Fallen From Grace

by Nicole J. Coltan.

"It had taken one taste of temptation and she knew she'd follow him into the pits of hell..."

Disclaimer: I in no means own anything related to the Sons of Anarchy. I merely own Dianne O'Neil and the imagination that conjures her.

Chapter Edited: 2017/07/02.

Bold Italics — Memories/Flashbacks.

Italics — Thoughts.

Chapter One: Betrayal.

I trusted you.

It remained unspoken as he stared back at her in silent contempt—an insatiable itch that burned with a everlasting reminder that in this day and time, even family could not be trusted. Having been raised as a firm believer that the truth was better than the lies, Dianne O'Neil could feel the burning ache coiling deep into her muscles the longer she delayed the inevitable.

I did everything for you.

Had she been blinded this entire time? Had the truth been there all this time? It sickened her to think of all the heinous acts she had done in the name of what she had once thought to be her brotherhood. A family she never had—how naïve had she been?

And you killed her.

Like that of a cornered snake, the need for vengeance struck back like nothing she had ever felt before. It overshadowed revenge with each moment that passed and despite not recognizing the bloodied and battered façade staring back at her, Dianne O'Neil knew she didn't have it in her to pull the trigger, not yet.

She was just a little girl. My little girl and you took her from me.

If there was one word fitting enough to describe her at that moment, it would be nothing short of cowardice. She had made her fair share of mistakes but none had ever caused her pain as much as this did. It broke her heart to think that it had all boiled down to this moment—one where she had to choose.

"Just tell me what I did to make you hate me so?"

Just one bullet...

What kept her from pulling the trigger? It dawned on her that this particular situation seemed familiar the more she found herself battling the raging war running amuck within her own mind.

She had been here before.

He remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, his shoulders hunched forward and his chest rising with each pained breath he took. She should end his misery.

Just one more bullet...

Pull the trigger...

She couldn't do it. Not with her voice echoing through her mind, reminding her that this wasn't who she was. No, Dianne had given up that part of her life a long time ago. "I'm sorry."

A rage unlike anything she had ever felt before rushed through her veins like never before—the burning fire that had died down rekindling at those meager, pathetic words. This was a man who had taken everything from her and that was all he had to say?

What made him think that those simple words would grant him mercy from her? He hadn't thought twice about—.

She swallowed the bitterness and ignored the disdain twisting and turning in her stomach. She had already failed her little girl, so what image had she not tarnished in the sake of acting upon the justice that she had been denied?

Yeah, me too.

Because people like her didn't deserve a happy ending. And she had been foolish to think that she deserved such an act for forgiveness. Was this her punishment?

It seemed cruel and unfair and yet she knew the truth lingering deep into the shadows of her own mind.

"Mommy, it's gonna be okay..."

The image remained fresh in her mind and though she tried her best to push the atrocious thoughts from her mind, she could feel it pushing back at the forefront of her mind.

"Just let go..."

Just one bullet...

It was enough to drive a sane man beyond the point of madness, the darkened thoughts running amuck within her mind—unspoken whispers rumbling through her soul as she stared down into the pits of Death itself.

Just pull the trigger...

It was as simple as that—the means to an end. Just one simple pull and it would all be over with. Dianne O'Neil should have known better than to think her demons would stop chasing her down. For a moment of false hope had cost her everything she had ever loved. Her Wren, her precious little girl.

Gone.

"Please, mommy..."

Failure.

She had failed her little girl in more ways than one, knowing that she'd live a life regretting every little decision that had lead her to this moment. Thinking that she had a chance to make amends with the demons hiding in her closet—how wrong she had been.

Mercy was an act unworthy of the man before her and yet despite her ferocious need to act upon enacting the revenge her sanity so rightfully deserved, Dianne O'Neil found herself at loss of what to do.

"—promise me something."

She could feel them ripping into her flesh, tearing all asunder as she cradled the limp form of her precious Wren. For a sweet blissful moment, all the young woman could focus on was the dimpled smile the little girl gave—demanding even at the verge of Death.

"Promise me that you'll keep on living. I don't like it when you don't smile." It had felt like a truck had plowed through her at that moment and had it not been for the thin trail of blood oozing from her little, bow shaped lips, Dianne O'Neil would have applauded the little girl for her acting skills.

Just one bullet...

For nothing seemed more surreal than that moment when she finally pulled the trigger. Because she knew without a doubt that her soul had been damned from the start.

There's a special place in hell reserved just for me...

AN: Thank you to everyone who has made it thus far to the bottom. Please keep in mind, that despite this still being a new story, I am currently in the process of going through every chapter and editing as I go. I'll also be adding more components, as to avoid confusion and correcting grammar mistakes along the way.

Thank you for pulling through till the very end, and thank you to all for the reviews, alerts and support in general.

Much love,

Nicole J. Coltan.