Say You Will Part 2: The Tour

This World Of Changing Faces

***ATTENTION, Buckingham Nicks Fans...
Major angst alert!!! I repeat, major angst alert!
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Madison Square Garden
New York, City
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
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Lindsey could not recall a time in the last few years when he had been this overcome with the pure, simple joy of just being alive.

His hands pressed closely against Stevie's back, his arms around her, and he was stooped over as he held her because she was just so little and she hadn't been able to wear her usual high-heeled boots this tour. His chin rested at her shoulder, his hands ran through her hair and grabbed up a few silky golden strands in their wake, and there was barely an inch of space between them as her arms stayed wrapped around his neck and he danced her around a corner of the stage of Madison Square Garden to "Tusk". Stevie giggled in his ear as he continued their routine, the silly put-up-your-dukes play fighting routine followed by a slow dance, which had been born in the living room of the house in the Hollywood Hills where they'd recorded the new album the day Karen had teased them that Lindsey grabbing Stevie for a silly little happy dance - which had dissolved into a childlike game of hand-slapping at a certain point - was too cute not to be built into the act. Stevie clutched at her half-moon tambourine, the streamers she'd attached years ago running down the length of the white button-down shirt Lindsey wore which was damp with sweat; Lindsey never left the stage at a Fleetwood Mac show and he never stopped moving. They were aware they were being filmed, so Lindsey was extra careful what the direction they were facing when he whispered into her ear, "This is it, angel. This is everything we used to dream of thirty years ago, and we got it."

"I love you, Lindsey," she whispered back. "I'm so proud of you...of us."

Lindsey did not want to let her go, but it was part of the routine, and the song was almost over. He released Stevie and turned away, and like a wild man, he jumped and danced and bounced away to his place at the other end of the stage, limbs flailing, the horn section building up to the crescendo of the song he had written long ago in a darker, angrier place. He jumped once more towards his microphone and the song was over, and the entire Madison Square Garden was on its feet with cheers and hollers and applause. This is what it means to love life, he thought as he looked over at the beautiful woman who stood to his right, holding her tambourine up and shaking it in sheer joy, her smile beaming at him and her big brown eyes sending out millions of dancing crystals in the bright stage lights. And she is what makes loving life so easy, he thought. He could hardly wait till the day he could dance like that with her again in front of anyone and everyone like this and not have to disguise it in some concert routine, and then never have to let her go.

Stevie disappeared behind Mick's drum kit so that Karen could hand her the signature black and gold shawl she wore for "Stand Back", the one song from her solo career they'd agreed to incorporate into the show to fill in for what they lacked without Christine's songs. Lindsey accompanied her on guitar as she belted out, "No one looked as I walked by...Just an invitation would have been just fine...Said no to him again and again...First he took my heart, then he ran..." She'd never shared with him who the subject of the song was, but he knew she'd written it after hearing "Little Red Corvette" by Prince on the car radio on her way to her honeymoon in Santa Barbara with Kim Anderson, which, based on the timeline of events, made him wonder if it was him...

"You can't do this, Stevie, you can't!" They were both crying, and Lindsey had gone into this promising himself he'd remain strong, but now he didn't care if she saw him cry. They were in the foyer of the house that once belonged to Robin and Kim, he was holding her so close he couldn't tell whose heart was pounding in his ears, and he was desperately trying to get her to listen to reason, fistfuls of permed blonde hair in his hands which he only realized was too tight of a grip when he heard her let out a shriek. He let go and quickly grabbed her by the shoulders instead. "You don't love him! This is insane!"