A/N: Yes another new SoA story… LMFAO… Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own SoA!

Bethany had just moved to Charming, California and opened up a three in one shop. Part of the shop was a bookstore where the other half of the shop is a coffee and candy shop. She was actually surprised at the amount of customers she had each and every day. She was still the only one working so she worked from eight in the morning until ten at night and sometimes later.

She knew that if her Dad found out she was the only one working in her shop that he would get mad at her but right now she saw no way around it. She smiled as she thought about her Dad and how she was going to go and see him this coming Sunday on the only day that she had her shop open half day. She was so excited about seeing him because she only got to talk to him every once in a while and she has missed him terribly these last couple of years.

She sighed as she heard the bell tinker above the door. She was really tired but she still had another three hours until closing time. She just hoped that she could make it with as tired as she was. She has also been sick but she wasn't going to think about that right. She looked up from what she was doing and saw a couple of biker's come in. Since she has opened she has seen them a couple times. She knew who they were even though she never let on that she knew her they were and what they were about.

She smiled as the Vice President came over to the counter. "What can I get for you, Sir?"

Jax shook his head and laughed. "I told you not to call me Sir. I need three coffee's please and if you have any of those treats that you bake to go with the coffee left I'll take three of those as well."

Bethany smiled. "I sure do. So three regular coffees and three cakes. Anything else?"

Jax shook his head. "Nope that will do us Darlin."

Bethany nodded and then turned around and got the coffee before getting into the cooler and getting out her last three cakes. She made a mental note to bake more tomorrow than what she did today. She put them on the counter and then went to the register and rang everything up.

She looked at Jax and said "That'll be $12.47."

Jax nodded and took a twenty out of his pocket and handed it to her before loading the coffees and the cakes on a tray and then he said "Keep the change Darlin."

Bethany's mouth dropped open as he turned around and walked away. Every time they came in if he was the one paying Jax always told her to keep the change. She put the change in the jar on the counter. She wasn't going to let anyone pity her or give her charity and that is what she feared Jax was doing. Even though the shop had only been open a month so far she was doing great business. She didn't need Jax's pity or charity.

Even with Jax, Tig, and Chibs sitting at the table Bethany decided to do some more cleaning so that she could actually get out of her store on time tonight. As she was cleaning she got really dizzy and then the next thing she knew she was seeing nothing but black and she landed in a heap on the floor.

Jax was talking to Tig and Chibs when all of a sudden a loud noise was heard and he broke off what he was saying and said "What was that?"

Tig and Chibs shrugged their shoulders and Chibs said "Maybe the lassie that owns this store moved something. Although I could have sworn I just saw her cleaning the display cooler."

At that Jax stood up and then swore when he saw feet poking out from behind the display cooler and he said "Chibs something happened to her. She's lying on the floor."

At that Chibs jumped up from his seat and ran over and behind the counter with Jax and Tig on his heels. He felt for a pulse and was relieved to find one. He then checked her over and discovered that her forehead was burning up. He sat back on his haunches and looked her over and saw that she was pale and that she looked as if she was rundown. Then he thought about the fact that in all the time he had been coming here that she was the only one he ever saw. He knew then what it was that was wrong with her.

Jax looked at Chibs. "Is she alright brother?"

Chibs looked up at Jax from where he was watching Bethany start to come around and he nodded. "Aye, she's alright brother. The lassie is burning up with a fever and she's rundown. She has this place open six days a week and she's the only one working."

Jax's mouth dropped open because he never realized that before now but now that he thought about it he knew that it was true. He wondered why she was always in here when he came in but now he knew it was because she was working fourteen hour days six days a week. He wondered if she had a death wish and then he shook that thought out of his head. It wasn't really his problem and he didn't understand why he cared.

Bethany blinked her eyes open and she saw Chibs on his knees beside her with Jax and Tig standing over her and she said "What are you three doing behind the counter?"

Chibs chuckled and said "Well lassie you fainted and Jax found you lying on the floor. I came over to check you over."

Bethany shook her head to clear the fuzziness out of it. "I'm fine. I just got dizzy is all."

Chibs shook his head this time. "You're sick lassie. You're head is burning up. You need to close down and go home and get some rest. You look like you're dead on your feet."

Bethany slowly got to her feet and then she glared at Chibs. "I can't close down yet. I'm open for another two hours. I'm telling ya'll I'm perfectly fine."

Jax glared at Bethany and said "You're stubborn do you know that?"

Bethany glared right back. "Well I never! If you're going to talk to me like that then you can leave! This is my store and I will not have you disrespecting me!"

Jax's mouth dropped open and then he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine work yourself to death. See who cares! C'mon guys let's get back to the club house."

Chibs's mouth dropped open in shock at what Jax had just said to Bethany and he gave her a slight smile before he followed Jax out of the bookstore. He made a mental note to go back to the bookstore in the morning and make sure that the lassie was alright. He had seen the tears in her eyes at Jax's statement even if Jax himself had missed them.

Bethany decided to go ahead and close up early. She cleaned up the table that the guys had been sitting at and finished cleaning the candy and coffee counter and got it ready for morning. She was exhausted and now she was hurt from Jax's comment to her. Little did he know that she very well could die. After all that is one of the reasons she had come home besides seeing her Dad. She wanted to be close to her Dad and be able to see him quite a bit before she gave up the fight of her life that she was having. She was starting to wonder if it was even worth it anymore. Once again she shook the thoughts from her head and headed out of Sweet Knowledge and locked up and headed to her house.