Title: Love Runs Deeper: Chapter Twenty-one, Protection
Rating: R [language, sexual situations, alcohol, drugs]

Summary: Lily & Mick explain the situation to the band and retinue.  Lindsey & Lily spend some time alone at the condo.  Night sounds scare Lindsey.





“Oh fuck,” Lindsey muttered under his breath. “What do I tell her?”

“I don’t think that’s an issue, Lindsey.”

“What?  Why?”

“Lindsey?  Lindsey, are you in here?” Lily’s soft voice called.

Stepping around Chris, his eyes went to hers, “Hey, Lil.”

She quickly threw her arms around his neck, pulling herself close to him.  Instantly picking up on her aura, Lindsey’s arms easily circled her waist, holding her close.  When she trembled slightly, he completely forgot all about his worries.  His concern turned to Lily’s welfare.

“Lil… what happened?” he pulled back slightly so that he could look into her eyes.

She shook her head and buried her face on his shoulder.  Lindsey’s gaze flicked up to Mick, who motioned everyone into the lounge.  Though Lily resisted slightly, Lindsey headed towards the lounge, presuming whatever Mick wanted to announce had to do with Lily as well.  They barely stepped into the room as Mick downed a drink and turned to the gathered Fleetwood Mac retinue.

“Lily did something extremely brave today,” Mick announced. “Oh for those of you who don’t know who Lily is, you’re bloody dense.  But Lily is Lindsey’s pretty bird who has been helping out with the band these past two months.”

A few people turned and looked at the couple.

“She was extremely brave today and… well it’s not important to know what she did, as it’s her business to tell.  But what is important to know is that there will be an unmarked police car outside the studio and the condos and wherever else we go.  If you see anyone suspicious at all… anyone who does not look as if they belong here, as in they have never been here before,” Mick paused, “you need to come and find me or in the very least Lindsey.  Lily is not to be alone.  Um… oh and be really discrete with all the… you know.”

Though pretty much everyone wanted to know what Lily had done, Lindsey quickly guided her out of the room.  He did not speak, but returned to the sound room to retrieve his guitar.  Releasing her hand only long enough to slip the instrument into its case, Lindsey looped his arm protectively around her waist and headed towards the back entrance of the studio, intending to walk down to the condo.

“Where are we going?” she asked softly.

“Back to the condo so we can talk,” he answered.

“The car is out front.”

Lindsey glanced at her, “It’s not a far walk.”

“I know.  But I’m not supposed to do that right now.”

He blinked, “Lily…?”

“We need to drive to the condo,” she declared, turning and forcing him to go to the front of the studio. “I’ll explain everything in a moment.”

With Lily behind the wheel, Lindsey looked around for the unmarked car Mick mentioned.  As they left the small parking lot, a tan-colored sedan pulled out of a street parking space.  Lindsey’s eyes kept flicking to the side mirror, watching the following car.  It made him nervous to be trailed by a car, even if it was likely one that was supposed to be protecting his girlfriend.

Once parked at the condo, Lily waited in the car for a few moments.  Lindsey watched her eyes follow the trailing car.  He was not the least surprised when it turned around and parked across the street from the condo.  With a small smile, she leaned over and kissed Lindsey before getting out of his car.

Noticing Lily locked her door; Lindsey snatched his guitar and did the same before hurrying to her side.  His arm slipped protectively around her waist as they headed up to the front door of the condo.  He hesitated before reaching for the door, certain the door had not been locked.  What if whoever was after Lily had already—

Lily quickly reached for the handle and opened the door, “I suppose I can actually cook dinner since we’re here…”

“Lil…” he followed her into the condo, quickly glancing around. “What if someone is in here?”

“Lindsey, relax,” she declared, leading him into the condo.

“Maybe I would if I knew what was going on,” he stated, closing and locking the door behind him.

“I’m going to see what I can cook for dinner.  Put your guitar away and then come help me.  We’ll talk,” she instructed.

Finding her calmness odd, Lindsey however did as he was told.  He returned to the kitchen only a few minutes later and Lily had already covered all the counters with food.  Stopping a step into the kitchen, his eyes looked over her beginning work.  She clearly was not okay.

“Lil?” he spoke softly. “It’s just us.  We don’t need this much food.”

She looked up from her chopping, “Oh.”

Lindsey moved closer to her, his hand touching her back, “Lil…”

Setting down her knife, she turned around quickly and buried her face on his shoulder.  Easily, his arms circled her, holding her gently.  When she began to tremble with sobs, his heart broke.  He embraced her more tightly for a moment before pulling back and kissing her forehead.

“Lil, what happened when you were with Mick?”

She sighed, “Linds…”

“Tell me, sweetheart.”

“I need to work on dinner…”

“It can wait,” he tucked her hair behind her ears. “Unburden your thoughts.”

Lily sighed again, “I deposited all of your money back in the bank.”

“Why?”

She pulled away, turning back to the stacks of food, idly picking something up, “Because Mick convinced to not pay off the debts.”

“Why not?” 

“Because… because…”

His hand covered hers, keeping her from chopping up a forth tomato, “Lily, why did you not go and pay off the debts?”

Her golden eyes went to his, “Because we went to the police instead.”

“You did?”

She nodded, “Mick told me that even if we paid them off there is no guarantee they would leave us alone… especially if any of them think that they own my body because of my mom…”

“Right…”

“And I know you said basically the same thing, but… Lindsey, you were speaking from and with anger.  And I just know that you would get…”

“I know,” he nodded. “I understand.  So he tells you that they may not give up and…”

“We fucked on the hood of your car and that was enough for me to do whatever he suggested.”

Instant anger and jealousy flashed in Lindsey’s eyes, but he said nothing.

She touched his cheek with the hand he was not already touching, “I’m kidding, Linds.  I was just trying to lighten the mood, I guess.”

“Not funny.”

“I know.  I’m sorry,” she pulled her hands away from him so she could turn fully to face him. “We went to the police station and… we were there for four hours or so…. So that they could arrest them and I could identify them…”

“Baby,” he surrounded her face with both hands and kissed her lips gently, “you did the right thing.”

“Linds, they didn’t… they didn’t find all of them.”

He kissed her again, “I’m sure that they will, Lil.”

She pressed her forehead to his, “That’s why there’s going to be unmarked cars and cops following me everywhere and Mick… Mick has decided to hire on more security too.”

“You’re going to be fine, Lil.  I won’t let anyone hurt you.  Ever.”

“I trust you, Lindsey.  I’ve been looking over my shoulder for so long that this isn’t… that big of a change for me.  But this is worse than before.”

“How, sweetheart?  You have me protecting you now.”

“Lindsey… it’s worse because they could very well hurt you… or someone else in the band.  At least before it was just me… If they hurt you, I wouldn’t be able to… Linds…”

He kissed her again, “They aren’t going to hurt me or anyone else.  You are safe here, Lily.  You are safe with me.  Now and always.”



Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Mick glanced over at Stevie.  She batted her eyelashes and blew a kiss at him.  With a smirk, the lanky drummer got to his feet and approached the songstress.  He offered her the small jar of cocaine and a rolled up bill.  With a smile, Stevie shook out a line on top of the piano and quickly snorted it.

“So tell me, Mick,” she handed the vial back, “is her pussy as golden as Lindsey makes it out to be?”

“What?”

“You were with Lily for hours.  Tell me you did not spread her legs and fu—”

“Whoa now,” he held up his hands. “What is your problem, Stevie?”

“Oh come on.  Just tell me that she’s a good lay and I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Stevie?  Leave her alone?  For some reason, I don’t think me telling you details about sex with Lily will do that,” Mick declared, digging a cigarette out of his pocket.

“So you did have sex with her,” Stevie countered.

He rolled his eyes as he inhaled the cigarette, “No, I did not — not that it’s any of your business.  We went and donated her ill-fitting clothing to a number of thrift stores, had a bit of lunch, and visited the local police department.  There was not a moment for any sex.”

“Surely that did not take six hours.”

Mick shook his head, “If you really must know, we were at the station for a good four hours.  There was no fucking.”

“But—”

“There was no fucking,” he paused to inhale his cigarette. “Give it up.”

“But—”

“Lily is a good girl, Stevie.  And Lindsey is smitten with her.  Let up this hate.  It is not good for the bloody band.  Chris and John are working civilly together.  You need to do so as well,” Mick declared.

“But—”

“Dammit, woman, drop it.  Lindsey is with Lily now.  And that girl needs our support and protection right now.  If something were to happen to her, it would kill Lindsey.  And you know that.  Leave Lily and Lindsey alone,” he stated strongly.

“If he’s so crazy about her, why did he fuck me while you were out with her?”

The cigarette dangling from his lips dropped to the floor, “What?”

Stevie bent over and picked up his cigarette, “And it was the best sex we’ve ever had.  She can’t be that good of a lay at all.”

Mick snatched the cigarette from her and took a deep drag from it, “They’re not fucking.  And I don’t believe that you fucked him either.”

“Oh really?  Then how do you explain—”

“Stop.  Just stop, Stevie,” he turned away from her. “And grow up.  This isn’t bloody high school anymore.”



Eyes wide open, Lindsey stared up at the ceiling.  While he could have blamed his insomnia on the fact he did not often sleep before dawn lately, he did not think that was the root of everything.  In fact, he knew it was not.  Two things battled for his attention: what Lily was going through and what he apparently did when drunk earlier that evening.  He knew in his heart that he needed to tell Lily, yet he had a feeling that she did not need anything else to worry about.

He could not believe that she had gone to the authorities.  It was the right thing to do, but it should have been him at her side, not Mick.  He understood why Lily did not believe him to be emotionally in control to have gone with her.  But he still should have been there, supporting her as she faced down the men who could and tried to hurt her.  However, he needed to let that go.  He was by her side now; he would protect her from all harm from that moment forward.

A soft crash against the window instantly stole his attention.  Tensing for a moment, Lindsey listened for any follow-up sounds.  He relaxed slightly when he heard nothing but Lily’s soft breathing.  His arms tightened briefly around her, as if to silently reassure her that everything was okay.  She snuggled closer, but did not wake.

Another sound at the window snapped his eyes to it.  Lindsey was certain it was not just the condo settling or something like that.  Carefully, he pulled away from Lily and reached for the bedside lamp.  Deciding against it, Lindsey shuffled towards the window.  His fingers reached for the curtain, lifting it ever so slightly to peek out.

Instantly dropping the curtain back in place, Lindsey rushed back to the bed, his hand gently shaking Lily’s shoulder, “Lil, get up.”

“Linds?” she muttered groggily.

“Baby, get out of bed,” he pulled the blanket off her.

“What?  Why?”

Saying nothing more, Lindsey pulled her out of the bed.  He did not allow her to ask anything else, but quickly unlocked the door of their room and pulled her into the living room.  His eyes quickly looked around, settling on the small windows.  Frowning, he pulled her into the small, windowless bathroom.

“The moment I step out, you lock this door,” he stated strongly before kissing her quickly.

“Lindsey, what’s going on?” she asked sleepily.

“Lock the door,” he repeated and left the bathroom.

Doing as he said, Lily frowned and sat on the toilet.  Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on them.  Part of her wished she had turned the light on, as sitting the darkness, literally and figuratively, increased her nerves.  The fact Lindsey locked her in the bathroom meant something bad was happening.  She should have known better; should not have gone to the authorities.  Now Lindsey was going to be…

“Oh god,” she muttered, covering her mouth.

Looking around the condo for some sort of weapon, Lindsey picked up a poker nearby the fireplace before creeping towards the front door.  His fingers slowly turned the deadbolt and then the lock on the doorknob.  Ever so carefully, Lindsey opened the front door and stepped out.  His eyes looked around as he tiptoed barefoot out of the condo.

With the fire poker lifted over his head, he headed towards the bedroom window.  Adjusted to the light of the moon, he froze with his eyes on the source of the sound at their window.

“Stevie?”

The petite blonde songstress turned to him and tracked through the flowerbed, “Lindsey!  The door was locked so I couldn’t get in!”

He held out his hand, helping her step out of the flowers, “Of course the door was locked.  Didn’t you hear Mick about the extra precautions we need to make for Lily?”

She shrugged, “So you locked me out of the house?”

Lindsey pulled his hand free and rolled his eyes, “I’m going back to bed.  Lock the door behind yourself.”

“What about Chris?”

“She didn’t come home with you?”

“Do you see her with me?”

He sighed, heading back into the condo, “Lock the door, Stevie.  If Chris gets back before we get up, I’m sure she won’t come and knock on the window.”

She grabbed his hand, stopping him just inside the door.  As Lindsey turned around to face her, Stevie closed the door and threw her arms around his neck.  Her lips quickly smashed into his.  With a groan, Lindsey pushed her away.

“No, Stevie.”

“That’s not what you said earlier,” she reached for him again.

He evaded her grasp, “Nothing happened between us, Stevie.”

“Oh really?  Then why were you naked in the studio?”

Lindsey shrugged, “Maybe I got hot while drinking.”

Stevie stared at him blankly, “Bullshit, Lindsey.”

“Oh come on!  Nothing happened between us.  If I was drunk enough to pass out, we both know I was drunk enough to not be able to get it up,” he snapped.

“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen before you blacked out.”

“Oh just stop it, Stevie.  You and I are over.  I’m with Lily now.  You know that.  You need to give this u—”

Her mouth covered his once more.  With a glare, Lindsey pushed her off, hearing a gasp behind him.  Glancing over his shoulder, his blue eyes landed on Lily, standing just outside the bathroom door.  Instantly realizing what she saw, Lindsey hurried over to her, his hands reaching out to her.

“Lil, this isn’t what it seems like.”

“No?  You weren’t just kissing your ex-girlfriend?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, “Well, yes, I was.  But it wasn’t consensual.”

“Uh huh,” she responded, turning to head back to the bedroom.

Lindsey grasped her hand, “Lil, don’t—”

She snatched her hand out of his, “Don’t even, Linds.”

He shot another glare at Stevie before trailing after Lily.  The songstress headed upstairs to her room, a smug smile on her face.  Grimacing, he hurried after Lily, following her into the bedroom before she had the chance to close and lock the door.  She whirled around to close the door, but slapped his arm instead.

Lindsey caught her hand before she could pull away, “Lil, it’s not what you think.  Stevie kissed me, yes.  But that doesn’t mean I liked it or even wanted it.”

“Oh really?  You locked me in the bathroom so you could…”

He quickly kissed her, “Listen to yourself, Lil.  That just plain sounds ridiculous.”

She sighed, “But…”

“I heard things on the window,” Lindsey explained. “And I thought… I thought it could be someone trying to get to you.  That’s why I had you hide in the bathroom.  I went out there and it was Stevie, who was locked out of the condo, apparently not expecting the door to be locked.”

“And then she kissed you?”

“Lily, I love you.  I love you, not Stevie.  Yes, she kissed me, but that was not my choice, my desire.  I only want to take care of you, to protect you, to love you,” he stated, reaching up to caress her cheek. “I love you, Lily.”

She stepped closer, “Linds…”

“I don’t want Stevie.  I want you.”

Allowing him to fold her in his arms, Lily laid her head on his shoulder, “I think I would just die if you went back to her…”

“I love you, Lily.  You and only you.  Forever.”