aravenamongcrows on Tumblr! (ask and submissions are open!) I have made both Apple Music and Spotify versions of the playlists for the story! You can find the links on the Masterlist :)

General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death.

CHAPTER 65: DOWN THE DRAIN

;

"Cars are still out front…" Jax commented wearily as he eyed Stahl's silver Volvo which was parked next to Hale's wagon from where he, Unser, and Opie sat in the van across the lot.

"Dispatch is in a separate office. We get to the cells through the back door - she won't hear us." The Chief assured him.

Jax nodded, turning to be sure that Opie was on board when he didn't hear him say anything, but instead of feeling reassurance when he saw his friend, what he felt was dread. His worried blue eyes cascaded over the same sight that he'd seen the day that they had killed Hefner: Opie with his head down in contemplation of what he was about to do.

"Ope?" He tried to snap him out of it, knowing now more than ever how dangerous it was to have Opie unfocused. "You here, man?" He asked firmly, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice when Opie couldn't even handle the non-violent job that he had pulled strings to get him on.

"Yeah." Opie decided, pulling his head from his thoughts and trying to put it back into the game where it belonged.

"That's our cue." Unser nodded as the final squad car pulled out of the lot with its sirens blaring.

"Stay here." Jax ordered Opie.

"I thought you wanted me to-"

"Just keep your eyes open dude." Jax scoffed as he exited the driver's side. He wished that he could feel relief over Opie's reluctance - that he could believe that it was because he was coming to terms with the fact that the club wasn't for him, but the human part of him that thought wishfully was slowly fading into the background as he stepped into his role as VP, and the VP could see clear as day that the only thing that would ever be able to pull Opie away from the club was death, and death would come to him quickly if he continued to try and live half in, half out. It had been Jax's job as a friend to try and pull him away, but that hadn't worked - now it was his job as VP to keep him close.

;

Cherry stood in the middle of her cell, pacing back and forth as the anxiety consumed her. She had no idea what she was going to do. All she knew was that she had to get out of here. She couldn't go to jail…

That was when she heard it; the unmistakable sound of a key in the lock, turning to see Jax holding his finger to his lips as he looked around for any stray guards or other prisoners that may give him away. She ran to the front of her cell, gripping the cool bars as she tried to wake herself up from what she knew must've been a dream.

"Holy shit…" She muttered when she realized that it was real; that he was actually here to break her out.

"What are you doing here?" Luann exclaimed as she awoke to the sound of the gate rattling, her green eyes landing on Jax as a scowl came to her face.

"We think the feds are pressing Otto." He walked up to her cell, trying to convey as much seriousness to the older woman as he could.

"Something is going on…" Luann nodded as she put it together. "They're letting me see him tomorrow."

"You gotta get a message to him, Luann." Jax breathed a sigh of relief as his veins started pumping with adrenaline. They were actually going to pull this off. "They're trying to use the RICO Act against the club. You gotta tell Otto that he can't give them any info, okay? Nothing. No matter how small or old."

"Shit… Okay." She nodded shakily, realizing that the fate of the entire club was now resting on her ability to pull this off.

"I trust you." Jax nodded softly, hoping to calm her down.

"I'll tell him." She nodded with determination.

"Alright." Jax nodded, pulling away and heading back towards the gateway where he had entered.

Cherry felt panic filling her chest once again, forcing a pained cry out of her throat as she felt herself being suffocated. "Jax." She croaked, shaking her hands as he approached her cell. "You gotta get me outta here." She begged desperately.

"What are they asking you?"

"Take me with you man, please."

"I can't." He scowled.

"That bitch wants to send me back to Nevada." She started sobbing. "I'm gonna do hard time - like a hundred goddamn years. I can't do that." She shook her head rapidly. "Your mom's right! If I stay in here, I'll rat! Come on, please take me with you! Please!"

"Alright, shut up." Jax snarled, shoving the key into the lock on her cell, yanking the door open and grabbing her arm as she thanked him profusely. "You gonna be okay?" He asked Luann before they left, glad to see her nodding eagerly.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Unser began whisper-yelling from where he stood in the hallway as Jax approached with Cherry in tow, looking between them with wide eyes. "Where the hell are you going with her?"

"Whole point of this was to get rid of a rat." Jax answered bitterly as he locked up the gate. "Hap's coming up tomorrow to smuggle Cameron back to Ireland, he can take this one with him." He nodded to the persistent little brunette.

"Hey… Aren't you the Chief of police?" Cherry scowled as she looked over the old man.

"I got no idea what the fuck I am anymore." Unser sighed.

"He's a friend." Jax assured her before she went ratting about this too. "Put her in the van, I'm gonna check your office and see what I can find." He nodded to Unser before taking off.

"Uh…" Unser looked around awkwardly. "Come on little girl… Before something else bites me in the ass." He grumbled as he began leading her through the maze of corridors until they reached the backdoor.

Jax crept around the police station, following the sounds of moaning all the way until he came to the door of Unser's office which was cracked open - seeing Stahl sitting at the desk with her head in her hands and Hale's head between her legs, a giant grin of amusement spreading across his face.

"Didn't think this was your kind of thing." Jax flinched when he heard the raspy voice in his ear, almost falling backwards.

"Jesus Christ, man." He laughed as he caught his breath, shaking his head at Tig who must've slipped through the backdoor.

"He looks pretty good." Tig grinned as he watched Hale's muscular back flexing as the uptight woman came undone beneath him. "Aight, let's go. Bobby's in the van - Piney went back to the clubhouse." He nodded down the hall.

"Aight. I'll drop you guys off at the clubhouse, then I need to take Cherry up to the cabin."

"Cherry?" Tig scowled.

"It's a long story…" Jax sighed.

;

Tig waltzed up the pathway to Sydney's house with a throbbing eye, a bloody nose, and a giant grin. The fight had been so good that he hadn't even minded Piney diverting from the plan in order to set him up for a hit. Today had ended up being exactly what he had needed: to blow off steam in every way possible, to put old demons to rest, and to get the club's problems solved successfully.

"If I knew you were gonna come home lookin like that… I'd send you out on the job more often." Tig looked up when he heard Sydney's voice, seeing her standing in the doorway with her lip between her teeth.

"Duty calls, baby." He grinned as he trotted up the steps, his arm circling her waist where he dipped her backwards and kissed her, smiling against her giggling lips.

"I still wish I got to see…" She stroked her hand down his bicep as he held her in place.

"I'll make sure you get a front row seat next time." He winked as he straightened them back up.

"I hope so." She grinned as her eyes slid over him, her fingers trailing across his chest and down to his hand as she led him inside.

Tig followed her with lust coated eyes as she led him through the dimly lit house, those perfect hips swinging back and forth until they stopped at the dining table where she turned on her heels, sliding her hands up his chest where she gripped the lapels of his dark blue button-down and pulled him towards her. A smirk came to his face when she pressed her body against his, his hands finding her hips as he leant down to her lips so that she could reach his - but she didn't kiss him.

Sydney held her position where her lips sat just a hair away from his as she inhaled his intoxicating scent before she quickly spun him around, sitting him down in one of the dining chairs.

Tig gasped as he felt himself being knocked back the same way that he had earlier in the day, but this time the way that she situated herself in his lap the second that he was seated did nothing to help him catch his breath. He blinked a few times, widening his eyes as he tried to come back to earth - but the sight before him was too heavenly as he watched her slowly slide the black dress up her body to reveal the sheer, white lingerie that she had on underneath.

"Wh-" He cleared his throat. "W-what's this for?" He stuttered as his hands rested on the exposed skin of her thighs, just above her white knee socks.

"I need an excuse to dress up for my man?" She questioned with a tilt of her head, her voice laced with exaggerated innocence.

"When it looks this good? Yeah." He scoffed as he sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, dragging his hands up her lace-covered sides as he admired her figure.

"You said that you wanted me to wear it for you." She answered simply as she stroked her hands down his forearms.

"Yeah, but I didn't think it would be this easy." He blinked in disbelief.

"You deserve it." She dragged her hands all the way up his arms and over his shoulders.

"I don't." He scoffed again as his eyes continued to roam over her. There was no way that he deserved something like this - especially not just by simply asking for it.

"You do." She assured him, leaning into his neck where she pressed her lips against his skin as she spoke. "You got me groceries, you defend my honor against scorned croweaters." She grinned as her fingers slowly began unbuttoning his shirt. "You noticed my nails." She added with a giggle.

"I do all that because I love you." He shook his head. He was good to her because she allowed him to be - not because he wanted something from her in return.

"I know." She dragged her lips down to his now exposed chest where she placed butterfly kisses across his collarbones. "And I'm going to wear this while I suck your cock because I love you." She breathed into his ear before getting back to her feet where she pulled him up and switched their positions, sitting down as she got to work unbuckling his belt.

Tig felt his nerves pulsing with excitement as she looked up at him hungrily before pulling his cock free. "You're perfect…" He husked, grabbing her neck and holding her in place as he leaned down to her lips - claiming her sweet mouth with his tongue. Sex, a fight, and head… Now it really was a perfect day.

;

Half-Sack sat outside of the cabin in the truck as tapped a cigarette against the open window and listened to the sound of crickets in the night. He brought the foreign object up to his lips, inhaling deeply as he tried not to cough. He wasn't a smoker, but the events of the night and the fate that he now had to accept had driven him to it - hoping for something to help calm his nerves as he anxiously awaited Cherry's arrival so that they could spend their last night together.

But that wasn't the only thing weighing on his mind. He had gone back and forth, wrestling with his conscience all night. He knew that it had been dangerous - what he had done to help Sydney - and he tried as hard as he could to regret it, to feel bad, to feel scared, to feel like he had made a mistake. But he couldn't. In the midst of there being absolutely nothing that he could do to help his own old lady, it made him feel a tiny bit better to know that he had been able to help someone else's.

;

"The hell do you think you're doing?" Sydney looked over her shoulder as she slid the patio door open to see Tig looking her up and down with a raised brow and an armload of drinks.

"Going outside?" She scowled, wondering if maybe she had misinterpreted the plan for the rest of the night that they had formulated just minutes ago.

"Hell no you're not. Not like that." He shook his head as she stood in the lacy garment that left almost nothing to the imagination, setting the drinks down on the table and grabbing her dress off of the chair - slipping it back over her head.

"Can't handle the temptation, Sergeant?" She smirked, turning on the balls of her feet and walking out into the cool night air.

"You know that I can't." He chuckled, grabbing the drinks and following her out onto the back deck where he was surprised to see a brand new setup: a large couch that wrapped all the way around a fancy table with a gas powered fire pit built into the middle. "When the hell did you get this?" He scowled.

"In the hospital." She chuckled as she turned the knob, bringing the fire roaring to life down the centre of the table. "It was just delivered the other day."

"Doin a little online shopping, huh?" He smirked as he placed their drinks down on the table and sat next to her, letting her settle into his side before wrapping an arm around her.

"Retail therapy." She mused with a smile.

"Speaking of therapy and hospitals…" He broached the subject lightly, feeling her tense up slightly. "How's it feeling today?" He nodded to her leg. "Sore?"

"Yeah." Sydney lied as she brought the glass of wine to her lips. "I see the doctor for my follow-up tomorrow." She hoped that some minor indulgence would help him move on to the next topic quicker.

Tig nodded, realizing that it had only been a week since she had been shot - since he thought that he was going to lose her. So much had happened in the short amount of time since the incident, making him realize just how quickly she had actually gotten back on her feet - which only worried him more. But he was able to calm himself down with the reassurance that her visit to the doctor would give him all of the answers that he needed not to worry. But something that did worry him was the tick in the back of his brain that the conversation had sparked; doctor... Prescription... Gemma.

"Oh, hey - can I uh… Can I ask you something?" He stuttered as he tried to find the right way to broach yet another awkward subject while all of their collective wounds were still fresh - metaphorical and physical.

"Mhm." She hummed, trying her best to sound amused as he stumbled over his words - which she was - but she wasn't nearly as amused as she was nervous.

"Uh, I was talking to Gemma… About her meds." He started.

Sydney felt herself getting more and more anxious as he steadily approached the one subject that she had been so desperate to keep him away from...

"About going into menopause." He clarified.

"Oh." She felt her muscles relaxing, raising a brow in question once she realized that what he was talking about wasn't even in the same league as what she was so worried over.

"Um, are you sure that you're not like, late or anything?" He began chewing his fingernails.

Sydney's eyes widened once the words left his mouth, sitting up abruptly. "Oh shit…" She whispered as she stared at her freshly painted toes where they were propped up on the table, soaking up the heat of the fire.

Tig's eyes doubled in size, his hand dropping from his mouth as he also shot up from where he had been lounging back, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face him - but his brows furrowed when the expression that he saw on her face didn't at all match the panic that had been in her voice.

"Just fucking with you." She winked.

"But… We?" He shook his head slowly in bewilderment as he tried to make sense of the timeline.

"Fuck everyday?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah…" He nodded slowly.

"And?" Her brow raised even higher.

"Come on, baby." He whined as she looked at him like that - as if the answer to this mind-boggling conundrum was so obvious. "I don't know anything about this shit, okay? Go easy on your old man." He pleaded as he relaxed back into his original position.

Sydney chuckled, resting her head against his chest as she looked up at him. "I get the birth control injection once a year, that way I don't have to deal with periods or pills." She explained, quickly looking away as she drained her glass.

Tig nodded, tipping his beer back as he took in the fascinating knowledge. He hadn't even known that there were different types of birth control, let alone one that only had to be taken once a year and stopped periods. Why didn't all women get that?

"You want another?" He nodded to her empty glass as she leaned forward to set it on the table, making to get up to get her a refill.

"No, I'm okay." She shook her head quickly, pushing him back down - she had learned her lesson the first time.

"You sure?" His forehead creased slightly, he never knew Sydney to be one to turn down alcohol.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm back in the office tomorrow." She gave the poor excuse, resting her head on his lap so that he couldn't look into her deceitful eyes.

;

Once Juice was satisfied that he was finally alone in the clubhouse and that nobody would be coming back, he made his way down the hall and to the laundry room. He crossed the threshold, looking over his shoulder one last time just to be safe before he got onto his hands and knees, crawling behind the dryer and pulling out the small cardboard box that had once held lint sheets - but now held his dirty little secret.

He smiled as he turned the box in his hands, letting his fingers slip inside where they grazed the smooth cotton and textured lace - peeking his head out the door before he made his way to the bathroom.

A sigh of relief left his lips and his heart skipped a beat when the door closed behind him. After a close call the other day, he was ecstatic to be back in this position without having been caught. He tore the box open in a frenzy, rifling through the colourful array of undergarments that rained down onto the tile floor until he found the one that he was looking for: the little white thong.

He wrapped it around his fingers, rubbing the lace between them as he closed his eyes and exhaled a cleansing breath. He had known that it was risky, but the second that the smooth material grazed his sensitive skin - he knew that it had been worth it. This wasn't the usual scratchy, cheap material that he was used to - this was nice, expensive, and worth every agonizing second that he'd had to wait to be able to experience it.

As his hands brought them up to his face, he tried to stop himself - to tell himself how sick this was, how wrong this was. But as usual, it didn't work - and the fact that they belonged to Sydney had only turned him on more. He rubbed his face with them as he turned towards the toilet, bringing them up to his nose and inhaling deeply - his eyes rolling back as he took in the scent.

He sighed heavily, wishing that he didn't have to dispose of them, not of these ones - but he had to. Stealing panties from croweaters was one thing, but stealing panties from a brother's old lady was very much another. He rubbed his hands with the comforting material one more time, squeezing his eyes shut as he dropped them into the toilet - wincing as he pulled the handle and flushed them away forever.

;

"Feel good?" Tig chuckled from where he laid underneath Sydney as she hummed against his chest while he massaged the tense muscles in her hips, thighs, and ass.

"Mhmmm." She hummed lazily, not bothering to try and summon the energy to look up as she laid on top of him, revelling in the intense relaxation that the blissful combination had brought.

"I can tell." He smirked. "You ready for bed?" He had finished the two beers that he'd brought out for himself some time ago, knowing that the late hours of the night had to be nearing the early hours of the morning by now.

"I like this." She whined as she shook her head, not wanting to move.

"I got an idea." Tig nodded with a smirk, squeezing her ass before sitting up and getting to his feet with her in his arms.

Sydney closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder as he carried her through the house, turning off the lights one by one. She rubbed her hands up and down the strong muscles of his back until she finally felt him lowering her down to the bed, cracking her heavy eyes open to see him looking down at her tenderly as his thumb stroked over her cheek.

"This reminds me of Bobby's wedding." She whispered as she reached up to touch his face, running her thumb over his lips.

"I aint gonna mess it up this time." He whispered back with a gentle shake of his head, his hand falling from her cheek as his fingers wove into the hair at the back of her neck and brought her to his lips in a passionate kiss.

"You didn't mess it up." She shook her head softly as their lips parted briefly. "If anything, I messed it up." She chuckled lightly.

"You didn't." Tig shook his head as he brushed some stray hairs behind her ear. "I was a pussy for not making a move sooner." He clenched his jaw in regret.

"Well it didn't matter, did it?" She cupped his jaw. "I already knew that I loved you by then."

"Doing right by you matters to me." He sat up, staring into her eyes with a deep sincerity.

"Tiggy…" She pouted as she grabbed his hand, tears of guilt pooling in her eyes as she tried to ignore the stinging in her heart as he poured his out about how he felt like he hadn't done right by her, all while she was doing wrong by him. "You're too hard on yourself." She shook her head, unable to decipher if he actually was being hard on himself, or if it was just her enhanced emotions tricking her into thinking that he was. But it didn't matter if the guilt was real or fabricated by her cloudy mind, it still felt the same - and she wanted to chase as much of it away as she could. "I love you so much. More than I've ever loved anything. I know that you would never do wrong by me." She managed to force the words before her throat locked up.

Tig felt his heart clenching in his chest when he saw how upset she was getting, realizing that the single glass of wine had affected her much more than he had expected for her emotions to be this strong. "Okay, baby." He nodded, bringing her hand to his lips as he let his eyes fall closed. "I love you." He whispered against her knuckles.

"Come here." She pulled her hand away lightly as he held on, bringing him back to the blissful position on top of her that they had been in just minutes ago. "It's okay." She nodded as she took his head in both of her hands, pulling him back to her lips. "I love you too." She whispered between slow kisses, smiling as she felt his lips beginning to move against hers as the heat returned to the embrace - thankfully pushing the emotion out.

Tig felt a smirk twitching at his lips when she began to writhe underneath him before bringing her legs up his and wrapping them around his waist. "Get undressed and lay down." He mumbled against her lips, squeezing her thigh as he pushed it back down to the mattress.

"What are you up to, Sergeant?" She purred with a grin, capturing his lips in another kiss.

"I'm gonna give you a massage, if you'll let me." He chuckled as she continued to try and entice him into staying where he was.

"You gonna massage my pussy too?" She breathed out, arching her back off of the bed and grinding her pelvis against his.

"Maybe." He blinked slowly, feeling his cheeks getting hot as she looked up at him with her lip between her teeth. He knew he would get used to it one day, but he still found himself shocked that he was the pure and romantic one in their relationship.

Sydney's lips curled up as she watched him become flustered, releasing the grip that she had on him between her legs and letting him get up where he began lighting the candles that she had around the room. She sat up, pulling her dress over her head and swinging her legs off the end of the bed before leaning back onto her elbows while she waited for him to return to her.

"I thought I told you to get undresse-" Tig whined as he turned back around to see her still sitting on the bed - his voice catching in his throat as his eyes trailed up her calves where he saw that she was only clothed in the tiny scraps of lace.

"I thought you could undress me instead." She looked up at him innocently as he approached, dragging her feet up his legs, then his chest, all the way until her ankles were resting on his shoulders. "Give me my money's worth for this outfit." She drawled out low as she spread her legs wide open.

"Aint gonna be no damn massage if I undress you." He scoffed as he smoothed his hands down her legs, trying to keep his eyes from popping out of his head.

"Exactly." She smirked as she sat up slowly, running her hands up his chest. "How about we compromise?" She whispered at his lips, barely grazing them with her as she spoke seductively. "You watch me take it off, and then you can show me why I put it on." She purred.

"Deal." Tig blinked his understanding as he hovered over her stiff as a board - in more areas than one - straightening up to let her stand.

Sydney let her body press against his as she got to her feet, turning slowly on her heels and letting her ass grind against his crotch before she crossed the room to turn out the light, her bedroom instantly glowing with a warm ambience from the candles. She smirked as she turned back around to see him watching her - just as she had wanted - walking back over to him slowly, swaying her body with every step.

"You get undressed too." She whispered into his ear as she sat him down on the edge of the bed.

"I thought that this was supposed to be me seducing you." He grinned playfully, grabbing her behind her knee and pulling her into his lap.

"Baby… You seduced me a long time ago." She smiled as she brushed her finger over his moustache before pressing her lips to his.

Tig let her take the lead, following her cues instead - if this was what made her feel normal; act normal, then he was more than happy to oblige. He felt himself getting harder and harder as she teased his hungry mouth, making a mental note to keep wine in the house more often.

Sydney let herself kiss him lazily for a few minutes, keeping her movements slow and expectant before she finally got up out of his lap, standing before him. It wasn't lost on her that the last time she was in this position, it had been when he had used his power to humiliate her - but this time she had control. She placed a hand to his chest where she pushed him back before tilting his chin up to watch her every move.

Tig couldn't stop his eyes from widening this time as he watched her drag her hands up her body, over her tits, and around the back of her neck where she untied the halter strap of the bodysuit, gathering the fabric in her hands before slowly letting it fall to reveal her bare top half. He felt his fists balling into the sheets as she turned around, bending over slightly as she unhooked the strap behind her back before fully folding over where she slid it down her buttery smooth legs at an agonizing pace. He heard himself audibly gasp when she straightened back up, watching her hair whip against her exposed back before she spun around to face him, propping her foot up on his knee where she began sliding the sock down.

"No." He choked out, reaching for her hand. "Leave them on." He nodded, still starstruck as he shakily got to his feet and guided her down to the bed. "Lay down." He whispered.

"Like this?" Sydney drawled as she lowered herself down to her back slowly, dragging her foot up the inside of his thigh.

Tig shook his head, trying to resist as he felt her getting closer and closer to his crotch - releasing the breath that he had been holding when she pulled her foot away.

"What about like this?" She asked as she spun around, laying on her back so that her head was hanging off of the bed and her lips were level with his dick as she dragged her hands up her naked body.

Tig bit the insides of his cheeks so hard that he thought they may bleed as he forced himself to shake his head once again, storing this idea in the back of his mind for next time. "Like this." He told her softly as he lowered his lips to hers, gently stroking her tongue with his before he guided her up to sit.

Sydney caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror on her dresser next to the bed, her lips curling up in a devious smirk as she pulled away from him and slid across the bed where she got to her feet.

"You gonna tell me that I was right?" She smirked as she swayed back and forth slowly in front of the mirror while he stood behind her, confused.

Tig's scowl only deepened when he heard her cryptic words, slowly rounding the bed to where she was standing, taking her outstretched hand and allowing her to position him beside her so that he could gaze upon the same sight in the mirror that she was.

"I'll tell you whatever you wanna hear, doll." He told her dreamily as his hands found her waist, watching the beautiful reflection of his hands on her.

"It's better off than it is on, isn't it?" She raised a brow as she leaned into his touch.

"Don't mean I don't wanna see you in it… Know that I'm the one who gets what's underneath." He shook his head as his hands found her tits and his lips found her neck. "Is that worth your money?"

"Depends what you're gonna do with what's underneath." She snickered as his goatee tickled her shoulder.

"Well I'm tryin to show you." He chuckled as he nuzzled her neck.

Sydney giggled, pushing her ass back against him which made him fall to the bed as the back of his knees hit the mattress, landing with her in his lap. "You could massage me right here." She grinded against his crotch.

"Jesus." Tig laughed. "You've really never had a good massage before."

"That obvious, huh?" She giggled, looking back at him. "I guess you're just gonna have to be another one of my firsts, Sergeant." She rasped, catching his lips once again.

"First, and last." He looked deep into her eyes, standing up abruptly and flipping her onto the bed on her stomach. "Lay like that." He smirked, winking as he walked to the bathroom.

Sydney buried her burning cheeks into the white duvet, smiling against the soft fabric as she got comfortable and waited for him to return.

"You got any baby oil?" Tig called from where his head was underneath the sink as he rooted through the rows of various body washes, scrubs, and lotions.

"What the-" Sydney mumbled as her face contorted in the blanket, lifting her head. "No I don't have any fucking baby oil." She shook her head incredulously, scowling deeply at him as he emerged with a bottle of coconut body lotion.

"You should get some." He smirked dirtily, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed where he finally began shedding his clothes.

"You gonna show me why?" She raised a brow.

"One day, when you're ready." He winked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Sydney's eyes widened in surprise. "When I'm read-" She feigned offence, pushing herself up off of the bed before he pushed her back down.

Tig laughed as she giggled under him, rolling her onto her back where he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you." He mumbled with a grin.

"I love you too." She smiled back, kissing him again. "Now give me my damn massage."

"Yes ma'am." He smirked, rolling her back onto her stomach.

;

Half-Sack laid with Cherry across his chest in the king bed in the cabin, trying to ignore the heartache as they spent their last hours together tangled in the sheets.

She played with his fingers as she explained why all of this was happening, what she had done, why she had done it - bringing his knuckles to her lips hopefully when she finished, praying that the truth would truly set her free.

He took a deep breath when he felt her lips on his fingers, a feeling that after tomorrow - he would likely never know again. "Is there anything else?" He forced out a chuckle.

"No." Cherry smiled. "That's everything, I swear." She held her hands up in surrender, the smile fading from her face quickly as she retook his hand in both of hers - needing to savor as much closeness as she could.

"Well, I don't think I could ever get used to calling you Rita." He smiled.

Cherry felt the sadness taking over. She had managed to keep her composure amongst the euphoria of being freed from jail and the relief that she got to see him one last time, but as her legal name slipped from his lips, she was reminded exactly why she was laid up with him right now.

"I don't want you to." She squeezed his hand as tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He whispered, running his hand down her arm soothingly, tears coming to his own eyes now.

She heard him sniffle, blinking and letting her own tears fall as she rolled over to face him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey." He nudged her, taking her face in his hands as he looked deep into her eyes before kissing her softly. "I got something I want you to have." He nodded, rolling her onto her back beside him so that he could remove one of the dog tags that was around his neck, taking her hand and placing it in her palm before closing her fingers around it, kissing her knuckles.

"Kip…" She shook her head slowly. "I can't take this."

"It's okay." He smiled. "That's why I got two of em." He pulled the remaining chain around his neck.

"I got something for you too…" She rolled over, digging through her purse where she pulled out the one piece of her old life that she had always held onto - decided that it was fitting to leave behind with the thing that she had found in her new life that she couldn't hold onto.

"Cherry." He chuckled as he accepted a dog tag of his own - except this was a literal dog tag, and it was one that he would wear with pride.

"I love you." She whispered the three words that had been far too premature until this moment when suddenly there was no time left.

"Yeah…" Half-Sack felt his chest clenching. Nobody had ever told him that before, and now the one person who had would never tell it to him again. "I love you too."

;

For those of you who are very confused right now and clearly haven't seen the DVD extras: When Bobby complains about the toilet being backed up because someone is flushing panties, it is revealed in the deleted scenes that the panty flusher (and worshipper, apparently) was Juice :/ (Youtube it lmfao I die every time) Also I feel like I was able to tap into Juice's panty sniffing mind way too easily and now I am concerned :/