A/N: So the last chapter revealed a lot more about Dani's past after a public argument with Gemma. I see so many of you reading and it makes me happy that you are all out there reading along. Please consider leaving a review if you have not already, and if you have, thank you, keep them coming! I am loving your feedback!
Ghostwriter- It sure was a tough chapter for both Dani and Gemma. I warned that Gemma wouldn't always be likeable, primarily because of how she handled this situation. I am working out the best way to get her on the right path, to get her and Dani on a better path, but it may take just a little bit after that.
DarylDixon'sLover- Thank you! I'm glad you're liking the chapter and Dani as she goes through an intense situation.
Guest ks- Yeah, Dani had a tough time last chapter, and Gemma certainly did not handle it well. Gemma's gonna take a break for a few chapters to think about what she did wrong, lol.
Kara315- Thank you for your review! Gemma definitely acted inappropriately in the last chapter, but I'm gonna give her a chance to redeem herself at some point. I'm so glad you are liking the bond between Dani and Opie; I hope you continue to enjoy their relationship as it develops.
Guest- Thank you! I'm glad you are finding the story engaging! There is more coming literally right now, lol!
BekaRoo- Thank you! Gemma was not a nice person or a good mom last chapter. She's never been a favorite character of mine, but I'll be giving her a chance to redeem herself at some point. I'm glad you're liking Opie and Dani growing closer, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!
Ok, now on to the next chapter.
******** WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE********
Chapter Twelve
Dani was not sure how long they had been driving, she sat there, tears streaming down her face, Opie's thumb moving comfortingly across her knuckles, scenery flying by, but Dani didn't really see it.
Opie's low voice broke through her thoughts. "Dani, we have to stop soon for gas. Do you want anything?"
Dani nodded. "Maybe some water." She said, her voice cracking. A few minutes later they were pulling into a gas station and stopped next to a pump. "Where's Jax?" Dani asked.
"He's right behind us. Do you want me to send him over while I fill the tank and get you some water?" Opie asked and Dani nodded. "Ok, I'll send him over and be back in a minute." He squeezed her hand briefly before letting go and getting out of the truck.
A moment later Jax was leaning in through the open window. "Hey Darlin. How are you doing?" Jax asked.
Dani just shrugged. "I'm sorry. That's not how I imagined telling you about me. I don't understand how it went so wrong. I just wanted to talk to her, to understand things, but it went so wrong."
Jax shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. I don't know what to say about Gemma. I'm so sorry Dani."
"It's not your fault." Dani said. "I don't want to talk anymore about Gemma right now."
"Ok." Jax told her. "Christ Dani, that's really what happened to you?" He asked.
"Minus the really horrible details, but yeah, that's what happened."
"Tell me what you know about these people that hurt you Dani, and I swear to God I will find them, and I will make them pay for what they did to you." Jax said. Dani could see the tightness in his jaw, the flash of anger in his eyes.
Dani undid her seatbelt, pushed the door open, forcing Jax to take a step back and Dani stepped out of the car, reached for Jax, pulling him close and wrapping her arms around him. He was quick to return the gesture, squeezing her tightly against him. Dani sighed. "Jax, you have no idea how much a huge part of me wishes I could tell you where they were and let you handle it. But I honestly have no idea where I was. It could literally be anywhere in the country, hell I don't even know if I was in the country or not the whole time. What I do know is these people have money and powerful connections, and to try and go after them is too dangerous."
"Dani, someone needs to stop these people."
"I know. Look, I can't think about this now. Can we please talk about this later?"
Jax sighed but agreed, pulling back to look down at her. "You look a little pale. Come sit back down." He said guiding her to take a step back and return to her seat in the truck. "We won't talk about it anymore for a while, ok?"
Opie came back a few minutes later, handing her a large bottle of water. Dani took a few large gulps of water before replacing the cap and looked up at Jax and Opie. They were both watching her expectantly.
"Where do you want to go?" Jax asked her.
Dani just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should just go home."
"Are you sure?" Jax asked again and Dani nodded.
"I'm less… whatever I was earlier. Let's just go home."
Jax nodded and they stepped back and closed the door. Dani put her seatbelt on as Opie came around and got in the truck. Jax said he would be right behind them and see her at the house and Dani nodded.
Opie handed her a bag as he started the car. "I picked up a couple things in case you might want to try and eat something."
Dani peaked in the bag and saw a granola bar, a bag of Chex mix, and some chocolate. Dani didn't take anything out of the bag, just set it aside. "Thank you." She told him.
Opie just nodded, put the truck in drive and reached out, offering her his hand. Dani immediately took it, enjoying the comfort of his touch.
Dani let herself get lost in her thoughts once again on the ride home. She was relieved that they knew what she had been through, but she was also worried that they would see how broken, how damaged she was, and they would decide she wasn't worth the effort. Dani tried to push those thoughts away, but she could not get that nagging feeling out of her mind.
When they got back to the house Dani, Opie and Jax walked in quietly. Dani went into the kitchen and pulled a carton of rocky road ice cream out of the freezer and began dishing herself a bowl. She carried her bowl to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Dani could feel Jax and Opie watching her. "What?" She asked tiredly.
Jax sat down across from her. "I wanted to ask you about something you said, something that happened to you, but we don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to."
"I think I'm beyond breaking down at this point if that's what you are worried about. What do you want to know?" Dani replied.
"You said that they were going to get rid of you, that someone carved into your back." Jax said.
Dani nodded. "I think I was just too old for the man who had me." Her voice was almost robotic. "He decided to… sell… me to a man he knew who. This man told me he was going to kill me, but he was going to take his time. He wanted to 'test his merchandise' before he took me, so he had everyone leave the house where I was being held. He raped me, and then he tied me down on my stomach. He burned my back with a cigar, kept lighting it, just to put it out again. He started to whip me, he said he liked the lines it left but didn't like that it wasn't breaking my skin enough, so he took a knife-" Dani paused to tale a breath. "He took a knife and began tracing the welts from the whip, slicing my back open as he went. Then he started slicing across my lower back. I didn't know what he was doing, but I could feel myself losing blood, growing weaker. He stopped eventually and untied me and started to turn me over, but he got a phone call and stepped outside. He was distracted. I… I escaped. I'm not really sure what happened next. I was walking down the side of the road, and the next thing I know I am cleaned up, wearing different clothes, its almost 24 hours later and I'm on a bus. I don't know if someone helped me or if I did it on my own on autopilot. I don't know where I was when I got on the bus or what direction I was going in, I just got off. And that's when Alice found me."
Dani took a bite of her ice cream as she eyed Jax and Opie, who was leaning against the wall, the stiffness in his posture overshadowing the casual pose.
''Will you show us?" Opie asked.
"My back? I don't know. I carry that reminder of what they did to me, of what they made me. I mean, literally, I carry it on my back every day, and I have tried so hard to keep it hidden because I didn't want anybody giving me looks of pity, or thinking I'm disgusting and wouldn't want me around anymore."
"That's not going to happen." Opie told her. She stared at him for a moment and looked to Jax, who nodded and reached out to squeeze her hand.
"All right." Dani agreed reluctantly, rising to her feet and walking into the living room. Jax and Opie followed her, but she stopped them just at the entryway. "Stay there." She said and walked a few steps further. She turned around and removed her gray sweater, tossing it onto the chair in the living room. She took a few deep breaths before pulling the back of her shirt up and over her head.
"Jesus Christ," She heard from Jax at the same time she heard Opie's "Fuck." She stayed there for a moment, letting them get a good look at her back. The cigar burns were primarily focused on her left shoulder and shoulder blade, there looked to be about a dozen of the circular burn marks. Their eyes then took on the cross hatching of lash marks that were etched into her skin with a knife, starting with the one that curled over her right shoulder, ending just above the top of her underarm. Another dozen or so lines crisscrossed across her back, but what had really caused them alarm were the scars that marked her lower back. The jagged lines were more than just more scars; they were interwoven together to spell out a particularly cruel word: WHORE.
Dani knew that it was the markings across her lower back that bothered her more than all the rest. She knew she was a victim, that she was unwilling, but she couldn't help but think sometimes that the word applied to her, more so since it was etched into her skin.
Dani quickly pulled her shirt back over her head, covering her back from view. "Show and tell is over," she said turning around. Both Jax and Opie moved closer to, she was sure, try and offer her comfort, but she had had enough of that for the time being. "Go outside, smoke a fucking cigarette or something, and leave me alone until I finish my damn ice cream."
Dani stood there staring at them until they turned and headed towards the sliding doors leading to the backyard. She sat down at the table as they glanced back at her before stepping out onto the back deck. Dani picked up her spoon and returned to her now slightly melted bowl of ice cream. She could see them glancing in at her periodically as they stood outside smoking and talking. Dani took her time with her treat, and when she was done stood and began rinsing her bowl. She heard the sliding door open and the guys come inside.
Dani set her bowl down and turned off the water. She walked over and gave each of them a quick hug before saying, "Now I am done with the emotional roller coaster for today, ok?" When Jax and Opie nodded she forced a smile on her face. "Good, now I have no intention of cooking tonight, so unless one of you is making something, I suggest we order in some Chinese food."
The rest of the night passed without incident, everyone putting on a good front of acting normally. They watched a couple movies while they ate their takeout. Jax offered to stay but Dani declined, told him she didn't think shed be sleeping tonight and it wasn't right for both of them to lose sleep. Jax made her promise to call if she needed anything, no matter what time it was, and she gave him a hug goodnight before pushing him out the door.
Dani sat on the sofa next to Opie and she took his hand in hers as she sat staring at the tv, not really paying attention. "I know I said no more emotional crap tonight, but I need to ask you something. Do you think any differently of me now that you've seen…"
"No, if anything, I think you are stronger than I thought you were."
"I don't feel very strong right now. I've had a meltdown twice in as many days, spilled my sad story in front of everyone, got a smackdown from my mother, who would rather hit me than answer a basic fucking question, and literally exposed my biggest insecurity to you and Jax. I feel like I'm barely keeping myself together." Dani confessed to him.
"I think you are looking at things all wrong, babe. You handled the feds; they won't be able to bother you anymore. You shared what happened to you with your family and the club. That's got to be a big burden off your shoulders if you think about it, even if it wasn't how you thought that would go down. That shit with Gemma is messed up, but you took a hit to the face and haven't even acknowledged it hurts despite the fact that you've got quite the shiner there," he brought his hand up to brush gently against the side of her face as his other arm wrapped around her. "You didn't have a meltdown, as you put it, until after you handled your shit and were with people that you trusted to keep you safe, and you trusted me and Jax with something that makes you uncomfortable and let us share that burden, and I promise it hasn't changed how we feel about you, except maybe to let those feelings grow stronger."
"How do you do that?" Dani asked in wonder, bringing her hands up to rest on his shoulders. "How can you take almost every worry I have and spin it into a good thing? How can you just make everything better just like that?"
"Because I care, and because you let me."
"Opie, I..." Dani whispered as Opie's arms tightened around her.
"What do you want Dani?" Opie asked her, leaning in so his face was inches from her own.
"I want to be strong enough for this…for you. I want to be close to you." She confessed.
"You are," he told her. "I'm right here."
Dani searched Opie's eyes for something, she wasn't sure what, but when she saw the passion and caring shining at her from behind his dark gaze, she closed the distance between their lips and her eyes drifted shut.
Kissing Opie was like something out of a dream. His lips were warm, soft and yet firm, gently guiding her. When she felt his tongue ghost against her lips, she opened her mouth to him without hesitation, it was like the electricity she felt each time they touched, only this was ten times greater. As their tongues danced, she let out a tiny moan, causing Opie's arms to tighten around her. After a few moments Opie pulled away, eliciting a small whimper from Dani. He chuckled and pressed a few kisses to the side of her face as he pulled her so she was sitting in his lap, and he pulled her close so that she was cradled against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She sighed from content and snuggled closer as they held each other.