#piney winston

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: Y/N Morrow is over the moon to be moving back to Charming after spending years away from her family, but they know that something isn’t right. What went so wrong that she had to pack up and move all the way back to California, and what will happen when the past she was running from follows her home?

You pulled into the lot of Teller-Morrow Automotive, the deafening roar of your Harley Davidson’s engine announcing your arrival to everyone. You hadn’t told anybody that you were coming and you knew it would be a surprise, especially for your Uncle Clay, and to say that you were excited to see their reactions was the understatement of the year. A line of black bikes were lined up outside the shop, glistening in the scorching, mid-afternoon sun, a telltale sign that most of the Sons were either in church or working in the garage. An unfamiliar blonde guy in a Prospect kutte climbed out of the Teller-Morrow pick-up when he saw you pull in, an inquisitive look on his face. You parked your bike at the very end of the row and took off your helmet, shaking out your Y/H/C curls and getting a carton of cigarettes out of the pocket of your worn leather jacket. The Prospect watched this little show with an open-mouth, and you couldn’t help but toy with him a bit by offering him a cigarette.

“Smoke?”
“Uh, n-no thank you,” He stammered. “I’m all good.” He took out his own pack as if to prove this to you.
You flashed him your best man eating grin, one that you had been perfecting since your teenage years. “What’s your name, Prospect?”
“Half-sack,” He informed you with an embarrassed, lop-sided grin.
“That your real name?”
“Er, no.”
“Do I wanna know why they call you that?”
“Probably not.”
“Where are the guys?”
“I got no idea. You know them?”
You smirked. “Guess you could say that. Clay’s my uncle.”
“No shit! I didn’t know he had any family besides Gemma.”
“Most people don’t. So, is he here?”
“He’s probably in the office,” He admired your bike, your pride and joy. “Nice ride.”
“Thanks. 883 Superlow. Did all the mods myself.”
Half-sack raised a brow. “Clay teach you?”
“Jax and Ope, too. And Piney,” You took a long drag of your cigarette. After riding up from Colorado, you were exhausted. It had taken you almost two days and you had only stopped for a short period of time in a dusty old Motel, so it was safe to say that you needed a drink, a few cigarettes and a nap. “As much as I’d love to sit here all day telling you my life story, I should probably let the others know I’m here. It was nice meeting you, Half-sack.”
“Yeah, you too…” He trailed off. “I didn’t get your name.”
“Y/N Morrow.”

You put out your cigarette with the heel of your boot and headed in the direction of the Clubhouse. It was just as you had remembered it and you couldn’t decide whether this was comforting or not. The smell of smoke and whiskey hit you the minute you walked through the doors, and the chapel doors were closed and it seemed that all the guys were in there, so you took it upon yourself to fix yourself a drink or three while you waited. They were in there a while, and Gemma ended up being the first person other than Half-Sack to greet you.

“Y/N!” She yelled, almost pulling you off the barstool you were perched on in an attempt to hug you. “What are you doing here?! Why didn’t you call?!”
You wrapped your arms around her, relaxing instantly. Words couldn’t express how good it felt to be home. “Wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, that’s one word for it darlin’,” She held your shoulders, taking in your appearance. “You ride all the way here from Denver?”
“Yeah, I thought it’d be hell, but the ride did me good.”
“Have you seen Clay yet? He’s gonna lose his shit. What’s it been, five years?”
“About that, yeah.”

You didn’t want to talk about those five years you’d spent in Denver. When you left Charming and your entire family behind, you knew it wouldn’t be easy, but you felt like you’d never leave home if you didn’t bite the bullet and take a job opportunity that had fallen in your lap. Clay and Gemma had pretty much raised you - your parents were deadbeats, and a sore spot for your uncle - and Jax was pretty much your brother, so leaving had been one of the hardest things for you, but you had spent those five years finding yourself, growing and working on your writing. It had been one long breath of fresh air, a taste of life away from the Sons of Anarchy, but you missed your family and were ready to move back home to be closer to them. And that’s exactly what you told Gemma.

“You got a place to stay, baby?” She asked.
“Not yet, but I’m looking at a little house tomorrow afternoon. Buttersweet Rise.”
Gemma raised a brow. “That’s a nice neighbourhood. Your books are selling well, I take it?”
“Well enough,” You grinned.
“I’ll go with you, make sure the landlord doesn’t take any liberties. Stay at our place until you get sorted.”
“Thanks, Gem.”

The chapel doors swung open and the guys’ voices spilled out; they were talking and laughing about something, but when they saw you and Gemma sat at the bar, all the voices stopped. Jax was the first one to say anything.

“You gotta be shittin’ me!” He yelled, basically running at you. You met him halfway and let him pick you up and spin you around, sending you into fits of giggles.
“Hey, big bro.”
He set you down but didn’t let you of you. You looped your arms around his neck. “What are you doing here? Did you ride all the way from Denver?”
“Yup. I’m coming home.”
“What do you mean? For good?”
“If that’s okay with you.”
Jax grinned and picked you up again. “Of course it’s okay with me.”

When Jax moved aside, Clay was already waiting with open arms. In a weird way, you felt eleven years old again, tucking yourself into your uncle’s arms and feeling the world and it’s pressures melt away. He held you like that for a long time, and kissed the top of your head.

“It’s good to see you, my love.”
“You too, Clay. I missed you.”
“I wish you would’ve called. Me and Jax would have ridden halfway and met you.”
“It’s okay, the journey did me good.”
Piney hugged you and kissed both of your cheeks, clearly over the moon to see you. “Gonna call Ope,” He told you. “He’ll wanna come down here and see you.”
You looked to your uncle. “When did he get out the clink?”
“Few months ago,” He explained. “Donna wants him earning straight, so he’s not around as much as he used to be.”

Bobby and Tig came and hugged you and introduced you to Juice who hadn’t been there when you’d left. He seemed nice enough, someone you could get along and have a laugh with. Chibs was the last one to greet you. The Scotsman took his time taking in your appearance as though he was making sure you were still whole after all this time. Once he was satisfied, he wrapped his strong arms around your waist and held you close for a few moments before letting you go. Overall, it was a fairly weird exchange, but you didn’t have time to unpack that right now.

“Jax,” You said, spinning around. “You gotta come see my bike.”
He grinned. “Come on then. We got a lot of catching up to do.”

Jax wasn’t kidding when he said that the two of you had a lot of catching up to do. The last time you’d spoken, Wendy had just found out that she was pregnant and Jax was a little messed up about it all. Since then, the crank whore you’d despised from the word ‘go’ had almost killed her baby, had to have a premature c-section and had been shipped off to rehab for what felt like the hundredth time. The baby was due home any day now, and his name was Abel.

“That’s a beautiful name, Jax,” You said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I’m going to the hospital later on, you should come with me. I’m sure Tara will be surprised to see you.”
“Tara?”
“She had the same idea as you, apparently. She’s moved back into her Pa’s old place.”
“Shit, I didn’t even know,” You leaned against your bike, which Jax was inspecting while he filled you in on everything you had missed, which was clearly a lot. “Haven’t spoken to her in a couple years.”
“Yeah, no shit. You basically fell off the face of the earth.”
You folded your arms. “I needed space.”
“And now?”
“It gets lonely up in the Rockies.”
Jax laughed. “So you made your fortune and now you’re back in Charming. What’s next?”
You lit a cigarette and offered one to Jax. He took one from the carton and gestured for your lighter. “No idea. Maybe I’ll write a book about Charming.”
“The amount of shit that’s been happening, you won’t be short of ideas,” Jax took a drag of his cigarette and crouched down to take a closer look at your bike. “This must have set you back a pretty penny. When you left, you were on a piece of shit Street Rod.”
“She wasn’t a piece of shit,” You frowned. “Me and Ope fixed her up, she ran just fine.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t give up on you halfway to Denver.”
“It’s still in my garage,” You told him defensively. “When the rest of my shit gets shipped down here, she’s coming with.”
Jax rolled his eyes and smiled. “Always the sentimental one.”

Opie pulled into the lot in his truck, a black and white bandanna keeping the sweat from dripping down his face. He was dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt and he was covered in sawdust, presumably from the job that Jax was telling you about (the job that was making him miserable) but you ran at him anyway, squealing in delight when he picked you up. Jax might have been your brother by family connection, but Opie was your brother too. You and him spent the same amount of time together growing up than you did with Jax, maybe even more, and he had taught you pretty much everything you knew about bikes.

“God, I missed you,” You sighed. “It’s been too long.”
“Yeah,” He scoffed, setting you down. “And whose fault is that?”
“Mine,” You said sheepishly. “But I’m back now. Back for good.”
“Get bored of Colorado?”
“Nah, I just missed my brothers.”
Opie softened and put an arm around your shoulders. “That yours?” He asked, gesturing to your cherry red bike.
“Yup.”
“Talk about an upgrade.”
Jax smirked. “I was just sayin’ the same thing,” He said.

You spent the next hour talking about bikes and everything else you’d missed with Jax and Opie, blissfully unaware of the passing of time. Opie had to get home to see Donna and the kids, so you and Jax headed to St Thomas’ to see the baby. You also suspected that it was to get you out of the way so Gemma could organise a little homecoming for you at the Clubhouse - true SOA style - but you didn’t want to get your hopes up.

Abel was dozing in his bassinet, and the first thing you noticed when you entered the room was his blue Sons of Anarchy hat. “Start them out young,” You said.

“Exactly.”

Jax picked him up and handed him straight to you. You were taken aback by his tiny, perfect features and they way they resembled Jax’s. You sat down in the rocking chair and adjusted him in your arms so that he was more comfortable, and he stirred slightly, opening his eyes and looking up at you curiously. Your chest ached slightly and you couldn’t explain why since you had never really given kids a second thought before.

“Y/N?”
Your head snapped up. Tara Knowles, your best friend throughout high school, was standing in the doorway holding a milk bottle and a clipboard. You had to admit, that uniform looked good on her. “Hey, Tara. Long time no see.”
She looked to Jax and then back to you. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought it was about time I came home. I could ask you the same question, doll.” She handed you the bottle and you smiled down at Abel who took it willingly. “There’s a good boy.”
You didn’t miss the anxious glance she shared with Jax, and you made a mental note to ask him about it later. “I came to sort out my dad’s house, but I think I’ll stay put for a while.”
“Me too.”
“We should go for drinks.”
“I’d like that.”
“You should stop by the Clubhouse later,” He told her. “I think there’s gonna be a welcome home party for Y/N.”
Tara nodded. “Sure, yeah. I’ll stop by after work.”
You flashed her a grin. “I’ll see you then, Doctor.”

She left you and Jax to it, and you couldn’t help but laugh. You hadn’t seen her since she split for Chicago when you were just teenagers, which had been just as hard on you as it had on Jax but for different reasons. Growing up with guys meant that your friendship with Tara was respite, a way to get away from the chaos for a while, and you had felt the sting of her absence every single day up until you split too. You doubted you’d ever forgive her for it, and it was clear that she knew that.

“Go easy on her,” Jax warned. “She’s had a rough few weeks.”
“Yeah? I had a few of those myself when she up and left without a warning.”
“You can talk, Y/N.”
“Hey, that was different.”
“Not that different.”
“I’m sorry, Jax.”
“I know. We don’t need to talk about it, it’s in the past,” He ran his fingers through his hair that was in desperate need of a cut. “There’s somethin’ I wanna ask you.”
“Uh-oh.”
“It’s not bad, I promise.”
“Go on then.”
He crouched down next to the chair and let Abel wrap his tiny hand around one of his fingers. “I was wonderin’ if you’d be his godmother.”
You froze. You were at a loss for words. “Really?”
“There’s nobody else I’d trust to take care of him,” He said. “But you gotta promise that you’re sticking around this time.”
You leaned over and kissed Jax’s forehead. “I promise, Jackson. I promise.”

By the time you got back to the Clubhouse, the party was already in full swing. You could hear the music from outside and it sounded like Gemma had invited every single person that had ever spoken two words to you. When you and Jax stepped in, the whole room erupted into cheers; there was a huge banner strung above the bar that looked like it had been made by Tig which read ‘Welcome Home Y/N’ in big, bold letters and you’d barely taken three steps when Juice pressed a drink into your hand. Clay put an arm around your waist and led you further into the crowd and you consequently spent the next hour and a half catching up with people you hadn’t seen since you left Charming.

Luann had cornered you and was telling you all about her business, trying to tempt you into starring in one of her movies. You couldn’t quite believe that she was trying this with you, but she insisted that you had the perfect body and face for it. When Happy came over and offered to get you another drink, you practically fell into his arms in an attempt to get away from her.

“Thanks for rescuing me, Happ.”
“Looked like you needed it.”
“You have no idea.” He unscrewed a beer for you and then got one for himself. “Still with Tacoma?”
“For now. Thinking of going Nomad.”
“No shit?”
“Ma’s real sick, I need to be closer to her just in case, you know?”
“Sorry, Happ,” You rested your head on his shoulder. You’d always gotten along well with Happy, even though he’d only just patched in when you left. “You know Clay will always have a seat for you at his table.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And there’ll always be a seat at mine for you too, if you ever wanna talk.”
He smiled. “Thanks, Y/N. It’s good to have you back.”

Happy left you at the bar and you downed your beer; you were in need of some liquid courage tonight. Tara had just walked in and was talking to Jax in the corner, so you didn’t want to bother them. Opie was nowhere to be seen, so you went and sat on one of the leather couches with Bobby, Tig and Chibs.

Tig pulled you into his lap. “Y/N! Where’ve you been, darlin’?”
“Got cornered by Luann. She told me I have the perfect face for porn.”
Bobby and Tig burst out laughing. “If ye ask me, that’d be a waste,” Chibs said.
“Don’t tell Clay she said that,” Bobby chuckled. “He’d have Luann’s head.”
“She’s not wrong, though.”
You smacked Tig around the back of the head. “Fuck you, Tigger.”
Chibs also smacked Tig, but significantly harder. “Yeah, that’s no way to talk to a lady,” He growled.
You flushed. “Thanks, Chibsy.”

Gemma and Clay were sitting at the bar, watching you with Tig, Bobby and Chibs. As happy as she was that you were home, Gemma didn’t believe for a second that you’d come back to Charming because you were homesick. She knew you too well and as soon as she’d seen you sitting at the bar, three whiskeys deep at two in the afternoon, she knew that something wasn’t right. When she’d told Clay, he’d agreed. You’d sounded off on the phone the last few times he’d checked in and he’d known that it would only be a matter of time before you showed up.

“What do you think happened?” Gemma asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out.”
“If she’s gonna tell anyone, it’ll be Opie.”
Clay narrowed his eyes when Tig pulled you into his lap. “Yeah.”
“Whatever it is, I’m glad she’s home.”
Clay kissed his wife’s cheek. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

They were right of course, it wasn’t just homesickness that had sent you back to the worn streets of Charming, although that was part of it. Your time in Colorado had, for the most part, been an amazing and transformational experience, but the last couple of years had thrown you some unexpected curveballs which had ultimately sent you packing. In time, you’d come clean about all of this with your family, but tonight you were just more than happy to be home.

End of part one