lauren // tig trager

87. Active mine field

"Just, don't tell him" Brea whispered to Lauren.

"Tell him what?" Lauren flailed her arms.

"Anything. Me wanting to leave, again, and the pregnancy thing. He has enough on his plate right now"

"You are a priority though"

"Yeah, I like to think that but we all know these boys; number one priority is this club. If Tara were Jax's number one, they would've left Charming long ago" she sighed.

"Yeah, guess you're right" Lauren nodded.

"You heard from Gemma today at all? I know you two are close"

"Nah, been quiet today" Lauren came up blank.

"Oh"

"You heard anything new on Tara?"

"No, Jax and her seem to be having some troubles and I don't want to get in the middle of that"

"Oh"
*****
The boys rode into TM, Brea still at the picnic tables she saw them all first. Chibs stopped by her and sat across from her, pushing his hair from his face.

"Juice, pulled some shit today" he huffed, lighting a cigarette.

"What do you mean?"

"Walked right through an active mine field, after Kozik was blown to bits"

"A mine field? That's where you were today?" Brea raised her brows with shock.

"Aye, I go where I'm needed"

"Just, talk to him" she shook her head, trying to shake the thought of them in a mine site.

"I plan to," he sighed "and how are you, my love?"

"Fine, you go do your thing. I'll, um, I'll be here"

"Sure you're fine?"

"Yeah" she faked a smile.

He stood up and handed her the rest of his cigarette. Placing it in her hand, watching how she didn't smoke it he just kissed her forehead. She was absent,  eyes dazing off and not looking at him.

"I love you" he said barely above a whisper, more for himself than her.

Inside, Tig was hearing the news about Kozik along with Lauren. He didn't really like him but that was a brother and it was hard to hear. Lauren looked up at him and her heart ached for him.

"Shit, did he go fast?" Tig asked Jax.

"Yeah, he was dead before he felt it" Jax answered, lighting a cigarette.

"Everyone else whole?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah" Clay nodded and gave Tig a look.

Tig knew that he had club information to share. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lauren but it was stuff for sons to know. He nodded to Clay and turned to Lauren.

"Hey, doll. Give us five minutes and you can come back in" Tig kissed her forehead.

"Yeah, yeah" she nodded and left.

Brea still sat at the tables and Lauren was around. It was quiet but they understood it. Lauren knew Brea needed to think. Lauren had to as well. Knowing that her and Tig were trying for a kid and Tig dealing with the death of a brother, it wasn't lining up well for them. Just her luck.

Slowly everyone starting trickling out the clubhouse and to wherever. Tig and Lauren were in the office, talking to Unser.

"Ready, love?" Chibs asked as he put on his jacket, stepping outside.

He found Brea exactly where he left her with the same amount of cigarette as before.

"Yeah" she nodded and headed for her car.

"Lauren!" Chibs called out.

Lauren looked away from her conversation with the guys and saw Chibs walking towards her. She made her way to meet him in the middle.

"Yeah" she nodded.

"Know anythin' about Brea?" He asked, hands on his hips.

"Nah, maybe she's tired. I dunno" she shrugged.

"Alright, thanks lass," he hugged her "goodnight" he said as he was jogging back to his bike so he could get home around when Brea did.

"Goodnight"

Opie was on his way out, Unser leaving behind him. Jax still lingered the TM parking lot. Tig drank a beer in the garage. Lauren wanted to see Gemma but didn't want to intrude between her and Jax. She watched from a distance as they hugged and held a brief conversation. Once he left, Tig and Lauren took the queue to both see her.

Gemma felt bombarded with the condition of her face. Clay and her got in a fight and it got bloody. Clay beating her face and her left with wounds and bruises.

When Lauren saw her she took a step back. Her eyes stung with tears seeing someone she had grown so close hurt so bad. Tig walked closer, wanting to touch her face to see if what he saw was real. Tig and Lauren were so close with Gemma, both of them taking it different ways.

"Gem, oh my, Gem," Tig said in disbelief "this was Clay" he declared.

"Not now, Tiggy" Gemma said, not wanting to think about the actions that led to it.

Gemma walked into the office and Tig had a plan. He was there for Clay through so much but this drew a line. He kissed Lauren's forehead before walking to the clubhouse.

"Tig" Lauren warned.

"I'm fine. Go home" Tig waved her off.

Lauren looked towards the office but didn't dare talk to Gemma further about the situation. She decided she'd wait, and she did. Outside she didn't wait long for him. When he came out, she noticed his vest was missing a flash.

"Tig, baby, what'd you do?" She asked.

Tears in his eyes caused tears of her own. She felt the empty space on his kutte where a patch once im was. Now it was just plain leather. Underneath the leather was clean and brighter, the rest was worn out. He earned that patch, wore it with pride for what he did for his club. Now it was gone, just like that. He didn't deserve that, Clay was poison to the club and she felt it. Ever since the drugs and now he was beating Gemma, it'll only get worse from here.

"I can't stand behind that, I ain't a lost puppy no more, doll" he shook his head.