Break Me One More Time [McLennon]

in which it all ends here

Author's note: So I'm going to be adding trigger warnings to all of the chapters. I should have been doing this all along and I apologize for overlooking it. This one's a tough chapter, and I've begun adding trigger warnings with this one for that reason, but happier times are ahead. I promise. Love you all.

TW: gun violence (I'd label it as graphic), death and injury, blood

Even a couple hours after his encounter with the White Room, Paul's head felt very full. His mind was brimming with two lives lived to the fullest. Paris the first time and Paris the second time seemed to play side-by-bye in his mind. He could hear the train ride home from Paris in the original timeline coming from somewhere; they were fighting. The train ride the second time around stuck out; they kissed whenever the train staff weren't looking.

He thought about it for as long as he could, until he was out of time. He tried to find something poetic in it all, but he couldn't seem to do it. In another life, the last thing John said to Paul before he was shot was, "Think of me now then, old friend." In this one, the last thing that Paul said to John before he got shot in John's place was, "JOHN, RUN!" He couldn't find anything poetic in it all because there wasn't any mind-shattering connection between the two. They were just different. It was all fucking different and Paul's brain was so full with it all.

Marching down to place where Marbella and Darren knew President Wilson to be hiding felt like they were the parade for their own burial.

Some part of Paul wished that John was with him, but mostly he was glad that he was away from the line of fire. And while he was unhappy that George was in the thick of it, he was also sort of glad to have George with him.

"You should have stayed back," Paul hissed.

George rolled his eyes. "As if."

Paul laughed.

George raised his eyebrows. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, just..." Paul shook his head. "No matter how long I know you, you never cease to amaze me."

"Really?" George said. "I mean, in two whole lifetimes?"

Paul smiled. "In two whole lifetimes."

"Hey, Paul..."

"Yeah, George?"

"I died, huh? In the other timeline?"

Paul sniffled. "George, I —"

"Quiet, you two," Marbella huffed.

So they did as they were told for a while, until Yoko appeared at George's side and whispered, "Hey."

"Hey," Paul said. "You weren't supposed to follow us. You're injured."

Yoko rolled her eyes and adjusted her arm in its makeshift sling. "We're all going to die anyway."

George grimaced. "Okay. Dark."

Yoko raised her eyebrows at him. "And absolutely true."

Paul held out his arms so that they both stopped and he waited until Darren, Marbella, and the few others that were with them were several paces ahead to say, "Right, George."

"What's up?"

"Head back now."

"I told you no—"

"George," Paul huffed. "Come on."

"You're going," George hissed. "Yoko's going."

"I can't control what Yoko does," said Paul.