Buckingham Nicks A/U Series Part 2: Dreams

Players Only Love You When They're Playing

Landover, Maryland
Tuesday, July 12, 1977
(11:30 pm)
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"Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday, dear Christine...Happy Birthday to you..."

Christine McVie, seven months pregnant and feeling as big as a house in her seat at the head of the table, sat in front of a big cake shaped like a piano and waited for the singing to stop so she could blow out thirty-four candles. Stevie and Robin - as well as her urgent trip to the ladies room to pee after the final bows - kept her occupied while John and Mick got the cake ready backstage and the roadies finished hanging balloons and streamers.

"Woohoo! Christine!" Stevie was shouting and cheering the loudest as the crew began to clap, and it was also Stevie who held Christine's hair back out of the way of the flames as she blew out the candles. Everyone cheered and clapped again, and John bent down to kiss his wife, a protective hand on her stomach over their unborn child, and plastic cup of whiskey in his other hand.

"Hey Chris, what did you wish for?" That came from Lindsey, who had joined the backstage party group bare-chested and was in the middle of pulling his Beatles Revolver t-shirt on over his head.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't come true." Christine had one hand on her belly and a knife in the other to begin cutting cake, and Robin quickly took over, neatly cutting slices of cake and putting the slices on pink paper plates to pass out among the people gathered around the card table that was their backstage buffet table. Someone went to the stereo nearby and the entire green room became filled with the sound of Marvin Gaye singing "Got To Give It Up". The few women who were there all squealed in unison and gathered, plastic cups of alcohol in hand, to dance. A few of the men joined in, including John for a moment, carefully twirling his wife beneath his arm as she held onto the baby inside of her and danced her way over to Stevie and Robin when John decided to sit it out.

"No more standin' there beside the walls...Finally got myself together, baby, and I'm havin' a ball...As long as you're groovin' there's always a chance that somebody watchin' might wanna make romance..."

Mick, still in his outfit complete with his hanging metal balls, towel around his shoulders, danced his way into the circle of women which included his wife, Jenny, and was quickly the comic relief and a hit among the women, dancing his best disco moves as Marvin Gaye sang his recent hit about turning from wallflower to king of the dance floor.

"Move your body, ooh baby, you dance all night...
to the groove and feel alright..."

Lindsey opened up a bottle of Heineken and watched as Mick twirled Christine around and ended their dance by rubbing her belly, and then took a turn with Stevie. Stevie, who loved to dance and looked like a ballerina and a disco queen all at once on every dance floor he'd ever seen her grace, twirled like a spinning top, her long golden waves and her black ballerina skirt creating a perfect spin until she landed against Mick, smiling laughing and dancing her way over to Richard to get him to join in. Mick had moved onto Robin and they were having a ball together, but Lindsey was trying not to openly scowl at the image forever implanted in his mind of Stevie and Mick, happy as clams, dancing together.

He knew he was wrong. He could feel the stupidity of his own thoughts. Stevie loved him. She was wearing his engagement ring. The night before, when they'd arrived in Maryland and passed the exit to Silver Springs on the highway on their way to Landover, she had kissed him in the back of the limo and cradled his face in her hands and looked into his eyes and said, almost tearfully, "It's Silver Springs, sweetheart. That's an omen! You are my blue-green colors flashing and I'm your only dream and we're going to have amazing shows here. And I love you." Her fingers laced with his and stayed that way for the rest of the ride, and her head was on his shoulder as she closed her eyes and melted into him with her sweet little sighs, which he heard again once they got into their room at the hotel and he made love to her and she remarked afterwards, lying in bed with Ginny at their feet, that her whole Silver Springs was right there in that little room in the dark.