That We All Carry On

We watched as Bobby walked up to Jax to pass him a cell phone. That looked like a really good sign. At least I assumed it was by the look of relief on Jax's face when he finished the call and passed it back to Bobby.

I tried to watch the two of them while they talked quietly but my sight line was suddenly blocked… by Happy's broad chest. He cupped the left side of my head with his fingers in the shape of a 'V' around my ear. Normally I would get angry with him for shielding me and for being over-protective, but the look on his face told me I was wrong. He was being protective, not because of club business but because he genuinely cared about me.

"Hey, are you feeling okay, Princess?" I started to nod but I couldn't complete the action because of the way he was holding my head. "You and Tara… You've always…"

I surged up to kiss him and gently teased, "You worry too much."

He tried to glare at me as he retorted, "You don't worry enough."

"Because this isn't a problem. Tara and I are finally on the same page. We're good, I swear."

He brushed away a stray tear that escaped out of my right eye. "Then why are you crying?"

'Things are finally… settling down with Tara and Jax and…" Happy pulled me into a hug as I started to cry harder. "Opie should be here. HE should be a part of this too. I wish my whole family was here. This doesn't feel complete without him."

He ran his hand up and down my back to comfort me the best the he could. "I'm sorry, Princess," he whispered against my head. "This should be a happy day for you, not one that brings you to tears."

"I'm okay," I replied as I eased out of his embrace. I swiped my hand covered in my sleeve over my cheeks. "I'm… I don't think I'm sad. I'm just exhausted. Can you take me home so I can nap before the guys turn themselves in? Please?"

"You don't…" He started as he dried my cheeks with a tissue.

I glared at him and when he fell silent, I retorted, "I'm going and if you won't take me, I'll just call Gemma."

"Okay…okay. But first, let's go say our goodbyes to the newlyweds."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As we all sat in the clubhouse, the tension was so thick it was stifling. We all knew we were here to say goodbye, but the killer was that we didn't know how long they would be gone. Yeah. Jax heard from the Cartel, but they couldn't guarantee they could line up protection in time. That meant that Damon Pope would most likely get his wish; he would more than likely be able to pluck a few feathers off more than one crow.

Goddammit! He couldn't win. We couldn't let him, not like this. They came too far, worked too hard to go out like this. Plus… we had lost enough of the heart of this club; we couldn't lose our soul too.

"Hey… Are you okay?"

I kept my eyes closed as I rubbed my temples replying, "I'll be okay. It's just… I didn't sleep well and my head…aches."

"I'll get you some water," Happy stated firmly as he stood up.

I caught his arm and shook my head. "It's not that." I opened my eyes to meet his as I swallowed down the last of my scotch. "The air in here… it's… stale. I'm gonna… I just… I'm going to step outside and get some fresh air before the Sheriffs get here so I can say a proper goodbye to the guys, okay?"

"Okay. I'll come get you when we hit the ten-minute mark."

"Thanks, Grumpy," I replied as I kissed his lips.

He walked me to the door so that no one would try to stop me. As I stepped out the door, I heard Gemma call out to me, but Happy was there to stop her from following me. I have no idea what eh would say to her, but I was confident he knew the right words. If anyone could find a way to calm down our tumultuous mother hen, it was Happy. He didn't say much because you didn't have to waste your breath when you were able to speak the perfect words to get your point across without rambling like I did.

Fuck, that must be nice. I still felt like a toddler babbling away, hoping their parents would understand what I needed. Lucky for me, Happy seemed to be able to read between the lines whenever I started rambling. He seemed to know what I was thinking before I did sometimes. I always found comfort in that. ESPECIALLY today.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Somehow, I found myself laying in the boxing ring again. I think this had become one of my favorite safe havens because it reminded me of Happy. The first time I ever saw him was in this ring. The club was celebrating something or another. I stopped by to ask Gemma's advice about my new bar and I had caught a glimpse of him from afar.

I've never been a fan of watching anyone fight, but I couldn't take my eyes off him that night. Even though it was just for fun, he moved with a deadly precision. I wasn't watching a fight, it was a dance and it was… beautiful. Gemma had invited me to stay, but I quickly declined. I wasn't ready to face my dad at that time.

As I laid in the middle of the ring, I couldn't help but to wonder how my life would differ if my answer had of been 'yes' that night. What if I had met Happy before David decided to make is home and pursue me? What if I had of gotten closer to the club before Donna was murdered? Could I have made a difference? Could all of the pain and destruction have been avoided?

I wiped a tear away and shook my head. There's no point in play the 'what if' fame. It was one with no way to win.

So, there's no point falling into that pit now.

That thought was abruptly cut off by the sound of an approaching motorcycle. Since everyone was inside the clubhouse, there was only one person it could be. I sat up and smiled when I had my suspicions confirmed. Opie was here. I don't know why, but I instantly felt more at ease the second that I saw him enter the parking lot.

He was just finishing parking his bike when I made it to his side. I didn't give him a chance to dismount or remove his helmet before I hugged him tightly and quietly exclaimed, "You're finally here."

"Sorry it took so long."

I sniffled a breath and shook my head. "Doesn't matter. The family is finally all together. Come on, let's go have one last drink together before we get torn apart again."

"Uh… Sis…?"

I turned towards the direction of his gaze. "Fuck," I cursed under my breath when I saw the Sheriff's truck drive onto TM's lot, followed by what looked like the entire Sheriff's department. Shit. Was it 8pm already? Why the hell did time have to pass so damn fast when bad shit was about to happen?

I must have made a move to head towards the clubhouse, but Opie stopped me. He kept his arm around my waist and gently pulled me into his side. "Sis, it'll be better if we hang back."

I wrapped my arms around his waist to hug him replying, "You're right… you're right."

We watched as Ally Loewen met Lieutenant Roosevelt at the door. She took a piece of paper out of his hands and then took a step back. Shit. This was really happening.

As they started escorting the guys out of the clubhouse, Opie lead me towards them. The guys were saying their final goodbyes before they offered themselves up to be cuffed. I guess you could say it was peaceful. But I couldn't help but to laugh when Chibs stopped forward, one finger salute held his on each hand. Of course, they couldn't go without some form of protest.

"So, you came to say goodbye," Lt. Roosevelt commented in an amused voice as he walked towards us.

Opie nodded answering, "Yeah."

Then Opie took a large step away from me. I think I reached out to stop him, but that just resulted in me holding a handful of his cut. I stared at it as I tried to piece everything together because it made no sense that he would take it off.

That was until I heard a very loud THWACK. BY the time I looked up, Opie was rearing his arm back to punch Eli again. What the fuck was he doing? Assaulting a police officer would…

"Fuck," I cursed out as I ran towards the mass of Sheriff's deputies who were now forcing Opie's arms behind his back to cuff him.

I couldn't get close to my twin. Hell, before I could even think of forcing my way past anyone in a brown uniform, I was being pulled away from the melee. Well, not pulled, more like carried away. I didn't have to turn around to check who was behind me because I knew it was Happy right away.

"I just want to say goodbye to him. Please?" I pleaded before he could carry me too far away.

He put me back on my feet once we were standing with everyone else from the club who was standing outside and quietly replied, "Behave, Princess."

I gave him a half-hearted glare over my shoulder as I walked away. Everyone had calmed down no that all four members of SAMCRO were in cuffs, so I diverted my course towards Lt. Roosevelt.

"I'm so sorry about what my brother just did, Lieutenant," I started with sincere regret in my tone. "I… I don't know what got into him, I swear."

He gave me a half-smile replying, "Thank you for the sentiment, Ms. Winston, but you don't have to apologize for your brother. You don't control his actions."

"That's true, but I know he won't do it and you deserve an apology because that behavior is inexcusable."

"Thank you again."

He shook his head as he suppressed a chuckle and turned away. I then placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to get his attention again. After he had turned around with a confused look on his face, I asked, "I know it's kind of out of line to ask but… would you be okay with me saying goodbye to my brother? I wasn't expecting… and now… well…"

His whole facial expression softened as I started to lose my train of thought. "Sure, go ahead. Deputy! Hold up a minute with, Winston."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Sir." I sprinted over to Opie and wrapped him in a hug then quietly scolded him, "You fucking idiot! I could kick your ass for that!" I felt him chuckle as I leaded back to look up at him. "Watch your back and take care of each other." I placed my hand over the spot where his 'A' tattoo was and added, "I love you, Baby Bro."

"Love you too. I promise we will."

He leaned down to kiss my forehead before he was led away by a Deputy. I then walked over to Happy's side and tucked myself under his arm. We all stood back and watch as the were escorted to a prisoner transport truck in silence. I don't know about everyone else but I know I got completely lost in my own thoughts. I couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next. Would they really have protection by the time they made it to county? Or would Damon Pope get his wishes granted and be able to off them? Here's hoping we got a win on this one.

"Are you ready to head home, Princess?"

I nodded with my head resting on one of Happy's shoulders. "Absolutely. Lead the way, Grumpy."

Happy took me by the hand to walk me over to his bike. We said a quick goodbye to everyone but that was it because what else could we really say? We all hoped for the best, but we were realistic enough to try to mentally prepare ourselves for the worst. And if the worst was to happen, it wasn't something you wanted to talk or even think about until it happened. It was somewhat… okay really superstitious but it fell in line with the old adage of 'don't poke the bear'. Don't discuss the worst-case scenarios or you might cause them to manifest… Or feel really guilty if they did happen.

Once we got to Happy's bike I started to put on Opie's cut. Why? Because it was in my hands and I couldn't carry it AND hold onto Happy for the ride home. Did I think those things before I did it? No, it was just something I automatically started to do. Just like I would if I was carrying my own jacket or backpack or something else like that.

"ANDREA!"

I jumped when I heard Happy angrily shout my proper name. I also completely froze as I tentatively moved my eyes up to his face and timidly asked, "Yes, Happy?"

"You can't wear that."

"Wear what?" That's when it hit me; I was putting on Opie's cut! Fuck, that was a MAJOR faux pas. "Shit!" I pulled it off my right forearm and threw it onto the seat of his bike. "I swear I didn't mean to put it on… At least… not consciously… Really! I didn't!"

"It's okay, Princess," he replied in a much less severe tone. "Please, don't cry. I didn't mean to yell… I just needed to get your attention."

He hugged me close when he noticed Bobby and Gemma had stopped their conversation to watch us. They obviously had heard him shout out my given name too. And everyone knew nothing good came after hearing a terse 'ANDREA', especially if I was at TM. I immediately melted into this embrace because I wasn't upset about him admonishing me. I deserved it and he really was just looking out for me. The cause of my tears was more frustration and exhaustion. It had been a long day and I had tried to work too long at the garage before going to Stockton. Even though Happy had taken me home to nap, I wasn't able to sleep or even properly rest. I had tried calling Opie, but he wouldn't answer his phone. (It never occurred to me that he might not be able to because he was riding out to talk to Lyla. In my mind it was a conscious decision on his part so that he could avoid talking to me.)

Plus, seeing Opie punch the Lieutenant really shocked the hell out of me. Since I was dealing with a concussion caused by a traumatic brain injury, all of the day's events were overwhelming and exhausting. And when all of that hit me at once (along with my bone-headedness) it all added up to tears forming. I seriously hated how my brain worked sometimes.

"I know you didn't and that's…" I stopped and took in a deep breath to calm myself down. "I'm just exhausted from… fuck from everything. Thank you for stopping me. But…? Can you…?"

"Of course," he replied quietly.

He then picked up Opie's cut and carefully folded it. I watched as he stowed it into one of the pockets on the side of his bike with a sad smile on his face. The last time I had been in possession of my twin's cut was when Charming PD had come to the clubhouse to arrest him when Kyle had left him high and dry. David had been nice enough to pass it to me so I could give it to Donna to hold onto until Opie was released from prison. That also meant I had the dubious task of telling my sister in law that her worst fears had become a reality. Don't get me wrong, I did so willingly but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't let out the biggest sigh of relief when Gemma showed up to take over comforting a completely distraught Donna later that night.

I carefully climbed onto Happy's bike and wrapped myself around his back. Thankfully I was able to hold off my latest round of tears until he had his bike started. My silent sobs were easily concealed by the rumble of his motor and any shaking caused by those sobs were masked by the movement of his bike. I was able to cry myself out by the time we got home. All I had to do was dry my cheeks and Happy wouldn't be any wiser.

Yeah… right. He had a sixth sense about my emotions and must have known I was crying during the ride because he passed me a couple of tissues over his shoulder before he dismounted. I took them with a quiet thanks and quickly went to work at drying my cheeks.

Once he was standing, he pulled my face forward to give me a reassuring kiss. "I'll start the kettle while you get ready for bed."

I stared up at him from where I was still sitting on his bike and just gaped at him for a couple of seconds. "You're too good to me." He just shook his head and tried to brush off my compliment. "No, you are. But I have to admit, right now, I'm… conflicted."

"Conflicted about what?"

"I'm beyond relieved to have you here to take care of me, especially right now. I was a mess the last time Opie was locked up. Having you by my side will help keep me relatively sane. But in the next breath I wish you were going with them so you could keep them all safe."

"Well, I'd rather be staying with you right now."

"Really?"

"Really. Taking care of you is infinitely better than being in prison."

"Yeah… That makes sense. But I hear guys give better head because they gain their knowledge from personal experience."

He stared at me in wide eyed disbelief for a second before he held out a hand. Without a moment of hesitation, he pressed the back of it to my forehead as if he was checking my temperature.

"Happy?"

"Sorry. Just checking you don't have a fever that's making you delusional. But you don't, so I guess I should laugh at your attempt at humor."

Now it was my turn to glare at him. "Yes, you should always laugh when your girlfriend is being funny." He continued to stare at me with a blank look on his face, prompting me to ask, "Well?"

He shrugged then answered, "Sorry. I was waiting for you to say something funny."

I continued to glare at him as I playfully slapped his chest. "HAPPY!" I smirked and added, "Just for that I should make you carry me to bed on top of you waiting on me hand and foot."

Now it was his turn to smirk. He placed his arms under my thighs and easily lifted me off his bike before he carried me bridal style towards the house. "That I will do gladly any day, Princess."