Hey to anyone who is still around to read this new chapter. Firstly, I need to issue a enormous apology to those who are following the story. The reason for the long wait first was school was kicking my ass then on the first of March, I was in a pretty serious car accident that left me with a broken ankle in two places. I needed surgery to have pins placed in my ankle and I was placed on bed rest for seven weeks. I just started physiotherapy last week and I've been dealing with a mild form of PTSD and a moderate case of insomnia thanks to the accident.
After the accident, I kind of lost the will to write, and lost a little of my love for SOA. Anything that was heavily dependant on vehicles, I tried to not watch. I instead became immersed in the Marvel universe, watching every film I had not seen, getting caught up on the TV show, all of it. It was when I started reading ridiculous amounts of fanfiction (what else are you gonna do when you're home alone on bedrest), that I started getting the urge to write again.
To all those who read this story, this chapter, thank you so much for coming back or for stumbling upon it. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I promise to not wait so long to update again. Even if it is only once a week, I promise not to go months without writing.
Again, feel free to follow me on twitter 89melaniecox or tumblr, my handle (is that what it's called) is melaniecox89. Send me a message and let me know you've followed and I'll follow back. You'll get updated to my very exciting life *rolls eyes*
So here it is. I'll post this and then go on to enjoy my final hours of being 24 years old with an Elementary marathon (Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes is brilliant).
Anything you recognize belongs to Kurt Sutter, anything you don't belongs to me. Enjoy!
I drove straight to the club house, parked my car and walked inside. Juice, Tig, Chibs, and Happy were all there.
"I thought you were going to the hospital?" Chibs asked.
"I did. I saw Abel. Mom kicked me out," I replied. I moved to the couch where Tig was sitting and flopped, placing my legs on his lap.
"Excuse me?" Tig asked, pointing to my legs.
"I need sleep. The couch is the first thing that I saw that remotely looks like a bed therefore I am laying down here," I replied.
"You could have not put your feet on me," Tig answered.
"I wouldn't be comfortable otherwise. Move or deal with it," I said. Tig gently smacked my legs.
"It's a good thing I love you," Tig muttered. I looked in his direction, choosing to ignore that.
"Continue boys with whatever you were talking about. I'm not listening, I swear. I'm just going to sleep," I said. I closed my eyes. My mind was going off somewhere else though I did pick up that they were talking about their warehouse.
I awoke 45 minutes later when I felt my body being shifted on the couch.
"A little respect for the sleeping?" I muttered as my eyes opened. I spotted Tig standing by my feet.
"Sorry, I had to take a leak," Tig said before he walked away towards the washroom.
"A gentleman would have held it in," I called after him.
"Good thing I'm not a gentleman then," Tig called back as he closed the door to the washroom.
"I seriously want to know how in hell you two were hooking up," Juice muttered before realizing what he had said and the company that was around.
"You and Tig?" Chibs asked, pointing in the direction of the washroom and laughed.
"What?" I asked.
"I thought you were smarter than that," Chibs said, still laughing.
"I am smart. Instead of running around all over town trying to get my own and being branded the Charming slut, I decided to have an ongoing thing with one guy," I said.
"You two weren't dating were you?" Happy asked.
"God, no," I replied.
"So you two were just fucking?" Chibs asked.
"Yes. We were. You happy?" I asked.
"What were you thinking?" Happy asked. I groaned and sat up.
"What I was thinking is that I wanted someone to respect me while we were together, not someone who would treat me like shit," I snapped.
"And Tig was the one to go to?" Juice asked.
"Well you were too fucking terrified to do anything so yes, I went to Tig. The night that I came back into town after my ass got kicked by my ex - boyfriend, Tig was the one who took care of me. He treated my wounds and stayed up with me watching crappy TV until I fell asleep. And he was still there in the morning when I woke up. Then the next night, when my ex showed up here, and Juice, Happy and Tig kicked the shit out of him and I ran back inside the club house bawling my eyes out, Tig was the one who came and found me. He drove me home, ordered Chinese food and spent the entire night trying to make me laugh," I told them.
"I didn't think Tig had it in him to be sensitive," Chibs said. The three of them of looked thoughtful. Just then, Tig walked back into the room and came to sit beside me.
"Why the hell are you guys so quiet?" Tig asked.
"Oh well we figured today should be deemed Reveal Tig's Sexual Conquests Day," Chibs said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Tig said, looking over at me. "What the hell have you been saying?"
"They thought I was stupid for doing shit with you so I was just telling them how it all started," I said.
"You told them about the TV shows and food and stuff?" Tig asked me. I nodded.
"Looks like Tigger does have a heart," Chibs joked.
"Whatever, I just did what I did to get laid," Tig said, shrugging it off.
"Okay, we've offended his macho exterior. Off to the next subject," I said.
"Fine, then. Let's talk about Juice's sexual conquests," Chibs said.
"What the hell?" Juice asked.
"Tell us, Ash. How is Mr. Ortiz here in bed?" Happy asked, completely playing along.
"I am not answering that. You want to know so bad, you sleep with him," I suggested.
"Don't even think about it. I so don't swing that way," Juice said.
"Juice's isn't my type," Happy said. I giggled.
"How about you Chibs? How are you in bed?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows. I smirked at him. He smirked back.
"I am a fucking God in the bedroom. Ask any girl I've been with," Chibs said.
"How about multiple girls?" I asked him, steering the conversation in another direction.
"You talking threesome?" Chibs asked I nodded. "Hell I'm a master of that as well," Chibs answered. I shook my head.
"I don't get the whole hype about it. It's over rated," I said.
"And how would you know?" Tig asked.
"I went to college. I experimented," I said, shrugging.
"And why didn't we hear of this before?" Happy asked.
"Do I ask you for a rundown of everything you've done sexually? Not that I would want to know," I muttered the last part.
"Threesomes are incredible. It's what life is all about," Chibs said.
"I thought that type of mentality was supposed to end in high school?" I asked.
"Please, that mentality continues on throughout life," Juice replied. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Really?" I asked.
"Well, um, I was just-" Juice stuttered.
"Probably not the thing to say in front of your new girlfriend," Happy said laughing.
"Yeah not so much. Good thing I was raised around these lunatics and I have a good sense of humor," I said. My phone rang just then, signaling it was my mother. I reached down and took my cell phone out of my purse.
"Mom, what's wrong? Is Abel okay?" I asked as I answered.
"Abel's still in surgery. I promised Jax that I would clean up his house since Wendy is no longer occupying it, he can move back in. But I want to stay here at the hospital. Would you mind going over and cleaning up for me?" Mom asked.
"No, of course not. I would love to help. Since I can't sleep with these morons around, I need something to do," I said, glancing around the room.
"I told you to go home. Who all is around?" Mom asked.
"Happy, Tig, Chibs and Juice," I answered.
"Got you. You're going to have to run to the store and pick up some more cleaning products. There was barely anything there when I was there last night," Mom said.
"Yeah, I know. I was planning on stopping today to pick some more up for Jax anyway. Call me when Abel gets out," I asked her.
"I will," mom said, hanging up.
"What was that about?" Tig asked.
"Mom wanted to know if I would go over and clean up the mess Wendy made yesterday. Might as well get it over with now," I said. I stood up, grabbing my purse.
"Here, I'll go with you," Juice said. Everyone stopped and looked at Juice. "What? I don't have anything else to do. I'm waiting on some phone calls. I'll go with you and keep you company," Juice said.
"Okay. Well follow me on your bike in case you need to leave," I said.
"Sounds like a plan," Juice said.
"Bye guys. I'll see you later," I waved as I walked towards the doors. I received a chorus of byes and laters as Juice and I left. I moved to walk towards my car on the other side of the parking lot when Juice took my hand and pulled me to him.
He kissed me, a long and slow kiss. I pulled back and smiled.
"What was that for?" I asked him.
"Nothing. Just did it because I can since you're my girl now," Juice said with a smile.
"I love the way you say that," I said with a smile, kissing him again.
"I'll follow you, okay," Juice asked. I nodded. Juice let me go and I walked to my car. I turned on the radio and "Walking on Sunshine" came on the radio. I smiled. That was exactly how I was feeling at the moment, despite the fact that my nephew was currently in an OR, fighting for his life.
I pulled into a parking spot at the local grocery store, Moe's Foodland. Juice pulled into the empty spot behind me.
"What all do you have to get?" Juice asked as we walked into the store together.
"Cleaning supplies, Jax needs a few things as well, grocery wise," I answered. Juice grabbed a cart and began pushing it as we walked into the store.
"You really going to push that cart around?" I asked him. He let it go immediately as if it had burned him.
"No. I just got it for you," Juice said. I chuckled and took over pushing. As Juice and I walked down the aisles, he noticed the looks from some of the women that I had long ago learned to ignore. As we walked down the empty cereal and breakfast items aisle, Juice turned to me.
"Did you see the way some of those women were looking at you?" Juice asked as I stopped to glance over some of the cereal. I figured since I was here I would pick up a few things that I needed as well.
"What? Oh, no, I didn't. I learned to ignore those looks a long time ago," I said. Juice reached over, grabbed a box of Cocoa Puffs and placed them in the cart. I looked over at him.
"For when I spend the night, I need something to eat in the morning," Juice answered.
"What about you being a health nut?" I asked him, grabbing myself some Honey Nut Cheerios.
"I usually eat better in the morning but I figured if I'm eating at your place then I'm going to need all the energy in the morning that I can get," he said. I smacked my arm.
"Funny, Juicy boy," I said as I continued to walked to walk down the aisle.
"So these women," Juice asked.
"There's nothing about it. You know how Charming is divided. Half the town loves SAMCRO, half the town hates you guys and anyone associated with SAMCRO. And I'm sure now that I'm seen grocery shopping with you, it'll just fuel the Charming rumor mill and make them hate me more," I said shrugging my shoulder.
"How are you just okay with this?" Juice asked as we made our way to the chemical aisle.
"I've been dealing with this since I was kid. My third grade teacher refused to give me anything above a C because of my affiliation with the club. She told me that to my face," I told Juice as I filled the cart with cleaning products.
"What did Gemma do?" Juice asked laughing.
"I wasn't privy to the details since I was 8, I think. All I know is that my teacher was fired right before the school year ended and I was given an A for the entire year because of my traumatic experience. What gets blood out of linoleum?" I asked Juice, looking over the varieties of floor cleaner.
"Um, bleach maybe?" Juice asked, letting the subject of how I was treated in town go.
"That's what I was thinking. Maybe I should call Tig or Happy?" I asked Juice, looking at him. He nodded. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Tig's number.
"What can I do you for, Ashley?" Tig answered.
"Got a quick question for you. How do you get blood stains out of a linoleum floor?" I asked him. Tig chuckled.
"Hang on, I've got Happy here, let me put you on speaker," Tig said. I heard him click a few buttons before Happy's raspy voice came on the line.
"What did you need?" Hap asked.
"I need to know how to get blood out of a linoleum floor," I told him.
"Juice got on your nerves already? That was fast," Happy said, laughing.
"Very funny, guys. It's to clean up the blood from where Wendy fell," I answered.
"Okay, here's what you do. Get some hydrogen peroxide," Tig started.
"Soak some cotton balls in it and place it over the stain, then stack something heavy on top of it like a book. Once the cotton balls start getting discolored, replace them until the stain is gone," Happy finished.
"It's that easy?" I asked.
"Yeah. Trust me, tried and true," Tig said.
"Oh coming from you two, I can believe that. Thanks, guys," I said, hanging up.
"So what's the secret?" Juice asked.
"Hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls," I answered.
"Gotta love Happy's cleanliness in times like this," Juice regarded, laughing.
"Yep. Seems we are in the wrong aisle," I said.
"I don't think they sell things like that here. I think you have to make a stop at the pharmacy," Juice said.
"I believe you're right. So let's pay for this, stop at the pharmacy and head to Jax's," I answered. Juice nodded and we made our way towards the registers.
After a very brief argument at the register over who would pay, the cashier took Juice's money and we were on our way towards the pharmacy. I told Juice to stay outside while I quickly ran in and grabbed the things I needed. Then we headed to Jax's.
"The bags that are tied are the ones that need to go to my place. Everything else comes inside," I said as I opened up my trunk. Juice and I grabbed all the bags that were to go to Jax's and walked to the door. I took out my keys from my pocket, found the key with Jax's name on it and opened the door.
I had a key to all the guy's places for when they went on runs so I could watch over their places. I had taken tape and wrapped it around the keys and written their initials on it so I could keep track of them.
"Holy fuck," I muttered as I took in the trashed house. I could see where mom had tried to clean up but the place was still a mess. Juice walked in behind me.
"What a mess," Juice commented as he brought his bags to the kitchen.
"This is so not how I left it when I left," I muttered as I brought my bags to the kitchen. I spotted the pile of blood on the floor. That was where my nephew almost died. I dropped my bags and sat down.
"Are you okay?" Juice asked, coming over to where I sat.
"It's just hard to see that," I said, allowing a few tears to fall. Juice reached out and wiped my tears away.
"I know, baby. Do you want to go and clean out the living room and I'll take care of this?" Juice asked. I shook my head.
"No, I'll be okay," I replied. I wiped away a few of my tears before standing up. I placed all the bags on the table and pulled out the hydrogen peroxide, cotton balls, paper towels and gloves. I took a garbage bag and got down on my knees to begin cleaning it up. Juice left me, heading to the living room to clean up. I wiped up the pile of blood then dumped some hydrogen peroxide on the floor and wiped it with some paper towels. I then soaked a handful of cotton balls in the hydrogen peroxide, arranged them over stain, then went out to the living room to get a few heavy books.
"Wow, Juice this is starting to look like a living room again," I said as I took in all that he had done. A full garbage bag sat in the middle of the room and gone were the clothes and garbage all over the place. Juice was currently putting the DVD's that had been knocked over back in their spots.
"Thanks. Is it okay if I started some of their laundry?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at me.
"Will you marry me?" I asked, jokingly.
"Funny girl," Juice muttered as he continued to place the DVD's. I shook my head, chuckling, grabbed two heavy books and returned to the kitchen. I placed the books on the cotton balls and began cleaning up the kitchen. I picked up and cleaned up all the food off of the floor. I placed all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I changed out the cotton balls.
I heard a phone ringing in the living room. I quietly walked out to the living room to see Juice standing in the middle of the room on his phone.
"Yeah. Okay. No, I don't have my laptop with me but I'll go get it right now. Thanks a bunch. I owe you," Juice said before he hung up.
"You've got to go," I stated matter of factly. Juice nodded.
"The phone call I was waiting on just came through. I have to head back to the club house," Juice said.
"Will I see you tonight?" I asked him.
"Right now, I don't know. I'll text you and let you know and we can figure out where to go from there, okay?" Juice asked. I nodded. Juice quickly walked to me, kissed me then left. I walked to the door and watched Juice get on his bike and drive down the street. I closed the door and resumed the work I was doing.
I had just finished placing the last load of laundry in the washer when my phone started singing that oh so familiar Spice Girls tune.
"How's Abel?" I asked as I answered the phone.
"He survived the surgery to fix his belly. Which is good. But Tara and the other doctor that fixed his belly want to go in immediately with the heart surgery," mom said.
"So soon? Wouldn't that be a strain on his body?" I asked her, running my hands over my hair.
"It would be but the doctors want to do everything now and get him to heal from everything instead of having him heal from surgery number one with a weak heart," mom answered.
"Okay, that makes sense. So when is he going back in?" I asked her.
"Later on tonight. They want to give him a little recuperating time," Mom said.
"Think I would have time to come by and see him?" I asked her.
"Yeah, shouldn't be problem. I believe Tara said something about him going in in about eight hours," mom said.
"Okay. I'm just going to finish up here at Jax's place then I'll be there," I told her.
"Did you manage to clean up the blood?" mom asked.
"Yeah, got some tips from Happy and Tig," I told her.
"Of course, they would have tips on that," mom chuckled.
"Any news on Wendy?" I asked her.
"Why the hell would I have news on her?" mom asked, slightly offended.
"Well you've been at the hospital all day. I thought someone might have mentioned something to you," I said truthfully.
"Well Tara did come up to me about her," she started.
"I knew it. What did she say?" I asked.
"The bitch wants me to go to Wendy and let her know someone cares about her," mom told me. I started laughing.
"Are you serious?" I asked her.
"As a heart attack," mom replied.
"The only reason I would step in that room would be to tell her I hope she knows what's good for her and shove one final needle in her arm," I said.
"I told Tara nothing I have to say to her is going to make her feel loved," mom said.
"Well I guess I should expect Tara to ask me the same thing the moment I step foot in the hospital," I muttered, not wanting to have any sort of contact with her.
"I would bet on it," mom said.
"Okay, well. Let me just finish up here then I'll be over. Is Luann still there?" I asked mom.
"Yeah but she has to head to the studio in a few," mom answered.
"Okay. Give her my love. I should be there in about twenty minutes," I said. I told her goodbye before hanging up. I went around the house, quickly finishing any little thing that needed to be done before grabbing my things, the garbage and walking out. I locked the door, placed the garbage bag in the trash can outside, and then got in the car.