The week progresses normally, though Willow is half expecting something to happen. She works, sees Jordan and Camila, and yells at her brothers when they make her mad. Ellie updates her on the progress she's making in decorating her house, though Willow has to swallow her sassy retort of why bother when she'll move in with Gavin soon enough. She has no business at the club, so there's no reason for her to go see Abel.
It's normal, till Friday. Willow supervises as Zane and Isaias do whatever Devon tells them, testing their skills. At the first sign of misbehavior, she gives a slight cough and they both flinch. At the end of the tests, Devon hops out of the pool and he and Willow wander off.
"Ada passes for sure." He says and Willow nods, putting a checkmark by her name. Down the list of kids they go, declaring pass or fail. Finally, Willow looks at the last two names on the list with narrowed eyes.
"Do I pass them and run the risk of them being hellions next year or do I hold them back to teach them a lesson?" She muses.
"Don't be terrible." Devon chides and she sighs deeply.
"Alright." She huffs, checking their names off.
"Looks like you'll be teaching level 6 next year." Devon says, grinning and she sticks her tongue out, flouncing off to the office. Melanie wanders through the crowd, dispersing slips that say whether or not the child has passed. Zane and Isaias snatch their slips and run to Willow regardless.
"Did we pass?" Zane demands and Willow points to their slips, tight lipped. With groans, they tear them open and read over them eagerly.
"Yes?" Isaias questions and Willow sighs.
"It amazes me that you two ever passed kindergarten, but yes." She tells them and they high five. "Wait for me in the car, I have to drive you home!" She calls as they tear off. Devon slings an arm around her and she wiggles just out of reach. He doesn't appear to be bothered.
"One section of lessons down, three to go." He says cheerfully and she makes an angry face then grins.
"At least all my family took their lessons this section, so we don't have to deal with them anymore." She says happily.
"You call them your family but you aren't related to any of them." Devon says quizzically and Willow looks up at him.
"Of course I do. I grew up with them. I changed their diapers and mashed their peas and I know who likes applesauce and who you can bribe with ice cream. In my opinion, that makes us family." She says pointedly.
"Family is blood, in my opinion." He informs her and she shrugs.
"And to me, that's crazy. Family should be whoever you want it to be." She says, slightly defensive, watching as Zane high fives Autumn for passing.
"Family is men in leather, huh?" He asks lowly, looking over her shoulder and she follows his gaze, her stomach doing a backflip when she sees who is waiting for her. Abel is leaning against his motorcycle, listening intently to the chattering Kalli, who looks to be demonstrating her freestyle to him. Willow grins and turns back to Devon, her smile faltering when she sees his frown.
"What?" She asks and he tears his eyes off Abel to look at her.
"He looks exactly like the kind of guy I pictured you with." He says, his attempt to be offhand failing. Willow looks at him, unsure of what he means. "Looks like he could rip a guy in half, shoot him, and walk away without remorse." He specifies and Willow narrows her eyes.
"And what kind of girl does that make me, if he's what you picture me with?" She retorts and Devon opens his mouth but she's already walking away. Abel glances at her then is quickly distracted by Kalli.
"And then I had to tread water for 15 minutes." She says seriously and Abel raises his eyebrows.
"1 minute." Willow corrects and Kalli glowers at her. "But I'm sure you could do 15 minutes." She relents and Kalli beams. "What's up?" She asks Abel, standing behind Kalli and gently detangling her hair so she can braid it.
"Was told to come make sure you got the kids home safe." He informs her and Willow rolls her eyes.
"I've been taking care of these nuggets since before they could walk and now I have a babysitter too?" She asks, raising her eyebrows.
"Don't yell at me, the guys just want to make sure everyone is home safe before they ride." He says and Willow looks at him quizzically, wondering why he seems so short with her.
"Get in the car." She orders, rounding up the kids and getting in. She heads toward home, glancing at Abel in her review mirror.
"Can we have ice cream for supper?" Autumn pipes up.
"No." Willow says instantly, turning up the radio automatically to drown out her impending hissy fit.
"Thanks for watching them." Zaneta says gratefully when Willow pulls into the driveway and kids spill out. She's strapping bags to Happy's bike. Willow nods then jerks her head towards Abel.
"What's his deal?" She wonders and Zaneta shrugs.
"Last I checked, he offered to stay back and watch the kids with you. Hap thinks it's a good idea. He's not sure if he's ready to explain to the other charters that Jax's son is back in the MC." She says lowly.
"Is that a big deal?" Willow asks, slightly confused and Zaneta clams up, yelling at Isaias for pushing Raimundo over. "Well, for someone who claims to want to stay, he's been pretty damn quiet." She mutters and Zaneta shrugs.
"Men will be men, Willow-girl." She says wisely and Willow rolls her eyes.
"Well, they should be better behaved." She grumbles, watching as Cruz and Zane wrestle in the front lawn.
"Everyone behave!" Rat yells over the noise in the house.
"Unlikely." Neva comments, perched on the counter, immersed in her phone.
"Well, you can at least try." He says, exasperated then turns to face Willow and Abel. He points to them and Willow raises an eyebrow. "No fucking while the kids are awake."
"George!" Willow says, stunned, while Abel goes pale.
"What?" He asks, unperturbed. "Bee and I use to have sex when she watched you and Tommy. But only while you were asleep, that was Gemma's rule." He reminisces fondly and both Willow and Abel are gaping at him.
"No, the rule was no sex when the baby was there, we just broke it." Brooke corrects, kissing Willow's head when she walks by.
"Frequently." Rat adds with a smile and Willow shakes her head, covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut.
"Oh my god please shut up." She begs. "If you love me at all, you'll shut the fuck up and never talk about your sex life again."
"Bye sweetie!" Brooke calls, walking out the door. Rat points to Abel sternly.
"But seriously, don't fuck her." He says seriously and Willow howls, getting up and hurrying away.
"Why were you yelling, Willy-Bear?" Kalli asks her as Willow seeks refuge in the playroom.
"Because I'm mad at your daddy." She informs her and Kalli simply blinks then returns to her toys. Willow wanders around the house, checking all the kids to make sure they're fine. The boys are clustered in the basement, knee deep in Doritos, Mountain Dew, and video games. Rang, Cruz, and Ryder are allowing Zane and Isaias to hang out with them, a small miracle. Neva is curled up on the couch, watching a TV show. Raimundo, Autumn, and Kalli are busy building a complicated pillow fort and she leans against the door, watching them with a smile.
"Where's Bri?" Autumn asks, looking up at her. Willow frowns. The baby hasn't cried once since she's arrived.
"I'll go look." She promises Autumn, turning and wandering toward the bedroom where Jaycee had put the sleeping Abrielle. She pushes the door opens and peers in, her heart stopping when she sees the empty playpen. Swallowing down her panic, she pulls the blankets aside, though she knows they aren't hiding Abrielle's frame. She crashes into the couch and Neva looks up at her.
"What?" She asks, as Willow comprehends that the baby isn't with her. She takes a deep breath, running her hands through her hair and trying to squash the urge to cry hysterically.
"Did the boys take the baby?" She asks, knowing there likelihood of that happening is tiny.
"No." Neva says with a frown.
"I did." Abel says, rounding the corner. Abrielle is tucked neatly into the crook of his arm and he's feeding her a bottle. Willow collapses into the couch, her legs unable to support her weight any longer. "Are you ok?" Abel asks, concerned and Willow shakes her head, walking towards him and kissing Abrielle's soft head. Abel watches her with worried eyes.
"I checked the playpen and she wasn't there." Willow explains, smiling at Abrielle and trying to quit trembling. "I got nervous."
"Well, she was crying, so I figured I should grab her." Abel explains, sitting down in a chair and shifting Abrielle with a practiced air. Willow watches curiously, settling next to Neva.
"Where'd you get so good with kids?" She asks him and he shrugs.
"Tommy." He says and Willow shakes her head.
"No, you're only a couple years apart from him." She points out and he keeps his eyes firmly on Abrielle.
"I told you, I know teen moms." He says quietly and she feels a hot jolt of jealousy within her abdomen.
"And how many of those babies are yours?" She quips and Neva grabs her headphones and leaves the living room.
"None." He says and she just pulls the blankets up to her neck. She closes her eyes, trying not to be bothered by Abel's attitude towards her and failing. She thought it would be different with him. That he would understand her biker family and why she shuts them out from time to time. Instead, he seems further away than ever. She falls into an uneasy, restless doze, twitching frequently.
She's not sure if she's awake or asleep. She lingers in that half stage, unable to comprehend what's going on. Her limbs feel heavy and sluggish. She hears the voices of the kids as though from a great distance, like she's deep underwater. She feels as though she should wake up, but can't bring herself to it.
Someone brushes a hand over her forehead, gently grazing it in a kiss. A solid weight is distributed into her arms and she curls protectively around Abrielle, knowing the little girl by her smell alone. Her blankets are drawn up around her shoulders and she feels the same pull into the darkness.
AN: A weekend with Willow and Abel playing house, what could go wrong? (A lot, cause this is Charming) Please leave reviews, tell me what you think, tell a friend, anything!
