#charming ca

Charming, California 

7 months before Abel is born 

Wendy Case knew she was a mess, but she hadn’t expected to feel like a trespasser on her own turf. As she pulled her rattling beater into the driveway of the house on the hill, she didn't just see Jax’s bike or Gemma’s unmistakable Cadillac. She saw the sleek, black BMW parked  like a leopard bathing  in the sun.

It wasn't Audrey Hale or Holly Oswald. They drove nice cars, sure, but that BMW belonged to only one person in this town: Ryder Winston-Teller.

Wendy muttered a string of curses under her breath. The "Lawyer Queen" was supposed to be in Tacoma. The word among the crow-eaters was that Ryder and two-year-old Harley were staying up north while Ryder handled a high-profile defense case. It was the only reason Wendy had felt brave enough to chase the Prince in the first place.

But there Ryder was, visible through the front window. She was laughing at something Jax said as they worked together to hang new curtains. The sunlight caught Ryder's red hair, making her look like something out of a magazine. Too polished, too perfect for a town that smelled like grease and woodsmoke.

Wendy’s hand drifted to her stomach. She knew what she was about to do was a grenade. She knew Ryder’s one dealbreaker was cheating—it had nearly ended them back when Tara Knowles was in the picture. Ryder protected herself like she protected her clients: with iron-clad boundaries. And then there was little Harley, the little Princess of SAMCRO.

Wendy knew it was cruel to blow up a life like that, but she wanted what she wanted. And what she wanted was to stand where Ryder was standing.

In Wendy's mind, she was the better match. She didn't have "life goals" or a degree from a fancy university. She was happy to stay in Charming and get high. She didn't understand why Ryder bothered with the Law. It was boring and had too many rules. 

Though Wendy had to admit that Ryder was terrifyingly good at it, she was the reason Big Otto had a reduced sentence, and Lenny the Pimp had special amenities. When her own brother, Opie, had been popped for arson, it was Ryder’s firm that kept him in Stockton—five years in a facility where Donna and the kids could actually touch him, instead of a hole in a maximum-security nightmare.

Wendy wouldn't do any of that. She’d do the bare minimum. And to her, the bare minimum was enough.

She stepped out of her car, her heart hammering against her ribs, but stopped dead when her eyes met Jax’s through the glass. The laughter died on his face instantly. He didn't look happy. He looked like he was watching a disaster unfold in slow motion.

"Mom?"

The quiet voice came from behind her. Wendy spun around to find Donna Winston standing there, holding the hands of Kenny and Ellie. Opie’s family. Ryder’s family.

"Who is that?" Kenny asked, pointing a small finger at Wendy.

Donna didn't even look at Wendy. She didn't have to; the "Old Lady" instinct for a threat was already vibrating in her shoulders. "That’s no one, sweetheart," Donna said, her voice tight and dismissive. "Come on. Let’s go inside and see Aunt Ryder and Harley before it’s nap time."

That’s no one.

Harper snickered and shook her head as Tig smirked at Kacey while she walked away, going to lean on the dresser next to Harper. “Seriously. We can finish. Thanks for helping us out though.” Harper said, jumping down from her spot and going to Jax as Opie rounded the guys up, back into the van. Jax smiled and slipped an arm around her neck as she and Kacey walked with him to the driver’s side.

“No problem, darlin’. It’s what we do.” He said, removing his arm as he opened the door. “Just think of us as your Friendly Neighborhood Biker Boys.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Harper said, closing the door after Jax got in. She leaned against the door, folding her arms over the window and said, “Let me know about that estimate ASAP? I’m gonna need to find a job quick.”

Jax chuckled and nodded as he started the car, then leaned back in his seat. “Oh, for sure. Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Just get settled and I’ll give you a call.”

“Or we’ll see you at the club when you have to escape the clutches of Mama Gemma.” Tig said, piping up from the back as he leaned forward between Jax and Opie. Opie pushed him back and chuckled as Kacey giggled.

“Oh, come on. She’s not that bad.” Kacey glanced at her sister with a smirk and said, “We’ve endured worse.”

Harper shook her head and pushed off from the door, taking a step back. “See ya.” She said. Jax smirked as he put the car in gear, offering her a wink and a smile before they took off down the street. Harper sighed and followed Kacey back into the garage, closing it once they were both inside. Once the door shut, both sisters stood in place and looked at each other before sharing a groan, then began to haul boxes in.

“Let’s start with the kitchen.” Harper said, lifting a box labeled ‘Plates-Bowls’. Kacey nodded and grabbed another box, then followed her sister inside. They spent the better part of an hour and a half unpacking their kitchen and living room before they went to Harper’s room. When Kacey set down the last of Harper’s boxes, she stood, sighed, and said, “Do you really think we should be doing this?”

“Unpacking?” Harper asked, pulling out a few framed pictures and setting them on her dresser. She paused a moment, then looked at her sister and said, “Yeah.”

“Piss off.” Kacey said, annoyed, as she opened the box. “I meant with the club. Come on, Harper, you can’t tell me this is a smart thing to do.”

“Kay.” Harper sighed and turned to her, leaning against the dresser and watching as Kacey started hanging clothes in the closet. “I didn't know the Sons ran out of Charming. Nico never said anything about where they were. You know he didn't tell me everything about their business.”

“Yeah, but still.” Kacey sighed, shaking her head. She stood, facing the closet, and ran both her hands through her hair before turning to Harper. “This isn’t a good idea. If Nico and Bastien come looking for us...It won’t end well and we could end up getting everyone killed...Again.”

“That was not our fault!” Harper said, straightening and pointing a finger at her. “That little bitch Sara had it coming. This is her fault not ours. And besides, it was one guy, Kacey. Jesus. Stop being so dramatic.”

Harper turned and bent to open another box of clothes. As she leaned back to sit down and begin folding, Kacey said, “That doesn’t matter! I started the fight and you’re my sister! You retaliated for me and that’s when shit went-”

“Kacey, enough!” Harper shrieked, turning to her and glaring at her. “It happened, it’s over, no one else fucking died. Stop being dramatic about this. If they find out who we are, their feelings of kindness toward us can change real quick. We wanted a fresh start, Kay. This is it. We screw this up, and it’s fucking over.”

Kacey gave a small huff, but knew her sister was right. She finished putting the clothes in the closet and left her sister to her own devices as she stared on her room, slowly.

~

It was late the following morning when Kacey finally managed to drag herself out of bed and into the shower. Finding a note from Harper taped to the mirror letting her know that she had gone into town to start looking for a job, and that she would meet up with her later before the party at Gemma’s. Kacey groaned outwardly as she discarded the note into the trash, knowing she needed to do the same...job hunting easily falling into her category of least favorite things to do. Meaning this day was going to require coffee, and a lot of it. So after plugging her iPod into the living room stereo and cranking some old 80’s tunes, she fired up the coffee pot and jumped in the shower to begin getting ready for the day.

Kacey had just finished applying a little black eyeliner and mascara after throwing on her favorite jeans and a cropped Def Leppard tank-top. She was in the midst of brushing out her hair as she rocked out to ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’, when a sudden banging sound from the front door caught her attention; causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

She waited a few seconds in hopes that maybe whoever it was would go away, but the knock sounded again; this time a little more aggressively. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest by that point as she ducked out of the bathroom and into her room; grabbing her Colt .38 Super from under her pillow and making her way to the front door.

Kacey cocked the hammer back gently as she moved to peek through the curtain of the side window next to the door, breathing a small sigh of relief when she found Opie standing patiently on the front porch. His attention turning back to the door when he caught the faint sound of the deadbolt being unlocked, a small grin tugging at his lips as Kacey finally opened the door. His hazel eyes drifting briefly to catch sight of the pistol she still held in her in her left hand.

“Expecting company?” He arched a brow curiously as he nodded to weapon. Watching intently as she uncocked the hammer and clicked the safety back into place before tucking it into the back of her jeans.

“Always.” Kacey smirked, leaning inside to turn down the stereo before she leaned a shoulder against the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest; blue eyes studying him carefully.

“Sorry if I startled you.” He apologized. “Jax and I ran into your sister in town. She said you were still home, and probably in need of a lift.”

“No worries.” Kacey chuckled as she pushed away from the door and stepped aside, gesturing for him to come in. “Coffee?” She asked as they rounded the corner into the kitchen and she began searching for what cabinet they put the mugs in.

“Ain’t it a little late in the day for that?” Opie chuckled as he looked up at the clock above the stove that read 12:30pm.

“Ok, first off; it is never too late in the day for coffee...never.” Kacey replied as she finally found the mugs and pulled down two from the shelf before filling them both and handing one to Opie. “Secondly...you don’t like coffee, we can’t be friends.” She smirked.

“Fair enough.” Opie laughed as he accepted the mug from her and took a sip. Things falling silent between them for a moment before he cleared his throat and asked. “So, you almost ready?”

“Yeah.” Kacey nodded as she picked up her mug and started for the hallway. “Just let me grab my vest real quick. She said, disappearing into her bedroom to grab a red plaid over shirt; tugging it on before putting her black leather vest on over it. Slipping on her rings and leather bracelet before returning to the kitchen and finishing off her coffee, making sure to rinse out the empty mugs. Turning the stereo off and locking all the doors before finally heading out to Opie’s truck that sat in the driveway.

“‘85 Dodge Power Ram. Nice.” Kacey mused as they approached the cream and tan colored pick up truck, Opie stopping to open the door for her, a look of surprise on his face.

“You know trucks too?” He asked as he slid into the driver’s seat behind her, noting the sly smirk on her lips as she slid her aviators onto her face and settled into the middle seat.

“I know a thing or two.” She shrugged.

“I’m startin’ to think you know more than just a thing or two.” Opie chuckled as he turned the key, the engine roaring to life as he shifted it into reverse. Using the opportunity to slip his arm behind her as he turned to look over his shoulder while backing the truck out of the driveway.

“I’m full of surprises.” Kacey replied. “We’ll just leave it at that for now.”

“Alright then, Miss full of surprises; where we headed?” Opie asked as he glanced over at her from the corner of his eye.

“The responsible adult in me says to go look for a job...the not so responsible adult in me on the other hand, says to look for the nearest bar.” Kacey laughed. “But, if I don’t at least try and find a job today, Harper will probably kill me...soooo.”

“Responsibility it is.” Opie chuckled as he turned and headed towards town, where they spent the next couple of hours hitting up every place that had a ‘Help Wanted’ sign up in their window. Kacey finally calling it quits after the Sixth or Seventh place in row that declined before asking her to politely leave.

“No luck?” Opie asked as she climbed back into the truck, noting the redness that tinted her ears and slowly crept its way up her chest onto her neck as she struggled to keep her temper in check. Rolling down the passenger side window as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a much needed drag and relishing in the rush of nicotine that swept over her; calming her nerves a bit.

“Would you fuckin’ believe it that, ‘apparently’,” She spoke in a mocking tone, making quotation marks with her fingers before ashing her cigarette out the window. “I’m not a people person.”

“You don’t say?” Opie teased, wincing as her fist connected with his arm. “Ow.” He chuckled, rubbing his bicep as she smirked back at him before taking another drag and offering him her pack of smokes as a peace offering.

“Remind me never to piss you off.” He added, passing her smokes back to her. Lighting the cigarette between his lips before backing out of the parking space. Not even attempting to hide his grin as she scooted back across the bench seat into the middle and got comfortable. “So, to the Bar then?” He questioned.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She replied with a fake southern accent, hands flying up over her heart as she feigned a dreamy sigh, tipping her head back onto his shoulder as she batted her lashes up at him; erupting into a fit of giggles at his expression while she pushed her sunglasses back into place and sat up a little.

“Alright Miss Daisy. Calm your shit.” Opie chuckled as he draped his hand over her shoulder. Kacey’s own hand drifting to rest on his thigh in return for the rest of the drive back to the Clubhouse.

~

Things at the Clubhouse were still pretty laid back when Opie and Kacey pulled in. Most of the guys still getting cleaned up and ready for the party later at Gemma’s. But three shots of Jameson and a couple beers later, Kacey found herself behind the bar in a competition to out bartend Half-Sack. The room filled with hoops and hollers as the guys hounded on the poor kid, giving him a ration of shit as he struggled to keep up with her; it obvious that she had more experience behind a bar than he did.

“Oi! It look’s like y’er abou’ ta lose y’er position as Barmaid, there, Sacky mah boy!” Chibs howled with laughter as the rest of the guys following suit, all throwing in their own mix of comments. Kacey shook her head with a chuckle as she shed her plaid overshirt and vest, leaving her in the cropped tank that only gave a glimpse to the number of tattoos she had. Opie having a hard time keeping his gaze off of her as she worked.

“I swear to God, Brother, if you don’t hit that, I’m goin’ to.” Tig stated lowly as he took a seat beside Opie at the bar; blue eyes fixed to Kacey like a vulture that just spotted fresh roadkill. Opie all but shoving Tig off his barstool in return. Tig snickered and stood, straightening his Kutte as he said, “Hey, man. Easy, My Giant. I was only sayin’.”

Tig smirked and offered a playful punch to Opie’s shoulder before he walked away. While the competition continued, outside, Harper rolled into the lot on the back of Jax’s Harley. Harper swung her leg over the bike and removed her helmet as Jax did the same, hanging his off his handlebars before getting off the bike and taking the spare from Harper. She gave him a sweet smile and said, “Thanks for the ride. I did not want to have to get in another taxi.”

Jax chuckled and said, “No problem, darlin’. Your truck should be finished soon. Gemma made us put a rush on it.”

He snickered as Harper rolled her eyes while he slipped an arm around her neck, the both of them walking toward the clubhouse. “Please don’t? I don’t need our only car up and dying on us. We don’t know when our bikes are gonna be here, so we need something.” Harper said as Jax opened the door for her.

“That’s what we told her, but she’s still making it our top priority.” He said. Harper’s next polite decline was cut off as the roar from the guys grew as Kacey raced to stack the beer glasses under the bar, while Half-Sack struggled to pour all his shots before she was done. Kacey damn near broke the last glass as it slammed in place and she cried out, shooting her arms up in the air with a laugh. Cheering erupted from the guys as Half-Sack sighed and leaned against the wall, thankful it was over.

“Oh, dear God.” Harper said, pushing her glasses back into her hair, watching her sister get scooped up and twirled around by Opie before setting her down and the two of them passing out shots. “Tazzy. Sweetie.”

Kacey turned and beamed at her sister, taking a moment to down her shot and Opie’s before bouncing over to her. “Hi! Did you find a job?!” Kacey squeaked, her eyes already tinting red, the reek of whiskey on her breath. Harper scrunched up her nose and took her sister’ arm, leading her to a barstool before she keeled over.

“Jesus, Opie. I said give her a lift not get her lit.” Harper said, with a soft chuckle, as she asked Half-Sack for a glass of water.

“Hey, she said she was good. She’s in good hands here.” Opie said.

“Yeah, yours.” Jax teased. Kacey giggled and said with a hiccup, “Stop worrying, Harps. I’m f-fine.”

“Uh-huh. Did you find a job today?” Harper asked, giving her sister a look and pushing the water toward her as Half-Sack set it down. Chibs descended on the sisters, slipping an arm around Kacey’s neck and said, “Oh, I’m sure Clay woulna mind lettin’ her have a job ‘ere. Natural born barmaid, this one.”

Harper smirked and said, “Natural born? This whore has worked in four different bars. She knows what she’s doing.”

“Hey!...I’m not a whore…” Kacey said, pouting a little. Harper gripped her sister’s chin, lightly, and shook it as she said, “A bar whore. Barbacking for you is like...Well, riding for me. You love it, you’re good at it, and if I were to get paid, I’d make big bucks.”

Harper giggled at her own joke and leaned against the bar. Chibs chuckled and said, “Well, once t’e boss hears about t’is, he’ll probably hire ye on t’e spot.”

“Hey, man, I tried!” Half-Sack called, from down the bar.

“Yeah, and she still creamed ye!” Chibs called, howling in laughter as he joined Juice and Tig at the other end of the bar. Harper held a polite smile and laugh until Chibs was out of earshot, Jax excusing himself to go talk to Opie. Once they were out of earshot, Harper’s smile faded and she leaned closer to Kacey, tugging on her arm and whispering harshly, “Are you fucking insane?!”

Kacey blinked at the sudden movement and looked at her. “What? I got a job.” She said. Harper shook her head.

“At the clubhouse? Are you serious? Did we not just have a discussion last night about the club?!” Harper whispered, glancing around to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. Kacey sighed and leaned her arms on the bar.

“Harper, I’m sorry. But...Harp I was refused at like 10 places today. They took one look at me and then Opie and made up some bullshit excuse about why I wasn’t a good fit.” Kacey said. Harper shook her head and sighed, pushing her hands through her hair in irritation. The last thing they needed was for Kacey to get the job and the club found out about their connections and toss them out on their ass. That was one thing Harper wasn’t willing to risk. “Harper, look. We need the money to pay for the truck and the house. Maybe I can talk to Clay about working on the truck myself that way we don’t have to pay labor, just parts? And I can put in a shit ton of hours here so it compensates.”

“Kace...I-I don’t know about this… What if-” Harper said, her features taking on an extremely worried look. Kacey put a hand on her sisters arm and said, “Harper. You’ve got to trust me. I won’t say anything about Nico and Bastien.”

“Yeah, unless you get too drunk.” Harper said, giving her a look. Kacey gave her one right back and said, “That was once and it was about my embarrassment so can we drop that please?! I’m not gonna fuck up again, Harps! I promise.”

Harper glanced down at Jax and the guys, then back to her sister. “You fuck up and you’re pushing that car, I don’t care how far, if it breaks down again…” She said, giving her a look. Kacey smiled and wrapped her arms around Harper’s neck with a squeal. Harper’s hard exterior cracked and she smiled, hugging her sister back. As they broke apart, Jax came back over to them with a charming smile and said, “Hey, did you girls want a lift back to your place? Me and Opie have to get to Gemma’s a little early to help set up for the party.”

Harper gave him a sweet smile and nodded. “Yeah. Sure, thanks.” She said. Jax smiled and nodded, calling for Opie and telling the girls he’d meet them outside. Kacey grabbed her overshirt and vest from behind the bar and they walked out with Opie to the bikes.

~

Kacey and Harper split off from Jax and Opie as they headed down the street to Gemma’s. Harper quickly jumped in the shower while Kacey changed. Once Harper pulled on her black boots and zipped them up, giving herself a once over in the mirror to make sure everything looked good, she called for Kacey and they both walked down to Gemma’s.

“Just don’t fuckin’ drop the thing, Jackson!” Gemma called as she opened the door. When she turned around and saw the sisters, she smiled and ushered them in. “Hey, you guys made it. How was the first night?”

“Good. I slept good at least.” Harper said with a chuckle. Kacey mimicked her sister, behind her back, and rolled her eyes with a smirk. Harper glanced back at her before turning back to Gemma and said, “Hey, thanks for all the help yesterday. We really appreciate it.”

“Oh, honey. It’s not a problem. If you girls ever run into trouble, just give us a call.” Gemma said, with a smile. “The guys are out back. You girls just make yourselves at home.” Gemma added before disappearing into the kitchen. Leaving the sisters to find their way out to the backyard.

“Aye! Parties ‘ere!” Chibs yelled as the girls stepped out into the backyard, giving it a once over and finding the guys were still in the process of setting up a few things. “C’mere an’ give us a hand, will ye?”

The girls ventured over without a second thought, helping Chibs pull some lawn chairs down from the shed and set them up around the yard and patio area. Kacey reaching up on her tiptoes to grab the last chair, struggling as it was just out of her reach. She was starting to get frustrated when a hand reached over her head and grabbed it. Turning around she found Opie who was smirking down at her, making Kacey glare back playfully in return.

“Don’t.Say.A.Word.” She warned.

“Wee bit sensitive abou’ our height, are we?” Chibs joked from behind him as he took the chair and stepped aside so that they could close up the shed. Kacey glowering at everyone who was now snickering quietly at the joke.

“Easy, Taz.” Harper chuckled as her sister moved passed on her way to the cooler. Muttering under her breath about not being that short as she grabbed a beer and took a seat up on the patio; pouting with a childish look on her face.  

“Hey, why do you call her Taz?” Jax asked, opening his beer as he took a seat across from Kacey. “I noticed you called her that a few times today.”

Harper snickered as she leaned against Jax’s chair. “Are you sure you wanna get into this now?” She asked, glancing down at him before looking to her sister. Jax smirked and took a sip, settling himself for a good story. Kacey rolled her eyes and took a sip before she said, “I get a little crazy when I get mad…”

“A little crazy? Sis, you’re not named after the Tasmanian Devil for fuckin’ nothing.” Harper chuckled. Jax snickered into his beer as he sat up.

“No shit?” He asked, looking from Kacey to Harper. She snickered as well and nodded.

“I believe it almost came to criminal mischief...What? 10 times?” Harper said. Jax laughed and looked at Kacey.

“Shit, how was it only almost? What did you do?” Jax asked.

“Hey, listen, if you don’t want your girlfriend getting a hold of your precious guns and using your precious ‘50’s El Camino, then why keep them in the same place, let alone piss off your girlfriend?” Kacey said, as Opie walked up to them.

“Ouch. Who pissed you off?” Opie said with a wince and a chuckle. Harper chuckled, but gave Kacey a warning look. Kacey shook her head and said, “An ex.”

“Jesus, is the car ok?” Opie joked. Everyone giving off an array of horrified expressions and sounds as Kacey mimicked an explosion with her hands before returning to her beer. Harper smirked and couldn’t help but add a ‘Ba-boom.’

“Guard your keys, boys.” Jax chuckled.

“Maybe just your valuables in general.” Kacey snorted. “And don’t piss off the Devil.” She added, casting a sideways glance and smirk in Opie’s direction as the group had a good laugh. Gemma walked out carrying a bowl of fruit salad, but stopped when she saw everyone gathered around the table.

“Hey. People are gonna start showing up here in a few minutes. I’d like to have this place set up before then?” Gemma said, squeezing between Jax and Harper to set down the bowl. She swiped the beer from Jax’s hand and gave him a look, but taking his beer was enough to get him out of his seat. Jax patted Opie on the back as he turned away to head back over to where Clay and Piney were setting up some more tables. Gemma chuckled and shook her head, taking a sip from the beer before setting it down. Harper took one last sip from her beer as well before setting it down and asking Gemma, “Did you need some help in the kitchen?”

Gemma smiled at her and said, “I’ve got a few of the girls in there. I’m okay.”

“Come on, Gem. We’re good cooks!” Kacey chimed in, standing up and moving to stand next to Harper.

“Gemma, it’s the least we can do.” Harper said with a smile. Gemma chuckled and crooked a finger at them as she started walking back to the house.

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