This chapter is fuckin' long, y'all... I tried to make a long one after all those short ones before :) also damnnnn this took me forever to edit!!
Also, the pic above is just 'cause I forgot to show in the *cuteness* chapter just how well Jerry aged!! But why'd he cut off the hair thooooooooooo
(Dw he grew it back and is still rockin' it)
And the song is a beautiful song by Fleetwood Mac, written by Stevie Nicks :) I listened to it on repeat while writing this for some reason... it's just such calm slow-rock vibes :)
On to the story...
***
January 29, 1994: Seattle, WA, USA
"So... rehab?"
Layne looks down at the ground upon hearing this question.
God, where to start...
He looks at Jerry, smiling a bit. "It fuckin' sucked."
"Understandable," Jerry smiles back, gaze warm. "H-how's Demri, then? And-"
"She's fine. So's the baby."
"That's good."
"Yeah. She thinks it's gonna be a boy."
Jerry's brow furrows, smile faltering a bit. "Oh. That's... exciting."
They walk into the lobby of the apartment building, with Layne following Jerry to the elevators as he presses the 'up' button.
"I mean, I guess so," Layne shrugs, feeling awkward now. "Demri already picked out a name for him: 'Robin'."
"Robin? That's not bad."
"Yeah, but just wait 'till you hear the middle name I chose: 'Prince'."
"Robin Prince?"
"Fuck yeah. Crazy middle names run in my family, you know that."
"Yeah, Layne Rutherford," Jerry teases, his nose wrinkled.
"Ok, you can just shut the fuck up," says Layne, flipping Jerry off as he raises his eyebrows, unable to hide his amusement.
Jerry starts to laugh, his hand on the wall to he support himself. "That's fuckin' hilarious. You're really naming your kid 'Prince Staley'?"
"Staley-Parrott, actually."
"Oh, God, that's the most pompous shit I've ever heard!"
Layne rolls his eyes, grinning playfully. "It's after Prince, you fucking asshole."
"Of course it is! How convenient," Jerry laughs. "And what would you name your daughter? 'Princess'?"
"No," says Layne, turning his head towards the elevator doors as they open. "We'd name her 'Sadie'."
"Sadie?" Jerry frowns, following Layne into the elevator. "That's a pretty good name. Why'd you pick that one?"
"I don't know. Guess I just liked how it sounded."
Jerry pushes the button for his floor, and stands next to Layne in weighted silence.
Layne turns his head to looks at Jerry, who looks back at him.
"I thought about you a lot when I was in there," Layne tells him sincerely, his arms crossed nervously in front of him. "Not a day went by when I didn't think, 'oh, what would Jerry think about this? What would he say if he was here right now? What-'"
YOU ARE READING
Even Now
Fanfiction**Discontinued :( The year is 1993. Heroin addict Layne Staley of Seattle rock band Alice In Chains has just had the fear of God put into him following a bandmate's overdose. When faced with a simple decision, the butterfly effect comes into play...
