandingly as she picked one of the tomatoes out of her salad.

      "I'm sure she'll be just fine once she meets me. I'm rather likable, I've been told." Valerie said, making John laugh.

       "That you are. She can be really passive aggressive, though. I don't want her to add to your stress. I think she said she was moving back to England. She just finished a year abroad in Greece." John rambled as he forked some of the tofu, bell pepper, and chickpea dish he and Valerie had made into a tortilla. A rather unorthodox meal, but very delicious.

     "I'm sure she's just fine. Sweet, just like you." Valerie said, and John gave her a look. He took a bite of his tofu taco before asking Valerie about her work.

     Five day's after Valentine's Day -John had surprised Valerie with a very fancy dinner at the Ritz- John's sister came into town.

     She was nice enough to everyone in the band, but John was right. She had developed a sort of vendetta towards Valerie.

     "Oh, it's nothing, Val. She obviously just thinks you're too old when four years is really nothing." Mary said one day when John and Julie had gone out to lunch and to take Julie house hunting.

     Valerie had needed to clear her head, and so she'd called up Mary and asked her out for a walk since she couldn't appreciate the bitterness of coffee anymore. She and Mary were currently sipping lemonades, sitting on a bench beneath Valerie's willow tree that Brian had started calling "Gary".

       "But anyways, are you feeling okay?  John was telling me how you've gotten sick lately. It could be the flu. I know Brian just got over it, and that you took him some food. He probably gave it to you." Mary said, reaching over to feel Valerie's head.

     "I have allergies right now, but I might have the flu. I'm just so stressed, Mary. A mix between teaching and Julie coming into town."  Valerie sighed while she kicked at the slightly overgrown blades of grass in front of her.

      "Y'know, Julie off-handedly called my cooking shit the other day. But then she does nice things like help clean up the house when I'm busy, and I don't know how to feel." Valerie vented, finally able to put all the emotions she had been feeling over the past few days into words.

"Oh, Valerie, it's okay. You don't have to like everyone. I'm sure she'll warm up to you. And if she doesn't, it's her loss, yeah?" Mary said, rubbing Valerie's arm lightly. Valerie smiled slightly, her head lifting when she heard a car door closing.

"Ah, they're back already. Guess I'll be going in a bit." Mary said as she and Valerie stood from the bench.

"Want some lemonade for the road?" Valerie asked, shaking the ice her empty glass to tempt Mary.

"Sure, why not?" Mary said, stretching slightly as the two of them started across the backyard to the house.

"I'm just saying," Julie'a voice rang from inside the house. "The apartment in Kensington was really nice. I think I'll rent it." She said, a chair scraping the floor followed by the striking of a match.

"Hello, Mary." John greeted the blonde when her and Valerie arrived inside, ignoring his sister all together as he lit his cigarette.

"Hi, John. How was lunch?" Mary asked while Julie gave a long puff of her own cigarette. Valerie kissed John in the cheek, reeling at the scent of the smoke.

"Pretty great. Julie found a nice house in Kensington." John said, nodding to his brunette sister who stood from her chair and offered her hand to Mary.

"Pleasure to meet you," Julie said with a smile as she and Mary exchanged pleasantries. "Cigarette?" Julie offered, and Mary shook her head.

"I'm good, but thank you." Mary said politely, and Julie nodded.

"Anyone want some lemonade? I made some earlier." Valerie said, already heading into the kitchen, mainly to avoid Julie, who was already
making her anxious. She was also in a hurry to get away from the smoke that was making her feel incredibly dizzy.

"I'll have a glass, love." John called after her. Valerie shouted back an okay while she refilled Mary's glass and filled another for John.

Feeling suddenly ill, Valerie abandoned the glasses, ignoring John calling after her as she headed into the bathroom they had downstairs. She couldn't tell what had made her so sick; whether it was a random burst of stress, the flu, or the cigarette smoke. Or maybe it was all three.

"Valerie?" John asked, his knocks echoing in the bathroom and making Valerie'a ears ring. She was currently leaning against the wall, just having thrown up the lunch she and Mary had eaten earlier.

"Yeah?" Valerie asked wearily, managing to clean herself up a bit before John came into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"My lord, Val. The stress can't be that bad, can it?" John asked, as he sat down next to her, leaning against the wall.

"I think it might be the flu, honestly. Remember how I visited Brian the other day and he was sick?" Valerie asked, sighing as she rest her head on John's shoulder.

"You should go to the doctor. And not just Periwinkle. There's probably a medicine they can give you to help." John suggested, and Valerie made a sound that John took to mean she agreed.

"I wish we weren't going back on tour." John said softly. Him and the band were leaving next weekend to finish up their tours in Europe, and then heading to Asia and North America before rounding it off in Australia. They'd be gone until April.

"Hey, the tour will be fun. And I'll be sure to call you every night once you leave." Valerie promised, some of her energy already coming back to her.

"Julie's getting an apartment soon. In Kensington, I think, so you won't have to handle her alone." John said, messing with Valerie's hair, braiding one of the strands he could reach loosely.

"Thank goodness. She barely looked at me and I'm a mess of anxiety." Valerie said with a wry laugh.

"She'll warm up to you soon, I promise. She was talking about you on our ride home. She really likes your paintings." John recalled, and Valerie smiled slightly.

"Well, at least she likes something. I won't be making pancakes for her again." Valerie said, John and her sharing a laugh before he stood from the wall, offering her his hand to help her stand.

"But pancakes for me, yeah?" John asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while she tied up her hair.

"Anytime, John, anytime."
*****
John had organized a movie night with Mary and Payton before the band left again. Julie was out that evening, apartment hunting yet again, and going out to eat dinner with an old friend.

She was starting to warm up to Valerie, as John said, but she was still painfully sarcastic.

  "The Sound Of Music? That's the movie we're watching?" Roger asked with a sigh as he plopped on the love seat next to Valerie. John was leaning against Valerie's legs, and she was messing with his hair.

     "Yes, it was the only movie they were showing. Unless you want to watch Casablanca again." Valerie offered, remembering how many weekend she, Roger, Brian, and Tim had gathered in the living room to watch Casablanca. While a great movie, they'd tired of it.

"Sound of Music it is, then. I like Julie Andrews anyway." Roger said with a shrug, smiling at Valerie.

    Periwinkle was sitting on the couch next to Brian, and Payton was settled comfortably in Brian's lap.

Mary and Freddie were sharing a chair. Freddie was talking quietly to her, bragging about how he knew all the songs.

"Well, prove it, virtuoso. Movie's about to start." Periwinkle said with a smile, nodding to the TV that had just began to play the opening credits.

   Very soon, the opening song had begun, and Freddie stayed silent, claiming afterward that "Ms. Andrew's voice doesn't need to be sung over. I know every damn word to that song, but Julie is too good."

    Very soon, everyone was enjoying the movie. Valerie was a bit drowsy, her head hurting a little bit, but she loved the movie so much, she didn't want to say anything.

     However, it wasn't even at the Do Re Mi song before Valerie leaned her head on Roger's shoulder, starting to dose off.

     "Hey, John, should you take her upstairs?" Roger asked John who glanced at Valerie, his brow furrowed.

    "Yeah, will you help me out? She's been so stressed out lately. Still hasn't gone to the doctor, but she thinks she's getting over whatever it is. She stayed up late last night working, though." John told Roger, brushing a hair from Valerie's face.

   The two of them quietly stood up, and Roger scooped Valerie into his arms, instantly waking her up.

    "Shit, you scared me," Valerie said when she realized it was only Roger. "Surprised you can even lift me up, Taylor. Been working out those tiny arms of yours?" Valerie teased, blinking slowly to fight off her vertigo.

"Very funny, Cartaya." Roger said, rolling his eyes. He hadn't made it out of the living room before Valerie demanded to be put down.

"I know you can make it up the stairs, but-"

"It's not that, Rog, I think I might be sick. Too much popcorn, maybe. And unless you want your favourite shirt ruined, I suggest you put me down." Valerie said with urgency. Roger obliged immediately.

    She pushed away from Roger and hurried to the downstairs bathroom near to the kitchen. Everyone heard her, and grimaced.

    "I don't remember being that sick. She's overworked herself, and the second term has barely begun." Brian said as he stood up to go check on her. John offered to go with him and take her some water, but then decided Valerie probably didn't want to be more overwhelmed.

    "Valerie, love? You okay?" Brian asked as she pushed her way into the bathroom where Valerie was.

    "That girl needs a vacation. She doesn't know when to stop working. It's gotten worse since her father passed, I think." Roger said as he sat back down on the sofa next to John.

    "She needs to start painting again. She's stopped hasn't she?" Payton asked, grabbing some of the popcorn that was in the bowl she and Periwinkle had been sharing.

"She did. It was always her coping mechanism, especially when.... y'know. But she hasn't done it as much. Maybe a few sketches here and there." John said, his leg shaking up and down with anxiety.

Soon after Freddie suggested he take her to Hyde park to spark her inspiration, Brian and Valerie came back into the room.

"I'm going to the doctor in a few days. Got to set up an appointment. This has gone too far." Valerie said tiredly as she sat back down on the couch next to John.

"That's good, that's good. But you're alright, now?" Freddie asked carefully, and Valerie nodded, thanking Brian for the water he'd just handed to her.

"As long as Roger isn't going to try to be a hero anytime soon, then yes. I'm still impressed though, Rog." Valerie said, any tension in the room melting away slightly when Roger rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh, please. I'm very strong."

"So strong that Payton beat you at arm wrestling?" Valerie countered, smiling when Roger scoffed.

"That was one time. And I was drunk." Roger reminded Valerie, and Brian tried to stifle a laugh.

"Sure, Reggie, sure." Valerie said, patting Roger's knee as they turned back to the movie just in time for Edelweiss, any worry about Valerie being tucked away for the time being.

uM yeah, I'm sleepy lol

hope y'all enjoyed it and all of its awful, sleep deprived writing.

also, Julie isn't a huge character now, but imma try to integrate her into the story more in upcoming chapters.

lots of love,
angelica.