Dana fidgeted in her seat. Tensions were high and she knew that there was nothing she could do to relieve them. They had each come to their own conclusions. Opie and her had no choice other than to accept whatever punishment they were to be handed. They fucked up. There was no other way around it.
Clay lit his cigar, hoping that the smoke would bring clarity to his thoughts. He thought it was kind of ironic that he always looked to his cigars for clarity. He knew that things between Tyler and Dana would take a turn for the worse. If they weren't having issues before, they were definitely gonna have them now. He didn't care if Dana slept with Opie. It had nothing to do with him. If anything, he was glad that Dana was getting Op to come out of his shell. He still felt guilty about Donna's death. That blood was on his hands. He was gonna take her side anyways- he couldn't risk losing her once again. He needed her if he was gonna make the moves him and Gemma were planning. He needed her. "If you guys say that nothing happened, then I believe you. This all depends on Tyler. Discuss amongst yourselves and then let me know what you decide. Based on that, I'll decide what happens to the both of them," he said, standing up from his chair and exiting the room.
Jax watched as Clay removed himself from the situation. He knew Clay didn't want to take sides. Whatever decision he made, he was gonna lose an ally, a friend that could come in handy. He would either piss off Tyler, Dana or Opie- which in turn would also piss off Piney. These were all people he needed and depended on every day. It wouldn't be fair to strip one of them of their patches. If they got rid of Opie, Dana would have to go too. The choice was ultimately in Tyler's hands. He was the one that would make the call- she was his old lady even if the divorce papers went through. The two would be bound together for ever, which could be an unfortunate thing for all of them.
"What do you think, Jax? Do you believe them?" Tyler asked, taking a pull of his cigarette. Jax cocked his head to the side and stared at Dana. He knew that he had no right making a call on this. Whether or not Opie and Dana had sex the night before, it didn't matter. They had. They had sex for years behind Tyler's back. Before the marriage. During the marriage. In his car. In his bed. The club house. On his kitchen floor. They did it everywhere. Everyday. He had no right to comment.
Jax felt something inside of him move. Jealousy. Rage. Sadness. He didn't know what, but it stirred deep inside his core and it left him wondering about her and Op. And why she wasn't spending her nights with him anymore. He thought back to Tara and his heart stopped. He loved her. Always did, but something kept bringing him back to Dana. Something just… Jax sighed and shook his head. "I think she's telling the truth, Ty. Opie has been acting kind of funny lately. She's just trying to help. We're the fucked up ones, we always have our minds in the gutter," he said, glaring right at her.
Dana stared right back at him and understood what he was really saying. He didn't believe her. He knew all about her indiscretions- shit, they were all with him. She knew he was thinking about their moments together and then focusing on her and Op. Jax stood up from his chair and exited the room, leaving Dana and Tyler alone together. Silence filled the room as Tyler inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, running his hands over his face. She took this as a sign of victory and took her eyes off of him, closing them and rubbing her face also.
Before she knew it, he had grabbed her by the throat and lifted her out of her seat. Tyler slammed her up against the wall and brought his face inches away from hers. Dana grasped at his hands, struggling to get a breath in. Tears slipped out of her eyes as she reached out and tried to grab some of his hair, anything to let her survive the rage that was coursing through him right now. "You cheated on me. You let him touch you. He saw what is mine," he said, loosening his grip on her throat. Dana coughed hard as the air rushed back into her body.
Tyler began to rip the articles of clothing off her body. "Stop," she said, pushing him away with all her strength. But it was futile. All her attempts were in vain as he pulled his arm back and punched her in the face. Repeatedly. Before he knew it, she was on the floor, whimpering. Tyler stood back and saw what he had done to her. She was almost naked, her pants around her knees. Her bra half off. Her shirt ripped to shreds. Her face was a mess, blood running down her chest. Blood staining what used to be her favorite white bra. Blood. Because of him.
He realized what he had done. He had become his father. The one he swore he would never be like. The one he joined SamCro for. To prove that he was nothing like him while joining what he loved most. But it was too late. He was him. He was angry, jealous and a serious problem. He was his father- the one that beat his mother until the day he died. Tyler shook his head, his heart rate increasing as he processed what had just happened. Before he knew it, arms were around him, dragging him out of the room. Dragging him away from her. He knew he had lost her now. She was no longer his. He had crossed the line.
Jax ushered the rest of the guys out of the room, shutting the doors behind him. He walked over to her, kneeling a couple of feet away from her- not wanting to startle her. "Dana. Can you get up for me?" He whispered, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. Dana tried to get up, but her knees were too weak. Her body was broken and her heart was frail. She trembled as she pushed Jax off of her. She didn't need no fucking assistance. She was Dana. She was the bad ass female that had conquered SamCro. She had been through shit that was 10 times more worse than this. The only thing that made this hit harder than his fists was that it was him. Her husband. Her Tyler. Yeah, she had cheated on him. Didn't mean she didn't love some parts of him. He was her best friend. Her companion in life. The father of her daughter. He was a shitty husband but he was a part of her. Until now.
"Get the fuck out," she growled, standing up, holding on to the wall for support. "Let me help you. Let me take a look at you. You don't need to be alone right now," he replied, reaching for her arm. She slapped is arm away and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Get the fuck out!" She yelled once again, shoving him away for emphasis. Jax stared at her, shaking his head. He exited the room but not before feeling that feeling once again. This time- it scared him.
---
Dana exited the room she was staying in with a chip on her shoulder. Shit to be taken care off. Her duffel bag in tow. Each step she took echoed off the walls as her black boots hit the floor, her tight black jeans rubbed together and her cut crinkled. Big, black sunglasses framed her face and her hair was wild. She felt free for some odd reason, as she strapped the bag onto her bike. The boys followed suit, all moving in silence. They didn't know what to make out of the situation. Clay had just ordered them to pack up their shit. They would deal with their dirty laundry back in Charming. And Dana was fine with just that. She didn't look back not once to see the faces of the men around her. She didn't care. She knew what she had to do. She knew.