This Charter is Your Home

Chapter 1

Julia drove down the road at such a top speed you would think she was eager to get to where she was going. Truth was she was dreading seeing the sign; Welcome to Charming. Julie, or Jules, (as she was sometimes called by those in Charming) drove at break neck speeds when she was frustrated. And this was definitely a frustating time. She hadn't been back to Charming in almost ten years, but when Gemma Teller-Morrow (of all people) called her and told her it was time to come home, that Donna was dead and they needed her, she packed up her San Francisco apartment, quit her San Francisco job, and left her beloved San Francisco life.

She entered into Charming and felt a cold chill down her spine. What did this place have in store for her this time? Sure, she was happy to see some old friends. There was Jax and... well, Jax. Everyone else was gone. Donna was dead. Tara left for Chicago last she had heard. Opie was obviously grieving Donna. That left her and Jax out of their old high school gang.

Speaking of gangs, she thought as she pulled into Teller-Morrow Automotive. Motorcycle Club, she then corrected herself. Julie pulled her '69 Mustang into a spot. She gave herself a pep talk before getting out of the car. Be nice. Don't act like a stuck up bitch. Be. Nice. She got out of the car and began walking towards the office.

Juice noticed the car first, but when he saw the girl who got out of it his mouth dropped and his heart stopped. She was hot. No, not hot. Gorgeous. One of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen.

Tig noticed Juice staring at her. He motioned to Chibs. Chibs smirked, knowing what Juice was thinking. Tig and Chibs knew the girl walking towards them. Had known her since the day she was born. They had smoked cigars right there in the maternity ward of the hospital and got kicked out by the nursing staff.

"'ey, Juice. Why don't ya see what she needs?" Tig suggested.

"Me?" He asked. Normally the guys raced to the female customers, not offer them up to someone else.

"Sure, Juicy boy. Have at it," Chibs answered him as he clapped his hand on Juice's shoulder.

"Ok then," Juice said, wiping his hands off on a dirty rag before heading her way.

"She is going to chew him up and spit him back out," Tig told Chibs when Juice was out of earshot.

"Oh, definitely," Chibs agreed.

Juice approached Julie, not knowing the bets currently being placed behind him by his brothers.

"Hi. Can I help you?" He asked her when he got close enough.

"Yea, maybe. I'm looking for Opie. Or, um, I guess Piney actually," Julie answered him realizing that Opie probably wasn't around.

"Neither of 'em are here now, but I'm sure I can be of assistance," Juice lied. Piney was inside the clubhouse at the bar.

Julie lifted her sunglasses from her face to place them on her head and looked over her shoulder. "Isn't that Piney's trike?" She asked motioning behind her with a thumb.

Juice thought fast. "Oh, yea. He had too much to drink last night. One of the guys had to give him a lift home. He hasn't come back to get it yet."

"Well, that certainly sounds like him," Julie said, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably. The only person left was Gemma and she would have liked to avoid her. They used to be close, like mother daughter close, but Gemma sounded like she hadn't quite forgiven Julie for leaving on the phone and that was one lecture Julie hoped to put off, if not avoid altogether.

Sensing her discomfort, Juice smiled a smile that made Julie want to melt and held out his hand. "I'm Juice."

Julie hesitated. She didn't want to get close to a Son. Maybe he wasn't a Son. Maybe he was just an auto mechanic. Yea, right. He had a mohawk and head tattoos. He was a Son. She held out her hand to shake his.

"That the name ya mama gave ya?" She asked. She was flirting. She couldn't believe she was flirting.

"No. Juan Carlos Ortiz. The guys shortened that to Juice." Julie realized at that moment that they were just standing there holding hands. She dropped her hand quickly.

"I'm-"

"Julia!" A voice called from behind her. She turned to see Jackson Teller jogging towards them. He engulfed her in a big bear hug. "Damn, girl. Where ya been? Heard you were coming back. I see you met our intelligence officer, Juice."

"Yea, just did. I've been in San Fran actually, but when I heard about Donna, I packed up and came back. I wouldn't trust Mary with a goldfish let alone two kids."

"Yea, really," Jax agreed. "So, Piney's inside waitin' for ya, but you better at least say hi to Gemma. She's in the office."

Julie side eyed Juice for the information about Piney. Juice just smirked and shrugged, unashamed by his lie.

"Yea, ok, I'll say hi," Julie said before she started to walk off. She turned and walk backwards as she said, "It was nice to meet you, Juice."

Juice watched as she headed into the office.

"Damn," he said as Jax lit up a cigarette.

"No kidding," Jax replied. "Hard to believe something that hot came from Piney and Mary."

"Yea," Juice said. "Wait, what?"

"That's Julia Winston," Jax told him. "Opie's little sister."