A/N: Things are fairly intense in Dani's world right now, huh. I'm really trying to get that girl to a place of balance, but it's not my fault that she has so much baggage…except that I created her and her baggage, but I swear she just came to me that way. I wasn't out to wreck her life or anything. Anyway a big thanks to all the readers, and everyone who has followed or favorited this story! I encourage all of you to pretty please leave me a review or send me a message and let me know what you think of the story so far. And to by amazing reviewers, I send all my loves… and imaginary chocolate chip cookies.
Be-true-2-you- Thank you for taking the time to review! No review is too long (or too short), and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. I'm so happy you are enjoying the story and the slow build of things. There are quite a few of us questioning Gemma on how she handled Dani, but soon-ish there will be more revealed on that front. Same with Clay—With the story's perspective following Dani, there's a lot we aren't seeing, but again, soon there will be more from Clay. While I don't generally say yes or no to people's suspicions, I will say that Jacob Hale has nothing to do with Dani and is not a name or a face in her book. I agree he is a creeper though. I almost died laughing when you named my ship Dopie, I love it! Hope to hear more of your thoughts on future chapters!
Ghostwriter- Yeah this was a hard chapter. These are some sensitive topics and I'm trying to approach them with respect, and to give an honest range of emotions that are experienced with these issues. To know that you are feeling these emotions with my characters is important to me, so thank you. I'm glad you are enjoying this story, and I value your feedback tremendously.
Khyharah- Yes, damn. Jax and Opie really are the best for taking such good care of Dani. Now that everything is out in the open, I'm hoping Dani can soon have a sense of balance and yes, control. And who wouldn't want Opie cuddles? Is there a list I can get on for some of those? Lol
KS- I'm sensing you are very revengy, lol. Let's see if the club wants to get more involved in taking care of things.
Now onto the story!
Chapter 18
Dani seemed to be making a habit of waking up in Opie's arms. It was a habit she could get used to. His warmth seeping into her, her head resting on his broad, muscular chest, the feeling of his rough hands moving up and down the smooth skin of her arms. Dani opened her eyes to find Opie was awake and watching her, tracing invisible patterns on her arm.
"Good morning," Opie said kissing her forehead.
"Morning," Dani murmured, letting out a lawn.
"How do you feel today?" He asked her.
"Like I want to stay right here with you all day." Opie chucked but gave her a look to say he was waiting for a real answer. "I feel drained. Physically, and emotionally. But in another way, I feel lighter somehow. But mostly drained. Like I really just want to stay in bed today." She nestled further into his chest.
Opie promised they could have a lazy day together soon and left her to get ready. Dani showered quickly, braided her hair, and dressed in a pair of capri jeans, a floral top and grabbed a lightweight jacket for when she left the house. It was one thing for the Sons to see her scars, but after the article, Dani was sure she was going to be a point of curiosity, and she was not about to give them more to talk about.
Making her way out of her room, Dani saw Opie in the kitchen and could smell bacon. She smiled as she saw her favorite mug on the counter, already full of coffee and one sip telling her it was sweetened to her liking. She set the mug down for a moment and wrapped her arms round Opie. "Thanks for making breakfast," she said pressing a kiss to his shoulder blade through the fabric of his shirt.
Opie was in the process of transferring the eggs he had cooked onto two plates. Once he had finished, he turned and kissed the top of her head. "It's almost ready. Go sit down before you distract me, and I burn the bacon."
Dani backed up and grabbed her coffee. "I'm only going to protect the bacon." She said giving him a smile.
A few minutes later, they were both seated at the table, eating in a comfortable silence, trading glances at each other. When they were finished, they worked together to load the dishwasher and clean the kitchen.
Dani hopped onto the counter and took a sip of her second cup of coffee when she was satisfied that the kitchen was clean. Opie moved to stand in front of her and took her coffee away from her. Setting it on the counter, he wrapped his arms around her and leaning down to capture her mouth in a series of sweet, gentle kisses. Dani's arms moved to wrap around Opie's broad, muscular shoulders and she moved to deepen the kiss, but Opie pulled back. He moved his attentions to her neck, nuzzling her with his beard. The gentle scratches from his hears elicited both a gasp and a giggle. Opie chuckled and placed a single kiss to that spot before pulling her into a hug. Her head rested on his chest, one of his arms was wrapped around her back, the other hand at her neck cradling her head as he rested his on head on top of hers. Dani let herself enjoy the moment, listening to the slow and steady beat of his heart as she let the emotions weep though her. She felt so safe, so warm, so cared for in that moment. She pulled back to look up at Opie.
"What's got you so sweet this morning?" she asked him, gazing into his eyes. Before he could answer there was a knock on the door. Opie gave her another kiss before going to answer the door. Dani jumped off the counter and followed.
Opie looked through the glass at the top of the door before opening it and letting Jax in. They greeted each other briefly and Jax made his way over to Dani and pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Dani hugged him back for a minute before telling him she would like to breathe at some point on the future. Jax released her and gave her a quick smirk. "Hey Dani girl."
Opie started to grab his stuff so he could leave for his shift at TM but Dani stopped him. "Before you go, there's something I wanted to run by you both. I was thinking about it, and even though she doesn't deserve it, I kind of think I should talk to Gemma before you talk to the club about what I showed you yesterday. I just might need a couple days to get myself ready to talk to her. I know that one way or another, I need to take action with the information I have, but I don't want her finding out from someone else after the fact. That would only make things worse with us."
Opie nodded. "I don't like waiting on this, but I think it's your call," he told her, coming up to put a hand on her shoulder.
"I can talk to Gemma for you if you want." Jax offered.
Dani shook her head. "Give me a couple days to talk myself into doing this, If I can't, then you can talk to her but I think I need to do it. I wouldn't mind you there with me though considering how things went last time we talked." Jax nodded.
"OK, I gotta get to work." Opie told them giving Jax a pat on the back and Dani a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," he said to her running his fingers through the end of her braid before he grabbed his things and left.
Dani watched as he walked out the door before turning her attention to Jax, who was grinning at her. "Shut up." She said.
"I didn't say anything." He replied holding up his hands.
"Your face said it for you so shut up. What are we doing today?" She asked him.
"I'm supposed to take you to meet with Rosen after your appointment today, then I'm taking you for a run and we'll get you started on some self-defense. There's someplace I want to take you before we do any of that though, so get ready to go, grab some workout clothes so we don't have to come back."
Dani did as she was told, throwing some leggings, a sports bra and a tee shirt in her bag, and slipping on her sneakers, tying them securely.
"Where are we going?" She asked Jax as she locked up the house.
"You'll see." Was all he would tell her as they climbed onto his bike.
About forty-five minutes later Jax was bringing his bike to a stop. Looking around, Dani noticed several targets set up and realized they were at a makeshift shooting range. She turned to Jax.
"Ok, what are we doing here?" She asked him.
"I know this wasn't on any of your lists, but if anything does happen, I'd feel better knowing you know how to handle yourself with a gun." He told her.
"I don't know about this," she said hesitantly.
Jax led her over to the targets. "I get that you may not like the idea of it, but you said you wanted to do everything you could to give yourself an advantage if shit went down. You think if someone comes after you, they won't have a gun? Here." He reached into his kutte and pulled out a gun and held it out to her.
Dani took it reluctantly and Jax showed her how to load it, where the safety was, and then gave her pointers on how to hold the gun and her stance and had her try for the target. She didn't even come close to the target, and the recoil startled her. Jax gave her a few adjustments and she got closer, but still missed the target. He kept coaching her until the gun was empty. She had managed to hit the target exactly one time.
Jax went to reload the gun, but she shook her head. "I don't like it Jax. I know you're trying to help, but I don't think this is right for me." Jax convinced her to try once more and she agreed. She did slightly better this time, hitting the target twice, but refused any further attempts.
Jax sighed but nodded and they got on the bike to head into town. He took her to St. Thomas for her appointment and she left him in the waiting room. She stormed out of the office barely twenty minutes later and barked out "Let's go." Jax caught up with her at the elevator and could see she was fuming.
"Want to tell me what's going on?" He asked. Dan shook her head and jabbed at the button until the elevator opened and they stepped inside. Jax waited until they were outside before trying again. "Dani—" he started.
"I'm not going back there." She said.
"Why not?" He asked.
"She wasn't listening to me, which is basically her job. She suggested I start taking medications and didn't like that I told her I wasn't comfortable with that. She was super negative about my relationship with you said that I was using you as an emotional crutch, she said she didn't think my living with Opie was appropriate, and that I needed to get my panic attacks and insomnia under control. I tried to tell her that the attacks happened because of specific things that happened and we talked about not only those things, but everything and I told her I thought things would be better going forward. She wasn't listening to me so I left."
Jax put his hands on Dani's shoulders. "You've had a pretty intense week. I saw you at your worst Dani, and it was some pretty scary shit t
o see you like that. But I also saw you dig yourself out of a mountain of secrets and bad life experiences and I'm so fucking proud of you. I wouldn't judge you if you decided you needed the medication, but I don't think you're wrong for not wanting it either."
Dani nodded. "I think I'm doing ok without it. But Jax, you have to tell me if I'm putting too much onto you, I'm so used to not letting anybody in and if I lean on you too much you have to tell me."
"I promise I'd tell you. Don't let that doc mess with your head though. I asked you to let me carry some of the load. She doesn't know you, or any of us. So fuck her."
Dani gave a small smile. "Yeah, fuck her."
Jax led her over to the bike. "Let's go, we got to get to Rosen's."
The visit with the attorney was interesting. Dani's court date had been scheduled for the following week and he had some papers he needed her to sign in preparation. When that was finished she and Jax started to stand but Rosen held up a hand. "One more thing. I received a call today from an Agent Green of the FBI, they are requesting to schedule a formal interview with Miss Teller. He also asked to extend his apologies for your previous meeting. How do you want me to handle this?"
"Do I have to talk to them?" Dani asked.
"Legally, no. You do have the right not to participate in an investigation of a crime perpetrated against you, but that will likely keep them around here longer than necessary." Rosen advised.
Dani looked to Jax, not sure how to proceed. "Push the meeting as far as you can. See if you can get a list of questions before hand. Tell them that being prepared for what she will be asked with help with the PTSD and she'll be better able to handle and answer their questions." Jax instructed the lawyer and they left.
He took them to TM, and Dani barely had time to glance towards the garage as Jax pulled her into the club house. He let her into Opie's room and told her to change into her running clothes and that he would be right back for her. Dani traded her jeans for her high waisted black leggings and removed her shirt and bra and pulled on her black sports bra with a red floral pattern. From the from the sports bra was rather basic, Dani noted as she adjusted herself inside the garment, but the back was a little more intricate as the shoulder straps split into different straps that crisscrossed across her back. Dani untwisted one of the straps, pulled on her tee shirt and began putting her shoes back on when there was a knock at the door and Jax called out to her. She yelled for him to come in and focused on finished lacing her shoes. When she was done, she looked up to see Jax wearing a pair of sneakers and running shorts. He pulled her up and led her outside to the entrance of the lot. He suggested she take a minute to stretch as he began to do the same, and when they were both ready he started them off into an easy jog.
As they were jogging, they passed a group of young women who were staring at Jax. He gave them a smirk and a wink. Dani laughed. "You're such a man-whore." She told him.
Jax laughed. "If you can make fun of me you can go faster," he said and increased their speed to a run. He kept pushing her until they got back to the lot thirty minutes later. Dani collapsed on top of the picnic table as Jax told her she did well and that they had gone about two and a half miles in that time. Jax told her to sit tight and he would get her some water. Dani grunted, not moving and closed her eyes against the bright sunlight beating down on her. She lay there as her breathing evened out and she started to relax when a splash of freezing cold water landed on her. Shrieking, she opened her eyes and sat up in shock as Jax was laughing in front of her. He had indeed brought her a bottle of water but had just emptied about a quarter of its contents on her person. She took off her sweaty and now very damp shirt and threw at Jax's face.
About an inch and a half of her torso was visible between the waistband of her leggings and the start of her sports bra. Her leggings covered the word carved into her lower back, but the strappy sports bra did little to hide the rest of her back. Dani was too annoyed with Jax to care. Everyone on the lot had heard about her scars, even if they hadn't seen any of them. Jax pulled her up off the table and laughed harder as she slapped as his shoulder and called him a jerk.
Dani followed him over to where Chibs was sitting at one of the tables sitting outside the club house.
"Hey, brother," Jax said to him. Do me a favor and show Dani how to throw a decent punch. She can't even pretend to kick my ass convincingly." He said teasing Dani further. He gave Chibs a clap on the back and said something to him that Dani couldn't hear. Chibs glanced towards Dani then back to Jax and nodded.
Dani took a long pull from her water as she eyed Chibs and gave him a shrug. Chibs motioned for Dani to follow him and he led her over to a punching bag on the other side of the outdoor boxing ring. He helped her wrap her hands to protect them. "Ok, lass, show me how ye make a fist." Dani closed her hand into a fist and held it up. "No, lass, you'll break yer hand like that." He moved her thumb. "Now let me see you hit." He gestured to the bag.
Dani gave it a halfhearted punch. "Come on girl, for real now." Chibs said. She hit the bag a little harder. "You're stance is all wrong." He moved next to her. "Plant your feet like this," he demonstrated and she copied. "Better. Now try again."
Dani punched at the bag again more seriously. "How am I supposed to defend myself against someone twice my size when I can barely get the bag to move?"
"It ain't about size, lass. You got to put your whole body behind the move. And you got to remember what you're fighting for. You got to let that anger out of ya." Dani started to say she wasn't angry but Chibs cut her off. "That doesn't make you angry?" He asked gesturing to the burn marks on her shoulder. "Losing 20 years of your life doesn't make you angry? Not knowing if or when they might come after ye again?" Dani's eyes were lit with fire. "That right there, lass, that's what you need. Now hit it again." Dani hit the bag again much harder this time. "Better. Again." Dani hit the bag again. Chibs continued to coach her and showed her several different techniques to hit the bag. Dani wasn't sure how long they had been at it when Chibs finally called for her to stop.
"Ye did good today, Dani girl. You come see me any time you want, and we'll get you into fighting shape." He told her. "Looks like yer fella is about to steal you away," he pointed, and Dani turned to see Opie walking towards her with a grin on his face.
Dani started walking to meet Opie and when they were within reach of each other, Opie grabbed her and pulled her into a searing kiss. "Do you know how hard it is to concentrate on work when you're over here looking all gorgeous and ass-kicking, like Xena or some shit?" He said and kissed her again, more gently this time before pulling her into a hug. Dani could see out of the corner of her eye Gemma watching them from the office window but decided to ignore her.
"I don't know if I'm a warrior princess just yet, but I feel pretty good about it. I also feel pretty gross after all that exercise. How much longer are you working today?" She asked.
"I've got a couple hours yet. Why?"
"I'm exhausted. You mind if I hide out in your room til you're done. I could use a shower and a nap." She said leaning up for another kiss.
Opie groaned. "Picturing you, in my bed, is going to be even more distracting." He told her
"Use it as motivation to work faster." She told him.
"I'd better get back to it then." He said stealing one last kiss. They parted ways, and Dani stopped at the bar in the club house for another cold water before heading to Opie's room. She quickly downed a third of the bottle before setting it on the nightstand and heading to the bathroom.
Dani turned on the hot water to ease her aches as she stepped into the shower. She grabbed the bottle of soap and popped open the lid, inhaling the scent that was so familiarly Opie's. She washed quickly and grabbed a towel, drying off. She pulled on her underwear and tank top, leaving her jeans off and crawled into Opie's bed. She took another few sips of her water before settling in to the pillows and letting her eyes drift shut.