AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello again! I'm back, how is everyone? Good, I hope. I want to start off by taking the time to thank everyone who read my story, who favorited, who followed, who reviewed, it honestly means SO much to me. As a writer, your interest in my story fuels my inspiration and desire to write. So thank you very much.

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Khyharah: My first reviewer! First off, thank you so much for reviewing, you made me so happy! I'm glad you are enjoying my OC so far, I hope she continues to hold your interest throughout this story. Xx

Chiefgirl87: Honestly thank you for your review, it means so much to me. I'm SO happy that you are happy with the introduction and that you're excited about the first/next chapter! Xx

beth626: Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much for your review. I'm glad you find my story interesting so far! Hopefully, this chapter doesn't disappoint. Xx

Legolas' Girl 31(Dani): Thank you for your review, seriously, it pulled me out of a writer's block which in turn helped get this chapter finished. I'm glad you loved the intro! I hope you enjoy this one as well! Xx

Foreverkee: Thank you for reviewing! I'm so happy you enjoyed the intro and are excited for what is to come! Xx

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONS OF ANARCHY OR IT'S CHARACTERS AND STORYLINES, ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO FX AND KURT SUTTER. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED. I SOLELY PLACE OWNERSHIP OVER MY OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTERS NEVER BEFORE SEEN ON THE SHOW.

Enjoy :D

June 21, 2003

Opening my eyes, my lids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds.

Sitting up in the darkness, I let my eyes adjust to my surroundings before I started fumbling for a light to turn on. Yawning, I became uncomfortably aware of how dry my mouth and lips were. Moving to the edge of the bed, I began carefully swatting the air, trying to locate the nightstand and the lamp on top of it. When my fingers came in contact with something hard, so I tapped around for a minute to confirm that it was, in fact, the bedside table. Locating the lamp, I pulled the chain and was nearly blinded by it's dim, yellow glow once it turned on. My head began pounding with the sudden change of brightness in the room, and then, and only then did my brain decide to acknowledge just how sweaty my body was. It had to be at least 90 degrees in this room.

Getting out of bed, I shuffled slowly to the window and shoved it open. Relishing in the cool breeze that swept in I leaned against the window sill and took note of the blue-black sky. After cooling off for a few minutes, I then turned to check the time. 5:30 am, holy shit. I can't remember the last time that I've ever slept this long before. And I don't even feel refreshed. In fact, I felt even more tired. Sluggish and heavy. My throat was raw and scratchy, most likely a by-product of snoring, and my eyes were burning and watery from being closed for so long. Rubbing my face, I cringed at the feeling of the built-up oil around my nose and along my forehead. Time for a shower.

Turning on my heel, I made my way into the bathroom and flipped the light switch. The overhead light took a few seconds to turn on and when it did it slowly flickered alive. Stepping into the room, my feet weren't greeted with the feeling of the cold floor beneath them. A quick glance down would provide me with the answer why. I never got changed out of my clothes last night, not even my shoes. Turning back, I grabbed my suitcase by the still barricaded door and placed it on the bed. Opening it up, I fished for a clean pair of jeans that I wasn't even sure I had any more, I very well may have run out of clean clothes 3 cities ago.

It took a while but, eventually, I was able to dig out some semi-clean clothes, along with my toiletries and was in the shower by a quarter after 6. The shower itself was as expected, the tub was stained, and the tile grout was black with mildew and soap scum. The harsh water was weak and lukewarm long enough to wash my hair and body but, ice cold when it came time to rinse off. It left my hair feeling like straw and the cold water, while it normally would have woken me up, it only served to make my head throb worse. And what was just a minor annoyance before, was now a full-blown migraine. I needed some Advil or something, and fast. Climbing out of the shower, I wrapped my hair up and began drying off my body. I quickly dressed in a pair of straight legged Levi's and a striped t-shirt. Sitting down on the toilet seat, I slipped on some socks and unwrapped my hair, ruffling it around to absorb any excess water.

Moving to the sink, I used my towel to wipe the condensation off the mirror and leaned forward to check my reflection. My eyes were bloodshot and my skin was dull and dry from the days on the road. My hair was crunchy and tangled and I looked an absolute mess. Sighing, I shook my head and bent down to pick up my dirty clothes before leaving the bathroom. Tossing my clothes in the open suitcase, I returned to the window to close it. The sun was up now and the people of the town were starting to go about their day. A few cars left the motel parking lot and as I watched them go I spotted a convenience store across the street. They'll definitely have something for my headache, food too. Closing up the window and drawing the curtains, I turned to the bed and sat down to pull on my boots. Grabbing my purse and the room key, I slipped on sunglasses and moved towards the door. Removing the chair, I stepped outside into the sunlight and took a deep breath.

Locking the door, I tossed the key in my bag and headed for the stairs. Making my way down, I was stopped at the bottom by a group of men standing around smoking. They all looked the same- white, bald, dirty jeans, wife beater underneath cut off flannel shirts -typical rednecks. As I approached, they turned to face me.

"Look at what we got here." One man to my left leered. He was tall, with facial features too small for is blocky, square head. He had a short crew cut, that was spiked up with too much gel. He looked like a total toolbag.

"Good morning to you beautiful." The man beside him smirked. He looked the youngest out of all of them, with a close-shaved buzz cut and a shitty neckbeard. His whole demeanor reeked of cockiness.

"What's a sweet little thing like you doing around here, huh?" Now this guy, was the worst of them all. He was short and stout, with a round and fleshy abdomen. His long face was connected to his short neck by multiple folds of fat. He had a crooked and down-turned nose, his eyes were small and beady, and his lips were like two fat worms. Judging by the way he lisped the word 'sweet', he was most likely missing some teeth as well. He was truly the most nauseating man I've ever seen.

Taking a deep breath, I clenched my jaw and pursed my lips, "Excuse me please, I need to get through."

"What's the rush doll? Why don't you keep us company for a little while." Neckbeard replied he was practically licking his teeth as he eyed me up and down.

Manners, Julianna, manners and patience, I could hear my mother's voice in my head, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar".

"Sorry, I can't, I have places to be so if you gentlemen could step to the side and let me through, I'd really appreciate it." I forced a smile. He seemed as if he was going to do as I asked but, Toolbag, however, did not like my response one bit.

"What's the matter Princess, too good for us?"

Narrowing my eyes, I took a deep breath to calm down before trying to defuse the situation, "Look, boys, I don't mean any offense-."

But it only served to make him angrier, "Who the hell you calling boy bitch!?"

You know what, I've always hated honey.

Opening my mouth to go off in him, he started towards me, but one of his buddies reached out and grabbed him by the arm.

"Hey, hey, hey, relax Rex, leave the lady alone."

Refusing to back down first, I held eye contact with Rex for a solid minute before he eventually shook his arm free of his friend and stormed off in a huff. But not before spitting at my feet first. Rolling my eyes, I looked at the guy who helped me out.

He was the tallest of the group and appeared to be the same age as my eldest brother Sal. He had raven hair that was slicked back and a well-kept goatee. He was pretty well off in the muscle department, looking as if he spent multiple hours a week in the gym. Just when I was going to admit that he was handsome, my eyes fell on a tattoo peeking out from underneath his guinea tee. It was a swastika. He's a skinhead. When did Nazi's move into town? I made a mental note to ask dad about it when I saw him.

"Why don't you guys go make sure Rex doesn't stir up any more trouble with anyone else." He ordered.

With that they nodded in submission and walked away, throwing a "Sure thing boss," over their shoulders as they left.

He was the leader.

"Sorry about that Miss." He smiled.

Hesitating, I readjusted my purse on my shoulder and said, "Thanks, uh."

"Tyler." He interrupted. He must have taken my pause as an opportunity to offer his name.

Didn't ask for it but, okay.

"Tyler...right," I muttered, "Thanks again, for helping with that."

"Anything for a local." He chuckled.

Scrunching my brows in confusion, the vibe I got when he said made me uncomfortable. I didn't like the way he was looking at me either like he knew something I didn't. Shifting around uncomfortably, I wanted this situation over with.

"I'm just gonna go now, so if you could just.." I sighed, motioning with my hand for him to step aside.

"Right, right, sorry," he laughed, raising his hands as he stepped out of my way, "You have a good day now."

Nodding at him, I quickly walked past him and down the sidewalk. Making it to the street, I waited for the cars to pass before jogging across to the other side. Reaching the front doors of Lucky's Convenience Store, I pulled on the door handle but it wouldn't budge. Pulling again to no avail, I cupped my hands on the glass and peered inside. There were some lights on but no one was in sight. Pulling back, I looked around at the storefront for any open/closed signs but found none, instead, I found a paper with the store hours on it. Today was Saturday, their hours on Saturday's are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. So what time was it now? Digging around inside my bag, I located my cell phone and pulled it out to check the time. Dead, God dammit!

Huffing out a sigh of annoyance, I turned around and surveyed my surroundings. Clearly, they weren't open right now, so I'll just have to figure something else out. My stomach growled violently and reminded me of the last time l ate which was yesterday morning. Moving onto the sidewalk, I started walking, using only my memory to guide me to my destination.

Hanna's Diner. The local hot spot for teenagers on Friday's, families on Saturday's and your average churchgoer on Sunday's. The place where every child in Charming goes for their first date or gets their first serving job. Hanna's has been around since before I was even born, and hopefully, it'll be around when my children are my age. Smiling, I crossed the lot, climbed the red brick steps and swung open the door. The chiming bell overhead brought back so many memories that my mood was instantly boosted by like ten percent. Walking inside, I glanced around just taking everything in. For the most part, nothing had changed much, besides the covers on the bar stools and booth benches. Maybe a paint change as well.

Wandering down the aisle, I chose a booth in the back corner. Not long after getting settled, a waitress in a typical peach colored, uniform dress with a white apron tied around her waist, approached me. She was young, maybe late teens, with strawberry hair and big green eyes. When she spoke, her voice was soft and quiet.

"Hi, my name is Sophie I'll be your server today, can I start you off with something to drink?" She smiled as she handed me a menu.

"Hi, can I get a glass of orange juice, no pulp, and a black coffee please."

"Of course, coming right up." She nodded, scribbling it down on her little notepad before walking away.

Flipping open the menu, I trailed my eyes down their list of breakfast options, silently hoping it was still on the menu. And sure enough, at the very bottom of the second page was the hearty breakfast. It consisted of two pancakes, a slice of french toast, a Belgian waffle, hash browns, two eggs of your choice, three strips of bacon, three sausage links, and toast. The God of Breakfast, as my brother Antonio, liked to call it when we were younger. It was our go-to breakfast on Sunday's after church. I can still remember like it was yesterday, all the work we had to do to convince our father that we could finish it all. Or at least that I could finish it. And I did, making me the first ever- I think -10 years old to put away that much food in Charming. I ate it every Sunday, and now that I think about it, it was more than likely the cause of my chubbier middle school days.

Sophie returned with my drinks and I closed the menu, "Here you go ma'am, sorry for the wait."

"That's alright sweetheart, it's not a problem." I smiled.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked.

"I am actually, I'm going to get the hearty breakfast, eggs scrambled and wheat toast." Was my reply as I handed her back the menu.

"Okay, the hearty breakfast may take a little longer to prepare, is that ok?"

"That's fine, I'm not in any rush."

"Okay then, just sit tight and it'll be out before you know it." She chuckled before returning to her other tables.

"Thanks!" I called after her.

Grabbing my mug of coffee, I leaned over it and breathed in deeply. The steam and the scent of the roasted beans helped to clear my mind of its foggy state. Taking a sip, I gritted my teeth at the bitter taste. I never really drink black coffee but, if I'm going to make it through the rest of the day, I need to chug it down to help recover from my oversleeping. Taking a couple chugs of my coffee before setting it aside, I grabbed my orange juice and took a drink. God, coffee, and orange juice is not a good combination at all, I don't know what I was thinking. Shaking my head, as if that would somehow rid my mouth of the bad taste, I cleared my throat and sat back in my seat and relaxed.

Closing my eyes, I just listened to everything around me. There was an elderly couple, not far away from me, talking about everything under the sun. From the woman's gardening plans and the local flower selection at Poppy's Nursery to her husbands up and coming fishing trip with their grandsons. They reminded me of my mom and dad's parents. Nearby, there was a child asking his or her mom, why birds didn't have arms and it took all the strength in my body not to burst out into laughter. I can't wait to have kids of my own one day. I heard someone sit down in the booth next to mine. It was a woman, and she was talking to someone. Through deductive reasoning, I determined that she was on the phone, due to the lack of vocal replies to everything that she was saying.

At that moment, Sophie returned with my food, "Here you go ma'am."

Opening my eyes, I sat up and smiled brightly as she placed everything down in front of me, "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, enjoy!"

Digging into my food, I quickly finished off my coffee now that I had something to properly cleanse my palate with. I took my time eating, despite how hungry I was. I wanted to savor everything, seeing as I haven't had it in so long. After paying for my food and leaving Sophie a generous tip, I left Hanna's and made my return to Lucky's.

The walk back was nice, there was a beautiful breeze and the sun was shining and there wasn't a grey cloud in the baby blue sky. Stopping at my motel room to plug my phone in real quick to charge, I was thankful that the peckerwoods were nowhere to be seen. I was able to get to my room and back across the street without any hassle. Just in time too it seems, as I approached there was a boy unlocking the front doors. He must have heard me coming up behind him because he turned around just as I reached him.

"Oh, good morning." He smiled.

"Good morning to you as well, are you guys finally open?" I asked with a smile but, I didn't wait for a reply before I walked passed him and into the store.

"Uh, I mean technically yes we are but, um none of our cashiers have clocked in yet." He fumbled out as he stumbled in after me.

"That's alright I'm not getting much, I'm sure you can ring me up." I offered over my shoulder as I perused the shelves for the painkillers.

"Well, I'm just a stock clerk and I work in back with inventory, not with the registers."

Finding some Advil in the back near the pharmacy, I made my way up to the refrigerators and grabbed a water bottle, "It's not that difficult, I'm sure you can figure it out hon."

"I-I know how to work a register, I'm just not suppose-."

My patience was running pretty thin and I just wanted to go back to my room and rest my eyes, so I cut him off, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll pay cash and you can give it to your manager or a cashier and they can put it in the register, you can even keep the change."

Sighing, he glanced around to see if anyone was watching, "Fine, but if I get fired for this, I know who to come after for a new job."

Rolling my eyes behind my sunglasses, I pulled my wallet out and grabbed a twenty. Good luck with that buddy, you don't even know who I am. Handing him the money I tossed my purchases into my bag and headed for the door.

"You're welcome!" He yelled.

"Thanks, kid!" I replied, already outside with the door swinging closed behind me.

Throwing myself down on the bed, I let out a loud groan as I massaged my temples. Tossing off my glasses, I pulled the aspirin and water out of my bag and ripped out the box. Opening both, I popped two pills in my mouth and downed half of the water in one go. Glancing at the clock, it read 10:15, so I moved to the nightstand where my phone was charging and powered it on. Checking my emails, I was happy to see I had one from the realtor. It read;

Dear J. Alessi,

I am happy to inform you that your keys are ready and waiting for you upon your arrival in Charming. When you receive this email, please contact me, via the number listed on my business card, asap. I look forward to signing the final paperwork for your forever home.

P. R. Applegate, Realtor

J. Hale Realty

P. R. Applegate- short for Peter Randall Applegate -an up and coming realtor who was going to house the entire population of the Northern West coast, from Northern California to the Vancouver border. His words, not mine. I remember the first time I met Peter, my best friend back in Manhattan, Brooke, brought her new flavor of the month home with her. I had already learned from Brooke, that he was a realtor in California, but imagine my surprise when he told me exactly where in California. Out of all the cities and out of all the towns that were in the state of California, he just happened to work out of Charming. And what were the fucking odds, that we'd meet in New York, the largest city in the United States? I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't suspicious of him for a while, I mean who wouldn't be but, eventually, I learned that he was born and raised in San Diego and that he only worked in Charming. He actually lived in Stockton, in a house that was left to him in his grandmother's will.

Reaching over for my purse, I pulled out the folded up card and punched in the number. It rang 6 times before his assistant picked up, "Thank you for calling Jacob Hale Realty, you've contacted Peter R. Applegate, this is his assistant Jenna speaking how may I help you?"

"Hello Jenna, this is Julianna Alessi, I'm calling in regards to an e-mail I received from Mr. Applegate, I was wondering if you could page me through to him please?" I asked.

"One second, let me put you on hold real quick."

Sighing, I sat back against the headboard and flipped the card around in my hand as the cheesy elevator music played in my ear. I was probably on hold for 5 minutes before he answered, "This is Peter."

"Hey Peter it's me, Julianna, I got your e-mail, I finally made to town and I was wondering if you had time to meet up, finish those papers you talked about."

"Sweet, I'm available around 11:00, do you think you can swing by my office then so we can close this deal." He whooped and I couldn't resist rolling my eyes. I'll never understand what Brooke sees in this guy. He is truly the bro of all bros. I never got a straight answer from her on where she met him, I think it was Spring break in Cancun or something like that.

"Alright, I'm leaving now so I should probably be there by 11." I agreed standing up from the bed and to unplug my cell phone. Grabbing everything I needed, I tossed my charger into my purse and left the room.

"Aight see you then." He said and ended the call.

Hanging up, I tossed my palmOne Treo 600 into my bag and locked the door. Heading down to the parking lot I located my car that was thankfully still parked in the spot I left it in and made my way over to it. After a quick inspection to make sure that none of my windows were broken, I climbed inside and went on my way.

To get to Peter's work, I had to drive through downtown, not that I was complaining at all. Downtown, Main Street especially, was what gave Charming it's good charm. The mom and pop shops and storefronts owned by locals have been here since my father was a baby. Floyd's Barbershop, Lucy's Hair Salon, Bob & Bailey's Antique Store, all of these places were just some of the things that made Charming the way it was. Driving down the street, I could see store owner's out either sweeping the sidewalk confront of their businesses or cleaning their windows. You could feel the pride that they had in their establishments. You didn't get that sense in New York, or at least you didn't everywhere. Those places that did were a dime a dozen.

Pulling up to the realty building at 11 on the dot, I quickly parked and got out. Walking up to the doors, I stopped to take a deep breath. Now or never, I thought and stepped inside. The lobby of J. Hale Realty was clean and open, with white walls, grey marble flooring, and floor to ceiling windows. The waiting area consisted of black leather and steel chairs surrounding an all-glass coffee table. And there was black and white abstract art of multiple sizes hanging on the walls. Overall it was very pleasant looking, however, the buildings industrial brick exterior did not match its pristine interior. The outside screamed warehouse, while the inside screamed Upper Westside office building. It was just all too obvious that Jacob Hale was trying to appeal to a certain crowd by appearing- posing -as someone who was even more uppity and snobbish than he already was. Approaching the stone and granite reception desk, the young woman behind it looked up and smiled at me, "Hello, can I help you with something?"

"Yes, could you please point me in the direction of Peter Applegate's office?"

Our meeting didn't last very long, fifteen minutes max, maybe even shorter. And the majority of those minutes were spent with him drilling into me about how the house was a fixer-upper and how he wanted to make sure that I knew this before signing anything. And I did already know that he told me in his initial e-mail reply to me, as well as in our first phone call. Brooke was the one who told me how her boyfriend was trying to sell a fixer-upper in my hometown and that I should give him a call. And before I knew it, my John Hancock was drying on the papers and he was placing the keys in my hand.

"I'm so glad we could close this deal today Julianna, you've just made me one happy man." He smiled joyfully as he shook my hand.

"Yeah no problem, thanks for helping me out, I know it was short notice." I replied as we left his office.

"No, thank you! Your e-mail was like a Godsend, I don't know what I would have done if you didn't express interest in this house." He sighed as he escorted me back out into the lobby.

Smirking, I chuckled, "You should be thanking Brooke, she's the one who told me about this house and how you were desperate to sell it."

"I'll keep that in mind when I see her tomorrow."

"Visiting her in New York are you?" I asked.

"Yeah, just a little vacation." He explained, "We're going to her parents' lake house up in Maine for the 4th."

Nodding I held the keys up awkwardly, "Alright well, thanks again."

He just nodded and smiled so I turned and exited the building. Climbing into my car and pulling out onto the street, I made my way to my new home. It was a 950 . one bedroom, one bath, two-story country style, located on the East side of Charming at the corner of a cul de sac. Not exactly in the best neighborhood but, beggars can't be choosers. It wasn't that the neighborhood was dangerous, per say, just that it wasn't exactly filled with Charming's star citizen's either. At least it wasn't back in 97' when I left, so for all, I know it could be completely different now, with new residents and all that jazz. Who am I kidding, it's Charming, when does anything change in this town.

It took a little over 15 minutes to get there, and as I pulled up to the curb of 1313 Springer Blvd, I wasn't surprised by what greeted me. The grass was overgrown, standing almost a foot high, and filled with dandelions and weeds. The rusty mailbox at the curb was dented like it'd been knocked off its slanted post a couple of times. Getting out of the car, I walked over to and up, the faded and cracked driveway. It didn't have a garage, just a dilapidated wooden overhang that you could park under. Standing there, I surveyed the building. It was definitely country-esque, that much was obvious, it had a screened in front porch which had seen better days. The wood was faded and warped, the screen was torn in several places and its railing was missing several balusters.

The house itself seemed to be in good condition from what I could tell, the foundation didn't look broken cracked and I couldn't see any holes in the roof but, it was missing a few shingles. It needed a fresh coat of paint, it's old color had completely chipped off at this point, and what was left of its gutters, were hanging on by a thread. Peter was right about it being a fixer-upper, and I can see why the last owners were evicted. This place was an eyesore like no other.

Locating the cracked rock and concrete pathway, within the jungle that was my lawn, I waded my way to the front steps. Climbing them carefully, they creaked and groaned with every gentle step I took. I was afraid of every step, just waiting for a board to snap and for me to go straight through because clearly, this porch was rotted. Reaching the entrance safely, I took a relieved breath. There were porch lights on either side of the door, the one on the right was shattered and the one of the left was hanging from the wall by its wires. Shaking my head, I pulled open the warped and bent screen door after doing a quick sweep for any spiders and began digging around in my pocket for the keys. Pulling them out, I unlocked the real estate padlock and removed it from the doorknob. Tossing it down on the porch, I unlocked the door and deadbolt.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and pushed. Nothing. The door wouldn't open. Trying again, with no luck, I double checked to make sure that I actually unlocked it. Confident that I did, I tried again, this time giving it a little nudge with my shoulder. It was stuck, I could hear it cracking with each push, pulling away from the frame it was frozen too. No ones have been in here for awhile then, I guess. Rolling my shoulders, I gripped the handle tightly and braced myself. Turning the knob, I slammed my shoulder into the door but to no avail.

It wouldn't budge. Trying a second time, with a little more force, I could have sworn I felt it move slightly. Mustering up all the strength in my body, I threw my full weight into the door with a grunt and it flew open. Third times the charm. Stumbling inside, I groaned and rubbed my shoulder while stretching out my arm.

The smell was the first thing I noticed. Then the dust in the air. Coughing, I used my t-shirt to cover my nose and looked around.

"Son of a bitch."

A/N: Noooooo, not a cliffhanger! Haha, sorry about that guys but I decided to split this chapter into two chapters or else it would have been way too long. Split up, this chapter is still 5,000+ words, which is insane. I also wanted to say sorry for the wait, I originally wanted to upload this on the 30th of April but I hit a writers block regarding a certain section of this chapter, then I was gone from May 4th to 6th for a church retreat, THEN my car broke down and I had to handle that but, I finally got it done. I want to thank everyone who followed and favorites this story, I'm actually shocked at how many of you there are. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the first chapter, and to everyone who was kind enough to review. You've all made me so happy! So, until next time, don't forget to favorite. follow, and review if you already haven't!

Xx Holly