Storms

The Stranger

The tour continued and Stevie and Lindsey weren't on such great terms. Lindsey was still livid about what happened at her house that night and Stevie wasn't too keen on forgiving him about the pictures that she had yet to see. She wondered who could have taken them, feeling betrayed by whoever it was. She trusted those she chose to have around her and only asked that whatever happened in her home stay private. She didn't think she was asking for much. She was worried the affair would get out to the press, it was bad enough Kristen found out this way. Lindsey had acted as if he didn't have a care in the world. Distancing herself from it all and busying herself with work was the only thing Stevie wanted to do right now.

Jenna was nervous and quiet around Stevie. She would speak only when spoken to, keep her head down and do the best she could to be a good assistant for the next couple weeks when Karen would be coming back. She felt guilty and it was apparent in her eyes. She could barely look at her boss now. She could tell something was bothering the older blonde but knew she couldn't comfort her through it as she's the cause of all the trouble. Stevie was brushing her hair in the mirror, watching Jenna fussing with things through the mirror. The younger blonde straightened the pillows on the couch, gathered up Stevie's bags and miscellaneous possessions so they would be ready to hit the road when it was time to go. She laid out an outfit for her to change into, make up remover wipes and her sunglasses. Hair ties and bobby pins were tucked in a small cosmetic bag to be used later, not wanting to cause anymore mess or clutter.

"Jenna, relax" Stevie says. "You're a ball of nerves"

"Sorry" she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Is something bothering you, honey? Did something happen?"

"No"

"You can tell me"

"You go on soon. I'm not going to burden you with my stupid problems"

"You're not burdening me, and your problems aren't stupid. Whatever it is, please don't let it weigh on you. Tomorrow's worries shouldn't take away today's joy"

"Okay" Jenna replied. After a little while in silence, Stevie was taken from her dressing room to begin her show. Instead of standing in the wings, Jenna stayed and watched her on the monitor. She got out her journal and began to pour her heart out. She wrote about her fight with her mother, the attempts to contact her and Jenna being the one to ignore her. She felt bad about it but in all honestly, she was torn. Yes, she did owe her mother a lot. She raised her on her own, no help from anyone but she's also the one who kept her from her father, took her childhood by carting her all over her place and constantly guilted her into doing things she didn't want to do. She and Lindsey were getting alone really well and all the time he was spending away from Stevie, was being spent with her. Jenna loved getting to know him. She saw a notification pop up on the lock screen of her phone and she took a break from her writing to reply. It was Lindsey and she smiled as she read his message. They went back and forth for a while, talking about the day and each of their plans. Kristen still didn't know about Jenna and neither did Stevie but Lindsey wanted his eldest to meet his other children. She was both nervous and excited. She didn't have siblings and she always longed for that bond all of her friends growing up told her about. She saw the chaos, the love, the ups and the downs and she wanted it all. There was a lull in conversation, she checked the time and before she knew it Stevie had joined her, she changed and they were whisked off to the hotel.

The next day, they flew back to LA, and Stevie would have a few days off before the next show. Jenna headed back to her apartment, having been given the day off so Stevie could sleep and recharge. She opened the door to find her possessions moved and even a few things knocked over. Something was definitely off. This was one of the very few times she hated living alone. She heard shuffling and left the apartment again, fearing running into the perpetrator. She couldn't think of anything else to do so she called the one person she had grown to believe would truly protect her and help her- Lindsey. She ran down the stairs and hopped in her car, locking herself inside. As she waited for him, she became even more nervous, pushing herself to tears. They were the longest minutes of her life. Something like this had never happened to her before. When he finally arrived, Jenna was in tears. He hugged her briefly.

"Did you see anyone?" He asked her, his big blue eyes wide.

"No, but I heard someone and my stuff was all over the place."

"Was anything missing?"

"I...I don't know"

"Did you call the police?"

"No, I called you" Jenna told him and he pulled her into his side.

"Jeez..." he said. "You are my kid. Don't you ever think?" He teased, giving her a sideways smirk.

She chuckles a little through her tears. "You could take whoever it is, couldn't you? Big strong guy like yourself?"

"We'll see. Stay here and I will go up"

"No, what if something happens up there."

"Then you don't need to see it" he said. She looked up at him, tears still flowing. Her bottom lip quivered.

"I've just been getting to know you. I can't have you taken away from me"

"Don't think about that. It could be nothing" he assured her. "Stay, be a good girl"

She rolled her eyes dramatically and he half-laughed. "Are you sure you're not mine and Stevie's secret daughter?" She shook her head and he kissed her hair before going up. She watched him, nervously picking at her nail polish.

Lindsey took the stairs two at a time, adrenaline rushing through his body. If he really thought about it, he'd scare himself but right now, he was in warrior mode. He slowly opened the door and spotted a baseball bat near the kitchen doorway. Great weapon, Jen he thought to himself. He grabbed it and walked through the apartment. He too heard the moving of things toward the back of the hallway. He pushed the doors open as quietly as possible. The bathroom, clear. The closet, clear. The spare room, clear. The last room had yet to be checked and the noise grew louder. He shoved the door open and raised the bat.

"What do you think you're doing?" He shouted and the figure turned around. He reached over to the wall to flip the light on but nothing happened.

"I blew a fuse. I was looking for the box...or something"

"What right do you have being in my daughter's house?"

"Daughter...y-you know?"

"Who the fuck are you?" The stranger lowered the hood of their sweatshirt and a long sprawl of blonde hair fell from it. As he drew closer, the face became clear.

"Lindsey..." the woman said.

"Carol? Carol Ann? You're--"

"I'm Jenna's mom" she said.

He physically stumbled back from the impact of her words. Carol Ann is Jenna's mom? Carol Ann is the mother of his child? How? Nothing made sense. All the color drained from Lindsey's face, the room began to spin and that was the last thing he remembered.

A/N: a little story progression but I hope it wasn't too boring. As always, sorry for any errors.