*I do not own anything you recognize*

Hey all, First I want to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited, loved and been patient for this story. Now, I want to apologize for being such a slow horrible author. I had a busy month with three weddings in two weeks and to top it off I ended up in and out of the hospital very sick for several days. I am now much much better and without too many worldly distractions. I DO plan to finish this story and I AM starting to write again although updates should not be expected more than once a week. I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me though and I really appreciate you all for being the most amazing people on the internet.

Enjoy

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop fucking cleaning. We have prospects for that." Tia stops wiping down tables and turns to face Tig for the first time in the hour they've been alone together.

"What's a prospect?" Tia drops her rag and settles into the chair across from the curly haired biker ignoring the fact that he doesn't lower the girly mag he's reading. "Tig?"

"Yes?" He turns the magazine sideways and Tia rolls her eyes as the page unfolds. She had no idea dirty mags actually had fold out panels and for what feels like the millionth time in the last few days she wonders if she's stumbled into a movie.

"What's a prospect? And for that matter what does SAMCRO stand for? Oh and why do you all have matching vests, or kuttes, or whatever you call them?" She drops the rag over the top of the magazine and sits back to wait for a reaction. Happy had been less than forthcoming when he'd fled the building with a troop of the other men. He'd just pressed a rough kiss to her forehead, told her not to talk to Tig and disappeared.

"I'm not supposed to fraternize with the protectee." Tig throws the rag on the table and goes back to his reading, or looking rather.

"Says who?" Tia doesn't think she's ever been this forceful outside of a business deal for the home in her life but she's willing to push if it means getting some answers.

"Says your old man, and in case you haven't noticed he's a scary fuck when he wants to be." Tig throws down the dirty mag and Tia gets an eyeful of naked woman before she pushes the glossy book closed.

"What makes him my old man? Is that like a boyfriend? He's not you know, my boyfriend I mean." She turns in her seat to watch Tig traipse behind the bar for a beer.

"You want one?" He holds the bottle out and she makes a face.

"I thought you weren't supposed to fraternize." He rolls his eyes and she watches as he carefully pours out a Gin and Tonic. "I also thought this place didn't have tonic. Not to mention it's barely one in the afternoon."

"It's almost three. We sent the prospect out for tonic its the only thing he's good for and I've never been one to follow rules." Tig doesn't look like he plans on moving from behind the bar anytime soon so Tia gets up to join him, settling herself at one of the tall stools she takes the drink.

"So what's a prospect?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Tig takes a long pull on his beer and Tia contemplates the hardened man.

"Do you ever let your guard down?" She takes a small sip of her own drink and is surprised to find the quality of the Gin has improved along with the addition of tonic.

"I don't have a guard. I'm really this tough." He sounds so proud when the words leave his mouth Tia can't help the small giggle. All these men are the same, never sharing anything in an attempt to keep themselves bottled up and contained. She wonders what they think will get out if they just behave normally.

"What's a prospect?" No reason to stop being direct.

"Fine, but if Happy asks we didn't talk all day." Tia nods in agreement and waits while Tig opens another beer. "A prospect is like a guy we're not sure we like yet. He's new to the club and we think we want to let him in but first he has to go through a year of bullshit. It's like character building." It's obvious Tig is proud of this method.

"What does SAMCRO stand for?" He smiles indulgently and Tia feels stupid but she's noticed the word on all the kuttes and she's been curious.

"Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original." Tia nods, she'd assumed it was an acronym although she's even more confused now that it's been explained.

"Redwood original?" She takes another sip of her drink.

"We're the first ever charter of the club. Now there are charters all over the west." Tig leans down on his forearms and Tia gets a full look at his bright blue eyes. He has the potential to be a very handsome man.

"So you've spread your lawlessness all over the country. How nice." The biker lets out a frustrated groan.

"It's not like that." Tia gives him a hard look and the older man buckles. "Okay, it's a bit like that but our lawlessness is currently saving your ass so I don't know what you're complaining about." Tia chooses to ignore this last comment because she feels like her ass is anything but saved.

"What did you mean when you called Happy my old man? He's not my boyfriend you know." Tia has no idea if this is a true statement but it does seem to be the most realistic observation she's made in several days.

"He doesn't have to be your boyfriend to be your old man." This seems to end the discussion for Tig but Tia is having none of that.

"What does that mean?"

"It means exactly what I said. Did you see if Bobby had any leftover muffins?" Tig starts digging through the underside of the bar and Tia knows she's on the verge of losing him to the dirty magazine again.

"But what does it mean for him to be my old man? I mean he's really not my boyfriend." She's starting to get frustrated but Tig is starting to look amused.

"Do you sleep with him?" Tig leans over the bar again and Tia feels he's much too close.

"That's none of your business."

"That's a yes." He sounds far too sure of himself and Tia finds herself wondering how loud she and Happy were in the shower that morning. "And he takes care of you."

"Not really." Technically all he's done is lock her brother in a bathroom.

"He wants to though and I'm pretty it's the thought that counts." Tia has no idea what to make of that but after the last few days she's willing to concede this point for the time being.

"Fine, he wants to take care of me and I guess that makes him my old man. What does that mean?" She's still confused about the concept.

"It means he gets first dibs and no one else can fuck you. It also means he's personally responsible for all your shit so try and keep the fuck ups to a minimum. Happy's not the most patient man." Tia's not sure if she should laugh in his face or take him seriously but he interrupts her thought process. "So what's the deal with your brother, aside from the missing eye of course?"

Tia's mild happiness is immediately destroyed by the mention of Ernie and the mention of eye reminds of what kind of trip this is. She's not here for a pleasure jaunt, she's here because her sweet twin is somewhere alone in pain. She feels like a bucket of cold water has been dumped down her back and she pushes away from the bar immediately dizzy. She distantly hears the stomp of Tig's boots as he comes around the bar and those dazzling blue eyes are surprisingly close.

"This, this type of situation is the sort of thing Happy should be taking care of." Tig attempts a smile and Tia is immediately embarrassed by her quickly filling eyes.

"I'm sorry, I really am I just. I'd forgotten." She laughs almost manically and Tig's eyes are more understanding than annoyed and Tia is just more confused. "I feel so stupid, I actually forgot for a moment my twin was out there missing an eye and who knows what else. I'll probably get home to a mailbox full of body parts." She's openly sobbing now Tig reaches out to awkwardly pet her shoulder.

"Sorry doll, I want to be comforting but I'm not sure how close I can get without losing some important body parts later. I know you're worried about your brother." Tia shoots him a wet look and watches as he dives for a bar rag to serve as a handkerchief.

"He's a good man, deep down. Ernie I mean, he doesn't mean to start trouble like this he's just always been a bit of a mess but he's my twin you know. It's more than being a brother, he's literally my other half." She sniffles again and is so out of sorts she accepts the bar rag without concern for the obvious sanitation issue.

"I'm sure he is baby doll. My daughters are twins and I know they'd be lost without each other, they're inseparable." His voice changes tone when he talks about his daughter and Tia forgets all the concerns she'd previously had about this man being a killer and suddenly focuses on his face.

"You have daughters?" Tia feels like the most stereotypical of women going goofy over the mention of children but she can't help herself. At 28 and a year deep in a dead-end relationship she can literally hear the ticking of her biological clock.

"Yea," Tig moves away from her and back around the bar. "Just the twins, they're my favorite girls despite what some of the croweaters might try and tell you." He gives her a meaningful grin.

"What's a croweater?" He almost misses her glass with the bottle of Gin and Tia slowly pulls herself back into composure.

"Everything you're not." Tig seems certain about that so Tia doesn't push the questioning further.

"Tell me about your daughters." She leans forward onto the bar and tries to calm her breathing. She can't stop her hand from shaking as she reaches out for the now refilled tumbler.

"They're older now, almost 18. I liked them more when they were little, they were innocent then, wonderful." Tia watches his face and she wonders how he can separate the man who's nickname is killer from the man who loves his girls.

"What are their names?" Tia can feel herself calming.

"Fawn and Dawn." He makes a face but it's obvious to Tia that it's just a reflex developed by years of people expecting him to dislike the rhyming names. "I think it was best when they were about 6 or 7, they hated being twins then, or at least they were just starting to be their own little people. Fawn would only wear pink and Dawn would only wear purple and even though they didn't want to look alike they had their own little language. It was great, they made me a dictionary but I wasn't allowed to show it to their mother."

"Ernie and I had a secret language too. It's a twin thing I think. Although he later used it to sell drugs over the phone without our grandmother finding out so it's a bit less cute." Tia glances up to find Tig watching her carefully, no judgement on his face.

"Dawn showed up a few months ago and conned me out of a few thousand dollars, I think there's always an end to the innocent and cute." Tia nods and Tig seems to take the motion as a sign to continue. "There was this other time when she was about fifteen…"

Tia is vaguely aware of Tig's voice continuing to reminisce about his daughters but her whole mind has narrowed to a very fine point. She can see Ernie, she can see the way he looked the last time he was sober and happy. It was years ago and there'd been a girl who'd pulled him out of his usual mess. He'd had a job and he'd gained some weight. They'd looked more alike than they had in years and Tia had been so happy.

Tig's voice is still carrying across the bar and Tia catches a bit about a boy Tig felt the need to scare away from Fawn before her mind shifts to the image of Ernie as he was three nights ago. Emaciated, broken and angry, she can still feel his arm slamming into her stomach and more than the physical pain she can feel her shock at the hit. She wants to blame her brother for the pain he's brought down not only her but on Happy but she can't.

"You stopped listening four stories ago." Tig's accusation forces Tia back to the present and she looks up at him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure your girls are lovely. I'd be happy to meet them sometime." She's serious, if these are Happy's people and Happy is her old man then these are now her people and Tia hasn't had people in so long it feels good. No matter how outside usual society they are.

"You're serious aren't you? You actually want to meet them? I don't think anyone has seriously wanted to meet them, even Gemma can't hide what a mess she thinks they are." Tig seems genuinely surprised and Tia takes in his face for a long moment before responding.

"Yes I'm serious, if they come around I'd be more than happy to meet them. They sound like wonderful young women." Tig snorts at that and Tia opens her mouth to respond when she's interrupted by yelling out in the yard.

"I'll go see what that is." Tig pushes away from the bar and Tia watches as he ducks out into the afternoon sunshine.

She sits in silence for a long moment, the raised voices from outside the only break in the quiet of the clubhouse. Happy's old lady, that's what Tig had called her, it had a bit of a ring to it. Not that it was the title Tia grew up dreaming of but it wouldn't be so bad to belong to someone. For all her recent backbone Tia grew up a mostly solitary child. Ernie was usually her only companion and she'd never really been one to develop female friends. She'd only ever had a few boyfriends and those relationships had usually ended in disaster. There'd even been one time she'd been dumped without knowing it. Looking back she should have known things were over but she'd shown up at his place a week later to cook him dinner to find another woman in her usual place.

After a life of poor dating experiences Tia had been thrilled by the ease of Happy. She was a grown woman after all and she had physical needs that she'd let go for far too long. When he'd shown up that first time and made his intentions clear she'd gone along with things because she hadn't known what else to do. Then it had become easier to say yes than no and now; now she would admit she'd developed feelings for the large, often taciturn biker. What had once been nothing more than indulging in a secret bad girl fantasy had become a very serious reality and Tia is surprised to find she has few regrets about the turn of events. Sure she hates what's happening with Ernie but as far things with Happy are concerned she's excited to see this new side of him, to be a part of his once so forbidden world.

Her train of thought is interrupted by the ringing of the phone. She spares a thought for the inappropriateness of answering someone else's phone but with everyone else busy outside Tia doesn't hesitate to jump off the barstool and grab the handset from behind the bar. "Thank you for calling the clubhouse, this is Tia how can I help you?" She feels stupid the minute the polite words leave her mouth but there's nothing she can do to take them back.

"Ms. Connery, how polite you are. Your brother could stand to learn a few lessons." The voice on the other end of phone isn't cold or distant, in fact he sounds almost genial and for some reason this chills Tia more than the alternative.

"Where is he?" She sound suddenly breathless and her legs go slack as she slides down the wall to settle on the dirty clubhouse floor.

"He's safe for now, if not whole. I assume you got our package?" She presses a hand to her chest and nods before realizing no one can see her.

"Yes, yes. I got it. He's safe? What do you want? How do I get him back? Can I speak to him?" The questions tumble out and Tia can barely breathe as she waits for a reply.

"Your brother owes us money and now it seems you and the Sons owe us a life. Your biker killed two of my men and took back your down payment." She hates how calm the man sounds as he relates the events of the last few days.

"I can get you more money, I can. Please don't hurt anyone else." She can literally feel her blood pressure rising as she thinks about all the people in her life she can't stand to lose.

"I have no doubt you'll get us more money. Although the price has gone up, with all the trouble you've caused I think an even hundred grand would do the trick. As for the life, that's already been taken care of. I suggest you and Mr. Lowman return to the nursing home to say your goodbyes. I expect my money in three days, we'll be in touch with the drop details." The line goes dead and Tia feels her whole body go numb with the implications of the last sentence. There's only one person in Bakersfield both she and Happy would need to say goodbye to. Her fingers fly over the dial pad as she presses the number for the home.

"Blooming Acres."

"Juan, Juan is that you? Why are you answering the phone at the nurses station?" Tia is clutching the phone so tight she can hear the cheap plastic creaking in her grasp.

"Ms. Connery?" Juan sounds panicked and it only serves to fuel Tia's terror.

"Yes it's me. Juan is Noreen alright?" Tia knows she sounds manic but she can't bring herself to care.

"What? How could you… Tia what's going on?" Juan's voice goes soft on the question and Tia realizes someone must be walking past.

"Is she alright Juan?" Tia practically screeches the question already pushing herself up off the floor on shaking legs.

"No, no she's not alright. She coded five minutes ago, they're still working on her." Tia hears the words but they don't have time to compute as the door to the clubhouse bursts open to reveal a fuming Tig followed by Gemma. "Ms. Connery. Tia!" Juan's voice is still echoing from the headset but Tia drops the phone back into the cradle, she can't feel her legs.

"I don't care what the crazy bitch says we didn't put the wrong oil in her car." Gemma's voice carries through the room.

"Gemma it doesn't matter what we did or didn't do they're regulars, just fix the fucking car."

"Don't talk to me like that Tigger. You don't get to talk to me like that." Gemma sounds furious but when Tia glances up at the arguing pair she finds Tig's eyes locked on her face.

"Tia? Doll, is everything okay?" Tig is staring at her with such concern.

"I've got to get to Bakersfield."

So that's a huge cliffhanger. Don't hate there's more coming and if any of you ever get tired of waiting, bored in general, or have questions about my stories or where things are going please always feel free to PM me. I love getting notes and I like responding.

Reviews are always welcome!

Coming Soon: Tia's first ride on the back of a bike and more...