Fall Slowly

He's Gone

Eleven Years Later

I stood there feeling numb as I watched as they lowered my dad's casket into the ground. My brother Jax wrapped his arm around me and gave me a small smile. I tried to give one back but I couldn't Jax was doing his best to stay strong for mom and I but I knew he hurting as well. My mom was holding up as well as to be expected from a women who has lost her youngest son and husband in a span of five years. After the service we went back to Teller-Morrow, the mechanic shop our dad owned with our uncle Clay who wasn't even really our uncle. Our dad was a founding member of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club, so charter members came in from all over to pay their respects. I sat at a table in the back pushing around my food, I wasn't hungry and I didn't feel like talking to any club members. Jax and his best friend Opie were stuck tending the bar, they got all the crappy jobs since they started prospecting two months ago. I was happy for them being apart of the club was all they ever wanted since they got their first bicycles.

"Gianna, you need to get up and speak to people." My mom said as she came over

"I don't really feel like it mom I'm tired." I said

"Get your ass out of that chair and go greet the people who came all this way to pay their respects to your father." She said leaving no room for arguments

Gemma, my mother raining queen of the bikers. Appearance was everything to her, the sky could literally be falling and she would still tell you everything is ok. She spent most of my life training me to be a perfect old lady. She used to have hopes that Opie and I would get together no matter how many times I told her I only saw him as a brother. It wasn't until he started getting serious with his girlfriend Donna that she finally let that one go. She never listened it never mattered how many times I told her I didn't want to be an old lady. She was going to find out how serious I was once I tell her my news

"What are you thinking about all alone over here?" My godfather, Piney asked as he sat next to me

"Apparently I'm supposed to parade myself around greeting other the charters."

"You don't have to do that, they know who you are and are giving you space. How you feeling kid?"

"I just really miss him, my world feels a lot more lonely without him."

"I know that feeling not really know who you can trust anymore." He said and I followed his line of sight and saw my mom and Clay sitting together and he had an arm around her

"Exactly."

"You'll always have me. I'll stand in JT's place for whatever you need, just tell me the time and the place."

"Well now that you mentioned it, I haven't told anyone yet but I'm going to college."

"That's great baby girl, that's what your dad would've wanted. Every school in America would be glad to have you you're a genius."

"There are many people smarter than me."

"You're the only one I know personally that's on track to graduate at 16. What school are you going to?"

"Nothing is final yet, I have a couple acceptance letters at home but I'm waiting for the one I really want."

"You'll get in, whatever school it is, and then I'll be with you when you face the dragon." He said pointing at my mom making me laugh for the first time in days

The rest of the day was a blur as the party started to turn a little rowdier I was ready to go. I found my mom and told her she told me to wait a minute and continued to drink with Clay who barely left her side all day. So I went outside and sat on the picnic table to get some air, as I finally sat alone I felt myself sinking into the sadness that I had been carrying around since I saw my dad in that hospital bed, but I couldn't cry here so I held it in

"You ok kid?" I heard a gruff voice asked and I turned to see a stone face guy lighting a cigarette

"I'm fine." I said looking at his patches he was from the Tacoma charter

"You're JT's kid right?"

"Uh yeah but I normally go by Gianna." I said turned back to the picnic table

"You got a smartass mouth."

"Well my dad died so I think that gives me a little pass." I snapped

What was I doing? Gemma would slap the shit out of me if she heard me talking to a patched member this way but today I just didn't care

"I'm sorry about what happened to him, that shit's fucked up."

"Yeah it is."

"You're pops introduced me to the club, so I guess I owe him a little."

"Well good for you..."

"Happy." He answered and I bit back another smartass comment

"Happy, good for you, he was good about looking out for others." I said to him as Tara, Jax's girlfriend came over

"Hey Gia I have my dad's car do you want a ride home?" She asked

"Yes, please!" I said standing up

"Nice you meet you Happy." I said holding out my hand and he shook it, then he turned and went inside

"Who was that?" She asked

"Happy from Tacoma."

"He doesn't look very happy, in fact he looks kind of scary."

"I know!" I said and she laughed

We were almost back to my house when Tara glanced at me

"So?"

"I haven't opened it yet."

"What why?"

"Because this was supposed to our moment my dad and I, and he's not here and it sucks."

"I'm sorry Gia, I'll come in and open with you if you want."

"I'd like that,"

"You could use some good news right now,"

"Unless I didn't get in."

"Bullshit, I opened mine."

"And?"

"I'm going to the university of Chicago, pre-med."

"Congratulations! Have you told Jax yet?"

"No, I want to ask him to come with me, but.."

"The club."

"And your mother." She said with an eyeroll and I scoffed

"She's never going to let us both go at the same time." I said and Tara sighed then we fell into silence thinking about the madness that was Gemma Teller.

We got to my house I stopped and grabbed the mail I unlocked the door and flipped through the mail there was a letter addressed to me from Stark Industries

"Oh my God." I said

"What?" she asked and I held up the letter

"Stark industries? What's that for?"

"I don't know." I opened the envelope and I scanned over the letter and my eyes went wide, then I grabbed Tara and pulled her into my room and pulled out my college letter from under my mattress, and I opened the one I really wanted

"So?" She asked with smile and I held the letter up

"I got in to M.I.T. and the Howard Stark foundation is giving me a full scholarship." I said with a big smile.

'I did it daddy' I thought to myself