Fallen Bast*rd

Kings University

Departure Day - Willa

The day Georgie and I had been waiting for arrived in a whirlwind of early morning hugs and tear-filled glances across the breakfast table.

Mum was crying before we'd even reached the driveway. Dad was pretending he wasn't affected, but it was obvious by the number of times he'd sniffed or turned away, 'big softie.' I thought, staring at him as he guided Mum down the steps.

"Do you have enough jumpers?" Mum sniffled.

"Mum." I laughed, staring at her with watery eyes. "I'm going to uni, not on an Arctic expedition."

"Can someone please explain to me why all the bags?" Demitri asks, staring at the almost full boot of his brand new fully loaded Range Rover.

It's not fair he gets to take his new toy, but our bikes have to stay put.

"Because." Georgie scoffs, standing beside him, shoving her laptop case into the boot.

I find myself unexpectedly pulled into a hug by Dex: "Call at the first sign of trouble." Scoffing, I playfully push him away.

"Where could I possibly find trouble?" I ask, rolling my eyes. "You'd find trouble in a church." He mutters under his breath.

Rolling my eyes, I hug him tightly. "I'll miss you too, big brother."

On the other side of the drive, I watch as Aunt Lilly hands Georgie a duffle stuffed with emergency medical supplies, a sewing kit and more snacks than a confectionery counter.

At least she's stopped crying now; I thought we were gonna have to build an ark.

Demitri reclined against his car, keys spinning around his finger. "Will you two be done sometime this week?"

"Shut up, Demi. Don't think I didn't see you saying bye to Alex and Gracie." Snapped, Georgie, hugging her mum and Butch.

One by one, we hugged everyone goodbye, and as I got to Dad, he whispered in my ear.

"Go become who you were born to be, Willa Bear." I smiled, blinking back my tears.

As we made our way out of the compound, none of us noticed the three all-black Yamaha sport bikes carrying black-clad riders, one Sinner, one Bastard and one Wraith.

Christmas Break - Year One, Ax

"You're not coming?" Dex asks, standing in the middle of the girls? dorm with bags hanging from each hand.

Sighing, Willa doesn't look up from her laptop. "I've got a project deadline to meet."

"You've known we were coming for two weeks," I say—still nothing, not even a glance in my direction.

"My project partner is useless and left early for Christmas break."

Georgie gives her a sympathetic smile. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Take my bags, and I'll get a train tomorrow." She says, waving Georgie away.

"No." I grit out. That gets her attention, barely. "I'll stay and drive you back."

No one argues, not even Dex. Her eyes flicker towards me before returning to the screen.

*

By the time I return from seeing Georgie and Dex off, the building's practically empty.

I knock on her door; she answers, still dressed in thick socks, shorts and a hoody I now recognise as one of my old Fallen Sinners hoodies.

Ignoring me, she heads back to their room and continues relentlessly tapping away on her laptop.

"You gonna ignore me all night?" I ask, sitting on the edge of Georgie's bed.

"I'm busy."

Silence settles between us. "I owe you an apology." She keeps typing.

"For what?"

"All of it." Her fingers pause over the keys. Sighing, I rub the back of my neck.

"When I realised how I felt about you, it made me sick." Her head snaps up. 'Good start, West. f*****g brilliant.'

"Not because of you, Wills," I add quickly. "Never you."

She stares. "I watched you grow up. Watched you learn how to ride a bike." She folds her arms.

"There are five years between us, West; it's not like you changed my nappies. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I watched you learn to ride bikes and break a wrist."

Despite myself, I smile. She does not. "When you and Gie started getting older. Our dads told us."

God, this is harder than I thought. "We had to protect you, that there'd be men tryna get close to you, looking to gain access to the clubs, to our families."

"You weren't one of them, so why?" She asks.

"Because somewhere along the way I stopped seeing Bear's little girl and started seeing you." Her expression softens, but only slightly.

"I'm scared too." She says, moving away from her mini-computer lab. "Of me?" I ask.

"Of being nothing but Ax's ol' lady."

I frown. "That's not nothing."

"I didn't. I have my own plans. My own dreams. I don't wanna spend my life putting Ax and the Club first, just because it's what's expected of me."

A laugh escapes before I can stop it. Her eyes narrow. s**t. "What's so funny?" she asks, calmly. Too calm.

"You, thinking you'd ever be some quiet ol? lady home waiting on me."

She frowns. "That's not what I said."

"You're more outlaw than half the men that have ever prospected or rode at my back."

She stands, her expression hardening. "You think because I'm good with computers and grew up around clubs, I must wanna build my own criminal empire?"

Fuck. "No."

Snorting, she stares me down. "Kinda what you implied."

Sanding, she marches to the door and yanks it open. "I told you I was scared of losing myself, and you laughed."

"Willa, come on. I wasn't laughing at you"

Raising an eyebrow, she stares at me. "You still only see what I can become in your world."

"No, that's not true."

She shakes her head. "And that's why all you'll ever be to me is Ax."

I stare at her; her words hit harder than they should.

King's Year Two - Willa

The first year disappears in the blink of an eye. Georgie and Demi are thriving; they seem to make a new friend every term, from media students to rugby players and one girl who I'm sure survives on coffee and vending machine food.

Yet they still find time to drag me to weekly pub quizzes.

I go, of course, just less and less. The cybersecurity lab has become my new home, Ethical hacking my new Moby d**k, with extra lectures, additional certifications, and the odd capture-the-flag competition.

Entire weekends vanish inside the cyber labs. Eventually even Georgie stops asking me to join them. Our friendship never ends; it shifts and realigns.

When I came home that summer, everyone gathered for dinner.

"So, I've got some news," I announced, and everyone stopped and stared. "I've been accepted onto King's international exchange programme."

Silence, yikes. "I'm spending next year in America."

Dad is the First to react. "I knew you'd get it." He smiles.

Mum reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. Butch and Lil nod, though I can see tears in her eyes. "Proud of you," Butch says.

I gaze at Ax, sitting there looking like a slapped arse.

Graduation - Georgie

The graduation hall is packed with proud families, badly behaved younger siblings and enough flowers to open a garden centre.

Both clubs have turned up in force, although only our parents have tickets for the ceremony. The rest are waiting outside, probably terrifying campus security.

Demitri stands with us, wearing the biggest grin I've ever seen. Where his parents should have stood, stands Alex, an arm wrapped proudly around his younger brother.

Besides him, his wife Gracie dabs tears from her eyes.

Family isn't always who gives you life. Sometimes it's who helps you keep living.

*

The celebration carried on long into the evening. Bear finds Willa standing alone overlooking the river.

"You did good, Willa Bear." Smiling, she briefly rests her head against his chest.

"You followed your dreams." He says, smiling.

"I did."

"And I see you're starting to make a name for yourself." He says, taking a sip of whiskey.

Grinning, she hugs him tighter. "Encase I ain't said it today, I'm proud of you."

Kissing her forehead, he chuckles. "So?"

She already knows what's coming next. "You forgive Ax yet?"

"Nice try, old man." Snorting, she walks away.

Across the Garden, Dex offers me his hand. "Dance?" he asks, grinning.

"Thought bikers didn't dance," I state, raising an eyebrow.

"We don't; this is strategic swaying." Laughing, I let him pull me closer, swaying my arse; he can dance.

Moving under the lights, we catch up on all the things missed during rushed calls and weekend visits.

"Thank you," I say.

Pausing, he frowns. "For what?"

"Giving me space. Letting me study and work out who I am, with you or the clubs."

His thumb brushes my back. "I'll never stop you being who you are, Gie."

I rest my head on his chest. "I know."

"I mean it, whatever comes next?" He squeezes my hand. "I'll stand beside you."

I smile. "Good, because eventually Willa, Demi and I are gonna start a business."

His eyebrows lift. "Eventually?"

"We need experience and backing. And before you say it, no, not the clubs."

Pausing, Dex glances across the garden towards Willa, who is huddled over her phone.

"Willa ever tell you what she got up to in America?"

My smile fades. "Do you know what went down with our sister club?" I grab a beer from a nearby table and take a long drink.

Dex watches me with suspicion.

I say nothing.