Ain't No Easy Way

Eleanor groaned loudly the next morning her head throbbing from the previous night Never.Again she promised herself after yet another bender. Unfortunately waking up in this state was a common occurrence when Eleanor was out of school, during the terms she rarely went out or drank but once a break hit she went hard. Maybe it was to make up for the fact she didn’t really have a social life during the school year, but either way she woke up every morning after a rager regretting it. With closed eyes, Eleanor dug her face deeper into her warm pillow and sighed.

“If you keep moving like that baby, I’m going to have to do something about it.”

Eleanor’s eyes shot open and she flew back from shock resulting in her falling roughly out of her bed.

“No. no no no no no no. I didn’t –we didn’t? Oh gross god no!” Eleanor stuttered as she ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Tig sat up in the bed with the sheets covering his lower half, “Hate to break it to you doll but unfortunately nothing happened. But that doesn’t mean you weren’t all over me last night.” Tig watched as she put on a pair of shorts and put her hair in a messy bun.

Eleanor turned to him, “You took care of me?” Eleanor tilted her head to look at him like a confused little puppy. I always liked dogs he mused to himself.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t let go of me so it made sense.”

Eleanor nodded at him and brought her full attention to the man in her bed, “Well then thank you… Wanna stay for breakfast, I make a mean omelet.”

Tig rose an eyebrow at the woman, “Yeah, okay.” He made a move to get out of bed and Eleanor turned around making her way out the door.

“Feel free to use the shower!” She called out and when she reached the kitchen let out a nervous breath. What was she thinking she did owe him for taking care of her because she remembers how sloppy she was.

ring ring

Eleanor’s eyebrows furrowed, it was only 8 in the morning and she didn’t know who would calling this early.

“Hello.” Eleanor said placing the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could open the fridge and pull out ingredients.

“Hi Eleanor, its Donna Winston, Opie’s wife” She said in a little voice.

“Oh Hi Donna! How are you, I haven’t seen Opie recently at the garage.”

Donna let out a small chuckle, Eleanor noticed she sounded tense, “Is there anything I can do for you babe?”

“Actually I wanted to see if Op and I can come in for a meeting with you.” Eleanor stopped what she was doing and walked to a calendar she kept in the kitchen.
“Did you have a time in mind? My office is all put together so I can see you as soon as later this afternoon.”

“Yeah that would be great, can we do it before two I have to pick the kids up from school and stuff.” Donna said in a small voice.

“Of course so just so you know they are hour sessions and for y’all no charge. I can give you my address if you need it?”

“Eleanor, you don’t have to do that, really.” Donna insisted feeling like it was charity.

“That’s just how I run it. First meeting is free then it’s 150 a session, but obviously if they’re friends I overlook the charge since I see it as helping the homies, ya know?” Eleanor laughed a bit and poured the eggs in the skillet. She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out two mugs for the coffee she made setting them to the side.

“Thanks Eleanor, it took some convincing on Opie’s part but I think it will be helpful. We really need this right now.”

Eleanor had a sad smile on her face, she felt bad for Donna she really did, but she knew what she was getting into when she married Opie. When you marry a member you marry the club –that’s just how it is.

Tig walked into the doorway of the kitchen and saw Eleanor on the phone and sliding an omelet onto a plate. She looked so natural and uninhibited and Tig couldn’t help his mind wandering to walking in on this sight more often. He walked towards her putting a hand on her waist as he made a motion towards the mug and she nodded placing a plate on the table. Tig sat down and continued to watch Eleanor.

“I know it’s hard to accept it all but that’s what we need to do, is be there for our guys and support them fully. We can talk more about it later okay? See you soon. Bye.”

“Business call so early?” Tig said with a smirk on his face.

“As a matter of fact yes. I have my first client today.” Eleanor said proudly sliding her own omelet to her plate then grabbing her coffee and sitting next to Tig. well this is odd Eleanor thought to herself as she snuck a peek at Tig who seemed fairly comfortable in her kitchen.

“What that quack stuff was for real?” He said shoveling some of the omelet into his mouth. It was so mouth-watering Tig could have sex on top of a pile of them especially if the sex was with the cook.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee, “I did get my college degree in it Tig so yes, I would say it’s real. Granted I still need to get my actual license but it’s not too bad. But I’m fine for now since I just provide it to the club.”

Tig just rolled his eyes and shook his head at her.

“I don’t know why you’re making that face, out of everyone I know you could probably use therapy the most. You’ve had sex with a dead body, really? Necrophilia is very much frowned upon in civilized society.”

“How’d you hear about that, razzle dazzle?” Tig asked. For once in his life he felt a pang of shame and disgust as Eleanor casualyl brought up his sex life.

“Clay said something to me last night when you went to go get half-sack from the ring. Maybe he thought I would forget since I was so wasted last night.” Eleanor shook her head and chuckled.

“Anyway I don’t want to throw up my breakfast talking about your sexual deviance. Where’s my bike I want to run a quick errand before I have my clients over.” Eleanor took their empty plates from the table and put them in the sink.

“At TM I’ll give you a lift, yeah?” Tig said standing and placing his thumbs through his belt loops.
Eleanor nodded “I’m going like this so let me grab my sunglasses and I’ll be ready.”

Eleanor and Tig pulled into the Teller-Morrow parking lot and she saw that most of the guys bikes were already here they must have church Eleanor thought to herself as she unwound her arms from around Tig’s waist and stood from the bike. Tig followed her lead soon after and looked to the Clubhouse as Clay was making his way over to him.

“Thanks for the lift Alex.” Eleanor said with a wink and sauntered over to her bike and waving to Clay as she sped out of the parking lot.

Clay stared at Tig whose attention was on the entrance of the shop, “Come on Brother, we have business to discuss you can jerk off after.” Clay joked.

Eleanor left the flower shop with a grin on her face and didn’t notice a figure walking the same path she was and bumped into the body, “Shit I’m sorry!” Eleanor looked up into the face of a young officer.

“Not your fault, I hope you don’t mind my bluntness but you’re Eleanor right?” The man said as he looked at her. Eleanor narrowed her eyes and brought her bottom lip between her teeth in confusion and suspicion.

“How do you know my name, friend?” she walked to her bike and straddled it.

“When you hang around with the sons of anarchy you’re typically known to the law, not to mention you came into the station with Gemma and threatened agent Stahl numerous times –one gets curious.”

“I don’t make threats I make promises, she needs to point her strap on in a different direction other than mine.” Eleanor growled and throttled her bike.

“So is that it, you just wanted me to know the cops know who I am, whip your dick out for a pissing contest?” Eleanor slid on her sunglasses and stared at the cop.

“No, I just want you to be careful. I don’t know your connection to the Sons but you should cut it while you’re ahead.” The cop stepped closer to her bike and stared intently at her.

“Listen, you don’t know me well enough to tell me shit so I suggest you take your holier than thou attitude and save it for someone who wants it.” Eleanor knocked his hand off her bike and sped away to her house.

Eleanor quickly changed into a pencil skirt and blouse straightening out the flowers she just bought then shrugging on her blazer. Donna said that she had to forcibly pull Opie away from club business to make their appointment that would now only be about 15 minutes.

Knock knock

Eleanor looked to her watch from her laptop at her desk and raised an eyebrow. “It’s Open!” She yelled as she closed the computer and made her way to the door. She rounded the corner and came face to face with a red faced, puffy eyed Donna.

“Whoa, Donna what’s with the tears?” Eleanor asked slowly taking a glance behind the teary-eyed woman and noticing they were one person short.

“Opie said we had to reschedule –he had important club business to take care of.” Donna said with a thick voice of tears.

Eleanor moved Donna so she could sit in one of her chairs and sat down beside her, “Donna it’s okay; I’ll be here for a while. It’s not that big of a deal.” Eleanor handed Donna a box of tissues.

“It’s just he’s always doing stuff like this and I’m so tired of being second. How am I supposed to be okay with any of that?” Donna looked at Eleanor with a face of uncertainty.

“Do you want the friend version of the therapist version?” Eleanor said taking off her blazer and tucking her legs under her.

“As your friend I would tell you that he obviously doesn’t have his priorities straight since taking care of you and y’all’s pretty little family comes first –so leave his ass.”

Eleanor sighed, “but as a therapist working for a biker club I would have to say that you knew what being a part of this world meant and all the risks it came with. And you liked the idea of being the wife of the biker gang member until it came back in the form of five years in Stockton –and that’s when you realized that you didn’t want to be a single mom who couldn’t afford the clothes on her back. And once Opie went to prison you cut off all ties to the club, which in my opinion was the worst mistake you could’ve made. You see, the club takes care of their own so you would’ve been able to afford the mortgage for the house and the payments for your cars if you hadn’t been selfish in self-pity to accept the help offered.”

Donna stared at Eleanor with wide-eyed disbelief, “So you’re saying that I should’ve run to the very people who let my husband take the fall?”

“Correction, Kyle is the one who let your husband take the fall and I believe he got his, didn’t he.” Eleanor said smugly.

“You’re just like Gemma” Donna almost whispered.

Eleanor knew Donna meant it in the worst way possible but she couldn’t let herself be offended by the statement.

“Donna, I’m just saying you need to allow yourself and your children to have what the club has to offer. I grew up in the club just like Opie and I know the advantageous nature it holds for the families of its members.”

Eleanor studied Donna closely, she could clearly see the picture of a young popular but quiet Donna who caught the eye of one of the bad boys –Opie. The thought of being involved in something dangerous and thrilling but not quite attainable yet due to Opie’s age and the hope that the club could just be a thing they did on the weekends. It was a child’s dream and hope that a son of a founding member would just forget about the club and in a way Eleanor felt bad for Donna.

“I just don’t think I can Eleanor, I just have so much hate for these guys that left my family dry while they got rich.” Donna dabbed the corners of her eyes.

“But you have to remember you turned your back first” Eleanor held up her hands in front of her and shrugged, “I’m just saying.” Eleanor looked at her watch, “Don’t you have to go pick up your kids soon?”

Donna looked at her watch and cussed under her breath, “Thanks for talking to me Eleanor I really appreciate it.”

Eleanor led Donna to the kitchen and went in the fridge pulling out a bottle of wine, “Here, this is for you drink it with Opie and just try and talk –without throwing the club under the bus.”

Eleanor opened the door to her home to let Donna out, “My suggestion Donna, is that you take the tiniest of steps to allow yourself to embrace the club. Start small like go without bashing it and work your way up to getting involved with the other wives and girlfriends.”

Donna looked at the bottle of wine in her hands and nodded slowly.

“Whenever you need to talk Donna, I’m right here.” Eleanor smiled and waved good bye as she watched Donna get in her beat up truck and drive away.

“That stupid son of a bitch.” Eleanor mumbled under her breath as she grabbed her helmet and locked her house.

She got to her bike and hiked up her skirt revving her bike before she sped off towards the TM garage. As Eleanor turned into the parking lot she couldn’t help but be curious as to why she was following an ambulance until she stood from her bike and saw Kip jump from the driver’s seat.

Eleanor’s eyes went wide as she pulled her helmet off her head, “Kip, what the hell are you doing with that?” Eleanor yelled. She must’ve yelled louder than she thought because then she saw Chibs and Tig walk out of the clubhouse.

“We needed cash.” Kip said with a goofy smile on his face.

Eleanor power walked passed Kip hitting him upside the head as she walked past him to the garage, “Put it away before someone sees it.” She yelled as she yanked the chain to an unused garage space.

“My, my, don’t you look good enough to eat Razzle Dazzle, I like when you get all dolled up.” Eleanor turned to look at Tig with a pout on her face.

“Look I didn’t come here to exchange witty banter with you Tig. Have you seen Opie? Donna was at my house crying because he bailed on her.” Eleanor stuck out her hip and crossed her arms across her chest.

“He was taking care of some club business with Jax –I’m not sure if they’re done yet.” Tig replied as he watched Half-Sack move the ambulance into the garage and felt a spark of lust as he watched Eleanor pull on the chain just right to make the garage drop down.

“If you see him later can you tell him I’m pissed and he owes me a bottle of wine; hi Clay.” Eleanor said as she smiled Clay’s way as the garage doors slid up revealing Juice.

“So you stole an ambulance?” Eleanor heard Tig mocked as she left for her bike. She couldn’t even believe the foolishness she stepped into.

“I love wine and I love crime shows.” Eleanor sang as she sank down on the loveseat in her bedroom with plans to drink wine and watch the First 48 on her ipad. Opie had come over to apologize and brought a bottle of wine.

Whatever you said to Donna earlier thanks, she was still pissed but she didn’t bad mouth the club too bad.

Eleanor smiled into her glass of wine at the thought that hopefully she had started to get through to Donna. She set down her wine glass when she heard the creak of a door somewhere in her house and immediately felt the chill of warning go up her spine.

Eleanor reached under the cushion of the loveseat and pulled out her Walther PPK and saw that it had a full clip then reached for the suppressor that was hidden in the false book. Clipping the silencer into place she stood up quietly and walked towards her closed bedroom door.

Boom

The force of her door being kicked in made Eleanor fly back dropping her gun in the process. She momentarily had the wind knocked out of her that made her unable to scream as a weight pressed against her body, trapping her on the floor. She took a breath to scream and was stopped by a hand covering her mouth. Eleanor began to thrash on the ground screaming and kicking against the hand and the body that held her captive.

“They said you be a piece of work.” She heard a distinctly white voice comment.

Eleanor’s blood went cold as she realized the white supremacist group knew where she was and was going to take her back to Texas.

With a start she began to push harder and scream louder until the man pulled her up by the shirt and slammed her head against the floor. Eleanor whimpered in pain and fear as the man laughed and ripped off her shirt in one hard tug, squeezing her breast hard in his hand.

“They also said that I could take my reward how I wanted I said cash but –a pretty little thing like you how could a hot blooded male pass that up. ‘O course the bosses can’t know about this, the mingling of the races is frowned upon.”

Eleanor watched in a haze as the man pulled out a needle and just as the needle pierced her skin she kneed the man in the crotch. She screamed and crawled away from the man rolling in pain cursing her under his breath. She lunged for the gun and fired three shots into his direction hoping to hit something vital before the world started to spin and she dropped to the floor in a sea of black.

TIG’S POV

“You should call Ellie and see if she’s good. I have a feeling that if it is a Mayan-Nord alliance like we think they may know about her, and I have a feeling Eleanor is an enemy number one where the crackers are concerned.” Clay said as he sat at the bar closing his phone once again not being able to get a hold of Gemma.

Tig nodded and pulled out his pre-pay typing in Eleanor’s number while balancing the Irishman’s leg on his thigh.

This is Eleanor, eat a dick. Tig scoffed as he closed his phone and tried again getting the same message.

“She’s not answering man.” Tig said in a tight voice to Clay. Clay was about to speak when the bar doors opened and the rest of the sons walked into the bar.

“Hey, you okay?” Jax walked in putting a hand on Clay’s shoulder.

“Yeah, - I can't track down Gemma, though.” Clay said

“She's at the hospital with the kid.” Jax commented, Tig could visablly see the tension roll away from Clay’s shoulders. “Okay, good.”

“Do you know if Eleanor’s with her? We’ve been trying to call her too and she hasn’t been pickin’ up.” Tig said anxiously as he shifted Cameron’s weight on his leg.

“No-” Jax started but was cut off by Opie “She should be at home watching Tv, that’s what she told me she was doing. She should be fine.”

“Where's McKeavey?” Chibs asked as he looked down in confusion at the man who was defiantly not Michael.

“He's dead, Port Commissioner had him beat to death.” Clay stated.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” Chibs cursed as he knelt down to look at the wounded man.

Tig got back on the phone and tried calling Eleanor again, she was a priority of the club because a brother asked for them specifically to watch over her –that was the extent of Tig’s worrying. Or at least that’s what he assured himself.

“It was Darby. The Nords and the Mayans have joined forces. I saw it happening weeks ago when we blew up that warehouse. I told you we should have handled it then. This is Bloody Sunday, brother. We got to call in all the Sons, all of 'em. Kill this Cracker-Wetback alliance now.”

“Tig's right. Need bodies, need guns.” Opie agreed.

“You with us here?” Clay asked Jax. Tig could tell that the tension between the two men would be boiling over soon and he would be glad the day came when Clay would put Jax back in his place as a loyal VP.

“We're not ready for war. We got no cash, we got no weapon surplus, not to mention ATF's still in place.” Jax seethed. Tig scoffed and shook his head in frustration.

“The question is, are you with us here?!” Clay spoke loudly not taking his gaze away from Jax.

“Can you give us a minute?” Jax ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, sure.” Tig said as he and Opie walked away to give them space to hash out their problems.

Tig flipped open his phone and pressed the redial button again.

“You really that worried, brother?” Opie asked as he lit a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth.

Tig gave a sarcastic smile and shook his head, “Nah, she’s just our responsibility and the daughter of one of the most loyal and well of SONS presidents’, man. Some gash.”

Opie chuckled and shook his head, “I’ll drop by her place. She’s probably just passed out drunk, I got her some wine to make up for a date that I missed.” Tig gave Opie an unreadable side glance at the word ‘date’ but refused to comment. They stopped their conversation as Clay walked over to them and Jax went over to his bike.

“I want you and Juice to get on the horn, all right? Washington, Utah, Nevada, I want the number one and number two in Charming by the end of day tomorrow.” Opie nodded and hopped on his bike and before he left he gave Tig a look.

Tig turned to Clay to worry at the situation at hand, “Clay, I'm worried about this, okay? Jax is smart, and I appreciate his lead on a lot of stuff, but where we gotta go now, it ain't about being smart. It's about killing shit.”

“I know.” Clay sighed.

“No. I mean, I don't trust him. When push comes to blood, I don't. I don't think he's got the balls to pull the trigger, - you hear what I'm saying?” Tig said as he moved to stand in front of Clay, his gut told him that if this went on any longer things were going to get bad for the club and destroy it from the inside, so he refused to back down.

“I hear you! I hear you.” Clay shouted. Tig nodded dropping the topic for now and straddled his dyna to ride to the clubhouse.

THIRD PERSON’S POV

As Opie turned onto the street where Eleanor lived he saw a black van parked in front of her house and the light of her bedroom on. “Shit.”

Opie let out as he parked his bike and jogged to the slightly opened door. Pulling out his gun he crept into the house pushing the door open and shutting it silently behind him. Opie walked down the hallway to Eleanor’s room where he heard a soft noise and aimed his gun in front of him as he got halfway down the hall Opie noticed the door hanging of the hinges and cussed walking without inhabitations into her room. Opie looked down and saw a man with a black hoodie seeping blood from what must’ve been gun shots. He pulled his gaze further and saw Eleanor with passed out on the ground shirtless and a needle hanging from her arm.

“Oh Shit.” Opie said pulling out his cell phone.

“What?” Tig replied shortly.

“Brother you might have to come over to Eleanor’s.” Opie said as he bent down towards Eleanor. He was about to say more when he heard the other line was dead.

Tig slid out of the ambulance and saw a frazzled looking Gemma.

“What happened?” She asked anxiously.

“Ask him, Clay I’m headin’ to Eleanor’s somethin’s up.” Tig said as he brushed past everyone to get to his bike and ride to Eleanor’s.

Eleanor heard what she thought to be a muffled voice and then she was floating. She felt the pull of gravity on her legs, arms, and head as she was picked up and laid into her and she felt the warm water envelope her body in a relaxing hug. She wanted to open her eyes but she couldn’t, not yet –she was still so tired.

Opie watched as Eleanor still lay motionless in the bath he ran for her, he tried everything to wake her up and nothing seemed to work. He looked at the tub he took from the hooded man’s pocket and saw he injected her with benzodiazepine he didn’t know much about drugs but he had a gut feeling this was quality shit and she’d be out for a while he just had to hope her unconscious state wouldn’t have any side effects.

Tig stormed through the door and headed straight for Eleanor’s bedroom, “Op!” He called as he rounded the corner he stepped into her room and saw a man and for some questionable reason felt angry. Angry that this man came into her house, angry that he looked at her and angry he didn’t kill the bastard himself. Opie stuck his head out from the bathroom,

“I tried everything brother she’s still out cold.” Tig walked up to him and looked at Eleanor’s shirtless body in the bathtub and looked at Opie.

“Easy brother” he said holding up his hands in a defensive manner “I found her like that and I put her in here right away.”

Tig turned away from him and stalked to her dresser and pulled out a shirt, “get her outta the tub. What’d he give her?” Tig watched as Opie pulled Eleanor’s dead weight from the tub and wrapped a towel around her slight body.

“Benzodiazepine. Juice would know more about it than I do. Sounds like some fancy doctor shit.”

Tig ran a hand on his face in frustration, there was a lot to do –he and Opie had to start getting the guns together call the charters and now dispose of a dead body.

“Alright, you go back to the club house call everyone and start on the guns I’ll do what I can with this body and bring Eleanor back to the club house.” Tig said as he looked down at the body.

“And who’s going to tell Bones?” Opie asked in a sarcastic tone Tig looked at him and made a face, “just go.”

Eleanor woke up panicked alone and crying. She didn’t know why she was so scared but all she could do in that moment was cry. She felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed,
“Christ Razzle it’s me.” Eleanor relaxed but didn’t stop crying as she looked into Tig’s face.

She quickly looked over to where she remember the man lying down on her floor. Tig noticed her panic and caught her chin in his hands, “Hey, it’s all been taken care of.” Eleanor kept crying uncontrollably and threw her weight into Tig.

“I just can’t stop crying, Alex and I was so scared. He was going to take me.” Eleanor sobbed into Tig’s chest. Tig held his arms up awkwardly with a pulled back face, not knowing what to do about the intimate display.

“The cryin’ is a side effect of the drug he stuck in ya. Come on, we’re going to the club house –and pack a bag, you’re staying there.” Tig said after patting her back once and pulling out a bag. Eleanor nodded and went into her closet and dresser pulling a random assortment of clothes.

“What did you do with the body, Tig?” Eleanor asked.

Tig looked at her as they walked out towards his bike, “I noticed you had a new flower bed, Razzle, you need to mulch it for a little.”

Eleanor grimaced and hopped on the back of Tig’s dyna.