The Original Taylor Daughter

Show and Tell

"How?" Alice frowns, she doesn't remember seeing them at the school.

"Veronica recorded it so we could watch it. Thank you for defending me like that."

"Oh." She blushed not realising she had been filmed, "Those people are just bullies Uncle Freddie. There's nothing wrong with your teeth and you shouldn't cover them. You wouldn't be as good a singer without them, they make you who you are."

Freddie pulls her into an affectionate hug, "You're a smart girl, you know that?"

Alice shrugs in his hold, "It's the truth."

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"Has it started yet?" Alice races down the stairs in her pyjamas with Biscuit behind her, they join Veronica in the living room, sitting on the floor in front of the TV.

With the boys and Mary at the BBC studios for Top of the Pops, Veronica happily agreed to babysit Alice, "It's just about to. Don't sit too close to the screen sweety, you'll hurt your eyes." Alice shuffles back a little and Biscuit sits beside her.

They watched the performance and Veronica thought Alice was enjoying it until she spoke up, "Dad and Uncle Brian aren't going to be happy about this."

"About what, Ally?" Veronica can't see anything wrong with the performance.

She looks over her shoulder, smug smirk on her lips, "They're miming."

"You think so?"

"Yeah, the guitars aren't plugged in for a start and daddy is playing like he can't be bothered." She's seen her dad play enough times to know.

Looking back at the screen, Veronica concentrates and notes that the young girl is absolutely right. None of the guitars are plugged in and Roger isn't playing with his usual enthusiasm, "I'm sure it wasn't their choice, they hate miming."

When Roger got home he was pissed off, Alice could tell. He thanks Veronica for looking after Alice, she leaves hand in hand with John and Roger goes upstairs to get changed.

Giving him time to cool off, Alice takes Biscuit out into the garden for a run around before bed. Roger stood at the window in his drum room overlooking the back garden, window open lighting up a cig and watches his daughter play.

Miming on Top of the Pops is just a piece in the mountain of why he's pissed off. Queen is hardly making any money from the albums they've released, Trident is making all this money but they don't see a penny of it and they're becoming more and more in debt.

They need to find a way out of their contract after this coming tour but it's going to be hard. If they break their contract with Trident they will have to pay off their debt, and that's a lot of money they don't have. John is going to go through their contract and picking it apart to hopefully find a loophole but it's going to take a while.

He was so lost in thought he didn't notice Alice leave the garden. It was only when Alice hugs his legs that he realised she not outside anymore, "What's wrong, daddy?"

Putting his cigarette out he picks her up, kissing her cheek and sits on the stool behind his drum kit, "Nothing for you to concern yourself with, Monkey."

Alice cuddles into his hug, head on his shoulder, "Are you lonely?"

Chuckling, he gives Biscuit a fuss as he joins the pair, head on his knee, "How can I be lonely when I have you and Biscuit, huh?"

"Yeah, but you don't have a girlfriend. Uncle Freddie has Aunt Mary, Uncle Deaky has Aunt V and Uncle Brian has Aunt Chrissie, you should meet someone to love then you won't be lonely," She's not stupid, the love her dad has for her is not the same as romantic love.