Thanks to my wonderful beta EmeraldJewelSparkle. That girl saves my life a lot.
On a slightly related note, why do I plan so many action sequences? I hate writing them and I for one always think they suck. I need to start sticking to nice calm boring scenes. I rock at those.
Also, I finally give you the big hash out between Casper and Gabby. Most of you are on Casper's side for this one, but perhaps this glimpse into Gabby's psyche will at least clue you in to why she's been acting a tad insane.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.
Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.
Age 30
2022
Casper made his way up to his family's dorm room. He had fucked up. He had fucked up in front of his brothers. His president had literally ordered him to come up here and apologize, fucking humiliating. The only good thing about what happened was that Happy hadn't been in the room to witness it. Tig had, but hopefully he felt he was on thin enough ice not to bring it up.
He knocked on the door expecting it to be locked and got no answer. He tried the doorknob just in case and found it unlocked. Why did he always expect his wife to be more immature than she actually was? He shook that fact off and opened the door.
"Love?" He called into the room as he entered and closed the door behind him.
Gabby looked up from collecting dirty laundry. "Here to insult my housekeeping skills as well as my parenting techniques?" She didn't say it to start an argument. Casper swallowed back a sarcastic response when he saw the tears in her eyes.
She dropped the laundry basket at his silence and stepped towards him. "You got your brothers guarding the door so I can't run away this time?"
Casper shook his head, but it would have been a damn good idea. She scoffed at his continued silence but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He didn't want to say anything that would make this worse.
"Say something, come on, let's just hash this out. I just blatantly disrespected you, in your clubhouse, in front of all of your brothers. What do I get for that? A good slap? Something that will end in a nice bruise so all of your brothers know you came up here and took care of business?"
"God, no!" Casper broke his silence and walked forward to Gabby.
"If it weren't for the lockdown I'd expect you to drag me out of here by my hair."
"I'm not gonna hurt you. I didn't come up here to get even with you. I disrespected you, you disrespected me. I came up here to figure shit out. I don't want to fight anymore!"
Gabby shook her head and turned her back to him. "I don't even know what the fuck we're fighting over." She sat down on the bed and rested her head in her hands. Casper walked around to face her and knelt down in front of her.
"I love you Gabby." Casper assured her.
"I wasn't doubting that." She dropped her hands to look at him.
Casper nodded and stood back up with a sigh.
"Can't we both just say we're sorry and pretend everything is okay until it really is?" Gabby pleaded, looking up at him from her spot on the bed.
"No Gabby." Casper ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus, I don't even know what to say here."
"I'm good with that."
Casper scoffed. "Isn't that what got us into this mess?"
"That's why you're so mad? Because I won't talk to you? Casper how many times…"
"No Gabby. I'm mad that you'll talk to everybody else BUT me!" Casper snapped.
"Right, because you own me, right?" Gabby stood up and walked toward her husband.
"I never said I owned you." Casper clarified.
"Look, I don't know what exactly you think I'm saying to everyone else, but you're wrong. I haven't told anyone what's going on."
"So tell me, Gabby!" Casper grabbed his wife's hands. "Right now; just tell me what's going on. Tell me so I know and I can try and help you."
Gabby shook her head and pulled her hands out of his. "Jesus Casper. That's what I keep saying, you can't help."
"Don't tell me I can't help. Let me at least try. Tell me what's wrong. We can talk about it, decide what to do about it, where to go from here."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Where do you think we're going from here? How many ways do you see this ending?" Gabby sounded sick to her stomach just asking.
"Well how do you see this ending?" Casper asked desperately. "My wife won't talk to me."
"I'm talking to you right fucking now! You make it sound like I got a fucking restraining order on you, packed up the kids, and went on the run. I'm right here Casper, right here talking to you. Yesterday we were fine. We were talking about going on vacation, about having another baby. And now all of a sudden you don't know what's going to happen to us? Is that really how much faith you have in me? In our relationship? Our fucking marriage?"
"How much faith do I have? Are you fucking kidding me? You don't trust me enough to let me help you!"
"That Casper, that right there. I keep telling you over and over again, you Can't help me!"
"You don't know that!"
"Yes I do! You can't help me. No one can help me. Nothing anyone can say will make what's in my head go away."
"Okay, fine, I can't make it go away. But Jesus Gabby! It's like you're keeping this huge fucking secret from me! I hate it. I can't stand it. I can't keep living like this. Just fucking tell me!"
"Fine." Gabby gave in, her voice cracking. "Why did my mother kill herself? She didn't leave a note. Was it an accident? Was it on purpose? Why did she wait so long to do it? Did she wait till I turned 18 on purpose? Was that her one bit of kindness, keeping me out of foster care? Did she do it because I turned 18, because she knew I would leave and her one little permanent attachment to the club would be severed?
"She knew I would be the one to find her. She planned that at least, if it all was on purpose. And what's the difference between overdosing on accident and doing it on purpose? Either way she's the one that put the fucking needle in her arm.
"If she hated me so much and I ruined her life why did she even keep me? Why not give me up for adoption or leave me at the clubhouse and drive off into the sunset.
"How long did she hold out that Tig would come along and make us a family? How long did she wait for Happy to give in and marry her so he could be my parent full time? At what point, if ever, did I stop being a pawn in her games and start being her daughter?
"Did she love me? Ever, at any point did my mother love me? Is the fact that she kept me proof that she loved me?
"Why do I even care so much? I hate her for what she did to me. But I love her because she's my mom. And I'm fucking terrified that I'm going to turn into her someday. And I don't know who she is. How much of her do I have in me? How much of what my mother did to me was the drugs and how much of it was her? She wasn't always high when she beat me. How much of what she did am I really capable of?
"Answer me Casper! Answer my questions. You're just dying to help me aren't you? But you can't. You never met her. You can't answer me, you can't help me. Talking about it, saying it out loud just makes me sound even more insane than I already think I am."
"Gabby…" Casper dared to speak when she finally went silent.
"No." She stepped away from him.
"Please…love."
"No." She backed up to the door. "It's said, it's out there, no more big secret. I'm done." She said through tears and escaped through the door.
Vin sat and watched the movement in the clubhouse. Tig was entertaining the girls, Lenard was sitting with Mathew sound asleep on his chest. It was a wonder in four marriages the man had never had children of his own. Happy was pacing at the bottom of the stairs, had been since he walked in and saw the looks on the guys faces and his daughter and son in law missing. Gabby and Casper had just reached an audible volume, though the words were all mumbled up by the floor boards.
Bull was sweet talking Tabby into a shoulder rub, Tony was flirting with Kaye nearby. Tom Tom and Juice were on the computers, though the sounds coming from the corner made Vin think they were playing games, not working. Harry and Frankie were at the bar discussing the hang arounds that had left today. Shark was having a one sided conversation with Evan; both were glancing at the stairs. Shark surely wanted to be where Happy was, Evan wanted to be back up in the dorms, but wouldn't dare cross Happy's path.
The clubhouse door opened and Becky and Vivica stepped in. Vin got up from his perch and walked toward them. Vivica had been playing a very good game of hide and go seek. Except everyone knew better than to seek her out.
"Hey Viv." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled at Becky. "You pretty ladies eat yet?"
"Easy big guy." Vivica teased. "How about buying me a drink first?"
"Not a problem." He led her to the bar and tapped it to get Lance's attention. "Red wine for the lady."
"We have wine?" Lance asked in a loud whisper.
Vivica smiled and pointed to the mini fridge at the end of the bar. She turned around at the sound of a door slamming upstairs.
"What's going on up there?" She asked Vin as Gabby came running down the stairs, the sound of her husband's steps not far behind.
"Gabby." Happy reached out for her but she maneuvered around him and headed for the door.
"Gabs?" Becky ran up next to her and grabbed her arm.
"I just need air." Gabby said with a gasp as she reached for the door.
It burst open before she got a chance. "POLICE! EVERYONE ON THE GROUND!" The first man in announced as a SWAT team came through the door. The second man through grabbed Gabby by the neck and pinned her against the wall. Becky stumbled back to the wall with her hands in the air.
"What the hell is this?" Vin yelled pushing Vivica behind him.
The men all rose, hands in the air. The sweet butts had hit the floor; most of the hang arounds did the same.
"Mommy!" Suzie and Kristen both started to scream as Mathew woke up in Lenard's arms and started crying.
"EVERYONE ON THE GROUND!" The police continued to scream into the crowd.
Tig grabbed both girls and sat them on the ground, staying down with them, hands in the air.
Three men with guns searched the room and zeroed in on Lenard, aiming their weapons at him.
"Hey!" Shark stepped in front of Lenard. "No guns, you don't need guns we ain't doing shit!"
The SWAT team took over the room, guns pointed in every direction, at the patches as well as the hang arounds.
"HEY!" Hammond, along with two other officers came into the room once it had been secured. "Guns down! Put the guns down!" He ordered his men. "YOU!" He pointed at Evan, hands up on the couch. "Take the kids upstairs."
Evan nodded and scrambled up off the couch. He grabbed Mathew who was kicking and screaming. Tig stood up and lifted the girls onto their feet. "Go. Go upstairs." He ushered the girls on. Suzie and Kristen ran up the stairs, Evan followed them without a second look at the cops.
Simms stepped in front of Hammond and nodded to the two other officers. "Lenard Vasco, you're under arrest for the murder of Christopher Locks."
The officers pulled cuffs and manhandled Lenard's hands behind his back.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" He shouted.
"You have the right to remain silent."
"This is bullshit." Lenard yelled as the cuffs went on.
"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney…"
"This is bullshit." Lenard said more calmly. "I didn't do this shit."
"One will be provided for you. Do you understand your rights as they have been explained to you?" Simms continued to read Lenard his rights.
"I didn't do this, You're wasting your time."
"Do you understand your rights as they have been explained to you?" Simms repeated as the other officers walked Lenard through the clubhouse.
"I understand." Lenard growled.
"I'll call Sieben Lenard!" Frankie yelled to him as he passed by.
"Let 'em up. Clear out!" Hammond yelled as soon as Lenard was out of the building.
The SWAT team quickly cleared out of the room. The men immediately leapt up as they did so. Gabby and Becky ran full speed up the stairs after their children as soon as they were let go.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" Vin yelled at Hammond.
"I'm sorry Vin." Hammond offered and walked out of the clubhouse.
Vin looked around the room. The men were all staring at him. He zeroed in on Vivica.
"Viv…"
"Lenard didn't kill my husband." Vivica stated and bit her lip. She shook her head when Frankie stepped up to her. Frankie nodded and Vivica slowly made her way up the stairs to help calm the children.
"CHURCH!" Vin yelled with a growl and took off for the chapel.
Thanks for reading.