hang out in your heart

what if all i need is you

Lindsey isn't quite sure how he came to be handing out hair curlers to burly stagehands and teamsters at sound check, but here he stands, holding a box of the pink hair accessories. His only explanation: it had been shoved into his arms by his niece, and he isn't one to refuse her anything.

Cory and Karen had come up with the idea a few days ago - a way to punk Stevie on the last day of the tour. To pay homage to the curlers that often adorn Stevie's head at sound check before each show, they had decided to give everyone in the band and crew their own curler, so that when Stevie gets there with a head full of them, every person on stage will be wearing them to match. Lindsey has to admit that it's a funny idea, and more importantly, he knows Stevie will get a kick out of it.

No sooner has he helped John attach his special curler to his hat than does he hear Cory call out that Stevie is on her way. He quickly gets into position at the mic with his guitar, pasting a nonchalant expression onto his face. He finally spies her bright blonde hair, wrapped around several of her own curlers, and as she enters the stage he is the first person in the room she locks eyes with. He spots the immediate confusion as she notes the curler in his hair, giving him a questioning look. He lets his mouth curl into a smirk, nodding his head toward the rest of their band. She quickly turns her attention to Mick, then John in turn, her face transforming into a huge smile. As she spies the same curler on Brett, Neale, Taku, and even Steve with his cropped hair, the giggles start coming, and she turns to Karen, who had used her distraction to quickly stick a curler in her own hair. As the crew each take turns walking over to her to wish her good luck for the sound check, curlers and all, that's it. Stevie doubles over in hysterics.

By the time she finally makes her way over to her microphone, she is laughing so hard she can barely breathe, and they manage to run through their songs as quickly as possible. The sound technicians (their heads topped with curlers as well) being satisfied, the band is free to mull about before it's time to get ready for the show. Stevie turns to Lindsey; he is struck by the flush on her cheeks, the glow she emanates when she's really, truly pleased. "You knew about this?" She steps close to him, tweaking the curler on his head affectionately. "I was wondering why you ran off to sound check without me."

"Oh, I just decided to wear this on the advice of my hairstylist," he retorts, pointing out Cory, who's heading in their direction. The truth is, he had felt terrible leaving Stevie to walk to sound check on her own. He'd mumbled something about needing to check out the guitar setup with Ray and run off with a quick kiss. But he'd figured her reaction was worth the few minutes of confusion, and if the aura of joy radiating off of her is any indication, he'd been right.

Stevie turns to give Cory a hug, exclaiming over how funny the prank was. "You girls are too much, I have never laughed so hard in my life," she comments to Cory, who flushes with pleasure. Lindsey is happy to see it. He knows Cory has been feeling especially emotional throughout the last few shows, which is understandable; the first tour is always the hardest to leave.

Stevie moves on to speak to some of the other crew members, and Lindsey turns to his niece, beaming. "Nice job, Cor. I haven't seen someone pull that good a prank on her in ages." He holds up his hand for a high five. She smiles weakly back, but as their hands make contact, he can see her chin quivering. "Cory?"

"That was fun, wasn't it? Did you see her face, I'm so glad she loved it-" She starts rambling, but Lindsey sees right through it and lifts his guitar over his head, placing it carefully on the ground so he can wrap her in his arms.

"Oh, sweetheart," he sighs, and gives her a kiss on top of her head. She lets out a sob and he rubs her back. "I get it, I really do."

He comforts her for a few moments, then she backs away, wiping her eyes and laughing sheepishly. "I don't know what's gotten into me, I swear..." She shakes her head. "I mean, you'd think someone was dying or something. I just can't stop crying these last shows."