InsaneJournal

Slide Away - Chapter 1
"Slide Away" Chapter 1
Pairing: Pete/Carl, eventually
Rating: At least PG-13, though this part is fairly G. One day I will write a Libs piece with more of a rating. I really will!
Beta: inkspottedtea
Word Count: 1619
Notes: This is an AU set a few months from now in the future. This started out as just a rough draft that I'd not even quite decided if I wanted to continue or not (though I'd already ideas for the next part), but I got enough initial positive feedback that I decided to go ahead and share it. Also, this is my first serious attempt at a multi-chapter serious AU, so any and all comments and suggestions and such are greatly appreciated.

It was times like this, Pete reflected, that he knew there had to be a higher power. There was simply no other possible explanation for how he had ended up here than that some deity who'd been having a bad day had decided to take it out on him because things like this just didn't happen to people. Well, not to anyone who wasn't some crazy American trailer park dweller just inbred enough to believe the drunken tumble he'd taken was a sign aliens had been experimenting on him in his sleep, anyway. Some would blame it on drinks or drugs- Drew certainly did, if the looks he'd been exchanging with Steve were any indication- but Peter knew he'd been dead sober at the time. It'd been one of the conditions to their meeting, and Pete had been repentant enough to agree to it.

Things had got better between them again after the Hackney gig, but he'd fucked it up big time by getting high just before their last meeting, and Carl told him he had to choose for good this time because he was sick of this roller-coaster. It was an easy choice to make and a hard promise to keep, but he stuck to it. Three months later, a pleased judge pronounced him clean, though she reminded him that they would continue to test him at random intervals over the next eighteen months. His phone was ringing almost before he was out of the courtroom, and they'd arranged to have dinner that very night. It had started out so promisingly, too- hugs and kisses in greeting and fond glances while pouring over the menu, but a few shared drinks later, things had turned sour.

"Peter!"

He startled, almost falling off his wobbly stool, only to be steadied by a familiar hand. "Thanks, Wolfie," he murmured, scowling at the look of amusement which passed between his other two friends.

"Don't mention it," Wolfman replied, rubbing a soothing circle on his lower back. "I was just coming over to let you know I've got some fresh gear, but I'm not sure you haven't already got into it- you were a million miles away."

The observation was almost a question, but before Pete could even open his mouth, a scoffing Steve was explaining, "Oh, it's worse than that, Wolfie. Our Peter here," he slung an arm around Pete's shoulder, a move which would have sent them to the floor if it wasn't for the others' steadying hands, "believes himself to be in love. And not with any of the usual suspects, either. No, this time, he's set his eyes on the right noble Carl Barât."

"What, the actor?" Wolfman asked, frowning. "When did you meet him?"

Pete and Steve responded at the same time, the latter with "Yesterday night for dinner, supposedly," while the former denied, "He's not an actor!" At Wolfman's look of confusion, Drew explained, "Once upon a time, long before he'd ever even begun to dream of Baby Shambles, Pete and Mr. Barât were in a band together. They had a falling out with Mr. Barât refusing to see him again until he cleaned up. Which was last night, apparently."

Peter scowled as the others began laughing, angrily informing them that he was serious and that he'd have them know he'd been off the drugs for months now. A niggling little voice in the back of his mind pointed out that they should all know this, but he squashed it under the assumption this was all a part of the grand trick they'd decided to play on him today.

"Come off it, Pete," Wolfman scoffed, eyes still glittering with amusement. "I cooked up your last hit yesterday myself. I'm sure Carl Barât," there was more snickering, "loves you for you, drugs and all, and I'm sure the two of you will make a beautiful couple." They fell about laughing again, but Pete had had enough.

"Fine then. I'll just go call him up," the laughter intensified, " and get him to come down here himself and tell you I'm not lying. Though why I should have to do that when you lot know I don't know, but for some reason you've decided to mess with my head today and I'm just sick of it!"

He sprang from his seat, angrily storming from the pub as he fished his mobile from his pocket. He began scrolling through the list of numbers, frowning as he realised with no little confusion that he didn't recognise many of them. He made it through twice before admitting to himself that Carl wasn't in there. But it wasn't just Carl who was missing. In fact, with the exceptions of Wolfman, Steve, Sadie, and Lisa, none of their mutual acquaintances appeared to be in his phone. On the third go through, he selected Sadie's number. It was no little relief when she picked up and he immediately launched into his request. "Sadie, beautiful, I'd love to chat, but I seem to have misplaced Carl's number, and it's important, so-" he was interrupted by a string of cursing followed by a dial tone. He stood there, dumbly staring at his phone for a good ten minutes trying to remember what he'd done to piss her off before coming to the conclusion that it must be that time of the month, so he was probably better off ringing Lisa anyway.

"Hello?"

"Lisa?" he sighed in relief at the familiar voice. "Hey, it's Peter. I was just-"

"Peter? Peter Doherty?" She asked incredulously. "Well fuck me! It's been at least, what, three years? How have you been?"

"I'm fine, just- wait, three years?" the confusion was evident in his voice.

"Yeah, doesn't seem that long, does it?" She asked, her voice turning wistful. "Those were the days, back when I was still singing, and you were still mostly clean and... I guess time really does fly, doesn't it? Or maybe it just feels that way since we're always busy, what with Liam touring the new album and-"

"Yeah... hey, listen, I just rang Sadie, and-"

"Sadie!" she laughed. "I haven't heard from her in almost as long as I hadn't heard from you! How is she?"

"I dunno, pissed off at me, apparently," he mumbled.

"Oh dear," her voice was tinged with amusement. "What'd you do this time?"

"Nothing!" he protested indignantly. "I was just trying to get a number off her, yeah? And she hung up on me!"

"Poor Peter," he could hear the grin in her voice. "Maybe she's just stressed. I mean, the poor girl has had a rough time of it lately, what with finalising the divorce and all."

"Yeah, but- wait, divorce? What divorce?"

She sighed down the line at him. "You know, the one she's just got from that sleazy actor. I told her he wasn't any good for her, but she wouldn't listen. I suppose it was the attitude. I can certainly understand that! I mean, loads of people asked me if I knew what I was doing with Liam, and-"

"Liam? Liam Gallagher?" he asked, highly confused. "Wait, you're back with him?"

"Back? Peter, honey, we never separated. I mean, not after we finally got together. It's been rough, these past seven years, but it's been worth it. It's like I told Sadie- don't get married unless you're committed to making it work, like we are. Of course, she may have been, but that Carl Barât certainly-"

"Wait," he interrupted. "What about Carl?"

"He wasn't committed. Well, not like she was, at any rate. But what can you expect from someone with his history and reputation?" There was a noise in the background and her tone changed from annoyed to fond. "Listen, Peter, it's been great to hear from you, but I need to get back to dinner- the kids are starting to fuss, and-"

"How's Astile?" Peter quickly asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Astile? Who- oh, you mean Astrid? She's fine." Came the bemused reply. "She seems to be getting up there in years, but rabbits never live too terribly long anyway. I told Liam not to get Molly a pet like that when she's so young, but he wouldn't hear it and now I'm going to have to deal with three distraught kids when she kicks it. They're going to take it hard, especially Gene who's become so fond of her- oh, I think that was china. I'm sorry, Peter, but I really have got to go. We should do lunch some time when you're in the area. Bye!"

"Bye..." Peter replied dazedly, but she'd already rung off. He slowly sat down, not seeming to care that he was in the middle of the sidewalk, mind working furiously. He'd woken up earlier that afternoon in Steve's current residence with no idea how he'd got there the previous night, the argument with Carl his last memory. His friends had been acting strangely all day, claiming neither they nor he had ever met the famous actor Carl Barât, and at first he'd thought their denials amusing and their devotion to making him feel better touching, but after a few hours of it, he just found it annoying. The most perplexing part was Lisa's involvement. Oh, he didn't put it past Drew to have rung her and got her in on their little plot, but Pete knew her well enough to tell when she was lying or just having him on, and she hadn't been. She'd been completely and utterly genuine which meant either she had somehow acquired the ability to completely bypass his internal bullshit detector, which he doubted, or something was seriously wrong.