Chapter 3: Fun Town
Bella POV
It's been a week since I arrived in Charming. Jax had taken me to meet his son who was in the hospital. I couldn't believe how small he was. Jax told me how he'd been born early because his ex-wife had been using Crank while she was pregnant. Dad had been living at the Clubhouse so Aunt Gem had helped him find a small two bedroom house for the two of us. Aunt Gem had taken me shopping for things for my bedroom and other things for the house. Dad wasn't much of a cook and with his role in the Club I didn't expect him to be home much but I knew that it wasn't going to be like it had been with Charlie with us eating at the diner every night. I knew how to cook a little bit and Aunt Gem said that she could teach me some other things. Bobby helped too. He said that everyone should know how to make a decent muffin. Opie was slowly getting back involved with the club and that made everyone happy, the only problem was that sometimes he needed someone to watch his kids, so I helped out with that. They were great kids.
Charlie was sad when he left. I know that deep down that he hated to leave me behind but he knew that this was something that I needed to do.
***Flashback***
Today was the day that Charlie was heading back to Forks. He'd stayed all week to make sure that I got settled okay with my Charming family. "Are you sure your gonna be okay?" He asked me as he finished packing his bag to head home.
I nodded. "Yeah. I want you to know that no matter what you'll always be my dad. I just have two dads now." I said.
He looked at me and smiled. "That does make me feel a little better." He said. I smiled at him. "I'll pack up your stuff and ship it in the next couple of weeks." He said and I nodded. I knew that would be hard for him. "Are you gonna call Jacob and tell that your not coming back?" He asked me.
I hadn't even thought about Jacob. That would be a hard conversation, I mean after he was my best friend. "I will at some point. I think I wanna get settled first." I told him.
Charlie nodded. "If I see him, I'll just tell him that your spending some time with family." Charlie said.
"Thanks." I said.
Once Charlie got the truck packed up and he was ready to go, he turned and looked at me. "You know that if you need anything, all you have to do is call." He said.
I nodded. "I know. I'll be okay." I said.
He hugged me. "Be good." He said.
I stood there and watched Charlie climb in his truck and pull out of the parking lot of the motel. I knew that it was gonna be hard, but I knew that this was the right decision.
***End Flashback***
It had been hard to say goodbye to Charlie, but the last couple of days since he left things had been busy but good.
Today was the day that everyone was going to Fun Town. The carnival that was in town. I was riding with Gemma and we were gonna be meeting up with some of the guys there. When we got to Fun Town, I told Gemma that I'd catch up with her I was going to get a funnel cake.
Jax POV
Somehow I'd managed to let my mom and Bella talk me into going to Fun Town. I don't know why I did. But even some of the other guys had said they were going. I had just parked my bike and I was walking through the gate when I saw Opie with his kids. I walked over to him. "Hey man." I said.
"Hey man." Opie said.
"How's things going?" I asked him, nodding my head to the kids.
Before Opie could say anything Ellie spoke. "Dad, there's Bella. Can I go over?" She asked.
"Yeah but stay with Bella." Ope said. Ellie ran over to where Bella was standing in front of a funnel cake stand. Kenny was right behind her. Opie turned toward me. "Well as you can see…" He said hinting about Bella.
"How'd that happen?" I asked.
"Well, the other night I helped Clay out with Unser's protection run and your mom was sitting at the hospital with Abel, so I called Tig and asked if it would be okay if Bella came over and watched the kids. He talked to her about it and she did. When I got home from the run, I found Kenny asleep in his bed. Bells and Ellie had passed out on the couch watching some movie. Dude, this has never happened… my kids love her." Ope said.
"That's a good thing right?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I think so." He said.
Bella POV
I was standing in line to get my funnel cake when I heard somebody yelling my name. I turned to see who it was. Kenny and Ellie were running towards me. "Hey guys." I said when they caught up to me.
"We saw you over here. Dad said that we could come with you but we have to stay with you." Ellie told me.
"Sounds like fun. I was about to get a funnel cake. You guys wanna share it with me?" I asked them.
"Can we?" Kenny asked me.
"Of course." I said. We finally made to the front of the line and I ordered us a funnel cake and a couple of drinks. When we had our food and drinks we made our way over to a picnic table. The three of us sat down and started to eat.
"We had fun the other night, Bella." Ellie said to me.
"I'm glad. I did too. Maybe we can do it again." I told them. I knew that Opie was trying to get back into the club full time from what Aunt Gem had said but that his biggest worry was having someone to watch the kids when needed. I'd talked to Dad about it and I'd decided to talk to Opie about it as well. I was going to tell him that whenever he needed someone to watch the kids to call me.
"Really? You mean it?" They both asked.
I nodded. "Sure. I'll talk to your dad about it." I told them.
"Talk to Dad about what?" I heard Opie say as he walked over and joined us, sitting beside me.
I looked over and smiled at him. "The kids were just telling me how much fun they had the other night. So I told them that I would talk to you about doing it again." I said.
Opie had this big grin on his face. "You mean it?" He asked me.
"Yeah, I'm know that you need someone to watch them and I don't mind." I said, feeling myself blush a little.
"I appreciate it." Opie said.
"Funnel cake?" I asked.
Tig POV
I had to admit, even though when I first found out about Bella I had been nervous. But once we moved into the house, everything seemed almost natural. During the day, she would help Gemma out at the garage and then in the evenings we'd come home and she'd cook dinner for the two of us. The other night had been different though. Opie had joined us for the protection run for Unser and needed someone to watch his kids. Bells had offered. When she'd come home the next morning, she'd said that the kids had been good and that she and Ellie had passed out on the couch watching a movie.
As I was walking around Fun Town with Bobby and Jax, I was looking for Bells. She had ridden with Gemma but when I saw Gemma she said that Bells was hunting for a funnel cake. I found the funnel cake stand and started looking for her. I found her sitting at a picnic table with Opie and his kids. "You know, it wouldn't be the worst thing." I heard Gemma say from beside me. I gave her a questionable look. "Bells and Opie. It wouldn't be the worst thing. She's not going anywhere, and at some point she's going to date someone." She said.
"I know. And out of everyone in Charming that she could possibly date, I'd rather it be Opie than Hale." I said.
"She wouldn't date Hale. He's not her type." She said.
"Do I even want to know how you know that?" I asked.
"Her birthday is next week. Buy her a car." Gem said. I nodded. "Clay said the Irish are coming."
I nodded. "Keep an eye on her for me." I said and Gem nodded.
Gemma POV
Later than night, Bells and I were walking around the carnival. She wanted a funnel cake to take home to Tig. While Bells was getting it I heard Karen Oswald hollering for her daughter. Jax had given the girl the rest of his tickets for the rides. I walked over to her. "Karen what's going on?" I asked her.
"We can't find Tristen." She said.
"She must be here somewhere." I heard Bella say as she came up beside me.
"No we've looked everywhere. She's not on any of the rides." Karen said.
"We'll help you find her." Bella said.
Bella POV
Gemma, Karen and I went in different directions so that we could try to find her daughter. I hoped that nothing bad had happened. I was walking through the carnival yelling her name when Opie caught up with me. "Bells, what's wrong?" He asked me.
"Karen Oswald's daughter is missing." I told him, trying to catch my breath.
"I'll help you find her." He said.
"What about Kenny and Ellie?" I asked him.
"Pops took them home for me." He said and I nodded. "Come on."
Opie and I took off towards the woods. Part of me hoped that we found her there but the other part of me hoped that we didn't, because I knew that if we did that there was probably a chance that something had happened. I heard a rustling in the woods and I stopped walking. "Opie." I said causing him to stop.
"I hear it." He said. We carefully stepped through the leaves. When I saw Tristen, I gasped. "Go get help. Call an ambulance." He told me.
I nodded and took off running. I found Gemma and Karen standing near where I'd left them. When I stopped I tried to catch my breath. "Bells, what is it?" Gemma asked me.
"We found her. Opie and I did. She's gonna need an ambulance." I said between breaths. Gemma called for an ambulance, while Karen pulled me into a hug.
When the ambulance arrived they followed me to where I'd left Opie with Tristen. The paramedics went down the hill and carried her back up to the stretcher. When Opie walked up the hill, he pulled me into a hug. That was when my wall finally broke. Opie held me tight. "Come on I'll take you home." Opie said and I nodded as we watched them load Tristen into the back of the ambulance.
Jax POV
After we'd dealt with the Irish, I headed over to St Thomas to check on the boy. When I walked into his room, I was surprised at who I saw standing there. "Tara?"
"Hi Jax." She said.
"What are you doing here?" I asked her.
"I've been helping Dr. Namid with Abel's case." She said as she looked at the floor.
I leaned against the door frame. "Why am I just finding this out?" I asked.
"I asked him not to say anything. I wasn't sure how you would feel about it." She said looking back up at me.
"How long you been in town?" I asked.
"Couple months." She said.
I nodded. "Well thanks for what your doing." I said. I wasn't sure how I felt about Tara being back in town. I guess time would tell.
Bella POV
Opie pulled into my dad's driveway and cut the engine to his bike. I climbed off the bike and took the helmet off. "My dad's not back yet." I said.
Opie nodded. "I can stay if you want." He said.
I gave him a half smile. "It's okay. I'm sure he'll be home before too long. And besides you gotta get home to the kids." I told him.
Opie nodded. "Yeah, your right." He said. He started to put his helmet on when stopped. "I wanted to thank you." He said.
I stuffed my hands into the pocket of my hoodie. "For what?"
"For watching my kids the other night, for starters. I mean, you didn't have to but you did." He said.
"Well their great kids." I said.
"Yeah they are and they really seem to like you."
"Well the feeling is mutual." I said. I looked up and smiled at Opie. "I meant what I said earlier. If you ever need anyone to watch them don't hesitate to call me." I said as I heard my dad's bike pull up.
He cut the engine to his bike and took his helmet off. He climbed off his bike and walked over to us. He pulled me into a hug. "You okay? Gemma called told me about Oswalds daughter." Dad said.
"I'm okay Dad. Opie was with me when I found her. He gave me a ride home." I told him.
Dad turned and looked at Opie. "Thanks man, for staying with her." He said.
"No problem. I should get home. Pops is sitting with the kids." Opie said as he cranked his bike.
"Come on kid, let's get you inside." Dad said putting his arm around my shoulder. I nodded. We headed inside the house. I took my hoodie off and hung it on one of the hooks by the door. Dad did the same thing with his Kutte. I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge. I handed one to dad. Granted back in Forks, I wouldn't be caught dead drinking but Charming was a completely different atmosphere than Forks. I opened the beer and took a drink. "You sure your okay?" Dad asked me.
I shrugged. "I mean I'm a little shook up but otherwise I'm okay." I said. "I don't think that I would have been if Opie hadn't been there." I said and he nodded.
Clay POV
The next morning we were standing around the garage talking when I saw Oswald pull into the lot. I stepped out of the garage bay and went to greet him. "How's your kid?" I asked him.
"She's still in shock. Doesn't remember much. Asshole busted her in the jaw and threw her down in the dirt. Raped her. She's thirteen." Oswald said.
"Damn I'm sorry." I said.
"I heard your niece is the one that found her. Is that true?" He asked me. I nodded. "Is she here? I'd like to say thank you."
"Sure she's in the office come on." I said leading him in the office. Gem had gone to see LuAnn so Bella was watching the office. "Bells." I said, causing her to look up at me.
"Hey Uncle Clay. Mr. Oswald, hi." She said.
"Karen said that you were the one that found Tristen last night." Oswald said.
"Yes sir, well me and Opie did." Bells said.
"I wanted to thank you. I know that Karen would too but she won't leave the hospital." Oswald said.
"How is she? Tristen?" Bells asked.
"Shook up. But the doctors say that she's gonna be okay with time." Oswald said.
Bells nodded. "I'm glad to hear that." Bells said.
Oswald gave me a look. "Sweetheart, why don't you take your lunch break. I'll keep an eye on things." I said and she nodded.
"Sure thing Uncle Clay. Want me to bring you back anything?" She asked me with a smile.
I smiled at her. "Naw, your Aunt Gem feeds me too much as it is." I said as Bells turned and walked out of the office through the garage. She shut the door behind her. "What are the cops saying?" I asked him.
"Took a report. Hale's out looking." He said. He let out a sigh. "I want you to find him. You bring him to me first. Pay anything you want."
"Who do you think we are, Elliot?" I asked him.
"Oswalds have been in this town a lot longer than SAMCRO. I know what you are." He said.
"I don't want your money. Nobody comes into my town… and does this to an innocent girl. We'll find the sick bastard. But when I deliver him to you, I'm gonna need to know that justice will be served. You get what I'm sayin' old friend?" I said.
"Yeah." Oswald said quietly.
Half and hour later, Oswald had left and Bells was back from her lunch break. I called the guys into Church so that I could give them an update. Once I updated them on things Tig spoke up.
"We got a 200k deficit hangin' over our heads, do we really, really wanna be out there playin' some pro bono Lone Ranger?" Tig asked.
"Guy raped a thirteen year old girl." Jax said.
"Thirteen, Thirteen!" Bobby said.
"I get it. I just don't like puttin' my ass on the line for some outsider." Tig said. "Clay, Oswald doesn't give a shit about SAMCRO." Tig said.
"What if it was Bells?" Jax said across from Tig, causing Tig to sit back in his seat.
"You know, people get jammed up in this town, they don't go to the cops. They come to us." I said.
"That's right. Us." Chibs said. "And that means something to me."
"I don't know. Maybe I got something to prove to this guy. You know that's my shit. So anybody wants to pass on this -" I said. I looked over at Tig. I knew that he'd been worried about Bells since he'd got home last night and found that Opie had stayed with her till he got home.
"You know, Bells and Opie were the ones that found the girl last night. When I got home, Opie had stayed with her because even Bells was shook up. I don't even wanna think about if this been Bells." Tig said. Everybody else around the table agreed with him.
"I guess we're huntin' a tot banger then." I said and dismissed Church.
Bella POV
When Gemma had gotten back from LuAnn's, I was getting ready to head to St. Thomas to check on Abel for Jax, when Opie pulled me to the side. "Hey." I said to him.
"You okay? Your dad said that you were still shaken up from last night." Opie said.
I gave him a half smile. He was so sweet for checking on me. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was about to head up to St Thomas to check on Abel. I thought I would check on Tristen while I was there." I told him.
He nodded. "You okay to still watch the kids tonight?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'd love a distraction." I said.
"Okay, I'll see you later." He told me.
When I got to St Thomas I went to go see Abel first. When I walked in, there was a brunette doctor standing there checking on him. "Hi." I said.
She turned and faced me. "Hi can I help you?" She asked me.
"I'm Bella, Jax's cousin." I said. I could sense the bitchy-ness from the doorway.
"Sorry. I didn't know." She said. "I'm Dr. Knowles."
Okay, I got it. Your trying to mark your territory. "Your Tara." I said.
She nodded. "Jax has mentioned me?" She asked.
I nodded as I walked over to Abel. "To me, he has. Not sure if he's told Aunt Gem that your back." I said.
She nodded. "Gemma and I have a complicated history." Tara said. She made her way to the door. "Good luck." She said.
I turned and looked at her. "With what?" I asked her.
"Everything." She said before she walked out the door. I wasn't sure what it was but I had this feeling that Tara was either up to something or she was planning something.
I was sitting in a rocker reading to Abel when Jax walked in a little while later. I looked up at him. "Hey. I thought you guys were on the hunt." I said as he closed the door to Abel's room.
"Hit a dead end." He said as he walked over to Abel's incubator. "Do you think that he can really hear us?" He asked me.
I couldn't help but smile at him. "I like to think so." I said. "Did you find the guy yet?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Can I ask you for a favor?" He asked me.
"Sure." I said.
"I need to try and see if Karen will let you in to talk to her. You might be the only chance that we have." Jax said.
I nodded. "I'll see what I can do." I said.
I headed down to Tristen's room. Elliot and Karen were standing in front of it talking. I slowly approached them. "Hi." I said, quietly.
"Bella." Elliot said.
Karen looked at me and gave me a sad smile. "Bella, thank you for finding her last night." Karen said.
"I'm glad that I could help. How's she feeling?" I asked.
Karen shrugged. "I don't know. She doesn't say much." Karen said.
I nodded. "Before I moved to Charming, I went through a similar experience. Would it - would it be alright if I talked to her?" I asked.
Karen looked at Elliot. "I don't know." Karen said.
Elliot nodded to her. "Come on. We'll go get a cup of coffee and let the girls talk." Elliot said.
Karen let out a sigh. "Okay."
"Thank you." I said. I opened the door to Tristen's room and walked inside, closing it back behind me. I walked over to her bed and sat on the edge of it. "Hi." I said.
"Hi. You're the one that found me last night, right?" She asked me.
I nodded. "Yeah it was me and a friend of mine. Your dad said that your gonna be okay." I said.
She nodded. "Yeah, the doctors said that it could have been a lot worse. I mean, I know that he raped me so that's bad in itself… but I mean it could have been worse than that." She said.
"Your right, it could have." I said. Something was off. I'd heard Elliot tell Clay earlier that Tristen didn't remember anything. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. "Do you remember what happened?" I asked her. She nodded. "I'm so sorry sweetie. Do you remember what the guy looked like?"
She nodded again. "I remember exactly who it was."
After talking to Tristen, I headed back to tell Jax. When I walked back into Abel's room, he was sitting in the rocking chair. "Tristen said that it was one of the Fun Town guys, fat guy dressed like a clown." I told him.
He hugged me and kissed my cheek. "Thanks you're the best." He said.
"Drop me Opie's on your way." I said and he nodded.
Jax dropped me off at Opie's house on his way to meet up with the rest of the guys. Mary had stayed with the kids until I could get there. The kids were getting ready for bed when I walked in. "Hi Mary." I said.
"Hi sweetheart." She said to me. "Kids have already eaten. There's food for you and Ope in oven." She said.
"Thanks. I would have been here sooner but I got stuck at the hospital with Jax." I told her as I started to make my way to the kitchen.
"How's that boy of his doing?" She asked me.
"Better. They say that everything is pointing towards a full recovery." I told her.
"That's good." I'll see you around." She said before walking out the front door.
Opie POV
We had found the guy that had raped the Oswald girl. Clay had castrated the guy with a knife and let him bleed out. Juice and Chibs had buried the body. I was headed back to the Clubhouse to clean up before I headed home. I didn't want to freak Bella out with all the blood that splattered on me in the process.
When I walked into the Clubhouse Tig was sitting at the bar. He been the first one in, desperately needing a beer. "Ope." He said, getting my attention as I walked past. I turned and faced him.
He nodded for me to join him. I walked over and sat beside him. The prospect behind the bar handed me a beer. "I saw you and Bella at Fun Town yesterday when she was eating her Funnel cake." Tig said.
"Okay." I said, unsure of where this conversation was going.
"I know what I said the other day. But her birthday is next week and she'll be an adult. If you and her share feelings…who am I to stand in the way." He said.
"Okay." I said. "I told you the other day, I have Kenny and Ellie to think about."
He nodded, taking a drink of his beer. "I know. But I've seen the way that you look at her and the way that she looks at you. And it's obvious that your kids love her." Tig said.
I took a drink of my beer. "What's not to love?" I said, earning myself a glare from Tig. "She's smart. She's beautiful. She helped with my kids not asking for anything in return." I said.
"Look I've thought about it. Bells is gonna wanna date at some point and when she does it's not like there are many options in this town. It's basically down to you, Juice or Hale. I can't see her with Juice. I'd rather castrate Hale. So that leaves you. And I've seen the connection between the two of you." Tig said.
"So is this basically your way of giving your blessing… so to speak?" I asked him.
Tig and I finished off our beers. "Yeah, I guess it is. Just know that if you hurt her, brother or not … I'll kill you." He said.
After talking to Tig, I headed back to my dorm room to get cleaned up before I headed home. I was hoping that the kids would be asleep and that maybe Bells would still be up. Tig was right. There was an obvious connection between Bella and I. I wasn't sure when I'd developed feelings for her but I had. I wasn't sure if she even had feelings for me but I wanted to find out. I wanted to get to know her better. There was one thing that Tig had been right about. Kenny and Ellie absolutely loved Bells.
After getting cleaned up, I headed home. When I walked into the house, Bells was sitting at the kitchen table looking at something. I walked over. "Hey." I said.
She looked up at me. "Hey. Your mom left your dinner in the oven." She said.
"Thanks." I said. I walked into the kitchen and pulled a plate out of the oven. I put it in the microwave and heated it up. When it was done, I grabbed a fork and sat at the table beside Bella. "What's that?" I asked pointing to the paper in her hand.
"Ellie's essay she had to write for school. She asked me to look over it." Bells said.
"And?" I asked, taking a bite of my food.
She sat the paper on the table. "It's good." She said. "So Ellie asked me something earlier."
"What'd she ask?" I said, walking to the fridge grabbing me a beer and Bells a coke. I sat back at the table and handed it to her.
"She asked me if we were dating." Bells said as I opened my beer.
"How'd that conversation go?"
Bells opened her coke and took a drink. "Well, I told her that we were just friends. But when I said it, she looked a little disappointed. When I asked her what was wrong, she said that she was hoping that we were dating because she could tell that you like me and I like you. Then she said that she just wanted you to be happy." Bells said.
I sat my beer on the table and sat back in the chair. "Wow." I said.
"Ope, it might not be my place… but I can tell that Donna definitely did a number on them when she left the three of you." Bells said, putting her hand on mine that was sitting on the table.
I nodded. "Your right, she hurt me and the kids pretty bad but when you showed up in Charming, and you started spending time with them… it was the happiest that I'd seen them since she left." I said. I picked her hand up and held it. "You've helped all of us. I felt so lost when Donna left, but you've helped me realize who I am and where my priorities are." I looked up and saw that she was staring into my eyes.
"I'm glad that I could help. Your kids are great Ope. Ellie… she's so smart. And Kenny.. He's so easy going." Bells said.
I was about to stand up and take my dishes and put them in the sink but Bells beat me to it. Before she made it back to the table, I stood up and walked over to her. "Would it be so bad?" I asked her.
She turned to face me. She looked up at me. "Would what be so bad?" She asked back.
"If we were dating." I said.
She looked down at the floor for a minute before looking back up at me. "No it wouldn't but you know that my dad isn't gonna go for that." She said. I laughed a little. "Why is that funny?" She asked.
"Because tonight he mentioned the obvious connection between the two of us. He basically gave his blessing." I said.
Bella POV
Dad gave Opie his blessing. I found that hard to believe. Dad had said over and over that he didn't think that I needed to date right now because of my recent breakup in Forks before coming to Charming. "He did?" I asked Opie.
He nodded. He reached for my hand and entwined our fingers. I looked down at our hands, before looking back up to Opie's eyes. Opie took his free hand and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, he did. So what do you think?" He said.
I stood up on my tippy toes and gently kissed Opie. I'd meant for it to be a quick and simple kiss but he had other plans. As soon as I kissed him, his hand let go of mine and both of his hands found my hips. My hands grabbed the front of his Kutte and gripped it. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked us into the living room and sat us on the couch so that I was straddling his lap. I pulled back from the kiss when air became necessary and I leaned my forehead against his. "What do you think?" I said, smirking at him.
"I think that you make me happy and I wanna make you happy." Ope said.
"You do make me happy…boyfriend." I said.
A/N: Hi Guys! So that's Chapter 3. I really hope that you guys are enjoying this story. I know that I'm enjoying writing it. Yes I think you guys are gonna have some questions about this chapter and please don't hesitate to ask them but some stuff I have left out for the time being because it's going to come back later on in a flashback. So just hang tight and stick with me. Keep the reviews coming.