A/N: I do not own any SOA characters. Marlene and John are mine though.
I just want to address some issues that have come up from some of the readers.
First, Marlene is black. Mixed actually. White and black. No spanish, no asian. The end.
Second, Yes I do believe that a club such as SOA would be accepting of black ole ladies, assuming that's where Marlene and Juice are going. They have Juice, he is not white, he is latino, I think they are willing to be racially diverse.
Third, I'm writing Juice this way because he has been changed by the events of the last two years. Think about it. He has been through a lot of shit. If you had gone through that, wouldn't you be a bit different? No worries, he will be Juice at the core of it.
Thanks for reading everyone. Love the reviews, keep em coming. I even enjoy the comments on my writing and when people ask me to explain why I did this to a character or that.
Keep it coming!
ENJOY!
Marlene stopped the car and immediately walk over to Juice. He was still sitting on his bike.
They were somewhere in the woods, and she could smell the ocean nearby.
He grabbed her when she was within arm's length of him and crushed his mouth against hers.
"Mmmm yes" Marley groaned.
Juice didn't respond he just pushed her lips open with his tongue and did things to her mouth that Marley had previously believed impossible. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he dragged her onto his bike so that she was sitting side saddle in between his legs. He let his hands roam all over her body while he continued to kiss her.
He felt an urgency that he couldn't describe. He did pulled her pants down and threw them to the ground. He didn't bother to pull her tank top off he simply ripped it in half.
She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. She pulled his cock out and stroked it. Touching his long, hot, hard length turned her on more.
Juice pushed her panties to the side and ran a finger down her pussy. He dipped his finger inside and felt her wetness. He moaned low in his throat and broke the kiss. He threw her right leg over the other side of the bike so that she was straddling it too. He lifted her and lowered her over his shaft. They didn't slide together perfectly at first, but she lifted her hips slightly and then the perfect slide to perfection happen.
Juice gritted his teeth and wrapped an arm around her. He pressed down on the top of her ass and to deepen his stroke. He was shocked at how tight and hot she was.
Marley kissed Juice as her body adjusted to his length and thickness. She moved her hips slightly and felt him nudging at a place she had no idea existed until this moment. It felt good, it made her feel wild. She ground her hips hard against him and heard his quick intake of breath.
She smiled and ended the kiss. She looked up into his dark eyes and ran her hand over his face. She smiled at him and leaned back with one arm against the seat of the bike. She hooked her legs under his thighs.
Suddenly the angle was changed and Marley was in control. She gyrated her hips against his, slamming his cock in and out of her pussy. She ground her hips against him bringing the tip of his cock in direct contact with her g-spot.
He leaned back against the handle bars of the bike, bracing his feet on the ground to keep them from tipping over. He watched her use her body to milk his with heavy lidded eyes. He watched as she came undone, watched her arch her back and heard her scream his name. He felt her walls close around him over and over, but he needed her to have more. He watched as her beautiful eyes slide into the back of her head and threw her head back.
"Marley" he said his voice heavy with desire. He slide his left hand down her stomach and into her pussy. They were still joined and her body was still spasming around him. He used his thumb to gently trace slow circle around her clit.
"Marley" he commanded.
She looked up at him, her eyes dark and dazed. "Cum for me." he said
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head again and Juice increased the pressure of his thumb to the point of pain. Marley's head snapped up.
"Look at me." he commanded.
She stared at him, and he decreased the pressure on her clit, making her moan again. Juice could tell she wanted to tip her head back again, but she didn't she stared at him with heavy lidded eyes. Allowing herself to be completely vulnerable in his presence.
Her body started to move of it's own accord, following the movements of his thumb. Her hips moved in slow, steady circles.
She whimpered and rocked against him harder.
Juice was on the edge when Marley came again. He let go and came with her, emptying himself into her.
He grabbed her and brought her body flush to his, kissing her hard, using him tongue to stake his claim on her body. She was still moving against him, seeking another release. He continued to use his thumb on her as she rocked against him. He braced his arm under her ass and she wrapped her legs around his waist, bring him deeper into her. He stood, his legs still straddling the bike. He drove his cock up into her over and over again, suddenly seeking a new release.
They came together, Marley screaming his name with a catch in her breath and Juice moaning her name deep in his throat with his face buried in her throat.
Marley lay on her back on the small stretch of sand at the bottom of a cliff next to the ocean. She was completely naked, save for Juice's arm which was draped across her belly.
He had pulled the blanket out of his saddle bag after they climbed off of his bike. He tossed it over his shoulder, and then tossed her over his shoulder on top of it and carried her down a path through the woods and onto the beach.
The cliff acted as a wall, which made the beach feel secluded even though Marley could clearly see signs of life in the empty beer cans scattered about the corners of the small beach.
Juice was on his stomach with his face turned toward her. She tangled her hand in the curls on his head and smiled at him.
"You should let me braid your hair", she said as she twirled one short, dark curl around her finger. "Give you some pimpin' cornrows."
He laughed at her. "You think I would look okay like that?"
"Oh yea baby. I wouldn't do something to you that would make you look silly."
"The guys would shoot me major shit over it."
"They'd shoot you shit anyway." she said and scooted closer to him. She rolled onto her stomach and kissed him on the lips. It was slow and sweet. She felt open to him. She may just be vulnerable from her last break up, but she knew this man in front of her would be one of the biggies in her life.
"I'll think about it." he said and ran his hand over her back. He felt ridges on her back and sat up on his side with his hand supporting his head to have a closer look.
A royal blue tattoo covered her back. It was a medical symbol, two snakes wrapped around a staff. At the top of the staff was a set of wings that spread out and covered her shoulder blades. The staff ran from the top nap of her neck to the small of her back. "Аво́сь да как-нибу́дь до добра́ не доведу́т" was written in block letters on either side of the staff.
He ran his hand over it. "This is really beautiful artwork, what does this mean?"
She sat up and peeked over her shoulder. She liked him stroking her tattoo. "I got the medical symbol the night after I found out I passed the medical board exam. The inscription is a russian proverb it means, "Maybe and somehow won't make any good.'"
He kept stroking her, "So don't leave anything to chance. Right?"
"Yup, was my granddaddy's favorite saying." she said quietly.
"Were your people Russian?" he asked
"Yea. Mom's side." she said staring off into space.
She turned her eyes back to him and smiled at him, then turned and laid back down. He stroked her for a while longer, and then laid back down next to her.
They were quiet for a while, both lost in their own thoughts.
She turned on her side and scooted closer to him. He turned on his side and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her forehead. She liked this, a lump rose to her throat as she realized it would be twice as hard to walk away from him if she actually liked him. She sighed heavily and wrapped her free arm around his waist.
He had a tattoo on his side, and her fingers grazed over it. When she had looked at it earlier, she noticed that it didn't look anything like his other tats. It was a perfect block with a series of "0" and "1".
His fingers played over her back, and it took her a minute to realize he was playing the guitar chords of a song on her back.
"What song is that?" she asked
He paused a moment, surprised that she had figured out what he was doing. "Just something I'm putting together." he said quietly
She smiled to herself. "I could never figure out the guitar, but oddly enough I play a mean piano." she said
"Oh yea? Can you play a nice piano?" he asked innocently
She pulled back from him and looked at him. She noticed that he was forcibly holding back a smile, a set of attractive dimples appeared in his cheeks. She poked her finger in one, falling love with them. He smiled at her, a big goofy grin. She smiled back. His eyes lit up when he smiled like that.
She liked it.
"What your real name?" she asked
He looked at her for a moment. "Juan" he replied.
"How'd you get the nickname Juice?" she asked.
"Cause I've got the juice. The shit everybody wants and craves" he said confidently.
She laughed. "Yea baby, you got what I want and crave."
He kissed her.
She slapped the side of his ass. He smirked at her.
She shivered and snuggled closer to him. "You cold?" he asked
"Yea, getting cold must be getting close to pre-dawn."
"Hard to believe we've been here this long. Just talking." he said more to himself than her. He looked at her, his expression suddenly serious. "I hardly ever talk to women, never this long anyway."
"I'm just good like that." she said trying to lighten his mood.
"Oh yea you are." he said and smiled at her again.
He rubbed his hand over her ass. "This is nice."
"Yea it is nice being here." she said.
He looked at her again and smirked. "Nah, I meant your ass. It's nice a fluffy. I can sit my beer on it."
She tried to punch him but he pinned her arms to her sides quickly. She tried to kick him but he pinned her legs with his as well. He rolled over on top of her straddling her, but controlling her legs with his thighs. He pinned her arms high above her head and looked down at her.
She saw the desire swell in his eyes and her body responded immediately.
"I want you like this. Tied up to my bed, hands and feet. I want to be able to do whatever I want to you without the possibility of you pulling away from me. I want to run my tongue all over your body, make you squirm and tighten up. Without being able to tighten up your muscles and pull in from me, your orgasm will be so much better." He kissed her neck."So much stronger. I am going to fuck you this way. Your body will want to respond back, but with your hands and feet bound, you won't be able to move. You'll love it. It'll drive you crazy. I'm going to fuck you, so good, no other man will compare. I"m going to get so deep in your that you won't know where I end and you begin. I'm going to make you cream for me, and then squirt for me. I'm going to leave my mark on you Marley." He leaned down and took one of her nipples into her mouth.
Marley was so turned on she could hardly breath. The mental images he had just painted for her were playing in her mind and her entire body was responding to it. She wanted it. He released her hands and moved down body, slipping his fingers inside of her.
Juice collapsed next to Marley on his bed. They were both covered in sweat and breathing hard. Juice thought he could die right then and die a happy man. He turned his head and looked at her. She was still breathing hard, her tethered legs shaking slightly in the aftermath of her last orgasm.
He had made good on his promise. He had made her cum on the beach, and then brought her back to his dorm room and done it again.
10 times.
As the first rays of dawn peeked through the curtains on his window he had made his final promise to her on the beach come true. She had cum hard, her body stretched like a tight bow string, fighting against her restraints. She squirted on him as he pumped into her, screaming louder than any woman he had ever been with.
Even the ones that faked when he was being selfish.
He smiled down darkly at her, pumping into her hard and then released in her, so much that her could feel it running out of her.
She whimpered when he pulled out of her, and closed her eyes.
He lay there trying to get his head and breathing under control. He liked Marley. She was fun, smart and sexy. She was unselfish in bed and he already knew that she was a good friend and loyal to those she loved through her relationship with Tara.
He felt her watching him and looked over at her. He smiled and her and she smiled back hesitantly. She looked almost shy, and extremely young and vulnerable. Juice felt a protectiveness for her wrap around his heart.
Oh yea, he liked her a lot.
"Ummmm Juan?" she said her voice very hoarse and shaky.
"Yea baby?"
"You wanna untie me?"
"Nah, I dont want to untie you. I'd like to leave you there like this for a while, so I can rest and come back to you again." he turned his body toward hers and sat up, resting his head on his hand. "Suppose Tara would pitch a fit if I did that though."
"Not to mention me." she quipped.
He ran a hand over her belly and felt her shaky response. He laughed at her. "You'd love it."
She looked down and then back up at him mischievously her dimples winked at him," Yea probably."
He laughed and leaned over and kissed her hard on the mouth, then got up and walked over to his pants to get his knife so he could cut her free. He was halfway back to the bed when a knock sounded at the door. He pulled on his pants and started to walk across the room to answer it. Marley yelled at him to at least cover her up and he threw his blanket over her, laughing the entire time. He would bet his bottom dollar that she was used to being in complete control always.
It made it more of a turn on that he had been able to make her completely abandon herself. He opened the door only enough to let himself be seen and found Opie on the other side about to knock again.
"Hey brother, we're gonna head up to Stockton to see the guys. Are you comin'?, Opie asked. Trying not to smile at Juice. He was happy for his friend. He knew Juice had been alone since he got out, was having a hard time. He could see just by his relaxed pose that the screams he had coming from his room last night had helped him to work past some of his demons. Usually Juice refused to go see the guys at the prison he was recently released from. Everyone understood that he was having a hard time and was working through his shit. Opie really didn't expect him to go along.
"Yea man. When ya leaving?" Juice asked.
"8:00 am. Visitation is at 10, we want to get there and beat the saturday rush."
"I'll be ready." he said.
Opie's tried to peek around him to see which croweater had made such a difference in his friend, then it hit him. He knew exactly who it was, he remembered their show from the parking lot. Juice blocked the opening with his body.
Opie raised an eyebrow and smiled at Juice.
"Tara's been calling looking for you Marlene!" Opie yelled into the room.
He burst out laughing when she replied, "Nosy bitch! She just wants the scoop on size, shape and goodness of fit."
"From what I heard just a little while ago it was perfect." Opie replied as he slapped his brother on the shoulder and turned to walk away. He laughed all the way to the bar room.
Juice turned from the closed door and walked back over to Marley. He pulled out his knife and cut her restraints. He sat down next to her and rubbed her ankles, helping her circulation increase.
She smiled at him. "Thank you Dr. Feel-Good."
He kissed her. "You're coming back tonight."
"Is that an order or a question?" she asked sarcastically.
He simply raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed.
"That's how it works right? You tell me when you want some pussy and I jump or get dumped?"
He stopped rubbing her feet and stood up looking down at her. "It works how we want it to work. You're not some croweater, or a sweetbutt. If you want to come, then come, if you want to stay at home, then I'll come to you." He began to pace.
She sighed. She liked him. A lot. She hated that she felt like striking out at the faceless women that could have him whenever they wanted.
"Look." he said, "I think you're a cool person. I like being around you. The sex is hot." he stopped pacing and looked down at her, " let's just not complicate this, okay? You're leaving in a month. For now, I need someone, you need someone. Let's just have fun. I'm not here to force you into anything. Some guys are into that shit. I like my women compliant, and pliable; not frightened and stiff."
She wrapped herself in the blanket and stood. He was being honest with her. She had never experienced this with any other man. She liked it.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the neck. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her."Thank You for that." she whispered.
"I'll come. I'll be here whenever you want me" she said
"Yea you will cum." he said with a lecherous grin and grabbed her ass through the blanket. She slapped his arm and pulled away from him. He tried to grab her but she dodged him and ran around the bed. He came stomping after her, and she giggle-screamed and ran toward the bathroom doorway. She just made it through the doorway when he grabbed her around the waist from behind and spun her around and threw her over his shoulder. She managed to get her arms free and tickled his sides. He stumbled and loosened his grip which gave her enough room to wiggle off of his shoulder. She ran for the bathroom again, losing her blanket halfway across the floor. She manage to get the door slammed this time, but he was on her like a hungry tiger. She pushed all of her weight onto the door, but her easily pushed it open. She scream and laughed and backed away from him, holding her hands up palms out in surrender.
"You give up?" he asked
"Yes" she said breathing hard.
He crossed his arms over his naked chest, and raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled at him and turned toward the shower, intending to get in. He grabbed her from behind and lifted her, put her in the shower stall. He turned on the water and pulled off his jeans and stepped in behind her.
The water had hit her right in the middle of her face, soaking her hair. She gave him an annoyed look.
"You can't just go around getting a black chick's hair wet and thinkin' you're gonna keep livin'" she told him with a frown.
"You look cute with your face all scrunched up like that." he replied. He grabbed the soap and worked it into a lather. He began to wash her off, lingering at her naughty bits. He grabbed the shampoo and put some in his hand and began massaging it into her hair. He scrubbed her scalp with his short nails and she purred under him.
"You gonna let me live?" he asked her in an amused voice.
"Just this once." she said
She grabbed the soap and washed him up, stroking his cock with her slippery hands when she reached it. She grabbed his shampoo and washed his hair for him,as she scrubbed his scalp she felt the tell tale ridges of a tattoos on either side of his head.
"You have tattoo's on your scalp?" she asked thinking of how painful that must've been.
"Yea." he said quietly, " I used to wear a mohawk. Let it grow out when I was in."
"You should let me cut it." she said running her hands through his hair again.
"No" he said as he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.
"What are the tattoos of?"she asked, confused by his sudden change of mood.
He didn't reply, he simply turned back to the spray of water and washed the soap out of his hair. He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower.
Marley stood there staring at him as he dried himself off.
"I'm sorry. I was just curious." she began.
"Would you just drop it! Shit!" he snapped and then turned and stomped out of the shower.
She stood there with her mouth open, trying to figure out what just happened.
She grabbed a dry towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself. She looked around the bathroom for a comb and found none so she settled with finger combing her rapidly curling hair. Her hair was naturally curly, but she straightened it every morning. She preferred smooth silk to kinky riotous curls.
Thinking she had given them both enough time she walked out of the bathroom and into the room. He was pulling on a red and black t-shirt with nonpatterned designs all over it. He grabbed his boots and socks and plopped down onto the bed to put them on, then he walked over to his dresser and started pulling on his rings. She watched his face in the mirror above his dresser. He kept his eyes down for a moment and then he looked up at her. His eyes were sorry, saying the words that probably wouldn't ever pass his lips. She smiled at him hesitantly understanding the need to keep some things private. He smiled back at her.
"Ummm...since you shredded my tank last night, and my pants are probably fried, could you let me borrow some clothes?" she asked hesitantly.
"Oh yea sorry babe." he said and then he started looking through his drawers for suitable clothes.
When he called her babe she relaxed and smiled. She like the way it sounded coming from him.
He came up with a black t-shirt that said "sons" across the front and a pair of gray sweat pants. The shirt swallowed her and she had to rolled the sweats she that they wouldn't drag, but she didn't care. At least she was covered.
He handed her her shoes and she sat on the bed to put them on. He sat down next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks for understanding." he said quietly
She just threw him a smile and stood up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his lap and kissed her, lingering a bit. She felt heat spiral through her again and sighed.
So one night was not going to do it.
"Let's just rest a while, we've got a couple of hours before I have to go." he said as he tugged one of her curls.
She nodded and crawled off of his lap and on to the bed. He laid down next to her, tucking one arm behind his head and the other around her. She lay facing him, he lay on his back facing the ceiling. They both stayed quiet, having said all they needed to say for now. His even breathing lulled her to sleep, and eventually he fell asleep as well.
An hour later the alarm on Juice's cell phone woke him up. Marley lay curled next to him, her body curled against his. He looked at her in almost surprise, for a moment he thought she was a dream.
A slow smile spread over his face as he watched her.
It was going to be an interesting month.
Juice's mind kept wandering back to Marley. On the drive up to Stockton he kept smiling to himself, remembering something she said or did the night before. He was anxious to see her again.
If he rubbed his upper lip against his nose, he could smell her.
He felt more at peace around her than he had felt in almost two years.
As he got off his bike, he was laughing to himself, and thinking of new chords for the song he had been plucking around with for the last month.
"Jesus Christ lad!" Chibbs exclaimed. "You've been smiling the whole way up here. Either your excited to see your old home, or the lass is having a heavy affect on ye."
"It's the lass for sure Chibbs. No man would want to come back here." Opie said quietly.
"Aye. Must be one helluva woman. Mind if I get me a bit o' that chocolate sweetness?" he asked, testing Juice. He watched as Juice's smile immediately faded, replacing the somber expression he had worn ever since he had been paroled. Chibbs noted that his eyes went dark too, hinting at the aggression that was lurking under the surface.
Chibbs gave Juice a cheeky grin, noticing that the guy was now gritting his teeth together. Chibbs knew Juice couldn't stake a claim over the Marlene lass without declaring her his ole lady.
And he'd have to get the nod on her before that happened.
"Marlene's too good to become a passaround. Back off Chibbs." Opie said coming to Juice's rescue.
Chibbs held up his hands and chuckled. "Just testing the waters lads, no need to be up in arms. No pun intended."
They walked into the prison together. Juice hung back a bit, feeling at home and out of place all at once. After they had been searched and Juice had filled out paperwork, they were ushered into the waiting room.
Tara was already there. Juice knew that she never missed a visit. Juice admired Tara, not in a sexual way, even though she was hot. No, he admired her commitment and utter lack of fear of her love for Jax and the SAMCRO family.
In some ways she reminded him of Gemma. He didn't think she was another Gemma in the making. She would never be Gemma, but she did have the confidence and leadership skills to stand by Jax when he took over the club.
They all sat together, speaking quietly. Juice didn't talk to anyone. He was starting to feel caged and claustrophobic sitting there in the 11x20 room. He watched as Opie said something quietly to Tara, Tara looked over at Juice and frowned, then her green eyes lit up and she laughed.
Juice could feel a blush rising so he got up and began pacing.
A few minutes later the doors opened and the prisoners were lead in. Juice felt a heaviness in his chest as he watched his orange clad brothers walk toward him. They all seemed surprised to see him there, but each one of them nodded and smiled as they passed him.
Opie, Chibbs, and Juice sat down with Clay, Tig and Bobby. Jax and Tara sat together in a corner, speaking quietly to one another.
Everyone was talking except Juice. He felt like he was going to scream and run from the room. He felt hot and a bit like he was suffocating.
It wasn't right. This was all his fault. His intelligence had been wrong, if he had been accurate, examined all the possible avenues, or had even run it past Jax before sprinting to Clay, none of them would be in here.
And yet, even though all this was on him, they had let him go first.
Because his wrap sheet was the shortest. Just a bunch of juvey stuff.
He looked at his brothers and thought he might be sick. He was surprised that they didn't all hate him. Jax had a kid that he had never seen in person because of him, Clay was too old for this place, Tig and Bobby just flat out didn't deserve to be here.
He jumped to his feet when Jax touched his shoulder. Everyone frowned at him.
"You okay bro?" Jax asked concerned.
"Nah...yea...no no I'm fine." Juice said quickly.
"Okay" Jax said not convinced. He turned to the other guys, "Tara's got something for everyone."
Tara smiled and walked up to each man handing each two pictures. One of John at his middle school graduation, and one of John, Abel and Thomas sitting together next to the pool in the backyard of Tara and Jax's house.
All of the men exclaimed over the pictures, surprised at how big Abel had gotten, happy and impressed that John had graduated middle school, and cooing over Thomas.
She walked back across the room and waited for the men to finished their "talk". They made it look like a simple visit, but Tara knew what it really was and knew that her presence and input was not needed.
"Did our new friend get here safely?" Clay asked Opie.
Opie nodded and smirked, shooting a look at Juice. Juice sat back in his chair with a smirk, go ahead asshole, he silently told Opie. Opie shook his head and smiled.
Jax the interplay. "What's so funny?" he asked.
Opie just smiled, Juice looked at the ground.
"Ah yea," Chibbs said relishing the thought of yanking Juice's chain, "Juicey boy made sure our friend got an especially "warm" welcome."
Clay's eyes snapped over to Juice. He looked him up and down, noting that he seemed more at peace. Even in prison, Juice had been restless, quiet and angry. Clay had heard that it had gotten worse when he was released first, but looking at him no one would guess that.
"How long had she been here?" Clay asked.
"Will be 24 hours in about 45 minutes." Chibbs replied.
"What took you so LONG?" Tig exclaimed.
"Nah, he was on her as soon as she slid out of the moving truck." Opie finally said while laughing at Juice.
Juice sat back in his chair and listened to his brother's try to get a rise out of him.
"If she's that calmin' I'm gonna have to try that when I get out of here." Tig said already picturing what it would be like.
Juice sat up straight in his chair and shot Tig a look. Tig was too wrapped up in his fantasy to catch it.
But Clay did.
Good, he thought, make it easy. Marlene was important to Clay's plans. She had fallen into his lap, but like the deal with the Irish. He wasn't willing to let that go without a fight.
And he wasn't willing to let her go either.
She was the key to fix the problem they had left behind.
Clay wanted to test the waters a bit more, he looked at his hands. "Maybe I will." he said quietly.
He watched as Juice's fist clenched.
He was already attached to her. Clay couldn't believe his luck.
He pointed a finger at Juice, "You be careful with that." he said and then dropped it.
When they were done, Tara came back over and updated them on the going on's at Teller-Morrow. She told them about the boys and their antics until the guard came in and called their visitation time.
Juice watched as Tara watched Jax leave with tears in her eyes. He felt a tear in his heart.
He had caused that pain.
Marley tiptoed into the kitchen side door, hoping not to wake anyone up. She walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.
One night with Juice and she was completely dehydrated. She smiled to herself, reliving a bit of her time with him.
"Morning" a voice said from behind her.
She jumped and dropped her bottle of water. She turned and found Gemma sitting at the round kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee.
"Jesus christ! You scared the crap out of me." Marley said, "What are you doing lurking around in here anyway?"
"I'm not lurking. I'm having a cup of coffee and waiting for my grandchildren to wake up." she said
"Oh"
"Oh? Is that all you have to say?
"Yea." Marley said as she grabbed an apple and bent over to get her water. She could tell Gemma wanted to talk so she walked over to the table and sat down.
"Where's Tara?" she asked
"Went up to Stockton to see Jax."
"Oh" she said and bit into her apple.
They sat in uncomfortable silence. Gemma watched Marley, and Marley ate her apple.
She looked up at Gemma, "You got something on you mind, now's the time to say something."
Gemma liked that. She had never had a problem speaking her mind.
"You have fun with our boy?" she asked. They both knew what "boy" she was talking about.
Marley chewed her apple and watched the woman. She had dealt with women like Gemma for years, but somehow she sensed that even those women weren't up to Gemma's level.
She decided to be honest. "Yup." Marley deadpanned.
Gemma nodded, knowing that Marley was playing it cool because she already felt something stirring.
"Good, be careful with that." Gemma replied sipping her coffee.
Marley raised an eyebrow. She decided to throw Gemma off for a bit.
"I thought he was yours." she said while opening her water.
Gemma smiled at her completely at ease. "I figured. You were looking at me like you wanted to stab me last night."
Woman doesn't miss much, Marley thought. "Thought about it." she said casually.
Gemma smiled and nodded, she was beginning to like this woman.
"So how was he?"
"I'm sure you can judge that from the wetness of my hair and the earliness of the hour." As far as replies went Marley figured that it was better and more tactful than a trite "the best i've ever had". No matter how true it was.
Gemma laughed. "You are a clever bitch." she stated and went back to her coffee.
Marley smiled at her. No wonder Tara liked this woman so much.
"So how did you and Tara meet?" Gemma asked. She was geniuingly curious, Gemma knew exactly how hardened Marley was under the shell she presented to the world, and she could not for the life of her fathom how a woman like Tara and one like Marley had been attracted to one another.
"We were the two misfits in our Organic Chem class. Tara being the trashy pregnant chick and me being the wild fowled mouthed black chick. We got thrown together because everyone thought we were the idiots." she said
"They were wrong." Gemma noted. Marley was smart. Very smart, she didn't need a background check to tell her that.
"Yup. Tara and I well, we clicked. It was like, she got me. She could see through my bullshit. We moved in together the next fall, I helped Tara with John, and Tara got me on the straight and narrow. Wasn't for her I'd probably still be partying at UCSD, a tenth year senior." Marley said remembering the wild girl she had once been.
"So Tara is the reason you went into medicine?" Gemma asked, not surprised that Tara had managed to sway her friend, and happy she had Marley all those years.
"Yes, and no. I went into medicine because I was good at it. I was interested in it, and I wanted to make a difference. I could finally focus all my thought outward and help people. It is rewarding. I'm lucky to be able to do it." Marley said.
Gemma nodded. Most people would brag, she was slightly impressed.
"I'm glad you didn't walk away from Tara, helped her with John. Even though I would have preferred he be here with me all those years, if he had to be away, I'm glad he was with two intelligent and capable mother's." Gemma said
Marley leaned back in her chair and watched Gemma. She had just acknowledged Marley as a big part of John's life, and she had thanked her. Marley knew that was huge.
"He's my joy. Made every struggle worth it." Marley said quietly, "I helped without a thought, because I loved him too."
"I know" Gemma said.
They sat in comfortable silence until Thomas made his hunger known with a loud scream. Gemma got up and walked over the fridge and pulled out a bottle of breast milk. She put it in a pot of hot water to warm it up and then nodded at Marley. Once it was warm she walked from the room without another word.
Marley let out a pent up breath. She would never admit it out loud but she was slightly afraid of Gemma.
She felt like she was beginning a new phase of her life.
Hold on to your seat, she thought to herself as she got up and made her way up to her room for a nap.