A dry cough, and suspicious voice from the other side of the door called out in response to Daisy's hard knock "who is it?"
"Dad it's me" Daisy choked out while tears ran down her face in heavy flows.
"Hi sweetheart" James' welcoming smile disappeared instantly at the sight of his daughter, who hurriedly wiped her eyes then fell into his chest.
Holding the back of her head as she sobbed, he kissed her "shhhhh, hey, sweetheart what happened?" His voice was gentle in the way only a concerned fathers could be.
"Da-aaaaad" she cried even louder "why does. This keep happening to me! Why are these WHORES EVERYWHERE?!"
James frowned to himself as he assumed that there was an issue with Freddie and another woman.
Pulling her inside, he sat her down onto his couch and placed a knitted blanket over her, making sure he tucked the corners in carefully while pondering a way to bring up Freddie.
He sat down beside her and waited for her to open up. One thing James knew was women, and he knew that letting one speak when they were ready to do so, rather than attack them with questions, was always a far better option.
Allowing Daisy to let out her sadness, he passed her the tissue box and took her hand.
"He....he" she stuttered "he had sex with Margot! And now she wants him back and he didn't tell me, and I've become friends with her and John doesn't even know"
James blinked while his mouth formed a thin line. Not what he was expecting.
"Right...." he rubbed the side of his face, dragging his skin down, mentally processing her reply and trying to think of a a logical order in which to ask her to explain what on earth she had just said "Sweetheart I want to be able to support you on this....but what in Gods name are you on about?"
Daisy blew her nose loudly then began in a seemingly more sensical manner "Margot is John's aunt, her and Freddie has sex and she's obsessed with him! They hid it from me and I've become friends with her! All this time she's told me about a one night stand she's had and it was Freddie! MY FREDDIE!!"
"HE CHEATED ON YOU!" James rose to his feet slowly, staring ahead of him while already calculating how he would go about murdering his son-in-law-to-be.
"No no" Daisy frowned her brows and shook her head, pulling James back onto the couch "it was just before he met me, but...I mean it's all so fucked up! She told me what he did to her! And he's just denied everything like I was the crazy one! ME!" She pointed to herself raising her voice.
James rubbed his entire face this time, and began to long for his prison days, where he didn't have to deal with his daughter's love life. He walked over to his kitchenette, and put the kettle on.
He leaned on the counter "I knew a Margot once....beautiful woman, I loved her dearly...mad as a bat.....maybe all Margot's are crazy?....." he pondered the question to himself.
"DAD! You're not helping!"
"Oh sorry love, sorry...look the way I see it, you tell her to fuck off and never come near you or Freddie again, or we neck her"
"Neck her?"
"Kill her sweetheart"
"I know what it means dad" Daisy chuckled through her tears "you don't think it's extreme?"
James shrugged casually while pouring the kettle over two mugs before throwing in two English breakfast tea bags "not for making my baby upset it ain't"
"I think maybe option one for now" Daisy sighed disappointedly, secretly wanting to opt for the necking.
"Do you want me to sort it out?" James' question was innocent and came out as though he were asking Daisy if she wanted cake with her tea.
"Oh dad would you!" Daisy tucked her legs under her "I know if I say something to her it'll come out so bad"
James began to laugh "and you think your ex con dad will say it in a more refined manner?"
"Point noted" Daisy twisted her mouth to the side.
"Don't worry" James places a tray of biscuits and the tea in between himself and Daisy on the couch "I'll behave" he winked.
**********
Freddie sat opposite his mother and father, his head hanging low in shame as Jer stared at him in disappointment "that poor girl" her heavy accent rolled the 'r' "why on earth Farrokh would you have....relations" she said uncomfortably in reference to her son having casual sex " with John's aunt!"
Freddie like a child being scolded gave a single shoulder shrug "I was drunk"
"Drunk!" Bomi repeated in disgust "have you not learned what alcohol can do to you?! It alters your judgement Farrokh! And now what if John finds out hrm?"
Freddie finally lifted his head "look. I'm not here to have my mistakes thrown at me, I just needed someone to talk to" he stood up "but if I can't talk to my own mum and dad when I need them, then maybe it's best I go" he began to make his way to the door, before Jer rushed over and took his arm.
"Of course you can talk to us, but this" she waved her hand around "this is very upsetting for us too"
Freddie could hear the upset crack in his mother's voice and his expression softened.
"Do you want me to talk to Daisy?"
Freddie slid his hands into his pockets and blew out a puff of air " I don't even know where she is, I've called everyone and no one seen her"
Jer gave a knowing smile "my dear son where did you go?"
Freddie rubbed his temples "her fathers of course, at least I know she's safe"
" let her have some time to cool down, then go see her tomorrow if she hasn't come home. After everything that you have you have been through, I can't imagine that this would tare you apart" Jer embraced her son, something that he didn't realise how desperately he needed.
**********
After leaving his parents house, the idea of going back to an empty house was almost as depressing as his day so far.
Deciding to meet up with an old friend at the local pub, Freddie hurried inside, trying to avoid being seen as much as possible.
Peter waved to him happily at the end of the bar, and was already halfway through his been. He greeted Freddie excitedly having not seen him in over a year.
"You get yourself a woman and all of a sudden your friends don't exist?" He teased Freddie with a nudge in the ribs.
The two began to reminisce about times they shared years ago, when Queen was just starting out, and Freddie was a stick insect in over the top stage costumes, black nails and long poofy hair.
"Lord I swear I don't know how you were able to sing with your balls so tightly squeezed in that spandex" Peter shook his head while finishing his glass then signalling for another.
"Someone's always got me by the balls, of its not clothes, it's a woman"
"Here, here" Peter lifted his glass to Freddie and the two tapped them careful not to spill their content.
"So tell me, not that I don't appreciate you inviting me out, but what's going on with you Fred?"
Freddie stared ahead and impressively drank the entire content of his tall beer glass "I needed to see a new face" he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.
"That's bad huh?"Peter asked crinkling his nose while lighting a cigarette.
Freddie tapped his cigarette on the edge of the glass ashtray infront of him.he watched the ash effortlessly drop into the dish "I could actually cope if it was simply bad Peter, this is a royal fuck up"
After a semi detailed recount of how his life had once more turned into the "Freddie Mercury shit show", Freddie looked over to Peter who was visibly digesting what he had just heard.
In a steady rhythm of glass-to-lips, he listened and for the first time felt absolutely no jealousy towards Freddie's life. Unable to give any advice or even fake a reassuring comment, he slapped Freddie on the back "mate, let's go back to mine, I'll have the missus cook up a late dinner, and you can come stay on my couch for the night. A change in scenery will do wonders"
Grateful for the offer, Freddie accepted and felt some relief over being able to spend the night with a friend who wasn't there to judge him.
*********
Daisy arrived home, expecting to find a grovelling Freddie. She imagined endless please for forgiveness and possible a song written about her, instead she walked in to find a half empty bottle of vodka on the dining table.
"Freddie?" She called out.
"Hi" came a voice from behind her.
Elena jumped and clutched at her chest "what on earth are you doing lurking behind me?!"
"I wasn't lurking dear, I was coming home" his voice was sad and tired.
"Coming home? From where?" Daisy felt her heart beat speed up anxiously, where had he been? Who was he with?
"I stayed at Peters"
"Peter?"
"Yes we caught up last night and I stayed at his place"
Daisy crossed her arms "well I'm glad you were so distressed over what you did to me that you were able to find the energy to spend time with your friend"
Freddie stepped towards her "you know it's not like that"
"Do I? Hrm well I was crying on dads couch half the night so clearly we both have different ways of looking at things" she began to make her way to the bathroom while being unresponsive to Freddie calling her name.
"Asshole" she said to herself as she slammed the door behind her and locked it.
**********
James pulled his coat tightly to his chest before looking down on the address Daisy had written down.
He looked up at the townhouse infront of him and decided to knock. He turned his back to the door, rehearsing his tough-dad threat when Margot answered the door.
"Can I help you?"
He turned and opening his mouth to the whore that made his baby girl cry.
"James?" Margot asked one surprise as she finished wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.
"You have got to be kidding me!"