The Return

Secrets Revealed

Happy paces around the kitchen, he had called Elena's cell 5 times and every time it went to voice mail. He checks the time it was 2.30 am she should have been back an hour ago.

"Where they hell is Jax with my sister I'll kill him if anything's happened" He thought to himself. He'd finally had enough of waiting, so grabs his keys. He was about to head for the front door when he hears it open.

"Thank god, where the hell..." Happy sees his sister and notices that her eyes were red and puffy a clear sign that she had been crying. He turns to face Jax hoping to find some answers.

"What the hell?" Happy demands

Jax feels Elena grip his hand tighter. He turns to look at her giving her a reassuring smile, before turning back to Happy.

"There's something you need to know" Jax pulls Elena in front of him "Elena?"

They all take a seat around the kitchen table. Elena starts telling Happy, what she had told Jax. She kept her eyes on the kitchen table unable to look into her brothers eyes, both Jax and Happy remained silent while Elena spoke.

Happy couldn't believe what he was hearing he felt sick, but most of all he felt guilty, guilty that he hadn't been there to protect her because that was his job always had been. But that weekend he had shirked his responsibility's and for what to do a stupid run for Clay, that someone else could have easily done but no he had to do it and the consequences led to his baby sister getting hurt.

Jax could feel the bile rising in his throat, having to listen to the details of Elena's attack again was too much, hearing again how he forced himself on her. He wanted to kill him. He looks over to Happy, for the first time he saw raw emotion in his eyes.

When Elena finished the room fell into silence, she wanted to look at Happy but she couldn't face it, she felt disgusted in herself, dirty. And she couldn't deal with seeing the disappointment in his eyes.

The silence didn't last to long, as the sound of Happy kicking his chair across the room as he stood to his feet echoed through out the kitchen. Grabbing the keys to his motorcycle he marched out the front door. He didn't care how long it took him, he was going to track down this piece of shit and kill him. He couldn't bare the thought that he was in town and again he had got to Elena, well he wasn't going to let that happen not again, this was the last time that he would cause her hurt.

Elena cradled her head in her hands as Happy stormed out.

"I knew this would happen, he can't bare to be in the same room as me." She sobbed as her tears fell uncontrollably.

Rising from his seat, Jax places his hand onto the back her neck and bends down to whisper in her ear.

"He loves you"

He runs his hand over her hair before he goes after Happy. Jax was already full of rage and the fact that Happy had stormed out and abandoned his sister when she needed him now more than ever, just made him more pissed off. As he makes it outside he sees Happy straddling his bike.

"What the fuck are you doing"

Jax snaps, easily gaining Happy's attention. Happy fiery eyes dart straight at Jax. He could feel the rage inside him and Jax was not helping that. Swinging his leg back over the bike he eats up the ground that lay in-between himself and Jax, leaving hardly any space between them as Happy finally stopped.

"What do you mean what the fuck am I doing. I'm going to kill that fucking piece of shit"

"I want him dead as much as you, but right now your sister is breaking in there and she needs you."

Jax points back to the house, Happy's eyes follow. He knew what Jax was saying was right but he couldn't just do nothing he couldn't stay here knowing Dean was out there, he just couldn't. He turns to head back to his bike.

"Don't do this, don't leave her in there. She needs you"

Happy turns around and grabs his shirt in hand and pulls Jax into him so they were nearly nose to nose. Jax felt himself intimidated by the killer look in Happy's eyes but he didn't show it he had to be strong for Elena.

"Don't you dare tell me how I should look after my sister" Jax pushes Happy away from him.

"Then do your job" Jax shouts, as Happy raises a clenched fist ready to throw in Jax's direction. "Go on hit me, if that's what it takes for you to go back in there then do it"

He prepares himself, for the pain that he was about to have, but he was shocked when Happy unclenches his fist and wipes his hand over his tired face, before both hands come to rest on his hips. Putting some distance between himself and Jax he stares up at the sky hoping to find answers, but there was nothing there but stars.

"I don't know how to handle this shit man."

"Know one does."

"You seem to"

"On the outside maybe, but on the inside I'm freaking out as much as you are."

"The fact that he's out there..."

"I know I want him dead as much as you, but right now she needs you more"

"How did I miss this"

"We all did"

"Yeah" Happy paces the ground underneath when suddenly his heart stops as the memory of last week comes flooding back to him.

"Wait..." He points his finger in Jax's direction. "The other week when Elle was getting ready for work, I... I took a call... when I came back you and Elle were acting weird." Happy walks closer to Jax who was starting to look nervous.

"You knew...You knew about this" Jax starts backing up. He could see the madness in his eyes.

"No...I knew something was up but I swear to god I didn't know about this. I saw the bruises on her wrist..." He stops mid sentence as Happy slams his back into the wall behind him, before grabbing hold of his face in his hand.

"Bruises? You saw bruises on my baby sister and you didn't think to tell me, what the hell Jax."

"I tried to talk her get her to tell me but..."

"YOU should have told ME. I could have got it out of her and I could have dealt with this and she wouldn't of had to see him tonight, she wouldn't have been hurt by him again."

"I KNOW. I fucked up. We could stand here all night arguing about which one of us screwed up the most, but non of this is going to help Elena."

Happy keeps his hold on Jax for a minute or two before finally letting him go. Jax was right they had both done wrong by her, and now they had to start fixing that. Happy doesn't apologise, it was something he rarely did plus he wasn't sorry Jax needed to pay for lying to him. Walking into the house he stops and stares at his fragile sister who was still sitting in the chair, her head in her hands crying.

She could hear them shouting outside she wasn't sure what they were saying but the was no doubt it was about her. Her tears kept coming, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop. As she sat on the chair crying into her shaky hands, when she feels a warm hand touch her cheek.

"I am so sorry Elena"

Finally looking at him she didn't see the look in his eyes that she had expected. His eyes weren't looking at her with pity or disgust, he looked sad and guilty. Elena knew at that point he was blaming himself what had happened to her. She falls into his arms finally allowing herself to break down, he pulls her close to his body never wanting to let her go. Jax watches from the doorway before leaving them to have their moment.

#################################

Rachel was curled up on the sofa, she finally gave up, over a 100 channels and she still couldn't find anything to watch. Throwing the remote onto sofa she checks her watch it had gone 3 am.

"Where the hell is he" She thought to herself as she lit another cigarette. And then she finally heard the sound that she'd been waiting for, Jax's motorbike.

Jax takes a second to try and compose himself before entering the house, it had been a long night. Noticing that the light was still on, he knew that Rachel was up.

"This night is about to get longer" He thought to himself as he approaches the front door.

He unlocks the front door and just as he had expected Rachel was standing in the hallway waiting for him.

"Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to back ages ago." She shouts

"Not now Rach, I just wanna go to sleep okay"

"No it's not okay. You were just supposed to pick her up and drop her off home."

"Rach please not now" He runs his hand over his tired face.

"I knew it" Rachel scoffs "I knew the moment she came back that this would happen"

"What are you talking about?" He snaps at her his patience wearing thin.

"Elena"

"Don't"

"She wants you, she's always wanted you and now she's trying to make a play for you." Jax was about to stop her ranting but she doesn't let him.

"I mean that would explain why she has been off with me since she got back. I have to say I'm not surprised you two were always close, I remember the way you used to be when you were around her."

"RACHEL" Jax shouts causing Rachel to fall into a stunned silence. "You have no idea what you're talking about"

"YES I DO, that little tart is making a play for you and you don't even see it"

Jax slams his fist against the wall. "She was raped"

"What...wha.." Rachel whispers shocked by his outburst

"Raped. I was late because I went with her to tell her brother about it, because she didn't want to do it alone and because she needed a friend more than anything else and that's all we are Rachel, friends." Jax heads back towards the door.

"Wait..." Jax turns back to face her "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay at the clubhouse"

"Jax wait I didn't know"

"No, but you assumed the worst anyway" Jax slams the door behind him.

#################################

Elena steps out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her petite frame. She wipes the steam off the mirror and looks at her reflection. She finds herself lost in her thoughts, but they weren't thoughts about her rape they were about her brother, she knew he was taking all the blame for everything that had happened to her and that was the one thing she didn't want. She walks into her room and heads straight towards her closet, rummaging through the pile of shoes, she pulls out a black shoe box that was buried at the back. Her fingers trace over the edge of the box sitting in front of her, she sat on the floor debating with herself weather she should open it.

Happy takes another shot of Whiskey as he sat on the sofa staring out the window, completely lost in thoughts about his sister. He couldn't believe that this had happened to her and he hated that she had to go through it all alone. Elena watches him from the doorway, he must have heard her because he suddenly turned to face her. He found himself staring, she was wearing one his navy hooded SOA jumpers and a pair of grey sweat pants. Her hair was still damp from the shower allowing her natural wave to come out. He couldn't help but notice how small and fragile she looked, it made him want to grab hold of her and keep her wrapped in his arms safe from all the dangers that lurked outside.

"Come here" He whispers in his raspy voice. Elena takes a seat next to him. Happy notices the black shoe box she was holding.

"What's that?"

"There something else I have to tell you but I don't know if should" Elena sees fear take over his face

"You can tell me anything you know that I'm always here for you"

Elena hands him the box, he opens the lid and was surprised to see it full of letters, unopened letters.

"What are these?"

"There letters... from our Dad" Happy didn't answer like she had expected he just stared into the box. After about 5 minutes of silence and rifling through the letters he finally spoke.

"You haven't read any of these"

"Just this one" Elena hands him the one letter she had read, Happy takes it from her and reads it.

"Did yo..."

"No I didn't contact him"

"Do you want to?"

"No. As far as I'm concerned I don't have a father. Your are all I need."

Happy places the lid back on the box and throws it onto the coffee table. He places his arm around her pulling her next to him.

"I'm sorry I let this happen..."

"Happy you don't..."

"No, let me get this out okay. I should have been there for you. And I truly am sorry that I wasn't. But I promise you that I am never going to let anything or anyone hurt you again"

"I know"

"I love you okay, no matter what."

"Love you to"

The two of them sit there until they both fall asleep, both of them feeling safe in each others embrace.