I deleted this chapter and I am reposting it. It was brought to my attention there was some sort of coding error. I usually copy and paste my chapters into the doc manager, and I am attempting to inport this one.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and private messaged me. I am doing much better these days.

I have been working frantically to get chapters done before I go back to work/school and have a few done but not edited. I have found it weird writing this story again. In 2013 I had ideas about what the 2020's would look like, technology, sustainability, and the like. But not a whole hell of a lot has changed.

Also, I am struggling with wanting to show the sweet everyday family moments between the main characters and also wanting to progress the story. So please don't think that every moment of Gabby's like is drama on top of drama. She sleeps at night, gets her kids up and dressed in the morning, does her job, and comes home and cook's dinner and has time with her family. But like a face passed movie, there just isn't enough time to show all of that!

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit from 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.

I no longer have a beta, so all mistakes are my own.

2022

Age 30

Happy and Casper sat quietly sipping coffee in the clubhouse, having just informed the others of last nights events with Charlene and Ryan.

"As much as I want to say we don't need more shit stirred up right now, I gotta say you did the right thing." Vin spoke after a few moments of silence.

"Has Gabby reached out to Charlene yet?" Asked Shark.

"She tried a dozen times between last night and this morning. Everything went unanswered." Casper answered.

"All right men," Frankie clapped his hands. "All is said and done, let's hope Charlene appreciates it and keep our heads down. It's time for work."

The men begrudgingly got up from their chairs to start the day.

"We got company." Tom Tom called out as police cars pulled into view of the security cameras.

"Well that doesn't bode well." Bull whispered. "Wonder who we're gonna lose today."

"Thanks Bull." Vin mumbled sarcastically but inside his stomach turned. The club couldn't afford to lose anyone else, and the amount of cop cars outside screamed arrest.

"Let's go out and great them before they bust through the door, shall we?" Vin led the way out of the clubhouse, hands visible, and stopped a good 10 feet away from the nearest officer.

"It's a peaceful morning officers, I'd like to keep it that way. What can I do for you?"

"Vin," Hammond, thankfully, stepped up and answered first. "We have arrest warrants for Happy Loman and James Russo."

Casper cringed. Last night had been a spur of the moment decision. Mostly on Happy's end. He had a feeling Ryan or Charlene would end up pressing charges in the end.

"What charges Hammond?" Asked Happy.

"The murder of Ryan Schultz."

"The murder!?" Casper exclaimed automatically. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"There's more than one way we can do this Casper I suggest you come with us calmly and have someone call you a lawyer."

Casper looked at Happy exasperated. He knew they had left Ryan alive. He had been mumbling incoherently, clutching his head as they walked out the door. Had Charlene arrived home and seen her chance to finish him off? That seemed more than outlandish. But Ryan HAD been alive when they left the house last night.

Happy and Casper silently put their hands out in front of them to be cuffed and Frankie pulled out his phone. Vin gave Happy a pat on the back as he was led away.

"I guess I'll go call Gabby." Shark pulled out his phone as well, stunned.

Gabby must have called and texted Charlene 50 times between her leaving the house last night and now. Shark's phone call had only made her mor frantic. Her mind was spinning and she had already made herself sick.

She had left Matthew in daycare as she sped to the clubhouse and was just now pulling in. There wasn't a soul on the lot which meant they were all inside discussing what had happened. Gabby took a moment to sit in her car and try to calm down. She couldn't keep herself from rushing here but realistically there was nothing to discuss until the lawyer showed up.

She made her way into the clubhouse quietly and slowly, eyeing the bar wistfully. If only she could have a drink to help calm her down. She sat down heavily on one of the couches, the heavy sound proof doors to the chapel closed. She rubbed her hands together until she couldn't stand it any longer and checked the notifications on her phone. She knew the lawyer could take hours to get back to the clubhouse but she wanted to be there all the same.

After an hour or so the men filtered out and took up posts around the room, Shark and Vin sitting on either side of Gabby. The clubhouse was so quiet that when Tom Tom announced a car was pulling up several of the men jumped or flinched.

Sieben slowly made his way into the clubhouse and stood in front of the men. "First degree murder." Was all he said.

Gabby squeezed her eyes closed and balled her hands into fists.

"There's a chance for a plea, but you're not going to like it." Sieben cleared his throat and waited but he was simply stared at by the men. "Happy told me he would take full responsibility. Get Casper down to whatever lesser charge I can manage."

Gabby ran her hands down her face and nodded her head. Of course her father would do that.

"Charlene got home last night and found Ryan not breathing." Sieben continued. "She called 911 and he was pronounced dead at the scene."

"No way." Vin stood up. "Happy told us what happened, they didn't kill him. He was alive when they left."

"Ryan died of a brain aneurism. The ME assured the police it was dislodged and bled into the brain due to blunt force trauma."

"A brain aneurism is a pre existing condition. They couldn't possibly have known. That has to get the charges down to manslaughter." Shark justified.

"I don't know what the prosecution is planning but I can tell you this. Charlene told the cops she went to your house after an argument and Casper and Happy left. With another neighbor witnessing both bikes showing up in the driveway in the right timeframe she gave it was enough for the arrest."

"No way that neighbor knew who showed up." Frankie defended.

"There was a lot of blood splatter at the scene. It is still being tested. But both men have records, and with the reputation of the club, the DA wasn't going to sit on this."

The room was once again silent. Gabby wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. "Assuming worse case scenario, how many years are they looking at?" She asked quietly.

"Gabby…worse case scenario…California still has the death penalty." Gabby went pale and Sieben quickly continued. "But it hasn't been used in 16 years. The men are more likely to get 25 to life. Second degree murder is 15 years to life. Voluntary manslaughter is up to 11 years."

Gabby nodded her head and leaned back into the couch clutching her stomach. Her barely pregnant stomach. "And with good behavior?" She thought of her husband, she knew Happy wouldn't do well behind bars.

"Happy has 2 strikes against him. The DA will go for life. Casper has 1 strike, nonviolent. If he behaves, depending on his sentence, anywhere from 5 years to 20 years."

Gabby leaned forward once again and covered her face with her hands. She always knew prison time would some for her husband sooner or later. But she had convinced herself he was too smart to get a major charge against him. Her father, on the other hand, had once told her he would be gunned down or die in prison. She had dismissed him; he had calmed down so much in his later years.

Vin rubbed a hand down Gabby's arm. "Thank you Sieben, let us know when they can have visitors."

"Yes, of course. I'll keep you updated."

"Gabs?" Shark asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"This isn't happening." Gabby whispered into her hands.

"This is all on Charlene. We could get her to recant her statement." Bull offered.

"Bull." Frankie warned him off and eyed Vin.

"We don't threaten women." Vin added.

"No." Gabby stood up suddenly. "You protect them and you stand up for them and defend them. And that's why this fucking happened in the first place." Gabby kicked a chair out of her way and stormed out of the clubhouse.

Shark got up to follow. "Gabby?" He asked hesitantly once he reached her. She was leaning against her vehicle. She was furiously wiping tears off her face when she looked at him.

"This is all my fault." Gabby whispered.

"No, no it is not."

"She's my friend Shark. My best friend. And now she's the reason my husband and my father are locked up. Do you have any idea how old Matthew will be by the time they get out. How old this baby will be? God." Gabby wrapped her arms around her stomach and bent forward slightly.

"Gabby, this is not your fault. Happy and Casper did this. Charlene is pressing charges. Your name does not come up in either of those sentences. Not anywhere." Shark assured her.

"Happy and Casper did this." Gabby repeated with a sniff. "They killed someone."

"On accident." Shark added.

"How the hell am I going to tell the kids?" Gabby looked back up at Shark for an answer.

"I don't know, but you don't have to do it alone, okay?" Shark pulled her into a hug.

"I hate to bring it up, but we didn't have 2 guys to lose. We're small enough now as it is. We need to think about reaching out to some brothers, get some man power down here." Frankie spoke up to the half empty table.

"I know." Vin nodded his head, still in his VP chair after more than a month of Lenard being locked up. He looked around the table. Empty presidents chair. Empty sergeants chair. Casper's chair empty. Another empty from the loss of Chris where Happy used to sit. Shark was gone with Gabby, no one blamed him for not wanting to leave her alone to tell her kids what had happened.

"I know of one brother who would come here." Tom Tom raised his eyebrows as he spoke.

Vin ran a hand down his face. "Call SAMCRO. Let them know, get a call into Quinn too. See if he can spare us a Nomad."

"Yes sir." Tom Tom mocked saluted and walked out of chapel.

"Bull, get Tony and get some work done today. We're gonna need more money for Sieben." Vin directed. Bull nodded and got up and left chapel as well.

Vin and Frankie, VP and secretary were left in the sound proof room. "You really think Tig is a good solution to this situation?" Frankie asked.

"Jax will want to know what's going on. Tig, he'll insist. He doesn't want to make any situation worse. I'm pretty sure they're on good terms right now anyway." Vin headed out of the chapel and Frankie followed him.

"I don't know what to even make a priority right now." Frankie shook his head.

"X is in witpro, we can't get to him, we can't get anyone to discredit him without confessing to Deus' murder. We aren't going to go lean on Charlene to drop the charges. Her boyfriend is dead. Even if she didn't testify, the state would still take the case to prosecute."

"This charter is dropping like flies. We're falling apart Vin. Harry doesn't even show up to chapel anymore." Frankie ran a hand over his head. "I know we were waiting for Lenard's trial before we voted, but with Hap gone too, that's half our officers."

"We're getting them out. All of them." Vin knew his declaration held no weight.

Gabby laid Kristen down on the couch and walked away, rubbing her lower back. She had sobbed herself to sleep after being told both her father, AND her grandpa were going to be gone for 'a while' as Gabby had put it. Add to that she couldn't tell her daughter when she could talk to or see either one of them. Shark got up from the recliner and set sleeping Matthew down there instead. He hadn't really understood what he had been told. But he had started crying when Kristen started wailing.

Shark followed Gabby to the kitchen table and sat next to her. "We're gonna get them out Gabby. I won't rest until-"

"Don't. Don't make promises. Damn it Shark, they killed a man. All the shit I KNOW my dad has done for this club and that DIRTBAG is the one he's going away for. That….tax paying, non-outlaw, non-drug dealer, not in the life dirtbag. They're guilty. Murder, manslaughter, it doesn't matter. Why doesn't matter. They killed him."

"We can plead down, with good behavior they could be out in 5 years, maybe 10."

"We both heard what the lawyer said. Don't patronize me, not now."

"Okay, this is bad. This is really bad. At a bad time. But we have options. We've got the best criminal lawyer in the state working on this. He will get them as little time as possible."

"Right. Shark, I'm sorry, I just need you to go. The kids are gonna sleep for an hour and I just need to….to be alone."

"I'm sorry Gabby." Shark squeezed her hand as he stood up.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't cause any of this." Gabby reached for the door as she spoke and closed it silently behind Shark's back.

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