Disclaimer- I don't own the sons of anarchy universe, unfortunately. All characters, and settings belong to the ingenious Kurt Sutter.

Chapter one:

Not so bad

Elise Roosevelt

Monday April 9th, 2011

'So I guess I'm a fool

I'm a fool in love

But I'm willing to stay here

And bask in the glory of his heart

I guess I'm a fool in love

But I'm willing to look so stupid

Till I had enough'

'Fool in love' by Rihanna— one of my favorite songs at the moment, blared through my headphones, as I sat on a bench outside of the barbershop, where my dad was getting his already bald head shaved. It was going on 10:30am, and after we spent the first half of the morning getting me enrolled at Charming high school, I was waiting for him to get done so he could take me home. The shop was owned by some old guy named Floyd and he was the only person that worked there. That right there should tell you how old school and countrified the town of Charming is. I mean, I can't think of one modern barbershop where there isn't at least three or four people cutting heads. I'm from a city here in California, called Stockton, where the barbershops are always packed, with workers and customers. Charming is so small, compared to back home, and all the buildings seem to be right on top of each other. This place reminds me of something I would see on one of those old western tv shows my grandma Dorothy would watch, whenever I visited her. I honestly hate it here.

See, I was forced to move to this raggedy ass town two weeks ago, after Eli, and half of his sub-station were transferred to Charming. Two weeks was all it took for me to know that I was going to hate living here. I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if it was more diverse, but I swear, there's nothing but blatantly racist white folks everywhere I go. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of white people in Stockton, but we also had a mixture of different races there, so color never seemed to be an issue. Too bad I can't say the same about Charming, though. I get so many sideways looks from white people out here, that you would think being black was a crime.

I understood that Eli didn't have a choice in moving here, since his transfer was mandatory, but that didn't mean he had to drag me along with him. My granny offered to take me in, until I graduated and went off to college, but no— Eli is just so hell bent on dictating every aspect of my life, that he even refused to let me live under his own mother's rules. Ain't that some shit? That should have been my choice anyway. I'm seventeen years old and legally, I should be allowed to make my own decisions, but I guess all that goes out of the window, when you're the daughter of an above the law police Lieutenant. It's okay, because I'm turning eighteen in less than a week, and when I do, he's not gonna be able to tell me a damn thing about what I can and cannot do!

My biggest problem with moving here, is that it had to happen so close to the end of my senior year. I graduate in a month and a half, but I won't be surrounded by my friends and family, like I had planned. Instead, one of the happiest days of my life will be spent around a bunch of privileged white kids who will probably hate my black existence. What if they throw the n word at me, and I have to fight one of them? What if they try to jump me, just because I'm not white? At least, back home I would have had friends to back me up in that situation, but here, I have nobody. Eli didn't care to think about that. He just saw another opportunity to have further control over my life, and he seized it. My blood was starting to boil just thinking about it, and I felt my leg begin to shake. That's something I always catch myself doing when I'm irritated.

At least three more songs had passed, before I felt my right earbud pop out of my head, and I looked up to see Eli, still as bald as before, looking down at me, with a goofy grin on his face.

"How do I look, Dimples?" He asked, using the nickname him and my mother have called me, since I was a little girl. They call me that, because according to them, I was born with the deepest set of dimples they had ever seen. He only addresses me by my actual name when he's mad at me or something, which is actually pretty often.

"Same as before." I shrugged, standing up and wrapping my headphones around my black iPhone 4s. "I think you should get braids next time. Doesn't mama get tired of you rockin' that chrome dome all the time?" I sarcastically asked, and Eli stood there giving me the side eye for a second.

"Just get in the car smart ass." He commanded, and I proudly strutted over to the old raggedy patrol car, with a smirk on my face. I got in and accidentally slammed the door because it was so heavy. This is the car that was assigned to my dad when we moved here. It's an old 1980's Chevy blazer— old school and countrified, like I said before. Anyway, Eli got in after I did, started up the engine, and pulled off of the curb.

"You taking me home now?" I asked.

"Not yet, I got one more thing to handle then you're home free."

"What thing?"

"Police business. You just sit back and ride... And put that safety belt on!" He said authoritatively.

I slyly rolled my eyes, doing as I was told. Ugh, he's so irritating! He didn't have to say it so harsh. He could've just tactfully reminded me to put my seatbelt on, but who am I foolin'? This is Eli, I'm talking about. That man wouldn't know the meaning of the word 'tact', if it slapped him in that bald ass head of his. I didn't say anything else the rest of the ride, though. I just slumped down in my seat, and silently stared out of my window, taking in all the boring scenery Charming had to offer.

Eli made a right onto Main Street about ten minutes later, where there were two other police cruisers, already parked on both sides of the street. There was another police suv truck parked down the street, blocking the road.

"The hell's going on over here?!" I absentmindedly blurted out. I mentally kicked myself because even though I don't get along with Eli, I try to watch my mouth around him and my mother at all times, out of respect.

"First of all, watch your mouth. Second of all, you need to pay attention to what's about to go down. You've gotta start watching how I work if you're gonna go into the police academy after high school." He said, I looked away, clenching my jaw at his police academy statement.

Eli wants me to go into the academy after I finish high school, instead of going to college at UCLA like I really want to. He's been shoving this police officer bs down my throat, since I was a little girl. Granted, it was an aspiration of mine at the age of nine, but things have changed a lot since then. Now I wanna go to college, and explore my career options, not ride around looking for trouble all day. Of course, I haven't told him that, because all he's ever wanted was to have his only child follow in his footsteps and telling him that I have other plans would crush him. Me and Eli may have our differences, and it might seem impossible for us to get along at times, but he's still my dad at the end of the day. I love his overbearing ass, and I don't wanna hurt him like that. I know I'm gonna have to tell him soon, but for now, I'll keep it to myself.

"Sorry. So, what is about to go down anyway?" I asked trying to sound genuinely curious.

"There's some guys getting out of prison today. They're a part of this biker gang called The Sons Of Anarchy. Since I'm the new Sheriff in town, I'm gonna stop them and lay down some new rules, just so we don't have any conflicts or misunderstandings." He explained, and I could feel my face drop in confusion.

"So you create a roadblock, and cause a big scene? Isn't that just gonna pis- I mean, isn't that just gonna upset them, and cause conflict?" I asked, catching myself before I cussed again.

"I have to show them that the law is in charge, Elise. Back when Charming PD ran this town, the sons had them on their payroll and they did whatever they wanted, without facing consequences. That's why the sanwa sheriffs are here. To let them know that it's not gonna be like that with me and my guys. You understand?"

Before I could respond, the sound of motorcycle engines roaring in the distance hit my ears. I looked up, but there were no bikes in sight yet.

"Let's do this." Eli said, quickly getting out of the car. He shut the door and turned to look at me, through the opened car window. "Pay attention." He added, before walking around the front of the car along with five of his officers.

I glanced in the rear view mirror to see two other cops standing outside of their truck. I turned my attention back up ahead, seeing about eight or nine men in black leather vests, riding their black Harley Davidsons around the corner, followed by a black freight van. I'm guessing black is their identifying color. Anyway, they slowed down as they approached the officers, and then finally came to a complete stop altogether. They shut their engines off in unison. Everything was silent, except for one other man on a motorcycle, that drove off in the direction that the bikers came in. The guy riding the bike waved at the group, but they just disregarded him, and he kept going.

"Well now, if you're the welcoming committee, I was kinda hoping for flowers, maybe a bundt cake." An older guy in front said smugly, as he took his helmet off, revealing a full head of short gray hair, and a dislikable looking face.

"Im sorry, no cake." Dad shrugged, and I could hear the arrogance in his voice.

"The hell is this, man?" Another biker spoke up. He had on dark shades, and a helmet so I couldn't see what he looked like, but the fact that he didn't have any gray in his blonde goatee told me that he wasn't as old as the other guy.

"Just a friendly heads up. Charming is now under the jurisdiction of the San Joaquin sheriffs department."

"I'm guessing that's you." The older man chimed in.

"Lieutenant Roosevelt. Charming-Morada sub-station is my command." Eli said, causing me to shake my head. He said he didn't want to cause problems with these guys, but there he is acting all self-important, and superior... Like always. That's a great way to make them not respect you. Good job, Dad.

"Well, you got to show everyone how big your stick is, Teddy. Can we go now?" The blonde biker spoke up. Eli said something in response, but I tuned out as soon as I saw blondie take his shades off, tucking them into the collar of his white t-shirt. He looked up at Eli, giving me a view of his full face, and honestly, I was stunned to see how handsome he was. It was kind of funny because whenever I thought of bikers, I always pictured old, scruffy looking men with dirty beards, but I see now that I was way off!

Everything about this man was attractive to me. Everything from his looks, which put me in the mindset of how Prince Charming would look if he was an outlaw biker, to the confident way he carried his self, and the rugged, yet calm demeanor he gave off. The Charming sun beamed down into his eyes making them a cool shade of blue, almost as blue as the cloudless California sky. Now I've seen some fine men before but none of them even came close to how fine Prince Charming was. I slowly swept my long, straight, black bangs behind my ear, as I continued to admire this man's good looks.

"So the next time I see any one of you, who got out today, wearing cuts... well, they'll belong to me. We clear? Welcome home gentlemen!" The sound of my dad's voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked over to see him signaling for his guys to unblock the road, before making his way back to the car. Once he was in, he started the car, and backed out of the middle of the street. I just kept my gaze fixated on the group of 'Sons', as they rode past. The smell of exhaust fumes flowed into my opened window, and up my nostrils, but I didn't mind it. I just watched until they got a little further down the street, and made a left into a parking lot. Some place called 'Teller-Morrow automotive'.

Wondering why the car wasn't moving, I looked over at Eli, who was mean mugging the hell outta me. I flinched a little, acting like I didn't already know why he was looking at me crazy.

"What's that look for?" I asked, playing stupid.

"You know." He said and I slowly shook my head, as if to say "no I don't."

"Don't play dumb with me, Elise. I saw how you were looking at those bikers, and I want you to stay away from them. Those people, and the ones associated with them ain't nothin' but trouble, and I don't want you getting caught up with them."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I don't know how that's gonna work out, since we all live in the same pocket sized town."

"Oh you don't know? Well let me break it down for you. From now on, you won't be going anywhere but to school, back home, and to your mother's shop whenever she needs help. Those are the only three places you'll be going on my watch. Do you hear me?"

I cut my eyes at him. "But that's not fair! I'm a young ad-

"DO YOU HEAR ME?!" His loud voice boomed throughout the car, cutting me off mid sentence.

"Loud and clear!" I grumbled, peering straight ahead, while he went back to messing around with his walkie talkie. That's when I remembered that my mom, A.K.A my favorite person in the world, was down the street at her flower shop, getting ready for her grand opening, and the idea popped into my head to get dropped off there, instead of sitting through a whole ten minute drive home with Eli. Plus her shop was close by where the bikers went, and being there would allow me to be nosy, and get my own perception of them. I didn't want to just take my dad's word that they were bad people- I wanted to see for myself. And... I was kinda hoping to see Prince Charming one more time.

"Hey dad..." I said, glancing over at him.

"Yeah." He said, fiddling around with his walkie.

"Do you think you can drop me off at mom's shop, instead of taking me all the way home?"

He finished what he was doing, before looking up at me, with a suspicious look on his face. "That's your way of trying to get away from me as fast as possible, huh?" He asked, and I quickly thought of an excuse.

"No", I lied. "I just thought it would be easier for you, so you won't have to waste gas, and I want to see how things are coming along for mama. That's all." I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't believe me, but he still agreed. Without a word, he set his walkie on the dashboard and finally pulled off. We stayed silent once again. That's how most of our car rides together usually are since we can never have a decent conversation, without it ending up in an argument.

It took us all of two minutes to pull up to mom's shop, and I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face, when I saw how well things were coming along. Her shop was connected to about five others just like it, but it stood out because it was on the end. Right above the cobblestone building was a white sign with the words 'Rita's Flowerpot', in purple bubble letters. In the big storefront windows, there were all different kinds of plants and a sign that said 'Grand opening, Thursday April 12th!' My face lit up even brighter when I realized the shop was opening on my birthday! Everything was well put together and I was genuinely happy for mom, because opening a flower shop is all she's ever talked about and it's finally happening for her. Of course my happiness was short lived, when the sound of Eli's voice filled my ears.

"Tell Rita that I couldn't stay, because I have police business to tend to. But tell her I love her and I'll see her later on."

"Okay." I quickly responded, unbuckling my seat belt. Just as I opened my door to get out, Eli stopped me.

"Hey, Dimples." He said and I turned to look at him. "Even though we aren't on good terms right now... hell, we never are, but I love you." He told me. He always made it a point to tell me that, before leaving for work, just in case anything bad was to happen to him on the job, and I understoood that. He didn't want our relationship to end on bad terms, and neither did I. Like I said before, we might not get along all the time, but at the end of the day, he's still my dad and I love him.

"I love you too, Dad." I strained my words as I responded because I was still upset about what he told me.

"Alright, head inside." He told me, and I got out of the car and did just that, listening as he pulled off. Bells chimed over the door as I entered the shop, where I saw my beautiful mom walking out of a room in the back, carrying a big box. She shot me a smile, as she set the box down on the counter next to the cash register.

"Hey, baby girl. How did enrollment go? And where's your Dad?" Her soft voice was soothing to my ears, as I made my way over to where she was. My mother is such a peaceful, angelic person, and just the sight of her has always been enough to make my mood go from bad to good, in a matter of seconds. In case it isn't obvious by now, I'm a mama's girl. Always have been and always will be.

"It went okay. I start school bright and early tomorrow morning. And Dad wanted me to tell you that he had business to handle. That he loves you, and will see you later." I said, walking behind the counter, and leaning with my back against it. Mom stood in front of me, looking dead in my eyes, before gently cupping my cheek in her hand.

"How many times have I told you that frowning causes wrinkles?! Something's bothering you, what is it?" She asked, concerned.

I just rolled my eyes and looked down to the floor. "It's your husband."

"Oh lord! What did he do now?" She exclaimed, before she started rummaging through the box. "I swear, you two can't be around each other for more than five minutes without getting into it."

"Ugh! He's so controlling, it's ridiculous. Today he told me that I'm not allowed to go anywhere but home, school, and here for work. I swear, he makes it seem like giving a seventeen year old a little bit of freedom is the eighth deadly sin." I shook my head.

"Why'd he say that?"

"He says it's because he doesn't want me getting involved with with those bikers who just got out the joint today, but I don't think that's true. He was doing the same thing back home, where there was hardly any danger, so I think he just likes having control over me, like he does everything else. I really think the only reason he became a cop is because he gets a thrill out of being in a position of power." I finished my complaint with a sigh.

Mom stopped going through the box in defeat, and leaned with one hand on the counter, and the other on her hip as she looked over at me. "This place used to be a bookstore, and I found this box in the back room. I thought there would be something worth using for decorations in there, but it's just a whole bunch of old dusty, books and journals. I figure you might want it, since you like to read and write, and what not." She said, and I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I'll take it. Thanks mama."

"You're welcome, love. Now back to your father- I think he's just trying to do what's best for you. This town might have been quiet these past couple weeks, but trust me when I say, things are about to change now that the rest of that motorcycle gang is out. I understand him trying to keep you away from them, but telling you that you're only allowed to go three places is doing a bit too much, especially at your age. You're a young adult and he should have enough faith in you to know that you won't put yourself in any danger, and if you do, you know how to take care of yourself. I'll talk to him later about it, because that's just crazy. You're his daughter, not his inmate."

See, that's why I love this woman so much. She's so understanding and easy to talk to. I don't think I would have half the problems that I do with Eli, if he took the same approach to parenting as her. "At least you get it. Thank you mama."

"No problem. Hey, how about you go put this box out in my trunk. I'm gonna shut the lights off and lock up. Then we can go sit somewhere and eat, cause I don't know about you but I'm starving!" She exclaimed, handing me the keys to her red 2011 Ford Fusion.

"You sure you don't wanna just eat something at home? I mean, are you sure you trust these racist people making our food?" I asked, shooting mama a playful grin, and she gently smacked my shoulder.

"Just go, girl!" She laughed, and so did I.

I took the keys from her, picking up the box, and heading back outside, doing as I was told. Once I reached the car, I hit the button to open the trunk, and carefully set the box down. I shut the trunk, pressed the lock button, and started to head back in, until the low rumble of motorcycles got my attention once again. I looked up the street to see the men from earlier, turning out of the teller-morrow parking lot, and coming my way. This time they were followed by an old white and brown tow truck, and the older biker was leading the group. I couldn't tell if Prince Charming was riding or not, until I walked around the the front of the car, to get a better look and saw that he was driving the tow truck, instead of riding a bike.

As they passed, the vibrations from the bikes coursed through my body. Blondie glanced in my direction, and it felt like everything was going in slow motion, when he did a double take. He looked me up and down, shooting me a crooked smile that sent a rush of moisture down south. I wanted to smile back but couldn't, as my mind seemed to go blank in that moment. I continued to watch in awe, as they got further and further down the road. I don't think I had ever seen anyone as devilishly handsome as him before. 'I guess Charming isn't so bad after all. I can't wait to write about this in my journal.' I thought to myself, as I still kept my eyes fixated on them. I didn't snap out of it until I felt the car keys slip out of my hand, and I looked up to see mama staring at me with an amused look on her face. She reached a hand out, and placed it under my chin. She pushed it up, closing my mouth for me.

"He must be fine, for you to have your jaw on the ground like that." She laughed, and I nodded in agreement.

"Mighty fine! Think Prince Charming, meets bad boy. You gotta see him to understand." I told her, watching as she chuckled and shook her head.

"Just remember, everything that glitters ain't gold." She warned, before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. I thought about it for a second, brushing it off, before also getting in. I connected my phone to carplay, turning to my oldies playlist, as mama drove off.

What's up, my readers! Did you enjoy the first chapter? I feel like it went kind of slow but that's okay. This story will start to pick up after the second chapter, I promise! PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK and let me know how you like it so far, and feel free to ask me any questions you might have. I will try to respond to everyone as soon as I can. Also, I'm thinking about publishing this story on Wattpad as well, so I can upload gifs to go with my story, and post pictures of my O/C's. Let me know if you guys would like that. If I get enough reviews to continue, then I will publish chapter two.

-Honey