Wishful Thinking {D.M.}

Chapter 20 : Time.

*1995*

Time is a weird thing.

Juliette finds herself thinking about time as she washes the dishes in her shared house with Duff. It felt yesterday that Duff told her that he wanted her and only her, but that was in 1988, 7 years ago.

It also feels like yesterday that he proposed to her. In reality that had been late 1991, 4 years ago. Juliette smiled as she remembered calling Cindy in the middle of the night screaming about how beautiful her ring was and how she never thought he would propose much less them be together. Cindy informed her that she had no doubt in her mind that he was going to pop the question.

Juliette also remembers joking about Slash proposing to Cindy. So of course when Juliette was pulled out of her sleep one night in early 1993 by the phone ringing she was expecting to hear Cindy squealing about a ring but instead she got a different phone call. Cindy was pregnant and she didn't know how to tell Slash because he had stated so many times that his life couldn't handle kids at the moment. Juliette tried to comfort her best friend as much as she could.

One would think that with time would come a change of heart, upon hearing about the child Slash went out for a night of drinking not being able to handle the news. And you know what happen next, Slash woke up with a killer hangover and a girl sleeping beside him that wasn't Cindy in some sleazy hotel room. Slash knew he couldn't continue with the relationship or be a father?

Juliette remembers holding her best friend as she cried into her arms. By this point Cindy was too far along to end it, not that she for one second even considered it.

Later that year, Cindy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, she named him Jagger Saul Hudson. Juliette and Duff became the god-parents of the baby boy they've grown quite fond of. Slash had met the baby a few times but he never fully dedicated himself to the kid because he didn't feel as if he was mature enough yet.

Soon after the break up and another tour Duff was home.

That was another thing that changed with time, the band. Izzy had left following the release of their album in 1991. Juliette remembers Duff telling her, he wasn't shocked. Izzy wanted something better for himself and he felt like staying in the band would hinder that.

Juliette remembers being given a copy of 'Izzy Stradlin and The Juju hounds' first album before it was sold to the public.

Another member that was no longer in the band was Steven. Steven was fired from the band due to his drug dependency. Juliette visited Steven multiple times in the hospital stays, though life wasn't so kind him he never lost that beautiful smile.

Juliette was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a pair of hands come to a rest on her stomach. She looked down at the hands that were wearing fingerless leather gloves, the hands that belonged to the man that she loved more than anything. Duff. He had returned from tour about 2 and a half weeks ago and Juliette couldn't have been happier to have him home again.

"How's my favorite girl doing." He said pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

"Chloe was a pain in the ass today, she keeps thinking she was a lap dog and jumping on me whenever I sat down." Juliette joked turning around and smiling at Duff.

Duff's appearance has changed over the years, but to Juliette he never looked more perfect. He had fallen off the rails but Juliette was there to pick him up like so many times when he needed her. When Duff found himself near death begging the doctors to just let him die, Juliette was there to pull him together and show him that he still had more life to live. She also taught him that there was more to life than seeing what the bottom of a vodka bottle looked like. After that, they became that annoying couple that was constantly working out, riding bikes, taking karate classes and eating healthy.

"You know I am talking about you, loser." Duff laughed kissing her cheek before letting her go and making his way over the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

Juliette nervously bit her lip deciding if now was the perfect time to give him the gift she had been dying to give him for a week now.

"Oh you know, still planning the wedding. Duff, I swear we've had the world's longest engagement." Juliette said sitting on the stool next to him. "My life has been a little crazy, but now we have some downtime, we can seriously plan this and get married as soon as possible. Because god knows, I can't wait to be your husband." He said pulling her closer to him and finally kissing her lips.

'It's now or never.' Juliette thought to herself.

"Actually the wedding will have to wait." She said looking at Duff who was confused. She said no more as she ran up to their room and pulled the nicely wrapped box from under the bed.

Running down the steps she yelled for Duff to meet her in the living room. She sat beside Duff who raised a eyebrow at her as she sat the box on his lap.

To say Duff was confused would be an understatement. He opened the box shuffling through the baby blue and baby pink tissue paper. He pulled out a book of baby names. He looked at Juliette as if she had 3 heads. "Keep going." She encouraged, he finally pulled out a pregnancy test which read positive. Duff looked up at Juliette who had tears in her eyes but was smiling so wide her face could have split in half.

"No Way." He said smiling at her, she nodded. He put the box on the table and pulled her into his arms. Never in his life did Duff think he could feel so complete. He was successful, had an incredible fiance and now he was going to be a dad. Most importantly he felt ALIVE. "Yes way." Juliette said pulling him close to her and kissing him with everything she had in her. The pulled apart and Duff couldn't stop smiling. "My baby is having a baby. I am seriously the luckiest man ever. All thanks to you Jules." Juliette smiled wanting nothing more to just stay in his arms forever.

Later that night they were both cuddled up on the couch with both dogs, they were watching a movie but Duff's mind was somewhere else.

"Juliette ."Duff said pulling her attention away from the movie.

"Hmm." She said looking over at him.

"How did you know we were going to end up together." He asked.

Juliette smiled, to be fair she didn't know.

"Wishful thinking."

~~~

That's that. Up next the epilogue & then the story is finished.

What did you think about this chapter?
It's just build up the epilogue which ties everything together.

comment & vote.

until next time.