#i need to write a new chapter of rhapsody in blue but my stupid ass brain wants it beamed directly from my thoughts

[tartaeya]

[starrystarrybabe]

Oh, How the Mighty Fall [In Love] CHAPTER THREE (Ben Hardy x OC)

CHAPTER ONE, CHAPTER TWO

Lily Anne Mercury is brought in to help with Bohemian Rhapsody at the request of her Uncle Bri and Uncle Rog, and along the way, she might meet someone to share her life with. The only problem with this is that while their friends and the world can see that they’re perfect for each other, they’re going to be fully blind to this for a while.

DISCLAIMER: I’m fully aware that it would’ve been physically impossible for Jim and Freddie to have a child even with this method during the time they were alive, but the idea of Freddie as a dad and the idea of how his child would turn out to be was just too sweet for me to not write. I’m also aware that I have 2 more fics in progress and I must make a masterlist, but as I’ve previously stated in other fic disclaimers, I am technologically challenged and quite overwhelmed at the moment. I apologize for this, because you all deserve the best from me, and it may take me a while to get to a place where I feel comfortable enough with the quality of everything to produce it. I do have a problem with being a perfectionist when it comes to my work, but I’m working on making that better.

TW: discussion of body issues? this chapter is pretty tame to me so idk if i should even mention it but oh well.

The next day, it’s time to shoot Live Aid. Lily Anne drives back to set in her more practical G Wagon, smiling as she pulls into the parking lot and spots Roger exiting his blue T-Bird. She shakes her head as she exits the car, walking over to the man.

“Remember what you said to me when I drove here in my Rolls Royce, Uncle Rog?” she asks, crossing her arms.

He nods, shrugging. “It was completely impractical. I said that I should take that car for myself if you didn’t treat it better.”

She nods, and points at his Thunderbird. “I could say the same for your T-Bird, Roger. You probably shouldn’t be on the road anyways, you’re so blind and deaf!”

Roger scoffs and shakes his head. “I’m fine, Lily. Don’t be a wanker.”

She shakes her head, becoming more animated. “No! No, you’re not! That T-Bird isn’t safe in your hands, and not to mention it would compliment my orange one quite nicely.”

He raises a brow and crosses his arms. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you, Lily?”

She nods, raising her chin. “Fully.”

Roger thinks for a moment before nodding. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal. If you can perfectly recreate my drum solo from Rock Montreal 1981, you’re allowed to take the car. If not, I get your precious Rolls Royce.”

Lily Anne nods, thinking over his terms. “Deal. How long do I have to learn the drum solo?”

Roger grins. “You have to do it at your concert tonight.”

She bites her lip and shakes her head, holding out her hand for a shake. “You’re a bloody wanker, Rog.”

Roger shakes her hand, grinning. “Say goodbye to your favorite car, Lily Anne.”

“Don’t be so confident, Roger!” Lily shoots back as he walks away, sighing and running a hand through her hair.

Joe comes up next to her, raising a brow. “What just happened?”

She looks at him and sighs, “I’ve just bet my favorite car on my ability to play the drums well enough.”

Ben walks up with Gwil and his interest peaks. “What drum solo do you need to do?”

She looks at Ben with fear in her eyes. “Rock Montreal. 1981.”

Ben’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. “Dear god, Lil. You’re going to lose that fucking car.”

As Lily Anne begins to freak out, Gwil rests a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t listen to him, Lily. You can do this.” He crouches slightly to be more level with the short woman. “Look at me, alright?”

Lily Anne looks up, visibly freaking out now.

“Take a few deep breaths, and just… there. That’s good. Breathe.” Gwil coaches Lily Anne until she’s calmed down. “Who taught you how to play the drums?”

“...Roger,” she says, looking down. “He was a shit teacher. Kept all the best secrets to himself before I pried them out of him…” Her eyes widen. “I know his best kept drumming secrets. I can identify them when he plays.”

Ben looks at her and smiles. “Then you have a chance!”

She grins back at the blonde and nods. “Yes. I have a chance! I’m going to study the fuck out of that footage if you don’t mind. Have fun getting into hair and makeup!”

Lily Anne begins running to the trailers, but stops when Lucy comes running after her.

“Lily, wait! I don’t need to film today. Let’s work on it together, alright? Then, we can take a ride in your new car once you get it,” she says, catching her breath.

Lily Anne grins. “Of course! We can do that tonight, if all goes well.”

Lucy’s eyes go wide. “What’s going on tonight?”

Lily Anne shrugs. “A small concert with my band. It’s going to happen in a small pub that we first started at on campus.”

Lucy is speechless for a moment. “Can… can I come?”

Lily Anne bites her lip, looking down. “I mean… I see no reason why you can’t, I just… I feel like by taking you all to a concert right after inviting you to my house is sort of narcissistic, and I don’t want to give the wrong first impression.”

Lucy shakes her head, holding Lily’s hand. “No, not at all! Are you kidding me? We had so much fun at your house, Lily! We’d love to see your show as well.”

Lily looks up at Lucy with a light in her eyes. “Really?”

Lucy nods, grinning. “Of course!”

Lily grins, nodding. “Then everyone is invited! I’ll make sure there are enough seats booked for everyone.”

Lucy nods, squeezing Lily’s hand. “Never feel self-conscious about what you have, alright? We care so much about you, and as your friends, we want to see what you’re proud of and celebrate your achievements with you, alright?”

Lily nods, giving Lucy a hug. “Alright. Thank you, Lucy.”

--

A few hours later, Lucy and Lily Anne have figured out the way to play the drum solo, and they’re called in to watch the Live Aid filming. The girls smile and wave as their boys get into character, and Lily Anne puts a hand over her heart when Rami blows her a kiss as Freddie. It’s truly touching to see such a good portrayal of her father.

When they film Live Aid… wow. It’s so good, and the boys are so in character that it feels like Lily Anne is actually in Wembley Stadium watching her father and his band perform. They do the whole 20 minute set, and when the director calls for them to cut, Roger and Brian shower the boys in praise, grinning at them.

“Great job, boys! That was fabulous. Very accurate. Great energy, everything was just perfect!” Brian exclaims, looking at the men as if they were his own sons.

“The music sounded great, the choreography was spot on… I think that’s as good as it can get, boys,” Roger adds, on, high fiving Ben.

Brian turns to Lily Anne, and frowns. “Lily, why are you crying? Is something wrong?”

Lucy wraps an arm around Lily Anne’s shoulders and the whole cast immediately turns their attention to the silently crying woman, who shakes her head.

“N-No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just…” She wipes her eyes with the sleeves of her leather jacket. “Ignore me, please. I’ll get it together.”

Roger helps Lily onto the stage, where Ben immediately shakes his head and walks towards her.

“It’s alright that you’re emotional. Could you just tell us why?” he asks gently.

Lily Anne smiles tearily. “I know it sounds stupid, but I just realized--” She sniffles again. “That’s the closest I’ll ever get to experiencing Live Aid, and out of all the concerts I wish I could’ve seen my dad in, that’s got to be number one on my list. It was lovely, guys. Really, truly, it was absolutely perfect. I loved every minute of it, and I know Freddie and Jim did too.”

Brian and Roger smile as Joe hugs Lily Anne, and the whole cast goes in for a group hug. The Bohemian Rhapsody family is truly coming together, and everyone is crying now, because this is such a unique and moving experience.

“You’re all so good,” Lily Anne croaks out. “This is going to be an amazing movie.”

When the group breaks apart, Lily Anne sniffles and wipes her eyes.

Lucy smiles at her, finishing wiping away the tears from her own eyes. “When is your concert tonight?”

Lily looks up at her. “Ten. It’s a really late concert, but I’ve secured tickets for all of us, and I plan on doing the drum solo for Roger’s Thunderbird, so if you’d all like to see that go down, I’d like if you could all come.”

The cast smiles and nods at Lily Anne’s offer.

“Of course!” Gwil says. “That sounds like a very fun concert.”

“You’ve got to have moral support for when you attempt that drum solo, don’t you?” Joe adds, grinning.

Roger scoffs and laughs, and the cast turns to him. “You’ll never get the drum solo right, Lily. Never. You might be good--”

“Of course I’m good, you taught me!”

“--but that was a struggle even for me. Good luck, Lily!” Roger says before leaving, revving his engine so they can hear the car.

Brian smiles and shakes his head. “I’m going to get some rest before the concert. Keep practicing, Lily. You can do it,” he says, winking at Lily Anne.

She grins. “Take a video of his reaction when I bang the gong.”

Brian nods and leaves, waving goodbye to the cast.

Lily Anne looks back at the cast. “I’m winning this goddamn car. That smug wanker won’t know what hit him.

--

“B, what should I wear? The leather skirt or the acid-wash denim skirt?” Madigan asks, holding up the options to her wife, who’s taking pictures of their cat. “Bronwyn! This is more important than updating Lillian Weiss’s Instagram story!”

The androgynous looking woman turns to see her wife and grins. “Well, if I had my way you’d be in that lovely latex skirt that really shows off your ass--”

Bronwyn dodges a Doc Marten tossed at her face and raises her hands in surrender. “Alright! I’ll stop. I like the denim with that top.”

Madigan smiles innocently and blows a kiss to her loving wife. “Thanks, babe! I’ll wear the lace underwear you like so much underneath it.”

Bronwyn grins and runs a hand through her short blonde hair, sitting on their bed. She loves her wife more than anything.

“Babe, what did I do to deserve you?” she asks, closing her eyes.

“You ate me out really well!” Madi calls back from the closet.

“I know that, but why did you stay, even after we were kicked out of our parents’ houses?” she continues, turning the conversation more serious. “I mean… I’ve put you through hell and back, babe.”

Madigan exits the closet (hehe) and sighs, sitting beside her wife and holding her hand. “B, look at me.”

The Welsh girl looks up at her lovely wife, raising one hand to play with her long, ginger locks.

“I got you kicked out of your house as well, baby. We both put each other through hell. But we had to walk through the fire to get to where we are today.” She waggles her ring finger, which has a sparkling diamond on it. “Happily married, and about to be together for… Jesus, for 12 years.”

Bronwyn smiles and kisses her wife’s hand. “It’s been a good long time, hasn’t it?”

Madigan kisses her wife’s forehead. “It sure has, love. Now c’mon, we need to get to rehearsal.”

Bronwyn adjusts her button-down before leaving with her wife, heading over to the pub.

--

Lily Anne is pounding away at the drums, already sweating as her bandmates enter.

“Oi! Hands off my drum kit, Mercury,” Madigan demands, heading towards the stage. She frowns in confusion when she sees a gong. “We don’t use a gong in any of the songs we’re doing tonight. Why is it here?”

Lily Anne looks up and puts down the drum sticks. “Sorry, Madi. I just… I made a bet with Roger.”

Madi nods, still confused. “Alright. What’s the bet, and how is this relevant to you destroying my drumkit?”

Lily Anne stands up and adjusts the gong. “If I can do his drum solo from Rock Montreal in ‘81, I get his blue Thunderbird. If I can’t… I give Christine to the blind old bat.”

Bronwyn goes on stage and raises a brow. “That’s a ballsy bet, Lily. I certainly hope you can follow through. You love Christine!”

Madi sighs. “You’re going to lose her, Lily. That’s one of the hardest drum solos in rock history! Just because he taught you doesn’t mean that you can do it.”

Lily Anne raises a sheet of paper her and Lucy have written on, smiling. “Here’s all the combinations Roger uses in it. He never said I couldn’t have a reference.”

Bronwyn and Madigan smile at their friend’s antics, and shake their heads.

Ezichi walks in wearing a very revealing outfit, and Bronwyn lets out a cat call to the lady as she begins tuning her bass.

“Damn, Zich! Whose pants are you trying to get into tonight?” the bassist calls out, grinning.

Madi and Lily Anne’s jaws are practically on the floor, because this is a thirst trap of an outfit.

“Well, the BoRhap cast is coming, and there was this one man who I found to be fine as hell, so hopefully his,” Ezichi explains, uncasing her guitar.

Lily Anne sighs heavily and shakes her head. “Ezichi, Gwil has a girlfriend. Also, don’t take advantage of me getting some new friends just so you can shag one of them.”

Ezichi raises a brow. “Is he in a stable relationship with her, or can that be changed by long distance and busy schedules?”

The couple of the band cackles and Lily Anne lets out an annoyed screech of Ezichi’s name.

“Ezichi, no! Don’t be a homewrecker! Especially not with Gwil! He’s so sweet, he doesn’t deserve that!” she exclaims, wringing her hands in frustration.

Ezichi shakes her head. “I don’t want him just because he’s pretty! I spent some time with him, and I can’t remember the last time I met someone so genuinely kind. He’s amazing, Lily.”

Ezichi has never talked about anyone this way before, and Lily considers the situation. They’re both gorgeous, kind, and talented. Their children would be supermodels. Ezichi is loyal to the end, and Gwil deserves someone like that in his life. They would be a good match.

Lily nods, smiling. “You know what? I think you two could make a great couple.”

Ezichi grins brighter than the sun. “Really?”

Lily nods again and turns to Bronwyn and Madigan. “Once you meet him, you’ll see what I mean.”

Bronwyn and Madigan shrug, taking Lily’s word. They’ll make up their minds on their own, but they trust her judgment. Despite Lily’s many mishaps and personal errors, she’s always been fairly correct when it comes to other peoples’ relationships and her readings on potential love interests.

Lily Anne takes the microphone in her hands and begins moving across stage, examining how much space she has. She sits on a speaker and leans against the wall.

“Ladies, what Queen song are we feeling for tonight?” Madi asks, twirling her drumsticks.

“Something from Queen or Queen II, definitely,” Ezichi comments, gleaning nods of approval from Lily Anne and Bronwyn.

“Doing Alright is a good option. That or Liar would be fantastic, I think,” Bronwyn adds, smiling.

The band turns to Lily Anne for the final say. She smiles at her friends and sits up.

“Doing Alright. This is a good night, we should play a happy song to accompany that,” she explains.

Everyone gets ready to practice, and music rings out throughout the pub.

--

The BoRhap cast files into the front of the bar, where there’s a table reserved for them. Brian, Roger, Anita, and Sarina get their own table in a less crowded area of the bar. The cast orders pints of lager and Joe hastily adjusts his Yankees cap to hide his hair.

Ben smiles at the sight of Joe adjusting his hat. “What’s wrong, Joe? You weren’t uncomfortable with us seeing your perm.”

Joe frowns and presses his lips together in a thin line. “It wouldn’t be bad if it could just wash out.”

Lucy snorts and shakes her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t know that perm stands for--”

“--permanent. Yes, I know now, Lucy. Thank you for the reminder,” Joe snaps, huffing.

Gwil bites back laughter, shaking at the effort. Rami is doing the same, shaking his head.

“You’re all awful,” Joe says as he gets his lager and takes a swig.

The lights dim and the stage lights turn on, and the curtain on the stage rises to reveal Lily Anne and the rest of Room 301. The cast begins cheering as the band waves and receives the love from the audience.

“Hello, lovies!” Lily Anne shouts, gleaning a rowdy applause from the audience. “How is everyone? Ready to bring back rock and roll, my darlings?”

The applause is even louder, and she grins, spotting the cast and waving.

The girl raises her arms and hushes the audience, smiling. “Thank you all for your ears. I just want to say that it means so much to Room 301 that everyone is here tonight where this band had its first performance, because we really did start from nothing, and everyone should pay homage to their roots. That’s what our latest album is about, and it was well-received, so we figured we’d do well with this concert. Actually, I forgot how much I missed the smaller crowds.”

“I love you, Lily Anne!” a fan shouts, and Lily Anne blows them a kiss before laughing.

“Enough talking. Let’s start the show, yeah?” The crowds are screaming. “Madi, take it away!”

The show begins with a very aggressive drum solo, accompanied by a guitar duet before Lily Anne begins singing, draping herself over equipment, the floor, and her bandmates. The whole stage is utilized in different ways, and it all accommodates the woman’s writhing body.

The next song begins with a beautiful piano melody, which Lily knocks out of the park before the lights flash and she’s leaning against the instrument and watching Ezichi pour her heart and soul into her guitar solo.

Gwilym is watching this with an amazed smile, and Ezichi notices this, which seems to help her performance. Lily raises a brow at her guitarist and continues singing, twirling around stage and grinning at the audience below her.

Ben is entranced by Lily’s performance. It’s so interesting to see the character she plays on stage. If he hadn’t heard her story, or saw a moment of vulnerability from her, he could see how people believe that Lily Anne Mercury is simply a diva who consistently puts on a show and doesn’t have problems. This version of her is enchanting, but he personally prefers the one who lets people in, and lets herself be vulnerable.

She’s pouring every ounce of her energy into keeping up this facade of playfulness and flirting, but he knows that she must be exhausted. It takes a lot to keep up such a high level of energy. He understands why she turned to drugs in order to keep it up outside of the stage. If this is her usual energy level on stage, it’s no wonder she began to burn the candle from both ends to sustain it.

Before they know it, Lily Anne is pausing the performance, smiling into a microphone.

“Okay, okay… this wasn’t planned, but this morning, on my way into work, I made a bet with my uncle. If you didn’t already know, he’s a right wanker, and his name is Roger Taylor.”

The crowd goes crazy, cheering along as the spotlight moves to Roger, who waves at everyone.

“He was riding in this lovely blue Thunderbird, and when I did the same in my Rolls-Royce, he said he should take it away from me for mistreating it. However, when I called him out, he decided to give me a bet. I had about eight hours to learn his drum solo from Rock Montreal, which is one of the hardest in rock n’ roll history, and I lose my baby Christine if I don’t do it perfectly tonight. However, if I do it correctly, I acquire his Thunderbird. So now, I will attempt this drum solo, and I would appreciate everyone’s positive energy.”

With a cheer, Lily Anne goes back to the drumkit and takes a moment to compose herself before beginning the drum solo as Roger listens back to it and compares the two. The room stays silent as she continues, sweating buckets. Rami grips Lucy’s hand because he’s just so stressed watching this all go down. She grips it right back, and Joe holds onto Ben. Everyone is just incredibly stressed out.

Then, it happens. Lily Anne bangs that fucking gong, and the room erupts into applause. The whole cast fucking yells at the top of their lungs, Roger’s face deflates, Brian gives Lily a standing ovation, and the woman flings her arms into the air, embraced by her band.

“I can barely feel my fucking arms, but I don’t give a shit!” Lily Anne cries out, laughing. “I get that beautiful blue Thunderbird!”

Ben grins, watching as Lily Anne continues the show with a smile that isn’t holding anything back. She’s just fully engulfed in her music, and expresses her joy in a way so pure and raw, and she’s letting herself be vulnerable in the music, which, as far as Ben can tell, is where she finds hardship once she’s off the stage. She doesn’t just open up to anyone.

If that’s true, and Ben has a feeling that it is, why did she open up to him? What makes him so special that she felt comfortable telling him about her overdoses and time in rehab? That’s so deeply personal, and even though they haven’t known each other for long, she feels comfortable telling him all these things.

He’s pulled out of his gaze by Joe nudging him as Lily Anne smiles at the audience, waving at her friends.

She sits at a piano and clears her throat, smiling. “Now, I think it’s only appropriate that we end tonight with a Queen song. We started this tradition during our first concert when my father requested that we do it in memory of Freddie. We performed Love of My Life, which is the only song I will not do nowadays because I don’t like to end Room 301 concerts in tears.” She smiles at her now hushed audience. “You’ve all been a great audience, darlings. I love you all, and appreciate your support so very much, sticking with us despite all the time we’ve made you wait for new music. Now, we’d like to end the night with All Dead, All Dead.”

Lily Anne begins playing the piano, and Ben can’t tear his eyes away from her. Even while sitting down at an instrument, she commands the attention of the entire room. Her emotions are amplified, and everyone can feel her pain and hope as she crones out the lyrics to the song, which are about longing, but also knowing that despite their physical presence being gone, the ones we’ve lost never really leave us.

He feels a tear beginning to form, and sees that the entire table is blinking and wiping their eyes. Lily Anne’s dedication to her craft shows, and it makes itself clear in the tears of the people all around the bar.

Someone raises their phone light and begins to sway, as a homage to Freddie, and the rest of the crowd joins in. Lily Anne looks out and blinks, a black tear streaming down her face as she smiles. She is truly touched by the energy of the audience. Once the song is over, she sniffles and wipes her eyes.

“What did I say about crying?”

The audience laughs, applauding.

Lily Anne shakes her head. “No. We need something to pick us up before we go. How about…” She turns to her band. “Don’t Stop Me Now?”

The audience cheers and the band gets ready to play, and Lily Anne grins, performing the hell out of the upbeat number. She bows with her band as it ends, and leans into the microphone one last time.

“Take the correct Uber home, and assist any drunk people back to their cars! Nobody in this audience is becoming a damn statistic, do you hear me?” She smiles as she hears applause. “Goodnight, London! Room 301 loves you!”

--

The curtains close, and Lily Anne goes back to change with the rest of the band in their changing room.

Bronwyn is already reaching for her sweatpants and hoodie, and Madigan takes out a makeup wipe, scrubbing the dark smoky eye and maroon lip color off of her face.

Lily Anne immediately takes off her platform boots, tossing them to the side and rubbing her eyes. “Great show, ladies! I love you all, and the audience seemed to as well.”

Ezichi is wrapping her hair in a bonnet and leaning back in the chair. “You did great, Lily. It was an amazing show.”

Lily smiles, wiping away her eye makeup. “You know what, guys?”

Everyone in the room turns to face her, and she smiles tearily.

“I feel like Jim was watching us from his table.”

November, 2008

Lily Anne, Ezichi, Bronwyn and Madigan take the stage for their first concert. They’re nervous as hell, and don’t know how the crowd will react to their set. They’ve performed for their friends, and for Jim, and for Brian and Roger, but those are all people who like them. They’re biased and don’t want to hurt them. What will an audience of drunken college students with no filters think? They’ve heard they can be brutal.

The girls crowd together behind the curtain, holding each others’ hands.

“Alright. We’re about to perform for the first time,” Lily Anne begins, taking a deep breath. “We can kill it. We just need to let the music do the talking for us, okay?”

The girls nod, and Ezichi speaks up. “We have amazing stuff. We know that. If we perform well, people will know that we’re a serious group, and not just some teenagers with instruments. We know what we’re doing.”

Madi smiles. “We managed to please rock legends with our music. There’s no reason why we can’t please drunk uni students.”

Bronwyn grins. “Let’s kick ass.”

The girls huddle together, squeezing each other before heading out on stage.

Lily Anne looks out at the bar, half empty since it’s too early to warrant people coming in yet. She sighs and frowns slightly, her hands shaking. This all stops when she spots her father sticking out like a sore thumb in his wool sweater, sitting at a table with a pint of lager and a warm smile. She waves to him, grinning.

Jim gives her a thumbs up and mouths ‘you can do it.’ The girls sigh in relief, and Lily maneuvers the microphone, which squeaks.

“S-sorry about that, everyone. My name is Lily Anne, this is Ezichi, this is Madigan, and this is Bronwyn. We’re a band called Room 301, and this is our first performance, so please be kind,” she says with a nervous laugh.

The bar-goers look unimpressed, and she carries on.

“Alright, we’re going to start with something we wrote, and we’re very proud of it.”

The band begins playing a song that starts like a ballad, but grows to be something so much more. Lily Anne’s voice cracks, but she quickly regains her composure and begins to sink into the song, letting herself go.

Slowly but surely, the bar-goers have gravitated to the stage, and Lily Anne is controlling the crowd, moving in ways that feel natural and prompted by the music, and swaying to the beat. When she hits a high note, the people cheer, and the adrenaline that runs through her body is the best feeling she’s ever experienced.

She looks into the audience, and Jim is sitting there, looking up at his girls with so much pride and love, and it invigorates them.

“This next one is a faster number, and from the way you’re all behaving now, I’m guessing that you’ll like it!” Lily Anne exclaims, prompting the audience to scream.

The show goes by quickly, and at the end, she smiles and sits at the piano.

“Now, we have one more song left, but we didn’t write this one,” she says, and the audience quiets down. “Don’t be discouraged, people! It’s a good song by a band called Queen.”

The audience cheers again, raising their arms up. Lily Anne grins, and begins to play Love of My Life. It’s dedicated to Freddie, and as she begins to cry singing it, she looks out to see Jim wiping away tears from his eyes. She sniffles and continues, letting the tears flow down her face and neck.

At the end, she smiles and closes the piano, wiping her eyes.

“That seems like a good way to end the night, yeah?” she asks, looking around at the crying audience members. “This was Room 301, I’m Lily Anne, and I hope you all have a great rest of your nights!”

The crowd screams as the band goes backstage, and they collapse into one another, hugging each other tightly and sobbing. That was an amazing first performance, and they’re so overwhelmed by the positive response they got.

“I love you all so much,” Lily Anne sobs, hugging her friends.

That night, they go back to Garden Lodge and curl up on the couch watching shitty movies, and Jim gives them tea and biscuits to reward them for their stellar performance.

Lily Anne is almost asleep on the couch when she stirs due to Jim turning off the TV. She lets out a little noise of confusion and her father shushes her, tucking her back into her blankets.

“Dad?” she whispers, looking up at Jim.

He looks down at her and smiles. “Yes, love?”

“Did you like the performance?” she asks, smiling.

He nods, grinning down at her. “It was lovely, Lily. I loved it. Your Papa would be so proud to see you work the stage like that.”

Lily Anne smiles and closes her eyes. “Good.”

Jim kisses her forehead lightly. “Goodnight, love.”

Lily Anne falls asleep smiling, curled up with her friends on her couch.

Lily Anne smiles as the blue Thunderbird pulls into her driveway, watching as her uncle exits the car and looks sadly at it. She walks forward and grins, looking up at her uncle.

“You’re the one who offered this bet, Roger,” Lily says, shrugging. “This is all your own doing.”

The man sighs and looks down at the young woman. “I know, Lily. I’m sad to give it up, but I’ve got to admit, you did very well. I’m proud.”

She smiles at her uncle, squeezing his hand. “Thank you, Uncle Rog. I learned from the best, after all.”

Roger ruffles her hair before beginning to walk away, dejected. Lily feels a pit of guilt in her chest and sighs, running a hand through her hair.

“Roger, stop!” she exclaims, catching the man’s arm.

He turns to face her and raises a brow.

Her head slumps forward and she shakes it. “I… listen. I feel bad. You look so sad… you know what? We can share. It stays in my garage but if you want to take it for a ride…” she shrugs. “Go ahead.”

Roger grins, hugging the girl. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to follow through, Lily.”

She huffs, hugging him back. “Wanker.”

--

Inside the house, the band is lounging around, talking with their new friends, and clicking well. The band likes the cast. Bron and Madi have a close eye on Ezichi and Gwil, watching how they interact. They like the dynamic, and like most times, Lily appears to be correct about the match.

All they have to do now is sit back and wait for it to happen.

Lily walks inside, checks on her guests, and then pops back outside, lighting a cigarette. Ben soon follows, sitting next to her on the bench next to the koi pond like before.

Lily smiles at him, leaning back against a pillow on the bench. “Just so you know, I don’t intend to spend another four hours out here. I got bitten up by a bunch of bugs last time.”

Ben laughs, lighting his cigarette and shaking his head. “Nah. Maybe just thirty minutes this time around.”

Lily looks back at the pond, taking a puff of her cigarette. “Any grievances you want to air out? This is apparently a very good place to do it.”

Ben shrugs, breathing out smoke. “Nothing comes to mind at the moment. Give it some time, I’m sure something will come up.”

Just in that moment, Lily Anne’s phone buzzes and she picks it up, seeing a notification from twitter about Room 301’s concert.

SINGER LILY ANNE MERCURY SPOTTED WITH EASTENDERS HEARTTHROB BEN HARDY

Lily lets out a groan and shakes her head. “Ugh. Disgusting.”

Ben turns to look at her. “What is it?”

She hands him her phone, and he rolls his eyes at the headline. “That’s bollocks. I hate twitter.”

She takes her phone when he hands it back to her, looking up at him. “Why do you hate twitter in particular? It’s not the only site that thrives off of bullshit rumors.”

Ben sighs, looking down and rubbing his temples. At this, Lily Anne lets out a breath and begins to freak out.

“If that’s the grievance and you don’t want to air it out, I won’t force you, Ben.”

Ben shakes his head and looks over at her, taking a drag of his cigarette. “No, no. Don’t worry. I should talk about it. Talking made you feel better, didn’t it?”

She nods, looking at the pond. “It was very therapeutic. But don’t feel forced to let it out.”

Ben waves a hand dismissively. “I want to let it out, just give me a moment to collect my thoughts.”

Lily Anne nods, waiting patiently for Ben to collect his thoughts.

When he sits up and takes a deep breath, putting aside the butt of his cigarette, she hands him another one from her pack, which he takes and lights.

“Well, earlier on in my career, I was instructed to make social media accounts to stay relevant, gain fans, get more high profile roles, you know how it works,” Ben begins, looking forward.

“I was told the same thing. I’m assuming you made a twitter?” Lily Anne adds, looking over at him.

He nods, taking a deep breath. “I made a twitter, and I made a horrible mistake by checking the hashtag with my name.”

Lily Anne lets out a groan. She has a feeling she knows where this is going.

“The tweets I saw… the majority of them were just talking about my outer appearance, praising my body, but not acknowledging that I’m a damn good actor as well. My body isn’t all that I have to support my career.” Ben is becoming agitated, and Lily Anne rests a hand on his arm. “It became overwhelming, and the tweets got to my head. I began to think that maybe I was just a piece of meat for people to stare at, like they had said online. I began to absolutely loathe myself, and I could barely look in a mirror without feeling horrid.”

Lily moves closer to Ben, frowning. “Did you delete the app soon after?”

He nods, looking over at her. “Yes. My manager was incredibly mad at me, and didn’t listen when I tried to tell him why I was so uncomfortable. Then, he booked me a photoshoot that he said would really put me on the radar: a nude photoshoot.” Ben blinks back tears. “I’d never felt so objectified and worthless in my entire life.”

Lily Anne moves closer, holding one of his shaking hands. “Is this movie bringing back those fears, Ben?”

He nods, wiping his eyes. “Sometimes I think-- and I know it’s horseshit, but it still bothers me-- that I was only casted because I’m pretty. People won’t look at this movie and think about my acting, but my appearance. Apocalypse didn’t help with that either. My character ended up being an underdeveloped rebel with wings,” he continues, his voice cracking. “What if my career just ends up being me looking pretty on a screen for people to objectify?”

Lily Anne wraps an arm around his shoulder, trying to calm him down. “Hey, hey… it’s alright, Ben. I can assure you that for this role, you were chosen for your acting abilities. I helped Roger make the final choice.”

Ben sniffles and looks at Lily, green eyes damp. “You did?”

She smiles kindly at him. “I did, and in my opinion, this movie will help you get closer to being the kind of actor you want to be.”

He smiles, wiping his eyes. “I-I’m sorry about the tears, I just… I worry about this stuff. A lot.”

Lily Anne shakes her head, handing him a tissue. “It’s alright. Your worries show that you’re not willing to settle for anything, and that kind of determination will bring you where you want to go in your career. People who settle are temporary. The ones with ambition are the ones who stand the test of time.”

He nods, leaning back and taking a drag of his cigarette. “It doesn’t always seem like that.”

Lily Anne nods. “I know. I thought my competitors in the early 2000’s would be around forever, and Room 301 is one of the last rock bands standing. All you have to do is wait. Father Time will do the job for you.”

Ben looks over at her, brows raised. “How can you be so calm about this kind of thing? Aren’t you scared of fading into the background?”

She scoffs and looks over at him. “Of course I am! I can’t support this lifestyle with inheritance alone. I need to make money to keep this level of luxury going. But if I could go to rehab twice and take a hiatus and despite all that my band is still a household name, I’m fairly certain that I’m going to be fine. We’ll all be fine in the end.”

Ben nods, taking in what she said. “Sometimes I forget that you’ve been through so much,” he says, shaking his head. “Tonight, on stage… I’ve never seen anyone sustain that much energy for so long. It was like watching a different person.”

Lily frowns. “Is that a bad thing?”

Ben shakes his head vigorously. “Dear God, no! Not at all. It’s great. Your stage presence is amazing. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. But if I didn’t know you, I would never guess that anything bad has ever happened to that girl in her life.”

Lily shrugs and smiles down at the koi. “I guess I’m a good actress, then.”

Ben smiles down at her. “You could make some good money on the screen if this whole rock star thing doesn’t work out.”

She grins up at him. “Coming from a talented actor like you, that means a lot to me.”

Ben smiles, and the pair sit in silence, finishing their cigarettes.

--

Joe looks out the window at the pair, frowning. “They baffle me, they really do.”

Ezichi looks up from the card game she’s playing with Gwil and Rami and raises a brow. “What baffles you about them?”

Joe turns back to his friends, wringing his hands. “They’re so clearly into one another, and so good for one another, and they’re so clueless about it all!”

Gwil rolls his eyes, putting down a card. “They just met, Joe. Give them time before calling them clueless.”

“But they’re soulmates, Gwil! Soulmates! How do you not see it?” The man bounces onto the couch next to Gwil, insistently nudging his way into the man’s personal space.

Ezichi shakes her head. “I’ll know if she likes him before she knows it herself.”

Rami frowns, slapping down a card. “How would you know that?”

Ezichi smiles, putting down her last card and winning the game. “She gets this look in her eyes, this really sappy, disgustingly vulnerable look. You’ll know it when you see it.”

They smile and look outside the window before going back to their usual business before Ben and Lily notice.

It’s only a matter of time before they see that look.

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