behind blue eyes ― jimmy page

i. ONE

︵‿︵‿୨ 1972 ୧‿︵‿︵

THREE YEARS GOES by pretty fast when you're making music for a living. For Sadie, the studio became her happy place, a perfect distraction from all the thoughts and feelings she didn't like to talk about. Instead, it came out in her lyrics, layered over a backtrack and packaged up neatly into chart topping hits in the US.

     "Run the tape again, but this time turn up the bass a little bit," Rene suggested, the curly-haired bassist leaning back on the back two legs of her chair with her feet propped up on the mixing board. From her spot on the crouch, Penny let out a loud groan as the tape rewound and the track started again with the same tune that they'd had drilled into their heads for a week. It had been fourteen hours since they arrived in the studio, with the sun having rose and set outside, and they felt no closer to finishing the track than when they'd stepped in.

"No!" Lela hit the stall button before the first verse could start, making the sound tech nearly jump out of his chair. "If I have to hear Sadie's voice one more time on tape I'm gonna bloody rip my hair out — no offence Sadie."

"None taken."

"We got off tour three weeks ago and I've seem more of this bloody studio than my own house," the drummer continued on as she pushed her seat back and stood up to fish a crumpled packet of Marlboro's from her jeans pocket. "Anyone got a lighter? I need a cigarette and something greasy to eat before we keep going."

"Here," Sadie handed a pink metal lighter from her jacket pocket as she stood up from her chair, stretching her arms over her head to ease some of the aches from being sat down all day. "Let's all take a half hour to get our heads on straight. I need the bathroom anyway."

     "I saw a pub open down the street earlier. I am in desperate need of a drink," Rene stood up and took the cigarette from between Lela's lips to take a hit before she handed it off to Penny. "Join us when your done with the bathroom Sadie, yeah?"

     The blonde nodded. "Don't wait up, I might be a while."

      As the rest of her band wandered out of the room and down the hall Sadie went in the opposite direction towards the bathrooms, cursing whichever architect decided that it was a good idea to place them in the middle of the huge building. She had stopped looking at the clock once it passed 10pm, but she knew it must have been late from how deserted the place was. She was glad for the quiet, though. In a world of sound, sometimes she had to relish in the pause.

     "Lost darling?" A voice called out from behind her, making her turn on her heel to see a head of black-hair walking down the deserted hallway towards her. He was scruffy, and obscenely tall, with his dark violet button up hung half-open and a sort of arrogance that could only belong to one person.