Authors Notes: We would like to take the time to say thank you all so very much for reading and review. As much as we love working on this story, we are both so happy that you enjoy reading it.
Thank you to: HappysHitwoman, HapsOldLady, Eva, twug love, fanficfan4ever, flower-machinations, justrae9903, ozlady80, JazySmruf247, El Chacal, Wicked in Baston, go4itgirl, ThisLife103.7, ShiloCoulter, suziraye, Funny Mick, Running-Whild22, Fire Black Dragon, ejopp, leeseelee, Angel N Darkness, pixiesam, Meg Pairrer, and Alive At 2PM. Most of you have been with this story from the beginning and we hope that you continue to enjoy it.
Born to Die
Chapter TWELVE
Written By: Dannimitchell85 and Kaylalong
Keeping his focus on the road ahead of him, Hammer glanced over briefly to the front passenger seat to see his brother dozing peacefully. He knew that the knife wound to Hap's thigh did more damage to his pride than to his leg.
Like most of his Nomad brothers, Hap didn't like to be a burden on anyone. He would rather be in the shadows doing what needed to be done, rather than in the spotlight getting attention and shit. The fact that now his brother needed to rely on the aid of others was probably what hurt more than the actual injury. Although Hammer was sure he still felt pain when he moved his leg too much.
Hammer smirked because he knew that once they got back to Tacoma, Happy wouldn't mind all the attention he would be getting. There were bound to be a few blondes hanging around that would love to play nurse to him. With a mental laugh, he knew that Cooler would try and get the same. The last few days were rough and emotionally exhausting. Hammer knew for a fact that there was one sure fire way to relieve the tension these men were feeling.
He knew they would get these bastards who were responsible for Quinn's brutal and untimely death. However, something told him that things were going to get much worse before they got better.
Looking into the rearview mirror, he saw Addison looking out the window at the passing scenery, a blank stare on her face. He knew that the last week had been hell for her, and it tugged at his heart. He felt that he should have made that sick bastard, Erik, suffer more. Although he was dead, Hammer couldn't stop thinking of more ways to make him suffer. Keeping a mental list, he knew that he would be able to take pleasure in inflicting his methods on the two brothers who had started this disgusting game.
Focusing back on the road, he was glad that they were almost to the Tacoma clubhouse. He could see that everyone was in his or her own world, more than likely still thinking about what they had had to do just two days ago.
Hammer, along with Stone, Tig and Koz had started to dig the grave for Quinn. Once they shoveled through the snow, it turned out the ground underneath had frozen over. Most of the Sons were from the West Coast and not familiar with the Alaskan climate or terrain. That's when Clay called up their Anchorage brothers who had been waiting in Fairbanks with Gemma and the boys from Grand Prairie.
It turns out the Anchorage boys had brought pickaxes with them, being familiar with the Alaskan environment and guessing they would be needed. They found more picks in Quinn's shed and through a combination of hot water, pickaxes, and shovels, they were able to dig the grave. Then with much sadness, the four of them lowered Quinn's body, wrapped in his childhood blanket, into the cold ground.
Hammer watched as Addison kissed the blanket wrapped forehead of her father, and placed a picture of her mother into the folds of the blanket. He had been unable to keep his eyes from misting and had to look away, to keep from shedding tears in front of his brothers.
He watched as Clay wiped away what had to be tears and knew that he had been trying to keep a strong face in front of his club. Even though the Anchorage boys came to the house, Gemma and their Canadian brothers stayed back in Fairbanks. They didn't know how safe Quinn's property was and didn't want any more people on the property than there already were.
Jax stood beside Clay with Opie behind him off to the side. The Prospect, Half-Sack, and Juice had somehow found their way close to Addison. Addison had her face tucked into Half-Sack's shoulder, trying her best not to cry, while he had his arms wrapped around her. Juice was on her other side with his hand on her shoulder. Hammer was happy to see the two younger members had bonded with her and were comforting her. She was going to need friends in the months to come, to help her deal with the loss. Although her heart was probably breaking on the inside, she put on a strong front. Hammer knew that Quinn would have been proud of her.
Once the body was lowered, they filled the grave back up, all while the others watched on. Cooler and Happy had hobbled out of the warm house in order to pay their respects. As Hammer did his scan of everyone, he saw the determined look in Happy's eyes and the set of his jaw. It was for only a split second, but Hammer could have sworn that Happy had been staring at Addison the whole time. However, he was all too familiar with the killer's death glare so he left it alone.
Once the burial was over and silent goodbyes made, Hammer heard Clay instruct the Anchorage boys to dispose of the four dead bodies. Clay said he didn't care how or where, just as far away from Quinn's property as possible and to make sure they were never found. The Anchorage boys agreed and asked no questions.
Then it was time to pack everything up. Addison had been right; Quinn's basement was full of some major hardware. In addition to the assortment of firearms, there were knives of all shapes and sizes, crossbows, grenades and grenade launchers. Hammer was almost giddy when he saw the basement full of weapons. As they were packing up the weapons, Hammer saw Tig smirk at Koz as he tossed him a grenade. When Koz caught it, he stared at it with a look of horror. Hammer didn't know Koz very well, but found it strange he would react that way. The pin was still intact, so it wasn't going to explode anytime soon. He figured maybe it was something from their Marine days.
They packed up as many weapons as they could, hidden in the SUVs, and asked the Anchorage boys to take the rest to their clubhouse. They would make arrangements to smuggle the rest back across the Canadian borders.
As they started getting into the SUVs, Stone insisted that Addison ride with Hammer and Happy. He said that Happy's injury needed attention and Addison should be in the same car. That earned him a glare from Happy, but he said nothing. Hammer figured after their 'conversation' with the sick bastard Erik Patterson, Stone wanted to keep Addison close.
Hammer couldn't agree more. When he helped lower Quinn's body into the grave, he made a silent prayer to his President to keep Addison safe. He assumed Stone made the same promise. Hammer smirked again, they would be like her personal guard dogs, six feet plus, gun toting guard dogs. Addison agreed so Stone and Tig switched. Tig drove Gemma's Escalade and Clay rode in the Durango with Jax and the others.
Hammer was pulled out of his thoughts as he saw the Durango in front of him turn into the parking lot of the Tacoma clubhouse. Pulling in himself, he couldn't wait to get out, stretch, than find a sweet girl to help him relax.
Parking next to the others, he reached over and nudged Hap on the shoulder. "Come on brother," Hammer said as he nudged Happy again. He could hear the back doors open and close and knew that Addison and Stone had already gotten out. Glancing over to his brother who was grumbling and fighting through the sleep, Hammer could help but tease him. "Fine stay in the car and sleep, more pussy for me."
That got the response Hammer was looking for. Happy's eyes flew open and he had his hand on the door handle in record time. However, his leg slowed him down as he gingerly got out of the car. No matter what was going though the killer's mind, he would never turn down a good fuck. And with his leg injury, he was guaranteed plenty of attention.
Getting out of the car himself, Hammer stretched and looked over, chuckling at what he saw. Three cute busty blondes had been swooning over Cooler until they saw Happy limping out of the Tahoe. Hammer could still hear the click-clacking of their heels as they literally ran over to Happy. Although Happy's stab wound probably trumped Cooler's busted ribs, the man didn't need an injury to take his brother's girls.
Hammer had known Happy for a while, worked a few jobs with him. And it didn't matter if they were at a clubhouse, a bar, or anywhere, if there were chicks around, they would flock to Happy, always. The man was like a damn magnet when it came to women.
As the three blondes made it over to Happy at breakneck speed, Hammer heard Cooler call after them, "Oh come on!" Hammer snorted, knowing it was a lost cause. Tacoma was Happy's home charter until recently. These sweetbutts probably couldn't wait to get him back. Apparently Cooler knew it too as he shrugged and headed into the clubhouse. Hammer watched as Happy allowed the three blondes help him into the clubhouse, a wide smirk on his face as they passed him.
Hammer was secretly happy about this. He and Cooler had a standing bet. Cooler hadn't been a Son for very long and although he was pretty good with the ladies, he never got the attention of two at the same time. Hammer wasn't even sure he remembered what the bet was, they had so many bets, but he damn well didn't want Cooler to win.
Looking around he saw that almost all his brothers were making their way into the main den of the clubhouse. He saw Addison pass him, keeping her distance behind Happy and the three blondes. Her head was down and she walked briskly . He looked around and noticed he was one of the last Sons to go into the clubhouse.
As he entered the clubhouse, he headed straight over to the bar and sat down on a stool next to Addison. Half-Sack had found his place behind the bar, working on getting everyone drinks. The Tacoma Prospect was also working on making sure everyone got what they needed.
Looking over to the young woman beside him, he saw Addison cupping her hands around a bottle of water with her head down.
SoA
Addison couldn't bring herself to look up from the cold bottle in her hands. When they had arrived at the safety of the Tacoma clubhouse, she had not been ready for what had been waiting for them. Out in front of the clubhouse was a crowd of women, dressed in scraps of clothing that covered very little of their bodies. She knew that they weren't in Alaska anymore, but it was still cold outside and she found it hard to believe that these women would willingly wear such revealing clothing.
Once she had gotten out of the vehicle, she saw Happy get out as well and was about to help him walk over to the clubhouse when three very busty blondes came out of nowhere and practically glued themselves to him. She swore she heard one of them say, "Come on killah, we'll take care of you, promise." Addison was pretty sure they didn't mean that they would change his bandages.
Then she looked around and saw at least one, if not two, women wrapped around a Son. They ranged in age from much older to a few who looked younger than her. Some were very well endowed, and most of them wore very high stiletto heels. Addison wondered how some of them even stayed upright?
Addison wasn't completely naive. The way these women were acting left very little to the imagination as what they were willing to offer. Addison felt out of place, she felt like she was seeing things that she shouldn't have, like an intruder. Keeping her head and eyes down, she had walked into the clubhouse.
As she walked in, she saw the three busty blondes walk down the hallway with Happy, into a room. She really didn't want to think about how they were going to 'take care' of him. She didn't see Clay and Gemma, so she assumed they were in a room as well. And apparently most of the other Sons decided to stay in the main room with their lady friends.
She saw Half-Sack at the bar and asked if there was anything that she could do to help. She felt that she needed to do something to keep herself busy, keep herself from thinking about what was going on around her. As much as she would have loved to ask someone who those girls were, she didn't want to be laughed at. She felt this was something she should already know. He told her to sit down and relax. Then he came over and placed a bottle of cold water in front her and gave her a kind smile.
So here she was, sitting down on a bar-stool, holding a cold bottle of water, trying to keep her eyes and ears closed to what was going on around her.
"How you holdin' up?" Addison glanced over to see Hammer sitting down beside her.
She tried to smile and tell him that she was okay. However as she turned to look up, she looked past Hammer's shoulders and saw Cooler sitting on a sofa in the corner with a girl next to him massaging his neck and one between his legs, on her knees. Her hands were stroking his thighs. Her head was bobbing up and down.
She could feel the heat of embarrassment rise to her face and knew that the man next to her would see it. So she immediately turned to look back down at her bottle of water, hoping that Hammer did not see the flush that covered her cheeks. She felt Hammer turn to see what had turned her into a tomato. Then she heard his reaction.
"Damn, he did it, got two at the same time. Must be the busted ribs, the little shit." Then she felt him turn back and ask in a casual voice, "What, never seen a man get a blowjob before?"
If possible, Addison turned redder and clutched the bottle of water as her knuckles turned white. She didn't even know how to respond to that. Of course she had never seen a man get a blowjob!
"Shit," he said. "You haven't." It was the shock in his voice that made her look over to him. His eyes were wide as his drink was poised at his lips.
She tried to play it off, finding her voice in her suddenly dry throat, "Never really been in a clubhouse."
"Damn." Hammer said while downing the amber drink. "Well here, I'll give you a crash course."
"Those girls," Hammer started as he swung on his stool and pointed to several girls who were dressed in very tight and skimpy clothes sitting with or standing next to various Sons, "hang around the club and keep us company. Most of us call them sweetbutts or passarounds."
"Sweetbutts?" Addison asked, the name alone should have told her, but she found it hard to think that someone would want to be called a 'sweetbutt'. She didn't even want to think about 'passaround'.
"Yeah, they bring us drinks, give us back rubs, help us relax." Hammer answered with a bit of a smirk as he wiggled his eyebrows are her. Addison's mind conjured up all kinds of images that caused her to turn red again.
Addison couldn't help but be curious. She had wanted to ask 'why' but her throat had gone dry again and she just couldn't form the words. The look on her face must have given away her silent question, because Hammer continued his 'explanation'.
"They hang around the clubhouse, attend our parties, feel like they are part of the club. And all they have to do is make sure us brothers stay happy. The shit we do…," Hammer trailed off and then continued, "They take care of us and we take care of them."
She couldn't stop herself, she wanted to know more. Questions flooded into her mind. How did they pick? Did they have assigned 'sweetbutts' or was it more like 'first come, first serve'? She was thankful that Hammer seemed to catch onto her inner thoughts so she wasn't forced to voice her questions out loud.
Hammer continued as he pointed to a redhead wearing a pair of very tight skinny jeans handing Jax and Opie beers while they stood around the pool table, "Jax and Opie are second generation, so they get treated like royalty, anything they want they get. Of course if Gemma weren't here, Clay would get first pick, any girl he wanted. He is a 'First 9' and the National President so he is basically a fucking god in this world." Hammer took another drink, and Addison was trying to take everything in.
"But Clay is married," She spoke up. Not understanding how a married man would have the choice at picking someone to 'hang around him' and 'do things for him'.
"What happens on a run, stays on a run." He said with a smile, not telling her any more on the subject and moving along with his 'crash course' lesson.
"Then you have brothers like Tig, Koz, and Happy. Things they do for the club, keeps the club safe. They are almost always in 'high demand'." Hammer finished with another smirk.
Addison couldn't believe it. She wasn't stupid. She knew that men had urges and needs, but she never thought that so many women would freely give themselves up to make someone happy just to feel like they are part of a motorcycle club. Was this what was going to be expected of her? Would she have to make sure that she kept them 'happy', in order to stay with the club? She knew that she was going to have to pull her own weight, but she didn't know if she could do this.
"Excuse me." She said as she got up and made her way to the door. She needed some air.
Once outside she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Now she understood why her father had kept her away from the clubhouses. She had always asked why they had never been to any group gatherings, and all he would say was they were never anything special. Had her father ever taken a sweetbutt to bed? Had he kept her away so that she wouldn't see him do that?
Spotting the same bench from before, she walked over and sat down. She folded her arms, laid her head down, and took a deep breath. This was too much to take in.
After a few minutes, she heard the clubhouse door open and footsteps approach. Figuring it was Hammer or Half-Sack, she didn't look up. She was not prepared for the soft female voice that reached her ears. "You okay dear? Did Hammer stick that giant foot of his in his mouth again?" There was a touch of amusement in her voice.
Addison looked up to see an older lady smile at her. She was probably in her early fifties with soft wavy blonde hair down to about her shoulders and light bluish-grey eyes. "Addison right? I'm Elli, Bear's old lady." She introduced herself. "Didn't get a chance to talk to you much last time you were here. What with you fainting on Koz and all." She added with a soft smile.
Addison vaguely remembered her, blushing when she brought up the fainting episode. "Hi, yes, sorry about that. It kind of just happened."
"You know, I've seen many girls fall all over Koz. Never seen one actually faint on him before. Must be those damn baby blues of his." She said in the same amused tone as earlier. When she noticed Addison wasn't smiling, she walked closer and tilted her head. "Speaking of girls, I take it that's what caused you to run out here?"
Addison's eyes widened, "Oh no, uh, I just needed some air."
"It's okay dear." She waved it off sat down next to Addison. "I saw you run out and Hammer said he was giving you a 'crash course' on club life. He means well, but well…he's Hammer." Elli said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing your dad never told you about this aspect of the club?"
"No, at least not in this detail." Addison turned to face Elli, "Dad never took me to a clubhouse before. I spent barely a day in Charming and barely a night here." Addison turned back to look down at the table. "I never knew…"
"Hey, it's okay. Those girls in there, they're my girls." That caused Addison to turn around again.
"Your girls?" Addison asked as her eyes widened.
"Bear's responsibility is the club and the boys. My responsibility is the girls – the old ladies, sweetbutts, passarounds." Elli responded as she turned to face Addison.
"Hammer said they do it so they can stay at the club?" Addison asked incredulously.
Turning to face Addison, Elli propped an elbow on the table, "I guess you could say that. Most of them don't have much else. No families, no one else that cares. They come to club looking for somewhere to belong or for safety. The club provides both." Elli answered. "It's home to most of these girls."
"And they just have sex with whomever? Just to have somewhere to stay?" Addison wasn't sure if she actually wanted to hear the answer to this.
"Listen, what these guys do, for the club, most people couldn't handle it. There are only two things that help these guys keep it under control - booze and women." Elli continued to give her a warm smile, but also had a firm look in her eyes.
"The girls are part of the club family. They take care of the boys in the club; the club takes care of them. But we are still a MC, and like any organization with a hierarchy, each member of this organization has a different status." Elli continued to explain.
"In Tacoma, Bear is the top dog. I'm his old lady, so I guess I'm top bitch." She added with a proud smile as she put her hand over her chest. "Then it works its way down." Elli made a downward sweeping motion with her hand. "Unfortunately these girls are pretty low on the hierarchy. Each of them is hoping to find a Son that will make her his old lady. That gives her security and status. Some get lucky. Most do not. It is the way the club, the family, works. Each family member has a position and serves a purpose."
Addison was listening to Elli, giving her an attentive look.
"As long as a girl doesn't find herself in the wrong bed, her mouth on the wrong dick, or piss off the wrong Son, it all works." Elli said with a wave of her hand.
"If she does, she finds her ass on the street, or worse." Then Elli added with a smirk, "There's a reason why I'm top bitch."
"Is that…am I expected to do that…for the guys?" Addison asked in a small voice. As much as she didn't want to ask the question, she needed to know the answer. She needed to know what was going to be asked of her.
Elli put her hand on Addison's shoulder. "Hey look at me. You are nothing like those girls. They came looking for a place to belong. You were born into the club. Your dad is the Nomad President. Your uncle is the National President. You are second generation Sons of Anarchy, just like Jax and Opie. You may never wear a cut with the Reaper, but you're blood. That's your status, your rank. That earns you automatic respect.
"Was. My dad was the Nomad President." Addison said as she looked down. She knew that at some point someone else would take her father's position. She knew deep down that she couldn't hold on to that forever.
Elli squeezed her shoulder, "I'm sorry for what you lost. I know this is very hard for you right now. Your dad may be gone, but that doesn't change who he was, who you are. And you do not let any of those bitches forget that. You need to know it and own it. You think the boys in there would take a bullet or get stabbed for one of them?"
"Wouldn't they? Didn't you say they're part of the club family?" Addison asked with a touch of confusion in her voice.
Elli removed her hand from Addison's shoulder and responded with another wave of the hand. "Oh, sure if one of the girls gets in trouble, the club will protect her. And yes, one of the Sons may get hurt. This is the life. They know that. They'd do it for the club." Then she and looked Addison in the eyes while she pointed to the clubhouse.
"But what those boys did for you? Twelve Sons spent days on the road to drive up to Alaska, having no idea what was up there." Elli sat up straight again, "I understand even more Sons met you up there?"
Addison nodded, "I think they were from Anchorage and Canada?"
Elli crossed her arms and tilted her head. "So members of four charters, five if you count the Nomad charter, went all the way to your house in Alaska and knowingly walked into whatever danger was waiting for you guys?"
Again, Addison nodded.
Elli uncrossed her arms and lifted Addison's chin with her index finger, "That, my dear, is what separates you from those girls in there. Almost none of those men even know you. That is what your dad's status earned you. That is what Clay's status earned you. That is why you get respect."
"You were born into this world." Elli continued. "I commend your dad for keeping you out of it this long, but it's time you learned how to live in this world. Otherwise, it will eat you alive." Elli's voice was stern, but she gave Addison a soft smile. "I'll give you some time to take this in. Come find me later so I can show you to your room."
Elli got up to leave and then placed her hand on Addison's shoulder again and looked down, "And if you ever need to talk, woman to woman, let me know." Then she walked away.
Addison realized she was in a new world now.
Her dad was dead.
The world she knew was gone.
She had left the only true home she's ever known her whole life, possibly never to return. She thought she'd be on her own if her dad ever died, but she was wrong. She had the whole club now. She was the club's responsibility, but more importantly, the club was her responsibility.
She may not have grown up in the club, but Elli was right, she needed to live in it now. She needed to learn not just how to survive, but to thrive in the club. She was related by blood to two club Presidents. She had almost an entire club full of men willing to get hurt or even die to keep her safe. They wanted to do right by her, for her dad. She needed to do right by them. It really was time to get serious.
Authors Notes: Okay, so there you go. A little more Happy in this chapter, and he got some love'n and Addison got a crash course in club life. We would love to hear what you all think about the story, and hope that you enjoyed reading it.