Straight Back

Thank You

The show the following night had been a nightmare for Stevie. She hadn't wanted to go on stage, hadn't wanted to do what she so far had loved most in life. With Robin gone, things like that didn't matter anymore. And then, during Sisters Of The Moon, she had lost it completely. If she had somehow been able to fool the audience so far, they had known something was wrong with her from that moment on.

But Lindsey had been there. She had no idea why. Not when she had thrown him out of her suite last night shortly after asking him what she still had to live for. If she hadn't been totally grief - sticken and angry at him for not saying anything, she might have been able to see that there were some things he had wanted to tell her. Nevertheless she was grateful that he had saved her ass on stage tonight.

He had taken over one part of the song, and then during the instrumental had come to her, leaning over her as she had bend over, crying again. It had comforted her some. And if she was honest with herself, it had felt good to not fight with Lindsey, but somehow be on the same page again. It had been too long since they had been able to be just close, to be as close to how they had been before everything had changed.

It was why she stood in front of his dressing room now, hoping that Carol Ann wasn't there. Biting her lip, Stevie shook her head, telling herself that even if, she would get through it. She had gone through the last few years, sometimes thinking she had made a mistake, and sometimes thinking that she couldn't have made a better decision by leaving him.

"Come in."

She hesitated for a moment, but then did step into the room. The first thing Stevie noticed was that Lindsey was alone.

"Hi."

"Hey."

He watched as she stood next to the door, not looking as if she was going to move anytime soon.

"You want something?"

Closing her eyes, she slowly shook her head. And then she pushed herself from the wall. But once more Stevie only took a few steps, coming to stand in the middle of the room.

"Then what...?"

Before Lindsey could finish his sentence, she spoke. It was quiet and he could see that she was crying once more, but he could guess what she had told him.

"Thank you." Stevie whispered.

"What for?" He asked.

Lindsey was truly surprised by her words. He hadn't guess something like this would come, not after her outburst last night.

"Covering for me." She smiled, but right now it didn't reach her eyes. "You did, and I know you didn't have to."

"It was nothing." He brushed it off.

"No, it was." She didn't want to let it go. Not when she felt that right now he was the boy again she had hopelessly fallen in love with. "I threw you out last night... I just..."

"It's okay." Lindsey made a few steps closer to her.

"It's not." She shook her head. "And I'm sorry. And don't say it doesn't matter right now, cause it is. Everything's falling apart but that's no reason to scream at you like this."

He was surprised by her words. He hadn't thought he would hear that much from her right now. But as soon and unexpected she had been showing up, as soon she turned without another word and went back outside.

"Stevie!" Lindsey called after her, but she didn't react anymore.