Chapter 26

They'd been sitting there for over 15 minutes sharing confused looks and glancing at Keith who just sat there staring deeply into the beer he'd insisted he needed. But, since Skizzy had set it in front of him, he'd only stared at it.

Tiny opened his mouth to say something, but caught Skizzy's small shake of his head as if to say, 'no, when he's ready to talk, he will'. Tiny nodded shortly and went back to scanning the relatively small crowd and throwing concerned looks at his employer. He conceded to Skizzy's knowledge of Keith's moods. He knew they were roommates when Keith wasn't touring. But, he just didn't get it.

They'd driven over to the record studio offices to hold the meet and greets that they'd missed prior to the show due to their flight problems. They spent a relatively short amount of time allowing Keith to talk to the girls who'd won the contests, given them autographs and taken pictures with them. Then, Reuben had noticed how tired Keith had looked and he'd called a stop to the meeting that Keith's fans had hoped to extend given that there was no upcoming show to cut it short. They'd been disappointed when Reuben had thanked them for coming and had simply guided Keith toward the door.

For once, Keith didn't really put up much of a fight. Usually he was the last one who wanted to leave these affairs as it gave him a chance to talk to his fans in a controlled environment. An environment that meant he didn't risk being hurt or having his fans hurt by a mad crush of bodies. It was his second favorite part of touring, right after being on stage.

They'd noticed Keith's muted mood as soon as they'd gotten into the car after that meet and greet. He'd scrunched down in the seat between Tiny and Skizzy and didn't slide back up once they knew they were clear of the crowd that had grown outside once the rumor had spread that he was there. No one knew how it happened, but if Keith spent more than 10 minutes in any one place, the fans found out and a crowd would spontaneously appear. Tiny referred to it as a freak of nature – sort of like how dog whistles worked only on canine ears, news of Keith's movements spread and could only be heard by young female ears.

They were only a few minutes from the rental house when Keith had spotted the small pub. He'd quickly leaned forward and asked the driver to pull over.

When Skizzy and Tiny had tried to talk him out of stopping, Keith had simply glared at them and said, 'move' to get Skizzy to let him out. They'd given in when Keith had agreed to let Skizzy go in and scout the place. If it was filled with young women, they'd force him to head home. If the crowd looked harmless they'd go on in.

Skizzy had grudgingly come back and said it looked like a small and quiet group of locals.

Keith had flashed a quick smile that looked more like a grimace. "Great, I need a beer or two to wash out the taste of that awful performance from earlier."

Skizzy and Tiny shared a look that said, 'aha'. They finally understood Keith's strange mood. He was bummed because he felt like he'd disappointed his fans. Not that the fans had any clue he'd made a couple of mistakes that night. The show had still been great due to the well rehearsed group of musicians and singers that backed him up. The mistakes wouldn't have been noticed by anyone. They'd have just assumed that they'd decided to mix things up for one show. No big deal.

Their puzzlement now stemmed from the fact that Keith hadn't even once picked up the stein that Skizzy had plunked in front of him shortly after they'd sat down. It was then that they knew it was more than that night's performance – but what more?

"Hey, aren't you Keith Partridge?" All three heads turned quickly to look at the pretty young woman who had plucked up her courage to walk over and ask what every other patron had been wondering. As soon as Keith looked up, she was sure. "I don't suppose you remember me."

Keith had to fight to stop the wince from crossing his face. Seriously, he had had enough of people from his past showing up unexpectedly. He did, however, look closely at the girl and smile a little sheepishly before admitting that, no, he didn't. "Sorry."

"Oh, I'm not surprised. You meet so many people and it was like 4 years ago. I'm Lisle. We met when your family toured Europe in '71." She quickly continued when Keith still looked puzzled. "It was after the show in Stuttgart. That's my hometown. You, ummm, you know…."

The light bulb went off in Keith's mind. "You were in your first year of nursing school."

"That's right." Lisle's smile all but lit up the room that he'd remembered her. It was obvious that she'd have remembered the meeting, but Keith's chances of remembering were much slimmer as he met so very many people.

"Guys, could you give us a minute?" Keith glanced at Skizzy and Tiny, asking them to vacate the area for a while.

"Sure. We'll just be over at the bar." Skizzy nodded and got up to leave.

Lisle wasted no time sliding into the spot that Skizzy had occupied right next to Keith.

"What time is it?" Tiny grabbed Skizzy's wrist to check his watch; Tiny's had quit on him just a couple of days before and he hadn't had time to replace it yet.

"What, is it past your bedtime?" Skizzy joked as he yanked his arm away from the giant of a man.

"It's not that. I was just wondering how panicked Mr. Kincaid is going to be when he gets back to the house and finds out we're not back yet. Think he'll send out the hounds?" Tiny speculated. They'd left Reuben at the record company offices because he wanted to talk about renting some equipment to record a couple of Keith's concerts in hopes of getting that 'live' album recorded.

"I'm hoping he's so tired that he just heads straight to bed and never even realizes we aren't back yet." Skizzy reasoned.

"Yeah, that's true. He doesn't usually do a whole lot of socializing with the rest of us." Tiny agreed.

"I don't think he has time. That guy almost works as hard as Keith does. I think the phone is glued to the side of his head, sometimes." Skizzy joked as he glanced over to see how Keith was doing.

He noticed that Keith and Lisle were talking animatedly. Skizzy could only smile at the change in his friend. Where earlier he'd been morose, he was now smiling and talking – what a change.

xoxo

"Oops, sorry, didn't see you coming." Reuben had been wiping his hand down his face in hopes that he stayed awake long enough to make it to his bedroom. Man he was bushed. Then, when his target was in sight, he almost bowled over Dina who came around the corner unexpectedly.

"That's alright. I was moving sort of fast." Dina smiled. "I thought I heard a car and was hoping Keith was back."

"What? He's not here?" Reuben's tiredness disappeared in a heartbeat.

"No. He hasn't gotten back yet." Dina figured Reuben was with Keith. When she finally realized what he said and that her assumption had been wrong, she was officially worried. "He was with you, wasn't he?"

"He was, but he and Tiny and Skizzy left the studio before I did. I stayed back to talk to them about recording the live shows." Reuben explained.

"Do you suppose they were unlucky enough to have car trouble again?" Dina asked hopefully. She refused to think of any more awful alternatives.

"Maybe. I'm sure that's what it was." Reuben smiled to reassure her. "Tell you what, if they're not back in about 30 minutes, I'll go out looking for them."

"Mind if I tag along?" Dina returned his smile.

"Sure." Reuben turned to head back down the stairs. "How does a cup of coffee sound while we wait."

Dina nodded and they headed back downstairs. The rest of the house had already settled down for the night.

xoxo

"I'm just gonna hit the head and then we can go." Keith seemed much more relaxed when he went to walk past them toward the restrooms. When Tiny made as if to stand up, Keith quickly waylaid him. "I can handle going to the men's room by myself."

"Right. It's just habit. Sorry." Tiny mumbled to Keith's grin and then watched him walk across the large, relatively empty room toward the hallway that was well marked.

"Hey, guys. Thanks for leaving Keith and me alone. I really appreciate it." Lisle pulled their attention away from the hallway Keith had just disappeared down. No one noticed the petite figure that slid down the hallway right behind him.

"No problem." Skizzy smiled at her.

"He is such a great guy. So down to earth. It's amazing seeing as his life is so unusual. Well, at least I would think it's unusual. Anyway, my friends will just want to kill me when they find out that I bumped into Keith." Lisle shook her head to think about the daggers they'd throw her way when she got back to work in a few days. "But, they'll be my slaves for life after they find out that I got Keith to agree to meet us at my place once he makes it to Geneva."

"Oh?" Tiny was surprised. Keith rarely made time for a personal life on tour. Hell, he didn't have time for a personal life on tour.

"Yeah, we met once before as you already know. Anyway, I made my friends so envious that the only way I figure I can keep them as friends, was to beg Keith to agree." Lisle laughed. "Don't worry, he told me all about his girlfriend. He's going to bring her along. We're not crazy people, just fans."

"Well, Lisle, it was nice to meet you." Skizzy smiled at the girl who was the epitome of the great fans that followed Keith's career.

"You too. Well, I better get back to my cousin or he'll think I didn't travel all this way just to see him. Thanks again, guys." Lisle wiggled her fingers in a farewell wave and went back to her original table at which two men had waited patiently for her.

Skizzy and Tiny watched Lisle's party pack up and leave, but still no Keith.

"Should we check on him?" Skizzy frowned toward the hallway.

"You like living?" Tiny chucked at Skizzy's wince. He took his job as bodyguard very seriously; especially because it meant the safety of his best friend.

"I do, but…." Skizzy let it trail off and glanced around the bar again. He noticed two full glasses sitting at a table near the hallway. "Hey, wasn't there a girl sitting at that table?"

"Yeah, and a big bruiser of a boyfriend, who is heading toward the hallway right now." Tiny was right behind Skizzy who was already on his feet. They'd deal with Keith's anger if they were wrong.

They were still far enough behind the guy that when they flew through the door all they heard were screams from the girl who was attached to the back of her boyfriend, but having about as much effect as a flea. They then saw Keith duck the first punch that was thrown at him. This only infuriated the boyfriend even further when his knuckles made contact with the wall rather than Keith's face.

Skizzy put himself in front of Keith while Tiny made a grab for the guy while trying not to hurt the girl. He underestimated the guy's anger and the fancy work it took to avoid putting the girl in danger. Because of this delay, he was able to throw one more punch before Tiny could stop him. Tiny grinned when he noticed that Skizzy's face was the one that took the full force of the punch instead of the face they were paid to protect. In his eyes, they'd accomplished what they were meant to. Now, in Skizzy's eyes on the other hand? He was pretty sure that by morning, he'd only be able to see out of one of them.

"Get him out of here." Tiny bellowed while struggling to control the guy who was almost as big as him but a whole heck of a lot angrier.

Skizzy, shaking his head to stop the ringing in his ears, quickly came to his senses and began to follow Keith out of the room. Keith, having already realized that he'd been saved from a beating he didn't deserve, was wasting no time removing himself from the situation.

"You alright, man?" Skizzy said as he and Keith walked briskly out of the pub not wanting to cause any more of a scene than they already had. They got into the limo and left the door open for Tiny who dove in just moments after them yelling, 'GO' to the driver and slamming the door behind him.

After a couple of seconds of silence, the three of them burst into laughter.

"Thanks guys." Keith got himself under control first.

"No problem. You know, Partridge, sometimes you are a real pain in the…." Skizzy started but was cut off.

"Hey, don't say it. I did NOT do anything to start that whole scene." Keith went on to explain when he noticed their questioning looks. "Hey, I'm just standing there washing my hands when suddenly this girl slips into the room. She starts stalking me around the room and suddenly her boyfriend is pulling her off me and breathing fire."

"Keith, she was all of five foot nothing. If you had wanted to avoid her you could have." Tiny scoffed.

"Have you ever fended off a girl intent on kissing you?" Keith shot back quickly. If you didn't want to hurt them, either physically or emotionally, it was a lot harder than it sounded.

"Well, seeing as how neither one of us is half as pretty as you are…." Skizzy teased.

"Yeah, especially you with that shiner." Tiny grabbed Skizzy's chin to turn his face toward the faint light.

"Well, if you had grabbed him the first time instead of letting him get one last punch off, I'd be just fine. But no. You have to let him take another swing." Skizzy accused without heat.

"Bob and weave. Bob and weave." Tiny coached with laughter in his voice.

"Now you tell me." Skizzy found himself laughing too, though his tender eye had him wincing when the skin around his eye began to crinkle with his facial expression.

xoxo

"Where have you been?" Dina found herself asking even before she could stop herself. At the surprised looks from all three of them, she quickly continued. "Sorry, that came out all wrong. I was just worried when Reuben came back and you weren't here yet."

"She was. I tried keeping her calm." Reuben added quickly to stop any further words said in worry that might somehow lead to anger.

"Thanks Reuben – what would I do without you?" Keith grinned at him. His bad mood was once again buried deep inside him. He decided to give an explanation though he knew he could refuse. "We stopped at a local pub. I needed a beer to wash away that awful show I put on tonight."

"It wasn't that bad. No one even noticed that things were changed up a bit." Dina pointed out quickly; ever willing to defend her love.

"That's what we were trying to tell him. But you know, Mr. Perfectionist here." Skizzy added. His comments finally had Reuben and Dina looking at him closely.

"Oh my god, is that a black eye?" Dina turned his face into the light just like Tiny had earlier. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Skizzy started this big bar fight. Tried picking up some guys girlfriend." Keith decided that fudging was the best thing at this point.

"Mhmmm." Dina's look was dubious. She knew darn well that if anyone had a shot at stealing someone's girlfriend it was more likely Keith than Skizzy. Not that Skizzy wasn't good looking, it's just that he was smarter than that. And, Keith could steal a girlfriend without even trying.

Keith just gave her that famous grin and putting his arm around her said. "Come on woman, take me to bed."

"Woman?" Dina said in mock affront, giving him a playful shove toward the doorway. "Oh, you'll pay for that one."

"That's what I'm hoping for." Keith's comment could be heard as they moved away.

"Is everything alright?" Reuben asked now that Keith wasn't around trying to sugar coat things for Dina.

"Yeah, some girl recognized him and caught him in the bathroom. Too bad for her, her boyfriend didn't exactly appreciate sharing her." Tiny explained. "Skiz here sacrificed his face to protect the merchandise."

"Alright, you two goofballs, get some rest. We leave pretty early tomorrow for a round of interviews." Reuben reminded them and watched them follow the same path as Keith and Dina.

Reuben's tiredness returned twofold now that he knew Keith was alright.

xoxo

Once Keith's defenses were lowered in sleep, his subconscious brought up all of the worries he'd been trying to keep at bay. First Johnny, then Trish and finally Ron had all made appearances in his life recently and it was almost like it was three years ago. It was all these cues from the past that had his nightmares coming more frequently and much more vividly.

He'd hoped that he'd be too exhausted to dream. He'd been wrong.

As his deep sleep drifted into REM sleep, he began to relive a part of his life he'd thought he'd buried so deep it couldn't come back. Once again, he'd been wrong.

As the nightmare drifted from Anne's crash to the bus crash and on to his captivity, Keith fought vainly to regain consciousness. He did not want to relive even one second of what had happened to him, most especially the last parts of the dream that had haunted him on and off for years. Hard as he fought it, the nightmare went on.

SHE was once again in his life.

"No!" Keith's word wasn't all that loud, but he'd sat up straight in bed when he'd said it. His movement woke up Dina.

"What's wrong?" She mumbled sleepily.

"Nothing." When it appeared that his denial would bring her wider awake he quickly reassured her. "I thought I heard something. Just go back to sleep."

"Mphf.." Was all Dina said before drifting back to sleep.

Keith wished sleep would claim him again so easily. Then again, maybe not. He did not want to dream anymore. With that thought, he got up and went in search of his guitar.

xoxo

Olivia sat in a chair near the nurses' station staring blankly at the wall. She'd become quite good at fooling everyone around this stupid place. She'd positioned herself there just before the shift change. She knew that after several days off, Lisle, Viv and Nan were back on duty today. She needed to find out if they'd figured out where Keith would be staying once he was in Switzerland. Only a few more weeks and her life would be complete once again. Could she wait? She'd have to. She couldn't risk blowing her cover this late in the game. Patience – it was what she needed, though it was so hard for her to come by.

"Hello!" Lisle sing-songed as she walked right past Olivia without paying her any mind and greeted her two friends who had already arrived.

"How was Berlin?" Viv asked as she straightened the patient charts she needed to look over.

"Beyond my wildest dreams." Lisle beamed after tossing her purse into a drawer.

"Why? Did you meet Mr. Right?" Nan joked.

"You could say that." Lisle teased.

"Alright spill it." Viv playfully pushed her friend.

"I ran into HIM!" Lisle could contain her grin no longer. It was big and goofy and she didn't care.

"Him?" Viv was stumped before she took a good look at her friend's completely beaming face. "No! No way! Really?"

"Yep."

"How? Where? When?" Nan added.

"You forgot what and why." Lisle teased.

"If you want to live through this shift you will talk now, or….well, I won't be responsible for my actions." Viv threw her a mock threatening look.

"I knew he was giving a concert while I was there but hadn't been able to get tickets. I was so totally bummed that my cousin told me to get gussied up cause he was taking me out to meet his friends. We went to this pub on the edge of the city and were having a good time. They completely pulled me out of my doldrums. Anyway, most of them had drifted home because they had to work the next day. We were just about to leave too, when these three guys just walk in." Lisle explained. "At first I wasn't sure. I mean, what would Keith Partridge be doing at The Aufsturz, I ask."

"Why, having a beer, no doubt." Viv joked.

"That's just it; he was sitting there with two guys who I could only guess were bodyguards. At least by the way they watched over him, I assume they were bodyguards. He had a beer in front of him, but he wasn't drinking. In fact, he never looked up so at first I thought I had to be mistaken. But, you know me, I do not let an opportunity pass me by, so I told Hans to wait for me and I went over to ask if it was him. He looks up when I ask if he's Keith Partridge and BAM, it hits me like a sledge hammer. He looks so much better than he did 4 years ago when he was just a teenager. He's more mature. So handsome. So sexy." Lisle almost lost herself in her memories.

Olivia had to fight the urge to ask questions herself. She'd often wondered at the changes that the years had made in Keith. He, like she, had gotten three years older and in your late teens and early twenties that was a long time. She could definitely believe that he looked more mature, but sexier? She wasn't sure how that could be possible, at least not in her eyes.

"Oh, god, I wish I'd have been there. Then what? He just left, right?" Nan's attention was rapt.

"No, he asked the other two guys to leave us alone." Lisle teased.

"You kissed him again, didn't you?" Viv whispered in awe.

"No, actually we didn't. He's seeing someone; pretty seriously from what I could tell. He didn't go on and on about her, but he made sure I was aware that all he was looking for that night was conversation." Lisle said a little sadly. She would most definitely have given him a kiss and so much more if he'd just asked or given any indication that he was interested.

"Do you think it was that girl we saw in 'The Mirror'? The one he was dancing with at that nightclub?" Viv asked.

"Probably. She sure looked gorgeous in those pictures. Wouldn't surprise me that he had a steady girl. I mean, what girl wouldn't be looking to lock him up for life." Lisle reasoned. "He did agree to set up a meeting with me when he's in Switzerland. He's going to bring her with him."

"Can we come?" Nan was not beyond begging.

"Of course, that's the reason for the meeting. I told him about you two and he said he'd love to meet you." Lisle assured them.

Olivia got up silently burning with both anger and a new plan forming in her mind. Keith Partridge, you are not allowed to get serious about anyone but me. It appears that she had another female to take out of the picture.

Killing wasn't her favorite pastime, but it appeared that Keith was forcing her hand once again.

Wasn't it nice that Lisle had given her a location that she was sure Keith would be at in a short period of time? Now, to find out exactly when.