Early in July, Barney started checking up on Paul at least every other week, sometime every week. Paul didn't tell Barney about his encounter with Tessa because, in all honesty, he was just trying to forget about the whole thing. He didn't want to believe anything that she had said to him that night, he just wanted to keep any faith in the F.H.O. that he had left after discovering the White Room.

      It was good to see him a lot again. Paul really didn't like to go months without seeing Barney.

    The second weekend in August, Barney showed up with a huge grin on his face. "Lilly and I got married yesterday!" He exclaimed.

     "That's great!!" Paul cheered. "So she's now officially Lilly Lynch."

     "Yeah," Barney sighed happily. "I can't believe it. I've married my dream girl, a perfect baby girl, a good job, and I'm friends with Paul McCartney. What more in life could a person possibly ask for, you know what I mean?"

     Paul laughed. "I'm happy for you, Barney. I know I've said it before but I can't quite put into words just how happy I am for you."

     "Thank you, Paul," Barney smiled. "So, anything you need to talk about before I go?"

     Paul almost told him about his nightmare again and about everything he'd said to John, and almost told him about Tessa Todd and the "Unknowables" that he was sure did not exist. But he didn't. Just as he had done every time Barney had visited since Kylie was born, Paul almost told him everything...but he stopped himself and smiled. "We're going into the recording studio tomorrow to start working on With the Beatles,"

     "That's exciting!" Barney said.

    "Yeah," Paul nodded. "Anyway, get back to Lilly and Kylie."

    "Okay," Barney smiled. "See you soon?"

     "As soon as you want to see me, Barney," Paul chuckled. "Goodbye."

     "Bye," Barney smiled, and then he was gone.

~~~

     "Okay, next I want to hear...Hold Me Tight?" George Martin said. "And Paul, it says it's just vocals and an acoustic guitar?"

     "Yeah, I wrote the guitar and the lyrics," Paul nodded. "It's very simplistic..but I was wondering if George would play the guitar on the track?"

      George's eyes grew wide. "Are you serious?" He grinned.

      "Absolutely," Paul nodded. "Remember that guitar song I taught you last weekend? That's this song."

     "I'd love to play the guitar," George nodded excitedly.

     "Okay, get to it!" George Martin said.

     "John, Ringo, you can go for a smoke or something if you want," Brian said. "I'll come get you when we're done with this song."

     "Thanks, Bri," Ringo said. "I'm going to have a smoke, then. You coming with me, Johnny?"

     "No, I'm going to stay here and watch," John said.  

     Ringo muttered something inaudibly, then looked back up at John. "Suit yourself," he shrugged his shoulders and headed out.

      John watched Paul as he sang, he watched his lips. His full, soft, pink, kissable lips, and how they ghosted against the microphone as he sang sweetly.

     Well, fuck, John thought, shifting uncomfortably. His pants were suddenly much tighter than they had been a couple minutes earlier.

     "That was great, boys!" George Martin happily exclaimed. "And..it's getting late, actually, so I think that'll be a wrap for the day. You can let Ringo know that we're done on the way out."

     "I'm going to stay here for a while and practice on the piano," Paul said.

     "Okay, I'll leave the keys here," George Martin said. "Make sure you lock up and leave the keys behind for me underneath the planet outside the door. Goodnight, boys." He said, laying the keys down on a table in the corner of the room and leaving.

     "I'll go tell Ringo we can go home," George said. "John, I'm assuming you're staying with Paul."

     "Yeah," John nodded. "See you at home."

     George nodded. "See you. Bye, Brian." He said and walked out.

     "Bye, George!" Brian called after him then turned to John. "Goodnight, John."

     "Night, Bri." John waved and watched his manger walk out.

     A mischievous smile creeped its way across his face..

~~~

      When Paul and John stumbled into the flat that they shared with their band mates a couple hours later, all giggles and hair that was sticking up at odd angles, they hurried to their bedroom before Ringo or George came out and saw them.

     "Tonight," John pecked Paul's lips. "Was wonderful."

     Paul smiled as he pulled his sweater over his head and slipped into his pajama shirt. "Mm," he nodded. "Yeah, it was.."

     John watched as Paul changed into his pajamas with, his eyes lidded.

      Paul laughed, exasperated. "You, my love, are positively insatiable,"

      "Well with a boyfriend like you, who can blame me?" John smiled and began getting into his own pajamas.

    "Fair enough," Paul laughed again.

     They heard a door slam shut down the hall and both of their heads snapped up, looking confused. They looked to each other with frowns of puzzlement on their faces. "Maybe George and Ringo are having an argument?" John suggested.

      "Yeah," Paul said slowly. "Maybe.." Something didn't seem right to him, but it was probably just him being anxious, right? He pushed the thoughts away. It was probably nothing.

~~~

     Paul woke in the early hours of the morning just before the sun began to rose and he had a sneaking suspicion that between his dry mouth and the light beginning to seep into the room, he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. So he slipped out of the warm embrace of John's arms and got out of bed, got dressed in a shirt, sweater, trousers, and shoes. He ran a comb through his hair, sweeping it across his forehead just the way he'd done it for ages when he was younger - well, Paul supposed he was "younger".

     He went to the kitchen after and got a glass out of the cupboard, then went to the sink and began to fill it up with water.

      "Hello, Paul."

      "JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!" Paul leapt a good foot into the air in shock, dropping his glass and letting it clatter to the bottom of the sink, water splashing everywhere. He whipped around to see Tessa standing in the middle of the kitchen, but the first thing he did was glance toward the hallway with a nervous look.

     "Don't worry, I've got magic." Tessa said. "They won't wake up as long as I'm here."

     Paul nodded, turning off the faucet that was still running, picking up the glass that was laying at the bottom of the sink and setting it down on the counter, then remembered who the girl standing in the middle of his question was and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here? I told you never to come back here."

     "Sorry, Paulie, but this is business." Tessa shrugged.

     "Don't call me that," Paul snapped.

     Tessa sighed. "Sorry," she said. "Anyway, have you put any thought into what I said to you on the day we met?"

     "Yes, I have, and I still say that you're a liar and you're trying to manipulate me because you're with the Shadows and you want to see John dead," Paul spat at her venomously.

     Tessa laughed. "Paul, listen to me, I lived with the Shadows for eleven years. It was hell. I saw what they did to their prisoners, I saw them torture their prisoners mercilessly, endlessly! And do you seriously think that if I was with the Shadows and I found you and didn't take you prisoner I would still be alive? Ha! No. I'd be dead." 

     Paul shook his head. "You seriously expect me to just believe you?"

     "Yes," Tessa nodded.

     "How could I do that?" Paul growled.

     "To save John, to save yourself!" Tessa exclaimed.

     "The F.H.O. is going to help me save John," Paul hissed. "And they're protecting me. I'm doing just fine without you and your so called Unknowables, thank you very much. I've been here for over two years and I'm fucking fine."

     "The F.H.O. is not going to bend over backwards to protect you, Paul," Tessa shook her head. "You're valuable to them, extremely valuable, but they don't like getting their hands dirty. Why do you think you only ever see one person from the F.H.O.?"

      "I've met lots of people from the F.H.O.!" Paul shouted defensively. He knew that he had met them at the F.H.O. Headquarters, but he didn't need to mention that to Tessa.

     "Seriously?" Tessa actually looked taken aback, her eyes widening in shock.

     "Mhm," Paul nodded.

     "That's so weird," Tessa said, shaking her head and tapping her chin absentmindedly. "Darren was the Vice President of the F.H.O. for a while before he left and he said that that kind of thing never ever happens.."

     "Well, maybe I'm just special.." Paul said.

     "No, Paul, they're still not going to get their hands dirty to help you," Tessa said, shaking her head quickly. "Paul, we keep as close of an eye on the Shadows and the F.H.O. and The Network and the M.M.U. as possible!! The Shadows are closing in on you. They've almost found you, but we can't catch them. They keep slipping through our fingertips every time we get close to them, and they just get closer to finding you. Besides, there's too many of them and too few of us."

     Paul shook his head. "I still don't believe you,"

     "Paul, I don't think you understand just how close the Shadows are to finding you. They could be here at any time!"

      Paul narrowed his eyes at Tessa. "Say I believe you, say I agree to help you and let you help me, what do you suggest I do?"

     "You tell John, George, and Ringo that you're from the future, that you may look twenty years old but you're really seventy five and you were brought back here when you were seventy three," she said. "You all pack up, come with me, and my team will explain absolutely everything to them and to you. And we'll hide you from the F.H.O. and - don't give me that look, Paul."

     "You're talking nonsense," Paul shook his head. "John can never find out about all this. Neither can George or Ringo, but above all else, John can never find out."

     "Seriously? You plan on living a lie for the rest of your life?" Tessa cocked an eyebrow.

      "If that's what it takes to keep John happy, alive, and sane, then yes." Paul said firmly.

     Tessa shook his head. "I give up with you, Paul. I've done my job. I've tried to convince you of the truth. Whatever happens yo you from here is your doing, you understand me?"

     "Yeah, whatever you say," Paul rolled his eyes. "Just get out of here. And don't you ever come back."

     Tessa scowled. "Wouldn't dream of it. Good luck saving John." Without another word, and before Paul could reply, she disappeared into thin air.

      Paul shook his head, enraged with that infuriating girl and those damn Shadows. He turned to the sink and picked up the glass, then started to fill the glass up again. When it was filled nearly to the brim he turned the faucet off and took three long gulps, swallowing hard.

     He shook his head. That girl is insufferable, he thought.

     He gulped down the rest of his water and placed the glass in the sink, then turned to go to the living room. Instead he leapt into the air in shock again when he saw two men that were a good five or six inches taller than him with the biggest muscles he'd ever seen standing before him. They were dressed in all black and Paul was sure that he'd never seen anyone who looked so intimating in his entire life, not even President Wilson who had told Paul that if he failed then he and his friends would end up in the dreaded White Room was as intimating as one of these two men.

      Paul stared at the two of them, frozen in place.

      Neither of them made a move to hurt Paul, or any move at all for that matter. They just stood there for a long time, examining Paul, then they looked to each other and nodded before surging forward.

      "ARGH!" Paul yelped. "NO!"

      One man easily held Paul still while the other pressed a cloth to Paul's mouth and nose.

      Paul held his breath and struggled, trying desperately to wiggle his way out of the man's grip.. It was no use though, and soon his vision became dark around the edges. His lungs were screaming, begging for air, and before he could a chance to think it through, Paul Inhaled and he almost instantly become dizzy, his vision going foggy.

     Just before his vision went completely black he thought to himself, God, please, don't let them hurt John!