Timeless

44

1996-July-Lindsey

John, Christine, Carson, Mick, Myself, Sara, Mason, and Josh are all in our home studio. I'm working on a new solo album and Sara begged to play guitar on one of my songs. She just completed her first year of pre-med. Stevie's been touring for a year exactly. Only stopping for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not to mention Sara's nineteenth, Josh' ninth, and Mason's fifteenth birthdays.

The seven of us are laughing at something Carson said or did. He's only five. Six next month. And his logic tends to make us all laugh. He's so much like John quite and shy but once you get to know the kid he's loud and boisterous like Christine. All of a sudden we hear voices upstairs.

"You locked the door right?" I ask Sara.

"Yes, I did." She insists.

We listen closely, "Oh Karen, do stay for dinner." Brenwen's ears perk up at the sound of Stevie, her mistress.

"Momma's home," Josh says bounding up the stairs, Mason, Sara, and the dog follows behind him quickly.

I watch from the doorway to the studio as Josh attacks his mother from behind. The other two following his lead. Stevie's wearing tennis shoes and their height differences are hysterical. Josh is at his mom's breasts. Sara is only an inch and a half taller so they're close in height but Mason towers over the three of them at Five foot eight, and he's only fifteen so he's still growing. He might get even taller than me.

"Karen this is my daughter Sara, and my sons Mason and Joshua." Stevie laughs.

"Who are you?" Josh asks.

"I'm Karen Johnston. You're mom's assistant." Karen smiles.

"Dad, she's mom's Ray." Mason laughs.

"I guess so, Hi I'm Mr. Stevie Nicks. Lindsey Buckingham. My assistant, Ray Lindsey, is downstairs." I say shaking Karen's hand.

"Pleasure."

"Karen, you are staying for dinner. Go tell Ray he's staying too." Stevie insists kissing me.

"What about Carson?" Josh asks.

"Carson's here?" Stevie questions.

"Carson, John, Christine, Mick," I say,

"What?" She asks hurt filling her eyes.

"I'm working on my solo, I had Chris come down to play keys, John bass, and Mick drums. Mick's been here for a week but John and Chris only came today. Sara also plays on one of my songs and she and Mason have been teaching Josh how to play Guitar. All three of them have been in the Studio with me for a month." I explain.

"Oh, well yes go tell them. I'll make Spaghetti Bake it'll be about two hours." Stevie says.

"Sounds good. Kids stay up here with your mom. I've got some more work to do" I say.

***

"Stephanie, thank you for dinner. It was marvelous and you've got some talented children." Mick says biting into his Pasta.

"I do don't I." Stevie smiles.

"Say, now that we're all here a while back at the inauguration, it felt really good to be all together. And though Stevie wasn't there, it felt right being in the studio together. I know I was fired and it's not my place to ask this, but what do you guys think of a tour. It could be the Rumours line up and we'd play it off as like a twenty-year reunion." I ask

"Has it been twenty years since you two joined the band?" Christine questions.

"We signed the contract a week before Sara was born. Sara will be twenty in January." I reply.

"Well, I mean I never actually thought about it. But I mean, we all have children. School-aged children." Chris states.

"I know. We wouldn't do a long tour, October, November, December. I'm sure Julie wouldn't mind watching Carson. I'll get my mother out here to watch Mason and Josh. I mean we saw how well the fans reacted to the inauguration. And if we start in October, Chris won't miss Carson's first day of school. We'll come back for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Plus it gives Stevie time to recover from this tour." I say

"Lindsey, you were wrongly fired in eighty-five. I'd love to tour with you again, mate." John says.

"Why were you fired?" Karen asks.

"Well, Stevie and I got into a fight and Mick and John asked me to leave." I shrug.

"No, mom was pregnant, I asked dad not to tour because I missed my parents and dad told the band. Mom attacked him, Scratched up his face, dad chased her and ended up choking her." Sara says.

"Sara," I warn.

"No, the cloud has been looming over us for years. Josh is fine, mom is fine, I'd actually really like to talk about it." Sara sighs.

"How'd you even know?" Stevie questions.

"The day you brought Josh home from the hospital, I heard dad tell Nana, Papa, Aunt Lori, and Uncle Chris," Sara explains.

"You little eavesdropper." I gasp.

"I'm just saying." Sara shrugs.

"Back to Fleetwood Mac, I'd love to tour with you guys again," Stevie says leaning over the table and grabbing my hand.

"I'm in," Mick says.

"I guess we're touring," Christine laughs.

"I'll set everything up." Mick claps.

"NO!" Me and the three other members shout.

"Well, why not?" Mick crosses his arms.

"Need I remind you, Tusk." Christine groans.

"What was so wrong with Tusk?" I ask.

"Your wife was pregnant, we recorded in your bathroom, Sara was always there, Stevie was distracted, and we were broke." John chuckles.

"Point taken, I'll set everything up." I chuckle.

"I've been there since day one, you can't blame me." Sara pouts.

"True." Chris sighs.

"And Tusk had some great songs." Sara starts.

"Oh yeah?" Mick asks.

"Sara..." Sara trails.

"You only like it because it was named for you." Mick protests.

When we go to bed I wrap my arms around Stevie.

"We're actually doing it. We're going to tour again. How exciting." I say giddily.

"Lindsey, will we be okay. We always fight in Fleetwood Mac." She asks.

"We certainly will. I've missed you Steph, but as much as I'd love to ravish you right now, we get to watch Cory, Brooke, and Chloe." I yawn.

"Oh, Jeff and Christi are in town?" She asks.

"Yeah, Jeff has to do some things with his plant up here and everyone is coming. They plan to leave the kids with us for a night and get a hotel to have some privacy. I volunteered to take them because Cory is old enough to take care of them but Christi doesn't really want her to be alone with the new baby." I explain.

"Well, I would like to meet my new niece," Stevie says sadly and I know she's still longing for a baby.