Chapter Nine - Thank You

Title: Shelter

Author: sweetestsadness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Kurt Sutter's amazing creation or characters. I do have a few characters I have created, but I'm sure you can separate the two.

Pairing: HappyxNora

Rating: M

Warning: Language, and adult concepts.

Summary: A tattooed man moves in next door and Nora's world is turned upside down.

CHAPTER NINE

'THANK YOU'

Nora's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she watched the men pile up in her kitchen and get down to business. Juice took a seat next to her and offered a smile, but other than that she was invisible. Cartels and Russians? Nora couldn't quite keep track of what they were talking about, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to know this shit was bad. Up shit creek and into the river of totally fucked, bad.

While her mind was a jumble of madness, Nora sat still, back straight and staring at the table. The conversation eventually mingled together and turned into a soft buzz in her ear. Russian Mafia's and Mexican Cartels? Really? When had her life got so much more dangerous?

Oh, yeah... the moment she met Happy Lohman.

Just when she thought her life was boarding peaceful... No Esai, no Mayans, no whoring about because it was better than a beating... And while all that was terrible, this? This was a fucking shit storm. Cartels didn't shoot first ask later, they shot and walked away, leaving blood in their wake. And Russians were nearly the same, so if they had plans for her? She was royally fucked.

It was too much to deal with. Too goddamn much...

Standing up, the chair scraped loudly against the linoleum and she could feel all the eyes on her as the room went quiet. With her eyes on the floor, Nora made a b-line for the backdoor, relieved no one tried to stop her as she shut it and sighed silently as the cool morning air washed over her. Her ass found the porch swing and she bent over, holding her face in her hands.

God only gives you what you can handle, huh? Death? Murder? Abuse?

She never wanted to scream so much in her life. If God were a physical being that she could see and touch, she would shake the life out of him. If he was even real, did he actually think she could take all of this? She was practically white knuckling it here, and she wasn't all that strong. It was only a matter of time before she fell. Whether from a shot in the head or a break in her psyche.

Had Rachel been there, she would have hugged Nora and told her to suck it up, that things could always get worse. And this? Well, it could be dealt with. Then a bottle of wine would have been taken out and they'd watch some classy 80s chick flick. Most likely something with Molly Ringwald.

Nora didn't know how long she'd been sitting there. Time passed and she curled up on the porch swing, the cold finally getting to her and causing gooseflesh to pebble over her skin, but like hell would she be going back inside. So, she just burrowed her feet further into her fluffy pink slippers and wrapped her arms around knees.

Looking into the backyard, she could see the shovel sticking out of the earth. Even in the darkness of the early morning she saw it there, sticking out like a sore thumb. Or in her case a one way ticket to a female facility were she'd be made someones bitch.

Lovely. Just fucking lovely.

Nora looked up as the porch light flickered on from above, then watched as Juice came shuffling out. His eyes wide, almost like he had too much coffee or was on uppers. And figuring the time, it was probably a combination of both. He gestured back to the door with his thumb, even looking over his shoulder as if to emphasize just what direction he was pointing to.

"The guys are heading out," he told her, and his words were confirmed by a quartet of rumbling motors. The silence only lasted until the Harley's were out of earshot. And even then Nora swore she could still hear them. "Shit's getting pretty serious," he nodded and looked around the porch, and Nora watched him take in every little thing. From the porch swing to the garden tools to the 'home is where the heart is' mat he stood on. "A couple of the Ol' Ladies have been seeing that gray van around Charming."

At that Nora perked up, grabbing Juice's attention with a wave of her hand. "No one's been hurt, have they?"

"Nah," he shook his head. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he promptly shut his mouth.

Obviously, the Old Ladies were not a topic that could be discussed with her and truthfully, Nora was fine with that. The less she knew, the better, right?

Yeah, right. She already knew quite a bit. Just enough to get her ass into some serious hot water.

"Happy go too?"

"Oh!" Juice's eyes widened even more than they were, and he shuffled from one foot to the other. "Shit. Almost forgot. You need to pack up, you're going to stay next door for a while. Hap and Clay settled it."

Nora's eyes furrowed and her fingers instantly flexed. "How long?" she asked.

Juice just shrugged his shoulders and with a bewildered expression said, "I dunno." At that, Nora stood and slipped passed him and into the house, welcoming the warmth more so than she had the cold earlier.

She wasn't going to argue. Where would that get her, exactly? Nowhere. Lately, it seemed Happy was going to make all the decisions for her. So, why rebel against a man who could make her do just about anything with a simple look. The mere word made her laugh. Rebel. Yeah, sure.

Trying like hell not to look at the damage done to her home, Nora walked into her bedroom. Gritting her teeth at the mess she saw, she turned to the closet and reached for the suitcase on the top shelf. Nora rolled her eyes as she had to jump a couple times before her fingers even brushed the polyester. A couple more jumps and her ringer hooked a side pocket and she was able to pull the duffel bag down.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned around, finding Happy in the doorway watching her with that goddamn stoic expression on his face. She pulled the duffel tighter to her chest without thinking and raised an eyebrow at him. When he didn't move she squeeze through the space between him and the frame, her ass brushing against his leg. A very vivid fantasy flashed before her, were Happy pressed her front into the wall. The possibilities were endless from there, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and carried on packing. Being sure to fold her clothes neatly and keep her eyes downcast.

Nora knew he was watching her, she could feel it, but that didn't stop her from grabbing things from the closet or from her dresser drawers. She took her sweet time only stopping when she heard a distinct 'squish' beneath her foot. Closing her eyes, she didn't even want to look down. Taking a deep breath, Nora did anyway. Nearly throwing up when she lifted her foot and saw the sticky mess on her slipper, white wet strands tethering her shoe to the floor.

God fucking dammit!

Having to take another couple deep breathes, Nora kept her foot elevated and held onto the edge of the bed in order to stay balanced.

"Juice," Happy snapped, but Nora barely heard him. The large gulps of air were only making her feel dizzy, as she tried to keep herself from freaking out. Not only did the people who did this to her house trash it, but they decided to jerk off in her fucking bedroom with a pair of her underwear. There was so much of it, it couldn't have possibly only been from one man and that just made the bile rise further up her throat. Most of it was dry, but their was just enough to bring on the ick factor.

She wanted a long hot shower. Nora had never felt so dirty in her life. Well, maybe once or twice. But this was a different dirty. These people had been into her home. The one place she was supposed to feel safe. And now that safety and reassurance was gone.

"Yeah," Juice came into the room at a slow jog, a trash bag in his hand. "I was cleaning- Oh shit! Is that what I think it is?" When neither of them said anything, Juice shook his head. "Oh, that's sick."

No, shit.

"Help her out," ordered Happy, and Nora watched as he walked out of the room. She looked at Juice, wishing she could say sorry, but keeping from throwing up was a little more important. She couldn't even smile back at his hesitant smirk, as he waved a roll of paper towels in the air.

/-/-/-/

The suitcase jostled the bed and Nora sat down heavily, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. After Juice had painstakingly helped her clean up the cum, he'd been nice enough to strike up a conversation. Of course, it was a story about how he had to clean the shit off the pool table at the club house all the time when he was a prospect.

After that, he went back to whatever he'd been doing before. And while Nora probably should have been curious, she had just wanted to finish packing and get over to Eva's.

Now that she was there, all she wanted to do was sleep. Eva had even encouraged her to the moment she walked through the front door. The suitcase made a dull 'thud' as she pushed it off the bed and it landed on the floor. She curled up on her side, pulling the reaper blanket over her body and letting the distinct smell of man and motor oil lull her to sleep.

/-/-/-/

Rolling over, Nora read the neon red numbers on the alarm clock. 4am. She briefly wondered if Eva called the Library, before the headache kicked in and she pressed her arm over her eyes. She hadn't really expected a twenty-one hour nap, but it wasn't all that shocking either. After everything her mind needed a bit of a reprieve.

Flinging the blanket off, Nora sat up and ran her hands through her cropped hair, before getting up and heading for the kitchen. She didn't need a minute to realize where she was, the damage to her home was still very clear in her mind, so she wasn't about to hope it was all a bad dream.

She vaguely saw the TV screen glowing as she turned the light on over the stove, having to take a moment as she turned to the coffee maker and saw it was half empty. Her fingers tapped the counter thoughtfully. It was unlikely for Eva to be up. And while Lucia was a rebel, she doubted the woman thought drinking coffee and watching TV late into the night (or early morning) was wild. So that left one person.

She was a little ripe and all she wanted to do was tuck tail and run back to the room, but she needed something to dull the pounding in her head and Rachel's voice was there telling her to stop being a pussy.

So...

Nora found the Advil, poured her a cup, popped two pills into her mouth, swallowed a gulp of coffee, scalded her tongue, and stepped into the living room.

He glanced at her briefly before his eyes went back to the screen. And Nora took the moment to really look at him. Jeans and a wife-beater, feet chilling out on the coffee table clad in white socks, a cup of coffee in his hand as he lounged back on the couch.

Nora would have sat on the chair, but his sweatshirt and cut were thrown over it and she wasn't about to move them. Bracing herself, she walked over and sat on the other side of the couch, pulling her feet beneath her and taking a cautious sip.

The silence was awkward, but not necessarily uncomfortable. If that made any lick of sense. And as the seconds ticked by, Nora realized why he was on the couch. His room had been occupied, even though Eva told her to sleep there, she'd taken his space and now she felt guilty.

Waving a hand to get his attention, she pointed to the hallway when he looked at her. At his blank expression, she settled the coffee cup between her thighs and pressing her palms together, making a sleeping gesture, then pointed back to the hallway.

"Nah, it's fine," he said, his voice just as rough at the early hour, and promptly looked back to the TV.

Nora didn't try to argue, their communication was rather limited anyway. So, she watched a couple minutes of the high speed chase on COPS until she finished her coffee and then stood up. She told herself to just keep going, to go back to the room, but she stopped in front of him and watched as he looked up at her with a curious brow. She didn't know what made her do it, but she leaned down and kissed the side of his mouth. Pulling away so he could see her face, she then mouthed 'thank you'. For what exactly, she was still too tired to know.

Before anything could happen, Nora walked back to the room, still carrying the empty mug, but she just set it on the dresser. Laying down and covering up, she never intended to fall back asleep. She just wanted to rest her eyes for a while as the Advil battled her headache, but before she knew it, she was out.

/-/-/-/

Nora woke up a couple hours later and went about her same morning routine, only this time she popped in to say good morning to Lucia before she got into the shower. The water was scalding hot and her skin was bright red as she scrubbed her body with fervor. She would have stayed in until the water turned cold, but Nora didn't want to ruin anyone else's morning shower, so she stepped out and toweled off, before getting dressed for work and drying her hair.

Whatever trauma she endured, she'd missed enough days of work. Gary could only be so lenient and the library was already having issues with employees and work hours.

So, she walked into the kitchen with her shoulder's square and her head set on fighting Eva tooth and nail. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the four people grouped around the table. God dammit, Eva.

Lacey, Luther, and Vivica sat with Eva at the dining table, each of them with a steaming cup of coffee in front of them. She was just glad Happy wasn't there too. Lacey was the first to spot her, she stood immediately and pulled Nora into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Nor," she said, and it took Nora a minute before she returned the embrace.

When they pulled away from one another, Nora shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't anything Lacey could have done. "It's okay," she signed anyway, quickly making her way to the coffee machine and pouring her a cup.

She stirred the Splenda in slowly watching the dust-like particles evaporating, before turning around and meeting their doubtful stares. Luther started to open his mouth and Nora held up her hand, cutting him off efficiently, the look on her face was pleading. She didn't want to hear their pity. Shit happened. And she had to be strong and like Rachel would say, it could always get worse.

Nora just wanted some silence, and she got it as she leaned against the counter and tried to enjoy her coffee. She was thankful that her family stayed quiet and she watched them as they fought to keep their mouths shut. She had to hand it too them. They were a rowdy bunch who spoke their mind, and it was very difficult for them to keep their feelings inside. But, here they were, sipping their coffee in silence and holding back on the instinct to put in their two cents. It was very commendable and she loved them even more for it.

When her coffee was gone, Nora looked at the time. She washed out the cup and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek, before she grabbed her stuff and left for work. Hoping like hell that their was enough stuff to do to keep her mind busy.

/-/-/-/

The day ahead had a few surprises. One, Juice had followed her to work and then continued to escort her home. When asked, he merely smiled at her and told her he was the only one who could understand her.

Two, Michelle was actually nice to her. Like Nora had been dropped into the Twilight Zone, nice. The blonde had been bizarre all day, chipper and happy like she'd discovered a fucking unicorn. Going so far as to buy Nora lunch and striking up a conversation. She even tried to ask what certain signs meant and it all had Nora completely flummoxed.

Three, Gary had been a complete asshole. So, that could have been a reason for Michelle's more than happy attitude. The moment she walked into work, he'd been on her ass. Where had she been all day yesterday? Um, sleeping. But she didn't tell him that. She'd gone and said there was a family emergency and he had the gall to say 'what family?' Seriously? Where was the guy who was overly touchy and just a bit seductive?

However, after going over the order list, Nora understood his mood change. A few shipments hadn't arrived on time because of computer issues and people were complaining about not getting their books. It wasn't like they were buying them, they were borrowing them. If someone wanted a book so bad, go to fucking Barnes and Noble.

And while Gary's attitude was explained, she still didn't like being around it and was more than happy to get home. The moment she pulled into the driveway, though, her relief at being home disappeared. Someone, a prospect, by what it said on the back of his cut was scrubbing at her front door. She puffed her cheeks out and tore her eyes away from the scene to watch Juice pull up beside her. Letting the air out, her bangs fluttered and she finally got out of the car.

"You a'ight?" he asked, dismounting the Harley.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "Not really."

Juice stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded. "You're pretty tough to admit that," he said. Nora gave him a questioning look and he rolled his eyes. "Some chicks are clingy. And they cry. But, you? You're kinda butch-" when Nora narrowed her eyes, he shook his head and held up his hands as if backtracking. "No, no. Not in like a lesbian way. Not that that isn't okay..." Nora had to smile as he stumbled over his words. "I just mean," he sighed. "It's okay to not be okay. And you handle all this shit really well. Does that make sense?"

Nora looked over as the prospect grunted and she watched the large man wipe sweat from his forehead. "Kinda," she replied, giving Juice a small smile. And he returned it with a look of relief. Nora wondered just how Juice had become a Son. Aside from his head tats, he was just too... adorable? But she wasn't naive enough to think this man didn't have a dark side. That had happened once and she wouldn't make the same mistake again. Everyone had a dark side. Plain and simple.

With one last look at the prospect, Nora walked across the property line and toward Eva's front door. All she wanted to do was get back under the reaper blanket and take another twenty-one hour nap, preferably without a headache, so she didn't have to face Happy whenever he got back.

TBC.

A/N: I am so sorry for this GINORMOUS delay! I haven't forgotten this story by any means, seriously. But, life tends to creep up and tear my creativity down. I really wanted to write, like every day, but then when I sat down to, I'd go blank. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I couldn't put it into words. Ahem, writer's block... Then the fifth season of Sons started and I was like, 'okay, I need to get my shit together. I need to keep writing this story.' I don't think there was a day that went by that I didn't think about writing... So, I tried and this is the result. I hope this chapter isn't bad. I happen to think it's okay. I know it seems like Happy and Nora are taking their sweet time, and they are actually. I don't want them to just sleep with each other and then whoa-la Happily Ever After. Sure, they have slept together, but that was a bit of a fluke. Things were all crazy and what better way to calm down than to have hot wall-sex? With all that out of the way, Nora has issues. And certain things are going to happen before they bunk up. And they will be bunking up. So don't worry. Also... Tuesday's episode. I cried a whole hell of a lot. Thanks a lot, Sutter. Thanks a lot. Hope you all enjoy. However, I can't promise when the next chapter will be up. I'm hoping soon, but it all depends...