Chapter 26: Separate Ways

Liv

With tears blurring her vision, Liv watched Happy walk away from her and into Red Woody; all the while her heart felt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. She got more out of the goodbye than she wanted; it left her feeling confused and even more heartbroken over the whole situation. She turned and walked back towards Natalie's car with Happy's kiss still lingering on her lips. She was turning her back on such an extraordinary love and all she could think about was how much she would regret it, but there was just too much in the way for them. Relationships were supposed to be easy and uncomplicated; very much like how things were with Juice; at least that is what she kept telling herself. Would she always have to lie to herself or would things get better as when she got home?

"Is everything okay?" Juice asked as Liv got back into the car, uneasiness flashed across his face. When she had jumped out of the car it took him everything he had to stay put and not go after her. She was in a panic and he wanted to know why. He was worried she was going to leave him after everything he had been through he couldn't take losing Liv too.

Liv nodded, "yes, it's okay." She turned and looked at him. "I just had one last person to say goodbye to." Her face was flushed and tear stained.

"Was it Happy?" He wasn't sure what was between them but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was more than Liv was letting on. He remembered how protective of Liv, Happy had been when she was hurt, he wouldn't even let Juice near her. Maybe it was just a bond because she had stayed with him while she was in Charming. Either way Juice had won, she was leaving with him.

Liv closed her eyes as the car started to drive away from Red Woody, "Yes." Was all she said to Juice. She didn't have it in her to say any more. Her final moments with Happy were running through her head over and over. Those final moments that would be locked away with her until the end of time. She took the pendant of Saint Christopher in between her fingers, held it tightly and placed it to her lips…once piece of Happy she would always have with her.

Happy

How could he let her leave? He wanted to be selfish and tell her he wanted her to stay but he didn't, he let her go; he wanted to her to be happy and like Tig said she deserved a better life, maybe Juice could give that life to her. A life without pain, without heartbreak and disappointment because that was all he had offered her since she arrived in Charming. Liv deserved a life where she would have beautiful children who would grow up normally away from all the club's shit. She was worthy of so much more that what he could give her. So the only thing he could do to make her life better was to let her go even if it broke his heart to do it. Happy was selfish as he kissed her, wanting one last moment of peace with her, one last blissful memory to keep for himself.

As Happy walked into Red Woody, Liv's lips still burned on his and he could still feel where her hands grasped at him tightly pulled him into her. He took a deep breath as he realized he just let the best thing that had ever happened to him slip through his fingers and he had no one but himself the blame for that.

"Hey Hap." Lyla walked up to him. He wasn't in any sort of mood to deal with her or her I told you so attitude.

Happy glowered at her, "what?"

Lyla glared back at him, he was the reason she had to say goodbye to one of her dearest friends. "Liv left you something in her office." She couldn't bring herself to look at him anymore, she just made him so mad; he should have heard Liv out and not pushed her into Juice's arms. This wasn't the first time he had jumped to conclusions and left Liv heartbroken in his wake.

If anyone else said anything to Happy, he didn't hear them as he walked through the bar of Red Woody. He was focused on the fact Liv left him something. He walked into the small room that held so many good memories for him. He smiled sadly as he thought about the night Tig walked in on Liv and him having sex. Happy could still feel Liv's presence in the room and waited for her to walk through the door but she didn't. He glanced at her desk that only a few weeks before held their bodies in love's passionate embrace. On the desk there was a bag, Happy assumed that it was what Lyla was talking about when she said Liv left him something. He looked into the bag and pulled out the bottle of scotch. It was an excellent vintage far better than the one that Liv had drank days before. He was pretty sure she had spent a small fortune on it. Instant regret hit him hard in the chest, how could he have pushed her to the point where she would run to Juice. She wanted him not Juice. He glanced into the bag where there was a sheet of paper folded in half at the bottom. Happy reached in and pulled it out. He stared at the writing on the page, Liv's goodbye letter to him. It broke his heart seeing his writing on the page making things so final. Happy was not only heartbroken but he was angry. He was mad at himself for jumping to conclusions with how Liv felt and walking away from her; he was even more enraged with Rat who could have prevented this from happening. If he hadn't been thinking with his dick and did his job that he was given by the club; Liv never would have went with Jake and she never would have found out Juice was alive. She never would have been beaten again by the same men who tortured her before. Happy was resolved to find Jake and show him the kindness he had shown Liv but first he would take care of Rat.

Happy stormed out of Liv's office and towards Rat who was sitting at a table with some of the Red Woody girls. He looked so pleased with himself, surrounded by so much pussy. Happy grabbed him by the back of his cut and threw him to the ground. He instantly jumped on top of him and his fists collided with his face. This caught Rat and the rest of the club off guard, it wasn't like Happy to attack one of his brothers. "What the fuck Happy?!" Rat tried to avoid the punches thrown by Happy.

"It's your fucking fault! It's your fault she is gone!" Happy yelled as two sets of strong arms tried to pull him off of Rat. He shoved them off and threw another punch at the defenseless Rat. Happy elicited his punishment on Rat for ignoring the fact that he had one job the day the Liv was sold to Marks again…it was to be sure she was safe. He couldn't even do that, how could he be trusted to watch his brothers' backs?

"That's enough Happy!" Jax's stern voice pulled Happy out of his own regret and pain which he was gladly taking out on Rat and into the present. He looked down at the bloodied face of Rat and it made him feel a little bit better. One asshole down, he thought to himself.

Happy stood up and walked over to the bar, "Prospect. Something stiff now!" He growled. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone's shit and no one really wanted to cross him especially after what had just happened with Rat.

Tig was the only one brave enough to deal with Happy, he had lost Liv too. "I take it you got her gift." He couldn't will himself to say his daughter's name not yet when the wound of her leaving was so fresh in his heart; he also didn't dare say it to an already irate Happy. He stared daggers at Tig. "You weren't the only one who she left." Tig pointed out. As he thought about it, it was just as much Happy's fault that Liv was gone as Rat's. "If you would have just made her your old lady this wouldn't have been an issue." Tig turned to walk away from Happy.

"I fucked up." Happy replied quietly to Tig. Regret coursed through his veins like fire.

Liv

"Wake up sleepy head." Juice lightly brushed Liv's hair off of her face. She had driven part of the way home and at the last stop when Natalie took over again, she joined Juice in the back seat. She stretched out as much as she could in the back of Natalie's cramped compact car. Her head was on Juice's lap and she looked up at him. "We're home." He said quietly, he had an eagerness about his voice and a warm smile on his tired face. He was so glad to be back in Charlotteville; away from Charming; away from Marks and Cartwright forever and back with Olivia.

Liv sat up slowly rubbing her sleepy eyes. "Home." She said sadly as Natalie pulled into her driveway. "Thanks for taking the last leg of this trip Nat." She squeezed her best friend's shoulder.

"No problem, you looked tired." Natalie smiled as she looked back at Liv in her mirror. She understood Liv was going through a lot, she had just been through hell and back, and found out her dead boyfriend was alive in the process. She was surprised Liv was still functioning after everything she had been through. "First stop Casa-Liv."

"Mmm bed." Liv smirked as the car came to a halt. Liv started to get out, Juice followed suit and where he met her to the back of the car where Natalie had popped her trunk.

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" Juice's brown eyes studied Liv's tired face just before he grabbed Liv's bag out of the trunk.

She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine. Go home, enjoy the freedom, you so very much deserve. I think I need to be alone tonight." Liv kissed Juice's cheek and took her bag from him. "Thank you, Juice." She shot him a sleepy smile.

Juice sighed hoping he could spend their first night home with Olivia; he had a hard time understanding her need to be alone especially since they hadn't really been alone since the night they made love in Charming. Juice wanted to know where her heart was, he needed reassurance it was with him and not back in Charming. "Alright. Give me a call when you get up." Juice took Liv into his arms and kissed her forehead.

"Okay. I need to go get a new cell phone tomorrow." She walked towards Natalie's window which was down in the summer heat. "Thanks a ton, Nat. You really are the best!" She grabbed Natalie's hand which was on the door of her car. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Natalie smiled and nodded. "I'll bring you breakfast and we can talk." She suggested.

"Okay." Liv smiled as she walked up to her house. The memories of her last visit to her home rushed her mind. She blinked back tears as she opened her door and walk over the threshold of her house. Liv didn't bother to turn on any lights as she wandered into her house, she dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs and walked slowly up them. She grabbed her house phone off of the charger and started towards her bedroom. Liv dialed Lyla's number hoping she wouldn't wake her.

"Hello?" Lyla's voice filled up phone. Tears blurred Liv's vision as she heard her friend's voice.

"Hi," Liv said sadly. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

Lyla let out a quiet snort, she in fact hadn't woke her; Olivia's phone call was a much needed break from the tediousness of editing movies. She was sick of looking at pussy. "Oh god no. You know me, all work and no sleep. The kids are at Mary's so I am working late."

"I.." Liv tried to form a sentence but it was impossible. She slid down the wall in her hallway as tears fell steadily from her eyes.

Lyla felt useless, "You made it home safe?"

"Yes. I miss you all so much already." Olivia confessed.

"We miss you too. I didn't know if I should tell you or not but I am going to since you are already crying…" Lyla said peaking Liv's interest. "Happy beat the shit out of Rat. He told him he was the reason you left."

Liv let out a quiet sob. "He wasn't the only reason I left. I saw him before I left…when he took me into his arms it felt so right. He kissed me…if he didn't care and didn't want me why did he kiss me?" Liv asked trying to take in everything.

"I don't know Liv. But what I do know is that he loves you even if he says he doesn't. He looked so sad and defeated today. Give it time, maybe the distance will help." Lyla tried to answer Liv's question.

"I don't think time is going to heal anything that has happened between Happy and me. I need to suck it up and move on with Juice. He's my future now." She said unconvincingly. Both of them know that Liv was miserable with the decision she made to leave, it was impulsive and made in the heat of the moment. The more Liv thought about it the more she wanted to be in Charming.

"You never know Liv. I would have loved it if you would have stayed you know that right?"

"I know. I don't think I will be down for a visit for a while but I would love it if you came here to visit me." Liv thought about the life and family she had built for herself in Charming. Granted she had a wonderful family in Charlotteville but Charming felt closer to her heart. Maybe it was because they had proven themselves to her and showed her how much they cared about her. "I should go. I'll call you soon."

"Alright, oh hey…" Lyla paused. "If you need to take a few days to get adjusted to being home please don't worry about the emails. They can wait or I will take a peek at them too."

"Okay, thanks Lyla. I will be in touch." Liv said as tears continued to flow down her face.

"Bye Liv." Lyla said sadly on the other side of the line as she hung up.

A broken Liv walked into her bedroom where she has spent several blissful night with Happy. She didn't bother to take off her clothes or shoes for that matter. She climbed onto her bed and hugged one of the pillow that Happy had used during his stay, taking in the scent that was undeniably him. That was the first night of many that Liv cried herself to sleep.

Happy

Happy leaned back against the bed's head board with a naked blonde croweater next to him. He had slept with her a few times, one would have thought he knew her name but he didn't. He never cared to ask her and she never offered it to him. He had left Red Woody not too long after Tig confronted him about not being the only one that Liv left. He was going to go back to his place but he couldn't bring himself to go to his empty house, where Liv's perfume still lingered in the air; the pain he felt was just too much. He turned his bike towards Stockton and to Diosa where he could try to forget his pain and find some solace in a warm pussy.

Happy lit up a cigarette and took a long drag as the blonde snuggled up next to him. What the fuck did she think she was doing? She ran her hands over his chest and down to his snake tattoo, her fingers traced it just as Liv used to do. Liv. His earlier pleasures were forgotten and was again replaced by the twinge of his loss. He tried to push the pain away but he couldn't so he replaced it with anger.

He tensed up as the croweater continued tracing his tattoo, "What the fuck are you doing?" He spit at her.

She smiled up at him lazily but when she saw the look on his face the smile was washed away and she pulled away from him. "I..I think I am going to go." She had heard that Happy could change his moods at the flip of the switch and shit they were right. Just moments before she was indulging in his body and was able to touch wherever she wanted but now he looked as if he could murder her.

"No need. I'm leaving." Happy sat up forcefully in the bed, smashed his half smoked cigarette out in the ashtray and grabbed his clothes from the floor. He dressed quickly and left Diosa.

There wasn't one room in his house that he hadn't had sex with Olivia in, every room reminded him of her. He stood in the doorway of his spare room staring at the bed where Liv had been just days before. She lingered in the air. Happy walked over to the bed and sat down remembering the pitiful girl that he had become the unenthusiastic host of. If someone would have told him that day he was going to fall in love with her, he would have bloodied their nose. Love was never something that was on his radar or something he wanted to deal with and the way he felt was the reason why. He felt vulnerable and broken. As he laid down in the bed and placed his head on the pillow where his sweet Liv laid her he made a vow that he would never love another woman again.

Both Liv and Happy fell asleep thinking of the other one that evening; both too stubborn and hurt by the other to tell them how they really felt. They both felt the emptiness of their houses…the emptiness of being alone.

A/N: Sorry it took me far too long to get this chapter out…it's one of those chapters that not a whole lot happens but it has to because it leads us to where the characters are going. Poor Liv and Happy…I am really putting them through hell. Hopefully their hell will pay off. Please let me know what you thought of the split story…I may continue doing it if it seemed to work out. It's not like Happy or Liv's lives will end because they are not together.
Enjoy…and thank you for your support Hopefully, the next one will not take me as long…and hopefully some good stuff will happen.