Leaning carefully over the pool table, Kaoife moved the cue, strategizing her game against Juice, who was tiredly resting his head against his hand, curled over the tip over his cue. The clubhouse was quiet, save for the distant noise of a vacuum and the odd clacking of pool balls snapping against each other as they travelled across the table. Lyla had left early that morning, with her stitches intact and settling, she had decided to do the rest of her healing at home. Once she had left, Juice told Kaoife that she missed her kids, as he had heard her crying in the kitchen when he arrived at the clubhouse. Kaoife now stood straight, watching as Juice lined up his cue, bending over slowly and drawing his arm backwards. Behind her, she could hear the low voices of Chibs and Ciaran, muffled by the walls of the meeting room.

Inside, Chibs and Ciaran sat at the wooden table, Ciaran staring at the carved Reaper in the middle, as Chibs held the pre-pay up to his ear, conversing with Jax on the other end.

"Right, okay." He said, as Ciaran ran his fingers over the scythe. "Aye, we'll be there soon. I'll tell them, they'll be here shortly. Right." He said finally, closing the phone over and sitting it on the table.

"What did he say?" Ciaran asked, still looking at the Reaper. Chibs took a drag of his lit cigarette, after taking it from the ashtray.

"You patch in tomorrow. We've got work to do today." He explained. "Go tell Juice we're leaving in ten, tell him to call Rat, get him to come into the clubhouse, we need everyone." Ciaran nodded, pushing out his chair and getting to his feet.

In the bar, Kaoife and Juice now sat on stools by the bar, drinking coffee, Kaoife smoking peacefully and looking around the clubhouse. Juice sat quietly on her left, holding the cooling coffee mug between his hands. Kaoife noticed the circles under his eyes grew darker. She had recommended the game of pool in attempt to lift his spirits for a while. It had worked, but his distraction seemed to fade as he began staring at the shelves behind the bar. Sighing quietly, Kaoife sipped her coffee At that moment, two men walked through the door, silhouetted for a moment against the bright morning sun. As they stepped inside, Kaoife saw the first man look at her, confused and stone faced. He was slim but strong, with the stare of a madman. He approached Juice, glancing to her then extending his arm to pat Juices back. It was then that Kaoife looked at the other man. He had taken a seat near her, leaving a gap of two bar stools between them. Kaoife watched as he rubbed two hands over his face, yawning. He had black, curling hair, that rested by his ears, tattooed arms cuffed by leather wrist straps and fingers adorned with old club rings. As he finished yawning, he brought his hands away from his face, revealing his slightly sunken face and strong cheekbones. As he turned his head to look at Juice, she caught his eye as she stared at his marbled blue eyes, caught off guard by their intensity. Quickly looking away, Kaoife crushed out her cigarette and sipped her coffee, feeling he man's piercing eyes leave her, then land back on her.

"Get me a coffee, Sweetheart." He mumbled to her, rubbing his face again, then scratching his goatee. Kaoife's mouth fell open as she stared down at her mug, held halfway from her face. Her mouth grew into a smile as she turned her head to meet him once again.

"'Scuse me?" She laughed. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Co-ff-ee." He said slowly. To this, Kaoife laughed, turning her whole body to face him.

"Judging the fact you walked in easily enough, I'm going to take a wild guess and say your legs are working fine." She said, straightening her back and staring him out. "Get it yourself." She noted his lips pursing as he took a deep breath through his nose, clearly aggravated.

"Tig, she's-"

"Not one of your skivvies." Kaoife said, cutting of Juice's words as he and the other man watched furtively.

"Who the hell are you then?" The man - Tig - asked, eyes narrowing as he spoke.

"Sorry, I wasn't aware it was any of your business." Kaoife retorted, moving off of the bar stool to get away from the man as his attitude began to infuriate her.

"Stupid gash." He muttered. Seeing red as her blood reached boiling point, Kaoife turned on her heel and aimed a clenched fist at his face, quickly feeling the force of Juice's arm grabbing her around the chest and pulling her back. The other man was alert now and on his feet, Tig standing boldly in front of Kaoife with his hands balled into fists by his sides. At this point, the meeting room door opened, Ciaran now standing on the threshold, assessing the situation. He watched Kaoife struggling against Juice's grip as he held her with both arms now, body jerking as she send an elbow into his ribs.

"Kaoife!" He shouted in confusion. "What the fuck?!" He asked, walking across the room.

"What's goin' on?" Chibs called from the meeting room, then appeared in the doorway.

"Juice, let me go." Kaoife ordered, prying at his arms.

"Only if you stay off him." Juice bargained, tensing his arms around her.

"Let her hit me, see what happens next." Tig sneered.

Hey," Ciaran warned, approaching Tig and looking down at him. "You touch her, I'll crush you."

"Boys!" Chibs bellowed over the squabbling. The brothers met Chibs' confused glare, Kaoife breaking out of Juice's arms and adjusting her top. "What the fuck's going on?"

"Misunderstanding." Juice piped up.

"Yeah," The man with the shaved head said.

"This headcase just swung for me." Tig said, sitting back at his bar stool as he narrowed his eyes at Kaoife once again.

"And I'll do it again if you insult me one more time."

"Right!" Chibs cried. "Kaoife, go and calm yourself down. Tig, I don't want to have to warn you - but you won't touch her." He explained. Offended, Tig recoiled.

"What? You're siding with her?" He spat.

"I'm not picking sides." He said, looking to Kaoife, who was glaring at Tig, arms folded before walking away - meeting Chibs' eyes and sighing as she passed him. The brothers watched as she walked down the hallway to the apartments. "I'm only warning you because she won't swing and hit the wall." Chibs said to Tig, as the others watched carefully.

"I think I can handle it." He retorted, leaning an elbow against the bar and running his fingers over his moustache.

"You might be surprised." Ciaran said, then moved away, lighting up a cigarette.

"She's crazy, all I did was ask for coffee." He explained.

"Ah, Tiggy." Chibs groaned, moving forward to the bar. "She no' a crow eater." He groaned. "I thought that was obvious."

"I kind of guessed that when she tried to punch me." He replied, shaking his head. Chibs sighed, hands pressed against the edge of the bar.

"Don't go anywhere, Jax is going to call in a minute." He instructed, standing up and taking the pre-pay from the pocket of his kutte and handing it over to Tig, glancing between him and Ciaran. "Play nice, eh?" He asked them, before turning and going through to the apartments.

Kaoife was lying with her back on the mattress, legs hanging over the edge with her feet on the ground, breathing slowly and massaging her scalp with her fingertips. The door clicked open, a small hiss coming from the carpet as the door glided over it.

"Kaoif'," Chibs sighed.

"He deserved it." She said plainly.

"Aye," Chibs laughed. "I don't doubt it."

"Then don't 'Kaoif'' me."

"He thought you were a crow eater." He said, moving into the room. Kaoife opened her eyes, sitting up with a sigh.

"I'm not sure you're helping his case, Fil'." She said, pulling some fluff from her jeans. Chibs gave a small laugh as he perched himself on the foot of the bed beside her. "I'll apologise to him later." She added in a smaller voice.

"Good. Make sure he does, too." Chibs said. "Tig's temper is almost as bad as yours." He added, to which Kaoife laughed.

"You doing okay?" She asked him suddenly, seeing his tired face up close for the first time that day. Taking a deep breath and exhaling quietly, Chibs looked ahead of him.

"I assume you're referring to last night?" He asked.

"What gave it away?" To this, Chibs laughed.

"We'll be fine." He said, looking down to his hands. "There's still a million questions to ask - but there's time to ask those later."

"Just try to adjust to being around each other first." Kaoife suggested.

"Aye." He nodded, sniffing loudly. "Listen, I've got a feeling we won't be back 'til late. Are you staying here again?" He asked.

"Probably." She stated. "Ciaran's still trying to catch the folk that broke in. I don't really want to be there alone, either. I'll probably be here all day." She explained.

"Right," He said, putting his hands to his knees and pushing himself to his feet. "Remember - apologise."

"Aye, aye." She sighed.

"And at least pretend that you mean it." He added, looking back at her from the doorway.

"Beat it." She smiled, before he walked into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Pulling up to the other bikes, Chibs cut the engine. Silence followed as Tig and Ciaran did the same. Looking over at the younger man, Chibs felt his stomach drop in fear again. Aftershocks still washed over him every time he looked, unable to stop glancing, still checking if he was there or if he had imagined the whole thing. With his eyes now focused on the ground, Chibs took the burning cigarette from his mouth and threw it down, crushing it with the sole of his boot. Jax, walking over, extended a hand in greeting.

"Jackie boy." Chibs said soberly.

"I'm sorry about this guys." He said, embracing Chibs and patting his back, before letting his arms drop as he moved away, then patting Tig's upper arm silently. Ciaran straightened his back after resting his helmet on the seat of his bike, waiting for Jax to speak to him. "You must be our transfer." Jax smiled, his head tilting back as he looked up at him.

"Aye," He said, holding out a hand. "Ciaran."

"Jax Teller." The President responded, clapping his own hand against Ciaran's and shaking. "We'll get you patched in as soon as we can, I'm sorry about all this."

"Ah, away. I didn't transfer to sit on my arse all day." Ciaran joked, letting his hand fall between them.

"Jackie," Chibs called, hands on his hips as he shifted his weight between feet. "Can I have a word?" Jax raised his eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two, followed by a quizzical look.

"Sure." He said, turning from Ciaran and over to Chibs, leaving Ciaran with Tig, Juice and another he learned was called Happy. The atmosphere was tense between Ciaran and Tig, following the events of the morning in the clubhouse. Both Juice and Happy watched them ignore each other, each man glancing angrily at the other without them noticing.

On the other side of the large alley, Chibs was running his fingertips through his goatee, heart in his mouth, pulse audible in his ears.

"What is it, Fil'?" Jax asked, noting the worried scowl on his VP's face. With a deep breath, Chibs raised his hands to his hips and slumped slightly.

"Ciaran-" He stopped, thinking over his words. "He came over here looking for me." He sighed, looking around quickly, feeling uneasy. "He's my son, Jackie."

The garage lot was busy as the afternoon approached, a few cars arriving now and then for a service as Kaoife watched from the caged play area where she pushed a giggling Abel on the swing. Pushing now with one hand, she raised the other to her brow and looked across the lot as another car entered.

"They won't be back for a while, Sweetheart." Said the balding, tired faced old man behind her said. Turning to face him, Kaoife saw the young toddler, Thomas in Unser's arms, pulling at his shirt collar.

"Hey," She sang to the child, holding her hands out to receive the child from him. "Yeah," She said now to Unser. Chibs said they wouldn't be back until tonight." She explained, watching as he sat down carefully on the bench, "Don't know what I keep watching for." She commented absentmindedly.

"You're worried." Unser shrugged, watching her rock Thomas gently on her hip.

"Gemma stopping by?" She asked him, looking to the garage behind him.

"I got no idea, kid." He said, a small laugh escaping him. "She might drop by, see the boys." He added, smiling over to Abel almost proudly. Kaoife turned her waist, holding Thomas carefully as she also smiled at the blond boy, swinging happily. "There's a beer delivery coming in soon, you should go help Chucky." He advised, watching her gaze around. Kaoife turned to face him once again, confused.

"Chucky?" She asked.

"He'll be in the bar. You'll know him when you see him." He explained, a small chuckle at the end of his words.

"You be okay with the wee guys?" Kaoife asked, bouncing Thomas slightly and earning a small giggle.

"Sure," Unser perked up, getting to his feet with a barely audible groan.

"Going to see Uncle T?" Kaoife asked Thomas playfully, passing him to Unser carefully. Kaoife took one last look at the boys, then turned to the leave the caged play area. Reaching the gated exit, she stopped, looking over her shoulder to Unser. "You're right, by the way." She said, seeing him turn quickly at her words. "I'm worried," She shrugged. "One thing I can never get used to is the worry - not knowing where they are-" She paused, looking away. "Or who's coming home." She finished, meeting his eyes with a sad smile before opening the tall mesh gate and walking into the lot.

Heading over to the clubhouse, Kaoife thought about calling Ciaran, or maybe leaving a text on his pre-pay. She knew that Chibs would be too busy, what with being VP now, he was more than likely being kept on his toes. Her hand subconsciously moved to the back pocket of her jeans, in which she was keeping a small bag holding some buds of weed she had been given by Juice earlier that morning.

Stepping inside the clubhouse, Kaoife looked to the bar, then saw a smaller man in a white shirt, neatly tucked into smart trousers, exiting the kitchen.

"Hey," She called. "You Chucky?"

"Yeah!" He called enthusiastically, holding out his hand. Kaoife moved to meet it with her own, stopping in shock as she looked down at the shining, plastic fingers.

"Oh, shit." She smiled in discomfort, but met his hand anyway and shook it. "I'm Kaoife, Unser said you might need a hand with a beer order?"

"Yes, that'd be great! Thank you, Kaoife." He smiled a happy, toothy grin.

"No problem." She replied with a barely detectable laugh, as Chucky happily buzzed around her.

Standing by a door, Ciaran watched as Jax conversed with a tall Hispanic man, accompanied by a few others. Happy was by Ciaran's side, Juice in the room behind them with one Darvany Jennings. Chibs and Tig stood behind Jax as they conversed in hushed but pointed tones.

"So, do you and Chibs know each other? From SamBEL?" Happy asked quietly, trying to get some dirt out from under his nail with the tip of his knife. Ciaran gave a small laugh, glancing down to the man's hands before answering.

"Not quite," He said, still watching his hands with a raised brow of concern. "It's a long story, my friend." He laughed, then looked back to Jax. At that very moment, the front door opened, in walking a dark haired man, his hair scraped back into a long ponytail. Ciaran just caught a glimpse of the man's scar over his eye before he noticed them all in his kitchen. With this, he jumped and shouted in fright, the man talking to Jax grabbing him and covering his mouth with his palm. By this point the others had jumped to attention, ready to assist in his restraint.

"Arcadio," The taller Hispanic man called in a loud, yet hushed tone. They continued to converse pointedly until the smaller man was released, everyone - including Ciaran - backing down. He reclaimed his position in front of the door, when it swung open. Jumping back, Ciaran saw the small blond woman run out of the room in a wild panic, followed by Juice. Tig and Chibs tried to grab her but failed as she ran into Arcadio's arms, crying hysterically and wailing in pain.

"Shut her up!" Jax cried, pointing to Happy then to the window, indicating to check if the squad car outside heard any of the noise.

"I got her." Arcadio piped up, holding the woman in his arms.

"Cops didn't hear a thing." Happy informed, carefully moving the curtain back into position.

"We have to get them out of here, Jackie." Chibs piped up, running his hand over his hair. With a sigh, Jax nodded.

"She isn't going to rat." Arcadio said forcefully. "No problems."

"It's for her own good." Jax replied, Arcadio sighing and walking the blond out of the kitchen. Moving from his post by the door, Ciaran stretched his legs while the others spoke quietly. Hearing footsteps near him, Ciaran glanced back to see Juice coming up by his side, just as he was reaching the end of the hallway.

"Some first day, huh?" Juice laughed sarcastically. To this, Ciaran gave a laugh.

"Aye, it is that." He said, as they stopped in front of an open doorway. Looking in, they saw the blue walls, toys scattered on the bed, including a small teddy bear. With a sinking feeling, Ciaran shut his eyes, the breath stolen from him as he crossed his chest. Standing silently beside him, Juice lowered his head.

Watching Chucky roll in the last silver barrel, Kaoife stood clearing out the pipes into a large pint glass filling quickly with foam from the new barrel she had just hooked up.

"You've done that before." Chucky said with a smile as he rested the barrel under the bar.

"Aye," Kaoife laughed, "I used to help out in Belfast a lot. The guys somehow preferred a pint pulled by a woman," Kaoife drawled mockingly, rolling her eyes at Chucky and laughing.

"Doesn't sound like a Belfast accent." He replied, picking up an old cloth and beginning to wipe the bar down.

"That's because it's not." She commented, pulling more foam from the pipes, a small dose beginning to drip from the glass and down her hand. "Scottish. Stayed just outside Glasgow 'til I was fourteen." She went on, pouring the foam down the sink. "After that, I stayed in Belfast 'til I was -" She gave a small laugh. "Well, until four days ago."

"That where you met Chibs? Belfast?" Chucky asked.

"Yeah," She smiled fondly, pulling again until the amber liquid poured out and began to fill the glass. "First friend I ever made there." She watched the glass fill, then sat it on the bar before holding her hand out to Chucky, who then passed the old cloth with which he had dried his own plastic hands. After hearing the approach of an engine, Kaoife looked up to the monitor behind the bar, seeing a black SUV pulling in and parking across the lot. "Gemma." She stated, nodding up to the monitor.

"Go ahead," Chucky instructed. "I got that." He finished, pointing a shining finger to the clouded pint.

"Thanks." She replied, laying down the cloth and making her way from the bar.

Walking outside, she saw Gemma in the middle of the lot, waving to Abel and Thomas in the play area.

"Gemma!" Kaoife called, holding one hand above her brow to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Hey Sweetheart, what's up?" She asked Kaoife as she removed her sunglasses.

"You heard from the guys?" Kaoife asked as Gemma linked arms with her, now walking to the office.

"No, Baby." She began with a sigh. "But I'm pretty sure something's gone South."

"What's happened?" Kaoife asked with panic in her voice.

"I don't know." Gemma said as they approached the blue door. "I'm just here to pick up some shells, then I've got to head up to the cabin." Wordlessly, Kaoife nodded with a heavy sigh. "Hey, it'll be fine." Gemma said, rubbing Kaoife's arm.

"I know." She nodded, aware that she was too far in her own head. "Is Chibs at the cabin?"

"Should be, Sweetie, why?" Gemma asked, then watched Kaoife's face change. They remained in silence for a few seconds before Gemma urged her to speak.

"It's not for me to say," Kaoife sighed, sitting on the small office couch with her head in her hands.

"You're worrying me, Sweetheart." With a final sigh, Kaoife looked up at her.

"I'm worrying myself," She laughed, followed by a deep sigh. "After you left last night, when Chibs arrived - he introduced himself to Ciaran."

"What, they got history?" Gemma asked.

"Well, yes and no."

"Well what then?" She asked, hands on her hips as she looked down at Kaoife. "You're killing me here, Sweetie."

"He's Chibs' son." She blurted out, finger tips touching her lips subconsciously."I wanted to tell Chibs' when you guys came over, but I couldn't. He was so angry because I hadn't told him, which I understand, but I don't want him taking it out on Ciaran." She said, leaning back on the couch. "He's wanted to know his dad for so long, I need to know that I haven't spoiled it."

"Oh, honey." Gemma said, sitting by her side and laying an arm around her, as Kaoife's face fell sadly. "It'll be fine," She said reassuringly. "It'll take him a while but you know Fil', he just needs to process it. It's a big shock."

"I know, I know. It's just - " She sighed. "With the move, Fil', the new charter, you know - I almost started fighting with the curly one, what's his name again?"

"Tig?" Gemma asked.

"Yeah, him." She laughed, still slightly embarrassed. "He just said the wrong thing and I kind of snapped."

"Yeah, Tig's got a habit of doing that." She said with a slight smile. "Knowing Tig, it's no excuse for whatever he said - but he's going through some shit right now. I mean some heavy shit."

Looking to her hands as she tapped her nails, Kaoife nodded.

"Got it." She said, a sinking, guilty feeling in her stomach. "Thanks for letting me know." She said appreciatively, still looking at her hands and feeling even worse.

"I gotta go," Gemma said, getting to her feet, holding the box of shells in her hand. "I'll get Chibs to call when he can." Kaoife met her eyes again.

"Thanks, Gem."

"See ya, Sweetheart." Gemma said with a half-smile, leaving with the shells in one hand and purse clutched in the other. Leaning back against the couch again, Kaoife rubbed her palm over her forehead, hearing Gemma's boots on the ground outside the office, along with the faint laughter of Abel and Thomas.

Outside the cabin door, Ciaran stood tense with his face fallen as he looked over the scene in front of him. Arcadio's body lay limp by the door of the black SUV, a pool of blood surrounding him as his brothers wrestled with Darvany to move her inside the cabin. Jax and Gemma relieved their cover behind the truck to see the mess ahead of them.

With a long shaky but silent breath, Ciaran saw Chibs run a hand over his hanging hair, pushing it back in a sigh of frustration a few steps ahead of him. Nero stood some distance from Ciaran, but he could still hear his strained voice as he choked back the tears from losing his cousin.

"Get her inside." Jax ordered, anger in his voice, before he checked his mother was safe.

"Set up the room." Tig said quietly to Ciaran and Juice who stood sentinel beside him appearing almost blind to the violence with his stone face.

"Aye." Ciaran replied, casting one last look to the bloody, almost frantic scene as he turned to follow Juice inside.

As the sun fell low, Kaoife walked into the clubhouse, looking around the bar to find it empty. There was an almost lingering silence, save for the quiet music behind the bar and Kaoife grew uneasy, thinking quickly of something to keep her busy. It was then that she caught sight of the wall of mug shots, her eye immediately catching that of Chibs' as his picture hung high. A small smirk on her lips, she moved closer. Upon further inspection, she saw all the familiar faces; Chibs, Jax, Tig - whose name, she noted, was actually Alexander, Happy and another that she recognised. Harry 'Opie' Winston.

The party was in full swing, the cold Belfast night masked by the heat of the fires burning around the small lot. Bodies filled the area, men boxing in the firelight as their brothers cheered for them gleefully, throwing beer high in the air as one landed a crack to the other's bare chest.

Kaoife sat atop the bench, watching Trinity staring at the blonde American as he fought in the middle of the large crowd. As she focused on the crowd, Kaoife saw a tall, bearded man she didn't recognise, egging on his blonde brother.

As the blonde disappeared inside with Father Ashby, Kaoife caught the eye of the tall man, his hair pulled back behind his head as he walked with Chibs and another. Thinking quickly, she grabbed three beers from the crate by her side on the bench and got to her feet, carrying them to the group of men.

"Fil'," She beamed, still ecstatic to see her friend again.

"Ah! Y'alright darlin'?" He asked gleefully,stepping towards her and throwing an arm over her shoulder, pulling her towards him and holding her tight.

"Aye, I'm good." She smiled with a small laugh. "Brought you some more beers." She said, handing one of the bottles to him.

"Ah, see? This is what I've missed the most!"

"Me?" She asked jokingly.

"No, your table service." He laughed, letting her go and screwing the cap off of the beer.

"Cheeky bastard." She laughed. "Here." She said, handing a beer to the other man, then the last to the tall, bearded one, ensuring to make eye contact and lingering for a few moments. Their short stare was broken by Chibs' gruff cough.

"Come on, pal. We need to be over there somewhere." He said in an amused tone, sending an elbow into his tall brother's side jokingly. As they walked on, Filip winked to Kaoife as he passed, to which she only smirked, looking down at her feet, before meeting the eyes once again of the taller Son.

"Fucking hell," Ciaran muttered, looking down for a moment then meeting the eyes of his father.

"I know, get the bodies to the truck, Juice'll help you." Chibs replied in a defeated tone, clapping a gently hand onto Ciaran's arm as he turned away, returning to Jax and Nero.

Sliding the tarp into the back of the van, Ciaran worked through the poisonous feeling in his stomach. For the second time that day, he thought of the fact he had only arrived in the country four days ago, yet he was now dealing with two bodies of the people he had been talking to hours before. Burying the thought as deep as he could for the time being, he turned to Juice.

"How do we deal with these now?" He asked.

"I don't know. We usually go to Chigger Woods, but recently it's becoming more like Chigger Cemetery." Juice replied in a bland, monotone voice as he looked to the tarp with acid in his eyes.

"Jesus Christ." Ciaran sighed.

"We'll take them to Skeeter's. He'll burn 'em." To this, Ciaran could only nod.

On the couch by the pool table, Kaoife was smoking quietly in the empty clubhouse, using her rucksack as a pillow. Chucky had left an hour ago, Unser was residing in the airstream outside. Her stomach was knotted as she hadn't heard from anyone all day, all she knew was what Gemma had told her. Letting her head fall backwards gently, she sighed heavily, closing her eyes and trying to relax her headache as she listened out for the engines.

It was almost midnight before she heard them, like a bubbling thunder as they drove in the gate. The noise woke her, not from sleep but from a relaxed stupor. The headache returned as she opened her eyes, bright, low-hanging lights almost blinding her as she moved to a sitting position. Rubbing her eyes, and yawning, she moved the ashtray to the edge of the pool table and got to her feet, grabbing her cigarettes from the arm of the couch before moving to a table near the bar and taking a seat. Rat entered silently, acknowledging Kaoife politely then walking over to the far corner of the bar. Ciaran was behind him, walking towards Kaoife with a tired, slightly sunken face. He sat down in silence, which worried Kaoife. Chibs wasn't far behind him, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it haphazardly.

"A'right darlin'." He sighed, a cloud of smoke evaporating into the air.

"Well?" She asked, looking to them both, then clocking Tig as he meandered behind them carefully, sitting a table away from them.

"You've been sitting here all day worrying, haven't you?" Ciaran piped up, rubbing his tired but amused face and pulling Kaoife's attention back to them.

"What do you think?" She replied.

"Everything's fine, Kaoif'." Chibs recited.

"Aye, I'll believe that." She laughed, calming now that she saw they were okay. "I'm staying here again, Ciaran. Found another problem with the bike, I'm working on it in the morning."

"Right, cool." He nodded. "I'm just going to head home anyway, just thought you'd like to see I was alive." He joked.

"I'll get someone to stay the night, so you're not here yourself." Chibs said, holding in a lung of smoke, before exhaling deeply. "I would, but I've got something to sort out at the house."

"Aye, don't worry about it." She agreed, then got to her feet. "I'm going to take my stuff through to the room, see you in the morning." She said to her friends, smiling as she saw Chibs standing closely behind Ciaran, hand leaning on the back of his chair. Ciaran gave a small wave as she grabbed her rucksack from the couch and slung it over her shoulder, making her way to the apartments.

As she walked in through the door, Kaoife tossed her half-filled rucksack to the bed, watching it fall to the floor, then sighed as she walked to pick it up again. Grabbing the arm strap and sitting on the bed, Kaoife pulled it up by her side and rested her forearms on her thighs, thinking. Yet to apologise to Tig, she thought of the best time to do it. She would have to wait until the others had left or were out of the room, as there was no chance of her making the apology public, along with the fact she didn't want to apologise at all. In her opinion, he had deserved the potential punch in the mouth, for the disrespect. Kaoife felt herself getting riled again, so stood up and began pacing to calm herself. Perhaps she did go too far, though. She would be lying if she said her temper didn't get the better of her. He did egg her on, though. Let her hit me, see what happens next. She would have shown him. She would have tried, anyway. At the end of the day, she was five feet and four inches of temper with only a lucky first punch on her side. As fiery as her temper was, she wasn't a very skilled fighter. Able to throw a punch, then maybe dodge the backlash. Groaning quietly, Kaoife stopped pacing and took a seat at the foot of the bed. There was nothing for her to do except apologise and get over it, she realised, as she tapped her nails together. Looking behind her at the bedside table, she checked the time on the digital clock, afterwards getting to her feet and leaving the room with a defeated sigh.

Walking down the corridor, she noted the empty clubhouse, save for Tig sitting alone at the same table as when Kaoife left. She stopped in the threshold for a moment, lingering to watch him and make up her mind. His head turned to her and he watched her carefully. Lifting her head haughtily, Kaoife moved from the corridor and walked in behind the bar. Not saying a word, she took two beers from the fridge below and opened them, the only noises being the small rush of gas, followed by the tinkling of the beer caps on the wooden bartop. Feeling his eyes on her, she took a bottle in each hand and walked along the bar, exiting the other side and walking to where he sat. Looking directly into his eyes, she sat a bottle on the table in front of him, then stepped to the free chair across from him, taking a seat and sipping the beer.

Tig eyed the bottle, then eyed her, before stretching a hand and picking it up, bringing it to his lips, pursing them at the taste.

"Thank you." He said boldly, looking down at the bottle as he rested it on the table.

"You're welcome." Kaoife replied, pulling her cigarettes from her pocket and sitting the packet on the table, then reaching into her back pocket and pulling out the small bag of ground up buds and paper skins. "Chibs told me to apologise." She said plainly, pulling out some skins. "For this morning." To this, Tig laughed. "I know right?" She asked him, finally making eye contact. "You were a dick." She laughed, dragging the edge of a skin along her tongue.

"I only asked you to get me coffee." He said commonly.

"You also insulted me."

"After you insulted me." Tig defended himself, turning to face her fully. "Look, sweetheart, we could do this all night - it ain't going to solve anything." He said, shaking his head. Snapping the filter from a cigarette, Kaoife sighed, nodding.

"Aye, I know. I've got a feeling we're both a bit too stubborn." She rolled the filter a few inches across the table, staring at it for a moment. "I don't know what I was aiming to achieve with throwing that punch, though." She laughed. "It probably would have hit you like water." She added, to which Tig chuckled, lifting his beer and taking a drink.

"I don't know, I'm kinda glad Juice grabbed you." He laughed, sitting the bottle back onto the table. "Tell me this," He began, running his thumb and forefinger over his moustache and down his chin. "Why was Chibs so pissed at me for threatening you?" He asked, leaning back on his chair, leaving one hand rested on the table.

"Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was a total dick move?" Kaoife suggested, rolling the joint and dragging the edge of the skin along her tongue to seal it.

"No, come on. I'm not stupid, asides from the accent, it's obvious you guys have history."

Nodding, Kaoife rolled the tip of the joint between her fingers, then held it out in offering to Tig. He seemed surprised at first, taking it from her carefully. "Thanks." He said, his face softening as he brought out a lighter.

"I met Chibs when I moved to Belfast to live with my dad, we've been close ever since." She summarised.

"I see," He nodded, taking a drag from the joint and holding it in for a moment. "Was your dad IRA?" He exhaled. Kaoife gave a small laugh, beginning to roll another for herself but stopping to look up at Tig.

"Did he not tell you?" She asked, noting his blank stare. "I'm Kaoife McGee." She smiled. "I'm Keith McGee's daughter." She saw his eyes widen slightly as he took another drag.

"Oh, shit. Right." Tig nodded, giving an awkward laugh. "Shit."

"Yeah." She laughed at his reaction.

"I'm sorry about what-"

"Don't." She said quickly, cutting him off. "It's fine." She had stopped laughing, again beginning to roll a joint for herself. They sat quietly for a moment or so, before Kaoife found her mind wandering and decided to force conversation. "I don't remember seeing you in Belfast." She said, looking at the ripped filter between her fingers.

"I stayed here." He said, watching her. "Held the fort."

"I see." Kaoife commented. "Well, I'll admit - we'd had quieter weeks." She laughed, Tig smirking. "I was meaning to ask," She began. "Did Chibs get someone to stay the night?"

"Why do you think I'm here?" He laughed. Looking over at him, Kaoife stopped rolling the tobacco into the skin.

"He asked you?" She asked. Tig bowed his head in reply, taking a sip from his beer. "Good thing we sorted everything out then, isn't it?" Kaoife laughed.

"Yeah." He smirked, taking a long drag. "Must be quite a change," He said, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Coming to Redwood from Belfast." Lighting the tip of the joint carefully, Kaoife made a noise of agreement, then blew out a small cloud.

"I'm still getting used to the sun." She smiled in amusement.

"Really?" Tig asked, unbelieving. "Is it really as dull as Chibs says it is?"

"Duller." Kaoife laughed. "We get about four hours of sun a year." She took a drag, picking up her beer. "Well, that's a wee bit of an exaggeration, but it's honestly that dull. As is Scotland."

"I'm guessing you lived there before Belfast?" He asked.

"Yep, 'til I was fourteen." She stated proudly. "What about you? You always been a Charming man?" She joked. Laughing, he replied.

"Yeah," He nodded, smiling down at his hands as he tore small pieces from the label of the bottle. "I'm a Charming Native," He laughed. "Did a stint in the Marines, then came home to Charming and patched into SAMCRO."

"You were a marine?" She asked, surprised.

"I'm flattered that you're so shocked." He joked. "Yeah, five years."

"Damn." She said, impressed. "That's some serious shit."

"Yeah," He laughed. "It was. It's got nothing on SAMCRO, though."

"I have no difficulty in believing that, if today is anything to go by." She said, taking the last few drags of her joint. Tig let out a heaving sigh.

"Yeah, today was something." He agreed, looking away from her, trying to find something in the clubhouse to focus on.

"Is everything okay?" She asked suddenly, having no real information about the day's events.

"It's fine, Sweetheart." Tig said absently.

"See, everyone's saying that. I've got a feeling it might be a lie." She retorted.

Tig sighed, looking back at her and digging his teeth into his bottom lip.

"The other day, there was a shooting at the Catholic school. A kid used one of our KG-9's to wipe out his classmates and his teacher." He explained slowly, playing with the rings on his fingers. Kaoife took a deep breath, straightening her back and pausing.

"Shit," She breathed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Our KG-9's." She said, referring to the Belfast operations.

"Yeah." Tig sighed slowly, watching Kaoife crush out her joint and take a large drink from the bottle in front of her.

"Fuck." She muttered in shame.

"It's not on you, Kaoife." He said solemnly. She smiled, giving a breathy, unbelieving laugh at how much his attitude had changed, as well as her own. Truthfully, there was now a great weight in her chest. Was it a gun she loaded onto the freighter before she and Ciaran left Belfast? Was she an accessory in this? She remembered standing on the freighter, checking over the stock as the other shoremen stored them away safely. It was standard procedure, she had done it more times than she could count. However, seeing people deal with the damage suddenly made it all real.

"Hey, how about a game of pool?" Tig suggested suddenly, having been watching her stare off into the corner of the room with glazed, scared eyes.

"Sure." Kaoife said, absently nodding.

"Can you set up, though? I gotta go hit the head." He asked.

"Yeah, 'course." She said, her mind coming back to the present. Blinking a few times, she returned to the conversation. "I've never understood that expression." She commented, eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. "I just don't get it."

"I'll explain after." Tig said, pushing against the table with his palms and getting to his feet.

Standing by the table, Kaoife walked to the pool table, grabbed the cues and then held them in her hands, watching Tig as he disappeared down the corridor, the white Reaper fading from view into the darkness.

In the midst of their game, Kaoife and Tig walked back and forth around the table, which was decorated with a few empty bottles and an ashtray at each end. As Tig lined up his shot, leaning forward with the table at eye-level, the generic rock playing behind the bar was all that could be heard as Kaoife watched him play, hoping for him to miss as she was losing drastically. As the balls clicked forcefully against each other, followed by the sound of one working it's way down through the table, Kaoife sighed and rolled the joint in her hand between her fingers, before taking a long drag.

"You're an arsehole." She said, not looking away from the table as Tig straightened up and walked over to her. Holding it out to him, she exhaled and he accepted, tapping the stalk lightly with his forefinger, the ash falling into the ashtray by Kaoife's hand.

"And you're shit at pool." He replied, taking the last drag of the joint, crushing it out afterwards, then leaning his side against Kaoife's, pushing her gently out the way.

"Arsehole." She said in a joking but unbelieving voice. Watching him bend down over the table, she noticed his shirt sleeve slide up, revealing more of his Reaper tattoo.

A few moments passed before she she realised she was staring, as the sound of his shot brought her back.

"Damn it." Tig muttered, straightening his back with a sigh.

"Like it's going to make any difference." Kaoife laughed, looking at the abundance of balls she had yet to pot, in comparison to Tig's one, along with the black. Raising her cue, she leaned over the table, Tig still by her side as she lined up. With a smile to herself, she pushed her hip to the side, moving him away from her. As he shuffled to the side, Tig curled his tongue behind his teeth, fighting the threatening smirk.

She focused on the yellow in her sight as it rolled across the table, failing to make it all the way to the corner pocket. With a sigh, Kaoife raised up and turned to move back and allow Tig to take his shot, unexpectedly finding him to be watching her. Meeting his eyes silently, she shuffled slightly on her feet, trying to give him space to play. However, when he stayed in place, still staring, she stopped as she recognised the slight darkness in his eyes. "It's your turn." She said in a low voice, the space between them slowly closing.

"I know." He replied, eyes flickering to her lips then back to her eyes. With that, a familiar fire lit in her chest. Bringing herself to her full height, she watched Tig as he leaned forward slightly, mirroring his actions. As their lips met, her hand found his face, feeling the stubble on his cheek as his beard scratched her chin. With a loud snap, Tig's cue hit the wooden floor, followed by Kaoife's as he grabbed her waist with both hands, pushing her back onto the pool table. Kaoife's hands pushed through his hair as he move his own to her thighs, lifting her so that she now perched on the edge of the pool table. However, as she rested on the edge, she moved her hands to his chest, pulling away.

"Hold on," She said, trying to focus her mind as she opened her eyes to see his confused look, his heavy breaths matching her racing heartbeat. "I have a policy about not having sex on a grubby, beerstained pool table." To this, Tig gave a relieved smirk, stepping away as she slid off the edge of the table, her boots making a small thud as she grabbed Tig's hand, pulling him with her as she headed across the clubhouse to the hallway.

Kaoife dropped his hand as they approached the apartments, stopping at the door of the room she had been staying in. Before she could touch the handle, she felt Tig's grasp on her hips, turning her quickly and pushing her back onto the door with a slight force. With one more dark look, their lips met again. With one hand curling under Tig's collar, Kaoife tugged gently as her other hand grasped the door handle and twisted it, Tig's force on her pushing it open and causing them to disappear in the darkness of the room, before - with a kick, the door closed behind them.