Fifty-One

Watching from across the street as a bored-looking little blond boy repeatedly kicked a soccer ball up against the wall of the run-down apartment block, Chibs found he was glad of his shades to hide the emotion in his dark eyes. Hot tears pricked at his eyelids, but he forced them back, silently cursing his softness.

Kids were something of a weakness right now though, all things considered.

He could have been looking at one of the Teller boys, Abel or Tommy, or even Jax himself in his young days. That was painful in itself. A fresh reminder of the loss of his beloved president, not only to the club, but to his family. That those wee lads would grow up without a father, or indeed a mother or grandparents – not disrespecting how Wendy and Nero had stepped up – would forever break his heart.

And pissed as he might be with Seth for how he had hurt Eden with his harsh reaction to her pregnancy, even though some of his barbs had hit home, he knew what it was to be kept from your own child. He wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not when having to face never being a part of Kerrianne's life had nearly destroyed him.

Throwing himself into Samcro had been the only thing to save him in those early dark days when all his losses were still as fresh as the scars on his face. But finding out so many years later that he had actually lost another child when his precious Aoife was so callously murdered had set him right back. Then for so many of the brothers, the family, who had rallied round him to also be cut down and ripped away from him one by one …

"So, uh, are we waiting for someone?"

At Charlie's voice, Chibs subtly slipped his fingers under his shades to wipe at his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose as he sat astride his bike and hunched over the handlebars next to the young prospect who had been both intrigued and thrilled at being trusted with whatever secret mission his president was on.

"Aye, you could say that," the Scotsman murmured, finally clocking a woman calling out to the young boy as she approached.

"Theo! Theo, time to come inside!"

Distracted just as he kicked the ball particularly hard up against the brickwork, the kid missed it rebounding past him as he looked towards the woman who had to be his mother, only to realise too late and dash after it without thinking – straight into the road.

"Shite!"

Chibs was off his bike in a second, leaving Charlie with no time to even react, save for gawping in alarm as one of the many old muscle cars cruising the block seemed to have no chance of stopping in time. But, amid screeching tyres and the blaring of a horn, the little boy found himself firmly scooped up as his rescuer dived for safety, twisting to take impact of the pavement himself and spare the child some nasty grazes.

"Oh my god, oh my god, Theo!"

The woman was on the verge of hysterics by the time she reached them, her auburn hair falling from her previously neat ponytail and her face deathly pale, save for the flushed spots on her cheeks.

"Theo, how many times do I have to tell you about that road? Oh my god, are you okay, sir? Should I call an ambulance? I … I don't have my phone – I can go-"

"Easy, darlin', no real harm done," Chibs soothed, even as he passed the frightened, but otherwise unharmed little boy into his mother's frantic arms and stood up to dust himself down, inspecting the scuffs to one arm of the leather jacket he wore under his cut and feeling thankful for its protection.

"You saved my son's life," the woman gasped.

"Ain't a big deal. Could hardly let the wee lad get flattened, now could I?" he smiled, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair. There was no question that he looked like Seth, but the family resemblance to Eden was there too and it made Chibs wonder what their own child would look like. "I'm already in his da's bad books."


Chibs eyed the startled woman, watching her demeanour change from panicked and grateful to shocked and wary, a little more fear creeping in when she took in his cut properly for the first time and, glancing around, clearly spotted Charlie and the bikes.

"Aubrey, ain't it?" he said, prompting her hold on her son to tighten protectively. "Aubrey Moore?"

"Who are you? How do you know who I am? Why are you here?" she asked, her voice sharp with nerves.

"I ain't here to hurt you. Or your boy," Chibs said, his hands out in a placating gesture. "Listen, can we just talk for a minute? Maybe inside?"

"Oh sure, I let strange men who're clearly in some kind of gang into my home all the time …"

He couldn't exactly fault her for her response, but he was growing impatient nonetheless. He didn't like that he was clearly freaking the woman out more than he'd intended, fearing that he was perhaps in danger of making the whole already messy situation worse. If that was the case, Seth really might just kill him.

"Look, Aubrey-"

"How did you know I live here? Oh my god, were you watching me?"

"No – well, only for a minute, but only because-"

"I'm calling the cops!"

"Thought you said you didn't have your phone on ya?" Chibs pointed out, wiping a hand over his face as he now noted the ache in his side. His heroics, no longer so appreciated, probably hadn't done his not-so-old stab wound any favours. "Will you just listen a minute? I ain't gonna hurt you or the kid, I swear. Look, he's fine, let him go back to playing ball – off ya go, son, and watch yersel'. No more running into the road, yeah?"

Looking a little unsure, the boy glanced at his mother and, at her reluctant little nod, trotted off obediently.

"Whatever you want with me, don't hurt my son. Please."

Regretting the genuine fear in her trembling voice, Chibs sighed. "I don't threaten innocent women. I don't set out to intimidate them either, although I can understand why you might argue wi' that. I'd have taken off the cut for this, but maybe I needed to make the point. And I'm gonna get to it sharp because, believe it or not, I didn't come here wi' the intention o' terrorising you. Now, I'm sure you don't move in the right circles to have heard o' my club, but I'm equally sure you can guess the kind o' people we cross paths wi' sometimes. Violent people. Cruel. Sadistic even. Seth Moore ain't any o' those things. You, o' all people, should know that. You married him."

"Seth sent you? Jesus …"

"No. No, he most definitely did not. And if he knew I was here, he'd probably have a good go at beating my arse for interfering. But if he's not gonna fight his corner, maybe somebody needs to."

"You don't know what happened-"

"I know plenty."

"The man who went on trial, the man who went to prison, wasn't the man I married," Aubrey insisted, her arms folded defensively across her chest.

"That's as may be, but can you really blame him for defending his family? He ain't some thug stirring trouble for shits and giggles."

"He put a man in a coma!"

"He defended his wee sister the only way he could and if I had any fucking say, he'd get a bloody medal, not a prison sentence," Chibs shot back. "He did it to protect her. Keeping him from that wee lad? Now that's cruel. On both o' them. Just do me a favour, yeah? Think it over."

"W-Why do you care? Who are you to Seth?" came the shaky question, as he was already walking away having realised he couldn't risk pushing any harder.

The biker stopped in his tracks, thinking about it for a second before heading on his way again.

"Brother-in-law," he called over his shoulder, making her eyes widen in shock.


The thrum of a Harley in the distance was like a chorus of heavenly hallelujahs to those waiting inside.

"That'll be your dad," Eden declared unnecessarily, abandoning the glass of sparkling water she'd been nursing while stood gazing distractedly out the window and hurrying for the door. "Thank god you're here," she hissed to her old man, as soon as he stepped inside. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Sorry, love, took a wee bit longer than expected," Chibs said, casually brushing off her question with a little peck on the lips. "You girls have a nice day? I didn't forget my promise – table's booked for dinner. Just let me jump in the shower …"

"Filip, I'm really trying, but I think me and Kerri ran out of things to say to each other at least an hour ago."

"You worry too much, babe," he chuckled. "Eden, relax. I swear I'll be, like, five minutes. Less if you lasses have nicked all the hot water."

"It would serve you right for abandoning us," his old lady pouted. "Also, do you know how hard it was to find something to wear tonight that didn't make it glaringly obvious I'd either swallowed a melon or just might be, oh say, carrying your baby?"

Chibs grinned at that, half disappointed the floaty maxi dress she'd changed into was doing a good job of hiding the evidence. "You look gorgeous, my darlin'. And I promise, we'll tell Kerri soon and then there'll be no more secrets and I can just be proud as hell o' my wee family. I just didn't think it was fair to dump everything on her on her first day wi' us."

"I know," Eden sighed, letting him pull her into another little kiss, her hands running up and down his arms. "And you're right, of course. Hey, what happened to your sleeve? It's scuffed pretty bad. It wasn't always like that, was it? Did you spill?"

"Something and nothing," Chibs said, pressing his lips to her forehead on seeing the worry etched there. "No need to fret. I promise. Now, shower. I'll be five minutes – unless, o' course, ya wanna join me?"

But Eden slipped out of his hold. "Oh no, I already spent ages getting ready. And we're so not having sex in this house while your teenage daughter's in it," she said, heading back to wait in the lounge with Kerrianne and leaving her old man stopped in his tracks.

"Wait, what?"


Seeing Eden take a seat on the couch when they all returned from a dinner that had certainly been a little less awkward with Chibs there to keep up the conversation, Kerrianne deliberately folded herself into the armchair as far away as possible and pulled out her phone, only giving the television half her attention. She'd quite enjoyed her dad's reminiscing about the not-so-dark days in Belfast, feeling closer to him when they had something in common to talk about and admittedly liking that all the more so as something his new girlfriend couldn't share, petty though she knew that was.

"Any preferences, Kerri?" Eden tried lightly, following up on the earlier decision to forgo dessert in favour of snacks in front of a movie. "Comedy? Action? Chick flick, even though your dad'll hate it?"

Walking in just in time to catch his daughter's disinterested shrug, Chibs smothered a sigh and tossed her a bag of peanut M&Ms, getting a glare when they landed on her phone screen. But he simply forced a grin and settled himself by Eden's side, taking the remote control from her.

"If you lasses can't decide, I guess I'll have to step up," he declared smugly, patting his old lady's knee as he started flicking through options.

The look on Kerrianne's face only darkened as she snuck glances at the pair of them throughout the movie they'd finally agreed on, uncomfortable at witnessing the obvious intimacy between them as they whispered and laughed quietly together, play fighting over snacks, holding hands. At one point, she couldn't quite swallow down the tut of distaste when she saw Eden was hugging her father's arm as she rested her head on his shoulder, prompting him to press a little kiss into her hair, his hand curled around her thigh. Had he ever been so lovey-dovey with her mother? She couldn't imagine it somehow.

Not that she really wanted to – no one wants to think of their parents as an actual couple. But she'd rather have her family together like they should be than her dad fooling around with some girl half his age. The fact they were living together didn't even allow her the luxury, however implausible, of pretending it couldn't possibly be serious. She was half tempted to feign tiredness just so she could escape upstairs away from them, but then she'd just be leaving them alone together to get up to whatever they wanted.

"Oh, sorry," Eden laughed softly, having failed to fully stifle a wide yawn as the credits finally rolled. "God, I can hardly keep my eyes open - think I'm gonna have to call it a night. Don't let me stop you if you two want to watch something else though …"

But just as Kerrianne was about to suggest another movie, glad of the chance to get her dad to herself for a while, he shook his head and reached for the remote.

"It's late and we're probably all knackered," Chibs said, flicking off the television. "Why don't you head on up to bed, love, and I'll be there in a minute? Me and Kerri can clear up down here."

That drew a grateful smile from Eden and an almost-scowl from Kerrianne as she side-eyed them, only to quickly avert her gaze when her dad kissed his girlfriend before sending her on her way. She didn't care if it was immature – the mere mention of sleeping arrangements was enough to make her brain perform the mental equivalent of la-la-las with fingers in the ears. Ugh, seriously, couldn't they go, like, five minutes without touching each other?

Once Eden was gone, she was taken aback to see her dad's smile vanish though and he looked at her sternly.

"What?"

"Don't gi' me that. You think I can't see all the dirty looks and the eye rolling? Oh, don't try denying it now. I'll have far more respect for you if you're straight wi' me. Are you really that unhappy being here?"

"No," Kerrianne said, outwardly sulky, but inwardly panicking that she'd gone too far and simply earned herself a swift trip to join her mother in San Francisco after all. And she didn't want that, despite her reluctance to actually enjoy herself.

"Then what's the matter? Because - and let me be very clear on this, darlin' – this is Eden's home and I ain't gonna have her made to feel uncomfortable-"

"Oh, it's her home, but not mine? Got it loud and clear, dad!"

"Jesus, Kerri, that ain't what I meant and you know it," Chibs sighed in exasperation. "I know I ain't been there for you like I shoulda been and I wish I could change that, but I can't. It's not Eden's fault though. It's not her fault I wasn't there, it's not her fault things didn't work between me and your mum. So can you please, for me, go just a wee bit easier on her? 'Cause I'd love for you to feel at home here too, visit us more often …"

"Is it so wrong that I want to spend time wi' my dad and not his latest tart?" she demanded, doubling down stubbornly on her position of hostility.

"You're bang out o' order there, kid," her father warned tightly. "Don't be speaking about her like that when that girl's bent over backwards to welcome you …"

"Funny, I thought you were the one she bent over for."

Silence.

She knew she'd gone too far the moment the vulgar, ill-thought out words left her mouth, but it was too late to take them back, so all she could do was stare down the furious man in front of her, watching his hands curl into fists and wondering if he would actually hit her. Even she had to admit, if only to herself, that she'd probably have deserved it if he did finally snap. Jimmy would have back-handed her into the middle of next week for that kind of disrespect.

"Go to your room."

"Oh, for god's sake, I'm not a bloody child-"

"THEN STOP FUCKING ACTING LIKE ONE!" Chibs all but roared. "Go on, get out o' my sight."

Furious with herself for screwing everything up so badly, Kerrianne fled.


By the time Chibs had cooled down enough to head upstairs to bed himself, just pausing to note that Kerrianne's door was shut and there was no sliver of light below it, he was surprised to find Eden still up until he realised she had probably heard the shouting. Sure enough, she was sat anxiously on the edge of the bed, twisting the hem of her pyjama shorts until she looked up at the sound of him approaching, her eyes filling with tears as soon as she saw him.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's this?" he soothed, hurrying over and letting her arms wrap around his neck.

"I don't want to come between you," she managed. "I know how much it means to you to have Kerri back in your life – I don't want to get in the way of that …"

"Ah, sweetheart, don't you be getting upset," Chibs sighed, scooping her onto his lap as he sank down on the bed. "It ain't personal, you know. Kerri'd be like this no matter who I was wi'. And she will come round. She's had a strange childhood, god love her. Having to grow up too fast, knowing how to stay safe in the middle o' all the shite going on around her. But after spending so much time cooped up wi' Fi and Jimmy … In some ways, it's kept her younger than her years. She ain't as grown up as she'd like to think. How much did you hear?"

"Just shouting. I couldn't make it out though. You sounded so angry," Eden sighed, letting her fingers trail lightly through his hair.

"Aye … Wee brat's got a right mouth on her when she wants. Wonder who she gets that from?" he said wryly, knowing he'd done plenty of shouting the odds and pushing his luck over the years.

"Can I do anything? Would it help if I try talking to her again? I don't want to make things worse, but-"

"Leave Kerri to me and just you worry about a wee cuddle for your aul' man," he smiled, motioning for her to scoot over so he could get up and strip down to his boxers, quickly joining her under the covers with a weary sigh that was half regret at how difficult things were proving with his fractured family and half relief at sinking into the sanctuary of their big, comfortable bed.

"My poor baby," Eden whispered, full of sympathy as she let him wrap her in his arms, one hand settling over the swell of her stomach she'd spent all day trying to disguise. "I love you."

"Love you too, darlin'. Get some rest. I reckon we're gonna need it."