In the weeks that followed, John thought about a lot of things...

1) For starters, it was November and their new album would be released later in the month and then they'd be back in the recording studio in February to record another album which they had no songs written for yet.

2) Paul's nightmares. Now that Paul knew John didn't see him as a burden, he just let loose and actually relaxed when he went to sleep. But that, of course, meant that in the way hours of the morning before the sun began to poke above the horizon or the birds began to sing, Paul would wake drenched in sweat and shouting several profanities.

3) Linda Eastman. Paul's new friend who John couldn't help but be jealous of. She lived just down the hallway from the Beatles and she and her daughter Heather came over for dinner practically every night. John was so insanely afraid of losing Paul that he couldn't help being jealous of the woman no matter how much Paul insisted that she as only a friend and he was in love with John.

And 4) He was intrigued..by a woman. John hadn't been intrigued by a woman since the day he kissed Paul for the first time, but that was before he met this woman. She was beautiful and wild and creative and artistic and talented and just so....free. He hadn't felt anything so free save his time spent with Paul in years. She made him feel something in his soul and with Paul inevitably leaving him one day (or so John told himself, unable to see past the way Paul was when Linda was around) he could t help but feel the beginning of a budding romance.

It all started one night when Linda and Heather were over. John, Paul, Ringo, and Linda were all chatting in the sitting room while George had agreed to play Go Fish with Heather and was no sitting at the kitchen table playing the card game with her...and losing miserably.

There came a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," John hastily offered, anxious to get away from Paul's deep conversation with Linda about her interest in photography. He leapt to his feet and bounded toward the door, pulling it open. "Hi, Brian."

"Hello, John," Brian smiled and followed the second eldest Beatle into the apartment. "Paul, Ringo. Ah, good to see you again, Linda."

"Good to see you, too, Brian," Linda greeted.

"Where's George?" Brian furrowed his brows.

"I'm over here," George said dully as Heather set another pair of cards down on the table.

"Hello, George. Hello, Heather." Brian nodded curtly.

"Hi, Bri." Heather grinned.

"Got any twos?" George sighed.

"Go fish!" Heather exclaimed gleefully.

"Losing to a three year old, are we, Georgie?" Brian smirked.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Epstein." George rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, everyone listen up!" Brian clapped his hands twice. "The Beatles have been invited to an art exposé! Some big upcoming artists will be there and they want you all to attend. You each have an invitation and a plus one invitation. I've sent the RSVP. The show is a week from tomorrow."

Paul furrowed his brows. "An art exposé?"

"Hold on just a second," John snapped. "Who says we want to go?!"

"Come now, John," Brian frowned. "You need to start getting out there again! The Beatles have been doing less and less concerts. Now, if you want to keep your popularity rate up, you need to get out there and interact with the public. Unless you want this next album to be your last one, of course."

"No!" Ringo exclaimed.

"That's not what a meant," John murmured.

Paul stood up. "We'll go to the freakin art show, Bri."

"Good," Brian nodded. "Make sure you have your plus one guests within the next few days. Goodnight, boys."

"Night, Bri."

"See you around,"

"Later, Eppy."

"Bye,"

"Goodbye, Brian."

"BYE BYE, BRI!"

Once Brian was gone, Ringo and George both stood up. "Well, I guess you should all know something.." Ringo said at the same time George said, "I suppose this is as good a time as any to tell you..."

They looked at each other and each insisted that the other go first.

"Okay, fine," they eventually both agreed to speak first. "I've met a girl."

"Oh my goodness!" Linda exclaimed. "Good for you! Good for both of you!"

Paul and John, on the other hand, just kind of stared at George for a minute or so. "Congratulations," Paul eventually said, and John added, "To both of you."

"I'm jealous," Linda sighed. "I absolutely love art and this is one of the biggest arts shows of the year. It's very famous."

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to invite you as my plus one, then, won't I," Paul smiled.

"Really?!" Linda exclaimed and Paul nodded. She flung her arms around his neck, earning a scowl behind her back from John. "Thank you thank you thank you! Thank you so much, Paul!" Then she was sitting up straight, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Wait, who will watch after Heather?"

"Me," John offered with a sigh.

"John, you have to go to the art show or Eppy will freak." Paul said in an almost scolding tone that made John cringe.

"I realize that, Macca," John nodded. "What I meant was, I'll bring Heather as my plus one and I'll look after her for the evening."

"Thank you, John," Linda beamed and leapt to her feet, striding across the room and pulling him into a warm hug.

"Uhm," he frowned and looked over her shoulder at Paul for assistance.

"Be nice," Paul mouthed.

John rolled his eyes and reluctantly returned the hug, warning an approving nod from Paul and a thankful smile.

~~~

After Linda and Heather went home and Ringo went to bed, George stood up. "Well, I think I'm going to go to bed. Losing Go Fish to a three year old over and over and over again is much more tiring than you might think," he said. "Goodnight," he added then headed toward the hallway.

"Not so fast," John said.

George froze in his tracks.

"Get back over here you daft sod," John laughed, slinging an arm across Paul's shoulders.

George made his way back toward the sitting room and slumped into a chair facing John and Paul. "Alright, lay it on me."

"So, you're over Ringo?" Paul raised his eyebrows. "Your crush was just a passing phase?"

The younger man shrugged his shoulders then shook his head slowly for a while before he spoke at last. "No, it wasn't. I don't think it was a passing phase at all. I love him, and I will always love him, but I haven't got the guts to tell him and he's obviously not in love with me - not in that way, at least. So where's the point in chasing after someone who'll never chase you back for your whole short goddamn life? There isn't any point and he's found a girl so I might as well move in with my life. Besides, I've found a girl as well and I think I love her and I think she loves me so..that's all I need in life. That's all any of us need in life. All you need is love..." And without another word, George got to his feet and strode off to his bedroom.

Paul rested his head on John's shoulder. "All you need is love," he whispered, his eyes fluttering shut.

"That'd make a nice song," John commented.

"Mmm," Paul hummed in agreement. "Yeah, it would."

"Right, then. Let's get to work?"

"Hm?" Paul opened one eye and raised its eyebrow with the lid.

"Let's write a song." John smiled.

Paul groaned and squeezed his eye shut again along with the other one, scrunching up his nose. "I'm tired, Johnny." The bassist whined, relaxing against John's body.

John chuckled. "Alright," he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Maybe tomorrow, then?"

"Perhaps," Paul yawned, and just before he fell asleep he added, "If you're lucky."

~~~

I don't care if it is art and if it was for publicity and if Paul was interested and Linda was having the time of her life and we all got to meet George and Ringo's new girlfriends... It was a mediocre art show packed tight with a snotty rich people who thought they were too good for anyone with less than a million in their pocket.

"Johnny?" Heather said.

"Yeah, kiddo?" John sighed, looking down at the small girl.

"Can we leave yet?" Heather stuck out her bottom lip.

With another sigh, John crouched down beside listen. "Listen.. As soon as Paul or George or Ringo or your mum or even that plant over there say we can go, we'll be out of here in negative two seconds, I promise. But, unfortunately, the choice isn't mine to make."

Heather crossed her arms and huffed. "Oh, darn."

John chuckled and stood up straight.

"Hey, Heather," Pattie, George's girlfriend, came over and smiled warmly down at the little girl. "Do you want to come with me to the snack table and get some cookies and milk?"

Heather's face lit up and she nodded excitedly. "Yes! Johnny, can I?"

"Go right ahead," John said, a bit taken aback by the fact that Linda had actually left him in charge of her child for the evening.

"Yay!" She exclaimed and she skipped off to the snack table with Pattie.

John wandered over to a small table that a hammer lay atop of beside a small bowl of nails. Above the table. On the wall, there hung a large wooden board. "What the hell is this supposed to be?" He looked at the exhibit for a long while, analyzing it, before picking up the hammer and a nail and hammering the nail into the bottom left corner of the board.

"Excuse me?"

John turned to see a Japanese woman with long, thick, rather unruly raven black hair. "Yes?" He replied, replacing the hammer where he had originally found it.

"Are you John Lennon?" She smiled.

John nodded. "Yes, I am. Who's asking?"

The woman extended her arm to shake John's hand. "My name is Yoko Ono. I'm the artist who brought this piece to the art exposé. I've brought it to five showing before this and you are the first person to figure out what purpose I've brought it for."

John tentatively shook Yoko's hand. "Well, it's obvious, isn't it?"

"That depends," Yoko said. "What do you think it means?"

"It doesn't mean anything," John said. "But it also means everything; every possible take on it is what it is. It's so simple, that it's so complicated. For instance, my take on it is that the way people perform such simple acts or possibly how they express anger tells a lot about them as a person overall."

Yoko's smile widened to a grin. "You're amazing,"

John shrugged his shoulders. "I've been told."

"Would you like to get out of here? Go get a drink?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I've got responsibilities here and, anyway, I'm in a committed relationship. I'm not looking to throw it all away because I decided to get drunk with a stranger."

"I haven't ever heard about this committed relationship,"

"Yes, well, I've fought long and hard and tirelessly to keep said relationship away from the media."

Yoko smiled. "Well," she pulled a business card out of her pocket and handed it to John. "If you ever find yourself single again, you can reach my at that number and we can go grab a drink.. It's been nice meeting you, John Lennon."

"And you, Yoko Ono." John nodded curtly as she walked away. He was intrigued by her and he had no idea why, but he shook it out of his mind. Or, at least, he tried. But he just kept thinking about her. So he pocketed the business card..just in case, right?

For the next two weeks, though he couldn't get her out of his head. She was all he could think about. Well, one of two things. He only thought of her, and what a mess he had gotten himself into.