Disclaimer: I do not own anything that doesn't have my name written next to it in pretty pink pen. I don't even own my horse Tig…that's how broke I am. I only claim ownership on Asher Hayden, Sarah Stevenson and anyone else that you do not recognise.
Summary: She went to the shut the door but paused, smiling slightly to herself despite the glare from the girl on her knees in front of the biker. "You do realise this is a twelve year olds birthday party?" It started at a twelve year olds birthday party in a Tacoma backyard ten years ago. Happy/OC
Stylized Violence – choreographed violence used in film and television to portray the illusion of real violence.
"The lyrics for the track 'In Repair' focus upon how people tend to treat each other as machines in our day-to-day life. We really need to take stock and focus our energy towards those in our lives that matter. Sometimes it seems as if we need an oil change," – Our Lady Peace
Chapter Ten – In Repair
Take this time to figure it out
Know the wires, the fuse, the things that you doubt
The wheels, the air, the metal, the mouth
Something, something, something
I have been good
I understood
Like a machine they'll fix you from the start
I'm in repair
The life that we share
I know that I'll be lost in
But we're always in repair
-Our Lady Peace
16th April 1998
She walked slowly up the Stevensons drive, driven on by the vision of what had occurred the night before. Pushing open the door she looked around the foyer and saw there was no one hanging around so she went down the hall to the kitchen. Blue's eyes landed on her first as he leant tiredly on the counter. She could see Lizzie through the back window hanging out the washing.
"How you doing Ash?" Blue asked, cocking his head slightly.
"How much money do you need?" She asked, ignoring his question.
"For what?" His greying eyebrows furrowed.
"To bail Happy out." Blue shook his head tiredly.
"We can't help him baby girl. I know you want to help him…" He started but the look on Asher's face stopped him, making him sigh loudly. "Haps a big boy, he's been inside before."
"If I get the money, will you post bail?" She asked, ignoring his words.
"You don't have the money, Ash. And even if you did, we wouldn't take it." Straightening up, Blue walked around the bench to stand in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "If I thought we could get him out, I would."
"You haven't even tried." Asher said quietly and Blue ran a hand over her lank hair.
"Asher, I wouldn't let a brother go down without fighting, especially one like Hap. But we got it pleaded down so he'll just have to sit it out." Asher pulled back, running a hand through her hair.
"Hey." Both of them turned to see Riley standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Hey." Asher said quietly. It was the first time they'd been in the same room as each other since they'd broken up, and they were meant to be going to prom tonight. Asher didn't miss the fact that Blue used this as an opportunity to get out of the kitchen and take off into the backyard.
"How're you going?" Riley asked quietly and Asher shrugged.
"I came to see Sarah."
"She's in her room." Asher nodded and walked towards him, stepping past him and heading down the hall. "She won't talk to anyone Asher. It's a waste of time." He called after her but she ignored him. She knew how Sarah felt, she didn't want to talk to anyone either.
"Sare." Stepping through the bedroom door she looked over at the bed where the little girl was colouring in a book. Sarah looked up at her with pale blue eyes and Asher felt her heart constrict. "Hey baby, how're you going?" Shutting the door behind her, Asher walked over and sat on the bed in front of the eight year old. Sarah didn't say anything, but her mouth pulled to the side, a move Asher was familiar with. It was a lifes-fucked-up kind of move. "What're you colouring?" Sarah looked back down at her colouring book and Asher glanced down as well at the black and white drawings of fairies in the book.
"Where's Uncle Happy?" Sarah asked quietly, not looking up from her book. "Mama said he's gone on holiday." Asher sighed, sitting up beside Sarah and stretching her legs out on the bed, obvious to the fact that she was in serious need of a shower. She wondered if this was how Sarah was going to spend the rest of her life, being told lies by her family. Making a silent promise to herself Asher decided that she wasn't going to be one of those people. The whole situation was going to make Sarah grow up too fast but there was nothing right with treating her like a child.
"Hap's been arrested Sarie." The little girls huge blue eyes looked up at her. "He's going to jail."
"Why?"
"He killed someone baby." Asher reminded her and Sarah glanced back down at her book.
"But he was a bad man." Asher nodded. Yeah, Happy had killed a bad man, but because he was a Son he was seen as the criminal in the whole situation. As far as she was concerned, Happy was their hero.
"I know."
"Can we help him?" Asher sighed at the childs question.
"I don't know Sarie."
Kozik walked into the clubhouse and looked around for Blue. The phonecall he had just received was still playing on a loop in his mind as he saw the teenager sprawled on the couch where Asher had been lying less than an hour ago.
"Who are you?" He said, hitting the teenagers leg and he jumped.
"Ah…um…" His dark eyes shifted nervously underneath his dark hair and Kozik watched with amusement. "Spit it out kid."
"Leave him alone Koz." Spanner said, stalking past and Koz spun around to look at the Prospect.
"You seen Blue?" He shouted after the Prospect who headed to the bar.
"Nup." Spanner replied, pouring a drink as Bowie and Lorca walked through the door and took a seat at the bar.
"Who's the hang-around?" Koz asked, watching his brothers drink as he stood in front of the teenager.
"That's Collie." Lorca said and Bowie smirked, turning around to look at Kozik.
"He's Asher's stalker. Saved her life."
"And he's helping me out." Donut came in from the back, nodding to the teenager who jumped up to attention. "Got a problem Koz?" Donut asked and Koz shook his head before speaking.
"Ward Tanner is in County." All heads turned around to face him, even Spanner paused.
"What do you mean Ward Tanner is in County?" Lorca said, glaring at his Brother.
"Amy called." The sweet little blonde that worked in the reception of the Sherriffs office had been more than willing to answer his questions last night. And this morning, she'd been quick to call him when she'd heard the news. "He's waiting trial for murder."
"How had we not heard about this?" Lorca bellowed as he stood up, the bar stool falling to the ground.
"Brother, I don't know." Koz shrugged. "Guess it went under the radar."
"How the fuck does Ward Tanner kill someone and we not know about it?" Bowie practically yelled. "Jesus." Lorca pointed a finger at Spanner.
"Call the Deputy, find out how this bit of information got missed. And for fucks sake someone find the Prez." Lorca bellowed and Spanner scrambled towards the back.
"What's going on?" Blue pushed the door of the clubhouse open just as everyone started moving, causing them all to stop. Lorca being the only one to speak.
"Ward Tanners in County." Blue looked from Lorca to Bowie, to Koz.
"Get everyone, Chapel now!"
After Asher had left Sarah asleep in her bed, she went home and straight to her fathers room. The bed was unmade and there were clothes on the floor but Asher didn't even notice them as she stepped across the room and pulled open the blinds to bathe the room in light. Turning around she faced the walk in wardrobe across from the bed. Taking a deep breath she walked over and pulled the doors open, searching through the shoes on the floor until she found the box at the back of the closet.
Pulling the box out, she lifted the lid and sighed softly. There in front of her was everything she'd inherited from her mother, but her father hadn't given it to her like he was meant to. Inside were family heirlooms Molly had gotten from Maddie as well as a few pieces she'd collected before she died. Not giving herself too long to get attached to the jewellery Asher put the lid back on and stood up, heading out of her fathers bedroom and down the hall to her own. After shucking off her dirty clothes she showered and changed into a pair of faded and ripped jeans, flip flops and a black tank top. She towel dried her hair and left it to dry as she picked up the box and her handbag and left the house, not even bothering to lock the door.
The walk down to the pawn shop was a long one, but it gave Asher time to think of the pro's and cons of her plan. In the end she knew she was doing the right thing. There was no way that she was going to be okay with staying in Tacoma, knowing that Ainsely was somewhere out there while Happy was in jail.
"Can I help you missy?" The balding man said as she walked into the pawn shop and dropped the box down on the counter.
"Sure. You pay cash?"
An hour and a lot of arguing later, Asher walked out of the pawn shop with a large wad of cash in her handbag and her mothers locket slung around her neck. She had nearly given up the locket with everything else until she'd seen the photo of herself as a baby and her mothers initials engraved on the back. There were only so many things she could give away Asher decided.
She knew she could have gotten more for the jewellery, but it was short notice and she wasn't willing to wait.
"I want Clay Morrow on the phone now!" Was the first thing she heard when she walked into the clubhouse half an hour later and Blue was walking out of the Chapel. When his eyes landed on her, he walked over to her, a solemn look on his face. "I'm sorry to ask this of you Ash…" He started, but stopped when Asher held the bundled notes out to him.
"I know it's not enough, but it will help right?" She asked and Blue nodded.
"Yeah girl. I'll pay you back."
"I owe him." Asher smiled softly and Blue leant over and placed his hand on her shoulder, lowering himself to her height.
"You just saved his life baby girl." Blue sighed and Ashers brow furrowed.
"What?"
"Ward Tanners in County." Asher felt her eyes widen and her stomach drop at the words.
"You sure?"
"Deputy confirmed it. This is going to help, baby girl." He pressed a kiss to Ashers head and turned as Lorca walked out, the cordless phone in his hand.
"Clay." Lorca called out and Blue nodded.
"Go home." He said quietly to Asher and she nodded. "I'll deal with this."
"Blue!" She called out just as he turned away and the Tacoma president turned to face her. "You won't tell him will you? Happy?" Blue seemed to look confused for a minute before understanding and nodding.
"Yeah." She smiled gratefully before turning and leaving the clubhouse, hoping that Blue could put the money to good use before the sun went down.
Often in the backwards diner a few blocks from the Clubhouse late at night after a few to many drinks on her part and a little too much flirting on their part Asher had learnt the stories surrounding the members initiations into the club. Bowie, was known as Ziggy Barnes which was the curse of having a German background, before he'd been 'picked-up' by Uncle Tom and Blue at a bike show down in Arizona nearly twenty years ago. He'd been just twenty, but had been by himself for years beforehand so Uncle Tom had invited him to Tacoma, and there he'd stayed. His nickname became Bowie when he pulled a knife on someone who had called him Ziggy Stardust and that rest as they say, was history.
Lorca and Spanners stories were a little less exciting, both having grown up on the streets of Tacoma. Lorca had always loved bikes, and one day Blue, who was a lot younger back then, had brought him around the club to have a look at the vintage Harleys. And like Bowie, Lorca had never left, his rough upbringing with an alcoholic father, a lot worse than her own and a drug addled mother had served him in more ways than one- naming him as the club enforcer and the original Unholy One. But the years had softened Lorca and finding Spanner at the age of eighteen in an alley with a dead body, heavy spanner in hand, had been the Prospects introduction. The body had belonged to the man that had been involved in the hit and run that had killed Spanners little sister, five years before. Lorca had seen promise and that was that.
Before Spanner though, in a lot different situation, Lorca had found Happy.
Happy wasn't one to chat about his beginning in the club but the legend that surrounded Happys introduction went something like this:
He'd been in a bar in Tacoma when a brawl had broken out. Happy who'd been working as a bouncer at that point in time, had broken up the fight, only to be lunged at with a knife. He'd managed to get the knife from his attackers hand and had stabbed his attacker in the stomach. Someone had jumped on him from behind and he'd spun around in defence and driven the knife into his other attackers stomach several times before the person had gone limp. The man Happy had killed was Jacob Tanner, the first man- the one that Happy had stabbed in the stomach, was Ward Tanner. When Happy had been trialled and charged with manslaughter, Ward Tanner had been trialled right behind him for assault with a deadly weapon. Both of them had been jailed together and three months into his sentence, Ward Tanner had chivvied Happy in the back and Happy had stabbed him in the stomach yet again. Lorca had helped Happy to the infirmary and after that, had had the younger mans back since.
But if Happy was in County with no protection and Ward Tanner was in there with him, chances were, someone wasn't coming out alive.
Asher got home a not long after Blue had told her to leave. Walking into the kitchen she leant against the bench and looked around the small room. The beers that had been untouched when she'd left yesterday after were empty and sitting next to the sink. She could hardly believe that less than twenty-four hours ago she'd been standing in that same spot arguing with Happy. A chuckle escaped at the thought that she had been arguing with Happy and come out alive. He'd been livid, it was so much different to the look he'd given her in the tiny room behind the bar.
Less than twelve hours ago.
When he'd saved her life.
And now he was in jail, Sarah had been raped and she could already see the cracks appearing. Blues shame when he had to ask her for money and call Charming. Twenty four hours ago Sarah would have had no idea what rape was and now she would live with it for the rest of her life. She couldn't help the sob that scraped at her throat and she turned around to lean back on the bench before sliding to the floor, the tears streaming down her face.
They would all live with it for the rest of their lives.
She woke up a few hours later in her bed, clothes still on, but she was under the blankets and she went back to sleep wondering how she'd managed the stairs and couldn't even remember.
A/N: Thank you to all those you reviewed the last chapter but like I said before even though I'm getting incredibly slack with replying to them- I'm sure you appreciate an update even more =D
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