Disclaimer: I do not own SOA in any way, shape or form.
A/N: Big thanks as always for everyone reading this. You guys are the absolute greatest. Be warned, there is adult content in this chapter.
Chapter Eleven
"That's the woman," the voice that spoke was female and hushed but not hushed enough that the words didn't carry across the produce section of the market, "Donna's husband brought her home like six weeks after the funeral and now she's living with him, in Donna's own house."
Sarah put several grapefruit into the cart and moved on to the oranges. She wished that this was the first time she'd overheard a conversation about herself, it wasn't. Two weeks had passed since a van full of Tacoma prospects and all of her things had arrived, she was mostly settled in and trying to find her place.
Apparently part of that place was to have to listen to gossiping women who looked like rejects from a Real Housewives reality show on television. Sarah inhaled a deep breath and pushed her cart towards the vegetable section. Her focus was so intently on the spinach that she didn't look up as she heard footsteps.
"The blonde one is fucking the other blonde ones husband," Gemma motioned to the two women who had been discussing Sarah. They were now studiously perusing the Granny Smith apples as if there was nothing more important.
"Being they're both blonde, hard for me to figure out which is which." Sarah's grip tightened slightly on the cart. The years had been kind to Gemma Teller Morrow, she looked nearly the same as she always had and as always she intimidated Sarah.
"They're both fucking each others husbands so it doesn't matter. Point is, you need to put on your big girl panties and deal with them before people start thinking that you're soft."
"I really don't give a crap what people think about me."
"You really should," Gemma glanced down into Sarah's cart. "Making dinner tonight?"
"Meatloaf and mashed potatoes," Sarah replied, "and a vegetable. It doesn't matter which one, Opie's not going to want to eat it."
"Believe it or not, brussell sprouts with bacon. Always made it for him and Jax, never had leftovers. I'll get you the recipe. Got a really good one for meatloaf too."
"I've got to meatloaf covered, never met a guy who didn't like it." Sarah realized all too late that Gemma's meatloaf was a Charming favorite, a staple really that she'd eaten many times when she was younger.
"Suit yourself," Gemma wrapped her ringed fingers around her own cart.
She walked away and Sarah bit back a sigh. She'd just knocked herself down a few pegs in Gemma's opinion; first for not confronting the Botox Twins and then refusing a recipe numerous Charming women would give their left tit for. Great, just great.
3
Opie coughed to smother his laugh. Sarah looked like someone had kicked her puppy even though the tasty scent of meatloaf and potatoes filled the air. "Baby, I'm sure Gemma's not pissed."
"Yeah, she was," Sarah rubbed her hands over her eyes. "And she should be. Fuck, I should be. I can't get god damn tampons in this down without someone taking that as reason to talk about me. Or more accurately to talk about how fucked up it is what I did to Donna."
"You didn't do anything to Donna," Opie knew that Sarah's moving to Charming had created a stir. It wasn't only with the people in town, some of his own brothers had mentioned it. Most were cool regarding it and basically all of them thought he'd been banging Sarah while married to Donna.
"I know that, logically I know that, but still I don't want to be talked about."
"So say something next time that one of them starts whispering about you. This can't be the first time people had shit to say, what did you do when it happened in Tacoma?" Opie regretted the question the moment it left his lips and he saw her expression. Of course, in Tacoma is anyone had been bad mouthing her Kozik would have handled the situation. Especially if it was someone at the club. "Tell me who it is and I'll take care of it."
"As far as I can tell, they're Donna's friends. Look, don't do that. Don't. It's fine. I can deal with silly women who have nothing better to do but gossip. It's fine."
Opie knew by her tone and the way that she began moving around the kitchen that she wasn't fine, not by a long shot. As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Sarah was still a little out of sorts in Charming. She was used to working, keeping busy and right now all she was doing was cooking and keeping house. It had to be driving her crazy. It also had to be driving her crazy to be in the house so much, it wasn't until she was under the roof that he realized how much of the house was still Donna.
"You sure about that?" Opie crossed over to where she was taking plates out of the cabinet. "Stop for a second."
"The food is almost done. I need to set the table."
Opie thought that what she actually needed to do was relax so he silenced her with his mouth. "Turn off the oven so you don't burn dinner. We're not eating right now."
"We're not?" Sarah was smiling now, really smiling as she moved over to turn off the oven and pull the pan of meatloaf out. She gasped when he grabbed her and pulled her towards him. "Op?"
Opie spun her around until her back was pressed against the counter. His hands went to the waist band of the yoga pants she was wearing. Normally he just appreciated how nice they made her ass look but today he was also really glad at how easy they pulled down.
"Op!" Sarah's hands gripped the edge of counter. "The shades are open," she licked her lips nervously, "anyone could see."
"Don't worry about anyone else," he crouched down to pull the pants all the way off of her. Without looking he tossed them over his shoulder and reached up to pull down her panties. He removed them slowly, watching her the entire time to see if she was still thinking about the windows.
He was satisfied that her attention was fully on his when she shifted so that her legs were spread wider. Opie ran his hands up her legs, grinned as she trembled at the touch. "Relax," he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her thigh.
"I'm relaxed."
"Sure you are Baby," he smothered a chuckle because it was likely to piss her off and let his lips move over her skin again. Lately she'd been wound tight, really tight and he'd let it go on, he should have known better than that. It was easy to forget how deep she could get in her own head.
"I am," Sarah persisted. "Are we really going to argue about this with you kneeling between my legs?"
Opie laughed. "Smart ass." He let his fingers move further up her legs ending any chance of an argument or further conversation. Opie felt himself growing hard as his fingers skimmed over her clit and he watched her face.
She moaned as his fingers moved in a slow circle, her hips began to match his slow pace and then began to move faster. "Opie."
He'd never forgotten how sensitive she was to being touched like this, knew very well that he could make her come with only the tips of his fingers. "Relax," he reminded her as he set about doing just that at the same slow pace. Moans of pleasure replaced the sound of frustration Sarah had made when it became clear he wasn't going to speed up the pace. Her hips rolled against his hand and Opie grinned when she went suddenly still.
Sarah cried out, every muscle in her body clenched tightly before releasing. If Opie wasn't right in front of her, she very likely would have fallen flat on her face. "Fuck." She let out a shaky laugh.
"That's the plan," he kissed her deeply before turning her around so she was facing the counter. "This okay?" Opie pressed his lips to her shoulder and his body against hers. She moaned in response.
With one hand Opie undid his belt and he let the other slide down Sarah's stomach. She spread her legs wider for him. She was wet and warm, her hips moving with his fingers again.
Opie remembered at the last second to grab the condom from his wallet before he let his jeans fall to the floor. For a moment he didn't think the position was actually going to work, there were disadvantages to being so tall but when Sarah pushed up on her tip toes. "Got to stop letting stuff get to you Sarah. Got to remember what matters."
"I know," Sarah made a sound of impatience as he positioned himself behind her.
"I love you Sarah," Opie pressed the tip of his erection against her.
"I love you too Opie, love you so much. OH!" Sarah tossed her head back as Opie thrust into her in one deep stroke.
The feeling of her body warm, wet and tight around him was the best feeling in the world, it always was. Every single time they were together it was as good as the first time, most of the times even better. He'd always loved sex, loved getting off but with Sarah it was more than just feeling good.
"Come on Baby," Opie needed to feel her come around him. He let his hand slide over her hip and down between her legs. "Just like that," he urged her as he felt her body begin to move faster. "Oh fuck."
Sarah came with a cry, her head hit into his chest so he could see the look on her face. It was enough to send him over the edge. He thrust into her completely one more time and let go. "Fuck."
"Yeah, that's pretty much what happened." Sarah said with a laugh. "You ready for dinner now?"
"Ready to take you out to dinner, go on and get dressed."
3
"I forgot all about this place," Sarah had her arms wrapped around Opie even though the bike had come to a stop in front of the pizzeria. "I can't believe it's still here."
"Hasn't changed very much, still has the best pizza in Charming," Opie waited for her to release her grip on him and swing her leg off of the bike. "Hope you're hungry."
"I may have worked up an appetite," she leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you."
"For what?" Opie got off of the bike and at his full height he easily towered over her.
Sarah didn't find his height or him imposing, in fact it was comforting on some level to have to tilt her head back and look up to meet his eyes. "Everything," she replied after a moment of thought.
"You're welcome," his smile lit up his face. "You ready to go in?"
Sarah glanced into the pizzeria, saw that it was crowded and realized that part of that crowd was the same bleached blonde women who had been gossiping about her in the grocery store. Sometimes the fact that Charming was small was actually charming but in cases like this it was anything but. "Maybe we should go and get some Chinese food instead."
"Not a chance," Opie draped his arm around her shoulder. "I'm in the mood for pizza."
Sarah moved with him when he started walking, there didn't seem to be any other option. Opie opened the door to the pizzeria, she stepped inside first and it had to be her imagination that a hush fell over the dining area. Or it wasn't her imagination because when she looked over at Opie he had a pissed off expression on his face.
"Frankie, can we get a large pie? Pepperoni, sausage, onion and peppers."
"You got it," the owner called from behind the counter and Sarah was pulled back into the past. The man caught her eye and winked at her. "Stock room is still off limits to everyone except employees."
Sarah felt herself blush, she could clearly remember the man catching them making out back there. "Thanks for the reminder Frankie."
With a laugh the man went back to work. "C'mon, let's find a place to sit."
"Alright," Sarah replied as she looked around, not much had changed. The tables were new but the floor was still the same black and white tiles. There were still mass produced prints of Italy in golden frames on the wall. "Fuck my life," she sighed a moment later. "They're staring at us."
"Not for long." Opie draped his arm over Sarah's shoulder, started towards the woman. She had no choice but to move with him which had been his goal all along. He would be damned if those two intimidated Sarah. Hell, he remembered both of them shaking their asses on the stripper pole at the club house. "Lisa. Kelly." He came to a stop in front of the table they were at. "How's it going?"
The women simply stared at him for a moment, the blonder of the two finally replied. "Hi Opie."
"You two met Sarah yet?"
"No," the woman cleared her throat, "not really. Hi Sarah, I love your shoes. I'm Lisa. This is Kelly. Those are our kids over there. Where are Kenny and Ellie Opie? The kids have been missing them."
"They're with Donna's folks, I'll have 'em call you." Opie looked between the two women. "I was just telling Sarah about the time when you danced for Tig, Lisa. And Kelly, didn't you have a thing with Bobby? Seems to me like you might want to think about that before you go around talking shit. Enjoy your dinner." Opie guided Sarah towards a table that had a good view of the door and wasn't in line of the windows. It never hurt to be on the safe side.
"They're going to hate me more now." Sarah pointed out, a trace of annoyance in her voice.
"They might but they won't talk shit again." He held out a chair for her and rubbed his hands over her shoulders once she sat down. "You up for pizza or do you want pasta?"
"I think pizza sounds good. Oh, do they have garlic knots?"
"You got a toothbrush in your bag?" Opie teased.
"Actually, I didn't bring my bag but I've got gum in my pocket." Sarah ran a hand through her hair.
"That'll work," Opie didn't bother with the laminated menu. "After this we'll head over to the club house." A look of panic flashed over Sarah's eyes. "Baby, I don't know why you're so nervous about going to the clubhouse. It didn't bother you up at SAMTAC."
"It was different at SAMTAC, Lorca liked me. Jax doesn't and I know he's your best friend but he's not exactly subtle when he doesn't like someone." Sarah looked down at her fingers.
"He'll come around," Opie assured her. He reached out for her hands. "Look at me," he smiled at her, "he just thinks he's looking out for me. Besides, Piney's been asking me every damn day when I'm bringing you down."
"We might need to stop by the house and get the truck because I'm going to be drinking tonight."
33
Sarah finished her beer and set the bottle down on the bar. The prospect, Half Sack, acted quickly to get her another. Next to her Opie was deep in conversation with Chibs about something. She'd been trying to follow but she didn't understand some of what Chibs said, his accent was thick but pleasing and had actually made her feel a little at ease.
To her surprise she'd felt at ease the moment she walked in the door even though it looked nothing like SAMTAC's version, it was darker with wood paneling that had definitely seen better days. Even the stripper pole was slightly tarnished from years of use but that also gave a comfortable feeling to the room.
All the guys seemed nice, well mostly all of them because Tig hadn't said two words to her and she really didn't care. No, she was glad in fact. Kozik had told her a lot about his former friend including the guilt he felt over what he'd done. Guilt that Tig had never let him ease and now he was gone and couldn't.
A wave of missing Kozik rolled over her, it always happened at the most unexpected times and when it hit her things tended to go down hill. Opie had been great about it, even when he got frustrated by it he'd never blamed her for feeling the way she did.
"Well it's about damn time," Piney's voice cut through the air. He set his oxygen tank down on the bar, the metal clanked against the wood. "Tequila Shithead."
Sarah held back her laugh as Half Sack answered to the name. She leaned in and kissed Piney's cheek. "Nice to see you too Mr... Piney."
"That's a girl," he brought his hand up and ruffled her hair like she was a kid again. "Enough talking, let's drink."
Three shots later Sarah was feeling no pain as she laughed at Piney talking to one of the sweet butts, no here in Charming they were crow eaters. "I think that your father is about to get lucky," she slurred her words slightly as she stretched up to whisper in Opie's ear.
"Let's not cramp his style," Opie took her hand in his and pulled her away from the bar.
"Are we going to dance?"
"No," he said with a shake of his head. "No dancing. We're going to talk to Jax."
"I'd rather dance," the words escaped Sarah's lips and she blushed. "I mean..."
"You mean that you'd rather dance," Opie draped his arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be painless."
Jax was sitting at a picnic table just outside the door, a brooding look on his face. Sarah realized she thought of it as his default expression. She'd expected to see at least one of the crow eaters with him, after all he was a male with a pulse but they all seemed to be keeping their distance from him.
"What's up Brother?" Opie didn't wait for an invitation, he motioned for Sarah to sit down as he did.
"Nothing Op, nothing." Jax looked over at Sarah. "Surprised to see you here."
"I needed to get settled in," she explained though it wasn't the entire truth. "How are you Jax?"
"I'm good. I'm good." There was something in the way that he said it which suggested he wasn't, it only took a glance at Opie to see that he'd noticed it too. "How's everything going with you guys?"
"Great," Opie replied with a smile, "be even better if my best friend and girl could look at each other. This shit needs to end, now. I've done the two separate lives thing, keeping my family and the club apart and I'm not going to do it again. I can't do it again."
"You won't have to. I get it. I get what the club means to you."
"Learned that from Kozik, huh?"
"No, I learned it from your father." Sarah shot back, she spoke more freely than she would have sober. "I used to come here with my father, he wasn't shit to the club in the grand scheme of things but you dad treated him like he was more than just some drunk. It's a family more than a club, it's..." she shook her head as she felt tears rise in her throat.
"It's not the same club it was," Jax lit a cigarette, still looking as if the weight of the world was set firmly on his shoulders, "but it will be what my father wanted it to be. I've got something that I want you to read Op, something my father wrote."
"Right now?"
"No time like the present."
"I'll go and see if Piney's done," Sarah offered to give them some time alone.
"No, you should come with us Sarah." Jax took a long drag off of his cigarette, his eyes never leading hers. "I doubt you're the kind of Old Lady who likes to be kept in the dark."
Sarah found herself smiling. "I'm definitely not." But if there had ever been any doubt in her mind that she was Opie's Old Lady they were gone now, if Jax could accept it than everyone could accept it and if they didn't, fuck them. She wasn't going to let anything get in the way of her happiness.