Unity

I'll see you soon

"So where's Axel?" She questioned when she realised I wasn't going to talk and my heart stopped at her words. Didn't she know? She looked at Tahlia who only averted her eyes, her lips pressed together as she maintained her silence. "He stopped writing back to me after the DNA test came back, I thought maybe he'd gotten wrapped up in club business."

She knew about the club? I narrowed my eyes at her, still not sure how to take this information. I also couldn't believe Axel had known he had a son but hadn't told me, this day was just getting weirder and weirder. "He's dead." I blurted out, the sentence sounding so rushed I wasn't sure she'd heard me but from the way her grip had tightened on my newfound nephew I knew she'd heard.

"When?" She whispered, her once warm eyes seemed to be lacking the life they'd possessed when she'd entered the room. I took in a deep breath, surprised that no tears were trying to break free. I didn't know if it was because I now knew that I had a little piece of Axel here with me or because I was finally coming to terms with his death.

"Nearly a month ago now." I told her, pushing my food away. My appetite had disappeared. "He was shot." She gasped, looking down at her son. Her expression was lost and I could read the question swarming her face. What would she do for him now?

She shook her head, holding onto Noah's flailing hand. "It all makes sense now." She breathed, looking distraught. "I thought he'd stopped writing because he was on club business, it happened a few times but he never went a week without writing to us and then I sent the DNA results to him. I didn't think he'd be." She paused, her face scrunching up painfully. "I never thought he'd be dead."

I didn't know what to say to her, I didn't even know if she was telling the truth but I knew that Noah was Axels. He had the same blue eyes as me, the ones my brother and I had gotten from our mom. His dark hair was nearly starting to curl, too short to be defined but there were flicks to the ends. I couldn't stop staring at him, it sounded strange but I'd just been trying to come to terms with the fact I was alone now and now there was Noah. My nephew.

"How old is he?" I questioned, looking right at Noah. He was looking back at me, innocently curious and it made my heart melt. He knew nothing of the harshness that this world created, he was free of all the devastation that I'd endured. Stupid to say but I was jealous of him, I wish I was still that small. I'd still have my parents and my brother, people he'll never get to meet but in that moment I made a promise to him, to myself.

Noah would know his grandparents and his father, he would know how special they really were. I still had hundreds of photo albums that I could show him, letters that axel used to write for me as a teenager. Letters. I remembered that I still hadn't opened the letter that Gunner had given me, I'd been too afraid to have to relive the pain of loosing him. But now I knew I needed to, for not just my sake but Noah's.

"He's coming up to nine months now." Sierra sniffled, bringing my attention to her face. Tears had rolled down her cheeks and a million questions swarmed my brain, overloading me with the need to have them all answered at once.

"I don't want to be rude to you Sierra but there's some things I'd like to know." I admitted before signalling to the chair Tahlia had occupied not that long ago. "Please sit." Tahlia had crossed her arms, leaning up against the wall and Sierra looked at her warily.

"You heard her, she said sit." Sierra nodded, rushing to the seat while cradling Noah in her arms. He was quiet, just observing the strange room his mother had taken him to.  She was keeping an eye on Tahlia, glancing at her ever so often but I paid no notice, I wanted answers.

"How do you know Axel?" I started. She looked at Tahlia for a final time before returning her focus to me.

"I met him a year ago he was at my brothers clubhouse." She explained. She opened her mouth to talk but was interrupted by Tahlia who had moved from the wall gaining all of our attention, even Noah was looking at her.