Jordan stared out the window of the tiny bedroom apartment she shared with her best friend Andi, watching the sky turn a dangerous black color. Not just gray with the possibility of sun later on, but pure black, the color of the MC's cuts. She shivered at the thought of what that storm was going to produce. She may have been new to Charming and California in general, but she had been there long enough to know that when the sun disappeared, it was time to duck and cover. She heard a rustling behind her and turned to see Andi throwing things into a duffel bag. Just the essentials; some clothes, flashlights, batteries, candles, medicine, a couple knives, nonperishable foods. Seeing Andi in a frenzy made her even more nervous, since Andi was always the one rolling her eyes and telling her it was no big deal.
A rumble of thunder sounded, shaking the windows causing Jordan to cringe. Lightning flashed, lighting the living room up bright pink and purple, followed by another rumble. She trudged over to Andi and dropped onto the couch, reaching for the remote so she could flip on the TV. The channel flickered in and out, but finally calmed down and the Charming weather man appeared on the screen. Behind him was the weather map and right now, he was focusing on Charming and Tacoma. "If you're on the road I strongly suggest you take cover as soon as possible. Stay away from windows and keep the necessary supplies close. This storm front heading our way is not in way, shape or form going to be friendly. If you have friends or family, make sure they are safe and out of harms way." Lightening flashed again, causing the channel to flicker and go black. Jordan swore and tossed the remote back on the table. A second later, the picture came back and they were listening to the weather man again. "This storm will be capable of producing down pours, whipping winds up to fifty miles an hour with hail the size of quarters. Do not, I repeat do not, go outside for any reason." Jordan turned to look at the window as the rain started pounding against it. She bit her lip and glanced at her phone, which was sitting next to her on the arm of the couch. She debated for a minute, but shook her head, refusing for him to put himself in danger.
"Andi, you got candles and matches ready? This is gonna be a big one." Jordan said. Andi nodded wordlessly as Jordan stood and made her way back over to the window. She looked out across town, her gaze falling on the barely seeable automotive shop. She sent a quick prayer up that he was going to be ok and swore again when the lights went out. She pulled her lighter out of her pocket and flicked it, the bright orange flame appearing instantly. "Candle." She called to Andi, who tossed her one. She caught it one handed and touched the lighter to the wick. It sparked immediately and she set it in the window sill. Andi walked over and handed her a flashlight, which she promptly clicked on and used to guide her way into the bedroom, where she pulled open the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out her pistol, sticking it firmly in the small of her back with ease. When she returned to the living room, she saw Andi was doing the same.
She walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed the large black hoodie that hung on the back of a chair, pulling it over her head. She grabbed the collar and pulled it closer to her face, feeling a little safer knowing it belonged to him. She reached over on the counter and grabbed her favorite Blues hat, placing it firmly on her head. She may have been a California resident, but she would support the Blues and her all time favorite player, T.J. Oshie until the day she died. She padded back over to the window and looked out, fear gripping her heart when she saw the lightening flashing ominously over Teller-Morro Automotive. She closed her eyes and prayed that it would end well.
"Jesus Christ. This is ridiculous." Jax Teller swore as he looked out the window of the bar area. His girlfriend Tara put a hand on his shoulder as she watched everyone preparing provisions. The hail started to fall and she looked around, placing Tig and Chibs at the bar, each with their own beer, Bobby and Opie gathered around a table, hunched over some papers, backpacks at their feet and Gemma and Unser in the kitchen, finishing up the meals before they lost electric. Taking a second look around, she noticed one Son was missing, and that worried her. "Jax." She said softly. She looked up at him with wide brown eyes when he turned his gaze to her. He followed her gaze, sweeping over his brothers and his mom, not seeing why she looked so worried. He gave her a confused look and worry filled her eyes. "Juice." She whispered. Jax's eyes widened in realization as he did another sweep of the area and saw that Juice was indeed missing. "Son of a bitch." He swore and headed down the hall to the dorm rooms.
When he reached his destination, he pushed open the door and saw Juice standing at the foot of his head, pulling his riding gloves on, a backpack sitting on the bed in front of him. he shook his head as he watched Juice silently for a minute before making himself known. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked. Juice was silent as he stuck his Glock in the small of his back and lowered his cut.
"I'm going, Jax." He told the older man. Jax stared at him, contemplating if he should let the younger boy go or not. He watched as Juice moved around the room, purpose in every step, backpack in hand as he threw things into it. He finally shook his head and crossed his arms.
"You can't go out there, Juice. It's gonna get bad." Juice paused and looked at him, his eyes half narrowed. He kept hold of the backpack, but lowered it to his waist as he started tugging on the zipper.
"I have to Jax." He said. Jax shook his head and leaned against the door frame. He had no idea why the kid was prepared to risk his life for someone like her. Jax didn't like her and he wasn't entirely sure how the others felt. Knowing his youngest brother was about to risk his life and go out into the oncoming insanity to make sure she was ok, made his blood want to boil.
"It's suicide, bro." Jax said, trying to reason with the mohawked boy, knowing deep down he wasn't going to get anywhere. One thing he could say about Juice, he may have been an idiot, but he was loyal down to the bone. Sure he had made some mistakes in his life, but when he found someone he felt was worthy of his loyalty, they certainly got the full amount.
"It may be suicide, but I have to. Wouldn't you do the same if it was Tara?" He asked Jax, who paused, dropping his arms to his sides and slipping his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He nodded wordlessly, knowing Juice wasn't done with his speech. "Look man, I know you don't like her and that's fine, you don't have to, but I do. I'd do anything for that girl to keep her safe and after everything she's done for me and the club," he paused and gave Jax a pointed look, "I figure she kinda earned it, bro." The men stared at each other for a few moments, Jax knowing Juice was right. He ran a hand over his hair and sighed.
"Yeah, alright. Go, but try to do it quietly. I have a feeling the other guys would raise all kinds of hell if they knew what you were doing." Jax told him, resignation heavy in his voice. He watched as the options flashed through Juice's mind a mile a minute. Watched as the boy's eyes widened when the lightening flashed and the thunder rumbled, followed by the lights going out. Juice swore and flipped on his flashlight. In the dull glow, Jax saw his eyes widen as his gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the window. Juice swung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way hastily to the window, flipping the latch and pushing it open. The window started to slide back down and Jax walked over, catching the window in mid slide and holding it open for the younger boy who turned and flashed Jax a grateful smile. Jax nodded as the boy hauled himself completely out the window, instantly drenched in the pouring down rain.
Juice cringed as the hail hit him and Jax pulled his own off his head and handed it through the window to Juice who took it and pulled it on his head. "Hey, you check in when you get there. Let me know you made it." When Juice nodded he added, "Be careful brother." Juice gave him one last nod before bolting for the front of his building. Jax shook his head as he slid the window closed and put the latch back in place.
Juice ran faster than he had in a long time, his head down to avoid the hail hitting him in the face. He slid to a stop, almost colliding with and falling over his Dyna. He reached out a hand to stop himself and swung his leg over the seat in one swift motion. Quickly strapping his helmet on, he kicked over the engine and the bike rumbled to life. He was glad the boys couldn't hear his bike over the storm or he would have some real problems. It took him a half second to peel out of the parking lot, almost spilling as he turned left and flew down the already flooded road. Damn. He thought to himself. Jax was right, this is almost suicide, but she's worth it. He silently promised himself, not bothering to stop at the stop sign, since no one was out anyway. He made a sharp left, under estimating the turn and fish tailing the bike, then over correcting and spilling anyway. The bike hit the ground and he rolled, landing about a foot away from the bike, face down in a puddle of water that was way deeper than he thought it would have been. He pushed himself up, glad he had the helmet or else he probably would have been in trouble.
He climbed to his feet and made a mad dash for the bike as lightening flashed overhead, followed by a boom that shook him to his toes. He hauled the bike back up and climbed back on. He started it up again and was off, this time a little more careful with the turns until he slid to a very dangerous stop in the apartment complex parking lot. He lowered the kick stand, unstrapped his helmet and tossed it on the seat, then ran for the steps. He paused at the bottom when he heard the sirens going off. "Damn." He swore, fishing around in his pocket as he watched the funnel cloud form. He pulled his phone out and flipped it open as he turned and took the steps two at time.
"Yeah." Jax's voice on the other end said. Juice stopped and turned to look over the railing. Seeing the funnel cloud getting bigger, he swore again.
"Jax, I need you to listen carefully. I don't know if you can hear 'em over there, but I just got the complex, I'm standing outside on the steps and the sirens are wailing. I'm watching a funnel cloud form right almost right in front of the apartments and it'll probably be headed your way. You guys need to take cover. You were right, it's gonna get bad." Juice said in a rush.
"Shit. Alright brother. You keep yourself safe, I'll take care of things here." The line went dead and Juice snapped his phone shut, shoving it back in his pocket as he started back up the stairs, once again taking them two at a time. He grabbed the railing at the top and swung himself around, sliding down the door. Realizing he wasn't going to stop, he put his hands out to brace himself for the impact. He collided with the door a half second later, trying the door knob and finding it locked. He groaned in frustration and started banging on the door, not bothering to yell, since she wouldn't be able to hear him anyway. The door swung open and he was staring down the barrel of a .45. He froze for a minute, then recovered when the wielder lowered it.
"Juice?" Jordan asked stunned and confused. He didn't respond as he glanced over his shoulder at the funnel cloud that would be touching down any second and ushered her back inside as the debris started flying. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it, knowing it wouldn't do any good, but it made him feel a little better. "Juice what in God's name…" Jordan started to ask as she shoved the gun back into her jeans. He looked around the dark apartment, lit only by candles and reached out and grabbed Andi by the wrist, pulling her off the couch and pushing in the direction of Jordan's bedroom.
"Andi, bathroom, go. Jordan, help me blow these candles out." He ordered. The girls stared at him, Jordan standing just a foot away from him and Andi in front of the window. "Dammit, get away from the window and into the bathroom. Grab blankets and pillows." He reached down and grabbed the duffel at his feet, tossing it to her. She caught it with both hands and flashed Jordan a questioning look before turning to look out the window. Her grew to the size of golf balls when she saw the funnel cloud and spun around, speeding into Jordan's room. Juice started moving around the apartment, blowing out candles when he noticed Jordan standing there staring at him.
"What are you doing here Juice? Are you crazy?" She asked. He glanced at her as he made his way back into the living room, grabbing the flashlight from his backpack and clicking it on. he shined it at her and saw she was wearing his hoodie, which made him feel good for a minute before he remembered they were in real trouble.
"Jordan we don't have time for this." He said, reaching for her wrist. She didn't pull back, but she didn't move towards him either. He sighed and ran a hand over his short mohawk. "I had to come Jordan. I had to know you were ok." He told her. She rolled her eyes.
"Oh yeah, I bet Jax loved the idea of that." She responded. Juice cast a glance at the window and knew they were out of time.
"He knew he didn't have a choice. He knew I would have done it anyway." He said. "Now come on, bathroom." He ordered. She stared at him, half defiantly, half glad he had come all the way over, risking his life in the process. "Please." He added in a soft voice, the light from the flashlight showing his dark, chocolate brown eyes were wide with worry. That was when Jordan knew something was really wrong because Juice, never looked worry. He dropped her wrist and she back pedaled to the couch, reaching for her phone when they heard a cracking sound, then a loud shatter. Suddenly rain and hail was pouring into the apartment and Jordan's eyes widened as she let out a squeal. They heard the splintering of wood and Juice swore, knowing they were out of time.
He crossed the living room in three steps, grabbed Jordan by the wrist and pulled her into the kitchen, hitting the linoleum he dropped to his knees, pulling her down with him. He swung her around and reached out with his free hand, catching her around the waist to cushion her blow to as she hit the cabinets. She ducked and he swung himself around, leaning over her just as the kitchen window shattered. She squealed again and he tightened his grip on her, burying his face in her hair. Her hands found his and she slipped her fingers between his, squeezing as tight as she could. He realized she was shaking and swore, hesitating about leaving her there by herself, even if it was just for a second, but he knew he had to run to check on Andi and grab something to keep her warm. He worked his hand free of her grip and reached up to grab the counter above them. With his weight off her, she could move a little better now and she turned, grabbing him by the bottom of his jacket and pulling him back down to her level.
"Don't leave me." She pleaded. He stared into her blue eyes and could feel her fear. He knew Jordan was not a weak girl, but right now she was scared to death and she needed him there to protect her, no matter how much she may have hated him.
"I'll be right back. I promise." He told her, leaning in to kiss her quickly before he stood and braced himself against the counter, slipping on water as he made his way to the living room where his boots squished over the drenched carpet as he picked up speed. He flew into her room, glad the closet was close to the bathroom and peaked in on Andi, who was camped out in the bathtub with her flashlight on and two blankets wrapped around her. "You ok?" He called to her. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and nodded.
"Yeah, you guys?" She asked, her voice shaky. Juice gave her a reassuring nod.
"Yeah, we're ok. We're in the kitchen, she's safe." He said. "Stay here until it's clear. I'll take care of her." Andi flashed him a nervous, teary, grateful smile and burrowed under her blankets when thunder rumbled again. Juice threw open the closet door and grabbed a thick comforter from the top shelf. He heard glass shattering and barely made out a cry over the sound of the sirens and chaos outside. He took off back to the living room and paused, seeing the level of water on the kitchen floor. He looked around then ran for the counter, hauling himself up and over and landing next to her. He shook out the blanket and wrapped it around her, putting his arms around and pulling her close. She buried her face in his chest and shook with sobs and fear. He buried his face in her hair again and held her as tight as he could.
Thirty minutes later, the sirens stopped and the cloud turned a dark gray color. Juice looked out the window and saw the hail had stopped and the rain had let up a lot. Jordan slowly lifted her head and looked up at him as he unwrapped his arms from around her and stood. He held out a hand for her to take and she did, bracing herself against him as he pulled her to her feet. They looked around the trashed apartment and slowly made their way into the living room. Jordan stopped in the middle of the mess, gazing around with a blank look on her face as Juice made his way into the bathroom. He poked his head in the doorway and whistled to Andi, who looked out from under the safety of her blankets.
"All clear." He told her. She sighed in relief and slowly climbed out of the bathtub, following him out into the living room where they found Jordan on her knees in the middle of the room, her head in one hand, the other holding an object. Juice made his way over to her and knelt down, putting an arm around her shoulders when he saw she was holding a simple wood picture frame, which held a picture of them at the fair last year. She reached up and put her hand on his and squeezed.
"Thank you." She whispered and leaned into his side, burying her face in his shoulder. She started to sob and he gently took the picture frame away from her and set it on the floor. As soon as the frame was out of her hand, she wrapped her arms around his waist and really cried. Juice fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jax.
"Yeah." Was the instant response after the second ring.
"You guys ok?" Juice asked as he rubbed Jordan's back with his free hand. Andi had dropped onto the couch, her head in hands.
"Yeah bro we're good. No one's hurt. Some damage, but not much." He paused for a minute then added, "how's everything there?" Juice hesitated, but knew it wouldn't hurt to let him know.
"Not good man. Every one of the windows are shattered, the place is trashed, floors are ruined. The girls are ok but…" He paused and looked down at Jordan, who had stopped sobbing and was now just resting her head in his lap, staring blankly into space. He ran his hand over her hair. "They're not doin to good. Emotionally, ya know?" Jax was quiet on the other end.
"Shit." He said and Juice heard muffled voices in the background. He thought he heard Tara, or Gemma, declare that everyone was going to head over to the apartment, check out the damage and help however they could. "Alright bro, we'll be there soon." Jax said and the line went dead.