A Road At Night

Opie nodded, still not convinced. "Okay...you should rest. You've had a lot happen in one day."

It had been three weeks since Corrie had gotten out of the hospital and moved back in with Opie and, so far, they had existed in a peaceful kind of routine. She was still sore, much more than she let on and more than she thought was normal. still, she was happy to play house with Ope. she knew what the others thought of her. everyone was so protective over this giant of a man, no woman was ever good enough. Then, here she was with all her Clay baggage. she got a lot of glares. As long as Ope was happy though, she ignored them.

She wasn't sure how happy he'd be when he got home today, though.

Two days ago she's spotted a beautifully restored 48 flathead. On impulse, she bought it, but not for Opie. One of the few things Clay had done well was teach her how to ride. off and on through her life she'd owned bikes. she thought it would be nice to ride with Opie, but not ride bitch.

There it was, sitting in the garage.

Opie spotted the foreign bike when he got home late one night. Raising a brow, he went into the house, "Uh....Cor?" He was kinda hesitant; gun resting on his hand...naturally thinking the worst.

The kids were all in bed and Corrie had showered and put on one of Opie's tees and some shorts. Padding out of the kitchen she replied, "Yea?"

He breathed a sigh of relief, but then he got curious again, "Uh...hi...that bike...?"

she smiled wide, "Oh it's mine. I bought it while you were out. Clay taught me to ride, I thought it might be fun."

She tucked her hair behind her ear and grabbed a beer from the fridge. After twisting it open, she handed it to him and took his bag. She ignored his expression as she went through his clothes, separating the clean ones from the dirty.

Opie looked at her with shock,  "Seriously? That asshole encouraged you to ride? What's next? Is he going to get you to jump off a bridge too?" He shook his head in anger and stormed off to the living room.

Truth be told, he wasn't angry about the bike; he was angry about her growing bond with her murderous father.

This was the reaction she'd expected. She followed him to the next room and wrapped her arms around his waist letting her face rest against the leather of his back.

"Ope, he taught me to ride when I was a teen. Chill."

Opie shook his head, "How can you stand to even look at him, Cor? To still talk to him?"

She wanted to let go of him and back up. The words hit her with the force of a slap. Instead, she held him tighter.

"Opie, I'm not him. I know what he did to you, but he's my father."

Opie sighed, "He left you, Cor...he killed your stepbrother's old man...how can you trust him . I don't get it...I just don't"

She let go, "Ope, you don't have to trust someone to still care about them."

Defeated, she walked out to the garage and sat on her bike.

Opie went out to the garage, leaning against his work bench. He ran a hand through his hair, "You realize he is going to make you pick one of these days, right? Either him or me...it's in his nature, Cor."

She stood and walked to him, "I'll pick you. Always you."

She took his large hand and put her face against it, "Open your eyes, Ope. He's already tried to make me pick once."

Opie looked down, shaking his head softly, "That's not how he works, Cor. You can't trust him. He will hurt you...believe me."

Corrie sighed and tears stung her eyes, "What do I have to do to prove to you I'm yours. Only yours. Because this hirts and I don't want to  feel that way with you."

Opie put his hands on his upper arms, holding her as he looked in her eyes, "Stay away from him...please...before he hurts you too."

She was stunned. She'd do anything for him. Anything he asked, but how could he ask that?

"Ok," she gently pulled away from him and walked back into the house.

Opie stood in silence; not believing what he said. He knew he was wrong, but he was just trying to protect her. He knew Clay and his capabilities.

At last, he went back into the house to look for Corrie.

Corrie sat in a big chair in their room. Once there had been a rocking chair in it's place, but Opie had replaced it shortly after she moved in. He'd noticed that she liked to read before bed and suddenly, a comfortable chair had replaced the rocker. The memory made her smile. So many things about him were like that. She was sure he thought she didn't notice that he always made sure to lay a towel out for her in the morning, that he always made sure he left some of his breakfast for her, and how he sometimes followed her home when she left the shop, but she did notice. 

If this is what he wanted, she'd give it to him. 

She sent Clay a text, outlining exactly what and why she was doing.

Opie found her in her usual spot, kneeling down on the floor next to her, "Cor...I'm sorry...I just want you to be safe...I just don't trust him..."

She stroked the side of his face, "I trust you more than anyone I've ever known. I'll do what you want."

She felt torn, but desperately wanted to prove to him that she was his.

He pulled her close, kissing her softly, "I love you so much. I want to keep you safe from anything that can harm you or take you away from me."

Though she'd made the choice and had done so for him, without her knowledge the seeds of doubt had been planted. She pulled away from him and kissed the top of his head as she walked over and laid down in the bed.

Opie sighed, shaking his head softly, "I'm sorry..."