Walk Away from the Son

by BG.0715

As the events of Season 2 unfold - and the going gets tough for the folks of Charming, when loyalties are tested and relationships pushed to their brink, will the Parker Sisters be able to hang on or will they be forced to walk away. Tig/OC, Juice/OC

13. Chapter 103, Ricochets

Walk Away from the Son
Parker Sister Saga continues - Season 2 of SoA
Chapter 10 RUNAWAY TRAIN

RUNAWY TRAIN: Part 3 – Ricochets

Author's Note: Before reading, do yourself a favor, go to youtube and check out three songs:

Cold Desert, Kings of Leon

Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol

Life After You, Daughtry

XXX

I'm worried about you, I'm worried about me

We're lighting the fuses…and counting to three.

To try and get off now... it's about as insane…

As those who wave lanterns at Runaway Trains.

This thing has turned into a Runaway Train…

Juice stopped dead in his tracks, hand flat against the club house door as if bracing himself for a truth he didn't want to register. His eyes bored into the Reaper symbol; he felt very detached as his mind tried to process Piney's alarming words... Vix, salon, fire...Vix, Salon, Fire... Vix... Fire... Vix.. Vix. When his brain wrapped around the statement, a raw mix of emotions surged through him. He yanked open the door, pushed through the exit and started across the lot at a dead run. Behind him, the door slammed hard; everyone in the clubhouse turned at the sound, their eyes falling on words: Fear The Reaper.

Happy crossed the lot, headed toward the clubhouse with eyes narrowed. He upnodded to Juice who had just come running out of his destination. "Somethin's on fire over on Main Street."

"It's Vix's salon." Juice breathed out with a nod.

"I'm with ya." Hap replied already headed back for his bike.

The clubhouse crew stared at the door for a split second before reacting. Bobby was the first to follow Juice's exodus. "The Salon? Jesus Christ!" Jax spat out as he headed for the door followed by Chibs. Opie brought up the tale end of the group hurrying for their bikes. Juice and Hap were already tearing out of the lot as the other four rushed to fire up their bikes. The sounds of Harleys coming to life temporarily drowned out the sounds of sirens in the distance.

XXX

Vix stared in horror as she watched her salon, her dream burn up..She looked around her at the sea of people: townsfolk, cops, fireman. The flashing emergency vehicle lights gave a surreal feeling to the chaos. She heard John Cougar Mellencamp singing in her head … she chased her dream with much desire... but when she got too close to her expectations... she saw her dream burn up like paper in fire. Her breathing became choppy and caused her to choke, as if the smoke from the burning building wasn't enough.

XXX

Beside her, Jaci heard her sister cough and gag and she spun to facing her. She hadn't yet had time or good lighting to allow her to take stock of her sister's condition. She eyed Vix up and down and saw that she was covered in grime and dirt, soot and ashes, sweat, blood. But more off-putting than any physical damage was what she saw in her sister's eyes; anguish, heartbreak, anger, confusion, fear. It was the fear that unsettled Jaci the most. Vix despite sometimes outward appearances was a complex person, she had so many levels of self-defense. Self-preservation had been instilled within her at an early age and for something to pierce through that and tap into her FEAR...it was as rare as it was devastating.

Jaci wrapped her arms tightly around her sister, only to have Vix wince and pull quickly away. At her sister's startled and questioning look, Vix nodded to her right bicep area. "My arm... hurts like a bitch."

Jaci leaned closer and her eyes widened at what she saw. She quickly tugged Vix closer, under a street light to further examine her arm."Jesus Christ! Vix, baby girl... you're burnt... badly."

XXX

Deputy Chief Hale was staring in disbelief at the Nightmare on Main Street. He shook his head at the thought of the devastation that kept erupting in his beloved town; blown up meth labs, body count at an all time high, White Hate groups, threats of gang banger drive-bys and Mexican drug cartels. Charming was starting to resemble the fifth-ring of Hell and he was feeling powerless to stop it. No matter which line he tried to walk they led him to a dead end; the straight and narrow road led him no where and when he tried to follow Chief Unser's footsteps, giving SAMCRO intel to save Oswald's land, it just ended up biting him in the ass. More violence … more hurt... more insanity. His line of vision finally came to rest on the Parker Sisters, standing on the other side of the street.. Jaci was talking rapid-fire at Vix, who was staring at the burning ruin that was Twisted Scissors. He marched off in their direction, trying to figure a way to keep all the bullshit contained.

XXX

The short ride from TM to Twisted Scissors had proved anything but...on this crazy night the streets were practically clogged shut. Getting as close as he could to the scene, still at least three blocks away, Juice suddenly veered off the road and shot up a back alley. Happy followed closely behind, not sure where the hell his brother was going, but wherever it was, he wasn't going alone.

The alley dumped Juice and Happy a few hundred feet from the scene of the fire. Parking his bike in the middle of the mouth of the alley, Juice was off it in a heartbeat. As he and Happy went to step away from their bikes and head towards the scene, Chief Unser came up to them. "Hey, fellas... that's not a parking lot."

Happy eyed the chief of police with disdain; he hated cops, even ones that occasionally helped the club. "Tow us."

"Jesus Christ. Has everyone gone crazy?" Unser muttered as the two bikers rushed away.

From down the alley, the sounds of a group of bikes could be heard approaching. Soon Jax, Chibs, Opie and Bobby added their bikes to the ones parked there. Jax eyed Unser, "Any news."

Unser shrugged. "Nothin' official. Salon may or may not be a total loss. The FD responded quickly but it was completely engulfed when they arrived."

Opie nodded then frowned. "The girls? Vix? Jaci?"

Unser shook his head. "No sign of either one of them, yet. Jaci's car is out front. If they were inside when it was set... upstairs? I don't even wanna guess."

"Was it set?" Bobby questioned the chief oddly. "This being reported as arson?"

Unser scoffed and holding up his arm pointed to the two-story structure that was smoking and burning."Does that look like someone left a curling iron on? Come on fellas."

"Keep your suspicions to yourself, huh Chief?" Jax half suggested, half ordered.

Happy was suddenly standing in front of the group, "Shit ain't good. Found Vix... your deputy got her cuffed to one of those fancy fences around the trees across the street from the salon."

"Jesus Christ." Unser muttered for the second time that night and headed back towards the front of the scene.

"WHAT?" Bobby voiced the collective question. "Hale has Vix under arrest?" Hap could only shrug.

"Where's Juice?" Jax questioned.

"He's dealing with his Gramma and her friends. We ran into them on our way up. Think he's trying to get 'em to go home."

"What about Jaci? Seen her?" Opie inquired. Hap shook his head and filed in line as Jax led the contingent of Sons, weaving and pushing their way through the crowd.

XXX

"I want my sister." Vix hollered at the dumbass Deputy Chief. "You had NO RIGHT to separate us... "

"I had every right. You were both obstructing a police investigation, hindering a rescue effort at a crime scene and being GENERAL PAINS IN THE ASS." Hale defended his actions after questioning of the Parker sisters had turned extremely volatile and semi violent. "You both want to act like children? FINE... THAT is why I put you in time out."

"Whatever! Explain the cuffs to me?" Vix jangled the metal bracelets on her wrist for his view and benefit..

"Consider yourself lucky that you're only cuffed to a fence and not on your way to the PD."

"What that little shove?" Vix questioned with a frown. "Come on.."

"You assaulted a police officer."

"Well you INSULTED me." Vix rolled her eyes and then narrowed them. "You wanna see me assault a police officer. Do ya? Uncuff me, Davey Boy. I'll kick your ass up and down Main Street."

Suddenly from inside the burning salon a rapid fire series of explosions could be heard followed by a mass exodus of firefighters. The window in the front of the salon on the second floor shattered and glass rained down upon the ground. Vix felt the fight go out of her. She sat down hard on the ground next to the fence she was cuffed to and blinked back tears as she stared across the street at the crazy scene.

XXX

The Sons had been temporarily set off course by the explosions and the glass pouring down. Jax nodded towards Opie, "Find Jaci." He glanced at Happy and Bobby, "Go check on Vix." He looked at Chibs next, "Find Juice... tell him to keep his shit under control."

"Aye." Chibs nodded. "Where you headed, brother?"

"I'm gonna go find Hale... see what the fuck is goin' on."

It didn't take long for the Sons to find their respective destinations. Bobby and Happy found the handcuffed Vix. Mentally, she was in bad shape. She didn't say anything when they walked up and set to seeing about her. They were used to seeing a happy Vix or if nothing else, a pissed off Vix...but never a SILENT one. Worried glances were exchanged between the men. Ironically, the more heartless of the two, Happy, was the one to notice that Vix was indeed physically hurt. Hap crouched down to get a better look and motioned for Bobby to do the same.

After pushing through the crowd of looky-loos, Chibs spotted Juice. "You send Gramma Ruby home?"

Juice nodded. "Yeah, finally convinced her and the Olds to leave. Promised to call them in the morning, sooner if anything goes more wrong." He eyed the Scotsman. "Have you seen the girls?"

"Aye, found Vix."

"Where?" Juice started to walk further towards the scene.

Chibs grabbed his arm, "Hold off brother."

"What? What are you talking about?" Juice moved to pull his arm out of Chibs' grasp.

Chibs clamped down harder. "Listen to me, you keep to the fringes. That girl's likely in shock, her head is anywhere but clear. I'm doin' this to protect both of ya from yourselves. Thank me or kick my arse later, but for now..." He nodded towards the edge of the activity. "...keep to the fringes."

Happy walked over to them. "Bobby needs you to take a look at Vix. Her arm is fucked up, burnt or something. She won't let the paramedics touch her, wants you."

Juice glared at Chibs, who nodded to Happy. "Keep him here."

Further down the block, Jax spotted Hale and walked up to him. "What the fuck, man? You need to uncuff my sister-in-law."

Hale grimaced at the young VP. "Do not tell me how to do my job, Jax. Everytime I try to do right by seemingly doing wrong, everything goes to shit. And now look… two wrongs DO NOT make a right, Jax. Never did…"

XXX

Back at the clubhouse, Clay and Tig came walking out of the Chapel after having a post vote bitch session. The main area of the clubhouse was very empty. Clay frowned and then groaned when he saw the look on Piney's face, who was sitting at the bar. "Where is everyone?" When the old man didn't readily answer, Clay asked more loudly, "What?"

Piney shrugged. "That immediate retaliation you wanted… you may get it after all. Someone set fire to the Parker girls' salon."

Clay's face fell with shock. "Jesus!"

"What?" Tig asked with confusion. He immediately glanced around the room looking for Juice, whom he had just given a stern heart to heart to. He envisioned Juice trying to apologize with a screaming ranting Vix at the salon. Tell me that little retard didn't go and do something stupid!

The front door opened and Gemma walked in with concerned etched on her face. "I just came from Jax's place. Something big is going on, Main Street is blocked off. Had to come the long way 'round." She noticed the odd looks "What? What is it?"

"Vix's salon is on fire." Piney said for what felt like the hundredth time and watched Gemma's mouth drop open in surprise. "I told Op to call me when they got there...found out something."

Clay didn't feel like waiting and from the tense look on Tig's face, neither did he. He pointed at his SAA. "Call Op."

Tig pulled his phone from his back pocket and scrolled down through the list of fake names, hitting send on the one for Opie. The call went through but just rang and rang. He glared at the floor and rolled his tongue around his mouth, willing the guy to pick up and after the sixth ring, he got his wish.

"Yeah." Op yelled into the phone as he pressed one finger into his free ear. The commotion of the scene was too loud for a normal conversation.

"What the fuck is going on down there?" Tig snapped and then hit the speakerphone button so everyone could hear.

"Total fuckin' chaos." Op replied honestly as he scanned the crowd. "It's the salon on fire alright. People everywhere. Hale's got Vix handcuffed..."

"What the hell for?" Clay yelled.

Op frowned at the sudden strange voice, not realizing he was on speaker. "Jax's going to talk some sense to him. I think she's alright though, might have burn on her arm. I'm looking for Jaci but I don't see her."

"She's not with Vix?" Tig asked and then stood perfectly still in the middle of the clubhouse. He was staring at the phone in his hand and trying not to break it by hard he was squeezing. He took a deep breath through his nose. She was never too far away from her sister. She should be RIGHT by her.

"No man, she wasn't with Vix. I can't find her anywhere." Op replied. "Cops are still trying to figure out what happened, if anyone was inside."

Tig looked up at Clay. With over a decade of brotherhood came the benefit of communicating extremely effectively without saying a word. Tig's look screamed I have to go! Clay looked hard at his friend, knowing that if he told him to stay put, he would. Tig's loyalty and obedience to the club was first and foremost but Jaci, even as an ex had quite a pull and for a second Clay almost wanted to test that pull.

"Keep lookin, Op." Clay ordered. "We're on our way." He looked at Tig and nodded once. "Go." Tig slapped his phone shut and stormed out the clubhouse door.

XXX

Jaci stood with her arms crossed glaring at the action across the way as Officer Candy stood next to her and kept giving her sympathetic glances. Even the officer had to agree that Vix and Jaci shouldn't have been separated and treated the way they were. The salon fire had been burning as hot as people's tempers and emotions and tonight was not the time for Hale to even remotely suggest that the girls had had something to do with the setting of the fire. Candy leaned over to Op and whispered something in his ear. He nodded and then the officer headed back across the street.

"I'm your new babysitter." Op said with a slight grin. Jaci didn't smile back, she was too busy throwing death glares at the remains of her sister's business. Her hands were clenched at her sides as her anger boiled. With Vix, Jaci was the fixer, the protector and tonight someone had seriously fucked with that. Someone had torched their place, damn near torched her sister and she was pissed.

"Sorry bout the salon, J." Op said quietly. They stood in silence for a moment or two. "Hey, why don't you take a load off, sit down? We're not going anywhere for a long damn time." She finally nodded and sat down on the curb a little ways from him. It was then his turn to stare at the chaos. No one would be leaving for hours. He didn't know how fire scenes went but he knew entirely too much about murder scenes, they drug on forever.

XXX

"Goddamn clusterfuck." Tig muttered as he pulled up to the scene. It looked as if a good damn chunk of the town's population had shown up to gawk at the fire and the resulting action. He slammed his helmet down on his handle bars and headed for the heart of the scene. Op's words kept playing over and over in his head... I can't find Jaci, don't see her. Tig peered through the crowd, scanning this way and that, bumping into and shoving past people as he tried to get further down the street.

Where is she? Come on...where's she at?The firefighters were putting the final touches on the charred salon. After a moment or two of searching and coming up empty handed, Tig imagination was trying to pull him toward horror movie devastation levels. Horrible mental images were starting to creep up in his head. Fuckin' fire...shit what if she got burnt? What if she's all fucked up and looking like Freddy Kreuger now. Jesus Christ, come on...where IS she? His heart pounded in his chest as he spotted the parked ambulance...but the doors were all closed, no one seemed to be messing with it, there was no sense of urgency around it at all.

She's not burnt...she's fine. She's gotta be fine...just have to fuckin FIND HER. He shoved past a couple staring and pointing toward the salon and finally laid eyes on Bobby and Happy. They were huddled around someone...Vix. She looked ok, well not OK, but she was on her feet and not crying and that seemed like a good sign given the circumstances. "BOBBY!" Tig yelled.

Bobby looked up at hearing his name yelled. He spotted Tig and up nodded. Tig threw his hands up as if to say what the hell? Bobby gave him a thumbs up sign, letting him know that Vix was alright. Tig nodded curtly but then Bobby noticed the tense look on his friend's face. It wasn't Vix he was really worried about...it was Jaci. Bobby smiled slightly and pointed over to the flower beds that ran through the median of Main Street.

Tig's head swiveled to follow Bobby's directions. He craned his neck and saw Opie then Candy from the police department...then Jaci standing a foot or so away from them. All of them were staring straight ahead at the burnt out salon with fierce concentration. Tig took a huge intake of air and relief flooded over him in a way he hadn't felt in a very long time. She's ok...it's ok. No Freddy Kreuger face. It's alright. She looks...perfect, well righteously pissed, but perfect. He took an involuntarily step in her direction but stopped. The urge to run and grab her was smothering and he fought to shove it down. He took another long look at her and forced himself to walk back over to the guys and get the story on what the fuck had gone down.

XXX

Clay, having had enough of Gemma's ansty worry, drove the two of them to the scene. Jax watched Gemma scanning the crowd, worried look etched on her face. He blew out a breath, time to deal with the debriefing of the King and Queen.

"This an accident?" Clay asked hopefully as he stood in front of Gemma's Escalade..

Paraphrasing Unser, Jax replied, "Does this mess look like Vix left a curling iron on or some shit? Dumbass excuses ain't gonna fly. Someone firebombed the salon."

Gemma shoots him a look. "You find Jaci?" He nodded and pointed both her and Vix out. "They ok?"

"Chibs says Vix's arm got burnt, cut up a bit from the shattered glass. Head-wise she's in shock at best, scared probably. I would be if I was her. Hale says one of the firebombs was thrown at her head, said she could see someone. "

"Jesus Christ" Gemma breathed. "And Jaci?"

"Ain't got to see her yet. Opie says she's whole, no visible injuries."

"That salon was independent." Clay muttered, staring at the smoldering structure.

"Well, apparently someone didn't know or care. "We gotta figure out what we're doing with the Parkers tonight. They shouldn't be left alone, not after this. I'll call Tara, see if she's up for a goddamn slumber party."

"Somebody needs to let 'Bama know." Clay directed, eyeing Jax for the job.

Jax nodded, "I'll call in the morning."

"BB Parker needs to know NOW. If one of those girls calls him first..." Clay countered.

"It's 2:15 AM in Alabama."

"Good, it's already morning... problem solved." Clay retorted and turned to walk away.. He stopped and turned back around, pointing at Jax. "You tell BB that SAMCRO will take care of this. STRESS that his girls are gonna be fine and reparations made. Last thing we needs is a goddamn Next of Kin reenactment."

XXX

Staring at the fire wreckage just made her want to kill someone so in order to try and calm down, Jaci adverted her eyes. She sat on the curb, her elbows on her knees, head resting in her hands. Her blood pressure pills, try as they might, were failing miserably at keeping her from feeling the effects of her anger and worry. She worked on trying to steady her breathing. She harshly wiped away a few tears. She hated crying...hated being a woman at the moment because when the majority of women got pissed, they cried and people thought them to be dramatic and weak. Men didn't cry like that...lucky fuckers.

She heard footsteps coming her way and heard Opie instruct the newcomer to "be nice." She took a quick glance through her hands to see who was walking up. She sniffled and cleared her throat, trying to get her shit together. Jaci's defenses were engaged in an instant. "YOU crossed the street to talk to ME, not the other way around. If you're gonna yell…I can't handle your bullshit tonight, Tig. I just can't."

"Wasn't gonna yell." He replied and then stood over her for a long moment. The panic of losing her had subsided a bit and all the meaningful shit he should say got caught in his throat. He grimaced and just tried to say anything. "Heard you got put in a timeout?"

"Yeah." She mumbled. "Fuckin' ironic huh?"

Tig eased himself down next to her on the curb and stretched his left leg out straight. It was healing but still was a bit stiff. He looked over at her. "You ok?"

"Fuck no." Jaci spat but then shook her head. "I mean physically, yes. But..." She waved her hand toward the burned out salon across the street. "Shit...you know?"

"Yeah." Tig replied quietly. "So what happened? The fire and shit?" He had gotten a recap from Bobby but wanted to her her version of things.

Jaci sighed and stared at the pavement under her feet. In a robotic and detached tone, she recounted the night's events, eating at the cafe, seeing the fire, running at a break neck sprint to try and get to Vix. "When I got up here, there was a man on top on Vix...on the ground, hitting her and stuff and I just lost it. I tackled him, started throwing punches."

"Wait...who was punching Vix?" Tig asked with concern. "What guy? Where is he?"

"It was Darby." Jaci replied and then looked around the street non nonchalantly. "I don't think he stuck around."

Tig's face scrunched with confusion. "DARBY? What do you mean? What the fuck?" He watched Jaci just staring off in the distance again and tapped her on the leg then snapped his fingers. "HEY! Focus! What the fuck was Darby punching Vix for?"

"Nononono. He wasn't hurting her...he was helping. He pulled her away from the fire, kept her from running into it, trying to save the place." Jaci explained.

"Did you hit your head? That doesn't make any sense, Jaci. "

Jaci shrugged. "You're telling me. I was there, I saw him...I don't get it either."

Tig sat next to her for a few minutes until they saw Clay and Gemma arrive. He knew Clay would want a full rundown. Tig stood up. "Had enough timeout?" Jaci looked up and nodded at him. He extended his hand out to her. "Come on." She took his hand and let him pull her up to her feet. They headed back toward the hot bed of activity and the cluster of Sons that was beginning to form.

"Oh shit!" Jaci suddenly said and pulled up short with her hands covering her mouth.

"What?" He asked as he turned around to face her.

"I left Spawn! I took off running and left him tied to the damn chair."

"The dog?" He asked incredulously. She nodded and started to try and walk away, up the block. Tig reached and grabbed her hand. "Whoa whoa whoa. How can you give a shit about a dog at a time like this? You got way more important things to..."

Jaci cut him off. "Vix has already lost enough tonight. She's got some freak bond with that dog...she NEEDS him."

Tig groaned and stared up the street for a moment and then back to Jaci. Her forehead was furrowed with concern. Internally he called himself a fucking sucker and then pointed at her. "You stay put. Where's the damn thing at?"

"Bergen's."

"I'll go get the mutt, you stay here." Tig whistled and got Op's attention. Tig pointed to Jaci and started to walk away. Op walked over and resumed his babysitting/bodyguarding duty without a word. She watched in awe as her ex stalked away to retrieve her sister's dog...whom he hated.

XXX

After Unser had seen to it that Vix was release from her cuffs and reunited with her sister, the members of SAMCRO had unconsciously formed a loose huddle with Parkers near the middle. Jax had just hung up after talking on the phone with Tara trying to see what meds she might have for a burn and trying to explain why Vix wouldn't go to the hospital, even though she'd had done nothing wrong. Opie was fielding a call from his mother, his kids were distraught about the fire and wanting to know if Vix and Jaci were ok and she couldn't get them calmed down. He put his hand over the phone and relayed the crisis to Jax.

"Go deal with your kids, we got the Parkers' backs." Jax replied. "Your kids love Vix and Jaci, tell them that the girls are fine." Op nodded reluctantly and pacified Mary and then hung up. He hugged Jaci and told her what was going on. She echoed Jax's order for Op to head home. The kids were likely freaked out of their little minds, they needed their dad. Op put his head down and walked away from the group to head home. He would have much rather been put on guard duty than made to deal with emotional shit at home.

Tig walked up a couple minutes later with Spawn in his arms. He hadn't WANTED to carry the little bastard but there was too much chaos to make the pup walk. He could have gotten stepped on or run over and then Vix really would've lost her shit. Vix heard Spawn bark and turned her head. Her eyes widened, she had totally forgot about the dog. Tig held the dog out to her with a grimace. "Here's your mutt." She muttered thank you and squeezed Spawn tightly.

Jaci was standing a bit away being looked over by Gemma who had watched the dog exchange with a frown. "Tig willingly touched the dog?" Jaci shrugged but nodded yes. Gemma raised her eyebrows in wonder. "Well a crisis does sometimes focus the bullshit."

Tig had walked straight to Clay's side after dropping off the mutt and said quietly. "Well, I don't know who was on the INSIDE of the salon...but fuckin' Darby was on the OUTSIDE." Clay gave him a frown. Tig shrugged. "I don't know, man. Jaci said he pulled Vix back from the fire, kept her clear of it."

"He set it and then have a change of heart?" Clay asked...again Tig could only shrug.

Clay turned to address the crowd of Sons. "Ok, this shit was obviously arson. And since the Parkers here are such angels, somebody's probably fucking with them because of associations with US." He looked at the girls, his voice softening. "And it's one thing to torch a place after it's empty... but to hurl
a Molotov Cocktail at one of OUR girls...that shit's unacceptable."

"We got a Parker Plan." Bobby announced.

"What? SAMCRO Day Care at Little Graceland?" Clay guessed. He eyed Jax who shrugged.

"I offered to have 'em at my place, but Tara isn't a fan of dogs and Vix ain't goin' no where without Spawn... not after this shit."

Clay shook his head, "I'll leave the logistics up to you all... just keep 'em safe. Last thing we need is to have to ship either one of them home to 'Bama in a pine box."

"JESUS!" Bobby scoffed. "We got 'em... Chibs is gonna patch Vix up. She's oddly recalled I have that fuckin' huge aloe plant.."

Jax rolled his eyes, "She needs more than aloe. We'll swing by my place, Tara says she has some stuff in her kit."

The guys glanced up at the sound of footsteps and saw Gemma approaching. "I called Vix's friend Rachel, told her to steer clear of Charming, at least for the night. It's suddenly become dangerous for hairdressers. We need to get those girls home, let 'em shower, change clothes, can't start to try to forget when the smell is still on you."

Jax nodded. "We're workin' on it."

"Good." She nodded and walked away not wanting to let Jax see how deep her concern really was. She wanted those girls safe, fearing that the same men that attacked her had found new targets in the Parkers.

XXX

"We don't need babysat, Jax." Jaci argued as she shut the passenger side door with Vix inside her car.

"Not up for discussion, get in the car." Jax answered with finality. "Tig, Hap, and Bobby are gonna follow you over to Bobby's place. Chibs and me are gonna dip over to mine, grab some shit to patch up your sister. We'll meet ya over there."

"What's wrong with OUR house?"

"Also not up for discussion. Someone burnt down your salon, whats to stop 'em from doin' the same to Parker Place?"

"Bite your tongue, Jackson Teller." Jaci hissed. She tossed a glance at her sister who was seated in the passenger seat hugging Spawn and staring blankly out the window.

Jax stared at his sister in law with a half smile. "Just go to Bobby's. Please."

"Fine, whatever." She slams the driver's side door shut and revved the engine.

As the Parkers made their way through town with their MC escort, Vix spoke for the first time in hours. She looked over at Jaci with her lip trembling, "What the fuck, J? I mean...why's shit keep happening to us?"

Jaci glanced at her sister and for a moment, Vix truly was her LITTLE sister, again and needed her. She reached over and patted Vix on her good arm, wishing she had an answer for her, "I'm sorry. Baby Girl." She heard Vix sigh and a second later her sister appeared to have retreated back into her protective conclave.

XXX

"This is everything I have on hand... how bad is the burn?" Tara inquired, handing a small bag to Chibs.

"Light wasn't good out on the street but best guess, at least second degree." The Scotsman replied.

Tara glanced at Jax, "She needs to go to the ER." Abel let out a loud cry from his nursery before Tara had a chance to continue.. "God, I swear he is cutting another tooth or something, he's been fussing non-stop since I got home."

"I'll take care of the kid." Jax said, dismissing Tara. He shot a look at Chibs, "You good to go help at Bobby's?"

"Aye, no problem, brother. Take care of the wee one.. that's what those girls would insist on."

XXX

Vix, carrying Spawn, filed into Bobby's house but Jaci stopped short of the door. "If we are being sequestered here against our will, we're going to need some shit from home."

"Like what?" Tig asked and then added sarcastically, "Wait..make a list... that ought to cheer ya up."

"Changes of clothes for tomorrow, pajamas, make up, hair stuff, soap, moisturizer." Jaci rattled off and waited to see if the guys frowned. They didn't so she kept going. "Um...stuff for Spawn, Vix can't fall asleep without her iPod, and we need birth control pills, maybe tampons." Tig's eye twitched at the mention of the last two items. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You want us to go pick up some stuff for the two of ya?" Hap questioned without hesitation.

"Oh, she REALLY doesn't want ME to pick out an outfit for HER to wear tomorrow." Tig snorted a laugh. "After that shit she pulled with the shorts and the flip flops... I'd be delighted to pick some shit out... really I would." Tig said highly amused and dead serious.

"I don't OWN anything I'd be ashamed to wear." Jaci remarked. "But NO, thank you Happy...I'll just go to our house, grab stuff for Vix and me."

XXX

"You know I wouldn't have extracted too much fashion revenge.. .but I woulda at last made sure it made your eyes POPPED." Tig said as he opened the driver side door of the Mustang."So, you sure you're ok to drive?"

"I'm fine." Jaci assured as she climbed inside the car. "Goddamnit...I hate this fuckin' town."

"We'll get the assholes who did this."

Jaci looked up at her ex. "Will you set them on fire?"

Tig smiled slightly. "Do you want me to?"

"I don't know...maybe. Can I decide later?"

"Sure." Tig replied but then looked at her seriously. "Ok, here's how this works; I'm gonna lead, then you, then Hap. We get to your place, just kill the engine and stay put. Don't open the garage. Got it?"

"Got it but I'd like to officially state that I don't NEED bodyguards."

"Noted...and I officially say SHUT UP." Tig said as he shut the driver side door and walked away to his bike.

XXX

Chibs arrived a few minutes later at Bobby's, entering through the kitchen door. Seeing only Bobby, he inquired, "Where is everybody?"

"Vix and Spawn are in the bathroom, Tig and Hap escorted J over to Parker Place to get the girls' shit." Bobby frowned. "Where's Jax?"

"Dealin' with a teething baby." Chibs started rooting through the medical supplies Tara had compiled. "Said I'd call him with a status update later."

Vix sat on the big fluffy throw rug on the floor of Bobby's bathroom. Spawn laid on the rug in front of her. Vix took a toke from the joint Bobby had given and held her breath as long as she could, letting the pot spread deep into her lungs. The pup cocked his head to one side staring at her. She blew out a long concentrated breath. "I hope you'll like 'Bama little dude, cause your Mama wants to go home."

She draws a ragged breath and slipped her cell phone out of her pocket, flipping through her contacts until she found the one listed as Mama Rox . She heard the phone ring five times and go to voice mail. It took all the strength she had not to breakdown on the phone and even with that she knew her voice was shaky and strained. "Mama it's me... there's nothin' left for me here now, Mama. I know Parkers don't tuck tail and run...but you gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run. I get now why BB loves that Kenny Rogers song so much. I think it's time for this girl to RUN... I wanna come home." Vix felt her throat constrict. She hung up before she sobbed.

XXX

Jaci pulled into the drive of her house and heeded Tig's prior instructions of not opening the garage door. He and Hap killed their engines way short of her house and let their bikes silently coast into the drive. She got out of car, talking low."You really don't have to do this. I mean, I know I took care of you after your wreck or whatever but you don't have to return any favors."

Tig already had his helmet off and met her at her car door. He smirked at her. "This is little different, someone tried to set you on FIRE." He gently pushed her back inside her car. "Gimme your house key. Stay here, lock your doors 'till I tell you its ok. We're gonna take a look around."

Jaci's eyebrows shot up but she pulled her house key from her key ring and handed it to him. Hap stood at the front of of her car and waited for his recon buddy. Tig pointed VERY sternly at her, "STAY PUT. That's an order, not a suggestion. I'm fuckin' serious." She nodded and waited anxiously as they disappeared around the side of the house. Hap pulled a gun from the back of his jeans.

A few minutes later, the garage door came alive and started to lift. Tig came walking out and gave her a come hear gesture with his hand. She rolled down her window and poked her head out, "All clear?"

He nodded, "Come on." She complied and he followed her inside the house, leaving the garage door open but locking the door to the house.

"So we're good? It's safe."

Hap nodded at her from his stance in the middle of her living room, "It's safe."

"Grab whatever you need, make it quick." Tig said as he headed to the kitchen to look out the window facing the street.

She packed for Vix first, emptying out a duffel bag and filling it with a change of clothes, makeup and hair products. Next she grabbed a few things for Spawn, food, a chew toy and his little fleece blanket. Yes, the spoiled little dog had a blankey. Jaci crossed the hallway to her room but instead packing her things she froze. She looked around her room and sighed heavily.

Five minutes later, Jaci walked back into the livign and annouced, "I'm not going." She sat Vix's duffel of things on the floor and waited for the storm.

Tig frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I'm staying here."

"The fuck you are." Tig spat.

"You said it was safe here."

"FOR NOW!" Tig clarified, "It's safe for NOW."

"Well then I'll set the alarm, I've got smoke alarms too...it'll be fine."

Hap frowned and finally joined the conversatino, "You think an alarm is going to protect you?"

"Do you know how many guns there are in this house, Hap?" She fired back.

"Yeah but would you use them?" Hap retorted. "Guns don't work unless you're man enough to pull the trigger."

Jaci gave him a LOOK. "Ok, THAT's just insulting." She looked to Tig, knowing he knew she had a tougher side to her. "Please tell him I'd pull the trigger."

Tig rolled his eyes but glanced at Hap, "She'd shoot...trust me." He ran his hand through his hair. "Shit...why are you being so fuckin' stubborn on this? Just go plant your ass at Bobby's for the night and be done with this shit."

"Look...this is MY house. Somebody's already ripped away Vix's freakin livelihood, Rachel's too I guess. If something happens to this place, we're screwed, we're HOMELESS." Jaci explained with emotion. "I'm not going to let that happen."

Tig rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, you wouldn't be HOMELESS."

"Really? We supposed to pile up Jax's house or with Gemma? You gonna let us move in with you?"

Tig frowned and stammered, "Well...yeah...I mean...you can HAVE my fuckin' house. I don't give a shit, I'll stay at the clubhouse."

"Forgive me, but your house sucks, Tig. I don't want to live there." Jaci stated bluntly.

He decided to make a sympathy play. "What about Vix? You just gonna leave her alone?"

"She's not ALONE...there's a whole house full of people with her. And in case you haven't noticed, Vix is a bit out of it, she doesn't even know if I'm in the room with her."

"It's easy to be all brave when we're all standing here with all the lights on." Hap interjected in his calm quiet way. "But later...when its dark and you're alone...hear some random noise, think there's somebody in your closet? It's better to be safe than sorry."

"I'm not running and hiding. I'm staying here." Jaci replied and looked at Tig. "You've got two choices, Tig... either you hog tie me and haul my ass kicking and biting over to Bobby's for SAMCRO Day Care OR you stay with me and protect me... HERE."

There was a long stare down between the ex's. Jaci cocked her head. "Well?"

"I'm still thinking about the hog tying option." Tig actually WAS thinking about just how difficult it would be to take Jaci to Bobby's against her will. He finally bent down and grabbed the duffel from the floor and tossed it to Hap. "Take this shit to Bobby's."

Hap cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to come back?"

Tig shook his head. "Naw, I got this."

XXX

Hap knocked at Bobby's door and waited to be let inside. He sat a duffel bag on the kitchen table "Vix's stuff .. think there's some stuff in there for the mutt, too"

"Where's Jaci? Tig?"

"Gonna watch her over at her place... she refused to leave."

Bobby rolled his eyes and muttered, "And exactly what do I tell the Devil Cat when she emerges from the bathroom?" He grabbed the bag in a huff and headed down the hall. Knocking on the bathroom door, he called out, "Vix, your clothes and stuff are in a bag outside the door, kiddo."

XXX

After Tig had walked Happy out, he walked back in the living room and stared at Jaci. She winced, "Look, I'm sorry for putting my foot down or whatever. I have moments of hardheadedness and maybe this isn't the best time for it but I can't help it.

"Moments?" Tig asked with a smirk.

Jaci just shook her head. "If you want to leave that's fine...you of all people shouldn't be stuck with babysitting duty. I'll call Chibs or they can send Hap back."

Tig just looked at her."Nobody MAKES me do anything...you should know that by now."

"Yeah...I guess so." They stood in the living room and stared at each other. She frowned and jerked a thumb back toward her room. "If its ok, I'm gonna grab a quick shower. I'm a smoky, dirty mess."

"It's your house, right? Do whatever you want." He spat back. She gave him an uneasy look but headed down the hall.

"Hey! Is your gun still by the bed? I'll make sure you're locked and loaded." He asked and she hollered back in the affirmative.

XXX

When Vix finally emerged from the bathroom she was cleaned up and dressed in black lounge pants and a black tank top with the word Chica in hot pink script scrawled across her bosom. Her adrenaline had flat lined in the shower. What little energy she had was now gone. She found the guys in the kitchen and walked in and sat down at the table.

"How ya doin' V?" Hap nodded to her. She shrugged. "Ah, your sister's place is all good. J's gonna stay there... people are watchin' her, she'll be alright."

The guys prepared for a shit-storm response but only got a small "ok" in reply. Hap, Bobby and Chibs just stared at her. She looked so broken, not the normal rambunctious girl they were used to.

Chibs sighed. "Alright lovey, lets do our best at getting' ya patched up, aye?"

XXX

Tig gave Jaci a few minutes to get the shower running and then walked into her bedroom. He sighed automatically at the familiarity of it and sat down on her side of the bed. He hadn't meant to be so snippy with her, he just wanted her safe. But here she was, playing that Miss Independent bullshit card again. Why can't a woman just LISTEN? Why's it always gotta be a fuckin' debate?

He opened the nightstand cabinet and spotted her .40 Beretta handgun on the top shelf. Just as he was about to grab it, something caught his eye on the third shelf, a silver tin. He smiled slightly, knowing that's where she kept lube and condoms and that liquid stuff that got hotter when you blew on it. Part of him wanted to lay back and wander down memory lane for a moment while the other part wanted to open the box and see how many condoms where still there, to check if she had been busy since their breakup. He shook his head sharply and tried to focus on the task at hand. He didn't make it a second before his eyes locked on another item, this time on the middle shelf. He frowned, the object wasn't familiar to him.

He reached out and took the book from the cabinet and rolled it over in his hands. For a second he thought it was a Bible, that maybe Jaci had turned holy roller on him. It wasn't an actual book though; he flipped through a couple of pages...it was a journal. His curiosity peaked instantly and he jerked his head to look back at the bathroom door. The shower was still running...hell she might take a while in there, trying to relax and forget the horrible night. He scratched his head and fought with himself over whether or not to start reading the journal. It really wasn't much of a fight. He scanned the pages and snorted. Most of the entries weren't paragraphs of deep thoughts...they were song lyrics. That oddity didn't surprise him at all, Jaci seemed to have music playing at every possible second of her day; in the shower, at the way to work, cooking dinner, at night in the bedroom.

He found her latest entry easily, there was a bookmark sticking up from the pages. He pulled at it and realized it was a photo, actually two photos but they were duplicates. His heart froze as he flipped it over and took a closer look. It was the picture her Aunt Roxy had taken, months earlier when Vix had come on from the hospital after her surgery. He ran his hand over his mouth. The photo was unsettling, it was like looking at ghosts. He and Jaci were standing in her kitchen, staring at each other and smiling. Roxy had been a goddamn ninja with the camera. He lightly touched Jaci's face in the photo and smile sadly. So fuckin' beautiful. He thought back to that time, back before Donna, back when he actually had some type of...hope that he and Jaci might be able to work out somehow.

He glanced at the words written in that section of the journal and felt a pang at seeing her handwriting. Heard this today and it hit me hard, wonder if he feels like this?

HINDER, Better than Me

I think you can do much better than me
After all the lies I made you believe
Guilt kicks in and I start to see
The edge of the bed
Where your nightgown used to be

I told myself I wouldn't miss you
But I remember, what it feels like beside you
I really miss your hair in my face
And the way your innocence tastes

And I think you should know this
You deserve much better than me

Suddenly, he couldn't breathe. She got her wish, the lyrics hit him like an A-bomb. He stared at her picture again and then shook his head. What the fuck have I done to you? He read the rest of the lyrics and kept coming back to one section.

Wish I never would've said it's over
And I can't pretend that I won't think about you when I'm older
Cause we never really had our closure
This can't be the end

The shower stopped abruptly. Tig again jerked his head toward the bathroom. Shit. He grabbed one of the copies of the photo and slammed the journal shut. He crammed it back inside the cabinet and snagged her gun. He kicked the cabinet shut with his foot and made a beeline for the bedroom door, tucking the photo into the inside pocket of his cut. He didn't feel a bit of guilt at taking the photo. Either she had made a copy or Roxy had sent her two to begin with...either way, one was meant for him.

XXX

Chibs stared closely at Vix's arm. "First thing we gotta do is determine tissue damage." He frowned as he made his assessment. "First and second layers of skin are goners. The skin 'round it's red and splotchy and well, ANGRY. Ya got a second degree burn, luv." He shrugged as he held her hand. "It's gonna hurt like a mother, probably swell... definitely blister. But it's small area, you're lucky it was doused, darlin' and didn't keep burnin.'"

Vix didn't respond so Bobby chimed in, "So what do we do?"

"First thing I gotta pick the lint outta the wound, singed bits of her t-shirt sleeve left in will cause a nasty infection then clean it out with sterile water. I think there's some in Tara's kit and grab the ace bandages, toowill ya?" Chibs said as he scooted to get more comfortable in the kitchen chair. "Gonna have to keep cold compresses on it, help the pain and swellin'. Keep it wrapped up, keeps the air off and the blisters from poppin'. Then just give her stuff for the pain and watch her for signs of infection. Might see if the Doc can get her hands on some Vanco or some other antibiotic, it'll kill anything. Get some flowin' in her just in case."

Bobby and Hap just nodded along dumbly, completely impressed with Doctor Chibs.

XXX

Tig was sitting on the couch, watching TV when Jaci walked back into the living room. He felt a little dumb for bolting out of her bedroom, she had taken the time to blow dry her hair so he had lost a good five minutes of snooping time. She stared at her gun on the ottoman.

"Is that really necessary?" She asked with a worry glance. "I mean...do you think someone is coming after me tonight?"

"Better safe than sorry." Tig shrugged and mimicked Happy from earlier .

"Well fuck 'em. They should have showed up earlier...I'm going to bed." She retorted and then pointed toward the leather storage ottoman. "There's a blanket or two in there. Do you need a pillow?"

Tig grimaced at her, soundlessly saying Do I look like a NEED a pillow?

"Ok, well...good night." Jaci crossed her arms nervously. Seeing him so comfortable on her couch was odd. "You really don't have to stay."

"Not up for discussion." Tig replied as he feigned boredom and turned his attention back to the TV. He didn't look at her but pointed to the bedroom. "Go on."

She gave a last glance and headed back down the hallway."Thank you."

"No problem." He quipped as he flipped channels.

XXX

"Ok, Vixy, got the burn patched up plenty good… now, let me have a gander at these cuts and whatnot." Chibs carefully turned Vix's arm and eyed the damage. He glanced over at Bobby who was seated in the chair next to Vix and at Happy who was leaning up against the kitchen counter. "Some of 'em are deep… probably need stitches, but I'll try just butterflyin' 'em." Chibs frowned and warned, "Glass shards in a few of em too. Gotta extract the shards, luv."

Vix sat staring off into the distance, the voices of the men there with her seemed muffled, almost as if she was under water listening to them speaking at her from above the surface. When she tried to respond she choked and was momentarily stunned, was she under water? Something was burning in her chest… she felt water on her face. She looked down and realized she was sitting at a table, saw drops of water splashing on the wood grain surface. It's raining? Inside? As she stared at the drop, it seemed to rain harder. Her vision was suddenly blurred by it but then she realized she was crying, not sobbing but a steady flow of tears. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get a grip. She needed to staunch the tears. I'm NOT going to have a breakdown… not here, not now, not in front of these men. To them, I'm bad-ass Vix Parker. I OWN that. Calm yourself the fuck down and turn off this stupid internal rain storm!

Hap eyed Chibs and the Scot eyed Bobby. All three shot uneasy glances at the youngest Parker sister. All three trying to figure the best way to handle the storm they watched approaching, and all were shocked when just as it was set to reach it's fever pitch, it subdued. Vix, lost in her shock, had managed to regain some degree of control over herself. She stifled the sobs, got the waterworks reigned in and appeared to look a little less distraught. When she requested a drink of water, in a voice barely above a whisper, the men simultaneously drew somewhat easier breaths.

"Here drink this." Hap sat a tumbler of Jack Daniels in front of her. "Better than water." She stared at the glass then grabbed it and downed the contents.

She glanced over at Chibs, and with a sigh and a nod said, "Fix me."

"Aye." The Scotsman said with a warm smile.

XXX

Tig waited almost a half hour before walking down the hall to check on her. Jaci had left her bedroom door open and he stood silently in the dark doorway, staring toward her bed. Her ceiling fan was the only noise in the room, well aside from her slamming her head against the pillows. "Still awake?"

"Fuck yes." She grumbled. "Thanks to Hap putting visions of boogeymen in my closet, I can't sleep."

Tig snorted a laugh. "You're not scared, you're pissed off. That brain of yours is problem red-lining worrying about shit, plotting revenge and running rebuild numbers." When she didn't argue, he offered, "You wanna a shot or something? Couple drinks would settle you down."

She hesitated for a second. "Can't, I quit drinking."

Tig frowned in her direction. "When?"

"Couple weeks ago." She decided to answer the question mostly honestly. "I was getting pretty stupid with it. Figured I'd quit while I was ahead. I mean when you're having a shot of vodka every morning with breakfast, its a problem, right?"

He was a bit taken off guard by her confession. "Yeah... guess so." He thought for a moment. "Well...if drinking's out, that leaves drugs and I doubt you have anything worth a damn here so that leaves force. I could wrap you up in a choke hold till you passed out."

"Only YOU would suggest that. No thanks." Jaci replied. "Be my luck you'd give me brain damage. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."

"Suit yourself." He answered and walked back to the living room.

XXX

Chibs finished with mending Vix's cuts. "All done, luv. Ya were a perfect patient darling."

"Thanks." Vix replied in a monotone drone. "Is it supposed to be throbbing?" She nodded towards the bandaged up burn.

"Aye, it's gonna hurt like a mother, luv, sorry" Chibs grabbed a medicine bottle of the table. "Bobby won't miss a coupla Oxy-ies." He twisted off the cap and deposited two pills in Vix's palm. She popped them in her mouth and washed them down with a swig of Jack Daniels.

Hap eyed her. "Don't think you shoulda mixed Oxycontin with alcohol... it intensifies the effect."

She smirked at him, "I sure as hell hope so." She stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in way too long and her legs sorta buckled. She grabbed the table for support and then makes her way slowly into the living room.

The door leading to the backyard opened and Bobby and Spawn entered. "Where's Vix?"

"All patched up, headed into the living room. She'll be good for a few hours then she'll need that bandage swapped out for a fresh one." Chibs informed. "Pain is wearin' through the shock. Gave her a coupla your Oxy, didn't think you'd mind."

"A couple?" Bobby questioned.

"Aye, gave her two."

"TWO? What's she weigh? A buck-twenty?"

"Two is a perfectly acceptable amount." Chibs muttered, defending his decision.

"Maybe for Keith Richards." Bobby chided and then stared at him. "Fuck me...this is gonna be like the pool party all over again!"

Chibs and Hap exchanged confused frowns, as far as they recalled the pool party a few months back had been awesome and no one had OD'd. Hap asked the obvious question "Pool party? What happened at the pool party?"

"Never mind." Bobby snuck a peek into his living room and found Vix curled up on his sofa, holding Spawn and flipping through his cable rotation. Bobby's cell phone rang. "Hey Piney...mmm hmm… yeah, I have no idea… sounds like it… yeah, as good as can be expected I guess… yeah… will do."

He closed the phone and slipped it back in his pocket with a shake of his head.

"What the old man want?" Chibs questioned.

Bobby shrugged, "Not a clue, unless you can explain why a certain brother of ours would holler Fuck the Fringes before storming out of the clubhouse."

Chibs raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face, "Aye… I think he's had his fill of taken advice from the likes of us. Gonna handle his shit his own way from here on in."

Bobby sighed. "Wonderful… let's just add a ring to the circus this day has turned into."

XXX

Just prior at the SAMCRO clubhouse…

Piney looked over at the kid and felt for him. He sat down the glass in front of him and sighed, "Ya know… I lied.. to you when I said I didn't know how to help fix this shit, 'tween you and Vix."

From the bar stool beside him, Juice groaned, "Everybody is SO full of advice now… when it's too late for me to help save her from getting hurt. No one wanted to help yesterday before everything went to shit."

Piney stared at the young biker with a sarcastic frown on his face. "Ya done? Ya gonna listen? Cause I'm an old man, not real keen on wasting the breaths I got left."

"Yeah, shoot… can't hurt right?"

"Wrong… it's gonna hurt. Love's an extension of life and life sucks a majority of the time. The way I see it all your shit started when the WOOSH went out."

"The WOOSH?" Juice eyed the old man with an eyebrow raised in question.

"The WOOSH" Piney nodded and sputtered and motioned with his hands. "All that crazy shit in the beginning…"

Juice chuckled despite his dark mood as the old man continued. "But that ain't LOVE, son. That's LUST and that don't ever last. LOVE is a choice you make to BE THERE despite of all the bullshit life tosses at ya. You do it because loving somebody and having them love ya back… well, that makes this world we live in a little less wretched, hmmm?" Piney pointed his finger at Juice. "And that choice ain't always easy cause life can whip up some shit storms, let me tell ya. I've held the franchise, learned the hard way there ain't no perfect love. Nobody is perfect on their own so thinkin' that two of ya will suddenly be perfect because you're together… well that's just.. ah.. mmm."

"Retarded?" Juice offered.

"Yeah, that works." Piney chuckled. "What I was saying… if you can get past all the that and still manage to love the person… that's the true path but, most can't get past the bullshit."

Juice sat listening once again, in shock once again, to wisdom from an unlikely source. Piney shook his head, drained the glass in front of him then grabbed the bottle and helped himself to a bit more. He poured a helping into Juice's glass, too. He chuckled when the kid eyed him. "Little liquid courage never hurt."

"Courage to help me fix my shit." Juice replied but whether in question or statement, Piney was not sure.

The old man took a hit of oxygen and stared off at some focal point that only he could see. "Real lasting love is hard to find… and hard to hold onto." Piney shrugged. "But then anything of real value usually is, right?" He stared at Juice. "Did anything I say sink in, son?"

Juice nodded "I think so."

Piney chuckled, "So what are YOU gonna do about it?"

Juice looked over at the club's oldest member and annouced, "Fuck the Fringes!" In a split second he was on his feet and storming out of the clubhouse on a mission, for the second time tonight, to set things right with Vix, and heaven help anyone who tried to stop him.

Picking up the glass in front of him, Piney raised it in the air, toast fashion. "FUCK THE FRINGES!" He laughed and shook his head before downing the amber liquid…

XXX

Jaci lasted ten minutes before she padded into the living room and sat down on the L section of the sofa. Tig was lounged in the corner of the sectional. "Stupid fucker." He mumbled as he watched something on TV with the sound nearly off, better to hear the boogeymen with. "Mindless TV...that'll put you to sleep." He said without looking at her.

She turned her head and saw that he was watching Bait Car, a reality show where cops caught idiot criminals stealing cars. "Wow, more flashing lights, that's exactly what I want to see right now." She said sarcastically.

He was nice and flipped stations for a minute, finally landing on old Jackass reruns. After a few minutes of her watching TV and him watching her, he stretched out more on the couch and scooted over toward the wall. He tapped his chest. "Come here." She gave him a wary look. He sighed, "You're not gonna fall sleep sitting up...lay down and relax."

She was reluctant but a huge part of her WANTED to be close to him. She knew without a doubt he wasn't going to be an asshole tonight, he had had too many chances so far and had not done anything offensive. There was a time and a place for their tiffs and tonight wasn't it. She stared at him and he stared back. She sighed and relented, crawling over to the space he had made for her and settling in next to him with her head resting in the crook of his arm. Ok, I'll lay down...for just a minute but there's no way I'm gonna RELAX.

He knew holding her was a dangerous idea but couldn't help himself. He glanced down at her and found himself staring on the tops of her breasts. God bless tank tops. But in all seriousness, the photo of them he had stolen felt like it was burning against his chest in the pocket of his cut. His head was spinning with nostalgia and was hoping she would settle down and fall alseep, that he would get to hold her for a while.

Her brain just wouldn't quiet down. She watched one more prank before letting the floodgates of inquisition open, starting with the Million Dollar Question. "So who did it? And don't bullshit me, say you don't know. What do you really think?"

Tig sighed. Here we go. So much for calming down. He shrugged and gave the obvious answer. "We torched one of Darby's meth labs the other day."

"But Darby helped Vix. If he was trying to hurt her, why would he do that?"

"So now you're a Darby fan?"

"Well no...I don't know, nothing's making sense." Jaci blew out a breath. "My next guess is that Zoebel guy...I mean they're all wrapped up together right? That night at Bobby's party, Hoover was with them. And you guys beat their asses today. Maybe Vix and I aren't as independent as we thought. They associate US with SAMCRO...and our shit gets burnt?"

"That's where my money's at." Tig replied.

Jaci clenched her jaw. "I wouldn't mind if you set Hoover on fire."

Tig laughed slightly and squeezed the top of her shoulder. "Consider it done."

She kept on talking a mile a minute, about the fire, about Vix, about Hale. Tig was having a hard time concentrating on what all she was saying. He just kept staring at her hip and how her tank top had pulled up slightly, revealing skin. If she would just shut up and go to sleep he could have his hand on that spot for the whole night. When she started in on insurance policy jargon he stopped her. "If you don't shut up, you're never gonna sleep."

She frowned and tapped his chest with her hand, "I know but what about ..."

"Jaci, SHUT UP!" He said with half a laugh. Goddamnit, she's like the Energizer Bunny. He needed her to shut up for both their sakes. She needed to sleep and he needed the chance to spend the rest of the night with his arm wrapped around her. Only way to do it was to shock her or piss her off but doing that would make her get up. Maybe he could just threaten her into silence. "Open your mouth again and I'm shoving something in it."

He hadn't planned on actually DOING anything but she made the mistake of looking up and smiling at him. Not a sad smile that seemed to be her norm around him these days, but a full force grin...like the one in the picture.

"Oh yeah? What are you...?" Jaci started to tease without thinking.

He grabbed her face with his hand and slammed his mouth against hers. She tried to pull back but he held her in place for a second. When he broke the kiss, they stared at each other, both with surprised looks. Rather quickly the shock melted into something a bit different and Tig leaned in and kissed her again. He started slowly and just like old times with her, half expecting her to stop him but she kissed him back instead.

XXX

"Why don't you two get outta here?" Bobby suggested to Chibs and Hap.

"Don't know, brother... thought the plan was protect the Parkers?" Chibs questioned.

"Between me and the inbound MC Romeo, we got this shit. I'm positive daylight is gonna bring with it a whole 'nother round of shit... so why don't you two go relax at the club house? I'm plannin' on planting my ass in my Barcolounger and tryin' to catch a few z's myself."

"Aye, alright brother, ring us if you need anything." Chibs said as he and Hap headed for the door.

XXX

Tig swallowed hard as his heart started to pound a little faster. He kissed her while holding her head in his hands, his fingers in her hair. He couldn't believe it was happening, didn't give a shit if it was a good decision or a bad one. He just wanted her. He had pushed himself down further on the couch but couldn't get close enough to her with her lying on her back. He pulled back from her for a second and grabbed her hips, yanking her to the right, closer to the corner of the sectional so he could get on top of her. She didn't protest a bit, just looked up at him with nervous but lustful eyes.

Jaci knew she should slam the brakes on what was going on with Tig but she couldn't. She squeezed her eyes shut and relished the weight of his body on her. He kissed her a bit harder but she didn't mind. He had his hands all over her now, they jumped from one spot to another, her face, her neck, her breasts. As he kissed her neck and then bit her collarbone slightly, she tried to catch her breath. She held onto the back of his head and pulled at him, kissing him. Nothing during this night had made sense, why should this be any different?

He felt her hands slide under his shirt and then along his lower back. He decided to help her out and raised up slightly. He quickly undid two more buttons on his shirt and pulled it and his cut off in one fluid motion and tossed them to the opposite side of the sofa. He nodded at her and she did the same to her tank top. Seeing that much of her skin undid him. He laid back down on top of her and kissed her more urgently. His right hand slid along her torso and he pushed himself up against her a little roughly. He was rock hard and ready to go. She moaned and ground her hips upward as she grabbed a hold of his pec muscles and squeezed. She'd always had a thing for his chest.

"Goddamn I've missed you." She mumbled. He grunted and kissed her again. She breathed in his ear, "Wasn't supposed to miss you."

"I know...I know." He mumbled and hated himself for every second of hurt he had ever caused her. And in that moment he wanted to make her feel better, to take her pain away, the pain of the night, the months of bullshit with him, everything. "I'm sorry." He breathed and covered her mouth with his.

After a few moments more of kissing and grinding, Tig couldn't wait anymore. He leaned his head down into the couch next to her head and balanced his weight there as he lifted his body off her. He moved up long enough to use both his hands to pull her lounge pants off her hips along with her panties. A slight gasp escaped her lips. He wasn't sure if the moved surprised her or if she was just having a hard time breathing. He knew his pulse was thumping pretty hard.

He buried his face against the side of hers and swallowed hard. "Can't wait..." Still holding his weight off the top of her he unbuckled his jeans. He leaned on his left shoulder and slid two fingers along her clit, needing to touch her. "Fuck you're wet." He whispered. As soon as his fingers touched her, Jaci pushed up against him, wanting him inside her as fast as possible. He slid one finger inside of her and she moaned loudly. A lustful grin spread across his face. "Oh fuck yeah...you're ready."

He pushed his boxers and jeans down on his hips with Jaci helping him frantically. Jaci was pretty proud of herself for not coming already. Chibs had damn near made her pop on the back porch just by dry humping her. She was floored that Tig, the man she actually wanted, was all over her and she had manged to hold it together. He kissed her again and pushed himself inside of her without any pretense. He felt her tense up and she let out a slight whimper. She had tried to choke it down but he had heard it.

He knew he was on the bigger side of the scale but she hadn't had any problems with him since their first few times together. He pushed into her as far as he could, he was too worked up to take it easy. After a few pumps, she must have gotten used to him because she was digging her nails into his back. For Jaci, the pain had taken a lightening quick shift to pleasure. He felt her relax underneath him and picked up his pace slightly. He watched her close eyes and whisper, "Shit...it's good, it's good."

Hearing her voice again, telling him she wanted him, was better than a thousand Crow eaters talking dirty. He grunted as she shifted her hips underneath him and he somehow slid in deeper. He was just about to tell her to open her eyes when she stared up at him. Their bodies were hard pressed together, neither wanting to break any type of contact. They locked eyes for a moment then he stretched to get one of his arms underneath her back and shoulder for better leverage. He gripped her hip with his other hand and switched to long hard strokes, trying to draw out the release for her. It worked like a charm because Jaci started to moan louder and panted her words. "Ah ah ah…oh fuck."

"Come on…come on." Tig breathed as he fucked her and watched her losing control. Finally she was screaming and he felt her muscles tighten around his dick as she came. "Ahhh fuuuuck!" She yelled and grabbed his shoulders as hard as she could.

He growled as he slammed into her a few more times. He shut his eyes, feeling himself creep up on the edge. Usually it took him longer to come but not tonight. Too much need, too much want. He moved his hand up her back and grabbed a fistful of her long hair. "Goddammit." He breathed through clenched teeth and held himself in place as he came inside her. His hips pumped involuntarily a few times with aftershocks and he opened his eyes. He swallowed hard and tried to catch his breath. He looked down at Jaci, who was biting her lip.

XXX

Bobby glanced over at Vix. The only way he knew she was still awake was that her breathing was erratic, not steady like it would be otherwise. She was staring in the direction of the TV, but given the darkness of the room and what she could possibly be seeing through the huge-ass sunglasses she'd returned from the bathroom sporting, Bobby had not a clue. At the sound of a Harley approaching the house, he reached down and pushed his chair's spring lever lowering the footrest and got to his feet. With a backwards glance at Vix, who remained motionless on the sofa, he trudged to the front door.

XXX

As Tig laid on top of Jaci with her looking up at him, there was surely 'the right thing to say' at that moment but he didn't have a clue what it was. He pulled out of her and sat back against the couch with a thud. The second he moved away from her, Jaci was up and making a beeline for the bathroom in the hallway.

She cleaned up and stood naked in the bathroom, holding her face in her hands. Oh shit...did that really just happen? You fuckin' idiot! Why did you lay down on the damn couch? You knew better than to do that! Damnit this is bad...isn't it? Jaci decided to stay holed up in the bathroom until she could figure out how the hell to fix the mess she had just landed herself in.

XXX

From where she sat on the sofa, Vix heard the hushed exchange between Bobby and Juice...

"Are you here to heal or hurt?"

"I wouldn't hurt her, Bobby"

"Not intentionally... but you have to admit you've been all over the board lately. Last time you tried to work shit out... do I have to rehash what you said went down after the Grand Opening?"

"Are you gonna let me in or do I have to pull a SAY ANYTHING moment and wake up all your neighbors?"

"Mmmmmm... fine. But she's a fuckin' mess and Chibs fed her enough Oxy to kill Keith Richards. I have serious doubts about my own sanity even letting you NEAR her right now."

She heard their heavy footsteps and then they suddenly stopped. She glanced over at the entrance to the room, strained to see in the darkness, thru the sunglasses and her totally brutalized eyes. She saw Juice had stopped short of entering the room. For a minute she wondered if he'd changed his mind, decided not to try then she noticed it was Bobby, with a hand on Juice's shoulder that was holding him back. She heard Bobby mutter, "Choose your words carefully, brother. If you fuck up this time, there ain't NO fixin' it."

XXX

Tig knocked on the bathroom door a few minutes later with her discarded clothes piled in his arms. "You want your stuff?" He asked with his head resting against the closed door. He was amazed how something so good could turn so bad in the blink of an eye. Well granted, fucking his ex on her couch given tonight's circumstances had probably technically been a BAD thing but it damn sure had felt GOOD.

Jaci stared at the door for an eternity, not sure what to do. She finally opened the door just a crack, shielding her body with it and stared out at him. He still had his shirt off and stood just in his jeans and boots. She bit her lip."Are you leaving?"

He shook his head and pushed the door open more while he craned his neck to look her up and down, he hadn't gotten to see much of her on the couch, it had been dark and they had been in too much of a rush. She busted his stare and tried to push the door shut but he held it open. "A little late to be shy. Just...come out of there...let's go to bed."

"Where are you sleeping?"

He shrugged, "With you?"

She didn't know how she felt about that but knew she didn't feel like fighting about it or discussing it right now. She took her clothes from him but didn't dress, just silently walked down the hall to her room. He took her lack of protest as acceptance and did a quick last check of the house, flipped off the TV, and grabbed her gun. When he got to her room, she was already under the covers in bed. He walked around to 'his' side of the bed, laid the gun on the nightstand, and shucked off the rest of his clothes. She reached over and turned off the lamp, enveloping the room in darkness. He slid under the covers naked and they laid silent without touching for a few minutes, both of them thinking about the implications of the night. He knew she would never make the first move so he reached out and pulled her close to him.

With her body intertwined with his and her head on his chest, he finally got up the nerve to say something. He knew she needed to hear some kind of truth from him and frankly he needed to admit a few things to himself. These last few months had been bullshit, his running around doing whatever it took to forget her ...nothing had worked. All that running and looked where they had ended up. He breathed deeply then spoke very quietly, "If something would have happened to you tonight..." His voice trailed off, he couldn't even finish the sentence.

Jaci squeezed his hand that she held across his torso. "I know." They didn't say anything else to each other, both fine with just letting it be for the night. She had a million things to say to him, to ask him but she pushed it down. She trailed her fingers over his chest as he rubbed his hand along her arm absently. After a while they finally drifted off to sleep.

XXX

From where they stood at the entrance to his living room, Bobby and Juice watched as Vix stood up and walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"She hasn't moved from that spot for so long, I was worried she'd become rooted." With a slight shove to Juice's back, Bobby reminded his friend, "KID GLOVES, Romeo."

Juice crossed the living room in a few long strides and entered the kitchen. Behind him, Bobby re-parked his ass in his Barcolounger, picked up his bowl of popcorn and unpaused his Elvis movie.

Vix stood facing away from Juice and stared at the cupboard. "Why'd you stay away?"

"Hmmm?" Juice had been so busy soaking in the sight of her that he'd missed her words. He watched her turn and face him.

"Tonight... why'd you stay away? Everytime I looked over I saw you watching me. I recognized the look in your eyes, haven't seen it in a while... missed it. I kept thinking you'd come over... I waited for you to but you didn't. Why?"

"The guys told me it was probably better if I kept my distance."

"Vix's mouth twitched. "Mmmm, you gonna keep listenin' to your bros?"

"No." He looked at her directly and shook his head.

She nodded. "Good move. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too."

XXX

Bobby shifted slightly in his recliner, he'd been feigning sleep for the last half hour.. He knew should be more ashamed than he felt about eavesdropping on the quiet conversational exchange taking place between Vix and Juice, seated on his sofa a few feet away. But in his mind, he justified his actions by telling himself he was assigned the task of protecting Vix from more hurt, and he would ... even if it was from Juice. Because between the shock and devastation over the fire, getting literally and figuratively burned, the joint he'd rolled her, the Jack Daniels Happy had kept flowing, and the Oxycontin that Chibs had fed her... Bobby wasn't too sure Vix was in the proper mindset to be making life decisions. Thankfully, the conversation so far had been an apology from Juice and when it seemed like Vix was on the verge of an acceptance, the pup whined.

"I gotta put him out." Vix mumbled and stood up. "Come on, baby."

When both Juice and Spawn took steps to follow her from the room Bobby had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling. Vix turned around and clarified, "Um, I was talking to Spawn but I guess you can come along... if you want." Bobby covered his snort of laughter with a fake snore.

XXX

Bobby finally realized that the trio had been outside way longer than necessary. Spawn was an indecisive little pooch about doing his business but he wasn't THAT picky. Bobby realized that he was likely missing out on very significant parts of the conversation. SHIT! He scrambled out of the recliner and wandered into the kitchen, leaving the overhead light off, the small light on the exhaust fan over he stove would have been sufficient even if he didn't know his home like the back of his hand.. He listened hard at the door and could hear muffled bits of an intense conversation between the pair standing on his back porch. He heard a mix of emotions in Vix's voice and squelched his first reaction to bust out outside. The words that wafted in stopped him.

Outside, Vix shook her head."I've been standing there... on the ledge, Juice. This tiny little strip of shaky ground is all that's keeping me out of this like huge swirling abyss. And I can see you there now, too...and just like now you're holding your hand out to me. I want to grab hold but that can go two ways, Juice. I take your hand and you pull me back and we land on solid ground, safe and secure. OR I latch on and we both fall, both crash down into crazy darkness."

When he heard her choke up, Bobby sighed and ran his hands over his face. He placed his hand on the door knob ready to turn it. But when he heard Juice's reply, he tiptoed away and decided to call it a night. The Retard Romeo and his wayward Juliet would be just fine.

Juice held Vix's hand in his. "Doesn't matter... no look, don't shake your head. Listen to me! It doesn't matter because you know why? Cause even if we fall into that abyss or whatever, I'll keep your head above the water. I promise...I won't let you drown."

He had wanted Vix back in his arms for so long, yet the instant it happened he was so shocked a swift wind could have knocked him over. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Her shoulders were quaking and her breath was choppy. Seeing her like this was heart-wrenching. Seing a strong woman approach rock bottom was a very hard thing for the man who loves her to witness. When she finally composed herself a bit, she pulled away, although reluctantly.

She stepped back and looked at him, "I think we fell, Juice. I feel like I'm drowning. I.. I..don't know what to do. Could you just lay with me, hold me? I.. I don't think I can handle much more than that, not right now. But I know I can't make it alone anymore."

Juice nodded and led her back inside. Holding her was the least he could do and was the exact thing he wanted.

"Bobby said the guest room is the third door on the left." Vix whispered as she followed Juice up the darkened hallway.

He opened the door and flipped on the light and they both stopped in their tracks. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Juice said with slight amusement.

Vix stared at the twin sized bunk beds. "He does have kids."

Juice just nodded and walked over, kicking off his boots and shrugging out of his cut. He placed it on the dresser next to the bed and then unchained his wallet, laying it and his gun next to his cut on the dresser. He turned and watched as Vix tried to position herself and still leave room for him in the dumbass little bottom bunk bed.. He saw Spawn leap onto the bed and ceremoniously curl up next to her. The little pooch was not too happy when she picked him up and put him at the foot of the bed..

Juice attempted to not whack his head as he crawled in next to her. The mattress was uncomfortable as hell and the tiny bed was not made for two grown-ass people and a dog But truth be told, he would have laid on a bed of nails and not bitched too much, just to make Vix feel happy and safe.

After a whole lot of positioning, they got somewhat comfortable. She was plastered to his side, half laying on top of him next to the wall. Having her so close was a comfort and a curse. He was a guy after all and to keep his thoughts away from the carnal he was running DOS code through his mind. Holding Vix felt as natural to him as breathing. The feel of her, the scent of her brought a flash flood of memories.

"Baby, do you have your phone on you? I left mine in the living room, I think. I need music to fall asleep." Vix said quietly.

"If you can reach my left hand jeans pocket."

She retrieved his iPhone and flipped thru the screens until she got to the iTunes App. She hit random play but the song that played sent chills down both their spines, Snow Patrol, Chasing Cars.

If I lay here.. if I just lay here, would you lay with me and just forget the world ...

TBC

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