Here we go! I really planned on having this up a few days ago.. but i've been struggling with where I want this story to go. I have a bit written now so I should be able to update pretty constantly :)

For those of you just starting on the journey with me, you should check out The Soldier since that will explain everything that has happened for the two years before this story. There are some ideas of what happened in this first chapter but it would take me a whole story to try to explain what happened..

She was sure that most people didn't find working on vehicles relaxing. In fact, she knew that everyone else she worked with had quite the temper when something didn't go right. How could she tell? Well currently Happy and Tig were yelling at each other about the engine not fitting in correctly.

She couldn't help but laugh. This is almost exactly what was going on two years ago when she showed up at TM Auto looking for a job after she was medically retired from the Army. She had shown them what to do and secured herself a job here, though with the way Chibs had looked at her since day one she wasn't sure he would have turned her away. Eventually they had learned more about her and offered her a spot in the Sons of Anarchy.

She had everything she wanted. She felt a family connection she didn't even think existed. She had fallen in love with a beautiful brunette named Sarah who she was sure was going to be around forever. Things were falling into place. She felt at home. She felt complete.

To say that her pasts haunts her in an understatement.

In the matter of a few months she lost Sarah, made some really bad choices which included getting pregnant by Happy, killed over half of a rival MC and was almost killed by a very violent ghost from her past.

She went through hell to work through everything and it had been six months since some rouge prior Mayans came in and shot up the clubhouse. Happy and her were lucky to be alive but the situation was taken care of very quickly. Though Happy wore the Sargent in Arms patch, Riley was also an enforcer. Tig and Chibs made it very clear it was nice to have two people willing to do all the messed up shit, especially when the two were in sync together. They were so proficient in what they did they didn't even need to verbally communicate.

Not only had it been six months since the clubhouse had been shot up, it had been almost as long since Chibs had went to visit Ireland. His wife Fiona had been killed and he went to try to convince his daughter to move to the states. Riley had offered to go with since they were sort of together but he didn't think it was safe for the IRA to know too much about her.

He called her almost every day to see how she was doing. He always asked if it was okay to call so early for her but she woke up about five minutes before he called just because she knew the phone may ring. She had been left in charge of TM so they talked about business a bit but mainly he just talked about how much he missed her and how much he hoped that someday she would be able to visit Ireland with him. He didn't plan on staying away for so long but since he would be returning alone he figured he should help his daughter get set up in a safe place.

She missed him but at the same time the distance really gave her time to work through all the stuff with Sarah and everything else she had gone through. It gave her time to grieve and process the pain that was there without associating it with Chibs. She knew she really cared about Chibs but she needed to breathe too. She wasn't alone with the rest of the club around but she wanted to be able to give all of herself to Chibs when he returned.

At the moment she felt very vulnerable. She had wanted to put her thick wall back up but the events over the past two years had really broken her. It was increasingly hard to keep the stoic look pasted on her face along with standing up tall. She could keep the façade up but it was getting really difficult to hide the damage from her eyes. She wasn't sure if everyone could see it but she did know Happy could.

"You still with us Riley?" Happy grumbled out as he squatted next to the car she was working on.

"Yeah. I'm good. Just thinking and working."

"Nothing changes with you does it?"

"Not generally."

She rolled out from under the car and grabbed Happys extended hand to help her up. She popped up and wiped the dirt off her hands and smiled up at him. If anyone in this world could be called her best friend it would be this man. She was sure that anyone else hearing that come out of her mouth would laugh but he was her rock through everything.

Everyone else in the club was always there for her but Happy understood her more than anyone else. She was able to talk to him about the sadistic killer side of herself. She knew that anyone else would listen to her but no one would understand like he did. When she had lost Sarah he was there for her in a way no one else could have even understood, especially Chibs. She had almost lost Chibs in the process but at the time Happy was exactly who she needed.

"You talk to the prez today girl?"

"Yeah he called me this morning before I opened up the shop."

"You tell him what you needed to?"

Riley grimaced and shook her head no. There was a lot she needed to talk to Chibs about but most of it didn't seem right to bring up on the phone. It wasn't club related and it wasn't business related so she really didn't think it was that urgent. Although another part of her was just afraid he would decide not to come home if he got pissed off enough.

"Alright. You need to talk to him though."

Before Riley could answer him she heard the rumble of a single bike coming towards the shop. They both turned and saw Chibs rolling up on his bike with a huge smile on his face. Riley stepped forward and couldn't hide how excited and happy she was to see him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Happy smiling and crossing his arms. She wondered if he knew that Chibs was on his way back but she was too excited to ask him at the moment.

She waited until Chibs backed his bike into his spot in the parking lot until she started walking towards him. She was a ball of nerves. Part of her wanted to jump him right there but another part knew she needed to keep her cool. They weren't even an official thing yet and once she talked to him she wasn't sure he would even want to be.

Chibs saw Happy and Riley talking as he rolled in. Riley looked upset as she looked up at Happy but the look immediately left her face as she turned to see him roll into the parking lot. She was just as beautiful as the day he left. She had her long blonde hair pulled up into a tight bun and had her shop clothes on. They were baggy but she still looked incredibly sexy. The sun hitting her face made her bright blue eyes sparkle just how he had remembered them. The scars on both sides of her face running from her forehead down past her jaw line were both delicate and beautiful in the oddest way. Not many people could pull of major facial scars but Riley was one of them.

He watched her walk towards him and he could almost feel the nervous energy shooting off of her. She was wearing a full beautiful smile that was only reserved for when she was really happy. Normally she kept a fairly neutral look on her face though Chibs was learning to see the slight differences in it depending on what mood she was in. He learned long ago that she wasn't cold but she was very reserved. She was a lot like Happy in that aspect. They both were very observant and unless you knew them very well there was no way to tell how they were feeling about a situation.

"Good afternoon to the most beautiful lass in the world."

He watched as her cheeks flush slightly and she smiled sheepishly as she look at the ground. She stuck her hands on her pockets like she always did when she was nervous. She had stopped, keeping a bit of a distance between the two of them and it was driving him mad. They were pretty close when he had left though they had yet to actually turn their relationship sexual. He had tried to apologize to her about needing to leave in a hurry but she wouldn't have any of it. She knew he needed to go and the fact that she was so supportive made it that much easier to him.

"You didn't tell me that you would be home today. I would have made myself look a little more presentable."

She smirked slightly at him and it made his breath catch. Not even Fiona could drive him so wild without even touching him. Her smirk made her eyes sparkle in a way that made him forget the world around him.

"Aye. Ya don't need to dress up for the likes of me."

"Your accent seems heavier now."

"Aye. Only American voice I heard for almost half a year was yours."

She smiled again at him and closed the distance between them. He stood up off his bike and pulled her gently into him with one hand on her hip and the other on the side of her face. While he looked her in the eyes he ran his thumb across her face gently feeling relief from missing her. He had dreamt of this moment for months and it was nothing short of spectacular.

"I missed ya lass."

"And I missed you."

He leaned down and kissed her lips gently feeling that spark and connection that he had been craving. He felt her sigh into his kiss which only made him pull her in tighter. He felt her hands rest against his chest and lightly grab onto his cut. He loved that this tough as nails woman would melt in his embrace. He felt like this was a side of Riley not many had seen or experienced and he loved the fact that it was his to see. He pulled his mouth from hers but stayed close to her.

"We don't have church until tomorrow morning. Do you wanna go for a ride with me? I want to go to the beach."

"We won't get there until dark though."

"That's fine lass."

Riley nodded and looked between Chibs and her bike.

"Ride with me. I've missed you holding onto me."

Riley went stone faced again and nodded her head quickly before grabbing her helmet. She had grabbed her half helmet which was new. Normally she wore her full face she had shown up with but she had said she was starting to like the bucket helmet since it was so hot in California. Chibs climbed on his bike and held out his hand to help Riley onto it. She just shook her head and grabbed his hand. Although she was proficient in riding he still always helped her on when she was riding with him.

He felt her wrap her arms around his waist and put the side of her face on his back. He patted her hands as he started up the bike and rolled out. He was so glad to be home.

She stayed quiet the whole ride out to the beach. She was incredibly happy to be wrapped around Chibs again but she knew that she needed to talk to him about a lot once they got there. Part of her was hoping that they would just keep riding together like this and she would never have to face anything.

She closed her eyes and let herself take in everything. She absolutely loved the way Chibs smelled. The mix of cigarettes, leather and his cologne drove her wild. There were a few times while he was gone she would go into his dorm room and just curl up into his pillow allowing herself to pretend like he was there. She allowed herself to take in the smell while the air whipped around them with the feel of the bike underneath her. This was her happy place.

She felt the bike start to slow down so she opened her eyes to see the beach. It was almost dark out but there was still a slight glow. They pulled over and she swung herself off the bike along with her helmet. She pulled her cut off along with the top to her work clothes revealing a black tank top. She slipped her shoes off and then her pants showing she had a pair of jean shorts on. She left all the outer clothing on top of Chibs bike but slipped her cut back on. She looked at him to see he was smirking.

"Ya wear that all the time at work?"

"Sometimes. I was running late this morning so I just tossed it on over what I was wearing."

He smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders leading her to a spot on the beach. He sat down and pulled her down on top of him crashing his lips into hers. She kissed back but she was sure he could feel her hesitation when he pulled away with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong lass?"

"I need to talk to you."

She slipped off of his lap sitting next to him pulling her knees to her chest. He turned slightly so he was looking at her and put his hand on her knee.

"What's wrong lass?"

"I don't know what we are, and that is okay. We never really had a chance to really talk about it but I honestly needed the time to get over everything that happened. I missed you like crazy but I am glad we had that time apart. Helped me realized what I really want."

"And what is it that you want?"

"I need to tell you some stuff first before we have that conversation."

"Alright."

She looked at him and could see how nervous he was. As much as he tried to act like a hard ass, he had a heart of gold. She wouldn't ever want to be at the other end of his rage but she hated seeing him so worried about each word coming out of her mouth.

"Three weeks ago I slept with someone. I never intended anything to happen and I feel like shit about it."

She watched Chibs jaw set as he breathed out slowly.

"Tell me."

She took a deep breath hoping she could get everything out before he flipped out. He had every reason to be upset with her but she wanted him to know the whole situation.

"Let me tell you everything before you rip into me okay?"

He nodded once and continued to look at her with his jaw set.

"There was a crow-eater in the clubhouse who had been trying to go after me for months. Pretty much as soon as you left she was trying her hardest to get me into bed. She actually kind of looked like Sarah so it was pretty hard to look her in the eyes and tell her to fuck off. I did though. Every single time."

"Okay."

"Three weeks ago I got totally hammered because Rat had a huge party for his engagement. It was an awesome party. The girl, Kitty she called herself, really got me going. Well apparently she had been doing the same shit to Happy."

At the mention of Happys name Chibs stiffened up even more. She knew that this would be a sore spot for him considering Riley and Happys history but she needed to be straight with him.

"All three of us ended up in bed together. I don't remember a lot of it and neither does Happy. We were both really loaded. What I do know is nothing happened between myself and Happy. We both just shared Kitty."

She looked up at Chibs and saw that his face was relaxing a little. She stayed perfectly still waiting for him to get mad at her but it didn't happen.

"A few things. First off, thank ya for telling me the truth. You easily could have hidden it from me."

"I didn't want to. I would never be unfair to you like that."

"Second, I believe everything you're saying. You've always been straight forward with me about everything you do and I don't think anything would change that."

He grabbed onto her face with a hand on each side pulling her quickly to him causing her to gasp.

"Lastly, the next time you fuck a woman I better be in the fucking room. Got it?"

She smiled up at Chibs seeing the smirk on his face.

"You aren't mad at me?"

"Mad? No. Jealous? Yes. I can't be mad at ya though. For one we haven't even talked about what we are. Secondly you just shared a woman with another patched member. If I got mad about that I would have to let you be mad at me. Not like I haven't done it before lass."

She smiled at him and sighed out in relief. She grabbed onto the front of his cut and pushed so he fell backwards while she climbed up on top of him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her lips into his. She felt his hands tighten onto her waist as he groaned into her mouth.

"As much as I hate to stop you lass, isn't there more we need to talk about?"

Riley sat up slightly blushing. She pushed her hair out of her face and laughed softly. When she tried to climb off of him he tightened his hands down and shook his head no.

"We can talk like this."

"Are you sure? I feel like I could ask you anything right now and you would tell me yes."

Chibs laughed out loudly and helped slide her to the side of him while sitting up. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead gently.

"Fair enough. You said you have been doing a lot of thinking."

"Yeah. I think your time away gave me time to really think without all the complications."

"Go on. I'm an old man. I'm gonna die before you tell me what ya have figured out."

"I'm no good at relationships. I never have been. I grew up seeing shit relationships and I seem to always put myself in them. Honestly the healthiest relationship type thing I've ever had has been with Happy and we both know how fucked up that was."

"Jesus Christ lass. It's not like I'm very good at it either. Fi and I fought like dogs and then most of our marriage she was with a different man. Dated a cop for a while and that wasn't very good either."

"Where does that leave us then?"

"Where do you want us to be?"

"I don't know. I really care about you Chibs. I adore both sides of you in my life. I would protect you with my life in the name of this patch and I would give anything to see you smile away from the club. You are two different people to me and I like that. I like that we can bullshit like the rest of the guys in church and I like how soft and affectionate we are with each other behind the bedroom door."

"I like that too."

"I just don't want to fuck it all up. I don't know how to do all of this. I have felt so vulnerable since all the shit happened with Brandon. I don't feel like myself one hundred percent."

"It's something we can figure out together lass. If that's what you want."

She looked into his eyes seeing the sincerity she also heard in his voice. It felt good to unload all of this on him. It had been weighing on her shoulders for months now but she was very glad she waited until she was actually in front of him to say anything.

"If there is anyone on this planet I would want to figure out how to be in a relationship with, it's you."

She watched as a huge smile spread across Chibs face. He pulled her into him holding her close. She loved feeling his arms wrap around her and for the first time in a long time she felt safe. She felt like regardless of what happened and what they still needed to do she would always have a pair of arms to come home to.

"Then no more fucking crow-eaters unless I'm present." He murmured into the top of her head.

Riley pulled away and looked up at him with a confused look on her face.

"You mean no more fucking crow-eaters right? Isn't that a normal relationship thing?"

"Nah lass. It means no more crow-eaters for me. You can still do what you want to them. Just as long as I'm around to see and hear it."

Riley chuckled and nestled back into Chibs chest. They sat watching the ocean as the sun completely set causing the darkness to really set it. She heard him yawn and realized that he probably was pretty tired from his flight in and the time change.

"Need me to drive home?"

"As much as I never thought I would ride bitch to anyone, I think riding bitch to you is alright."

Riley stood up and pulled Chibs to his feet. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips then started walking towards his bike. She climbed on and waited for him to climb on after her. When he did, he placed one hand on each breast which caused Riley to laugh out loudly. She moved his hands down to her waist and shook her head as she started the bike and pulled onto the road.

I know this is moving a little slowly but at least Chibby and Riley are finally together right!? :)