Chapter Eleven - This Is Hallowe'en

Title: Shelter

Author: sweetestsadness

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Kurt Sutter's amazing creation or characters. I do have a few characters I have created, but I'm sure you can separate the two.

Pairing: HappyxNora

Rating: M

Warning: Language, and adult concepts.

Summary: A tattooed man moves in next door and Nora's world is turned upside down.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

'THIS IS HALLOWE'EN'

Nora wasn't emotionally ready for Halloween. Or Samhain, as Rachel had insisted it be called. Ever since Nora arrived in Oakland, Halloween had been the Holiday most looked forward to every year. Costumes were always planned at least four months in advance, they stocked up on candy as soon as the stores started selling the big bags, and the pile of decorations they had in the garage always seemed to get bigger as years passed.

Samhain for them was bigger than Christmas. It was their Holiday. They never stayed home to answer the door for kids, instead leaving a big plastic cauldron full of candy out front for trick-o-treaters to gorge themselves on. While they went out and did their own guising. And depending on Rachel's mood, they would sometimes egg cars or TP houses.

When Rachel found out she had cancer, she didn't stop the tradition until the very last year. She'd been too tired and bed ridden to get into the spirit of Halloween. Her last treatment of chemo had completely knocked her on her ass, so they'd snuggled on the couch and had a Frankenstein marathon.

So, it was kind of understandable that she forgot the promise she made Lacey last year about a party. Nora was surprised to see Lacey on the other side of the door when she answered it. Practically begged the other girl if she could take a rain check. They could always go to a party next year, right?

Apparently not.

While it was Monday, both her and Lacey were off and the library would be closing early anyway. So, she couldn't make the whole 'I gotta work' excuse. Eva practically forced her in the chair while Lacey did her make-up and hair. Lucia got a good laugh out of it, and even came into the kitchen to be part of the conversation.

"Where's Vi?"

Nora didn't know much about Lacey's sister other than she had three children, all boys, and her husband was a Son from the Fresno charter. It would have seemed more likely for Nora to be friends with Viola Foote-Clarke since they were closer in age, but she'd only ever met the youngest of Vivica's children twice. Viola was always on the go, trying to get away from her family, while Lacey and the boys stuck to Vivica like glue.

Lacey rolled her eyes. "She just got to Charming. She text me saying she couldn't make it, she's gonna help set up and shit. But, we're still all going to be the same thing, we're meeting her at the clubhouse." Oh, right. This was a Sons party, she forgot about that too...

Great.

"What exactly are you going to be?" Lucia asked, fingering a black feathered mask, while Eva held up a pair of black wings. That was actually a good question, because Nora didn't have a clue as to what was in the garment bags. She would have guessed fallen angels if the wings weren't so bird-like...

Lacey's smile was a little off putting and Nora had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she identified as dread.

/-/-/-/

"I hate you," Nora signed after she slammed the car door shut. Lacey had parked down the street, but you could still hear the music from the party going on in the TM parking lot, there was laughter too and girly screams. Or maybe that was children? Was there children at this party?

"You love me," Lacey replied, rounding her car.

"I can't believe you made me wear this."

Lacey rolled her eyes and caught Nora's arm. "Hey, don't get your panties in a twist. And I didn't make you wear anything. Eva's the one who told you if you took it off, she'd burn all your clothes."

Nora leveled Lacey with a glare, which she could do now with the five inch heel boots she was trying not to fall over in. "Because of you, I'm not wearing panties."

"Shut up. It's Halloween and you look sexy. This is the one night you're supposed to get out of your comfort zone and explore. And a little FYI... Vi put these costumes together." Lacey's smile was sugary sweet and her tone was just a tad patronizing.

Nora rolled her eyes this time around and they locked arms, before heading towards the music. The closer they got the more she could feel the beat vibrate through her body, she could only imagine what it was like to stand near the speakers. The whole while she was talking herself up, creating more confidense then she felt.

Lacey was right, though. She did look sexy. Vi had chosen some rather choice pieces; fishnets, leather high-wasted cut-off shorts that were more like a pair of leather briefs, and a black lace bustier with black bird wings. And Lacey had done wonders on her make-up; Nora's cheeks were pale with very little blush, her lips were painted black, and her eyes were darkly shadowed with black feathers. Hell, she felt sexy. And that was enough to get her through the gate.

The minute she felt eyes on her, she could feel the insecurities creep up. That was, until Lacey elbowed her in the ribs and practically spat at her. "Don't even think about it. What would Rachel say? You are a sexy bitch, you strut that shit, or I'll wallop your lily white ass."

Rachel had actually said that once too. Nora had been seventeen and the three of them had dressed up like cigarette girls. Nora's boobs were all but spilling out of her dress, she'd been the shy sort then, right up until Rachel snapped at her. Needless to say, Nora did not get walloped then and she sure as hell wasn't going to now. She was twenty-two for Christ's sake.

Lacey pulled her through Teller-Morrow and Nora was surprised when a couple girls glared at them, it wasn't until that moment that she understood the irony of their costumes. So, she smiled back at them with a false sense of cheer. It wasn't until they found their third bird, that Lacey finally let go of her arm.

"Vi?"

The girl turned around. While Nora wore shorts and Lacey was wearing leather pants, Viola Foote-Clarke was wearing a slip of a skirt, but she was no doubt the missing part of their trio.

"Lace!" Vi broke out into a smile and did a little jump that jostled the baby in her arms. Viola had the same physique and skin tone as her sister, only her eyes were further apart and her lips were a bit thinner. The sisters embraced like they hadn't seen each other in years, but the baby in Vi's arms couldn't be more than three months old, so it was just that they hand a more profound bound then Vi had with the rest of her family. "And Nora! Oh my god, I haven't seen you in ages," she exclaimed and Nora was almost scared when she was crushed into a one armed hug. If only because she didn't want to accidentally squish the baby.

When Vi stepped back, she smiled at the both of them with a happy sigh. "Ten's around here somewhere. I think he went inside to get a beer," she said, fixing her hold on the baby cradled in her arms. The newest addition to the Clarke family. If Nora remembered correctly, Lacey had said his name was Noah Vandross.

"Where's Will and Danny?" Lacey asked, glancing around the parking lot for her other nephews. It sure had changed since she was here last time. While the bikes were all lined up like before, the garage was closed up, there were Halloween decoration galore, and a bounce house set off to a corner, which seemed to be getting the attention of the adults as well as the kids. Huh.

"They're with the prospect," Vi gave Lacey a mischievous grin and pointed over to the playground where a couple of kids were playing. Nora saw Phil sitting on a bench holding a baby and another man with side-burns and long auburn hair running after a couple of kids with fake Wolverine claws, making them giggle. "He asks about you, ya know?"

Nora's eyebrows raised, lifting the feathers with them as she turned to Lacey curiously. "Lacey, you got some splainin' to do," she signed, unable to stop the smirk on her face.

It was dark out, but they were under enough light to see Lacey's eyes roll and the corners of her mouth twitch. She was excited, Nora noticed, but she was trying to contain it.

Lacey kept her mouth shut and before either Nora or Viola could press her into some kind of confession, an arm wrapped around Vi's shoulder. The arm was connected to a man as pale as her, his Scream mask resting on top of his head as he took a drink from his can of beer. He was clean shaven, but she could see the tattoos creeping up his neck.

"Lacey," he said stiffly and Nora noticed Lacey's body tense.

"Ten."

"Good to see you finally found who you really are," he said, eying her costume.

"And it's nice to see nothing changes. You're still a dick," Lacey smiled grimly, tilting her head.

"You like it so much, get on your knees and suck it," he said stepping forward. Nora had to urge to make him back off, but Lacey was standing infront of her within seconds and right up in 'Ten's' face.

"Why don't you eat me first," she spat.

Nora's eyes were comically wide and she looked at Vi only to see the other girl roll her eyes. The Foote women seemed to do that a lot. And before she knew it Lacey and Ten were hugging and laughing so hard, Lacey was wiping tears from her eyes when they parted.

What the fuck?

"Good to see you, sis," Ten declared, smiling widely and making him more attractive than before.

"Yeah, you to," replied Lacey as she slugged his arm.

Viola slid up next to Nora, patting her arm as if it would help. "It's okay, it's a bit confusing, but it happens every time they see each other," she then turned an amused eye to her husband. "Tennessee Clarke, where did those nice southern manners run off to? Introduce yourself to Nora like a gentleman." The man actually looked sheepish.

/-/-/-/

Tennessee Clarke was actually quite nice. Almost like Juice, only not Puerto Rican. He was a talker that was for sure. Nora had learned he was actually born in Tennessee. In Oak Ridge, to be exact. His mother's name was Elaine and his father was William. His dad died a few years back so he was glad they'd named their first born after him. And much to Viola's dislike, he wanted another kid, hopefully a girl so they could name her Vivienne Elaine Clarke.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk...

Nora finally excused herself to get something to drink and she heard Lacey interpret for her, before she disappeared inside the clubhouse. The warmth was a nice change to the cool October air and while there were heaters outside, the goose flesh along her arms was now gone.

She headed to the bar with determination, she was fucking thirsty. It might have just been her nerves, but she'd never wanted a beer so much in her life. Which was kind of odd. She was more into grapes than hops. But she wanted the bitterness of a beer so bad, her mouth was watering. Yeah, it was nerves. She didn't like the setting she was in so much, it reminded her too much of her time with Esai for it to be comfortable. Even though Viola and Ten were nice, she couldn't expect that out of everybody.

And just as life would have it, Nora's shoulder collided harshly with another when she caught a bald head out of her peripheral. Turning quickly, she started to sign with wide sincere eyes just as the brunette opened her mouth. "I'm so sorry."

The woman paused, mouth agape, eyebrows lifting high on her forehead. She looked near Lacey's age, brown hair, it was too dim to make out her eyes, but they looked dark too. She was definitely dressed more modestly than Nora, in black jeans and a corset-like top. She could also just make out the tips of vampire fangs. The kind you glued to your teeth, not the plastic ones that scratched your gums.

"Nora!" Juice appeared out of nowhere, his arm going around her shoulders, careful of her wings. "Everything, all right here, Doc?" he asked looking at the woman a little cautiously. Doc?

"Oh, yeah," she nodded, her head going up and down in affirmation. "We just bumped into each other. It's not a big deal," she smiled then, and Nora felt a little better.

"It was my fault. Can you tell her sorry for me? I don't think she knows ASL," asked Nora, actually looking at Juice and nearly balking. His mohawk was red and he had on a kilt. Well, that was different. Then again, she looked like a feathery dominatrix. All she needed was a whip and a paddle, maybe some hot wax...

"She's sorry," Juice shot 'Doc' a grin. "Tara this is Nora. Nora. Tara. She's Jax's Old Lady," he said by way of explanation.

"Jax? Blonde hair and VP patch?" Nora asked, eyebrows drawn up.

"Yup," Juice nodded happily.

"He's nice," Nora commented with a nod, returning Tara's smile.

Juice laughed and then translated.

With a snort Tara replied, "He sure is." Her face got a little puzzled as she stared at her in wonder. It was unsettling. "Wow. Sorry, it's just... You're so young. When Jax told me about you, I just didn't realize. I thought you'd be more..."

"Butch?" Juice filled in helpfully. Nora punched his gut. "So weak," he chortled and she flexed her fingers a little. Ow. What were his abs made out of? Steel?

"Jackass," she told him.

Tara looked amused, before she spoke. "What are you exactly? You look like a bird, but..." she circled a finger around her own face

Nora looked down at herself. Leather, lace, and feathers. There was also the dribble of fake blood down her chin... "I'm a crow eater," she signed and Juice just about burst. She was thankful he wasn't drinking anything, because he would have spit it everywhere. When he was finally able to translate what she said, Tara couldn't stop from laughing either.

/-/-/-/

Nora stayed inside from then on. Juice joined her at the bar, but Tara had to go check on her kids. It was quite obvious children were not aloud inside. People were dancing, but others were doing things in the corners and on the couch that no child should see. Nora kept her eyes averted. Either looking at Juice or at the bottle in her hand.

She did of course smile at those who came along and helped themselves to a drink or those Juice introduced her too. Some of them she'd already met, either from the meeting here at TM or the one that took place in her kitchen. He didn't introduce her to any of the women other than Tara, she noticed and briefly wondered 'why?'

A hand touched her shoulder, resting heavily and Nora turned to find a warm smile that didn't reach the ice blue eyes of their owner. Clay. She managed a small smile for him, she was in his domain after all.

"Didn't expect to see you here, darlin'," he admitted, looking over her costume with a smirk.

"She came with a friend," Juice replied for her.

"Friend?" he looked at Juice curiously.

"Ten's sister-in-law."

Clay's head lifted as if to say 'aw', but then he smiled down at her and held out his hand. "Wanna dance?" Nora looked at his hand, eyes widening momentarily. But, she sucked it up and took it. He didn't have to ask, and while she wouldn't trust Clay Morrow as far as she could throw him, she wasn't going to disrespect him on his own turf. She'd made that mistake with Alvarez.

Nora let him pull her out to the middle of the room, peeking over her shoulder at Juice, who just held two thumbs up. Clay pulled her in close, his hand still grasping her right one. She lifted her left to his shoulder, while he moved them to the beat of the song. She recognized it as The Rolling Stones. It was fast paced, but Clay had them swaying to it languidly. She was just glad for the couple inches he left between them.

"Heard you've settled in at Hap's. You doin' good?" Nora looked up at the question, while she had on heels, Clay still had a good couple inches on her. She shrugged her shoulders with a nod. She was trying. She helped Eva with meals to pay for the hospitality. The woman wouldn't take her money, so...

"How about that van?" he asked, peering down at her. "Seen it around lately?"

His voice was concerned, but it didn't reach his eyes. That was why she didn't trust the man. He put on a good front, it would have been believable maybe a couple years ago, but not now. She learned to be cautious after her stint with the Mayans. She had to, it was part of her basic instinct now. She couldn't be naïve with a man like Clay Morrow.

Nora shook her head. She hadn't seen the van at all actually. And she'd been keeping an eye out for it ever since she shot the Russian.

"Good. That's good," he said, looking over her head for a moment, as if contemplating. "If you do, you be sure to let us know. You're a friend of the club now. Almost family from what I hear and we take care of family," he smiled down at her and Nora forced a smile in return. She didn't believe a word of it. Clay had something on her and he was going to keep her close in case the club needed a scapegoat. "She's all yours," Nora frowned when he spun her, nearly spraining her ankle as she collided with a firm chest.

Glancing up she was met with a werewolf mask. All she could see of the man within was his dark eyes. His arms wrapped around her, hands rough as his fingers dug into her hips and pulled her closer. Her fingers finding purchase on his shoulders. One glance at the tiger tattoo on his arm made her tense, but his body was familiar as she was pressed against it.

Happy.

Her body practically hummed at the very thought, and her shoulders shook on the shiver that ran up her spine. His face was covered, but she knew it was him, from the tiger that prowled down his left arm to his height. His presence always affected her and it wasn't any different now. She hadn't seen him much over the last couple weeks. She found him sleeping on the couch a couple times, but he'd been holed up in Charming for a good part.

Being so close to him now, she couldn't help thinking back to the night she'd killed for him. He'd taken her against the wall so deliciously and then continued to surprise her in the bedroom. Since that night, he hadn't touched her again. Everyone had their own opinion about it, but Nora was sure it was only a one time thing. Even when Happy persisted to take care of her. Because that's exactly what he'd been doing.

The thought made her pause. He had been taking care of her. He'd gotten the pre-pay for her safety. He made sure she bathed after finding her wrist deep in Rachel's ashes and then proceeded to make decisions for her as he made sure she was staying at Eva's until further notice. He'd been one hell of a bastard, but he'd been the one to make sure she was safe.

Her fingers overlapped as they found the back of Happy's neck. This closeness between them now was surprising in itself and Nora wasn't going to take it for granted. Her cheek came to rest just below his shoulder, more than likely smearing her blush on his white t-shirt as she took in his smell. Alcohol, smoke, and something just purely male. It might have been from the beer, but she rubbed her nose against him a couple times.

/-/-/-/

Happy leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, feeling the warm mouth wrap around him and move so fucking good along his dick. He imagined Nora, her sweet thighs wrapped around his hips, her doe-like eyes, and the shake her mouth made when she came. His hand found the back of the girl's head, snaking into the locks harshly. The hair was too long, sticking to his hand with the amount of product in it.

He looked down at the crow eater. On her knees and sucking him off. She was the first girl he saw after handing Nora off to Juice. The girl almost fell asleep on him, her body pressed so tight to his, and then she'd gone and rubbed her nose against him, sniffing him like a little bitch. It made him hard and she'd looked at him in confusion when he passed her along to his brother.

Looking down at the girl he chose, he felt his stomach roll. She wasn't even blonde. Her hair was a mousy brown and she was dressed like a fucking chick from the 30s. What were they called? Flappers?

Nora's costume tonight had been both arousing and amusing. And he wished the red lips around him were a pair of black ones instead. He'd never thought black lipstick could be such a turn on, let alone the feathers that had been around her eyes. And those bird wings...

Happy came with a grunt, closing his eyes and holding the girl's head still as he thrust into her mouth a good two more times, imagining Nora legs in those fucking fishnets. He shoved the girl back, hearing her scramble to her feet as he zipped his pants up. He didn't look at her, let alone speak to her as he fixed his mask and left the alley.

TBC.

A/N: Again, you all are so fucking amazing! Really! I'm not to sure about this chapter. I pushed it out though, because I had this idea and couldn't pass it up. However, I understand if you think it's shit. I really do. I'm my own worst enemy, have you noticed? There's a little bit of Happy/Nora fluff... Ugh. No, Happy and 'fluff' should not be in the same sentence, but anywho, they have a moment! I do hope you guys enjoy this and keep up the reviews! They are my fuel!