There is only one thing that could explain the success of Charming's favorite residents as they manage to pull off the unthinkable, but a guardian angel is only so strong against the devil that refuses to quit.
General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death, racism/gang activity.
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CHAPTER 66: GUARDIAN ANGEL
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Sydney sighed a long, deep, content breath as she sat down at her desk in the TM office for the first time since the shooting, immediately getting to work sorting through the stacks of papers that had piled up in her absence. She and Tig had been up until nearly 5:00 A.M., and she was exhausted, but she couldn't have been more thrilled to have something to do other than sit around and think about all of the things that she couldn't do.
"God, I've missed you." Gemma chortled as she watched the eager young woman zip through inventory sheets at the speed of light.
"I bet you have." Sydney chuckled, gulping back the caramel iced latte that she'd spruced up with three espresso shots for the lengthy day ahead of her.
"How's the leg feeling?"
"Fine." Sydney nodded, avoiding The Matriarch's skeptical gaze.
"Surprised to hear that." Gemma scoffed, tossing her glasses onto her keyboard with a dramatic clang.
"I told you I would be fine." Sydney mused with a theatrical smile and roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, well, forgive me for believing the Doctor instead of you." Gemma snorted, widened her eyes as she turned back to her computer screen.
"Apology accepted." Sydney nodded curtly, returning to her paperwork with a mischievous smile as she felt Gemma's narrowing eyes penetrate the top of her head.
"Mornin'." Clay's voice filled the office, breaking the tension in the nick of time. "How you doin'?" He nodded to Sydney.
"Jesus," Sydney scoffed. "I can carry out a hit just fine, but you're concerned about how I'm handling myself in a desk chair?"
"I'll take that as a good sign." Clay chuckled at her familiar antics, leaning down to kiss Gemma on the cheek. "I let Hap know that our cargo has doubled," he straightened back up. "Chief Unser has been kind enough to supply us with a truck; shipping manifests for two pallets of electronics—one-hundred-eighty pounds, and ninety-eight pounds," he chuckled. "That outta get 'em across the Canadian border without a stop."
"Goddamit," they all turned to see Bobby grumbling as he entered the office, abolishing Sydney's need to paint on a fake smile and nod along. "Need the number for those sewage guys from the other day. Someone's flushin' panties again."
"Again?" Clay scowled, looking to the women for an explanation.
"Why don't you have the new guys do it?" Juice grinned as he strolled into the office, avoiding eye contact as he slipped a completed order sheet into the wall organizer.
"New guys?" Sydney scowled.
"Yeah," Gemma rolled her eyes. "Had to get some extra help around here with everybody out of commission," she looked right at Sydney. "Never know when someone's gonna land on the bench again, you know how these guys are... Clueless, ignorant, don't take proper care of themselve—"
"I'll get you that number." Sydney cut her off with a sarcastic smile, sticking her tongue out at the older woman who just shook her head knowingly at the reckless young girl.
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Hale stormed into Unser's office where he found Stahl was sitting at the desk, slamming the door behind him. "I cannot believe that we let them sneak her out under noses while you and I were—" He shook his head angrily. He had been so worried about Sydney getting in the way of him doing his job properly, that ironically it had been someone on his own team that had kept him from carrying out the duties that he'd committed himself to by oath.
"Oh, ease up, sweetheart," she scoffed. "Don't slit your wrists just yet."
"Cherry was half your case?" He scowled.
"Oakland D.A.'s office just faxed me these," She pulled two pieces of paper out of her briefcase, placing them down onto the desk in front of her. "Turned up an eyewitness to Hefner's murder—ID'd two guys."
"Holy shit…" Hale exclaimed, immediately recognizing the composite sketches sitting in front of him. "Bobby Elvis… And this looks like Opie."
"I sent their mugshots, we should have a positive ID by this afternoon," she grabbed her purse and stood from the chair. "Screw the tart, this gives us our present-day crime. Now," she leaned into his ear. "I am gonna go and get me some yesterday," she whispered as she bit his earlobe.
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"So, who do you think the panty thief is?" Sydney grinned from across the picnic table where she and Tig were eating lunch in the sun.
"Babe," Tig groaned as he chewed the last bite of his BLT, wiping his mouth and tossing the napkin down into the now empty takeout container. "I don't wanna think about which one of my brothers is snatching my old lady's panties, okay?"
"You used to be fun." She rolled her eyes, stabbing a crouton with her plastic fork.
"I'm not fun because I like to keep some integrity for my woman?" He deadpanned, raising a brow.
"Yeah," she nodded theatrically, trying to keep a straight face as she pushed her unfinished salad aside, but when she looked back up he had already turned his attention away from her—picking at a piece of chipped paint on the wooden picnic table. "Come on, Tiggy," she lifted her bare feet up onto his lap, bouncing them against his thighs. "Was lovin' on me all night really that bad?" She pouted, knowing that he was just cranky after the hard time that he'd given her this morning when she'd tried to get him out of bed. But if he wanted to continue giving her a hard time, she would do the same.
"No," he sighed, rubbing his thumbs into the soles of her feet. "Come here," he nodded to his side of the bench. Sydney dropped her facade easily, a grin spreading across her face as she hopped up and pranced around the table before jumping into his lap.
Tig couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips when he realized that this was what she had been after all along, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around her. "You gonna tell me who you think it is?"
"I have a real good theory," she nodded excitedly.
"Let's hear it, doll," he responded with as much energy as he could conjure up.
Sydney chuckled at his efforts. "Okay, I'm between Juice and Half-Sack."
"No surprise there," he scoffed.
"But my money is on Juice. I'm convinced that he's gay, and this little panty stealin' operation he's got goin' on is all just a tactic to condition himself—same with going after those blondes twice his size." Tig threw his head back and laughed, immediately regretting turning down her initial request to speak on the subject. "What?" She exclaimed, laughing along with him as he squeezed her tightly, and pressed his lips against her neck.
"You're too good, Princess," he snickered. "Too good."
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As the afternoon rolled in, Sydney found herself getting more and more anxious as the minutes seemed to pass by twice as fast, getting closer to the many situations that she wanted to avoid; running into Happy, her doctor's appointment, and Tig, who would surely insist on accompanying her at her doctor's appointment.
"Hey," she snapped her head up as an idea came to her, nodding to Gemma across the room. "Would you mind if I take off a little earlier? I wanna say goodbye to Cherry… Make sure Sack is okay." If she could stay one step ahead of the Tacoma Killer's movements, she would at least be able to knock one of her many concerns off of her list.
"Sure." Gemma nodded. "You might see Tara up there, I asked her to bring up the rest of Cherry's stuff."
"Tara?" Sydney raised a brow in surprise.
"I'm trying, okay." Gemma widened her eyes and held up her hands.
"Yeah," Sydney scoffed as she grabbed her purse. "You just needed some extra help while I was out of commission," she smirked.
"Feds won't follow her." Gemma winked as she slipped through the door.
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"Hey," Tig heard from behind him where he was bent over the engine of a white Malibu, smiling as he felt Sydney's long nails running over his back.
"Hey," he turned over his shoulder, leaning down to peck her lips as he wiped the grease from his hands. "Time to go already?" He squinted at the clock across the garage.
"Uh, no," she felt the dread wash over her as he reminded her that she still needed to find a way around that problem. "But I was hoping that you would take me to the cabin so that I can say goodbye to Cherry…" She looked up at him with wide eyes and an innocent smile. She knew that he would ditch work for just about anything, but she still wanted to give him the satisfaction of acting like he needed convincing.
"You really came around to the little tart, didn't ya?" He smirked.
"It was never her that I didn't like," she rolled her eyes with a playful smile, glad that they had finally moved onto the stage of the incident where they could joke about it.
"Yeah, of course I can, babe. But, uh… Isn't Hap gonna be here soon?" He looked out across the compound.
"Yes…" Sydney nodded slowly with wide eyes.
Tig nodded along with her, squinting his eyes and biting his lip until he finally understood what it was that she was getting at, realizing why she really wanted to go to the cabin. He was a little surprised, even though they hadn't talked about it since she'd gotten upset, he'd expected that this thing with Happy was nothing more than the result of her heightened emotions during her recovery, and would calm down as her injury did, but now he worried that maybe it was more serious than that...
"Okay, let me get changed," he nodded, kissing her temple.
"Thanks," she squeezed his hand before he pulled away completely, turning over her shoulder as she heard footsteps approaching. "Hey," she nodded to Jax. "How did last night go?"
"I'm worried, man," he chewed his lip as he turned a wrench in his hands, watching Tig saunter across the compound.
"Why?" She scowled. As far as she knew, the night had gone accordingly to plan—and then some. But as soon as she saw the pain behind his eyes, she knew exactly what it was... "Ope…"
"He's gonna get himself killed with this half in, half out shit. Trust me, I would know," he scoffed.
"A guy with something to prove but a lot to lose is a dangerous thing…" She nodded carefully. "What do you want?" She asked pointedly with a look in her eye to match.
"I've learned my lesson," he assured her. "Just not sure how to get him to learn his without putting him through the shit that I did..."
"Sweetheart, he's already been through it," she scoffed. "If he was gonna learn a lesson the way that you did, he would've learned it already."
"I don't know…" He rubbed the back of his neck. The human in him hoped that her words were true, but the leader in him feared that they were...
"Opie made his choice, Jax." She looked deep into his eyes as she tried to convey the message that he was still desperately trying to deny. "Him staying in is about money, nothing else. The only way to guarantee his safety is to give him what he wants."
"Sounds a little against your club code there, Cali Queen," he nudged her shoulder with a smirk.
"Safety ain't the only thing that money can buy. It can buy loyalty, too," she nodded, watching his doubt turn to confusion. "Keep him on small jobs. Jobs that make him feel important but don't make him feel like he will lose it all if he gets caught or distracted. Runs, protection, intel, whatever. He gets what he wants, and so do you."
Jax looked down at their matching white sneakers as he listened to her advice, nodding along firmly with the strength of her words. "Okay," he agreed. "Thanks."
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Sydney sat in the passenger seat of the van as Tig drove them down the bumpy dirt road that led to the cabin, clutching the door for support as they rolled over protruding tree roots. She felt the pit of dread in her stomach slowly beginning to rise into a panic in her chest, trying to keep calm as she stared out into the dense forest, telling herself over and over that, somehow, everything would be fine.
"You nervous?" Tig's voice pulled her from her thoughts, but she didn't comprehend his words as she tried to refocus her eyes. "About your appointment," he clarified, nodding to her leg.
"Oh, yeah," she nodded quickly, deciding that it was close enough to the truth.
"Don't worry, babe. I'll be right there with you," he nodded as he placed his hand on her knee and squeezed it comfortingly.
"Yeah," she forced a smile as she placed her hand overtop of his. That was what she was worried about... "I'm just excited to wear my normal fucking clothes again," she scoffed as the van rolled to a stop outside of the cabin, looking down at the giant blue hoodie that she was wearing as a dress.
"I like these clothes." Tig purred, pulling at the hem of the bulky garment that swallowed her frame with a playful grin.
"You only like 'em cause you know what's underneath," she rolled her eyes, making to get out before she felt herself being pulled back.
"Exactly," he grinned, pulling her to his lips.
Sydney felt herself smiling against his kiss, almost able to enjoy the tender moment before the guilt flooded her once again. "Come on," she pulled away, nodding towards the cabin. "Bet you won't miss riding in a cage," she called over her shoulder with a smirk as she ascended the few stairs up to the door, her ponytail bouncing with each step.
"I could get used to it," he tried to be as convincing as possible as he stood beside her while she knocked on the door.
"Uh-huh…" She nodded skeptically, raising a brow. "You'd strip that patch for me, ride in a cage, and be a law-abiding husband the rest of your life?"
"I might." He stayed firm with his hands on his hip. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd considered it...
Even though Sydney knew that they were just joking around, it still tugged at her heartstrings to hear that he would even consider giving up everything he had ever known, just for her, when she couldn't seem to give up a single thing for him...
"I would never want you to do that," she whispered as she wrapped an arm around his waist, and took his face in her sleeve-covered hand, the tips of her fingers grazing the stubble on his cheek.
"I know you wouldn't, baby," he whispered back as he rested his forehead against hers. "That's why I love you," he nodded, lowering his lips to hers in a slow, long kiss before they were startled by the door opening.
"Glad to see you're okay." Cameron smirked as he stepped aside to let them in.
Sydney bit the inside of her lip as a bashful smile came to her face, looking up at Tig who was fighting the blush creeping up his neck.
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Tara winded down the dirt road that wove in and out of the dense forest, squinting as she peered through the sparse openings in the tall trees in search of the log cabin that Gemma had given her loose directions to. She felt herself beginning to panic as she reached a narrow ridge that her car would barely fit on after an aimless ten minutes of driving through the woods, wondering if this had somehow been a set up; that Gemma had just been pretending to warm up to her so that she could get her out here and whack her.
She willed herself to calm down as she reached for her phone, opening her call log to see Gemma's name, but she couldn't make herself press the button, not after she had finally made her way into the Queen's good books, and had been trusted with something to help the club—especially when, just weeks ago, she had come dangerously close to being the club's demise.
She took a deep breath, scrolling further down the list until she landed on the name of somebody who she hoped would be able to help her without it getting back to Gemma.
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Otto sat on the hard bench in the interrogation room where he had been propositioned the day before, but the cold metal, the blasting air conditioning, and the fear of turning rat did nothing to dull his spirits as he sat with his wife in his arms as she kissed all around his face, over and over again for the first time in years, not daring to wish for anything more.
"Jax said that ATF is using RICO against the club," he heard in his ear. "Are the feds pressing you to turn… Because of me?" Luann began whimpering as she held him tightly to her.
The blissful comfort that Otto had been able to enjoy for only few short minutes, began to fade away. "No, no, no, baby. I took care of it," he nodded assuringly. "I got you clear." He wished that things didn't have to be this way, but he wasn't a greedy man—he knew that this was what he'd signed up for when he took the patch.
"Jesus, Otto…" Luann's eyes widened. "Did you rat?" She let the dirty word pass through her lips as they quivered in fear. "If Clay sees that I got out, he'll know that you made some kind of deal. You know what they'll do to you…" She wove her shaky hands into his overgrown hair.
"Don't worry, baby. Don't worry," he stroked her long, golden locks. "I'll get a message to the MC..." He knew exactly what he needed to do to make sure that she, and his club, stayed safe.
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Sydney sat on the couch with Tig as Cameron relayed the plan that he had for their guns moving forward, confident that he would be able to get everything set up in Ireland and have his son handle the business locally without alerting the feds.
"Excuse me…" Sydney looked to the Irishman apologetically as her phone began ringing, pushing herself off of the couch as she looked down to see Tara's name. "Hey, you okay?" She answered as she strolled out the back door, expecting that the doctor would've arrived by now.
"I'm kind of freaking out..." Tara sighed.
"Why?"
"Do you know anything about that cabin that the guys talk about?"
"Uh, yeah. A thing or two..." Sydney looked over her shoulder at the very building that Tara was talking about.
"You got any idea where it is? It feels like I've been driving for way too long, and these roads don't look like they were meant to be driven on..."
"That's the point." Sydney smirked. "I'm assuming you just passed over that narrow ridge, mountain on the left?"
Tara looked to her left. "Yup…" She pursed her lips. "So I am going the right way?"
"Gemma is many things, but a bad director isn't one of them." Sydney chuckled.
"Guess I'm just a little paranoid..."
"I'll stay on the phone with you until you get there."
"Thanks." Tara nodded as she continued to follow the road up the small mountain. "Down the hill?"
"Yep. Left at the 'T' once you reached the bottom."
"Okay." The brunette breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes widening as she looked out at the beautiful scene from the top. "Wow…" She drawled as she came to a stop, letting herself take it all in.
"Gorgeous, isn't it?" Sydney smiled, knowing the exact spot that Tara was gawking at.
"Breathtaking…" She looked over the mass of pine trees that covered the surface of peaks and valleys that seemed to stretch on forever. "Never thought I'd see something like this in California…"
"No wonder you hate it here." Sydney scoffed. "You haven't seen any of the good stuff."
"I don't hate California…" She nodded slowly as she began rolling down the hill. "Maybe just… Me in it."
"How are you feeling about you in it, now?" Sydney broached the touchy subject with the flighty woman. "Things seem better with Gemma?"
"Yeah," Tara nodded fondly. "Yeah, they are. I just hope it lasts…" She chortled as she reached the 'T' in the road, turning her steering wheel to the left.
"Me too." Sydney chuckled as the sound of Tara's car could be heard in the distance. "You should be almost there."
"I see the van, thanks." Tara sighed in relief.
"No problem. I'll talk to you soon." Sydney smirked as she hung up, walking down the steps and rounding the cabin where Tara was getting out of her car. "Fancy seeing you here!" She called with a grin.
Tara scowled when she heard Sydney's voice, looking down at her phone to be sure that she had ended the call, but her scowl only deepened when she realized that the sound wasn't coming from her phone, a humourless chuckle escaping her lips when her eyes landed on the blonde girl.
"I guess if I'm gonna stick around, I should start getting used to this, huh?" She pursed her lips as she rested her chin on the roof of her car.
"I'd recommend it." Sydney shrugged smugly as she pulled a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of her hoodie, not bothering to offer one to the uptight brunette who she knew would decline.
"How do you do that…" Tara shook her head in awe as she looked over Sydney. Even with a crippling injury, she still managed to look like she could grace the cover of a magazing at any moment. Her hair had been tightly curled, and pulled into a bouncy high ponytail, and her flawless face was painted with the perfect amount of makeup to make anybody question whether or not she just looked like that.
"What?" Sydney looked up as she flicked the checker-printed Bic. "Smoke?"
"No," Tara laughed. "Trust me, I've seen enough of that to stop asking about it. I mean… This..." She gestured to Sydney in her effortlessly stylish outfit.
"Eh, practice," Sydney shrugged as she ashed her cigarette against the side mirror of Tara's car. "They say the eyes are the window to the soul… But I don't think that's true," she shook her head as she took another drag. "The appearance is the window to the soul. You look like shit? People know exactly what you're feeling."
Tara nodded slowly, really taking the time to understand what Sydney was saying—these were things that she needed to pick up if she wanted to be the old lady that Jax needed. "How's the pain?" She nodded to Sydney's leg.
"In and out." Sydney lied, looking down at her white shoes in the dirt as a genius idea came to her... "Oh my god! Do you think you could take me to my follow-up?" Her eyes lit up.
"Yeah…" Tara's brow creased slightly, unsure why Sydney seemed so excited about the prospect of having her accompany her to get her stitches removed, but she realized as soon as the cabin door opened, and Tig emerged... "Ah," she knowingly.
Sydney nodded back with pursed lips, tuning to face Tig as he approached. "Hi, baby," she pulled out a cigarette for him.
Tig nodded, smiling at Sydney as he placed his hand on the small of her back. "Hey, Doc," he smiled politely to Tara, who returned the gesture. "You find this place okay?" He squinted as he lit up, looking out into the trees.
"I, uh… I had some help." Tara chuckled.
"Um, speaking of help," Sydney looked up at him. "Tara's going to the hospital from here, so she's just going to take me to my appointment. That way you can go home and sleep?" She did her best to sweeten the deal, hoping that he wouldn't—
"Nah, baby, don't worry about that," he shook his head. "I don't mind." The last thing that he wanted was for his crankiness this morning to push her into feeling like a burden—a thought that he now knew was still fresh in her mind.
"I offered," Tara interjected. "If I bring her in as a friend, I can get Dr. Barnes to do the appointment pro bono—he owes me," she chuckled.
Sydney looked over her shoulder at the older woman gratefully, turning back to Tig with those pleading, glossy eyes. "You sure?" He asked sincerely, his heart stinging a little when she nodded. As much as he wanted to fight back, he knew that it was best to continue allowing her to do things at her own pace; if the last few weeks had shown him anything, it was that she would come to him if he gave her the chance. "Okay," he nodded, rubbing her back. "Need to save all the money that you can to pay off that fancy table, huh?"
"Exactly," she grinned as she winded her arms around his neck. "Go and get some sleep, come over when you wake up. You can help remind me why I bought that fancy table."
"Okay," Tig nodded with a smile, deciding that this trade off wasn't so bad if it meant that he got the rest that his aging body was longing for, and the peace of mind that his cruel conscience so badly needed.
Sydney's phony smile grew into a genuine one when he agreed, feeling the relief radiating from her body as she peppered his lips with appreciative kisses. "Okay, okay," Tig chuckled, pulling her down from his lips. "Don't make the good doctor regret it," he looked to Tara who was standing on the other side of the car with an awkward smile, and reddening cheeks. Sydney smiled bashfully, but her embarrassment faded as he winked at her before he climbed into the van.
"Thank you…" Sydney nodded to the dark-haired woman once the grey vehicle was out of sight.
"That man loves you." Tara nodded in awe, still a little shocked by the genuineness of the odd pairing.
"I know..." Sydney sighed, looking down the road longingly before she was pulled from her guilt by the sound of a different vehicle approaching... "For fuck's sake…" She grumbled as Happy came into view behind the wheel of the cargo truck, but her forehead creased when Gemma pulled up behind him.
"Jax couldn't make it." Gemma told the two women who were eyeing her down as she stepped out of her Caddy, her expression hardening in Tara's presence.
"It's a family fuckin' affair, I guess." Sydney scoffed, throwing her cigarette butt into the dirt as Happy joined their circle.
Gemma looked between the two former San Bernardino residents who had a tension between them that could've been cut with a spoon as they stared each other down, clearly waiting for the other to speak.
Happy gave Sydney a curt nod once he felt Gemma's eyes on him, not daring to hash this out in front of The Matriarch. He gave a courteous glance around the circle, making his way to the cabin to collect his cargo.
Sydney couldn't believe her luck. She had somehow managed to squash every single dilemma that had been weighing on her mind since she'd woken up that morning. The only thing that she had left to tackle was her doctor's appointment, but she welcomed that challenge now that she no longer had the worry of Tig finding out the truth.
"What's going on there?" Gemma probed, bringing her back to earth.
"You know how families are," she shrugged, taking a deep breath of cleansing forest air before following him inside.
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Stahl sat back against the uncomfortable chair of the security room in Stockton State Prison, her eyes glimmering as she read the incriminatingly old statement that Otto had written out on a napkin, detailing a truck jacking involving SAMCRO. She sighed as looked up to see the same uneventful scene playing out on the fuzzy monitor, that she had been watching for the last thirty minutes; the couple hugging and crying from where they were having their visit down the hall.
"Poor Otto… Not even a handjob." She scoffed as Luann shakily made her way to the door, turning the head of the camera technician who had been sitting behind her.
"Just talked to the DA…" Hale entered the room. "Eyewitness could only ID Bobby Munson, couldn't get a positive on Opie." He grinded his teeth.
Stahl shrugged at the dreary news, looking back to the transcript that she had typed out—the transcript that she needed to nail this shit coffin shut. "After this? They all go down." She smirked as she pressed print, staring at the screen which now displayed the traitor of a man, sitting alone with his head down.
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"Alright, kids, wrap it up! It's time to go!" Cherry and Half-Sack heard Gemma calling from outside the bedroom door where they had been trying for the last half an hour to say their final goodbyes.
Cherry felt the tears pricking at her eyes once again, clutching at his dog tag that she had placed around her neck while she grabbed at the one still around his, which now held her charm. "Don't forget me..." She choked out.
Half-Sack brought her into his arms, hugging her for the very last time. "Never," he whispered with his lips on the top of her head. She nodded with her face buried in his chest, inhaling the last bit of his scent before she pulled away and led him out the door.
"Ready for the road trip, kids?" They were greeted by Happy's gravelly voice as he stood in the doorway, the pair nodding sadly. "Let's go, Cammy." Happy nodded to the Irishman.
Cameron bowed his head to the bald man before turning towards Gemma, who had her arms out. "Thanks for everything, love." He accepted her hug with a smile.
"Be safe," she told him as she patted him on the back gently.
"Always am," he winked, making his way to the door where Tara and Sydney were waiting. "Thank you…" He nodded to the little blonde girl. "I mean that. You're a tough little lass. Give these men a run for their money, I'd imagine."
"I try." Sydney winked, pulling the foreigner in for a hug.
"I want you to have this," he reached into his pocket as he pulled away. "Soldiers need guardian angels too..." He looked into her green eyes pointedly as he handed her his rosary.
Gemma watched the exchange between Cameron and Sydney with a proud smile on her face for the young girl and the sacrifice that she'd made for the club, rolling her eyes as Sydney curled her fingers around the religious pendant, turning away to see Cherry awkwardly standing in the corner of the living room.
Cherry sighed as Cameron made his way out to the truck, adding even more reality to the already bleakly real situation. Her eyes fell to the floor, chewing her lip as Gemma reluctantly made her way over to her, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered, grateful for the bit of joy that the approval of The Matriarch was able to give her.
Gemma nodded, leaning down so that she was eye-level with the younger girl. "No more burning down shit," she nodded sternly.
Cherry chortled, another small smile coming to her face. "Right," she exchanged an understanding nod with the older woman, tentatively making her way to the door to say goodbye to Sydney as she stood with a woman that she had never been formally introduced to.
"Get over here," Sydney laughed as she pulled the timid brunette into her arms. "Now," she pulled away. "I want you to go and give that Irish charter hell. But not as much hell as you're going to give that man right there," she pointed out the door at Happy who was loading Cherry's things into the back of the truck, from the trunk of Tara's car.
Cherry nodded through the laugh that escaped her nose, hugging Sydney once more. "He cares about you a lot," she told her quietly.
Sydney nodded slowly, biting the inside of her lip as she pulled her eyes away from the man that, just weeks ago, she would've called her best friend—her family. "Go," she nodded out the door with a smile. "I'll take care of him," she turned her gaze to Half-Sack.
"Thank you." Cherry smiled before she took the leap of faith, crossing the threshold where she let Half-Sack lead her to the truck.
Sydney leant against the doorframe as Cameron climbed inside the vehicle, holding the door open as he waited for Cherry, who was hugging Half-Sack one last time. "That's sad..." She sighed as she watched the young couple share their very last kiss.
"Yeah…" Gemma agreed half-heartedly as she leant against the other side of the wooden arch way.
Tara stood in the background awkwardly, looking at the somber scene between the two women before she decided to take her own leap of faith, sucking in a deep breath as she placed one foot in front of the other, shifting her eyes around nervously until she finally stepped into her new place; among the strong women of SAMCRO.
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Song for this chapter
Smooth - Santana (ft. Rob Thomas)