Save Me

You're nothing

Waking up the following morning, for the first time in quite a while, Stevie wasn't alarmed, feeling a man's arms around her. John stayed. They sat together for hours, talking, well mostly she was talking and he listened, because that was what she needed - a friend, who could hear her out. 

She didn't remember exactly how or when, but Stevie asked John to spend the rest of the night with her. He took one look at her and he couldn't possibly find it in him to say no; she seemed so sad and both, emotionally and physically, exhausted. In three years that she had been in Fleetwood Mac, never once had something romantically happened between them. Neither did it happened last night, but she wanted to feel someone next to her, someone who cared for her. Oddly, it felt very natural.

John sensed that Stevie was awake and he pulled his arms away from her, sitting up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. "Morning." He said and she rolled over to face him.

"Good morning to you, too." 

"I, uh... I guess I'll be going then."

She nodded, getting out of bed, walking him out. "Thank you for everything you did for me yesterday."

"It's nothing." He waved it off, standing by the door.

"No, John it's something. It's a lot, way more than any one has done for me in a very long time." Stevie insisted, seeing a glimpse of a smile on his face. 

"Come here." He opened his arms and she didn't hesitate, hugging him. "You're a good person, a beautiful person, Stevie." 

She lifted her head off his shoulder, their faces only a couple of inches apart. The back of his hand touched her cheek, causing her to close her eyes, as she then placed her hand over his. She swallowed uneasily, her heart beating out of her chest, as she very (strangely) shyly stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his for a moment. 

Neither of them really knew what to say or do after that, John looking at her for another second, before he turned towards the door and left.

Several hours later the same day, Stevie once again was walking into the same building like yesterday, having to meet up with the band. She was thinking if Lindsey was going to be the same asshole and also, whether the night before changed anything between her and John. 

Stevie had almost reached the door, when she heard that obnoxious voice of Carol Ann Harris, followed by Lindsey's. She was giggling the whole time, the sound coming nearer, Stevie knowing that there was a 99 percent chance that whatever he said wasn't funny, but the other woman would do anything to keep her new man - now the famous Fleetwood Mac guitar player - happy.

Quickly, Stevie walked into the room, just in time closing the door, before Lindsey and Carol got to see her. She ignored Mick, going to greet Chris and John, who held onto her for a second too long in others' eyes, but he wanted to make sure he was sorry for leaving the way he did, that he didn't mean anything by it, simply that was the only way he then thought it was appropriate to go. She gave him a small smile backing off and before anyone could say anything, in came the two people Stevie was just running away from.

"It's nice to see you've taken my observation into consideration." Lindsey said to Stevie. "You're not late."

"Well, you are." She shot back, which he didn't quite expect, since she was so quiet the other day.

"So? You can't do anything without me anyway. Instead of bitching, you should be glad I decided to show up at all." He slumped down on the couch, dragging Carol with him, as she landed on his lap. 

"If another word comes out from either of your mouths, that has nothing to do with a song, I swear to God, I will fire you both!" Mick interrupted. "Enough is enough!" 

"She started it." Lindsey shrugged.

"Oh my God, are you fucking five years old?!" Mick shouted, throwing his hands in the air, frustrated. 

After that everyone more or less calmed down, today Christine being the one to bring in a song. Miraculously, the five managed to concentrate on the actual album making process, which was what they had gathered to do, instead of constantly being at each other's throats.

Asking for a break, Christine left for a cigarette, John deciding to join her, while Lindsey and Carol went their own way, leaving Stevie with Mick. She wasn't interested in talking to him, she would have gladly suffered through the uncomfortable silence, but he thought differently.

"Are we just going to ignore what happened last night?"

"You broke up with me, end of story." Stevie replied without looking at Mick, drawing in her journal. 

"But you were so mad and you stormed out..."

"Because I was mad, I think you can forgive me that, don't you?"

"Of course, absolutely, but Stevie, this doesn't feel right. I hate the tension between us."

"Did it feel right fucking my best friend, while still being in a relationship with me?" That shut him up. "Honestly, Mick, what is there for me to do? You've decided, you fell in love with her. Good, great! Have a happy life." 

Again not giving him another word, Stevie upped and went for the door, bumping into Lindsey, as soon as she stepped out into the hallway. "I'm sorry." She said, trying to rush past him, but he grabbed her by the hand.

"Break's over, go back inside."

"Excuse me?" She frowned, freeing her hand from his grasp. "You have no right to be talking to me that way!"

"I said, we're going to continue on working and you can go wherever you had to go later."

"Who the hell do you think you are, Lindsey?" She said it with such a tone of voice, that it made him feel so small compared to her. "You're being a complete jerk to me, you're treating me like shit and now you're using force against me? We play in the same band, that's where it stops. You're not my boyfriend anymore, you're... you're nothing to me anymore."

Her words stung him. 

Everything he did or said to her was because that was the only way he could express the pent up anger towards her, caused by their break up, by the fact it was her, who walked out on him. He was mostly angry because he still loved her.

Seeing he wasn't going to have a smart comeback, Stevie walked away, leaving him to compose himself and then be able to act as if nothing happened.

Entering the studio again, Lindsey sat down, grabbing the bottle of beer he had previously left on the small coffee table, downing it to the last drop. Mick sensed something went on in the short break they took, but he didn't dare ask. 

A few minutes later, the rest of the band returned, Carol coming in after them, as she went to sit with Lindsey again, but he pushed her away, causing her to nearly fall. 

"Get the fuck away from me!" He yelled and practically ran out, leaving his girlfriend embarrassed and everyone else in stunned silence. 

At that moment it was crystal clear to Stevie exactly why Lindsey had been acting towards her the way he did.