Chapter Text
“Say, Linda, have you seen my eyeliner? I can't seem to find it anywhere!” Pattie complained as she frantically searched her makeup bag for the item as her other cosmetics lay in front of the large mirror in a neat row beside her.
In her quest to find her eyeliner she has found her blueish-gray and brown eyeshadow, her trusty mascara, her pale pink lipstick, lip gloss, and finally her small comb she uses for her hair yet no eyeliner to be seen.
Linda, a blonde haired beauty from New York, was sitting on the dressing room's floor with bass guitar in hand,
“No, I have not.” She replied as she focus to tune her bass without sparing a glance towards Pattie.
“And if I did I would have given it back to you.” Linda concluded.
Pattie turns to fully face Linda after finally losing hope with the makeup bag, “Well, I can't go out there without anything on! It'll make me feel naked.." She confessed.
Completely defeated, Pattie went to sit next to Linda on the floor with her hand on her bare face.
Either to comfort or prevent any further drama, Linda puts down her guitar and wrap an arm around Pattie's shoulder. The arm around Pattie felt warm and welcoming as it was many times before. As usual, Pattie lay her head on Linda's shoulders.
Linda rubs Pattie's arm, "Don't worry, we have plenty of time before we're presented to the world." Linda reassured quietly.
Linda was right, there shouldn't be that much of a rush in the slightest as It was an hour or two before they were to be on stage, but the blonde feared she wouldn't have time to put on her makeup after practicing with her band.
"After all," Linda continues as she let go of Pattie, "the cameramen will mostly focus on Yoko and I as we sing." She jokes with a sly wink after.
Pattie gasps, seemingly offended by the remark, she throws a few light punches towards Linda with a small smile.
Linda giggles at the slight pinch on her side, "Relax! I was just joking!" She laughed as she put up her hands to stop the playful attacks not without pulling some soft punches herself. Soon enough, the once silent dressing room was filled with laughter as the two girls laugh it out with their childish antics as they roll on the ground.
Just then the heavy door swung open causing the girls to stop they look over to see to a rather small women walk in wearing an oversized trenchcoat, a brown knitted scarf to hide her face, oversized sunglasses and a headscarf wrapped around her head. In her hand was a small paper bag with many items in it.
"Is there a reason why I'm the sacrifical lamb this time?" The woman complained as she quickly takes off her glasses and headscarf to reveal her long wavy black hair with curled ends.
Upon seeing the woman, Linda got up and headed towards her vanity to excitedly grab her camera, "Stay still, Yoko!" She chimed.
While Linda search for her camera, Pattie as well got up and dusted herself as their manager will have her head if he found out they have dirted their perfectly tailored clothes before a show.
"Did anyone see you?" Pattie askes Yoko in a low tune. Yoko shakes her head, "Brian was too busy making sure everything was perfect, and I was too small for anyone to notice." She shrugged.
After the small conversation, Linda kneeled in front of Yoko with her camera in hand. With a simple click of a button and a small flash, a black photograph was produced.The girls huddled in a circle waiting for the picture to show itself, and when it did it revealed Yoko holding the small paper bag with one arm while her other hand was on the door handle, wearing her oversized beige coat, and a brown knitted scarf lowered to show her big smile.
"Yoko, you look so wonderful in that coat!" Pattie praised as Yoko takes off her jacket and scarf to place them on a chair with the bag now laying right next to it.
Linda clasped her hands together as the attention went towards the paper bag,
"Did you get what we asked you?"Linda inquired as she and Pattie moved closer towards it. Yoko picked up the bag and dug her hand into it before pulling out a variety of packaged snacks and placing them on the table for the girls. Biscuits for Yoko, bag of mixed nuts for Linda, a two bars of chocolate for Pattie and a box of Cracker Jack popcorn for Maureen for later.
It was only then after Linda and Pattie got their respective snacks Yoko's face turn one into confusion with a mix of concern in it, "Where's Maureen?" She asked.
Yoko remembers Maureen being in the room with them when she left to get the snacks, so where was she?
Linda merely shrugged at the question before she ripped into the bag of nuts and began eating,
"Don't know. She wouldn't say, but she probably went outside for a walk." She explained with a mouthful.
"She's most likely with her boyfriend." Pattie smirked with an unwrapped chocolate bar in her hands before taking a bite herself.
Yoko thought for a moment; It was common for Maureen to be gone for a certain period of time as it was a habit formed in her teenage years, but to leave on such short notice? Before practice? Before a show? Yoko concluded it either had to be an emergency or Pattie's guess: A man.
"Well, either way, I just hope she gets back safe." Yoko simply sighs before picking up her biscuits and popping one into her mouth.
Linda nodded as she drifted into her thoughts she didn't want to think of the worse possible outcomes, but she just couldn't help herself. What if Maureen gets kidnapped by a group of obsessed fans? What if she breaks her arm and they can't find a replacement in time? What if she decides it'll be the best time to run away with her secret boyfriend? All these thoughts came to a halt when the frantic sound of heels could be heard coming rapidly towards the dressingroom.
The door once again swung open to show the band's youngest member; Maureen Cox wearing a brown plaid coat with a large smile on her face while hiding her left hand behind her back.
"He did it! He finally did it!" Maureen rejoiced happily as she closed the door with her other hand.
The three other bandmates immediately put away their food and gathered around Maureen
"Where have you been?" Urged Yoko, "We were getting worried sick about you!" Fumed Linda, "What did he do?" Asked Pattie who shared her suspicion of the hidden hand with the others.
Maureen stepped back to give herself space from the girls before speaking again, "Promise not to freak out?" Maureen whispered, forcing the others to gather in closer to hear her clearly as if they were children at a sleepover party.
Once the girls gained Maureen's trust by nodding, she finally revealed what was in her left hand; on her index finger was a ruby ring that was the size of an eyeball.
“Isn't it lovely?” She asked in pure awe as her bandmates, who had gathered around her, looked upon the ring, then at her, and then at each other.
"It's rather...large..." Linda commented, still in shock at the sudden development. Married so young? Linda thought that maybe if it were good man then it's fine, but the band never met Maureen's boyfriend now fiancé, and she doubts so has Brian meaning he's most likely going to be the last one to know about the engagement.
Then she remembered something extremely important: the performance! Linda and the girls have been so caught up with the missing eyeliner, snacks, and the temporary disappearance of Maureen that they have completely gone off track with the time. In a panic Linda looks at the clock to see that they have little to two hours left until they're expected to be on stage. She quickly claps her hands to get everyone's attention.
"C'mon ladies, have we forgotten we got a performance to practice for?" At that order the girls rushed to grab their instruments.
Pattie felt Maureen's hand grab her arm; she turned around to see what Maureen wanted.
"I'm truly sorry for the inconveniences." Maureen admitted with absolute guilt in her eyes, Pattie looked at her friend with confusion before she saw Maureen reach into her purse and pull out a bottle of eyeliner. Pattie's eyeliner.
Pattie gasps. So that's where it's been! She thought before grabbing it and running to her vanity to quickly put on her makeup like her life depends on it.
"You could've asked me, Maureen!" Pattie scolded as she rushed to put on her blush.
"I thought you'd understand!" Answered Maureen as she grabbed her drumsticks from her own vanity and once again went outside to grab a snare drum, leaving Pattie to pout in annoyance.
With the other two girls busy, Linda found it the perfect time to talk to Yoko one on one. Just when Yoko picked up her guitar, she turned around to see Linda standing right in front of her holding the fully developed photograph from earlier before giving it to her.
"It's for your daughter when you want to write home," whispered Linda. Yoko gripped the photo before giving Linda a slight understanding smile. Despite their differences, between the two women, one thing stood true. Both knew what it is like to be so far away from home and everyone you know.
"Keep it somewhere safe before it gets lost!" Softly ordered Linda. Yoko nodded, calmly taking the photo before putting down her guitar, writing From Mummy, With Love on the photo in bold black pen and storing it in her coat pocket for later.
Once everyone was here and ready, Linda clapped her hands one final time, "Let's make this into a good one, ladies!" She cheered before they began practicing their new album.
Everything was supposed to be perfect. Thought Father Vincent as he watch the chaos unfold as the members of his flock of devotees search through the small barn.
The middle aged man disgruntly checked his watch for the time, it was 3:05 PM. A few hours ago his eldest son were to be married to a lovely girl in the compound's barn. It was only at the exchanging of rings the bride yelled out that her beloved ring was missing causing the crowd to panic.
"This is ridiculous!" Vincent ranted as he stood there contributing noting to the search of the lost ring.
He was greatly annoyed at the inconvenience. How can they lose a ring, a big one at that, so quickly? Did he create a community of idiots who can't look after simple things? Even a dog can take better care of the jewelry than any of these buffoons!
Just then the man felt a tug at his long robes, he look down to see one of his young boys of his congregation.
The child was sweaty and out of breath, seemingly ran all away to the barn to deliver a message to the leader himself.
The young boy was wearing a black button up with a white vest on top. The poor child was the ring bearer for the ceremony, but instead of producing two rings he naively showed one sitting comfortably in the pillow, "Sir," The child spoke with an urgent tone, "Sister Joan says she have an idea on where the ring may have gone." The boy huffed as he try to catch his breath.
Vincent raised an eyebrow. Where could the ring possibly be for Joan to send the boy in such a panic? He had to know.
"Bring me there immediately, young William." The leader ordered.
William nodded before getting a hold of Vincent's hand and walking out of the well decorated barn as they make their way towards the leader's own home which stood on top of a hill looking down at the community.
The moment the duo open the door to the home, Vincent's wife, Mother Dolores ran up to them in clear distress.
Her eyes show complete fear and the once carefully put on make up have been melted away by sweat, and her dark dark hair was now an undone mess that was formally a bun.
She thanks the boy for bringing her husband here before sending him upstairs. She turns her attention towards Vincent, "Dear, you have to see this!" She gasped in a panic, "It's horrible, utterly horrible!" She sobbed.
"Dolly, dear, I still have no idea-" Before Vincent can even finish Dolores grabbed his hand with her soft hands, but held a mighty grip as they drag Vincent into the living room as as well.
As they move closer towards the living room, he can hear women singing with their voices in complete harmony with each other.
"Help me if you can, I’m feeling do-o-own...”
Once in there, Vincent can see almost half of his congregation gathered around the small TV was kept in the house. The younger members was sitting in front of it with their leg crossed, eyes glued to the screen as they bop their heads to the music. He turns to see his son's bride with her back against the wall.
The young woman was still wearing her homemade bridal gown, but with her veil lifted up to reveal her running mascara from all the crying she must've been doing.
She was still holding her bouquet of wild flowers in her trembling hand, and her other arm interlocking with Vincent's son, Richard, who was wearing a crisp black suit with a white flower pinned to his breast pocket. Richard, completely obvious of his fiancé's state continue on watching the television with great excitement.
The singing continue with,
"And I do appreciate you being ro-o-ound.."
Before Vincent can open his mouth to scold everyone present in the room for their slothfulness he saw the women. He shut his mouth, and decided to move him closer to the TV with wife still in hand.
When Vincent saw the girls up close on the TV he can why his wife was panicking so much. On the screen was four women, all wearing of them wearing a white button up and necktie underneath long fitted blazers, and black skirts that weren't even close to being knee-length with their hair ends flipped.
Vincent's face twisted into disgust. The sight was terrible to look at! How can the station how this to the public? To children no less!
"There she is!" Called out Sister Joan, the flower girl, still in her light yellow dress from earlier points at the television. The man and his wife quickly made their way towards the young girl, "Where, child, where?" He ordered in a low voice.
"There!" The girl responded quickly just when the camera focus it's attention to the group of filthy sinner's drummer, a smiling girl with long dark hair, and the large ring she was wearing on her index finger.
A large wail can be heard, "No!" Repeated the bride as she ran upstairs once she was the ring's new owner. She was followed by her seven bridesmaids who were wearing flowy pale blue dresses, all of which were shouting words of comfort towards the weeping girl.
Richard, however , stayed. A large smile can be seen on his face as he lay eyes on the mysterious drummer of the band.
Vincent huffed in annoyance while Dolores still looked on with shock. They had to fix this terrible mistake and fast.