Anastasia's pov:
"where are we going?"Erin panicked as she trailed behind me as I rushed down the stairs being rushed by paparazzi. "Ana I need too."she grunted as I was just set in getting through the crowd as I lead her through
"Miss McKagan!"the paparazzi shouted.
"Anastasia what happened?
"What was the verdict?"
"Is Steven Adler still a member??"
"Anastasia are you dating Slash?"another voice called out as camera flashed in my face surrounding me as I grabbed onto Erin pulling her through the crowd.
"get away from me."I muttered as the press still followed my every move.I was trapped.
"move!"I heard Slash grunt as people's heads in the crowd around me moved away and onto Slash as he broke through the crowd to me."Anastasia."
He said with that nervous,stupid look on his face as I tried to ignore him as I turned away.
"Ana wait!"Erin said as she stopped with a huge file in her hands as she tried to open it.
"what the f*ck is that?"I said as she continued fiddling with the envelope as we made it to the end of the stairs at the bottom of the courthouse,while I attempted to hail a cab.
Erin nudged me and pointed up to the top of the stairs as the paparazzi all turned around as everyone watched Axl exchange a hug with Stephanie Seymour who appeared as the press swarmed up there too them as they kissed,Erin's eyes were full of regret as she glanced down at the envelope she had been fumbling with.
"give me that."I said angrily snatching the envelope containing a file from Erin's hands,opening it up as I read through it as I gasped. "Erin..these are divorce papers?"I said confused.
"Axl gave them too me.."She said stunned.
"he's f*cking divorcing you?"I scoffed unsure on what to say.
"seems it."she sniffled numbly.
"oh Erin I'm so sorry."I said hugging her as she brushed me off.
"I'm just gonna go home,get my daughter and call my lawyer and process all this."Erin said shaking her head all flustered.
"Do you want me to come with you?"I said holding her.
"no..I'll be fine."She smiled as a cab approached as her eyes wandered to the side of me as I turned around to the bottom of the stairs where Slash sat on the last step. "you should talk to him."Erin advised as I sighed.
"talk about what?"I whispered.
"this?everything..Axl and I may be divorcing but I don't want you and Slash too."Erin chuckled
"I'm sure you're not done...for good."I said as the harsh reality dawned on me.
"It's been a long time,we need a break,if he wants a divorce he wants it...but I'm gonna ruin him."She smiled with a wink.
"that's my girl!"I cheered. "call me?"I asked as she agreed hugging me goodbye as I exhaled slowly before turning around to face Slash.
"Anastasia."He said effortlessly
"Saul."I said back in the same tone.
"my full name?"he said taken aback by my forwardness.
"you used my full name."I shrugged.
"we're not strangers Ana,even though you're acting like it."He said stepping closer until we were inches apart.
"what are you doing?Theres paparazzi swarming this place.And I don't even know what you're talking about!"I hummed.
"The paparazzi only care about Axl,everyone only cares about him."Slash said getting frustrated.
"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about"
"Maybe I just don't want to argue with you."I suggested as he rolled his eyes.
"you love to argue with me."He said kissing his teeth. "So come on get it over with."Slash said ushering me to speak but I was confused and wasn't in the right mental state to make any decisions or argue with him at all.
"Slash I'm not ready to talk to you about this"I persisted as he just stared back.
"you had a lot to say about it before..and while we were in there and when you decided to storm out at the end?"Slash said as I just looked down at my heels,speechless for once as he paused too moving back as footsteps approached breaking the silence as I looked up eager to see my saviour with this awkward moment.
"hey Ana,look who I ran into."Duff said approaching with Gilby at his side.
"hey Stas."He said giving me a pet name. "you look good in my suit."Gilby nodded to Duff.
"what are you doing here?"Slash asked glaring.
"Oh Slash,I didn't see you there,how are you?you feeling good about all this floury stuff?"Gilby smirked already acting up in front of him.
"I just kicked my best friend out of this sh*tty band,how the f*ck do you think I feel?"Slash said sarcastically as Duff decided to butt in.
"well it was for the best man."Duff said.
"hey Ana it was nice seeing you yesterday,I forgot to say before you left,you're welcome anytime."Gilby said as my eyes went wide as I turned to Slash who glared even harder at me.
"What were you even doing?"Duff asked fumbling as Gilby gave him a suggestive smirk. "You know what I don't even wanna know."Duff laughed shaking his head.
"unbelievable."Slash muttered as he walked away.
"what's up with him?"Duff asked as I began to panic on the inside.
"yeah what is up with him?"Gilby repeated antagonising me.This was all his fault.I stood there defeated,I couldn't chase after him so I waited a while until finally escaping the dull dull conversation Duff was having with me offering for me to move back in with him,since Steven was moving out.
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Slash's pov:
I was mad at Anastasia.She was mad at me.I just couldn't believe she'd go to Gilby,I'd rather her go to anyone else but him and behind my back.Duff made it seem there was something going on between them and it drove me crazy.
"Slash!"I heard her shout as the front door of our apartment opened,it had been so quiet with Steven gone and just me and her.I lay on my bed with the kitten I brought her while she was apparently out with Gilby. "Slash.."she said walking into the room as I just looked up at her.
"It's not what they made it sound like.."
"are you sure?"I retorted as she rolled her eyes.
"of course I am."She said back with attitude as if I was stupid and wrong for questioning her.
"Then what is it like?Why the f*ck were you at Gilbys house,after we just had an argument."I said folding my arms.
"I was walking to Erin's...like I said."She nodded.
"you lied."I noted as she sighed.
"let me f*cking speak."She said defensively. "I was walking to Erin's and on the way Gilby saw me because he lives above the record store down the strip,like a loft apartment."she rambled on as I failed to see her point.
"you went to his apartment?"I frowned.
"He invited me in,gave me wine,let me play a record from downstairs and started hitting on me..so I told him to stop and then I left."She persisted as I could tell she was getting overwhelmed.
"you took wine from Gilby and let him hit on you?"I asked.
"stop saying it in that tone and questioning everything.Gilby is my friend.He'd never do anything to hurt me,he just saw I was upset and wanted to help,maybe his intentions were different too mine but I left with Duff when he showed up to lent a suit for court...where I then found all about the court date."Ana carried on as I got more and more frustrated with her for defending him.
"Anastasia,he's not your friend.He obviously has a thing for you and thought the thing you had when you were kids is gonna happen again"I sighed.
"God!We barely hooked up back in Seattle,I was in a bad place and Gilby was a drug dealer.I don't want anything with him and I keep reminding him that!"Ana groaned
"Well whatever happened he had his hopes up of rekindling until he met me and now he's out to ruin this and you're letting it happen."I said adamantly as she sighed and looked away.I got up approaching her as she began to cry. "Anastasia."I pleaded with her not to cry.
"Everybody and Everything is out to ruin this Slash."She assured me "Gilby,Duff,Niven,Stephanie,Axl,Meegan,
Adrianna, your mom?"She sobbed
"That's not true."I said trying to comfort her as I held her but she resisted.
"It is.All we do is argue."She sniffled.
"But that's us!You drive me crazy and I complain about it and I act like a d*ck and then you tell me when I'm acting like a d*ck and I don't wanna change that."I reminded her as she shook her head.
"It shouldn't be like this,It shouldn't have happened."she cried.
"none of it?You're saying none of this should have happened?So when I met you backstage for the first time I should've ignored."I implied.
"no."She said looking down.
"we shouldn't of had sex is that what you're saying?"I said pushing for an answer as she bit her tongue.
"that's all this is too you?Sex?"She scoffed.
"no,Anastasia it isn't."I said defensively getting annoyed with her. "I did everything for you stas,I let you move in with me,I asked you out,took you on a date,I brought you everything you've ever wanted and brought you around the world with me,I asked you to marry me!I brought you into my life and my life-style and now you're saying none of this should've happened?"I listed as she sobbed more and more at the sound of each one.
"Duff saids we can't be together."She said.
"Duff has always said that."I said rolling my eyes.
"Exactly,this whole time we've been a secret."She said suggestively.
"what's wrong with you?Normally you wouldn't give a f*ck what Duff thinks and now all off a sudden,you do?"I said frowning at her.
"he's all the family I've got,and everything is turning to sh*t.Why can't you see that?Steven getting kicked from the band..Izzy is probably next."she hummed.
"I'm in the band Stas!I see all that so."I exaggerated as she looked at me blankly.
"so?"She questioned.
"I'll leave the band."I nodded as she tutted.
"no you f*cking won't."She said.
"I will leave.the.band."I said pausing between each sentence. "Right now.We can run away to Milan together,maybe elope again,maybe Steven will even want to come with his ugly dog ,we can bring the kitten,I'd even settle down now."I said going on a whim suggesting anything to change her mind as I saw her fighting with herself on how to answer.It took her a minute but her facial expression said it all
"we can't.I can't let you quit the band for me,I'd never move away."She sighed.
"why not?The band is doomed.Axl is ruining it.Steven is gone and like you said Izzy is probably next.Duff can't say you're off limits while I'm not in the band.Theres No Gilbys.No Duff.No Niven.No Axl.No Stephanie.No Adrianna.No Meegan just us.Me and you against everyone else."I proposed as I could see the word on the top of her tongue.
"you're throwing you're life away."She whispered.
"no im not Anastasia.I want this.I want you.We've gotta work this out now because I want you!All the time whenever I want and I don't want people to control that ever.."I said as a tear rolled down her cheek as I tilted up her chin to me. "You just have to say it,and I'm yours forever."I committed surprising myself how willing I was to go through with this as she struggled to get her words out.
"I can't Slash."She sobbed,as I was taken aback.
"you're right we can't go on like this,but it was either I leave the band and you come with me or.."I said as the idea was in her head as I imploded that we'd have to break up.
"no..."She whispered.
"just say if Stas."I said as she shook her head.I was realising it was the only way.I didn't want to break up but she was adamant in implying we were going to eventually anyway.
"are you saying you want to break up with me?"She said tilting her head.
"I'm saying we have too.If you don't see how this can work,us constantly arguing like we do then there's no point."I sighed with the harsh truth.
"then break up with me!"She said.
"no."I said.
"just do it!"She said as I continually shook my head.
"God!you are so stubborn y'know that?Fine,Im breaking up with you!We're done."She snapped.
"okay.."I said quietly as I looked down at my arms around her.
"don't touch me!I hate you!"She snapped again going into hysterics as she cried as my hands fell to her waist again as she melted back into my arms sobbing onto my shoulder.We went to bed quietly,with her lay on my chest,the kitten in the middle of us as she looked up to me as the crazies opened window blew cold La breeze onto us.I didn't know why we decided to go to bed.I guess I couldn't stand the thought of one of us sleeping on the couch after sleeping together for so long.I didn't want her to leave.not at all.But we had too.
"did we really just break up..?"She asked full of regret as her chin rested on my chest as she looked up at me all doe-eyed.
"I guess so."I said thinking about it.I didn't sleep at all.I stayed up all night,thinking about it.We were really broken up and she was already laying in my arms.Staying away from her was gonna be hard,we lived together.Changes were going to happen and I probably wasn't going to like them but it was all apparently 'for the best'
I loved Anastasia,I needed her.I had become so reliant on her and used to having her around I didn't know how to act when she wasn't.I was a free man,I could do whatever I want.I could probably even live the whole sex drugs and rock n roll life,I'd always wanted but after meeting her it never appealed to me anymore.I could do anything with anyone with out consequences allegedly but I'd feel too much guilt.I didn't want too.I wasn't ready too move on and neither was she as she held me so tightly.
Maybe I needed this,Maybe we'd find our way back to eachother.I agreed with myself to give her space as much space as she needed to miss me and if she found someone else then good for her but I'd always still want her,other people can come and go but I'm not letting go of her.