Charming Pawse From NS to Out Chapt VIII Cat's Gethsemane Pt 2

by wanderingchat

As her father's condition worsens, Cat finds herself having to handle the aftermath of a personal betrayal via long distance. She fears the actions she has no choice but to take may spell the end of her marriage. 'Brownie' continues to plot his ultimate revenge. Tig has to decide which betrayal bothers him more, his daughter's or his wife's.

No copyright infringement is intended.

Any use of lyrics and the mention of songs and performers in this text is also not intended to infringe upon any copyrights held by any of the artists.

All original characters that are not part of the SOA universe are products of my own imagination. Any similarities to real persons are pure coincidence.

Much thanks to Mr. Kurt Sutter for creating the SOA universe in the first place, and to Mr. Kim Coates for his excellent portrayal of Alex 'Tig' Trager.

Charming Pawse

From NS to Out

Chapter VIII

Cat's Gethsemane Pt 2

'Brownie' was ecstatic that his collegiate disguise passed the ultimate test. Cat Marshall – or whatever her last name was now – had looked right at him without a sign of recoginition. The contact lenses that changed his ice blue irises to a warm chocolate brown turned out to be a good investment.

"Those two guys with her are gonna be a problem," he observed dryly. He walked along the main street to the public library where he intended to conduct some research. "They're obviously patched MC members, and there's likely more than those two stayin' with her."

He thought back to his association with the MC in Terre Haute years earlier. He remembered that an MC didn't let its' guard down when charged with protecting a member of the 'family'. Though the two men sitting with Cat weren't wearing cuts, 'Brownie' was certain that they were one percenters, especially the one that had confronted him. 'Doesn't change anything," he consoled himself. "I'm still goin' to that hospital where the preacher's been moved; check her out a little closer in that chaplain's disguise. Just means I have to be a lot more careful around the bikers."

He found it ironic that the once golden and pure Cat Marshall was now the old lady of a one percenter. 'That's the only reason she'd have MC support! Ain't no way the old Terre Haute MC would be protectin' her! Hell, the guys that fell for her line of shit are long gone!' The thought reminded him that he was still on the club's shit list, which meant he had to avoid Terre Haute like the plague. Fortunately, with the extension of the interstate between Evansville and near Bloomington, he no longer had to go through Terre Haute to get to Indianapolis.

He knew from previous intel that Cat had settled somewhere in California, so that meant she was involved with a California MC. What perturbed 'Brownie' was that the club had national charters. That meant a larger organization than he'd anticipated. The men with her didn't look like Californians. 'They were too pale! They have to have come from the border states! Surely the Hell's Angels aren't that desperate for pussy!'

He entered the library and took a seat at one of the vacant terminals, immediately accessing the internet and running a search on one percenter motorcycle clubs with national charters. The search returned a lot of responses. Some were just information pages that told him nothing he didn't already know. Others led to links to purchase books or merchandise related to biker clubs or rides. Two of the links on the first page of results provided him with information on the major clubs. One particular one caught his eye as a possibility. The club was called the Sons of Anarchy. Two of their chapters were located in Illinois.

"That has to be the one!" He murmured softly. "Not as big as the Angels, but big enough. Even has overseas charters! All those earthquakes must've rattled their brains for a patched member to wanna hook up with her, even if she has gotten better lookin' over the years!' He had to admit she'd come a long way since their days together in Terre Haute, but he easily replaced that current look with the memory he'd carried all those years of hatred and the need for revenge. He recalled her as the overweight young adult with a tremendous lack of self confidence who was easily for him to manipulate. 'The bitch was desperate enough for love to buy it, and I took her up on the offer, even though she made me physically sick! It wasn't right for her to take the offer back when she found out I had someone else! She kept me from gettin' patched, and my life's never been good since then. She owes me and she's gonna pay for it!'

His research prepared 'Brownie' for what he would have to face in Indianapolis and implement his next move in the war. He also knew that once her old man found out what he'd done, he'd be marked for the remainder of his life. 'As if I've not been a marked man anyway! I'll be ready for him when he comes lookin'. One less outlaw in the world won't matter in the long run!'

---

Dawn felt apprehensive after Jaci and Beth departed from the kiosk, leaving her to handle the customers on her own until Jake arrived. She didn't worry about handling the customers by herself. What bothered her was the possibility that the customer had complained after all and Jaci was being disciplined for the earlier altercation. 'She'll just escalate all the bullshit moves and I don't need that trouble right now!'

"Don't tell me you scared Jaci off!" Jake greeted cried when he clocked in to work.

"No, she's in conference with Beth," Dawn replied bluntly. She was apprehensive about that meeting, fearing that Jaci was telling Beth all kinds of tall tales about her.

Jake raised both eyebrows in curiosity. "Anything going on that I should know about?"

Dawn shook her head. "I'm no rat," she remarked flatly. "If Beth wants you to know, she'll tell ya."

"Point taken," Jake replied amiably. He liked Dawn and enjoyed working with her. Jaci was too dictatorial for his taste, always lording her father's connections to the next mayor over him and reminding him he needed to treat her with respect if he expected to keep his job. Jake had held hopes that the new ownership would reign in Jaci's behavior until the joint staff meeting occurred and she'd gotten away with snide remarksto both the owner and her step – daughter. 'Don't get your hopes too high,' he reminded himself.

A few minutes later, a red faced Jaci rushed past the kiosk without speaking or clocking out. Beth returned to the kiosk a few seconds later and drew Dawn aside. "I'm sorry for what happened to you earlier," she murmured softly. "Go to the ER and have them treat that burn. They're expecting you, then take the rest of the day off with pay. I'll cover for you. And don't worry about having to work with Jaci any longer."

"Why?" Dawn inquired sharply. "Am I fired?"

"No. I'll just have to work with the schedule. I'll know more after I talk to Cat."

Dawn complied with Beth's command, though she wondered about her cryptic comment about conferring with her step - mother. She also wondered just how much she'd tell Jack about the incident. 'She'll have to explain why I'm going to the ER, but will she tell him anything more than that?'

---

Cat and the two outlaws returned to Rev. Marshall's house after leaving the restaurant to pick up his car, a Chrysler Sebring. Mack had the only set of keys and he'd been out of town for a doctor's appointment while Cat ran her errands. He was waiting in the driveway when the Dart pulled into the subdivision. He was surprised by the presence of two strange men with her and lifted an inquiring eyebrow at her in greeting. "Where's your husband?"

"Daddy didn't tell y'all that he's overseas?"

Mack shook his head. "He didn't mention it. Did he get called up?"

Cat shook her head. "No. It's a private contract job. These fellows are friends of his from Illinois who are watching out for me."

"Why is that?"

The two outlaws visibly tensed from his innocent question. They exchanged glances but remained silent, mutually agreeing to allow her to field the question. She'd proven to them she could think fast under pressure with the cop earlier.

"I suspect someone from my past tampered with Daddy's breathin' equipment at the hospital," she explained. "When Alex learned about it, he asked his friends to watch out for me, just to be on the safe side," she explained.

"Ah!" Mack nodded. "You can only be describin' that 'Brownie' character that tried to kill you when you lived in Terre Haute."

"The same," she admitted.

"Then your husband's got a good head on his shoulders. Must be tough for him to be so far away knowin' someone's out to cause you harm while you're dealin' with your Dad's illness."

"It is. Havin' his friends look out for me gives him some peace of mind."

"So Blaine wants you to use the Chrysler," Mack observed, digging into his pocket and removing the key ring. He handed the ring to her.

"I was surprised when it mentioned it," she replied. "But he suddenly woke up from a sound sleep and asked me if I had a rental car."

The question surprised her because it came so unexpectedly. "I got one at the airport," she explained after quickly overcoming her surprise. "I don't like takin' the bus, especially when I'm carryin' luggage."

"I have an idea. It'll save you money, and it'll be a big help to me when I get out of here," her father stated. He couldn't continue due to a coughing spasm that made her wince in sympathy.

"Save your strength, Daddy," she urged him. "Let me see if I'm followin' your line of thinkin'. Since you need me to go pay Mom's monthly payment, you want me to turn in the rental and return here with your Chrysler."

"Please," he croaked. "I can ride home in the back of the car when I'm discharged."

Cat patted her father's hand. "I have to admit, it sounds reasonable."

"All you have to do is put gas in it, and make sure it's kept clean," he admonished. "I don't want anyone smoking in it!"

"I'll just have to make sure Mack knows I have the car with your permission, so he doesn't think someone broke into the garage and stole it," she remarked.

"Good," her father sighed. He closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep. The coughing spasm had taken all his energy.

"Well, it's got a full tank, and I'm sorry about makin' you come back for the keys. To tell the truth, I forgot I had 'em on me! Had to stop at the house to find 'em," Mack replied.

"We'd better hit the road, Miss Cat," Shank interjected. "You said you wanted to get back before visitin' hours end."

"True dat." She gave Mack a hug and promised to keep him posted on her father's progress.

"I'm holdin' you to that!" Mack exclaimed as he climbed into his van and backed out of the driveway. He tossed a friendly wave at the two bikers as he pulled away from the house.

"I'll just go through the house into the garage, if you gents will be kind enough to make room for me to get the car out." Cat informed her companions. She unlocked the front door and closed it behind her before they could protest.

The two outlaws exchanged a questioning glance at each other. It was obvious that Cat intended to drive the Chrysler to Indianapolis. That hadn't been part of the game plan; Alex had expressly stated she was supposed to rest while they drove.

"You wanna be the one to point that out to her?" Yum murmured.

"Nah," Shank shrugged, turning to the Dart to move it out of the driveway.

"Didn't think so!" the other man grinned, climbing into the shot gun seat. "But shouldn't one of us ride in the Chrysler with her?"

"Nah. I think she needs a little privacy," Shank replied, backing the Dart out of the path of the Chrysler. "We'll be followin' right behind her. I doubt that asshat is gonna be lookin' for her on the road, anyway!"

Cat backed the Chrysler out of the garage and waited until the garage door lowered before she maneuvered the car towards the street. She pulled up next to the Dart and rolled her window down.

"We're goin' to take a different route back to Indy," she announced when Shank lowered his window.

"Whaddya mean?"

"English!" She grinned. "We're takin' a route different from the way we came. It might seem a little longer, but it's more direct. Just follow me, and stay close when we go through Bloomington." She pulled out of the driveway and onto the street, the Dart following right behind.

Instead of taking US 41 to Terre Haute and picking up Interstate 70, Cat led them along US 50 towards the East. The four lane highway took them through Knox and Daviess Counties to the newly opened portion of Interstate 69. She set the cruise control so she could use her cell's speaker phone to call home and check in with Dawn and the cats.

---

The call Dawn dreaded all day finally arrived a few hours after her shift at the kiosk. Despite Beth's assurances that the incident with Jaci wasn't her fault, she still worried how her step mother would react. There was also the matter of Ebony's escape to contend with. Her hand shook as she activated the cordless that indicated Cat was the caller, but her voice was firm. "Hello, Cat."

"Hi, darlin'," Cat replied. There was a note of tiredness in her voice. "I understand y'all had a rough day at the kiosk. How's your hand?"

"Um, -" her step - mother's inquiry caught her off guard. Pete didn't rat me out after all! She'd have said somethin' right off if he had!' She sighed inwardly in relief. " - it's okay. Beth had me go to the ER, though it didn't hurt. Seemed like overkill to me."

"Beth did the right thing, darlin'," Cat replied. "She said it won't blister or scar?"

"No, ma'am," Dawn assured her. "I ran cold water on it when it happened and it was fine."

"That's probably what kept it from blistering," Cat observed. "I'm sorry Jaci did that to you."

"Beth called her out for it; Jaci looked very upset when she left," Dawn reported.

"Well, it might mean some schedule jugglin', but y'all won't be workin' with Jaci again," Cat assured the girl. "It might mean y'all will be pickin' up some hours at the coffeehouse."

"Would it be easier if I helped out at Daddy's gym with Ima?" Dawn crossed her fingers. She figured she'd have an easier time filching money from the gym than the coffee venues. 'Ima's a blonde porn star; she won't catch on very easy to any missin' money!'

Cat considered her step – daughter's offer. It would solve a lot of problems for Beth with the schedule, but she wasn't certain that Dawn's clerical abilities would be up to the task. She didn't want to give Dawn a custodial position at the gym, either. "I appreciate the offer, Dawn, but would rather have you workin' at the coffee venues." Before the girl could protest, she added, "Besides, if you transfer to the gym, you won't be able to see your father as often."

"Oh," Dawn sighed in defeat. There was that to consider. She enjoyed getting to see her father every week. She'd enjoy it even more with her step – mother out of the picture! "OK. I understand."

"So how are the kitties?" Cat inquired.

"They're fine," Dawn stated cautiously. "I fed 'em earlier. They're prolly off sleepin' Want me to put the phone on speaker?"

"Would y'all please?"

Dawn wrinkled her nose in disgust, but activated the speakerphone and held the cordless away from her.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitties!" Cat's voice erupted from the speaker. "C'mon and listen to me!"

The thunder of paws announced their arrival. Three feline bodies rushed into the kitchen at the sound of her voice. They looked curiously around the room, looking for her.

"They're here, Cat," Dawn advised her, raising her voice so it would pick up over the speaker.

"Hey, kitties! I'm not here, but wanted to talk to all y'all. I miss you!"

The cats cautiously approached the phone that Dawn held out to them. They sniffed at the cordless, cocking their heads to one side then the other. There was no reassuring aroma of their person, just the plastic of the phone, but there was no mistaking the tinny voice as hers.

"You three behave yourselves and be good kitties for Dawn! I'll be home as soon as I can!" Cat assured them. "Did they hear me?"

Dawn deactivated the speaker and held the phone to her ear. "They reacted to your voice. Now they're going off with their tails high in the air," she reported.

"Good. That should make them less lonely," Cat yawned mightily. "Sorry, darlin'. Been a long day."

"Everything a'right with Grandpa Blaine?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"He made the trip just fine. I had to go to Vincennes to make my step – mother's nursing home payment for him. We're on the way back to Indy now."

"Sounds like the Illinois charters found you, then."

"How'd y'all know about that?"

"Uncle Herman told me," Dawn replied. "I'm glad you've got them watching out for you."

"Thanks, darlin'," Cat was slightly surprised by the sincerity in Dawn's voice, but felt warmed by it. "I'll talk to y'all tomorrow about this time, OK?"

"Be safe, Cat," Dawn replied, turning off the cordless before she snorted with disgust. 'The bitch bought it! She thinks I really care about her! Ha!'

She put the phone back on the charger and went out to the garage to return the pink slip to the Challenger's glove compartment. Kozik hadn't just told her about the Illinois charters guarding her step – mother when he'd stopped by earlier.

"Ima's gonna be takin' the Challenger out tomorrow. She and Lyla are handlin' some club business and need to use it. Cat's okayed it, and Ima will be here early," he stated.

"Do I need to let her into the garage?"

"Nah," Kozik assured her. "She's got the keys. You can sleep in."

Dawn was momentarily angry that Cat had given someone else access to the vintage Dodge, but she kept her expression neutral. "At least I'll know not to call the sheriff about the car bein' missing!" She grinned.

"Please don't !" Kozik grimaced. " Roosevelt's scrutiny is somethin' we don't need!"

"No problem. I was just teasin' anyway!" Dawn grinned evilly.

"You're a lot like your father," Kozik groaned, giving her a hug before he left the house. "I'll see ya Sunday."

Dawn returned the pink slip to the Dodge's glove compartment. She was still annoyed that Cat had given a complete stranger access to the car while denying her the pleasure of driving it. 'Doesn't matter,' she shrugged. 'That bitch needs to know there's nothin' she can do to stop me from havin' fun!'

---

Kozik returned to the clubhouse after talking to Dawn, striding through the clubhouse in search of Opie. He passed the bar and glanced at the prospects, who were standing around waiting for their next assignment.

"You guys seen Ope?"

Filthy Phil pointed to the chapel's closed doors. "He's in there."

Kozik opened the door without acknowledging Phil's response. It's wasn't required to express gratitude for anything the prospects did. That was part of being a prospect. Kozik opened the door and stepped inside the chapel, shutting the door behind him.

Opie didn't look up or acknowledge Kozik's appearance. He held a lit cigarette in one hand, a long plume of ash showed that he wasn't paying attention to it, much less smoking it.

Kozik shrugged and settled down in Tig's chair, which was now his as acting SAA. "It's all set with Rogue River," he announced, lighting his cigarette and breathing in a puff. "They're a'right with Lyla makin' the trip in place of Cat."

"Good," Opie replied noncommittally. He didn't turn to address Kozik, just continued staring off into space.

"Are ya sure, brother? You sound about as enthusiastic about this as you would about gettin' a root canal!"

Opie shrugged and stubbed out the unsmoked cigarette in the overflowing ashtray. "I'm not very happy about this," he sighed. "I'm not in favor of havin' the women make this trip at all."

Kozik's eyes widened in surprise. "Ya didn't seem that concerned when Cat and Ima were makin' the trip! Didn't hear a peep outta ya then!"

"No offense, brother," Opie rumbled. "Cat's proven that she can handle herself. I had no qualms then because I knew your girl and Tig's would be a'right."

"Don't ya trust your woman?"

Opie lit a new cigarette and inhaled deeply on it. "Of course! I'm just not sure how well Lyla will handle a tense situation like the girls faced on their first run," he admitted, the words coming out on a stream of cigarette smoke. "Ima handled that situation with Roosevelt like a pro."

Kozik's chest puffed out with pride at the acting Prez's praise of his woman. "Shit! Roosevelt's been leavin' us alone for months, man! Ima knows the car, she knows the routine. It's gonna be a piece of cake!"

Opie exhaled another long plume of smoke as he considered Kozik's assurances. "True dat, but have ya considered that Roosevelt might get curious with Cat bein' outta the picture?"

"Ima and I discussed it. It's well established that she and Cat made those trips to get supplies for the gym. Ima said if asked, she'd say she wanted another woman on the trip and asked Lyla to go along. They are the 'Saffron Sisters', so it's not like Lyla's a complete stranger to her!"

Opie winced at Kozik's innocent reminder of Lyla's occupation. He'd hoped she would quit the porn biz after their engagement, but she'd insisted on continuing for awhile.

"I've only got a few more good years left to me in the business, Ope!" She reminded him again. "I've got to strike while the iron's hot!"

"Why? I can make enough from the club and the garage to take care of us!" Opie protested.

"I know, baby," she replied softly, though a brief shadow darkened her eyes. She looked away and added, "I just want to make a little money for Piper's future!"

Opie had a feeling that there was more to it, but he didn't press Lyla any further. 'Like Gemma said, once we're married, I can demand that she get out of the business and she won't be able to deny me!'

Opie wasn't sure he could wait that long. He'd intended to marry Lyla right away, but that didn't turn out to be the case. A few minutes after he and Lyla announced their engagement, Clay called him into the chapel for a one on one.

"Congrats, brother," Clay rumbled as he lit a cigar and settled in his chair at the head of the Reaper table. He indicated that Opie should sit in Jax's chair so they could talk.

Opie settled in the indicated seat, pulled out a package of cigarettes, and lit up. "I sense a 'but' in that comment."

"Not for the reason you think," Clay replied. "The kids need a mother; you need an anchor. Lyla's a sweet girl. She's already been a help to the club. That's why I want to talk to you about the wedding."

Opie drew in another breath of smoke and let it out again. "What's on your mind, Clay?"

The Prez laid out the situation in a few brief words. The club would need protection while in Stockton. Neither Big Otto nor Lenny the Pimp were in a position to help them. "The connections I need to for the club and to get back into Putlova's good graces are going to require a major party for a cover."

"You want us to put off the wedding until you guys are out," Opie observed wryly.

"Think Lyla will be a'right with that?"

Opie stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray between them and stood up. "Do we have a choice?" He turned and walked out of the chapel without waiting for Clay's response.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Lyla immediately agreed to the delay. But he was both surprised and hurt by it. He'd hoped she would've put up a small amount of protest. He pushed aside his disappointment and reported the good news to Clay.

"Did ya have to remind me?" Opie replied dryly.

'I've been tryin' to get her out of that business!"

"She's a porn star, brother," Kozik shrugged. "It's what she does, whether ya like it or not."

"How can you accept havin' your woman screwin' other men for money?" Opie retorted.

"Because she comes home to me, and she's got plans for the future," Kozik replied. "What the fuck do ya want outta Lyla? To be another Mrs. Cunningham?"

"Tried that already," Opie sighed. He noticed Kozik's stricken expression and added, "It's a'right brother. Just still hurts at times. Guess I'm not used to the difference between them. Donna avoided club business like the plague. Lyla's more than willin' to step up to the plate."

"It's a change, so it's prolly good that you're waitin' to get married," Kozik admitted. "Kendra's mom was a lot like Donna. She wanted to be the happy homemaker. When she got pregnant, she expected me to leave the club and get somethin' more stable. Ya know how that turned out."

Opie sighed and stubbed out the glowing filter to his cigarette. "I just can't help bein' worried."

"Look, if it's that big a deal, tell Lyla she's stayin' home and I'll send the prospects with Ima!"

The offer was tempting, but Opie knew in his heart that it was not the right move. "Nah, SAMRRO is expectin' the girls. No more discussion. They're goin'," he stated resolutely.

---

Cat and her guardians returned to Indianapolis in time for her to spend some time with Blaine before visiting hours ended. Mudball was waiting at the hospital for them, acting on a call from Shank advising they had hit the city limits and were going straight to the hospital. She sent the two riders to the apartment building to rest.

"I'll bring the Chrysler home, then turn in the Dart to the rental agency tomorrow. One of you will get to bring me home, preferably bitch ridin'."

"Whoever's on that rotation is goin' to be one lucky SOB!" Mud remarked wistfully.

She gave him 'The Look' for that remark.

"Any man would be honored to have such a fine lookin' woman on the back of his bike!" Mudball grinned.

Shank and Yum grinned back and waggled their eyebrows knowingly. They were more than happy to take the Dart back to the apartment building. "We could take it back to the rental agency and save ya the bother," Yum offered.

"All y'all aren't on the contract," Cat pointed out. "But thanks for the thought." She waved them off and turned to enter the hospital, Mudball following on her heels.

"Y'all do realize that I'm taken," she remarked dryly while they rode the elevator to her father's floor.

"Of course!" Mudball assured her. "But a guy can appreciate the product, even if he's not allowed to sample it!"

"Good answer!" Cat replied, leading the rider on to her father's room. She paused in the hallway to don the protective plastic gown.

"Care if I wait in the lounge?" Mudball asked, casting a dubious eye at the plastic outer wear.

"Go on with your bad self!" Cat smiled. She stepped inside the room and pushed a chair close to her father's bed.

Blaine had his eyes closed. The bi – pap mask covered his nose and mouth. She glanced at the monitor and noted the oxygen saturation level was right at 90%. 'He wasn't on the bi – pap when I left last night. I hope he didn't worry himself sick!' She suspected that he probably had been concerned for her well being. Even though she'd assured him she'd be safe from 'Brownie'. Her fears were confirmed when the nurse stopped in to check on her patient.

"He experienced some respiratory distress while you were gone," the nurse explained. "The doctor felt the bi – pap would make it easier for him, and it has."

"Why wasn't I called?"

"Because you were out of town and the doctor felt the news would upset you unnecessarily, Mrs. Trager," the nurse replied. "It was on your father's notes that you were on an errand for him. The therapy also didn't require your approval as it wasn't against the DNR. He's been maintaining the proper oxygen saturation level all day, so I'm going to remove the mask and put him on an oxygen flow in just a moment."

"OK," Cat nodded. "Sorry to get a little snappish there."

"It's all right, Mrs. Trager. You're his daughter, naturally you'd be concerned," the nurse assured her. She gently removed the bi – pap mask, turning off the machine and the brief alarm, then slipped the oxygen tube over Blaine's head, supporting it with one hand while she worked it over his face with the other.

When she let his head back down onto the pillow, she settled the tube into his nostrils, leaving his mouth free. "Nurse?" He croaked softly. "Is she here yet?"

"I'm here, Daddy," Cat assured him, squeezing his hand in both of hers. "Mission accomplished."

"Thank God," he sighed. He never opened his eyes, but his grip tightened in hers.

"Hey, y'all got a shave while I was gone!" She remarked. "Feel better for it?"

"Hmm mmm." He replied. "Mouth is dry."

The nurse removed a sterile swab from a plastic cover, dipped it in water, and ran it over his mouth. Blaine's mouth opened to allow the water to go in and the nurse repeated the action several more times.

"Isn't he allowed to drink water?" Cat inquired.

"We don't want him to choke on it. Sometimes patients in his condition drink too much too quick and get sick. This takes longer, but its' safer."

Cat watched the nurse intently, figuring this would be something she could do for him if the nurses were busy. "What about ice chips?"

"He can have it, but only one chip at a time, and you have to watch him very carefully to make sure he doesn't try to swallow it whole," the nurse explained.

"Sounds like that might've already happened," Cat observed.

"Not with your father, but it has happened before."

Once her father's mouth was moist enough, the nurse departed to continue her rounds. Cat settled into the chair, still holding her father's hand. The television was tuned to a music channel, which she knew her father wouldn't approve of if he was awake. She channel surfed until she found something they would both enjoy, though he fell asleep half way through the movie.

When visiting hours ended, Cat returned the chair where she'd found it when she came in. She bent over her father and touched his cheek. "Daddy?"

His eyes fluttered open, though he couldn't see her well without his glasses. "You leaving?"

"Just for tonight. I'm renting an apartment from Mrs. York. Remember her?"

"Yes. We met at one of the IU games," he croaked.

"It's right downtown, not far from here. Cheaper than a hotel," she assured him. "I'll be back to see you tomorrow, and I'll be back every day until you're discharged."

"OK," he sighed.

"You behave yourself," she admonished him.

"Can't do anything else. Love you."

"Love you too, Daddy," she replied before kissing his cheek.

---

Tig waited nervously while the connection to Cat's phone went through. He had no way of knowing if he'd get through to her, or to her voice mail given the time difference. 'For all I know, she's still with her father, though she said she'd be out by 9PM her time!' He drummed his fingers nervously along his pants leg, hoping he'd get to talk to her directly. It was the highlight of his day to be able to hear her voice. It helped him get through the long, lonely night.

Cat and Mudball walked out the hospital entrance just as her cell phone's ring tone announced Alex's call. "Do y'all mind waitin' a few minutes before we head back? That's Tig callin'."

"Go ahead, Cat," Mudball replied, wincing at the wry humor in the lyrics of the tune. 'Guess that's the best way she can know it's him.'

Cat moved off to a nearby bench and sat down. "Hey, love!"

"Hey back," Alex replied. "You in Indy?"

"Been back for a few hours. Just left the hospital. I moved some money into Daddy's account in case he's here when the next payment is due. That way I don't have to make another trip to Vincennes."

"Good! I was hopin' ya would think of that!" Alex remarked approvingly. "The fewer trips ya have to make there the better I like it! Run into any problems?"

It didn't occur to her to mention the student that gave them the once over in the restaurant. She'd already forgotten about the incident. "Not what you dreaded, love. Though we did get a visit from the local cops at Daddy's house."

"What the fuck were they doin' there?" Alex roared.

"No big deal, love," she assured him. "The neighbors saw a strange car in the drive and called in their concern. I handed the situation with flyin' colors accordin' to Shank and Black Robbin."

"Shit!" Alex snorted. "Fuckin' nosy neighbors!"

"Vincennes isn't Charmin', love! Daddy's neighbors aren't used to all kinds of vehicles comin' and goin' all the time like our neighbors!"

True dat. Doesn't mean I have to like 'em callin' the cops on ya!" He growled.

"It's not like I haven't had to deal with law enforcement before," she reminded him.

"Sorry to remind ya of that," he winced. His chest swelled with renewed pride to recall her quick thinking when Stahl tried to rattle her so many months ago. She'd called his burner so he could listen in to the Fed's blatant interrogation. His pride was tempered by concern. He could hear the fatigue behind her joking demeanor. "You sound all in, baby."

"I am. I'm waitin' until mornin' to turn the rental back in."

"And how the Hell are ya goin' to get around? Bitch ride?"

"No, I have Daddy's car. Though I will bitch ride from the rental agency tomorrow!" She laughed.

"Guess it makes sense," Alex admitted reluctantly. "Why pay to rent somethin' that's gonna sit unused most of the time. Whoever ya bitch ride with tomorrow better not get any ideas!" he added possessively.

"Already informed 'em all about the 'off limits' rule, love," Cat laughed.

"Good girl!"

"Don't say that too loud, stud!" She protested good.

"Why?"

"Y'all will have the other inmates believin' that I obey you!"

"I should be so lucky!" He sighed. "Go home, eat somethin', and sleep in. I won't call 'til this time tomorrow night."

"To hear is to obey, oh great lord and master!" She laughed merrily.

"Ya might remember that more often!" He retorted just as the dial tone buzzed in his ear. "You are so gonna pay for that one, woman!" He laughed heartily, replacing the receiver and glancing at Clay.

The Prez was elated to see his friend was so happy. It was the first time in several calls home that Tig was walking away with a big shit eating grin on his face. "Looks like everyone's a'right in the fabled 'crossroads of America'," he observed dryly.

"Never better!"

"About time!" Clay growled. "Been gettin' pretty tired of ya comin' away from here with a frown on that mug of yours."

"Ah, fuck you!" Tig laughed.

"Ya wouldn't like me, I just lay there!" Clay retorted, slapping his friend's shoulder good naturedly. He was happy to see that his SAA had a big, shit eating grin on his face. It had been a long time since he'd witnessed Tig in a goood mood.

---

Cat was too tired to think about cooking when she and Mudball returned to the apartment building. She definitely didn't want to deal with anything related to the businesses. There would be time enough for that in the morning.

She was surprised to find one of her frozen dinners was hot and ready for her in the microwave. 'Mud must've called 'em while I was talkin' to Alex!' She felt a warm rush of appreciation for her guardians. They certainly didn't have to handle her domestic matters on top of their own, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth!

She took her meal out to the fenced in porch where the two clubs were hanging out. "Evenin' fellas," she greeted them, placing her plate on a table and sitting down with a tired sigh. "Thanks for cookin' tonight."

"We owed ya one for feedin' us yesterday," Shank replied. His cheeks under his beard were red, and not from the beer in his hand.

"Fortunately, we don't have any more road trips ahead of us for some for time," she explained between bites. "So y'all won't have to play cook for me for awhile."

"We don't mind, Lady Cat," Cavey assured her.

The men smoked while she ate. The silence wasn't strained between them. She felt as comfortable with them as she did the mother charter. "All y'all are goin' to be on your own for entertainment tonight. I'm turnin' in early."

"We were hopin' ya would, Cat," Yum stated. "We know the trip wore you out both to Vincennes and to get here in the first place."

"So do any of y'all who aren't stayin' here got any plans for the night?" She inquired.

"Some of us might go see some of the sites," Grim informed her.

"I recall there bein' a couple of decent biker hangouts. One's called the 'Sugar Shed' on Brookville Road. Nice little place for bikers. There's another one on Southeastern that has Wednesday bike night gatherin's."

"There's also a good one on the Southside," BZ pointed out.

"The 'Sugar Shed' is where I met a ridin' friend followin' a charity ride when I lived here. We'd go on runs all the time durin' ridin' season. I need to call him and say 'hi' while I'm in town," Cat observed softly.

"What's 'is name?" Cavey asked.

"Big Bird." She glared at them as they laughed uproariously. "Hey! Show some respect, y'all!"

"Seriously?" BZ guffawed.

"Like the 'Sesame Street' character?" Grim added with a wide smile.

"Nice to know y'all paid attention when it was on," she huffed dryly. "He earned that name because he's tall, blonde, and rides a yellow Goldwing with a Big Bird doll attached to the back of the trunk. He's also a very smart guy and a good ridin' buddy."

"We'll keep an eye out for 'im," Cavey assured her. "If he's a friend of yours, that makes 'im OK in our book."

"I'm glad to hear that," she yawned. "I don't have to say to stay out of trouble, but I will tell all y'all not to name it after me if it's a girl."

The men groaned in unison.

"On that note, I'm goin' to wish all y'all a good nite. Have fun, and who ever takes the couch later, just try to keep the noise to a dull roar."

They chorused good night wishes to her as she carried her dishes back into her apartment. After she washed her dishes, she wearily prepared the couch for the night's guardian, then trudged to her room, closing the door behind her.

She didn't look at her laptop bag while she unpacked her travel bag and shoved the dirty clothes in the laundry bag. She changed into sleeping clothes and put her cell on the charger. She winced to notice the voice mail and text indicators showed messages were waiting. She stifled the urge to check them. 'They've waited this long for a response, they can wait 'til mornin' when I'm more in a mood to deal with 'em,' she reasoned through a yawn.

She removed Alex's shirt from the plastic wrapper and spread it on the pillow next to her. She slid between the sheets and buried her nose in the shirt, inhaling his scent in the hopes it would keep the nightmares away.

---

Lyla was excited at the prospect of making the gun run with Ima. 'It's going to be different from the last time I helped the club. This is a chance to prove I can be a good old lady!'

The downfall of making the trip with Ima was that both Gemma and Tara had been giving her the cold shoulder. Though they'd gotten along well with Tig's wife and shared their concerns about the trials and tribulations of being an old lady, Tara hadn't completely warmed up to Lyla. With Cat away, the remaining women split into two groups. Gemma was solidly in Tara's corner, leaving the two porn stars to fend for themselves.

"I don't know why Tara has her drawers in a wad!" Lyla complained as Filthy Phil loaded the heavy artillery into the false bottom of the Challenger. "You're happy with Kozik, and she's got her hooks pretty deep into Jax!"

"It's her insecurity. Just because she's pregnant doesn't mean that Jax is going to marry her," Ima explained. "She wants to be Mrs. Jax Teller as bad as you want to marry Opie."

Lyla considered that aspect and nodded slowly. "I guess so. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to announce it to the club. I didn't think that Tara would see it as having her face rubbed in her failure."

"It's not your job to worry about Tara's feelings," Ima pointed out. "But if it's going to worry you that much, why don't you ask her to be your maid of honor?"

Lyla stared at her friend in surprise. "B – but, I was going to ask you!"

Ima smiled grimly. "I'm honored, but do you really think Gemma will allow me to stand up for you at a club event?"

Tears welled in Lyla's eyes. She hated to admit it, but Ima was right. Gemma would never allow Ima to serve as her maid of honor. Not as long as her protege considered Ima a threat. "I guess not," she sniffled.

Ima lay a hand on her friend's and squeezed it reassuringly. "I appreciate the thought, hun. I'm glad that you thought of me first. Trust me, it's better to let the Queen have her way."

"Will you at least attend the wedding?"

Ima didn't see how she could, but she wasn't about to add to Lyla's distress at the moment. They had a job to do, and she didn't want Phil to know they'd been discussing Lyla's upcoming marriage. "We'll see. It's going to be a few months before the wedding; maybe things will be calmer between me and Tara by then."

Before Lyla could reply, Filthy Phil lowered the trunk and knocked on the passenger side window. Lyla scrambled out to give him access to the back seat.

"Are you a'right?" Phil asked concernedly, noticing Lyla's red eyes.

"Just girl stuff," Lyla assured him breezily.

He gazed at her for a moment, then shrugged and climbed into the back seat. Lyla settled into the front passenger seat and stared straight ahead.

Ima had more on her mind than her friend's distress over choice of maid of honor. She was trying to figure out a diplomatic way to inform Cat that the Challenger had been tampered with.

She'd arrived early in the morning to pick up the Challenger. She'd left Kozik sound asleep, choosing to drive her own car to the Trager's house instead of bitch riding. 'The less noise so early in the morning, the less notice the neighbors will take,' she reasoned, kissing Kozik's forehead and tiptoeing out of the apartment.

She would meet Lyla and Phil at the clubhouse, then they'd go on to the docks to get the heavy guns. Ima opened the garage and crept inside. The motion detector set off the overhead light, illuminating the purple Challenger.

Ima walked around the car, checking for evidence of tampering. She winced when she found the tape on the passenger's door was loose and doubled over. 'Dawn's been into it, that's for sure! The coffeehouse employees wouldn't have a reason to mess with the car!"

Closer inspection of the interior of the car proved her instincts were correct. The pink slip was lying haphazardly in the glove compartment instead of resting in the small leather folder it was kept in.

"Poor Cat!" Ima sighed, using her phone to take a picture of the glove compartment. As much as she didn't want to add to Cat's burden of concern, there was no getting around it. She must have expected something like this to have taken such precautions!' she reassured herself. She would have to send a text with the picture to her friend later that day. It was far too early Indiana time for her to bother Cat with a text. She stored the picture for later. "This is going to devastate her! Damn that girl anyway!"

Filthy Phil knew something was bothering the women, but he wasn't about to ask questions. 'Not unless I wanna lose any chance of patchin' in!' he groaned inwardly. 'Best to keep my mouth shut, ask no questions, and do what I'm here to do!' He'd never been on a longer trip in his life. The only thing that broke the all consuming silence during the trip was the music coming from the CD player.

---

Hours after Ima picked up the Challenger, Dawn was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying her breakfast. The house was eerily quiet with the cats at the coffeehouse. 'It's nice not havin' to worry about feedin' 'em in the mornin', though I do miss Ming!'

The front doorbell rang, echoing loudly through the house. 'Who the fuck would be comin' here? Nobody I wanna talk to, that's for sure!' She decided to ignore the summons, hoping the visitor would leave.

The doorbell rang again, followed by an insistent knock on the outer door. 'No such luck! Fucktard must see the PT out front and thinks someone's home!' She trod to the door and peeked out the security eye hole. A delivery driver was standing on the porch. 'What the –? Cat didn't mention that she was havin' anything delivered here!' In fact, all deliveries to her step mother were always shipped to the coffeehouse. Pete or Miss Anna could be counted on to sign for the package and put it safely in the office or in the house for her if she was away. There hadn't been any mail or newspaper delivery since Cat left for Indiana; she'd put both on a vacation hold.

The driver was determined to get an answer, and pounded on the door a third time.

"A'right!" Dawn yelled. "Keep your drawers on!" She unlocked the inner door and glared at the delivery man through the screen door. "Yes?"

"Cat Marshall?"

"Who wants to know?" Dawn inquired, narrowing her eyes at the delivery man. She was already suspicious because he'd referred to her step – mother by her maiden name.

"I'm supposed to deliver this priority letter to Cat Marshall," the driver muttered. He wasn't very pleased with the reception he was getting. "Are you her?"

Dawn didn't have to think twice about her answer. A priority letter could mean anything, including money. "I'm Cat Marshall." She hoped the delivery driver wouldn't request to see ID.

He carried an electronic box and a cardboard envelope. He held out the box with a stylus attached to it by a thin wire. "I need your signature, Ms. Marshall."

'Might as well test it out now as any other time!' Dawn mused. She unlocked the screen door and stepped onto the porch to accept the box. "Where do I sign?"

The delivery man pointed to a well worn area of the screen. "Just sign in this area," he explained.

Dawn set the stylus to the square and started to sign, but she could barely see what she was writing. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Just sign your name, Ms. Marshall. The screen's old, but the signature will be recorded electronically." He reset the screen for the required signature. "Go ahead, ma'am. It's all set."

Dawn scrawled Cat's signature as she'd practiced it. She reminded herself that it would be too late to correct the problem by the time Cat or anyone else would ask to examine the signature for its' authenticity. She handed the box back to the delivery driver and accepted the cardboard envelope.

"Have a nice day, Ms. Marshall," the driver stated, already walking back to his truck.

"Hm?" She replied distractedly, gazing at the return address, which was to an insurance company. "Oh, yeah! You too!" She called out before going back into the house.

She didn't open the envelope until she returned to the kitchen table. She ripped the tab and removed the contents. Her mouth fell open when she saw the number of zeros on the check. 'Wow!' She whistled soundlessly.

There was a letter full of legalese included with the check. Dawn skimmed it and determined the check was from the rental truck agency's insurance company, paying Cat the enclosed settlement for pain and suffering. "Oh, yeah! That accident was all over the news,' Dawn observed. She sighed in contentment, gazing at the hefty check. "Too bad she won't get to use this!" She laughed.

The second paper was a written release for Cat to sign and return. An evil smile spread across Dawn's face. She'd sign Cat's name to the release and cash the check herself. All she needed was an ID with Cat's picture and name on it. 'It'll be worth the minimal expense to have all this easy cash!'

The check cashing place was likely to call to verify the check. Dawn knew from experience that the insurance company would simply affirm the validity of the check without having to talk to her. The place would cash the check, take out their percentage, and give the rest to Dawn.

'It's a perfect plan!' Dawn crowed to herself. 'I'll lose some money on the commission and the fake ID, but that'll come outta what I take from the commissary profits!'

She carried the letter and the prepaid return envelope to the office so she could write out Cat's signature on the release. Once she'd completed that task, she ran both the letter and the original envelope through the shredder and placed the release in the return envelope. "By the time they get this, I'll have the money in my hands!" She gloated.

Had she taken a little more time to read the letter from the insurance company, Dawn would have seen two capitalized letters under the claim handler's typed name and job title. The 'CC' was followed by Ally Lowen's name.

---

"Did Opie tell you about our cover for this mission?" Ima inquired while Phil dealt with making the exchange of hardware with SAMRRO.

"That we're shopping for supplies for the gym," Lyla nodded.

"We'll stop at that outlet mall we passed on the way up. There's a really great sporting goods supplier there." Her eyes sparkled as she added, "The other stores are pretty fabulous, too!"

"You mean we're really going to shop?" Lyla squealed.

"Oh yeah! We have the prospect to cart bags back to the car for us so we don't have to make the trip ourselves!"

Lyla's eyes lit up with anticipation. "This is getting better every second!"

Phil overhead them and groaned good naturedly.

"Guess you'll be glad to patch in to get outta this kind of duty, prospect!" StoneCoyote grinned.

"It beats cleanin' the toilets with a toothbrush!" Phil retorted.

"Huh! SAMCRO's getting' soft if they're lettin' ya use a toothbrush!" Sleeved Biker grunted.

"Any word on Cat's father?" Tommy Gunn inquired worriedly.

"Nothin' new. She made it a'right to Indy, but we didn't hear how her father weathered the trip. We're figurin' no news is good news."

"Tell her we're thinkin' about her and hope her Dad gets well soon," StoneCoyote replied. He signaled for his crew to get ready and climbed into the driver's seat of the van.

"I'll pass the message along," Phil assured them. He knew how much the SAMRRO riders meant to Cat and vice versa. Their bond went back many months; SAMRRO had guarded her in St. Thomas during the final showdowns with Westin and Zobelle.

Phil climbed into the back seat of the Challenger. "Are you ladies ready to roll?"

"More than ready!" Ima grinned. "Better rest up, Phil! You're gonna get a workout today!"

"That's why I wore my sneakers," he explained, stretching out along the back seat and closing his eyes.

Lyla couldn't help feeling a little envious over the ease with which Ima could banter with the the prospect. Though she hung out at the clubhouse quite a bit, Lyla still felt hesitant about getting too friendly with Phil and Miles.

A gentle snore erupted from the backseat, causing Ima to smile indulgently. "Poor thing. He's storing up energy for later."

"Will it disturb him if we talk?" Lyla inquired.

Ima shook her head. "He's a pretty sounds sleeper. What's on your mind?"

"How do you like being an old lady?"

Ima stared ahead at the road before her before answering. "I like being with Kozik, and that he trusts me to make this run for the club. I'm not sure I like all the politics involved in bein' an old lady," she admitted.

"What politics are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Lyla! You can't ignore the tension that's come up between us and the queens since Cat left town!" Ima replied challengingly.

"If Opie weren't actin' President, Gemma and Tara would be giving you more than the cold shoulder!"

"Gemma and Tara don't dictate my friends to me. I've known you a lot longer than them, anyway!" Lyla protested.

"But you have to admit they're not happy that you haven't sided with them," Ima pointed out.

"So that's why you suggested earlier that I ask Tara to be my maid of honor!" Lyla exclaimed.

Ima shrugged as if it were no major deal to her. "That's the politicking I'm talking about. I've stayed away from the clubhouse, despite the fact that it hurts Koz's feelings. I don't want to risk a confrontation with either of them. If I were your maid of honor, it'd be like throwing gasoline on a roaring fire."

"You're right," Lyla admitted. She stared out the passenger window for a few minutes. "I think Cat's been a bit of a buffer between the queens and us. I didn't realize it until she left town."

"That's why I attended the breakfast. You were both there, and I felt more welcome."

"Kozik would've defended you," Lyla pointed out.

"He shouldn't have to!" Ima growled.

"If only you hadn't had such a crush on Jax," Lyla sighed.

Ima winced at the reminder. "He's not the golden boy I thought he was."

"Sorry to bring up a sore point," Lyla grimaced. "Not to mention the slap. If I'd known what he was up to at the time, I wouldn't have done it."

"Water under the bridge," Ima assured her. "Like Cat says, we old ladies need to stick together!"

"Who'd have believed that we'd both end up with a couple of great guys like we did?" Lyla mused.

"Nobody when Caracara was in operation. Working for Dondo is quite an experience."

"You got that right," Lyla grinned.

"You ever going to give it up?"

"When I'm too old to make a viable living at it. I want to save up some money for Piper's future," Lyla admitted.

"How does Opie feel about that?"

"He's not happy," Lyla sighed. "He's not been happy with my work since we hooked up. He keeps talking about me retiring when we get married. But porn is all I know!"

Ima glared at her for a moment before returning her attention to the road ahead. "You can learn, it's not too late. I'm taking on line classes."

"Me? Take classes?" Lyla laughed.

"Sure! Why not?" Ima retorted. "You could take classes in anything that interests you!"

"I don't even have a high school diploma!"

"Then get your GED first, then try some on line college classes!"

"You think I could?"

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I didn't think so."

"Let me think about it," Lyla stated.

"That's all I'm asking of you," Ima replied. She signaled the turn into the outlet mall parking lot. She glanced in the rear view mirror, grinned mischievously, and cried, "Now let's get ready to shop 'til we drop!"

Phil was instantly awake. "Please tell me we're in Charming!"

"Nope," Ima assured him. "We're at the outlet mall. Are you ready?"

"Lord help me!" Phil groaned.

---

Jacob Hale kept himself occupied after the primary election with his real estate business and preparations to take over the mayor's office. He would lose his at large city council seat when he took office. He anticipated a lot of conflict from the businesswoman who'd defeated his crony and he wasn't counting on Croucher getting the at large seat. The opposing party would fill that vacancy and would select someone as different from Croucher as they could get.

Despite those circumstances, Hale wasn't too concerned over the loss of Crocher's support. He had Ethan Zobelle in his corner and that was better than a council full of Crouchers. Zobelle was content to lurk in the background on Hale's behalf, pulling strings and making things happen. The LOAN shot caller had assured Hale he would have the necessary support for the more crucial matters that would come before the council. Most of those matters would benefit Hale, Zobelle, and a select few investors while assuring the eventual elimination of both SAMCRO and Cat Marshall's business holdings that pained Hale.

The former LOAN shot caller had cemented their relationship by investing heavily in the Liberty Street project. That investment was paying off in spades. Several new stores, the hotel, and the conference center were complete along with the renovations to the gym. Positive feedback was coming in about the gym/hotel connection from the various on line rating sites, much to his chagrin. He'd hoped for the opposite end result.

'I couldn't even count on the construction driving off the regular customers!' He complained. Instead of giving up on the gym, the regular customers accepted the temporary pedestrian detour and continued to patronize the facility.

"Of course they would stay. If you had bothered to do your due diligence, you would have known that Mrs. Trager and Mr. Kozik gave credits on the annual members accounts for the inconvenience!" Zobelle explained dryly during his weekly telephone contact with Hale.

"I've been busy!" Hale retorted.

"Ah, yes. The mayor's office. And why didn't the illustrious Mrs. Trager attend the last meeting?"

Hale's eyebrows rose straight into his hairline. Zobelle's information pipeline apparently had a hole in it! He grinned triumphantly, but kept his tone of voice neutral. "A family emergency sent her to Indiana," he replied.

"I see," Zobelle replied.

"Is that a problem?"

"Of course not. I just wanted to see what you would tell me."

"Excuse me?"

"You have to admit, Jacob, that you're hardly at the top of Mrs. Trager's confidant list," Zobelle replied, his tone of voice sounding much like a teacher instructing a recalcitrant student. "I doubt she would've willingly informed you of a delicate family matter."

"There was a notice about her absence on the coffeehouse website," Hale grudgingly admitted.

"I know," Zobelle chuckled dryly. "It's too bad Mrs. Trager didn't get called away before you tried to alter the monthly payments to former Cheif Unser from the CPD retirement fund," Zobelle mused. "Still, I applaud you for negotating the premium increase for the employee insurance. I'm sure that made the coverage more difficult for former Cheif Unser to afford."

"The city would've only been paying for his coverage anyway," Hale replied, tough he flushed with pride from the shot caller's praise. "It didn't make economic sense for the town to continue providing that benefit for him."

"Considering the furor Mrs. Trager raised when you tried to decrease the monthly stipend for the former cheif, I'm surpised the council went along with the insurance scheme."

"It helped that she wasn't present in the audience, but even if she had been there, the council would've seen the logic in the situation and responded the same way," Hale remarked.

"I want you to start on the next phase of my plan to make Unser's life unbearable," Zobelle announced.

"This soon?"

"Yes. The sooner you start on it, the better. This phase will not be as easy to implement."

"Why?"

"I need a front company to purchase Unser's trucking company out from under him. He would turn down any offer that I might extend, which is why I require someone to act on my behalf."

"That's why I won't do, isn't it?"

"Very astute," Zobelle observed wryly. "The buyer needs to be as legitimate as possible, otherwise Unser is apt to be suspicious of the offer. Once the offer has been made and accepted, I will take ownership of the firm."

"What about your plans for Cat Trager's businesses and SAMCRO?"

"All in good time, Jacob," Zobelle intoned. "All in good time. Continue with our plan and do not deviate. Once you have that exit for the highway in place, it won't take much to drive SAMCRO out of town and bring in major businesses that will permanently close the gym and coffeehouse."

---

The first thing that captured Ally Lowen's attention in her office mail was a letter from the insurance company handling Cat's claim against the rental truck agency. It had been a very messy claim and Ally was happy to have it finalized at long last.

'Cat's been preatty reasonable with the settlement! Most clients get very irate when they don't get what they think is due them right away.'

Cat approached Ally shortly after the truck agency's insurance carrier had turned down her insurance company's subrogation claim on the destroyed PT Cruiser. She had just been released from the hospital and didn't have the strength to deal with it herself, though she was angry enough to want to try.

"I'm serious, Ally! Their reasoning holds as much water as a leaky sieve!" Cat grumbled.

"What did they say?" Ally replied soothingly.

"They'll denying liability because the truck was used for a criminal act, as in the attempt by Westin and his cronies to murder me!"

Ally winced in empathy. "It's a legitimate defense, Cat, but they'd have a hard time supporting it if you take 'em to court."

"What do you suggest? I'm not about to allow my insurance rates to climb into the stratosphere because of those LOAN fucktards!"

"Leave it to me. I'll represent you for the standard percentage if they settle before or during a court hearing," Ally offered.

"That's usually 33 1/3%, right?"

"On the pain and suffering, yes. I'd work to get your carrier reimbursed for the PT and your health insurance for the hospital bill. You'll come out of it with a nice chunk of change to fall back on, even after my cut."

"If I felt up to it, I'd give 'em a run for their money," Cat replied grimly. "Go for it, darlin'! Make 'em wish they'd just paid out in the first place!"

"I will!" Ally promised.

The letter had been sent via regular mail. The envelope contained a copy of the cover letter and release Cat had been sent, along with the check paying Ally for her services. Her heart sank when she read the cover letter been sent to her client. 'Shit! They didn't get the message that Cat is out of town until further notice! They were supposed to send the check to the office!'

She picked up the receiver and dialed Cat's telephone number. She was aware that Dawn Trager was staying at the house while Cat was away. She'd tried to talk her client out of such a fool notion, but Cat refused to send her step – daughter packing. 'I have a bad feeling about this!'

"Hello?" A surly voice snapped in Ally's ear. Dawn was annoyed by the interruption and had been tempted to let it go to voice mail. She was leaving to cash the settlement check. One glance at the caller ID stifled that notion. There would be Hell to pay if she let a call from the lawyer go to voice mail.

"Hi, Dawn! It's Ally Lowen, Cat's lawyer," she replied crisply. She wasn't surprised by the young woman's attitude. Ally had come to expect it from dealing with Colleen in the past. 'Apple doesn't fall far from the tree!'

"Didn't Cat tell ya she's outta town?"

"Yes. I have another reason for calling. Did anything arrive for her Friday?"

'She's fishin' for somethin',' Dawn thought. "No," she replied evenly.

"Are you sure? No notices left on the door from a delivery service?" Ally insisted.

Dawn smiled triumphantly. 'She's tryin' to find out about that settlement check! Gonna have to buy myself some time!' She fished into her pocket, withdrawing the ID with her picture and Cat's identifying information on it. "Nope," she lied smoothly again. "No visitors or delivery notices. You might check with the employees at the coffeehouse. Cat's packages usually go there."

Ally frowned intently. 'I've really got a bad feeling about this!' The cover letter clearly showed the insurance carrier had sent the check and letters via overnight delivery. That required a signature before it could be released.

"You still there?" Dawn growled. The silence on the other end of the line made her antsy. She wanted that money and didn't want the lawyer to delay her while someone else tried to stop payment on the check.

"Yes I am," Ally replied. "Thanks for the suggestion. I'll definitely check with the coffeehouse."

Dawn hung up without saying goodbye to Ally. She knew it wouldn't take the lawyer long to discover the lie. She ran out of the house to the PT. Pete had left the keys hanging on the keyring near the door the previous Monday. Dawn had used the car to obtain the fake ID and returned it with neither of the coffeehouse managers being the wiser. She intended to use the car again to rush to cash the check.

Seconds later she was driving as fast as she dared towards the nearest liquor store. She'd intended to use a check cashing service, but ahd decided against that now that she knew there was a chance that they would get an instant stop payment report. She was sure Lowen was alerting the insurance carrier. A liquor store would cash the check as long as it was genuine. More importantly, many local liquor stores didn't employ any kind of check verification system. 'They might call the insurance company to verify the check, but I doubt their customer service is gonna know the check is no good!' She observed.

She pulled into the parking lot, put the Cruiser into park, and started to get out. "Shit!" She screamed. She couldn't cash the check in Charming. Too many people knew her step mother. No one would cash the check for her; they'd be more likely to call the cops faster than she could run out the door!

She pounded the steering wheel in frustration. "Damn! Shit! Fuck!" She screamed. "God damn election!" She lay her head against the steering wheel, nearly in tears that she'd come so close only to be denied because of her step – mother's popularity.

Sudden inspiration hit her. 'It's been months since the primary! No one but the locals have seen Cat's face since! I just need to go out of town!" She brushed the tears out of her eyes, keyed the ignition, and backed out of the parking lot. She knew where she could go; the liquor store her mother frequented. 'That guy wouldn't know Cat from a stripper, except the stripper's better lookin'!'

---

Ally pressed the disconnect button on her phone and called the insurance carrier's lawyer. She wasn't going to waste time with calling the coffeehouse when she knew the letter hadn't been sent there. The lawyer would be able to get the stop payment issued a lot faster than the claim handler would, and time was of an essence.

'Dammit! How long does it take to route a call?' She groused, glaring at the clock on her desk. Minutes were ticking away and the techno dance music on hold wasn't helping matters.

"What can I help you with, Ms. Lowen?" The attorney finally announced.

"Didn't your office get my message last week about Cat Marshall?"

"Hmmm, let me check." She heard the clicking of keys, then she was placed back on hold.

"Oh, shit!" She moaned, rubbing her forehead with her hand.

"Sorry about that, Ms. Lowen," the attorney stated when he returned to the line. "I needed to check with the office staff. Apparently the claim handler didn't get the updated information in time so the check went to Ms. Marshall's home."

"Oh for-!" Ally took a deep breath to calm herself. Getting mad wasn't going to change anything. "Look, you need to put a stop payment on that check right away!"

"Why should I do that? Just because Ms. Marshall is -"

"Look, I'm not trying to be rude. This is urgent!"

"I don't agree," the attorney replied stuffily. "The check will be perfectly negotiable for the next six months, should your client's absence last that long. I don't see why -"

"The check could get cashed by the wrong person, so just put a stop payment on the fucking check!" Ally shouted angrily. "God in Heaven! If you have to bill me for the charges, go ahead!"

"All right, all right!" The lawyer whined. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

Ally wouldn't dignify that question with an answer. "Call me back when it's done!" It took all of Ally's will not to slam the receiver in the cradle. 'Sometimes I hate lawyers!' She fumed.

---

Colleen had fallen into a deep money pit because of unexpected cuts in her income. She thought she'd be okay when she coerced Tig's wife to pay her for allowing her daughters to see him in jail. Then Fawn moved out to live her boyfriend followed by Dawn moving in with the bitch who immediately took away Colleen's nest egg. "You can't cut me off! It's been difficult enough after you cut the payment when Fawnie moved out!" Colleen protested hotly.

"The reason I made the payments no longer exists," Cat pointed out reasonably. "Now that the girls are out from under your roof, y'all can't keep 'em from seein' Tig."

"But I need the money!" Colleen wailed.

"Get a job," Cat replied unsympathetically. "You're young, so there's no reason why you can't get a decent job that pays well."

"What do you know of my situation?" Colleen snarled. "Maybe I can't work!"

"Then you'll just have to teach yourself to manage on your income and be done with it. We all have to learn that lesson at one time or another in life."

"That's easy for you to say! You have money comin' outta your ass!"

"I wish," Cat sighed. "Just because one owns businesses doesn't mean they've won the lottery. I'm done, Colleen. Have a good day."

Colleen spewed a series of filthy invectives at her rival which were never heard. Cat had already hung up on her. "BITCH!" Colleen screamed, throwing the phone across the room.

Besides her monthly stipend, she worked at a nightclub as an exotic dancer for cash. She was getting older and gravity was no longer her friend, so the tips weren't as plentiful. She finally came to the conclusion that she'd just have to guilt her daughters into helping her. 'They owe me for bringin' 'em into this world anyway!'

She drove out to the small house Fawn shared with her boyfriend. Fawn wasn't home and Raymun was as unbending as Tig's wife, refusing to give her any money. "You need to leave," he added tersely.

"Not until you tell me where my daughter is!" Colleen snarled.

"She's at work!" He retorted. "Something you should be doing instead of shaking down hard working folks for money!" He slammed the door in her face.

Colleen screamed racial profanities at the door but Raymun didn't rise to her bait. "Uppity bastard!" She muttered, striding away from the house. She had no qualms about showing up at Fawn's job with her palm out.

Fawn snorted in annoyance when Colleen entered the music store. 'This isn't gonna go down well!' She mentally braced herself to deal with her mother's antics while keeping her tone of voice pleasant. "Hello! Let me know if you need help finding something!" She greeted the newcomer with a cheerfulness she didn't feel.

Colleen ignored her daughter's greeting, pretending to browse the aisles as if she were shopping. In reality, she was waiting for the customers to clear out so she could speak to her child in some semblance of privacy.

Eventually, the last customer had checked out, leaving Colleen alone with her daughter. She approached the counter where Fawn had been assisting the customers.

"What do you want, Mother?" Fawn growled. She kept her facial features from mirroring her annoyance for the benefit of the surveillance cameras trained on the counter. The camera was trained on her while the customers, including her mother, could keep their back to it.

"Is that any way to say 'hello' to your mother?" Colleen replied.

"It is when I have a pretty good idea why you're here!" Fawn hissed. "You can't come to my job like this!"

"Maybe if you called or visited me once in a while, I wouldn't have to come here!" Colleen retorted. "Your darkie boyfriend wasn't very welcoming, by the way."

"You went to my house?" Fawn exclaimed, forgetting to keep her face from showing her displeasure.

Her manager was watching their exchange inside the office. His surveillance wasn't high tech enough to enable him to hear their conversation. He didn't like what he saw, but decided to wait for more documentation of Fawn's misbehavior before he intervened.

"I thought you'd be home," Colleen shrugged. "It's not like you share your work schedule with me. Since you know why I'm here, why don't you just hand over some money?"

"I don't have any to give you," Fawn replied. "Just some lunch money. Everything I earn goes into the bank with Raymun's money."

Colleen pointed at the cash register. "There's probably a shitload of money in there. Give it to me!"

Fawn stared at her in surprise. "Let me get this straight. You really expect me to hand over the money in the cash register to you?"

"Why not?" Colleen sneered. "I need money to live on to the end of the month! You owe me!"

"I don't owe you enough to risk losing my job!" Fawn retorted. "And you wonder why I wasn't happy to see you?"

"Shows what kind of daughter you are!" Colleen growled. "You're just as bad as your father!"

"Comin' from you, I'll take that as a compliment!" Fawn snorted. "You're not gettin' a dime from me, so you might as well get out before I call the police!"

The manager had seen enough of the exchange between his employee and the customer. He felt it was necessary for him to defuse the situation and hurried out of the office. He raced up to Colleen with an apologetic air. "I'm the manager, ma'am. How can I help you?" He expression communicated to Fawn that he considered her at fault.

"Fuck off!" Colleen snarled.

"E – excuse me?" The manager gasped.

"You deaf or something? I said 'Fuck off!'." Colleen snapped. "I'm having a private conversation with my daughter!"

The manager's face paled from Colleen's verbal attack. His sympathies were rapidly shifting from the customer to his employee. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but Fawn -"

"-is a rotten excuse for a daughter!" Colleen retorted, storming away from the counter. She brushed against a wire display of Blu – Ray and DVD cases and sent it crashing to the floor. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Clumsy me!"

"Never mind, madam," the manager murmured grimly. "Please leave."

"I'll be glad to!" Colleen huffed. She stormed out the door and on to her car.

Fawn's manager cast an apologetic gaze at her as he sighed and began cleaning up the mess Colleen had made.

Colleen might have lost one battle, but there was another one ahead. 'I haven't seen Dawnie in ages. This is as good a time as any to drop in on my other darling daughter since that gash is outta town! Dawnie'll damn well pay up for once!'

---

Dawn was frantic when she arrived at her mother's favorite liquor store. She hurried inside to the cash checking area where one customer was already being helped. However, that customer was drunk, and weaving so much that he could barely stand, let alone endorse his payroll check. He leaned heavily against the counter in an attempt to support his body enough to write a legible signature.

'C'mon, c'mon!' Dawn bounced on the balls of her feet impatiently. 'Time's wasting!'

"Look, Joe. You go sleep it off and come back when you're sober enough to write your name," the store owner stated flatly to the drunk. "I can't cash your check."

"S'all righty then," Joe wheezed, swaying like a tree in a tornado. "Be that way! Gimmie my check!"

"It's right in front of you, along with your ID," the store owner indicated the items laying in the drawer. A glass window on the counter separated him from the public. Transactions were moved from him to the customer and back again via a tray built into the counter.

Joe had considerable difficulty picking up his check and ID card. Just as Dawn was going to step forward to help him, the drunk managed to maintain a grip on both items and stumbled away from the counter. A miasma of stale alcohol and body odor trailed after him.

"May I help you, ma'am?" The store owner asked without apologizing for the delay.

"I need to cash this check please," Dawn replied, handing over the endorsed check and her fake ID.

He glanced at the check, did a double take, and whistled. "This is a pretty big payment, lady."

"Are you sayin' you can't cash it?" Dawn inquired, squelching her nervousness. 'Or maybe he's seen Cat after all and is buying time while he activates some kind of silent alarm?'

"Oh, I can cash it, once I verify it with the issuer. It'll just about clean me outta ready cash. Are you sure you don't want to try one of those check cashing places?"

"Nah. I don't like 'em," Dawn replied airily. "And before ya ask, I don't have a bank account and don't wanna go open one!"

"Wait here, then." The owner took her ID and the check to another counter and picked up the phone.

Dawn pretended to look around the store, observing the various displays for liquor. There were several cardboard promotional displays at each aisle, and neon colored price tags alerted customers to the specials. Another employee stood behind the cash register, placing price tags on bottles of cheap fortified wine.

Dawn watched the store owner out the corner of one eye while he called the insurance company. 'It's now or never!'

He replaced the receiver and stepped back to the window across from Dawn. "Everything checked out, Ms. Marshall. That's an interesting first name."

"Yeah, my parents wanted somethin' unusual," she murmured.

"My sympathies. So what kind of bills do you want?"

"The largest you can give me," she replied with a smile. She inwardly sighed with relief. She was going to get away with it!

"I just need your thumbprint next to your endorsement," he explained, pointing to the ink pad on Dawn's side of the window.

"Um," Dawn was hesitant at the prospect of having her thumbprint recorded for posterity. If her step mother ever needed proof of her fraudulent act, the thumbprint would be a dead giveaway. 'What the Hell! The money's worth the risk. She'll never do anything about it!' She pressed her thumb on the pad, then placed her inky thumb next to the signature. She carefully lifted her thumb so it wouldn't smudge and wiped the ink from her skin with the alcohol wipe the employee handed her.

She watched gleefully while the pile of greenbacks grew taller. The clerk started with hundred dollar bills, then fifties, then twenties and lower denominations, including a few rolls of quarters until he had the entire amount piled in front of him. He counted the amount out twice, once on his side of the window, and again when he placed the money in a tray.

Dawn gathered up the money, enjoying the feel of the bills and the heavy coin rolls in her hands. Her mind whirled with delight that she was one step closer to her dream.

"Do you want a bag to carry that in, Ms. Marshall?"

Dawn didn't reply to his inquiry. It took him two more attempts to get her attention by calling her by her step mother's name before she looked up at him.

"Hmmm? Oh, I'm sorry! Sure, a bag might be a good idea," she replied hastily.

The clerk handed her a brown paper bag. "Be careful, Ms. Marshall. Charming doesn't have a large crime rate, but you want to get that cash somewhere safe as soon as possible."

"I will! And thank you!" Dawn raced out of the store and to the Cruiser. She couldn't believe her luck. Either Lowen had taken the time to contact the coffeehouse before she called for the stop payment, or she had to go through the insurance carrier to do so and hadn't reached the right person. Whatever the delay, Dawn had the money, and that was the important thing.

She felt like driving straight to LA but reigned in the urge. She needed to get the PT back to the house before Pete noticed it was gone. 'He'd call the car in as stolen and get me arrested. He's goin' to be suspicious enough about the mileage readin'. The only thing I can do is write it down in the book and hope he doesn't check over the entries!'

She parked the Cruiser in the driveway in the same spot Pete had parked it and started towards the back gate. She needed to secure her windfall and get ready for work. A car horn claimed her attention before she opened the gate. She looked over her shoulder and winced at the sight of her mother's car pulling into the drive. "Shit! This won't be good!"

---

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lowen. The check has been cashed. It would cause a logistical nightmare to stop payment now," the insurance carrier's attorney announced flatly when he called back.

'Because you wasted all that time second guessing me when you could've made the call!' Ally frowned in annoyance. She kept her voice from showing her displeasure. "Do you know where the check was cashed?"

"Not at a bank. It'll be a while before I can get that information for you. I can request a copy of any video recording of the transaction if you want and if one exists."

"Please do. Can you email it to me as a file?"

"If you'll give me your email address. In the meantime, how do you want to follow up on this?"

Ally provided her email address and added, "I'll confer with my client and get back to you as soon as I know something,"

---

"What are you doin' buyin' liquor with that bitch's car, girl?" Colleen inquired. She pointed at the bag in Dawn's hand.

'Of all the rotten timing!' Dawn sighed inwardly. "It's not liquor, Mom. I had to run an errand. Cat lets me use it for business purposes."

Colleen stared at her daughter. The story didn't ring true with her. "Do you think I was born yesterday? There's no way that small little paper bag holds anything 'business' related! What are you up to?"

"Nothing, Mother!" Dawn protested.

Colleen marched up to her daughter and grabbed for the bag. Dawn wouldn't relinquish it and a tug of war ensued. The battle ended with the bag tearing apart, spilling a large amount of money onto the drive.

"Fuck!" Dawn screamed, scrambling to pick up the fallen bills.

"Holy shit! What'd ya do? Rob a bank?" Colleen began grabbing money herself, stuffing the bills into her bra.

"That money belongs to the coffeehouse!" Dawn sputtered, sweeping the rest of the bills towards her and covering them with her body.

"You're as lousy a liar as your father!" Colleen sneered contemptuously, reaching under Dawn's arms to grab another handful. "If that was goin' to the coffeehouse, you wouldn't be carrying it in a paper bag!"

"It's not for you, either!" Dawn snarled. She shoved the rest of the money into her shirt, bunching both the top and the bottom in her hands to prevent her mother from taking more bills. She stood up and resolutely faced her mother. "Now hand it over!"

"I think not!" Colleen sneered. "What luck for me to visit and get an unexpected windfall! It's better than playing the lottery!"

"I'm not kidding! Give it back!" Dawn took a threatening step towards her mother.

Colleen didn't retreat. Instead, she held up one hand and drew out her cell phone with the other. "Suppose I call that bitch and check out your story, hmmmm?"

The threat halted Dawn in mid stride. Her face went pale. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Think again, little girl! I'll gladly talk to that gash if it means I catch you in a lie!"

"You don't have her cell number, and she's not –"

An unpleasant smile crossed Colleen's face. "You were about to say she's not in town. You must really think I'm dumb!" A hateful smile crossed Colleen's face as she rattled off her adversary's phone number. She smirked when she saw her daughter's shoulders droop in defeat. "I don't know and don't care how you got this money. What I do know is that you've got more than enough to share, and I'm keepin' what I got! I'd ask to come in, but don't want you taking the kitchen knife to me, so I'll just be on my way!"

Colleen laughed with delight as she retreated to her car. She wasn't sure what she enjoyed more, getting the money or outwitting her daughter. Both were equally enjoyable. She felt downright giddy. 'Not to mention I'm sticking it to that bitch! A triple play!' She sneered as she raced down the street, leaving her daughter fuming helplessly in her wake.

---

The minute she was off the phone with the other lawyer, Ally placed a call to Cat. She snorted in annoyance to get the voice mail instead of her client. 'Oh yeah! She can't have the phone on in her father's room!' She took a deep breath and waited for the beep. "Cat, it's Ally Lowen. The settlement came in, but it was delivered to your house. You need to call me as soon as possible!" She waited for the voice mail to prompt her which number would mark the message as urgent.

She turned her attention to other tasks while she waited for Cat to call back. She grew worried after a full hour passed without a call. 'Something's not right! She said she'd check her cell hourly for messages!'

She called both coffee venues, but the staff members she spoke to hadn't heard from Cat since the previous day. Her next call was to Kozik.

"Kozik here," a male voice rumbled guardedly in her ear.

"Ally Lowen. Have you heard from Cat today?"

"Hey, mouthpiece!" Kozik replied brightly. "No, but I wasn't expectin' to. Lemme check with Ima, she might've called my girl."

Ally could hear muffled conversation in the background between the couple. She drummed her fingers impatiently, waiting for Kozik to return to the line.

"Hi, Ally. This is Ima," a pleasant female voice stated. "She's not called, and I'm a little worried. I sent her a text yesterday about an urgent matter, but she never contacted me. That's really not like her."

"True, but she's not allowed to have the cell phone turned on in her Dad's room," Ally replied soothingly. "I had the same thought when I got her voice mail an hour ago."

"But that's the problem, Ally," Ima insisted. "She wouldn't go hours without returning a message, especially when she had to go to her father's house to handle family business!"

Ally's eyes narrowed in concern. She hadn't been aware of any road trip within Indiana; not that she needed to be told of it. It made sense that Ima would know about it because she co – managed the gym with Cat. "I wonder why the coffee places didn't mention that!"

"She probably didn't think they needed to know about it," Ima explained. "It's a little different in my case, being Kozik's old lady and co – managing the gym with her."

"I see," Ally mused. "Now I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."

"You two might be worryin' for no reason," Kozik's voice cut in on the line. He'd taken the phone from Ima to talk to the lawyer, though he put the call on speaker so she could hear. "Tig told me Indiana has a few spots that don't have service."

"Vincennes is a college town," Ally retorted. "It's got to have cellular service!"

"You're too worked up for this be somethin' about one of the businesses," Kozik observed. "This is about Dawnie, isn't it?"

"I can't say," Ally replied.

"You just did," Kozik remarked. "Ima's been upset ever since she found evidence that Dawn got into the Challenger. Cat fixed it so we'd know if Dawnie messed with it."

"I'm glad Cat took some precautions after all!" Ally sighed in relief. 'That explains how Dawn managed to copy Cat's signature!'

"Same here," Kozik stated. "We both tried to talk her outta lettin' Dawnie stay there alone, but she didn't listen."

"I tried and got the same result," Ally reported.

"So did Tig," Kozik grunted.

"I've been thinking about this," Ima chimed in. "We might be over reacting a bit to Cat's silence."

"How do ya mean, baby?"

"Think how you'd feel if you had to cross three time zones, and then make a two hour road trip right after seeing your father settled in a strange hospital?" Ima explained. "She might just be too exhausted to be checking her cell phone regularly."

The other two remained silent as they digested that piece of information. "You've got a good point, Ima. I just hope she calls soon," Ally stated.

"If she calls you first, ask her If it's a'right to talk to me about the situation," Kozik requested. "Other than Tig, I know Dawn better than anyone else; I'm her godfather." He didn't add that he knew there was no way Cat would want to discuss the matter with Gemma.

Ima nodded sagely in support of her man. 'He doesn't have to say what's on his mind. It's written all over his face. I agree. Gemma doesn't have to know everything that goes on with the club's women and families!'

"I'll mention it," Ally promised. "I won't guarantee her answer will be a positive one."

"As long as ya ask. If she calls here, we'll have her call ya," Kozik replied.

"I'll keep you posted," Ally stated before ending the call. She was still nervous about the check and Cat's continued silence, but there was nothing more she could do except to send an urgent test to Cat. She tossed her cell onto her desk, sighed wearily, and went on about her other tasks.

Kozik snapped his burner closed and stuffed it in his pocket. "I've got a really bad feelin' about this, baby."

"So do I, and not just because Dawn broke into the Challenger. What kind of 'mischeif' is she capable of?"

Kozik grimaced at his woman's choice of adjectives to describe Dawn's less desirable tendencies. "That's a nice way to phrase it, baby. Dawnie tends to take after her mother when it comes to solving money issues. She sees an opportunity and takes it, no matter the consequences to the victim."

"You mean she's stealing from Cat?" Ima gasped.

"That might be why she broke into the Dodge," Kozik thought aloud. "So she could get the pink slip to copy Cat's signature."

"Should we alert the coffee businesses?" Ima asked, reaching for her cordless.

Kozik shook his head. "Our partnership with her doesn't give us authority over 'em, baby. Let's wait until we hear from either Ally or Cat, and get their input."

Ima started to protest, but he held up a hand to silence her. "The damage has already been done, baby. A few more hours won't change anything."

---

Dawn watched her mother's car back out of the drive and race off down the street. Once her mother's car turned the corner, she raced into the back yard and onto the house, locking the door behind her.

She dumped the remaining bills on the table and began separating them into the various denominations. "Trust Mother to go for the larger bills!" She snorted in derision after noting that several of the $100 bills were gone. Though she had less money than she started out with, she still had a substantial windfall.

'Losin' any amount of money is too much, especially when I lose it to Mom!' She thought. 'At least I can make it up by handin' over that letter to the commissary manager. I'll just have to sneak it past Pete!'

She gathered the bills together and took them to the office to retrieve some rubber bands. She bound the bills into small piles, then joined them together with two more rubber bands. She placed the entire stack in the bottom of her back pack where she knew it would be safe.

She decided to work on the letter after her shift at the kiosk, so it would be ready that coming weekend. "I didn't wanna start this for a couple more weeks to let Pete relax his vigilance. I just didn't count on Mom sniffin' around for money! I don't wanna hang around this dump any longer than I have to!"

---

The insurance company's lawyer called two hours after Ally's conversation with Kozik and Ima. There was still no return call from Cat, which heightened the attorney's ire when Ally explained she hadn't been able to reach her client for guidance.

"I can't give you an answer I don't have!" She snapped just as irritably back at him. "You have to remember there's a three hour time difference between here and where my client is currently located. She does have a family medical emergency!"

"I'm well aware of that, but I also need to tell the insurance carrier how your client intends to handle the fraudulently cashed check!"

"I'll have an answer for you by tomorrow afternoon," Ally stated.

"You've got to be kidding me!" The lawyer exploded.

"You're forgetting that whoever cashed the check won't be leaving town right away," Ally reminded him. "The person thinks they've gotten away with it and that we don't know it's been cashed."

"Yeah," the lawyer replied as if the thought had just occurred to him. "You're right. We do have some time to work with, but I don't want to lose the element of surprise."

Ally hadn't lied about Dawn still being in town. She had asked the firm's receptionist to call the kiosk and the coffeehouse, asking for Dawn at both places. Tig's daughter had shown up for her shift at the kiosk, and the receptionist had asked about the hours of operation so Dawn wouldn't get suspicious. "Have you been successful in getting a copy of the surveillance tape?"

"It took some doing without a police report, but I got it. I'm sending it to you now," the lawyer stated.

Ally opened her business email to find the lawyer's email in her inbox. "Thanks. I'll take a look at it right away."

"Just keep in mind that if I don't hear from you by noon tomorrow, I'll have to take action to protect my client," the attorney warned her. "And that means the check will not be reissued."

"Duly noted," Ally retorted, hanging up on the lawyer. 'I have a feeling that Cat's not going to want to follow the usual course of action, anyway!' Ally laid her head in her hands after she hung up. 'They' really didn't have plenty of time. She'd bought time for Cat to call her and learn about the situation before the other lawyer alerted the authorities.

Several minutes later, she rubbed her eyes and sat back in her chair. Though it was a grainy picture, she had concrete proof of Dawn's betrayal of Cat frozen on her computer screen. 'She obviously had a fake ID with her picture and Cat's identifying information on it!' Ally mused grimly. 'This is going to devastate her!'

She glanced at the clock on her desk, matching it with her computer's time display. It was well past regular business hours, and getting close to that time in Indiana. She decided to send the video file to Cat's personal email address. 'It's a drastic move, but it's got to be done,' she convinced herself. She added a personal line for her client to call her, no matter what time she watched the video. Then she turned off her computer and left her office for the night.

---

Grim Bastard was next in rotation to stay with Cat. He really wanted to tour the city with the rest of the guys while Cavey had no real interest in bar hopping. "I'll stay with 'er for two shifts," the SAMROC rider offered. "You boys go 'ave a good time. Just be sure the next lad is sober enough to be with 'er in the morning."

"You sure Cavey?" Grim asked. He really didn't want to be left behind, but it was his turn after all.

"I'm sure, mate. Go on with you!" Cavey laughed. "I'll move the telly in 'ere and watch it for awhile to keep me company."

Grim didn't ask a second time. He raced out with the rest of the riders to the back lot where the bikes were parked. Seconds later, five Harleys roared to life and sped away. The quiet that followed was nearly deafening.

Cavey went upstairs to the club's apartment, unplugged the television, carried it back to Cat's apartment. He watched the local broadcast channels, followed by the news.

'Apparently the boys are behavin' since they didn't make the news!' Cavey smiled to himself. He channel surfed to see what else was available and found a local channel that aired classic American television programs.

There were no sounds from Cat's bedroom, not even snores. Cavey occasionally walked to the closed door to check on her. Each time he looked in, she was sound asleep. 'Looks like it's gonna be a quiet night!' Cavey mused. 'A man can do with some peace once in awhile.' He'd hear the occasional siren off in the distance when he went to the porch to smoke. He settled down to sleep around 2AM, only to be awakened by his brothers' return after the bars closed. Cavey tumbled off the couch and met them at the front entrance. "Welcome back! Glad to see you're all in one piece!" he grinned.

"Just another day in the life, brother," BZ replied. "Ya hang out at one bar, ya hang out at 'em all. Nice little place that 'Sugar Shed'. Didn't see hide nor hair of Cat's bird friend."

"Just remember to keep the noise down, brothers. We do have close neighbors to think about," Cavey advised them.

"Anything goin' on?" Yum asked.

"Been quiet. Cat's been asleep all night."

"Then I'll see ya at shift change," Shank stated while the others headed up to the apartment.

"You goin' to be a'right on such short sleep?" Cave inquired.

"I can always catch some snooze at the hospital," Shank shrugged.

"The 'ell you will!" Cavey growled. "That's one place where we 'ave to be on high alert!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot on account of everything goin' so smooth down South," Shank replied somewhat contritely.

"I'll take a few extra 'ours, mate. Just be ready when she leaves for the 'ospital," Cavey declared. "I don't mind."

"I won't argue with ya, brother," Shank yawned. "I'll owe ya one."

"G'nite, guvner," Cavey slapped Shank on the shoulder and closed the door to Cat's apartment. He heard Shank's heavy tread on the stairs, but the club remained quiet in their own digs. The apartments remained quiet until Cavey was awakened by a ring tone from Cat's cell phone at the unGodly hour of 6AM .

Cavey wasn't a light sleeper, but he had trained himself to be instantly alert if certain sounds woke him. Ringing phones were one of those triggers. He walked to the door and stood listening for a moment. As soon as he determined it wasn't bad news about her father, he returned to the living room to allow her to talk in private.

He frowned as the call seemed to continue for some time. 'It can't be Tig callin'; it's only three in the mornin' in Charmin'!' He doubted it was anything related to her business for the same reason. He finally heard her move about for a few moments then things went completely silent in her room.

'None of my business,' he shrugged, getting comfortable on the sofa again. He was just about to drift off to sleep when he realized that she was crying. It was a faint, muffled sound, not like the usual feminine wailing he was used to enduring. Something was definitely wrong.

---

Cat's heart raced as the voice of Warren Zevon singing about 'Lawyers, Guns, and Money' yanked her out of the nightmare about 'Brownie' she'd had earlier that day. She drew in a deep breath, raised her eye mask, and fumbled to remove the phone from the charger before the call went to voice mail. She squinted to make out the caller ID as she pressed 'answer call'. Her heart continued to race when she made out Ally's face on the screen and the lawyer's home telephone number.

"Hey Ally! Y'all are up late!" She was surprised that her voice, though rough from sleep, sounded normal. The nightmare had been as frightening as the first time she'd had it. She blinked in the early morning light filtering through the curtains.

"Sorry to call you so early Cat," Ally stated apologetically. "I couldn't sleep and needed to reach out to you."

"I had to wake up to answer the phone anyway," Cat replied. A sudden dread filled her heart. "Tig's not hurt I hope?" It was the only thing she could think of that would have the lawyer calling her so early in the morning California time.

"No, he's fine!" Ally hastened to assure her. 'That means she hasn't seen or heard any of the messages!' She struggled to keep her annoyance from showing in her voice and added, "It's about your pain and suffering settlement."

"Ally, I love you, but if you're calling me at this hour to tell me you've got it, I'll scalp y'all bald headed when I get back!" Cat growled.

"You know me better than that, Cat!" Ally retorted dryly. "I'm just going to come right out and tell you this. The check was delivered to the house and it's been cashed."

Cat shook her head to clear the cobwebs from her brain. "Did I hear y'all right? It's been cashed? How was it delivered?"

"Yes you did, yes it was, and it was delivered by a courier service."

"That meant a signature was required."

"Yes, it does."

"What you're not sayin' is that you believe Dawn's been up to no good," Cat sighed.

"I'm sorry, Kitten," Ally's voice was filled with compassion. "It's not a belief. I sent black and white proof to you yesterday."

"Shit! The one day I'm too tired to deal with anything else is the one day all Hell breaks loose!" Cat moaned.

"Ima tried to reach you too," Ally continued. "She found evidence that Dawn got into your Challenger, though she doesn't know why."

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Cat swore. "I'm sorry to have left y'all hangin' like this."

"Not your fault the insurance company didn't get my updated instructions to send the check to my office," Ally replied.

"That check goin' to the house was like swimmin' in shark infested waters with a bleedin' cut on your limb!" Cat remarked. "No use tryin' to bolt the barn door after the prize stallion's run off. What do we do now?"

"The only option is to make a police report and file charges against Dawn," Ally explained.

"That's not an option!"

"What?!" Ally thought she was used to everything in her dealings with the club and their associates. Cat's reaction caught her by surprise.

"I can't and won't hurt Tig by havin' his daughter arrested," Cat stated. "It would crush him."

"B – but you can't let her get away with murder!" Ally protested.

"She's not gettin' away with murder," Cat remarked.

"Dammit, Cat! This isn't something to joke about!"

"Believe me, I'm in dead earnest, just like a maggot," she grimly assured the lawyer.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ally couldn't keep from grimacing at the pun. "If you're not going to press charges, what do you intend to do?"

"Look at everything y'all sent first," Cat replied. "How'd you manage to get a copy of the surveillance video where Dawn cashed the check?"

"The insurance company's lawyer obtained it for me. He wasn't very happy that I didn't allow him to file a police report right away. I managed to buy you some time, but not much. You have until noon our time today."

"He's goin' to be more unhappy when he finds out I won't authorize y'all to make a report on my behalf."

"I can't guarantee he won't do that on his own," Ally advised her. "I wish you'd reconsider!"

"He doesn't know that it's Dawn though."

"Not yet."

"Then don't tell him."

"For God's sake, Cat!" Ally exclaimed.

"If I decide to do anythin' about this, it's goin' to be 'within the family'," Cat stated quietly. "I need to see the intel for myself before makin' any decisions."

Ally sighed in resignation. There was no use arguing with her client when her mind was made up. She wasn't sure what else to do to help Cat until she remembered her promise to Kozik. "I appreciate how you feel, Cat. I know you've had your differences with him in the past, but you might consider talking to Kozik. He is Dawn's godfather, and since you probably won't share with this Tig -"

"Take out the probably," Cat murmured.

"I should've known. Anyway, Kozik knows Dawn as well as Tig, and he is back on good terms with your husband!" The lawyer pointed out.

"I'll keep that in mind, Ally. Go back to sleep. I'll send y'all an email or call later. I promise!"

"I'm holding you to that!" Ally laughed before she disconnected the call. Though she'd failed to get her client to agree to involving the police, she had succeeded in alerting her to the situation. 'Knowing Cat, she'll raise all kinds of Hell shortly! Maybe now I can get some decent sleep!'

There was no way that Cat was going to be able to go back to sleep after Ally's call. 'Just as well. I really don't want to have that nightmare again!' She was a little surprised that her guardian hadn't checked in on her. The ring tone was set to its' highest volume so it would get her attention when she was sleeping. He had to have heard it. 'Likely he listened at the door and determined from my tone of voice that it wasn't the hospital calling,' she determined.

She read and saved Ally's and Ima's texts while her laptop powered up. If her heart wasn't already in tatters, Ima's text and the picture of the Challenger would've broken it completely. The picture served as further proof of Dawn's betrayal of her trust.

'I really thought my relationship with Dawn was improvin'!' She fumed. 'It meant so much to Alex for us to get along. That made it important to me. She was just pretendin' all along, waiting to strike when I had my back turned!' Hot, angry tears welled in her eyes, but she wiped them away. There was no time to indulge in self pity.

The message from Ima had come in close to the same time as Ally's messages about the settlement. Cat knew from her experiences with 'Brownie' that it took time and practice to forge a signature. That meant Dawn had been plotting against her for some time, and had probably broken into the Challenger shortly after she left Sunday.

She dreaded witnessing further proof of Dawn's betrayal, but it had to be done. She started with accessing the surveillance recordings for the garage from Sunday, fast forwarding through the recording until Dawn appeared. She reversed the video a few seconds, then selected 'play'.

'She sure didn't wait very long!' Cat thought angrily. She watched as Dawn coolly picked the lock, rummaged in the glove compartment, then locked and closed the passenger door, departing with the pink slip.

'So that's how she found my signature to copy!' She closed down the garage surveillance and checked the kitchen, then the office surveillance for the same time frame. The kitchen recording was clear, but the office recording provided her with a clear picture of Dawn's activity.

The surveillance program allowed her to zoom in on any part of the video. That enabled her to witness Dawn continually copying her flowing signature in an attempt to make it flawless. She found little comfort in the fact that her signature was proving a challenge to her step – daughter. 'She managed to copy it well enough to convince someone to cash the check! But it's obvious she was plannin' somethin' before she ever knew about it!'

She advanced the recording, stopping it again when Dawn returned to the office the following day and accessed the computer. Using the zoom enabled Cat to see Dawn compose a letter to the assistant manager at the commissary. Her temper flared as she realized that Dawn was intending to steal the proceeds. 'The little bitch was goin' to steal from me and the club!'

She had made a note of the time stamp for each relevant video, then copied and saved those scenes to a separate video library for later. She was certain she'd need to access them sometime in the future. She didn't want to have to search for those scenes all over again.

She powered down her laptop and put it away in the carry case, then returned to bed and leaned against the headboard. She rubbed her eyes and forehead to try to prevent a headache from blossoming. 'No matter what I decide, it's goin' to wind up hurtin' Alex. The question is whether I act now and get it over with, or let her off the hook and possibly lose more than money in the long run.'

She flinched at the recollection of Alex, Ima, and even her lawyer asking her if she really wanted to trust Dawn. She'd been so sure everything would be all right, now she would have to disappoint her husband. 'Dammit to Hell anyway! I always trust people until they prove otherwise! When will I learn?'

She couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She lay on her side and buried her face in the pillow to muffle her crying. She didn't want to disturb her guardian. 'If ever I needed to talk to Daddy, this is one of those times! But he's in no shape to help me. I've got to do somethin'! Who can I talk to?'

A light tap sounded at the door a few moments later. She didn't respond to it, hoping the rider would leave her alone. She heard the door open and Cavey asked softly if she was all right.

"No, but there's nothin' y'all can do for me," she groaned.

"Was the call about your Dad?"

"No. Personal shit back home," she assured him.

"Need to talk to someone? I've got a good pair of ears," he offered.

"I need to talk to someone, but I can't disclose this to any of y'all," she replied. "I'm goin' to have to reach out to Charmin'."

"OK. By the way, Shank's goin' to the 'ospital with ya later." He started to close the door, then stuck his head back inside and added, "Would a spot of coffee 'elp?"

"Yes, please," she replied. Coffee would definitely help. It would eliminate the headache and give her a boost that she badly needed. She had to wait to talk to anyone back in Charming. As Ally had pointed out, though she was more comfortable with Chibs, she would have to turn to Kozik.

---

Blaine Marshall enjoyed a full night of restful, uninterrupted sleep in several days. His daughter was safe, his wife's payment was made, and he was far away from his tormentor. His mind still worked well, though the seizure resulted in making it difficult for him to convert his thoughts into words people could understand. His voice was rough and thick, which made speaking difficult for him, but he was determined to make his wishes known to his daughter.

He was awake when she quietly entered his room, wearing the plastic cover over her street clothes. He had his glasses on and could clearly see the circles under her eyes. 'Something's bothering her. I hope she hasn't gotten bad news about Alex!' He lifted his hand as high as the restraints allowed. "Good morning," he rasped.

"Well! Hey there!" Cat grinned, bending over the bed to kiss her father's cheek. "You're alert at last!"

"Yes, and I want to go home," he replied.

"You will, once you're well," she joked, pulling the chair to the side of his bed. She set her carry case on the floor beside her.

"Not fair to use my comment to your step mother on me!" He protested weakly.

"All's fair in love and war, Daddy!"

Shank waved at her from the hallway and departed to the lounge where he could watch television. Blaine noticed his departure and turned an inquiring glance on his daughter.

"He's a friend of Alex's. A few of them are here to keep certain people from botherin' me," she explained.

Her father nodded approvingly. "Alex is a good man."

"He has his moments," Cat snickered. "It's good to see you more alert like this."

"I didn't get much rest in Vincennes."

"I know. I was tempted to go over to the hospital and give 'em a piece of my mind yesterday. The guys wouldn't let me," she growled.

"Smart men," he sighed. "How was your step – mother?"

"Fine and forgetful as usual. She asked when y'all were comin' to visit, and I told her you had a virus and would be over when you were well."

"How many times did you have to tell her that?" He grinned.

"More than once."

He held his hands up as far as the restraints allowed and asked, "Why?"

"Y'all were a little feisty at Vincennes with the caregivers. With your gettin' up and fallin' down and tryin' to remove the feedin' tube, they really had no choice," she explained. "I felt it was necessary to protect y'all from harm."

"I suppose so," he sighed in resignation. "Are you sure Alex is all right?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"You look worried and upset," he pointed out. "I can always tell when my little girl is unhappy."

"It could just be because you're so sick," she replied evasively.

"No, it's something else. Just because I'm ill is no reason not to tell me what's wrong," her father insisted. His voice held a ghost of the familial authority she could never resist.

'I'm in big trouble if Alex ever develops that tone!' She smiled wryly. "It's just parental crap back in California."

"Tell me about it, honey. Maybe I can help," he pleaded.

'He wants to be involved and feel needed. Guess I can give him the 'Reader's Digest' condensed version,' she shrugged inwardly. "It's Dawn. Y'all know she's stayin' with me while he's away."

Blaine nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I am now findin' out how difficult it is to have kin as an employee. It makes things so bloody personal and she was really workin' out well."

"You said 'was'. What's happened?"

"She's pullin' stunts that make mine at her age look mild by comparison! She's not goin' to be stayin' at the house after today."

"Oh?" His eyebrows lifted inquiringly. "How come?"

"I've been in contact with my lawyer in Charmin'; Dawn's goin' to get her marchin' orders this afternoon," Cat replied tersely. "Suffice it to say she's betrayed my trust and needs to get out of the house as soon as possible."

"Cutting the purse strings might be a good thing for her," her father replied. "Remember I made you fend for yourself when you were that that age, and you turned out all right. Other than divorcing your mother, it was the hardest thing I ever did."

Cat winced at the memory. "That was a rough time for both of us," she admitted.

It had been her step – mother's idea for Blaine to quit bailing her out of financial difficulty caused by her relationship with the drunken dope fiend. Blaine admired his daughter's unwillingness to abandon the man she loved because of his demons. but that support was costing Blaine in more ways than financial.

He reluctantly agreed to his wife's suggestion and the months that followed had been a personal Hell. He had no contact with his only child. That time had been just as difficult for her. She gave up the love and support of her family for the boyfriend.

She struggled to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table with her minimum wage income. The boyfriend wouldn't get a job, choosing instead to drink and use drugs to excess. He would take off in her car for hours on end while he panhandled, leaving her stranded waiting for him to pick her up for work. Sometimes she could use the city transit system and sometimes her friends gave her a lift. Often times she walked. His family wouldn't help her out; they were happy not to be burdened with him.

Cat saw the light when he was arrested for his third DUI and got her car impounded. Instead of bailing him out along with her car, Cat left him in jail and testified at his trial that she felt a prison sentence might be the wake up call he needed.

He called her repeatedly during his prison term, begging for commissary money that she refused to give him. Pleas eventually changed to threats and his family jumped on the bandwagon. She realized that he didn't deserve the sacrifice she'd made. She ended the relationship, refused to take him back when his sentence ended, and moved to a new apartment where neither he nor his family could find her.

Eventually she was able to reconnect with her father, but it took time for them to re - establish trust between them. 'Granted, I'm holding back a lot about what's really goin' on in my life. It's best he not know certain things. Besides, Alex is more of a man than 'Brownie' and the dope fiend ever were!'

"Have you been able to talk to Alex about this?" Her father asked quietly, breaking into her reverie.

"No," she sighed. "I really hate havin' to act without consultin' him first."

"Honey, it doesn't sound like you can wait for his approval," her father pointed out. "Is that what's bothering you?"

She nodded in misery. "He's goin' to consider it a betrayal, Daddy! Even though he warned me against lettin' her stay at the house without either of us present!"

Blaine closed his eyes and Cat wondered guiltily if she'd worn him out with her tale of woe. Then he opened his eyes and stated, "It sounds to me like Dawn has done this kind of thing before if Alex tried to warn you," he observed. Instead of looking completely exhausted, there was some color to his face. "Yes, he'll be disappointed, but he'll surely understand why you couldn't wait for his input."

"Y'all really think so?"

"I believe so," he replied. "It's obvious that he cares for you. I saw that the minute I met him."

"But I'm not blood family!" Cat reminded him.

"That doesn't stop you from being a caring parent. Your step – mother made a similar decision about you, and our relationship continued!" Her father reminded her.

"You were right there for her to consult," Cat pointed out. "That makes a difference."

"The end result will be the same, honey."

"I wish I could believe that, Daddy," she sighed. "Alex is loyal to his children. The girls were very young when he divorced their mother. I see where y'all are goin' with this, but I was an adult when you and Mother split up. There's a big difference."

"And you think this could break up your marriage," her father observed.

"I'm afraid so."

A few more moments of silence elapsed before he continued in an apologetic manner, "I don't know what to tell you, Honey, except that you need to believe that Alex's feelings for you are strong enough to overcome this hurdle."

"For f - er, for cryin' out loud, Daddy!" She howled, quickly substituting the colorful metaphor she was going to say for a more acceptable adjective. "This is a gigantic sinkhole, not a hurdle!"

He smiled slightly at her near verbal slip. "You've overcome worse in your life, baby girl."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "Y'all did a good job bringin' me up."

"Your mother and I raised you to believe that people weren't out to do wrong first. We made sure you respected people no matter their race, color, or religion."

"Yeah, I remember that very first lesson when I was in pre school," she grinned.

"You're a lot like me in that respect. We tend to blind ourselves to a person's real demeanor because of the potential we see in them. I did that with your mother; you did it with many of the friends you made – male and female," he explained.

"It didn't always turn out bad," She pointed out. "Bill was a good choice!"

"Alex seems to be as well," he father added. "Your willingness to trust people regardless of anyone else's opinions has caused you a world of hurt, baby girl."

"If I'd listened to people, then I wouldn't have caused myself – and others around me – so much hurt. You wouldn't have been a victim of 'Brownie's' decades old grudge and the situation with Dawn wouldn't have occurred if I'd used my head!"

"If that word had feathers, we all would fly and wouldn't need to walk or drive anywhere!" Her father interjected. "You listen to your heart. Most of the time it works. I just wish it didn't cause you so much hurt when it doesn't."

"That is one way to learn," she sighed. "Kinda like the time y'all told me not to ride my trike down the hill. I didn't listen and rode right into that nasty drainage ditch. That taught me to listen to you!" She grinned ruefully at the memory. The drainage ditch had been full of dirty field runoff. Her father had to use a hose to clean her off before she could go into the house.

The memory made her father smile. "Though you sometimes went ahead regardless of what you were told!"

"At least I'm consistent," Cat observed wryly. "This time, the end results aren't going to be so rosy."

"You don't know that, Honey," her father protested. "You're getting yourself all worked up and that's not good for you! Alex strikes me as a very level headed man. He loves you, and he's not going to be angry that you did what you thought was necessary without asking him."

"Looks like I'm interrupting an interesting discussion, but I need to do a full exam on your father, Mrs. Trager," Blaine's doctor announced from the doorway. 'If I don't, she's going to worry him into another seizure!' He glanced at the monitor, noting the patient's heart rate and respiration were elevated.

She bent to kiss his cheek and gave him a hug. "Thanks for listenin', Daddy. It means a lot," she whispered.

"Just remember I'm always here for you," he whispered back.

"I'll be back," she promised from the door. She removed the plastic cover from her clothes and walked on the hall to the lounge where Shank was hanging out. She intended to call Kozik and set Dawn's eviction in motion.

---

Kozik dug his vibrating burner out of his pocket and glanced at the caller ID before flipping it open. "I figured ya'd be callin', sweetheart!" Ally had called him that morning to inform him she might call him for help.

Cat frowned in response to his greeting. While he didn't use the snide tone of voice she'd heard when they first met, that also wasn't the kind of greeting she expected. "If y'all are goin' to be an arse about this, I'm hangin' up! There's too much on my plate to deal with more bullshit!"

"Don't be fluffin' that tail at me, Kitty Girl!" Kozik protested, moving out of the garage where he'd been working to talk privately with her. He crossed the lot to the picnic table in front of the club entrance.

'Wander why she's callin' 'im?' Chibs frowned, glancing across the lot at the acting SAA. Granted, Tig and Kozik were no longer enemies, but he wasn't sure that his heart sister fully trusted Kozik yet.

"Ally Lowen said you'd best the best person to go to about this situation," Cat replied. "Guess the best place to start is to ask what y'all already know."

"She didn't violate attorney/client privilege," he assured her. "I know she was tryin' to reach ya yesterday. So was Ima."

"Yeah, I know all about the Challenger, I got the picture she sent," Cat sighed.

"I get the feelin' this ain't good," Kozik replied.

"I hope y'all are sittin' down," she advised before she shared shared everything Ally had told her about the settlement check. "I hid spy cams in the house before I left. It all means I should've listened to Tig in the first place!" She added.

"Better not let him hear ya say that! He might never let ya live it down." Kozik joked. 'So that's what Dawn was doin' in the car! She was gettin' the pink to copy Cat's signature!'

"No kiddin'. I'm not sure what to do from here, though I forbade Ally from havin' SJSD contact me. Not that it'll keep the insurance company lawyer from makin' a report."

"Then we don't have a lot of time," Kozik observed. "It sounds like you're leanin' towards handlin' it within the family."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Mainly because I don't want to hurt Tig by havin' his little girl arrested. That's why I don't want him knowin' about this."

"For fuck's sake, Kitty! I can appreciate ya wantin' to protect Tig's feelin's by not chargin' Dawn. But why don't ya want him knowin' what she did to ya?"

"Because it'll crush his morale. He's already feelin' low because he's stuck in Stockton while I'm dealin' with Daddy. How do ya think he'd feel to learn his daughter stole from his wife?" Cat explained. 'Which is why he's never to know about Colleen demanding money from me for the girls to see him!'

"Sweetheart, lemme tell ya somethin'; Tig knows what his daughters are capable of. I love Dawn, but she's a lot like her mother. That's why he tried to warn ya off lettin' her stay at the house while you're away! He's not gonna be upset to learn he was right."

"But he will be upset that it's happened!"

"He knew it was a possibility, sweetheart. He also knew ya were settin' yourself up for a world of hurt. He won't beat himself up over this. Trust me, I'm speakin' from experience."

"That's kind of a tall order, dude," she replied glumly. "I'm leery about trustin' anyone right now."

'I was afraid of that,' Kozik sighed inwardly. "I know it is, Kitty. But I've known Tig and his girls for years. I wouldn't lead ya on about somethin' like this."

Cat silently pondered his comment. There was really very little she could do from Indiana without help, and she needed the club's help. Time was not on her side if she wanted to keep Dawn out of jail. 'Not that the idea isn't appealin'!' She sighed in resignation, "OK, Koz. I guess things can't get any worse."

"Got any idea what you wanna do?"

"Besides scalp Dawn bald headed?"

"That's not an option," Kozik grunted. "This is serious shit, Cat. She stole from family. You don't do that no matter how desperate you are."

"She's goin' to have to get outta town as quickly as possible. The insurance company lawyer told Ally he'd do what he had to do to protect his client if I decided against involvin' the police. The deadline was noon."

"Shit!" Kozik sighed.

"Keep in mind, he doesn't know who the person cashin' the check is. He hasn't asked Ally for an ID," Cat explained.

"That might buy us a little time, but not much. Where do ya think she is now?"

"I know exactly where she should be," Cat replied, She had pulled the kiosk work schedule up on her computer. "She's scheduled to be at the kiosk right now. Hang on and lemme check with Beth to make sure she's there."

She activated the add call button and pressed the speed dial for Beth's cell phone, then added Kozik via the conference button. "Y'all need to keep quiet while I talk to my kiosk manager," she warned.

"Copy that."

"Hi, Cat!" Beth sounded surprised to hear from her. "Everything all right?"

"Here in Indy, yes. Somethin's come up and I need to know if Dawn is there," Cat replied brusquely.

Her employer's tone of voice put Beth on notice that the situation was serious and not to ask questions. "She is."

"Good. Don't say anything to Dawn about this. Call Tammy and see if she can come in right now," Cat instructed. "If she can't, I'm afraid Jake will need to stay a little longer today and you'll have to cover this evening."

"I can do that. Will Dawn be back?"

"Don't plan on it," Cat replied tersely. "Thanks."

"I'll talk to you later?"

"Definitely, and keep an eye on your email."

"OK. I'll email you with Tammy's reply," Beth disconnected the line, a frown of concern crossing her face. Something was definitely wrong, but she had learned to trust her employer, no matter how strange things might seem at first.

Kozik didn't speak until Cat had confirmation from her phone that Beth had dropped off the line. "We're clear, Koz. You heard it from Beth. Dawn will be at the kiosk for a couple more hours."

"Wonder why she didn't take off once she got the money?" Kozik mused.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Cat muttered grimly. "Would y'all mind goin' to the hospital and pickin' her up?"

"Why the Hell do ya think I asked where she is?" Kozik snorted. "Obviously ya need the club to evict her."

"I wouldn't have put it that way, but that's the sum and substance of it," Cat replied.

"What do you want us do about the money she stole from ya?

"She can keep it," Cat replied tersely.

Kozik's eyes widened in surprise. "Did I hear ya right? You're gonna let her keep it?"

"She's goin' to need it, Koz," she explained tersely.

Kozik barked a sympathetic laugh. "I guess you're right. Don't worry, we've got this.

"Sorry to dump this on all y'all. I really appreciate it," she replied.

"Hey, you've done a lot for us, it's about time we give back," he assured her.

"One other thing, Kozik. The locks on the house are goin' to need to be changed."

"Why? We'll get the key from her!"

"She could've made a copy, and I don't want her comin' back to wreak havoc once she thinks the heat has died down," she explained.

"You really don't trust her now," he whistled.

"Not a bit. Have two keys made and give 'em to Pete. Have him lock mine in the coffeehouse safe until I come back."

"Will do," Kozik assured her. He didn't need to ask if she could still trust her employees. She might be leery about trusting certain people, but her employees had proven themselves worthy of her trust for months.

"I just had a thought, Kitty. Chuckie might be interested in helpin' Pete with the commissary run, Wanna talk to him about it?"

"Is there time?"

"We'll make time," Kozik replied. He walked into the clubhouse to find the club mascot working in the kitchen. "Chuckie! Someone wants to talk to ya!"

Chuckie accepted the phone from Kozik and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, darlin'!"

Chuckie's face lit up in a wide smile. "Miss Cat! How's your father?"

"Sleepin' a lot, but they say that's a good way to fight off pnuemonia," she replied. "How would y'all like to come back to work for me on Sundays?"

"I'd love to!" Chuckie stated elatedly. "But what about Dawn?"

"That's a rather delicate subject, darlin'. Suffice it to say she has to quit her job in the very near future," Cat stated grimly.

"Oh. I accept that," Chuckie replied quietly. "And I accept the offer. I like working with Mr. Pete."

"Good, I'll let him know to pick y'all up on Sunday. Your paperwork's still good, so no worries there."

"I won't let you down, Miss Cat," Chuckie promised. "I hope your Dad gets better soon."

"I accept that, darlin'. Talk to y'all later."

While Chuckie was talking to Cat, Chibs strolled across the lot to confront Kozik. He was curious about what would lead his heart sister to reach out to her one time nemesis. "Wha's up wi' me sistah?"

"It's not bad news about her father, but she's got a major problem right here at home," Kozik replied. "She needs our help."

"Why didnae she call me?"

"Because the problem is Dawn."

Chibs winced. "Argh! 'Tis a mayjer problem a'right. Ye'll fill me in?"

"In a bit," he agreed, accepting the phone from Chuckie. 'Whew! Once she sets her mind to an action, she's right on it!' Kozik mused in admiration. "I'm back, Kitty. Listen, I know ya don't want Tig knowin' about this, but he really needs to know why she won't be comin' to visit Sunday, or any other Sunday. I'd like to give him advance warnin' later today."

"I was afraid of that," Cat sighed. "You can't just say she's no longer workin' for me and leave it at that?"

"You know better!" Kozik grinned. "Tig's gonna dig for more intel. He has a mind to act like a pitbull when he wants to. He'll refuse to let go of the subject until he knows the whole story."

"True dat," she sighed. "Oh all right, but if I find out y'all taunted him about this -"

"Claws in, Kitty!" Kozik snorted. "That shit's way behind us now."

"Then I'll leave this process in your capable hands, Koz," she stated. "Y'all know how to reach me if you need to."

Chibs reached out to take the burner from Kozik. "'Ey, little sistah. Aire ye a'right?"

"I'm OK, just angry at bein' betrayed by someone close to me," she assured him. "Kozik will have to fill y'all in, I've gotta get back to Daddy's room."

"Ah'm sorry ta 'ear o' this, Lady Cat," Chibs stated. "An' Ah'm keepin' ye an' yer Da in me thoughts."

"Love y'all, Chibs," she choked before pressing the 'end call' button. Ally might not understand, but she knew the club's eviction process would make more of an impression on Dawn than any legal procedure.

Chibs handed the phone back to Kozik. "She 'ung up, lad. So whut's goin' on?"

"Chuckie, go tell Opie he's needed in the chapel," Kozik instructed.

"I accept that," Chuckie sped out of the clubhouse to perform the errand.

"C'mon, brother," Kozik invited Chibs to join him in the chapel. "I'll tell ya both what's goin' on; we don't have a lot of time to act."

---

Shank got up from the chair next to Cat and moved to the far side of the lounge to give her some privacy while she was talking to the mother charter. He determined from her side of the conversation that all Hell was breaking loose in Charming and it had a direct effect on her. 'As if she doesn't have enough on her shoulders!' He thought sympathetically. 'But it's fascinatin' to see how well she's handlin' the added burden!'

Cat wrote out an email to her managers at the coffeehouse and kiosk. It was brief and to the point: "Dawn will no longer be employed in any capacity with us effective today. This includes Sunday. Chuckie will take over the commissary work with Pete. This will enable Tammy to pick up more hours if she wants them. If she doesn't, we'll need to hire a replacement as soon as possible, but do not advertise until I've talked with Beth. There is nothing more I can disclose at this time. Call me as soon as you've read this, and be ready for a conference call later."

She pulled up the rest of the week's schedule for the kiosk. Dawn had the next day off, and only had a four hour shift the next two days. There was only a two hour time frame where Jake and Jaci's shifts didn't overlap the first day, and if Tammy could take over Dawn's hours, Beth would be free to handle the administrative issues. She made a note at the bottom of the schedule file so she could email it to Beth later. A lot of the schedule depended on Tammy. 'Note to self, never hire a family member to work for you!'

While she had the laptop open, Cat sent an email to Ally updating her on the situation. "Dawn is bein' escorted out of town by the club," she wrote. "I felt it's the best way to handle this on my end, especially since y'all had to inform the insurance company's lawyer that I'm not filin' a police report.

"As far as his warnin' about the insurance company not reissuin' the settlement, that's fine. It'll just be an expensive reminder for me not to let my heart rule my head - especially when people are tellin' me the opposite of what my heart is sayin'.

"The club's also goin' to make sure the locks get changed on the house. Pete will put my key in the coffeehouse safe until I return.

"I'm sure it's goin' to occur to the insurance company's lawyer to ask y'all if you can ID the girl on the video. It's not right to ask you to compromise your ethics to protect Dawn. Do what y'all have to do when the time comes. More than likely it'll be a moot subject, as she'll be gone by the time he thinks to ask you.

"One last thing to share with y'all; Kozik talked me into allowin' him to tell Tig about this entire sorry situation. In the event he reaches out to y'all about it, you have my authorization to tell him everything.

"Thanks!

"Cat."

She sighed and sat back in the chair, closing the lid of her laptop. "I need a cup of coffee!" She announced, withdrawing her wallet from her back pocket. "Do y'all mind goin' down to the cafeteria and gettin' me some?"

Shank held up his hand to prevent her from paying him. "Your money's no good, Cat. What do you want?"

She smiled and told him what she wanted and an alternate in case it wasn't available. "Worse comes to worse, I'll make due with black coffee."

"I've got this," Shank assured her, pressing the elevator down button and giving her a wink. "Just relax for a bit. Seems like ya could use a breather."

"Y'all ain't kiddin'!" Cat grinned, laying her head back against the chair and closing her eyes. 'I hope everything goes all right for the club and Dawn doesn't give 'em any trouble!'

Shank stepped into the elevator car when it arrived and punched the ground floor button. He was impressed by the woman's handling of the personal crisis so many miles away. 'Except for an occasional frown, she didn't show she was under stress or really upset. I dunno what all this involves, and probably don't wanna know, but it's major whatever it is!'

He felt bad for the woman, as he knew that she had limited avenues for venting about the situation. The lawyer, the mother charter, and Tig were options, but there was only so much they could do via long distance. 'She can't really talk to her father, either. Not without tellin' him more than he needs to know!'

Shank felt like Cat needed someone to talk to, even if she couldn't relate all the details to that person. 'She seems on good terms with the landlady, and she mentioned that ridin' pal. Hmmmm.'

When the elevator stopped at the ground floor, Shank pulled out his cell to contact BZ.

"What's up, Shank?"

"I think Lady Cat needs a shoulder to cry on," the outlaw reported. "There's some kind of personal crisis in Charming involvin' one of Tig's kids."

"Owtch!" BZ winced. "Dunno what I can do to help her."

"That's why I'm callin'. You or Cavey have the rental contract. Cat seems to have a good relationship with the landlady. Maybe she could be someone Cat could lean on."

BZ thought that over for a few seconds. "Yeah, but if one of us reaches out to the landlady and Cat doesn't wanna talk to her, it could make things more difficult."

"What about that lone wolf she mentioned?"

"Big Bird!" BZ laughed. "Yeah, that might be a possibility."

"Maybe he's at one of those hang outs during the day," Shank offered.

"I'll send Yum and Grim out to check. How's she doin'?"

"Handlin' it like a trooper. She's gotta be stressed out, but she's cool as a cucumber," Shank reported.

"Good to hear. OK, I've got this. You take care of her."

"Naturally," Shank disconnected and shoved his burner into his pocket, then went after the coffee.

---

Cat sensed a presence standing next to her chair. She knew it wasn't Shank because she hadn't heard the elevator. She lifted her head to find her father's doctor standing beside her. She gestured to the vacant chair next to her. "So how's Daddy?"

"Well, he was more alert until after the exam. He's worn out and sleeping right now. What were you thinking by burdening him with your troubles?" The doctor huffed, continuing to stand over her with his arms crossed over his chest and a disapproving scowl on his face.

"My father did what any father does, he knew somethin' was botherin' his daughter, and he asked how he could help," Cat stated quietly, giving the doctor an angry glare. She wasn't about to let him intimidate her. "He needed to feel like his family still needed him!"

"What he doesn't need is to have someone dump their troubles on him!" The doctor informed her angrily. "He is a very sick man and needs all his energy to fight the infection!"

"Do y'all think I don't know that?"

"Then you'd better start thinking of someone besides yourself!" The doctor retorted. "The pneumonia has taken a very nasty turn and is wearing down his system! We're going to continue giving him IV's to keep him hydrated mixed with penicillin to fight the infection."

"Just what are y'all sayin' doctor? Is Daddy getting' worse?"

"He has a staph infection," the doctor explained gravely. "The cancer treatments your father had in the past weakened his immune system."

"I've known about that for years," Cat acknowledged. "That's why we were careful to keep him from catching a simple cold. Is that why he's continually gotten weak after bein' at the nursin' home for PT?"

"It's possible," the doctor replied in a gentler tone of voice. "Try as we might, it can be difficult to keep germs from spreading in a facility like that."

"Even though the PT ward is separate from the general population?" Cat inquired.

"Germs can be easily picked up by someone with a compromised immune system."

"Especially if that person has a habit of visitin' other areas of the nursin' home to visit my step – mother and other people he knows," she observed wryly. "That's his nature. If he felt up to it, he wanted to see people and help make them feel spiritually better."

"That would explain it," the doctor reluctantly acknowledged. "It's also possible that your father had pneumonia for some time before it was diagnosed."

"Like walkin' pneumonia?"

"In a way," the doctor replied. "You need to be aware that it's going to be an uphill battle. In fact, it's going to be touch and go, Mrs. Trager," the doctor stated solemnly. "Your father's very weak, and we're hampered by his 'living will' and the DNR order."

"If y'all are tellin' me he'd be better off bein' on a respirator, you're barkin' up the wrong tree!" Cat snarled. "Daddy is countin' on me to see that his requests are met, even if it means I'm signin' his death warrant!"

The doctor frowned and shook his head. "I hope you don't wind up regretting your words, Mrs. Trager." The doctor stated solemnly as Shank stepped off the elevator.

---

Chibs, Opie and Piney were stunned and shocked when Kozik briefed them on the situation. "If it's needed, Ally can send us a copy of the picture that shows Dawnie cashin' the check!" Kozik added.

"Ah jist cannae belayve tha' she wood steal frum famly!" Chibs murmured. "She's bin aroun' tha cloob long enough ta kin bettur'!"

"Look at who raised her!" Kozik remarked.

"That's no excuse!" Opie growled.

"I'm not defendin' her," Kozik retorted. "I'm just statin' a fact."

The news dismayed all of them, though they all had previous experience with Colleen's proclivities for shady money making schemes. Many of those had cost Tig a lot of time and money. It hadn't occurred to any of them that Dawn would've abused not just her step – mother's trust, but her father's by proxy.

"An cannae belayve Lady Cat agreed ta gittin' Dawnie oot o'town," Chibs exclained.

"She doesn't wanna hurt Tig," Kozik huffed.

"Aye. She lurvs 'im enough ta mayke tha' call," Chibs observed. "She moost be goin' through 'Ell!"

"No shit!" Kozik snorted.

"The SAMCRO eviction crew," Opie mused. "We're becomin' jacks of all trades and masters of none."

"We're definitely gettin' good at removin' people from town without the law noticin'!" Piney remarked. "This is the least we can do for her!"

"So how are we gonna handle this?" Opie inquired.

"I'm just gonna show up at the hospital with one of the prospects, remove her from the job, and take her to the house. She packs, we take her to the bus station."

"Where's she goin' to go?" Opie inquired.

"Kendra's agreed to put her up for the night at her place in LA. After that, Dawn's on her own. I called her while we waited for you and Piney."

"She aware of the reason for Dawn's sudden departure?" Piney asked.

Kozik nodded, "Kendra's just as disgusted as the rest of us. But she won't beat up on the chick."

"Ah'll go along," Chibs stated. "Sumboddy should be at tha' hoose while the locks are changed. You and the propsect can coom back fer me."

"Cat's fillin' in the kiosk and coffeehouse management that Dawnie's leavin', just not the reason," Kozik explained. "She's keepin' it in the family, just us and Ally know the whole story."

"Somebody has to fill Tig in," Piney stated.

"I'll do that later," Kozik replied. "Once Dawn's on her way to LA."

"What will we do when she comes back?" Piney asked.

No one was surprised that Piney didn't ask 'if' the girl returned. Dawn was like the proverbial bad penny, prone to turning up when least expected.

"Guess we'll let Tig decide that when it happens," Opie confirmed, pounding the gavel on the table. He turned to his father and added, "Dad, ya know Colleen better than me, do ya mind callin' and lettin' her know her kid's leavin'?"

"I'd rather not, but guess it has to be done," Piney sighed, getting up and following the others out the chapel door. "There's no amount of Patron in Charming to make dealin' with that gash tolerable!"

Kozik and Chibs chuckled at Piney's remark. They both felt sympathy for the founding member, but not enough to volunteer to take the job off his hands. The two prospects glanced at the men as they strode out of the chapel, then shared a quick leery glance at each other.

"Miles! Get a move on!" Kozik called over his shoulder.

"Better you than me, brother," Phil murmured as Miles trotted after the patched members. "I've got a bad feelin' about that meeting."

---

Beth walked to the kiosk as if she was just checking in with Jake and Dawn. Jaci was off, and Tammy was scheduled to come in later. Beth needed to update Jake on the situation, and make sure he could stay a little late until Tammy arrived, without alerting Dawn to her imminent departure.

"Hey Jake! Can you help me in the storeroom? I need a little help with reaching a top shelf," she stated casually.

"Sure," Jake replied. "Dawn can handle the thirsty horde for a bit!"

Dawn merely grinned and nodded. There wasn't a line due to a brief lull between lunch and afternoon visiting hours. She was cleaning the kiosk area in preperation for the next rush. "I'm sure it won't be a problem for a few minutes!"

Jake fell into step with his diminutive manager to the storeroom. Once they were inside he turned to Beth with an inquiring look. "Just what am I supposed to get for you?"

"I needed to get you away from the kiosk. Dawn has to leave today, and she won't be coming back," Beth explained. "Can you stay past the end of your shift until Tammy gets in? She's on her way, but it'll take her a little time to get here."

"Sure, be glad to," Jake assured her. "Can you tell me what's happened?"

Beth shook her head. "She's being picked up by SAMCRO shortly on Cat's orders. That's all I know."

"OK. Guess I'd better get back out there," Jake shrugged. "Will Tammy be picking up the extra hours?"

"That much I can tell you in the affirmative. This caught us all by surprise, including Miss Cat," Beth replied. "But Tammy's happy to pick up the time now that volleyball season is over."

Jake nodded and left the storeroom, returning to the kiosk just as two members of the club walked through the front entrance. He didn't recognize either of the riders, he only knew they were with the club from their cuts. The two headed directly for the kiosk, arriving at the same time as Jake.

"Miles! Uncle Koz!" Dawn smiled in greeting. She noticed their determined expressions which brought a shadow to her fact. "Is Daddy OK?"

"He's fine," Kozik assured her. "But you need to come with us right now. Beth already knows."

Dawn looked at Beth, then at Jake before turning an inquiring gaze to the outlaws. "What's goin' on?"

"You know what's goin' on, little girl. We need to go. Now," Kozik replied sternly.

Dawn felt her heart skip a beat and a flush heat her face. 'She found out somehow!' She gazed again at Beth, whose expression was unreadable while Jake couldn't look her in the eye.

"Oh. OK," she shrugged, unwilling to let anyone see her fear. "See ya," she threw over her shoulder to her co - workers. Miles and Kozik took her by the elbows and nearly frog marched her out to the van where Chibs was waiting.

"What's goin' on, guys?" Dawn growled as she climbed into the front passenger seat.

Chibs kept his face turned away from the girl. He was too angry to speak civilly to her. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Miles and Kozik climbed into the back of the van. Kozik sat in the center of the bench seat so he could watch the girl while he talked to her. "Cat knows what you did. She's decided that you need to leave town before the insurance carrier calls the cops," Kozik explained tersely. "I don't even wanna know why ya did it!"

'So she's not turnin' me over to the cops herself! I'm surprised! Doesn't mean I'll get to keep the money, though!' Dawn stared straight ahead, unable to meet her godfather's eyes. She could tell by his tone of voice that he was angry and disappointed in her. "So where am I goin'?"

"To 'Ell, ifn Ah 'ave enny say in tha' matter!" Chibs muttered darkly.

Dawn's face paled from exposure to Chibs' anger. She was beginning to realize that she'd messed up royally. 'But there's nothin' I can do to change it now!'

"I called Kendra, she's agreed to put ya up overnight at her place. After that, you're on your own," Kozik stated. "Your've got plenty of cash to live on until ya find work."

Dawn stifled a smile as the impact of her godfather's comment hit her. She was going to get to keep the money! Her elation deflated when she thought of her father. "What about Daddy? Does he have to know about this?"

"What do you think?" Kozik growled.

"Oh." Dawn remained silent for the remainder of the short ride to the house. Kozik and Miles accompanied her inside and watched grimly as she quickly packed her belongings in her knapsack and suitcase.

"I need every copy of the housekey you have," Kozik stated flatly, holding his hand out.

"I only have the one!" She protested, removing it from her keyring and placing it in his outstretched palm.

"The fake ID also. You don't have any more need for it," Kozik stared at her as if he didn't believe she didn't have another key to the house. She removed the ID from her knapsack and placed it on top of the key in his palm.

Kozik continued standing with his hand held out, waiting patiently for her to give up the other keys he believed she possessed. When it became obvious to him that she either didn't have any, or wasn't going to turn over any other copies, he closed his hand over the items and stuffed them in his jeans pocket.

"Do you have everything?" Miles asked gruffly.

"No, I need to get something off the computer," Dawn replied, heading towards the office.

Miles stood in her doorway to the office. "No can do, kiddo," he huffed. "Cat's orders. You're not allowed near the computer."

"But – "

"Forget it, Dawn," Kozik commanded. "The computer is off limits to you."

Chibs walked into the living room, followed by a locksmith. "Ah'll stay wi' tha locksmith whilst ye tayke 'er to tha' buss staythun," he announced.

"You're changin' the locks?" Dawn cried. "For fuck's sake, why?"

"Cat doesn't want to take any chances that you might come back and cause mischief," Miles explained dryly.

"But I don't have the keys! You saw Uncle Koz take mine!" She protested.

"And if I believe that, Chibs has swampland in the desert for sale cheap!" Miles sniffed.

"Huh! As if I wanna come back to this dump!" Dawn retorted. Her eyes shone with tears of embarrassment. She picked up her suitcase and back pack and stormed down the hall. She flounced past Chibs and the locksmith without uttering another word and straight outside.

'I wish I could at least say goodbye to Ming!' She thought to herself, fighting to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. 'He's the only thing I'm really goin' to miss, except for Daddy!'

Pete entered through the back door as Kozik and Miles followed Dawn outside. "I just read Miss Cat's email," he explained to Chibs. "Figured I'd better come over for the keys."

"Aye, gud thinkin', lad," Chibs nodded. "Tha lady o' tha' oose wants one lock an' one key fer both duirs."

"Deadbolt?"

Chibs glared at the locksmith as if he'd just popped a big green booger into his mouth.

"Deadbolt it is, then."

Pete and Chibs watched the locksmith work. Pete had taken some money from petty cash to pay the locksmith at Cat's emailed instructions. The two men spoke quietly while the locksmith changed out the door locks.

"Did Lady Cat tell ye all aboot tha' trouble?"

Pete shook his head. "She didn't give us very much info. All I know is that Dawn has to leave town right away and won't be working for us anymore. Chuckie's going to be working the commissary run with me."

Chibs sighed wearily. "Thair's muir ta tha' story, laddie. Ah'm just noot at liburtee ta tell. 'Tis me sistah's story."

Pete nodded but didn't say anything for a moment. He finally took a deep breath and admitted, "You don't have to tell me anything, Mr. Chibs. I have a feeling that Dawn's pulled a major act of betrayal on Miss Cat."

"Ye do, eh?"

"And it doesn't surprise me, either!"

Chibs' eyes narrowed. "Wha' d'ye mean, lad?"

"I found Ebony outside in the cat run the first morning after Miss Cat left. He'd been out nearly the entire night."

"Wha' tha' fook? Why?"

"Best I can figure is that Dawn didn't want to be bothered with getting up early to let 'em out at their regular time," Pete explained. "I was surprised Ming and Misty didn't investigate his absence."

"Dayum!" Chibs snorted. "Tha's dunright crim'nal! Boot Ebony seems a'right fer 'is adventure."

"He was quite proud of himself," Pete reported. "Now he's expecting to go out to explore in the run every evening. The other coffeehouse staff and I have been taking care of the cats ever since."

"Gud fer ye!" Chibs clapped the manager on the back. "Lady Cat's always able ta coont on ye!

Pete recovered his balance from the unexpected gesture which sent him stumbling forward a few steps. He grinned sheepishly at the outlaw. "I know it's disrespectful of Mr. Tig, but I'm really happy that Dawn's leaving. I just wish she hadn't pulled whatever stunt she pulled on Miss Cat!"

'So do Ah, laddie,' Chibs thought to himself. 'So do Ah.'

---

Kozik and Miles waited with Dawn until the announcement came out over the loud speaker that the bus to Los Angeles was ready for boarding. Kozik escorted her onto the bus and stood at the front with his arms crossed over his chest, watching grimly until she settled in a seat near the back of the bus. She didn't look at him or any of the passengers and placed her backpack on the seat beside her.

The passengers pretended to ignore the scene playing out in their midst. They didn't want to attract the outlaw's attention upon themselves. Most found a book or newspaper to read, though they snuck glances at the biker and the young girl from time to time.

Dawn crossed her arms and stared out the window at the bus depot, pointedly ignoring her godfather. Of all people to do her step – mother's bidding, she never expected Kozik to take Cat's side. She tried to comfort herself with imagining how her father would react when he learned what had happened to her.

'Daddy will take my side! He'll get mad at Kozik for bein' involved and end their friendship again, just like he did over that damn dog!" She thought maliciously. 'The beauty of this is that he'll hate that gash for puttin' me in this position in the first place! He'll throw her out on her fat ass! Just because he married her doesn't mean squat! I'm his own flesh and blood, and that always matters!'

Dawn refused to take responsibility for her own actions. In her mind, her step – mother had no right to have her removed from Charming, much less involve her father's brothers in it. It never occurred to her to be grateful she wasn't handcuffed and being bundled into the back of a police car, headed for the county lock up. As far as she was concerned, her sudden departure was her step - mother's fault.

Kozik's heart was broken by Dawnie's attitude. He loved her as much as he loved his own daughter. "Why doesn't Dawnie understand how serious this is? She could be goin' to jail right now instead of bein' given a second chance! Did Colleen poison her mind that much?' He shook his head and stepped off the bus, moving to talk to the driver who was loading the luggage compartment of the bus. "Did ya see that girl I put on the bus?"

"The dark haired little thing with the backpack, right?" The driver replied, not stopping his work.

"The same. Make sure she rides all the way to LA," Kozik instructed the bus driver, tucking a $50 bill in his hand. "It's important that she not leave the bus somewhere between here and there."

"Will do," the driver assured him, tucking the bill into his shirt pocket. "Anyone specific I need to deliver her to?"

"Nah," Kozik replied. "She's over 18. We just wanna make sure she doesn't try to sneak back into town."

"Gotcha." The driver was a regular on the I - 5 line, and had dealt a few times with SAMCRO. They always made it worth his while to handle special situations like this. He closed the luggage compartment and entered the bus, preparing to leave the depot.

Kozik moved away from the bus to stand next to Miles. They waited and watched the bus until it pulled away to insure that Dawn didn't try to sneak off it.

"Let's go pick up Chibs," Kozik stated, clapping his hand on the prospect's shoulder and heading for the van.

"You plannin' to tell Tig about this?" Miles asked.

"That's for me to know and you not to find out!" He growled.

'That means he will!' Miles observed to himself, settling into the van's shotgun seat. The ride back to Cat's house was quiet. Kozik was tense and Miles wasn't willing to rock the boat by asking any unnecessary questions.

Chibs was waiting outside the house for them when they pulled into the driveway. He was sitting on the porch rail, smoking a cigarette. He sauntered to the van and climbed into the back of the van, settling in the middle of the bench seat.

"Everything go a'right with the locks?" Kozik asked.

"Aye. Pete's goot tha' two keys," Chibs replied.

"I called me sistah ta let 'er kin everythin' went a'right."

"What'd she say?" Kozik asked.

Chibs shrugged. "Noot a damn thin'. Ah left a message."

"Oh."

"Ah figgered she myte lyke ta 'ear a frinly voyce," Chibs added. "Ah ashured 'er tha' Dawnie wuz outta tha' hoose an' tha' locks chainged."

"That should make her feel a little better, especially hearin' it from ya," Kozik observed.

"Aye," Chibs sighed. He didn't mention that he'd added a personal aside to his heart sister. There were some things that prospects didn't need to hear. "Aire ye goin' ta' Stockton ta talk wi' Teeg?"

"Guess he'd take it better from me than anyone else," Kozik grunted.

"Ah'll go along ifn ye want me ta," Chibs offered.

Kozik silenty pondered the acting VP's offer. Maybe it would be a good idea to have another person from the club along with him when he met with Tig. He'd considered taking Ima along for the ride as moral support for him.

"Cat trusts me. A lot," Chibs pointed out in the silence.

"I know," Kozik sighed. "Yeah, why not. If nothin' else, ya can keep him from beating up the message bearin' bad news."

---

Colleen spread her windfall on the kitchen table when she got home and began counting it. She frowned to discover she hadn't obtained as much as she hoped. 'That's what I get for goin' for the big bills!' she snorted. Still, it was more than enough to see her through for a few weeks. 'I can always go back to Dawnie for more, considerin' how much she had in that bag!' She consoled herself.

She piled all the bills together and was heading towards her bedroom when the phone started ringing. She ignored it and continued on to her bedroom. The insistent ringing stopped, only to be replaced by her cell phone's ring.

"What?" She snarled, annoyed over being interrupted.

"Piney from SAMCRO," rumbled the voice on the other end of the line.

"Well, this is an unpleasant surprise!" Colleen growled. "What the Hell do you want?"

"Thought you might wanna know that Dawn has to leave immediately," Piney replied. "Kozik and Chibs are handling her departure."

"I suppose that gash Tig married has somethin' to do with it! I knew her takin' Dawnie in wouldn't last!" Colleen chortled.

"You could say that Cat has somethin' to do with it. If not for her, Dawnie would be locked up in SJCCF and you'd be havin' to find a lawyer," Piney informed her gruffly.

"Sure! And polar bears shit in the woods!" Colleen laughed harshly. "So where are you sendin' my child?"

"Nice to hear such motherly concern!" Piney growled. "She's goin' to LA and will be with Kendra Kozik overnight. After that, she's on her own."

"You said the cops could've gone after my girl? Did that bitch call 'em on Dawnie?" Colleen rasped.

"You don't listen very well, Colleen," Piney roared. "Cat's tryin' to keep your kid outta jail, which is more than she deserves after what she did!"

"After what she did? What is that bitch sayin' my baby did? Whatever it is, it's not true!"

"It's very true. Next time, don't get into a shouting match with your daughter in public. The neighbors were fascinated and told on ya. I'm givin' ya fair warnin' that the money ya took from Dawn is tainted with betrayal and the club ain't happy about it."

Colleen felt chilled to the bone by Piney's statement. He knew she had taken money from Dawn, and that money had been stolen from Tig's wife! That was why the club was removing Dawn from town! She took a deep breath and replied coolly, "I don't know what you're talkin' about, Piney. I did come lookin' for some money from my girl, but she turned me down. That's what we were arguin' about."

"Right," Piney shrugged. He knew Colleen was lying through her teeth, but it didn't matter to him. Colleen had run out of good will with the club many years ago.

"I'd like to know why that gash is makin' decisions for my daughter!" Colleen added hotly. "Why wasn't I consulted?"

"We didn't have time to hunt ya down," Piney replied tersely before he disconnected the call. The message had been delivered and he had no desire to match wits with the woman. He didn't want to upset his digestion any more than he had to when lunch was about to be served.

Colleen turned off the phone and sank onto the edge of the bed. The money fell onto the floor from her nerveless hands.

"God, Dawnie! It would've been better if you'd robbed a bank instead of gettin' the club in an uproar! They're lookin' at this as if we betrayed 'em! Even I wouldn't sink that low!' She couldn't give a rat's ass about the bitch herself. She definitely didn't believe she was trying to protect Dawn out of the goodness of her heart. 'She's only doin' it to stay in Tig's good graces!"

She looked across the room at the family portrait that hung over the television set. Her girls were a little younger in the picture, as was Colleen. It was a free portrait setting with one free 8 x 10 portrait from a happier time.

The gravity of Dawn's situation gradually settled in. "It's really serious shit if Kozik is making sure she gets outta town! I hope she'll be a'right all alone in LA. She's always wanted to go there anyway, some kind of big dream about being a movie star."

Colleen bent down and began to pick up the fallen cash. Hot tears dripped on the greenbacks as she fumbled to pick them up from the floor.

---

"What was all that about?" Shank inquired angrily as he stepped out of the elevator. He carried a tray with two cups, one with a straw sticking out of it, and two paper bags on it.

"Just the doctor readin' me the riot act," Cat grinned. "Nothin' major."

"Didn't sound that way to me!" Shank grumbled, setting a covered paper cup and a box on the table in front of her. He placed the tray on the table across from her and sat down. "Why did he have his drawers in a wad in the first place?"

"Daddy asked me to share a personal concern with him, and I did. The doctor seems to think such sharin' will hamper his recovery," she explained.

Shank nearly choked on his drink. "Ya told him about the trouble back home?" he coughed, his eyes wide with concern.

"The edited version," she assured him. "Like they say on 'Dragnet', 'the names were changed to protect the innocent'."

Shank wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Oh. Was he able to help?"

"He had some words of wisdom that helped," she grinned.

"Then it shouldn't have been a problem! And it definitely was none of that asshat's business!" Shank protested.

"That's his job, darlin'. He's just lookin' out for Daddy's best interests. They don't want anything to make his condition worse."

"Why would feelin' like he was helpin' ya make him worse?" Shank asked gruffly.

"I couldn't tell ya, darlin', and I'm not worried about it," she assured him. "If Daddy wants to know somethin', even if our beloved Cubbies lost, I'm goin' to share it with him."

"Don't say 'our' Cubbies," Shank complained. "I'm a Sox fan!"

"Sorry to hear that," Cat smirked. "But y'all get the gist of what I'm sayin'."

"Yeah, doesn't mean I like it, though."

"I'll tell y'all a secret, I don't like it either, but I'd rather save my battles for larger issues."

They ate in a companionable silence before Shank asked if everything back in Charming had been handled to her satisfaction.

"I don't know if you could call it satisfactory, but the most urgent issues have been addressed," she replied. 'I'm not lookin' forward to hearin' from Alex tonight! Lord only knows how well he's takin' the news!'

Before she returned to her father's room, Cat made a call to her former in laws. She knew they wouldn't be happy to miss seeing her. She left the same message on her uncle and father in law's voice mails. "Hey! It's Cat, I'm in town with Daddy; he's at the speciality hospital. Though all y'all might want to get together while I'm here." She left her cell phone number and turned off the phone.

"Friends?" Shank asked.

"My deceased husband's family. They still like to hear from me. They'd want to know about Daddy, anyway."

'Damn! Maybe I spoke to soon about gettin' some kind of other support for her!' Shank thought to himself. 'Then again, maybe it's good that she has so many friends and family to turn to. We should all be so lucky!'

---

Tara watched Piney's lumbering retreat in surprise. He'd left his plate of food behind in his haste to put distance between them following his terse advice to her not to dig up things left best buried.

'I don't understand why he doesn't want to talk about Jax's Dad!' She thought grimly, rubbing her stomach to calm the baby. 'Much less why he doesn't want to discuss the accident that killed JT! I thought he loved JT!'

She looked around the clubhouse, which seemed strangely empty without the presence of Jax and the other officers. She noticed a couple of new potential prospects were now hanging around the clubhouse. The two young men - one dark haired and very thin and wiry, the other of apparent Oriental descent – were playing pool and showing off to two of the ever present Croweaters.

'Looks like those two are hopin' to prosect when Phil and Miles patch in!' Tara rolled her eyes over the tableau and turned her attention away from the pool table. Chuckie was in the garage office assisting Gemma and Opie was mooning over something in the chapel.

'Just another lovely day in Paradise!' Tara scoffed to herself. 'It's so boring around here with Jax and the others in Stockton. Never thought I'd miss them as well as Jax.'

Piney's behavior still bothered her. Tara thought JT's best friend would be more than willing to talk to her about his letters to Maureen. 'Surely he's had his own suspicions all these years!'

She looked around the clubhouse again and suddenly felt like smacking herself on the head! 'Of course! How stupid of me to bring it up to him right in the middle of the clubhouse! If JT was growing fearful of Clay's influence and power within the club, Piney's bound to be overly cautious of talking about anything related to the JT's death where it could get back to Clay!'

The baby gave her a solid kick in the mid section. "Message received, little one! You're going to be a lot like your father, aren't you?" She patted her stomach in a comforting manner, then hoisted herself to her feet and left the clubhouse.

Gemma had noticed the Cutlass pull into the parking lot from the office. She expected her protege to come see her first so she was both surprised and annoyed when she crossed the lot and disappeared into the club. 'What the Hell is she up to?' Gemma mused. 'She's been actin' funny since the guys went to prison!'

A few minutes later, she watched Piney storm across the lot and begin slamming things around in the garage in irritation. Gemma couldn't help but wonder if the good doctor had said something to upset the founding member. A few moments later, Tara emerged from the clubhouse. Gemma hurriedly left the office, intent on intercepting the doctor before she got to her car.

Tara winced inwardly at the sight of Gemma heading straight towards her from the office. The last thing she wanted to do endure a question and answer session with the Queen. 'Likely she wants to know what I was doing in the clubhouse!'

"What's going on, Mom?" Gemma inquired casually.

"Oh, just checkin' in," Tara replied airily.

Gemma stared disbelievingly at her. "Yeah. Why in the clubhouse?"

"Where else am I going to inquire into the remaining guys' health?" Tara countered. 'I hope she buys that."

Gemma continued to look dissatisfied with the answer, but she knew the doctor could be close mouthed when she wanted to be. "How's my new grandchild?"

"Kicking and squirming," Tara smiled, grateful that Gemma wasn't going to pursue the subject. "I was on lunch but I have to get back."

"A'right," Gemma replied. "Be safe."

Piney stood in the center of the garage, watching the women talk beside the Cutlass. He wasn't concerned that Gemma would pick a fight with her protege. The two had been on good terms ever since the Queen had found out that Tara was pregnant.

He shrugged when the women hugged goodbye and Tara worked her pregnancy behind the steering wheel of the car. Gemma stood off to one side, keeping a watchful eye on the doctor.

'I've definitely got to trade this old thing in for something more family friendly! It's not compatible with the child safety laws,' she mused after getting settled in the driver's seat. She didn't even try to put the seat belt on. It wouldn't go around her mid section and there weren't any shoulder belts installed in the vintage Oldsmobile.

'While I'm making changes, I'm going to make a point of talking to Piney about his thoughts on JT's death on more neutral grounds. Wherever that might be!'

---

Ally jotted notes on a legal pad as she read through Cat's email. 'That's about how I expected her to handle this. I'm surprised she's allowing Kozik to tell Tig about it!' She pulled up the video of Dawn cashing the check, pausing it on the grainy close up of the girl's face. She clicked on the print button, sending the request to her personal printer.

Ally typed a return email to her client. "Thanks for getting back to me so promptly. Sorry you're having to deal with this on top of your father's health. Sometimes the storms are heavy when the rains finally come.

I appreciate you giving me the authorization to speak openly with the other lawyer. Should he ask, I'll tell him honestly that I don't recognize the woman in the video. It's so grainy that's it hard to make a good ID unless you really know the person. I've not seen Dawn in a few years, so this is not a total lie. Let's just call it a scenic route around the truth!

"I don't agree that you should take the financial hit for listening to your heart. Nor do I think that being on the outs with the club is going to make an impact on Dawn. But it's your decision and I will honor it.

"I feel the need to offer some advice as a friend. Don't make the mistake of expecting Tig to shut Dawn out of his life because of this incident. He'll be hurt by what she did, make no mistake about that, but it's also likely that he'll keep a candle burning in the window for her, metaphorically speaking.

"When things settle down for you, I hope you'll consider making the kiosk, coffeehouse, and the gym a corporation or LLC. We discussed it a bit before your father's health became critical. Naturally, including the gym would be dependent on Tig and Kozik going along with the idea. If you'd like, I can email you more information, but there's no rush. It'll just make life a lot easier for you at tax time.

"I'm keeping you and your father in my thoughts and prayers, Cat. If you need to talk to someone, feel free to call me.

"Sincerely, Ally Lowen"

She sent the email and shut down her laptop. Then she retrieved the picture from her printer and nodded in approval at the finished product. 'It definitely makes more of an impression in black and white!'

She slid the picture into an unmarked file folder and stuffed it in her briefcase along with the file folder for Cat's case. She picked up her briefcase and purse and left her office, pausing at the receptionist's desk to check out. "I'm off to Stockton."

"Got your cell?" The receptionist asked. She always made sure the lawyers had their cells whenever they left the office. It made her job easier in getting messages and calls to them.

"Right in my purse!" Ally smiled. "I may go on home from the prison."

"Be careful," the receptionist replied, noting Ally's departure on her board. It was a small white board with permanent lines for each lawyer in the firm. She used dry erase markers to note each lawyers schedule for the day, and whether the lawyer was in, out for the day, out for court, out to Stockton or the SJCCF, or in a meeting. The white board was her own idea and fit easily under the counter in front of her desk so visitors never knew of its' presence. It was one of the many ways she kept things organized.

---

Kozik and Chibs exchanged surprised looks when they saw Ally Lowen standing in front of the visitor's entrance at the prison.

"Did ye kin she was gonna be 'ere?" Chibs asked as they dismounted from their bikes.

Kozik shook his head. "Sure didn't. She might be here because she knows I'm gonna tell Tig about Dawnie."

"'Tis likely Lady Cat tol' 'er. Mebbe tha's a gud thing," Chibs mused as they drew closer to the smiling lawyer.

"Howdy, mouthpiece!" Kozik grinned. "What are ya doin' here?"

"The same thing you two are 'doing here'. "I thought Kozik might need some back up. I didn't know he would bring his own support," Ally added with a wry grin. "But I brought along something that should help."

"What's that?" Kozik asked.

"Ever hear the saying 'a picture paints a thousand words'?"

"Yeah."

"I brought along a picture that should settle any doubts Tig might have," Ally explained, patting her briefcase.

"That's why we keep ya on retainer!" Kozik grinned, holding the door open for her. Chibs followed behind them.

"Is this two separate visits for Trager?" The officer assigned to the visitors' entry inquired of the three.

"No, we're here together," Ally replied, taking the lead role in dealing with the officer.

"OK," the officer pushed a button and spoke into a microphone. "Advise 24601 he has visitors."

They waited patiently through the clearance procedure. Ally was allowed to keep her briefcase, but had to leave her purse and cell phone in a locker. Chibs and Kozik removed their cuts and belt knives, which were also left in lockers. They passed through a metal detector and the men had to endure a pat down before they were allowed access to the visiting area.

Tig was waiting anxiously for them in the visitors room. He was sitting at a table as far from the doorway and the uniformed guard as physically possible. His face clouded when he saw that Ally Lowen and Chibs accompanied Kozik. 'I've got a bad feelin' about this!'

"Relax, Tiggy! Cat's a'right!" Kozik hastened to assure him.

Tig immediately relaxed, though he was curious that the club's lawyer was accompanying his brothers. "Then what the Hell's goin' on?" He growled.

"'Tis somethin' aboot Lady Cat," Chibs explained as they sat down at the table. Ally was sitting right across from him.

Before Tig could open his mouth to ask, Kozik added, "And also about Dawnie. She won't be comin' to see ya this Sunday, or any other Sunday."

Tig's eyebrows furrowed together. "I don't understand. What's goin' on?"

"Let me explain," Ally interjected, opening her briefcase and removing the unmarked file folder.

"Somebody better!" Tig muttered.

"Dawn stole a large sum of money from Cat," Ally explained, opening the file folder and turning it around so that Tig could see the picture. She outlined the events that had transpired and the steps Cat had taken to protect his daughter. Kozik and Chibs added the club's part to her narrative.

Tig's heart ached as he listened to them describe the situation and looked at the undeniable evidence. 'I can't believe she'd stoop so low! What was Dawnie thinking?'

"Cat didn't want ya to know about this at all," Kozik added.

"It figures. She didn't want to hurt my feelin's," he murmured. His hand began rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Dammit! I knew she trusted Dawnie too much!"

"Piney called Colleen to let her know why Dawnie had to leave town," Kozik added. "She knows that Dawnie's on her way to LA and will stay the night with Kendra."

"Damn!" Tig moaned.

"She did wha' she felt wuz rite, brather," Chibs stated. "She didnae wanna file enny charges agin yer child an' let 'er keep tha' munny."

"Which is a pretty steep price to pay for listening to her heart!" Ally snorted. "Dawn is damn lucky to have gotten away with the money and her freedom!" She was incensed by the figurative screwing she felt her client was getting just to keep her man happy.

Tig glared angrily at Ally for the outburst, though he remained silent. 'What the fuck can I say? She's right!'

Tig's silence grated on the lawyer's nerves. It embolded her to continue her terse tirade. "You do realize she did all this via telephone and email in the space of a few hours from the hospital. The only people who know about this besides Cat are us," she gestured around the table. "All the coffee venues know is that Dawn had to leave and won't be back."

"Shit!" Tig's' hand rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why does the woman always have my back like that?"

"Ye shouldnae be serprized by noo," Chibs remarked.

"This whole thing has me surprised!" Tig exclaimed. "Dawnie led me to believe that she was warmin' up to Cat!"

"She made all of us think that, brother," Kozik sighed.

"Aye," Chibs added softly.

Ally didn't add her opinion, though it was obvious that she agreed whole heartedly with them. It wasn't hard for Tig to realize that the good lawyer believed his wife was in a no – win situation.

Tig pushed the incriminating photo away from him. "Get rid of this fuckin' thing! I don't need to see it anymore," he sighed.

The lawyer placed the photograph in the folder and slid it back into her briefcase.

"Whaddya intend to tell your woman tonight, Tiggy?" Kozik asked.

"None of your damn business!" Tig growled.

"I know what you'd damn well better not say to her!" Ally retorted grimly.

Tig held up his hand. "Ya don't have to tell me not to say 'I told ya so!' I'm not dumb!"

"No, you're a man," the lawyer retorted with a sly grin. "But you're thinking! And that is a rare thing in some men!"

---

Blaine was awake when Cat returned to his room after getting the dressing down from the doctor. He asked if she'd managed to turn in the rental that morning.

She'd intended to return the rental car that morning before going to the hospital. After the early morning call and emotional storm that began her day, she fell asleep again only to wake up later than she'd expected. It turned out that Cavey had turned off her alarm and advised the next man on rotation not to disturb her until an hour before visiting hours began.

"That'll give her time to dress up for 'er pop," he explained.

"She's not gonna be happy about it," Grim Bastard warned.

"That's on me. She 'ad some kinda bad news from Charmin' earlier, really shook her up. She could use the rest."

"I don't wanna be in your shoes when she wakes up and finds out what ya did," Grim shrugged.

"Better my shoes than yours, brother!" Cavey grinned. "Yours are too big!"

Cat was indeed perturbed by Cavey's decision, but she grudgingly admitted the extra sleep had helped. "It just means I gotta pay another day on the damn car!" She complained.

"We could take it back for ya," BZ offered.

"You could, but it won't change anything on the charges," Cat explained as she hurried to the rental. "I'll just take it back after visitin' hours."

She shook her head in answer to her father's question. "No, thanks to the problem back home, I got a late start. "I'll just take it back this evenin'. It's at the airport, so they'll be open late."

"No, you'll take it now!" He declared, raising his hand as far as the restraint allowed to cut off her protest. "I'll be all right without you here. I did pretty well in Vincennes!"

"Owtch!" She winced.

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded," Blaine replied gently. "I'm pretty tired from that exam; you don't have to stay here just to watch me sleep."

She bent over his bed and kissed his cheek. "If y'all insist, then."

"I insist. See you tomorrow," he whispered, kissing her on her cheek and patting her arm.

Cavey had felt bad all day about the unanticipated hardship his good deed had caused. He sent Shank home in order to follow her to return the Dodge. "Want me to 'ave one of the guys meet us wi' yer father's car?"

Cat flushed slightly. "I was hopin' y'all would let me bitch ride on your Harley. I miss ridin'."

"I see!" Cavey grinned. "Guess it's difficult wi' yer man in the pokey."

Cat thumped her chest with her thumb and retorted, "This bitch owns her own bike, buster!"

"You own a 'Arley?"

"Rice burner," she admitted proudly. "A black Yamaha Vstar 750 with trunk, stereo, and saddle bags."

"Ah'll be 'onored to 'ave you grace the back o' me bike!" Cavey smiled. "As long as Tig doesn't mind."

"He doesn't like the idea of me ridin' with another man, but as long as all y'all remember the 'no touch' rule, he'll live."

"Then put this on!" He replied, handing his helmet to her.

She grimaced at the idea of wearing the helmet. It wasn't mandatory for riders and operators to wear helmets in Indiana. She had anticipated feeling the wind in her hair, a part of the thing she enjoyed about riding.

"I washed me 'air lately!" He assured her. "Ya don't have to worry about cooties!"

"It's not your cooties that bother me. It's havin' to wear the brain bucket!"

Cavey crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her. "Considerin' the 'ead injury ya got in that wreck a few months ago, if ya don't wear the 'elmet, ya don't bitch ride!"

"Shit! Y'all drive a hard bargain!" She complained, placing the helmet on her head and adjusting the straps so it would fit properly. "Satisifed?" She growled.

"Extremely. Climb on and 'old on tight!"

She thoroughly enjoyed riding on the back of Cavey's Harley. The ride was short and he was a little disappointed that she didn't wrap her arms around his waist. Instead she held on to the grab bar at the back of the saddle.

"It just wouldn't be the same for me," Cat explained with a wry grin.

"Ah would've liked it! It's a bit disappointin', Lady Cat, to have a woman on the back of me bike and not 'oldin' on to me." Cavey grumbled when they pulled to a stop in the lot behind the apartment building.

"Trust me, y'all will live," she grinned. "And y'all won't have to face Tig's rather possessive demeanor where I'm concerned."

"I'd be willin' to take me chances, since 'e's in California, and Ah'm 'ere!" Cavey waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "How's 'e gonna know?"

"He has ways of findin' things out," she laughed, sliding off the seat and removing the helmet Cavey had insisted she wear. Indiana didn't have a mandatory helmet law, but Cavey had been adamant that she wear it to protect her in case she fell off.

"I suppose so," Cavey sighed. "If ya don't mind me sayin' so, Lady Cat, ya look all in. Rough day?"

"Yeah, but not because of Daddy," she replied.

"So I gathered from your cryin' earlier this mornin'. Did ya get everything worked out?"

"Yeah. Though I'm not lookin' forward to the inevitable fall out from home," Cat admitted glumly.

"Mind a wee bit of advice from a friend?"

"What's that?"

"Shit always looks bad before ya step in it. Once it's behind ya, it's not as bad as ya expected."

"But the stink tends to linger long after though," Cat grinned.

"You'll see that I'm right!" Cavey insisted. "Tig's gonna see that ya did the right thing for everyone concerned, whatever it is that ya did."

"I hope y'all are right," she sighed. She wished she felt as certain about the outcome as Cavey.

---

After ending the phone call with Shank, BZ. Grim, and Yum took off on their Harleys to see if they could find 'Big Bird'. If Shank believed Cat needed an impartial friend to talk to, the two were determined to find the blonde biker.

"Should we split up?" Yum inquired. "We could cover more ground that way in less time."

"Nah," BZ decided. "We stay together. It's safer that way."

"A'right," Black Robbin nodded, mounting his Harley and starting it. He followed BZ from the parking area and out onto the street. They covered the immediate East side area first, riding by every bar that looked like a biker hangout.

They found the object of their hunt at the very bar Cat had mentioned, the 'Sugar Shop'. There was no mistaking the large yellow Honda Goldwing with the stuffed 'Big Bird' doll stuck in the luggage rack on the trunk.

BZ signaled the turn and pulled into the parking lot. Lots of Harleys and other bikes occupied the asphalt, along with a few cars. A large gathering of men and women were out front in the alcove covered porch, drinking and laughing.

"This has to be the right place," BZ observed.

"We shoulda started here," Yum complained. "Would've saved some time!"

BZ cuffed his brother on the shoulder. "Aw, quit yer bitchin'! We found 'em, didn't we?"

"We found the bike," Yum pointed out, ruefully rubbing his shoulder where BZ's punch had landed. "Findin' the rider is a different subject."

"Jeezus Christ! How many tall, thin, long blonde haired bikers do ya see out here?"

"One," Yum admitted. "There could be others inside."

"I'm puttin' my money on the shure thing," BZ laughed, walking towards the alcove. There was no mistaking the long blonde hair that flowed from beneath a cowboy hat. 'That has to be him!'

The riders gazed inquisitively at the two newcomers to the bar. The regulars knew most everyone who came there, but new riders were always welcome. The two men didn't look like trouble, but the regulars greeted them with cautious hospitality.

"Where ya from?" One of the weekend warrirors called out. He clutched a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. A sign posted next to the door reminded the patrons of the city's no smoking indoors rule. An arrow on the sign pointed to a large, sand filled planter where a large number of discarded cigarettes rested.

"Illnois. We're here with a friend who used to live here, mentioned this place so we thought we'd check it out," Grim replied amiably.

"In fact, we're lookin' for a friend of hers," BZ added, looking directly at the blonde in the cowboy hat. "Said he was known as 'Big Bird'."

"That would be me," the blonde acknowledged, rising from his seat to walk towards the trio.

BZ and Yum had to crane their necks to look at the rider's face. Tanned from many years of riding with a few wrinkles about the eyes and a blonde mustache. "My real name is Ron." He held out his hand in greeting.

"BZ," the dark haired, bearded outlaw replied, accepting the blonde man's hand and grasping it firmly.

"Black Robbin," his companion added, repeating the gesture. "My friends sometimes call me 'Yum' because of that restuarant jingle."

"Grim Bastard," GB added. "Grim or GB works for me."

"Guess you can figure out how I came by the 'Big Bird' nickname," Ron grinned, pointing at his bike.

"Ya can't miss it, that's for sure," BZ grinned. "It's yellow."

"Kinda like your hair," Black Robbin added.

Ron smiled back at the riders. He liked them, but he couldn't help but wonder who had sent the trio after him. He had a lot of riding friends, but most of them were at the bar. He could tell by their names that they were one percenters. "Wanna go somewhere a little more private to talk?" He inquired, nodding towards the lot where the bikes were parked.

The outlaws nodded and followed Ron to the parking lot where his Goldwing sat. They stood around the bike so that the patrons would think they were talking about it.

"I know club members when I see 'em. Which one are you with?"

"Sons of Anarchy, Rockford and Chicago charters," BZ replied.

"Heard of 'em," Ron nodded. "I'm retired from my club. Not a one percenter like yours, but I have plenty of respect for you. I'm interested in knowin' which of my friends sent you to find me. I don't have any friends that are affiliated with outlaw clubs."

"You do, you just don't know it yet," Black Robbin informed him. "Remember Cat Marshall?"

Ron rubbed his chin in consternation. "I had a ridin' buddy named Cat McLaughlin. Real sweet girl. Good rider."

"The same. She took her maiden name back after her husband died," BZ explained.

"I remember that. Pretty nasty thing. She left town after the funeral," Ron observed. "I lost her phone number and been wonderin' about her."

"She's here," Yum replied. "She married the SAA of the mother charter, and her dad's at the specialty hospital south of here. She could use a friend right now. Bad personal shit broke out back in California that she's had to deal with. Kinda involves Mother, too."

Ron abruptly sat down on the seat of his Goldwing. His legs stretched out before him. "Whew! That's a lot to unload on a guy at one time!"

"We don't have time for the nice shit," GB stated. "She's hurtin', and doesn't have anyone 'in the life' she can turn to."

"I'm not 'in the life' anymore," Ron pointed out.

"But ya understand the life," BZ insisted. "She can talk to ya about the shit that she can't tell family or other friends."

Ron considered that for a few moments. There was no doubt that he'd like to see his old friend again, if for no other reason than to make sure she was OK. If she needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to talk to, he could do that, too. "Where's she stayin'?"

BZ gave him the address. "We have the apartment above her. One of us is always with her."

"That means there's more than just the three of you," Ron observed.

"There's a total of six of us, three from each charter. More than enough to keep her safe," BZ explained.

"Expectin' trouble?"

"There could be. Some asshat in Vincennes scared the shit outta her dad, even fucked with the breathin' equipment," GB growled. "Tig didn't wanna take any chances of her gettin' hurt if the fucktard finds a way here."

"Good man," Ron nodded approvingly. "Cat at the hospital now with her dad?"

"Yeah. She's there daily durin' visitin' hours."

"If she dealt with bad stuff today, she's goin' to be exhausted tonight. I'll stop in at the hospital tomorrow to see her if that's all right."

"IF?" Yum howled. "Why the fuck do ya think we were lookin' for ya?"

"Easy, Yum," BZ admonished.

"It's OK. Where I come from, we never assume."

"We won't tell her you're comin'. It'll be a surprise for her," BZ grinned back.

"I hope it'll be a pleasant one," Ron mused.

"Trust me, it'll be better than whatever bad news she got from California today!" Yum snorted.

---

Tig returned to the exercise yard after the visit with Chibs, Kozik, and Ally Lowen. He didn't rejoin brothers in their little corner of the yard, choosing instead to stalk to a secluded area as far from the prison population as he could get. He squatted on the ground, withdrew a cigarette from his shirt pocket and lit it. He inhaled deeply, drawing the smoke into his lungs, then let it out in a frustrated huff.

His eyes squinted against the sunlight as he gazed out over the dirt packed yard. He didn't pay attention to the concerned, curious looks from his brothers. He had far too much on his mind to talk to them, much less fill them in on the latest developments. 'Hell, I'm tryin' to come to terms with it myself!'

The lit cigarette dangled in his hand, smoke curling into the air before him. He watched the smoke dance and swirl, trying to find answers to ease his aching heart. 'Dammit, Dawnie! Why did ya have to hurt her like that? All she did was open her heart to ya!'

The wispy smoke evaporated in the air, leaving him without any answers to his anguished question. From everything Kozik had told him about Dawn's departure, his daughter had shown nothing but anger over being caught red handed and sent away.

He sighed and drew another long inhale from the cigarette. He loved his daughter, but she was too much like Colleen in many respects. He'd had to intervene in some of her more heinous escapades, mostly when she was in school. 'It's a wonder she didn't wind up in juvie!' He snorted, blowing the smoke through his nostrils. He was the force that kept Dawn from landing in Juvenile Hall. He'd come riding to her rescue, bail her out of whatever trouble she'd gotten herself into, then take her someplace where they could talk about what she'd done.

'She'd been toein' the line after the last time!' He recalled dryly, flicking the cigarette away and using one finger to trace random designs in the hard packed earth in front of him. 'She got a pretty good scare outta that one! Promised me she'd didn't wanna end up like her mother and she seemed intent on keepin' that promise! Especially when she started workin' for Cat and stayin' with her!'

Even though Alex had worried about Dawn and Cat staying in the house without him around as a buffer, he'd been pleasantly surprised and pleased to find that they were getting along. 'Hell, she acted like she respected Cat! Even cared about her a bit. Guess 'act' was all it was on Dawn's part!'

A shadow fell across his face. He glanced up to find Clay standing next to him. "From the look on your face, I guess it's safe to say that Cat wasn't your unexpected visitor," the Prez rumbled.

"Yeah," Tig grunted, turning his gaze away.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Yes and no."

"Fine. Come into my office over there," Clay nodded over his shoulder at a set of tiered benches. "I'm too old to squat on the ground."

Tig stood up and followed his Prez to the aforementioned benches. They climbed a couple of rows from the ground and settled on a cracked, wooden plank. The rest of the club moved to join them, but Clay raised a hand to prevent it and the others remained where the Prez had left them.

"Ally Lowen was here," Tig announced without looking at Clay. "She had news for me."

"I thought your wife made sure those charges in Oregon were taken care of long ago!"

"They're squashed," Tig muttered.

"It obviously wasn't about our prison terms," Clay remarked. "Is everything OK with the gym?"

"Huh?" Tig lifted his eyebrows in surprise, then nodded. Naturally Clay would think the news was about the gym since Ally handled the legal matters. "Gym's fine. It was about Dawn."

"What'd she do this time?" Clay huffed, taking a cigar out of his shirt pocket. He bit off the end, lit it, and spat the tip out onto the ground in front of them.

"She stole money from my girl," Tig replied tersely.

Clay nearly choked on his cigar. "Are ya shittin' me?"

Tig thumped the Prez on the back. "Do I look like I'm shittin' ya?"

"Better start from the top, brother." Clay shifted position to get as comfortable as possible on the bench. 'I have a bad feelin' about this!' He listened intently as Tig told him everything he learned from Ally and his brothers. "It's not the lost money that's botherin' me," he continued. "It's the way she treated Cat that hurts most!"

"I can see that," Clay remarked wryly.

Tig balled up a fist and pounded the bench in frustration. "Dammit! My woman opened her heart to Dawn and she stomped all over it! I dunno how to forget that!"

"It'll take time, brother, but ya will. Dawn's your child. Besides, this isn't the first time she's acted out."

"But she's never acted against a member of the family!" Tig pointed out. "Cat's a big part of my family, whether the girls like it or not!"

"They don't have to like it, Tig," Clay replied. "But they do have to respect her."

"Did ya have that problem with Jax when he was growin' up?"

Clay studied the burning end of his cigar for a few moments, then he clamped his teeth around it and inhaled deeply. "Nah, Jax pretty much respected me as a father figure. Gemma was more of the issue. If he got into trouble, she doled out punishment, I kept outta her way," he explained. "Gemma's always been very fierce about 'her' family."

"Shit, man! You're married to her, ain't that part of what family is?" Tig exclaimed.

"Not where Gem's concerned. There's her blood family, which is Jax and Abel and the kid Tara's carryin'. Then there's the attached family, which is me and Tara. There's a very fine line between the two, and she's a tigress when it's crossed, so I didn't."

Tig remained silent, staring out over the exercise area again. As much as he loved his daughters, they were too old to cause major discipline issues between him and Cat. Yet, that's exactly what Dawn had caused with her behavior. Cat had to act without his input, and he couldn't deny that he didn't like it. "Damn!" He huffed.

"What you've got to decide is what bothers ya more, that Dawn disrespected your wife, or that Cat made a decision about your daughter's immediate future without askin' ya," Clay remarked. "Personally, I think Dawn got off fuckin' easy because Cat didn't wanna cause ya any hurt!"

Tig gazed in surprise at Clay. He didn't expect his friend would've figured out that part of the the equation. "That's exactly what Kozik said, and Lowen backed him up. She said Cat told her callin' the police was not an option from the first she knew of it."

"No surprise there," Clay observed. "Look at everything your wife's done for us and the club since you two hooked up."

"Yeah. But I get the feelin' from what they all said that she's holdin' herself responsible for me losin' Dawn's weekly visits."

"And?" Clay prodded when Tig fell silent.

"It's a little disappointin', but I'll get over it," Tig shrugged. "Hell, it's not the first time I've gone without seein' my kids for awhile."

"Then tell her that," Clay advised on an exhale of smoke. "It's your job to convince her."

"That's a big order. You know what she's like when she gets an idea in her head!" Tig sighed.

"Then you'll just have to work hard to knock it outta her head, figuratively speakin'." Clay grinned.

"It'd be easier to literally knock it outta her head," Tig muttered. "Sometimes I wish I were still beatin' hookers!"

Clay's grin widened. "C'mon Tig! Ya know you couldn't live without her!"

"Yeah," he grunted. "This marriage shit wasn't so hard with Colleen!"

"That gash didn't know the meanin' of loyalty!" Clay thundered. "If ya go to the prison library and look the word up in the dictionary, you'll find Cat's picture there! That's why it ain't so easy this time."

"True dat. But she's worth the extra effort." Tig's eyes gleamed slyly as he stood up. "The added plus is that I don't get sloppy seconds!"

"Jeezus Christ! I dunno what Cat sees in ya," Clay rolled his eyes to the Heavens.

"Take a look in the shower some time," Tig grinned, heading towards the building and the line for the pay phones. "You comin'?"

"Nah. I'm good," Clay waved his SAA away from him. "Go reassure your lady. She's gonna need it after the shit she's been through."

---

Bill Vaughn faced the same problem every time he created a new two week schedule. The same people were always requesting the weekend off and he couldn't accomodate all the requests. He tried to be as fair as possible in granting the coveted days off, rotating the weekends amongst his crew. No matter how fair he tried to be, the inevitable gripes and complaints made their way back to him in one way or another.

This particular schedule was going to lead to a great hue and cry, but he was going to grant the employee's request for the next two weekends off. 'Let the complaints flow! By God, the guy deserves it! Hell, he's got the paid time comin' to him, he might as well use it and be done with it.'

Bill scrawled his signature on Evan Ander's time off request, approving both the weekends as days off and the remaining days as paid time. 'Considering Evan's always worked the weekends and never taken a sick day, I'd say he's entitled to a break, especially after all that uproar with that minister fella!'

He entered the schedule into the computer program, then filled in the other employee's work shifts and days off. Once the next two weeks' schedule was finalized, he saved it, then sent it to the printer. A copy of the schedule went to payroll via email, then he posted it in the glass display case next to the time clock.

Evan tapped on the doorframe at the end of his shift. News had filtered to him through the hospital grapevine about the new schedule. His supervisor had granted him the time off he'd requested, much to the distaste of his co – workers.

Vaughn looked up from his computer screen and waved Evan to a seat on the other side of his desk. "Been expecting you to stop in."

The disguised 'Brownie' remained standing in the open doorway. "Just wanted to peek in and thank you for grantin' me the time off with such short notice. Hope it's not causin' ya too much hassle."

"I can handle that," Vaughn replied wryly. "It's the first time you've asked for anything, I'm glad to accommodate you. What are y'all goin' to do in Indy for two weeks?"

"Just take in some of the sights," Evan shrugged. "Heard there's a lot to see besides the race track and the circle."

"Too bad none of the races are runnin'; the track's quite a sight!" Vaughn stated.

"Yeah, but I might take in a football game, if the tickets aren't too expensive."

"Couldn't say. I prefer watchin' the games on television; best seat in the house!"

'Brownie' grinned companionably. "I don't doubt that. I probably couldn't afford nothin' but the 'nosebleed' seats anyway, and I don't like heights!"

"There's always the basketball team, and there's all kinds of museums and things to take in. You won't be bored unless you just want to be bored, that's for sure!"

"Oh, I definitely won't be bored!" 'Brownie' replied. 'Only not in the way you're thinkin'!'

"Well, your time off begins as soon as your shift ends today. Consider it a bonus, with pay," Vaughn remarked. "You've earned it in my book. See y'all when you get back."

"Thanks, boss." 'Evan' retreated from the office before his expression gave him away. The extra two days off with pay would work out nicely for him, giving two more days to torment Rev. Marshall and his daughter!

'It shouldn't be difficult to find someone needin' a payin' passenger to go to Indy with 'em!' He clocked out, changed out of his janitorial uniform, and hurried home to change and pack.

---

Cat was exhausted. The emotional toll the day's events had taken on her, along with the confrontation with her father's doctor had drained her emotionally as well as physically. The ride on the back of Cavey's bike helped buoy her emotions to an extent, but the fear of losing Alex over her actions towards his daughter weighed heavily on her mind and heart.

She wanted to turn off the lights in her bedroom, crawl into bed, and cry her eyes out. The Illinois riders worry for her was obvious, making her determined to behave as if everything was right with her world when it felt to her like it was spinning out of orbit.

The other riders trooped up to their apartment, leaving Black Robbin behind. Cat retired to her room just long enough to obtain her MP3 player, a package of flavored cheroots, and a lighter. She had purchased the cheroots the first day of arrival while she was shopping to stock the apartments. At the time she hadn't expected to need them, but wanted them on hand just in case.

Black Robbin looked up from the sports paper he was reading as she passed through the living room. "Were are ya off to?"

"Just out to the porch," she replied casually. "I just want to sit close to the outdoors and relax. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, Cavey told us it started out kinda early for ya," Yum replied sympathetically. "If ya feel like ya wanna get out for awhile, just let me know."

"I'll keep it in mind," she promised. She was nervous that it was growing late and Alex hadn't called yet. He usually managed to call right after visiting hours ended, but her phone had remained silent.

She set her cell phone on the ledge in front of her so she could see his picture come up when he called. 'As if the ring tone won't tell me!' She observed wryly. She settled into a chair, stretched out, removed one of the cheroots from its' package, lit it, and inhaled.

The thin cigar's wrapper was flavored with white grape, making the aroma soothing and the taste of the smoke a little sweet. She selected the music file titled 'comfort mewsic' and closed her eyes as her favorite male artists crooned uplifting songs to her. She had to be honest with herself that her phone had been pretty busy that afternoon. She'd had to use the speakerphone in the rented Dodge to conduct the conference call with her staff. Pete had set up the three way contact between her, the coffeehouse managers, and Beth to discuss Dawn's departure. She was satisfied with her handling of it with her staff. Without coming right out and telling a bald faced lie, she had them believing that something had come up that required the girl's immediate departure and resignation from her job.

"Tammy's agreed to take on Dawn's hours," Beth reported. "So the kiosk is fully staffed as of today. Do I pay Dawn for her full shift?"

"Might as well," Cat sighed, watching the evening traffic as she drove along the interstate. "We'll send the check to her once we have a forwarding address."

"Don't worry about the Stockton concession, Miss Cat," Pete chimed in. "We can handle the baking without Dawn, and Chuckie will be a valuable help on Sundays!"

"He's still in the payroll system, so be sure to keep track of his hours," Cat reminded them before ending the call just as she reached the airport and the rental agency's turn in lot.

She was content with matters at her businesses, but she wasn't happy about the need to make all the changes in staffing. Nor was she very happy that Dawn had used her and that her marriage was in jeopardy as a result. 'There's no gettin' around the fact that Alex is not goin' to be happy with me about this! I can't blame him one bit, either!' she observed wryly while watching the smoke curl and dance in the breeze.

She had watched enough televised judge programs to know that step parents had no discipline rights where the spouse's children were concerned, no matter who had custody. Dawn might be an adult, but she was still Alex's child. It was going to anger him that she'd taken action without consulting him about it.

'But what else could I do?' She asked herself in anguish. 'There wasn't time to wait to talk to him about it! If I had, Dawn would be sittin' in jail!' She hadn't taken the time to think about what her actions might do to her marriage, not that she had the time to invest in such thinking anyway.

Not only did she fervently believe Alex would be upset with her for sending Dawn away without his consent, she knew he'd be upset that she'd allowed the situation to occur in the first place. Alex had warned her not to let Dawn stay in their house without supervision. So did several other people who knew Dawn better than her. She'd blithely ignored them all, believing that Dawn had earned her trust and everyone was being unfair to her.

'I did the exact same thing when 'Brownie' came around and asked me for money and shit! People at VU were tellin' me 'Brownie' wasn't to be trusted, but I shrugged 'em off only to be left behind to clean up his mess.' She stubbed out the glowing end of the burned down cheroot and lit another to replace it while her thoughts continued to plague her. She remembered how glad she'd been that he came back to her in Terre Haute just a few months after her grandmother died. It didn't occur to her that he was back to get the money her maternal grandma left her until it was too late,

'I made the same mistake with the drunken dope fiend and cried so often on Bill's shoulder I'm surprised he didn't have wrinkles by the time we were married!' Bill had been her knight in shining armor during that turbulent period in her life that included her temporary separation from her father and step – mother.

Though songs from her favorite Phantom portrayers and other musical soundtracks continued to issue from her MP3 player, Cat felt anything but soothed. Her thoughts were traveling down a dark road of doubt that became darker as dusk fell and her phone remained silent. One of the songs issuing from the MP3 player best reflected what the day had been like for her. It was Michael Crawford's rendition of "Gethsemane"

"OK, I'm not facin' a crucifixion, but I sure can appreciation the sentiment in the song!" She observed wryly, stubbing out her latest cheroot butt. She was growing a little light headed from chain smoking. She bent over with her arms crossed on her knees, resting her head in the makeshift pillow. She was convinced that Alex wasn't going to call and her heart was breaking. Tears fell onto her jeans as the last stanzas of 'Til I Hear You Sing' played. She felt the same longing in her heart the fictional Phantom felt for the love he'd lost. She was still crying when Leonard Cohen's "Allelujah' began playing.

She was about to turn off the MP3 and go into her apartment when her cell phone lit up with her favorite picture of Alex and the ring tone sounded. She grabbed for the phone and nearly dropped it because her hands shook so badly. It ws difficult for her to press the 'accept' button, but she managed it before the call went to voice mail. "H – hello, love!" She stammered. Her voice reflected both her joy that he'd called and her dread over his reaction to what she'd done.

'Shit! It's worse than I imagined! This shit really has her down!' Alex winced at the rough edge in her voice. He could hear the music playing in the background which alerted him to how far she'd fallen into a depression. "Sounds like I don't have to ask how you're doin', baby!" Alex crooned. "I'm not surprised, though. Everybody's been tellin' me ya were takin' this hard!"

"Define 'everybody'," she choked, taking a sip of water from the bottle she'd brought out with her.

"Kozik, Ally Lowen, and Chibs," he explained softly. "They were very insistent that I know ya were lookin' out for my best interests in all this shit. I'm just sorry ya had to deal with in the first place. You handled it right. I don't want ya thinkin' ya didn't."

She couldn't keep from uttering a sigh of relief from his words. "So y'all aren't goin' to look into gettin' rid of me!"

"I've done some crazy shit in my life, baby, but I'm not fucked up so badly that I'd lose one of the best things to happen to me!" He chuckled dryly. "Wish ya hadn't put yourself through that shit, baby. I've known Dawnie longer and knew what to expect if ya gave her too much freedom. That doesn't give her the right to treat ya like she did."

'You don't know the half of it, buster!' She thought. "I'm sorry for not listenin' to y'all and everyone else, love. It wouldn't have happened and she'd still be able to come visit if I had! This crap about trustin' people up front has to stop!"

"Don't say that, baby! One of the things I like about ya is that you don't take people at face value!" He protested. "Hell, if that were the case, you'd have beaned me with that baseball bat and we'd never had gotten together!'

"Seems like all that tendency does is lead me to trouble!" She snorted. Her heart felt light from his reassurance, but she still felt guilty for causing the whole mess in the first place.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! I resemble that remark!" He laughed softly. "Trouble is my middle name!"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm really sorry, love -"

"Shut the fuck up with the apologizin', woman!" He growled. "Ya didn't do anything wrong! Shit, you're the fuckin' victim, for Christ's sake!" His free hand rubbed the bridge of his nose while he wracked his brain to figure out a way to lift her out of the funk via long distance. He decided to change the subject. "How's Blaine?"

"Not good," she reported wearily. "He was emotionally good this mornin', He insisted on knowin' what was botherin' me and got the edited version. His doctor gave me holy Hell for sharin' with him, though it seemed to make Daddy happy."

"I'm not followin' ya," Alex replied gruffly.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell Daddy the particulars, just the fact that Dawn had betrayed my trust and I had to act without consultin' y'all," she assured him, remembering too late the disagreement they'd had the last time she'd confided in her father and given her husband the wrong impression.

"Shit, I'm not worried about that! I know ya always watch my back when you're talkin' to outsiders!" Alex growled. "What I want to know is why the doctor jumped your shit about confidin' in your pop?"

"Because Daddy has developed a staph infection," she replied, relating what the doctor had told her about her father's condition and the disagreement they'd had about the DNR order.

"That asshole! He wouldn't have said that to ya if I'd been there!" Alex snarled. "It's not his business anyway!"

"He's a healer, love," she stated. "They tend to want to be allowed to fight until there isn't any hope left. Livin' wills and DNR orders take that away from them."

"I don't give a shit! He had no right to pile that on ya!" His free hand clenched into a helpless fist. He wanted to pound that doctor's face in, but the only thing he could hit was either the wall or his leg. He settled for his leg; it was more giving than the wall. 'It's no fuckin' wonder she's in a funk! She's been through the emotional wringer and then some! If only she had some kind of outlet like her bike!'

His eyes widened with a sudden thought while Joshua Adams' 'Everything Will Be All Right', played in the background. He remembered that Indianapolis had a Harley dealership that offered bikes for rent, and riding a bike on her own would definitely lift her spirits!

"Y'all didn't go to sleep on me, did you," Cat inquired with a ghost of her off kilter humor in her voice.

"Nah, just thinkin' of somethin' baby."

"Hope it didn't hurt," she replied.

"You're mighty brave when I can't touch ya," he growled, though his heart felt lighter from her gentle teasing. "Listen, I want ya to rent yourself a bike this weekend and go for a long ride as soon as ya can."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Ridin' your crotch rocket always makes ya feel better whenever somethin' bothers ya. It's likely to have the same effect there. Just make sure one of the guys go with ya."

Cat wrinkled her nose in thought. The ride with Cavey had been fun, but not enough to make a dent in her emotional burden. Not the way piloting a bike made her feel. "I think y'all might have a point, love," she admitted.

"I always have a big point for ya, baby!," he replied with a leer. "Right between my legs!"

"Better not let the other prisoners hear ya say that," she retorted wryly. "They might want a piece of it!"

"Copy that," he was grinning from ear to ear at her quick rejoinder. "Sounds like you're goin' to obey me."

"I'll give it all the due consideration it merits," she growled. The impact of her growl was lost in a large yawn.

"You're worn out, baby. I can tell," he observed softly. "I'm just gonna say this once, and it better never have to be said again, so keep your mouth shut and ears open for a minute!"

She snorted at his alpha male declaration.

"Baby, ya don't know how much it means to me that you refused to file charges against Dawnie," he informed her sincerely. "Ya had every right, but you chose not to go there. She betrayed ya, and that's gotta hurt. I'm sorry it happened. One of these days I hope to prove to ya that I'm worth it. Thank you, baby."

The cell phone went dark in her hand. Cat smiled softly and patted the screen. There had been no mistaking the genuine love and appreciation in Alex's voice, even if he hadn't allowed her to say good night before he hung up. She turned off the MP3 player and walked into the apartment, head high and shoulders straight for the first time that day.

Mudball grinned at her as she passed. "Ya look like ya feel better."

"I do. Talked to Tig, that always helps," she replied with a sad smile.

"Hope ya sleep well, Cat."

"I will, darlin'. G'nite."

---

Tig used his finger to push down on the disconnect plate the second he'd completed his sentence. He'd said what he hoped would help boost his woman's spirits the best way he knew. 'It's gotta be enough!' He sighed inwardly, leaning his head against the hard, cold metal bulk of the phone. He placed the receiver on the cradle and lifted his head before the felon at the front of the line could make a wisecrack.

His emotions felt as raw as the night Cat had found him in the field after he'd ingested the tripping 'shrooms. He was anguished at the additional stress his daughter had placed on his wife, and felt his loyalties had been stretched to near breaking.

'I dunno what I would've done if she'd had Dawnie jailed. Thank God she has such a big heart and that I'm the benificiary of it instead of some other fucktard!' He trudged away from the payphone line with his hands in his pockets.

He needed a smoke and some time alone in his cell. 'Likely Clay has downloaded the guys, which is OK with me! I've gotta process this myself before I can face their questions.' He was thankful that Bobby wouldn't press him for details. Being a divorced parent gave him a bit of empathy the single men like Juice and Happy couldn't begin to have. 'Likely he'll let me talk when I'm ready, and if I don't wanna spill, he'll find somethin' else to occupy his time.'

Tig was still concerned over his woman's state of mind, though she seemed happier than when the call had started. He'd planted a seed and had to trust that it would grow and lift her out of the depths of the depressive episode. Time would tell.