Walk Away from the Son

Parker Sister Saga continues – Season 2 of SoA

Chapter 2- The Games People Play

By BG and Reaper

Heeeey yooooouuuuu guuuyyyysssss! (ok, that was my Goonies imitation. And a special shout out to Boom- we miss you! LOL!)

*We'd like to thank everyone who reads and reviews our stories! *

Your reviews keep us going – when we feel like packin' it in and saying 'f*ck it, who reads the damn thing anyway.'

We love knowing what little things you liked or didn't, so you keep 'em comin' and we will too!

PS – If you're new to Parker Land, make sure you check out Fire & Ice, Hell Week and Caution Lights (in that order) – they chronicle the Parker sisters interaction with the SONS through Season 1.

PSS - Be sure to check out our author profile at FF or our fic folder at TigNation for links to pictures of our cast. We'll add links as new characters are introduced.

Ok, I think I am done now, LOL! ~ Reaper

XXX

Way Down in Hueytown... Alabama, that is…

She stood in the middle of her closet which was a bit of a legend because, bless her heart, Roxy Parker was a fashion plate and a pack rat... the most dangerous of combinations.

She had deep green eyes and thick blond hair that she bleached ever few months. Her nails are manicured and currently bright red. She smoked constantly and owned more lingerie than Victoria's Secret. She grabbed an outfit for the day and left the house in a hurry wearing hip-hugger jeans, a macramé halter top that showed her sculpted abs and strappy sandals with heels of at least 4 inches, giving height to her 5 foot-nothing frame.

She isn't like anyone else in her neighborhood, isn't like anyone else PERIOD. She's Roxanne Johnson Parker, Queen of the 'Bama Charter of the SoA. She's Billy Bob Parker's ol' lady and to Jaci and Vix Parker she's Aunt Roxy, their Mama-for all intents and purposes. And that's a role she's played and relished for years now. And she was aunt to Wendy to, not that that girl gave a shit.

Roxy has a degree in photo journalism but while National Geographic never bothered to call her, a certain biker with a heart of gold did - repeatedly until she agreed to go out with him. The rest as they say is history.

So, she got the guy, not the job, but she's hella-fine with that. Her job isn't with NG, hell it isn't even with Alabama Heritage Quarterly. Roxy Parker is currently employed at 'Bama Glamour (that's pronounced GLAMA for all of you not familiar with the southern art of shortening things that needn't be and drawing out that which is probably best left on the truncated side). It's a glamour photography shop where they do your make up and hair, dress you in attire that you'd normally not be caught dead in, then take photos of you to give to the special people in your life.

Roxy spends the better part of her week there and she'll square off against anyone who dare argue that it's a cake-walk. It is a challenging job considering some of the raw material she has to work with. Not everyone is cut out to be glamorous and there is only so much of a miracle that can be performed with concealer and creative lighting.

Lately though the job has been lacking something and that something is Vix. Vix had hung around BG for years; first as a gopher, then an opinionated assistant, then when she went to an accelerated beauty school and got her license she (when she wasn't playing at construction with BB and the boys) became a full-fledged Glamour-tician... until California called.

Roxy was just finishing up her second shooting of the day, some bored housewife who was wanting to rekindle a spark in her marriage by having pictures of herself lookin' like Dolly Parton, when she heard Rice at the front desk squeal, "Oh my friggin' gawd! Vix Parker is that you?"

Roxy paused with her finger on the camera trigger. She smiled at the woman, "Would you excuse me for just a quick second?"

Not waiting for a reply, Roxy ducked out of the studio and walked into the lobby. She spotted Rice on the phone, smiling from ear to ear. "Hang on doll, she's right here." Rice thrust the phone at Roxy, "It's Vix."

Roxy nodded, sat her camera on the desk and took the phone, "Hello, baby girl. What? No I'm needing to wrap up a shoot but then I've got..." She glanced at Rice who flipped open the schedule and waited with pencil eraser poised to clear Roxy's schedule. "…No one scheduled 'til 2. Why what's going on? You sound overly excited for 8 AM – Cali time….if you're sure you're alright. Ok, baby... I'll holler back at ya just as soon as I'm through here….ok, bye now."

Roxy handed the phone back to Rice. She eyed the young woman who had been Vix's good friend for the better part of a decade. "She say anything to you? 'Bout what's goin' on?"

"Nope and when you talk to her again tell her I am still waitin' on my damn picture of this man of hers. She makes him sound like heaven in blue jeans or somethin'."

Roxy smiled and nodded, thinking of Juice. "He's something alright. I'll remind her… let me go finish up with Dolly in there and then get to the bottom of it."

XXX

BB Parker brought his Harley to a stop in the driveway of his home with a sigh. It had been a long, hard day overseeing the construction of the new town library. Parker and Sons Construction, LLC had won the bid to build the place. Parker and Sons was still a throw back to when his daddy had started up the company. The and Sons was meant to mean BB and his older brother JJ. But now with both his daddy and JJ gone, it was just BB but he figured the name was as good as any so he kept it even though he didn't have any sons; he had no biological children whatsoever. What he did have were Jaci and Vix…and all the souvenirs and scars that came with raising them. They may not have been his biologically but he'll be damned if they aren't in every other way.

All BB wanted to do was relax but as soon as he pushed through the front door and smelled the aroma of pot roast cooking, he doubted relaxing would be in the cards. Making pot roast was Roxy's subtle way of telling him that they needed to talk and that the subject matter was likely going to raise his blood pressure a few notches. After kicking off his boots in the mud room, he thought to himself, fuck it… I'm gonna enjoy the damn meal first.

Roxy greeted him with a smile, a 'hey baby' and a kiss, then ushered him to the table. They ate their meal and then he pushed back his plate and said to his wife, "Ok hit me."

She inhaled deeply and pushed an envelope across the table at him. He eyed it suspiciously, "What the shit is that?"

"Why don't you take a look and find out for yourself?" Roxy replied demurely.

BB rolled his eyes knowing damn well that she not only knew what was inside but that she'd explain it a hellva lot better than he could understand just reading it. "Why don't you just tell me what it is? I know you've already picked a side on whatever it is."

Roxy rolled her eyes and picked the envelope back up. "It's a college loan application." She announced with a big smile on her face.

BB had not been sure what the envelope contained but that certainly wasn't amongst his guesses. He frowned, "I thought Jaci was done with all her schooling."

"Oh, it's not for J." Roxy grinned to the point it practically took up her whole face.

"You decide to take some courses?"

She shook her head and decided to spell it out. "It's for Vix!"

BB just stared at his wife like the world was on the brink of implosion. "Excuse me?"

Roxy gushed out all the details and BB just listened and shook his head, trying to wrap his head around it. "Vix called this mornin'. Then she faxed these here papers to me over at 'Bama Glama. She decided to open a business and she thinks taking this certificate program at the community college out there would serve her well. Apparently Jaci is co-signing the business loan, so she can't co-sign the student loans and ..."

BB held up his hand. "Whoa. We're talkin' Vix? Our Vix? Vix Parker? Wants to go to SCHOOL? Take actual classes that require book readin' and tests and shit?"

"Mmm hmm. Ain't it great?"

BB sighed and cracked his neck. "Great is NOT exactly the word I would use... but ok… NO! Wait. Not ok, either…cause you know how this is gonna turn out. This is gonna be like every other idea of hers that you seem to think is a firecracker and turns out to be a dud."

Roxy glared at him. "Why can't you just be supportive?"

"WHY? Why couldn't we get that girl to go to school when it was FREE? But now that it is gonna cost…" He glanced at the paper and groaned. "…a helluva lot of damn money, she is ready and willin'."

He stood up and walked to the cabinet where they kept the alcohol. Roxy followed him "Motivation and outlook change with age, Billy. You must admit that she is not the same girl she was when she left here months ago."

BB takes a swig of the drink he had poured and shook his head. "She ain't all that different either, baby."

Roxy crossed her arms over her chest and began tappin' her toe. "If you won't sign those papers... I WILL!"

"Fine, fine." He held up his hands up in surrender. "But in three months from now, when she is using those books as end tables and paper weights, I reserve the right to say I told you so."

Roxy smiled knowing she had won. "Our baby is goin' to college!" She squealed and hugged him.

Once she let go, BB asked, "Jaci agreed to go into business with Vix?"

"Sorta" Roxy says. BB just chuckled as she continued to explain, "Jaci is more like the silent partner who makes sure everything is legit and government compliant."

"Mmm hmmm. And what business exactly?"

Roxy grinned. "A hair salon and day spa called, get this ... TWISTED SCISSORS." She squealed again, "Get it?"

He nodded. "Oh, I get it. And along with it a sudden headache... or maybe that pain is located a bit lower." He replied while pointing towards his ass.

"Oh come on Billy, be happy for our girls. Now all you gotta do is sign in all the places where Vix put little stars and then I can fax 'em back to her." She produced a pen, seemingly out of thin air. "I got a pen right here"

"You girls are gonna be the death of me, you know that right?" He said as he sat down to sign the papers. She nodded. He shook his head, "Just so you know."

"That's why I make sure to pay the life insurance premiums, baby." Roxy said with absolute adoration and total sarcasm.

XXX

Back to Charming, California:

'Go West young man… haven't you been told, California is full of whiskey, women and gold...'

Toby Keith sang in the back ground as Juice walked into the club house and wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?" He looked over at Chibs who was in the kitchen area cooking. "It smells like you're frying vomit!"

The Scotsman chuckled, "Close. I'm making a great big pot of Haggis."

"What the fuck is that?" Juice asked and ventured over for a closer look. He gagged when the pot lid was lifted. "Oh my god, close it! Quick!"

"Come on, man. It's just minced sheep's pluck with onions, oatmeal, spices and the like simmerin' in some broth."

"And what part is pluck?" Juice asked.

"You really want to know the answer?" Piney chuckled and yawned from his seat on the couch.

"How can you sleep with this stench?" Juice asked.

Piney shrugged and pointed to the oxygen tube at his nose, "My air is pure."

"Never mind him. Haggis is the heart, liver, lungs… cooked inside the stomach." Chibs enlightened with a grin.

"That is nasty dude."

Chibs continued, "And you serve it with neeps and tatties."

"I definitely don't want to fuckin' know what they are." Juice replied retreating from the kitchen. As he heard the Scotsman advise that they are other words for potatoes, he added. "There is something seriously wrong with Scottish people."

Jax entered the club house and immediately yelled, "Holy fuck! What is that smell?"

"Sheep parts." Juice muttered as he made a b-line for the door.

Jax grimaced and then nodded at Juice. "Vix just rolled up." Juice nodded and walked out the door. Jax walked over to Chibs, "Have you been drinking?"

"Ay, lots and lots of Scotch." Chibs replied with a smile. "Large amounts go hand in hand with haggis."

"Drunk off my ass, I ain't sure I could eat that shit, man." Jax shuddered and turned to retreat back outside.

XXX

"The contractors totally sucked baby." Vix said, sitting on the hood of her car in the lot of Teller Morrow while talking to Juice who was standing in front of her. "Jaci and I were like fuck you! You shoulda seen her, she was all like counting on her fingers going… A) We'd never pay that much ... B) I know for a fact that that same material cost a quarter of that price at the Home Depot store … so your supposed claim to be selling it to me at cost and only charging labor is total BS!"

Vix giggled. "Oh and the best was and C) ... well, y'all SEE your way outta our place of business. We'll do this our damn selves!" Vix clapped her hands and laughed. "God, I love my sister!"

"So you two are planning on doing everything yourselves?" Juice asked.

"Everything we are capable of and believe me, we are capable of plenty. We Parkers are not just pretty faces, you know." Vix winked at him. "You shoulda seen some of the jobs we assisted on down in 'Bama. Almost blew myself up once." Vix mused and Juice groaned. She shrugged, "Ok, bad example. But there were lots of times that I didn't almost die!"

Gemma poked her head out of the office door and yelled, "Vix! You got a fax from Roxy."

Vix smiled and waved, "Thanks Gemma, be right there." She pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! Ok, that would be my school loan agreements. Have you decided which side of the fence you're landin' on in that regard?"

Juice shrugged. "I'm not on the fence, baby. I'm just worried you're spreading yourself too thin. Gutting the salon and remodeling it and doing hair outta your sister's kitchen while you are rebuilding it… add school on top of that… and then running the place with school and shit."

"Baby, I can do this. I am very motivated to make this happen… all of it. I just need your support."

"That goes without saying." Juice smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Well, your support…and your credit card." She smiled. "I have to buy books. I'll pay you back as soon as the loans come in."

He dug in his wallet and handed her his credit card. She smiled and kissed him. "Thank you, baby. Hey are you free this afternoon? You want to drive to Stockton with me to get the books?"

He nodded, "I'll check, see what Clay has planned for me. See if I can swing a couple of hours off. Hey how are things going with the clean out?"

Vix grinned. "Good, Jaci's there now workin' on scraping that god awful wall paper off the upstairs rooms. Mary is dropping Ellie and Kenny off after school to help with that and since Moby won't be there today, there will be less chance of another water gun fight erupting."

She caught Juice's questioning look and explained. "Moby and Kenny were in charge of wetting down the wall paper for easier removal, and I made the mistake of giving them super-soakers, thinking that would be cooler than buckets and sponges. And well spraying the walls lasted all of five minutes before a full on water gun fight broke out."

"Nice." Juice grinned. "You got all the big stuff out?"

Vix nodded. "Umm hmm, J and I hauled the last of it out last night. That dumpster we rented is about overflowin'. The only good news we got from the bastard contractors was that the tiling is in superb condition. Thank god for small favors. So we don't have to remove and replace it all, just rip up the carpeting and linoleum upstairs and install a new sub-floor and tile up there."

"When's Luann's lighting dude coming to run the super duty for the tanning beds?"

Vix rolled her eyes. "Jaci thinks we need to re-think using him. According to her he may be all window dressing, like look good doin' the job but she's worried about his skill level. She's weighing the discount Luann got us against the cost of possibly having the place burnt up if he does a shoddy job. But anyway, I gotta be at the school at 11 o'clock, shouldn't be more than like an hour or two, probably closer to two with driving back and forth." She smiled and hugged him spontaneously. "Love you."

He stole a kiss, "I'll check with Clay." She nodded and then jogged to the office to get her fax. Juice strolled to the garage bays.

Tig had been watching Vix and Juice with a frown. When Juice got closer, he asked the young biker, "What did you just give her?"

"Credit card. She's gotta get some books for school." Juice replied.

Tig shook his head. "The ONLY reason you give money to a bitch is for beer, bud, smokes, rubbers or an abortion."

"That's quite a list, Tigger." Juice said with a smirk.

Half Sack frowned from his place on the other side of the car they were working on. "Um, what about food?"

"Shut the fuck up." Tig snapped. He looked at Juice, who was smiling. He pointed a finger harshly at him, 'You're a pussy whipped moron."

Juice kept smiling and walked onward to the office to find Clay. "Whatever, dude."

XXX

Turns out Clay couldn't spare Juice for the afternoon and Vix braved the college bookstore alone which had proved to be interesting to say the least. The interstate was jammed as Vix was trying to get back home to Charming. She veered off the next exit she came across and ventured to find a short cut. She'd just heard the latest commercial for some delicious sounding new burger when she drove past a Roadhouse Bar and Grill type establishment. She made a split second decision to stop – she was starving and thirsty and the sign indicated that this place could cure her of both those little issues.

As she parked the car, she surveyed the parking lot. Not a bike in sight, good. No worries, at least at first glance, of the place being some rivals' hang out. As she entered the dimly lit establishment, she was overwhelmed by a sense of being back home in 'Bama. This bar was a real deal roadhouse, like it was transported whole from some place south of the Bible belt and wasn't some tyrin' too hard and missing by a mile trendy wannabe. A wave of homesickness washed over her. She closed her eyes and pushed that deep down inside, she's happy in Cali – it's where her future lies.

She looked to her right and saw a small stage enclosed in chicken wire from floor to ceiling and for when live music wasn't available, there stood a jukebox. It looked both by size and design like it might be able to fly her and possibly a companion to the moon. There was a dance floor with ample space to shake-your-groove-thing and a bank of pool tables along the far side of the room. Clusters of tables and chairs were scattered here and there for dining and gathering purposes.

A sign was nailed to the wall at the start of a small hallway, directing people to the rest rooms and a small private seating area. Double half-doors blocked a doorway that she assumed lead to the kitchen. And then there was the bar… a mammoth beast that nearly ran the entire length of the wall in front of her. It made of some rich, dark wood that had been polished to a warm glow complete with a brass foot rail and stand alone wooden stools.

At one end of the bar were two gentlemen, the only current inhabitants of the entire place. One was seated as a customer and one was standing behind the bar with hand paused in the act of wiping down the gleaming top. Both men were watching her and thinking she must be lost. They were used to seeing a pack of college kids during the weekends, but hardly ever any singles and then again she didn't really look the college type. She looked more the type to beat up college girls. And she certainly wasn't one of the regular Joe types that came in around 5pm after a hard day's work.

She walked over to the bar and sat down atop one of the stools. The older man behind the bar nodded in greeting, "Hello Darlin', welcome to Big Daddy's. What can I get for ya?" He waited for her to ask for directions to somewhere.

Vix inhaled sharply. His southern draw has lost a bit of its edge over the years, she bet he had been living up North for too long, but it was still detectable. A 2nd wave of home sickness hit her again but she quickly shook it off. She smiled, "What ya'll got on tap?"

The man smiled. "Well now… what do we have here? A southern belle in our midst?"

Vix grinned. "Not exactly, um… I think that line bad mamba-jama from down in Alabama, would ring a bit more true. And I'm thinkin' you're from somewhere in Texas. You sound just like someone I know and he's from Midland."

"You got a good ear. I'm originally from Round Rock, just outsida Austin." The bar keeper had thinning grey hair and a mustache and looked to be in his mid sixties but still had enough bulk to him that one might think twice before starting a fight with the old man. He smiled and rattled off the list of beers on tap. Vix selected one and ordered a burger with potato wedges.

She took a few drinks from her first beer and waited on her food to arrive. She eyed the guy sitting at the end of bar. He was a tall skinny man with slicked back dark hair and eyes that sort of bulged out of his head. He might have been in his mid fifties but it was hard to tell. He looked like he enjoyed a drink…maybe too much and that much drinking often skewed the age guessing. She cocked her head and mused that he sort of struck her as a guy that might have bodies buried in the basement of his house. Oddly enough, he still looked friendly, though.

She ordered another beer and enjoyed her burger while conversing with the two men. They made small talk about where she was from, where she was living now and what she was doing stopping into the bar.

"So you decided to up and open a hair salon and start school? Both at the same time?" The bartender asked and then winced. "Seems like you may be biting off a bit more than you can handle, darlin'."

"Oh Corbin, leave the girl alone." The other man chided. "I'm all for higher education and the higher you are at the time the better too." He let loose a semi creepy laugh at his own joke.

Corbin shook his head. "Never mind Larry there, he's bitter. Used to be a big shot University teacher." He waved his hands around sarcastically.

"Professor." Larry corrected. "Christ if you're gonna tell my life story, you could at least get the details right."

Vix smiled. "So you used to teach, huh?"

Larry sighed. "Once upon a time…"

"I may call upon your brilliance." Vix warned. "I've never been real good at school and shit… and I have a lot of people depending on me this time, a lot of stuff on the line so if I run into some trouble I may look you up."

"You know where to find me." Larry said with a smile and pointed down at the bar top. "I'm always here."

"And he does mean ALWAYS!" Corbin chimed in. "Got his damn name carved into the stool."

Vix laughed as Larry shifted a bit to reveal the carving. The two men were growing on her quickly. Like the other people in her family, Vix would talk to a damn fence post so to speak which made for strangers quickly being upgraded to acquaintances and then to friends. She had a good feeling about these guys and felt a little bit bad for initially thinking Larry might be a serial killer.

"Is it always this quiet here in the afternoons?" Vix asked.

Larry nodded as Corbin shrugged, "Not always… but for the most part it picks up 'round five or six."

"Cool, I may use this as a study hall." Vix mused.

"Got a two drink minimum." Corbin reminded as he jabbed his thumb to a sign on the back of the bar.

Vix grinned. "Not a problem." She glanced at the clock next to the sign. "Holy shit! I gotta be getting home… a friend of mine is coming home today, having a party."

She settled up her tab and left, throwing the guys a wave over her shoulder. "Nice meetin' ya'll!"

Corbin and Larry stared at each other for a moment after Vix left.

"I like her." Larry declared. "Like a spunky gothy bikery tornado or something."

"Bikery tornado? Hmmm? Seems like a good girl, to me."

"Your definition of good girl must differ greatly from mine, my friend." Larry says with a chuckle. "I suppose you're just saying that 'cause she's Southern; thinkin' you have some bullshit kinship with her."

Corbin grinned. "Not true at all. We Texans don't see ourselves as Southern. We're from Texas…and that's a big damn difference, Professor."

XXX

A few hours later, Jaci pulled her Mustang to a stop just down the street from the gates of Teller Morrow. Finding a parking spot had been a bitch; Bobby's coming home party was going to be huge. Vix opened the passenger side door and started to get out but stopped when she realized Jaci was still seated.

Jaci groaned and put her head down on the steering wheel. After not seeing Tig for nearly two months, she had thought she had her feelings about the breakup under control. She had avoided Charming for as long as possible and even now that she was back in town, she was extra cautious about going places where she might accidentally bump into Tig. But now, sitting a few hundred feet from where she knew he would be…her attendance at the party seemed like a very bad idea. "Shit, I don't think I can do this. I feel like I'm gonna hurl. I don't think I should be invading his turf."

Vix frowned. "Oh come on! We've been over this; Bobby's your friend too. It would be rude for you not to be here."

"Yeah, but I'm going to be out of place. Everyone's gonna stare at me." Jaci answered with her head still down.

Vix shook her head. "No they won't. Only the guys know that you and Tig were even together and they won't say shit. You do NOT have a spotlight on you. It'll be fine, I promise. Hell, the other guys miss you. They ask about you all the time."

Jaci turned her head toward her sister and then leaned her head back against the headrest and blew out a breath. "Ok…ok." Vix was leaning back into the car. Jaci grabbed her sister's hand. "But here are the ground rules…you do NOT leave my side. I'm serious, Vix- do not leave me alone. We hang close to Juice, have a beer, and wait until Bobby gets here. We say hi, give him a hug and then we hit the road. When I say I want to go, we go…you don't drag it out, ok? Please."

Vix nodded. She hated to see her sister so upset and unsure of herself. "No problem. We can't stay forever anyway…Ms. Ruby's only got BINGO call coverage for the first ten games, I promised we'd be there for the rest."

'Right…AND…under NO circumstances to you say ANYTHING to Tig. I mean it, not a word!'

"What if he tries to come and talk to us?"

Jaci shook her head sadly. "That won't happen. We haven't even SEEN each other since the day he dumped me. If he had something to say to me I think he would have done it by now. I'm sure he'll ignore us."

Vix smiled, "All the more reason to go…you need to see Tig. I've seen him at the clubhouse a few times and the dude looks like shit."

"How do I look?"

"You look great." Vix replied then frowned. "Well maybe a little tired looking. And maybe just a bit…thicker."

"Thicker?" Jaci gasped. "Jesus, are you saying I'm fat?"

"No! Not fat…just you've put on a few pounds. Looks good on you though, athletic lookin."

Jaci put in face in her hands and shook her head. "Too much alcohol and not enough exercise…goddamn it!" She glared at Vix. "Fuck it…I'm going home."

"No you are not! You look HOT and you need to rub it in his face."

"This isn't junior high." Jaci said with a small laugh.

"Alright, we will be subtle then." Vix stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes. She opened her door again, "Come on, let's do this, sis."

XXX

Half Sack spotted the girls first and nudged Juice. They watched as Vix leaned over and whispered something in Jaci's ear, Jaci smiled slightly and Vix shoved her, obviously trying to joke around with her.

Vix immediately grabbed Juice in a hug, "Oh my fuckin' god, baby!"

He nodded towards Jaci, "Hey girl!" then turned his attention back to Vix.

Vix continued her dramatic rant. "Be glad you didn't go with me for those damn books! That line was freakishly long and moved at a damn snail pace. Only thing that I can even compare it to is this one time…"

"…at Band Camp." Juice interjected with a grin.

Vix rolled her eyes. "Funny. Ha Ha! What I was gonna say… it reminded me of this one summer when I was like 9 and some of Aunt Roxy's friends took all their kids and she took me and Jaci, while we was down there on Summer vaca, to Disney World. All I remember about the trip were long ass lines and puking on Minnie Mouse."

"You threw up on Minnie Mouse?" Half Sack laughed. "Why'd you do that?"

Vix rolled her eyes at the prospect, "I don't know Kipp… maybe it was the heat and way too many lollipops bigger than my head…"

Juice shook his head and muttered, "Dumb ass" in the prospect's direction.

Half Sack blushed and then smiled at seeing Jaci who was standing to the side of Vix looking a bit ill. "Speaking of people that look like they're going to hurl…I didn't think you would come."

She nodded toward her sister. "Vix made me. That girl really doesn't understand the meaning of NO." Half Sack laughed and headed inside to get a couple of beers for the girls.

Jaci glanced around nervously, trying to spot Tig. Part of her wanted to see him, the other part was dreading it, but neither part wanted to be surprised by him. She did not want to just turn around and have him be standing there staring at her. She wanted to be in control of her reaction to him. She was snapped out of her plotting at the sound of her sister calling her.

"Jaci… J.. yoo hoo… Earth to Jaci."

"What?" Jaci questioned with a frown.

"You remember that time Roxy dragged us to Disney and I puked all over Minnie Mouse?"

Jaci nodded. "Hard to forget that trip from hell… I got third degree sunburn when ya'll let me fall asleep on the beach while you went and watched people bungee jumping off the pier. Fuckin' sun poisoning is hard to forget." Jaci said bitterly but then questioned, "Why you bringing that up?"

"The line at the campus book store reminded me of those damn lines at Disney. Well the line today was longer I swear and you didn't even get the added benefit of getting a ride at the end."

Juice hugged her close and whispered, "If you're that disappointed… I got something you can ride."

Vix cracked up and kissed his neck and whispered back, "You're such a horn dog."

Jaci rolled her eyes at the two of them and was ever so thankful when she saw Half Sack return with the beers and Chibs following behind him. The Scot saw Jaci and smiled widely. He walked up to her and hugged her. "Long time, no see, stranger."

Jaci grinned. It was damn near impossible not to grin when she heard that accent. She touched his long hair. "Chibs, man...what's up with the hair?"

Chibs puffed out his chest and winked at her. "You like it? All the ladies think its SHIT HOT!"

"Shit hot, huh?" Jaci laughed. "I've never heard it put that way, but ok. Yeah, I think it looks good."

XXX

The girls hung around the small group of guys, laughing and chatting. Well, Jaci mostly just stood there and smiled politely but it was better than nothing. She couldn't shake that feeling of being out of place; hell she would have felt that way even if she had still been with Tig. Loud biker parties just weren't her thing; even back in Bama, she would only show up to help with setup and then cleanup the next day. Vix always fit right in though and would party the night away with the best of them.

Jaci continued to scan the crowd every few minutes and she finally spotted Tig just after he came out of the clubhouse. Her breath caught and she dropped her eyes quickly to the pavement. Her heart pounded in her chest. She ventured another look and found him talking to Happy. Vix had been right, he did look like shit.

She frowned as she watched him. He looked tired, worn out actually and was in desperate need of a haircut. Was the club making a group effort to look shaggy? If so, she thought Tig should bow out because the longer hair was not doing him any favors. It just made him look more disheveled. She looked back down at the pavement and mulled over what she was feeling at the moment. The overwhelming feeling seemed to be curiosity. Why did he look so tired? Did it have anything to do with her? Club stuff? Did he think about her?

"You ok?" Vix suddenly whispered from her side.

Jaci looked up. "Huh?"

"I saw you spot him. You alright?"

Jaci nodded but whispered back. "Did he spot us?"

Vix shook her head. "Don't think so."

Tig had actually spotted Jaci the moment he stepped out of the clubhouse. His eyes had been looking forward and had happened to land on Juice and Vix. Chibs had stepped to the side at that same moment and had revealed her standing there, holding a beer. Tig stopped abruptly and stared at her. She was biting her lip, had to be nervous.

He figured Vix had dragged her here; Jaci would have never come on her own. Someone bumped into him from behind and he realized he was blocking the door to the clubhouse. He sauntered over to talk with Happy and a few guys that had ridden down for the party. He tried to ignore that fact that she was just across the parking lot from him but found himself sneaking looks at her.

She pretty much looked the same as she had two months ago, which meant she looked good. Tig took that as a good sign; maybe she had taken the breakup ok. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, just wanted her to move on from him…that was the best thing for every one involved.

XXX

Chibs piped up, 'So Parker, did you get your books?"

Jaci groaned. "Don't get her started on the lines, PLEASE! I tried to warn her to get there early…"

"Early? Early wouldn't have cut it… I think some of those kids fuckin' camped out or some shit." Vix exclaimed. "I left my iPod in the car, thinking I'd be quick in and out, but OH NO. By the time I made it to the head of the class, I was starving, thirsty, had to piss and my feet hurt from those new boots you bought me." She glanced at Juice. "And then I about went into sticker shock at the cost of the damn things. Speaking of, I totally tapped out your credit card – MAX'd it." She mouthed sorry in Juice's direction and he nodded although he wondered how the hell a few books could cost that much.

Jaci laughed. "I remember standing in line for hours at the end of the semester to sell books back. Wait three hours to get twenty five bucks on a book that cost ya two hundred."

"How the hell can a book cost two hundred dollars?" Juice asked. He looked at Vix, who just nodded in verification of her sister's claim.

Chibs cocked his head in thought. "It's just paper and shit, right? It's not made of gold or handing out blow jobs or anything." He snapped his fingers and grinned. "Ah, speaking of blowjobs…I bet that college of your is FULL of sweet young things."

Vix shrugged. "Yeah, I guess…pretty much. The gang was all there today, saw.. jocks, geeks, stoners, loners, stuck up bitches… and a dove in, I think it was a dogwood tree."

The Scotsman shook his head. "Man…if I was a decade younger."

"I always thought about goin' to college." Half Sack piped up randomly. He scratched at his wiry head of hair. "You know they got that GI Bill stuff. I did my military time, could probably go to school on the government's dime."

Just as Jaci was going to encourage Half Sack, Chibs burst out laughing. He clapped a hand on the young kid's shoulder. "And what pray tell would you take, Prospect? There aren't any degrees in General Jackassery that I ever heard of."

"HA! Find one of those programs and you could have your Doctorate in no time, Sack!" Vix teased.

The group had a good laugh and Half Sack blushed. Chibs lit up a cigarette and nodded at Vix, changing the subject. "How goes the salon shit? Need any man power? I'll let you have the Prospect for a few days."

"Thanks…but no thanks." Vix replied. "J and I are going all Independent Women on this shit. We won't need you guys for anything."

Jaci cleared her throat and cocked her head at Vix who grinned. "Oh wait, duh. We are going to need to borrow some heavy duty tools."

Juice grinned and Vix grinned right back. "Yes baby, I just want you for your TOOL."

Chibs let out a laugh. Juice nodded. "Sure thing just drop by TM, babe. We'll hook ya up." … then he slipped his arm around Vix's waist, "on second thought, I think I'm gonna hook her up right now, we'll be back in a bit." She started to walk away with him when she caught a look in her sister's eyes. She whispered something to him and walked back over to Jaci. "You're alright, right?"

"What happened to not leaving your wingman?" Jaci hissed.

"Half Sack will keep you company…we'll be back in a bit."

Jaci rolled her eyes and stare hard at her little sister, "Are you two going for Guinness or something?"

"The beer?" Vix asked with confusion.

"NO! Not the beer, Vix!" She snapped. "The world record… I swear all you two do is go at it."

"Whatever! Just because you ain't gettin' any… goin' on what two months now? Don't take that out on those of us who are." Vix fired back. "Speaking of… there are some eligible guys all over this place tonight, why don't you get you some. Then maybe you won't be such a raving bitch!"

"Did you just call me a bitch?" Jaci asked with shock in her voice.

"Raving! To be exact." Vix countered.

From over by the club house entrance, Juice hollered, "VIX! YOU GONNA COME OR WHAT?"

Vix grinned and hollered back. "I WILL IF YOU DO EVERYTHING JUST RIGHT."

Her response garnered laughs from those within earshot.

Vix winked at her sister, "Love you sis. Be back shortly." She ran over to where Juice was waiting.

"Yeah, yeah." Jaci grumbled and walked to stand closer to Half Sack and Chibs. That raving bitch comment should have made her mad but Jaci knew it was true. She was snappy lately and needed to calm down.

XXX

"You want another beer?" Half Sack asked.

Jaci desperately did and started to answer yes but then she realized that either the Prospect would leave her to go get it or she would have to walk with him into the clubhouse, neither of which she wanted. She expected Chibs to wander off at any moment and she didn't want to be left alone. "No, I'm fine."

"Bullshit." Chibs coughed out. "Here." He pulled a cigarette from his pack and handed it to her. She took it gratefully and he held out his lighter to fire it up for her. He winked at her as she inhaled deeply.

She blew out a stream of smoke and grinned a bit sheepishly. Am I that obviously pathetically nervous? Don't really need another bad habit…but hey whatever works, right?

Jaci and Tig ventured little glances at each other for the next half-hour or so. They quickly perfected the art of not getting busted. Stare at your feet for a moment, then glance up and take a sweep of the lot, make sure your target isn't looking at you at that particular moment, if they aren't, then lock onto them, hold the stare for around thirty seconds then glance down again.

He shook his head as he watched her. He had thought at first glance she was ok, but on closer inspection, she wasn't. If I slapped my hands together behind her, she'd jump out of her skin. He wondered when the hell she had started smoking. She spent her moments wondering what he had been up to the last few months. She decided she probably didn't really want to know.

XXX

Their covert staring game was interrupted by a black sedan pulling into the TM lot. Everyone turned their attention to the car, thinking Bobby was inside. People were puzzled when a guy in a suit stepped out, flanked by a fierce looking man covered in tattoos, sort of a rock n roll Jehovah's witness. The pair surveyed the crowd as they approached and were accompanied by a small entourage of men.

They had returned to the crowd and Juice had his arm around Vix while they watched the visitors who obviously didn't belong at the party. When Clay and Tig made a move to greet the men, the rest of the SAMCRO guys followed suit in a show of unity. Left alone, Vix looked at Jaci and shrugged. The girls walked around the backside of the group of Sons and went to stand by Gemma. As the man in the suit started talking to Clay, Jaci looked over the men in the entourage and her eyes froze on the man that had nearly choked her to death the hospital stairwell, Hoover.

Vix leaned over to her sister and whispered, "Is that the guy? The one in the cast?"

Jaci nodded as her fingers turned to fists at her sides. Hoover's arm was still in a cast after being broken in several places by Motor. She had given Vix the short version of events concerning the Nord drama, leaving out the fact that she had fully believed she was going to die during the attack. Oddly, seeing the Nord didn't scare her, it made her furious. She half wished for another opportunity to go head to head with Hoover, preferably with a weapon this time.

Tig noticed the man at the same time and his anger flared. He sneered at Hoover and leaned toward Clay. "That's one of Darby's guys right there. How's the arm, asshole?" Hoover just glared at Tig.

The discussion between the visitors and the Sons became increasingly intense as Zoebel blatantly warned SAMCRO to stop their gun running in Charming. Tig pulled his gun and checked off threats in his head. The first threat was Weston, he was the main muscle; shoot him and the others would freeze. Next would be Zoebel just for trying to piss on SAMCRO. But if any bullets were going to fly, Tig had resolved that Hoover would be catching the first one in the forehead as payback for jumping Jaci.

"Are you going to shoot me, Mr. Trager?" Zoebel asked.

Jaci frowned. She stole a glance sideways at Gemma who had the same look on her face. For some reason, hearing the intruder say Tig's name like that unnerved her. Maybe because it meant that the guy had done his research on the club, that he might know every patch holder by name and God knew what else. Her brain made a further leap; if Zoebel was associated with Darby, what all did he know about the Parker sisters?

Vix leaned over and whispered again, "The one with the tats gives me the creeps, evil looking fucker."

"The one in the suit worries me more." Jaci answered. Damn, does the drama ever end in this town?

After several intense minutes of posturing and threatening, Zoebel and his posse turned to leave. Tig and Happy stalked down the driveway as the car left, sort of silent watchmen just looking for a reason to attack. Jaci smiled slightly while she watched them; thinking those were the only guys here that could match that creepy Weston for intensity and killer tendencies. She absently wished Motor was at the party just for further backup.

As he walked back toward the party, Tig scanned the crowd and found Jaci blatantly watching him. He thought she might be a little scared after seeing Hoover but she was clearly pissed off instead. Looking at her, he suddenly wished she hadn't come to the party. She hadn't been around the shop or the Sons in a while and the one night she did show up there was a damn Nazi parade, putting her right back on Darby's radar. Goddamnit, you need to stay away.

The pair held a stare as he walked by. Jaci thought about nodding at him but didn't know if she should or not. He kept his face neutral and broke the eye contact first and made his way to Clay to talk about the intrusion.

XXX

Vix wanted to go with Juice back into the clubhouse while he looked for some info on the LOAN crew. Jaci waved her away and again looked for someone for someone to talk to. She was standing next to Gemma; surely there would be no Tig interaction with that sort of company around her.

Gemma glanced at Jaci, "Lookin' 'round for a new baby sitter, sweetie? Seen you cleverly keeping yourself attached to anybody's hip all night. I think you're far to smart to believe that if HE really wanted to talk to you that you having a quasi-chaperone would matter."

"Nothin' gets by you, does it Gemma? Even the small stuff."

"I keep an eye on what matters... and don't let size fool you. Sometimes that small shit causes the most damage...likely because people think they can overlook it." Gemma smirked as she reached over and picked a stray string off the back of should of Jaci's shirt. "You know you look like the damn GAP version of a biker chick."

Jaci looked at her ripped jeans and black t-shirt and replied sarcastically. "At least I'm not wearing khakis." Both women laughed. "I had forgotten these parties were such tit and ass parades."

"Surely they showed some skin down at the Bama clubhouse." Gemma chided. "You're not a virgin when it comes to club ways."

"Nope…but I was just more of a weekender and Vix was more of a hang around… who nobody messed with. BB had a real issue with any of the guys fuckin' with either of us." Jaci mused.

Gemma snorted. "Then you two roll into this town and you hook up with our SAA…" She nodded to where Vix followed behind Juice. "… and she gets all sorts of intertwined with Juice, over there." Gemma shook her head. "Well… well… well... Uncle BB must be just thrilled." She paused and pondered, "But at least one of you came to your senses hmm? Your sister, though... she's more cut out for all of this." She winked at the Parker sister that stood next to her. "Not anything against you, darlin'… just observing."

Jaci smiled slightly and threw her hands up. "No offense taken...I totally agree."

The women watched the party pick back up around them. Gemma's tone turned more serious. "It took some balls to show up here tonight though…good for you."

Jaci just shook her head and kept her eyes forward. "Wasn't my idea, but then Vix has balls enough for both of us." She smiled at Gemma. "Keeps 'em in her jewelry box at home, takes 'em for special occasions. We're just here to see Bobby and then we are out."

"How are you doing with everything?" Gemma asked.

Jaci's eyes found Tig standing across the parking lot talking to Clay. "I'm assuming by everything, you mean him?" She shrugged. "I'm fine."

"I'm a woman…I know what fine means, honey."

Jaci sighed. "Ok…I thought I was fine until I got her tonight. Now I think it all sucks, but what are you gonna do, right?"

"Well, you had to know the end was coming eventually."

"Yeah, but I thought eventually would be a bit longer down the road." Jaci looked over the party and then back at the SAMCRO matriarch. "Guess me being with him was kind of dumb huh?"

Gemma shrugged. "Everybody's entitled to a fling now and then."

Those words stung Jaci a bit. Fling. Everyone that knew about her and Tig, with the exception of Vix, probably thought that's all it had been…a fling that lasted longer than normal. She hated all those months being reduced down to something so cheap sounding. Jaci knew what she and Tig had been through was more than a fling… or hell maybe that was just wishful thinking on her part.

Jaci frowned and hated herself for the question she was about to ask but she really needed to hear the answer and knew Gemma would shoot her straight. "Has he said anything…about me or the breakup or whatever?"

Gemma smirked at her like she was dumb. "When Tig Trager opens up about relationship feelings and shit... you better keep an eye out for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse cause the end of the goddamn world is near."

She noticed the sad look in Jaci's stare. She was putting up a good front but that girl was still hurting. Gemma thought for a moment and then asked, "It's tough isn't it? Being on the fringe; not outlaw enough for one side but not civilian enough for the other."

Jaci turned to look at Gemma and nodded. "Yeah…I hang with my family, outsiders think I am slumming yet if I branch out, I get told I'm abandoning my roots. But apparently the world stops spinning on its axis if I mess around with a SON. It's… tricky, to say the least. Any advice on that?"

Gemma thought for a moment and then smirked again. "To Thine OWN self be true." She gave Jaci's shoulder a squeeze and walked away as Vix returned. "Your official chaperone has returned."

"What was that about?" Vix asked as she studied the confused look on her sister's face.

"Gemma just quoted Shakespeare to me." Jaci cocked her head trying to figure out Gemma's advice but was in no mood for introspection…maybe later.

Thankfully Bobby's Fed transport arrived a few minutes later. The huge crowd went wild as soon as he stepped out of the car. Juice threw Bobby's cut on him and the Sons mobbed their friend with hugs. Stahl and Clay exchanged fake pleasantries as the Parkers watched the agent with blatant hate. Stahl glanced over at Jaci and Vix just as she was lowering herself back into the passenger seat of her car.

Vix threw her arm around her sister's neck, pulling her into a half hug and smirked widely at Stahl, sort of a yeah, we're still here, you couldn't touch us gesture. Jaci crossed her arms and just stared coldly at the agent. Stahl nodded solemnly at the girls and a slight smile played at Jaci's lips.

"Fuck that bitch." Vix whispered and Jaci nodded.

Tig watched the girls has they postured at Stahl. Oh how he would love to kill that ATF bitch slowly and painfully for the all the damage she had caused the club, all the shit she had put everyone through. An image of Donna slumped bleeding and dead against the steering wheel of Op's truck bloomed in his mind. He blinked his eyes hard to make the image go away. He looked at Jaci sadly…their relationship had been collateral damage from Stahl's wrath but only he and Clay really understood that.

Bobby suddenly appeared in front of the Parkers and they hollered with delight in seeing him. He grabbed each one of them and smacked them full on the lips and hugged them.

He looked at Vix and pulled his wild hair out to the sides with both hands. "Look at this shit! You got hook a brother up!" Vix laughed and told him miracles would be performed if he came to dinner Sunday at their house, she'd cut his hair over the sink if she had to.

Jaci couldn't contain the huge smile on her face at seeing her friend and Tig almost smiled involuntarily before he caught himself. The little devil in his head was pissed. What the hell is wrong with you? She's been here an hour and is already fucking with your head again. You hadn't thought of Donna in a week but you lay eyes on HER and your mind goes to shit again. No distractions, too much is on the line now. Stop making googly eyes at her and get her the fuck out of here.

Tig forced himself to turn his amused stare into a glare. She looked over Bobby's shoulder and locked eyes with him. He frowned harshly at her for a second and she looked at him with confusion. He turned his head away from her, willing her to leave. Stupid goddamn woman…you spent all day jacking around with a salon…I shot a guy's face off a few hours ago to cover my ass. Stop fuckin' staring at me and GO HOME!

Jaci took the look from him like a slap to the face, swallowed hard and stared at the ground. She was confused by the sudden shift in his look. He had been distant all night but hadn't looked hostile…until now. So that's how it's going to be? What the fuck did I do to you? Asshole.

Bobby was whisked away to the clubhouse by the crowd and the girls said a quick round of goodbyes and headed for their car.

"I saw that evil eye Tig gave you. What the fuck?"

Jaci shrugged. "Don't know. He flipped his asshole switch on…I can't read him when he's like that. No telling what was going through his head."

"So…do you love him or hate him?"

"It's complicated…not black and white. You can't just turn feelings off, Vix." Although the longer she thought about it, the Tig she saw tonight was a million miles away from the man she loved. There was just something off about him.

Vix snorted. "Well, looks like he did."

Jaci shook her head and she unlocked the car. "He fronts a lot."

"Well, you need to stop straddling the fence unless you like having a picket stuck up your ass. I need to know what side to be on here." Vix retorted as she clicked her seat belt. When her sister remained silent, she sighed and said, "Well I'm hating him until you tell me different. I've been cool so far…Tigger and me have just ignored each other. But if I'm alone with him now, he's getting the evil eye and his new name is Fuckhead!"

Jaci smiled. "Damn you're loyal, sis."

Vix nodded. "Fuckin A right I am!"

XXX

Jaci tried to put on a happy face the rest of the night at BINGO but her thoughts kept straying back to Tig and the party. She couldn't help wondering who would be going home with him that night.

Hours later, Tig stumbled over to where Clay was sitting. After seeing Jaci he had the overwhelming urge to get completely shitfaced drunk. The huge amounts of alcohol and good times around him had him feeling optimistic about the future. He really thought he could get past the shifty ground he was currently standing on with Clay and the rest of the Club. Op had been placated for now with the Mayan killing, giving him time to figure out how to handle Jax's sure to be impending revenge. For the first time in a while, he didn't feel like he was waist deep in quicksand.

He declared that Bobby was asleep face down in Red Bush Mountain which earned a big laugh from the Prez. Maybe time would heal all wounds with the Club and they really could come out the other side of all this pain. The pair sat silently for a moment and watched the party.

Clay finally spoke. "So did you talk to her?"

Tig frowned. "Who?"

Clay returned his frown, knowing his friend was doing a piss poor job of playing dumb.

Tig shook his head and looked straight ahead, his good mood suddenly gone. "Nah…" He waved his hand in a sloppy chopping gesture. "That's better, you know… cut and dry…no contact."

"Better for who…you or her?"

"Everybody." Tig replied with a far away look.

Clay studied his friend for a moment. He was actually glad Tig had ended things with Jaci. They all had too much to worry about right now. He didn't need his right hand man being distracted with some girlfriend happy ending bullshit. He needed him hard and cold and focused… his old self. The Donna hit had opened up an emotional hole in Tig and it needed to be closed immediately.

"Why don't you go a couple rounds with her…take your mind off things?" Clay nodded at a very scantily clad woman as she walked past.

Tig stood and replied with a halfhearted, "Yeah."

Clay watched with disappointment as Tig walked right past the woman and headed back inside the clubhouse. Tig had gone a little crazy right after he had ended things with Jaci. He had fucked pretty much every woman that he came in contact there for a week or two with but the novelty had quickly faded.

He found himself oddly preferring to be alone these days and tonight he thought he would rather fall asleep with a bottle instead of a stranger. But an hour later he changed his mind and found the blonde that Clay had pointed out to him. He was sick from all the mind games of the night. Watching Jaci act like she was fine, him pretending to not give a shit Fuck all that shit. That's all relationships were; one great big giant game of Mind Fuck. He watched as the blonde hit her knees in front of him. He closed his eyes. Fucking mind games, well this boy ain't playin' no more... give me recreational fuckin' with no strings attached. I'm goddamn happy with the role of Walk Away Joe.

XXX

At the back storage room of Impeccable Smokes…

"What's with the broken arm and Trager?" AJ Weston asked as he glared at the Nord standing across from him.

Hoover gave him a quick recounting of the history between Darby and the Parker girls, including the botched stairwell attack and how Jenks was still all fucked up from it.

Weston stared at Hoover with distain. What a fuck up…went two on one with a bitch and still managed to screw up? How hard was it to snap a bitch's neck? He had seen the two women standing next to each other, one of which had been wrapped up with a half breed Son for a moment. "So which one is Jaci? The one with a Spic fetish or the one that has the pole surgically implanted up her ass?"

"Jaci's the uptight one; the Beaner-lover is Vix. Their older sister, Wendy, is Jax Teller's soon to be ex- old lady. She's living in sober living rehab place." Hoover replied. "Jaci's the brains, Vix is the muscle and the mouth, Wendy's…probably just a liability. All three are scrappy little bitches though."

Weston and Zoebel exchanged a look. Very interesting information…they would add it to the pile for possible future use.

Hoover raised his eyebrows. "Why?" He smiled a greasy smile. "You guys looking to pull something with the Parkers?"

Zoebel replied cryptically, thinking of the plan they had in mind for Gemma Teller Morrow that night. "I don't think that will be necessary…but we'll see."

To be continued…