In the Middle of Two Kingdoms:
An Animal Kingdom/Sons of Anarchy Crossover
Coraelliem92
Chapter One/Prologue:
Riley Tudor
I woke up the morning of my 14th birthday with a renewed sense of focus. I'd been living with my unofficial foster family, the Cody's, for almost 7 years and in the last 2, I've realized that I couldn't live without my "brother". And not in that ridiculous we're so bonded we can't be apart way, but in the way that if I didn't feel his hands on my body one more time then I'd never be right again way. The night before, my 4 older brothers threw a house party in "my honor" for "my birthday." They'd invited all their friends, and since my brothers ranged in age from 16 to 21, the party had been full of booze, drugs, and loud music while our "mom", Smurf, pretended not to notice. I didn't have any female friends. Smurf didn't like extra folks hanging round the house, and Julia, my "sister", wasn't exactly the older sister type. So last night, I'd gotten ready myself. I'd worn a too small black tank top that pushed my early developed DDDs together, and exposed my flat stomach and my new belly ring that Smurf had taken me to get earlier that day. I'd lined my eyes in all the black liner I could find and applied a generous amount of mascara. YouTube helped me get the technique right. My long black hair was completely straight and I'd pulled it to the top of my head in a messy bun. I left my room when I was done and went over to the pool where everyone else was. I passed Baz and Deran on the way to where they'd set up the bar, and each of them looked at me with wide, gaping eyes. Pope and Julia were fighting behind the shed, and Craig was chatting up some chick at the bar when I came over. He'd taken a large drink of whatever was in his cup when I passed, my ample hips and ass swinging ever so slightly as I walked by him. Almost immediately once he saw me, he ended up spitting the entirety of his gulp into the face of the pretty blonde he'd been chatting up. I recognized her as one of the many college girls he'd taken to bringing around. He was a legend at the high school he'd been forced to drop out of after his stint in juvie. The same school I was at now after skipping 2 grades. He pushed the blonde to the side and came up behind me.
"What the fuck are you wearing?" He snapped, glaring at me with a look of something more than just disapproval and contempt.
"Clothes." I responded, pouring myself a rum and coke using the Bacardi on the table and a coke I'd brought from the kitchen.
"Barely." He scoffed, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the table. I grabbed my drink as we went. He was taking me to the living room, which was dark and only separated from the DJ by a glass window, so the music was louder in there, but quieter than outside. "Change." Craig ordered, pointing to the hallway that led to my and Julia's bedrooms.
"No." I countered simply. Craig and I were closer than any of the other siblings, with the exception of maybe Baz, Julia, and Pope. We had gotten less close as he got older and spent more time with Deran, but as kids, we were inseparable. Not tonight though.
"I won't have guys looking at you when you have that shit on." He said, gesturing to my breasts and shorts-clad ass.
"Why not?" I cried. "I want a boyfriend eventually one day, why not now?"
"You're too good for them." The song changed and started playing "Pony" by Ginuwine. I smirked, knowing this song was Craig's weakness.
"You're missing a hell of an opportunity, Craig." He looked at war with himself for a few moments, but then he grabbed my waist with his large hands and spun me around so that my back was to his front.
"No I'm not." He said, dipping his head down to whisper in my ear. He swung my hips a little bit to encourage me, until I started moving on my own. He clamped one hand on my hip and the other on my waist and led us back so he could lean against the wall. I continued to grind, eliciting sharp intakes of breath and moans from Craig behind me. He let both of his hands wander to my my bare thighs, where he used his palms to hold me in place and his fingertips to trace patterns in my soft skin. I took my hair out of the bun and turned to face him. His normally clear blue eyes were cloudy, and he was trying to hide his obvious desire from me. I was lucky that my melanin stopped him from seeing my blush, evidence of the heat spreading in my abdomen and between my legs. I lifted on my tip toes and brought my lips to his. He lifted me up in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and kissed me harder. We made out for a few minutes before he carefully set me on the floor. His hard on was too intense to hide now, and yet he drug a hand through his shoulder length brown hair with a resigned look on his face.
"We can't do this, Lee. You're too good for me too."
So I awoke this morning addicted to Craig's touch. I'd never craved anything in my life, Smurf called it my superpower, and yet I awoke with my hand down my panties quietly whimpering for Craig. Everyone in the family knew of Baz's relationship with Julia, I thought when my conscious thoughts had returned. What was wrong with me and Craig becoming a thing? And who would be better to experience lust and love and all that with? I trusted him, he'd protected me and this family countless times before. He was unbelievably hot with his chiseled muscles, long hair, clear blue eyes, and tattoos. And he clearly wanted me last night too. There wasn't anything wrong with it. So, with that, I awoke with a new plan: seduce Craig and make him mine. I rolled over, looking at the clock. It was barely 5am. Smurf wouldn't be up making my birthday breakfast for another hour, so I slipped out of bed and quietly pulled open my sliding glass door. I tiptoed across the courtyard to Craig's sliding glass door. I opened it and found him alone and asleep in front of the TV. I'd snuck into his room countless times before, mostly to play video games after my bedtime, but this was different. I closed his curtains, enveloping us in darkness.
"Craig." I whispered harshly. He didn't stir. He was shirtless, but wearing board shorts like the party had found its way to the pool after he'd left me. "Craig." I tried again, this time poking him in the chest. He captured my finger with lightning like speed, snapping his eyes open.
"Don't poke a hornet's nest Riley." He whispered, pulling me to him. "What're you doing here?" He let me go, and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Oh, and happy birthday!" He added, genuinely enthusiastic for me.
"How much of last night do you remember?" I asked skeptically, trying to gauge how hard my task would be.
"Robbie Davies, the idiot, tried to jump the pool in a bicycle and failed, soaking himself and the bike. Oh! And did you see the when Deran did that sick triple somersault into the pool from the roof of the shed?" He asked, his voice bright but his eyes working overtime, looking me up and down. I saw through him.
"So, you remember us." I confirmed. He gulped.
"I remember us," he answered, suddenly serious. He was a tad twitchy, like he was going to move back to put some space between us but then thought better of it. I took it as a good sign. "Why are you here?" He repeated.
"I can't stop thinking about you." I admitted, my hand hovering near his bare chest. He started breathing heavier, and I hadn't even touched him yet.
"I told you, Lee, you're too good for me. I'm dangerous." He responded, but he still didn't move.
"Do you honestly think I give a fuck?" I countered. He shook his head. "Kiss me, Craig. We both know you want to."
"It doesn't matter what I want to do."
"When have you ever held back?" I challenged. His eyes flashed in anger.
"I'm trying to do the right thing, god damn it!"
"And why is it the right thing? Because Smurf hates it? Because you don't want to be like Baz? Because I'm young and you're 17? Why? Why is something we both want considered the wrong thing?"
"It's going to end badly." Craig replied.
"I'm willing to take that risk." I insisted. He studied me for a few more seconds before standing and leading me over to the bed. He took my boy shorts off, leaving me naked from the waist down. He then removed his board shorts, and then my tank top and bra. He stared at me in reverence, with each passing second his erection getting harder and harder until his dick was visibly throbbing with desire.
"It's your broken heart." He announced before kissing me gently, then passionately. He rolled a condom on as we kissed, and as our hands roamed each other's bodies. "I'm going in now, baby." He whispered. I nodded. "This is going to hurt." I braced myself, curling my fingers into the bed sheet. He went slowly, and then when he had completely sheathed himself in me, he stilled to allow me to become familiar with the sensation. "Let me know when I can move, Lee." He said through clenched teeth. I gave myself a few more seconds to revel in his length and girth before nodding again. He swung his hips in a circle twice before pulling out and then coming back inside. "I never had a fucking chance with you, did I? This was inevitable, wasn't it?" He asked as he moved, bending down to kiss me again.
"God, I hope so," I moaned as he and I came together.
"Please, Smurf, don't do this. Please don't do this." I sobbed quietly in my room as she packed my bags 2 years later.
"It's for your own good, sweetheart." She replied, fixing me with what could have been a sympathetic gaze if I didn't know any better. But I did know better; Jeanine Cody has never felt sympathy for others. I hadn't believed it until that moment, as she continued to put clothes and books in my school backpack.
"I won't touch him, I promise." I tried again, pleading at her feet. I wasn't above lying now or begging.
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She snapped, throwing more into my backpack.
"Smurf, I'm in love with him." I choked out as I watched her stuff what had to have been 20 grand in the bag.
"That's why you have to go, baby." She smiled sadly, grabbing me by my upper arm and dragging me through my doorway. I started screaming then. Shrill, bell like sounds escaped my mouth and I thrashed and twisted with every step Smurf tried to take. I could have pulled her to the ground, being twice her height and weight, but I didn't. I managed a solid kick to Craig's door just as Baz, Pope, Julia, and Deran came out of their respective rooms. Smurf paused for a second when Craig turned the hall light on.
"What the hell?" He asked sleepily, wiping the crust from his eyes before taking in the sight of me being forced down the hallway.
"I love you, Craig, she's making me leave. I love you!" I cried desperately, but Smurf kicked it into overdrive, pointing a gun I didn't know she had at her children.
"She has to go." Smurf said simply, leveling a mutinous Craig with a hard glare. When it became clear that he wasn't going to fight for me, I got up and walked to the car myself. I strapped on my seatbelt in Smurf's black Dodge Ram, and cried silently. Smurf had just gotten in the car when Craig started banging on the passenger side window.
"I love you too. I always will, Lee. I will always love you." He said, his voice muffled. "I'm gonna find you. I fucking promise to find you." He cried, screaming now. My body racked with tears. I doubled over in my seat and tried to take deep breaths to steady myself. Smurf had put the window lock on, so I couldn't reach out to him in the final seconds before Smurf's foot found the accelerator. Just like that, I was ripped from Craig's side.
"It's for your own good, baby." Smurf repeated at the bus stop. She palmed me another few grand and a letter. "Give this to Gemma Teller Morrow. She'll take care of you once you're in Charming. She owes me." I shoved the paper in my bag and stared stoically ahead. "I love you, Lee. You have to know that. You're my daughter."
"Craig is never gonna forgive you." I replied, my voice hoarse from the tears.
"I had to take that chance." She answered. "You'll both forgive me, once you've had a chance to clear your heads. Now, it's time for you to get on the bus." She pulled me into a gruff hug, almost cracking my ribs with her force. I didn't return the embrace. When she released me, I turned, pushing my waist length black hair out of my face, and got onto the bus to my new life in Charming, CA.
I awoke when the bus grumbled into the station. It was nearing 9am, and folks in suits hustled off the bus. I lingered behind everyone, making sure I had everything even though I'd only gotten my headphones out of the bag. I was the last off the bus. I descended the steps, pushing my sunglasses onto my face to cover the hurt in my eyes. As I plunged my hand into the bag, I felt the cold barrel of the gun Smurf had unearthed earlier. For a second, I wrapped my hand around its hilt, letting my fingers tickle the trigger. I sighed, releasing the weapon and stuffing it even further into the bottom of my bag. On the letter Smurf had handed me was an address, so I made my way toward the cabs. Idling in front of the only cab in the queue was a motorcycle and its rider. The rider was tall, at least 6 feet, with long blonde hair. He had bruises covering the exposed skin underneath his white t-shirt and black leather vest and that simply proclaimed "Prospect". He caught me staring and smirked, flicking his cigarette onto the sidewalk and stomping it out.
"Like what you see darlin?" He drawled, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes were bluer than Craig's, something I never thought possible. But thinking about Craig sent another set of sobs through my shoulders. I tried to regain my composure, as this mystery guy was now walking towards me, concern etched in every wrinkle on his face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. You were just staring so hard…" he started, unsure if he should try to comfort me or not.
"It's not your fault, I just really miss my boyfriend. But I have to go." I managed to choke out before ripping the cab door open and forcing myself inside. The kind stranger stared blankly at me until a scary looking man put a hand on his shoulder. Telling the cabbie the address, I shrunk back into my seat and tried to forget that I was seperated from my greatest love and only family.
The silent cab driver drove swiftly through the town. Even if I had been interested in the blurs passing the windows, he drove too quickly to see any part of Charming in any detail. Finally, he pulled up to a tan house with an expansive front yard. I handed the cabbie the amount owed for the trip plus a hefty tip as I exited the car. I was still staring at the letter when the sound of a motorcycle brought my attention back to reality. The blonde from the bus stop was pulling into the driveway as my cab pulled back out onto the street.
"You stalking me or something?" He asked gruffly, ripping off his helmet and advancing toward me menacingly. I was used to macho behavior, I'd grown up with 4 big brothers after all, so I stood my ground.
"My mom, foster mom, she sent me here. I'm supposed to find Gemma. I'm not interested in some blonde wannabe biker, sweetie." I sneered, stepping around him and making to go towards the front door. For the second time in less than 12 hours, I found my upper arm in a death grip. But he was stronger than Smurf, his hold would leave a bruise. He pulled me to him, my chest crashing against his. The move forced me to look in his bluer than blue eyes.
"Not so fast, sweetheart." He growled, but whatever he was planning to say next was interrupted by a tall brunette throwing open the front door.
"Where the HELL have you been, Jackson!?" She screeched, marching over to us. "You brought a croweater to my house?" She hissed once she had gotten to where we were still standing off.
"She's not a croweater, Ma. She claims that some woman sent her here to you. I'm calling bullshit, and trying to get her out of here." Jackson, presumably, answered as he took his eyes off me. I used the opportunity to wrench free from his grasp and I turned to the woman.
"Are you Gemma Teller Morrow?" I asked, my voice braver than I was feeling.
"Who's asking?"
"I'm Lee Tudor Cody, Smurf's daughter. She sent me here with this." My voice broke over the word daughter but still, I held out the letter to Gemma. She pushed her reading glasses to the bridge of her nose before ripping the envelope open and reading the letter inside. I was acutely aware of how close Jackson still was to me, but tried my best to ignore it. The heat and tension radiating from his every pore was too much. All it did was remind me of yesterday, before Smurf had dragged me out, when Craig's hands were on my body...when his long fingers had been in my body and tangled in my hair. I was so fried, exhausted, that I let the tears roll over my body. And suddenly, I was being gently engulfed by the bewildered young man next to me.
"Shhh, shhh, it's okay little Dove, it's okay. It's all gonna be okay." He kept whispering into my hair as he hugged me close. Gemma placed a bony but reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"Which one was it, sweetheart?" She asked gently. I sniffled, wiping my snot on my hoodie's sleeve.
"I...I don't know what you mean." I stuttered through my sobs.
"Yes you do. Which one did you fall in love with?" She pressed, still gently.
"Craig." I admitted, and even just his name brought on a fresh wave of tears.
"Jax, bring her inside. And call Clay and the boys, this has become club business." Gemma sighed, motioning us to follow her into her home.
I'd become a project. A problem with which to be dealt. Despite his kind gesture when I'd broken down crying my first morning in Charming, Jax was vocally suspicious of me and what he only vaguely referred to as my "intentions". In every conversation, that always took place around a large wooden table, Jax would nearly scream:
"But we don't fucking know her!" With a vehemence only matched by Caesar when he learned of Brutus' betrayal. There were also questions. My first week was marked with questions and phone calls and strategy sessions. I'd been labelled "club business", which apparently meant that 20 or so leather vest wearing men needed to be around to discuss "what would be done with me". I hated it. On more than one occasion I was forced to relive the most awful night of my life, when I was literally ripped from my home by the only mother I really remembered having.
Gemma was the kindest. She apologized for her 21 year old son, her second husband, and for a guy named "Tig" who'd tried to stick his tongue down my throat upon first seeing me. She gave me a room in her home and a credit card and a new cell phone. I almost threw the phone in the toilet; it didn't have Craig's number programmed and it was a new one that Craig could never know the number to. All the while, I expected a smoke signal or a carrier pigeon to come for me to let me know that Craig was on his way back into my life, back by my side. But as each day drew longer, I lost a sliver of hope.
"I'm tired of having this goddamn conversation!" Clay Morrow, Gemma's second husband, yelled one afternoon at the kitchen table.
"But we don't…" Jax began, using this opportunity to once again voice his dissent.
"Shut up, Prospect." Clay growled. All the men at the table, plus Gemma, sat up straighter as if they too could find themselves in Clay's crosshairs. I rolled my eyes.
"She fucking stays. She has nowhere else to go and was just fucking abandoned by her family." Clay continued.
"Just Smurf." I said quietly. Jax glared at me, but everyone else gave me a look of pity.
"What was that, sweetheart?" Gemma asked.
"Only Smurf abandoned me." I clarified. "Not that that's any better, but Craig would come for me if he could. He'd bring my brothers. Craig still loves me." I said, tears welling up again. Jax, who was ironically sitting next to me, put a hand on my knee and squeezed it.
"I'm sorry I've been such an ass. I just want to protect my family." He said to me as a response. I shrugged noncommittally.
"I'm not here to kill y'all. I don't even want to be here, but I also don't want to fuck shit up for you. I'm old enough to be on my own. Smurf gave me some cash, I can grab an apartment and a bike and live on my own until I graduate high school." I explained, getting up.
"No, you're staying. I've always wanted a daughter." Gemma replied sternly, gesturing for me to sit back down. "But Smurf is an evil cunt, Riley, and we don't love her here."
"Whatever. She's not my favorite person either. I'm fucking miserable because of her. And I've been sitting here for three days being debated over like I'm a fucking contract or some shit because of her. We can hate her together, Gemma." I replied.
"Perfect. Then it's settled." Gemma answered, looking at her husband and folding her hands on the table. "We'll go shopping in a bit, okay Lee? Meet me outside." The men stood in unison, retreating to the living room. I went out to the garage, acutely aware of Jax following me. He came to stand next to me, his long blonde hair pushed behind his ears. His sunglasses were hanging precariously from the breast pocket of his vest. He took out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter.
"Want a smoke?" He asked, offering the carton to me. I took one out, twirling it in my fingers, before stuffing it in my mouth. He lit it for me and together we took long drags. I'd smoked twice with Craig and the guys, before Smurf told us we were too young. I tried to look like I'd done this a thousand times before. We smoked in silence for a few minutes, as we waited for Gemma. "Look, Dove. I really am sorry for how much of an ass hole I've been. We aren't just motorcycle enthusiasts, as Clay likes to say. We're Outlaws, we're dangerous, and we have a lot of enemies. My dad built this Club and I don't want to see it fall, no matter how beautiful the woman is." He continued, looking at me with his clear blue eyes. My heart beat faster and I tried to convince myself that it was the nicotine and not how intimately Jax was staring at me.
"I'm not going to ruin your club with my vagina." I replied curtly. He smiled, broadly, the cigarette held in place by his teeth.
"I'm not so sure you understand your power yet, little Dove." He answered, still smiling like the Chesire Cat. I tried to look away, but his eyes were captivating. "You're one of us now, because my mom said so. So I'm gonna protect you like we're lovers. Maybe one day, when you're over that Craig guy, we can be." He whispered, moving closer to me.
"Fat chance," I replied through a dry throat. Jax was sexy as hell, I knew that, but I was in love with Craig, regardless of how far away he was or how doomed our relationship could be.
"We'll see." He said, still smiling, still whispering. Gemma came out to the garage just then and frowned.
"You ready to go?" She asked. I nodded, making to stub out my smoke. "You can finish it in the car. Let's go." She cut me off, glaring at Jax, and leading me to the car.
Jax was either trying to seduce me or make me feel comfortable. I couldn't tell which, but he was up bright and early on my first day of school, eating breakfast at the kitchen table when I came down. Gemma, much like Smurf, had laid out a spread of pancakes and eggs and bacon. She was chain smoking at the window, absently washing dishes. I noticed she had a 9mm on the counter next to her, sitting idly by the drying rack. It was almost normal next to the clean pots and pans. She turned when she heard my footsteps and smiled.
"Morning, baby! Help yourself to some breakfast, and then we'll head over to the high school." She said, gesturing to the food on the table. I grabbed a plate and took a seat next to Jax.
"If y'all don't mind, I'd love to take you to school. I'll even pick you up." Jax offered through a mouth of food.
"That sounds great, actually. Make sure to give her a tour, if you can remember where anything is." Gemma sneered, laughing. Jax leaned over to whisper to me, saying:
"I wasn't a brainiac like you. But I can show you the best places to cut class and make out." He winked. But that's how I found myself stuck to the back of his bike, arms wrapped around his hard waist, each morning and each afternoon. Whatever "club business" he did while I was at school was kept securely under wraps for the first year I was in Charming. Even after I'd been shot at while grocery shopping with Gemma in Stockton. I was kept in the dark after a group of Mexican men invaded Charming and tried to assassinate Clay. I was kept in the dark as I let Jax weep on my shoulder after the funeral of one of the Sons who had lain down his life to protect Clay during the invasion. I finally demanded knowledge when I'd been accosted by Darby and the Nords for being black and affiliated with the Club.
"Look, I don't have to know everything. And I've never asked any questions." I screamed at Jax four days after my 17th birthday. "But, in the last three months alone, I've been called a 'croweater' by my classmates and 'nigger' by a giant bald Nazi wannabe and when I asked him why he said it was because he hated me and he hated SAMCRO. If I'm going to be asked to fight your battles, I need to know what the hell I'm fighting for." I finished, out of breath. We were at the Streams, where he took me after school each day so we could smoke and talk about shit in private. It was here that I told him the whole sordid tale of my romance with Craig, and here that he had cried with me after the funeral. I was sitting on the grass near the water, kicking my combat boots into the tiny waves and ripples. Jax was pacing behind me, his leather whipping as he made sharp turns. It appeared as if he was weighing his options.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but it's just abnormal that we'd bring an outsider in on club business when she's not an Old Lady."
"I'm Gemma's daughter, now, doesn't that make me family and not an Outsider? And everyone already fucking thinks I'm your Old Lady." I reasoned, leaning back to look at him. Even upside down, he was handsome, and for the thousandth time since arriving in Charming I thought about how easy it would be to just give in and be his Old Lady. I could get Happy to tattoo my crow, and live out the rest of my days in financial security as an Outlaw's wife. It wouldn't be the passionate romance, or the equal partnership that I'd had with Craig, but it would be simple. I could fill just a small part of the hole in my chest. I shook off the thought as Jax started telling me about gun running, Irishmen, his father JT, and the dangers of being associated with the Club.
As he spoke, I realized that no matter the vast differences between life with Smurf in Oceanside and life with the Teller Morrow's in Charming, the reality was the same. Smurf had sent me somewhere comparable to her own home. She replaced herself with another fierce mother, and made sure to surround me with strong men. Instead of Craig, I had Jax. Instead of Baz, I had Opie. Instead of Pope, I had Tig. Instead of Deran, I had the new guy Juice. She'd given me the tools to succeed. And despite how mad I would always be with her, I couldn't help but realize that maybe Smurf had given me exactly what I needed.