Disclaimer-I am Jess, which is awesome, but not quite as awesome as being Kurt Sutter (hello, he's married to the gorgeous Katey Sagal!). Anyway, I don't own Sons of Anarchy or any of its recognizable characters, but I'll still mud wrestle someone for possession of Kozik since he's up for grabs.
Ace was halfway dozing when the sound of two Harleys interrupted her daydreaming. She was stretched out on the tailgate of the truck, soaking up the unusually strong sun, a rarity for Tacoma. Pushing up to sit, Ace watched Nova and Bulldog park and dismount. She had very vague, slightly uneasy memories of both of them being at the hospital, even though she didn't think they'd ever been in the room with her.
"Looking good, Ace!" Nova called appreciatively, and pulled her down by the hand. "Take a twirl, let me look actcha."
Laughing, Ace let him spin her around once before she pulled her hand free.
"Are you allowed to talk to me this time?" Nova asked as Bulldog joined them, nodding a wordless greeting to Ace. They were perfect foils for each other, the insanely good looking Nova and the swarthy, quiet Bulldog.
"Ha! I asked him the same thing!" Ace laughed, leading the way into the clubhouse. "He didn't really answer."
"At least Killah didn't specifically say no." Nova shrugged. "Alright, I need to piss and eat, and I'll be ready to roll."
"Go ahead and use our bathroom, last one on the right." Ace pointed down the hallway. "I'll make some lunch. There's one more box in there, bring it out with you?"
Nova waved his consent and Ace turned back around to find Bulldog close at hand. It momentarily startled her, but she knew that Happy had probably left fairly specific instructions about her protection, even here in the heart of Tacoma's clubhouse. Sighing, she resigned herself to being closely watched until Happy and Tig were done in Fallbrook. Since Bulldog didn't show any inclination to talk, Ace just set about fixing plates of leftovers from the night before, ignoring the scrutiny.
"This is some great shit." Nova remarked, setting the box down on the counter and pulling out the smaller box of old photographs. Ace grabbed it out of his hand and put it back.
"Eat first, we've got like 15 hours in the truck for you to snoop." She told him, pushing a plate at him and another at Bulldog. She set to work on her own, smaller plate of food. It was weird eating without Tig hovering and piling additional food on her plate. With a small smile for the weird, semi combative, semi caretaking, and all dysfunctional relationship she'd developed with Tigger, Ace applied herself to polishing off her food; ready to be on the road to Delia's house.
No Other Man Alive
They'd made it through Oregon before Happy had a chance to check his phone. Nova and Ace had both checked it to let him know that they had set out for California, which put him a little at ease. Part of him wished that he could've figured out a way to let her ride with them, but ultimately it was safer for both of them for her to be with Nova. If she was here, he'd be even more distracted, especially when they'd have to split off in different directions. It was bad leaving her behind anywhere, but that would be nothing compared to having to watch her actively drive away from him, even just to go to his Ma's house. Besides, there wasn't a chance in hell he'd be taking her anywhere near Charming if he could avoid it, which factored heavily in his decision to head East and stay there. The chances of the mother charter demanding your presence were greatly diminished when you were 3000 miles away.
"Dollface make it out alright?" Tig asked, lighting a smoke and nodding to the phone in Happy's hand.
"Yeah, they're on their way." He answered, flipping the phone closed and pocketing it. "You still cool with heading East?"
"Sure, no hair offa my balls either way." Tig shrugged.
Happy nodded, and crushed his own cigarette out under his boot. He and Tig would bring up the rear, so there was plenty of time before he had to mount back up. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket and shot off a short text, ignoring Tig's laughter. It wasn't worth the effort to respond, even though he would have if it had been anyone else. He didn't suppose there was any mystery about how much his old lady meant to him after he'd traded himself for her, but he didn't think it made him soft. If anything, the drive to make the club safer for her made him feel colder and harder. Even the decision to relinquish her protection to Nova for the duration was a calculated move to cement one more layer of loyalty for her. Happy wasn't a stupid man, and he wasn't going to make the mistake of not allowing a willing brother to watch her back for him again. If he had his way, within a year he would have Ace so deeply entrenched in the club that she never took a step again without a Son clearing her path first. Truth was, she had halfway managed that with no help from him already.
"Ace wants in on the Rivera retribution." Happy commented as they ambled back to their Harleys. "Where do you land on that?"
"Makes sense. She handled herself with Starla like a fucking champ." Tig grinned, his grin getting even bigger at the glare he caught from his partner. Happy was never going to not underestimate Ace's ability to deal with shit, and Tig felt a nearly religious calling to continue to prove her toughness to him.
"I don't like the idea of her anywhere near him." Happy rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the headache he could feel creeping in behind his eyes.
"You'll already have him subdued, and I'll keep myself between them, there's less than no risk." Tig pointed out.
"I don't like it." Happy just repeated, mostly to himself as they waited for the phalanx to pass them.
No Other Man Alive
It was almost six when Ace decided that she was tired of her stomach trying to eat her spine and found somewhere to stop for food and fuel. Nova was open mouthed snoring in the passenger seat and Ace took a long moment to consider leaving him there and getting herself fed, but she knew that Happy would lose his shit if he found out, and she'd promised not to give him anything to worry about.
"Nova." Ace said gently. "Wake up, it's time to eat." Nova didn't even flinch, and Ace risked jabbing him in the arm with a finger. "Come on, get up."
Realizing that he wasn't going to wake up easily, Ace mentally apologized to the bystanders and laid on the truck's obnoxiously loud horn, only letting up when Nova bolted upright. She did her best to stifle her laughter, but was mostly unsuccessful, based on Nova's glare.
"Sorry!" She gasped, not sounding apologetic in the least.
"What time is it?" Nova asked, sitting up and stretching, then checking their surroundings.
"Just shy of six. I figured we'd eat and fuel up. This beast is terrible on gas." She explained, and tucked her Glock into her waistband and pulled on her leather to keep it concealed.
"Good plan." Nova yawned and opened the truck door. "Stay put for a sec."
Ace waited obediently, and only semi-impatiently as Nova got out and took a lap around the truck stop, even ducking inside before he came back to open her door.
"All clear, captain?" Ace snapped a sarcastic salute before hopping down, and relinquishing the truck keys when he held his hand out.
"Yes, smartass. You didn't actually think I wouldn't take this seriously, did you?" Nova asked, following her into the truck stop. When Ace just shrugged noncommittally, Nova stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and cocked his head, perplexed. "I think you might be the only living human with a defunct fear response to your boy. It's not healthy."
"It seems to be working out alright, though, doesn't it?" Ace smiled smugly and brushed Nova's hand off her shoulder. He just shook his head and slid into the diner booth after her.
"You're a strange and fascinating woman, Ace Perez." He told her and looked at her appraisingly. "Also, you kinda scare the shit out of me."
No Other Man Alive
Tig followed him without question when Happy peeled off of the column before reaching Teller-Morrow's lot. It was only a few minutes to the motel that Happy and Ace had called home while they had been in Charming. The area in front of their door was no longer cordoned off, and Happy was sure there was fresh carpet. He considered asking the desk clerk for the key and going in, but decided that it was best if he didn't actually go in.
"You tight, brother?" Tig questioned, standing just behind him at Happy's right hand.
"Yeah. I'm good, bro." Happy answered without making a move to leave. He continued to stare at the door, but in his head he was watching Tig put Ace through the progression of that night and inserting it into the physical space in front of him. It was all too real to him, and he could feel the rage at his helplessness start to burn in his gut. It was the perfect reminder what he was there for and why he'd put Ace in Nova's care. He was going to wipe the planet clean of the entire organization that had dared to presume they were bad enough to withstand retaliation for going after Ace.
She was so much herself still that Happy could consciously put aside what had been done to her most of the time. There were odd moments when she looked so far away, or when some little detail sparked a memory and she flinched or turned unexpectedly melancholy, but she was so strong and self contained, even now. They'd wanted to break her, to send her back to him a broken shell, so he could face his failings every day; and even though he did occasionally watch her while she was asleep, silently listing the ways he'd fallen short, more often he was in awe of how utterly undefeated she was.
"You really think she should be there?" He finally asked, and Tig shifted beside him.
"Yeah, I do." Tig answered, his voice serious and contemplative. "You gotta see it from her side, man. She's been letting you handle this retaliation with almost no interference and no questions. She knows that the only reason she got away with the Starla bit was because we went behind your back. This may have been about you, Hap, but it happened to her. She's not asking to get bloody this time, I don't think, just to see it end."
"Yeah." Happy agreed. "I can see that."
"Come on, Killah, let's get to T-M before Jax sends out a search party." Tig said, pulling the stone cold assassin away from his contemplation of the door behind which he'd almost lost his wife.
No Other Man Alive
They were fed and fueled and back on the road well before seven, with Nova singing very loudly and very much off key to some bubble gum country pop song. He had one hand on the wheel and the other one was rummaging through the photo box he'd plopped on the seat between them. He'd pull a picture out, look at it, usually laugh, and then hand it to Ace for explanation. Some of them she knew about, others were new to her.
"Holy shit, Killah knows how to hold a baby?" Nova crowed, studying the faded Polaroid. "And look at that fucking hair!"
Ace leaned over and plucked it out of his hand, looking at it carefully. She smiled, a soft, sweet smile and even Nova could feel the bone deep commitment she had to Happy. He'd never doubted it, having seen them in the days following her rape, but this was a different, more private glimpse into their history that he felt privileged to see.
"That's me." Ace said, tapping a finger lightly on the picture.
"No shit?" Nova asked, and grabbed the picture back. "I knew you'd known him for a while, but that shit really puts it into perspective. So it was like, from birth then?"
"Not quite, but close." Ace said, that small, secret smile still in place. "My parents moved in next door to Delia on my first birthday, so it'll be 29 years tomorrow."
"Awww, you got a birthday tomorrow and no one told me?" Nova cried, genuinely put out by the notion. "We gotta go out and celebrate!"
"Uh, I don't think that Happy would be too thrilled with that plan, Bakersfield or not." Ace pointed out, and Nova nodded sagely.
"True. But we gotta do something, that's a big one." Nova told her, already rummaging in the box for another picture.
"Oh, I doubt very much that Delia will let it slide, Nova, even if I wanted her to." Ace commented drily.
"Do you think she'll make tamales?" Nova asked wistfully and Ace cracked the hell up. "What? Her tamales are a religious experience."
"I completely agree. Let's be friends, Nova." Ace said seriously, regaining her composure.
"Really? We've been in this fucking truck for eight hours and you only just decided to like me? I think I'm losing my touch." Nova looked utterly dismayed, even flipped down the visor to check himself out in the mirror, as though worried that his looks had faded.
"You're still very pretty." Ace reassured him. "Just not my cup of tea, Casanova."
No Other Man Alive
Happy was sitting outside on the picnic table, flipping his phone open and closed, bottle of Jameson at hand between him and Chibs. The display on the front of the phone told him it was after ten, which meant that Nova and Ace were probably pretty close to Charming.
"Worrying about your woman?" Chibs observed astutely, and tipped the bottle to fill up his glass again.
"Nah, Nova's got her." Happy denied, because he wasn't precisely worried about her, it just chafed at him knowing she was nearby, but not in his bed.
"They'll practically drive through the center o' Charming, just have them stop for the night, you'll feel better for it." Chibs suggested, and refilled Happy's glass as well.
"I definitely wouldn't feel better having her in Charming." Happy shook his head at the thought. Just the fact that she was in the same state made him want to kick someone. Probably Clay, he decided, eyes narrowing at the old man standing near one of the big grills, holding court over members from New Mexico and a couple of Tacoma's guys. He'd made a point not to come near Happy, presumably because he assumed Tig had told Happy about Clay's role in Ace's abduction. Happy knew that Rivera's crew would have found another opening if it hadn't been that night, but he wasn't going to forgive his brother for that night's outcome, not in Clay's lifetime, anyway.
Jax had been all apologies and philosophical bullshit when he and Tig had rejoined the amassed Sons at the Redwood clubhouse. Happy respected Jax as an intellectual man, a smarter leader than his stepfather had been, but he was getting cocky and all his big picture dreams had clouded his judgment when Ace had been missing. The Redwood crew Happy had been a part of would have never left an old lady in an enemy's hands for even a minute longer than they had to. Jax was doing his best to make up for it, and this show of support for his personal vendetta was definitely the way to do it, but it was hard for him to look at Jax without seeing him at the head of Redwood's table with all the information he needed to bring Ace home and not moving on it.
"What time is the first crew rolling out?" Happy asked Chibs, distracting himself with business to get his mind off the surly track it was on. The assembled Sons were going to be riding out in groups of two and three at half hour intervals to keep suspicion to a minimum. The Bastardos weren't stupid, they'd turn tail and run if a big group of Harleys was spotted on the highway barreling toward Fallbrook. Small packs of weekend warriors, though, wouldn't raise anyone's hackles. They were going to meet up at the Rebel King's clubhouse and at member's homes, spreading the bikes out across Mission Viejo. From there it was only an hour's ride to Fallbrook and redemption.
"Theoretically around seven, but that's assuming anyone's awake at that hour and able to ride." Chibs answered, finishing his whiskey neatly and dropping the empty glass over the neck of the bottle.
"Fucking better be." Happy mumbled and stood up. "I'm going to find Tig. Call me if there's any trouble getting guys out in the morning, I'll come deal with it myself."
Without waiting for a response, Happy pushed off of the table and headed toward the clubhouse door. He returned the nods and handshakes from his brothers that he hadn't seen already, hating the pity that lurked in the back of every man's gaze. They all knew why they were here, and he wondered what he was going to have to do to overshadow what had been done to his old lady. It set the wheels in his head turning, considering ways he could make an example of Rivera in particular, because maybe if it was gruesome enough his brothers could begin to bury that pity under admiration.
The clubhouse proper was nearly as crowded as it had been the night before Piney's funeral. A brief scan didn't reveal Tig in any of his usual haunts, and Happy really hoped he wasn't holed up in the dorms already since they were supposed to be crashing at Tig's place and he didn't have keys. He really didn't want to try to fight for space here, it was too crowded and it was filled to the brim with unpleasant memories. The only memories he had of Tig's place were hazy ones from nights of general debauchery, uncomplicated and pain free.
Deciding that a trip to the can was probably in order before he started knocking on random doors, Happy stalked through the crowd. It was the same in here as it had been outside, with the stares and wary greetings. The only person he really welcomed any amount of conversation from was Juice, who snagged his attention from where he sat with his old lady.
"Juice." He grinned, and this hug was genuinely enthusiastic. The Puerto Rican that everyone rode for being an idiot was definitely anything but stupid, and Happy was well aware of how significant a role he'd played in pushing him and Ace back together. "It's good to see you. How're things with Jax?"
"Still pretty chilly." Juice admitted, shrugging. "Jenna and I are discussing options."
"Hey Jenna." Happy nodded to her, and she smiled back with a little wave. He didn't think she'd fully forgiven him for the fight he'd gotten into with Ace, and that was cool with him. Ace needed strong bitches like that at her back. He turned his attention back to Juice. "Anything you need, you give me a call and I'll make it happen. I owe you."
"You don't owe me, Happy." Juice shook his head, and then stopped at Happy's glare. "I appreciate it, and I'll be in touch when we're ready to make our move."
"Do that." Happy ordered and continued on to the bathroom. There was a line, mostly croweaters and hangarounds, so Happy just stepped in front of them when the door opened, daring anyone to protest. No one did.
About a gallon of used whiskey lighter, Happy found himself in the mostly deserted dorm hallway in pursuit of Tig. Bobby Elvis was leading a very young looking brunette with absurdly large breasts into a room, and there was a Prospect chatting up a not so young looking brunette.
"Hey Killah, we never got to finish what we started." Happy turned to find the tall blonde croweater that Ace had caught him with slipping right up into his personal space. She trailed one sharp, fake fingernail down his torso and over the fly of his jeans. "I'd love to get that big cock in my mouth again."
He hadn't gotten his dick sucked since the last time this slut had blown him, and he was instantly rock hard at the thought. Ace had tried to give him head last week, but it had been a certified disaster, she'd been shaking and incapable of breathing in seconds, and he'd lost his hard on. Neither one of them felt good about the attempt and they hadn't brought it up, since. But he remembered every single time before, from the first morning he'd woken up to her to the morning in Indian Hills when she'd let him fuck her mouth, or the brief but spectacular head she'd given him on her knees in the motel in Phoenix. The blonde bitch didn't miss his dick's reaction to the attention and she smiled, mistakenly convinced that it was in response to her, when really it was the flood of memories involving his old lady that had his willpower weak. She was stroking him through his jeans and he hadn't quite made up his mind to push her off when he opened his eyes to find Tig's cold blue eyes drilling into his from a few feet away.
"Get your fucking hands off of me." He grunted, and shoved past her, ignoring the bitch's indignant squeal. He didn't even pause when he passed Tig. "Let's get the fuck out of here."
"Yeah, it's definitely time to leave." Tig answered coldly, turning his gaze on the croweater. He waited until Happy had been absorbed by the crowd in the clubhouse before he caught the gash's arm in a tight grip, hauling her up so she was eye to eye to him. "You and your little cunt parade friends are gonna leave him the hell alone or else I'm gonna carve your fucking tits off, do you understand?"
Eye huge and overflowing with tears and terror, the croweater nodded furiously. Tig pushed her away and followed in the wake of his partner. Pushing out onto the lot, Killah was easy to spot. He was leaning against his distinctive ride, and Tig could see from here that he was on the phone. Killah didn't really do phone calls if he could help it, so it was a safe bet that he was talking to Ace. Tig took his time ambling over, sure that he didn't really need to get an earful of whatever they were discussing. It was either going to be that fucked up back and forth that passed for romance between them or else he was telling her all the dirty shit he wanted to be doing to her. Either way, Tig already knew the script and didn't need a refresher. Happy noted his cautious approach and nodded to him that it was safe, wrapping up his conversation with his old lady seconds after Tig got within earshot.
"Everything good?" Tig asked, mounting up and putting on his helmet.
"Yeah, they'll be at my Ma's before the sun comes up." Happy answered, not looking at him. "I wasn't gonna fuck that chick."
"No one said you were." Tig agreed and their eyes finally met. Happy nodded again, both in agreement.
No Other Man Alive
Ace smiled into the dark cab of the truck and tucked the phone into the inside pocket of her leather. Nova, having heard her side of the conversation felt like he was probably seeing a side to Ace, and by extension, Happy, that very few ever did. Tig, certainly, and maybe Kozik, but that was likely the extent. Happy was a quiet sort, and rarely offered up personal information to anyone not inside his very tight inner circle. He didn't figure that he would have been Happy's first choice for this particular detail, but he wouldn't have been able to order Tig or Kozik away from Fallbrook, so Nova was content with being the acceptable third choice.
"Everything copacetic in Charming?" He asked her, even though her facial expression told him that things were definitely better than alright.
"As they ever are in that town." Ace said, looking a little more serious. "It's a really strange place, you know."
"Yeah, it is." Nova agreed. "I was a Rogue River guy up until my divorce 8 years ago. It's a small town, too, but not nearly as odd a place as Charming."
"You were married?" Ace asked incredulously, trying to fit this piece of the puzzle into the fun loving, womanizing Nomad she'd assumed him to be.
"Eleven years." Nova told her, eyes on the road, fingers drumming on the steering wheel.
"Kids?" Ace asked tentatively, watching his reactions.
"Nah, I never wanted 'em, it's probably the biggest reason we split up. Shoulda never gotten together, really, I knew she wanted babies, but I thought she'd get over it or something. She was remarried and pregnant within a year, and I joined up with Quinn's crew."
"I'm sorry." Ace said, and meant it. "It sounds like you really loved her."
"Doesn't matter." He shrugged, and turned the conversation back on her. "What about you? You want kids someday?"
"Oh God, no." Ace made a face at the thought of having a baby that slept like her and made demands like Happy, it would be a nightmare.
"You got a sister who feels the same way?" Nova sighed with a half hearted chuckle.
"Sorry, I'm an only child, but I'll keep my eyes peeled." Ace offered, yawning, and pulled her knees up. Nova glanced her way and smiled ruefully, he was envious of his brother no matter how much bullshit his old lady caused for him. Ace was so sure of herself and the focus she had on Happy was undoubtedly less than textbook healthy, but Nova was more sure than ever that the killer was equally obsessed, albeit in a scarier way.
"You do that." He told her, returning his attention to the road laid out in front of them. "Get some sleep, I'll wake you up when we get to the house."
No Other Man Alive
The vibration of his phone woke Happy up a little after three in the morning. He rolled off of Tig's extraordinarily uncomfortable couch and made a beeline for the sliding glass door out onto the two foot square balcony.
"Yeah?" He ground out, and swallowed compulsively, trying to work the ground glass feeling out of his throat.
"Hey Killah, just wanted to let you know we're pulling into the drive in about a minute and a half. Figured you'd want to know." Nova told him, and Happy did feel better knowing that they were going to be off the road soon.
"Yeah, thanks, brother." Happy rubbed his eyes with his free hand trying to resist the impulse to have him wake her up, and failing. "Is she awake?"
"Nah, she curled up and went to sleep a little bit after getting off the phone with you." Nova told him, and Happy could picture it in his head.
"Wake her up, I want to talk to her." He decided that she'd have to wake up when they got to the house anyway, since Ace had the house key.
"Alright." Nova said, and his voice got distant as he pulled the phone away from his ear. "Yo, Perez. Wake up, Hap wants to talk to you."
"Hey, big man." She breathed sleepily into the phone. Happy closed his eyes to hold onto the image of her in his head, all flushed and languid from sleep.
"How was the drive, baby girl?" Happy asked, and didn't really care about the answer. He knew they'd made it with no problems, which was all he needed to know, this was just an easy way to listen to her talk for a while.
"It was alright. Nova went through your pictures, but I promise I didn't tell him anything incriminating." She chuckled quietly. Happy could just bet that Nova had had a field day with that. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"Yeah, I'll get back to it in a minute, just wanted to talk to you first." He told her, knowing that he really should get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long fucking day and he needed to be at the top of his game to pull off the complete annihilation he wanted.
"Did something happen?" Ace asked, sounding more alert and Happy realized his misstep.
"No, everything's fine. I just meant that I wanted to hear from you." He mumbled, wondering when he'd become the fucking sappy one. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Tig was still passed out.
"Ok." Ace said agreeably, even though he was sure she smiling to herself over his admission. "Oh, apparently we're here."
"Yeah, you should get inside and get back to sleep." Happy told her reluctantly. He wanted to say something to her, something heavy to hold onto if this went shit side up, but he couldn't come up with any words that would be worthy of her. "I'll see you in a few days, baby."
"Sounds perfect, big man." She answered, and he knew that she was holding back on any mention of what he was doing in the interim, which cemented how grateful he was in that moment for her absolute knowledge about what he needed. He wasn't going to be able to match her, so he just hung up the phone and opened the door quietly, sliding it closed behind him. He'd gotten as comfortable as he was going to on the fucked up couch when Tig spoke without moving, when Happy had been certain he'd still been asleep.
"Dollface make it alright?"
"Yeah, they just rolled in." Happy grunted back.
"Good, now shut the fuck up and go to sleep." Tig mumbled, pulling a pillow up over his face.
No Other Man Alive
Tig and Happy managed to be at the clubhouse earlier than most. They'd only missed the first group to ride out, miraculously on time. They were both sitting with their backs to the bar, each of them had a cup of coffee in one hand and a smoke in the other. Bobby Elvis had slid a largely ignored plate of gigantic muffins on the bar at some point, and he had a typed schedule of who was supposed to be leaving when in his hand, studying it.
"Who's next?" Happy asked as the clock was starting to wind down with no sign of life anywhere in the clubhouse.
"Guys from SAMTAZ." Bobby answered, still staring at the sheet. "Four guys, figured we'd send em all together."
"They crash here?" Tig broke in, but Bobby shrugged.
"Don't know. I left soon after I saw you." Bobby said, nodding at Happy.
"Go check the garage, see if they bedded down there." Happy ordered Tig, and Tig nodded. Bobby sparked a joint and took a drag on it, then offered it silently to Happy, who shook his head. "I thought you had a no bud before nine rule?"
"Sure. It's past nine on the Eastern seaboard, right?" Bobby told him, taking a bite out of one of the muffins, and brushing crumbs from his beard. They both looked up at the sound of an air horn coming from the direction Tig had gone. "Guess Tigger found them."
"Guess so." Happy answered, and they both laughed. They'd started to recover when the four bedraggled SAMTAZ guys shuffled into the clubhouse, pulling on cuts and rubbing bloodshot eyes, which made Happy and Bobby laugh all over again.
"Coffee?" Bobby offered, getting his guffaws under control.
No Other Man Alive
Ace blew the tangle of curls out of her face so she could get a decent look at the clock. Ten in the morning seemed fairly reasonable to her, given that she'd lain awake for a few hours after arriving at Delia's house. She knew that there was a lot that Happy hadn't been saying on the phone, and it had taken her about an hour to decide that she shouldn't be worrying about him. Anything that was going to go down in Fallbrook wouldn't happen until that night, and she was certain that one of her Nomads would check in afterward, so there wasn't any point to stressing over it.
Sitting up, Ace rolled her neck and then winced when she stretched. Her neck was still a little stiff from sleeping in the truck, and she rubbed at it half heartedly. Waking up in Happy's old room was as much as head trip as it had been the first time. Despite being newly thirty, Ace felt a little bit like a high school kid getting caught sneaking out of her boyfriend's room. Not that she'd been the type to sneak around much as a kid; her own parents hadn't really been big on enforcing any rules, so she'd mostly been left to her own devices. The only one who'd ever really commented on her comings and goings had been Delia, usually on the mornings she'd stopped over for coffee because her sleep pattern was all fucked up.
Achieving vertical status, Ace dug through Happy's drawers until she found a fair of his basketball shorts and pulled them on, tucking her Glock into the waistband at the small of her back. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the back of the door, Ace wrinkled her nose and gathered the mess of curls into a knot on top of her head. Leaning in for a better look, Ace realized that she needed to make a judgment call on her hair color soon, her natural red a pretty obvious standout at the roots. Choosing to ignore her unruly hair for the time being, Ace wandered down the stairs, trailing her fingers lightly over the worn banister and smiling.
The house smelled like everything good about her childhood, and virtually nothing had changed. She could remember sitting on these stairs, peeking through the rails, usually to spy on Happy with the friends he'd sneak in while he was supposed to be watching her. She'd spent countless hours in Delia's closet playing dress up, and even more sitting at the kitchen table, drawing. The house itself was almost like another member of her tiny little family, and she loved it fiercely.
"Good morning." She greeted Delia, her voice still rough from sleeping. The tiny woman abandoned what she was doing at the counter and enveloped Ace in the kind of hugs only mothers can produce. Ace felt her eyes sting a little, but forbade herself to start sniffling at anything now.
"How's my beautiful birthday girl?" Delia teased, pushing her toward a kitchen chair. Ace rolled her eyes, and in a move that she'd seen Happy do a hundred times or more, she pulled her piece from its place and set it carefully on the table. She caught Delia's sigh and shrugged helplessly. "You two are more and more alike every day."
"It's his fault!" Ace protested, laughing. "It's definitely not my idea to 'carry every single second between now and when I see you next.'" Ace dropped her voice in a distinct and uncanny imitation of Happy's trademark growl.
"That's fucking creepy." Nova said, coming into the room, his eyes a little spooked.
"Sorry." Ace apologized, and grinned at Delia when she set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Thanks."
"So what kind of hijinks are we getting into today, birthday beauty?" Nova asked her, watching her eat.
"I'm thirty, isn't this the year women get to start ignoring birthdays?" Ace groaned. "And how are you up before me when you drove most of the night?"
"Had to check in with Quinn." Nova told her, and she nodded. "I told Delia we wanted tamales for your birthday, I hope that's cool with you."
"Ha!" Ace snorted. "Yes, that's fine. Did you check in with Charming, too?"
"No, did you?" Nova raised an eyebrow.
"No." Ace replied and glanced over to Delia, studiously not listening. "Hap will call if he needs to."
"Fact. Now what are we doing, Perez? We got nothing but time and opportunity." Nova was leaning forward on his elbows, intent on getting an answer from her.
"Honestly, all I really need to do is find someone to fix my hair." Ace admitted.
"Really?" Nova asked drily. "We've got all day and that's the best you can come up with?"
"Oh suck it, Nova, you'll live." Ace laughed, tossing a piece of bacon at him, which he caught and shoved into his mouth.
"Mrs. Alvarez can probably fit you in if you walk down there." Delia told her, pausing to kiss the top of Ace's head.
"How much fussing do I have to take over marrying your son?" Ace asked, washing her plate at the sink.
"Probably quite a bit." Delia smirked, and it was easy to see where Hap got his looks from. "But I'd say you earned it after you guys blew in and out in a few hours last time. Hector took it like a man when he stopped here on his own, I'm sure you'll manage just fine."
No Other Man Alive
It was nearing four in the afternoon, and Happy was losing patience with the waiting game. Jax, Chibs, and Juice were due to leave any minute, and then he and Tig could take to the road, bringing up the rear. He'd hit Juice's stash a little while ago in an attempt to chill the fuck out, but the high was only barely keeping him from pacing the clubhouse like a caged animal. Tig was next to him, knee bouncing frenetically.
"Cut that shit out." He barked finally. "You're driving me fucking crazy."
"Sorry, brother." Tig apologized, kicking his feet out in front of him and crossing his boots. "This shit is taking fucking forever."
"I know. But once we get to the Rebel King clubhouse, they should all be assembled and all we gotta do is suit up and go." Happy reminded him. "Jax'll have em all riled up by the time we roll in."
"Hey guys, you mind if I ride with you instead?" Juice asked, laying his cut on the bar as he came into the clubhouse. Happy and Tig exchanged a look, and Tig rolled his eyes heavenward in a bid for patience.
"Sure." Happy told him. "Trouble in paradise?"
"No more than the usual since I disappeared with you." Juice said, sitting on the coffee table across from them. "Are you still heading East after this to track Rivera?"
"Obviously." Happy grunted, and absent mindedly pulled his knife to check the edge.
"And when you're done, what's your plan?" Juice pushed, and Happy looked up at him.
"You're really ready to jump charters?" He asked seriously.
"Jenna doesn't feel safe here anymore with Jax freezing me out." Juice explained, side eyeing the door warily. Happy understood the nerves and went to the clubhouse door, opening it and taking up a lean to watch as Jax and Chibs readied themselves for the ride.
"Hey!" He barked, getting Jax's attention. "I'm gonna take Juice."
Jax didn't protest, which spoke volumes about where the two of them were at with each other. He just waved a hand to acknowledge that he'd heard and mounted up without another glance. Happy watched as the two Harleys took off out of the lot, and closed the door.
"Yeah, you gotta jump soon." He told Juice. "We're going to stay East. I want the entire country between Redwood and Ace."
"I hate to be the asshole here, but I'm not fucking dealing with another old lady and a goddamn baby." Tig said seriously, his eyebrows getting lost in his hairline.
"So you're still not going to a charter?" Juice asked, rubbing the bald sides of his head nervously, rocking a little in his seat.
"No, but that doesn't mean you can't." Happy told him. "NY would kill for a tech guy like you, or try Miami on for size, nothing but possibilities, man."
"Yeah. I just don't want to leave Jenna here for too long while I figure it out, ya know?" Juice told him, still rocking like a junkie.
"Chill the fuck out, I fucking get it, bro. I wouldn't want to leave my ol' lady for that long, either. Ride out when we're done with Rivera, take a week or two to pick a charter that you like and there you go." Happy told him, shrugging. It didn't seem that complicated to him, but then his girl came with no strings attached which he was eternally grateful for. "I'll even throw some inquiries out for you if you want."
"Yeah, man, that'd be good." Juice agreed gratefully and stood up. Happy hugged him, and slapped the side of his face lightly.
"You're doing the right thing, Juice. Gotta protect your family." Happy told him, and grinned. "Besides, it'll make my life a fuck of a lot easier to have you and Jenna on the East coast to watch out for Ace."
No Other Man Alive
Ace was thoroughly amused observing Nova's completely bewildered expression while sitting in the salon chair next to hers. The rapid fire Spanish was utterly beyond his comprehension, which only spurred the ladies on to more extravagant and outlandish compliments to various parts of Nova's anatomy. Ace's shoulders were shaking with the effort not to laugh out loud at him.
"I don't actually want to know what they're saying, do I?" Nova asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The women within earshot laughed at that, which told him all he needed to know.
"No, probably not." Ace told him honestly. She'd feel bad for him, except that she'd already been raked over the coals for her spontaneous elopement. There had been a solid hour of exclamations over her ring and ink, and about a million questions about how long they'd been seeing each other and what had happened to Tony, and Ace had ducked most of them. She knew that the general assumption was that her and Hap had been having an affair for years before Tony had committed suicide, and although that irritated her, it wasn't worth trying to explain. Any protestations would only make her look more guilty, so she just kept silent. She figured it was probably what most people who knew them thought anyway, because the idea of two people having as much history between them as she and Happy did without crossing physical boundaries was inconceivable to outsiders.
"Are we almost done here?" Nova asked, nearly whining, and Ace laughed.
"Yep. I'm not going to bother drying this mess." Ace waved a hand at her mass of curls, already beginning to riot. She pulled her phone out and checked the time, nearly five, and no missed calls or texts. "You haven't heard from anyone, have you?" She asked Nova, pulling her wallet out and paying Mrs. Alvarez for her artistry in returning Ace's curls to one uniform color.
"Not a peep from anyone other than Bulldog." Nova told her. "Tacoma's all quiet."
"I can imagine." Ace said, leading the Nomad on the three block walk back to Delia's house. He was fascinated by the amount of attention she received, every third person they passed called out to her or waved.
"Quite the popular attraction." Nova commented after Ace stopped to talk to an older man sitting in a folding lawn chair on the sidewalk, smoking a pipe.
"Oh, I wasn't nearly so popular when I lived here." Ace told him, turning backwards to face him.
"I find that hard to believe based on all the attention." Nova said, reaching out to catch her by the arm when she tripped over a crack in the sidewalk.
"I ran a little wild after Hap took off for Tacoma." Ace explained. "And I took a lot of shit for being the half breed offspring of junkie parents."
"It's really weird thinking about Happy and you as a kid." Nova told her, following suit as she flopped down on one of the chairs on Delia's deep front porch. She put her piece down on the little table behind a pot of flowers.
"I know." Ace twisted her hair up into a loose bun. "I guess the age difference is a little fucked up when you factor in how long we've known each other."
"No, it's not that." Nova said, his brow furrowed as he tried to work out what he meant. "At least, it's not just that. It's more that you guys are so…I don't know, in sync with each other now that it's strange to consider that you weren't always on the same level."
"Yeah, not always, I promise." Ace snorted, considering the blow out fights that they'd had. They definitely needed to get that in check soon, or they might kill each other the next time. She checked her phone again, even though she knew it wouldn't tell her anything new.
"Worried?" Nova asked, nodding to the phone she was flipping open and shut.
"No." Ace said, and Nova just stared her down. "Maybe."
"Well don't be. The amount of men and firepower that they have at this little shindig is beyond overkill." Nova chuckled, spinning his boot gun on one finger to entertain himself.
"It's not that I don't think he can handle himself." Ace defended. "It's just still raw."
"You both came out the other side, this is nothing." Nova reassured her, and put his piece next to hers, and patted her hand awkwardly. Ace shot him a look and he pulled his hand back, laughing. "You think the tamales are done, yet?"
No Other Man Alive
It was an uneventful ride down from Charming to the Rebel Kings' clubhouse in Mission Viejo. Tig and Happy had their cuts under hoodies, and Juice had left his on the bar, so they were just three bikers out for a ride down I-5. Happy spent the time in his head, considering what Tig had said about allowing Ace to witness the downfall of Rivera, and about Juice, thinking about moving his family East.
When they'd parted ways after Fallbrook, he'd been pretty certain that Jax would let up on the geek eventually, but Jax seemed short on forgiveness these days. If Ace hadn't put her foot down about Tacoma, Happy would have encouraged Juice to head up that way. It was a good charter for families, but since they were staying East, it really suited his purposes better to have Juice out that way, too. It had been a lot of years since he'd spent any time working for Bishop's crew of Nomads, so he didn't have the tight connections out there, yet, that he would need for Ace. Ace wouldn't object to spending time with Juice and Jenna, though, while he was working.
His mind circled back to Ace, like it always did. Rivera was going to die, and Happy had every intention of making it brutal and bloody, the kind of torture that was biblical and barbaric. She knew him for the killer that he was, but it was one thing to know it, and another entirely to see how savage he was about to get. He had no illusions that some of the shit he'd been contemplating was beyond what even he'd thought he was capable of. But for her? He'd found himself capable of all kinds of things he'd never expected, so this wasn't any different. He didn't think he wanted her to witness the depths of depravity he was willing to go to for her, though. Tig had insisted repeatedly that Ace was tougher than he gave her credit for, and he guessed he knew that, but there was a part of him that wanted to keep her insulated from all that. He knew it was completely absurd, he'd been the one who had repeatedly brought her into this world, since she'd been a child, he'd been tying her up in his life with the club.
Happy spent more than a few miles reflecting back on the first night he'd given her a tattoo gun. On her big, trusting eyes and how that one single act had set his boot on the path that would always lead back to her. He wondered if she felt the same way about that night, if that mark had given her the same feeling of ownership. He hadn't really grudged her her marriage to Tony, but it had definitely confused him when his Ma had told him. She'd seemed still a child to him, even though she'd been 18 and mostly running her parents' household by that time. He'd come home to take care of his mother when she'd had her heart attack, so he'd gotten into town when Ace's parents had kicked it. He would've gone to the funeral, but there hadn't been one, and in a matter of days she'd been gone. He'd been so wrapped up in his fear for his mother that he hadn't been too concerned. He'd only learned that she'd gone and gotten married when his Ma had called him with the news several months later. She hadn't even been surprised when he'd tracked her to Fallbrook and knocked on the door of her shitty little apartment, and handed her his tat gun. He didn't ask about her marriage and she didn't defend it, either. Tony had come home and strutted around in his uniform, trying to convince himself that he was playing in the same league as Happy. He hadn't given a shit about him, all he was there for was to check on his girl. It was a pattern that would continue for all the years until that last time.
Abandoning the semi distant past, he let himself go back to the moment Rivera's henchmen had pulled her from the van. She hadn't been able to stand, weak from blood loss. He knew now that she must've only been dressed for minutes before she'd been brought to the meeting, because her black shirt had still been able to camouflage how bad the bleeding had gotten. Even worse than the blood and the bruises had been when she'd looked at him and smiled. Her lip had been split and her teeth bloody, but the pain and fear still hadn't dampened her natural reaction to him. That memory carried him the remaining miles to Mission Viejo.
By the time he pulled onto the Rebel King's lot with Juice and Tig behind him, his rage and hate had coalesced into a cold ball of purpose in his gut. He wasn't man or club or husband anymore, all he was was the task in front of him. Kozik met his eyes from where he stood with a knot of brothers from New Mexico, and Happy knew that he'd been about the business of reminding them why they were doing this. Happy couldn't think of a better man for the job. He wasn't one for words, but Kozik was a talker and he'd had the privilege and misfortune to have gotten a front row ticket to the disaster Ace had been afterward. Jax appeared to be similarly engaged, and although he didn't have the same personal interest that Kozik did, he had the advantage of being King and a bone deep belief in anything that came out of his own mouth.
Happy dismounted and lit a smoke, hyper aware of all the eyes on him. Tig was at his right hand and Juice a step behind on his left. He waded through the mass of men, not a single one spoke to him, just a hand clapped on his shoulder as they cleared out of his path. When he got to the middle of the group he stopped, boots planted on the pavement. All around him the voices of his brothers died down until it was dead silent. If he had had any ounce of feeling to spare, he would have been grateful for the monumental show of support. He turned a slow circle, meeting as many eyes as he could, ending with Jax. They nodded to each other once and Jax led the assemblage to the line of Harleys. The time for rabble rousing and speeches had passed, it was finally time to get down to the real business. This was why any man had chosen the life, the ability to call on the club if any of your nightmares came to life.
No Other Man Alive
Ace was bathed in the light from 30 candles stuck in as many cupcakes on the table in front of her. She didn't even notice when Nova snapped a picture with his phone, her eyes were shut as she made the only wish she could think of; for no man to be killed in defense of her tonight. She felt her phone vibrate once against her leg, indicating an incoming message, but she didn't check it, just blew as hard as she could, once and then again to extinguish the candles. Under cover of the table, she pulled the phone out and flipped it open long enough to see that it was a picture from Tig's phone, but she didn't wait for it to load, just flipped it shut again and pocketed it. Its presence burned against her leg, but she forced herself to laugh and smile with Delia and Nova, her Nomad shadow.
The effort of the show she was putting on for Happy's mother's benefit was exhausting her, but she did her best not to let it show. Delia knew that Happy was an outlaw, but there was no way Ace was going to be the one to give her any indication that what he was about tonight was anything other than business as usual. She'd brushed off all of Delia's queries about the possibility of grandchildren, and felt a little bad to have disappointed her. She hadn't been surprised, of course, but it seemed that she still had some lingering hopes.
It was a relief when Delia had finally dropped a kiss on top of Ace's head, and another on Nova, and said her good nights. Ace let her head hang back over the chair for a minute with her eyes shut. Sitting upright, she pulled the band from her hair, and rubbed her scalp, wincing at the tenderness, a side effect of tying up her heavy curls. When she felt like she could stand it, Ace pulled her phone out and flipped it open, laying on the table in front of her. Nova stayed silent through this, watching her in the way that she'd become very familiar with from her time in Kozik and Tig's care. Tig had taken the picture from behind and to Hap's right, so his face was almost entirely in shadow. Beyond him were Sons on every side. She stared at her strong, proud man for a long minute, until she couldn't look at it for another second without going mad, so she pushed away from the table and left the phone where it lay.
She heard Nova retrieving it and coming after her, but she wasn't going far. All Ace wanted was to be outside, where she could breathe a little easier. Tig had almost certainly meant that picture to be reassuring, to show her that the entire SOA nation had shown up to help Happy finish this job, but the set of his shoulders, and the hard line of his jaw reminded her too strongly of the day he'd given himself up for her. She'd been so relieved to see him, until he'd told her captors to give her to Tig, and then she'd finally realized what he'd done. It still made her sick.
Ace went to the truck, only realizing after she tried to open the door that it was locked. She turned back to the porch, and Nova held the keys up and tossed them to her. She nodded her thanks and opened the passenger door. She didn't climb in, because she knew that her silent flight likely had her bodyguard a little nervous. Instead, she leaned in and rooted in the glove compartment until her hand landed on the pack of cigarettes she'd known Hap would plant there. Flipping it open she couldn't help but smile weakly, since even though he'd put them there for her to find, he'd also made sure she didn't have more than half a pack to smoke. She shut the door and went to sit on the porch, pulling the ashtray Happy used within easy reach.
"I didn't know you smoked." Nova observed, taking up the spot next to her.
"I don't, usually." Ace said, lighting up. Nova just nodded, wisely remaining silent. When she'd finished the cigarette, stubbing it out in the ashtray, and still didn't show any signs of moving or talking, Nova put her phone down next to her Glock and stood up. She watched curiously as he disappeared into the house, surprised that he would leave her alone, but he returned moments later holding two beers in each hand. She took the one he offered, twisting the cap off. They tapped the necks of the bottles together and drank silently. It would be hours before any word came from Happy, she knew, but she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway so she stayed where she was and drank with Nova.
No Other Man Alive
Manuel Hernandez met the Sons at the motel outside of Fallbrook that Happy and Juice had lain up in. Even though Jax had ridden at the head of the column, it was Happy and Tig that dismounted and went to meet him. Happy and Manuel shook hands solemnly, each of them with their trigger man at their right hand.
"Everything is all set up for you." Hernandez told him. "We made certain that every member would need to be in that building tonight, the rest is up to you to handle."
"Appreciate it." Happy choked out, and pulled an envelope from inside his cut. At Hernandez's raised eyebrow, Happy handed it to him. "Personal gratitude."
"A pleasure." Hernandez said and accepted it, tucking it away without even looking. They shook hands again and it was on.
The Sons scattered in small groups again, they would have their rides stashed all over Fallbrook's tiny downtown and approach the pool hall on foot. Happy was only mildly surprised when Juice opted to stick with him and Tig instead of joining his own charter. He didn't spare another thought for it, though. He'd given Bill the heads up to close down early, so the tat shop was dark when they pulled into the quiet back lot. It was his intention never to come back to this town, and he trailed his hand along the brick face of the shop as he led the way to the pool hall.
He pulled the assault rifle from where it hung on his shoulder, his eyes seeking out his brothers as they all stepped out of the shadows all along Main Street. More were coming along the back of the building, he knew, ready to pick off any banger that tried to bitch out the back door. He didn't need to pretend to secrecy, the law enforcement in this shithole town had been paid handsomely to be otherwise occupied tonight. The rest of the Sons were doing what they could to stay out of sight, since the door was flanked by two huge windows, but Happy walked right up to the door, Tig and Juice still behind him and Kozik beating feet down the sidewalk to join them.
Weapons were cocked and Happy held up three fingers, then two, and then time slowed. He kicked in the door and even though the sound of guns and shattering glass should've been deafening, all Happy could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. The room was dimly lit, but targets made themselves immediately apparent. Each time he pulled the trigger another pissant hit the floor, until the disgusting industrial carpet was soaked in blood. When he ran out of ammo, he traded the rifle for both his SIGs, not ready to let up while there were still Bastardos breathing.
Too soon, though, the room was quiet. Still on guard, Happy scanned the upright bodies, but every man drawing breath was a Son. He could feel Tig close behind him, but he'd lost Juice and Kozik in the chaos. He went systematically from body to body, making sure that every single one was dead. His boot squelched in a puddle of blood where four of them lay practically on top of each other. Only when he was sure the room was clear did he begin to notice his surroundings.
"Where's Juice?" He asked Tig, but didn't need an answer because Juice raised his hand from across the bank of pool tables. "Kozik?"
"Caught a bullet in the leg." Tig told him, chuckling gleefully. "Nearly took his balls off, but he's fine."
"Everyone else whole?" Happy asked, and nodded when he got all clears from everyone in the room. He pushed through to the back and was met by Jax, who had headed the cleanup crew out back.
"We're good out here, no one got past." Jax told him without being asked. "Everyone good inside?"
"Yeah. Kozik took a bullet through the thigh, though. I'm going to have Nova bring the truck down to get him." Happy answered, and they hugged. "Thanks for this."
"Anytime, brother." Jax told him, and turned. "Alright, let's get outta here."
Sons melted back away into the shadows. Each charter had their own plans for the retreat, and Happy left them to it. Tig had snagged Donut to help with Kozik, and Happy wedged himself under Kozik's other arm to help pull him back to Bill's shop. Tig jimmied the lock on the back door, and they went in. Happy got Kozik settled in one of the chairs and backed off while Donut went to work on him.
No Other Man Alive
At some point Nova had just given up on ferrying back and forth to get beer and brought the twelve pack out and set it between them. Ace had managed to match him beer for beer, without turning a hair. She'd been completely steady on her feet a few minutes before when she'd gone inside to use the bathroom. The only indication that she'd been drinking was that her eyelids had gotten heavier as the night wore on. They still weren't talking, but the silence was an easy one, even though it was weighty.
The sound of Nova's phone ringing made them both start a little. He shot her a look and then dug the phone out from his cut and answered it.
"Yo." He said, and Ace pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest and watching Nova's face carefully in the thin light from the distant streetlamp.
"Yeah, yeah of course." Nova said, and Ace waited anxiously. "I'm leaving right now."
At that, Ace sat bolt upright, hands balled into fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms. Nova shook his head at her, but she couldn't relax.
"He's fine, Perez." Nova told her, closing the phone. "The only one who got hurt was Kozik, I'm just gonna take the truck to pick him up because he can't ride."
"Everyone else is ok?" Ace pressed, following him to the porch stairs.
"Yep, they cleaned house on those fuckers." Nova told her, and pushed her back toward the house. "Get inside and lock the goddamn door."
"It's really over?" She asked him, resisting the shove. Nova relented a little, because she suddenly looked half her age.
"Yeah, Perez, it's over. Happy birthday." He told her, and gave her another gentle push toward the door and this time she went.
"Be careful, Nova." She directed, and pulled the door closed. He waited until the lock clicked shut, and then he dashed quickly to the truck. It wasn't until he'd hit the highway that he remembered the picture he'd snapped earlier. Since they were all clear, he figured that it was safe to send it to Happy, remind him what the day was.
No Other Man Alive
Suddenly beyond exhausted, Ace dragged herself up the stairs to Happy's room. The bed looked incredibly inviting and she rushed to get herself ready for bed. She didn't bother with actual pajamas, just tossed her jeans in the general direction of her duffel bag and stripped off her bra without even taking her tank top off. She crawled onto the bed, wrapping herself in the quilt and settled in. She'd expected to fall asleep in seconds given the amount of beer she'd tucked away and how tired she was, but as the minutes ticked by, the more clear her mind become until she was wide awake. She kept her eyes closed for a few more minutes, trying to deny the wakefulness, but finally she gave up and stared at the ceiling.
"Goddammit." Ace muttered, throwing the covers back and sitting up. She went for the one thing she always counted on when she was burning hours in the middle of the night. She'd started working on this piece back in Tacoma, the night she'd agreed to stay with Happy. It had gone through a dozen different incarnations, but now she knew exactly what the finished piece should look like. She flipped on the light next to the bed and spread her pencils out on the pillow in front of her. She closed her eyes and pictured it in her head, and when she was sure she had every line perfect, she opened them again and bent her head to her work.
No Other Man Alive
Happy had gone outside to smoke while Donut sewed up the exit wound on Kozik's leg. His phone buzzed once in his pocket, and he was surprised. Ace wasn't usually one to try to get ahold of him first, especially when he was sure Nova had already told her that he was fine. He stuck his cigarette in his mouth and pulled the phone out, anxious to make sure that nothing was wrong on her end. It was a picture from Nova, though, and he opened it and smiled. Ace looked so damn gorgeous, and her hair was back to red. It took a long minute for him to catch on to the rest of the fucking picture and realize what the goddamn date was.
"Son of a bitch, I'm the world's biggest asshole." He muttered, snapping the phone closed as the door opened next to him.
"Who's the world's biggest asshole?" Tig asked, joining him. Happy shook his head and opened the phone again, and handed it over to Tig. "You planned this on her fucking birthday, man?" He laughed, passing the phone back. "Brother, you really suck at this."
"It's not that fucking funny." Happy grumbled, flicking the butt of his cigarette across the alley, watching the shower of sparks as it hit the opposite wall. Tig snorted one more time and clapped him hard on the shoulder.
"Come on, if we leave now, you'll only have missed it by like, five hours." Tig told him, shaking off his exhaustion for the ride. He knew Hap, and there wasn't anything he could say to keep him from taking off for his old lady, and he definitely wasn't going to let the Killah ride alone.
No Other Man Alive
The adrenaline of the night had burned off before they'd made it a hundred miles toward Bakersfield. It made the second leg of the journey feel like it took days instead of an hour and change. Pulling onto his Ma's street, Happy ignored the greetings of the young thugs still standing around drinking beer, sights set only on getting back to Ace. He was off his Harley and up the steps to the porch before Tig even had his kickstand down. He forced himself to slow down and wait for his partner. This flight to his childhood home had none of the desperation of earlier runs to his old lady. He reminded himself that knew where she was and that she was safe, so her could afford the extra minute.
"I'll hit the couch and wait for Nova and Kozik." Tig told him as Happy unlocked the door. Happy nodded silently and left Tig to it.
Happy paused at the bottom of the stairs, toeing his boots off to carry up, he didn't want to wake either of the women if he could help it. He shouldn't have worried, though, because Ace didn't even flinch when he opened the door. The lamp on his nightstand was on, so he had a clear view of her curled up with her sketchpad under her cheek, pencils scattered fucking everywhere on the bed. It was so typically Ace that he couldn't help chuckling under his breath.
She was thirty years old now, he reflected while he stripped his clothes off, folding them and leaving them on top of the dresser. It was an odd realization to come to, because on one hand she still seemed so impossibly young to him, or maybe it was that she made him feel young. On the other hand, though, she was whipcrack smart and he almost never felt the age difference come between them.
Stripped down, he sat on the edge of the bed, cocking his head to get a look at what Ace had been working on. It was a stretch of highway with a green road sign. Careful not to disturb her, he gently slid the book out from under her cheek to read the town name on the sign. Squinting at it, he started laughing silently, trying not to shake her, but when he glanced down, her eyes were open and on him.
"Road to redemption." He commented, holding up the book, and she nodded with a small smile. He brushed the mass of red curls off her forehead. She was always a stunner, but he thought she looked the most breathtaking right after she'd woken up, all flushed and mussed. "Where's it going to go?"
Ace disentangled a hand from the quilt and traced a line that started high on his ribs and curled around to the bottom of his shoulder blade. Looking at the drawing in his hand he knew that it would fit perfectly in the spot she'd indicated, no adjustments or resizing needed. It would go into his skin like he'd been waiting for it. He guessed that in a way he had been. He put the book on the nightstand and turned the lamp off, sliding down next to her. He tossed pencils behind him on the floor as he encountered them, feeling her laugh silently against him.
"You're back early." She breathed when they were nose to nose in the darkness. Breathing him in, he smelled like gunpowder and wind and she closed the inch between them to taste him, too.
"I missed your birthday." He murmured against her lips when she pulled back a little.
"You're here now." She told him, unconcerned, but he shook his head a little.
"You know you deserve better, baby." He told her, trying to be serious, but she was wiggling out from under the blanket and nipping his earlobe. When she'd freed herself, Ace threw her leg across his hip, pushing on his shoulder, and Happy let her roll him onto his back. He wrapped her hair around his hand and tugged her face down to his. He resisted the urge to put her on her back underneath him, wanting to give her the illusion of control for as long as he could stand it. She opened her big eyes and smirked at him, though, and she clearly knew what he wanted. He bit down on her lip, then suck it between his when she hissed. He'd forgotten that he'd bruised her the night before he'd left Tacoma.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he sat up and flipped her, pressing her into the mattress beneath him. She gasped and then hummed her approval, hands gripping his shoulders. He danced his hands down her sides and up under her top, pulling it off slowly, watching as every inch of skin was revealed. He should have known better than to expect her to take any kind of passive role, but it still managed to surprise him when she didn't wait for him, but pushed down those miniscule shorts herself. He levered himself off of her and pushed her hands away, drawing the lace down and off her incredible legs. The crotch of the panties was soaked and he groaned, eyes traveling up her body. She was moving a little restlessly, and her eyes were hungry. He slid his hands up the inside of her thighs, pushing them farther apart. He brushed his mouth over one leg, tasting her skin and growling when he got close enough that he could smell how wet she was.
"C'mere." Ace's voice was rough, and she stilled his progress with a hand over his.
"You sure?" He asked, cocking a brow at her. He wanted to put his mouth all over her, but she was pulling on his wrist and he was easily turned by her insistence. He slid his arms under her, banding one across her back and pushing his other hand into her hair to cradle the back of her head. She was the one who took his cock in her hand and rubbed the head of him at her entrance until it was coated in her juices. He flexed his hips and she rolled her legs open, hooking her ankles around the backs of his knees so that his dick slid inside her on one stroke.
It was heady as always being inside her. The house was dead silent around them and he felt absolute peace of mind. The blood of the night behind him no longer mattered, and he was so sure of the revenge still ahead of him that it was of no consequence at all. The only thing that existed in that moment for him was Ace, and while he was buried so deep inside her that he had to wonder if he was hurting her, she was likewise bone deep in him, so much a part of him that he couldn't fathom how he'd survived the years he'd spent without her. She had her arms wrapped around his back, holding him fiercely against her, and they were so tangled up that he could her heartbeat against his chest. Both of them kept their eyes open, and there wasn't any desperation or bid for control. When she came, arching back on a quiet sob, he followed, burying his face in her neck, her red curls halfway covering both their faces.
He didn't move, but cracked an eye. The room was still dark, but it was the kind of dark that came just before the sun began to rise. Later they would set off on the journey that would see them through the final portion of vengeance, but it felt like it was all already behind him. It wouldn't matter where they went from here, he was certain that it would be exactly where he needed to be for her. He picked his head up to look at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her lips curved in a small smile.
"You gonna make a wish for your birthday?" He asked her, wanting to give her something, anything, so she could know how desperately grateful he was for her presence in his life.
"Why on Earth would I do that?" She asked quietly, finally looking at him through her lashes. After a moment, her eyes drifted closed again and she tightened her arms around him. "You're everything I want."
The End
**My sincere and profound thanks to all my incredible readers who have stuck with me through this journey. I have made some awesome friends, and through this story I've been given really amazing opportunities. It has truly been the ride of a lifetime to write this, and I could never have accomplished it without the support of my husband, friends, and frequent reviewers. I look forward to revisiting Happy and Ace in the future, but for now, this is the end of their road. Again, my gratitude is so much bigger than I could ever hope to express. Peace on the road.**