Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Axl Rose)

13: Let Me Go to the Show

(A/n: This chapter isn't ENTIRELY chronologically accurate considering it's supposed to be happening in late '86, but then, the story really isn't either. Anyway, on with the goddamn show.)

"Thank you!" I told my boss, who handed me a paycheck. Since I'd worked double shifts every day for the last week, he'd given me a bonus. The bonus was way more than I'd bargained for, and I finally had all of Axl's money back. This was how I intended to confront him with the whole 'let's try a relationship' idea. Or maybe I'd just ask him out on a third date.

I run back to the apartment, firm grip on the envelope with the money in it. I throw open the front door. "Where's the fire?" Steven teased me.

"I can pay Axl back!" I replied, overexcited. I rush into my room, finding the box where I'd been keeping all of my other money. I took out all of the cash, counting it. After that, I went over to the room which Slash and Axl shared. (Axl once had his own room, but he gave it up because Duff had told him that a chick needed her own room. That's now my room.) I knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Someone shouted from the other side. I opened the door. "Oh, it's you, Angel-face. I was just going out to-" I thrust the money at him before he could say anything more.

"I've got your money back," I said, smiling. "Now you don't have to be mad at me for it anymore."

Axl took the money, looking at it strangely. He counted off a few twenties and handed them back. "You need some of your own money, Angel-face. But I do appreciate this." He pocketed the rest of it.

"Do you guys have a show tonight?" I asked. I genuinely had forgotten the answer. Axl shook his head. "Could you maybe take me to see someone else?"

"Who?" He asked, a small grin appearing on his face.

"Well, there's this band called Faster Pussycat," I started, "and I hear that they're supposed to be good. They're opening for Poison, too." The singer nodded, agreeing with me. "Will you take me?"

"Sure," He shrugged. "And you really should try to be more subtle when asking me out," He chuckled. "Can smell a date a mile away."

I felt a heat creep over my face, but I smiled as I looked down nervously. Axl took his fingers and ran them under my chin, pulling my head back up. "What?" I asked. I could feel a tingling in my lips. A buzzing in my stomach. I wanted to kiss him.

"You really do get frustrated so easily." He took his hand away from my chin, and then tapped the tip of my nose. "I'll take you to the show after dinner tonight."

I'd taken Axl's previous advice to heart. I did my own hair up this time, using a flat iron until my hair had no curl left in it. It was way longer now that it was straight. I used a little bit of makeup, careful on the lips, heavy on the eyes, and dressed in some of the once-long clothes that Steven had cut up. "I'm ready," I told him. He looked up from the old sofa, looking me over a few times.

"Like your hair better curly," He noted. I frowned. "There's nothing wrong with it now, I just like it better curly," He assured me. "If you're ready, then let's go."

He took my hand and led me out of the apartment. Our fingers were laced while we walked down the streets of the city at night. A whole different crowd of people stalked the streets now, but I'd grown used to them. Axl pulled me closer to his side whenever he saw a group of men together, or if someone looked at me for a little too long. Overprotective and a little bit jealous, I found him a hypocrite. But hey, he was going to be my hypocrite.

When we arrived at the venue, Axl pulled me to the front of the line. Security gave us a dark look, but the ginger tipped generously. We were let in immediately. The room was small, less than five hundred capacity. Bodies were packed tight, moving in a steady rhythm as the people waited for the opening act. I was just fine sticking around in the back. I had a clear view of the stage, and the room was so small I could hear everything clearly.

Axl had other plans though. Still holding my hand, he expertly weaved me through the crowd, forcing them to split for us to get to the front. And I mean, THE FRONT. I was pushed right up against the stage. And I was eternally grateful for Axl pushing us up there, because once I saw Mark sit behind his drums, Kelly pluck his bass string, and Taime grab the microphone, my eyes were glued to the stage. Songs were being sung in my face, guitar solos played so fast I was at risk of being hit by a pick if someone's grip slipped. I'd gone deaf to anything but the music, and even that was so loud I could barely hear it anymore. But I never wanted to leave. And as much as I wanted to see Faster Pussycat, Poison was even better. CC blew me a kiss, which made Axl jealous, which made me oddly happy. I left with so many songs stuck in my head that I made Axl buy me both bands' demo CD's.

"Thank you," I told him.

"Yeah, whatever," He grumbled. He was playing it off, but both of us knew that he was happy he'd taken me. "You'd better not sleep with that guitarist."

I chuckled. "Why would I do that?" I poked his shoulder. "I've got the more legendary singer to have an affair with right here." He stopped walking. "What're you stopping for? It's almost two in the morning. Time to go home." Now I stopped walking. The apartment had just become home. I'd never called it that before.

"Did you just...?" Axl caught himself before asking the question. "You wanna sleep with me?"

I swallowed hard. Did I? My head must've been moving up and down real slow, because Axl took my hand and led me back to the apartment faster than I could think.