Chapter 8: Learning to Deal

Happy's house was a simple two bedroom, single level home; he didn't really need anything larger. It was just right for him; when he did stay there, it also worked to have members from other charters stay there when they were in town. As they pulled into Happy's driveway, he could feel that Olivia had relaxed some, she was not holding on to him as tightly as she was when they had left Redwoody. He realized that she was the first woman that he had brought to his house. He wasn't one for bonding with women, he kept them at a distance; never forming an emotional connection with them. He didn't tend to let them sleep in the same bed with him when they had sex; he would kick them out after they gave him what he wanted. The croweater and ladies at Diosa knew that was the way he was; he would fuck them senseless and send them merrily on their way. Happy like it that way. He liked his privacy and the unattached nature of it. He wondered why he had volunteered to allow her to stay with him, in the first place. He was sure that they could have figured something out for her. Hell Lyla was so worried about where she was going to stay he should have suggested Olivia stayed with her. The guys sat around and discussed it while she took an extraordinarily long shower. He thought back to the discussion they had,

"Where is she going to stay?" Lyla addressed the whole group. "If you are considering Redwoody…you are all assholes." She said boldly.
Happy glared at Lyla wondering why she was overstepping her boundaries and why Jax wasn't putting her in her place. She knew better.
"I talked to Wendy and she can stay at my place, however we have to get a room ready for her. Both the boys were already in bed, so she can't stay there tonight. I figured that we could just set her up here or at Diosa." Jax took a long drag from his cigarette.
Lyla let out an annoyed laugh, "Do any of you know what she has been through?" The guys stared at her, Happy was getting annoyed by the bitch. He liked Lyla but she was getting a little pushy and was not a part of the club or what they did; she was the club's employee who happened to run their porn studio. "Okay let me restate my previous statement." Lyla said when the guys didn't respond. "You do realize that she was just locked in a warehouse and tortured for days, do you really think she would want to stay in another warehouse that in several hours will be filled with people having sex? Or wake up in a bed that someone just fucked in?"

Happy wondered why Lyla cared so much. He looked over at Tig, Olivia was after all his daughter; he should take responsibility and care for her.

"What?" Tig looked at Happy.

"She's your daughter." He replied.

"Have you seen the way she looks at me? I see how she tenses up when I get close to her. I don't think it's a good idea if she stays with me. Plus it would be the first place Marks would look for her." Tig tried to argue why she couldn't stay with him.

It was unbelievable to Happy, if he had taken responsibility for his daughter to begin with this wouldn't have happened. She would have been under the protection of the club the whole time. There were some arguments that had started about where she could stay while Happy was internalizing everything. He took a long drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray and then said, "She can stay at my house for the night." The room fell silent, had the Tacoma Killer just offered up a room at his house?

Jax walked over and slapped Happy's back. "Thanks brother, it will only be for the night."

Happy nodded at Jax, he had just hoped that he would not regret it.

Liv unobtrusively followed Happy into his house, she looked around as he turned on the light in the entry way. The house was pretty minimalistic and extremely tidy. She took off her shoes and left them in the entryway by the door. She would have done that in her house so she did it at his. The living room had a couch and one chair which faced a large flat screen television that was hung on the wall. There were no photos or pictures decorating the walls, there were just plain and white. It felt almost sterile, there was no personality in his house. Olivia instantly missed the warmth of her house, the house she had grown up in. The welcoming atmosphere and the smell of fresh flowers. This was nothing like that.

"I'll give you a quick tour and then you should get some sleep." Happy said as he glanced back at her. He was glad to see she had removed her shoes even if he hadn't; it showed respect for him and his house. They walked into the kitchen which was pretty small but was adequate for him. "This is the kitchen, there is some food in the fridge if you want anything to eat. Go ahead and help yourself." He didn't mention anything about cleaning up; he would mention that if she didn't pick up after herself. He lead Olivia down the hallway to the left of the kitchen, he stopped at the first room on the right, "Bathroom." Then lead her to end of the hallway, "This is where you'll be staying and the room there is mine." Happy pointed to his room which was to his left. He studied her while she took everything in.

Liv gave him a small grateful smile, "I really appreciate you letting me stay here for the night." The bed in the room had never looked so inviting, she couldn't wait to sleep on a bed where her arms were not bound above her head. Where she had blankets and pillows and most of all where she didn't have to worry someone would be coming into her room to having his way with her.

Happy nodded, "If you need anything let me know." He turned away giving her, privacy. He walked out to the kitchen and poured himself a small glass of bourbon; he liked to finish off his day with a scotch or bourbon. He walked out and sat on the back steps of his house. It was a clear and somewhat crisp evening. He was glad that they were able to safe Olivia, as well as lay Bobby to rest. It had been a taxing evening for him. Instead of enjoying his glass of bourbon, like he would most nights, he swallowed it down in one mouth full. He was ready to call it a night. Happy went back into the house and placed his glass on the counter, he would take care of it in the morning. He needed to shower the dirt and grim of the day away. He walked towards his room and glanced towards the bedroom where Olivia was already sound asleep. He wondered how long it had been since she had been able to sleep comfortably. She would sleep safely at his house, he thought as he stripped down to shower.

Olivia's dreams had been muddled with her life before her kidnapping and her torture. She dreamt that she was back in Charlotteville with Juice.

Liv was in her house, she walked out into the kitchen where Juice was standing next to the kitchen sink. "Hey baby." Juice smiled broadly at her.

"Hi." Liv looked around, how had she gotten there? "You're alive." She ran and embraced him.

"Of course I am. Did you have a bad dream?" He asked as he gazed down at her.

Liv thought about it, and nodded at him. She smiled back. That's what it was it was just a bad dream; I am safe and I am with Juice. She thought to herself she felt so relieved. She kissed him on his lips, he pulled her into a deeper kiss. She closed her eyes as he moved his kisses to her neck.

"You know most woman would kill to be where you are right now." Juice whispered in her ear. That was a silly thing to say she thought; he continued, "I am going to make you forget about that Puerto Rican with my big cock!" His voice had changed Liv pulled back and it wasn't Juice. It was the man who went by the name Peter; one of the guys, who had been her attacker. She tried to pull away from him but he held her tightly. He shoved her hard against the refrigerator as he groped her breast.

"No!" Liv cried out loudly.

Happy was sleeping soundly when he was awaken by screams coming from the other room. He jumped up quickly, grabbing his gun that was on his dresser as he rushed into the spare room where Olivia was sleeping. He flipped on the light and pointed his gun into the room where found Olivia fighting off an invisible attacker.

"NO! NO!" She screamed loudly as her face was twisted in what seemed to be pain. "Please help me!" She started to sob. Happy put his gun down on the night stand as he stood over her. She was just having a nightmare, no doubt about what happened to her while Marks and Cartwright had her.

Happy reached towards Olivia tentatively. He touched her gently on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Olivia, wake up." She shot straight up into a sitting position. She looked at Happy with such terror in her eyes, he didn't know what to do for her. Happy sat on the bed by her. "You okay?" He questioned.

Liv said nothing to him because she wasn't okay so instead she moved herself so she could wrap her arms around the only other human being in the room. She could feel Happy tensed up as she placed her face on his bare chest and wrapped her arms around him. She could still feel the hand of the man all over her body. She shivered wishing she would wash away the feeling of his touch.

Happy sat there tensely for a moment and wondered what the hell Olivia thought she was doing. He didn't do the cuddling thing. "Fuck." Happy said under his breath as he reached his arm up and over her and pulled Olivia closer to him. She was trembling. "You're safe." Happy said to her quietly.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "I know, but I can't be saved from my nightmares." She pulled back and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "Do you have any tea?" She asked Happy. He stared at her, did he look like the type to drink tea? She shook her head as if she could read his mind. She climbed out of bed and started out of the bedroom but turned back, "Which cabinet has glasses?"

"The one to the right of the sink." He said as he followed her out of the bedroom. He listened to the patter of her bare feet on the floor as he went back into his bedroom and settled back into bed. Olivia was a big girl and could take care of herself. He heard the sink running and waited to hear her walk back to the spare room but never heard her. He laid in bed for a little while longer waiting to for her to go back to bed but she never did. Happy's curiosity got the best of him as he got out of bed to go see what the girl was doing. He walked out to the kitchen and she wasn't there; he saw a dim light coming from his living room. There she was sitting on the couch in a small ball. She was drinking her glass of water, her brow was furrowed as if she was thinking about something.

Olivia heard the sound of footsteps and glanced over and saw Happy standing the entryway of the dimly lit living room. "I'm sorry if I'm keeping you awake." She apologized. She felt slightly like she was being a burden on Happy. She wished that she could go home. She missed Natalie, she missed her house, and she missed her own clothing. She looked down at the SOA shirt and frowned, wondering if that was going to be wearing it for an extended period of time. Liv studied Happy as he stood there silently watching her. His chest and abdomen were covered in a different array of tattoos but the ones that seemed out of place were the smiley faces on his right hip. One of them looked somewhat fresh. His flannel pants hung on his hips, she felt her stomach clench with lust. Why did her body betray her that way? Sex was the furthest thing from what she wanted at that moment but she couldn't help but appreciate Happy's body. "I'll head back to bed after finishing my water." She said quietly as she looked away and tried to think about something other than Happy's body.

Happy stood there a moment longer before he sat in the recliner next to the couch. He looked at the time on the clock it was nearly four in the morning. He had only slept two hours before his house guest's screams woke him from his dream of death and mayhem. Of course he was the one was causing both of those things. "It's fine." He yawned, it was going to be a long day if he didn't get back to sleep soon but knowing she was up in his house made him a bit uncomfortable.

"You don't need to watch me." Olivia gave him a sideway look.

Fuck, Happy thought, she thinks I am babysitting her. "Not used to having other people in my house." Happy responded to her, he caught the side of her mouth turn up in a slight smile. He found himself wondering what she looked like when she truly smiled. Not just the small ones that she had given them, they never reached her eyes. He wanted to see a smile that lit up her eyes.

She stood up from the couch, "Alright, well I am finished now would you like to escort me back to the room or do you think I will be able to get there without anyone attacking me in route?" She smarted off to Happy.

He scowled at her. "Go to bed." Happy said forcefully as he watched her leave the room. He didn't get up until he heard the bedroom door close somewhat forcefully. Happy wanted nothing more than to go yell at her for her treating his doors with such disrespect when he was allowing her to stay in his house.

What the hell, was I thinking? Liv thought to herself as she laid down in bed. She couldn't get the look on Happy's face out of her mind. It was like he was going to jump out of his chair and knock her flat on her ass. She took note to never cross him again as she closed her eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep. The next thing she knew the sun was flooding the room. She sat up in the bed wondering for a second where she was and then the previous evenings events came rushing back to her. "Shit." Liv said quietly as she moved her aching body. She sat silently for a moment trying to listen to see if Happy was awake. She heard soft snores filling the house, he was still asleep.

Olivia was hungry, her stomach growled loudly. The last meal she had, was a small sandwich with some sort of meat on it. She walked out into the kitchen and glanced inside of the refrigerator, food had never looked so good to her. She pulled the eggs, cheese and bacon out of the fridge.

Bacon, was Happy's first thought as he woke up. His room was full of the smell of bacon and the sound of it sizzling in a pan. He stretched out on his large bed when realized that he was not alone in his house. He got up and dressed quickly, in a white t-shirt and jeans. She better clean up the kitchen when she is done, Happy thought as he entered the kitchen. Olivia had her back to him, his eyes were instantly drawn to her.

"Good morning." She turned her head and glanced over at Happy. "Would you like some coffee?" She asked as she poured a cup even before Happy answered.

"Sure." He took the cup of coffee from her and sat down with it at the table.

"I made cheese and bacon omelets." She was trying to judge how his temper was going to be.

"Smells good." He said taking a drink from his mug. He could get used to having someone cooking for him and having meals ready when he got up. Olivia place the omelet in front of Happy and at the empty chair kitty-corner from him. She turned back to the kitchen and refilled her mug with coffee. Returning with her mug and the salt and pepper. "Thanks." Happy dug into his omelet after sprinkling it with salt and pepper.

Liv nodded at Happy then turned to her own food. Her stomach protested loudly as she took a bite. The omelet was not as good as Big Jim's but it was still tasty. She ate slowly, hoping her stomach wouldn't be too upset after eating so much food. By the time she was half way through her omelet, Happy had finished his and was leaning back in his chair with his coffee in his hand. She couldn't read him, she had gotten good at reading people with all the time she worked at the café. He was blank, he gave nothing away until it was too late.

"The food was good." Happy said just as his phone rang. "What's up Prez?" It was Jackson.

"Can you head to Redwoody with Olivia?" Jax asked Happy.

"Yeah. We'll be there in about 15 minutes." Happy replied as he glanced over at Olivia who looked up at him curiously when she hear him mention the word we.

Liv stood up with her half eaten omelet and went back into the kitchen and put it in a container for later. When she thought about all the food she used to waste she flinched. She wouldn't be doing that anymore. "Do I have enough time to clean up?" She asked Happy as she walked back over and grabbed his plate.

He was impressed she was going to clean up without him even having to ask her. "Absolutely." He was not going to turn down her cleaning up her mess. He was fastidious about cleaning. It was one thing he could control, some people would have called him OCD but he called it control. He didn't like messes in his space, it pissed him off. He got up walking back to his bedroom where he placed on his holster with his gun, put on his belt being sure that he placed his knife on it and finally put his cut on. His cut meant more to him than any possession he had. He would lay down his life to keep it on his body. By the time he was done, Liv had finished cleaning up the dishes and was washing the table when he walked out. She was leaning over the table when he walked out he couldn't help but admire her ass in the tight leggings. He smiled to himself as he continued to stare until she turned around and caught him looking. He wasn't ashamed she had a nice body and he would appreciate it as long as she was in his house…or out of it for that matter. "You almost ready?" He inquired as she walked passed him.

"Yeah. Let me go brush my teeth and then I will be ready to go." She padded back towards the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth, she didn't want to know what Happy would be like if she kept him waiting too long. He would have scared her if he would have been one of her customers at the diner. She would have tried to trade him with someone else, or sat him in someone else's section. But knowing that he saved her life and putting her up for the night went a long way in her book; it also meant he wasn't a completely bad person.

"Let's go." Happy was standing in the doorway waiting for her. Olivia quickly got her shoes on and followed Happy out to his bike. She was actually okay getting on the back of his motorcycle this time. The night before he never gave him a reason to doubt his ability to drive safely. And she had to admit being on the back of his Harley was exhilarating and it made her feel alive. Being alive was something she was grateful for.

They arrived at Redwoody and there were a line of bike parked outside as well as cars. Happy knew that Lyla was taping one of her new movies, he couldn't remember the name but all he knew was there was a lot of girl on girl action which he loved. He was eager to get in to the studio and see what sort of action was going on. He moved quickly towards the door, forgetting that he had Olivia with him.

"Happy?" She said softly from behind him. He stopped realizing that was the first time he had heard his name flow from her mouth. He liked the sound of it. He turned to look at her. She bit her lower lip as if she was going to ask him something but didn't know how. "Can I use your phone?" He had forgotten he had told her she could call who ever she thought would be looking for her. He knew that she had been fucking the rat but he didn't know the extent of her and Juice's relationship.

"Yeah." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You may want to stay out here, it will be quiet and you'll be safe." He turned and walked away giving her, her privacy.

Liv turned the phone over in her hands a few times, it was a small flip phone circa 2011. She wondered why he had a flip phone when smart phones were so popular; she didn't even realize they still made flip phones. She sat down on the ground with her back to a cement pillar. Liv opened it and dialed the number. It rang and rang and finally rolled over to the voicemail.

"You know, who you've reached. Leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can." The voice over the phone said, she pressed repeat and listened to it again.

Liv's stomach was in knots by the time she listened to the voicemail for the third time. She was tormenting herself so she left a message. "I want you to know that you saved me too and I love you so very much. I will never forget you. Goodbye Juice." She started to cry, it was the only way she could say goodbye to him. A goodbye he would never hear.

A/N: Hope you all had a fabulous time ringing in 2015! It'll be a few days before I can get another chapter out, back to work I go. Boo, is it wrong I would rather be writing? Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ~~ Until the next one.