Summary:After losing her mom, six-year-old Willow is brought to the Cody house with her older brother, Jay. Surrounded by strangers she suddenly has to call family, Willow struggles to understand everything that's changing around her. But while the rest of the Codys see Julia's daughter, Pope sees a little girl who needs someone in her corner. As an unexpected bond forms between them, Willow may end up changing Pope's life just as much as he changes hers.
Willow's POV
"hey willow, wake up"
i wake up to jay shaking me.
"Jay its early why you waking me up?" i mumble staring at my older brother.
"Uhh…we got to go wills, Where gonna go stay with grandma smurf for a while"
"whos that?… why cant we stay with mommy?" i whisper
I can feel my eyes well up with hot tears. I dont want to leave mommy, whos gonna take care of her?
"wills mommy left okay, now grandma smurf has a pool, and are uncles will be there okay. so lets get your stuff and lets go."
"Okay" hot tears roll down my fat cheeks
I grab my bear pigs, thats the only thing i have from my dad. Mom said he gave it to me when i was a baby still in the hospital.
I take it everywhere with me.
After jay gets my shoes on he carries me down the stairs. Once where there i saw a older lady with a short blond bob.
"Hey baby who is this?" she smiles at me
I turn my face into jays neck.
"This is willow shes my sister, mom had her six years ago"
"Well hi willow, my names grandma smurf" she rubs my back
i turn towards her and look at her, frowning. who the hecks name is smurf
"your names smurf? thats a silly name" i whisper
she snorts "yeah a silly name huh? why dont we get you in the car and we can go back home to my place and you can go swimming with jay and your uncles? And your cousin lena should be their. shes your age you guys can play around together. hmm does that sound fun?"
" can we have icecream too grandma smurf?" i look at her hopefully
"yeah baby we can have icecream. You got a bathing suit baby?"
"uhh no she doesnt but she has shorts and a t shirt she can swim in" jay says
"no shes a cali girl, we cans top by the store and ill buy her a swimsuit and some more clothes if thats all she has" she says while looking down at my small hello kitty backpack and my beat up shoes.
"yeah okay"
we walk to her car and jay sets me down and buckles me up.
After the store we drive to grandma smurfs house.
"okay jay your uncles should be here so lets go introduce you and baby willow here, and then ill go in the kitchen and start on dinner. Willow baby how does hamburgers sound?" she glances back at me from the front seat.
"that sounds yummy, but i dont like pickles grandma smurf" i say while looking out the window at all the cool cars and bikes.
"okay baby no pickles" she laughs while getting out the car.
we get out and walk through the side gate until where met with three guys and a little girl all sitting by the pool.
I turned my head into jays neck.
"boys i want you guys to meet baby wilow julias daughter your neice." grandma smurfs says
"No way Julia had a girl? When?" the guy with long hair asked as he climbed out of the pool.
"Six years ago," Jay answered quietly.
The man's eyes widened as he stared at me. "Holy shit."
"Language, Deran," Smurf snapped.
"Sorry."
The other man sitting by the pool let out a laugh. He had shorter hair and tattoos all over his arms.
"Well damn, kid. Guess we're your uncles."
I peeked around Jay's shoulder.
"You got names?" I asked softly.
The tattooed man grinned.
"Craig."
The long-haired man pointed at himself.
"Deran."
The little girl jumped up from her chair.
"I'm Lena!"
I smiled a little.
"Hi."
Lena immediately ran over.
"Do you wanna see the pool?"
I looked up at Jay.
"Can I?"
Jay nodded.
"Stay where I can see you."
Lena grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the water.
"Come on!"
The adults watched us go.
"She's tiny," Craig muttered.
"Looks just like Julia when she was little," Smurf said quietly.
Jay stood awkwardly beside them.
Nobody mentioned Mom.
Nobody mentioned what happened.
I wasn't paying attention anyway.
I was too busy looking at the giant pool.
"Whoa..." I whispered.
Lena giggled.
"Want to put your feet in?"
Before I could answer, another voice came from behind us.
"What's all the noise?"
I turned around.
A tall man was walking down from the house.
He looked different than the others.
Quieter.
His dark hair was messy and he had serious eyes.
Everyone seemed to stop talking when he appeared.
Even Craig.
The man looked at Jay first.
Then his eyes landed on me.
For a second nobody said anything.
I squeezed Piggy Bear tighter.
The man slowly walked closer.
"Who's that?" I whispered to Lena.
"My Uncle Pope."
The man stopped in front of us.
His eyes moved over my face.
Something changed in his expression.
Something softer.
Almost sad.
Smurf stepped forward.
"Pope, this is Willow. Julia's daughter."
His jaw tightened.
I didn't understand why.
The grown-ups had been acting weird all day.
Pope crouched down until he was eye level with me.
"Hi."
His voice was quieter than everyone else's.
I stared at him.
He stared back.
Then he held out his hand.
"I'm your Uncle Pope."
I frowned.
"My mommy said your name was Andrew."
Craig immediately started laughing.
Deran covered his mouth.
Even Smurf looked amused.
Pope blinked.
"Yeah."
"Then why'd you say Pope?"
"It's a nickname."
I thought about that.
"No."
"No?"
I shook my head.
"I'm gonna call you Andrew."
Craig nearly fell out of his chair laughing.
"Oh my God."
"Shut up, Craig," Pope muttered.
I pointed at him.
"See? Andrew."
For the first time, the serious man smiled.
A real smile.
Small.
But it was there.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah. You can call me Andrew."
I smiled proudly.
"I like Andrew better."
"Good."
Lena grabbed my arm again.
"Come see the pool!"
Before she could drag me away, Pope noticed Piggy Bear tucked under my arm.
"Who's that?"
I looked down at my stuffed animal.
"Piggy Bear."
He nodded seriously.
"That's a good name."
"I know."
Pope glanced at Jay.
"She carry that everywhere?"
Jay nodded.
"Since she was a baby."
Pope looked back at me.
"You hungry?"
I nodded immediately.
"Grandma Smurf said hamburgers."
That earned another laugh from Craig.
"Yeah, sounds about right."
A little while later everyone sat around the patio table eating dinner.
Lena and I sat together.
I talked about cartoons.
My favorite ice cream.
How much I hated pickles.
Nobody talked about grown-up stuff around me.
For a little while it almost felt normal.
Almost.
Then after dinner, Jay asked me if I wanted to walk with him.
We wandered down toward the beach behind the house.
The sky was turning orange.
I held his hand while carrying Piggy Bear in the other.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"When are we going home?"
He went quiet.
Too quiet.
I looked up at him.
His eyes looked shiny.
Like he was trying not to cry.
My stomach hurt.
"Jay?"
He stopped walking.
Then he crouched down in front of me.
"Willow... there's something I gotta tell you."
I didn't like the sound of that.
"What?"
Jay swallowed hard.
"Mom's not coming back."
I stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
His voice cracked.
"Mom died, Wills."
The world suddenly felt strange.
Wrong.
"No."
My heart started pounding.
"No."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"No!"
I stepped backward.
"No, no, no!"
My chest hurt.
I couldn't breathe.
I turned and ran.
I didn't know where I was going.
I just ran.
Past the pool.
Past Lena.
Past Craig and Deran.
Past Smurf.
Tears blurred everything.
Then I crashed into somebody.
Strong arms immediately caught me before I could fall.
"Hey."
I looked up.
Andrew.
My Uncle Pope.
Andrew.
I grabbed onto his shirt and burst into tears.
"Mommy!" I sobbed.
His entire body froze.
For a second he didn't move.
Then his arms wrapped around me.
Carefully.
Like I might break.
I buried my face against his chest.
"Mommy left me."
Pope closed his eyes.
I felt his hand gently rub my back.
"No."
His voice was rough.
"She didn't leave you."
I cried harder.
He just held me.
Didn't tell me to stop.
Didn't tell me everything was okay.
Because it wasn't.
He just stayed there.
Holding me.
Like he'd decided he wasn't letting go.
Not now.
Not ever.
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summary: Julia's funeral proves to be harder on Willow than she expected. Unable to sit through it any longer, she slips away to the parking lot where Andrew finds her. The two spend the afternoon together, sharing lunch and talking about Julia, giving Willow a small break from the sadness of the day. But after a conversation about Willow's father, Pope learns a secret from Jay that could change everything.
I hated funerals.
Not that I'd ever been to one before.
But I hated this one.
Everyone was dressed in black.
Everyone was sad.
And everyone kept looking at me with those eyes.
The eyes that made me want to hide.
I sat between Jay and Grandma Smurf while people talked about Mommy.
Some cried.
Some laughed when they told stories.
I didn't understand how they could laugh today.
Mommy wasn't coming back.
So why was anyone laughing?
I squeezed Piggy Bear tighter.
My chest hurt.
The pastor kept talking.
Talking.
Talking.
I stared at the flowers sitting on top of Mommy's coffin.
There were so many.
Pink ones.
White ones.
Yellow ones.
Mommy would've liked the yellow ones.
She always said yellow was a happy color.
My eyes started burning.
I wanted to go home.
I wanted Mommy.
I wanted someone to wake me up and tell me this wasn't real.
A tear rolled down my cheek.
Then another.
Then another.
I looked over at Jay.
He was crying too.
That somehow made everything worse.
Without saying anything, I walked away from the group.
Nobody noticed.
Everyone was watching the pastor.
I quietly walked away.
Past the graves.
Past the flowers.
Past all the people.
Until I reached the parking lot.
I climbed onto the curb beside Smurf's car and hugged my knees to my chest.
Piggy Bear rested in my lap.
The sun felt warm on my face.
The funeral felt far away.
I liked it better out here.
At least nobody was staring.
A few minutes passed before I heard footsteps.
I already knew who it was.
"Hey."
uncle Andrew.
I looked up.
He stood beside the car wearing a black button-up shirt.
His hands were shoved awkwardly into his pockets.
"You run away?"
I shrugged.
"Maybe."
He sat beside me on the curb.
For a while neither of us talked.
I kinda liked that.
Everyone else kept trying to make me feel better.
Uncle Andrew just sat there.
Finally I whispered.
"I don't like it."
"Yeah."
"They keep talking about Mommy."
"That's usually what happens."
I frowned.
"Why?"
He thought about it.
"So people don't forget."
I looked down at Piggy Bear.
"I won't forget."
"No."
His voice softened.
"I don't think you will."
More tears filled my eyes.
"I miss her."
Uncle Andrew swallowed hard.
"I know."
I leaned against his arm.
He froze for half a second.
Then relaxed.
"Can we go home?"
"Not yet."
I groaned.
He almost smiled. but I caught the twitch up his mouth.
"How about lunch?"
My head snapped up.
"Lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Like right now?"
"Yeah."
I considered it seriously.
"Can we have fries?"
"Probably."
"Chicken nuggets?"
"Probably."
"Chocolate milk?"
He snorted. A soft one, but it was there.
"Definitely."
I smiled for the first time all day.
Uncle Andrew stood and offered me his hand.
"Come on."
A little while later Andrew told Smurf and Jay he was taking me to get food.
Jay looked relieved.
Smurf looked surprised.
But neither stopped us.
Soon we were sitting in a booth at a burger place.
I had chicken nuggets.
Fries.
Chocolate milk.
And a giant cookie.
Uncle Andrew had coffee.
Just coffee.
It was black. he didn’t even buy any milk or sugar in it.
"That's not lunch."
He looked up.
"What?"
"You only got coffee."
"I'm eating later."
I narrowed my eyes.
"That's silly."
He nodded.
"Probably."
I dipped a fry in ketchup.
"Uncle Andrew?"
"Yeah?"
"You sad too?"
His fingers tightened around his coffee cup.
"A little."
"Cause Mommy died?"
He nodded.
I thought about that.
"Were you best friends?"
His eyes got distant.
"Something like that."
I didn't really understand.
But I nodded anyway.
After a few minutes uncle Andrew spoke again.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Okay."
"Do you know who your dad is?"
I blinked.
"No."
Mommy never talked about him.
Not really.
Andrew watched me carefully.
"Never?"
I shook my head.
"Mommy said he was special."
"Special?"
"Yeah."
I shoved another nugget into my mouth.
"She told Jay who he was."
Andrew sat up straighter.
"She did?"
I nodded.
"One time."
"What did Jay say?"
"He promised Mommy he wouldn't tell me until I was older."
Andrew went quiet.
Really quiet.
I could practically see him thinking.
I finished my fries.
Then held up the empty container.
"Can I have more?"
He looked down.
The container was empty.
The cookie was gone too.
So was the chocolate milk.
"Jesus."
I grinned.
"I'm hungry."
For the first time all day Andrew let a small smile twitch its way on his face.
It was there for a second. But it was a real one.
"Yeah. I can see that."
When they got home, Lena immediately ran over.
"Willow! Come play!"
I looked at Andrew.
"Can I?"
"Yeah."
I grabbed Piggy Bear and ran after Lena.
Neither of us noticed Andrew watching until we disappeared around the side of the house.
Then he turned.
And headed inside.
Jay was sitting at the kitchen island.
The second he saw Pope walking toward him, his expression changed.
"You okay?"
Pope ignored the question.
"You knew."
Jay stared.
"Knew what?"
"Her father."
Silence.
Pope leaned against the counter.
"She told me Julia told you."
Jay looked down.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Jay sighed.
"Yeah."
Pope waited.
Jay rubbed a hand over his face.
"If I tell you..."
"What?"
"It stays between us."
Pope nodded.
"Fine."
Another long silence.
Then Jay finally spoke.
"Her dad's name is Jax Teller."
Pope frowned.
The name sounded familiar.
"Who's that?"
Jay looked up.
"President of SAMCRO."
Pope's expression darkened immediately.
The Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club.
Even he knew who they were.
"You're serious?"
Jay nodded.
"Mom told me before she died."
Pope stared at him.
Trying to process it.
A biker.
A Son.
Willow's father was a Teller.
Outside, he could hear Willow laughing with Lena through the open window.
Completely unaware of the storm surrounding her.
Pope looked toward the sound.
Toward the little girl who'd already somehow managed to wedge herself into his heart.
And for the first time, he wondered if one day she'd ask the questions neither he nor Jay were ready to answer.
summary: Pope arrives in Charming and finally comes face-to-face with Jax Teller. When he reveals the truth about Willow, Jax is forced to come to terms with the fact that he has a six-year-old daughter he never knew existed. Meanwhile, Willow remains completely unaware that her life is about to change forever.
The clubhouse was quieter than Pope expected.
A few men sat around drinking coffee.
Others worked on motorcycles outside.
Everyone seemed to know who Jax Teller was the second he walked into a room.
Pope followed him into a small office at the back of the building.
The door shut behind them.
Jax crossed his arms.
"You said this was about Julia."
Pope nodded.
For a second neither man spoke.
Jax looked uneasy.
Like hearing Julia's name after all these years had already brought back memories he wasn't ready for.
"How is she?" Jax finally asked.
Pope looked down.
The answer hit harder than he'd expected.
"She died."
The color drained from Jax's face.
"What?"
"Overdose."
Silence.
Jax slowly sat down.
Staring at the floor.
Pope let him process it.
The room stayed quiet for nearly a minute.
Finally Jax rubbed a hand over his face.
"Damn it, Julia."
His voice cracked.
Pope understood.
Julia had a way of getting under people's skin.
Even years later.
"When?"
"A couple weeks ago."
Jax nodded slowly.
His jaw clenched.
"You came all the way here to tell me that?"
"No."
Jax looked up.
Pope hesitated.
Then finally spoke.
"She had a daughter."
Everything stopped.
The room.
The air.
Even Jax himself.
"What?"
Pope held his gaze.
"She had a little girl."
Jax stared.
Then laughed once.
A nervous laugh.
Like maybe he'd heard wrong.
"What are you talking about?"
"Julia had a daughter."
Jax stood.
"No."
Pope didn't move.
"She's six."
The silence that followed felt endless.
"Six?" Jax whispered.
Pope nodded.
Jax's eyes widened.
Slowly.
Painfully.
The math clicked.
The timeline.
The years.
Everything.
His breathing changed.
"When was she born?"
“ March 24th” Pope told him.
Jax sat back down.
Hard.
Like his legs stopped working.
"Jesus Christ."
The words barely came out.
Pope watched him.
"Her name's Willow."
Jax closed his eyes.
Willow.
His daughter had a name.
His daughter.
The words didn't even feel real.
"Does she know?"
"No."
Jax laughed bitterly.
"Of course she doesn't."
Pope stayed quiet.
"Julia never told me."
The hurt in his voice was impossible to miss.
"She never called."
His hands shook.
"Never wrote."
Pope nodded.
"I know."
Jax looked furious.
Heartbroken.
Lost.
All at the same time.
"I would've been there."
Pope believed him.
That was the problem.
He actually believed him.
"She knows about me?"
"No."
Jax let out a breath.
A shaky one.
Then he looked at Pope.
"What's she like?"
That question caught Pope off guard.
"What?"
"My daughter."
The words sounded strange coming from him.
Like he was trying them out.
Seeing how they felt.
"What's she like?"
For the first time since arriving, Pope smiled.
A little.
"She's loud."
Jax laughed.
"Sounds like Julia."
"Talks nonstop."
"Definitely Julia."
"Doesn't like pickles."
Jax barked out a laugh.
"Neither did her mother."
Pope found himself smiling too.
"Calls me Uncle Andrew."
Jax blinked.
"What?"
"Refuses to call me Pope."
A grin spread across Jax's face.
"That's hilarious."
"Yeah."
For a moment both men laughed.
Then reality returned.
Jax became serious again.
"Where is she?"
"With us."
"With the Codys?"
Pope nodded.
Jax looked worried immediately.
"She's safe."
"Yeah."
"Jay's taking care of her."
Jax rubbed his face.
Trying to process everything.
A daughter.
A six-year-old daughter.
One he'd never known existed.
Finally he looked at Pope.
"I want to meet her."
Pope expected that.
"Yeah."
Jax stood.
Immediately.
Like the decision had already been made.
"I wanna see her."
"Not today."
Jax frowned.
"What?"
"She just buried her mom."
The words landed.
Hard.
Pope continued.
"She's hurting."
Jax looked away.
Guilt filled his expression.
Even though none of this was his fault.
"She needs time."
Jax nodded reluctantly.
"Okay."
Pope stood too.
"I'll talk to the family."
"You think they'll let me?"
The question surprised him.
Jax sounded nervous.
Like a father.
Not a biker.
Not a vice president.
Just a dad.
Pope thought about Willow.
About her smile.
Her laugh.
The way she'd buried her face in his shirt at the funeral.
Then he thought about the look on Jax's face.
The devastation.
The hope.
The fear.
"Yeah," Pope said finally.
"I think she deserves to know her father."
Jax swallowed hard.
Neither man spoke for a moment.
Then a voice came from outside.
The office door opened.
A huge man with long hair stepped inside.
"Everything good?"
Pope immediately recognized him.
Opie.
Jax looked over.
Then back at Pope.
And for the first time said the words out loud.
"I have a daughter."
Opie's eyes widened.
"What?"
Jax laughed.
Half shocked.
Half emotional.
"I have a daughter."
Outside the office, another biker with a Scottish accent poked his head in.
"What's all this then?"
Jax looked completely overwhelmed.
A smile slowly spreading across his face.
"My daughter."
Chibs stared.
Then looked at Pope.
Then back at Jax.
"Ye serious?"
Jax nodded.
Still looking stunned.
Still looking like he couldn't quite believe it.
Pope headed toward the door.
His job here was done.
"Wait."
Pope stopped.
Jax looked at him.
"When you see her..."
His voice softened.
"Tell her I'd like to meet her."
For the first time since arriving in Charming, Pope nodded.
"I will."
And as he walked back toward his truck, he found himself thinking about Willow.
About the little girl who had no idea her whole world was about to change.
summary: As Willow begins settling into life with the Codys, she grows closer to Craig, Deran, Lena, and Jay. While the family slowly finds a place for Julia's daughter, Pope can't stop thinking about the secret Jay revealed. Determined to find answers, he heads to Charming in search of Jax Teller.
It had been almost a week since the funeral.
A week since Willow had arrived at the Cody house.
A week since Pope had found himself looking for a little blonde head every time he walked into a room.
The kid was everywhere.
She was currently running around the backyard with Lena, both girls soaking wet from the pool.
"You can't catch me!" Willow squealed.
Lena immediately took off after her.
"Get back here!"
Their laughter echoed through the yard.
Pope sat at the patio table pretending to read something while secretly keeping an eye on them.
Not that he'd ever admit it.
"You're staring."
Pope looked up.
Craig was grinning.
"I'm not."
"You totally are."
"I'm reading."
Craig looked down at the paper.
"That's upside down."
Pope glared.
Craig laughed so hard he nearly spilled his beer.
Across the yard, Willow suddenly tripped over her own feet.
Pope was halfway out of his chair before she even hit the ground.
The little girl landed with a dramatic gasp.
Then immediately sat up.
"I'm okay!"
Craig burst out laughing.
"You moved faster than Smurf when somebody mentions money."
"Shut up."
"You like the kid."
"No."
"You do."
"No."
"You totally do."
Pope threw a towel at his head.
"Craig."
"I'm just saying."
Before Pope could answer, Willow came running over.
"Uncle Andy!"
His attention immediately shifted.
"What?"
"Craig said he can teach me how to jump into the pool."
Craig nearly choked.
"I did?"
"You did now."
Willow grabbed Craig's hand.
"Come on!"
Craig looked at Pope.
Pope shrugged.
"Good luck."
Twenty minutes later, Craig was teaching Willow how to do cannonballs.
Or at least his version of teaching.
"Jump!"
Willow looked nervous.
"What if I sink?"
"You won't sink."
"How do you know?"
Craig pointed at himself.
"Look at me."
She squinted.
"Okay."
"Do I look smart?"
She immediately shook her head no.
Pope snorted into his coffee.
Craig looked offended.
"Wow."
"But you look fun."
"See?" Craig said proudly.
"That wasn't a compliment."
"It counts."
Eventually Willow jumped.
The splash was tiny.
But her smile was huge.
"I DID IT!"
Craig threw both arms into the air.
"THAT'S MY NIECE!"
The entire backyard laughed.
Later that afternoon Deran found himself stuck supervising both girls while everyone else disappeared.
A responsibility he absolutely did not ask for.
Willow sat beside him on the deck.
"Uncle Deran?"
"What?"
"Why do you always look grumpy?"
Deran nearly choked on his drink.
"I don't."
"You do."
"No I don't."
"You do."
"No."
"Okay."
He frowned.
"You're agreeing too easily."
Willow smiled.
"Mommy said people get more grumpy when they're wrong."
From the pool, Craig started laughing.
Deran threw a pool noodle at his head.
That evening Jay found Willow sitting on the edge of the pool.
The sun was setting.
Orange light reflected across the water.
She held Piggy Bear against her chest.
Jay sat beside her.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"You miss Mom?"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"A little."
Jay wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I miss her too."
For a while they sat quietly.
Watching the boats.
Watching the waves.
Neither noticed Pope standing on the porch watching them.
Or the fact that he looked just as sad.
That night everyone was asleep.
Except Pope.
He stood in the kitchen staring at the computer.
One address.
One name.
Jax Teller.
Pope wrote down the address and folded the paper and shoved it into his pocket.
Then grabbed his keys.
If Jax Teller was really Willow's father...
He deserved to know.
The drive to Charming took hours.
The closer Pope got, the more uncertain he became.
What exactly was he supposed to say?
Hey.
You have a daughter.
She's six.
Her mom died.
Good luck.
Even for him that sounded terrible.
The clubhouse appeared just after sunrise.
Rows of motorcycles sat outside.
Pope parked.
Got out.
And headed toward the entrance.
A few bikers immediately looked his way.
One of them stepped forward.
Tall.
Dark hair.
Scottish accent.
"Can I help ye?"
Pope stared at him.
"I'm looking for Jax Teller."
The biker frowned.
"Who wants him?"
"Pope Cody."
The biker's eyebrows shot up.
"Cody?"
Another voice spoke from behind him.
"What the hell is a Cody doing in Charming?"
Pope turned.
And found himself face-to-face with Jax Teller.
The man looked older than the photos Jay had shown him.
But it was definitely him.
Pope studied him for a second.
Then spoke.
"I need to talk to you about Julia."
Jax froze.
And suddenly the atmosphere changed.
"Come inside."
Pope followed him.
Already knowing neither of their lives would be the same when this conversation ended.
