"There she is," Mick says as I walk in.

"Hello," I say.

"How are you?" Mick asks.

"Well, I have had no rest but I'm okay." I smile.

"Really?" Mick asks.

"Well, I have a two-year-old. My son was sent to Afghanistan after nine-eleven. And I wrote four songs that just this morning I put on a CD. I really tried to make songs for Fleetwood Mac. It's like you weren't there, but you were." I say shifting Emmeline to my other hip. She might be a toddler, but she's still my little baby.

"What you don't know Stevie, is we've been trying to not be ourselves for the past six months." Mick and Lindsey laugh as I hand Lindsey my demos.

It's true that while Lindsey, John, and Mick have been in the studio for six months while I've been doing benefits for Heart Disease, MS, and Many other things.

"Alright really loud," Lindsey says

"Really loud," I repeat hugging Emmeline to myself as he starts the demos.

Fleetwood Mac is releasing our first studio album with Lindsey since 1987. However, Christine isn't here so it still feels crazy weird.

***

As the weeks go by, I know that a fight between Lindsey and me is evident. Ever since we started recording together we've been floating around each other trying to avoid it. The fight rears itself when it's just Me and Lindsey. Mick and John have already left, and Karen took Emmeline upstairs for bed a while ago.

"I have a suggestion for the verses. They don't' flow, you need to change the tense and the person. Because who are you talking to when you say now you're going home?" He asks.

"I'm talking to you. The song is about you. You could say now he's going home. But it' so beautiful and it flows so nicely and you can't change that." I fire back. Our new dog Sulamith growls at her daddy. She was a Christmas gift from my mother.

"It's just a rule of thumb in writing that you don't' change your tense or your person." Lindsey states.

"I don't' think you could say that to Bob Dylan. It's the way I write and you can't change that. That is the poet that I am." I hiss.

"Alright, it was just a suggestion." He insists.

After that fight,I go right to bed and Lindsey wakes me up around ten the next morning.

"Lindsey, why didn't you wake me? I needed to make Joshua his lunch and breakfast." I panic.

"I took care of it. Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere." He smiles.

"Where?" I ask as he hands me a cup of coffee.

"You'll see. But first, I wanted to apologize for last night. It really is a great song." He tells me.

***

After I'm dressed, Lindsey is driving us somewhere as I tear at a bagel slathered with cream cheese.

"Why are we in Pacific Palisades?" I question.

"Because it's seventeen minutes from UCLA and thirty from Josh's school. He'd still get to stay enrolled at the Beverly Hills High School. I bought this property and we're going to build a house. I know you've talked about buying a property on the beach, but instead of buying we're going to build." Lindsey looks at me.

"House number three then?" I ask.

"Four if you count the condo." He shrugs.

***

Fight number two came quickly after he told me about the house.

"Why don't' you want to do another double album?" Lindsey asks picking Emmeline up off of the floor.

"It's just not economically beneficial. We've been there done that." Mick says.

"And besides Lindsey, when was the last time we picked up Billboard? People our age aren't' going to come out of the wall to see what the number one record is. Look at us Lindsey, we have a family...a young family and we're to put a kid through college. We're building a house and we have bills to pay. A majority of our fans are at that same point. Our age gap is Josh's age. Ten to twenty because they are the ones buying albums. Mason nor Josh like our music. I don't' think it would be good for our band." I jump in.

"I would eat a fuck of a lot of money to do this. If I didn't think we could pull it off I wouldn't' have gotten involved with this bunch of songs." Lindsey says hugging Emmeline close to him.

"I'm sorry Lindsey. It's two against one." I sigh.

He just nods and goes upstairs.

***

Fight number three happens and it's scary. Karen, my lawyers, and Lindsey have never gotten along and today, because my lawyers need him to sign a contract that he doesn't want to sign, it's all festering.

"Now you're telling me that Stevie's team didn't' get involved until yesterday." Lindsey's yelling at Karen.

"They gave you a contract two weeks ago." Karen hisses.

"Right, well they were asking thing they shouldn't have been. Like what are the ten tracks of yours are you using? I don't know so I'm not going to give them that." Lindsey says.

"But Stevie's lawyers." Karen starts.

"Why don't you call Tony, my manager and work it out with him. I'll dial it." Lindsey states. He dials and then starts talking.

"Hi Tony, It' s Lindsey. The people over here are pointing fingers so here." He states handing the phone to Karen.

"We are not Lindsey!" I hiss.

"Jesus Christ. All I'm saying is that they were asking things I wasn't prepared to give and Karen is saying." He shouts, but I cut him off.

"BUT THEN YOU PICK IT UP WITH TONY AND YOU DO THE SAME THING SHE JUST DID." I'm crying at this point.

"AT THE IMPLICATION OF MY PEOPLE FUCKED UP!" He screams.

"NO, SHE'S NOT IMPLYING THAT!" I yell back.

"YOU ALWAYS DEFEND HER." He hisses.

"LINDSEY I DO NOT," I YELL

"YES, YOU DO." He spits.

I just stomp my foot and go collect Emmeline before going upstairs. I wait up for Lindsey and when he crawls into bed around two thirty I wrap my arms around his shoulder and kiss his cheek. I earn a small smile and he rolls over and wraps his arms around my waist.

"I love you," I say.

"I love you too." He smiles as I close my eyes.

***

As the album comes to a close, The record company tells us we need one more song.

"So which of you is writing it?" Mick asks.

"I have one. I've had one since 1990. But it has to be just me and Lindsey." I bite my lip.

"Why so secretive?" Mick questions.

"I just need it to be. You'll know why soon enough." I sigh.

"Okay, we'll leave you alone," John says grabbing Mick and pulling him outside.

"What song Angel?" Lindsey asks I just look at him and go sit at the piano.

Don't take me to the tower

And take my child away

It was I who was

The hourglass

And the sands of time like

Shattering glass went past me

Like a tunnel to the sea

And I who went to sleep as two

Woke up as one now only you remain.

You'll close your eyes and travel back

To the time when the light went fading fast

And the words you'll never, never forget, oh no

As you slipped away

Goodbye baby

I hope your hearts not broken

Don't forget me

Yes I was outspoken

You were with me all the time

I'll be with you one day

And I who went to sleep in tears

Woke up in tears, for all of the years

And I who never, never said goodbye

As I slipped away

Goodbye baby

I hope your hearts not broken

Don't' forget me

Yes I was outspoken

You were with me all the time

I'll be with you one day

Goodbye baby

I hope your hearts not broken

Don't forget me

Yes I was outspoken

You were with me all the time

I'll be with you one day

Goodbye baby

Lindsey comes behind me and wraps his arms around me.

"Finally ready?" Lindsey asks

'Yeah, what would we have named him?" I ask wiping my eyes.

"I'm partial to William." Lindsey sighs.

"William Gregory Buckingham," I ask

"It's perfect. For our Will." Lindsey wipes his eyes and squeezes me to his chest tightly.

We play the final cut for Mick and John and we do introduce it as Goodbye Baby for our William.