JC Not Juice

by JayoftheSea

Happening upon those guys, in that bar, in those exact circumstances was a million-to-one odds. But JC is glad he did.

A/N: This is one of several in-progress fics that I have going. I decided to post what I have so far of all of them, mostly to gauge if there's even any interest in them before writing more. No promises on if or when I will continue any of them, but drop a review to let me know if you'd be interested in more.

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It's amazing how a bar fight can change your life. And he hadn't even been in it, for once. Well, not until he put himself there anyway. And, okay, it's wasn't really a bar fight.

19 years old and run out of New England by a mid-level mob boss, JC has found himself in a bar somewhere in the lower midwest, which he has realized since arriving is a biker bar. Is he old enough to be here? No. But he still has a couple of the convincing-enough looking false identities he'd created back home and it ain't hard to pass himself off as a little older if he can squash his OCD down for a couple days at a time and let his face get a little scruffy. He's been drinking since he was 14 anyway, so it's not like he's some wide-eyed kid wandering in and stupidly asking for 'the cheapest beer' or some shit and choking it down.

At least his bike out front doesn't look out of place.

Well, it might. It's not beat up or in bad shape, but it's nowhere as pristine as most of these guys probably keep theirs.

There'd only been a couple other bikes here when he'd arrived a couple hours previously, and he hadn't thought anything of it. People riding casually stop at bars close to a highway for burgers and beers all the time. He probably would've just stopped for a meal and a quick drink then kept riding for a few more hours, but this place also boasted a little sign in the bottom corner of the front window that places typically like this don't, which had him unpacking his laptop at a little corner table and staying longer than he probably should've - "Free Wifi".

The connection isn't very fast, so he hadn't been able to do anything very fun, but it had been a chance to check his emails, and log into the various sites he needed to move around some money and discreetly dump a little from his offshores into a few anonymous web accounts, and from there filter it through a few domestic accounts registered under various names. By the time this had been achieved along with some other cyber housekeeping, the bar had gotten quite a bit louder, and he'd looked up to find it now full of what he presumed to be locals and people passing through, as well as a group of 3 men in black leather kuttes that he recognized.

He recognized the kuttes, not the men.

Being a hacker for hire in New York, he'd run across the Sons before. Not in a direct capacity, exactly, but some of the people he'd worked for had also worked with them occasionally, so he'd met a few of them in passing.

No, the bottom rocker on these guys' kuttes say 'Washington'. Clicking open a new tab on his web page, he opens google maps and taps in the name of the laundromat he can see across the street out the window, finding he's in Kansas. He hadn't been sure exactly, he's mostly just been riding aimlessly, trying to figure out what the fuck he wants to do with his life. Where he wants to settle.

Draining the beer he's on - number 5 in about 4 hours, JC thinks, but isn't too sure, since the bartender, then waitress when she'd come on shift, had been good at clearing away empties and replacing them fast - he packs his laptop back into his backpack and heads up to the bar to pay his tab and go find a cheap motel for the night. The place isn't slammed, but it's busy enough that he's standing waiting for the bartender's attention for a couple minutes when a local nearby that is also waiting his turn for the bartender's attention realizes his girl is talking to one of the Sons.

In a split second, the man grabs the longneck beer bottle of the guy sitting at the bar next to him and is whirling toward the little table a few feet behind them with a shout, intent on attacking the biker chatting up his girl.

JC doesn't know what makes him do it. Maybe he wants to make sure the girl doesn't get caught in the crossfire. Maybe it's some leftover conditioning to take up for a group that was in business with his former employer. Maybe he just has some pent up frustration and wants someone to take it out on. Regardless, he spins and grabs the guy's shoulder, using the asshole's own momentum to keep him spinning, grabbing the outstretched hand and twisting the wrist that has the bottle in it. He feels a sickening pop under his hand that he doesn't have time to really think about as the bottle smashes to the floor, and the angry shout turns to a pained scream as JC catches the guy's off-fist in a glancing blow to the side of the head.

He has the advantage of positioning, though. Still kind of behind the guy on his strong side, JC uses his own left hand to grab the guy's slightly shaggy hair the same time he throws a booted foot into the outside of his knee. In a moment, he's slamming the guy's face into the ground, pocket knife pressed threateningly over a kidney.

"You really think that's a good fuckin' idea, buddy?" JC asks. "You that drunk, or that stupid?"

"Dude, you're not even with them, what the fuck?!" the guy garbles, unable to properly move his jaw with his head jammed against the worn wood flooring.

Scoffing, JC pushes down harder on the dude's head for emphasis, ignoring both the cry of pain and the question. "Yeah, and you think this is worse than what was gonna happen to ya if you'd'a actually hit him? There's 3 of them, bro. Feel lucky you only had to deal with one of me."

When there's not another comeback, JC feels his point has been made, so he flicks his knife away and stands, now very aware of the audience surrounding them. Turning, he reaches into his pocket to grab his wallet, pulling out a few bills that he knows will more than cover his tab and a generous tip. He just wants to get out of here at this point. Throwing the bills down on the bar, he nods at the bartender and turns for the door, striding quickly without running - running away from a fight you just won makes you look like a wuss, and that is not about to fucking happen - and people get out of his way to let him by.

Sure enough, there's several more bikes out front now, both the Sons' and others, and Juice makes for his, parked up at the end by the corner, with purpose. Just as he's buckling the straps across his chest on his backpack to make sure it's secure, a hand clamps down on his shoulder, making JC's head whip around.

There stands 2 of the 3 Sons - the blonde one that had been chatting up the girl still has his hand on JC's shoulder, and slightly behind him is a darker-looking guy with a shaved head. Both are watching him with interest.

"Didn't even stick around for me to say thanks, man. At least let me buy you a beer." blondie says affably, hand finally moving from JC's shoulder, only to a position it for a handshake.

Turning once again, JC shakes the guy's hand, trying to keep cool. His adrenaline is flowing and his anxiety is ratcheted up right now, but he knows he can't show the slightest weakness to these dudes. "Ain't no thing, man. Some idiots just need a beatin' once in awhile so common sense can get to their face."

Nodding back toward the building, blondie, reiterates, "C'mon, let's get ya that beer."

Shaking his head in what he hopes isn't perceived as a rude way, JC declines. "Nah, dude, I'm good. Gotta go find a motel, crash for the night, try and make some decent road time tomorrow."

"Where you headed?" the other one speaks up for the first time, his voice low and raspy.

JC knows his nervousness shows through now as he automatically fiddles with some of the loose straps hanging from his pack. "Away from New York." he tries to cage around the issue a little without being specific. It's not like he has any real destination, after all, and he doesn't want to get called on his bluff, but it's not like he's about to start spewing details either.

Blondie's eyebrows raise curiously and the other one's eyes get somehow sharper as they both study him for a long minute. The light-haired one turns to his friend questioningly, and it takes the other guy a minute to meet his gaze, which he holds for a few seconds before nodding. Blondie glances back at JC once before swiftly turning and striding purposefully back into the bar.

Baldy stays, now studying JC again.

After a long moment, JC asks, "You got more questions, or you mind if I take off?"

"Koz is payin' our tab and gettin' Frankie. Follow us. The motel we're at out by the highway still had the vacancy sign up earlier, and if they're full, we got an extra bed - 2 double rooms." the man's gaze turns to JC's bike. It's nothing special - a black, mostly-stock '96 Roadster that JC had bought used when he was 15 and got his learner's permit, before it was legal for him to even ride the thing - but he's taken good care of it. "What kinda heat you running from?" is the next question, and one JC doesn't particularly want to answer.

He knows he can't really get out of it though. Trying to answer truthfully while also being vague, he says, "Not legal, nothing life threatening."

The guy's eye snap back up to JC's face as the door to the bar opens again, letting out his 2 friends. "But somethin' deep enough to make you leave."

JC feels his face harden a little at the slightly intrusive line of questioning. "What are you guys doin' so far from home, anyway? Kansas ain't exactly a quick pleasure cruise from Tacoma." Okay, so he'd done some research on the Sons before. He'd been curious when he'd met them. He at least has the excuse that they have patches that say 'Tacoma' on their chests, so it isn't like he's a total creep.

A slight smirk appears on the other man's lips for turning the game around. Touche. "We're visiting some friends."

"Let's roll!" a new voice - to JC - calls from several feet away where the bikes decorated with various reapers and anarchy symbols are parked.

Baldy, still smirking a little, starts walking backwards towards them, reiterating to JC, "Follow us."

Not knowing if this is a good idea or not, JC rolls with it - he can always just keep riding if he needs to, and it's not like they're threatening him or something. They're literally offering him somewhere to sleep for the night, which is almost the exact opposite. Slipping his helmet from it's place on his handlebar, he buckles it onto his head quickly and mounts his bike, shoving his key in and turning it, hitting the starter at almost the exact same time the other 3 bikes roar to life nearby.

The town, while not tiny, isn't massive either, and it's only a matter of 15 minutes before they're backing their bikes into spots at a little motel on the highway out of town. It doesn't look like either the best-kept or dumpiest place that JC has had to stay the past few days, so he isn't going to complain. The vacancy sign is still flickering in the window of the little office at the far end of the building, so he nods to the bikers and says a thanks as they all dismount before heading off that direction to book himself a room.

Another couple minutes and he's coming back, room key in hand, number on it just to the side of where all the bikes are parked, so he assumes he's right next to the other guys. He doesn't know if it's coincidence or if the tired-looking manager had just assumed he was with them. JC doesn't know how he feels about it either way.

He makes quick work of unstrapping his bags, aware he's being observed by the one he hasn't met yet - Frankie, presumably, from what baldy had said earlier -, who's outside his room smoking a cigarette.

Dropping his bags inside his room and flicking on the lights, JC finds he'd been about right in his estimation. The place is a bit run-down, but it's clean enough to not drive him nuts to crash here for a night. The carpet is threadbare in places, but it's clearly been vacuumed recently, and the bed is neatly made, even if the bedding looks cheap.

A voice from the still-open door interrupts his examination. "We're having breakfast at the diner across the road at 7, if you're interested in eating with us before you take off."

Looking over, JC sees blondie again - Koz, he thinks baldy had called him - leaning against the doorframe. "Sure." he agrees easily enough, wondering why they're taking such an interest in him, but not about to turn down the opportunity. He's liked the last week and a bit of almost nonstop riding, the road helping clear his head of the noise that usually clutters it, but, at the same time, he can only take so much of it before he needs some human contact. He's not a super social dude, but if he spends too much time alone, he'll start driving himself insane.

"I'm Kozik, by the way. Or Koz." the man finally introduces himself.

"JC." he replies simply, long day of riding and several beers starting to catch up with him and make him tired. He hadn't realized how much until there was a bed in sight.

Koz nods an acknowledgement, probably seeing that this new stray they have picked up for the evening is about dead on his feet. Standing straight and reaching for the door handle to pull it shut as he retreats, he calls a, "See ya in the mornin', JC."

JC moves to throw the bolt, then bends to unlace his boots, kicking them off next to the door. The smell of his socks hits him, making him wrinkle his nose, and he leaves them on even as he strips down to his boxers, draping the jeans and tee shirt over the A/C unit under the window to try and force some air through them in the night. After retrieving his shower kit, he heads into the bathroom, relieved to find it as clean as the rest of the room. Dropping his toiletry bag on the small counter space, his first order of business is to finish stripping and pull out the bottle of antibacterial hand soap, quickly washing the socks and boxers in the tub and wringing them out before throwing them out on the A/C to dry overnight next to his other clothes.

It's only once that's taken care of that he finally climbs in the shower himself, his anxiety finally beginning to let up as he feels the road grime and dive-bar smell getting scrubbed off his skin.

After a thorough scrub, he climbs out and towels off, managing to only give it brief thought before leaving his shaving kit packed up, taking out only his dental hygiene items to go through that routine - which even he admits is a little overly thorough, but his OCD demands it - particularly if he's not shaving off the scruff on his face - and he's never exactly been in a place to afford dental insurance so it's not like it's doing any harm - before drying everything off and packing it away again.

Once his phone is plugged in and an alarm set, he clicks on the tv and immediately puts it on mute. JC clicks the lights off and crawls into bed, registering the rumble of voices on the other side of the wall, but not able to make out what they're saying.

Too tired to even really be curious, he falls asleep surprisingly fast, the blue light from the late-night infomercials casting a ghostly pall over the room.

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6:50 the next morning finds him dressed in his last pair of truly clean socks and boxers, yesterday's hand-washed ones joining the rest of his hand-washed clothes in one of his saddlebags, strapping said bags back onto his bike while the other guys do the same next to him. He might be imagining it, but he thinks they had exchanged a look that might have been approving when he'd appeared, ready to go, before the specified time to meet.

Kozik offers to take his key back to the office for him while he turns in theirs, and JC gladly hands it off before crouching to do a couple quick checks on his bike - making sure the oil is topped up and there were no leaks overnight, looking at the brake lines, checking tire pressure and the tread condition. It's something he does every morning now that he's on his bike all day, every day. Even if his OCD wouldn't have demanded he make sure everything is in order, he'd be screwed if he broke down on the side of a highway somewhere. It's just plain responsible.

This time, he completely misses the blatantly approving look that's exchanged between the bikers as they go about making their own checks and finish strapping their bags to their bikes.

They roll their bikes across the deserted highway to the diner, which has only a handful of other patrons in it on this Wednesday morning, just after 7 AM. Within moments of sitting down at a table, they each have a cup of coffee and a menu in front of them. JC has, by this point, been properly introduced to the other 2 guys, officially meeting Frankie, and finding out that baldy is actually called Happy, which isn't a much better name than baldy in his opinion, but whatever.

After they order their food, Frankie starts making conversation.

"So, saw you tucked off in the corner at the bar on a computer when we got there last night. Take it you weren't there to pick up some local pussy for the night?" he questions somewhat teasingly, but clearly probing.

Stirring a little cup of half and half into his coffee, JC tries to half-answer the question. "Nah, not many dive bars in the middle of nowhere got free wifi. Had some shit I needed to check on."

Seeing the cagey approach isn't going to work, Koz tries the more direct one. "That your thing? Tech shit? Why you're runnin'?"

This time, JC stalls for a few seconds by taking a slow sip of the hot brew in front of him. Eventually, he knows he has to answer, though. "Yeah, it's my thing. Not why I'm runnin', though."

"Then why are you?" Happy asks even more directly.

JC's eyes cut to the man who looks even more dark and severe in the daylight. "Fucked the wrong guy's daughter." His breakfast companions all laugh, and the tension breaks. He's not lying, he had been run out of town because he'd been caught fucking the boss's daughter, but he'd also been skimming money off the mob for most of the 2 and a half years he'd been working for them. He hadn't been caught at that, but someone is bound to figure it out eventually, especially since they would be getting a new guy in to take his place anytime. Unless that guy figured out JC's system and decided to use it for himself, but that's a gamble he's not willing to bet on.

"Man, who could you have pissed off that bad by screwing his little girl that you're hightailin' it outta state?" Frankie asks, again both teasing and questioning, though less tentative about it now.

Heaving a breath out, JC answers plainly. "Carlo Messina."

They're all quiet for a minute, both as they all think about why the name sounds familiar and because the waitress is dropping off food.

"I know I should know that name, but I can't figure out where from." Koz admits as the waitress walks off and he grabs for the pepper shaker, dumping a liberal amount over his eggs.

JC splatters some Tobasco over his own omelette as he quietly replies so that the few other people in there won't hear. "Mid-high level Italian mob. Your guys' New York chapter does some work with his family sometimes." At this declaration, all 3 stop and stare at him critically, the tension back in force for a minute as he chews through his bite of eggs and veggies. Shrugging at them as he swallows, he says, "What, I worked for the guy as a hacker for over 2 years. I know some shit. No details about what your guys were doin'. Just that some guys with kuttes that look a lot like that would roll in occasionally." he motions vaguely around at their leather with his fork as he says it.

There's several minutes of quiet as they all eat, a few heavy looks getting thrown around between the 3 Sons.

As the eating slows down, Koz speaks up again. "Well, JC, if you don't got anywhere else in mind, you're welcome to ride back to Tacoma with us. We don't got a ton of call for a hacker, but the club can use help with intel on a freelance basis occasionally, and we got a garage that can always use hands. Looked like you knew what you were doin' with your bike earlier."

JC doesn't have to think about it for long. He doesn't have anywhere else to go, and he's fairly certain these guys won't turn him over to the mob; they probably just want to keep an eye on him since he has some intel - no matter how simple and basic - on one of their charters. "More of a plan than I had 5 minutes ago."

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

That evening, they stop outside Salt Lake City. The guys seem to know exactly what hotel they want to stay at, but then they line up to get rooms, they are told there's only 2 left, but they're both doubles.

"You can crash with me, kid." Happy says slapping JC lightly on the shoulder and nodding for him to follow them as Frankie and Koz walk ahead, already squabbling about who gets the first shower.

"Kid? I don't think I'm THAT much younger than you." JC shoots back with a grin as they walk.

Chuckling, Happy quietly grinds out so the others won't hear, "That scruff on your face might fool most people, but I was usin' that trick before you got a hair on your chin. You even legal yet?"

Caught, JC's grin turns a little guilty. "19."

Happy's smirking more openly now, and admits something about himself in return as he unlocks the door to their shared motel room to prop it open while they bring in their bags. "Ok, you're right, not that much younger. 26."

JC rolls his eyes at finding out Happy's apparent bluff, and wonders if it's common knowledge. Happy seems pretty close to Koz from what JC could tell throughout the day, and he'd guess Koz is at least in his early 30s. Not that age dictates if you can be friends, even close friends, with someone, but it can effect dynamics. Koz clearly considers Happy an equal, not an inferior, as most would someone more than a couple years younger, so he either doesn't know Happy's younger, or Happy's done something to make himself an equal in Koz's eyes. This is probably some kind of test. See if JC can keep his mouth shut on personal information. Like that's hard. He knows he can be an idiot about some things, but he can keep shit to himself.

Happy piles his bags next to the bed closer to the door without consulting JC, so it's clearly not up for debate which bed will be who's. JC doesn't really care, he's more worried about being able to sleep; he usually needs the tv on or something similar to be able to sleep halfway decent. He and his twin sister had shared a bedroom right up until he ran away from home at 16, and they'd fallen asleep with the tv on every night since they got one in their room at age 5 when their mom had replaced the living room one with a slightly newer one from the thrift store. Sound wasn't an issue, whether it was there or not, but the flickering light is something he's so use to that he has trouble sleeping without it.

The next thing Happy did without debate was take the first shower. Again, JC doesn't really care, it gives him a little time to hook his laptop up and log into the motel's wifi, the poor kid inside him internally bitching but knowing he can afford the $14 charge on his (or, rather, one of his alias's) credit cards.

He's unsurprised to find alerts waiting for him that his license plate registration has been run, and the alias it's under has had a background check initiated.

JC's double-checking the backstopping, but not very worried about it, as Happy emerges from the bathroom, freshly shaven, in just his boxers and carrying all his stuff. "All yours." he rumbles at JC, eyeing the laptop.

"Thanks." JC says back distractedly, closing the tab he'd been in, leaving him looking at an email from his sister that had come in earlier that day, which he hits the 'reply' button at the top of and starts tapping out a response to. She's in her second year of nursing school and doesn't know for sure how JC had been paying for her college, but she makes sure to check in at least every couple weeks with a lengthy email about what's going on with her and their mother. They'd kept in touch when he'd run away, seeing each other occasionally, and he now has to tell her that he can't come back to New York for a very long time. Possibly ever.

He's broken from his concentration when Happy asks, "You hackin' some shit from a shitty motel room in Utah?" incredulously.

Looking over at the man, who is now reclined on his own bed, channel surfing in his boxers, JC has to take a second and absorb the question before he answers. Confused at the question, he says, "Nah, dude. I'm emailing my sister."

Happy looks over, brows a little scrunched and still sounding incredulous. "You always type that fast?"

Shrugging, JC replies, "I don't really think about it."

Changing the topic, the older man continues his questioning. "You know how to work on anything other than bikes?"

Going back to typing, JC multitasks as he answers without reservation, having no reason to hide most information. "I'm alright with cars an' shit too. Did a couple years of shop class, helped out buddies for beer here and there. Nothing major, like engine shit, but maintenance, simple repairs. I like mechanical stuff. It….. Chills me out." Because he'd been blessed with ADHD in addition to his OCD; figuring out how mechanical stuff works and fixing it captures his attention in a way few things do, and his OCD means he's good at making sure it all stays nice and clean and orderly, which makes him pretty efficient.

The questions seem to be done for now, so JC wraps up his email and hits 'send' before locking his screen and getting up to retrieve his shower kit and cleanish boxers to wear for bed.

Once he's showered and back out in the room, packing his things away into his bags, he asks Happy, "Is there a halfway decent motel or somethin' near the garage 'til I can find my own place?"

There isn't an immediate answer, and JC looks over at Happy after a minute to find the other man watching him with a critical eye.

"You always that tidy?" Happy asks, nodding at the stack of neatly folded clothes visible in JC's open bag.

Shrugging, he figures he may as well fess up about that. He's not ashamed, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out anyway. "Yeah, I got this thing about keepin' shit clean, in order."

Happy's face changes slightly and he gives a miniscule nod of understanding. "Me too." another few seconds of silence while JC processes that, glancing at Happy's own bags, stacked neatly at the end of his bed, boots right next to them, laces coiled just so and stuffed inside so they aren't a mess. "I got a spare room. Long as you clean up after yourself, pitch in for food and shit, and forget anything compromising you might hear around there, you' can crash until you get yourself figured out."

"Why do I got a feelin' that's gonna be a theme workin' for the club," JC says with a grin, not bothered. "I know how it works. Like I told you guys, I worked for the mob. I know how and when to keep my mouth shut." Once his stuff is away, he settles back into the bed, leaning against the wall and pulling his laptop back onto his thighs. It's still relatively early, so they aren't exactly falling-down tired yet, despite the 13 hours of riding that day. "Thanks, man. I don't know what I did to impress you guys, but I'm seriously grateful for the shot you're givin' me here."

"Seriously?" Happy asks, again incredulous. JC's starting to think it's his default state. He nods and gives half a shrug, typing in his password and not looking over at the other man. "Dude, you stepped in and dislocated some fuck's wrist, then pulled a knife on him when he was about to attack one of our boys from behind."

JC pauses for a moment. Had that been the weird pop he'd barely registered in the heat of the moment grabbing the guy? He's surprised the guy hadn't been carried out wailing while they were talking on the sidewalk, that must've fucking hurt. With another slight shrug, he goes back to running his standard security checks on the aliases he still has intact. "Asshole was gonna get himself killed, me wailin' on him a little was lettin' him off easy."

"Yeah, but it was the fact that you protected Koz when you had no reason to." Happy explains. "He probably woulda deserved gettin' beaned in the head with that beer bottle - he fuckin' knows better than to try and pick up chicks that are obviously taken - and even if it ended in an all-out bar brawl, it's not like it would be the first time we been in that situation. But you just stepped up and stopped it before it all started. Saved us all a lot of bruises and probably a day in a cell, and a hell of a lot of explainin' to our Pres about why we're runnin' a day late gettin' home."

Uncomfortable, JC tries to deflect. "Nah, now you just gotta explain to him why you're bringin' home a stray that you promised a job in the club garage." he says with another grin.

Happy lets him drop the subject. "Hope you like rain. Summer's gorgeous, but come October you can look forward to rain until April or May."

It's currently the middle of June, which give JC some time to prepare for that. He doesn't think he'll mind much anyway. "Better than ice and snow." he says, thinking of being unable to ride for weeks on end sometimes in the winter in New York. "You grow up there?"

"Nah." is the bland answer from Happy. "Moved there… almost 6 years ago. Grew up in California."

They more or less lapse into silence at this point, Happy watching the marathon of Law and Order SVU he'd landed on and JC tapping at his laptop, both of them occasionally throwing out a comment or a question, usually prompted by something on the TV.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

The group stops for gas just after they cross the border from Oregon to Washington on I5. Happy and JC go in to pay for the gas and grab waters for everyone to chug before they get back on the road.

"We're only a couple hours out." Happy tells JC lowly as they wander around gathering snacks and waiting for the line at the register to clear. "We gotta go straight to the clubhouse to check in. You'll have to stay outside til our Pres, Blue, has met you and given you the okay. Shouldn't be a big thing, but it may take awhile of workin' at the garage. Once we're done there, I'll take ya back to my house."

Knowing it's better to fess up himself before it becomes a thing, JC glances around and says just as lowly. "Well, I should probably tell you now that that background check you guys ran was on an alias, not my real ID." As he'd expected, Happy stops and turns to stare hard at him, demanding silently that he continue. "Dude, I'm a hacker on the run from the mob, you didn't seriously expect me to make it that easy, did you? Even if it ain't that serious, I know how to cover my ass."

He can't decipher the look on Happy's face, but he's almost sure it isn't mad. "What's your real name?"

Sighing, JC gives it up. "Juan Carlos Ortiz."

Happy studies him hard, snorting after a moment then saying, "Suits you better than Jonah Colton."

The line has cleared, so JC starts moving toward the front of the little store inside the truck stop. "Get less trouble from cops if they run my plates and come up with a white-bread name. They think I'm just some guido-wannabe that spends my weekends down on the Jersey shore and tans too much."

"Ain't gonna fly so much on this coast." Happy says. "Smart to tell me before we get to the clubhouse, though." They each take a register, setting down various snacks and beverages, saying the number of the pumps they are paying on.

As they walk out, JC picks the conversation back up. "Look, dude, I ain't claimin' I'm some kind of genius, but I'm not a total idiot. I can be clueless about some shit - social shit, some basic common sense stuff. What I'm tryin' to say here is, you don't gotta sound so fuckin' surprised when I have half a fuckin' brain. You guys were gonna figure it out eventually, and I know it's better comin' from me now than you findin' out somewhere else later." He can feel Happy's stare on him as they finish their trek to rejoin Frankie and Koz where their bikes are spread in front of 2 pumps, handing off snacks and bottles, which get quickly stowed before bikes are rolled off to parking spots in a semi-shaded spot off to the side of the lot to eat and drink a rest for a few before making the final leg of the ride.

When they roll off the highway and into Tacoma a couple hours later, JC finds it very…. industrial. Maybe it's just the part of town they're in, not far from the train yard and the port. Though even from the freeway, there'd been some weird smell that he can't place.

They pull into the lot and Koz reaches over to lightly slap JC's arm and point at some parking spaces off to the side just in the outer portion of the lot, away from the row of what are obviously Sons bikes under an awning along one of the buildings bordering the inner courtyard portion of it. It's a massive lot, taking up what he thinks is a whole block. They'd driven past the garage front on the big main road, in a tall warehouse-type building that spans about a two-thirds of it, the final third opening up into a big parking lot that it looks like anyone can park in.

JC pulls into the very edge space where Koz had motioned him to, watching as his companions for the past couple days pull into the space between the buildings, hanging his helmet on a handlebar and examining his surroundings curiously.

There's another warehouse, about the same size as the garage, on the other side, leaving maybe 60 feet of space between them. Along the 'inner' lot side of each warehouse is an awning, under one which there is a row of gleaming bikes, and there are picnic tables and fire barrels dotted around, a big grill, and a boxing ring along with a couple punching bags and other training equipment in one corner under the other awning. At the far end is a third building, maybe 3 stories, with about 7 or 8 foot corridors between it and each of the other buildings - enough to drive through if there weren't concrete posts leaving only enough room for bikes to go through. Obviously an emergency exit so they don't get penned in. There's aluminum roofing over the walkways between the buildings, so he assumes people must go between them a lot. Enough to warrant wanting them to be covered in the long rainy season.

A sharp whistle pulls his attention to where the guys are now standing with a couple other guys, and he finds Frankie waving him over. Swinging up off his bike, JC heads over, quickly but trying not to make it obvious he's hurrying. Or that he's nervous.

The guys that are new to him are both older, one in his late 40s, the other probably his late 30s, and a quick glance reveals President and Vice President patches on their chests.

"JC, this is our Pres, Blue, and VP, Lee." Kozik introduces the newcomer. Looking to his superiors, he explains a little pointlessly by this juncture, "JC here stopped some little fuck in Kansas from attacking me from behind in a bar."

Frankie butts in. "And apparently he use to work for some people that the New York charter does business with."

The president sticks out his hand and curtly introduces himself again with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Blue."

Shaking his hand, JC does the same. "Juan Carlos."

"That's not what your bike's registration says." the VP, Lee, chimes in.

To all their surprise, Happy speaks up in JC's defense. "He told me about that already. Used an alias to keep below radar back east. Didn't exactly leave New York under the best circumstances."

Koz laughs. "Boy got caught stickin' it in a mob boss's daughter."

Blue cracks a slight smile, but he and Lee both retain their serious air. "And how'd you have access to do that?" Blue continues his interrogation.

"I was a hacker for Carlo Messina for over 2 years. They ain't lookin' for me or anything like that, but I ain't welcome around New York anymore." Before the questioning can go on, he attempts to head it off. "Look, I know this probably sounds suspicious - some mob hacker showin' up outta nowhere. But, honest, I was in that bar cuz it happened to have free wifi and I had no fuckin' clue these guys were even there until I got up to pay my tab. I had no motive steppin' in stoppin' that guy, and I'm here now cuz your guys mentioned that your garage can always use extra hands and I didn't have any better plan about where the fuck I was gonna go. I'm a 19 year old high school dropout with no job experience except waiting tables and hacking for the mob, and no skills except hacking and bein' halfway decent at workin' on cars. I ain't here to get in or get shit on the club, and I know to keep my mouth shut about anything I may see or hear by accident. I don't want trouble. I just wanna have a life, keep my head down, and attached to my neck. You say the word, I'm gone."

They both stare him down hard for a minute and JC fights not to squirm under their heavy gazes.

Finally, Lee asks a final question. "Where you plannin' on stayin', kid?"

"I offered him my spare room til he can get a place." Happy answers on JC's behalf. All eyes turn to him except JC's, and he notes that all of the other men seem surprised. Weird. Maybe offering someone a place to crash is out of character for Happy. So why him? Food for thought later. JC has other shit to worry about right now.

Pulling his eyes away from Happy, the president looks back to JC and says, "Alright. They weren't lyin', we always need hands around here. You have a week to convince me you know what you're doin' under a hood, starting 9 am tomorrow." One of the balls of stress in JC's gut loosens. "Need to talk to the guys for a bit, hang out out here."

JC nods his understanding and thanks, immediately turning to head back to his bike, where he still has a bottle of water buried under his clothes in one of his saddlebags that hopefully isn't too hot. Retrieving it and his cheap prepay phone, he settles himself onto the picnic table closest to the entrance to the main parking lot and turns the phone on, texting one of the handful of numbers he has memorized.

When he gets a reply, he hits the green call button and raises the phone to his ear. It's picked up almost immediately.

"What the fuck is going on? You can't just email me that you had to leave New York and can't come back and not give me any fucking details!" his sister's voice half-shouts into his ear.

Sighing, he looks out across the almost-deserted lots in the mid-evening. "As long as I don't come back, at least for a long time, I'm not in danger, Angie."

"What the fuck did you do?" she demands.

Chuckling, because he knows how stupid it is, he tells her the shortest version. "Fucked the wrong girl."

He hears her sucking her teeth and knows she's fighting between being pissed at him and laughing at the ridiculousness. "So what are you gonna do now?"

"I just got to the west coast. Got a trial spot at a garage, if I can keep up for the next week, I got a job. Just gonna keep my head down and work on keepin' you in college." he tells her plainly.

"Juan, you can't-" she starts, but he cuts her off.

"No, Angie. You're staying in school, and I'm making sure of it. It's bad enough you're workin' part time to help Ma with bills, I'll be damned if you kill yourself to cover tuition and books and shit too." JC insists. He actually already has her tuition and everything covered through the rest of her degree, but she doesn't need to know that. She's never known who he worked for or what he did, and that's not about to start now. "You're the smart one, I gotta make sure one of us makes somethin' of ourselves, make sure Ma gets taken care of."

After their pops had walked out when they were 4, their ma had worked her ass off to keep them in a halfway decent apartment, giving them the one bedroom to share while she slept on a futon in the little dining area, partitioned off into a tiny bedroom for her with a sheet. Both kids have tremendous respect for her and had promised each other that one of them would always look out for her the way she had taken care of them.

Angie's usual retort comes immediately. "You're just as smart as me, it ain't your fault you got problems concentrating."

Just like always, he ignores her. "How's school?" She's taking classes year round to get done faster, so she'd just started a new quarter a couple weeks previous. They chat for awhile, having not actually spoken in a bit, until JC looks up at the sound of boots and jangling wallet chains approaching. "Hey, I gotta go. Give ma a kiss for me, tell her I love her, I'll call in a few days when I'm a little more settled."

His sister makes a noise of discontent, but he knows she'll do it. "Fine. Love you, bonehead."

"Love you too." He hangs up and stands, crushing down his now-empty bottle.

Koz has a shit-eating grin on his face as he asks "That the girl you got caught with?"

JC feels his face immediately contort into one of disgust at the thought. "Gross. No. It was my sister. Checkin' on her an' ma."

Koz's grin, if possible, only gets bigger. "Sister, huh?"

Happy's grinning too, but takes some pity on the kid. "C'mon. Let's get outta here. I'm sure you need to do some laundry before you start your new job tomorrow." They part ways, each guy heading for his bike, JC following Happy out of the lot, and the industrial area, to a more residential part of town. It still seems like a very working-class type of place, modest houses and small apartment buildings over rows of ma-and-pop shop mixed with franchise chains dotted here and there. There's taller buildings dotted around, and he glimpses a small cluster of relatively modest skyscrapers (compared to what he's used to) in what must be considered the downtown or business district at one point as they crest a small hill, but, overall, it's a very different city than New York. He thinks he might like it here.

The ride isn't long, a little over 20 minutes more or less obeying the speed limit, then JC is backing in next to Happy in the short driveway in front of a one-story house. The yard in front is small, but well kept, much like most of the surrounding ones, and the paint on the house is a light blue color that he wasn't expecting. He's not sure exactly what he expected it to be, but light blue wasn't it.

There's no garage, and JC asks curiously, "What do you do in the winter?" nodding down at the bike. Sitting on wet leather to ride is never fun. Happy, in turn, nods toward the far side of the driveway, on the other side of JC. He turns and takes a few steps to peer around the corner of the house, finding packed gravel leading around the side from the edge of the driveway, and a carport attached to the side of the house, and a side door over there as well.

Returning to his bike, JC continues unhooking his bags, following Happy up 2 steps to the little front porch and in through the front door.

Seeing the carpeted living room, he automatically sets down a bag and reaches to pull the laces on his boots and step out of them before getting past the entrance area, getting an appreciative look from Happy, who is also stepping out of his shoes. Once boots are lined up neatly off to the side of the door, JC takes the time to actually look around, even as Happy leads him towards the back. The kitchen is to the right as they come in, overlooking the driveway and housing the side door he'd spotted earlier. To the left is the living room, with a basic, black, leather couch and a matching recliner in front of a coffee table - with coasters, thank god - and a tv on a stand. There's a sliding glass door to a back patio area. At the back of the kitchen is a breakfast bar. He's glad to spot stools under it, because what he's sure was meant to be the dining room most definitely is not set up for eating.

Instead, he's looking at a mini tattoo parlor. Adjustable padded chair/table thing, a couple wheeled stools and trays and ring lights, shelves and clear plastic drawers of meticulously organized supplies, sketches and paintings on the walls.

"I can't work in a shop because club shit pulls me away, so I take clients - mostly people in or close to the club - here on days I'm not working in the garage." Happy explains once he realizes JC has stopped and is staring at the setup.

Shaking himself out of it, JC says, "Sorry, just not often you see a one-chair tattoo parlor set up in someone's dining room."

Happy snorts in amusement. "Bedrooms are in back." he starts leading JC back again, into the hallway. Jerking his head at the first door they encounter - folding doors on the left - he says simply, "Linen closet, laundry's in there too." Almost directly across the hall is an open door, and JC spots some shiny surfaces in the residual light. "Bathroom you'll be using." Further down they reach 2 final doors, again across from each other. Another head jerk, this one to the one on the right, and "Your room. There's a weight bench set up right now, we can get it moved out to the patio since it's summer. You're welcome to use it if you want. I'm across the hall, got my own bathroom, so don't worry about leavin' your razor, shampoo, whatever in the john. Long as it ain't messy." With this, he turns and heads into his own room to get settled from his trip, leaving JC to get comfortable.

He does, dropping his bags just inside the door and groping until he finds the lightswitch. When the overhead light clicks on, he finds a simple room. As forewarned, there's a weight bench set up in front of the closet, some free weights and a barbell with some weights to go on either end next to it. The bed is full-size, with a simple medium-toned wood frame, matching end tables, with a basic black lamp on one and a digital alarm clock on the other, and also a matching dresser with a white plastic laundry basket set to the side of it. The comforter on the bed is grey, and the pillowcases peeking out from the top are navy blue. The carpet is the same sandy-tan as the hall and living room, while the walls are white, a single seascape hanging over the dresser the only decoration.

Moving to pick his bags back up, he lines them up along with his backpack on the dresser and starts unpacking, immediately throwing all of his clothes - not that he has much - into the basket to go in the wash. He'd hand-washed what he could as he went, but it's just not the same.

"Go ahead and throw your clothes in first." Happy's voice rasps from the doorway, making JC turn and nod. "I'm gonna run to the store. You got any allergies or any o' that shit?"

"Nah, man, I can eat anything." he says, turning to double-check he got all his socks out of his bag, not saying that he prefers healthy shit. He'll buy his own groceries soon enough, he can live with whatever Happy's gonna get for a day or two. He's been eating nothing but takeout and bar food for a over a week, and the guy's doing him a massive solid already by opening his home and vouching for him with his club to get him a job.

"Cool." Happy disappears again, and it's only a couple minutes before the front door shuts and there's a distant roar as his Harley starts up again.

JC strips down to his boxers and the shirt he's wearing before throwing everything else in the wash and taking this first opportunity to explore a little, amazed that the outlaw biker is trusting him so much. They're virtual strangers, after all, despite having spent the past couple days together. It's not like you can get to know each other very well doing 70 down the freeway on separate bikes.

The house is small, but uncluttered, so it doesn't feel like a shoebox. JC can clearly see what Happy'd more or less already told him - he has OCD to some extent as well. Everything is in it's place, and meticulously clean. Cans in the pantry are organized by can size, brand, and alphabetically, labels all facing perfectly forward. The only dishes in the cupboards that don't all match the rest (plain white ceramic) are the coffee mugs. Even those, while they vary in size and design, are lined up in the cupboard over the coffee maker in order of size. The fridge is rather bare, and it takes JC longer than he'd like to admit to realize it's because Happy'd been out of town probably for at least a week. Of course he wasn't go to leave a bunch of perishables in there.

Wandering to the sliding door to look out to the patio he'd spotted earlier, he sees a gas grill, some slightly oversized wood chairs around a matching table in the small yard, and - oh yeah, jackpot - a freakin' hot tub.

There's a 6-foot wooden fence that goes all the way around the property, ensuring relative privacy.

Turning back toward the interior, some blinking lights behind the tv stand catch his attention and make him grin widely. Wireless internet. Perfect. Hopefully it's a decent speed. He'd actually been a little worried about that. It's 2002, you'd think most places would be with the technological program by now, but he'd found out the hard way over the last week and half or so that he'd been spoiled being in a big city. Cable internet had been a thing since before he'd been using computers, and wifi had been making it's commercial breakthrough around the time he'd started saving up for his first laptop a little over 5 years ago. Unfortunately, in less populous areas, phone and internet companies apparently aren't as on top of making upgrades to the infrastructure; he'd had to buy a cable to hardwire in at hotels to get internet, and once even been stuck going to the public library in a small town and using *shudder* dial-up. It's why that random bar in Kansas had been such a treat for him.

With that, he makes his way back to his room to finish unpacking.

JC knows that some of the stuff he'd elected to let take up precious bag space would be considered frivolous by any serious biker. Along with his multiple sets of identifying documents, most of his treasured technology fit into his backpack - laptop, naturally, in addition to his gaming mouse and headphones, various adaptors, 3 external hard drives, extra battery…. Et cetera….. But nearly two-thirds of the bag strapped to the frame over his back fender is two stuffed cd books, one full of actual cds, while the other one houses most of his DVD collection. He'd had to leave some behind. The rest of the space is taken up by the few sentimental items he'd taken with him from his childhood home - photos, a couple knick-knacks.

Once all his bags are empty, he sets them neatly by the door to take back out to his bike once he has clean and dry pants to wear again, then takes his shower bag to the hall bathroom and makes short work of getting everything organized and in it's place there. It's with no small amount of relief that he pulls out his razor and a can of cheap shaving cream to get the scruff off his face.

The timing works out perfectly as he's just getting done as the buzzer across the hall announces his load is ready to switch to the dryer, which he does quickly before grabbing a towel from the shelves to the side of the stacked washer and dryer and going back to clean the sink, then shutting and locking the door to very happily take a shower - with water that's really hot instead of warm-at-best, and good water pressure. It's actually the best shower he's had in years. His little studio apartment in Hell's Kitchen had water pressure about as shitty as the motels he'd been in since leaving.

Awhile later, he and Happy are sitting at the breakfast bar eating the chicken and pasta that had been thrown together for dinner.

"I saw you have a wifi router, you mind if I grab the network name and password from you? At least so I can check emails and shit. I won't use it to do anything illegal, bring the FBI to your house or anything." JC asks between bites, trying to be reassuring.

Happy raises an eyebrow but shrugs, saying, "Uh, sure. I hardly use it except to email and do a web search occasionally. The name of the network is on the side of the box thing by the tv. There's no password."

JC turns his head to stare at Happy. "You aren't serious."

"I'm not a computer guy, I don't use the thing much-" Happy starts.

"No." the younger man cuts him off. "I mean about the no password thing. You may as well not have a lock on your fucking front door. Anyone can use your network, and they can access any info you have on your computer." His tone is reprimanding.

Happy is both suitably cowed and slightly defensive. "Like I said, I hardly use the thing, so there's not much to access. But I get your point. How do I put a password on it?"

"I'll get it set up after I do the dishes." JC assures him quickly. Happy'd cooked, informing him that he'd have dish duty. There's also a spare key next to JC's plate that had been pulled out of a junk drawer in the kitchen - a very organized junk drawer with practically nothing in it, but still.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"Hey, kid." JC looks up abruptly from his position half-inside the Honda he's changing spark plugs on to find Blue next to the car. "When you're done with this, clean up and come find me in the clubhouse." He nods and Blue doesn't waste any time before turning and walking back off again.

JC finishes up the tune up quickly, and double checks his work before wiping his hands thoroughly with a couple Gojo paper towels and filling out the paperwork. After a couple minutes, the car is in the side lot and the paperwork is in the office for Lee's Old Lady, Carrie, to input and call the owner for pickup, and JC is walking somewhat tentatively into the clubhouse between the 2 warehouses.

He's been in Tacoma for almost 3 months now, and has only been in here a few times, usually for in-and-out errands to get someone or bring someone something. JC's fine with that, too. He didn't come here to join up, and, while most of the guys are cool, he's content to work in the shop, go back to the house he's still living in with Happy, and just hang out and be a normal dude for once. He's a little surprised to be still living with Happy, honestly; he'd been planning on finding his own place after a few weeks, once he'd gotten a couple paychecks to be able to justify it without questions being asked. But, no. Happy'd seen him looking at apartment listings in the paper one evening and told him he's welcome to stay, that he's actually liking having him for a roommate.

Blue is at the bar with a member, Hammer, but cuts off their conversation as soon as he sees JC walking towards them, getting up from his stool and motioning for JC to follow him as he goes to a deserted corner table, where they both sit.

"Club needs some intel we're havin' some trouble getting the traditional way, we were hopin' you may be able to help us out." Blue cuts straight to the chase. "We'll compensate you for whatever you can find for us, of course."

The club wants to hire him. Oh. Good. He'd been worried he was getting fired. "What do you need and how soon?" he asks, all business.

Blue reaches into his kutte and pulls out a folded piece of paper, sliding it across the table for JC to pick up and open, scanning the contents - three names, looks like. "Everything you can find on them. As soon as possible. We'll get someone to cover your shifts at the garage if you need it."

Making mental lists of things he'll need to get and do, JC has a final question. "Do you guys have wifi here or am I working at Hap's place?"

"You'll be at Hap's place, I'm afraid. Don't have this place wired for it - never had a reason to go to the expense of havin' it set up." Blue actually sounds apologetic.

"It's fine, I just need to know what I have to get from the electronics store to make sure I'm prepared. I'll make sure it doesn't lead back to him." JC assures.

Blue gets a concerned look. "Wait, is that something they can do? Trace searches backward?"

JC's mind boggles for a moment. He forgets that there are still so many people in the world that are so ignorant of how the internet works. "Yeah, if a hacker isn't careful. But I've never been caught before, I'm not about to start now." He pulls a pen from his pocket and starts writing his list on the back of the paper before he forgets anything. Printer, paper, ink, manila envelopes, spiral notebooks, different colored pens, highlighters….. Shit, he should probably get a monitor to make life easier, too, all the cables for that….. Red Bull. Definitely Red Bull. He doesn't drink them much - he knows they'll rot his teeth and guts if he does it too much -, but the caffeine and whatever else is in it helps his focus, so he'll get a few for big jobs. And he'll need them this time; he's barely done anything for a few months, he's a little out of practice, and he needs to make sure this is right, or he has SAMTAC to answer to.

An envelope hits the table next to the paper, making him stop and stare at it for a moment.

"Looks like you're gonna need supplies from that list you're makin'." Blue says simply. "We'll deduct this from your final payment."

JC looks up and nods, finishing his list and standing, tucking both it and the envelope - sure to be full of cash - into his back pocket. "Don't suppose there's a spare car or something I can borrow for a couple hours to get the supplies back to Hap's place? Some of it's too big to fit on a bike."

"I'll send the prospect behind you to haul whatever you need from the store to Hap's house in the van." Blue says easily, standing as well and shouting for the prospect, who comes almost running from a room behind the bar to get his orders.

3 hours later, the prospect is screwing together the small, cheap desk JC had bought for his room, because he realized while he was getting everything else he needed at Office Depot that he didn't have anywhere to actually put any of this unless he wanted to work at the coffee table, and that would hurt his back like hell and annoy Happy to boot. He'd then had to have the prospect help him quickly rearrange the room to move the dresser over under the window and shift the bed over to make room, then rehang the painting over the bed to make room for the desk, and this is already a massive fucking project….that he's stoked for. He's missed hacking.

He puts the comfy office chair together while the prospect, Jake, finishes the desk, then has him take out all the empty boxes and shit and sends the kid back to the clubhouse. There's nothing else he can help with.

JC has to stop himself for a minute and remind himself that Jake is 4 years older than him, and he probably shouldn't be calling him a kid just because he knows nothing about computers and JC is the Obi Wan of the situation. He's that person in a lot of tech situations.

The furniture isn't all he'd gotten. After buying what he could-slash-needed at the general office supply store, he'd sent Jake here to start setting up the furniture while he made a secondary stop at an actual computer supply store, splurging on a tower and the latest in his favorite brands of components. He would need to throw it together fast to have a machine powerful enough for what he needs. That was another thing he'd had to admit while shopping for the other supplies - his laptop is fine for little stuff, hacking low-security sites and shit, but it just doesn't have the processing power for any even moderately deep work, like this will be.

He'd barely been able to fit it all on his bike, but that was mostly because of the tower. Once they'd taken it out of the box at the shop, he'd been able to get it in one of the side saddle bags, even if the fit was very tight.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Just over 2 days later, JC emerges from his room as Happy is pulling on his boots.

"You goin' to the clubhouse?" JC asks. He's pretty sure it's the club meeting night - Church night - but he's barely slept so his days are a little mixed up.

Happy looks up, curious what had had his younger friend tied to his room for the past 2 days. "Yeah, got Church."

JC holds out 3 manilla envelopes. "Mind takin' these to Blue for me? He's expecting them, but if I tried to ride right now, I'd probably lay my bike down." Hap believes it. The guy's eyes are bloodshot and drooping, dark circles beneath them, and he looks dead on his feet.

Nodding, he grabs them and sets them off to the side next to his jacket - it's late September, and starting to get cool enough at night that a jacket is definitely advised - before finishing to pull on his boots. Happy wants to ask what it is, but knows better. If Blue asked JC to do something, it's probably club business, and he'll find out soon enough. It ain't JC's job to tell him.

Relieved of his haul, JC trudges into the kitchen to find something fast and easy to eat before he crashes out in bed, while Hap takes off.

Happy walks into Chapel awhile later and heads a direction he's not used to. He's been around for a minute, has a little seniority, but he prefers to stay down around to door-end of the table. Likes to lay low, and also beat the crush out when Church is over. So, 3 fairly hefty envelopes in hand, heading up toward the head of the table is odd.

Blue and Cooler, the SAA, are already seated as guys filter in, and Lee and Spanner are off to the side at the safe doing something that Hap doesn't pay much attention to.

"Hap." Blue doesn't hide his surprise to see the younger man at this end of the table very well. "What can I do for ya?"

Sliding his cargo across in front of Cooler, Hap tells him, "From JC. He was so tired he could barely fuckin' walk, was pretty sure he'd lay down his bike if he tried to come down himself, so he asked me to bring you those."

The president still looks surprised, but now at the thick envelopes he's picking up. "Well, fuck. I didn't mean for the kid to half kill himself when I told him I needed it ASAP." Tearing open the seal on the top one, he pulls out a stack of paper half an inch thick and starts glancing through it. "Jesus christ….. Spanner!" he calls without moving his head.

"Yeah, boss?" Spanner turns, curious as he sees the sheaf of paper in Blue's hands.

"That fee we were gonna pay for whatever intel the hacker kid could dig up?" he waits to hear a noise of acknowledgement from the secretary. "Double it."

Happy retreats back down to his normal end of the table a couple minutes later, another envelope in his pocket to take back to JC, this time with a fat stack of cash inside, now even more curious, and also weirdly proud. His friend, the one he'd pushed hard to be allowed around here, who he's taken under his wing, had impressed the hell out of Blue, who is notoriously hard to impress. Hap doesn't even know what it's about, but whatever Blue had had JC looking into, JC had slam dunked it. He'd had a gut feeling about the kid right from that first night. This guy is someone he's gonna keep around.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"You goin' in your sweats?" Hap's voice breaks through JC's concentration on the horror movie on the tv.

Looking over at his friend and roommate, JC lets out a very eloquent, "Huh?"

Brow raising slightly, Hap prompts, "Club halloween party."

JC shakes his head as he turns back to the tv. "Nah, I'm good here. Couple beers, a fat joint, and a couple slasher flicks is all the party I need."

"You keep not turnin' up at club parties you're invited to, the guys are gonna start getting offended." Happy warns. Indeed, since JC had done the one job for Blue, turning up more intel than the man had dreamed he'd be able to get, JC had turned into a favored hangaround virtually overnight, and had been invited to the weekly parties for the last 5 weeks running. He'd only gone to 1, which he'd left somewhat early, not terribly interested in watching other dudes get laid right out in the open, especially while he got no play because he's just a hangaround.

Sighing, JC rubs a hand over his hair briefly and tries to explain. "Man, I get that it's a privilege and that I've earned my invite in the eyes of the club, but I really wasn't fucking around when I told Blue that first day that I ain't here to make a play. I'm cool bein' a casual hangaround, workin' at the garage, occasionally helping out with intel, or hanging out and having a few beers once in awhile. If he's worried about bringin' me closer to keep an eye on me because I have sensitive info, he shouldn't. I burned all my physical notes, and scrubbed my files and history. He has the only copies."

"You're really not even a little bit interested in joining?" Happy asks, pushing back his slight disappointment.

With a shrug, JC's eyes start roaming the room, not watching the tv anymore, but also not looking at Hap. "I mean, I don't exactly know you guys' rules, but from the lack of color hangin' around, I have a feelin' I wouldn't be able to whether I wanted to or not."

"My mom's Mexican, all my shit says Hispanic just like yours." Because, naturally, they'd done a second background check on his real name once they had it. When JC only tenses up and shifts, looking extremely uncomfortable, Hap puts it together. "Mixed?"

"Mom's Puerto Rican, asshole sperm donor's black." is the quiet answer.

Okay, yeah, that complicates things. "Let me talk to Blue."

"So, there is a rule about it?" JC asks. Happy can't tell if he sounds disappointed or just curious.

Happy nods, despite the fact that JC isn't looking at him still. "Old bylaw. I doubt most of the guys, if any, up here would give a flying fuck, but it's Charming has to change it. Mother Charter." JC lets out a slight grunt and a small nod, mostly of acknowledgement, and Happy decides it's time to get going. If he waits much longer, all the decent sweetbutts are going to be snapped up, and he wants to at least get off before everyone gets sloppy. He can't stand taking seconds at parties. "Later." he says finally, throwing on his leather jacket to head out.

Nearly an hour later, he's in the quiet chapel with Blue and Lee, chewing on a toothpick while they both puff on cigarettes and absorb what he'd just told them.

"Well, that does throw a wrench in, doesn't it?" Blue asks rhetorically, leaning back in his chair. The three of them have been in this position a couple times over the past month. Hap, knowing JC the best, discussing him with the President who has been taking more of an interest in the guy who can clearly be a great asset to the club, and the VP who has barely talked to the kid there to be a voice of reason. Even Lee had been swayed to agreeing that he'd make a good candidate to prospect, given some more time to get to know more of the guys better, get everyone trusting him a little more.

"Maybe it's time for us to have a sit-down with him, let him know we're interested in having him if we can figure a way to make it work. If he thinks there's no chance at all, then he's just going to keep at arm's length, whether he actually wants to join up or not." Lee throws out. "I know we don't typically like to throw our cards down like that, but how often do we even have someone that we want so bad that we sit around and plot to maneuver him into a prospect kutte anyway? I think the normal rules are just gonna have to go out the window on this one."

"And if Charming finds out?" Happy questions.

Blue shakes his head and taps his ash out. "If we do this, it has to be with blessing. Clearly JC's worried about it, which means there's enough evidence somewhere that it can be dug up and used against him. Charming finds out we went behind their backs, all hell will break loose."

Lee shifts to lean on his elbows on the table. "Clay don't give a damn about color, all he cares about is money and power. Tell 'em about the kid's computer skills, he'll just see an asset."

"Vote has to be unanimous around the Redwood, though." Happy chimes in again. "Piney's old school, could be iffy. And you know they'll call in Harry and Wally for a vote on changing original bylaws. Harry actually might remember JC from when he worked for the mob in New York, but that may or may not help, and I got no idea where Wally stands."

"He's as iffy as Piney." Blue says, sounding distracted, thinking over everything. He would know, having been among the first Charming prospects back in the early '80s when the club began seriously getting into illegal activities and expanding. When it had been decided that a Tacoma charter was needed, he'd been in the group that moved up in '89 to set it up and start working on contacts to begin distributing through the port there. They're the number 3 club behind Charming and New York.

A muffled cheer from under their feet breaks through the serious conversation. "We'll figure it out. It's not like we've done anything but hire him freelance and invite him to a couple parties so far. Let's talk to him, try and find out what he actually wants, go from there." Lee says, standing, clearly intending to rejoin the party.

The other 2 move to join him, nodding agreements. What other option do they have, after all?

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

JC looks around the room referred to as the Chapel nervously. All 4 of the club officers, plus Happy and Kozik, are here, and he'd been ushered in between oil changes on Saturday afternoon. He has a feeling it's about what he'd revealed to Hap a couple nights previously, and he doesn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, a little betrayed, because him and Happy have become good friends the past couple months. On the other, relieved. If he's gonna get told to take a hike, he'd rather have it now than have them keep pulling him closer and getting over his head.

"You know why you're here?" Lee starts once everyone is settled.

Clearing his throat, JC tensely says, "Hap told you about my father."

"That's part of it." Blue agrees. "Thing is, kid, we like ya. And you have skills that would be mighty handy for us."

"I'm happy to do freelance work anytime." JC is quick to throw out, because he genuinely is.

"We know." Blue assures him. "But there's some stuff that we just can't trust to non-members. I'm sure you understand that." JC nods. "And, like I said, we like you. You're a hard worker, respectful, got a good head on your shoulders, know how to keep your nose outta where it don't belong." There's multiple nods of agreement around the small group. It's a small portion of the charter here, but enough, and enough important people, to back him if he does make it as far as prospecting.

"What he's trying to say without saying is, we'd like you to give some serious thought to putting in a bid to prospect. Not right away, of course. We already have Jake until at least the spring, and we'd obviously have to talk to Charming about either getting an exemption or moving on a vote to change that old bylaw." Spanner lays it out in plain words.

JC's knee-jerk reaction is to decline, but Cooler speaks up as he opens his mouth.

"We don't want an answer now. We're gonna talk to Charming - coupla the boys are gonna be up here next week for a visit. Blue and I may make a run down south to talk to the whole charter. Personally, I think it's past time for that old piece o' shit bylaw to change anyway." Cooler's definitely on the modern side of the political gap in the club, having grown up as one of only a handful of white kids in his school in Chicago. He and JC had talked a couple times about being big-city boys moved to this small-city lifestyle.

Reaching a hand up to scratch nervously at the back of his neck, JC gives in, kinda. "Alright, I'll think about it."

Koz, having been fidgeting slightly from having to sit still and quiet through this, lets out a whoop, reaching over to cuff the kid on the back of the shoulder.

"There is one thing in the meantime." Blue cuts in, bringing attention back from the small celebration. "Since we're going to start lobbying for this change, with you as the driving force, we'll need you to at least play the part of an involved hangaround while the boys are here. Let 'em get to know you a bit, give 'em a good impression to take back, help our case."

"The cougars around the neighborhood will just have to go without for a couple weeks," Happy tells JC with a smirk.

So, he'd made friends with a few of the hotter women in the lonely housewives club in their neighborhood. He's a consenting adult, and it's not like the chicks are after anything other than a cheap thrill with a younger guy while their husbands pull long hours and hit up a bar with their work buddies. He'd picked up more than a few new tricks in the last couple months from them. None of the chicks around here will give him the time of day anyway, not that he's sure he'd even be interested if they offered considering his cleanliness issues and their…. general lack of cleanliness hopping between guys any given night.

This comment raises a few brows and Koz looks far too interested for JC's comfort, so he says, "I can swing that." in response to Blue's surprisingly gently worded order to be around and make a good impression on the Charming guys.

"Good." Lee declares. "We also have another thing we'd like you to look into. No rush. We don't need you drivin' yourself into the ground for it. Within the next week or so is fine." As he says this, Spanner hands a piece of paper across the table, and JC doesn't look at it just yet, only sliding it into his pocket. With this, the meeting seems to be adjourned, and everyone stands to exit and head out of the big meeting room and down the stairs to the main barroom.

JC is walking towards the front door of the clubhouse when Koz's voice calls after him. "Dude, you just said you'll be around more and you're already splitting on us? At least stay for a beer."

Flipping around to carefully walk backwards, JC flippantly shoots back, "Man, I said I'd hang around when the out-of-towners get here. We all know I ain't gettin' any pussy as long as I'm hangin' around here; you really gonna be pissed cuz wanna get laid while I still can?"

Laughing, Cooler asks, "Oh, yeah, those cougars like playin' mommy?"

Shrugging, JC replies, "Man, have you looked at the snatch you're tappin' around here lately? I'll take a horny MILF who knows what soap is, thanks."

He turns and pushes out the door with a half-grin, listening to the chorus of 'oohhh's and laughter ringing behind him.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

JC backs his bike in at the very edge of the covered space in the inner courtyard on the garage side - practically outside. Once the rainy season had hit, he'd been told to park under the cover. Most of the non-club mechanics drive cars, but all he has is the bike, so he's allowed to park where it'll only get minimally wet, and then only if it's windy. Reaching into his saddlebag, he pulls out the envelope of information there before standing and making his way to the clubhouse before going to clock in for his shift at the garage. It's only Wednesday, well before the given deadline, but the intel hadn't been hard to dig up, and he'd found some other related and interesting stuff as well.

Walking down the edge of the awning to stay relatively out of the rain, he realizes there's bikes in the member parking across the way that he doesn't recognize, parked just shy of the spaces reserved for the club officers. The Charming guys must've gotten in last night. Blue's bike isn't in the lineup yet, but Lee and Cooler are both here.

They're at the bar with 2 guys he doesn't recognize, cups of coffee all around, and a box of donuts on a nearby table.

All 4 fall momentarily silent as they register someone not in a kutte coming in the door before Lee says a cheerful (for him) "JC! What can we do ya for?"

Holding up the ubiquitous manila envelope. "Got that info for ya. Found a couple other interesting things while I was at it, thought you might want to look at. Marked those pages in yellow."

Lee takes the envelope as he nears, but sets it on the bar next to him without opening it. "Thanks. I'll make sure Spanner talks to you later." Code for pays him when the Secretary gets in and opens up the safe. "JC, this is Jax and Bobby, VP and Secretary from our Mother Charter down in Charming." he makes introductions casually.

Hands are shaken and a guy that can't be any older than Hap, with shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes, who must be Jax from the VP patch, asks, "You forget your kutte?" in a curious and teasing tone.

Chuckling, JC replies, "Nah, I don't got one o' those."

This elicits a scrunched-eyebrow look, complete with a glance in the direction of the envelope that clearly contains some kind of intel for the club.

"Been around here long?" The older guy asks, obvious cautious but friendly-sounding. He's not old by any means, just older than the rest of them in the immediate vicinity, maybe in his early 40s. This is the guy that had been introduced as Bobby.

"Few months." JC answers.

Cooler cuts in with a chuckle. "Koz, Frankie, and Hap found him in Kansas while they were on a run out to Charlotte, brought him home like a stray puppy and begged Blue to let 'em keep him."

Even JC has to crack a smile at that while the others let out laughs.

"I should go clock in before Carrie comes for my nuts with wire cutters again." he says, only half-jokingly. "Nice to meet you guys."

Once he's out the side door to cut across the breezeway into the garage, Bobby looks at Lee very skeptically. "Is he even fucking legal?"

"For what? Drinking? Depends which ID you look at." Lee says. When that only garners even more skeptical looks, he concedes, "He'll be 20 in a couple months. So, to drink, no. In general, yeah."

"And you guys are trusting him to help with shit already?" Jax nods down at the deep-yellow paper at Lee's elbow.

Cooler speaks up this time. "He's a hacker. A fucking good one. We hired him on a hail-mary one-off to see if he could get something on a few guys we couldn't find shit on, and he turned up more intel in 2 days than we thought even existed. We'd spent almost 2 months trying to gather shit on these guys the traditional way and got diddly-squat."

"And that?" Jax continues his questioning, though he does look impressed.

Lee takes it. "Elections for a couple city council positions are coming up."

Before the conversation can go further, Blue walks in the main door at the same time Chibs comes in from the side door opposite the garage from the other warehouse, which is part storage and part dorm rooms. They get sidetracked even as Lee hands Blue the intel while they all climb the stairs to the chapel to discuss the business Charming is here on.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

That evening, JC goes home for dinner only to find the other guy that he'd seen briefly around that day perched on one of the stools at the breakfast bar while Hap is on the other, drawing. It's not an uncommon thing for JC to walk in at any given time and find.

"Hey." he greets as he walks into the kitchen. "You guys hungry?"

"Could eat." Hap grumbles distractedly.

"Aye," the other man agrees, looking between him and Happy curiously.

JC nods, setting down the bag of groceries, mentally thinking it's a good thing there'd been a special on at the meat counter. He'd intended for a couple of the steaks to go in the freezer for later in the week, but now he's glad he'd gotten a 4-pack instead of the normal 2. "I'm JC." he introduces himself as he unpacks and balls up the plastic bag to throw away.

"What the fuck did you do to earn THA' nickname?" the man says in his thick brogue.

This makes Happy look up in question while JC stops and looks over at him. "What?"

"How the fuck do you get a nickname like Juicy?" he reiterates.

Happy looks over the counter with an all-too-pleased expression and JC has a sinking feeling that's going to stick. Sighing, he answers a little sullenly. "Apparently, someone just has to mishear you saying your actual name."

Chibs looks confused. Happy clarifies. "His name's Juan Carlos. Goes by JC. Or, he did."

Rolling his eyes, JC moves to wash his hands, taking the vegetables from his haul with him to wash while he's at it. "Is there any way that's not sticking? I seriously don't want to spend the rest of my goddamn life getting called Juicy."

"How bad do you not want it?" Happy teases even as he goes back to the drawing.

"I'll get a truck to pack my shit and my bike into and be gone tomorrow morning." JC says, dead serious as he cuts the center out of some bell peppers and rinses them out.

There's a heavy silence from the other men, and Chibs eventually says, "My mistake on the name, lad. Lovely ta meet ya, JC." JC's back had been turned, but Chibs had seen a look of panic cross Happy's face as he got that his friend was serious about packing up and going over hating the nickname so much. It doesn't happen frequently that someone has any say at all in club-given nicknames, but there have been instances. And that's not to say there won't come a different name later if the kid sticks around. There are certainly worse nicknames around than Juicy - Stinky in New York, comes to mind - but even Chibs will admit it would be a not-great one to be stuck with forever. "I'm Chibs, by the way." he gives his own to finally introduce himself as Happy starts calming down.

"You're visiting from Charming, right?" JC asks as he moves on to slicing the veggies, listening to the scritch of Happy's pencil start again.

"Aye."

They continue to chat through JC cooking and serving up plates, cutlery, and beers to the other 2 guys, standing on the kitchen side of the counter to scarf down his own plate of food before getting started on the dishes. Typically if he or Happy cooks, the other one takes dish duty, but Chibs is clearly there to get tatted, so Hap will be otherwise occupied, and neither he or JC can stand to leave dirty dishes sitting if they can help it.

His prepay starts buzzing in his pocket as he's putting the pans away, and JC is surprised to see his ma's number on the display when he pulls it out.

"Ma?" he answers questioningly, going back to stacking his clean plate onto the drying rack with his free hand. "What are you doin' up?" It's past 7 in Tacoma, which means past 10 in New York - not late, per se, but his ma typically goes to bed around 9 because she gets up at 5 to be at work at the diner down the street by 6.

"You are not my keeper, Juanito, it's not like I have a bedtime. I'm a grown woman." his mother replies. "I have tomorrow off, so I stayed up a little late to make sure you were off work and could actually talk to your poor, neglected mother."

JC rolls his eyes as he takes the damp washcloth from the sink to wipe down the counter and stove. "Neglected? Angie still lives with you. You won't even let her swap with you so you can have a real bedroom."

She scoffs. "Young girls need their own space." she says dismissively, and he can picture the equally dismissive hand gesture she's making clearly. "How's my baby boy? You taking care of yourself? That roommate of yours still looking after you?"

Sighing, he answers. "Yeah, ma, I'm taking care of myself, and Hap's still lookin' out for me. I'm doin' good. Just workin' at the garage and keepin' my head down."

"Hi Ms. Ortiz!" Happy calls louder than he needs to.

"Happy says hi." he relays the message.

"Tell him I say hello. You ever going to tell me where you are? How am I supposed to come visit you?" comes the nagging response.

Pulling the phone from his mouth for a moment, he relays the message again, "She says hello." across the kitchen to Hap before putting the mouthpiece back up and addressing his mother's questions. "We both know you ain't comin' to visit me, ma." he says. Even if it was safe for her to know where he is, she hates travelling, and couldn't really afford it. He'd skimmed from the mob, sure, but not enough to be totally loaded. He'll be able to pay for all his sister's school and have a modest rainy day fund, be comfortable in the meantime, but that's it. His ma and sister both work to pay rent and bills for the same one-bedroom apartment the family has been in since he was a baby. He still needs a job. Skimming without it being noticeable ain't easy, and he'd been lucky to make out with the 300k-ish that he'd gotten over the span of a couple years. And there's still every possibility that he'd be caught at some point.

She makes a clucking-tsking type noise at him that he knows means he's right and she doesn't want to admit it. Listening to her start chattering about the girls at work, JC makes a visual sweep of the kitchen to make sure he's done everything he can, grabbing Chibs a replacement for his nearly-empty beer and tossing the empty before heading into the back to his room, knowing Hap will be tattooing Chibs shortly and the loud buzzing of the needle will make his mother ask even more questions. She has no idea that he has a couple tattoos - nothing big, or even really significant - but she'd flip if she found out. A devout catholic, she's very against them. Lord knows what she'd say if she ever actually saw Happy, the roommate that she so adores for 'taking care of her baby'.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Friday night parties are typically smaller, more casual than Saturdays, given that Church is on Saturday, so more of the guys are around, but with the visitors in town, everyone has turned out, from members to hangarounds to Old Ladies to sweetbutts.

JC is kinda bored, but he'd promised, so he's here, mingling. He will be tomorrow as well.

He's just drifted away from a small group of hangarounds vainly hitting on girls and is a little spaced out when an open hand slaps his shoulder, bringing his attention to Kozik, and what he's saying.

"C'mon slugger - you ready to climb in the ring and see how you hold up finally?" Koz asks teasingly. It's a normal question. Ever since JC had become a fixture around the garage, it gets asked periodically, given that they'd met when JC took down a guy in a bar in a matter of a few moves.

Shaking his head, JC replies. "Naw, man, you know I ain't a boxer." It's the same reply he always gives, and he's not exaggerating. A nerd in school and growing up in not-the-best neighborhood, he can brawl to defend himself or others when he needs to, but he has no training and isn't a fighter by nature.

"Not scared are ya?" the next teasing voice comes, and JC realizes that the pretty-boy from Charming is in the group that Koz had been talking with, and is now smiling at him a little mockingly.

Keeping his temper carefully in check - he's endured much worse - he says, "No, I've gotten the shit kicked outta me plenty, not scared of it, I'd just prefer to kick back with a couple beers and chill."

"Thought you ended up here cuz you saved Kozzy in a bar fight?" the older, curly-haired guy, Bobby questions, sitting nearby, having clearly heard.

It's Koz that answers this one before JC can deny it. "Not IN a bar fight - he stopped the bar fight before it started. Took the fuck down before he could attack me. It's was fuckin' beautiful." Koz reaches up and ruffles JC's hair, making the younger guy scowl and duck away.

"Dude, leave the hair alone!" JC's due to clip it down, so he'd actually bothered to take the time to make sure the slightly-long, dark brown hair over his head looks good. Koz, naturally, sets down his beer and goes for it in earnest at this point, making JC quickly set down his own to defend his head and try to go for Koz's own slightly-over-gelled hair in retaliation, and it's only a minute before he's been forced into an impromptu wrestling match in the middle of the clubhouse.

There's cheering around them immediately as a circle forms, bets getting placed as they flip back and forth, grabbing at each other and trying to pin the other guy.

After several minutes, when it becomes obvious they're fairly evenly matched, Cooler cuts in, hollering, "Okay, ladies, break it up!" as he moves to grab Kozik around the waist while another member, Peck, grabs JC, and they pull them up off the floor and apart.

Koz's white-blonde hair is sticking straight up like a cartoon character's who has just stuck their finger in an outlet, while JC's thicker hair just looks slightly ruffled, and that's used as the basis to settle bets.

"Not fuckin' fair." Kozik grumbles even as he clicks his beer bottle against JC's in a cheers, showing no hard feelings. His free hand immediately moves to try and start making himself presentable, and JC forces himself to just drink his beer and not think about the fact that he'd just been rolling around on the floor and what is on said floor and consequently now all over him.

The pretty boy - Jax - laughingly makes his way over and actually strikes up a conversation with JC, so he supposes he's at least managed to redeem himself for not wanting to hop into the boxing ring.

Around 1, the pickings for conversation have become unbearably slim and the barroom is more orgy than party, so JC makes his excuses - using the john in the garage because it's cleaner - and ducks the fuck out. He's surprised when Happy comes out only a minute after him, hopping on his bike, and they end up riding home together.

"Figured you'd stick around for the chicks. I don't think I've ever seen that many there at once before." JC comments as they walk into the house.

Happy shrugs as they hang up coats and strip off boots. "I try to get mine early before they get… sloppy."

JC huffs out a breath of comprehension. "I gotta get in the shower. My skin's been crawling since Koz decided he wanted to go all WWF on me in the middle of the bar."

"Yeah, I was balls deep for that. Almost sorry I missed it. He was ticked for awhile. Didn't think you'd be so squirrly." Happy chuckles as the younger guy books it for the bathroom. He's sympathetic. The bar floor is gross even when it's relatively clean and JC is more of a germaphobe than he is. His thing is more everything being orderly, though the clean stuff is also a factor, more so when his anxiety is high.

As he disappears into the bathroom, JC shoots out a final retort for the night. "It's his own fuckin' fault for runnin' his mouth in front of the Charming guys about me fighting when he knows I won't get in the ring."

Happy contemplates the closed bathroom door for a moment before turning thoughtfully to the weight bench, now situated between the couch and the slider to the back yard for the winter. Maybe it's time to get more serious about getting JC ready for life around the club, even if it ends up being only as a hangaround.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"Why are we doing this? JC asks as Happy loads weights onto the barbell late Sunday morning. He has only used the weight bench a few times since moving in, typically if he has a few days in a row off from the garage and needs some physical exertion. Otherwise, pulling wrenches and heaving parts all day, in combination with his healthy eating habits, keeps him in pretty good shape. No 8-pack abs or anything, but he's far from fat, and the MILF-brigade all like to drool over his biceps.

Already this morning, Happy had hauled him out of bed earlier than seemed reasonable after they had gotten home around 2 from the clubhouse, and fed him toast and coffee before shuffling him out for a run. He hadn't done horribly, but he'd definitely been sweatier and puffing harder than Hap when they'd gotten back to the house. His roommate hadn't let up though, letting him only chug some water before herding him over to the weight bench.

"I've been slacking on my training, and we need to get you in shape. Even if you're only gonna be a hangaround, there's gonna be some shit expected of you. Including getting in the ring sometimes. Not all the time, but occasionally. It's just what we do." Happy finally explains. "And if you end up prospecting, believe me, you'll be glad to be in better shape."

That part, JC believes. He's seen some of the shit they make Jake do.

Sighing, he follows Hap's gestured order to lay down on the bench even as the older guy moves to a spotting position. "Man, I haven't done this since freshman PE." The class where half the guys had spent the period fucking around and occasionally actually lifting when the teacher would check on them in the weight room to avoid having to do any actual physical exertion or risk embarrassing themselves in front of the girls with their lack of any sporting prowess out in the main gym.

"Well, get used to it." is the rumbled reply. "Every day for at least a month, or until you can keep up with me, then we can take it down to alternating running and weights. And I'm getting a bag to set up here too, since I'm assuming you ain't gonna wanna train at the clubhouse. That'll be at least 3 days a week as long as club shit doesn't get in the way."

Eyes bugging a little, JC looks up at him. "On top of running and weights?" he sounds a little desperate.

Happy smirks viciously, saying only, "C'mon, let's go, still need you to spot me after you're done. Gotta figure out your weight limits. I put 25 on each side to start."

It's more than an hour before JC limply shuffles off toward the shower, a chuckling Hap heading for his own, much less exhausted. After the basic bench presses had been completed, he'd been handed a set of dumbbells and led through a series of other shit to target other parts of his body - it hadn't even occurred to him that the weights in his hands, held up in front of his chest and combined with side lunges, could possibly make his ass burn like that - then been told to do as many sit-ups and push-ups as he could. Just when he'd thought Happy was done torturing him, Hap had pulled a move straight out of the PE teacher punishment handbook and made him wall-sit until he fell on his ass in a heap. Twice.

When JC eventually emerges back into the main part of the house again awhile later, there is at least a Happy-version of an apology waiting for him - a massive pile of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast, and a tall glass of JC's usual morning smoothie made with the frozen berries in the freezer and a few scoops of yogurt.

With a slight groan, JC settles on one of the tall stools next to Hap, who is already eating.

"You'll get used to it. Give it a few weeks, it won't be as bad." the other man assures between bites of food and sips off his mug of coffee.

JC only grunts as he digs in. He's a computer geek, this isn't supposed to be what he does. What the fuck has he gotten himself into?

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Lee's in the office for awhile Tuesday afternoon while his Old Lady is out running a few errands, and Jax and Chibs join him to hang out for a bit when they have nothing better to do. At one point, JC pops in to drop off paperwork and hang keys for a completed job up on the pegboard, and grab the next in line to start on before ducking back out again.

"Damn." Jax says from his spot in one of the chairs next to the desk, looking down at the completed work order in the inbox after JC leaves. "You can actually read his handwriting. And I don't think I've ever seen a garage work order this clean before."

The Tacoma VP laughs. "Yeah, kid's a little anal about that shit. Carrie'll never admit it, but he's her favorite. Had him help cover the office for a couple days awhile back when she was sick, she came back to find the filing caught up for months, the place cleaner than it's been in a decade, and the computer running 3 times faster than before."

"Hap's right fond of tha lad as well." Chibs throws out, leaning against a wall off to the side and looking out the big window that has a view over the garage work bays, watching the kid pull a grey Camry into his station and pop the hood. "Went over ta get some ink, tha boy's mother called while he was washin' up from dinner. Hap hollered a hello to 'er like he's known 'er half 'is life."

Smiling, Lee takes a moment to think about his response for that before opening his mouth. "I think he's somethin' like the kid brother Happy's never had. It's a real shame the kid can't prospect. Besides the fact that he's got some skills that'd be damn useful for the club, Hap and Koz would fight to sponsor the kid. Hell, I think Cooler'd throw his hat in the ring for it, too."

Both men look to him curiously, and it's Jax that bites. "Why can't he prospect? Hell, I figured you guys were just waiting for your current one to drop off or patch in before you gave him a kutte."

"His daddy's black." Lee says carefully, keeping his voice flat.

There's a resounding silence from the other two, interrupted after a minute by the shop phone ringing. Lee answers it, keeping his face straight. Mission accomplished. The plan had been for whoever was handy to plant the seed with the Charming guys whenever the topic got brought up, or manufacture a conversation before they leave if it didn't come up.

He answers the questions of whoever's on the other side of the phone on autopilot as he discreetly observes his brothers from the other charter, watching as they exchange an uncomfortable look before Chibs goes back to peering intently out the window in the general direction that Lee knows JC's station is. Jackson, on the other hand, appears to find a slightly discolored spot on the wall interesting, and Lee knows he's thinking hard about something.

Oh yeah. Everything's right on track.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

JC can feel people keeping a closer eye on him beginning midweek, but he's too tired and sore to care much. True to his word, Happy had gotten up early and dragged JC out of bed for a morning run and workout every day so far this week. The younger man takes a little comfort in seeing that Hap is moving with some stiffness as well. His friend had always used the weight bench setup semi-regularly since JC moved in, but apparently he'd been slacking on his cardio, and isn't used to the daily workouts either.

So, not wanting to answer questions or catch too much shit, JC focuses on hiding how much his body hurts while he's around the garage and clubhouse. Which is hard, because being a mechanic isn't the physically easiest occupation, and with the visitors still in town, he's spending more time hanging around the clubhouse than he really wants to.

He does at least answer Monica's booty call Friday afternoon as he's getting home from work, though. He's been a good boy for the whole visit, just putting up with not getting any while hanging around the club more. There's several hours between the shop closing and the party starting, however, so JC had elected to go home for dinner and to chill for awhile to get ready before heading back to play devoted hangaround for a couple hours until he can sneak off.

The text comes in, making his phone vibrate as he's swinging off his bike. Monica's house is one he rides by as he comes in, so she'd probably seen him go by. Looking down at the message on the little flip-screen telling him her husband is out for the evening, JC contemplates it for a solid 45 seconds before double-checking he has his keys and turning toward the sidewalk to walk the 3 blocks in the slight drizzle that pervades the whole region most days.

Monica's bustling around the kitchen when he walks up, and meets him at the side door. She's not really old enough to be in what Happy calls the 'cougar club', only in her late 20's, but her husband clearly isn't meeting her needs, so she periodically calls him. Sometimes it's genuinely just for help with things around the house. She's the first of the neighborhood women he'd started fucking, and it had been because he'd been rolling by one day and seen her freaking out because her car wouldn't start and helped her out. The next day, she'd appeared at his and Happy's door with a plate of cookies to say thanks, and when he'd returned the plate another day later, a cup of coffee had turned into flirting, then bending her over her kitchen counter and eating her out…. He's still not entirely sure how, but he's not complaining.

Anyway, nowadays, she keeps condoms hidden in the guest room for when he comes over, so that's where she drags him almost immediately.

As soon as the lock in the handle has clicked, JC pushes her back against the door at the same time Monica pulls him down to kiss him hard, her tongue invading his mouth immediately. It's short work for JC to find out that she has no panties on under the simple cotton dress she's wearing, and a moan rumbles around his mouth from hers as he hitches one of her legs up around his hip and starts rubbing tight, hard circles on her clit.

JC tries not to wince as she urgently pushed his leather jacket off his shoulders, making his muscles ache sharply as he moves to let it drop on the floor, then also pull off the tee shirt she's started tugging at.

Monica catches it, though. "What's wrong?" comes the concerned question.

Shaking his head, he dismisses it. "Just sore. No big." he tells her before reaching for the hem of her dress to pull it up over her head.

She looks him over critically after her only piece of clothing comes off, apparently determining that he's either not lying or she doesn't care enough to push it. After making quick work of unbuckling his belt and unfastening his jeans, she steps over to the dresser and pulls out the bottom drawer, reaching into the back under some spare sheets and pulling out a couple condoms. JC is stepping out of his boots, jeans, and boxers as she crawls onto the bed.

As he joins her, she tosses one of the foil squares at his chest before turning, still on her knees, bending to rest her weight on her forearms and spreading her legs.

He knows exactly what she wants - it's always the same. Hard and fast and rough from behind first, then she'll crack the window and pull out a hidden pack of cigarettes and smoke one while he recovers. Then, she'll suck him hard again before climbing on top and bouncing and grinding on him while he plays with her tits until she cums so hard she can't move anymore. If he has gotten off again by this point, he'll just hop in the shower real quick to rinse off while she cleans up; if he hasn't, then she'll join him in the shower, on her knees to make sure he's not leaving unsatisfied at all. Of course, he's a gentleman, so he's not about to have her go down on him and not return the favor, so he usually ends up on his knees as well.

It only takes a moment to roll the rubber on, but he doesn't slide into her right away. Instead, he reaches down and pinches her clit between two knuckles, making her yelp and jump a little, before she immediately arches her back and pushes her ass back toward him even more.

"Stop playing and fuck me." she demands.

"Bossy." he chuckles, but complies, scooting forward and grabbing her hips, lining up and thrusting into her without warning, making her head drop down to rest on her arms in front of her. JC'd expected for it to be hard not to cum quickly, since he hadn't gotten laid in like 2 weeks, but the pain in his muscles is an unexpected help, putting a definite damper on the sensation as he pounds into Monica hard and fast.

She's not the loudest chick he's been with by far, but she isn't quiet either, and her moaning and whimpers escalate quickly. In a matter of a few minutes, she's shifting to reach up and squeeze one of her tits - the more sensitive left one - and twist the nipple, and JC switches up his rhythm to short, deep, fast thrusts. Within seconds, her pussy is pulsing and clenching around him, but he doesn't let up. Hunching over, her wraps an arm around her front and presses up into her lower belly, still hammering into her as her muscles still periodically spasm.

"Oh god, yes!" she grits out as the pressure both changes the angle and makes sure he's hitting every nerve ending in her he can. Still coming down off her first orgasm, she almost immediately launches into her second one, clamping around his cock even harder than before, cum dribbling out onto his thighs as the smacking sound gets wetter.

JC grunts as he clenches his jaw, now actively trying to hold back cumming himself, but as she just keeps shuddering and squeezing around him, he can't, and his thrusts eventually stutter as he lets out a frustrated whine even as he spills his load into the latex covering him.

Monica, though, has no complaints, somewhat bonelessly flopping forward and sideways to roll onto her back on one side of the bed. "Fuck." is her simple statement as she watches through half-closed eyes as JC moves to snatch a couple tissues from the box on the other bedside table, using them to wad up around the condom he carefully pulls off before he flops down on his back on the other side of the bed.

When she doesn't move to crack a window like normal, he questions it. "You outta smokes?"

She sighs. "Jerry started noticing the smell." JC only grunts out an acknowledgement. "What's had you so busy lately? I know you haven't just been fucking the other housewives every night - Sarah's about ready to rip someone's head off, and Katie's been hitting her step aerobics like 3 times a day." He hasn't made a secret of the fact that he has multiple fuckbuddies with any of them, but Monica's the only one with names. She's the only one he's actually friendly with, that he'll just hang out with sometimes without there being sex involved, that he trusts not to make a thing of it.

Shrugging, then wincing at the slight burn from the muscles in his shoulder, he answers, "Been doin' a favor for some friends. Should be finished after this weekend, then back to regular programming." Because how else can he explain his situation to someone outside the club life?

She accepts it, and changes the subject. "Alright. My car's making a weird noise. I don't think it's serious, but would you mind looking at it if you have some time next week?"

Nodding, he agrees easily. "I got Monday off, I'll come over and take a look in the morning." She's taken pretty good care of her hand-me-down Chevy station wagon that she's gotten from her parents when she was in college, but the thing is 15 years old, so this is far from an unusual request.

They chatter for awhile before Monica eventually rolls over toward him without ceremony, reaching down to cup and roll his balls before moving to start stroking him, gently at first until he starts to get hard again. She doesn't even have to go down before he's fully hard within a couple minutes.

Smirking, she comments, "Perks of fucking a 19-year-old. You bounce right back." before moving to find the second condom she'd dropped somewhere on the bed earlier.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Saturday evening, JC finds himself hanging playing a game of pool against one of the other hangarounds while everyone waits for the club to get out of Church so the party can really start.

As the guys eventually stream down the stairs, a voice shouts across the room over the music to get JC's attention, making him turn. When he finds Cooler standing by the bottom of the stairs motioning him to come over, he goes somewhat cautiously. A club officer wanting to see him right after Church lets out could be about anything, and it definitely has the attention of the others. There's been some guys hanging around hoping for an invite to prospect for years, and not all of them are very thrilled that JC, after being here only a few months, is so clearly a favorite.

In fact, JC had recently found out that he's basically the first hangaround that Happy has ever even acknowledged, forget taken under his wing. A lot of the guys have a healthy respect and small amount of fear of Happy, though JC can't figure out why. He just seems like a normal enough dude. Well, as normal as someone can be in an MC. Sure, he's an enforcer, but there's several of those, and none of the others inspire nearly as much fear as Happy.

Cooler leads him up the stairs and into the big meeting room on the second floor - the Chapel.

Jax and Bobby are there along with all the Tacoma officers now that Cooler is back with him. Blue motions JC into one of the nearby seats, as he has the couple times JC's been in here before, but JC notices Jax and Bobby sharing a look as he sits.

"Sorry to pull you away from the party," Blue starts out, "But we have some questions for you about what exactly your capabilities and limitations are with gathering intel. Most of us are pretty computer-stupid, as I'm sure you've noticed."

JC smiles easily, relaxing. "It's cool man, most people don't know a lot beyond what they have to for work and maybe personal email or a Google search. I'm just one of the super-geeks that gets lost in the web."

This pulls some quiet chuckles from a few of the guys around him. Lee starts the questioning. "So, what exactly can you do?"

It's a very broad question that JC doesn't really know how to answer. Shrugging, he tries anyway. "I mean, it kinda depends on what you need done. There are so many possibilities, that it really depends on the situation. I'm pretty good at hacking into systems, figuring out how they work, mining for data, using that to figure out where else to look for more. Domestic is easiest, or on this continent. Overseas gets trickier. Connections over the ocean are sketchier, slower, so it's harder to get a secure one that's also fast enough and has the bandwidth for a big hack. The more secure of a system I'm trying to get into, the more computing power I need. The stuff I've been doing for you - local systems and websites -, I got a decent setup for right now, but if you wanted me to do anything much bigger - corporations or bigger government-, I'd have to build out my tower more, upgrade the internet at Hap's place."

There's a minute of quiet after he stops talking as the guys from Tacoma look to the Charming guys, and JC belatedly realizes that there may have been more than one agenda here.

Jax eventually seems to come to some decision and speaks. "Our New York charter is having a problem at the port that's having a wider impact on several other charters as well, that seems like they could use skills like yours. Think that's something you might be able to help with from here?"

"Probably…" JC hedges a little. "I'm pretty familiar with the port system there already. Again, depends exactly what you need done."

"Partly what you've already been doing - digging into a couple people for intel." Blue starts.

"Partly, we need some information… modified." Bobby finishes.

JC chews his lip for a moment, thinking. Most of it wouldn't be a problem. But… "I can change the electronic records, but if there's a paper copy of something, that'll need to be taken care of locally. I….. have a contact that may or may not do it."

Several eyebrows raise curiously. Jax asks, "You have a contact at the port in New York that may be willing to destroy records for us?"

Shifting uncomfortably, JC realizes that Tacoma hasn't explained his mob connections to the other VP and secretary. "I, uh…. use ta work for Carlo Messina. Since SAMNYC is cool with the Messinas it shouldn't be a problem to work their contacts. But the one that I'd be contacting, it depends on if he's sober right now or not. If he is, he'll be in boy scout mode. If he's hittin' the bottle, burning a couple pieces o' paper for a hundred bucks'll be nothing to him. He'll want cash, though, so someone local will have to take care of payment."

Jax and Bobby are now staring at him with dubious and inscrutable expressions.

"And you just….. Quit the mob?" Bobby asks sounding understandably skeptical.

Sighing, JC tips his head to look at the ceiling, tired of explaining this. Spanner ends up doing it for him, sounding as amused as everyone does when the topic comes up.

"Boy stuck his dick where it shouldn'ta been. Not enough for retaliation, but certainly enough to not be welcome in New York anymore." If anything, Jax and Bobby's looks only get more dubious, making Spanner shrug. "What, who here hasn't ever fucked a chick they shouldn't have?"

Jax cracks a smile, silently admitting he's guilty of it, and Bobby is obviously fighting a smirk as well.

"We'll have to make some calls. May or may not ask for your help on this. We'll let you know." Jax says, clearly dismissing JC, who simply nods and stands, anxious to get out of the hot seat.

Downstairs, he locates Happy and Koz at one of the tall bar tables dotted around the edges of the room, and swing by the bar itself to grab a drink from Jake on his way over.

"Man, what'd they pull you up there for that has you hittin' the hard stuff?" Koz asks curiously as JC joins them, looking down at the glass in the guy's hand with a whiskey and coke.

Indeed, it's an unusual choice for JC. He usually sticks to beer. "Just some questions. Might be helpin' another charter out with something. Not sure yet." he cages around it, not sure how much he's allowed to say.

Happy doesn't smile at this, exactly, but he looks damn pleased as he sips on his own whiskey.

"And it was so nerve-wracking that you switched to whiskey instead of beer?" Koz continues to grill him.

A little defensive and beginning to get annoyed - he's been spending too damn much time here, and it isn't making him want to prospect more -, JC snips at him, "Maybe I just wanted a fuckin' whiskey. Is that a problem?"

The taller blonde guy is taken aback, holding his hands up slightly in a conciliatory gesture. "Sorry. Fuck." JC takes a gulp of his drink and tries to chill out.

Later, JC and Hap are at one of the pool tables playing against Show and Jimmy, a couple other members that take shifts at the garage more frequently than most, and know JC better..

Gary, a hangaround townie who's barely older than JC but has been hanging for over a year and is one of the more vocal about his dislike of JC swooping in and being so well-liked, keeps fucking up JC's shots. The first time his cue gets bumped, JC writes it off as the guy walking by and not paying attention. On his next shot, Gary 'accidentally' swung his arm around while he talked and smacked JC in the back of the head. When JC's next shot comes around and Gary just as 'accidentally' knocks over a barstool into JC, JC snaps.

Slapping his pool cue down on the table, he whirls around and pushes both hands into Gary's chest hard enough to make the guy sway back. "You got a problem with me, fuckwad?"

Gary doesn't hesitate to push back. "Yeah, actually, I do. You need to get at the back of the fuckin' line. Other guys been here way fuckin' longer than you, you got no right to swoop in and take the spot as top hangaround like you own the place." It's exactly what JC had known was the problem, but now it's been said out loud in front of plenty of members, who don't look happy about Gary's opinion…. But appear to be eagerly anticipating the fight that everyone knows is about to happen.

It's worth noting that Gary has a solid 3 inches in height and 35 pounds of muscle on JC, and is a common fixture in the boxing ring outside.

Show, a massive, beefy dude in his own right, brings a hand down to grip each of their shoulders hard before they start brawling in the middle of the clubhouse, pulling them away from their nose-to-nose position. "Alright, boys, looks like it's time to take this to the ring." he intones as he pushes each of them around towards the door and gives them a shove forward to march them outside.

As they pass by Koz where he's in the middle of standing up from a couch, dumping a girl off his lap in the process, he has a shit-eating grin on his face and looks far too pleased for JC's already annoyed mood.

There's a small parade of people that follow them out into the chilly night, grabbing hoodies on the way from the packed rows of hooks on either side of the door, as it's a fairly well-known thing by now that JC turns down every opportunity to get in the ring. Between JC's reluctance and the fact that it's much less common for guys to go out and fight in the cold and wet, this is a rare spectacle, and not many want to miss it. In fact, only the women really stay inside, even then some go out with the men.

JC's had a couple drinks by this point - not enough to be drunk, having spread them out over a couple hours - but he's already regretting this as he's handed tape for his hands and he somewhat clumsily wraps it around like he's seen countless others do in this position before stripping out of his hoodie and following his opponent up into the slightly slippery ring. It's under cover, but wind had stil thrown some gusts of drizzle in, leaving a dull shine on the textured nylon from the floodlights overhead.

Gary has stripped off his tee shirt as well, JC can only assume to try and show off for the few sweetbutts that are out here, and it only makes him look like even more of an asshole. Seriously, why can't he get that JC didn't fucking ask for this? He just wanted a nice quiet job and nice quiet life to keep his head down. It's not like he PLANNED for the guys to take such an interest in him.

Yet, here he is, with officers from 2 charters front row and a crowd of members hooting and hollering around them, other hangarounds shifting nervously around the outer edges of the crowd, about to go head to head with a guy who's taking it way too fuckin' personal that JC has skills that he doesn't. JC doesn't even want to fight him. He knows he isn't a great fighter, it's half the reason he has avoided getting up here for so long. And Gary's bigger, and more skilled, and WAY more pissed off. But JC had just been so fuckin' annoyed at the guy bein' a dick, he couldn't stop himself inside, and now….

The bell dings and Gary doesn't hesitate, throwing a balled up fist straight for JC's nose, making JC duck and throw up a defensive arm, instinctively hooking his other hand to his opponent's ribs and managing to land a decent shot, not that it slows the guy down at all.

Like most real fights he's been in before, JC's mind goes this weird dichotomy of crystal clear and very fuzzy around the edges. The microseconds it takes to process each motion, each hit, come in perfect clarity, but the moment they are over, it becomes a smudge in the landscape of his memory as the next microsecond of clarity slides in with the next incoming hit he needs to dodge or opening he sees to jab his own fist in. At some point, a high-pitched noise vaguely registers, and he knows it means it's time to stop, but Gary keeps coming for him, so he just keeps fighting back until suddenly the hits are swinging inches in front of his face and moving away fast, and there's a strong pressure around his chest, pulling him backwards.

Sound that he doesn't remember blocking out floods back into JC's ears and he realizes that he and Gary are being physically pulled apart. He can't see who has a tight hold around his torso, but Show has his thickly muscled arms around Gary's biceps, pinning them to his sides as he pulls the younger guy back to the opposite corner of the ring.

Pain is the next sensation to register. Mostly in his face, but also some dull aching spots on his chest and ribs, and in his hands.

"You ladies got that outta your systems?" the voice booming only inches from JC's ear tells him it's Cooler that pulled him away from Gary. JC starts relaxing, but Gary does the opposite, starting to fight back against Show's tight hold and spitting insults at JC again. Quieter, Cooler asks JC, "You up for another round, kid?"

Tensing again, JC takes a few deep breaths, knowing he can't back out of this, and nods.

Show looks at Cooler over JC's shoulder and nods shortly before making brief eye contact with JC and nodding again. There's no bell this time, just the 2 members dropping their arms simultaneously and the 2 hangarounds stepping forward as the excited hollering from the crowd swells again, JC's vision narrowing again as they start trading blows for a second time.

In the end, it's a lucky shot that ends the match.

JC's mind, in it's weird, narrowed hyperdrive, noticed a pattern and made his body move without thinking, hooking his left fist up into Gary's jaw as, for the third time in a row, Gary threw a left-jab, right-jab, left-hook combo and dropped his shoulder as he set up for his next rib shot, leaving the slightest opening.

Before JC even knows what he'd done, Gary is laying on the mat at his feet, moaning and clutching his jaw from the sloppy, but forceful, upper-cut JC had landed on a fluke, and JC is still tense and in his defensive position, body and mind still ready to fight.

There's a roaring in his ears as he begins to come back to himself, and he isn't sure if it's the sound of his blood rushing or the crowd around him shouting - as his eyes refocus, he can see pumping fists and guys jumping, and their mouths open as they holler. His arm is jerked abruptly upward, and he barely stops himself from twisting and landing a fist in Show's gut as he's declared the winner before being surprisingly gently shuffled off to the corner and helped down off of the raised platform.

His sweater is handed back to him and he is slowly ushered back inside among a large number of congratulatory back slaps, friendly hugs, and well-meaning comments that he'd been holding out on them by not getting in the ring sooner.

The other hangarounds look at him with clearly mixed reactions. Some of them are more reasonable than others, aware that he has no control over who the guys favor, knowing he hadn't wanted to do that. Others simply don't know what to think, since he obviously belongs and can hold his own, even if he hasn't been around as long as most of them, but they still resent his favored status.

Happy…. Looks an odd mix of proud and worried as he takes over ushering JC - who is still out of it - once the crowd starts dispersing inside, going back to previous activities. JC is led to the upstairs bathroom, less populated as people don't want to deal with the stairs after a couple drinks, and a first aid kit is pulled from under the sink. When JC turns to look in the mirror, he almost can't believe the guy looking back at him is… him.

He reaches a hand up to touch his swollen nose, only for Happy to reach his own hand out to stop him. There's a couple small cuts above one eyebrow, and below the other eye right on his cheekbone, and a gnarly scrape seeping blood down one edge of his jawline. As his eyes take in the injuries, the pain starts breaking through his adrenaline-soaked psyche, and he just knows that his face is going to be swollen and black and blue tomorrow, along with spots on his torso. He is, at least, pretty certain no ribs are broken, though the jury's out on whether his nose has managed to escape as unscathed.

His friend makes quick, quiet work of disinfecting every spot that's bleeding and pressing a couple bandages over the worst of the cuts. Just as he's packing away the kit, there's a knock on the frame of the open door, making them both turn their heads to find one of the sweetbutts, Jamie, holding a towel wrapped around something.

"Ice." She explains shortly with a small smile before handing it over to Happy, who's closer. After he nods a silent 'thanks', she turns and beats feet, and JC wonders briefly both why she'd brought it and why she'd left so quickly. But it's only a passing thought as exhaustion sets in at the same time the ice is plopped unceremoniously into his hand and he raises it to his face, wincing at the cold and pressure on his tender nose.

"You alright, Scrappy Doo?" comes a lighthearted voice only a moment later, and he shifts the cold bundle enough to see Jax standing outside the bathroom with another sweetbutt under his arm, on his way up to the nicer 'executive' apartment on the third floor where he and Bobby are rooming while they're here. There's 4 big dorms, 2 full bathrooms, and a little sitting room/kitchenette on the top floor over the chapel, which are generally reserved for club officers, local or visiting, while the bulk of the dorms are in the non-garage warehouse.

JC responds simply, sounding slightly stuffed as his nose is swollen. "Yeah, just gotta make sure my eyes will be open enough to ride home."

"Well, good fight, man," Jax's voice trails a bit as bootsteps and clacking heels wander off back toward the twisting staircase to the top floor.

As soon as he's sure the visiting VP is gone, Happy speaks up in a slightly chastising tone. "Don't listen to him. You were sloppy."

"I know." is JC's reply. "I keep fuckin' tellin' you guys I don't fight. I know I got lucky with that last shot." He still only vaguely remembers the series of events, but that's one thing he's sure of.

He barely has time to register the soft 'snick' of a blade being opened before Happy is wedging the pocket knife under the tape on JC's free hand and slicing outward before peeling it all off and tossing it in the garbage can off to the side. JC switches which hand he's holding the ice with without being told and Happy repeats the process on the other side.

"Leave that ice on for 10 more minutes and wash up a little, then head home. You look like you're about to drop." Happy orders before walking out of the bathroom, leaving JC in the relative quiet for the first time in hours.

The only sound is the muted music and voices filtering up through the floor and up the stairwell a ways down the corridor, and it's nice to have a little peace finally. His body is still coming down of the adrenaline rush, and the muted sounds are much less jarring than the loud, shrill guitar from the blasting rock music had been when he'd first gone back into the clubhouse. Moving the ice pack slightly to glance around at options, he's shortly settling to perch on the ledge at the side of the tub - even on this floor, it's full bathrooms (only the bottom floor ones have only toilets and sinks), and he doesn't want to think about why. He's not an idiot, and he's been involved with organized crime. He knows what the little collection of a half-dozen smiley faces on Happy's side means; the same thing as Ricardo's steadily-expanding collection of crosses on his chest back home.

His little slice of peace doesn't last long.

"Man, if I'd'a known all it took to get you in the ring was a couple glasses o' whiskey, I would've done that months ago!" Kozik's annoyingly cheerful voice booms from the still-open doorway a few minutes after Hap has disappeared.

Sighing, JC insists, "It wasn't the whiskey, he was just being a fucking prick."

There's no response for long enough the JC contemplates looking to see if he'd left without saying anything. Then, "Well, good job finally pushing back on the guy. I know he's been talkin' mad shit for awhile." His tone is serious now, but also approving, a drastic change. "Hap mentioned he's starting to train you. That's good. You need it, and he's one o' the best fighters we got. You have good instincts, man, just need to learn what to do with 'em."

With a snort, JC retorts, "Yeah, try getting beat up a couple times a week from the 4th grade on and not develop at least some instincts." Deciding it's probably been long enough that he'll at least get home okay, JC pulls the ice down and looks up at Koz, who is leaned against the door frame, but looks stiff and a little awkward, like he doesn't know how to respond to that. Standing, JC continues, "I'm going along with the training shit because it ain't hurting anything and Hap is dead set on it, but don't get your hopes up about me prospecting, man. It sounds like the likelihood of that rule changing are slim at best. And believe me, it's way better to not expect or hope for anything and be pleasantly surprised if it does happen than to be constantly disappointed in people that are supposed to care about you." With that, he dumps the remaining ice in the sink and hangs the towel on the little rack to dry, pushing carefully past a very thoughtful-looking Koz to finally head home.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

After the fight, Happy had given JC a couple days off training to heal up, but told him in no uncertain terms that come Tuesday, they'd be back at it.

So, 9AM Monday finds JC walking down to Monica's as promised to look at her car. On autopilot, he's not paying much attention to other cars around, and, as such, is taken off guard when a man that he recognizes as Jerry from the pictures around the house answers the door when he knocks.

"Can I help you?" the guy asks skeptically. In his early 30s, he's a not-bad-looking but generic working-class dude, and he's eyeing JC through the cracked door like JC's some random thug.

Though, JC supposes that might be fair, considering his face is all busted and bruised, and he's showing up seemingly randomly on the guy's front step. "Monica around? She mentioned last week her car was makin' a weird sound, I told her I'd stop by and look at it today." he tries to explain as briefly and neutrally as possible.

Jerry's eyes narrow a bit. "How exactly do you know Monica?" he questions without answering.

It's Monica herself that answers the question from inside. "Oh for goodness sake, Jerry. He lives a few blocks up. When the car broke down a few months ago, he was riding by and saw me freaking out and stopped to help." Jerry is forced to move a little as the door is yanked farther open from the inside and Monica appears. "Thanks for stopping by, JC. I know you probably would've preferred to sleep in on yo-" she stops abruptly as she gets a proper look at him, before sternly asking, "What in the hell happened to your face?"

Rolling his eyes, he replies shortly, "Got in a fight with one of the other guys at the garage."

She huffs a little and examines the damage. "Well, as I was saying, thanks. I know spending your day off from working on cars fixing my car probably isn't your idea of a great time. Let me grab my keys, and you can check it out and we can see what today's repairs are gonna cost me."

"Babe, you should've just said something was wrong, we can take it to a garage and have real mechanics look at it." Jerry cuts in, obviously displeased at their familiarity.

"Yeah, and where would you take it? Lemme guess, Tacoma Auto, because they got the best prices in town and you trust bikers to know their shit mechanically?" When Jerry just stares at him, JC scoffs a little. "Well, guess where I work. If you really wanna take it to the shop, go ahead, but then you'll get charged a markup on parts and have to pay standard rates for labor, and there's a decent chance I'll still be the one workin' on it. I do it here, you see the receipts and hand me the exact amount of cash I spent on parts, and my cost of labor is literally fucking cookies." Looking back over at Monica, he says, "I been craving snickerdoodles."

She snorts out a short laugh and says, "Well how about you take a look first. You know the deal, if you're gonna spend ten minutes fixing it, you get something simple."

Rolling his eyes with half a smile, he says, "Yeah, yeah. Get your keys." before turning and heading back down the walk to where her station wagon is parked in the driveway. He hears the door snap shut behind him and loud voices start immediately. He feels a little bad about being the reason for a fight between Monica and her husband, but it's not like he had any idea the guy would be home on a Monday morning - he's usually not. He's got a 9-6 shift at the local Campbell's soup factory Monday through Friday.

He ends up half-sitting on the hood of the car for several minutes before Monica emerges from the house, now in tennis shoes and with a fluffy sweater on over her jeans and blouse.

"Sorry, when you said Monday, I totally forgot that he had today off for a doctor's appointment." she apologizes quietly as she nears him, handing the keys over.

"No problem. I just hope I'm not causing you problems." he says genuinely, turning to unlock the door and sliding into the drivier's seat. "What's the noise? Does it happen when you're idling or in gear? Accelerating?" he gets down to diagnosing the problem.

It takes a drive around the block and another 5 or so minutes for JC to find a piece of plastic wedged up in the axle, making a grinding noise as it turns.

"How did that even get there?" Monica questions as JC scoots back out from under the car and pushes himself up, stiff black plastic in hand.

He shrugs. "Looks like it's auto-grade. There was probably a crash on the highway not long before you drove by and it just bounced up in there or something." is his only explanation.

She shakes her head. "Well, guess I should get started on those chocolate chip cookies." she says with a smile.

"Nah, don't bother. I didn't even do anything." he waves it off, heading for the side of the house to drop the plastic into the garbage can.

"You sure?" she questions.

Wandering toward the sidewalk, he smiles back at her briefly before saying, "Yeah, next time you can make me somethin' extra special instead." Monica only laughs, shaking her head again and shouting a 'thanks' as he heads up the sidewalk towards Happy's house. As long as he isn't going to be spending the morning either working on her car or fucking Monica, he may as well get prepared for the eventuality that the club is going to ask for his help on something bigger. JC's mind is already occupied with the upgrades he needs to make to his tower.

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It's a few days after the 3 Charming guys leave that Blue hands JC a cheap prepay phone with a few numbers programmed into it, telling him that the New York charter would, indeed, appreciate his help with the port matter, and which number to call first.

It's actually a simple thing for JC to deal with. He'd followed through on the upgrades he'd planned to make, including calling the internet provider and upping the bandwidth at Hap's house, and he'd even had time to double-check his old back-door into the port's system was still a viable option. The part that takes the longest is actually altering the data without tripping any alerts.

"It's all done." he says into the phone, leaning back in his desk chair and using his leg propped up on one of the little shelves on the side to swing back and forth a bit.

"Just like that?" comes the surprisingly smooth, surprised voice of the guy he'd found out is the SAMNYC president. "It's only been a few hours."

JC shrugs then feels a little stupid as he realizes they can't see that. "I had a way into the system already, it was just a matter of making sure the information was corrected in a way that wouldn't send up any flags. You'll need to talk to Andrew Johnson at the main office to get the physical records, though. He's a bit unpredictable, I didn't want to call him and give him time to second guess anything. I took a peek at his financials, looks like he's on the bottle right now, so you should just need to slip him some cash and he'll give you the files to do whatever you want with."

"Who is this guy?" Harry asks, all business.

"Middle-management paper-pusher type. High enough to have access, low enough to fly under the radar. Goes through stints of bein' sober for a month or two at a time, then he'll celebrate with a few beers and fall off the wagon for 4 or 5 months. Carlo Messina's been usin' him for years." JC gives the short version.

Harry makes a humming noise and there's some background chatter as he relays some information or orders before coming back to JC. "You do good work, kid. I'll arrange for payment to get to you. It'll take a little bit to get it through our channels, but it's comin'."

"Actually…" JC starts and trails off before steeling himself and giving the guy instructions on where payment can be dropped off in cash.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

It's not easy for Harry to do stuff on his own sometimes. His boys are more than a little protective of him, don't like it when he goes out without someone to have his back. But sometimes he just has to put his foot down.

Like now. The kid wonder, JC, in Tacoma, had given him the name of a diner in Queens, and the name and schedule of a waitress that works there, who 'always appreciates good tippers'. It was meant as instructions to drop off the kid's payment for the little favor he'd done them at the port, and would continue to help them with their regular shipments. Which he supposes means that either he or one of the other guys would be making this little trip regularly, too. But he'd wanted to scope it out on his own this first time.

Harry's curious. He only vaguely remembers the hacker kid that had worked for Carlo Messina for a couple years, though he'd had a laugh when he'd heard the circumstances of the kid getting run off. Then, months later, he has Jackson calling him, saying the kid is in Tacoma, had swooped in and taken up the top spot as not only the favored hangaround, but their notoriously unpersonable top enforcer's little pet project. The news that Tacoma had been somewhat-discreetly hinting that they'd like to prospect the kid but can't because he's half black had added another layer of intrigue.

Now, here he is, seated at a little table in a decently large but still locally owned diner that had definitely seen better days, but is clean, with a cup of coffee in front of him, half reading the menu and half keeping a bead on the little waitress girl called Angie who's section he'd requested to be seated in as she moves around running plates from place to place and giving him a few minutes to decide on his food. He'd timed it so he's here after the breakfast crowd cleared out, but before the lunch crowd starts filtering in, so she's getting set up for the next flood of people.

Idly wondering what she is to this JC guy, he sets down his menu and picks up the coffee mug, noting her thick, dark hair coiled into a bun on the back of her head, and the sensible, thick leggings under her uniform dress and dark, non-slip shoes that are just like those on the feet of every other waitress and nurse in the city.

"What can I get for ya?" her soothing voice asks as she walks back over to him, order pad in hand. He automatically knows she'll be great for calming patients down. She has a calm air about her.

He rattles off his order for a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and she gives him a pretty, polite smile. Her skin is a dark toffee color against the minty-blue uniform.

It doesn't take long to get his food, and he doesn't draw out eating longer than necessary, but also doesn't hurry. He listens as she stands rolling silverware at the waitress station and chatters back through the window with the cooks in spanish.

When Harry's done she does the standard waitress thing of seeing if he wants anything else as he reaches into his wallet for a $20 to cover his food on top op the envelope of cash, which she looks apprehensively at when he pulls out as she drops the bill on his table after collecting his dirty dishes onto his plate to take away.

Meeting her eyes, he says, "Keep the change." as he drops the envelope and single bill on the table and stands. When she opens her mouth to say something, he cuts her off before any sound comes out, saying quietly, "JC mentioned you're in school and big tippers are a huge help."

Her chocolate eyes widen a little and her jaw snaps shut as she glances down again at the crisp white envelope.

"This is a nice little place. You may see me or some o' my guys in here occasionally." Angie looks back up at him, eyes now narrowing and lips pursing.

"What the hell has my idiot brother gotten himself into?" she asks lowly, but smartly not whispering. Whispering draws more attention.

Chuckling, Harry thinks that makes sense. More sense than a 19 year old kid trying to keep a steady girl in a city he's not allowed in. "He's a hell of a lot safer now than he was here in the city, girlie." he attempts to be reassuring as he pulls his leather jacket on to ride back out.

She sighs quietly, only able to take this stranger's word for it, and reaches down casually to pick up the money and the bill the stuff it all in one of her apron pockets. At a normal volume, she chimes out a cheerful, "Thanks for stoppin' in!" before grabbing the dishes and turning to take them in back and grab a rag as Harry heads out.

Harry knows he has some thinking to do. And, when there's some downtime, maybe a trip to Washington to make. He's not stupid. He knows exactly what Blue's going to ask for, and Harry needs to determine for himself how much support he's willing to throw behind this kid. Obviously JC is an asset, but how much of one, how close they will want to bring him, that is something that requires further research.

And if they also end up with another nurse they can call on when need be…. Well, that's never a bad thing either.

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As the new year rolls in, JC seriously contemplates getting his own place against Happy's protests.

"Dude, you had to sleep on the couch when your ma came up for Christmas, the workout gear is taking up almost as much space as the living room furniture, and it feels like the club is trying to take over my whole fuckin' life and I'm not even in it. I'm used to having my own shit, my space that I can control who's there and when." JC argues when Happy finds him once again looking at ads for apartments in the Sunday paper.

It's the one day a week that they take off from working out, now that JC is past the initial breaking-in period for training, and Happy had just rolled out of bed after being out late at the usual Saturday party the night before. Also as usual, JC had stayed long enough to have a beer and play a game of pool before taking off before things really even kicked off.

Happy lets out a sound between a groan and a sigh as he almost-flops onto the couch not far from JC, careful not to spill the mug of coffee in his hand. "Man, I like you livin' here." he admits. "'S nice havin' someone around, that helps take care o' shit, but I don't gotta nag to clean up or explain myself all the fuckin' time. And havin' you here to work out with has kept me on track with it."

"You gonna deny that space is starting to be an issue, though?" JC asks, going back to scanning the paper spread out on the coffee table in front of him.

"What if we got a bigger place?" Happy says in an obvious bid to keep JC from moving out.

Stopping to actually consider it, JC has to admit it may solve most of his gripes. At the very least, the space and many of the privacy ones, if they found the right place. Sighing, he gives in, with a caveat. "We can look. If we can find somewhere that I can have my own space, easy to close a door and block out your visitors, I'll think about it. I'm serious about the club shit, though. I'm cool doin' side work for 'em, workin' at the garage, even with 'em bein' over at the house for you, but I'm not a goddamn prospect. All this shit with forcing me to go to 'family dinners' when I'm not feelin' it, and getting pissy when I don't hang out at the clubhouse as much as they want - I'm fucking OVER it."

Blue doesn't have an Old Lady anymore, so Carrie's top bitch, and she, in conjunction with the guys, had started insisting on him joining the family dinners, up to and including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Man, you know we want you to join up. I get that you aren't into the whole happy families scene, but they're trying to show you what bein' in the family is like, and that you're already part of it, even if you aren't in officially yet." Happy defends the actions of the club somewhat weakly. He's known from jump that JC didn't like the pressure from the club, and had done what he could to minimize it, and mostly refused to take part. The guy's like his brother already, he doesn't wanna drive him away by pushing it too hard.

JC gives him a bit of the side eye. "Yeah, I know what they're doing. I'm telling you, if they don't lay the fuck off, then my 'maybe' about prospecting - if it ever becomes an option - is gonna turn into a hard no. Soon."

Hap's gut clenches at that. That is an unacceptable scenario, as far as he's concerned. It's hard enough for it to be such a huge question mark. Having someone that is already a brother in his mind not wearing a kutte - even a prospect one - bothers him immensely. The idea that the club itself would ruin any chance of him getting one… Well, Happy will be having a serious talk with Blue and Lee.

With a nod to indicate he understands, he goes back to the house thing. "See if there's anything in there we can call on for houses, I'll call the club's real estate guy tomorrow." he nods at the paper. "I got enough banked for a halfway decent down payment, then selling this place…." their talk wanders off into financial talk, him explaining the basics as he understands them to JC, who has never done much except rent the one shitty studio in Hell's Kitchen before.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"What do you mean?" Blue asks, staring at Happy.

"Makes sense." Koz throws his 2 cents in. "He said some shit to me that first time he fought - about not getting hopes up and bein' disappointed. Probably wants to keep his distance 'cuz he thinks Charming'll never change the bylaws."

Happy's gaze cuts over to the man he generally considers one of his best friends, having not heard about this conversation before.

Lee sighs, slumping back in his chair and exhaling a long stream of cigarette smoke. "Can't say it's unexpected, we called that that would be his MO back when we decided to try and bring him closer."

Happy speaks up again. "Well, I'm passing on the message that if the club doesn't knock it the fuck off, he'll say no even if it does work out that he can prospect…. And, I gotta say, I kinda get where he's comin' from. He ain't in a kutte, but the club's been treatin' him like he has obligations. He doesn't. He doesn't have to be at parties, and invites to family dinners are a honor that not many hangarounds get, but even members are free to say no if they have other shit going on or just plain don't feel like it. Once we're out of our prospect year, the only shit we are required to be at are Church and whatever other club duties we get assigned. Even then, if shit comes up, there's exceptions. We're a club, not a fucking cult."

It's very unlike him to speak up on almost anything, and Blue, Lee, and Kozik are clearly taking him seriously as they all nod and consider his words. It takes only looks for them to be in agreement.

"I'll let Carrie know she needs to back off him." Lee says.

"And we'll make it quietly known to those that have been encouraging him to come to shit that they need to lay off. Make it clear he's welcome, but don't give him too hard of a time if he doesn't show or doesn't stay long. Remind them he's a hangaround, not a prospect, he's free to come and go as long as he's loyal." Blue adds, understanding but also disappointed.

Happy lets out a silent sigh of relief as he stands to leave their little pow-wow at a corner table in the clubhouse. It's only been 24 hours since his and JC's little talk, and his anxiety had been ratcheted for all of it. But, he'd called the real estate guy that is a friend of the club first thing, and they're set to look at houses that afternoon, and the club issue is taken care of.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

After viewing 3 houses in their general area that were basically 3-bedroom versions of what they already have, JC had turned to the agent and been much more specific about what they're looking for. Apparently, Happy hadn't given much detail, just that he and his roommate need more space.

They'd taken a break to get a late lunch while the agent ran back to his office, and Happy'd gotten a call almost an hour later, with the next address in a different part of town - one that there's actually a decent amount of Sons in already. All of them with families, really.

The neighborhood looks a little older to JC, but also a little nicer. Not a ton, but there's a lot of 2-story houses, and the lots are a bit bigger. The agent, Steve, tells them as they walk up to the first house that a lot of the people here are port and trainyard workers, versus their current neighborhood, which is densely populated by local factory workers. Happy comments quietly to JC that they're only a few streets away from Lee and Carrie's place, and that there's at least a half-dozen other members within two or so miles.

JC doesn't know what he's supposed to do with that information, but he guesses he's at least glad that Happy's not trying to hide it from him or something.

They look at several houses that all more or less fit what they're looking for, but JC sees that Hap looks exceptionally interested in the one he'd've thought would be least appealing. It's only even in the price range they'd discussed because it's halfway torn apart from what was apparently an abandoned attempt to remodel shortly before the previous owner lost their job. It's a bigger house, in an even older neighborhood, kinda far from where a lot of the guys live, on a half-acre lot, from the time before developers had started their cookie-cutter neighborhoods nearby as business with the port and local factories started expanding.

It's big.

Like, REALLY big, to JC's eyes that are used to cramped apartments and, now, small houses in Hap's current neighborhood.

The agent knows Hap's interested, too. He does the thing of leaving them alone to 'talk over their options' while he 'checks on things at the office' and walks to the far side of the house to give the guys some privacy.

"Do I wanna ask why you love this place so much?" JC's genuinely concerned he may not want to know.

Hap looks at him with that expression that creeps him out just a little sometimes and says, "Place is half torn apart, no one will question us bringing in shit like plywood and drywall; won't notice if some walls get a little thicker, or know how to access certain places."

Yeah, JC regrets asking. But he gets it. He lives with and works for outlaws. There's just some weird shit he's gonna have to get used to. Sighing, he looks around the little upstairs den where they're standing. There's 3 bedrooms and one full bath all accessible off the open space that takes up the back corner and looks over the yard. The biggest bedroom also has a ¾ bath of it's own.

Downstairs is a big open-plan living room slash dining room slash kitchen, along with a 2-car garage, with an office behind that and off the dining area, another half-bath and a medium-sized, covered back porch. There's also a basement, which Steve had mentioned is rare in the area, which houses the hookups for laundry and has windows maybe 24 inches tall at the top of the walls, and a door that opens up to the side of the garage.

"I mean, there's plenty of space…." he starts, somewhat hesitantly. It's a great house, and Happy's clearly excited, but does it really meet what he'd been after?

Hap is quick to start selling him on it. "We can put a door on the stairs - no guests up here unless you invite 'em. Update that bar-" here, he points to the built-in wet bar in one corner, "mini-fridge, microwave, keep some shit up here so you can avoid going down there if I got company you don't wanna deal with. Set up all the workout equipment in the basement, maybe add a treadmill so we don't gotta run in the rain. I can set up my chair in the office so there's an actual dining room. You could set up your desk in here so you aren't holed up in your room all the time."

The changes would be basic…. "And what about these mods you wanna make? What are you thinkin'?" He questions, quieter, to make sure his voice doesn't echo to wherever Steve disappeared off to.

"Probably just addin' some hiding spots and cubby-holes to stash shit in if we need to, mostly in closets or interior walls. Maybe a few under some floorboards." Hap answers just as quietly.

JC has an odd feeling in his gut that he can't place, his emotions are a jumble of apprehension and excitement. At one point he thinks 'fuck it' and finally just says, "Alright." and resolutely doesn't think about why he's so pleased at the massive grin that breaks across Happy's face.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

JC is surprised at house fast they are moved. He'd gone to work Tuesday knowing Hap would be signing paperwork on the new house that day, but the place had no flooring in it except the tile in the bathrooms - gleaming white, which they both knew they'll be keeping without so much as a glance at each other - none of the toilets were actually installed, nor were half the kitchen cabinets, and most of the walls upstars as well as the basement were sans drywall, forget all the tape, mud, paint, basebaords, etc. No light fixtures existed inside, and the wiring, while all recently put in, wasn't fully installed with outlets and light switches and shit.

To say there was a lot to get done would be an understatement.

And yet, when he comes home on Friday, JC finds most of the main areas of the old house already packed neatly, and a stack of boxes in his room along with a roll of clear tape.

"Uh, Hap?" he asks, walking across the hall to find Happy stretching packing tape to close up a box of his own things. "Why are we packing? The other house isn't even liveable."

"Yeah it is." Happy corrects casually. "Mud ain't called Mud as in dirt - him and a couple of the other guys specialize in…. Cleanup. Which, sometimes, means half-remodeling a place to look like nothin' ever happened there. They actually got their own little company, do remodelling shit in their off time for extra cash. They've been there all week. Ain't totally done yet, but bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen are put together. If you can get your shit packed tonight, we'll start moving tomorrow and finish up on Sunday."

Blinking for a moment, JC eventually tells his roommate, "Except all my computer shit, almost everything I own still fits on my bike, so it's pretty much whatever was in the room before I got here."

This makes Happy pause in his methodical packing and look over at him. "Wait. What?"

Shifting, now uncomfortable, JC explains, "Ain't like I got much security here, man. I need to be able to take off quick again if I need to. It'd suck to have to leave another computer setup behind, but it's not like I can't build another one wherever I gotta land."

Happy is staring hard at him like he's a fucking idiot. "Dude. I just bought a new house and am fucking moving to make sure you don't leave. I'm not kicking you out, even if shit with the club doesn't work out. But that won't be an issue either. Even if you spend the rest of your life as a hangaround, the guys like you, you're a useful asset as a hacker, and you're a good mechanic." When JC just stares back, not quite comprehending, he continues, "So, once we're moved, buy some more shit. Including your own bed, that one's goin' in the guest room for Ma." She had picked it out initially because his 'spare' room was really hers; almost no one else ever stayed with him before, except Koz for one very tense week after Tig had kicked him out and before he'd gotten his own place and started outpatient rehab.

Not knowing what to say to that, JC just ducks back out and starts packing his few things - a single box of clothes and personal items, leaving out only toiletries and clothes for the next day, and the charger for his cell phones (plural, because he still has the Blue gave him for that first time working with New York, which he now uses for all official club shit). After that, he disassembles his computer, packing most of it into a second box and wrapping the 2 monitors in towels for transport. With nothing else to do for his stuff, he begins packing up the spare blankets and pillows from the closet, then moves onto the linen closet, still not knowing what to make of someone wanting him to stay so badly.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

To say the neighbors are trepidatious about 2 bikers - especially 2 brown ones - moving into the very white, upper-middle-class neighborhood would be an understatement. No one shows outright animosity, but the bikes going in and out definitely draw stares, and people make a bad show of trying to hide their pointing and muttering when they walk or drive by. The intrigue dies down after they are there for several weeks with no incidents. Sure, bikes are occasionally coming and going late at night, but the guys usually make sure they or their guests start up in the garage to muffle the initial roar, and the noise going a moderate speed through the residential neighborhood isn't THAT much worse than a car, so no one really minds all that much.

It's a little odd when the guys go out for their morning runs - treadmill having not been acquired yet - and there are so many other people out there running as well. In the old place, they only saw other people on days that they went out later for some reason and the housewives would be out. Here, there's plenty of people out around 7am, and it takes JC a few weeks to realize it's because they're running before work. And that there are dudes doing it too because they don't have physical labor jobs that keep them relatively in shape.

The neighbor that captures his interest almost immediately, though, is the one right next door to them.

At first, he'd thought no one was ever home, or he just constantly missed them coming and going. After a couple weeks, however, he'd realized that the girl he'd see moving around in the house sometimes just…. Doesn't leave. Or, if she does, she's very sneaky about it. But once he realizes that, he starts seeing tiny signs of life there at all hours. Steam coming from the vent outlet that must lead from the basement - the same place his and Hap's laundry is - meaning she's washing clothes at 11 am on a Wednesday. The garbage cans appearing in the middle of Monday night for Tuesday morning pickup. And, most interestingly to him, the reflection of her in front of a computer in the window of what he's guessing is a spare room turned office throughout the night.

He sees it all from mostly his bedroom window and the open space that is his little upstairs office-slash-lounge, and tries not to be a creeper, but he's curious as hell.

Does this girl have some medical issue that keeps her housebound? Is she just a hermit? Is she being held against her will? She looks young - his age or younger, he'd guess from the brief looks he can catch when she's in the kitchen. How does she have this big house in this nice neighborhood all to herself? Trust fund baby? Sugar daddy? Hacker like him, but one that makes more money? If that's the case, how has she washed her money enough to buy a damn house without questions being asked.

JC knows he's probably making this girl way more fantastic and mysterious in his head than he should, but his mind gets away from him and he can't help it.

It's a week into an icy February when he finally meets her. He had swapped shifts with one of the other guys that week, and has a Saturday off when he'd normally be working. JC emerges from the house in sweats and running shoes in the late morning, hoodie zipped up and beanie on his head, to see her in her driveway similarly attired, stretching.

"So you aren't a ghost I've been imagining over there." he blurts out without thinking, stopping in their driveway, watching her light, reddish-blonde ponytail flip over her head as she looks over toward him.

"Uh…. no." is her equally un-eloquent reply in a medium-pitched voice that sounds weirdly like Happy's - a little low and raspy, like she doesn't talk much and isn't used to it - as she stands from her stretch. The ponytail just brushes her neck when she's vertical, and he wonders what her hair looks like down.

"I'm JC. My roommate and I moved in about a month ago…." he introduces himself more awkwardly than he's used to being. What the hell? He hasn't had problems talking to girls since he left high school and got admittedly a little cocky working for the mob.

"Jess." is her abrupt reply, and he can't tell if she's just as awkward as he is or if she doesn't want to talk to him. Or both. Or something else. Also her pale skin is stained slightly red, and he can't tell if it's from him or the cold, and it's distracting.

Shifting from foot to foot, he can't stop his mouth from running. "Well, now we're in that awkward spot where we're both obviously going out for a run, but I really don't wanna take off after you and be that creepy guy running behind you if we're going the same direction, but also don't wanna seem like I'm just totally blowing you off 2 seconds after meeting you by purposefully going the opposite direction."

Her shoulders shake a little, and the corner of her mouth twitches from the flat line it'd been in previously, and he realizes he's made her laugh, however faintly.

Pointing the direction she's heading, he finally gets more than a one-word reply. "I usually go that way, and my winter circuit's about 2 and a half miles. If you wanna join me for part or all of it, that's fine, just don't expect me to chatter while we run."

"Sounds good." he agrees, hoping he doesn't sound too eager.

If the thought passed through his head that it would be an easy run keeping her pace and going a shorter route than the 3 miles he and Hap had worked out, he was soon proven wrong. He hadn't thought about it before agreeing, but the reason he and Happy had set a route left was because to the right, where she apparently goes, is a big-ass hill that starts only a few blocks up. And, naturally, Jess doesn't take the sane-person route of taking the last turn around the base of the thing and circling back. No, she runs straight up it, then around the handful of streets lined with houses up there before turning and heading back down.

The downhill is somehow even harder than uphill, and JC is panting and puffing as he stumbles to a stop on the sidewalk between their 2 driveways.

"Jesus Christ. How often do you do that?" JC pants out between breaths, one hand gripping his ribs, where a wicked stitch is threatening to form.

There's some comfort that she isn't exactly breathing easy either. "Every third day." she replies, also between panted breaths. "And once it starts getting warm, I take an easier route more often. Tried to do that once last summer, when I first started running, almost got heat stroke."

Laughing doesn't help the stitch in his side. "Well, I usually go earlier in the morning, but if we're ever heading out at the same time, it'd be cool if we could run together." he tentatively offers, beginning to catch his breath.

She shrugs, looking distinctly awkward for the first time. "I mean, I can technically go whenever, but, like I said, I don't go every day…."

"Whenever?" he questions, eyebrow raising. "No work, school?"

"I homeschool." she offers, just as awkward as before. "Apparently, you get kicked out of a couple schools and the whole district will blacklist you…" she trails off, looking around, before going on. "I'm in my senior year, technically. I only have like 5 classes to complete until I get my diploma, and the deadline's in June, so it's not like there's a huge hurry. I'm halfway through most of 'em already."

"Senior in high school and you live alone? Here?" he knows he sounds skeptical, but it's out before he can censor himself. He seems to have that problem with her in the short amount of time they've been talking.

She looks to her house with a look that he can't decipher, saying, "My dad's a pilot. He lives here too, I guess, technically, he's just never home."

This time, JC forces himself to shut up before his next questions come pouring out. Asking a girl where her mom is and exactly how old she is and why she'd been kicked out of multiple schools and who pays the bills and takes care of the house when you've known her for an hour is beyond inappropriate. And, duh, obviously she pays the bills and takes care of the house, now that he's stopped his mouth from overriding his brain and thought about it for a second.

But he is also now even more curious, these little tidbits of information making him crave her life story even more than before he'd even gotten a proper look at her. And, as she strips off her hoodie and walks slowly up the driveway, he gets quite a look at her, prioritizing finding out how old she is, because holy fuck.

He'd been a little too in shock, and then distracted by the insane run to notice before, but she's on the short side. Maybe 5'3", 5'4" max. And petite. The slightly baggy sweats don't reveal much on her lower half, but her legs seem to be long, and hips rounded where the waistband sits. Under the zip-up sweater she'd been wearing, there's only a sports bra covering her, and, well…. She obviously needs it, because he can imagine those things would give her a black eye running without one.

Forcing his eyes back up, he's not sure what else to say. Or, his conscious mind doesn't. There's obviously some part of him that does, which blurts out, "You wanna hang out sometime?"

She stops and looks back at him, almost at the top of her driveway now. After examining him carefully, scrutinizing for something - he doesn't know what - she answers him, sounding… sad. "I'm really boring. Hanging out with me really isn't worth the time."

Confused, JC watches as she turns and starts walking to her door again, pulling out house keys. "I think I wanna make up my own mind about that, if you'll let me." he calls after her as she gets to the door.

Jess stops again and looks back, this time just turning her head over her shoulder. He can't quite tell from the slight distance, but he thinks she lets out a sigh before saying. "I'll come over tonight at 7."

He feels a smile break out as she walks into her house, and turns to wander up to his and Hap's own house.

Perfect. Hap'll already be at the Clubhouse for Church at 7:30. They can watch a movie and hang out or something. Simple.

His smile falls a little as he starts wondering if he should plan to make dinner or not. It's a weird time that could be either dinner-inclusive or just after dinner. He decides to just eat, and make sure there's snacks. He needs to go to the store anyway.

Fuck. Why is he over-thinking this like it's a date or something? Hanging out is all she'd agreed to, and she'd done so reluctantly at that.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

The clock in the living room reads 6:58 when there's a knock at the front door, and JC moves to open it, finding Jess on the other side dressed casually in bell-bottom jeans that cling to her hips for dear life, and a grey tank top exposing the straps of her black bra under an unzipped black hoodie with what he's pretty sure is some band logo on it.

She gives him a tentative smile as he opens the door wide and steps aside to let her in. Looking around, she kicks off the simple flip-flops on her feet and lines them up next to his boots without him saying anything before walking further inside.

Shutting the door, JC clears his throat and tries to not be as awkward as he had been earlier. "So, I got snacks, or there's leftovers from dinner if you're hungry. Thought we could watch a movie neither of us cares too much about, talk, just hang out….." Okay, more awkward than he was aiming for, but it could've been way worse.

"I already had dinner, but snacks will probably be good soon." Jess comments, still looking around at the black leather sofa and chair set, big screen TV, and minimal decorations on the walls that consist of a half-dozen photos.

"Sorry it's kinda bare. Coupla single dudes don't have much sense for interior decoratin'." he tries to joke.

It at least makes Jess crack a bit of a smile. "You're from New York?" she asks seemingly out of the blue. At his confused look, she elaborates, "I couldn't quite place it earlier, but your accent was heavier just now."

With a chuckle, he stuffs his hands in his pockets, having not thought about how to explain why he left if she asks. When she asks. She's bound to eventually, right? "Yeah, born and raised in Queens."

She has a half-smile as her eyes go a bit distant for a minute. "When I used to go there in the summer, I would just pick a direction to walk then hop onto whatever subway line I got to first and ride around the city for hours. One day, I think I just sat on the R from end to end like 3 times before I had to get off and find a bathroom."

JC smiles at the cute story, but also worries a little. How young was she when she did this? Was no one worried about where she was? "So, homeschool here and summers in New York doin' whatever you want?" he asks the open-ended question while leading her to the kitchen and pulling open the fridge. Pausing in his automatic reach for a beer, he diverts to grab one of the Cokes from the bottom shelf instead, holding it out in offering, and she takes it, so he grabs another before closing the fridge and moving to pull the bags of chips and various candies from the cupboard where he'd stashed them earlier.

Jess sighs as she cracks the can of Coke and takes a sip before replying. "Mom left us when I was 10 to go work at some fancy law firm in Manhattan. The first few years, she made me come visit for a few weeks in the summer. Mostly for appearances and to shut grandma up, so I was left to my own devices pretty much the whole time."

He almost regrets asking, if only because how is that not a sensitive topic. But, she could've told him to fuck off if she didn't want to talk about it. "So, let's find a movie neither of us cares about talking over." JC walks back into the living room, dropping the bags of M&Ms, gummy bears, Skittles, and chips on the coffee table before pulling his case of DVDs out from under it, trying not to pay attention when she sits right next to him to look at the rather extensive options.

"Why not a movie we want to actually pay attention to?" she asks curiously.

Glancing sideways from the corner of his eye as she sets her can on a coaster and starts flipping through the book, he has to think fast to find a genuine answer that doesn't make him sound like a stalker. Shrugging a little, too aware of his shoulder bumping into hers and the slight flush that hits her face, he tells her, "I wanna get to know you."

She turns her face to him as she stops perusing DVDs, making him turn as well to meet her gaze, realizing her eyes are a dark, mossy green. "Why?" she sounds genuinely confused.

"I'm not entirely sure yet." he answers honestly. Well, half-honestly. He really doesn't want to scare her off by telling her that he's been getting glimpses of her around her house for the last month and building up this mysterious girl in his head that he wants to get to know. Talk about creep-city. But there's also just something in his gut telling him to get to know this girl - the one in front of him, not in his head.

She goes back to flipping through the movies without comment, a pleased-looking smirk appearing on her face as she gets to one page and she yanks out a disc, handing it to him. "Alright - chock full of conversation starters." she says with a playful edge to her voice as JC gets up to put the DVD in and hit the lights.

Curious, he looks down at it as he puts it in the Playstation hooked up to the TV. "10 Things I Hate About You? How's that full of conversation starters?" he asks as he flicks the TV on and to the channel for the player to work before standing and hitting the light switch so only a few of the kitchen lights are left on.

"You'll see." her voice still carries a tinge of amusement even as she tears open the bag of gummy bears and settles back into the couch, pulling her legs up under her to sit cross-legged while JC grabs for a bag of chips while he sits down and hits the button on the controller to play the movie. It's barely past the opening credits of the production company names before she points to the screen and asks, "Look even vaguely familiar?"

JC studies the cityscapes and realizes it does - in fact, the Space Needle is right in the first image. "Wait, was it actually filmed here?" He doesn't recognize most of it, but he'd done some of the basic touristy shit in the weeks after arriving the summer previously. "Whoa - that building looks WAY familiar!" JC almost exclaims as it rolls in on a bright red brick building. He hasn't watched this since buying it when it first came out on DVD, and he honestly doesn't remember much. It had been a random selection from the New Releases section.

"It's a high school here in Tacoma. And, yeah, they filmed pretty much the whole movie up here. Let's see if you can find me." she tells him, now actually grinning as he looks over to her.

"Seriously?!"

Jess looks back at him, still grinning, and rolls her eyes a little. "You're kidding, right? Heath Ledger is filming a movie at a high school in my town when I'm 13, there's an open call for teenage extras, and I have no parental supervision to speak of? On what planet was I not going every damn day?"

He's grinning himself as he looks back at the screen. Not only is that cool, he now has a point of reference to look up later. She was 13 when this movie filmed. Or he could stop being a dumbass and just ask… "What year was that?"

JC feels her gaze, and there's a beat before she asks, "Is that really what you wanna know, or are you just trying to figure out how old I am?"

His grin goes more than a bit sheepish as he glances back at her in between watching the background trying to spot her. "Busted."

"You first." she bargains for the information.

Not having a problem with divulging that, he answers easily. "I'll be 20 next month."

"I turned 18 in November." she offers back, holding up her end of the deal.

There's a couple minutes of quiet, then she glances over to see he's chewing his cheek. "Whatever it is, just ask. If I don't wanna talk about it, I won't. I'm kind of a bitch like that."

He chuckles at getting caught out before spitting out his question, which he had indeed been debating whether it is too personal or not. "That one of the schools you got kicked out of?" he motions at the screen.

"No." she replies, almost overly-casual. "They were all middle schools. I've been homeschooling since 7th grade." Before he can even debate about whether to ask or not, she just tells him. "With mom in Manhattan and not wanting me, and dad travelling even more than he needs to because he doesn't want me either, I was getting in fights, and acting up in class, and not doing any of my work, trying to get attention. At least, that's what the head-shrink told the nanny, because neither of my parents could be bothered to even take me to the appointments that I was mandated to go to after I got expelled the third time." Pausing to sip off her can of soda, she goes on. "I think it was a crock of horse shit, personally. I didn't give a damn if they paid attention, I was just angry, and I took it out on every little thing that annoyed me, because who was gonna stop me?"

A familiar mix of feelings wells up in JC's chest. He'd known kids back home whose parents either didn't give a shit, or actively beat them. Seeing or hearing what they'd gone through has always made him feel the same way - a mix of grateful and sad and just a touch guilty. Because, even if they'd lived in a too-small apartment and worn second-hand clothes and generally been poor as dirt, at least him and Angie had a mama that loved them to heaven and back, and their dad had split before they were old enough to really remember anything about him to miss.

But back on his block, people looked out for each other. So even those kids could go to a neighbor or their best friend's house and have a parent figure. From the sound of it, Jess had been stuck with a nanny, probably until she was deemed old enough to look after herself - the nanny had to be gone by 13, at least, for her to go to the movie set unimpeded - and it doesn't even sound like she was very close with the nanny, since there isn't even a name mentioned, forget any kind of affection when she's brought up. And in the weeks he's been here, not one person has come to Jess's door that he's aware of, so he doubts the neighbors had been much help.

Hell, if the way they'd turned their noses up at him and Hap was any indication, then they probably just considered her a troublemaker that wasn't worth their time.

"Why's there a door on your stairs?" Jess's voice breaks through his heavy thoughts.

Turnabout is fair play. If he wants to get to know her, she should be able to get to know him. "My roommate's in an MC-"

"He's a Son." she states, not asking.

JC nods, continuing. "He's the club tattoo artist, his studio is set up in the office." Here, he points at the closed door off the dining area. "But I'm a bit of a control freak, I don't always like people bein' over, especially in my personal space. So we closed off the upstairs, made it clear so the guys don't just wander up without an invite. I got a little den up there with my computer set up, couch, mini-fridge, microwave - all I need to be a hermit for a few hours if I don't feel like dealin' with whoever he has over. It was actually why we moved here. His old house was tiny, didn't really have enough room for both of us to begin with, much less with him also havin' people over, but he didn't wanna lose me as a roommate, so he sold his place and bought this one."

She's silent for a long minute, prompting him to look over. This time, it's him that says, "I'm not gonna be offended." when he realizes she's clearly trying to decide whether or not to ask something.

Puffing out a big breath, she asks, "And you two are… JUST roommates?"

It takes JC a hot minute to realize exactly what she's asking, and he's flustered as he quickly tries to explain. "Wha- Yeah! Dude. Like. No. Hap's like my brother! We're both totally into-" he cuts himself off, his brain short-circuiting at the very idea that he and Happy might be a… couple.

Jess's shoulders shake as she suppresses laughter. "Sorry, it's just, you're really flustered about it, and the guy bought a new house to keep you living with him. You have to know how that sounds." JC can only stare at her with his mouth slightly agape. "It's not like there's anything wrong with being-" she starts again.

"We're not gay. Either of us. I am definitely not, and I've seen-" pausing, he thinks maybe he shouldn't get too graphic. "Well, let's just say the guys around the clubhouse aren't shy about just telling a girl to bend over wherever they are, and the girls do."

She nods, now trying to hold back her smile and still clearly not saying something, but, this time, he doesn't prompt her to talk. He's not sure his brain can take whatever it is she'd say.

"It's your turn." she prompts him instead. When he only turns back to her with brows furrowed, she elaborates. "This whole getting to know you thing. You asked me something personal, then I asked you something. It's your turn to ask me something."

JC has to take a minute to think about it. She'd actually answered quite a few of his questions already. He ends up going with something generic. "What's your favorite food?"

Jess doesn't even think about it. "Potatoes."

Snorting, he just stares at her and says, "Y'know, you aren't really disproving any of the stereotypes, right?"

It's her turn to look confused.

He explains. "Short, red hair, horrible temper, favorite food is potatoes….."

"If you call me the L-word, I will dump the rest of this Coke over your head." Jess says completely seriously. "Or the G-word. We can only call each other that." It's JC's turn to silently chuckle. "And I'll have you know that loving potatoes has nothing to do with either my Irish heritage or my hair color, thank you very much. They're just delicious in any form you can possibly cook them. Fried? Delicious. Roasted? Yummy. Boiled and mashed? Get in my belly. Baked?" She just makes a vehement hand gesture.

Still chuckling, he agrees, "It's sound logic."

"What's yours?" she turns the question on him, but he isn't fazed.

A shrug, then, "I don't really have a favorite. My ma makes this really great dirty rice, maybe that? I eat just about anything, but I prefer to keep it pretty healthy." After a second of thought, he decides to get more personal than she'd asked, since she'd shared so much tonight. "Since ma worked so much when we were little to keep me and Angie in decent clothes and the heat on, me an' my sister kinda got stuck eating crap a lot - TV dinners and shit that we could make ourselves, or mac'n'cheese or something when ma could afford a babysitter that could cook something simple from a box. Home cooked meals were only every few weeks when ma had a day off that was close to payday. After I left home when I was 16 and started earnin' my own money, got my own place, fruit and vegetables and cookin' at home kinda became my thing. It was cheaper than eatin' out all the time, and I'd never really had it before."

"I get that. My mom was always working when she still lived here, and our revolving door of nannies wasn't always reliable about cooking, so I got stuck with a lot of that stuff too. I've learned to cook some basic stuff now that I'm on my own, but I honestly mostly just stick to crap like salads with chicken, and eggs with some fruit for breakfast, and, like, snacks. Mostly because I just can't really be bothered to cook. It's easier to throw a few chicken breasts in a skillet every couple days to keep in the fridge ready to throw in a salad, then chop stuff up and throw it in a bowl with some dressing. Way less dishes."

Abruptly, he realizes that this movie is technically a romcom, and his next question flies out of his mouth without thought. "You got a boyfriend?"

Jess snorts lightly. "Other than to go running or drive to the grocery store, this is the first time I've left my house or spent time around another human in person in….." he wonders how much she's exaggerating how much she has to think about it, until the answer comes out of her mouth, then he just thinks she's plain exaggerating. "Almost 7 months?"

"What? No way. How the hell do you not leave your house except to go to the grocery store for 7 months?" he's not counting running, since she clearly doesn't interact with other human beings for that. She HAS to at least encounter other people at the store, however briefly.

With a shrug, she tries to explain. "End of July, I had to go down to the district office and register for the new year of homeschool, other than that, I just don't really have a reason to leave the house except exercise and food."

"What about friends?" he asks, with a sinking feeling he already knows the answer.

JC's surprised though. He'd expected the answer to be that she didn't have any because of being out of traditional school and on her own for so long. Instead, she tells him, "I talk to people online, have a few good friends there. I can download books, movies, music. Play games, by myself or with other people…."

"Yeah, I'm a nerd, too." he admits. "You code at all? Hack?"

A shy look is shot at him with a small shrug. "A little."

Grin now permanently glued to his face, JC shifts to sit sideways on the couch facing her, and she follows suit, and the movie is forgotten entirely.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"What'd'a'ya got up next for me?" JC asks as he drops the work order in the correct box on Carrie's desk and hangs the keys on the pegboard.

"A walk over to the clubhouse to see Blue." Carrie answers breezily, not looking up from her invoicing.

"You need somethin' from 'im?" he asks. The guys are frequently used as go-fers.

She shakes her head, still focused on the computer screen. "He was here awhile ago, told me to send you over when you were done with that Olds."

JC hums out a noise that he got the message before ducking through to the bathroom to take a piss and wash up first, before ducking back out through the office without another word. Again, it's not incredibly unusual for Blue or Lee to talk to him during the day. Especially since they'd made sure everyone laid off pressuring him to be around all the fuckin' time, so they try and keep business to business hours when they know he'll be here.

Walking into the clubhouse is a familiar sight now, and he can't help but picture bringing Jess around one day. In the distant future.

Honestly, he thinks she'd fit in alright. She's upfront about things almost to the point of being brash, but she's also very innocent and almost naive about certain things. She has yet to really hesitate on calling him out on any bullshit, not that he tries to put much by her, and she's smart as hell.

Yeah, his fascination with the mysterious girl next door has turned into a full-on crush on the girl that has become a friend in the past few weeks. He's trying to be lowkey about it though. Like he said, she's very innocent about certain things, and dating and sex are top of the list. Having been in semi-self-enforced solitude for pretty much all of her teenage years so far, he hadn't even had to ask to know she's never been kissed, much less taken out on a date or anything else.

He pauses slightly as he registers that the guy standing at the bar and talking to Blue and Spanner, back to JC for the moment, has a bottom rocker that says 'New York'. He resumes his walk toward them as the guys see him and acknowledge his presence, making the guy turn around.

The man is older, pushing 60 or a bit past it, but in good shape. Salt and pepper hair is clipped short and he has a matching, neatly trimmed, goatee. It takes only a glance for JC to know who it is, the worn 'President' patch leaving no room for question, even if JC didn't vaguely recognize him from previous sightings in passing.

"Harry." JC greets as he stops by the group, which has opened up a little to make room for him.

"JC." the now-familiar, smooth voice says in greeting. They shake hands briefly before JC turns to Blue.

"Carrie said you wanted to see me?" he asks.

Blue nods to their guest. "Wanted to introduce you properly, since you're helpin' New York out."

"Dropped the last payment off with your sister on my way outta the city. She still ain't too happy about it, but she looks like she's doin' alright." Harry offers.

JC sighs. "Thanks. I get a earful every few weeks when I call ta check in, but it's easier than youz guys gettin' it all the way ta Tacoma just for me ta wash it and send it back ta her an' ma anyway. Between the two of 'em it's easy enough ta just spread it out and bank it with their tips every coupla days." Spanner and Blue look at him funny and he asks, "What?"

"Nothin'." Blue dismisses, shaking his head, expression turning amused. "Party Friday for the New York boys that are here, any chance you'll show?"

Knowing that this is not a question, but a very nicely worded order, he nods. "Yeah, I think I can drop by for a bit." Like when the Charming guys had been here, he has a good impression to make. Time to play 'devoted hangaround'. It must've been a surprise visit, because he's sure Blue would've warned him if he'd known. He's not going to quite the same extreme as he had a few months before, though. He'll come to parties, even hang out on days he wouldn't normally, but he's leaving when he feels like it.

When he realizes that means he'll be here on both Friday and Saturday nights, he has to hide his disappointment. Ever since that first time, he and Jess have taken to doing a movie night in which they don't actually watch much of the movie, but instead eat junk food they don't normally most of the week and talk about whatever comes up.

"I should, uh, probably get back to work, if there wasn't anything else?" he asks, looking around at the men. Blue looks curious, but shakes his head, dismissing him, and there's a round of nods as he turns to depart back to the garage, pulling his personal phone out as he does to text Jess.

'Hey i just found out im busy this wknd. Can we do movie 2nite or sun instead?'

The reply is in before he even gets back to his station. 'Sure. wutevers better 4 u.' is followed almost immediately by 'u kno i dont have a life' .

He scowls a little, but she's not exactly wrong. He just wishes she'd get out more. JC'd been trying to convince her to find a job, just for something to do.

Apparently her parents would have some kind of issue with it though, and she doesn't want to risk it. He wonders how they'd even know. She's 18, she doesn't need their permission for anything, and they aren't around. Ever. But she'd mumbled something about rules and a trust fund and blushed before changing the subject. Money is one of the few things she's hesitant to talk about. Jess seems incredibly embarrassed, or resentful, of her parent's wealth, and hers by proxy.

'I'll make u dinner 2nite to say sry 4 changing last minute.' he sends back decisively.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Happy walks into his house from the garage and has to pause to take in the sight he finds in the living room.

It's a Thursday, and he'd been out all day dealing with some club shit with Cooler only for them to get back to the clubhouse and find that New York had made a surprise visit. Now, he's home, and sees the first real evidence he's found of JC's age he's seen in the almost 9 months the guy had been living with him.

The neighbor girl is on the couch, laying mostly on top of JC. They're both asleep while the title page for some DVD plays on the TV.

He's been vaguely aware that the girl has been over once a week or so, and that JC sometimes goes next door to hang out with her. But now, seeing how he's got his arms wrapped around her, both of them definitely looking more like teenagers relaxed in sleep, Happy realizes he should maybe be paying a little more attention.

Walking over, he taps a finger on JC forehead until his roommate's eyes pop open, clearly annoyed, then a mix of panicked and embarrassed as he realizes he's been caught cuddling the little neighbor girl on their couch.

"Lemme get her up and home." JC mutters lowly, clearly waiting for Happy to vacate the room before actually rousing the girl.

Happy grins evilly as he moves off into his studio, but not closing the door, letting JC know he's in for a world of teasing. He listens and watches what he can, catching all the material he can, as JC turns the movie off before running a hand over her back to rouse her, and the girl shoots up off him as soon as she realizes what position they're in, face redder than her hair.

"Sorry!" she starts, but JC cuts her off.

"It's cool, we both fell asleep." he says. "An' I've been in way worse positions than a pretty girl deciding I make a good teddy bear." he teases gently.

She clears her throat awkwardly as she gets up and there's some shuffling that Happy assumes is her slipping on the flipflops that had been by the door and putting on a sweater or something. "I should get home. You work tomorrow, right? I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep in an actual bed."

Hap catches a glimpse of a grin on JC's face as he stands and moves over toward the door, then hears the younger man's reply, though it is clearly pitched at a volume he wasn't meant to.

"We should do the whole dinner thing more often. Maybe I can even talk you into going out to a restaurant for it sometime." It's not the worst line he's ever heard, but it doesn't exactly make sense, so there must be some inside joke there.

The girl's voice is higher as she answers, but there's some attitude there too, and he can see the appeal. "Oh, yeah, you gonna make me get on your bike for the first time in the rain?"

JC chuckles in response as the slight snicking sound of the door unlocking and opening also sounds. "Or we can take your car, since you obviously don't trust me to keep you safe on the bike."

"I trust you." her voice is a little further away, now mixed with the slight dripping sound from the light rain. "It just seems awful cold and wet to ride in this weather." there's a pause, then her voice is even further away as she calls, "You don't have to watch me the whole way, I'm pretty sure I can make it the 50 feet to my door without incident."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna stand here and make sure you get inside without tripping and cracking your head open." JC answers, and Happy realizes he must be standing on the front porch to make sure she gets back to her house alright.

Determining she's gone enough, he walks out of the studio and confirms that, watching as JC stands outside, barefoot and staring off toward the neighbor's house, for maybe 45 more seconds before turning and coming back in, relocking the door with a sigh before declaring, "Fine, lay it on me."

"Cute little girlfriend you got there." Happy immediately says.

JC has the balls to smirk right to his face as he retorts, "Well, she thought we were a gay couple at first, so if I can ever get around to taking her on a real date, it'll be progress." He laughs as Happy's face contorts into one of shocked disgust.

"Dude, you're like my kid brother. That's sick." Hap says.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I told her. I think she's mostly convinced by now." JC tells him, moving to put the DVD away in his big case and start shutting off lights for the night.

Shocked out of the worst of his teasing mood, but still curious exactly how much he's missed happening right under his nose, Happy asks, "Is she even legal? She looks like she's still in high school or some shit."

"Technically, she is, but, yes, she's 18. Last November. She's almost done with school - she homeschools, which is why you never see her coming or going." he obviously anticipated Happy's next questions. "Her dad's a pilot, so he's never home, and her mom lives in New York, so she's basically got the place to herself except a couple weekends a year when he decides to pop in and make sure she's still alive."

Happy almost makes a comment about JC catching himself a barely-legal one, then remembers that JC himself only just turned 20 last week. It's only a year and a half difference. He forgets just how young the guy is a lot of the time.

"So, not gonna find more cougars in the new 'hood?" he teases instead. "Exactly how blue are your balls? Or is she putting out already?"

"No, I'm not, and she's not like that." JC's tone goes hard as he glares at Happy even as they both turn to head upstairs. Hap realizes he's serious about this girl as the kid goes on. "Ain't the end of the world to get friendly with my hand for awhile until I know where this is headed."

He's so serious about her he doesn't even want to risk getting his rocks off with another chick when him and the girl aren't even dating yet? Oh, shit. JC got it baaad for this girl.

With a sigh, Hap says the thing he knows isn't going to go down well. "You know you gotta check her out, right? It's SOP for people getting close to the club."

JC takes it better than Happy thought he would. The response is still less than encouraging, though. "Yeah, but I gotta be careful. She's got some skills too, so I have to be discreet. I'm sure she'll have alerts on searches run on her. It's hacker 101."

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Saturday rolls around and JC is hangin' out. The 3 New York guys that have accompanied Harry have, surprisingly, taken to him rather quickly.

JC is amused. Not because they seem to like him, but because Happy is like a kid that has been ordered to share his favorite toy by his father, sulking and brooding and glaring as his self-appointed kid brother hangs out with the other charter.

Koz, at one point, has to yank Happy out of it with a muttered, "Will you knock it the fuck off? You know he can't go back east if he even wants to, and Blue asked him to be a good little hangaround when other charters are in town. You acting like a jealous boyfriend isn't the vibe we need to be giving off here."

Happy's glare turns on his longtime friend. "Why does everyone think that? First his little girlfriend, now you? He's my brother. He just doesn't have a kutte yet."

Eyes sparkling with interest, Koz latches onto the juicy tidbit that had slipped out. "Girlfriend? Since when?"

With a sigh, Hap tries to fix his slip. He knew better than to say anything about the girl around the guys or the clubhouse, but he is feeling weirdly possessive of JC - who he considers more and more 'his prospect' with every day the kid helps out at the garage and occasionally in the clubhouse, despite the kid not being a prospect - with the other New Yorkers in the house, and it's irking him. "Ain't official, and you can't say shit to him about it." he tells the blonde man sternly. "Neighbor girl is under his skin. Deep. They been doin' little movie nights and hangin' out."

"Man, you can't tell me shit like that and expect me to not say anything!" Kozik whines quietly. They're quiet for a minute, watching the party around them, and JC halfway across the room talking to the visitors in particular. Then Koz smirks. "You know, last time we had officers visiting from another charter, JC got in the ring."

Happy smirks too. Great idea. "I have been trainin' him for months, now. I'd say it's about time we saw if it's doin' any good."

"Prospect's comin' up on his year; been awhile since he's been in the ring, too." Kozik is now grinning. "You grab JC, I'll get Jakey-boy."

Hands drops down on each of JC's shoulders and squeeze firmly, breaking him out of conversation with Jig, one of the SAMNYC guys. Before he can turn his head, he recognizes his roommate's low, raspy voice right behind him. "Time to see if that trainin's payin' off."

JC groans, but knows better than to argue. Not in front of visiting members.

"At least tell me it ain't Gary again." he pleads as he abandons his beer and stands. The other hangaround hadn't taken his defeat gracefully, and the animosity has only increased since their fight nearly 6 months earlier.

"It's not Gary." Hap says flatly, wrapping one hand around the back of JC's neck to guide him outside.

"What's goin' on?" Spider, another of the New York guys asks.

"FIGHT!" Koz shouts as he pushes Jake out from behind the bar.

"Seriously?" JC sighs even as he continues walking, knowing he isn't getting out of it.

He can hear the amusement in Happy's voice as he says, "Prospect is up for a vote soon, we gotta see what he's made of."

Great. So now he not only has to fight, he has to fight Jake, who he has become pretty decent friends with, and make sure they both look good, no matter who wins, because they both got people to impress. Fan-fucking-tastic.

At least it's a relatively nice night out. It hadn't rained the last 2 days, but the thick cloud cover had stuck around, holding some of the scant, late- winter heat over the city. It's still barely in the 50s, but that's practically springtime compared to the mid-30's it'd been earlier in the week. As they're ushered over to the ring, customary crowd forming, JC's eyes meet Jake's, and they both know what has to happen, and start stripping out of everything from the waist up.

Unlike last time, there's jeers heavily mixed with the cheering as JC tests the tape on his hands, much more expertly wrapped this time after months of doing it to practice on the bags at home, and climbs up into the ring. All the members know what this is. Two of the lowest-ranking people in the crowd, duking it out for no real reason except the entertainment of the higher-ranking members.

There's some small consolation in the fact that the crowd is smaller this time. Not practically every member had come outside to watch the fight. Only maybe a third are crowded around the raised platform, and only a couple hangarounds and women had come out.

Just before the bell dings, JC hears one wolf whistle and a half-shouted comment about him working out that he immediately shoves out of his mind to deal with later.

Fighting with Jake isn't so different from the occasional sparring matches him and Hap have at home. They're friends, and neither of them want to be up there right now, so there isn't a ton of force behind any of their hits - they have to land solidly for the sake of the show they're putting on, but there's no feeling behind it. No anger, or bitterness. JC's mind doesn't go to that place where all it can process is each hit as it comes and how he's responding.

The two do work together without saying a word about it, though, to put on a good show. JC will back off ever so slightly, letting Jake speed up and land a good combo, making it look like he's getting the upper hand, then Jake will 'get sloppy' and leave a deliberate opening for JC to get some return hits in, putting him on his back foot for a minute. When the bell dings to call the first round, Jake has a bloody nose, and JC has a smear of blood down his chin from a slightly split lip, and they have both broken a sweat, but they break apart immediately, heading for corners to grab the bottles of water that are being handed up by various guys.

They ramp it up a little for the second round, and again for the third, then the assholes make them go a fourth round, and, by then, both Jake and JC are just fucking annoyed, so they actually do start pounding on each other a little harder.

Kozik is the ringmaster for this little show, and tries to make them go for a round five, but JC doesn't even put up his hands, instead just raising an eyebrow at Jake when the bell is rung and tipping his head toward the corner where Koz is standing, half-shouting trying to egg them on. Jake has a minute of looking unsure before his face takes on a very irritated expression to match JC's, and he turns, JC following him as they bum-rush a shocked Kozik, pulling him into the middle of the ring, JC wrestling his arms behind his back while Jake gets a few licks in, the crowd around them hooting and roaring with laughter.

Not wanting to push their luck, they let him go after a minute, both declaring some version of 'fuck you, we're done' before moving to hop down and take towels that had been brought out at some point and drying off some of the sweat before they collect their shit.

It was a gamble, but they are, luckily, met with guffaws at their balls for calling a halt to it as they had, and slaps on the back as they move back inside.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"Please tell me we're going out to dinner while you look like this so everyone thinks I beat the crap out of you." Jess says as she stands in her open door Sunday morning, staring at JC.

He doesn't look as bad as after his last fight, but he's got one hell of a shiner and his bottom lip is puffy and split. Rolling his eyes, JC pushes gently past her into the house, kicking off his shoes by the door. "Yeah, everyone will totally believe that a scrawny little girl that weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet did this to me." He does his best not to ogle her in the flannel pajama pants and nearly see-through tank top she's wearing, clearly either not dressed for the day yet, or not intending to get out of her jammies that day at all.

"115, and it's not like you're THAT much bigger than me. You're, what, 5'10", tops?" she retorts, shutting the door and moving back to where she'd been on the couch, apparently watching the Cartoon Network, while JC move to help himself to the half-full, but still hot, pot of coffee in the kitchen.

"5'11", and 50 more pounds of muscle than you." he half-snorts out as he pours a cup of coffee and walks back to join her on the couch. Settling next to her on the couch, intentionally closer than you would sit with a casual friend (just to see her reaction - there isn't one, either to move closer or further away), he changes the topic to what he's really curious about. "Can I ask you an awkward question?"

This at least gets her head to turn and an eyebrow raised before she says, "Sure?"

"Why won't you get a job? Really. I get that you don't need one, and you have friends online, and now me next door, but still…. It must get lonely. Bein' here by yourself all day every day, with almost no human interaction. I'd go nuts."

She looks back toward the TV, but he thinks she isn't really watching it this time so much as using it as an excuse to not look at him as she answers. With a small shrug, she says, "I mean, I have my cat, so I'm not totally alone." Before he can protest at her not answering the real question, she heaves a big breath and seems to resign herself, opening her mouth again. "My grandparents were pretty well-off. On both sides. Not, like, old-money wealthy like you'd see back east, but doin' damn good for themselves, y'know? In the, 'when we die, our money will become that 'family money' way. They sorta arranged my parents marriage. Not formally, but…. Essentially. When it got obvious my parents were living together but screwing other people, and not having kids, the 4 of them got together and had their wills changed. Only a child between my parents would result in inheritance, and, even then, the majority of it would go to the child. So, along came me about a year later." Jess pauses for a few seconds and closes her eyes to gather her thoughts before going on. "There's a lot of stipulations, though. Stuff in pretty dense legal-ese about me not working before I have a college degree. If I choose to work, they wanted me to have a big career like my grandfathers and both my parents, and not get stuck in some menial job. Ironically, nothing about who I marry, though I suspect at least a couple of them saw the mistake they made trying to matchmake with my parents and figured it was better to just let that be."

"Wow." JC has no idea what else to say. It's a concept so far outside of the world he's from, he doesn't know how to respond.

"Yeah, I know how ridiculous it sounds. And if most of them were still alive, I'd beg them to change it, but both my grandfathers died before I was 10, and one of my grandmothers passed when I was 13. Grandma June is still around, but she's remarried and her new husband approves of the whole thing so much that he made me his sole heir under the same stipulations… and he IS back-east old-money. He only had one son from his first marriage, and he died in Desert Storm before marrying or having any children, so…. I'm it. I've only even met the guy a handful of times. It's so weird." Jess tells him looking blankly toward the TV again. "And between my parents never really wanting me to begin with and then the fact that I'm getting most of what they consider their inheritance….. Well, lets just say I don't anticipate my father living here much longer once I graduate. And I'll be fine with that, it's not like he's ever here anyway."

"Your dad would move out instead of kicking you out?" is the next confused question.

"The house was bought by my grandparents when my mom got pregnant and put in my name once I was born. Even if that wasn't the case, it goes back to all that legalese that I have to be supported at least through college, since I can't work, or my parents don't get their portion of everything." by now, Jess is slumping back into the couch, pulling in on herself.

Wrapping his arm around her, JC pulls her into his side, rubbing her upper arm. "Sorry, I had no idea it was that dramatic. I thought it was somethin' stupid I could talk you around about." His mind is still boggling at the reality of what she'd just told him, but he is sorry he'd made her talk about something she's obviously not comfortable discussing.

She sighs and relaxes into him a little, which pleases him. "It's okay, you didn't know. And, honestly, I would just say 'fuck all of 'em' and live my life, but…. It's A LOT of money. Like, enough that being bored and isolated for a few years is worth it. Besides, I start college in the fall, and they also didn't put stipulations on what degree I had to get or what school I have to go to. Just that I have to go and get one from a 'reputable school'. That's open to interpretation, so I've already applied to and been accepted at Evergreen here in Tacoma for next school year."

"And Mr Old Money is okay with that?" he asks curiously.

She shrugs slightly. "He's old money, and just plain old on top of it. Women with careers is a little newfangled for his taste. Me going to a local, well-regarded school for the sake of getting an education is plenty for him. He expects me to only have a job to keep me occupied until I marry - rich, of course - and become a housewife, so what's really the point of going to an ivy league school?" here she snorts. "Thank god THAT's not required in the fine print. It's just his personal preference."

They lapse into silence as she goes back to watching her cartoons and JC thinks about all this new information.

He'd known her family, and her by association, were well-off, but damn. She's 18 and owns this fairly large, beautiful home in one of the older and nicer areas of Tacoma, that Hap had only been able to afford to buy in because the place had been mostly destroyed on the inside. She doesn't seem to care too much about money - even disdain it a little for the fact that it had meant she didn't get a real family growing up-, so it must be a pretty substantial amount for her to be willing to give in and play by the rules for years for the sake of getting it.

And she's still comfortably tucked into his side, with his arm wrapped around her. That, at least, he thinks he can make sense of fairly easily. Shifting a little to get more comfortable himself, he pulls her closer and turns his attention to the episode of Ed, Edd, 'n' Eddy on the TV in front of them, deciding to enjoy the late Sunday morning instead of overthinking.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

He had heard the expression 'April showers bring May flowers' before, but JC had no idea what it really meant until this year. Springtime hit the Pacific Northwest like a train, the constant drizzle with intermittent real rain turning into heavy rains with intermittent sunbreaks nearly overnight at the end of March.

That was a new word he learned too. Sunbreaks. Because those are a thing. Breaks in the rain and cloudcover for little pockets of sunshine.

The New York guys had only stayed for a week, thankfully, so he didn't have to go through another bout of a few weeks hanging out constantly at the clubhouse.

"Hey, I have Thursday off, I was thinkin' about headin' up to the city to do some touristy shit. You wanna come with?" JC asks Jess in the last weekend of April as they sit and have coffee on Sunday, as had become their routine the past few weeks.

She turns and looks at him with a disbelieving expression, which turns to comprehension after a minute. "Shit. No one's told you."

Now wracking his brain for what he may have forgotten, he asks, "Told me what?"

"Thursday's May Day." She says, as though that's significant. When he still looks confused , she says, "Hold on." and hops up to run upstairs, coming back a moment later with her laptop. Settling next to him again, she quickly pulls up a web browser, tapping 'May Day Seattle' into the search bar and sliding it over to his lap. "You really don't want to go into the city on Thursday."

He scrolls through headlines about protests and riots and arrests and damage, still not entirely sure what he's looking at. "What is all this?"

"4 years ago, the World Trade Organization was meeting in Seattle, and massive protests were planned. It….. went bad. Very bad. Fast. Lotta people got hurt, arrested. Violent protesters were smashing cars and breaking windows on storefronts downtown, people were looting. The cops were tear-gassing everyone, even non-protesters that were just people walking to work." Jess explains, sadly. "Now, it's a yearly thing. There's always been immigration and labor marches on May Day, but that's, like, an international thing."

"Yeah, that happens in New York, too." he confirms.

"Yeah, well, since '99, Seattle's become a destination city for violent protest. Downtown gets completely boarded up, businesses shut down so their employees aren't in danger going to and from work, and there's still a ton of damage."

"Fuck." JC says, shaking his head a little and setting the computer on the coffee table. "Guess that plan is scrapped. Got any other ideas?"

Jess thinks for a minute before starting to chew on her lip and looking up at him. "We could go to a more traditional May Day thing…. But it's kinda a long drive. Like, a whole day-trip."

Grinning, JC says, "I get a whole day with you? Count me in. Can we take the bike?" He had finally gotten her to go for a ride with him a few weeks earlier - just a short one around town when the afternoon had been sunny - and he's now determined to have her on his bike as much as she'll agree to.

Rolling her eyes a little, Jess somewhat agrees. "If the weather looks okay. We're going over a mountain pass, I refuse to do it on a motorcycle in the rain."

Thursday rolls around and it's dumping rain hard enough that JC doesn't even say anything as they pile into her '01 Cavalier (her only 16th birthday present, from her remaining grandparents, he'd learned) earlier in the morning than he's even usually awake on his days off.

"Why are we leaving this early?" he asks from the passenger seat, half-asleep.

"Because it's a couple hours' drive, and I'm stopping at a great breakfast place on the way." Jess answers, already aiming the car for the nearest coffee stand to get both of them caffeinated. "CDs are in the glove box." she points in front of him between shifting, appeasing him by allowing him to pick their music.

JC reaches forward and pulls out a small CD book, flipping it open to find about 2 dozen discs, some of which he owns, others he's never heard of. Not that that surprises him, her tastes are much more eclectic than his, though there is overlap. It's too early to blast anything, so he puts in the Korn cd and turns the volume down as they get in line at the coffee stand out off of the main road that will take them to the freeway.

They chat sporadically, but are mostly quiet for the next hour as Jess navigates morning commuter traffic up the 405, pulling just off the freeway and into a parking lot. Breakfast at the popular cafe is as good as she promised, and she glares as JC pays for their meal, glaring harder several minutes later when he also beats her to the gas pump, sticking his credit card in to pay for the gas going into the car.

"You know I can afford my own shit." Jess growls at him, arms crossed even as he stands, smugly pumping gas into her tank.

Grinning at her, he asks, "Yeah, but what kinda date would this be if I let you pay?"

Jess's face morphs into a shocked expression for a moment before she recovers her annoyance. "Well, if you don't let me pay for at least some stuff, it's gonna be damn long and expensive, because we still have like 2 more hours driving, all day in Leavenworth, and the drive home."

It's JC's turn to be taken aback. "Leavenworth? Like, the prison?"

This makes her crack a smile. "No, like the Bavarian town on the east side of the mountains."

He's only more confused as the gas pump cuts itself off when her tank is full and he automatically replaces the nozzle. She explains where exactly they're going as she drives them out through increasingly rural areas, now heading against traffic, and JC looks out the window while they talk and listen to the low music that he keeps the CD changed out on as each one comes to an end, realizing exactly how beautiful this place he lives now is, and how little of it he's really seen.

"You come to this Leavenworth place much?" he questions at one point, looking out the windows at the looming mountain range they are heading towards, now more than a little glad she'd insisted on taking the car. Taking the bike for this ride will be cool once he knows where he's going, but it's nice to have her in charge and be able to chat with her for this. Especially now that he has managed to get away with calling it a date.

"Not recently, but when I was little, a few of my nannies took me to stuff there. There's big events throughout the year. This May Day festival, Oktoberfest, of course, because it's a German-themed town. At Christmas, there's a really cool tree-lighting ceremony. Other, smaller things, too. Especially in the summer." Jess tells him.

"I'm realizing how little of the area I've actually seen since I've been here. I explored around outside of Tacoma a little last summer, did some of the basic tourist shit in Seattle, but that's really it." JC tells her.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to show you around properly this year." Jess declares. Getting a mischievous look, she turns her head toward him briefly and asks, "So, city boy, you ever been camping?"

He almost doesn't realize they are now in the mountains before they are heading upward, the 2-lane highway winding through small towns in the foothills hiding how close to the pass they are before abruptly taking a turn upward. Just as unannounced, they pass through one final, tiny town, then a ski resort, now closed for the summer, and begin heading down again, then are pulling into yet another little town, this one bearing a sign declaring it their destination. There had been a moderate amount of other cars on the road with them, and most of them appear to be heading for the same place, as the small town is bustling with people, even at not-yet 10 am.

JC's never been to Germany, and so is unable to comment on the authenticity, but the exposed beams and whitewashed siding on most of the buildings definitely give an air of what he thinks some little town in a forest in Germany would be like. The guys walking around in lederhosen and playing accordions only lend to that.

Reaching down to thread his fingers between Jess's once they're a little away from the car, he watches a blush spread across her cheeks at his action and grins, asking, "Where to first?"

They spend the day wandering around without much intention, talking and poking through the various shops. There's a couple sweet shops, where they both buy things, and a cheesemonger and butcher, where Jess leaves with a massive bag while JC carries a much more reasonable one.

"What are you even gonna do with all of that cheese and sausage?" he asks teasingly.

She'd gotten about 2 pounds of cheese and nearly twice that in sausage. "My lunch is usually something like salami and cheese and crackers with some fruit or something, because I don't need anything massive, and we've already established that I'm lazy about food. This is lunch for, like, the next month." Jess informs him. She'd asked for most of it to be vacuum sealed in the shop, so it'll last easily.

They make a stop at the car to drop their purchases so far in the trunk, then wander off again, in search of a restaurant for lunch, as it's now after 1. After eating - and more glaring as JC again pays for their meal, the pair finds themselves at the town square, where a giant May Pole is set up, children taking turns grabbing ribbons and weaving in and out of each other around it.

Watching the laughing families is fun for a bit, then they head off again, still hand-in-hand, to continue exploring, buying a couple things from the street vendors and some more shops they hadn't hit before. Jess only raises an eyebrow the first JC pulls out what is obviously a fake ID to buy liter bottles of beer, getting one or two at most shops that have it - which is most of them - to take home.

Around 4, they call it a day and climb back in the car.

It had been overcast, but not rainy, thankfully, though that changes just as they start going down the west side of the pass on the way home, water pelting the windscreen mercilessly.

JC finds it a surprisingly peaceful scene, sitting in the car with Jess, driving down the highway with the heavy rain and quiet music, neither really feeling the need to talk just to fill the quiet. But that's one of the things he likes so much about her - the real her, not the one he'd built up in his head. She's so content to just… be. It's very calming to him. Soothing, even, to not have to constantly engage. He won't claim to be any kind of relationship expert, but he's had a few girlfriends before, and all of them had wanted his attention to always be on them. He had never been able to play video games or even really be around friends if they were also there. Even watching movies was sometimes hard.

Jess doesn't demand that, though. If he's in one of his hyperactive moods, and is a constant stream of chatter, she'll just let him run his mouth, occasionally commenting while she does whatever, and if he's not, then one of them will talk if they have something they feel like saying. And if they don't, she's totally chill with just having the music, or movie, or video game, or tapping of keyboards as they're both on their laptops while they hang out.

It's still raining as they exit the foothills, but not as hard.

"I don't think I can do 3 meals out in a day, but if you're hungry, we can stop somewhere. I think the next town has a few restaurants." she says as they leave the dense forest behind, scenery opening up to some fields and farmland.

"Nah, I'm good. Probably just snack when we get home." JC agrees with her assessment after a moment of thought. Resting his hand over hers on the shifter between the seats, he thinks it's adorable that he's basically been holding her hand all day, and she's still blushing about it. That makes him wonder what she's going to do when they get home and he kisses her goodnight.

He doesn't have to wait too long to find out. In her garage, they sort out their things from her trunk, the bags having been thrown in rather haphazardly, but before JC picks his up to take them back over to his and Hap's place, he turns toward her, tugging her gently to face him.

"Thanks for taking me today. I had a lot of fun." he tells her, unable to stop grinning even as she smiles sweetly up at him.

"I'm glad. I had fun too. It's been a long time since I've been there, and hanging out with you all day was pretty rad." Jess replies, already slightly pink in the cheeks.

Reaching up a hand to cup her face and run a thumb over the pink in her cheek, JC watches it deepen to red as he asks, "We just gonna ignore that I declared it a date?"

She shrugs minutely. "I didn't know if you were joking…."

In response, JC leans down to capture her lips with his, feeling her immediately freeze, even stopping breathing, but he persists, pulling her closer to his body and moving his mouth gently over hers until her body forces her to pull in a breath and she makes a somewhat clumsy attempt to kiss him back. That's totally fine with him. He knows it's very caveman of him, but that fact that he's the first and, therefore, only guy to ever touch her this way is something that pleases him. He wouldn't call himself possessive, and he has no problem with women doing what they please with their bodies, but there is a tiny part of his brain that is happy that this girl, who he likes so very much, has never been kissed before he did it just now.

Pulling back, he runs a hand over her soft hair, which had been taken down out of her usual ponytail at some point on the ride home, and says, "Saturday dinner and movie like normal?"

Jess hesitates slightly before answering. "... Or we could go out for it?"

JC grins even more stupidly than he already was. "I'll be over to pick you up at 7." is his only reply before leaning down to peck one final kiss on her lips then let her go to grab his bags and turn to head next door, looking back once to see her still standing and watching him go.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"The kid's just a hangaround, and he's not even totally convinced he wants to prospect. I'm not here to even petition for him specifically, he's just the guy that started us up north thinkin' about it. It's a matter of principle. Besides the rule being outdated for the times, it's potentially keeping guys from joining up who would be damn good assets to the club. JC is only a hangaround and he's helped out Tacoma several times with intel, and does work for NYC regularly - Jackson's the one set that up." he pauses a moment to motion at the VP for effect. "If he were a brother, he could be trusted with a lot more sensitive work, and be absolutely invaluable to us as a whole club. Who the hell knows how many other guys there are out there like him that look at our MC and don't even consider it because they either have dark skin and know they aren't welcome, or think that the rule is obscene and just don't want any part of it?" Blue makes his speech at the Redwood table.

It's been a handful of years since he's sat at the table of his home charter, timing having never been great for ranking officers to be making long trips with the intermittent war with the Mayans. Last time he'd been down in Charming was just after JT's death some 6 years before.

Looking around, he sees about the reactions he'd expected. Clay is already thinking about how the kid can be leveraged, trying to hide it behind a mask of it being 'about the club'. He knows Jax, Bobby, and Chibs are already on board, and Opie, Chrome, and 8-ball are all making some kind of agreeing or favorable motion. Tig just looks thoughtful, like the idea is a new concept he's neither in favor of or against, that he needs to mull for a bit. Piney has a conflicted expression - Blue had purposefully put it in a way that's too logical for the old goat to deny, but the coot is still stuck in Vietnam. The Kyle kid, their newest patch, is the surprise. He looks nonplussed in a way that makes Blue think he may fit in a bit too well over in the Nord camp outside of town.

He wonders how the kid does with handling club shit with an attitude like that. They've done business with every color peacefully - it's just specific clubs that have come after them that they take issue with.

Spanner and Show are with him, and meet his eyes stoically as he looks at them. Obviously, they're both in favor of change, and JC prospecting. He wouldn't have brought anyone that wasn't, not that anyone in Tacoma really qualifies as opposing either. There's some guys that don't really have an opinion, but the general tone is favorable. He's got a good bunch of boys up there.

On the flip side, he'd had to force Cooler, Happy, and Kozik - his top enforcers, who would've been his go-tos for muscle and protection on any other trip - all to stay home. They're all far too vehement about getting JC in. It would've hurt the cause more than helped, and that's not even taking into account the history between Koz and Tig, which would've put Tig automatically against the idea just on the principle that Koz wants it so bad.

"You understand this isn't something we can just hear one argument on and throw a vote around?" Clay asks rhetorically, prompting Blue to nod understandingly. He'd known that as well. This is just the idea pitch.

"I know. It's just somethin' we've been talkin' about up in Tacoma for long enough now that it's starting to cause a little unrest that there hasn't been any action to even talk to our Mother Charter about some change." Not an exaggeration. In fact, he's downplaying it. He gets questions weekly from various guys about when they're going to do something about it, now that the idea is in their heads. It's largely about JC - the kid's well liked around the clubhouse, and everyone knows how good he is at digging around for intel. But, again, Charming doesn't need to know that.

"Exactly how long has Tacoma been talkin' about this?" Piney's gruff, skeptical voice comes from the other end of the table.

Blue looks to Spanner for confirmation, asking, "Oh, what is it now, 6 or so months?"

"Closer to 7." his Secretary corrects placidly. "We'd just brought it up for the first time a few weeks before Jax, Bobby, and Chibby came up for a visit."

"Yeah, we could definitely tell there was interest around the kid. Lee mentioned a few of the guys were disappointed he couldn't prospect, and why." Jax comments.

"Surprised Hap's not down here to plead tha case with ya." Chibs interjects cannily.

Blue hides his annoyance. "Wanted to make sure you guys know this is about the bigger issue. Hap's one of my best guys - probably my best enforcer, guy will do anything for the club - but he's a little too close to JC to keep it on the big picture with this one."

There's a few moments of silence before Clay asks the table as a whole if there's more questions or any other business while they're here. When it's head shakes all around, he declares, "Well, everyone think on it. Obviously, I'll call Wally and Harry, get their take on it. Original charter changes, we want all the First 9 opinions we have available. Everyone knows the deal - it has to be unanimous, and if it gets shot down, it can't be voted on again for another year." With a bang of the gavel, he makes a final announcement of , "72 hours to make your decision, boys. Let's party."

The men from Tacoma stand along with the others, exchanging looks as they filter out to join the Charming sweetbutts and hangarounds for the traditional Friday night party.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"You should come to the party tonight. Like half the guys are out on runs right now - you actually stand a decent chance of the sweetbutts payin' you some attention." Happy says as he holds the heavy bag, critiquing JC's technique as he works on combos. "I know you been waitin' for the neighbor girl, but, seriously dude, at least get your dick sucked while you wait."

To his surprise, JC doesn't get up in arms about the suggestion at all. He doesn't take it either, though. "I can't." is the simple reply between reps.

Hap feels one of his brows go up and he asks, "What, somethin' wrong with your dick now?" somewhat teasingly, but also now half-worried. The kid had gone from banging multiple housewives a week to nothing basically overnight. Hap's not an expert on relationships, but he definitely knows dudes, and a 20 year old straight dude turning down chances to get laid consistently, for months, is an oddity.

JC, however, grins at him a bit bashfully. "I got a date."

Surprised, Happy motions for him to take a water break and moves to lean against a nearby wall. "Neighbor girl?"

"Jess." JC corrects him on her name. "And, yeah. We went out on this day trip thing on Thursday. We usually do our movie nights on Saturdays while you're at church and the party. She suggested makin' it a going-out thing this week." The guy is grinning so wide he can barely drink out of the bottle of water without spilling everywhere.

The older man nods to indicate he's listening, but his mind is now racing. Will this girl affect whether JC ultimately decides to prospect or not? Is a girlfriend going to ruin everything they've been working for to slowly bring JC around to the idea? The more ties he has pulling him away, the more split his attention will be even if he does join. Shit. He should've been getting to know this girl for months so he knew what he's dealing with here. It's moments like this that Happy realizes that he still has a lot to learn, even if he gets told all the time that he's the most brutal enforcer the club has seen in a long time. He's great at eliminating threats by way of violence, but he can't just kill the girl because his roommate-slash-pet-hangaround might decide not to prospect because of her. Interpersonal shit is really not his area.

"What does she think about the club? Did you ever run that check on her?" he asks, careful to keep his voice curious.

JC shrugs slightly before answering. "We haven't really discussed the club. She knows you're in it, and I work for the garage and do occasional side work for the club, and hasn't said anything against it. I don't think she really has an opinion one way or the other. I checked as much as I could without throwing up any flags. Like I said when you told me to do it the first time, she hacks too, so I can only dig so much. But everything I found points to her being exactly who she says she is."

"And who is that?" is the next question. At least she isn't some straight-laced, uppity bitch, if she's a hacker too. If she has a foot on the wrong side of the law, maybe she won't be as much of a problem as he's now worrying about.

"An 18 year old girl whose parents didn't want her, who's had to homeschool herself since middle school after getting expelled 3 times, who barely ever leaves her house except to go running a few times a week and go to the grocery store." JC says simply, trying to give some context about her without digging too deep into her personal history with him.

Happy's eyebrows knit together. This girl just keeps becoming more of a question mark with everything he hears. "So she's some kinda hermit?"

The younger man shrugs again. "Kinda. She insists she just doesn't really have any reason to leave the house. There's some complicated family shit that feeds into it…. I didn't really get it for a long time, but I think, what it boils down to is, she doesn't like being out around people, seein' everything she doesn't have. Or answering questions. People see a teenager running around with her own cell phone and debit card doin' adult shit that her parents should be takin' care of, someone's bound to ask what's goin' on at some point."

Okay, maybe she'll actually do better with the club then he anticipated. Fucked up family situation background and a level enough head to be discreet about doing what she needs to do to take care of her shit actually gives her a fighting chance at doing well in the 1% life.

"She lives alone?"

"Sorta. I guess her dad technically uses that as his legal address, but he's a pilot for some international airline, and only comes back to check on her like once a year since she hit 13. She sends him emails with updates about school and shit about every other month, and he sends her back a one-sentence reply basically to let her know he got it. She has to forge his signature on all her school shit." JC snorts. "Her mom lives in Manhattan. Her assistant sends Jess cards on her birthday and at Christmas, and she occasionally has to fly over there to visit for a couple weeks where she sees her mom like twice for meals and otherwise just bums around the city doing whatever."

Poor little rich girl. But a resourceful one. Happy's really gonna have to try and reserve judgement here, which isn't the easiest feat, but he can see she has had her share of struggles despite being obviously more financially privileged than he had been all his life. He'd take his hard-working, but poor, ma who loves him more than life over a ton of money and two parents that obviously don't give a shit any day.

Deciding that he can't really push the mini-interrogation much further without JC getting suspicious, he motions over to the speed bag and starts taking JC through a set to work on that, then moves back to the heavy bag himself to start his routine while he contemplates this unexpected speedbump.

The girls being at their beck and call tend to be a huge draw for guys; few come in with wives or girlfriends, fewer keep them through prospecting and patching in for the chicks to become Old Ladies. But JC is serious about this girl, and Happy is nervous about what that's going to mean for his future with the club. He hadn't told his friend that Blue, Show, and Spanner are down in Charming this very weekend initiating the vote to change the bylaw.

Jake's year is up at the end of the month, and he's been solid, so it's almost certain to go through. They don't like being without a prospect for too long - no one wants to do the grunt work once they're a full patch -, and if JC can't be convinced to agree relatively quickly, they'll have to start talks about the other hangarounds. If he can be convinced later, they can always have more than one, but the drama with the hangarounds and him is always teetering on the edge of explosive, and if the club has to pick someone else to prospect, the other hangarounds may very well start shit with JC about him not getting the bid, even if it would be his own choice, and that would only push him further away and make the club's job more difficult to convince him to accept.

Hell, they'll probably have to take at least 2 anyway. Even if they get JC, they'll have to take one of the other hangarounds as well to keep them from rioting.

Shit, he's gonna have to bring this up at Church. He hates talking at Church. Tacoma's a big charter - 25 people now - and even with half of the guys out on runs, he doesn't like the thought of everyone looking at him. It makes him itchy. He prefers to operate in the shadows, being one of the crowd, or working with a small group to accomplish whatever needs to be done.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

There's a contemplative silence after Happy stops talking. He'd left the chick shit out - that's for a more private conversation with Lee and maybe Cooler later - but he'd laid out what he'd realized earlier that morning about the hangaround/JC/prospect situation.

From the head of the table, Lee sighs, running a hand over his face. "Fuck. We hadn't even thought of that."

"Hap's right, though." Jet chimes in, tapping the ash off his smoke into a tray. "We don't normally care much about hangaround drama, but this has been a special case for awhile now. If we don't handle it right, we could lose either a damn good asset to the club, or a bunch of our hangarounds."

"Obviously we'll need to wait until we have at least a nearly-full table to make any official decisions, but let's brainstorm some solutions to bring to the table next week. Happy's already offered one - just taking 2 prospects, JC if we can talk him into it, plus one of the more seasoned hangarounds." Cooler enters the conversation.

"Wouldn't be the first time we've had more than one prospect. Each one has a different sponsor, so it's not like there's going to be clashing interests or something." Jerry, one of the older members, jumps in.

"Hell, it's not like we're a tiny charter. What's really stopping us from taking 3? JC plus 2 others? Really appease them, make some of the bigger upgrades and repairs we've been meaning to around here and just don't have the time. We could even make sure one of 'em is a guy we're pretty sure will wash out after 6 months - then it's on him, not us, and if he ends up working out, then we get a guy we know will grow and change for the sake of the club." Snake offers.

Several murmurs of agreement meet this suggestion.

"Do we know where JC's even sitting on this?" is Lee's next question, directed to Happy.

Happy shakes his head once. "Haven't discussed it in awhile. Wanted to see what the verdict in Charming is before I brought it up again."

"That's fair." Jet comments, to noises and other quiet comments that that makes sense.

Lee nods his understanding. "Well, an answer will be in about that Monday evening, Blue and the boys will be back Tuesday evening. The guys on the Chicago/Denver run should be back sometime Monday night. Let's keep everyone informed throughout the week, get everyone thinking about it for Church next weekend." Noises of affirmation go around the guys that are here, and he switches to other business. "Now, Jerry, how are we doing on stock for upcoming orders?"

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

It had been somewhat dumb luck that the new XMen movie came out in theaters that weekend, so that's what JC and Jess had gone to see, despite not having planned for it. He'd convinced her to go on the bike, because it was a clear-skyed, dry evening, despite it being cold, and she'd directed him to a chinese restaurant not far from the theater downtown before they even looked at listings. After they'd gotten home, he'd walked her back over to her house, and been pleased when she was less shocked, and less hesitant, when he'd kissed her goodnight.

Sunday morning finds him opening up his and Hap's door to find her a little after the time he's usually appearing at hers the past few weeks. He'd slept a little late, which had thrown off the timing of his workout, so he's still sweaty and wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts, having just come upstairs from lifting some weights when her knock had sounded.

"Sorry, I slept in, so I'm running a little late." he says, noting with amusement, and not a small amount of pride, that her eyes trail over his torso intently instead of meeting his.

"Tha…. Um.. that's fine…." Jess forces her eyes upwards after a long moment, blinking hard and swallowing visibly, to find him smirking at her. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay, when you didn't show up at your normal time."

Ushering her inside, JC closes the door behind her as she automatically kicks off her sandals. She's still in her pajamas, as normal, hair in it's usual, slightly messy, ponytail, and he's pleased she hadn't suddenly felt the need to start dolling herself up to be in front of him just because they've gone on a couple dates. There'd been some minimal makeup on her face the night before, but the jeans and tank top and hoodie, with Chucks on her feet, had been 100% the casual girl he'd been hanging out with for a couple months already.

"There's coffee in the pot, you know how to work the tv. Make yourself comfy. We can do toons over here today. Just gimme 5 minutes to shower and change real quick." he tells her, not giving her time to reply before he jogs through the open door at the foot of the stairs and up to the hall bathroom that is his exclusively except when Happy's mom is visiting.

She moves to the kitchen first, by now generally aware of where things are after a few months of movie nights and random other hanging out. She's replacing the milk carton in the fridge - careful to leave it exactly as she'd found it, having discovered early on that JC and his roommate are both very particular about things like that - when she hears motion behind her. It's much too fast for JC to be back already, and she still hears the shower upstairs, and it hadn't been coming-down-the-stairs type noises, so she turns curiously to find the roommate that she'd glimpsed in passing since they'd moved in, as well in some of the pictures on the walls, standing in the doorway to what she knows is his tattoo studio, watching her.

"Hi." she says quietly, with and awkward little wave as she moves to grab a spoon to stir the coffee, making sure to wash it immediately and place it in the dish rack to air dry. "I'm Jess."

"Happy." he introduces himself shortly in a raspy voice not unlike hers, watching her wash the utensil she'd used, moving familiarly through his kitchen.

He can tell he's making her a little uncomfortable as she takes her coffee into the living room, moving stiffly but trying to hide it, taking a coaster from the stack in the center of the table to put her cup on before reaching for the universal remote. It's not his intention to make her uncomfortable, but part of him is pleased.

The girl isn't trying to force awkward conversation, but also isn't backing down from her place in JC's life, despite being in Happy's literal home turf.

After moving to refill his own cup of coffee, he joins her in the living room, taking the chair off to the side of the couch, seeing what she'd put on the tv, again pleased to find cartoons. In his opinion, you are never too old to laugh at stupid cartoons.

"This what he disappears to do every Sunday lately?" Happy asks after a minute. May as well get her used to him.

"He comes over to hang out and watch Sunday morning cartoons with me, then we usually play video games for a bit once all the good ones are over." she tells him.

Happy studies her from the corner of his eye, not wanting to blatantly stare. "Movie nights, Sunday hangouts, other random hangouts…. You two are spendin' a lot of time together…." he trails off. She shifts a little, and he thinks her face goes a bit red, but it's hard to tell without looking directly at her. He sees the appeal from JC's side - she's cute. A little young for Hap's taste, joking about landing barely-legal girls aside, but that hardly matters. He's not the one taking her out on dates, and JC's within a perfectly reasonable age range to be dating an 18-and-a-half-year-old.

"Friends hang out." she says a little defensively, making Happy smirk just a bit. Yeah, friends. Okay. JC's been nuts about her since they met.

The man himself clambers back down the stairs before anything else can be said, pausing for a split second to take in the scene of Happy sitting in the living room watching cartoons with a slightly uncomfortable-looking Jess, who's also blushing a little? He recovers quickly, moving to get his own coffee from the now-nearly-empty pot before plopping himself down next to Jess on the couch and leaning to kiss her cheek, back further than is friendly, almost on her jaw under her ear, as he throws his free arm over her shoulders.

The slight flush he'd noticed before deepens as he does this, but she doesn't pull away or protest, so he can only assume it's simply that she's in new territory, probably both with him being affectionate, and with Happy hanging out with them and witnessing it.

Instead, she just takes up her coffee from the table and gets comfy leaning into his side.

At the next commercial break, Happy decides to venture another question, since JC hadn't really had an answer when he'd asked a few days before. "So, Jess, you're from here, right?"

"Yeah, lived in the house next door my whole life." she states very matter-of-factly, looking over at him the same time as JC.

"Locals have pretty split opinions about the Sons. Where do you land?" he asks bluntly, making JC roll his eyes slightly, while the girl stares at him blankly for a moment before answering, just as matter-of-factly as before.

"I don't really have much of an opinion. Other than right now with you, I haven't interacted with anyone from the club much personally. I know you guys do charity stuff for the local teen center and shelters, raise money for the school district. I get my car serviced at your garage a couple times a year, have yet to be screwed over that I can figure out. It's not hard to figure out there's other stuff going on, but that hardly seems like any of my business as long as it isn't effecting me or anyone I care about." she pauses, staring at him blankly again before finishing her thought with. "Not really sure what you want me to say, here. It's like me asking you your opinion on the PTA at the local elementary school."

That makes him chuckle, because she's not entirely wrong, and it's a good answer. She's a smart one. "That's a fine answer, I guess." he tells her before looking at JC. "Just need to know if you're gonna talk this guy even further outta joinin' up if he gets the opportunity."

JC now looks annoyed at him, and Jess switches her gaze to the man immediately beside her questioningly for a minute before looking back at Happy.

"I don't think I have any bearing on that decision. JC's life is up to JC. If he wants to join the club, and that's what will make him happy, then why would I have an issue with it?" she clearly doesn't intend for him to answer the question, so Happy doesn't.

After all, a lot of bitches think that they're supportive then can't hack the life. But he doesn't think either of them would appreciate him saying that.

The group is distracted by the sound of a car, and turn as one to look out the front window, finding a fancy-looking silver car pulling into Jess's driveway.

"Goddamnit." she sighs, standing and taking her coffee cup to the kitchen, dumping the remains and washing it quickly.

"Who's that?" JC asks, head swivelling between her and the window.

"My dad." she says, sounding aggravated as she sets the cup on the dish rack to drip dry and pivots towards the door. "He never bothers to warn me when he's coming home, and I didn't know we were gonna do our Sunday thing over here when I came over to check on you, so I left the door unlocked and tv and coffee maker on, so he's gonna yell at me first thing. Because who gives a damn that it's MY fucking house?" she grumbles the last part as she slips her feet into her flip-flops and opens the door and slips out, shutting it behind her.

There's a long minute of silence, broken only by the sounds from the tv before Happy comments, "At least she cleaned up after herself before she left."

JC snorts idly. "Yeah, she knows we're both neat-freaks." He continues staring contemplatively at the door for another minute. "What's with the interrogation about the club?" he asks somewhat accusingly.

Sighing, Happy explains. "Wasn't gonna say anything until we have a verdict, but Blue, Spanner, and Show are down in Charming. The club down there is voting on changing the bylaw tomorrow. Jake's prospect year is up in a few weeks, so we need you to make a decision about prospecting if the change goes through." Thinking about the private conversation he'd had with Lee after Church the night before, he keeps talking. "We'll be taking on multiple prospects this year, so you wouldn't be alone, you'd be sharing duties, if, y'know, shit goes good tomorrow and you decided to accept. Makes it easier in some ways. But we're also gonna be having our prospects work on some big projects - heavy manual labor shit around the garage and clubhouse in addition to your garage shifts - so, also harder in other ways. But the gross, menial, grunt work would be split up."

Lee had pointed out that the idea of taking on multiple prospects, whether it ends up being 2 or 3, may be incentive for JC. So he feels less singled out, and is sharing the shitty work they make the prospects do. It would also free up some more of his evenings and weekends to be with the new girlfriend that Happy had filled his VP in on if the prospects are taking turns covering bar duty.

"And what's your deal with Jess?" JC asks again. "You don't exactly seem happy for me that I'm finally dating her." Crap. Apparently Happy had underestimated how well JC can read him by now.

After draining his coffee to stall for time, figuring out what to say, he eventually replies, "Chicks have a harder time with all the club shit. The life ain't exactly easy on it's women. Takes a damn strong, understanding woman to stick around. 'Swhy you don't see many guys with long-term Old Ladies. Most chicks don't take too good to always coming second in her man's life. Club is first. Always. I just….. Wanna make sure you both know what you'd be getting both of you into if you got a girlfriend and decide to prospect." Looking him dead in the eye, he tries to be as sincere as he can. "I really hope it all works out man, but I want you to prospect more than I care about her. There's always more chicks out there. Your brothers are forever."

There's a heavy silence after this declaration, and they both turn back to the tv after a minute.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

bykboy1983: howd it go w/ ur dad

gngrbtch253: ugh. dnt ask.

gngrbtch253: whens ur nxt day off

bykboy1983: wed but im prlly busy so rlly sunday

gngrbtch253: k i'll allow it. sun ur mine all day tho.

gngrbtch253: if its nice we can take ur bike

bykboy1983: take my bike where?

gngrbtch253: ;-P not telling

bykboy1983: tease

gngrbtch253: ME a tease?

gngrbtch253: the way U walk arnd w/ no shirt on?

JC thinks she's talking about earlier that day when she'd come over, until motion catches his eye and he looks up to realize that full dark has settled outside his bedroom window while he was sucked into his laptop, and, for the first time he can remember, the blinds and curtains on the window across from his side one are pulled open, and he can see Jess sitting on her own bed, laptop shining in her equally dark room in front of her. He hadn't even known that was her bedroom. Something clicks in his brain and he looks down at himself, remembering he'd taken off his shirt earlier, when the sun had been out for a bit and it had gotten a little warm in his room.

bykboy1983: how long u been over there creepin?

Glancing up as his finger strikes the 'enter' key, he sees a half smile appear on her face as their chat window updates. She starts typing again and he looks back down.

gngrbtch253: months ;-)

bykboy1983: lol

bykboy1983: shoulda said smthn earlier

bykboy1983: coulda been on these dates a long time ago

gngrbtch253: hvnt u hrd? im socially retarded & gnrlly uselss

His eyebrows pull together and he looks up at her again to find her still looking down at her screen. She's not typing in their chat, so she must also be talking to someone else, or doing something in another window. That's a weird thing for her to say. She doesn't have great self-esteem - he assumes having parents who don't want you will do that - but she doesn't really talk down on herself like that either. Jess kinda hovers in this middle area of not seeming to have much of an opinion about herself, sorta the same way she'd described her thoughts about the Sons to Happy earlier.

bykboy1983: wheres that coming from?

bykboy1983: ur not retarded

bykboy1983: or useless

There's a long couple minutes before the 'typing' status appears to indicate that she's responding, and JC makes himself not look up at her, in case it makes her self-conscious. Eventually a reply appears.

gngrbtch253: the dad thing. its no big, dnt worry abt it. just extra bitchy til he leaves agn.

bykboy1983: ok

bykboy1983: u kno u can talk 2 me abt it, right?

gngrbtch253: i kno

gngrbtch253: i just wanna focus on planning our next day trip 2 sho u arnd the PNW

gngrbtch253: he'll b gone in 2 days & i wnt have 2 worry abt seeing him again, like, evr

bykboy1983: wait wut?!

gngrbtch253: since im only 1 crd frm graduting hes here 2 pack the big bedroom up

gngrbtch253: apprntly he got an apt by the airport

gngrbtch253: movers will b here tues morn

bykboy1983: holy shit

bykboy1983: r u ok?

gngrbtch253: ya. dnt kno y he came 2day tho. he has almst nthing in tht rm xept clothes he hsnt worn in yrs. dsnt take 2 days 2 pack

bykboy1983: mayb he wnts 2 spend time w/ u?

JC feels eyes on him a moment after he sends that and looks up to find her staring incredulously at him, and she doesn't have to reply for him to know the answer to that.

Instead, she changes the subject.

gngrbtch253: y does ur roomie hate me?

bykboy1983: he dsnt hate u

bykboy1983: he just takes awhile 2 warm up 2 ppl

gngrbtch253: ya ok

bykboy1983: srsly

bykboy1983: the club is just suspicious abt new ppl

bykboy1983: like u said this morn, not hard 2 figure out there's some slightly shady shit there, u kno?

bykboy1983: they gotta be careful

gngrbtch253: is that y u were doing searches on me a cpl mnths ago?

JC stare for a minute, surprised. He thought he'd been discreet enough. And why hadn't she said anything sooner.

bykboy1983: ya

bykboy1983: they wnt me 2 join

bykboy1983: soon, if they can get it past their main charter down in CA

bykboy1983: :) is a lil worried u will not b cool w/ the club & try 2 pull me away

bykboy1983: or that u wont b able 2 handle being a biker grlfrnd

There's a long period of no response. Long enough that he looks up to check on her, to find her still there, arms wrapped around her middle, staring down at her laptop with an odd expression on her face. He starts working himself into a slight panic worrying about what she's thinking. Is she having second thoughts about what she'd told Hap about supporting him if joining the club would make him happy? WOULD she try and pull him away? He'd thought she'd fit in pretty well around there, with her blunt, but laid-back demeanor, but maybe he was wrong and she really ISN'T cut out for the life at all. He has been thinking he'd like to prospect, but he really likes her, and he isn't sure what he would do if he had to choose, later, when things are more serious, between the club and her.

A solid 10 minutes later, a reply finally appears.

gngrbtch253: Girlfriend?

JC actually starts laughing out loud alone in his room.

THAT'S the part she got hung up on?

bykboy1983: i mean, i hope so

bykboy1983: thts usully wut hpns when u date sum1

bykboy1983: nless u dnt want….?

He looks up at her, in time to see her also look up at him and shrug before she looks back down to start typing again.

gngrbtch253: i guess i just nvr thought any1 wld want me 2 b their grlfrnd

gngrbtch253: its not like i had any clu u were even intrstd all

gngrbtch253: alrdy told u, socially retarded

Scowling down at his screen slightly, he taps out his reply with as much emphasis as possible.

bykboy1983: You. Are. NOT. In. ANY. WAY. Retarded.

bykboy1983: this is just new territory 4 u

bykboy1983: & thts totally ok

Looking up again, he sees her head turn sharply toward her door and her mouth moving as a very annoyed expression takes over her face. She says something else, then, a moment later, catches his eye and rolls hers dramatically.

gngrbtch253: gtg

gngrbtch253: hes nvr wnt parent & 4 sum reason NOW i apprntly have a bedtime

gngrbtch253: hes threatening 2 unplug the router if i dnt gtbed

bykboy1983: gn, pretty grl

gngrbtch253: gn

Watching her close her laptop, he can't see much in the darkness, but just knows she's blushing like hell - she always does any time he gives her the smallest compliment.

Checking the time, he realizes it's actually kinda late and he should go to sleep himself if he doesn't want to be dead at work tomorrow, then closes his laptop and sets it on his side table.

Laying down, JC drifts off with thoughts of prospecting, and confirming with her that that means she IS his girlfriend, and how his life could be changing - again- in the next few weeks drifting through his head.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"We all know why we're here. We've heard Tacoma's case for changing the bylaws about allowing color in the Sons of Anarchy. I know there's been a lot of discussion amongst members the past few days about it." Clay starts before pausing dramatically to puff on his cigar. "I've spoken with Wally and Harry. Harry's in favor. Wally says he can't think of any good enough reason not to make the change." Code for 'good enough for him to vote no and keep his President's patch', but that remains unsaid. His vote is a yes, but a reluctant one.

At the far end of the table, Piney's face takes an odd cast. He and Wally had been the last 2 holdouts of the 5 out of 9 that had worked that bylaw in in the first place. Jimmy, Arrow, and Boon are all dead by at least 10 years. Even if he understand why Wally has voted change, it still feels like a betrayal of sorts. Hell, Piney knows he has to vote the same way for damn near the same reason. He'll never see his grandkids again if Opie thinks he'll try and pass on his views about color. That's not even talking about what a 'no' vote would do to wider club politics.

This isn't some small charter they can afford to lose asking. Tacoma is their main point of import for guns on the west coast. And New York knows about this kid that has got Tacoma thinking about change, too. Their two biggest charters, in their two main ports, both have a major interest in keeping this kid around and bringing him closer..

Blue had certainly played his hand well, maneuvering it so Jackson set the kid up to work with SAMNYC. If that connection wasn't there, if it was JUST Tacoma making noise, they may have been able to stifle it, cut some kind of deal to make an exception for just the one guy. But not with both charters calling for change, loudly enough that even more had heard. Once word of the vote had gotten out, the clubhouse had been damn near flooded with "curious" phone calls for the whole damn weekend. Various charters have various opinions overall, but the majority had spoken in favor of the possibility.

The votes go down the Redwood guys at the table, starting with Clay, all 'yae's, unsurprisingly. Even Kyle, who'd needed more than a little convincing, much to many of their surprise. Piney's last and he spits out his 'yae' before he has more time to double-think.

The gavel bangs, and that's that. The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club is open to men of any color.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Happy had delivered the news Monday night, and JC isn't surprised when he's called into a meeting with the club officers late Wednesday morning. It's why he'd told Jess he'd probably be busy. He'd expected it, either to invite him to prospect formally, or to break the news that the change had been voted down. Already knowing the outcome of the vote, he's spent the last day and a bit thinking hard and making his decision.

"You know why you're here?" Blue asks him.

"Yeah, Hap told me the vote passed." JC replies.

Blue nods, having anticipated that. "We haven't figured out exactly how many prospects we're taking this year yet, but the idea to take more than one is a popular one, and we'd like for you to be one of them. The process for guys voting on hangarounds is a bit complex, so we wanted to get your answer about whether you're in or not before word goes wide to the rest of the boys about how many we need."

"I don't want special treatment. I've said that from jump." JC insists. "I am interested, but put my in the pool for voting just like everyone else."

"We've already discussed it in Church, son. Months ago." Lee speaks up. "You already have a landslide majority vote. If we were only taking one this year, you'd be it. It's not special treatment, we're just getting your final answer and acting on our changed plans for more guys coming in."

THAT shocks him a little. "But the vote just came through on Monday."

The men around him chuckle, obviously in on something he isn't. It's Spanner that lets him in on the joke. "Kid, you workin' with SAMNYC means you had the 2 biggest charters in the club on your side. No way was the vote not going through. Blue's petition was a lock."

JC still doesn't quite get it, but figures he'll ask Happy for more of an explanation later. Shifting, he tries to shake it off, asking, "So, what happens now?"

Blue takes the reins back on the conversation. "Now, the club has some things to figure out regarding how many others we take, in a couple weeks, we vote on Jake and the other hangarounds, and you and whoever else we pick get your kuttes probably around the end of the month." He normally wouldn't be telling even someone who was about to be a prospect this much, but the kid has been a special case since day 1, and he and the other guys had given up kidding themselves about that awhile ago. "In the meantime, Cooler, Happy, Show, and Kozik get to have a little boxing tournament, because all of 'em want to be your sponsor and no one's willing to back down about it." At JC's surprised expression, the guys are set off on another round of chuckling. "Yeah, that's a new one for us, too. Don't know what the hell it is about ya, man, but you got my top muscle literally fightin' over ya. You suckin' their dicks and no one's sayin' anything?" he jokes, watching the kid's already tan complexion darken.

"Sorry, Cooler, but I already got money on Hap." Spanner says with an easy smile.

Lee throws in his opinion. "I don't know, I think Show's the dark horse on this one."

Sitting there listening to them talk about him in this way makes JC feel odd. He's never been a commodity before, much less a hot one. Up to now, the club wanting him to prospect has seemed like a distant, miniscule possibility. Now that it's actually becoming a reality, it's…. surreal.

"Man, unless you got other questions right now, you can head out." Cooler tells him over the now slightly off-topic chatter of the others. "We'll fill you in on all the other specifics once you got your kutte along with whoever else gets chosen." With a nod, JC gets up and leaves the officers sitting around the head of the table, pulling the door shut behind himself automatically.

There's a moment of quiet among the remaining men.

"He's a good kid, but I just don't get why all our enforcers want him to mentor." Spanner throws out, reaching for his smokes to light up a fresh one. "He just seems too damn laid back for the work you guys do." this is addressed specifically to Cooler.

Cooler takes a drag off his own cigarette before answering. "So does Koz if you've never seen him do it." blowing the smoke out, he thinks about how to put into words the things he and all the other enforcers had seen. "I think it's a matter of him having something to do it for. Some o' the shit he did to protect his sister in school back home, takin' up for other nerdy kids with less of a spine than him… he may not even go to extremes to protect himself, but he's got it in there somewhere. And maybe not the level Hap does, but once he considers us family, he'll do whatever he has to to protect us, so long as we do him right. He's a loyal little fuck, but he doesn't put up with people doin' him dirty. Hell, he told me once after a few drinks that half the reason he went after Messina's daughter was because he found out the guy had people keepin' tabs on his ma and sister and gatherin' blackmail material on him."

Lee blows out a snort. "God, can you imagine if he'd'a ended up somewhere like Charming instead of here?" The notoriously dramatic and shady Mother Charter would eat the kid alive. A loyal young guy looking for a family - even if he isn't consciously aware of it, they can tell - in Clay's manipulative clutches, trapped with Tig's constant mind games? He'd go insane, or be dead, within a handful of years.

Tacoma has it's share of drama, sure, but being bigger has a lot of advantages. More eyes around tend to catch shady behavior and if one person doesn't necessarily know what it is to call it out, someone else will. With being such a major import and distribution point, they have a lot of responsibility, and one of the things they have always emphasized, at least since Blue took up the gavel, is accountability. He'd always liked JT's ways of doing things back before everything got complicated, and he's tried to keep to the spirit of the man he'd considered a good friend, if not the letter of how he'd wanted the club to operate. It's kept SAMTAC in good standing with other charters of the Sons as well as their allies, and helped a lot of their business relationships over the years, as well as regulating things internally.

"Alright, boys, let's talk about all those things we want to get done with these extra prospects this year, schedule and budget for all of it, and figure out exactly how many we need so we can present it to vote on this weekend." Blue commands, prompting Spanner to twirl around and get up to open the safe to retrieve their books. "I know we definitely need to build out at least 4 more dorms, which'll need another bathroom."

"May as well just make it 8 rooms and 3 bathrooms, so we're not doin' it again in 3 years." Lee says. "Discounts for buying bulk'll mean it doesn't cost that much more, and extra beds and shitters never hurt during a lockdown."

"Do we have that kinda room?" Cooler asks skeptically

Spanner sits back down, books getting set on the table. "We been needin' to clear out storage for awhile anyway. There's plenty o' shit in there that can go to Goodwill if it can't be used by anyone in the club or the new rooms. Put that on the list for shit to do with the extra labor. I'll take point on that." Blue writes it down on the pad of paper that's perpetually at his elbow during meetings. Spanner's the secretary, but his chicken scratch is barely legible, so Blue and Lee usually take notes which he types up later for minutes. The books are fine - numbers are easier for him to keep a handle on - but anything Spanner writes by hand longer than a couple words devolves beyond human comprehension pretty fast.

"It's about time for new coats of paint in the older dorms." Lee points out. "Which'll mean clearing everything out one-by-one to paint and clean the carpets. Couple could use new mattresses, too, but that can happen anytime. I'd like to get the garage organized and an inventory done, too. I'd like to take JC for that as a summer project."

"Alright, we'll see about mentors or volunteers overseeing the dorm clean-out. Give everyone notice to get their shit out if they aren't livin' here, or it's getting sorted for the dump or donation along with the storage area." Blue says, pen quickly scratching notes. "Talk to Mud and his boys about spearheading the new rooms, after we vote on how many we're doing."

"I'll call him to get a quote on supplies for 4 and 1 versus 8 and 3 for budgets." Spanner tells them.

"It's already looking like a 3-prospect year and we haven't even talked about work that needs doing to the clubhouse proper yet." Cooler comments.

Yeah." Blue sighs. "But we can get volunteers from the guys, too. Let's propose JC plus 2 hangarounds for now, and if we end up needing more hands, the other hangarounds can always step up to impress us for next year." They hadn't had any major projects in a few years, so most of the hangarounds that are around now have either gotten complacent about helping out around the clubhouse more than the bare minimum, or don't know that they should be in the first place.

The meeting drags on for nearly 2 hours, organizing a comprehensive to-do list and hammering out a rough schedule to present on Saturday.

As they eventually descend from the chapel to the main bar area, Blue can't help but think the same thing he always does after meetings like that - how half the guys have no idea some of the crap it really means to be a club officer. They all see the power and prestige and respect he gets. Not everyone realizes how many hours he spends sitting in a stuffy room talking about shit like booze orders and grocery runs and making sure the stock of condoms in the supply closet isn't running too low and who they can ask to do what because this person's Old Lady's birthday is that week but that other person's kid has a soccer tournament. Carrie helps with some of it, like organizing the Old Ladies and sweetbutts, and even the prospects to an extent, to take care of events and the day-to-day running of the place, actually making the grocery and booze runs and shit, but, since the expenses aren't small to account for the size of their charter, overall management is taken care of by the club itself.

If he still had an Old Lady, she would take on some of it, but even when Bonnie'd been around, she hadn't been too interested in making herself useful around the clubhouse. She preferred to stay away if she could help it.

Pulling his thoughts away from his ex - because that's a hole he REALLY doesn't need to fall down right now - Blue grabs the beer being held out for him by Lee and tries to focus on all the good stuff that's going to come of the work they're planning.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"What exactly does that mean?" Jess asks, idly fiddling with JC fingers that are threaded through hers on her stomach as she leans back against his chest, sitting between his legs while they relax on her couch.

Him nuzzling his face into her hair isn't something she's use to yet, but she likes it. His voice is close to her ear and she can feel his breath as he answers her. "Me being a prospect…. It's like joining the club on probation for a year before the guys vote yes or no to let me join as a full member. There will be at least one other person prospecting with me, which will be nice. There's usually only one at a time. We'll be bottom of the totem pole, working our way in, doing the grunt work around the clubhouse that no one else really wants to. Being able to split it will mean it's easier on all of us, and I'll have a lot more free time in the evenings and on weekends than if I was by myself."

JC's arms squeeze a little around her as he pauses, seeing if she has questions so far, but she doesn't really know how to respond. She's a little bummed he's not going to have as much free time to spend with her as she had kinda thought and gotten used to, but it's not like she'll NEVER see him, and as long as he's happy, it doesn't really matter that much. Jess still hasn't really processed the fact that they're actually together.

"The club's really close. They consider each other family. Hap's already basically my brother, but, once I'm in, every guy in a Sons kutte, worldwide, is my brother." his voice has the slightest tinge of something almost childlike. Hopeful. "That includes you, too, for as long as we're together, by the way." He squeezes her again for emphasis.

This makes Jess's eyes widen and she starts to panic just a little. She hadn't had a problem being connected to the club by dating a guy in it, but…. "I don't know, me and family don't really…. work."

His face rubs into her hair again, trying to get her to relax again. "You've just never had family worth making it work with." JC insists. "Family you have some choice in is always different than the family you're born with. Especially the shitty family you're born with." He has a great mom and sister, but his father is, after all, a dead-beat piece of shit, so he does have some idea about that.

Jess shrugs a little. "Do I… have to hang out there?" she queries, sounding less than enthused about the idea, then quickly qualifying. "I mean, I wouldn't mind going sometimes, I think, but-"

"I get it." JC assures her. She's been alone for so long that she gets overwhelmed being in heavily social situations. She does okay when they're out, because it's the two of them doing something and she only really has to interact with him for any length of time, but if he's basically working at the clubhouse and she'll be expected to be on her own in a place as social as that, she would be very out of her element. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I was thinking maybe you could just come with me to the calmer stuff until you're more comfortable with everyone? Family dinners, or hanging out there in the afternoons when there's not a full on party going. Hang out over at our place more when Hap has guys over, maybe?" he sounds a little hesitant.

When she relaxes a little at that, he calms down too. This is a very weird time for this to be happening. They've only technically been dating for like a week, and he's dropping this not-insignificant life-change on her. And she's already so hesitant about them, having never done any of this before. JC worries she'll get overwhelmed. He knows she's strong, has been through some things that would've broken other people, but, in some ways, she's also been very sheltered.

"That sounds okay."

Suddenly, she pulls away a little, making him loosen his grip thinking she needs to get up. Instead, she twists around to face him, before leaning up to kiss him.

He's a little surprised, but very pleased. She's still very timid about initiating more than casual physical contact with him, so this is a bold step. Part of him wonders if this is what being a normal teenager is like - laying on a couch on a warm spring day, kissing his girlfriend, stopping himself from slipping his hand up under her shirt, not worried about things like paying rent or being safe from the gangster he's working for.

Jess is still getting the hang of the whole kissing thing, and he loves her occasionally slightly clumsy motions against him when he drags his fingers hard down her back, or tangles them in her hair on the rare days she has it down - like today.

The feel of her laying on him in this way, kissing and pressing into him, after a couple months of no action except jacking off while fantasizing - mostly about her - has him getting hard in his jeans fast, and he's peripherally worried about making a total idiot of himself by cumming in his pants without her even really touching him. JC can tell exactly when she realizes what she's feeling under her, too, because she freezes, and he takes that as his cue to stop. He isn't going to push her in any way - he'd started more than a couple fights before dropping out of school with guys that tried to push his sister further than she was comfortable with, he refuses to be one of those jackasses.

Pulling back as much as he can (which isn't much with his head still basically on the arm of the couch, but he makes do) he runs his hand through her hair to pull out whatever tangles he may have inadvertently created the past few minutes until she opens her eyes to look at him. With a smile, he leans forward and gives her a quick peck. "It's okay, we don't have to do anything but lay here if you don't want to."

He'd been trying to reassure her, but her bottom lip is almost instantly pulled into her mouth to be chewed on and she gets in her own head thinking.

"Hey, talk to me." he tries to coax some kind of response out of her, running a hand over her cheek and trying to pull her lip out from between her teeth.

Jess sighs a little, eyes focusing on his nose instead of his own eyes. He doesn't mind. Sometimes it's easier to not look someone in the eyes. "It's not a matter of not wanting to... do… stuff... I just…" she huffs, obviously frustrated, not knowing how to say what she wants to.

"It's okay to be nervous, too. You're new to all this. I don't expect you to just automatically know what you're doing, and be comfortable with everything, Jess." he tells her. Their age gap may not be big, but he'd had his first kiss at 13 and lost his virginity at 14. He has more than a little experience on her, so in this way, he feels a lot older than her even though he's not. It's an odd dichotomy. Still smiling a little at her, he keeps up the slight motion his thumb has been making, stroking up and down the skin of her cheek. "I know it makes me a little bit of an asshole, but I'm kinda really into the fact that no one else has ever touched you like this."

Her cheeks are firmly pink by now as she stares at him, obviously still not knowing what to say.

He moves to slide his hands slowly down her arms to her back again before speaking, trying to ease whatever it is she's worrying about. "I like you. A lot. Obviously, I'm attracted to you, too." here, he rolls his hips up into her for emphasis, and her blush deepens even further. "But I been gettin' by for months, and I'll be fine for however long you need. No one ever died from havin' to jack off instead of gettin' laid."

Her eyes go a little distant, and some part of him knows she had immediately pictured what he'd mentioned as, only a moment later, she buries her face in his neck with an embarrassed little groan, making him chuckle as he wraps his arms back around her and holds her to him again. Yeah, he's fine with being a little frustrated for awhile. She's too damn cute to give up this fast.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Sunday dawns bright and clear, so Jess is in jeans and her Chucks, hair in two braids down her head and resting on the shoulders of her denim jacket when Happy answers the door at 8 in the morning.

Letting her inside, he simply says, "He's up in his room." thickly, still obviously half-asleep. Jess is somewhat surprised he's up at all, as she hadn't heard his bike rolling in until almost 3 last night.

Smiling her thanks, she just heads upstairs - actually for the first time - making her way to where she knows JC's room to be only because she can see into it from her room when both their blinds are open. His door is open as she turns at the top of the stairs, and she moves to stand in the doorway, feeling less embarrassed, but still a little flustered, as she realizes he has jeans hitched up over his boxers, but they aren't fastened, and he's again shirtless. Jess knows he trains with Happy, and they're both pretty well-muscled, Happy more heavily than JC.

She gets a side view of the emerging definition of the muscles over his chest and stomach and leading down the inside of his hipbones, repressing the urge to step forward and run her hands over and possibly lick them, instead watching as he does something that looks like he's probably sending a text on his phone. He doesn't notice her right away, dropping his phone on his bed and picking up a belt that's sitting there, and she gets another good look at more defined muscles on his chest and in his arms that she'd mostly just felt hints of through his shirt before as he threads the leather through the loops on his jeans. There's little hints of black ink flashing at her from a couple spots, and she knows it's the crucifix he has tattooed between his shoulder blades - more for his mother than his own beliefs, he'd told her - and the block of binary code on his right shoulder spelling out 'There is no spoon'.

Jess is definitely stopping herself from stepping into the room and shutting the door and just keeping him there all day when he turn toward his dresser to grab a shirt and finally sees her, smirking cockily when he notices she's very blatantly checking him out.

"Hey, you. When did you get here?" he asks, aborting his shirt-mission and moving towards her instead, pulling her in for a kiss, relishing her hands running up his bare stomach as she braces herself on him to go up on her tip-toes to recapture his lips as he pulls away.

Eventually she does drop back to her flat feet and smile prettily up at him, answering, "Just a minute ago. Happy let me in. You almost ready?"

"Yeah." he declares, pulling back to finally grab a tee from the appropriate drawer and pull it on quickly before grabbing socks and stuffing his phone and wallet in his pockets. Leading her back downstairs, he asks, "So, does the weather meet your approval?" somewhat sarcastically.

More sarcastically, she replies, "No, I'm wearing actual shoes and a jacket in fucking MAY because we're taking my car."

Happy's rusty-sounding laughter meets them as they emerge from the stairwell, and she realizes he'd heard her, which she immediately gets a little self-conscious about.

JC is chuckling too, but just asks, "Have you eaten?" as he tosses his socks over to the bench on top of the shoe rack next to the door - a fairly new addition that had actually been Jess's suggestion when they'd been wandering around Fred Meyer one afternoon without any real purpose.

"Thought we could stop at that diner off the 7 on our way out of town?" she suggests a little tentatively.

"Sounds good." JC says, moving to the pantry to grab an armload of water bottles and some snack for just-in-case to load into his saddle bags.

"Where you takin' 'im?" Hap asks curiously between bits of cereal at the table.

A little worried she hadn't planned a good day ride, Jess tells him the basic route, knowing full well it won't spoil anything for JC. "Out over Chinook Pass, then up to Ellensburg the back way, then follow the river down to the Gorge before coming back up through Goldendale and Yakima and over White Pass."

To her relief, Happy, nods, appearing approving, and doesn't say anything.

"Man, how much riding around the state have you done since you moved up here that that made any sense to you?" JC asks as he sets his haul on the bench beside his to pull on socks and boots.

Hap shrugs. "We do charity rides and shit. Lot of 'em go out that way. All the passes in the summertime are a fun ride, and stickin' with the river has some great views. Buncha cool little towns through there, too."

"You guys keep sayin' 'the river' like that's suppose ta mean somethin' ta me." JC teases slightly, making both of them laughs a bit.

"The Columbia River." Jess clarifies. "It's kind of a defining feature. You probably came over it to enter the state. Maybe. Unless you came from straight east over I90."

"Brought him up the 5." Happy answers for him.

Nodding, she continues, "Yeah, that bridge you crossed to get from Oregon to Washington was over the Columbia. It's the border between the states for like half the way in before it veers north into Washington."

This answers some questions, but also spawns more for JC, and they can't talk on the bike, so he asks now. "And how exactly do you know all this, miss homebody?"

She shrugs, a little awkwardly, standing in front of him now while she waits for him to be ready to go. "A couple of the nannies liked to take me on weekend trips in the summer so they could get breaks from dealing with my mother. Plus, we're kinda big on learning our local history and stuff around here, so the geography of the region and things like that are, like, normal curriculum. Also, sometimes I get bored and plan road trips that I never end up going on because it seems silly to go by myself."

Oops. He didn't mean to make her uncomfortable. Standing, he kisses her quickly, then swings his leather jacket on and gathers up the water and snacks. "Well, now you can take me on them." Calling back to Happy he says "Later!" before Jess opens the garage door since his hands are full, and they take off.

He'd checked his bike for a long day the night before, so it only takes a couple minutes before they're on the road.

After a quick breakfast at the diner she'd mentioned, she navigates him one-handed while holding on with the other, in a direction out of town he'd never gone before. Surprisingly fast, they're winding up a wooded mountain pass. Just like last time, it's a gorgeous trip, views of valleys throughout the Cascades peeking between gaps in the treeline at the side of the road. On the other side, they break off the highway quickly as they descend into an almost-desert landscape, with seemingly-barren, massive, rolling hills covered in scrub brush and dotted with small towns, farmhouses, and livestock. The variated browns are periodically broken up by swathes of heavily irrigated green fields, or patches of orchards with neat rows of fruit trees or vines.

They're in Ellensburg before they make a stop. JC doesn't know how she'd memorized the route she'd taken him on just to get them this far, because signposts had been nearly nonexistent on the narrow, sleepy country roads once they'd veered off the highway.

"You got a photographic memory or something that you been holdin' out on tellin' me about?" he asks as he fills up the tank on his bike while she stands next to him, stretching and sucking down a bottle of water.

Jess gives him a funny look before handing him the half-empty bottle to get a drink of his own and answering. "No…. it's not that hard to just keep heading east-northeast…." JC only raises a brow as he drains the rest of the bottle, indicating he thinks she's wrong but isn't going to argue. "Well, it'll be more major roads from here, so I guess you can stop being impressed." is her next statement.

After chucking the empty bottle into a nearby trash can, he pulls her in to lay a long, slow kiss on her, ignoring the indignant cough from an elderly man on the other side of the pump from them, and his wife chastising him from inside the car. Letting her go, JC tells her, "I'm impressed with the whole damn day already, babe, I was just curious."

A relatively short ride on the 90 later, she's pointing at an upcoming exit sign, then they're on another two-lane highway, winding down the edge of a river, heading south, occasionally veering away from it. Lunch is at some random restaurant just off the freeway somewhere Jess calls 'the Tri-Cities', then they get back on the road and the sides of the highway get increasingly lined with the striped red rock formations he's been seeing scattered throughout the ride until they line basically the entire ride on one, and sometimes both, sides, with the glittering blue river on the other, dotted with boats and windsurfers.

At one point JC has to do a triple take and pulls off the road toward what he's seeing because he has to ask. "I thought this was in the UK or some shit?!"

Jess laughs on the bike behind him. "The real one is. This is kind of a weird story." Nevertheless, she follows his lead off the bike and gets up to look at the recreation of Stonehenge looking over the river gorge and across to Oregon. "I'm kinda surprised you didn't see the replica of Crazy Horse we passed awhile ago."

He looks at her like he's a little betrayed she hadn't pointed any of it out to him.

Shrugging, she explains, "I didn't think any of it would be interesting. I mean, it's cool to look at for like 5 minutes, but they're not even the real thing. If you wanna do the 'stop and look at stuff' thing, we can go up the road to the museum connected to this, or backtrack and hit up the petrified forest."

"Petrified forest?" JC asks confusedly.

"Our state gem is petrified wood." that makes it clear as mud for JC, but she keeps talking before he can ask questions. "We have a whole forest of it. It's cool to walk around, but kinda eery. All those trees from millenia ago…"

Looking out over the incredible - if very windy - view, he thinks for a minute about all the things he's learned over the past few weeks about this place he'd landed in. "This whole area is so weird. And beautiful. I'm really glad I landed here." he tells her, pulling Jess into his side, glad she'd planned something like this for them. Because he is. He'd been bummed getting run out of New York. His family, small as it is, is there, and all his friends, and everything he'd ever known.

But here, he'd found the big brother he'd never known he wanted or needed, a potential new family in the club, this fascinating and slightly alien landscape that he's finally getting around to discovering nearly a year later, and an incredible girl that he is increasingly unable to keep out of his head for any length of time.

It's getting dark by the time they get home, and they're both exhausted, and Jess is clearly hurting, not used to being on a bike for any length of time, much less a nearly-16-hour day, but as JC kisses her at her front door, her hands tentatively slip under his shirt, fingers running softly over the skin on his abs, making him groan. His hands grip her hips tighter, and he nips at her lips a little in playful retaliation.

When she stutters in a deep breath, he takes advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he presses her back against her door, and it isn't long before they are full-on making out on her front porch.

A clatter from a nearby house as someone takes out their garbage pulls them out of it after awhile, JC going back to tiny, soft kisses and loosening his hold on Jess while they both catch their breath.

"Thank you for today," he mumbles against her lips between little pecks as she slides her hands out from under his shirt, reaching one into her pocket for her keys.

"Let me know what days you have available before you start up with the club officially. We'll get as many in as we can while you have time." Jess responds, trying to stay positive and supportive. She's not down on him joining, but she can't deny it'll suck a little when he no longer has many free days to just take off with her.

One more kiss and JC backs up to let her turn around and unlock her door, then he heads back to his and Hap's place. Happy isn't home, so he goes straight upstairs after kicking off his boots by the door, not bothering to turn on any lights. In his room, he starts shedding clothes, preparing to go hop in the shower to wash the road off him when he realizes that the light in Jess's room looks different than normal. Her blinds are up, but the cloth curtains have been hastily pulled across the window facing his, leaving a weird gap at one side.

JC freeze as he realizes that, through that gap, from where he's standing by his dresser and laundry hamper, he is looking at the mirror over Jess's own dresser, and seeing glimpses of her straight out of the fantasies that have been rolling through his head for months. Obviously he's not the only one feeling a little frustrated by their aborted makeout sessions.

He knows she can't possibly have any idea he can partially see her, but he doesn't twitch a muscle anyway, just in case, as he watches the slice of her he can see. She had obviously also gone straight upstairs, and only the lamp beside her bed is on, but he can clearly see that her jacket is off and her shirt is pushed up, one hand somewhere up by the purple bra she's wearing. JC has a more clear view of her bare hip, jeans and panties pushed partway down her thighs, just enough to giver her easy access, and her other hand is clearly between her legs.

Her hips and stomach move with her rapid breaths and the action of her wrist, and JC has to remind himself to breathe at one point because he's holding himself so still watching her that he'd stopped.

It's both fantastic and frustrating, because Jess, so horny that she couldn't even get her clothes off before getting herself off, is the hottest this he's seen in a very long time - possibly since the first time he'd ever gotten a blow job and looked down to see his dick in a girl's mouth - but also he wants to be over there, with her knowing he's watching, seeing all of her, watching her face, hearing her, touching her. It's a few enticing, torturous minutes before her legs snap closed around her hand and he sees her body shuddering and he knows she's cumming.

Irrationally afraid she's going to get up and somehow glance over and spot him watching, he quickly finishes stripping off his clothes - now painfully hard, but ignoring that for the moment - and dashing out to the bathroom to start the shower.

Stepping under the streams of hot water as steam begins to fill the bathroom, JC goes about quickly washing before sighing and turning his attention to his cock, which is still a rock, bouncing slightly against his belly as he moves around the tub, images of what he'd just seen still flashing through his mind fuelling his already admittedly high libido. He's a little ashamed of himself for watching for as long as he had, but he also doesn't think he could've pulled himself away sooner if his room had been on fire. It's not like he'd intentionally spied on her…

Giving in to the thought that what's happened can't be undone now, he leans back against the cool tile and closes his eyes, replaying the images and adding some imagination as he strokes up and down his length. It doesn't take long before he's stepping back under the spray to rinse off again before cutting off the water and stepping out to dry off.

This time, he flips his light on when he goes into his room, glancing out the side window to see that her cat has taken up residence on her windowsill between the curtain and the glass, as he is wont to do.

JC can feel Pumba's stare as he pulls on boxers under the towel before dropping the damp cloth in his laundry basket. "Stop judging me, I had no idea she was doing that!" he says to the cat, who he knows neither knows what had happened, nor can hear what he's saying, but he still feels better for talking to the brown tabby that's watching him get ready for bed. The cat just blinks at him, so he moves across the room and pulls the string to drop his blinds, both to block out the feline judgement and stop any possible temptation to peek if he's going to get any further show.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"How was the ride yesterday?" Happy asks, leaning against the car JC and Show are working on.

Show glances up curiously, pretty sure Hap isn't talking to him, and confirms the taciturn enforcer is looking at their soon-to-be-prospect.

JC's a pleasant enough guy most of the time anyway, but he breaks out in one of his goofy grins immediately at the question. "Great! Did you know there's this replica stonehenge thing down on the Oregon border? Apparently there's a recreation of Crazy Horse, too, but Jess let me pass by it without pointing it out for some reason. She wasn't gonna take me to the Stonehenge one, either, I just happened to see it from the highway and pulled off to look. She thought they wouldn't be interesting. Who isn't interested in stopping to see shit like that?"

Happy chuckles, and Show's curious. Of course, Hap knows the kid the best, having now lived with him for nearly a year, but he's still in the running to be his mentor, first round of the tournament not starting until this weekend after church. "Who's Jess?"

"His girlfriend." the gravelly voice of his brother fills him in briefly. "She takes him on little day trips around the state to show him around. They went on a loop through a couple passes and down through Tri-Cities and the Gorge yesterday."

"Girlfriend?" Show is surprised. "Thought you were bangin' the MILF-brigade?"

Happy's still chuckling, answering before JC has a chance to speak for himself. "Nah, he iced them out almost as soon as we moved to the new place and spotted the cute little neighbor girl. Was like watchin' a damn 14 year old with a crush. Fuckin' adorable." he teases.

JC rolls his eyes, but he's still grinning, so he doesn't take it hard. "Yeah, well, now she's my girlfriend, so I obviously did something right."

"Yeah, landed a rich girl that has daddy's house all to herself almost all the time." is Happy's rebuttal.

This makes some of JC's good cheer abandon him. "It's not her dad's house, and he doesn't live there at all anymore, so she has it to herself all the time." his tone is much more serious as he bends back over to start pulling at the bolt he'd been loosening earlier.

Show and Hap exchange a look, both of their curiosity now extra piqued. It's Show that bites. "You gonna elaborate?"

"None o' your business." JC almost grunts out. After a moment of silence, he glances up, to see them staring at him, and he sighs, elaborating only slightly. "Look, her family situation is complicated as hell. And it really isn't anyone's business. Won't affect the club at all. I did all the standard checks and then some, she's totally legit - just a local kid with some shitty parents."

"Should bring her around." Show suggests placatingly. Obviously they had no way of knowing they'd been treading straight into dangerous territory, but JC seems serious about the girl, and they can try to get to know her, give her a chance.

He takes the olive branch. "We've talked about it. She probably won't be here much for parties and shit, at least while I'm prospecting and can't be with her all the time, but I'll bring her to family dinners and to hang out on off afternoons sometimes. Calmer shit." Pulling out the part he'd been unbolting, he moves to the workbench and immediately starts wiping it down. "Hang out at our place a bit, you can probably meet her, too. She's chill with the club, she just….." he shakes his head, not sure how to word it without making her sound a little crazy, then remembers that most of the people around the club are kinda weird. The whole point is that they live outside of regular society for some reason. "Jess... doesn't do good with crowds." he settles for the simplest explanation.

Resolved, Show gets back to work himself, reaching in to start actually doing what needs doing to the transmission now that JC had opened up the space. "I'll do that."

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

The couple manages to get in 3 more day trips in the next couple weeks before JC gets his prospect kutte. Jess starts bringing a camera, snapping pictures whenever she has the chance. Granted, she starts doing that around home, too. When they're playing video games and pause to refill drinks, or just cuddling on the couch and watching a movie, or if she happens to wander outside and see him in his and Happy's garage doing something to his bike.

He officially becomes a prospect the Saturday before Memorial day, along with 2 other guys, Randy and Joey, and Jake's patch-in party that same night is…. insanity.

JC is surprised at how easily he settles in as a prospect. There's hazing, sure, but it's honestly nothing he can't handle, and Happy had, unsurprisingly, ended up his mentor (though not without a lot of cuts, bruises, and a cracked rib), which means he is shielded from anything that his self-appointed big brother deems 'too far'. The cleaning isn't the most glamorous, but his OCD means he doesn't actually mind it much, and he can frequently be heard telling Randy and Joey to shut up and just do it and it'll get done faster.

He's also almost immediately drafted by Lee to start the garage cleanup and inventory project, and the other garage workers find out fast not to fuck up his system. Herc tried it once and got his face slammed into a radiator. Normally, prospects wouldn't dare do shit like that to members, but Lee hadn't done anything but stood in the door to the office and laughed at Herc before telling him it was his own fucking fault. Herc had a nice honeycomb grill pattern on his face for 2 days, and the rest of the guys left it all alone; at first because they didn't want to meet the same fate, then because they realized that working is easier when they can actually find shit after he's organized it.

There's a schedule for who works what parties, slinging drinks. Randy and Joey prefer Saturdays, because they're the wild nights and they occasionally get girls now that they have leather, and JC is fine with letting them have Saturdays, taking most Fridays by himself. They're the "laid-back" party nights, with only a third to half the guys showing up, and a fraction of the girls and hangarounds. It's the night that people generally come to just hang out and play pool or darts or poker, have some drinks, whatever.

Plus, it frees him up most Saturdays to still spend with Jess, which is a bonus. He has to be at the clubhouse while the guys are in Church, in case he's needed for something, but once it lets out and the party starts, he's free to go.

His kutte's laying over the back of the nearby armchair as she sets down 2 vodka lemonades made with the bottle she'd texted him that afternoon asking if he would buy her.

"Any particular reason you're suddenly interested in drinking?" he asks curiously. He's hardly one to judge, but it is a change. She hasn't cared about him having the occasional beer or other drink around her before, but she'd always stuck to soda or coffee or water even when offered alcoholic options, seemingly not interested.

Jess flops down on the couch next to him with a sigh, and he can tell that there actually is something bothering her. "I have to go to New York for 2 weeks." she says, sounding rather less than pleased.

He understands why she's not thrilled. The only reason she'd go to New York is to see her mother, or her grandmother and the grandmother's husband. JC guesses it's the grand-option, since her mother historically hasn't had any interest in spending time with her, ever, if she could help it. "Grandma?" he asks to confirm.

A nod as she gulps down a surprisingly large portion of her drink without grimacing. "Gran and Henry want to see me for my 'graduation' and will probably force my mother and I out to a fancy dinner together or something. I'm sure I'll come home with half a new wardrobe of ugly designer shit I don't want from Gran taking me shopping on 5th."

JC wraps an arm around her after picking up his own drink, chuckling slightly, though not at her. "It was always weird to me when I had my place in Hell's Kitchen, how close my neighborhood was to there, but how crazy different Manhattan can get in a matter of 5 or 6 blocks."

"What about Queens? Was it not like that?" she questions curiously.

Thinking about it, he answers, "Kinda, but not as extreme. There are nicer areas, for sure, but I can't think of anywhere that it feels like you're stepping into a whole different part of the city by walking two blocks over, or across a park, ya know?"

Jess nods, knowing the feeling he's talking about from her handful of summers spent exploring New York City before her maternal grandmother passed away and stopped nagging her mother to spend some time with her. She had ridden trains all over the city, but hadn't been quite brave enough to wander far from the subway anywhere but Manhattan, where she knew she could always walk home if she got lost and wouldn't find her way back to the train, even if it might be a long walk.

She flips on MTV for some mindless reality show before it switches back to music for the nighttime, and lowers the volume as JC keeps telling her about Queens. As he mentions the diners his sister and mother both work in, an idea implants itself in her head, and she multitasks, half-listening and asking questions to make sure she knows where they are or can find them, and making a to-do list for the next few days before she leaves.

Eventually, she finds herself in a position that's becoming increasingly familiar, not that she's complaining.

Straddling JC's lap, his shirt discarded somewhere on the floor off to the side and behind her, Jess doesn't waste any time before stripping off her own and dropping it in the same general area that his had disappeared to. The drink is helping with her usual nerves - she's drank before, the remnants of her parents well-stocked bar still lingering in the dining room to this day, but not much, so the one is enough to have her feeling just a little fuzzy and relaxed. She hadn't been wearing a bra, having not had a reason to leave the house that day, and JC's eyes darken deliciously as he takes her in.

She beats him to moving, leaning forward to lick and nibble down his neck as her hands slide up his abs and chest.

Huffing out a light moan, JC drops his head to the side so she has plenty of room, moving his own, much rougher hands up her soft skin to cup around the not-insubstantial mounds of her tits. They look huge compared to her small frame and tiny waist, which is great. In reality, they just fill up the palm of his hands plus a little. He's not in any way complaining. The soft, pink little nipples harden to peaks quickly under his ministrations, and he feels her bite down harder as she sucks in a breath against his neck, and knows he's gonna have a hickey.

Jess gets curious and moves to flick her fingers gently over one of his own nipples, getting a not-dissimilar response to what she'd given. Continuing to suck and nibble on his neck as their hands roam, she relishes the feel of him under her, hard and soft in different ways, and absolutely intoxicating in a totally different way than the vodka dulling her nerves.

At some point, she ends up on her back on the couch, letting out a moan as JC kisses down her chest and sucks a nipple into his mouth, flicking his tongue against it when one of her hands grabs at his thick hair.

His cell phone chiming from his pocket interrupts them.

"Ignore it," Jess whines, leaning up to kiss under his jaw as he fumbles in his pocket.

JC sounds regretful. "It's the club, I can't." but doesn't move from his position over her, allowing her to continue as he answers the phone gruffly. "Yeah?" After a minute, he sighs, shifting to look longingly down at his half-naked girlfriend under him, and she knows. "Yeah, I'll be right there." is all he says before flipping the phone shut again.

Jess collapses back on the couch with a disappointed sigh. "Will you be able to make breakfast and toons tomorrow?" is her question.

"I don't know. I'll text you in the morning when I have a better idea." JC answers, taking a moment that he knows he probably shouldn't to give her a last squeeze and cuddle before he pushes himself up to retrieve their shirts. "Some shit popped off tonight for the club. If we can get it handled fast, it won't be a big deal, but if it's complicated, I may be kinda MIA for awhile."

"Well, I'll be here. Except for my trip. Just let me know if you aren't going to be able to come over and feed Pumba after all, so I can leave enough food and water and some extra litter boxes out." She replies, taking the shirt he hands her after pulling his own over his head.

"I'll definitely be able to feed the cat. May not be able to hang out with him much, but I can definitely make it home often enough to keep him fed and watered and scoop his shit box every couple days." JC promises, leaning down to kiss her after she's redressed and his kutte is on. He parts from her with a groan, forcing himself to go, stopping only to shove his feet in his shoes. "Just remind me before you leave."

"Be safe." she calls after him as he closes the door, getting a grin in return, like that's a silly thing of her to ask.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

JC hadn't really considered this part of being a prospect when he'd been considering it.

It had, ultimately, been a small group off Mayan affiliates causing trouble for SAMTAC, and Happy and the other enforcers had spent the past several days taking care of the 7 Bandoleros. He'd finally figured out why some people around the club seem so afraid of Happy - JC had managed to stay in the room all the way through that interrogation session, but hadn't been able to directly watch the whole thing, and most of the guys with them at the time had fled the small cabin they had taken the first one they caught to not long after Happy got started.

The youngest prospect, however, wouldn't have had that luxury even if he'd been unable to stomach the gore. Happy's his mentor. He'd been told quietly, but in no uncertain terms, that he'd be trained in this at some point, so he better get used to it. And JC could take most of it, really. He'd never had a problem with slasher flicks or blood, and he knows he has a vicious streak about certain things - it just takes a lot to get him there. But family's one of the things he'll do anything for, and he knows the club is banking on that; on him making it through the year and considering them (more than just Happy) family at the end of it.

The days since then had been long for JC, alternately cleaning and keeping the clubhouse in order, working interrupted garage shifts, and driving one of the club vehicles up into the nearby mountains to dig graves for the bodies they kept acquiring, and a slew of other miscellany. He'd barely had an hour or two here and there to see Jess, but she'd been mostly understanding. He's glad this is now over, because she'd flown out earlier today, and he'd maintained his promise to take care of the cat while she's in New York on enforced family visitation.

Pausing in his digging to judge the depth of his hole, JC tunes back in to what's going on around him, having blanked out the noise ages ago.

"Man, if I never have to dig a hole again, it'll be too soon." Randy gripes nearby, getting only a grunt of agreement from Joey.

Shaking his head, JC pipes in, "Dude, you're joining an outlaw motorcycle club, and we're the club bitches for the next year. Get use to diggin' holes." Is it the thing he'd prefer to be doing right now? No, but it seems like after a week of digging holes and other dirty, mundane tasks, he'd've accepted that it's their current position in the club. JC hadn't consciously realized gravedigging would come with the territory, but it makes enough sense that he just felt like a bit of a numbskull for not realizing. Not all of it's gonna be organizing and cleaning and bartending.

Though, Randy may also be taking it harder, because he's hurting the most of the 3 of them. JC's in the best shape out of them, and Joey is a dockworker, so he's in pretty good shape too, but Randy is a mechanic. It's not an easy profession, and he's far from a tub of lard or anything, but he doesn't do anything but pull wrenches either, so he's definitely having a harder time with the heavily physical work that week.

"Whatever, kid, just because you're the Killer's little pet fuckboy, you don't actually have to do the real work." is Randy's bitter reply.

Turning, JC plants his spade in the dirt at his feet and looks over to find that Randy's hole is less than half as deep as his for them starting at the same time. Gesturing between the holes, he spits, "Yeah, well, we started digging at the same time, bud. It's not like I have a magic goddamn shovel or some shit, so you wanna take a look and re-evaluate who's doin' some real work here between the 2 of us? Maybe put your back into it instead o' running your trap?" It's not a new argument, but it's one of the few instances there's a direct comparison handy. JC frequently gets tapped for different tasks than Joey and Randy, for various reasons. 1) Between the 2 prospects and the whole regular construction/cleanup guys, there's plenty of hands already working on the dorm expansion, 2) he just has a different skillset.

Organizing, inventorying, and researching upgrades for a massive, busy, 12-bay garage? That's his wheelhouse, and Lee needs it done, so that's the project that JC works on. Joey seems to get that, joking that it's a good thing he's not expected to help, because he'd just make a bigger mess, but Randy still somehow thinks it's JC being shown some weird favoritism. Maybe because Randy works at the garage too and thinks he'd do a better job?

Kozik - overseeing them that night but who'd been off wandering for awhile - chooses that moment to reappear.

"Randy, my 6 year old niece could dig a hole faster than you." he says, walking back up from the darkness surrounding their circle of light from the camping lanterns illuminating their work area. "Stop yapping and get to work, or we're leaving when these 2 are done and leaving you out here to finish yours on your own." JC doesn't know if he's being serious, but somehow he wouldn't put it past most of the guys. "JC, go down another foot or so, Joey, you need more like a foot and a half." is his only comment for the other 2 before he yanks open the door of the nearby van and hops in, pulling out his cell phone once he's enclosed inside, talking and watching the prospects work.

Randy grumbles, but does bend over and put some elbow grease into digging, trying to catch up, while JC and Joey both take a little pity on the guy and slow down a bit to give him a fighting chance.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Jess smiles at her laptop, looking at the picture JC had emailed her of him and Pumba snuggling on her couch last night when he'd apparently gone over to hang out with the cat after work and club shit. JC's laying down on the couch, and her little brown tabby is stretched out on his chest, head and front paws cutely curled up under JC's chin. Thinking about her destination this morning, she wishes her grandmother had a printer and photo paper so she could print it out and add it to the envelope of photos she'd brought with her.

Instead, she sets it as her desktop background and shuts the machine, getting up to get ready, digging down to the bottom of her bag for the "normal" clothes she'd brought.

Actually, they're really the only clothes she'd brought. Some underwear and toiletries, and a couple of changes of jeans and tank tops, in a very large suitcase, because she knows her Gran would fill up the suitcase easily by the time she leaves, and she didn't dare wear anything she'd gotten last time she'd been in New York. Wearing fashions from 3 years ago is worse than walking around in jeans and a tank top, in her Gran's opinion.

Once her standard daily from home is on, she moves to the vanity in her fancy room in her grandparent's high-rise condo, sifting through the excessive amount of makeup that had been dumped on her a few days before until she finds what she's after - simple black eyeliner, mascara, and some lip gloss. She wants to make a good impression, after all, just not the sort that her Gran would consider a good impression.

Her Gran and Henry are both out doing whatever it is they do on a Thursday morning, so she just tells the maid - yes, that's really her grandmother's life - that, if either of them ask, she's meeting a friend in the city and will be back in the evening, and dinner shouldn't be held for her. The last bit is only added after the maid asks if she'll be home for dinner, and she makes a split-second decision to stay out late even if it doesn't end up taking long. With a final check that she has everything she needs in her purse, Jess hooks it over her shoulder and make her way out and to the subway terminal she needs, swiping the pass she'd gotten for her time here and heading for the platform to head out to her destination.

It's almost 50 minutes later that she finds the correct diner and walks in.

"Hi! Have a seat anywhere, hun, you just missed the breakfast rush." one of the waitresses chirps from behind the long counter, and Jess nods her understanding before looking around to try and pick the right section - this would've been easier with a hostess seating her, and she feels awkward asking.

Luckily, it's only a moment before she hears a familiar laugh from the far back sector, and she looks back to see the woman that JC has a few photos of hanging in his room, just a bit older. He has her laugh. Walking toward the back corner, Jess slides into ones of the empty booths that's clean.

She doesn't have to wait long. Having not really planned what she'd say once she got here, she's a little flustered when the waitress appears next to her with a friendly - familiar - smile.

"Good morning! Can I get ya a drink ta start, hun? Coffee, juice?" is the standard question as a menu is set in front of her.

"Uh, coffee, please." Jess stutters a little.

It's only a couple minutes that she has to collect herself before a mug of steaming coffee is in front of her, and the waitress, is asking, "Have you decided on food, or you need a couple more minutes, hun?"

Taking a deep breath, Jess gathers whatever courage she has and blurts out, "Actually, do you have a couple minutes to sit down?"

The woman looks confused, but glances around to check on her tables, before saying, "Depends on why you want me to." in a suspicious voice.

Pulling out the envelope from the bag in the seat next to her, she hands it to the woman - Maria, according to her nametag and JC's stories. Maria takes it cautiously, flipping open the unsealed tab and fingering the sides to push it open, her eyes going wide as she realizes what she's seeing, immediately sitting down and sliding into the booth.

"Mijo…." Maria mutters, pulling out the photographs and spreading them out in front of her as she looks at them. Getting to one of Jess and JC cuddled up on a ferry on one of their day trips, she glances up at the girl across from her. "You the new girlfriend?" she states more than asks.

Nodding, Jess busies her hands adding a couple packets of sugar to her coffee. "I'm in town visiting family. I know you haven't seen him in over a year, so I thought you might like some recent pictures…."

Abruptly, Maria grabs for one of the paper napkins in the dispenser on the table, swiping at her nose as she tears up, looking down at the dozen or so bits of glossy paper staring back up at her. "I love them. My little boy is becoming a man." looking back up at the girl, who is still obviously uncomfortable, but also smiling down at the images of her son, she goes on to say, "He looks so happy. Thank you."

Looking back up at the woman, Jess catches her meaning and blushes, eyes quickly going back to her coffee, hands wrapping around the mug to avoid fidgeting. "All I did was take some pictures…." she trails off.

Maria's hand appears on her wrist gently, prompting her to look back up. "You care enough to take the pictures, querido. And to bring them to his mama when you're on vacation."

They're interrupted as Jess's phone starts buzzing in her bag, and she pulls it out with a muttered apology before seeing who it is. At that point she smiles and says a quick, "Speak of the devil." to Maria before she answers. "Morning, handsome." automatically, before blushing at the smile Maria beams at her.

"Morning, babe." JC's sleepy voice returns her greeting, and she knows he's probably calling while he waits for the coffee to brew. "What are you up to today?"

Grinning mischievously, she answers as casually as she can, "Oh, I'm just sitting here chatting with your mom."

"That sounds f- wait WHAT?!" it takes him a moment to bust out of his auto-response and process what she'd actually said.

Shrugging despite him being unable to see, she nods as Maria motions that she has to get back to work and will be back. "Well, I thought she might like some recent photos of her son, so I printed some out and brought them to her." As she says this, she flips a couple around to admire them again. Most are of JC exclusively, her being behind the camera, but there's the one with both of them. The ones she'd picked are all her favorites of him, some just relaxing on the couch, or zoned in on a video game. A couple of him working on his bike, one from the garage when she'd shown up with lunch for him as a surprise one day, more of him from their trips.

"Wait, you're seriously with my ma right now?" he sounds slightly panicked.

Brow furrowing, she responds, "Well, yeah, I mean, I'm at the diner she works at. She's helping a table right this second, but she was sitting with me when I answered the phone."

"Look, I'm sorry for whatever she says. She just really doesn't like the girls I date, it's nothing personal-" he starts rambling.

Snorting, still confused, Jess interrupts him. "She's been absolutely lovely, JC. She thanked me for both taking the pictures and stopping by to bring them to her." There's a long silence on the phone and she actually pulls it away from her face to make sure they're still connected at one point. "JC?"

"I'm here. It's just…. She hates the girls I date. I stopped bringing girls home like a year before I even moved out because she was so hard on them." he explains.

Unable to reconcile that with the friendly woman she's watching flit between tables and the service window to the kitchen, Jess replies, "Well, maybe you just never brought the right girl home before."

There's another pause before he mutters, "Maybe…." and they say their 'have a good days' and hang up so he can get some caffeine in his system before work and she can go back to what she was in the middle of once Maria sits back down after all her customers are seen to again.

"And how is my boy this morning?" the woman asks teasingly.

Chuckling a little, Jess answers, "Confused. He didn't know I was planning on coming here."

"Have you eaten, sweetie? Let's get you some food, and I insist you come over for dinner, so I can get to know you properly and Angie can meet you." Maria packs up the photos and slips them into her apron before getting back up.

Jess finally looks at the menu for long enough to find an omelette that looks good and get that, and Maria hands her a piece of paper with the address of their apartment on it in lieu of a check, saying her food is on her.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"Man, what has you so bugged the last couple days?" Happy asks as JC scrubs at the grout around the kitchen sink. "Ya girl's barely been gone more than a week, and she'll be home in like 4 more days. Ain't like you're gettin' laid anyway, what's the big deal about her bein' gone for 2 weeks?"

The younger man had spent the past few days in an almost manic episode of cleaning - their house, Jess's house next door, the garage, the clubhouse, anywhere he was, he was cleaning, really.

"Man, it's not just her bein' gone." Hap has also noticed his accent coming back stronger the past few days, which is a sign of whatever anxiety he's feeling as well. "It's that she went to meet my ma without tellin' me. And my ma likes her. My ma fuckin' hates my girlfriends. ALL of 'em. Ever. Even the ones she never met. But for some reason, she ADORES Jess. An' now Jess is all buddy-buddy with her an' my sister."

Happy stops himself from laughing. He understands where the guy is coming from, but it's also hilarious. "Man, you're seriously stressing because your family likes your girlfriend? Shouldn't that be a good thing?" He asks, already knowing the answer. If his ma suddenly liked a girl he brought home, he'd be freaked out to. Especially if he didn't choose to bring her home and she just showed up at his ma's place and introduced herself and he had no control over the situation. Not that he's actually dated a girl since he was…. About JC's age, actually, but still.

JC obviously knows Happy gets the point and is just trying to placate him with the questions, because Happy gets only a baleful look in response.

"Gonna put you in the ring tonight, get some of this anxiety out." Hap says decisively. It's Saturday, and JC typically wouldn't be at the clubhouse at all, but he's choosing to exercise his liberties as a mentor in this instance. The guy's anxiety is starting to drive his own up, and having both of them on an OCD kick at the same time wouldn't be good for anyone.

It's telling that JC only grunts and gets back to his cleaning frenzy instead of arguing.