Tig's fear of morning was as great as his irrational fear of plastic dolls; he couldn't remember a time when he didn't fear a new sun. As a child a new sun meant a new day of misery for him and his older sister Teresa. Every night he had prayed to whatever God was up in the sky to let him and Teresa die in their sleep so they wouldn't have to be with Jack anymore. It wasn't until he was twelve that his prayers were answered but not in a way that he thought they would be. Teresa did die, left to drown in her own blood in the bathroom after one of Jack's beatings.

His father had been on a drinking binge for a week and Tig had accidentally dropped a glass in the kitchen. Before Jack could get to him Teresa had jumped in front of her brother and pushed Jack so hard he fell to the floor. When he came up…well that's where Tig's memory of that day ended. Social services took him later that evening, his father was arrested and his sister was dead because of him. Teresa had given him the nickname, Tig when he was five. She had told him that when he slept sometimes he would growl like a tiger.

Sometimes like today he would think of her, the only girl besides his daughters he had ever truly loved. In fact in the last few years his heart had been numb; unyielding to any type of feeling even vengeance. After Dawn was murdered by Pope's men, Tig had been a walking dead man. There was a gaping hole right through the middle of him and no amount of bloodshed or fucking could feel it. All the shit that had been going on with the club the last year seemed like a haze.

The one person he had confided in the most betrayed the club and ultimately met Mr. Mayhem. In truth he missed Clay; the good times…he missed Piney, Opie, Sack, and Tara…Donna. Hell he even missed Kozik, so many dead and he didn't even understand why. His mind was spiraling out of control, he was at the very height of Kilimanjaro and the mountain floor beneath his feet was starting to give way but just before he could fall to his death he was snatched back by love herself, Venus.

She had saved him in every way a person could possibly be saved and he had saved her. Both were injured and misunderstood souls who never believed someone else could see every flaw, every weakness, and every imperfection and still love them. When Tig first laid eyes on her it was simple lust. The incident with her son was what made him see her for her. She was a fractured person who had endured similar childhood torments.

When Venus related her story to him and the rest of the club he couldn't help but think of his own child whom he couldn't save. He was determined if no one else was to save Venus' Joey. After all the shit went down with Alice and taking Venus and Joey to the bus station Tig knew in his heart that she was someone he wanted to continue to get to know. Not for anything sexual just a friendship, a kindred spirit.

He dropped her off home and they exchanged numbers. They kept in touch from then on and Tig would visit every Sunday when club members were free to do their own thing for the day. They always stayed in the apartment at Venus' insistence. 'I want you all to myself, handsome.' She would say, but Tig knew it was more than that. She was trying to let him off the hook, save him the embarrassment in case anyone saw them.

Tig had gone along with it, he wasn't ready for the inevitable jibes and looks they would get the moment they stepped out the door. They were just friends after all and besides Venus didn't seem to have any interest in him that way. It had been nice to have someone to confide in again. He had told her things that he had never told anyone, he couldn't hide anything from her. Something in him trusted this new friendship that much.

As time went on Tig began to feel something inside whenever he was with her, he wasn't sure what it was but it made him smile. It wasn't until he had taken that buck shot through the door at the dead pastor's lake house that he realized what it was. His first thoughts after hitting the ground were of Venus. He needed her, wanted her with him always. Back at Scoops, his angel watching over him after Chibbs had patched up his wound she said something that finally gave him the word that expressed the feeling that was consuming his being of late… 'I bring joy to all those lost souls who can no longer find it,'

Joy, sweet joy is what he felt in the midst of the hate and blood that had become his life. Venus had brought light into his dark world; she had given him the gift he never dared to have. She gave him the warm morning sun and its beaming rays of new happiness. As he placed a hand on her cheek he saw something unexpected in her eyes, longing. She was a lost soul too, in search of joy. Walls tumbled and fell to ashes between them and finally their lips met.

It was gentle, soft; loving…these words were foreign to Tig. In the past when he kissed someone it had always been an almost primal experience, never like this. After a few moments she slowly pulled away and looked him in the eyes. She wanted to speak but seemed to lose her nerve so he did. "We don't need words right now, baby. It's ok." He pulled her to him again, this time he lost himself in her and she in him. Had it not been for the blast downstairs Tig didn't know if he would have ever been able to release her.

She had taken him back to her apartment that night. There was nothing suggestive about it; they just weren't ready to part company yet.

'You want something to drink, baby?' Venus asked after settling Tig down onto the sofa. The pain killers Chibbs gave him were starting to wear off, he took a deep breath as a fresh wave of pain started.

"Vodka if you have it." He winced.

"Okay, I have cranberry juice or Red bull if you want to mix it."

"No, I take it straight up."

"Me too." She giggled light heartedly. She quickly fixed them both a drink and joined Tig on the sofa.

"Thanks." He took a big gulp, a huge mistake. The liquid burned going down and teared up his eyes. "Shit, baby where did you get this stuff!?"

"Russia, it was a gift from a client."

"Hmm." He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the sofa.

"It's been a long day…" She stared at this man who was coming to mean so much to her.

"Yeah, listen thanks for coming today, you didn't have to."

"You don't have to thank me, Alexander I was happy to come."

"Yeah?" He couldn't help but give her one of his signature smirks.

"Yes…but I do have a question."

"Whats that?" He opened his eyes to find her staring at him in that uncertain way again.

"Why me, of all the people in the world, why did you call for me?"

"Why did I call for you?" Tig pondered, he didn't know if he could put it in the right words. He wasn't even sure that he fully understood these new feelings that she was bringing out of him.

"When I caught that buck shot…I don't know. I've been shot, close to death so many times but…" He trailed off for a moment and stared up at the ceiling. Venus pressed her lips together and looked everywhere but at the man next to her.

"But what?"

"Today, this time was different. Before when death came knocking my mind was blank, I didn't give a damn it didn't matter. I figured at least I was dying for my club, but when I hit the ground today you were my first thought." There he had said it.

"Me…"

"I didn't want to leave you; I was scared of leaving you." He finished. Venus released a soft breath she didn't know she was holding and she dared a look at him. He was staring at her. Tig took her hand and moved closer.

"Alexander…" She was at a loss. Today had been full of unexpected surprises. She was use to Tig calling a few times a week but when she got the call from Chibbs earlier telling her that Alexander had been hurt and was asking for her she was surprised. He could have died and even then she just took it as him just wanting all of his friends around but now she knew better. Venus had always kept it in her mind that Tig was a man who appeared a little out there to most even those closest to him. She also kept it in mind that he was not "gay" and she made sure never to cross that line with him. She loved their friendship; besides Nero she didn't have many close friends.

When Alexander kissed her earlier that day her heart rejoiced but her mind told her not to believe it was anything more than a man who had almost been killed and his emotions were no doubt all over the place. He just wanted comfort, and that was her profession wasn't it? She gave comfort to men in need; usually men who were hiding who they really were from the world, a world that would condemn them if their secret urges were ever found out. But now Alexander was confirming just the opposite. Still she was determined to hold off her heart…she couldn't give away what little was left of herself, not yet.

"Look, baby I don't understand whats happening with me, with us. I just know that I want you around, I need you around." There was a brief silence, Venus pondering his words.

"Okay, I can do that, Alexander…I'm here, always." Again Tig brought a hand to the side of her face and brought her lips to his…

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