FINALLY what you've all been asking for: a glimpse of Sydney's past and some more background on her relationship with Happy. I have WAY too big of a soft spot for them so this chapter is a fave of mine ðŸ˜
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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 15: THE PRINCESS AND THE KILLER
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Sydney woke up the next morning still in Tig's arms while he laid snoring lightly on his back with one arm across his chest and the other arm underneath her, clutching her tightly to his side. She savoured the warmth of his body against her skin, her chest bubbling with giddy excitement as she watched his rise and fall - a feeling that she was still growing accustomed to.
Tig's eyes fluttered open as she admired him, as if he knew that she was looking at him. "Mornin." He grinned when he saw her bashfully biting her lip.
Sydney couldn't contain herself any longer as she threw an arm over him and placed sloppy kisses all over his face. "Morning" She greeted with a grin matching his.
He turned onto his side and pulled her into his buzzing chest. "You sure I'm not dreamin?" He looked down at her with a brow raised.
"I don't know, Tiggy... Do I feel real to you?" She asked innocently as she ran her hands down his chest, ghosting her palm over his morning erection.
A sigh of satisfaction left him before he leaned down to kiss her softly, rolling her so that her back was against his chest as he pulled her tighter against him. She could feel the aching of bruises from the punishment she endured the night before as she pressed her ass against him - a sickly sweet pain that made her smile in memory.
"Oh I'm definitely dreaming." He chuckled while his hand ghosted up and down her side, caressing from the top of her breast down to her thigh as she ground into him. He began massaging her clit slowly, attaching his lips to the skin in the crook of her neck before lifting her leg and sliding into her.
Sydney felt a breathy gasp in the back of her throat as her hand flew behind her to clutch the side of his neck as she adjusted to his size. But rather than the pounding that she was trying to prepare her sore and oversensitive body for, what she got instead was slow, languid - the kind of sex that turned grips to grazes, and scratches to softness. She felt her chest decompressing as her body relaxed, lazily meeting his gentle thrusts as their soft moans mingled together and filled the room around them.
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"Mm, can I wake up like that every morning." Tig groaned lazily as he nuzzled her neck once their morning tryst had concluded.
Sydney chuckled as he laced his fingers with hers, pulling her in tighter. "Why does everyone think you're incapable of this shit?" She asked incredulously as she rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up onto her elbows, not understanding how he could be such an ideal partner with the voracious warning he'd brought on.
"Never seen me do it, I guess. Only see me doin the dirty work... Guess it's easy to assume that I'm just incapable of feeling."
"Well are you?" She prodded with a playful smirk and a raised brow.
"Thought I was for a bit." He shrugged honestly. "I mean, I feel shit for my daughters; my brothers when I need to, but that's about it. Until you came along... Made me remember what it's like to feel somethin for someone more than a couple times a year."
Sydney couldn't stop the grin from forming on her face or the stars forming in her dreamy eyes when the sincere words left his lips in that raspy morning voice that she loved so much.
"You wanna hear me say it, don't ya?" He sighed heavily, chuckling when her lips curled up as she nodded eagerly. "There ain't nobody on this damn planet that drives me as crazy as you." She giggled. "You make me feel like I'm not a freak… Like I'm easy to love. The typa shit I do? Women can't understand it, can't be okay with it. And I can't hide what I am." His expression changed as he stared at the ceiling, blinking a few times as he came back to earth. "But you... You do the same shit. I don't gotta worry about scarin you away because you'll be standing right next to me."
Sydney supposed that she'd never thought of it that way before; how hard it must be for men in this life to find somebody solid. In the much more family-friendly club that she'd come from, that hadn't been an issue. All that the men in SAMDINO had to care about in regards to women was pussy - and they had plenty of sweetbutts around for that.
"You take care of yourself, you don't rely on everyone else." He continued, finding it hard to stop once he'd started with the girl that made him comfortable enough to talk about all of the feelings that he'd been taught to bury. "And you actually make me fuckin laugh." He added with a smile. "You're nothin short of perfect, darlin. Fuckin beautiful, sexy as hell, and don't even get me started on that pussy." Sydney laughed as he raised a brow. "You're what every outlaw dreams of finding." She tried to remain modest as she revelled in his compliments. "I don't feel like I gotta change to be with you, but you make me wanna be better for you."
Sydney's eyes sparkled as she grinned like an idiot, an expression that he mirrored before rolling on top of her and assaulting her entire upper half with kisses. She giggled, burying her face in his chest, unable to believe that under the bulletproof exterior, there was such a sensitive, sweet, and loving man.
"I'm gonna marry you one day, babygirl." He whispered as he kissed the top of her head. She felt every nerve in her body short out. Tig Trager? Marriage? To her? "Trust me, darlin. I never thought I'd hear those words come outta my mouth again either." He chuckled when he felt her tense up.
"Damn, Sergeant... A week with me and you're already talking about marriage? Wonder what else I can milk ya for..." She teased, shooting him her shit-eating grin for a change.
"Yeah, yeah... Whatever." He groaned as he tickled her ribs, eliciting an unexpectedly loud shriek with a fit of hysterical laughter to follow. Tickling was one of Sydney's absolute weaknesses, enough that she ended up bucking out of his grip and rolling off of the bed with a thud. "Oh, pussycat... You are in big trouble." He shook his head in mock-warning after they finished laughing.
"You better not." She tried to warn through her heavy breathing. "Don't think that I won't stay here all morning." He shot her a discerning smile of challenge, daring to call her bluff. She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest, yanking the blanket off of him in one swift pull and beginning to make herself comfortable on the floor.
"Babe." He whined, shrinking when he was hit by the cool air. She raised an eyebrow in wait for his surrender. "Come back, I promise I won't." He pleaded.
She wearily got up and crawled back onto the bed towards his outstretched arms, wrapping the blanket around her and laying down with her back to him as she bit her lip, fighting a grin. Suddenly her body jolted and another shriek left her lips as his fingers jabbed into her sides, immediately releasing her grip on the blanket where he pulled it over him. She glared at him as she shook her head with a discerning smile before begrudgingly rolling back into his arms.
The fluttering in Tig's heart continued even after the playful struggle was over. She made him feel more alive than he had ever felt in his entire life. She looked up at him as he sat with the permanent smile on his face while his eyes glossed over, biting her lip as she captured his hands in hers and rolled on top of him, pinning them above his head.
"You know..." She started. "I couldn't help myself from falling in love with you even if I wanted to. So you better get used to bein tied down like this, Sergeant. Cause you aint gettin rid of me." She said against his mouth, ghosting down to his neck.
"Wouldn't dream of it, baby." He choked out as his eyes rolled back when her mouth closed around his pulse.
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The pair finally got up to shower after laying in bed for a part of the morning. Luckily, club business wasn't taking place until later on in the evening, so they had the day free to spend together.
Sydney glanced around his bathroom as he got the water started, glad that she had known to bring her own toiletries - growing up around men, she knew that he would undoubtedly have a bottle of cheap two-in-one men's shampoo and conditioner which would simply not do the job.
She stepped under the stream of warm water first, closing her eyes as it cascaded down her body before she decided that it wasn't hot enough to upkeep her zen - twisting the tap further to the left and sighing in contentment when she finally found the right temperature.
Tig stood still for a few minutes - seeing her so relaxed and focused put a small smile on his face, which turned into a cocky smirk and twitch in his dick when she turned and he caught sight of the dark handprints on her ass.
"What do you think about in there?" He asked amusedly.
Sydney had let herself get so deep into her head in the few short minutes that she'd completely forgotten he was there - his voice startling her a bit. At least it wasn't the toilet…
"Wouldn't you like to know." She smirked.
"Think about me?"
"Mmm... Baby you have no idea..." She said seductively, trailing her hand down her stomach towards her mound before pulling it away and turning back to the hot water with a playful smile.
Tig shook his head before climbing into the shower behind her, jumping back the second the scalding water touched his skin. "Jesus! Are you showering with fuckin Satan?"
"Don't be a pussy." She laughed, motioning for him to come closer.
"You're used to showering with Hap." He chuckled, holding his stance.
"The devil himself." She smirked before rolling her eyes and adjusting the temperature, dramatically motioning to the now lukewarm water.
Tig chuckled nervously when she didn't deny his claim, stepping forward into the spray that anyone would've still considered to be too hot. "You sure that nothing's ever happened with Hap?" His tone was more inquisitive than accusatory. It wasn't that he didn't believe her - it was that he couldn't wrap his mind around how his nymphomaniac brother could be in constant close proximity to her and keep his hands off.
The question made Sydney realize for the first time that maybe part of the reason that she'd never sought out a boyfriend was because she knew deep down that it would likely compromise her relationship with Happy. She knew that what they had wasn't normal or conventional, and would never surpass potential lovers.
"Yes." She replied meekly, willing herself to keep eye contact - hoping to hide her frustration with exaggerated innocence in hopes that he would take her word for it and drop the subject
"I'm not accusing you, baby. It's just-"
"I need you to understand something." She cut him off, her tone going cold as her thin patience wore out quicker than she'd hoped. "Me and Hap aren't like that. The way Happy is with me, it's not…" She inhaled deep into her chest. "It's not that kind of love." His expression remained sympathetic, but it was clear that she would have to elaborate if she really wanted him to understand.
"Besides my dad, he was the only family I had... and my dad was gone a lot. Which meant that Happy was around. Since I was three years old, he was there. Always there. He was the one who made my lunches for school and helped me with my homework, he was the one who gave me baths and tucked me in at night." She paused as she felt herself getting worked up over the sensitive subject. "Tig, I'm not good with..." She took another breath of frustration, forcing herself to open the gates of vulnerability for the sake of the man that she'd fallen in love with. "Look, I know I seem like I'm not scared of anything. For the most part, I'm not. But Happy is the reason why. He taught me how not to be afraid. He's the only person who has ever seen me be... Not what I am today." She struggled to choose the right words as she was reminded of her regretful past. "He slept in my room when I would have nightmares after my mom overdosed. I never grew out of it because it was the only thing that made me feel safe that I didn't have to provide for myself."
"Okay." Tig nodded understandingly, not knowing what else to say other than to voice his acceptance of her words with as much compassion as he could.
Sydney knew that if she wanted him to really understand, she had to give him more. She figured now was the time to get out as much as possible while the floodgates were already open and he was listening intently without any anger or accusation.
She inhaled deeply with her eyes closed before starting. "I'm not gonna say this more than once..." Tig nodded. "When I was sixteen, I made a... Stupid mistake." She spoke bitterly as she recounted the event, one of the very few times that she had stupidly let her guard down. "I'd just gotten my first car - piece of shit junker truck - and the engine died on my way home. I called my dad, he told me that he and some of the guys were on the way. Bikes rolled up behind me a few minutes later, I got out thinking that it was them." She felt her throat beginning to lock up. "It wasn't."
"BTT." Tig recalled, making a mental note to throw the San Bernardino crew a beat down if he ever crossed paths with them.
"You know?" Her question came out like more of a statement.
"Heard about it... All they said was that it was 'close to home'... Had no idea it was you." Tig vaguely remembered Clay mentioning it at church years ago.
"The lights were bright in the dark so I couldn't see who it was but it seemed too right to be a coincidence. Once I got out and realized it wasn't them, it was too late." She still tried to explain herself, even all these years later.
"They didn't..." He didn't want to finish the question regarding how far the attack went.
"No." She said quickly. "It didn't get that far. One guy had a gun in my face, told me I'd be another dead skank on the side of the road if I didn't do what he wanted. Threw me against the car a few times and then told me exactly how he was going to rape me as he started ripped my clothes off. But my dad and the others showed up before anything worse could happen…" She shook her head. "I was covered in bruises... Three broken ribs, cracked collarbone, a fractured jaw." Tig winced, clenching his fists and looking down as the rage filled him, wishing that he had just kept his mouth shut in the first place. "Hap killed them." She halted his anger before it boiled - watching as the rage drained slowly from his face.
"I was a fucking mess that night." She chortled. "You think I'm feisty now? Imagine me as a teenager." She tried to bring some humour to the sorrowful tale. "I was in so much pain, mad at myself for letting it happen, angry that the club didn't let me kill them myself." She shook her head. "Happy was the only one who knew how to make it better."
The newest prospect had been ordered to bring Sydney to the hospital while the others were out gathering intel on the crew responsible for her attack, but he quickly realized that apparently that was not in Sydney's plan - not letting him near her, so he called the only man that he knew would be able to get the job done.
Happy left the manhunt, racing back to the clubhouse where he stormed inside in search of Sydney and the useless prospect. Deep down, he knew that Sydney was a force to be reckoned with - one that caused him great difficulty on the best of days - but he was too angry over the entire ordeal to accept anything other than the fact that the prospect hadn't done his job.
"Uh... Hap?" He heard a meek voice, turning to face the prospect - the prospect that was supposed to be with Sydney.
"Where is she?" He demanded an answer from the younger man.
"That's part of why I called you... She locked me out of her room, I tried everything, man."
"You left her alone after you were told not to?" He seethed anger at the thought of the young girl alone after what she had just endured, noting that the man already walking on thin ice had now not only failed one order, but two.
"She put a gun in my face, man!"
If Happy hadn't been so worried, he probably would've found that amusing but right now he had no time for laughs. "Get out, leave your kutte." He snarled before hurrying to Sydney's room at the back of the clubhouse. He knocked lightly a few times, thinking that she would open up if she thought that it was her dad, but he got no response. He eventually grew frustrated and began pounding on the door, knowing that it wasn't going to get him a good result under the circumstances but at least she would know that it was him.
"Syd!" He yelled, still getting no response. He kicked the door in without thinking as he became overwhelmed with anger over what had happened. Once he was inside the room, he felt his heart sink at the sight before him - the battered teenage girl sobbing into her pillow. His blood boiled as he noted each and every mark visible to his eye. "Sydney..." His voice cracked as he examined the places on her body where their hands had been. Apart from when he'd found out that his mom was sick, this was one of the only times in his life where he actually felt like he could cry.
She looked up at him, eyes red while tears streamed down her face. He sat on the bed where she choked on a sob and crawled over to him, letting him pull her into his arms and hold her while she cried, willing himself to stay strong for her. After sitting like this for a while, he began to worry - he'd managed to harness his emotions but she still wasn't calming down.
"It's gonna be okay." He repeated a few times, trying to at least regulate her breathing to no avail. Finally, he figured that sitting caked in blood and filth from the attack wasn't helping her calm down, so he scooped her up into his arms and brought her to the bathroom where he placed her onto the closed toilet seat. "Gotta get cleaned up." He didn't mention the fact that he would be taking her to the hospital after.
Sydney didn't say anything, but she knew that he was right. She started to undress while he drew her a bath, yelping in pain as a tender bruise under her shoulder blade was disrupted by her attempting to lift her shirt over her head.
Happy's heart clenched as he heard her cry of pain, quickly taking over and helping her out of her clothes gently. He winced as he took in the sight before him, the beautiful girl covered in purple welts and dried blood. He took her hands, guiding her towards the mirror when she immediately started shaking her head in protest.
"Hap, I can't look." She became hysterical again.
"You need to." He urged. He'd never seen her so scared before, and he was determined to make this situation one that she would learn from, not break from.
"No, no I can't. Please, Hap, I-"
"You need to." He whispered gently, rocking her in his arms. She let him slowly guide her closer to the mirror until she worked up enough courage to open her eyes, wincing and snapping them shut when she caught sight of the state of her body. Tears came harder as the pain she felt was no longer from her injuries, but from her heart.
Happy turned her away from the mirror and got her into the bathtub where he gently cleaned her tender body. Her sobs eventually reduced to sniffles as she closed her eyes, trying to focus on the comfort that the water usually brought her. She opened her eyes a while later, a gasp catching in her throat when she glanced down at the water; muddy and rippled with blood.
"Shhh." Happy placed his hands over her eyes and pulled the plug, quickly refilling the tub with fresh, clear water. "Okay." He nodded once he was satisfied, removing her make-shift blindfold. "Bruises fade." He reminded her. "Aint nothing that could ruin that pretty face."
Sydney gave a weak smile. The bruises on her body weren't what she was worried about as far as long-term damage went - it was the bruise on her ego.
Happy wrapped her in a towel once she was clean, carrying her back to her bed and setting her down before grabbing some soft clothing for her to wear.
"We need to go..." He spoke softly as he helped her into the loose sweatsuit, wincing in preparation for the protest that he was about to face.
"No!" Sydney's eyes widened in shock as she became hysterical all over again. "No, Hap, I can't go, there's lots of people there and-"
"Once the shock wears off, you're gonna need those pain meds." He reminded her of the severity of her injuries. "Only a few hours. I promise."
"Okay." She relented once her brain was focused on the pain and not combatting his orders, realizing the truth to his words.
Happy drove them to the hospital in silence, the guilt setting in for what he was about to do. He left her in the car, sure to lock the doors before he arranged a room and spoke to the doctors about what had happened - knowing that sitting in the crowded emergency room was the last thing that Sydney would want to do.
When her room was ready, he ushered her through the waiting room - avoiding the eyes of as many people as possible. He helped her into her hospital gown and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until he landed on some trashy reality show that he vaguely recognized as one that she'd made him watch before
"I gotta go." He announced regrettably after he tucked her into bed.
"What?" She shrieked. "Hap, you can't leave me here alone!" She began hyperventilating, ignoring the excruciating pain in her chest - unable to believe that he'd convinced her to come here just so that he could leave her.
"I called Donut." He knew that she didn't want to be in the presence of anybody else, but he hoped that his choice of chaperone would be enough to mitigate her anger until he could return.
Happy knew that The Tacoma Road Captain was one of the only people that Sydney had taken a strong liking to other than himself. He didn't get to visit San Bernardino much, but when he did, Sydney was at her happiest. As soon as he'd gotten the call from his former Tacoma brother, he'd sped off in the direction of San Bernardino without a second thought.
"I don't want him to see me like this!" She screamed, choking on a sob as she lifted her hand to strike him before she froze, bringing it crashing down to the stiff mattress before completely breaking down. She knew that Happy was doing everything that he could to make this easy on her while still doing what he needed to do, but right now what she needed was him.
Happy felt his blackened heart breaking. He never thought that her not hitting him would upset him, but it only added to the obvious damage that had been done to the usually feisty girl in front of him.
"I don't trust anyone else." He sucked in a breath in an attempt to hide the crack in his voice. The burly man was much more sensitive than the stoic Nomad - the only one that he knew would be able to comfort her in his absence.
"Hap, don't go." She pleaded with her pain filled eyes - the eyes that he couldn't say no to at the best of times, let alone now.
"I'll be back." He shook his head as he stood from the bed before she took his arm into a death grip. "Girl..." He tried to warn as calmly as possible, surprised by the amount of strength she still had as she clung to his arm. "You know I can't let them get away with this." He sneered through gritted teeth and pushed her off of him gently, his mind filling with rage as he thought about all the things he was going to do to the pieces of shit who dared to lay a hand on his princess.
"Happy, no. I have a bad feeling." He sighed heavily, sitting back down on the bed and attempting to soften his demeanor. He knew that she was being irrational and was probably playing up her reaction to make him crack the way that she knew he would, but she had good reason and he figured that maybe if he appeased her until Donut arrived, he would be doing himself a favor down the road.
"What kind of feeling?"
"I dont know. I-"
"It's just nerves, I'm gonna go fix it."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna fix it." He repeated.
"Well damn, princess... I'd hate to see the other guy." A smooth voice carried across the room from the doorway where Sydney looked up to see Donut standing with a bouquet of flowers and a sly grin on his face.
The long-haired man was in agony seeing the apple of his eye in such a state, but he had been called in on a mission to help cheer her up while Happy found the scumbags who did this to her, and that's what he was going to do.
"I'll be back to get you outta here when I'm done." Happy promised, taking her small hand in his large ones and squeezing. "Te amo." He rested his forehead against hers as he spoke, making sure that she soaked up the sincerity.
Happy finally stood and nodded to his longtime Tacoma pal before taking his leave, stalking out of the hospital with murder inhabiting every cell of his body.
"When he came back he took me for a drive, got me to eat, and let me burn their bodies." She smirked a little. "He was the only one who didn't look at me differently after that... Didn't look at me like I was helpless, like I needed protecting. I didn't feel like I had something to prove to him, like I did the others. When he was patching me up, he didn't look at me like I was a piece of meat the way that men usually look at me. I can't let go of the way I feel with him, Tig. It's one of the only things that keeps me human." She explained. "I know it's complicated, and I know that there are things that cross the line." She wanted him to know that she still intended on being respectful of the fact that she was a taken woman. "I know where the line is if I'm going to be with you, but if you want to be with me, you need to know where it is too. Because no matter what, no matter how much I love you, I will always choose Happy."
Tig had to admit that the words did sting a little, but he understood. He knew that his tattooed brother was just as loyal, if not more so than he was. He wouldn't risk his patch to tap a brother's old lady. "I uh-" He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing that the situation only presented another way in which they were perfect for each other. "I feel that way with Clay and Gem." He nodded. "For the longest time they were the only ones who I felt I could talk to... Trust... Show myself to." He had endured his fair share of accusations from Colleen regarding his relationship with Gemma, and he had always chosen his good friend over women who couldn't understand that it was all that she was to him - a good friend.
"I wouldn't ever take that away from you." She shook her head. "I know how important that is to have in this life... With what we do." Sydney nodded, the dissociative look still on her face as she came back from the trying mental state, locking up those damned gates. "Thank you." She looked into his eyes. "Not just for understanding... But for letting me say all of that..."
"You're a hell of a lot better with words than I am, angel." He chuckled, reaching out and trailing his fingers up her arm. "I don't mind, as long as I'm the only one who gets to do this." He whispered as he ran his hands up her body, descending his mouth onto hers.
Sydney wound her arms around his neck, curling her fingers into his damp hair as she sighed against his mouth. "I'm all for you, Tiggy." She whispered, brushing her nose against his.
The two showered together tenderly, more tenderly than Sydney would've ever imagined as he washed her hair for her, gently taking his time worshipping her as she stood in front of him, her body curling at his gentle touch. There was some component of the touching that wasn't sexual - just appreciative, but she knew that there was a hint of possession in the way that he was babying her - and she didn't mind one bit.
He turned her around to face him so that he could rinse her hair once he was satisfied that it had been lathered up enough. She closed her eyes and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him guide her completely. He tugged at her hair gently, bringing her head back just far enough to rinse all of the suds out before he rested his forehead against hers, kissing her nose. She smiled at the cute gesture as he moved down to kiss her lips, the position causing her back to arch and her body to press against him completely.
"Baby." She whined when his arm wrapped around her waist and his lips moved to her neck, enjoying the intimacy far too much as he moved his hands up and down her back, his fingers tracing along her spine.
"Does my princess like this?" He mumbled against her neck. She looked up into his eyes and nodded innocently as he stroked her hair and reattached his lips to hers, continuing his soft and gentle movements.
;
"You hungry?" Sydney asked Tig as he was getting dressed just outside of the bathroom door while she stood in front of the mirror, brushing her damp hair.
"See, doll - this is why I'm gonna marry you." He chuckled, winking before he left the room.
She chortled to her reflection, pulling one of his t-shirts and tying it into a knot in the front before slipping into a pair of leggings. She twisted her wet hair into a bun on the top of her head before stepping into her black fuzzy slides and making her way to the kitchen, hearing only a few people awake in the bar from the night before. She got to work preparing breakfast for everyone in the kitchen that she was glad to see was fully stocked - thanks to Gemma - knowing that the hangovers would be heavy.
Once she'd gathered her ingredients, she headed out to the bar to do a headcount where she saw multiple crows passed out around the room, Juice on the pool table, Bobby on the floor, Chibs on the couch, Happy at the bar - who was being pestered by Tig - and Half-Sack cleaning up.
"You need help, babe?" Tig called as she entered the room.
"No, I'm fine. Hangout." She smiled, handing him a cup of coffee where he pecked her on the cheek before she returned to the kitchen and began frying up multiple packs of bacon and sausages, as well as scrambling two dozen eggs.
"So, you guys are the real deal?" Happy regained the Sergeant's attention after massaging his throbbing temples.
"Oh yeah, man." He gushed.
"Don't fuck her around. Spent a lot of time teaching her that she's special. Ain't about to have you fuck it up."
"Brother, I saw what she did to you last night…" He raised a brow. "Wouldn't dream of it."
"For real. That one's somethin you'll never find again. Deserves the world. Only reason I'm lettin it happen's cause I've never seen her want anyone." Happy let his words soak in for a few seconds before going back to freak mode - his usual setting around Tig. "So, how is she?" His black eyes glinted as he grinned wickedly.
"Like you don't know... I hear the way she talks to you man." Tig scoffed and raised a brow at his tattooed brother. Yes, Sydney had wiped up every last drop of confusion that he may have had about what kind of relationship she'd had with Happy - but Happy didn't know that, and Tig was never one to shy away from hassling a brother, especially Happy Lowman.
"Only talks to me like that to piss me off, knows I won't do it."
"I don't know how you don't." Tig scoffed.
"Want me to do it?" Happy retorted, his response getting the desired effect as Tig backed down. "She doesn't fuck around with anyone. That one's a tease - gets a kick out of it. DINO guys hated it."
Tig looked down and smiled. He was feeling his own butterflies now, wondering what exactly had made him special enough to make her break her rules for him.
"Never had anything serious with anyone. She dabbled with a couple scrawny bitches back home to keep the guys away... Chew em up and spit em out when she got tired of entertainin em. Funny shit."
When Happy had first found himself in San Bernardino he was a freshly eighteen year-old prospect from Tacoma. He'd been drinking at the SAMDINO clubhouse when he felt something clutching his legs. His immediate reaction was recoil, not expecting to look down and see a toddler hugging his legs and laughing. He'd told her to get lost, but the second that she opened her mouth to tell him 'no' with a high pitched giggle before jumping to be picked up, he'd sold his soul to the little girl. Even all of those years ago; he was still stoic, still tattooed, and still terrifying - but for some reason the little blonde toddler shadowed him like no other.
Growing up, Sydney wouldn't let anyone else care for her if he was around - not even her own parents. The tattooed man had been her hand-chosen babysitter, having to be the one to watch movies over and over and read bedtime stories. He'd never minded though, it gave him an excuse to exercise his love for cartoons. He was surprisingly great with kids now, but it took some growing into - thanks to her.
Happy knew that it was this time that they'd spent together that had made them so close - a closeness that was too close for them to ever be in love. The love between them was that of family. He'd been there with her through it all; his mom's sickness, her mom's death. He'd given Sydney her first tattoo when she was seventeen: a happy face - it only seemed fitting. And when she had earned herself a reputation as the Cali Queen at twenty, she let him give her the crown on her chest - making him promise that the next tattoo that he gave her would be her reaper.
Happy had made it his life's ambition to have Sydney know her worth - make sure that she never got hung up on some pretty boy - and damn, he had outdone himself. He had helped mold the strongest woman that he'd ever laid eyes on.
"I'll treat her right." Tig said honestly as he nodded at the bald man who was clearly deep in thought.
"I know. Hundreds of guys that'd kill to be where you're at with her. Still can't believe she let someone hit it."
"Another one over here, sweetheart." The attractive man with dirty blonde hair tossed Sydney a wink from down the bar. She flashed him a smirk before grabbing his beer, sauntering over to him with a swing in her hips. She leaned over the top of the bar with her tits on display, flirting with the man. He was attractive enough that she actually enjoyed his attention, but not nearly enough to let him take her to bed.
"Gotta head out." He said abruptly, the influx of leather-wearing men being the cause - no doubt. His tone told her that he was trying desperately to sound like he had somewhere important that he needed to be, but she knew that he was just scared. She rolled her eyes, turning around to greet the Sons.
"Hey sweetie." Her dad addressed her quickly with a squeeze to her arm as he walked past.
Happy walked around the bar, pouring himself a whiskey and narrowing his eyes at her with a smirk, nodding towards where the pussy had been sitting. "He'll be back for you."
"I bet he will." She scoffed.
"Gonna let someone hit it?" He questioned with knit brows, knowing how hard it was to earn a spot on her exclusive roster.
She couldn't resist the urge to press his buttons when that scowl appeared in the crevasses of his face. Getting closer to him, she slowly pressed her body against his as she pushed him against the bar. "You offering?" She asked in a low whisper with hooded eyes.
He hesitated for a second before pulling away, rapidly shaking his head. "Shouldn't say shit like that, little girl."
"Awe why not, Happy Feet?" She mock-pouted, ending her facade with a smirk once she was met with the warning glare that she knew all too well. "I'll start throwing bones when I know I'll get a good one in return." She shrugged as they watched the cowardly group of men filing out of the clubhouse.
"Yeah... tell me about it." Tig said dreamily.
"Hurt her, and I'll slit your throat." Happy said casually and clapped him on the shoulder as Sydney walked out holding two plates, placing one in front of each of them.
"Coffee, Hap?" He nodded. "Still take it black I assume?" He nodded again. "Great talk." She said sarcastically before disappearing back into the kitchen.
On her way back out to the bar with her own food and the coffees in hand, she noticed Half-Sack scrubbing vigorously at the floor, cleaning what she assumed was vomit. She chuckled, feeling sorry for the poor prospect.
"Hey, Kippy. You eat yet?"
"Nah, I been cleanin all morning."
"Well there's eggs and coffee in the kitchen, sorry I didn't make any tofu." She pouted playfully.
"Thanks." He chuckled.
Sydney waltzed over to where Tig and Happy were sitting in the barstools, opting to stand opposite to them while she ate. "Damn, little girl. I knew there was a reason I missed San Bern." Happy grinned.
"I thought you were lookin a little skinny these days." She chuckled, poking him in the ribs with her fork. "How's Ma?" She piped up, realizing that she hadn't spoken to Happy's mother since she'd left. It was odd, she thought - how right SAMCRO felt... How right Tig felt. It all felt so right that she'd completely forgotten that she'd had a whole other life back home.
Happy's mom's health had improved since it'd brought him to San Bernardino to care for her - hence why he was bouncing between Tacoma, San Bernardino, and Charming as a Nomad.
"Good, misses ya. Told her we were here together, she's happy." He nodded with a smile.
Esmeralda Lowman had been the closest thing that Sydney had ever had to a mother - being an old fashioned latina woman she'd babied her and cared for the young blonde whenever she could. She smiled warmly as she tried to figure out if Mrs. Lowman had known all along that her and Happy would be in Charming together - it definitely wouldn't have been unlike her to keep it a surprise.
The three of them were all pulled front their separate thoughts when they heard Bobby starting to wake, all laughing as the discombobulated man stumbled about the room littered with unconscious party-goers.
"Breakfast is in the back, sleepin beauty." Tig called as Bobby made his way to the kitchen, stopping halfway down the hall to throw up.
"Oh come on, man..." Half-Sack groaned from the end of the hallway where he had emerged from the kitchen after finally finishing his cleaning.
"Jesus Christ, man." Jax came barging out of his room to see what the ruckus was, scowling when Bobby ignored him and continued his path. "Dude, where're you goin?"
"Breakfast" He stated.
"Gemma here early?" Jax crinkled his brows and rubbed his forehead.
"Princess." The older man managed to choke out before a coughing fit began
Jax's crinkled brows turned into a deeply confused scowl. "Youre tellin me the Princess is goin domestic?"
"I ain't complainin" Bobby rounded the corner, both of them chuckling as Jax followed him to dish up.
The VP walked out into the bar with his plate of food, sitting down beside Tig. "Laundry and dinner yesterday, breakfast today... You got a good one here brother." He smirked.
Sydney and Tig both smiled proudly. Tig couldn't believe how lucky he was - he had the girl that everyone wanted, the girl that everyone dreamed of having. The one who not only embraced the club with open arms, but who was practically a member. The one who behaved like an old lady, fucked him like her life depended on it, looked like a playboy centrefold, was half his age, and only had eyes for him. She had him completely done for.
"You really make all this, princess?" Jax questioned.
"Well the prospect wasn't going to." She gave Jax a knowing look.
"Lookin to get promoted to queen?" He poked.
"All in good time, VP." She winked, taking the empty plates back to the kitchen.
"You better put a fuckin ring on that, man. Before I do." Jax poked at Tig who was still basking in all of the attention that his girl was getting, waiting to wake up from the dream, but he didn't. This was real.
After everyone was done eating and the kitchen was cleaned, Sydney headed back to Tig's room to properly get ready for the day. She pulled her hair from the bun to see that it had dried in big, voluminous waves the way that she'd hoped - doing some light makeup and changing into a baby blue v-neck tee, figuring that the cleavage baring top might help with what she was about to ask.
She passed through the bar, smiling as Jax gave her an approving nod which she returned as she made her way outside where she spotted Tig sitting at a picnic table with Happy, Juice and Bobby. She strutted over, running her hand over Tig's shoulder as he sat with his back to her.
"Oh hey, baby." He cooed when he looked over his shoulder to see her smiling down at him, grabbing her hand.
"I know what we can do today, Tiggy." She announced as she pushed herself up to sit on the picnic table.
"What's that, doll?" He sounded genuinely curious which gave her hope that he might actually say yes.
"You should teach me how to ride." She mused.
"Oh, sweetheart... You ride just fine." He scoffed with a raised brow, making the guys laugh.
"Well, maybe... If you give me a few pointers... I'll show you what I've learned later." She said seductively, tilting her head as she ran a finger up his forearm, making everybody at the table wince and roll their eyes.
Tig stood up without second thought and led Sydney over to his bike which made everyone howl with laughter. She was sure to tip Happy a wink over her shoulder - a wink that he returned.
"How much you wanna bet she has his crow within the next six months?" Bobby proposed another bet, hoping it would favor him better than the one he'd originally participated in.
"I give it three." Juice snorted.
"More than that." Happy shook his head. He knew that she would never get a crow before she got her reaper.
"You sure you wanna do this?" Tig questioned once they reached the row of Harleys.
"Well, you're the expert right? Who better to learn from." She flashed a cocky smile.
"I don't know, doll…" He sighed. "My bike ain't stock. Got a lotta-"
"Yeah, yeah you have mods, I know. But that means it'll just be easier if I learn on something hard." He pursed his lips, knowing she had a point. "Besides, your bike is my favorite. It looks the best, it's faster than all the other ones..." She mused as she ghosted her fingertips over the chrome skull on the brake handle, stroking it just like she was stroking his ego.
Tig squinted hard, grimacing before he gave in. "I hope you know that I don't let anybody ride my bike. Ever."
"I promise I'll make it worth your time, Sergeant."
Tig spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the components and functions of the bike. Sydney listened intently, nodding in fascination as if it was the first time that she was hearing any of this. In all honesty, she would've listened to him talk about it for days. It was like the world around him had blurred, his silky voice was echoing in her ears as she blissfully revelled in his presence: curls bouncing, eyes gleaming in the sun as he explained his passion. She snapped out of it when she noticed that he had stopped talking and was now staring at her.
"You get all that, kitten?" She nodded eagerly as he raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her but not having time to do anything about it as she hopped on his machine and fired it up. He helped her get set up, rolling her eyes as he strapped the helmet over her head and relayed the gear shift to her.
"Wait!" Sydney heard him yell as she was about to begin her first start. She whipped her head around impatiently to see him grabbing a nearby helmet off of one of the bikes before yanking it down over his own head, nodding for her to continue once he clipped it in place.
"Asshole." She rolled her eyes and shook her head while he grinned.
"That's it, baby!" Tig cheered after she fucked around with the clutch a few times before finally letting herself do a halfway proper start. She couldn't help but blush, looking down as her nerves forced a smile. "Do that a few more times and you can start practicing above first." She went back and forth in first a few more times, stalling every once in a while before she was ready to move on to a higher gear.
"So neutral is between first and second?" She asked, crinkling her brows in confusion - receiving a nod. "I thought you said this would be like shifting in my car." She whined.
"It is, babe." He shook his head assuringy. "Neutral's after first so you can't accidentally shift twice into second from a stop." He explained calmly.
"Oh." She nodded slowly before giving it a try, jerking around a little more. "Neutral is hard." She pouted, pushing her lips out in hopes for some more tender encouragement.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You're doin great." He lifted her chin up, smiling when her frown broke into a sweet smile
Clay arrived at the clubhouse while Sydney was doing small laps around the lot. He chuckled as he watched her shakily ride the big Harley in tight circles before she rode back over to him and Tig, stopping with a screech - the seasoned Harley riders both chuckling as she laughed nervously.
"What's this?" Clay mused with a wink.
"Princess wants to learn how to ride." Tig answered, gesturing to her with one hand as the other shielded his squinting eyes from the sun.
"If I'm gonna get my patch, I'm gonna have to learn." She said through a grin.
Clay raised his eyebrows discerningly at her choice of explanation. "Hey, Tiggy - you mind checkin in on Jax? Gemma wanted to talk to him about Abel." He leaned over to his Sergeant.
"Sure thing, boss. Everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah - insurance shit." Tig nodded and headed towards the clubhouse in search of the VP.
Clay began laughing as soon as he was out of earshot. "How long you planning on makin him chase you around the parking lot for?"
"Little longer." She replied with a cocky smirk.
"You're something else, princess." He laughed, walking towards Bobby, Juice, and Happy who were still at the picnic table.
Sydney rolled Tig's bike back into formation next to Clay's, making her way back over to where everybody was gathered.
"So how'd ya manage that?" Clay raised a brow.
"She just asked." Happy bellowed with pride.
"She told him she'd ride him later." Juice scoffed.
"You woulda done that anyway." Clay scowled.
"Exactly." She purred with a smirk that made everyone chuckle before she took her leave, heading back inside.
"Jax already talked to her." Tig reported back to Clay who nodded approvingly.
"Heard she didn't even have to bribe you for that." Clay joked as the pussy-whipped jokes started coming at the Sergeant who had been far too easily convinced to spend his afternoon playing teacher.
"You gonna say no that?" He posed with wide eyes, humming as he gestured to Sydney walking away, hips swinging.
"You got a good point, my friend." Clay chuckled low, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
"Heard we had some riding lessons goin on out there?" Jax teased as Sydney entered the clubhouse.
"Sure did. Better watch your back, VP. I'm comin for that precious little flash on your chest." She winked.
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Song for this chapter
Enemy Fire - Bea Miller