#if only he toured this album out in seattle. rip baby me you would have died at a patrick stump show

[timeaftertime-chriscornellfanfic]

Chapter 12 - Right Place, Wrong Time

Seattle Washington, July 24 1988

(Andi is 18, Chris is 24)

ANDI: "Xana...? Have you seen my little note book? " I ask as I scour my bedroom, opening up the drawer to my nightstand, trying to find where it could be.

"What notebook?" She asks as she appears in my bedroom doorway, tying her golden curls up into a messy ponytail on top of her head.

"My little black notebook - pad thing I always carry with me," I say, flipping my curls out of my face as I close the night stand drawer.

In the 6 months since Chris and I have officially been together, we have been practically inseparable, even writing together and coming up with songs that I otherwise wouldn't have ever come up with myself. He is the only one that I've ever shown my silly poems and lyrics to - only because I don't think I'm that great at lyrics, I pretty much consider myself just a guitar player and that's it - but he encourages me which makes me feel like maybe my lyrics aren't so dumb.

I never thought in a million years that I would ever find the one that I was meant to be with so soon. He is my other half, the person that completes me. He is amazing in every single way. I can't imagine my life without him.

I haven't slipped since last September and it feels amazing. I know at some point I do slip back in time to meet Chris, but I'm just going to focus on being here with him in the present. There are times when Chris will mention something to me that has happened for him - like the time he apparently stole a guitar for me. The black Gibson Les Paul that he has is apparently really mine, and he just kept it for me for when I meet him in my time (or really the present) - and he'll go on and on about it while I look at him like he has two heads or something. Then he catches himself, realizing that then is his past but my future and well... you just gotta love Time Displacency Syndrome - I know I do.

It's such a beautiful guitar too. I can't believe he stole it. Like, what in the fuck was he thinking? I hope I gave him shit for it.

"No, I haven't seen it... why? Do you need it or something?" She asks, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well kinda... but..." I trial off as I get down on the floor and look under my bed.

"Andi, just find it later... we gotta get down to The Moore. Your man is playing tonight," She says in a sing song way, raising her eyebrow and smirking at me.

"Yea..." I smile shyly back feeling those butterflies flip around in my stomach as I flip my curls out of my face and rise from the floor. I glance down at myself adjusting my Dead Kennedy's t-shirt that I made into a tank top, then grab a bottle of my favorite perfume - then one that drives Chris crazy- and spritz a little bit on my neck.

"Damn girl, you look like you're going to a Guns N' Roses concert or something," Xana says as she glances over my ripped up black leggings with my Doc Martens.

"Oh god, I don't look like one of those girls do I?" I asked worriedly. The last this I want is to look like a groupie girl with her hair teased, though I don't tease my hair...but you know what I mean.

"No, no not at all. You look amazing. Chris's eyes are going to pop out of his head when he sees you though,"

"Good, 'cause that's what I was going for," I say and we both giggle.

*****

The Moore Theatre, Seattle Washington

ANDI: Xana and I arrive at The Moore early, with only a few people up around the bar having a few drinks. As we walk through the open floor area, I see Kim up on stage, randomly plucking a few strings on his guitar, checking out his foot pedals and making sure they are working ok.

The first time I met Kim, which was only a few days after I met Chris, we instantly hit it off. He is a metal head just like me, bonding over different guitar tones and getting the perfect amount of distortion out of our amps. Kim had heard of me before through Andy but for obvious reasons - since Soundgarden was on tour - we've never crossed paths. For Kim being 10 years my senior, he was impressed with my playing and how I don't seem like your typical 18 year old kid. Don't get me wrong, I know I'm young but if he only knew...

"Hey Kim, is Andy back stage?" Xana calls out as we approach the stage.

"Yea, go on back, he's waitin' for ya," Kim says as he plucks a few strings. Xana pats me on my arm and she heads over to the side stage door and disappears. Kim then decides everything seems to be set up and sounding ok, so he sets his guitar down on it's stand and jumps down off the stage, his long jet black hair all around him.

"C'mon back, I know you're dying to see Chris," Kim smirks and I smile shyly as I follow him backstage. I still feel awkward when meeting them here before a show. I don't know why, I guess it's just my natural shyness coming out. Kim lights up a cigarette while I follow him through the door, and as we walk down the long corridor, I see Chris standing in the hallway, his beautiful tall frame leaning against the brick wall. He looks amazing in his ripped jean shorts, his Doc Martens and a plain black T-shirt with his dark curls all around him.

Kim pats me on the shoulder and disappears into the dressing room and as I approach Chris, I see him talking to someone - someone who I haven't met before.

"Hi baby," Chris smiles as he turns to see me. He reaches out for my hand and I take it giving a shy smile.

"Um, this is Susan Silver," He says introducing us. Susan holds out her hand for me to shake as she smiles so sweetly at me. She has gorgeous dark eyes and a presence that is definitely revered. She's beautiful.

"She's our manager," Chris adds glancing back at me.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you... Chris has told me so much about you already, I feel like I already know you," She says. That's definitely not the first time I've heard that from anyone.

"Thank you," I smile back shaking her hand.

As Chris pulls me in a little closer, his hand grazing my lower back, we end up chatting with Susan a little more, though it was mostly her and Chris talking about management stuff, dates and schedules. Apparently he has another small promotional tour coming up in August with the release of their next EP for Sub Pop records as they continue to work on their full length album - which they have yet to sign a contract for. I stay quiet listening to them, feeling completely out of place, and I notice that they do have some sort of chemistry between them that I couldn't quite explain.

"Um, well I should get back so, I'll see you guys Tuesday?" She says to Chris.

"Uh huh,"

"Alright, see you then... and once again, it was good to meet you Andi," She says sweetly to me.

"Um, you too," I say, feeling self conscious and she turns and heads towards the back entrance to The Moore. Chris then brushes my curls off my shoulder and places a kiss to that spot just under my earlobe.

"You look so good baby,"

"Thank you," I say as I close my eyes for a moment, feeling his lips on my earlobe.

"Mmmm, you smell so good too," He says, his voice deep in my ear.

"You um... you never mentioned her before," I clear my throat as I place my hand on his chest and pull away from him just a little.

"Who...? Susan?" He asks and I nod as he continues to hold me in the corridor.

"It's just business babe... I didn't think it was important," He gives me that cute coy smile.

"I just thought since she knows so much about me already, you would've told me about her," I say glancing down at his necklace, reaching up and playing with the silver ring attached to it.

"Oh... well there's not really much to tell... she manages the band. She pretty much handles the business side of everything - "

"No I mean like, her as like a person or... something," I say as I look up into his eyes for a moment then back down at his necklace.

"Well... you've met her now, so that's pretty much how she is... I guess..." Chris looks down at the ring on his necklace that I keep playing with and then looks at me with that same look of confusion. I'm not sure why but I feel like he's hiding something from me.

"Hey! You two coming in here or what?" Andy leans out of the dressing room door, clad in his usual flamboyant charm as Stone and Jeff make their way passed him into the room.

"C'mon baby," Chris says sweetly placing a kiss on my forehead. I decide to just try to put my uneasiness aside for now and ask him more about her later. He takes my hand to lead me into the dressing room, but I stop him. I start to feel this strange euphoric sensation, one that I haven't felt in months. He turns back and sees the color draining from my complexion.

"Chris... I'm uh... I don't feel so great," I say as a sudden wave of dizziness begins to wash over my entire body.

No... no, please don't let me -

"Babe?" Chris asks worriedly reaching out, and the next thing I feel is my naked body on a cold tile floor in a darkened room, trying to catch my breath.

CHRIS: It's a sight that I haven't seen in a long time. It's also a feeling that I haven't felt in a long time. That feeling where you don't understand why your heart just dropped out on to the floor and though you try to pick it back up and place it where is once was, you know it won't be there until that person you love more than anything comes back.

"Holy shit! Wha- what the- the fuck just - holy shit! Did she just - did Andi just -?" Andy comes running over to me with a beer in his hand as I pick her clothes up off the floor.

"Yea, she did," I say flatly trying to keep myself together. No matter how many times I've seen her do this, I never get used to it and I probably never will.

"Chris, man what the fuck?! How the hell are you so -I mean - Holy shit!" He exclaims practically in disbelief though he saw her disappear before his eyes. He stands there staring wildly at the spot where Andi had been, realizing that it was real. She actually slipped back in time.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Kim asks as he leans against the dressing room doorway sipping his beer.

"Fuckin', Andi just disappeared," Andy says turning back to Kim.

"Why...? She go home or somethin'?" Kim asks taking a sip of his beer, having no clue what Andy meant.

"No dude, she disappeared disappeared... you know... vanished... slipped," Andy says trying to explain to Kim waving his hands frantically trying to think of the words.

"What are you talking about?" Kim laughs and Andy takes her Dead Kennedy's shirt from my hands and shows Kim, re-iterating that she had completely disappeared on the spot.

"I'm talking about Andi, she time slipped," He says to Kim.

"Did you take another one of those pills again?" Kim chuckles at Andy and raises his eyebrow at me.

"No he didn't. Andrea... she... she can travel... through time," I say quietly looking down at the rest of her clothes that I held in my hand. Kim's expression falls as he realizes that we aren't playing around at all. He takes another sip of his beer and looks at the both of us, trying to think of something to say.

"I know it's completely insane and hard to believe - "

"Yea but dude, I saw her do it, she just... poof... "Andy cuts me off and motions with his hands how she went 'poof' so to speak.

"Ok... um... Do you know where she went? Is she ok?" Kim says slowly trying to wrap his head around the whole thing.

"More like 'when' she went," Andy says and I give him a nudge with my elbow.

"I honestly... don't know, " I say after a few moments as they both look at me for answers.

Then we hear a loud noise coming from one of the bathrooms that was beside the back entrance and what sounded like a girl screaming. I look back and forth between Andy and Kim as my heart started to pound and I instantly turn and run in the direction of the sound. Andy picks up her clothes from the floor and they both run after me as I turn the corner down along the long hallway to the back entrance bathrooms and I see her at the end of the hallway, completely naked on the cold floor.

"Fucking, what the - ? "Kim starts, slowing down behind us as I run up to Andi as she continues to cough, laying on the cold tile floor of the back of The Moore theatre.

"Oh my god, baby hey... I'm here," I say as I take her in my arms and hold her on the floor, trying to cover her as best I can though I'm pretty sure that her being naked is the last thing she cares about. I just really don't want anyone to see her naked though.

"The fuck-?" Andy says as he stares at us in disbelief.

"Can you get Xana?" I ask as I hold Andi in my arms, brushing her curls from her face as she attempts to catch her breath. Andy and Kim just stand there, apparently not even noticing the question that I asked, their eyes completely full of worry and confusion.

"Guys! Can you go get Xana!?" I repeat looking up at them, and they snap out of their daze and head off to go back to the dressing room to get Xana.

"Chris?" Andi says sweetly after she catches her breath and I look at her in my arms.

"I'm here baby, I'm right here," I say not knowing what exactly to say but thankful that she came back to me, especially so quick too.

"I was with you. The first time... in your moms house, in the basement - I was with you. You were only..." She trails off.

"15?" I ask as a smile spreads across my face remembering it so vividly.

"Yea... you looked so different. Your hair was so short and... you were so young," She says looking into my eyes with her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry I came at you with a bat," I say trying to make a joke and she giggles that cute little laugh that I love so much. She then pulls me to her, wrapping me in a hug, holding me so tightly as my hands softly stroke her back, her soft skin feeling incredible underneath my touch.

"I love you so much Chris," She whispers in my ear and I have this overwhelming feeling inside of me that I can't describe. I have never loved anyone in my life as much as I love her.

"Andi! Oh my god, Andi!" Xana exclaims as she runs up to us with Andi's clothes in her hands. She pulls away from me, wiping her eye as tears had suddenly began to fall down her cheeks.

"Holy shit, are you ok? Are you hurt? When did it happen? How long - "

"Xana, Xana... I'm ok... I'm ok," She giggles as and I reach up and wipe away a tear from her cheek. Xana sits down with us on the floor looking frantic and worried but Andi re-assures her that she's really alright, just a little embarrassed that she slipped in front of everyone.

"Damn girl, that scared me half to death... you think maybe you should tell everyone now? You know just in case something really bad happens... god forbid though," Xana says as she hands over her shirt and leggings.

"I think it's a little late for that," I say to Xana and Andi gives me a sheepish glance.

"I just don't want everyone treating me differently, and I don't want anyone to worry," She says.

"No one's going to treat you differently. We love you, and I know Chris here really loves you, so don't worry about us. We just want you to be ok... ok?" Xana smiles.

"Alright, I guess you're right," Andi says. Xana sweetly brushes a curl from Andi's face and taps her on her arm then leaves to give a few minutes to ourselves so that Andi can get dressed again.

"I guess I made quite the commotion..." She says as she glances into my eyes.

"Yea... yea you did," I exhale as I brush another curl off of her forehead and play with it between my fingers. I then touch my forehead to hers, and place a kiss on those beautiful lips of hers as I hold her on the floor in the back of The Moore theatre.

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#Time After Time #time travel #alternate universe #also on ao3 #also on wattpad #My Story #chris cornell #chris cornell fanfiction #soundgarden #soundgarden fanfiction #mother love bone #fantasy #Andrew Wood