Coming Home
A/N: Sorry to the people that are reading my other story To Love Dangerously, it will be updated soon, just working out some kinks in the next chapter. I am working on this story which is a Juice/OC, Quinn/OC fic and have a story called War Cry that is a Chibs/OC fic. As always, I do not own SOA. I only own my OCs.
Summary: Five years ago, Gia Teller-Ortiz buried her mother, her brother, and Juice. After the funerals she left Charming without a word and not even a whisper of her whereabouts. Now she is coming home to Charming with her daughter, Aleena Maria Ortiz. Can she and the MC ever forgive each other?
Chapter 1- Who Says You Can't Go Home?
Gia looked in the rearview mirror at her sleeping angel. Aleena had been the only good thing about her life the past five years. She was angry, so very angry still. She was angry at her brother, angry at her mother, and angry at Juice. Just thinking his name made her angry. But then the anger would subside and be replaced by the guilt she felt every day. Did she honestly believe that asking Tully to make his death quick was going to absolve her? No, of course not. She had done what she was told and delivered Jax's message. When she had gotten the phone call that he was dead it broke her. But when she really thought about it, she was mostly angry at the MC. The Sons. SAMCRO. This was the thing that had taken everything and everyone she loved away from her and it was the only thing that she wanted back in her life. She chuckled to herself and looked at the picture of her, Jax, Opie, and Juice on their wedding day that she had taped in the car those long years ago, "Guess we really were to far in to get out."
It was midafternoon when she pulled into Charming. Everything looked the same. Not that anything in this town ever changed. She pulled onto the street where Wendy lived and parked her car in the drive. Wendy came out to meet her, "How was the drive?"
"Long and tiring. Princess is sound asleep." Gia said unbuckling the child seat and picking Aleena up.
Wendy helped with the bags and walked them into the house. Gia looked around. She could sense Jax everywhere in this house. It was like he was still here. It terrified her and comforted her all at the same time, "Wendy, I know we just got here but could you watch Aleena for a while? I need to take care of a few things."
Wendy nodded and took the sleeping Aleena from her mother. Gia walked back to her car and pulled out of the drive. She was on autopilot. She knew this drive like the back of her hand. She had buried so many people before she left Charming. Gia pulled into the cemetery and parked the car. She made her way over to the graves of her family. She passed most of the graves without looking down at them. It still hurt too much. Tara was her friend and her sister. The fact that the person she looked up to most in the world had killed her made her stomach churn. She stopped at looked down at the grave in front of her. Gemma Teller-Morrow, "Hey Mom." She said and kept moving. She slowly made her way over to Jax, "Hey big brother." She took a seat and talked to him for a while, "Jax, I really want to hate you. I really want to hate mom, and I want to hate Juice. I want to hate him with every fiber of my being. I want to yell at you for all the things that happened. At the same time, I knew that you were the only one protecting me, that still saw me as part of the family. I knew once you were gone that I wasn't going to be protected anymore. I had to leave for my daughter. You'd love Aleena. I'm sorry that I never told you about her when you were alive. Maybe knowing that I was having a baby would have made you change your mind about Juice," She laughed, "Maybe not. Maybe it would have changed your mind of what you did to me."
Gia sat there for an hour pouring her soul to her brother. Her nerves were raw and there was still one more grave to see. She picked up and moved over to the one grave she had dreaded coming to. Juan Carlos Ortiz. She fell to her knees crying. The sobs wracked her body and she couldn't breathe. She touched the stone, "I'm so sorry baby. Forgive me, please. Forgive me." Gia laid down on the ground in front of the grave. She sat in silence trying to figure out the words to say, "Baby, our little Aleena looks so much like you. She is you in every way. I wish you were still here to meet her. You'd love her. She knows all about you. Well not all the bad things. The things that I need you to forgive me for. I know you would tell me that is not my fault like you did when I came to visit you before it happened. Remember when I told you about the baby and you told me you could go knowing that I wouldn't be alone? I hope you're not alone. I'm going to see the guys after this and it's probably not going to end well. I'm sure they are going to be really pissed that I left without a word and didn't even write in the past five years. Oh, and you're right, I did hate New York. It's way too cold for this California girl. But it was home to Aleena and me for five years. Aleena hated leaving. Umm, Wendy and Lyla came to New York when she was born, and they were sworn to secrecy. The guys were not allowed to know. They are also god moms and legal guardians should anything happen to me. Remember when I used to hate Wendy? Baby, I'll be back once a week to see you. I know I've been away for a long time, but you won't be alone anymore. I'll bring Aleena by too. Hopefully, you're looking down on her."
Gia kissed the stone and took out two photos and placed them on the grave with a note, "Baby, you were the best thing that ever happened in my life. I know things got so out of control and we couldn't reign them back in. I love you forever." She walked back to her car and started the engine. She was not really looking forward to her next stop. What would she say? How would they react? How would she react? Her mind raced with all the things that could happen. But the thing that scared her the most was the same thought that made her leave five years ago. What if they wanted her dead? She couldn't shake the irrational thought. It is what made her run in the first place. She needed to feel safe and during that time The Sons made her feel like she was also on edge. But now she was sure she could face them. Lyla had said that they were all very upset when she left. Putting out inquiries and feelers to find her but with no luck. They just wanted to know that she was safe. She couldn't even bare to know they cared. She spent so much time hating them. Or well wanting to hate them. After Juice and Jax died she was a broken mess. Nothing made sense to her anymore. Everything was a black hole and the MC was swallowing everything in her life and leaving a trail of bodies in its wake. Getting out was her best option. She missed them dearly though even when all her thoughts were about making them pay. For a while all she wanted was revenge and then she would think about what it was that she needed to make them pay for. Juice knew what would happen to him if he ratted. He knew what would happen when he betrayed his brothers. Gia knew the rules. But when it came crashing down on her and her family it felt like those rules had been made to personally fuck with her.
As Gia was driving down all the familiar roads that she had traveled thousands of times before she thought of happier times her with her family. There were so many memories that lived and breathed in this place. She was so wrapped up in the memories that she didn't even see the car that was coming at her. She had run the red light and suddenly she was bleeding. Her whole body hurt. She couldn't move. Her head hurt. She was sure it had bounced off the steering wheel. Her nose was broken and to make it even better her arm was too. There was no time to assess the damage as she passed out.
Gia was taken to St. Thomas hospital. Not where she wanted to end up. Everyone her knew her. Someone would break HIPPA to inform the club that she was here. They were still her emergency contacts. She woke up in the hospital a few hours later. She could hear the nurse in the hallway on the phone, "Is this a Filip Telford? It is, okay. I'm calling from St. Thomas. A young lady by the name of Gia Teller-Ortiz was brought in this afternoon after a car accident. Why am I calling you? You are on her emergency contact form. Seeing as all her immediate family is deceased you would be her first contact. I cannot give you that information, sir. But you can come see her if you wish."
The nurse hung up the phone and came in to check on her, "Oh, you're awake. How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit by a truck. Oh wait…" Gia said, "Can I ask you to call Wendy Case for me? She has my daughter. I need to see her. Can you do that?"
"I can call her." The nurse said, "I have also called your emergency contact. We're going to update those while you are here."
"I know. I heard you. Was Chibs giving you a hard time? He can be like that sometimes. Probably wasn't happy that someone was calling him about me. Or maybe he wished the truck had killed me."
"No, he was quite concerned. Didn't exactly understand why I was calling him, but I looked at your emergency contact list and one of the other nurses commented that most of your family was killed five years ago. I'm sorry to hear that. So, I called the next person. He wanted to know if you were alright. First, he wanted to know if I had the right name for the person I was calling about. The other nurse said that you had disappeared after the death of your brother and husband. I'm sorry I should not be talking about things that I don't personally know about and everyone has been a chatty Cathy knowing that you're here. It's like they think your royalty or something."
"Or something," She said, "More like Princess of Anarchy."
Suddenly another nurse came in and said something, "Your emergency contact is here and like seven of his friends. Mary wanted to know if you wanted to see them. If you do, I can only send in two at a time."
"This is not how I wanted to have this reunion, but I guess I'll see them. While they are here could you have someone call Wendy? I really want my daughter here with me."
"Sure. I'll see who wants to come in and see you first. Then I will call Wendy. Since she is bringing your daughter, I'll bend the visitation rules, so she can stay in here with you."
"Thanks. It means a lot."
About five minutes later all the MC was in her room. They had waited for the nurse to turn her back and all snuck in. She looked at them. They hadn't changed. Her heart raced, "Hey guys, I'm home."
There was just silence. It was deafening. Then someone spoke, "Where the fuck were you? We thought you died. You ran away in the middle of the night and haven't reached out in five years. What the fuck happened?"
Gia's head snapped over to Tig, "What the hell happened? My whole life went to fuck all. I couldn't take anymore. Not one more lie, not one more death, not anything. And sorry I didn't reach out. I really didn't want to be found. I was working some shit out."
Gia wiped her face with her good hand. She hadn't even realized she had starting crying. She hated crying in front of people and especially in front of the SONS. She as a woman of the club was supposed to be strong. But the club had broken her too. It took everything from her. She took another look around the room. They all looked worried about her, "Guys, look I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking clearly when I left. I wanted to get away from all this, so I went to New York. It was nice to not have people know every little thing about you. I made friends and had a life that wasn't fucking mayhem. But I missed my little piece of California, so I came home."
"Gia, we're glad that you are home. Glad that you're safe." Tig said.
Most of the guys in the room nodded. Gia felt safe but there was still a nagging thought in the back of mind. She was still a loose end from that time when everything was fucked. But for now, she safe in the presence of her family. Then the door opened, and Wendy stood there with Aleena, "Mommy. Mommy." Aleena cried as Wendy led her towards the bed. Everything and everyone in the room stopped. All the men in the room looked from Aleena to Wendy to Gia. Wendy put Aleena on the bed with her mother and told her to be careful, that mommy was hurt. Gia cradled Aleena with her good arm, "Don't worry baby girl mommy is okay."
Aleena kissed her and curled up. No one else spoke. No one knew what to say. Gia looked back over at the silent group of men, "This is my daughter Aleena Maria Ortiz."