Forever Never Lasts

Jennifer cuts the Blazer's engine, slowly slugging her body out of the vehicle. Her joints seemed to groan with every sudden movement. Working day and night was beginning to drain the life out of the young woman.

After approaching the door to her apartment, she rests her hand on the door knob and every muscle of her body tenses up when the door gives and slowly creaks open.

"Fuck," she whispers, looking around frantically. There is absolutely no sign of life in the tiny apartment complex. Everyone is at work, or in their apartments hung over and coming down from last night's high.

Along with everything that reminded her of her old life, Jennifer left her guns in Charming. Going against her better judgment, she slowly pushes the door open and steps into the apartment.

"Hello?" Her voice is mousy.

The voice is not one that the man recognized. It is feminine and quiet.

He stays perfectly still, perched behind the bathroom door.

"Who is in here?"

He hears a drawer in the kitchen close. Thinking quickly, he kicks the shower curtain with his steel toed boot. It creates enough noise to make the woman gasp.

"Hello?" Her voice cracks.

The man presses his body against the wall, listening to the woman clear her throat.

Her footsteps are quiet as she approaches the bathroom, standing before the opened door.

His breathing is skillfully controlled, even as he listens to the woman's shaky breaths.

"Get out here and face me, you coward." Jennifer's words are spoken with such conviction, but her voice is weak.

There is no movement from the bathroom. Maybe I'm just crazy, Jennifer ponders to herself, slowly putting one of her feet on the bathroom tile. She keeps her eyes on the shower curtain. Her other foot joins on the tile, and she takes a large step into the bathroom. Maybe there's no one--

Slamming the door shut, the man causes the room to go completely black. Instantly, he grabs the woman and disarms her. He listens to the knife tear through the shower curtain and clatter onto the porcelain tub.

"Get off me!" Jennifer screams, flailing in her attacker's arms. "Get your fucking hands off me!"

He struggles to keep her contained. Her limbs are wiry, and move with a swift pace under his muscular grip.

Jennifer's bony elbow collides with the man's rock hard side.

"Ugh," he groans.

She nearly escapes his grip.

He grabs a large chunk of her hair, throwing her weight into the wall as if she were a rag doll. Just like a rag doll, she limply slides down the tile wall.



Jennifer coughs loudly, groaning as she turns her face into the mattress of her bed. "What the fuck," she whispers, clenching her eyes closed. Her entire body throbbed. From the top of her skull, to the tips of her pinky toes. She slowly props her body up on her shaking arms, slowly turning her body over to look around the small studio apartment. At the sight of a person sitting in a dining room chair at the end of her bed, every muscle in her body tenses again.

"You're awake."

"What the fuck," she whispers, pressing her back against the wall. She pulls her legs up to her chest. "What the fuck."

He blinks, his face entirely blank. "You okay?"

"Hap, what the hell are you doing here?"

Happy blinks, slowly rubbing his hands together. "Jax wanted to come, but... he's busy."

"What are you doing in my apartment?" Her voice is mousy again. "What do you guys want from me?"

"Jax wants you home."

She shakes her head, blinking her tears away. Her face burns as the tears slowly fall. Allowing her eyes to slowly focus, she pulls herself out of the bed before slowly walking to the bathroom and turning the light on. The face that stares her back in the mirror is slightly deformed. The entire right side of her face is slightly swollen, a bruise forming along the bones that collided with the tile wall.

Happy watches her leave the bathroom and sit back down on the bed.

"Did you do this to me?" She whispers.

He nods. "You came at me with a knife."

"You were hiding in my bathroom?"

He nods again.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She screams. "How did you even get in here?"

Looking up from his hands, his eyes slowly decrease in size. "Lower your voice."

"Fuck you," she says quietly. "You think just because my step brother sends you that you can come into my house and assault me? Fuck you. Fuck Jax. Fuck Charming, okay?"

He nods, "you done?"

"I won't be done until you leave."

Happy blinks. "Jax gave me orders, Jenny."

She scoffs. "Did he tell you to come kill me, or something?"

Happy smirks. "I can't go back to Charming without you."

"If Jax wants me home so bad, he can come get me himself."

"He's Prez now, Jenny."

Jennifer's jaw tightens and her eyes shrink. "What are you talking about?"

"You should come home."

"It's not safe there, Happy."

"And it's really safe here." He says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“This is my home now.”

Happy shakes his head, “No, it’s not. Charming is your home. It will always be your home.”

“Liar,” Jennifer mutters under her breath. “You know nothing about having a home, Happy.”

“Don’t be a bitch to me because you’re upset with your brother.”

Jennifer nearly snarls, glaring straight into Happy’s eyes from across the room. “He is not my brother. He may be able to give you orders, but he will not order me around! I don’t take orders from you or Jax, do you hear me?!”

Happy’s jaw tightens. “I said lower your voice.”

“Fuck you!” Jennifer screams, crawling across the bed. “You’re wasting your time here. This is my life now. Get out of it!”

Happy stands up, and standing against the bed. He quickly snatches up a chunk of Jennifer’s long, blonde hair.

Every inch of Jennifer’s tender scalp burns as Happy tugs on the chunk of hair in his hand. A loud cry escapes her chapped lips, as her back extends in an attempt to alleviate his tugging on her hair.

Happy covers the bottom half of Jennifer’s face, including her mouth and nose to stop the screams. “What part of lower your voice don’t you understand?”

Jennifer shakes her head, her tears falling over Happy’s calloused hand.

“You have to stop screaming,” he growls, tugging on her hair again.

Her cry is muffled by his hand.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’re gonna listen… I don’t wanna have to call Jax here, Jenny. Don’t make me do that. It won’t look good for either of us.”

Gently, Jennifer wraps her hands around Happy’s wrist that is holding her hair hostage. Her words are completely muffed by his firm hand, but she speaks them anyway. “Please, Hap. Let me go.”

“I didn’t come all this way for you to put up a big fight like this, Jenny.” Happy shakes his head quietly. “I would much rather you come back to Charming by your own will.”

Tears escape Jennifer’s big, gray eyes and fall over Happy’s hand. She slowly lets her hands fall, resting them on Happy’s tattooed forearm.

“You gonna stop screaming if I let go of ya?”

Jennifer quickly nods.

Slowly, Happy removes his hand from her face and releases her hair.

“I can’t just up and leave, Happy,” Jennifer whispers, slowly running her hands down his arm before resting them in her lap. “This is where my son’s life is now.”

“He’s young. He’s tough. He’ll adjust.”

She shakes her head, “How do you know he’s so tough?”

“He’s Kozik’s kid, ain’t he?”