It was hot and steamy in New Orleans that night but so was every night in the town. He hoped off his bike and walked up the pathway of her courtyard. Her front door was open but screen door locked, thankfully. He knocked lightly and lent against the front of the house. Stella walked to the door and saw that no one was there, she frowned and opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. She had dyed her hair again it was black, but then again she could never keep it one colour for too long.

"Dark angel again, huh?"

Stella jumped in fright and spun to face Kozik, her face like thunder. She quickly checked inside the house and down the hallway to see if Parker was anywhere near, he wasn't.

"What are you doing here?" she more accused then asked.

"I thought you lived in New York"

"I did. We moved here shortly after I came home from Charming. New start of sorts"

Kozik really wanted to fire back that Charming was his home but he held back because he knew they would fight and that wasn't why he was there.

"New start?"

"I told Parker about us"

"Why would you that?"

"Koz, I don't keep secrets, you know why? They tear people apart"

He brushed her cheek softly with the back of his hand and then cradled the back of her neck. Clearly Tig's little secret had had more damage then Stella had shown when she finally found out a year ago.

"Stel, you might not want to know this but we didn't want to tell you over the phone"

"What's wrong?" she asked on full alert "What happened?"

"Tig's missing"

Before she could react they both heard her name being called out from inside the house and foot steps coming to towards them. Parker walked out to the patio and saw his partner in the arms of another man, Koz's hand had moved down from her neck and was now resting on the curve of her hip. Koz and Parker stared each other down and the air was thick with tension and Stella had to do something.

"Parker this is an old friend of mine Kozik. Koz this is my partner, Parker"

"Hey man!" Kozik said quickly. Parker didn't say anything.

"I'll be in soon"

Parker reluctantly left them alone and Kozik looked at her in shock and awe.

"So you're not coming?"

"Koz" she said with her hands on her hips " It's probably US marshals or bounty hunters. Something like that. He'll be fine. Tig will find his way home eventually. It might a girl that has his head spun about, might be having a dirty weekend in Vegas. Who knows?"

"You're making a mistake, Stel" he told her walking down the front steps.

"Why do you care? You're not SAMCRO"

"I transferred" he called out not looking back and he kept on walking. She stayed out on the porch until she heard his bike scream away. She shook her head and calmed herself down before walking back inside.

Stella walked inside and the whole place was silent, no television buzzing in the next room, no music which normally meant she was in a lot of trouble. There was only one place he would be and that was their bedroom, she lent against the doorframe and watched him pace.

"That was him, wasn't it?"

She didn't need to clarify who Parker was talking about. Himwas the man she slept with last year.

"Yes"

"Kozik?" he asked "As in the guy who branded your back?"

"He wasn't the only one who has a brandon their back"

That was something Parker didn't know. He looked at her shocked and shook his head. Just the thought of a guy like Koz having his girlfriends name inked on his body made him both sick and angry.

"It was true love then, huh?" She sighed loudly and went to sit on the bed. "What did he want?"

"Tig's missing"

"The guy who killed her father! Why would you care?"

"He is my family, Parker"

"What! You're going?" he yelled outraged

"Am I standing here? Did I send him away? Jesus!" she softly but she sounded anything but weak. She hoped up from the bed and walked out of the room. She'd be sleeping on the sofa tonight not because she was in trouble but because she couldn't stand being in the same room as him.

Stella tossed and turned all night, as much as she hated to admit it she was worried about Tig, she was worried about her Scarecrow. Around the four thirty mark Stella knew that Kozik was right, she had made a mistake. Stella should be in Charming, she should be looking for him. She sat up quickly and walked over to her laptop and punched in the first airline that popped into her head. She grabbed her white trench coat and any clothes she had in the laundry room, threw them into an overnight bag and wrote Parker a note telling him where she was going. There were a lot of places she wanted to be in the world but there was only one place that she needed to be.