Madison rubbed her face after Izzy and Jesse had told her about what had happened earlier. After she came back from the meeting with her dad and Happy wasn't there, she knew something must have happened.

“Okay”, she exhaled heavily as she collapsed onto Jesse's old couch. “You had an argument, that happens between siblings.”

Trying to calm herself with these words didn't work as well as Madison had hoped. She knew that she didn't have to worry about Happy if he was in a bad mood and got away from the situation causing this mood. He always did that when he needed to clear his head.

But Izzy's words to him were harsh and the topic of protecting his family was still a trigger point for Happy.

“I’m really sorry, Mads.” Sighing, Izzy plopped down next to the brunette while Jesse sat down on the other side. “I was so angry. And I often say stupid things when I'm angry. I didn’t know it was still bothering him so much.”

“Oh you didn't know?” Madison shot Izzy a pissed look. “Do you have any idea how long Happy blamed himself for not being able to prevent the kidnapping?”

With his elbow, Jesse gently poked Madison in the side to get her attention. “Yo, Mads, it wasn’t her intention to hurt him. She couldn'tᅳ”

“Not now, Jesse”, the brunette groaned before looking back at Izzy. “To this day, months later, he still struggles with it. If I'm not in bed next to him in the morning, he gets up within a few seconds and searches the apartment until he finds me. If I don't answer my phone when he calls, he keeps trying until I answer or stops everything he's doing and comes home. And all this even though Steven is dead. He's fucking dead and Happy still can't come to terms with it. And you thought it was a good idea to throw words like that at him?!”

Madison's anger increased with every word until she was almost yelling in her best friend's face. The pregnancy hormones didn't exactly make her any more peaceful, on the contrary. They added to the bad mood.

“Iᅳ I didn’t know it was that bad, Madison.” Izzy lowered her head, not even blaming her friend getting so angry.

“Girls.” Jesse stood up and got between the two women who had also stood up shortly before to put some distance between the two before this could escalate.

“Oh, what the hell now, Jesse?” Annoyed, the brunette rolled her eyes. But deep down she was just worried about Happy. “I have no idea where Happy is, what's going on in his head andᅳ”

“Hey, take a break. Breathe, Mads.” Jesse moved his hand up and down soothingly before placing it on Madison's back. “Izzy said something hurtful, shit like that can happen, Mads. How many times have we thrown things at each other when we were angry?”

“Uh, maybe once or twice?” With a raised eyebrow, Madison looked at her brother, who scratched his forehead awkwardly.

“Okay, yeah, we never really had a real fight. But honestly, it can happen to anyone that they say something they regret afterwards”, he said in a calm tone.

“Come on, Mads, I would've never said that if I had known how much it would trigger him”, the Latina defended herself, and Madison didn't doubt that Izzy was genuinely sorry. “Do you think I’m not worried?”

A sigh passed Madison's lips as she rested her hands on her baby bump. The heat, worrying about Happy, and back pain were just killing her. She just wanted to lie down for a few hours and take a nap, which of course she wouldn't do until Happy was back.

“Well, I shouldn't have yelled at you”, she finally said with an apologetic look. “Just because Happy doesn't show how hard it is for him doesn't mean he's okay. He’s not.”

Izzy rubbed her temples desperately. “Why didn’t he ever say anything?”

“Don’t you know your brother, Izzy?” Madison asked in return, a lot calmer than before. “I can consider  myself lucky if he opens up to me once in a while.”

“What if I drive around town and see if I can find him? And you two stay with Rico and try to calm down a bit?” Jesse looked between his sister and girlfriend, waiting.

“That would be great”, Izzy nodded eagerly before placing a kiss on Jesse’s lips and looking at him gratefully. “Please call us as soon as you find him.”

“I will. And you two; talk it out”, he said urgently before returning Izzy's kiss, then he looked back at his sister. “Are you okay with that too?”

The younger Pinkman shrugged her shoulders but eventually nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. But I'll still try to call him.”

“Okay. If he gets here before me, call me”, Jesse told them, who gave Madison a kiss on the forehead and squeezed Izzy’s arm before leaving the two women alone, hoping that the two wouldn't start arguing again and leave his house whole.

ᚔ

“It's a pretty cool place.” Jesse sat down on the small bench where Happy was sitting, his gaze directed into the distance. “Mads and I used to smoke here often when we still lived at our parents house.”

It actually only took thirty minutes until Jesse had spotted Happy's Bike on the side of the road. There weren't that many Harley owners here, especially not in the area where he found Happy. So Jesse knew immediately that the bike had to belong to the biker. And by now he had already memorized the details of Happy's bike.

“Are you still mad at Izzy?”, he asked with a sigh after only a grunt came from Happy in response.

“I never was”, Happy replied with a shrug before resting his elbows on his legs and rubbing his face. “Why should I be angry if she tells the truth?”

Frowning, Jesse turned his head to look at Happy, who continued to just stare into the distance. The view was nothing special, just a small patch of desert, but apparently more interesting for the Tacoma Killer than looking at his future brother-in-law.

“It's not the truth. She knows that, I know that and you know that. And do you know who knows that most? Madison. It wasn't your damn fault that psycho kidnapped her.” Jesse fished a joint out of the pocket of his oversized zip hoodie along with a lighter. “They’re both worried about you by the way, yo.”

Only when Jesse mentioned that the two of them were worried about him did Happy look to the side to examine the younger man in silence. His look was hard, but he still appreciated that Jesse was looking for him in the first place. Not that it was necessary, but it showed that he did care about family and Izzy.

“I just had to clear my head”, he rasped. Happy wouldn't open up to Jesse, he didn't know him well enough. Hell, he barely managed to open up to Madison. How was he supposed to open up to someone else then?

“Yeah, sure, I get it.” Jesse took a deep drag of his joint, which he then passed to Happy as he let the smoke slip from his lips.

Happy took the joint and puffed on it as well, letting the smoke sit in his lungs a little longer before blowing it out. “Why my sister? I know that she's a great woman. But she's older than you and has a sonᅳ which means you also have to take responsibility. And she lives miles away. How are you going to manage that and also run a meth business here in Albuquerque?”

“She’s only a few years older. Besides, I like older women. She's one hot milf, yo”, Jesse smirked, clearing his throat as Happy glared at him. Sometimes Jesse still found the biker hella intimidating.

“I know what a lot of people think of me. That I'm not the smartest, that I don't have my life under control and heyᅳ it's true. But I know what loyalty means, how important family is even if I never had any except Mads. Yo, maybe that’s exactly why I know how important family is.”

Jesse paused as Happy passed him back the joint and took another quick hit before continuing. “There's a chance I'll screw it up. But I want to at least try. Izzy really means a lot to me and so does Rico. I'm not playing with her feelings just to have some fun, if that's what you think.”

“I never said I thought you did”, Happy replied simply, then his eyes darkened. “But if you do that, you'll end up here somewhere in the desert, and I don't give a shit if you're my Old Lady's brother.”

Eyes slightly widening, Jesse raised his hands defensively. “Don’t worry, I’m not that stupid. I’m lucky that a woman like Izzy even looks at me.”

“Mhmm, that's true”, the SAA muttered, the slightest grin on his lips, which made Jesse grin as well.

“Iᅳ” He awkwardly adjusted his beanie as the two passed the joint back and forth between them. “I decided to get out of the meth business for Izzy and Rico. And also to be able to be with Madison and my niece.”

“You got out?” Now it was Happy whose head snapped in Jesse's direction again, so fast that he almost sprained his neck.

Happy had to admit that he had underestimated the eldest Pinkman. He never thought he would give up the meth business for Izzy, even though his sister was absolutely worth it. The SAA had no idea how much money you made with cooking and selling Meth, but definitely a lot if you were good at it.

And not everyone would just give that up, which Happy gave the younger one credit for. Plus, this would make Madison super happy to finally have her brother in Charming.

“Yeah, I did. Mr. White wasn't exactly thrilled, but as fate would have it, he found a new partner. And this was my way out”, Jesse said without going into too much detail. “My house is sold, I still have lots of money left from selling Meth, which means I can offer Izzy and Rico a good life. Nevertheless, of course I’m looking for a job in Charming.”

“When the fuck did all of that happen?” Happy, surprised at how serious Jesse was about this, flicked the joint away and straightened his shoulders slightly. “Does Izzy know about this?”

Madison didn't know anything, she would have told him. But Happy wasn't sure about his sister right now. Although it no longer mattered.

“No, Izzy doesn’t know about it. I didn’t tell anyone yet except Mr. White”, Jesse told him, shrugging his shoulders. “Of course I’ll look for my own apartment. I don't want Izzy to feel suffocated by me asking her if I could move in with her. But I definitely want to be with her and Rico. And also be closer to Madison.”

“Why don't you take Madison's apartment?” Happy suggested after a quiet moment of thinking.

“I'm not sure Madison wants another roommate. I mean, you're going to be family soon”, Jesse pointed out.

“The apartment will be way too small for us once Annie is here”, Happy replied, his voice gruff. “We decided to move into my house across the street before Madison gives birth.”

“Annie?” Jesse's eyes lit up when Happy revealed his niece's name, who only nodded with a smile in response. This was probably the first time he saw the Tacoma Killer actually smile. Annie was a beautiful name. “Do you need help around the house? Or furniture? I could buy some stuff.”

Happy shook his head and hit his future brother-in-law  on the back after he stood up. “No, my house has everything. And the baby’s room is already painted, but don’t tell Madison, it’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“My lips are sealed”, Jesse promised, who also stood up and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his colorful hoodie. “And the furniture for the nursery? You already have that, too?”

“No, I wanted to pick it out with Madison. She's better at that than I am”, Happy said, a laugh vibrating through his chest. “And she has to do decorations and stuff like that, too. Gemma has probably already bought a thousand things anyway.”

“Aren’t all grandmas like that?” Jesse asked, amused. No, his mom wouldn't be like that, not if you didn't do everything she wanted. He found it all the nicer that his sister had gone looking for her birth mother. At least his niece would now have a grandmother who would love her grandchild for who she was.

“Probably. My Ma already bought bags full of clothes before she even knew what it's going to be”, Happy smirked, who was grateful that his mom was able to still witness all of this because of her illness.

“That kid is going to be so spoiled.” Jesse shook his head in amusement before following Happy back to his car and the biker's bike.

The men didn't exchange any more words, but Happy called out his name again before Jesse could get into his car. The older Pinkman sibling frowned as he looked over at his sister's boyfriend.

“Don’t break Izzy’s heart. She had it hard enough to get where she is today”, Happy said loud enough for Jesse to hear before he got on his bike. “But you have my blessing.”

“Fuck, thank God!” Jesse slammed his hand down on the roof of his car three times before leaning against his car for a moment while Happy had already driven off. Filled with relief and joy, he threw his head back and took a deep breath, finally letting all the tension slip away. 

ᚔ

authors note; Hey guys! Not so many chapters left of this story. It would mean a lot if you could check out my new Happy story SHE KEEPS ME UP. First chapter is already out! 🖤