Thank you to everyone who reviewed in the last story! I live for your comments. It really does help keep me going when it comes to uploading and updating stories :):)

Well, we're back with another instalment of The Princess. I was planning on waiting another couple of months to get this going, but I'm too excited to wait any longer. A lot is going to happen in this part of the story. There's gonna be a lot of blood, sweat and tears, love and heartache, and everything else a story needs. So, without further ado… here's chapter one of The Princess III: Family…

Bamby

SPOV

Everything felt numb. It had been that way for the last few days. It was like I was on autopilot. Like I'd been watching myself from above, not really there...

I'd been staying with Jax and Tara since everything happened. Since Zobelle, Weston, Cameron, mum, Kip... Abel... We hadn't been allowed to stay here until it was no longer a crime scene. It was only late last night that we'd need given the all clear. We'd been crashing at Tara's while we waited. I'd slept on the couch, needing to be there for my brother. Needing to be close. Losing Kip and Abel had taken a toll on everyone...

Standing in Jax's kitchen, I looked down at the stain on the floor in front of me. I stared blankly at the sight of Kip's dried blood the cops had tried to clean up.

The kettle was boiling on the stove. It had been whistling for a few minutes now. But neither Tara or I moved. She was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of cold coffee in her hands. I didn't have to look over at her to know I'd find ablank, vacant look on her face that would mirror my own.

The sound of bikes approaching had us move for the first time in what felt like forever. Though neither of us moved too much. We simply looked up at the window, listening to the bikes as they stopped outside.

After a moment or two, the door opened as the guys filed in.

"Jesus." Chibs moved to take the kettle off the stove and turn it off.

Clay slid his glasses off, moving to Tara, taking a seat next to her. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I knew he just wanted to make sure she was okay.

"Letti." Ope stepped up to me.

I pulled away slightly. "Nursery." was all I said.

Opie and Chibs hesitated, seeing the state I was in. But before long, they headed off in the direction of Abel's room.

Jax hadn't left the room since we'd come back last night. Last time I checked on him he'd been sitting on the ground, one of Abel's stuffed toys in his hand as he leaned against the crib, crying.

As much as I loved the guys, having them around right now, al of them like this. It was too much. I needed a little space. So, I pushed off the counter, and headed for the laundry, closing the door behind me.

The moment I leaned back against the washing machine, I began to sob silently.

Everything was numb, but it still hurt so much. That's all I could feel. The pain of lose. Kip dying and Abel being taken, it was like two chunks of me had been ripped away. It hurt like hell, and left parts of me empty.

Kip had been my best friend. With the recent dramas, we hadn't spent as much time together. But he'd always been there. He always found time to sit and eat lunch with me, or just have a chat. He was always willing to help me out, whether it be to change a tire or listen to me rant.

Abel. Well he was my flesh and blood. Family. My nephew. The idea of him being out there... it scared the crap out of me. How could someone take a baby like that? He was so small, so vulnerable, so fragile, so innocent. Anything could happen to him out there... Anything.

"Scarlett?"

Hearing Juice's voice, I quickly turned away from him, wiping my tears away. "Hey. I'll, uh..." my voice cracked. "I'll be out in a minute."

Letting out a sigh, he stepped towards me. "Hey." his hand rested on my shoulder. "Look at me."

I hesitated a moment, another sob slipping from my lips before I turned to face him.

His eyes searched mine, his hand coming up to cup my cheek as his thumb brushed away my tears. Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead before he pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me.

My cheek rested against his chest, my arms coming around to hold him tightly. As I stood there, sobbing a little more, I listened to his heart, letting it calm me. Hearing the beat in his chest and feeling the warmth of his embrace, it made me realise how much I needed and missed him.

His hands rested on the small of my back as he held me to him. We didn't talk. We just stayed like that. In each other's arms. It felt right, healing a little bit of the hole that had been eating away at me since that dreadful day...

A knock on the door had us step out of each other's arms as Clay opened the door, offering me a pre-paid phone.

"It's Gemma."

Taking the phone I took a deep breath, leaning against the washing machine again as I pressed the phone to my ear. "Hey, mum."

"Hi, baby girl. I miss you so much... I'm sorry about Half-Sack. I know you two were close."

"Yeah, we were..."

"How are my boys? Is Juice taking care of you?"

I looked up at him, seeing him looking down at the ground in thought. "Yeah, he's taking care of me. We're all good here mum. Just worried about you really."

"I know, sweetheart." she sighed, and I could tell just by listening to her that this was all killing her. She hated being away from her family. "How's Abel?"

Abel... Clay had made the desicion not to tell mum about Cameron taking him. He didn't want to give her any reason to come back to Charming. The cops were looking for her everywhere. If she was caught, she'd be sent off.

But keeping it from her felt so wrong and unfair.

"He's good mum." I lied. "I'll give him lots of kisses for you, okay? I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye, baby."

Hanging up, I handed Clay the phone back. Once it was in his hand, he turned and left Juice and I alone again.

Juice stepped towards me, his arm coming around my waist as he pulled me to his chest again. This time I didn't cry as I leaned against him. I just stood there, needing his support. Needing his strength.

I hated lying to my mum. I hated not knowing if Abel was safe. I hated the fact Kip was dead. I hated feeling this useless. All the guilt of it all was pressing against me. Everything was just falling apart.

Leaning down, Juice pressed a gentle kiss to the top of my head. We didn't talk. We didn't have to.

Juice hadn't said it yet, but I was sure he loved me just like I loved him. There was no pressure, no uncertainty. As long as we were like this, together, than there was nothing to worry about. I had him, and he had me.

We stayed like that for awhile. Juice just held me as I leaned against him. He was letting me know he was there for me, that he'd always be there for me.

Some time had passed, the two of us standing in the laundry together, silent. Hours could have passed and we wouldn't have a clue. But as the door opened, it was clear it had only been mere minutes.

Chibs held the door open, standing in the doorway as he nodded to Juice. "We gotta go, brother." his eyes fell to me. "Soryy, Letti."

I just gave a gentle nod in responce, watching as Chibs stepped back out. Once we were alone again, Juice's arm fell from my waist as I stepped back.

Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah."

Silence fell over us, empty and waiting. We weren't ure what to say next. So Juice simply turned and walked out, leaving me standing there, all alone...

...

The day wasn't going as well as I would have liked it to. My plans- which had consisted of staying at Jax's and cleaning up a little- had changed when Tara and I were called by an agent, wanting to see the both of us at the sheriff's station.

I was currently waiting for Tara to get out of the interogation room. She was in there, talking to Stahl and an FBI agent. It was my turn next. Once Tara wLked out, she would take my seat outside the room and wait for me while I went through everything she was going through now. I wasn't exactly thrilled with all of this.

"Hey."

Looking up, my eyes landed on Hale as he stood there, offering me a coffee. I turned away from him and the coffee, not wanting anything from him.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Don't you have work to do?"

Hale just sighed, taking the seat next to me. We hadn't spoken since he kissed me except for when I gave him my statement. I had told Tara about the kiss, but I hadn't realised Piney had over heard it. He of course had told Juice.

Juice hadn't like Hale before. THe fact we'd dated a long time ago didn't exactly make the situation any better. But now? Now the mere idea of me being in the same building as Hale would probably piss Juice off. Not that he didnt' trust me. It was Hale he had issues with. If Hale wasn't a cop, Juice probably would have killed him by now... either that or one of the other guys would have done it for him.

"I'm just trying to be a good friend here, Letti."

"A friend doesn't kiss their friend who has a biker boyfriend. It makes things awkward and wierd and tense."

"It doesn't have to be." turning in he seat, he looked to me. "I made a mistake. I know that. But I don't want that to change things."

"Pretty sure it did, Hale." I countered, still refusing to face him.

"Letti," he sighed again, "look at me."

I did as he asked, turning to look at him, a glare on my face. "You kissed me Hale. It may only be a kiss, but it meant something to you. And it means something to Juice."

"He knows?"

"Of course he knows." I was barely able to keep myself from snapping at him. "Everyone probably knows by now. If Juice knows, you can bet the guys do. If the guys do, my mum probably does as well. And if she knows, then you're screwed."

Walking around the corner, Unser stopped in his tracks at the sight of Hale and I. One look at the way he was fornwing at the deputy and I knew he knew as well.

Stepping up to us, hands on his hips, Unser looked down at Hale disapprovingly. "Don't you have work you should be doing?"

Just then, the interogation room door opened. Tara walked out, Stahl a step behind. I looked at the bitch-agen, seeing her give me a short nod before she stepped back into the room, expecting me to follow her.

As I got up and went to move, Tara placed a hand on my arm, stopping me. "I'll wait here for you." she assured me.

I just nodded my thanks before heading in, closing the door behind me. I sat across from the FBI agent, Stahl stood off to the side. A camera was placed on the table facing me, recording everthing that was said.

"Scarlett Teller. You were there when Cameron Hayes came into your brother's house, correct?" the agent started.

"Yes."

"When he first walked in, did Mr Hayes say anything?"

"Yeah." I nodded, gaining the agents' attention. "He told me to sit down or he'd kill Tara." I shrugged, having already given this information. There was no way in hell I was outing the club.

"Your previous statement claims Mr Hayes then turned to you, threatening to kill you. Did he say why?"

"No."

"Did he mention your mother or his son at any moment?"

Behind the FBI guy Stahl watched me carefully. I specifically looked to her as he asked this question, letting her know I knew everything. I wasn't going to say it, not with the camera rolling. No, just with a look I sent the silent message through.

Then I answered, moving on with the questions. "No."

The agent nodded, looking down at his notes. "After Mr Hayes killed Kip Epps, you went to attack him, and he hit you with his gun. Is this correct?"

"Yes. Then I passed out."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Hearing Cameron and Tara crying."

"How did Jax Teller know to come to the house?"

"Tara and I were supposed to be back at the clubhouse but we were taking too long. When Tara called to tell him we were okay, Cameron walked in."

"Is there anything else you can tell us? Had you ever seen or heard of Mr Hayes before? Is there any reason that you can think of why he would take your brother's son and threaten to kill you?"

I shook my head. "Not that I can recall."

"Okay, well, thank you. You're free to go." the agent nodded to the door.

I stood, straightening my shirt as I stared at Stahl. She had that look on her face. The one where I could tell she knew I knew. But we couldn't say anything, not if we didn't want to get in trouble. So I just walked out.

Nodding to Tara, the two of us headed for the exit, walking out of the station. The moment we were outside, my eyes landed on Unser as he stood with Clay by this bike, parked off to the side.

"I'll see you later tonight." I told Tara, turning away from the cheif and my step-dad. "I'm gonna get a lift from Clay."

"Yeah, sure." she nodded, moving to hug me. "Thanks for being there for Jax the last few days. It really helped."

Pulling back, I offered a smile that didn't reach my eyes. Happiness just wouldn't come to me at that moment. "No problem."

We walked down the stairs, Unser walking up to us. "You girls okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Tara nodded, the sound of Stahl's heels clicking on the floor behind us catching our attention.

I looked over my shoulder at her before letting out a groan. Putting a hand on the small of Tara's back, we started to walk towards her car, wanting to get out of here and away from Stahl as soon as possiple.

"I'm fine too, thanks." Stahl replied sarcastically to Unser as she walked past him a followed us. "You know, I find it very hard to believe that you never bumped into Cameron Hayes before the other day." we stopped by the car, Stahl talking to Tara directly. "Been in town for months running guns for your future father-in-law."

"And I find it hard to belive you've still got a badge after what you did to Gemma." Tara snapped.

"What I did? Gemma came in guns blazing. I barely escaped with my life." Stahl just kept on going with the lie.

"You know what?" I stepped between Stahl and Tara. "If it had been me, I would have just killed you, too." I shrugged. "I mean, I've already got two bodies, why not another? Sure, you're fed. But that doesn't mean much to us." I noted. "And thats how I know my mum isn't responsible for this mess. Not completely, at least." I took a step closer to Stahl. "You're a coward, a manipulative bitch, and you need to back off."

"Or what, hmm?" she grinned. "What, you're gonna have one of your boys gun me down? They'd do anything for the Princess."

I scoffed, looking to Tara for a moment before turning back to Stahl. "Trust me sweetheart, we don't need boys to handle our shit."

"Stay away from our family." Tara warned before she opened her car door and got in. With a nod to me, she then drove off.

I turned my back to Stahl, walking over to Clay. Behind me I could hear Stahl following, not giving up.

Stepping up to Clay, a smile finally found it's way onto my lips as I watched his arms open up for me, his eyes softening the way they did whenever he looked to me.

"Hey, dad."

He held me to him in a hug, letting me rest my cheek to his shouldrfor a moment longer before he pulled me back, nodding to his bike. "Go wait by my bike. I'll be there in a mintue." he pressed a kiss to my forehead and then let me go, waiting for me to do as he said as he stayed where he was, watching Stahl.

"Well, Gemma trains them well. I'll give her that." Stahl commented, stopping by my step-dad. "Where is she Clay?"

"No idea." he shrugged.

"Well, we'll find her." Stahl insisted.

"From what I hear, that's not gonna matter much for you. Chief tells me you really pissed off the FBI, stepping on a three-year neo-Nazi sting."

"Lot of bad guys out there. Sometimes the pursuit gets a little... messy, you know?"

Clay stepped a little closer to her then, speaking lowly so no one except the two of them would know what he said. Part of me was curious, but the other part wasn't that interested anymore. Finding out Stahl was in the shit, that was enough to put my smile back into place as I imagined all the ass kissing she was going to have to do to get herself out of this mess.

JPOV

Clay walked into the clubhouse, Scarlett behind him. I was shocked, seeing her here. She hadn't been here since everything had happened. She walked up to me, nodding to the guys as she moved past them. When she stood a couple steps away from me, her eyes locked on to mine and I felt myself melt. The hold she had on me, I'd do anything for her...

I'd missed her while she was gone. Sleeping alone wasn't what it had been like before she came into my life. I was used to having her weight on me, head resting on my chest, my arms around her. With her gone, it just didn't feel right.

"How'd it all go?" I asked, arms wrapping around her.

She shrugged, hugging me back. "Fine. I just want to go shower and get ready..."

"Yeah, of course." I let go of her, stepping back. "You need me to do anything?"

"Come with me?"

There was no suggestiveness behind her word., I was sure she didn't feel ready to let go of everything long enough for anything like that. I could see she just wanted me with her, for the comfort and support.

"Of course." I nodded, grabbing her hand. We walked back to our room, the only thing on my mind was to make sure she was okay.

Bamby