GEORGE

"So what brings you to London?" I asked Prudence as I filled the kettle with water. "What about making it in Paris?"

"For your information," Prudence said with a smirk, "I am doing very well in Paris." She crossed her arms at the table she was seated at. "My boss and I are just in London for some business."

I nodded and leaned against the countertop, waiting for the kettle to boil.

I hadn't taken her into the studio. I wasn't ready to reunite her with John. I knew how it went the last time. Instead, I took her into the small kitchen above the studio for tea.

"Sounds like a good gig," I said.

Prudence nodded, and her smile widened. "I love my work." After a pause, she added, "And I'd be doing a good job here, too, if you lot hadn't been distracting me."

I raised my eyebrow. "What d'ya mean, distractin'?"

Prudence looked at me, eyes wide, then down at her hands. "I didn't mean anything."

"No, no, you mean something!" I said, crossing my arms in interest. "Come, on, Pru, you can tell me."

The kettle began to whistle. I just looked at Prudence, waiting for an answer. Prudence just looked at her hands.

Eventually the kettle's whistle became unbearable. With a sigh, I turned around and took it off the stove. Neither of us spoke as I poured the tea into two cups.

I walked to the table where Prudence sat, and reached for the pot of sugar. She avoided my gaze. I picked up the pot and went back to the tea.

"Two sugars, please," she said quietly.

I smiled. "You think I don't remember how you like yer tea?" I carried the two cups to the table, and sat down. Prudence grabbed her cup and took a grateful sip.

My grin widened. I hadn't realized how much I missed Prudence. In Liverpool, she was more than John's girlfriend. She became a close friend, one who I would constantly ask for advice in my more innocent days. But once she and John went separate ways, our friendship was put aside. And the big fight didn't make matters any better.

"George?"

I froze. Prudence did, too. Her fingers tightened on the cup.

"George!" The voice was closer now, and I recognized it. I let out a sigh and relaxed.

"It's only Ringo," I said. Prudence didn't loosen her hold on the cup.

I remembered that the two of them had never met properly. They've only seen each other once, when Pru and John fought while we were on tour. Prudence had reason to be uncomfortable.

"Don't worry," I said. "Ritch won't do anything. It ain't his type."

"George! You there?"

I looked at Prudence and raised my eyebrows. After some hesitation, she nodded. I nodded back reassuringly, then turned my head to the doorway.

"Yeh, I'm in here, la!"

"You okay, mate?" Ringo said as he approached the kitchen. "You ran out of there so fast-"

He stopped in the doorway and looked at Prudence.

Then at me.

Then back at Prudence. Then back at me.

RINGO

"Ritch," George stood slowly. "This is Prudence."

The bird looked at me nervously. I turned to George, eyebrow raised. 

George gave me a look, and I remembered.

That Prudence. The first, and last, time I'd seen her, she had shouted. And hollered. And cried.

"Ello," I said.

"...hello," she responded shyly.

She seemed nice enough. From the things I had hear John yell at her before, she had sounded like the devil. But I knew John well enough to understand that he wasn't always right when it came to relationships, and I didn't judge her.

"So," I said, walking to the kettle, "I heard you had the pleasure of watching us on the rooftop some time back."

"Yeah," she answered. A genuine smile grew on her face. "It was amazing."

"Well, glad to see someone liked it," George retorted, sitting back down. "Everyone complained that they couldn't get to work that day."

"And why the hell would they want to? The Beatles were in town!" I laughed heartily as I picked up my tea.

The three of us sat for a while and enjoyed our tea and our company, talking of the past: Pru and George's days in Liverpool, our days in Hamburg, Pru's life in Paris, our lives on tour. After a while, I looked up from my empty cup to the clock on the wall.

"Not to interrupt, but we haven't done any work today, and the other two are still down there waiting for us."

George looked at me, and then at Prudence. She looked down at her tea, as a nervous look crept onto her face.

"I'll walk Pru home first," George said softly, standing up.

"No."

Both of us turned to her.

She looked up with a strange expression.

"I want to see him."

{GUYS IM UPSET WITH MYSELF

3 MONTHS OF KEEPING YOU IN SUSPENSE AND THEN I POST THIS LOUSY CHAPTER

IM SORRY IM TRYING TO STRETCH THIS SOAP OPERA OUT

AND JUNIOR YEAR IS SO STRESSFUL OH MY GOODNESS

I hope you guys aren't mad

my writing skills are definitely not okay

PEACE AND LOVE L***}