AN: Sorry, I've been so bust lately. It's almost like my creative flow left. :/ But, I'm back now.(:
Harlie was in the kitchen with her mom and Gemma, unloading the groceries that were still being carried in from the trunk of her mom's car. They were on lock down. No one could leave without an escort and permission from Krys. Outside, there were two armed guards on top of the building. The gate was closed and the clubhouse was packed. Most of the guys from Tacoma had come down with their families. Even a few from Oregon and Nevada. SAMCRO takes care of its own is always what Clay told her and from what she'd seen over the years, it was true. Family ran deep in their veins. This time, they were after Zobelle. They had to get him out of Charming. None of the guys knew who his replacement for Weston was.
Weston. Harlie shuddered just thinking his name. By the look of things, this wasn't going to be easy. What if something happened to Clay? Or Happy? Chibs had been hurt, Juice too. So had she. They kept saying this was compensation, but she took care of that. Weston was dead and in the ground. Maybe, she wasn't sure what happened to him. It made her nauseous to think about it. To think about the blood and the burning smell of the bleach.
"I heard you're thinking about applying to Seattle University.." Gemma said, looking over at her..
"Yeah, I've been thinking about it. Maybe majoring in psychology and minoring in photography." Harlie smiled, passing her a large pack of paper towels.
"Any reason for Seattle?" Gemma raised an eyebrow, smirking. Harlie knew what she was insinuating.
"Well, I don't think my dad would want me going somewhere too far away from a charter, ya know? So.. I thought Seattle sounded pretty good. Get a job, go back and forth between Tacoma and Seattle every. Not a bad drive." Harlie shrugged nonchalantly.
"Smart girl." Krys laughed quietly, leaning back against the counter. "We're finally done. Shit, Harlie.. Show Gemma your new tattoos."
"Oh, yeah! You haven't seen them yet.." Harlie pulled her hair up, exposing the back of her neck. Permanently etched in her skin was a happy face that resembled the ones on Happy's body. She slid her hoodie off, pulling up at the back of shirt. The word 'Survivor' was tattooed across the top of her back. The skin was still swollen.
"Those are nice." Gemma ran her fingertips lightly across the face on her neck. "I bet I know who did 'em."
"I bet you do." Harlie blushed, tugging her hoodie over her head.
A few days earlier:
"Done." Happy smirked, wiping the last little bit of excess ink off of Harlie's back. He looked down at the finished tattoo on her shoulders and the one on the back of her neck. The smiley face permanently inked into her skin was staring back at him. It had taken all day, but he didn't want to leave her with a half-done tat on her shoulders. It was a surprise he planned out with Krys. She looked hot. It turned him on to be able to be the one to do her work. In his eyes, tattoos were art.
"I can't wait to see it." Harlie grinned, getting up out of the chair. She still held her bra to her chest. She had already seen the happy face on her neck, now she was going to see the one on her shoulders. The anticipation was killing her. The feeling was almost therapeutic. The constant buzz of the gun, going back and forth between the ink and the wiping. It almost put her to sleep. Neither Happy nor her mom would tell her what the tat was. It hurt quite a bit but her arm was out of the sling. Well, not completely. She just never wore it. Even when her mom would ride her ass about it.
"Damn, Hap." Krys laughed, glancing up at Happy.
"What? You expect shit?" Happy chuckled, starting to pack his kit up. "Hell, you've had yours for twenty years and they look great."
"Only because you did 'em." Krys gave him a sarcastic salute. "Go with her."
"Mom.." Harlie said quietly. It was weird. Around Krys, Happy would grab her hand or wrap his arm around her and she wouldn't say a word even though she wanted to. She knew her mom didn't want her with someone like Happy, but she was happy and that's all Krys was worried about.
"It's okay! Go." Krys shooed her off down the hall.
"Why don't you just take it off?" Happy asked Harlie as they walked down the hall.
"Take what off?" Harlie asked, looking up at him. It took her a second, but she got it. She was still holding her bra. "Goddamnit.." She punched him in the arm.
Happy held his hands up in defeat, opening the bathroom door. "Turn around.." He said, squeezing Harlie's arm gently.
She did as he said, gasping when the artwork on her shoulders. "Hap.." She felt tears well up in her eyes. "Surivior.." She mumbled. 'SURVIVOR' was in all capital letters across the top of her back, stretching from shoulder blade to the other. The letters resembled old English letters.
"Your mom said she wanted something special, so I sketched it out." Happy shrugged, the ends of his mouth pulling up into a smirk. "Your arm okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine. I don't really feel it anymore." She relaxed when she felt him wrap his arms around her. The tattoos meant more to her than anything else. In her mind, they meant she belonged to Happy and no one else. She looked back up in the mirror to see Juice standing in the hallway, watching them. She just closed her eyes, leaning back against Happy's chest.
"I'm proud of you." Happy whispered, nuzzling the side of her neck.
"Really?" She turned to face him. A lot of people had been telling her that lately, even her dad. She felt like she was trying to be too strong.
"You did what you had to do." He pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, noticing the tears welling up in her eyes. "There's a lot of people who wouldn't have done what you did, Princess. "
"But, I killed him.." Harlie pulled away from him, closing the bathroom door.
"Harlie, listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong." He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face him. "Would I lie to you?"
Harlie could see it in his eyes, this time he was right.
Present:
"Hey, everyone's here." Kozik poked his head into the kitchen. "Clay's waitin' on you guys." He wrapped his arm around Harlie's shoulder when she stepped out of the kitchen. ""How ya doin'?" In the past few weeks, they were closer than ever.
"I'm good, Koz." Harlie smiled up at him, her eyes softening.
"Still having nightmares?" He asked, rustling her hair.
"No!" She squealed, pushing his hand off.
"That's good." He chuckled lightly. "Go stand over with your dad."
"Why?" She questioned, running her fingers through her hair.
"Because you're the Princess, that's why." Kozik pushed her playfully in Clay's direction.
"Going, I'm going." Harlie stuck her tongue out and made her way over to Clay.
"Hey, baby.." Clay kissed her forehead.
"Hey, Dad." Harlie smiled sweetly.
"We're gonna take care of this." He said reassuringly. It sounded like he was reassuring himself more than he was her.
"I know." Harlie nodded as Tig's whistle echoed across the clubhouse.
"Everybody! Listen up!" Tig yelled.
Clay cleared his throat. "I wanna welcome you all to Club Reaper. I'm glad you made your reservations early because as you can see, we're booked to capacity… You're here because you're family and because SAMCRO takes care of its own. Next couple days this club's got some business to handle that could put our members and the people connected to us in unfriendly situations. Now, chances are nothing's gonna happen, but people have already been hurt on my watch." He looked over at Harlie who kept her eyes on her feet. "And that ain't ever gonna happen again. Nobody gets in, nobody leaves without an escort. You got a safety concern, you talk to Piney. You got a comfort concern, you talk to my Queen. Under this roof, you'll all be safe. I want you to make yourself at home. I love all of ya."
"All right!" Tig hollered.
Clay stepped over and pressed a kiss to Krys's lips. "I love you, baby."
"I love you too, Clay." Krys said quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder.
From across the room, Harlie caught Unser's eyes. She smiled and waved, making her way towards him. "Hey, Chief." She sat down on one of the bar stools.
"Hey, kid." Unser smiled. "How ya doin' after.. ya know.."
"I'm good. It's... It's like it's a distant memory now." Harlie said. "I never got to thank you for everything you did."
Unser waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about. I'm just glad you're doin' better." He pulled her into a gentle hug.
"I'm glad to see you here too. After everything you've done for my family, again, I don't know how to thank you." Harlie smiled, looking around the room for Happy. "You take care, Chief." She found Happy sitting down on one of the couches with Juice. "Hey.." She sat down on the arm of the couch.
"Hey, doll." Happy smirked, resisting the urge to slide his arms around her.
"You guys be careful today." Harlie locked eyes with Happy, but dropped her gaze quickly.
"Nothing's gonna happen, I promise." Happy placed his hand on her knee.
"Aye, darlin'. I won't let anything happen to your Killer." Chibs clapped her on the back. She winced, squeezing Happy's hand.
"Tat's, man. Be careful."
"Shit. I'm sorry, baby." Chibs kissed the back of hand.
"Chivalry still exists." Harlie laughed. "You guys could learn from him."
Chibs smirked and swung Harlie over his shoulders. "I'll show you chivalry." He laughed, smacking her ass.
"Chibs!" She squealed. "Put me down!" She could see Happy growing angry.
"Alright, alright." Chibs sat her down in Happy's lap. "You take care o' her."
Happy nodded silently, his arm around Harlie's waist.
"Hey, Clay wants us at the table!" Tig shouted across the clubhouse, reining everyone into the chapel.
"Gotta go." Harlie hopped out of Happy's lap, watching him walk into the chapel. He was hot as hell, she couldn't deny that. She was lucky. She felt a satisfaction knowing he didn't want Crow Eaters anymore even though Harlie was still learning.
"How do you feel about that?" Gemma pointed to Harlie standing with Happy.
"I don't know yet, Gem." Krys frowned. "It scares the shit outta me, that's for sure." She sipped at her hot coffee.
"We both know he's going to hurt her. We don't know how and we don't know when, but it's gonna happen." Gemma took a seat beside her.
"I know he cares, but one day that won't be enough. What can I say to her, Gemma? Jesus, Clay is twenty years older than me. You remember what happened when Piney found out?" Krys shifted on the bar stool.
"She's falling for him hard and fast. Too fast." Gemma twisted the rings on her fingers.
"I know." Krys sighed. "Goddamnit. She's smart though. I just wonder if she sees what we see. When I look at them, I see a teenage girl desperate for someone strong to protect her. I see a small flame that could go out any minute, but it's somehow still burning." Krys looked down at her wedding ring. "I never wanted a family. When we first got married, I just wanted Clay. I never thought about having kids. I didn't think I would ever have to worry about taking care of a teenager."
"Things change, sweetheart." Gemma rubbed her back soothingly.
"I don't mind when I'm around if he grabs her hands or wraps his arm around her. I think it shocks me every time I see it. But what do we know? Like you said, things change.. So do people." Krys downed the last bit of coffee, lighting a cigarette. "All we can do it sit back and watch."
That afternoon, all of the Old Ladies were outside saying goodbye to their men. Harlie stood quietly, watching. She made sure to hug all of the guys, especially Kozik and her dad. She could hear her parents talking in whispers.
"Clay, please be careful." Krys squeezed Clay's hand in hers. "I love you.."
"I love you too, baby." Clay kissed her slowly, wrapping his arms around her.
Opie stood with Lyla, their foreheads pressed against one another's. Harlie realized at that moment, she wanted that. Maybe not the kids or any of the big stuff, but she wanted Happy.
"Hey, babe.." Happy said quietly, walking up behind her. "Don't I get a hug?"
Harlie always had to stand on the tips of her toes to hug him. She never minded. She felt him wrap his arms tightly around her waist. "Be careful, baby." She whispered. I love you. She thought to herself, kissing his cheek.
"Hap, we gotta go." Opie slapped him on the shoulder.
"Be there in a sec." Happy kissed her forehead. "I'll be back later. Don't wait up."
"Bye.." Harlie mumbled, looking down at her feet as he walked off.
Opie stopped Happy before getting on his bike. "Stay the hell away from her." He growled. "She's been hurt enough. She doesn't need you to make it worse."
Happy curled his lip, but stayed silent. He pulled out behind Opie, Harlie on his mind.
Unser watched as the two deputies pulled off before he stepped inside Zobelle's cigar shop. He closed the door behind him, flipping the OPEN sign to CLOSED and pulled down the blinds.
"Closing time." Unser shrugged, looking over his shoulder at Polly Zobelle.
"Yeah, I guess it is." She agreed, tapping her fingers on the desk. Unser pulled a cigar from one of the display boxes. "What happened to the other cops?" She asked.
He sat down at a small table, lighting the cigar. "Oh, they're off doing something that matters." Not even a minute later, Harley's could be heard pulling up outside the shop.
Clay walked through the door of the shop, followed by the others. "Where's your father?"
"I don't know." Clay backhanded her across the face, grabbing her by the hair.
"Hey! Hey!" Unser jumped up quickly.
"Now you get Daddy on the phone and you bring him here or I kill his little girl." Clay snarled.
"I don't know where he is," she whimpered. Clay narrowed his eyes, pulling a gun from his belt.
"Clay!" Unser yelled.
"She's as guilty as the rest of them." He pressed it to her thigh.
Just then, Ethan Zobelle emerged from the back of the shop. "Polly! Polly!"
Tig grabbed him roughly by the arm. "Walk." He growled quietly, shoving him over to Opie. Clay pushed Polly roughly into Tig who slammed her down in the chair. "Don't you move.."
"Welcome back." Clay nodded to him.
"What do you want?" Zobelle almost smirked.
"Talk. Outside Charming."
"You're just going to let this happen?" Zobelle looked over at Unser.
"Walk out the door." Clay said, trying to keep his cool.
"No. If you're going to kill me, do it on Main Street."
"Fine." Opie forced Zobelle to his knees. "I was just trying to accommodate our friend with the badge." Clay placed the gun to his head.
Hale walked in the door of the shop, his gun raised.
"Deputy Chief!" Zobelle shouted. "They struck my daughter. They threatened my life. Arrest them."
"I got this, Deputy." Unser said angrily.
"What are you doing?" Hale exclaimed.
"My shield still outranks yours and I'm telling my men there's been no crime here and there won't be one here." Unser scolded. "Now all of you just turn around and go back to the station house. Go ahead."
"Officers, my daughter and I are in possession of illegal narcotics. There's a load of them under that cash register in the center drawer. You can find them there." Zobelle pleaded.
"It's here." One of the officers held up the package.
"There! Arrest us!" Zobelle shouted fiercely. "Do it!"
"Shit." Harlie mumbled as her phone blared the song Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park into her ear. "Hello?" She answered, yawning.
"Well, it's nice to speak you again, lovey." The voice on the other end of the line was one she recognized, Jimmy O'Phelan. "How's Filip?"
AN: I know this chapter is a little dull, but I promise there is more Harlie/Happy stuff coming up!