new character introduction; Amanda Trager-Foster / portrayed by Samantha Sloyan

Five weeks. It had taken five whole weeks for the trial to take place and a verdict to be given to Fawn. Five long weeks in which Sage had to wait, not knowing whether her younger sister would even get the sentence she deserved.

Amanda, their mother, came to Charming three weeks ago after Fawn called her in tears. Amanda had tried more than once to convince Sage to take back her testimony and, as if this wasn't  enough already, today the woman showed up at Sage and Happy's front door, begging her daughter to think about her decision even though the verdict had already been made.

Without really having any other choice, Sage closed the door behind her with a sigh after Amanda pushed past her like a wild animal, her fingers closed tightly around the handles of the brown bag that hung over her mother's shoulder.

There was despair on the woman's face. Her mom looked pretty good considering she was in her early fifties. But that was also because Amanda was taking care of her bodyᅳ which wasn't a bad thing. She just needed to work on her attitude towards others just as much as she works in her body.

"You have to do something, Sage! Didn't you see how scared Fawn was when she was taken away in handcuffs?" Pleading but with a certain severity, Amanda gave her daughter a stern look.

Clearing her throat, Sage crossed her arms, rolling her shoulders slightly. "You know, I still find it frightening how you still protect Fawn. You heard what she did, right? I fuckin' told you, mom. Hell, even she told you!"

"Yeah, of course I heard that", sighing, Amanda placed her hands on Sage's shoulders, who almost flinched at the touch. Her mother just had that effect on people. "But she's still your sister. You can't tell me you didn't see how much she regrets the whole thing!"

"Regrets the whole thing?" Sage asked with a disbelieving huff before shaking off her mother's hands, heading into the kitchen. She needed a drink. "I don't give a shit whether she regrets it or not, she is responsible for my baby's death! She's lucky she's in jail now and not six feet under."

"Sage!" Amanda's tone was sharp, cutting even. She stared intently at her daughter, her hands braced on the countertop of the kitchen island. "I don't want to hear anything like that from you or Dawn ever again, do you hear me?"

"I'm not five anymore, stop scolding me like a little child." One of Sage's eyebrows shot up in irritation as a snort left her lips. "Aren't you the one who hasn't spoken to Aunt Sam in years because of some stupid reason? At least I have a real reason to be pissed."

"Don't change the topic", the woman with bright red hair and a face full of freckles warned sharply.

Her mother looked so harmless, innocent even. But Amanda was far away from being that. Amanda Trager was one of the most frightening women Sage knew, ten times more intimidating than Gemma. As soon as Amanda put on her stern look, a chill ran down Sage's spine every timeᅳ even now. But even worse was her mother's smile when she was angry. Her smile could be beautiful and warm, causing all worries to go away. But there was the other smile. A smile that made her look like a woman who would put poison in your tea and then calmly watch you suffocate and choke on your own blood.

These were the two sides of Amanda. Kind and warm, and intimidating and cunning.

"You know what, mom?" Sage was tired of her mother telling her what to do. "I won't do shit. Fawn got three years. Three fucking years. For what she did, it's honestly an insult to me. She deserved a lifetime behind bars."

"That's enough!" Amanda's hand rose and landed back on the marble counter with a loud thud, causing Sage to close her eyes and take a deep breath as she heard Violet's soft cries.

"Thanks mom, she just fell asleep twenty minutes ago", the younger redhead scoffed angrily. "Get out of my house if you're just here to blame me. Take Fawn's side, I don't care anymore, but just leave then."

"No, we're not done here!" Desperation once again filled Amanda's tone as she reached for Sage's arm to stop her. "I understand your anger, but Fawn hates herself for what she did. She told me that herself!"

"Bullshit!" Now it was Sage's voice that was raised as she stared into her mom's eyes, her look deadly. "You've always believed Fawn. Fawn has always been your number one. Since you've been here, you haven't asked about your granddaughter onceᅳ and I mean the one who isn't Fawn's. You would do anything for Hayley but you don’t even want to see Violet?!”

Sage's little outburst of anger set Amanda back a little. With a soft clearing of her throat, she stepped back and slowly released her grip on Sage's arm, whose chest was heaving up and down fast. Amanda could no longer ignore the tears of anger that were gathering in her daughter's eyes.

Sage was the only one of her daughters who was the spitting image of herself. The red hair, the many freckles, the green eyes with the brown spots that shimmered beautifully in the sun that shone through the large windows. Sage had so much from her, including willpower, and that was one thing Amanda was most proud of. Just because she had the closest bond with Fawn since Sage and Dawn were typical daddy's girls, didn't mean she didn't love all of her children.

"That's not true and you know it, Sage." Slowly, Amanda's features softened, her head tilted slightly as an overwhelmed sigh slipped past her pale lips. "Have I ever not supported you? Tig and I did everything we could to help you fulfill your dream of owning your own art gallery once day and, before you say anything, we did it with joy not because we thought we had to. We wanted you to come as far as possible."

"I never said you didn't support me", Sage muttered with a lump in her throat. "But you're asking me to do things that a mother shouldn't. Can't you understand me at all? Can't you understand Jax? You seriously had the nerve to tell him that you want to take Hayley with you to Arizona. What did you think he was going to say?! And why haven't you asked once how I'm doing? How your granddaughter is doing?"

With a scoff, Sage ran her petite fingers through her red waves, her head tipped back before she let out a soft sigh when Violet's crying stopped. The baby, now almost six weeks old, still didn't think much of sleep and drove Happy and Sage crazy some daysᅳ but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't okay of me", Amanda said with a sigh. She tried to get close to her daughter again, reaching out her hand to squeeze Sage's shoulder. "I just want everything to be like it used to be. You are my children. And I think Hayley would be better off with me. You could come with me, too. Hayley and Violet could grow up together, form a bondᅳ as they should, they're cousins."

Through wide eyes, Sage stared at the petite woman in front of her, not even knowing how to react to such impudence. "Have you completely lost your mind now?"

"Why? What sounds so wrong about that, honey?" There it was again, her mother's haunting, intense gaze. "If you would come with me with Violet and Hayleyᅳ we could start over. And we could work on yours and Fawn's relationship. If you really want to let her, your own sister, rot in prison to make yourself feel better then do thatᅳ but at least try to get along afterwards."

"Get out", Sage said in a whisper, about to explode. God, she didn't need that right now. She wanted to be able to look forward and not constantly find herself in a new shitty situation.

Amanda swallowed softly. "Sageᅳ"

"No! Get out of my house", the redhead shouted, emphasizing each word individually.

Both women's heads shot towards the door as the key turned in the lock and soon Happy was standing in the hallway, his eyes immediately darkening.

"What is she doing here?", he asked directly as he put his key aside and approached Sage, whom he greeted with a quick kiss. Then he glared at Amanda. "What are you doing in my house?"

"Good to see you too, Happy", the older redhead grumbled before letting out a huff. Then her icy gaze slid back to her daughter. "Think about it, I'll be in the hotel in town for a few more days."

She turned on her heels so quickly that her hair slipped from her shoulders. However, she looked back again, studying the couple before just looking at Sage. "Seriously, think about whether you're really willing to let your sister rot in prisonᅳ you're not one of those people, Sage."

"What the fuckᅳ" Happy removed his arm from Sage's shoulder, ready to follow Amanda out of the house, but Sage stopped him and just gently shook her head.

"Leave her alone, she's not worth it",  the redhead said with a sigh before she rubbed her still make-up-free face and then pulled Happy close to her by his kutte. "Are you okay? Any problems?"

Only a grunt rattled through Happy's throat as Sage stopped him. But she was rightᅳ Amanda wasn't worth getting upset about. Normally he didn't have a problem with her, but ever since she showed up here and never once asked about Sage or Violet, he had developed a feeling of hatred towards the woman. And, he wanted to know what was going on.

"No, no problemsᅳ the meeting with the Niners went smoothly", he let Sage know to give her some peace of mind. "What did your mom want here, Sage?"

"Okay good", she hummed contentedly before closing her eyes for a moment as Happy pushed back some of her hair and then leaned his hand against her cheek. Her heavy eyelids slowly opened again before she told him what Amanda wanted.

"She really offered me to come with her. Away from you and Dad. What the hell is wrong with her?", she asked with a huff as she leaned against Happy, her forehead leaning slightly against his chin. "I just want some peace and go back to normal so that we can enjoy our time with Violet", she added with a quiet whine.

The SAA exhaled loudly, the corners of his mouth drawn down as his nostrils flared. "She'd better keep her distance in the future or I'll make sure she knows she has no place here. I don't want her near you or Violet for now, understand?"

Not only Happy's jaw but every single other muscle in his body tensed as a wave of anger ran through him. As if Sage would actually listen to her mother and leave, he tightly wrapped his arms around her and placed his lips against her forehead, placing a kiss on it.

He felt Sage's slightly shaky breath hit his neck, then he looked into her green eyes as she lifted her head and nodded slightly.

"I think it's better if I keep my distance from her for now. And Violet doesn't need a grandma who isn't really interested in her", Sage finally answered with a weak smile. "It's sad, but I have everything I need hereᅳ I don't need her."

"That's right, you don't", Happy agreed with a shrug before taking her face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over her soft skin. "We should get married. You're my Old Lady, we have a kid togetherᅳ so why not."

Sage's mouth dropped open. As if Happy had three heads, she stared up at him, trying to read in his eyes whether he was seriousᅳ and he was. His expression wasn't a bit distorted, determined and stoic as always as he waited patiently for an answer from her.

"You mean that?" Was the first thing that occurred to Sage to ask, still perplexed by what she had just heard. Excitement flashed in her eyes. "Youᅳ you would actually marry me?"

"Would I have asked otherwise, little girl?" Rolling his eyes in amusement, Happy captured her lips for a short but deep kiss that was full of emotion. That was just Happy's way of expressing his emotions.

"Well, technically you didn't ask me", she murmured with a grin against his lips, the gloom washed away. "You just said you thought it was a good idea. But without a question, there's no answer."

Happy shook his head with a snort, although a grin crossed his lips at Sage's cheeky, challenging look. It took a lot of effort, yes. The Killer was never the type to make such a big deal out of things. But he wanted to marry Sage, he wanted her to be his wife and bear his name.

His gaze wandered over her body, at the tattoo that stretched over her shoulder and ended with a delicate floral pattern just above her elbow, his almost pitch black eyes stopped to look closely at the crow with a banner with his name written on it, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He then let Sage's hand slip into his before closing the remaining distance between the two of them. Sliding his other hand to the back of her neck, he rubbed his thumb along her skin.

"I have everything I need", he slowly trailed his lips down her milk-white neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses that elicited a throaty moan from Sage. "I just need you to be my wife."

More kisses spread from her neck to her shoulder, the grip on her neck becoming more assertive and causing her to bite her lip.

"So, will you marry me?" Between his questions he paused a few times to kiss his way back up until he finally let his lips ghost over hers, grinning as her breath caught in her throat and she arched her back slightly.

"Fuck yes..yes I want to marry you", she whimpered needy, slowly pushing her hands under his shirt. "And you. I want youᅳ now and for the next decades until we are old and gray and sitting in our garden. Me knitting, you leafing through your newspaper."

"Mhm..hot. You with your knitting needles." Happy's raspy laugh filled her chest with a pleasant warmth as always, whereupon a sincere smile spread across her lips.

"Right? But until we're that old, we should still take advantage of our flexibility",she whispered against his lips with another grin, her hands back over his shirt.

She slowly slid her hands over his upper body, under his kutte and then gently pushed it off his shoulders. Soon she found herself on Happy's hip, her legs wrapped tightly around him while her ass was well placed in his palms to hold her in place.

She had just managed to pull his shirt over his head when his lips smashed into hers, his tongue immediately demanding entry, which Sage granted with an excited whimper and her tongue immediately melted into his.

Impatiently, she fumbled with his belt as he pressed her against the nearest wall, the picture on the wall pressing into her back. But she couldn't care less, she didn't even feel the pain of the edge digging into her skin.

Finally undoing his belt, she pushed his jeans off his legs, the boxer following shortly after. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth as his hard member was more than ready to give her what she was craving.

A quiet, excited groan vibrated through Happy's chest as her delicate fingers wrapped around his cock, just with the right pressure, and started to give him a handjob. As he rolled up her dress and pushed her panties aside, he grinned into the hungry kiss as his fingers explored her wetness.

"Show me how much you want me to be your wife", she purred with a seductive smile as she broke the kiss and looked directly into his lust-filled eyes. "Take what's yours, handsome."

Without once breaking eye contact, Happy pushed her hand away from his member, a wry grin still on his lips as he slid the head of his cock through her slit, then its entire length before guiding it to the entrance. With one quick jab of his hips he thrusted into her, hard.

His hand immediately cupped her mouth to muffle the loud moan the redhead let out. He didn't have to remove his hand to see her grin, he felt Sage's lips curl into one against his palm.

"You like that, huh?", he asked with a grin, his raspy voice no louder than a whisper before he nibbled on her neck, sucking and sinking his teeth into it a few times while moving in a steady rhythm.

The harder his thrusts, the louder Sage's moans became. Happy pressed his hand harder against her lips with each sound, his fingers buried deep in her skin, whereupon he could only feel Sage's grin growing.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he leaned it against hers, his grip on her ass probably leaving some bruising tomorrow. It didn't take long for her walls to close around him, enveloping his cock tightly and her eyes rolling back as she dragged her long nails along his shoulders, leaving bloody welts, causing an even louder growl to leave his throat.

He loved it when Sage left marks on him as much as he did on her. It was part of their love language. And he loved these quickies in between. Especially now as new parents and less time together, the two of them took advantage of every moment.

Happy fucked her through her orgasm, capturing his own. With the last two thrusts and Sage's gaze on him, he finally reached his climax and pulled out in time, spilling his seed onto her thigh.

Sage was on the pill again, but he still felt unsafe to come inside her so soon after she gave birth. Happy loved their daughter, but they had enough on their hands at the moment and couldn't risk another surprise pregnancy happening.

Leaning his forehead against hers to catch his breath, he slowly lowered his hand and cleaned her thigh with the dark fabric of her dress.

"Hey, I wanted to wear this tonight at the clubhouse", she said with a pout, although there was a playful glint in her eyes. "Now I have to wear an even shorter one", she teased, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck.

With a chuckle, the SAA shook his head, giving her ass a gentle smack. "Go ahead, I know how to fight. But you better not show too much, because all of thatᅳ", he slowly ran his hand over her body. "ᅳ belongs to me, and only me."

"Mhmm...that's right", Sage hummed contentedly, stealing a kiss from his lips after he caught his breath again. "And those bitches in the clubhouse better stay away from you too. Which I hope they finally will when we announce we're getting married."

"I don't give a fuck about those bitches, babe, you know that", Happy grunted quietly before the grin was back on his lips as he slowly lowered Sage back to her feet. “You wanna tell them today?”

"I know, I trust you. But I don't trust them", the redhead replied sternly, a sweet smile on her lips. "Yep. I think everyone should know."

"We don't even have rings yet." Amused, he picked up his boxers and jeans. Once dressed, he followed Sage into the bedroom, where she looked for another dress in the closet.

“The proposal was pretty spontaneous." Knowing that she actually deserved a better proposal, he leaned against the door frame with a sigh as he watched Sage slip into the tight, black mini dress. "I promise I'll get us rings soon."

"Hm." Sage glanced into the large, floor-length gold corner mirror before turning to Happy, flashing him a smile. "What do you think if we get the rings tattooed? It's probably cheaper and we can never lose them."

“You want that?” Happy raised an eyebrow. "I'd be in. If you want, we can do it."

Sage's eyes lit up as she reached for a pair of gold hoop earrings hanging on her gold jewelry stand. "Really? That would be great!"

"Yeah, why not", he replied with a rasp as he crossed his arms with a grin. "I'll do yours, you'll do mine."

"Wait, what?" Sage's eyes doubled in size. "I know a lot about art and I can draw, yes. But I've never given anyone a tattoo."

"And?" Happy pushed himself off the doorframe and strolled over to Sage to help her with the gold necklace he had given her on her last birthday. "I'll show you how it's doneᅳ I think this should be an intimate thing just between us."

"You really must trust me", Sage murmured uncertainly, but she couldn't help but be happy and excited about it. "We'll do it. But only after I've practiced enough. I don't want to hurt you or anything."

Relatively convinced, Happy shrugged his shoulders and turned her towards him. "You won't, little girl."

"I'm just gonna trust you on this", she chuckled softly before leaning into the kiss after he claimed her lips once again. However, they both broke apart a moment later, grinning as Violet began to cry again.

This time she was definitely awake, it was a different cry than before.

"I'll take care of her", Happy winked at his fiancée before leaving the bedroom to check on their daughter.

Sage watched him go gushing, her heart almost jumping out of her chest with excitement. Fawn was gone for now, her mom would be gone again in a few days and she was now engaged. Maybe everything was slowly turning in the right direction.