I'll Catch You

Chapter 10

Yup, it's the middle of the night but I can't sleep! xo

--

When Opie arrived home that night, much earlier than expected, he found the kids asleep on the floor and Mae snoring softly on the couch with burger wrappers littering the table and the TV on. Chuckling to himself, he picked up the kids one by one and crept up the steps to put them in their beds. Mae hadn't even stirred, exhausted and comfortable, so he ignored the trash and gently lifted her upper body to sneak underneath her. Flipping the channels, he aimlessly stroked her hair, twirling the ends between his fingers as he stared at the screen blankly.

"What are you doing here?" Mae asked, a sleepy smile on her face, as she turned onto her back to look up at him. "Is it that late?"

"No," he laughed, "It's barely midnight. I just wanted to come home." That wasn't a lie, he did want to go home but he also wanted to grill her about Mitchell and New York.

"I'm glad you did, I missed you."

Gazing down at her Opie nodded, brushing her hair back with his fingers, and tried to no avail to word the question as best he could. "What'd you guys watch?"

"I don't know," she waved her hand at the TV. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid or something?"

"That fucking movie," Opie groaned and shifted around to get comfortable. "I thought they were done watching shit over and over when they grew out of Disney movies."

"Get used to it; you'll be hearing all those songs again." She laughed to herself and ran her hands along his arm as it rested over her abdomen, his thumb hooked into her belt loops. "The Little Mermaid was always my favorite."

Nodding with a sweet smile Opie dove in. "You said something about retaliation, not wanting to start some nasty shit back East, what did you mean?"

"What?" Her eyes popped open, fully awake, on guard and suspicious of his question. "Why?"

Hesitating only made her more upset. Leaning on her elbows, she tried to sit up but Opie pressed her back down to his lap. "I think whoever Jude was involved with in New York is pissed he didn't come home breathing."

"Could be." She relaxed against him again. "What makes you think they're pissed?"

Opie shrugged. "People talk, I think they have connections out here too."

"Was it just Jude?" She asked quietly, unsure if she really wanted an answer. "Could they be mad about Mitchell?"

"Not at us." Opie said firmly, matter of fact, as he avoided direct, prolonged eye contact. "I don't know what happened that to that fucking asshole."

"Calm down," Mae could feel his body tensing. "I'm sorry I asked."

"You're fine." Extending his leg, he kicked the burger trash and looked at Mae with a cocked eyebrow. "Save me some?"

With a goofy face, one that read guilty but not really ashamed at the same time, she admitted the truth. "I actually got you something, but I ate it."

"Shit, you never finish anything."

"I know!" She turned and buried her face in his lap. "I can't stop eating." Muffled but still intelligible Mae continued to speak into his jeans. "Doctor said it'll come in waves; baby is growing a lot and quickly these next few weeks so I'll be hungry and tired, more than I already am." Looking up again she pouted. "Apparently, for most women, it slows around ten weeks and picks up again soon after."

"Thank you for doing this." Opie said, his thumb running along her bottom lip. "I know it's still fucking you up but I think you'll be excited soon."

"I hope, it's better when we talk about it. I don't feel so alone. It's my body, you know, it's isolating."

"Whenever you want to talk, I'm here. Okay?"

She wanted to ask about Mitchell again, tell him she'd spoken to Paulie and he pretty much confirmed Mitchell was murdered but Mae was happy in that moment with Opie. "Okay, thanks, I appreciate it."

He nodded and lifted her into his arms as he stood. "Let's go to bed."

-

"The Sons of Anarchy."

Cacuzza laughed as he and Paulie discussed business, as they usually did, and outlined their next moves in the westward expansion.

"I know SOA." He explained, "We don't do regular business but I've made some arrangements here and there with them." Cacuzza preferred speaking with Paulie rather than his higher ranking cousins in New York, they didn't know the real foot work of the business like Paulie did. "You're sure it's them who killed your guys?"

"No doubt," Paulie said with his heavy New York accent. "One of our old friends is out your way now, cousin, she's the reason they got involved."

"Liability?"

"Nah, she's usually playing the babe in the woods, called me herself." They laughed a little before Paulie continued. "The girl tried to be vague but it was what we already suspected, we woulda found them but she helped point out where to dig."

Cacuzza ran his hand through his slicked hair as Paulie jawed on about Mae. "Do I have to kill her, Paul, cut to it."

"No." Paulie said quickly although it was an emotional answer rather than logical. That was the only reason why he was more of a foot soldier rather than a shot caller. Paulie had no heart, or too much of one really, when it came to the hardest decisions of the game. "She don't know shit, waste of time really."

Knowing the truth of his younger cousins morality and empathic flaws, as they were seen, Cacuzza knew he had to keep an eye on this old lady. "Alright then, I'll make it known the Sons killed two of our own. Good work, Paulie. I'll be taking to you soon."