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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.

CHAPTER 70: CURIOSITY KILLED THE CROW

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"They've got Bobby at Federal Plaza in Stockton." Clay told the table with his head down after getting off the phone with Rosen. "ATF says that they've got an eyewitness who saw Bobby kill Hefner."

"Jax, is that possible?" Tig asked with his arms out, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"From my end, it was all clear. Shit's a goddamn bluff." He defended himself, terrified as he realized what this meant - that if Bobby was arrested for the murder, the club would find out that they had lied about Opie being the one who pulled the trigger.

"You can't charge somebody on a bluff." Sydney spoke up, staring distantly into the eyes of the reaper on the table - something that she had started making a point to do each time that she sat at the table, reminding her who she was and where she was sitting.

"Whatever they got, it's real." Clay agreed.

"Who is the bastard witness?" Chibs growled.

"We're a man short…" Clay shifted his gaze to Opie's empty chair, Tig following suit with an upturned lip. "Where's Ope?" He turned to Jax.

Jax felt the panic exuding from his body as he began wringing his hands nervously and fidgeting in his seat. This couldn't be happening… Opie wouldn't rat. Would he?

"I called every number…" Juice began wearily, not wanting to believe what the evidence was pointing to anymore than anybody else did. "No answers." He shook his head.

"Yeah." Tig nodded furiously. He knew that there was a reason that he never trusted Jax or any of his ideas, but he never thought that it would come to this - to something that would hurt them all.

"I tried Donna's phone too…" Juice winced.

"Maybe Donna cracked." Sydney offered up. "It's no secret that she's wanted Opie out for a while - maybe with Stahl pressing the women, she saw this as her opportunity."

"Or maybe Donna just changed the goddamn home phone!" Piney defended his daughter-in-law, staring deeply into the eyes of his brothers as they all turned their attention to him. "Now my son isn't stupid, he wouldn't share something like that with her."

"You're right." Sydney nodded. "Your son isn't stupid, but he is broke. And I have a feeling that Donna may have been able to come up with an idea or two about why he suddenly aint so broke anymore."

Piney got to his feet, slamming his oxygen tank down on the table. "The only reason that my son isn't here, is because he doesn't know what happened!" He glared at Sydney, looking around the table in hopes that the others would agree with him.

"Yeah, and the only reason that he don't know what happened is because he hasn't made himself available." She shot back.

"Enough! Okay!" Jax intervened as he watched the anger building in the old man, holding his gaze on him until he sat back down, turning back to Sydney. "Like you've never let your phone go to voicemail because you were too busy on his dick." He nodded to Tig. "Don't let your judgment get clouded just because he busted that pretty face."

Sydney felt the bubbling anger rising in her chest as Jax spit the smug words at her, amping up his cocky attitude to hide what she knew was fear - fear that his lies would be uncovered and that the club's worries all along would be proven right. "You're right, Jackson." She nodded. "Thank you for that, I can see a little clearer now." She kept her voice eerily calm as she glared at him with her bloodshot, damaged eyes. "But that clarity has only brought me confusion..." She scowled studiously. "Because… If there really is an eyewitness like you suggest, then why is Bobby the one being arrested for a murder that Opie committed?"

Jax ground his teeth when she checkmated him, his nerves spiking even higher as he felt her words clicking in the brains of his brothers around him. "Alright. You know what? I'll go get him." He stood quickly, hoping to rush out the door and find a solution to this problem before he could be asked any questions that he couldn't answer.

"You better find him..." Tig nodded slowly.

"Now what the hell does that mean?" Piney yelled from across the table.

"Only two other guys were witness to that hit." Tig pursed his lips. "One of them is in jail, and one of them is-"

"Hey!" Jax cut him off. "Don't even say it, asshole!" He hollered as he rounded the table to the Sergeant's chair.

"You better curb that fucking disrespect-" Tig got to his feet as well, pushing Jax away from him where the VP pushed him right back, the two of them yelling incoherently as Clay ran to hold Jax back and Chibs did the same to him.

"Hey!" Clay yelled as his left and right hand began going at it. "Everyone's nerves are fried! But we can't unravel here!" He stood between the two men with a finger pointed at both, guiding Jax around Tig and towards the door. "Now, Jax is gonna go get him, he's gonna bring him back here, and we're gonna find out what this is!"

"Exactly." Jax nodded, avoiding Sydney's eyes as he stomped out of the chapel.

Tig took a deep breath, rolling his eyes back and sucking his lip between his teeth as he calmed himself down. It wasn't that he wanted to be right, he truly wanted to be more wrong today than he'd ever been in his life - but he had a feeling that today wouldn't be that day.

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Jax rode up Opie's street and pulled straight into his driveway where he was relieved to see his truck and bike parked. Maybe the phones just got cut off. He thought as he walked around the house to the backdoor which he always entered through - knowing that the couple kept it unlocked for emergencies, but the door didn't budge. He scowled, feeling the panic returning as he doubled back, trying the front door where the morning mail hadn't yet been picked up.

"Opie!" He called as he pounded on the door, getting no answer. He looked around, making sure that nobody was watching as he bent down and lifted the corner of the doormat, but the spare key that had always been there was gone too. Something was very wrong.

"You lookin for Ope?" He heard behind him, turning over his shoulder to see a middle aged woman knelt down in the dirt in the next yard over.

"Yeah, you seen him?" He asked as he approached the chainlink fence that she was gardening behind.

"Left last night, about 3:00 a.m. - headlights woke everybody up."

"Police?" He asked worriedly.

"Not sure… Some big black vehicles - lots of em." Jax felt his stomach sink as his worst fears came true before his eyes - the only thing worse than cops was ATF.

"Was he taken out in cuffs?" He resorted to hoping that Opie had been arrested too - realizing how ironic it was that yesterday's worst fear had become today's best case scenario.

"No. He was carrying one of his kids - had bags packed." She shrugged. "Is he in trouble again?"

"I sure hope not…" He shook his head as he ran back to his bike, heading to find the one person who may be able to give him some real answers.

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"Hey." Gemma looked up from where she was feeding Abel in the hospital rocking chair as Tara approached. "You heading to the clubhouse to check up on Sydney?"

"Yeah." Tara nodded, a smile coming to her face as she received possibly the warmest welcome that Gemma had ever given her.

"Okay, good." Gemma nodded.

"How is it?" Tara winced in anticipation.

"It's pretty bad." Gemma sighed. "But she makes it look good." She chuckled. "He's taking to the bottle much better." She smiled down at the baby. "How's his sleep apnea been?"

"No alarms the last two nights - he's almost through it." Tara allowed herself to exhale a cleansing breath as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, feeling some degree of comfort around the older woman for the first time in over a decade.

"So we'll be able to take him home?" Gemma asked with a smile.

Tara nodded, smiling again as Gemma cooed to her tiny grandson about finally being able to be where he belongs. But her face fell as she realized what Abel going home meant for her - that one way or another, her whole life was about to change.

"Can I ask you a practical question?" She decided to fully embrace the olive branch that Gemma was extending if it meant that maybe she could get a little guidance. "Who's going to take care of him?"

"I will." Gemma replied easily as she got to her feet now that the baby had fallen asleep. "Who do you think?" She raised a brow as she lowered him down into his crib.

"Day and night, you ready for that?" Tara froze when the words left her mouth, realizing how unintentionally critical they had sounded - and if there was anybody to take something the wrong way, it was Gemma.

"I think I can handle it." Gemma smiled softly when she saw how nervous Tara was. "Why?"

Tara blinked a few times in surprise when not only did she not get offended - she even replied kindly. "I don't think Jax is ready for this… He has no idea what he's in for." She sighed.

"On that, we agree." Gemma chuckled. "His father was clueless too… They figure it out." She shrugged. "Got no choice, right?"

"Yeah." Tara smiled as she looked down at the sweet boy as Gemma tucked him in.

Gemma watched Tara as she reached down to stroke Abel's cheek with a look that she recognized clear as day. "You want kids?" She asked with a smirk.

Tara snapped her head up as the question caught her off guard. "Sure." She squeaked. "Right time, right person…"

"You gettin close to finding that?" Gemma raised a brow.

Tara sighed. This was the Gemma she knew. "What are you asking me, Gemma?" She rolled her eyes lightly.

"If you're in Jax's life, you're in his life." She looked down at the baby as he slept soundly, blissfully ignorant to the tension building around him. "I got every right to know how you feel about kids…"

"I don't think what Jax and I have-" She began defending herself, realizing how stupid she sounded. "We haven't discussed it." She admitted bitterly.

"Well maybe you should." Gemma nodded. "Big responsibilities come with my son. You better think about that - figure out if you can take them on.

"I'm just spending time with Jax, there is nothing to figure out." Tara grit her teeth as her guard shot right back up, the conversation feeling far too familiar for her to be cordial. "If it becomes something different, you'll be the first to know."

Gemma took a step back, realizing that she had threatened Tara - something that for once, hadn't been her intention. "Well, good." She nodded. "Cause I don't mind playing 'mommy' for a while. But eventually, I'd like to just sit back and be 'grandma'." She smiled knowingly.

Tara felt a smile pulling at her lips as Gemma gave her the nod of approval in the most 'Gemma' way possible. She had been right, being a mother was what she'd needed to do to finally prove herself to the Matriarch.

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Sydney sat at a table in the empty bar with Clay and Tig, sipping on whiskey and holding a bag of ice to her swelling face as Juice burst through the front door.

"I just talked to our guy down at San Joaquin Savings and Loan." He choked out breathily. "He checked Opie's finances…"

"And?" Clay perked up as he pulled a bank statement from the inside pocket of his kutte.

Sydney didn't even need to bother straining her damaged eyes to look at the piece of paper to know that this wasn't good - Juice's face said it all.

"Somebody paid off a huge chunk of his debt… Federal wire transfer." The younger man seethed as sweat poured down his face. "Mortgage, car payments, credit cards…"

Tig's sighing was the only sound that could be heard, filling the room as the only possible explanation reared its ugly head once again.

"This stays with the four of us." Clay instructed.

"Of course." Juice nodded.

"Go." Tig pointed out the door, shooing the newer member away while the adults had a conversation not meant for delicate ears. "Opie sold us out." He said with wide eyes once Juice was gone.

"Or ATF wants us to think he did." Clay countered.

"That bitch is smart." Sydney nodded as she stayed cemented firmly between each of their opinions - unsure of what to believe. "This is exactly what she wants… A divide. We can't give that to her. Not now.." She shook her head firmly at the baffled men.

"Devious gash." Clay shook his head, getting to his feet where he grabbed the empty whiskey bottle and chucked it at the wall of mugshots where it shattered all over the display of ATF victory.

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"You got one minute…" Eglee shook her head warningly as she snuck Jax in through the back door and down the hall where Unser was being held in his own cell. "ATF finds out, we're all in trouble." She widened her eyes before heading back out to her desk.

"Thank you." Jax nodded sincerely to the blonde woman with whom he'd shared multiple classes with in highschool.

"Sure thing." She nodded.

"Knew I could trust that one." Unser chuckled as he watched Eglee walk away.

"What the hell are you doing in here, man?" Jax scowled.

"Stahl's detaining me for questioning." The older man rolled his eyes.

"Jesus Christ…" Jax shook his head. "Got any idea what happened to Ope? His whole family's gone..." He prayed that the Chief would know something that he could bring back to the table.

"I don't know." Unser shook his head regrettably. "Ask Hale - he's Stahl's little errand boy."

"He's more than that." Jax scoffed. "Other night when we were in here? He was face down in that shit."

"Idiot…" Unser winced.

"We gotta find Ope, man… This shit is serious. You hear anything, you'll let me know?"

"Of course." The Chief nodded.

"Alright." Jax nodded as he turned away - unsure where to go next. All of his hope had run out, and he knew that he couldn't go back to the clubhouse without it.

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Tig sat in the same spot in the bar that he had been sitting in since Jax had left, anxiously tapping his ringed knuckles against the table as he waited for what he knew would never come - an explanation from the VP. He began chewing the inside of his lip, biting harder and harder as his anger grew - only stopping when he tasted blood. He switched his focus, looking up at Sydney who was also sitting silently, staring off in the distance - thinking about what he could tell was the same thing as she sat with her jaw clenched tightly.

"What can I do to help." He broke the silence, knowing that over-exerting her muscles would only make the pain worse.

Sydney snapped out of her deep thoughts, looking up to see Tig chewing his nails as sweat beaded on his forehead. She knew that he needed to do something - that he would drive himself crazy if he didn't feel like he was being useful, and she knew that Tig being driven crazy was a recipe for disaster in a time where they needed to stay calm and rational.

"Um." She looked down at her empty glass. "You could get me some fresh ice and another drink." She suggested, passing him the bag of ice that had been reduced to cold water.

Tig rushed to his feet, wasting no time stalking behind the bar where he poured the whiskey, filling her glass to the brim before dumping out the bag of melted ice and refilling it with fresh cubes from the icebox.

Sydney's mind began racing as she watched him switch to autopilot - trying to come up with other things that could occupy him and satisfy his need to serve as he quickly fulfilled her first request.

"Anything else?" He asked flatly as he set the glass down in front of her.

"You could go to my house and get some of my stuff… Clothes and shit - you know what I need." She decided on something that would hopefully take a little longer and included some time on the road that she hoped would help clear his head.

"Okay." He nodded, squeezing her hand - the only kind of affection that he could muster up during the storm of negativity that was brewing in his mind.

"Thank you." She squeezed his hand back. "I'm gonna go lay down until Tara gets here." She got to her feet where she wobbled a bit - realizing that the alcohol was beginning to react with the leftover painkillers in her system. It was definitely time for him to leave.

"Here, come here." He picked her up, handing her the ice before reaching for the glass.

"Uh." She stopped him. "On second thought, you have it." She nodded to the short glass, figuring that he needed it much more than she did.

"Yeah, you're probably dizzy enough…" He nodded, lifting the glass to his lips where he downed it in one swig.

"Yeah…"

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Bobby sat in the community room at the Stockton facility where he was being held - looking around the empty room except for the two guards on either side, blocking the doors.

"You killed a state official, Bobby." He clasped his cuffed hands on the table as Stahl entered the room. "The U.S. Attorney will seek the death penalty.

"I didn't kill anybody, and anybody who says I did is lyin." He shook his head slowly, playing up his smugness as he denied the completely factual claim. "And if you have anything else to say, why don't you talk to my lawyer?"

"Well… If my witness statement is a lie, then maybe you should hear all of it? Hmm?" She sat down at the table.

"Sure, I like a good story." He shook his head sarcastically.

Stahl smiled, kicking back as she opened up her folder to a blank piece of paper. "Hefner got spooked by something that Opie did." She began pretending to read from the 'witness statement', feeding him the theory that she had come up with on her own to gauge his reaction. "He turned back to you. You jammed your gun in his sternum and fired four shots. Hefner fell. You and Opie fled the balcony and met up with Jax Teller downstairs."

"Great fiction." Bobby forced himself to raise an eyebrow disinterestedly as she relayed the exact order of events - events that only Opie and Jax could've known the full details of. But Jax hadn't been arrested, and Opie hadn't been anywhere in sight...

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Tig walked through Sydney's house with a backpack in hand, packing it with various things that he knew she liked to have with her when she spent the night. He grabbed everything that he could think of as he moved from room to room, stuffing the bag full to the top. Since they had gotten back together they had spent most of their time at her house or in the hospital, not giving her much of an opportunity to replace some of the things that she'd kept in his dorm before she had cleared them out during their brief time apart - hence why she was walking around the clubhouse shoeless and in his clothing.

He finally made his way to his last stop: the bathroom - pulling open the cabinet under the sink where he was relieved to see that she hadn't unpacked her toiletry bag that used to keep in his room. He stuffed the bulky bag into the inside pocket of his kutte the best that he could - knowing that it wouldn't fit in the backpack no matter how hard he would've tried.

Once Tig had combed every room in the house, he took a seat on the edge of her bed as he mentally checked off all of the things that he had packed, but he couldn't help from thinking that he had forgotten something. He had her clothes, pyjamas, phone charger, toothbrush, blowdryer, hairbrush. Hair ties. That was it. He pulled the clear bag back out of his kutte, turning it in his hands as he examined the contents to see that there were none of the black elastic bands that he'd seen on her wrists and around the shifter in her car.

He made his way back into the bathroom, pulling the drawer open to see the mess of various elastics, pins, and clips - plucking a few from the pile and placing them into the bag, as well as some extra ones around his own wrist for when they were on the go. But that was when something caught his eye, the fluorescent orange colour of a pill bottle.

A scowl came to his face as he pulled the drawer all the way open, he could've sworn that he'd seen her put the bottle in her purse when they'd left this morning - but his memory wasn't something that he had a whole lot of trust in right now. He picked up the bottle and squinted as he studied the gibberish on the label, realizing that he wouldn't have been able to recognize the name even if he could read it - but the last thing he wanted was for her to skip a dose and have to refrain from driving another day.

He popped the top off, looking into the bottle where he expected to see the bright red capsules that she had been taking every morning since she'd left the hospital, but that wasn't what he saw at all... What he saw was Oxy.

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