Disclaimer – SoA is not mine in any way, shape or form. It all belongs to KS.
Thank you so much for all the reviews, favs/follows and views. I'm so happy you guys are liking my story :)
This next chapter is all about Devon's background – her childhood, her relationship with Opie and why she left him and Charming. Someone asked about the Winston kids – they don't exist in my story. Opie and Devon do not have children.
WARNING – there is use of a derogatory term in this chapter. I personally do not condone the use of any derogatory term at all. The Sons do unfortunately and I wanted to stay true to the twistedness that is Tig. I mean no offense at all…And Tig will pay for the words that come out of his mouth…
The musical inspiration for this chapter is Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt
Devon had just arrived in Charming that afternoon so she didn't have time before heading to the clubhouse to drop off her bags at her childhood home. Headed there now, she was driving down Main Street and spotting one of the local salons, she decided to stop in for a moment.
Of the two salons in town, Dizzy Izzy's was the "hip" salon that catered to the younger women of Charming while Martha's down the street was preferred by all the old bitties. Most of their clientele was made up of the club's Old Ladies - including Gemma, croweaters and sweet butts. The club always supported their own and Dizzy Izzy's was owned by two of SAMCRO's Old Ladies – Devon and her mother, Isabel.
"Devon!" Maritza, the salon manager, exclaimed when she walked in and gave her a big hug. "It's so good to see you honey. Is your mother with you?"
"No, it's just me. I'm here visiting my father so of course I had to stop in and see how you're doing."
"Well I'm glad you did. How long are you in town?"
"Not very long."
"Aw that's too bad. We sure do miss you around here. I know your booth misses you too." She pointed to the station that still held all her tools and even the pictures that framed the mirror.
"Oh wow." Devon awed, touched that they had kept everything the way she left it.
She walked over to get a closer look and was overwhelmed by all the memories. This booth had been a part of her life since she was baby. It was originally her mother, Isabel's, going back to the day she first opened Dizzy Izzy's when she was twenty-five.
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Isabel had left her home in Los Angeles to start anew in Northern California. She wasn't sure where she was going, but after a rest stop for the day in Charming; both a storefront for sale and a house for rent made her a permanent resident. That was solidified even further when the occasional hook up with one of the local bikers produced a baby girl…Devon.
Tig was less than enthused about fatherhood and quickly when MIA. Isabel was prepared to be a single mother, but to her surprise, after their daughter was born, Tig started showing up randomly just to "check up on things". Those checkups became more frequent and it wasn't long before Tig was firmly wrapped around little Devon's finger. Things progressed into a full blown relationship between Tig and Isabel as well. He moved into the house she rented which they eventually brought together, and Isabel and Devon were formally introduced to his SAMCRO family. Isabel kept her association with the club to a minimum; having her own life and responsibilities to focus on. On the other hand, Devon grew up surrounded by the Sons of Anarchy.
The clubhouse was a second home to her, her father's brothers became her uncles, Gemma was like a second mother, and Jax and Opie were her running buddies. The three of them used to cause all kinds of trouble together all over town.
It wasn't always the perfect life, but it was the only life Devon knew.
Her parents had a volatile relationship and they broke up and got back together all the time. Even Devon and her father's relationship had its ups and downs. Tig was the first person she ever punched at the tender age of seven.
Devon was in the office at TM doing her homework while she waited for her mother to pick her up. She could hear her father talking to his brothers in the garage and she heard him calling somebody a "wetback". She froze, knowing that word. She had heard some mean guys with bald heads call her mommy that in the grocery store one day. Her mommy told them off, reminding them who her daddy was and the bad guys left the store. In the car, on the way home, her mommy explained to her what happened and what that word meant when she asked. It was not a nice word and people should not say it. Especially not her Daddy.
Jumping out of the chair, she marched into the garage. He father was sitting on a trolley with his back to her so he didn't know she was there until she tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey baby girl." He said once he turned towards her.
Before he knew it, she had cocked back her little arm and punched him right in the jaw. It caught him off guard and there was some force behind it enough for him to slump over.
"Don't you say that word! It's a bad word!" She yelled with one hand on her hip and the other shaking a finger in his face.
"Alright kid. Geez." He said, rubbing at his jaw that would sport a small bruise later that day.
"Hmm." Devon snorted at him dismissively and marched away haughtily, leaving her father and his laughing brothers behind.
The club would never be mistaken for being politically correct, but they made sure to watch what they said around Devon from that day forward.
That moment was firmly etched into SAMCRO history and set the definition for Devon that she would live up to for the rest of her life. She was the club princess, a total sweetheart, unless you crossed her. Then she'd make you pay no matter who you were. It endeared her to them all even more.
A few years passed and unfortunately Tig and Isabel were fighting more than making up. Isabel was fed up with Tig's shit so one day she packed up herself and Devon, left the staff in charge of the shop and left Charming for Mesa, Arizona. Devon spent her formative years bouncing between parents – Mesa during the school year and Charming during summer break.
By the time she turned thirteen, her place within the club started changing. She, Opie and Jax had gone through puberty, and Devon and Opie started looking at each other differently. Instead of running off with Jax to play or cause mischief, they were ditching Jax to run off and make out. It became a well-known fact that Devon was Opie's and Opie was Devon's. It stayed that way all throughout high school even when Devon was in Mesa. Opie was too in love with her to cheat and the croweaters and sweet butts were too afraid of Devon to make a move on him. She had already taken a couple of them down just for looking at him the wrong way.
To be so young, their relationship was one of the strongest. There was no question that one day they would be married. However, they did hit a bump in the road when Devon graduated from high school.
She had every intention of returning to Charming to be with Opie, but she had goals to accomplish before she made the move. She wanted to get her cosmetology license and then an Associate's degree in business management so when she did move back, she could take over as part owner of the salon. Opie was not happy with her plan to put off their reunion, but Devon would not be deterred. She wanted more out of her life than just being his Old Lady. Opie knew he couldn't win and he loved her too much to stop her from being happy.
For four years, they continued on as they had been – Devon spending the majority of her summer with Opie in Charming. When she finished school, she tearfully left her mother, who gave her blessing despite her own history with her father, and moved to Charming permanently. She settled into the house Opie brought for them, established herself as co-owner of Izzy's and built her own clientele. Before anyone knew, she was walking down the aisle to become Mrs. Harry "Opie" Winston.
The first years of marriage were pure bliss for Devon and Opie. They were like any other young couple spending all their free time together; vegging out in front of the TV, playing video games, going on bike rides out of town and making love whenever and wherever they wanted.
Married life hadn't changed who either of them were, even in regards to the club.
Opie had been patched in along with Jax four years ago and he had made a name for himself, solidifying his position as the future VP. Being a product of SAMCRO, Devon was never the typical Old Lady. She attended family dinners and helped out at SAMCRO charity functions, but she also made appearances at club parties. Nothing happened there that she hadn't witnessed before and Opie would never cheat so it wasn't like there was anything to hide from her. Besides Devon was stubborn and they had stopped trying to kick her out long ago.
When it came to club business, Devon was still privy to the same information, but she continued to stay out of it. When she was a teenager, she found out about the club's illegal activities and she wasn't proud of what they did, but it was out of her control to stop it. Despite it all, she loved Opie and she understood that this was the only life he knew. She couldn't condemn him for that. She would always be there to support him and be a source of peace in the middle of all the club's chaos. And that was as far as her involvement went. Devon was clear from day one that she was Opie's Old Lady. She pledged allegiance to him, not the club. If she did something for SAMCRO, it was only for Opie's benefit. If it didn't help him and she felt it was too risky, she refused to lift a finger.
She argued with Gemma once about her role. It was a short argument ending with Gemma conceding to Devon who would not be swayed or bullied. Devon marched to the beat of her own drum since she was young and that wasn't going to change now that she was married. Fortunately, everyone still loved and accepted her the same and vice versus.
The only thing that mattered to Devon was having a happy life with Opie. And they were so in love nothing could touch them or bring them down…Until something did.
Opie was arrested for arson. He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison.
Devon wasn't sad, she was livid. She knew all the details of the botched explosion, in particular how Kyle Hobart bailed on Opie. It pissed her off that he was just being let off the hook. Bobby tried to make her understand that being excommunicated from the club was the worst thing that could happen to a Son, but it wasn't enough for Devon. She wanted Kyle in jail, not her husband. Angry at the club for getting caught up in this shit in the first place, she took off back to Mesa for awhile. Visiting Opie at Chino was as far into California as she went for a year. Opie worried about her safety away from the club, so to keep him sane while he was inside, Devon returned to Charming. But things had changed between her and SAMCRO, everyone felt it. She wasn't so blasé anymore about their dealings and how it blew back on the family when things went sideways. Opie's imprisonment was the start of Devon's disillusion with the club.
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Five years seemed like forever, and when Opie was released, Devon refused to stay behind in Charming. She was right there with the guys in front of Chino, waiting for his release. The minute those prison gates open with Opie on the other side, she ran to him full force. When he saw her racing towards him, he felt a peace come over him that had been missing for five years. He dropped the bag of his belongings and opened his arms to her. Devon jumped and wrapped her body around her husband.
"Finally." She sighed happily into the side of his neck. She clutched the sides of his face and laid big lush kiss on his lips. Opie buried his hand into her hair, tilting her head to delve deeper.
They both were so wrapped up in each other that they were oblivious to his brothers whistling and catcalling. When they separated, Devon slid down and let his brothers welcome him, but she stayed as close to him as possible.
After receiving hugs from them all and getting his kutte back from Jax, Opie got on his sorely missed bike. He only needed one more thing before he was ready to go home and with a grin, he reached out to Devon. With a beaming smile, she climbed on behind him, holding on to him tight. As the caravan of bikes rode away from Chino, each Son flipping the prison off, Devon rested her head on to her husband's back hoping to never see that place or any other like it again.
They returned to Charming, going straight to Teller-Morrow where a party was raring to celebrate Opie's release. However, Devon had different plans.
When the guys tried to pull Opie along with the crowd into the clubhouse, she interceded them, stepping right in her husband's path.
"Oh no. You don't need to go in there." She put her hands on the middle of his chest and pushed him back. "Because what you need is not in there." She twisted his t-shirt in her grip and pulled him around as she walk back towards his bike.
"It's not?" He chuckled at the cute, mischievous grin on her face.
"No. What you need is right here." She pointed to herself. "And its going home, to get naked, and get into our bed…Or on the couch, or the kitchen table or anywhere you want me."
She had let go of his shirt and with each statement, she took a step back. He followed until he was separated from the crowd. She turned away from him and continued on to his bike, her steps fluid and seductive. Opie was hopeless not to follow.
"Hey Op! Where you going?" Jax yelled when he realized his best friend was not a part of his own party.
He tore his eyes off his wife and turned back to face him. "Uh…I gotta go home brother." He stuttered with a dopey grin on his face. He looked back to see Devon straddling his bike. Turning to Jax, he lied. "Sorry."
Jax laughed and waved him off. "Have fun bro! I'll see you later."
On the way to their house, Devon couldn't keep her hands still. She had snaked them under his shirt, teasingly stroking up and down his bare chest. Opie was having a hard time focusing on the ride especially as she started nibbling on his earlobe. When they finally made it home, he haphazardly parked in the driveway. Climbing off, he startled her as he yanked her up from the back seat. Grinning and giggling madly with anticipation, she wrapped her legs and arms around him, holding on for an even better ride inside.
For the rest of the afternoon and into the night, Devon and Opie made love, reconnecting in every way possible.
Past nightfall, Devon was woken up by a motorcycle engine starting and found herself in bed alone. Listening to his bike drive away, she reached out to touch his empty side of the bed, feeling a piece of paper.
Went back to the club.
Love O
As she laid back, staring at the dark ceiling, a wave of dread came over her. This wasn't going to stop. They had already lost five years of their life together and they were only going to lose more. The club was changing, it was like they were on some sort of power trip and getting deeper into arms dealing, making more enemies. Opie was going to get pulled in deeper and eventually she would lose him to the chaos. She had to do something to stop it.
When he came home later the next day, she was in the kitchen, washing out the highlights she'd just put in her hair.
"Hey."
"Hi." She said from underneath the towel she was drying her hair with. "Have fun?"
"Yeah I did." He approached her, pulling the towel out of her hands and placing a kiss on her lips. "It's good to be home."
"It's good to have you home." She said and threw her damp hair up into a sloppy bun. "I'm just worried it's not going to last."
"What are you talking about?"
She sighed. "Look, I don't want to have some big argument. I'm not going to stress over this or nag you about it, but I have to say this at least once." Peering up at him soberly, she continued. "I am not Luann. I won't waste any more years of my life waiting for you if you go back to prison." Opie exhaled deeply, his head tilting back in frustration. Devon grabbed his face, forcing him to look back at her as she changed the subject. "Now I'm hungry. How about you take me for a ride and we go get something to eat?" She was smiling brightly as if nothing was wrong. She said her piece so she was putting it all in the past to concentrate on the future, hopefully a happy one.
With her words rattling in his head, Opie hesitated before he replied. "Sure." He pushed a smile out and Devon wrapped her arms around his waist.
"I love you Opie."
"I love you too." He held her close, needing to feel her as close to him as possible right now.
He wasn't going to fight with her over this because he knew she was completely serious. He knew her opinion of the club. The only reason she put up with it was because she loved him. Now that he'd done time in prison, she cared even less for SAMCRO. She stood by him through those five years, but each time she visited him, he could see it was wearing her down. It wasn't a surprise to him that she wouldn't go through it again, not if he was actively putting himself at risk for another stint in prison.
So for a time, Opie tried to play it straight for her. He got a full time job at the saw mill and only dealt with the club socially. But the club was in his blood, he couldn't be half in and half out forever.
Devon said nothing when she found him in the garage one day preparing to head out on a club job. She simply helping him put his kutte on, kissed him and told him that she loved him. He knew where she stood and he had obviously made a choice. If things went wrong, their marriage would suffer and he'd have no one to blame but himself.
For a few months, luck was on Opie's side and he stayed clear of the law while he reestablished himself in the club. Of course that luck ran out and Devon found herself opening her door to an AFI agent knocking. She said nothing, let the bitch say what she had to say and then kicked her out. But when Opie came home, she had plenty to say to him.
"I had a visitor today Op." She flicked the agent's business card at his chest. "From the ATF. Threatened the take the house, the shop and put both of us in jail if I didn't tell her what I knew about SAMCRO." Of course she would never say anything and there wasn't anything they could use against her personally. They could make her life difficult during the span of their investigation and that was enough to piss Devon off. "I swear to God if I end up in cuffs because of some shit that you and the guys pulled, I'll be back in Arizona so fast your head will spin."
"Devon." He said, trying to calm her down.
"Don't talk because there is nothing you can say." She fumed and turned away from him, walking out of the room.
Things only went downhill from there and the ATF made good on their threats. They closed down Dizzy for a money laundering investigation and dragged both Opie and Devon into the Department of Justice in Stockton. Stahl put the pressure on them to rat to save themselves, but she was unsuccessful and lucky she had nothing solid to hold them. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. She had made it look like Opie and Devon had turned on SAMCRO. Opie had to convince the club that they hadn't and thankfully, it worked…Or so they thought.
The night of Abel's welcome home party, Opie had offered to make a beer run for Gemma. As he was just about to climb into Devon's car, she ran outside to stop him.
"Baby, let me go instead. I want to stop by and check on Tara anyway." She had seen her storm out with Jax chasing behind her. He had no doubt done something to piss her off and at the time, Devon knew she needed to be left alone. But Tara was her best friend, she had to make sure she was okay.
"Alright." Opie said, trading places with her. "I'll let Jax know he's dead when you get back." He quipped.
"Ha, ha. No need. I saw his face. Looks like Tara got one in good." She grinned and as she lift up on her tip toes, he bent over the open door to kiss her. "Love you."
"I love you too."
Pulling away from Jax's, Devon headed towards town center, singing along to the radio. She came up on a yellow light and tried to blow through it, but it changed too quickly and she had to slam on her brakes. Her cell was sitting in the passenger seat and went flying into the foot well. She was reached down to retrieve it when all of a sudden, she heard gun fire and the back window shattered. Screaming, she went into survival mode and slammed on the gas. Her head stayed down the entire time so she didn't see the car coming through the intersection and it t-boned her driver side. Her car went careening across the road, over the curb and into a tree. Thankfully, she had her seatbelt on, but it didn't stop her from being jerked around violently or her head from banging into the side of the steering wheel.
Groaning in pain and disorientated, she grabbed her head, feeling the blood seeping from a gash at her hairline.
"Oh God. Devon." Someone said and her door was opened.
Recognizing the voice, she looked up at the masked man standing next to her. "Dad?" She hissed, feeling a new pain at her side from hitting the console. She was so out of it, she could barely put two and two together. "What are you-What?" She took a good look at him; what he was wearing, the unknown SUV stopped nearby and it all clicked into place. "Oh my God. What did you do?"
"Baby…."
"What did you do?!" She cried. She could hear sirens coming from a far and she didn't want the police involved in this. They couldn't fix this, nothing could fix this. "Get out of here."
"Devon-"
"If they see you here, I will not cover for you." She seethed, fury and tears in her eyes.
Tig hesitated, not waiting to leave her, but the cops were getting closer. Looking at his daughter one last time, he jumped into the SUV and took off.
The police and ambulance arrived and Devon was taken to the hospital for examination. Unser had arrived at the scene and after being briefed on the situation, he placed a call to Jax, looking for Opie. He was still with him at his place and when the news came through, the house quickly cleared out, all of his brothers following Opie to the hospital.
Thundering into St. Thomas, Opie growled at the front desk attendant, scaring the crap out of the woman as he demanded to know where his wife was. Getting the information and find the triage room, he barraged in while the doctor was giving Devon her exam.
"Opie." She sighed in relief and he rushed to her side, ignoring the doctor's protest. He sat on the edge of the bed and Devon threw her arms around him. Burying her face in his shoulder, she finally let the tears flow.
The doctor excused himself, knowing his warning went on deaf ears and decided to come back later.
Jax and Clay had joined Opie while the others stayed in the lobby. Hearing Devon crying, Jax knew it was best to give them time alone. He grabbed a reluctant Clay and back tracked out of the room. They could get the details on what happened later.
"Oh God Op I was so scared."
"Baby what happened?"
"I don't know. I was at a stop light and all of a sudden someone started shooting." She kept her explanation vague, feigning confusion around the specifics. "I didn't see who was shooting. I don't know why anyone would come after me."
Opie pulled her back into his arms and murmured. "It's okay baby. I'll find who did this and I'll make them pay." He promised and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry baby."
They held each other for a while until the doctor returned to finish his examination. Devon was diagnosis with bruised ribs and a concussion so they were admitting her overnight for observation. While she was being transferred to another room, Opie went to fill the guys in.
Devon wasn't in the mood for any visitors so he sent her love and gratitude for them all being there. They left the hospital with pledges to their brother to find out who did this to his wife.
Opie returned to Devon's side in her hospital room and they spent the night, not saying much or even paying attention to the TV playing uselessly. Opie had gotten into the bed with her and she laid on his chest, holding him close. They were both content to just be together after everything that had happened tonight.
Devon more than Opie because she knew this would be for the last time. This was the final straw in her fight against the club for Opie. And she had lost.
If Opie ever found out what happened, sure he'd be furious at first, mabye beat up her father or even Clay. But overtime he'd grow to "understand" why they did what they did, to protect the club. He'd give them both a pass and continue to walk side by side with his brothers.
She couldn't do that. She couldn't forget or forgive this and she damn sure couldn't sit back and watch her husband, the love of her life, defend both of their would-be killers. She couldn't stand to see him choose the club over her.
She had loved Opie with all her heart for her entire life, but was her love strong enough to compete with his love for the club? She didn't know anymore and it was breaking her heart. It was bad enough worrying that he would go back to prison, now this. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to get away – from Charming, SAMCRO – and that included Opie because he would never leave. Not even for her. If she stayed she'd only end up hating him and that would destroy her. She had to rip her own heart out and walk away now.
The next morning, Devon was still awake thanks to the nurses who keep watch over her through the night. Opie had fallen asleep beside her, but he woke when the day nurse came into to introduce herself and let Devon know that the doctor would be by to examine her once he came on shift to see if she could be discharged.
As the nurse was leaving, Tara stopped in having just finished an early morning surgery. Opie excused himself and Devon filled her in on what happened, omitting Clay and Tig's involvement. Tara looked spooked enough, she didn't want to make it worse. That would happen all on its own anyway.
Tara was like her; she loved her man, not the club. Unfortunately Jax, like Opie, loved the club more than anything else and eventually that would complicate their relationship as well.
As much as Devon wanted to warn her friend to cut her losses now, it wasn't her place to do so. It would only be a matter of time before she was running away again too.
When Tara left to answer a page, Devon let her go and simply smiled when she said she'd check in on her later. Silently, she wished Tara luck and she said goodbye to her best friend.
Alone for the first time since she was admitting, Devon could no longer fight her physical and especially her emotional exhaustion, and she fell asleep. She had only been out for a short while when she woke to the sound of Opie and Jax talking.
"Hey baby." Opie said when he saw her stir. She pushed herself upright and grimaced from a sharp pain in her side. Alarmed, Opie quickly moved closer to her. "You okay?"
"I'm fine, just sore and hungry." She smiled reassuringly.
"I can have the nurse bring you something."
She scrunched up her face. "No, hospital food is gross. Can you go to the diner and pick me up some food?" Her voice was saccharine and her eyes were wide with false innocence, making him laugh. "Jax can keep me company. Won't you Jax?" She looked at him pointedly over Opie's shoulder as he turned to face his brother.
"Yeah I'll stay." Jax agreed, knowing why she really wanted Opie out of the room.
"Alright." He stood up to leave. "I'll get you some pancakes and sausage."
"Mm, yum." She grinned. "Hey, can you stop by the house and get me some clothes too?" He nodded and leaned down to kiss her. He patted Jax on the shoulder in passing and left.
The second the door shut, Jax started. "Dev." He was trying to hold off any hysterics, but she cut him off.
"I don't want you to say anything Jax. I want you to find my father and bring him to me right now."
"He's in the lobby, been there all night." He revealed. On his way into to see Opie this morning, the nurse at the front desk had pointed Tig out and asked that he let Devon know he had been sleeping there waiting to see her. It did nothing to move him and given the snort Devon let out, it did nothing for her either.
"To see if I would talk I'm sure." She spoke snidely.
Jax gave her a look that told that he was thinking along the same line. After his talk with Hale, he knew that Clay and Tig had done this trying to get to Opie. He wanted answers as well. "Hold tight." He walked out the room and a few moments later, he returned with a ragged looking Tig behind him.
When Devon saw her father, rage consumed her. The room was silent as she stared at him, trying to keep herself in check before she jumped out of the bed and killed him with her bare hands. Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke, getting straight to the point.
"Putting a hit on Opie wasn't a club decision was it Jax? You wouldn't have let that happen."
"You know I wouldn't have." Jax answered, glaring at Tig who stood just in front of him.
"I know. And I know my father won't piss or shit without Clay's say so, so I'm guessing they were in on it together." Devon continued to stare her father down, wanting him to feel the burning anger inside of her.
"That's my guess too."
"So what lie are you going to tell him, Dad, to cover up this shit that you and Clay did?"
"It was an accident."
"It was not an accident. Clay knew exactly what he was doing when he made the order and you knew exactly what you were doing when you pulled that trigger." She fumed, her deep hurt starting to mix with the anger coursing through her. "I wanna know why you tried to kill my husband."
"We thought Op ratted." He said as if it was a valid explanation.
"He told you he didn't!" She yelled. "He gave up his freedom for five years for the club. He'd do it again. He'd die for the club and you thought he was a rat? That's your excuse?" She said incredulously. "God you are pathetic."
"We were protecting the club."
"Fuck the club!" She screamed. "What about me? Your daughter! Did you even think about me when you agreed to kill him?" If he was a real father just the thought of causing his child any kind of hurt would have been unimaginable. Did he care so little about her to do this? "What were you going to do when I got the call that he was dead? Were you going to hold me while my heart broke and I cried my eyes out? Sit by me and hold my hand as I watched them lower my husband's body into the ground?" She would have unknowingly sought comfort from her husband's murderer. Just thinking about it made her sick to her stomach, but then there was the other side of the coin. "What if I hadn't moved out the way when you started shooting?" Tears began to fill her eyes. "Would you be the one to call my mother and tell her that her child was dead? Hold her while she cried as they buried me instead?" Tig's face actually blanched at her words. "Huh? Tell me!"
"I'm sorry."
"No you're not." She quickly argued. "You're not sorry because you have no heart. You don't care about anything or anyone, including me. So guess what?" She sniffed and wiped her fallen tears on her cheek. "I don't give a fuck about you either. Not anymore." Her tears began to cloud her vision again as she looked at her father for the last time. "Get out and stay out. You are no longer my father and I want you out of my life forever."
"Devon." He reached out to her, trying in vain to hold on to the only flesh and blood he had in the world.
"Get out! Both of you get the hell away from me." She demanded.
Respecting her wishes, Jax grabbed Tig and pulled him from the room. It was his turn with the Sergeant at Arms now.
Once Devon heard their arguing voices drift away from her door, she finally burst into tears, audibly sobbing. She cried for all the pain from this betrayal and the loss of her father. He was far from perfect, but she had always thought that he at least loved her. Now she knew the truth and their relationship was ruined.
"Dev." Opie called out when he came back into her room and found her bed empty.
The bathroom door opened and she stepped out, now fresh faced after her crying jag.
"You got my goodies." She reached out to take one of the bags and he pulled it away from her, looking at her charmingly. He wasn't planning on letting her carry or do anything really, for quite a while.
Devon grinned at his chivalrous gesture and stretched up to give him a kiss. She moved gingerly back over to the bed and Opie followed close, hovering. What he really wanted to do was pick her up and carry her, but that would probably only make her pain worse.
She settled into her nest of blankets and pillows, and they tucked into their late breakfast. A nurse stopped in while they were eating to let Devon know that an emergency had come up and it would be a little while longer before the doctor could see her.
The new did not please Opie. Devon could see he was getting antsy so she suggested that he go for a ride or go home to get some rest until she called for him to pick her up. Opie reluctantly agreed, saying he'd go to the clubhouse and see if his brothers had found out anything about her attack.
"Okay." She replied, trying with everything in her not to scream out the truth to him. The truth would only prolong the inevitable.
"Call me when you get word from the doc."
She nodded and he left her with a kiss, which she held on to for just a bit longer, savoring the feel of his lips. "Opie." She stopped him just as he was opening the door. He turned to her and she stared, making sure to memorize every piece, every angle of his face. Her eyes began to water knowing this would probably be the last time she saw him. "I love you. I love you more than anything."
"I love you too baby." He chuckled. Being such a tough girl, she was so cute when she got all sentimental. "See you later."
The door closed behind him and sobbing quietly as possible, weak with heartache, Devon managed to climb out of bed and dress in the clothes he brought her. She got her clothes from last night and thankfully, she found her credit card and ID still in her back pocket. She called a cab company and ordered a fare to Stockton. It would be expensive, but she couldn't risk being seen at the Charming bus depot and word getting back to Opie.
Leaving everything else behind, she snuck out of the hospital room, pass the front desk that was gloriously empty and she exited St. Thomas to find her cab waiting. No one saw her leave and she stayed low in the back seat of the cab until they crossed the Charming town line.
Arriving at the bus station in Stockton, she brought a one-way ticket to Mesa. Not long before her bus was to depart, she made a phone call.
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After his heated talk with Clay, Jax was back at the clubhouse having received a call from Opie. He had asked him for a full table so they could discuss strategy for finding the people he tried to kill Devon. He had to figure out his own strategy to tell Opie the truth so he offered to head out and wrangle up the others, hoping to buy himself some time.
He was just about to start up his bike when his phone rang. "Yeah."
"I'm leaving Jax." She started right off. She couldn't afford to let him get a word in edgewise and convince her to stay. "Even if he never finds out, I can't pretend like it's okay. It's not okay." She choked out, her never-ending tears getting in the way. "So I have to go."
Realizing who he was talking to and what she was saying, Jax implored. "Dev, you can't do this to Op. It'll kill him."
"If I stay, it'll kill us both." Over time they would only grow to resent each other for not being able to give what the other needed and their relationship was fall apart anyway. "I need you to take care of him for me and don't let come after me." She begged. "Tell him I lied, I don't love him, not anymore. Not after this and I don't want to be with him. I don't even want to see him again." She cried, barely capable of voicing the blatant lie.
"No. Wait a minute."
"Goodbye Jax."
"Devon. Devon." He tried, but was only met with the sound of a dial tone. "Fuck."
Even if he tried to find her, there was no tell where she was. This couldn't be happening. Devon and Opie were each other's world for as long as he could remember. Devon leaving would crush Opie and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Dreadfully, Jax dismounted from his bike and walked back into the clubhouse. He pulled his best friend aside into the chapel.
He knew the truth wouldn't bring Devon back to Opie and loathed to admit it, Clay was right. If everyone found out what really happened to Devon, it would break SAMCRO. So Jax did what Devon told him and he watched his best friend, his brother, break down. He engulfed him in his arms, using all his strength to keep him standing. He had never seen Opie like this and that scared him. But Jax knew what he was feeling, felt it once before and he knew that Opie would survive it too.
He'd just have to wait for the pain to dull and eventually, he'd get used to the hole in his heart.
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That evening, Devon finally arrived in Mesa. She hailed another cab and was dropped off at her mother's salon, DI2.
"Welcome to DI – Oh Devon….Hi." The receptionist stumbled over her words as she took in the state of her boss's daughter. Her hair was in a sloppy bun, her face was blotchy and puffy, and her eyes were bright red. She had obviously been crying for a long time.
"Is my mother here?"
"Yeah. She's in back."
Devon walked through the entryway onto the salon floor and spotted her mother at her booth, dying a client's hair, talking about the latest gossip around town.
"Mommy." Her soft, sad voice ran out gaining her mother's attention.
Isabel looked up and immediately, she dropped what she was doing at the sight of her broken child. "Devon." She rushed over to her with her arms open and Devon collapsed into them, crying out in anguish.
"It's over. Me and Opie are over."
"Oh baby, what happened?"
"I,I." She couldn't speak, it hurt so much. "Oh God I feel like I'm dying."
Isabel moved them into her office in back and she held her daughter on the couch as she continued to fall apart.
Her mother stroked her back, cooed and murmured into her ear that everything would be okay. But it would never be okay again.
First of all, she had to carry this secret inside of her, she couldn't even vent to her mother because she would go back to Charming and kill every single member of SAMCRO. Worse yet, she would forever have a broken heart.
Opie was the love of her life. She would never love anyone else, she didn't want to. Regrettably, they were now doomed to always have this wedge between them; one made of lies, secrets, misplaced loyalty, and a need for revenge that would never be fulfilled.
Those were odds neither would be able to get over so maybe in the end, she and Opie were better off apart. And maybe one day, Devon would be able to breathe without the other half of herself.
Now I know some people might be frustrated with Devon and how she just left Opie without giving him a chance. The reason for that is Opie's reaction when he found out the truth. It's the same as it was in cannon. Devon can see that writing on the wall and it's unacceptable for her. Devon is a product of the club (a product of Tig, meaning she's a little nutty LoL), she doesn't take betrayal lightly and she wants the kind of revenge that the club doles out – she wants Clay and her father dead. (Obviously those feelings towards her father changed, that will be addressed later; her feelings towards Clay are still very much lethal)
Why didn't Opie go after Devon once he found out the truth? Well she left him without giving him a chance, she must not have loved him or wanted him as much as he believed.
For anyone who would like to see the face I envision as Isabel, there is a link in my profile.
Let me know what you think! :)