Garden Lodge, 9:30am

"The rest of the boys have agreed to take on Live Aid, Fred. Bob is pulling his neck out for you but needs an answer by tonight, what have you got to lose?"

Freddie was sitting in one of the white monobloc chairs next to his pond of expensive koi carp with Tiffany contently purring on his lap as Jim Beach's words played in his head. The proposition for the charity concert had been on his mind for some time, and now he was faced with an ultimatum as it seemed that Bob Geldof wasn't giving in. As if a tough decision to make wasn't bad enough he was waiting for Monica to come back with her (in his eyes) unwelcome old friend at any minute.

Whilst waiting to take his mind off one thing or another, Freddie tried to figure out what it was that he had to lose, "Queen had been part of me since the boys and I were trying to get a big break whilst Mary and I practically starved. Not to mention that when David stepped in and ended our six years, or at least my goddamn sexual appetite ended it anyway. The band was at its peak then really... then along came my Monica, and then those two followed..."

He looked at Johnny and Roshni playing across the garden at that moment, and started picturing what their future would be like if Queen were to be hit by another wave of success. He didn't want them to be known as 'Freddie Mercury's kids' like they were at their old school St Barnabas, especially after what happened to them on their last day there. Naturally, he wanted them to be recognised for more than that. And he knew that if he himself got any form of media attention then the price of fame would implicate their lives even further.

"What do you think, Tiff?" Freddie cooed as he affectionately scratched the ragdoll cat behind her whiskers, "Should Monica and I consider home-schooling them? You wouldn't like that, would you? Me neither, they might try and shear your coat off again"

Tiffany silently hopped off his lap and onto the grass, and kicked fleas out of her leathery brown ears with her fluffy back leg.

Freddie sighed and looked back at his children as they picked twigs and leaves up off the grass. Despite Freddie's best efforts to turn his daughter into Elizabeth Taylor, Roshni had gotten her own way in the wardrobe and was now wearing her pastel pink Andy Pandy-like overalls with her long sleeved blue sweatshirt underneath. It was the nicest attire she owned that wasn't a dreaded skirt or a party dress, and Johnny was forced by his father into wearing his closely matching mint green stripe overalls over his red sweatshirt to correspond with his twin sister, much to his dismay.

"Monica better be damn pleased with the job when she gets back. How dare she force this situation upon me," he thought, his fists clenching in irritation, "And her friend better not ask me to play the piano or sing anything either... I'll leave Johnny do that bit. He was like me when I was his age, he will be more than happy to show off-"

"Hey, stop playing with that!"

From inside the piano room, Phoebe suddenly knocked on the window he was in the middle of cleaning to catch the attention of the twins who were standing around the round stone cherub bird bath, stirring the rainwater with fallen twigs in their hands, "You'll get your clean clothes all muddied up and stained!"

"But we're pretending to be witches!" Roshni shouted back.

Johnny followed, "We're making a potion and this is our cauldron!"

"Oh, fuck no..." Freddie pushed himself up off his seat and marched towards them, ordering, "Listen to Pheoebe and step away from that filthy thing! You don't know what's been in it"

Johnny and Roshni groaned in protest as their father grabbed them by the hand and was ready to walk them away from the birdbath when there was a jingle of the house keys over the wall and the locks cracking in the bottle green front gate. Monica was back with her friend Paula, and sooner than he would've liked.

"Oh god, they're here" Freddie felt panic wash over him, not ready to confront Paula.

Johnny and Roshni broke away from him, "Mum's back!"

Over the wall he could hear a whoosh of the camper van door and a few footsteps, followed by a woman's voice shouting, "Max... Maximus, come back here! No, no, NO-"

"Who the hell is Maximus?" Freddie muttered, and his answer came in the form of a huge black dog that was taller than a calf or a foal that burst through the front gate.

The garden was an environment of serenity only five minutes before, but it was now complete pandemonium.

Freddie was far too awestruck to react as his frightened cats either skedaddled back inside the house or darted up onto the brick walls or a nearby tree, and the twins screamed as the excited dog made a beeline for them.

Phoebe was polishing a brass candle stick in the piano room when he heard the commotion outside, "What in the world..."

He rushed to the window and saw a visibly frightened Johnny and Roshni both clung to Freddie's legs for protection, for there appeared to be a black Great Dane running around the trio in circles on his long, gangly legs and yapping.

Thinking that it was a stray from the outside, Phoebe dropped the tin of Brasso and cloth in his hands and darted out of the piano room.

Meanwhile Max bounded to the cherry tree, and lifted his leg to mark his territory on the trunk.

"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" furious and disgusted, Freddie pushed his children's arms off his legs and stormed over to him, "BAD DOG!"

But Max excitedly barked back and pranced over to him, knocking him off his feet and onto the grass.

Monica finally reappeared through the gate to meet the sight of Freddie stuck squirming on his back in the grass like a beetle as Paula's dog ambushed him and affectionately licked his cheek. She held back her laughter, wanting the ground to open up beneath her and swallow her whole at the same time.

The twins were both hysterically laughing and no longer crying as Freddie helplessly shrieked her name, trying to dodge Max's wet, blubbery mouth engulfing his unshaven face, "MONICAAAAA!"

"Maximus! Off, Max! Get off!" a woman's voice briskly shouted.

The uncontrollable dog finally jumped off of him and obeyed the voice of his master, a familiar flustered-looking woman with short platinum blonde hair who was rushing down the garden footpath with a dog leash in her hand, "I'm really sorry, he just wants to play... he still thinks that he's a puppy"

Monica could feel Freddie's glare on her the moment she slipped her arms through the crook of his elbow as Phoebe helped her haul him back up onto his feet, but went straight to introducing her guest who was being towed across the grass, "Everyone, this my friend Paula from school... and her dog..."

"My god! Does he own you or do you own him?" wiping the canine saliva off of his face with a tissue that Phoebe provided, Freddie watched her grab Maximus by his red leather collar as he brushed grass off of his backside.

"I haven't had a chance to properly train him on the road," Paula answered indirectly before reprimanding Max again as he dragged her around, ultimately playing Tug of war with her own dog, "Max, behave!!"

Freddie was furious that Monica didn't warn him in advance, but despite his irritation he kept his mouth zipped.

Phoebe awkwardly put his hands in his jacket pockets as he went over to introduce himself, "That's the biggest dog I've ever seen in a long time... How did customs let you onto the island with him?!"

"A lot of paperwork and shots from the vet, that's how" Paula forced a weary smile, bent down to Max's level as she scratched him under his chin and around his ears.

Phoebe continued to make conversation, "I take it that you called him Maximus on account of his size, eh?"

"Aye that right, that's the only bit of Latin I still remember from my school days" Paula laughed wearily.

"I'm Phoebe by the way, Freddie's personal assistant" he stuck a hand out to her.

She smiled back up at him as she shook it, "Mo told me about you. She says you're the only other adult here with their head screwed on right"

Freddie overheard her, then turned to Monica, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

But she had ignored him and gently ushered Johnny and Roshni forward, "I'm sorry I couldn't introduce them to you sooner Paula"

They both crept out from behind their mother and stared at her, still too afraid to move an inch closer to the dog.

"Oh my... so these are your twins" Paula slowly stood up as she finally took a good look at them both with the kind smile that she gave her clients.

Amidst their tearstained faces and Freddie Mercury's dark and dominant DNA, Paula could instantly see her best friend within Roshni's blue eyes and Johnny's impish facial features.

Regardless, she continued, "I was your mam's best friend in school. She is always talking about you two on the telephone."

"Was mummy naughty in school?" was the first thing that Johnny asked as he stepped forward.

"Johnny!" Monica scolded him lightly, blushing.

Phoebe giggled whilst Freddie laughed frostily, then Paula answered, "She could be very naughty, but she never got caught"

"Does... Does Max bite?" Roshni shyly asked.

"Oh don't worry, he hardly ever bites. Great Danes have a very good temperament," Paula reassured her, "I think that he has calmed down now, you two can pet him if you like"

Max was now calm and content. Roshni bravely stepped forward to pet his head and immediately his tail started wagging.

"He likes you," Paula cooed, "See? Nothing to be afraid of. He's just a gentle giant."

"Hello Max," A smile appeared on Roshni's face as his large, ham-like tongue started to tenderly lap the back of her hand, "Look! He's giving me kisses!"

All of the adults cooed except for Freddie who stared on in concealed disgust, but not for long as he felt Monica link her arm with his, "Of course, you've met the man of the house before"

"Last time we met you were standing in your pelt" Paula smirked playfully as she greeted him.

"In my what?!" Freddie stared back in perplexion as he shook her hand.

Monica leaned over and whispered the translation from Belfast slang, for there were children present, "She means naked."

"Oh yes, how could I forget?" His face turned crimson as he reluctantly kissed Paula's cheek.

But she immediately pulled away in distraction, "Get away, Maximus! Leave the kitty alone!"

She rushed over to her dog as he curiously tried to sniff Goliath, but whined in pain each time the hissing and arched black cat would swipe his paw across Max's black wet nose in defence.

Whilst the guest was distracted Freddie stormed over to Monica, ready to give her an earful as his voice lowered, "You could've bloody told me that that silly, slobbery thing was coming too!"

Also keeping her voice down, she argued, "I'm sorry, Freddie! She said that somebody called Max would be coming but she never said that he was a dog!"

Freddie's eyes lowered and brows stiffened as he huffed, visibly bothered. Then he spoke with difficulty, "Monica, darling... I you know I don't mind you having guests over but-"

"But what?" Monica cut across him.

Freddie reached out to her affectionately as he finished his sentence, voice still low but now gentle, "I'd-I'd rather you tell me what to expect..."

She leaned into his hand caressing her cheek, "But I've told you about Paula before, she's unpredictable. She even went back with a guy the night we met, don't you remember?"

Freddie glanced over to Paula distracted by her large dog, then looked back at Monica, "I suppose I have no choice in the matter except to sit this one out, haven't I?"

"Please, Freddie," Monica whispered desperately, "I'm sorry about the error of communication this morning, but please try and be cordial... to her especially. I wouldn't even have met you if it weren't for her."

He hesitated and stared into space.

"It's only for an hour or two," she pleaded again, "She has to drive up to Hull to catch a ferry to Rotterdam this evening"

Freddie sighed in defeat, "If that cow of a dog breaks anything then they're are both out of here, understand?"

Monica's jaw dropped, "But I can't guarantee that-"

She stopped speaking when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to find Paula standing behind her, "You wouldn't mind if I give Max some water? He gets thirsty quite easily"

"I'll take him around the back. There is a spout on the wall" Monica gently took Max's collar with ease, having already been acquainted with him in Paula's van.

"Fantastic! I'll get his bowl from my camper van" his owner headed back to the gate.

"You have a camper van?!" Johnny interjected.

"I wanna see!" Roshni followed.

"Aye, it's parked outside. Wanna come and see it?" Paula held up her keys.

Johnny and Roshni were now pleading at Phoebe, who then looked to his employer, "Well, it's up to your dad really"

They then turned to Freddie again and begged in unison, "Please, daddy! We wanna see Paula's van!"

Freddie looked at his personal assistant in annoyance, for now he was put in a spot. But seeing the excitement in his children's faces he reluctantly granted them permission, "Alright, my loves. But stay by my side and don't touch anything"

Johnny and Roshni's cheered as they followed Paula out the gate, who was saying, "Apologies in advance. It's absolutely boggin' in here".

Meanwhile Freddie didn't know what the slang word boggin' meant in Paula's thick accent, but he knew that it must've been something bad. He watched behind him with slight envy as Maximus calmly strutted by Monica's side, her leading him towards the house and into the side passage between the wall that lead to the back door. It seemed as though the Great Dane had stolen everybody else's hearts, except for his.

He dreaded to think about what was parked over the wall, but his ideas were put to rest when he saw the Fiat Pandora parked outside his front gate in its lawn-green, unwashed glory. Needless to say, for Johnny and Roshni it was love at first sight. They darted into it the moment Paula pushed the slider door open a little more, both uttering excitedly about how fantastic it would be to live in a house on wheels.

"What did I tell you two about staying by my side?!" Freddie scolded, holding back doubtfully.

They both ignored him as Phoebe stepped in after them and helped them slide into the distasteful mocha-coloured velvet seats with a fold-out dinner table in between them.

"Monica owes me for this" Freddie ducked his head into the claustrophobic space, pinching his nose to block out the invading stench of cannabis and wet dog.

Phoebe looked around in interest, hands in his pockets, "So Paula, where do you sleep?"

She pointed to the ceiling, "There's a bed up there. The roof folds out at a 45 degree angle"

"Does your dog join you?" Freddie asked nasally under his breath.

"No, Max sleeps there" she pointed to the padded seats where Johnny and Roshni were sitting.

"Right, come here and get off that now" he immediately uttered, gesturing one hand towards them.

They both groaned and slid back out, obeying their father whilst Phoebe continued to ask, "Does Max eat a lot?"

"Aye, he eats twice as much as I do," Paula opened her small fridge in the compact kitchenette that was adorned with post cards and magnets from her travels, "anybody want a bottle of Coke or a Fanta?"

"Me!!" Johnny and Roshni unanimously made a dash for the fridge as Freddie interrupted, wanting to get out of there, "That won't be necessary. You're our guest and we should be serving you"

Phoebe followed, "Of course! Monica planned to prepare a brunch inside"

"Can't wait to try her cooking" Paula slammed her fridge closed.

"Does Max know how to play fetch?" Roshni asked her eagerly.

"Yes, he does!" Paula picked up a metal bowl and neon green tennis ball at her feet.

"Does he know how to play Scrabble too?" Johnny asked as Phoebe helped him step off.

"I'm 'fraid not, he is a dog after all" Paula laughed.

Freddie deeply inhaled the fresh air with relief the moment he stepped out of her stuffy camper van and onto the kerb. His first weekend morning back home could've been spent sitting at his grand piano and trying to find a title and chorus for his and John's new earworm, but instead it was to host an embarrassing encounter from his past. And now there was now an uninvited dog rampaging around his garden that could trample over his lovely flowers, leave a mess on his green lawn and run inside the house and break his possessions like a bull in a China shop at any second.

Lagging behind the rest as he walked back into his garden, he pessimistically thought, "This is going to be a long morning..."

*****

10:45am

"Mum, look! He's twirling!"

Roshni was standing in the narrow passage way between the building and the brick wall and knocking on the open kitchen window to catch her mother's attention. Max was fixated on his tennis ball she was swirling above his head and was going in circles as he waited for her to make the next throw, his black floppy ears pricked up as he panted excitedly.

Monica chuckled on the other side of the glass, preparing a light and early lunch with Phoebe in the kitchen whilst the radio crackled in the background, "That's wonderful, sweetheart... don't tire him out!"

"I won't!" Her daughter ran off again, Maximus galloping after her at great speed.

Phoebe lifted a small stack of porcelain bowls from the marble countertop and set them out onto the wooden lunch tray, "Do you think they'll start wanting to get a puppy now?"

"Hard to say. Freddie and the cats in residence won't be too pleased," Monica shrugged as she stirred her green vegetable soup on the stove, "Anyway, what do you think of Paula?"

"She's bright," He sounded behind her, rummaging through the cutlery drawer for the soup spoons, "Can't make out half of what she's saying though"

"Mmhm... my Belfast twang used to be as thick as hers when I first arrived here," she paused, "My parents tell me that I sound more anglicised now"

"Really?"

She nodded, "I learned to speak 'proper English', as Freddie used to say," she bent down slightly to look at the size of the flame beneath the soup pot, "Anyway, I'm glad that her dog has gotten Roshni away from that electronic thing on the television for once."

Phoebe giggled, "Do you think that Johnny will Paula to donate to his Africa Fund before she goes?"

"If he remembers, yes" Monica glanced to Johnny's jar of donations towards Live Aid on the marble countertop, the words "Africa Fund" scribbled on the white label taped across it. Already a third of it was filled up with layer of pennies and several clustered bank notes wedged inside it, coming mainly from Freddie's generous pocket out of his own reluctance to do the concert.

"Monica... Monica, your soup is spilling over!" Phoebe rose his voice urgently, for she had grown distracted.

"Oh, bugger!" Cursing under her breath, Monica lifted the bubbling pot off of the open flames, "I think it's ready anyway. Can you taste it to see if it needs any more seasoning?"

"Certainly" he kindly took the wooden spoon from her hand.

Monica reached to switch off the cassette radio perched on the window sill when the BBC weather forecast announcer caught her attention:

"This just in from the Met Office. We have gale warnings of a storm passing from the North Sea down across the mid to the southeast of England tonight..."

Monica shushed Phoebe as he slammed cupboards in the background and turned up the volume dial, "Listen to this!"

"Until further notice, all services to and from mainland Europe have been delayed in the following ports: Aberdeen, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Hull-"

"Hull! Phoebe, that's where Paula is going tonight!" Monica panicked.

"The shipping forecast never mentioned a storm last night!" Was all he could muster.

The broadcaster continued, "It is strongly advised that sailors and fishermen on the east coast do not attempt to go out on the sea tonight from seven o'clock onwards."

"Seven o'clock onwards," Phoebe repeated, frantically setting the wooden spoon back into the pot of soup and untying his apron, "Let me find the Yellow Pages"

Whilst he rushed out of the kitchen Monica leaned against the sideboard, at a loss for what to do. All she could think of was to let Paula and her large dog stay for the night, but there was no way that Freddie would allow it...

Outside

"Johnny, I can already see about ten words that you can spell. Try harder, it's your go" Freddie urged his son sitting on his lap.

Paula had only been visiting for an hour and already the morning was beginning to drag on for Freddie. He reluctantly showed Paula around his house and winced in irritation and anxt every time she would endearingly refer to his fiancé as 'Mo' in conversation or pick up one of his possessions around the house or wander into his rooms. Afterwards whilst Roshni and Max played around the garden in the background Freddie was forced into a two-against-one tournament of Scrabble opposite Paula by his own son, who was already finding it to be a disappointingly hard game:

Johnny pouted, gripping onto the table, "But you two know more words than me because you're grown-ups"

Paula giggled across the board from them both, and Freddie sternly admissioned, "Oh come on, try and spell something..."

Whilst Johnny looked hard for any possible word, Freddie looked across the garden to Roshni as she threw the tennis ball a short distance across the grass. He watched as Max would gallop over in time to catch it as she'd giggle and hold her hand out to take the ball out of his blubbery mouth and throw it again, maybe even stopping at the birdbath to take a drink of Johnny and Roshni's 'potion' every now and then miraculously without toppling it over. The dog was his daughter's height and twice her size an his head twice as large, and he was anxious that he'd knock her onto the ground. Thankfully, the clumsy dog didn't break anything so far and if he ever left a large dropping on the lawn Paula was there in a flash with a plastic bag. Rather, Max was being well behaved and Freddie hoped it would stay that way.

"What are you, Paula?" Johnny changed the subject, gripping the edge of the table, "Daddy's a rockstar, mummy helps make television adverts"

"I am an art therapist" she answered, folding her elbows onto the table as she leaned closer.

He asked Paula again, "What do art therapists do?"

"Well, to put it simply I help people draw their feelings so that other people can understand them" she smiled.

"Draw their feelings?" The boy squeaked, now fully distracted and curious.

"Mmhm, and their thoughts" Paula added as Freddie's face stiffened impatiently, waiting for Johnny to take his turn.

"But that's easy!" Johnny carried on, "If you're feeling happy you draw a smiley face and if you're feeling sad, you draw a frown"

Paula laughed gently, "Well, I suppose that is one way. But a thought or a feeling in your head can be a much more complicated than a facial expression. It can be a shape or a colour, or even a thing."

"Like an axe." Freddie muttered slyly, holding his son closer on his knee.

But Paula didn't hear his dry-humoured jibe, for Johnny gleefully proclaimed, "I found a word!"

Freddie watched his son put the S tile in front of the word 'HIT' already spelt out horizontally on the board, but grabbed his hand before he could complete his go, "Hey! Don't spell that word, that word is naughty!"

Johnny looked up at him and argued, "But it was one of the things you said when Tiffany did a poo in the toaster"

"Yes I did, and then mummy gave me a good telling-off for saying it," he blushed as Paula giggled again, "Try and spell something else"

"Nah, I'm not playing anymore." feeling defeated, Johnny pushed himself off his father's knee and wriggled under the table.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Freddie watched his disinterested son skip away and over to his twin sister playing with the Great Dane.

"Great, now I'm left alone with her," he awkwardly looked back at the Scrabble board, avoiding eye contact with Paula, "One man down"

"Ah, kids eh? They are my most difficult clients but they warm up eventually" the platinum blonde across from him bent down to her feet.

"He wanted to play that game all bloody morning" Freddie's lips curled at the corners slightly as he tried not to laugh. What should've been annoying he now found funny.

"They do change their minds quickly... I still can't believe Mo had kids," she mused in distraction as she rummaged through her shoulder bag on her lap.

"There goes bloody nickname again!" Freddie squirmed in his seat, but spoke through gritted teeth, "Really?"

"I mean falling in love with Freddie Mercury was a shock as well, But the idea of her having children before the age of 25? Never saw it coming."

"But the proof is right in front of you, you daft tart" he wanted to say as he looked over to his children playing with Max, but still he refrained, "How so, my dear?"

"Mo went on blind dates with a few guys at our school," she lifted out her box of Benson and Hedges tobacco, "But the flame never lasted more than a few days or went beyond holding hands and a peck on the cheek"

"Why is that? Because none of them were Cliff Richard?" He joked sarcastically.

All of this Freddie knew, for Monica had openly told him early on in their relationship all of the prior experience she had, including the boys she'd kissed. It came as no surprise, and at this point Freddie felt as though the morning was dragging on.

"Not exactly," Paula shook her head, holding a cigarette in between her teeth, "She just wasn't the kind of girl who'd lust after the Hollywood actors or bandmembers either, but she exceeded my expectations."

"Why, because of me?"

"Not really. She just wanted to be ready to find the one. Lo and behold, fate brought you two together on my 18th birthday ," she held her open box of cigarette she out to him, "You smoke?"

"That is tobacco, isn't it?" He paused cautiously.

"Of course," she assured him, then whispered, "Don't want to get stopped and searched for hash when I go to Europe, do I?"

Paula slouched back in her chair and winked as Freddie stretched over and took one, deciding not to enquire any further, "Thank you, dear. I really shouldn't smoke, especially around the children. Monica doesn't like it when I do"

"She's right, doctors are coming out with all sorts of discoveries these days," Paula held up her lime green Clipper lighter, "Anyway, I should quit really. I need money for the fuel for the road, and if I ever have weans of my own one day. "

"Weans?" Freddie murmured curiously at the sound of the incomprehensible word.

"Sorry, it means wee children back home" she explained before reaching over to light his cigarette between his lips.

"I see. Oh, thank you" puffs of smoke escaped his lips as he spoke.

"I take it that smoking never seemed to be Mo's vice after all," Paula mused, "Her and I used to hide behind her mother's hyacinth bush at the bottom of the garden to smoke"

"Oh really?" Freddie smirked, thinking to himself, "I miss that naughty girl"

"Her mother was always wary of our friendship," Paula pensively stared across the garden as her dog frolicked with the twins, "She thought that I was a bad influence on her"

"My god, I'm surprised she let Monica live with the likes of me then," Freddie glanced at the letter tiles he had left, "Although she did make her disapproval crystal clear to the both of us."

"She was oddly open to Mo going away and having a good time for my birthday, but I suppose she hoped that she'd come back with a sense of independence as well" Paula rearranged her own letter tiles in visibly deep thought.

"Her mother frightens me," he shuddered slightly, looking at the board, "Stared daggers the whole time when her parents visited us in Switzerland"

A gap of silence followed. Freddie set down his cigarette onto the ashtray and finally made his move, playing it easy and putting the S in front of HIT now that the table was child-free.

Instead of laughing at his sneaky gimmick, Paula spoke out of the blue, "It was probably just jealousy, you know".

"I'm sorry?" Freddie muttered.

"Mo's mum was probably jealous over her daughter having a successful pregnancy, but she directed it towards you," Paula blew out some smoke, then looked right and left for any children before she joked, "You were the cause of it after all."

"The cause of what?"

"Monica's pregnancy"

"Ahhh... But she should've been happy for her daughter." Freddie lifted his cigarette back up from the ashtray.

"She was. But I reckon she was also jealous that Mo was able to carry two twins to the final stages when she miscarried her twin in the womb early on" Paula nonchalantly said as she took more tiles out of the velvet green bag.

Freddie couldn't believe his ears. Surely Paula tripped over her words.

He lifted his head and stubbed his cigarette out, "Pardon me but... did you just say that Monica had a twin?!"

Surprised, Paula stuttered, "You d-didn't know?"

Dumbstruck with the revelation Freddie silently shook his head, unable to process such a thought.

"Well, I suppose her family don't really talk about it, " Paula nonchalantly said, then pointed to Johnny and Roshni playing with Max on the lawn, "She gets the twin gene from her dad. That's why those two came along and that's why she has twin nephews as well."

Freddie zoned out, gripping onto the armrests of his white monobloc chair, "Why wouldn't she tell me? Eight years I have known her, eight... this is the woman I am going to marry one day. What else could she be keeping from me?"

He barely noticed Monica walking quickly out of the house, looking slightly solemn.

"What's up, pretty lady?" Paula turned around to her, "Hope you don't mind us smoking next to the kids"

"Not at all, as long as you're outside... Paula, there was an announcement on the radio," Monica began, "There will be a storm coming in from the sea tonight, your ferry to Rotterdam has been cancelled"

"What?!" Paula got up off her seat in concern.

"Oh great, my day just got bloody worse" Freddie's heart sank as he sat on the edge of his seat, half-expecting Monica insist that Paula and her dog stay over for the night.

"Don't panic, Phoebe is contacting cruise lines in Dover for you to see if any of them will still be operating," Monica assured her, much to his relief, "That port wasn't listed in the announcement. I'll pay for your passage to Europe."

Midly dazed, Paula shook her head, "It's alright Mo, you don't have to-"

"But I want to," Monica pulled her into a slight hug, "You came all this way to see me."

Paula hugged her back, "I'll pay you back, I promise"

For Freddie, the storm from the seas couldn't have come at a better time. He was getting tired of Paula's blabbermouth and her dog winning his family over, so he stood up and interjected, "Don't be silly darling, I'll pay"

"It's alright, neither of you have to. Really" Paula smiled uneasily, sensing that tension was rising.

"It's nothing. I'll tell Phoebe to put it on my card" he insisted, growing desperate.

Monica reached over to him and put her hand on his elbow, "Freddie, you don't have to pay for it just because you're rich-"

"I said I will pay for it!" His voice grew firm, almost barking the words into her face, "What do you think I'm trying to do? Flaunt my wealth?!"

All three of them grew silent, whilst Johnny and Roshni stopped playing fetch momentarily whilst Max ran around them in circles.

"Alright then..." Taken aback, Monica didn't react or argue back but instead pulled her arm away and turned to her friend, her voice almost collapsing from the humiliation, "Don't panic, Paula. I'll bring out the soup, alright?"

"That'd be lovely, thanks" Paula slowly sat back down in her seat, forcing an uneasy smile.

Freddie slouched back into his seat and stared at his lap in remorse, "Great. Now Paula will think that her best friend has gotten engaged to an arsehole"

He watched Monica walk back into the house, ignoring the sound of his children's laughter at Max's loud howls directed towards the coyote-like siren from an ambulance flying past over the wall.

But still, the smile was now wiped off Paula's face, "Shall we?"

Freddie nodded, picking up the green velvet bag to collect more tiles, "It's your go, dear"

"Yep, I know" she chirped sharply, her warm, casual demeanour now cold.

"What am I saying?" He thought as he waited for his opponent to make her move, "Monica has gotten engaged to an arsehole..."

*****

11:50 am

"But mum, why can't we keep him?"

Johnny and Roshni were hugging onto Max's neck with a pout on their faces at the end of Paula's visit. Despite being frightened of the canine at first they had both grown fond of him and not ready to say goodbye.

All of the adults present in the garden except for Freddie giggled. Paula stepped forward and gently explained, "I would say yes, but he might miss me too much if he stays with you two"

"Will he miss us?" Roshni looked up at her with tear-brimmed eyes, loosening her grip around Max's neck.

"They never get that upset and clingy when I go away," Freddie thought with slight envy, watching from his spot at the now abandoned Scrabble table, "But I suppose they don't know what it's like to have a father who doesn't have to work away from home"

"That's enough of that, you two" Monica gently pried their arms away from the dog and quietly started giving them both a set of orders, then asked Phoebe to supervise them.

Still bothered with the guilt from how he snapped at Monica earlier, Freddie watched Phoebe and the twins obediently went back into the house and Paula went to take Maximus by the collar, "Come on you... time to go back into the van"

"It's a pity you couldn't stay longer" Monica opened the gate for them both.

"Ah, but it was nice when it lasted," Paula exited the garden, clicking her tongue for Max to keep by her side, "Anyway, this one needs a sit down from the runaround your daughter gave him"

"Sorry if she tired him out too much" Monica watched as Paula opened the door on the passenger side, and Max obediently climbed up and sat on the velvet seat and let out a long, loud yawn.

"Not at all, he has plenty of energy to burn," Paula opened the window lightly, and slammed the van door shut before she indecisively spoke again, "Mo, can I tell you something?"

"What about?"

Paula leaned against the green vertical front of her van and signalled her closer. Monica looked around, not understanding what there was to be so skeptical about, but stepped closer regardless.

She began, putting her white-rimmed sunglasses in her ivory hair, "You know, some of my clients are from a women's refuge who got out of abusive relationships and unhappy marriages"

Monica knew exactly what she was referring to, "Paula, if you're talking about what you saw back there-"

"I know what I saw" Paula interrupted her matter-of-factly.

"He's not always like that" Monica defended, but regretted her choice of words immediately after.

"Not always like that?" Her friend scoffed, "You don't need to apologise for him, Mo"

"I'm not apologising for him," she argued back slightly, "You don't understand. We just had a minor disagreement earlier"

"How minor?"

"A misunderstanding on his part" Monica answered, but she dare'nt tell Paula that it was because of her.

"He hasn't ever hit you, has he?"

"What?! No! Where did you get that idea?"

Of course, at that second there were many things that Monica wanted to tell Paula. She never told him about how Freddie grew enraged the night he found out she was pregnant, how he ruined her 24th birthday party or how he exploded at their infant daughter for accidentally breaking an antique. But those were memories from the past that she didn't want to repeat, especially when Freddie could've been listening over the wall.

"Well whatever it is, you know that I'm there for you and your weans if you're in trouble, right?" The look in Paula's grey-green eyes was serious.

"Paula, my relationship is not your responsibility. I don't want you worrying about me" She forced a smile amidst her frustration.

"Ever since that morning you said that you were staying with him I have been worrying about you," Paula reached over and took her hand gently, "You're always welcome back to Belfast, you know."

Monica looked away and stared at the kerb, "You haven't moved out of your parent's house and Belfast isn't exactly the safest place to be right now. There'd be nowhere for the three of us."

"What about your parents? They've moved to the north coast now, haven't they?"

She nodded slowly, remembering the IRA bomb planted outside her dad's business earlier in the year. But she didn't understand what Paula had to be worried about other than that she witnessed the wrong thing at the wrong time.

"Paula," she pulled her hand away, volume still low, "You know that I wouldn't have stayed with Freddie if he didn't make me feel safe, don't you?"

Paula opened her mouth to speak, but stopped and looked over Monica's shoulder as footsteps sounded and Johnny and Roshni reappeared with something in their hands, Freddie and Phoebe following closely behind them.

"These two have something that the would like to show you before you leave, Paula" Phoebe explained.

Monica was thankful for the intervention putting a stop to Paula's pressing questions. Johnny walked over to her with his Africa Fund money jar in his arms, and asked her nicely, "Mummy says that you might want to donate something for the hungry children in Africa"

"You don't have to put in much," Monica reassured her, rubbing her son's head, "Their Uncle Elton already put in two fifty pound notes when he was checking up on us last month"

Surprised, Paula murmured, "You mean Elton John?"

Monica nodded, and her friend opened the van door, "I may have some toll bridge money here. I won't need very much if I'm going to Dover"

Freddie watched from several yards away as Paula climbed into the driver seat of her van and counted a small handful of coins in the palm of her hand, thinking, "My own son is doing more for Ethiopia than I am"

He felt his heart melt slightly as he watched the way his boy smiled when she slid the money into his jar, seemingly knowing that he was helping make a difference. Not many children that were Johnny's age and stature were interested in helping others.

"I wonder how he'd react if I was to do Live Aid?" Freddie imagined, "Embarassed, probably. But at least I'd be doing something right, and he'd probably be proud of me for trying"

Little did Freddie know then and there that Johnny wanted nothing more than for Freddie to do Live Aid, and as luck would have it the difference that he was going to make....

He barely noticed Roshni shaking the sleeve of his sweatshirt, "Mummy says you're to give this to Paula"

Snapping out of it, Freddie looked down as his daughter holding a pre-signed copy of his Mr Bad Guy album in her outstretched hands. Whenever a boxload of Queen's new albums arrived form the studio, Monica always asked him to sign a few for her to post back home to her family.

"Ahh, keeping up appearances," he took it from her, glancing at his iconic portrait that donned his aviators, "Thank you, darling"

Paula was sitting in her van with the door closed and her window wound down as Phoebe gave her his farewell, handing her a small envelope, "Your money for Dover. Be sure to say that Goose productions booked your trip at check-in."

"Thanks again. You really shouldn't have" she smiled back at him, then looked to the man of the house approaching her awkwardly.

Monica stepped away to let Freddie sheepishly hand over the vinyl, "And this is also for you from me".

The woman gasped, taking it into her hands carefully as she stared at his profile on the cover, "For me? Thank you... it's a pity I don't have a record player on the van. You're too kind to give me this"

"It's not like anybody is going to buy it anyway," Freddie shrugged as a shy smile played on his lips before he leaned into the window to politely kiss Paula's cheek, "You can always barter it for something you actually need... like a hot shower, perhaps?"

Monica lightly smacked his arm, but Paula ignored him as she reached out to hug him once more, "Don't be silly, I'm sure you poured your heart and soul into it"

Freddie chuckled uneasily, pulling away, "Well then, Bon Voyage."

"Bon voyage, folks!" Paula flipped her white sunglasses back down over her eyes and started the engine, "Thanks for having us!"

The five of them said their goodbyes in unison and waved back at the Fiat Pandora as it moved off the kerb outside the gate and drove about a hundred feet up Logan Place. Paula then did a U-turn and moved back into the left hand side of the road, making sure the twins both got to say goodbye to Maximus one more time as he hung his large head out the window. Everybody had to laugh at the folds of his mouth flapping in the wind as she drove past them and honked her car horn, even Freddie.

"Back inside and wash your hands, you two" Monica heard Phoebe order her children behind her as she watched the green van turn right at the end of the street and disappear, feeling Freddie slip his arm around her shoulder as they both walked back into the gate.

"Now I can have you all to myself again" he purred into her ear as she shut the gate after her.

She turned to him as he whipped her close before she even had time to react.

"See? The visit got off to a rocky start but you made it through" she held back onto him, closing her eyes as she rest her chin on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for speaking like that to you earlier" he kissed the side of her head, wraking his fingers though her brown shoulder length waves as they blew into his face.

"No no, I threw you into the deep end," she tightened her arms around him, "You were right. I should've been clearer with you."

He lifted her up off her feet as he held her close, unaware of how quickly time was passing around them both. But then he remembered what Paula had mentioned about Monica having an unborn twin, and his grip around her loosened the more he speculated why she'd be keeping such a thing from him.

Regardless, Monica's muffled words into the crook of his neck caught him off-guard; "You smell of dog now"

Freddie reached down as she giggled and pinched her right buttock, causing her to gasp.

"Will you still kiss me?" He pulled away, lifting her chin so that he could gaze into her baby blue eyes.

Monica stared at his smirking lips, tracing her finger over his black moustache, "Not until you wash your face."

"I beg your pardon!" Freddie snapped slightly.

But she broke away and made it for the house, calling over her shoulder, "Get in! You don't want to get stuck outside in the storm, do you?"

He looked up at the blue sky, scanning for any grey puffs as in his mind he declared that he was going to confirm his place in Live Aid and make his son proud or fail his career trying, and then he was going to confront Monica about why she kept her unborn twin from him.

Freddie followed her back inside, picking up Goliath sitting the doorstep on the way in. Even though the storm wasn't to pass for another several hours and there was not a single dark cloud in sight, he didn't want to get caught in it.