rolling thunder, pouring rain

This is the definition of self-sabotage, Reina knows that. They’ve been generally okay for a few weeks — not remotely back to normal, but then normal for them is simply just living without wanting to rip each other apart. And it’s been good, Reina can see things between them building back to where they’re supposed to be. So of course she has to ruin it, of course she has to go and lash out because she can’t stand the thought of Jackson seeing her in a weak spot like she is right now. Of course she has to turn things back around on him, accuse him of cheating on her again with no evidence to support that claim. It’s who she is, unable to deal with her feelings in a healthy manner, so she’ll do anything to keep them away. As soon as the fuck you aimed at her leaves his lips, she’s ready to start berating him again, but his rant gives her pause.

It’s not by any means what she wants to hear, and calling her psychotic certainly doesn’t win him any fucking brownie points, but what gets her is Jack’s very valid reminder that they’re supposed to be treating each other better. Her arms move from her hips to cross over her chest, and it’s obvious he’s got her thinking but she won’t back down just like that. “Well, can you really fucking blame me? You haven’t touched me like that in months.” Because that’s what she wanted, although Reina chooses to ignore that for her own sake. “Not even since we had that conversation. What else am I supposed to think?” That he’s trying to be better like you want him to, not cheating on you, a little voice in her head supplies, but Reina is not that easily sated.

He should have known better than to try and help Reina when she seemed down. But at the same time he won’t take the blame for Reina being unable to accept an offer of comfort. That was her problem .Unfortunately, it was turning into a him problem as well when she decided to take that inability and turn it into accusations of infidelity. Jackson had been just starting to let himself ease into things a little more, but with these words he was on the defense once more. The only consolation was that at least he knew Iris couldn’t come down and see them like this, as she was still at ma’s house. He’s surprised his words aren’t interrupted by her, though, and he doesn’t know whether she’s simply been shocked into silence or she’s gearing up for a rebuttal. 

But to his surprise, she doesn’t come back with as angry or words, and once again he’s left reeling by Reina’s mood swings. “Yes, I can blame you,” he says with annoyance still in his voice, though he’s not sure what to make of the second part of her sentence. It was true, they hadn’t done anything since the night of the auction, and that had been more a form of hate sex than anything else. “You think I could have touched you without losing a hand?” he accused with a raised eyebrow. Not to mention it was a little difficult to want someone when you were wondering who else have been touching them. “This isn’t going to work if we just regress every month, Reina,” is what he finally comes up with. “I’m not interested in trying to rebuild shit from scratch every time something isn’t vaguely perfect.”

Maddox chuckled a bit, knowing that he’d had to hold it together in questioning but now he could laugh at the image repeating of the man slamming his fists on the table like a child who wanted cookies for dinner. It was laughable and he really couldn’t imagine that the man thought that was going to work on him. Maddox may be a soft man, he may be someone who genuinely cares for people— but he certainly was not going to be frightened by someone slamming their hands on a metal table. His only response was to move his hands from the table and curl his arms up in front of his chest, quirking up an eyebrow. Now, his reaction was similar, a bit entertained that Jackson even thought it was funny enough to joke about, something the pair didn’t do too often together. “Uh, no, not really. Just the same questions over and over…” Maddox shrugged, trying to think if there was anything important. “Saw that asshole— Marshall— while I was there. The guy’s about as arrogant as they come. Told me we we’re all going down,” he added, recalling the man that Sutton was dating always lingering until he came into the interrogations on occasion. “Don’t know, they just seem… off. A lot more pissed than I expected them to be. And they knew about my mom… so they clearly are keeping tabs on all of us.”

Jackson didn’t mind the occasional joke, when he felt relaxed enough to make one. He was naturally inclined to getting laughs, but he was always ready to laugh at the expense of his enemy. Though perhaps enemy was even too generous of a term for the ATF. Thus far, they’d only made fools of themselves. They were more of an annoyance than anything to be actually worried about. “I wonder if he thought his little tantrum would actually work,” he continued with the lilt of amusement still in his voice. “That’s good, though. Cocky people are often so easy to topple. They get too comfortable, thinking they can’t be outdone.” Jackson, of course, caught the disdain for Marshall in Maddox’s voice, though he didn’t comment on it. He was, however, pleased that Maddox seemed to accept Sutton and her assignment was simply a part of the being in the Club. “Off, how?” Jackson asked, wanting to be as clear on this as possible if it meant keeping the Club out of harm’s way. 

Reina tries to ignore the way she lets go of the tension in her body when Jackson assures her the blood he’s wearing isn’t his, since admitting that it’d had her tense to begin with would be on par with admitting she actually gives a shit. It is a relief, though, and only after Jackson’s confirmation is she able to fully put together that this must mean he’d gone off and killed someone. He confirms it with his anecdote of him and the boys going out and catching a ‘vermin’, and she raises her eyebrows when he asks if she wants to know who it was, in a way that tells him she obviously does. “Was it someone important?” she asks, hands gesturing at Jack to just fucking spit it out already. “Stop being so evasive, it’s annoying.”

Games like this aren’t unusual between the two of them, but it’s rare that the life of someone who was more or less irrelevant would have him toying with her like this, let alone acting so giddy. It’s confusing, and for a moment Reina can’t think of anyone who would elicit this type of behavior from him as a result of their murder. As soon as the thought comes, though, something clicks in her brain and a slow smile spreads across her features. Reina knows it probably isn’t true and it’s just wishful thinking on her part, but there’s only one man on this Earth save for his dead father that she thinks would have Jackson acting like such a peacock, and by the time she realizes it fully, she’s practically giggling like an idiot herself in disbelief. “You didn’t.”

Her obvious annoyance when it comes to him stalling is enough to make the smirk on his lips widen, and he can’t help but tilt his head a little to the side in a bit of a taunt. Jackson’s pretty damn good at knowing his wife’s limits by now, how long he can tease her for before she really gets impatient enough to be upset. Perhaps he could have kept going but...he was excited to share the news, and he was ready to see her reaction. “You could say that.”

But it seemed like perhaps she’d already picked up on his containable energy as she laughed and grinned, seeming to have already guessed who it was. His own smile his quick to follow, sharp with the pleasure of knowing Kane fucking Siefer is rotting. “We did,” he simply says before putting a hand on Reina’s waist, moving to pull her towards him a little as he dropped his head to speak a bit closer to her ear. “Did you think we were just gonna let him get away with all the shit he’s done?” Did she think he’d let Kane get away with all the things he’d done to her? “No fucking chance. Kane’s ugly head is jammed onto a stake outside The Dive as we speak.” Her excitement was endearing as hell, though he knew she’d most likely punch him in the arm for ever saying such a thing.

Andy knew this celebration wouldn’t last as long as he hoped, but he wasn’t about to let himself skip out on this moment – This was a victory, a win, there was no denying it. “Shoulda gotten a better picture’a it.” He suggests, mirroring the same smile his brother has as he takes another drag of his cigarette. “Could’a used it as a club Christmas card or somethin’. Would have been one for the books.” Andy can’t help but laugh lightly at his own joke, surprised they hadn’t framed a picture and hung it up in the clubhouse. Maybe once the ATF is gone. He arches a brow, nodding as his brother answers the question. Andy knows exactly what it means – And he has no interest in asking for details. Though, admittedly, he’s curious what it means in terms of their divorce – And if it’d have any lasting effect. He’s kept his nose out of that mess, mostly because the two are so back and forth he can’t keep up, and he’s not in a position with either to say Hey, how’s your marriage? He gets it, though – He and Rowan have been through plenty of complications, especially since his release from prison. “Over the fuckin’ moon.” He answers with a smirk of his own, letting out a chuckle. He takes another drag of his cigarette, There’s a pause, before he finds himself add, on a slightly more serious note: “I’ve got a feeling she’ll sleep better knowin’ he’s six feet under.” 

“I wish,” Jackson said in a truly wistful tone. He would have loved to frame that snapshot, a lovely little reminder of all the fun he’d had getting his hands dirty with Kane and his brothers. Though...sadly Andy had needed to sit out of the ‘dirty work’ a bit with all the chatter around his record and the recent murder that had put Lettie in jail. But unfortunately...film would have been far too risky when it came to incriminating evidence. “Honestly we should have just mounted Kane on the wall of the Club. Hung some lights around his head. made him up all festive.” The idea was vastly amusing to him. Jackson gave an approving nod when it came to their wives though, knowing that Andy must be just as relieved to be rid of Kane when it came to keeping their Old Ladys safe and out of the man’s way. “I’m sure Reina will too.” Though...she still seemed jumpy at times after the breakin. He wouldn’t be saying that to Andy, though. 

Deep down Reina knows he is being rational. Somewhere beneath all of the insecurity and trust issues she’s fucking buried in, she knows Jack’s reasoning for simply letting things be when it comes to Maddox is totally sound — but she refuses to believe that’s his only motive here. It wouldn’t be the first time he had an ulterior motive, even if in this case it’s extremely unlikely. “You’re never rational unless it’s self serving,” she bites back at him, which isn’t even remotely true. Jackson can be completely sensible without motive when he wants to be, but Reina’s not thinking about that right now, not when her mind is so dead set on self-destruction. It’s like a disease, this crazy and irrational behavior that consumes her and makes her act completely insane, and she never knows how to stop it.

Right now, Reina has no desire to keep herself in check. All she wants is for Jack to admit wrongdoing so she can gloat about being right in not trusting him in the first place, so she’ll push and push until she gets the answer she wants out of him. If she’s learned anything from their recent spiral, it’s that it’d be better to catch him in the act and call him out for it now than be embarrassed by it two decades from now. “So? Did your dick slip again? Who was it?” Her hands rest on her hips in an effort to make herself seem taller, more powerful and more intimidating, although it’s a sad attempt at hiding her blatantly obvious insecurities. “I’m going to find out anyway, so you may as well save yourself a public berating and just tell me now.”

He scowled at her newest insult. Certainly, he was self serving at times, but it so happened that his desires mostly aligned with that of the Club’s. So he knew that to keep both those desires intact, he had to make sure the Club and it’s members thrived. The bite was back in his voice as he said, “I believe you’re confused, dearest. You’re thinking of yourself again.” He couldn’t even pinpoint how this fight had started. One moment he’d been making sure she was alright after she’d left his mother’s house, and now he was under fire via rampant accusations. 

His own shoulders squared as she did her best to look intimidating, answering her unspoken challenge with his superior height, and broader frame. He was above being elegant though at this time, made too angry by her words. Had he slipped again? Where did Reina find the audacity? “Fuck you,” he calmy said, his simple words a rather telling sign of just how mad he was. But heat began to enter his words once again. “You’re the one who wanted to try again. You’re the one who said you wanted to be better, Reina. Is this how you fucking be better? I signed the god damned papers, and you’re the one who wanted to do this again. But I’m not gonna fucking sit around and be accused every god damned week just because you’re psychotic..”

“They said they were looking for a six foot male with tattoos and a cut. That’s all they had,” Maddox shrugged, a smug smile on his face. He’d thought the same thing. Andy was much more broad in his shoulders, his hair was dark where Maddox’s is light, and honestly, their whole stance was different. But a cut’s a cut for witnesses and height meant it could be anyone. Maddox was pretty thankful their lack of insight considering that Andy was indeed, guilty. And if they couldn’t tell Maddox apart from Andy, the witness gave them nothing. The only thing that might’ve turned up anything would’ve been the crime scene which from the lack of evidence they’d presented Maddox during questioning, hadn’t turned up anything good. “It was fine. Just in and out of questioning. Told them that Andy and I could have fifteen people let them know we both had alibis,” Maddox explained, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. Given, some of their witnesses would be lying and others would be thrown out due to being a part of the Club but Maddox had known they’d never check on it. “Said one of us is facing twenty to life or something. Think some of the ATF guys are getting a bit agitated. One of ‘em slammed his fist on the table thinking he might scare me… Said something about making sure the guards knew I was ‘uncooperative’. Guess they haven’t had a whole lot to send to the people in Washington.”

“Dumbasses,” Jackson said with a bit of amusement, always tickled when the ATF proceeded to make fools of themselves. But he supposed it was good in the end. At least Andy had managed to avoid detection and being brought in. Maddox had a cleaner slate despite the arson a while back, and wasn’t nearly as much at risk as Jackson’s brother was. Though he supposed the vague description could also possibly mean good things for Lettie. Maybe the murder charges wouldn’t stick if this was the other person they’d brought in. Jackson nodded his approval though, knowing that the Club would always look out for those that were taken in. Even if they weren’t the most credible witnesses, it was difficult to argue against that many people and look believable. A roll of Jackson’s eyes spoke to how he felt about the ATF and their ‘scare’ tactics. “Do they think we’re some backwater moonshiners doing this for the first time or something?” he asked with some amusement. Of course they wouldn’t break under some ridiculous intimidation attempts. “So sorry if you were at all frightened though,” Jackson nearly joked, knowing Maddox wouldn't have been anything of the like under such silly attempts to bully him into submission. “Did you get anything else useful from them by chance?” 

Waiting for Jackson to get home has been completely fucking agonizing for Reina. Not only did she absolutely detest the fact that she generally had no idea what was going on, but she still hates being in their home by herself. There’d been no chance of her falling asleep with her mind running the way it was and her nerves frayed as they were, so she’d been sitting on their bed reading the same sentence over and over again from a book she genuinely doesn’t give one fuck about when she hears the front door open. She gives it a moment, just to make sure it’s actually her husband and not someone breaking into her home for round fucking two, but as soon as the faint but distinct sound of voice carries itself upstairs, she’s on her feet and making her way down to him.

The word surprise had her hopeful, thinking maybe he’d brought her back some stolen but expensive piece of jewelry or something from whatever job he’d obviously just been on, so the sight of him covered in blood has her rightfully shocked. “Jesus Christ,” It’s not like Reina to be concerned, necessarily — especially not when this isn’t the first time Jack’s come home like this — but the secrecy surrounding the situation has her more uneasy than usual. She has to resist the urge to reach out and touch, to prod at him and make sure he’s not on the verge of dying or anything — half because she has no desire to get blood on her hands, and half because she’s not sure they’re there yet — so Reina stands unsure with her arms loosely crossed over her chest as she assesses him. He looks fine, but looks aren’t always reassuring. “What the fuck happened to you?”

He probably should have thought she might wonder whether the blood was his, but Jackson had wanted to make sure she got to see the carnage of what he and his brothers had done. There was also the faintest smell of burned flesh lingering about him, but it wasn’t overwhelming, thankfully. Still, the little slip of her words when she saw him did stoke his ego a little. She was...concerned? Jackson was still getting used to the idea that she might give a shit about him again, though he was doing so slowly...carefully. “It’s not mine,” he said with a bit of a smirk, and a delighted twinkle to his eye. He loved the feel of his enemy’s blood on his skin, like a trophy he could wear. 

“We went out tonight. The boys and I.” His brothers— she would know but his phrasing. “And we caught a pretty big vermin,” he teased a bit longer, wanting to build the anticipation. “Do you wanna know who it was?” Jackson dangled the words, hoping Reina wouldn’t be too annoyed to be kept waiting. He knew her patience only went so far. But he took a bit of a step towards her, giving her a look that wasn’t far from the the way he’d used to look at her when sex wasn’t far behind. His adrenaline was still pumping a bit, and the high of the kill was intoxicating.

Reina hears what Jackson’s asking her loud and clear even if he doesn’t come right out and say it. She knows him too well, and they’ve been playing this game for too long for her not to know when he’s trying to mask his concern for her. Of course, he probably is at least a little bit interested in how Maddox is doing but the question is meant for both of them and she easily deciphers as much. “He will be.” And she’ll be fine when Maddox is fine but for now, she’s stressed out and worried about him. She knows he’ll probably be fine with Sutton, but the irrational part of her is afraid his grief will somehow cause him to wither away to nothing by the time she goes to check on him tomorrow. Jackson’s reassurance that he’ll lay off has the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly, though, and Reina lets out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

For a moment she leans back against his chest, letting herself be lulled by the sense of safety his presence always brings despite the place they’re currently in. Getting him to relent on Maddox was easy enough — almost too easy, really, and with Jackson the word easy is never a good thing. Just like that, the moment is over as Reina’s mind starts working out what that ease might mean. He rarely gives in to her without some kind of push and pull, not unless he wants something or he’s done something. Slowly, she frees herself from Jack’s grip, turning to face him with obvious skepticism written all over her face. “Why aren’t you being difficult?” Her arms cross in front of her, and already Reina’s bracing herself for the inevitable denial that’s to come. She won’t hear it, though. “What did you do?”

“Good. I know he will be.” Jackson is, of course, thinking about Maddox and they boy’s wellbeing, but he has his priorities. And Reina ranks above the young man despite that fact that they’d spent the better part of last year at each other’s throats. He supposes he’s been a little more caring towards Reina as their conversation about trying set in. He’s still not entirely sure what he’s doing, or whether he wants to continue doing it, but for now...Jackson is here to let her rest against him as she leans back, his hands going to smooth themselves down the sides of her arms in a half instinctual movement. 

But then he feels her warmth retreating from him and he wonders whether the little moment is over. A part of him is relieved, as he’s still not ready to get back to how things were before everything. However there’s also the sense of disappointment deep down, as he’s unable to ignore the reaction to her pulling away, though he doesn’t linger on it. There’s a small hint of annoyance in his voice with his first answer, thinking he’d already explained his thought process. He’s also not entirely thrilled that she’s decided to imply that he’s usually difficult. “I told you. I don’t want him out doing things for the Club when his head is messed up. It’ll just result in sloppiness. And I don’t need him or anyone else getting hurt.” His lips pursed at her next question though, stone taking over his features after confusion passed over them as he realizes what she’s getting at. “Am I not allowed to be rational?” He knows an outright denial always triggers her, without a doubt.

Of course Jackson had told Reina that something was going on tonight, but he could tell that she was annoyed he wouldn’t tell her exactly what it was before he had left. But it was fine. What mattered was that he had been planning to tell her. He thought it’d be a fun little surprise. And besides, if everything somehow hadn’t gone to plan, he didn’t want her ending up disappointed. As soon as they’d finished staking Kane’s head into the ground and setting up the recorder to play his screams on loop, Jackson had gone straight home to his wife to tell her the exciting news. He didn’t even bother to wipe a single bit of the blood off him, knowing she’d love knowing who it belonged to once he told her. Hopefully she wouldn’t mistake it as his own from first glance.

Finally, he was walking through the front door of their home and calling out her name in a tone far more jovial than he’d said it in quite some time. “Reina! Reina, come down here!” He didn’t have to worry about waking the kids as they had been sent off to Ma’s house. “I’ve got a suprised for you.” Hopefully she wouldn’t be too disappointed when it didn’t turn out to be rings, shoes, or handbags. Damn— honestly he should have thought to pick one up on the way home to sweeten the pot, help build the excitement. Oh well. He’d been too eager to share the news.

As his brother spoke, Andy couldn’t help the eye roll and laugh that followed. “Wouldn’t be the strangest shit I’ve seen in this town.” He returns, taking another drag of his cigarette. It’s almost surreal, to have the two of them standing here, watching the cops assess the crime scene they’d created. There’s a certain giddiness that finds him over the entire ordeal – Knowing that whatever happens now, they’re headed in a better direction. Kane is dead, the Big Bad Wolf is gone, and with the change in the tides – Andy’s almost hopeful for what’s to come. For now, at least. Pushing the smoke past his lips, he gives his brother an arched brow. “I take it Reina was excited to hear the news?”

Jackson, too, was if much better spirits than usual. This success was a big one, and he was still reveling in it. “No, not the strangest thing after seeing something like Kane fucking Siefer’s head on a stake and still screaming,” he said with a wide, almost boyish grin. The smile turns into more a telling smirk at Andy’s question, not above hinting at the fun he and his wife had last night. “You could say that.” But beside the less pure activities of the night before, he knew Reina was relieved to have that man removed from the Earth, just as Rowan most likely was. “Was Rowan happy?” It’s a stupid question. Of course, she’d be pleased that she didn’t have to look over her shoulder, but it was still worth asking.

Lettie was rather sure that no matter what she did for the family, she’d never be up to standards for Jackson. He might help her out, because of what she was doing, but she would never be a Thane again, though she wasn’t sure if she had ever been in his eyes. Growing up had changed a lot of things for Lettie, it had ruined the relationship she had with almost everyone in her adopted family. Of course, that was the consequence of her own actions, but she was rather sure that even if she hadn’t gone to the Trojans, her Uncle Jack would have found a reason to be disappointed in her. 

She raised an eyebrow at his use of her full name, though she supposed it wasn’t that surprising considering Reina’s sole use of that for her. “Nana wanted me to stay here with the baby while they talked to the lawyers. Said someone needed to watch Benny.”

To Reina, it’s obvious why she wants to draw this out longer, but maybe her vulnerability isn’t showing quite as much as she thinks it is, and she’ll be damned if she does anything to change that now. “I don’t understand why after four months of pushback you’re suddenly more than willing to pull the trigger.” It’s impossible for them to stop snapping at each other, especially when the stakes are so high and they are who they are, never willing to just let the other have the upper hand, but Reina’s willpower really is dwindling and it’s obvious from the way she heaves a sigh when he mentions the lawyer. “I’m not doing this again.” Her fingers subconsciously rub across her forehead to find her temples, and she’s clearly done going back and forth about this but Reina’s never been able to just drop something, no matter how badly she wants to. “Do what you want, Jack, but I am asking you to just think about this. Please.” 

Reina pauses for a moment, stunned at herself for pleading with him when that’s never been something she resorts to and she’d literally just made a promise to herself not to be vulnerable any more than she already tonight, but her reverie is broken within seconds when little feet sound upstairs and it’s obvious Iris is done waiting for them. “I’m going to go check on her.” She doesn’t even give him a chance to argue, sweeping past him and up the stairs without so much as a backwards glance. Honestly, Reina’s afraid if she looks she’ll see him rifling through her bag so he can bring in the papers himself, and that’s not something she thinks she could handle witnessing.

Don’t be ridiculous has Reina narrowing her eyes, ready to bite back at him for calling her that, but then Jackson mentions an engraving and of course she’s immediately curious. “Oh,” is all she gets out, her surprise evident. She’s never pegged him as the type to do anything as sentimental as engrave a fucking ring but then again, with Jackson, everything always has to be over the top. Sure enough, when she slips the ring off her finger she notices that etched inside the band are the numbers 10.8.94 alongside a tiny little sunshine. The sight of it has her jaw clenching and God, maybe drinking wasn’t her best bet tonight, but she’s able to get a grip easily enough after a beat and she slips the ring back on her finger gently, trying as she does to shake off any emotion that may be bubbling up inside of her. “Fair enough.” Immediately, Reina brings her thumb up to run over it in the familiar way she’s used to doing when she’s nervous about something. This ring feels different, bulkier, but that’s not at all a bad thing and Reina takes a moment to glance at it one more time before looking back up at him. “It really is beautiful.”

Reina’s never been a sentimental person and this moment between them is lasting a little too long for her liking, and even though it feels like maybe this could be a step in the right direction for them, she’s still not sure that’s even the direction she wants to go in. But if anything could serve as a reminder of how happy they’d been before things went to shit, it’s a ring Jackson had gotten her during that time period as a means of asking her to renew their fucking vows, and it has Reina rethinking things even more than she already had been before. The last thing she wants to do is show him how much this is effecting her, though, so she quickly thinks of a way to change the subject. “I wanted to tell you — Kane came up to me earlier.” she swallows thickly as she thinks back to their conversation — if you could call it that — thinking maybe this way not have been the best segway, but she needed to tell him eventually and Reina figures this is as good a time as any. “He mentioned Eli, said he spilled some shit to him. I don’t know that I believe him but he sounded fairly confident.”

Jackson’s hands on her shoulders draws a flinch from Reina, not because she’s afraid but because she really isn’t expecting it, but she forces herself to chill the fuck out for once in her life and just let it be. She still feels bad about leaving him, and it’s strange how uncharacteristically understanding he’s being considering the rocky few months they’ve had, but Reina pushes that to the back of her mind as she takes another sip of her wine before answering him. “Maddox’s mother passed away.” She swallows back a finally, even if it’s just to Jack and he’s the last person that would care about a comment like that. Reina is a lot of things, but she’s usually not one to speak ill of the dead unless they really deserve it. Her hatred for Penelope Hart stems from how much she cares for Maddox, however — as annoying as that is for her — and it’s obvious that this has taken a toll on her in spite of her how much she disliked the woman in question. 

Maddox is a good kid and Reina will always stand by that, but he’s often too emotional for his own good, which in turn has left her totally drained. A tired Reina isn’t often a good thing but she remains placated for the time being, the steady weight of his hands on her shoulders more of a comfort than anything. “He’s going to need a week or so to just… process everything. So if you could, you know, leave him alone for a bit. Give him some time to grieve,” she looks back at him expectantly, as if she’s just waiting for him to argue with her but there’s no bite to her tone, no hint of malice, just sincerity in her request because they both know he’s often hard on Maddox. While that’s all well and good when he’s trying to toughen him up, right now just isn’t the time for it.

He supposes the flinch is deserved as he hasn’t touched her this casually and without motive in private in...some time. She’d always been jumpy, but he still was uncertain about how exactly he was meant to be going about this whole recent change...and still maybe just a touch bitter. His stubbornness and pettiness wanted him to just take the divorce papers down to the lawyer himself, but he hadn’t...yet. But as the words of Maddox’s mother passing are revealed, most of his irritation with Reina ditching him at his mother’s is washed away. “Is he alright?” Within those words is another hidden question, as they had always been too good about talking about things without actually talking about them. This time at the core of his words is are you alright? Jackson knows Reina’s relationship with Penelope had been...complicated, but he also knew that Reina, in general, was complicated.

Some might thing grief to be a weakness, and though Jackson has fallen into that boat before...he knows that at the end of the day— the Club is meant to look after one another. So though he may partially silently judge Maddox... “If he needs time he’ll get an appropriate amount of it. I wouldn’t want him out doing things when his head is elsewhere, anyway.” Jackson had, indeed, expected more of Maddox at times— just as he did with his own sons. But it was because he wanted to see the boy succeed. But by now he’d long known that Maddox wouldn’t ever be the perfect Primordial. Decent, certainly. But not the most ideal. 

He keeps a reasonable distance – Finding himself leaning against the street sign at the end of the block as a way to no be noticed, but still get a view of the action. The last thing he needs is for a cop to see him around, after the few weeks he’s had. It’s late afternoon now, he’d finished his shift at the auto shop and wanted to see how the news was being handled across town. With his bike parked around the corner, Andy lit a cigarette and watched the chaos – It’d calmed down from last he heard this morning, with only a few cop cars around and caution tape surrounding the Dive. It put a smile on his face, a chuckle following. “Ding dong, the witch is dead.” He says to no one in particular, taking another drag from his cigarette. 

With Kane gone, it was impossible for Jackson not to be in high spirits. And it certainly helped that he and Reina had taken part in their bit of fun once he’d gotten back from the killings— though he wasn’t entirely sure what them sleeping together yet again meant in the grand scheme of the “trying” Reina had suggested those few weeks ago. But his lip quirked up in amusement at his brother’s choice of words before he replied, “You gonna go get yourself a pair of ruby slippers now or somethin? A little dog named Toto? I think you’d look just darling in that blue gingham dress of Dorothy’s.”

@jacksonthane​

Maddox knew that it was a bit of wishful thinking to imagine the day in which Jack was actually convinced that Maddox would be a good member for the Club. They’d had their past grievances and a long time of getting to know each other just enough to make opinions of one another. They were different people and that much would never change but unfortunately— or fortunately, Jackson Thane was still Maddox’s boss. He was the President and although Maddox didn’t always like Jackson’s choices (like his most recent request to have Sutton date an ATF agent), he knew he could never air that out with Jack. That wasn’t very Prospect of him and it would surely have him on the path to never getting his patch. However, with Maddox’s most recent arrest, he figured letting Jack in on all the details that he’d gotten from the ATF during his time served would be at least another positive in Maddox’s favor. With his final test approaching, he knew he needed everyone’s vote— especially Jack’s. Maddox caught him in the Clubhouse, his mind still fresh with the interrogations considering it was only a day after his arrest and he was back to work at the shop. “Hey, Jack, you got some time to chat? Figured give you what I remember before it’s all jumbled, ya know?” Maddox asked, a small smile flashing at the President.

It wasn’t that Jackson thought Maddox was bad for the gang. It was simply that if one asked what he thought the ideal Primordial member looked like— the picture would certainly not be the spitting image of Maddox. He had done his best to help Maddox grow into a man that would be successful in the club, but there was only so much that could be done when it came to subverting someone’s nature. And with the way he’d been proven right with Lettie having spectacularly failed within the Troajns after he’d told her she wasn’t cut out for Club life— he was more wary than ever when it came to turning a careful eye onto those Prospects that he was uncertain of...even if it was Maddox. It wasn’t just about the Club. He wanted the boy to have a life he’d find success in as well. Nevertheless, Jackson was always interested to hear about what it was those connected with the Club might have gleaned from the ATF. “Yes, of course. Though I’m still confused how they managed to mistake you for my brother,” he said with some amusement meant for himself. The two men had only vague resemblances. “Maybe they’re just as stupid as I suspected. But how was your time inside?” 

         It’s a question that he has been really fucking dreading, especially hearing it from Jackson specifically. Eli has been asking himself the very same thing every single day since being taken, trying to dig through his brain and see if he’s remembered something, anything — he always comes up with absolutely nothing and it makes him feel even more frustrated. He’s constantly beating himself up for not knowing; for not knowing what happened, for not knowing what he said, for not knowing if he’s fucked over the club or not. The worst part is that he doesn’t even have anyone he could talk to about it. Ollie’s been worrying over him enough and he doesn’t need any more of Eli’s shit on his plate and talking to any other Prim about it would make him feel even more guilty. 

        And here he is now, having to talk to the President about it, who’s being very straightforward about what he wants to hear. And it fucking pains Eli that his answer is bound to disappoint Jackson. “I— I don’t remember,” he says and swallows hard. “I’m trying, I really am, to remember everything but I was so fucking out of it, I just…I don’t know.”

Jackson could understand not remembering what might have happened during an interrogation and torturing. What he couldn’t understand was Eli apparently withholding the information that he’d let something slip to Kane. Or even the fact that he wasn’t sure if he’d given some information to the Trojan leader. “What’s unacceptable is that you didn’t tell us that there was even a chance of him having gotten anything from you. The first second you had any doubt— you should have come to me.But instead you’ve decided to put the entire gang at risk.”