LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 38: [4]
Leaving the bar, heading to my apartment, walking over to my nightstand, pulling the drawer open, and removing the metal lunchbox inside, setting it down on the bed…a reluctance to open said box welling up in my chest.
Opening the lunch box reveals a thick sewing needle and two spools of thread one black, one red, and a photo of a pretty ginger haired woman holding a baby, and a man in a vest of black leather..a cut, and blue jeans kissing her temple.
'One big happy family.' moving the photo out of the way…I see myself…Vincent and a peak Megan Fox…with a bit of a teenage softness to her face, and her shirt lifted up just enough to show off her navel, while her sweats are pushed down just enough to show off a small baby bump, a proud happy smile on her face while she wears my cut.
"Sorry everything in your life…our lives turned to shit." I murmur as I wipe away some moisture from the corners of my eyes, the memories of the ex-girlfriend love of his life coming to visit him…us in prison, telling us she wasn't keeping the baby.
Overlays with the image of a similar situation in my old world a high as a kite me trying to cope with the pain of losing someone integral to my identity as a person, the girl who helped me get sober for awhile who I fell in love with and got pregnant, which led to another relapse after all I was only 17, failing out of college her coming to me and telling me that she loves me but can't have a kid with an addict…telling me she aborted our baby after the fact.
Falling back onto the bed letting myself languish in the experience of experiencing old and shared pains between my two lives, as strongly as if they were new and fresh, feeling a small moment of thankfulness that Gemma changed the sheets and bedding for me while we guys held church earlier.
Getting myself in order I sit up and set to work putting my nomad patches underneath the redwood and O.C patches.
'I'm surprised at Clay making an exception to the Club Code for me but he breaks it himself often enough.' I think as I stand up from the bed put on my cut and walk out of my apartment stopping at the door frame leaning against said frame taking a long look, feeling a rush of emotions rage within me as all my predecessor wanted to do while sitting in prison was come back to this place, come back home…and I have those feelings now too, but I also have my own and as much as I want and would like to to be a part of a brotherhood, this family I need my freedom and autonomy as well.
"I guess it's official now." Jax says suddenly, snapping me out of my emotional state as he exits his apartment that is right beside my own.
'I'm surprised I didn't hear him and Wendy fighting or fucking…'
"Yeah, I guess it is…you're a good V-P Jax…and don't worry I'm not leaving just yet, I gotta fix your mom's passenger window before I head out. And even once I'm gone I'll still be home often enough to help out the club and be here for you, once I get a new burner, I'll only ever be a phone call away, brother." I begin to ramble as I turn to face Jax, and for the first time I find myself initiating a bro hug with one of these guys.
"I know, I just wish you were staying, losing you and Tara back to back…back then was…while you know what it was, how hard that was for me, hell if it hadn't been for our visits, I don't know where I'd be right now." Jax replies back to me also sounding like he's rambling while he makes the bro hug just a little bit tighter and if I didn't get my predecessor's brotherly bond and memories with him and Opie growing up together closer than any blood related siblings I know besides me and my little brother on my past life, I might have thought all three were swinging for the wrong team…but I know from my memories it is a bond built strong by mutual loss and desire for solidarity…
"I'll always be here for you brother, even a prison cell couldn't stop me from being there for you, now stop all this huggin and crying shit, and tell me what's going on with you and that hot piece of ass." I offer Jax some comfort and reassurance in a big brother brotherly way, making sure to joke around with him a bit.
"Fuck you, Vince." Jax playfully curses while laughing as he pushes me away.
"Sorry bro, don't swing that way but I'm sure Tig would be happy to let you do some shit to him." I joke and tilted my head to the side while moving my upper body to slightly to dodge Jax's mock haymaker, while I retaliate playfully by pushing him back though my playful shove sends him flying backwards a couple of feet through the air until he lands on his ass and continues to slide for a few more before coming to a stop half way down the hall, a dazed smile on his face while he sits on his ass.
"Oh shit!" I express slightly shocked at my accidental display of strength.
"Damn bro, what the fuck kinda steroids you on?" Jax asks me in a mix of accusing amusement, with a bit of a shell shocked smile on his face and mirth in his eyes.
I scoff good naturedly,
"I'm roid free man. There just wasn't much to do besides work out, other than work on cars in the shop for trade job training." I reply to Jax while walking over to him and offering him a hand up which he takes with a smile on his face and I easily lift him up like he weighs nothing.
"Damn, maybe I should go to prison…" Jax murmurs as his expression grows a bit distant.
"You shouldn't joke like that Jax." I chastise him and pat his shoulder.
"What did it feel like…when Mikaela told you she was pregnant?" Jax murmurs the question so softly I almost miss it.
"It was scary and exciting all at once nearly had a panic attack…it was like I was holding a live grenade in my hand and my hand was going numb and I couldn't tell if I was keeping enough pressure on the lever…to keep it from going bang…and I couldn't just toss it away…" I explain what it was like for both Vincent and I to find out we knocked up our teenage sweethearts, the never gonna stop loving, loves of our lives, heh puppy love what a joke that it makes us.
"So it's not just me…" Jax murmurs, sounding relieved to share his burden with me, while internally I'm a bit worried.
'Okay, cannon timeline is fucked, not that it wasn't already fucked by my presence…but I have no idea if events or people are going to line up at all with the events of the movies and series episodes…'
"Well I got my new patches on V-P, and you're looking strapped up for a long ride, so I won't hold you up any longer Jax. Jax if you're not back by the time I head to L.A. I'll call you to let you know I'm alright once I reach L.A." I say to Jax and begin to walk away from him with the intent to fix Gemma's Caddy's window.
"Vince, wait up." Jax calls out to me, before I can make it to the end of the hallway.
"Come on man, we said all that needs to be said, don't be that clingy bitch that won't let go." I joke with a smile on my face, and Jax chuckles.
"Fuck you man, no Opie and I got a welcome home present for you. Come on out with me to the garage man." Jax curses at me playfully at my messing with him, as he walks past me he playfully makes to elbow me in my ribs, while I begin yo follow him walking through the clubhouse with the assembled guys raising their glasses or beer bottles to me in salute, while also loading up sleeping bags with disassembled rifles, I lazily wave to everyone, while following Jax out of the clubhouse.
Only people missing from this little gathering are Clay, Opie and Jax.
Walking outside, seeing Opie walking brand new Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod out of the garage the beautiful bike is all blacked out, black chrome, de-badged…all in all a sexy as hell bike.
"We weren't able to salvage your old pan head, So me an Opie have been putting aside money to get you a fast bike. Welcome home brother." Jax starts telling me and I know Opie doesn't have a pot to piss in with Donna and the two kids, so I know this pretty much was all Jax' doing.
I feel some moisture in my eyes as Opie stops the bike in front of us, the three of us huddle together.
"You guys are the best brothers a guy could ever want." I say to them while also thinking about my little brother from my past life.
'But you'll always be the best little brother G, Love you buddy, I hope you're doing good and succeeding in everything you ever wanted to, and if not that you're at least fighting, clawing your way to do so.' I mentally tak on my eyes, only stinging, 'I'm not crying, not at all' I chant in my head.
"Yeah we are." Opie jokes and breaks the huddle.
"I guess we should call it a welcome home, and goodbye gift." Jax jokes, though his voice is thick with emotion.
"Nope, not goodbye, because I'll see you guys later." I say as I get on the bike, start her…loving the loud purr of her engine…a massive grin splitting across my face as I start revving her engine, giving the guys a middle finger salute I peeled out, and leave the garage's parking lot, everything fades to the back of my mind the clubhouse, my brother's, my emotions...as I enjoy the pure bliss of wind in my hair and the roaring purr of a Harley's exhaust.
'No one has ever understood how much I love freedom and how closely tied the way I experience freedom is to the open road…' I say in my head as I reach a mostly deserted stretch of blacktop with a steep hill, that I am starting to go down my speed somewhere around 120mph.
I let go of the handle bars and lean back with my arms spread out at my sides, a whooping expression of joy leaving me as I close my eyes and basking in the feelings of speed, and the sun against my exposed skin…living in and loving this moment with every fiber of my being.
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Cruising around the mostly desolate areas around and near Charming California, I pull into a Seven Eleven thirsty as hell, a smile so big and happy it hurts…but nothing seems to be able to bring me down right now.
Checking the gas gauge I see that I'm basically running on fumes and it's already sunset, I pull up to a pump with high grade high octane fuel.
'Pump and pay…god I missed these, having to walk in to prepay or having to pay with a card was always such a pain in the ass…' I internally express as I fill up the tank…seven dollars filling the tank full.
Walking inside the seven eleven I freeze as I see her, Tara Knowles dark hair good body nice tits, but gone was the strong willed, belligerent girl and here was a skittish woman constantly looking over her shoulder seemingly terrified.
'Right, she is running away from an ATF agent that's obsessed with her…when she returns to Charming.'
Walking over to her, "Tara?" I call out to her gently and she jumps dropping a quart of milk, a screeching sound coming from her as her hand dives into her purse.
"Tara, easy it's me Vince, Vincent Keller." I murmur gently while putting my hands up in a disarming gesture, Tara's whole body tenses before she pulls her trembling hand out of her purse, tears in her pretty doe eyes as she looks up at me.
"V-Vince?!" Tara's voice is meek and small, nothing like the wild child I used to know, and even though she probably has I revolver in her purse I scoop her up into a hug, making the woman flinch and then relax against me laying her head against my shoulder as her arms snake around my neck and her legs lock around my middle.
She suddenly starts to cry against my shoulder...'The fuck is she doing here now?!' I wonder shocked at her presence here so soon, while enjoying the feeling of the woman in my arms...at the same time feeling like I'm betraying Jax, as I start rubbing her back with my right hand and support her weight with my left by putting my forearm underneath her ass.
"Shh, shh you're safe here Tara, I won't let anyone or anything hurt you." I murmur as I press my lips against the side of her head, making the woman burry her face into the crook of my neck.
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