Start Again

Part 1

"Turn that frown upside down." Christine nudged Lindsey, who sat with his arms crossed, his eyes scanning the room. 

Fleetwood Mac had a show in just a few days, so Mick as always wanting to keep things peaceful, invited everyone to have dinner together and catch up. However, Stevie and Lindsey hadn't been on best of terms and that was truly the reason why Mick wanted to get them in the same room, so they could sort it out. Also, it was Christine's birthday. It might have not been the best idea to bring Stevie and Lindsey together on that particular day.John declined the invitation, having wished his ex-wife a happy birthday over the phone.

Christine arrived just after Lindsey had and now they were waiting for the other two. It didn't really surprise either, when they saw Mick and Stevie entering the restaurant together. They always had some kind of special bond, which needless to say irritated Lindsey.

With a smile on her face Christine stood up to greet her long time friend, whom she couldn't see as often as she would have liked. "Hello, stranger!" The older blonde beamed, crushing Stevie in a hug.

"Hey, Chris." Stevie smiled warmly as she drew back. "Happy birthday."

"Don't mention it." Christine waved it off, laughing.

"Here, just a little something." Stevie handed the other woman a small gift box, Chris could only wonder what was inside, but for the time being, she put it aside. 

Stevie's eyes then drifted over to Lindsey. The first thing she thought of was that he looked tired. She probably did too. After all, they weren't as young anymore, but they spent nearly as much time on the road as they used to if not more. A faint smile graced her features and she approached him, Lindsey stood up and gave her a one arm hug.

"Hey."

"Hey." She echoed his plain tone of voice. 

And that was that.

The four sat down and a waiter approached them. Mick insisted everyone had a glass of champagne for a toast. He started out with well wishes to Christine, before he expressed how happy and excited he was for the upcoming show. However, he seemed to be the only one. If not for thick tension in the air, Christine might have been excited too, but she couldn't stand how childish Stevie and Lindsey still were. 

"So, what have you been up to?" Christine looked at Stevie, her chin resting on her clenched fist.

Stevie shrugged her shoulders, fidgeting with her rings. She had been up to a lot, but she didn't really want to discuss it in front of Lindsey. "Nothing much. I'm on a break right now."

"Oh, yeah? Weren't you in London recently with Tom?"

The mention of her dearest friend brought a smile to Stevie's face. "Yes, I was. It was fun. A great, massive crowd. Even if I didn't have to perform, I would have gone to see Tom. He just... he's brilliant. I stood in the wings, watching his whole set, singing at the top of my lungs along with him and the Heartbreakers." Stevie chuckled and Lindsey looked over to her. 

He had missed her, but he was angry with her. Lindsey wanted to record another Fleetwood Mac album badly, but it seemed like Stevie had taken on every project that came her way only so she didn't have time to join them in the studio. He couldn't put all the blame on her, he knew he was difficult to work with, especially when it came to Stevie. He had always been known to strive for perfection and sometimes with Stevie's songs, he couldn't do that, because they were wonderful in their own different way. Sometimes his brilliance meant pushing out her heart and soul out of the beautiful poems she'd written. However, more than once it had been exactly what her songs needed, but like she had said, it was the poet that she was and she didn't like making changes.

"I'm also joining Don for his 70th birthday celebration." Hearing Stevie mention that caused the scowl to return to Lindsey's face. "Joe's going to be there too. I haven't seen him in a long time."

"It's a shame you find time for everyone else but us." Lindsey spoke up and Mick took in a sharp breath, here we go.

"For you? What does that mean? As far as I know Fleetwood Mac only have two shows this year." Stevie replied calmly. 

"That's not what I'm talking about." Lindsey shook his head.

"The album, of course." Stevie rolled her eyes, sighing. "This is not the time or place, Lindsey."

"Well, this is the only time you're with us. After we perform on Sunday, I'm sure there's somewhere else you've got to jet off to."

"Come on, mate." Mick gave him a pointed look. 

"Didn't you want us to resolve our issues? How else are we going to do that if we don't talk?" Glancing at Mick briefly, Lindsey's eyes focused on Stevie again. "Is it because of me? Be honest."

"Because of you what?" Stevie glared back at him, her arms now folded.

"If I wasn't a part of the recording process, you would have done it, right?"

Staring at him for a moment, Stevie nodded her head. "You're absolutely right. I would have, but it's not-"

"Right." Pushing his chair back, Lindsey got up to his feet and walked away. If he was going to come back or not, they did not know.

"That!" Stevie pointed in the direction Lindsey walked off to. "He didn't even let me finish. I was going to say, that it's not because I don't love him dearly or that I don't appreciate his talent. It's because of how intense things get and I don't want to argue with any of you anymore. I'm tired of that. I want things to be peaceful when we go back on the road next year or whenever that's going to be. I know..." She lay her hand over her heart for emphasis. "I know that if we had recorded that album, Lindsey and I wouldn't even be in the same room tonight."

"Don't get upset." Christine smiled weakly, reaching across the table as she covered Stevie's hand with her own. "He'll brood for some time and come back. I think you should talk, but just the two of you. Somewhere else that isn't so public too."

"I'm tired, Chris." Stevie sighed. "I'm tired of still having to solve problems between him and I after all this time." Stevie hung her head low, her long hair covering her face as a few tears escaped her eyes.