bakerstreet | the Surprise Kiss Meme

"Of course I meant it." He rubbed her shoulder for a moment before gently guiding her to a chair. "I'm just a little surprised, is all." Turning his head, Boyd looked back at Jimmy, catching his eye. "You go on out back and find somethin' to do for a while." He waited, expressionless and silent until his employee had made himself scarce before pulling up a chair for himself, his face full of concern. "Tell me what's goin' on, Tara."

She felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown, not just mentally from the years of secrets she'd been keeping for the sake of the club but, also physically from the last couple months. As Boyd rubbed her shoulder she shuddered slightly, before talking a breath to calm herself. Tara allowed him to guide her to a chair, her body seeming to go on autopilot as she sat down after pulling the piece she was carrying from the back of her jeans and placing it on the table near her along with her bag.

Her own gaze fell on Jimmy for a mere moment and then she was staring at the ground. Where the hell did she even start? "Don't know where to start, hell I wasn't even supposed to leave Charming, let alone California." She admitted suddenly, ever since Otto killed the nurse at Stockton with the cross she brought him, well she was sure she'd be going to jail for being an accessory to murder and had been told to stick around.

Normally, a strong woman she just wanted to crawl into a hole here in Harlan and never look back.

He hadn't remembered her as the type to carry a gun around, so the presence of the weapon earned a small eyebrow arch. "Not 'supposed to'?" he repeated, looking back up at her face. "That sounds like somethin' a judge might've said." He would know, having heard it often enough himself.

"Did you shoot somebody, darlin'?" If the strain she appeared to be under was any indication, whatever she'd done must be a lot bigger than something like say, shoplifting. Killing someone qualified.

So fair her part of the involvement hadn't gone to court just yet, but she'd had eyes on her from the local police ever since the incident not to mention she basically was on suspension from her job. "Hasn't gone to court yet, Boyd."

She couldn't get comfortable at the moment. Her body going from a straight position to that of slouching and than back again. "No," she finally answers while shaking her head. "I was doing a rotation at Stockton, old member of the club is doing time there. His wife was killed a while back - he asked me to bring him a necklace she used to wear...."

How could she have been so damn stupid? On top of everything else, the fact she wanted to get away from the club and then she does this. "It was a crucifix, this god awful looking thing. He killed a nurse with it - I brought it to him. Sure you can put two and two together."

Boyd's hand found hers and he held onto it, silent for a moment while he did that little bit of addition. Unfortunately though, two plus two wasn't quite coming out to four for him.

"Honey, I can understand the impulse to just run—you were scared and you probably weren't thinkin' too straight. But even so, it sounds circumstantial enough that a good lawyer could shoot a lot of holes right through it. Wasn't the club gonna help you at all?"

Tara's lips let out a shaky sigh, even as Boyd's hand took her own in comfort. Sliding her other hand atop his which held her other, she furrowed her brow slightly while he spoke.

"Boyd, I've seen a lot of shit and dealt with my own. You know this," she began softly. Hell, she had killed once at least to get out of a hostage situation but, that was of course self defense, "Say they will but, club business comes first. They've got a lot on their plates these days."

After a moment she tilted her head to the side a bit. "I wanted to go home, after our encounter even though you seemed such a gentlemen and actually gave a damn about me, after you decided not to blow my head off. And I don't know why I wanted to go home, I've wanted to get away from the club for so long, all the goddamn shit that is a burden on me and my family. I couldn't even get my boys out. What kind of mother am I to where I can't get my kids to safety?"

Standing, he went to the bar, picked up a bottle and poured out a stiff drink, which he set in front of her. "I do give a damn—I think you know that and it ain't just because I didn't shoot you. There's a lot of people in this world I haven't shot. That doesn't mean I give a damn about any of them."

He was a little taken aback to hear she'd left her boys behind. Without thinking too much about it, he'd figured they were outside, waiting in her car, or something like that. Not all the way back in Charming. "Are those kids in trouble, still bein' there?" Trouble being a relative term. As long as the club was protecting them, they were 'safe' even if Tara didn't see it that way.

"What do you want me to do, Tara? I don't know anybody out there, but I can try to figure somethin' out."

The moment he stood up, their hands parting she figured something wrong had been said on her part. Though, once the stiff drink was set before her she sighed softly and wrapped her fingers around the glass. "I do know that - just wondering why you do give a damn is all." Though, she felt she may know that answer.

"No, I mean it's not where I think they should grow up. They'll both wind up following after Jax when their older but, if I tried to bring them with me their grandmother would have hunted me down. Pretty sure Gemma would kill me just so she can keep those boys in Charming." She brought the glass to her lips, the stiff drink he'd poured her vanishing.

She set the glass back down, a bit heavily and stood up herself. "I need a place to stay, couple days at least while I figure some shit out. Not sure Charming is where I belong." There was so much unsaid in that sentence and Boyd was a smart man, to the point she was sure he could read the unsaid words.

She wanted to stay in Harlan. Plain and simple. She just didn't want to be a burden upon the man.

All the same, things had to be pretty dire for her to have just up and left them. There must have been something else to set her off besides what she'd told him. If she were brought to trial and convicted, that would obviously be bad, but still, it might not even happen. Running away though, made it look so much worse. It was almost an admission of guilt.

"You can stay here, of course. There's a little bedroom in the back you can use." It was his room, but he could just as easily sleep on the sofa in the sitting area. He took a step towards her, offering an embrace. "I'll help you, honey. Try not to worry."

At the moment her emotions seemed to be running wild, she felt feelings of happiness to be out of Charming all the way to guilt for not staying behind for her boys and to see what punishment might be dished out to her. In due time Boyd would get more of the story, of what's been happening to get her to this breaking point so to speak. Now though, wasn't the time.

"Thank you," her voice was strained slightly, though it was easy to tell she was grateful for his help. Moving into the open arms of the embrace he was offering her way, she slid her own arms around him and pressed her forehead against his shoulder. She trusted him, knew he'd help her anyway he could even if it was just listening to her vent. "Thank you, Boyd."

the Surprise Kiss Meme

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