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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 19: CUT OFF
After getting herself situated with the help of Tig, Sydney returned to the passenger seat of the van so that they could finally begin the task that they should've started much earlier.
"Think he's gonna be at the Dog?" Tig asked as he drove to the Nords' local hangout, rubbing his leg which was sore from the strain he'd put on it.
"Doubt it, but it's a good place to start." She noticed the shortness in his tone, looking over to see him brooding with his hand resting on the top of the steering wheel. "Awe come on Tiggy, I squirt for you and you're still in a bad mood? That aint any way to treat a lady." She said in a mock pout.
"Yeah, you're right. Sorry doll." He chuckled. "Shit with Jax… I don't know…" He shook his head as he pondered the mindset of the VP. "That's the kind of thinking that landed his old man where it did…"
"Clay's been trying to nail him down but it only pushes him further away." She observed. "What does Gemma think?" She was curious if the Queen had been privy to the rebellion of her son, or if she had picked up on it herself.
"Don't know, her and Clay doin an awful lot of whispering though…" Sydney just nodded slowly in response, making a mental note to talk to Gemma about it when she had the chance.
As soon as they turned onto the street where The Hairy Dog took residence, they saw Darby's dark Suburban pulling away from the curb. Tig looked to Sydney for confirmation that they were to follow him.
"He's alone, this is just what we needed." She grinned evilly, sparking up a cigarette as they tailed Darby to a park in Oakland, exchanging glances with each other as they knew what this meant: Mayans. "This skinhead fuckwad really just doesn't fucking get it does he?" Sydney barked in disbelief that after blowing up their warehouse and ambushing their hand off, the men still thought it was a good idea to team up.
"Park around the other side." She ordered Tig who raised an eyebrow but obliged, changing his course from parking behind Darby's SUV, to rounding the side of the park where they stopped and watched the bald man walk towards a picnic table where none other than Marcus Alvarez was sitting. "He looks pissed." Sydney snickered when Darby sat down and shoved away the box of food that Alvarez offered him.
"You blame him?" Tig asked with a raised brow. They watched the two men in their heated discussion for a few minutes, taking turns trying to guess what it was that they were saying until Sydney abruptly sat up and made for the door. "What the hell are you-"
"Get the car." She cut him off.
"Syd!" She slammed the door, silencing his protests before she bounded off towards the two men. "God dammit." Tig growled in defeat as he was forced to obey her request, not in any shape to go after her or cause a scene.
"Well I'll be! If you told me this morning that I woulda been lucky enough to see two of my favorite men in the same place, sportin my pretty little marks, I woulda said you were lyin." Sydney taunted in a southern accent as she approached, hopping up on top of the picnic table as the brooding men stared at her with wide eyes.
"Is everything you do so goddamn dramatic?" Darby shook his head, almost finding humour in the continuously surprising actions of the little tart.
"I guess you'll just have to find out." She cooed with a cocky grin.
"You know this blanca?" A scuffed up Alvarez asked with a smirk, recognizing the voice of the woman who was a brunette a few days ago when she infiltrated their hand off. Even if the little puta had pissed him off, the Mayans President was smart enough to respect the game - he could appreciate a good soldier when he saw one.
"Yeah she's just one of SAMCRO's whor-" Darby stopped himself under her narrowing eyes, silently reminding him what had taken place the last time he treated her like a croweater. "One of SAMCRO's associates." He corrected himself with a sarcastic smile.
"And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks." She praised smugly. "You boys are brave, meetin out here in public, not a care in the world that it might give people the wrong idea…"
"Oh yeah? And what idea might that be?" Alvarez asked with squinted eyes.
She pursed her lips and gave a one shouldered shrug. "I don't know. Maybe that the Nords aren't... Maintaining the brand." She responded after a pause, letting them know that her answer was facetious, flashing a grin at her choice of words.
Alvarez smiled smugly at the clever young woman, turning his attention back to the man across the table. "Don't worry, we'll both get what we want." He told Darby cryptically, who responded with a snort - clearly unhappy with the result of the meeting.
"You gonna eat that?" Sydney nodded to the tamale that Darby declined. The Nord's leader just scoffed in response, getting up from the table. She shrugged again, reaching to grab the mexican delicacy.
"Careful, shit's too spicy for a blanca." Alvarez warned.
"Creo que estoy bien." She responded with a wink before taking a bite as she turned away and headed off towards the van, leaving the latino man chuckling in surprise. Her lips curled up when she noticed Darby standing on the opposite edge of the park, scratching his head as he searched the area for his missing vehicle, groaning in realization when he turned to see the smirk of the young woman climbing into the van.
"You are runnin a seriously risky game." Tig grimaced as he scolded Sydney once they arrived back at the compound.
"Did we get the car?" She asked simply.
"Well, yeah but-"
"Did he see you?"
"No-"
"There ya go." She cocked her head and patted him on the chest before strutting into the clubhouse. Tig pursed his lips when he realized that her tactic the whole time was to hide in plain sight, keep Darby's eyes busy while simultaneously sending the message that SAMCRO was behind the auto theft.
"The Suburban has landed." Sydney cooed playfully, tossing Clay the keys to the black vehicle, who caught them with a grin.
"Got a protection run tonight for Unser, Hap's on his way back up to Tacoma for more glocks." The white haired man informed before turning his attention back to Sydney. "Which one d'you want?"
"Preference?" She tried to keep her tone casual in an attempt to show that she would be wherever he wanted her, even if she was delighted to have been given the choice.
"Lady's choice." He grinned playfully.
"I'll take the cadavers." She winked.
"What I thought you'd say, need someone to make sure this is done right." The older man smiled knowingly at his younger counterpart. "They're over at Skeeter's, you can take the hearse down." He smirked at his own joke. Sydney nodded before making off to Tig's dorm to retrieve her leather jacket. "Ope asked to be put on the protection run... " Clay told Tig quietly once the two men were alone.
"Tryna make up for the Mayan fuck up?"
"Nah, think he's just strapped for cash."
"You gonna let him?" Tig scowled, he was a simple man: if someone didn't care for the good of the club and wasn't willing to put their ass on the line, then they shouldn't be allowed to share from the pot.
"I'm gonna give him another chance to prove his loyalty." Clay defended, detecting the doubt in the Sergeant's tone.
Sydney bit her lip in contemplation as she stood with her back pressed to the wooden wall in the hallway, hearing every word. She didn't think Opie was a bad guy, and though she couldn't sympathize with his disconnect from the club - she could empathize. However, empathy did not trump the dangers that a rogue member caused.
Tig stayed silent on the matter, he didn't agree with his President but his job wasn't to agree, it was to obey. "Darby was with Alvarez when we jacked the car."
"What's it gonna take for this prick to get the damn message." Clay sighed.
"It's a bloody Sunday brother. We gotta call in all the Sons, all of em. Kill this cracker-wetback alliance now." Tig's anger started poking through.
"We can't afford another war like '92." Clay reminded him of the bloodbath that took place years ago.
"We might not have a choice. Clay I'm worried about this, okay. Jax is smart and I appreciate his lead on a lot of stuff, but where we gotta go… It aint about bein smart, it's about killin shit." The curly haired man voiced his concerns with his President as his need for blood boiled.
"I know." Clay said regrettably, unsure what the right move was but knowing what needed to be done.
"No, I mean…" Tig shook his head. "I don't trust him. Look… Push comes to blood? I don't. I don't think he's got the balls to pull the trigger, you hear what I'm sayin?" He pushed harder, the time for dicking around with Jax's soft approach was running out, and he worried that it was going to get someone hurt.
"I hear ya!" Clay yelled out of frustration. "I hear ya…" He repeated a little calmer. Once again, Tig wasn't the problem - the situation was. "Look, ya think I don't see the same shit? I do brother, I do." He trailed off when he heard the sound of Sydney's sneakers on the wooden floor, glad that she emerged at that moment to temporarily table the tough discussion.
Sydney pulled up to the cemetery in Darby's SUV, getting out and making her way through the maze of tombstones until she spotted Chibs, Juice and Jax jumping down into a hole. She crept up quietly, hearing them making fun of Half-Sack who had been tasked with digging up the body of the fat mexican all by himself.
"I hate this shit, it's really bad karma you know… Digging up a grave." Juice laughed, clapping the poor kid on the shoulder, likely a little too happy to be seeing someone else doing the prospect bitch work that he'd been saddled with not too long ago.
"Nah, as long as it's not your grave, karma's just fine." Jax laughed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sydney yelled, unleashing just how impossibly loud she could make her voice go.
"Woah!" Half-Sack yelled, all of the startled men whipped around to see Sydney standing there cackling. "You scared the piss outta me."
"Sorry Kippy. Havin fun?"
"Not as much fun as you had earlier." An impressed grin spread across Sydney's face, surprised at the boldness of the prospect.
"How we gonna get him out?" Juice changed the subject before someone could make a comment that Sydney would make them regret.
"I think we're gonna need a tow truck." She joked.
The late hours of the afternoon were coming to a close as Jax, Sydney and Chibs drove down the 99 to Lodi in Darby's Suburban with the bodies in tow, Juice and Half-Sack following close behind in a stolen Cadillac. Jax lit a joint from the driver's seat as Chibs took a swig of beer beside him, Sydney choosing to sit in the back with the cargo.
"Jesus christ these guys stink." Jax groaned as he inhaled the weed. Sydney rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the blonde man, as usual.
"We'll leave Darby some good, dead, mexican stench." Chibs began to laugh but was stopped as two loud import vehicles swerved around them, cutting them off and making Jax veer off into the barrier to avoid them.
"Woah!" Sydney tried to steady herself from taking a backwards tumble into the pile of limbs. "Jackson!" She yelled, even if he had been narrowly cut off, she found the intense swerve that resulted in a scrape to the vehicle, to be unnecessary.
"Assholes! Made me spill my beer!" Chibs hollored to no one in particular.
"Don't blame me! Blame Honda Civic cocksucker." Sydney relented, at least they were on the same page about import drivers.
Not too long after recovering from the near hit and run, a cop car came into sights, travelling towards them in the oncoming lane.
"Ah shit…" Jax groaned as the squad car lit up and pulled a u-turn.
"Ah shit." Half-Sack unknowingly repeated his Vice President as they watched the scene unfold.
"Spotted the smashed front end." Jax surmised while Sydney sat with her head in her hands and her eyes wide in sheer shock for just how stupid they were.
"They run those bogus plates and we're fucked." She informed as Jax pulled over. "This could've been fucking avoided if you knew how to fucking drive!" The Scotsman turned to defend his VP but was stopped by the fiery woman smacking his shoulder. "And you! Drinking in the front seat." She turned her attention back to Jax. "You're fucking smoking up. No wonder they're stopping us for vehicle damage!" Chibs ignored her bitching, pulling out his glock as the cop approached.
"Lodi's got a sky team… We'll never get away, not in this piece of shit."
"Definitely not with his driving." Sydney added.
"Put the gun away." Jax ordered in frustration for his brother's impulsive solution to the problem. "Sup?" He greeted the hispanic cop with a nod. Before the lawman could even tell him why he had been stopped, he was startled by Juice and Half-Sack ramming his squad car with the Cadillac.
"Jesus christ!" His attention turned to the younger men as he backtracked with his gun drawn.
Sydney grinned as she watched the scene unfold: Juice and Half-Sack getting out and running down the road, Jax and Chibs getting out to slash the cops tires and steal his radio. Sydney kicked the door of the trunk open before quickly sliding into the driver's seat, throwing the vehicle into drive and pulling a violent u-turn to retrieve her compromised crew. She came to a screech, letting Jax and Chibs in before she raced to get ahead of Juice and Half-Sack so that they could make the jump before the cop started shooting.
"Run prospect run!" Chibs hollered out the window as they passed the spriting men.
"Get in!" Sydney yelled, smacking the door of the vehicle in a rush of adrenaline.
Juice and Half-Sack made the jump at the same time, flopping down onto the landing pad of dead mexicans. The carload of criminals whooped and hollered as they made their breakaway from the armed cop, taking a backroad and soon reaching their destination in Lodi.
When they arrived at the abandoned car garage, everyone jumped out and began staging the scene, Sydney sat on the tailgate of the vehicle, carefully uncovering the bodies. She quietly admired the face of the thinner man who had unfortunately met his demise so young, extending her arm to gently caress his cheek, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
"Jesus christ… You and Tig really are meant for each other." Juice winced as he watched the scene before him.
Not too long later, the sun had set and the deed had been done, the clear message of "M + N = blood" being left at the crime scene. Sydney still thought that a real murder would've been more satisfying, but she supposed the warm up would suffice.
They made their way back to Charming in another stolen vehicle - seeing that their original stolen Cadillac had been compromised - when the same Honda Civic from earlier in the day, whirled passed them yet again. Sydney grinned wickedly. She was in the driver's seat now, and nobody cut her off.
"It has been a very long day Lass…" Chibs tried to reason, knowing what was going through her mind the second that the red car was sight.
"Ah come on." Jax grinned, wanting revenge just as much as she did.
"We didn't jack a twin turbo for nothin." Sydney smirked as she slammed her foot to the floor, engaging the turbo boost of the newer model Ford. The heavy truck pulled around the puny import with ease. "Hold on." Sydney grinned, grabbing the handle above the door as she slammed on the brakes, bringing the whizzing red car crashing into the back of the truck, the lowered front end wedging itself under the tailgate and breaking the windshield.
"Well that was quick!" Juice said happily, knowing his brothers were tired.
"I aint done yet." Sydney snarled dangerously as she stared distantly into the rearview mirror, letting the rage take over as she unbuckled her seatbelt and shifted the truck into park. A smirk ghosted across Jax's face as he followed her lead, seeing this as a much needed opportunity to blow off some steam - one that didn't end in someone dead. The two blondes strutted cockily towards the damaged vehicle with the same pep in their step and smirks on their faces, radiating their respective roles as reaper Prince and Princess.
"Get him out." Sydney looked to Jax who nodded, grabbing the douchebag by the scruff of the neck and dragging him before her.
"Hey what the hell is wrong with you!" The brown haired driver started yelling deliriously before he was cut off by a jaw shattering right hook, knocking him straight to the ground.
"Holy shit." Jax blinked, widening his eyes at the velocity of Sydney's punch.
The small woman smirked playfully, wiggling her fingers which bore her now blood-covered diamond rings. "I keep telling you not to underestimate me." She cocked a brow as the man groaned, rolling around on the pavement as he regained his bearings just in time for her to climb on top of him, holding him down with a hand to his throat. "Don't ever cut me off again." She sneered low before delivering another blow, filling the man's mouth with blood.
"Your turn." She smirked to Jax who kicked the man hard in the stomach and delivered a punch that shattered his other jaw before waltzing back to the truck with his arm slung over Sydney's shoulders as they both smiled smugly, proud of their handy work.
"Quick enough?" Sydney quipped as they re-entered the vehicle to their posse of grinning men who had clearly enjoyed the show.
They made it back to Charming without a hitch, all heading their separate ways for the night. Sydney had noticed the lack of Harleys on the compound when they returned to grab their rides, surprised that the others weren't back from the protection run yet but figuring it was just longer than she'd expected and would likely be a late one for them, so she headed home, assuming that she would hear from Tig in the morning.
When she got home, she stripped down for a hot shower, removing her rings and placing them to soak in a bowl of hot water, loosening up the crusted blood that coated the diamonds. After her shower, she sat down at the dining room table with her fuzzy slipper clad feet up, a plate of stir fry, and the bowl containing her rings - lazily picking at her food and buffing the grime from her diamonds when the roaring of a Harley engine pulled her from the state of relaxation she had fallen into, her senses perked up but she made no effort to get up for the door, having a feeling that the mysterious visitor likely had a key.
Tig hobbled up to Sydney's front door after a long evening of running the hijacking-turned-protection run for Unser. He stuck the key in the lock, turning it until it clicked open, second guessing himself a second too late when he stepped inside, realizing that maybe she wouldn't want to be seeing so much of him, or at the very least that he should've called, he contemplated turning around, thinking she might not have heard him so he still had a chance to make a break for it.
"Tiggy?" The soft, hopeful voice erased any doubt that he had as it pulled him through the house to it's source.
"Better be me, doll." He masked his moment of uncertainty with a cocky joke, winking when he saw her.
"I was hoping it was my other boyfriend." She smiled as he approached her, gently brushing his fingers around her waist and leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. He couldn't help but break his tough guy facade with a smile after he pulled away and met her sparkling eyes which were staring up at him lovingly. "There's food if you're hungry." She said softly, nodding to the pan on the stove.
"You sure, baby?"
"Mhmm." She hummed as her attention returned to her previous task.
"What're ya doin?" He tilted his head to try and get a better look into the bowl.
"Why don't you go get some food and I'll tell you." Her tone was playful as she kept her eyes focused on what she was doing, not entertaining his dawdling.
Tig snickered at how stubborn she was, grabbing a plate from the cupboard and dishing up a generous helping. Between the day's diet of whiskey, peanuts, and club business - he'd worked up quite an appetite. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed back to the table, setting his plate down and sliding his chair right up against hers, picking up her propped up legs and placing them on his lap. Sydney giggled at his actions, sighing in content as his hand lazily caressed her shins while he ate and she cleaned. Tig found himself with a permanent smile as the pair sat in a comfortable silence despite the trying day, he never thought he would see the day where he would be coming home to an old lady, dinner on the table, and no questions being asked.
He tapped her knee before he moved her legs so that he could get up, picking up the empty plates and carrying them to the sink to wash before she could protest.
"You and Jax finally get into it?" He asked with a sly smirk as he placed another beer on the table, and a glass of wine for her. He assumed the blood on her rings was a result of staging the scene, but he knew the joke would get a laugh and possibly open the door for her to voice her concerns about the VP.
"I wish." She scoffed. "Asshole cut me off." She informed with a bashful smirk. The Sergeant raised an eyebrow when he realized that the blood was actually a result of her hitting someone, but he didn't question any further, retaking his seat and yanking her into his lap. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck. "Long night?" She knew he must be tired if he was acting so touch starved.
"You got no idea."
"Thought it was just a protection run?" She turned to face him with a scowl.
"Was supposed to be. Turned into a hijacking, try to teach Unser a lesson."
"Really?" She exclaimed excitedly as her eyes lit up, her giddiness soon turning to a pout. "And I got stuck with the boring fake murder with the band of pussies."
"Hey hey hey, it seems like you had plenty enough fun tonight, Pussycat." He stroked the bare knuckles, reminding her of the killer punches she'd gotten in on the buzzcut asshole driving the Honda.
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, returning to her rings. "How'd Ope do?" Tig raised a brow in response to her somehow knowing that Opie had been on the job, as well as the fact that it was cause for concern.
"Fine, I guess." He shrugged when she didn't give an explanation. "Didn't know what was going down, didn't seem as giddy about it as you did." Sydney nodded, wondering if the tall, bearded man would become an issue for the club.
Tig took her silence as a sign that maybe he had overstayed his welcome as his insecurities creeped in, especially after showing up unannounced while she was so focused on the task at hand.
"Well." He patted her thigh, exhaling before heaving himself out of the chair that they were occupying. "Thanks for dinner, Doll." He kissed her on the cheek as he guided her to sit back down in the chair alone.
"Are you leaving?" Her face fell when he ended the peaceful moment they'd been sharing, instinctively clutching onto his arm when he stood - making her immediately curse herself for sounding so needy.
"Not if you don't want me to." He grinned when once again, she abolished his fears.
"Stay." She nodded with a sincere smile.
"You aint gotta tell me twice." He returned her warm smile. "Can I use your shower?" She nodded.
"You might wanna get some shit for here, unless of course you like smelling like me." She referred to the flowery body wash he would have to use.
"It's one way to keep the croweaters off." He winked, kissing her on the cheek before heading upstairs to bathe.
Sydney smiled happily once she was alone as she heard the peaceful hum of the water running upstairs. She'd always enjoyed being alone - never thought she would like sharing her space with someone so often, that was one of the nice things about Happy being gone so often. But she loved having Tig around to fill the silence, her house didn't feel as cold and empty when he was there, it felt warm - it felt like home.
She followed him up the stairs not long after, it was late and she was exhausted. She padded into the bedroom, contemplating joining him in the shower - craving some closeness, but she knew she would get plenty of that once he came to bed, so she crawled under the covers and quickly dozed off.
Tig stumbled out of the bathroom after a much needed, hot shower. Steam billowed out of the room after him once he opened the door, rubbing his hands over his face to try and gain his bearings, he was exhausted and the hot water had only intensified the doziness. He'd managed to change into clean boxers before sauntering over to the bed where Sydney was already sleeping. He smiled lazily before flopping down onto the mattress and heaving a heavy sigh, reaching to turn off the lamp before pulling her into his arms.
"Love you." Sydney mumbled, recognizing the feeling of being pressed against his chest in her barely conscious state.
"Love you too, baby." He pressed a kiss to her forehead but didn't pull away, falling asleep in the comfort of the close proximity.
Tig was rustled awake by Sydney pulling herself out of his grip. He whimpered, immediately missing the warmth of the contact even in his sleep. "Shhh." She hushed, noticing him stirring as a result of her movement. "Keep sleeping." She whispered, kissing just below his ear before slipping out of bed, into one of his t-shirts, and down the stairs to start on breakfast.
Tig laid half asleep happily for the next half an hour, completely at peace until he decided it was time to get up for the day, surely the smell of food had nothing to do with it… He got dressed for the day, brushed his teeth and applied some cologne before pulling his kutte over his shoulders and making his way to the kitchen. He stopped at the landing of the stairs to inhale the heavenly smell of whatever his girlfriend was cooking, continuing his walk down the hallway with a smile on his face. He entered the kitchen to a similar sight he had seen before: Sydney humming and spinning around in one of his shirts and a pair of panties. He stayed in place, watching her movements as he absently palmed himself over his jeans.
Sydney smiled, knowing Tig was watching her when the scent of his cologne wafter into the kitchen, overpowering the smell of the food. "Morning." She twirled around with two bowls in hand, her eyes were bright and she had a huge smile on her face which went from genuine to discerning as her eyes fell to where his hand rested on his belt buckle, raising a brow.
"What?" He grinned wolfishly, a glint in his bright eyes as he moved towards her, gripping her waist. "You know how I feel about this view." He turned her around slowly so that he could get a good look at her ass.
She went along with his early morning sex drive, setting the bowls down and bending right over the table, moaning for effect. She wasn't surprised when his hands roamed over her ass appreciatively, using the distraction to her advantage, she hooked one foot behind his, swiftly knocking him off balance and into a chair before sitting on his lap.
"Eat." She ordered, pecking his lips.
Tig chuckled, a little winded from the sneak attack as she moved into her own chair. "You gonna keep slipping vegetables into my diet?" He poked the green peppers that she'd incorporated into the hearty breakfast scramble, with his fork. The Redwood Sergeant was not a 'follow the food groups' type of guy by any means and he'd noticed Sydney trying to sneak more green foods under his nose and into his mouth.
"Yep, and you're gonna keep liking it." She deadpanned while scrolling through her phone.
He responded with a bashful smile that he was glad she didn't notice, taking a bite of the food, his eyes rolling back as soon as the taste flooded his mouth.
"Damn." Sydney chuckled as she peered at him through her eyelashes. "I don't even think you look like that when you eat my pussy."
"Pussy's a strong contender but..." He shook his head, shovelling more food in his mouth - veggies included.
Once breakfast was finished, they headed to the clubhouse for church before work. Sydney opted to ride bitch, something that surprised her - even now that she could freely ride her own bike and was no longer condemned to the bitch bar, she still enjoyed it with him. The pair walked into the clubhouse hand in hand, going straight to the chapel and receiving an approving smile from Gemma along the way.
"If you told me that protection was gonna be that fun…" Sydney shook her head at Clay who sat at the head of the table.
"Well I had it in the works but I wasn't sure til I got the call…"
"You know, I coulda made it for both." Clay chuckled at her eagerness.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could've. But then who would've given that asshole a proper beatdown?"
She flashed a cocky smile in response to his argument, feeling a little too smug over the fact that the news of her night's events had travelled.
"Unser aint gonna be stepping down for another six months." Clay announced with a victory grin once everyone was seated. Sydney smiled wickedly while everyone hollered at the news that their plan had worked, but concern creeped back into her mind when she looked over to see Opie looking less than pleased. Her and Tig shared a quick glance, silently expressing their skeptical feelings about the family man's loyalty.
"Now that we got that forensics unit off our ass, we need to flush those warehouse bones, get rid of any evidence. Bobby, Tig." Clay appointed the task, looking to Sydney to gauge her reaction on being included in the clean up, he knew her expertise would be useful but he had a feeling…
"Nope." She scoffed with a shake of her head. She had no issue doing the dirty work, but she wasn't about to spend her day cleaning up their mess in the hot July sun because they had been too stupid to do so in the first place
"That's what I thought." The President nodded with a chuckle, wrapping up the session so that everyone could get back to work for the day - minus Tig and Bobby who took off towards the warehouse in the van with an arsenal of bleach.
"Hey, I gotta run to the grocery store for the cookout tomorrow, I could use the extra hands." Gemma nodded to Sydney across the office as she removed her glasses - she'd had enough paperwork for the day since the afternoon had rolled around.
"Sure." The younger women obliged with a smiled. "I can only imagine what shopping for a meal that size is like..." She chortled, remembering how shopping solely for the San Bern. crew had been a task.
"You got that right, and the prospect aint much help around a grocery store."
"I got you, Gem." Sydney winked, heading out to the parking lot. The matriarch chuckled happily at her readiness to help, shutting down the computer and gathering her things to head out for the afternoon.
As soon as Sydney's mule clad feet hit the pavement, she noticed David Hale pulling into the lot - undoubtedly coming to grill them about the delay in his impending status as Chief. Jax and Clay walked side by side, exchanging a glance but choosing to ignore the bothered Deputy as they strolled right past his truck and towards the garage. Sydney wasn't about to miss out on the interrogation - letting her feet carry her to where her superiors were standing.
"Unser's not retiring… What'd you do? Threaten to rape his daughter?" The blue eyed man surmised casually as he exited his vehicle. Sydney couldn't help but snort at his facetious assumption - even if it wasn't at all facetious.
The three light haired degenerates turned around at the same time with the same amused look on their faces. "That's a little harsh." Clay smirked.
"It was bind and torture, give us a little credit Davy." Sydney mock pouted, making Jax chuckle.
"Maybe the old man's not ready for the gold watch."
"I just got back from that warehouse… There was a testable crime scene before my guys got pulled off - whole thing is contaminated now."
"You should talk to your supervision about that." Jax squinted in the sun, pulling his pack of cigarettes from the front pocket of his TM shirt.
"You guys." Hale scoffed. "Cruise around here like heros, when you and I know the truth."
"And what truth is that?"
"You white trash thugs are holding onto a dying dream."
"Same could be said about the white collared ones." Sydney responded smugly to his ironic statement.
"That is so poetic Chief. Oh! I'm sorry, I guess it's just Deputy Chief… Right?" Clay grinned while he taunted the younger man.
"It doesn't matter if I'm Chief or not… You can't stop progress."
Sydney laughed at the smugness of the blue eyed cop. "That's why you're standing here, right? Questioning us about a contaminated scene and a stunt in your career?" She approached the Deputy, getting uncomfortably close. "It seems that progress has already been stopped." She said in a low, raspy tone, cocking a brow.
"It won't be long before SAMCRO is just an ugly memory in the history of Charming." Hale responded with a sneer, his attention mainly on Jax and Clay before he turned back to the blonde woman in front of him. "Enjoy the ride, while you still can."
"Enjoying the ride's what I do best." She winked as Hale backed away where he spit on the ground next to the bikes. Clay and Jax shared a smile of amusement, both thoroughly enjoying that Sydney did the tormenting that they couldn't do.
"They did it just in time." The President observed, referring to Tig and Bobby having successfully finished the clean up without getting caught.
"Yep…" Jax said with a trace of worry in his tone over the close call.
Sydney and Gemma headed towards the checkout at the Charming Grocer after an afternoon full of shopping to stock the clubhouse kitchen. Gemma was thrilled to have a helping hand that she actually enjoyed talking to - not like the usual croweaters.
" ? I'm sorry we can't take your cheques anymore… The last two bounced." A voice in the distance caught the attention of the SAMCRO women, turning to see Opie's wife uncomfortably putting back half of the groceries that she couldn't afford.
"That's sad." Sydney genuinely felt for the woman that she knew little about. Regardless of how she felt over Donna's disapproval of the club, and her husband's involvement in it, she hated to see someone struggling when they were trying their damndest - and being humiliated for it nonetheless.
"Yeah… You handle this?" Gemma's question was more of a statement as she pursed her lips, walking over to the till where the younger woman's leftover groceries were.
Sydney knew that Gemma's gesture was for anything but good faith - it was a power move, and she was living for it. She smirked, allowing Gemma to follow Donna out of the store before leaving the job with the cashier, trailing close behind. When she got outside, she saw Gemma holding out the bag of groceries to Opie's old lady who wasn't nearly as grateful as Sydney would've expected a struggling mother to be.
"Opie's out now, we don't need any more charity." Sydney listened to the argument, trying to decide if she admired Donna's dignity and strong will, or found her stubbornness to be disrespectful and stupid.
"It was never charity Donna, it's what we do. You're family." Gemma held the bag out again. Instead of accepting, Donna stepped closer, daring to challenge Gemma Teller in the middle of a good deed - even if it was just an act of manipulation.
"I have my family back, I don't need yours." Sydney quickly decided on the latter.
"Look." Gemma set the bag down to the ground after a pause of sheer dumbfoundedness. "I know what you went through. I've been there - with two husbands." Donna scoffed and rolled her eyes, Sydney couldn't believe the set of balls on this woman to think she could openly disrespect the old lady of her husband's President, she clearly didn't understand the life... Sydney narrowed her eyes and leant against the old truck that she recognized from the night that they torched the Mayan warehouse - the truck that Tig and her fucked in, which she couldn't help but smirk at.
"You lose your man, your kids lose their dad. You get pissed off, wanna blame the club, but SAMCRO is not the enemy, it's the glue, the one thing that will always be there to pull you through the ugly shit. Gotta stop fightin this Donna, you need us." Sydney admired Gemma even more in this moment, showing exactly what a good old lady is made of: knows how to get her way but also sets her own feelings aside for the good of the club. Sydney would've kicked the girl to the curb a long time ago for disrespecting her and the club, if she was in Gemma's shoes.
"I married Opie, I didn't marry the club." Donna's anger was starting to get the best of her as her voice shook with the threat of tears.
"You married a man in an M.C., you knew what you were signing up for." Sydney stepped forward, making her presence known when she couldn't help herself from butting in.
Donna scrunched up her face, the anger seething from her as the little tramp posing against her vehicle interrupted the already unwanted conversation with the matriarch.
"Who the hell are you?" She spit angrily.
"That seems to be the question of the week." Sydney chuckled. "Sydney Harding." She made no effort to initiate a handshake with the angry woman.
"And what the hell do you think you're doing telling me about my marriage."
"Just reminding you of the facts, sweetheart." Sydney pushed off of the truck and stood tall next to Gemma. Donna stood uncomfortably for a few seconds before regaining her composure under the stares of the intimidating women.
"Neither of you have any idea what I need." She rolled her shoulders back and turned to get into the truck.
"Donna." Gemma followed after her. "We're having a little family get together tomorrow for the Fourth. You and Ope should come - bring the kids, you might actually have a good time." Donna shook her head incredulously at Gemma's determination, opening her mouth to protest. "Don't say anything else." Gemma held her hand up. "My Martha Stewart's wearin real thin… You know where we live." She had a slight look of smugness on her face as she turned to Sydney and walked with her back into the store.
"Wanna share some of that Martha Stewart with me?" Sydney joked light-heartedly even though witnessing the exchange had made her question her abilities as a potential old lady.
When the two women reached the till where their groceries should've been, they found it to be empty. They both furrowed their brows in confusion before being led outside by the starry-eyed teenage store clerk that Sydney had allowed to chat her up while she checked out, presenting Gemma's caddy tightly packed with all their purchases.
"Thanks Daniel, you're a peach." Sydney smiled and caressed his cheek, figuring she would give the poor kid something for his 'above and beyond' efforts to impress her.
"Looks like you got enough of it on your own." Gemma scoffed with a smirk.
Sydney couldn't shake the nagging pit she felt in her stomach for the rest of the day while she sat at her desk, knee bouncing in anticipation for quitting time to roll around. When 6:00 P.M. finally came, she quickly gathered her things and scurried out of the office, leaving a very concerned Gemma in her wake. She scanned the compound for Half-Sack, hoping to avoid Tig - knowing he would ask questions when he found out she wasn't asking him for a ride home. She knew it would only come up in the morning, but she would rather come up with an excuse later, than now. She managed to make it across the lot and into the clubhouse, spotting Half-Sack coming down the hallway.
"Kip!" The poor kid looked up, terrified, wondering what he'd done wrong now. "Can you take me home?"
"Yeah." He was relieved that her inquiry was harmless, but wasn't sure why she was asking him, when Tig was just lazing around his dorm. "Tig busy?"
"Yeah. Let's go." She grabbed his arm, yanking him towards the tow truck.
"Jesus christ." He muttered in her grip as she dragged him out the door like a ragdoll.
They drove the short distance to Sydney's house in silence, pulling into her driveway and parking. "Thank you." She said quickly before getting out and shuffling to her front door.
Half-Sack sat frozen for a few minutes - he didn't take Sydney to be much of a talker when it came to feelings, but she was his friend and she was clearly unsettled by something and he couldn't figure out what it could possibly be.
Sydney was sitting on her stairs with her head in her hands, trying to focus on her breathing and rationalize the out of character panic she was feeling over something so minuscule, when she was interrupted by a light knocking at her front door.
"Syd? Uh, it's me, Kip." She got up quickly and opened the door before he could utter whatever apology he'd rehearsed for disturbing her. He was surprised when she opened the door so quickly, but even more surprised when she didn't say anything, just turned around to retake her spot on the stairs. "I'm a good listener, you know… If you want to talk." He awkwardly tried to comfort her.
Sydney smiled, genuinely appreciating the sweet man. "I just…" She stopped, realizing what she was doing, shaking her head and ridding herself of one of her weak moments today. "Don't let the club turn you into an asshole, okay?" She looked at him sincerely before wrapping her arms around him.
Half-Sack nearly passed out when she brought him in for a hug, coughing a few times to catch his breath, finally able to form words once she pulled away. "Did um, did Tig do something?"
"Nah." She smiled half heartedly. "Shockingly." She tried to lighten the situation with humour. "Um, could you keep this between us though?" She decided that was the most vulnerability that she was willing to show for now.
The compassionate man smiled and nodded eagerly, excited that he was being trusted with a secret from the fearless blonde. He took his leave, heading back to the clubhouse - wishing all of his errands could be like that one.
Sydney could feel the panic attack taking shape - the anger over her inability to control her emotions making it even worse. She splashed some water on her face and continued trying to control her breathing but nothing was working, the very real possibility that she would actually have to talk this out was starting to hit her. The girl wasn't a stonewall, she had talked to her dad about everything - but now that he was gone she was starting to realize just how few people she trusted with her emotions, and how much harder it was to open up, hence the bottling up of her feelings that she'd started doing since he died. She finally gave in, calling the one person she trusted…
Happy pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket as he sat on his bike at the gas station just outside Charming borders, his brows furrowing when he saw it was Sydney calling. Phone calls from her weren't unusual, but he had just spoken to Clay and there was nothing going on tonight - meaning that the call was personal.
"Are you back from Tacoma?" Sydney asked the second that the phone stopped ringing, giving him no time to greet her - not that he would have.
"Just got in."
"Can we go for a ride."
"Been riding all day." Happy had spent the day under the blistering summer sun - all he was interested in was a shower, a good meal, and a warm body for the night.
"Please." She kept the conversation short, hoping the finality in her tone would be enough for him to know that she needed him.
"What happened?" He felt his heart rate pick up as the concern for her overtook him.
"I'll see you soon." She hung up with a playful tone, knowing that she'd succeeded in getting her way - leaving the Tacoma Killer rolling his eyes and taking off towards her house.
When Half-Sack arrived back at TM with the truck, he was surprised to see Gemma summoning him into the office. "Hi Gem." He tried to act casual, leaning against the doorway.
"What's wrong with Sydney?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't be getting fresh with me, prospect. Either cut the shit, or get better at piling it on."
Half-Sack gulped, the woman was all business and was just as scary as her old man. "She wouldn't tell me but she's real uncomfortable about somethin, she asked me to keep it between us so… If you could you know, like not tell her I told you."
Gemma pursed her lips, deciding to accept the prospect's answer. "Thank you, Eddie." She dismissed him with an approving smile, hastily getting up and going on a search for Tig the second that the younger man was gone. She searched the compound high and low, rolling her eyes when she found that he'd clocked out early. Of course he had. She reached his dorm, rapping on the wood obnoxiously, not stopping until the door flew open.
"What?" He groaned, stepping out of the way to let the matriarch into his dorm.
"What'd you do to piss off Sydney?"
"What d'ya mean?" He crinkled his brows, his tone had more concern than frustration which Gemma knew wouldn't have been the case in response to her prying into his shit if he actually had done something.
"I don't know! She ran outta here after work." Tig had been napping after he'd ducked out of the garage undetected and hadn't realized it was so late or that Sydney had even left - wondering why she hadn't come to him for a ride home.
"I'm sure she's fine Gem, off plotting some shit like usual." He tried to be rational. He hadn't seen her since this morning so there was surely nothing he could've done to piss her off while he was sleeping… Right?
"Guess we'll find out." Gemma scoffed, unhappy with the result of her interrogation as it seemed that the little blonde was just as good at keeping secrets as she was.
Sydney opened her garage and fired up her Ninja as soon as she heard Happy pulling up outside, rolling down the driveway and taking off without a word, letting him know that they would be talking after she took out some of her frustrations on the open road. Happy shook his head but followed in content - it's not like talking was his strong suit anyways.
After forty-five minutes of speeding down the highway into the sunset, Sydney veered off the road as they approached an ice cream parlour that overlooked the San Joaquin River. Happy snorted into the wind, of course she was stopping for ice cream.
She took off her helmet and shook out her hair, the open road had done wonders for the panic that she was feeling over the situation, now what she felt was pure adrenaline. Happy followed her lead, taking off his helmet and sunglasses and following her into the tiny shop, surprised to find himself growing more and more impatient with her silence - wishing that she was just a little less like him.
Once they ordered their treats and got to the till to pay, Sydney looked to Happy with that damn mischievous glint in her eyes and grin on her face.
"I aint paying." He shook his head.
"Yes you are."
"The fuck I am." He scoffed with a scowl and an upturned lip.
"Sir, is there a problem?" The judgmental cashier looked at the biker, unimpressed.
"Keep the change." He grunted, slamming a ten dollar bill down on the counter - frustrated that Sydney had gotten the one up on him, she always made fun of him for being cheap, trying to saddle him with the bill whenever possible. "Sneaky bitch." He said as he followed her outside while she led them to a picnic table closest to the edge of the cliff. "Anything even wrong?" He wondered if it had just been a ploy to dupe him all along.
"Come on Hap, I'm not that mean." She smirked. He raised an eyebrow in challenge, reminding her of the show she had put on just weeks ago to make him look like a pussy in front of Tig. She pursed her lips, he was right - she was that mean. "Scratch that." She chuckled.
"Tell me what happened." Happy gathered a spoonful of his maple walnut ice cream from the plastic dish in his hand, he always opted to get a dish because it was cheaper than a cone.
"I don't know if I'm good enough for here." She mumbled. Happy's face contorted, wondering what on earth could've possessed Sydney to allow those words to leave her mouth.
"The hell's this comin from?"
She exhaled. "I know I'm good enough for SAMCRO, but I don't know if I'm good enough for what here would mean for me…" She trailed off, hoping he would catch her drift.
"Don't think you'll be a good old lady?" He surmised exactly like she'd hoped. She was glad that he was blunt when she didn't want to be - she didn't have to say what was on her mind if he could do it for her.
"I know the life, but I think maybe I know it too much. I'm too close, I can't be just an old lady." She tried to find the right way to say that she thought she was too invested in the life to follow the rules of a proper old lady.
"You won't be. You'll be a member." She couldn't help but smile at how fiercely he believed in her.
"Even if I am… I don't know how to put shit aside and let people in if I don't think they're good for the club, and what if that's bad for the club?" Happy chuckled as he listened to her voice all of the things that she was overthinking. "Hap it isn't funny!" She whined, kicking him under the table.
"You're overthinking it. What brought this on?"
"I just don't think I can ever be as good as Gemma." She mumbled again when she realized how ridiculous she was being.
"You think you need to be as good as Gemma?"
"I don't know, I'd like to be..."
"Drop it. You never wanted to be the queen, you always wanted to be the king, don't let this shit with Tig change that." Happy reminded her, not wanting a relationship to overshadow her goals and distort the bigger picture.
She nodded, putting her head down on the table. "I have no fucking idea how to handle this." She exhaled, referring to the random outbursts of unwarranted emotion.
"You'll learn, like everything else. It makes sense… You got a new relationship, new home, new family, lost your old man and you don't talk about it. The weight of that shit's gotta go somewhere, it's your job to make sure it goes to the right place."
Sydney grinned, lifting her head from where it was buried in her arms. "Did anyone ever tell ya that you sound like Dr. Phil?"
"Enough." Happy shook his head, not allowing himself to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he was glad that she was acting like her normal self after what could've been a much tougher conversation that it had been.
"You look like him too…" She avoided his black eyes, smiling into her ice cream. "Why didn't you make me date so I could work this shit out while I was young?" She whined playfully.
"Have I ever been able to get you to do shit you didn't wanna do?"
"Fair point." She shrugged with a smirk.
The pair raced back to Charming in the last bit of sunlight with Sydney feeling light as a feather, a weight lifted off of her shoulders thanks to Happy.
"Thank you, Hap." Sydney wrapped her arms around his neck while he sat on his bike outside her house.
"Te amo." He rasped, holding her tight.
"Te amo." She whispered, emotion heavy on her face. It wasn't often that Happy was affectionate, but when he was, it always got her. She knew how hard it was for the Tacoma Killer to let anyone in, so it was never lost on her what a privilege it was to be chosen by him.
Sydney spent the night tossing and turning without the comfort of Tig's arms. He hadn't called or stopped by - assuming that she'd successfully flown under the radar, but she still missed him sleeping next to her. After what felt like hours of trying to fall asleep, she rolled over with an exasperated sigh and grabbed her phone, not caring for the inconvenient hour of 3:43 A.M.
Tig had been having a restless night of his own after being woken by nightmares of doubt - the nightmares that Sydney had chased away the past few weeks - he was almost relieved when his phone began ringing, providing a distraction from his mind.
He got the opposite when he saw who was calling. "Got used to me huh?" He said smugly, playing off his discomfort.
"I could say the same with how quickly you answered the phone." Sydney scoffed with a smirk on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah… You got me there." The drop in his tone rather than the usual playful banter Sydney was used to did nothing to make her feel better, realizing that she had most definitely not succeeded in flying under the radar like she'd previously thought, no matter how much she wanted to believe it's just cause it was late. "Can't sleep?"
"Nah, turns out I like my bed being taken over." She attempted to keep her tone light even though her face was void of any happiness and she could feel the pit returning to her stomach.
"You can come sleep here if you want." He offered in the least committal way possible, not wanting to set himself up for the possible disappointment.
"Nahm it's fine. Just wanted to hear your voice."
Tig chewed the inside of his cheek in contemplation, not expecting that he would've actually needed to use the defense mechanism he'd put in place in case she rejected his offer.
"Okay. You workin at TM tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'll see you there." Her tone only grew more and more distant.
"Alright, you need help gettin to sleep just think about sheep jumpin over Harleys." She laughed at his joke but couldn't force any more words out of her mouth. He could tell there was definitely something wrong by the awkwardness of the conversation - something that had never happened before between them. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah." Sydney hung up, falling back onto the mattress. She hated herself for being so weak and giving in to her urges, just for it to have made the situation worse. She closed her eyes and repeated Happy's words in her head over and over again until she finally drifted off.
Tig punched his nightstand when he heard the line go dead, hating himself for not being better with words, wondering why the fuck he couldn't bring himself to ask what was wrong, even though he already knew why he couldn't - because he didn't want to hear the answer. He didn't want to hear her explain that she wasn't thinking clearly when she thought that she wanted to be with him, that it was fun while it lasted but she needed someone younger and more stable, someone who could provide for her and give her the life that she deserved.
He dragged himself out of the clubhouse and slumped over his bike in defeat, he knew it was too good to be true. He smoked a couple cigarettes before pushing off of the pavement and heading out for a ride, he knew he wouldn't be sleeping tonight and his thoughts were gentler to him on the road than they were in a dark room by himself.
Sydney woke up for work a few hours later feeling anything but rested. She could only hope that she would see Tig and all of her self doubt would melt away. She knew she was overthinking it but she didn't know how to stop, and the foreign feelings of insecurity were only making her feel worse about the situation.
She managed to get herself done up and looking like normal: wearing a red tank top, distressed light wash denim shorts, and her white converse - topping the look off with red heart shaped sunglasses, red lipstick, and a red bandana which held her hair in the tousled updo. She smiled at her reflection, reminding herself exactly who the fuck she was. She didn't need to be a perfect old lady, she was going to be exactly what she was meant to be: a Son.
Mr. Trager aint the only one with communication issues, and the meddling Gemma that we all know and love aint helping the situation :/