~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Ashley...shhh, luv. Come on." George lifted her chin up with one long
finger. She smiled weakly.
"Better?" he asked hopefully.
"Not much." George's heart broke, seeing her like this and knowing that he'd
never see her again after this night. He cupped her chin in his hands and
kissed her slowly and softly. They parted, and Ashley smiled.
"Getting there." George stared at her resolutely, then kissed her again,
longer this time. Ashley laughed quietly.
"Not bad, not bad..." George sighed, smiling. He leaned her back until her
hair brushed the stage, his hand on the small of her back, her arms around
his neck, and kissed her long and hard. When they parted, Ashley stared at
him, wide-eyed and breathless. "And they call you the Quiet One!"
George laughed, bringing Ashley back to her feet. He took her hand, walking
over to Paul. Ashley hugged Paul tight, saying a tearful goodbye. Paul
nodded, a tear rolling down his cheek. He realized that he'd miss his angel
more than he thought before. He turned to George. "Take care of her, Hazza."
George smiled, arm around Ashley's waist.
"Right, Macca." They shook hands amicably, and Ashley gave Paul another hug.
She said goodbye to John, shaking hands. Hand in hand with George, the two
left the stage. Ashley stood next to Ringo and Lucy, not quite sure what to
say.
"Goodbye, Rich," She said softly. Ringo looked up sadly.
"Take care, Ashley. And George?"
"Yea, Ring?"
"Be good to her." George nodded silently, and they left Lucy and Ringo
sitting on the grass in each other's arms.
@@
"Where are we going, George?"
"I don't know, sweets. We're just going to walk. Does that suit you?"
"All right, George." George held her close, his arm around her as they
walked on the outskirts of the huge monstrosity that was New York City.
They'd already been walking for quite some time, occasionally talking, but
mostly staying silent, just enjoying each other's sad company until the bell
tolled twelve.
"Look here," George said, wandering off the beaten path. "I recognize this
place. The lads and I used to come here to smoke on the tour when we stopped
here. Come on..." George pulled Ashley into the small grouping of trees,
leading her along a well-worn path.
"George, is this a good idea?" Ashley asked, looking doubtfully at the dark
surrounding woods.
"Relax, angel, we're not there yet."
George held her hand tight so he wouldn't lose her, weaving through the
thick underbrush. They eventually came to a clearing, which ended abruptly
at a steep drop.
George and Ashley stepped up to the cliff slowly, gazing out at the
beautiful cityscape before them. Lights twinkled all over the city below,
and George held Ashley close as she started to cry again.
"George, I don't ever want to leave...to..." He cut her off with a kiss, as
usual. They parted, and she started sobbing. "I'm going to miss that," She
said sadly. George put a finger on her lips.
"Shhh, it's all right." He held her tightly. "It's all going to be all
right."
"But it isn't!" Ashley sobbed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "We'll
never see each other again! Do you have any idea what that's going to do to
me?"
George was silent for a moment, the only sound being the soft breeze
rustling through the trees and Ashley's soft weeping.
"Ashley," He started slowly, releasing her slightly so he could look into
her blue eyes. "It's going to be tough for both of
us. But we both have our friends to lean on. Think about it; Ringo and Lucy
will need just as much help as us, and we have to be strong for them as well
as for us."
Ashley nodded sadly, planting a quick kiss on his lips. They both turned
back to the vast cityscape, sitting on the soft grass in each other's arms,
their feet dangling over the cliff. Suddenly, George had a very strange
idea, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "Uh...Ashley? Can I ask you a
question?"
Ashley lifted her head from his shoulder. "Of course. Shoot."
"What would happen...if I were an angel?" he asked reluctantly.
Ashley didn't like the way this was going. "What do you mean, George?"
"Well, I mean, if I were to just jump off this cliff here, could I be with
you?" He said, sounding hopeful and a little crazy. Ashley knew he would
really do it, too, if it meant staying with her.
Ashley thought carefully before answering. "George, you can't change
history. It isn't your time."
"Why not?" He stood up angrily, and Ashley's eyes filled with tears. "Who
the hell decides? It's my own bloody choice if I feel like jumping or not!"
"George, don't do this..." Ashley pleaded quietly. George instantly felt
sorry he had ever mentioned it, and he quickly sat down, scooping up his
angel.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I just..." George sighed. "I just want to
be with you."
They sat in silence for well over an hour, the light breeze rustling the
leaves gently. George began to feel drowsy, but he fought to keep awake to
spend every last minute with Ashley. He didn't want to fall asleep and wake
up to find her gone. Ashley moved slightly, sighing sleepily into his
shoulder. All was perfectly quiet.
Suddenly, loud bells began tolling all over the city, shattering the silence
with the deathly noise. "No!"
One...two...
George stood up, refusing to believe it. Ashley clung to him, bursting into
tears.
Three...four...
The wind picked up, tossing Ashley's hair around her shoulders. George held
her tight. "You can't take her away from me!!!" He screamed at no one in
particular, tears streaming down his face.
Five...six...
"Ashley!" He cried softly, hugging her as tight as he could. "Ashley, don't
leave me!"
Seven...eight...
"George!" Ashley cried, staring into his deep chocolate eyes. "Don't let
them take me!"
Nine...ten...
George kissed her like he never had before. They stood there on the cliff in
a strong embrace, the dread bells tolling their sorrow.
Eleven...twelve...
Silence. Deep and utter silence. Not a leaf stirred in the desolate night.
George fell to the ground, sobbing; he was completely alone. Ashley was
gone. His Ashley. And she'd never be coming back.
George stood up, refusing to believe it. "Ashley!!" He screamed, stumbling
through the dark woods, tripping on unseen roots. He raced back to the
clearing. "ASHLEY!!!" George's voice echoed out over the cliff, tantalizing
him, mocking him. He stepped up to the edge, his brown hair whipping about
his shoulders in the wind. George looked down, the drop making him dizzy. He
took a deep breath.
Don't do it, George.
"Ashley!" He screamed, looking around frantically. Seeing no one, he fell to
the ground, tears streaming down his face. George curled into a little ball,
wanting the ground to simply swallow him alive.
~~**~~**~~A couple of hours earlier~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"You know..I never ever thought that I would ever be faced with a situation like this," Ringo said sadly, holding Lucy's hand as they sat on the grass in front of the place where the stage had previously sat.
"Well you are...and that's what makes it so sad." She laid her head down on his shoulder. Suddenly, the members of Sporadic showed back up at the site. Clint walked up to Ringo, who gave a meek smile.
"Hullo, Clint," he said quietly.
"Hi," he said, winking at Ringo. He nodded. "Excuse me a second, Luce, but I must tell them good-bye, too." He got up.
"Clint...I had so much fun with your band...and I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you have done. Candy...well...thanks for being you. and Sam....Thanks for sticking it out, I appreciate it all." They nodded sadly and had their last departure.
"Luce...I want to take you somewhere special."
"Where at?"
"You'll find out."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Do I have to wear the blindfold, Ritchie?"
"Yes. It won't be a surprise, baby, and I want you to be surprised." Lucy tripped on a step, and Ringo caught her.
"But you're trying to kill me!" She whined.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't be ridiculous. Now here we are. Come on, now." He picked up her frail, exhausted body.
"Oh Ritchie," she breathed, lying her head on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and sat her down on a soft, cushiony surface.
"Rich..." she whispered, trailing off. He untied her blindfold. "Oh Lord..."
The carpets were a deep maroon, the walls a
light pink. Lucy was sitting on a large, king sized bed with white satin sheets, strewn with rose
petals. Candles were on every available surface, filling the room with the
smell of roses and vanilla.
"How..." she questioned, knowing full well that he had been with her the whole time.
"I had Candy, Sam, and Clint sell my guitar at a pawn shop...I had them buy a hotel room and all this stuff for you and me. I wanted to spend an evening holding you. Just feeling you next to me, hearing your breath, would make me the happiest, most lucky man in the world." Lucy blinked back tears and bit her lip.
"Oh..." she choked out, in an obvious loss for words. He leaned in close and sweetly kissed her lips. Lucy closed her eyes tightly and put her arms around his neck as he laid her down gently against the pillow.
"Lucy, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on," he said, breaking away from her. He twisted her brown hair around his finger. She blushed, feeling his breath tickle her neck. She sighed in contentment.
"I don't know if you will ever know how much I love you," she whispered into his ear. He smiled warmly and looked deep into her eyes.
"Oh...but I think I do..." he said. He moved in closer to her and kissed both of her eyelids. She sighed.
"I don't ever want this to end...but I know that because of you...because of your love...I can't ever go wrong. I'll always be your guardian angel, Ritchie...I'll always watch over you...always." A tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away.
"Don't cry, darling. I'll think of you always...there will never be a day that goes by..an hour or a minute, when you aren't in my mind, and you will always have a place in my heart." He leaned in and kissed her again, more passionately this time. She kissed him back, not feeling the least bit scared that the Superior Angels might get her. She didn't care anymore.
The clock rolled the minutes by, until there was only two minutes left. The minutes they had left were spent harmoniously. They laid still, wrapped in each other's arms. Lucy cried silent tears, but she didn't let them blur her conscience or her vision. She felt Ringo kiss her again, felt him kiss her nose and her eye lids and her neck. Heard him whisper, "I love you more than my precious life itself."
"Oh, and I love you too, Ritchie, I love you more than anything." And, as the clock rolled to 11:59, Lucy found that she clung tighter to Ringo then she had before. They were wrapped in a bittersweet embrace. Lucy kissed his lips over and over again, just so she could savor the last kisses.
"I will always watch you....I will always love you..." she said, trailing off, as the clock struck midnight, and Ringo was left, hugging the air. He sighed heavily, her picture still vivid in his weary mind. Her scent still lingered beside him. It was like she was a human being...who had everything but a social security number. He touched the pillow where her hair had been, and found her beloved Oakley sunglasses. He picked them up and looked at them, as though they were worth millions of dollars. And they were, to him. To him...they meant the world. He fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that Lucy would always watch him, no matter what was going on in his life.
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
"Well, we've been abandoned," Paul said, staring up into the starry night sky. They were still in Central Park, still in the exact same place that the others had left them. They had already successfully written one song, and now they were just waiting for the hypothermia to set in.
"Yeah, we have...I hope they come back here tomorrow morning," John said with a shiver.
"Can't we go somewhere where it is warm?"
"Where are we going to go at midnight in downtown New York? We have no money, we look like heathens, and well, what luck, we have no guardian angels, either! Well, this just keeps getting better and better!" Paul sighed.
"I don't know...let's just curl up here and freeze, shall we?"
"Sounds good to me."
~~**~~**~~**~~**~~
George eyed the cliff. He had finally accepted that Ashley was gone, and she definitely was not coming back anytime soon. He wanted to be with her so bad...so bad that he would go to any extreme...even if it meant ending his own life. He sighed and looked down again.
"Oh....God...I love you Ashley....why couldn't He have made this easier? Why couldn't we have just been hunky fucking dory? But no...everything has to be complicated in my life." He sighed. The thought of her made his heart lurch out of his chest. But, he knew he would have to get over that soon...for tomorrow was a brand new day...and whether he liked it or not, Ashley would not be a part of it.