Author's Note: I decided not to continue with the previously posted tester story. Your response was welcomed and I appreciated the opinions, I just couldn't find enough drive to continue with it. That being said- I WILL be starting this story and have a lot planned for it. I've been working on it while working through some writer's block on Be Together. Anyways, this is going to be more A/U than Be Together. That being said, original pairings will remain (breath all my Jax/Tara lovers). Give it a read, I'm pretty excited to see where this goes. As always, review pretty please!
"Skye, you can't keep kissing random guys and pretending that it's him. You'll never move on like that." Trinity said. She took my hand and pulled me away from the bar, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. I teetered along behind her, banging my arm into tables and other patrons. She stopped once we were outside the pub. "Skye."
"Trinity." I quipped, sitting on the edge of the concrete flower pot. I pulled my heels off and dropped my leather clutch to the ground. My red haired best friend frowned and picked it up, dusting off the dirt that it had fallen into. I felt numb, inside and out. It was as if I was out of my body and watching everything from a distance.
"Let's get ya home. I don't want Ma to worry." Trinity said, offering me her hand. I swallowed down a lump in my throat and nodded. I had no where better to be and the last thing I wanted was for her ma to worry. I took her hand and rose to my feet with a sigh. "You'll be okay, love."
"Everyone keeps saying that. At least you didn't say he did it for the cause. I'm so sick of the cause this and the cause that." I knew all my words were running together and slurring but I didn't care. I needed it off my chest. Elijah was a lover, not a fighter, but then "the cause" got to him and he turned into a completely different person. Trinity's uncle says I don't understand because my father was American. I would never tell him but I think the real reason I don't understand the IRA's "cause" is because it's more about pride and greed than all the patriotic propaganda they slung out.
"Shite. I forgot Charming was in town." Trinity cursed as we exited the taxi. I didn't have to ask who or what a Charming was because I saw that the number of bikers parked behind her Ma's shop was more than twice the normal. No one seemed to notice us walking right through the party and up the stairs to the apartment Trinity shared with her mother. I'd been coming to the small apartment since I was a little girl. It was like a second home to me.
"Skye, ya look a mess. Why don't you go take a bath and get some sleep?" Maureen said, guiding me down the hall with her hand on my shoulder. I was still unsteady on my feet but I was barefooted so I managed not to topple over. "I'll have Trinity fetch you a towel.
"Okay." I muttered, turning on the hot water as she pulled the door closed on her way out. I watched the water start to fill the tub as I unzipped the back of my dress. It pooled down around my ankles as the door opened. I turned around in nothing but my thong, thinking it was just Trinity bringing me a towel. If I wasn't drunk, I may have been embarrassed to be topless in front of a stranger. The man was wearing a white t-shirt beneath a black, leather biker vest. He must have been one of the Charming men Trinity had mentioned. I didn't recognize him from the Belfast club. I noticed his hands were wrapped in bloodied cloth tape but the only injury I could see was a little swelling under his right eye. I put my forearm over my breasts, wondering if he would leave on his own once I took away the view. His eyes slowly moved up to mine but he didn't move to leave. I raised my brow expectantly.
Without a word, he looked me up and down one more time and left the bathroom. I rolled my eyes and closed the door back. Charming or Belfast, it seemed all the members were the same. They looked at women like they were something to own, something to conquer. I scoffed at the idea and stepped out of my thong before getting into the bath. My neck was resting on the lip of the claw-foot tub when Trinity tapped on the door. She walked in with a large white towel a second later.
"Thank you, doll." I was starting to feel sobriety creeping up on me and with that came the doldrums of being heartbroken at twenty-five. Trinity paused at the door as if she was going to say something but instead left with a silent frown. She blamed herself for introducing Elijah and I going on two years ago. They had met in University and Trinity had set me up on a blind date with him. I should have listened to my gut when the first date flopped. He was persistent and sweet though. I gave him another chance after holding him off for a few weeks and we ended up staying together for one year and seven months. He changed when he started buying into and eventually joining up with the Real IRA. He went from a sweet, caring man with a big laugh to a dark, cold monster.
"I was worried ya may have drowned." Trinity said as I walked into her small bedroom. Trinity and her Mom worked hard for what they had, even if it wasn't much compared to other's standards. I respected them for that. I even helped out at the store from time to time. Waitressing barely paid the bills so I didn't mind covering some of Trinity's shifts while she was in class.
"No, I almost went to sleep though. Luckily the party outside woke me up." I said, glancing down at the party in the yard below. The music had shaken the windows before I heard Maureen yell at them to turn it down. It was still obnoxious but the windows were safe from shattering.
"Aye. It will probably be like this until they leave." She said when I turned back. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a sleep shirt out of the bottom dresser drawer where I kept clothes for late nights or when I didn't have money for a taxi. I turned away from Trinity and dropped my towel. I pulled the shirt on and hung the towel on the back of her bedroom door.
"How long are they staying?" I asked, climbing into bed next to her. She stared at the ceiling and shrugged her shoulders.
"Dunno. Ma said they're here on business but all I've seen them do is party." She said with a little laugh. I knew about club parties, having been to a few myself. If that was the business they were in Ireland for, they were going to be around for awhile. "Try to get some sleep, dear. You're going to have one nasty hangover in the morning."
"Yeah. It won't be the first time." I said, rolling onto my side and closing my eyes. She was right, I'd gone a bit far at the pub. If it wasn't for Trinity, I probably would have continued making bad decisions and gone home with some bloke with a beer belly. Instead, I was safe and sound at the Ashby house yet again.
I woke up feeling green, just like Trinity had said. I could smell breakfast being cooked down the hall and it only made it that much worse. I rolled over and pressed my face into the pillow with a loud groan.
"Morning, Skye. Do you want something to eat?" Maureen asked as I walked into the kitchen. I shielded my eyes from the morning light pouring in through the window over the sink and shook my head. The whole kitchen was full of plates piled with fresh breakfast. It was enough to feed a small army. I clicked my tongue but kept my thoughts to myself. "What?"
"I don't know why ya cater to them, Maureen." I wasn't going to say anything, but since she'd asked. "When's the last time they've done something for you?"
"They're family, Skye. Just like you. Do I expect you to do anything?" She asked, sliding some eggs onto a plate. I gagged at the smell and covered my nose.
"No, ya don't expect anything. Still, I do for you what I can. Family is supposed to help each other." I said, lowering my volume as I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Maureen didn't say anything but the look she gave me told me to drop it. There was no real point in continuing anyway. We'd had the same conversation numerous times since I was just a teen.
"Morning. Help yourself to anything you'd like." Maureen said. I turned my head to see the biker from last night walking into the kitchen. It was a smaller kitchen but with him standing in it, it seemed miniscule. He caught me looking at him and made direct eye contact. There was no smile or grimace or snarl-just eye contact. I started feeling the hairs on my arms stand up, so I turned back to Maureen.
"Coffee?" He asked. I was tempted to turn back and look at him again. Was his voice always like that or was he just tired from the party? I wasn't sure which it was or why it caught my attention. I looked at Maureen and pursed my lips. She'd gone through the effort of cooking all of that food and he wanted coffee. Typical, I thought with a huff. Maureen gave me a warning look, so I just grabbed a piece of toast off the pile and walked outside.
I noticed a woman about my Mom's age digging through a large, leather bag on the hood of a car. She had dark brown hair and chunky, blonde highlights that seemed to go along with her lacy shirt and tight jeans. I watched her dump the contents of the bag out and then put it all right back in the bag. It took her a while to notice that anyone else was outside. She sighed and walked over, her heeled boots clicking on the asphalt.
"Got a light?" She asked as I took a drag from my cigarette. I nodded and straightened my leg to get my lighter out of my front pocket. She took it and pursed her lips. "You like to just sit around and spy on people?"
"I call it people watching." I said, taking the lighter back after she lit what looked like a hand rolled joint. She noticed my smirk and raised her eyebrows. "It's a little early isn't it?"
"Not in my time zone, sweetheart." I had a sneaking suspicion that the timezone had little to do with her lighting up. I didn't know her so I didn't push it. Her eyes were still on me. "Weren't you with Maureen's girl last night? I think I saw you stumble by."
"Aye. Skye Fallon." She nodded and turned her head to blow the smoke away from me. It seemed like she was waiting for me to ask who she was. If she didn't want to tell me I wasn't going to ask. I assumed she was with Charming. We finished our smokes in comfortable silence.
"Thank you for the light." She said, dropping the dead joint end into the pail by the door. I nodded and stood up, dusting the dirt off the back of my jeans. There was no telling how many men had their dirty boots on the bench. I walked back inside to tell Trinity goodbye and found the kitchen full of strange bikers. It looked like Charming may have brought all of their men across the pond with them.
"Watch it." I said, jumping out of the way before I was trampled by one of the younger looking men. I glared at him as he turned around.
"Sorry." He said with a big, bright smile. I rolled my eyes and let my glare fade into a scowl. He'd been walking backwards and talking to someone else, not paying a dime of attention to where he was going. I shook my head and continued on down the hall to find Trinity. She was brushing her hair and pulling on jeans at the same time.
"Thanks for having my back last night." I said with a shrug. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I'm going to be late for my shift. What are you doing tonight?"
"Think I may check out the party here." She said, back to brushing her hair. Something was definitely up for her to want to go to a club party, but I didn't have time to interrogate her. I made a little 'hmmph' noise and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before I left.
My plan was to go home and curl up with a chick flick after work. As drunk as I had gotten the night before and a few nights in the past month, I figured I would give my liver the night off. That was the plan up until an hour before closing. That was when he and his damn mates walked inside and sat in my section. I was the closing waitress, so I didn't have any choice but to serve them. He pretended not to even know me, even though everyone else at the table knew we'd just broken up. After that, I went home, showered and changed into the sexiest outfit I had before calling a taxi to take me to the party.
"Skye! I thought you weren't coming!" Trinity said, throwing her arms around me. She was obviously drunk. I smiled and followed her back to the table where she'd been sitting with some of our friends. I didn't want to kill her buzz by telling her the real reason I'd come to the party.
"Can they ever have a party without a fight?" I asked, watching a blonde man with the Sons of Anarchy colors tattooed on his back fight O'neill. He was one of my least favorite SAMBEL bikers, so I didn't mind watching him get his ass kicked. I caught a glimpse of Fiona and felt my upper lip start to curl. She and I went round and round every time we were within a mile of each other. I was in no mood to argue with her. "Who invited Fiona?"
"Kerrianne's da came here with the Charming boys. I guess she was having a moment of kindness and brought her to see her da for the first time in years." Trinity said before leaning back with the beer bottle to her lips. It was always fun to see her get drunk. I nodded and looked around for Kerrianne, wondering which one her father was.
"I think you have a fan, Skye." Margo whispered, leaning in so she could whisper. I smelled the liquor on her breath and realized I was completely too sober for the party. I ignored her and headed inside to get a glass of whiskey. I saw Kerrianne sitting in the living room with a Charming Son that I had seen that morning. I remembered his Glasgow Smile scars. It made sense when I thought about it.
"That what knocked you on your ass last night?" I couldn't help but recognize the voice. I didn't bother turning around until I spun the lid back on the whiskey bottle. He was wearing a grey shirt under his vest this time.
"It takes more than a glass of whiskey." I knew I sounded full of myself. I refused to be seen as a little girl that couldn't hold her alcohol though. He nodded but his expression remained unchanged. I shrugged as I walked by him. "Besides, you saw my ass last night. Did it look like I got knocked on it?"
He didn't get a chance to answer before I was back outside with my friends. Trinity was a few feet away talking to the blonde that had been fighting O'neill. I smirked, silently wishing her the best of luck with him. He looked cocky and his smile just yelled playboy. I wasn't worried about Trinity though. She could hold her own and it wasn't like he'd be around to break her heart down the road.
"How are you doing, Skye?" Margo asked, drawing my attention away from Trinity and the blonde. I raised my glass to her and took a drink. She frowned.
"Don't worry, it's Ireland. There's plenty of alcohol to get me through it." I said with a little laugh. It wasn't my first break-up and I doubted it would be my last. My problem was that when I fell in love, I fell hard. It would take me some time but I'd get through it. I couldn't promise not to do some liver damage in the meantime though. Trinity sat back down at our table with a huff, pulling me out of my thoughts. "What happened?"
"Dunno. He saw 'oh great Father Ashby' and followed him somewhere." She whined. I laughed at the idea of her uncle cock blocking her. I squeezed her hand and gave her an exaggerated wink.
"I'll sleep with you, doll." I said. She took her hand away from me and waved my offer away. I laughed and stood up, leading her into the house for more whiskey.
"I want to stay here with you, Da." I overheard Kerrianne say as I picked up the bottle. I glanced back to see him with a look of pure anguish across his face. I didn't know the details of what had happened, but I knew he was forced to leave both Fiona and Kerrianne behind when he moved to the States.
"We've got to get back, Kerrianne. Jimmy will be missing us soon." Fiona pleaded. I knew Jimmy O'Phelan was not someone you wanted to mess with. He kept Fi and her daughter under his thumb at all times. I set the bottle down and walked over to the three of them. O'neill was standing to the side, eagerly awaiting the transport.
"I'll go with you, Kerrianne. I need some fresh air. I said with a warm smile. She was quite a few years younger than me but she was a sweet girl. I wanted her to know she had a friend to lean on. Trinity raised her hand with a grin. "Yeah, she'll go to."
"You don't have to do that." Fiona said, looking at me with untrusting eyes. I shook my head and looped my arm in with Kerrianne's. O'neill nodded and turned towards the door.
"It's settled. Let's go." He said, sounding like he had somewhere important to be with his busted up face. I gave Kerrianne a reassuring smile and walked out to the van with her. The husky voiced biker held the van door open for us as we piled in. It was a cargo van so Trinity, Kerrianne and I just picked a spot on the floor and sat down cross-legged. Fionna sat up front with O'neill. I diverted my eyes from the Charming biker as he got into the back with us. I wasn't about to feed into his ego by letting him catch me looking at him again.
"What's your bloody name?" I asked, growing frustrated that he'd been staring at me since getting in the van. The van came to a sudden halt and neither of us gave a damn about my question anymore. He pulled a black pistol from behind his back as I pulled my Kahr 9mm out of my bag. I heard gunfire coming from outside of the van but nothing hit. Trinity was lying on top of Kerrianne as I moved towards the back doors. I felt a large hand grab my wrist as I reached for the handle.
"Don't move." He rasped. He suddenly had two identical pistols. One aimed at the back door I was reaching for and the other trained on the sliding door beside him. I dropped my hand just as the gunfire stopped. I heard a car speed away before the man who was still holding my wrist looked around. "Everybody whole?"
"Aye, we're good." Trinity said, crawling off of Kerrianne. The back doors opened to reveal the younger girl's father who had been riding in a van behind us. She rushed into his arms. She was terrified and rightfully so. No one was hit, despite all the shots that were fired in our direction. It didn't make sense.
"Happy." The husky voice said after we dropped Kerrianne and Fionna off safely. Trinity was sound asleep with her head in my lap. My left hand was rubbing her back while my right hand held onto my pistol, just in case. I looked up and raised my brow at him, wondering what there was to be happy about.
"What?" I asked, shaking my head. He didn't answer. He just stared out at the sliding door, waiting for something to happen. He was peculiar to say the least.