Say You Will Part 1: Destiny Rules

That Part Of Me That Was Only For You

***Dear Buckingham Nicks Fans,
So...let's finally get these two crazy kids together, huh? Major feelings and sex coming your way in 5...4...3...2...1...
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Santa Monica, California
Tuesday, May 29, 2002
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It was seven o'clock when Stevie sent Karen home with a tub chicken soup that was Barbara's recipe for the cold she had and told her her into bed. Sulamith was happy munching on her dinner in the kitchen out of a pink heart-shaped bowl, and Stevie took her much-deserved glass of Cabernet to the living room to look for a CD to play. She thought of her old standard, Blue, but after crying her heart out over her unborn baby this afternoon, Joni Mitchell singing "Little Green" was not how she wanted to spend her evening! She found the greatest hits of The Guess Who and decided to play it, thinking about how she and Lindsey had gone to see The Guess Who in 1972...God! Why was that thirty years ago?! That had been a great night; they had just moved to L.A., their love was brand new, and they had come home from the concert stoned and singing and giggling and falling onto the bed to make love before falling asleep in each other's arms.

Ugh! Why did every memory she had of Lindsey have to involve amazing sex?!

Stevie stood at the stereo and casually read the back of the CD case, re-familiarizing herself with the track list as "American Woman" began with its slow intro before the rock guitar sounds - which Lindsey could mimic perfectly, she recalled - started. It had been a highly emotional day, and Stevie wanted to forget it all and unwind, just enjoy her evening at home. She thought of that scene in American Beauty, a movie she felt like she'd been the last damn person on planet earth to see after Mick had told her to watch it about a month ago, when Kevin Spacey's character was reclaiming his life after quitting his job, listening to "American Woman" in the garage as he smoked a joint and lifted weights at the same time and sang along. Tonight, she decided, she was Kevin Spacey's character, Lester. She was reclaiming her sanity, her peace, her soul. "To a room with some lace and paper flowers," she thought with a laugh to herself. "Back to the gypsy that I was!" Maybe she'd yank her mattress off of the bed tonight put it on the floor to sleep; she hadn't done that in ages!

"American woman, get away from meeeeeee," she sang out loud, Sulamith crawling into the living room an Stevie bending to sing to the little dog who wore a confused expression on her little face. "American woman, Mama, let me beeeeee...Don't come a'hangin' around my door; I don't wanna see your face no more...I got more important things to do than spend my life crawling over you..." Sulamith barked and twirled around, Stevie thinking, Like mother like doggy! She smiled...it had been her first smile all day.

The doorbell ringing over the song broke into her thoughts. It was the side door, the one off the kitchen, which led Stevie to believe it must be Karen...but why wasn't she using her key?  Maybe she was carrying something heavy or cumbersome.

"Karen? I told you to rest, for God sake! I'm coming; hang on." She rushed to the kitchen, Sulamith trailing excitedly behind, and she opened the door wide...Lindsey.

"Please don't get mad. I had to come and make sure you were okay." Lindsey stood on her doorstep in his leather jacket against the abnormally cool night air, and it took a minute before Stevie registered that it was, in fact, Lindsey...and another minute to see that he was holding something in each of his hands...a dozen red roses and Animal Crackers. He held both hands out to her so she could receive her gifts, and it took only seconds for Stevie's eyes to fill with tears.

"And the songbirds are singing like they know the score..." She could hear Christine's voice singing "Songbird" on the night they'd taped The Dance, the first time he'd appeared before her with exactly those gifts. "And I'll love you, I'll love you, I'll love you like never before."