Four Years Earlier

He shifted in his seat and looked around. The stark whiteness of the room clashed terribly with the fluorescent jump suits creating a nauseating neon effect. The only sounds that he could hear were the hushed conversations of his fellow inmates and the shuffles of chairs and chains anchoring them where they sat. It was settings like this that made him nervous. Confined spaces he could handle, but environments where he had no control made him feel like he was coming unhinged. The woman crying to her husband next to him was grating on his last nerve and he subconsciously clenched and unfurled his fingers. His gaze jerked to the door as he heard the metal on metal noise as it was opening.

The camaraderie he felt for the man that entered paled in comparison to many other things that he'd experienced in his life.

"Koz." He stated simply, nodding to great the younger man as he approached. Koz or Kozik as we was known to the rest of his brothers was one of the few Tacoma SOA members that had managed to evade the gun bust that had landed the rest of them a 12 year stint in Washington State Penn. The former Tacoma Sergeant at Arms looked substantially less stoic than he had seem him look on his previous visits.

"Lee." Kozik replied, clapping the former Tacoma president on the back before taking a seat opposite him at the table. "How you guys holdin' up?"

"Same as last time, ready to get out of here. Whatever deal Charming worked out with the Mexicans has held off most of the bullshit that we had going on before. We'll make it. How is NOMAD treating you?" Koz glanced at Lee before realizing that Lee's eyes were fixed on the NOMAD patch on his leather.

After most of the Tacoma charter had been busted unloading guns from a shipping crate at Puget Sound there hadn't been enough of them left to carry on. Normally Lee would've called in reinforcements from Charming or Nevada, but they were dealing with the cartel war and enough shit that it would've stretched them all too thin. Kozik and Autie, the oldest member of Tacoma had been holding down the clubhouse during the bust and that left them without a charter – at least until the rest of the guys finished their sentence. Kozik had been offered NOMAD and quickly accepted. The lack of action made him restless. Autie had stuck around Tacoma keeping up appearances for a while, maintaining business at the shop until they fell behind on payments and that too was lost. The clubhouse now sat vacant – untouched by locals and forgotten with the exception of the faded "for sale" sign on the chained gate.

"NOMAD's good. Been spending a lot of time with SAMCRO with all of the shit they got coming their way. Ready to come back home," Koz nodded. Lee looked tired. He was probably in his mid 50s by Kozik's count. His salt and pepper hair had gone more salt than pepper in the 8 years they'd been in.

"Sorry you going to have to wait a while longer, Koz. Apparently we forgot to teach everyone about "good behavior"…I got Donut an' Hap in solitary again and JD had a little payback that he owed after taking that beating in the yard a few months back. " Lee raked a hand threw his hair and looked at Koz who suddenly looked a bit excited.

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I talked to Gemma last time I rode through Charming. She had some news…about Nat. Seems she's back," Koz reached inside his vest and pulled out a picture. The corners were a little bit tattered, but clearly visible was a beautiful young woman, late teens or early twenties in a graduation cap and gown, the black fabric setting off her pale skin and dark blonde hair. Lee took the photograph from Koz fighting back emotions that were always kept locked tight.

The last time he saw his niece, he was preparing to head out on a run. The run that ended up landing him in prison for 12 years. She was 13. He heard from his lawyer a few days later that she'd been collected by child protective services and would be sent to live with his ex wife until she was 18. He figured that was about the last he'd ever hear from her and had done his best to push her out of his mind. When her parents had died and she'd come to live with him when she was 10 he didn't know what in the hell he was supposed to do with her. His brother knew the life that he led – knew that caring for a child would be difficult if not impossible. But he figured that the will or whatever had sent Natalie to live with him probably was drawn up long before Leslie, his ex wife, had left him and moved clear across the country. About the time he figured Natalie would turn 18 he started to wonder if she'd come back, come to Tacoma, come to visit her uncle that she had loved so furiously. But years passed, she never came and he forced himself to stop thinking she would. Now, he hoped for the best. That she was far away from this life, happy, settled.

Sensing that Lee was deep in thought, Kozik gave him a minute. Clearing his throat he continued "seems your girl has become a fancy, college educated young lady. From what Gem knew, she went to school on the East Coast, met all of the requirements your ex set for her to gain access to her inheritance and as soon as they handed her this piece of paper," Koz tapped the picture, "she hightailed her pretty ass right back to Tacoma and bought back the shop."

"She WHAT?" Lee bellowed causing several other visitors and inmates to look his direction and a correction officer to take a few warning steps towards him. Kozik lifted his hand towards the guard to indicate that everything was under control.

"You heard me. Bought it a couple months ago. Did some renovating, hired a few guys to run the bays, she runs the office and Gem said she even said something about findin' a couple of prospects…" Koz trailed off and actually started laughing. A truly contented, disbelieving laugh that after a few minutes of stunned silence Lee joined in. "Looks like we're back in business, brother."

After his visit with Koz, Lee took some time to himself before he shared the news with his brothers. He was pleased - no, DAMN proud of his niece. Surviving his she-bitch of an ex, going to college…but he wasn't sure what to think of her coming back to Tacoma. Natalie had always been tough, bullheaded even and stubborn to the core. She was her father's daughter and more like her uncle than he'd cared to realize. But she wasn't hard. Underneath the big talk and the strong exterior she was soft hearted. Not made for this life. But there was nothing that Lee could do about that now – not from inside anyway.

The girl did what she wanted, always did. He had told Koz to keep an eye on her. He couldn't officially start up the charter with all of the guys still in lockup – he'd have to stay NOMAD, but at least he could make Tacoma Auto his home base between runs until the rest of them were out. The last thing he'd told Koz? Under no circumstances did he want Natalie to visit. This wasn't the environment for her and he didn't want her to see him for the first time in 8 years in lockup. He wanted to see her on the outside, where he could hug her properly. Plus he feared if he saw her it would make the next four years hell.

Present Day

The light was blinding as they walked through the heavy metal doors. It took a few moments for their eyes to adjust, but when they did Lee thought it was the second best thing he could've ever imagined. In two neat lines were shiny black and chrome Harleys, polished and finally tuned like they'd never been ridden.

"Thought you boys might need a ride," Clay, the mother charter president said, clapping Lee on the back. It looked like most of SAMCRO had come out for the occasion.

"Well, this is one hell of a welcome," Lee responded – watching his brothers greet one another with pride. "Didn't expect so many of you to show up."

Clay looked at him knowingly, his lips curling into an almost sinister smile. "Brother, this ain't nothing. Wait til you see what your little lady has waitin' for you at the club house." Lee shared a questioning look with some of his brothers before pulling spotting Kozik and pulling him aside briefly.

"How's she doing?"

"You'll see for yourself in a few hours. She was pretty pissed when we said she couldn't come. Wanted to ride on the back of one of the bikes, even said she'd ride in the tow truck. But she's been planning something like I've never seen at the clubhouse. Was better she stayed there – give the boys a little time to cool down. She's good man. Real good." Kozik had promised Lee 4 years ago that he would look out for Natalie and he had. It wasn't always easy and she didn't usually give a shit what he said, but he did his best by his brother. "Sorry I couldn't get up and give you more updates but shits been crazy man, there, Charming – it'll be good for us to get back up and running."

"Amen to that," Clay appeared next to them, holding out the Tacoma President's cut out to Lee. "Ready to ride Prez?"

"Never been more ready for anything".

She heard the Harleys long before she saw them and took one last look around the yard. There were people everywhere. SOA members from several chapters, old lady's…not one to be outdone, she'd even done her very best to gain some hang arounds in the past months to meet any of the biker's needs that she wasn't equipped to.

"I've never seen anything like this baby," Gemma said leaning against the stairs that led up to Natalie's office and lighting a smoke. "And I plan one HELL of a party."

Natalie laughed, letting some of the tension that she was feeling go. "Thanks Gem, I know that's some kinda compliment coming from you."

"Seriously, Natalie. What you did here – with the guys, runnin' the shop, givin' em hope on the inside. Nobody could've done that but you. You coming back here was the best thing that coulda happened to this club."

Natalie leaned into Gemma and closed her eyes for a minute before she heard the gates swinging open and the unmistakable roar of Harleys rolling in. She climbed to her feet quickly, smoothing her shirt and jeans, smiled gratefully at Gemma and moved confidently through the crowd.

"Get ready everybody. Shit's about to get crazy," she heard Tig, the SAMCRO Sergeant at Arms, yell as the men parked their bikes. The crowd surged forward to greet the riders, but Natatlie was already out ahead of them and as she approached everyone seemed to hang back a few steps, to let her have her moment.

She took another step forward confidently, brushing her bangs out of her face. More sets of eyes looked at her than she'd been expecting and she faltered in her stance slightly, flinching. Kozik stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She righted her posture before clearing her throat slightly.

"Welcome home, boys!" The cheers behind her and the warmth that surrounded her in that moment had made everything worth it. And then she saw him. Her uncle, certainly older than she'd last seen him, but every bit as she remembered him stepped forward and opened his arms. She felt like she was 13 again, rushing to him as he lifted her slight frame off the ground. He held her for what felt like minutes before releasing her with a meaningful look filled with so much emotion she was glad that there wasn't anything said or she probably would've lost it. And Gemma had worked far too long on her smoky makeup to have it washed away now.

"Later," she promised, her voice suddenly feeling thick as he was greeted by Autie and some of the other Sons.

"How?" JD simply asked, picking Natalie up. Natalie wasn't sure whether he was referring to her, the garage or the huge group gathered in the parking lot. So she just laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. JD had been one of the few sons who paid her some attention when she was younger. Many of them had viewed her as a distraction, or a nuisance. Clubhouses and garages weren't meant for kids, and especially not for little girls. But JD had taken the time to talk to her sometimes and make her laugh and smile. Over his shoulder, she looked to the other sons Lorca, her uncle's VP, and a few she barely remembered –Bowie, Bomber, Happy and Donut. They were looking around, smiling and she committed the image to memory because she knew after the celebration tonight, tomorrow it was back to business.

JD released her and disappeared into the crowd after placing a kiss on her cheek. She turned to the others. "C'mon guys. Let's get you a drink." And without turning back led the way to the clubhouse.

"Hutch!" Natalie yelled entering the slightly less cramped space. Most of the crowd was still in the parking lot greeting one another. The guy behind the bar turned his buzzed head to the sound of her voice and smiled before he noticed her company and his smile faltered a little. He was young, just a little younger than Natalie.

"Hutch, meet the guys. Bomber, Donut, Bowie, Happy and Lorca. Guys, one of your prospects. Can I have a beer please?"

The prospect moved quickly, popping the top off of her bottle and sliding it into her hand before taking orders from the other men. He was visibly intimidated. Although he'd been a mechanic at the shop for several years and dealt with Kozik and many of the other charters' members, being faced with Tacoma charter bikers felt like something different entirely. And he couldn't help but feel scrutinized by their harsh gaze.

"Didn't know we let women in the club," one of them said icily and Natalie quickly turned her head to look at him. Happy. His gravely voice and menacing glare was enough to send some of the most hardened men running for the door. But Natalie had been through enough shit, enough heartache and enough stress to last a lifetime. She stared back, though certainly not with the same intensity. She didn't speak and Happy continued. "Namin' prospects is a club decision."

She opened her mouth to respond before snapping it closed quickly. "You know what? I don't have to answer to any of you for anything. You don't know anything about what life has been like here for the last four and a half years while I've been running this place. I know this is your club – your clubhouse. But you won't walk in here and disrespect me, undercut what I've worked my ASS off to build. Enjoy your party tonight. We can get back to it tomorrow." She smiled weakly at Hutch before stepping away from the men. Once she had disappeared in the sea of people, Donut turned to Happy.

"Dude, dick move."

Happy didn't respond – he was still staring at the spot where the little firecracker had gone into the crowd equal parts impressed and hateful. Rarely did someone try to put him in his place. But when they did, they didn't ever just walk away. He was one of the few men that was violently opposed to Natalie running the shop, even if it wasn't really club related. They didn't need someone picking up the slack for them. Especially some kid. Happy had never bothered with her when she used to tag along on her uncle's heels. As far as he was concerned women were meant to be crow eaters and maybe old ladies if you found just the right combination but certainly no bitch was going to be his boss. He'd play her game. Wait until tomorrow. But then she'd know that he sure as fuck wasn't going to answer to her in any way.

"Hey boys, what do you think of the place. Not bad huh?" Kozik joined the others near the bar. It seemed like more people were shifting out of the chilly night air into the clubhouse. Happy grunted and tuned out the rest of the small talk going on around him.

A short time later the crowd fell silent as Clay stepped forward to address everyone, Lee by his side.

"I can't tell you how blessed we are to have our brothers back with us and all of our family here with us tonight." Clay glanced briefly at his wife before looking around the crowded room. "We are here to not just celebrate the release of our brothers, but to officially reinstate the Tacoma Charter of Sons of Anarchy!" Clay's voice raised as he reached the end of the sentence and the crowd roared all around him. He gestured for Lee to step forward and say a few words. "I'm a man of few words, I don't think that's a secret." A low rumble swept through the crowd as he continued, "we're looking forward to getting back to the way that things should be. And we need to take a moment – quiet down, quiet down – we'll get back to celebratin' in a minute. We need to take a moment to thank the person that not only made this possible sooner than we ever thought, but better than we ever imagined. Natalie, can you please come up and join me?"

The crowd cheered again, though not nearly as loudly and in Happy's opinion it was because many of them shared his displeasure at Natalie being not only acknowledged, but recognized by the mother charter as an integral part of the Tacoma Chapter. They COULD have done it without her. Yeah, it would've taken a while – and they might have lost the clubhouse but they could've done it. And Happy would've rather it been that way.

The blonde stepped up on the stage. She hugged Clay before hugging her uncle and turning to the crowd. On the surface she looked calm. But Happy had been trained for 37 years of his life and 17 years in the club to look beyond the surface and it was obvious with the subtle shake of her hand and the way her eyes darted just slightly, that she was nervous. She held up a hand to draw attention back to her.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone for coming tonight to welcome our guys home after being gone for far too long. I am so grateful for the help that this family has given me over the last few years and truly couldn't have gotten to this point without the support from Clay and Gemma and the rest of you. So kick back, drink up and let's get this party started!" The volume reached its peak and the girl hugged the charter president and the national president before disappearing. Happy looked around briefly to identify where she'd gone. He didn't like uncertainty and that girl brought more than enough questions to his mind. He planned to keep an eye on her.

"What are you looking for killer?" Koz appeared suddenly behind him, nudging him with a shoulder.

"Nothin'," Happy responded, shrugging slightly. "Just checking the place out."

"Yeah? Not bad, huh?" Koz might have been drunk already though they'd been there for less than an hour, Happy noted as he studied his slightly reddened face and watery eyes.

"S'alright, not quite sure I like thinking the girl thinking she's club," he replied honestly.

"Natalie?" Koz seemed surprised and Happy really should've known better. Koz had had a soft spot for the little brat when she was a kid. She was pretty, even Happy could admit that. It wouldn't have surprised him if Kozik's soft spot had turned into a hard on for the girl. After all, he'd been practically babysitting her for the last four years. "Nah, Nat's family, Hap. Always has been. Practically Lee's kid, you know. And she's smart. She cares about this family, cares about this club."

Happy didn't say anything as Koz continued to prattle on about the girl and all of her winning attributes and assets. Instead he tuned him out and scanned the crowd intently again, trying to discern where she'd gotten off to.

Natalie slipped out of the crowded room and headed straight to her office. She was never really one for a big party – didn't terribly like the crowds, though she enjoyed the music and watching everyone else. She just didn't like people brushing up against her and especially in a place like this at a party like tonight's she was more likely than not to lose more personal space then she was comfortable with.

She was so settled into hearing the throbbing of the bass coming through the walls she didn't even hear anyone enter her office until she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

"Hey stranger," she smiled as she turned and saw her uncle. "Grab a seat."

Lee obliged and slipped into one of the worn chairs next to Natalie's desk. He took a moment to look at her, truly look at her. She looked like her father. Tall, slender but she had her mother's nose and smile. Her dark blonde hair fell part way down her back and was cut in what he supposed was a fashionable manner. In fact, there was an awful lot about her that appeared to be fancied up. She wasn't dressed like any of the women who used to hang around the garage, or any of the women that were here tonight – including Gemma. She looked more like she belonged in a cocktail lounge with her dainty teardrop diamond earrings and large silver cocktail ring. The clothing that she wore looked expensive, more expensive than anything that Lee owned, that was for sure. She had on dark denim jeans and a black top that floated away from her frame. She didn't wear boots like most of the women, though she did wear heels, and Lee was pretty sure they would be lethal as he took in the four-inch pencil thin monstrosities. She was beautiful, and he was reminded looking at her that she didn't belong in a place like this.

"It's so good to see you," he choked out. He really was a man of few words, especially when emotions were involved. She smiled and rolled her chair closer, taking his hand. "What you've done here," he gestured around the office. "I'll never be able to repay you. I'm proud. So God damned proud of you." A tear rolled down his weathered cheek and he reached up to brush it away with his free hand roughly.

Natalie brushed a few tears away on her own. When she spoke, her voice was thick with emotion. "I'd do anything for my family. And that's what we are. Maybe not me and all of them. But you and me, Koz, even Gemma and Clay. We're family. And if the rest of them are your family that's good enough for me. When you went away – I was never able to - " Natalie swallowed thickly, getting a hold of her emotions. She had barely shed a tear in years – she wasn't going to fall apart now. "I was never able to find that feeling of family. With mom and dad gone – Aunt Leslie just wasn't…she was never family, Uncle Lee. So as soon as I had the chance I knew I had to come back here. Tacoma is home." She smiled at her uncle and patted his hand gently. She knew he was struggling with his emotions.

"Just remember – we have all kinds of time now to catch up on what we missed." He nodded, grateful for a slight shift in mood. He took a look around the office and through the window that led to the garage. Everything looked similar, but different, cleaner, a bit more organized than he remembered.

"Where do you stay?" His house had gone into foreclosure like the business when they had gone to prison. He wasn't sure how much her parents had left her when they died, but they had worked hard for a living and he didn't imagine it had been enough to buy the garage back and have somewhere reasonable to live.

"You're looking at it. I renovated the storage loft into a small apartment. It's more than enough room for me, but I'm afraid that YOU will be stuck back in your old dorm. I freshened them all up a bit, but its nothing fancy. I had started out staying there but there are certain things that can't be unheard once you hear them through the walls so I figured it was better for me to remove myself from the situation."

"Fair enough," Lee answered. "Garage in your name?"

Right down to business, Natalie thought. "Yes sir, garage, clubhouse, tow trucks, land…everything. And at this point, I plan to keep it that way. I've spent a lot of sweat, blood and tears on this place. I don't plan on interfering with club business, but I don't expect the club to interfere with mine, either. I've got spots for a few of the guys who are interested. I've got a couple of prospects for you – guys that have been here for a while. Not official or anything. I know I don't have that kind of power. I'm not club. But they're legit. Koz with vouch for 'em. They've been here with me practically since the beginning." She did her best to look tough as she stared her uncle down, secretly worried that he would hate that she wanted to stay and run the garage. But she knew that they let Gemma run Teller-Morrow in Charming and Gemma thought that she was doing one hell of a job. Surely that had to mean something.

Lee mulled over this new information. He had never really cared for the garage, more than it gave them a place to work on their bikes and a legitimate business front as they brought dirty money in the back door. He didn't know much about what had been going on at Tacoma Auto since she'd taken over but from what Kozik said and what Clay had hinted at earlier, she had done one hell of a job building a successful business.

"Your place safe? I don't much like the idea of you living here – especially knowing the heat that the club can bring." Natalie rolled and pursed her lips together for a minute, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"This is where I prefer to be, if that makes any difference." Her uncle wasn't really the overprotective type. When she'd come to live with him at 10 she was practically going on 30, having lost her parents. He never tried to really step into the role, instead guiding her and giving his opinion – until she went to live with his ex. He could already tell that living with Leslie through her teens had brought out a stubborn, defiant edge in her. "As far as I'm concerned, the clubhouse is yours – I will be in there periodically but I will never overstep my boundaries. I may not have been with you for too long, but I know the rules and I've been enforcing them even in your absence these last years. I know some of the guys won't like it, but when they're in the garage, my office, my building, they will respect me. I think I've earned that much."

Lee nodded slowly, drawing in a deep breath. He didn't have a problem with her terms, but Natalie was right about two things: she sure as hell had earned respect and some of the guys not liking it? Well, that was one hell of an understatement.

Happy sat leaning on the picnic table enjoying the fresh air and taking a deep drag off his smoke when he saw Lee emerge from the office attached to the garage. He was halfway back to the clubhouse when he noticed that the kid had moved to the doorway. He watched as she gathered a few things, stepped out, set the alarm code and locked the door. What he wasn't anticipating was that she didn't move to leave. Instead, she moved to the side of the building, unlocked another door and moved inside. Happy was confused for a minute before the lights flickered on and reveled that the storage space wasn't full of old boxes and junk. Instead he could see the distinctive gleam of a stainless steel refrigerator.

"God damn, bitch fucking lives here," he said to no one but himself before snuffing his cigarette on the picnic bench and shoving off the table top, heading inside to find some female company – the kind that knew their place.