Shoutout to @QueenOfScreams for designing this new cover! I love it so much!
I race around the house trying to get everything packed away. I grab Abel's bag and begin to pack things inside. I pack diapers, clothes, toys and anything he might need into the bag and zip it up tight. I make my way out into the hall and see Jax walking with Abel into the living room. I follow behind him and dump Abel's bag on top of my own.
"You got everything?" Jax asks, placing a kiss on my cheek.
I nod my head, "Yeah, I've rung work and taken some time off." I say, walking to Jax's bedroom to grab his bag.
I place it over my shoulder and grab Abel's bag, walking out to the car. I dump the bags into the trunk and make my way inside to grab mine. Jax follows me out with my purse in his hand and locks the door behind him. I dump the bag in the trunk and close it, making my way into the driver's seat. Jax straps Abel in and climbs into the passenger's seat. I turn in my seat and see Abel looking out the window and smile, turning around to face the front again.
I start the car and pull out of the driveway, making my way towards the clubhouse. I stare out the window, my nerves beginning to set in. I bite my lip worried and tap at the wheel impatiently. Jax reaches over and places his hand on my thigh and I look at him.
"It'll all be okay babe." He says and I nod my head, though I don't really believe him.
I turn onto the clubhouse's street and I beep the horn, alerting the member on post. The gate slides open and I drive on in with Chibs in the van behind us, parking the car. Jax gets out and makes his way over to Chibs as Juice jogs towards them. I grab my bag and slip it over my shoulders before climbing into the back and grabbing Abel's carrier. I walk into the clubhouse and see the place is full with club members and their families. Gemma walks over and greets me, giving me a tight hug. I smile and Clay joins us as we walk back over towards Jax.
I hear a loud whistle and soon Tig's voice booms around the room, "Alright everybody. Listen up!" He yells. I place the carrier on the table besides Piney and he wraps his arm around my waist, me placing a kiss on his cheek. I turn to see Clay standing up to speak, "Okay everybody. Welcome to Club Reaper. I'm glad you made your reservations early cause clearly we're full to capacity. You're here because you're family. And SAMCRO takes care of its own." He says and Piney squeezes my hip.
"Next couple of days, this club has got some business to handle that could put our members and the people connected to us in... Unfriendly situations." Clay explains and I feel a shiver run down my spine.
"Now chances are nothing's going to happen but... People have already been hurt on my watch." He says, looking over towards me, "And that ain't ever going to happen again."
"Nobody gets in and nobody leaves without an escort. You got a safety concern you talk to Piney," He says and Piney raises his hand in the air, "You got a comfort concern you talk to my queen. Under this roof you'll all be safe. I want you to make yourself at home, I love all of ya." He says.
Everyone erupts into cheers and I clap my hands together, smiling at the older man. He steps down and embraces Jax and I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and see Tara standing there and I smile, wrapping my arms around her.
"How're you holding up?" I ask, pulling back.
She shrugs, "I'm fine, I guess this all just really daunting."
I nod my head, "Yeah it is. But don't worry, this isn't the first night I've camped out at the clubhouse because I was in danger. They know what they're doing." I say looking over at all of them.
SAMCRO and Wayne make their way towards Church and I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. I turn and see Gemma making her way towards Tara and I. She gives Tara a nod before looking between the two of us, "Let's just make sure everyone settles in, if they need anything come to me alright?"
We both nod our heads and I make my around, seeing if everyone is alright. I make my way towards Abel and begin feeding him when I feel someone kiss my cheek and I smile, looking up at my man, "Hey you." I say.
"I've got to head out for a bit. But I'll be back later." He says and I frown.
He gives me a look, his hand reaching up to my cheek, "I promise I'll be back."
I close my eyes and nod my head, he leans forward and kisses me on the forehead. He quickly kisses Abel before making his way out with Opie and Juice. I sigh and look down at the little man, seeing the innocence in his eyes. If everything goes the way it's supposed to, he will be safe and that's all that matters.
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I sit with Tara and Gemma at one of the tables, one of the other old ladies bringing me my coffee. I smile politely at them and take a drink, grateful for it at the moment. I hear the front door open and I look over to see one of the Tacoma club members walk in with a short balding guy. He has bandages around his hands as he walks forward. The club members from SAMCRO that are still here walk towards him and begin to speak with him.
"Tara!" Opie calls and she gets up, making her way over to him.
"Who the hell is that?" I ask Gemma.
She looks at the man confused, "That's Chucky. Little perverted weirdo we had trouble with before you came back. He was dealing with Chinese and they wanted him dead."
They lead him over to a table as Tara walks off and Gemma and I walk over to see what's going.
"Why the hell is he here?" Gemma asks.
"Says he's got information about Cara Cara." Bobby says and we look at him confused.
Tara comes back with her medical bag and takes a seat near him. She puts different bottles and supplies on the table, pulling on some gloves. She gets to work unwrapping the bandages and I nearly throw up at the sight, suddenly feeling extremely nauseous. On his hand is severe burns and cuts, his only fingers being his index on both hands. Tara gets to work putting ointment on the burns while the rest of us look on in horror.
After awhile Tara speaks, "You need to put ointment on these burns every few hours, you'll risk infection."
"Man, you must have really pissed somebody off." Gemma mutters.
"It's my personality, it's such a... There's no middle ground. People either love me or loathe me." Chucky states.
The door opens and I hear Clay's voice, "Jesus Christ, you just won't die." He says, causing Chucky to chuckle.
"He showed up at the gate, he's got some eye witness intel on the fire at Cara Cara." Piney explains.
Jax walks up and places a kiss on my cheek and I smile, kissing him quickly before Gemma interrupts us, "Come on you two, let's go do those errands." She says to me and Tara.
I nod and get up as Clay talks to Gemma, "You take somebody."
I walk over and grab my purse from the table before walking over and giving Jax a long kiss. His hands grasp my hips and I look at him, "Abel's sleeping in the apartment okay?"
He nods his head and I give him one more kiss before making my way over to the other woman. Gemma leads us out and we walk to Tara's car, me climbing into the back with Tara in the driver's seat. One of the Tacoma men climb onto their bike and Tara starts the car, making our way to the store. We drive along silently and I stare out the window, the solid roar of the Harley kind of soothing.
"You're Dad a Catholic?" Gemma asks, interrupting the silence.
I look towards the two women in the front and Tara scoffs, "No, superstitious."
Gemma leans forward and grabs the small figurine of off the dashboard, "You believe in God?"
Tara shakes her head, "Not that God. Something, I believe there's something connecting us. You?" She asks.
"I believe we all got a job to do." Gemma states.
"Fate?" Tara asks.
"Service. Our lot. For you, it's medicine, you're a healer. And nothing should ever stop you from doing that." She says before looking out the window.
Tara pauses for a moment before speaking, "For you it's family." She says and Gemma nods her head, "Yeah. I get it now, God wants me to be a fierce mother. That's my path." She says before putting the figurine back onto the dash board. We drive towards the market in silence, an odd peace settling into the car.
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We all stand out front of the clubhouse, watching as the men get ready to leave. This is it, what we've all been waiting for. All of the club members are saying goodbyes to their loved ones, Lyla and Opie kiss and hug, the same as Clay and Gemma. Jax has his arms wrapped tightly around my waist with my arms around his shoulders, our lips interlocked. I hear movement pass us and Jax pulls back, "I gotta go."
"I love you." I whisper.
He smiles and kisses me one more time, "Love you too."
He walks to his back as well as the others and they get on their bikes and in the van. They start them up and ride out in formation. I look on worried and Gemma pulls me against her as well as Lyla, "They'll be alright." She states, kissing us both on the temple, "Let's get them inside." She says, gesturing to the people around us.
"C'mon kids." I say to Ellie and Kenny, taking their hands in mine.
We all walk inside and seal the doors behind us, the worry settling in. I fiddle with my hands, digging my nails into my hands for relief. I bite my lip as I pace around the clubhouse. I glance at the clock every five minutes, hoping that time would go faster and they'd be home, safe and sound. Some of the crow eaters bring me coffee or alcohol but I wave them off, not having the stomach to eat or drink anything right now. I hear Abel wake up and I glance up to see Gemma walking towards the apartment to go get him.
I hear someone walk up to me, "Drink this."
I turn and see Tara holding out a glass to me, "No thank you."
"It's just water, you haven't had any in a while. You'll be dehydrated." She says, giving me a stern look.
I look at her before taking the glass of off her, taking a sip. The water feels nice and refreshing down my parched throat and I quickly finish it off. Tara gives me a smile and I smile at her, handing the glass back. She places it on the table, "You know they're gonna be fine right?" She asks.
I nod my head, my arms folded over my chest, "Yeah I know, I'm just worried." I say and she nods her head, "Yeah I get it. But you know them, they're tough. Soon enough this will all be over and we can get on with our lives."
I give her a look before nodding, my mind running a million miles an hour. I hear footsteps and I look up to see Lyla walking over with some food in her hand, "Gemma told me to give you this. She says you need to eat."
I look down at the plate of food before looking over at Gemma, who sits beside on the the crow eaters, looking at me. Abel sits up and plays with her hair and I can't help but smile at the small boy. I never knew how much I could love him. I give Lyla a smile and take a seat at the table, eating the sandwich on the plate. Tara takes a seat beside me, Lyla on the opposite side. I eat the sandwich quickly, suddenly realising how hungry I am. It is delicious and I can't help but want more.
As I go to get up to make myself another one I hear the thunderous roar of Harley's pulling in. Everyone in the clubhouse turns to stare at the doors as we wait for them to come in. One by one, members walk in until I see the man I want. I get up and rush over to him, throwing my arms around him. He holds onto me tightly, his face buried in my neck. For some reason a tear slides down my face and he pulls back, looking at me, "Why're you crying?" He asks.
I shake my head and wipe my eyes, "I was so worried." I say, looking at the cuts on his face.
I reach my hand up and gentle caress his cheek and he winces, causing me to immediately drop my hand, "So everything went to plan?" I ask.
He gives me a look and I know something's wrong, "What happened?" I ask, worry in my tone.
He looks around before taking my hand, "Follow me."
He pulls me through the clubhouse and I see Tara give me a worried look, mirroring my own. We walk through the clubhouse until we make it to the apartment. He walks us in and closes the door behind us, locking it.
"Jax, what's going on?" I ask, my arms folded across my chest.
He turns and looks at me, "It was all going to plan, we had him right where we wanted him."
"What happened?" I ask, my eyes never leaving his.
"Hale busted in with a bunch of cops, arrested Zobel and his daughter for possession. He's taken them down to the station." He explains.
The heavy feeling in my heart becomes even heavier and I close my eyes and lean my head back, shaking my head. I let out a weak chuckle as tears come to my eyes. Of course Hale would arrest them, his badge trumps everything. I feel a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and I bury my head in his chest, my hands clutching at his cut.
"We'll get them. I promise you that we will get them." He says, his voice deep and strong and I know that he will. It just won't be as easy as we hoped.
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We all stand around out front of the station, waiting for some news from Wayne. Jax and I lean against the railing, his arm wrapped around my waist and my head on his shoulder. The rest of us are scattered around. Gemma and Clay sit against the window, Opie and Lyla beside us with Tara, Kip, Chibs, Juice and Bobby down below and Tig passed out off to the side.
It's been a long night, barely anyone getting any sleep. We've been camped out here for two hours, the sun beginning to get really hot on the back of my neck. Jax's thumb rubs over the exposed skin on my hip, soothing me. The door opens and Wayne steps out, letting out a loud whistle to draw our attention. Everyone steps forward to see what he has to say.
"What?" Clay asks.
"Stahl's been locked in a room with FBI for two hours now. No idea what's going on." Wayne explains.
"What about Weston?" Jax asks.
"Still waiting to hear from the DA. Sorry." He says, taking in all of our disappointed faces before walking back inside.
I run my fingers through my hair and I feel a pair of lips at my ear, "Head back to the clubhouse with Ma and Tara, check in on Abel."
I nod my head and turn to face him, placing a kiss on his lips before pulling away, "Okay."
I walk away from him and follow after Gemma and Tara, Kip in charge of protecting us. I get into the back of the car with the he other two in the front. Tara starts the car and we make our way back to the clubhouse. I stare off out of the window, the two in the front talking quietly. We soon arrive at the front and I get out, making my into the clubhouse.
I walk in and see one of the crow eaters feeding Abel and I walk over towards them. She looks up at me and gives me a small smile, "He's nearly had a whole bottle, bout to drift off any minute." She explains.
I nod my head and she gentle hands him over to me and I shush him as he begins to stir. Gemma and Tara walk in behind me and Gemma looks over my shoulder, "He doing okay?" She asks.
I nod my head my head as she runs her finger down the side of his face, "Bout to put him to bed, shouldn't take to long." I say as he lets out a yawn.
"Okay baby." She says, giving my arm a squeeze.
Her and Tara turn and walk away while I go to the apartment where Abel's crib is. He falls asleep in my arms before we even make it into the room. I walk over to his crib and bend down to place him on the mattress and he stirs for a moment before rolling his head to side, letting out a sigh. I smile at the small boy and pull the blanket up to cover him. I let out a long yawn and I decide to lay down for a little while, too exhausted to do anything else. I kick off my shoes and climb into the bed, pulling to cover tightly around me. Slowly but surely I soon drift off to sleep, the most peace I've had in weeks.
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I walk out of the small supermarket and place some shopping bags into the trunk of Gemma's car. Kip and Tara is inside the shop with Abel, grabbing some more groceries. She hasn't spent a lot of time with him lately so I thought she could look after him while I do some shopping. She woke me up after a couple of hours and said that Gemma wanted us to pick up groceries.
I leave the trunk open and walk over to the fresh produce outside, looking at some fruit. We haven't got much but I was thinking of making a fruit salad or something. I begin to examine the fruit and glance down the end of the street when I freeze on the stop. She stands there and flashes from that night come back. Zobel's daughter stands in front of the florist with a bouquet of flowers in her arm, a gift bag in the other. She checks herself out in the storefront window before walking towards her car.
I feel my hands begin to shake as I watch her and I realise what I have to do. I turn and see the three others walk out of the shop and put the bags in the car and I quickly walk over to the car and over to Kip who has the keys, "Give me those." I say.
I snatch them out of his hands and rush to the driver's side and I get in quickly, keeping my eyes ahead on her as she opens her car and puts the things in the back.
I feel Tara looking at me as I focus on the girl, "That blonde, that's the one you chased. Who is she Emily?" She asks, her tone suddenly serious.
I glance at her before looking back to the girl, "Zobel's daughter. She was the one who told me her baby was choking, hit me over the head." I state.
She gets into the car and I turn our car on, pulling out into the traffic after her, "Where are we going?" Tara asks, her tone apprehensive.
"Forward." I say and I hear Kip pull out to follow us.
We follow the girl, us hanging back just enough to not arouse suspicion from her. The ride is silent, the only sound is the radio and the occasional sound from Abel. We make many turns until we end up in a suburb and she pulls up out front of a house. I park three houses down and watch as she gets out, flowers in hand.
"What are we doing here Emily?" Tara asks but I ignore her as I focus on the girl.
"That rape, would have destroyed most women. But it made you stronger, wiser, compassionate and whatever it is you think you have to do, you're past it." She says, trying to talk some sense into me.
She walks towards a house, "My boyfriend, the people I call family are out their risking their lives, their freedom for me. This is how I do my part. She's been put in my path so that I can fix that part of me that's been broken. I'm supposed to do this."
"Jesus, do you even hear what you're saying?" She asks and I turn to her, "Get Abel home safe."
I tilt my head to the side, "I love you Tara and that's something I never thought I would say."
She grips at my hands, "Emily, please don't do this-" but I cut her off, "You will be okay." I say.
She gives me a look and I reach forward into the glove compartment of Gemma's car and grab the gun that's always sorted there, placing it into my handbag. I see Zobel's daughter walking into a house up ahead and I follow after her, my heart pounding in my chest. I pull the gun out of my handbag and turn the safety off, making my way quietly to the house.
I walk up the front steps quietly and I see her with a gun out, looking into another room. I step in and aim the gun at her, "Put down the gun."
She lowers her hands and looks at me in contempt, "You're the one that killed him."
"Turn around." I say, kicking the door shut behind me.
She looks into the room once more and raises the gun, almost as if towards her head. But suddenly she turns and I pull the trigger, her falling to a heap on the ground. I look at her and I can't help but feel a sense of relief overwhelm me. I lower my hand and walk further into the living room, my eyes on her body. I let out a sigh and look down at the ground and when I look up, I see Stahl standing there with a gun trained on my head.
I look at her confused and I look past her to see the feet of a body on the floor, blood soaking into the carpet. I turn and look at her, my eyebrow raised, "Bloody day for both of us."
"Push the gun on the floor." She says.
I put it down on the ground and kick it over to her, my eyes on her the whole time. I keep my hands raised and watch as she bends down and picks up Zobel's daughter's gun. She kicks my gun away and she turns to look at me, "Was she involved in the rape?" She asks.
I don't answer her and she looks at me, "I'm sorry that that happened to you."
"And now what happens?" I ask and she kneels down in front of me, her gun trained on my chest.
"Go." She says, "I'll give you some time, just a little bit."
"Why would you do that?" I ask, tilting my head to look at her.
"At least see your family before we pick you up. But head out the back, avoid my guys at the front." She says and my heart begins to pound again.
"I'm giving you a chance." She says, "Go."
I look at her for a moment before bending down to pick up my bag, making my way towards the back door.
"Hey." She says and I turn in time to catch the gun she throws my way.
I catch it and look up at her confused, "What're you doing?"
She aims the gun at me, "You need to put down the gun."
I stare at it for a moment and realise this must be the gun she shot Edmond with, which means if my prints are over it, they'll think I've done it, "God damn." I say, dropping it to the ground, "You're a smart bitch."
"Clocks ticking Darling." She says.
I glare at her before making my way out of the house, sneaking along the back of the houses out of the sight of the other cops. My heart pounds in my chest and I try to think what to do. I keep up a steady jog, keeping to the backstreets of Charming. On the outskirts of Charming I see there is a payphone on an old building that rarely gets visited. I pull out my purse and see that I have a few coins and I insert them, calling his number.
The phone rings a couple of time before he picks up, "Yeah?"
I take a deep breath, "Wayne. I need a little help." I say.
"What's a matter darling? Where are you?" He asks as I keep my eyes peeled for any sign of cops, "I'm on the lamb."
He's quiet for a moment before he speaks, "Where are you?"
"I'm on the old building on Bleeker, the one with the feed store." I explain.
"I'll be there in five." He says before hanging up.
I hang up the phone and get up and I see a trash can on the side of the road. I pull out my phone and open it, seeing the photo of Jax and Abel that is my background. I smile at it and place a kiss on the screen before I drop it to the ground, stamping on it. I pick it up a drop into the trash can before making my way around to the side of the building to wait for Wayne.
Soon enough I hear a car pull up and I glance around the corner and see that it's Wayne's car. I walk out and rush to the car, getting into the passenger side as quickly as possible. Wayne starts the car up and pulls away from the curb, speeding out of Charming.
"Any idea where we're headed?" He asks, glancing over at me.
I shake my head, "No."
He reaches over and gives my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go, placing his hand back on the wheel.
"So, tell me what happened." He asks once we've been on the road for an hour or so.
I stare out the windshield, "I saw Zobel's daughter in the street. I followed her and killed her, like I was meant to." I say, keeps my eyes ahead.
Flashes off her body on the ground come to mind and Stahl walking out and I shake my head, "Stahl was already there, she had killed Edmond Hayes. She came out and let me go, however she made sure I had my prints all over her gun to make sure that she wouldn't get caught."
In the corner of my eye I see him look at me in shock, "Holy Shit." He whispers.
I nod my head, not looking away from the road in front of me, "Now I'm on the run and I didn't even get to say goodbye to Abel or Jax. I wish that I could just hold that little boy one last time, give Jax a proper goodbye."
"Don't you worry Darling, we will keep you safe. You will see them again." He says, his voice so sure.
I turn my head and look at him, taking in his face. He's aged a lot, the cancer taking its toll on him as well as the job. He's been by my side this whole time and I know that he always will be and that's something I'm truly grateful for. He glances at me before looking back to the road, "What?" He asks.
"Thank you Wayne."
He looks at me for a moment before nodding his head and I turn back to face the road. I settle back in my chair and prepare myself for the long journey that is to come.