A/N 11/10/2018: Argh! Alrighty, I hope this works. Ended up taking my lappy to my mom's so I could write, because lord knows I need something to do in the prime of my nights while the world sleeps. I could be too, but I'm trying to keep my schedule as it is, much to my dad's dismay. I hope y'all enjoy the new chapter. Much love, ~Angel
Angela found Jax in the dining room, cleaning his guns. She sat in the chair at the head of the small table, pulling her leg up to hug her knee to her chest.
"I wanted to tell you," she said softly as he continued to clean his guns, her voice filled with uncertainty.
"You did the right thing," he replied, not lifting his eyes from his work. "Keeping her secret. You had no choice."
"Are you all right? Handling this?" she asked.
"No. But I will be. My consolation is that both Zobelle and Weston are both dead, and Izzy gave me a chance to inflict pain, though I didn't know why at the time."
"Bella's good for that. Getting even. Her scales of justice are pretty even keel." They both turned, hearing a knock at the door. The noise woke Abel, who started fussing in his nursery. They both got up, Jax loading a clip into his now clean gun.
"Jax?" Angela whispered in worry.
"It's all right," he said calmly as he went to answer the door. It was Clay.
"Sorry," he said as he leaned against the door jamb. "I know it's late." Clay stepped into the house as Jax stepped back, bringing Clay into Angela's line of sight. She smiled at the club president before moving to get Abel.
"I'll get him," she said.
"I got it," Jax said, squeezing her arm with his free hand and handing her his gun. She took it, as Jax led Clay to Abel's room.
"Hey," he whispered to his crying son as he bend down to pick him up. Clay took his grandson in his arms, cradling the infant close.
"Hey," he said as he went to sit on the small couch in the room. "Hey. Shh.." he comforted the boy. He continued to look at Abel for a bit, marveling that this child had none of the worries or woes of the world that he had yet. He was completely innocent.
"I don't know what to do, son," he eventually said to Jax. "What they did to your mother-"
"I know."
"Everything was looking so bright for the club. Izzy and Donna recovering and pregnant...both," he said with a small smile. "You and Angela going strong. Angela even adopting Abel. The only snag was the feds in town, and Jimmy O."
"With the heads gone, the snakes here will die. We just have to make sure that any more from the League will know without a doubt that they aren't welcome in Charming," Jax said.
"That's simple enough," Clay said with a smile, though this one was filled with venom and hate. "We kill them all."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
"Chibs?" Bella asked softly as they lay in bed together. Lying as they nearly always were these days. Bella on her back, her hands carding through his hair as his ear and a hand was pressed to her swelling tummy. He usually broke out into a wide grin whenever he felt his son move within her, but he was solemn and quiet this morning.
"Aye?"
"Are you angry with me?" Bella asked. There was a moment of silence as he thought out his answer. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, tossing and turning. Wondering how he missed the signs. Wondering what he would have done had it been Izzy.
"I'm not happy, but I can't be angry at you. I remember that morning, lass. You told me that someone needed a patch up but didn't want to go to the hospital. Knowing Gemma, and after hearing the message Weston gave her, I know she asked for your silence. But you told me that much. You were honest but didn't break her trust. I just can't the the 'what-if's' out of my head."
Bella's fingernails scrape lightly over his scalp, and her hands kneaded down his neck, sending a calming presence to him, hoping to settle his storming emotions. She pulled his face up so that she could look into his eyes.
"Hold me," she said. Chibs straightened out and his arms went around her as he spooned her from behind. They sought comfort in each other.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Every Son was sitting around the redwood table, including Half-Sac, though he was still just a prospect. Clay and Jax were quiet and the silence was unsettling for everyone bar Chibs, who had feeling he knew what they would tell the others. The calm he had gotten from holding Bella long gone. His worry and fear rising once more.
"The night of Bobby's party...Gemma never drove into no barricade, she was jumped," Clay said, not looking at anyone at the table. "On 18. They, uh, took her to the utility house, three of Zobelle's crew. And they gave her a message to deliver. Stop selling guns." It took him more than a few moments, and a force of God to keep his tears in check. "They raped her."
"Oh, Jesus," Juice said, as others gasped in surprise.
"Jesus, Clay. I'm so sorry," Tig said.
"One of them was Weston," Clay growled. "It's why Izzy had Jax and I help her with her punishment to Weston. Gemma demanded that she didn't tell anyone, but she knew that we would want justice. Also the reason she did what she did to him."
"What did she do?" Tig asked. "You taped it for me, right?"
"I got your fucking video. Izzy demands that you destroy it once you see. She doesn't want evidence." Tig nodded and sat back.
"Now that Zobelle and Weston have been dealt with, it's time to show a wave of force. Drive out the rest of the AB shit rats that have set up shop in our town. They've done nothing but bring diseased pussy and crank in. It's time we reminded the people of Charming that we will not sit by while this shit goes on under our noses."
"You plan on making a show, we'll need guns. Our cupboards are bare," Bobby said.
"I haven't been able to get a hold of Edmond, and the Chinese contact is laying low since the immigration deal. It'll be weeks before we see a gun out of them," Clay said.
"We'll have to tap our personal stock. Everyone will just have to bring in what they have," Jax said. Everyone agreed.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Bella and Angela met at Gemma's place. They wanted to check on the older woman after the bombshell she dropped on Clay and Jax the night before. She was sitting at her table, smoking a joint and watching her parrot at the other end of the table.
"Morning," Bella said softly.
"Hey you two."
"We wanted to make sure that you were okay," Angela said.
"I'm still here. And thanks to this little number," Gemma said, holding up the joint. "I'm doing very good."
"Can I ask, why did you tell them now?" Bella asked.
"It was time. The men who done it were already dead. They wouldn't need to do something stupid in their anger in some misguided attempt to avenge what happened. This way they can process and move on."
"Gemma?" Bella asked at her tone.
"Clay's never gonna want to be inside something that's been ripped up like me," Gemma whispered, flicking the ashes of her joint into an ashtray on her table, her eyes resigned.
"Gemma. Clay loves you," Angela said.
"It ain't about love. Men need to own their pussy. His has been violated. He'll find another. It's what they do," she said, taking another hit as she got up from the table.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Jax jumped a bit as he was loading his personal guns into a small duffel for the club when he saw Angela walk into the room from the darkish hallway.
"Jesus! You scared the shit out of me," he breathed.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly.
"Did you see my mom?" he asked, finishing his task.
"Yeah. She's kind of numb."
"Would you be willing to keep an eye on her today? Take Abel to see her? Always cheers her up."
"Sure. We'll go to the park or watch Tutenstein," Angela smiled. Jax grabbed the duffel off the bed and stopped by her on his way out, taking her hand.
"I love you," he said. Angela stretched up and kissed him softly.
"I love you too." Jax made to leave, but Angela caught him in the hall.
"Jax..." Angela paused, her mind whirring at warp speed trying to put what Gemma said to rest, but it wouldn't leave her alone. "We agreed on honesty, right?"
"Of coarse."
"So you, you know that sleeping with other women is a deal breaker for me, right? Cheating. I can't and won't be able to handle it."
"Are you asking me if I've been unfaithful?" he asked incredulously.
"NO!" she exclaimed a bit too loudly. "No, I know that you haven't been. But… but things have been going so well lately. Too well. I can't help but feel that the other shoe is going to drop, and drop in a hard stomp at that. I know that playing house doesn't really fit with the MC lifestyle. It may come to a point where you can't do it anymore. But if we're going to have a family...expand our family, I need to know that you're serious. That you won't get itchy feet later-"
"Angel!" Jax interrupted. Angela froze and took a breath.
"Sorry. Bad time, I know. I just had to-"
"I know," he said, framing her face with his hands. "I haven't been with anyone else since I first started getting to know you. And you wouldn't know everything I know about the club if I didn't think this was serious," Jax said. Angela's eyes began welling with tears as his words sunk in. As his words soothed the ragged worry her soul had been in since she and Bella went to see Gemma.
"Come here," Jax whispered, pulling her to him. "It's going to be all right," he soothed.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Tig was at Gemma and Clay's, packing up the guns in their personal stores on Clay's orders. He was also well on his way to being drunk. He had a nearly empty bottle of Vodka sitting to his right as he loaded the duffel. Gemma came in and saw him taking a swig. Seeing this, she couldn't help but to comment.
"You want some orange juice with that?" she asked.
"Sorry," Tig said slowly. "Helped myself. Been a rough morning." He walked over to Gemma and gave her a hug.
"Yeah." Tig pulled back and gave her an affectionate kiss on the lips.
"You need anything, you let us know." Gemma smiled and nodded.
"What's all this?" she asked, pointing to the guns.
"Oh. Chinese contact didn't pan out. We're collecting personal stock."
"I'll get mine," Gemma said firmly, going to a hall closet. She reached up, trying to get the two hat boxes, but Clay had moved them, and they were ever so slightly too high for her.
"Hey. Hey. Gem, Gem, Gem. I got it. I got it," Tig said. The man had followed her, and was now reaching above to where her hands were grasping to take down the two boxes. The problem was that the vodka had hit him harder than he thought, and he dropped both boxes of hand guns.
"I'll get it," he said with a long suffering sigh. "Sorry."
Gemma, who was feeling numb still from telling Jax and Clay what had happened to her, and needing to feel that sense of connection to someone, all of a sudden found Tig completely irresistible. Testing his willingness, she showed a bit of leg through her robe. Tig looked up, his eyes half glazed in inebriation, his mind in a whirlwind of uncertainty. He was still in turmoil from his close call with Izzy and Donna. He couldn't understand how either of them could forgive him what he had done. And not being able to speak to anyone about it was eating him up inside.
Gemma took his face, bringing it to her as he slowly rose, taking in her scent. He stood completely, kissing Gemma hungrily as she wound her arms around his neck. Tig pinned her against the wall, knocking some of the photos to the ground in his need. Gemma ripped his shirt open, and Tig lowered the sleeves of her robe, baring her lace covered breast. Her scar standing out on her chest. Tig unbuckled his belt, and Gemma turned, facing the wall as Tig prepared to enter her. But then he catches sight of a picture of young Jax with his now dead brother Thomas. It snapped him back to reality with a hard, rude awakening.
"Jesus. Jesus," he sobbed, stepping back. "What the hell are we doing?" he asked her. Gemma fixed her robe, their breathing evening out as they gained control of themselves. She looked sadly at Tig, before she made a hasty retreat. Tig pulling his pants back up, wondering when his life had become such a mess.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Tig pulled in to the Teller-Morrow lot, seeing Opie working on the Panhead he had picked up on his and Donna's trip after she got shot. As it turned out, it was Ellie that wanted to help him restore it the most. They had had an unforgettable time as he showed her how to restore her, and he even had taken to calling the bike Ellie, for his daughter. Tig pulled off his helmet, setting it on his handlebars and walking to Opie.
"Wow. Looks sweet, Ope," he said. "Done a great job restoring that bad boy."
"Yeah. Ellie helped a lot."
"Need a hand?" he asked.
"No, I'm all good. This is going to be Ellie's bike when she gets old enough. Just want it to be ours, you know? Thanks, though."
Tig pursed his lips. "All right." He stood there for a moment, searching for something to say. "Awful thing, Gemma."
"Yeah. You okay?" Opie asked, looking up from the exhaust he was fiddling with.
"I'm fine," Tig lied. "Can I ask you a question, Opie?"
"What's that?"
"The night that Donna and Izzy were shot, why was Donna driving the truck?" he asked.
"I was taking the kids home. Needed a back seat," Opie said, the easy smile that was on his face as he thought about he and Ellie restoring the bike, gone at Tig's question. He was still pissed, but taking his anger out on Clay helped immensely. Now he just had a score to settle with Tig and a life to take from Stahl. "Why do you ask me that?"
"She wasn't supposed to be in the truck, Ope," Tig said sadly. Opie stood, a storm brewing in his eyes, his fists, clenching and unclenching.
"You son of a bitch," he growled, pushing Tig into the truck near them, and wailing on him, his rings cutting into Tig's flesh. Tig fell, but Opie hauled him to his feet, gripping Tig by the hair.
"WHY?! Why would you shoot at them?! Why would you carry out the hit?" Opie hollered.
"It was Stahl. She made you out to be a rat. She's the one who responsible," Tig said miserably.
"I know this. We know this. But how could you believe this of me? I came clean...Clay and I were good!"
"Found wire taps in your truck and your phone. The feds put money in your accounts. Stahl, she wanted to make us think you had turned. It was supposed to be you in the truck, not Donna. Not Izzy."
"Opie!" Jax yelled as he and Angela pulled up.
"I'm sorry, Ope. I'm so sorry," Tig said lowly, through the pain of his busted face.
"Clay!" Jax yelled into the clubhouse. Clay, Bobby, Juice, Chibs, Bella, and everyone else came pouring out of the clubhouse and garage. They ran up as Opie stepped back, breathing hard. Jax tried to stop him, but Opie decided he just needed to get away. He jumped on his bike and left. He had an agent to hunt.
"What the hell happened?" Clay asked.
Tig, still out of it and grieving for the injustice he did, looked at Clay.
"It all finally came to a head. I had to know why," he said.
"Why, what?"
"Why it was Donna and Izzy in the truck that night. I had to tell him. He knows it was Stahl. He knows who pulled the strings."
"Shit," Jax said. "This may have pushed him. He's going after Stahl. Shit!" he exclaimed as he rushed to his bike in the hopes of catching up.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Opie was waiting in his truck. Casing the Charming PD for Stahl to exit. When he finally saw her leaving, he followed her. As he did from a modest distance, he reached over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out his 9 mil.
Meanwhile, Jax walked into said department and found Hale. He looked around, not seeing any of the normal drab suits the A.T.F. agents usually wore.
"Where's A.T.F.?" he asked Hale.
"Oh, they left a little while ago. Why?"
"Opie finally lost it. Everyone knows what happened with Izzy and Donna but decided to sit on it. Tig pushed him over. He's going after Stahl."
"Oh, shit," Hale said, his eyes going wide. "I just saw Opie's truck on the street. He's probably tailing her."
"I gotta stop him."
"I'll call Stahl. I'm gonna give her a heads up. Put an ATL out on Ope."
"Any idea where she's headed?" Jax asked.
"She says she's got an informant who's willing to turn on the IRA. Probably someone within their own ranks, or what's left of Zobelle's crew. They're the only ones buying at the moment."
"All right. I'll start there."
"Okay," Hale said as Jax hurried out of the building.
Unser came up to him as he saw the young outlaw leave. "I'm guessing Jax told you," he said to his deputy. Hale looked at him in confusion. "Crew found out about Gemma. The rape," he clarified.
"Jesus Christ," Hale said, thinking that the shit storm just got worse.
"Made a decision to do right by her," he said. "Where ever this leads, whatever I gotta do for them, it's on me only."
"You're going to protect Sam Crow," Hale said, knowing that he shouldn't have been expecting any different.
"I'm gonna help a friend," Unser corrected. "Now you do whatever you need to do. Understand?"
Hale nodded. "Consider yourself acting chief."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
"Tig?" Bella asked the man, sitting on his bed in his dorm room. "Tiggy, look at me," she pressed.
Tig looked over to her, as she cleaned the cut along his cheek bone. "Are you all right?"
"How can you do it? How can you forgive me and Clay so easily?" he asked.
"Because you and Clay were only being who you were. You believed that there was a threat to the club. You believed you were protecting your brothers. Would I have preferred that you hadn't shot at me? Obviously, but I think that the hate that you and Clay feel for yourselves is punishment enough without me adding to it. Now I don't know about Donna. You'll have to ask her, but expecting you and Clay not to act like the outlaws you are in such an instance is just...just..." Bella searched for the word. "Disingenuous," she finished.
"Had to dig deep for that word, huh?" Tig teased.
"Shut up, killa," Bella laughed. Tig froze at his oft used moniker, though he didn't gain the sense of accomplishment from Bella's use that he did when Happy said it to him. "Relax, Tiggy. I know who and what you are. I hold no judgments over what you are, so relax."
Tig did, relax, and smiled at Bella. She smiled back and handed him a bottle of peroxide. "Clean out the cuts on your hands. And then you are taking me out to ice cream. It's the least you can do after your stunt with the Mac-10."
Tig chuckled, and nodded. "You're wish is my command, gorgeous."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Juice came in with a duffel of his own guns to add to the small collection they had mustered up from the other Sons.
"This is everyone's personal stock," he said, adding two pistols to the collection.
"Zobelle's crew has enough automatic weapons to suppress a third world coup. We can't go at them with hand guns, and a couple of AKs and hunting rifles. We're gonna have to try Cameron again. Him not being around is very concerning."
"We can ask Chibs or Bella to get in touch with Liam. Since he is higher on the food chain than Jimmy or Cameron, he may have an idea where the Irish shipment is," Bobby tells Clay.
"Do it. See if Cameron is in trouble. If it's something we can help with, we will. Man has already gone out on a limb for us, it's time we repaid him in kind."
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Fiona was sitting in an interrogation room across from Stahl, who was rattling on about the terms of her involvement with her investigation.
"In exchange for cooperating in the arrest of James O'Phalen, we will provide immunity to Filip Telford for the connection with the IRA and protection for your daughter Kerrianne. You will be registered as a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms," Stahl said.
"Deal was immunity for the entirety of Sam Crow. Not just Filip," Fiona said coldly.
"Immunity for Chibs connection to the IRA was as far as I could go. The DA's office wants Sam Crow taken down, and any crime he's committed stateside with the Sons of Anarchy MC they count as an act of domestic terrorism as an outlaw biker gang. They won't allow that deal."
"Bull shite," Fiona spat. "I gave you Edmond. And his father won't be far behind as he looks for the lad. You're just taking pleasure in dicking me around."
"I just figured you wouldn't want to wait and risk Kerrianne's safety."
"You promised all of it. My lips are sealed, until you make it happen," Fiona said as she got up to leave.
"Edmond refuses to give up his father. He also refuses to rat on Jimmy. But if word got back to Jimmy that you got the ball rolling, there's no telling what he would do to your daughter. Or you for that matter. He gave Chibs his lovely Glasgow Smile, and that was just because he had something he wanted," Stahl pointed out. Fiona turned and went to strike Stahl, but two agents at the door grabbed her before she could even round the table.
"I'm going to kill you, you filthy whore," she growled.
"I'll tell you what," Stahl said to the restrained woman, and picking up the blue backed agreement. "You look this over. Sign it before I leave here today or Kerrianne is in the wind. Let her go." Fiona shook off her captors and exhaled loudly at Stahl's ruthlessness.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Opie was waiting outside the Stockton transfer facility Stahl had dragged him and Donna to when she set them up. Waiting for Stahl to resurface. He saw a woman who looked vaguely familiar to him come out, looking around and putting a set of forms in her bag. He knew he knew her, just not from where.
Then he saw Stahl and her lackys exit, and he started his truck and followed her. He would work out where he knew the woman from later.
~~~~~~~~~)O(~~~~~~~~~
Jax had followed Zobelle's lacky, Ule to a meet with the Mayan President. He got out of the car and followed the Latino man into his store.
"Now you know my heroin is good. What's your business proposal?" Alvarez asked.
"It's rather simple. Zobelle supplies you with unlimited heroin distribution in every prison from Mule Creek to Pelican Bay. Mr. Zobelle estimates that it'll more than triple your income," Ule said.
"And what's his take on this. Why isn't he here meeting with me?" Alvarez asked.
"Mr. Zobelle, has unfortunately left the country for safety reasons, but he left me strict instructions on his plans, and he conferences with me three times a week for updates," Ule lied. Zobelle left notes and possibilities, yes, but he obviously hadn't heard from the man in weeks. He just wanted more money, even if he had to name drop Zobelle to get it.
"He wants to split the profits, 50-50 for the prison contacts."
"Half?" Alvarez asked incredulously. "That's my heroin, ese."
"And this is Zobelle's pipeline," Ule pointed out.
"And if I say no?"
"You know what happens then. This opportunity won't be the only thing to vanish, but the guns we supply you. That happens, you lose ground with the Niners and Henry Lin. It'll take maybe two weeks for the Mayans to be a footnote again."
Alvarez sighed in frustration as Ule took out two cigar boxes and opened them. This is your share of the profits from this order. I'll make the same pickup every ten days."
"Then I suppose I'll see you in ten days," he said, holding out his hand.