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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.
CHAPTER 19: CUT OFF
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"Think he's gonna be at the Dog?" Sydney asked from the passenger seat as she looked out the window while Tig drove them to the Nords' local hangout - finally beginning the task that they should've started much earlier.
"Doubt it, but it's a good place to start." Tig shrugged, rubbing his leg which was sore from the strain he'd put on it.
She detected the shortness in his tone - looking over to see him brooding with his hand resting on the top of the steering wheel. "Awe, come on Tiggy." She said in a mock-pout, sliding out of her seat and resting her chin on his shoulder. "I squirt for you and you're still in a bad mood? Now that aint any way to treat a lady..." She raised a brow.
"Yeah, you're right." He chuckled. "Sorry doll… Just this shit with Jax... I don't know..." He shook his head. "This is the kind of thinking that landed his old man where it did..."
"Clay's been trying to nail him down but it only pushes him further away." She nodded slowly as she pondered the situation aloud. "What does Gemma think?" She was curious whether the queen had been privy to the rebellion of her son or if she had picked on it on her own.
"Don't know…" He shrugged honestly as he himself wondered just how deep this internal beef ran. "Her and Clay doin an awful lot of whispering though..."
Sydney just nodded slowly in response - making a mental note to talk to Gemma about it when she had the chance.
As soon as they turned onto the street where The Hairy Dog took residence, they saw Darby's dark Suburban pulling away from the curb. Tig looked to Sydney for confirmation, pulling out to follow him when she gave him the nod.
"He's alone... This is just what we needed." She grinned evilly, sparking up a cigarette as they tailed Darby all the way to a park in Oakland. They exchanged glances - they both knew what this meant; Mayans.
"This skinhead fuckwad really just doesn't fucking get it, does he?" Sydney barked in disbelief. She was in utter shock with the ongoing stupidity that she was experiencing today - how was it that after blowing up their warehouse and ambushing their hand off, the men still thought it was a good idea to team up? "Park around the other side." She ordered Tig who raised an eyebrow but obliged, changing his course and rounding the side of the park where they stopped and watched the bald man walk towards a picnic table where none other than Marcus Alvarez was sitting.
"He looks pissed." Sydney snickered when Darby sat down and harshly shoved away the box of food that Alvarez had offered him.
"You blame him?" Tig scoffed as they watched the two men in their heated discussion for a few minutes, taking turns trying to guess what it was that they were saying until Sydney abruptly straightened up and made for the door. "What the hell are you-"
"Get the car." She cut him off.
"Syd!" She slammed the door, silencing his protests before she bounded off towards the two men. "God dammit." Tig growled in defeat as he was forced to obey her request - not in any shape to go after her or cause a scene.
"Well I'll be!" Sydney taunted in a southern accent as she approached. "If you told me this morning that I woulda been lucky enough to see two of my favorite men in the same place, sportin my pretty little marks - I woulda said you were lyin." She hopped up on top of the picnic table - smiling sweetly as the offended men stared at her with wide eyes.
"Is everything you do always so goddamn dramatic?" Darby shook his head - almost finding humour in the continuously surprising actions of the little tart.
"I guess you'll just have to find out." She cooed with a cocky grin.
"You know this blanca?" A scuffed up Alvarez asked with a smirk, recognizing the voice of the blonde woman who had been a brunette a few days ago when she'd infiltrated their hand off. Even if the little puta had pissed him off, the Mayan President was smart enough to respect the game - he could appreciate a good soldier when he saw one.
"Yeah." Darby rolled his eyes. "She's just one of SAMCRO's whor-" He stopped himself under her narrowing eyes - silently reminding him what had taken place the last time that he had treated her like a croweater. "One of SAMCRO's associates." He corrected himself with a sarcastic smile.
"And they say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks." She praised smugly. "You boys are brave... Meetin out here in public, not a care in the world that it might give people the wrong idea..."
"Oh yeah? And what idea might that be?" Alvarez asked with squinted eyes.
"I don't know." She pursed her lips, giving a one-shouldered shrug. "Maybe that the Nords aren't maintaining the brand." She responded theatrically.
Alvarez smiled smugly at the clever young woman, turning his attention back to the man across the table. "Don't worry, we'll both get what we want." He told Darby cryptically.
Darby responded with a simple snort - clearly unhappy with the result of the meeting that had been going bad even before Sydney had interrupted it.
"You gonna eat that?" Sydney nodded to the tamale that Darby had so rudely declined.
The Nord's leader scoffed in response - shaking his head incredulously as he got up from the table and stormed off.
Sydney shrugged again - taking his tantrum as a 'no' as she reached towards the box. "Careful, shit's too spicy for a blanca." Alvarez warned.
"Creo que estoy bien." She responded with a wink as she sank her teeth into the Mexican delicacy, turning away - leaving the latino man chuckling in surprise. Her lips curled up as she made her way back towards the road to see Darby standing on the opposite side of the park, scratching his head as he searched the area for his missing vehicle before he caught the smirk of the young woman before she disappeared into the van. He groaned, exhaling sharply through his nostrils as his hands fell dramatically to his sides - he knew exactly where his Suburban was.
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"You are runnin a seriously risky game." Tig scolded Sydney as he emerged from the garage once she'd arrived back on the compound.
"Did we get the car?" She asked simply as she swiped Darby's keys from his hand.
"Well, yeah but-"
"Did he see you?"
"No but-"
"There you go." She cocked her head and patted him on the chest before strutting into the clubhouse.
Tig pursed his lips once he realized that had been her tactic the whole time - to hide in plain sight and keep Darby's eyes busy while simultaneously conveying the message that SAMCRO was behind the auto theft.
"The Suburban has landed." Sydney reported playfully as she tossed Clay the keys to the black vehicle.
The white haired man caught the keys with a grin. "Got a protection run tonight for Unser incase that little puppet show that Jax wants to put on aint tickling your fancy, and Hap's on his way back up to Tacoma for more glocks." He gave her the run down of all of the things that she'd missed in the few hours that they'd been gone. "Which one do you want?"
"Preference?" She tried to keep her tone casual, she would be wherever he wanted her - even if she was delighted to have been given the choice.
"Lady's choice." He grinned.
"I'll take the cadavers." She winked.
"What I thought you'd say... Need someone to make sure this is done right." The older man smiled knowingly at his younger counterpart. "They're over at Skeeter's, you can take the hearse down." He smirked.
Sydney nodded before making off to Tig's dorm to change her clothes - the Sergeant himself trickling into the clubhouse not long after.
"Ope asked to be put on the protection run... " Clay told him quietly.
"Tryna make up for the pyro fuck up?" He scowled.
"Nah... Think he's just strapped for cash."
"You gonna let him?" Tig raised a brow. He was a simple man - if somebody didn't care for the good of the club and wasn't willing to put their ass on the line, then they shouldn't be allowed to share from the pot.
"I'm gonna give him another chance to prove his loyalty." Clay defended his weary decision against the judgmental doubt in his tone.
Sydney bit her lip in contemplation as she stood with her back pressed to the wooden wall in the hallway, hearing every word that the two men spoke. She didn't think that Opie was a bad guy, and though she couldn't sympathize with his disconnect from the club - she could empathize. However, empathy did not trump the dangers that a rogue member caused.
Tig stayed silent on the matter, he didn't agree with his President, but his job wasn't to agree - it was to obey. "Darby was with Alvarez when we jacked the car."
"What's it gonna take for this prick to get the damn message?" Clay sighed.
"It's a bloody Sunday brother... We gotta call in all the Sons, all of em. Kill this cracker-wetback alliance now." The anger that Tig had been harbouring all day began to poke through.
"We can't afford another war like 92..." Clay reminded him, knowing that neither of them wanted to go down that road again.
"We might not have a choice." Tig shook his head. "Clay, I'm worried about this… Okay? Jax is smart and I appreciate his lead on a lot of stuff, but where we gotta go... It aint about bein smart, it's about killin shit." He finally voiced his concerns with his President as they grew by the second.
"I know." Clay agreed regrettably - knowing what needed to be done, but not knowing how to do it.
"No, I mean..." Tig shook his head again. "I don't trust him... When push comes to blood? I don't. I don't think he's got the balls to pull the trigger, you hear what I'm sayin?" He pushed harder - the time for dicking around with Jax's soft approach was running out, and he worried that it was going to get someone hurt.
"I hear ya!" Clay yelled out of frustration. "I hear ya..." He repeated a little softer. Once again, Tig wasn't the problem - the situation was. "Look, ya think I don't see the same shit? I do brother, I do." He trailed off when he heard the sound of Sydney's sneakers on the wooden floor, glad that she emerged at that moment to temporarily table the tough discussion.
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Sydney pulled up to the cemetery in Darby's SUV, getting out and making her way through the maze of tombstones until she spotted Chibs, Juice, and Jax jumping down into a hole. She crept up quietly, listening to them making fun of Half-Sack who had been tasked with digging up the body of the biggest man he'd ever seen, all by himself.
"I hate this shit. It's really bad karma, you know... Digging up a grave." He whined.
Juice laughed, clapping the poor kid on the shoulder - likely a little too happy to be seeing somebody else doing the bitch work that he'd been saddled with not too long ago.
"Nah. As long as it's not your grave, karma's just fine." Jax laughed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sydney yelled, unleashing just how impossibly loud she could make her voice go.
"Woah!" Half-Sack yelled - all of the startled men whipped around with their hands over their hearts to see Sydney standing there cackling. "You scared the piss outta me." He choked out as he tried to catch his breath.
"Sorry, Kippy. Havin fun?"
"Not as much fun as you had earlier." He smirked.
An impressed grin spread across Sydney's face as the prospect got bolder and bolder - not backing down from his jabs this time.
"How are we gonna get him out?" Juice looked down at the corpse that had to weigh the same as all of them combined.
"I think we're gonna need a tow truck." She joked.
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The late hours of the afternoon were coming to a close as Jax, Sydney, and Chibs drove down 99 to Lodi in Darby's Suburban with the bodies in tow - Juice and Half-Sack following close behind in a stolen Cadillac. Jax lit a joint from the driver's seat as Chibs took a swig of beer beside him while Sydney chose to sit in the back with the cargo.
"Jesus christ, these guys stink." Jax groaned as he inhaled the weed. Sydney rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the blonde man - as usual.
"We'll leave Darby some good, dead, Mexican stench." Chibs began to laugh, but he was stopped as two loud import vehicles swerved around them, cutting them off abruptly and forcing Jax to veer off of the road and into the barrier to avoid them.
"Woah!" Sydney tried to steady herself from taking a backwards tumble into the pile of limbs. "Jackson!" She whined. Even if he had been narrowly cut off, she found the dramatic swerve that resulted in a scrape to the vehicle to be completely unnecessary.
"Assholes! They made me spill my beer!" Chibs hollored to no one in particular.
"Don't blame me! Blame Honda Civic cocksucker." Jax yelled back. Sydney relented - at least they were on the same page about import drivers.
Not too long after recovering from the near hit and run, a cop car came into sight travelling towards them. They all held their breaths as they approached the oncoming squad car, exhaling when they made it past without issue.
"Ah shit..." Jax groaned when just as they'd thought that they were in the clear - the patrol car lit up and pulled a u-turn.
"Ah shit." Half-Sack unknowingly repeated his Vice President as they watched the scene unfold.
"Spotted the smashed front end." Jax surmised while Sydney sat with her head in her hands and her eyes wide in sheer shock of the lack of intelligence that she'd unknowingly placed herself directly in the middle of.
"They run those bogus plates and we're fucked." She informed Jax and Chibs as they pulled over. "This could've been fucking avoided if you knew how to fucking drive! Smoking up in the front seat like a fucking idiot!" The Scotsman turned to defend his VP but was stopped by the fiery woman smacking his shoulder. "And you! Drinking out of a clearly marked container? No wonder they're stopping us for vehicle damage! You guys are the worst fucking criminals that I've ever met!"
Chibs ignored her rant, pulling out his glock as the cop approached. "Lodi's got a sky team... We'll never get away... Not in this piece of shit." He growled in frustration.
"Definitely not with his driving." Sydney added.
"Put the gun away." Jax ordered firmly - disgusted by his brother's desperate solution to the problem. "Sup?" He greeted the hispanic cop with a nod. But before the lawman could even tell him why he had been stopped, he was startled by Juice and Half-Sack ramming his squad car with the Cadillac.
"Jesus christ!" His attention turned to the younger men as he backtracked with his gun drawn.
Sydney grinned as she watched the brilliances unfold; Juice and Half-Sack abandoned the getaway vehicle and began running down the road while Jax and Chibs ran to slash the cop's tires and steal his radio while he was preoccupied. She saw her opportunity - kicking the trunk open before quickly sliding into the driver's seat and throwing the vehicle into gear before pulling a violent u-turn to retrieve her compromised crew. She came to a screeching halt, letting Jax and Chibs in before she raced to get ahead of Juice and Half-Sack so that they could make the jump before the cop started shooting.
"Run prospect, run!" Chibs hollered out the window as they passed the spriting men.
"Get in!" Sydney yelled, smacking the door of the vehicle in a rush of adrenaline.
Juice and Half-Sack made the jump at the same time, flopping down onto the landing pad of dead Mexicans. The carload of criminals whooped and hollered as they made their breakaway from the armed cop. They would have to steal a new getaway vehicle - but that was the least of their worries.
When they arrived at the abandoned car garage in Lodi, everybody jumped out of the odor-filled vehicle as quickly as possible and began staging the scene. Sydney sat on the tailgate as she carefully uncovered the bodies. She quietly admired the face of the thinner man who had unfortunately met his demise so young, extending her arm to gently caress his cheek before leaning down to kiss his forehead.
"Jesus christ... You and Tig really are meant for each other." Juice winced.
Not too long later, the sun had set and the deed had been done - the clear message of 'M + N = blood' being left at the crime scene. Sydney still thought that a real murder would've been much more satisfying, but she supposed that the warm up would suffice.
They made their way back to Charming in another stolen vehicle - seeing that their Cadillac had been compromised - when the same Honda Civic from earlier in the day whirled past them yet again. Sydney grinned wickedly. She was in the driver's seat now, and nobody cut her off.
"It has been a very long day, Lass..." Chibs tried to reason, knowing what was going through her mind the second that the red car was sight.
"Ah, come on." Jax grinned, just as hungry for revenge as she was.
"We didn't jack a twin turbo for nothin." Sydney smirked as she slammed her foot to the floor, engaging the turbo boost of the newer model Ford which sped the heavy truck around the puny import with ease. "Hold on." She grinned, grabbing the handle above the door as she slammed on the brakes, bringing the whizzing red car crashing into the back of the truck - the lowered front end wedging itself under the tailgate and breaking the windshield.
"Well that was quick!" Juice said happily.
"I aint done yet." Sydney snarled as she stared distantly into the rearview mirror, letting the rage take over as she unbuckled her seatbelt and threw the truck into park.
A smirk ghosted across Jax's face as he followed her lead, seeing this as a much needed opportunity to blow off some steam - an opportunity that didn't end in someone dead. The two blondes strutted towards the damaged vehicle with the same pep in their step and smirks on their faces, radiating their respective roles as the reaper Prince and Princess.
"Get him out." Sydney looked to Jax who nodded, grabbing the douchebag by the scruff of the neck and dragging him over to her.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?" The brown haired man started yelling deliriously before he was cut off by a jaw-shattering right hook, knocking him straight to the ground.
"Holy shit." Jax blinked a few times, looking over at Sydney with his blue eyes wide in shock by the velocity of her punch.
The small woman smirked, playfully wiggling her fingers which bore her now blood-covered diamond rings. "I keep tellin you not to underestimate me..." She cocked a brow as the man groaned, rolling around on the pavement as he regained his bearings just in time for her to climb on top of him, holding him down with a hand to his throat. "Don't ever cut me off again." She sneered low before delivering another blow, filling his mouth with blood. "Your turn." She smirked to Jax who kicked the man hard in the stomach and delivered a punch that shattered his other jaw before waltzing back to the truck with his arm slung over her shoulders as they both smiled smugly.
"Quick enough?" Sydney quipped as they re-entered the vehicle to the posse of grinning men who had clearly enjoyed the show.
They made it back to Charming without a hitch, all heading their separate ways for the night. Sydney noticed the lack of Harleys on the compound when they'd returned to grab their rides - surprised that the others weren't back from the protection run yet, but figuring that it was just a longer haul than she'd expected and would likely be a late one for them - so she headed home, assuming that she would hear from Tig in the morning.
When she got home, she stripped down for a hot shower, removing her rings and placing them to soak in a bowl of hot water which loosened up the crusted blood that coated the diamonds. After her shower, she sat down at the dining room table with her slipper clad feet up, a plate of stir fry, and the bowl containing her rings - lazily picking at her food as she buffed the grime from her diamonds when the roaring engine of a Harley pulled her from the state of relaxation that she'd fallen into. Her senses perked up, but she made no effort to get up for the door - having a feeling that the mysterious visitor already had a key.
Tig hobbled up to Sydney's front door after a long evening of running the protection-turned-hijacking for Unser. He stuck the key in the lock and turned it until it clicked open, second guessing himself a second too late when he stepped inside as he realized that maybe she wouldn't want to be seeing so much of him - or at the very least that he should've called before showing up unannounced. He contemplated turning around - hoping that maybe she hadn't heard him and he still had a chance to make a break for it.
"Tiggy?" The soft, hopeful voice erased any doubt that he had, allowing it to pull him through the house to its source.
"Better be me, doll." He masked his moment of uncertainty with a cocky joke and a wink.
"I was hoping it was my other boyfriend." She smiled playfully as he approached her, gently brushing his fingers around her waist and leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.
Tig couldn't help but break his tough guy facade with a smile when he pulled away to see her sparkling green eyes staring up at him lovingly. "There's food if you're hungry." She said softly, nodding to the pan on the stove.
"You sure, baby?"
"Mhmm." She hummed as she returned her attention to her previous task.
"What're ya doin?" He tilted his head to try and get a better look into the bowl.
"Why don't you go get some food and I'll tell you." Her tone was playful as she kept her eyes focused on what she was doing - not entertaining his dawdling.
Tig snickered at her stubbornness, grabbing a plate from the cupboard and dishing up a generous helping - between the day's diet of alcohol and on-call, he'd worked up quite an appetite. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed back to the table, setting his plate down and sliding his chair right up against hers, picking up her propped up legs and dropping them onto his lap.
Sydney giggled, sighing contently as his hand lazily rested on her knee and his thumb stroked her skin while he ate and she cleaned.
Tig found himself with a permanent smile as they sat in a comfortable silence despite the trying day. He never would've thought that he would see the day where he would be coming home to an old lady with dinner on the table and no questions being asked. He tapped her knee before he moved her legs so that he could get up, picking up the empty plates and carrying them to the sink to wash before she could protest.
"You and Jax finally get into it?" He asked with a sly smirk as he placed a glass of wine in front of her. He'd assumed that blood on her rings was a result of staging the scene - but he knew that the joke would get a laugh and hopefully keep the door open for her to voice her concerns about the VP.
"I wish." She scoffed. "Asshole cut me off." She stated casually.
Tig raised an eyebrow when he realized that the blood was actually a result of her hitting someone, but he didn't question any further - retaking his seat and yanking her into his lap.
Sydney giggled when he nuzzled her neck, the rough stubble tickling her sensitive skin. "Long night?" She knew that he must've been tired if he was this touch-starved.
"You got no idea." He groaned.
"Thought it was just a protection run?" She turned to face him with a scowl.
"Was supposed to be... Turned into a hijacking - try to teach Unser a lesson."
"Really?" She exclaimed excitedly as her eyes lit up. "And I got stuck with the boring fake murder with the band of pussies." Her giddiness turned to a pout.
"Hey, hey, hey… It seems like you had plenty enough fun tonight, pussycat." He stroked her bare knuckles.
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, returning to her rings. "How'd Ope do?"
Tig raised a brow when not only did she somehow know that Opie had been on the job, but she also knew that it was cause for concern. "Fine, I guess." He shrugged when she didn't give an explanation. "Didn't know what was going down… Definitely didn't seem as giddy about it as you did." He scoffed.
Sydney nodded slowly, wondering how much of an issue the bearded man's hesitance was going to become for the club.
Tig took her silence as a sign that maybe he had overstayed his welcome as his insecurities began to creep back. "Well." He patted her thigh, exhaling before heaving himself out of the chair that they were occupying. "Thanks for dinner, doll." He kissed her on the cheek as he guided her back down to her chair.
"Are you leaving?" Her face fell when he ended the peaceful moment that they'd been sharing, instinctively clutching onto his arm when he stood which she immediately cursed herself for doing - cringing at how needy she sounded.
"Not if you don't want me to." He grinned when once again she instantly abolished his fears.
"Stay." She nodded with a sincere smile.
"You aint gotta tell me twice." He returned her warm smile. "Can I use your shower?" She nodded.
"Yeah but you might wanna get some shit for here." She chuckled. "Unless of course, you like smelling like me."
"It's one way to keep the croweaters off." He winked, kissing her on the cheek before heading upstairs to bathe.
Sydney smiled happily as she heard the peaceful hum of the water running upstairs. She'd always enjoyed being alone, never thought that she would like sharing her space with someone so often - that was one of the nice things about Happy being gone so often. But she loved having Tig around to fill the silence, her house didn't feel as cold and empty when he was there, it felt warm - it felt like a home.
She followed him up the stairs not long after - it was late and she was exhausted. She padded into the bedroom, contemplating joining him in the shower - craving some closeness, but she knew that she would get plenty of that once he came to bed, so she crawled under the covers and quickly dozed off.
Tig stumbled out of the bathroom after a much needed hot shower, steam billowed out of the room after him as he rubbed his hands over his face to try and gain his bearings - he was exhausted, and the hot water had only intensified the doziness. He'd managed to change into clean boxers before sauntering over to the bed where Sydney was already sleeping. He smiled lazily before flopping down onto the mattress and heaving a sigh, reaching to turn off the lamp before pulling her into his arms.
"Love you." Sydney mumbled, recognizing the feeling of being pressed against his chest in her barely conscious state.
"Love you too, baby." He pressed a kiss to her forehead but didn't pull away, falling asleep in the comfort of the close proximity.
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Tig was rustled awake the next morning by Sydney pulling herself out of his tight grip. He whimpered, immediately missing the warmth of her body even in his sleep.
"Shhh." She hushed as he began stirring. "Keep sleeping." She whispered, kissing him just below his ear before slipping out of bed, into one of his t-shirts, and down the stairs to start on breakfast.
Tig happily laid half asleep for the next half an hour, completely at peace until he decided that it was time to get up for the day - surely the smell of food had nothing to do with it... He got dressed, brushed his teeth, and sprayed some cologne in an attempt to mask the coconut scent that still lingered on his skin from his shower the night before. He stopped at the landing of the stairs to inhale the heavenly smell of whatever his girlfriend was cooking as he pulled his kutte over his shoulders before continuing his walk down towards the kitchen with a smile on his face. Once he neared the end of the hallway, he came face to face with a beautiful sight that he had seen before; Sydney humming and spinning around while she cooked in one of his shirts and a pair of panties - staying in place as he watched her while absently palming himself over his jeans.
Sydney smiled, knowing that Tig was watching her when the scent of his cologne wafted into the kitchen, overpowering the smell of the food. "Morning." She twirled around with two bowls in hand, bright eyes, and a huge smile on her face which turned from genuine to devious as her eyes fell to where his hand rested on his belt buckle.
"What?" He grinned wolfishly - a glint in his eye as he moved towards her and gripped her waist. "You know how I feel about this view." He turned her around slowly so that he could get a good look at her ass.
She went along with his early morning sex drive, bending right over the table to set the bowls down - moaning for effect. She wasn't surprised when she immediately felt his hands roaming over her ass, using the distraction to her advantage as she hooked one foot behind his, swiftly knocking him off balance and into the chair behind him.
"Eat." She ordered as she landed in his lap, pecking his lips.
Tig chuckled, a little winded from the sneak attack as she moved into her own chair. "You gonna keep slipping vegetables into my diet?" He poked at the green peppers that she'd incorporated into the hearty breakfast scramble. The Redwood Sergeant was not a 'follow the four food groups' type of guy, and he hadn't missed Sydney trying to sneak more green foods under his nose and into his mouth.
"Yep, and you're gonna keep liking it." She deadpanned, taking a bite while scrolling through her phone.
A bashful smile came to his face that he was glad she didn't notice, taking a bite of the food before his eyes rolled back as soon as the taste flooded his mouth.
"Damn." Sydney chuckled as she peered at him through her eyelashes. "I don't even think you look like that when you eat my pussy."
"Pussy's a strong contender but..." He shook his head, shovelling more food in his mouth - veggies included.
Once breakfast was finished, they headed to the clubhouse for church before work. Sydney opted to ride bitch - something that surprised her. Even now that she could freely ride her own bike and was no longer condemned to the bitch bar, she still enjoyed it with Tig. The pair walked into the clubhouse hand in hand, going straight to the chapel and receiving an approving smile from Gemma along the way.
"If you told me that protection was gonna be that fun..." Sydney shook her head at Clay who sat at the head of the table.
"Well I had it in the works but I wasn't sure til I got the call..."
"You know, I coulda made it for both." She raised a brow.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could've." He chuckled at her eagerness. But then who would've given that asshole a proper beatdown?"
She flashed a cocky smile when he said the perfect thing to shut down her argument - feeling a little too smug that the news of her night's events had travelled so quickly.
"Unser aint gonna be stepping down for another six months." Clay announced with a victorious grin once everyone was seated.
Sydney smiled wickedly while everyone hollered at the news that their secret plan to sabotage the protection run had worked, but concern creeped back into her mind when she looked over to see Opie looking less than pleased. Her and Tig shared a quick glance, silently expressing their skeptical feelings about the family man's loyalty.
"Now that we got that forensics unit off our ass - we need to flush those warehouse bones and get rid of any evidence. Bobby, Tig." Clay appointed the task, looking to Sydney to gauge her reaction on being included in the clean up, he knew that her expertise would be useful, but he had a feeling...
"Nope." She scoffed with a shake of her head. She had no issue doing the dirty work - but she wasn't about to spend her day cleaning up their mess in the hot July sun because they had been too stupid not to do so in the first place
"That's what I thought." The President nodded with a chuckle, wrapping up the session so that everyone could get back to work for the day - minus Tig and Bobby who took off towards the warehouse in the van with an arsenal of bleach.
"Hey, I gotta run to the grocery store for the cookout tomorrow - I could use the extra hands." Gemma nodded to Sydney across the office as she removed her glasses once the afternoon rolled around - she'd had enough paperwork for the day.
"Sure." The younger woman obliged with a smile. "I can only imagine what shopping for a meal that size is like..." She chortled, remembering how much of a task it had been shopping solely for the San Bern. crew.
"You got that right." She scoffed. "And the prospect aint much help around a grocery store."
"I got you, Gem." Sydney winked, heading out to the parking lot. The matriarch chuckled happily at her eagerness to help, shutting down the computer and gathering her things to head out for the afternoon.
As soon as Sydney's mule clad feet hit the pavement, she noticed David Hale pulling into the lot - undoubtedly coming to grill them about the delay in his impending status as Chief. Jax and Clay walked side by side, exchanging a glance but choosing to ignore the bothered Deputy as they strolled right past his truck and towards the garage. But Sydney wasn't about to miss out on the interrogation - letting her feet carry her to where her superiors were standing.
"Unser's not retiring…" The blue eyed man began as he exited his vehicle. "What'd you do? Threaten to rape his daughter?" He surmised casually.
Sydney couldn't help but snort at his facetious assumption - even if it wasn't at all facetious - the three light haired degenerates all turning around at the same time with the same amused look on their faces.
"That's a little harsh." Clay smirked.
"It was bind and torture. Give us a little credit, Davy." Sydney mock pouted, making Jax chuckle.
"Maybe the old man's just not ready for the gold watch." Clay shrugged.
"I just got back from that warehouse…" Hale nodded slowly. "There was a testable crime scene before my guys got pulled off - whole thing is contaminated now."
"You should talk to your supervision about that." Jax squinted in the sun, pulling a pack of cigarettes from the front pocket of his TM shirt.
"You guys." Hale scoffed. "Cruise around here like heros, when you and I know the truth."
"And what truth is that?"
"You white trash thugs are holding onto a dying dream." He delivered the painfully ironic statement.
"Same could be said about the white collared ones." Sydney responded with a smug smile.
"That is so poetic, Chief. Oh! I'm sorry, I guess it's just Deputy Chief... Right?" Clay grinned.
"It doesn't matter if I'm Chief or not... You can't stop progress."
Sydney laughed humorlessly. "That's why you're standing here, right? Questioning us about a contaminated scene and a stunt in your career?" She approached the Deputy, getting uncomfortably close. "It seems that progress has already been stopped." She said in a low, raspy tone.
"It won't be long before SAMCRO is just an ugly memory in the history of Charming." Hale responded with a sneer, his attention mainly on Jax and Clay before he turned back to the blonde woman in front of him. "Enjoy the ride, while you still can."
"Enjoying the ride's what I do best." She winked as Hale backed away where he spit on the ground next to the bikes.
Clay and Jax shared a smile, both thoroughly entertained by that Sydney did the tormenting that they couldn't do.
"They did it just in time." The President sighed in relief.
"Yep..." Jax said with a trace of worry in his tone over the close call.
;
Sydney and Gemma headed towards the checkout at the Charming Grocer after an afternoon full of shopping to stock the clubhouse kitchen. Gemma was thrilled to have had a helping hand that knew what she was talking about, and that she actually enjoyed talking to - not like the usual croweaters.
" ? I'm sorry we can't take your cheques anymore... The last two bounced." A voice in the distance caught the attention of the SAMCRO women, turning to see Opie's wife uncomfortably putting back half of the groceries that she'd just found out she couldn't afford.
"That's sad." Sydney genuinely felt for the woman that she knew little about. Regardless of how she felt over Donna's disapproval of the club and her husband's involvement in it, she hated to see someone struggling when they were trying their damndest - and being humiliated for it, nonetheless.
"Yeah... You handle this?" Gemma's question was more of a statement as she pursed her lips, walking over to the till where the younger woman's leftover groceries sat.
Sydney knew that Gemma's gesture was for anything but good faith, it was a power move- and she was living for it. She smirked, allowing Gemma to follow Donna out of the store before leaving the job with the cashier so that she could trail close behind. When she got outside, she saw Gemma holding out the bag of groceries to the fellow old lady who wasn't nearly as grateful as Sydney would've expected a struggling mother to be.
"Opie's out now, we don't need any more charity." She listened to the argument, trying to decide if she admired Donna's dignity and strong will, or found her stubbornness to be disrespectful and stupid.
"It was never charity, Donna - it's what we do. You're family." Gemma held the bag out again.
Instead of accepting, Donna stepped closer, daring to challenge Gemma Teller in the middle of a good deed - even if it was just an act of manipulation. "I have my family back, I don't need yours." She spit at the older woman - making Sydney quickly decide on the latter.
"Look." Gemma set the bag down to the ground after a pause of sheer dumbfoundedness. "I know what you went through. I've been there - with two husbands." Donna scoffed and rolled her eyes.
Sydney couldn't believe the set of balls on this woman, to think that she could openly disrespect the old lady of her husband's President. She clearly didn't understand the life.
"You lose your man, your kids lose their dad, you get pissed off - wanna blame the club. But SAMCRO is not the enemy, it's the glue - the one thing that will always be there to pull you through the ugly shit." Gemma explained gently. "Gotta stop fightin this, Donna... You need us."
Sydney admired Gemma even more in this moment as she showed exactly what a good old lady was made of; a woman who knew how to get her way while simultaneously setting her own feelings aside for the good of the club - a skill that Sydney found herself feeling like she would never be able to do as an old lady. If she had been in Gemma's shoes, she would've kicked the girl to the curb the second that she disrespected her and the club.
"I married Opie, I didn't marry the club." Donna's anger was starting to get the best of her as her voice shook with the threat of tears.
"You married a man in an MC, you knew what you were signing up for." Sydney stepped forward, unable to help herself any longer as she abandoned the idea that she could ever be as diplomatic of an old lady as Gemma was.
Donna scrunched up her face, the anger seething from her as the little tramp leaned up against her vehicle after interrupting the already unwanted conversation. "Who the hell are you?" She spit angrily.
"That seems to be the question of the week." Sydney chuckled. "Sydney Harding." She made no effort to initiate a handshake with the angry woman.
"And what the hell do you think you're doing telling me about my marriage?"
"Just reminding you of the facts, sweetheart." Sydney pushed off of the truck and stood tall next to Gemma.
Donna stood uncomfortably for a few seconds before regaining her composure under the stares of the intimidating women. "Neither of you have any idea what I need." She rolled her shoulders back and turned to get into the truck.
"Donna." Gemma followed after her. "We're having a little family get together tomorrow for the Fourth. You and Ope should come - bring the kids, you might actually have a good time." Donna shook her head incredulously at Gemma's determination, opening her mouth to protest. "Don't say anything else." Gemma held her hand up. "My Martha Stewart's wearin real thin... You know where we live." She had a slight look of smugness on her face as she turned back to Sydney.
"And you might wanna wash out the bed of that truck!" Sydney called after the distressed brunette as she peeled out of the lot.
"I don't even wanna know." Gemma chortled as the pair strolled back into the grocery store.
"I'll spare you the details if you share some of that Martha Stewart with me." Sydney chortled - trying to remain light-hearted even though witnessing the exchange had her seriously questioning what she was getting herself into.
When the two women reached the till where their groceries should've been, they found it to be empty. They both furrowed their brows in confusion before being led outside by the starry-eyed, teenage store clerk that Sydney had allowed to chat her up while she checked out - presenting Gemma's caddy tightly packed with all their purchases.
"Thanks, Daniel. You're a peach." Sydney smiled as she caressed his cheek, figuring she would give the poor kid something for his 'above and beyond' efforts to impress her.
"Looks like you got enough of it on your own." Gemma scoffed with a smirk.
;
Sydney was unable to shake the nagging pit in her stomach for the rest of the day while she sat at her desk, bouncing her knee in anticipation for quitting time to roll around. When 6:00 P.M. finally came she quickly gathered her things and scurried out of the office, leaving a very concerned Gemma in her wake. She scanned the compound for Half-Sack, hoping to avoid Tig - knowing that he would ask questions when he found out that no longer needed a ride home. She knew that it would only come up in the morning or even via phone or house call later that evening, but she would rather buy herself the time to come with an excuse.
"Kip!" She gasped in relief after managing to make it across the lot and into the clubhouse, spotting Half-Sack coming down the hallway. The poor kid looked up, terrified - wondering what he'd done wrong now. "Can you take me home?"
"Yeah." He was relieved that her inquiry was harmless - but he wasn't sure why she was asking him when Tig was just lazing around his dorm. "Tig busy?"
"Yeah. Let's go." She grabbed his arm, yanking him towards the tow truck.
"Jesus christ." He muttered in her grip as she dragged him out the door like a ragdoll.
They drove the short distance to Sydney's house in silence, pulling into her driveway where he placed the vehicle in park. "Thank you." She said quickly before getting out and shuffling to her front door.
Half-Sack sat frozen for a few minutes - he didn't take Sydney to be much of a talker when it came to feelings, but she was his friend, and she was clearly unsettled by something.
Sydney was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with her head in her hands, trying to focus on her breathing and minimize the out of character panic that she was feeling over something so foreign and minuscule. Her head snapped up as she heard a light knocking at her front door which only served to spike her heart rate right back up.
"Syd? Uh, it's me, Kip." She got up quickly and opened the door before he could utter whatever apology he'd rehearsed for disturbing her, returning to her spot on the stairs.
Half-Sack was surprised when she opened the door so quickly, but even more surprised when she didn't say anything before slumped down to the ground. "I'm a good listener, you know... If you want to talk." He awkwardly tried to comfort her.
Sydney smiled genuinely in appreciation for the sweet man. "I just..." She stopped, realizing what she was doing - shaking her head and ridding herself of the moment of weakness. "Don't let the club turn you into an asshole, okay?" She looked at him sincerely before getting to her feet and wrapping her arms around him.
Half-Sack nearly passed out when she brought him in for a hug, coughing a few times to catch his breath. "Did, um… Did Tig do something?" He finally was able to form the words when she pulled away.
"Nah." She smiled half-heartedly. "Shockingly." She added in an attempt to lighten the situation. "Um, could you keep this between us though?" She decided that was the most vulnerability that she was willing to show for now.
The compassionate man smiled and nodded eagerly - excited that he was being entrusted with a secret from the mysterious blonde. He took his leave, heading back to the clubhouse with a smile - wishing that all of his errands could be like that one.
Sydney could feel the panic attack taking shape once she was left alone - the anger over her inability to control her emotions making it even worse. She stomped into the guest bathroom down the hall and splashed some cold water on her face, continuing to try and control her breathing that was only getting more laboured by the second as the very real possibility that she would actually have to talk this out began to hit her. The girl wasn't a stonewall - she had talked to her dad about everything, but now that he was gone she was starting to realize just how small the group of people that she trusted with her emotions was, and how much harder of a time she was having opening up. She finally gave in, calling the one person that she had left.
Happy pulled his vibrating phone from his pocket as he sat on his bike at the gas station just outside of Charming borders, his brows furrowing when he saw it was Sydney calling. Phone calls from her weren't unusual, but he had just spoken to Clay and there was nothing going on tonight - meaning that the call was personal.
"Are you back from Tacoma?" Sydney asked the second that the phone stopped ringing, giving him no time to greet her - not that he would have.
"Just got in."
"Can we go for a ride?"
"Been riding all day." Happy grunted, he had spent the entire day under the blistering summer sun - all he was interested in was a shower, a good meal, and a warm body for the night.
"Please." She kept the conversation short, hoping the finality in her tone would be enough for him to know that she needed him.
"What happened?" He felt his heart rate pick up as the concern for her overtook him.
"I'll see you soon." She hung up with a playful tone, knowing that she'd succeeded - leaving the Tacoma Killer rolling his eyes and taking off towards her house.
;
When Half-Sack arrived back at TM with the tow truck, he was surprised to see Gemma summoning him into the office. "Hi Gem." He tried to act casual, leaning against the doorway.
"What's wrong with Sydney?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't be getting fresh with me, prospect. Either cut the shit, or get better at piling it on."
Half-Sack gulped - the woman was all business and was just as scary as her old man. "She wouldn't tell me but she's real uncomfortable about somethin, she asked me to keep it between us so... If you could like, you know, not tell her I told you..."
Gemma pursed her lips, deciding to accept the answer for now. "Thank you, Eddie." She dismissed him with an approving smile, hastily getting up and going on a search for Tig the second that the younger man was gone. She stomped through the clubhouse until she reached his dorm, rapping on the wood obnoxiously - not stopping until the door flew open.
"What?" He groaned, stepping out of the way to let the matriarch into his dorm.
"What'd you do to piss off Sydney?"
"What do you mean?" He crinkled his brows. His tone had more concern than frustration, which Gemma knew wouldn't have been the case if he actually had done something.
"I don't know!" Tig had been napping after the physically demanding job of defiling the warehouse rubble and hadn't realized that it had been so late or that Sydney had even left - now wondering why she hadn't come to him for a ride home. "I'm sure she's fine, Gem - off plotting some shit like usual." He tried to be rational. He hadn't seen her since this morning, so there was surely nothing that he could've done to piss her off while he was sleeping... Right?
"Guess we'll find out." Gemma scoffed, unhappy with the result of her interrogation as it seemed that the little blonde was just as good at keeping secrets as she was.
;
Sydney opened her garage and fired up her Ninja as soon as she heard Happy pulling up outside, rolling down the driveway and taking off without a word - letting him know that they would be talking after she took out some of her frustrations on the open road. Happy shook his head but followed contently - it's not like talking was his strong suit anyways.
After forty-five minutes of speeding down the highway into the sunset, Sydney veered off the road as they approached an ice cream parlour that overlooked the San Joaquin River. She took off her helmet and shook out her hair before taking a deep breath of clean, crisp air - grateful for wonders that the ride had done for the panic that she had been feeling, now that panic was pure adrenaline.
Happy snorted into the wind, of course she was stopping for ice cream. He followed her lead - taking off his helmet and sunglasses before following her into the tiny shop where she said nothing as she scanned the limited selection. He was surprised to find himself growing more and more impatient with her silence - wishing that she was just a little less like him.
The pair ordered their treats and approached the till to pay where Sydney looked up at Happy with that damn grin on her face. "I aint paying." He shook his head.
"Yes you are." She nodded.
"The fuck I am." He scoffed with a scowl and an upturned lip.
"Sir, is there a problem?" The judgmental cashier looked at the biker, unimpressed.
"Keep the change." He grunted as he looked between Sydney and the overweight woman behind the counter before slamming down a ten dollar bill in frustration when Sydney had used the blindside to get the one up on him - she'd always made fun of him for being cheap, trying to saddle him with the bill whenever possible. "Sneaky bitch." He chuckled as he followed her outside while she led them to a picnic table closest to the edge of the cliff. "Anything even wrong?" He wondered if it had just been a ploy to dupe him all along.
"Come on, Hap… I'm not that mean." She smirked, but her smug smile quickly faded as he raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Scratch that." She chuckled, he was right - she was that mean.
"Tell me what happened." Happy gathered a spoonful of his maple walnut ice cream from the plastic dish in his hand - he always opted out of the expensive cone experience.
"I don't know if I'm good enough for here." She replied with an honest sigh.
Happy's face contorted. "The hell's this comin from?" He had no idea what on earth could've possibly possessed Sydney to allow those words to leave her mouth.
"I know that I'm good enough for SAMCRO... But I don't know if I'm good enough for what SAMCRO would mean for me..." She trailed off, hoping that he would catch her drift so that she didn't have to say it.
"Don't think you'll be a good old lady?" He surmised exactly like she'd hoped. She was glad that he could be blunt when she didn't want to be - she didn't have to say what was on her mind if he could do it for her.
"I know the life, but I think maybe I know it too much... I'm too close, I can't be just an old lady." She tried to find the right way to say that she thought she was too invested to be able to follow the rules of a member and an old lady.
"You won't be." He shook his head.
She couldn't help but smile at how fiercely he believed in her. "I just don't know how to put shit aside and let people in if I don't think they're good for the club... And what if that's bad for the club?"
Happy chuckled as he listened to the rarely heard, womanly voice that still existed inside of her head - the womanly voice that over-complicated anything that it was presented with.
"Hap it isn't funny!" She whined, kicking him under the table.
"You're overthinking it." She shook his head.
"I just don't think I can ever be for them what Gemma is..."
"Gemma's just an old lady. You aint just an old lady." He told her simply as he devoured the rest of his ice cream. "You never wanted to be the queen, you always wanted to be the king, don't let this shit with Tig change that." He reminded her.
She nodded, putting her head down on the table. "I have no fucking idea how to handle this." She exhaled dramatically.
"You'll learn, like everything else." He nodded confidently. "It makes sense... You got a new relationship, new home, new family, lost your old man... The weight of that shit's gotta go somewhere, it's your job to make sure it goes to the right place."
Sydney grinned, lifting her head from where it was buried in her arms. "Did anyone ever tell ya that you sound like Dr. Phil?"
"Enough." Happy shook his head, not allowing himself to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he was glad that she was acting like her normal self after what could've been a much tougher conversation than it had been.
"You look like him too..." She avoided his black eyes, smiling into her ice cream. "Why didn't you ever make me date so I could work this shit out while I was young?" She rolled her eyes playfully.
"Have I ever been able to get you to do shit you didn't wanna do?"
"Fair point." She shrugged with a smirk.
The pair raced back to Charming in the last bit of sunlight with Sydney feeling light as a feather after the weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, thanks to Happy.
"Thank you, Hap." She wrapped her arms around his neck where he sat on his bike outside her house.
"Te amo." He rasped, holding her tight.
"Te amo." She whispered back, emotion heavy on her face. It wasn't often that Happy was affectionate - but when he was, it always got her. She knew how hard it was for the Tacoma Killer to let anyone in, so it was never lost on her what a privilege it was.
;
Sydney spent the night tossing and turning without the comfort of Tig's arms. He hadn't called or stopped by so she assumed that she'd successfully flown under the radar, but she still missed him sleeping next to her. After what felt like hours of trying to fall asleep, she rolled over with an exasperated sigh and grabbed her phone, not caring for the inconvenient hour.
Tig had been having a restless night of his own after being woken by nightmares of doubt - the nightmares that Sydney had chased away the past few weeks - that he was almost relieved when his phone began ringing, even though he knew that a 3:43 A.M. phone call rarely ever meant anything good.
And he was right as the hope for a temporary distraction only turned to dread when he saw who was calling. "Got used to me huh?" He answered smugly in an attempt to play off his discomfort.
"I could say the same with how quickly you answered the phone." Sydney scoffed with a smirk on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah... You got me there." The drop in his tone rather than the usual playful banter Sydney was used to did nothing to make her feel better - realizing that she had most definitely not succeeded in flying under the radar like she'd previously thought, no matter how much she wanted to be able to tell herself that he was just tired because it was late. "Can't sleep?"
"Nah, turns out I like my bed being taken over..." She attempted to keep her tone light even though her face was void of any happiness as she felt the pit returning to her stomach.
"You can come sleep here if you want." He offered in the least committal way possible, not wanting to set himself up for the possible disappointment.
"Nah, it's fine. Just wanted to hear your voice."
"Okay." Tig chewed the inside of his cheek, not expecting that he would've actually had to use the defense mechanism that he'd put in place in case she rejected his offer. "You workin at TM tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I'll see you there." Her tone only grew more and more distant.
"Alright, if you need any help gettin to sleep, just think about sheep jumpin over Harleys." She laughed at his joke but couldn't force any more words out of her mouth. He could tell that there was definitely something wrong by the awkwardness of the conversation - something that had never happened before between them. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah." Sydney hung up, falling back onto the mattress. She hated herself for having been so weak and giving in to her urges just for it to have made the situation worse. She closed her eyes, repeating Happy's words in her head over and over again until she finally drifted off.
Tig punched his nightstand when he heard the line go dead, cursing himself for not being better with words - wondering why the fuck he couldn't bring himself to ask what was wrong, even though he already knew why he couldn't; because he didn't want to hear the answer. He didn't want to hear her explain that she wasn't thinking clearly when she'd decided that she wanted to be with him, that it was fun while it lasted but she needed someone younger and more stable - someone who could provide for her and give her the life that she deserved.
He dragged himself out of the clubhouse and slumped over his bike in defeat, he knew that it had been too good to be true. He smoked a couple of cigarettes before pushing off of the pavement and heading out for a ride, he knew that he wouldn't be sleeping tonight and his thoughts were gentler to him on the road than they were in a dark room by himself.
;
Sydney woke up for work a few hours later feeling anything but rested. She could only hope that she would see Tig and all of her self doubt would melt away. She knew that she was overthinking it - but she didn't know how to stop, and the foreign feelings of insecurity were only making her feel worse about the situation.
She managed to get herself done up for the day's Fourth of July celebration in a red tank top, distressed light-wash denim shorts, and white converse - topping the look off with red heart shaped sunglasses, red lipstick, and a red bandana which held her hair in the tousled updo. She smiled at her reflection as she stood in the mirror, reminding herself exactly who the fuck she was. She didn't need to be a perfect old lady - she was going to be exactly what she was meant to be: a Son.
;
Mr. Trager aint the only one with communication issues... And the meddling Gemma that we all know and love aint helping the situation :/
Songs for this chapter
Bad at Love - Halsey
BACK IN MY BAG - Aaron Cole