Unfinished Business Chapter 1, a sons of anarchy fanfic

Title: Unfinished Business

Author: Simone Santos

Rating: M Adult themes and content as you'd expect from the show itself.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from SOA. No money is made from this work which is purely for entertainment.

A/N: I've been writing this one for a while, held back on posting it to see where it went because the first draft of it died a bloody death. I won't ramble on but I need to thank LaughingWarrior for her constant support on this and R3-1 M4y3r for her support and the beautiful cover art she created for me and the rest of the Freak Circle for support, love and laughter.

Chapter One

"Winston!" The guard handing out the days mail called out. Opie rose to his feet, aware of the eyes on him and took the envelope without looking down at it. It was either from Donna or Jax, his wife and best friend were the only two people who wrote him on a regular basis. He shoved the envelope in the pocket of his pants and sat back down to watch the end of the talk show playing on the common room television.

It had been six months since he'd been sent to Chino, six months of constant noise and watching his back. The constant watching his back would ease up some now because the Sons had finally made a deal with white hate to keep him safe.

The program ended and he returned to his cell, he'd saved the letter deliberately to have something to do during the long hours locked inside with only some weird kid barely out of his teens for company.

Opie pulled the envelope from his pocket, got as comfortable as he could on the too small bunk. The envelope was neatly addressed with all of his information but he didn't recognize the handwriting at first, it wasn't until he took the paper out that he realized who it was from.

Dear Opie,

Can't keep out of trouble, huh? You're probably sitting there, frown firmly on your face asking yourself why is this bitch writing me? I've got to admit I've started this letter about a dozen times, nothing I said seemed right. I'm not like stalking you using the DOJ website or anything, well that is where I got the address but my old man ran into Piney and he mentioned that you were away and of course my asshole father couldn't wait to tell me. I just wanted to see how you're doing (yeah, probably a stupid question) and say hi. It's hard to believe it's been like eight years since... it's been a long time. Anyway, I won't take up too much of your time. The address on the envelope is mine (obviously) and you can write me back if you want. If you don't want to, I get it. Either way stay strong.

Sarah

Opie gripped the paper so hard that his fingers nearly broke through the paper. After eight years of silence she just decided to pick up a pen and write him? Obviously she still had balls. He nearly balled up the paper and threw it away but instead he reached under the thin mattress and took out the notebook he used for writing Jax, Donna and the kids.

It had to be eight years since she let her parents drag her out of Charming and she'd never looked back, not once. There hadn't been a single phone, she'd just been gone and a part of him went with her. He'd gone quite completely out of control and knew that the only reason he'd come back off of that path had been Donna. He'd known her for years, just like he'd known Sarah, and she'd been there for him as much as he would let anyone be. The friendship that they shared turned to attraction and then to love and the next thing he knew she was pregnant and they were getting married.

"Fucking bitch," he growled and began to write.

You've got a lot of fucking nerve writing to me.

The one line letter was more than Sarah had honestly expected, it had been a shock to check her mail slot and find the envelope stamped with the warning that it had been mailed from a prison. She carried the envelope upstairs with her, let herself into her apartment and immediately walked over to the kitchen table that doubled as her desk. It was the same mess that she'd left it the night before when she'd given up on playing solitaire and gone to sleep.

Sarah traced her fingers over the words he'd written, the letters were dark as if he'd used extreme pressure when writing. He'd likely broken the poor pen he was using. Opie had always had a temper, she'd been an expert at pushing the buttons to get him to use it. As an adult she knew now that she'd been foolish to push his buttons but as a teenager it had been thrilling. The way he'd exploded had been frightening and to her the clearest expression of his feelings.

It had all been so intense when it came to them, so many feelings that she didn't know what they were. Even now, eight years after she'd been taken from Charming and him, she'd cried when she'd learned that he was six months into a five year sentence.

Does that mean I should stop? Not trying to be a smart ass, just asking.

Opie just stared at the one line response, he should have known better than to think that she wouldn't write back. No, Sarah did what she wanted, always had as long as he'd known her. They'd gone to school together for most of elementary school but it wasn't until their Junior year in high school that he'd really seen her.

He'd already been mentally checked out of the learning process, just wasting his time there until Piney crumpled under his demand to sign his withdrawal papers. Mary was less than thrilled but that pretty much summed up their relationship. He was too much like his father and she hated the old man by that point.

Sarah had walked over to them and all he'd seen was a hottie in a pair of tight jeans, stretchy white v-neck shirt over a pair of perfect tits, shiny hair and glossy lips that just begged to be kissed. She'd taken one look at him checking her out and rolled her eyes. "Stop staring at my tits Winston, it's not like they just sprouted this morning."

Except to him it was like they had, she'd gone from the little tom boy who had followed the guys around to knock out in the course of a summer spent away from Charming. He'd grinned at her and it hadn't been long before he'd had more than his eyes on those tits.

The mere memory of it was enough to get him hard, he shifted uncomfortably on the thin mattress and heard his cell mate cough on the bunk above. "Fucking bitch," he said to no one in particular and shoved the letter underneath the mattress.

You've never listened to a damn thing I've told you to do, can't expect that you'd start now.

Sarah laughed nearly hard enough to choke on her beer, he was right about her not listening. As a teenager she'd been a stubborn, head strong little bitch and not that much had changed honestly.

At twenty four she no longer had to listen to what anyone told her unless she counted her boss and that old bastard could fuck off as far as she was concerned, she remained at her job only because she couldn't find another but even though she stayed she did it on her terms.

It was important to her that things were done on her terms because her parents, well her mother, had made decisions for her that changed the course of her life. There was very little doubt in her mind that her life would be exponentially different if she hadn't been dragged kicking and screaming away from Charming just after her seventeenth birthday.

Maybe she'd be with Opie right now, be the wife with the kids at home waiting for him to get released or maybe it wouldn't have worked. They'd never really had a chance to find out. It was like cutting open an old wound to think about so she pushed it out of her mind. She nearly sent a flip one line response back to him but once she put the pen to the paper there was no stopping the flow of words.

Dear Op,

Yeah, there's no way I'm going to start listening to you now. Like it or not you've got a pen pal. Just a pen pal, my father told me that you and Donna got married and had a couple of kids. I'm happy for you, really happy.

I always knew that you'd be a dad one day, a good one. I can't imagine how hard it is for you to be away from them and Donna. I know it's easier said than done but keep your ass out of trouble in there. Actually, it might be easier for you than someone else because I can't imagine that many people want to tangle with a giant.

I'm doing well, if you were wondering. I've been working at the same job for a few years, it sucks but it's a paycheck and it's way better than retail. Screw retail. I'd rather sell my ass than sell stuck up bitches shoes that cost more than my rent ever again. I just moved, got a cute little apartment. It's really little but it suits me. I've even been thinking about getting a pet, maybe a dog.

How's Jax doing? I heard that Tara left not long after I did. I can't even imagine the two of them not together. Tell him I said hi, or not if that's easier. I figure that you're probably not going to tell Donna that I'm writing you. It's not like we ever got along and that was before the two of you got together. I don't want to cause you any shit Op, really. If you decide that it's better I don't write, I'll stop.

Opie read the letter twice before folding it. She'd called him a good dad and sounded so sincere. He'd wanted to be a good dad, a good husband and a good Son but somehow things hadn't worked out the way that he'd planned. Everything had been going great until Kyle fucked it all up, being banished wasn't punishment enough. He knew that the man had lost his family, his wife April had decided to stay with the kids in Charming while he'd been forced to leave.

Opie didn't know where he was now, if he never saw Kyle again it would be too soon but if he did see his former brother he was quite sure that he'd snap his neck on sight. If he hadn't taken off and left, he wouldn't be in this cell at the mercy of the fucking Nords for protection. He'd be home, earning for his family instead of relying on the club to take care of them. He'd be with his kids instead of seeing them in the visiting room.

They were barely old enough to understand what was going on, certainly they couldn't understand why Daddy didn't go home with them. He'd be there for Donna who was starting to buckle under the pressure of being a single mother. This wasn't what she'd signed up for and more often than not the visits and calls they managed ended in the same old argument.

She didn't blame Kyle for what happened because she didn't know the man that she thought so highly of had turned coward and taken off. She blamed Samcro for Opie being behind bars and she'd never been much of a fan of the club to begin with.

Opie hated that his mind reminded him that Sarah had loved the club, she'd enjoyed going to Teller-Morrow with him and his brothers had all liked her. He'd worried some of them had liked her too much, Tig had always had his eyes on her tits or ass and Kozik had taken an interest in her that made Opie want to punch him. In time he'd realized that Tig had done it to get a rise out of him and that Kozik only looked at her like a little sister or something. And even if it had been more on their part, she'd only had eyes for him.

"Fuck," he really should just not write her back, this had the potential to get really fucking complicated if it was stirring up feelings he'd told himself were dead a long time ago. Even as he thought it he reached for the notebook to write her back. It was time to set her straight on a few things.

I am NOT a good father. I'm a shitty father, just like my old man and yours. In case you forgot, I'm locked the fuck up. I see my kids once a month at best for a few hours and then send them home while I go back to my cell. Donna's the good parent, she's the one taking care of them while I'm locked away like a rabid fucking dog. I don't deserve her, I don't deserve to call myself a dad or a husband.

And you with a dog? You remember that you have to walk them right? No matter what the weather is, they still need to go out and do their business. And you've got to pick up their shit. I can't really see you picking up shit. Maybe you should just get a fish.

It surprised Sarah that he'd remembered her hating to walk her mother's pampered mini poodle Meg, the task had normally fallen to him if he was around. The picture of the huge man walking the tiny dog had always sent her into gales of laughter, he was less amused by it but had done it because she'd asked. He'd never said no to anything that she wanted. It hurt her to read that he didn't think he was a good father or husband. Despite his current situation she knew that he was both, it was the type of man that he was. He was a good man.

There had been a time when the memories that these letters were bringing out would have sent her into a depression that would have had her in bed for days, barely able to function as she mourned what was and what could have been.

Sarah had spent the two years after she'd left Charming alternating between deep depression and reckless behavior. If her mother had thought that she'd been a handful in Charming, she hadn't been prepared for the way that she'd changed once they got to Arizona. She'd chopped off her hair, changed the color on a weekly basis, started smoking and drinking and had good chunks of her body tattooed or pierced just to piss the woman off.

The tattoos remained but most of the piercings were gone now because of her job and because she realized that it had just been a way to strike out. It hadn't been long after she'd graduated from high school, after needing to repeat her senior year, that she'd packed up and left her mother's home. It had been a good four years before she'd returned even for a holiday. Now she saw her mother twice a year, listened to her bemoan the fact that she was still single and working in a bullshit job. Sometimes two times a year felt like too much.

You ARE a GOOD FATHER! You aren't like my old man or yours because if you were you wouldn't give a fuck about any of the things that you mentioned in your letter. So if I hear you say that you're a bad dad again, I'm going to figure out a way to kick your ass. I might need to hire a team of mercenaries but I'll do it. I'm serious!

And I know that dogs need to be walked in all different weather, that's why I haven't gone to the shelter just yet. I might go with a cat but I could have a cat and a fish. Maybe I'll go buy the biggest one I can find, name it Opie and keep it on my kitchen counter.

So, someone has a birthday coming up. I've heard that there's companies that send gift baskets to people inside, any suggestions on what would make your day a little brighter in there?

He sighed and read the letter again. Part of him had still been furious at her for leaving though he wrote her anyway because contact, any contact, while in here was what made the time bearable. Part of him understood that she hadn't had much of a choice in the matter. Her shrew of a mother had always hated him and there was no doubt she'd have followed through on her threat and called the cops to report their relationship. Maybe it was insane to write to her, to think that he'd ever forget how much it had hurt when she was just suddenly and completely gone.

Opie folded the letter and put it back into his pocket as the guard approached his cell. "Winston, visitor."

It had to be Jax, both kids had bad colds and Donna had told him in their last very brief phone call, the cost of the calls was starting to get to be too much, that she didn't want to leave them with her mother so she was staying home. Likely she'd told Jax the same thing so he'd decided to pick up the slack.

His mind wasn't on his best friend as he followed the guard down to the visiting area, it was on Sarah and the fact that she remembered his birthday after all these years.

If he was being honest the best birthday he'd had was his eighteenth when they'd still been together, it hadn't been the sex because they'd been having plenty of that every chance they could get. It had been the fact that she'd ignored him telling her that he didn't want anything and that the party to be thrown at the club house was enough.

She'd made him a cake, a huge fucking cake, and pretty much cooked the entire buffet that had been laid out at the party before changing into the slinkiest little dress he'd ever seen her in and staying at his side for the entire night. They'd ended up in one of the rooms, the apartment that Jax used so often now, and it had been the first time they'd properly spent the night together.

It had been the only full night they'd spent together. Her not coming home that night and that had been the final straw for her mother. Two days later, she was gone and he'd been told in no uncertain terms to let her go. Piney had later explained that it was the only way her mother wouldn't press charges against him because she was only seventeen.

"Hey Op," Jax rose as Opie walked into the visiting room and the two men embraced quickly, "Jesus Christ, you're getting huge."

"Not much else to do in here, how's everything? Everyone?" He questioned.

"Good, I stopped by the house earlier to see Donna. The kids are both miserable, I brought them some ice pops, the kind with sugar because I didn't know better. I thought that Donna was going to cut my head off." Jax grinned. "How are you?"

"I'm good, as good as I can be in here." Opie realized that the time was passing a little quicker for him, knew that it was because of Sarah's letters. "Guess who wrote me?"

"Who? One of the guys?"

"Nah, a blast from the past Brother. Sarah."

"Sarah?" Jax's eyes widened with surprise, "shit Op, tell me you didn't write her back?"

"So what if I did?"

"That's trouble, we both know it. Jesus Christ, it has to have been eight years since she left. Why would she write you?"

"Her old man saw Piney, Piney told him I went inside and she got the address off the computer. Don't look at me like that," he added because he knew the expression on his friend's face.

"Got to leave the past in the past Brother." Jax said grimly. "Donna would have heart failure if she knew."

"Like you leave Tara in the past every time that you pick up a bottle of whiskey?" Opie questioned.

"I never said that it was a good thing, look Op I'm just looking out for you. Don't take it as me telling you what to do, it's just you're not thinking straight in here. It's not possible to think straight in here and stirring up old flames isn't going to help anything."

Opie didn't say anything else, he knew that Jax had a valid point. He'd been out of control when Sarah left, only calming down when he had started seeing Donna. He loved his wife, he wouldn't have married her if he didn't. He loved his family and maybe it was time to just leave the past in the past.

It had been three weeks since Sarah had sent Opie her last letter, each day that passed with no response made her realize that there probably wasn't going to be one. It was a disappointment because she'd been looking forward to it, it had really felt like they'd reconnected in a good way.

He'd probably seen it a different way, thought that she was trying to get back with him in some way but she wouldn't do that. He had a nice life, a beautiful wife and two kids that were no doubt completely adorable. All she'd wanted was the chance to be a friend to someone who had meant so much to her.

Sarah decided it was time to stop looking for letters, to let him lead the life he'd been living before she'd butted in.

The Judge Judy episode that was playing in the common room was a repeat, Opie had seen it before and could clearly remember the outcome, still he sat there and watched. There was really nothing else better to do.

It had been a week since Jax's visit, his birthday had come and gone two days before. He'd tried to call home but the call wouldn't go through, the line had been disconnected. Donna must have forgotten to pay the bill, she did have a hell of a lot on her plate. Opie could have called the club house but he'd just gone back to his cell. He'd been in a shit mood since, nearly getting into two fights. Both times the Nords had intervened and now other inmates were giving him a wide berth.

Judge Judy was forgotten as the guard brought in the mail cart, it was piled with packages. Once a month there was a company who put out a catalog for the inmates, it was expensive but had pretty much everything you could think of. They poured over it like kids with the Toys R US christmas book, most knowing that they'd never get one of their own.

Opie hadn't even mentioned it to Donna, he'd never ask her to spent that kind of money on him. He wanted every cent to go to her and the kids, it was only for necessities like soap and shampoo that he let her put fifty dollars a month into his commissary account.

"Daniels. Jenkins. Soto. Suarez. Winston." The guard called out.

Opie looked over at him, "you sure?" he called out.

"Says it right on the box, move your ass Inmate."

"If you don't want it, I'll take it,"his cell mate said from the seat next to him, it was probably only the second time the younger man had said anything to him.

He was still confused as to who could have sent it and why when he rose to his feet. It had to be Jax, maybe as a gift for his birthday. The guard handed the box over and Judge Judy held no interest to him any longer.

Alone in his cell he opened the flap and took out the envelope on top first. He was prepared to see Jax's name at the bottom but instead his heart thudded hard as he saw Sarah's. What the fuck had she done?

Hey Opie,

I haven't heard from you and that's fine, I get it. I hope that the time goes fast for you so that you can be home with Donna and the kids. Anyway, you never said what you wanted for your birthday so I just got what I thought that you'd like. Hope you enjoy it. Take care of yourself.

Sarah.

For a long time Opie simply sat and stared at the piece of paper. It wasn't her writing, obviously someone at the company who packaged the goods. He barely heard the buzzer that indicated recreation time was over or his cell mate come back in.

"What did you get?"

Opie looked up at the man, shit he was more like a kid. "Let's see." He dug his hand down into the box and began to take out items wrapped in plastic. "Son of a bitch," he swore softly. The package had to have cost her several hundred dollars. There were two new shirts, a package of socks, a package of boxers, new shaving stuff and food. Obviously she remembered his sweet tooth because there was plenty of chocolate along with a good sized block of already sliced cheese and crackers.

"Holy Shit," his cell mate squeaked, "you hit the mother load!"

"Yeah," Opie shook his head, "looks like I did." He took out a bar of chocolate. "Kevin, right?"

"That's right."

"You like chocolate?"

"What do you want me to do for it?"

"Nothing," Opie frowned. "You want some or not?"

"Fuck yeah, thanks man. Thanks."

"No problem," Opie took a bar of chocolate for himself, tore it open and downed half of it in two greedy bites. After that he forced himself to pace himself, at that rate he'd go through everything in days. He wanted to make it last.

Once again she'd ignored his request to ignore his birthday even after he hadn't written her back.

You shouldn't have sent that package Sarah, it was too much. You should have kept the money for you. When I get out I'm going to pay you back whatever you spent on it. Thanks though, it was probably the best present that I've ever gotten.

It was nothing you did or said that made me not write you back. I talked to Jax about you, told him that we were writing to one another. He thinks that it's a bad idea, that we can't be friends. Maybe he's right, it's been a long time. We've both moved on. Maybe we should just go back to that.

When Sarah had finally found a letter in her mailbox from him this was the last thing that she'd expected to read. After the day she had it wasn't a surprise to her that tears welled up in her eyes. She let them fall.

Work was hell, the other girl in the office had finally had enough of their boss and quit. It had left her high and dry, doing two jobs and spending twelve hours a day in her chair for the past week. She was tired, hungry and would have to do it all over again the following morning.

Sarah sat down at the kitchen table, took out the stationary that she'd brought to write him and lifted off one page. The rest went into the trash. There would be no need for it anymore.

I won't bother you again. I just thought that we could be friends. I liked thinking that. I thought it would be... well, you've made yourself pretty clear so I guess it doesn't matter what I thought. I'm glad that you liked the package. Enjoy it.

Opie's gut twisted into a series of tight knots, he'd regretted sending the letter and everything that he said. The more and more he'd thought about it, the more he was sure that Jax didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. There was nothing wrong with writing to Sarah, they weren't flirting.

It was friendly, innocent and harmless for the most part, sure his mind had started to dredge up memories he'd deliberately forgotten. If he shut his eyes he could smell her hair, the flower scented shampoo that she'd always favored. Once, just once, it had been her he pictured when he took matters into his own hand. There was nothing wrong with a fantasy, it could have just as easily been Angelina Jolie that he was picturing.

He grabbed the notebook, started to write even though he didn't know how the hell to explain what he was thinking or feeling. He just knew that he couldn't leave it with her feeling badly. It just wasn't right.

You weren't bothering me. I didn't say that right Sarah. Shit, I'm not good with this stuff and you of all people know that. I let Jax get inside my head and I don't know why. Every time he gets shit faced he talks about Tara like she didn't up and leave him. Hell, you didn't leave me. Not by your choice at least. So, write me back. We can be friends. I'd like that.

You're really going to ignore me? Not write me back when you wrote me first? When you sent me that damn package? Come on Sarah, don't be stubborn. I told you what I said didn't come out right. It's just.. I've been thinking about you. About us. About how things ended and about how we were and I did miss you. It's nice to be able to talk to you again.

Really Sarah? Jesus, you're still a stubborn fucking bitch when you want to be. I'm not going to try this again. I'm sorry alright?

All three letters came back to Opie marked return to sender. He knew that if she was just pissed he would have gotten letters back, bitchy letters probably telling him to fuck off and die but it would have been something. Her silence told him that she wasn't mad, she was hurt.

The idea of hurting her didn't sit right with him, not with the way that they'd been. Fuck, it was crazy how quickly they'd come together. From casual friends to an intense relationship that had been the best time of his life. He'd loved her so much that it hurt to look at her sometimes and see her love for him written all over her face.

People always said that you never forgot your first love, he knew that it was true. It didn't take anything away from how he felt for Donna. Fuck, he loved his wife. He'd do nothing but count the days for the next four and a half years until he was home with her. Still, the idea of hurting Sarah hurt him and he wasn't even sure what that meant.