Chapter 8

I hope everyone is staying safe xx

Jax pulled up to the cabin. Parking his bike he removed his helmet, fingers sliding through his hair. Before going inside he took a moment. What Galen was asking was a hard ask. Jax needed Clay to be gone but it seemed no matter how hard he tried Clay just seemed to cling on. That was proven that morning with Clay reaching out to him, his mother and Nicole. That was Clay again trying to claw his way back and with Galen pushing for Clay Jax was again being pushed into a place that he wasn't comfortable with, and he couldn't let Clay get what he wanted.

With that thought Jax tackled the next thing on his list. Dealing with a junkie who's 9 year old son shot up his classmates with one of the their KG9s. That was that hardest thing to swallow today. He thoughts just went to his sons.

Walking into the cabin Jax greeted his brothers.

"How she doin'?" His question was directed to Nero but it was Arcadio who answered as he entered the main room from the bedroom.

"She's fine." Jax looked at him but quickly shifted his gaze to Nero looking for a little more of the truth.

"She's level, need to keep her that way I have my guys doing a run." Jax was grateful for the honesty but he knew what that meant. She was on a come down and the fact that Nero was gathering another hit for her meant one thing to Jax that this shit was just going to get worse.

Hearing the chair shift behind him Jax locked over his shoulder his eyes made contact with Happy's. He looked pissed and Jax understood where that was coming from, it was Nicole. And Jax felt it too. Happy had confirmed just before they sent Nicole off to Tacoma that she was clean but drugs was an issue and seeing Darvany like she was it reminded them both of what Nicole could be.

Jax didn't get to say anything else when their attention was drawn to the sound of a car pulling up. Juice looked out the window. "It's Gemma."

"Jesus Christ." Jax, closely followed by Nero headed for the door.


Nicole asked no questions on the drive just directed Gemma where she needed to go. Nicole understood why Gemma needed to see Jax, and although she would let Happy explain the rest that didn't mean that all of this wasnt giving her an uneasy feeling in her stomach and for once recently it wasn't the baby.

As Gemma parked the car Nicole noticed Jax and Nero making their way outside. Gemma rolled down the window.

"I need to talk to you." Gemma pointed to Jax and Nero clearly got the message as he nodded to Gemma and headed back inside.

Nicole could tell that her cousin hadn't notice her yet, well until he reached the car that was. Nicole eyes quickly diverted as she followed Gemma and existed the car.

Gemma noticed her sons eyes lingering on Nicole. There was concern on his face
and Gemma knew that this was the first time he was seeing Nicole since Tacoma. Nicole still displaying signs of her accident, the accident caused by blow back of Jax's actions. Gemma was still glad to she that concern there in her sons eyes. There was hope for these two.

"You ok?" Jax asked Gemma even though his eyes were still following Nicole as she walked around the car to join them.

"Happy here?" Nicole asked before Gemma could answer Jax's question.

"Yeah he's inside." Nicole nodded and started to make her way towards the cabin but Jax stopped her. "You can't go in." Jax moved infront of her blocking her path. He didn't want Nicole walking in there blind. "I'll grab him in a sec." Nicole shook her head, her fears confirmed something was going on. Although annoyed she remained standing where she was. Jax looked back at Gemma. "So what did he say?"

"I found out who's protecting Clay." Jax knew that he had asked his mother to go to see Clay but he was surprised to see Nicole with her. Did she see Clay too? "That nurse that Otto killed it was her brother. "

"Oh shit."

"He's a Marshall." Gemma took a breath, the memories of Clays words had constantly be replaying in her head and she just wanted to forget them but Jax needed to know. "Clay was spilling all this shit about how he forgives me, love me, us..." Gemma gestured to the three of them. "He said he's sorry."

"Doesn't sound like Clay. "

"No it sounds like someone bleeding guilt because he made a deal. You need to go and see him."


Nero returned into the cabin, he knew the two needed to talk about Clay, Nero just hoped that Clay hadn't tried to screw with her. Nero had no doubt in their love but Gemma and Clay they had some deep rooted history that easily still screw with her.

"All good?" Chibs asked upon Nero's appearance.

"For now."

Happy watched as his brothers tried to relax. Part of the club he always hated along with his brothers was babysitting duty. It was tedious, especially when the person being babysat was a strung out junkie, and it was in his space. Although he agreed that they could use his cabin, because he would always do what was best for the club, it didn't mean that he had to like it. This cabin was his private space the only person he allowed into this space before was Nicole.

With that thought he checked his cell for the first time and realised that he had a missed call off her and a message, he was just about to listen to it when he heard the glass smash. Happy instantly knew what it was knowing exactly what glass was in the room Darvany was in. It was his gun cabinet. He instantly reached for his gun, his action making his brothers do the same. His gut hadn't failed him because Darvany came rushing into the room wielding a shot gun, which Happy knew was loaded. He always kept them loaded, saved time. And if any of them thought it wasn't she proved them wrong when she fired of a round off in the ceiling.


The echo of the gunshot stopped any further conversation. Jax instinctively protected Gemma and Nicole and pulled out his gun.

He watched Darvany and Arcadio stumble out of the cabin, Darvany with the shot gun -which Jax knew was the weapon that had been fired in the cabin. He came from behind the car where he moved Nicole and Gemma to and raised his gun ready to fire at the threat.


Hearing the gun shot Nicole panicked. Happy was in there. She watched this woman run out of the cabin and train her gun on Jax. The man following behind the woman who Nicole did not know either, also had a gun pointing at Jax.

Nicole was moving before she realised what she was doing and she only stopped when the man instructed Jax to drop the gun. Nicole's eyes met his briefly before he looked back at Jax. Nicole knew what he was threatening, her, and that was when she saw the slightest movement of jax's head in her direction before he lowered his gun, and moved to stand in front of her.


After being forced to drop their weapons Happy and his brothers soon followed Darvany and Arcadio out the cabin once their guns were trained off them.

Walking outside they saw Arcadio threaten Jax to lower his gun. That pissed Happy off, but what pissed him off more was when the reached outside and he saw Nicole. He raised his gun and Tig who had clocked what Happy had noticed quickly followed him raising his gun.

"No..." Nero shouted watching Happy and Tig. Nero had noticed Nicole too and knew from what Gemma had told him, Nicole and Happy were a thing. Which Nero knew meant that Happy would have no problem shooting both his cousin and his Old lady to protect Nicole.


Watching her son get threatened Gemma's mothers instinct kicked in. Knowing that she had gone unnoticed for now she leant through the car window and grabbed her gun from her bag. Stepping forward she caught the attention of Darvany. Gemma noted the panic and before Gemma knew it the shot gun was pointing at her and a shot was fired.

"GEMMA..." Now it was Nero's turn to be pissed and worried for a loved ones safety.

Arcadio turned his gun on the men when he heard the commotion behind him. He that this situation was escalating badly and his girl had just fired at their President and Gemma. There was another girl which he presumed was club related too, which he had threatened, although silently. He needed her to calm down this situation or they were both dead.

"Dav don't do this." He pleaded sparing a glance at her over his shoulder.

"They are going to kill us!" She shouted as she spared a look at him before looking back to Gemma. "Keys."

"Ignition." Gemma shouted, cautious of the woman in front of her.

With the threat Gemma watched Jax move once again in front of them, protecting them. But that was when she felt Nicole cling to her arm. She was shaking. No one else would question it given the current situation they were in but Gemma did, her niece was a hard bitch. Gemma was already suspicious of her niece's recent behaviour, but this, this was just not like her and when her eyes moved to her niece she noticed that Nicole was not looking at her, Jax or the crazy bitch carrying a shotgun. Her eyes were dead set on Happy. Was this why? Was her fear because of Happy? Was this why she was off?


Daverny opened the door to the truck. "Come with me." Arcadio looked at Nero when he shouted his name. "They are going to kill us." He looked back at his girl and knew after this she was probably right. He threw one last at Nero but then quickly followed his girl into Gemmas truck. He never reached it though.

The shot rang out, quickly followed by screams. It grabbed everyone's attention. All were shocked that Nero had been the one to fire the shot.

Screaming Daverny shot out of the car and Jax saw his opening. He chased after her tackling her to the ground, quickly manoeuvring the shotgun off her. Anger taking over him., anger that was not just because of her and this shit , anger just from his life, Jax found himself pointing the gun in her face. She cried out in fear and tried to scrabble away. But it didn't faze Jax, he wanted to shoot, it was the easiest option right now. She would be silenced. They could dispose of their bodies, case would be closed, but he didn't get to find out his thoughts were right because before he could act Nero stopped him.

Xxxxxxxx

"You ok?" Nicole spared a quick glance at Gemma before returning her eyes to Happy who was now following after Jax.

"Yeah."

As soon as Jax got the gun off the woman Nicole headed for Happy, and it was like he sensed her because Happy turned around and started heading towards her.

"You ok?" He asked as he reached her, grabbing her arm and pulling her close. Nicole nodded but she wasn't really. "What you doin' here?"

"I called you, I went with Gemma, to see Clay." She noticed the flex in his jaw but she never got to answer as Gemma did.

"She came to support me. Problem?" Happy's eyes went to Gemma and nodded.

Happy was surprised by the way Gemma was looking at him, he had seen that look before. He also noticed her eyes go to his hand that was on Nicoles arm. He didn't like it. Gemma could be a nosey bitch when she wanted to be and right now him and Nicole had something to protect and he didnt care want Gemma was thinking.

"No." Happy answer was directed to Gemma. It wasn't until he felt Nicoles fingers on his ribs, that he turned back to Nicole.

"Come on." Happy rasped. He looked over his shoulder and saw his brothers had the situation under control, so he started to moved Nicole away from Gemma and the situation. He headed to the wood rather than the cabin where they were taking back the physco bitch. Happy and Jax exchanged a glance a nod from Jax signalling that he was ok with Happy not following.

Gemma watched them leave but she was intrigued with what was going on between the two. But when she looked away and her eyes caught Nero she knew that was where she had to be.


"Whats going on here Hap? Who is she?" Happy knew the question was coming and he would of told her later he just didn't expect her to be here and in the middle of it.

"School shootin' it was her kid." Nicole frowned at first it still didn't make sense but then it was like a light bulb.

"The gun, was it ours?" The look in his eyes confirmed the answer. Nicole's hand instinctively went to her stomach as she let out a shuddered breath. This was the only thing that made sense why else would Samcro be involved as much as they were.

Happy knew what his girl was thinking. There was a change between them now when harm came their way. She was thinking of their kid. She was thinking about the life that they were going to be bringing it into and he had to agree this situation didn't sit right with him.

"What happens now?"

"That's on Jax." Nicole nodded. "What happened with Clay?" It was his turn to ask the questions now. He watched Nicole try to regain her composure. Her fingers running through her dark wavy locks.

"I don't know he spouted some shit to Gemma about forgiving her. It was after that was concerning."

"What'd you mean?" Nicole sensed the concern.

"Lee Toric turned up. He's the brother of the nurse Otto killed. Gemma's told Jax."

Happy knew that this was just about to drop a whole new level of shit onto the club. And again it felt like his girl was getting dragged into it. He moved to her, his hands cupping her face. She leaned into the touch. He kissed her deeply and she responded.

Happy loved his club but he needed to protect his only family now.

"You stay away from him."

"I intend to." Nicole's head whipped back towards the cabin, she watched Tig coming out with a cloth and walk over to the lifeless body. She looked back at Happy. "Why did you bring this here?"

Happy wasn't surprised at the question, he even agreed but the club needed this. So he was truthful with her. "Club needed a place off the grid."

Nicole nodded, she knew what the club was like, It had been her whole life. John, Clay, Jax, Gemma, Opie, all of the club members from Samcro to Jury in Nevada had all been her guiding point through her life but right now Happy was it.

She turned to look at him. Nicole has always taken the rough parts of the club, hell her actions over the years had caused a lot of blow back to the club, but Nicole couldn't risk that anymore and she didn't want to. If Happy was bringing this here Nicole feared what else was to come.