CHAPTER ONE-HUNDRED

Website where all photos of all outfits mentioned is on my profile. Hmm, in a violent mood apparently, the end of this chapter is a bit...bloody. You have been warned.

Even with how tired I suddenly feel I manage to get through my shower and dress in an old pair of jeans and a shirt within 10 minutes. Walking out of Jax's bedroom he raises an eyebrow "You know Ma will flip if you come out dressed like that on a Friday?"

I nod holding up the backpack in my hand "I have 'party' clothes in here."

Jax crosses to me and attempts to peer in the top of the bag but it's already zipped tightly closed so he shrugs "Right, well we better get a move on. Clay rang while you were finishing in the shower."

Stepping past him I zip my jacket on and pull the bag onto my back, picking up my helmet as I pass it "Well I'm ready then."

Jax chuckles as he follows me out the door and it's not till he's locking up that I realise I have no idea where my truck is. "Where's my Nitro?"

Jax looks over into the driveway and shrugs "No idea. Some old guy came and picked it up with a flat deck."

I raise my eyebrows and he laughs as we get settled on the bike "I got Piney and Miles to come pick it up earlier. It's at TM, I'll get on it when I can cause there's no way in hell someone else is touching your cage. I don't trust them enough with your car seeing it's you and Abel that'll be in it the most."

I nod and press my cheek to his back as he starts the bike and pulls out of the drive.

The lot is fairly crowded when we arrive but the gap for Jax's bike is open and he lets me off before parking in the line. "Go have a sleep babe. I'll come get you when Church is out."

I nod and pull the keys for his dorm room from his pocket heading straight down the hall when I step into the Clubhouse.

I barely manage to undo my jeans and drop them on the floor with my boots before collapsing onto Jax's bed, the smell of him on the pillow lulling me to sleep almost instantly.

I'm completely disoriented when I wake up, the room is dark but the pounding base from the music is making the mirror shake slightly. Turning over it takes a second for the bright red numbers on the clock to register but when they do I jump out of bed with a muttered curse. "How the fuck did I manage to sleep till 8pm! They can't still be in church; they sat down hours ago."

While I've been swearing and muttering at myself I've stripped out of the t-shirt I was in and grabbed the backpack with my clothes, upending it on the bed I become even more thankful I packed something simple to wear. I don't bother to do anything more with my hair that neaten up the pigtails that it was in, knowing that Jax liked them when he kept tugging them on our short walk from the bike to the clubhouse. I decide to completely forego makeup bar a layer of mascara and some clear lip-gloss.

The thing that takes the longest about getting dressed is tightening and relacing the knee high boots that disappear under my pants. Jumping to my feet I double check that everything is tucked in and covered properly, running a damp cloth over the tattoo on my chest I feel a couple of the dry bits flake off and can't control the girly squeal when I look down and realise that it's no longer looking dry and crusty around the edges, while it's not healed yet (the constant itch keeps reminding me) it's healed enough that it looks as amazing as I knew it would.

Locking the door to Jax's dorm room behind me I head straight into the main room, a quick glance shows that the guys are definitely out of Church, Bobby and Piney are standing by the pool table and Miles and Lyla are behind the bar. Making them my destination I'm barely in earshot when Lyla looks up and meets my eyes.

"Thank god you're here now." She sounds angry and I raise an eyebrow at her.

"What's up?"

She shakes her head "You beating the shit outta Ima didn't help. Jax is outside and she keeps following him."

I growl, my eyes narrowing "When did he last get a drink?" Lyla shrugs "Well I'll take a beer for him and vodka for me please Ly."

She passes me the beer, uncapping it and a glass which is quickly filled with a couple of decent shots of vodka and then topped off with lemonade, a lime slice being thrown in just before I can pick up the glass. "That way you won't throw it at her."

I laugh "Don't count on it."

I pass through the people inside and become vaguely aware of Bobby and Piney seeing me pass the end of the bar, Bobby's voice reaches my ears in a pause in the music "Smack down take 2?"

Piney chokes out a wheezy laugh and I can hear the pair of them following me at a reasonable distance as I step through the open door.

Scanning the lot I spot both Donna and Al in the arms of their men by the ring where the sounds of flesh on flesh are barely audible over the cheering guys. Chibs and Tig are the loudest ones and it's not till I look around for a second time that the well-muscled blond Son in the ring turns and I realise its Jax. Walking through the crowd I step up between Donna and Al "What the fuck is going on?"

Donna looks over "Hey sleeping beauty. Jax said you were tired and to let you sleep, you okay now?"

I nod "I'm fine" and then jerk my head to the ring "What's going on, why is Jax beating the snot out of...whoever that is?"

Al looks over at me and the knowledge that's in her eyes shocks me for a second till I look up at Juice and he grins. Looking back at Al I lean towards her ear "He told you didn't he?"

Al nods once "He did. Said that if I was gonna be his Old Lady I'd need full disclosure."

I squeal and wrap my arms around her neck hugging her "That means you're staying in Charming."

Al nods against my cheek "He also told me about Craig, and where he isn't."

"I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry."

Shaking her head "I get it, really I do. That explains why you've been so relaxed for the last few weeks though, the nightmare is actually over."

I nod "But no sad shit and no one has answered me yet. Why the fuck is my Old Man in there feeding someone their own teeth?"

Al and Donna both slide their arms through mine and step backwards Donna talking quietly "Jax told us to let you sleep right?" I nod "Well, someone thought that by him being alone it meant that you'd left him already."

Al shakes her head "Some comparisons were made between you and the crack-whore almost baby-killer and Jax ended up where he is now."

I sit down on the picnic table they've led me to setting both drinks down and look up at them "Why didn't he come wake me?"

Al giggles "Apparently he wore you out and thought you needed some sleep."

I roll my eyes "He didn't help me being tired, but he still should have come in."

Donna sits down "He said you'd come out when you woke up. He wasn't worried about it till someone started comparing you and Wendy."

I groan "And I already know Ima didn't let the broken nose teach her a lesson."

Al and Donna both shake their heads "We've been trying to keep her away from him, the guys have been good with distracting her but she keeps slipping their grip." Donna mutters.

There's a series of meaty thumps from the ring, the last one bringing a chorus of cheers from the ground and a wet sounding grunt as Chibs and Tig both jump over the rope.

Al pulls me to my feet "Sounds like that's over. You might wanna go let him know you're awake."

I push my way through the crowd and end up behind Opie, tapping him on the back I duck under his arm "He should have woken me up."

Opie laughs "Nah, you obviously needed some sleep."

I smack his arm and turn towards the ring as Jax ducks through the ropes. Standing up he pulls a towel off the top rope and starts wiping down his chest, the sweat and few drops of blood from his split lip clinging to his skin. My brain is quite happy to let my eyes wander of the expanse of naked skin until a barely covered blonde steps in my way and my muscles tighten.

Opie grabs hold of my arm as I start to move leaning down "I'm not going to say I won't enjoy this, cause I will. Beat the shit out of her cause she keeps making my best friends uncomfortable, I'll help you hide the body. Or Tig will, when he's finished with it."

"Eww Ope!" I exclaim loud enough that several heads turn in my direction; most of the Sons around the ring take a step backwards leaving the path between me and Jax clear for the first time since I came outside. Jax still hasn't noticed me, being too busy trying to keep the towel between his skin and Ima's searching hands.

Chibs chuckles as I walk past him and Tig. Stopping arm's length from Ima's back I don't say a word just reach out and tap her on the shoulder. Her hand raises and waves me off and my eyes widen, my eyebrows shooting up as I shake my head.

"Well, I was going to give you a chance to walk outta here, but now I guess it'll be a body bag." Ima's head snaps towards mine with the mention of a body bag but Jax's head raised the second I started speaking.

Ima bites her lip and shrugs "We were just talking."

I snort "I've been watching you since my Old Man got out of the ring. Obviously my warning to keep your hands off him didn't work."

Ima turns to Jax "Talk some sense into her please."

Jax laughs and holds up his hands taking a step back and accepting the beer that Opie hands him.

It's then I realise that the Redwood Sons have all made an appearance outside and are standing in various places around the ring. The eyes of almost every sweetbutt and croweater in the lot are fixed on Ima and I. I recognise the look in most of the eyes; some of them are almost gleefully smiling at Ima, knowing she's about to get her ass kicked again. Some of them are still holding a challenge, hoping that I'll step aside and they'll be able to re-join the cue for their piece of the Jax pie.

Ima takes a step backwards which I follow and the confidence in her eyes vanishes as she opens her mouth "I'm leaving."

I shake my head as she turns around reaching up and grabbing the back of her head "No you're not. You had a chance to leave last weekend when I broke that expensive nose of yours. Now you're going to be forcibly removed."

The corner post of the ring is close enough that when I slam her head towards it she can't stop the momentum before her nose hits it square on. The scream of pain that emerges is a beautiful sound to my bloodthirsty ears and as I let go of her I kick her in the back of the calf so she ends up on her knees in front of me, a few strands of her hair now clinging to my fingers from where they've been ripped out of her scalp.

I vaguely thank my wardrobe choices and the fact I'm wearing pants when I yank my knee up straight into the bottom of her chin. The sound of her teeth clamping together is so loud that I both hear and feel it, a trickle of blood that comes from the side of her mouth joining the river flowing from one nostril. She starts to fall forwards but my foot is already in motion and as she's halfway to the ground her whole body bends with the force behind my kick, the steel cap on the toes hitting with enough force that she ends up falling backwards. I'm pretty sure that the only ones that hear the sound of at least one rib cracking are her and I.

Planting my foot back on the ground I step closer to her and crouch by her head, her eyes are streaming with tears and one is already starting to close over. Cocking my head to the side I look at her curiously before whispering "This is the last time I'm going to tell you. Do not touch him. As of right now you are fired. Leave town, tonight. Do not come back to TM or Charming or you will end up in a body bag. Do you understand?"

The eye that's still open is fixed on me in a terrified stare and she nods twice before sagging back against the concrete. My voice is still a low tone that doesn't carry past us when I continue, "Because I feel in a generous mood after the amazing time I had earlier when my Old Man fucked me in our shower I'll see if I can find someone to help you home and get you packed, then I want you out of town."

Ima nods again and I stand up slowly glancing at Jax and shrugging one shoulder casually "Ima needs some help getting home and packed. She's decided that California just isn't for her anymore."

Tig laughs and steps up beside me "I'll help her."

I grin at him and look over my shoulder "Oh aren't you sweet Tiggie, be gentle she's a little sore."

Tig grins creepily and helps her to her feet, the grip he has on her arm keeping her completely still as she struggles for breath. I take a few seconds to pick up one of the towels off the rope and wipe the tiny patch of blood off the knee of my trousers before looking up and very deliberately catching the eye of every single sweetbutt and croweater who is still looking at me and waiting until they either drop their eyes or avert them to look somewhere else.

AN: More a rant than anything. I'm hopelessly addicted to Food TV but it really really really gets on my nerves when chefs forget that there is an H in the work Herb! It's Herb, not erb. Rang done. :-)