Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm thrilled with the response I've gotten with this one. We've got a bit of a rough road coming but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

ENJOY!


"Why didn't you tell me?" Happy asked immediately as Harlowe picked up the phone receiver. He'd spent the better part of the week treating the prison guard to a close up view of what the Tacoma Killer was capable of before burning his remains in a deep pit in the desert. Only Tig could stomach the things he did and even his fellow sociopath stepped out for a breather.

In the beginning, Hendricks talked shit, his mouth running about all the things he'd done to Happy's old lady. By the end, he was mumbling toothless pleas for mercy and forgiveness. Happy gave him half of his request in the form of a gunshot between his eyes.

"Didn't need you worrying about shit I could take care of."

"Oh, how were you planning on taking care of it?" He scoffed, rubbing his head roughly. "Can't do shit in there unless you wanna stay in there forever."

Harlowe glared at him, leaning forward to speak quietly. "It doesn't matter now does it?"

"Nah it don't because I took care of it." He growled, his fist pounding on the counter before pointing at her. "You should've told me."

They were silent for a moment, both stewing over the other's actions. Happy clenched his teeth and fist. He was overwhelmed with the desire to read her the riot act over hiding shit but knew they had limited time on their hands.

"Thank you, Hap." Her voice quietly broke the tension, her eyes shifting away when he stared intensely at her.

"Don't keep shit from me." He replied, shifting in his seat uncomfortably at her gratitude. He didn't feel as though he deserved it, not when she was in the position to be taken advantage of because of him.

"I'll try."

Happy's glare only resulted in her rolling eyes in return. She was always so stubborn. Shifting forward he asked, "He hurt you?"

"Not really. Did he hurt you?" she quipped, her eyes going to his bruised knuckles.

Happy smirked, shaking his head at the thought of all the terrible things he did to the pig. It only brought up the memories of what Hendricks told him when he was still able to talk.

"Told me some shit."

"Most likely bullshit." She muttered, her scowl deepening.

Happy grimaced at the memory of the sick claims the man made as he pulled teeth and fingernails from his body. "Mentioned your tattoos in detail."

"Showers are pretty public in here Hap. Don't listen to the shit he flung." Harlowe sighed, moving towards the glass. She met his eyes, the soft green flecked with gold, "I'm okay, Hap. Promise."

Happy grunted a bit, shaking his head to rid himself of the poison the dead guard oozed into his brain.

"How'd you get that bruise," he asked, noticing a slight discoloration on her temple.

He could see her eyes darken and watched her tense up at the question.

"Same shit, different day."

"You sure?"

Harlowe scowled, her head dipping a bit as she confessed, "Was a bit of a brawl, lost someone."

"Who?"

He could see her swallowing thickly before she replied. "A friend."

"You okay?"

"Gotta be." She huffed, looking towards the guards as they brought more inmates in for visitation.

"Anything I can take care of?" He asked, scanning her over closely.

"Nah." Harlowe shook her head. "I'm gonna take care of it."

"Don't do anything stupid, Lowe."

"I won't."

"I know." Happy his eyes flicked over her as she smiled a bit at the statement. He chewed his cheek a bit before asking the question that'd been distracting him since his visit with Poe.

"Why'd you keep in contact with Poe but tell me to fuck off?"

Harlowe's mouth dropped open as though she was going to speak, but she stayed silent.

"Why didn't you call me." Happy grunted, sitting back up to look her over with a scowl. "Why him?"

She shook her head slightly, "Talking to him wasn't as hard as talking to you. I couldn't keep my head on straight after seeing you. Those few times in the beginning were too much. It was for the best."

"It wasn't what was best for me." Happy growled, his anger bubbling up too fast to control. "You fucked me up more by cutting me out. Poe got shot because of it."

Harlowe gaped at him and his statement, her eyes wide as the guards called time. Happy clenched the phone receiver until the plastic creaked under the pressure.

"What do you mean?" she asked, ignoring the guard's presence over her shoulder.

"I was so fucked up that I didn't have my back, I didn't have his either. He took a bullet for me and is in a chair for life now."

"Time's up inmate." The guard barked next to her. "Don't make me hang that up for you."

Harlowe seemed to swallow thickly, her green eyes filling with tears at the knowledge. "I didn't know."

"You were warned inmate." The guard yanked her from her seat and slammed her to the ground, his knee pressing her into the cement.

"Hey. Ease up." Happy barked into the phone, watching helplessly as Harlowe was cuffed and handled roughly by two guards.

She was pulled from the ground and marched away, her bloodshot eyes meeting his before they pulled her through the iron bars. Happy growled, slamming the phone down before leaving the prison with Jax. The other man glancing over at him warily.

"What happened?"

"Fucked up." Happy grumbled, shaking his head as he popped a toothpick into his mouth. "Blamed her for shit I shouldn't."

"Gotta keep that shit under lock and key, brother. While she's inside anyways."

"Yeah." Happy grunted, sitting down on his bike with a groan. "Just pisses me off that she kept in contact with Poe when she cut me out completely."

"You ever think maybe she kept in contact with him to try and still be close to you?"


Four years into incarceration

Harlowe stood at the row of public phones, the receiver pressed into her ear as the robotic operator droned in the background. She heard Poe pick up and accept the call from an inmate from Chino Women's.

"Hey, Harls." he rasped, his voice a deep comfort to the woman locked away from all that was familiar.

"Hey, Poe." she replied, leaning her shoulder against the wall while her eyes watched her surroundings.

"How's it goin', you need anything?"

"Nah."

"Money in your commissary?"

"Nope. I'm flush now." she confessed, her finger twirling around the wire.

"How's that? You finally call your old man?" Poe asked, his tone hopeful.

"Nope." Harlowe scoffed, tipping her chin up in greeting to Freddie as she joined her in the common area. "No, I got some stuff coming together in here."

The phone was quiet a moment before he asked, "You aren't getting yourself into the weeds are you, darlin'? You know I don't have pull in there if you get too deep."

"I'm fine. I got a crew and some ventures that'll pay out. Don't worry about me, Poe." Harlowe explained vaguely. "Never mind that shit. How're you doing?"

"Why don't you ask what you really want to ask?" Poe chuckled, his laugh bringing a smile to her face despite what feelings the words brought up. She tried to not ask about Happy but most calls ended with a short update.

"I'd rather talk about you." The statement was an outright lie. Harlowe wanted to ask about Happy. She wanted to know if he had moved on yet, if he had a new old lady or if he was just working his way through every sweetbutt on the west coast. She imaged what he looked like, if he let his hair grow out long and curly again or if he'd finally gotten that ink he'd been planning. She was bursting with questions about the man but she never asked. Poe would divulge information to her, but she never inquired out right.

"He's gone Nomad." Poe began, his sigh telling her all she needed to know. Happy was struggling. A nomadic life was a hard life. Most travelled alone and did the jobs others wouldn't or couldn't do. It left them vulnerable to attack without having brothers to back them up and put them on the frontline of the most dangerous situations. It wasn't a life she wanted Happy to lead but knew he would always do what he had to.

"It pays well and his mom is sick." Poe went on to speak about Happy's last visit and the places he'd gone. He never divulged details but he gave her a vague idea of what Happy's life was like outside.

"Otherwise he looks alright. He's still kickin'."

"Good." Harlowe's only response was short and croaked out, her eyes burning a bit at the conversation. The robotic voice chimed in that their time was almost up, breaking Harlowe from the painful reverie that overtook her mind in the quiet times.

"You keep your nose clean, Harls. We can't lose you."

"I'm already gone, Poe." she remarked, her eyes scanning the room. "I'm not the same person anymore."

"No, you aren't but that don't mean we don't want you back here with us." he replied, his voice rougher. "We miss you, darlin'."

"Miss you, Poe. You take care of him for me, yeah?"

"I'll do my best." he chuckled before adding, "Love you, kid."

"Love you."


Harlowe stood in line next to Tara, her eyes narrowing as Lottie and her celly strode towards them. She gripped her tray knowing it made a pretty good weapon if need be.

"Eyes up." She muttered to Tara as the got closer.

"Your pet pussy is looking fine, today Lolo." Lottie sneered, her eyes scanning Tara lewdly. Her use of Freddie's nickname caused Harlowe's back to stiffen. She cocked her head slightly and sneered, "Move along, Latisha."

Lottie stepped up close to Harlowe, her mouth pursed as she looked her over. "You think you're better than me?"

"Dog shit is better than you." Tara snarked, her lip curled into a cruel smirk.

Harlowe swallowed a laugh, her eyes sparkling with humor as Lottie snarled. She shoved Harlowe but was instantly reprimanded by a nearby guard.

"Break it up, ladies!" The voice thundered, the giant of a man tapping his baton on the metal counter. "Move along."

Harlowe and Tara grabbed their trays and collected their meals before sitting in the usual spot. Coral and Jo greeted them, both looking across the room warily.

"That was funny shit but you need to watch your mouth." Harlowe chuckled, her lip curling up as Tara smirked back.

"What? She's such a bitch."

"True but you start something and I've got to finish it. I'd like to make parole in a couple years."

"How long have you been here?" She asked, chewing a bite of the dry chicken they'd served that evening.

"Twelve years, seven months." She replied keeping her eyes moving around the room while eating. When there was no response, she glanced back at Tara and saw nothing but pity.

"Jesus." Tara huffed, leaning forward. "Did you even do what they said you did?"

"You think that matters?" Harlowe scoffed, scraping up the last of her soupy mashed potatoes.

"Jax said you're here for the club." She spoke a moment later, "something about the president in Tacoma."

"You should stop talking." She muttered, looking around. "This ain't the place for this shit."

"Fine but seriously? You were what, in your twenties when you were convicted, you like 35 now?"

"37."

"God. I don't know how you've done it."

"I didn't have any other choice." Harlowe replied, balling up her napkin and tossing it on top of her empty tray. "You do what you gotta do in here."


Happy leaned against the bar top, a bottle gripped loosely in his fingers as he watched a blonde sweetbutt twirl around the stripper pole. He was watching her long limbs move and her curves bouncing as she danced, but he saw none of it.

His mind was stuck on Harlowe, the brunette was firmly the center of his attention. He'd indulged in blowjobs for the last few months since visiting her, he'd even take a sweetbutt or two back to his dorm but as he bent them over, faces hidden from his sightline, he imagined Harlowe. Being with other women hadn't bothered him since after she was first sentenced. Now it was all he could do to fight off the skin crawling feeling he had when the club girls touched him. Ever since he sauntered back through those prison walls to ask her to do another favor for the club, he hadn't been able to escape her green eyes and soft lips. It was all he saw when he closed his eyes at night.

"Still can't believe you got an old lady." Tig commented, plopping down on the barstool next to him.

"Killer's got an old lady?" The prospect asked, his eyes wide.

"Fuck off." Happy growled, slamming his beer down. "Go clean a toilet or something."

Tig chuckled as the prospect stumbled away, grabbing cleaning supplies from under the bar. Happy sneered at his friend and brother, his dark eyes doing nothing to smother the man's amusement.

"Oh come on, Hap. Gimme something." Tig whined, throwing back a shot of whiskey. "She's gotta be somethin' special with the treatment you gave that pig. I'm picturin' a blonde with big ol' titties."

"Stop." Happy growled, sipping his beer to keep from smashing it against Tig's big dumb face.

"She kinky? I bet she was, you got wild tastes." He added, smoothing down his goatee in thought, "Gotta like it rough."

"Shut up." He rasped, tossing the beer bottle into the trashcan behind the bar. "I'm not talking about this."

Tig huffed, reaching for the bottle of liquor to pour himself another shot. "Why? This shit is gold. You don't do relationships. Inquiring minds gotta know."

"Maybe he doesn't do them because he already had one." Quinn offered, joining the conversation.

"You holding out for her, Hap?" Tig asked, wiggling his eyebrows. "Using your prison clause for easy pussy, just not settling down."

"Fuck off, both of you."

"I bet she's hot as fuck." Tig hypothesized. "Like Amazonian blonde with plump dick sucking lips and a tight slice."

Happy stood up quickly, his stool flying backwards onto the floor as he gripped his brother's kutte in tight fists. "Say another word about my ol' lady and you'll shit your teeth tomorrow."

"Easy, easy." Tig chuckled, patting Happy's broad shoulders. "I'm just playing, brother."

"With fire." Quinn muttered while, lighting up a cigarette.


Harlowe gripped the mop, pushing it along the floor of the kitchen to sop up the water from the plumbing issue. Sometime during the dinner rush a pipe broke under the industrial dishwasher causing a flood of water into the kitchen and cafeteria. The maintenance team resolved the situation but the floors were still laden with puddles of still water. Harlowe, being kitchen staff, was given the task of cleaning up with Tara. They'd worked for an hour when the guard tasked to watching them began acting squirrelly. Harlowe noticed immediately as he paced near the gate, his eyes on his watch and then the hallway leading to unit B.

She kept an eye on the man as she dumped another bucket of dirty water into the drain. Her survival sense telling her something was coming.

Tara was nearby, wiping down the stainless steel counter tops.

"Somethin's up." Harlowe murmured as the guard opened the gate and walked away without a word.

"What ar-.." Tara began but choked on the rest of the sentence as Lottie and her celly, Amber, strode inside. Harlowe noticed the blade in Lottie's hand before seeing the pipe in her friends.

"Stay behind me." Harlowe murmured, gripping the mop handle tightly, while unscrewing it from the mop head.

"Lookie, lookie what we found, Amber baby." Lottie crowed, wiggling the sharp makeshift weapon in her hand. "I been waitin' for this for a long time."

Harlowe's jaw tightened as the two women approached, spreading out to circle them both. She backed up to Tara and whispered, "Keep your back to mine."

"Aww they're so cute." Amber sneered, swiping at Tara with the metal object.

Harlowe tried to concentrate of Tara's well being but the first stab of Lottie's weapon pulled her focus immediately. She blocked several of her attacks, the mop handle serving her well until the woman caught her knuckles with the blade. Harlowe gasped in pain, her hand reacting to the injury by releasing the wood stick. Without the protection, Harlowe dodged the weapon just barely, while throwing a fist at the woman's face.

She'd fought some over the years behind bars but she was far from a fighter. It just wasn't in her nature. However, as Lottie pinned her to the ground after she slipped on the wet floor, Harlowe began fighting for her life desperately.

She clutched Lottie's wrists as she shoved the blade towards Harlowe's neck, the tip nicking her skin sharply. A guttural growl ripped through her chest as she used every bit of energy left to buck the woman off with her hips.

She twisted her wrists sharply, jamming the point of the deadly weapon under Lottie's chin. She hardly registered what she'd done until blood poured from the other inmate's mouth and neck.

"F-fuck." Lottie's choked, yanking away while cupping her punctured throat. Harlowe watched numbly as the other woman stumbled backwards onto the floor, a pool of blood mixing with the dirty water. She coughed a mouthful of blood onto the floor before falling flat, her eyes fading to blank slates as the red liquid spread out across the tiles.

Harlowe spun around as she heard a grunt of pain. Amber was oblivious to her friend's fate as she slowly choked Tara to death with the pipe across her throat. Harlowe looked down in her hand to see the bloodied weapon still clutched in her palm. She felt a surge of protectiveness race through her as Tara's feet kicked out weakly.

Grabbing Amber's hair, Harlowe jammed the bloody weapon against her neck and growled, "Let her go now."

Amber flailed back, the pipe smashing into Harlowe's ribs with a loud crack. Harlowe yelped in pain but instantly attacked. She'd buried the sharpened slab of metal into Amber's ribs, the tip angled upwards. The woman scrambled to get away from her, but Harlowe felt something snap inside her. Every bit of rage she had at the world flowed through her blood covered hands as she twisted the knife deeper and harsher.

Amber coughed up blood onto Harlowe's chest but she still did not relent. It wasn't until the body fell to the floor that Harlowe seemed to snap out of her anger filled haze.

"Son of a bitch." A voice came from behind her.

Dragging her eyes from the corpses in front of her, Harlowe watched as Rodriguez approached. Behind him was the guard who'd obviously been paid by Lottie to allow the confrontation to happen. Harlowe clenched her teeth and hands as reality began to hit home. She'd just murdered two women with eyewitnesses, witnesses that were officers of the law.

Harlowe hadn't realized she had any hope left in her until it was once and for all truly wiped from existence.

She was never getting out. She would die behind bars.


*Hides behind the sofa.*

I know, I know. I am a terrible person. Forgive me for all the angst.