Welcome to my third Happy/OC story! If you haven't noticed, he's my favorite. This story is going to be a little different than Burning Desire or Moments Stolen as far as the POV's and Happy's demeanor. This is set around Season 5(ish). Italic font is used for flashbacks. I do hope you give this a try and enjoy what I've decided to share with you! Without further delay...

Searching for Forever

Chapter 1: The Party

It was a terrible idea to go to the party. She could fill an entire page with reasons to avoid it, none of which she could share with her date. He had told her how much he looked forward to blowing off some steam after a hard work week. It was their third date. She liked the way he smiled at her and told her about his day. He was… sweet. She wasn't used to that. So, when he suggested they go to a party, she was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't until the pulled up to the warehouse that she realized how badly the night was going to go.

She regretted everything from her large hoop earrings, to her black crop top, to her tight, shredded blue jeans. It was a new top, she bought it specifically for their date. He gave her a hand out of his car and she immediately felt exposed, like she was wearing nothing at all. Her date smiled and looked her up and down.

"You are beautiful, Nina." He whispered, brushing his lips against her cheek. It was the closest he had come to kissing her. "Are you nervous?"

"No," she said, faking a little cough. "I think I may be coming down with a cold or something."

"Let's get you a drink then," he suggested. She closed her eyes, wondering how that was supposed to help her fake illness. She had hoped he would suggest they not stay long or even leave before ever going inside. Instead, he placed his palm on her bare, lower back and led her towards the door.

Her senses were assaulted with their first steps inside. Music was blaring throughout the building. Cigarette and marijuana smoke thickened the air. Spotlights flooded silver stripper poles and half-naked girls. It was barely ten o'clock and the party was already in full swing. Her date's hand pressed a little harder against her back, urging but not forcing her further inside.

"What would you like?" She blinked, caught off guard by the question. Of course, he wouldn't know her drink of choice. Their first two dates had been dinner and a movie. "Nina?"

"Whiskey sour, please." Nina smiled, trying to relax. He was being a good date. He had complimented her and asked her what she wanted to drink instead of just ordering for her. She didn't want to ruin the date if she could avoid it. There was a chance she wouldn't be recognized. She had cut nearly a foot off of her hair and the lighting was fairly low. They would have a couple of drinks, maybe share a quick dance, and then she would tell him she didn't feel better. Then she could leave.

"Here you go," he said, handing the glass to her. She flashed him a smile and took a sip. "I'm going, to be honest, I was a little nervous about coming here."

"We don't have to stay if you're uncomfortable." She offered sweetly. He shook his head and looked across the crowd. Nina took another drink, telling herself to calm down. He turned to her and asked if she remembered the first time they met. She did. He smiled and reminisced about her father warning him to stay away from her. She chuckled but stopped abruptly.

"Who are you?" Nina hated the way her body still reacted to his voice. His dark eyes bored into her, impatiently waiting for an answer from her date.

"Anthony, we've met a couple of times at the restaurant." He said, offering his hand. The other man's eyes dropped to the extended hand and narrowed slightly before returning to Nina. "This is Nina Alvarez, Marcus Alvarez' daughter."

"I know who she is. Why are you here?" He asked, still looking at Nina. She finished her drink and stood up, feeling unsteady on her heels. His eyes flicked down to her hips and back to her face.

"Your club is good with the Mayans now." Nina cringed at his words, wishing he had chosen nearly anything else to say.

"I don't see a kutte on your back." His dark eyes finally left Nina and fell on her date.

"I'm a friend of the club and she's-"

"I know who she is," he snapped. "Your girlfriend's drink is empty. Go get her another whiskey sour."

Nina watched as her date stepped away, glancing back at her with worried eyes. She shook her head and looked up into the face of the man she'd hoped to avoid that night. He smirked and pulled the toothpick out from between his teeth. He hadn't changed, not that she had expected him to.

"You cut your hair. I like it, shows off your pretty little neck." He took a step forward and brought his hand to her chin, tilting it up. "Never remember it looking so clean, Nina. Alex don't know how to take care of you?"

"Fuck off, Happy. You know that isn't his name." Nina wished her voice had sounded a little stronger but his thumb was still on her chin. She couldn't help but remember the marks his mouth would leave on her neck. "It's been four years. I can date whoever I want."

"You're the one that brought him into my clubhouse, señorita. Did you tell him?" He asked, taking his hand off her chin. She narrowed her eyes.

"No one knows," she said. He nodded just as her date returned with a fresh whiskey sour for her. "Thank you.

"See you around, Nina." Happy said, ignoring the other man. She ground her teeth together and watched him walk away.

"That guy is a dick." Nina looked away from the back of Happy's kutte and looked at her date. She nodded and tried to tear her mind away from Happy. He had disappeared into the crowd but she knew his eyes would still be on her. Those dark, menacing eyes were the first thing that drew her to him five years ago.

Nina was working the night shift at a small diner just off of campus. There was only one, regular customer at the bar so she took advantage of the downtime and cracked open a book she needed to read for her literature class. She was two chapters in when a motorcycle pulled onto the parking lot. She glanced up and watched him swing his leg over and stand up. He didn't sit at the bar like most single diners would. Instead, he picked a corner booth and sat with his back to the wall. It reminded her of her father.

She carried a menu and a glass of water over to the man, storing her book in the pocket of her apron that normally held her order pad. He took the water and guzzled it down quickly. Her eyes widened, curious why he was acting like he had just crossed the Sahara on his Harley Davidson. She let him look at the menu as she went to fetch the pitcher to refill his glass.

"Thanks." He said as she filled the glass. She nodded and watched him empty it again.

"I'll just leave this here. Do you want some food to go with that?" She knew the cook was watching her closely but she wasn't afraid of the man. She had grown up in a motorcycle club, he didn't scare her.

"You don't have pancakes do you?" He asked, the menu untouched in front of him. She smiled and turned it over to the back.

"I think questions like that is why restaurants have menus." Nina teased. He raised his eyes to her face. Her cheeks warmed at the intensity. "Short stack or long? I mean, tall."

"We still talking about pancakes?" He smirked. Her cheeks were outright burning from the embarrassment of her slip up to his question. "Three pancakes and an order of fried eggs."

"Got it." She walked away quickly, kicking herself for being so intimidated by him. It wasn't his tattoos or bad boy persona. It was his eyes and the way he seemed to look right into her soul. It was cliche but it was the only way she knew to describe it. She tried to read more of her book as the cook made his order but she couldn't concentrate. Every time she glanced up, his dark eyes were looking at her.

"What are you reading?" He asked as she sat his pancakes and eggs in front of him. She refilled his water and picked up the empty pitcher.

"The Road," she answered, assuming he was just trying to make conversation. He nodded and poured an unhealthy amount of syrup on his pancakes.

"McCarthy?" Nina blinked, surprised that he was familiar with it. She felt guilty for judging him so quickly. Just because he was attractive, tattooed and rode a motorcycle didn't mean he couldn't be well read. She nodded. "It's pretty good. No Country for Old Men is a little less depressing."

"I'm just trying to get through it for an exam. It's not really my genre." Nina admitted. He cut four diagonal lines into his pancakes, creating symmetrical, bite-sized triangles. "I'll let you enjoy your dinner."

"It's breakfast," he said before stabbing a triangle of pancake and pushing it into his mouth. She smirked and shook her head.

"It's almost midnight. It's dinner." She watched him shake his head as he chewed. "Unless it's your first meal, it's dinner."

"It is. Mind getting me a coffee?" He asked after swallowing. She appreciated his table manners, most men that came into the dinner talked at her with their mouths full. Nina returned with a cup of coffee and noticed that he was eating the pancakes in a clockwise rotation. She wondered if it was intentional. "You can sit down, ya know."

"I have another customer. I don't want him to think I'm choosing favorites. It'll hurt my tips." Nina laughed. He shook his head with a smile and she returned to the bar to check on Larry. He was sound asleep.

Nina tried again to read further into her book. She needed to do well in her class so she could keep her scholarship. Her grades for the previous semester had suffered after a dramatic break-up and she needed to focus.

"If I sit here while you eat will you leave sooner? I need to finish this by Friday." Nina said, sliding into the seat across from her conscious customer. He smirked and took a drink of his coffee. "What's your name?"

"Happy," he said. Nina's brow raised. "My ma's choice, not mine. Nina your real name?"

"What?" He pointed to her chest. She let out a little laugh and looked back up at him with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, it is."

Happy wasn't wearing his kutte that night. It wasn't until his sixth late night visit to the diner that she learned he was a Son. It wasn't until six months later that she learned he had killed a man the night she met him.

She invited her date inside when they pulled into her apartment complex. He eagerly parked the car and hurried around to the passenger side to open her door. She appreciated the gesture. He was being a gentleman. Nina unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping the living room light on. He followed her and looked around as she took her heels off.

"I like this picture." He said, motioning to the only photo of herself in the apartment. She took his hand and placed it on her hip. His chest started rising and falling rapidly. "Are you sure about this?"

"Mhmm." She kissed him and waited for him to return the kiss. When he didn't move his lips, she pulled back with a smile. "This is the part where you kiss me back."

"Can I ask you something first?" He rubbed his thumb over her hip. She nodded and pouted her lips a little, encouraging him to kiss her more and talk less. He hesitated for a minute and kissed her instead of asking a question. The kiss wasn't bad but she could tell neither of them was feeling anything. He pulled back, eyes closed. "Did you and that guy from the party date?"

"No. We didn't date." She wasn't completely lying. Happy never once took her on an actual date. Even if he had, she couldn't tell him that. She couldn't tell anyone what happened between them. It was well before the truce and too much bad shit had happened between the clubs during that time. They promised to never tell anyone about their time together. It was the only promise she could remember him keeping. She cleared her throat and rubbed at her neck. "Maybe you should go. My throat feels a little scratchy. I don't want to get you sick."

"Alright. I had fun tonight," he said. She could tell he was lying but smiled and nodded in agreement anyway. Nina watched him walk down to the parking lot and out to his car, half expecting Happy to come out of nowhere and take his head off. When he safely navigated his way out to the main road, she retreated to her living room.

...

A/N: So? What do you think? In my mind, Nina looks most like Demi Lovato circa Confident album. Please review so I know how you're feeling about this so far.