‹ Prequel: Seize Control
Fate Misunderstood
003
Christina Maxwell was one of those crazy, carefree girls. Juliette had first met her in their Anatomy & Physiology class at the beginning of their first semester at UW. The two girls were instant friends, which was something new to Juliette, who had always had a shortage of females present in her life. The summer after their first year Christina moved into the second bedroom of Juliette's apartment and the two became roommates as well as friends.
Ryan North was in the first year of his residency at Seattle General when Juliette started working at the same hospital. They had met in the cafeteria on lunch break and Christina had been the one to shove her into him so that she was forced to speak to him. Ryan was a perfect gentleman, and he was on the fast track to becoming the best surgeon at Seattle General. He had decided that he wanted to go into cardiothoracic surgery while he was still in medical school at Stanford, but he still had a long road ahead of him.
For the first time in her life, Juliette was completely satisfied. She had a job she loved, a great best friend, and the best boyfriend she could ever ask for.
She was still sitting in the living room with her three guests while Christina and Ryan had gone back to the bedrooms to get ready for work. They both had to work the night shift while Juliette had the day off. "Alright," she sighed, getting up from the loveseat and stretching her muscles. "Who wants dinner?"
"You still cook the way you used to?" Kozik asked, folding his hands behind his head as he put his boot-clad feet up on her coffee table.
"Maybe," she grinned.
"Then hell yes."
"I'll get started then. You guys can do whatever- watch tv, have some more beer." Juliette moved into the kitchen to begin making dinner while the men made themselves at home in her living room.
Ryan emerged from the back first and he went straight into the kitchen where Juliette was standing by the stove, stirring a pot of her made-from-scratch sauce. Christina followed behind him only a few seconds later and she immediately walked over to her friend. "Okay, what the fuck is going on?!" she whispered harshly.
"What?" Play dumb, Juliette. Really great, she thought to herself as she stirred her sauce. She'd had this coming all afternoon, but it was the first time they had been able to get her alone.
"Who the fuck are those people? How do you even know people like that? Why are they here?"
Juliette let out a heavy sigh as she turned to face them and ran a hand through her dark hair. "I don't know the other two, but Kozik I've known since I was a teenager. He's a family friend. He helped save my life once and I owe him a lot." Both of them just stared blankly at her and she sighed. "Look, I know this all seems.....crazy. But can we just drop it for now? Please?"
Ryan and Christina looked at each other before looking back to her. Finally, Christina nodded her head. "Okay. For now."
"Thank you."
"Julie, I don't want you to be here alone with those guys," Ryan said seriously.
Juliette chuckled to herself, finding his worry humorous. "Don't worry about me, Ryan. They're like family."
"But you don't even know two of them!"
"Doesn't matter." She'd learned a long time ago that any Son, no matter where he was from, was family. Ryan gave her a confused look, but she ignored him as she turned back to the stove.
"Smells good, Jules!" Kozik announced as he strutted into the room. "Whatcha cookin'?" He walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder as she stirred the contents of the pot.
"You still like chicken parmesan?"
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Dammit I missed you, girl."
Ryan and Christina only watched speechlessly as he gave her a playful slap on the bottom, making her yelp in surprise. "Asshole!" she shouted after him as he walked back out of the kitchen chuckling to himself.
"Chris, we should get going," Ryan finally said after a moment.
Christina looked down at her watch then grabbed her bag from the table. "We'll see you in the morning, Julie." She walked out of the kitchen first and Ryan gave Juliette a quick kiss on the cheek before following her.
Juliette went back to what she was doing, getting the chicken out of the fridge and cooking it then putting it into the dish with the rest of the ingredients and sliding it into the oven. Once that was done, she set the timer and grabbed three more beers from the fridge to take out to her guests. She handed them out before curling back up on the loveseat. "Dinner's in the oven. Shouldn't be long now."
Kozik took a big gulp of his beer. "So that's your boyfriend, you said?"
Juliette gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, why?"
He shook his head as he leaned back against the back of the sofa. "Just seems a little friendly with that other bitch. Think there's somethin' goin' on there, Jules."
"They're friends, Koz."
"The kid didn't even say a word when I smacked your ass!"
"He's probably scared of you. And who can blame him? I mean, look at you guys. You could've at least taken those things off before you came knockin' on the door," she told him, nodding toward the leather that all three wore on their backs, emblazoned with the reaper.
"Can't wait to see his face when he meets your guys then," he chuckled.
Her smile faded and she sighed. "Who actually is coming by the way?"
"Don't know, but guaranteed no matter who it is, they're at least ten times scarier than Axel here," he replied, slapping his hand against the prospect's back. "Hey, when's the last time you talked to your family anyway?"
"Um....Christmas, I think. Jax called me. Mom emails me every few months, but it's always just pictures of Abel."
Kozik frowned at the mention of Jax's baby boy, but Juliette didn't seem to notice. She was too busy thinking of her family 800 miles away in Charming. She loved being so far away from all the Club shit, but at the same time, she missed her family-- Jax in particular. She and her brother had always been close, but she hadn't even spoken to him in months. Besides emailing baby pictures, her mother hadn't spoken to her since she called to tell Juliette about the baby's birth. And her stepfather she hadn't spoken to since the day she left Charming. Juliette frowned as she rose to her feet. "I'm gonna go check on dinner."
She stayed in the kitchen until dinner was finished and after she took it out of the oven, she quickly set the dining room table and called the men in to eat. They quickly dug in but Juliette was now in a somewhat dismal mood and she barely touched her plate. Kozik immediately picked up on her mood change but he said nothing as he enjoyed the meal she'd made.
After everyone had finished, she quickly loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen before going back into the living room. Axel and Lorca were watching television while Kozik stood by the window, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he stared outside.
Juliette walked over to stand next to him, looking out the window as well. "What is it?" she finally asked him after a few moments.
"Just looking."
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Juliette looked to Kozik and he walked over to answer it. When he returned to the living room, there was an extremely tall and extremely intimidating man behind him. He too wore a Tacoma patch and Juliette remembered seeing him a few times when the Tacoma boys had come to Charming to help out SAMCRO. "Your turn, boys," he barked at the two men sitting on her sofa.
Axel and Lorca begrudgingly rose from their seats and quickly left the apartment while Kozik took a seat on the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Jules, this is Happy. He's been on watch downstairs."
She nodded in understanding, noting to herself that this man's name definitely didn't match his demeanor. Irony perhaps. "Are you hungry, Happy? I just made dinner about an hour ago and there's a ton left over."
"Thanks," he replied gruffly and took a seat next to the blonde man on the sofa. Juliette went into the kitchen to make him a plate and she grabbed a beer from the fridge to take out to him.
She sat across from them, just watching as Happy ate and Kozik flipped through the channels to find something to watch on tv. It had been a long time since she'd been taking care of a bunch of grown bikers but it felt just like old times.
That was the part that worried her.
Ryan North was in the first year of his residency at Seattle General when Juliette started working at the same hospital. They had met in the cafeteria on lunch break and Christina had been the one to shove her into him so that she was forced to speak to him. Ryan was a perfect gentleman, and he was on the fast track to becoming the best surgeon at Seattle General. He had decided that he wanted to go into cardiothoracic surgery while he was still in medical school at Stanford, but he still had a long road ahead of him.
For the first time in her life, Juliette was completely satisfied. She had a job she loved, a great best friend, and the best boyfriend she could ever ask for.
She was still sitting in the living room with her three guests while Christina and Ryan had gone back to the bedrooms to get ready for work. They both had to work the night shift while Juliette had the day off. "Alright," she sighed, getting up from the loveseat and stretching her muscles. "Who wants dinner?"
"You still cook the way you used to?" Kozik asked, folding his hands behind his head as he put his boot-clad feet up on her coffee table.
"Maybe," she grinned.
"Then hell yes."
"I'll get started then. You guys can do whatever- watch tv, have some more beer." Juliette moved into the kitchen to begin making dinner while the men made themselves at home in her living room.
Ryan emerged from the back first and he went straight into the kitchen where Juliette was standing by the stove, stirring a pot of her made-from-scratch sauce. Christina followed behind him only a few seconds later and she immediately walked over to her friend. "Okay, what the fuck is going on?!" she whispered harshly.
"What?" Play dumb, Juliette. Really great, she thought to herself as she stirred her sauce. She'd had this coming all afternoon, but it was the first time they had been able to get her alone.
"Who the fuck are those people? How do you even know people like that? Why are they here?"
Juliette let out a heavy sigh as she turned to face them and ran a hand through her dark hair. "I don't know the other two, but Kozik I've known since I was a teenager. He's a family friend. He helped save my life once and I owe him a lot." Both of them just stared blankly at her and she sighed. "Look, I know this all seems.....crazy. But can we just drop it for now? Please?"
Ryan and Christina looked at each other before looking back to her. Finally, Christina nodded her head. "Okay. For now."
"Thank you."
"Julie, I don't want you to be here alone with those guys," Ryan said seriously.
Juliette chuckled to herself, finding his worry humorous. "Don't worry about me, Ryan. They're like family."
"But you don't even know two of them!"
"Doesn't matter." She'd learned a long time ago that any Son, no matter where he was from, was family. Ryan gave her a confused look, but she ignored him as she turned back to the stove.
"Smells good, Jules!" Kozik announced as he strutted into the room. "Whatcha cookin'?" He walked up behind her, looking over her shoulder as she stirred the contents of the pot.
"You still like chicken parmesan?"
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Dammit I missed you, girl."
Ryan and Christina only watched speechlessly as he gave her a playful slap on the bottom, making her yelp in surprise. "Asshole!" she shouted after him as he walked back out of the kitchen chuckling to himself.
"Chris, we should get going," Ryan finally said after a moment.
Christina looked down at her watch then grabbed her bag from the table. "We'll see you in the morning, Julie." She walked out of the kitchen first and Ryan gave Juliette a quick kiss on the cheek before following her.
Juliette went back to what she was doing, getting the chicken out of the fridge and cooking it then putting it into the dish with the rest of the ingredients and sliding it into the oven. Once that was done, she set the timer and grabbed three more beers from the fridge to take out to her guests. She handed them out before curling back up on the loveseat. "Dinner's in the oven. Shouldn't be long now."
Kozik took a big gulp of his beer. "So that's your boyfriend, you said?"
Juliette gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, why?"
He shook his head as he leaned back against the back of the sofa. "Just seems a little friendly with that other bitch. Think there's somethin' goin' on there, Jules."
"They're friends, Koz."
"The kid didn't even say a word when I smacked your ass!"
"He's probably scared of you. And who can blame him? I mean, look at you guys. You could've at least taken those things off before you came knockin' on the door," she told him, nodding toward the leather that all three wore on their backs, emblazoned with the reaper.
"Can't wait to see his face when he meets your guys then," he chuckled.
Her smile faded and she sighed. "Who actually is coming by the way?"
"Don't know, but guaranteed no matter who it is, they're at least ten times scarier than Axel here," he replied, slapping his hand against the prospect's back. "Hey, when's the last time you talked to your family anyway?"
"Um....Christmas, I think. Jax called me. Mom emails me every few months, but it's always just pictures of Abel."
Kozik frowned at the mention of Jax's baby boy, but Juliette didn't seem to notice. She was too busy thinking of her family 800 miles away in Charming. She loved being so far away from all the Club shit, but at the same time, she missed her family-- Jax in particular. She and her brother had always been close, but she hadn't even spoken to him in months. Besides emailing baby pictures, her mother hadn't spoken to her since she called to tell Juliette about the baby's birth. And her stepfather she hadn't spoken to since the day she left Charming. Juliette frowned as she rose to her feet. "I'm gonna go check on dinner."
She stayed in the kitchen until dinner was finished and after she took it out of the oven, she quickly set the dining room table and called the men in to eat. They quickly dug in but Juliette was now in a somewhat dismal mood and she barely touched her plate. Kozik immediately picked up on her mood change but he said nothing as he enjoyed the meal she'd made.
After everyone had finished, she quickly loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the kitchen before going back into the living room. Axel and Lorca were watching television while Kozik stood by the window, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he stared outside.
Juliette walked over to stand next to him, looking out the window as well. "What is it?" she finally asked him after a few moments.
"Just looking."
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Juliette looked to Kozik and he walked over to answer it. When he returned to the living room, there was an extremely tall and extremely intimidating man behind him. He too wore a Tacoma patch and Juliette remembered seeing him a few times when the Tacoma boys had come to Charming to help out SAMCRO. "Your turn, boys," he barked at the two men sitting on her sofa.
Axel and Lorca begrudgingly rose from their seats and quickly left the apartment while Kozik took a seat on the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Jules, this is Happy. He's been on watch downstairs."
She nodded in understanding, noting to herself that this man's name definitely didn't match his demeanor. Irony perhaps. "Are you hungry, Happy? I just made dinner about an hour ago and there's a ton left over."
"Thanks," he replied gruffly and took a seat next to the blonde man on the sofa. Juliette went into the kitchen to make him a plate and she grabbed a beer from the fridge to take out to him.
She sat across from them, just watching as Happy ate and Kozik flipped through the channels to find something to watch on tv. It had been a long time since she'd been taking care of a bunch of grown bikers but it felt just like old times.
That was the part that worried her.
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:)