My Piece of the Action

Landed

"Mom. Whah- you- doing?" A small voice asked her. Her head snapped around to her right,
"Renan." Her voice caught in her throat. His hair was so much longer now, in tight ringlets, and he stood on his own two feet. Her tiny baby was talking in full sentences and she had missed his first words. Raven couldn't express how horrible she felt about it. She fell to her knees and opened her arms wide. Renan stepped forward, confused, and she embraced him tightly.
"Oh my baby! You've gotten so big!" She was at a loss for words. The sound of the phone ringing brought her out of the moment, and she stood back up. It was night time, judging from the darkness outside the window she walked past as she went to the phone,
"Hello?" She picked it up.
"Hey- Rae...." Axl's voice came through the reciever.
"Ax- how are you?" She sat down in the chair close by the cradle on the wall in which the phone usually sat.
"I'm fine. I wanted to ask you 'round- I'll ask Duff to come get you." The dial tone sounded as Axl hung up. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it blankly before bringing it back to her ear. Axl hadn't let her respond, just hung up. She put the phone back on the wall and slowly walked away.
When was she?
She walked towards the bathroom. It looked just as it used to, not that that was an indication of passing time. She looked in the mirror and immediately noticed her hair had grown longer. It now came down well past her collarbone. She supposed she should get herself ready to go. Going up the stairs to her room, she made her way to the drawers where she had always kept her clothing. She was currently wearing an AC/DC shirt and a pair of grubby short shorts. She peered into her drawer to see that she now had many more shirts and her pants draw now had a few short skirts.
Raven decided on a red short skirt and a black short sleeved button up blouse. She sprayed on a little perfume and brushed her hair before throwing it up into a messy bun and applying minimal makeup. Raven felt like she could take on anything.
"Hey Renan, baby?!" She called,
"Whah?" His small voice replied,
"Get ready."
"Whyyy?!" He whined,
"Duff is gonna pick us up!"
"I don'- wanna go- mom!" He shouted.
"Oh come on sweetie, please!" Raven called back, but her son made no reply. She slipped on a pair of sensible 4 inch heels and strutted back downstairs. As she got to the bottom, Renan bolted out of the kitchen, butt naked.
"RENAN HENDRIX!" she cried out in anger as he giggled maniacally. Raven didn't know what to do, he had run off on her and she needed him to be ready.
"Renan, please."
"Why shou- I?" He grinned cheekily, sticking his head back around the corner.
"Because I need you to." She stressed,
"Why?"
"Duff will be here soon and we have to go to Axl's." She told him
"Why?" His smile got ever cheekier,
"Renan- please." She begged
"Why?"
"I already told you- seriously!" She was growing exasperated and she didn't know what to do. The doorbell rang and Renan ran away, trying to get upstairs. She grabbed him around the chest and picked him up, carrying him with her as she went towards the door.
"Mom! Whah-d you doing?" Renan's high voice sounded irritated and he squirmed.
"Answering the door." Replied Raven,
"Wha- but Duv- will see-- weenie!" Renan squirmed even more then before,
"Should have put your clothes back on when I told you then, huh?"
"I sowwy!" He squealed. Raven reached the door and opened it wide, then slowly lowered the thrashing Renan to his feet. He blushed furiously and ran off as fast as he could.
"Hey." Duff chuckled, a gleam in his eyes as he gazed down at her. "What was all of that about?"
"Oh he wouldn't put his clothes back on." Raven told Duff, who leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek, which made her blush slightly with the suddenness of the action.
"Are you ready?" Duff questioned,
"Oh- yeah- I- I am." She stammered. "Renan!" She then called out, and Renan zoomed around the corner, now fully clothed and clutching a jacket and pair of slip on shoes. She knelt down and helped him put on the shoes and then the jacket.
"Ready sweetie?" She smiled at the curly haired youngster.
"Yeah- mom." He replied,
"And if I ask you to put your clothes on what will you do?"
"Pud 'mon." He chanted,
"Good boy!" She pulled him into a hug and kissed his forehead. Straightening up, she turned back to face Duff, who was smiling gently,
"You're a good mom." Duff told her,
"Thanks." She smiled back.
Duff helped her move Renan's car seat into his car and they clipped him in and both got into the front seats.
Duff turned the key and the car rumbled into life,
"Hey Ree?" Duff said,
"Yaa?" Renan replied,
"Can you say the alphabet?" Duff smiled in anticipation.
"A- B- C- E- H- J- uhhh... O!" Renan said, then started giggling,
"Oh! And how far can you count?" Duff's smile widened as he put his foot down and they began to move,
"One- two- free- four!" Renan smiled, talking slowly.
"And what comes after four, buddy?" Duff questioned,
"Umm- 1- 2- 3- 4.... Ive!!" Renan giggled triumphantly.
"Oh! Very good!" Duff smiled while driving.
Soon enough, they were pulling up out the front of a small two storey apartment. Duff got out and came briskly around the car to Raven's door, opening it for her.
"Thanks Duff!" Raven was slightly suprised at his actions,
"It's all good." Duff winked and turned to the back door, beginning to unbuckle Renan.
"Chank-oo Duv!" Renan murmered as he set him down on his feet.
"All good buddy!" Duff smiled,
"Mom?" Said Renan,
"Yeah?" Raven responded.
"I sleepy!" He whined,
"Okay honey, we'll see about bedtime when we get in there." Raven smiled down at her little son,
"O-kay mommy!" He rubbed his eye. Raven scooped him up and made fir the front door, stopping outside to wait. Duff advanced from behind and lightly touched her shoulder as he went past.
"Come on in, no need to stand out in the cold waiting." He told her, opening the door for her. She stepped over the threshold. The place was filthy. Littered with garbage; pizza boxes and beer bottles, pieces of paper, dirty clothes, food scraps- all strewn over the carpet. A foul smell of stale liquor and rotting foodstuffs invaded her senses.
"Sorry for the filth. Steven and Slash have been living downstairs here." Duff wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Best not to linger. Stairs are over there," Duff pointed to the set of wooden stairs. Raven stepped over junk and around furniture to get to the stairs. The scraps of rubbish were strewn over the first part of the staircase too, but as she ascended got fewer and fewer until she was at the very top, standing on clean off- white carpet. Looking around, it could be a whole different house. Upstairs and downstairs were so juxtaposed to one another that Raven  could hardly believe it. She looked back down the stairs at the minefield of junk and raised her eyebrows,
"Bit different up here, huh?" Duff grimaced.
"Yeah-" Raven's tone was shocked.
"Anyway.... through here." Duff brushed past her gently and held open the door for her. She carried Renan through. The bedroom was tidy. The curtains were straight, blankets neat and the carpet looked to have been vacuumed recently. Two couches were pushed against one wall and there was only one alcohol bottle, which was full, and a packet if 'Marlboro' cigarettes on the dresser. Raven stared about and then glanced at her son, who looked like he was about to doze off on her shoulder.
"Um- is there anywhere I could put him to bed?" Raven questioned,
"Yeah- uhh- use my room." Duff briskly turned and walked down the hall a little way to another door, and opened it. He went inside, and as Raven approached the door she could see him fussily straightening the sheets on the bed and throwing things in drawers. There were quite alot of alcohol bottles on his dresser, which were all empty and being shoved hurriedly out of sight. As Raven advanced towards him, she spotted a small stack of what seemed to be magazines on the floor, squinting in the dim light, she spotted the front cover of the top one; A topless woman smiled placidly from its glossy surface in front of the logo enblazoned- "playboy magazine". Raven smirked knowingly and turned her gaze to Duff, who kicked the magazines under the bed and gave her an embarrassed look.
"Um- yeah- just here." Duff cleared his throat and pulled back the blankets, where Raven placed the sleepy two year old.
"Goodnight honey!" Raven smiled gently,
"Nigh- nighd!" Yawned Renan. She tucked him in and layed a kiss upon his little head.
"Goodnight buddy." Duff muttered,
"Nigh- Duv!" Renan replied, then they backed out of the room and closed the door three quarters of the way.
"Thanks so much for that Duff!"
"All good Rae! Ax should be here any minute." Duff responded,
"Okey doke!" She grinned. The front door opened and closed and giggles could be heard, Slash and Steven appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a girl each. The women were cheerful looking midwestern types with too much makeup and not enough clothes. Both wore white tops, but one had a shirt that showed off her stomach while the other's shirt went down to her black short shorts. The other had a red plaid pattern short skirt on. They all looked pretty drunk.
"Raven, hey!" Slash grinned from behind his dark ringlets. "Where's Ree?" He asked,
"He's sleeping in Duff's bed, so hush!" She smiled gently. Slash reached the top of the stairs and brushed the woman off his arm, somewhat rudely, stumbled forth drunkenly and bear hugged Raven, pinning her arms to her sides as he did, and twirled her around. She giggled softly as he placed her back on her feet.
"Why'd you do that?!" She was suprised,
"Cause I missed you!" He exclaimed, then fixated her with a longing gaze. "you know- I've known you a long time- and- ah- back then... I liked you." He smiled. "You dun want me though. We wouldn't work out." He confessed, frowning. Raven blushed, suprised. Slash ran his right hand softly along her cheek, patted it gently, then turned and stumbled towards a door down the hall. He threw open the door and quickly went inside, they could soon hear retching as he vomited.
"Raven." Axl's deep voice sounded, and she turned. Axl was in white jeans and his black 'Hustler' shirt with a pair of sunglasses hanging from the front of his shirt, and he held a bottle of Jack Daniels. Beside him stood a short lady with a slight build and dark hair. She stared over at Raven and gave her a gentle smile.
"Hey Ax-" Raven said, then looked at the woman. She stepped forward,
"Erin- Erin Everly." She held out her hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you!" Raven smiled warmly.
"Comin' in?" Came Axl's voice.
The girls turned to see Axl already holding open the door to the bedroom Duff had shown Raven earlier. Without a word, Erin and Raven crossed the short expanse of floor to the door and entered together.  Within, Duff and Steven were already on one of the couches, Duff had the girl with the red skirt in his lap and the other girl was perched on Steven's arm rest smirking and whispering in his ear. Axl took a seat on the edge of his bed, facing the couches and Erin made her way over to him, sitting close enough that her shoulder brushed against his. Raven took a seat on the empty couch and quietly observed what the others were doing.
"Where's Renan?" Axl asked her,
"Oh he's asleep in Duff's bed." Raven replied. Axl nodded and wrapped an arm around Erin's waist. Raven subconsciously fiddled with the hem of her shirt and leaned back into the couch. Slash entered the room, stumbling over his own feet. He crossed the room and flopped onto the lounge seat beside Raven,
"Heyyyy pretty!" Slash slurred and grabbed her arm gently but firmly, tugging her onto his lap. Raven felt the heat rise in her cheeks.
"You're drunk." She stated,
"No I'm not. I'm not drunk." Slash sounded almost sleepy with the way he spoke,
"Oh yeah? How many drinks have you had?" She inquired, locked in the guitarist's firm arms. Slash looked at her for a moment, then frowned slightly and began to count on his fingers silently. One by one, he held up nine fingers, put up his tenth, put it down again, shook his head and then slurred,
"I dun' fuckin' know." Making Raven laugh. "But I'm not drunk." He insisted, snaking his arms around her further and pulling her closer by doing so. "Rae Rae- do you like me?" He looked at her like a little kid asking his mum for candy.
"You're one of my closest friends, Slash." Raven replied, and Slash hugged her even closer, a deep frown crossing his features.
"But- do you like me?!" He asked again, and Raven blushed, realising exactly what he was asking and that she would have to answer him.
"I might. Why?" The awkward tension in the air was driving her nuts,
"I just wanted to know Rae Rae." He snuggled his head into the crook of her neck and shut his eyes. In truth, Raven didn't really know how she felt about Slash. He was one of her closest friends and once upon a time she did have a crush on him, but they were older now and for some reason the idea of being with Slash didn't quite feel right to her. She hoped he wouldn't remember it all in the morning.

Thanks for the read guys! Hope you enjoyed this. Sorry for all the delays...
Please tell me what you thought in the comments!!!
Peace out Xx