2 years later -
June 6th 1985 Los Angeles

(**warning my writing is terrible in this chapter**)

Duffs pov:

I have now lived here around the Sunset Strip for roughly two years, life is really rough.. but you gotta do what you gotta do for the money..(song reference) and the music but i have been doing reasonably well.

I have been in two bands so far 'Road Crew' and currently 'Guns N Roses' which i just joined in April, it was called "Rose" and then "Hollywood rose", with fellow band members Axl Rose who is the lead singer. Izzy Stradlin on guitar. Plus Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner.

The only trouble is having a steady place to crash and nowhere to really call home. Whether its crashing the night with a stripper who are basically the angels of L.A., because they've got money, a place to have a hot shower and feed, along with other benefits. Plus they know/get all the drugs you want, another bonus for a struggling musician is, if the chick is fucking one of the other guys or still asleep the next morning you ransack their handbag for any cash, drugs, whatever you can get a hold of. When I am extremely desperate, that's when I just go to whoever is throwing the closest party and just party till you crash somewhere.

Life literally is just living day to day and hoping you live to see the next day. The only one of us who has an actual place of their own is Izzy, who was lucky enough to find a tiny trashed out apartment that had very cheap rent, not long after he first got here. Which is where i am now currently, sitting around with Izzy getting ready for a gig tonight at the Troubadour.

"For fucks sake... Great just great!!!" Axl grumbles frustrated, slamming Izzy's apartment door shut after just walking in.

"What's going on?!", I question looking up from my bass after replacing the strings, leaning it up against the couch. With Axl it could be anything, with his short fused temper i have gotten to know all to well since knowing him, but he has his reasons.

"Fucking both Tracii & Rob!". Axl shouts pacing the room back and forth, scrunching his hands in his long ginger hair frustrated.

"I just came back from Tracii's place, both him and Rob have both got cold feet and fucking decided to pull out at last minute!".

"They don't like our idea of doing a small tour of the North West around Seattle.... i can't believe them!!" Axl exhaled angrily.

"We've still got a show tonight to play at the Troubadour... what the fuck do they expect us to do!" Axl says aloud.

"I had a feeling they wouldn't do it... fucking pussies" Izzy mumbles quietly, taking a big mouthful of his bourbon placing the glass back on the old coffee table in front of him.

"They are to worried about where we will stay and how we will get there!"Axl adds.

"Well i have Slash's old house number somewhere, from playing in Road Crew and hanging out with him. You guys have already played with him and his friend Steven before when they played with you for a bit in Hollywood Rose. I can try and get a hold of him, and ask if he could play tonight's gig.

"Both Slash and maybe Steven might be able to replace Rob and Tracii, then tour up with us to Seattle, and just see where we go from there?".

"Well we don't really have much choice... do we". Axl says contemplating the idea.

"Give him a call i suppose, if he doesn't... we're fucked!" Axl huffs sitting down next to Izzy on the old torn 60's looking orange couch, disgruntled lighting a cigarette throwing the lighter onto the small coffee table, taking a long drag off it".

I get up to go and use Izzy's apartment phone that's wired to the wall.

"My phones broken.. you'll probably have to use a phone booth down on the strip" Izzy tells me while strumming on his guitar, tuning it for tonight.

'Fucking Great!' I think to myself.

"Alright... i better head down now and try to get a hold of him, we've only got a couple hours before we need to be at the Troubadour". I inform the guys before leaving out Izzy's apartment door.

-------

'We are screwed! if i cant get a hold of Slash'. I think to myself.

After walking down Sunset looking around and hunting for a phone booth, with not much luck thinking it would be an easy job. Passing numerous personalities of the Strip.. mostly the regular drug dealers standing on the corners and alley ways, along with the hookers trying hard to get me to take them and pay them with money I just don't have. I'd be lucky if I've got twenty bucks to my name.

As i look over all the sky high, hair sprayed teased heads of hair glowing under all the neon club and shop light signs, really appreciating being 6ft 3in at this moment. It is then I catch a quick glimpse of one head in particular, that I had seen and known most of my time here. It was definitely the guy i was after.

'Yes!! The band gods are shining tonight!', i think to myself.

I see Slash's curly head stumbling out of what im pretty sure was a grog shop, just up across the road from where i was standing. I see him with a bottle of booze wrapped in a brown paper bag tucked safely under his arm, anyone who knows him could easily guess what type it was.

I then jog across the street, treading on the bitumen and concrete in my well worn torn cowboy boots, trying to keep an eye on Slash's curly head not to lose sight of him. While trying to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic, which were now blaring on their car horns and cursing out their windows. As i make it across the road, just a few meters behind where Slash is walking and having trouble being able to see properly through the crowds of people in front of me. I then do a double take, thinking I just saw a young woman with fluffy blonde hair walking along right next to him... guessing that's his lay for the night.

"Slaashhh!" I yell as loud as i can while trying not to lose my breath. With the constant smoking and smoking since I was in grade school hasn't exactly helped my lungs.

Slash turns around when hearing someone call out his strange name, earning myself a few weird looks from people around probably thinking I am high of my head.

"Hey man!" , "Haven't seen you around in a while" Slash replies under his big mob of hair, i personally don't know how he can put up with it in his face 24/7. Although mine is just as big, special thanks to my aqua net hairspray.

Now standing in front of Slasher, I glance past behind him when I notice the blonde I saw with him earlier walking towards where we were standing. Its then I start to uncontrollably laugh my arse off.

They then both give me weird looks like as is I was crazy or high on cocaine. Which I am If I manage to get a hold of any.

"Hey Duff" the blonde says, "What are you high on?.. whatever it is i want some!".

The blonde that i thought was a woman and Slash's lay for the night.... was actually Steven.

I mentally kick myself, but thought it was fuckin funny as at the same time. Deciding to just blame it on the lack of sleep and residue of all sorts of shit I've taken.

"What the fuck do you keep laughing at?", Slash questions with an amused grin.

"I...i didn't recognise Steven from up the road and thought he was your lay for the night .... sorry Steven", I reply trying to muffle my laughs.

"If so.. that's the most fuckin ugliest lay on Sunset!" Slash adds to my mistake to stir up Steven even more.

"Heyy!" Steven responds punching Slash in the arm.

"You could never have something anywhere as good as this", Steven jokes in a woman's voice flipping his hair. He's always a jokester and takes it with a grain of salt.

"Sorry man i couldn't see properly"... "You guys are actually just who im looking for!, i was going to call you but nobody could miss this mass of hair" i pat Slash on the head.

"I can just ask you guys now?".

"You guys have already played with Axl and Izzy before, and you know I have been playing with them for a couple of months now. We are going to do a small tour up the North West around my hometown, plus a gig tonight at the Troubadour".

"Rob and Tracii have got cold feet .. i know you and Tracii never got along since high school band days ... so im thinking you would happily take his place?, if you weren't doing anything else?" I question, hoping he would or we are fucked.

"Fucking hell yeah I would"..." I did lose my job at tower video not long ago and just left Black Sheep because the music was just getting more and more different to what was planned, I had a few major disagreements with the other guys, so I just fucked off". Slash explains with his Jack Daniels still tucked under his arm.

"Awesome man... what about you Steven?, i ask nuding him to get his attention off of a womans arse, as she walked pass.

"Fuck yeah!!".."Of course", Steve turns his head back and says with his signature big smile.

---------

As us three start walking back to Slash and Stevens place, which is a recent self built loft made from stolen wood from construction yards. To get the basics they need and instruments.

After a few minutes of walking back, Slash then asks

"Exactly when are we heading to Seattle?", While he lit up his last Marlboro, throwing the empty packet on the debris ridden side walk.

"Uhh.. tomorrow actually", I reply and look at him frightened that he might change his mind.

He coughs and almost chokes on it. "Well fuck!!" is all he said.

After Slash and Steven got their instruments together for tonights Troubadour gig, which will be our first ever gig together with all of us as a line up. Along with the start of a small tour tomorrow. We then drove back in Stevens old 1977 green Pontiac wagon, which we will drive in, up to Seattle (which is actually his mothers car), where we will all stay at Izzy's very cramped apartment ready to hopefully leave early for Seattle.