Office, Teller-Morrow
Gemma stands in front of the door to the shop, looking incredulously through the window, one hand on her cocked hip while the other hovers near her head with a cigarette dangling carelessly between two fingers.
Taking a drag from the cigarette, she contemplates Happy. Or, the man who looks like Happy, but actually… happy. She takes pride in knowing all her boys at least as well as they know themselves, if not better. Happy had always been simple - a club guy, through and through. Good at taking orders, no remorse for executing them, his only life outside the club consisting of taking care of his ma and occasionally looking in on his aunt to make sure her kids are taking care of her alright. The only trace of anything else was that one random visit while the guys were in prison for 14 months, but she had forgotten it entirely in the wake of all the drama upon their release and spending time with her grandsons.
But now, suddenly, Hap isn't so simple anymore. As little as he talked, he was bound to have some hidden depths - no one can live and breathe bikes, guns, and pussy 24/7, he was bound to have some kind of hobby or pastime- but to have apparently kept something as massive as a long-time Old Lady from the club? Gemma never would've imagined that, and it's rubbing her wrong. He's been hanging around Charming consistently since he went Nomad shortly after his mom's diagnosis a few years ago, and has been patched there for coming up on two years. The fact that Gemma didn't pick up on him hiding something, someONE, right under their noses, for YEARS, is a solid hit to her pride. Not to mention that Kozik apparently knew and kept quiet as well, and she's known that little fucker since he was a prospect.
Gemma's attention is only momentarily diverted as Jax comes in the front office door and drops the paperwork for the repo he's just brought in on her desk before moving to stand beside her.
Jax breaks the silence. "You gotta stop lettin' it get to you, ma."
"Bullshit." Gemma flicks her nearly-burnt-out smoke out into the lot through the door he left open. "It's my job to know my boys' lives- how the hell else am I supposed to take care of them when things are tough or they're inside? And Old Ladies are MY domain. Club women are MY responsibility. How the hell did I miss this?!"
There's a beat of silence as they watch Happy, out in Bay 3, bopping and grooving along with the music playing over the sound system while he works under the hood of a shitty Civic that the owner won't give up on. Even right up to a week ago, that wouldn't have been happening. Hap's reputation for being intense was well-earned; things like grooving to Aerosmith while he works, or even the backwards ball cap with a Seahawks logo that is currently on his head, would've been deemed frivolous and probably annoying.
Jax sighs and slings an arm over his mother's shoulders. "I know it's chappin' your ass, but have you even thought about the good side of this?" Gemma turns to look at her son, one perfectly manicured eyebrow raised in a sharp arch. "When have you ever seen him this relaxed? Or even Kozik - I don't remember ever seeing him so chill, even before the blow and all the bullshit with Tig. Wherever this chick was, whatever reason we didn't know about her, now that she's here and we know, it's like the both of them have been carryin' somethin' around for years, and they finally put it down."
Further conversation is cut off as the woman in question pulls into the lot in her '68 Camaro, maneuvering smoothly into the spot beside Gemma's SUV. Happy keeps working on the car he's at, only grinning when he hears her pull up (Jax shudders involuntarily - Happy grinning usually means a lot of blood, so this is going to take some getting used to), but Koz immediately abandons his work, moving quickly towards her while wiping his hands on a rag, which gets stuffed in a pocket just before he grabs her around the waist and twirls her in a circle before she can complete the action she's in the middle of - opening her trunk. Gemma and Jackson separate and move out there as she wiggles free, slapping Kozik lightly on the chest. She notices the new additions immediately, and acknowledges them with a friendly smile. "Hope you guys haven't ordered lunch yet." With this, she pops open the trunk, and they see an ice chest, a big foil pan of something that appears to be hot, and a bag of other stuff.
Koz reaches in and grabs the ice chest without being either asked or told, while RJ (as they'd been told to call her) pulls an oven mitt out of the bag before looping the bag over her arm and pulling the mitt onto that hand. A moment later, the tin pan is balanced on the protected hand, and the trunk is slammed shut. Still smiling pleasantly, RJ calls past Jax and Gemma to the rest of the guys in the shop "Pulled pork sandwiches and beer!" and moving to the picnic tables, where Koz is already pulling stuff out of the ice chest. Happy leads the charge out, overtaking the mother-son duo quickly, and immediately helping set stuff out. Within a matter of 2 minutes, the guys are lined up and being handed sturdy paper plates with a burger bun full of pulled pork and barbeque sauce - which Gemma notes is probably homemade, given the generic, unlabelled sauce bottle it's in - and a generous helping each of potato salad and coleslaw, before they move to the other side to grab a beer from Kozik, who is pulling them from the ice chest and popping tops.
Gemma is last in line - the boys always eat first. "Thanks, hon. Usually, it's pizza or deli sandwiches. Home cooked lunch is nice." The women end up sitting together to eat, most of the benches having been taken. "Damn, I don't remember the last time they were this quiet."
Indeed, the guys are all busy stuffing their faces. RJ chuckles. "Eh, give it a couple minutes. They'll be back to acting like 10-year-old boys as soon as they are done stuffing their faces."
"Hot damn, lass! This is fucking delicious!" The muffled shout comes from Chibs, around a mouthful of food.
Happy chimes in between bites. "She tortured us with it all night; slow roasting this means our whole fucking place smelled like it." The guys got through their initial rush of gobbling everything down and began to chatter.
"You a big cooker, then?" Gemma questions casually.
RJ gives a half-shrug, answering "Yes and no. When me an' Hap first moved up to Seattle on our own, before he finished his apprenticeship at the shop, things were pretty tight, so going out or getting junk wasn't really an option. We just kinda got used to making everything at home, and it was a habit for a long time, especially through his prospect year. He was working at the shop and prospecting, and I was starting my grad work. I got pretty good at things I could throw in the slow cooker and have it just be hot whenever one of us had time to grab something to eat. Since I started working internationally, him and Koz both insisted they missed my cooking and whining for me to make their favorites when I was home."
"She makes the best fucking shepherd's pie - and, seriously, like, her cinnamon rolls? Oh my god." Koz interjected as he grabbed himself another beer from the cooler.
When Koz is sat back down and talking to Lowell about something, RJ sighs. "You have NO IDEA how many cinnamon rolls I have made in the last week. I had to cut him off this morning; he keeps plowing through 'em like he has been, he's gonna need a whole new wardrobe."
It's Gemma's turn to chuckle. "I can see that." Changing tactics, she tries to pry for more information. "Grad work, huh? What field are you in?"
"I have a BA Business Management, and a Masters in Finance, both from University of Washington. My consulting business was working with companies to analyse their business structure and streamline or clarify organization and investments to increase long-term profits, or minimize debt."
Gemma nodded, glad that RJ is apparently accustomed to explaining that to people who have no fucking clue about those things - she has a solid idea what RJ is talking about, even if she doesn't understand a fraction of what it probably entails. "You said you and Hap moved up north together? I assume he went with you when you headed off to college. How long have you two been together?"
A different sort of smile lights up RJ's face as her eyes wander to Happy. "Always." When RJ doesn't continue, Gemma makes an interested sound and motions for her to go on. RJ chuckles. "Our mothers were best friends, next door neighbors, and coworkers - they were both nurses. When I came along, they thought I'd be a sort-of little sister or cousin for him. They were very wrong. Nora was at work when my mom went into labor, and my mother was watching him, so Hap ended up coming with her to the hospital. From the stories, the labor was quick - too quick for Nora to come get Hap from the room, so he was right there. My mother had to go straight into surgery once I was out - she never mentioned why - so Happy was the first one to hold me. He also named me. Legend has it that he was giving me my first bottle when Nora was finally able to get there, and, when she asked him what he thought of me, he just kept watching me with the bottle and told her he was going to marry me as soon as I got big enough."
"And I did." Happy said, standing up and leaning over the table for a quick kiss before throwing both of their empty plates and plastic forks in a nearby trash can.
The next couple minutes are the rest of the guys following his lead, throwing away their trash and scattering to do whatever it is they wanted for the remainder of their lunch break, all thanking RJ for lunch. "You have them well trained." RJ says to Gemma as they pack up the leftovers into the tupperware that was brought for that.
Gemma gives a smirk and says "Yeah, it's only taken me 35 years." In short order, leftovers are stored in the clubhouse kitchen, and the cooler and other stuff is back in the trunk of the Camaro. Before Gemma goes back into the office, she hugs the much smaller woman, finding herself liking RJ, despite herself. Doesn't trust her yet, but definitely likes her. "Family dinner at my place this Sunday. The president of the Denver Charter, and his Old Lady, as well as a couple other members are gonna be in town for a few days. Bring at least one side and dessert. Dinner's at 7, but I could use you around 5 to help." She notices something change in RJ as she pulls back, but can't put her finger on what it is.
"Will do!" The little redhead chirps with a big smile before striding off towards where Hap is lingering by the clubhouse door, obviously waiting on her. Gemma watches her go, still annoyed at not knowing for years, but also acknowledging that her son has a point as well. Hap is absolutely smitten, and Koz is the most relaxed she's ever seen him. But, none of that changes either of their natures - she'd have to be careful about digging for intel on the girl, or she would be finding herself missing some limbs at the very least.
Inside the Clubhouse
RJ is careful to keep her posture and tone both casual as they walk to an settle down on a couch for the rest of his break, not wanting to alert anyone else to her tension, and knowing that Hap will see right through it. "So, Denver's coming to town this weekend?"
An eyebrow gets arched down at her as he replies "Yeah….?"
She throws her own brow right back. "Including their president and his Old Lady?" Happy's face goes blank, and she lets out a little sigh, relaxing further into his side. He hadn't known that. "I'll deal with it."
The tension in Hap's body gives away his concern. "You know that, technically….."
"She outranks me. Yes. I know. I also know the shitstorm it would bring down on you." President's Old Lady, even from a visiting charter, trumps home-charter member's Old Lady, especially since the Pres's Old Lady is the mother of the member's Old Lady. RJ would have to appear perfectly respectful. Thankfully, she knows exactly how to push her estranged mother's buttons without actually breaking any rules, and in a way that Amy would be the one to get in trouble for if she complained about.
This still isn't going to be pleasant, though.
A Few Days Later, Gemma's House
RJ is introduced to the other Old Ladies upon walking into the kitchen at Gemma's. Tara is feeding Thomas, and they can hear Abel in the next room playing with a tub of Jax's old matchbox cars that Gemma keeps to occupy him for occasions like this. Beyond that is the muted sound of Nickelodeon where Opie and Lyla's three kids are watching TV.
"You actually exist?!" Lylas tone is only half-teasing. "I thought Ope was kidding when he told me Happy has an Old Lady."
RJ doesn't take it personally - this has pretty much been everyone's reaction, though Lyla is being rather nicer about it most. RJ laughs lightly as she unloads the serving dishes from the box they were brought in. "Technically, I'm not an Old Lady yet."
"What? You were just telling me the other day that you two have been together literally since you were born!" Gemma growls incredulously.
"Mmm. I didn't want any tattoos while I was still travelling so much - people in the business world get really tetchy about them, and I know Hap'll want his mark to be visible. Now that I'm back, he's still trying to decide what and where he wants to put it." RJ explains as she carefully rearranges the other dishes already in the fridge to fit in her cold bean salad and stuffs a tub of vanilla ice cream into the freezer.
Tara joins in. "Together since you were born, though?"
"I'd tell you the story, but I'm sure Amy will be more than happy to give the complete story when she and Peanut get here. She LOVES embarrassing Hap with cute childhood stories." RJ responds, moving the serving dish of stuffing and the 4 pies she has baked over to the counter next to the oven for them to be warmed up once everything else is done.
"I thought her name is Angel?" Lyla questions as she continues peeling potatoes.
RJ sighs as she washes her hands and collects her own cutting board and knife. "Yeah, I guess that's what she's going by these days. I wouldn't know, really, I haven't talked to her in about 17 years."
"And how'd you and Hap know her from that long ago? She's only been with Peanut for a little over 5 years." Gemma asks.
"Well, once upon a time, she squeezed me out of her vagina." Suddenly, RJ is the only one doing anything, as Lyla and Gemma both stop and turn to her, shocked. Looking around, Tara also looks slightly taken aback. "Long story, lots of family drama. I don't want to dredge it up and give anyone a reason to think I am being disrespectful." The other women nod with varying degrees of acceptance and go back to prepping dinner. "So, who's got fresh ammo for me to make fun of Koz with?"
A couple stories of Kozik making an ass of himself trying to impress girls later, Tara asks, "Are you and Koz close, then?"
Fondly, RJ answers, "Yeah. He's like my brother. He's lived with us since he transferred up to Tacoma."
"I'm surprised Happy's ok with you being that close with a brother. He strikes me as the possessive type." the doctor comments.
RJ laughs. "Honestly, that would be in line with his personality - he was horribly jealous of me spending time with other people when we were kids - but I think that is outweighed by the fact that Koz and I immediately fell into a brother/sister dynamic. He's actually more protective of me than Happy is. I didn't even know that was possible."
The next two hours fly by with the ladies exchanging stories about both the guys and themselves, slowly getting more comfortable with each other. RJ can see the different tensions between the three others, and tries to steer the conversation away from topics that sound too touchy when they come up. By 7, the dining room and back patio are littered with Sons, some of whom Gemma issues orders to to help, and the table is stuffed with two roast chickens and two hams, at least a dozen dishes of sides, bottles of wine, and growlers of beer. A kids table is set up in the living room for the kids that can feed themselves and a prospect to keep an eye on them as they tear through the plates that their parents put together for them from the main table. RJ has managed to dodge around Amy as the women get everything set out, and the final thing she does before she joins the rest of the table is put the pies in the oven to warm up in the residual heat in there.
There is apparently a chair shortage. The other two prospects have been sent to the living room with the kids, a stern warning from Gemma that there better not be a speck of food in her couch ringing in their ears, and Lyla is sitting on Opie's lap. With no open seats, RJ immediately sits herself down on her own husband's lap - he has already slipped what would've been her plate underneath his own for them to share rather than try and fit two plates in a space meant for one in an already overcrowded situation. RJ is pleased. That alone will drive Amy up the wall, but she can't say anything without being rude.
The first few minutes are passing around serving dishes and getting settled. As soon as everyone is eating and conversations are starting up, Lyla surprises RJ by being the one to talk to Amy. "So, Angel, RJ said to save the story of her and Hap getting together until dinner because you tell it best?" Her tone is innocent, but there's a mischievous gleam in the blonde woman's eye.
Happy immediately groans and hides his face in RJ's shoulder, while RJ tries to smother her giggles. Jax, seeing this, joins in. "Oh, yeah, I definitely need to hear that story."
Unable to deny a request from the president of the mother charter, Amy begins recounting the tale of going into labor while watching Happy - not that he was called that quite yet - and painting a thoroughly adorable picture of him talking to her belly through contractions as they gather what she needed and drive to the hospital, and him making up funny kid stories to distract her from the very short labor. Then comes her being wheeled into recovery after her surgery to find Nora waiting for her, apologizing because Happy had picked the names - "Don't worry, I think both of them were on your short list, so he must've remembered" - and that he has already decided to marry her - "Sorry, though, he made her last name Lowman, because 'she may as well have his last name already so she doesn't have to change it in a few years when they're married'". Happy throwing a fit when she tried to change the last name from Lowman to Shepherd (Amy and her husband's last name), and ultimately having to compromise by hyphenating the last name to include both of them.
By the end of the tale, there's a mix of genuine and mocking 'awwwww's directed at Happy from around that table, which Hap ignores except for a single mutter of "Fuck all o' you."
Throughout the dinner, RJ carefully avoids her mother's eyes, purposefully unfocusing her eyes every time she has to look that direction. All of the guys are curious about RJ, but few asked her questions directly, instead tapping into Amy's willingness to share stories of a young Hap and RJ. RJ sees Amy getting more and more tense as the dinner goes on, despite her trying to hide it and have fun with her Old Man's extended club. Amy would've already been annoyed just because RJ was sitting on Happy's lap and they were sharing a plate - Amy's a stickler for table manners. RJ did every tiny thing she could to exacerbate the annoyance, that nobody else would even notice. She slouched her shoulders, had whispered conversations with Happy and Kozik, who was sat next to them, joined in with the guys when they made vulgar jokes or references. Hap had an arm around her waist, hand resting on her leg, so RJ spent most of the meal with her free hand holding his. All of it was things that everyone else was doing, so Amy was the only one who even noticed. If she pushes it a little during dessert, RJ is pretty sure she can make Amy snap at her.
Once everyone was done with the main meal, the women and prospects clear the dishes off the table and stack them by the sink before RJ hands each of the gals, including her mother, a dish towel and opens the oven, telling them each to grab a pie. As they take the pies out, RJ hands a stack of smaller plates to one prospect and points another at the drawer with the silverware, telling him to grab all the little spoons to take out. Once that is done, RJ digs an ice cream scoop out of the drawer of miscellaneous utensils, and pulls the tub of ice cream out, pulling off the top and plastic seal before going back into the dining room herself. Seeing that everyone at the 'kids' table already has a plate of pie, she takes the ice cream in there first, plopping a decent scoop down on the plate of everyone who wants it, before putting the frozen treat down on the table for people to make their pie a la mode as they want. She's happy to see that Happy has already gotten her a slice of the peach pie along with the slice of berry pie that he took, settling back on his lap as he finishes scooping ice cream onto his plate and passes it down to Juice on his other side.
An obscene moan erupts from Tig's mouth abruptly." Oh my god. I think this might be better than Bobby's." Suddenly more alert, he waves his spoon around at everyone, making eye contact with a number of them. "Don't any of you go telling him I said that!"
It's only a couple minutes before RJ sees and seizes her opportunity. Happy has somehow gotten a smear of berry filling and ice cream on his cheek. "You got something on your face." Reaching a hand up, RJ holds his jaw to keep him still and licks the food off his cheek, before pressing a quick, chaste kiss to his lips, as there's a couple cat-calls from the guys that saw.
RJ doesn't have time to even fully turn back to her own pie before it happens.
Amy slams her spoon down onto her plate and half-shouts, "Rosalind Josephina Lowman-Shepherd! I did NOT raise you in a barn, use your goddamn table manners!"
There's a sudden hush at the table. Gemma's infamous brow nearly hits her hairline, and RJ catches her eye before she can say anything, giving the tiniest head shake ever. A smirk lifts the corner of Gemma's mouth and she deliberately goes back to her pie and resumes the conversation she had been having with Tara about Abel and Thomas's schedule for the coming week, working out when Gemma needs to pick the boys up from the nanny. Everyone else follows her example, getting back to their conversations, though in a much more subdued manner as everyone eyes Amy and RJ to see if they need to break up a fight.
Off to her side, RJ sees Koz staring holes through Amy. She nudges his arm gently with her elbow to get his attention before saying "Eat up and get seconds if you want it, I don't think there's going to be any leftovers coming home with us."
Herman locks eyes with her for a moment before going back to his dessert without saying a word.
Once she and a few others appear to be done, RJ collects the empty dishes and heads into the kitchen, locating the sink stopper and soap, setting the sink to fill as she starts scraping plates into the garbage can.
A few minutes later, Gemma joins her in the kitchen with another stack of dirty dishes, which she sets down by the sink before moving to pack up the small amount of leftovers. By the time she's done, the drying rack is nearly full of clean dishes, so Gemma grabs a dish towel and starts drying and stacking off to the side. Under her breath, she says, "Think I'm gonna like having you around, girlie." as Lyla comes in with the rest of the dessert plates. There's not much to do in the kitchen besides dishes, which only takes so many people, so Gemma quickly sends Lyla back out to be social. Once the other woman is gone, Gemma speaks quietly again. "That was so underhanded I didn't even realize you were doing it until she hit the roof."
"Yeah, well, I've never been able to live up to her standards. She has to have gotten over her neurosis about table manners with the guys- no way in hell is she getting bikers to eat like they're dining with the queen- but her loinfruit? As far as she's concerned, I should be shaming the queen for her improper table manners." RJ quietly explains as she quickly scrubs plates and rinses before handing them off to Gemma.
Gemma gives an understanding look, having had a mother that she could never please. "So why were you needling her? You said you haven't talked to her in forever; must've been a big fight."
RJ shrugs. "She and I have different views on what lengths we will go to to protect our family." Gemma pauses to give her a calculating look. "She blames me for my father's death."
The matriarch slowly gets back to drying and stacking. "Should she?"
"Between you and me, I will neither confirm nor deny responsibility. The basic facts are that she was going to work with cracked ribs and boot-print bruises regularly, I was 10 years old, and the official cause of death is 'Accident'."
Gemma's look this time is approving. "Good girl."
The Next Morning, Hap, Koz, and J's apartment
Kozik finishes doctoring his coffee and leans against the counter, watching Josie scramble eggs and fry bacon for breakfast. "Overheard an interesting conversation at the clubhouse last night. Peanut reading Angel the riot act for going off on you."
Josie hardly reacts, simply letting out a curious "Oh?"
"Yeah. They told her how lucky she is that Gemma wasn't offended by the outburst in her home. Putting her on warning for best behavior for the rest of the visit."
Josie hands him a plate, then dishes up the other two that are standing by for her and Hap. "Interesting."
"Any chance you are going to tell me what's going on?" he asks, moving to sit at the breakfast bar.
"Just making sure she knows her place."