Here is the latest chapter! HUGE thanks to those of you who are reviewing and favoriting and following. It makes me happy, so I really do thank you. Think is kind of a monster chapter. I really didn't mean for it to be so long, but I couldn't find a decent place to split it, so there you go. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it, and I would love it if you would take a moment to review. Thanks! 3
Chibs walked into the nave of the church, knowing the familiar layout like the back of his hand, but feeling incredibly uncomfortable anyway. He saw the others, the men he was set to meet with, towards the front of the church, but he took his time to make his way over. It had already been a fucking long day and he wanted to be home with his wife and kid, but this was where he had to be right now. There was Club business that had to be taken care of, so that he could enjoy the rest of his trip here without worry.
He had spent the past hour and a half at the dean's office of his daughter's school. He had barely managed to keep a straight face as the entirely too serious young man explained to him and Fiona, a member of an outlaw biker gang and an IRA affiliated woman, that 'physical violence is not an appropriate way to solve problems'. It had been fucking ridiculous, because of course neither of them wanted their daughter street brawling, and this dean really didn't have any tangible solutions to offer, so it was basically a huge waste of time.
Neither he nor Fiona knew what the hell to do with Kerrianne. They had tried everything; talking to her, threatening her, bribing her, and begging her. The biggest issue was that neither of them could argue with her reasoning for beating fellow children half to death every other day. It's not like either of them were the peace loving, anti-violence sort. He had always been prone to allowing his fists to handle any issues, and Fiona could fight with the best of them. It was impossible for them to tell her to control her temper when both of them would fly off the handle when placed in a similar situation. Weeks ago, his SAMBEL connections had dispatched a couple of young Prospects from her school to watch over her, but it seemed to him like his daughter actually rather enjoyed fighting. At least he knew she came by it honest.
Literally the only solution he would think of was to bring it up with these men he was about to meet with. He was, by no stretch of the imagination, a fan of the IRA, but they had pull and they induced a level of fear in these Irish school children to handle this situation before it got out of control. In this part of the world, the IRA controlled everything from the government to the actions of school children. Hopefully, with the deal he was about to finalize with them, they would be pleased enough to deal with the situation from their end.
The men gathered at the front of the church took notice of him as he approached. Seamus Ryan, the current SAMBEL President, was there along with his VP. Their black leather stood out in stark contrast to the sleek suits and ties of most of the other men, and Chibs really missed his own cut. He felt firmly out of place here in jeans and a t-shirt and sweater, but it was the best he could do. He was surprised to see several police officers there as well. It was good to know that the IRA was making an effort to reach out to the cops. Ryan was the first to make his way over.
"Good to see you, brother," he said. "Glad that you arrived safe and all."
"You too," he said, hugging the smaller man. "Everybody here?"
"Aye, we were just waiting on you," Ryan replied.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Chibs told him, loud enough for the others to hear. "Had an issue to work out at my girl's school."
"Well, you're here now, that's all that matters," the smiling face of an older man sounded from behind Ryan. It took a moment, but Chibs was a bit shocked to recognize the man as his high school Chemistry teacher and coach.
"Mr. McCormick?" he asked, making no effort to hide his amazement.
He got a hearty laugh in response. "Good God, my boy! You passed my class nearly thirty years ago now. I think that it's safe to call me David."
Regardless of what the man said, Chibs knew that there was zero chance he would ever think of the man as anything other than Mr. McCormick. His teenage self had never known that this man was affiliated with the IRA, but he probably should have. Nearly everybody around here was affiliated, in one way or another. But still, this was the man who used to ramble on about compound substances while Chibs was busy staring at Fiona. This was the man who once intercepted a not even close to appropriate note passed between the two, and had mercy enough to not read it to the class. This was the man who had instead punished him by making him run endless laps after school.
"Yeah, okay, I…" he started about three times, before just coming right to the question. "What the hell are you doing here, Mr. McCormick?"
"I'll be taking over some of the responsibilities held by Father Ashby, God rest him," the other man replied. "His shoes will be difficult to fill, but we will all do what needs to be done."
"David is being modest," Ryan spoke up. "He's really stepped up and saved all our arses."
"You're in a church, young man. Show some respect," Mr. McCormick scolded, just as well as he ever did. He raised his voice a bit, so that those gathered could hear him. "I think we should all head in. We have quite a bit to discuss."
They all moved toward the back of the church, the older man resting a hand on his shoulder. "Make sure you stay after the meeting. We have a lot to catch up on, son."
"How are things going at the shop?" Gemma asked, with every air of making casual conversation, but Opie was smart enough to know that the question was anything but casual. He knew that she was feeling the strain of this house arrest, and the knowledge that everything was running smoothly without her would definitely sting. Gemma was not the kind of woman to bruise easily, but at the same time, she needed to feel important; needed to know that she was missed.
He chose his words carefully when he answered. "Things are okay. Not the same without you and the guys, though."
"Yeah, I am guessing things are a little quiet over there," Gemma agreed, appearing soothed for the moment. Opie didn't bother to point out that things were generally a lot more peaceful when it was quiet. "Is the new girl working out okay?"
"Yeah, she is doing good. Still trying to learn the ropes. She accidentally punched Kozik in the balls the other day," Opie reported with a hint of a smile. Gemma, on the other hand, didn't stop with a smile.
"I knew that there was a reason I liked her," she laughed.
Opie silently nodded his agreement. The fact was, things were going great at the shop. Tess had really been making some progress and was keeping things in the office running smoothly enough that he could stick to handling the garage, which was what he was good at. The crow eaters were mostly gone, and that meant that the old ladies were happy. The mechanics were able to get more hours with the guys on the inside, which meant more money in their pockets, so there were smiles on their faces as well.
They were feeling light on members in the Club house, especially with Chibs gone too, but they had a few new Prospects that they had patched in to keep things running smoothly. There were a group of four Nomads that had arrived to help out while Chibs was in Ireland, and they were managing to make themselves useful around the Clubhouse; so useful that Opie wasn't sure he wanted to lose them all when Chibs came back. He was getting used to having the extra help. Kozik was committed to staying on in Charming, but Opie knew soon he was going to have to press the man for a patch over. They would need an extra, voting member at the table eventually.
"I want to do dinner," Gemma surprised him, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Gem, it's barely nine in the morning. Are you sure you don't want a bagel or something instead?" he asked, not quite comprehending her request, and frankly a bit worried for her sanity.
She shot him a withering look and shook her head. "I don't want dinner, I want a dinner. A family dinner."
"Oh," he said, finally seeing her meaning clearly. She wanted a Gemma dinner; a massive ordeal with food, family, and generally a few fist fights. "I don't know, Gem. Chibs is gone and it doesn't feel right. There aren't many of us left. We have so much going on. I'm just not sure it's the best time."
"Too bad," she replied with steel in her voice. "I promise that Chibs is eating just fine where he is right now. There are enough of us left to have one damn dinner together. Just the family; us and Tara and the boys and Lila and the kids. Kozik and Piney and Wayne and Chuckie, too. And Tess. It can be a kind of welcome dinner for her. There will be enough of us."
Opie sighed. He could definitely understand where she was coming from. Being alone here, all the time, was definitely not easy on any woman, much less a woman like Gemma. She wanted those she loved around here, and he really couldn't fault her for that.
"Yeah, okay," he agreed, somewhat reluctantly. He had enough sense to know that there was no way he was getting out of this one. He doubted that any of the guys could argue with Gemma or deny her something that she so obviously wanted. "When?"
She instantly gave him a satisfied grin. "Tonight."
"Tonight?" he asked, one eyebrow raised, just to clarify he was hearing her right.
"Tonight. No reason not to. Send one of the Prospects to do the shopping? And ask Lila if she will help me cook?" Gemma asked, the completely innocent smile on her face daring him to disagree.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied immediately, standing from the table to leave and kissing her on the cheek, before she talked him in to anything else.
"Love you, Op," she called as he got near the door to leave.
"Love you too, Ma," he answered the familiar sentiment as he left, already wondering how he would talk Lila and the rest of the guys into this.
It was long after dark by the time Chibs made his way home that night. The meeting had gone on for hours as they worked to iron out details and to who would get what guns and when and where. Galen O'Shay, who Chibs had actually known for years, had risen up to taken Jimmy's place, and he sincerely hoped that things would work better with him than they had with Jimmy. If there was one thing that Chibs knew for sure, it was that he was getting too damned old for that kind of relationship.
He had stayed for quite a while following the meeting to catch up with Ryan and Mr. McCormick. He had still not gotten over the shock of seeing his former teacher running things in the IRA. The man had filled him in on the past thirty years while pouring him drink after drink. It had surprised Chibs to find that the man had kept tabs on him through the years. Really, he just hadn't ever suspected that his teacher liked him that much.
Another thing that surprised Chibs was the fact that Mr. McCormick was still a teacher. In fact, the old man taught science classes every Wednesday at Kerrianne's school. This fact made his job of asking for assistance much, much easier. His former teacher assured him that the situation involving Kerrianne and her school mates would be handled immediately. Chibs was really not sure what to think about having an IRA shot caller watching over his daughter, but he had asked for help quelling the situation, and this was what he had got. Besides, there was something that told him to trust the other man.
He probably should have been home a couple of hours ago, and he really hoped that Fiona would understand. This was the last bit of official Club business that he needed to handle, and he was free to spend the rest of his time here in Ireland with his wife and his daughter. Hopefully, that knowledge would be enough to calm whatever anger she was feeling as a result of him missing dinner and coming home halfway down the road to drunk.
Luckily, the lights were still on when he arrived at the flat, which meant that his girls were still awake. He entered and immediately saw Kerrianne was curled up in the easy chair, afghan pulled up to her chin, emitting soft snores every so often. He cracked a smile before his eyes shifted. He found Fiona curled up on the couch under a blanket, her sleepy eyes focused on the television. She was dressed in one of his old t-shirts and her hair was pulled up, but random curls were escaping here and there, and he just stopped and stared at her for a moment because he was pretty sure he had never seen anybody as unyieldingly gorgeous and sexy in his entire life.
"You're home," she said softly, and there wasn't anger in her voice, and for that he was glad.
"Aye," he told her with a smile, still not moving any closer. "You girls okay?"
"We're fine, just sleepy," she explained, raising her arms to stretch, before reaching her hand out to him, indicating that she wanted him closer. "We missed you at dinner. Didn't save you any, though."
"It's okay," he told her, stripping his sweater and toeing his boots off. He didn't want to make her wait even a second, if he could help it. She pulled back her blanket and allowed him to join her on the couch. She curled against him and looked up expectantly, her big brown eyes telling him that he had better kiss her, and quick.
The kiss was electric, and of course it was interrupted by a grunt from the still sleeping Kerrianne. He groaned and threw his head back as Fiona laughed, resting her cheek against his chest. "She has developed a talent for interrupting really excellent kisses lately, hasn't she?"
"She really has," he admitted, wrapping an arm around his wife. "Has she been okay tonight?"
"Oh yes," Fiona told him with a note of pride in her voice. "She was just so happy to do each and every chore I asked her to do. With a smile on her face, even!"
Fiona did sarcasm well, and it made him feel guilty as hell. "I'm sorry I wasn't here, Darlin."
"Wasn't your choice," she brushed off his apology. "I'm just glad you're here now. Did you take care of things with the Club?"
"I did," he nodded. "Had a few surprises, but everything went smoothly."
"What kind of surprises?" she asked, a note of worry in her voice. He should have known that she would ask and he had never been able to keep much from her.
"You remember Mr. McCormick?" he asked, and when she nodded, he proceeded to explain the entire bizarre evening to her, leaving out as much of the Club and the actual business of the situation as he could.
"That's…hilarious," she concluded with a grin, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Remember when you used to get caught staring at me in class, like the overeager teenage boy you were, and he would make you stay after school and run laps while you recited the Perodic Table?"
"I remember alright," he nodded, used to her teasing. "Vividly. And remind me of something…who was it who always stayed and watched me run all of those laps?"
"Couldn't have been me," she said firmly. "I was far, far too honorable to be caught in the bleachers staring at a sweaty, shirtless boy."
"Were you also too honorable for what happened behind the bleachers when I was done?" he asked innocently, and deftly dodged the smack aimed at his head.
"You're awful," she proclaimed, shaking her head.
"I am," he agreed. "But you love it. It's part of my charm."
"Is that what you call it?" she asked with a grin. She glanced over to make sure their banter hadn't woken Kerrianne. When she was sure that their girl was still asleep, she turned her attention back to him and continued in a low voice. "So speaking of what happened behind those bleachers…what do you say we head to bed? Maybe relive that memory?"
His eyebrows shot up, because it was a really, really good memory and he was far from a fool. He was off the couch quicker than he thought possible and headed towards the bedroom, wondering how the hell he had ever gotten lucky enough to deserve this night, this woman, this family, or this life.
Opie pulled into the Club house parking lot and was glad to see Lila's car here amongst the others. He parked his bike and climbed off, knowing that he should go check in with Tess and make sure that the garage was still running, or check in with his Pops and make sure the Club was running. He didn't do either of those things, though. Instead, he avoided the garage area and made his way into the Club house, where he found Lila shooting a round of pool with one of the Prospects.
"Head out," he told the new guy, Ratboy, who scampered off, true to his name. Lila turned and smiled at him.
"You ran off my opponent," she scolded him, only half kidding. "You know that you have to take his place now, right?"
"Yeah, I will," he glanced down at the table. "We'll see if I can clean up this mess he left me."
"You can't," she assured him with a wide smile. Really, she didn't care if she won or not. Just the fact that he was here, with her, was enough to make her happy.
"And if I do?" he challenged her. "What do I win?"
"Whatever you want," the teasing words left her lips before she even knew it. It was a line she had said many times, in many films, and her tone immediately fell into porn star mode. She knew that Op was not comfortable with her work and really, really wanted her to quit, and she tried to not rub her job in his face.
He looked at her, his eyes serious, and asked, "Do you mean that? Anything I want?"
She was taken aback for a moment, knowing that Opie's opinion on porn had not changed that dramatically in the past few days. She nodded cautiously, and reiterated, "Anything."
He smiled, "Let's play, then."
They began the game, taking shot after shot. While they played, they talked. It had been a long time since they had taken time to just…be together. They talked about the kids and joked around with one another. Lila reveled in the time spent with Op, and by the time she looked down to see that she had clearly been beaten, she had almost forgotten the hesitation concerning her promise.
"Cleaned up," Opie commented proudly. "You really should get around here and practice more, Li."
She laughed. "Oh yeah, I will bring all three kids. I am sure that a lot will get accomplished."
"You could, you know," he told her, wanting to make sure she knew he was serious. "Bring the kids I mean. Chuckie and Tess and everybody here could help, if you needed it."
"I know, Op," she said, trying to hide the emotion in her voice. It made her happier than she wanted to admit that he wanted her to come around more; that he wanted to take care of her. "Maybe I will."
"Good," he said with a nod. She laid down her stick and approached him, her hands clutching each side of his cut.
"So," she asked him, biting her lip as she looked up at him. "What do I owe you?"
His hands went automatically to her hips as he bent to kiss her, taking just a moment to enjoy her lips against his before he broke the kiss. "Remember, you said anything I want," he reminded her.
"Out with it," Lila demanded, her eyes narrowing.
"Gemma wants to do a dinner tonight," he admitted, not letting go of her hips and literally begging with his eyes for her to not get mad.
Her shoulders fell and she looked more than slightly deflated. She should have known that whatever he wanted, it wasn't really her. "She wants me to help?"
Opie nodded, and pulled her a little closer. "It's just family, so it won't be huge. The kids can come. Everybody can eat and play and stuff. It shouldn't be bad. We don't have to stay forever. I think she just wants the company."
It looked to Opie like the gears were turning in Lila's head. Her eyes narrowed slightly and when she replied, it was almost a challenge. "I don't mind helping, if one of the Prospects can pick up the kids and bring them. I will do it, on one condition."
Opie couldn't believe that he had lucked out and was going to possibly get through this without a fight. "What's that?"
"I will go and help and be nice to everybody, but if I do, you have to come home with us tonight," she demanded.
He really had a hard time believing that her only condition was…sex. Lila was working her ass off for him and his kids lately, and literally the only thing she wanted was one night with him at home. He could do that much for her. He grinned at him and pulled her even closer. "I think I can do that."
She lit up like a kid at Christmas. "Yeah?"
He leaned down and kissed her again, glad that things were working out for them, "Yeah."