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.
2036
Age 44
Gabby drove through to Texas with Mathew in the passenger seat. She had let him drive a few of the straight paths on the highway, he was only a few weeks away from his driver's test. At the moment, he was asleep. Gabby was listening to the radio on a low volume. She checked her rear-view mirror. Shark, Tig, and Vin were still riding in line behind her.
More people wanted to come to Kristen's graduation, but she was only offered 5 tickets. That was probably a good thing. Gabby knew Kristen didn't want the whole club showing up in front of all of her friends. Kristen had begged the men not to wear their cuts to the ceremony. She didn't want anyone knowing what kind of life she had left behind in Fresno.
Gabby couldn't help but wonder what Kristen had told her friends about her home life. Of course, she didn't tell anyone her father was in prison. Did she tell people he was dead? Did she tell them he walked out on his family? What lie had she come up with. Did she tell people she didn't know who her father was? No. That wasn't the image Kristen would want to portray to her college friends. She had probably made up some heroic death for him.
Gabby tried very hard not to resent her daughter. Kristen had grown up in a completely different environment than Gabby. She had so many people around her that loved her and took care of her. She got so much attention and quality time with her loved ones. Gabby would have killed for a childhood like that. And still, Kristen walked away. She denounced her family, the club, and left. She had already found a job and an apartment in Texas. She wasn't coming home.
Gabby sighed and turned the music up just a fraction. She couldn't control her daughter. She knew better than to try. Kristen was her own person and she deserved to live whatever life she wanted. Gabby had gone through the same thing, leaving Charming, never going back. The least she could do was allow Kristen the same freedom.
Gabby wondered if Kristen would come home to see her dad when he was released. Just 6 more years, if he didn't have any more incidences. They had started parole hearings after 12 years, but he always had some fight on his record that stopped his release. Gabby went to those hearings every year with baited breath, and always came home devastated.
She wasn't even sure why any more. Casper refused to speak to her. He called Mathew directly. Even when Gabby started bringing Mathew to the prison to see Casper, he spoke only to his son, she never even got a greeting or a thank you. All she could do was pray she would get her old husband back when he was finally released. She knew deep down it wouldn't be that easy, but she could dream.
"I am so proud of you sweetie." Gabby hugged her daughter as soon as they met up on the quad.
"Thanks, mom." Kristen gave her an awkward hug back. They hadn't seen each other since last August. Summers home for Kristen were torcher, she usually found a fulltime babysitting job for some random family with young kids, and spent as much time as possible away from home.
But she couldn't cut her mother out of her college graduation. Well, she could have, if she skipped her commencement, but she thought after 4 years of hard work she deserved to walk down that aisle.
Kristen hugged the others in turn. Even her brother only got a half hug, he was a momma's boy, even now, always defending their mother and the club, and it had driven a wedge between the siblings.
"We have all day…we could drive out to see my apartment. I have the keys. I mean, it's empty right now, I just moved in the stuff from the dorm, and I have an air mattress." Kristen shrugged. Her family had arrived the day before her 10am commencement ceremony, not that she had expected them to drive through the night and show up just in time, and then leave again. She only wished it.
"That would be great!" Gabby said, she looked at the others and they nodded their heads. They knew Kristen staying in Texas was hard on Gabby. But Gabby defended her daughter to all of them, telling all of them she was free to make her own decisions in how she would live her life.
These days, she was even a little relieved Kristen would be out of the club. She didn't want her daughter marrying a man who would get locked up and leave her alone. She just wished Kristen hadn't separated herself so completely, or ran quite so far away.
"I…don't know what you guys want to do, but between my car and mom's we can probably save some gas." Kristen suggested.
"Environmentalist. Of course." Shark pretended to be annoyed and rolled his eyes. He wrapped his arm around Kristen's shoulders and walked with her toward the parking lot. "I call shot gun!"
Gabby once again was on the highway back to Fresno. Matthew was asleep in the passenger seat; the men were on bikes behind her. She had said a tearful goodbye to her daughter. She knew Kristen would probably never come back to California. Gabby was more than willing to make the trip to see her daughter, but she only had 2 weeks' vacation time a year.
She had offered to help Kristen get furniture for her place, but she, ever the environmentalist, was dedicated to slowly hunting down nothing but second-hand items to furnish her house with. Gabby wished she could stay a few more days to go to charity shops and flea markets with her daughter, it sounded like fun, but she had to return home.
She was so proud of her daughter for becoming independent and believing so strongly in something. She knew her daughter would be successful on her own. She had a serious boyfriend, friends from college who were also staying in Texas, friends from her work, and friends she volunteered with. Kristen would never admit it, but she had built herself a new family, just like the club built new families for their members.
Shark rode up alongside her car and got in front of her. He led the group to the next rest stop. They filled their tanks and used the rest rooms; Matthew bought a massive number of snacks and soda for the rest of the journey. The rest of the men ate at a picnic table. Gabby took a walk through the parking lot.
She leaned against her SUV to wait for the group. She bowed her head, and blinked back some tears.
Shark came over and wrapped her up in his arms. He rested his chin on her head.
"Are you a sad momma?" He asked.
"She's all grown up. She doesn't need me anymore."
"That's not true. Give her a few months of freedom, first big problem she'll be coming to you for advice."
"No Shark." Gabby pulled away and Shark held her shoulders, slowly massaging them. "I really don't think so. She found her escape."
Shark gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Want some chocolate?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yeah, actually. I could really use some chocolate."
"Alright, come on." Shark took her hand and walked with her back into the convenient store. "And don't worry, Matthew will always need you. Boy can barely match up his own socks on his own." Shark laughed and Gabby eyed him.
"Come on, that was a joke. You know all us guys need you."
"Most of you." Gabby responded, thinking of her husband.
"I mean, without you I'd starve to death." He continued to try and lift her spirits as he grabbed a variety of chocolate bars and headed to the register.
"I don't need all of those, Shark."
"You don't know how sad you look." Shark teased, and gave her a side hug.
Gabby sat on Tig's couch with his old black lab, Elmo. She kissed his gray face and scratched behind his ears just the way he liked. Matthew was in the garage with Tig, working on rebuilding a bike that had been his 16th birthday present. Gabby pictured her son riding a bike down the road. Black cut on, proudly wearing his colors.
She had had many long discussions with him about his future. The fact that he didn't have to join the club. But Matthew didn't see it that was. He saw it as WHEN could he join the club. Vin had thankfully sided with Gabby on that one, he told Matthew he had to be 21.
Gabby was very thankful for that. She knew Jax and Opie had dropped out of high school and prospected before they turned 18. She didn't want that for her son. She had pounded into him the need for an education. Matthew was currently trying to push to go into the local vocational school. His argument was he would still graduate with a diploma. He could go to work right in Frankie's shop until he was old enough to prospect.
Gabby wasn't having it. She found him a 2 year program at a community college, with optional extra classes if he ever wanted to work in a Ford or GM plant. Not that he would, but a mom could dream. Right now, he had taken over the last prospects duties of Egg's landscaping business. The club kept up with just enough work that they could convincingly run money through the company to clean. He worked side by side with the cub men, doing land scaping projects, and went on his own with the trailer to cut grass and edge lawns. He had laid enough mulch already this spring to cover a football field.
He was earning good money. And Gabby had insisted he put away half of it for his future. He had conceded to that. Frankly, he conceded to most things his mother wanted him to do, given enough time and facts and mom guilt.
Gabby thought of the way Jax had always doted on his mother. She hadn't always thought their relationship was healthy, or normal, but now she understood why Gemma had held on to him so closely. With Casper gone and Kristen in Texas for good, Matthew was all she had to hold on to.
She was always careful to make sure she pressured him into doing things that were good for his future, and not just for her. She had tried her best to steer him away from the club. But she gave in to his wishes there, and now just wanted to give him all the tools she could.
"Mom!" Matthew came running in the house interrupting her thoughts and the dog jumped off the couch and barked at him in surprise. "It started! We got it to start!"
"Yeah, but it's a long way from rideable." Tig came in behind him, wiping his greasy hands on a rag.
"Well you two have left me in here alone for long enough." Gabby caught the back of Matthews shirt and pulled him down next to her on the couch. The dog quickly jumped back up into Matthews lap.
"Your mom's right. I promised dinner. You want pizza and wings?" He addressed Matthew.
Gabby groaned.
"And salad." Tig added with a laugh.
"Sure. Get the really really spicy ones. And a meat lovers pizza." Matthew asked.
"Get me 6 garlic parmesan and add at least 2 vegetables to that pizza."
"Got it. Garlic parmesan, blazing reaper, mea tlovers pizza with onions and green peppers."
"And salad." Gabby reminded him.
"And a salad!" Tig confirmed.
"What's this you got pizza without me?!" Shark came strolling in Gabby's bedroom that night.
Gabby was in her pajamas painting her toenails. She rolled her eyes.
"How was your date?" She asked.
Shark laid down next to her on the bed and stretched out.
"It was a dud. No…no….something." Shark tried to explain and pulled Gabby's hair out of her face for her.
"I thought she was PERFECT." Gabby emphasized, mocking Shark.
"I thought she was! But she was just so….shallow." Shark flopped over on his back and stared at the ceiling.
"And what made her shallow?" Gabby indulged him.
"She…was wearing too much makeup, and had her hair all fussed up. She got mad when I tried to touch it. She said I would mess it up. And then she ordered a fancy smanshy cocktail at the restaurant."
"Oh lord! Not a cocktail drink! Was it," Gabby paused and took a gulp, "pink?"
"It was yellow. And it had pineapple chunks on a stick."
Gabby let out a genuine chuckle and capped her nail polish. She scooted up on the bed to lean against the head board.
"Your boots are NOT on my pillow." She shoved them off.
Shark leaned forward and took his boots off. He threw them on the floor with a thud. He plopped back down and took one of her feet in his hand.
"Don't smudge." She warned.
"I like this color."
"Dragon's blood." Gabby informed him.
"Nice." He continued to hold her foot and massaged her arch and heel. "I don't get what I'm doing wrong. This girl ticked all my boxes. She had a good job, she was smart, she liked my bike, she was gorgeous. But we started talking and it was all awkward small talk."
"Well of course it was. It was a first date Shark. You're not gonna sit down with a stranger and connect like old friends, reminiscing stories of adventures past."
"It's not awkward between us. We have plenty to talk about."
"We've known each other half our lives. You've helped me raise my kids. Of course, we have stuff to talk about."
"I just want it to be like that, I want to sit down and just….connect, like it's meant to be."
"That doesn't happen Shark. You have to work for that. Contrary to popular belief you aren't the protagonist in your own blockbuster film. Not everything is gonna work out perfectly."
"I know, I just feel like, when it's meant to be, it's meant to be, you know?"
"Real life doesn't work that way, Shark. Real life is hard and exhausting and sometimes awkward and even embarrassing. Sometimes you meet the love of your life because of a totally unrelated event. It's not always, boy meets girl in bar, boy asks girl out, boy and girl fall in love."
Gabby thought about all the time she and Casper spent together before they actually started dating.
"Sometimes your car doesn't start and someone is there to help you. Sometimes you walk out on another bad date and the right guy chases after you to make sure you get home okay."
Shark grunted and picked up Gabby's other foot to rub. "So, I should lurk around parking lots and look for damsels in distress?"
"No…I'm just saying, stop trying so hard and look for love in other areas of life."
"That takes too long." Shark pouted.
"All the good things do."
Side note, I just finished watching Supernatural. In the last season Chuck (god) talks to Becky, who writes fan fiction for Chucks Supernatural books. She made a comment that what people really want to see is the normal moments, of the guys doing laundry and such. That is so true. I don't want to read about Club drama on here, I want to know what the guys do when they come home at night. I feel like that has basically been what my story is about, all the normal family time. Not the adventures. Anyway...
Please leave reviews, comments, criticisms, questions, guesses, and complaints in the box below, or just drop me a smiley face! Thanks for reading. Remember, this story is finally finished being written. I am proof reading as I post. Last chapter is #59.
