A/N 9.19/2018: Alrighty, y'all ain't gonna like this, but the next chapter may be a bit late in coming. A couple of days. They called mandatory OT at work, so I get to work 10's! Woot! (Note: heavy sarcasm) That means I'm getting off at 1:30 am and then I gotta go back at 3:00 pm and do it all again. You know that fallacy when you are little that when you are an adult, you can do whatever the hell you want? HA! I wish! Anyway, here you go, for now. I'll do my best with the next one though. Fingers crossed. Peace, Love, and Pop Rocks! And good night! I'm hitting the sack! ~Angel
Bella was bored to tears waiting around in Chibs's dorm. She knew that there was a member of the gang, so to speak, here. So, not liking being idle, she headed out into the main room and saw Juice putting some guns together from parts. He looked up and froze as he was putting the stock onto a barrel. Bella held up her hands in surrender.
"I wasn't here. Didn't see anything. Don't know anything," she said. Juice smiled at her and sighed in relief.
"Thanks Izzy. You better get lost. Clay or one of the others catches you seeing this, you won't get off so lucky," he said. Bella nodded.
"I'll just head to the hospital. I miss little Abel."
"See you around then," Juice saluted with a gun barrel.
Bella laughed and headed back to Chibs's room to get properly dressed, other than the t-shirt and shorts she had slept in. By the time she came out, she could see the duffle and guns on the pool table, but Juice was no where in sight. Looking around, she found him passed out cold, surrounded by pills that seemed to have fallen out of a bag. Bella was going to see if she could wake him, but was honestly curious at what the others would do to him if they found him like this. Shrugging, she left him where he lay. And headed out.
Ten minutes after Bella left, Tig walks into the bar.
"Juice?" he asks. "Ju- Juice!" Tig calls again. But there's no answer.
"Get the AK's," Clay orders as he walks in. "Come on. Let's go!"
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Tig, Jax, Chibs, Clay, and Bobby made their way on foot through the brush to get a good look at the house that Momma Yates lived in.
"Looks like a full house," Jax observed.
"Men on the porch are armed," Clay warns. "Not sure about the ones in the back. You take down the ones at the cages. I'll get the lookouts."
"Let's go," Chibs says, ready for action. He was wound tight, and needed an outlet. Either a fight or a fuck, and since Bella was no where in sight… easy choice.
Jax opens the duffel to take out an AK, only to find that there's no clips.
"No clips," he says disbelievingly.
"What?!" exclaimed Clay as he came around to look. "Goddamn empty," he sighs. They manage to get the lookouts taken care of anyway. Clay using an empty AK as a club, and the others using bare hands and the butts of pistols.
Going up onto the porch, they flattened themselves against the side of the house. Clay tosses Tig the AK.
"There's no clip," he says. Clay makes a face. "Goddamn Juice."
"Back door. Counting 20," Clay says. Tig kicks in the door and the Sons flood into the house, only to find a...bible study group? There were 20 or so people in the house all right, and they looked the type to fight dogs and sell dope, but in the middle of the gathering was a reverend. Complete with collar and bible.
"Bang?" Tig joked, not even bothering pointing the empty AK. The atmosphere was tense and awkward.
"All right. We just want words with Johnny Yates," Clay said, taking control of the situation again. A big man in a cut off flannel shirt stood. Clay gestured to the porch, and everyone followed.
"Know anything about a rape last night?" Clay asked.
"Whoa. Hey, man. I was here. I have 15 other witnesses all within reaching distance," he said, gesturing to the others. They nodded.
"I haven't acted out sexually in over three years. I mean, all of these men will vouch for me. I'm a saved man," Yates said.
"I guess we got some bad information. Sorry," Clay said, not at all really sounding like it. "A little misunderstanding." Clay and Johnny shook hands.
"Forget about our little mistake, we'll forget about mom's illegal mutts," Jax says, jumping down from the porch railing. The Sons all began to file away from the house.
"Not too late for you men," the pastor preached. "And Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior can save you. He can deliver you from all your transgressions."
"Ah, I appreciate your zeal, Padre, but my transgressions- all I got left," Clay shrugged.
"Amen!" Tig said. Then they all began singing Kumbaya in jest as they walked away.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
"They think they're protecting her by building a wall around her," Hale said to Tara as she filled out some paperwork.
"Tristen needs to talk to somebody," Tara said, getting an idea about her creepy stalker ex question.
"Mmm. I need something- anything- to help catch this guy so we're not doing this again with another girl."
"I know Karen needs to sign some insurance forms. I'll- I'll try to get an admin to keep her busy for a while," Tara offered.
"Thank you," said Hale as he started walking away. But Tara stopped him with a hand quickly grabbing his arm.
"I need a favor too. It's more of a question really. It's going to sound very dramatic," she chuckled.
"Okay," Hale waited patiently.
"If I had a restraining order against somebody in another city, would it still be valid if I went someplace else?"
"That all depends. Every state's a little different. You think this someone might be coming here?" Hale asked.
"No. No, I doubt it. There was this guy I dated… during my internship in Chicago. Things got weird. He got a little-" she trailed off. "It's hard to explain."
"Well. You wanna give me his name? I'll run it through the system," Hale offered.
"No, that's okay. I'm just being paranoid," she tried to backtrack.
"How long ago did you get the R.O.?" Hale asked.
"About six or seven months ago," Tara answered.
"I'll make some general calls, okay? See if it's still in play out here."
"Thanks," Tara said, sighing a little in relief.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Jax found his mother in Abel's nursery, reading the book Louise had sneaked into his bag at the little mart where he saw the warehouse blow. He did pay for everything after all, so he went back and got them. Gemma came out into the hall to speak with him.
"Hey," Jax greeted.
"Thought you guys were on the hunt," Gemma asked.
"Hit a dead end." Gemma nodded.
"The junkie's awake," she tells him.
"Don't call her that," Jax snaps. He may not love her, and be extremely angry at her stupidity, but she was Abel's mother.
"All right," Gemma sighs. "Sorry."
Jax looks towards his son. "You think he can really hear you?" he asks.
"Yeah. I do," Gemma says, looking at her grandson. They both turn to see Elliot Oswald come onto the Maternity ward. A look passes between mother and son, and she heads back into Abel's room.
"Did you find the guy?" Oswald asks.
"Mm-mmm. No, not yet," Jax says, shaking his head. "We need you to talk to your daughter again."
"Tristen doesn't remember anything after she got off the ride," Oswald replied sharply.
"Gotta dig a little deeper," urged Jax. "I mean we need somthin'. The guy have a car? Was he black, was he white?"
"She's still in shock!" Oswald snaps at him, barely containing his yell of frustration. "All right. Karen just wants her to rest."
"Look, man. Tristen's our only shot at finding this asshole. If you want our help-" Jax trailed off.
"I'll talk to Karen," Oswald says in a huff. "You find him."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Bella was walking through the hospital when she sees Tristen through an observation window. She seemed to be alone, which was odd to the young woman. Where were her parents? On a spur of the moment decision, Bella knocked and entered the room.
"Hey. I never got the chance to check on you," Bella said. "Aside from the obvious, you holdin' up ok?" Tristen doesn't answer. She just looks down and too the side.
"Well, I don't suppose you remember me," Bella said nervously. "I- uh- I'm the one that found you. My name is Isabella. I usually go by Izzy nowadays though." Tristen looks to her phone and starts a text .
"My mom told me to text her if anyone tried to-"
"Whoa! Hey! I truly did just want to check in on you," Bella rushed out, stopping the teen from sending the text. "Have so many people been pestering you to come clean that that's the first thought that jumps to your head when you see someone new?"
Bella was dumbfounded. She couldn't believe that her boys were being so callous. Tristen nodded, and Bella sighed.
"I'm going to tell you something really personal, okay. I would ask you to please not share it, but I can't stop you if you do tell someone."
Tristen looked up, curious. "When I was 16, I went to a little book store near where I lived. When I say near, it's really about 60 miles. I grew up in a tiny town and the nearest book store was in the nearest city, Port Angeles. I got separated from my friends, and found myself face to face with five drunk men. Terrified, I turned around and went in the other direction. They split up and I would turn around whenever I saw one. I didn't realize until it was too late that I was being herded. I was alone, unarmed, and surrounded in an ally before I knew it. The only reason I escaped, was because my ex drove into the alley and nearly ran them over. That whole ordeal, colored two of the most important relationships I had. I looked to my ex as a hero he never was. I was trapped in a dangerous, abusive relationship, all because I saw him as my knight in shining armor. He told me when to eat, what to wear, who to be friends with, right up until he didn't want me, and then he hurt me," Bella said, pulling her shirt up to show Tristen the scar on her hip.
"It affected the relationship I had with my father, because he constantly told me Edward was bad news, and I brushed him off as being overprotective. He had to watch me rebuild myself after I was hurt. I love my father to pieces for having the patience of Job. Tristen, if you don't give someone something, the biggest what-if of your life will haunt you and bleed into other relationships. I wish with everything in me, I told my dad. He was a cop, he would have been able to do something," Bella said sadly.
"Now he's a member of the Sons of Anarchy," Tristen said. Bella looked at her in surprise. Tristen offered a small smile.
"People take me for a kid, and because of that, it's really easy to get a lot of information. You and your dad moved here about a month ago. The same time, a new Son popped up." Bella chuckled.
"You'll do okay if you keep that up," Bella praised. "Don't tell too many people though. That's one hell of a secret weapon. Being underestimated."
Tristen thought for a moment, then sighed. "He works there. At Fun Town. It was one of the clowns… a really big clown," she said, tears escaping her. Bella gave her own sigh before going to the girl and slowly so Tristen could have time to pull away if she wanted, gave her a hug.
"Now I have an important question. Do you want to tell the police, and get justice that way. Or do you want the man to suffer? This is a hard question to answer, so think about it," Bella said. But Tristen shot back, without even thinking on it.
"Suffer. I don't care how. Don't tell me. That way, I can act surprised if I hear about it. But I want him crying and not being able to do anything about it."
Bella was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Don't tell anyone. Not yet. You can tell Sheriff Hale in the morning, but give me tonight. You won't have to worry about him after tonight."
Tristen nodded and curled up in Bella's arms. She was out in minutes. Bella mused that it was probably the first time since last night she let herself relax. Exiting the room, Bella pulled out her cell as she walked to Abel's nursery. Luckily, she saw Jax and Gemma there. Unluckily, Elliot Oswald almost body checked her back into the door.
"Ass," she mutters as he passes. Walking quickly up to Jax and Gemma, she pulls them into Abel's room for some privacy.
"I just spoke to Tristen. She remembers everything," Bella said quickly.
"How? Karen won't let anyone near her," Gemma said. Bella shrugged.
"No one in the room at the time but the girl. I don't know if you are looking for him but-"
"We are," Jax said. "We've just hit a dead end."
"Not anymore. It was one of the carny clowns. Big guy."
"Jesus. Please tell me Hale doesn't know," Jax pleaded. Bella shook her head.
"I managed to convince her to give us the night. The girl has her father's temper, with her mother's will. A dangerous combination. She'll keep quiet until the morning, at least," Bella say. Jax kissed her temple.
"You are a miracle worker! Thank you," he said before he left. Bella sighed. It was just a lucky break, she can't work miracles. Why can't anyone see this.
"Don't think on it too hard, baby. People are going to say and do what they want," Gemma said as if reading her mind. Giving the younger girl a quick hug, she left. Bella decided to stay with Abel a while longer. She needed the peace he brought.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
The carnies were all gathered around smoking a joint when the lights in the fair grounds came on.
"Right now," said the guy with the epic mustache, and they all followed him to the front of the ferris wheel where they were met by the Sons.
"Hear you guys are harboring a fugitive," Jax said.
"What are you gonna do about it?" asked another fat guy with an epic beard.
"Citizen's arrest."
Jax threw the first punch and from there it was a free for all brawl. The carnies knew how to fight dirty, but the Sons lived for it.
"Bobby, Chibs, find him!" Clay ordered. Chibs was loathed to give up his new punching bag, but had admittedly gotten the worst of his aggression out. They found him hiding just out of sight and dragged him out, pulling him towards the car, and calling to the others. They too seemed to be having the time of their lives. Too bad the good times were done for the night.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Elliot Oswald climbed out of his car and pulled out a knife from his pocket.
"Here's the scumbag, raped your little girl," Clay said to him, as he looked at the bound man.
Oswald got right up in his face and held the knife up so his daughter's rapist can see it. "Cattle guys call this an 'Elsie maker.' It's used to cut the balls off of bulls. Strip him," he tells the other men, as the rapist's muffled pleas intensify. But Oswald hesitates.
"He deserves every second of pain," Clay encourages. Oswald seems to gather himself for a moment, until he looks at the rapist again. The man was truly pathetic as he was. His hesitation full on stopped him this time.
"What do you want to do here, Elliot?" Clay asks him. "We had a deal." Oswald once again rallies. He has the Elsie maker in one hand and the rapist, quite literally by the balls. The muffled cries and pleas completely ruin it for him though. He drops the knife into the dirt and turns to Clay.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I- I- I can't- I-" and with that he walks away. Back to his car. Clay waits until he drives away, as he pulls out a pair of leather gloves and picks up the knife in the dirt and takes the rapist by the balls himself.
"Hold him," he orders Tig and Bobby.
"Clay!" Jax yells. But he is ignored as Clay cuts off the rapist's balls. Bobby and Tig let him go as the dead weight becomes too much.
"Let him bleed out. Bury him in the woods. Mark the grave," Clay says emotionlessly.
"Holy shit. Holy shit," Half-Sac says, turning away. He didn't have to imagine what that felt like.
"Pick those up and gift wrap 'em," Clay says, pointing to the dismembered body parts. "Put this in a bag. Make sure you don't touch it. It's got Oswald's prints all over it."
Clay tries to hand the knife to Jax but Jax just stands there. "What the hell are we doin' here?" he asks.
"Takin' out some real estate insurace," Clay informs him. Makin' sure Oswald doesn't sell off those tracts of lumber acreage."
"So you knew this was comin'. Whether Oswald had the nerve or not, this whole hunt was about blackmail," Jax asked enraged.
"Well, actually, the leverage was just a fortunate by-product of my community spirit," Clay tells him, handing the knife to Tig instead, and going to pass Jax.
"Hey. You want me to be your number two, protect this club? Then I gotta know where you're takin' us, otherwise, there's no trust. And if you and me don't trust each other, Sam Crow has got a problem," Jax says.
Clay rolls his eyes at having to spell this out for the kid. "If Oswald's land goes commercial, that means housing developments. Population rises, brings more cops, more state and federal involvement. Charming goes Disney, and Sam Crow gets squeezed out by the most dangerous gang of all: old white money. Now you know," Clay says, and walks away.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Bella was in Abel's nursery still, just letting her mind blank out. It was then she began singing a lullaby one of her friends in the Irish charter of The Coven used to sing to her.
Hush now, Mo stoirin, close your eyes and sleep,
Waltzing the waves, Diving the deep
The stars are shining bright
The wind is on the rise
Whispering words, of long lost lullabies
"If you're going to be singing in my tongue, lass, you'd best say the words right. Mo, sounds like Oh- with and 'M' in the front. Not Mah, like mom," she heard Chibs say from the doorway. Bella smiled at the man.
"If you're looking for Jax, you just missed him. He and Wendy were here to visit for a bit about an hour ago," she tells him.
Chibs shakes his head. "Nay, lass. I'm here for you. We have matters to discuss. Where did you learn that song anyway?"
Bella chuckled. "Ah, that's right. Small correction. It's Irish Gaelic, not Scottish."
"That particular word is still the same. Where did you learn it?"
"An old fried in Ireland used to sing it when she came to visit. Siobhan had the most beautiful voice. Her husband, Liam, is a little stand offish, but loyal once he decides you're worth it. And their daughter Maggie is a sweetheart," Bella explained.
"Would you like a ride back to the clubhouse? It'd be more comfortable to talk there than here," Chibs offered.
"I'd like that."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
They pulled up into the lot, and though it was late, there were still people about.
"Are you sure you want to do this now? You have to get up early for your ride, don't you?" Bella asked. Chibs shook his head.
"I'll be alright. The man I'm riding with decided he had some business to tie up, so we're leaving around lunch tomorrow...today, rather," he said, looking at the time on his phone.
"All right," Bella said as they made their way to his room. Closing the door and muffling the sound of the music in the main part of the bar, Chibs and Bella sat on the bed. Bella fidgeted uncomfortably for a bit.
"I don't know how to start this," she admitted.
"We'll start with something easy, how do you feel about me?" Chibs asks. Bella gave an ironic laugh.
"Oh, Filip, that question is far from simple."
"How so?"
Bella took a steadying breath. "I feel so much for you. I care for you very deeply. More than a friend, if us shacking up every night is any indicator. But I am also terrified. The last time I got serious with anyone, it didn't end well." Chibs let his hand, which he had rested on her thigh when they sat, glide up to the scar on her hip. He lightly rubbed it in question.
"Yeah. I caught Edward with another woman. I know the rules. While on a run, it's more of a don't ask don't tell policy. I had no problem, and still don't, with this rule, until he brought the bitch home. Tanya. He apparently wanted to wait until we were married to bed me, but he had no problems fucking her on the side. When I refused to go along with it, he burned off the cross he gave me. It's much like a Son giving their old lady their crow, from what Luann said. Edward was the V.P. of that charter. He ordered Jasper, his Sergeant at Arms, and Emmett, another muscle man, to hold me down while he beat the shit out of me, and then took back his cross. This made the betrayal deeper. I was close to Jasper and Emmett. Hell, at my lowest time, when I needed protection, Jasper even said I was worth it. All the trouble," she said sadly.
"So, yes. I care for you very much. I am just very afraid to put myself through this again. I refuse to let myself be hurt like that again." Chibs pulled her into an embrace, and kissed her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo from her hair.
"I care very much for you, as well, Izzy. I was worried at first about the age gap. You didn't give me much time to dwell, and I'm a selfish enough bastard to want to keep you now. But Izzy, I need to tell you. I can't wed you. I'm already-"
"I know," Bella said.
"You know?" Chibs asked. Bella nodded.
"Gemma told me. About your wife in Ireland. I'm ok with being the one on the side, so long as you stay here with me," Bella said. "You don't love her, right?" she asks, a bit of insecurity coming out. Chibs shook his head.
"Nay, lass. The love I bore for her died when she betrayed our wedding vows to be with the man who took them from me." Bella nodded and cuddled deeper into Chibs's side.
"What about children, Izzy. Surely, you'd like to have them? I'm not getting any younger. Things like that become harder for a man as they age," he asked.
Bella shrugged. "If I become a mother, that's great, but I'm not going to actively pursue it. If it happens, it happens. No point in worrying about eating that food until it's served." Chibs kissed her head again.
"Very well." He put a finger under her chin and brought her face up to his so he could place a kiss to her lips.
Bella, now that she knew what she was missing out on in the past, was always up for a roll in the sack. She moved herself so she was straddling his lap.
"Now can we have some fun? All work and no play makes for a very bitchy Bella," she joked. Chibs laughed, falling back so they lay on the bed.
"I do believe your promise was to make me no even want to look at another Crow-eater," Chibs growled, calling Bella's bluff. Bella pulled her shirt over her head, along with her bra.
"Damn straight," she said, leaning down to kiss him, hard.
Chibs's hands, that were on her hips, moved around to undo the button on her jeans. Bella did the same with his, shoving her hand and grabbing his hard cock as soon as the pants were undone and barely to his knees. Chibs groaned at the feeling of her little hand surrounding him. Kicking off her own jeans, she once more straddled him, sliding down his length and moaning as she felt every inch of him enter her. Placing and holding one of his hands on her hip and the other up to her breast, she began to gyrate her hips. Moving them in tight little circles and figure 8s.
"Jesus fuckin' Christ, woman," Chibs moaned. "You're goin' to make my heart beat right out of me chest the way you're goin'."
Bella moaned. She adored it when his accent got thicker. Generally when emotions are running high, in this case, lust. Bella steadied herself by placing a hand on his tattoo covered chest. She once asked him why the strange money bill, and he said it pretty much just symbolized the saying, 'just shut up, and pay me.'
Chibs could feel her walls fluttering as her climax approached. He slid the hand on her breast down to her clit and drew firm circles over it, causing her movements to become erratic in her need to finish. In an effort to help her along, he used the hand on her hip to bring her down with force onto his straining cock. Sitting up, he began to use his mouth what his hand was previously doing, rolling her nipple between his teeth, nipping it firmly before soothing it with a swipe of his tongue.
Bella exploded then. The sensations becoming too much. "She-iiittttt!" Bella moaned as her walls clamped down on him. Not having enough, Chibs pulled out, loving the little whimper of loss she gave, before he flipped her over and entered her from behind, and pulling her onto him hard. His thrusts were relentless and punishing. Bella fisted the sheets in an effort to hold on to something. Fisting one of his large hands in her hair as the other went around to play with her over sensitized button, Chibs growled at every little sound she made.
"Filip, I- I-" Chibs pressed even more firmly on her clit, forcing another finish from her, as she screamed his name. The feeling of her once again gripping him so tightly, pulled his finish from him in a strained shout, and another sharp thrust into her waiting cunt.
They lay there catching their breath. "Fuckin' hell, lass. If I didn't know you were a virgin before we met, I'd have thought you learned that somewhere," he said. There was no reply and he looked down at her to see that she had passed out. Chibs shook his head. "I thought it was the man's job to fall asleep on the woman," he chuckled. Pulling her into him and setting an alarm for the next morning. Chibs followed her into sleep, thinking he really was one lucky bastard. He was going to go crazy not seeing her for the few days he'd be away 'escorting' Micheal.