Book 3: You Don't Want My Love (Slash FanFic)

Ch. 6: The Beginning of The End.

The tour flew by like the wings of a dream, everything moving almost too quickly for me to truly take in my surroundings, all of it so surreal. Whether from my increased alcohol intake or from the fact that fame was very much like a fantasy itself, I wasn't quite sure. All I knew was that my life didn't feel like my own anymore, and it hadn't in a while. Rather, it felt like I was watching my experiences in some far away cinema somewhere, as unattached to the world around me as an audience was to the storyline of their favorite movie.

The chasm that I was putting between myself and my 'Slash' persona was becoming an ever-widening fissure. I watched through a dreamy haze as Slash stormed on and off of the stage each night, attitude in tow and a guitar in hand. From my seat in the cinema, I watched as Slash would binge drink himself into oblivion with the screen eventually cutting to a new scene. It was always a new morning, and always opening with a new girl.

But this movie wasn't always about sex, you see. Sure, there was plenty of footage of breasts and blondes and bright, white smiles, but there was heartbreak too. There were nights where Slash could be seen hugging the toilet for dear life, muttering about Steven and missing his old pal Nikki, because no one else on the tour was pathetic enough at the moment to shoot up with him. There were nights when he and Axl hardly even looked at one another, they simply sat across the room from each other in a silence so thick that you could have cut it with a knife. And then there were nights like tonight, that shook the entire cast to its core. In this scene, Slash was taking in the news of Izzy's sudden departure.

I felt a little sorry for the guy. He and Izzy had never been the best of friends, but there was no denying their chemistry as bandmates. Together, they were a dynamic duo of near perfect musicianship. As much as they didn't always get along, even Slash couldn't deny what an impact Izzy's leaving would have on the band.

I couldn't help but wonder, in the back of my mind, what this would mean for Guns N'Roses as a whole. Two of their main members had bailed, meaning they had positions to fill. Dizzy had simply been an add on, but Matt had been a full blown replacement. Now, they'd need another replacement, but this time it would be for Izzy.

If drummers were a dime a dozen, Izzy was one of a kind. Replacing him would be nearly impossible, and a shadow seemed to cloak the band because they all knew that much to be true. Still, the record executives and various talent agents were already on the case, and they were determined to fix what had been broken for some time now.

The band began to feel artificial, a far cry from the raw, unadulterated rock n'roll that it once was. Now they had every fucker and his grandma sticking their nose into their business, telling them what was best for their sound or who might work out best for their group.

I sat in that cinema, nibbling at my popcorn and sipping at my soda, on the edge of my seat as I watched it all unfold before me: the beginning of the end. Everyone could see it, but just like in every other movie before this, the characters seemed to be out of control of their own fates, blind to their own destruction.

A/N: please excuse this very strange and very short chapter. Hopefully it made sense.