First story on this site. This one is in its infancy stage but I would like to hear your comments and suggestions! I do not own Sons of Anarchy or any of the characters you recognize. My O/C is mine. In case you are wondering, my OC Mel looks similar to Missy Peregrym. Again, please let me know what you think! No pairings are set at this point so if you have an opinion, don't be afraid to share!

The garage door rolled up and the brunette couldn't help but smile. It had been five long years since she had seen the love of her life. There she was though, looking just as beautiful as the first day Mel ever saw her. Mel had only been eighteen years old but even then she knew she was in love. Even then, she knew she was the one. Mel took a step forward and felt butterflies start fluttering around in her stomach.

"Mel, it's just a car." The brunette turned back and gave her brother a scowl. To Mel, it wasn't just a car. It was her car. It was her 1978 Datsun 280z. It didn't look like much more than a clean, classic car to most people but she'd managed to pack over 300 horses under the hood. With that car and Mel behind the wheel, they could beat just about anyone around.

"Keys?" Mel asked, choosing not to waste her breath educating her brother on the masterpiece she believed her car to be. If it had more than two wheels, he wasn't that interested. She recognized the key ring he pulled out of his pocket but instead of handing them over, he paused. "What? Come on, I want to go take a drive. I've been away from her longer than I've owned her."

"There's a homecoming party for you on Friday. Everyone is kind of expecting you to be there." Mel looked up at the ceiling of the garage and sighed. Less than three days out of prison and she was already being told when to be where. "Come on, they want to thank you, again."

"I don't need gratitude. I need my keys." Mel held out her hand and looked her brother in the eyes. He shook his head in surrender and dropped the keys onto her palm. "I'll try to come by. Okay, Opie?"

"Yeah, alright. Just be careful, Mel. My number is in your cell if you need me." He said, pulling his sister into a hug. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around him for a brief second before he let her go. Mel opened the door and tossed her bag into the passenger seat before climbing behind the steering wheel. She ran her palms over the leather wrapped wheel a couple times before gripping it tightly at ten and two. Opie smiled as she started the car up and let out a little laugh. It was good to have her back.

Driving her car out of her brother's garage finally gave her that feeling of freedom she'd been longing for since going to prison. She had been out for two days already, eating what she wanted when she wanted and making her own decisions but it wasn't until she heard the steady rumble of the engine and felt the head thrown back power of the car that Mel really considered herself free. There was no destination, no plan. It was just her, the car and the road. That's how she preferred it.

"Is she going to skip her own party?" Donna asked as she handed Opie a bottle of beer. The night was young and the party wasn't in full swing yet but no one had heard from Mel since the day after she got home. Opie shrugged and flipped the bottle cap into a pail behind the bar.

"She didn't exactly ask for it." Opie said, glancing over at his wife. She and Gemma had been the ones driving the club to make the night's party about Mel. Sure, the club was grateful for what she'd done but they knew she might need some time. Donna and Gemma didn't get that, they couldn't really be expected to since they'd never served any real time for the club. Mel had though.

The music got louder as the clubhouse got more crowded. The whole club was there along with hang-arounds, sweetbutts and friends of the club but several hours into the party, there was still no Mel. Opie wasn't surprised and it didn't seem like anyone besides Donna and Gemma really expected her to show. Still, he glanced at the door anytime someone would walk in and half-listened for the unmistakable sound of her car.

A couple miles down the road, Mel was still trying to decide if she was going to the party or not. She had taken the time to get somewhat dressed up and had blown her hair out, but she still wasn't sure. Before she went to prison, she wouldn't miss a party for almost anything. She loved the energy, the chaos of it all. With a deep breath, she pulled out of her driveway and headed down to the clubhouse. She decided to at least make an appearance, not that the party would be affected if she'd stayed home and ordered a pizza.

The lot of Teller-Morrow brought back a lot of memories, mostly good but some bad to. She turned her car around and backed it up to the first garage bay door, not trusting her beloved around car doors opened by drunks on their way home. Mel cut the engine and put her keys in the glove box. TM was the last place someone would steal a car from but she didn't want to just leave the keys in the ignition like an invitation. She passed a few familiar faces on the fringe of the party but didn't stop to catch up. She wanted a drink first.

"Mel! You made it!" Donna had seen her sister-in-law as soon as she walked into the clubhouse. Her dark brown hair was a little shorter and shapely than she'd seen it two days ago and instead of jeans and a t-shirt, Mel was wearing pair of black, denim shorts and a low-cut tank top with leather piping around the neck and sleeve holes. Donna gave her a hug before taking her by the hand and leading her towards the bar where Opie was sitting with Jax and a couple others. "Do you want a beer?"

"Please." Mel said, feeling a little overwhelmed by the crowd. It wasn't out of the norm for club parties but Mel wasn't used to it anymore. Aside from chow, there were rarely more than fifteen inmates out of their cells at one time. It was something she was going to have to get used to. Opie gave her a nod and a smile.

"Welcome home, Mel." Jax said with the same smile Mel had seen a million times when they were growing up. She nodded and managed a weak grin. Her senses were starting to get overwhelmed. There were people all around her and she could barely hear herself think. Donna handed her a beer and Mel tried to focus on it.

"Melody Winston as I live and breathe!" Clay boomed. Mel flinched a little but noone seemed to catch it. She turned around and gave Clay her best, fake smile. He had a fat cigar between his teeth and Gemma under his arm. The queen stepped forward and gave Mel a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, it's good to be home." Mel said before taking a long drink and finishing her first beer.

"If you need anything, we're here for you." Gemma said with a look back at Clay. He agreed with a nod. Mel nodded, lost as to what to say next. She pulled her cigarettes out of her back pocket.

"I'm going to take a smoke. Thanks for the party. It's great." Mel knew everyone could probably tell she didn't fully mean it. She appreciated the gesture but she wasn't having a good time. She constantly felt the need to look over her shoulder and her head was starting to ache from the music. Opie watched as she snaked her way through the crowd and finally walked out of the building.

"She okay?" Jax asked, looking from the door to Opie. He knew how he felt after getting out of Stockton after one year so he could imagine she was going through some shit after five. "I told Mom to just have a dinner for her or something."

"She'll be alright. Just give her some space." Opie knew that at one point Jax had something for his twin sister. It had been years ago, after Tara and before Wendy but he still didn't like it. Jax was his best friend but he knew what kind of man he was. He would take a bullet for his brother but he had a bad habit of putting his dick where it didn't belong. Opie didn't care who Jax fucked, so long as it wasn't Mel.

Mel held her cigarette between her lips as she searched her center console for a lighter. When she came up empty handed, she moved on to her glove box. With a groan, she closed it and climbed back out of the car.

"Need a light?" Mel tried to remember who the man was. She had seen him before she went to prison but only a couple times and they had never spoken before. When he smiled, it all came back to her. Juice. He was Jax's prospect from New York. His prospect period had just started a few months before Mel was arrested. Juice offered her a lighter.

"Thanks." She said around her cigarette as she lit it. It was her first cigarette since she got out. It was also the first time she'd come in close contact with fire since the night she was arrested. She kept the lighter lit for a second, just watching the dancing, orange flame. Juice raised his brow, wondering what the girl was staring at the lighter for. He didn't remember her. Mel shook her head and removed her thumb from the button and handed the lighter back to Juice. "When did you patch in?"

"Huh?" Juice wasn't expecting that. He'd been checking out her legs when she asked him. His eyes flew up to her light green eyes, hoping she didn't realize he had been checking her out. "Uh, three years ago."

"Damn, what'd you do to have that long of a prospect time?" Mel asked with a light laugh. She realized that may have bruised his ego and decided to change the subject quickly. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"Uh." He had been racking his brain, trying to remember if she was someone he'd fucked and never called or something like that. He thought he might remember not calling someone who looked like her though. She laughed and he blinked.

"Melody Winston." She said, offering her hand to him. "Don't worry, it's been a while and you came around about the time I left."

"Oh, shit. Yeah, this party is for you." Juice said with a laugh. Mel chuckled and shook her head. Mel was somewhat of a legend with the croweaters and she had the club's utmost respect. He realized why she was staring at the flame like that.

"Trust me, I'm pretty sure the party would have gone on with or without me. Thanks for the light though." Mel said, blowing out a trail of smoke towards the stars above them. Juice nodded and glanced at the car she had gotten out of one more time. Mel caught him looking at it and raised her brow. "That's why you're out here and not enjoying the party?"

"Yeah. There was one that always parked down the block from my Mom's house. It didn't look as good as yours does though." He said. The car in front him had flawless, silver paint where the car back in New York had green paint and rust spots on the trunk and door. Still, he'd always been enamored by that car.

"She wasn't always that good looking. It took some work." Mel opened the driver's door and popped the hood. "This is the best part though."

Juice whistled as he looked over the immaculate engine bay. Unlike a lot of engine bays, her 280z had the wires tucked away neatly. The motor and turbo sat in the bay like a totem on a shrine. Mel smiled proudly as he admired the car.

"What are you getting at the wheels?" Juice asked. He looked up at the woman and wondered if she was really as crazy as he'd heard. He wasn't a poster child for sanity but the stories he'd heard about Mel were just, well, crazy.

"Last dyno was 315. That's been a few years ago though. She needs some maintenance before she could touch that again." Mel said with a shrug. It was nothing she couldn't handle. Juice took a step back, so she went ahead and closed the hood, taking care to secure the hood-pins back.

"Juicy! What are ya doin' out here brother? The party's inside." Mel smiled at Chibs and gave him a little wave. He shook his head and took her hand. She laughed when he put a kiss on top of her hand. "Melody oh Melody! I was wonderin' if I'd see ya tonight. Ya look good."

"Thanks. I didn't have much to do besides work out." Mel admitted. Chibs nodded and gave her hand a squeeze before letting it go. "Sorry I kept Juice, he was just looking at Holly."

"Aye, can't blame him. Let me know if ya need any help tuning her up." Chibs knew she didn't need help but he still hoped she might ask. They were friends before she got locked up and he knew all too well how isolated one could feel after a time in prison. "Are you coming back to the party, Mel?"

"Nah. It's a little much right now. I'm going to head home but I'll probably come by when you have a garage bay open." Mel said, opening the car door and resting her arm on the roof. She wanted to get back on the road for a few more days. Aside from changing for the party, she hadn't even been home. Her plan was to sleep in her old bed for the night and hit the road again in the morning. Charming was her home, she couldn't imagine calling any other place home. She just wanted some more miles under her belt before she got back in a routine at home.

Mel dropped her keys on the kitchen table and pulled her boots off. She felt more relaxed after the short drive home. Walking into her silent, empty house was even better. She didn't have to fake smiles for anyone or try to talk over loud music. She walked into her bedroom and stripped out of the shorts and tank. Her palm brushed the scar on her stomach as she unbuttoned her shorts. At one time, she had hoped that the scar would go away with time. Eventually, she accepted it as part of who she was. As with every scar, there was a story behind Mel's but she refused to talk about it. Only three people knew where that scar came from, including Mel herself.

After a shower and drying her hair, Mel got into bed and closed her eyes. She was having trouble going to sleep after getting home. She heard every creak of her house settling in and it had her on edge. It took about an hour but her mind finally gave in and let her fall asleep. Mel slept with her hand resting on her 9mm underneath the pillow beside her head, just in case.