1977

BBBRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!

"That bloody clock!" Freddie grunted, squinting in the morning sunlight. "Why are you still setting it when you've nothing on?!"

"Sorry, it's a bedtime mechanism at this point!" Monica defended, reaching over to her bedside table to switch it off.

She heard him utter something under his breath about being able to do without further distractions.

"Are you... plugging out the telephone?" She rolled onto her side, watching as he reached down and wound the chord away .

"Well, do you know what day it is today?"

"Mmm, my day off?" she sat up, squinting in the sunlight.

"My birthday!" He pouted, laying back down. "I don't want to be disturbed on my birthday."

"Do you think I'd forget that? I'm only messing," She smiled and stretched a little, "I ought to get you the birthday mail first seeing as you won't be taking telephone calls."

"People will think it's occupied, that's the point... If anyone comes knocking, tell them from me to fuck off" he rubbed his eyes, then watched her pull her nightgown over her head.

"What if they're somebody you know?" She fixed the straps.

He shrugged as he stared up at the ceiling, and repeated, "Tell them to fuck off."

She shook her head as she clambered onto the mattress and tucked the covers back up around him, "31 years old, who would ever think it? ...And what if there's fan mail?" She asked wearily, for since that German music magazine interviewed Freddie not long before, the occasional fan who had discovered 12 Stafford Terrace popped over, the more respectful ones leaving gifts.

He grinned back, "Since its my birthday we can make a few exceptions"

She smoothed his wispy black bangs away from his face affectionately, "If you need help forging signatures I can step in"

He watched her get up and exit the bedroom, "Go easy! It's your day off, apparently that's more important than my birthday!"

"Let it go, would you?!" Rolling her eyes at their playful argument, she rushed down the stairs where there was a pile of envelopes and parcels alike waiting on the doormat.

She checked the addresses to be sure that there was nothing disposable.

She just hoped that her gift to him would be worth it as she anxiously made her way up the stairs. She was too busy to find him something lavish like the rest of his friends. The day before a Nijinsky coffee table book that Mary posted in advance with a personal message scribbled inside had arrived, but Monica barely had the time to even go downtown looking for something to upstage that thoughtful gift; it was back-to-school season and Christina wanted her in practically all day every day now that her cafe would be congested with uniformed teenagers and mothers doing the school shopping.

After all Freddie had done for her, the gesture was still very much important to fulfil. So, on her day off, Monica took time to flick through her newly developed photos, and using her watercolour kit she decided to fix him something quick and personal, with an "I love you" scribbled in the corner.

It was from the heart, and as embarrassing as it seemed that was all she had to go on.

"Oh, I don't like the look of that brown packaging" he noticed he small parcels in her arms.

She dumped them onto his lap, then fixed the pillows up behind him so that he could sit up and read comfortably, "Do you need me to set up a small bonfire out back for any used underwear from teenage girls with high libidos like myself?"

He smirked, then picked up his letter opener, "We'll see... that's a bill... oh! And that's John's, see? That's his handwriting"

She giggled, and bent down underneath the mattress to retrieve her gift, "No peeking"

"No peeking at what?" He inspected the Deacons' birthday card fronted with a kitschy illustration before setting it on the side table.

She reemerged, "I wanted to get you something more elaborate than this, but I never found the time. It's lousy, but happy birthday" she leaned in and kissed his cheek as he took the slip of watercolour paper.

His eyes squinted, studying the piece further, "Are those... the cats? ...In the lounge?!"

She blushed, "I'm sorry that the quality isn't too great, I was working from a low quality photo, and Dorothy's face is a little blotched-"

"Oh darling, it's perfect!" He threw his arms around her.

"Well!" She gasped and giggled, rubbing circles onto his back. She always loved bringing the childish side out of him. "What about what your fans leave you all the time? Surely it's at their level?"

"Oh, you know I love what they give me but, it simply means more coming from you," He kissed her lips, then beamed at the small watercolour again, "I must find a frame for it and show everybody tonight!"

"You're not taking it with you to the club tonight, are you?" She climbed out from underneath the duvet once she felt her stomach rumble.

"Oh come on, everybody ought to see how splendidly gifted my girl is!"  He let her slip her hand out of his.

"Suit yourself then, all I did was put some thought into it!" She wafted towards the bathroom.

As she left the birthday boy to gawk over the still life of his beloved babies, she'd hoped that he still meant what he said about having a real baby in Cornwall back in August. He hadn't brought it up since, but they hadn't taken any measures to stop it either, such as using contraceptives. The world tour was also coming up in November, so the band and production had that to worry about work first rather than conceiving a child.

"Maybe in January, although it's a long way away" she thought, looking at herself in the mirror briefly before lifting the hairbrush.

Freddie sat up on the bed, looking in through the en suite bathroom door. He had the perfect view of the mirror over the sink, allowing him to watch Monica's reflection as she tidied herself up, brushing the knots out of her tangled brown hair.

"Still irresistible" He smiled and set her painting aside before climbing out of bed, stepping over Goliath sprawled out on the carpet as he stretched out in the warm morning sunlight.

She saw Freddie strolling in corner of her eyes, and before she knew it he was embracing her.

"Why does he always give the best hugs?" Her hands slipped around him in response as he contently hummed in her ear.

He remembered that day a year before when he stood on the front door step, watching Mary load the last box of her personal belongings into her small car...

"That's it, no more women from now on. Now I can explore men. I can follow my heart and be happy without hurting anybody..." he thought at that time as he felt David lingering behind him, and Freddie felt his hand sneaking its way underneath his trousers...

Of course, that one didn't last long. But one day not long after, this young Irish girl practically out of high school stepped in and changed all of that, drawing him to her with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and intrigue in that hazy, dark club room, slowing his world down and drowning out the thumping disco music.

"And now she's in my arms..." He closed his eyes blissfully, sweetly nuzzling the side of her face, his stubble tingling against her skin. "My delicate Irish flower..."

She melted against the warmth of his body and the sound of his hums, chin resting on his shoulder, and before she knew it she was weak at the knees.

Especially at the sight his bare posterior in the mirror, to which she couldn't resist giving a slight squeeze-

"Ouh!" He let out a small yelp.

She giggled and pulled away, only to be whipped back into his arms again as his mouth met hers in a feverish kiss, his hands exploring her curves.

Wordlessly his fingers hooked into the cotton of her nightdress, tugging it upwards as she lifted her arms for him.

She shivered as she felt his longing brown eyes look up and down her naked body, then his large hands grabbed back onto her pale flesh as he slid his tongue between her lips.

Soon enough she felt something pressing into her thigh, and found herself blushing as she saw his erection manifesting itself in the mirror.

He lifted her off her feet before she could protest, her heart thumping and sexual appetite growing.

She wanted all of him as she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he carried her to the toilet and flipped the seat down.

She felt unstable on his lap as he sat down, but his hand supported the small of her back as they kissed.

"I'm not going to let you fall" he purred seductively in her ear, running his hand through her hair.

She giggled as he nibbled her bottom lip, moving his hand under her thigh and lifting her pelvis.

"Freddie!" She gasped as she slipped onto his girthy erection.

He grabbed and sucked on her breasts, her fingers gripping onto his scalp for dear life as she started to move.

"Monica..." he thrust his hips up in rhythm with her body.

She threw her head back as her mind became dizzy, "Fuck..."

Up and down, moaning into each other's mouths, they failed to notice one of the cats sitting on the bathtub edge, watching them.

"Bloody pervert, shoo!!" He groaned under his breath, but Tom didn't budge.

"Baby, just ignore him..." Monica panted, then took his face in her hands. "Ignore him and look at me..."

"Mmm..." his face was overcome with ecstasy as she went faster and faster, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

Tom hopped off and bounded out of the bathroom in disinterest, and the two let out animalistic cries of pleasure as they reached orgasm.

"Fuck, you feel so good..." he grunted as he exploded, hands digging into the flesh of her bottom.

She collapsed in his hold, heart beating rapidly as he held onto her with all the strength he had.

They held one another in silence, catching up with their breaths and soaking up the feeling of each other's warmth

"...I don't want you to go" she finally whispered, burying her face into his damp neck, arms slung around him. "The longest you've been away is a week. I can't stick longer than that without you."

"I don't want to leave you either, baby...,"  he kissed her shoulder. "...But, in a month or so, we're going to meet in America and we're going to see it together," He reassured her. "We'll be together... you just keep yourself busy and keep working in that cafe until the time comes... you can even take a trip back to Ireland and catch up with your folks if you want. Just call me and I'll get in contact with Mary to arrange it for you."

"I don't want to take money out of your pocket" Monica looked away, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder as she clung onto him.

"I bought a grand piano at the start of the year, and Rolls Royce over the summer, nothing's going to change in my bank account" he took her chin.

She pressed her forehead to his, "I only want your love, nothing more, nothing less"

He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand tenderly, then smoothed her hair, "Oh Monica..... my Monica..."

She closed her eyes and absorbed what she could of that intimate moment.