There was no motorcycle parked in the driveway when Kelly got home, which after the day she had, didn't even surprise her. She dropped her keys on the table and tossed the Chinese she'd picked up on the counter, not even hungry. The run in with Tom at the hospital threw her into a foul mood and she couldn't shake it. She went in to her bathroom and started a bath before returning to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of wine to accompany her.
Happy let himself in after realizing Kelly wasn't going to answer her phone. He picked the lock quickly, hoping she didn't have nosy neighbors to watch him do it for the second day in a row. There was music coming from the direction of her bedroom, which explained why she didn't hear the door or her phone. He leaned against the bathroom door, just looking at her lying under a layer of bubbles in the bath.
"I'm not that late, girl." Happy growled, wondering why she was drinking wine straight from the bottle like he'd done something to piss her off again. She looked up at him, obviously well on her way to drunk.
"Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of you, Happy." Kelly bit at him. He scowled at her, waiting for her to explain her bitchy attitude towards him. "What?"
"Wondering what your problem is." Happy rasped. He was irritated that he was giving a woman this much effort. He could go to the clubhouse and not even have to say a word to the sweet butts. Kelly wasn't a sweet butt though and he knew that. It was the only reason he was bothering with the feelings shit.
"How long are you going do this caring act?" Kelly snapped at him before bringing the almost empty bottle to her lips. Happy shook his head and crossed the room quickly, grabbing the bottle. Kelly hissed when his hand touched her finger. He narrowed his eyes quizzically and Kelly dunked her hand in the water quickly, hoping to hide it from him.
"What the fuck?" Happy asked, dragging her hand out of the water by her wrist. Her first knuckle was swollen and discolored. He set the bottle of wine on the ground and took a knee next to the tub. "What happened?"
Kelly shook her head, biting on her bottom lip. Happy knew it had to have happened between when she left this morning and when he'd gotten there. He also knew that if it had been an accident at work or something like that, she wouldn't look like she was about to cry and would have just told him. Her silence told him someone did this to her.
"Who did it, angel? Who fucking touched you?" Happy asked, feeling the rage building up in his chest. She shook her head and it only made him angrier. He searched her eyes and was confused by the fear he found there. He shrugged his leather off, tossing it on the counter before reaching into the water and pulling her out. As soon as his arms were around her, she started crying.
Tacoma November, 2008
Happy walked into the Tacoma clubhouse after spending nearly a month on the road with Charming. He was glad to be home, even if it meant having less to do. There was a party in full swing and drinks were shoved at him left and right. A blonde sweet butt he didn't recognize caught his eye and he motioned her over.
He found himself having a thing for blondes ever since Kelly. Prior to getting with her, he'd gravitated to brunettes and the occasional redhead. The blonde that was on her knees in front of him wasn't nearly as attractive or satisfying as Kelly, but he knew he'd burnt that bridge. Once the blonde had swallowed his seed, he zipped his jeans and headed out of the room without a word.
"Kozik, you good brother?" Happy asked, noticing Kozik had a fresh glass of whiskey in front of him. He rarely drank and when he did, it usually wasn't stronger than beer. The blonde man looked over at Happy and it was obvious that something was on his mind. "You been to a meeting recently?"
"It ain't that, man. I figured getting drunk and passing out would keep me from going to kill Kelly's old man tonight." Kozik said, mentioning Kelly to Happy for the first time since the rally, a month before her wedding. Happy found himself needing something stiffer than beer to. Broken up or not, he still didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She was still his brother's little sister.
"What'd the asshole do?" Happy asked, waving a sweetbutt over to fetch him a drink. Kozik shook his head and took a drink.
"She won't fucking tell me. Anytime I ask her about it, she clams up and looks scared." He said, tossing the half full glass against the wall, sending glass and whiskey spraying everywhere. Happy raised his brow and looked back at Kozik.
"Don't sound like Kelly, brother. She doesn't get scared easily." Happy said, feeling old desires to keep her safe starting back up. He shook his head and stood up. "Let me know if you need anything, Koz."
"Yeah, just keep the lawyer on speed dial for when I kill the son of a bitch if he hurt my little sister." Kozik said, spitting onto the floor. Happy nodded and headed back to his dorm for the night, no longer feeling the party.
Present Day
"Just give me a few minutes, Happy. I'm okay." Kelly said, grabbing a towel and feeling very sober now that she was out of the water. He nodded, glancing down at his wet clothes. "The dryer is in the garage."
Kelly closed her bedroom door after Happy exited, taking his shirt off as he walked down the hall. She quickly dried herself off and stepped into some tights and an oversized t-shirt. The vulnerability she was feeling and showing now that Happy had showed back up was infuriating. Never had she let herself depend on anyone like that, not even Herman. With renewed determination, she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and headed out to find Happy, ready for that discussion he'd agreed to have.
She walked into the kitchen to see Happy sitting at the counter, shirtless. She didn't let his v-cuts and ink draw her in this time. Kelly needed the air cleared and a set plan from that point forward.
"What were you expecting when you came here to see me, Happy? After the fucking." Kelly clarified, knowing his first answer would be just that if she didn't take it off the table. He stretched his arms out and put his palms together, like he was about to dive into a pool if his arms weren't in fact lying on her counter.
"What makes you think it was more than that?" Happy countered, not keen on having a conversation about feelings and shit.
"Really? You don't ride ten hours to fuck somebody when you can get free, effortless pussy in Charming. Don't bullshit me, Happy. I've had a long ass day." Kelly said, shaking her head. She watched as his lips parted into a smile as he nodded.
"That's the Kelly I used to know. Still not afraid to talk to me like that, huh?" Happy couldn't deny that it turned him on when she did. Any other woman would have gotten kicked out of his room or told to fuck off.
"Why would I be afraid?" Kelly asked, pursing her lips and reminding him that he didn't scare her. She knew what he was and what he did for the club, but she also knew that he was brought up to respect women. He'd never hurt her unless he absolutely had to.
"Don't know, angel, what scared you at the hospital today?" Happy asked, hoping to catch her off guard. She narrowed her eyes and he watched her right hand move to cover the left, her thumb rubbing her ring finger. He prided himself on knowing how to read people and he'd bet his life she'd done that because it was her dumbass ex that scared her. He wasn't going to push her on it though. He had his answer and didn't see any need on alerting her to that. "What do you want, girl? Want me to have some poetic answer about wanting to be with you?"
"No, I just want you to tell me the truth." Kelly said, glad he'd left his first question alone. She didn't want to argue about her refusal to answer his question. If it hadn't been to protect him and the club, she would never keep it from him. "We've gone through this before, Happy. What's different now? You're still an asshole and I'm still not a pushover."
"I never wanted you to be a pushover, Kelly. If I wanted that shit, I wouldn't come within a hundred feet of you. I don't do this, girl. This sharing feeling shit is for bitches. You know what I want." Happy said, shaking his head, done with the conversation. Kelly sighed and looked into his dark eyes.
"I don't know if I can give that to you." Kelly said honestly. "My life is here, in Tacoma. You're not transferring out of Charming anytime soon. What's the plan there?"
"Plan is, you heat up the food before I starve, woman. We don't need to figure everything out today." Happy said, standing up and walking into the garage. Kelly knew he was done talking about whatever mess they'd started but she still had questions.
"I hate working in the ICU now. It's been weeks since I've had somebody die." Kelly said as she sat down across from a fully clothed Happy at her small kitchen table. He brought his eyes up to hers, wondering if she was finally going to tell him what happened. "This guy took three to the chest, nearly died in surgery but pulled through just long enough so that he was on my watch when he died."
"What guy?" Happy asked, looking right at her. She raised her brow, wondering why he seemed so interested now. She lifted her shoulder.
"His chart said John Doe. I'm sure the cops knew who he was but they didn't let us know. Why?" Kelly asked, seeing him stab his noodles a bit aggressively.
"He wake up or say anything to the cops?" Happy made eye contact with Kelly and she suddenly realized what this was about. She dropped her fork and leaned back in her chair.
"This was you? Happy, what happened to clean kills? You shouldn't even be in Washington if they're looking for you." Kelly said, worrying that he was risking his neck to see her.
"They ain't looking for me, girl. If I shot the asshole he'd have one in the head and never made it to the hospital. Wasn't even here yet when that shit went down." Happy watched as Kelly relaxed a little. "So, cops were sitting on him all day?"
"Yeah, not that he was going anywhere." Kelly said, shaking her head. Her answer confirmed Happy's suspicions that whatever pissed her off and happened to her hand had to do with her ex.
"You up for a ride tomorrow, Kelly?" Happy asked, not leaving the previous conversation open long enough for her to realize what she'd told him. She nodded and went back to picking at her food, a comfortable silence falling into the space between them.
Happy stepped out of the kitchen to take a phone call and Kelly knew he would have to leave. She started cleaning up the dishes and remembered a time when it was her job to worry about him coming home in one piece. She would lose sleep, knowing more than she really cared to about the dangers he was facing on any particular run. What really scared her was when she got used to that, the worry.
"Do I need to leave a door unlocked?" Kelly asked, hearing him walk up behind her. He didn't say anything for a moment, so she turned around to look at him. He pressed his lips to hers before pulling back and shaking his head. She nodded, refusing to let him see how much it bothered her.
"I'm not leaving, girl. That was just some news I've been waiting on." Happy said, knowing that things were about to change in Charming. Kelly looked surprised and the smile that crossed her face let him know she didn't want him leaving just yet.
"Good news or bad news?" Kelly asked, her interest peaked. Happy shook his head with an unreadable expression.
"Don't know yet. It's club shit. That matter to you now?" He asked, searching her light blue eyes. She frowned and he nodded his head. "Then don't worry about it."
"Think you could stand to watch a movie with me?" Kelly asked, slipping by him to walk into the living room. She knew he didn't usually like wasting his time on movies or shows that weren't cartoons, but she wanted to unwind and see if they could spend time together doing something other than fucking, fighting or riding.
"No girly shit." Happy growled, sitting on the end of the couch and propping his boots up on the ottoman. Kelly looked at his boots and then back up at him. He rolled his eyes and took his boots off, then put his socked feet bak on the ottoman. Kelly tried to hide her smirk and handed him the remote control.
"You pick. No slasher movies." She said, taking her own shoes off and sitting on the couch next to him. He wrapped his left arm around her and she pulled her legs up under her, leaning against him comfortably. He started flipping through channels and Kelly struggled to keep her eyes open. When he eventually stopped on Fast and Furious, he realized that her breathing had slowed and evened out.
He didn't really have any interest in watching a movie by himself, so he turned the television off and slid down in the seat a little, getting comfortable. He glanced down and saw the top of her tattoo underneath her shirt. If she'd let him, he'd tattoo his name all over her, he thought, kissing the top of her head. He decided to focus on getting her to let him back into her life first.
Kelly woke up with a start. She had been dreaming about Tom coming after the club. It took a moment, but she finally realized she was safe on her couch with Happy's hand on her side. She had her head in his lap, so she rolled over on her back to look up at him.
"You talk in your sleep, angel." Happy growled, looking down at her. She bit her bottom lip and hoped she hadn't said too much. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You got that? Don't matter if we keep this up or you hate me. I promised Kozik I'd look after you."
"Is that what was in your letter?" Kelly asked, hoping he'd move on from the topic of her dreams. He shook his head.
"No, I promised him that before I put ink on you." Happy said. The letter Kozik had written him was still sealed in the envelope that stayed in his inner pocket of his leather. He didn't feel the need to read it. He knew him well enough to know what he would say when he was being morbid as shit and writing "just in case" letters.
Kelly nodded and climbed to her feet, extending a hand to Happy. He took it and followed her to the bed they'd shared last night. He pulled his shirt off over his head and stepped out of his jeans as she got under the covers and watched him closely. She was still torn on whether or not this was a mistake and if it would ever develop into anything, but she was at least enjoying it in the moment.
"Go to sleep, girl." Happy whispered against the side of her neck as she pressed her back to his chest. She smiled and nodded before drifting off to sleep. Happy was right behind her.
"Get up, girl." Happy tossed Kelly's leather jacket onto her sleeping figure as he fastened his belt. She groaned and reached out blindly for her phone.
"It's six in the morning, Happy. What are you doing?" Kelly groaned, looking up to see him walking inside her closet. He emerged with a pair of jeans and her black combat boots. "Happy?"
"We're going on a ride, girl. Get your ass up and get moving." Happy said, sitting down to pull on his boots. Kelly muttered under her breath about sleeping in on her only day off as she pulled on her jeans and staggered into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She didn't know what Happy was up to, but she wished it could wait until at least eight or nine.
"I'm ready, are you happy?" Kelly asked, motioning towards her jacket, t-shirt, boots and jeans. She looked like a biker. He nodded and headed down the hall. Kelly followed with a yawn. "Seriously, it's still dark. Why are you in such a hurry to get on the road?"
"You'll see." He said, handing her his helmet and starting the bike up. She tightened the strap under her chin and sat down behind Happy, resting her cheek against his leather covered back. The morning air was cool against her exposed skin and she was glad he'd thought to grab her a jacket that could block a little wind.
Happy headed out of town quickly, racing a clock that Kelly didn't understand. He didn't slow down until they were out in the middle of no where. When he pulled off on the shoulder, Kelly looked up, wondering what was going on. Without a word, he shut the motorcycle off and patted her leg, signaling her to get off. She pulled the helmet off and looked out across the field they had stopped near.
"Sunrise bike rides, Hap?" Kelly's voice was soft as Happy walked up behind her. They'd shared many sunset rides before, but only two sunrise rides. The first was the morning after they first shared a bed together and the second was the day after he'd gotten out of jail. He pulled her back towards him and she turned around to face him.
"It's been a while." Happy said simply. Kelly nodded and turned her head to look at the horizon. She was usually awake and driving to work when the sun was coming up, but she never took the time to appreciate it. They watched in silence as the sky changed from black to purple to pink to orange to blue. Kelly knew her heart was with Happy, it had been for some time.
"What happens when you go back to Charming, Happy?" Kelly hated running the risk of ruining the moment, but she had to know. He brought his mouth down to her forehead and rested it there while he thought about her question.
"That depends on you, angel. You tell me you're in this and that's it. I'll go back to Charming and my old lady will be here in Tacoma. It's not safe for you to be there right now. I'm hoping that's about to change." Happy said eventually. He pulled back just enough to look down into her eyes and watched her nod.
"Does that have anything to do with the call you got?" He nodded and Kelly bit her lip. She wasn't even sure about going to Charming, so she wasn't going to push the issue. "What about sweet butts and what are they called in Charming? Crow eaters?"
"What about them, Kelly? I'm not doing anything to lose you again." Happy said, bringing her chin up gently. He watched her shoulders drop and raised his brow.
"Things have to be different this time, Happy. I don't want to be with you just to fight and fuck all the time. I need a partner, not an opponent." Kelly said, looking up into his dark brown eyes. He kissed her gently on the mouth and she deepened his kiss before pulling back slowly.
"I hear you, angel." Happy said with a nod. She took a deep breath and nodded slowly. She hoped she wouldn't regret her decision in the end. She was trying to do what Herman said, be happy. She knew that the happiest she ever was, was when she was with Happy. This time was going to be different, she thought, they were going to be equals. "Let's go. I'm starving and you didn't have coffee in your kitchen."
"It's in the refrigerator." Kelly said with a laugh. Happy looked back at her with a quizzical look, but she just shrugged with a grin. He shook his head and helped his old lady back on the bike. There was a chance he was going to piss her off before the end of the day, but he had something to take care of before he left for who knows how long.
"Where to now?" Kelly asked as they walked out of the restaurant. Happy grabbed her belt and pulled her close. "Works for me."
After spending the better part of the day having sex with Happy on every surface of her house, Kelly was in real need of dinner. She agreed to ride down to the burger joint near the hospital, knowing she wouldn't be riding again for a while.
"I'm going to check my tires." Happy said, leaving Kelly to finish getting redressed. He made the call as soon as he was outside the front door. "You got the address?"
"Yeah brother, he's not working tonight so he should be there." Blue, Tacoma's intelligence officer said. Happy nodded and tapped his front tire with his foot, knowing it was fine. "You want some back up on this?"
"No, I'm good." Happy said, looking up to see Kelly walking out of the door and turning to lock the dead bolt.
"Alright. Lee said we're keeping extra eyes on your girl while your gone, brother. You don't gotta worry about blow back." Blue told the killer. Happy nodded and gave him a quick thanks before ending the call. He helped Kelly climb on behind him and started the bike, hoping that by protecting her, he wasn't going to be ruining what they'd just agreed to try.
Kelly noticed Happy's demeanor changing throughout their meal. At first he was just the same as he'd been all weekend, but then he started getting quieter and kept his head on a swivel, watching everyone that passed near them or entered the building. She knew he was protective, he had been since day one but this was something else. This was how he got before something went down.
"I know something is up. Are you going to tell me what it is?" Kelly asked with a careful, even tone. She didn't want to seem like she was accusing him. He looked up from his fries and nodded slowly.
"Tell me about your hand and I'll tell you what's going on." Happy offered, giving her one last chance to open up to him. She bit her lip, torn between protecting the club and being honest with Happy. It was one thing that she didn't want to change from their previous time together. They had always been honest with one another, up until the last day. She swallowed her fear back and nodded slowly.
"It was my ex." Kelly said, not looking up to see the anger written all over Happy's face. He'd all but known the truth but for some reason, hearing her confirm it made him that much angrier. "He was on duty when I got back from lunch, right before that guy died. We got into it about something stupid and I pointed my finger at him."
"That why you two split?" Happy rasped. His fists were clenched tightly and he wanted to choke the life out of the sorry excuse for a man. He didn't consider himself a saint but this was Kelly, the last person he'd ever hurt or allow anyone else to. "Why didn't you say something before? I know Kozik didn't know."
"Yeah, it's one of the reasons we split." She paused and took a deep breath. "He told me that if I went to Herman or the club that he'd go after SAMTAC. I never told him anything about the club but he said he'd tell them I flipped"
"That you were a rat. Damnit, Kelly. You didn't think we'd take your word over his? You're not just an old lady, girl. You're fucking family to SAMTAC. They know you'd never flip, no matter what." Happy paused, seeing the look on her face. "What?"
"What are you going to do? You already knew or at least assumed. If you didn't then you would already been on your way to do something stupid." Kelly was putting the pieces together, reminding Happy why he'd always been open with her about what he did. She would have figured it out herself anyways.
"We're going to see the son of a bitch." Happy said, counting out a few bills to leave on the table. Kelly gaped at him and shook her head. "No one blackmails you and they sure as fuck don't touch you."
"So what, Happy? You're going to show your ass and then go to Charming? I have to live here, in his city." Kelly stepped back when Happy spun around on his heel. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"This isn't his city, Kelly. There's a whole charter that has your back and that means their friends do to. I'm giving him the only warning he's getting and then I'm going back to Charming. I ain't leaving you unprotected, girl. SAMTAC will keep an eye on you when I can't." Happy said, the edge of his anger dulling a little once he laid it all out on the table.
"Don't do anything to catch charges, Happy." Kelly said, resigning to the fact that she had no chance of changing his mind or talking him down. He was an enforcer for an MC, of course he wouldn't stand for someone treating her like that. Kelly just hoped that when the time came, he could show some restraint. It wasn't exactly his strong suit when she was involved.
They rode over to the address Blue had given Happy and Kelly felt her stomach sink. This was his house. The house they had shared for the few months they were married. She hadn't been back there since the day Herman had prospects come and get her loaded on a truck. Happy could tell she was nervous by the way she tensed on his back. He brought his left hand back and squeezed her leg before slowing to a stop.
"Hey, you trust me, angel?" Happy growled, bringing her chin up. She blinked twice before nodding.
"Of course I do." She said. He nodded and kissed her possessively before straightening his cut and walking up to the front door. Kelly was by his side, trying to hide her nerves. He balled up a fist and banged it against the wooden door. Happy heard a bullet being racked into the chamber of a gun before the door slowly opened.
"What are you doing here?" Tom asked, looking right at Kelly and ignoring Happy. Kelly swallowed hard and she knew this wasn't the time to let him intimidate her.
"You know who I am?" Happy growled, making his presence known. Tom brought his eyes up to Happy's, nodding as if he was bored. "Good. You touch Kelly again and we're going to get to know each other even better."
"Are you threatening me?" Tom asked, hoping to get something else to charge the man with. Happy smiled maliciously and pointed up at the security camera above him.
"Of course not. Just letting you know that the next time you hurt or blackmail my old lady, we're going to have another visit. You can go ahead and apologize now." Happy said, motioning towards Kelly. Tom and Happy glared at one another for a moment before the younger man finally shifted his gaze to Kelly.
"I'm sorry." He said, hatred dripping from his words. Kelly nodded and felt some of her old fire sparking up.
"Go fuck yourself." She spat, giving Happy something to smile about. Happy nodded and turned his back on the officer, showing no fear or hint of being intimidated. Kelly was trembling under his hand that was on her lower back.
"You did good, girl. Nothing's gonna happen to you. You hear me?" Happy asked as she repositioned herself behind him on the bike. She knew that no matter what, the ball was rolling and all she could do was hope it didn't run over both them and the club.
"Yeah, Hap. I hear you. Let's just get out of here. I need more of you if you're leaving in the morning." Kelly said, wrapping her arms around his waist. He wasn't going to deny her what he wanted himself, so he started the bike and practically flew out of Tom Ingle's neighborhood. The officer slammed the door shut, already planning on how to make good on the promise he'd made his ex-wife if she ever ran to the club.
I wanted to make sure that Happy was as calculating and careful as he seemed to be in the show, hence why he didn't just kill the man where he stood. Thank you to everyone for your reviews. I really appreciate it and hope to read some more for this chapter. Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the US.