I have been fighting the urge to write SOA Christmas stories. I finally gave in, LOL! I hope that you enjoy it, and please review if you get time.
Nobody ever told you how effing cold it was in prison. Everything was metal and cement, and both things were very, very cold in the dead of December. The prison issue sweat pants really didn't do much to keep the inmates warm, and unless Juice wanted to cuddle up next to Tig, there were no additional sources of heat to be had in Stockton Prison.
It was Christmas Eve, and the world outside of Stockton was having dinner with their families, or wrapping presents, or eating cookies, or drinking eggnog, or going to church, or just celebrating in whatever way they saw fit. Inside prison, most guys were doing their best to ignore the holiday altogether. They had fed the inmates rubbery, half cold ham and lumpy mashed potatoes, and the prison chaplain had given a short, non-denominational service. Other than that, the day would pass, just like any other day.
Most of the SAMCRO guys were not too bothered about it being Christmas. Bobby was Jewish, so Christmas really was not a big deal for him. Jax and Clay had overdosed on Christmas due to years with Gemma, and to tell the truth, they were relieved for a break. Christmas had never been Tig's favorite time of year, and Happy just flat out hated any celebration that didn't include booze and sex. So really, Juice was just about the only one that was really in any way upset about being in prison for the Christmas Holiday.
It wasn't like he would be having a traditional, Hallmark card Christmas if he was outside of prison. He wouldn't be dressed in an ugly sweater, sitting around a table full of family and piled high with food. There wouldn't be a tall evergreen tree, full of lights and ornaments, standing proudly over a pile of presents. He had never had those traditional Christmases. His mom had always worked on Christmas, and he was usually left with his siblings, trying to keep them from being too depressed over spending the holiday in a shit hole.
So, no, it wasn't like he was missing out on some huge, age old traditions. He had no family even remotely close by. However, since becoming a member of SAMCRO, he had found a good enough substitute, and he had surprised himself by establishing a Christmas routine of sorts over the past seven years or so, and that was exactly what he had been missing out on this year.
It had all started the year he had become a Prospect. It was Christmas Eve, and his year would be up in a couple of months or so, and he really, really hoped that they would let him patch in. This Club was important to him, and once he was a real member, the guys would finally accept him and he would be family. He knew that they treated all Prospects like shit, but he would stick it out as long as it took. He wanted to be a part of this family, more than anything.
Gemma had hosted a dinner for everybody that afternoon, before they would all go off to their own families. It had been a good time, even if he had been stuck cleaning up and doing dishes for most of it. He had finished just in time to see Bobby and his latest wife leaving to go see the kids. Tig was riding down to see his daughters for Christmas. Opie and Jax would be heading out with Piney to go see Opie's Mom, before returning here, as they really were family to Gemma and Clay. The Scotsman, Chibs, had somehow managed to disappear, to where, Juice had no idea.
Gemma had thanked him for his help and handed him an extra plate of food to eat tomorrow before smiling at him and saying goodnight. He smiled back, but felt a bit of lingering sadness at having been clearly dismissed. He figured that he would head home and trying to find something to watch on TV, maybe play some video games. Maybe later, he would call his Mom, if she wasn't at work, and try to talk to his brother and sister.
A couple of hours later, he was sitting in his shitty rented apartment, and was extremely pissed. He didn't think that the electric company would shut the power off on Christmas Eve, but he had been wrong. So now, he had no light, no television to broadcast reruns of All in the Family, no microwave to heat up his leftovers, and most importantly, no heat. This Christmas Eve was turning out to be one best forgotten. Sighing heavily, he grabbed a heavy coat and made his way out to his bike, hoping that he could stay at the Club house tonight.
His hands were numb by the time he got downtown, and he was really wishing that he had grabbed some gloves. He was at a stop light and was really beginning to fucking hate Christmas, when he heard church bells ring nearby. He looked down the road to his left and noticed the Nativity Catholic Church, with people streaming in slowly. He had forgotten that, on Christmas Eve, they would likely be having a service. There would probably also be hot coffee in the lobby, maybe even some cookies. Making a spur of the moment decision, Juice took a left and headed towards the church.
He walked into the nave just as the service was starting, eager not to be noticed. He was still pretty new in this town, and he didn't really know anybody outside the Club, and he didn't want to cause any sort of trouble. He looked around, trying to find a discreet spot to sit, when he saw something that he didn't expect. Sitting by himself in the very back of the church, looking for all the world just as alone as Juice felt, was Chibs.
Juice stood still for a moment, wondering if he should go sit next to the Scotsman. Chibs had always been relatively nice to him, had never treated him outright badly. Hell, he had even made him soup once when he was deathly ill. Still, there was something disconcerting around seeing Chibs sitting alone in a church on Christmas Eve, and Juice was wondering if perhaps he didn't want to be noticed; didn't want to be disturbed. It was at that moment, as Juice stood there staring at the other man, that he looked up and met Juice's eye.
Chibs waved him over pretty much instantly. "What are you doing here, Juice?" Chibs was the only one of the guys that didn't call him 'Prospect' on a regular basis.
"I was just riding, heading to the Club house, and noticed the service about to start. Thought that I might come listen, you know? I haven't been to a church since I was a kid, thought it might be nice. I didn't really have anything else to be doing, you know," Juice explained as best as he could.
Chibs looked at him, and somehow, Juice knew that he had seen through the words and heard the desperate desire to just not be by himself on Christmas. He nodded, "Yeah."
They sat through the entire service together, not talking, not even looking at each other. Juice had been right, there was coffee and the cookies were pretty good. On the way out, Chibs must have noticed Juice shoving about twenty of them into his pockets. The older man rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, kid. You can come to my place."
Juice was surprised, but didn't argue. He had never been to Chibs' house before, didn't even know where he lived, but as long as it had heat, it would definitely be an upgrade from his own house. He followed for a while, down to the outskirts of Charming, when Chibs pulled into his driveway. The house was small, and green. There was a gate and a garage and a small yard. It looked a lot more like a real home than anyplace Juice had ever lived, that was for sure.
By the time Juice had parked his bike, Chibs was opening the door and leading him inside. There was a television and a really comfortable looking couch. There were shelves of books and movies, a coffee table, and pictures hung. There was an ancient looking chess set on the table. It was shockingly neat and warm. He never would have guessed that Chibs had any sort or cleaning skills, but he supposed that he had been wrong.
Chibs got him a drink. They turned on the TV and watched all sorts of dumb Christmas movies. Chibs let him have his own leftovers, and even offered him some fudge that somebody named Fiona had sent him for Christmas. Apparently it was the only thing she knew how to make. It tasted like burnt sugar mixed with chocolate. Chibs apparently had made the mistake years ago of telling whoever Fiona was that it tasted good, and now he got some every year, come hell or high water. They didn't spend a great deal of time talking, and nobody in their right mind would make a Hallmark card out of this, but by the time Juice was falling asleep on the couch with the pillow and blanket Chibs had generously provided for him, he knew that it was probably one of the best Christmases he had ever had.
It was a tradition that they had established that first year, and continued every year since. Chibs and Juice would head to the service together and then spend the rest of the evening watching movies. At some point, they had incorporated a Christmas tree, and then a gift or two had been added. Eventually, more and more Christmas cookies, baked by Chibs, joined the ever present Fiona Fudge, which Juice had developed a taste for. It was really…nice. Neither of them had any family nearby, any people who wanted them around on Christmas, and spending it together had evolved into something Juice looked forward to every year.
Except this year, Juice was in Stockton prison, and Chibs was probably in Belfast, with his real family. It wasn't that Juice was jealous; on the contrary, he couldn't be happier for his friend. Chibs deserved his family; deserved to be happy. He wondered if the Scot would bring him back some Fiona Fudge for him, fresh from the source. He hoped that, wherever Chibs was, he was watching some good movies.
Juice threw his playing cards down and stood up, figuring he would make his way back to his cell and try to get some sleep. Nobody else so much as looked up at him. He turned to walk away, when a guard called to him, telling him that he had a visitor. That got the guys' attention. Gemma and Tara had been out to see them all yesterday, and he really couldn't think of who else might come to see him. Shrugging his shoulders, he wandered off behind the guard, cautiously, but still incredibly curious.
He went into the visiting hall and was shocked to see Chibs sitting there, looking as relaxed as Juice had ever seen him.
"Hey, man. What are you doing here?" he asked Chibs, not able to keep the smile off of his face.
"Came to see you, kid. Didn't think it would be right to have Christmas without you," the Scot replied.
"I guess I just thought you would be with Fiona and Kerrianne. In Belfast, you know?" Juice said, still unable to get over the shock of seeing his friend.
"Nah, they are here. They have been decorating things and hanging lights and bits of Christmas cheer everywhere they can in the house. There is glitter everywhere. It's a little bit insane. I managed to sneak away for a while," Chibs told him, never losing his smile. Juice knew that, regardless of how much Chibs complained about his girls decorating, he would really not have it any other way.
"Wow, that's really awesome, man. I'm glad that they are here. It's about time you got to spend Christmas with your family whole again. How does it feel?" Juice asked with only the tiniest bit on envy in his voice.
"I'll let you know next year, Juicy," Chibs smiled. "We hung up a stocking for you, you know. Kerrianne had been putting random things in it. I'll save it for you. I think you will be in for quite a surprise when you get out."
They spent the next half hour or so just talking and catching each other up. Chibs seemed happier; lighter than Juice had ever seen him. Juice knew that he had his wife and their daughter waiting at home. They would probably go to Gemma's later, and maybe watch It's A Wonderful Life after the church service. Tomorrow morning, there would probably be presents and homemade cinnamon rolls. But the fact that Chibs had taken some time away from all of that, had come to see him, touched Juice in an unexpected way. He knew, at last, that he mattered.
As Chibs got up to leave, he made sure to hug the man extra tightly.
"I brought you some Fiona Fudge," Chibs piped up all of a sudden, before he turned to leave. "A lot of it. I just told Fiona how much you loved it, and she insisted on sending the whole batch. Shame, there will be none left for me to eat."
Juice laughed, and kept his eyes on his brother as he walked out, where he would make his way home. Suddenly, Christmas wasn't looking all that bad. It seemed a little bit warmer. He had some disgusting, yet delicious fudge. There was bound to be a hell of a card game going by now, and maybe he could win some smokes. Best of all, he had the knowledge that he hadn't been forgotten.
With a smile on his face and warmth in his heart, Juice went to collect his fudge, happy that it was Christmas.