I own nothing you recognize. Only original characters and storylines are my own.

Red Neck, White Trash

Milla sat on the couch in the office watching the rain dance on the window as she periodically wiped the tears that were rolling down her face. She tried to stop them but every time she did the words that hurt her so badly would come back. You'd think that after years of being called a biker whore, filth and other, crueler, things would leave her with a thicker skin but that evidently wasn't the case. She replayed the events in her head over and over again and couldn't stop the hitch in her throat when she tried to breathe, she shouldn't let those fuckers have so much power over her but she couldn't seem to help it.

Earlier that Day...

Milla was having a good day. She woke up to her man's fingers working lightly against her, which led to an almost lazy round of good morning sex, which led to a shower together then she'd made him a "lumberjack" breakfast of steak, hotcakes, hashbrowns and eggs. After that he had to go to work and she marveled in the fact that, for the first time in a long time, she was free to do as she wished for the day. The apartment was clean; her homework for the next two weeks done, she had the day off from Cara Cara and they even had a little spending money this month due to Luann getting an unexpected distribution deal on the last film Milla wrote. Milla had picked up the small manila envelope that held her share of the extra money, the other half had went to paying for cable and a new subscription to PC World for Juice, she decided to go shopping. She wasn't a girly girl or outlaw fahionista like her mother but she did like to get new things on occasion and this felt like just such an occasion.

After locking up the house she got in her Jeep and drove to Main Street. She'd decided to go to the strip mall outside of Lodi to go to the "designer outlet" and find some new stuff. Once in awhile you could find a Calvin Klein or even a Marc Jacobs if you were willing to dig in the racks or scour the "discount" bin. She didn't need designer clothes, or even want them most of the time, but the feeling of triumph at getting an "in" piece of fashion for dirt cheap was worth the trip. As she drove she noticed a banner and balloons in front of the new boutique in town. It was one of those high-class, hoity-toity joints that catered to the elite and seldom lasted longer than six months in the tiny, quiet town. Even so, Milla was always civic minded and would go into these shops and buy a bracelet or hose, something that wasn't that expensive but could help out the little shops. She knew it was often a fruitless endeavor but she'd had it drilled into her head that you support the town like you support your family, you help when you can. Now that she had this money burning a hole in her pocket, it was a sign that she needed to help this place.

She found a spot in front of Floyd's and waved at him as she got out. He waved back and she smiled. Sometimes the homey, Mayberry-esque, feel of the town was enough to make her giddy with goodwill. She walked the short distance to the store but stopped short when she saw the place up close. The window display was a mannequin dressed in the newest fashions; in a white, stark background that Milla was sure wasn't hiding a speck of dust anywhere. The entrance was a gilded glass door and the flooring looked like it was flawless marble. What the hell was a place like this doing in Charming? She looked down at herself, dressed in a violet sundress she'd gotten months ago with a frayed hem from constant wear and riding on the back of Juice's bike with wedged sandals that were just as frayed and tattered from use and hair that she'd put back in a bouncy ponytail. The only things on her person that looked like they might belong in a shop like this were the Prada sunglasses she wore that had been a gift from her mother and the matching bag that had been a gift from Lu. Hell, she shouldn't be allowed to breathe on this place, let alone shop there she didn't even know how to properly accessorize herself. As she turned on her heel to walk away she heard a quiet, but kind, voice from the doorway.

"May I help you?" She turned around and looked into the kind face of a short, sharply dressed woman.

"Umm, I always like to check out the new stores that open in town. I don't think I'm dressed well enough to go in there." The response brought a chuckle from the woman who walked up to Milla and put a hand on her arm.

"Dear, everyone is welcome in my store. Just come in and take a peek, I promise the mannequins are on their best behavior." She smiled widely and Milla felt some of her trepidation melt away. This woman was being honest with her and wasn't playing an angle, it was refreshing and Milla took in everything as she entered the store.

"Wow, I can't believe a place like this is in Charming." She said in an awed voice and the woman smiled.

"Neither can I. Mrs. Hale likes my shop in Sacramento so her husband invested in a satellite store so his wife wouldn't have to travel as far." She said brightly and Milla's good cheer faded. This was a Hale-run business which meant that she was about as welcome here as a rat in a granary. Even so, she straightened her shoulders and kept her head high as she looked at the items in the boutique. "I'll be at the counter if you have any questions dear."

"Thank you ma'am." Milla said politely and got a smile from the older woman.

Once the woman was behind the counter Milla went to the accessories and was pleased to find out that she could afford the majority of them. She tried on a bracelet that was a large black cameo at the center surrounded by pearls. It was a little girly and a lot fancy but Milla fell in love and the forty five dollar price tag was definitely in her price range. As she walked up to the counter to have the woman hold it while she continued to shop she felt a sudden wave of anxiety. Marcia and Rosemarie Hale walked into the store and Marcia immediately turned her nose up at the sight of Milla.

No one said a word as mother and daughter walked past and Milla decided to just ignore them. She wasn't a confrontational person and she knew that they really weren't any better. Jacob Hale Jr. was as much of an outlaw as her dad; he just had money and high society to hide behind. The woman smiled brightly at Milla as she set the bracelet down and turned to the Hale's as Milla went toward the hosiery, hoping to find some nice silk stockings for Juice to appreciate. The man had a bit of a fetish. Milla started looking in the drawers when Marcia Hale started to talk.

"Oh Madge, the store is so beautiful! I'm just so sorry that you're big day had to be marred like this." She said in an exaggerated stage whisper while her daughter looked at her pleadingly.

Milla kept her head down, fully aware what Mrs. Hale was getting at. It was no secret that SAMCRO was a huge thorn in the Hale family's backside. They kept Charming from growing, constantly skirted the law and their families found ways to ingratiate them to the community in ways that no amount of money could. Despite this there were some good Hale's. David was a good man, kind, honorable, strong and he treated Milla with respect. He believed she was above her place in life and constantly tried to get her to see better in herself. Rosemarie was another good Hale. She was Jacob Hale Jr.'s daughter and a few years younger than Milla. She treated the members of SAMCRO with respect and was Milla's tutee when Milla was TA for her English class. It's because of those ties that Milla understood what Rosemarie was doing. She was trying to shut her mother up and Milla appreciated it.

"What do you mean marred dear?" The kind woman, Madge, asked and Milla felt her muscles in anticipation for the attack that would never come directly.

"Oh...dear...you're supposed to take out the trash, not invite it in to shop." She laughed at her joke and Milla just continued to look through the stockings in front of her, finding a really nice pair and ignoring the bitchy cow. She'd heard worse... She was looking for her size when Marcia continued. "I'd do inventory after she leaves. Those biker sluts are known to have sticky fingers."

Milla looked up as she heard the words. That was a low blow, even for her, to imply that Milla was a thief... Milla took a deep breath and went back to the rack again, determined not to give the woman satisfaction but that was almost a direct attack, and that wasn't usually in Marcia Hale's bag of tricks.

"Mom, stop, let's just see what Madge has for us." Rosemarie pleaded and Milla glanced up again to see a look of relief on Madge's face and an apologetic look on Rosemarie's that was aimed in her direction.

"We will honey, once we're sure the air is clean again. Oh Madge, you need to get this place fumigated as soon as you can. Who knows what pesky little parasites that little parasite brought with her?" Marcia was on a roll and Milla felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She was a SAMCRO kid, she was used to scorn and open derision but there was something about Mrs. Hale's tone that made her chest tighten.

"Mom, shut up! God, what's wrong with you!" Rosemarie practically screamed at her mother and Milla jumped, it took a lot to get Rosemarie to talk, let alone yell so she must have been pissed off at her mother.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? That thing doesn't belong here, she doesn't belong anywhere near the decent people of Charming, she's surrounded by criminals and I've seen her around town with that." She leaned in and stage whispered, "brown boy... I don't know what you see in her that makes her special because I can tell you she's not. No amount of fancy degrees, from good colleges, can make up for the fact that she's trash and better off swept under society's carpet. Her and her redneck kin are the reason I'm ashamed to be from Charming."

That was it, Milla had heard enough she set down what she was looking for and made a dash toward the door. Only instead of leaving like she planned her leg slid across the marble by the door and she went down, her knee catching painfully on an unfinished piece by the door step. As Madge came near her, Milla shied away and forced herself up. With tears streaming down her face and snot bubbles being blown she managed to get herself right and limped as quickly as she could down the street, ignoring the blood pouring from the torn skin of her knee. She didn't know how she managed it but she made it to T-M and went to the office. She didn't want to see anyone but could stomach the thought of her mother. When she got in the office she was pleased to see it empty so she took off her sunglasses, set her purse down and took out the first aid kit. The least she could do was clean up. Once she was clean and her wound patched up she sat on the small couch set up near the window and watched the rain that had suddenly started, taking some small comfort that the weather was feeling it too.

…

Back to present...

"Hey, Juice!" Juice looked up from where he was leaning against the tow, taking his fifteen, and saw Dog coming up to him.

"Yeah man?" He asked, the older mechanic was nice enough but didn't go out of his way to be chatty so if he talked it was important.

"Saw your lady go into the office 'bout an hour ago. She looked rough man; I think her leg was bleedin'." Dog had barely gotten "bleedin'" out of his mouth before Juice was off like a shot. Dog didn't even have time to react before Juice was inside the office.

Juice closed the door behind him and looked over to see Milla sitting with her chin resting on her knee, looking out the window. She didn't make a move as he went over and sat on the empty part of the couch, wincing a bit as he saw the big bandages on her knee and glanced over to see bloody tissues in the trash can. He looked over at Milla again and saw that she was looking at him and he would have given anything to take the look from her eyes.

"What happened baby? How'd you get hurt?" He asked as he reached over and wiped a stray tear from her cheek in a move reminiscent of the first time he ever touched her. It took a little of the weight off her chest.

"I went to that new boutique in town, had a run in with Marcia Hale. She said some hateful things and when I couldn't take it anymore I tried to run out but I tripped on the floor. That's how I banged up my knee." She said it in a flat tone of voice, no emotion and Juice saw another tear escape from the corner of her eye.

"Are you ok? Do you need to go to the ER?" He asked, willing to ditch work and take her.

"No, I just need to sit here for a while, then I'll probably go home and ice it." The same flat tone came out and Juice was worried. These judgmental bitches said shit all the time and Milla just let it roll off her back. Why was this different?

"Baby, why are you so upset? You've gone toe to toe with these bitches before and come out stronger. What did Marcia fucking Hale say that upset you so much?" Juice said and Milla just shook her head.

"I don't know baby. I didn't hear anything new, except she mentioned you. Like you being in my life somehow cheapened it and that hurt. The thought that someone could look down on you; on us...You're the best thing in my life." Juice leaned over and pressed his forehead against hers before he kissed her gently.

"You and the Club, that's what my life boils down to. I'm a Son and I love you." He leaned in and kissed her again before she moved her leg and scooted into his lap, needing him.

"Everything she said cut right to the quick, I think I've been away from town too long, my skin isn't as thick. I wish I would've showed her up and bought the bracelet I was looking at. It was perfect and would've been a great "fuck you!" to the trash talking cow." She said before she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, feeling right for the first time since Marcia Hale opened her big mouth.

"It'll be ok; your skin'll get thick again. Why don't I drive you home? Then when I get off work we'll go to the movies and maybe go to that vintage shop you like in Manteca. That sound good?" He asked and Milla nodded, already feeling better. That bitch could say whatever she wanted, as long as Milla had Juice that's all that really mattered.

…

As Juice went about his day his mind kept going back to Milla's run in with Marcia Hale. Where did that bitch get off talking shit about his girl? Part of him wanted to go to the Hale's showpiece of a home and give them a piece of his mind but he knew better. They'd just call the cops and it was a bitch problem, not his place to handle it. Instead he decided to do something he knew would make her happy and make a statement when Marcia Hale came 'round. Once his shift was over he rode into town and stopped outside of Floyd's, Club territory and he needed to show Club influence right now. He nodded to Floyd when the old man came out.

"Hey Juice, I saw Milla earlier. She ok?" Juice always felt a bit over protective whenever people talked about Milla but he knew Floyd was honestly concerned and safe, he'd known Milla since she was born.

"She's good." He said with finality and Floyd nodded, knowing that whatever was bothering Clay's girl was about to be dealt with.

'"That's good. You have a good night." Juice just nodded and once Floyd was back in the shop he walked to the boutique, shocked that it looked deserted. Most of the time when new shops opened they were a hotbed of activity, for the first week at least. Cracking his neck a little he walked into the doorway, surprised to see a petite woman sweeping up.

"If you'll excuse me I'll be with you in a moment." She said it kindly but the inflection of her voice proved that she wasn't from around there. Once she was done sweeping she came up to him and she didn't look appalled that he was in her store, she just looked tired. "How may I help you?"

"My girl came here earlier today. She was looking at a bracelet. I wanted to know if you saw it." He asked, she wasn't being rude so there was no cause for him to be.

"Pretty girl, long dark hair, wearing a cute dress?" She asked and Juice nodded an apt description though he thought his girl was beautiful not just pretty. "I remember, she left the bracelet up here, before the unpleasantness..."

From her tone of voice it was obvious that she felt that all of the blame rested on Marcia Hale and he felt vindicated for his baby. He stood there as she went behind the counter and brought out a bracelet. Milla was right, it was perfect for her. He took out his wallet and the woman shook her head.

"No, put away your money. She deserves this for all the nasty things that were said." She tried to place the jewelry in his hand and he shook his head.

"If she was here it would be her call, but she's not so I'll pay for it." He looked at the price tag and brought out a fifty. It was pretty steep for some beads on a string but if Milla wanted it it was worth it. The woman took the money and rang it up, pleased to have a sale. Marcia had been true to her word and hadn't looked at anything because the store was "unclean" and Madge was beyond irritated. The amount of money that went into this store was about to go down the drain because of some petty squabbles that would seem juvenile in a Junior High. With an inaudible sigh she wrapped the bracelet and put it in a bag for the young man who obviously had good taste, despite being a "criminal". Madge would have to see these Sons in action before she passed judgment. Juice nodded in thanks as he left and Madge nodded back, instinctively knowing she'd just made a good impression on the people who "really" ran Charming if the rumors were correct.

...

Milla sat at the kitchen table with an array of nail polish before her. She decided to paint her nails since the last coat was destroyed in the fall. As she applied the last coat of topcoat she heard a bike pull up and felt a genuine smile light her face. After she had time to think about things she realized she was being silly and was insanely grateful to have a man like hers to make her feel better. By the time he got through the door she had put her toes in the path of the fan and let the air blow them dry as he walked up to her and kissed her.

"I have a present for you babe." He said as he set the boutique's bag in front of her and she raised an eyebrow.

"What did I do to deserve this, besides whining like a bitch?" She asked and he chuckled before he leaned in to kiss her again.

"You're not a bitch and you don't deserve the shit that she threw your way. I wanted you to have something and prove that a Hale didn't win." He smiled and she smiled with him as she opened up the bag and took out the neatly wrapped present. Once she saw what it was she squealed and Juice covered his ear before he helped her put it on. "Go get a pretty dress on, we're goin out tonight."

Milla just grinned and leaned over to kiss him before she eagerly ran to the room. As she got dressed he leaned back and took a smoke out of his pack. Maybe it wasn't so hard to be an Old Man, when you knew how to keep your lady happy.

...

Author's Note: I just want to take the time to thank all of my reviewers. Without you I wouldn't write, it's as simple as that. Your feedback and loyalty means the world to me and the only way I know how to repay you is to write more. Thank you all so much :)