The morning of July thirteenth arrived much faster than Adeline could have ever imagined. Freddie had arranged to have her picked up that morning, as the concert itself began midday, so by nine in the morning, she was washed and dressed.
"Don't you look stunning?" Abigail hummed, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded over her chest.
"Is the dress too much? Should I change?" Adeline smoothed the fabric down, biting her bottom lip.
"Not at all. You look great."
"You're such an enabler."
The two women laughed, and when the doorbell rang, Abigail smiled warmly at her cousin. Without a word, she walked over and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, holding her close. Adeline hugged back, smiling a bit as she rested her chin on her shoulder.
"You go have fun, okay? You've earned it," Abigail whispered when she pulled back.
"I will. And if all goes well, I won't be sleeping in your guest room tonight," Adeline chuckled.
"You weren't a bad roommate, but you do need to get back home," she agreed, giving her shoulder a squeeze before opening the front door. A smartly dressed man stood on the other side, a smile on his face.
"Hello, you must be here to pick up Adeline, yes?" Abigail asked.
"That would be correct. We'd best get going so we don't hit too much traffic," he said, nodding his head towards Adeline. She offered him a smile and stepped out to meet him, waving goodbye to her cousin as she shut the door. She went down the walkway and before she got into the car, she let out a laugh. Mary and David were in the backseat, and she joined them quickly.
"Mary!" She hugged her gently, then reached to shake hands with her husband.
"Oh, it's so good to see you again, Addy!" Mary said, shuffling a bit so Adeline could buckle her seatbelt. Once the driver got in, Adeline looked out at her cousin's house, smiling to herself when the car began to move, and the scenery whizzed by.
***
Roger sat with the others in their trailer, tapping his fingers against his thighs. Beside him, John was drinking a cup of tea, and Brian was strumming his guitar. Freddie was to his right, and he'd brought another man with him, Jim Hutton. And when they was a knock on the trailer door, Roger sat up straight, his heart pounding against his ribs.
"Rog, calm down. She said she couldn't make it, remember?" Brian asked softly as Jim opened the door.
"Hello, Mary!" Brian said, smiling at her.
"Hi, Brian!" she greeted. "We just came to wish you good luck."
"Hello, my love." Freddie got up from his seat and greet Mary, giving her a kiss on each cheek. He then turned to Jim, resting a hand on his shoulder with a smile.
"Mary, David," he said, "this is Jim. Jim, Mary and David."
"It's nice to meet you," Jim said as he shook their hands respectively.
"I'll see you after," Freddie said, returning Mary's smile before looking back at Jim. "I don't think you're gonna be able to see anything from here. Join them."
Jim smiled before climbing out of the trailer, and Freddie looked out briefly before closing the door behind him. Jim caught up with Mary and David, and he noticed another woman with them, in a nice red dress.
"Oh! Come to join us?" Mary asked.
"Mhm, I have," he chuckled.
"Lovely. This is Adeline, by the way," Mary said, ushering the other woman forward. She held out her hand to him, and he shook it gently.
"Please, call me Addy. You must be the friend Freddie mention on the phone the other night. It's lovely to meet you," Adeline said, and Jim smiled at her.
"It's nice to meet you, too," he said, and once they let go of each other's hands, the four of them walked backstage, standing to the side just enough to keep out of view of the cameras. Adeline on the other hand, stood just behind Mary, allowing her to see, but not be seen. She could feel her heart pounding against her ribs, and she reached for Mary's hand, giving it a squeeze. She smiled to herself as she squeezed back, and she took a deep breath.
"Anyways, it gives us enormous pleasure to introduce the next combo, who are... Her Majesty... QUEEN!"
Adeline grinned when she watched the four walk on stage, and it took every fiber of her being not to call out to her husband as he settled himself behind the drums. Instead, she stood behind Mary a bit more as he looked around, and she twisted her wedding ring around her finger. A small smile graced her lips as Freddie tapped out the first few notes of Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano, and after pausing for a moment, the cheers erupted before dying quickly so the crowd to sing along. Once she was sure Roger's attention was one hundred percent on the drums, which sounded as amazing as always, she stepped out a bit more so she could see Brian and John as well, a warm smile on her lips. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked back to smile at Jim. Once Brian's guitar solo started up, her eyes were on her best friend, and she couldn't help but cheer with the rest of the crowd as Freddie stood. The notes for Radio Ga Ga kicked up, and Adeline jumped up and down a bit. It was her favorite song that Roger had ever written.
"Addy! Addy, calm down!" Mary laughed, and Adeline smiled back at her. They turned back to the concert, and with wide grins, they sang along with the boys and the crowd, clapping their hands and raising them into the air in time with the drums. She and Mary cheered at Freddie's last note, hugging each other as the cheers began to die down.
"Eh-oh!" Freddie called, and the crowd echoed it back. It went back and forth for what felt like forever, and Adeline was mesmerized just watching. She and Mary hugged again, and Adeline reached back to set her hand over Jim's. Finally, Freddie held his last note, and he grinned when the crowd echoed that one back.
"All right!" he said.
"All right!" the crowd cheered.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Hammer to Fall!" Freddie yelled, and Brian started to play. Adeline cheered with the rest of the crowd, as it was another one of her favorites of Brian's. She began to dance on the side of the stage, clapping her hands as she watched her boys. Tears began to fill her eyes as Freddie held his note, and Roger finished up his drum set. Then, Freddie sat himself back down at the piano, and he started the next song. The crowd sang with him, and Adeline watched as they swayed as one. Her eyes drifted back to Roger, and again, her heart pounded against her ribs. She blinked back tears as she smiled, and she hugged Mary's arm. She let go, and then Mary went to hug Jim for a moment, smiling up at him. Adeline cheered from the sidelines, laughing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. The roar of the crowd was nearly deafening, and she could feel her throat growing scratchier by the second.
"So long and goodbye! We love you!" Freddie yelled, and the other's raised their instruments in triumph behind him. As a group, they began to walk off stage, so Mary, David, Jim, and Adeline all moved back to give them more space.
"Addy, now," Mary whispered, and with a smile, Adeline nodded. Once the boys were off stage entirely, Adeline stepped out from behind the others, and Roger stopped dead in his tracks.
"I'm so proud of my boys," she said, smiling up at them. Freddie winked at her, and she almost laughed, but Roger's drumsticks clattered to the ground.
"Addy," he whispered, and she wiggled her fingers at him.
"Hi, Rog," she said softly, stepping out a bit further. He nudged his drumsticks aside and strode over to her in mere seconds, scooping her up in his arms and spinning her around, making her laugh.
"Rog! Rog! Easy!" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I missed you so much. I'm so sorry I didn't call. I just didn't know what to say to you," he said.
"I know, I know, Freddie told me. But it's all okay now," she whispered, cupping his face gently.
"It's not. You lost faith in me, and I pushed us aside—"
"Rog."
"And I've been trying to find ways to fix it and show you what you mean to me—"
"Roger."
"I promise you I'll never let this happen again, just please come home. It's been so empty without you, and I love you and I need you and I know what I want. I want you by my side and a family and I—"
"Roger Meddows Taylor!"
Roger paused and looked up at his wife, his eyes wide at the sound of his full name. "Yes?"
"I'm pregnant."
His jaw dropped ever so slightly, and around them, the others paused their own conversations to look at them.
"You... You're pregnant?" he whispered, and she nodded quickly, smiling as tears dripped down her cheeks. He broke into a grin, then a laugh, and then he kissed her like he'd never kissed her before. Her hands cupped his face as he held her close to his chest, and when they pulled back, he set her down to rest a hand on her stomach.
"I'm gonna be a father," he whispered, smiling when she set her hand on top of his.
"You're gonna be father," she said, and he laughed again. The others walked over, and the Taylors were in the middle of a group hug filled with laughter and "Congratulations". And for the first time in weeks, Adeline felt like she was finally home.