A/N - Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews/alerts/favorites I got, and to everyone who read the story - I really, really love all of y'all sooo much! It definitely was so motivating that I've spent the past two days doing pretty much nothing but work on this story, hence why I'm able to update so quickly - so thanks for all of that!
One reviewer asked where Tara was, so I wanted to reiterate that this story takes place about 3-4 years before the start of season 1 so Tara is still in Chicago (Except again, I took some liberties in the time frame of when Opie went to prison because, well, it worked better that way!).
Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter, I got the title of the story from the Grass Roots song of the same name - I thought it was fitting.
Opie walked up to Stacey as she turned to walk to the couches with Clay, Gemma, and Brad. Stacey looked up at him, giving him an awkward hug and smiling sheepishly.
"Hey Opes," she said softly while Brad stood behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and then back at Opie, "Um, Opie this is Brad, my boy-"
"Yeah I heard," Opie cut her off as Brad appraised him.
"So this is Opie? I heard a lot about you," he said, his voice friendly but his eyes steely, as he held out his hand to Opie.
"Oh really?" Opie asked, glancing at Brad's outstretched hand but making no move to take it.
"Opie," Stacey said warningly and Opie briefly flicked his gaze to her before taking Brad's hand, each of them gripping the other's a little harder than was necessary before releasing their grip. Opie's eyes narrowed. He didn't know what it was but there was something off about his eyes. All he knew was he did not like this guy and he did not want him in his clubhouse.
"Oh yeah, Stacey mentions you quite a lot," Brad said as Opie's gaze once again traveled to Stacey, the hint of a blush making its way to her cheeks as she bit her lip nervously, causing Opie to fantasize about punching Brad in the face before taking that lip between his own teeth.
"Okay, well it was good to see you Opie," Stacey finally said as she laced her fingers through Brad's. Opie felt his blood boil at the sight as he nodded at Stacey.
"Yeah, you, too," he muttered as she led Brad over to where Clay and Gemma sat on the couches. Opie walked briskly to the bar, barking at Juice to get him a beer as Jax walked up to him. They each sat on a stool as Opie tried unsuccessfully not to glance at where Stacey was sitting, leaning into Brad as he talked to Clay, beaming up at him adoringly. That was his look, that was his hand Brad was holding. He took another swig of his beer and set it back on the bar, turning to Jax.
"Did you know she had a boyfriend?" Opie asked him. Jax shook his head.
"Nah, I didn't talk to her too much while she was away," he admitted. Opie glanced up at Juice standing behind the bar, knowing he'd been annoyingly close with Stacey.
"Did you know?" Opie asked him. Juice hesitated, then realized there was no way out of answering the question and nodded.
"Yeah, she called me a lot while she was gone," he said, and Opie's eyes narrowed. She hadn't called him at all. Not that he had been causing her phone to ring off the hook or anything. He'd thought about calling a couple of times; even had the cell number she'd given them all on a card in his wallet. But every time he picked up the phone to dial, he realized he had no idea what to say to her.
"What'd you talk about?" Opie asked, slightly nervous. He knew Juice was close to Stacey, and he wasn't entirely certain she wouldn't have told him what happened between them. But Juice's expression remained impassive as he shrugged.
"Oh you know, how was she was doing, how she was liking Ireland, what she'd been up to," Juice said vaguely, "That sort of thing."
"How was she doing?" Opie asked.
"Good," Juice responded. After noticing Opie's annoyed expression, he decided to elaborate, "It was a rocky start, you know, when she first got over there. Called me crying a couple times," he said. Jax frowned.
"What was she crying about?" Jax asked. Juice flicked his eyes to Opie before looking back at Jax and Opie stroked his beard nervously.
"I think she was just homesick," Juice said as Opie let out an inaudible sigh.
"So you knew when she started things up with this guy?" Jax asked, and Juice nodded.
"Yeah, she met him a few weeks into her trip. She seemed a lot happier after that," he said, and Opie frowned, glancing back at where Stacey was still sitting with Brad, smiling happily, her eyes sparkling like a kid on Christmas.
He wanted more than anything to take her aside, explain to her what had been going on in his head before she left, explain to her how much he liked her, how much he wanted to be with her. But he couldn't deny what Juice said – he really seemed to make her happy. Who was he to try to take that away from her? But the thought of letting her go on thinking she was nothing more than a one night stand to him made him feel like a lead weight had been dropped in his stomach.
A couple hours later, Stacey and Brad stood up, his arm firmly wrapped around her waist as she yawned, sinking into him. She gave Gemma and Clay a hug and left them standing with Brad to walk over to the bar.
"I think we're gonna head out," she said to Jax, who stood from his seat at the bar and gave her a hug.
"Glad you're back, Stace," he said, grinning at her. She smiled, nodding.
"Yeah, me too," she said as Juice came around and gave her a hug, too.
"You gonna come over and help me with those details tomorrow?" he asked her, grinning. She nodded.
"I can do that," she said, "Mom wants me to come by and help her out in the office, anyway, if I ever wake up. I'm so exhausted." She glanced at Opie, who stood. She gave him a hug, one that he would have gladly lingered, but she pulled away from him quickly.
"Okay, well see you guys later," she said, waving her hand as she walked back to Brad. Opie watched as Brad took her hand, smiling at her, and led her out the door. Clay walked up to the bar as soon as the door shut, looking straight at Juice.
"I want you to run a background check on that guy," he said and Juice rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I kind of already did," he admitted. Clay raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Yeah, as soon as she told me he'd asked her out."
"And?" Clay asked, impressed with the prospect's initiative and thankful to have someone looking out for his daughter, albeit slightly suspicious of his motives. Juice shrugged, shaking his head.
"He's clean, Clay. Nothing but a couple speeding tickets on his record," he told him.
"Alright well dig a little deeper, more than just his criminal background. I just want to make sure," he said.
"Any reason you're looking into him?" Opie asked, wondering if he, too, had sensed something off about the guy. But Clay shook his head.
"Stacey seems to really like him," he said, twisting the knife in Opie's heart a little deeper, "And he seems like a nice enough guy, but he's not pouring me coffee, he's dating my daughter. I want something more than first impressions to go on." Opie nodded his head in agreement as Clay walked off.
SOASOASOASOASOA
Opie was preoccupied all the next day as he worked on his Harley at TM. He couldn't get his mind off his dilemma and he kept running through various scenarios of him telling Stacey how he felt about her, most of them ending with some variation of her throwing her arms around his neck, telling him she'd break up with Brad and they could finally be together.
Because he knew now that's what he wanted. He wanted to be with her every second he could and he wanted more than anything for her to want the same thing. He would never forget the feel of her wrapped around him, how she smelled just after getting out of the pool, how soft her skin was as he ran his hands over her, how she'd always looked at him like he was the only man in the world – a look, he'd noticed, his insides twisting slightly at the thought, that she now used on Brad.
But he wasn't even sure if he deserved someone like Stacey. It wasn't just her amazing body he wanted to get with; she was also smart, funny, ambitious – he could go on and on with qualities he was attracted to in her. She knew what she wanted out of life and she went for it. Opie was afraid being with him would drag her down, make her forget her goals. Maybe this Brad guy was better for her – someone who wasn't an ex-con, someone with a future.
He looked over at Jax, busy working on an Impala near him. Jax was the only person he'd ever been able to talk to about girls without feeling like a total pussy, and he really wanted to be able to talk to Jax about Stacey. He'd been racked with guilt ever since the pool party last winter. He'd known Jax his entire life, they'd grown up together, done everything together, and he'd fucked his sister. That thought tore him up almost as badly as the thought of wanting to snap Brad's neck.
Stacey walked out of the office and over to the bay they were working in, smiling broadly at her brother.
"Alright, I'm out of here," she said gleefully as Jax wiped his greased up hands with a rag and hugged her.
"Where you off to?" he asked.
"Meeting Brad in Sacramento," she said, and Jax nodded.
"Okay, well you let me know if he ever needs his ass kicked. I'll be more than happy to be of service," he said, only half joking. Stacey grinned.
"Will do, big brother," she said, rolling her eyes. She glanced over at Opie, her smile faltering slightly, "Mom says you have some paperwork in the office you need to fill out on that Chevy you worked on this morning." Opie nodded, watching as she walked to her car, waving her fingers in the air over her shoulder in good-bye. He didn't pull his eyes away from her until she'd driven off the lot, when he finally turned back to see Jax looking at him curiously.
"What's going on with you two, Ope?" he asked, leaning against the car. Opie shook his head.
"I don't know what you mean," he mumbled, gripping the wrench in his hand.
"What happened with you guys before she left for Ireland?" Jax asked, and Opie nearly dropped the wrench.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm not stupid. Something happened. She used to hang around you more than me, and now you guys barely look at each other," he said. Opie sighed. The moment of truth. He braced himself for the beat down he was about to get.
"Yeah, alright, something happened," Opie said as Jax crossed his arms, "At her going away party." Jax didn't move or speak, just narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going. At Jax's angry expression, Opie changed the course of his confession.
"When I got out of jail and saw Stacey again, things… changed," he explained.
"Changed how?" Jax asked curtly.
"I… I really like her, brother," he admitted.
"So are you going to tell me what happened so I can figure out if I need to kick your ass or not?" Jax snapped. Opie nodded, taking a deep breath.
"We slept together," he said, dropping the wrench in his hand as Jax lunged at him, wrestling him to the ground. Clay walked out of the clubhouse, marching up to the bay where the boys were fighting.
"Hey!" he barked, "This is a BUSINESS. If you're gonna do that shit, take it into the ring." Jax stood up, seething as he stormed over to the ring, Opie following behind. Jax ripped his mechanics shirt off before climbing in as Opie did the same.
"My sister is not a fucking croweater," Jax growled at him, punching him in the face as Opie took every blow Jax dished out, not even bothering to defend himself, knowing this needed to happen if they were ever going to get past it. Jax finally worked out all his anger and climbed out of the ring, walking up to the picnic table and sitting on top of it. Opie grabbed a towel to wipe the blood off of his face before joining Jax on the table.
"Are we good?" Opie asked as Jax dug into his pants pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He offered one to Opie who took it, lighting up. Jax looked over the bruises forming on Opie's face and nodded.
"Yeah, we're good," Jax said. He took a drag of his cigarette, exhaling slowly as he looked at Opie thoughtfully.
"So what now?" he asked and Opie shook his head.
"I don't know, brother. I can't get her out of my head. I just don't know what to do," he said.
"You had your chance," Jax said a little harshly, before softening his tone slightly, "She's happy now. You gotta just let her be." Opie sighed, nodding.
"Alright but if he hurts her, I'll kill him," Opie grumbled.
"You and me both, brother," Jax responded.
SOASOASOASOASOASOA
Stacey drove the 45 minutes to Sacramento, excited to see Brad again. Things had been awkward between her and Opie ever since she got back, which was no surprise; she'd expected it. What she wasn't expecting were the butterflies that continued to dance around in her stomach every time she saw him. She knew she'd probably never completely get over Opie – he was her first love, the man she'd wanted since elementary school. But she also knew she needed to move on – his actions before she left had been proof of that.
And Brad was such a great guy, practically perfect. She'd met him during her first few weeks in Ireland, which had been miserable. She'd been so upset about the ways things had been left between her and Opie, had even tried calling him several times only to hang up at the last second. And then she met Brad and he was smart, thoughtful, and incredibly sexy – the guy all the girls at the school had wanted, but he had wanted her. He was the perfect guy to move on with and she had been extremely happy with him.
She pulled up to Brad's apartment and knocked lightly on the door, her heart racing as it always did when she was about to see him. He opened the door, smiling widely at her, and stepped back to let her in. She kicked her flip flops off in the entryway as usual – he was an extreme neat freak – before he pulled her into him, kissing her deeply.
"I've got a surprise for you," he whispered as they pulled apart. Her eyes lit up as she looked up at him, her arms still wrapped around his broad shoulders.
"What is it?" she asked. He grinned.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore now would it?" Brad asked, winking at her. She smiled.
"I guess not," she admitted. He walked over to the coffee table in the living room, grabbing a small package and handing it to her.
"Open it," he urged. Stacey tore the wrapping off the package to reveal a small box. She pulled the lid off the box and looked down at a silver Claddagh ring – an Irish symbol with two hands clasping a heart with a crown sitting upon it. She picked it out of the package and Brad took it from her, grasping her right hand and slipping it on her ring finger.
"It's a symbol from Ireland – to remind you of where we first met. And the heart faces inward to show that your heart belongs to someone," he said softly, looking up at her. She curled her arms around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him.
"It's perfect," she sighed, smiling down at the ring on her finger.
"Good, I'm glad you like it," he said.
"I love it," she said. Yes, Brad made her very happy.
SOASOASOASOASOASOA
Several weeks later, Juice sat nervously at the bar at the clubhouse, one hand on his completely full beer and one eye on the door of the Chapel. His foot tapped anxiously. When that door opened, he'd either be a fully patched member of SAMCRO or… he didn't really want to know what happened to prospects that didn't get patched in.
He thought about all the members of SAMCRO. It had to be a unanimous vote and he knew for sure a few of them would vote for him. Chibs, Piney, and Bobby, definitely. Clay and Jax, probably. Tig, maybe. Opie… he wasn't sure. His friendship with Stacey might have ruined that vote for him, especially since becoming her confidante while she was in Ireland. He was pretty pissed at Opie for the way he treated Stacey before she left, and the more times he had to listen to her cry over him, the more pissed he'd get. But contrary to popular belief, he wasn't a total idiot. He wasn't going to say something to Opie and risk his patch. But he was still worried.
The doors swung open and Juice immediately stood, looking at all the grim faces that filed out of the chapel. A lump grew in his throat as his heart beat faster, looking from one patch to the next. If their expressions were anything to go by, he'd be lucky to leave the clubhouse with his life, much less a patch. Clay finally walked up to him, his face expressionless as Juice waited to hear his fate, the others standing in a semi-circle around him.
Clay's face broke into a grin as he handed Juice his patches, catcalls and cheers erupting from all around them. Juice looked at the patches in Clay's hand, stunned, as he slowly took them, looking up at Clay's face.
"Welcome to SAMCRO, brother," he said, pulling Juice in a hug as his nerves finally broke into relief and excitement and the guys around him all thumped him on the back.
"PATCH IN PARTY!" Tig hollered, his fist in the air as Chibs shoved a shot in Juice's hand. He took it quickly, grinning around at his new family.
Stacey and Brad stopped by when the party was in full swing and Stacey ran up to Juice, a huge smile on her face as she threw her arms around his shoulders, giving him a huge hug that he returned. Brad watched the display of affection, a scowl on his face.
"You did it!" she said excitedly and he grinned, nodding, "I knew you'd get in."
"Thanks, I wasn't so sure there for a little while," Juice admitted. Stacey shook her head.
"Nah, you were a shoe in," she said. When Juice had first started prospecting, she'd instantly liked him but wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle the prospect period. He wasn't as hard as the other guys, but then again, that hardness had probably developed over years of club life. Juice had shouldered the burden well, though, and after getting back from Ireland she hadn't had a doubt in her mind he'd be patched in.
"Where are your patches, I can stitch them on for you really quick," she said. He reached over to the bar where he'd set the patches after Clay handed them to him and gave them to Stacey.
"I was hoping you'd say that," he said appreciatively, shoving off his cut and handing her that as well. She beamed at them and took them over to the couches, sitting beside Gemma, Clay, and Tig. She dug in her purse for the sewing kit she'd brought with her and got to work on his cut. Brad walked up to the bar and asked a croweater for a drink before stepping back and appraising Juice.
"Congrats, man," he said, holding his drink up to Juice.
"Yeah, thanks," Juice said, taking a sip of his own beer. Brad looked over at where Stacey was diligently stitching Juice's patches and Juice followed his gaze, smiling when he saw Stacey.
"Stacey tells me you're good with computers," Brad said, sipping his beer. Juice shrugged, nodding.
"Yeah, I can find my way around them," he said. Brad nodded.
"I'm assuming you looked me up," Brad said lightly, still looking out into the crowded room. Juice frowned, not able to see where this conversation was headed.
"Yeah, I did," Juice said. Brad turned to him, his smile not quite reaching his cold eyes.
"You'll never find anything on me," he said, his tone almost daring Juice to try.
"Why's that?" Juice asked. Brad shrugged.
"Cuz I've got nothing to hide. I'm an open book," he said, "And while I've got you here, I feel like I should warn you that you're wasting your time."
"With what?" Juice asked, following Brad's gaze back to Stacey.
"Stacey," he said simply, turning to look directly at Juice, "She's mine." Juice raised his eyebrows in surprise at him as Brad winked at him before walking over to the couch Stacey was sitting on. Clay stood as he walked over and patted Brad on the back as he sat next to Stacey, kissing her lightly on the forehead before turning to look at Juice, smirking.
Juice narrowed his eyes. He wasn't jealous of Brad – he knew Stacey was hot, he wasn't blind – but he'd never thought of her like that. When they'd become friends, he was way too terrified of Clay and Jax to even think about trying anything with the girl, and his feelings towards her hadn't changed.
But something was off about Brad. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he knew he didn't like the guy. He could try to charm his way into everyone's lives, and seemed to be doing a good job at it, but SAMCRO wasn't stupid – any guy in here would eventually be able to see through Brad's bullshit. But could Stacey? He hadn't had any time to work on Clay's request to dig deeper into Brad – he'd been so busy with club stuff that came first – but he was going to find the time now.
A/N - I hope y'all liked this chapter! I always get so nervous when I post a new chapter so let me what you liked, what you didn't like - any feedback at all is sooo helpful!
