Walk Away from the Son
Parker Sister Saga continues – Season 2 of SoA

Chapter 8- F.M.L. (the aftermath of the Twisted Scissors Grand Opening)
By BG and Reaper

A Hard Day's Night

Tig leaned against the bar and looked around the clubhouse. Just like nearly every Saturday night, there was a party going on; a loud mash up of bikers, half naked chicks, booze, and music. It should have been exciting but in all honesty, Tig gave less than a shit about all of it. Instead of paying attention to the skank with the big boobs that stood at the end of the bar and kept giving him the eye, his mind kept wandering back to his afternoon chat with Jaci. His inner little demon was not amused by that fact and desperately needed distracted. Goddamnit…what the fuck do I gotta do to get that bitch outta my head? He frowned and took another pull from his beer and then actually hit himself in the temple with the heel of his right hand. Keep movin', keep movin', don't stop and fuckin' THINK!

"This party sucks." He announced as he walked over and nudged Chibs.

Chibs laughed. "So bad it made ya smack yourself upside the head? What's up with that, brother?"

"What?" Tig snapped and then shook his head. "It was nothing."

They scoped out the room for a long moment but the Scotsman asked, "Hey…did chya talk to Jaci today?"

"Yeah…bitch asked for a time out." Tig answered with a laugh and finished off his beer. "I was good for about five minutes."

"Time out?"

"I don't know…something stupid about playing nice or something." Tig answered distractedly. Stop talking about HER, asshole! He grimaced at the sight of a croweater as she walked past them. Jesus Christ, we need some new blood around here. That little thought actually kicked off a chain reaction in Tig's head and suddenly knew where he needed to be that night. "Let's go to the strip club."

Chibs frowned. Jaci had taken his advice and tried to reach out to Tig and the asshole had blown it. Now he was laughing about it, calling her a bitch, and wanted to go the strip club. Lost fuckin' cause. Chibs shook his head in frustration, thinking he should have slept with Jaci when he had the chance.

"You in or out, Chibsy?" Tig asked as he headed for the door.

"Aye." Chibs cocked an eyebrow, "Do I even have to ask which place we're goin'?"

"Nope." Tig grinned. "You know which bitch I'm after."

XXX

Jaci made it home from the salon without any further 'spells'. She grabbed a bottle of water and sprawled out on the couch to watch some TV. She flipped aimlessly through the channels, not really caring what was playing. She felt sorta sick to her stomach and completely wore out.

Rachel breezed in the house thirty minutes later and poked her head into the living, spotting Jaci. She announced she was famished and had stopped by Clucks N Spuds on the way home for a bucket o' chicken and some mac N cheese. She inquired if Jaci wanted any but the offer was declined.

"Mmmmmm! This is so good." Rachel announced as she plopped onto the other side of the sectional sofa, already digging into her dinner.

"Heard you got a job today." Jaci said as she stared at the TV.

Rachel grinned, "Sure did. I think you might know the place…kickass little salon in downtown Charming?"

"I may have heard of it." Jaci deadpanned as she finally looked at Rachel. "Look, Rach…I hate to be a hardass, but I guess that's my lot in life. In case you haven't noticed, Vix is a bit spontaneous…in everything she does and hiring you falls into that category. And while I have nothing against you…I have to look out for Vix and our little business venture. So I gotta say…if you have even the slightest inkling that you can't do this job or that you are gonna hose us over somehow, I'd really appreciate it if you just bailed now."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow and shoveled a forkful of macaroni into her mouth. She chewed and stewed as Jaci talked. Finally she blotted the corner of her mouth with her thumb and replied with a smirk. "Vix is my friend and she needs me so, how about thisI'll stay until the wind changes.... but even then I'll give a good forecast."

Jaci eyed the girl."Then I guess, Mary Poppins, you'll be needing a permanent place. The room you've been stayin' in is yours. I'm too tired right now to negotiate a price, so why don't you figure out what you think is fair and then knock off 10% due to the pleasure of having to share a bathroom with Vix."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, Vix is known to commandeer bathroom space and hog the hot water and she still squeezes her tube of toothpaste from the middle and that drives me crazy... but if you love Vix, you learn to love the quirks that go with her. Speaking of, I have to ask, you don't LOVE my sister do you?"

Rachel laughed. "How did I know that question was coming? Your sister is awesome in every way but unfortunately for me she is totally into guys and unfortunately for her, one guy in particular, who is apparently a complete dickhead."

"Juice isn't a dickhead, well not usually. He's just got his head up his ass. I pray nightly that sooner or later he will pull it back out but who knows." Jaci sighed. "Anywoo, welcome to Parker Place North... how much of that chicken you got left?"

"Whole bucket in the kitchen." Rachel answered with a smile.

XXX

Vix had gotten the salon back into working order in record time; she'd zipped about the place like the Energizer Bunny on meth, working off of the high she had gotten from the grand opening being a huge success, at least from a professional standpoint. While lugging a bag and a box of trash out back to the dumpster, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she stared hard at the person sitting in a chair of the bistro set. "What the fuck are you doin' here?" She snapped.

Juice rapped his knuckles lightly on the table top sighed and said "Keepin' an eye." Something in her stance made it clear to him that he'd better be a bit more specific. "Us being here today may not have been a good thing."

"Really?" She sneered. "Shocker!"

"From a security standpoint, I mean… we mighta stirred up more dust than." He paused in his explanation when she turned and walked over to the dumpster. He watched her toss the trash and turn then turn back to face him.

"So you're here on club orders? I don't buy that, last thing Clay wants is personal shit overlappin' club affairs. Given our current issues, you're the last person he or Jax would purposely send here tonight so why don't you cut the shit and tell me what the hell you're really doin' here because my good graces have plum run out."

Juice studied her, she looked on the defensive, even her stance is one of a person settin' to fight if provoked. He hated that she felt the need to be that way around him, but he understood why, he'd been a complete dick to her. He nodded towards the chair on the opposite side of the table and said, "Sit down."

"I don't think so." She shook her head. "I've been blindsided enough lately, I'll stay standin'."

"Fine."

Vix looked at him. "Um, did I forget to mention that when my good graces went they took my patience with 'em? Besides ain't you got somewhere you need to be, someONE you need to be doin'?"

"Vix, knock it off."

"Why? Have I struck a nerve? My sister was right... you probably had bitches waitin' in the wings the whole time we were together seein' as you've wasted no time in replacin' me. Intrestingly you and your friends go and burn me at the stake and denounce me a whore."

He looked like he was going to say something so Vix held up a finger. She glared at him, "I'm not done and don't you dare deny it."

"I wasn't gonna."

"Good! At least I don't have to add liar to the list of adjectives I've come to use to describe you." His eyes narrowed but she couldn't have cared less and continued, "You know what I don't get… I was nothin' but loyal to you, ONE THOUSAND percent. Your accusations were unfounded and dumb macho bullshit and your jealousy kicked into overdrive over something that was harmless and completely explainable if you'd given me the benefit of the doubt and half-a-minute."

"I know." He sighed and leaned forward in the chair, resting his forehead on the table's edge. "Look about that shit that went down, I never got to explain..."

"Are you sorry?" Vix asked suddenly.

Without taking his forehead off the table, he turned his head sideways to look at her. "I was wrong. I admit that"

"I KNOW you were WRONG. I asked if you are SORRY?"

He sat up and slumped back in the chair and began examining his trashed fingernails. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, well ya did and that can't be undone... AND it still doesn't answer my question."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"No, Juice... I am asking a question, that requires a simple yes or no answer. ARE YOU SORRY?" Vix demanded

His hesitation and avoidance of eye contact spoke louder than words could. She relented and nodded with a sigh."This conversation is going nowhere and I need to finish up here and get home so maybe, you should go." She leveled a look at him. "I do have one question." She shook her head. "Call it morbid curiosity or I don't know, sadistic need to know… where's your crazy jealously now? Now that you're with that Cara Cara Cunt, whose EVERY INDISCRESSION is available for download on the internet or for purchase on goddamn DVD. I just… I don't get it."

"Hard to be jealous when you don't give a shit." He offered with a shrug. "That chick's Nobody to me."

She had expected at least for him to balk at admitting his dalliance, so at hearing his explanation/admittance, her heart, which had shattered 2 ½ week prior, felt as if it had been now ground into fine dust. She wanted to cry or harvest his internal organs with the letter opener from her desk but was saved by a loud pounding coming from inside the salon.

They both glanced in the direction of the noise. Juice was to his feet in a split second, his hand went instinctively for the gun at his side. Telling her of the possibility of trouble had just been a plausible excuse he'd come up with... he'd not really expected any trouble but then since SAMCRO had come into his life, he'd learned that trouble didn't wait to be invited to the party. "Wait here." He said to Vix as he headed inside the salon.

When she heard him mutter, "Jesus Christ" a bit loudly, she rushed into the salon... praying she didn't need her own gun since it was in her purse, in the drawer at her station. Vix stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of their current subject of conversation standing at the door of her salon.

Vix turned her attention from the skank to Juice, "Nobody, huh? Well, your Nobody has come callin'" She glared at him then nodded towards the door, "I think it's for you."

Juice went to run his hand over his head and noticed he was still holding his gun in his hand. He hastily shoved it back in place, strode over to the door and flung it open. He eyed Tiffany like she was out of her mind, "What the fuck do you want?"

Tiff's glance shot from Vix to Juice and she offered a half-smile. "I um, I saw your bike."

He glared at her. "And?"

"Aaaand I thought maybe you'd want to get together….again.. tonight. You know, hang out and do, um other things."

Juice watched her - the words were meant to sting Vix and that kicked his already amped anger up a few more notches. "You need to leave."

Vix nodded in agreement. "So do you, Juice! Both of you get the fuck out."

Juice and the skank both looked at her. Vix just glared at the pair, needing them both gone. She was quickly losing control of her emotions and she'd be damned if cry in front of either of them.

"Vix?" Juice questioned. He felt any headway he'd made with her vanish before his eyes.

She rolled her eyes at Juice and contemplated the chick standing next to him. She tried to find some similarity with herself but they were, in her estimation, Day vs Night, Left vs Right, North vs South, hell Pepsi vs Coke. They didn't have a thing they had in common except Ta-Ta's and Pink Tacos.

Vix just shook her head for what seemed like hundredth time. "You know what, Juice… you may not wanna be with me no more." She paused not only to let the words seep in but to steady herself, saying those words almost choked her. "But you can sure as shit do better than some porno trash."

Tiff's ire flared, "EXCUSE ME! I am an Actress!"

"Sure you are… and all you bitches at the studio sportin' chaps and boots and whips are set to what? Film a documentary on horseback riding?" Vix spat back then yelled. "GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY SALON!"

Tiff took an agreesive step towards Vix and jabbed the air between them with her finger. "You don't know shit about me."

"I know all I need to, don't really want to know any more." Vix deadpanned then added, "But here's somethin' YOUR gonna want to know. You take one more step against me, they'll need fuckin' dental records to identify you."

"Are you threatening me?" Tiff stammered.

Vix switched her glare at Juice. "Take your bitch and get the fuck outta here. NOW! Shit's about to get hostile."

Tiff scoffed.

"Shut the fuck up and walk." Juice practically pushed Tiff out the door of the salon. He heard Vix slam the door behind them and his temper spiked once again. Tiff went to speak and he narrowed his eyes, "Who the fuck do you think you are?" He held up his hands, "Doesn't matter,… you're gonna want to forget you know me."

Tiff's jaw drops open "But wait... I thought we..."

Juice shook his head and sneered, "Newsflash for ya princess, there ain't no WE!" We've fucked maybe six or seven times?" He regarded the chick with a disgust. "After the cum dries, you don't mean shit to me."

He watched as her face fell… he'd never admit it but a part of him, a small part, enjoyed it. Tig, in an intense drunken ramble, had went on and on about the devil versus angel struggle he sometimes felt within him, and at that moment Juice could almost visualize his shoulder angel's halo slipping 'round her neck, choking her as she clawed frantically at the constricting devise. As the angel pried herself lose and gasped for air, Juice nodded back towards the salon, "That woman…she's a whole 'nother story. So stay the fuck away from her and her salon." He nodded off in the distance. "Get lost... NOW!"

Tiff scurried to her car, tail tucked between her legs and sped off into the night.

Juice walked over and climbed on his bike. He snapped his helmet in place and stared at the locked up salon. He was at a loss, maybe this shit between him and Vix was unfixable. He sighed and revved up his bike thinking, "Fuck My Life!"

XXX

The OH! Zone was a high-yielding strip club, a flashing neon oasis located in an industrial wasteland under a freeway overpass outside Lodi. The name of the club was constantly misconstrued to be a cleaver play on the word Ozone, but you didn't have be a Mensa candidate to realize that any reference to the OH! Zone, as it pertained to naked women, was actually referring to orgasms.

When Tig and Chibs arrived they were greeted warmly by the host, an older man with salt-n-pepper hair and an expensive suit.

"Hey, Dino." Chibs smiled and shook the man's hand. "I see Pervert's Row is especially packed tonight." The Scotsman nodded towards the area lining the stage.

Dino nodded. "Well-known feature dancer, draws 'em in every time. You want, I have the boys make room for you?"

"Nah… it's a back booth sorta night, D." Tig answered with a sinister smile playing on his lips. He patted the owner on the chest as he made a bee-line for the club's darkest corner.

Chibs' progress to the booth was made at a slightly slower pace. The Reaper on his back garnered a lot of attention from the club's girls. His ass had barely grazed the large, round leather booth, when a gaggle of 'em flocked. Tig waved most of them in Chibs' direction. He kept scanning the place, looking for a particular girl. He finally spotted her dancing for some loser with three chins and a bad toupee. She gyrated to the beat of the music pumping from the speakers while staring straight ahead at the wall. Tig felt his body seize slightly with desire but he locked it down and waited it out.

When the song ended she scanned the club and looked for her next customer. Her eyes locked with Tig's a half-second later and a genuine smile formed on her lips. She reached the table as the opening chords of FIRE by Jimmy Hendrix began. She slid in the booth, straddled his lap, and began moving her hips to the rhythm. Halfway through the lap dance, she leaned in and kissed him. The dancers weren't supposed to get that friendly with the customers, but she really didn't give a shit. If Dino knew how friendly she was getting after hours with some of the guys, he'd have a fit…but only because he wasn't getting a cut of the profits.

For Chibs, he didn't know which was more disturbing, watching a big-bosomed red head fumble on the private pole in their booth or watching Tig descend into his own private darkness. The look on his friend's face, as the dancer continued to grind him raw and jam her tongue down his throat, became one of predatory intensity. When the stripper leaned over and whispered something in his ear, Tig's mouth slid into a bone chilling grin. The song ended and she walked away but not before giving Tig one last teasing look.

"It is so fuckin' ON." Tig announced as he slammed back the last of his drink.

"In a better mood now? She's the one, huh?" Chibs asked. For years, Tig had mentioned some freak that he had met, a stripper that was into some deep dark shit. For the right price, she'd let you do damn near anything to her…and like it. Tig calling someone a freak was on par with the color calling of pots and kettles. This was the first time Chibs had actually laid eyes on the girl. "Pretty hot."

"You have no idea." Tig said playfully.

Chibs' eye twitched slightly as he heard the tone in Tig's voice. He didn't really care to for keeping company with Tig when he got like this. There was a danger…an unpredictability hanging over his friend like a dark cloud. He hung around for another hour before heading back to Charming and leaving Tig alone to wait for Freak Girl to get off … so they could both get off.

XXX

After having locked the door behind Juice and the skank, err the ACTRESS, it took every ounce of strength and restraint Vix could muster not to sink to the floor. Only the sheer will NOT to have them hear her sob carried her through the salon and up the stairs to her office. She quietly closed the door and with her back leaning against it, she slid to the floor as the tears streamed down her face. The tears turned to pounding sobs at the sound of his bike riding off into the night. Clean breaks hurt less...but we got a jagged, splintered,hurtfull mess. Vix thought as tears continued to spill. She cried and she couldn't stop, she wondered if you could cry to the point of dehydration. At one point, she wiped her now red and swollen eyes and when her vision cleared she saw a wrapped package sitting on her desk. She hadn't noticed the gift before and her curiosity was piqued. Slowly getting to her feet, she walked over and sat down at her desk. In a very un-Vix like move she went for the card first… if it was from Juice she was half-liable to chuck it unopened right out the window. To her relief the card read:

Congratulations on your Grand Opening!

You know we'd be there if we could but who would pass up 2ND row, Center for The Eagles? – All the best! Last Call Larry and Corbin "Big Daddy" Jameson.

Vix smiled slightly and sniffled a bit as she tore the paper off the box and opened the lid to find a big ol' bottle of Jack Daniels. Her eyes lit up. Not wanting to sink to the level of a complete hopeless drunk by drinking straight out of the bottle and yet not really feeling up to walking her ass the whole way down stairs to the break room, she looked around for a cup? Glass? Anything? When her eyes landed on her old Aries coffee mug that had been re-assigned the duty of holding her pens – she shrugged. She grabbed it, upturned the contents on the desk and peered inside. A forceful blow into the mug removed any and all pen particles. Opening the bottle, she poured herself an extremely liberal mount and then sat back and drank it up. Using the remote control, she flipped on the radio just in time to hear Patti Smith singing a song that was hauntingly close to describing Vix's life to a T.

There's a danger in lovin' somebody too much…

And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust...

There's a reason why people don't stay where they are…

Baby, sometimes, love just ain't enough.

Vix sat and looked around. She'd worked so hard for all of this but in the end it apparently cost her more than she ever figured. She was heartbroken, single, mortgaged to the hilt, and knocking back Tennessee Whiskey out of her pen holder. She shook her head and mumbled "Fuck My Life."

XXX

In a cheap hotel a few blocks from the strip club, a veritable pop could be heard as Tig pulled his cock from the ass of the stripper who was currently bent over the bed. He leaned his back against the wall and tried to catch his breath. After a minute he wiped sweat from his brow, pulled off the condom and tossed it in the wastebasket by the bed.

He walked back over and looked down at the girl. She had crawled on the bed and was lying on her side. Her hands were tied behind her back, preventing her from really sprawling out. He reached out and grabbed the binds, roughly yanking her backwards off the bed. The bitch hit the floor on her knees with a thud and grunt. A slight whimper escaped her throat.

"Shhhh." Tig said quietly. "You did good." He started untying her hands and unbuckled his belt that he had wrapped around her neck.

She looked up at him as she fingered her throat carefully. "How bad's the mark?" she asked hoarsely.

Tig looked her neck over and shrugged. "A little worse than last time."

"I'm charging you extra for that shit." She warned as she stood up and rolled her shoulders.

"Whatever." Tig replied as he headed to the bathroom.

The girl stared after him and smiled slightly. Tig didn't come around often but when he did it was a night to remember and damn good money. She didn't really understand how a guy with such twisted desires could turn them off and on like Tig seemed to do. The thought of him functioning normally was hard to fathom. But the in-frequency of his visits and the lack of a gossip trail within the sinister acts underground lead her to the conclusion that he was controlling himself pretty well. How a freak like Tig Trager could manage with a "normal girl" was puzzle wrapped in a paradox. The girl considered herself notches beyond hard core and yet every now and then Tig scared the shit out of her, but hell maybe that was the draw of it. She'd blow off the president of a bank for a nasty romp with the bad-ass biker.

Tig finished with his quick shower and set to getting dressed. He wiped the steam off the mirror and took a long hard look at himself. So this is it? Your brilliant fucking life? Paying some fucked up stripper to let you do fucked up shit to her so you can try to stop thinking about how you fucked up the one good thing you ever had? Fucking pathetic.

He shook his head slightly. Jaci would have slapped him for even mentioning a quarter of the shit he had just done to the chick in the other room. But he guessed that was the point…what better way to shut down thoughts of HER than to drown them in shit, to do the exact opposite of anything she would ever go for. It was a cheap tactic but it worked, but oddly, the high was already quickly fading. He pulled his shirt on and sighed before heading back into the bedroom.

The stripper was kneeling on the bed, looking seductive…completely naked except for one thing…Tig's cut. She ran her finger along the leather vest's front and smiled at him.

Tig took a huge step forward, fully intending to rush the bitch, grab her by her throat, slam her against the wall, maybe even though it, and remove his beloved cut from her forcibly. That very scene played out instantly in crystal clear vision in his head. And yet for some reason he froze. He stood planted in the doorway to the bedroom gripping the doorframe so hard he full expected either it or his hands to break. In an ice cold voice that matched his stare he said, "You'll take THAT off NOW, if you know what's good for you."

The tone of his voice was more threatening than anything she'd ever heard before and for a girl willing to do what she did, that was saying a LOT. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for him to make a move but he stayed put. She slipped the vest off and held it in front of her with shaking hands, suddenly realizing she had crossed a very, very bad line.

Tig motioned curtly with his finger for her to move to the opposite side of the room. He didn't trust himself anywhere within arms reach of the bitch. She complied and he crossed the distance to the bed and grabbed his cut. He pulled it on. "Playin' dress up with my shit will cost you." He tossed something onto the table and strolled out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

She walked to the table and looked down at what Tig had left…a single dollar bill. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. A dollar tip was a slap in the face but at this point she felt touched by an angel to still be breathing at all.

"Stupid fuckin' bitch." Tig hissed as he fired up his bike outside. He revved the bike loudly. He shook his head and laughed without humor. The only reason that stripper's jaw wasn't broken right now was because of Jaci… 'cause every now and then, with no rhyme or goddamn reason, bits of that stupid conscience she had brought back to life in him reared its ugly head and made him think twice on some shit. How's that for fuckin' irony? The bitch I fucked to try to forget her owes Jaci for not having to eat everything through a fuckin' straw for the next 6 months.

He ran his hands through his hair. Jaci would have never pulled a stunt like that with his cut; she knew better, knew cuts were to be respected. She had been fucking perfect in that respect, she knew the rules of the MC, how to act around it, what the Club meant to him, what it meant to her. She had understood his lifestyle, had tried so hard to understand him. Hell she had even respected him on some level, not that he deserved an ounce of it. But none of that mattered, he had pushed her away, now he had to live with the fallout…desperate midnight bullshit with stupid hookers and weekly romps with crow eaters that he couldn't trust farther than he could throw them…literally.

"Goddamnit, Fuck My Life."

XXX

Rachel stared at the TV, "I can't believe HE is our Governor."

Jaci laughed from her kicked back perch on the sofa. "No shit. Compared to today's movies, these things are God awful… not that they weren't even then. Vix loves old school Schwartzenegger and Stallone, Van Damme. Hell, she had a Bruce Lee fetish for years."

Headlights flash on the wall and Jaci smirked. "Speak of the devil... took her long enough to straighten up the salon."

A few minutes later, they were greeted by a ring of the door bell and not the sound of Vix's key in the lock. Rachel and Jaci exchanged a look. Jaci pulled herself off the sofa and headed for the door. She opened it to find Sheriff Unser standing on her porch practically holding up a very intoxicated looking Vix. Her little sister laughed and announced in very slurred speech, "Drank a fifth of Jack…Devil dared me to drive."

"Jesus Christ!"The exclamation escaped Jaci's lips along with a groan. "Seriously?"

Unser nodded. "Sorry to show up like this but I figured home'd be a bit better place for her to sober up than my holding cell."

"Doubt that." Vix scoffed. "I told 'im you're more hostile than any prison warden could ever be… and I got like a life sentence with you, chica."

"Yeah well THAT LIFE coulda been cut real damn short tonight." Jaci pointed out not bothering to cover the harsh quality of her voice.

"Fuckin' whatever." Vix hissed. "YOU are a total buzz kill, man." Her speech was slurred and she eyed her sister hard. "I blame Wendy, whose Fuck Up brought us to this god-forsaken town. And I blame, you…" She jammed her finger at Jaci. "I blame YOU for … for… loving me enough to back my stupid ass salon buying idea that now has me trapped in this town for-fuckin-ever… where I have to watch HIM and his Cara Cara Cunt, excuse me ACTRESS… parade their shit up and down god damn Main Street and shove it down my thoat! Why do you have to be soooo supportive Jaci, why? Why can't you just be self-absorbed like everydamnbody else on the planet." Vix tossed a glare at Unser. "Go ahead, you can blame her, too. She enacted Prohibition HERE, forcing me to drink elsewhere and drive."

Vix pushed her way past her sister and Rachel and headed down the hall to her bedroom. She slammed the door for effect.

Jaci and Rachel looked to the Chief of Police for clarification.

Unser sighed, "Spotted her out by the water tower… swerving all over the place and driving about a mile slower than Dale Earnhardt Jr, on a Sunday afternoon."

"This goin' on her record?" Jaci asked with a sigh.

"No. Although it should, she coulda killed herself or somebody else operating a car in her current condition. I looked up her Motor Vehicle Record, this citation would put her way over the points limit. She'd lose her license for six months and be required to take Alcohol Awareness classes. Thought this once, I could look the other way. Thought maybe you could talk to her." He shrugged, "She's just be lucky it was ME and not Hale who pulled her over."

Jaci groaned, "Thanks Wayne. We appreciate it…both of us. I'll let her sleep it off tonight, talk to her tomorrow. She's been taking the break up with Juice very hard, and well… I am not making excuses for her behavior but…"

"Yeah, you kinda are." Unser patted Jaci on the shoulder. "But just keep an eye on her, tonight coulda ended badly."

Jaci nodded.

"I left her car out on the side of the road about a half mile past the water tower. Made sure it was locked up, it should be safe there over night but if you want me to have it towed here, you know where I'm gonna have to call."

Jaci grimaced. "Nah, best let those sleepin' dogs lie. We'll get it in the morning."

"Ok then ladies, I'll bid you goodnight."

The sheriff left and the girls went back inside with Jaci closing the door softly. Her BP that had graciously given her a few hours of peace was now jacked the-fuck-up and she was honestly scared to take her pulse. If the thumping in her ears was any indication, her heart was doing The Conga. Suddenly she had had her fill of bullshit and pushed off the door. She stalked down the hall to her sister's room and threw open the door. She found Vix sitting in the middle of her bed, back against the headboard…crying.

Her heart would have broken at the sight if her sister's snarky comment of "Knock much?" hadn't quelched her natural soothing instinct.

Jaci stood hands on her hips and glared at her baby sister "I'll knock your damn head against the wall if you don't stop this shit."

Vix rolled her eyes and glared. "Yes, Mom. No wait! Mama woulda been playin' bartender … pourin' the damn drinks, right?"

Jaci held up her hand. "I've had enough of the BOTH of us hanging shit on our past. Yeah we mighta had a jacked up child hood but who the fuck's child hood was perfect? No fuckin' bodies… so spare me the dysfuctional family bullshit and take responsibility for your own damn actions. You coulda killed yourself or somebody else, Vix. And I just stood out there and made excuse for you with the Chief of Damn Police."

"Well who asked ya?" Vix snapped. "If I could drink in MY house I wouldn't need to drink and drive. I had a rough goddamn night. Juice…"

Jaci cut her off, "While we're at it… let's stop piling all of this on Juice too. It sucks what happened but it's time to get over it. Seriously, he acted half-way decent at the opening today.."

"Right!" Vix laughed. "Well THAT was THEN. I was doin' real good 'til him and his new porn star girlfriend accosted me in my damn salon."

Both Jaci and Rachel sucked in startled breaths. Jaci shook her head in an attempt to get her brain to wrap around these newly released facts. Apparently the head shake was a Parker Family Trait.

Rachel stared at her friend, "What the fuck did they want, a threesome or some shit?"

Vix shrugged and then hugged her knees to her chest. "I don't know, Juice scared the crap outta me when I found him there. And I thought at first he was gonna apologize but then, as normal, that whole conversation went sideways. I mean you normally require a crystal ball and a roadmap to venture into one of our conversations but…. Well then that bitch shows up…"

Her voice faltered, "She showed up there to pick him up… as if it was the normalest thing on the planet… so they could hang out and do other things. Even stressed that it was a continuing thing… AGAIN, fuckin' whore." Vix shook her head sadly, "I told him flat out he can do better than that skank. Then the bitch tried to step to me."

Jaci and Rachel both stared at Vix as she continued her little tirade. "I'm a ACTRESS! Yeah and and I'm a Rock Star!" She noticed the worried glances of her sister and her friend. "What?"

"You weren't drinking that fifth of JD as a toast over their dead bodies, were ya?" Rachel questioned.

"Drinking don't solve any problems, Vix." Jaci chided.

Vix rolled her eyes and stood up on wobbly legs. She waved her sister off. "Oh, don't you go all fuckin' Jehovah on me. You hit the bottle HARD when Tig dumped your ass AND you hid out in O-town for months. I DON"T HAVE THAT LUXUARY!"

Jaci started to fire back at her sister but instead she just slumped her back against the bedroom wall. Suddenly she was fighting an internal panic as the 'episode' that had started the moment she shut the front door behind Unser started getting worse. She switched from trying to reprimand to just trying to calm down.

"What's wrong? You getting too MAD? Gonna go all HULK on me?" Vix cocked her head and laughed. In an imitation of a guy's BIG voice, she continued taunting her older sister, "'You wouldn't like me when I'm mad!. Vix slammed her fists together. "HULK SMASH!"

Knowing she'd have a better shot at nailing jello to a tree then talking sense to a drunk, Jaci just flipped her sister off and walked out of the room. "Get your head outta your ass."

Vix eyed her sister's back as she left. "What's her problem?"

"Not to quote the Beatles, but it's been a Hard Day's Night. Go to sleep." Rachel said and left the room as well.

XXX

Unser backed out of the drive at Parker Place onto Elm Street. A Harley could be heard in the distance, anything BUT an odd occurrence in the town. As he slowed to a stop where Elm intersected with Laurel Street, he watched Tig Trager ride by.

Tig rumbled by the entrance to Elm Street. He didn't even bother slowing down as the Chief's car pulled onto the street behind him. Tig shook his head and smirked to himself. The Parker Sisters, man. They're one Nightmare on Elm Street that even ol' Freddy'd steer clear of if he had a goddamn brain.

XXX

Jaci had spent fifteen minutes sitting in the floor of her bathroom. Her head was splitting and she had waited to see if she would hurl or just pass out from her latest 'spell'. Finally the pain lifted and she pushed up to her feet and headed for bed. She laid on her back in bed with the palms of her hands resting on her eyes. How much crazy shit can we cram in one day? Is it not possible just to have a GOOD day? Always gotta be some damn dramatic twist…Beautiful salon opening…but let's have the damn MC crash the party, my little sister's dream comes true but then her asshole ex has to piss on the parade with a porn star! So Vix's playing drunken NASCAR driver while our junkie sister won't show her face in town- even though her baby son resides here, so there's no damn telling what she's up to and Tig's still being a dick and I'm just trying NOT to stroke the fuck out. FUCK MY LIFE!

Jaci grabbed the pillow next to her and slammed it over her face; it muffled her scream of frustration very well. A second later, a pang of guilt hit her. Roxy would have her ass for saying something like Fuck my life; she'd look at that as essentially spitting in the eye of God and forsaking all the blessings He had given them. Jaci took a ton of deep breaths and finally settled down.

She sighed and tossed the pillow aside and stared up at the ceiling. She steepled her hands against her head, old habits were hard to break, and her lips began to move.

Hey God...it's me. Sorry about that little fuck my life comment. Just a little bit frustrated, you know, hanging out here waiting to see if my head will actually physically explode or not. I know I take on too much sometimes so if this is just your way of telling me to slow down and chill out, I totally get it. I don't know what the heck is wrong with me, but I'm really hoping you haven't decided to throw something super awful my way. I mean, if it's a trade off sorta thing, like I have to have THIS so some little kid doesn't have to lose a leg or something then that's cool. But please let me at least be AROUND.

You KNOW I've got people to take care of, right? There's Wendy and Abel and I thought Vix was all good but now we've hit this HUGE Juice snag and if she starts turning back the way she used to be, drinking and whoring around, you KNOW I gotta be around to head that shit off. I'll be a good girl and go to the doctor tomorrow with Tara, ok? But any slack you could cut me in the serious illness category would be greatly appreciated, deal?

Jaci blew out a deep breath. Some people might laugh at the way she prayed but that was how Roxy had taught her to do it when she was five. Just talk to the Big Guy like he's your buddy. You don't have to be all formal and shit. Jaci was far from religious; she actually kinda detested organized religion, too many hypocrites for her liking and she couldn't grasp the idea of all the different religions and someone supposedly being RIGHT and all the others being WRONG. But she did believe that there was a higher power of SOME sort and to each their own and all that jazz. So she talked to the Man Upstairs on occasion and in her mind He didn't mind bluntness and profanity. Actually she was fairly certain He couldn't stand bullshitters, so she always shot straight with Him. Most times the little chats helped, although she didn't know if it was divinity or just talking out her issues that gave her clarity.

She recited her normal prayers for family and friends, the stock requests of watch over so and so and keep so and so safe and healthy, etc. At the end of the list she bit her lip,

Ok...and I KNOW I said I was done with him...but could you please smack Tig over the head with a lightning bolt or do SOMETHING to make him less of an asshole? I don't know what the heck is wrong with that boy so, as always, any insight you could give me would be appreciated. I know I've been praying for clarity with him and then I was praying for bodily harm to come his way and I KNOW that was wrong and I'll try to stop doing it. I guess I'm just putting all of it in your hands. You and I both know there's more to him that what's on the surface. It'd be nice if you could just FIX him.

Another sigh escaped her and she was beginning to feel sleepy.

Ok, I've bent your ear enough tonight. Take care...and if Vix is sending up some drunken rant to you right now, just tune her out, she doesn't know what she's saying. Amen.

EASY, LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

Bobby was up early and puttering around his house. He was clad in a short, silk Japanese inspired MAN robe that was belted low around his big, Buddha belly and wore house shoes. He sang to himself as he strolled into the kitchen, heated up the stove and cracked a few eggs into a skillet.

Oooh, that's why I'm easy...

I'm easy like Sunday morning.

That's why I'm eeeeeaaaaassssyyyyy

I'm easy like Sunday Morning...

Why in the word would anybody put chains on me?

I've paid my dues to make it….

XXX

Vix's cell phone alarm roared to life extremely early. She groaned and after two attempts she managed to slide the phone open and press the off button. Going back to sleep was not an option, she was awake now. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling of her bedroom with a sigh. Her Sunday alarm was set at this ungodly hour because she had been regularly attending church with Ruby and The Olds. She'd really grown to love that group of bat ass crazy seniors and now that it was overly apparent that there would be no reconciliation between her and Juice, she knew she'd lose them too. By default of Ruby being blood kin to Juice, he'd win her in the "divorce" and with her came the rest of The Olds. Acknowledging both of those things made her feel very empty inside and the need to run filled her. She snatched her keys off the kitchen counter and walked into the garage but her Charger was nowhere to be found… Mothershitfuck!

XXX

Jaci bounded out of her bedroom and did a quick sweep of the house. She didn't find Vix anywhere and as she walked out the front door and saw Rachel's car still parked in the driveway, she wondered where the hell her little sister was. What the fuck? Her car's still out by the freakin water tower. She had totally missed the note Vix had left for her so she tried Vix's cell but got voice mail. She left a quick message just as Tara was pulling up to pick her up for the doctor's appointment.

XXX

Having set his table and prepared his breakfast, Bobby headed out to snag the newspaper from his porch before he settled in to eat. He walked out to get the newspaper on his front porch, still singing…

Yeah! oooh, that's why I'm easy,

I'm easy like Sunday morning…that's why I'm eeeeeaaaaasssssyyyyy…

I'm easy like Sunday Morning.

He looked up and saw Juice's bike parked on the street out front. Juice was laid back in the grass nearby, exhaling smoke rings. Sighing to himself, Bobby hollered out, "Ya know, if I wanted a lawn ornament, I'da picked one better lookin' than you!"

Juice sat up and turned to look back at Bobby. "Hey…. you got a minute."

"Yep, but something tells me this is gonna take a lot longer than that." Bobby headed back to his house. "Come on in.. the eggs are getting cold."

Juice got to his feet and flicked his cigarette butt to the street as he headed into the house. Joining Bobby in the kitchen, he eyed the shorty robe and shook his head, "Dude, please tell me you at least got shorts on under there. No way in hell do I want to catch an eye full of your man junk."

.

Bobby ignored the comment and inserted bread into the toaster, "So what's on your mind?"

"Vix." Juice replied without hesitation, "Can't get her off my goddamn mind and it fuckin' sucks. I can't figure out how to fix this shit between us and I... I got no one else to turn to, man."

Bobby smirked, "What about Yoda Tig? You've found him full of wisdom as of late."

The toast popped up and Bobby grabbed it, slapping butter on it as he listened to the kid.

"Tig's advice sucks! I'm pretty sure he gives it knowing it's complete shit just for the pleasure of watching the aftermath."

Bobby nodded, "Umm hmm… wouldn't doubt it."

"And well, Chibs' advise of just talk to her totally backfired. I was thinking about going to talk to Jax, but he's been acting odd and seems more apt to kick my ass than tell me what to do. And besides, he probably thinks Vix is better off without me or some shit. And going strickly by appearances he'd be right. She seems ok on the surface but this shit between us ain't just surface deep and well no way in hell am I goin' to Opie. Dude just lost his wife, I am not about to ask him advise on how to fix my LOVE LIFE."

Juice sighed and continued. "And I DID ask Piney, but the guy laughed at me and said that last time he dated was during the Regan administration and look where it got him. He's a lonely, bitter old bastard… what does he know?"

When the kid stopped rambling, Bobby nodded his head, contemplating the kid, "So I'm the last one on the list... bottom of the advise chain. Makes me feel all warm and cuddly."

Juice nodded. "Sorry, it's just… your known for to be Pro-Parker and…"

"And what the Hell is wrong with that? You know if that list had been inverted in the first place, you wouldn't be in this pickle. If you had used the brain God gave ya and thought about shit first, asked the obvious questions instead of going all Neanderthal …. "

"I know. So…?"

Bobby pushed a plate of food in front of Juice. "Listen while you eat. You know you're probably gonna balk at my advice, right? The advice you need to heed is normally the last thing you want to hear and certainly the furtherest from what you want to do."

Juice paused mid bite... and then swallows hard. "Let her go, right? That's what your advice is gonna be?"

Bobby nodded. "You know the person on the receiving end of that advice about if you love something set it free - if it comes back it was yours if it don't it never was? He probably wanted to kick his adviser in the balls. But why do you think that saying is so well known, even now, all these years later?"

"Cause it's true?"

"Jackpot, if that advice had been complete shit... it have never been repeated brother."

"It fuckin' sucks, dude." Juice said with a sigh.

"Mmmm hmmm." Bobby nodded. "Every action has a consequence and the one your stuck with is ridin' solo for a while. And by solo I mean knock the shit off with the porno chicks and really with the crow eaters. If you want Vix back, you gotta honor that, man. Don't disrespect her on her own turf or let what happens abroad filter back to her. Vix showed UN-NATURAL amounts of restraint yesterday at the salon opening when she did the math and got wise to Ms. Cara Cara but…" He noticed a look on the kid's face. "What?"

"The salon opening is the least of what happened yesterday." Juice quickly filled Bobby in on the unfortunate events of later that evening, at which Bobby just groaned and shook his head.

"Well I think the one positive spin that I can put on that story is that when you fuck up, you give it 100% effort. That and you must be a pretty good lay since fate seems to like fuckin' ya."

Juice slumped his shoulders.

"Look, the advice is still the same. Just knowing how the night ended... it may take Vix longer to come around. It is goes against Vix's grain to let things slide... like I said she showed remarkable grace at the opening. And the fact that your ass is in my kitchen and not buried in some shallow ditch right along side the dim-wit porn chick, well THAT was DEVINE INTERVENTION or something. Vix ever lets you within three paces of her, I'd check her over for Stepford level body tampering."

Bobby stood up and started clearing away the breakfast dishes, singing once again.

Yeah! Oooh, that's why I'm easy, I'm easy like Sunday morning…

Tthat's why I'm eeeeeaaaaasssssyyyyy…

I'm easy like Sunday Mooooorrrrrrning...

I wanna be high... so high...

I wanna be free to know the things I do are right

I wanna be free, just me

Oh, babe…

XXX

Tig woke up with a start. He frowned and tried to recall the dream he had been having but it eluded him. He stared at the ceiling and got the distinct feeling that something was wrong. He grunted and rolled out of bed, walking naked to the bathroom. He finished taking a piss and stood in the bathroom with a scowl on his face. Goddamnit…what the fuck is off here? He shook his head and got the shower to running and mused on the odd feeling he was having. He dried off five minutes later and walked back into his bedroom. He was throwing fresh clothes onto the bed when his eyes landed on the clock.

9AM….THAT was the fucking problem. It was SUNDAY and only 9AM and not only was Tig awake, he wasn't hung over…he was completely alert. He used to like Sundays…he would spend them alone being lazy or sneaking time with Jaci. But for months now, he had come to hate the seventh day of the week. Being alone for him had turned to a bad thing…being alone and sober meant he had time to think about shit. Lately he made sure he spent his Saturday nights getting drunk as shit so that he would spend his Sundays sleeping all day. By the time he would finally drag his hung over ass out of bed, it was time to grab something to eat, hang at the clubhouse for a while and then go back to bed.

Tig got dressed and stood in the middle of his bedroom with his hands on his hips struggling with the unfamiliar feeling of the day. Awake before noon and sober…what the fuck do I do now? He knew he couldn't stay in the house alone all day, his brain couldn't handle that. He stalked to the kitchen and grabbed the keys to his bike.

XXX

Jaci and Tara sat side by side in the lobby of the clinic at St. Thomas; since it was Sunday there was no other option, no private doctors were open for business. Jaci finished completing the patient paperwork and waited for her name to be called. Thirty minutes later a nurse opened the door and poked her head out, "Jaci Parker?"

She stood and took a deep breath as she glanced at the nurse and then to Tara. Tara gave her a small encouraging smile but looked like she wanted to tag along. Jaci nodded toward the exam rooms. "Come on, I'm gonna tell you everything anyway. Might as well hear it first, hell ask questions if you want." The girls headed toward the nurse and Jaci said quietly, "Besides, I'm suddenly feeling a bit chickenshit."

XXX

At Gemma and Clay's house, Gemma stood pouring herself another cup of coffee in the kitchen.

She looked over to her husband and tried to think of something to talk about. "So…I guess I owe the guys a thank you for their good behavior at the Vix's Grand Opening yesterday?"

"Vix's Grand Opening…sounds like a whorehouse instead of a salon." Clay mused with a snort as he looked over the morning paper. "Yeah the boys' good manners were just brimming over. But I think we still managed to piss Zoebell off, gave him the evil eye."

Before Gemma could respond, there was a knock at the back door. She turned around and saw Tig give a curt wave from outside. Surprise washed over her face. "Uh…it's Tig."

Clay frowned and checked his watch as Gemma glanced at the clock on the wall. They looked at each other with curiosity.

"Well this can't be anything good." Clay mumbled and headed for the kitchen and let Tig inside. "Morning, sunshine…little early for you ain't it?"

"Yeah, sorry man." Tig said sheepishly. He caught Gemma staring at him with slight concern. "Oh nothing's wrong…just thought I'd see what was going on today."

Clay laughed and headed back to the kitchen table. "It's before noon on a Sunday and you're out and about…that's not WRONG?"

"Well…it's definitely different." Tig admitted as Gemma handed him a cup of coffee. He settled into the chair to Clay's left…just like at Chapel. The trio made small talk and commented on the topics of interest from the morning paper for a little bit.

"So what's going on today?" Tig asked for the second time since arriving. He needed a distraction like a junkie needed a hit.

"Dunno…guess we could go on down to the garage, mess with that…" Clay started to suggest.

Gemma interjected. "If you two are just itching for something to do today, those shrubs in the backyard still haven't miraculously uprooted themselves from my flowerbeds."

Clay groaned. "Goddamn shrubs, shit. Alright alright…we'll call the Prospect and get him over here. I'll get the chainsaw ready."

Tig's ears perked up at the mention of a chainsaw. Suddenly hard manual labor and power tools sounded like a very good idea to him. "I thought the Prospect was banned from chainsaws since the deer head incident? Don't get that dumbass down here…he'll end up slicing through your damn phones lines or some shit." Tig finished off his coffee and pulled off his cut, draping it over the kitchen chair. "I'll do it, no problem." He announced and headed for the back door.

XXX

Vix was jogging down the main road that led out of town. She was thinking perhaps the part of her that wanted to cut and run so badly the night before had persuaded her to drive towards the city limit sign like the bat outta hell, Unser had declared her. She heard the Harley before she saw it, but not soon enough to duck outta sight. Damnit, well fuck 'em. She kept on running.

Kipp was out and about early, returning from some crazy club assignment in Pope when he saw a chick running. Even clad in light weight sweats and a hoodie, he harbored an instant admiration for her form. He glanced back and as he caught sight of her face he locked the brakes up instantly - both on the lewd thought that had been wafting thru his brain and on his bike. He stopped a few yards in front of her.

Vix rolled her eyes at The Prospect and kept jogging past him.

"Vix?" He called after her. When she didn't respond, he sighed and climbed off his bike to run after her. "Vix...hey Vix! VIX! Oh for the love of Christ, will you just stop?"

She stopped running and bent over with her hands on her sides to catche her breath. As he got closer, she stood up straight and glared at him. "What, Kipp? What do you want?"

"Are you ok?"

Thinking over the last 24 hours... hell, the last several weeks, she sneered and replied. "Yeah! Just peachy!"

"Is um, someone chasing you?" He questioned.

She did a double take at him and then turned and stared down the dead road in the direction from which they'd both come. "Does it look like it?"

Kipp scratched his head and looked down the road, "Um, ok... no. So why are you running?"

Vix rolled her eyes again. Oh my fuckin' God! "I don't know, to burn off energy or that fifth of Jack D, I downed last night. Why do you care? Gonna go rat out my exercise regimen to your boys?"

Kipp shook his head no but Vix smirked. "Sure you will. Well here... take a good look at my ass as I run along. Better make sure you nail THAT description cause I've got killer 'glutes, right?"

His body involuntarily answered her question as he nodded but then he frowned and shook his head no. He knew any description made by him regarding Vix's ass would end very badly for him when word of it got back to Juice.

Vix eyes him, "Whatever. So seriously, what do you want? I've got like three hours before I open my salon for my first official day of business and I need to find my car."

"Someone stole your car?"

"Well, that's at least a less stupid question... NO! I misplaced it... kinda. It's somewhere in Charming.. I just don't know exactly where."

"Charming is 22 square miles... are you planning on footing it?"

"I don't have a plan, Kipp." She tossed her hands in the air. "Every plan I make goes to shit... so I am just gonna fly by the seat of my pants and..."

"Doesn't that constitute a plan… on flying by the seat of your pants?"

"Anymore idiotic questions out of you will constitute an ass kickin.'" She warned. "Look, to quote Henry Darling... I'm burning daylight here... so, I gotta go."

She took off running again and he tagged along beside her. "Don't! Look, I'll help ya find your car. Let's grab my bike; it'll be quicker that way."

Vix stopped and stared at him, "Why would you want to help me? The same guy who FUBAR'd my life now wants to help me? Excuse me if I tell ya to kiss off."

Kipp nodded and laced his fingers together as he held the top of his head, trying to keep his brains from falling out. "I deserve that."

"Damn Skippy you do!"

He sighed."Look, I never meant for this to spiral outta control. I, I just wanted Juice to keep a close eye on you. That professor of yours is a total skeeze... hittin' on you like that in public, trying to …seduce you, even after you mentioned you were hooked up with Juice."

"You think I didn't realize that? You thought I'd fall for that shit?" Vix questioned. "I knew what he was doing and it was harmless and leading no where. Connor ain't my type. And for your information, it takes more than a hard dick and a pulse to tap this ass." She exhaled deeply. "I loved Juice... still fuckin' do!" She waved her hands around. "Don't matter though, none of it, not your apology or my explanation. He's all happy with his porno chick and…" That statement stung and she had to pause.

Kipp was suddenly laughing and she glared at him."WHAT THE HELL IS FUNNY?"

He chuckled, "You said Porno Chicken."

"What?"

"You said Juice is happy with his Porno Chicken."

"No I didn't. I said Porno Chick and..."

A giggle escaped Vix as she realizes her unfortunate need to pause caused a cosmically silly moment. They were both soon cracking up on the side of the road. Vix nodded and wiped her eyes. "Juice and his Porno Chicken!"

Half Sack smiled and nodded. "Yep! Juice and his Porno Chicken. Come on." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Let me help you find your car... I can at least try to fix that. Besides, if I leave you out here the entire MC will have my ass."

XXX

The doctor breezed into the exam room a bit later. Jaci sat on the exam table with Tara in a chair to her left. The doctor greeted Tara first and then shook Jaci's hand. He asked her what brought her in and with a fellow doctor for a chaperone no less.

Jaci explained her symptoms: horrible headaches, irritability, weird arm sensations, dizziness, etc. The doctor frowned as he placed situated the blood pressure cuff on Jaci's arm. He began pumping up the contraption and his expression soon turned to surprise as he got a read on her blood pressure. He half smiled and muttered that the reading couldn't be right. He started pumping up the cuff again.

Goddamnit, what's the reading when you cut off my fucking circulation? Jaci thought as the cuff cut into her arm.

The doctor frowned again and released the last bit of pressure from the cuff. "Do you have a headache right now?"

"Yeah, but just a little one; nothing too bad."

"What was her blood pressure?" Tara asked with concern.

"162/112." The doctor said bluntly. Tara's eyes widened. "If your headaches are getting worse than they are right now that makes me believe your blood pressure is getting even higher."

Jaci reminded them she was the non-doctor in the room. "Soooo, what's it supposed to be?"

"120/80."" Tara replied with a nervous smile.

"Oh." Jaci said and then smirked. "Guess I flunked that test then huh?"

"Well, I've got another test for you." The doctor said as he started to walk to the door. "There are several reasons why a person's blood pressure could be elevated, especially at your somewhat young age. For women, sometimes a pregnancy could be the culprit."

The smirk fell from Jaci's face instantly. "But I'm on the Pill."

"When was your last period?"

Jaci's brain was frozen for a moment and then jump started again. "Um…" She frowned as she realized she couldn't remember if she had had a normal cycle in awhile. "I think I might have missed a month?" She glanced at Tara, whose lips were forming an O.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" The doctor said as he exited and shut the door. A moment later, a nurse walked in and asked Jaci to follow her. Jaci shot Tara a worried look as she complied.

XXX

Gemma heard the chainsaw roar to life in the backyard and walked over to the window to watch Tig begin to rip through the shrubs. She glanced at Clay who stood to her left. "Tigger's voluntering for domestic shit?"

Clay let out a sigh. "Hope you're happy…it's your fault he's acting so weird." She cocked an eyebrow. Clay pointed at her. "It was YOUR brilliant idea to force him to go to that damn open house. I'm pretty sure he talked to Jaci while he was there…now his head's all fucked up again."

"When is his head NOT fucked up?"

"Funny. She fucks with his head in an extra special way, how's that?" Clay retorted sarcastically. "And now I'll have to hear it all damn day."

"He talks to you about her?" Gemma asked, disbelievingly.

"Hell no…Tig's goddamn leg could be on fire and he wouldn't talk about it…he'll talk AROUND it."

Gemmed snorted. "Well…send him in here to me later…I'll talk to him about her."

"Not happenin'." Clay said with finality as he headed outside to supervise his friend. The Prospect might do something stupid with a chainsaw…Tig would do something devious.

XXX

Ten minutes later, Jaci trudged back into the room with her head hung low and a bandage in the crook of her arm. She climbed onto the exam table and sighed.

"And?" Tara asked, the worry heavy in her voice.

"Don't know yet." Jaci shrugged. "Gave a urine sample and blood. They said they'd check for a baby and run all sorts of level tests on the blood work. The tests are gonna take a while but doc'll will drop by in a few minutes to go over family history." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh."

Jaci's heart was pounding as she sat on the exam table and stared down at the floor. For some reason, she couldn't meet Tara's eyes. She held her arms close to her chest and picked at her bottom lip with her fingers. A steady chant of holy shit, holy shit, holy shit started to roll through her head. She'd always worried about Vix getting knocked up, not herself. Smart and careful girls like herself didn't do stupid things like get knocked up by psycho bikers! She swallowed hard and panic fell out of her mouth. "Jesus Christ…if I'm knocked up, Tig's the baby daddy. We fuckin' hate each other now. Oh damnit, what did I do?"

Tara winced as she saw the nerves overtake her friend. She shook off the shock and tried to be helpful. "Now wait a minute...you guys have been broken up for a while, right? When's the last time you slept with him… or anyone else?"

"There hasn't been anyone else and it was a couple of months ago…the last time with Tig." Her brain flashed to the near hookup with Chibs. Amen to good brakes, that's all I need, to not know WHO the father is. Goddamnit, I'm such a fucking idiot.

"Are you having any symptoms like you might be pregnant?"

"You mean OTHER than the missed period, high blood pressure and weird feelings?"Jaci snapped.

"Any morning sickness? Weight gain?"

Jaci shook her head. "Well I probably put on a few pounds but that could be from drinking a lot and not exercising. Oh shit! Drinking while pregnant, that's fuckin' brilliant."

Tara shook her head. "I don't think you're pregnant…I mean, if it's been that long since you've been with him. You should be having morning sickness by now."

"But some people don't right?" Jaci asked with worry in her voice. "I was actually watching this show on TLC the other night. This chick didn't know she was pregnant until she started GIVING BIRTH! What if that's me? What if I'm some sort of freak? Ah shit, I'm gonna be sick."

Tara held her hand out. She'd never seen Jaci loose her cool like this before. "Calm down. It's ok, it's gonna be ok."

Jaci laughed. "Are you fucking kidding me? I could be carrying Tig Trager's baby! How the FUCK is that ok?" She put her hands on top of her head and closed her eyes. Silence fell in the room and a few moments later, Jaci was calmed down a bit. She swung her legs and kicked the exam table softly. "Ok, sorry for the little freak out. I'm just going to chill out and see what the test says. If it's negative, then lesson learned and condoms will forever be used in tandem with the Pill no matter WHOM I'm sleeping with. If it's positive, fair warning…I'm going to lose my mind."

Tara gave her an uneasy look, finally Jaci asked what and the doctor was honest. "I was just thinking…I don't think I'd touch Tig without a condom. He has…a bit of a reputation."

"Yeah, well…the heat of the moment with Tig is very…well, HOT and sometimes good judgment falls to the wayside. And then once you start down that slippery slope, it's hard to get back on track."

XXX

He'd been watching her most of the day. He had business that took him past her hair salon quite frequently. When he estimated she was about done, given the shortened hours of operation on a Sunday, he pulled to a stop in front of Twisted Scissors and walked inside.

Vix was sweeping up after her third to last appointment on her first official day open when she heard the chimes ring. She glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, "I'm not drunk no more...see?" She struck one of those Stupid Human Trick poses that cops just love to make drunk drivers try.

Wayne Unser chuckled. "Good to know... seein' as how you're wielding scissors and workin' with chemicals."

Vix resumes a normal stance and eyed him up, "So whatcha want, Chief?"

"Been watchin'... business looks real promising."

"Yeah it does... and praise be that, right? I need to be making some money and the people of this town need their hair cared for. Speaking of, you lookin' for a trim or somethin'? I'm booked solid through next Saturday but I could squeeze ya in."

"Um, no!" Unser chuckled. "No offense or anything, I've heard good things about your work. It's just I've got a bit of a monogamous relationship with Floyd."

Vix smiled, "Wouldn't want to be caught cheating with me. So if you're not here to get beautified, why are ya here? Wait if it's about last night... I definitely owe you a debt of gratitude. I know exactly how close I am in points to havin' my license yanked for a spell. That stupid ten-miles-over-the-limit in a construction zone bullshit. Anyway, I may have not been too appreciative last night but in the light of day, I really am. Thanks, Chief."

Unser nodded. "We've all been there, Vix. I heard what's been goin' on between you and Juice and I'm sorry 'bout all of that. He's a good fella, just a bit too easy for the other guys to influence for good or bad reasons."

Vix sighed, "Ya know Chief, I'm struggling real hard at havin' a good day and discussin' Juice ain't really aiding in that regard."

"Got something might cheer ya up...a little present." Unser held up his hands. "Now I'm not gonna lie, in accepting it you'd be helpin' me out too."

Vix eyed him suspiciously, "Excuse me if this is getting a bit weird.I, um.."

Unser nodded and held up a finger, "Hold that thought, I'll be right back." He shuffled outside as Vix looked on. A few moments later he returned with both hands behind his back, holdin' something.

Vix continued where she'd been forced to let off, "Look Chief, I appreciate whatever you're tryin' to do to cheer me up but I ain't never gotten a gift without some sorta strings attached and well, right now I am turnin' over a new leaf, tryin' to stand on my own. Ya know stringless? My goal is to not be a puppet and so..."

From behind Unser's back she heard a small whine and a bark. Vix cocked an eyebrow, "Um, did your back just bark?"

Unser grinned and brought his hands around where he held a Doberman puppy. Vix stared at the pup and then at Unser. "You're givin' me a puppy?"

The Chief shrugged. "You look like you could use a friend and this little fella is the last of my very last litter. See when I mentioned that in accepting you'd be helping me out too? I really don't have the time or energy to give his pup the attention he deserves. Breeding and raising dogs, that was Della's thing."

Vix looked up from staring at the pup, she'd caught the change in the Chief's tone of voice, read-between-the-lines so to speak. "Was Della's thing... she not into it no more?" Vix questioned softly.

"Something like that. So I was thinking the two of you would be good for each other."

"You know how busy my life is right? That was pretty much what started my current ride on this shit roller coaster." Vix said with a laugh. "You think I got the time to give him the love he needs the attention he deserves?"

Unser handed the pup over to Vix and she was instantly the recipient of puppy kisses. He watched as the pup nuzzled at the girl's chin and nosed at her ear - breaking down her resolve. He smiled when she finally sighed and said, "Well I guess he could spend his days here with me and when I am at school, Rachel is here. He's is a cute little guy... he gotta name?"

Unser smiled. "Been callin' him Little Fella but that ain't very original and well he ain't gonna be that little for very long. His daddy is a big ol' boy." The Chief chuckled. "You oughta ask Tig Trager 'bout him somday."

Vix sucked in her breath and stared at the pup and then at Unser recalling an old convo with Jaci, "His daddy is the one took a bite outta Tigger's ass?" She saw the Chief nod and she laughed and looked at the pup. "You're daddy is my hero!"

Unser chuckled, "Mine too. I got some food and bowls and a chew toy out in my car, I'll get 'em for ya. You want me to put 'em in your car?"

"If you know where it is, be my guest."

Unser stopped mid-stride, "Your sister didn't tell you? It's out by the water tower, "

Vix smirked, "The one damn road the Prospect and I didn't hit up this mornin'. I haven't spoken to my sister yet today, she ain't answered her damn phone."

"Well, after you close up shop do you want me to come get you, take you out to your car?"

"Half Sack's supposed to be stoppin' by."

Unser nodded watching Vix rub noses with the pup. "I'm gonna just grab his stuff, I'll sit it here next to the door."

"Yeah, mmm hmmm" Vix said without looking up. She walked to the salon chair and sat down holding her puppy tight.

XXX

The doctor walked back in the room. "So…do your parents have a history of high blood pressure?"

Jaci's head snapped around to face him. She raised her eyebrows at him but he didn't take the hint. She started to talk but her voice didn't work. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Um, they're deceased."

The doctor nodded. "OK, causes of death?"

Jaci's face scrunched. "Well, Mom..." She suddenly didn't want to admit to the fact that her mother had died of a drug overdose. "Um…she was killed in an accident." There, half truth, good enough. She tossed a glance at Tara and silently pleaded with her to go with it. "And Dad died unexpectedly...of a stroke...brain aneurism."

Tara's eyes bulged. "JACI! Your dad DIED from a stroke and you waited a MONTH to come to the doctor? Are you crazy?"

"My family's big on denial?" Jaci offered with a shrug. Who gives a shit about my dead parents? Tell me the damn test results!

The doctor continued with a long list of lifestyle questions. "Do you smoke?"

Jaci nodded, "Pack a day." Tara frowned at the newly acquired habit.

"'Do you drink?"

Again Jaci nodded but then shook her head instead. "I did...but I quit recently."

The doctor smiled. "And when was that?"

"That would be yesterday."

"Ahhh…so how much were you drinking before? Weekly, daily?"

Jaci stifled her first response of A LOT and went with "Daily." The doctor cocked an eyebrow to ask how much and Jaci looked down as she answered, "It was pretty substantial, for sure over the recommended daily allowance." And now I might be challenging my sister Wendy for title of Most Fucked up Parker Pregnancy.

XXX

Having cleaned up after her last customer, Vix was helping herself to a cold bottle of water and quick breather out on the back patio of Twisted Scissors. She smiled to herself as she watched the yet-to-be-re-named pup curled up at her feet snoozing. You got the right idea, pupper. Mama is seriously exhausted.

She had no sooner finished the thought when the pup's head snapped up and emitted a small bark, he scrambled to his feet and went tearing off into the salon. Vix stood up and quickly followed him inside, just in time to watch him lose his footing on the slick tiling and go skidding down the hall into the main salon room with a loud yelp.

Half-concerned, half-amused by his antics she watched as the pup stopped sliding and got his footing back. The little guy stood growling at the visitor. In the back of her mind, Vix was thinking that odd- because he had shown no indifference to the influx of customers since his arrival. She had expected to see Half Sack but found instead Polly Zobelle standing at the front desk.

Vix eyed the woman with flat out distain and quickly snatched up her puppy, not wanting the little guy anywhere near the bitch. "We're closed."

"I saw the hours posted and I own a watch." Was the girl's reply. "I stopped by to deliver the check for the fender repair." She extended an envelope in Vix's direction.

Nodding towards the desk Vix instructed, "Put it on the desk." Vix glanced at the check laying on the counter. "You know I thought we agreed to cash but I am thinking I almost hope that sucker bounces... I'd gladly pay the $35 bank fee for the sheer pleasure I'd take in kickin' your ass."

Polly crossed her arms over her chest. "Cashier's check... sorry to thwart your little ass kicking dream but I'd be good for the money regardless. Oh, and speaking of, my guy said you're labor estimate is extremely inflated... he could do the work for less than half."

Vix smirked. "Yeah well, only certain guys get to touch what's mine."

From somewhere off to her left came the sound of heavy footsteps and a man's voice, "Yeah, you're taste in guys has been noticed."

Along with being startled by him, Vix was a bit shocked by and a lot pissed at her failure to notice AJ Weston standing off to the side and looking her over with obvious distain. In her arms, the pup snarled defensively and bared his set of little puppy teeth.

The door chimed Half Sack walk into the salon. He shot Vix a look of concern while eyeing Polly and Weston. Vix nodded. "They stopped by to pay for the Charger repairs." She nodded at the envelope on the counter. "We're gonna want to get that right over to Jax and Opie."

Half Sack nodded, "Sure thing."

They both turn and stared at the un-wanted/welcomed visitors. Vix rolls her eyes and said sarcastically, "Hint, hint."

Weston took a step and the pup growled loudly. Half Sack turned his startled attention to the pup in Vix's arms. He'd been so distracted by walking in and finding members of LOAN in Vix's salon that he'd failed to notice the dog. The black of its fur blended in with the black of Vix's Twisted t-shirt.

Weston walked past Vix and the pup and nodded to Polly then the pair walked out of the salon.

As soon as they clear the threshold, Vix nodded to Sack. "Lock that damn door. Hell's Bells... not may people give me the creeps but that dude freaks me the fuck out. And little fella here didn't get a good vibe either, did ya, pup?"

Half Sack nodded at the puppy. "New addition?"

Vix filled him in on the events that led her to becoming a Puppy Mama. "Ooh and guess where the fuck my car is? Out by the damn water tower."

"I know." Half Sack laughed. "I was gonna tell ya. Jax spotted it, thought maybe you broke down... I played along."

"Thanks."

"So you want to go take that check to TM?"

"Not really! I want to go get my car, get some stuff for little dude at Noah's and head home."

"You're not seriously gonna name him Little Dude are you?"

Vix shrugged. "Unser says he won't be little too long... thinks he is gonna be big like his daddy..." She eyed Kipp when she saw a funny look come across his face. "What?"

"I have the perfect name for him." Half Sack announced, immediately knowing the pup's heritage.

"What?"

"Spawn. Tig calls that pup's dad The Devil... so that makes him the devil's spawn."

Vix grinned."That is soooo awesome!" She turned the pup to face her and rubbed noses with him. "I shall love you and hug you and squeeze you and call you Spawn Parker."

In response to and in what Vix took as acceptance of his new name, the pup licked her face. She giggled and hugged him tightly.

XXX

The doctor sighed and made a few notes. "I'm going to have a quick EKG ran, just to see that everything is ok there. Will take just a minute."

He started for the door but Jaci reached out and grabbed his arm. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. The tests? The blood tests…the pregnancy test? I'm going to need those results like NOW. Otherwise, you're going to be seriously concerned with the way my heart is pounding during this little EKG."

"Oh! Sorry!" The doctor exclaimed and flipped through the chart again. "Blood levels were fine, nothing out of the ordinary there. And you are NOT pregnant." He smiled at her, noticing she looked more than a bit relieved to hear that news. He strolled out of the room to order the EKG.

Jaci put her hands over her face and slowly exhaled and inhaled a few times. "Holy shit that was close. Oh my God." She looked over at Tara, who offered a weak smile.

The EKG was no big deal and didn't reveal any surprising issues. The doctor returned and handed Jaci script for a blood pressure pill and an anti-anxiety medication.

"So…I have high blood pressure?" Jaci frowned. "Isn't that like for senior citizens or something? I'm not even 35." She pictured comparing meds with the Ruby and Henry and the rest of the Olds. Geez.

"Given your father's issues, I'm inclined to say this is an act of heredity. No amount of exercise or healthy living could have completely prevented this from happening eventually."

"Great…thanks, Dad." Jaci muttered. Even from the damn grave you're screwing me over.

"However, the high level of stress it sounds like you're under has certainly exacerbated the issue. I am strongly recommending you take the anti-anxiety medication. You need to eliminate stress as much as possible and make sure you cope with the rest of in a healthy way…NOT by drinking or smoking. Those habits need to cease immediately or you might find yourself in your father's shoes sooner than you think."

Jaci nodded along. The doctor filled her in about the side effects of the medications and told her she could expect to feel differently and for the better in a few weeks.

"Now, you'll need to purchase a blood pressure monitor and take readings twice a day. You'll want to write those down so we can track your progress."

"I'll start a spreadsheet." Jaci noted absently. The doctor looked at her with amusement. "I'm an accountant…tend to get a little nerdish on things, sorry." He wished her well and told her to stay in touch.

"So when do I sign up for Social Security?" Jaci asked weakly as she waved around her prescriptions. Since it was Sunday, no pharmacies in town were open. Tara offered to get the items filled and then they headed back to Parker Place.

XXX

"You don't have to do this shit, ya know. I can do it…just haven't wanted to." Clay commented as he watched Tig rip out the second of the third shrubs.

"Your hands don't need the vibration, man."

Clay looked sternly at Tig and snapped, "My hands are fine, asshole." Tig nodded in false agreement and went back to work. Clay picked up a discarded branch and poked at his boot with it. "So what's your problem today? You're in a mood."

"I'm fine." Tig replied with a bit of malice and fired up the chainsaw before Clay could ask another question. Clay rolled his eyes, his friend would work his way to the problem in his own sweet time.

A few minutes later, Tig killed the chainsaw and went to work on the roots of the shrub with a shovel. He tossed a glance over at Clay. "Went to the strip club last night."

Clay sighed, knowing exactly what that announcement meant.

"Damn that girl is into some hostile shit." Tig mused but with fake enthusiasm.

"Did it help?" Clay knew that Tig walked some weird lines, pushed boundaries sometimes that were better left alone but he knew his friend sometimes needed to it to keep some demons pushed down…shit with Donna…with Jaci…all that shit had to stay beaten into submission.

Tig shook his head as he stared at the ground. "No…not really. Nothing's working lately. Guess that's why I'm up so early today…didn't even bother getting drunk…what's the point?"

The true meaning of that admission hung in the air for a long moment. Clay gave Tig a sympathetic look then quipped, "Bummer."

"Yeah…hey, that stripper bitch put my cut on…you believe that shit?" Tig asked with a grimace and went back to the yard work. "I left her a goddamn dollar, she's lucky I didn't knock her the fuck out." He added with a cold laugh.

Serious, deep moments between guys didn't last very long.

XXX

Tara pulled into the drive at Parker Place. Tara nodded towards the car parked in the driveway. "Looks like you have company."

"That's Rachel's...she's actually moving in. Vix hired her to help with the salon."

"Oh…she seems nice. It's probably good for Vix to have a friend to lean on...you know, someone other than you."

Jaci nodded along as she stuffed the prescription bag into her purse. "Yeah, Rach is great. Her and Vix are alot alike." Jaci frowned. "I guess that means I need to get a friend of my own huh? So Tara...you wanna be my BFF?"

Tara couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on...we're already keeping secrets and stuff. You're my quasi sister in law anyway, right? We should have a sleep over...giggle and bitch about the men in our lives. We'll make string bracelets or something, eat ice cream till we puke."

"Yeah…we'll have to do that sometime." Tara replied sarcastically.

Jaci climbed out of the car but poked her head back inside. "Hey…thanks for hanging with me today. All this sucks but I really appreciate your help….AND your silence." She stared harder at Tara. "Remember…tell no one. Everybody's got their own problems…I don't need to add mine to any pile."

"No problem…you take care of yourself, J. I'll call and check on you tomorrow." Tara replied. What's one more secret? Now I know about a rape victim and a ticking time bomb.

XXX

Vix was sitting on the floor of her bedroom assembling the newly purchased doggie crate. The pup, now dubbed Spawn, was laying across her lap. The two had gelled instantly and while she went about her task, her brain was trying to figure out how to present the pup in a positive light to her sister.

The pup suddenly perked up and jumped outta Vix's lap and went running down the hall towards the living room.

Jaci pushed through the door of the house and immediately heard a tiny bark. The next thing she knew a small puppy came running down towards her..

Vix comes running after yelling, "Ssssppppaaaawwwnnnn" and scooped up the pup.

Jaci could only blink and stare, "When did we get a dog and why?"

"Chief Unser gave him to me… cause I need a friend."

"You've got one, her name is Rachel and she followed you home three weeks ago." Jaci replied. She eyes her sister who appears to be completely enraptured with the puppy. Jaci groaned, "Vix.. you know how much work a dog is? Are you crazy? You don't have time for a dog."

"I need this Jaci." Vix countered and snuggled the pup close to her chest in a protective manner.. "I'm running real short on unconditional love these days."

Jaci rolled her eyes, "You're not UN-loved Vix, stop being over-dramatic."

"I AM by WHO I WANT to love me…"

"I just want you stop and think. A dog – especially a puppy, not yet housebroken, takes a lot of attention… and quite frankly a lot of money, vet bills, shots, food, toys, bed, crate, leash, collar, flea treatments, heart worm pills. And I see his ears are clipped so there is the maintenance on those." Jaci stopped listing the cons. She felt like one of those mothers at the pet store trying to talk her kid out of a dog and into a goldfish.

"I won't inconvenience anyone with him. He is mine and I'm not 17 years old any more, I am responsible damnit! He can spend time with me at Twisted and when I am at school Rach is there or I bought a doggie crate, was puttin' it together in my room just now." She saw her sister's hesitation and decided to play her trump card. "Oh, by the way…his daddy's the one bit Tig in the ass."

Jaci's jaw dropped open. "No shit." She grinned and patted the little fella on the head , "You're daddy's my hero."

Vix laughed, "That's what I said! And so I me and Half Sack decided to call him Spawn, cause apparently Tig refers to his daddy as The Devil... so ya get it.. Spawn .. Spawn of the Devil." Vix smiled.

"I get it." Jaci frowned. "So when did you start talkin' to Kipp again?"

"It's a long story."

Jaci shook her head. She had had too much drama today to have this conversation with her sister. She looked at the little pup. "Welcome to the family SPAWN PARKER."

"THANK YOU … THANK YOU!" Vix exclaimed with a huge grin then added more solemnly, "And um, about last night. I was in a real fucked up place, I know better and I'm sorry."

Jaci held up her hands. "You know what.. I feel like I've lived a thousand lifetimes since last night, so let's both agree to just take better care of ourselves and try not to be stupid."

"I make no promises… but I'll try." Vix laughed. "So Rach says you and Tara went out early this AM. I don't see any shopping bags accompanying you home...so begs the question what's with playin' BFF with Doctor Tara?"

Jaci tried to think of a convincing lie.

To Be Continued…

Be sure to check out our fic folder at TigNation, we've put up a few musical selections for this chapter.