Broken Bells • Bishop Losa

Chapter 7: Once Upon A Photograph

Warning: Slight mentions of drug use.

Annabelle rolled off the couch as a loud bang at the door scared her right out of her sleep, the picture frame she had been clutching fell from her grip, the glass shattering as it hit the hardwood floor. She groaned as she pushed herself off the floor when the banging on the door continued. In her hurried attempt to answer the door she had completely forgotten about the glass, hissing as her bare feet stepped through it. Curse words streamed from her lips as she bounced her way to the door, trying to be as light on her feet as possible to ensure the glass would not be forced further into her skin. She flipped the lock and yanked the heavy wooden door open, meeting the dark eyes of the Mayan president.

"Can't a girl take a damn nap around here?"

Bishop was caught off guard at the venom her tone held as the last time he had seen her they had been on friendly terms. Creeper had returned to the clubhouse that afternoon from checking up on her with alarming news- Annabelle had seemed very out of character, she was being very defensive and deflective which was the complete opposite of the girl they had experienced at the hospital.

"Are you okay?" The question left Bishops lips softer than either of them had anticipated as he observed her tear stained cheeks. "Not so fast." He used his boot to stop her from slamming the door in his face. She pushed harshly against the door to try and push it shut before the stinging in her feet became too much for her to put up a real fight. She tip toed back to the couch, being careful this time to avoid the shards of broken glass. Bishop stepped into the house, his eyes following the trail of bloody foot prints that she had left behind. "Shit."

Annabelle sighed, glancing over her shoulder and pointing to the hallway. "The first aid kit is in the bathroom straight down the hall, under the counter."

Bishop found himself caught off guard by the amount of photos she had lining the walls as he followed her directions down the short but narrow hall. He had not expected her to have so many photos of the Sons in her house after witnessing her tense interaction with SAMCRO Vice President while she had been in the hospital. He halted as he reached a frame that held a collage of many smaller pictures, all of them containing her and the same man. In each photo the pair looked so happy, they were always touching each other in some way and he couldn't help but notice the dates marked at the bottom of each photograph; they only ranged over a couple of years, and the very last photo stuck out. She was glancing up at him, her love for him visible in her sad eyes while his eyes were looking at the camera and though his face held a smile it was not nearly as big or bright as it had been in the surrounding photos. Bishop figured that photo was taken near the end of their relationship, when it was clear to the pair that their road together was about to end with inescapable peril.

Bishop knew what it was like, to have and hold the love of your life in your arms but to know that it would not always be that way- to feel the constant slipping as your happiness slowly collapsed into a pile of memories and heartache, that feeling mixed with the pain of death would eat at anyone's soul. Breaking himself out of his own small reverie he continued on his way to the small the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit before rushing  to pull glass out of the distressed woman's feet.

Bishops thick boots caused the glass to crunch as he walked over it to sit on the opposite end of the couch. He gently lifted Annabelle's bare feet into his lap and dug through the medical bag to find tweezers before he began slowly and wordlessly removing the shards of glass from her feet. His eyes were too focused on his current duty to notice her lean down to pick up the now frameless photo, gently shaking off the broken glass as to not ignore herself further. Juices smile in the photo held a jarring contrast to the man she had been experiencing every night in her dreams- memories of heartbreaking moments such as the one that she had just experienced.