||24 Karat Gold|| Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks

2.

The flight was a long slog and Lindsey was most definitely screaming with joy inside as they landed on Australian soil, there was actually a limit on how long he could glare into the back of Stevie's head without going insane. He slipped his customary leather jacket over his shoulders before reaching inside a front pocket to pull out his limo black Ray Bans. He slipped them onto his face, ready to embrace the glorious sunshine. He stared down the aisle, watching everyone as they stretched and prepared themselves to leave the jet. Standing up he brushed past Stevie, hoping to get off the plane before her to show her that he was here to have the time of his life and he wasn't waiting for anyone. It was one of those rare tours where he had no responsibilities, for his children had grown up and his wife was far too busy with her new business venture to even think about accompanying him.

Stevie sighed, biting her bottom lip as she watched his slim figure brush past where she sat. Karen was packing away her laptop and she watched her boss... if eyes could throw daggers, Buckingham would be falling to the ground right about now. Karen quite honestly didn't know what to think of the situation, for she had no idea what Lindsey had done to cause such hatred to spew from Stevie's mouth every evening since he had visited her home. It couldn't have been that bad, for here she was sharing a 19 hour flight with him. The less she knew, the better. 

"Here, let me grab that for you Chris." Lindsey smiled, grabbing her luggage bag, slipping the holdall strap across his shoulder while he gestured for her to come out of her aisle. Chris smirked, digging a finger into his chest. 

"What is this Buck, when have you ever acted like such a gentleman for me? Or should I say... what game are you playing..." her voice a small whisper, to let him know she knew something was going on between him and Stevie. There was always something going on between them. 

Lindsey rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in front of his chest, "I can quite honestly tell you I have no idea what you are talking about. Would you rather I put this holdall back down and let you carry it? I mean... it's kind of heavy, what do you have in here?" as he spoke, his hands gripped the strap, pulling it from his shoulder as he pretended to put it back down. 

Chris chuckled, a shake of her head as she quickly stepped in front of Lindsey to start leaving the jet. 

Stevie watched the two of them as they laughed and whispered between each other and she just knew he was doing it to get to her. She slumped back into her seat, closing her eyes until the sound of footsteps left the jet. 

A few hours had flown by and Stevie was now leaning over her balcony, staring out mindlessly at the gorgeous sunset that enveloped the city of Melbourne. Had she been back at home, she would only just be rising from her sleep to endure another night of living her nocturnal lifestyle. It was the peace and quiet of the world she craved more than anything but she always knew it was something she would have to give up during this tour and she knew it was going to be a nightmare getting into a 'normal' sleeping pattern. To conform with everyone else in the world, to be the same and to live within a routine. She hated it, it bored her to death and she wasn't sure why. 

She decided to have a soak in the luxurious bath within her suite, to wash away the day she had dreaded for so long. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it was the fact that they could now tour in luxury with extravagant hotel suites. As she contemplated the day, she realised it could have gone much worse. She had to be smarter though, she now knew Lindsey was on his high horse, pretending to be the bigger man, the 'hero' who got the band to agree to do this tour. He was acting as though nothing had happened, no admissions had been made and it made her angry. She just wished everyone could see how he had acted when he had stood at her front door that one summer's evening. The way he spat and swore, the threats, the hatred in his eyes and the verbal abuse he had thrown her would disgust anyone. 

Shaking her head she remembered the tears as they fell down her cheeks as she took it all from him, she let him say everything that had quite obviously built up over the years and it came down to this ridiculous tour agreement to finally get it all out of him. She couldn't even speak once he had finished and he too, had to catch his breath. The veins in his neck had sunk back into his skin and for just a moment she could swear she saw the regret written across his face as he reflected on everything he just spilled, the sound of his heart pounding against his chest as panic set in. She knew every emotion his eyes could reveal, for she had been on the receiving end of those damn ocean blue eyes for an eternity. She had given him what he wanted, grabbing the pen and paper from his hands, signing the contract on the spot before shoving it against his chest. She didn't care what anyone thought they knew about Lindsey, she knew that deep down he was a unhappy man, a man who could never be completely satisfied and if she was being honest, she was completely shocked at the doorstep revelation, he had hidden it all extremely well...and for so long. She couldn't give a toss if he walked around as though he was a man with everything, it was all an act and she knew he regretted admitting that to her. She knew his secret and it empowered her. 

As she sunk further into her tub, she questioned exactly why she had given in and agreed to delay her album release. Perhaps it was a moment of desperation, anything to get Lindsey away from her doorstep. Everyone in the business knew that her musical interests no longer included Fleetwood Mac, for she had grown bored of the fights, the routine, the same old songs. It was refreshing to write music with different musicians that really understood and respected her ideas completely. Yet... here she was, touring with Fleetwood Mac...with him. They hadn't even spoke to each other since he confronted her and she was unsure of what direction their on-stage dynamic was going to take. It made her nervous, knowing that whatever way it went, it would be completely natural and unplanned. It was no longer the seventies, but the thought of a glass of wine or two before the first show tomorrow evening was now becoming more and more tempting. 

You don't get nervous Nicks, you are a Queen, you will have all the support you need right in front of you. Your fans will get you through, you won't even notice his presence on stage, let him do his thing and you can do yours.