Title: Love Runs Deeper: Chapter One, One-time Diner
Rating: PG-13 [mild language, innuendo]

Summary: Lindsey flees to the Bay area to get a break from Fleetwood Mac after the first tour. Lily Walker struggles working two jobs.




Joining Fleetwood Mac had certainly been the correct career decision; that he would never doubt. Their first album exceeded his expectations, but if he asked his band mates, Mick and John likely would have just shrugged it off. Touring had been more strenuous than he expected, but Lindsey thought he adjusted well enough to it.

Only he could feel the cracks in his relationship with Stevie beginning to widen.

He could not explain how it had happened. Perhaps working and living together was too much time together. He was uncertain. And it was tearing him apart. She was perfect for him – or at least he thought that prior to Fleetwood Mac. No, that was not always the case. While playing in Fritz, the rules had been that no one touched Stevie. He had respected them, had not ever tried to push beyond just band mates, but something had changed once that band dissolved. Seemingly, now that they were back in a band, something changed again.

Moreover, he was not entirely sure if he could fix things. Part of him wanted to, but a greater part of him thought it might be time to move on. Perhaps that was why he fell into that brief relationship while on tour, to give himself an out. Not to say Stevie had been entirely faithful either. But that was not the point. Alternatively, perhaps it was. He was uncertain. Could he fix it? Did he even want to?

As the leader of the band, Mick had decided post-tour everyone was to reconvene in Sausalito at the Record Plant Studios. After yet another fight with Stevie, Lindsey stormed out of the apartment in LA and headed north towards the Bay Area. Two weeks prior to the rest of the band arriving, he figured he could re-locate his roots, visit his family, and forget about being a rock star for a moment. He really hoped he would have the chance to rest and quiet the demons in his head.

Pulling into his parents’ driveway long after the sun had set; Lindsey turned his car off and sat there for a long moment. He could not even remember what the fight that drove him from the apartment was about. As he opened the door of the car, he realized… he did not even care. After grabbing his bag from the passenger seat, he headed up to the front door, a bit grateful to see lights still on in the house. At least that meant not everyone had headed to bed.

Cracking the door open, he stepped in and called out for his family. A moment later, his mother stepped into the foyer. She instantly grinned and embraced him, pulling him into the house. Kissing his cheeks loudly, she led him into the kitchen to greet his brother. With greetings and embraces taken care of, Lindsey headed to his former bedroom. Dropping his bag just inside the room, he flicked on the light and instantly frowned. He supposed in that moment he truly understood the whole saying of never being able to return home. At least it was a bed in a house. He would have to find home somewhere else.



Hurrying into her apartment, glancing at the large wall clock hanging crookedly on the stained wall, the young blond quickly stripped her blouse off. Her eyes quickly glanced over the top to see if she had accidentally stained it before slipping it back on a hanger and shoving it into her closet. Pulling off her skirt and giving it the same inspection, she returned it to the closet and pulled out a salmon-pink polyester dress. Pausing to glance down at her hose, she crinkled her nose upon seeing the start of a run in them. She knew it would ruin the pair of pantyhose before the night was over. Quickly pulling them off as it was her very last pair and she would need them the following day, she shrugged the pink dress on, zipped it quickly, and searched for her frilly white apron.

After locating her white, nurse-like shoes, she hurried back out of her mostly empty apartment. Her footsteps echoed as she ran down the steps and out of the building. Pausing briefly to ascertain the weather, she sighed in relief that the weather did not seem to call for an umbrella currently. Checking to make certain her purse was zipped close; she took a deep breath and began a brisk walk down the street. Glancing at a clock as she passed a bank, her golden eyes widened. Swearing under her breath, she increased her pace from a quick walk to a quick jog.

Skidding into the restaurant, she skirted around the cook and hurried over to the coat hook. Tossing her purse on the bulbous peg, she took a deep breath and looked around, hoping the manager did not notice she was fifteen minutes late to her shift. However, her manager headed directly towards her as she tied her apron in place and slipped a notepad and pen into the pocket.

“You’re fifteen minutes late, Lily,” he grumbled.

“I know. I know. I was late leaving the office, missed my bus, and had a run in my hose. It will–”

“–never happen again,” he finished. “I’ve heard that before. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to find someone more punctual, Lily.”

Her eyes went to his, “Please don’t fire me, Roy. I really need this job. I might be late from time to time, but I always come. Please don’t fire me.”

Staring at her for a moment, his shoulders slumped slightly, “Get on out there. Don’s been asking about you.”

Grinning she kissed his cheek and hurried out into the diner.

Four hours later, Lily slid onto a barstool. The diner was completely empty. The hostess had gone home, the other waitress as well. She and the cook were all that were left, but that is often how it was after midnight. A second server sometimes trickled in around one, but only on weekends. Nevertheless, as it was Wednesday, it would be just the two of them until the early shift arrived. She did not mind. The cook always cooked her up something before the two of them either napped or chatted until a customer arrived. A few regulars did drift in from time to time, but even they did not mind if the waitress sat and chatted; most of them welcomed it. However, this night, after eating whatever was pressed before her, Lily watched as the cook drifted to a corner with a book and looked around an empty diner herself.

Considering her options for a brief moment, she asked the cook to wake her if need be and slipped into a back booth to nap. Working two jobs, with rarely more than four hours off in-between generally led to a sleepless life. More often than not, Lily picked up extra shifts on her days off, instead of remaining home to sleep. Knowing they might not have a single customer made curling up in a booth not a bad idea at all. She would just close her eyes and rest a bit, enough to be energized to go to the office in a few short hours…



After two days of spending time with his family, Lindsey was ready to break out. It should have been a relaxing atmosphere, some place he could decompress. Rather he was going nuts in their house. It was one thing to be surrounded by all of his brothers’ swimming trophies and medals; it was another thing to be asked when he was going to give up ‘the silly musician thing.’ He thought that after a very successful album and tour with Fleetwood Mac, they would finally take him seriously. Apparently, that was not the case and he needed release already. Therefore, while his mother was away, Lindsey packed up his things, left a note, and climbed back in his car.

He checked into a nice hotel, called up a few friends, and cracked open a beer. Heading over to the balcony, he pulled open the door and looked over the Bay. Smirking he slipped into the lounge chair, propped up his feet, and slowly enjoyed his beer. He let his mind wander and his eyes darkened. He was done with Stevie. He knew that much. These blowouts were not worth it. Nothing was ever resolved from them. Their fights just led to more negativity. He did not need that in his life.

But what did that mean of the band? Would he leave Fleetwood Mac because of Stevie? No. He could make music with the band, even with Stevie, and not be involved romantically with any of them. After all, Fritz had functioned just fine with Stevie only being the singer of the band. He would protect his heart and only interact with her on a professional level.

With that decided, he knew the night out on the town with his friends would be so much more enjoyable. No worries about women always made the night better. They could just shoot the shit and have fun. He was certain Stevie did not remember how to do that. What the fuck? It did not matter what Stevie thought or did any more. He was done with her, completely done with her. He would erase her from his thoughts and enjoy that night.

But maybe he needed another beer first.

By the time he headed down to the lobby to meet up with his friends, Lindsey had already drunk six beers – albeit over a long period of time. He was not completely drunk yet, but he certainly was not sober either. His friends did not care and the five of them headed out of the hotel, into the bustling night air.

They moved from bar to bar until finding the right one with the most perfect vibe. Lindsey brushed off all the women who hit on him, certain they were just doing so because he was with a band. He was not looking for that at all, certainly not that night. His friends thought it odd at first, but accepted it. That is until they abandoned reason and replaced it with drunkenness. One by one, they paired off with women in the bars, until only Lindsey remained. With an angsty sigh, he pushed away from the bar and headed out into the chilly February night air.

Flipping his jacket collar up and pulling it close, he wobbled down the sidewalk. He was not entirely sure of his destination or even that he should be walking down the street, but it seemed to be his only option. Perhaps though he should have called a cab… only he knew not where to tell it to go. Walking was his only option.

“Fucking cold out here,” he mumbled drunkenly to no one.

His dark eyes looked up, searching for some place that was open. Spying a lit diner at the corner, Lindsey decided that to be his destination and wandered across the street to reach it, narrowly avoiding running into a parked car. Regaining his composure after the near drunken collision, his fingers reached for the silver door handle. As he stepped inside, he nearly sighed in relief at the warmth of the diner. His dark blue eyes glanced around, taking in the scene. No other patrons filled any of the white vinyl booths or silver and white chairs. The soft scent of cleaning supplies drifted in the air. Though the door was unlocked, the lights on, and the open sign illuminated, not a single person seemed to be present. Had he just walked into a ghost diner?

As soon as he thought that, a rather rotund man dressed all in white with a dirty apron on stepped out into the dining room. His eyes flicked in Lindsey’s direction but his actual presence did not register until the man glanced again a couple of steps later.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Have a seat wherever you like. Lily will be with you in a moment.”

The man in white, the cook Lindsey presumed, then disappeared back into the kitchen. With a shrug, Lindsey headed to a booth and practically collapsed into it. He pressed his cheek against the cool, smooth table. His eyes fluttered close, something he hoped would stop the spinning of the room, and he inhaled deeply. Hearing the sound of porcelain sliding across the table and the soft sigh of the vinyl of the seat across from him, Lindsey cracked open his left eye. Turning on his cheek slightly, he gazed across the table at his companion. Attired in a bubblegum pink frock with a frilly white apron, a young blond woman looked at him. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a tight bun, making him wonder how long it was and if loosening it would make her any more beautiful than she already was. Her features were soft, though even in his one-eyed gaze; he could see a mix of exhaustion and worry causing dark circles under her eyes, not quite as covered with makeup as she perhaps thought. He purposefully avoided her eyes, skipping instead to her gentle sweeping nose down to her pink-stained lips. Perhaps it was the booze in his system for as Lindsey looked at her lips, he felt oddly compelled to sit up and lean over to kiss her.

Instead, he sat up and finally looked to her eyes. His mouth opened slightly as he gazed into the most interesting, golden eyes he had ever looked into. Sure, Stevie had pretty brown eyes, but this woman’s eyes were the shade of soft amber. He had never seen such a color before and it completely transfixed him. She was… she was…

“Coffee, black,” she pointed at the white cup in front of him. “And our cook is cooking you something special now.”

“I… thank you,” he muttered, reaching for the cup.

“Tell me, stranger, what brings you into my diner at such a late hour. Shouldn’t you be in some beautiful woman’s arms?”

He sighed, “No. I don’t know… where I’m supposed to be.”

Her hand reached across and touched his gently, sending a spark up his arm, “I’ll help you sober up some and then we can figure that out, okay, sweetie?”

His eyes watched as she slid out of the booth and headed towards the kitchen. Sighing he lifted the coffee cup to his lips and sipped. A wry smile danced on his lips. She might have called it black coffee, but it certainly did not taste like crappy, burned diner coffee. There was a hint of cinnamon in it. Had a feeling this woman had more surprises in store for him.



Slipping into the kitchen, Lily leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply. The cook looked up at her and chuckled, but said nothing. She moved to his side to help him plate the drunken special, her entire soul sparkling. Biting her bottom lip, she pulled her hand away from the plate as the hot food accidentally missed the plate and hit her fingers.

While she ran her fingers under cool water, the cook spoke, “He’s just an average drunk, Lily.”

“No, he’s not,” she responded, wiping her hands dry. “And I don’t know why.”

“Maybe I should take him his food instead, chickadee. I don’t like the look in your eyes,” he declared, picking up the plate.

“No!” she quickly snatched it from him. “I will do my job.”

“Be careful, chickadee. Be careful,” he chuckled, shaking his head as she pushed out of the kitchen.

Taking a deep breath before turning around, Lily headed back over to the single patron. Straightening her shoulders and back, she paused just before he glanced up. With a smile, she set the plate down in front of him before slipping back into the seat across from him. His blue eyes glanced at her before he reached for the silverware.

“Oops. Forgot something,” she muttered and stood, returning to the kitchen.

Returning a moment later, Lily set down a large glass of orange juice before sitting back down. He smiled slightly before turning his attention back to the plate. While he had not really been hungry at all, as soon as she set the plate down his alcohol-soaked stomach gurgled. Lindsey struggled to eat slowly to not overburden his stomach.

“So…” he muttered, looking across the table and once more getting lost in her golden eyes. “Do you… do you… always…?”

“Sit with people while they eat?” she offered.

He nodded after slipping the fork into his mouth again.

“Sometimes, yes. Sometime, no. A few regulars here like me to sit with them. Some people do not and want to be left alone. But as the restaurant is empty… I don’t know. You just seemed to need company as you drooled on my clean table,” she teased.

He flushed slightly, “Sorry, I just… I just…”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m used to having drunken customers,” Lily claimed. “We are close to bars after all. Tell me though, what’s your name?”

“Lindsey.”

She smiled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lindsey. I’m Lily.”

After sharing an entire pot and a half of coffee with Lindsey as well as sharing a slice of apple pie a la mode, Lily cleaned up and wiped down the table. With over two hours spent with him and no one else, as no other customers crossed the diner’s threshold, she felt really comfortable around him. It mattered not that he played in a well-known band, especially since she had no idea who Fleetwood Mac were; she hadn’t any time for music or anything in her life. She left him dozing in the booth to finish cleaning up the diner for the next shift. 

The cook had slipped out of the kitchen at some point, taking up station with a book on the other side of the dining room where he could keep an eye on the young waitress and drunk. As she passed by him with the broom, his fingers circled her wrist. Her eyes went to his and she smiled before sitting beside him.

“You’re not going to take him home with you, are you?” he asked.

“No!” Lily instantly replied. “When Marianne gets here, I’m going to make sure he gets safely to wherever he’s supposed to be. That’s it.”

“Don’t be foolish, Lily. He’s a grown man. He can–”

She got back to her feet, “And I’m grown woman. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Famous last words,” he muttered, watching as she finished her chores.



Slipping her arm into his, Lily led Lindsey out of the diner. Dawn had yet to warm the skies or tint the fog hanging about the Bay. They waited on the edge of the sidewalk for the called cab to arrive. Having no intentions of going with him, just seeing that he got safely on his way though his drunkenness had subsided greatly, she smiled as the car pulled up. Opening the back door, Lindsey motioned for her to slide in.

“Oh no. I can’t,” she instantly responded.

“Why not? I mean, I’m not expecting… I… let me give you a ride home,” he uttered.

“I don’t live that far away, Lindsey, but thank you. Go back to your hotel and sleep off the rest of the beer,” she responded. “Maybe our paths will cross again.”

“I… okay. Thank you again for all your kindness tonight, Lily,” he itched to embrace her.

With little thought, Lily slipped her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek, “I wish you all the best, Lindsey.”

His arms circled her waist, his hands flat against her back. For the briefest of moments, he could feel her curvy body molding to his. He wondered if she would always feel perfect in his arms. What was he thinking? They barely knew each other, would likely never see each other again.

Regretfully, he pulled away and smiled at her, “Thank you again. I hope to see you again, Lily.”

“Good night, Lindsey.”

Stepping back, she watched him get into the cab before turning and heading down the street in the opposite direction. Her pace was a bit quicker than she thought, perhaps because her thoughts were running a million miles a minute, swirling around how nice it had felt to have his arms around her. The initial touch of their hands at the beginning of the evening had sent electric currents through her veins. His brief embrace increased that by millions.

And yet she walked away.



Waking up in the middle of the afternoon, swimming in a hotel bed, Lindsey rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. Surprisingly, given as much as he remembered drinking, he did not feel very hung-over. He did not even particularly feel like he needed a Bloody Mary or anything, perhaps just a glass of juice and a Tylenol. How could that be? He had a vague recollection of going to a diner where a pretty blond with hypnotic eyes served him, but that could not have really happened. Women like her did not exist.

Thinking that part of the night was completely a dream, he rolled out of bed and headed into the bathroom. As he relieved himself, he thought pointedly about the girl. If it had been a dream, why hadn’t she come back to his bed with him? It seemed foolish to dream about a beautiful woman and not bed her. But she could not be real. Hours spent talking with someone who actually listened to him could not have been real. He had really felt this otherworldly connection with her. She could not be real.

Leaving the bathroom a moment later, he called down to the front desk. Not that he expected them to have an answer for him; Lindsey inquired if anyone in the hotel knew how he managed to make it back. The front desk clerk kindly informed him that she herself did not know, but she would inquire with the bellmen and see if any of them knew. If they did, she would either call him back or send them to his room. Satisfied with that answer, he asked to be transferred to room service.

Finding his pants as a knock sounded at his door a few minutes later, Lindsey pulled them up before opening the door. Letting the room service attendant in with a smile, he glanced out and recognized the bellman heading his direction. He waited for the man to arrive and reached into his pocket in search of a tip for the room service attendant. Pulling out a few bills, he unfolded them and froze. In the center of his bills was a receipt – from a diner.

“Thank you,” he paid the room service lad before glancing at the bellman. “Do you know how I got back here?”

“Well, sir, I was just getting on shift when a cab pulled up with you in it,” he responded. “I helped you up here to your room.”

“Did I… say anything?”

“You said a lot of things, Mr. Buckingham, but mostly you talked about some waitress at a diner.”

His eyes brightened though no other emotion flashed across his face, “Anything else?”

“No, sir, that’s about it.”

“Thank you,” he held out a bill to the young man, “for all of your assistance.”

Glancing at the receipt in his hand again after the door closed, Lindsey smirked to himself. He knew exactly where he was having dinner that night. And hopefully some pie as well.



“Miss Walker!” a voice bellowed from inside the nearby office.

Jumping to her feet, her eyes a bit cloudy from dozing off, Lily hurried into the office, “Yes, sir?”

“Where are the depositions for the Andrews case? I asked for them two hours ago,” he stated darkly.

“Sorry, sir. I’ll get them right to you,” she claimed, turning to exit his office.

“Wait one moment, Miss Walker,” he said sternly.

Turning back to him, her eyes went expectantly to the lawyer, “Yes, sir?”

“Your performance today has been less than acceptable. One more mistake and I will seriously consider replacing you,” he stated sternly.

“But, sir, I really need this job. Today was just a bad day. I got no sleep last night. I’ll do better. I promise,” she proclaimed.

“I expect nothing but excellence, Miss Walker, and if you cannot give me your all, the next outcome of this conversation will be vastly different.”

Nodding she headed out of his office to find the missing deposition. She passed the desk of the other secretary, a woman a bit older than her but who did no work at all. Smugly smirking at Lily as she filed her nails, she made some snide remark, but as she had the previous six months, Lily ignored it. If she was about to be fired from her job for her job performance, how the hell had Elizabeth kept her job? She did nothing.

Pulling the deposition out of the file, Lily stopped at Elizabeth’s desk, fire lighting her golden eyes, “Tell me, Liz, how have you kept your job all these years?”

“Whatever do you mean, dear Lily?”

“He’s threatening to fire me because I’ve been a bit slower today. But you… you don’t do anything. How do you keep your job?”

“Do you really want to know, sweet Lily?”

“Yes!” she flushed at her own response before speaking softly. “Yes, I do.”

Elizabeth smirked and set down her nail file. Holding up her left hand, she spread her index and middle finger. With her right hand, she slid her index finger between the two fingers. It took Lily a moment to realize what the older woman was miming. A soft flush filled her face and she turned away. Pushing the thought of sleeping with her employer to keep her job out of her mind, Lily took a few deep breaths to chase away the flush of her cheeks before heading back into the lawyer’s office. While Elizabeth’s explanation now made sense, she certainly was not going to stoop to that level.

She was just going to have to ask to leave earlier from the diner at nights, so she could get a bit more sleep before heading into the office. That seemed like a far better solution to her problems, even though she needed the money from that job just as much. Besides, just because she was giddy over Lindsey the previous night and therefore had not slept the three hours she normally was allowed did not mean it was going to happen again. He was a one-time drunken customer; that was all… sadly.