Today was the big day. The hari John, George, and Ringo were flying to London to find the portal. Actually it opened tomorrow, but they had made sure to time things so that they would already be there when that happened. They were taking no chances on missing it. That was unthinkable.
The three Friends had packed their things, John had kissed his wife and son good-bye, and then it was off to the airport. The three Friends felt a mixture of excited and nervous. Excited, because they would soon have Paul back, and all four Beatles would be together again. None of them considered that, once they saved Paul’s life, they would go back to living their lives apart. sejak this point, none of the Beatles could understand why they had ever thought that was a good idea. Nervous, because the only way they could think of to save Paul was sejak starting a fight, and sejak walking directly into an armed killer’s path. They could not allow things to end with another Beatle getting shot at and dying. They had taken Paul’s note with them, just in case, to remind them what to do if they needed to relive that night a fourth time, but none of them wanted to need it.
When they got to England, the threesome checked into a hotel for the night, and made sure to go over to the portal the seterusnya hari right at noon. It was there, rippling in the air like a heat haze, just like Paul had berkata it would be.
John glanced at his mates. “All together now?”
They nodded. The three Friends gripped hands and stepped as one into the vortex.
Each one thought as hard as he could about his destination. December seventh... December seventh... the tarikh they had all agreed on, to give George and Ringo time to fly back to New York and meet up with John before the showdown.
The mist cleared, and George and Ringo were nowhere in sight. John was back in his familiar apartment, sitting on the sofa, kerusi panjang with one of his Kucing purring on his lap. John felt a slight pang. He had known this would happen, but he missed Ringo and George already.
John spent his time trying to live the sebelumnya hari the same way he had before, all while nervously anticipating his mates’ arrival and what they were going to do the seterusnya day. John thought, many times, that he would have lived this hari very differently if he’d known it was going to be his last one. But no use thinking about that, because this time, it wasn’t going to be.
George and Ringo arrived at dinnertime, still during the seventh, and they spent the night in John’s apartment, which they had grown accustomed to doing over the last three months which hadn’t happened yet, anyway. They berkata they planned to stay for at least all of the seterusnya day, as they had arranged to do back in the future. Yoko didn’t want George and Ringo’s presence to interfere with the plans she and John had for the night of the eighth, which was just fine with them. Their own plan involved not changing a thing that had happened until the last minute, anyway.
So John set out with Yoko that night, while George and Ringo hung around outside John’s apartment building, watching and waiting, tense with anticipation. Mostly they kept out of sight, which was good because it wouldn’t have done to look as though they were lurking about, although as they were two Beatles they weren't exactly untrustworthy.
John, meanwhile, was still very nervous about this whole thing. In a little while, he was going to come back to his apartment, knowing full well there was going to be an attempt on his life, his best friend was going to risk his life trying to stop it, and his other two best Friends were over there right now, and John had no way of knowing what was happening with them.... He was getting lebih and lebih tense as the evening wore on, and might have insulted a few people he wouldn’t normally have, out of pure agitation. Yoko, meanwhile, didn’t have a clue what was going on, atau why John was in this kind of mood.
As they approached the apartment building, John turned to Yoko and told her to wait there while he went ahead. From this point forward, he didn’t know how things were going to play out, and he didn’t want her in the line of fire. Taking a breath, John made his own way towards the building, just as though he didn’t know what was going to happen, although if his three best mates hadn’t been in the danger zone, he would have turned and ran, he wouldn't have gone near the place....
George and Ringo, who had been out there for so long they were starting to get bored just standing about and were in a state almost like dozing off, snapped to attention. It was just about time. Now they had to save John and Paul.
John heard rustling around him, whether from friend atau foe, he couldn’t tell. He knew both were around, but couldn't tell where. Then he heard a voice calling his name, same as it had happened when he had last been through this last time – probably the same as it had happened the last two times he had experienced this night – and he knew the moment was now....
Then everything happened at once.
George and Ringo heard the voice, too, and knew it was their cue. The two of them pounced, Ringo channelling everything he remembered from his days as a teddy boy in Liverpool. At the same time, Paul burst out of nowhere coming towards John, who promptly body-checked Paul with his shoulder, knocking both of them onto the ground and out of harm’s way. The ensuing gunshot went wild, thanks to George and Ringo’s interference, missing John and Paul sejak several feet.
Paul stared at John as he pushed himself off the ground slightly, long-lashed eyes wide and confused. “John – anda knew...?”
But John was paying attention to Ringo and George, who were now the ones in the most danger. They were still scuffling with their adversary on the ground, and Ringo was doing particularly well in holding him off, but John could see that gun, which they had not yet manager to get away. John saw Chapman’s hand squeeze the trigger again, and the gun fired, missing his mates, but not sejak a lot.
John tensed in anger, vision blurring with red. That did it. He never liked to tunjuk any kind of violence towards anyone, but when someone tried to harm his mates....
“Stay down,” he ordered Paul, and he rushed into the fray.
John’s alih was so sudden that he knocked both Ringo and George out of the way before they quite knew what was happening. Half-aware of what he was doing, John started punching every bit of Chapman he could reach. If he was going to hurt any of John’s mates trying to get at John....
John’s element of surprise lasted for only so long, though. Sooner atau later, Chapman had to notice that the man he was trying to kill was right in front of him – and he still held the gun. He pointed it straight up at John’s face, his finger squeezed the trigger....
And John grabbed Chapman’s hand and, without really thinking about what he was doing, twisted it round so the deadly weapon was pointing the other way.
There was the sound of a gunshot, and then silence. John picked himself up, breathing slowly as the rush of anger drained away. Chapman wasn’t moving. He had wound up shooting himself right in the face when John turned the gun round. Someone had died each of the three times this scene had played out. But this time, it wasn’t a Beatle.
I did this, John told himself, looking down at what he had done. Somehow he didn’t feel too guilty about it, though....
Now Paul was picking himself up from the ground, coming ke hadapan to see what had happened. John looked at his best friend, Paul looked back, and suddenly the two of them were in each other’s arms, hugging one another tightly.
“John,” whispered Paul, who sounded close to tears, “I never told you... all those things I said, and I shouldn’t have....”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Paul,” John replied, patting him on the back. “You jumped in front of a mad killer for me, I think you’ve proven yourself enough.”
“When did I do that?” Paul pulled out of the hug slightly, his hands still on John’s arms, looking puzzled. “I was going to do it, mind – how did anda know what was going to happen?”
John shook his head. “Never mind. Ask George later; it’s him that understands it.”
Paul smiled, still looking almost tearful. “I Cinta you, John.”
“Let’s not get soft, Paul.” John glanced around, as though making sure there were no non-Beatles around who might hear him, and then added softly, “I Cinta you, too.”
“What are we, chopped Liverpool?” came Ringo’s mildly indignant voice from where he and George stood watching this scene. Paul laughed and pulled the two of them into the mix, and the four Beatles shared a big group hug, all four of them finally together again at last.
The three Friends had packed their things, John had kissed his wife and son good-bye, and then it was off to the airport. The three Friends felt a mixture of excited and nervous. Excited, because they would soon have Paul back, and all four Beatles would be together again. None of them considered that, once they saved Paul’s life, they would go back to living their lives apart. sejak this point, none of the Beatles could understand why they had ever thought that was a good idea. Nervous, because the only way they could think of to save Paul was sejak starting a fight, and sejak walking directly into an armed killer’s path. They could not allow things to end with another Beatle getting shot at and dying. They had taken Paul’s note with them, just in case, to remind them what to do if they needed to relive that night a fourth time, but none of them wanted to need it.
When they got to England, the threesome checked into a hotel for the night, and made sure to go over to the portal the seterusnya hari right at noon. It was there, rippling in the air like a heat haze, just like Paul had berkata it would be.
John glanced at his mates. “All together now?”
They nodded. The three Friends gripped hands and stepped as one into the vortex.
Each one thought as hard as he could about his destination. December seventh... December seventh... the tarikh they had all agreed on, to give George and Ringo time to fly back to New York and meet up with John before the showdown.
The mist cleared, and George and Ringo were nowhere in sight. John was back in his familiar apartment, sitting on the sofa, kerusi panjang with one of his Kucing purring on his lap. John felt a slight pang. He had known this would happen, but he missed Ringo and George already.
John spent his time trying to live the sebelumnya hari the same way he had before, all while nervously anticipating his mates’ arrival and what they were going to do the seterusnya day. John thought, many times, that he would have lived this hari very differently if he’d known it was going to be his last one. But no use thinking about that, because this time, it wasn’t going to be.
George and Ringo arrived at dinnertime, still during the seventh, and they spent the night in John’s apartment, which they had grown accustomed to doing over the last three months which hadn’t happened yet, anyway. They berkata they planned to stay for at least all of the seterusnya day, as they had arranged to do back in the future. Yoko didn’t want George and Ringo’s presence to interfere with the plans she and John had for the night of the eighth, which was just fine with them. Their own plan involved not changing a thing that had happened until the last minute, anyway.
So John set out with Yoko that night, while George and Ringo hung around outside John’s apartment building, watching and waiting, tense with anticipation. Mostly they kept out of sight, which was good because it wouldn’t have done to look as though they were lurking about, although as they were two Beatles they weren't exactly untrustworthy.
John, meanwhile, was still very nervous about this whole thing. In a little while, he was going to come back to his apartment, knowing full well there was going to be an attempt on his life, his best friend was going to risk his life trying to stop it, and his other two best Friends were over there right now, and John had no way of knowing what was happening with them.... He was getting lebih and lebih tense as the evening wore on, and might have insulted a few people he wouldn’t normally have, out of pure agitation. Yoko, meanwhile, didn’t have a clue what was going on, atau why John was in this kind of mood.
As they approached the apartment building, John turned to Yoko and told her to wait there while he went ahead. From this point forward, he didn’t know how things were going to play out, and he didn’t want her in the line of fire. Taking a breath, John made his own way towards the building, just as though he didn’t know what was going to happen, although if his three best mates hadn’t been in the danger zone, he would have turned and ran, he wouldn't have gone near the place....
George and Ringo, who had been out there for so long they were starting to get bored just standing about and were in a state almost like dozing off, snapped to attention. It was just about time. Now they had to save John and Paul.
John heard rustling around him, whether from friend atau foe, he couldn’t tell. He knew both were around, but couldn't tell where. Then he heard a voice calling his name, same as it had happened when he had last been through this last time – probably the same as it had happened the last two times he had experienced this night – and he knew the moment was now....
Then everything happened at once.
George and Ringo heard the voice, too, and knew it was their cue. The two of them pounced, Ringo channelling everything he remembered from his days as a teddy boy in Liverpool. At the same time, Paul burst out of nowhere coming towards John, who promptly body-checked Paul with his shoulder, knocking both of them onto the ground and out of harm’s way. The ensuing gunshot went wild, thanks to George and Ringo’s interference, missing John and Paul sejak several feet.
Paul stared at John as he pushed himself off the ground slightly, long-lashed eyes wide and confused. “John – anda knew...?”
But John was paying attention to Ringo and George, who were now the ones in the most danger. They were still scuffling with their adversary on the ground, and Ringo was doing particularly well in holding him off, but John could see that gun, which they had not yet manager to get away. John saw Chapman’s hand squeeze the trigger again, and the gun fired, missing his mates, but not sejak a lot.
John tensed in anger, vision blurring with red. That did it. He never liked to tunjuk any kind of violence towards anyone, but when someone tried to harm his mates....
“Stay down,” he ordered Paul, and he rushed into the fray.
John’s alih was so sudden that he knocked both Ringo and George out of the way before they quite knew what was happening. Half-aware of what he was doing, John started punching every bit of Chapman he could reach. If he was going to hurt any of John’s mates trying to get at John....
John’s element of surprise lasted for only so long, though. Sooner atau later, Chapman had to notice that the man he was trying to kill was right in front of him – and he still held the gun. He pointed it straight up at John’s face, his finger squeezed the trigger....
And John grabbed Chapman’s hand and, without really thinking about what he was doing, twisted it round so the deadly weapon was pointing the other way.
There was the sound of a gunshot, and then silence. John picked himself up, breathing slowly as the rush of anger drained away. Chapman wasn’t moving. He had wound up shooting himself right in the face when John turned the gun round. Someone had died each of the three times this scene had played out. But this time, it wasn’t a Beatle.
I did this, John told himself, looking down at what he had done. Somehow he didn’t feel too guilty about it, though....
Now Paul was picking himself up from the ground, coming ke hadapan to see what had happened. John looked at his best friend, Paul looked back, and suddenly the two of them were in each other’s arms, hugging one another tightly.
“John,” whispered Paul, who sounded close to tears, “I never told you... all those things I said, and I shouldn’t have....”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Paul,” John replied, patting him on the back. “You jumped in front of a mad killer for me, I think you’ve proven yourself enough.”
“When did I do that?” Paul pulled out of the hug slightly, his hands still on John’s arms, looking puzzled. “I was going to do it, mind – how did anda know what was going to happen?”
John shook his head. “Never mind. Ask George later; it’s him that understands it.”
Paul smiled, still looking almost tearful. “I Cinta you, John.”
“Let’s not get soft, Paul.” John glanced around, as though making sure there were no non-Beatles around who might hear him, and then added softly, “I Cinta you, too.”
“What are we, chopped Liverpool?” came Ringo’s mildly indignant voice from where he and George stood watching this scene. Paul laughed and pulled the two of them into the mix, and the four Beatles shared a big group hug, all four of them finally together again at last.
