Summary: Schuyler is the only child of an Original Nine member, the only female patch, and the rightful heir to the SAMTEX charter. But in accordance with her father's dying wish, instead of assuming the President patch, she returns to his original chapter in Charming, CA. Follow Schuyler's life-long journey of self-discovery as she tries to honor her father's memory, forge her own path in a male dominated organization, and craft extraordinary relationships only to have them tested as this makeshift family slowly unravels at the seams.
Synopsis: This story is a retelling of the original series. It will often diverge from canon. It is also meant to tell the story from the perspective of B and C list characters bringing them to the foreground. The story is told in present tense 3rd person omniscient, retelling the origins of the SOA if Edward "The Midnight Sky" Schuyler had been an Original Nine Member and continues to evolve throughout the series. Along with filling in blanks during canon time skips and the addition of original characters, story lines and minor character traits may be altered, or original story lines added, to give a fresh new look to this series and its characters.
Author's Notes: New key: *single star will enclose text messages, ~symbol will enclose song lyrics, and tags spoken in another language by a character that are translated into English for the reader to view will appear as "(dialogue)". **Two stars indicate relevant/noteworthy time stamps/skips/indicators in the series and "-" multiple dashes in a line indicate scene changes (in chronological or in instance where two scenes are suggested to be taking place in tandem/switching back and forth).
As suggested by the title and synopsis I have created a female OC who is a fully integrated and viable patch member. This is also my first work for this fandom that I love! This also happens to be my first real attempt at a proper WIP and novel length work.
I know there are real world scenarios as well as canonical reasons why females cannot join criminal syndicates however, I am writing an AU and a question has been nagging me for nine months: What if a woman could wear the patch? Schuyler was born and has been living with me ever since.
This story follows closely with the original series. I have written a prologue in past tense to establish what the SOA looks like with Schuyler's father, Edward, being an original nine member and to introduce Schuyler as a character. The first proper chapter picks up in present tense three days before the pilot episode when the SOA gun factory blows up (ah, remember season 1? Let's go back and pretend all this mess never happened, shall we? Once more from the top!).
Many scenes and some dialogue will feel familiar. Equally, much of the content will be brand new. Timelines or plotlines may move or change to better fit the story I am telling. You may know what is happening, but information may be told differently and to different characters than how it was presented in canon. Similarly some characters may be deleted or replaced with OCs (ex. we will meet SAMTEX in the second half). And some character traits or relationships may be exaggerated or changed (ex. the main romance between Chibs and Tig, which starts as a secret!). As I mentioned, I am expounding on characters from the show who perhaps had a little less screen time than others to fully develop their stories and help to tell the story from their perspective. This is not Jackson's story. This is Schuyler's story. Secondly, this is an ensemble story. While we most ride in Schuyler's POV, POVs may switch to other characters of importance. Also know most of the character deaths will still occur, though they may occur differently or in different times than they did in the tv show. The question is not who, but when and why?
The chapters I have put together thus far have been rather long. In fact, they read much like an episode is presented. The trick is to keep them from being too long, but let me worry about that! Because I am working with so much material at once it will be some time between each chapter. I say this to be transparent. I will release the Prologue and chapter 1 together. Then I will post as many chapters as I have prepared on the first of each month. I will try to communicate changes to schedules as clearly as I can as they come up.
As it stands, I have listed this fic as having 20 chapters because that is the number I am most secure and confident in disclosing now. The number of chapters, like tags, will change as I continue to write. As far as tags and triggers are concerned, I will post at the top of the first chapter where a sex scene appears as well as any major triggers. Then the tag will be added to the masterlist and it can reappear at any time throughout (recall the original series). But know this will be a long and arduous process. With luck, this story will be as long and complex as the original (I'm hoping for more than 300k words!), but I am getting ahead of myself.
I was hoping to have more of a back log before I started posting chapters. However, I have been living with this character and story for far too long and am super excited to share my progress thus far! I think it best to make sure there is a market for my WIP before I start thinking seriously about 300k words.
With all this being said, I'm super excited to share my new world! We are going to start simple with a prologue. Then the first official chapter will transition into present tense and we will be off and running!
Thank you if you clicked on my story. Thank you if you read any of my rambling establishments of this story. And thank you if you decided to give my story a chance. I hope you get something out of it!
Without further ado, Enjoy the story...
Chapter Notes: Know that the paragraphs in this chapter are long and blocky. This is used for style and effect. The remaining chapters will look more pleasant to the eye! We will also shift into present tense and POVs will jump around to focus on the most action heavy part of each scene.
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Meredith Rose Schuyler was born in the small town of Valor, Texas with a population of no more than five thousand individuals precisely one-hour north of the Mexican American border and two hours south of the border between Texas and New Mexico. She was born October 25, 1980, to Edward and Samantha Schuyler at precisely Midnight on a stormy Friday morning. At of the start of her story in 2008 she is twenty-eight years old.
At 5'8", Schuyler is an attractive woman with full shoulder length blonde hair, soft blue eyes, and pleasant curves which would have many consider her plus sized. Her skin is mostly a pristine except for three or four visible blue veins and numerous stretch marks on either side of her voluptuous chest. At the beginning of the story, she has two tattoos: a large black, white, and gray piece of artwork covering her left leg from knee to ankle depicting two large and two small Chrysanthemum flowers woven together with vines. Each flower as well as the background were meticulously shaded to give the piece a realistic appearance. The second is a teapot pouring hot tea into a teacup hovering above her inner right ankle which she is just as proud of.
She received most of her physical features from her mother as well as her mother's warm laugh and desire to learn. However, there is no doubt that when Schuyler smiles, she is her father's child. From him, she inherited his love for world traveling, his singsong voice, and his exquisite taste in a diverse array of music.
Schuyler was born the only child of Edward "The Midnight Sky" Schuyler when he was thirty-nine years of age. He met Schuyler's mother Samantha at the age of twenty when she was eighteen. He was stationed in Texas during his days in the service and entered the coffee house where she worked on a whim. Though Edward traveled during his time in the armed forces and was deployed during the Vietnam War, he often found ways to visit Samantha's home state on leave.
When Edward was discharged, he returned home to California with eight other men from his Platoon, including his best friends John Teller and Piermont Winston. Together, with nothing left for them after the war, the group organized a club of sorts that would serve to give members an excuse to remain in touch. This group was an unofficial and dispersed motorcycle club formed in 1967 dubbed the Sons of Anarchy: Redwood. Little came out of this group other than monthly rides and regular camping trips resulting in opportunities to relive the "good ol' days". However, things changed when John's wife Gemma became pregnant and the group settled down in her hometown of Charming, California. The expectations that came with the anticipatory arrival of a baby did two things to the club: divide it and expand it.
John, who had been made the unofficial "President", knew that he would be unable to keep a house and provide for his new family on the salary of a mechanic. He knew he had to do more; he had to invest. He partnered with Clayton Morrow, the youngest member of the First Nine who had an eye for business management, and the pair purchased a plot of land with an auto shop standing as its main attraction. Not long after, John began to lay the plans for a private owned bar to be built on the same property which would eventually hold all club meetings. With the introduction of a business to provide jobs for members, the club became less about motorcycles and more about community. Teller-Morrow as the establishment was christened became one of the most profitable and beloved family-owned businesses in Charming. The club was secure and prosperous for a time. Those in association found companionship and those who wore the club vest formed a brotherhood that many carried over from the army and extended to those who later joined.
Everyone that is, except for Edward. He poured his life into the formation of the club, but his heart had been with Samantha since his adolescence. Samantha's home and family were in Texas, and she would never leave. The annual drives Edward would take to visit her became harder to wait for. His visits there stretched on longer each time. Eventually, he made the decision not to return at all.
While John and his wife's baby brought prosperity to the club as a whole, the birth made Edward realize he had neglected his own desires by remaining apart from his own partner and to-be-mother of his child.
In 1973, Edward said goodbye to his life in Charming and moved to Texas to be with Samantha. This move was sanctioned at a cost. Edward was entrusted to create and run the first branching charter of the SOA club. This would mean the club operated in two separate states and business would have to grow to meet the demand and keep up the traditions of brotherhood and community that had quickly been instilled in those effected by its presence. Edward pulled all his resources and was able to open his own shop in Valor where he resided as the sole owner. With the help of Ethan Dyer, a patch brother who would reside as the Texas charter's Vice President, he was able to set up a functioning clubhouse to hold meetings within a month of his transition. It was determined the smallest a settled charter could be five men, so Edward and Ethan recruited three more (locals Samantha could vouch for) and tentatively patched them in with success. The charter continued to grow from there.
With the near immediate success of the Texas charter, Sons of Anarchy would continue to expand rapidly for the next thirty years. Charters sprung up from the border of Canada to small towns across Europe and one even appeared in Australia. The club at its largest size rounded out to 568 at one point in 1998 and has since continued to fluctuate. The Texas charter, under Edward Schuyler, is widely considered to be one of the most successful in the club's history due to its equal parts' ideal location and strong leadership.
Each charter is under democratic rule headed by a counsel: A President, Vice President, Sergeant Arms, and Secretary. Those leading are free to decide the best way to circulate a reliable income. Many have chosen to work out of auto shops as the "Mother charter" had while others owned escort businesses, bars, and even convenient stores. However, all charters look to the Mother charter, since renamed the Sons of Anarchy: Redwood Original, for guidance. It was originally Vice President Clayton Morrow's idea to introduce the club to the business of gun running in 1975. He was met with wide support throughout club ranks. By 1979, this trade became the primary denominator of all charters, and the SOA was widely recognized as an outlaw gang in over ten states and seven countries, but this did little to hinder its progression.
Guns were supplied from a branch charter in Belfast, Ireland and arrived in California to be spread from charter to charter throughout western America. Product that wasn't sold to organizations within the states left the country through the Mexican border with Edward's oversight. Each branch of the club faces its own obstacles when earning a sustainable living, but Valor obtains most of its money by bypassing Border Control and entering Mexico.
Valor was chosen as the town to settle due to its small population with an equally small police department where the force was more than willing to cooperate with the club. Being so close to the border, at an entrance with significantly less border control than anywhere else, and equally as close to New Mexico, SAMTEX was an ideal location. The charter found plentiful wealth with few years of unprofitable business. However, the promise of success and riches comes at a price. Namely the constant looming gaze of Border Control and similar federal agencies watching over the club's every move. As well as the constant threat of confrontation with notorious cartels. These factors led Edward and Samantha to wait several years after the club was developed, and for their finances to become secure, before attempting to conceive a child.
The gender of the highly anticipated baby was kept a secret from all, including the patiently awaiting parents, until the night of the child's birth. A nurse fresh out of college placed a healthy newborn baby girl into Edward's arms at 12:07 am. His first instinct was to cry out of a pure joy that he had never previously experienced. His second was to pass the infant to her mother and call his friends who resided in California. John didn't answer on the first attempt, so Edward called Piermont. Piermont answered immediately, and they proceeded to speak for hours. Edward received nothing but joy and praise from his companion, if not some friendly chiding for having taken so long to have his first. John returned Edward's call in the early morning hours. His first question to his best friend was not "ten fingers and ten toes?", but rather, "is it a boy?".
The answer being 'no' brought about a different sort of conversation to the one Edward had with Piermont. While congratulations were in order for the first-born child of SAMTEX, John was overly concerned with the future of the charter entrusted to maintain the border and questioned his close friend about when he and his wife would try to produce a male heir to the Presidential seat.
This conversation hadn't sprung from a malicious place, but rather from one of genuine concern. Due to the fact the SOA club has a list of unspoken bylaws that must be enforced by all charters, such as the fairly prominent one which states that Patches are required to be male, Edward's first born would not be eligible to join. While any ranking official can be replaced and the position held by anyone a charter sees fit at any time, SAMTEX had only known one president and, due to its success, it would be ideal if its successor was of the same bloodline.
Edward, having known this to be the case, was still infuriated by the thought of his first born being ineligible to wear his club's 'kutte' or bare its ink. Edward attempted to reason with the MC's creator, who he was obligated to adhere to, over the course of several days to seemingly no avail. Piermont argued for Edward that any legitimate child of a First Nine member had more right patch than anyone else, regardless of sex, because they were of a direct family lineage. John, exhausted with arguing during a time that should have been a joyous occasion, finally settled on an agreement with his fellow President down south.
Edward had seventeen years to groom his daughter for the club. She would have the opportunity to 'prospect' like any man who wished to join. After a year of observation, SAMTEX could decide if the child was fit to bare the Reaper or be cast out. Until her fate was decided, no member outside of SAMTEX could know the name, gender, or whereabouts of the SAMTEX child. The secret was kept between the three friends, and one would even take it to his grave before the secret was brought to light.
Edward and Samantha knew the risks of keeping the secret from other chapters. They independently decided they would never bare another child before coming to the same decision together. Instead, they focused their combined love into raising their beloved daughter Meredith. They spent her adolescence making sure she was exposed to two ways of life: the civilian side, where she went to school and was well educated with a few friends and a promising future in any career she chose. And the gangland side, where her family and closest friends resided. Few in the club were educated, but with the combined force of twenty club members, eight adoring wives, and five children who grew up alongside Meredith, she became well versed in interacting with an assortment of individuals from different backgrounds and learned many trades to concur the complex world she was born into.
Meredith was ten when she first asked her father to explain what a cigarette was. Nearly every adult in his daughter's life smoked tobacco and marijuana alike. At such a young age, Edward already knew that he would be unable to prevent his beautiful daughter from taking up such an unhealthy habit. Being the responsible father, Edward politely described what they were and told his daughter that she would never be allowed to smoke them. Then he smiled as he watched his daughter laugh in his face and run out the front door to play in the yard with her friends - confident they had recently asked their father's the same question. She began smoking cigarettes at the age of sixteen, around the time her friends began to steal them from their parents' bedrooms or gas stations. She wouldn't smoke around her parents or members of the MC until she was a patched member herself. However, the adults knew she was guilty of the habit.
At twelve, she began voicing the thought of wanting tattoos. It came as no surprise, considering her parents bore some and nearly every member in the club had at least one symbol representing Sons of Anarchy on some part of their body along with their own tattoos. By fourteen most of the boys were learning how to handle guns and she had seen a few begin to ride on the back of their fathers' motorcycles with the intent of learning how to balance for themselves. At this point, Schuyler didn't know she was being observed by her parents for what she took an interest in and what things she ignored. All she knew is she wanted to hang out with her friends at the shooting range and go on bike rides with her dad. Edward smiled fondly and agreed under a set of conditions: she continued to excel in school, and she learned a skill her friends were not interested in learning. That year she learned how to shoot a handgun and became proficient by the age of nineteen. She also took up knife throwing which took her several additional years to master. Her friends have always been jealous of her knife collection.
At age fifteen, Meredith became Schuyler. The name allowed her to better fit in with the rambunctious boys she grew up with and don her father's name with pride. The name along with the nickname of "Sky" fit her well because she was often found outside playing in gardens or on hot asphalt chasing after boys who sometimes slowed down to stay with her and sometimes made her keep up. This made her fast and build endurance at a young age. Wrestling was a popular event in the group who took after their fathers who were often seen throwing fists to settle disputes. Schuyler learned how to throw a punch and receive one in return. This was also the year when Schuyler began to ask for her own motorcycle. She was jealous that her best friend Jesse Dyer (born a week before her and son to the Vice President) received his own before any of the other boys in their friend group. Unknown to her, the parents of both children regularly discussed when they should introduce things to their children before either was exposed. She received her first bike the following week; a fixer-upper she repaired with her father. She was sixteen and old enough to drive it on her own when the project was complete.
At sixteen, with the help of her mother who is a fluid Spanish speaker as well as Hispanic members of the club, Schuyler became fluent in reading and speaking Spanish. This was also the year her friends began to talk excitedly about when they could begin their prospecting year to enter the motorcycle club themselves. One must be seventeen to prospect, and no one under the age of eighteen can be sworn into the club. This was about the time Schuyler realized she had been being prepared for the day when she could start her prospecting year and the club would start to judge her every move…if they hadn't already been doing so.
She was observant enough to perceive the one major difference between herself and the other children she would potentially prospect with. While her childhood friends didn't seem to notice this daunting difference their fathers, while they had helped to raise Schuyler and loved her dearly, certainly did.
At the age of seventeen, she began prospecting with the group of boys she was raised with. Each child belonged to a member who was already "patched", and their fathers took it upon themselves to sponsor, or shadow, their children. The prospecting year is a period of time in which 'prospects' ride alongside members of the club, follow them on jobs (including some across the Mexican American border), and learn the meaning of being in such a well-established organization.
During her prospecting year, Schuyler proved herself a valuable translator and persuasive during negotiations. She was attentive, even-tempered, and eager to learn from the Patches she rode with. She never once showed that she was intimidated when in the middle of a group of men nor did she shy away when situations turned violent. Rather, she put herself in the center of the chaos. If she was ever unsuccessful in deescalating a situation, she drew her gun and made sure every member with her returned in one piece. It wasn't long before Edward started to look to Schuyler before making decisions just as much as he looked to his V.P and SA. Sometimes he asked for her opinion before seeking out others. Near the end of her prospecting year, all it took was one look to her father for them to communicate and come to a decision before they acted on it without doubt.
Schuyler turned eighteen and watched her friends patch into the club. One right after the other. Schuyler knew not to press her father on the subject because the decision required careful deliberation and the results would be life as well as club altering. In November of 1998, Meredith Rose Schuyler became the first woman ever to patch into the SOA motorcycle club with a unanimous vote. This was the same month she would be accepted into her dream school.
Semesters were spent in a dorm room blaring loud rock music to block out the neighbors who spent their time partying. Summers, numerous weekends, and holidays were spent on the back of a motorcycle flying down the highway at nearly twice the posted speed limit. A gun hidden in her vest and a set of throwing knives strapped securely to her right thigh, Schuyler counted down the minutes to when she could travel home. She worked overtime, between assignments and club business. Though she ended up stretching out her education as a result. She took a semester abroad to explore a new country and registered some semesters as a part time student to accommodate her hectic home life. All these decisions were carefully made to ensure she would never have to compromise her own happiness. Because as important as it was for her and her parents that she earn a degree, Schuyler never felt surer of herself than when she was on the road with her family doing the one thing they knew how to do. Earn.
It was during a weekend she would be home from college, when a class Schuyler particularly despised was cancelled, that she would return home early and receive the news that would change her world forever.
In 2006, Edward Schuyler was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Schuyler's immediate reaction was to drop her educational responsibilities and move back home to spend time with her father and take over the responsibilities of the club. Edward forbade her from returning home until she graduated with her degree as she had set out to do. Furious, though unwilling to disappoint her father, Schuyler remained at the school until she graduated with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) six months later. Instead of entering the work force, Schuyler ditched her graduation and spent the next eighteen months of her life caring for her father, orchestrating jobs and making deliveries based on her own judgement, and preparing SAMTEX for the day it would no longer have the leadership of the only President it had ever known.
In February of 2008, Edward Schuyler lost his battle with prostate cancer at the age of sixty-seven. The wake and proceeding funeral were held four days later. SAMTEX had lost many brothers due to gangland violence but had never experienced a loss of this caliber or the loss of an officer, much less a President. The SOA hadn't seen a loss so tragic since the passing of John Teller fifteen years prior.
While many wanted to make the journey to Texas to pay respects to their sibling chapter and the mourning family, only members of the Original Nine were permitted to attend. Two of the five surviving members made the trip and were able to meet Schuyler personally. The secret was extended but had yet to be fully released. Piermont was unable to make the trip and will regret it for the rest of his life. When all was said and done Samantha retained most of Edward's worldly possessions including the deed to the mechanic shop and his official club vest which she hung in the living room on display; the President flash, worn with age, facing the room at large. Schuyler requested two things to remember and honor her father: Edward's impressive vinyl record collection and the last motorcycle he owned.
Many expected Schuyler to naturally inherit the President's patch in the face of Edward's passing. The club was ready to vote her in and had pushed for her to take up reins even while Edward's health had deteriorated. After all, she had done the unthinkable. She had proven herself a worthy attribute capable of wearing the kutte regardless of her gender. It was the role she was breed for. The position she was intended to fulfill. She was the rightful heir to the gavel that rested at the head of the Reaper table.
But it was after many long and hard conversations were held at that very table, and privately with her mother who struggled the most because she had dreamed of little else than seeing her daughter take up the President's seat, that Schuyler decided to take a very different path.
She revealed to her club that her father had intended for the two of them to travel to Northern California and visit the charter he had left behind for many years before his untimely passing. It wasn't until the cancer was discovered that Edward realized he had missed his opportunity to do so. Schuyler revealed Edward had always desired for her to transfer charters when she came of age to build her own legacy as not to compete in her father's demanding shadow. Schuyler wanted nothing more than to keep her promises to her parents to make something of herself and make her father proud by continuing his legacy for him. Finding her own way in the world would allow her to do just that.
Schuyler remained in Valor until new ranking officials could be appointed (Ethan Dyer was elected President and his son Jesse became his V.P) and SAMTEX was prepared to continue in her absence. Shortly after, she began what would essentially become a seven week long journey. It was decided that before Schuyler attempted to make contact with the Mother Charter (now headed by Clay Morrow, who wore the President's patch, and John Teller's only surviving son, Jackson Teller, who resided as the V.P) she would first be sponsored by a third-party. If she could convince a third chapter to vouch for her after a few weeks' time her chances of the Mother charter accepting her would likely double. This trial period would also allow her to experience life and club structure from a different perspective.
It wasn't difficult to find a suitable host. Nearly every branch of the SOA in the States wanted to host the mysterious SAMTEX child with an impressive club record. Eventually it was decided she would stay with the Southern California charter known as SAMDINO. It also happened to be headed by one of the last surviving First Nine members Thomas "Uncle Tom" Whitney who had met Schuyler after her father's passing and would know what to expect from the club transfer.
Schuyler spent just over six weeks with the sibling charter. Tom, along with his fellow patch brothers, were skeptical to say the least upon meeting her. Many members felt betrayed having a female Patch kept a secret for so long. Schuyler, never one to disappoint, was quick to show her eagerness to work and proved herself valuable enough to earn the respect and camaraderie of each member. Many were even sad to see her go but knew her destiny lied within another chapter.
At the end of her trial period, and nervous for what was possibly the first time in her life, though she refused to show it, Schuyler moved on from SAMDINO and arrived on Charming's doorstep three days later, ready to take on her next great adventure.
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Author's Notes: That was Edward who, like John, will be referenced throughout the story for guidance. And you have met Schuyler. But what is her "club record?" And what is her story up to this point? Will SAMCRO accept her willingly? Especially after she was kept a secret for nearly a decade. I guess you will just have to read the next chapter to find out...
Until next time, this has been Nevada!