More family drama! I cannot thank you enough for all the love.
I do not own these characters, they're Kurt Sutter's!
Enjoy xo.
Emily POV
I never had a dad. Daddy/daughter dances at school, soccer games, and dating boys, all came and went. Abel offered to go with me in junior high to those damn dances but I was too embarrassed to be the only girl without her dad. Thomas endlessly harassed every boy that I tried to have relationships with. But it was nothing like having a dad to tell me I was too good for them. My mom cheered at every soccer game she could when she didn't have surgery. But it was nothing like having a dad beside her or to be grilled after at all the things I could've done better.
I never had a dad.
At 13 I was down one brother in the house. It was just Thomas, my mom, and me. There was a shift in my home. Bitter. Something I just couldn't put my finger on, but when Abel left things definitely changed. Abel didn't visit when he was at school and when he had to come back for his first summer break, he lasted about 2 weeks before going back and taking summer classes to get away. I didn't understand. Thomas couldn't get it either. That was when Thomas and Abel really got at each other's throats. Or so I thought.
Thomas turned 18 and poof, it was just my mom and I. This time I was 16 and I thought I'd be more prepared for another brother to leave. I had friends, I was popular, I had sports, but nothing made me stop missing my brothers. Them being gone made me realize how important they were. Thomas told me he left to go get a mechanic's job in Charming, California.
Charming? A hollow ache would burn my stomach whenever I'd allow myself to think about how Thomas up and left to go 5 hours away to do a job he could 5 minutes down the road. Where the hell even was Charming, California? But I didn't understand. Thomas and Abel would snap that at me every chance they got. Little Emily would just never understand.
It was my turn to be 18 and after I blew out my candles, my mom invited me into her room to lay with her like I did as a child. Anxiously I got my friends out as quickly as I could. When I entered her room I was expecting an awesome present or her to pass on the ring she always promised me. But I got something else. Something bigger.
A dad.
Thomas left to go work at his auto shop but our dad had run into trouble and was taking care of other family stuff. My dad would return to Charming in 2 years to go back to work with Thomas.
Thomas got to be where our dad had been. Where our parents fell in love. My stupid brothers got to learn all of this before I did. When it crossed my mind to snap at my mom, her eyes were so soft I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I did what I did best. I ran.
I was always flighty, never wanting to be tied down somewhere for too long. When things got uncomfortable or anything but happy, my first instinct was to leave. Leave the room, the car, the restaurant, the relationship.
After I was given that diploma I ran to Europe. I travelled to see everything I could, meet every person I could, eat all the food I could. My mind was blocking out the hurt I felt. But I never quite understood Abel's anger about it. Sure, I felt hollow from the lies my mother told but never angry.
When I returned to the States, I easily forgave my mom. Thomas would call me throughout the week to tell me about different customers and girls. Eventually Abel even started checking in with me also. He wasn't quite the open book Thomas was. Or what I thought Thomas was.
SAMCRO.
Sons of Anarchy. Men of Mayhem. Charming Charter. Redwood Original.
My brother was not working at an autoshop. My dad was not dealing with "family stuff." And my grandma was not quite the baking cookies type. I had relations with a motorcycle gang. Er, club. As I keep being told to call it.
My mom didn't tell me a thing of the danger, guns, or drugs. Thomas never spoke of the things he was doing, only the cars he fixed. Abel never told me why he wouldn't speak of any of it. But it was because he could remember our dad being taken off to prison. He remembered our dad well enough to be upset by our mom taking us away and our dad never coming around.
All of this information within 2 hours of me being in Charming, California.
Abel and I sat in my car while he made calls to his school about his hand and not being to make it back tomorrow. "His accident," He called it. I just sat silent in disbelief. This couldn't be my life.
My dad was supposed to be at a desk or something. With glasses and a briefcase. He drank coffee, not liquour. Cigars not cigarettes.
Jax Teller did not fit in with what I imagined. Not what I had hoped for when Thomas called me.
Abel sighed and threw his head back against the headrest, "I'll take you. Come on. This town is only 3 feet big anyways." He rolled his eyes at the promise he made me.
I forced Abel into agreeing to take me by Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair because I wanted to see where Thomas had been all this time. Where my parents had been. Abel only agreed because I threatened to tell our mom all about Grace and the secret he was keeping.
Abel grumbled under his breath as I turned the music up, "Let's fucking go. Whaaaaaatever Emily Grace wants." He taunted like he had when we were babies. Usually it'd still get under my skin but I just sang along with the radio as we took off from the hotel parking lot and into the dusk to find the place our family was built.
Jax POV
"Shit!" I yelped when I pulled myself up to the small barstool. I was not 30 years old anymore that was for damn sure. Opie laughed at me and chucked some peanut shells my way. I flicked him off just as Juice and Chibs were walking into the clubhouse.
"Jackie boy, take a shot!" Chibs called out cheerfully. He ducked under the bar to grab some tequila but I winced at the thought. Cigarettes and tequila in the same day? Juice sat beside me and I thought, if Juice Ortiz is fucking president I can take a shot. I nodded eagerly at Chibs and he passed them out to each of us.
The tequila warmed my throat and burned in my stomach, I smiled at its familiarity and grimaced at the taste. "Pussy," Opie shoved my arm and I let out a real hard laugh for the first time in a long time. The clubhouse hadn't changed much besides the new mug shots tacked up alongside the others.
"Fucking President." My eyes fell on Juice and he avoided eye contact by picking at the aging label on his shot glass. "Yeah man. For a bit at least." Juice's eyes darted to me then returned to the shot glass. An awkward silence fell over the four of us. For a bit? Like I was going to take all this shit over? I could barely haul myself up onto the barstool let alone run this club.
"For a bit?" I repeated, watching Juice tick. Chibs grabbed our glasses to give us a refill on tequila but I pressed harder, "What Juice?" Juice shook his head a bit and shrugged. "You or Thomas." I winced at the thought. For a moment I remembered my excitement of being patched into the club and tried to feel proud but when actually I just felt worried. Like the old man I was.
"In time Juicy, no need to ponder the what ifs." Chibs had no difficulty shooting back his Patron. "Thomas won't ever be ready for it. Where he's at now…" Juice trailed off and took his shot. Opie instantly tried to make eye contact with me but I ignored him, I got right in Juice's face, "You watch your mouth. That's my kid." I emphasized every word and Juice spun to finally look me in the eye. "Just that Jax. A kid. He'll never get his head out of his ass just like-"
"You might want to stop right there." I felt my eyes glaze over. "Guys, guys, enough." Opie was beside me now and rested his hand on my shoulder. I leaned back and away from Juice. Still the prick he was years ago. "At least he won't get to the top by being Clay's bitch." I spit. Juice stood quickly to spit his heat in my face but before he could say whatever he wanted, heels clicked through the back hallway.
I craned my neck and saw none other than Tara Knowles slinking down the hallway. Immediately I stood to walk around Juice. She agreed to meet here to talk things over earlier on the phone. For whatever reason I felt more comfortable speaking here than in my home or the hotel. My home. Not ours. I inwardly cringed at the realization but quickly straightened up when she walked up to stand in front of me.
"Opie," She smiled warmly and he enveloped her in a giant hug. They greeted back and forth. Tara did the same friendly greeting to Chibs and Juice, which completely dissolved any tension that had been in the room before she entered. Tara just had that way about her.
"Is it okay if we talk over some food?" Tara turned to me, looking at the guys from the corner of her eye. "Yeah I-"
"ABEL!" Someone screeched outside. Tara and I both shot outside to follow the sound of the scream. In the middle of the parking lot were Abel and Thomas beating the absolute snot out of each other. Abel picked Thomas' head up and smashed it to the ground and before Thomas could flip him over, he spat in his face. Thomas repeatedly landed punch after punch on Abel's tortured face. Every hit making Emily scream louder and louder.
After a second of witnessing the scene Tara rushed over and tried to tug at Thomas' arm. Emily jumped in and pulled Abel, but the two boys were rabid. Abel jerked too hard from Emily, shooting her back to fall onto the pavement. As if we were in some sort of movie, the lights came on and illuminated the dark parking lot.
"Dad!" Emily called out, clutching her head with tear welled eyes.
If I hadn't lost my breath before, it was easily gone just then. Dad. I sprinted up and pulled Abel up and off his brother. "ENOUGH!" I yelled in his face, then whipped around to glare at Thomas. "That is enough."
"Boys…" Tara started while she helped Emily up. Blood was in Emily's hand from the blow she took from her fall. Rage boiled beneath my skin, I wanted to scream and yell. But Tara looked at me expectantly as if she knew I needed to just take a breath. I inhaled as deeply as I could, my lungs couldn't do much from those cigarettes earlier. I then tightened my grip even more on Abel's forearm. "We're going to talk this out," I looked dilberately at Tara and then to my kids, "As a family." Each word came out hard from my lips.
Emily nodded and Abel yanked his arm away from my vice grip. He rubbed at his forearm and eventually nodded alongside Thomas. Tara gaped at me before taking a deep sigh. "Well then," She motioned for everyone to pile into her car.
Abel, Thomas, and Emily all dragged their feet while Tara and I marched straight to the front seats. She shot me a smile before we separated on either side of her car and my heart caught fire.
"Let's go!" She yelled out to the grown kids still skulking towards the back seat.
This was Tara as a mom. This was me as a dad. It felt real and different and exhiliratiing.
"Now, where do we want to eat?" Tara's eyes went to her rearview mirror to look at her bloody, beaten kids. Our bloody, beaten kids.
"O'Hares?" Thomas choked out while clutching to his bleeding nose. "Is that broken?" Emily squinted her eyes to look but Abel just shook his bruised head. "No. He's just a pussy."
"Abel! Say another word!" I snapped, turning around to face him. It was like a couple of toddlers in the back seat. They nervously gulped and Abel turned his head to sulk and look out the window.
"O'Hares it is." Tara almost laughed and we headed out to have our first family meal.
Lots of build up this chapter. Again. Haha next chapter it'll unfold more with talking and such. Hang in there with me!
Also, question: Flashbacks? Yes or No? Would it make it more clear or is them just talking to themselves/in their heads enough? I feel like if I label dates/years/etc it'll get super confusing. Feedback is always appreciated! Thanks so much.