Once upon a time, I had hoped that I would get this chapter done in time for Halloween… Let's all laugh together

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

CHAPTER 100: DEVILS AND ANGELS AND BIKERS, OH MY!

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"Hey." Jax's husky voice came down the line after the second ring, a small gesture that put a smile on Tara's face as she made her way across the parking lot towards her car.

"Hey, baby." She cooed.

"How'd the nanny thing go with Gemma?"

"Good. She called to let me know that she hired Neeta - offered me the night off, but I told her not to worry about it - I'm just on my way to grab him now." She told him as she reached for the door handle.

"That's great."

A small scowl creased Tara's brow as that horribly familiar feeling of uncertainty flittered in her chest. "You okay?" She asked tentatively as she pulled her hand away from the car door, beginning to wonder what it was that she had clearly interrupted as she listened to the sound of his heavy breathing.

"Yeah, I'm just in the middle of it." Jax tried the best that he could to keep the irritation out of his voice as he looked down at the body that he had completely obliterated to destroy Opie's mark of vengeance - an act that would only bring on a new one, but that was a problem for another day.

"Uh, am I gonna see you later?" She tried to sound as casual as she could as she listened for any sounds of explanation in the background of his call, but she got nothing.

"I don't know. I gotta drop something in Oakland, then head to Bobby's party."

Oakland? "Um, o-okay." She stuttered - her face falling to a wince. "I love you." She tried to recover.

"I love you too." He replied after a moment's silence before snapping the phone shut, leaving Tara to ponder the words of the only women who understood the weight of them.

;

"What d'ya think?" Half-Sack looked up from where he had been sitting on the end of Sydney's bed for the last two hours while he waited for her to get ready for the party - a feat that normally would've made him antsy, but he was in no hurry to put on that horrendous outfit.

"Uh." The poor kid nearly choked as his innocent blue eyes landed on the ironic costume that was anything but - blinking rapidly as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to find words that wouldn't get him beaten to a pulp. "Um, are you- Are you sure that Tig's gonna be okay with you wearing that? You know, like… Around everyone else…" He tried to keep his eyes from falling instinctually to her ass that could be seen through the sheer white fabric that hardly did anything to cover it anyways.

"Nope." She smacked her lips with a shrug, walking over to her vanity where she straightened the halo sitting atop the mass of voluminous blonde curls that she had embellished with shiny strands of tinsel.

"Isn't that gonna like… Get me in trouble." He raised his brows, failing horribly at trying to be subtle.

The chuckle in Sydney's chest rippled up her throat and escaped through her nostrils. "You don't gotta worry about the big bad Sergeant tonight, Kippy - that's my job." She smirked at her reflection.

;

By the time that Jax finally made it home to shower off the stench of death before Bobby's party, Tara had already gotten Abel to bed and had curled up on the couch with a book.

"Hey." He sighed, the exhaustion clear in his voice as he set his keys down on the coffee table and avoided her eyes.

"What happened to the party?" Hope laced her inquisition, wondering if maybe he had decided not to go after all.

"Just gettin in the shower now, then heading there." He didn't bother trying to sound enthusiastic as he began stripping the layers that weighed him down. "You sure you don't wanna come?"

Tara ignored his question as the agitated grunts began passing through his lips. "What's the matter?" She asked more firmly this time now that she could see his frustration rather than just hear it, placing her book down on her lap.

"I'm just tired." Jax shook his head, walking towards where she sat expectantly and leaning down to her lips, but he couldn't quite make himself indulge in her purity after the heinous act that he had committed, kissing her cheek instead.

Tara sat stunned for a few minutes before she reminded herself who she was, and who she was with - allowing the revelation to take over her as she made her way down the hall towards the sound of the running water. It was time for some transparency.

But it was easier said than done as she approached the open down where she saw him leaning against the wall as the scalding hot water rained down over his head - doing nothing to cleanse him of his sins. She took a deep breath, doing what she could as she bent down to gather his spent clothing from the dampening tiles as steam billowed in the air above them - turning down the hall as she began devising a plan on her way to the laundry room for how she could make herself draw that line of truth that Gemma and Sydney were so adamant about.

But, as she pulled a blood-stained bandana from his back pocket, the plan devised itself. She felt every single one of her nerves beginning to try as the conclusions rushed from the back of her mind and now stood right in front of her face - feeling her body turning back to where he had stepped into a black towel, his chest red from the punishing stream.

Jax felt his face fall even further than it already had as his sorrowful blue eyes landed on all that remained of the innocent man that he'd sentenced to death, sitting in the dainty fingers of the one untainted thing he had left.

"You know why I run away from shit all the time?" The words began tumbling from her trembling lips. "Because I don't trust anyone… If I'm gonna stay, I need to know the truth." She could feel herself getting angry - her breathing getting heavier and her words spilling out faster.

"I tell you the truth." Jax tried weakly.

Tara sighed, shaking her head knowingly. "Not just what you think I can handle. I need all of it." She took a deep breath as she assessed all of the words that she had spoken before she'd had the chance to comprehend them, realizing that maybe she did want the truth after all. "It's the only way I'll know if I can do this." She nodded firmly - a last ditch effort to convince both of them.

Jax ran his hand down his face as he pondered the inevitable outcome that he had feared every single day since they had reconnected. But in the dark hours that had consumed him ever since Abel had come into his life, he had grown wise - wise enough to realize that the outcome didn't have to be inevitable. Keeping her at arm's length had been the cause of their demise the first time, and he was now in control of if it would be the cause of their demise a second time.

He reached out, plucking the sick souvenir from her hands and turning it in his own - throwing it out of his grasp as his skin began to crawl with guilt. He looked into her eyes one last time - the warm brown eyes that hadn't yet turned cold as she looked at him with what he could only describe as faith.

"I helped Opie kill a man today." He ignored the ache in his tightly clenched jaw as he fought off the tears that threatened to spill from his culpable eyes as he was forced to reveal the part of himself that he so badly wished didn't exist. "Retaliation for Donna." He explained as she stood, unmoving - praying that she had heard him, because he didn't want to have to repeat it. "Shot him in the head." He sighed.

Tara stood in place for a few more seconds as he squirmed under the gaze that she had no control over as the chill in her veins thawed and gave way to a new feeling, a feeling that she had never experienced before; a feeling of power - power that she didn't have the first time.

The next thing that she knew, she was launching herself towards him - dropping his bloody clothes at her feet and yanking him to her lips where they told him all of the things that her voice couldn't.

She had managed to draw the line, and they had crossed it together.

;

Tig made his way out of the shower and into some clean clothes as he readied himself for the party that he wished he would be able to enjoy, but with the dreary aftermath of what he had just done, and why he had done it - he would've much rather been able to cling to the comfort of a night in with Sydney, than have had to put on a front for everybody else.

He grabbed a beer from the fridge as he passed through the bar that was already beginning to fill up, grumbling when he saw that Half-Sack was nowhere in sight to serve him. But he pushed the brief consideration away - he would catch up with his punching bag later.

Finally, as he stalked out onto the compound with his jaw set harshly in place as he ignored the wandering eyes of croweaters that had traveled from near and far for the occasion, he found Clay - cautiously approaching him where he stood in the garage, observing the party that he too would soon have to face.

"We good?" Clay questioned as he slinked in next to him, not taking his eyes off of the thick crowd that was doing nothing to distract him from the mounting worry as the reality of the stunt that they had pulled began to set in.

"Yeah." Tig blinked slowly, blowing out a long breath as he prepared himself to deliver the regretful news - the job that he had been plagued with far too often as of late. "Things got a little complicated…"

The casual scowl on Clay's brow deepened as he turned his head towards his Sergeant. "Do I wanna know?" His expression remained as he waited for an answer.

"No worries." Tig shook his head. "Jax cleaned it up." He tried to tell his President as confidently as possible, but the assurance did nothing to calm Clay, just as it did nothing to calm him.

The older man sighed, his gaze returning to the packed compound where he easily picked out Opie as he sat at a table with his head down. "Think this moves him past it?"

"I don't know man… He's working some shit out." Tig answered easily - unsure if it was an answer for the long-haired man, or for himself.

"Well." Clay perked up as the tow truck turned into the lot, watching as Half-Sack slowly meandered through the hoards of people on his way to the designated parking spot at the very back. "Hopefully this will be the pick me up that we need." He forced a grin.

And it was - watching the skinny prospect nervously tumble out of the vehicle in the form-fitting devil costume that left absolutely nothing to the imagination was quite amusing, but the amusement came to a screeching halt when Sydney stepped out next to him in an outfit that was even more attention-grabbing.

Tig's eyes nearly popped out of his head as they raked over Sydney's fully exposed form in the sheer, fur-trimmed white babydoll that barely came down far enough to cover the sparkly white boy shorts that she wore underneath. He blinked a few times as Clay swung his head towards him discerningly, unable to formulate a proper reaction as he stood in shock - but the party-goers did it for him as whistles, whoops, and hollers arose in celebration of her risque costume choice that somehow managed to make even the bikers feel underdressed for the occasion.

Sydney grinned under the sea of envious and eager eyes that ate up her theatrical juxtaposition, searching the crowd for the only set of eyes that she cared to see - but once she found them, she wished that she hadn't. She felt the rapid thumping against her ribcage beginning to cease as her heart plummeted in her chest. The look that Tig was giving her wasn't the one that she had hoped to provoke; it wasn't one of passion, excitement, or lust, it was one of disappointment and discomfort - the same way that he had looked at her ever since he had killed Donna.

She had thought that her plan had been fool-proof; rile him up with a slutty outfit that would respark the flames that the weight of their mistakes had extinguished, but as she tore her eyes away from his disapproving gaze and looked down at her diamond-encrusted pleasers - courtesy of Cara Cara - she realized that she had only stomped out what had remained of the dwindled fire.

As she made her way through the crowd under his disapproval, she became painfully aware of just how many people were looking at her on the arm of the prospect instead of the Sergeant, wrapping her arms around herself as the weight of their perception began to feel overbearing - realizing that maybe this hadn't been the attention that she'd wanted after all.

Half-Sack was eternally grateful for Sydney as she stood next to him in full costume among the sea of bikers who had no regard for the childish holiday - not just because she had dressed up with him, but because her outfit had successfully managed to take almost all of the attention off of his.

"I told you it would fit!" Juice hollered as he approached the pair, giving the prospect's spandex-covered ass a hard slap.

"Yeah, yeah." Half-Sack rolled his eyes, jumping at the sting, but a scowl came to his face when he turned back to see that Sydney was cowering behind him rather than joining in on the hassling.

He looked between her and Tig, willing the frown not to grace his lips in front of the crowd that was already beginning to catch on to what was going on there - reaching for her hand instead. "Let's get some drinks." He pulled her inside where she was at least out of the spotlight, making his way around the bar where he poured her a tequila shot before popping the top off of a Corona.

Sydney accepted the liquid courage gratefully, sighing as she poured the potent liquid down her throat - hoping that it would burn up the quivering in her nerves as quickly as she had trained it to.

Half-Sack continued feeding her shots as he looked around, desperate for something to distract her - a spark of relief flooding him as he spotted two familiar bikes cruising past the open door.

"I think Bobby's here." He told her as he slid another shot across the bar.

"Already?" Sydney scowled as she lifted the glass to her lips, squeaking as the liquid almost became lodged in her throat as she felt herself being yanked outside before she could even swallow. "What the fuck, Sack-" She began to utter out as her thumb caught the stray drips from the corners of her glossy lips before the husky voice cut her off.

"Now there's my Kitty Cat." Donut rumbled from where he sat against his bike, his helmet still in hand.

"D!" Sydney squealed, bounding towards him without a care in the world for the shoes that threatened to break her ankles - or the man who has broken her heart, standing next to him - as she leaped into his giant arms.

Happy sighed as he watched the pair embrace while she blatantly ignored him - glad that, even if she refused to acknowledge it, he had still been able to make her smile.

Donut grinned as she wrapped her legs around his waist, spinning her around a few times as he tried to find an appropriate place to rest his hands against her exposed skin since her back had been claimed by a pair of feathered wings. "You're gonna get me in trouble with this outfit." He whispered into her hair as he squeezed her ass - his devilish eyes catching those of both Happy and Tig

"Yeah, well…" She grumbled as she pulled away, looking over her shoulder at Tig who was standing just as stunned as he had been before. "A little trouble might be just what I need."

Donut raised a brow as he tightened his grip - narrowing his eyes at the Sergeant who looked like he was ready to blow at any second. He didn't understand why she had suddenly abandoned her independence for a man who clearly didn't appreciate her, but if trouble was what she was after, then he was happy to oblige.

Tig sucked in a deep breath as he watched his woman with another man's hands on her in a way that his hadn't been in months. He shook off the familiar impulse of violence that rolled over him, avoiding Clay's knowing glance as he pulled himself together and made his way over to the entangled pair.

"Trouble incoming." Donut smirked as he set Sydney back down to the ground, squeezing her waist with a wink before he pulled the same hand away to shake that of the Redwood Sergeant that had his Princess so twisted up.

"Hey man." Tig forced a smile as he met the taller man's hand with a firm grip - but his was firmer.

"Glad we could make it down." Donut smiled mockingly as his golden eyes narrowed and his grip tightened.

"Yeah. Me too." Tig lied through his gritted teeth. "You boys should head on inside and get in on some of that keg before it's empty." He nodded towards the bar.

"Didn't expect the mother chapter to have a shortage." Donut snorted, looking between Tig, and Sydney who was in an intense staredown with Happy - deciding that leaving the couple to their own devices for a few minutes while he gathered some intel on what the fuck was going on, probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. "Guess I better get a move on, then." He clapped the curly-haired man on the shoulder before motioning for Happy to follow him inside.

Sydney felt Tig's hand snake around her waist as they watched the two men make their way through the crowd that parted for them without a second thought, but she felt no comfort in his possessive grip, because she knew that was all it was - possessive. She stole a glance at his expression as his eyes remained glued to their kuttes - the vein in his neck protruding as his teeth ground harshly together.

Tig tightened his grip on her as he focused on the feeling of her silky garment between his calloused fingers as he mustered up all of his strength to finally try and push past the mental block. "My angel…" He purred as he turned to face her, sliding his hands down her sides in a way that sent goosebumps breaking out across his skin. Good start. "You didn't tell me you'd be wearing this…" He mused as his eyes raked over her form, really taking in all of the delicious details now that he had her in his grasp.

"You didn't ask." She pulled her diamond-embellished eyes away, refusing to return the embrace as people stared from every direction - confirmation that his sudden willingness to act was only an effort to ward off other men; he could make sure that everybody knew what property belonged to him, but he couldn't bother to maintain it.

"I have to ask about these things now?" He raised a brow, reestablishing eye contact as he pulled her in tighter.

"No." She balled her fists against his chest, pushing back slightly. "But maybe if you'd thought to pay even a shred of attention these last few weeks, you wouldn't have had to." She sneered, meeting his eyes with a ferocity that was only enhanced by the glitter that surrounded them before she finally broke away.

And that was exactly what he'd needed - that anger, that spark. He felt the ignition of the familiar flames beginning to warm his stagnant heart and chilled veins, a sinister smile coming to his face. What better way to step back into the dynamic that they knew best than by going back to their roots? This was the perfect opportunity to show her that she hadn't been wrong in giving him a second chance.

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Song for this chapter

Tantrum - Ashnikko