Author's notes: Be aware of tags, trigger warnings, and the like. Know that while this is a family crime drama and most importantly follows the perameters of the original show, this is also a romance and technically an AU. Many adult themes will be addressed including but not limited to: sex, drugs, and extreme use of profanty and violence. Also, the main romance in this story will be centered around a polyamorous relationship between my OC, Chibs Telford, and Tig Trager. I will do my best to acknowledge the more mature themes and trigger warnings at the top of each chapter, but please recall the origins that this novel is based around. This is still an outlaw biker gang and we are still operating in Charming folks. These characters are in character.
Background: As suggested by the title and synopsis I have created a female OC who is a fully integrated and viable patch member. This is also my first work for this fandom that I love! This story will serve as my first real attempt at a proper WIP and novel length work. (If you've seen my work before, I really mean it this time! Promise! Just hang with me once more!)
I know that there are real world scenarios as well as canonical reasons why females cannot join a majority of criminal syndicates however, I am writing an AU and a question has been nagging me for about nine months: What if a woman was a patched member? Schuyler was born and has been living with me ever since.
This story follows closely with the original series. I have written a prologue in past tense to integrate readers into this world, establish what the SOA looks like with Schuyler's father, Edward, being an original nine member, and to introduce Schuyler as her own character. The first chapter picks up in present tense three days before the pilot episode when the gun factory blows up (ah, remember season 1? Let's go back and pretend all this mess never happened, shall we? Once more from the top!).
Many scenes and some dialogue will feel familiar. Equally, some will be brand new. Timelines or plotlines may move or change to better fit the story I am telling. You may know what is happening, but information may be told differently and to different characters than how it was presented in canon. And I may introduce some original plot lines throughout just to keep things especially interesting. Similarly some characters may be deleted or replaced with OCs (ex. we will meet SAMTEX in the second half) however, a majoirty of the canon cast is present. And some character traits or relationships may be exaggerated or changed (ex. the main romance between Chibs and Tig, which starts as a secret!). I am expounding on characters from the show who perhaps had a little less screen time than others to fully develop their characters and help to tell the story from their perspective. This is not Jackson's story. This is Schuyler's story. Secondly, this is an ensemble story. Also know that most of the canon character deaths will still occur though they may occur differently or in different times than they did in the tv show. The question is not who, but when and why?
The chapters I have put together thus far have been rather long. In fact, they read much like an episode is presented. The trick is to keep them from being too long, but you let me worry about that! Because I am working with so much material at once it will be some time between each chapter. I say this to be transparent. I will release the Prologue and chapters 1 & 2 together. Then I will post a chapter each month on the first for as long as I can starting on the first of May. I will try to communicate changes to schedules as clearly as I can as they come up.
As it stands, this story is a work in progress and listed as incomplete. As far as tags and triggers are concerned, I will post at the top of the first chapter where a sex scene appears as well as the first chapter where any major triggers occur. Then it can reappear at any time throughout (recall the original series). But know this will be a long and arduous process. With luck, this story will be as long and complex as the original (I'm hoping for more than 300k words!), but I am getting ahead of myself.
I was hoping to have more of a back log before I started posting chapters. However, I have been living with this character and story for far too long and am super excited to share my progress thus far! I think it best to make sure there is a market for my WIP before I start thinking seriously about 300k words.
With all this being said, I'm super excited to share my new world! We are going to start simple with a prologue. Then the first official chapter will transition into present tense and we will be off and running!
Thank you if you clicked on my story. Thank you if you read any of my rambling establishments of this story. And thank you if you decide to give my story a chance. I hope you get something out of it!
Without further ado, Enjoy the story...
Meredith Rose Schuyler was born in the small town of Valor, TX with a population of no more than 5,000 individuals precisely one-hour north of the Mexican-American border and two hours south of the border between Texas and New Mexico. She was born October 25, 1980 to Edward and Samantha Schuyler at precisely Midnight on a stormy Friday morning. As of the start of her story in 2008 she is 28 years old.
At 5'8" Schuyler is an attractive woman with full shoulder length blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and naturally long eyelashes. She has wide hips, large thighs, and an impressively ample chest, but a firm and even abdomen that accentuates her already curvy figure. Her skin is mostly a pristine white except for three or four visible stretch marks on either side of her chest. At the beginning of the story she has two tattoos: a large black, white, and gray piece of artwork covering her entire left leg from knee to ankle depicting two large and two small Chrysanthemum flowers woven together with vines. Each flower as well as the background were meticulously shaded to give the piece a realistic appearance. The second is a teapot pouring hot tea into a tea cup hovering just above her inner right ankle which she is just as proud of.
She received most of her physical features from her mother as well as her mother's warm laugh and desire to learn. However, there is no doubt that when Schuyler smiles, she is her father's child. She also inherited his love for world traveling, his singsong voice, and exquisite taste in music.
Schuyler was born the only child of Edward "The Midnight Sky" Schuyler when he was 39 years of age. He met Schuyler's mother Samantha at the age of 20 when she was 18 in Texas during his days in the army. Though Edward traveled during much of his time in the armed forces and was deployed during the Vietnam War he often found ways to visit Samantha during his leaves. When he was discharged at the age of 26 he returned home to California with nine men from his Platoon including his best friends John Teller and Piermont Winston. Together, with nothing left for them after the war, the group organized a club of sorts that would serve to give each of the members an excuse to meet regularly and remain in touch. This group was an unofficial and dispersed motorcycle club that formed in 1967 called the Sons of Anarchy: Redwood. Very little came out of this group other than monthly rides and regular camping trips resulting in opportunities to relive the "good ol' days" for the first few months of the club's existence. However, things changed when John's wife Gemma became pregnant and the group decided to settle down in her home town of Charming, California. The expectations that came with the expected arrival of a baby did two things to the club: divide it and expand it.
John, who had been made the unofficial "President", knew that he would be unable to keep a house and provide for his new family on the salary of a lone mechanic. He knew he had to do more; he had to invest. He partnered with Clayton Morrow, the youngest of the First Nine, and purchased a plot of land with an auto shop that stood as its main attraction. Not long after, he began to lay the plans for a private owned bar to be built on the same property which would eventually hold all club meetings. With the introduction of a business to provide jobs for members the club became less about motorcycles and more about community. Teller-Morrow as the establishment was named became one of the most profitable and beloved family owned businesses in Charming. The club was secure and prosperous for a time. Those in association with the members found companionship and those who wore the club vest formed a brotherhood that many carried with them from the army and extended to those who later joined.
Everyone that is, except for Edward. He poured his life into the formation of the club, but his heart had been with Samantha since he was 20 years old. Samantha's home and family were in Texas and she would never leave. The annual drives Edward would take to visit her became harder to wait for and his visits lasted longer each time. Eventually he would make the decision not to return at all.
While John and his wife's baby brought prosperity to the club as a whole, his arrival made Edward realize that he had been neglecting his own desires by remaining apart from his wife-to-be. In 1973, Edward said goodbye to his life and family in Charming and moved to Texas to be with Samantha. This move was sanctioned at a cost. Edward was entrusted to create and run the first branching charter of the SOA club in Texas. This would mean that the club operated in two separate states and business would have to grow to meet the demand and keep up the traditions of brotherhood and community that had quickly been instilled in those effected by its presence. Edward pulled all his resources and was able to open his own shop in Valor, Texas where he resided as the sole owner. With the help of Ethan Dyer, a patch brother who would reside as the Texas charter's first Vice President, he was able to set up a functioning clubhouse to hold meetings within a month of his transition. It was decided that the smallest a settled charter could be was 5 men, so Edward and Ethan recruited three more (locals that Samantha could vouch for) in just two weeks time and tentatively patched them in with success. The charter continued to grow from there.
With the near immediate success of the Texas charter, Sons of Anarchy would continue to expand rapidly for the next thirty years. Charters sprung up from the border of Canada to small towns across Europe and one even appeared in Australia. The club at its largest size combining all charters rounded out to 568 at one point in 1998 and has since continued to fluctuate. The Texas charter under Edward Schuyler is widely considered to be one of the most successful in the club's history due to its equal parts' ideal location and strong /
Each charter is under democratic rule headed by a counsel: A President, Vice President, Sergeant Arms, and Secretary. Those leading are free to make their own rules and decide the best way for their members to produce a sustainable profit. Many have chosen to work out of auto shops as the "Mother charter" had while others owned escort businesses, bars, gas stations, or even convenient stores. However, all charters looked to the original Mother charter, since renamed the Sons of Anarchy: Redwood Original for guidance. It was originally Vice President Clay Morrow's idea, with support from several other members throughout the charters, to introduce the club to the business of gun running in 1975. By 1979, this trade became the primary denominator of all charters and the SOA was a widely recognized as an outlaw gang in over ten states and seven countries, but this did not slow its progression.
Guns were supplied from a branch charter in Belfast, Ireland and arrived in California to be spread from charter to charter throughout western America. Product that wasn't sold to organizations within the states left the country through Edward's charter across the Mexican border. Each branch of the club faces its own obstacles when earning a sustainable living, but Valor obtains most of its money by making monthly runs bypassing Border Control and entering Mexico. Valor was chosen as the town to settle in due to its small population with an equally small police department where the force was more than willing to cooperate with the club. Being so close to the border, at an entrance with significantly less border control than anywhere else, and equally as close to New Mexico, SAMTEX was an ideal location. The charter found plentiful wealth with few years of unprofitable business. However, the promise of success and riches comes at a price. Namely the constant looming gaze of Border Control and similar federal agents watching over the club's every move and the constant threat of confrontation with notorious Hispanics including the Mexican the Cartel. These factors led Edward and Samantha to wait several years after the club was developed and for their finances to become secure before they ever tried to conceive a child.
The gender of the highly anticipated baby was kept a secret from all including the patiently awaiting parents until the night of the child's birth. A nurse fresh out of college placed a healthy new born baby girl into Edward's arms at 12:07 am and his first instinct was to cry out of a pure joy that he had never previously experienced. His second was to pass the infant to her mother and call his friends that resided in California. John didn't answer on the first attempt, so Edward called Piermont. Piermont answered immediately and the two talked for hours. Edward received nothing but joy and praise from his companion, if not some friendly chiding for having taken so long to have his first child. John returned Edward's call in the early morning hours and his first question to his best friend was not "ten fingers and ten toes", but rather, "is it a boy"?
The answer being 'no' brought about a different sort of conversation to the one Edward had with Piermont. While congratulations were in order for the first-born child of SAMTEX John was overly concerned with the future of the charter entrusted to maintain the border and questioned his close friend about when he and his wife would be trying again to produce a male heir to the Presidential seat.
This conversation didn't spring from a malicious place but rather from one of genuine concern. Due to the fact that the SOA club has a list of unspoken bylaws that must be followed by all charters, such as the fairly prominent one stating that all patched members are male, Edward's first born would not be eligible to join. While any ranking official including the President can be replaced and the position held by anyone a charter sees fit at any time, SAMTEX had only known one president and due to its success, it would be ideal if its successor was of the same bloodline.
Edward, having known this to be the case, was still infuriated by the thought of his first born being ineligible to wear his club's 'kutte' or bare its ink. Edward attempted to reason with the MC's creator, who he was obligated to adhere to, over the course of several days to seemingly no avail. Piermont argued for Edward that any legitimate child of a First Nine member had more right to be patched in than any other relative or outsider regardless of sex because they were of direct family lineage. John, exhausted with arguing during a time that should have been a joyous occasion finally settled on an agreement with his fellow President down south.
Edward had 18 years to groom his daughter for the club. She would have the opportunity to 'prospect' like any man who wished to join. After a year of observation, SAMTEX could decide if the child was fit to bare the Reaper or be cast out. Until her fate was decided no member outside of SAMTEX would know the name, gender, or whereabouts of the SAMTEX child. The secret was kept between the three friends and one would even take it to his grave before the secret was ever brought to light.
Edward and Samantha knew the risks of keeping the secret from other charters. They independently decided that they would never bare another child before coming to that very decision together. Instead they focused their combined love into raising their beautiful daughter Meredith. They spent her entire adolescence making sure she was exposed to two ways of life: the civilian side where she went to school and was well educated with a few friends and a promising future in any career she chose. And the gangland side where her family and closest friends resided. Few in the club were educated, but with the combined force of twenty club members, eight adoring wives, and five children who grew up alongside Meredith she became well versed in interacting with an assortment of individuals from different backgrounds and learned many trades to concur the world she was born into.
Meredith was 10 when she first asked her father what a cigarette was. Nearly every adult in his daughter's life smoked cigarettes and almost as many smoked marijuana. At such a young age Edward already knew that he would be unable to prevent his beautiful daughter from taking up such an unhealthy habit. Being the responsible father, Edward politely explained what they were and told his daughter that she would never be allowed to smoke them. Then he smiled as he watched his daughter laugh in his face and run out the front door to play in the yard with her friends confident they had recently asked their father's the very same question. She began smoking cigarettes at the age of 16 around the time her friends began to steal them from their parents' bedrooms or gas stations. She wouldn't smoke around her parents or members of the MC until she was a patched member herself at age 18. However, all the adults knew that she was just as guilty of the habit as the rest of her friends.
At 12 she began voicing the thought of wanting tattoos. It came as no surprise considering both of her parents bore some and nearly every member in the club had at least one symbol representing Sons of Anarchy on some part of their body along with their own tattoos. By 14 most of the boys were learning how to shoot guns and she had seen a few begin to ride on the back of their father's motorcycles with the intent of learning how to balance for themselves. At this point Schuyler didn't know that she was being carefully observed by her parents for what she took an interest in and what things she ignored. All she knew is that she wanted to hang out with her friends in the shooting range and go on bike rides with her dad. Edward smiled fondly and agreed under a set of conditions: she continued to make A's in school, and she learn a skill that her friends were not interested in learning. That year she learned how to shoot a hand gun and became proficient by the age of 19. She also took up the skill of throwing knives which took her several additional years to master. Her friends have always been very jealous of her knife collection.
At age 15 Meredith became Schuyler. The name allowed her to better fit in with the rambunctious boys she grew up with and don her father's name with pride. The name along with the nickname of "Sky" fit her well because she was often found outside playing in gardens or on hot asphalt chasing after boys who sometimes slowed down to stay with her and sometimes made her keep up. This made her fast and build endurance at a young age. Wrestling was a popular event in the group who took after their father's who were often seen throwing fists to settle disputes. Schuyler learned how to throw a punch and receive one in return. This was also the year when Schuyler began to ask for her own motorcycle. She was jealous that her best friend Jesse Dyer (born a week before her and son to the Vice President) received his own before any of the other boys in their friend group. Unknown to her the parents of both children regularly discussed when they should introduce things to their children before either was exposed. She received her first bike on the following week; a fixer-upper that she repaired with her father. She was 16 and old enough to drive it on her own when the project was complete.
At age 16, with the help of her mother who is a fluid Spanish speaker and Hispanic members of the club, she became fluent in reading and speaking Spanish. This was also the year her friends began to talk excitedly about the year to come when they could begin their prospecting year to enter the motorcycle club themselves. One must be 17 to begin prospecting and no one under the age of 18 can be sworn into the club. This was about the time Schuyler began to realize that she had in fact been being prepared for the day when she could start her prospecting year and the club would soon be judging her every move…if they hadn't already been doing so. She was observant enough to realize that there was one major difference between herself and the other children she would potentially be prospecting with. While the boys she grew up with didn't seem to notice this daunting difference their father's, while they had helped to raise Schuyler and loved her dearly, certainly did.
At 17 she began prospecting with the group of boys she was raised with. Each child belonged to a member who was already "patched", and their fathers took it upon themselves to sponsor, or shadow, their children during their prospecting year. The prospecting year is a period of time in which 'prospects' ride alongside members of the club, follow them on jobs including some across the Mexican-American border, and learn the meaning of being in such a well-established organization. During her prospecting year Schuyler proved herself a valuable translator and persuasive during negotiations with other organizations. She was attentive, even-tempered, and eager to learn from the patches she rode with. She never once showed that she was intimidated when in the middle of a group of men or shied away from a situation when things turned violent. Rather she put herself in the center of the chaos. If she was ever unsuccessful in deescalating a situation, she drew her gun and made sure every member with her returned home in one piece. It wasn't long before Edward started to look to Schuyler before making decisions just as much as he looked to his V.P and SA. Sometimes he asked for her opinion before seeking out others. Near the end of her prospecting year all it took was one look to her father for them to communicate and come to a decision between the two of them before they acted on it without doubt.
Schuyler turned 18 and watched all 5 of her friends get patched into the club. One right after the other. Schuyler knew not to press her father on the subject because the decision required careful deliberation and the results would be life as well as club wide altering. In November of 1998, Meredith Rose Schuyler became the first woman to ever be patched into the SOA motorcycle club with a unanimous vote. This was the same month she would be accepted into her dream school. Semesters were spent in a dorm room blaring loud rock music to block out the neighbors who spent their time partying. Summers and holidays were spent on the back of a motorcycle flying down the highway at nearly twice the posted speed limit. A gun on her hip and a set of throwing knives strapped securely to her right leg Schuyler counted down the hours to each weekend she could travel home. She never felt more sure of herself than when she was on the road with her family doing the one thing they knew how to do. Earn. It was on one of these weekends, when a class that Schuyler particularly despised was cancelled, that she would return home early and receive the news that would change her world forever.
In 2006, Edward Schuyler was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Schuyler's immediate reaction was to drop all her educational responsibilities and move back home to spend time with her father and take over responsibilities of the club. Edward forbade her from returning home until she graduated with her degree as she had set out to do. Furious, though unwilling to disappoint her father, Schuyler remained at the school until she graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 6 months later. Instead of entering the work force when she earned her degree, Schuyler ditched her graduation and spent the next 18 months of her life caring for her father, orchestrating jobs and making deliveries based on her own judgement, and preparing SAMTEX for the day it would no longer have the leadership of the only President it had ever known.
In February of 2008, Edward Schuyler lost his battle with prostate cancer at the age of 67. The wake and proceeding funeral were held four days later. SAMTEX had lost many brother's due to gangland violence before, but had never experienced the loss of an officer, much less a President. The SOA hadn't seen a loss so tragic since the passing of John Teller fifteen years prior. While many wanted to make the journey to Texas to pay respects to their sibling charter and the mourning family only members of the Original Nine were allowed to attend. Two of the five surviving members made the trip and were able to meet Schuyler personally. The secret was extended but had yet to be fully released. Piermont was unable to make the trip and will regret it for the rest of his life. When all was said and done Samantha retained most of Edward's worldly possessions including the deed to the mechanic shop and his official club vest which she hung in the living room on display; the Presidential patch worn with age facing the room at large. Schuyler requested only two things: Edward's impressive vinyl record collection, a patch from his very own club vest, and the last motorcycle he owned.
Many expected Schuyler to naturally inherit the President's patch in the face of Edward's passing. The club was ready to vote her in and had pushed for her to take the patch even while Edward's health had been deteriorating. After all, she had done the unthinkable. She had proven herself a worthy attribute capable of wearing the kutte regardless of her gender. It was the role she was breed for. The position she was intended to fill. She was the rightful heir to the gavel that rested at the head of the meeting table.
But it was after many long and hard conversations were held with the members at that very table, and with her mother who struggled the most because she had dreamed of little else than seeing her daughter break down barriers and take up the President's seat, that Schuyler decided to take a very different path.
She revealed to her club that her father had intended for the two of them to travel to Northern California and visit the charter he had left behind for many years before his untimely passing. It wasn't until the cancer was discovered that Edward realized that he had missed his opportunity to do so. Schuyler revealed that Edward had always intended for her to transfer charters when she came of age in order to find her own path and build her own legacy in a separate charter as not to compete in her father's demanding shadow. Schuyler wanted nothing more in the world than to keep her promises to her parents to make something of herself and make her father proud by continuing his legacy for him and finding her own way in the world.
Schuyler remained in Valor until new ranking officials could be appointed (Ethan Dyer was elected President and his son Jesse became his V.P) and SAMTEX was prepared to continue in her absence. Then she began what would essentially be a 7-week long journey. It was decided that before Schuyler attempted to make contact with the Mother Charter (now headed by Clayton Marrow who wore the President's patch and John Teller's only surviving son Jackson Teller who resided as the V.P) she would first be sponsored by a third-party charter. If she could convince a third charter of her worth and to vouch for her in just a few weeks time her chances of the Mother charter accepting her would likely double. This trial period would also allow her to experience working with a different charter and experience life and club structure from a different perspective.
It wasn't difficult to find a suitable host. Nearly every branch of the SOA in the States wanted to host the mystery SAMTEX child with an impressive club track record. Eventually it was decided that she would stay with the Southern California charter known as SANDINO due to its location. It also happened to be headed by one of the last surviving First Nine members Thomas "Uncle Tom" Whitney who had met Schuyler after her father's passing and would know what to expect from the club transfer.
Schuyler spent just over 6 weeks with the sibling charter. Tom, along with his fellow patch brothers, were skeptical to say the least upon meeting Schuyler. Many members felt betrayed having a female patch being kept a secret from them for so long. Schuyler, never one to disappoint, was quick to show her eagerness to work and proved herself valuable enough to earn the respect and camaraderie of each member. Many were even sad to see her go but they knew her destiny lied within another charter.
At the end of her trial period, and nervous for what was possibly the first time in her life though she refused to show it, Schuyler moved on from SANDINO and arrived on Charming's doorstep 3 days later, ready to take on her next great adventure.
Author's Notes: That was Edward. He, much like John, will be referenced throughout for guidance to the characters that survive him. And you have met Schuyler. But what is her "club record?" What is her story up to this point and who will it effect her now? And will the club willingly accept her after she was kept a secret for so long? I guess you'll just have to read the next chapter to find out...