A/N: Sorry this update took so long, it was really hard to get it right, and I'm still not sure... I hope I got the suspense right... Anyway, I hope you like it and please review to let me know what you think!
Natalie woke up the next morning around 8 am from her alarm and groggily decided to go for an early morning jog. Even if she had gotten less than 4 hours of sleep, she hadn't done any serious training since the verdict had come out. It was time for her to get her head back in the game.
She changed into some grey loose sweatpants and a black sports bra with a black hoodie – her standard work out gear for outside – and pulled her hair up in a tight ponytail. She liked wearing her workout gear, because it really allowed her to show off all her ink.
She had gotten a big back piece done when she was 21, to celebrate her entrance into the professional league. It was an intricate mixture of a bird, a magpie, with a portrait of her mother over its heart, and swirls to show the movement of air underneath its wings, all in black-and-grey. It helped remind her to keep moving and stay fluid with every punch life threw at her. The bird's wings spread over her shoulders on to the top of her arms, the head in her neck and its tail to her lower back. She had chosen a magpie because of a story her mother once told her when Natalie had seen a magpie in their backyard. Magpies were survivors, eating trash if they had to. It had taken close to 35 hours to finish it, and she was incredibly happy with the result. Below her left breast she had the words "I'll keep on fighting till I'm dead on the ground" tattooed. That was who she was; a survivor, someone who would never give up on herself. She had gotten that soon after she realized her father was never coming back.
She also had a beautifully coloured, Japanese style Koi on her right hip. It was swimming up stream, symbolizing the struggles she was going through and that they hadn't ended yet. It ran from her belly button to a little above her knee, with blue waves and purple and green flowers surrounding the bright orange and yellow fish. She loved the colour of the tattoo, it was the boldest piece she had.
The art had hurt, but she hadn't cared, especially with the first one on her ribs. She almost enjoyed the pain because it took away from the mental anguish. She had soon after her mother's passing learned to tune out physical pain, and it came very handy with the boxing.
Natalie didn't grab her iPod, which she usually used, because she was in a new town and she needed to pay attention to the directions. Music would be a distraction that could get her lost for a couple hours, and she didn't want that. She had a feeling these masculine bikers would never let her live down the humiliation.
She walked into the main area and frowned at the smell of sex, beer and sweat. It wasn't very pleasant the morning after. After grabbing some toast and pouring hot coffee in a mug from the small kitchen, she quickly made some scrambled eggs and walked outside to smell the fresh air. Her lungs were grateful.
She ate her food and drank her beloved coffee outside at one of the picnic benches. When she was done eating she started doing stretches to get her muscles ready and lean for the day. She hadn't turned around at all, immersed in her thoughts, and so she wasn't aware of the stares she was receiving from behind her.
Happy had woken up too early for his liking, but he hadn't been able fall back to sleep so he decided to go have a nice early morning smoke. He loved the SAMCRO parties, but he also enjoyed the quietness the morning after when everyone was still asleep. He hadn't expected this girl walking out, ready for a jog, at 8 am. She didn't seem to notice him while she was eating, which gave him the chance to stare at her in peace. He could tell she was fit, even if the pants and the hoodie were loose. Happy really began to enjoy the view when she started to do her stretches right in front of him. She bent forward to stretch her calves. It gave Happy the time and opportunity to really appreciate her body, especially her ass, while he was amused that she had not seen him standing against the wall of the clubhouse.
Happy had seen the girl the night before, but he hadn't paid her much attention, seeing as she obviously wasn't a sweet butt because of the way she dressed. She dressed normally as well, not showing off too much skin or caring too much about her appearance altogether. He couldn't be bothered the night before, because he was too busy with the two croweaters that seemed all too eager to bed him that night – and of course he was too much of a gentleman to deny such a request.
When she started twisting her spine she noticed something in her peripheral vision – a person to be precise, and he was watching her. She spun around to face the guy who seemed perfectly comfortable just where he was. She had seen him last night at the party, but they hadn't formally been introduced. He was tall, a couple years older than her, his arms covered in tattoos, and he had a mischievous look in his eye.
She groaned in an unladylike fashion when she realized she had been stretching right in front of him for the past 10 minutes. No wonder he had such a huge grin on his face.
"That was a nice morning show you gave away just now. Care to repeat?" His voice was raspy and deep, and she quite liked it, despite the comment that he had just made.
Natalie wasn't uptight about her body, she knew it was pretty stellar. She'd received so many comments on it over the years, both wanted and unwanted, that she couldn't be bothered to get riled up anymore. She just shrugged because she had nothing to say to the stranger, as she tapped her pedometer on her wrist to turn it on. It came alive with a small beep and she prepared herself to leave.
"Any areas you can recommend for a run?" She asked him. He didn't look like the runner, but he might know the town.
"Nah. Just make sure you go right. That's where the town's centre is, with the park. On the left there's only industrial areas." He answered with that same deep voice, as he stared her down. She didn't want to loose the staring competition they had seemingly started and kept eye contact, after which she nodded in response and backed away from the guy, falling into her usual tread quite easily.
Happy watched her go, impressed with her ability to maintain eye contact with him. Most of the people he knew, sometimes even his brothers, had trouble with looking him in the eye. But he soon forgot all about the girl as some of sweet butts from the night before came stumbling out of the clubhouse, starting their walk of shame home, and providing him with a new source of entertainment.
Natalie let her run last for about an hour. She ran half an hour in one direction, after which she backtracked her way back to the clubhouse. It was a cool morning, which she loved, but she had forgotten to bring her water bottle with her. She was incredibly thirsty and relieved to see the clubhouse appear in the distance.
By the time Natalie made it back, most of the women had disappeared, except for a few who were slowly trying to clean up the place. Gemma was ordering them around and cocked an eyebrow at the young woman who had just returned from her workout. "Had a good run?" She asked Natalie, who simply nodded before walking over to the kitchen and put her head under the tap to drink. "When you're done, wanna come help us out?" Gemma asked. Everyone who knew her, understood this to be a demand and not a request, but Natalie, who was not privy to this information, shook her head. "Nah I'll pass. I need to get back to my training."
Gemma frowned at the reply. Who was this bitch to just waltz in here like she owned the place? She needed to have a chat with Chibs so that he could explain to this girl how things were handled around here.
Natalie walked back outside when she realized she hadn't seen Coach inside, so she turned around and see if she could find him. He wasn't in the clubhouse where she knew she had left him the night before, so the only option left right now was to ask Gemma. Natalie wasn't sure what to think of the women, but she didn't like her attitude. Natalie knew she wasn't here to cause trouble or stir shit up, but that woman was somehow getting on her nerves. Natalie would have to behave.
"Hey Gemma, you seen Coach?" She asked as Gemma turned around from sweeping the floor. "I don't know, my memory's kinda foggy. Maybe he's in the cleaning cupboard? Oh and while you're there, make yourself useful and grab the ammonia. We need to clean the bathroom." Gemma replied with a smug smile on her face.
Natalie didn't appreciate being ordered around, especially not by complete strangers, and even though she knew that she would have to play nice if she wanted to stay here, she wasn't going be some toy for this woman to play with.
"Nevermind." Was all Natalie said as she walked back outside and to Coach's truck. She grabbed some of her training gear out of the trunk after which she slammed it harder than necessary.
Maybe a long rope jump would get rid of the frustration she felt with Gemma. That woman was insufferable, she thought as she took off her sweater and started jumping.
20 minutes later Coach finally came outside, all clean and showered, while she was sweating like a pig jumping that rope like a maniac. "Good. You went for a run?" He asked her and she just nodded while continuing to jump.
"And how long have you been at it?" He questioned her further, glad to see that her dedication hadn't wavered here in Charming.
Natalie didn't answer for another 10 minutes when she stopped jumping and put the rope down. "30 minutes now." Coach nodded, knowing she wasn't a talker during their trainings.
"Ok, let's get you going on the muscle work now. Wanna do squats, sit ups or push ups first?" He asked, knowing she hated all three of them with a burning passion. But he was once again surprised when she didn't even make one sound of protest and just went at it on the mat they had brought.
150 sit ups, 150 push ups, and 200 squats – all with according weights – later, he let her have her rest, giving her a bottle of some electrolyte drink to get her rehydrated. She did some more light stretching to keep her muscles lean and warm, after which she put her hoody back on.
Some guys had come outside to smoke and ended up watching her train. They all liked what they saw: her tall, lean body and fierce abs, long, dark blonde hair and fiery eyes. Some even started doing push ups or sit ups along side with her, but they all had to tap out at some point, while she simply ignored them and went on with her business. While at first the men seemed to enjoy teasing her, when she didn't even acknowledge their existence, the banter and interest quickly dropped.
After a half hour break, Chibs came outside with Half Sack, who looked ready for a sparring match. "Ye ready lass?" He asked her, and she nodded. Everybody noticed how this was one of her signature move as she was not much of a talker. The men howled at Half Sack, telling him that if he lost to a girl he could forget his bottom rocker – whatever the hell that meant.
Natalie scowled. She wasn't just any woman, and Half Sack loosing to her wouldn't mean he was less of a man. He was a little taller than her, and a little heavier, which probably meant slower. She could use this to her advantage.
She had seen him move the day before, and he seemed a little lanky, as if he wasn't entirely sure what to do with his entire body mass. She guessed he was a Middleweight, so he couldn't have more than 15 to 20 pounds on her, which she wanted to use to her benefit.
As soon as Half Sack had stepped into the ring, he seemed more certain of himself and he was moving more deliberately. She took note of that change and remembered not to underestimate him. They went to their respectable corners as Chibs and Coach taped up their hands and slipped on their gloves. They both put on protective headgear and their mouth guards – there was no need to take unnecessary risks for a simple sparring match.
By the time the two of them were all ready to go, everybody was outside watching them, and most of them cheering on their prospect. There were some guys who were rooting for Natalie just to see the prospect get beat up by a woman. Some bets were made and money was flowing.
Natalie stayed in her corner until Coach left the ring. He looked at her and smiled. "You know what to do kid." Those were his only motivational words, and those were all she needed. She was getting pumped, allowing all the anger of the past week to reach the surface.
Natalie thought about that bitch Groener and all the things she wanted to do to her. She thought about her lost Olympic title that she knew she could've brought home, about that gold medal that should be hanging around her neck in a couple of months. But no, she was in Charming, the dullest town on the planet, with a six-month suspension and a 6000 dollar fine for something she didn't even do. Natalie was angry all right, and she was going to let it all out.
Natalie walked towards Half Sack as they first gently bumped fists as soon as they were they only two left in the ring, a sign of mutual respect before the battle begun. They danced around each other for a couple of seconds, Natalie just watching how he moved. Even though she was angry, she was using that anger to focus, channeling her rage to work in her benefit.
Half Sack, needing to prove his masculinity, dealt the first punch, but it was more trial to see how she would respond than a serious blow to her face. She watched him closely and saw an opening in his defense. She took it and put in a quick combo of punches. The last blow hit his face, just as she had intended, and Half Sack seemed to wake up a little, noting she was meant business.
"Don't hold back on me Half Sack." She simply said, not liking it when she was being treated differently because of her sex. Half Sack only needed to be told once and immediately threw a punch at her that she easily fended off, but that move left her stomach wide open, which was his next target.
He had a good punch in him, she had to give him that, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She kept moving, keeping her feet light as they darted around the ring, throwing jabs and uppercuts back and forth, and trying to break the other's defense.
Happy and Juice stood next to each other. Happy was calm and simply watched the girl's deliberate and precise movements in the ring, while Juice was yelling and cheering just as loud as any of the other guys, throwing in useless advices such as "HIT HIM HARDER!" and "DON'T BE A PUSSY PROSPECT!"
Happy enjoyed watching her, she was definitely skilled and much more precise than Half Sack. She never seemed to use more energy than necessary and she looked completely calm.
Her tattoos were now prominently visible, and he admired the art from a distance. He hadn't noticed the ink on her this morning because she had been wearing her sweater, hiding the ink form view. Now that she was out there in just her sweatpants and sports bra, he was able to take in the different tattoos. The one on her back was really big, a magpie in all its glory. The koi was also easy to spot, due it its bright colours, but it wasn't fully visible, most of it disappearing underneath those pants. He would love to get rid of those pants and inspect her body up close.
Natalie was angry as hell and she let go a salvo of hits and punches, hitting Half Sack's head several times because he had lowered his defense on several occasions.
After 3 minutes a bell rang, signalling the end of round one. She hadn't realized there was a bell, or that they needed one for that matter. She'd noticed Half Sack's left arm lowering slightly towards the end of the round. If he was already getting tired this was going to be even easier than she thought.
"You're doing good darling." Coach said as he fed her some water. "He seems to be getting tired on his left, use it." Natalie just nodded, her eyes glued on the prospect. He actually didn't seem tired, now that she took a good look at him; maybe he was trying to play her. She smirked, knowing she had found his strategy.
After a minute of rest she got back up, ready for another round. "Stay angry!" Coach yelled to her, but she barely heard him. Half Sack and her threw more punches back and forth, when she decided to test her suspicions. She made a wild move with her right arm, like she assumed he would expect her to do. Half Sack responded incredibly quick, showing her that he had expected that punch to come, but by the time he knew what was going on she had already punched him in the temple with a precise and deliberate left hook.
Half Sack's head spun to the left and he struggled to stay on his two feet. She immediately jumped at the chance and pounded at his head until he was back against the ropes and the only thing he could do was cover his head in defense.
The bell rang again, signalling Natalie that she needed to get off of the guy and she strode back to her corner full with confidence. She was winning and she knew it. Coach just grinned at her, while all the men now seemed to be on her side, impressed with her skills and abilities to shape the fight.
The third round came quickly and Natalie wanted to make a point to all of the men watching her. She wanted to knock Half Sack out, because she knew that would be the easiest way to get these men's respect. Somewhere, very deep inside her, she felt a little guilty about doing this to Half Sack – the guys were never going to let him live this down – but she quickly buried that feeling. The ring was no place for such sentiments. She was a better boxer than him and she deserved to win this match.
Knocking the young man out would also help her to release some pent up anger. Punching something or someone had been her way of coping since she started training with coach after her mother died. He trained her and calmed her, teaching her how and when to use the anger inside her. At first, she had simply used the techniques she learned with Coach to punch people who annoyed her. After several suspensions Coach finally found out and threatened to stop her training completely. That had riled her in a little, and not soon after Coach signed her up for her first official match. She had won gloriously.
Half Sack did seem a little fatigued now, while she was feeling relatively fit. She had used her energy effectively so far, and now was the time to go all out. Coach recognized the look in her eyes and grinned, leaning back a little. "That boy is gonna get knocked out. Mark my words." He spoke to no one in particular, but Happy had heard him and looked back up at the ring. No way this girl was gonna knock the prospect out. She might be good, but she was still a girl and Half Sack could take a beating.
Natalie forgot about the world around her, the only thing that mattered was knocking Half Sack out. As soon as the bell rang to let them know the round had started she went into the extreme offense, quickly closing the gap between her and Half Sack and pounding in on his head. After a couple hits, the guy was able to move away from her and regain his stance. But she kept coming at him, beating him in the head, the shoulders, and the stomach, breaking through his defenses more easily with every blow.
Half Sack had never witnessed such precision blows before, only having fought in illegal fights where strength and size were more important than technique. The worst thing was, the punches just kept coming – an endless stream. He knew he was loosing strength and energy, and even when he did get in a couple of hits, they didn't seem to faze her.
After spending another couple of seconds apart she came at Half Sack for the last time. His defenses were almost completely down, his reaction time slow as his vision had blurred slightly. She threw a right punch, then a left punch and then a right hook that threw the young man to the ground. He didn't recover and stayed put.
A wide grin spread across her face, and Happy had to admit that her bloodlust, or anger, or whatever it was he saw in her eyes, was damn hot. He hadn't realized it was there before, and he could see know that behind her façade she was everything but calm.
Natalie sauntered back to her own corner in a mocking fashion, clearly not respecting the prospect's boxing a whole lot. Her coach took off her headgear and gloves and Bobby entered the ring.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a winner! Eh, what's your name again sweetheart?" She chuckled at the question, but she didn't blame the man. She had no idea who he was either. "Natalie."
"NATALIE!" Bobby yelled, while picking up her right arm to show her victory. Her body stretched and Happy could see not only more of her koi tattoo, but he also noticed more ink underneath her left breast. This woman was fucking sexy. All the men cheered and clapped, including Happy who had his own reasons to cheer her on. It had been a good fight, even though it was over pretty quickly.
Happy hadn't moved from his spot next to her coach, just watching her toned body. She was one hot bitch. Everything about her seemed to turn him on, from her tight body with the great looking ink, to her strong and silent demeanour.
She barely even registered he was there when she walked back over to Coach and dove between the ropes to get out of the ring. "Can I go shower now?" She asked him with a tired but satisfied look on her face. "Go ahead darling, you earned it. That was one hell of a hook, that last one." Coach beamed. Natalie just grinned with pride. "Thanks Coach." Then she walked away.
"Need some help in the shower?" Happy offered with a smirk on his face, and Coach eyed him suspiciously. That man was in dangerous territories, Coach knew Natalie didn't like being spoken to in that manner. But the surprises kept coming as she merely shrugged. "Coach said I earned it. All I've seen you do is stare at me today. Not really worth a nice treat now is it?" She answered cockily with a smirk on her face, and walked away into the clubhouse to get that shower she was yearning for.
Coach shook his head and a small smile formed on his face, while Happy just stood there grinning. Bobby, who had witnessed Happy's sad attempt to get some wrapped his hand around Happy's shoulder and followed his gaze. "And that, my friends, was knock out number two."
Happy turned his head to look at the old man, amusement present in his face. "What do you know old man? To me, that's just foreplay.
Natalie made sure to lock the door behind her, not wanting any visitors to come wandering into her room whilst she was in the shower. She set the water to hot as she quickly stripped down from her work out clothes and stepped under the scorching beams of water. She massaged her neck a little, allowing herself to rest.
She felt damn proud she had beaten Half Sack, even though it hadn't really been a fair fight. She just felt good that she had proven herself in front of the entire club. Maybe now the many lusty stares she had received over the past 20 hours would shimmer down a little.
After 30 minutes, much longer than her usual shower, she finally got out and wrapped a towel around herself. She was getting hungry and she needed to get some good food in her system. The night before she'd had a little too much to drink so she needed to drink a lot of water in the next couple of days and eat 3 meals a day, so that her body could fully recover. She'd talk to Chibs about it when he would take her to his home.
Feeling refreshed and fully clothed, she walked back out into the clubhouse, and Juice immediately walked up to her. "That was amazing! I can't believe you knocked out the prospect!" He beamed at her, earning him a slight chuckle. "You better believe it." She said, still a little smug from her victory.
"Yeah, well the prospect is never gonna live this down! He lost to a girl!" Juice stated, a huge grin still on his face. This annoyed her slightly; the guy really wasn't the sharped tool in the shed. "Hey Juice, I am a professional boxer who is not only older than him, but has been training much longer. I was supposed to go to the Olympics. I'm a better boxer than him, and it was never a fair fight for him. He knew that, yet he went in anyways. That's courage, don't mock him for trying to prove himself to you."
Chibs watched the girl shoot down Juice with incredible ease. It wasn't easy to shut the young member up, but she seemed to have a knack for it. He decided to butt in and show her where she would stay for the next months. "That was some fight lass, ye got great technique! Now how about I take ye to my place and you can get settled?" Natalie smiled at the man, grateful for his perfectly timed interruption. "Ok, let me get my things."
In the hallway she ran in to Gemma. "Just the girl I was looking for. That was quite impressive sweetheart. I think we got off on the wrong foot." Gemma spoke. Natalie just looked at her in confusion and suspicion. She wasn't sure if Gemma was being sincere or she was just scared of what Natalie could do to her if they didn't agree. Either way, it seemed like she wanted to make peace.
"Glad to hear that. I'm just here to train. I had no idea Coach was going to send me to an MC." Natalie replied honestly and in a moderately friendly tone.
"Well, if you don't stir up any trouble, I wouldn't mind if you sometimes could take the time to set some of the other guys straight." Gemma smirked at Natalie, who simply responded with a small grin back. "I'll see what I can do."
The conversation was over just as abruptly as it began, but both women left feeling a little bit better about the situation. Gemma was more at ease, knowing that Natalie wouldn't throw herself at all the men and cause shit, and Natalie felt a little bit more accepted now that she had the woman's blessing to be here.
Chibs took Natalie to his place by riding in front of Coach and her on his Harley, guiding through the small town. Chibs' place was in a quaint neighbourhood, something she hadn't really expected. Then again, the whole town of Charming was quaint, it was unlikely that the biker would be living next to a biker bar.
The house was simple, 1 story, 1.5 bathrooms, three bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. She wondered what the extra bedrooms were for if Chibs was living here all by himself, but she didn't bother asking; it worked out perfectly now.
The Scotsman showed her the room she would be staying in for the next 6 or so months. It was in the back of the house, the window facing the small backyard. There was a twin-size bed, a wardrobe, and a dresser with a mirror on top. It was all very... quaint. She settled her two big gym bags full of clothes and personal items on the floor as she took a quick look around. This would be a nice place to get away from crazy LA.
Chibs took her on a quick tour of the house, telling her to make herself comfortable. She asked if she needed to pay any rent, but Chibs wouldn't have it. "Danny boy did me a huge solid back in the day, and 'e never came teh collect. This is my way of sayin' thanks." Natalie nodded in gratitude, and made note that she should at least help keeping this place clean.
The three of them had a drink in the backyard as Chibs and Coach spoke of the old days. Apparently Coach had been involved in some seriously heavy shit, including gun smuggling. They made Natalie promise she wasn't gonna tell anybody, and she nodded silently. She was loyal as hell, especially to Coach, so his secret was her secret. At least she know what was up with the club, and she could be somewhat mentally prepared if anything ever happened. Both men nodded in appreciation of her loyalty.
The day ended quietly and Natalie went inside to unpack her things. She hadn't brought too much, mostly clothes, seeing as this was a temporary solution. After she stuffed the empty bags in the corner of the now half-filled wardrobe, she put on her simple black pyjamas and walked into the kitchen to make some dinner for the three of them. Chibs didn't have much, but she made due with the chicken breast in his fridge, some potatoes that seemed in reasonable condition and some canned beans. She would have to do groceries on Monday, because Chibs had next to nothing of the stuff she needed. If only stores were open on Sunday in this small town.
Chibs and Coach thanked her for the food and Chibs was impressed with her cooking skills. "She fights, she cooks, and she's a looker. Is there anythin' ye can't do?" He joked, and Natalie took the compliments quietly and with a smile. The story of how she had learned to cook was far from pretty, with her mother getting sick at 14 and dying at 16. But she didn't say a word and enjoyed the men's company, listening to their cheerful banter, that got louder with every drink they drank.
By 10:30 Natalie excused herself from the table and went to bed. She was able to sleep in the next day and wanted to take full advantage of that, seeing as she had barely gotten any sleep the night before. The bed was comfortable and she soon dozed off.