~Welcome to the Neighborhood - Ch.10|Finale Chapter~
Moodboard made by me @badwolf-in-the-impala. None of the pictures are our, just the editing.
A/N: So, I suck and completely forgot to post on Monday! Big surprise there lol but that Holiday/three day weekend shit really threw me off XD Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy! Edited to add: I’m a dumby and forgot to include this is the final chapter XD I fail at life today lol!
Warnings: Angst....so much angst. Mentions of death/murder, non-major-ish(?) character death, explosion, mentions of pregnancy...Did I mention angst?
Word Count: 4,858
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After Clay stormed out, Gemma went back home to check on him after making sure to clear Kacey’s room of any and all liquor, making sure to tell Half-Sack not to let her have anything harder than beer, and even there to cut her off after 2. Opie bailed, hopping down to the store to grab Kacey two pints of ice cream, as she’d cleared them out within the first few days of her downward spiral. The rest of the club went about their day, nothing much to do with their collective minds on how to get Harper safe without starting a feud between the Mayans again. Jax stuck around, mostly to keep an eye on Kacey. As he watched her wander around, play a solo game of pool, he found himself smirking to himself as he thought about how, if they managed to get her back, Harper would kill him if anything happened to Kacey.
After a while, he became increasingly restless and told Kacey and Half-Sack both that if she needed him to grab him from the garage, deciding to get a jump on Kacey’s engine mod that Harper had gotten for her birthday. With Jax gone and the clubhouse empty, Half-Sack sat around for a while, twiddling his thumbs before deciding to restock a few things. Everything was quiet until the sudden ringing filled the empty space. Kacey heard the sound, but kept cleaning up Opie’s room; At least it was something to keep her hands and mind busy so she didn't go completely insane. When it didn't stop she threw down the basket of clothes and all but stomped out and down the hall, but by the time she reached the corner, Half-Sack had picked it up. Before he could even say ‘Hello’, Harper began screaming at him, hysterically. He blinked and said, “Harper!? Hey, it’s Half-Sack, hold o-Jesus, Kacey, alright, alright!”
The second Half-Sack said her sister’s name, she rushed at him, punching his arm trying to get the phone from him. Once he passed it to her, she shouted, “Harper!? Is that really you!?”
When she heard the laughs between her sister’s sobs, Kacey’s eyes filled with tears, relieved to hear the sound of her voice as she said, “Yes! Yes! Kacey!?”
“Where are you, Harper?! We’ll come get you!” Kacey said. Harper gave a small whimper, accompanied by a sob.
“No, don’t. I mean not here. I’m at Nico’s. We-I have to get out first.” Harper said.
“Well, you have to get out of Oakland! Where can we meet you?!” Kacey asked. She turned to Half-Sack and all but shoved him out the door as she hissed, “Get Jax!”
Half-Sack took off across the lot as Kacey continued to speak with her sister.“I-I don’t know. I-I’ll find a way to get out. Um, what-what about Lodi? Have-have Jax reach out to the Bastards. Nowhere near LKQ. I-I told Marcus about Alejandro.” Harper said. Kacey was stunned. The first night after she caught Bastien with Sara, they hightailed it out of Oakland, getting as far as Lodi before they had to stop for the night. Once Harper told Kacey who Sara was, she realized the deep shit she’d just gotten them in and they ran. While hiding in the junkyard, Nico managed to track them down and sent one of his best men after them. Alejandro decided he’d try to get some sort of justice for his brothers and attempted to rape Kacey, but Harper was smart and brought her gun in case anyone gave them trouble along their escape. One shot to the head and Alejandro dropped dead. They thought they had gotten away with it, but weren’t confident enough to leave the junkyard just yet. Unfortunately for them, Alejandro had told Nico and Bastien both where he found the girls and within a matter of hours, the sisters were on the backs of their men’s bikes, heading back to Oakland. It took a week for Nico and Bastien to figure out how to cover up Alejandro’s death, most of that week was when Harper’s beatings took place.
“Kacey?” She hadn’t realized that her sister stopped speaking, and she was so stunned by the fact Harper told Marcus, she was left speechless for a moment.
“You-You told...N-Nico didn't hurt you?!” Kacey screamed.
“No! Marcus grabbed him and they just left. Kacey, I need to leave now.” Harper said, her voice beginning to shake.
“Okay, Harp-” Jax rushed in, Half-Sack behind him and said, “Is that Harper on the phone?!”
“Yeah.” Kacey said. A wave of relief washed over Jax’ face as he sighed and said, “She’s in Oakland? If she can get out, tell her to go to the Bastards clubhouse in Lodi! Get the number and text her the address! I’m gonna call T.O.”
He turned to Half-Sack and said, “Tell anyone where we’re going and you’re dead.” Half-Sack nodded and crossed his finger over his chest, holding up both hands as Jax rushed to get his guns. As he ran down the hall, he yelled to Kacey, “Tell her!”
“Yeah, I’ll tell her, Jax! Harper?” Kacey said, returning to her sister.
“I’m still here!”
“Okay, listen. I’m going to text you. Jax said to go to the Grim Bastards clubhouse in Lodi. Just go. I’ll text you. When you get somewhere safe, check it and meet us there!” She said.
“Okay. I-I’m gonna leave now. T-T.O. knows I’m gonna be there? I’ll have to steal Nico’s bike!” Harper said.
“Harp, don’t worry! We’ll tell them! Just go!” Kacey jotted down the number for the burner she had and ripped the paper off the notepad, stuffing it into her back pocket. Reluctantly, Kacey hung up and called out, “Jax?!”
Before Jax could answer, Opie walked back in, bags in one hand and a 6 pack in the other. Looking between Half-Sack and Kacey, he said, “Um, did I miss something here?”
Kacey whirled around and said “Harper called, Jax and I are going to get her.”
Opie blinked and said, “What? Harper called? Where is she?!”
Kacey shook her head. “I can’t...I can’t tell you, it’ll be better that way for everyone in the long run.” She added.
Opie sighed and shoved the bags and 6 pack into Half-Sack’s hands, Half-Sack a little stunned before he dashed off to the kitchen to put it all away. “Kacey, you can’t just take off! What if Nico follows her? What if Bastien does?! They’ll have you both and Jax is outnumbered!”
“Just trust me, Ope!” Kacey snapped as she started for their room to grab her own pistol. “She has an opportunity, Nico is gone. We do this now, or we lose our chance, and I’m not about to let that happen!”
Opie groaned and rubbed his face as he followed her, snatching the pistol right out of her hand as she grabbed it off the desk. “Kacey. Think about this for a minute! You two going alone?! I won’t let you! We can call the Bastards to go over there, see if the Niners can get to her. You’re not going!”
“She’s going, Ope. Whether you want her to or not.” Jax said, adjusting his Kutte and holster, stepping into Opie’s room. Opie blinked at his best friend and gave a soft scoff.
“You’re okay with this? Just the two of you?” Opie asked.
“Harper has one shot at this, Opie. Either I go by myself and she trails along until she gets caught, again.” Jax said, giving Kacey a look. “Or she comes with me and I can protect her! Besides, we’re gonna put a call into T.O. I’ll make sure some of his men are on the lookout for Harper and can get her before Nico does. Ope, we’re gonna be fine.”
“He’s right, Ope, and you fuckin’ know it...Nothing anyone does is gonna stop me from getting my sister back. So you can either rat us out to Clay, or you can help by letting us take your truck...Please Opie. I’m begging you. Let me do this.” Kacey added, her expression pleading as she stared up at Opie. Opie sighed and ran a hand over his face before he cupped Kacey’s cheek and kissed her slowly. He gripped her waist, never wanting to let her go, and stared down at her, brushing her hair out of her face.
“You come back to me, Kacey. Do you hear me?” He said. Kacey smiled and nodded, pressing her forehead to his for a brief moment before Opie looked up at Jax, tossing him his keys and said, “Bring them both back, Jax. Alive, please?”
Jax caught the keys and smirked, taking a hold of Kacey’s upper arm and said, “You got it, brother.”
As he pulled Kacey out the door, she swiped her gun off the desk, sticking it in the back of her pants as they both rushed out the door, jumping into the car and flying down the street.
~
Harper managed to pick herself off the ground, next to Nico’s bike. When she realized the bike had run out of gas and it was still a ways from the Bastards clubhouse. Just up ahead was a gas station and when the bike stopped just on the other side of Interstate 5, Harper had the idea to push the bike along and gas the Softail back up. But when she realized she never stopped to swipe Nico’s cash or Sara’s credit card, everything hit her at once. The pain from her bruises and wounds slammed into her, making her legs give out. When she hit the dirt, she sobbed, every nightmare of a thought running through her mind; Nico would have found Sara by now, if she wasn’t dead, and would be hot on her tail. At any moment, headlights could come over the highway, headed right for her. She’d be taken back and there was no way Alvarez would let her live after this, especially if Sara died.
Once she let the waves upon waves of doubt and fear wash over her, she frantically text her sister; Double, triple texts, until Kacey finally wrote back.
‘We’re almost there, Harper! Hold on!’ Kacey wrote
‘Kacey, I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere! I can’t even make it to the gas station! Please hurry!’ Harper typed, her fingers flying over the buttons, hands shaking and making so many mistakes, she was afraid Kacey wouldn’t be able to read it. She leaned against the bike and steadied her breathing. Harper was never the one who was a mess. She always let Kacey be the one who became hysterical and frantic because Harper was always there to help her back up, even when she herself was afraid too. She was proud of her sister for being so strong and determined and she wanted nothing more than to have her sister by her side again and be in Jax’s arms.
Just as she let go of her fears, agreeing with herself to sit tight and wait, the revving of an engine followed by bouncing headlights came into her vision. Her eyes widened and she froze in fear. She had the thought, when she was in the midst of her fit, to just run as fast as she could and hide from whatever car pulled over. But she was in the middle of nowhere and she hadn’t passed any cars on her way there. She never thought one of her worst fears would come true and now she was frozen in place, a sitting duck for Nico, if that happened to be him. When the truck seemed like it would just fly past her, she was able to move as she sighed, relieved. But at the last second, the brakes squealed as the truck drifted into the empty field where she was. With the lights so bright in her eyes, she couldn’t see who was in the car and finally accepted her fate, positive this was Nico coming for her. She closed her eyes and waited, no doubt Nico would shoot her on sight and be done with it. As the tears streamed down her face, the lights turned off and the doors opened.
“Harper!?” Her eyes snapped open as Kacey ran to her sister, slamming herself into her, hugging her tight and sobbing. She was so stunned that she was holding her sister, that she fell apart, clinging to Kacey and sobbing along with her, slowly sliding off the bike and onto the ground. Kacey pulled away and took her sister’s damp face in her hands, looking over all the bruises that marked her face, neck, chest and arms. Kacey’s eyes welled to the point of blindness and she sobbed, “Harper, I’m so sorry…”
Harper shook her head and opened her mouth to say that it wasn’t her fault, but another hand grabbed her gently, pulling her up and holding her close, Jax’s lips finding hers in a deep kiss. Harper wrapped her arms around his neck, breaking the kiss with a sob that she couldn’t hold back. Jax pulled Kacey into the hug as the three of them stood there, holding each other as the sisters cried and Jax buried his face in Harper’s hair, silent tears trickling down his face.
Before they could break apart or do anything else, shots sounded in the air as another truck sped toward them, sliding in the dirt as it stopped. Jax pushed both girls behind him, reaching for his gun.
“Don’t even think about it, Teller!” They heard Nico shout as several other guns were cocked before they even saw the three other men get out of the truck, along with Nico.
“It’s over, Nico!” Jax shouted, holding out his arms, trying to shield the girls as best he could. Harper gripped his arm as she watched Nico get closer, his gun never leaving Jax. His men stayed near the truck. Nico laughed and said, “Not by a long shot.”
Flames soared through the air and collided with the windshield of Opie’s truck, shattering it. The trio quickly moved away, despite Nico’s orders for them to stay put. He fired a warning shot, the bullet narrowly missing Harper’s leg.
“Don’t fucking move again, Jax! Hand over the bitches and you walk out of here alive!” Nico shouted.
“Fuck you, Nico!” Kacey shouted, stepping out from behind Jax. Harper shushed her and pulled her back behind him.
“You’re not taking the girls, Nico. So forget it. Not Kacey, not Harper.” Jax said. As the men continued to argue, Jax taking a few steps away so if anything, he gets shot before the girls, Kacey secretly slipped her pistol into her sister’s hands. Harper looked at her and said, “What are you doing?”
Kacey gave her a smile, pressing the weapon into her hands and said, “One Shot.”
Harper inhaled, sharply, and nodded, biting her lip through her smile and cocked the pistol, raising it as she stepped away from her sister. When Nico’s gun shifted from Jax, he turned and said, “No! Harper, put it down!”
“No, Jax! This is so much less than he deserves!” She hissed at him. Nico laughed, bending backwards a little, he was so amused. When he finished, he sighed and said, “Are we still playing this game, baby? You don’t have the nerve. You lost it all, One Shot. You didn't take the shot then, and you won’t take it now.”
“Do you want to fucking test me, Nico? I’ve had enough of your bullshit! This ends now!” Harper shouted. Jax had backed up, keeping an arm across Kacey. If he couldn’t bring back his woman, he was going to make sure he at least brought Kacey back. He’d keep at least one promise he’d made. Nico smirked and lowered his gun.
“Baby. It’s over. Accept it.” He said, in a sickening sweet taunt.
“Accept this, bitch.” Without hesitation, Harper fired. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the bullet left the gun and dug itself right between Nico’s eyes. His smile dropped, as did his gun, his eyes going dead before rolling into the back of his head and he slumped to the ground. Taking slow and steady breaths, Harper lowered the gun and went to him. She stared down at his body and said, “You didn't call me One Shot for nothing, my love.”
Harper looked at the other men, who stood in shock and awe that their leader laid dead before them. She raised the gun to them and said, “You all know I’m still capable to taking you out, one by one, before you even have a chance to lift your gun. Get the fuck out of here or join him.” They didn't need to be told twice. In a frenzied fury of terrified Spanish, the Mayans scrambled their way back into the truck taking off back toward Oakland. Once their tail lights were gone, with a harsh breath, Harper’s hands began to shake, the pistol dropping to the ground, and her knees buckled as she collapsed in the dirt. Jax rushed to her and pulled her away from Nico, hauling her up and holding her close. He couldn’t help but emit a light laugh as he looked down at her.
“Jesus Christ, Harper.” He breathed. Harper gave him a small smile as she struggled to breathe. All the adrenaline that went through her body within a matter of minutes left her drained and exhausted. Suddenly, 8 more shots were fired that made Jax and Harper flinch and move away, looking around. Breathing hard and standing over his body, Kacey had her gun pointed at him.
“That’s for my sister.” She spat. Kacey turned to the couple and smiled. “Can we go home now?”
Both Jax and Harper, with a mix of emotions, chuckled as Kacey headed over to them. Just before she reached them, Opie’s truck exploded, tossing the trio onto their backs. Kacey groaned and rolled onto her stomach before slowly raising up on all fours then standing. Jax gave a soft chuckle and said, “Well...This is gonna be hard to explain…”
He looked to Kacey, as she dusted herself off, and she gave him a look. Jax chuckled and sat up as he said, “At least we have you safe now, Harper...Harper?”
When Jax turned to look at her, she didn't move. Her eyes were closed and her body was limp as a ragdoll. Horrified, Jax gently laid her flat on the ground and gave her a soft shake. “Harper. Harper, look at me!” He shouted.
“Harper?!” Kacey rushed over to her as Jax quickly stood, ripping his phone out of his pocket to call T.O. “Harper? Harper, wake up! You can’t do this to me!” Kacey sobbed hysterically as she cupped her sisters face, searching for some sign that she would be ok. Her fingers drifted down to detect the faint pulse that still beat slowly.
“Listen, man, just get the fuck down here!” Jax shouted into his phone. “She’s unconscious and needs to get to a hospital!...Get down here, now, T.O.! We’re on the other side of 5 near the Love’s Gas Station! Now!”
Snapping his phone shut he turned to Kacey, hoping she’d gotten Harper to wake up.
~
The steady beeping woke Harper. She slowly opened her eyes and gave a small whimper as she tried to move. Her body felt like it had been hit with a ton of bricks as she looked around. There was rustling in the corner and a brief fear shot through her as her vision was still blurred. Her memories of that night came back slowly, so she knew Nico was dead, but that didn't mean Bastien or Alvarez hadn’t snuck into her room. But as a gentle, warm hand rested on her arm, she turned and smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she whispered in relief, “Gemma.”
Gemma smiled at her and kissed her cheek. “Welcome back, baby. We were afraid we were gonna lose you there for a minute.” She said, gently sitting on the edge of the bed. Harper whimpered as she shifted, still looking around as she asked, “Where-Where am I?”
“You’re at St. Thomas, sweetheart...You’re home.” Gemma said, gently. Harper closed her eyes and sighed, tears streaming down her face. Finally, feeling came back into her body and she felt her arms wrapped in bandages and bandages on the back of her head. There were so many IVs sticking out of her arm, she could hardly move it.
“Where-Where’s Kacey? And Jax?” She asked, the EKG machine she was hooked up to rising steadily. Gemma held up a hand, trying to calm her and said, “Easy, Harper. They’re both fine. Jax is getting some coffee and Kacey’s getting checked out. She’s okay, but they’re checking her for a concussion and she has a few scrapes.”
“What about Alvarez? Gem, I-I shot Nico.” Harper said. Gemma raised an eyebrow and tilted her head as Harper added, “I killed him.”
“No shit.” Gemma said with a laugh. “I didn't know you were one of us.”
Harper sighed and said, “Gemma-”
“Calm down, Harper.” Gemma said. “Clay got a call from Alvarez. He wants a sit down. He’s found out some things and he’s talking peace. Stop worrying. Everything is fine.”
Before Harper could ask even more questions to give Gemma even more gray hairs she’d have to dye, there was a knock on the door and it opened, the doctor walking in. She glanced at Gemma then smiled at Harper as she said, “Hi. Um, I’m Margaret Murphy, I’m one of the administrators here. Your doctor is caught up on his rounds and I’m gonna take over from here.”
Gemma stood and said, “How’s she lookin’, Doc?”
“Oh, um, I’m so sorry, but I need to speak with Miss Calhoun alone.” Margaret said, giving Gemma a polite smile. Gemma scoffed and said, “She’s my daughter-in-law. Whatever you have to say to her, you can say to me.”
“Gemma.” Harper said. She turned to Harper as she said, “Can-Can you give us a minute? Please?”
Gemma glanced at the redhead before scooping up her purse and saying, “Sure, Baby.” She looked down at Harper and smiled as she added, “I’ll go check on Kacey for you.”
Harper gave her a small smile, letting Gemma give her hand a soft squeeze before she walked out. Harper gave a broken sigh and shifted as Margaret came over to her bedside. “Okay, Doc. lay-Lay it on me.” She said, her voice shaking. She didn't know why she was afraid, but if she asked to speak to her alone? It couldn’t be anything good. Margaret gave her a warm smile and said, “Well, everything is looking good, you’re beginning to heal nicely. And, um...It looks like the baby didn't suffer any trauma.”
Harper’s stomach dropped as she stared at the redhead, stunned. “I-I-I-I’m sorry. The-The what?” She managed to squeak after a while. Margaret blinked and said, “Oh, dear. You-You weren’t aware you were pregnant?”
“No.” Harper said, still trying to wrap her mind around it all. Margaret sighed and looked over her charts, double checking to see if she made a mistake. Finally, Harper said, “No, no, no, no, no. I-I can’t be pregnant. No. I-I can’t. I...I was only there for a week...And a half at most! No, I-I can’t have his baby. No, no, no, no-”
As the EKG began to beep wildly, Margaret tried her best to calm her down. “Okay, honey, shh. Miss Calhoun, I need to you relax.” She said, calmly. Harper whimpered and said, “Run-Run the tests again! I-I can’t be pregnant! You-You can’t tell this soon! It’s only been two weeks!”
“Okay, well, you can tell after two weeks, dear, but,” Margaret checked her clipboard again and said, “The tests show you’re about 8 weeks.”
Harper took a breath and looked up at her. She took a moment, trying to get her timeline straight and said, “I-I’m how far?”
Margaret smiled as she glanced at the EKG as the beeping got back to a steady pace. She looked at Harper and said, “8 weeks, dear.”
Margaret kept talking, but Harper didn't hear any of it. She was thankful she wasn’t having Nico’s child, but somehow, knowing she was carrying Jax’s made her worry even more. They had yet to have the sit down with Alvarez and that, in and of itself, was still up in the air. She just killed his nephew and stabbed his niece. Gemma said he wanted to talk peace, but for all Harper knew, it was all a ploy. Her fears had grown over the last two weeks and made her skeptical of everything. Finally, Harper resolved to at least get out of this damned hospital and she’d figure it all out then.
~
After two more days, Harper was discharged. She managed to dodge getting an ultrasound, not wanting to draw questions until she figured out how she felt about it all. Once she was back home, things soon fell back to normalcy for the next week, at least until the day came for the sit down. To the surprise of the club, Gemma and the sisters, Alvarez wanted the sit down to happen at the clubhouse. While the club was suspicious, Clay allowed it, everyone strapped and ready in case there was any funny business. Clay wouldn’t let Gemma into the Chapel, but when Alvarez requested that Harper and Kacey be present, while he was surprised, Clay obliged.
“First off, Clay, I want to say that I’m deeply sorry if any of this blew back on your club.” Alvarez started. “I’m aware that some of your members got hit during Nico and Bastien’s retaliation.”
Clay nodded, but otherwise stayed silent, letting the president speak. Alvarez looked at Harper and Kacey and continued, “Harper, I wanted to thank you.”
The comment took everyone by surprise while he said, “I believed Nico when he said that Alejandro was gunned down by a Niner. We took him at his word and we dealt out our retaliation. Had I known that you killed him trying to defend your sister and Nico covered it up, I would have been willing to let this whole thing go. And as far as what Nico, Bastien and Sara said about Sara’s assault, I believe it was mostly exaggerated because they wanted to hurt you both. I want you both to know that Bastien has been excommunicated and Sara has been disowned from my family. They both have a hit out on them if they were step foot in Oakland again, Mayan territory or not. And if they come to Charming or bother any Sons charter, Clay, let your men know that they are free to take them out, no retaliation.”
Alvarez continued, giving his apologies and making things right while the whole room sat in a stunned silence. Kacey was especially stunned as she sat beside her sister, not even sure what to say as she turned her attention to Alvarez after a minute or two as she cleared her throat awkwardly before saying, “Thank you, Marcus...really.”
Alvarez smiled and nodded his head. “It’s the least I can do. I know I’ve caused a lot of damage, especially to you, Harper. And if I had know what he was doing to you, I would have made sure you stayed with me instead.”
Harper nodded and bit her lip. “You couldn’t have know, Marcus. And even if we told you, he’s family. You don't just readily dismiss family without cause. I understand.” Harper said. Clay cleared his throat, ready to speak up and said, “We appreciate this, Marcus. We’ve been good for a while now and, hopefully, nothing will happen to change it again. And I think we all can agree that if it does, we get to the bottom of the issue, the whole truth, before any sort of punishment or retaliation is dealt out.”
“I agree. And if there’s any retaliation, on either side, unprovoked and not ordered, those who commit those crimes will be punished.” Marcus offered. Clay nodded and held his hand out to him, Alvarez shaking it. Clay banged his gavel and everyone filed out of the Chapel, a quick round of goodbyes taking place before Alvarez exited the clubhouse. Harper, Jax, Kacey and Opie following along outside. Watching as his bike pulled out of the lot and sped off, the sound of the engine fading off into the distance as the four stood there silently.
And for a brief moment, it seemed as though all their problems had faded from sight, even if only temporarily, it felt as though the weight of the world had lifted and they could breathe easy again. Breaking the silence, Opie said,“So...Who’s going to replace my truck?”
The girls snickered while Jax gave him a look, suddenly taking off through the lot, while Opie chased after him.
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