a/n Hey guys look! I'm still alive. And I'm sorry. Real Life got crazy for me and writing sadly got put on the back burner. However I'm trying to focus on writing again. So here is Chpt 14. Huge shout out and thanks to the wonderful women of the Freak Circle. You can't know how much you all mean to me. Reviews/comments are always welcome. Please read and enjoy.

Leah walked out of the clubhouse followed by Chibs. She pushed her sunglasses from the top of her head down over her eyes. She moved to walk into the lot before remembering she didn't know how she was getting home. She paused under the awning to look back at Chibs, the question written on her face.

"We'll take my bike back luv." Chibs told her, "Follow me." He led her to a bike parked a few spots away from where Happy had parked earlier. Honestly Leah couldn't tell the difference between any of them aside from the one with huge handlebars in the air. Still she'd had bikers as customers before, she knew that each bike was unique. She just didn't know how.

Chibs mounted the bike and nodded to Leah to climb on the back. She did so carefully, still uncomfortable with getting on and off a bike. She tried not to grip his waist too tightly as they pulled from the lot into the street. When they pulled into her drive way it was all she could do to keep from bouncing off the bike and running into the house. As she fumbled with her keys she grabbed her phone from her purse pressing in a number quickly without bothering to look.

"Sandra? Yeah it's me. Andrew and Mia are coming home today." Leah said as she pushed the door open with her hip, "I was going to make his favorite but I'm completely out of ground beef and cream of mushroom soup. Could you please bring some over? Stay for dinner?"

Leah tossed her purse on the counter as she switched the phone from her right ear to her left. She opened the fridge and began to purvey the contents. She began to pull things out of the fridge and set them on the counter.

"No just those two, I'm going to make tater-tot hot dish. Chocolate cake for dessert." She said into the phone as Chibs came in the room. "Yep just got first picking of green beans from the garden."

Chibs locked the door behind him and took off his kutte setting it carefully on a chair.

"Ok, see you in twenty." She hung up the phone and continued to dig in the fridge.

"What the hell are you doing love." Chibs asked. "You look like a bee came and stung ya in the arse."

Leah turned to glance at Chibs while her hands never stopped moving.

"My son is coming home along with my best friend. I'm safe, my son is safe and my best friend is safe. I have money in my safe and I'm starting law school soon. I'm focusing on the good stuff." Leah answered as she grabbed the cutting board from the hook on the wall.

"So you gonna take the Mayan job?" Chibs asked.

"I don't know." Leah said stopping for the first time since she entered the house, "I don't know and honestly I'm not thinking about it."

"You're gonna have to think about it love." Chibs commented.

"I know I do. And I will. I just have no idea if I should." Leah said, "I have no idea what the politics are, what taking the job would say, who would be insulted if I don't. I just don't know. I don't know who is friends with who. I don't know if doing this will make my son safer or put me in more danger."

"We're friends with the Mayans." Chibs answered without giving anything she didn't know away. Leah turned back to her cutting board and the assorted vegetables in front of her.

"What do you think I should do?" Leah asked looking over her shoulder as she moved to the sink to rinse off the pepper and onion she held.

"Well, Jax would send someone with you." Chibs said calmly coming over to the counter.

"And…" Leah let the word drag out hoping Chibs would continue.

"And it's a clean job love. Alverez is doing what we did- showing you're under their protection and ours. You're a friend of both clubs. Good money." Chibs stood at the sink washing his hands.

"So I should do it?" Leah asked. "What are you doing anyway?"

"I'm a bachelor love I know how to chop veggies. Have you even sat down once during all this?"

"Not really." Leah answered honestly, "I sit and I start to think, so I don't sit."

"Sit." Chibs said. "Yer boy's coming home. Take a minute to sit." He picked up the knife and began to chop the onion. Leah stared at him before following his directions and sitting on the island stool.

"I guess I could take Mia with me also." Leah commented.

"Nah, a gash bouncer is no good."

"She's done fine so far." Leah replied making sure to keep her voice calm.

"Ya, with frat boys and fat retired business men. These boys wont respect a gash no matter how much she packs. Yer playing with the big boys now."

"I'm not so good at games. I like my frat boys and my oldies. Mostly my oldies, frat boys are annoying. Either way they pay my rent and tuition and daycare for that matter. I didn't need this."

"Ya got it though love."

"I'm starting to grasp that." Leah muttered under her breath. A silence fell in the kitchen as Leah stared off into space- thinking about where her life had led her. A knock on the door startled her out of her reflection. Before Leah could move to go answer Chibs already had his gun in his hand was moving towards the peep hole.

"Thought I was safe." Leah commented dryly.

"Better safe than sorry." Chibs responded.

"I still don't like guns in my house, especially with my son coming home." Leah said, "but I'm guessing I don't really have a choice." She finished with resigned sigh. "I don't want Andrew seeing any of them."

"He won't love." Chibs answered as he peeked though the peephole. He opened the door and let Sandra through the door her arms full of bags.

"I know you only asked me to bring over the beef and cream of mushroom soup but I grabbed a few extra things including some Mommy drinks." She said as she walked through the door.

"You really didn't have to." Leah said half-heartedly a smile breaking out over her face.

"You say that every time and every time I tell you I know I didn't have to I wanted to." Sandra said digging in a drawer for the corkscrew. Once she found her prize she grabbed two glasses and filled them generously.

"Sandra, it's only 2 in the afternoon." Leah pointed out.

"Yes and by the time Mia and Andrew get here it'll be 5 so we're fine." Sandra pushed the wine glass into her hand.

"San…" Leah tried to protest as her friend took her hand and led her to the couch.

"Look I don't have a clue in hell what's been going on in your life these past few days. You sent Andrew with Mia for a few days, which you've never done before. You've had bikers here- men here which you've never done before. And if the sheets on the line the other day were anything to go by you've gotten laid here- which you've never done before. I can live without knowing what exactly is going on but here's the deal- I know something has been bad. Aside from getting laid. I've been trying to get you laid for months. Either way though something hasn't been right. So sit your ass down, drink your wine and relax a bit." Sandra said as she settled her hand on her hip and stared her friend down.

"Ok, ok, ok. Sitting." Leah smiled as she took her glass of wine.

"Besides- I'm just as capable of making tater tot casserole as you are."

"Alright. I'll sit like a good girl." Leah sipped from her wine glass enjoying the taste swirling in her mouth.

"Good. I'm putting on music. It's to damn quiet in this house without Andrew running around." Sandra went over to the iPod dock on the kitchen counter and quickly put the music on quiet shuffle. She smiled at her song choice and turned her back to the living room and started working on dinner. Soon a peaceful silence fell in the house broken only by the iPod and Sandra occasionally joining in to the music off key.

As Sandra slipped the casserole into the oven to wait until it was time to bake it she glanced over at the couch. She let out a light laugh when she found Leah sound asleep- her wine half empty and sitting on the coffee table. Chibs looked to see what caught Sandra's attention and smiled at the site himself.

"Lass needs some rest." He commented.

"Care to tell me why she needs rest so much?" Sandra asked raising her eyebrow.

"Not at all love." Chibs told her.

"Can't blame a woman for trying. I worry about her." Sandra said.

"She's a good lass. Solid head on her shoulders." Chibs said.

"Exactly- it hasn't been an easy life on her- she found some stable ground here. I'd like her to keep that." Sandra said. It had been over two years since Chibs had seen or even spoken to Fiona but he recognized that bite in a woman's voice. It told him that a lot of anger hid behind that voice.

"We're taking care of her. The lad too." Chibs said staying calm.

"Good she needs someone to watch out for her and God knows she wont let me or Mia do much. Maybe you're brand of protection will work." Sandra leveled a long look at Chibs. "So tell me- where did the accent come from?"

"Scotland." Chibs replied. Soon the pair fell into a quiet conversation careful to not wake the sleeping woman across the room.

Over an hour later Leah sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her not-quite-yet-functioning brain registered the sun no longer fell on her face and the music seemed to barely play in the background. She heard quiet conversation coming from the kitchen- to quiet to have waken her up. She looked around for what could have woken her up. On the coffee table Mia's prepaid phone lit up and buzzed quietly. Across the screen the name "Leah-work" flashed on the caller ID.

"Hello?" Leah asked as she snatched the phone into her hand.

"Leah?" Mia's voice came over the phone, "We're about a half hour out. We'll be there soon."

"Oh thank God!" Leah breathed out in a sigh of relief, "How's the road?"

"Just fine. Someone wants to talk to you quick."

Leah could hear shuffling as the phone was passed to the back seat.

"Mommy?" Andrew said into the phone.

"Hey baby, how are you? Did you have fun with Auntie Mia?" Leah's voice and face lit up hearing her son.

"Yeah! We went to the beach and had hot dogs and Auntie Mia even let me go into the water! But she wouldn't let me go in deep, cuz I don't know how to swim yet." Andrew said excitedly his yesterdays temper tantrum is long forgotten. "We even had donuts for breakfast!"

"Donuts for breakfast? Wow lucky boy!" Leah said, "and guess what?"

"What Mommy?" Andrew asked.

"We're having your favorite dinner tonight too. Mommy and Auntie Sandra are making it now."

"Is Auntie Mia going to be staying for dinner?" Andrew asked wanting to know.

"Yes she is." Leah told her son smiling at his obvious happiness.

"Cool. Oh auntie Mia wants the phone back. I'm gonna look at my new book."

Leah once again heard the shuffling of the telephone being passed up to the front seat.

"Hey sweetie," Mia said, "I've been in touch with one of my contacts in Oakland. He didn't know of anything big happening in the area so it sounds like the Son's are right about things being quiet. I'll keep an ear out on top of what the Sons are doing."

"Thanks Mia." Leah had texted the bounty hunter to see if she could dig up any more information, "We'll see you soon. Sandra even brought big girl drinks for us to share. A nice sweet white Riesling. We can all chat tonight after Andrew goes to bed."

"Sounds perfect. See you soon. Love ya."

"Love ya too Mia."

Leah hung up the phone with a huge smile on her face.

"Good news?" Sandra asked from the kitchen.

"The best, they're a half hour out." Leah told her friend.

"Good, cake will be ready when they get here."

"Perfect, Chibs do you need another beer?" Leah asked her guest- she might hate Minnesota now but her Midwest upbringing cringed at a guest in her home with an empty drink.

"Sure I'll take one love." Chibs answered. Leah grabbed two beers from the fridge opening one for Chibs and one for Sandra before going back to the living room and grabbing her wine glass and topping it off. The three adults fell into casual conversation as the kitchen filled with the succulent sent of baking cake.

~o0o~

Damon Pope sat at his desk, a glass of scotch hung lazily from his hand. His attention seemingly captured by the blank wall in front of him. The barren office tucked in a corner of an old warehouse sat still in anticipation for something to begin. Out side the door the muffled noise of men working filtered into the background noise. Pope rotated the small rocks glass in his hand thinking. Rising to his feet he began to pace the room.

The Sons were afraid of him. Cautious of him. They didn't want a war they said. Well they already had one. A war was in their back yard. It was just a matter of time until blood was spilt and blood would be spilt. An eye for an eye.

Tig Traeger would die. That was a given.

Damon Pope would own the Sons. He owned the smack in the area, once he owned the Sons he'd own the coke too. He could move in on the meth dealers and burn the Sons to the ground.

As for that whore who warned them of the Mayans traitors. Well she was obviously aligned with the Sons. One good turn didn't always deserve another. If she stayed out of his affairs he would ignore her. If not- well another whore was always useful.

His eyes fell to a framed photograph sitting on his desk. His daughter smiled out at him in the framed moment of time. She wore her graduation gown and cap.

Pope gripped the edge of his desk and drained the last of the liquor. With a roar he flung the glass against the concrete wall shattering it. One of his men opened the door checking to see what happened.

"Bring me the files on the Sons. Now!" Pope snapped. Come hell or high water so help him God the Sons were going to pay.

~o0o~

"Leah, they're here!" Sandra called out as she peeked out the window.

"They are?" Leah called rushing out from her room. She ran straight out the front door and to the parked truck. She arrived at the door just as her son climbed out of the back seat.

"Mommy!" Andrew called out as he jumped the short distance to the ground. He landed in his mothers waiting arms as the young woman hugged her son as close as she could. The little boy tolerated his mother affections before wiggling out of her arms.

"Mommy are you crying?" He asked seeing Leah's damp cheeks.

Leah wiped her hand across her eyes trying to disguise the tears that leaked out.

"A little bit little Prince." She acknowledged as the weight of the last few days crashed down on her.

"Why Mommy?" Andrew placed his child's hands on his mothers face looking worried.

"I just missed you honey." Leah said smiling through her wet eyes.

"It's ok. I missed you too Mommy." Andrew said smiling back at her before his small arms encircled her neck in another hug.

In the house Sandra and Chibs watched the reunion from the living room window. Both could feel their hearts swell as they watched the mother reunite with her son. Sandra couldn't help but turn and smile at Chibs. For his part Chibs stared out the w window thinking of his own daughter. Leaning against the hood of the truck Mia watched her family reunite itself and couldn't help but wipe her own tear away.

"Come on little Prince. You must be hungry." Leah said raising to her feet still holding Andrew's hand.

"I am. Auntie Mia only stopped for snacks once! She said I'd spoil my dinner." Andrew skipped beside his mom holding tight to her hand.

"Auntie Mia was right. Besides we have all your favorites. Including cake. Auntie Sandy's inside." Leah told him.

"YAY!" Andrew dropped his mothers hand to rush inside where both his aunt and cake waited.