𝚃𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙰𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 // Happy Lowman x OC

01.

Season 3 Episode 1, sometime in 2008.

Jax was blacked out in Abel's nursery, surrounded by empty liquor bottles as the rest of the crew enter his home. Opie and Chibs try to rattle the blonde awake. Tara stays behind at the entrance of the home watching from a distance, despair written on her face.

"He's been like this since it's happened, I don't know what to do." She tells Clay, a clear uneasiness in her voice.

"We'll take care of him," he redirects his attention to the nursery.

"We got some info on Abel. Laroy found some guy who made some ID for Cameron." He tries waking the man, lifting him from the floor, to no response.

"Hey, Jackieboy," Chibs shouts as Jax passes back out, "Come on, shower."

The two then lift Jax up. Opie scoops him up, carrying him to the bathroom and into a cold shower. Clay takes his sunglasses off at the sight of his stepson incoherent and sighs heading towards the front door, "I need to make a call."

••••

Somewhere in last Cruces, New Mexico, same day...

She was called to SAMLAC by her former president, Hardy and was tasked in removing Killian Perry's club ink after her association in his excommunication. He failed to remove his ink even after 3 years and Hardy knew if anyone deserved to handle the job, it was Ryder.

The entirety of the SAMLAC charter and the 3 nomads make it downstairs to the basement of the clubhouse. Hardy already had Perry strapped down to the table on his stomach.

The man lifts his head up as far as he could and he sees Ryder is the first one to approach the table.

"Ryder? Please, I swear I was going to remove it. I came back because I wanted to make amends, make things right. Please I'll get it removed, just not like this."

She just walks around his table, taking in the sight.

"You tried to murder one of our own and you think you can fix things? You're an embarrassment to this club." Hardy slams his head into the metal table he's strapped to and Ryder just looks at him.

"I was going to give you a choice between fire or knife but you didn't give me a choice when you threw me into that pit with the rest of those flaming Mayan scumbags." She said grabbing the torch off of the shelf. The rest of the club stood and watched in excitement, ready to see the situation rectified, "After I'm done with this, you're gonna wish you stayed and finished the job."

She turned on the torch and Perry was screaming his apologies as she took the flame to his back. By the time she was finished burning the ink off, she was zoned in and she couldn't make herself stop.

"Ry, you can stop, it's done." She didn't react to Laz's comment.

"Ry cmon stop," Auro chimes in now and grabs her arm. She snaps out of it and drops the torch to the floor. Making eye contact with Auro a single tear rolls down her cheek and she quickly looks away.

"I need to get out of here," Ryder speaks up, looking to Hardy and Laz as they start to rally the rest of the club. She runs up the basement stairs with Auro tailing behind her. She makes it onto the clubhouse porch and leans forward against the rail, taking a deep breath. After a second she stands upright, putting a hand to her forehead. Auro removes her hand quickly, holding her wrist.

"Talk" he says, as she continues to refuse eye contact. She pulls her hand away and digs out the pack of cigarettes from her kutte pocket and lights one.

"There's nothing to talk about, Auro." She says after a moment, "He's gonna get to go home with what feels like a slap on the wrist. What goes to say he doesn't retaliate?" She takes a drag from her now lit cigarette and sighs looking to her feet.

Auro lifts her head and puts a hand on her arm and says in reassurance, "We're not going to let that happen and you know it-"

"Auro, we just lost three of our guys, you want me to believe that shit?" She scoffs.

Just then, her phone begins to buzz in her pocket. She pushes away from him and answers her phone, putting it to her ear.

"Yeah?"

"Ryder, Redwood needs you." She freezes.

"Clay?"

"Our prospect was murdered and Abel has been kidnapped. We need you here." She stands in shock.

"Clay slow down. This just happened? Abel was kidnapped? By who? I'm in Las Cruces handling some, some personal issues-"

Just then Hardy steps out onto the porch in a huff and tries for her attention. She puts a finger up to him.

"Cammy Hayes," He says, "Jax's a mess. Shits falling apart out here Ryder, just please come home and fast. I'll tell you everything when you get here, just make it happen."

"2 days max, Clay, I'll be there." That was all he needed to hear. He clicked his phone shut to leave Ryder with her thoughts. She puts her phone away and turns to Hardy.

"What was that about?" Hardy speaks up.

"Mother charter, I'm going home, Jax's kid is missing." Perfect deflection.

"That's not what I'm talking about," he shakes his head, "Send my apologies to Jax and his family but that's not what I was referring to. You stormed out for what? Can't always get what you want-" Or so she thought.

"That motherfucker should be dead and you know it," she points at him, her eyebrows furrowed at the man.

"Frying off his ink wasn't enough for you?"

"This is why I left, Hardy. You call us in to do the grimey shit cause you're too much of a pussy to do it yourself. Can't get your hands dirty, huh? You knew how I felt about the situation and you still called me down here. Any other charter would have his head on a spike 3 years ago when this shit first went down."

"You left because you're couldn't grow a set of balls and live with the fact that some of your brothers didn't agree. Majority rules, you know there wasn't shit I could do about it. But no, you run away from every hard decision you've had to make, that's why you left Charming right?" He stops and she glares at him in anger, "You can't just let people suffer their karma the way they're meant to." With that she slaps him hard in the cheek.

"Death is karma, Hardy, and I stand on that." She doesn't lose eye contact. "Laz, Auro and I leave for Charming 8AM sharp, you can't hold running over my head anymore."

She flicks her finished cigarette and walks back into the clubhouse, head held high. Hardy stifles a laugh as he holds his jaw from the unexpected swing. Auro mouths a sorry before following her back inside the clubhouse. Hardy nods, watching as the woman storms off.

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Unedited