DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sons of Anarchy or any of its characters or ideas, sadly they belong to the brilliant mind of Kurt Sutter, but I wouldn't mind sharing ;) I only own my original character Rayne and anything that seems out of place. Reviews are appreciated, but I will warn you that I don't take kindly to being attacked, I will be a bitch. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and I hope you like it.
I am so sorry for the long time that it has taken me to post, I have been so stuck on where I wanted Rayne's position in this story to go. But now I'm back on track, so thank you for your patience.
Please, please, please send me reviews, it gives me the will to go on :)
After Rayne's startling admission Happy picked her up bridal style, cradling her in his arms as he took her into the house and upstairs where he sat her on the edge of the bed. Her tears had dried, her face now stoic as her eyes stared blankly off into space while he cleaned up the cut on her lip.
Happy knew she had shut down, become numb, he'd seen her do it so many times before. He was always able to bring her out of it, but he was worried that this time, even he wouldn't be enough to break through the darkness that had settled over her heart and mind.
"Belle." He called softly as he laid his hand on her cheek. "Belle, can you hear me, baby?"
Her eyes slowly drifted over and met with his own, "I have to tell Lyla."
"Okay, but you need to rest, we'll call her in the morning."
"No." Rayne stated vehemently. "I have to tell her that her husband is dead, and that is something that I'm going to look her in her eyes when I do. I'm not waiting till morning."
Shoving Happy away from her she stood up and went back downstairs, grabbing her truck keys and walking out the front door. Happy caught up with her as she was backing out of the driveway, quickly strapping on his helmet and starting his bike before following her over to Lyla's place.
Rayne may have been numb at this point, but as soon as Lyla opened the door, Rayne's emotions flooded back through her. Her eyes welled up with tears as she whispered to her friend, "I'm sorry, Lyla."
Lyla didn't have to ask what she meant, the devastation on Rayne's face told her all she needed to know, as if it was tattooed on the biker's skin. She broke down into hysterical cries as her body gave out beneath her, Rayne catching her and easing them both down onto the floor.
Rayne felt as if she watching Opie die all over again, which in a way she was as she held Lyla in her arms. There was nothing that Rayne could say to her that would stop the pain that she was feeling; so she just held her while they both cried, whispering things that she knew Opie would want Lyla to know.
"He loved you, Ly. He loved you so much."
Rayne sat with Lyla throughout the night and into the next morning, just holding the young woman as she cried until she had no more tears left. They had received the call from the jail in the early hours, Rayne taking the call for her friend knowing Lyla didn't need to hear the words once more. Rayne got Ope's kids ready and sent them off to school, assuring them that Lyla was fine; she knew they needed to know about their dad but she didn't have the heart to tell them herself.
Happy's phone rang and he excused himself to answer it, coming back a moment later. "Jax and the others are back. He's calling church in thirty minutes." He said softly sharing a look with Rayne as she nodded and moved back from her friend laying Lyla down on the couch. "Hey I gotta go, but I'll be back later honey okay. You hang in there." Then she kissed Lyla's head before getting up and taking her leave with Happy.
Pulling up to the clubhouse Rayne parked her bike, having stopped at home to switch out her rides. Taking off her helmet she hung it on the bars as Jax came out of the front door. Seeing his face brought the events of last night rushing back to her; fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she ran across the lot and into his embrace. Jax wrapped an arm around her back, his other hand cradling the back of her head against his chest.
"I'm so sorry Jax." She sobbed.
He knew she felt guilty, as if somehow Opie's death had been her fault. Placing a kiss on the crown of her head he shushed her softly. "It was not your fault. He loved you little one. You were his sister. Don't you ever forget that okay?"
She pulled back from him with a nod, giving a tiny sniff. "Okay."
Jax nodded as he took her hand and walked them into church where the others had already taken their seats. They each looked to her with sympathy and respect as she took her seat in Piney's chair; Happy's hand finding hers under the table and giving it a squeeze. She gave him a soft smile lacing their fingers together as Jax took his seat.
"I think Opie's been looking for a way out since Donna died. He's never been right since. He went out a warrior."
"We- we wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for him." Chibs stated.
"No doubt, Ope made his own choice." Clay said from his seat, the cannula under his nose providing him extra oxygen until his lungs were fully healed. "It's Pope forcing that choice concerns me."
"Jax did all he could- all he could to push back the threat." Tig commented roughly glaring at Clay.
"Agreeing to a 50 G payout?"
"Short term, Frankie." Jax told the new member.
"How short?"
"We never rubbed up against a guy like Pope. OG sitting at a table with judges, senators, CEOs."
"He can kill us with a phone call as easily as a bullet. We're just white smoke to this dude." Bobby adds trying to get the newbies to understand the volatile predicament they all were in.
"I say we agree to his terms, see where it goes. Maybe we can even use this guy to our advantage."
"What advantage is that?" Clay snarks looking sideways to Jax.
"If we're good with Pope, the rest of black gets in line."
"What about the tar stains that killed Ope? They just gonna get in line, too?" Happy questioned to his President. Jax had his loyalty and respect, he wouldn't jump until Jax gave the word but these men needed to pay.
"No retaliation. Not now. It puts us and Charming at risk."
"We're already at risk." Clay says snidely. "Those home invasions, that's got to be black."
"Put your attitude in check Clay! You're lucky you still have a say at this table." Rayne snapped tired of hearing his negative opinions towards Jax' decisions. He glared over at her and she matched it with an icy one of her own until the former President had to look away.
"Pope didn't put them in play. He wasn't sure about the Niners. He's looking into it."
Another of the newbies pipes up from the back. "We're throwing Pope a lot of trust."
"It ain't trust, man. It's fear!" Jax states his voice raising an octave, he will not tolerate his men's insubordination. "Right now, he controls it. We got to buy time to change that. Let's vote this. We pay out the 50 Gs till we figure this shit out. Yea."
"Yea." They all reply albeit reluctantly.
"Okay. I'll set up a meeting with Pope, tell him we're good, push him on these home invasions." Jax pauses gathering himself a moment before he addresses their final piece of business. "The body should be here this afternoon. Let's do this right." He picks up the gavel and slams it down ending the meeting.
The collective Redwood Original group heads outside to have a smoke; Unser meets them under the awning as they exit the front door. "Hey, Jax. You seen your mom?"
"No. Why?"
"Got a call from Fain over at Stockton PD. Gemma got arrested last night. Said she got bailed out this morning."
"Arrested for what?"
"I don't know, uh some kind of raid on a brothel."
"Shit." Jax muttered as behind him Clay closed his eyes with a sigh.
"Nero." Chibs stated with a grumble.
Unser glanced between the two men thoroughly confused. "What's a Nero?"
"I'm with you." Chibs told his Pres.
"Jax, you go. We'll handle everything for Opie." Tig offered knowing the big man's death was on his hands.
Jax nodded in agreement. "All right. Come on." He and Chibs walked away as the others headed back inside.
"What happened to Ope?" Unser questioned looking at the remaining members.
"Never made it out of County." Rayne said with a shaking voice before she turned and walked inside, the bottles of whiskey at the bar calling to her.
"Oh, Christ. How?"
"How do you think? Let's go." Clay grumbled before he left with Juice trailing behind him.
"Come by later- say good-bye." Bobby offered to the former Sheriff before he went back inside as well.
Jax and Chibs show up to Diosa's to find the entire place trashed as they walk through the front door. Gemma who is there helping clean up tells them it was her fault; that she found Clay with one of the girls and roughed her up a bit. Two of Nero's men come in saying that one of their guys is in the hospital, took a bullet during the raid but he should be fine. They inform him that Emma Jean, the one Gemma beat up, is who they suspect called the cops and they were going to find her.
Nero sighed knowing they meant to kill her without evidence that it was in fact her that reported them. He assures them that he will find her and deliver her to his men for payback. After they leave Nero instead asks Jax for a favor; save the chick his mom almost killed, before his guys finish the job, then he'll get Emma Jean out of town.
Knowing the club owed him a chit Jax agreed and assured Nero that they would find her, then deliver her to Nero. He gave them a few ideas on how to locate her and the two bikers headed out.
Gemma heads back to the clubhouse, striding into the weight room where Clay is laying on the bench press; Juice, Happy and Frankie looking perturbed and uneasy as they stood off to the side.
"I need to talk to you." Gemma stated to her ex, waiting a moment for the others to get the hint to leave but they seemed to be rooted to their spots. "This is the part where the rest of you get the hell out." She stated.
Juice and Happy quickly nodded and slipped past her out the door, in truth they were slightly afraid of the woman. Frankie left as well but against his better judgment as he took his sweet time. "Nero lost his place. Looks like that little skank you tapped ratted out to Vice."
"Not my problem." He replied standing up.
"Why'd you come up there?"
"Why do you think? I needed to know you were safe. Now I know."
"You don't know shit. I need distance, Clay. Stop checking up on me."
"You want to drink yourself stupid, you want to lay down with spic bangers, knock yourself out. You want distance, you got it." He snapped tossing a weight onto the floor. "I don't even know who you are anymore."
"Why don't you bounce my face off the floor? Then maybe you'll recognize me." Gemma shot back, venom oozing off of her words.
"Got to get ready for Ope's thing." He says grabbing a towel and drying the sweat off of his face.
"What thing?"
Clay looked up at her in apprehension. "Jax didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"Ope got killed in County. The wake's tonight."
Gemma looked as though someone had punched her in the stomach as she sat down on the bench. Yet another of her boys had been called home by the reaper. She allowed Clay to embrace for a moment before her instinct won out and she shoved him away. Running down the hall she went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her before she collapsed onto the toilet in tears. "What the hell's happening to us?"
Jax and Chibs pull up to the motel Nero suggested they look for Emma Jean. Parking their bikes they headed up to the second floor where they found hearts hanging from a door knob; that was the sign Nero had said would tell them it was her place. Chibs put his ear up to the window and heard two voices inside, clearly in the process of getting it on. "Emma Jean's on the job. Ooh!"
"Shit. Patch might spook her." Jax says slipping off his cut and handing it to Chibs before he knocked on the door.
"What do you want?" They heard her call from inside.
"Got your name from a friend of mine."
"You have to call first."
"I don't have your number." Jax said hoping to get her to open the door. Which she did a moment later and handed him a card. Without waiting Jax shoved the door open, the two bikers entering to see an older man in his underwear on the bed. "Get out of here. Now."
"Oh, shit." The guy muttered as he hastily grabbed his clothes and ran out quickly.
"Relax. We're not gonna hurt you." Jax told the young girl as he took his cut from Chibs and slipped it back on.
"You can't just barge in here." Emma Jean protested.
"Someone turned Vice onto Diosa. Nero's crew thinks it was you." Chibs told her.
"I didn't call anyone. I just split. That's the truth. I'd never rat."
"Well, the only truth that matters now is these guys want to hurt you." Jax informed her.
"Let's go, sweetheart. Nero wants us to get you out of town." Chibs added.
The girl sighed clutching the sheet wrapped around her body. "Oh, Christ."
After she'd changed her clothes Jax lead her outside to their bikes, handing her his helmet. "Here. Put this on." AS they started them up to leave the two men from Diosa pulled into the lot shouting at them to stop. "Hold on, darling."
Jax and Chibs sped out of the lot onto the streets, weaving in and out of traffic as the two men gave pursuit in their lowrider. They turned into a neighborhood hoping to lose them on a side street; but Emma's foot slipped off the peg and her bare leg singed on the pipe. She screamed jerking her leg which threw Jax off balance forcing him to lay the bike down, both of them sliding through the dirt of someone's front yard.
Chibs caught up making sure they were both okay just as the two men pulled up in their car, hastily getting out and pointing their guns at the bikers demanding they hand the girl over. Jax reasoned with them stating that the girl had shit all over their club and they could go back and tell their crew that they had sent the biker boys to do their bitch work.
The men agreed but only after insisting the bikers send them proof that she's dead; between the two they wanted a thumb and one of her tits.
"Someone sent these two. This is a setup." Chibs states as the two men drive away.
Jax nodded before turning to help Emma Jean back to her feet after he'd slapped her to make a point to the men. "Hey. You okay?" She nodded. "We're gonna take you to our clubhouse. You'll be safe there. You call Nero. You get him and his bottom bitch to meet us there." He then told Chibs.
"Come on, our lovely little slag." Chibs ribbed the young girl who scowled as she rubbed her sore cheek.
"I'm sorry." Jax told her as they picked his bike back up and rode off to TM.
Happy was sitting in the garage with Juice, Chucky and few others sharing a joint; his attention had been on Rayne who was over by the ring pummeling the bag for the last hour, he could see her bare knuckles dripping blood on the concrete. His gaze turned to the front gate as Jax and Chibs rode in with Nero following in his truck.
"What happened?" Nero questioned as he got out of the truck with Carla.
"Your boys showed up at the hotel the same time as we did." Jax stated as he dismounted and made his way over towards the front doors where he was joined by Gemma; she wanted to know why the slut who'd fucked her husband was at their house. "Almost ended up in a hood slaughter. We convinced them that we'd finish her off."
"So, what we need now is a digit and a tiny titty to prove it." Chibs smirked smiling as Rayne walked over to join them, curious about the conversation.
"Ah, Jesus Christ." Nero sighed.
"How'd they know where she was?" Jax questioned him.
Nero turned looking at Carla who was standing silent behind him. "There's only one other person who knew."
She knew she was found out and stuttered. "I was protecting you. If your crew found out what you did, they'd crush you. They'd ruin everything that we've built."
"Where do you get this "we" shit from? We haven't built anything." He stated to her before turning back to Jax. "I'm sorry. I never would've sent you guys to get her if I would have known."
"It's okay. Sounds like a move someone else would pull." Jax commented dryly as he looked towards Gemma. "Let's call it even. Rat. Keep her in the garage, away from the phones."
"Yes, sir." Rat said as he took Carla away.
"Why is she here?" Gemma said speaking up as she turned a disgusted eye to Emma.
"That's not your concern." Jax told her.
"No, it's not. But it should be yours."
"You know what, Mom? I kind of have a few things on my plate today. Like burying my best friend. So your need to be loved, worshipped and adored is a little low on my list today." He snapped before walking away from her.
"Nothing happened between me and your old man." Emma said trying to ease the woman's anger. "He didn't even take his pants off. Had me rub his shoulders. And I didn't call the cops."
"Can you keep an eye on Carla until I get this one out of town?" Nero asked.
"Yeah." Jax assured him as the two climbed into the truck. "Ray." He called out to his friend waiting till she walked over to his side. "I need a favor."
Comically she raised her eyebrows glancing down at her chest before looking back up at him. "I'm not giving you my tits Jax."
For the first time in days Jax actually smiled. "I don't want yours. I want you to make me one and a thumb too. I know you're good with special effects. Can you make em real?"
"They'll be so real you won't even know the difference." She stated confidently. "Give me an hour." With that she grabbed her stuff and headed for her house.
Jax walked off as well leaving Gemma standing there watching him go. Chibs sidled up next to her putting his arm around her waist. "You know, he loves you more than anyone, Mom. Just give him some room. Why don't you go check on Lyla, see how she's doing."
"Okay thanks." She nodded kissing his cheek, before heading out to go check on Lyla.
Apparently after Rayne had left her, Lyla got into her stash of drugs; she was high as a kite when both Tara and Gemma showed up to her house. It was only after some harsh words to get her act together from Tara that Lyla began to sober up. Gemma assured Tara that what she had said was right, even though it had made the grieving woman burst into tears.
While the others were at the clubhouse were preparing for the wake, Rayne was at home creating their fake body parts. After using her body as the mold, filing it with silicone for a realistic feel and painting them up with color and blood she had a perfectly formed tit and thumb. She had outdone herself this time, they even looked real to her as she placed them in a container and headed back to the clubhouse to deliver them to Jax.
She arrived back just as Skeeter showed up in the hearse to deliver Opie's body and casket. She stood beside Jax as the boys opened the back door preparing to take their friend home.
"He's all dressed. Looks-looks pretty good." Skeeter assures them.
"That's a nice-looking box, man." Juice commented on the shiny black coffin.
"Ope would've dug it." Bobby adds.
"Let's get him inside." Jax orders seeing Lyla standing off to the side as the boys unloaded her husband. He walked over to her as Rayne stood at her side. "I'm so sorry."
Lyla broke down into tears, there wasn't one person at TM that doubted how much she had loved their brother.
After she had calmed down Rayne took Lyla inside to say her goodbyes. The guys had placed the casket upon the reaper table in the chapel, removing the lid so that Opie could be seen. Rayne thought he looked so handsome in his cut, his signature rings on his finger and his hair pulled back as always.
"Let's give her a minute boys. Please." Rayne asked. The guys obliged filing out, paying their respects to Lyla with a kiss on the cheek as they left, Jax closing the double doors behind them.
"Take as much time as you need." He told her.
"What do I do, Jax? I can't raise three kids on my own. I could barely cover me and Piper. How am I supposed to care for those kids and earn a living?"
"Just like every other single mother. You get help- friends, family."
"My mom lives two hours away; I don't have family up here."
Jax nodded to Rayne who smiled. "Lyla come here. Let me show you something." Rayne said softly as she took her friend's hand and brought her over to the window, Jax opening the blinds so that they could see the throngs of people coming into the clubhouse. "That's your family."
"Anything you need, you just ask. Anyone says no, they answer to me." Jax stated from his place behind them.
Jax left Lyla with Rayne walking out front where he saw Clay watching Gemma intently as she hugged Nero who had just returned to the lot. He smirked seeing Clay's anger before the man disappeared inside. A thought came to him regarding Lyla and he headed over to talk to Nero. "Hey. You get Emma Jean out safe?"
"Oh, yeah. She's on a plane back to the heartland."
"Good. You got a minute? I want to bounce something off you."
"Yeah, sure." Nero agreed as he followed Jax into the clubhouse to his private room. Jax handing him a beer before they sat down.
"So what happens to Diosa now?"
"Outcalls, man. Outcalls until I find me a new spot."
"You mind if I ask how much your girls pull in?"
"On average, they do three to five dates a day, take in minimum, a few hundred a client. Now, a touring girl, like Emma Jean, there, she can do triple that."
"You happy with that return?"
"You sound like you're trying to sell me some life insurance here. I got an endgame here, mano."
"What's the endgame?"
"1.3 million. I'm gonna buy my uncle's spread down in Norco. 20 acres. My kid loves animals. I'm gonna give him a goddamn farm."
Jax smiled he knew that love between a father and a son. "I like that. How close are you?"
"I ain't close enough."
"Maybe I can help you get there a little faster." Jax reaches behind him and takes a folder off of the desk, handing it to Nero.
"Caracara?"
"Yeah, it's a porn biz that we used to handle."
"That's not my game."
"No, but the girls on that list are. It's the nature of the business now. Most of these girls, they gotta supplement with the porn star experience- 1,500 to five grand a day. They need a booker."
"You still have access to all of them?"
"Yep. There's a few of them in the clubhouse right now. There's an old Elks lodge for rent, out on 88. It's the perfect location. There's no neighbors, close to major highways. I'll cover all the new start-up costs. Then we split everything 50-50. Diosa Norte."
"Partners, huh?"
"I got an endgame in sight, too. My best friend is lying in a box in the other room. I gotta start moving us away from the shit that's killing us."
"I'm sorry about your friend in there, but I tell you straight-up, though, if we were to do a deal it would have to be completely clear of all your other traffic. You see, I can't get pulled in to the heat of all the things you're moving away from."
"Understood. And I don't want the heat of all the things that you're trying to get close to. My mom. I can't mix business and family. The shit with Clay- her and Tara- it's deep, man. It will bleed all over us."
"So you sure that's-that's a business request, not some twisted mommy thing?"
"I untwisted my mommy thing a long time ago." Jax snickered. "You gotta stay clear of Gemma."
"Huh. Okay. Okay. Yeah, let's see where this goes."
Night had fallen over TM as everyone arrived to pay their respects to their fallen brother. Jax sat up on the roof watching the hearse pull back into the lot, ready to take Opie to his final resting place. "Jax? It's time, brother." Chibs called poking his head up through the hatch.
Rayne stood in the chapel waiting her turn as the boys said their goodbyes one by one; each of them placing their own gift into the coffin. With a deep breath she moved forward, her eyes disobeying her as they let her tears fall. "I'm gonna miss you so much big guy. I'll keep my promise. I love you Ope." She broke down into sobs as she removed the chain from around her neck that held a dog tag with hers and Opie's names on it; tucking it underneath her brother's folded hands.
She clutched the side of the casket as her knees gave out, Happy immediately appearing at her side and putting his arms around her. Everyone in the clubhouse rose to their feet as Jax made his way to the chapel; the others standing with him as he placed a photo of himself, Opie and Rayne as kids inside of Opie's cut. He looked across to Rayne who gave him a somber nod and a forced smile.
"I'll see you later brother."
With a nod from Jax the other Redwood Originals placed the lid back onto the coffin and lifted their brother up. Jax took Rayne's hand and together they lead the casket through the clubhouse, everyone raising their glasses as they passed by and out to the hearse. Jax opened the back door and stood aside as the men placed the coffin into the back. With a scowl of rage that only Rayne could see Jax slammed the door.