"He who has overcome his fears will truly be free"~Aristotle
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City of London Magistrates' Court, London, England, 20 December 1963, 11:00 am.
The courtroom was silent. Some just stared, eyes wide open at the door, which was still swinging.
This was unprecedented.
For someone to have left the courtroom from presenting their very viable case, was unprecedented.
No one had done such a thing before. There were a few whispers from the judge and jury. The whispers grew in volume.
Through all of this, Gregory was silent. His eyes were full of shock.
He was disappointed in Paul.
x
Upstairs in the booth, John and Chloe were frozen in their seats--too shocked to do anything. They couldn't believe Paul had been throwing his life away for the past 4 months, just to chicken out at the last minute.
"Fuckin' git...", John grumbled. Chloe patted his back to calm him down.
"It's okay. He'll come to his senses. Hopefully."
"Keep telling yourself that Chlo.", John scoffed.
"Bloody git's been neglecting me band for this. I support him and he chickens out. How do I keep me cool in this Chlo?! We were going to fuckin' places! We don't even have another hit!".
Chloe rolled her eyes. She was sick of the childish behaviours of both John and Paul from the past few months. Still, she listened. It was better to not fight with John.
"Fuckin' Epstein's gonna fuckin' murder us when he finds out what Paul's been up to. We were supposed to be writing and recording a single while he's been out on holiday. How do we tell him? ", John grumbled.
"Don't tell him. Simple as that la'.", Chloe twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers.
"Easy for you to say. We're never getting anywhere. Not with this shit going on.". John ran a hand through his hair.
"You're a bastard, John. A selfish bastard.", Chloe scowled, clearly upset.
x
11:40 am
"Hear hear. Hear hear.", the judge's voice boomed through the microphone. The court slowly ushered into silence.
"The court has decided that Mr McCartney is unable to present his case. This case is closed. You may now leave--", he was interrupted by Gregory.
"Your honour, I'm sure Mr.McCartney has a perfectly good reason for leaving so abruptly. I know my client well. He's just stressed, your honour. The baby matters a lot to him--."
"But that doesn't just allow Mr.McCartney to simply leave and come back at his will. This case is closed--"
"STOP! Give us 20 minutes your honour. That's all I'm asking. Please. You can do whatever you want after. Just 20 minutes. Please.", Gregory was practically begging at this judge. That certainly improved his reputation. 'Paul McCartney's Lawyer, begging at judge'.
"Very well then. 20 minutes. No extra", the judge banged his hammer, as if to make this event "official".
Gregory looked up at John through the booth, giving him a 'get out there' look.
John looked at Chloe and remembered what she said.
'You're a bastard, John. A selfish bastard.'
John got up and left. He didn't look back.
xxx
11:42 am.
"Ah. The chicken has left the coop then."
"Go away, Lennon. Or find something else to say.", Paul grumbled. He was perched on the steps leading up to the courthouse. His head was buried in his knees.
"What else do I say then? You did a great job wasting your life for the past four months?! Or how you are risking the future of a baby because of you being a git?! Or how you've been neglecting the band when we're this close...this close to our peak?!"
"Shut the fuck up Lennon." Paul looked up. His face was splotched with tears and his face had lost colour.
John felt bad. He walked and sat down next to him. He wasn't used to this emotional vulnerability.
Not knowing how to comfort his sobbing friend, John awkwardly placed his hand on Paul's sweaty back.
Paul began shaking. He leaned into John's chest and rested his head there. John's hand relaxed and wrapped around Paul's shoulder.
"I...just want this to be over. I want my life to be normal again. I don't want this anymore. I wish I'd listened to you, John. I wish we never went into that house. I wish--"
"No, you don't Macca. I've seen you change drastically these past 5 months. Joan has changed you. Hell, that baby has changed you. You've turned into an adult Macca. And I know you wouldn't change what happened these past five months for the world. That's not the brother I know. Now get back in there. Eleanor needs you. We need our princess back. ", John slapped his back lightly.
Paul stayed silent.
"No.", Paul said.
"Wait...what? What do you mean no?!"
"I...mean...I can't do it alone."
"That's why you have me.", Paul looked up at John and hugged him tightly.
"You'll be there?"
"I'll always be there"
"Thank you."
xxx
11:59 am.
The sound of doors opening could be heard. In stepped one Paul McCartney and one John Lennon.
"We made it!", John yelled, breaking the eerie silence in the room.
"Ah. Finally. Now, if Mr.McCartney would please deliver his plead.", the judge said, annoyed.
Paul took several deep breaths.
"I would like to start off by apologizing to everyone in this courtroom. I'd like to apologize to your honour for wasting your time, the jury, my friends in the booth, John, and Gregory. I was a mess, but I have a great brother. He's the one who you should thank for me showing up here.", Paul looked down at John, who grabbed his hand.
"Now I know that after these events, I may seem like the most unqualified person to father a baby, especially a 5-month-old, but I can change your mind. Since the time I found Joan and Eleanor, I had a bond with both of them. Eleanor especially. Joan herself had told me that she didn't let most men hold her baby or even come near her and Eleanor, but she let me. Joan trusted me, and I feel like wherever she is, she wants me to take care of her baby. I want to honour Joan and hopefully find her someday. I want Eleanor to live a life that she deserves. The life that Joan wanted her to live.
I've always wanted to settle down in the future, and this opportunity gives me sanctuary from all the fame in London. But I feel a connection to Eleanor--like I was her biological father--"
"Are you saying that you are the biological father, or have any biological connections with her?", the judge asked.
"No your honour. If you'll let me finish, I'm almost done. I've never felt a connection this special with anyone and it would break my heart if she had to live a miserable life. I promise that I will love, cherish, and respect her, and hopefully find her mother. Thank you."
There were a few applause. Some just stared at Paul. Some looked at him in disbelief. A 21-year-old boy, who was almost at the peak of fame, wanted to settle down. Even the judge looked at him sceptically.
"The jury will now be given 1 hour and 30 minutes to decide the course of action."
Paul exhaled. Chloe smiled down at both him and John. She gave John a thumbs up and mouthed 'thank you'.
xxx
1:20 pm.
After a gruelling wait, the jury finally entered the court. The head juror whispered into the judge's ear about their decision. The judge kept a poker face so as to not reveal anything.
"Mr.McCartney, the jury has made their decision."
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A.N: Thanks for being patient with these scattered updates. I hope you still are enjoying this story (comment your thoughts plz).
So this next part is the tricky part. Should Paul win custody of Eleanor or not? To make this more interactive with the readers who are so kind as to read my stories, I want you guys to pick. (Also I have serious writer's block and y'all are better writers than me so yea)
All you have to do is message me in my inbox.
Tell me:
1. Should Paul get custody? Should he be denied and have to fight more?
2. Your reasoning behind either choice
3. One good thing that happened to you in the week. (@SminkingOfGin, kinda stole this from Charli's therapist, but it seriously works so yea).
To the people that hopefully will submit these, I thank you for being so kind to a 14-year-old. (secretly 80).
I love all my 43 followers with all my heart!
XO,
S.