GANG RELATED [SWEET PEA] [✔️]

EPILOGUE || HEIR APPARENT

15 Years Later

The gravel path crunched underneath her boots, leather jacket snug around her shoulders as she watched the fog of her breath float upwards into the chilly air. The serpent on the back was now a little threadbare, slightly faded from years of wear. Her hair was up in a ponytail on the back of her head, her blue eyes surrounded by artfully messy black makeup.

She stopped at a headstone under the leafless arms of an oak tree, the late November frost coating the granite. Crouching down, she laid a small bouquet of flowers and a card against the stone, and with a small smile, she sat down cross-legged in front of it.

"Hi mama," Forsythia said, "Happy birthday."

Fallon's stone was slightly weathered, fourteen years of being exposed to the elements taking its toll. The black letters stood starkly out of the grey stone, the dates that signified when Forsythia's mother lived and died seeming particularly harsh today. Sweet Pea had elected to come by himself later to visit his wife, letting Forsythia do this visit alone.

"I miss you, ya know," She sighed, the cold air sharp. "Dad does too. He misses you a lot. We talk about you sometimes, me, Dad, Uncle Fangs, Uncle Jug and Aunt Betty. They make you sound like you were a superhero."

Forsythia felt odd, talking to wintery ghosts and an ice covered gravestone, but she was trying to hold onto her mother in any way she could. Fallon's heavy silver Serpent rings sat on Forsythia's fingers, given to her by her father as soon as she was old enough to wear them.

"I know you...um...died, when I was still really little, but I really miss you, mom." She said, and was shocked when an odd lump came to her throat, her eyes becoming blurred with tears. "I wish you were here to teach me how to be a Serpent. Like you."

Silence answered her, and Forsythia swallowed. "Anyways, uh...I guess I'd better go, seeing as it's really cold and all," She mumbled, standing and brushing off her jeans. "I love you, mommy."

She jammed her hands deep into her pockets, walking quickly back to her bike.

Mom's bike.

She shook off the intrusive thought, starting the black Harley Davidson with a growl and riding away, out of the cemetery and back to the South Side.

So many things were different here since Fallon had died and the Serpents gained and lost members, the ranks shifting and changing like the skin of a snake. Forsythia knew people saw nothing but her mother in the eyes that stared out of her face, the startling crystal blue making her father smile sadly, Uncle Fangs turn his glance away from her, Uncle Jug visibly flinch, and Aunt Betty take on a mournful air, especially around this time of year.

Her father sat on the couch, listlessly playing with Fallon's wedding ring, which he wore on a chain around his neck as he watched boxing on their TV.

His eyes shifted to Forsythia as she entered, her thick black hair wild from the wind.

"Hi dad," She said, hanging her keys by the door. Sweet Pea looked over at his daughter, a small smile ghosting across his face. "Hey, raindrop. You go see mom?"

"I did." Forsythia said, kicking off her boots. "Talked with her for awhile."

"I bet she liked that," He said, running a hand through his hair. "She loved you more than anything in this world. My Blue Eyes."

He stood and stretched, his body still tall and bulky as it ever was, but the age was visible on his face now, even though he had only just reached his thirties. "You have your mama's eyes, kiddo." He said, and Forsythia shrugged. "I know. Sometimes it feels like a curse."

Sweet Pea's brow furrowed. "Why's that?"

"Because," Forsythia sighed, "I feel like whenever mom's birthday rolls around or your anniversary or literally on any day that ends with Y, everyone always gives me these damn looks like she's all they see. I wanna be seen as me."

Sweet Pea let out a sigh. "Oh, sweetheart. Your mother had beautiful eyes, but yours are all your own. They're similar, sure, but they're not Fallon's. They're yours."

"I guess." Forsythia said, "I just wish I had your eyes so then maybe people wouldn't see someone who's gone in my face."

"Raindrop," Sweet Pea said, "I'm so thankful you have those eyes. You remind me of her, but not in a bad way. It makes me happy to see that beauty live on in you, because you are mom and my greatest accomplishment. Not the club, not the war, you. Seeing a little bit of her every day in the person she loved most is great."

Forsythia smiled, letting Sweet Pea ruffle her hair. "Thanks, dad."

"Don't thank me. I jus' want you to be happy."

"I am." She said, and for the first time in a long time, Forsythia Sweets meant it.