Fleetwood Mac-Part III of Fritz Series

Waiting is the Hardest Part

"My favorite part was when you played piano!"

"Nuh-uh that's my favorite part! Stop copying me Sara!"

"You copied me first!"

"Momma tell Sara to stop copying me!"

"No he did it first! Momma!"

I don't think many post-concert limo rides for other rock stars turn out this way, Sara and Nova constantly at odds with each other the older they get are both bouncing up in down with righteous indignation. both adamant that the other copied them, AJ is hugging his mother like a life preserver staying far away from the mortal combat his siblings are currently engaged in "Guys knock it off" from across the limo I can see exhaustion in Stevie's eyes, regardless of how excited she is to be back with us she's been working non-stop for weeks.

"Yeah Sara daddy said knock it off"

"He told you to knock it off too"

"He told you first!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Oye....this can and will go on for hours if I don't put a stop to it "Both of you cut it out!" They both shrink back in their seats arms crossed glaring at each other. I don't remember being like this with Greg...maybe Jeff. I wonder if Stevie and Chris were like this, something tells me they weren't. Chris seems like he'd just do what Stevie told him to do, I imagine his demeanor to be similar to AJ. As if sensing my train of thought Stevie nudges my ankle with one of her suede pumps "They get that from you" my neck prickles slightly in denial "Just me? I seem to recall you starting as many fights with me as I started with you"

"You're memory is faulty then"

"Is not"

"Is so"

"Steph-"

"Linds-"

We smile at the same time her foot nudging my ankle again, lingering just below the fabric of my slacks and sliding up and down. Without thinking I trap her foot with my legs our eyes catching heat burning between us...maybe she's not TOO tired. "Ow! Daddy Nova hit me!" by the end of this ride though I might be "Nova Andrew Buckingham how many times have I told you not to hit your sister?!" hundreds of times it seems. Weekly. I'm not overly concerned Sara's bigger than him and stronger, but that won't always be the case "She keeps scooting to my side of the seat!" Stevie lifts AJ off her lap reaching across the limo and grabbing Nova's hand "Then sit over here, and no talking for fifteen minutes you're on a time out"

Sara sticks her tongue out quickly, but back in mom mode Stevie catches it "That goes for you to Missy, fifteen minutes no talking"

"But-"

"But nothing, you're older than both your brothers you need to act like it"

Sara's cheeks turn bright red, tears welling in her eyes, she doesn't argue further crossing her arms and leaning against my shoulder occasionally wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. AJ, meanwhile, climbs back into Stevie's lap resting his head on her chest as we cruise down the highway toward home "When do rehearsals start for our tour?" Stevie half yawns half asks "Next week our first show is in the middle of October" three days after our anniversary/my birthday to be exact. She yawns again, hopefully I rub my foot against her ankle trying to reignite the heat from before. With a sad smile she looks back at me "I don't think I'm up for anything tonight hon"

I was afraid of that, but I'm not surprised she performed one hell of a set expending ten times the energy that she does during a Fleetwood Mac concert. I honestly have never seen her do anything close to what she did tonight. She usually stands well back when we perform as a group, shining through when we play her songs but still reserved as if to keep the focus on all of us and to direct it away from herself. She had no such restraints in place tonight, this was the Stevie show. Looking across the expanse of the limo I can see her fading in and out of sleep her hand gently combing through AJ's curly blonde hair. Nova, still pouting in time out, leans on one of her shoulders inhaling a deep breath every now and again as if he's about to speak before remembering he's not allowed to.