The Final Ride

Chapter 29

The entire drive, Trevor grew more and more reluctant to follow through with his and Rory's plan. He took a few wrong turns, drawing out the ride as much as he could. They arrived at the motel, completely empty aside from Rory, and Happy jumped off his bike in a flash.

"Out of my way." He growled.

Trevor pulled his gun and aimed it right at Happy. "You need to give her time to talk, I'll be right there to make sure you do."

"She can talk all she wants," he grunted.

Tig lingered behind, sick and disbelieving, as Trevor and Happy entered the room. Rory sat on the bed, red faced and dreary eyes, cheeks soaked with tears, and looked up at Happy with such sorrow and guilt in her eyes.

"Go Trev," she whimpered. "Let me talk to Happy."

"I'm not leaving you alone with him," he said forcefully.

She shook her head. "Go, just fucking go."

"You heard the rat," Happy sneered. "Go."

Trevor backed out slowly, as he promised he would from the start, and Happy kicked the door shut. The frame rattled from the force only silencing again when he locked the knob and chain.

"Hap," Rory started.

"Did you make a deal?" He glared at her with unrecognizable hate in his eyes.

"I did," she admitted quietly.

Without hesitating he pulled his gun and, with his arm extended fully, trained the barrel between her eyes.

"You gave us up so they'd let you go?"

"Technically, yeah." Rory whimpered as he stared. "But Hap, I planned all this from the start. I never had any intention of giving them what I promised or actually testifying. Never."

His aim never faltered. "Then why run? Why not tell me?" Happy's voice shook with rage as he spoke in a cold tone.

"I couldn't," she began to cry. "I had to wait till the raid, they would have known and I needed time to get this together. New IDs and a place to go, I had to plan in case you didn't kill me. I had to be able to disappear so Patterson couldn't find me."

His body relaxed ever so slightly as her words began to make sense through the jumble of hate and pain and fury.

"You. Made. A deal." He said out loud to remind himself of her betrayal. "You sold us out!"

"I wouldn't have," she begged. "Baby, please, I never would have said shit. I needed to get out and set this up, Hap. Fuck, if I planned on fucking you over and running why would I give you the chance to kill me? Why wouldn't I just go?! I could, I could have gone WITH the kids."

She tossed a thick leather bank deposit bag at him and he snatched it in midair with his free hand. Holding it between his side and arm he managed to open it without losing his aim. It had new passports, birth certificates, social security cards and even the kid's vaccination records along with cash.

"See? I wasn't going to rat but I couldn't just leave without explaining it all. I need you to know why I did this and that I would never betray you like that." Her chin trembled and her voice cracked as she began to cry. "I needed you to know I love you more than anything and if you still have to kill me...I get it."

Happy's face fell, his tense angry expression was washed away as his eyes filled with tears. "We woulda got you out!"

"No, you wouldn't have," she cried. "Knox almost died, Tig was almost beat to death, the clubhouse was blown to shit right in front of us and Tara was murdered in her own goddamn kitchen." She rattled off all the events that pushed her to the decision. "The evidence they had would have kept me in jail for the rest of my life and that, that would have ended really fucking quick in there." Her anger fed her confidence and she never felt more sure of her decision than in that moment. "Protection is for the highest bidder, Hap, and how much would Lin or his damn predecessor fucking love to have me shanked or beaten and raped daily? Huh? He hates me, he hates SAMCRO and he's got money to burn."

"Why risk it then?" He snapped knowing she was right but not thinking of those consequences before. "Why give me the chance to kill you if you just wanted out to protect yourself and the kids?"

"And you," she added. "I was protecting you too. I risked it because I needed you to know the truth and I hoped that after almost twenty goddamn years with me believing and trusting the club wouldn't be your default."

"Why shouldn't it be? Look where we're at now."

She nodded, losing the fight and fire in her chest as she resigned herself to die. "Remember the last time you thought I turned on you? You had me on my knees," she sank to the floor, "Like this out back that motel. Something then made you stop and if you can't now, just please don't tell the kids. Tell them it was work, please, don't tell them what really happened. They'll never understand and they'll hate the club."

As Rory kneeled before him, her eyes screwed shut with tears still pouring down her face, Happy's wrist went limp. His gun turned down, his finger off the trigger, as he began to cry.

"Fucking go," he tried to hide his true emotions. "Just fucking go. Now."

Scrambling to her feet she hastily grabbed her bag and the new IDs. "Thank you, thank you Happy." Rory pulled an envelope out of the deposit bag and handed it to him. "I love you."

"You're still my goddamn Queen," Happy whispered.

She bolted and he ripped open the letter, reading through bleary eyes as she and Trevor spoke to Tig.

Dear Happy,

Thanks for not killing me, unless you did and now you're going through my shit. I don't blame you if that's what happened but please know I love you and I get it. If you didn't, which I hope is true, this letter has everything you'll need to know.

I understand you'll have to lie to the club and I've made sure they'll never find out. The kids new names are at the bottom, as well as mine, and I'll be taking Agatha and Trevor with me. Since Johnny is the kids' guardian I thought you could tell the club he and Agatha have them, I think they'd all understand why you couldn't or wouldn't want them around.  Every six months or a year or so we can meet up so you and, if he can be trusted, Tig can see the kids. I'll only tell Emma, and eventually Asher, what you agree to about what happened tonight. I don't want to paint a bad picture of either of us, although I know I am the villain here.

I love you more than anything. I always have and the only thing I'd ever change is the pain our lives caused our children. Everything else was worth it and even kind of fun, in a twisted kind of way. Although we can't be together I'm still yours, even if you don't want me to be, I've never not been.

For the love of God be safe, Happy.
Love always,

Your Little Girl

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One more chapter to go! Eek! Guys, let me know what you want next! I have one story brewing in my head (and my best friend's head cause she rocks) as well as a possible sequel to another story ending soon. Let me know please! Xoxo