I just wanted to write a quick note about this chapter. As I've mentioned I'm following some of the seasons starting at season 4. I'm tweaking some of the stuff in those seasons because of the direction I want my story to take. This chapter has a part in it from episode 6 of season 4. I'm moving events around a bit because I feel they need a bit more focus than if they were blended into one chapter. So, in episode 6, the guys had already discovered the brick of coke was missing, but I haven't addressed that yet. I wanted that separate from the part I'm using from that episode. All the stuff with the coke will be coming up soon, but it will be a tiny bit different from the show. Also, I typically write my own dialogue for the events that I use from the show, but there are a few lines that really stuck with me and in this chapter there's one of them. It's a line Piney says when he sees Opie. This chapter was a lot of fun for me to write. Hope everyone enjoys it :) As always thank you for reading my story. It's greatly appreciated!
The desk rattled, snapping Juice out of his daze. He realized that his knee was bouncing wildly which was causing the desk to shake. Throwing the chair back, he leapt to his feet. He couldn't let on that something was wrong. His brothers weren't stupid; if he didn't get himself together one of them would start to ask him questions. Juice wasn't sure he would be able to keep from blabbing about what had been going on with him.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and lit a cigarette. Leaning back against the bar, he shut his eyes, letting the warm liquid hit the back of his throat. It had been a week since he last saw Roosevelt, who kept dangling the identity of Juice's father in his face without any reason as to what his play was.
Finally, Juice got to heart of the matter; the Assistant US District Attorney was working on a RICO case and they needed some intel. Roosevelt told Juice that he needed to bring a sample of the cocaine they were muling for the Cartel or else he would bring his family tree to the Sons.
Juice spent a few days agonizing over what to do. The Sons were his family that stuck by him and made him feel like he was truly a part of something. If he didn't have them, then what did he have? Sure, he had Lucas, but Juice was still struggling with his abilities of being a father. Not to mention, Abby was a wildcard. Juice expected to wake up one morning and find that she split with Lucas. If that happened, his brothers would be the only ones left, so he couldn't afford to lose them.
Now here he was a week later after telling Roosevelt to shove the RICO case up his ass. Here he was a week later waiting for Clay to strip him of his patch and boot him out of the club all because of his father. Then he really would have nothing. He would have to leave Charming, and Abby sure as hell wasn't going to come with him. He'd be alone.
For every passing moment, Juice felt even more anxious. He kept wrestling with whether or not he should go to Clay, tell him what happened with Roosevelt, but every time he made the move, something stopped him. He couldn't lose everything good in his life.
Pushing the beer away from him, he swallowed back the acid coming up in his throat. There wasn't anything for him to do. The guys were out at the warehouse; he had opted to stay behind to update some computer stuff, but he was finished and wasn't sure what to do.
He heard the door open and Gemma's voice come into the clubhouse. "I tried Wayne, but he didn't answer. Did you try Tara?"
Juice looked over his shoulder at Gemma who had Abby following behind her. "Tara has a surgery, and I can't track down Lyla." Abby ran her fingers through her hair. "Hiring a nanny doesn't seem like such a bad idea now."
"It's okay baby. I wish I could get him for you."
Abby laid her head on Gemma's shoulder. "It's okay. You have a garage to run. It's not your problem that my clients are making life difficult by pushing the conference call to a later time."
"What's wrong?" Juice froze, shocked that he had chimed into their conversation. He took a few steps back as both women turned their eyes to him.
Clearing her throat, Abby locked eyes with him. "I had a conference call with a client get pushed to four, which is when I would pick Lucas up from preschool and take him to soccer practice. Gemma can't leave, Tara has surgery, and Lyla must be filming." She stopped and sighed. "Either I try to do this conference call while picking up Lucas or I cancel it, but that won't go over well with my bosses."
"Or I could pick him up and take him to practice," Juice blurted out. He stood completely still as he watched Gemma and Abby exchange looks.
Abby turned her eyes back to him. "I don't know if that's a good…"
"That would be a big help," Gemma interrupted, hooking an arm in Abby's as she pulled the younger Munson close.
His eyes darted between Gemma and Abby, waiting for the rug to be pulled out from under him. As he realized Abby wasn't rescinding the agreement, he felt his anxiety start to subside as he thought about picking up Lucas to take him to soccer practice.
Abby reached into her purse and extended her hand. "You're going to need to take my car. I don't think Lucas's first motorcycle ride should be at four years old."
The gesture took him by surprise. When he suggested he pick Lucas up, he hadn't thought about how he was going to transport him. He couldn't very well take him on his bike, but if anything, he figured Gemma would hand over her car. Abby handing him her car keys made this seem so normal, like they had been doing this forever. He took a second to relish in the normalcy of two parents working together to take care of their kid.
He went for the keys, feeling his hand brush hers as they made the exchange. His heart skipped as he restrained himself from lingering too long. He didn't want to overstep his bounds and there was nothing that made him think the gesture would be appreciated.
"His soccer gear is in the trunk. His practice is only forty-five minutes. I'm sure he will want to grab a snack after practice," Abby paused. "That's fine, but don't let him fill up too much or else he won't eat dinner." She stopped as Gemma cleared her throat. "I'll be here until you get back."
Juice felt antsy, but now it was for a different reason; he couldn't wait to pick up his son. Glancing up at the clock, he saw that he still had a good thirty minutes, but he couldn't wait. He pointed to the door. "I'm going to head out. Since it's my first time doing this, I don't want to be late."
Abby nodded, pulling her phone out from her purse. "I'll call over to the preschool. You need to be on the list to pick him up." She stopped, taking a breath before looking into Juice's eyes. "Lucas will be really happy to see you."
As that statement struck him, he felt his breath catch as tears tried to build up in his eyes. He held Abby's stare, remembering the first time he saw her green eyes. From that first meeting, he knew he was going to fall hard for Abigail Munson and did he ever. For the past five years not only did he wrestle with the feelings of knowing he had a son that he couldn't see, but also the love he couldn't shake for the mother of his son.
He brushed past Abby and Gemma to head to the car. As he stepped outside, he used the back of his hand to wipe his eyes. Taking a deep breath to center himself, he made his way to her car across the parking lot.
Sliding in the front seat, he gripped the steering wheel. This seemed surreal to him. Sitting in the driver's seat of Abby's car, going to pick up Lucas; it almost seemed like a dream. All he knew was that if it was a dream, he didn't want to wake up to find he was alone again.
Leaning against a tree, Juice smiled, watching the kids run around the field. He hadn't stopped smiling since he had shown up at the preschool to pick up Lucas. The smile Lucas had when he came running out of the classroom and saw Juice would forever be imprinted in his brain. The excitement Lucas had when Juice said he was the one taking him to soccer was a breath of fresh air from the insurmountable shit going on.
Looking around at the other parents, he still couldn't believe he was here in this role. He thought after he had come to the game, the next time would seem less weird, but it was just as weird, if not a little weirder. Another dad had struck up a conversation with Juice soon after practice started. They started talking about sports and cars like they had known each other forever. For a second Juice, forgot about the cutte he had left in Abby's car and the guys he called his brothers. For all the doubts that he had about being a father, it was moments like these that made him think he could really do this.
He heard the whistle signaling the end of practice. The dad that had been talking to him said goodbye as he headed toward the field. Juice smiled, put his hands in his pockets, and took a few steps toward where the kids were gathering up their stuff. Lucas saw him and began waving wildly. Juice waved back and sprinted over to him.
Kneeling down, he helped him get out of his cleats and put his sneakers on. "How did you like practice, buddy?"
"It was fun," Lucas exclaimed. "Can we go get some French fries?"
"You bet we can," Juice answered with a smile. He grabbed Lucas's bag and threw it over his shoulder, extending his hand. "Let's go get some fries."
Lucas grabbed his hand and jumped right up. Looking up with a smile on his face, he giggled. "This is the best day ever."
"Yes, yes, it is," Juice agreed, laughing along with Lucas. "Wanna race to the car?" He watched as Lucas shook his head enthusiastically. Lucas counted 1,2,3, and then took off. Juice sprinted after Lucas, laughing the whole way to the end of the park.
Roosevelt stepped out of Floyd's and pulled his sunglasses out, sliding them onto his face. There was something about going to the barber that made him feel refreshed. It was a moment out of his day where he could step away from all the shit happening and recharge.
Nodding at a passerby, he turned to head to his vehicle. Taking a deep breath in, he straightened his shoulders and strode down the sidewalk. A few steps away from his car, he stopped dead in his tracks. From where he stood, he was fairly certain he saw a familiar face coming in his direction. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like none other than Juan Carlos Ortiz, but Roosevelt was slightly puzzled. The young Son wasn't wearing his cutte or surrounded by his other brothers. Instead, there was a young kid holding his hand, skipping along beside him.
Putting one hand in his pocket, he continued moving forward, fixing his sights on the two individuals about to be right in front of him.
"Mr. Ortiz," Roosevelt greeted, as they were a few steps apart. He couldn't help but notice how Juice's laid back, relaxed appearance that he just observed was now replaced by a tense one.
"Lieutenant," Juice replied, his eyes darting around.
Roosevelt's eyes turned toward the young boy who was pulling at Juice's hand. With a smile, he spoke, "And who might this be?"
"I'm Lucas," the young boy answered, turning his attention up at Juice. "This is my dad."
Roosevelt took a step back at the statement. He had no idea Juice had a son, let alone a son in Charming; this wasn't something that was in his file. He locked eyes with Juice, noticing a flash of fear in them. Turning back to the big, brown eyes of Lucas, he smiled. "Well, it's very nice to meet you Lucas." Nodding at Juice, he said, "You two have a nice day."
He stepped off the sidewalk and slid into the front seat of his vehicle. He kept his attention on Juice and Lucas as they made their way down the sidewalk and stopped at a silver SUV parked a few cars in front of Roosevelt. Slowly, he backed up and pulled out of his spot. As he passed the car, he made a mental note of the license plate before pulling down the alley in between the pharmacy and bank.
Calling into the station, he asked the dispatcher to run the plate number for him. Within a few seconds, he heard the woman's voice answer with the information.
"The license plate is registered to a Ms. Abigail Munson."
The information hit Roosevelt, and for a second, he didn't know what to say. With a 'thank you,' he ended the call and sunk back in his seat. For now, he would keep this information to himself. He was starting to have conflicted feelings about what Potter was doing to try and get information for his RICO case. He didn't want to pull more people into this than there needed to be.
Abby pulled into TM and grabbed her purse. She didn't see Juice's bike, but she figured she'd hang around, have a cup of coffee, and wait. It had been a few days since Juice and Lucas had their little outing. After another night of restless sleep, she went down into the kitchen to find Bobby baking. She sat listening to him whistle as he worked meticulously on a couple dozen muffins. Neither said a word but sitting there in the kitchen calmed Abby, making her ghosts vanish. While she sat there, she decided to take a piece of advice from Gemma. She would go to the club the next day to ask Juice if he wanted to do another preschool pickup and soccer practice.
As she walked into the clubhouse, she knew there was always the chance that Juice would be caught up in club business and not be able to get Lucas, but Abby was ready to take a step in the 'right' direction. She saw Piney sitting at the bar with a bottle of tequila and a shot glass.
Walking over to him, she put her arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. "Hi, Piney," she whispered.
"There's my favorite Munson," he acknowledged in his gravelly voice. Holding up the tequila, he held it out to her. "Want some?"
With a laugh, Abby held up the coffee pot. "I'll stick to this for now, but I could change my mind at any time."
"So, what brings you here at nine in the morning?"
She poured a bunch of creamer into her coffee and a few scoops of sugar, then slid into the seat next to Opie's dad. "I just dropped Lucas off at preschool. I thought I'd come by to see if Juice wanted to have some more father-son time later today."
Leaning back to study Abby's demeanor, Piney spoke, "Well, that's awfully nice of you to extend that olive branch. Why do I feel like you're not so sure about it?"
With a laugh, she brought the coffee mug to her lips. "Because you're old, wise and have always been able to figure me out. You and Opie seem to have a knack for that."
"What can I say, Opie got my good looks and brains." Piney let out a loud, gruff laugh and poured another shot of tequila into his glass.
Abby looked around the room, feeling the butterflies in her stomach start churning. She really hoped Juice would show up sooner rather than later. The more she sat there, the more she was trying to keep from talking herself out of why she was there.
Her eyes darted to the door as she heard it open. Her heart picked up pace as she caught herself holding her breath. Exhaling as she was greeted with Gemma and Tara, she smiled at the two ladies.
"What are you doing here, sweetheart?" Gemma greeted softly, kissing the side of Abby's head.
"I came to see if Juice wanted to get Lucas again today. They had a really good time the other day so I figured it would be nice for them to do it again."
"That's my girl," Gemma chimed.
Abby looked over at Tara who gave her a nod and a smile. Tara had called her the other night to apologize for not being able to help her out. She asked Abby what she ended up doing. As soon as Abby told her, they stayed on the phone for a good hour talking about the ghosts that were haunting Abby. Tara assured her that taking steps to work through the co-parenting thing with Juice would help heal the ghosts that were still there. Abby always trusted Tara's advice, so she hoped that her friend was right this time because she was desperate for a good night's sleep.
As she got up to top off her coffee, she heard Gemma say, "What the hell?"
Spinning around on her heel, Abby stopped cold as she saw Ima standing barefoot, a few steps in front of Tara and Gemma. Abby had yet to meet Ima, but she knew all about her. Lyla worked in porn with Ima, so she filled Abby in on the blonde. Before Lyla told her more about Ima, Abby knew who she was from when Tara called Abby in Chicago, upset, and hurt. She told Abby that Jax had slept with some blonde whore from Cara Cara named Ima.
Abby tried to focus on the verbal exchange between the three ladies, but she couldn't focus. Her mind shifted from her knowledge of Ima to five years prior when she stood face to face with Juice and Jessie Philips. She felt her heart begin to race as glimpses of Juice and Jessie dancing together then later half clothed in one of the dorm rooms started playing like a movie in her head. She took a step back, placing her hand on the counter, feeling like she couldn't breathe. Pulling herself together, she stormed to the front door and into the parking lot.
Trying to catch her breath, she heard footsteps come out behind her. "Abby, are you okay?"
As Gemma wrapped an arm around her shoulder, she felt her breathing slowly return to normal. Pushing her hair back, she nodded. "I'm fine." Glancing over her shoulder, she locked eyes with Tara. "Are you okay? I can go back and get some of my pent-up anger out on her if you want."
Tara laughed. "Nah, she's not worth it."
Gemma hooked her arm in Tara's, and then in Abby's, and began walking toward the garage office. "Don't let that blonde bimbo bother either of you; the both of you have more class in your pinkies than she ever will."
Abby couldn't help but wonder who Ima was there with. Tara had just mentioned that Jax had come home the previous night. Abby had talked to Chibs around midnight and he was at home. She hoped she had been the guest of someone like Tig or Happy and not of the father of her son.
As she began to open her mouth to let the ladies know she was going to leave and come back later, she saw Lyla's car come peeling into the parking lot. Watching as her best friend's wife stepped out of her car and began walking toward them, she couldn't help but notice the worried look on the petite blonde's face. That look made Abby's stomach churn again; she had a feeling she knew who Ima had been with the previous night.
"Have you seen Opie?"
Abby and Tara shook their heads 'no' as Gemma spoke, "I think he ran out to the warehouse with the guys."
Lyla nodded, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Okay, he didn't come home last night so I was just trying to track him down."
Abby exchanged looks with Tara as Gemma kept talking. "I think they were out late last night, he probably just crashed here for the evening."
Tara chimed in, agreeing with Gemma. Abby couldn't speak. She felt like all her words were caught in her throat. She wanted to give Lyla a hug but couldn't move from her spot. All this Ima shit was too much for Abby; it was making the ghosts scream louder and louder.
Thankfully, Lyla turned and headed back to her car. Before Gemma could say anything, Abby spoke up, "I'll call Opie." As she reached into her purse, she froze as she caught a glimpse of Lyla stopping behind a car then dashing to the clubhouse door.
"Ah shit," Gemma grumbled, taking off toward the clubhouse.
Tara grabbed Abby's arm and the two took off on Gemma's heels, rushing into the clubhouse just as Lyla was confronting Ima. Abby took a few steps toward Lyla, who was crying. She wanted to get her out of there before she had a complete breakdown. Abby didn't want Ima to have the satisfaction of causing that kind of emotional distress to Lyla. She didn't want Lyla to end up like she did five years ago.
As she extended her hand toward Lyla who was lunging toward Ima, she froze in place as a gun was pointed in their direction. "What the hell?" Abby yelled.
The door slammed behind them, Abby slowly glanced over her shoulder as her uncle and Tig walked in. Ima was backing out toward the door, still pointing that gun around the room. Tig was telling her to get out as she kept moving toward the exit. Once she was out of range of that gun, Abby went to Lyla who was crying.
"Are you okay?" Abby whispered, looking inside her bag for a tissue.
"I can't…I can't believe he slept...," Lyla sobbed, not able to finish her sentence.
Hugging her tightly, Abby felt an array of emotions begin bubbling up inside of her. "Go up to the roof of the garage and get it all out. I'm going to find out where that dumbass best friend of mine is." Lyla pulled back, nodding as Abby wiped a few tears from her cheek.
She walked over to the bar where Piney was still sitting with a shocked look on his face. Taking the tequila bottle from his hand, she looked at him. "I think I'll take that shot now."
Abby sat on top of the picnic table, twirling one of her curls around her finger. It had been almost twenty minutes since she had hung up the phone with Opie. All she told him was that there was an emergency with Lyla and his good time from the past evening. She didn't wait for a response; she just hung up the phone. She was pissed at him for doing that to Lyla. She knew he was struggling with how he felt about Lyla, but to go and cheat on her with that blonde bimbo was so outside of character for him. Abby couldn't believe it. Not to mention, he knew how hurt she had been when the love of her life had cheated on her with Jessie, so to do this to Lyla just blew Abby's mind.
She heard footsteps coming outside. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Piney. Offering him a smile, she mumbled, "Hey."
"Is that son of mine coming?"
Shrugging her shoulders, she responded, "I didn't stay on the phone long enough to find out. I sure hope he is." She paused and let out a sigh. "I'm really disappointed in him."
"Me too," Piney grumbled, leaning against the post and staring out toward the road.
She heard the roar of motorcycles in the distance as she felt her posture stiffen up. More footsteps came from behind her as she kept her sights locked on the road. A few seconds later, three motorcycles came whizzing into the parking lot. Jax led the pack with Opie behind him and Juice bringing up the rear. Her body tensed up even more. She needed to talk to Juice about more Lucas time this evening, but the visions of that dreadful night kept flashing randomly in her head. She wasn't sure how she could talk to him right now.
Her thoughts were quickly brought back to the present as she heard the guys coming toward them. Just as Opie was approaching the picnic table, Piney drew back his fist and punched Opie right in the eye. With a gasp, Abby hopped off the table.
"Your dick almost got people killed," Piney scolded gruffly. "I don't even know who you are anymore." He glared at his son who looked stunned, before turning and stalking back into the clubhouse.
Abby locked eyes with Opie as he brushed by her without saying a word. As the clubhouse doors shut, Abby turned back around to see Juice a few steps in front of her.
When Opie got the call about the drama at the clubhouse that was caused by him, he had hung up the phone and threw his beanie on the ground. Juice had been standing a few steps away from him when her heard Opie grumble, "Shit, this has all turned to shit" as he bent down to pick up his beanie. When he stood up, he locked eyes with Juice.
"Everything okay, man?" Juice questioned.
"No, far from it." He stopped and looked around for Jax. "I gotta talk to Jax."
Juice took off behind Opie. He knew Opie hadn't asked him to follow along, but since he had yet to be brought in about the stuff with Roosevelt, he was on edge about everything.
He heard Opie tell Jax he needed to get back to TM because there was an issue with Lyla and that blonde porn star, Ima. Jax called over to Clay to let him know they needed to go handle old lady problems and took off behind Opie. As Jax walked past Juice, he stopped and addressed him. "Abby's there, she was the one that called Opie. Why don't you come with us just in case she decides to make some sort of scene?"
Juice nodded and hopped on his bike, driving out behind the other two. He wasn't sure what he would do if Abby freaked out on Opie. He highly doubted she'd be thrilled if he tried to intervene, but it was nice to feel that his brothers needed his assistance for something other than hacking stuff.
As Juice walked across the parking lot, his eyes found her. The look on her face hit him like a ton of bricks. That same look had been haunting his dreams for the past five years. It was the same one he saw staring back at him when she discovered him with Jessie.
After Piney slugged Opie and everyone stormed off, he stood motionless, staring at Abby. She held his gaze, her face stone and eyes filled with anger. He took a step in her direction just as she spun around and marched into the clubhouse. His head dropped as he let out a sigh, reaching into his cutte for his cigarettes. When he looked up, Gemma was coming toward him.
"Hey," he murmured as she stopped in front of him, placing a hand on her hip and pushing her sunglasses back.
"Shit got crazy in there," Gemma began, sounding exacerbated. "Lyla found out Opie hooked up with that blonde whore from the studio. When Lyla confronted her, that bitch pulled a gun on us. Abby was trying to get to Lyla to console her when it happened."
"Shit." Juice rocked back on his heels and took a long drag off his cigarette.
Gemma placed her hands on Juice's shoulders. "That scene in there stirred up what you did to her before she left Charming. You need to go talk to her."
"I don't know what to say to her, Gem."
"I can't write a script for you, baby" she whispered, squeezing his shoulders. "You gotta figure this out on your own." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, giving him a reassuring nod before dropping her hands from his shoulders.
Nodding, he zipped up his cutte, shoved his hands in his pockets, and strode into the clubhouse. Looking around, he saw Abby standing behind the bar, talking quietly to Bobby. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to where they were.
"Abby," he interjected, watching as both Munson's turned their eyes toward him. "Can I talk to you?"
Bobby and Abby exchanged glances as Bobby leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. He turned to walk away, but not before staring straight into Juice's eyes as if to say, 'don't fuck this up.'
When he turned back to Abby, she had her arms wrapped in front of her chest, giving him a look that exuded anger and hurt. It caused his stomach to flip flop several times before he spoke. "Are you okay?"
Abby let out a laugh. "Oh yeah, I'm great. My best friend cheated on his wife and the bitch he slept with decided it would be fun to pull a gun on us. I'm just fabulous."
Running a hand over his mohawk, he continued. "Yeah, I heard, I'm really sorry that happened. I know Opie feels bad."
"Does he, or is he just going to ignore what he did like someone else I know?"
Juice felt his heart drop into his stomach at the low blow she threw his way. He really had no idea what to say to make things better. He really could use Gemma to give him a hand. He started to open his mouth, not sure what was going to come out, but before he could utter anything more, she cut in.
"Look, I'm only here because I wanted to see if you wanted to get Lucas again from school and take him to practice. If you don't, it's fine, but I thought I'd ask."
A smile spread across his face, "Yeah, of course I do. We had such a good time the other…"
"Great, you know what to do. I'm going to leave my car and take Gemma's. I'll be here when you guys get done."
He nodded and spoke, "Thank you Abby. This really means a lot." She didn't say a word, just turned and walked out of the clubhouse.
He flopped down on a stool and lit another cigarette. For as great as he felt about getting more time with Lucas, he felt just as shitty. He hated knowing that she had so much hurt and anger pent up inside of her because of him. He wanted to make things right, but finding the right words was proving to be difficult. This was the girl he used to talk to about anything, but he had ruined that. Not only could he not find the words to make things right between them, but he couldn't find the words to tell her about the other things that were eating him alive.