Too Late

XI. Gearing Up

"Now, remember..." Kristen smoothed Lindsey's shirt and gave him a last once over.

"I know, I know, Kris. Be calm and patient. Don't let her dodge questions, but meet her on her terms. Make her feel comfortable, but don't let her avoid the issues. Be a gentleman, and try to stay calm." Lindsey just wanted to get the show on the road already!

His palms were sweating, and he felt jittery. He wiped his palms on his jeans and was hoping that if he kept staring down Kristen, maybe she'd conclude her spiel and let him wallow and worry in silence.

"One more thing, which is THE most important. Remember that you love her at all times!" Kristen knew he couldn't leave without that reminder.

"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT! It's like, no, I did this all because I hate her guts?!" Lindsey did not divorce Kristen only to gain a second mother!  He continued in an outrage, "Who do you think I am? What do you think we're doing? WHY do you think I've been miserable these last couple months! Geez, you treat me like a dodo bird with a pea brain!"

"Reel it in, wise man," Kristen demanded. 

She was not putting up with Lindsey's nonsense when she'd been doing everything she could to hitch him to another woman!

"I told you to remember you love her, because everything you say and do matters. Stevie's skittish and isn't really close at the moment to falling back into your arms, walking down the aisle, or anything else you want with her. So you have to be careful. Remember you love her so that you don't say anything stupid. So that you are patient and forgive her when she tries to keep you at arm's length, when she might say something that hurts you...or do that stupidity only you and she do to each other. Also, this doesn't have to be Custer's last stand, so you don't have to punch everything home. Maybe you can kind of nudge her toward the reconciliation."

Lindsey's foot was falling asleep while he was bored to tears from Kristen's unsolicited advice. He stomped the dead foot, as he gritted, "At this point, if we don't kill each other and if she doesn't freeze me out, I'll count it as a victory."

"Have a little hope! You have to be determined or you might as well give up now!"

"I'M BEING REALISTIC!" He hollered, grabbing a tie and hurriedly knotting it around his neck. 

Lindsey left the master bedroom of the house and trudged down the hall and on his way toward the front door. Kristen trailed him. When she finally caught up to him, she latched onto his tie, pulling it off, resettling it and doing it up properly. Lindsey tried to bat her hands away, but she was persistent. 

"Stop that, Kristen!"

"Don't you want to look good for Stevie? Just because you have known each other for a million years doesn't mean you can't make an effort!"

Lindsey shook his head vehemently. "Stevie and I...you just wouldn't understand! We've known each other since we were kids and Stevie was still pre-gypsy and straight-laced. We've both seen each other at our worsts....high, mean, near insane drunk, totally outraged to the point of violence...everything in the world a person would not be proud of. I'm just going now, and whatever! I'll show up and if she's in the mood to let me in and receptive to fixing us, then she is. If not, then I guess tough luck for me."

"Now, what about-" 

"Girls, come say goodbye to your old dad!" he shouted. 

Stella and Leelee emerged from their rooms and came to hug him. Their entrance cut off Kristin and signaled to Lindsey time for escape soon. Escape from one woman grilling him to another woman possibly freezing him out?

"Dad, you're going to knock her socks off!" Stella said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I mean, wow! You even put on something not a t-shirt," Leelee commented sarcastically.

"Thanks for the encouragement. And thanks for putting up with me. Love you all." Lindsey pecked each of his three girls on the cheek and opened the front door.

"LINDSEY!" He looked back at Kristen, who was calling his name. "YOU FORGOT SOMETHING!"

"Whaaa-"

Kristen disappeared and came back with an armful, transferring the packages to him.

"You superwoman, you!" Lindsey smiled warmly and then finally headed toward the car to see Stevie for the first time in months. 

***

"Oh. It's you." Karen shot Lindsey an unwelcome look. She kept the front door only half open.

"Come on, Karen old pal. You know you like me! After all, who else will buy you the best chocolate and cheese and other awesome stuff for Christmas?"

"Stevie," she snapped.

"Okay...but who gets your slave driver bossy mistress to chill out and give you some extra days off?" Lindsey argued lightly. "You have to admit that it's only when I come around and shoo you away that you truly get down time! After all, at this point, you're Stevie's family so she even takes you on vacation with her!"

"You haven't won." And there was Karen, with her no-nonsense glare. "I like it when Stevie drags me to Italy and Hawaii. Do you know any other bosses that pay you to take exotic trips with them? I rest my case. But sure, you're okay only SOMETIMES, Buckingham. But even when you shoo me off, you still coerce me into making you reservations and ordering flowers and all kinds of romantic nonsense! Not to mention that I am the clean-up crew for the emotional havoc you always, inevitably, and never stop wreaking on poor Stevie!" Karen let her disapproval be known with a boisterous crossing of her arms as she remained blocking the entryway.

"Poor Stevie? POOR STEVIE?! Man, has she got you-"

"Are you two gossiping hens talking badly about me?" 

That's when Madame Nicks chose to make her appearance. 

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So sorry for the six month hiatus! Trust me, I know how horrible it is to be invested in a story and then be left hanging! And this chapter was not exactly a huge payoff, but I've got the next chapter nearly done... So you should be getting more updates on this fic soon! And I will be working on Embrace Me and Slow Dance a little, too. 

You fellow BN lovers are an awesome, supportive community, and I appreciate this if you are still reading! Lots of love!