Oh my gosh, you guys – I had over twenty reviews on that last chapter! I can't even remember the last time I received that many reviews for a single chapter…you people are awesome!
Sorry the wait was so long - I experienced a little bit of writer's block with this one. I'll try not to let it happen again!
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to SOA.
A New Course of Action
Despite having consumed copious amounts of alcohol the day before and getting home rather late, Dana woke up fairly early the next morning. It was just past eight o'clock when she blearily blinked her eyes open and then groaned to herself, raising her hands up to knead her eyes with her palms. She could feel a considerable hangover creeping in already, and cursed herself for drinking so much the day before. After lying there miserably for another few moments. hoping she'd start to feel better but knowing she wouldn't, Dana finally pushed off the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, having to take a moment to just sit there and collect herself. Once the world was tilting quite so much, she stood up and started off for the kitchen. There were two surefire methods that she knew of to rid herself of a hangover – a strong cup of Joe and a nice, long run to sweat out all the toxins. And since she was slated to work at The Goat that night and knew she wouldn't make it unless she was feeling human again, this morning was going to call for both remedies, starting with the coffee.
Once there was a pot brewing and the kitchen was starting to fill with the heavenly aroma of dark roast coffee, Dana leaned against the counter to wait. It wasn't long before her gaze turned toward the kitchen window, though, which gave her a prime view of Teller's house.
The minute her eyes landed on his house, Dana sighed and rubbed her face. She couldn't believe she'd let Jackson Teller come so close to kissing her last night. What the hell was wrong with her? What the hell had she been thinking? So what if he was one of the most attractive men she'd ever laid eyes on, and so what if she lusted after him more than she had lusted after anyone in years - maybe even ever. That didn't change the fact that he was an outlaw and a criminal, or that he might very well be involved with the disappearance of two federal agents. Dana cringed with shame when she remembered just how badly she'd wanted to feel his lips on hers, to dig her fingers into that long blonde hair, to feel his hands on her body. When she remembered that her team - and maybe even her boss - had probably witnessed the entire interaction, she cringed even further. She knew without even having to be told that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
After the coffee was done brewing, Dana poured herself a cup and headed into her living room, intending to zone out a little bit by watching the morning news. She hesitated by her purse though, which she'd dropped carelessly onto the end table next to her couch while en route to her bedroom the night before, and stared at it uncertainly before finally reaching inside to retrieve the small, silver flip phone. She fully expected there to be messages from Joel asking her what the hell had been going on when she and Teller had parted ways, but, to her surprise, he hadn't tried to call or text her. Nor had anyone else from her team. Dana frowned, unsure if the sudden drop off in communication was a good or a bad thing. Her gut told her it probably was leaning more toward the latter than the former.
Dana put the silver phone away, then fished out her iPhone to see if anyone had tried to reach her there instead. As it turned out, someone had called her the night before, only it hadn't been anyone from her team. It had been her mother. Again. "Shit," she sighed, closing her eyes for a second. She'd been so preoccupied with the investigation and with Teller that she'd all but forgotten about her mother's attempt to contact her the week before. She'd also pushed that disturbing voicemail - the one where Paula had mentioned her estranged older brother - way into the recesses of her mind, intending to deal with it later...much later.
For a long moment Dana seriously contemplated ignoring her mother again, feeling pretty sure that she didn't have the mental capacity to go down that road right now. Between her growing hangover and her stress over this whole situation with Teller, she just didn't have the patience to deal with her mother, especially if this 'important conversation' she wanted to have still had something to do with her brother. But Dana how Paula operated. If she continued to ignore her, the woman would only grow impatient and start barraging her with phone calls every day, until Dana finally did pick up. She finally decided to just suck it up, call Paula back, and get the conversation over with. Once her mother had said what she needed to, then hopefully she'd go back to leaving Dana alone. Once she was gone, then Dana could go back to worrying about more important things.
After taking a long gulp of hot coffee, Dana finally dropped down on the couch, phone still in hand. She stared at it for another second, toying with it as she tried to give herself one last opportunity to change her mind and save the conversation for another time. Finally, with a heave, she pressed on her mother's name and dialed out, mentally praying that this conversation would be short and to the point. The line only rang two times before Paula picked up.
"Dana!" the woman greeted, sounding surprised and relieved at the same time. Even though it was still early here in California, it was almost ten o'clock in Texas, where her mother currently was. Paula sounded wide awake. "I'm…I'm glad you finally called. I was starting to think that you weren't going to," Paula said, her tone gentle and cautious, just as it usually was whenever they talked. Given how much Dana had already detached and distanced herself from her mother already, the woman always had an air of caution around her, afraid to say or do anything that would only drive Dana further away.
"Yeah, sorry," Dana told her, though there wasn't a hint of apology in her voice. "I've been working out of town and it's been keeping me pretty busy lately. I didn't have time to call," she added, taking another long drink of her coffee.
Paula, who knew exactly what Dana did for a living, let out a sound of understanding. "I've always said that they work you too hard over there," she said with a disapproving click of her tongue. "When was the last time you had a vacation? Or even just time to yourself at home?" she asked incredulously, actually sounding like a concerned parent for a change. Dana couldn't help but roll her eyes, unmoved by her mother's reaction. Given Paula's history of being a god-awful parent, Dana never took the woman's attempts to actually be a mother to her very seriously. In fact, it seemed in recent years that she only went out of her way to be more involved in Dana's life whenever she needed something from Dana, not out of affection or any attempts to make up for her shortcomings in the past. "So where are you?" Paula asked curiously. "What do they have you doing this time?"
"You know I can't tell you that," Dana told her bluntly, having no intention of telling her mother anything about her current investigation. There was absolutely no need for Paula to know that she was working undercover in Charming, especially so if her mother was in contact with Brannon again. As far as Dana knew, her brother had no clue that she had ventured into world of law enforcement, let alone that she had been working with the FBI for the past four years. She hoped to keep it that way, too.
"Oh, right," Paula said slowly. "Well, wherever you are, just...be safe," she said with earnest. Dana didn't say anything to that, just drank some more coffee. "Anyway," Paula continued after an awkward pause of silence. "Do you know what today is?" she asked to change the subject.
Dana quirked an eyebrow. "Uh...Sunday?" she asked uncertainly, not sure where this conversation was going.
"It's May first," Paula corrected. Jesus, it was May first already? Dana didn't know where the time had gone or how it was May already, but cringed when she suddenly remembered that her oh-so-ominous thirtieth birthday was only a few more days away. "And I think you will be happy to know that as of today, I'm officially five months sober," her mother revealed proudly, obviously looking for praise from her daughter. "I haven't had anything since December."
Though Dana knew she probably should have been happy to hear this on some level, unfortunately she just wasn't, because these were words that she had heard before. Paula had struggled with addiction for the whole of Dana's life. She had been in and out of rehab more times than Dana could count, had tried everything she could think of to get sober. Sometimes it worked - sometimes Paula was able to get sober. But, unfortunately, those stretches of sobriety were never permanent. She always went back to drugs, and if it wasn't drugs she was turning to, it was alcohol. Paula had never been able to successfully kick her addictive habits for good. Dana was convinced by now that her mother living a permanently sober life wasn't a possibility. "Congratulations," she forced herself to say, trying to sound at least somewhat sincere about it so she wouldn't completely crush the woman.
"Thank you," Paula said without missing a beat. "It's been hard, but I started attending a little church down the road and some of the ladies there have really helped me stay strong," she explained, leaving Dana to fight the urge to roll her eyes again. So she'd gone the church route this time around instead of going to rehab. Paula Simmons was about as far from being a good Christian woman as one could get, but if it worked for her - and if it meant Dana didn't have to shell out money for an expensive rehab center - then she wasn't going to say anything about it. "It's a wonderful place, I'd like you to come with me whenever you visit next." There was a pause on her end of the line. "Are you planning to visit soon?"
"No. I don't think I'll have the time," Dana told her, knowing she wasn't going to go anywhere near her mother anytime soon. "This new case is pretty demanding. It's gonna keep me preoccupied for a while."
"Oh," Paula said, sounding disappointed by Dana's rejection but also sounding as though she was trying to hide it. "Well...okay. Just...try to give yourself some free time now and again. You work so hard over there. I'm afraid you'll work yourself to death one of these days if you aren't careful," she told her with a hint of concern in her tone.
"Okay," Dana responded, trying not to sound impatient. She knew how to handle her own business and knew her own limits when it came to work. The last person she needed giving her advice about that aspect of her life was her deadbeat mother. "Look, I've got a lot on my plate today," Dana said, wanting to get to the point and get the conversation over with. "Why don't we stop beating around the bush?" she suggested next. "Why have you really been calling me?"
Paula hesitated before saying anything in response. "Well...did you get my message last week?" she asked, her tone cautious again. Even though Dana had been known the conversation would turn to this eventually, every muscle in her body still went rigid. "You know…about your brother?"
Dana, whose throat tightened a little at the thought of her older brother, pressed her lips together for a moment. "Yeah, I got it," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice neutral. "Since when are you two talking again?" she couldn't help but ask, her mind already starting to fill with dozens of unanswered questions.
Nothing in the world could have prepared Dana for her mother's next words.
"Ever since he started looking for you," Paula revealed.
It was as though someone had poured ice-cold water over her entire body. Dana froze, her jaw dropped with shock. Brannon Bradshaw, the brother she hadn't seen or spoken to in nine years, the brother that had betrayed her in so many ways, was looking for her? Why? What had brought on this change of heart when they had both made it clear that they never wanted to see or speak to one another for as long as they lived? "He's…he's what?" Dana managed to get out, still trying to wrap her head around this new revelation. "You said he's looking for me?" she hissed, her heart suddenly gripped with fear. If Brannon found her, if he found out who she was and what she did, that could be bad. So very, very bad in so many ways.
"Yes," Paula confirmed. "He has been for a while now. He only contacted me because he kept hitting dead ends, couldn't seem to find a way to get into contact with you. I assume he's had a hard time finding you because of some special bureau security thing?" she asked with curiosity.
"Yeah, but that's not important right now," Dana answered impatiently, not wanting her mother to change the topic of conversation after dropping that bomb on her. "Why is he looking for me?" she demanded to know.
"I don't know. He won't tell me," Paula answered, sounding as though she genuinely didn't know what was going on. "He just keeps badgering me for your number or your address."
Dana was on her feet in an instant, alarm shooting through her nerves. He was really determined to get in touch with her, was even trying to find out where she lived, for God's sake. "You didn't give them to him, right?" Dana asked apprehensively. When Paula took too long to answer, an uncomfortable feeling filled Dana's gut. "Mother, you didn't give them to him, right?" she repeated through gritted teeth, hoping and praying her mother had known better than to give that kind of information away.
"I…I gave him your number," Paula finally admitted. Dana immediately cursed and let out a frustrated growl, pulling the phone away from her ear for a second as her eyes turned up to the heavens in anger. "Well, what was I supposed to do?" Paula was saying as Dana pressed the phone to her ear again, her tone defensive. "He kept calling and calling and calling. And you know how he can get when he wants something done. You know how hard-headed he is. I just got overwhelmed!" she explained with haste.
"Did you tell him I work at the bureau?" Dana snapped, beyond angry with her mother now. Who did she think she was to meddle in Dana's life this way? What right did she have after all the bullshit she'd put Dana through?
"No, I didn't say anything about that," Paula reassured her at once, and it sounded like she was telling the truth.
"Well, at least you did one thing right," Dana huffed, shaking her head to herself as she began to pace her living room.
Paula was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. "Dana, I know you're angry with me...but maybe this is a good thing. He is still your brother. This little feud between you two has been going on for quite long enough," she stated matter-of-factly. "You're both grown adults. Isn't it about time you two worked out your problems?"
Dana snorted and rolled her eyes, her jaw clenching with anger. "Mother, mine and Brannon's relationship – or lack thereof – is none of your business," she clarified in a firm voice. "He's made his decisions and I've made mine, end of story." Paula started to speak again but Dana had heard enough. She didn't want to talk to her mother anymore, especially if they were going to talk about Brannon. "I have to go now, okay? If Brannon calls again…" She paused and then shook her head. "Tell him that whatever it is, I'm not interested." And before Paula had a chance to say anything more, Dana ended the call and tossed her phone away.
With a heavy heave, Dana plopped back down on her couch and dropped her face into her hands, unsure how to feel about this turn of events. She was furious with her mother for giving Brannon her number, that was for certain, but she was almost angrier with Brannon for even trying to get into contact with her in the first place. What was he playing at? What was he trying to do? When they had seen each other last, they'd had a sibling brawl for the record books, complete with screaming, cursing, and even a few injuries...on his part, anyway. They'd both walked away from that knowing that their once strong relationship had crumbled to nothingness and was gone for good. Never had Dana expected to see or hear from her older brother again. Yet now here she was, reeling over the news that Brannon was actively seeking her out after nine years of zero communication. Once again, she had to ask herself why. Was he in trouble? Did he regret the way things had turned out between them and was trying to make amends? Or, Dana suddenly wondered, an odd feeling rising up from her stomach, had something happened to their father? She frowned deeply at that thought. If something had happened to Curtis Bradshaw, Brannon would most certainly know about it…but then why would he feel the need to alert Dana when she had made it painfully clear that she wanted nothing to do with their poor excuse for a father?
For the first time in a long time, Dana felt like she was at a complete loss. Part of her wanted to just forget about all of it, push it out of her mind like she always did – what did she care what her brother and father did with themselves anymore? At the end of the day, they had walked away from her. And as far as she was concerned, they were just going to have to reap what they had sown. But in spite of her anger and her bitterness, another part of her was a little curious to know what had prompted Brannon to swallow his pride and go through all this trouble to try and reach out to her. It had to be about something important, there were no two ways about that one. But was that 'something' important enough that she should actually take interest in it? Important enough for her to break more of her rules and actually speak with her estranged older brother again?
Dana suddenly felt suffocated by it all. She had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on with her dysfunctional family anymore, but she knew that she desperately needed to get out of the house, get some fresh air. That run she'd been contemplating was looking very appealing now. Hopefully a long run would clear her mind of all these troubling thoughts and help her figure out where the hell she was supposed to go from here.
About twenty-five minutes later, Dana was jogging along at a brisk pace in a part of the neighborhood that she had not previously journeyed through. She had wound herself so far back into the neighborhood that she wasn't entirely sure where she was and wasn't even certain she'd be able to find her way back to her house, but at the moment, that problem was at the bottom of her list of issues. There was currently far more pressing problems to worry about, like, for example, her investigation, or the almost-kiss with Teller in his driveway the previous night, or, as of this morning, the troubled past and issues with her family that had decided to come back and bite her directly in the ass.
Thus far the run through the neighborhood had done as she had hoped. The dozens of questions that had been circling around her mind had quieted some and she was thinking a little more clearly again. Only now that she wasn't fretting over what her mother had told her about Brannon and all the many things that could mean, her mind had suddenly opened to a barrage of memories from her past that she had long since pushed away and tried to forget. Her head flooded with images from her childhood, images of her and Brannon playing as children, of them sneaking around at night with other kids that were apart of the club, of the numerous times that they had turned to each other for support whenever their parents were at each other's throats. They were memories she hadn't allowed herself to think about in years, but now that she was thinking about them, they were affecting her in a way she hadn't expected. Instead of feeling angry, like she usually did whenever she thought of her brother, there was a longing pang in her heart, a sadness that she didn't expect to feel as she acknowledged that those days were long gone. The Brannon she had grown up with, the one who had been her protector, who had been her best friend, was lost to her. She had loved that Brannon, and it was only now, as she really stopped to think about it, that she realized how desperately she had missed that Brannon.
Dana came to a halt on a street corner and hunched over, bracing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She stared at the ground, panting hard, until she realized that her eyes were beginning to prickle with the threat of tears. Dana stood straight again and roughly rubbed her eyes, trying to force the tears back. What the fuck was wrong with her? Why, when she had spent years packing ice around her heart so that she wouldn't know this kind of hurt anymore, was she about to cry over Brannon? She had spent so long hating him, so long being angry at him after what had happened...why was she suddenly missing him? He didn't deserve to be missed, and he damn sure didn't deserve her tears. Not after what he had done.
Suddenly another memory came rushing back, one that had haunted her for years after the fact...
OOO
Dana, fourteen, stopped short when she walked into the room that she shared with her brother and saw that he was standing by his bed, completely oblivious to her presence as he threw his clothes into a duffle bag. She glanced towards his dresser in confusion, unsure what he was doing. The drawers were all pulled out and emptied of the essentials. Dana looked at his closet next, which was looking more barren than usual. Putting two and two together fairly quickly, Dana gulped and turned her eyes back to her brother, a heavy feeling of fear forming in the pit of her stomach.
"What are you doing?" Dana managed to ask in a timid voice, heart pounding against her chest.
Brannon, nineteen, whipped around lightning fast at her voice, wearing an expression similar to that of a deer caught in headlights. He stared at her for a long moment before straightening up and clearing his throat, the surprise on his face slowly morphing to an expression of guilt. "I'm packing," he answered slowly, fiddling with the shirt he was holding in his hands.
"Packing for what" she questioned.
Brannon hesitated. "I've…got somewhere to go."
Dana dropped her gaze down to the full duffle bag for a long second, then slowly lifted her eyes back up to her brother's. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her. He had never been good at lying to her. "Where are you going that you need so many clothes?" she demanded to know, eyebrows stitching together. "What are not telling me?"
Brannon heaved, stuffed the shirt he'd been holding into the duffle bag, then ran a hand through his longish brown hair. There was still guilt in his eyes, but the expression on his face had gone very serious. "Look, sis," he said slowly, taking a few steps toward her. "I've been feeling restless for a while. Like there's something else I'm supposed to be doin'. There's too many questions that need answering, and I can't ignore them anymore." Dana frowned further, not sure what he was getting at. Brannon paused for a long moment, meeting her gaze steadily, then finally said, "I'm goin' back home. I'm goin' to find Dad."
It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room with those last few words. Dana could only stare at her brother in disbelief, barely able to comprehend that she had actually heard him say those words. Brannon wanted to go back to their father? But why? Wasn't this the very same brother that she'd spent countless hours trash-talking Curtis Bradshaw with? How many times had he told her that he absolutely hated the man? How many times had he said how happy he was to be away from all that? What had changed? What had made him decide to do this? She didn't understand. She was so confused.
She didn't realize she had started crying until Brannon took another step toward her, remorse written all over his face. "Dana, don't cry," he pleaded, reaching a hand toward her.
Dana snapped back to reality just in time to swat Brannon's hand away. He instantly froze, looking physically pained by her rejection. "Why?" she demanded angrily. "Why do you wanna find Dad? What are you trying to do?"
"It's…hard to explain," Brannon replied with a helpless shrug.
"Well try!" Dana snapped, taking a moment to wipe furiously at the traitorous tears making their way down her cheeks.
Brannon heaved again and shook his head. "I…I don't know why I wanna find him. It just…it feels like that's what I'm supposed to do, okay?" he explained, throwing his hands up in frustration as he tried to make her understand. "I feel like there's something missing and I have ever since we left California," he admitted. "I have to find out what it is, sis. I just have to."
But no matter how gently he said the words or how long he stared at her with those wounded, puppy-dog eyes, pleading with her to understand why he had to leave, Dana couldn't accept it. She shook her head vehemently and took another step backward when he reached out for her a second time. "You promised you would never leave me," she threw at him bitterly, making him cringe. "You promised that you would protect me. How can you do that if you aren't here? How…how am I supposed to take care of mom by myself?" she asked next, wanting to panic at the thought of having to care for their mother on her own when she was still so young. "I need you, Bran! You can't leave me like this!"
It was obvious her words had affected him, but it was also clear that Brannon had already made up his mind and was not going to back down from his decision. "This isn't forever. I'll come back eventually, once I – " he started to tell her.
"No you won't!" Dana interrupted harshly, not wanting to hear his excuses or lies. "You'll stay there…and then you'll become one of them," she said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "And you'll forget all about us, just like he did!"
"That isn't true," Brannon hastily protested, trying to talk sense into her as she began to cry even harder. "I'm not like Dad, Dana. You know that – you know me!"
She shook her head, more tears slipping down her cheeks. "I thought I did," she said.
He seemed hurt by her words. "Dana – " he said, reaching for her a third time.
"No!" she protested, jumping away from him. She had never felt so betrayed. This was worse than all of the broken promised her father had made, worse than all the times their addict mother had let them down. Worse, even, than when they had left California and Curtis Bradshaw hadn't even attempted to fight for them. When he'd just let them go and hadn't even cared. "I don't wanna hear it!" Brannon watched as she backed away, a helpless expression overtaking his face. "I…I…hate you for this, Brannon! I hate you!"
Then Dana turned and ran from the room, not caring where she was headed but knowing she wanted to get as far away from Brannon as she could…
OOO
Dana's sadness over her brother quickly morphed into anger as she reflected on that memory. That had been it, the beginning of the end for her and Brannon. He'd left right after that argument without saying goodbye and had embarked on a journey back to their hometown in San Diego, California to reconnect with their father. And, just as she had predicted, he had never returned Texas. He'd stayed in California, had become a fully patched in member of the Devils Vultures, and had chosen to live the life she had always feared he'd go back to. They'd only seen each other once since then, and that ended in the worst, most volatile argument they'd ever had. Any semblance of their formerly close sibling relationship had been destroyed after that, and they hadn't seen or talked to each other since.
Dana pinched the bridge of her nose, then ran a weary hand over her face. Today was shaping up to be one hell of a bad day, and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. But she supposed there was an upside…at least it couldn't get any worse, right?
No sooner had that thought passed through Dana's head when she noticed that a white van had just come into view and was making its way – quite quickly – down the street in her direction. She paused to watch it, wondering why it seemed familiar, then straightened up alertly when it screeched to a halt directly in front of her. Before Dana could think to panic or worry that someone might actually be about to kidnap her, the van door slid open to reveal the smiling face of Joel Matheson. "Mornin', sunshine," he greeted, as though him driving up in a van and stopping to talk to her in the middle of the street was a perfectly normal thing to do.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Dana hissed, glancing around warily as she stepped closer to the van. The unexpected appearance of her partner had quickly made thoughts of her brother disappear. "Anyone could see you! Are you trying to blow my cover?"
"Relax, Paranoid Patty," Joel said with a roll of his eyes, before jerking his head a little. "Get inside. We need to chat."
Dana sighed in response, but did as she was told and climbed into the van before anyone could see, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of her new neighborhood or give the neighbors something to talk about - both would completely contradict her attempts to not draw too much attention to herself. As soon as she was in the van Joel slid the door shut and they were off again – the two agents in the front greeted her as she found a spot amongst the scattered equipment to sit in. Jenkins and Agent Gonzalez were also present and sitting in the back with Dana and Joel, and both were watching her with unreadable expressions on their faces. It was in that moment that Dana was fairly sure that she was about to get an earful – she didn't know what the looks being sent her way meant, but she knew they weren't good.
She shifted around uneasily for a moment, glancing between Jenkins, Gonzalez, and Joel for a long few seconds. "So…what's up?" she asked as nonchalantly as she could, feigning ignorance. "Why the surprise visit?"
Jenkins, who had an open laptop in his lap, turned his eyes down to the screen as he started typing away on the keyboard. He mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite understand, but Dana thought she heard him say the name 'Teller'. She eyed him for a moment, tempted to tell him to repeat himself, but refrained from doing so when Joel wordlessly extended another laptop towards her – when she accepted it and dropped her eyes down to the screen, her spine went rigid. Carl Peters' image was staring directly back at her, and he didn't look particularly pleased. "Good morning, Agent Bradshaw," he greeted calmly. "I trust you had an enjoyable evening last night?"
So this was why she hadn't received any calls from her team yet – Peters had decided to bitch her out face to face via video chat, instead. Dana pressed her lips together and glanced towards Joel for a second before looking back to her superior. "Good morning, sir. And, er, it was nothing if not interesting," she admitted, trying to keep her cool in front of her boss. "A little nerve wracking I'll admit, but I held myself well against the Sons while I was in the clubhouse."
Jenkins actually snickered when she said that, but she barely had a chance to glare at him before Peters was talking again and catching her attention. "Yes, I see you've been making some…progress where the Sons of Anarchy are concerned. Jenkins!" he called sharply, raising his voice a little and making Dana wince to herself. "Show Agent Bradshaw the feed from last night."
Dana shift her eyes over to Jenkins again as he turned the laptop that he was holding around for her to see, then he pressed a button to make the video file he'd opened up start playing. Blood immediately rushed to her cheeks when she realized that the footage was from the camera pointed at Teller's house. And there, standing only inches apart from each other in his driveway and looking rather intimate, was her and Jackson Teller himself. She watched, her throat suddenly feeling dry, as Teller started to lean in to kiss her only to be stopped when the video version of herself placed a hand on his chest. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she watched herself walk away from him and retreat to her own house, Teller watching her go the entire way.
"What do you think, Agent Bradshaw?" Peters asked to catch her attention again. "Would you consider that to be progress?"
"Sir, that wasn't what it looks like," she said at once, eyes darting back to her superior as Jenkins snapped his laptop closed with a smirk.
"Quiet, Bradshaw." Peters commanded, making her immediately fall silent. "Now I've kept my side of our bargain. I've stayed out of your hair for the past two weeks and let you run the investigation how you saw fit. But this week marks your third week in Charming, and other than boozing it up at the clubhouse last night and cozying up to Jackson Teller, I haven't seen very much progress.," he said, looking increasingly displeased with her with each word. "In case you've forgotten, the lives of two federal agents rest in your hands, Agent Bradshaw. We don't have time to dawdle anymore. I need evidence. I need results."
"Trust me, sir, I know exactly what's at stake here," Dana quickly spoke up when he finally gave her the chance. "And though it's slow, I am making progress. I've already scoped out the autoshop and the clubhouse. I plan to plant a few mics and hidden cameras the next time I visit, which will give us eyes and ears on the inside. The Sons don't talk business in the open, but they're definitely going to talk when they think no one is listening," she explained in a rush, hoping that the plan would be enough to appease her boss. "We should start getting everything we need soon."
It appeared to work, because Peters didn't seem quite as angry anymore. He sat back in his seat and took a moment to consider what she had said. "When do you intend to visit Teller-Morrow and the clubhouse again?" he asked, rubbing his chin pensively.
"I should be back in the autoshop this week," she confirmed with a nod. "As for the clubhouse, well...that I'm not too sure of," Dana then went on to admit. "I think I made a good impression, though. I just have to wait and see if I get invited back a second time."
Again, Peters thought this over. Then he seemed to come to a decision, because he leaned forward on his elbows with a resolute expression on his face. "I know how you can ensure yourself another invite to that clubhouse," he said in an even voice.
Dana pressed her lips together uncertainly – why did she have a bad feeling all of a sudden? "How, sir?"
"Jackson Teller," he said simply, making her heart immediately begin hammering against her chest. Please don't suggest what I think you're going to, she internally pleaded. "Clearly he's…interested," Peters continued. "Spend a little more time with him, reel him in a little bit more. If you do, I guarantee you'll be back in that clubhouse by the end of the week."
She closed her eyes for a moment and internally cursed, knowing she should have seen this coming. Peters wasn't pissed about what had happened with Teller - he wanted her to capitalize on it. "Sir, with all due respect – "
"Agent Bradshaw, this is an order, not a suggestion," he interrupted firmly. "I am still your superior and you will do as I tell you to. You needed a way into the club and now you've got it. We didn't put you next door to him so you could swap dinner recipes and borrow sugar from each other. We put you there so you could get to know him," Peters reminded her. "Now do it."
"Sir, if Jackson Teller is interested in me then I can assure you it is for only one reason," she told him through clenched teeth, trying not to feel angry with the orders she'd just been given. She was a federal agent, not a damned escort, for Christ's sake! "And I do not feel comfortable with the idea of using that as a way of getting closer to the club."
"I'm not telling you to jump into bed with him, Bradshaw. But keep in mind that we are talking about the Vice President of SAMCRO. Jackson Teller practically is the Sons of Anarchy. If you're in with him, you're in with the club. So you will do whatever you must to get on his good side and stay on his good side, do you understand?" he told her in a firm, authoritative tone. Dana, knowing he made a valid argument and that she was stuck whether she liked it or not, finally nodded in reluctant agreement. "I'm giving you one more week, Dana," Peters continued, raising his brows at her. "One more week to get closer to Teller, get your ass back in that clubhouse, and give me some hard intel. If you can do that, you'll stay in charge. But if you can't…I'm stepping in and assuming control of the investigation."
Dana looked over at Joel, who had been watching in silence. He offered a small smile of sympathy, but shrugged his shoulders as if to say that there wasn't any way to get out of this one. "Understood, sir," she finally told Peters, turning her eyes back to his image on the computer screen.
"Good," He said, looking approving for the first time throughout the span of their conversation. "Report back to me next Sunday, eight a.m. sharp," he commanded. "And, Dana?" When she raised her eyebrows at him in silent question, he said, "Don't forget who it is that you're dealing with here. These men are criminals, Teller included."
Dana frowned a bit, not sure why he'd felt the need to remind her of that, but still nodded her head in understanding. "Yes, sir."
The screen went black after that and Dana instantly let out a heavy huff of air. She closed the laptop and then passed it back to Joel, eyeing him with raised eyebrows. "Well, this day is shaping up to be just peachy," she commented dryly as Joel took the laptop and stored it away. "Thanks for the warning, by the way," Dana tossed at him as an afterthought, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him with disapproval.
"Hey, you're a big girl, right?" Joel asked, now pulling out a small tape recorder and tossing it to her.
She easily caught it, looked at it for a second, then turned curious eyes on Joel as rummaged around in a bag in search of something else. "What's this for?" she asked, holding up the recorder.
"The Sons took a trip to San Francisco yesterday, that's why they were late to the party. We think they might've been makin' a deal with a gang out there," he explained, piquing Dana's interest. "The agents that tailed them kept a log of everything that they saw. Thought you'd wanna give it a listen," he added with a pointed look at the recorder.
Dana made a sound of understanding and nodded her head. "Thanks." Dana fiddled with the recorded, turning it over and over in her hands as she thought about her conversation with Peters. She glanced around at the others for a moment, who had busied themselves with their own tasks by now, then looked back to Joel. "Look, I don't know how I feel about this Teller thing," she admitted in a quiet voice. She was having enough trouble with her growing attraction for him as it was - if she did as Peters told her and spent even more time around him, she wasn't sure she'd be able to survive it. She'd found the strength to resist him so far, but she didn't know if that resolve would last forever.
Joel heaved, not looking happy with the plan either. "I tried to talk him out of it, but he didn't wanna hear it," he said with a helpless shrug. "He already had his mind set on Teller being your golden ticket into SAMCRO." Joel then reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, his expression serious now. "You do what you have to, but if it starts to get…serious…back off. Don't put yourself in a position that you're not comfortable with," he told her with a hint of concern in his eyes.
Before Dana could respond, Jenkins piped up. "Well, if you're interested, I've got a copy of the Kama Sutra with me that you and Teller could borrow," he said with an exaggerated wink in Dana's direction. "I bet you could find some…positions…that you're comfortable with in there."
Gonzalez looked at Jenkins with surprise, while Joel turned a glare on the man. As for Dana, it required all of her self control not to hit him directly in the nose. "Why don't you shut your damn mouth and grow the fuck up?" Dana snapped at Jenkins, making his eyebrows shoot upward, as though her outburst had shocked him. "In case you didn't hear Peters just now, I'm still the one in charge of this investigation. So unless you wanna end up working mall security, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself."
Joel hid a smirk of amusement behind his hand while Jenkins merely blinked back at her, looking a little red around the ears after having been put in his place. "Got it…boss," he said flatly before turning back to whatever he was doing.
The van came to a halt after that and Joel pulled open the sliding door again, presenting her with a view of the same street corner that she had just been on. "Alright, Bradshaw, time to release you back into the wild before someone thinks we kidnapped you," Joel said, motioning for her to get out of the vehicle with a jerk of his head.
With one last withering glare in Jenkins' direction, Dana started to pick her way back through the equipment in the back of the van. "What, you couldn't take me back home?" she grumbled to Joel disgruntledly as she brushed by him and hopped out of the van. Once she was back on the sidewalk, she stuffed the recorder he'd given to her in the waistband of her shorts.
"Wouldn't want to blow your cover, now would we?" he asked, tossing her words back at her. Dana just smiled sarcastically and flipped him the middle finger, which didn't phase him at all. "Good luck, Bradshaw," he said, smirking. "I'll check in with you later."
Then he slid the door closed again and, without further ado, the van went speeding away.
Dana watched the van go until it disappeared around a corner, then sighed to herself and shook her head. So now it was her mission to spend more time with Teller, to start getting closer to him. How in the hell was she going to survive spending more time with Teller when the short time they had spent together already had affected her this much? She could admit to herself - but would never admit it to anyone else - that she lusted after Jackson Teller something fierce. Refusing him last night had taken a good deal of willpower. Dana wasn't so sure she'd be able to stick to her morals if he tried to make a move on her again.
With a heavy sigh, Dana turned and started jogging back the way she had come, heading in the direction of her house. She had been wrong after all, because things could get worse. And they just had.
Surprisingly enough, Jackson was awake and mobile by about nine o'clock, partly due to the fact that his mother had felt the need to call ass-early to tell him she'd bring Abel back to the house around noon, but also partly because he hadn't slept very well the night before. This wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him, seeing as he'd had a lot of restless nights since Tara had left him. If it wasn't thoughts of her keeping him awake at night, it was dreams of her. He couldn't count the number of night he'd spent lying awake, just staring up at the ceiling, feeling bitter and angry as he thought about the woman he had lost.
But last night, the woman that had kept him awake had not been Tara. The woman that had invaded his thoughts was a little taller, a little curvier, eyes blue instead of brown and hair a coppery red color instead of dark brunette. It had been Dana that had left him tossing and turning last night. He just couldn't seem to stop thinking about her, the way she had looked the night before, how good she had smelled when she'd been standing so close to him, how badly he had wanted to know what those lips felt like and tasted like. Jackson actually wasn't angry at her for rejecting him the night before – maybe a little wounded, yes, because it wasn't very often that he was turned down, but certainly not mad. If anything, the fire inside was one of determination, burning brighter and hotter now because Dana was playing hard to get and because the chase was starting to excite him. He wasn't usually an overly patient man, especially when it came to a woman that he wanted, but this was different. Jackson knew he could find it in himself to play it cool for just a little bit longer, especially if his prize in the end was having Dana in his bed.
After taking a cold shower - which he'd been in desperate need of since Dana had left him the night before - Jackson dressed for the day and stepped outside with a cup of coffee to have a morning smoke. He opened the garage, took a moment to breathe in the morning air, then popped a cigarette between his lips and lit it up. The neighborhood was still quiet, not quite ready to come to life yet on this sunny, Sunday morning. He glanced across the street, noticed that Bonnie-Jean's car was still absent, and smirked to himself, wondering if she was at Dupree's and hoping he'd be able to catch at least one of them on a walk of shame at some point in time. Lord knows they'd both given him grief over women he'd hooked up with in the past - they deserved a taste of their own medicine.
He let out a puff of smoke, took a large gulp of coffee, then headed out into his driveway to grab the paper. He froze, however, when he exited his garage and realized that Dana was not only awake, but standing in her own driveway. She appeared to have just finished a morning jog - she was covered in a fine layer of sweat and currently in mid stretch, wearing nothing but a tight tank top and running shorts. A wave of heat shot through him when she bent over to stretch her legs, his mind quickly filling with all sorts of inappropriate thoughts. Damn that woman to hell…he was going to need another cold shower if she kept at it like that. Clearing his throat and pulling himself together, Jackson forced on a smirk and continued towards the end of his driveway, trying to look calm and casual.
"Mornin', cupcake," he called to catch her attention, making her straighten up in an instant and whip around to face him. She looked surprised, maybe even a little bit flustered, by his sudden appearance, but she was already so red in the face from her workout that he couldn't tell if she was blushing or not.
"Hey," she said back after a beat of silence, ceasing her stretches and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're up early."
"So are you," he shot back at her, taking another long drag off his cigarette. "Sweatin' out the toxins from yesterday?"
Dana nodded in confirmation, still looking a little uneasy. He wondered if she was thinking about the kiss they'd almost shared last night. "I had to, or I would've never made it through the day, let alone my shift at the bar tonight," she explained, shifting on her feet some and shrugging a shoulder. She looked like she was trying to play it cool, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it. "It isn't fun, but that's what I get for drinking all day."
Jackson nodded his understanding as silence fell between them. There was definitely a lingering awkwardness between them after last night's events – Dana seemed a little guarded around him now, but whether it was because she was afraid to give him the wrong idea or because she thought she'd made him angry, he didn't know. Either way, he wasn't about to let her shut him out that easily, nor did he have any intentions of giving up that soon. Deciding to pretend that there wasn't anything amiss between them for now, an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Know what else cures a hangover?" he asked with raised brows.
Dana lifted a skeptical eyebrow at him. "What?" she asked a little untrustingly.
"A delicious, greasy breakfast," Jackson answered with a lopsided grin. Apparently Dana hadn't expected that answer, because her eyebrows rose in surprise now. "Whaddya say, Prejean?" he asked with an upward nod of his head. "Wanna go to Lumpy's while I'm still free of my parental obligations?"
To be perfectly honest, Jackson had asked her this with the full expectation that she would decline his invitation. After all, she seemed determined to make things as hard as possible and had, more or less, refused him every step of the way so far. But, to his amazement, the redhead actually took a moment to think it over before a small smile appeared on her face and she nodded her agreement, making him blink in surprise. "Alright," she agreed.
"Yeah?" Jackson asked for clarification, not sure he'd heard her right. Had she actually just agreed to get breakfast with him? Was he hallucinating?
"Yeah," Dana echoed, nodding again. "Just let me take a shower first and I'm game."
Her words immediately brought forth the mental image of her naked and wet, which sent another wave of heat through him. He had to clear his throat before he could speak again. "Yeah, okay," he agreed, his voice a little huskier than usual. "Sounds...good." Though it would have been much better if she'd invited him to take that shower with her.
With that, Dana nodded and turned to head into her house. He let his eyes roam over her body then, his gaze quickly dropping down to appreciate the way her round rear moved as she walked away. "I'll meet you out here in a half hour," she called over her shoulder, making him snap his eyes back up to hers before she could catch him staring at her ass. "And just so you know, I'm driving this time, Teller," she added with a pointed look.
He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He was really beginning to like having her on the back of his bike, because whenever she rode with him, he got to enjoy having her hands on him and feeling her pressed up against his back. If they took her car, he wouldn't get to feel any of that. He didn't argue though, just nodded his head. "Aight, then," he agreed, heading back for his own house as she made quick work of unlocking her front door. "It's a date," he called. Dana just looked at him for a second, then nodded and disappeared into her house.
Wait…date? As he realized what he'd just said, Jackson froze, feeling stunned with himself. Since when did he, Jackson Teller, go on dates? Since never, that's when…or at least, he'd never gone on a date with anyone other than Tara. He supposed he'd never felt the need to treat a conquest to a meal because, well, most of those conquests were sweetbutts or croweaters and it wasn't really necessary to put that much effort into it. But then again, Dana was not a sweetbutt or a croweater, and he knew that very well. She would not be won over by charm and sweet-talk alone, nor did his position or power within the club seem to impress her very much. Her actions had made it clear that if he wanted her – and he did – then he'd have to put some serious effort into it.
Jackson shook his head and continued inside to get ready for his outing with Dana. He still didn't understand what made him so willing to spend this much time and effort trying to bed a woman he barely knew, but was sure he'd figure it out in due time. At least, if nothing else, she was proving to be a nice distraction from everything. For once, someone had given him something to think about other than the shit piling up with the club or the woman that had ripped his heart - and the life they'd tried to start together - to shreds. And with all confusing thoughts and feelings aside, after everything that had been going on for the past few months, a distraction sounded exactly like what he needed.
Kind of a filler chapter, but at least we got a little more on Dana's past and can see how confuzzled Jackie-Boy is. Plus now she has to spend time with Jax whether she likes it or not and has an impending date with the VP. How do we think the 'date' will go?
P.S. There's some good shit coming up in the next few chapters! I'm getting pumped!
P.P.S. Is the sexual tension just killing you or what?