lauren // tig trager

91. Catholic jokes

In the afternoon, a lot of them gathered at TM after Pineys memorial. It was short and lowkey. From there, Jax left to get Bobby. Brea brought Juniper with her, Lauren came as well. Chibs sat on one side of the bench with Brea and his daughter. Tig had his one foot up on the seat while he smoked a cigarette, Lauren sitting on the table, facing him. Happy and Phil sat on the other side of the table. They had beers out, on the table and in their hands.

It was a nice conversation they were in when Roosevelt rolled up.

"Christ" Brea mumbled.

He strode out of his car and across the lot to the group. No one was happy with his appearance. Lauren stood up upon his arrival to stand by Tig.

"Where's Jax? Hear he's then new president" Roosevelt asked.

"Hello to you too" Lauren snickered.

"He's not here, what do ya want?" Chibs said, his back to Roosevelt.

"Are you guys aware of the violence that's happening in Charming? Especially with your little girl living here now, Filip" Roosevelt pried, Chibs turned to him now filling with anger.

"Filip, it's alright" Brea whispered to him, rubbing his leg reassuringly.

"Two home invasions in less than a week" Roosevelt elaborated.

Chibs swung his one leg around to straddle the bench and face Roosevelt. Brea's hand was tossed off of his lap.

"Contrary to popular belief, we can read" Chibs raised a brow.

"You think we had somethin to do with it?" Tig asked Roosevelt.

"Three weeks ago, an unidentified man ran down Veronica Pope which we can assume was an attempted hit on Laroy Wayne. No witnesses have come forward yet but some folks are saying that they saw the One-Niners chasing after a group of guys on motorcycles"

"Really?" Chibs commented, ashing his cigarette.

"First home invasion was Lynette Brice, one of your crow eaters, two thirty this morning. Wade Steiner was attacked in his own kitchen. He's a mechanic here at TM. Do you, uh, see the pattern here?" Roosevelt questioned with a shrug.

No one answered him, nor looked him in the eyes.

"If these home invasions are retaliation by Pope or the Niners-"

"We ain't heard of any beefs, man" Tig shook his head.

"No?"

"Nah" He scrunched up his face, shaking his head.

"Then who would attack your auto parts truck outside of Modesto last night?" Roosevelt asked, looking at a burnt up Phil.

"Angry pirates" Happy replied quickly.

"I don't give a shit it Pope blows up every goddamn truck of yours," Happy stood, towering over Roosevelt "but not in my quadrant. One innocent gets hurt and I make Pope look like an altar boy, you understand?"

"Ah, I see what ye did there, I love Catholic jokes" Chibs sneered, pointing his finger at Roosevelt and then turning to Tig.

"Remember the one, two nuns walk into a dyke bar-" Tig started to speak but was cut short as a TM tow truck pulled into the lot. Bobby was home.

Chibs stood up on the table, making Juniper squeal.

"Hey! Bobby!" Chibs shouted with his arms wide open.

The rest of the boys ran off, Chibs catching up after knocking over a beer bottle. Lauren looked to Brea and shrugged as she went with the boys. Brea picked up Juniper and went to follow but Roosevelt stopped her.

"You've a kid now, time to start thinking about them as well. It's not just you anymore, Brea" he warned her.

"I can take care of my family" she replied and walked past him. His words had lingered in her head though.

She did notice Juice talking with Roosevelt and looked at them. There was something there and she was just making sure it was alright. She did catch up with the boys greeting Bobby. Lauren embraced Bobby herself, glad to have a piece of family home again.

"Chibs, you knocked her up!" Bobby shouted when he saw Brea holding Juniper.

"Nah, Jax did tha'" Chibs joked.

"Fuck you" Brea said to Chibs, squinting her eyes at him. 

The boys held church afterwards. Brea left to go home, feed Juniper and such. Lauren waited for Tig and then told him she was going home as well. Tig made plans to see Clay later, but told her he wouldn't be long.
*****
"Brea, I've to go. There's an APB out on Jax, Tig and I" Chibs said to Brea, she was in the living room, enjoying the quiet.

"Filip? What? Now?" She asked, following him into the room.

"I've to go now, sheriffs'll be here soon. Askin ye questions, tha's why I'm not tellin ya where I'm goin. Keep you in the green" he explained as he packed a bag.

"With the law, not your whereabouts" she said.

"This is your life now. You're strong, you'll be alrigh'"

"How long will you be gone?" She whispered, trying to ignore tears as he'd be leaving her alone with their daughter.

"Dunno, I'll call ya on tha burner, if you need help with Juniper, Juice and Lauren will be around. I love ya, mo ghra" he kissed her forehead.

"Love you too, Filip. Be safe, we need you here" Brea told him.

"Aye, always am for my girls" he winked and left her.
*****
"He said he wouldn't be long, Brea. It's been hours and I've heard nothing" Lauren rambled into the phone.

"You know how stuff gets caught up and they're backed up all night" Brea tried to calm her.

"He was seeing Clay and Clay said he isn't there. It can't be good, Brea. I don't know if I'll see him again. I was gonna tell him tonight, tell him he'd be a father" Lauren sobbed into the phone.

It wasn't like Lauren to freak out like this. Maybe it was knowing she was pregnant that threw her off. It made her stress more than usual. Fear he'd die and she'd have to have a child alone.

She sat at the table waiting for him. Holding the box in her hands. She heard the door open and Tig walked in. She hadn't heard his bike. It was late in the night, so late it was early.

"Tig, I've something for you" Lauren said, not wanting to nag him about we he had been.

Tig didn't answer and Lauren stopped him, walking in his way.

"Tig, we need to talk, it's important," she begged "I'm finally pregnant"

"I just watched my daughter get burned alive. Hear her scream while all I could do was watch. I cant hear you tell me you're pregnant, not now, doll, makes you, and our baby a liability. It's all my fault, god, I hate myself. If I could've died tonight, I would've" he closed his eyes, trying to forget the memories of tonight, what he'd seen and the things he did "I love you but I'm hurting, baby. I need you to get that"

"Tig," Lauren breathed "I do, I just don't know what I can do"

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. Just, I need to be with you tonight. I need you to hold me and just, be there with me please"

"Oh," Lauren nodded "alright. I can do that" she said trying to make herself feel helpful when she knew she was helpless.