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Duff was amazed at how cold it was. It was meant to get warmer in April wasn't it? He nursed his glass of whiskey as he looked out of the plane window. He had never really liked flying. There was just something about it. Normally he'd be playing cards with Izzy or Slash would shove a glass of Jack in his hands. He'd even engage in banter with Axl on occasion. But on this particular flight, he was alone.

"Can I sit here?"

Duff turned his head, somewhat surprised at the question. He was even more surprised to see the person who had asked the question.

"Sure."

Kurt sat down.

"How have you been man?" Duff asked, trying to make conversation. "Last I heard, you were supposed to be in rehab."

Kurt turned his head slightly. The beginning of a grin etched upon his lips.

"I still am supposed to be in rehab. Wasn't working for me."

"You're going to try and quit heroin on your own?"

"I intend to quit everything."

"So you're thinking of leaving the music industry?"

Kurt paused and a sad smile appeared briefly on his face.

"Yeah." He said after a while. "Something like that."

"Why?"

Neither of the musicians had really noticed that they had taken off. Duff was too busy trying to find out about as much of this man as possible.

Kurt shrugged.

"It's not going well for me."

"You're a success. You're bigger than my band at the moment."

"That's not very hard is it?"

"What do you have against us Kurt?"

"Nothing. I respect you all as musicians."

"Even Axl?"

"Lets not get carried away. Honestly, I salute all the members of Guns N Roses for having to put up with his bitchy ass all these years."

Duff found himself unable to come up with a response. He couldn't disagree with Kurt's statement. But he couldn't really agree with it either.

"He's not that bad."

Kurt scoffed.

"The guy's an asshole. He's a racist, a homophobe. He's practically talentless. Not to mention the fact that he threatened me when I had my child with me."

Duff inwardly cringed. That really hadn't been a high point.

"I see your point. How is your daughter? Frances right?"

"Yeah."

Kurt's eyes seemed to sparkle a bit more when his daughter was mentioned. Duff wondered and briefly wondered how misunderstood this guy was.

"She's beautiful. She started talking a little now. Not really words, just loud noises."

Kurt swallowed hard and for a moment, Duff thought he was crying.

"I love her to pieces. Her and Courtney. If something happened to them, I don't know what I'd do. Kill myself probably."

"Could you do that to yourself."

"It's easy as you don't think about it. Just do it."

They sat in silence for awhile.

"What about you?" Kurt asked. "What are you doing with your life?"

"Not much. I think we're going to split up."

"That's a good thing."

"How?"

Kurt positioned himself so that he looked a little like a therapist.

"Guns N' Roses are slowly going down the shithole. That's not just my opinion as a hater. It's a common fact. You're a talented musician. You can start a new project. The world is your oyster. You can all do something better. Trust me on that."

"Never thought about it like that."

"You should think about these things. Your breakup, I'm sorry to tell you, was practically inevitable. Just because you're the most dangerous band in the world, doesn't mean you'll last forever."

"Thanks."

Kurt smiled in return.

"Do you'll think Nirvana will last forever?"

The sad look once again passed over Kurt's youthful features.

"I think Nirvana will be over pretty soon."

"Oh?"

"Yep."

They talked for the rest of the flight. About everything and anything. They arrived in Seattle all too quickly. They got off the plane together but Kurt soon disappeared. Duff sighed, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he made his way towards the friend he was meeting. He frowned in confusion as his fingers came in contact with something soft. He pulled out a napkin. In the corner was the Nirvana smiley logo. Crudely drawn and slightly smudged. Underneath were the words:

"Its better to burn out than fade away."


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