Chapter Text
Sons Of Anarchy
Chapter One
The Fall of A Leader
The ride in was going smoothly, though the boys didn’t expect anything less.
Traffic was minimal down the highway midday, with most common folk at work or indoors. The heat wave California was experiencing kept most everyone out of the sun if they didn’t need to be there.
But the boys needed to be.
It was only a few short days ago that they had made their way back into the country from Ireland. And Jax was finally starting to find relief in knowing Abel was in the safety of his mother’s arms.
Jax’s heart however, had seen better days.
He was still grieving for the loss of Kip, his baby. Half Sack, he would painfully refer to him as when he was around his boys, his brothers. The Club.
Because the club didn’t know. Couldn’t know. What they’d say, think.
Jax would be a dead man. But what did that matter now.
Who cares what they thought. He’s dead. It’s over.
The pain in his chest heaved, cutting the air from his lungs and making his entire body feel heavier than it was.
No matter what he told himself he still didn’t believe it.
The boys rode silently, pulling off the main drag as they headed towards Charming, the traffic that occasionally drifted by disappeared all together.
The boys spread out, giving each other and their Harley’s room to breathe as they sped towards home.
Where Kip wouldn’t be waiting.
Clay and Tig led the boys, taking the front reigns of the pack.
Bobby wasn’t too far behind them, keeping pace with the crew in front.
Chibs, Juice and Happy occupied the spots closest Bobby, leaving Opie and Jax to trail the crowd.
Jax at the tail end of it.
The skies were clear and the coast seemed the same way. They’d not encountered any trouble on their ride thus far, and seeing as they were so close to home it didn’t seem likely they would now.
Needless to say they were surprised when red exploded from the back of Clay’s head, spraying Tig, Bobby and Juice with a fine mist of AB negative before his bike swerved and crashed into the ground, skidding out the rest of its momentum against the pavement as his lifeless body tumbled half way with it.
Tig responded with pure adrenaline, coming to a stop within inches of his lifelong friend, not even aware yet of the speckles of his friend that covered his face and body.
Bobby was feet behind him, aware of what was covering him, but focused on the scene.
Happy was hot on Tig’s heels, moving past the slower Bobby.
Juice had stopped his bike in the middle of the road, fifty feet from the crew that was gathering around Clay. What was left of Clay, because Juice was completely aware of who he was covered in.
Jax sped past Juice, the air swishing around his friend and sending him that much further into shock.
Opie slowed to a spot at the spot Clay first went down, and started scanning the area.
“CLAY!” Jax hollered at the top of his lungs, pushing past Bobby and joining Tig to tend to his step-father.
What was left of his step-father.
Jax dropped to his knees, grabbing at Clay’s shoulder to turn him onto his back and get a better look at the man who was, in many ways, the only father he'd really known.
It was a small bullet, they would learn later, that blew out the bulk of Clay’s face, leaving nothing but a black, bloody hole the size of his combined features. Bone and brain matter were visible, along with part of the asphalt his head rested on. Clay was gone. Forever. And there was no changing that.
Tig pulled at Jax until he had a good hold on him, cradling the still fragile man in his arms as he cried, body wracked with sobs as the rest of the men gathered around the body of their fallen leader. Their friend.