Disclaimer – The characters of this fanfiction, as well as the 'Sons of Anarchy' world belong to Kurt Sutter, with the exception of 'Boo' Morrow, who is an original character created by me. I make no profit from this work.
You guys are amazing! I came home to so many lovely comments from new and regular reviewers alike! Seriously guys thank you so much! I have to admit that to some extent, this is a filler chapter of sorts, but its building towards something very important I assure you. I added in some funny bits though, so enjoy! And yes, I had a wonderful time at my friends, thank you to all of you that said that I deserved it.
"Here." Tig said as he placed a cold, freshly opened beer in front of Chibs. The Scotsman nodded his thanks and eased away the icepack on his nose with a wince, the icepack was covered in his blood, but the bleeding in his nose seemed to have stopped so Chibs chucked the ice pack to one side before taking a swing of his beer. "How's your nose?" Tig asked as he slumped down on the couch next to Chibs, his own beer in hand.
"It'll be fine, it ain't broken but yeh did a number on it." Chibs nodded as he gingerly poked and prodded at his nose. It was swollen as fuck, red and had been, up until he'd managed to stem the bleeding, spewing blood like anyone's business but luckily for Chibs, Tig hadn't broken it. He deemed that a miracle in itself, by all rights Tig should have broken his nose with the first punch. Tig was The Sergeant at Arms; it was his duty to have a good punch.
"Sorry about that man, you understand why I had too." Tig scowled staring down at the beer in his hand forlornly. In some ways he deeply regretting beating on Chibs, knowing what he now knew, knowing that Chibs was in love with Boo but had let her down for her own good, but at the same time Chibs had hurt the girl, hurt her bad, and Tig didn't know all the facts when he stormed into the Scotsman's home fists flying. Chibs nodded solemnly, took another swing of his beer.
"Aye, yeh love that kid more than anything, she's hurtin' and I'm the reason why." He said with a grimace on his lips, hating that the words that came out of his lips were true. Boo was hurting and he was the reason why. Hell she'd be hurting for a long time coming and it all came back down on him. He hated himself for it, but he knew he'd probably hate himself even more if he gave in and made Boo his Ol' Lady only to humiliate and crush her by cheating on her on runs, to leave her all alone getting killed on some run or worse, getting her killed for the simple fact that she was his. He wouldn't even be able to live with himself if that happened... he'd end up a Nomad, alone with his grief travelling around the stateside SOA charters just flowing from one day to the next, not caring if he lived or died.
Tig saw the hurt on Chibs face, the devastation and regret and patted him on the back. He could only imagine how much the guy was hurting. He'd got it all out of Chibs in the end, after questioning him of his love for Boo. Chibs had told Tig everything... Boo's date kicking her out of the car, her stumbling down his street, him patching her up and listening as she told him everything. Chibs told Tig about kissing her and realising that he was and always had been in love with her, of knowing that he had to push her away because he didn't want her to have the life he'd bring her. He told him of Emily Duncan and the conversation with Boo it had lead to where they'd openly admitted they were in love with one another before deciding that they shouldn't be together despite neither party really wanting such an outcome. Tig had been for the first time in a long time, lost for words. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing yet he knew it to be true. He'd seen heartbreak before; he knew the look it left on a man's face. He was amazed at his brother for being able to turn Boo down for her own good. Had it been the other way around, Tig knew he would have never been able to do such a thing. Although he was selfish like that. But Chibs had turned her down and despite how much pain Boo was in, Tig knew that Chibs had made the right choice. Tig didn't want her to have that sort of life either.
"You did the right thing you know." He said, letting his hand fall as he continued to stare down at his beer. Chibs was able to perk his lips up just a little at that comment. He could hear everything that Tig had chosen not to say.
"Aye, she can do a lot better than me, I know it." He nodded grimly, before taking another swig of his beer. He savoured the cool, malty taste for it a moment as yet again he relived Boo's pleading with him, the way she begged him to change her mind and give them a chance. He knew that she didn't believe there was anyone better out there for her. "Just wish she did." He added bitterly. Tig couldn't help but smirk at that. Boo was stubborn, she'd been in love with Chibs for over two years now and no about of Tig telling her to move on and find someone else, to just get over him was going to change that.
"Give her time man, she'll go away to college, meet somebody." He shrugged. In just a few months time Boo would be going to college, and while she'd most likely still be staying with Tig, The Sergeant at Arms knew that being around like minded people of her own age could only be good for her. She'd meet some guy, possibly doing the same course she was doing, and would fall head over heels in love with him... on that day she'd look back on all that had happened between Chibs and herself and realise that Chibs had been right and that they were never meant to be. Until then she wouldn't be able to see that.
"Someone trainin' teh be a doctor or a lawyer or somethin', a decent man." Chibs nodded. He could see it now, Boo meeting some guy training for some important, high powered job, falling for him, marrying him, having the typical 2.5 children and living a quiet secluded life with her family far away from the life of SAMCRO. That was the sort of life she deserved, not sitting in a small house in Charming, packing a gun as she was constantly in danger, never able to have the wedding day she'd surely dreamed of since being a little girl, tied to a man that was neither safe nor faithful.
"You're a decent man Chibs." Tig said when the words were barely out of the Scotsman's mouth. Tig wasn't lying to make Chibs feel better, he truly believed it. Chibs was loyal and loving, a good man with strong morals, he'd do anything for the people he loved and if it wasn't for the fact that he was a Son Tig wouldn't have too much of a problem with him being with Boo. He couldn't ask for a better man really... But Chibs was a Son and that brought about a whole host of problems that he didn't want Boo to have to put up with. Murder, death, danger, croweater's to name a few. "But you're also a Son." He added when Chibs cocked an eyebrow and gave him a questioning glance.
"Aye." Chibs nodded, winching as a bolt of pain shot up his nose. He hissed and grabbed the discarded ice pack, held it to his nose once again, sighing as the ache was soothed.
"Does it hurt?" Tig asked. Chibs knew he wasn't talking about his nose. He nodded.
"Fuck me does it." He admitted grimly, turning to scowl at Tig. He didn't go into more detail than that, didn't tell Tig how he felt like his lungs were bring crushed or how he felt as though he'd been shot straight through his heart, nor did he tell Tig about the heavy weighty feeling that had fallen on his shoulders the night before or the fact that he'd cried and drunk so much in the last few hours he felt like his head was going to just give up and cave in on itself. Tig didn't need to know all that, all he needed to know was that it hurt.
"This is why I fuck hookers." Tig said with a smirk, earning himself one from Chibs in return. It was good to see the Scotsman smile, if only for a second. "That only hurts when you want it too." He added with a chuckle. And boy could it! Those whores could be wild when they wanted to be, vicious...
"Hollow though ain't it." Chibs said. He was tired of moving from hooker to hooker every night, never getting attached to them, never having a good woman to come home to every night, to wake up in bed with each morning. It was such an empty way to live and Chibs was almost beginning to hate it. Of course it was brilliant get laid by a curvy, sexually talented lady every night but Chibs wanted more. He always had.
"For you maybe..." Tig shrugged, he wasn't interested in holding down a relationship. Hell even if the right woman did come along the Sergeant at Arms was certain he'd never take her as his Ol' Lady, he'd had too much shit going down that road in the past. The closest any woman might come to being his Ol' Lady would be in being a regular lay. The only permanent women Tig needed in his life were Boo, Gemma and Tillie. "You want love, I just wanna get laid." He added simply. Chibs smiled warmly at the Sergeant at Arms, gave a little shake of his head. He couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to find love; it was the most beautiful, magical feeling in the world. He'd not been in love for a long time, not since Fiona and now that he was again that magical, beautiful feeling that made him feel warm and content was back despite the fact that he wasn't with the girl he loved. Despite the fact that he never would be.
"There's nothing like being in love Tiggy, no matter what the outcome of it may be." He said as he patted Tig on the back, his face falling. Tig suddenly felt a little guilty as Chibs eyes dulled to an almost black from the warm sparkling brown they had been just a moment before. Tig was after all, one of the biggest things holding Chibs back from being with Boo. But no matter how guilty he felt, no matter how bad he felt for his brother, Tig knew Chibs was doing the right thing and wasn't going to do anything to chance the Scotsman's mind. Wounds would heal in time after all; the pain would dull and eventually fade away...
"It's not like I don't think..." he began, wanting to say something to cheer Chibs up – the combination of heartache, drunkenness, a beating and no sleep made the Scotsman look like he was at deaths door - but he didn't want to say anything that would make Chibs waver in his decision regarding being with Boo. He clicked his tongue and ran his hand over his face with a prolonged sigh as he thought of what to say. "Shit Chibs, I know you'll make that girl happy, I know it! I mean you're a good guy and you love her it's just..." he rambled eventually dragging his fingers through his hair as he stumbled over his words and struggled to finish what he was trying to say.
"Yeh don't want her teh have the sort of life I'd give her, the life of an Ol' Lady. Yeh know what it means teh be an Ol' Lady..." Chins interrupted with a shrug of his shoulders, his voice deadpan. He appreciated what Tig was saying, he really did but there was no need for him to explain anything. Chibs understood completely.
"Yeah, I know what that means." Tig nodded before downing the rest of his beer and chucking the empty bottle to one side. It didn't smash; it simply rolled across the kitchen floor. Both men seemed to content to watch it for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts. "I don't want that for Boo." He added eventually, standing and returning to the fridge for another beer. He offered Chibs one but the Scotsman shook his head and held up the half finished beer he already had.
"Me neither Tiggy, me neither." He said patting Tig on the shoulder as the Sergeant at Arms sat down next to him once again.
"It takes a big man to give up the girl he loves like that, you should be proud." Tig said turning to Chibs, a serious look about him, his icy blue eyes staring straight into Chibs dull brown ones. "I mean you broke her heart because you love her, to save her from worse heartache and pain." He almost chuckled at that... the idea of purposely hurting someone to save them from something worse was near enough lost on him. He'd much rather be selfish and have the girl for a while, after all they were going to end up hurt anyway! But Tig would never allow himself to be in such a situation. He fucked hookers, end of. He was just thankful that Chibs wasn't like him because there was no way in hell he was going to stand by and watch as Chibs slowly but surely broke Boo's heart. "I couldn't do that man."
"I was idiot enough teh fall in love with her in the first place."Chibs said, knowing that if he'd just fallen for some croweater or local shop girl instead he could have prevented all of this. Hell even if he'd realised he was in love with Boo sooner he could have avoided all of this... he could have distanced himself from her, forced himself to get over her before he found himself in a situation like the one he was currently in. "I have to deal with the consequences of that." He added with a shrug. And he'd deal with it as best he could, in the only way he really knew how, drinking, whores and mindless violence. Chibs was itching for a good fight, to just get the whole thing out of his system. He was longing for the chance to just get his hands on some Mexican bastard or someone who had wronged the club somehow - whoever that man may be was a very unlucky man indeed – just so he could have a justified reason to beat the crap out of them.
"She fell in love with you too; does that make her an idiot?" Tig asked, a little annoyed at Chibs comments. Why should he be punishing himself for falling in love? Did he not realise what he was suggesting with his words? Did he not realise he was making it seem as though he thought Boo an idiot too, that he thought that Boo should also be suffering the consequences of falling in love with the wrong person?
"No, but-" Chibs mumbled, caught off guard by Tig's sudden spark of rage. Boo wasn't an idiot for falling in love with him, he didn't think that in the slightest, but he was most certainly an idiot for it. Or at least for not realising he was in love with her sooner.
"You're not an idiot either Chibs." Tig cut in before Chibs could say anymore. He was not going to have Chibs beat himself up over this. The guy was hurting enough as it was he didn't need to add to that by putting the blame on himself. There was no blame as far as Tig was concerned, just two people falling in love with someone they really shouldn't have, two people letting their feelings get the better of them. "You're human, you fell in love, it happens." He explained simply, to which Chibs nodded. The Sergeant at Arms made sense. Yes he was human, yes he feel in love because that's what humans do, but it was never as simple as that, never as easy. There was always more too it.
"Aye." He nodded, not really wanting to talk about Boo anymore. He just wanted to go to bed and sleep the day away, forget for a few hours all that had gone on over the last few days. "Yeh look after her now Tiggy, make her right again." He said dismally, downing the rest of his beer before standing and heading towards the hall. "I don't want her teh be in any more pain than she has teh be." He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and ducking his head sorrowfully as he wandered towards his bedroom with a sigh. His one comfort out of all that had happened between him and Boo was that she had someone like Tig in her life to comfort her and be there for her though her heartache, to help her move on, to listen to her cry and bitch about him... He wished he could do the same, but he knew better than to talk to one of his brothers about what had happened. Boo wouldn't want anyone else knowing what had happened... and really nor did Chibs. It just meant more people he had to talk to about it, more people asking him questions, making him relive it all... Tig took the hint and followed him down the hallway as far as the front door.
"Only if you promise to stop beating yourself up over all this." He said seriously. Chibs turned his head, smirked and nodded.
"Aye, yeh did that for me." He chuckled, waving his hand at his swollen nose.
SAMCRO
"Tig?" Boo asked, rushing out into the hallway when she finally heard the front door open. Tig had been gone for more than an hour – despite the fact that the store backed onto their apartment building and was easily accessible through an alleyway – and Boo feared that he'd gone to confront Chibs, and in Tig's world confronting someone meant beating them to a bloody pulp, meant killing them... Thankfully it was Tig coming through the door, a paper bag in hand and a sorry look on his face. Boo immediately feared the worst. "Shit where have you been? I was worried! I..." she rambled, her eyes glancing over Tig quickly for any sign that he'd been in a fight. She saw none, other than the fact that his knuckles were a little redder than usual. "Have you hurt him? Chibs?" she asked fearfully, eyes filling with tears at the mere thought. She'd never forgive Tig if he had, after all Chibs had done nothing wrong –not intentionally anyway - he didn't deserve to be beaten up even if he had broken Boo's heart. Boo would rather the matter was just dropped so they could just try and move on. Even if such a thing seemed an impossibility.
"No doll, I swear it." Tig lied with a shake of his head. He didn't like lying to Boo but knew it was a necessary evil. After all how was he supposed to comfort her if she was pissed at him for beating up Chibs? Of course she would be, then she'd been stubborn and refuse to talk to him, she'd lock herself away in her bedroom with Tillie and refuse to come out. She didn't need to be alone right now. "I just got a little... diverted." He smirked, adjusting his pants a little as he sauntered into the living room. Boo scowled and rolled her eyes as he walked past her, annoyed that he'd been sidetracked by his dick yet at the same time pleased that he was off fucking some whore or getting his dick sucked rather than beating up Chibs.
"Do you ever think about anything else Tigger?" he asked as she followed him into the living room.
"You've lived here over two years now and you still have to ask me that?" Tig chuckled as he sat down on the couch with a tired sigh. A sleeping Tillie awoke and groggily came to greet him, before settling herself down on his lap and falling asleep once again. He leaned his head back against the head rest on the couch and stroked Tillie's head for a few seconds before asking "How you feeling doll?" Boo who had simply being watching Tig from the living room door way, simply shrugged before settling down next to Tig and leaning against him, her eyes focussed on a sleeping Tillie. She envied Tillie so much in that moment, sure she was a dog that wasn't even a quarter of the size she should be and sure she was doped up after having an operation but other than that she was happy, peaceful. Her life was so easy, she loved Tig and Boo and they loved her right back. They made sure she was fed, walked, entertained and healthy. The dog wanted for nothing. It was such a simple life...
"Better now I've had a shower." She nodded as Tig draped an arm around her. After Tig had left for the store she'd taken the chance to have a long hot shower, where she allowed herself to cry a little more. The hot water seemed to ease her aching body, loosened the tight hold heartache had over her heart. "It was kinda like the water washed some of the shit away you know?" she sighed. Tig chuckled at that.
"Yeah, showers do that kid." He snickered, to which Boo just rolled her eyes. "Here, hope the ice cream helps some too." He said dumping the paper bag in his hand into her lap.
"Oh it will." Boo nodded. She was looking forward to a day curled up on the couch with Tillie watching reruns of Friends and Buffy with ice cream and whatever other junk food she could find in the kitchen. Since neither she nor Tig could cook there was plenty of it. Tig dozed contently for a while, Tillie still in his lap, as Boo went into the kitchen to find a spoon. He couldn't even be bothered to move to his bedroom, even if it meant dozing on the couch while Boo watched the boring crap she liked to watch on TV. Just as he started to fall asleep however, he suddenly realised something. On Monday morning, when he and Boo went to work she'd see Chibs nose and know he had something to do with it. There was no way it'd heal in less than 48 hours and there was no way Tig would be able to convince her he had nothing to do with it. He really didn't want to have her pissed off with him, not while she was so upset anyway. He thought quickly, tried to think of a way to keep Boo away from Teller-Morrow for a few days without arousing suspicion. She wouldn't just take any time off, he knew that much, she was eager for life to return to normal as quickly as possible. Maybe he could convince Clay to let them take some vacation time... after all things were quiet, the gun trade was going well, they were getting no hassle from the Mexicans or the Niners and even the garage business had slowed a little. The others could easily handle a few days two mechanics down and if the club needed him, Tig had his prepay, they could call and he'd head back as quickly as possible.
"Hey, how's about we go away for a few days?" he suggested, yawning widely before turning to look at Boo, who was still in the kitchen. "Put some distance between you and Scotty for a while; give you some time to get over him some before you see him again." While he may have only suggested getting away to keep her from seeing Chibs face, Tig liked his idea more and more the more he thought about it. A few days away for Boo made sense, her heartache and pain was still raw – as was Chibs – and it would do her good to get over that a little before she saw the Scotsman again. Seeing him so soon after everything that had passed between them might make things worse.
"What about work?" Boo asked with a scowl. While she liked the idea of getting away for a few days, of avoiding Chibs until the fresh pain of her heartache dulled somewhat, she knew Clay was unlikely to just give them a few days off with so little notice and no real explanation. Especially not Tig anyway, he didn't like any of the Sons disappearing for a few days encase they were needed. "Clay-"she began, but Tig held up a hand to silence her.
"I'll deal with Clay." He promised. He wasn't going to tell Clay everything, but he was going to tell him enough, he just hoped it was enough for the President to let them have the time off. Tig was sure it would be, after all Clay still loved his daughter, he still cared about her wellbeing and Tig had never, in all the years he'd been at Teller-Morrow and SAMCRO just asked for time off.
"Sure okay." Boo nodded, happy to let Tig deal with Clay. "Can we go to LA?" she asked. She's always wanted to go to LA, ever since she'd been a little girl. She wanted to go to the Hollywood walk of fame, to Beverly Hills and Universal studios, but despite living in California for over three years she'd not yet been.
"Anywhere you want doll." Tig promised with a smile before closing his eyes again and allowing sleep to take him.
SAMCRO
Tig called round Gemma and Clay's house early the next morning while Boo took Tillie for a walk. She always took Tillie for really long walks on Sunday mornings which gave Tig the perfect chance to slip out and go and talk to Clay about them having time off. Gemma let him in and directed him to the dining room where Bobby and Clay were sat drinking coffee and discussing Bobby's recent divorce from his third wife Precious.
"Clay? Can we talk?" Tig asked seriously, hovering in the dining room doorway. While what he wanted to discuss wasn't serious, he didn't want Bobby to hear about what had happened between Chibs and Boo. If he found out, the rest of the club would find out and it would be their main source of gossip for a long while, making things even harder on Chibs and Boo. Clay nodded in understanding before turning to Bobby.
"A moment Bobby." He said his words a demand and not a request. Bobby nodded and grabbed his coffee before heading towards the front porch where Gemma was relaxing in the early morning sun. Tig waited until he heard the front door shut before he took Bobby's place at the table. "What do you want?" Clay asked as Tig sat down. He could tell the Sergeant at Arms wanted something, he knew him well enough to pick up on that. He was curious as to what it was Tig wanted, for his right hand man obviously wanted Bobby out of the room which was very unusual for him. If he wanted to ask the President for something he'd just come out and say it no matter who was in the room.
"Couple of days off... " Tig shrugged, to which Clay cocked an inquisitive eyebrow. There was more to what Tig was asking and he was sure of it. Tig sighed and explained, skimming around details where possible, he didn't want Clay to know too much, partly for Boo's sake and partly to save Chibs from another beating. "For the kid too, she's going through some shit and I wanna get her away from here for a while." He shrugged indifferently, hoping to avoid too many probing questions.
"Shit?" Clay asked, sounding concerned. He wondered if the kid had hurt herself, or had gone through a nasty breakup. It had to be something bad if Tig wanted to take her away for a few days. "She alright?" he asked, knowing it was no longer his place to ask too many questions yet wanting to know Boo was okay all the same. Tig cocked an eyebrow in question, confused as to how concerned Clay sounded over Boo. "Hey, she may be in your care now Trager but she's still my daughter." He shrugged as way of explanation. Tig nodded, understanding. He still cared about his daughters even if they were not longer in his care.
"She'll be fine; she's just got a little thing going for our Scottish friend." He said indifferently with a slight shrug of his shoulders, making it seem as though Boo had a schoolgirl crush rather than a deep love from Chibs. "He found out, had to let her down gently..." Tig continued. As far as he was concerned he didn't need to say any more on the matter, what little he'd said had pretty much summed things up without going into too much detail. Thankfully Clay took Tig's words at face value and didn't try to dig any deeper.
"I'm guessing she didn't take to well to that?" he asked, eyes twinkling, mouth contorted into a smirk. Typical teenagers! Getting their panties in a twist over someone they'd never get. Jax had gone through something similar at 14 Clay recalled – for his English teacher. For Clay it had been his busty next door neighbour and for Boo it seemed, it was the Scottish biker.
"Na, not really." Tig said, shaking his head with a slight smile on his lips. He was glad Clay wasn't pushing anything, Boo didn't need that. She just needed to get away for a few days, no questions asked.
"Take the next week off." Clay said as he mentally went over the club and garage schedules for the next few weeks. Things were pretty quiet on both fronts but Clay knew shit was brewing with the Mayans; he just had no clue if the shit was for SAMCRO or the Niners. It was a case of wait and see, they couldn't just launch an attack on the Mayans on the chance that the shit was meant for the Niners but they needed to be prepared should it be for them. "Keep your prepay on, things are quiet round here but I might need you." He informed Tig, trusting that his right hand man would drop everything and return should he be needed.
"Alright." Agreed Tig, nodding his thanks. "You need me, just call; I'll be back as soon as I can." He promised Clay, standing to leave before embracing his President. He hoped that he wouldn't be called back, at least until Boo was feeling somewhat better, but he'd return if he was needed, if the club needed him.
"You better be." Clay said as they patted one another on the back.
SAMCRO
Tig and Boo managed to spend the whole week in LA. Tig was glad to see Boo with a smile back on her face, and for the most part allowed her to drag him round all of the touristy type locations she wanted to go to – mostly because he got laid in all of those places without much more effort than a suggestive wink in a woman's direction – however when it came to them going on 'It's A Small World' at Disneyland, Tig put up one hell of a fight. There was no way in hell he was going to get on that horror ride! Floating through room after room of dolls singing an annoying jingle? It was like Tig's worst nightmare. Which only of course, encouraged Boo more. She eventually succeeded in dragging him on it by standing next to two scarcely clad model types in the queue. Both girls seemed eager to flirt with Tig –who was wearing his cut - and hinted heavily that after the ride, they should find a quiet, secluded spot and have a little fun. Tig readily agreed but soon regretted his decision when the ride started. He was completely surrounded by singing dolls that just kept coming and he was terrified. He tried to fight it, tried to keep his cool, but after the third round of the song Tig had pulled his cut over his head in an attempt to hide from the dolls, and to hide his tear streaked face from the model types. Both girls saw however, and were unimpressed. The jumped off the ride and scuttled off as soon as they possibly could, leaving Tig weeping softly as Boo howled with laughter. He would have been mad at Boo had it not been for the fact it had made her so damn happy. And because she made it up to him that night – going down to dinner alone while he was in the shower, and sending in the hot room service lady as she went. Boy could that lady do some interesting things with a feather duster!
When they returned on Sunday evening, Tig went straight to Gemma and Clay's to get caught up on all he missed while Boo headed home and waited for Jax, who was dropping by to take her on their monthly dinner date. Boo had to admit she was starting to look forward to her evenings out with Jax, he seemed to drop his guard a little and no longer came across as a pompous ass as he had done when she'd first meet him. She could actually sit and talk with him now – although for the most part they sat and bitched about the other club members, in particular Tig and Clay.
"Hey Jax." Boo beamed, opening the door to her stepbrother not long after getting in. Jax, who'd been causally leaning against the wall with a cigarette in hand, beamed at the sight of his little sister and open his arms for a hug.
"Hey kid, have a good time in LA with Tig?" he asked as he kissed her on the forehead before wrapping his arm around her shoulder and steering her towards the exit. Boo nodded and pulled the front door shut behind her.
"As good a time as I could have with him." She chuckle with a roll of her eyes. For the most part she'd had a great time in LA with her guardian but she'd lost track of the amount of women he'd disappeared with throughout the trip. They may have been out of Charming, and hell well out of the way of any SOA charter, but the lure of Tig's cut and what it meant still held strong. Women practically flocked to him when they realised he was a SON, seeming to prefer him over the masses of male models and good looking actors that seemed to make up the majority of the population in LA.
"He disappear with some lovely ladies?" Jax asked with a smirk. He knew of course, that Tig had gotten himself laid a fair few times with some very lovely ladies. He'd called Jax mid blowjob to tell him that he was getting his dick sucked by some chick from some film. Jax had no real clue who Tig was talking about, but according to Juice the girl in question was an actress known for a raunchy shower scene in some horror film a few years back. Jax had to admit he was impressed – no one famous had ever sucked his dick. Not that he knew of anyway.
"Many times." Boo chuckled with a nod. "Wouldn't expect anything less from him though." She added. She'd have been worried if Tig hadn't gone and gotten himself laid, it just would have been so out of character for him. She was glad he'd gotten himself laid so many times if she was honest with herself, the vacation was more for her sake and not his so he might as well have done all he could to enjoy himself.
"Hey you mind if someone tags along tonight?" Jax asked, stopping in the apartment building doorway and turning to face Boo before they could go out the door. He tucked a loose strand of hair behind his ear nervously as he waited on an answer. The person in question was already 'tagged along' and waiting in their car outside. Jax would have asked Boo first but it had been a spur of the moment decision when said person had turned up on his door as he'd left to go to Tig and Boos.
"A girl?" Boo asked with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow. She didn't know Jackson very well, even after three years of knowing him, but she knew him well enough to know he wouldn't just let someone 'tag along' on his monthly night out with Boo unless they were someone pretty damn special. Her suspicions were confirmed when Jax smirked and a faint pink blush formed on his cheeks.
"Yeah, I kinda like her." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "She's special." he added. Which was saying something. There had been no one special in his life since Tara had left when he was 19, just an endless stream of nameless, faceless women. It was nice to finally see a face, to know a name and have more of a connection that just a quick fuck against the clubhouse wall.
"Well then, I can't say no can I?" Boo grinned, glad to know Jax had finally found someone. It was nice to know that at least one of the club was lucky in love, even if she wasn't. "What is she an angel?" she teased as she followed Jax outside to a waiting car. There was a slim woman leaning against the bonnet with wavy dirty blond hair that reached right down her back, dressed in skinny jeans and a flowing black top. She beamed at Jax when she saw him, her entire face alight with happiness. She wore a bit too much make up for Boo's liking but the teen had to admit, it did suit her. She was stunning and Jax seemed ecstatic too see her.
"Could be kid, could be." He whispered into Boo's ear before sauntering over to the blond and embracing her. He gave her a long drawn out kiss, his hands quickly finding their way to her ass, before whispering something in her ear and jerking his head back at Boo. The blond beamed and stepped toward Boo, her hand outstretched.
"Hi, I'm Wendy." She muttered nervously as Boo took her hand and shook it. "You must be... Boo?" she said, sounding rather bewildered by the teen's strange nickname. She wondered if she'd heard Jax right... Boo was such a strange thing to call someone, even if it was a nickname. "Do you prefer that or Hayley?" she asked with a scowl of uncertainty.
"Hi, and yeah I prefer Boo." Boo chuckled. She was used to people being caught off guard by her strange nickname, but they soon got used to it. She didn't really respond to Hayley anymore – mostly because nowadays, when she was called Hayley it was when Tig or Gemma were really pissed off at her. Like the time she almost let Gemma's beloved bird fly free, or the time she'd spilt Pepsi over Tig's favourite porn magazine...
"Jax has told me a lot about you." Wendy said which surprised Boo as she'd heard nothing about this girl until moments before hand. She wasn't about to say that however, she didn't want to piss off or offend Jax's possible Ol' Lady before she'd even got a chance to get to know her.
"She's my kid sister, of course I've told you a lot about her." Jax grinned, wrapping his arm around Wendy's waist from behind before kissing her on the cheek. Wendy blushed a brilliant red as Jax steered her around and opened the car door for her. "Ladies." He grinned, stepping aside and gesturing for both Boo and Wendy to get in the car. Wendy immediately slipped into the driver's seat as it was her car, while Boo climbed in the back.
"You're loving this aren't you." She grinned up at Jax before he could shut the door on her. Jax smirked and winked at her.
"Dinner with my two favourite girls; doesn't get much better than this." He grinned before shutting the door and climbing in the passenger side of the car.
"Tell that to Gemma and she'll have you saying different." Boo laughed.
SAMCRO
Monday morning saw Boo return to work, where she'd see Chibs for the first time since they'd admitted their love for one another, since they'd 'agreed' it was best that they weren't together. She was completely dreading it; her time in LA had done little more than avoid the inevitable. The fresh pain of heartache still remained; increasing steadily the closer it came to her seeing Chibs again. Thankfully he was already inside the garage when she and Tig pulled up first thing, concentrating hard on the car he was working on. He was either oblivious to Boo's arrival or was choosing not to look in her direction. Whichever it was, it didn't matter, Boo had decided she was going to go and talk to him straight away. In her mind it was the best way to try and return to some sort of normality. Maybe if they could go back to what they had been before, just friends, things might get a little easier. She'd rather be Chibs friend than be the girl he ignored for her own good.
Chibs had spent the better part of the last week alone, never hanging around after work and slipping out of the clubs weekly party as early as possible. He just didn't want to be around anyone, especially not when they were all questioning him about what had happened to his nose (he told them he'd gotten into a bar fight) or why he was so glum (he made up some bullshit about it being his wedding anniversary, which actually wasn't until June. His brothers seemed to believe him however and gave him the space he needed). Tig had called him and explained that he was taking Boo away for a few days which Chibs was thankful for. He had no idea how much harder things would have been those first few days had he had to have been around Boo... He was both dreading and looking forward to the day she returned to work. On the one hand he just wanted to see her and have things return to the way they were, but on the other he had no idea what was going to happen when he saw her, how he was going to feel.
"Hi Chibs." Boo muttered nervously, startling the Scotsman who had no idea she was at work or that she'd approached him. He took a moment to prepare himself before he turned to face her, an awkward smile on his face. She was stood with her arms huddled tight around her like she was trying to keep herself together, her head was ducked to avoid eye contact with Chibs but she couldn't seem to stop herself from looking up at him, a tense smile about her lips. She appeared to be shaking softly, despite the warmth of the early morning sun... She was a braver person than him that was for sure, he'd been planning on avoiding her as much as possible while she seemed content to seek him out.
"Boo..." he nodded, going to hug her yet thinking better off it and letting his arms drop. He had to admit, despite the nervous look on her face, Boo looked good. Some time away had definitely agreed with her, her usual pale skin had darkened just a little, which only made her blue eyes stand out more, her hair had been styled and streaked with red on her travels and bounced in elegant curls over her shoulders. She looked older than her 18 years, stunning, even in her work outfit of loose fitting jeans and her Teller-Morrow shirt. Had he been confronted by this Boo a week earlier he'd have had a much harder time turning her down. "How you feelin' darlin'?" he asked, for while she looked well he knew she could be hiding a world of pain inside. He certainly was.
"Better... I'm still hurting, but I'm coping." Boo shrugged, not wanting to worry Chibs too much by going into too much detail about just how badly she was hurting. While she was coping, it was a constant struggle, especially now without the distraction of LA. Whenever she thought of Chibs, hell whenever she didn't, her heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest a piece at a time. It hadn't stopped since she'd last talked to Chibs, not once. Sometimes it got so bad it woke her in the night and she had to do everything in her power not to just give in and weep. "You?" she asked although she was already near certain of Chibs answer. The Scotsman looked a state, his face was grey and gaunt, his eyes dull, hair limp and greasy and he seemed to have lost a little weight. Despite all that, Boo still thought him good-looking. He was still Chibs, his eyes, no matter how dull they might seem, still held the warmth she so loved about them.
"I'm dealin' with it, just about." He shrugged attempting to smile. Boo nodded in response, but was unable to say anything. Neither was Chibs and for a long while they just stood, facing one another in awkward silence, neither brave enough to break it nor coward enough to turn and run.
"Well this is awkward..." Boo chuckled eventually, when she couldn't take the silence anymore. She'd had to say something, no matter how lame that something was, the silence was killing her. Chibs returned her smile and nodded.
"Aye." He agreed before turning his head and pointing at the car he'd been working on. "Give me a hand here?" he asked. Fixing the car together would certainly help them – although the job was nearly done and Chibs needed no help – it was what they did, it was normal for them. They'd work on a car together, or work near one another and chat between themselves as they worked, laughing and making fun of the other mechanics, with Boo often having a moan about Tig and Chibs telling her tales of his life pre-Charming.
"Sure." Boo nodded, following him to the car. She could see that he didn't really need any help in finishing the job but she wasn't about to say anything and ruin such an opportune moment to return to some sort of normality with Chibs. Instead she contented herself with simply passing him tools as and when he needed them. "I miss much while I was away?" she asked, hoping that something had happened just so they'd have something to talk about.
"Na, just Bobby mixing up some hash brownies with the ones he made fer his sister and her kids." Chibs chuckled as he worked, eyes sparkling with laughter as he remembered the events of the previous Thursday and Friday when things at the garage had been so slow that Bobby had decided it was time to go home and do a little baking. He'd wanted to make hash brownies for the club party the next night and some for his sister and her two children, who were staying with him for a few days while they waited to move into their new home. He'd been idiot enough not to label the plates of brownies after he'd finished making them.
"Shit, what happened?" Boo asked with a giggle. She'd only meet Bobby's sister a handful of time, but knew the woman was as anti-drugs as they came. She wouldn't be surprised if it turned out she'd murdered Bobby for giving her and her kids hash brownies.
"He kept eatin' and eatin' this fuckin' things all day, tryin' teh get a high."Chibs chuckled, tears in his eyes, laughing so hard he had to stop what he was doing and clutch his stomach. Bobby had started eating the brownies Friday lunchtime so that he'd be nice and high by the time the party rolled around, but lo and behold come closing time, he was still completely normal. So he'd eaten another, then another half an hour later. By 8pm he'd eaten more than half the batch with no obvious effect other than a stomach ache. It was then that Chibs had decided to try one for himself only to find that the brownies were completely normal, not a trace of hash in them at all. "He didn't even think that he might have mixed the batches up until I ate one and told him there was no hash in it." He explained, wiping at the tears in his eyes. Boo too, wiped away tears of laughter from her own eyes, she could totally picture in her head the look of pure horror on Bobby's face as he'd realised he'd accidently left his sister and her two young children a plate of brownies laced with the strongest hash he could get his hands on.
"Did he get to his sisters in time to stop her kids eating those brownies?" she asked, hoping for Bobby's sake that he did. Chibs nodded. As it turned out Bobby's sister and kids had gone out for the day and had forgotten to take the brownies with them. Bobby got home just as his sister was handing them out to her children after dinner. Apparently he'd snatched them out of the young children's hands and thrown them straight out the window.
"Aye, never seen the fat bastard run so damn fast!" Chibs nodded, bursting into fresh fits of laughter. "His sister gave him a swift kick up the arse." He added. His sister had been furious and had flown into a frenzy when she'd realised what her brother had done, she'd screamed at him for near on ten minutes before telling him to get out of her sight and kicking him up the arse as he left. Bobby hadn't been able to sit right the next morning in the club house, much to the rest of the clubs delight. Boo chuckled in amusement, glad that she and Chibs were able to talk so easily, but before she could respond, Tig poked his head out of the office door.
"Hey Boo, Gemma's here with Tillie!" he called over to her. Boo squealed in delight, Gemma had graciously agreed to look after Tillie while Boo and Tig were in LA, and she hadn't seen her dog in over a week. She looked at Chibs uncertainly, unsure if she should just dash off and leave him when they were getting along so well. Chibs smiled and cautiously rested a hand on her arm before jerking his head towards the office.
"Off yeh go lassie, go see yer pooch." He grinned. He'd be alright now they'd talked, one of the things he'd been most dreading was now over. Now all he feared was seeing her with another man. That was going to cause untold amounts of pain and he knew it. Boo nodded and skipped off towards the office, unaware the Chibs was watching her go, a saddened smile on his lips, his eyes twinkling in delight at the way her body moved.
"Were you alright talking with him doll?" Tig asked, nodded head towards the now closed office door, behind which Chibs was still working. Boo nodded, she had been fine talking to him, although it had hurt like hell, she was just glad it was out of the way. She knew she could talk to him now, knew it wouldn't be too awkward or difficult.
"Yeah..." she nodded, much to Tig's relief. He'd not been keen on the idea of Boo going and talking to Chibs, but wasn't going to stop her. If it was what she needed to help her then so be it. He was just glad Chibs nose had healed in the week they'd been away. "It was hard but we've gotta get back to normal sometime." She added with a shrug of her shoulders. She knew things were going to be hard for a long while yet, but knowing she was able to talk to Chibs, knowing they were able to return to normal somewhat certainly helped matters. Suddenly, Tillie burst into the office, dragging behind her a chuckling Gemma. The tiny dog rushed straight at Boo – completely ignoring Tig – and bounced happily around her feet, tangling herself and her owner up in her bright red lead. Boo neither noticed nor cared, she simply ducked down and picked her dog up, held her close. "Tillie!" she exclaimed as she nuzzled Tillie's fur, the dogs tail going wild at the sound of her owners voice.
"Oh fine dog, ignore me!" Tig said in mock despair, turning his back on dog and owner alike and marching out of the office, his hand over his heart, the other wiping away nonexistent tears."I'm hurt, so hurt..." he grumbled as Boo simply giggled.
Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This chapter has set in motion things to come, both good and bad... I wonder if any of you will work it out (as many of you have done in the past!).
I'm currently working on another Boo/Tig oneshot while I'll try and get up as soon as I can. I won't tell you too much about it, but I'm going to add in the scene with Tig on 'It's A Small World' because I have a feeling it's something you guys might like to read!
As usual, reviews are incredibly motivational and make my writing worthwhile. We're near 100 reviews here guys, I'd be so delighted if we could make it too 100 reviews before the next chapter is up!