Thank you to Ghostwriter, Angel 897, and tellmesweetlittlelies for the reviews. Thank you to everyone who's reading. Enjoy.
Once the last bike has left the lot River follows Phil to the garage truck and they take a very quiet ride across town to Gemma's house. The upper middle class home is multi-story and River is surprised to see Phil let himself in the back door with a key from his wallet chain. Gemma is nowhere in sight and River peers around the unfamiliar rooms in interest.
The decorating is a little outdated and not to her more modern tastes but overall River thinks the house feels warm. It is obvious a family was raised here. Phil disappears down the hallway off the kitchen and River looks around. Despite the fun activities of the morning she feels like she just woke up and a cup of tea or coffee would be amazing. Finding the kettle she's just gotten it onto the stove when Phil reappears and waves for her attention.
"Gemma is sick. Says it's the flu and she's going to stay in her room so it's just us." The large prospect looks like he's at a complete loss with this new declaration.
River's phone buzzes a noise alert for the screaming kettle and she finishes up two cups of tea before turning to the still concerned looking young man. Nodding towards the table she lets him lead the way and they sit down to share a silent cup of tea.
"What was that buzzing?" Phil breaks the moment and River can tell the quiet was getting to him. She pulls out the phone and puts it on the table letting him look the sleek device over for a few seconds before she pulls it back towards herself and types.
It alerts me to ambient noises over a certain decibel level. It can also talk for me.
His eyes light up. "I read about apps that do this when I was looking up signs the other day." She glances down to make sure she read his still new lips right and nods.
It makes things more convenient. Maybe we could play a game?
"What kind of game?" He smiles as he talks and River feels a protective feeling settle in her stomach. She doesn't know much about this man but she has a feeling he isn't the usual personality for the MC.
I stole a deck of cards from Chibs' house. Can you play poker?
She puts the question on her face as the phone reads but he immediately shakes his head no.
"I know how to play but I saw you Friday night. You'll take me for everything I'm worth." She laughs out loud and his eyes widen at the sound. He's a smart man. She scans the room quickly until her eyes land on a jar of brightly colored chocolate candies near the sink. Jumping up she grabs the jar and digs the deck of cards out of her bag.
Okay, we'll play for candy. No money.
She puts the phone down and starts to divide the brightly colored chocolates by color. Phil helps once he catches on and eventually they have several piles of organized chocolate.
Purple is 100, Green 50, Blue 25 and the Brown will be 10?
He nods along and she deals out the hands. Texas Hold'em is a waste of time with only two people but she lays out a modified version of heads up poker and then types out the rules for Phil. He's easy going and nods along with everything. They play a few practice rounds and then get down to real betting.
It ends up being a surprisingly good time. Phil may be easy going but he impresses her by taking game seriously and betting like he's losing real money. With only two people playing River's skills aren't as useful and it becomes more a game of cards and odds. She's still a better strategist and she takes him the first few hands with no issues but he makes an impressive comeback. By lunch-time they're looking at almost even pots and she calls a pause to demand he figure out lunch.
They end up ordering in and because Phil has literally no preference on food and Gemma refuses all offers, so River gets to pick. She settles on Chinese, something she hasn't had in months, and eating low-mein while watching bad movies turns out to be a good time too. After lunch they play a few more hands of poker before abandoning it for a beat up scrabble board found covered with dust under the TV in the living room.
River is just about to lay down tiles for a triple word score when the phone buzzes an alert and she reads the word "doorbell" on Phil's lips. On high alert per Chibs' warning River doesn't argue as Phil waves her into the kitchen so she can't be seen and has an easy escape route as he answers the front door. When there's no additional alert from the phone to signal anything out of the ordinary River peeks around the corner to get a look at the foyer.
Tara is standing just inside the door talking with Phil. The young doctor looks agitated and River watches her speak for a few moments trying to pick up the thread of the conversation. She finally sees the name Piney on Tara's lips followed by hospital and it provides a clue. River had noticed the absence of the older man this morning at the lot but hadn't thought anything of it.
Phil has his back to the room so there's no way to get additional information from his mouth and they are too far away for the phone to work. River stays at her post by the corner of the kitchen anyways. Years of experience have taught her even the smallest pieces of information can be put together to form a full picture later.
Phil's shoulders tense and River zeroes in on Tara's mouth. The doctor is clearly upset about something and the name Gemma falls from her lips. Phil is clearly trying to explain something Tara finds unwelcome news. Deciding she may learn more out of hiding River steps around the corner to stand directly in Tara's eye path. Tara's eyes narrow momentarily and then she smiles.
"Hi River. Phil was just telling me Gemma is sick. Have you seen her? Do you think she'd be up for a visitor?" Tara speaks quickly in her anxiety and River shakes her head no trying to answer both questions at once. "No?" Tara asks for confirmation and River gives it.
She feels bad about the way the other woman's shoulders fall. Tara mutters something to herself and River misses the entire sentence but she sees something spark in the doctor's eyes. River watches and she can tell that Tara is sorting through details not privy to the other people standing in the foyer. River feels like she can practically see the web of a plan forming.
The execution of the plan is immediate. Tara seems to decide she's going to do what she wants and pushes past River and Phil into the rest of the house. Knowing it's not her place to interfere River just steps back and lets the scene unfold. Phil for his part doesn't try much harder. River can tell he says something but Tara ignores him marching off down the long hallway.
River can tell from the wince on Phil's face that someone must be yelling so she ducks back into the kitchen. She really doesn't have any business getting the middle of whatever mother-in-law drama Tara and Gemma are going through. The large prospect seems to have a similar thought and he holds up a lighter nodding towards the door. River follows him happily.
Much to her surprise Phil wasn't suggesting just a cigarette break. River recovers from her surprise quick enough to take the lit joint off his fingers and inhales in a practiced move. It's really good weed and after months without River feels the buzz go to her head almost immediately. It's a good feeling to be light and free even if it's only because she'd medicated.
Thirty minutes later they're still on the porch although the stress of the situation has worn off considerably. River has been showing Phil how to sign dirty words and she'd just getting to some of the more creative ones when there's a flash in the corner of her eye. Tara comes tearing down the front steps looking genuinely harassed and River tenses as Phil lumbers to his feet. She can tell they're talking but she can't read either set of lips. Almost as soon as she appeared, Tara is gone, in her minivan and peeling out of the driveway. River fumbles for her phone.
What was that?
Phil just shrugs. "I should call Jax." He's moving as he speaks and River just nods picking up a previously discarded cigarette, she leans back in her chair. Something is definitely going with Jax and Tara.
Gemma is furious. She's also embarrassed and scared and in pain but mostly she's furious. This bullshit with JT's letters has gone too far.
Gemma doesn't regret much about her life. For the most part she feels she's done the best she can for her family. She's stayed strong and worked hard to keep her men whole but there have been a few small missteps over time. It's not JT's death that she regrets, that had been the right move for the club no matter what an outsider might think. No, she regrets looking the other way while he twisted himself up with that Irish gash, setting all this bullshit in motion.
The way Gemma sees it if she had put some effort into keeping JT interested for just a bit longer the entire Maureen Ashby situation including those fucking letters could have been avoided.
Only JT could manage to stir the fucking pot from beyond the grave and only that Irish bitch could be dumb enough to shove incriminating crap like those letters blindly into a backpack. If Gemma could do it all over she would shoot Maureen that day in the Belfast kitchen. If she couldn't shoot the woman then she would certainly go back in time and forget to mention the letters to Clay.
Gemma raises a lit cigarette to her bruised lips and winces on the inhale. She hadn't expected Clay to take Tara having the letters to such extremes. She really hadn't expected him to become violent when faced with her opposition to his plans. Gemma had only underestimated her hold on a man once before and JT's affair with Maureen was the result. Now here she was making the same mistake and she isn't sure which hurts more, the infidelity or her beaten body. Clay's arthritic hands could still pack a punch.
The shit just kept getting deeper too. Tara showing up at the house and barging into the bedroom had been a shock. Gemma had been trying for over a year to reassure the doctor, keep her on the soft side of things. Letters or no it seemed to be working too and there hadn't been any rumblings about fleeing Charming since the boys went into Stockton. Now though with Clay on the war path about the letters and Tara having witnessed the results of his fury on Gemma's face the doctor is back to full flight mode.
Gemma can still hear the last words Tara yelled before she fled the room, "Jesus Christ, if this is what he does to people he loves what do you think he'll do to me. To my boys!." Gemma had stepped in reminding Tara that those boys belonged to Jax too but it was like the younger woman took it as a challenge. "That's right," Tara had said, "and my fiance and I will be taking our boys and getting away from this poisonous town."
"Fucking bitch," Gemma mutters the words and glances at the clock on the bedside table. She's been waiting for it to get late enough to sneak out into the kitchen for some food. The last thing she needs is the prospect or River seeing her face and asking stupid questions. Midnight seems more than late enough so she pulls herself up and risks a glance out the door. All quiet.
Padding into the half-lit kitchen she's just about to open the fridge when the sound of a lighter sparking sends her heart into her throat. She spins and finds River sitting at the dining room table. The younger woman is in a familiar looking sweatshirt and a pair of sleep shorts, a game of solitaire spread out on the table in front of her. Even in the low light of the kitchen Gemma knows her beaten face must be obvious from the way River's eyes widen as she takes her in.
Deciding she might as well face things head on Gemma leans on the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you often lurk in the middle of the night?" The sarcastic tone is clearly lost on the deaf woman and Gemma watches her check a phone before looking back up a question on her face. "I fell down." Gemma says the words with as much attitude as she can, River's eyebrows almost disappear into shaggy bangs and a moment later she's holding out the phone for Gemma to read.
It looks like the ground may have come up to meet you a few times.
Gemma can't help the snort. "Something like that." River nods and then gets up pointing Gemma to her vacated seat. It feels odd to have someone else tell her to get out of her own kitchen but the younger woman doesn't seem interested in arguments. Taking a seat Gemma watches River move around the room like she owns it and a few quiet minutes later a mug of tea and a plate of toast appear. "Thank you." River shrugs and runs a hand up the back of her head, spiking out her short hair.
They sit there in silence for a long time. Longer than Gemma would usually be comfortable with but at this point she's got nothing left to devote to small talk. It's River who moves first jumping up without explanation and disappearing into the living room. She comes back a moment later and she's got a plastic bag in her hand. Gemma watches impressed as the girl expertly breaks a large bud and rolls a tight joint. She holds it out with a question on her face for Gemma to light.
"You're just a full service nurse tonight huh?" She lights the spliff as soon as she finishes speaking.
You should get some ice on it.
"I know how to handle the aftermath of a fall just fine thanks." Gemma hits the joint a second time and then passes it. River inhales and then types before she blows out the smoke.
It looks the ground may have been wearing an SOA ring when you fell into it. Ice will help.
"Well shit." Gemma winces out the word and touches her damaged cheek, "Go on then." It's enough. River jumps up and Gemma leans back in her chair waiting until she returns with ice wrapped in a clean dish towel. "He didn't mean it." They both know it's a lie.
Is it club business or your business?
Gemma is impressed by the question and she raises an eyebrow. She's met old ladies who have been living the MC life for 20 years that aren't as savvy. "Aren't you just little miss preceptive. Been around for a few days and you know how this all works?" This time Gemma is sure the tone sunk in despite the lack of hearing. Gemma watches the younger woman type and then slide the phone across the table before holding up her hands in a sign of surrender.
You don't know my story and I don't know yours. That's fine. You're the queen and I'm under lock and key but we have the same goal. Everyone stays whole. Just doing my part.
Gemma takes a longer look at the woman in front of her. A week ago when she'd shown up at Chibs' house to drop off the clothes at Clay's request all Gemma saw was a defeated, disabled, piece of Cartel owned pussy. The image had put up blinders and Gemma had let her own issues and sympathies get in the way. Even the day before at the lot and while shopping she'd only seen a girl caught up in something too big for her.
Now though, Gemma looks again. This time she takes the deafness and prior beating out of the equation, it's a different person. Gemma isn't sure how she missed it. The confident way River holds herself, the dark dangerously intelligent eyes, the unnatural calm. This woman is not defeated and she's certainly not disabled. Gemma isn't sure if the sudden change is the result of a shift in River or in herself but she's pissed she didn't see it before now.
"You're a piece of work aren't you?" River ducks her head and pulls a tight smile at the words. Gemma can't get a real read on the girl and she dislikes it. The soft glow of the phone slides across the table.
I've been at this table before. Do you need a cover story for Jax?
Gemma reads the words, "I'm sure the doctor bitch will let him know before I get a chance to say anything." River nods along her face impassive and Gemma can't help feeling a little impressed. If Chibs was tapping it, Gemma had to commend his choice. He had a way of picking dangerous women, they fit him. "What's your story then? You just have a lot of experience with fall victims?" She doesn't expect the girl to answer but why not ask. She's a little surprised when River starts typing.
I grew up around strong high tempered women married to loud high tempered men. Sometimes tempers boil over and then someone takes a fall.
"Oh yea?" Gemma lights a cigarette, "and how did these high tempered women usually handle it when things boil over?" Gemma blows out a line of smoke on the question and when it clears River is still wearing that tight smile.
Some of them let their temper fade away, some of them let it engulf them. The smart ones figure out how to give as good as they got.
Gemma doesn't reply. It's not that as if she hasn't spent the last few hours thinking the same thing. Pushing her brain to figure out how to make Clay pay for the beating. Telling Jax feels like the easy way out. Her baby boy has little love left for his step-father and Gemma knows it. This could be all it takes to push him over the edge. If Jax pushes Clay out, it would be harder for Tara to pull him away. It could go bad though, in so many ways. River pushes the phone into her peripheral vision and Gemma looks down to read.
Sometimes though the smart ones aren't smart enough to see the blow back coming. Be better than them.
It's like the girl read her mind and Gemma gives her cold look hoping to remove any trace of the thoughts. River just shrugs and gets up, grabbing the phone as she goes. Gemma waits until she knows she's alone in the room before pressing the now half melted ice pack to her face.
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