Chapter Text
“Paul. Paul!”
This girl in his dreams called from the front row, looking ecstatic to see her idol up close. Paul was used to these screaming girls, so he just shot her a smile like he usually did. He was having a great dream with his old bandmates. They were performing in Germany, at one of the clubs. Everyone was dancing, the boys were spinning around their girlfriends and vibing to the rock music. Sweat dripped down Paul’s face from nerves. What if he messed up? What if he-
But it all went away when he looked at John, who winked at him. Paul felt his cheeks grow hot and felt more confident, almost showing off for John. What? He had to prove that he was a good addition to the band! He slowly smiled and John grinned back, singing the next line at Paul without breaking eye contact.
“Oh please, say to me
You’ll let me be your man.
And please, say to me
You’ll let me hold your hand!
I wanna hold your-”
“Sir James Paul McCartney!” The fan screamed, but it was so… real. It shocked him awake, upset that he had left his dream. He placed a hand on his beating heart to calm down.
“What?” He asked, looking around frantically to get his eyes used to his blurry surroundings. His wife had probably just woken him up.
“I’m Lilith. Oh gosh, I shouldn’t have done that. You’re an old man and all, I could’ve killed Paul McCartney!” She cried.
“Umm… I’m fine.” When inspecting her, she was not Nancy. He felt a little embarrassed that it took him that long to realize it. She was young and small, with dark brown hair and glasses. An intruder! Gosh, how had she gotten past all of his security?
“Who are you? Why are you in my house?” He asked, nervous. But deep down, he had this feeling that she didn’t mean any harm.
“I’ve recently gotten my genie’s permit, and to get my license, I needed to pick a person to grant a wish to. I chose you since I’m a HUGE Beatles fan and you SO deserve it! However, this wish will only last 24 hours. What do you say? Can I grant you a wish?!” She rushed excitedly, standing only inches away from his bed.
“Uhh…” he looked over to his wife, who was sleeping soundly. This was weird. Was she some crazed fangirl who somehow managed to sneak in? Was this for a TV show? Was this heaven? He sat up and turned to her. “I’m sorry. How are you here? Can she hear us?”
“I teleported here. And no, only you can hear and see me.”
“Oh. That’s bloody insane. Magic exists?”
“It’s best not to think too deeply about it, sir. But will you accept my offer?”
He thought about it. There was one, crazy question he wanted to ask someone, but it was impossible. He was satisfied with his life… mostly. Now and Then was a huge hit, he and Ringo were friends, and his family was all he needed.
But then again… if he could just have one more conversation with them, one more day. That would be all he needed.
“Truth is… I don’t know what I’d wish for,” he lied.
“Here, I can tell you what I can do. I can give you more money, not that you’d need it, send you to a faraway place or even a different planet, bring back the dead, give you-”
“You can bring back the dead?” Paul gasped.
Lilith smiled. “Yes sir! Just for today. And only one person for now, since I’m still in training. Is that what your wish will be?”
“I… need a minute. Is that okay?”
She nodded and disappeared into thin air. He thought about it.
He could bring her back! His old wife, his love, his one and only. He did feel bad for Nancy, who was sleeping peacefully next to him. But he loved his Linda, and one more day with her would be paradise. But he could bring back John! His best friend, and bandmate, and finally fix things between them. Tell him the success of the song, and show him around 2023. Or George! Oh, he wanted to bring them all back.
But Linda. But John. John… or Linda? Linda or John? He almost tore his hair out in frustration but decided to make a list in his head.
With Linda, they could spend the day in bed or take pictures. They could talk and make up for lost time, cuddle, and just reminisce.
But with John, they could write more, talk about Now and Then, and he could show John around this new Liverpool! Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields sure have changed.
After going back and forth, it hit him. He finally made up his mind.
“Lilith!” He called, still uncertain how this genie system worked. “I’ve made my decision!”
She appeared once more, smiling big. “What will it be?”
“I would like to bring it back…”
She nodded, creating a portal with her magic. The golden specs swirled around, lighting up his bedroom. He was mesmerized but snapped out of it when he thought about his mate.
“John Winston Lennon.”