As the small gathering began to die down, Adrianne found herself sitting at the large dinning room table with Gemma and Tara, listening to them try for awkward conversation.
"They can be sorta at each other's throats at times," Clary noted, leaning in to whisper in the brunette's ear.
"I can see that," the young woman responded with a nod, her eyes flitting to the sliding glass door that led out to the porch.
Outside sitting in two wooden chairs were her father and Tig, smoking cigars and seeming deep in conversation. Jax had taken off to do some business with Opie, to which no one seemed to question, so neither did she. Juice, Chibs, Happy and Bobby had all left together about an hour or so ago, once again merely stating they had 'things' to attend to. In this house, no one seemed to ask where the other was going, it was just a silent nod, casual wave, and a thank you for dinner before fleeing the scene as if they'd never come at all. Was it always like this? Adrianne thought, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing lightly.
"Do you already miss Chicago?" Clary asked, leaning into the table and propping her elbows on the wooden surface.
"It's only been a few hours," the brunette replied with a slight chuckle, "but I miss being able to go to my room and write….or think. I feel so….on display with everyone around. This is nice though, it's sorta quiet."
When she says this, she of course means besides from Gemma and Tara's yammering at each other as if no one else was in the room.
"It's probably far busier there than here in Charming," the young woman noted, actually interested in making a new friend.
"I wouldn't know," Andie muttered, "Charming is new to me…but it seems like the typical small town. So exciting you know the deal."
The brunette was being sarcastic with her comments, but by the look on Clary's face she could tell there was something buried beneath the soil in this quaint little town.
"I suppose," the other woman nodded, "but sometimes things get outta whack, I'm sure you'll see that. That's why we have the boys to keep this place on the right track."
The smile that spread across Clary's face conveyed that she was proud to be part of this family, of this group and of this particular town. Adrianne was no stranger to the club, seeing as her ex had been involved in Nevada's charter before relocating to Chicago where he became Nomad. She'd never considered herself an Old Lady nor did she know about Dean's business, and to be truthful, she liked it that way. The fact of the matter was that she had no desire to be with the man forever, it wasn't a long term thing and she refused to meddle in affairs that wouldn't matter a year from that point in time. However, she knew what it felt like to see those proud of the club and proud of their towns, it was something she never did comprehend, but maybe, just maybe here she could feel the pull of bond and family.
"So you have a man?" Clary questioned, as if reading the young woman's mind that had dazed off to past love.
"Not anymore," Adrianne, shook her head, "it ended about a year ago, we just didn't work out. I wasn't 'in love' and it felt like I was just passing the time. That's no reason to be in a relationship."
The other brunette cocked her head to the side, before pressing for further information. "What reason is that?" she wondered, waiting for a reply from the newcomer.
"Being lonely," the brown-eyed beauty explained, "I don't think that's a good enough reason to stay with someone. He loved me, but I never loved him. I don't know why…..I have a hard time with that. I don't think I've ever been totally in love with anyone, it's like I get so bored so fast, I'm fickle. I'm also very much in my own head most of the time."
Adrianne was sure she sounded a little odd but she couldn't help the word vomit that sometimes escaped her. It was a vicious cycle, she either shared too much, or too little upon the first meeting. Knowing that she had to live with this girl, however, she offered up a little more information than needed.
"How about you?" the brunette smiled, "boyfriend? Lover? Whatever?"
After the questioned was asked, Clary became a tad fidgety, tugging at the ends of her sweater.
"No," the young woman stated firmly, "it's just me, myself and I."
Quirking an eyebrow, Adrianne leaned closer to the shorter girl, knowing for a fact that she was hiding something, but she refused to press the issue. That was really no way to make friends and she knew it.
"Well then we can be single together," she giggling, poking Clary in the shoulder causing the other woman to smile shyly.
"What are you two going on about down there?" Gemma finally interjected, as Tara stood up from the table, slinging her purse onto her shoulder.
"Boys," Adrianne smirked, causing the older woman to shake her head.
"Of course," the elder at the table teased, "what would we be if we didn't fawn over all the attractive men in the world."
"We'd be far smarter creatures," Tara muttered under her breath before heading to the living room to retrieve her sleeping children.
"Did I say something wrong?" Adrianne frowned, causing Gemma to roll her eyes.
"No sweetheart," the older woman reassured, "Queenie has a stick up her ass, but don't worry, it's not your fault."
With that, the woman too stood from the dinning room table, heading off to the kitchen as to not see her soon to be daughter in law leave.
"It was nice meeting you, Adrianne," Tara nodded as she struggled out the front door, juggling Abel while trying to hold Thomas's car seat.
"Do you need some help?" The brunette offered, earning silence from her step-brother's fiance.
"I'll help her," Clary finally stated, making her way over to Tara and assisting her out the front door.
Exhaling a large breath, Adrianne, hugged herself tightly, feeling smaller than normal as she sat alone at the long table. Those dark, Bambi eyes of hers traveled once again to the outside door, her spheres catching the light bouncing off of Tig's sky colored hues. There was a slight frown on his face and she knew it was due to her sour disposition. Quickly she offered a small wave of reassurance that everything was alright, he always worried about her much more than he should have. Even so she wished to be outside with the two men that meant most to her in her life, instead of cooped up like an Old Lady with the women of the club. In here she instantly felt suffocated, but outside next to Alexander Trager and her father Clay Morrow, she felt free.
"You think she'll like it here?" Tig interrupted Clay's train of thought, as his oceanic eyes settled on Adrianne's dark spheres through the sliding glass door.
"Who?" Clay muttered, taking a puff from the cigar before exhaling smoke.
"Your daughter," the man shook his head as if to signal, 'who the fuck else would we be talking about.'
"She'll adjust," the older man noted, "it's gonna be different at first but she'll manage. Besides, Gemma'll watch her like a hawk and so will Jax….I can tell that already."
Looking away from the young woman, Tig ran one large hand through his mess of raven hair.
"Yeah I know," he murmured, "still she looks like a bird in a cage man, she's so fragile lookin' right now."
The grey haired man focused in on his best friend, his eyes seemed stern but also perplexed. "She's a woman," Clay explained, "don't they all look that way. I mean really, Tiggy, what's the problem? Are we talkin' business, or we talkin' about my daughter lookin' like some wilting flower? Jesus, stop it already."
The sergeant at arms merely nodded, not wanting to anger the president any further. Even though deep down he was the one annoyed and agitated at the fact that this cartel transaction meant more to the older man than reuniting with his daughter right now. The dark headed man would give anything to have closeness with his girls, or maybe he just wanted to give anything to be close to the one staring at him through a pane of glass.
"We meet with Romeo tomorrow over the boarder in Arizona," Clay explained getting right back down to business.
"Tomorrow?" Tig questioned, earning a scowl from the club president.
"Yeah tomorrow," he growled, "why you gonna miss your pedicure with the gooks a town over?"
Keeping his head down, the younger man merely kept his mouth shut knowing his commentary was only serving to make matters worse.
"We're gonna meet with the Arizona charter down there before we make the pick up," the president continued, "we gotta keep our eyes on the prize with this shit. No fuckin' around. Keep the guys focused and I don't want anyone tellin' me this isn't the right thing. We voted this shit and it's gonna happen, so no pussying out."
The cartel deal meant more to Clay than a lot of things in his life, the Mexicans and their coke meant more money to line his pockets with. It was dangerous, everyone knew that to be fact, but in his greedy mind the green was all that mattered in the end. The all mighty dollar was all that was seen, because as the club president would tell you, 'cash is king.' Of course not everyone was behind this project one hundred percent; Chibs and Bobby being the two that had been the most vocal about the entire thing. They'd be there to watch Clay's mistakes and Tig was sure that something would go wrong along the way. Being in the business of guns was one thing, but being in the drug business was an entirely different breed of animal. It was uncomfortable and uncertain, but due to a close 6-5 vote, the motion passed at chapel to the other member's dismay.
"We just gotta be careful," Tig half whispered, looking up at the night sky, basking in the cool breeze that had begun to take over California in these colder months. It wasn't something that needed to be said, although it was the first thing that jumped into his mind. They'd just been released from an 18 month stint in prison after getting busted by the feds on gun trafficing charges. It wasn't something they wanted to live again, especially seeing as drug charges would crush the entire charter due to them being behind bars from even longer. Clay simply nodded, taking another drag from the remaining butt of his cigar. The older man had promised Gemma no more time, and he'd promised his club that nothing could go wrong; even though they were all aware that no one could make promises such as this.
The thought of being put away again didn't set well with the sergeant at arms, especially not at the present time. The absence of freedom was enough to drive a man mad, however now he felt like once again he had a reason to stay out of the long arm of the law. Those devilishly blue eyes of his fleeting once more to the brunette that sat inside, her body angled away from the table, her nails pulling at the emerald stone in her ring. She was the reason now, the little girl that he'd watch grow up before his very eyes, that he'd watched over as if she was his own. The little girl that turned into a beautiful young woman over night, the girl that looked to him to know everything was going to be alright. If Clay was unconcerned about her being fatherless and alone once again, Tig would gladly take that on for him. She was too close now to let go of, too close to leave after all they'd fought through to get her to this point. In his mind he'd convinced himself that she needed him still, even though she was a grown woman, he'd consoled his own problems on the thought that she'd run into his arms when the darkness consumed her at rough patches in her life. He wanted to help with her transition into Charming from Chicago, but most of all he wanted to be her protector, the fearless tiger that she called for when in need. She was once a tiny cub but now a lioness, yet even lion hearts needed protecting from time to time.
"So are we on the same page, brother?" Clay asked, braking Tig from his thoughts.
"Yeah, of course," the dark headed man nodded, stubbing out the tiny end of his cigar in the ashtray on the small table at his side.
"I've got your back, Clay," he continued, extending a hand to the older man as they both stood from their chairs.
"Good," the president praised, pulling his sergeant at arms in for a hug before releasing him from the bear-like grasp. "Let's get inside before Gemma comes lookin' for me," the gray haired man chuckled, opening the sliding glass door and entering the warm cozy home.
"Makin' friends sweetheart?" Tig teased, stopping in front of Adrianne as she sat alone still at the kitchen table.
"Haha very funny," the brunette cracked a smile, extending her hand to the older man, whom took her dainty grasp into his own.
"You sure do know how to clear a room," he continued to rib her, sitting down right at her side.
"Stop it, Tiggy," she frowned, before giving him a slight kick to the shin.
"Easy killer," he chuckled, running his thumb over the emerald jewel in her ring, before smiling slyly. "Why'd everyone leave you, baby?" he wondered, looking around the room before hearing Gemma chatting with Clay in the kitchen.
"Gemma and Tara got into it I guess," Adrianne explained, "and Tara ran off with the boys and Clary went to help her. I think they're probably outside talking because Tara seemed pretty pissed off."
"Yeah they get like that sometimes," Tig commented, earning an eye roll from the young woman; she'd heard this now for the second time tonight.
"Anyway, that's what's going on in here," the brunette ended the discussion, "What were you and dad going on about outside?"
The question was innocent enough, but the older man knew he'd have to lie to her. This was not something he wanted to do but it was a necessary evil unfortunately.
"Your dad and I are taking the boys outta town for a day or two," he explained, "to Arizona." Frowning again, the young woman couldn't help but begin to pout slightly, shaking her head.
"You're leaving me again," she murmured, almost a teasing tone and yet it broke Tig's heart.
"No honey," he shook his head, "it's not like that….it's just that….well shit came up and we have to visit the Arizona charter." Not a complete lie.
"Ohhhhhh," she exclaimed with a small nod, "So this is club business. Women keep out; SAMCRO in charge!"
The comment made Tig laugh and yet she was correct on the subject. "Yeah club business," he confirmed, "nothin' for you to worry about doll, your pops will be fine."
Adrianne's free hand came up to the hand that grasped his, fingertips tracing the indentation of the reaper in his ring.
"Promise me, like when I was a kid that you'll keep dad safe," she muttered, "that him and my Tigger will be ok."
The girl never did miss a beat and he was sure she remembered every conversation they ever had, as did he.
"I promise," Tig reassured, "nothing is going to happen to us. You've got nothin' to worry your pretty little head over."
This seemed to appease the young woman, as if she was 10 years old all over again, her smile being the only thing that remained the same about her features.
"Thank you," she grinned, giving the man a firm pat on the back of his hand.
"My pleasure, sweet girl," he smiled right back before standing up from his spot at the table.
"I better get goin'," Tig commented, not sure why but he felt the need to ride for a bit tonight, relieved that Jax had taken him back by the house to get his bike. "Call me if you need anything," he offered, placing one hand behind her head. "Be good," he half teased, leaning forward and placing his lips gently to her forehead.
"Always," Adrianne smiled, eyes closing as she leaned in to the warmth.
"Goodnight, baby girl," he whispered, before pulling away and heading off into the kitchen to bid Clay and Gemma goodnight.
"Goodnight, Tigger," the brunette breathed, her fingertips rising to feel the still tingling spot on her forehead where his heated lips had been.
"So she doesn't have the letters anymore or she does?" Clay asked, both Gemma and himself speaking in low tones.
"I have no clue where she's got 'em," the brunette answered, pacing around the kitchen as if she was losing her mind.
"So that's what you both have been fightin' about?" the older man questioned trying to stay calm, even though deep inside he too felt the same way that his wife was showing outwardly.
"Those letters got a lotta shit in 'em, Clay," the older woman growled under her breath, "we've been over this."
Stepping forward he placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder giving it a good squeeze.
"And I told you to let it go for now," he scolded her behavior without saying it, once again making her feel 2 feet tall.
"Yeah I know," she shook her head, shaking herself from his grasp.
"Bullshit, pussy love letter's to Moreen Ashby don't prove shit," Clay battled, "this is John's ghost hauntin' ya, makin' ya go batshit crazy."
Gemma merely stood her ground, placing one hand on her hip as she scowled at her husband ruefully.
"Yeah we'll see about that," she half threatened, knowing full well what kinda 'shit' her deceased husband was capable of saying when he was still alive.
"Just get a handle on yourself," he grumbled, "we're leavin' for Arizona tomorrow and I don't need you gettin' yourself all worked up while I'm gone. Just act normal, clean the house, fuck with your flowers, I don't give a shit….just don't start anythin' while we're away. I need Jax focused on this trip and the last thing I need is his mother stirring up shit back home with his fiance."
That had Gemma silent, her rage welling deep inside her, fist clenching and unclenching at her sides. Just as she was about to toss another round of arguing back at her beloved husband, Tig walked into the kitchen squashing the entire conversation.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting, Gem," the dark haired man apologized to the lady of the house, "I just wanted to say I'm goin' home and I'll see you tomorrow, Clay."
The president turned his back on his wife as he clapped his hand on his second in command's shoulder.
"Sounds good," he nodded, "ride safe, and thanks for pickin' up Adrianne today, it means a lot."
Tig smiled slightly, knowing full well he wouldn't miss the chance to go with Jax to the airport today. "My pleasure," he nodded, "anything she needs, I told her to call me. She's a good girl."
"Yeah she is," Gemma agreed, "night, Tiggy."
Spinning on her heel Gemma was heading out of the room, not bothering in the dinning room to say goodnight to Adrianne, her rage was filling her head to deeply.
"Hope I wasn't interrupting, really," Tig muttered, earning a shake of the head from Clay.
"Nah, just same dumb shit, different day," the older man reassured, guiding the sergeant at arms out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "See you tomorrow, Tig," he bid goodnight, "and thanks again."
Returning to the dinning room, Clay gliding towards his daughter's sitting frame. "I'm so glad you're here, sweet pea," he smiled, leaning down and taking her into his strong arms.
"Me too, daddy," she grinned, wrapping her arms the best she could around his frame.
"We're takin' off for a bit tomorrow," he explained, letting her go as he spoke, "but if ya need anything, Gem'll be around. Just call her or stop by, but I'm sure Clary will help you with everything while I'm away."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the other young woman was behind him with a smile.
"Of course," she nodded, "I'll take good care of your daughter, Clay."
"Good," the older man acknowledged, "goodnight ladies."
After the goodnights were issued, Clay made his way to the bedroom at the end of the hall while Clary tugged Adrianne up from her seat.
"Come on," the shorter brunette commented, "let's head off to your new place. Jax already loaded my car with your stuff earlier so we're all set. I'm sure you'll like the apartment and I made sure to clean the guest room just for you. I put sheets on the bed and a comforter but feel free to change it."
As Clary went on, guiding them out of the Morrow household, the brunette couldn't help but zone out. Everything had come in a whirlwind today and now all she wanted was to crawl inside herself like she was used to doing. Her father was leaving with Tig and the club tomorrow for Arizona, leaving her completely at the mercy of strangers. The idea made her anxious, and yet she was excited for new adventure. Deep inside however, she prayed for safe passage for the Sons, knowing full well she'd been lied to by both her saviors; the realization of being in the dark now suddenly starting to sting.
Was this how life would become? She'd lived peacefully without being involved in club business and now she was curious, maybe it was the Charming bug or perhaps it was the fact that she was finally finding her spot in life, beside the King of everything and his men of mayhem.