Omg it's been so long since I've updated lol. Sorry for the long wait,thīngs have been crazy here trying to get ready for college. Two more weeks and I'm off. I'm still without a laptop so I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I do hope to get new chapter done though before I leave. Mama Gem vs Mama P

I do not own anything in this chapter, besides Sav, Mel, Mrs and Mr P, and Sky. Everything else belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 34

! #$%&! #

Heels clicked against the sterilization tile floor as a middle aged brunette made her way down the halls of the hospital. Heads turned as she passed by, but they quickly looked away before eye contact was made. The woman had a fierce expression on her face, determination in her eyes as she stalked down the hallway. She knew exactly where she was going.

Her paced slowed as she found the right hall, her eyes scanning the numbers on the doors before she found the right room. She didn't bother knocking as she pushed the door open. The sight that welcomed her wasn't one she was expecting.

There was a boy, no older than twenty five at the most, laying in the bed with the bruised brunette in the hospital bed. A strangled gasp left her lips at the sight of the girl. Her face was still swollen, her eye bruised. Her wrist was wrapped and her leg was elevated and in a cast. Covering her mouth, her body shuddered. She wasn't going to break down, not with a stranger in the room. You didn't show weakness in front of anyone that was all she knew. That, and you protect your family.

But here laid her daughter, bruised and broken. She wasn't there to protect her. This was why she didn't want Savannah to go away for school. She knew she shouldn't have gave in when Clay pushed for Savannah to leave. She should have gone with her gut and made her stay.

Wiping her eyes, she cleared her throat loudly. The boy laying on the bed shot up, his eyes wide as he looked around frantically. When his eyes settled on her, he jumped up off the bed, stumbling when he didn't land on the floor right. "Uh, who-who are . . . are you . . . um, hi." He stuttered nervously, rubbing his hands against his jeans.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep, he'd been just sitting with Savannah and he must have nodded off sometime during the night. He'd be lucky enough to convince one of the nurses to let him stay overnight. Savannah hadn't woken up yet, and the longer she slept, the more he worried about her.

The woman snapped her fingers, getting his attention back. Juice's head snapped up, his doe eyes meeting the older woman's glare. Her stare made him want to cower back and hide. "Asked you a question, kid. Who are you?" She said, her patience wearing thin.

Juice didn't know what to say for a second. He didn't even know who this woman was, yet he knew not to get on her bad side. Her glare made him think of Mrs. P when she was aggravated with him. If she was anything like Mrs. P, he knew better than to keep her waiting. "Uh, I'm, um, Jui-Juan Carlos, m-ma'am." He said, clearing his throat as he tried to appear taller as he straightened up. He wasn't sure what that did for him, but he did it anyway.

"Don't start on the ma'am crap. Makes me feel old. You the boyfriend?" She asked, though her eyes didn't leave Savannah's still form for more than a second. Juice hesitated before nodding his head, not sure if there was anything else he could do. "You mind giving me a minute with my daughter?" She asked, giving him a pointed look to leave.

He tensed up, his eyes flickering to Savannah. He didn't want to leave her, but her mom was someone he didn't want to piss off either. He already had two strikes against him when it came to Jax. He didn't need his third strike to be because he wouldn't leave the room.

Gemma could see his confliction about leaving and had to give it to him, any other guy would have went running from the room by now. She knew she was a scary bitch, especially when it came to her children. "Don't worry, Romeo. You can come back." She said, smirking when she saw the relief on his face. "And I expect some answers when you do."

Juice tensed at the statement. What answers did she want? He'd told her on the phone what happened, and he'd told Jax what happened when he came by too. The only part he'd left out was Mel's involvement.

Before he could give her an answer, the soft groan caught there attention. Savannah was starting to wake up. Gemma smiled weakly at the sight of her daughters brown eyes. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took her hand in hers. "Hey there, baby girl. You gave the boys back home quite a scare. I knew you'd be fine, it's the Teller in you. Too stubborn to die. Tellers die bloody."

Juice wasn't sure what she was talking about, but Savannah seemed to get it from her small smile. He'd have to ask her about it later when her mom wasn't around. Her mom kind of scared him, not that he'd tell her that.

Looking over, he smiled at the sight of Savannah smiling. He'd missed that, just seeing her smile. He was scared there for a second he'd never see it again and it'd be all his fault. He knew he'd need to tell her everything, why she'd been almost killed. The thought of losing her scared him, almost enough to be tempted not to tell her, but he knew he had to. She had to know everything.

He needed a drink before that conversation.

Juice slipped out of the room silently, not wanting to interrupt the reunion between mother and daughter. Once Juice was gone, Gemma got to the real questions. "You wanna explain why I'm finding out about Romeo when he calls me telling me you were in an accident. You should have said something over break. He the real reason you came back sooner?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

Savannah winced as she sat up. Waking up to seeing her mother was definitely a surprise. She wasn't even sure what had happened to her and her mother was here grilling her about Juice. That was Gemma Teller-Morrow for you though. She didn't bead around the bush. "No, not really. We weren't together then. I didn't think it was gonna be that serious. Juice-"

"Guys with names like Juice aren't in it for serious, baby. You should know that better than anyone. He's an outsider, he'd never understand you. You're meant to be an old lady, run things once I'm gone. Those boys are gonna need you, you know how they'll break without someone to keep them in line." Gemma explained.

Savannah had heard it all before. The guys would fall apart without a woman, her mom specifically, to keep them in line. She was supposed to take over when Gemma couldn't do it anymore, regardless of who her brother ended up with. Gemma didn't trust anyone else to take care of her boys. "Ma, JC . . . he isn't just some random guy. He's . . . he's different." She tried to explain. "I'm not even sure if we have a future together, but I think I want there to be. At least right now. I'm not saying that means I won't end up with a Son, but right now, I want him."

Gemma wasn't convinced though, she could see it in her eyes. She didn't know Juice like she did. Yeah, they had their problems and they'd be talking about that later for sure, but that didn't mean she loved him any less.

"So why don't you tell me how he's do different?"

How could she explain it to her? How could she explain that he was good for her? That he was what she needed right now. Juice showed her there was a life outside of the club, that she had a choice. She didn't have to be someone's old lady. She could just be Savannah Teller, a woman mechanic. Her ma wouldn't understand any of that. Being an old lady was all she knew.

"You wouldn't get it, ma. JC, he's not like the guys. He's . . . he's sweet, and he's kind. He's funny and makes me laugh when he goes on rants about why Batman is better than Superman. It's refreshing. I don't have to worry about him not coming home when he leaves the house. I don't have to feel like I have to be dolled up ready to go to keep up with the competition. He loves me for me. He's nice to me. He pays attention to me, listens to me." She said, smiling softly at the thought of Juice.

Gemma could see how much this meant to Savannah, but she didn't like it. Savannah was Samcro born and raised, it was in her blood. She was meant to be with a Son, and being with this boy was just going to break her heart, just like Tara broke her Jax's heart when she left. She'd tried to take her boy away from her, but it hadn't worked. This boy wasn't gonna take Savannah from her either.

"Baby, you're young. You're living out on your own for the first time, this is your first serious boyfriend, and you don't know what love it." She said, trying to get her to realize she was making a mistake. The sooner she realized it, the sooner Savannah would come home and be where she belonged.

Shaking her head, Savannah knew her mother wouldn't understand. Juice wasn't a Son, but he wasn't a suit and tie guy either. They could be happy if they really wanted to. "I know what I'm talking about, ma. JC isn't Tara, he's not gonna run off when things get scary. You don't get it, you never will." She said, wishing that there was a way to get through to her ma without making a fight out of it. She was tired and hungry, she just wanted to go home and pretend this didn't happen.

"Then explain it to me."

Savannah wasn't sure what she could say that would change her mind. Juice wasn't a Son, and that was all Gemma would see. Of course, what Gemma saw as a fault, Savannah didn't. She loved that Juice wasn't a Son, he had too big of a heart to be like them. She didn't want that to change. "What's there to explain? He respects me, ma. He knows I'm a damn good mechanic and he knows I can take care of myself. He doesn't see me as property he can show off, and he won't order me around. He's never . . . he's never once made me feel like I wasn't good enough." She said, hoping that was enough to show her ma that Juice was different.

If Gemma didn't understand now, she was never going to. Savannah waited on baited breath, waiting for her ma's reaction. Gemma seemed to be debating what to say. The more she pushed Savannah, the more she was gonna push back. She wasn't Jax, she wouldn't just agree with her and do as she said. If Gemma was gonna get what she wanted, she'd have to play this right. "He sounds great, baby. Maybe you're right." She said, taking Savannah by surprise. "Get some rest, I'm gonna go find your doctor, tell him you're awake." She said, squeezing her hand before getting up. Savannah watched in shock as Gemma left the room.

What the hell just happened?

! #$%&

Juice had waited a full two hours before going back to Savannah's room. He was hoping Savannah would be alone and he'd be able to talk to her about everything. He hoped this didn't end with her kicking him out on his ass. He didn't want to lose her, that was the whole point of why he'd kept Mel a secret from her.

Knocking on the door, he poked his head inside. With a quick look around the room, he saw that Gemma had left. He wasn't sure how long she'd be gone, so this was his chance. Savannah was sitting in her bed, reading of the books she'd bought a while ago. They'd been so busy between school and work, not to mention keeping up with their sex life, she hadn't had a chance to actually getting around to read it.

Her head lifted at the sound of his knock. He was surprised to see her smiling at him. She shouldn't be smiling at him, she should be passed. She should be breaking up with him, blaming him for putting her in the hospital. "Hey, stranger. I was wondering where you'd gone. I hope my mom didn't scare you too much." She said, smiling softly. He had a feeling she wasn't joking though, he could see her mom actually scaring some guys off.

If he was being honest, her mom had scared him. She was intimidating, but he wasn't running just yet. Of course, he might not have a choice after he tells her the truth about what happened. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he smiled weakly as he took her hand in his. "Nah, babe, I'm not going anywhere. How you feeling?" He asked, looking her over as if he could point out what was wrong.

Besides the obvious casts, she looked good. She had a couple scratched on her face from where she hit the ground, but she was still beautiful in his eyes. "Doctor said I should be fine. I'll be in the leg cast for six weeks, but the wrist one should be off in four. I'll be able to go home soon. My mom went to see Jax, check in and tell him what's going on." She said, answering his unasked question about her mom.

At least that meant they'd be alone for a while, which was probably why she told him. She studied him for a long moment, taking in how nervous and uncomfortable he looked. She knew Juice, she knew he was nervous about telling her something, and she had a bad feeling she wasn't gonna like it. "What's going on in that head of yours, JC? I can practically see the wheels smoking from turning so fast." She asked, squeezing his hand to get his attention.

His head snapped up, his eyes darting to hers. He opened his mouth to confess all to her, from taking money from Mel, to getting fired, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't tell her just how badly he'd fucked up. He had to tell her something though, the guilt was eating him up inside. "I gotta tell you somethin', and you're not gonna like it. You're really not gonna like it." He said, dropping his eyes from her gaze. He didn't want to see the disappointment and betrayal that was bound to be in her eyes.

"Just tell me, Juan."

His eyes darted up when she said his name. She hadn't called him Juan since the beginning of last semester when they first met. Somehow hearing it made this all the more serious. "I screwed up, Sav, like big time. I was behind on my tool payment and I wanted to take you out like a normal boyfriend. I wanted to be the guy you deserved." He said, pausing as he looked away. "Mel came into the club lookin' for me. I turned her away the second I saw her, but she didn't leave. Said she was sorry and all that shit. She gave me more than enough for the payment, said she owed me. It was too good an offer to turn down. She's been giving me some cash every month for school." He explained, shifting on the bed.

He didn't want to see the anger in her eyes. He knew he screwed up, but he never wanted her to know about this. He thought Mel would just go away once everything was paid off and he didn't need her anymore. Obviously life had different plans for him.

"What does this have to do with my accident?" Savannah asked, knowing there was more than he was telling her.

He let her hand go, rubbing his palms against his jeans nervously. How did he tell her he was the reason she was hit? The reason she'd be in a cast for two months? He didn't want to, but he knew he had to. He couldn't back out now. "The restaurant I was taking you to that day, it was a place she'd showed me a while back. We were supposed to meet that day, but I forgot. She was waiting for me outside the diner and followed us. I guess she snapped when she saw where we were going." He confessed, finally lifting his eyes to see how she was taking this.

Savannah looked justifiably passed. She knew who'd hit her and she was mad. He just couldn't tell if she was mad at him or the situation in general. "You're telling me, she ran me over because of a fucking restaurant we were going to? Do you have any idea how fucked up that is, Juan? She's mental! Did you tell the cops it was her? Please tell me you didn't cover for her." She asked, pleading with him to tell her he hadn't done just that.

The lunatic deserved to be locked up in the nut house. She'd hit her, tried to kill her, over nothing. She was obsessed with him, and she needed help. If nothing else, he should have done it for her. From the look on his face though, she knew she was gonna be disappointed. "Juan Carlos, please tell me you turned her into the cops. Tell me you didn't cover for that lunatic." She demanded, needing to be told he hadn't betrayed her and let that psycho bitch get away with hitting her.

Juice looked guilty, wishing he could tell her Mel was behind bars and he'd done right by her like he should have done. He'd wanted to, he really did, but Mel could have ratted on him and he'd be the one going to prison right along with her. "I couldn't, she . . . she'd got some stuff on me. If I turned her in, she'd turn me in." He said, hoping she'd understand.

Savannah looked hurt, hurt he'd let the woman who almost killed her get away with it. She wasn't even passed about them meeting, it was just the lies in general. She'd put her heart on the line, let him in and told him she loved him, and he'd told her lie after lie. "Was anything you said to me the truth? What could she possibly have you on you that's so bad you're protecting her? She almost killed me, Juan Carlos, and you're protecting her!" Savannah snapped, tears filling her eyes.

Pissed was an understatement for what she was. Her boyfriend, the boy she defended only hours ago to her mother, was letting her attacker go free. This couldn't be happening, this had to be some kind of joke. At any second, someone would come in and say she's being punked. Her boyfriend couldn't be that stupid, but he was. He was letting Mel slip by untouched by this. She was going free, all the while Savannah's stuck in a cast.

"It's not that simple, Savannah. She know I-" He paused, taking a deep breath. "She knows that I deal sometimes. If I turn her in, she could rat on me and then I'll be the one going away for hard time. I had to play this right, but she's not getting away with this, baby, she's not. I took care of it."

Hearing him say that sent chills down her spine. She'd heard that from Jax, Clay, even her mom sometimes, over the years and it never meant something good. Had Juice taken things into his own hands? Had he'd done something he couldn't take back? God, she hoped not. "What are you talking about? What did you do, JC?" She asked, grabbing his hand to get his attention.

It was then she realized just how tired he looked. He hadn't slept in days, and it showed. Fear filled her, thinking he'd done the worse. Killing someone, especially someone so close to him, wouldn't be something he'd come back from. He wasn't a killer, he wasn't a Son. "Juan, did you . . . did you kill her?" She asked, whispering so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

His eyes widened for a moment. That was her first thought? Did she really think he was capable of that? It had crossed his mind, he had almost killed her, but he didn't. He left her still breathing even when he didn't want to. "No, no, I didn't . . . I couldn't do it. I wanted to, for what she did to you, but I couldn't. I hated her, Savannah. I hate her so much for all she's done to us, to you, but I couldn't . . . I couldn't kill her. I'm sorry. I screwed everything up. I'm so sorry." He said, wishing she'd believe hm.

Savannah knew he was sorry, she could see it all over his face. She just didn't know what to say. They went from talking about drugs to killing someone. What was she even supposed to think of him dealing? It made sense, now that she thought back on all the weird stuff she'd seen him doing. The gym bag, locking himself in their room when she wasn't home.

There was just so much to absorb, she didn't know what to do. She wasn't even sure what to say to him, but she had to say something. He was waiting for some kind of sign from her. "I-I don't even know what to think, JC. I need to process or something. Can you just . . . can you just leave tonight? I'll see you tomorrow." She said, wiping her eyes as she turned onto her side away from him.

Juice looked heart broken, his worse fear was coming true. As much as he didn't want to leave, he knew if he had any chance left, he'd come back tomorrow and they'd work it out. Taking a shaky breath, he nodded and got up. He leaned over and kissed her head, lingering there as long as he could, before he straightened and left the room. Savannah watched him left without a word, her hands shaking at her side. She wanted to scream, but she wouldn't. She was better than that.

Hearing the door close, she finally snapped and threw the vase on the bed side table across the room, screaming in anger.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't better than that.