Walk Away from the Son
Parker Sister Saga continues - Season 2 of SoA
Chapter 16- Closing Time (One last call for alcohol)
By BG and Reaper
X 25 or 6 to 4 X
In the alley behind the bar, Tig and Jaci drained the remaining moonshine. He leaned up against the building, waiting for the alcohol to kick in. He would fully admit to loving the backwoods brew, the buzz from it was unlike anything he'd drank before and it was a damn good thing the stuff wasn't more readily available or he'd be in trouble. "Alright...let's go." He announced and grabbed Jaci's hand, heading toward the parking lot.
Neither of them were capable of passing a field sobriety test at this point in the night but they managed to remain quiet as they walked, except the occasional snort of laughter from one of them when they swayed into each other or stepped on one another's feet. They stumbled across the street to the motel and walked down the sidewalk, trying to find their room. "What number is it?" He asked as he started to wrap his arms around Jaci from behind. His buzz was really taking off and the sight of her in that tank top and tight jeans, knowing he was seconds from being all alone with her was getting him riled up.
Jaci pulled the key from her pocket and stopped to take a closer look. "Thirteen...no wait...eighteen." She squinted and frowned. "Shit...I can't see straight...I dunno."
"What's the problem? My little nerd accountant can't read a number? Ain't that what you do ALL DAY?"
"Yeah but I'm not usually shit-faced when I'm at work, asshole."
"Give it here." Tig growled as he snatched the key away from her. He couldn't actually make out the number either but faked it. "Thirteen." He pushed her to the right door and held her against his chest as he reached around her and slammed the key into the door. He wiggled the key but nothing happened, he tried again but to no avail.
Jaci shook with laughter. "Ha! I'm not the only blind one! Maybe it's eighteen...or maybe you don't know how to work a knob." She turned and put her back against the door, trying to be serious but laughing. "I hope your knob problem doesn't extend to other...knobs." Her laugh was cut off as he slammed his mouth against hers. As he kissed her he took her right hand and let her feel how hard he was.
"Does that feel like I have a problem?" He hissed. She bit her lip, smiling as she shook her head. "Alright then." He shoved her further down the walkway. "Eighteen it is." As they neared the door, he handed her the key. "Here hotshot, you do it."
Jaci worked the key in the lock as Tig pawed at her from behind. She smiled as he kissed her neck and felt her up. A memory flash took her back to the first night they had crossed the line with each other. The night he had won at Bingo and then had been drunk and all over her as she had tried to open the door to her duplex. Lost in thought, she stopped trying to open the door.
"Unless you want me to bend you over the railing out here, you better work that KNOB a little quicker, doll." Tig warned.
"Can't have that, can we?" Jaci teased and finally popped the lock. She opened the door and they stumbled inside. Tig slammed the door behind him with a kick of his boot.
The room wasn't spectacular, it was basically a roadside roach motel, only without the roaches. The room was small but clean with an old TV on the dresser. Two worn chairs flanked a tiny table and a queen size bed helmed the remainder of the space. Jaci couldn't shake the sense of deju vu she was getting from the moment. True, they had never gone at it in a motel room before but there was a familiar VIBE about the situation. Tig was drunk and handsy and she was excited...like she had been that first night with him, not knowing where things were going but loving every second of it anyway. Maybe that was the liquor playing tricks with her head. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this drunk...it was probably a few months ago at some party in Oakland; she didn't want to think about those days.
Tig had let her walk away from him as he slid off his cut and draped over the back of one of the chairs. He untucked his shirt and popped another button on it before pulling it over his head and throwing on the table. He stared at Jaci, who was just standing in front of the dresser with a blank stare on her face, seemingly lost in thought. He snapped his fingers to get her attention. "Hey...zombie girl...strip."
His voice got her attention and she looked over at him as he clicked on a lamp and shut the curtains. She started to slide out of her boots but lost her balance and steadied herself by leaning against the hip high dresser. She pushed out of her boots and socks without using her hands and gave him a drunken smile, it was hard to be sexy when this intoxicated. He stood a few feet away from her and resisted the urge to help her out of her jeans, lift her up on the dresser and go at it. The moonshine buzz was started to do that thing he was quickly learning to love...things would get blurry, like any other drunk but then every few minutes things would slow down and come into a focus so sharp it seemed like a movie. It was like seeing things in black and white, then having them switch to full HD color. He made a motion with his finger, telling her to keep going with the strip tease, knowing he'd never get one out of her sober.
Jaci watched Tig as he stared at her and felt an odd rush of power. At the moment she had what he wanted and she wondered if it was always that way with them. He played his feelings down but had she gotten to him as much as he had gotten to her? They had surely done some damage to one another, had she burnt him the same as she had been? Her brain stuck on the word burn. Burn...fire. A slow lazy smile spread across her face as she started to hum an old Rolling Stones song. She pulled her tank top over her head and let it fall to the floor. The humming changed to soft singing that he couldn't make out, he could barely hear the melody but could see her lips moving slightly.
She had her eyes locked on his as she slid her hands down her bare abdomen and worked the button fly of her jeans slowly open. She pushed her low ride jeans down until they hung even lower on her hips and then stopped for a moment. She watched his eyes scan her body and saw his fists clench as he spotted the dove tattoo on her hip. She ran her thumb over the tat she knew he loved and pushed her jeans all the way to the floor, stepping out of them. Next she unhooked her black bra and threw it to the side. She was still singing something as she crooked her finger and motioned for him to come to her.
He covered the distance between them in two steps but forced himself not to grab her. She sat back against the dresser and he reached out and trailed her body with the fingertips of his right hand. He grazed her collarbone, her left breast, her stomach."What the fuck are you singing?" He whispered. It was driving him crazy...but in a good way. As he pushed her panties down and off, she stood and pressed her body against his. His buzz switched everything back to fuzzy for a moment.
She let her lips graze his right ear and hummed a few notes before singing quietly and slowly, "So don't play... with... me... cause your playing with fire." She felt him wrap his left arm around her lower back and hold her tightly as he kissed her. He broke the kiss but kept his head next to hers as he took his right hand and maneuvered it between them and slid his fingers along her clit. Her breath hitched at the touch and she moaned into his ear as he continued the motion. She bit his earlobe and then his neck as he slid his fingers inside of her.
He kissed her again and she sucked his tongue slightly as they broke the kiss. "Goddamn...that mouth of yours." Suddenly he knew what he wanted to be doing the next time his buzz switched to high def. He pulled away from her and breathed. "Come here." He walked to the wall next to the bed and pressed his back to it. With his eyes locked on hers, he worked at his belt with his left hand and held out his right to Jaci. He pulled her toward him and then left go of her long enough to slightly push down his jeans and boxers. "On your knees."
"Oh you're first tonight huh?" Jaci smiled back at him devilishly. "Say please."
"Fuck you." Tig smirked and then repeated. "On your knees." His words were harsh but his tone was playful. She complied and slid down in front of him. He stared down her with lust lidden eyes and ran his right hand over the back of her head, smoothing her hair. She took his cock in her left hand and licked her lips. His breathing picked up in anticipation of the main contact. "Come on..." She ran her tongue around the tip and sucked it slightly before taking all of him in her mouth. He let out a half groan, half muffled laugh at the sensation.
Some would say the position of power had shifted since she was on her knees...but the truth of the matter was quite the opposite. She knew he was now putty in her hands. She worked her mouth up and down the length of him, settling into a good rhythm. She was oddly thankful for being so drunk and from the sound of Tig's breathing and random mumbled cuss words, he was happy too. Being drunk, she thought LESS and did MORE...instead of wondering if she was doing something right, she just went with it and with her gag reflex dulled by the all the alcohol, going with it meant going deep.
Tig had leaned his head back against the wall as she went down on him. He was loving every second of the contact as it was when his buzz shifted on him again. Suddenly her mouth, which been feeling great, felt fuckin' amazing. He swallowed hard and popped open his eyes. Every feeling just crystalized. He flexed his hand that had been resting lighting on the back of her head into a fist and grabbed a handful of her hair. She moaned but didn't stop, just kept working on him. "Fuuuuck." He breathed and she pressed her hand against his lower back, trying to get a better angle on him. Impatience bloomed within him and he grabbed the back of her head with both hands. He had planned on getting a blowjob for a few minutes before stopping and heading to the bed with her but the sensations were just too strong now. His hips bucked in a steady rhythm and before he knew it he was essentially just fucking her mouth. Her hand on his back suddenly moved to the front of his thigh, trying to slow down the pace.
Jaci knew he was getting close to coming so she didn't want to slam on the brakes but suddenly she didn't feel so good. It was as if her body chose that moment to make her brutally aware of every beer, shot and swig she had thrown back earlier in the night. But Tig wasn't taking the hint she had given by pressing back against his leg. She clamped her eyes shut. Ok, he's almost there, just hang in there a few more seconds. When he says he's coming just pull off and catch it in your hand, he won't care he'll...
While she was busy thinking of her exit strategy, Tig blew his load...in her mouth. "Motherfucker!" He growled as he held her head in place, draining the very last bit of his orgasm. "Shit...ahhhh...fuck." Jaci kept her eyes closed and swallowed hard, trying not to wince as she did it. He let go of her a second later and slumped back against the wall, running his hands over his head, slicking his hair back. "Holy shit... that was fuckin' good."
Jaci wiped her mouth with her hand and fell back on her ass on the floor. She leaned against the bed for a moment and looked up at him. The look must have held a bit of disgust because he cocked his head. "What? You ok?"
"You're supposed to WARN me before you do that." She said quietly. She didn't mind swallowing but she did like to know when it was about to happen.
"Shit...I got caught up." Tig replied with a slight laugh while catching his breath. "You look a little fucked up. Are you..."
Jaci didn't hear the end of his sentence. She was up on her feet and stumbling toward the bathroom. She managed to flick on the light and just barely had the toilet lid up before she violently tossed up ALL of the night's liquids. She wretched again and held on tight to the Porcelain God before her.
"Oh THAT'S sexy." Tig teased from the doorway of the bathroom. He stood in just his jeans and had his arms crossed as he watched. "Was I a little too much for you?" Jaci managed to fly the middle finger on the hand that wasn't holding her hair back. He snorted a laugh. "If it makes ya feel better...that was quite possibly the best blowjob I ever had." Again she flew the bird in his direction.
She finally finished and sat back on the floor, the tile cold against her naked skin. "Oooooh, too drunk. WAY too drunk." She groaned as he laughed. She momentarily hated his personality. He was definitely not the type to offer to hold her hair back or to lift a finger to help her in her current situation. He was the type to point and laugh. Asshole.
"So...you done for the night or do you wanna go a round?" He asked with a smirk as he thumbed back toward the bedroom.
She glared over at him while hugging the toilet again and waved him off. "You got YOURS...I don't give a shit about getting MINE."
"Hell, I'll go back to the bar then." He retorted and pushed himself off from the doorway and toward the bedroom...only he was drunker than he thought and stumbled. He threw out a hand to keep himself from hitting the floor and stood up on wobbly feet, mumbling. "Ok, maybe not."
Jaci let out a snort of laughter which earned a good natured "SHUT UP" from Tig who was now shucking his clothes and collapsing on the bed. She felt her stomach clench again and was off to the races yet another time. After that round was over, she reached up and pulled down a towel, spreading it over the tile. She laid down flat on her back, thankful that the cool of the tile managed to bleed up through the towel. She groaned and wished the room would stop spinning. After a few minutes, she passed out.
XXX
Tig jerked awake. He was laying face down on the bed, naked...he didn't know how long he'd been asleep. He lifted his head slightly and looked around while pawing around on the bed. He was alone. He rolled onto his back and yelled in an annoyed high pitch voice. "HEY!" There was no response so he yelled again. "JACI! What the fuck?"
The second round of yelling woke Jaci up. She frowned and tried to remember where the hell she was. Bathroom...naked...mmmm. Oh yeah, now I remember. With a groan, she sat up and answered in a shaky voice. "Um...I'm in here."
"Whaddya doing in there?" Tig yelled as he stared at the bedroom ceiling.
A moment ticked by as Jaci looked around the bathroom, getting her bearings. "Nothing."
"Come to bed!"
She put a hand on the wall and pulled herself up. The room in front of her waved and shifted but then came into focus. She walked slowly to the bedroom. The bedroom was pitch black and she tripped over some clothes in the floor but managed to keep herself upright by holding onto the bed. She felt her way up the mattress and pushed back the covers. Tig had already slid under them and laid on his stomach. She laid down on her side and faced the wall, appreciating the bed's softness compared to the hard bathroom tile. Just go to sleep...it'll be better when you wake up.
A few minutes later, Tig threw an arm over her back somewhat violently. "Don't puke on me." He mumbled and settled back to sleep. She mentally rolled her eyes, How sweet.
X I Am Medicine & I Am Poison... I Can Help You Up or Make You Fall X
Rachel nodded at Vix, handing her a wad of cash. "Why don't you and Juicey stumble on across the street? I'll handle last call."
"You sure? Another hour ain't gonna matter much in his present state of intoxication." Vix muttered glancing over at Juice who was passed out at a table in the corner.
"You know I find it extremely ironic that White Lightening put him under the table, considering he has those tattoos on his head." Last Call Larry mused.
Vix smirked. "It was a combination of that and the snuff that Bodie and Nolan talked him into trying."
"That shit is nasty." Rachel made a face. "Mouth cancer and spit cups, yuck!"
"Poor baby didn't even get to spit... fuckin' Tig heard about the little Country Boy indoctrination and snuck up on him, slapped him on the back." Vix paused to laugh. "And what did Juice do? He fuckin' choked and swallowed the wad of chew.. He turned so green he looked like goddamn Kermit the Frog."
"Take him over to the motel … put him to bed, Mama.. I got this."
Vix hugged her friend, bid good night to Last Call and Big Daddy and Ms. Bonnie, thanking her again for the Family Discount on lodging. Over in the corner she tapped Juice on the shoulder, "Come on baby... wakey, wakey."
Juice groaned into the table his head was currently resting upon. "Do me a favor, baby... take my gun and shoot me. Just once smack dab between the eyes, put me outta misery."
Vix laughed. "You know what they say about misery, baby."
"What?" he asked lifting his head.
"It loves company...let's head over to The Sandman and..."
Suddenly Juice surged to his feet and rushed in a zig, zag manner towards the back exit. Raising an eye brow Vix shrugged, grabbed her hoodie and purse and after hollering "LATER Y'ALL!" headed out after her man. She found him on his hands and knees puking his guts out in the back alley. Vix grimaced and quickly turned and headed back inside, giving him a few moments. She had a weak stomach since her appendix attack all those months prior. She stood in the back hallway waiting for him to stop tossin' his cookies... meanwhile Hap emerged from the Men's Room.
He up nodded to Vix. "You alright?"
She smiled and nodded. "Just waitin' for Juice to stop hurling and then I'm gonna try to drag his ass over to the motel without getting either of us killed crossing the highway."
Hap pushed open the backdoor of the bar and stared out at form of Juice, collapsed next to his pile of puke. "You're gonna need some help. Be right back."
"Thanks, Hap." She walked over and crouched down next to Juice.
He looked up at her, "You remember what I said about that bullet? Better make it, two... don't want to end up just maimed."
Vix ran a hand lovingly over his mohawk. "Oh sweetie, I'm too good a shot. I could get the job done in one."
X I'm Sorry But I've Got To Say... I'm Too Drunk To Fuck X
Happy and Vix each looped one of Juice's arms over their shoulders and managed to walk him across the highway to the motel. Once inside the room, they dumped him on the bed. He promptly fell off of said bed and hit the floor... hard. Vix grimaced, "That's gonna leave a mark." She thanked Happy, who returned back to what was left of the party at the bar.
She shut the door and heard Juice mumbling into the carpet. "Shit, I'm gonna fall."
Vix rolled her eyes. "Bit of a delayed reaction. Baby, you're already in the floor. You can't fall no further."
"Okay." He replied, his voice muffled from being face down on the floor.
"Poor baby." She pulled a blanket out of the closet and covered him up. "You sleep it off, I'm gonna take a bubble bath." She sighed as she headed to door. "This is SO not how I pictured this night ending."
Happy walked back into the bar parking lot just in time to see Lauren walking out of the front door. He nodded at her and she smiled. He cocked his head and asked in that rapsy voice of his, "You callin' it a night?"
Lauren shrugged. "I dunno...am I?" Hap thought for a second and shook his head then nodded for her to follow him...back across the highway toward the motel.
X Splish, Splash I was takin' a bath, 'long about a Saturday Night X
Vix had strolled down to the motel's office. Ms. Bonnie owned the place and actually lived on the premises and had just arrived for the night from the bar. She sweet talked her out of a bottle of 'real' shampoo and some bubble bath and returned to the room. Juice was still exactly where she had left him, on the floor, drooling and snoring. She drew a hot bath and had been soaking in the bubbles for a long while when Juice came crawling thru the bathroom door.
Juice pointed at her and managed to say, "close that."
She eyed him funny as he crawled over to the toilet and puked. She instantly grimaced and yanked the shower curtain closed at the same time cranking the volume on her iPod. She was a sympathetic vomiter, just knowing he was puking activated her gag reflex slightly.
After a whole song had played, she opened the curtain and pulled out her earbuds as he slumped against the side of the tub. He wiped his mouth and made a sour face. "Fuck, that shit is worse the second time around."
Vix laid a wet wash cloth over his head. "When you're done I got a few of those wisps waterless toothbrush thingies in my purse and a tin of Altiods." He mumbled something that sounded like mmm hmmm, followed by a groan. She climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself. "Grabbed a bottle of water and some Tylenol from Bonnie. You want em'?"
He started to nod but thought better of it and said, "Please."
She came back wearing her bra and panties and carrying the water, pills, mints, and toothbrush and sat with him on the floor for a long while. She thought the room had stopped spinning for him but then he mumbled something about a kaleidoscope. She smiled. "Come on, Juicey- let's get you to bed."
He declined her assistance and told her to go on to bed, he would get there some time but right then the floor felt like one of those trick ones in a fun house. She offered to sit with him but he shook his head, which caused a groan. Finally she covered him up with the blanket from the closet and walked into the bedroom, curling up on the bed alone.
X Take Me Nice, Slow An' Easy... Rock Me 'Til I'm Bad To The Bone X
Lauren was sitting up in the bed of the motel, naked and exposed except for those parts covered by the sheet draped across her lap. Next to her, Happy lay with his arms propped behind his head. She was reaching out her fingertips and tracing the intricate lines of the tattoos that covered his chest like paint on a canvas. "I think you can look for companionship... but not for love. Well you could, but it would just be deeply frustrating, since it's not something found. It's something that happens as the result of something else... LUST at first sight is a more honest assessment."
He nodded mulling over her words. "Interesting," He muttered in his deep, gravelly voice.
"You don't need to pretend to be interested."
"I don't pretend shit. I like your voice... keep talkin'."
"About what?" she asked
He shrugged. "'Bout yourself I guess?"
"Fine, ok. Um…my name is Lauren Bacall," Her gaze narrowed and before he could even comment or react she added, "And everyone knows me and wants to live to tell the tale will never make a parallel reference to the famous face of the same name."
Happy remained mute but she could tell he was listening. "I grew up in Georgia and no where near any of the cities everyone's heard of. Think smaller and then divide by 100. I'm out here figuring out what to do with my life. I mean, while my life is moving ahead with or without a plan. Let's see what other interesting tidbits I could amuse you with? I used to smoke but that was mostly to piss off the nuns who raised me and make them shake their heads and worry about my immortal soul. I also like to drink, as should be clearly indicated by my presence at the bar, that had nothing to do with the nuns. And I enjoy sex... as should be obvious from our activities of a few moments ago. I am sure that would shock the nuns speechless, which makes it all the more gratifying. Which only proves they were right to worry about my immortal soul to begin with, I guess."
Beside her, Happy chuckled. "Sorry, way too many Nun references in the past few days...but you certainly used the Lord's name in vain a few times." He shifted his gaze to her face and studied her intently. "You're an orphan?"
She nodded. "In the sense that I have no parents to speak of, yes. But if they are dead or alive is unknown to me. I was abandoned in a grocery cart at the A&P when I was 6 weeks old. When I was a kid, I used to wonder what type of people I came from, but as I grew older I figured the fantasy stories I made up were probably far more interesting than any reality."
"Knowing where you come from don't change who you are."
"I can draw but it's a real raw talent. I never took classes or anything. My pipe dream is to write these amazing epic adventures for kids and illustrate the books myself so kids like me have an alternate universe to escape to." Her smile faded a little as she looked into his eyes that were so intently focused on her. "I've never told that to anyone." She suddenly felt like she had opened up too much and turned the spot light. "I like your voice too."
"Started smoking way too young." He chuckled. "Took a blow to my larynx at 17. Most people think it's scary."
She laughed, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. "In certain situations, I could see that. And I think scary would be an understatement."
Lifting one arm out from behind his head, he tugged her hand, pulling her closer, his eyes going smoky with want – again. He kissed her hard and fast and then released her to sit back down again. His expression had shifted, turned surprisingly gentle. She wouldn't have taken him for the type who appreciated tenderness.
She heaved a cautious little laugh. "Like I said before, I don't normally go home with guys I meet at a bar or anywhere else for that matter. I could never have imagined…" She broke off and shook her head. "And yet this seems almost too easy... and THAT scares me a great deal."
"Maybe it's easy for a reason. You don't gotta walk away from something just because it scares the fuck outta you. Look, it took balls to approach Vix and ask to meet ME of all people... then to follow me back here so I ain't too keen on buyin' the whole poor innocent..."
Her lips twitched and in a daring move she leaned forward until her nose and forehead touched his, almost going crossed eyed in an attempt to stare him down. "Is it odd that this seems more intimate then ten minutes ago when you were INSIDE me?"
She got her answer when she looked at the intense desire burning in his eyes. This was still scary.. yet very potent. She felt his fingers in her hair. He brought his other arm out from behind his head and both his hands cupped the back of her head. She leaned closer until her mouth was as close as it could be without touching his.
"I want to know what I have to do to provoke you... to make you lose control." She murmured.
His lips curved slowly, yet the resulting smile was more primal than amused. She drew her hands down his forearms as he continued to stare into her eyes, feeling his pulse thunder through the veins of his forearms, now flexed under her fingers. The inherent whisper of danger didn't remotely make her feel like backing down. No, it sent a hot thrill right through her. Since when was she a thrill seeker? She who had worked so hard to create sameness, searching for a solid foundation after having none of that early on in life... and yet she was here tossing caution to the gale-force winds.
"You don't want that." he said in a low, rough voice.
"Don't want what?" she asked. Her smile faded and maybe her throat was a little tight, too because she swallowed hard.
"To see me lose control... to push or provoke me." He answered.
She felt a shockwave course through her as he banded his arm around her hips and dragged her up on her knees. Using his own, he knocked her legs apart and drove into her from behind. She cried out, startled, and pitched forward onto her forearms. His rhythm changed to slow and steady. She moaned or maybe it was him, it didn't' really matter.
In his mind he heard her saying it seems almost too easy. He had to admit they did flow together too easily. She was right. He snapped out of the contemplation and leaned forward and nuzzled her neck then bit the ridge of her shoulder, afterward soothing it with his tongue. She started moving faster, clenching around him. He shifted her so that her back arched more fully and when he pushed into her again with force, she came hard, spasming around him and crying out. He continued to pound away from behind. He bit her ear, licked her neck... completely absorbed in the action. She was trembling and her legs and arms were shaky when he finally withdrew.
Saying nothing, he stretched out and pulled her to him, legs and arms becoming an intertwined mess of limbs, again flowing together too easily. Hap lay locked deep within a sensual fog and had no desire for that fog to lift just yet. Reality would rear its ugly head soon enough. Snuggled against him, held there under his volition, exhausted physically and emotionally, she dozed off. He stroked her hair, her back and the length of arm she'd draped across his chest. Closing his eyes, he succumbed to sleep.
He never opened his eyes when he felt her slip out of bed. He heard her locate her clothing amid the trail on the floor leading across the room. Disappearing into the bathroom, she re-emerged after a few moments fully clothed. He feigned sleep when she walked over to the side of the bed. He ventured a soft snore as she stood staring down at him before turning and heading out the door.
X You'll Never Feel All The Things I CAN'T Say & I'll Never Know If It's Better This Way X
Tig sat on the sidewalk outside of the motel room, shirtless and barefoot. He pulled his lighter from his jeans pocket and fired up another cigarette. He was using the pre-dawn hours to think, to try and get his head straight. The clock was ticking on his and Jaci's little timeout. For a few weeks now, since the salon had been torched, they had gotten along, had fell back into caring about each other, fell back into something that felt like the good old days of their previous relationship. But now the salon was finished, the Bama crew would be leaving in a few days and then it would be back to reality, back to normal everyday life. What were they going to do?
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and thought of why he'd left Jaci in the first place. He'd like to say it was because Jaci was better than him, deserved better than him but he had been too selfish to care about that completely. Donna...I bailed because of Donna. The guilt, the shame...he hadn't wanted any of that to land at Jaci's feet. The heat on that situation had turned down temporarily but he knew with every stern look from Jax, that it would come to a head one day. But how long did he have? A week, a month, six months, a year? He stopped thinking about getting caught for a moment and focused on what was really important...the truth. And the truth of the matter was that he was full of guilt, had been miserable since he had pulled that trigger...but right now, in this moment at 5am, he was happy. With Jaci, he was happy and Donna was still rotting in a grave because of him. That was the truth in its simplest form; what the hell was he going to do about it?
If he wanted to keep her, he was going to have to risk her finding out about Donna. As sure as death and taxes, that shit was going to come out one day. What would she do when she found out? Would she bail or would she stand by him? Wasn't there some god awful country song about standing by your man? He blew out a stream of smoke and wondered if things could be different. What if instead of pushing Jaci away again...he pulled her closer? What if he made an honest to God TRY with her? He'd keep his nose as clean as he could, try to do right by her and keep her close enough to him that when all the bad shit came out, maybe she'd stand by him. If she knew the TRUTH of the matter, that Stahl had framed Opie for a rat and that Donna was just a horrible accident, maybe she'd understand. She knew him better than most, would know that he was sorry for Donna, she'd know there was good still left in him.
Tig felt pretty good about his new little plan to try and stay happy until his mind flashed to Vix and Juice showing off their tattoos earlier in the evening. Crows...commitment...shit. The next image in Tig's head was of the infinity symbol inked on the inside of Jaci's left wrist. He suddenly realized that she had dropped on his ass for something and he had no clue what. Here he was asking her to eventually overlook murder and didn't even know what had happened with her and her ex.
The sound of the door opening behind him made Tig jerk in surprise. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Jaci staring at him. He quickly faced forward, feeling like he was busted. She was wearing only his black button up shirt and had unrolled the sleeves so that they hung half way down her hands. "What're you doing?" She asked quietly.
He took another drag from his cigarette and answered without looking at her. "Thinking...sobering up."
"Mind if I join you?" She asked and then padded out on her bare feet across the sidewalk. She wobbled slightly as she sat down next to him. "Damnnit...this hangover is going to suck." He tilted the pack of cigarettes he held in his hand toward her. She shook her head in rejection and then rubbed her face with her hands. "No...I'm back on the wagon with everything...FOREVER."
"We need to talk about some shit." Tig said spontaneously. Jaci glanced over at him and thought Oh hell, here we go. He flicked ashes onto the pavement next to his feet. "What'd he do?" He asked. "Mr. Infinity, what he do to make you leave him?"
Jaci sat up straight and stared at Tig. "This is what you've been sitting here thinking about? Of all the things in the world?" He gave a shrug as his only answer.
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at her feet. Dean and that whole mess was the last thing she wanted to talk about, especially with Tig but figured curiosity was finally getting the best of him. She didn't exactly know how to answer his question. Tig was big on loyalty and she didn't know how he'd react to the way she'd handled things.
"What'd he do, Jaci?" Tig slowly looked in her direction, his mind racing with a few horrible guesses and her silence not doing him any favors.
"Dean has a little boy...named Mason. The only problem with that scenario is that his son was conceived the weekend I was away shopping for wedding dresses." Jaci said, opting for the blunt route. "According to him, he got cold feet, got drunk and hooked up with a girl that worked at his club. He came clean when he found out he'd knocked her up, told me two months before the wedding."
"Fuck." Tig snorted dismissively.
Jaci took it as him thinking cheating wasn't a big deal, not understanding that Tig himself thought he was fucked. Her forehead wrinkled in frustration. "Hold on a second...I can handle being cheated on and I can handle raising someone's else kids. I just couldn't handle the TIMING. It wasn't just that he cheated...its the fact he waited until THEN to do it. I mean, don't ask me to MARRY YOU and then decide you're not done running around. And then having living breathing proof of him pissing on everything he'd over told me, it was too much."
Tig remained silent and Jaci shook her head. All the anger she had buried concerning Dean flared up again. She struggled to explain the devastation she had felt, the overwhelming feeling of being set up...Dean had promised the world and had ruined it all in a fleeting moment of stupidity.
"Any other shit and I could have stayed...it would have been tough, but we would have made it though. But what he did...it was just so BLANTANT. I mean, shit...he cheated on me during the BEST part of our relationship...what the hell would he do when the road actually got hard?"
"You couldn't trust him." Tig said matter of factly. He ran his hand through his hair and suddenly doubted his decision to stick with her. "We're fucked, you know that right? Cheating on you is going to be the LEAST bad thing I probably do."
"Don't do that...don't write us off like that." Jaci pleaded. "What he did...you can't compare yourself to him. You've never promised me the world. Expectations are different. And you and me have already been through more shit than..."
"Fuck expectations." Tig spat, cutting her off. "Either you can get over something or you can't."
"Exactly...and I can handle a LOT of shit, Tig. I've seen plenty of horrible things in my life, I've forgiven people left and right for things. Hell, that comes with the territory of the club I guess. Dean could have come home and told me a million other things and I could have gotten over it, stayed with him. If he had a drug problem or a drinking problem, had got arrested, lost his job for some stupid reason, had accidentally killed someone in a drunken car wreck, I dunno, whatever. I'm not a fair weather kind of girl, Tig. I don't bail at the drop of a hat."
Jaci frowned and had the sudden feeling that they weren't talking about Dean anymore. Something was bothering Tig, he was agitated. "What is it? What's got you so worried?"
"Nothing." He dodged the question and stood up. He paced for a second and then answered honestly. "People talk about the two of you like it was a goddamn fairy tale. You had something PERFECT and it still got fucked up. It's just a matter of time with us...some shit will happen and..."
She shook her head and looked up at him. "No it won't."
He snorted, "You can't say that..."
"Yes, I can."
"And why's that, smartass?"
"Because I love you more." Jaci blurted without thinking. She slapped her hand over her mouth and stared down at her feet, holding her breath. Oh my God, what did I just do?
Tig was stunned and stood staring at the top of her head. Silence washed over them. She didn't know if it was better to shut up or to try and explain. She stood up and muttered "sorry" before turning to go back inside.
He reached out and clamped a hand on her wrist. They stared at each other. He finally snorted a half laugh, amused and saddened by the fact that she felt the need to apologize for saying she loved him.
Screw it, cat's out of the bag...just keep going. Jaci tried to explain herself. "I'm sorry...I know you don't believe in it or don't want to hear it or whatever. But that's just the way it is. I know I was with him longer and maybe he was more RIGHT for me in theory but its totally different with you. The depth, the intensity... it's just...more." She shrugged." Right or wrong...I love you. I'm sorry."
"Stop saying you're sorry." Tig growled and dropped her hand. "Jesus."
"Sorry. SHIT!" Jaci clenched her fists in frustration. "Goddamnit." She shut up and stood still.
"Just... just sit down." He took his place back on the sidewalk, she sat down next to him, only not as close as before. Well shit...there it is. She's all in. Now fucking what? He frowned and stared at a piece of glass lying on the pavement a few feet away from him and ran his fingers over his goatee. He slid his eyes to the right and watched Jaci fidgeting nervously with the cuffs of his shirt that she wore.
He inhaled and slowly exhaled. Fuck it...her blurting that shit doesn't change anything...I'm in. He had left her last time and they had both been miserable and to what point? He needed her, she wanted him so fuck it. When the shit came down, he'd take his chances. He turned and locked eyes with her. She looked...expectant and nervous. He chose his words carefully, he couldn't give her what she probably wanted but he could try to give her something.
He looked back across the parking lot. "You know that girl I told you about..the one that was riding with me, that died?" Tig just glanced to see Jaci nod her head. He stared back down at the pavement. "I loved her...I mean totally fucking loved her. She was a good girl. I haven't felt like that since." He shook his head. "I've run through a shit load of women, even the mother of my kids...nothing's even come close."
Jaci realized she had been holding her breath and let a shaky one out. She tried to control the shock of hearing Tig's declaration and the pain of its reality. He had loved THAT girl...but did he love HER? Jaci had always just assumed he did love her, just wouldn't SAY it. But here he was saying it...maybe she had been completely wrong and he just didn't FEEL it for her. She tensed up.
Tig looked over at her for a half second again saw that she was bracing for some impact and realized he was fucking things up. He shook his head and tried to think of the right things to say. Come on asshole, you're supposed to be HELPING. He repeated his last statement. "Nothing's even come close...until that night, fuckin' Valentine's Day...driving back from burning that goddamn cabin with you. You were sittin' there eating chocolates after sticking your finger in every damn one of them, humming along to the radio." He smiled slightly as he avoided eye contact. "I knew I was in fuckin' trouble...should have just walked away. But what'd I do? I bought you goddamn flowers."
Jaci laughed slightly at the memory of their first meeting. She didn't completely understand what he was trying to say but she knew it wasn't bad. Suddenly the heaviness of the night was defused a bit.
"I'm trying to pull my shit together, Jaci. I've done some horrible shit...but I'm trying you know?" Tig blew out a breath. Time to seal the deal. "This timeout we're on...it's over. The deal was we'd stick together until shit was set back to right with Twisted. So...now what?"
She shrugged, surprised by his willingness to talk about the issue, usually he was the type to dodge the 'where is this going' conversations. "I don't know...what do you want to do?"
"What do YOU want to do?" Tig retorted. She bit her lip and hugged her knees.
The silence between them was brutal and Jaci couldn't stand it any longer. "Ok, look...I'm too hungover for this. I can't sit here for the next hour and PULL an answer out of you. I pretty much just blurted my feelings on the subject so let's just get to it. Count of three...thumbs up if you want to stay together, thumbs down if you wanna walk."
"Seriously?" Tig questioned. The method seemed a bit spontaneous for her.
"Yep...here goes...1...2...3." She squeezed her eyes shut at the last second and jutted her thumb out. A moment later she heard Tig mutter, 'Shit.' Her heart stopped temporarily and she popped her eyes open. They both had their hands outstretched...thumbs up. She looked over him. "Why'd you say shit? We're on the same page!"
He watched her cautiously. "You really want to do this?"
She nodded. "The real question is do YOU really want this? And don't think about what other people think about it, or how you think I should feel. Just...you and me...do you want it, I mean for sure?"
"Yeah." Tig replied...in a way that sounded a lot like surrender. Jaci nodded and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He draped an arm over her knees and they sat in silence for a long while, just staring over the deserted parking lot together.. He finished another cigarette, stubbing it out on the sidewalk. He mulled over the selfish path he'd committed to...it would work, they could be happy and maybe that would make Jax and Piney think twice about seeking revenge. They'll see me with her and know that I'm trying...that I'm not some heartless lost cause.
The minutes ticked by before he ventured one last topic. "Why don't you get that tat covered up?"
Jaci traced the tattoo with her finger. "Reminds me nothing's perfect."
"Ain't that the fuckin' truth." Tig muttered. Her tattoo had always sort of annoyed him but after their talk just now, it REALLY annoyed him. He didn't want another guy having some claim on her, even if it was a bad reminder. "You need to cover it up."
"Oh do I?" She asked with a laugh. "What do you suggest? TRAGER in big black block letters? Ain't happenin'. Unlike my sister, my tats don't happen on a whim." She shook her head with amusement. "You might be jealous now, but if I really went and put your name on me, you'd be pissed. I went and did that, you'd cut it off me."
Tig just smirked, "Blowtorch." Jaci frowned so he clarified, "Blowtorch...that's my preferred method of tattoo removal these days."
"Good to know." Jaci replied with a weird look, "But I think its a TAD bit early to be talking about anything PERMANENT between us. If you haven't noticed, we tend to be a bit volatile."
She mulled over a risk in her head and decided to take it. "Hey...can I ask you something?" He didn't decline so she continued. "That girl...that you loved? Did you ever tell her that you loved her?"
Tig shook his head. "No...but she knew."
Jaci nodded as he gave her a look that spoke volumes. She chided herself for being jealous of a dead girl but at least now she knew that chick hadn't gotten anything more out of Tig than she had yet. She used his shoulder as a crutch and pushed herself up. "Let's go to bed."
He stood and followed her towards the room. "Hey...you sure you don't wanna make a list about us? Like pros and cons, plus and minus shit?" She turned and glared at him for making fun of her OCD. He smirked. "What? I thought you LOVED making lists. You afraid there'd be too much in the negative side to ever be able to balance the scales... the devil might win?"
She climbed into bed as he shut and locked the door. "I'm learning the key to being with you is to not over-think it." She turned onto her stomach and got comfortable. "Whatta you always tell me? Turn your brain off...be cool. Let's just do that." He slid into bed behind her. Her hangover made for very easy sleeping and she felt her eyes getting heavy already. She mumbled, "We'll make a list down the road...miracles happen every day...maybe you'll get better, Devil won't win."
X I'm your biggest fan... I'll follow you until you love me X
Vix hadn't meant to pass out, but she had. She'd closed her eyes and the next thing she was conscious of was the bed dipping as Juice crawled in. She opened her eyes and shifted, looking at him. He was fresh from a shower and looking better, less Kermit the frog like. "How you feeling?"
"Still buzzed but very better."
She smiled. "Good." She reached out and touched his face.
"Sorry 'bout last night."
"You were dunk off your ass, baby." She leaned up and stole his lips for a kiss. "My honorary backwoods country boy." She teased with a grin.
Juice chuckled, "Yeah, don't think I passed that initiation."
Reaching up she cupped his cheek. "There's an initiation 'bout to get underway for a club I am certain you'll want to join."
He lifted his eyebrows in question, "Yeah? What club's that?"
"The Vix Parker Fan Club."
Juice grinned and nodded. "NICE!"
"Membership has it's privileges." Vix advised with a grin. "Here... let me show you."
X Just Call Me Angel of the Morning, Angel... X
At 8am, there was a loud pounding on their door and the doors past them; some deep voice yelled, 'Breakfast, move your ass.' Jaci groaned then rolled out of bed and padded to the door. She opened it and found her purse hanging from the knob. She grabbed it, thankful for the little bit of makeup she had inside it. She slammed the door, threw Tig's shirt on the bed at him and headed to the bathroom to get ready for an all too early public appearance.
As they stepped outside of the motel room and started to make their way to the diner, she felt a heaviness hanging between her and Tig. He was quiet and wouldn't really make eye contact. She wondered if saying those three little words to him might have done more damage than good. Maybe they just needed time to adjust to the situation. It was easy to say shit in the dark, quite another to look at it in the light of day.
XX
The diner was already packed with members of their crew, it looked as though the only people missing were Vix and Juice...and Happy. Motor waved a hand at them and Tig and Jaci slid into the booth occupied by her cousin and Bodie, who had a huge plate of food in front of him and was ATTACKING it. Even Tig was a little taken aback by his lack of manners. Motor glanced at the jackass beside him, rolled his eyes and then nodded toward the plate of pancakes in front of Jaci and the breakfast platter in front of Tig. "Ordered for you guys."
"Thanks." Jaci said quietly and picked up her fork and ate a bite of pancake that she really didn't want. Tig started in on his plate while Bodie was still woofing his down. Jaci frowned. "Bodie...CHEW IT for God sakes. You're gonna choke."
Tig scoffed. "Goddamn man."
Bodie looked up and answered with his mouth full. "SORRY! I can't help it. I'm ...I'm..." He waved his hand around trying to find the right word.
"Ravenous?" Jaci offered with a look of disgust.
"YES! Ravenous...thank you!" Bodie replied."I burnt a shit load of calories last night, bro. Good God! That chick wore me the fuck OUT!" He laid his head back for a moment and laughed. Then he raised himself up half way in his seat and then hollered, "Hey! Hey! Show of hands...who got laid last night?"
Eyes rolled but then random hands all over the diner shot up. "He has no filter." Bobby mused. "I thought Vix was bad but Bodie is just completely filter DEVOID."
"You'll have to excuse him...he's from Texas." Trace retorted. TNT could only nod in agreement.
"You say that like it's an explanation." Bobby mused.
"Where we come from it IS." TNT said with a wink.
Vix, Juice and Happy walked into the diner about the time the questioning was occurring. Vix frowned. "What's with the show of hands?"
Bodie explained his poll then asked, "What about you three? Wait didn't y'all leave together last night? And here y'all turn up conveniently together the next morning."
"What are you hinting at, dude?" Juice asked.
"Bodie likes to play amateur detective." Vix said with a snort. "He's got a secret decoder ring and everything"
Tig frowned at the trio and asked Juice,"What happened to your head?"
Vix, wanting to spare Juice the embarrassment of the truth, smiled coy. "It's all fun and games til someone gets hurt, hmm baby?" Juice nodded and Vix laughed as she snaked her arm around Happy "Come on, Hap. I think we owe you some breakfast for helpin' out last night. You knew exactly what to do. I definitely needed ya to help get me there".
No one said a word but looks of shock and amusement and awe abounded.
Hap chuckled slightly and decided to play along. "Anytime ...your man didn't seem to mind me helpin' you out." They settled into a booth and looked over the menus, ignoring the stares from the crew and the questioning glances that several people were shooting.
Bodie laughed and turned back to his table mates where his laugh came to an abrupt stop. Tig and Jaci weren't holding up their hands. He frowned. "Whoa! What happened here?" He eyed Tig, "Bro...you of all people...I really expected both YOUR hands to be raised. Once for her and maybe once for some other lucky lady."
"Shut up, Bodie." Motor said quietly, sensing some awkwardness coming from his cousin and Tig.
"What? You guys don't wanna think about last night?" Bodie waggled his eyebrows. "Oooh, I know what happened...stuff got a little freaky deaky last night, didn't it? And now, in the bright light of this glorious mornin', you're a little embarrassed about it huh?' Bodie grinned, "Been there, done that, brother."
Tig grimaced, "Do I LOOK like I get embarrassed?"
Motor, looked at his cousin who was picking at her food and keeping her eyes down. "Don't think he was talkin bout you, Tig."
Jaci glanced around the table and then quickly averted her eyes. Bodie was thinking things had gotten too freaky...the truth of the matter was that things had gotten too HONEST. She suddenly felt like a fool and here Tig was acting like something BAD had happened. She shoveled another bite of pancake into her mouth and started to chew but then felt her stomach clench. Goddamn hangover!
"Well, whatever...hey did your sister really fuck that Happy dude while Juice either watched or was comatose in the corner?" Bodie asked Jaci.
She groaned and pushed out of the booth abruptly.
Everyone watched Jaci walking quickly toward the bathrooms. Tig glared at Bodie. "You ever been punched in the mouth for talking too much?"
Bodie grinned and shook his head 'no', but Motor told the truth of the matter by nodding his head in the affirmative.
XX
Vix watched Jaci make a hasty exit and excused herself to go check on her sister. She pushed open the bathroom door and heard retching. "Goddamnit, why's everybody keep puking around me?" A moment later the toilet flushed and Jaci walked slowly out of the stall. Vix stood at the sinks with her arms crossed, smirk on her face. "Too much fun last night?"
"Yeah." Jaci answered sarcastically.
Vix frowned, remembering that J and Tig hadn't raised their hands during Bodie's little 'who got laid' poll. "Besides being hellishly hungover...what's wrong with you? You ok? Something happen?"
Jaci washed her hands and sighed as she dried them with a paper towel. "Let's see...I gave him the best blowjob of his life...then promptly hurled and fell asleep in the bathroom. Then at 5am, we had a big talk on the motel sidewalk about what the hell we were doing with each other and I blurted out that I loved him. So between the morning after awkwardness and my hangover...this day isn't really going all that well."
Vix's mouth dropped open. "HOLY SHIT...you TOLD HIM?" Jaci nodded. "What did he say?"
"Nothing...I mean, we both made it pretty clear we wanted to stick together, give it another go."
"Well...that's good I guess."
"Yeah." Jaci leaned against the sink and inhaled deeply.
"You look like shit."
Jaci smirked, "Thanks, sis. Look, there is no way I can do breakfast. I'm going outside to get some air. Tell the guys to laugh all they want, this light weight is hungover." She strolled out of the bathroom and then right out the front door of the diner without stopping.
Motor watched his cousin storm out of the diner and looked at Tig. "Trouble?"
"Panties equal problems...what're ya gonna do?" Tig answered vaguely.
"Truer words have never been spoken, bro." Bodie nodded along like the Dali Lama had just dropped some infinite philosophy on him but then he grinned, "BUT...pussy does make the world go 'round."
Tig couldn't help but nod in agreement, "Absolutely...and I'll chase it till the day I die...just saying its a real pain in the ass sometimes."
Motor and Bodie simultaneously answered, "Amen."
XX
That morning sun made its way
through the windshield of my Chevorlet
Whiskey eyes and ashtray breath
on a chert rock gravel road
What the hell did I do last night?
That's the story of my life
Like trying to remember words
to a song nobody wrote
Jaci had went straight to TNT's truck and pulled down the tailgate. She climbed onto it and laid down. Later, everyone started to mill out of the diner and got ready to head back to Charming. Suddenly the sun that had been shining warmly on her face was blocked out.
"You ridin' back with me?"
She opened her eyes to see Motor looming over her. The bike ride with her cousin the previous night had been awesome. She hadn't rode for over a year and had thoroughly enjoyed it. Tig had given her a harsh look when she told him she was riding along with Motor on his bike. But when she asked if he rather she ride with him instead he gave her an even worse look. Tig had finally waved her off and warned Motor to be careful. Now the thought of zipping around on the back of a bike was out of the question. She shook her head and groaned. "No thanks." Motor shoved at her shoulder playfully and walked off to his bike.
Tig walked over and helped her down from the truck. "What's wrong with you?"
"Hungover...what's wrong with you?"
He grinned. "You really want me to answer that? I've had a prison shrink tell me what's wrong. You got all day?"
She smiled slightly and the awkwardness between them was slightly broken. "Evade and parry...you are the King of Deflection."
Tig shrugged. "Go on...get in the truck. I'll see you later." He walked her to the passenger side door and then leaned in so he could whisper in her ear. "Stop acting so damn weird." She turned and looked at him, only to have him wink at her and walk off. That one look told her everything was fine between the two of them...but just like an ever growing list of other things, she knew some stuff wouldn't be discussed again.
~ Hope you enjoyed the fluff! Now its all seriousness, heartbreak and drama for the rest of our version of Season 2!
Musical selections: (this site hates us and cuts off the front part of our links. All the songs can be found at youtube.)
Don't have to go home, GretchenWilson .com/watch?v=HqpkbI6HgsY
Play with Fire, Rolling Stones .com/watch?v=Jeg-jT7MnEs&feature=related
Too Drunk to Fuck, Buckcherry .com/watch?v=DEDBlBI_zr8
Slow and Easy, Whitesnake .com/watch?v=KmSg33WMJao
That Lonesome Song, Jamey Johnson .com/watch?v=Z_-ZA_yatuA