In a studio somewhere in London...

"The backlight was in frame," Monica pointed to the monitor. "It's going to need reshot."

"Very well. Theo, you happy to do one more take?" The assistant director turned to Monica's new boss Mr Cohen.

He pulled his hand away from his stubbly chin and nodded, "Uh, yeah, maybe two or three more. Just for the poor guys in post."

"Will this day ever end?" Monica looked at her watch as the crew rushed about in studio, setting everything back to the way it was for the take.

She had to collect her brother from the station within the next hour. Lenny was visiting for her 24th birthday, which was in fact the next day.

Of course, one month in and she loved her new job. She'd built a good ethos with the people around her (if they were hired regulars), her boss was nice, and she developed a good enough understanding of what happened on a set; She in fact found that in a lot of ways it wasn't much different to the music industry when Queen were preparing a tour or preparing to shoot a promotional video. A few weeks in and she'd already worked on a few commercials under Theo's direction, one for a toothpaste, a couple of others for insurance. It offered a great distraction from the fact that her two children were growing up fast.

On the other hand, the inflexible and unpredictable side of things meant that Freddie or Phoebe was suddenly called to mind Johnny and Roshni at the music studio or at home for however long she was going to be dragged out by Theo for the day right through to the middle of the night.

She marked the scene and take number on the clapperboard as Theo ushered more crew members to intervene. Within moments the set up was back and ready, and Monica jumped back into her spot in the front of the lens, uttering the project name, scene and take number before Theo briskly called, "ACTION!"

*****
Paddington Station, later on

Monica had nothing to do other then sit in the waiting area of the main entrance. She was flustered when she arrived, but she didn't care. She didn't want her brother wandering around lost in a station of a major European city.

It was 7:25 now, and Lenny was due five minutes before.

She anxiously looked back at the pile of glossy magazines sitting on the small table beside her.

"Don't touch that rag," she scolded herself. "You already know what sort of stuff is in there!"

But nothing better than watching the tides of people passing through the entrance to the train station was going to distract her from her worries. Waiting for Lenny was beginning to feel like waiting in the dentists' office, so she picked it up, skipping to the gossip pages to see what morsels lay there about her and her small family.

She never took them as seriously as the tabloids or front pages of newspapers, for all the magazine ever did was document what she or Freddie was wearing, and when they were put and about and where they were taking their two small children etc. Thankfully, months before, the picture of Johnny and Roshni alongside the deacon children in the ball pool at Gambado never appeared; the Garden Lodge assumed that no press company would buy it due to how invasive it was...

...Not forgetting that the paparazzi had a field day when she cut her hair shoulder length and in 1980 when Freddie appeared with a moustache and image overhaul.

"Ahhh, first sighting of the week," she eventually stumbled across an image of her with Johnny and Roshni (their faces blurred, much to her relief), walking them back from school on her day off.

"Wait, but that was last week," confused, Monica flicked to the front page to find the publication date was several days before, "ahh... that explains that"

The next one was her and Freddie walking home hand in hand from an event one night whilst the John and Veronica were babysitting their children at the Deacon household.

"Well that's unflattering, to say the least" she shuddered as she stared back at the snap of her shielding her eyes from the camera bulbs with her forearm as he walked her down the pavement, her face squinting in agitation.

It used to be embarrassing for her when she first moved in with Freddie , especially when she often forgot to bring a pair of shades with her, but down the years the more she saw herself in that position countless times leaving a club or an exclusive party for a luxury brand where she was dragged out as a plus one, the less humiliating it became.

"Since when did you like reading such gobshite?" A familiar voice interrupted her.

Monica nearly dropped her magazine onto the tile floor. A tall and handsome young man was towering above her, taking his shades off, revealing a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"My my... mam was right, you are more sophisticated now!" He set his suitcase on the floor by his feet, opening his arms.

"Oh, my brother" she pulled him into her arms. "My little brother..."

"Not so little now, am I?" He pat her back affectionately with a chuckle.

She pulled away as her eyes stung, "It's been so so long!"

He giggled, flashing a dashing smile, "Don't cry!"

"Oh I won't... you've had dental work" she smirked, teasing him like she always used to.

"Oh, shut up! Only a few teeth pulled!" He took her hand, his luggage in the other.

Over five years, and finally they were reunited. The feeling was ecstatic.

"So you got here from Heathrow alright?" She took her cat-eye sunglasses from her top denim jacket pocket as they emerged from the train station and into the sun.

"Yes, I had to get a taxi to a station though... and nice shades!"

"Thanks. An early birthday gift from Freddie. Givenchy"

"I hope he hasn't spoiled you too much" they stopped at the kerb.

She looked right and left, "He tries to, but I never let him... it's the kids I'm worried about."

"Dad likes him. As for mum, it sounds like it took time for her to grow fond of him."

"Yeah, she had a change of heart shortly after the twins arrived"

"I mean, I can't say I blame her. You did sort of run off with him after one night together" he teased.

"Yes, but we're still together!" She suddenly turned snappy.

He grabbed her left wrist, waving it in the air, "Then what about this ring on your finger? How come you guys aren't hitched yet?"

She drew it away, "We're busy, that's all. I wish people would stop bringing it up."

"What do you expect? Most engagements would be called off by now"

"But we love each other!"

"Then just get married!" He laughed.

"Listen to us, not even a minute together and we're already bickering!" She giggled.

"I must say, the house was really weird without you.... and you know, Missy the cat doesn't really make a great sibling"

"Freddie will beg to differ," she giggled. "This place is practically a feline shelter."

"Yeah, mum and dad warned me about the amount of cats running around the place too"

"Mum was especially worried that they'd catch diseases from the cats when they were a few weeks old" She rummaged through her trouser pocket for the car keys.

He glanced at the logo in her hand, and the car across the road that they were approaching, "You drive a Merc?!"

"It's not mine," she opened the boot. "It's the general staff car, just for running errands, you know?"

"No, I don't know," he chuckled as he put his suitcase in. "I'm not the one getting married to a rockstar."

She slid into the driver seat, flexing the left hand with her ring, "Not getting married yet, just engaged."

He rolled his eyes, "Enough already" and slammed the boot shut.

She started the engine once he'd made himself comfortable on the passenger side, and when she finally made it onto the A402 she sparked up conversation, "So tell me. What's Coleraine like?"

"It's peaceful... a nice area. You can get the bus out to Portrush in the summer days." he mused, looking at the brown and amber-toned trees skimming the edge of Hyde Park as they flashed past.

"I'd love that..." she sighed dreamily, missing home.

"Some days, the sea is really blue, and you can see Scotland miles across the sea..." he continued. "It's beautiful up there, Monica. If you ever bring Freddie or the kids back, you need to take them up there..."

"I've tried, but he is reluctant to ever visit Ireland, especially Northern Ireland," Monica sighed sadly. "But the weather on a good day is what I miss about home. The lush, green landscape... anyway, how is the university there?"

"The people in Coleraine are just as rotten as they are in Belfast. But my course is good." He shrugged.

She laughed, "I think you'll find rotten people wherever you may go"

After a momentary silence, he said, smoothing his dark hair from his face, "You don't sound very Belfast anymore."

"Really?" She changed gear. "Because people here have told me the opposite."

"...you really have changed." He said.

"Bad, or good?"

"I don't know" he chuckled. "I'll have to find out who and what broke you"

"So, bad change then?" She gave him a sly glance.

"We'll see," he looked out the window as the sign for the borough of South Kensington that flashed past. "After all, Mr Mercury has a reputation"

"Just you wait," she grit her teeth as they reached a stoplight. "Once you enter the gates of Garden Lodge, especially when it's somebody's birthday, you enter utter pandemonium"

But even after Monica's brief warning, Lenny wasn't fully prepared to face a pair of rascals, a handful of cats, and a flamboyant rockstar all living under one roof.

To be continued...