A/N: AHHH! I am facing the great wall of China made up of writing blocks! I am trying to muscle through it, but it is not easy! *sigh*
I would like to give a shout out to Straight Edge Queen for being the only consistent reviewer! I really appreciate it!
And as always, a big thanks to my newer readers who added this story to their alerts and favorites!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything to do with SOA... I just like using them as my puppets... Sexy badass biker puppets...
The room was silent as they watched the surveillance tape of the front door to the club house. They watched Arika be dragged out, then they slipped from view of the camera as he shoved her against the wall for just a moment before he fell backwards back into the frame, she climbed on top of him and delivered a harsh blow.
"Good for her!" Chibs said slapping the table.
"What s she doing? What'd she just take off of the guy?" Tig asked pausing the tape. Juice leaned in close to the laptop and shook his head.
"Can't see, it's too dark."
"So it happened just like she said. Guy pulled her out, roughed her up, and she cleaned his clock." Clay stated, his tone hopeful. "We find the piece of shit and we clean him off of the face of the earth."
"That's not right. Look at the time stamp." Happy said pointing. "That was toward the beginning of the night, she didn't come back in until almost two. Something else happened. Hit play." Juice followed the assassins directions and they watched as she stood up, tucking the item in her back pocket before delivering a hard kick to the mans gut.
"Turn around baby girl, turn around!" Piney whispered as they watched another man walk into the frame. He grabbed her tightly from behind, and carrying her off screen. Four minutes passed, and two men, a new face accompanying the first attacker, walked back into the screen, picked up their beaten friend, and left. Arika didn't reappear. Juice hit fast forward, stopping it only when Arika reappeared two hours later according to the timestamp.
"Shit." Jax said. "Shit, shit, shit." He said standing up. "So what does this mean? She lying or she not remember getting attacked a second time?" he asked, but no one at the table had the answer. Opie was staring off into space, not sure how to process that. If he hadn't be out...
"Calm down. I don't know. We need to figure that out. Figure out who wants to rough her up." Clay said to his stepson. "Ope can you think you can get through to her and find the truth?" Opie shrugged.
"She's not a fan of mine right now." he admitted.
"That got something to do with you being out last night?" Tig asked, not that it was any of his business. Opie shrugged again, leaving it at that. "You know what gets me? Why is she so damn calm?"
"You call that flip out this morning Calm?" Juice asked in disbelief.
"Well I mean, when was the last time a chick got roughed up and instead of reacting just tried to play it off like nothing even happened? Most broads would eat up all of the attention especially if it was as minor as doll face claims." the bikers glanced around the table at each other.
"The only people who don't react to violence are the people who live with it." Piney finally spoke up. There was another heavy silence in the chapel.
"We still don't know what brought her running back to Charming after five years of no communication." Bobby reasoned. "It would make sense."
"Okay, but what do we do with this information?" Clay asked, frustrated.
Once the meeting had dispersed, the clubhouse seemed to empty. Tig, Clay and Chibs were going on a protection run for Uncer, Bobby had taken Juice to check out the town to try and locate Arika's assailants if they were still around, and Opie just seemed to vanish. Jax found himself alone in a matter of minutes. The only person he could count on still being here was Arika. Becoming bored with the lack of decent programming on television, he made his way down the hall, running his hand along his fathers bike as he rounded the corner, pausing as the sound of singing accompanied by guitar met his ears.
"Say you have a little faith in me, just close your eyes and let me lead, follow me home." he leaned on the wall to listen "Need to have a little trust in me, just close your eyes and let me lead, follow me home..." the cords dropped and slowed "To where the the lonely ones roam." he thought she was done because she hadn't sung anymore for a few moments, but then he heard her soft voice again "Won't you come out, I've been waiting for you, holding my breath, till my body turned blue-" Before he realized it was coming, Jax sneezed. It was out a the blue and he stood in the hallway frozen as the music stopped and a drawer snapped shut inside the room. "Hello?" The blonde knew he was caught, so instead of trying to play it off, he pushed the door open. "Don't you have anything better to do then creep outside my bedroom?" she asked, frowning at him.
"This was my room first darlin." he joked, trying, and succeeding, in making her smile. "Mind if I come in?" she sighed.
"It was you're room first right? How can I refuse?" he walked through the doorway and flopped onto the foot of the bed, resting his head in his hand.
"You write that?" she nodded and set the guitar down. "I never knew you could play guitar."
"There's a lot of shit you don't know Teller." she said matter of factly.
"Like what?" she bit her lip.
"Like the fact that I play guitar?" he snorted.
"That's been established." She tapped her lips thoughtfully.
"How about the fact that..." she tried to think, but nothing was coming to the surface that she was willing to share. There was plenty she could say to still shock the man, but nothing G rated enough that he wouldn't so beserk. "I hate the color pink." He yawned dramatically.
"I was was thinking there was some sort of shocking secret that you were keeping locked away... Like a sixth toe or something." he teased grabbing her feet and tickling them under the guise of counting her toes.
"Cut that out!" she snapped, kicking at him and pulling her feet underneath her for protection. "Fine... Well..." a million things flashed through her mind, things she was dying to say, but seemed to choke on when she tried to speak them. "Well maybe you should shock me Mr. Badass Biker! You learned something new about me."
"Alright. I'll tell you a little factoid... But then I get to ask a question, and get an answer." she raised her eyebrow. This could turn ugly fast.
"No promises."
"When I was a kid, I used to be afraid of the power going out in thunder storm, like piss my pants scared." Arika looked like she didn't believe him. "I used to light a million candles and horde flashlights in more room because I was afraid the power would go out."
"You were afraid of the dark? Really?" Bullshit. She added silently.
"No, not the dark... Not exactly. I was afraid of the lights going out and not being able to turn them back on." he explained. "I was afraid of being stuck in the dark, but not of the dark itself." the look on his face made her question her doubt and believe him, but the moment of vulnerability didn't last for very long. "No I get to ask- Where'd you learn to walk in heels like that?" she looked dumbfounded.
"Where did that come from?" she asked with a giggle.
"I've seen you in heels a few times now since you've been back... It kinda blows my mind. You were the kid who'd wear flip-flops in the snow, and that was only if Gemma nagged you. LuAnn's porn stars can't walk like you do in heels." she was blushing and she covered her face with her hands.
"I don't know Jax... I guess I just got used to wearing them for work." she offered, her cheeks still on fire.
"What kind of work do you do?"
"Ah-ah! My turn." she said, shifting and giving him a devilish look. "Craziest sex stunt?" he burst into hysterical laughter at how casually she'd asked such a strange, and inappropriate question.
"Fuck, I don't know..." he though about it for a moment. "Ma had me and the guys doing some work at the house... A few of the girls dropped by, just a bunch of sweet butts and crow eaters... Well the one bitch, she was a piece of work, leads me into Gemma's bathroom and... Well the door wasn't even closed and I just fucked her."
"You're lucky Gemma didn't catch you. She'd have made you scrub that counter till your hands bled. That's pretty fucking brave." she commended. It was almost as if speaking her name activated some kind of curse, because they heard the clicking of high heels and a moment later, Gemma appeared in the doorway.
"You two seen Bobby?" the older woman asked. "What's with the guilty looks?" she asked, pushing her bangs from her face. They both shrugged and tried to look casual. "Yeah, whatever." she didn't believe the act for a second. "Listen, if you see Bobby tell him I need him to track down one of his buddies. I need another act for the stage at the fundraiser."
"Fundraiser?" Arika asked, looking from Jax to Gemma.
"Yeah, ma does it every year. It's like a little carnival for the school." Jax explained. "Maybe you could be her second act?" Arika looked at him like he'd grown a second head.
"Are you out of your god damn mind?" she asked. "No way am I getting up in front of a bunch of people."
"She any good baby?" Gemma pretended like she wasn't hearing the protests.
"Amazing." her son replied.
"It's settled then." the matron said clapping her hands together. "You can go on just before Fat Elvis."
"Gemma, I do not sing in front of people." Arika stated firmly.
"You'll do fine baby girl. Just picture them all naked." Arika gagged dramatically "What's the matter.
"Tig naked..." Jax howled with laughter until Arika slapped him with a pillow.
"Now that's an image no one needs in their head." he agreed, snatching the pillow from her as she aimed another blow at him.
"When is this fundraiser thing? I need to know when to skip town." Arika joked, trying to pull the pillow back from Jax.
"Tuesday." She looked up at Gemma, her hands releasing the pillow. "Something wrong with that?"
"Well... My boss really wants me back on Monday."
"Fuck your boss. I have half a mind to take a ride up there and shove my boot up his ass. Treating my girl like he owns her." Gemma huffed, she looked like she was about to continue on, but there was a shrill chirping that interrupted her. Jax pulled his phone from his pocket and the smile on his face faded quickly.
"You two gonna be alright alone?" he asked rolling from the bed. Gemma nodded a bit.
"Sure, what's the matter?"
"Club shit. Take her back to the house and lock up." the blonde directed firmly. There weren't many occasions that Gemma Teller just followed directions, but when 'club shit' came up, she played nice and followed orders. Jax kissed his mothers cheek then nodded goodbye to Arika who was giving him a hard look like she was trying to read his mind. "Behave... Both of you."
It took them all of five minutes to be out the door once Jax had left. Gemma took time to make sure the clubhouse and garage were secured before she made her way to the beamer. Arika didn't argue, but followed behind Gem, sliding into the passenger side as the fancy car roared to life.
"You gonna tell me about the face?" Arika was surprised that Gemma even had to ask.
"Clay didn't tell you?"
"Clay doesn't tell me too much sweetheart. I'm sure he thought I'd fly off the handle... But I think you're tough enough to handle your shit. If not, you're gonna have to get there if you are gonna stick around." Gemma replied cooly as she turned out of the complex, and putting the car in park. "Just a sec." she got out of the car, closed the gate, and locked it with a heavy duty chain before getting bak in. "Where was I?"
"Being tough to stick around."
"Oh right. Well it's just a fact, this life chew up and spits out the soft ones."
"What if I don't want this life?" Arika asked, halfheartedly. "What if I just wanna run. Run and run until I find a place where no one knows the Sons and no one knows my name."
"I don't think that's really an option baby girl. SAMCRO is in your blood. And see the way you look at him." The younger girl looked at the matron, startled.
"W-What? Who are you talking about?"
"I don't know, whoever just popped into your head just now." Arika's shock turned into a glare. "But I am willing to bet that whoever it was had a cut and a patch."
"You're a wicked bitch." Arika grumbled, crossing her arms with a huff and looking out the window, unwilling to admit that she'd seen anyones face. She should had known that Gemma was just trying to bait her, she was slightly ashamed that she fell for it.
"So you gonna spill the beans about the black eye or what?"
"Nothing to spill. Fucker got one good shot in before I whooped his ass."
"That's my girl." Gemma said, motherly pride shining on her face.
"If I was your girl, he wouldn't have walked away in one piece. I'd have his dick in a box under my bed." the younger woman joked. Gemma laughed and shrugged.
"You'll get there with time baby."