Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. This one is completely different, but probably just as sad.
Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit from my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.
Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.
I no longer have a beta, so all mistakes are my own.
2024
Age 33
1 year later
Gabby held her daughter's hand tight as they walked through the prison parking lot. Tig was watching Matthew; she didn't want to subject him to the prison environment but Casper had begged her every week for the last year to let him see his kids.
She hated the prison, and she hated bringing her daughter into a prison. She hated the rules she had to follow. No shorts, no skirts, no tank tops, no solid colored t shirts, no sweats, no khaki tops or bottoms. No watches, no underwire bras! No purses, no toys or books for Kristen. Everything she was bringing was in a sandwich size clear baggie. She knew the drill well. It was basically the same at every prison.
She would be searched. She would provide ID; she would be stamped. She would walk her daughter past who knew how many armed guards.
She had lectured Kristen on her behavior. No talking to strangers, no crying, no whining, always hold mom's hand unless told not to do so. No running. She would not get to hug her father. She would not get to kiss her father. She would see him through a piece of plexiglass only.
Gabby made her way through the first checkpoint. Kristen stepped back and watched her get searched, even though her pockets were completely empty. Kristen followed orders and kept silent, she stared at her mother's back while the strange man ran his hands up and down her arms, legs, and sides.
Second checkpoint verified identity. Kristen was obviously under 16 so she did not need to provide any. Gabby handed over her ID from the plastic baggie. It was matched up to her face under scrutiny. She signed the log book and got her stamp, as did Kristen, checked under blacklight to make sure it was all there before they went in.
Gabby sat Kristen on her lap while she waited for her turn in the visitor's room. She always arrived as early as possible, but there was a line ahead of her. She tried to distract her daughter from the scary men and women that shared the waiting area with them. There was nothing allowed here to entertain the children either.
Finally, they were called into the visitor's room. Gabby sat down in the seat and settled Kristen on her lap. She showed her the phone she would have to talk to her father through and they sat and waited for him to arrive.
Casper came in and sat down with a huge smile on his face. He picked up the phone on his side and Gabby picked up her phone and handed it to Kristen.
"Hey sweetie, oh I have missed you so so much. Are you being a good girl for mommy?"
"Yes." Kristen whispered into the phone. "I miss you daddy. I want you to come home."
"I know you do sweetie, and I will be home as soon as I am allowed." Gabby scowled at her husband; she had spent a long time explaining to their daughter just how long her father would be in prison.
"I colored you pictures daddy. Matthew scribbled on some, but I colored you more. Did you get them?"
"Yes, I did sweetie, I have them all over my room. I saw the ones you colored for grandpa, and he saw the ones you colored for me and we love them very much."
"I love you daddy."
"Oh Kristen, I love you so so much."
Kristen sniffled and Gabby whispered in her ear. "Daddy, I miss you telling me stories at bedtime and-" She got cut off by loud sirens going off and strobe lights flashing. She clung tight to her mother as guards ran around the other side of the glass grabbing all the prisoners and man handling them out of the room.
"Daddy!" She screamed as Casper was led away without a chance to say goodbye.
Guards were ushering everyone out of the visitor's room, strobe lights still flashing, stamps being checked and ID's being passed around.
Gabby held tight to her daughter and buried her little head in her neck. She was checked over by a guard and was shoved through the door and down a hall. Armed men were running up the hall in the opposite direction.
The visitors were all shoved into the first checkpoint, gates locked on either side of them. They were told to stay still and quiet and they would be allowed to leave when the situation was under control.
Men were swearing and women were screaming, demanding answers. Gabby held her daughter close in her arms, ignoring the weight of her long and lanky 7-year-old. She swayed her back and forth, listening to her sniffle into her neck.
By the time they got to the car Gabby's arms and back ached. Kristen refused to be set down and walk in the parking lot. She settled Kristen into the back seat and got into the driver's seat. She wanted a chance to talk to her daughter, but she knew she wasn't allowed to sit in her car in the parking lot. She started the SUV quickly and started to pull forward.
"Mommy?" Kristen sniffled.
"I know sweetie, I know that was scary. But you were a very brave girl, and everything is alright now, we're going home."
"The sirens were loud, and the men had guns, like at the clubhouse when they took Lenard. What happened mommy?"
"I don't know sweetie, whenever something happens anywhere in the prison, the whole thing shuts down. But you got to see daddy, you got to tell him how much you love him."
"I didn't get to say goodbye."
"I know sweetie, but he'll call us next week, and you'll get to talk to him again."
Kristen sat quietly in the back seat for a while holding on to her stuffed bunny. Her eyes were red from crying, her hair sticking to her forehead.
"Mommy, why can't daddy come and visit us at home?"
"We talked about this sweetie; he's not allowed to leave the building he is in."
"But I don't like that place, I don't want to go back."
Gabby pulled the covers up over her daughter and tucked her in tight. "I know it was scary, but it meant so much for your father to get to see you. You have no idea how much he misses you."
Kristen held her bunny tight. "I don't want to go back." She said again.
Gabby sighed and kissed her daughter on the forehead. She didn't really want to go back after today's event either. "Well, daddy doesn't get to see anybody until next month, so you have a long time to think about it, okay, and whatever you decide is okay."
Gabby turned out the light and closed the door except for a small crack. She peaked in to make sure Matthew was still asleep and creeped downstairs.
She poured herself a large glass of wine and curled up on the couch. She shouldn't have brought Kristen, she had been terrified, let alone what her daughter must have thought was happening. She didn't even get to talk to her husband, not even hello.
She took a long sip and leaned her head back against the back of the couch. She was so glad she hadn't brought Matthew along. She wouldn't have been able to carry them both through the ordeal. She shouldn't have brought Kristen. She should have listened to her own instincts. Maybe now Casper would stop demanding to see his kids.
1 week later
Shark settled on the couch after finding something for the kids to watch on tv. He could hear Gabby and Becky talking over dishes in Tom Tom's kitchen. Tom Tom came in and offered Shark a beer, drinking a soda himself.
"Thanks for hosting, I wanted to give Gabby a break at the company." Shark responded as he tipped his beer up to his lips.
Tom Tom 'hmmd' as an answer. Shark had a house too. Tom Tom wasn't sure why anymore. All Shark did there was sleep and laundry. He went to Gabby's every night after work like he had no other choice. No, that wasn't right. Shark wanted to go there every night.
"Becky tell you what happened at the prison last week?" Shark asked while the women were still busy.
"Yeah. Fucked up, man. First time she brings the kids and there's a riot in another building. Guards didn't have to scare the shit out of the visitors like that."
"Never know if a friend or an old lady are in on it, you know? Gotta lock 'em all up just in case. Besides, what if the guards lost control and the riot moved buildings, Kristen could have…" He stopped as Kristen was still in the room. She was watching TV and coloring with Suzie and her brother, but he knew when he was her age he listened to everything the adults around him talked about.
"Anyway, you see Mitch bring that girl to the party last night? What was her name, Lisa, Laura?"
"Lexi." Tom Tom answered. "She had some nice ink. She models. Alternative, you know. She's not plus, but what? I guess so for a model, she's only like a medium. But she's got the ink, and the side of her head shaved. She showed Becky some of her pictures. Pretty cool stuff."
"Mitch bagged himself a model." Shark nodded his head and finished off his beer.
"He knew her before, they use to hook up on his down time in Virginia."
"She here for him?"
"On vacation supposedly, but they looked pretty cozy."
"Who? Mitch and Lexi?" Becky asked as she and Gabby walked in the room. Gabby sat in the middle of the couch and Shark automatically wrapped his arm back behind her shoulders. Becky sat on the end next to Tom Tom in the recliner. "I thought they were pretty sweet together. She just got divorced and she came out here to see some college friends in San Diego. Made a stop over for her old friend Mitch."
Becky used 'old friend' in front of the kids instead of old hookup buddy.
"I didn't spend much time with her, but I liked her ink." Gabby chimed in.
"She does modeling; really cool stuff. She showed me." Becky added. Tom Tom smirked at Shark.
"Hey, how did things go with Kristen at the orthodontist?" Becky asked Gabby.
"She's getting an expander. He doesn't think she'll need braces if she's dutiful in keeping it in and turning the screws when she's supposed too. But it's still gonna depend on the rest of her teeth coming in in the back." Shark answered.
Gabby laughed and swiped his beer, finding it empty she got up and came back with one for each of them. "Anything else you know about my kids that I don't?" She asked sitting down.
"What? I told you that."
"You told me she was getting a retainer and didn't need braces." Gabby countered.
"Well maybe I was trying to make it sound less expensive for you."
"Right, speaking of which, I need someone to drive with me to the dealer tomorrow. I have an appointment to get my new SUV."
"You're getting a new SUV?" Tom Tom asked Gabby.
"Well, 3 years old. It was a lease and it has really low mileage. I'm turning in my big gas hog and Casper's car against it."
Becky nodded her head and bit her lip to keep quiet. She had been in Gabby's room recently and all of Casper's things were still in the dresser and closet. She had just taken the step of putting away his junk sitting out a few months ago. Selling his car was a big step for her.
Shark must have known that as well because the hand that was behind her started to rub her upper arm.
"Mom, Kristen says they're getting a dog, can we get a dog, too?" Suzie came up to the couch asking.
"Umm, Kristen, we are NOT getting a dog." Gabby shot down her daughter.
"Tig says every little girl and boy should have a dog." Kristen answered, not looking at her mother, knowing she was in trouble.
"You can have a dog when you are grown up enough to feed it and walk it and pick up its poop." Gabby answered.
"EEWWWW!" Kristen responded.
"That's what I thought."
Becky put her book on the nightstand as Tom Tom got into bed. He rolled onto his side and put his arm around his girlfriend.
"Did you notice anything weird tonight?" Becky asked.
"Suzie ate green beans with ketchup?" Tom Tom answered.
Becky laughed, "okay, yeah, that was weird. But I was talking about Shark and Gabby."
"What about them?"
"They were very…couplish."
"Couplish? As in couple-like?"
"Yeah."
Tom Tom shrugged and rolled back onto his back. "I don't know, they spend a lot of time together. Shark acts like a dad to the kids."
"I know, he chopped up Matthews food and such, but that's not what I mean. I mean the way they were on the couch."
"Gabby couldn't get off work to take Kristen to the orthodontist." Tom Tom shrugged. "Shark offered. So did Tig."
Becky huffed. "I wan't talking about THAT either."
"Then what, hun?" Tom Tom dropped a hand on her thigh as he asked.
"I mean, the…arm…thing…"
"The arm thing?" Tom Tom asked, lost.
"Yeah, the arm thing…"
"I have no idea what you're talking about Becky."
"Ugg fine. Never mind. Come here." She pulled him by the neck to kiss her and he smiled and climbed on top of her. Becky laughed and tried to shove him off. "That was a good night kiss."
"So is this." Tom Tom responded, kissing her deeply and running his hands over her body.
The Next Day
Gabby was just setting turkey sandwiches on the table for the kids' lunch when there was a knock on her door. She hadn't heard a bike, and she furrowed her brows.
"It's Tig!" Kristen yelled as she looked out the window and opened the door for him.
Before Tig could make it through the door a very large black lab jumped out of his arms and came racing through the house.
Tig followed, trying to grab its collar as it jumped the table for the sandwiches.
"NO." Was all Gabby said, firmly.
Tig ignored her. "Kristen, meet MY new dog."
"You got a dog?" She asked in wonder. "It's yours to keep?"
"To keep for the rest of its life, and I need your help. I need you to name it."
"Why do you want me to name it?"
"Well, it's the law, dogs have to be named by little kids. Adults can't do it." Tig made up.
"That's not true! Mom, is that true?" Kristen asked.
"I don't know, I've never had a dog. But it must be. Tig wouldn't make something like that up."
"Well how do I pick out a name?" Kristen asked as the dog licked her hands.
"Well, you just look at him." Tig grabbed the dog and looked at it's face all serious. "And you decide what he probably wants to be called."
"I just look at him?" Kristen repeated.
"Yup, just look at him."
Kristen grabbed the dogs large head and tried to hold it still while the dog tried to reach out and lick her face. "You want to be called…..Elmo."
Tig frowned. "Are you sure? Elmo? I was getting the feeling he wanted to be called bullet, or tank, or AK."
"No…he says Elmo." Kristen decided with a nod of her head.
"Okay…" Tig looked at Gabby, who had a beaming smile on her face. "I guess it's Elmo."
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