On The Rocks

Seventeen

It was the afternoon before they all returned to the house. That morning had started with a large breakfast that Kimber and Whiskey made, followed by hours at the zoo, and a trip to the mall. Though the original plan had only been to pick up some clothes for Orion they ended up stopping in a handful of other stores which resulted in the large amount of bags that currently sat on the couch. Oddly enough most of them belonged to the boys, Kimber had only bought herself a new pair of sunglasses and some new boots. Her favorite combat style boots were losing their tread after years of use and it was finally time to retire them. She wasn't entirely sure what all Whiskey had purchased, while she had been trying on shoes he had excused himself to a different department of the large store there were in before returning a few minutes later with a large bag. They had ventured into a few stores together where she watched him purchase new gloves and a few other odds and ends, but she wasn't sure how he had ended up with so many bags when they left.

Shaking her head at the thought she grabbed her own bag and Orion's to take them to their rooms, not wanting to mess with Whiskey's stuff she left it alone. He would move it when he came inside from the phone call he was on outside. "Here bud," she held the bag out as she entered Orion's room, "why don't you throw them in your laundry basket so I can wash them before you wear them." Her son nodded with a small smile before taking the bag from his mom. Just as she was about to leave she noticed that he had an old backpack on his bed and it looked like he had some clothes shoved into it. "What are you doing?" The question was asked as she pointed at the backpack.

The little boy's eyes went wide as he looked back and forth between the incriminating object and his mom. "I-uh- well..." he tried to think of something to explain it before he finally spoke, almost yelling, "It's a surprise, don't ruin it!" With that he shooed her out of his room before closing his door.

Kimber quirked an eyebrow at her son's odd behavior before shaking her head and walking toward her room. Whiskey had been acting a little odd since they left the mall so she assumed he had something to do with it. Just as she turned from setting her stuff on her bed, ready to go question the biker, he came down the hall and stopped before her door with two of the many bags he had left the mall with in his hands.

"So here's the plan," he began, not giving her time to speak, "your mom will be here in about thirty minutes to pick up Orion. He's going to spend the night with her, we'll have a couple of guys watching her house to make sure they're both safe because I know you're not focused on it, but part of you is still worried that Travis is up to something. You are going to put on a good pair of jeans, your new boots, and the things in these bags then we're going out with Piper and Bishop." He explained the whole plan before leaning against the door frame, his arms crossing over his chest as if asking her to argue.

It took a minute for her to process what he had just said and once she was sure she had understood him correctly she glared at him, "And I'm just supposed to let you dictate what I do?"

He met her glare with a bored look, his eyes not leaving hers, "This isn't a suggestion, sugar." His tone was firm as he pushed off of the frame and walked into her room, setting the bags next to the ones already on her bed. "You need to do something to relieve some stress, the gym isn't an option, but this is the next best thing. Trust me." He stood in front of her, letting his tone soften slightly in hopes that she would see that he was just trying to help.

They studied each other for another long minute, something they seemed to do rather frequently while they were alone, as if they were trying to get a read on the other. She closed her eyes and released a slow sigh, "Fine, but this better be good otherwise I'm never going along with your plans again."

"Oh, it's going to be great." A slow grin took over his face before he turned to leave her room, "Remember what I said, put everything on that's in those bags." he added as he closed her door behind him so that she could start to get ready. Walking down the hall he stopped at Orion's room and knocked on the door before opening it, catching the kid as he zipped up his backpack. "Got everything you need?"