Playlist: L$D - A$AP Rocky
….Six months later…
He knocked a cigarette out of the pack, resting it between his lips while he searched his pockets for his lighter. He flicked the starter, momentarily mesmerized by the flame, before tipping it forward and inhaling deeply. He held the smoke in for a minute before letting it billow out of his nostrils. He stared at the plain grey stone sitting in the ground in front of him. Even seeing it in person didn't make it any more real. He hadn't gone home – her home – yet. He couldn't bear to open the door and not see her standing there to greet him. There was only one person he wanted to see, and that wasn't going to happen. There was only one person he'd dreamt about in prison. There was only one person who could console him. That person was also the person who wasn't around to comfort him… Not anymore.
"Filip?" He heard a tentative voice from behind him. He turned, seeing a sharply dressed young woman standing a few feet from him.
She tilted her head, "Filip Telford?"
He turned back to the tombstone, flicking his cigarette of the excess ashes. He had no reason to answer her. He hoped she'd take the hint and leave. He wasn't in the mood to receive visitors. He wasn't even in the mood to see his own brother's. He wanted to be alone. Wallow in his sorrows. The woman came up next to him, holding out two envelopes, one large and one small.
"I was instructed to give these to you away from prying eyes." She spoke.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, "Who are you?"
She gave him a smile, which immediately disappeared when he glared at her, "L-lowen. Rosen's intern."
He creased his eyebrows together. Why was the club's lawyer giving him secret envelopes?
He nodded to the documents in her hand, "What's in them?"
She shrugged, "I wasn't told. My only instructions were give this to Filip Telford. Make sure he's alone. No one is to know he's getting these."
He hummed. Colour him intrigued. He popped his cigarette in his mouth and grabbed the envelopes from her. What could they be about? He thought as spun them around in his hands. After a minute of contemplation he realized the woman was still standing next to him.
"Is there anything else?" He asked.
She startled, "Oh! Uh – no.." She turned to leave but paused a few feet away and turned again, "I'm sorry for your loss."
He ignored her, not needing the pity of others at the moment. He was getting enough of it from the matriarch. Once he was satisfied that the lawyer intern was gone he laid the larger envelope down on her monument. He flicked his finger under the edge of the small one, ripping along the opening. He pulled out the folded paper and dropped the silver chain that was hidden in there. He stared down at his feet, where the chain had landed. It was his cross. He gulped, the tears welling in his eyes. She was speaking to him from the grave. He fumbled with the papers to unfold them. His eyes scanning the words without reading them. He took a deep breath, clamped his eyes shut, calming himself. He read the first line:
"Mon amore, if you're reading this than it means my plan had the most predictable outcome."
He swallowed, his mouth dry. His mouth quivered as he broke down. He slumped down to the floor, crumpling the letter in his palm. He hadn't shed one tear since the day he lost her. He spent night after night plagued with nightmares of her demise, but still he never broke. When Gemma informed him and the other boys on the inside that they held a small funeral for her, he didn't break. When he got out this morning and knew that she wouldn't be there to greet him, he didn't cry. All his pent up repression boiled over and he wept like a baby. He clutched his silver cross in his fist. She knew. God dammit, she planned it. He bowed his head, leaning against her marker.
Here lies
Evangeline 'Lee' LaCroix
Loving friend and Old Lady
1968 – 1998
He pressed a kiss to her name. He stood back up, wiping away at his eyes and grabbed the second envelope. If she didn't want anyone to see what she'd left him with, than he'd wait until he was back at their house to open them.
~(xXx)~
The papers were strewn about the coffee table, ashes and whiskey marks left on some of them. There was nothing in the world that could have prepared him for what she left in those documents. His head lolled back, a haze of smoke illuminated in the setting sun.
Millions. She left him millions of dollars. She had it hidden away in off shore accounts. Money that had been sitting around accumulating interest, resulting in an absurd amount of figures. Accounts that were now in his name. He wasn't just a rich man, he was wealthy. He'd never have to work a day again in his life.
She left him everything. Every worldly possession she owned, now belonged to him. He was at will to do with it what he pleased. He was still in shock. How do you respond to becoming a millionaire overnight? Or a restaurant owner at that. He couldn't believe she had been sitting on all this money all this time. She asked him to be discrete, keeping the money situation closed down. He'd heeded her wishes, calling the only other person close to her to meet him. With that thought, there was a knock at the door. He knew exactly who was there.
"Come in." He called, loud enough for his brother to hear.
Happy opened the door, taking a step into the cloud of cigarette and weed smoke. He waved a hand in his face, catching the weird vibe that was resonating in the room.
"Eerie…" He said, "Being back here."
He was smart enough to not say her name. The wound of her death reopened on their release. He knew his brother was troubled by it.
"Sit down." Chibs shifted on the couch, leaving room for the other man.
Happy reclined into the fabric while Chibs handed him the still burning joint and a thick packet of paper. Happy raised an eyebrow, taking a toke of the joint and then accepting the package.
"What's this?" He asked.
Chibs shook his head, "Read it."
Happy gave his borther a side glance before settling in and reading the first page. Chibs waited. He already knew what the reaction was going ot be. After watching Happy read the page 4 times did the man finally look up.
"You've got to be shittin' me." He exclaimed.
Chibs nodded his head, "Nope. I already called three of those numbers. It's all true."
"God damn." Happy swore.
He leaned back into the couch. Both of them staring off into the nothingness. Happy rotated his head without lifting it to regard his brother.
"What're you gonna do?" Happy asked.
"I have no idea." Chibs shrugged, "Maybe give the restaurant away. I don't know how to run a business."
They fell back into another silence. Happy already knew that this was a secret the two of them were going to keep. The club didn't need to know what Lee had been hiding. They didn't need to know what she'd ultimately gifted Chibs with. This was one of those between and old man and his old lady type of scenarios.
A strange thought crossed Chibs' mind, "Need some cash?"
Happy stared at his brother, wide-eyed and in shock. In the ridiculous change of tone they both broke into large rounds of laughter. The mixture of weed, alcohol and the unexpected turn this day had taken was taking its toll on the two men.
They laughed until there were tears in their eyes. They laughed until the sound had engulfed the entire room. They laughed until the day had finally turned to night. They laughed until their memories of her death were immortalized. They laughed until they could see her smile, reflecting back at them from the blank TV screen. They laughed until they forgot all their hurt. They laughed until they finally healed. And they laughed to lift the sorrow they'd been harbouring out of their hearts.
~(xXx)~
They laid her out on the bed, situated in a hidden facility. The walls were stark white giving no indication of where they were. They hooked her up to a multitude of machines, keeping her hydrated and nourished. This is where she'd stay. They would wait – they had all the time in the world. They made sure she was comfortable and put her on the check-up schedule. There was hope, that one day, she'd awaken from her coma.
A/N: I don't see it happening in the near future - but I've ended this with the option to write a sequel. I love you all but don't hold your breaths for that. I don't currently have any inspiration to finish what I have outlined.