Hope everyone is well! No disclaimer tonight, ya'll know the drill! Kurt sutter owns Kurt Sutter.
The heat was unbearable, the whole city seemed ghostly, dead, as everyone was taking shelter indoors. Everett could feel herself cooking, as she rode across town on her motorcycle for the first time in forever, and she had a genuine worry that if she stopped for longer than a stop sign her tires might melt. That wouldn't have stopped her from going across town. Five months of being painfully good, of reporting whenever she had to, of living in this shit-hole, of non-contact with her whole family, except for Maddie that came every morning with a coffee and a pastry. Turning down her mom's job offer had been the hardest thing, but it would have been too easy to succumb the temptation of seeing her dad, thus breaking her conditions, and going back to jail was the last thing she had wanted.
So she had dressed down, and played the good girl for the past five months. Took her old accounting job back, reported to the PO every second day, was home at five thirty every night without fault, she had the will to do it.
And now this morning, her conditions had been removed. She was allowed to move out of the halfway house, and live on her own, as long as she met her PO twice a week still, to pee in the cup. And she had to attend the NA meetings. That was some bullshit, but some bullshit she could easily deal with. Additionally, she could not live with a felon. That was OK. Her mother would have a place for her.
Oh, the heat. It was hotter than hell.
She was swimming in her pits juices when she parked her bike in front of the apartment building, she could feel it dripping along her spine as she removed her helmet and hung it on the handlebar. In the lobby, it was sunny, but oh, providential HVAC providing cool air conditioning. Everett paused a long moment as the door closed behind her, she let out a long breathe before crossing to go into her parents' aquarium-apartment. Her mom was home, at this hour, her truck was outside.
-Ma? Dad?
It was quiet. They couldn't have been having sex, it was just way too hot. Even over the window air conditioner, she would have heard them. The door to their bedroom was open.
-Mommy! I'm hungry as fuck! Feed me! Feed ME!
Nope. Nothing or no one. On the back of their apartment door, a note from her mom. She had just freed apartment 74A for her, and Mittens was waiting for her. Urh. 74A, that was such a long elevator ride. So much crappy muzak.
The door was unlocked, of course, she didn't have the key. It wasn't as cool up here as it was down there, heat rises, she hoped her dad had put her AC in the window and cranked that sucker full blast, Mittens would be in a bitch as fuck mood, if he was hot. That cat was so fucking temperamental that it was imposs...
"SURPRISE!"
Everett literally jumped backwards towards the door, both fists raised in a defensive manner, surprise indeed reading all over her face. Hanging on the wall above the living room's arch door, a banner that was hand made and read "Welcome home, Lowman", and in the big living room, everyone. Her dad, her mom, her sisters and her brother, her friends from the club, the very few friends she had outside of the club. Her heart swelled at the sight of them all. She had believed for a while there that she would never see any of them, ever again.
Juicy, Jack and Hopie were the three closest to her physically, but her father was right there, within arm's reach, he just grabbed a handful of her light jacket and pulled her into a hug, and it was the best hug she had received in a year. Eyes closed and her nose smashed against her father's clavicle, hello, nosebleed, she heard her mother have a sigh of endearment. She could feel her own tears rolling down her cheeks, her dad. Her dad, it was so good. She was too choked up to talk, but it didn't even matter. After a few minutes of them just not moving, Sailor got the party underway around them, because they may very well have stayed like that all evening, and it would have been very awkward for everyone to just stand there and watch.
After what felt like ninety minutes, her dad had a slight chuckle, whispering in her ear.
-Are you good, or do you need more?
-Just ten minutes more.
-Ok. Twenty minutes more.
She could just smile, he was needing this, too. It must have been such a torture for him not to seek her out, these past five months.
Her face is sticky with blood, when she pulls out, her father will need to go and change his shirt, because she really bled a lot. She would want to hug and talk to more people, but she needs to remove her jacket and clean her face, and possibly change her shirt, too. But the first on her list was her mother.
-Oh, let me look at you, light of my life. Look how gorgeous you are! Oh, could you look like your bastard father any more?
-Light of my life, isn't that Maddie? I'm pumpkin.
-Oh, shut your face. You are ruining the fucking moment.
-I love you, mom. I missed you.
-Go see your friends. And you better come and sleep in my bed, or I'll sic your father on you.
-I'll be there.
Still, she could not help but look around her, looking for Randy. He would have been the only reason she would have missed that, sleeping in her mom's bed. Her eyes met Joker's, who went out of his way to come and grab Everett in his arms, after dumping his beer for Alexandro Montel to hold.
-Aye aye aye, my love. I have missed you something stupid.
-I've missed you, too, old man.
-You want to hear something good?
-Please. Anything as long as it's good.
-I've never been convicted of a felony. Not here or in Canada.
-Really?
-Say hello you your new bunk mate.
There was nothing, anyone in the world could have told her right now that could have made her any happier. She wouldn't be alone. She would have Joker, right there in her apartment. She was in for a second round of nosebleed, with the force she used to lift him off the ground and twirl him around and put him down and hug him. It was with a rag under her nose that she hugged Lawrence, Emma, Jack, Poney, everyone else, and especially Bob Seger. He picked her up like she had Joker and twirled her around, pressed a big kiss on her forehead and handed her a beer to welcome her back home and to the club.
-Prospect.
-What?
-Prospect!
-Prospect?
Robert had a nod and a wide smile, it made her scream and hug him again, she had made it! Prospect! The first ever female prospect of the Sons of Anarchy! She was going to get drunk!
The party had died down, there was a handful of people left, some shagging on the floor and the bedrooms, some other still playing beer pong, the heat had stopped, the night was pretty cool, and Everett was sitting with a beer on the deck's swing, looking at the quiet city below. After a long moment alone enjoying the breeze, Joker came outside, groaned old people's noises as he sat down on the swing, that swung backwards under his weight.
-Came a long ways, huh?
-Long ways. Rain had to die for me to get a prospect patch?
-That's your thoughts, right now?
-He should be here.
-I know, Everett. I know. But that is life, and this is now. You're a year away from being a member. We all voted two days before your release, and Bobby picked the long straw to tell you.
-I'm grateful, I really am, don't get me wrong. It's bitter sweet. I didn't want to do it alone.
-What am I, gobshite?
-You're using it wrong.
-Fuck off.
Everett had a short chuckle, before moving in the swing chair and leaning against Joker. He watches her, moves his arm to cradle her under his arm, and gives a swift kiss on the top of her head.
-You got me, Lowman. I thought I was your best friend?
-I got you. At least. I'm glad you're here, Phil. You're gonna help me? Find where Rain is buried?
-Leave it, Law has Juicy-boy on the matter. As soon as he'll know, we'll know.
Everett has a nod, as she makes herself comfortable against his side despite the still-relative heat, she would need to stop worrying about the past. She was a prospect, now. It was what she had wanted. Ok, it had been taking nearly three years, and she was in for a shitty year of hazing and bitch work, but she had made it. Losique had most likely lobbied for her in his own strange ways. For that she could only be happy. No more strange freedom, or relative freedom or almost freedom. She was back with her family, and she was there to stay.