Sons of Anarchy - Angel of Death

Previously…

Hap let out a breath through his nose. She did stand up to the VP. Granted, Jax was making a stupid decision, but he did outrank her. "We voted. The witness is dead. End of story."

Stevie scoffed, "Yeah, right." She shook her head. "You and I both know Jax won't-"

"He will." Hap cut her off, pulling the van into the lot of TM. "I won't let him hold this against you."

Stevie waved him off, "I can tell Jax to shove it up his shiny 'Prince of Charming' ass, all by myself." She winked and pushed open her door, sliding out onto the pavement.

Happy chuckled. That definitely went better than he thought. He hoped she didn't feel guilty for the kill. Of course, the girl's age sucked. It was stupid, but for the good of the club, it had to be done. Tig volunteering to off the girl, further confirmed Stevie's theory. Tig had killed Donna by mistake when he went to take out Opie on Clay's order.

Shit was really about to hit the fan.

Chapter 8: Ride Into The Sun

Late Summer 1994

Indian Hills, Nevada

"Wait up!" Stevie shouted after her father as he kickstarted his Harley and roared out of the lot.

David Vale felt more free when he was riding a motorcycle than any other place in the world.

That afternoon was no different. They were out on the road, checking up on their escort services

Stevie slid on her Harley and barely buckled her helmet before she shot out of the lot after him. He was headed to one of their escort services, Purple Dominion. She began to 'hang around' the club a few months ago, and much to her mother's dismay, she was growing on the guys. Her father? Couldn't be prouder. He loved the MC and everything the MC life had to offer.

David pulled into Purple Dominion and dismounted. He lit a cigarette as Stevie screeched to a halt beside him. "Geez, Dad." She lamented, "Mom will have my head if she finds out I'm chasing after you at such breakneck speed."

David chuckled, ruffling Stevie's hair, "Good thing we aren't going to tell her, sport." He winked, flicking the cigarette ash away.

Stevie rolled her eyes and chuckled. She followed her father into the building, settling her blonde ponytail over her shoulder, smoothing her leather jacket, trying her best to look the part of 'badass biker chick'. The women of Purple Dominion were classy, and extremely beautiful. She found them intimidating, but she'd never admit it. Indian Hills didn't mess around. Their escort services were elite in their offerings and clientele, probably one reason why her father didn't think twice about bringing her there.

"Good morning, Madam Margaux." David gave a brilliant smile to the stunning woman behind the desk. She was blonde, slim with sparkling blue eyes. Her simple black dress gave off an air of elegance that seemed a little out of place, given she ran a brothel. Her surroundings helped make her image seem more convincing, the modern decor and minimalist design helped keep the high class fantasy afloat.

"Ah, David!" She exclaimed on soft breath, "You look ruggedly handsome as always." She smiled coyly. Then she registered Stevie's presence. "Oh my, is this the little princess?"

"Princess?" Stevie scoffed, hands on her hips. Her Father always called her 'sport', certainly not 'princess.'

David smirked, "Yeah, Marg." He nodded, "This is Stephana."

Stevie frowned, "Stevie." She corrected.

Marg smirked, "She's absolutely gorgeous, David." She stepped out from behind the desk.

Stevie crossed her arms, blowing her bangs out of her eyes as the woman circled her.

"Embracing the MC life, I see." Marg murmured, smoothing her hand along Stevie's leather clad shoulder.

"Yeah," David smiled, "She's definitely Daddy's girl." He winked, earning a sparkling laugh from the Madam. Marg returned to the desk as the phone began to ring.

"You two seem cozy," Stevie murmured to her father, as he leaned against the counter.

David laughed, "Nothing gets by you, does it, sport?" He sighed and shrugged, "What happens on the road, stays on the road."

Stevie opened her mouth to protest, but she remembered hearing Jury explain the same thing to a newer Old Lady when she found out her Old Man had gotten a little too cozy with a sweetbutt. "Yeah." She nodded. Marg came over and offered her a cup of coffee. "Thanks," She smiled after taking a sip, black as midnight, just the way she liked it.

"Shall we?" Marg asked, walking towards what looked like an office.

David placed a hand on Stevie's shoulder. "I'll be right back." He followed Marg and shut the door.

"We've got a problem." Marg said as soon as the door clicked shut.

"We do?" David asked, crossing his arms, glancing at the clock. He'd told his Old Lady to expect them for dinner, only 3:30. He definitely had time for an small appetizer.

Marg nodded, "Your two prospects, Milo and Jimmy?" She sighed, "They're running guns out of the backroom."

"What?" David exclaimed, feeling like he'd just been hit with an ice bath."How the hell do you know that?"

Marg sighed. "Come see for yourself,." She opened a door behind her desk that led to a back room.

"Holy Shit," David swore as he stepped through the doorway.

Stevie settled on the couch, sipping her coffee. She hoped the meeting didn't take all day, she wanted to ride out to the cliffs and watch the sunset.

"Stevie!" David called from the office doorway. "This way, sport." He stepped back into the office.

Stevie followed, striding quickly through the plush office, stepping into the backroom. Her father pulled a sheet off what looked like a shipping crate.

"Shit." David swore. She watched horrified as he pulled out a fully automatic rifle. The next crate was stuffed to the gills with ammo. "Stay here." He ordered. "Don't touch anything." He pulled out his burner phone and called Jury, stepping back into the office.

Stevie shrugged. What harm could it do? She picked up a weapon and clip, loaded it, and checked the action. It was solid. She held up the gun, sighting down the barrel. The weapon was simple, but it was really a nice piece. She knew SAMCRO ran guns, one of the reasons her father had gotten out. She thought Mayans just ran H, maybe they were branching out. The Mayans were always pushing up on The Tribe, looking to expand their territory. Jury always said that tale was as old as time.

Suddenly the back door flew open and Milo and Jimmy strolled in, unaware they weren't alone. The two dickheads probably didn't even notice the two Harleys parked out front. Stevie crouched down beside the crate, inching her way back towards the office door. She still had the gun she'd been inspecting in her hand and the crate was open.

"Dude," Milo said to Jimmy, noticing the opened crate. "Stay sharp."

Stevie took a deep breath, then stood up. "Freeze, assholes." She spat, holding up the gun.

"Shit." Jimmy swore, jumping back from the crate. "What's the hang around doing here?"

Milo chuckled darkly, "Daddy's probably getting his cock sucked."

"Watch your mouth, prospect." David Vale said from the office doorway. He emerged into the room, hands up and out to his sides. He exchanged a look with Stevie that said, No mercy. She gave a single nod of acknowledgement. "Don't get any more stupid than you already are, boys." The gun runners exchanged a look. "I mean it, Stevie might just be a hang around, but she knows how to shoot."

Milo grinned and drew his weapon, Jimmy followed suit. Before either of them could get a shot off, Stevie opened fire. She only fired half a dozen rounds, using two hands to control the kick she knew would be present. She'd never actually fired a fully automatic assault weapon before. It felt fucking fantastic. She unloaded the clip and set the gun down, noticing her hands weren't shaking like she expected the to be. Her father rushed forward, confirming both men were dead. Then he stood up and held Stevie at arms length, studying her for a moment. "I'm so proud of you." He murmured before pulling her in and crushing her to his chest.

For the first time since her sister ended her life, Stevie felt like she belonged somewhere. Staring into her father's proud, watery eyes, she embraced the MC life completely and never looked back.

Late Summer 2009

Charming, California

The feel of a fully automatic weapon was like nothing else. The kick of an auto was somewhat annoying, but Stevie held fast. The first time she touched an automatic, she was sixteen and just a ride along. She understood the usefulness of a combat fully automatic, but she still preferred her two Colt 1911 pistols. Using one hand to hold the weapon, she casually rested her other elbow on Juice's shoulder. It felt good to let off some steam. Things had been tense with Clay and Jax constantly at each other's throats. Her and Hap had settled down a little, but her taking out that witness, even club sanctioned, made things between Pres and VP even worse. She shook the thoughts away, concentrating on the task at hand. She reloaded and they continued to shred the pallets and shipping boxes. A few minutes later, Jax held up his hand.

"You heard from Hap?" Juice asked, placing his weapon back in the box.

Stevie smirked. After taking out the witness, she'd gone with Happy to visit his Mother in Bakersfield. Clay called her back since Opie was gone on a 'walkabout' and Hap remained since his mother took a turn for the worst. "Yep." She nodded, setting her weapon down beside his. Tig joined them at the crate to deposit his weapon. Juice's eyebrows rose. Evidently he expected her to elaborate. Not gonna happen. Not now that they had company.

"How's his Mom?" Tig asked, throwing his arm around Stevie's shoulders. For the first time, she didn't feel smothered by it.

Stevie took a little while to get used to how 'touchy feely' SAMCRO was. They might be bad ass bikers, but underneath their hard, leather shell, were cuddly teddy bears. "Better," Stevie answered, "Docs finally got her a script for Medical Marijuana."

"Right on," Juice nodded, he seemed a little less uptight that Stevie had chosen to let Happy in close and not him. They'd worked together on a tech project and thankfully, he seemed to relax a bit. Probably helped that Happy wasn't around to whisk her away and fuck her any chance he got. The man was truly insatiable, not that Stevie was complaining.

"Really helps with nausea and her appetite." Stevie shrugged, stepping back from the crate of hardware.

Tig nodded, wandering over to where the guys had assembled to join the negotiation with the Irish.

Stevie took a quick breath. "Two weeks." She said, holding Juice up for a moment.

"Two weeks?" Juice asked, cocking an eyebrow, stopping mid stride.

Stevie bit her lip, suddenly feeling her throat close up. She released her hold on Juice's chest.

"Shit." Juice swore, "Really?" He scoffed, "You haven't heard from him in two weeks?"

Stevie cleared her throat, dashing the back of her hand across her eyes, shaking her head once.

Two Weeks ago

"Vale." Stevie answered her cell, taking a long drag of her cigarette. She'd returned to Charming two days ago after spending the weekend at Hap's Mom's place in Bakersfield. They'd gotten a prescription for Medical Marijuana, and Mama was head over heels with joy seeing Stevie again. She'd caught them kissing on the back porch and you'd thought Hap proposed, she was so ecstatic.

"Hey, babe." Happy rasped into the phone. Babe? Goodness, he was definitely drunk, and most likely stoned if he was calling her that over the goddamn phone. He hated phones, it was like pulling teeth trying to get him to answer in full sentences.

"Hey yourself," Stevie chuckled. "You okay, Hap?" She asked, tossing her spent cigarette.

"Yeah," He scoffed. "I'm fine."

"Yes you are." Stevie smirked, "You are definitely a fine ass man, Happy Lowman." She could practically hear the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

A moment of silence passed. He sighed heavily, "Miss you." Oh here we go. This was it. Happy was definitely drunk and stoned too.

"Ah, yeah." Stevie sighed, "Miss you too, Hap." She murmured pinching the bridge of her nose, "Um, how much you had to smoke, Hap?"

"Not enough." He sighed. She could hear shuffling around. She wondered if he was still at his Mom's. She hoped he was.

Uh oh. "Hap, what's going on?" Stevie asked gently. "Mama okay? I know she had a treatment this morning."

"Yeah, she's good." He grunted. "Smoke helps."

"That's good." Stevie chuckled. "So, what's on your mind, Hap?" She settled on her bed, back resting against the headboard.

"Thinking." Happy rasped. She could tell he had settled down, at least she hoped he was in a safe place.

"Yeah?" Stevie encouraged. "About what?" She cracked open a bottle of water and took a swig.

"You." Happy answered, his chest rumbling with amusement.

"Me?" Stevie scoffed. "Aw Hap, you know I'm not worth-"

"You are." Hap insisted, suddenly serious. "You are, baby." He sighed heavily.

God Damn. Stevie felt her eyes well up. "Hap." She whispered.

"Shit, Stevie." He swore, dragging a palm down his face. "This weekend, with my Ma…" He trailed off.

"Yeah, Hap." Stevie swallowed, "It was great. I think-"

"More than just some pussy." Hap slurred a little, not really letting her speak.

"It's only been two days, Hap." Stevie laughed on soft breath.

"Doesn't matter." Hap growled. "Sometimes that's all it takes."

Then the call was disconnected.

Stevie sat in the dark, wondering if Hap would remember the conversation in the morning.

Her answer came a week later when she hadn't heard from him. After leaving a message on his phone, She called his Ma to check in. Mama said he was out at the store and she'd have him call her when he got back.

He never called.

"Jesus Christ," Juice shook his head, pulling her in for a hug. "I'll call him, act like I'm gathering intel for something."

"Thanks." Stevie murmured, swallowing hard. She grabbed him by the front of his kutte, pointer finger jabbing into his chest. Her eyes flash brightly with angst. "You breathe a word of this to anyone and I swear-"

"I got your back, Stevie." Juice assured her, and she abruptly let go with a scoff. He settled his kutte back on his shoulders and shook his head. He didn't know who he was more scared of, Stevie or Happy.

The deal with the Irish wasn't exactly fair, but they weren't in a position to be picky. Once they had things settled, the club returned to TM in anticipation of Bobby's release party. First they needed to settle retaliation for Donna. Juice and Hammel had come up with some intel that pointed to a Mayan who'd recently gotten out on parole. The vote was unanimous, though Stevie knew the truth, she still gave her consent. Jax caught up with Stevie outside the clubhouse while the others grabbed a beer at the bar. She needed some air, needed to clear her head. This thing with Clay and Tig, and now Hap not responding to her was making her head too noisy.

"This thing with Clay, it's got nothing to do with you." Jax assured her, lighting a cigarette as he settled on top of the picnic table.

Visions of her and Hap outside Tacoma's clubhouse suddenly sprang up before her eyes. Stevie quickly shook the thoughts away, settling beside him. "Who said it did?" She quipped cracking a grin.

Jax smirked in response, running a hand through his blonde locks. "It's good to have you with SAMCRO." He sighed.

"That's not what you said last week, Jackie Boy." Stevie teased, deflecting the complement. He'd been extremely upset with her about completing the hit until they got word that Bobby's case hadn't been reinstated. Little did the Feds know, it would never be. She'd put that chance in the ground.

"I'm serious, Stevie." Jax smirked. "Its great that you're here. SAMCRO needs someone willing to step up when we gotta make the hard calls."

Stevie sighed, "Thanks, Jax." She smiled, play punching him the arm. "SAMCRO is my family."

"I know." Jax nodded. "Hap coming to the party tonight?" He asked, watching for her reaction.

Stevie's face fell. "Why does everyone assume I know?" She spat, crossing her arms.

Jax's face broke into a signature grin. "Aww, darling." He sighed, "That bad, eh?"

"Shut your pie hole, Jackson Teller." Stevie murmured.

Jax smirked at her frustration, "Well, last time I spoke to Hap, he asked how you were fitting into the ranks." He divulged. He took a quick breath, "About a week ago, actually."

Stevie's eyes widened. "You better not be yanking my chain, VP." She warned, shaking her head.

Jax scoffed, "Nope." He smirked, "Wanted to make sure I was easing up on my anger, too."

He waited for her to explode. She just stared at him. This was going to be harder than he thought. "Look," He sighed, "Most guys in this life don't get a chance at a real relationship. What you and Hap have could be something good, really good."

"You tell Hap that?" Stevie asked, her chin lifting a little. Jax could tell she was hurt by Hap's lack of communication.

"How long?" Jax asked, suddenly realizing why Stevie was so pissed.

Stevie scoffed, "Two fucking weeks."

"Jesus Christ." Jax swore. He didn't know The Killa had gone completely radio silent. "I'm sorry, Stevie. I thought he'd-"

"What? You thought one phone call to his VP and he'd suddenly turned into a big teddy bear?" Stevie exclaimed, lighting a cigarette, "He's a lone wolf, Jax." She sighed, "And I'm just a convenient fuck. Plain and simple." She took a long drag.

"Did you hear me at all?" Jax asked, "He called ME, asked specifically about YOU. That doesn't sound like 'just a fuck' to me."

"To you, yeah," She agreed, "But to 'The Killa'? He's not the kind to just settle down-"

"Who said anything about settling down?" Jax teased. Stevie just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I've been around this life long enough to know when it's more than just physical. Probably scares the shit out of him." Jax chuckled. He tossed his spent cigarette, "Maybe he just needs to know you're all in. Hap doesn't share."

"Neither do I." Stevie grumbled.

"Which is why you need to make it clear that the sentiment goes both ways, darling." Jax explained. "How about I help you out, I'll push up on you and you turn me down."

Stevie sighed, "What makes you so sure he'll be watching? "

"Oh he'll be watching." Jax smirked, pushing off the picnic table. Opie, Chibs and Tig exited the clubhouse, nodding at the pair. "Gotta go. See you tonight." He winked, then joined the others at their bikes. They roared out of the lot to complete the retaliation mission for Donna's death. Stevie hadn't said a word when they were at the table. She couldn't bring herself to be fully on board with the hit. She knew it was a little hypocritical of her, considering she'd offed a teenager a few weeks ago. At least the Mayan scumbag had it coming.

Stevie wiped her hands on the rag she'd stashed in her back pocket as Juice jogged across the lot towards her, phone to his ear. She just finished an oil change, wrapping up the last of the jobs for the night. From the look on Juice's face, he was making good on his promise to call The Killa.

"Yeah." Hap's gruff voice answered his phone. He recognized the number, Juice's phone.

"H-Hey, Hap." Juice stammered, waving Stevie over. She rolled her eyes; he was such a nube. Most of the time his social awkwardness was cute, right now she just found it annoying.

"Hey, Juice." Hap answered gruffly after an awkward silence.

Juice's face broke into a thousand watt smile. Then he caught Stevie's face and tried to look serious. "Uh, Gemma asked me to see if you were coming to Bobby's welcome home party?"

Hap cracked a grin. The bitch was getting creative. "Yeah." He confirmed. "On the road now, be there around 6."

"That's great!" Juice exclaimed. "Just great." He took a quick breath, "Uh well, I'll let Ste-uh." He swallowed, "G-Gemma know."

Hap smirked, "You do that." Then he hung up.

Stevie shook her head. So much for inconspicuously finding out if Happy was still in the land of the living or not. "Nice." She scoffed, tossing the spent rag in the bin by the door.

"Sorry," Juice sighed, "You know he makes me nervous."

"Everyone makes you nervous, Juice." Stevie teased, walking towards the clubhouse in search of a shower and a change of clothes. She shoved the jumble of thoughts that were labeled Happy Lowman, to the back of her mind. Time to put on her big girl panties. Bobby was coming home.

Dearest Readers,

Ride Into The Sun - Def Leppard - this tune just plain rocks. It's an early tune that was used on their EP and then a B-side on Hysteria and finally landing on an album with Retroactive. I listened to it on repeat to write the Hap/Juice call scene.

Looks like things aren't all hearts, stars and rainbows for our favorite couple, eh? Hap is his usual self, and Stevie's trying to balance her insecurity as the only female member and what it means to be intimately involved with Him. I'm trying desperately to not write her as a typical woman, I think she's a little different than someone who gets all bent out of shape when a guy doesn't call her back. Hap makes her feel different than other guys, so she'd rather he call her back, at least once in a while…

As always, thank you so much for joining me on the journey. The support is astounding. You all rock. We're at over 100 followers, and above the 50 review mark. Keep the reviews coming, you all encourage me so much!

xoxo

Lumora The White