Hi Guys! Here's the next chapter! Trouble is coming...DUN DUN DUN! Anyway, hope that you enjoy it and please REVIEW!
The credits were rolling over the black screen, indicating that the movie was over. Fiona's head rested comfortably on her husband's lap, and she barely contained a giggle as she saw his eyes scanning the credits. He still insisted that they actually sit through the credits even if they had seen this movie a hundred times. He would always argue that the people in the credits worked hard and he felt bad that nobody ever looked at their names. Fiona thought it probably had more to do with the fact that as teenagers, the theatre always cleared out after the film was over, and sitting through the credits allowed them a solid ten minutes of uninterrupted makeout time.
She tugged on his hand that rested across her chest.
"We need popcorn," she declared once she had his attention, glaring at the empty box of Oreos and wondering where all the cookies had gone.
His eyebrows knit together in confusion, and she bit her tongue to keep from grinning.
"The move is over, Fi," he told her, as if that fact weren't obvious.
She responded by rolling her eyes and speaking slowly, "For the next movie, Filip."
"Ah, so another movie, then," he clarified, his fingers finding a stray curl that had escaped her messy bun. "I should have known."
"You really should have," she agreed. "We are without our kid for a whole day. What else would we do but watch movie after movie after movie?"
"I could think of a few things," Filip said playfully, his fingers teasing the neckline of her shirt. "But they all involve fewer clothes."
"I haven't ruled anything out," she told him with a wicked grin. "But some popcorn would go a long way in your favor on that one. I get to pick the next movie!"
"Oh, of course! Because it was me who picked Singing in the Rain," he joked and he headed toward the kitchen to get the popcorn.
"You love that movie," she reminded him as she started to shuffle through his extensive movie collection. She outright laughed and slipped one case off the rack, carrying it into the kitchen. "We could watch Where The Wild Whores Are. Also, can we talk about the fact that they named a porn movie after a children's book?"
"You won't hear any arguments from me," he shrugged, bending to kiss her as the popping sounds overtook the kitchen. The DVD case slipped from her grasp as her fingers moved to wind into his hair. Fiona found herself glad for moments like this, alone with her husband. Kerrianne had gone to spend the day helping Tara with Abel and starting to set up the nursery, which had provided them with a perfect opportunity to just spend a day together.
The beeping microwave interrupted their kiss, and Chibs groaned, burying his face in her hair.
"Are you absolutely sure we have to watch another movie? I can show you the entire plot," he teased, his lips finding their way to her neck. She giggled and swatted his arm. Fiona knew that she would give in and let him have his way eventually, but making him work for it was half the fun.
"Yes," she affirmed, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead, her hand dangerously close to his ass. "We are watching the Princess Bride, and there is no getting out of it."
He sighed heavily, but dutifully retrieved the popcorn and lead her back to the couch. Within a couple of minutes, they were settled on the in again, the bowl of popcorn resting in his lap and her head resting on his shoulder. Fiona was reminded once again of just how happy she was to be here, sitting on the couch with her husband. They had done this a million times before, yet she knew that she would never, ever get tired of it. Here, she felt warm and safe and comfortable and so very, very loved.
"Hey," she said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I love you, you know. Thank you for being here with me. This is great."
He smiled at her, and she would be a liar if she said that she didn't melt a little.
"What's great? The Princess Bride? I would give it a solid two thumbs up," he joked, squeezing her hand.
She rolled her eyes at him again. "And here I was trying to be sweet," she muttered. "No, I mean being here with you, in this house, in Charming. It's a lot different than I thought it would be, but I like it."
"How is it different?" he asked, curious to see where this was going.
"I don't know," she tried to explain "I guess it's more calm and settled than I thought it would be. I have lived in Belfast my whole life. I am used to IRA bargaining being done over breakfast and gun deals being done in my living room. I am used to living with the constant fear that any minute, the powder keg could blow up. After years and years of that, I guess Charming seems...safe and comfortable. Or maybe it's just you that seems safe and comfortable. Either way, I like it."
"You like it enough to stay?" he asked, his voice tight. She knew that he wanted that more than anything, his family together and whole, and she wanted to give it to him. It wasn't the first time he had asked, and if she knew him at all, it wouldn't be the last time. She knew very well that there was no way he could ever move back to Belfast, not with all the history still there, not with the IRA breathing down both their necks constantly. Sure, the Sons of Anarchy were ever present in this town, but maybe Charming could be a chance for their family to be together and safe and happy, even in spite of the MC.
"Enough to really want to stay," she told him, honestly, peering into his brown eyes. "Enough to at least talk to Kerrianne about it."
"Really?" he asked, and she had to smile at the awe and surprise in his voice.
"Really," she confirmed, and she didn't have time to say anything else, because he was kissing her then. This kiss was just as intense, but completely different from the one in the kitchen. That kiss had been fueled by need and want and lust. This one was full of pure happiness and pleasure, love and gratitude. Too soon, he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.
"We could be happy here," he whispered. "Really, really happy."
"Yes, we could," she agreed, pulling his lips back to hers quickly. "That's all that I want, Filip. All of us, together and safe and happy."
"I could give you that," he promised her, and the sincerity in his voice obvious.
"You DO give me that," she corrected him. "Every minute we're together. It will take awhile to convince Kerrianne that this is what's best, but if you can give us that time, then I will make this happen. I love you."
"Love you more," he told her, and then he was kissing her again and before she knew it, they were horizontal and his hands were all over her and all she could see or taste or feel was him and it was perfection. She loved this. Their movie and popcorn were long forgotten and they were lost in one another. Fiona was about to suggest that they move to the bedroom when his phone rang, breaking their kiss.
"Don't answer that," she urged him as he dug the phone from his pocket, attaching her lips to a specific spot on his neck that drove him insane.
"It's Kerrianne," he said in surprise. Though they were in California, she had brought her Belfast phone, because it contained all of her music and other things that she needed. She knew how expensive these long distance calls were, and she wouldn't be calling him from it unless something was wrong.
"Kerrianne?" he answered immediately, Fiona looking at him with genuine concern.
"Da, I need you," was all she said, but Chibs could hear the panic in her voice and it set him on edge. He instantly sat up, his plans for tonight with Fiona on the back burner.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's Tara," she explained, frantically. She sounded like she was barely holding back tears, and he could hear Abel crying in the background. "She got a phone call and something happened to Jax, something bad. I don't know what because she isn't talking or saying anything at all. She's just sitting on the floor staring at the wall and Abel is crying and I don't know what to do. Please, Da. I need you and Ma."
"We're on our way, Baby," he promised her, standing and searching for his shoes as Fiona grabbed her purse. "Just hold on. We'll be there soon."
The drive over to Tara's house was fast and silent. Chibs kept one hand on the wheel and the other clutched his wife's like a lifeline. Something had happened to his friend, and his daughter was feeling the weight of it, and he was internally freaking out over both his friend and his kid and he just needed to drive faster! Fiona's hand in his was literally the only thing keeping him from flying off the handle right now.
By the time they pulled up in front of the house, Opie had already arrived and was climbing off his bike. The three of them wasted no time in heading towards the house.
"What do we know?" Chibs asked quickly.
"Not a lot, but enough," Opie answered cryptically. "Jax was stabbed three times in the stomach and chest. Kozik and Pop are on their way. We'll figure things out when everybody gets here. How'd you find out?"
"Kerrianne," Chibs explained briefly. "She was here with Tara when the call came. Tara is catatonic. You?"
"Damn," Opie muttered as he opened the door. "Bobby called me and told me what they know."
They had barely stepped through the door before Kerrianne came flying out of the living room and into her father's arms. He held his girl, who was shaking in his arms, and did what he could to soothe her, which was admittedly very little. The house was chaos. Abel screamed from his high chair. Tara sat on the floor, near her crying child, and stared blankly at the opposite wall, her face registering no emotion whatsoever. She held the phone clutched in her hand, and the steady beeping of the dialtone told Chibs that she never hung up after getting the call. He sighed heavily and focused on the problems he could manage.
"Kerrianne," he said softly, taking her face in his hands and looking her in the eye. "Calm down, Lovey, and listen to me. You are okay now. We are here and we are going to take care of everything."
"I just…I didn't know what to do," she stuttered. "Tara is just...and I was scared. I didn't know what to do, Da."
"You did exactly the right thing," he told her. "We are going to help Tara and figure out what's going on, I promise."
She nodded, and allowed herself to be passed to her Ma. Chibs walked past Opie, who was on the floor trying to get Tara to speak, and pulled a popsicle from the freezer, handing it to Abel who immediately stopped crying. Every baby in the world was a sucker for a frozen block of fruity sugar. Fiona smiled at him as he made his way back towards his girls.
"Kerrianne," he asked, relieved to see she wasn't crying anymore. "Can you do me a favor? Can you take Abel into his room and stay with him for awhile? If you read to him, he may even fall asleep."
She sniffled once before steeling herself and nodding in acceptance. Chibs watched her go pick up the much more calm baby and whisper sweet things to hm as she carried him towards his bedroom. He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in his girl. He couldn't linger on it, though. He turned his attention towards Tara, who was still on the floor, and Opie, who was still trying to coax her off of it. Chibs focused on that problem next.
"Tara," he said softly as he knelt next to Opie. "You need to get up."
She shook her head no, never once looking at him.
"Come on now, Tara," he told her, moving to her other side and shooting a look at Opie, who immediately understood. "You aren't doing any good there on the floor. It's not good for you or the baby. Let's get you up, yeah?"
He took one elbow and Opie took the other. She tried to fight them, but they were too quick. They hauled her immediately to her feet and managed to dodge most of the blows she was giving out at being unceremoniously and involuntarily hauled to her feet. Opie held her tightly.
"Stop it, stop Tara," Op urged he gently. "You need to calm down."
"No!" Tara repeated over and over again. "I need to figure something out. I need to figure out what to do. I need….I need to get to the hospital. Or the prison. Or wherever Jax is. I could fix him, better than whatever doctor they have. I fixed Abel, and I can fix Jax. I need-"
She wanted to continue rambling, and both men would have let her. They were at a loss as to how to handle her right now. Luckily, they weren't on their own.
"You need to stop," Fiona told her firmly, stepping around Chibs. Tara looked at her as if she had two heads. "You are doing nothing for anybody like this. There is a baby down the hall who needs his mother and a baby inside of you who need you to be strong. Strong like Jax is. He has doctors helping him now, and he will be fine."
"He was stabbed three time," Tara whispered.
"I know," Fiona said, reaching out and taking the younger woman's hand. "But he is a Son. Sons are tough and they don't die easily. My Filip got blown up, and he is still here, giving me grey hair every day."
"I remember," Tara told her, shooting a side look at Chibs.
"Jax will be fine," Fiona reaffirmed. "You need to believe that until you hear any differently. Maybe once you calm down, we can call for an update?"
Tara and Opie both nodded. Fiona continued. "Good. First, let's go wash your face and go see that little boy of yours. My Kerrianne likes babies, but about the time he needs a diaper change, she will need your help."
Fiona lead the woman down the hall, sparing a glance for her husband, who was watching her in awe.
"Wow," Opie said once they had disappeared down the hall.
"Yeah," was all Chibs could reply. Luckily, he didn't have to continue, because at that moment, the door flew open again and Kozik and Piney entered. They nodded hellos, but didn't bother to use words.
Opie launched right into his latest report, "Tara got a call from the prison. Jax was stabbed. Three times in the belly and chest. Hit a lung."
"Jesus," Chibs breathed.
"Bobby called not long after. He is in surgery, and he has a good chance. Word in the prison says it was a Russian. They've got the bastard in solitary, so no names yet, but we can bet that it was one of Putlova's guys. Guess they weren't quite ready to forgive us for Jimmy," Opie reported.
"Guess not," Chibs agreed, trying to push aside the guilt that threatened to overtake him.
"Yeah, that's not all guys," Kozik spoke up. "Got a call on the way over. One of the Crow Eaters, Molly King? She was attacked at work and beaten. It was brutal. They're not sure she is going to make it."
"Jesus Christ," Piney roared. He had always been partial to the thick blonde.
"That means that they are going after everybody, not just the guys inside," Opie surmised. "We need to make contact with everybody. We will need bodies around the table. Kozik, call LaRoy and Alvarez and make sure the guys are still protected on the inside. Then, get ahold of your old guys in Tacoma, see if they can send some people. Dad, call Lila and Mom. Then call the Prospects. We need to get all of our people to the Clubhouse. Until we get a handle on this, we are going on lockdown."
"Done," Piney agreed quickly. He and Kozik headed into the kitchen to make their phone calls.
"And what's our task, brother?" Chibs asked, even though he had a feeling he knew what was coming.
"Our task," Opie sighed. "Is Gemma."