“Harley? Harley are you even paying attention?”

The blonde’s eyes lifted to meet Donna’s. Was she paying attention? No. Nothing really seemed important enough lately. Things with Otto had gotten worse. He was sure to say no on Friday’s vote. He hadn’t even been around the clubhouse when Harley would be there. Her moving out with Jax was definitely another blow to this cold war.

She sighed, looking up at Donna who was pacing nervously back and forth in her bedroom. Just minutes ago she was in the bathroom taking a pregnancy test and since then she hadn’t been able to stop rambling anxiously as they waited for the sound of the buzzer to check the results. Deep down she felt bad that she couldn’t be more supportive for her best friend but she hadn’t been much help to anyone lately.

The sound of the alarm on their phone finally went off, scaring both of them. She looked at Donna. Her friends eyes were wide, full of fear and anticipation before Harley stood, walking over to the shorter woman and placing her hands on her shoulders, with a deep breath, she spoke as convincingly as possible.

“Go on. Take a look. Just know, regardless of the outcome, you’ll be okay, Don. ”

Donna looked at her, physically shaking under her grip but nodded and walked to the bathroom. Harley crossed her arms, her heart pounding as she watched her best friend reemerge from the bathroom and collapse in tears on the floor while she held the stick tightly in her hand. She ran over, and kneeled beside her, wrapping her arms tightly around the distraught girl on the floor and caught sight of the positive result. Her heart dropped but she could only imagine what Donna was feeling. Bringing a child into the world in the middle of a war wasn’t an ideal situation.

“What am I gonna do?”

“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be fine. Donna, you know you love Opie and he loves you. We all do. You’re not alone in this. We’re a family – we look out for our own and that includes this baby.”

Harley brushes her fingers softly through her friends hair, letting her cry into her shoulder as they rocked slowly on the floor. This was one hell of a situation but it was happening and they were going to get through this. Donna was her best friend and she needed her now more than ever.

“Opie! How am i even going to tell him? He already had his plate full with the club. Voting is Friday. Graduation is Sunday. When is he even going to have time to raise a kid? Have you seen how uninvolved the members are with their kids?!”

Just as the words left her mouth her hands immediately reached out to cover it as her eyes damn near popped out of her head when she realized who she’d said that to. Harley’s eyes narrowed but she kept her calm. She knew Donna was just rambling because she was nervous but the fact that she still thought so little of those men irritated the living shit out of her.

“Harley – I  didn’t mean…”

“Donna, if you thought Op was anything like those men – you wouldn’t be with him. You know he’s different.”

The girl looked at her. Her eyes filled with tears that slowly made their way down her reddened cheeks. Harley leaned in, brushing them off gently before looking into her eyes. She could see the fear and uncertainty in them. It wasn’t something she was really used to from her feisty friend. With a soft smile, Harley sat her up.

“Your relationship with Opie makes everyone jealous. The way you two look at each other. The way you radiate love. If you think for one second that he won’t want this kid with you, you’re crazy.”

---

Jax took a seat on a stool with Bobby as they waited for the rest of the guys to get back. After a majority of his afternoon spent hauling crates of guns from truck to warehouse and then back again, he was exhausted. The crow eater behind the bar handed both men a drink before proceeding to clean the counters leaving the men to talk. Bobby turned to look at the young man as he took a long sip of his beer, stress clearly written all over his face.

“What’s on your mind kid?” He finally asked, breaking Jax’s concentration from staring at the bottle.

“Just worried about the vote on Friday, man. Doesn’t look like I’ll make it in. Otto’s got it in for me.”

“Can you blame him? Goin’ behind a brother’s back to mess with his daughter was a pretty fucked up thing to do.”

Jax lowered his eyes again. The bluntness of his brothers was one thing that would always need some adjusting to but he knew Bobby didn’t mean it spitefully. He shrugged his shoulders and took another pull from his bottle.
“I couldn’t help that, Bobby. What Harley and I have… “ He stopped for a moment, really thinking his words out. “Even if I don’t get the vote – I’ll still be the happiest man alive.”

He saw Bobby chuckle as he put his bottle down. “It’s that serious huh?”

“Yeah. It really is. Harley – she deserves the world. She’s the strongest person I know. Even when I’m feeling shitty, she pulls me through. No one understands the club life more than she does and she’s never once tried to pull me away. Harley’s something really special, brother.”

Bobby nodded in understanding. He’d focused intently on the young kid as he spoke and he could tell that every fiber of his being meant it. Harley was something special – to him, the club, Otto. He just hoped she wasn’t going to be the reason for a divide in the club.

“I see that.” He sighed. “I’m gonna talk to Otto. John Teller’s son can’t not be patched in.”

Jax smiled at him, nodding appreciatively. “Thanks.”

The doors opened and Harley stepped inside. Her face looked a little more grim than usual as she approached the two, her eyes quickly scanning the room for any sign of Otto. She gave both men a hug before leaning against Jax’s side and taking a pull from his beer.

“You alright?” Bobby asked, noticing the concern in her face.
“I’ll be fine.” She said, “Where are the rest of the men?”

“They’re taking care of something more at the warehouse. Where have you been all day?”

“I was at the apartment with Donna.” She shrugged. “Have you either of you seen Gemma?”

Jax scrunched his face, there was more to this than she was giving out but he knew it was impossible to get anything out of her. If she wanted to tell him, she would. Bobby noticed her quick changing of subjects as well but went along with it.

“She’s been trying to pull things together for Chib’s birthday party tonight. You two gonna be okay to stay out late on a school night?”

He joked, his gruff voice breaking out in a self amused laugh. Jax and Harley looked at each other before laughing as well. Two more days, they reminded themselves. Two more days of ridiculous classes before they were free to go.

Jax took another pull from his beer when the doors opened and Otto walked through with Clay. The mood in the clubhouse shifted and both him and Harley tensed up. Harley’s eyes met with Otto’s, a look of hatred, anger, and disgust written all over his face as the two men made their way into the chapel and shut the doors behind them.

“Prick.” Harley mumbled under her breath. “Well, I’m going to find Gem. See if there’s anything I can help with.” She adjusted her jeans before heading out the door.

“Don’t worry about that.” Bobby spoke after Harley walked out, nodding his head towards the large leather covered doors of the meeting room. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Thanks Bobby.”

Jax nodded gratefully. Maybe someone other than Opie could give this a shot. Otto needed to accept that Jax loved his daughter. There was nothing malicious about it. He was genuinely in love with Harley, regardless of his past reputation with girls or how members treated their old ladies, this was far beyond the club.

---

As per usual, the club was full of people. Birthday’s were always big in their little dysfunctional family. It was another year to be celebrated and the place would be full of drugs, drinks, strippers, sex, and of course the fights outside. In a dark way, it wasn’t a celebration of being born – it was more about making it alive for another year. Many members had been lost, whether it was by death or catching a sentence, but the ones that were out made sure to show that they were thankful.

Chibs was no different. He was a devote catholic and as bad as he was, the morning of his birthday, he’d made sure to go to church and pray. Harley had gone with him early this morning as well. She wasn’t religious by any means. She’d mostly gone to support Chibs, but while there, she couldn’t help but say a silent prayer for herself too. Sometimes she felt like she just needed that outside guidance, to be able to see the bigger pictures in life. With that said, all holiness was forgotten at night. With the music raging on, it was hard to find an empty spot on the floor or a counter that didn’t have weed or coke on it. At this time of night, most people were already naked and fucking right on the floor, not bothering to find a room.

Harley made her way through the crowd, cautious of what and where she was stepping over. Donna was somewhere at the party and she had to find her. They hadn’t spoke since the apartment earlier and she was sure the brunette was having a minor meltdown trying to decide when to tell Opie. Harley just prayed it wasn’t going to be tonight under these circumstances.

Unable to see much through the crowd, she made her way to the bar and sat up on it, her head just slightly towering over the sea of people when she caught sight of Opie in the corner the room, playing pool with Jax. She smiled, missing the feel of her man’s touch and grabbed them three beers from behind the counter before walking over.

The table was surrounded by plastic, scantily-clad whores, vying for their attention but most prospects knew better than to fall for them. Jax spotted Harley and his face lit up. He grabbed the beer from her hand while she handed another to Opie and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to the front of him before his lips captured hers. His breath tasted like a mix of cigarettes and mint but she loved every second of it, reaching down to his belt loops pulling his body impossibly closer to hers.

Opie cleared his throat, disrupting the two who broke out laughing before Jax pulled away to take another shot. Harley leaned back against the wall with her beer as she watched.
“Hey!” She yelled over the music. “Have you seen Donna?”

“She ran to the bathroom a few minutes ago. I haven’t’ seen her since.”

Opie’s lack of regard for his girlfriend irritated her slightly but then again, she knew something he didn’t. “I’ll go check on her!” She yelled again, smacking Jax’s ass playfully, causing him to miss his shot before she walked towards the back hallway.

The main bathroom was empty so Harley continued on down the hallway. Each dorm had it’s own bathroom. With a party going on tonight a majority of the rooms were being used but Donna had to be in one of them. With each door she passed she listened closely. Just as suspected, most of them were filled with sounds of moaning and beds creaking, until she got to the last one – Jax’s old room. The sound of retching and vomiting caught her attention and she opened the door slowly.

“Don?” She called out, stepping further into the room.

“In here!” She heard a barely there voice call out from the bathroom.

Making her way through the dimly lit room to the bathroom, she saw Donna hunched over the toilet. Her face was ghostly white, except for her bright pink cheeks. The poor thing was not up for this anymore. She wasn’t sure if it was pregnancy sickness or nerves but there was no way she was leaving her to throw up in a disgusting bathroom that was probably used more than once tonight.

Harley rushed to Donna side, picking her up carefully and throwing her arm over her shoulder. The two walked slowly through the hallway to find Opie. Donna just wanted to go home with him. Maybe tonight was a good time for them to talk.. away from here. When she looked at the corner she had left them in, the boys weren’t there. She growled at under her breath, frustrated at how difficult it was to find anybody in this place but she continued on outside.

She swung the door open and her eyes found Gemma staring intently at the ring where two men were fighting, when she followed the older woman’s gaze, she felt the wind knocked out of her. There was Otto and Jax, hashing it out in the ring. The crowd was cheering but the look on the members faces wasn’t a good one.

“What the fuck!” Harley screamed, sitting Donna down on the bench before running towards the crowd. “Someone stop them!”

She was ready to jump in the ring when she felt two sets of hands grab her. It was Bobby and Chibs, pulling her back and holding her steady on Clay’s command as she struggled to get free. Why were they letting this happen? Otto would rip Jax to shreds. She felt her eyes burning with tears as they streaked down her face, watching Jax take hit after hit. He was nervous. There was a hint of fear and hesitation in his eyes and she could see Jax holding back – not wanting to hit her dad.
“Clay! Call this off right now! Op – stop them please! He’ll kill him!” She demanded and pleaded with everyone, still trying to get loose but the two wouldn’t let go of her. Her eyes flew to Gemma again, she was being comforted by Luanne, she could only imagine what a mother’s pain felt like watching her son get beaten bloody in the middle of the ring.

“This needs to happen, lass.”

Chibs finally spoke, pulling her closer to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her not only to hold her back but also bring her some comfort. He had tried to shield her view but her tear filled eyes were glued to a bloody Jax on the ground with Otto not letting up on punches.

Clay looked between her and his wife sympathetically before he finally spoke up to call an end to it. Otto seemed satisfied enough with himself before he locked eyes with Harley and walked out of the ring, Luanne following in toe. Chibs finally let her go and she sprinted towards Jax, kneeling down to assess the damage done. Opie and Tig weren’t far off her trail as they helped pick the bloodstained prospect off the floor. His legs could barely care him as he was only half conscious at the time.

They led him into the dorms, laying him down on the bed while Harley grabbed a first aid kit containing pain killers, disinfectants, and bandages. Chibs had checked him for broken bones and Gemma had cleaned him up with wet towels. His entire face was swollen and his body was sore. This was all because of her dad. She hadn’t missed the dirty glances Gemma had shot her, clearly thinking the same thing, but she dismissed them. She kneeled down on the side of the bed near his face, carefully applying ointment to his open cuts before bandaging them up. She hummed softly, just enough for him to hear and she could see him getting calmer. Her eyes focused on him, making sure to thoroughly and gently patch him up while his eyes remained on hers.

They hadn’t seen that everyone had backed away watching her work on him. Humming something that Jax clearly recognized. Regardless of how much pain he was in, he was calm – not groaning on wincing, he was just mesmerized by how quickly she’d jumped into action. It was something that was valued highly in an old lady. Tig placed a hand on Gemma’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“He’s in good hands.” He nodded towards them.
“Yeah.” She let out a heavy exhale. “I just hope she’s worth it.”