CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

AN: I'm not sure where to post the adult chapters that will be coming up. Can I have some ideas, but be aware that FFN takes web addresses out of comments.

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile.

I feel remarkably better when Donna wakes me 3 hours later. I jump out of bed and have a quick shower while the casserole cools enough to eat.

Having a quiet dinner I remark to Donna and Opie how much it feels like I've been back for weeks, but it's only been a few days.

"Yup, it was always full on when you were around." Opie laughingly states around a massive mouthful of food.

I roll my eyes at him and continue eating while Donna tells him off and points out if he does that he can't tell off his children for doing the same.

Opie over-emphasises looking around the room. "The kids aren't here, so what I do they won't see."

Finishing my meal I head back to the room I've been given to sort out clothes while the two of them bicker lightly about table manners, it still shocks me slightly to see how mature and adult my friends are acting, but I guess I'm like that now too, the crazy teenager I was is no longer the person I am.

Looking at the limited clothes I have I choose a simple pair of black jeans, white shirt and black vest which I add my favourite pair of boots. Calf length black ones with bright red flames that climb from the soles to the outward swell of my calves.

I'm trying to work out how to get to the party and get my Nitro back to the house tomorrow when I hear a bike pull up out the front. Jax walks in the front door and heads towards the backyard where Opie's just been reminded to put the lawn mower away.

A few minutes later we're all standing out the front and I'm told that Jax is taking me to the party so I can bring the 4x4 back the following day. I really don't want to get on the back of his bike, I consider asking Donna if she'll go with Jax and let me go with Opie, cause that would be so much easier for me. But Opie and Donna have already left. I turn back towards the house, having decided that I'd rather call a cab then get on Jax's bike when I'm pretty much picked up and put on the bitch seat. Jax is on the front of the bike and we're roaring down the road before I can even tighten the helmet that was jammed on my head.

When we pull into the lot Jax has barely put the kickstand down on his bike before I'm off it and halfway across the lot, being that close to Jax for the short trip, only 10 minutes, was too much for the fragile hold I have on my emotions, I still am wrestling control back when Donna comes up and innocently asks if I'm okay.

I turn to look at her and I gather she can see by my eyes how not okay I am; she pulls me down the hall to Opie's room. It appears that he must have cleaned it while he was here earlier as the piles of clothes are gone and the bed is neatly made.

Donna drops onto the bed as I sit on the chair; I shake my head "I just wasn't expecting it and I didn't have the chance to bolt my emotions down. The past few days have been a roller coaster and I keep thinking that I must finally be at the end when we find another fucken rise and drop."

I don't swear much anymore, it's a habit that I had to break when I started culinary school, but I used to curse every sentence. Lately I feel reintroducing profanity to my daily language, but maybe that's just because of being back, or the shit I've had to deal with in such a short time.

Donna doesn't say much, just lets me have a few minutes quiet before heading back out to what is bound to be an incredibly loud, long, liquor filled party.

Heading straight to the bar when we come out I steal the barstool next to Piney and proceed to hog it, and his attention, I haven't had a chance to talk to many of the Sons since arriving, but I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to spend a while talking with each, and Piney is the easiest to pin down.

I refuse the offer of his tequila, knowing that I don't want to be drinking that around here, I know what it does to me, instead I opt for my nice safe vodka, but decide I don't want that much.

An hour later I hop off the barstool and realise that maybe my 'not much' that I'd decided on had already been passed. I feel a little dizzy, but looking through the smoke filled air I'm not actually surprised. I head outside, towing the vodka and shot glass I have been using with me, hoping some fresh air will make me feel better and find Bobby sitting at one of the picnic tables out there, so I spend just over an hour talking with him, most of that time spent discussing the Culinary school I attended, and promising to bring some of my baking over…provided that Opie doesn't eat it all.

I've been trying not to actively notice Jax's whereabouts while I've been talking with Bobby, but the whole time, and while I was talking with Piney he's been in my view. Inside he had 3 different Crow Eaters come and spend time with him, now he's outside it seems to just be Ima and some other blonde, equally bleached, bimbo that has attached herself to him. They don't seem to have an issue with each other I note as I hear at least 3 different male voices start cheering, I look over and see that they're not fighting like I expect, but are both sitting on Jax's knee making out…with each other.

I take several large gulps of vodka later. When I put the bottle down thankfully image has gone, but so have the 3 of them.

Bobby has also noticed the girl-on-girl action, being a male I'm not surprised, but I am thankful as he passes me a joint that's almost as fat as my thumb, and as long as my index finger, but when I look up for a light he's already gone, heading towards the ring where one of the new prospects is climbing up with a hang-around. Instead of lighting the joint I look absently round the lot while rolling the joint between my fingers.

"Here." A gruff voice comes from right behind me and I spin on the edge of the seat to find Happy is standing right behind me, holding a lighter out.

I take the lighter from him, light the joint and flick it closed again. "Thanks," the word comes out with an exhale and I pass the glowing tube to him. Spending the time smoking, oddly silent in the noise that seems to be around us it's only when Happy stands to leave that I realise we haven't said a more than one word to each other since he sat beside me half an hour ago.

As Happy leaves Donna makes her way over to me, I'm feeling completely buzzed, the joint and the vodka forming a mixture in my veins that has me wanting to dance, sing, talk, laugh but I'm too comfortable to move, so I settle with watching the people around me. Opie is standing at the ring where the prospect and hang around have obviously finished their fight and are both being handed beers by sweet butts also armed with towels.

Bobby is not far from them, an arm around a darkhaired woman that's not dressed like one of the club whores, but seems to be acting like one. Tig has twins with him, one standing on each side of his shoulders, and as I watch the 3 of them disappear as well. I, briefly, wonder about Jax and his blonde skanks, but find that I really can't be bothered about it.

Donna and I sit quietly in the corner we've claimed, the vodka I hi-jacked earlier diminishing as we talk and remember what it was like before I left.

"Do you remember the time we burned the smiley face into the field?" Donna splutters out round a huge gale of laughter.

I nod, "Of course I do, do you remember the Taste of Charming festival that I made the chilli chocolate cake and Opie and Jax ate the lot then asked me what was wrong with them cause they burned their mouths?"

Donna burst into laughter and we were still trying to control our giggles as Opie sat down beside his wife. Looking at us like we were ready for the insane asylum all he manages to get from us is "Chocolate…mouths…" Those seem to be the only sounds that we can get out that halfway form words.

We sit for a while longer before Donna and Opie head back inside the clubhouse and I look down, realising that it's almost 2am and there is no why I can drive. Pulling the keys to my Nitro out of my pocket I find Clay and get him to let me into the garage so I can sleep in the back of the car.

Crawling into the backseat and pulling the picnic blanket over me the booze and weed I've consumed sends me quickly into slumber.