Carry On (A Beatles Fanfiction)

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen: Ashley's POV

It was still pretty early when I left John to sleep, so I decided to have a long hot shower. Our flight left late tonight, so we'd be arriving overseas on the seventh. Right on schedule. In the shower, visions of my nightmare came playing back to me.

"Tell your dad I love him..." That sentence weighed on my mind. I wished I was back home right about then so I could confront my dad. These dreams tormenting my mind at night seemed to be telling me something, like some sort of missing clue as to why dad kept the truth from me. But I was in the Beatles' early days. If I was to get any kind of answers, I'd have to be around when dad was born... I could feel a headache coming on just thinking about it.

"Maybe I'll never know the answer." I thought sadly as I got out of the shower.

"Cheer up, will you? You're going to America, with the Beatles!" I told myself. That was one big thing. The second was that my eighteenth birthday would be coming up in April, if I was there that long. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and put a smile on.

"Today's a new day." I decided, looking at the positive. And I was going to start with making things right again with John. I really felt like an idiot for believing that he was bad news. I let the warning their manager gave me get inside my head. Realizing I hadn't any fresh clothes with me, I scurried back to the bedroom, hoping that John wasn't there. Luckily he wasn't and I was able to change in the privacy of my own room. I dressed extra nice that day, remembering something about ladies dressing up pretty for air trips. I would have chosen sweatpants and a hoodie back in my time but this was different. I put on my most comfortable skirt with a blue blouse and fixed my hair back, I even put on a little makeup. Our flight didn't leave until much later, but I could still look pretty. Shoving the graphic images my mind kept bringing to the forefront to the deepest recesses of my mind, I exited my room, feeling bright and hopeful. Paul, George and Ringo were all in the kitchen sipping on coffee.

"Morning Ashley." They all sort of chorused after one another.

"Morning. Taking it easy for now?" I asked, pouring myself a coffee as well.

"Yeah...I don't think any of us slept well." Paul said with a yawn.

"Nerves?" I asked, sitting down with them.

"Well, you have to understand we've never left England." He smirked.

"True. I guess that makes sense. Anyone seen John?" I asked, sounding casual. If these three got wind that John had been in my room all night I'd never hear the end of it.

"Think he might still be asleep. No one's rushing, we don't have to be out of here until three." George said. I felt a pang at my heart. George and I still had not had a proper conversation since the incident. Too much going on and things were still awkward between us. I'd get my chance to though as both Paul and Ringo decided to finish some last minute packing. The silence was unbearable at first, I didn't know exactly what to say to him. Stirring my coffee slowly, I tried to form the right sentence, but he beat me to it.

"So...you all ready to leave?" He broke the silence.

"Um.. I think so." I replied softly. He sighed.

"Ashley, I hate this. We have hardly spoken to one another since..." He trailed off.

"I know. I'm sorry." I found myself saying.

"Sorry? Why would you be sorry? I'm the one who messed up." He was astonished I had apologized. And that's when I was reinforced that he was the sweetheart I had known all along. We had just hit a roadblock, but in honesty, I didn't feel a relationship with him would be the best thing. After my lifelike nightmare plaguing my tired mind again the night before, I realized that I couldn't endanger the future, it was screwed up as is. Besides, having a relationship with George would mean probably he'd never meet Pattie, or Olivia. As it was, the timeline was off because as far as I knew, John wasn't married to Cynthia, I prayed I hadn't already mistakenly altered that.