Chapter 19

A/N As always, thanks to all who read and especially those who read AND review. Still laying no claims on LOD characters, or any classic rock bands.

Stacy was as good as his word and picked Alex up around 4:00. He had spent most of yesterday with her and even called to confirm this morning. "Hi, I missed you," he said kissing her at her front door.

"Oh go on, you haven't had time to miss me, just enough time to catch up on your sleep," she teased.

"Thanks again for driving me."

"Anything I can do to further the career(s) of my lovely urethane wheel sales rep/and um, bartender."

They settled into his car and started the drive up the PCH to Malibu. "How long will it take to get there?" Alex asked.

"About 45 minutes, without traffic."

"Is there a bus or something I could take? If I get the job, of course. I'm still used to subways and taxis being able to take you where ever."

"Yeah, there's a bus that runs in that direction, Jay and Tony and I surf it on our skateboards a lot of the time. We used to take it up there to surf Malibu and skate schoolyards in that direction. Come to think of it, the bus drivers that recognized us didn't stop after a while. They seemed much happier trying to shake us loose from the back of their bus," Stacy said with a look of fond remembrance in his eyes. "We'll have to see how close it stops to your bar."

"It's not 'my bar' yet, don't jinx it. And what do you mean surf buses?"

"Oh it's cool! We would hang onto the back of the bus and make a chain, ya know, one behind the other on our skateboards, then hitch a ride behind the bus, like a whip. After a while it was like a game with the bus drivers, they'd swerve and stuff trying to ditch us."

"Sounds suicidal"

"Totally" Stacy looked happy at the memory. "So about it being 'not your bar', how much do you know about the place and the guy who owns it?"

"Well, I don't know the guy, Mick McGuire, actually, but I made some phone calls to check it out. It seems he's a Brit who opened this bar a few years ago in conjunction with a sound studio next door. They are both quite popular with British, and American, bands coming through the area. Kind of one stop shopping, I suppose, beautiful beach, studio and a friendly not-to-touristy bar." Alex said, proud of the homework she had done for her interview.

"So who did you call?" Stacy replied immediately.

"I called a few friends of my family, they said he was on the up and up, if that's what you're worried about." Alex thought she detected an edge to Stacy's questions.

Truthfully, Stacy had given some thought to Alex's friends of the family. Every conversation he had heard that she had with people she knew seemed to involve Led Zeppelin, and yet the band never came up in her conversations with him or the locals. His curiosity was getting the better of him. "Alex, these friends of your family, do they include Led Zeppelin?

"Yeah my dad worked for them for a long time, and both he and my mother knew Jimmy Page from when they were all teenagers," Alex answered as nonchalantly as she could, knowing how Stacy felt about the band.

"Far out! How come you never came out and told me?" Stacy enthused.

"Wouldn't you find it odd and a little hard to believe if I introduced myself with Hi, I'm Alex and I know Led Zeppelin?"

"It doesn't flow naturally, that's for sure. But damn, definitely worth knowing about."

"Anyway they're going through a stretch of bad luck right now which has pretty much engulfed my family," Alex said soberly looking to bring the topic to a close. "Our parents were killed while they were working for the band and, ah, they sort of adopted my brothers and me. In fact my brothers are staying at Robert Plant's farm in Wales right now, but, um that wouldn't work out for me."

Stacy saw this wasn't a discussion she wanted to have and turned the talk back to her upcoming interview; "I'm really sorry to hear that, I can't even imagine what that must have done to you. But look, McGuire's Jolly Roger is just around this next bend. I've been there once or twice with some of the Malibu surfers, it rocks. Do you want me to go in with you or just wait outside?"

"I guess I should go in by myself, looks more businesslike than 'Hey I brought my boy….a friend with me" Alex tried to catch her run away tongue.

"I don't know, I kinda like the sound of that; my boyfriend that is, as long as you let them know you're talking about me." Stacy winked; "now go in there and sell them on you, Alex Boylan, sales woman!" He gave her a quick kiss and a little push out the door.

Half and hour later

Alex exited the bar to find Stacy had moved the car to the far side of the parking lot, overlooking the beach. She found him easily be following the strains of Peter Frampton's Show Me the Way wafting out of the car stereo. Stacy's life had its own soundtrack she thought happily. She fought the impulse to skip across the parking lot, seeking to maintain what she hoped had been a rock 'n roll cool.

Stacy turned from his perch leaning against the hood of his car as she approached raising his eyebrows in a silent question.

"I got it," she confirmed throwing both caution/cool to the winds and herself into his arms.

"Whooo, I am so proud of you!" Stacy caught her up in a heartfelt hug.

Alex kissed him big time, happiness and relief getting the best of her.

Stacy gently dodged his way out of the kiss, glancing back over his shoulder towards the bar. "You wouldn't want your new coworkers' first impression of you to be making out in the parking lot." He said looking uneasily towards the bar.

"What the hell, let them get the jealousy out of their systems," Alex chimed in happily, still on a post-interview high.

"Come on, let's get going, you can tell me all about it in the car," Stacy said steering her towards the car door.

"I'm sorry; did I keep you waiting a long time?" Alex asked mistaking his shyness for impatience.

"No, it's cool, I'm just getting a little hungry, you wanna stop and get some dinner?" He asked, tucking her into the passenger side.

"Sure, let's go, I'll even treat, seeing as I'm in the money now!"

"Whoa sport, maybe you better wait till you actually get a paycheck." Stacy replied.

"Party pooper!

"Alright, alright, you can pay, Miss Moneybags."

"Hell yeah. So, can I borrow $20?"