Hi team! I know I've been away for far too long but I recently revisited this one and realised I HAVE to finish it. So please enjoy, and I'd love your feedback if anyone is still reading! :) Sara x

There was an uneasy feeling in that chapel as Tig dropped himself down in his seat. The room was unusually noiseless, filled only with a cold combination of anticipation and fear. Pressing his lips together, he flung the beaten-up gym bag down onto the table before giving it a push towards the VP seat. This should have felt like a victory, twenty five k for letting that ATF bitch take Swift in… but it didn't. It almost felt like giving up. Giving in.

He tensed his fingers against each other as he watched Bobby unzip the bag begin to and count out thick wads of cash, each neatly bound. "Unmarked?" Bobby turned the block he held, lifting his glasses down from his head and onto his nose to study it carefully, then nodded. Stahl had been true to her word, he had to give her that. The APB money was all theirs for the keeping, and clean. His eyes flicked to Chibs to see the Scotsman was zoned out, a cigarette hanging from his lips as he stared into the middle distance without connecting to those around him. Tig pressed his hands down on the wooden panel in front of him and sighed.

"So?"

Jax almost laughed at that, staring up at him with that boyish smirk. "So? So she's out of our hands and we're up a whole chunk of compensation."

Even mentioning her brought Chibs back into the room. "Aye, and for what?" Bobby flicked his fat thumb across the end of one of the cash blocks. The ruffle of money eased Happy back into his seat with an eager grin, but Chibs didn't seem as convinced. "She's not dead and we've got no access to her."

"For now," Opie added, his voice calm and measured as it often was on those rare occasions he spoke up. "They'll move her. Witpro. Stockton, if something more serious is going on. We can get to her."

Jax gave a nod and looked to Juice. "You got nothing more on her yet?" The Puerto Rican ran his hand over his Mohawk uncomfortably, wishing he had an answer to offer.

"I'm waiting for a link through from that girl at the DA's office." He got a sharp elbow to the ribs from Tig for that and he blushed a little. "Yeah, that one. She's setting me up with a data patch – then I'll have full access to any details she has on government records. They keep fixing the holes but… I can always find new ones," he added with a touch of pride in his tone.

"We don't have a lot of time." Jax sounded sure of that as he said it, asserting a little more authority without Clay in the room at the head of the table. The president's chair sat empty, its owner's absence all too notable. "If they want her, they want something out of her. That's dirt, and that's gonna be a whole bunch of intel on us."

Chibs raised a hand from the table. "She's not a rat." A low grumble of objection filled the room but he shook his head, his fist coming down now. "She's had plenty of opportunity and she's not taken it. She's not."

"She better fucking not be." Opie gazed at him stalwartly. "How long's she been around? A week? Two? And you've got body count from Mayans, black and the Chinese. You think if any of that gets dropped in front of her, she's not gonna pin it on you?"

Chibs was adamant. "She wouldn't." He swallowed a little as he looked around to see the somewhat pitiful gazes of his comrades. "She wouldn't," he repeated, almost to convince himself as much as them. "She's got too much to lose."

Tig pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think. Was Chibs right? Those two had spent the most time with her, and while she'd spend the whole time trying to cut and run from the club, Chibs was on to something: Swift had never tried to fuck SAMCRO over.

Bobby, ever even-handed when he had to be, gave a grim smile. "Are we forgetting that she nearly fucking lopped our Prez's dick off?" There was a collective hiss of solidarity from around the table, and Happy pressed his hand to his own groin, as if protecting it from the thought. "There's no debate here. Whether she's a fed or not, we've got club business to clear up with this bitch and if she's not hung, drawn and quartered by the time he's stitched up…"

It was a thought that didn't bear finishing. Clay would be raging by the time he got out of St Thomas', there was no doubt about that. If retaliation hadn't been settled, he would be fierce in doing it himself.

"We can't kill her on their watch, it'll bring too much heat." Jax tugged at his lip. "We need a temporary fix until we can get her away from Charming PD. We need to keep her mouth shut."

"And then we need to permanently keep her mouth shut. By killing her," Juice added, vocalising that which had already been suggested but didn't need to be said. Jax laughed at that, lightening the mood around the table.

"Let's deal with one thing at a time." He leaned on his hands for a moment before gesturing to Chibs. "We could give her something to match Loverboy's." He drew his finger over his own face, echoing the scars on Chibs' cheeks. Chibs didn't like that at all, and his teeth ground against each other in objection as he listened to the grim discussion like this was some sort of normal conversation.

"Could be a temporary fix," Bobby murmured, scratching at his own jaw idly. "Break it, wire it. Not much she could talk about then. Break her fingers, make sure she can't write a statement." He could see Tig's eyes light up at the thought of torturing her physically. He wanted that power over her, it was obvious. "I mean, if we could get into her cell…"

Jax liked that. "Unser can get us in." Tig lifted his hand immediately, like he as at school, eager.

"I want to do it."

"No." Chibs was quick to interject. "Let me."

Jax and Bobby were quick to exchange glances. Chibs was soft, especially with women and especially with this woman. He'd always been like that, it must have been the Britishness in him. It seemed risky but he was adamant, already staring Tig down.

"Hale trusts me with her," Chibs argued, breaking his gaze away from Tig to plead his case. "And she trusts me. That's what we need, isn't it? Her to be comfortable enough to let one of us close. You charge in there and she's on defence, all she'll do is get one of us in lock up too."

He wasn't entirely sure what he was talking himself into. What was he planning to do? Go in there, charm her and then dislocate this woman's jaw? He could just picture her, the relief she would have in her eyes to see him. And then what, he'd punch her? Slice her? If it was up to Clay he'd take out her tongue but, God, there was no way he could hurt her like that. This seemed insane, he realised. There was no possible way he could go in there, harm her and walk away.

Before he could say anything further, Bobby was nodding towards him and Jax had already authorized it. "You take Juice with you," he insisted, nodding towards him. Juice gave him a supportive thumbs up and Chibs screwed his eyes shut.

"Alright, Juicyboy. Sort it with Unser, and we'll head on over."

Juice bounced out of chapel to get on the phone while Bobby brought the session to a close. By the time the others had poured out of there, the youngest Son was hovering on the balls of his feet, a wry smile on his lips as Chibs strode over. The greyness in the Scot's skin seemed to show his age, as if he had grown older in the past few minutes, and Juice gave him a nudge to cheer him up.

"She wants you to bring her make up bag," he volunteered. "Wants to doll up for you."

Of course she fucking did. Chibs leaned against the bar for a moment, motioning to the prospect him to pour him a shot of whisky. He watched, making sure it was full to the brim before downing it and immediately returning the glass for a refill. He could just imagine her getting herself all made up for him and then, what? He was going to smash her face to pieces? It didn't seem fair, and he huffed a little bit before slamming the shot and heading towards the front. Juice bobbed alongside him.

"You don't seem very pleased," he frowned, pausing to run a hand over his head before he pulled on his leather bike gloves. "I thought you'd-"

Chibs grimaced. "Don't waste too many of them there braincells, lad." He pulled his sunglasses down onto his eyes and revved the bike to life. "I'll get her shite and meet you at Charming PD."

His detour didn't take more than fifteen minutes or so, and he swiped up her stuff – along with another few bits and pieces – before heading to meet Juice. As they walked into the building, Chibs chuckled at the remarkable lack of staff manning the desks. Unser sure knew how best to grease the wheels.

"You're worth every penny," Chibs chuckled as Wayne suddenly appeared at his side. The old weasley chief gave him his usual beaten-down smirk as he gestured with his head for the Sons to follow him through to the holding cells, nodding to the police officer on duty to take an unearned break.

"You haven't got all that long," he said, looking Chibs over as he walked through to Swift's cell. "Stahl'll be back in about a half hour."

Even the name of that ice-cold woman made Chibs shiver and he nodded, patting Unser's shoulder in thanks. He watched as he slid the keys around on the ring before holding up the right one and sliding it into the lock on Swift's door. In an instant, the girl was up on her feet from her forlorn position seated on the bench, charging towards him. It seemed like a bid to get out, but suddenly her arms were around Chibs' shoulders and her face buried in his neck with a sense of relief at the familiarity. Unser chuckled and dipped his head, leaving them to it.

Chibs found himself groaning softly at the feel of her touch. She was pressing her body tightly to his, rocking with the movement of his footsteps, and he closed his eyes as her lips ghosted against his ear, the familiarity of her closeness making him momentarily comfortable.

"Did you bring my stuff?"

He raised an eyebrow, easing her back for a moment, and Swift looked up at him eagerly. "What's it worth to you?" he teased, opening his kutte just enough for her to see her belongings stashed away in there. She gave him a pleading gaze and he laughed, pulling a chocolate bar out of his pocket. "Brought you a treat, too, the crap they give you in here isn't worth it."

He could see her eyes glinting with glee at the sight of it and, torturously slowly, he unwrapped the silver foil to expose a piece. He snapped it off and held it out to her, as if trying to win the trust of a small animal, and she gingerly took it from his fingertips, her lips brushing lightly against them as her eyes held firm on his.

"Thank you," she whispered with a grateful nod. It seemed like such an innocent gesture, but they both knew it was more than that. He offered her another piece, which she took in her hand this time, and while she leaned against the wall and enjoyed it in her own time, Chibs took her make up case and placed it carefully on the bench.

"I gotta say, it's cute that you want to get all dressed up for me. You don't have to, you know, you look good in… that." He motioned up and down at the shapeless baby blue shirt that she was dressed in. Somehow, she still made it look hot. Maybe it was those top couple of buttons she'd left unclipped. Maybe it was that look of mirth on her face at his words.

His face fell as he realised she was laughing at him, not with him. Swiping the case up, she sat beside it and started to lay out each of the little bottles and cases in a particular order. "You think this is for you?" She grinned suddenly, wide, picking up a little bottle of perfume and spritzing it around her neck before bounding towards him, backing him up against the bars. "You think I asked you to bring this stuff so I could put a little bit of make up on and look pretty for you?"

She tilted her head to one side, and Chibs found himself staring at her hungrily as she exposed her bare skin like that. That scent was intoxicating, sweet with just a little undertone of something citrusy, and he found himself letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding as she pressed the tip of her nose against his, her hand holding onto the collar of his shirt.

"It's… not?"

She shrieked with mirth at the thought and ran the tip of her tongue over his lips before returning to her seat. Chibs watched, thoroughly confused and completely forgetting the task he was there for, as she pawed over her things before selecting what looked like a lipstick. Instead of uncapping it, however, she turned the lid until a second little vial popped out, and she held it up, shaking it carefully.

"No, it's not." She turned the vial, uncapping it and sniffing it before wrinkling her nose. "Now I need you to listen and listen very, very carefully. I'm going to need your help."

Chibs laughed out loud at that. "My help? Are you crazy?"

"Yes." Her answer was curt and clear. "Got a problem with that?"

"What do you think I'm here for, Swifty?" His voice was gruffer now as he looked over her. This was insane, all of it. "What are you up to? We aren't friends."

"But we're allies, and we want the same thing, right?" She smiled. "Me out of the way. And not necessarily dead because, I don't know, you don't seem like the necrophilia type. Not like your friend Tig," she added playfully. Chibs bristled.

"I'm here to keep your mouth shut." He launched forward, grabbing her by the jaw roughly and pressing her back against the wall. He had to keep the power here. He had to remember his mission. Her hand shot to the side, grabbing the vial she had extricated from its hiding place, and she moved quickly to open it and tip it onto her tongue. Chibs let go of her, confused by her action, and she giggled as she swallowed.

"In about seven minutes I'm going to start convulsing," she said matter-of-factly. Chibs stared at her, open-mouthed. She was insane. "Normally I'd have given you the instructions first but you weren't really listening, so we'll have to be speedy." She picked up what looked like a mascara bottle and twisted it open to reveal a dropper full of clear liquid. "This here is an anaesthetic. Not legal, but… very thorough. You're a doctor, right?" She didn't wait for him to answer, words kept pouring out of her mouth. "They'll have to take me to a hospital. Protocol. Keep this," she instructed, sliding the bottle into his top pocket. "As soon as you can get a moment alone with me, you need to inject this for me. Here," she added, lifting her hand and indicating beneath her nail very carefully. "They won't see a puncture wound here," she added clearly "It's essential that you do this right, please, or…"

Chibs was struggling to parse all of her rapid instructions and he stopped her, putting his hands on the sides of her arms to keep her still for a moment and try to focus her.

"What are you talking about? Are you bat-shite crazy?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure we went over that bit already. Yes." Her hand reached up to his cheek, and her thumb stroked gently across the scar on his cheek. "You won't get in any trouble, I promise. They'll think I had an allergy attack of some sort. You just tell them I put on some perfume and started shaking. It's not a pretty sight but…" She grimaced. "It's got to be done."

Somehow, she seemed to be winning him around. Her gentle touch on his face made him nod, slowly, and she leaned forward, pressing the softest of kisses onto his lips as she tugged playfully at his grey beard on his chin. Chibs closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling too much, before she was withdrawing again, rapidly packing her bag up once more for him to hide away. There was a resolve in her that he'd not seen before.

"This?" She glanced up to see him tapping the pocket where she'd put the disguised anaesthetic. "What will it do?" She smiled.

"'Within the infant rind of this weak flower, Poison hath residence and medicine power.'" His blank expression made her laugh joyfully. "Romeo and Juliet? You never studied that at school? I guess you never struck me a scholar but…" She swallowed, suddenly a little more reserved. "In theory, it will drop my heart rate. Disguise all signs of life. Like in the movies." She could see the fear in his eyes and she waved a hand, as if this was nothing. "It's meant to last about sixteen hours – enough to get me diagnosed as dead and into a morgue. And then…?"

She looked at him hopefully and Chibs laughed. "You want me to get you out of there?"

"I mean it would help a lot, I'm going to a lot of effort and all that," she teased. He couldn't help but grin, shaking his head.

"And then?" He lowered his voice to a rough whisper, not wanting Juice to hear. "You want me to betray my club? Smuggle you out of town? You're nuts."

She nodded, grabbing both sides of his kutte and pulling him up against her now. This time, that look in her eyes, it was real as she pressed her lips to his. Her kiss was eager, hungry, and her tongue sneaked against his for a moment before she drew away. "I got no guarantee this is even going to work, Chubs," she teased. "So just… humour me. Please?"

She took his hand in her own and her fingers squeezed him tightly as she felt her body begin to shake. Chibs, unsure whether she was just teasing him again, grasped her palm but felt her strength fading as, true to her warning, her whole body started to fit and spasm in front of him. Her legs collapsed beneath her and he found himself surging forward to gather her into his grip, holding her up. Her eyes rolled back in her head as foam started to spill from her lips and Chibs went white as a sheet.

"Holy mother of Christ… Help! HELP!" His voice suddenly surged out, louder. "Juice? Unser! Someone! Fucking help her!"

Juice came scarpering around the corner with Wayne on his heels at Chibs' calling out, but the Son stopped short when he saw the sight of the woman thrashing wildly in Chibs' hold.

"What the-"

Unser pushed past him wildly, unlocking the door frantically as he saw the frenzy she was in. "What the fuck is this? What did you do to her?" He grabbed his radio from his belt, demanding a medic immediately.

"She just… started shaking…" Chibs was trying to pull his thoughts together, as caught up in the panic as the others were. "I didn't do anything, Wayne, I swear, I didn't touch her. We were talking, that's all, we-"

Unser turned on him, his eyes wild. "Get the fuck out of here, both of you. You're not even meant to be here. Go," he added, manoeuvring Swift's fitting body from Chibs' grip to lay her down on the floor. He grabbed the blanket from the bench, folding it roughly to put beneath her head before glaring up at Chibs. "Are you deaf? Get back to your goddamn club and out of my way."

Chibs was frozen to the spot but Juice grabbed him, pulling on his arm. "Let's go, brother," he insisted, encouraging him to move. "She's not our problem, we gotta move." Begrudingly, Chibs nodded, following him out as a team of medics rushed past them, barely acknowledging them as they attended to the scene. His feet felt like lead as he left her but Juice's urgency helped him move a little faster. Unser was right, they shouldn't have been there. They – he – couldn't be a part of this.

Seeing her like that, though, Chibs hadn't a doubt in his mind. He was in this now, for her. He'd see this through – and have to work out the rest later.