A/N - Oh my gosh, last night was an emotional heartbreaker. But glad Sutter sees order like I do for SAMCRO! ;-) Three different mornings for our three heroines - enjoy!
Natasha was hesitant about leaving the house at all the next day but Nina seemed to be a semi-conscious state of deep sleep that comforted her enough to let her go. She dressed quietly and slipped down through the kitchen, pausing only for a moment to see Tig spread eagled on the couch, his face buried in a pillow and half a dozen empty beer bottles on the floor beside him.
Slipping out, she took the short fifteen minute walk over towards Happy's place. Even though it was still early, Happy was up, out in the front yard with a canvas up against the wall. He was spraying over to set it, another freakish figure bawling his eyes out as his face seemed to melt into oblivion. Natasha looked at it for a moment, her arms crossed, feeling unsettled and Happy smiled proudly.
"I call it 'At Peace'," he said, standing back as he examined it. When she didn't respond, he pressed a kiss onto the top of her head. "You want a beer?"
"It's nine a.m.," Natasha murmured, glancing up at him. Happy paused for a moment.
"Whisky then?"
He could see something was off. Natasha swayed on her feet a little and he took her hand, leading her over to the front porch. He pressed her to sit on the top step before allowing himself to do the same, and he looped his arm around her shoulders as he tugged her towards him.
"Something wrong?" he asked. Normally, Happy wouldn't care. Happy rarely cared about anything except the club, his bike and his growing collection of anatomical parts he had in a box in the garage. Natasha Padilla, however, had stirred something in him. It was more intrigue than any sort of infatuation, like he could finally enjoy studying and understanding another person at his own leisure. Natasha leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, a moral quandary overtaking her.
"I don't get this life," she said, staring out towards the street. "You don't even pretend you're good guys sometimes. You lie, and you steal, and you hurt people, just because you can. Drink and smack your women around, like it's okay. Like it's normal." She shook her head. "It's not okay, to do the shit you do."
If Happy was hurt by her comments, he kept his silence. His face was stony as she continued.
"And Jesus, when you guys want something? You just take it, it doesn't matter who you're with or what it is. All you think is that it's yours."
She was beginning to shiver as she said it, and Happy rested a hand on her carefully. "Did someone hurt you?" When she didn't answer, his jaw clenched and his eyes sparkled with the desire to destroy someone. "What happened?"
"Just shit with Mom and Tig." She could feel Happy becoming prickly beside her, and she questioned herself as she debated whether to continue. Looking at him, she leaned her elbows on her knees and murmured, "You've always liked my Mom, right?"
Happy nodded slowly. "She's special." Natasha sighed.
"Wish everyone felt that way." She looked through her bag and pulled out a lighter, reaching up to take the unlit cigarette from behind Happy's ear. She needed this, maybe she should have accepted that damn drink. "Tig came in last night, furious about something. Knocked her around a bit." She swallowed as she felt Happy growing still next to her. "I just hate the way he thinks he owns her, can have what he wants from her even if she doesn't want it."
"She didn't want it?"
Natasha ignored him as she continued talking. "And then I've got my Mom pretending it's all okay. Covering for him, saying she just wasn't expecting it. Wasn't expecting it. Like if he shouted 'surprise' first it wouldn't be rape." She was shaking her head as she spoke, getting more agitated as she talked. "I heard the way he talked to her, like she was a possession. Like he owned her. And the bruises on her, shit, I've not seen anything like that before."
Happy didn't want to correct her. As a child, she had seen much, much worse but it was clear she didn't remember that. "He forced himself on her?" His tone was unsettling, Nina had been through too much of that before, a good chunk of it at Tig's own hand. The thought that she suffered the same now gnawed at him.
"Not that she'll admit it now. She'll defend him, like she always does." Natasha sucked on the cigarette, normally it was just a prop but right now, she needed it to calm her nerves. "He only stopped because Emmy came home, I don't even want to think..."
She stopped as she suddenly felt Happy push his mouth to her cheek. His lips just caught the corner of hers and Natasha fell silent as she clasped her hand to his face, leaning her forehead to his. Whatever it was didn't matter, Happy felt the instinctive need to protect her in his own way. He blinked his eye open as he eased the cigarette from her fingers and took a drag.
"I'll take care of it," he said quietly. Natasha shook her head.
"I just want her to be happy," she replied. "My Da, he makes her happy, we all know that. Tig, since he's been here, he's been crazy over her."
Happy nodded. He knew Tig better than anyone else, his obsessive, possessive behaviour was dangerous when it went unchecked and it was clearly out of hand again. "I'll fix it, Tash," he promised, caressing her cheek and kissing her nose tenderly. "You can trust me."
"Good morning."
Thomas grinned as he looked up over his mug of coffee at Emily. Her hair was a mess, a huge mane of dark curls around her face, and she was dressed in one of his plaid flannel shirts and nothing else. He swung around in the kitchen to get another cup for her.
"You sleep okay?" he asked, crossing to her and kissing her cheek gently as he pushed the mug into her hands. Emily blushed a little, dipping her head and gazing up at him with her fierce blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she said shyly. Thomas laughed at her, winding his arm around her as he gave her a gentle kiss. His hand ran playfully along her waist, tickling her.
"Don't be sorry." He edged her towards the kitchen island and kissed along her neck playfully. "It was probably better that way. I liked you falling asleep in my arms like that." She giggled and gave him a playful smack as his hand sank to her ass and gave her a squeeze. "We've got plenty of time for, you know, that other stuff."
Emily played with his hair as he said it, stroking her hand down his jaw and pulling at his beard. The thought of Thomas wanting something more filled her with excitement. "Plenty of time, hey?" Thomas smiled.
"I mean... If Tig kicked you out? It means you don't have to go back to Belfast, right? So you can... stay? Here." When she didn't answer, he added shyly, "I would like you to stay, Em."
Emily felt her cheeks flushing red as he said it. "What kind of girl do you think I am, Tommy?" He laughed as he tugged at the shirt, pulling her closer.
"You forget, I've known you for a long time, Emmy." He kissed her again, soft and gentle, his lips like velvet against hers. His stubble tickled her chin as he drew her to him, and she could feel her heart racing faster. "You're part of this place, this is home. And I think you're happier here."
She was, Emily knew she was. She was free here, she could go out, have fun, have lunch or drinks with her friends - all without the beady eyes of the Irish guard or her parents. Charming gave her her life back. Her fingers worked along the collar of Thomas' shirt and she nodded.
"So what happens now?"
He smiled and led her chin towards him, eager to kiss her again. Thomas couldn't get enough, no crow eater had ever made him feel the way Emily did. She was addictive, and he craved her through and through. As their lips brushed each other's, he heard an audible grumble behind him before Sully squeaked,
"What are they doing?"
Abel put his hand over his youngest brother's eyes as he walked him into the kitchen. "Screwing around," he groaned, looking at Thomas in annoyance. They had a strict code about letting the other know if there was a girl in the house, but Thomas had been off his guard coming home with Emily. "Starts with that, then it gets real messy." He helped Sully clamber up sit at the kitchen table. Emily pulled her shirt tighter around her as Thomas released her, Abel's gaze made her feel uneasy.
"Dad dropped him off?" Thomas asked, motioning to Sully. Abel nodded as he poured out two bowls of cereal and pushed one to the little boy with a generous slosh of milk.
"Mom's working, he's at TM. As you should be," he added, nodding to the clock. Emily took their conversation as a good moment to slip away to get dressed, and Abel watched her go with a slight sneer. "You shouldn't be fucking around with her."
Thomas rolled his eyes, waiting for the lecture from Abel. When he didn't start into it, he rubbed his jaw and looked through to the hall, his eyes following the way Emily had gone. "It's not just fucking around with her, I swear. There's something about her, man, I just-"
"She's been here two minutes," Abel interjected, interrupting him quickly. "Her, that family, they're all trouble. Dad's said it for years, just don't get involved."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Dad is paranoid. Whatever beef he had with Nina's done, Emily's nothing to do with it." He smiled to himself. "I really like her."
"You'll stir shit up. With Tig, and the Irish," Abel warned. "She's just another gash, Tommy, pick a less complicated one." Thomas waved his brother's warning away and Abel suddenly stood up, leaning into him threateningly. "I mean it, brother. Find a different girl, there's shit you don't know and it'll be better for everyone if you let go now."
Nina woke to the sight of Tig on his side, his head on the pillow beside her. He was turning an orange gerbera around and around in his fingers, but he pushed it eagerly into her face as he saw her eyes open. He had a lopsided, sheepish sort of smile on his lips as he moved to stroke her hair back from her face, and he grimaced as he watched her shy back from him.
"It's okay, it's just me. It's me." His voice was gentle, quiet as he tried to assure her. He reached to stroke her and watched as she cowered beneath his hand. There was a dark patch on her left cheek from the clout he had given her, Tig forgot how heavy handed he could be. "Jesus, baby, I'm sorry."
She didn't reply, Nina wasn't even sure what she could say. She closed her eyes as Tig touched her, she was numb. Tig ran his palm along her arm, resting it on her waist before drawing it to her hip. He watched as she screwed her eyes close in pain and edged her nightdress up to see the lacerations from his fingernails along her skin.
"Shit." He looked up at her, embarrassed, and leaned into her. "Lin, he got into my head, he was bullshitting about you and Chibs and I just, I lost it." He started to shake his head as he kissed her very gently, almost a ghostly embrace on her face. "Fuck, Nina, you know I love you. And I trust you, I do. I know you and me do this together, baby, I just, I fucked up, you have to forgive me." His eyes were starting to flood with tears as he said it. "This place, it gets in my head, you have to know I'd never hurt you. I love you." He was scooping her closer, but she was unresponsive, like a rag doll on his arms. "We should go home, go back to Belfast." He kissed her face, her lips, her neck, insistent. "Let me take you home, we can be good again. We're good, right? You and me?"
Nina's glazed eyes blinked slowly as his hands slid over her, moving back up to her face to cup her cheeks, holding on to her. Maybe they just needed to go again, leave for Ireland. This mess with Chibs, it would never heal with her being here.
"I love you," Tig whimpered, feeling himself breaking. "Nina, please, it's us. This is us. You're my wife, I... I need you."
She nodded, her head barely moving. How could she say no to him? Tig had the control, he had Galen on a short leash and the Kings adored him. He would have their backing in everything - if she left, the Irish would pull the gun trade from SAMCRO, without a doubt.
"Are we okay?" Tig ventured, nervous of her response. "Please, baby, tell me we are."
Slowly, fearfully, she nodded. They should leave, at least Chibs would be safe that way. "We're okay," she whispered, her lips barely moving. "We'll be okay."
A grin spread across Tig's face as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, relieved that she would forgive him. Nina moaned softly at his touch as he crushed the flower between them, snapping its neck beneath his weight as he put his arms around her, cuddling her tight. "That's it, Mrs Trager," he murmured as he held onto her, gaining strength from just having his hands on her. "We'll be okay."