What am I doing back here? The blond thought to herself as she drove through the streets of her hometown. It seemed smaller than she remembered, but then again, she'd left it when she was ten to move down to Dallas with her aunt. Her parents were really shit parents; at least, that's what her big brother always told her when they'd talk on the phone. Their dad was an old man who had half of his shit together and used it to raise him the best he could. Their mother didn't really want anything to do with raising kids, and that was how she ended up with her aunt. To say there was a little resentment from them toward their parents was an understatement, but being back in the small town where she grew up, well, it was more overwhelming than she thought it would be.

Her phone rang, causing her to slow down to find it and press answer. "Hello?" she said as she turned down the radio.

"Where are you?" Her brother asked.

"I'm pulling up now." He hung up on her before she said anything else. She pulled into the driveway of his house and watched him stand up from the front porch where he sat with three other men. They were all clad in their club vests, of which they'd never part. The Sons of Anarchy was a family before anything else and that's all anyone, especially she, needed to know.

She turned the engine off as her brother stalked across the yard to greet her. She was able to pull herself out in enough time for him to envelop her into a hug. It was strange, yet comforting, to embrace him. The two of them had managed to stay close despite being separated and in spite of his time in jail. It honestly was heartbreaking that it took the death of his wife to bring them together for a prolonged amount of time, but her brother needed her for real and she wouldn't let him down – no matter how much she thought returning home was a bad idea.

"I'm so sorry, Opie," she said as he pulled back from her and gazed down. He was clearly devastated. She could see that much on his face. He was tormented enough before, but now, she almost didn't recognize him and it scared her a bit. He shook his head at her.

"I know," he said softly, "I know." Opie looked down at his feet, inhaled, and then looked at her. "Hey, where are your bags? I'll get them for you." He started to move toward the trunk of her car. She used the automatic button on her keychain to pop it open.

"Hey!" another voice said coming near. She turned her head to see her brother's best friend, Jackson, coming through the yard. He smiled at her, but it wasn't the smile she'd seen on him before. She could tell that all of them were suffering this loss greatly. "Damn, it's good to see you." Jackson pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's been way too long. I almost don't know who you are."

"Well, considering that I was thirteen the last time I saw you, I can see how that could happen." She said with a laugh as she patted his back. He let her go and smiled genuinely this time.

"I know. You're an old fucking woman now."

"Ha. Ha." Opie moved around the car with her bags after shutting the trunk and Jackson took one from him to help.

"Come on. Pop's up here," Opie said. She followed him and Jackson toward the front porch.

"Where are Ellie and Kenny?" Her brother opened the screen door of the house and set her bags inside as Jackson returned to his seat.

"They're with Donna's parents today," a gruff voice said. She turned her head to spot her father looking at her. She stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before smiling softly and moving to hug him.

"Hey, Pop." Piney ran a hand over her hair before releasing her.

"Look at you. All grown up. And wearing the fanciest fucking clothes I've ever seen." She laughed with the men around her and looked down at her attire.

"Sorry. I left straight from work to drive here."

"Yeah, kinda look like a lesbian in that pant suit," Opie said. She rolled her eyes.

"So ignorant." Her eyes fell to the second blond man sitting next to Jackson.

"Hey," he said with a smirk. Her stomach flipped for a moment as she realized who he was. The last time they'd seen each other they were both verging on those pesky teenage years. She'd had the biggest crush on him and he'd even been her first kiss. But, that was over a decade and a half ago. He was really unrecognizable at first.

"Tommy?" He glanced at Jackson who shared a laugh with him.

"Well, yeah." He stood up and pulled her into a half hug over the coffee table between them. "Who else would I be?"

"I'm sorry. You're just…taller than I remember."

"Puberty," Jackson said. "He's still the same shit head he was when he was a kid. Trust me." Tommy let go of her and sat back down.

"Fuck off, Jax."

"What time was that wake again?" Piney interrupted. Opie let out a heavy sigh.

"Seven." He looked toward his sister. "Soph, you're coming right?" She looked between the four of them.

"A wake…?" she asked.

"It's for Donna. My mom's throwing it at the clubhouse," Jackson said. He checked his phone. "As a matter of fact, Tommy and I better get over there to help her finish setting up." He stood up and his little brother followed suit. "Ma will flip when she sees you." He smiled and laid a friendly kiss to her cheek as he walked off the porch. Tommy just smiled at her before departing.

"So, you're coming then, Sophie?" Opie asked again. When she looked at her brother, he appeared to be pleading with his eyes. This was tough for him. He needed all the support he could get tonight. She nodded.

"Of course, Ope, of course." She thought she saw relief cross his face. "I'm gonna freshen up and get changed."

Sophia Winston walked into her brother's house, leaving him and their father on the porch as she looked around the living room. She hadn't been here before, yet felt at home as soon as she entered. Naturally, there was a dark presence looming and she knew that it was Donna's absence; but still, she didn't feel on edge here.

Perhaps it was because she was finally home.

**~~A/N~~**: So as you can see, there are AU aspects for this story in the form of custom characters. There will be AU story elements as well.

Sophia Winston is played by Blake Lively.

Thomas "Tommy" Teller is played by Boyd Holbrook.