Sons of Anarchy - Angel of Death
Previously…
"I'm putting my ass on the line for you and this secret, Gemma." Stevie explained, feeling the helpless rage building up inside her chest. "If the club finds out and they question my loyalty...Jesus, I don't have anywhere else to go-"
"It won't come to that, baby." Gemma shook her head. "We are protecting the club, I'll make sure Clay sees that."
"I'm sure they'll understand." Tara offered, crossing her arms. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself that this was the correct course of action too.
Stevie rubbed at her temples, "They better. Shit, Gemma. I don't know what's happening, but this town is turning upside down."
Gemma smiled sadly, placing her hands on Stevie's shoulders. "Look, once things calm down and Clay has a clearer head, we'll tell the club."
Tara's phone rang. It was Jax. "Yeah, on my way." She answered.
"Guess that's the end to our little pow-wow." Stevie took a step back, grabbing her helmet. "Lead the way Doc."
Tara nodded and slid into the driver's seat. Gemma climbed into the passenger side and they roared off towards Teller Morrow.
Chapter 13: Human Touch
Three Weeks Later
Stevie fished her ringing phone out of her pocket, and checked the caller ID before taking a long drag on her cigarette. The sun hung low on the horizon, giving the garage a dim lit glow. The crew was wrapping up for the night, gearing up for another busy day at the shop tomorrow before their annual charity ride to Eureka. She took a deep breath, then flipped the phone open. "Vale." She answered.
"Hey, babe." Happy's gravely voice washed over her.
She barely contained the stupid grin that threatened to plaster itself across her face. "Hey yourself." She sighed, brushing a hand over her ponytail.
Tig caught sight of the blush on her cheeks. He slid over next to her and batted his eyes, elbowing her playfully in the ribs. "That the killa?" He asked sweetly.
Stevie covered the phone, "You know it is, asshole." She spat, biting back a grin.
Tig made a kissy face, smacking his lips together. "Hi loverboy." He sang. Stevie promptly gave Tig the finger. He chuckled and gave her his best puppy dog eyes before going over and cleaning up his station for the night.
"How's the road?" Stevie asked, shaking her head. The guys never let her take a phone call from Hap in peace. Honestly? She wouldn't have it any other way.
"Road's good." Hap rasped into the phone. He'd stopped for gas about two hundred miles outside of Charming. After Indian Hills, he went all the way up to Tacoma to help out Lee. Stevie thought he was coming home tomorrow. He wanted to surprise her, wanted to see if she was really serious about the whole no sharing agreement. "How's TM?" He asked, stretching a little. As much as he loved riding, it was really beginning to take a toll on his lower back.
"Fucking busy as hell." Stevie sighed, tossing her spent cigarette. "Three oil changes, two brake jobs, a front end alignment and half a dozen flats." She pushed off the wall and shouldered her phone to help Juice pull down the garage door. He flashed her a megawatt grin in thanks.
Happy whistled. "That's a lot of shit." He lit a cigarette.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Stevie smirked, waving to Jax as he got on his bike. "Gemma's keeping us busy so we won't fall too far behind when we go on the run." She made her way inside the clubhouse. She wanted to say goodnight to the guys before heading home. "You stopping soon?"
Happy cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah. Just a few more hours." He took a long drag.
Stevie glanced at the clock. It was almost 5. "Okay. I'm probably gonna work on my bike tonight. I want to get it tuned up for the run."
In other words, 'I'm gonna be busy, I'll call you when I'm done.' Happy smirked. It was nice to not have a high maintenance chick. "I'll try not to bother you." He quipped around his cigarette.
"Fat chance of that." Stevie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna say goodnight to the crew and head out." She bit her lip.
"Yo, Stevie!" Bobby called out as the clubhouse door swung shut behind her. "Just baked your favorite."
She shifted the phone away, "Peanut M&M?" She asked giving him a hopeful pout.
Bobby nodded. "Still warm," he added with a chuckle.
"Save me a couple, will ya?" She demanded before speaking into to receiver again, "Guess that's my cue. Thanks for calling Hap."
"Yeah." Hap grunted. He wasn't much for conversation over the phone, but it was nice to hear her voice.
Stevie bit her lip. "Ride safe, yeah?" It'd become their way of saying goodbye, taking the pressure off saying anything else just yet.
"You too." Hap smirked, then flipped his phone shut. He sat on his bike and finished his cigarette. He pictured Stevie working on her bike, sweat glistening between the swell of her breasts, her ass stuck up in the air as she bent over to tighten a bolt. He took a long drag and shifted in his seat. Damn. Usually he never let himself get all worked up over one woman. He pushed the heated thoughts away, resolving to focus for the next few hours. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he surprised her a day early.
As he rode he went over their conversation from the night before.
"Hey babe." He rasped into the phone when she called.
"Opie Winston has a goddamn death wish." She spat into the phone. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep that man alive, Hap."
Hap grunted into the phone, "Aw. Sure you can."
"As long as you believe in me, I guess." She sighed heavily, She'd settled on her couch after grabbing a quick shower. She glanced at the clock. 1:15am. "You riding?" She asked, hearing the sound of Harley tailpipe when he answered.
Happy shook his head. "Not anymore." He chuckled. "I just got to Tacoma." There was the first lie. He had just pulled into the small motel they'd stopped at on their way to Vancouver, only he was headed back to Charming. He'd finished up early in Tacoma and wanted to surprise Stevie by getting home a day early. "So Opie still has a death wish, eh?"
Stevie smirked, Hap was slowly learning how to hold a conversation over the phone. "Yeah." She scoffed. "First that cowboy shit with the Mayans and now this explosion at Darby's cook house."
"In Charming?" Hap asked, unlocking his motel room door. He shut it softly trying to keep his location a secret.
"Darby was cooking crank out on Water Road," Stevie explained. "Sack, Ope and I caught some lowlife dealing at the Mill who gave us the intel." She took a quick breath. "Jax somehow convinced Clay to let the cops do their jobs for once and fed the information to Hale."
"Hale?" Happy questioned. He hummed for a moment. "Jax thinks he's on Zobelle's payroll."
"Exactly." Stevie sighed. Jesus, it was good to talk with someone who actually saw things logically. "Hale caved, so we stepped up." Hap scoffed. Stevie shook her head, "I'm not convinced he's on Zobelle's payroll. I think he's spooked is all."
"Explosion?" Hap prompted, shrugging out of his kutte.
"Opie didn't use a trigger." Stevie explained, "He set the shit up and we ran for the hills."
"Jesus." Hap cursed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah," Stevie nodded, "He doesn't even confide in Jax anymore." She'd noticed some tension between Jax and Opie. When she pressed Jax about it, he tried to shrug it off, but she could tell he was worried about Opie too.
"He doesn't suspect the club, does he?" Hap asked, sitting on the window sill.
"I don't think so." Stevie shook her head. "I think he's just….lost maybe?" She sighed, "I'm sorry, this isn't your Charter. You don't have to worry about this shit."
Hap sighed, "Seeing as I like fuckin' your sweet pussy, I care." He grunted, "I wear the reaper, too. You forget that?"
"Yeah." Stevie bit her lip, "Sometimes I do forget I guess." She sighed. "It's nice to have someone as devoted to the club as I am, you know?"
Hap shook his head a little at the memory. On one hand, he was extremely grateful Stevie understood the club and what it took to survive within it. On the other, he was a man who cared for a woman and didn't want her in danger's crosshairs all the time, even if she was a kick ass marine. He glanced down at his watch. He probably could make it to Charming by 8:30 if he pushed it.
An hour later found Stevie elbow deep in grease again. She sat back on her heels, wiping off the sweat on her brow. She managed to give her bike a thorough tune up; oil change, brake job, inspection, the works. Now it was time to wash it and give it a good wax.
Her bike wasn't the typical outlaw black of her comrades. She had a custom paint job done on her Dyna in Indian Hills when she returned from her last tour of duty. The paint looked black at first glance, but when the light hit it just right, it shone red. She loved the subtleness of it, and of course the rebel nature of it. Most of the bikers she knew muted the chrome on their bike or even blacked it out. Her chrome was always polished to high shine. Maybe it was the one shred of girliness she had left in her?
Washing and waxing took another hour because she was such a perfectionist. "There." Stevie sighed, wiping the last of the moisture away from the fender. A few of the guys had teased her about riding bitch with Happy for the charity ride. She wanted to remind them her bike was important to her, that she wasn't with Hap for him to tote her around. Plus, she was in on the relay, Clay wanted her to keep an eye on Ope. She cleaned up her tools and cleaning supplies, wiping down all the surfaces in the small garage as she went. It took a few weekends after she found the place, but she finally had the garage cleaned and organized the way she liked it. She had a similar space back in Indian Hills and spent a lot of her free time doing brake jobs, and basic suspension work for members and friends of the club.
After a lengthy shower, Stevie returned to the clubhouse, dressed to kill. She wore her usual dark denim, red tank top and only difference was her hair was blown out, curling softly almost to her elbows. She usually kept it swept back from her face. Not tonight, she wanted to show it off. She settled on her bike, backed out and roared off towards the clubhouse.
The lot was overflowing with bikes. A slow smile tugged at Stevie's lips as she wheeled in and backed up her bike against the fence. "Stevie!" Chibs shouted from his place in the ring, blowing her a kiss. She sauntered over to the side. "Looking good, doll." Tig winked at her as he leaned against the ropes.
"Thanks Tigger." She winked back, taking the beer he offered her. Clay raised his beer to her in greeting. She returned the gesture before taking a deep swig. As she drank, her eyes focused back on the ring. Chib's opponent turned around and she choked on her beer.
"Easy there." Tig smirked, softly clapping her on the back. Stevie swiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and coughed once.
Happy's dark eyes met hers across the ring, lips twisting into a smug grin. "Who's next?!" He roared to the crowd.
Tig rose up on the side of the ring. "I am!" He declared. The surrounding crew cheered in agreement. Happy nodded, turning away to take a swig from the bottle a petite blonde croweater offered him.
Stevie felt her blood begin to boil at the sight. "Tape me up, doll?" Tig asked, offering a roll of tape to her. She bit her lip. The blonde bimbo with Hap let out a twinkling laugh. That sealed it.
"Sure, Tiggy." Stevie took a final swig of her beer, polishing off the bottle. She chucked the bottle at the wall and took the roll of tape from Tig's outstretched palm.
"You know he's just trying to get a rise outta ya." Tig murmured as she wound the tape around his knuckles.
"Really?" Stevie scoffed, "And here I thought he just got hit in the face a few too many times." She patted his hand to signal she was done.
Tig smirked, giving her his other hand. "You put up a good front, honey." He lowered his voice to make sure only she could hear. "You don't deserve to be jerked around like that, Stevie."
Stevie bit her lip. Was Tig just trying to be a fellow brother in arms, or did he want in her pants, too? The way he said her name had her thinking it was possibly the latter. "This you making a move, Trager?"
Tig clicked his tongue. "Naw," He smirked, "just looking out for ya."
Steve blew out a breath through her nose in response. Tig was a great looking man; super compassionate, but freaky as hell. She finished the tape job and patted his hand. "Go get 'em, Tigger." She winked taking a step back.
Clay and Jax joined them at the side of the ring to watch the match. "We all set for the run?" Stevie asked, watching Tig and Hap dance around each other. Tig swung the first punch, landing one square on Hap's chin. "Give 'em Hell Tiggy!" She shouted, earning a collective chuckle from the men around her.
"Yeah, all set. Tacoma should be here tomorrow." Jax drawled around his cigarette. "You expect the killa so soon?"
Stevie scoffed and bit her lip. "Not exactly." She sighed, locking eyes with Jax. "I think he's trying to see if I'm serious about our relationship or not." She shrugged. "I think he's also trying to surprise me, get a little extra time in before the run."
Jax smirked. "Awww. How sweet." He teased. Stevie jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "Jesus!" He swore. "You know I'm just playing, darlin'." He scowled.
"Yeah, yeah." Stevie smirked, taking a long drag of beer.
"Bobby!" Clay exclaimed, "Break that shit up, will ya." He motioned to the fight.
Tig won the fight. Happy left he ring with a cut above his left eyebrow.
Stevie stepped up and gently grabbed Happy by the elbow, guiding him to a nearby picnic table. "Stay." She ordered before disappearing into the clubhouse for some supplies to patch him up.
When she returned, she was surprised to see he was alone. She half expected to have to shoo away a few croweaters who just wouldn't take a hint.
"Let me see." She motioned for him to lean back against the tabletop so she could see his wound better.
"Jesus Christ!" Happy cursed, swatting the alcohol pad away.
"The less you move, the less it hurts, Hap." Stevie murmured, locking eyes with him. He just grunted in response so she finished cleaning the wound and placed a small, white butterfly bandage over it to keep it closed. "All set." She drawled, packaging up the supplies.
Stevie leaned up and away, moving to stand so she could return the supplies to the clubhouse. Before she got fully upright, Happy tugged her down towards him, forcing her to straddle his lap. He caught her mouth in a hard kiss, one hand delving into her hair while the other gripped her ass. Happy released her mouth, turning his attention to her collarbone.
"Easy." Stevie hissed as he pulled back her kutte to reveal a deep scratch running over her collarbone.
"What the hell happened?" Happy demanded, eyes growing dark.
"Mav." Stevie sighed, "Goofball doesn't know his own strength."
"Jesus," He cursed, running his fingers along the broken line..
"He's still just a puppy." Stevie reminded him, placing her finger under his chin, bringing his eyes back to her own. "I trimmed his nails and he's been moping all week." She sighed, "I'm okay, really."
Happy grunted. "Okay." He murmured, kissing her lips softly. "Wanna go someplace quiet."
Stevie grinned against his lips, it wasn't a question. "Probably should mingle a little, Hap."
Happy grunted, eyes focusing on the people gathered around the ring behind them. "I could add to your tat." He reached for her arm, thumb smoothing over the blank space on her bicep.
Stevie's eyes widened. "Really?" She blushed a little from the hungry look in his eyes as he refocused back on her face. "I'd like that." She bit her lip, willing the sudden rush of emotion to subside.
Happy nodded, hands gripping her hips to help her slid off his lap and stand up to her feet. "My bag is in your dorm." He murmured, standing up from the picnic table.
"Of course it is." Stevie quipped with a smirk as he wrapped his arm around her, hand sliding into her back pocket.
"Those two look cozy." Tig commented to Jax as they watched the pair walk towards the clubhouse.
"I'm glad." Jax scoffed, "Can't have our killers at each other's throats."
Juice piped in next, "Bet the make up sex is really hot though."
Tig scoffed, "Yeah, probably kinky as hell." He waggled his eyebrows earning an eye roll and lopsided grin from the VP.
"Enough about our enforcer's sex lives, I'm up for another round in the ring." Jax tapped his fists together. "Care to spar, Tiggy?"
Tig smirked. "Hell yeah, anytime I get to kick your ass, Prince Charming."
"How about adding some purple?" Happy suggested, gently tracing the feathers he'd just outlined.
Stevie bit her lip. Her feathers were a deep royal blue near her wrist and faded as they wrapped up her arm. She followed the sweep of his thumb and thought about the absolutely gorgeous full color tat she'd seen him do on a sweetbutt turned Old Lady a few weeks ago. "Uh, sure." She murmured, "I trust you." She met his gaze for a moment before tearing her eyes away from his to reach for the bottle of whiskey propped next to her.
"Good." Happy replied, turning away to pull out the ink.
Stevie relaxed back into the couch, taking a hit from the bottle as the tattoo machine began buzzing again. The pain didn't bother her, Happy had only added three feathers so the coloring didn't take long. She found herself disappointed when Happy leaned away to survey his work. She could watch him tattoo all day.
Happy tattooing was a sight to behold. His face was relaxed, save for the slight wrinkle of concentration between his brows. His eyes were dark and focused, their depths teeming with the creativity he was expressing on his client's skin. His big hands worked seemingly effortlessly, fingers holding the skin taut while his right hand brought the desired design to life.
The tattoo machine stopped buzzing and Happy leaned away to set the machine down. Stevie chanced a look down at her arm and swallowed against the sudden lump of emotion in her throat. The feathers blended seamlessly into the previous work. The purple tint Happy added shimmered in the dim light, proving the perfect transition for the feathers as they wound up her arm. He'd added some lighter purple to previous feathers to make the transition smooth and pull it all together.
He turned back with a small mirror to give her a better look at his work. "They're beautiful." Stevie murmured, "Thank you, Happy." She locked eyes with him for a moment and he nodded, toothpick playing between his lips.
"New ink?" Half Sack nodded to Stevie as he took the empty bottle from her. Happy was busy cleaning up his station.
Stevie had a soft spot for the prospect. She thought the kid had balls of steel, even if he really only had one in real life. "Yeah, added some more color this time too." She turned a little to show the fresh tat to him
Half Sack smiled, "Looks sweet." He turned to Happy, "Nice work, man." With that he continued on towards the bar, back to his post.
"Damn prospect." Happy growled, wrapping her arm in plastic wrap.
"Easy, Hap." Stevie smirked, hand coming up to cup his cheek. "Kip's a good kid.."
Happy opened his mouth to reply but after a moment shook his head and closed it. He zipped up his bag once he had all his gear settled back inside.
"Oh no, don't do that, Hap." Stevie shook her head, hand sliding down his shoulder to grip his bicep.
Happy's eyebrows rose. "Do what?" He scoffed.
"Clam up." Stevie explained, arms wrapping around his neck. "I'm right here." She insisted, "I'm not going anywhere not matter what."
Happy took his tooth pick out of his mouth and flicked it away. "Prospect's sweet on ya."
Stevie pursed her lips. Jealous Happy was so hot. "Hmmm." She mused, "I think he's still got a thing for a certain sweetbutt."
Happy's brow furrowed for a moment as he tried to recall the woman Stevie spoke of. He still wasn't convinced.
"Look," Stevie jerked her head towards the bar, "He's friendly with everyone."
Stevie was right. Half Sack was smiling and nodding to the queen croweater, handing her a beer. Then he upcapped another beer and handed it to Bobby with the same sweet ass smile. Happy grunted, turning his attention back to the woman in his arms.
"I know being apart all the time isn't ideal, but it's a part of this life we love, right?" Stevie sighed, "No one gets me like you do, Hap. Why would I be with anyone else?"
Happy considered this. "Hmmm." He grunted.
"Jesus Christ," Stevie swore. "You still don't believe me, do you?"
Happy pursed his lips.
Stevie's voice dropped, "Guess I'll just have to show you instead." She bit her lip. Happy cocked an eyebrow. Stevie chuckled and leaned into murmur in his ear, "Let's go someplace quiet."
She gently tugged on his earlobe with her teeth. "Give me fifteen minutes, got a surprise for you."
Happy growled, turning his head to capture her lips with his own. After thoroughly ravaging her mouth he murmured back, "Your dorm, fifteen minutes." Then he untangled himself from her arms and strode over to the bar.
Stevie took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. It was showtime.
Happy mingled at the bar for the required amount of time. Last thing he wanted to do was piss Stevie off. He'd found himself actually wanting her to be pleased with him instead of his usual indifference. The new feelings sort of terrified him, but from what his mother told him, they were completely normal. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the Prospect before heading back towards Stevie's dorm.
Stevie took a nervous breath, checking her lingerie ensemble in the mirror. It was a simple, matching black lace bra and panty set. She bit her lip and fussed with the lacy cups, trying to make her boobs look more full, like the croweaters she usually saw hovering around Happy. The last time she'd worn a matching set of underwear she'd been trying to impress her sniper partner, Jacob.
The door to Stevie's dorm swung open and Happy nearly had a heart attack. Standing between him and the floor length mirror was a beautiful angel, clad in barely there black lace. He kicked the door shut and locked it. Stevie whirled at the sound of the door and fought the urge to cover herself.
"Sweet Jesus." Hap groaned, setting the water bottles down on her dresser. Stevie nervously ran her hand through her hair, not quite meeting Hap's heated gaze. "I'm one lucky bastard."
Stevie scoffed, feeling her cheeks heat. "Yes you are, baby." She murmured, letting Happy pull her into his arms.
Happy kissed her hard, hands roaming down to her ass giving it a firm squeeze. "You look incredible." He murmured against her lips before holding her at arms length so he could look her over. "This all for me?"
Stevie caught the double meaning in his question. "Oh yeah," She breathed. "All for you Hap."
Dearest Readers,
To say it's been awhile wouldn't do the hiatus I've given this story justice. I've recently been inspired to pick this one up and dust it off by the airing of Sutter's new series, Mayans MC. SPOILER ALERT - If you haven't seen all 10 episodes, stop reading….okay….how was that twist at the end? Having Happy cross over got me all giddy, like oh my gosh! My OC, Stevie Vale can totally make an appearance in this new world too! So yeah, I'm going to work my way through season 2 and 3 as planned and see where we end up. I might do a series of one shots after that for the rest of series so I can play around with inserting my OC into this new world. We'll see. No promises, but I'm back for the moment at least.
Hope you enjoy the next few chapters. I'm pleased with how they're turning out.
Thanks for reading and reviewing If you're so inclined.
xoxo
Lumora The White