You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 20 - The Calm Before The Storm

"...That's the thing, love isn't a plan. Love happens; it is so incredibly messy." - Andrew Landon

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*A few days later...*

"Alice's party tonight, do you know if Amelia invited Donna?" Opie asked as he and Jax sat in the apartment loading up two black duffle bags with guns. He wanted to go to his niece's homecoming party but Opie wanted Mae there as well. He'd go, no matter what and that was no question, but his ex-wife's attendance was an issue, with or without Mae in his life.

"Yeah she did." Jax raked his fingers through his hair and nodded, dreading this aspect of their split, and gave Opie a sympathetic look. "You look like shit man."

"Thanks brother," Opie chuckled. "I can't sleep at the house, too quiet, just gotta adjust."

"Donna gonna be a problem tonight?" The scratchy comforter itched Jax's fingers every time he brushed the fabric while grabbing a gun.

"Nah," Opie stuck out his bottom lip as he shook his head, "I just wanted to know."

Jax eyed Opie suspiciously. "Why, you thinking of bringing anyone?" He asked, flipping open his pack of cigarettes and shaking the box before reaching for one.

"No," He answered quickly, "Got no one to bring."

Unconvinced, Jax continued with his work while keeping a careful eye on Opie. "I saw Chibs rubbing up on that prison reform chick."

Opie tensed, his expression suddenly pensive and dark, as he kept his eyes on the guns in his hands rather than give away his reaction by looking Jax in the eyes. "And?"

"And nothing," he shrugged. "I thought it was kind of funny. Guy needs to get laid."

"He's not her type," Opie said quickly.

Jax laughed and nodded, his bright eyes rolling hard in his head. "How long have we known each other?"

Wearing an annoyed, slightly embarrassed expression, Opie sighed and tossed the two guns he held into the bag haphazardly. "We're together," he said with a little sparkle in his eyes. "Jax, you can't tell anyone, not even my sister, Donna is already playing dirty with this divorce."

"What's going on?" Dropping the humored smile, Jax sat and looked at Opie with concern.

"She thinks I was hittin' it before we split, claiming I was cheating and she's using that to get sole custody. I think she's trying to take Kenny and Ellie out of California so she had Mae subpoenaed for a deposition."

With a heavy sigh, Jax finally lit the cigarette that had been dangling from his lips and offered one to Opie as he perched on the top of the desk. "Were you?" He asked but only received a questioning look in response. "Sleepin' with her."

"No," he laughed ruefully. "That's the fucked up part," he exhaled a large cloud of smoke, "I wanted to but I didn't, I couldn't."

"So what, you're hittin' it now but trying to keep it down low?"

Opie nodded, spinning his cigarette between his thumb and index finger. "Pretty much."

"I won't say shit," he swore and Opie trusted him. "But it's dangerous, Ope."

"I know," he admitted his foolishness.

"How's Mae have shit all to do with custody though?" Flicking some ash onto the floor, not bothering with the ashtray Opie had by the desk, Jax wondered what Donna had planned and if the club could catch all of the fallout.

Opie did not want to talk about it but he rattled off the explanation he was given. "Lowen said if she can prove I cheated, or make it look like I did, they can use Mae, my record and the fact that I quit the mill, which was legit work, to build a case trying to say I'm unfit and a danger to them."