Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Twenty minutes after Kip, the kids, and I arrive at the clubhouse the guys pull in. After they park, Tig walks over to us and kisses Belle and me on the cheeks before scooping Abel out of my arms and walking a short distance away, pressing his face against the little boy’s hair. Juice walks over to Belle and me and wraps his arms around us, pulling us both close to his chest before saying:
“Sack, just give me a little while with our girls, okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”

I shake my head slightly and say:
“Our girls, huh?”
Juice shrugs and replies:
“Well, he is sleeping with our daughter, and I’m about to go to prison. I guess I can be nice to the guy who is going to be watching out for the two of you while I’m gone.”

I feel Belle start to cry, and Juice tightens his arms around us as she says:
“You have to come home again, Dad. I can’t…I can’t lose another step-father.”
“Dad, huh?”
Juice briefly lets go of me to put his hands on Belle’s neck.
“Listen to me, sweetheart. We have protection this time. Your Abuelito made sure of it. I am coming home to you. You understand me? Your Daddy and I are both coming home.”

Belle nods and launches herself forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and tucks her head under his chin. I hear her very quietly say:
“I love you. I’ll miss you.”
“I will be counting the minutes until I can hold you again, my sweet Belle. Take care of your Mama for me. I love you so much.”
Jax pulls in as Belle steps away from Juice, and she runs across the lot and launches herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and clinging on for dear life. I can hear her sobbing and begging Jax not to leave her and it breaks my heart.

As the ATF and police pull in I hear Jax quietly admonish Belle:
“You need to get it together, okay, baby? You need to take care of your mama and Abel for me.”
She sniffles and nods before saying:
“Yes, Daddy.”

Juice wraps his arms around me as that bitch Stahl gets out of her car and he whispers:
“Be strong, my love. Be the badass bitch Gemma raised you to be. Nothing you’re about to hear is real, but you need to act like it is. I promise everything is okay. I love you so much, and I can’t wait until I get to be home with you again.”
“What do you mean? What’s about to happen?”

He puts his mouth against my ear and barely breathes:
“Shh, my Kathryn. Trust us. There’s a plan, okay?”
“Okay. I love you. Be careful and come home to me, Juan Carlos.”
“I promise. I have to get over there. Take Abel from Tig. Stand with Gemma and Belle. Keep Gemma from doing anything too stupid.”
“I’ll do my best.”

He kisses me and walks over to where Jax and Clay are standing and as Tig walks towards them he hands me Abel and kisses my cheek. Before he can walk too far away, I grab his wrist and say:
“You come home, Alexander.”
“Always, Katy.”

I walk over to Gemma and Belle and make it there in time for Stahl to loudly call Jax a rat. The rest of the guys start screaming and yelling, Belle drops to her knees sobbing, and Gemma starts yelling about how it isn’t Jax’s fault. I stand in front of her and physically hold her back when she tries to go after Stahl. When I hear Clay shout:
“You’re dead!”

I turn around and make eye contact with Juice and then Jax. Juice tries to reassure me with his eyes, but my breath catches in my chest when I look at Jax. Either he’s the world’s best actor or he’s afraid whatever their plan is won’t actually work. I hand Abel to Gemma and run over to Jax, wrapping my arms around him and clinging to him until Stahl pulls me off and says:
“Isn’t your old man over there?”
“Jax is the father of my child and has been one of my best friends since I was eight years old, you bitch. I will hug him if I damn well please.”

I yank my arms away from hers and grab Jax’s face, kissing him before saying:
“You come home, Jackson. You understand me? I’ll take care of Abel, but you come home.”
The ATF agents holding onto Jax pull him away from me and as they do he says:
“I love you, Kathryn. I always have.”
“I love you.”
As I watch, they shove Jax into the back of the transport van and I lock eyes with Juice just before they shove him in too. Just before he’s forced to turn away, I mouth the words:
“I love you more than anything.”

Once Juice is loaded into the van, I turn around and walk back over to Gemma and Belle. I take Abel out of Gemma’s arms and Gemma wraps her arms around Belle and me, holding us tight to herself as the rest of the guys are loaded in and the cops all leave.

When the cops are all gone, the rest of the guys run to their bikes. I yell at them:
“Where are you going?!”
Chibs yells over his shoulder:
“We’ll come to your house when we’re done!”
Opie yells:
“The kids are with Neeta!”
“I’ll pick them up!”

As they leave I turn to look at Gemma and say:
“What the hell just happened?”
She shakes her head and says:
“I have no idea, baby. I’ll take these two back to your place. You go get Ellie and Kenny.”
“Alright. I’ll see you at home.”

Chapter Text

I’ve been home for two hours when the guys show up. Abel is sleeping, the other kids are at the park with Belle and Kip, and Gemma and I are sitting on the couch having a cup of coffee when the front door opens and Opie walks in, followed by Chibs, Kozik, Phil, Miles, and Piney. I stand up so Piney can sit down and say:
“You guys want a drink? I have coffee, beer, and a full liquor cabinet.”

Chibs walks over and kisses my cheek and says:
“Can I just shower, love?”
“Of course you can. Use the one in my room. You want me to get you a pair of Juice’s sweatpants so I can wash your clothes? They have blood on them.”
“Yes, please, darlin’.”

I walk into my bedroom with him and as soon as we are out of sight of the guys he starts crying. I wrap my arms around him and say:
“My poor Chibs. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not yet. Can I stay here tonight? I just want to feel…”
“Like you have a family?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course you can, my darling. Go get in the shower. I’ll bring in the sweatpants and collect your clothes.”
“You don’t mind seeing me naked?”
“Nope. Doesn’t bother me at all.”

He walks into the bathroom and I grab a pair of Juice’s sweatpants before following him in. When I enter the bathroom, he’s standing there naked and says:
“It really doesn’t bother you, love?”
“I’ve seen naked men before, Chibs. No, it doesn’t bother me.”
He steps towards me and I put the sweatpants down and gather up his clothes as I say:
“It doesn’t turn me on either. Don’t get any ideas.”

He laughs and steps into the shower as I leave the room with his clothes and put them in the washer before throwing a pair of Juice’s pyjama pants at Opie and saying:
“Change. Put your bloody clothes in the washer and start it.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He goes to walk out of the room but stops to kiss my head first.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Katy…I promise. I’ll be with you the whole time he’s inside.”
“I need a bigger house.”
He laughs and says:
“Yes, you do.”

As he leaves the room, I get drinks for everyone and sit down on the couch next to Piney, curling into him when he wraps his arm around me. I look at Kozik, sitting on the floor across from me, and say:
“What happened? What’s going on?”

He looks surprised and says:
“You want me to explain it?”
“Yes, Herman.”
“Ouch, love. Okay…It was all fake. The table voted on it…Jax would pretend to rat, but would only give Stahl what we all agreed to…It was to get their sentences reduced. Fourteen months instead of twenty years.”
“And now?”

Piney speaks up as he squeezes me closer to him:
“And now, the papers are signed, they’ll be in for fourteen months. That bitch Stahl is dead, and so is Jimmy O.”
“So Fiona and Kerrianne? They’re…free?”
Piney nods and says:
“Yeah.”
“Are they…?”

From the doorway to the hall, Chibs says:
“No. They’ll stay in Belfast. Fiona doesn’t want to be here and she doesn’t want me raising Kerrianne.”
Gemma grumbles next to me:
“Dumb bitch.”
As Opie walks into the room he says:
“Katy…Check Jax’s bag. He and Juice wrote you and Belle letters. I think they’re probably just sappy ‘god, I love you so much’ letters though, so maybe read them later?”

I laugh and Gemma looks at Opie expectantly. Opie shrugs and says:
“If Clay wrote a letter, I don’t know what he did with it, Mom. I’m sorry.”
Gemma nods and says:
“If he wrote one, he would have left it at home.”

She looks at me and says:
“Are you good, sweetheart?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m going to go.”
“Take the prospects with you. I don’t want you to be alone.”
She grins as she stands up and then she barks at the prospects:
“Well?! Are you waiting for an engraved invitation?”
They both scramble out of their seats and follow her outside with Phil saying:
“Sorry, Gemma.”

A little while after Gemma and the prospects leave, Belle, Kip and the kids get home. As they get settled around the living room, I say:
“Should I order some pizza for dinner?”
Everyone except Piney nods and Piney says:
“I’m gonna go home. It’s been a long day.”
“You good to drive?”
He smiles fondly and kisses my head before saying:
“Of course I am, Katy.”

Piney leaves and I order the pizza as Opie moves to fill the seat Piney was just occupying, pulling me into his lap and stroking my hair as I snuggle into his chest. When I put my phone down, Kozik says:
“So what’s the plan? You’re taking care of Abel for the next fourteen months?”
“Of course I am. Who else is going to?”
“Valid point. What about these two?”
He gestures at Ellie and Kenny and I pat Opie’s chest and say:
“Their father is right here. I’m here to help, but I shouldn’t end up with custody of them for the next fourteen months.”

We all chat comfortably until the pizza comes and then eat dinner. A little while after we finish eating, Kozik stands up and says:
“Am I the only one not sleeping here tonight?”
I stand up and smile at him as I walk over and kiss his cheek.
“Yeah, love. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one going to your own house. You okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine, doll. You call me if you need help with the kids or anything, yeah?”
“Yeah. Goodnight, Kozik.”

He leaves and I lock the door behind him before turning around and saying:
“Ellie, Kenny, go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. It’s late.”
They both stand up and say in unison:
“Yes, Aunty Kat.”
Belle stands up and follows the kids, saying:
“I’ll supervise. Make sure the teeth actually get brushed.”
“Thanks, sweets.”

I take Abel from Chibs and say:
“Can you move the crib back into my bedroom?”
“Of course, doll.”
He picks up the crib and walks down the hall as I walk into the kitchen and make Abel a bottle before settling on the couch to feed him. Opie looks at me and says:
“Where is Chibs sleeping?”

I shrug and say:
“In with me. You and the kids can sleep on the sofa bed.”
“Why can’t we sleep with you and Chibs can sleep out here?”
“Because he needs to feel loved, Ope. Don’t be like this.”

Opie sighs and gets up, walking over to Jax’s bag before digging through it and handing me the letters from Jax and Juice.
“You’re going to get a bigger place, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Can the kids and I live with you while Juice is inside?”
I look up at him and see how lost he looks.
“Lyla leaving is really doing a number on you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course you can. We’ll look for a bigger house tomorrow.”