Chapter 1: The Road Back Home

8 Years Ago ~ June 15, 2000

"This is the fifth time, Lex! The fifth! Jesus fucking christ."

Alex stared out of the window of her father's pickup truck, her eyebrows furrowed in irritation as the headache from last night began to settle in. Some of the night before was a blur, but the rest she remembered pretty clearly. The party, hitting that girl over the head with a beer bottle, and eventually getting arrested. Yeah, she remembered that very, very well. It was all how she ended up here, with her dad fuming in the driver's seat in front of her and her brother stifling a laugh in the seat beside him.

"What the hell were you thinking anyway? You remember what Wayne said last time?" her father yelled, making her wince as the sound agitated her hangover. "I can't keep bailing you out of shit and neither can your brother. That luck of yours is gonna run out."

"What was I supposed to do? Let the bitch talk shit about mom?" she countered sharply, making her father go quiet.

Oliver's mirth died down quickly as their mother was mentioned. She caught her father's eye for a moment in the rear view mirror, trying to let him see that she was sorry. No matter what kind of crap she got into with the cops, she never felt as guilt as she did when her dad was mad at her. It cut deep. Deeper than she liked to admit at times. Ollie looked back at her, shooting her a smile to break the tension that was surely building in the car.

"So a beer bottle? You get her good?" he winked at her, showing just how proud he was of his little sister.

Alex beamed back at her brother through the pain of her hangover. "She'll probably be seeing double for a week."

Thomas Tate shook his head at his children and gave up on trying to hold back the smile fighting to spread across his face. "God damn, I shouldn't proud of my little girl for this crap." he chuckled, shaking his head.

Alex leaned forward in her seat, hugging her father around the neck loosely and smiling at him brightly. "Buuuut?"

"But nobody talks about your mother." he finally relented, much to his daughter's delight. "I'm gonna drop you off at home and you stay put, you hear me? Your sister gets home from school and your mom's still not feeling well."

Alex sighed and settled back against the seat, slipping her aviators from the top of her head on to her eyes. "Why can't I go to the clubhouse with you two? I'll be good, keep my mouth shut. I'll probably just hang out with Uncle Piney or one of the prospects."

Ollie shook his head. "No can do. We got SAMCRO business. No non-patches allowed."

"Bullshit."

"Hey," Thomas said, looking at his daughter once more through the rear view. "We're already late because we had to post bail for you, just listen for once, alright? And stay out of trouble while we're gone."

Knowing that there was no use arguing with her father once he put his foot down, she slumped against the seat and crossed her arms across her chest. She could see the Sons of Anarchy tattoos peeking out from the back of her father and brother's shirts, the same as the cut both wore. She knew what it meant, as did everyone else in town. Her old man and her older brother were members of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original. They were feared, respected and loyal to the club and only the club. She had learned long ago learned that SAMCRO was her family, like flesh and blood. They would protect her if she asked, even kill for her. It was just how things were.

"Hey," her father said, getting her attention. "I love you, toots, you know that right?"

Alex smiled and nodded. "Yeah I know, I love you too, Papa."

"I just don't want to see you getting into deep shit that I can't get you out of. I chose the outlaw, doesn't mean you have to too."

"Ollie chose it." She countered, letting her eyes fall to her brother.

"Exactly," Ollie said, looking back at her. "I chose it. Doesn't mean you gotta follow, baby girl." He cocked his head to his father. "Listen to the old man, he knows what he's talking about sometimes."

The statement made both he and Alex laugh. Thomas shook his head at his children. "You kids-,"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as a bullet flew through the driver's side window and into her father's head. It took Alex a moment to process it all. Her father's blood splattering across her face and skin, her brother's screams and the car spiraling out of control. The scream didn't tear from her throat until the car flipped. Glass flew everywhere and the sound of metal crunching under the weight of the car didn't escape her ears. She conked her head against the window of her door, making her vision blur and the world around her start to spin.

There was only silence when the car stopped rolling. Other than the light hissing of the car as it cooled down, she heard nothing. No breathing, no voices, nothing. She struggled to move against the door, trying to push herself up to check on her brother. The car had been flipped on to its side, and she stared up at the other door trying to figure out a way to get out.

"Ollie," she said with a groan of pain. "Papa.. Ollie. We have to get out of here."

Her response was met with silence. As panic set in, she sat up and cried as the pain shot through her ribs. They were definitely bruised, probably broken with the stabbing pain she felt shooting through her chest. But she couldn't think about that now, she needed to get them out of here. She reached forward to touch Ollie's shoulder and froze as she saw the blood dripping down his face and his unmoving body. Moving her eyes to her father, her body choked with sobs as she saw the bullet hole going through his temple and out of the other side. They were both dead. Gone.

She reached with trembling hands for her cellphone in her pocket and quickly dialed her phone to the first number that popped in her head.

"Ope's phone, he's busy, what do you need?"

"J-Jax?" She choked out.

"Lex?" He said, concern lacing his tone. "You alright, what happened?"

Alex shook her head, her eyes falling to her father once again. "They're dead, Jax. Papa and Ollie..." Her body broke down in sobs before she could finish.

"Holy shit, Lex where are you?"

"I think we're at the bottom of Fischer, in the woods." She said quietly, wiping her tears away. "The car's tipped over and I can't get out."

"Look, we'll be there, alright? Just stay put."

Suddenly her vision began blurring. The blue sky above her was swirling before her eyes with her consciousness floating farther and farther away. She lifted her hand to her head and felt the warm liquid coat her fingers. Lifting it, she stared at the dark red her skin had turned. "Jax... I can't... stay awake." Her voice turned into a mere whisper as her hand fell limp to her side.

"Shit! Lex we're on our way. Stay awake for me baby." She heard the motorcycles roaring to life in the background. SAMCRO was coming.

She didn't answer as her wound and blood loss finally got the best of her. Her vision turned black before the rest of her body caught up. The last thing she saw before she completely lost consciousness were the bodies of her dead father and brother, blood coating their black Sons of Anarchy cuts and Jax's voice calling to her from her cell phone.

"I'm so sorry Papa… I'm sorry."

Present Day ~ July 3, 2008

Alex stared out at her windshield, her eyes straining against the rain pounding down against the glass. She could barely see past the darkness of the road, but she knew her way. Hell, she had been down it enough times in her life to know it like the back of her hand. Drunk and all. With a frustrated sigh leaving her lips, she pushed her dark hair out of her face. It had been a good 8 years since she had been in Charming. The only connection she still had left to that place was calls to her mother and Donna every week, but other than that? That town was a distant memory that she would have preferred staying away from. But sometimes life liked to throw you curve balls that you were scrambling to catch. Thankfully, this curve ball had come just at the right time. Convenience was the main reason that she was here.

She shifted in her seat as she passed the sign welcoming her to Charming. It was strange how nostalgic she felt. It was like walking down the path towards her dark and twisted past. Like looking in the mirror to when she was riding down this road on the back of a motorcycle at 18, no cares in the world. Wind in her hair, her arms wrapped around her best friend's body. She almost got chills thinking about it all. That was the time in her life when she was happiest.

"Alexandra, we have a problem."

She knitted her eyebrows together, setting down her work in front of her to listen to her mother intently. "Mama, what's wrong? You don't sound too good."

"...I need you to get back to Charming… It's your sister."

It only took a few words for her to agree to come back. Her mother had her like that. In a tight grip she had wanted to escape since she was 16 years old. She thought that she had escaped it when she left Charming all of those years ago, but she still had her claws deep in her skin. That was her mother after all, what was she supposed to do? Tell her no? Tell her that she had her own life in Texas and didn't need to pick of the pieces of her old one? She couldn't. Not even if she wanted to.

As the lights of the town came into view, she felt nervous again. She wanted to turn her old Mustang around and head straight back to her apartment. But she couldn't. She had signed over her lease, packed up her shit and left that life behind. She didn't even have a job to return to. When her mother said she'd be in town for a while, she knew it would be longer than that. This was a permanent stay. Especially if it had anything to do with her sister.

She breathed deep as she rounded the familiar streets, coming to stop in front of her childhood home. She cut off her engine and stared at the house, trying to summon the courage to get out and go in. But her eyes lingered on the old swing that still hung in the front yard. Her dad had put it up when she was six. Oliver had been nine back then and Annabelle only two. They had so much fun back then. Oliver would push her on that swing so she'd go so high that she'd scream. Her mom and dad always set up a blanket in the front yard and laid with Annabelle in their arms, watching the two of them play with smiles on their face.

She sighed and shook the memories away. The past wasn't going to fixed their fucked up present. Not by a longshot.

After smoking a cigarette, she got out of the car and started towards the house. Annabelle's car was in the driveway, so she knew that she was home. Deciding to let herself in, she kicked over the tacky garden gnome that her mother had been so fond of once upon a time and got the spare key that had been hidden underneath it. Had her father been anyone else, their house could have been broken into plenty of times. But loyalty and respect ran deep in this town, especially for the men who wore those wonderful leather cuts.

She opened the door and pushed it open, flinching at the state of the living room. The furniture was in the same place it had always been. Her mother never could redecorate the house, even if she wanted to. There were a lot of memories in this place. She stepped over the clothes and garbage that littered the floors, grimacing at the smell of alcohol that surely came from the carpet. What the hell had her sister been doing? She got her answer as she wandered into the kitchen, sighing as she found her younger sister slumped over the kitchen table with a needle lying a few feet away.

"Jesus christ," she said, walking over and shaking her shoulder. "Belle… come on, wake up."

The girl shifted slightly, opening her eyes to peer up at her older sister. "Alex?" She grimaced instantly, turning her head back into her arms. "Fuck, go away."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, Annabelle." Alex fumed, running a hand through her hair as she grabbed the syringe. "What the hell are you on? Ex? Heroin?"

"None of your fucking business, Alex." she snapped back, her words slurring under her high. "Leave me alone."

"Leave you alone?" Alex hadn't had the urge to slap her sister since they were teenagers, but she was seriously considering it at the moment. "You haven't seen me in eight years and that's what you have to say? Leave you alone?"

"Do you not know English?" the younger Tate woman growled, reaching for the syringe. "Give it back."

Alex yanked it out of her reach, glaring daggers at the girl. "You try to take this from me and I'm going to kick your ass." she warned. "You're here getting high while Mama's in the hospital. On top of that, the house looks like shit. You've been throwing parties while your mother is sick! What the hell is wrong with you, Annabelle?!"

Despite the drugs in her system, Annabelle still was able to give her sister one of her nastiest glares. She tried to push herself up out of the chair, only to fall back, cursing under her breath. Alex ran her eyes over her, barely recognizing the woman in front of her. There were track marks all over her arms and legs, mostly on her hands from the hundreds of times she must have stuck herself with the needle. Annabelle had always been a thin girl, but she was so skinny, Alex was afraid that she would break. How the hell had it gotten this bad? Her mom had told her that her last bout of rehab had been working, but seeing the house and the state that she was in proved otherwise.

"You think," Annabelle began, pushing her dark locks out of her face in irritation. "That you can just show up here and tell me what to do with my life? You don't know shit, Lexi." The mocking way she said the nickname almost made Alex flinch, but she stood her ground. "This is none of your business."

Alex slammed her hand on the kitchen table, making the girl jump. She got close to her sister's face, catching the glint of fear in the hazel eyes that matched her's and made sure that the fear stuck. "When my sick mother calls me from the hospital to tell me that my Crank addicted sister has destroyed the house we grew up in, it becomes my fucking business, you got that?" she growled at her. "And when that same Crank addicted sister has wasted the money I send you guys every month for upkeep on bullshit to keep you high, it becomes my mother fucking problem. Four times in rehab, right? I paid for that shit and you can't even stay clean for more than a couple of months. Does what Mama is going through not sink through your fucking head?"

"Fuck you, Alex." Annabelle growled at her, not meeting her eyes.

"God, you're such a selfish little-" she cut herself short and turned away from the girl to try to keep herself in check. She took in a deep breath and told herself that getting mad wasn't going to help things. "Get this place cleaned up. I'll be back tomorrow. Be sober when I do."

"Don't bother." Annabelle told her, rubbing the bridge of her nose with one hand. "You're not wanted. Go back to your perfect life in Texas."

"Wow, so being high gives you balls, huh?" Alex mocked, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna stay at Gemma's tonight. I mean it, Belle, if this shit isn't fixed I'm going to kick your ass all the way back to rehab, you hear me?"

"You're a bitch."

She rolled her eyes again and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing her purse as she did. She didn't even bother saying anything back, knowing that it was futile. Her sister was high and stupid and nothing she said would make a difference. She stuffed the syringe in her purse as she stalked back to her car, cursing under breath. Welcome back to Charming, Alex. With the bullshit and drama she had left to avoid in the first place. Here she was, back to take it all on once again. She must have been fucking crazy. She slammed the door to her Mustang hard as she settled back into the car, fighting back the angry tears that threatened to spill down her face. She was tired, angry and ready to punch the next person who pissed her off in the face. She didn't want to deal with this for the rest of the night, she just wanted a nice, warm, safe bed to sleep in. And she knew just the place.

As she pulled up to the house, her hazel eyes gazed at the front yard where for years she had played with her older cousin and best friend. Things were much easier back then, simpler. She could breathe and laugh and play without bad memories coming back to bite her in the ass. She could hang out with her best guys without shit hitting the fan and life's problems dropping down on her. But sadly, with age comes more shit to deal with and something told her by the time she was forty,, the shit would build up bigger than she could handle.

Alex got out of her car, making sure to lock it up before she slung her bag on her shoulder and made her way to the front door. It was about 10 PM and seeing as Clay's motorcycle wasn't in the driveway, she knew that her aunt would be home alone. Bracing herself, she knocked on the door, waiting patiently for the woman to answer.

When the door finally swung open, the emotion she had buried deep down started to push its way through. She honestly thought that it would be easier, but it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

Gemma stared at the girl standing on her doorstep, looking tired and disheveled. She had changed in the past eight years, but she was still the girl she remembered. Long black hair like her dad's, and big hazel eyes that were still filled with trouble. She had grown a little taller but was still a few inches shorter than Gemma was. She always was a bit on the small side. She got that from her mother. "Jesus christ," she mumbled, leaning on her door frame. "Alex?"

She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right, looking at her feet for a moment before she finally pulled the courage to catch her gaze. "Hey Aunt Gemma… how've you been?"

The older woman looked her up and down, shaking her head for a moment in disbelief. "A hell lot better than you look, darlin'." she said, pushing open the screen door. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I just got back into town and…," Her voice cracked as she felt the weight of the drive and her family's current predicament hit her hard, exhausted beyond belief. She shook her head, a tired sigh escaping her lips. "I don't have anywhere else to go tonight, Aunt Gemma."

She stared at the girl for a moment, suddenly feeling the itch for a cigarette. She had never been able to deny the girl of anything, having loved her like her own since the day the kid was born. She had always looked after her and she wasn't about to stop now. Even if she had left them all. After a moment, she took a step to the side gesturing the girl inside. "Come on. You can have Jax's old room. We'll talk in the morning after you get some sleep. You look like shit."

Alex smiled at her, stepping into the house. "Thanks, you don't look so bad yourself."

"Don't be clever, I'm tired." she said, shaking her head at the girl. "Go, get yourself to bed. I'll let Clay know you're here. Jax too."

At Jax's name, she wanted to ask her not to tell but she knew that wasn't an option. Jax was going to find out she was back in town sooner or later, along with Opie. Her older cousin was the lesser of two evils, however. She would rather they be told by Gemma than some random citizen of Charming just doing their nosy ass duty.

She turned around to look at Gemma as the older woman locked the door, biting her lower lip nervously. "Thanks for this, again, Aunt Gemma… I-"

"You know, I watched your mom give birth to you. I changed your diapers." Gemma said, walking up to face the girl. "Just because your dad isn't here anymore, doesn't mean we're not your family, you got that? You know if you ever need anything, you can ask us for help. I know you been gone for a long time, but I'm sure you didn't forget that."

Alex nodded at the woman and smiled, letting herself be pulled into a hug. If she missed anything about Charming, it was this. Family. It was something that she had desperately been in need of since she left but had been too afraid to come back to. After what happened with her sister, she almost cried at the welcome and love in Gemma's embrace, but she held it in. Tate's don't cry. Even if it was in front of the family she had left behind. Hopefully, she could finally get it back.

"Now go get some sleep. We got a lot to talk about in the morning."