Tomorrow Never Knows: Chapter Eight
Tomorrow Never Knows
Title: Chapter Eight
Authors: lovely_rita_mm,jenny_wren28, & pennylane_fic
Starring: The Beatles (specifically John Lennon) and Maggie Sue
Rating: R for language, sex, & implied drug use.
Disclaimer: We don’t own any of the Beatles, this obviously never happened, and much to the real Maggie’s disappointment, is a complete work of fiction.
ZOMG IT’S BEEN TWO WHOLE WEEKS WITHOUT AN UPDATE!!!!!!! WHAT WILL YOU DO?!?!?!?!?!?!
Hopefully read this update & forgive us. & yes we had a splendid at Dragon*Con. We ran into some Beatles in the Ladies room! They were trying to “pick up birds” or something like that. I know we swooned!
So, dearest readers, turn off your mind, relax and join Maggie Sue on another one of her Beatle adventures.....
Previous updates located HERE!
Chapter 8
Late August, 1967
On the whole, the summer had been peaceful. After their big fight in June, John had gone out of his way to be attentive to her. There hadn’t been any major events or parties, and as a result, they hadn't seen much of Yoko. She seemed to have beaten a retreat for the time being.
Maureen Starkey had just given birth to another boy on the 19th of August, and had been too preoccupied with the new baby to be much of a problem to Maggie, either. Maggie and John had spent the warm, golden summer days with Julian, and often Paul and Martha joined them. There were trips - Maggie and John took a vacation up to a farm Paul had recently bought in Scotland, and the whole group including the girlfriends and wives went to Greece for a week in July to check out an island the band wanted to buy. At home Pattie and George had hosted a few intimate get-togethers with just immediate Beatle family, and Jane finally finished her film project, and was back in town. She and Paul had never been demonstrative, so if they were on the verge of a breakup, it was undetectable. Maggie knew from her regular calls to Linda that she and Paul were often in touch - Maggie was just waiting for someone to finally make a real move. She wondered how long Paul and Jane’s inevitable breakup would be dragged out.
One day back in July, Maggie had come across John scribbling song lyrics, a copy of Through The Looking Glass on the floor next to him.
"What are you working on?" she asked.
John covered up the page of lyrics. "Nothing! Don't you look yet, it's not ready, Future Girl."
"Oh, come on!" She picked up the book - it was open to The Walrus and the Carpenter. A big grin came over her face.
"Bloody hell, you know anyway, don't you," John grumbled. He thrust the papers at her. "You might as well have a look."
The page was covered with scribbles, some nonsense, but it was clear where the song was going. She scanned the page and then smiled up at him.
"Well, then?"
"It's going to be great," she said. "So...why exactly are you the walrus? I was always curious about that. Or are you the eggman? Whatever that is."
"I just liked that Lewis Carroll poem you're holding there, so I borrowed a few bits of it. The rest is mostly gibberish. Let those school kids analyze my lyrics in class now!" he said with glee.
Maggie laughed. "You do know the walrus is the bad guy in the poem, right?"
"Surely he isn't? Let me see that!" John grabbed the book from her, and read furiously for a minute. He looked up at Maggie. "Well, that's no good, is it?" John frowned.
"Why can't the walrus be the bad guy?"
"I guess he will just have to be 'cause I'm not changing it!"
"No, I'd definitely keep it as is."
John thought for a moment. "Maybe the walrus is Paul?" Maggie laughed immoderately leaving John to just shake his head at her since he clearly wasn’t in on the joke.
All in all, there were no major upheavals that summer and the time passed quickly, until quite suddenly it was nearly the end of August.
***
The phone rang, breaking the silence of the house. Maggie put down her book with a sigh and answered it.
"Hey Mags, it's me," George said.
"Hey George, how's it going?"
"I need to ask you a special favor. Will you listen before you object?" George didn't have any teasing in his voice like he usually did.
"Of course, George, what's up?" Maggie asked, mildly concerned.
"I know you don't approve of the Maharishi, though I don't understand why..."
Maggie nearly groaned. "Not this again, George..."
"You promised you'd listen!"
Maggie sighed. "Go ahead."
"Well, you remember when Pattie and I went to his lecture in June? I've kept in touch with him, and he's invited us all to go on a retreat with him in Wales on the 25th. I really want you to be there." Maggie was amused that it seemed to be a given that everyone else would agree to go. Where one of them went, they all went, it seemed.
Maggie was silent for a minute. She felt like she owed it to George to go along with this. She knew it was important to him, even if she thought that Maharishi and transcendental meditation was a lot of pseudo-religious crap.
"Of course I'll be there George. But just because I love you. Even so, I can't promise not to roll my eyes a lot."
"Thanks, luv. Just give it a chance. You never know, maybe you will get something out of it."
"I doubt it, but I'll try. For you." Maggie paused. "It's just...if you're looking for the answers to the universe, I don't think you're going to find them there. With him.
"But I have to try, don't I?" With that, George rang off.
Maggie picked up her book and started to read again when suddenly something in her brain clicked and she froze. A weekend with the Maharishi in Wales? That was the weekend Brian Epstein had died.
Where had the time gone? She'd thought she had all the time in the world and now the fatal date was almost upon them and she had done nothing. She'd cursed herself for growing complacent and comfortable in her new life with John. She'd let time slip away from her. It was irresponsible, and if it cost Brian his life, she'd never forgive herself.
In a panic, she ran to find John. They needed to do something and fast.
***
"What do you remember, Mags?" Ringo asked.
Maggie and John had called an impromptu meeting of the Beatles to discuss what was to be done about Brian. They all crowded around the kitchen table, passing out tea and biscuits.
"He dies on the 27th, an overdose of pills, while the Beatles are in Wales with the Maharishi." Maggie was solemn. "It all slipped my mind ‘til George brought up the trip this weekend, and then it came back to me how little time was left. God, if this happens, I'm going to blame myself." She buried her head in her hands.
"No, luv, it's not your fault. Brian has had issues for years." John consoled her.
"Besides, there's still plenty of time, right?" Paul said. Maggie noticed that his old reticence about her knowledge of the future was gone.
"Not much. Maybe not enough." Maggie said, "What's the best course of action here?"
"I don't think we should all go see him, he'll think it's an ambush," said Ringo, taking a sip of his tea.
"John is the closest of all of us to Brian," George suggested, "They even went on vacation together, though John won't say a word of what all went on there."
"Never you mind that," said John, looking annoyed.
"It's okay, I've read all about it," Maggie couldn't help piping up and then wishing she hadn't.
"I clearly need to keep my mouth shut when talking to those biographers, don't I?" said John. "Some things should be private." He glared at George in disapproval for raising the subject, and simply hoped Maggie would catch the hint and not share her future knowledge for once.
"Oh, don't worry.” Maggie waved her hands, blithely ignoring John’s hints to drop this line of conversation. “I mean, there are a few different stories about what happened in Spain, but no one really knows for sure. And, well, in my time, when I was reading about it, both you and Brian were long dead - so there was no way for anyone to ever know the truth." Maggie said feeling uncomfortable as she realized that she was now talking about John's death.
"Isn't that the best way for two people keep a secret, then," Paul piped up. "If both are dead?"
There was an awkward silence. "Secret or no, I thought the goal here was to keep both John and Brian alive," Ringo said, breaking it.
"Right, so you and John should go see Brian, Maggie - he'll know to be careful, and then we can all have a nice weekend in Wales," said George. "I'm sure it will all be fine. If we know the future, what can go wrong?"
***
"Come in, come in," Brian said genially to Maggie and John, ushering them into his office. "Have a seat. Tea, either of you?"
"No thanks, Brian," John said. Maggie shifted nervously. She didn't know if it was possible to do this delicately. She was saved from indecision by John plunging right in.
"So, Brian," John said, sitting down on Brian's small couch, "As you know, Maggie came to us from the future. In her timeline, you died on August 27th. That's Sunday," he added for clarification.
"What?" Brian jumped up from his seat, as if he'd been bitten.
"We're here to warn you." John sat back, his mission done. Maggie sighed. He actually looked proud of himself.
"What happens to me?" Brian was pale. He sat down heavily.
"You have a pill overdose," said John.
"An overdose of pills?" Brian said disbelievingly. He laughed. "Thank God, I thought you meant to tell me I'd be hit by a bus." He paused for a second remembering that John's mother had been killed similarly, but moved on quickly. "People don't die from overdoses of pills. If they did, you Boys would all have been dead years ago."
People certainly did die from pill overdoses. Marilyn Monroe had, not long ago. Maggie even remembered that Brian had purposefully tried to overdose on pills before, but had lived. What exactly had the Beatle biographies said? She thought she remembered something about Peter Brown finding a suicide note, and Brian being unwilling to admit he’d tried to take his own life. Brian was either in denial, or simply not willing to admit to any weakness in front of John. Neither possibility surprised Maggie at all.
"We're serious, Brian," John said. "And what we did back then was besides the point."
"Is it? Because I remember you positively frothing at the mouth, and out of your mind on prellies. Mixed with plenty of alcohol, if I recall. And you were just fine," said Brian distastefully.
"I don't do that anymore, do I?" said John.
"Don't you? I honestly have no idea what you boys take these days - but Paul made it charmingly clear in his most recent interview that you've all tried LSD. And I was there the first time you tried pot, remember? Don't tell me you've given that up."
"Don't try to turn this on me, Brian, we came here to warn you. You have a problem, and it's going to kill you." Maggie watched as John began to get angry. She was unsurprised. This was Brian. No matter how much John made fun of him, no matter how badly he came down on him, it was still Brian. He would always be important to him and to them all.
"I most certainly don't have a problem." Brian's cool composure was starting to show signs of cracking as well. Brian turned on Maggie next. "Really, Margaret, I expected better of you, really. To come in here with a story like this,” he snapped.
"It's not a story," Maggie Sue said. She'd stayed quiet until now, feeling that this was largely between John and Brian, and given their complicated history, she was better off not being in the middle. "It's true, Brian. They're going to find your body on Sunday, and it will be too late to resuscitate you. There'll be bottles and bottles of pills around you and they won't be sure whether it was suicide or not, but in the end it'll be ruled an accidental overdose. You're taking too many pills, Brian. You have to stop. Please."
"Suicide? That's ridiculous. To think I would do that to Queenie." Queenie was Brian's beloved mother, and possibly the only reason he’d not followed through with his earlier attempts on his life.
"Maybe, maybe not," Maggie had no idea if Brian was aware of the extent of her knowledge of him, and how unhappy a man he was. She didn't even know if Brian knew that she was aware of his homosexuality, or his penchant for abusive men, or how difficult his struggle with his own identity had been for him. Surely he'd be mortified if he knew. He'd also be mortified that Maggie knew full well that he was, or at least had been in love with John, and had been rejected.
"Which leaves an overdose from my supposed problem with pills? I assure both of you that I don't have a problem. Nor is it any of your business what medications I choose to take. I will be fine. You should go on your weekend trip and I will see you when you get back."
"We can't leave it at that Brian," John said. "It's not good enough."
"Why do you care, anyway, John?" He laughed again wryly, and then said in a sad voice, "Actually, I think you've always made it quite clear that you don't."
"That's not true, Brian, and you know it," John said quietly, after a minute.
"I think I've heard enough. Both of you out." Brian said briskly, standing up from his chair and walking over to the door. Maggie was not surprised that Brian was unwilling to continue such a personal conversation, especially in front of her.
John and Maggie stood and walked to the door, as there seemed to be nothing else to do.
Maggie paused for a moment, an overwhelming feeling of helplessness consuming her. "Brian,” she choked out. “I'm sorry. But please, please, just be careful," Maggie begged, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"I'll be fine, Margaret," Brian said firmly. "Thank you both for stopping by."
With that, Brian's door closed on them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And with that, we’ll leave you until next Sunday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continue to Chapter Nine
Want your own bound and printed copy of Yes It Is (and associated short stories) and Tomorrow Never Knows? You can get them from Lulu.com. You can also download a .pdf from Lulu for FREE!!
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/lovely_rita_mm