"Hello boy" Max wagged and wiggled his large frame and gave her his love before sniffing the passenger door, he wasn't a dummy, he knew she had company.

Ben greeted her at the top step and followed her along the verandah to the cane chair in the corner. The morning sun was coming up through the trees now... crimson and peach drifting to reach the sky, so pretty and pure.

Issy smiled. She was home.

****

Four hours later with the cats fed, Ben and Max settled with a good rub and cuddle, Issy sat at the window looking out over the lake. She interspersed the viewing with punching the typewriter keys with a passion.

The night before pushed to the back in her mind; her trip to New York was just a flicker on her conscience as she placed page after completed page on the new book's draft pile.

Hourly she stood, moved to the rear of the house and peeked down at the car, the two-storey window shrouded with lace so she could stay hidden behind.

Still asleep.

He was still in the very same position, leaning on the passenger side door. Thankfully Issy had remembered to leave the window down as the heat would have built up by now to create a mini sauna for him. Pulling herself away from the sight she scooted down the stairs and put the kettle on to boil.

She'd have to take him back she knew it.

Wasn't like he was an orphaned puppy or one of the cats, she couldn't just keep him.

Issy grinned as she reached for the sugar, maybe there was an 'Adopt A Ex-Beatle' program.

"Hello?" 11am brought the first phone call, Issy grinned when she heard Julian's voice float down the line.

"Get home alright mum? No moose?" Julian enquired.

Well obviously the police hadn't informed him of his missing Ex Englishman father.

"Ummm no"

"I won't tell Sally if there were"

"Yea sure Julian, you two can't keep anything from each other which is good really but I won't be blabbing about moose or lack thereof to you ..... Anyway, yes, I got home in one piece thank-you very muchly"

"Good, good. Sally says I'm to say...what was it?" Julian broke into a girly voice "oh right, to say 'sorry it was so late and that I am a naughty future son in law' " Julian laughed softly "She's busy with bubs, I'll get her to call later on. Be good mumma"

"Hmmm, yeah I'll be good. Hey cheeky! Aren't I always good?" Issy walked, inching the cord of telephone toward the window that would let her view her Jeep.

Empty!?!

The jeep was empty!

"Ummm better go, Ben wants to be let out"

"Ok cool. Look, that recording, it was great. I um-"

"Julian - Ben"

"Oh ok, bye mumma bear"

"Bye darling"

Shit, where the hell is he?

Max was quiet as a mouse, Ben was still asleep upstairs by the office chair and the Jeep door was wide open.

Issy stepped nearer to the window to afford a closer look.

Nope, not sprawled on the driveway.

Opening the front door a smidge, she frowned. Bloody dog should have gone off his tits but no he's let the extra-large insect scurry off.

No bone for you Max!

I guess once he hits the main road he'll figure out he's well and truly lost in the backwoods.....

Issy smirked a little as she climbed the stairs with her coffee.

...She did truly endeavour to continue writing but her thoughts were off; Off following Johns footsteps down the road.

By the old plum tree, near the timber fence, seen the bitumen, hurried to bitumen, stood on the bitumen and looked up and down in either direction, then swore loudly at said bitumen.

Then back past the timber fence, paused then swore at the sunlight in his eyes, gawked at the gnarly plum and shaken his head, walked through the trees, spotted the house, swore at the length of the driveway, glanced in the jeep for clues, scratched his head or chin or both and glanced about the exterior of the house again.....

And still....

Not one single solitary bark or whimper of my so called guard dog!

Definitely no doggy treat for him today!

"Where the fucking hell am I" He hollered loudly. The straight to the point query booming around the house. Ben jumped up growling but never left to investigate.

And then John stormed through lower level of the house.

It seemed every room was ventured into. Every single door opened and slammed shut again. Issy sat jumping each and every time, the reverberating thuds of timber on timber shuddering through her body.

He was pretty upset by the sound of her poor hinges hammering against the doorframes.

Understatement much?

"Helllooo anyone fucking here?!"

Again with the yelling, can't he speak normally?....

"Don't you need to tie me up if you're ransoming me for my money?!"

Oh, that's right, I sort of drove a tad further north than planned.

Issy heard him flop down on the couch, the thud and the scratch of the lounges' feet as they slid backwards across the hardwood floor, attesting to the fact.

She stood frozen at the top of the stairs, suddenly well aware she had sort of kidnapped John Lennon....

Well she hadn't tied him up or shoved him in a boot or anything quite so kidnappy butttt she did drive a little further north than The Dakota, sort of... just a little bit.

What?!

Ok, OK!

Only hours beyond the Dakota did she travel.

And now he was yelling or grumbling, maybe a bit of both; he'd have a killer headache too she surmised.

"If I make you coffee will you resist hurting me?" Issy's voice rained down on him from the top level the house making John sit up and listen to where she was situated. "Tea? ......." she sang while gritting her teeth in the slim hope he wouldn't actually kill her.

"Tea and lots of it, then I'll bop you one" His voice sounded tired and haggard but the tiniest bit of humour flittered about his words as he said 'bop you one'. Issy snuck a look, she found him lying stretched out upon the couch. Max sat resting his head on Johns lap. Eyes closed, John let his fingers idly pat the dogs head. "...Where the fucking hell am I, anyway?"

"The more important question is- What did you do to my so-called guard dog?" Issy sat on the top few steps looking through the banister railing like a convict in a prison cell and cringed as John opened his eyes and stared her way, he immediately reached into his pocket to extract those glasses; The ones he had in the sixties. "You still have your Buddy Holly glasses" Issy exclaimed in awe.

"All the better to see my kidnappers with" John sat up and rubbed his eyes under the glass lens "I smell like absolute shit"

"Vomit"

"Pardon?" His lip lifted slightly at the corner as he wondered...What the hell is this. Where the hell was he?

"Not shit- vomit. You got vomit everywhere on you, thankfully not in the jeep, though it smelt extremely rotten all of last night. I was almost sick myself what with all the fumes emitting off you" Issy gripped the bars in her hands watching him lift his shirt and smell it. His nose crinkled up in disgust. Obviously he now agreed with her...
That the stench was indeed vomit.

"Better get used to bars luv" John nodded his chin and grinned up at her "Be going down a long time to the penitentiary, you will"

"Who calls it a penitentiary anymore?" Issy rolled her eyes "Oh ... the fellow that wears buddy holly specs that's who"

"Hey! These are classics!"

Issy lifted a shaky finger and pointed behind him "There's a bathroom there, clothes, toiletries, man stuff. I will make tea if you go in there" Issy watched him slowly stand upright, he was pretty tall, lean and his arms quite well muscled. She hadn't a chance to notice his build last night. What with the toilet seat on his head and legs stretched out on the floor. Issy didn't think he would be a gym junkie but what did she know.

"Like what you see" John smirked as she stared.

"No"

"Oh"

"Just go, and leave my dog. You've infected him with your petting"

"Infected with petting? Well that's a weird virus if ever I've heard one. Perhaps I should infect you with my leering"

"No..... I just ..... No go!.... Tea, I'll make you tea and, and .... toast!" Issy stood and watched him move toward the bathroom.

"Will you be locking me in there? The bathroom that is?" John enquired.

"No. Whatever for? ... And the locks on the inside silly ..... oh no it isn't, that's broken that one, sorry" Issy grimanced as she watched him closing the door, each inch he pushed on the wood she took a step down the staircase til they gawked at each other, still a number of paces apart.

"You are the kidnapper remember. You better not burst in on me, in this no locking bathroom of yours ...." John teased. She seemed harmless, quite normal looking really "You look like the peeping tom type" He grinned at her, wondering who the hell she was, perhaps just a crazy fan, he couldn't see a gun on her person and she did offer tea but still, kidnapped. Should really consider getting a bodyguard. He toyed with the thought as she crossed her arms in a tizz over his peeping tom quip.

Issy didn't bite back at the peeping tom aside but she was smiling inside. He was a flirty charmer with that grin and accent and she'd have to watch herself.

If he turned out to be her dream Beatle she would definitely be in heaps and heaps of trouble.