IF DEJA VU was truly a legitimate thing, then Lindy had never been more sure that she was feeling it in the moment that she caught herself in then.

She was hand in hand with Kurt, walking down a long, carpeted hallway that led to Danny Goldberg's office. It was in a building that fit snugly right into the heart of Seattle, small, but nice enough to have a presence amongst the other towering structures around it.

The halls that framed the setting were decorated with a scattered collection of gold and platinum records and even some signed photographs. Lindy felt a swirl of disorientation when she noticed that some of those records were actually Nirvana ones.

Kurt locked his hand tighter in hers, caressing his thumb gently against her knuckles. The gesture was meant to soothe her, something he'd done countless other times, but she didn't feel the least bit soothed.

She wasn't even necessarily anxious. Mostly, Lindy felt unhinged by the sensation that she and Kurt had done this exact same walk many years prior. The same tense feelings of Nirvana's fate had teetered on the ledge of chance and she'd been there to witness it.

Now they had returned, except this time they were not contemplating the demise of Nirvana. This time they were putting forth into the universe the idea of a rebirth.

Lindy ran her tongue along her lips, feeling how dry they'd become. She'd been silent for so long, almost forgetting that she had the capability to speak and make conversation.

"You okay?" Kurt asked.

They had finally gotten to the end of the hallway. On the right was a door, the glass made fuzzy so that it could not be seen into. It was Danny's office door, the long-awaited gateway to difficult decision making.

"I'm alright," Lindy said. "Shouldn't I be asking you if you're the one who's okay?"

She had originally thought that Kurt would have displayed a strong reaction towards the meeting. She'd entertained nightmares of him getting sick again, crippled by the sudden return of his stomach pains. She had imagined him being angry or scared, maybe even emotional. But instead he wore a perfect poker face, a blank slate of an expression that gave no indication as to how he felt.

He had smiled at her a few times that morning and even kissed her deeply before they'd left their house, but otherwise, Kurt had been unreadable. However he felt about the meeting with his old friends was his own secret, something that Lindy was definitely not in on.

She could understand that. There would always be things that Kurt would keep to himself.

"Are you going to go in?" she pressed, staring through the foggy glass.

"Yeah. But you've got to come to. They'll be pissed if you don't say hi to them."

"Okay," Lindy whispered. She felt like her eighteen-year-old self again, shyly being introduced to Kurt's bandmates in the good old town of Aberdeen. It was the same strange case of deja vu, immersing her in its smother.

Kurt clicked open the handle of the door with ease, pushing it forward and stepping inside. His hand was still gripping Lindy's and she followed suit while holding her breath.

"No fucking way!"

The first voice to herald in their entrance was that of Dave Grohl's, crowing with obvious pleasure to see them both. He zeroed in on Lindy, grinning ear to ear and getting out of his office chair to approach her.

She couldn't help but smile. Dave's own smile was infectious, brightening the mood of anyone around him. Similarly to how Krist had done at Charlie's birthday party, Dave wrapped his arms around Lindy and pulled her off the ground in a bear hug.

"Nobody told me you were going to be here!" he exclaimed, setting her back down on her feet.

"Surprise," Lindy laughed, her uneasiness settled by Dave's cheerful demeanor.

"Good to see you too," Kurt said sarcastically from behind. Dave turned to his old friend and clapped him on the shoulder, tugging him into an embrace.

"Well, you I was expecting," he joked.

It had been a bit of a stretch of time since the Cobains had seen Dave. Between touring with the Foo Fighters, doting on a family that included three daughters and partaking in grilling adventures with his brand Backbeat Barbecue, Dave was without a doubt the busiest member of the old Nirvana trio. His image as the nicest guy in rock music was being upheld and it truly was a title well deserved.

Lindy had vaguely wondered in the past if Dave's success with the Foos had been bothersome to Kurt, but he mostly kept quiet about the subject and held a healthy amount of respect towards his friend. She'd seen him roll his eyes at some of Dave's more on-brand, commercial exploits, but besides that, Kurt had deemed Dave both a wonderful musician and songwriter.

It also helped that Kurt had mellowed out considerably with age; Dave riding the tide of fame did not bother him as much as it would have if they'd still been in their early twenties.

"I can't recall the last time we were all in the same room together," Krist mused from the couch, his long legs crossed in front of him. He was wearing his bowler hat and a vest, which made Lindy smile.

"That's easy," Dave objected. "I'm pretty sure the last time we were together was for Harper's birthday party. You guys showed up for that one."

"I think it was Violet's, actually," Kurt said back thoughtfully, never one to forget the birthdays of kids he loved. He got a kick out of Dave's girls.

"It's obviously been long enough for you all to forget," piped in Danny, who was sitting quietly at his desk with folded hands and wearing a relaxed smile.

On cue, both Dave and Kurt took a seat and fell into a hush, allowing for Danny to speak. Lindy stood awkwardly, taking a step towards the door.

"I'll just —," she began, having every intention of leaving them all to discuss their business in private. But Kurt's eyes flashed to her face instantly.

"Where are you going?" he asked urgently. "I want you to stay."

Lindy felt her face warm. She didn't want to be the wife that sat in on the conversations meant to be had between her husband and his bandmates, even if they were ex-bandmates. It wasn't that she didn't think it was her place — she just genuinely didn't want to be present for the possibly uncomfortable discussion ahead.

"I don't want to intrude," she said.

"Lindy, just sit the fuck down," Dave called out. "You might as well be apart of Nirvana as it is."

"Well," Lindy sighed, sitting next to Kurt and smoothing her hands down her jeans. "I always did tell Kurt I could play the hell out of the triangle."

Krist and Dave smirked and Kurt chuckled at the ancient joke he'd once told Lindy in the beginning of their relationship. He moved closer to her so that their legs touched. It was discreet enough so that only Lindy noticed Kurt had even moved on the couch. 

Danny surveyed the room, resting his gaze upon each of their faces. He hesitated to open his mouth before finally looking to Kurt, who shrank back into the couch with obvious guilt. He'd been hiding from Danny for much too long.

"I wasn't certain that we'd be meeting here today, but you all surprised me," Danny admitted.

Lindy silently agreed with Danny, although his words were very clearly directed at Kurt. If Dave had been able to get away from his band obligations for the meeting, then there was certainly no reason as to why Kurt couldn't show up either. She was glad that he hadn't delayed it for another second longer.

"You three obviously know why I called," he continued. "Chris Cornell's family has decided to organize a charity event in his honor. It's going to be a tribute concert called 'I Am The Highway.' They've gotten several pretty big artists to go ahead and agree to perform."

Danny paused to glance at Dave, who was listening attentively with his fingers tucked under his chin.

"The Foo Fighters were to be included in that lineup," Danny recalled hedgingly.

"It's on hold," Dave replied.

Naturally, everyone in the room was tempted to turn to Kurt, but they didn't. There was a conspicuous reason as to why the Foo Fighters were not yet confirmed to play the event, but no one actually wanted to point it out. Another beat of silence occurred before Danny continued on.

"The lineup is set to include The Melvins, Metallica, the surviving members of Soundgarden as well members of Audiosalve."

Kurt silently raised his eyebrows, an evident sign that he was impressed by who Danny had named. He stared hard at the floor though, avoiding all eyes in the room. Lindy was thinking the same thing, happily surprised to hear that Chris's side-band, Audioslave, would play a role in the big event.

"It's a pretty huge deal," Danny said. "And not to mention, it's for Chris. I know you all cared for him in a special way. And I also know it still isn't easy to cope with his death."

Kurt shifted in his seat against Lindy. She felt his movement and fought the need to clutch his hand, to hold it tight to her own heart as a physical reminder that she was there. He didn't need to feel sadness when she was with him, not when she was fully capable of making him happy.

"I think you should get to your point," Kurt finally said. His sentiment was not harshly made. He only wanted to get over the mountain that they were all seemingly climbing with reluctance.

Danny sighed. "Look, I could never force you guys to do anything. It's been years since you have all played together. I've respected that Nirvana has been over, but I honestly think you guys should play this concert."

Dave and Krist did not answer; they only slid their stares once again towards Kurt, tentatively waiting to see what his reply would be to Danny's straightforward suggestion.

"Doesn't it cheapen the concept of a tribute concert if we make it all about a Nirvana reunion?" Kurt said, his voice tightening. The last thing he would want to do was take away from Chris's memory.

"I think it would be just the opposite," Danny differed quickly. "It would bring people together, namely you three. It's undeniable that Nirvana and Soundgarden are two of the largest bands to ever come out of Seattle. If you all got back together in honor of Chris, I think it would be —,"

"What?" Kurt said, cutting Danny off. "It would be beautiful? Poetic? You think Chris's memorial concert would be the perfect time and place for us to take the spotlight?"

"Kurt," Lindy mumbled, gently touching her hand to Kurt's knee, which was bare beneath the shredded part of his jeans.

"I think you're not understanding me," Danny replied calmly, unaffected by Kurt's small outburst. "We wouldn't be making this about Nirvana. It would be a surprise guest appearance done solely with the intention of honoring Chris. It would be a reunion for Chris."

"Yes, because I'm sure a Nirvana reunion was really high up on Chris's wish list," Kurt scoffed irritatedly.

"Debatable," Dave chuckled, shaking his head.

"Just two songs," Danny said, glazing over Kurt's icy contempt. "A rendition of one of Chris's songs and then one of your own, obviously chosen as a dedication to Chris. That's all they'd be asking."

"Do you know how long it's been since Nirvana last played a show?" Kurt argued, looking at Danny incredulously.

"Of course I do. I was your manager. And I know that the world wasn't satisfied with just one last show. Trust me on that."

"Dave is going to play with the Foo Fighters," Kurt insisted. "Why would he turn that down? And for what, exactly? Us? His old gig as a drummer?"

"I'd turn it down in a heartbeat," Dave interjected. All eyes in the room fell upon him. "Nirvana means the world to me, man. I wouldn't have the Foos if it weren't for you guys."

"I'm sure you all can guess my stance on the whole thing," Krist said, joining the debate. "I'm open to anything. We do it, we don't, I don't care. But I wouldn't mind paying tribute to an old friend."

The pressure had been transferred back on to Kurt with both his ex-bandmates agreeing to go forth with the concert. He fell back against the couch, sighing and looking to the floor. The look on his face must have read as quite miserable to Danny, because the next words he spoke were more gentle than before.

"You don't have to say yes, Kurt. You can say no and we'll put it behind us and I won't ask you guys again for something like this."

Kurt did not respond, but as per usual, Lindy could practically read his mind. He would of course be thinking of a million things at once, perhaps even the notion that performing for Chris after he'd died from suicide would be a dark reminder of his own past. She knew what he was trying to rationalize — if he had decided to pull the trigger on his Remington shotgun years ago, would it be him being memorialized with a tribute concert?

It was a troublesome thing to wonder. It made Kurt sick. Lindy saw the openness of his face and knew that much to be true.

"What do you want me to say?" Kurt said, his voice small. "Are we supposed to do this thing and then jump right back into it? Are we going to act like we never broke up?"

"It would be a one time reunion," Danny explained. "Unless you'd want otherwise."

Kurt was quiet again, leading Lindy to wonder if he really did want otherwise. She figured that he would have disagreed rather quickly if he didn't.

"We've got your back, Kurt," Dave said. He leaned forward his chair, speaking softly. "We'll be in it together. It will be different than the last time. It will be better."

Kurt finally focused his eyes on Dave, seeming to speak telepathically to him before glancing to Krist. Together, the three of them stared, engaging in a silent conversation that only band members who had been through it all together were capable of.

Kurt inhaled, looking like he was about to take a giant leap off of a high dive. Lindy felt his hand loosen in hers, as if he were gaining the independence to stand on his own. Whatever choice he made, he would have to do it with no one standing behind him, expectantly waiting for him to fall back into their arms.

"I'll do it," he announced.

Danny's eyes widened with shock, but he hurriedly regained his composure. Dave and Krist smiled, Krist reaching over to pat Kurt's shoulder.

"So that's your final decision?" Danny asked. "If so, I'll start making the necessary calls."

"Yeah," Kurt murmured. "We'll do it."

Everyone finally seemed to be able to breathe with Kurt's decision finally out in the open. But besides relief, there was an air of excited uncertainty in the room.

Nirvana was back together, even for just a temporary moment in time. Every teen of the nineties who had finally aged into adulthood had no idea that their dreams of seeing Nirvana take the stage again were coming true.

"Wait," Kurt suddenly blurted, severing everyone's internal thoughts. They turned to look at him, Lindy clenching her jaw as she silently waited for Kurt to go back on what he'd said and call the whole thing off.

"I'll do it, but on one condition," Kurt began, eyeing Danny seriously.

"Okay," Danny agreed. "Whatever your condition is, we'll fulfill it."

"Good. Because I won't do it if it's not," Kurt said firmly, for once in his life displaying an ambience of authority that had evaded him when he was young and new to the world of music.

Lindy was glad that he had found the confidence to stick up for himself -- otherwise, Nirvana may not have stood a chance of reuniting at all.