Raven awoke to a tight, aching pain across the bottom of her stomach. It took her a moment to register that it was a period pain, and another moment to realise that if she had a period pain then- she thrashed sideways and landed on the floor with a thump, got up, ripped back the blankets and-
"Aww fuck!" She whispered, throwing the blankets on the floor and gripping the sheet. She had bled all over the clean white sheet of the bed. One thing every girl hated was their period. Go to sleep on clean sheets. Wake up on the Japanese flag. Attractive.
She went to her drawer and grabbed a pair of clean undies, and then made for the bathroom where she cleaned herself up, stuck on a pad and pulled on her undies.
She went back towards her room and grabbed the sheet, which she immediately chucked in a big container of soapy water to soak in the laundry, then she went and got a clean sheet from the linen cupboard and remade the bed. That's when she heard the crying of her little boy.
Raven hurried towards the nursery, opened the door wide and stepped in. Renan was standing up in his crib, little hands forming fists over the rail.
"Oh sweetie what's wrong?" She cooed as she made it to him. He stopped crying and stared up at her through his big eyes, tear tracks down his round face. "Hey?" She smiled gently,
"Ted!" He said in his tiny voice.
"What honey?" She was confused,
"My- ted!" He pointed to the floor at her feet, where Renan's teddy bear lay. It must have fallen out of his cot.
"Oh sweetie here you are!" She stooped and grabbed hold of teddy's arm, handing him back to Renan, who grinned and said,
"Thank-oo!"
"That's okay baby! Now who wants some breakfast?" She smiled,
"Meee!" He grinned back. She picked him up and rested him on her hip while she went out the door, down the hall and down the stairs. The cat slinked around the corner as they reached the bottom.
"Kitty!" Renan cheered, reaching his tiny hands out. The black cat turned his big eyes on him and mewled softly, tail flicking back and forth. Raven bent down and stroked his fluffy black coat. Her poor old cat had been with her since she landed here as a teenager.
"Hello Lupus, buddy." She smiled,
'Mau!' Lupus seemed to reply.
She went towards the kitchen and Lupus followed her eagerly, hoping for some food. She placed Renan in his high chair and then poured a bit of milk into a saucer for the cat. Lupus was pleased with that, standing there lapping up the white liquid contently. Raven pulled out a frypan and sat it on the stove, poured in a bit of olive oil and turned the stove on. As soon as it was hot, she slapped in a few bits of bacon and two whisked eggs, which she moved back and forth while they cooked to make scrambled eggs. She left them cooking for a moment while she took some pain killers for her cramps, then returned and kept moving them about. She served it onto a plastic plate and cut up the bacon nice and small for Renan, giving it to him.
"Thanks mommy!" Renan grinned and picked up peices of egg in his little hand, stuffing them into his mouth.
"All good sweetie." She said, putting on her own breakfast and then turning to pour some orange juice into a sippee cup. She sealed the lid down firmly and placed it on the highchair tray. She soon served her own and had orange juice too instead of coffee because caffeine would make her cramps worse. She sat and ate with her little man for a while, which was quite enjoyable. The phone rang noisily and Raven got up to answer it.
"Hullo?" She greeted,
"Hey Raven. I've been meaning to talk to you- about- something." Axl's voice came through.
"Yeah?" She was slightly confused, a clatter could be heard from behind her but she didn't take much notice.
"Mom!" Renan whined. She glanced over at Renan, who had knocked his sippee cup off the highchair tray, where it had burst open on the floor. Oh great.
"Am I- interrupting something?" Axl sounded apologetic,
"Oh no, Renan's just spilled his orange juice, it's alright." She sighed,
"Oh... um- could you come over once you're done? It's important." Axl asked, there was a short pause.
"Yeah- yeah I will."
"Thanks Rae!" She could hear his smile,
"Anytime Ax." The dial tone sounded and Raven hung the phone back up before moving to the sink to get this mess cleaned up. She mopped it up and served Renan half a cup more of the orange juice,
"Now be careful, buddy." She smiled, taking his empty plate and putting on the sink to be washed. She sat down and hurriedly finished her breakfast before picking Renan up out of the highchair and trotting upstairs to Renan's room to get him changed and ready.
"Mama?"
"Yes honey?" She replied, sitting him in his crib while she got out some clothes for him to wear.
"All the other kids have daddies. Where's my daddy?" He asked, "am I broken?"
"No honey you're not broken." His questioning had caught her by suprise. She knew it had to be addressed at some point but it was still difficult, "your daddy was broken. He was very mean, so mommy stayed away from him." She explained to the toddler. She gazed down at Renan as he peered at her through his volumous dark curls.
"Oh. Then- what do I do?" He questioned, he had the look about him of someone who was lost.
"Uncle Slash, Axl, Izzy, Duff and Steve can do anything a dad would."
"So they my daddies?" Renan looked a little happier,
"Yeah baby!" She smiled down at him. "And you've gotta get dressed so that we can go see uncle Axl!"
"Okay!" Renan nodded, giving her that cute smile of his. She was glad he felt better about it, but it made it very apparent that this was something she'd eventually have to face with her son. She helped him dress in the ac/dc singlet, black jeans, converse style sneakers and black jacket that she had chosen for him. She got a brush and began to gently detangle his tight ringlets. This took some time, but once she was done his hair looked better,
"See? Who's a handsome man!?" She cooed, holding him up on her hip in front of the mirror.
"You!" He cheered,
"Me? I'm not a man!" She giggled,
"You a han-some lady!" He told her, grinning.
"Thanks!" She laughed, "you ready now?"
"Yeah!" He smiled. Raven carried him towards the front door, and then out to the car. She got him into his car seat.
"I can do it mom." Renan squeaked,
"Okay honey, if you're sure..." she trailed off. He slipped his arms through the arm holes and clipped himself in. "Oh, good boy!" She smiled, and got a cute smile back. The drive to Axl's was uneventful mostly. Renan stayed quiet and the traffic stayed loud. Upon arrival, Raven got Renan out and carried him up to the front door. Holding her son close, she raised her fist and rapped her knuckles against the door.
It was pulled open immediately, revealing a disheveled looking Axl.
"C'mon in." He focussed his piercing aqua eyes upon her.
"You look tired." She commented as she stepped inside. The bottom storey was a big mess, just like last time and Steven was passed out on his back in the middle of the trashed room. Slash was slumped on the couch with a bottle of jack,
"Hey Raven!" He greeted her, taking another swig from the half empty bottle.
"Hey." She replied,
"Sash!" Renan held out his arms. Raven tiptoed through the piles of junk, avoiding pizza boxes covered in writing and empty alcohol bottles, sitting Renan in Slash's doubtfully capable hands. Slash squinted at him, picking up a bit of his hair gently.
"Man- you've got my hair!" He slurred,
"Nup." Renan disagreed,
"Yeah man, see?" The drunk man grabbed a bit of his own hair and held it next to Renan's. It could've belonged to the same person, the semblance was so close. Renan looked at it and then said,
"Uncle Sash?"
"What?" Slash responded,
"Can- be my daddy?" He asked, gripping a fistful of Slash's t-shirt.
"Yeah buddy! And Uncle Axl, uncle Duff, Izzy and Steven will too!" Slash smiled. Raven grinned at the pair, and then she heard music start up. Axl was over at the far side of the room, fiddling with the stereo. It was faith no more's album 'the real thing.' Axl stopped on a track, which happened to be the song 'zombie eaters'
You're everything that's why I cling- to you.
When I emerge my thoughts converge- to you.
The world is all so small compared- to you.
To you.
The vocals rang through the room, and the small instrumental fill followed. Axl made his way back over to her,
"Follow me. I wanna go somewhere more private." Axl made for the stairs,
"I'll be just upstairs, okay guys?" She didn't wait for an answer, but moved. Axl lead her to his room, opened the door and held it for her. Once she had stepped through, he shut it again and drew the bolt across.
"I know it was a bit spontaneous, me asking you to come over. Sorry for that."
"No it's fine." Faintly, from downstairs the music could still be heard,
I hope you never leave,
Cause who would hear me scream?-
"This is... big news." Axl sat on the bed, patting the spot beside him. She sat. Axl fidgeted, nervous. "Look- you're already aware of Steven's- drug problem." He began, Raven had a sudden sense of foreboding. Uh oh. "I've talked with the band... none of us wanna do it but we're supposed to have a record out and we don't have one track, let alone an album. Steven's not getting better. We've waited long enough. I mean- he's been through how many rehab specialists?!" Axl explained. "It's hard, honey, but we're kicking Steven outta the band." Raven gaped at him. She knew it'd have to crop up somehow, but she wasn't expecting it quite so soon.
"I- ugh..." she didn't know what to say.
"We warned him six months ago if he didn't get cleaned up he'd be fired." Axl told her,
"I- don't! Don't." She said.
"What?" Axl looked a little annoyed,
"You will never be the same." She told him,
"I know but if we don't get rid of the weak link then we won't make the next record. We won't survive as a band." Axl replied,
"Two months. That's it!" She panicked slightly.
"One. I will give him one more month, and then he's gone. We've waited long enough." With that, Axl stood and opened the door, gesturing to the now open doorway.
"I'm sorry, Raven. That's final." Axl said calmly,
"Alright Axl. I'm gonna get him clean before then."
"Good luck." Axl sounded very doubtful.
"I'll need it." Raven nodded her head.So what did you guys think? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
Apologies for the delay.
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My Piece of the Action
FanfictionWhat happens when a writer, like any one of us, is pulled through the words on her page and drawn into Saul Hudson's world? Raven, 16, lands in Slash's teenage years and watches as he rises to fame. but what will happen to this time travelling writ...