Anywhere The Wind Blows

by JayoftheSea

Story written by request! AU for both shows. Story Rating for later chapters; ch1 rated T. With the Matthews' in London, Maya is feeling lost and alone. With all of her remaining friends vacating the city for the summer after her first school year without Riley, she decides it's time to take her summer, and, unknowingly, her future, into her own hands.

2. Chapter 2

CONTENT WARNING: As stated in the summary, this story is rated M despite ch1 being rated T. This chapter is where is switches over, with moderately explicit sex scenes beginning about halfway through this chapter. If sexual relationships between two peoples of wide age gaps, one of whom has only just turned the legal age of consent in the U.S. bother you, THIS IS NOT THE STORY FOR YOU, PLEASE SEE YOURSELF OUT NOW.

Also of note is that there will eventually be various kinks described in similar moderate detail that may be triggering, so please exercise reasonable caution if you do choose to continue reading.

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If Maya had to pick a mood to describe herself after getting back to New York, it would probably be #done.

#done with being watched like she's about to just take off again at any second

#done with petty drama

#done with people trying to "save" her - she doesn't even really know what from, a full class load, a couple dance classes, and a part time job at a Hot Topic?

She keeps herself busy. She knew she'd be busy before school even started, though. Mostly she just tries to keep her mind occupied and her body tired, so she doesn't have too much time and energy to miss the taste of freedom she'd experienced. And the people along with it.

They email, and text, and talk on the phone, of course. At least, some of them. She had, naturally, gotten closer to some than others. Chibs calls her every few weeks to chat. Tig always takes the phone from Venus to talk to her for a couple minutes when her aunt calls. She's regular email-and-text buddies with Phil, Juice, and Lyla. She gets the occasional note through them from the others.

She and Happy talk the most, unsurprisingly. They had done so while she was there as well. She keeps one SIM card in her burner, and they text daily, talk most nights, even if it's just for a couple minutes. Email each other photos of drawings or paintings they do, or see, that they think the other will like.

Maya doesn't let any of it interfere with her school work. She'd been a solid B- average student through freshman and sophmore years, and, if she can maintain that through this year, she can graduate in June. Not that almost anyone knows that's happening. She doesn't need that kind of pressure. It's honestly a little obscene; the school expected her to just keep her parents informed and didn't contact Katy at all. Maybe some administrative holdover from when Mr. Matthews was there and aware of everything? Other than the counselor and Happy, she had only told Mr. Jackson, the art teacher, and that was out of necessity. She knows she'll need examples of her work and a good portfolio to apply for art schools, and she'd wanted to get working on it right away. He's been awesome with helping her create and curate pieces toward that end.

Scholarships aren't always easy to come by, after all, and she's hoping to not have to either take out loans or ask Mr. Minkus for money if she doesn't have to.

Shawn, bless his soul, is determined to play ignorant about everything he notices that Katy doesn't. Like that day she'd come home and he'd elected to "not see" her motorcycle jacket and helmet, he had likewise never either pointed out or commented on any of her SAMCRO, SOA, or generally reaper-themed accessories, though she knows he had noted it. Also unremarked went the day he had come home from a trip earlier than she was expecting and found her without the protective leather cuff around her wrist, clearly showing the little black tattoo hiding there.

Maya has no idea if he wants to think she's more innocent than she is, or if he would feel obligated to tell Katy and wants to avoid the drama, or something else entirely. Regardless of the reason, she's grateful.

Her burner phone vibrates as she's on the train home after a shift at work, and she flips it open to find a text. 'Wtf? How did u even find that pic of ma?'

Smiling, she taps back 'Internet. Duh.' and hits send. He got his birthday package, then. There had been a few things in it; a chunky silver men's ring with an intricately etched skull that she'd found at the flea, a cheeky, garishly yellow smiley-face belt buckle, an oversized, heavy Harley coffee mug that was also a flea find, and, the piece de resistance, a portrait she'd painted of his mother, based on a photo she'd found online from the woman's garden society. It's of Rosalinda in her garden in front of one of her colorful flower beds, from some award she'd won a few years previously.

The fact that Happy is a Halloween baby had amused Maya greatly, and it was very hard not to send him so many tacky things.

An hour later, she's at the little desk in her room working on a geometry assignment when her phone vibrates again, this time with a call. "Hey." she answers somewhat distractedly.

"Did you seriously send my mom a thank you card for my birthday?" rumbles the voice at the other end of the line.

In fact, Maya had sent her a pretty little rose cameo and a card that she had to hand make because for some reason Hallmark hasn't caught on that it's the mom that does the work giving birth and they deserve some recognition for their awesome kids in subsequent years too, not just the one they actually give birth in.

Shrugging despite him being unable to see it, she says simply, "I mean, you're great and everything, but she did all the work. She deserves presents too."

An odd rubbing sound tells her he's running his free hand over his face in exasperation. "You're so fuckin' weird." Happy grumbles.

"You like it." Maya says.

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"I feel like I don't know anything that's going on in her life anymore."

It's late, and Katy and Shawn are talking quietly in the living room, obviously thinking Maya is asleep. It's the middle of December. Earlier that afternoon, Katy had sat Maya down for a, frankly long overdue, sex talk, alerted by the Minkii when a charge at PlannedParenthood had shown up a last week on Maya's Minkus card, because she hadn't been paying attention to which card she'd pulled out of her wallet when she'd handed one over to cover the copay that her mother's insurance demanded. She'd meant to use the one for the personal bank account she'd set up upon receiving her first paycheck a few months ago.

Shawn replies just as quietly - still not quietly enough to keep Maya from hearing in her room - "She'll be 17 in a couple weeks, it's not like this is unexpected, or even weird. At least she's being responsible."

"I guess," is Katy's response.

Maya's step-father continues to be the sensible one, talking her mother around. "And, yes, she's keeping some things from us, but it's not as if she's running wild. We know where she is MOST of the time. I'm pretty sure Stuart is a lot less aware of Farkle's schedule than we are of Maya's. Hell, if she's not working or at dance class, she is almost always sitting in her room studying. So, if she occasionally disappears for a few hours, then is still home at a reasonable time, unharmed, and if there is someone she is interested enough in that she is taking precautions to be safe…. Can we really be all that upset?"

There's a minute of silence, and Katy must be thinking or giving some nonverbal reply.

Maya picks up her burner phone, typing out 'Is it next year yet?' and sending the text off.

"It was just so much easier before. Cory and Topanga were always so involved in the girls' day-to-day lives, it was easy to stay informed, even if Maya wasn't necessarily talking to me." Katy's voice recaptures her attention.

"It'll be nice to see them." Shawn comments, with some excitement.

The Matthews' are coming home for Christmas this year, hosting their family in their apartment, which Josh and one of his friends from home, who is also going to college in the city, live in. It's way too big for them, but they aren't about to complain about a free, massive apartment instead of a cramped dorm room. All they have to do is generally take care of the place and buy their own food. Topanga still comes back to New York on business regularly, and stays there, so is able to check in. Josh had moved into Auggie's old room, putting in a bunk bed with a futon on the bottom for whenever the family is home so he and Auggie can share, and the home office had been turned into a bedroom for Andrew so Riley still has her room.

She's not supposed to know about it, but there is also a "surprise" birthday party planned for Maya. She can't really decide if she's looking forward to it or not.

The phone, resting on her stomach where she'd unceremoniously dropped it, vibrates with a reply. 'Couple weeks.'

Scowling, she shoots back. 'U kno thats not wut i meant.'

"Do you know if she and Riley have talked at all?" her mother wonders.

"I don't think so," Shawn says.

'I kno.' quickly followed by a second follow-up. 'Wuts up?'

She lets out a sigh, listening to her mother and Shawn veer off into less interesting topics of plans for the next few days. 'Mom decided it was time 4 the sex talk 2day.' send.

'Bit late isnt it?' is the answer.

'Not as late as u prbly think.' Maya's almost certain her whole fake it til you make it approach to confidence, plus what she realizes is an unusual level of comfort sharing beds platonically with her friends, has given him an incorrect estimation of her experience level.

It takes a few minutes for Happy to reply, during which time the lights in the living room click off and she hears her parents shuffle down the short hall to their room, and she can't even venture a guess as to if he is just doing something or if it is in reaction. 'Really?' is the eventual response, and she curses texting because she can't tell the tone he's asking that in.

'Let me guess, u were one of those kids having sex 14?' she volleys back, fully expecting that to be the truth. She'd seen photos of him at every age up to about 20, after all. He never seemed to have that gawky awkward phase that most boys do. Around 13, he'd simply morphed from a cute kid to a cute teenage boy. With his cool, aloof swagger, she has no doubt he'd been one of the early bloomers. Had they been in the same grade, or even nearby ones, she would've been tripping all over herself to get his attention.

He never answers the question.

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The sex talk had not been "too late", but only just. In January, Maya had started hooking up with a guy only a couple years older than her that works at the Abercrombie store a few spaces down from the Hot Topic she works at, generally in a storage room when they can both get lunch at the same time. She's not proud of it, but neither is she ashamed.

The guy, Derek, has a few such hookups with girls that work at different stores in the mall, and Maya is fine with that. They use condoms, and neither is under any illusion about what they are doing. She'd actually talked to the other girls first to see if he was worth it.

With little to compare him to, she can't really say he's either very skilled or not, but she enjoys herself, and he seems to enjoy trying to get her off, and succeeds most of the time, so she isn't going to complain.

When her supervisor, Tiffany, finds out and curiously asks if she knows what she's doing (the girl is only a few years older than Maya as well, and not judging, and seems to actually be looking out for her), Maya easily explains that she doesn't have the time or inclination for a relationship. SATs coming up, still working on a portfolio, and she's graduating in a few months; she just wants a little stress relief on her breaks.

Tiffany had simply shrugged and said, "Well, sounds like you got a handle on it." and let the matter drop.

On Saturday the 12th of February - Maya knows specifically mostly because there's pink EVERYWHERE in the mall and she's counting down the days until it all gets torn down so she doesn't want to vomit constantly at work - she is walking out the front of the shop, on her way to go run a drive-by at Abercrombie to see if Derek can take his break, and stops short, not believing what she is seeing.

There, standing outside Hot Topic in a nausea-inducing, pink-festooned mall in New York City, is Juice, just standing there grinning that goofy grin of his at her.

With a squeal, she runs the dozen feet to him, jumping to wrap her arms around his neck as he spins her around once before setting her down, but maintaining the hug for another long moment. "What are you doing here?!" Maya asks excitedly as she pulls back.

"Came home to see my sister, maybe my ma if she ain't still too pissed at me," he answers, still smiling. "Figured I'd stop in an' see you on my way through." He must've asked Happy about her schedule to know to come directly here. "You got time to grab food or somethin'?"

Lightly, Maya replies, "I mean, I was just on my way to see if I could get laid on my lunch break, but I GUESS I could eat instead." prompting him to laugh and sling an arm around her shoulders, steering her away toward the food court. He laughs for a minute, at least, until they are approaching the nearby Abercrombie store and none other than Derek walks out, pausing briefly as he looks at them.

"Thought we were…." he says to Maya questioningly.

"Sorry, friend from the west coast just showed up an surprised me. Are you working tomorrow, though?"

He shakes his head. "I'll text you." he moves the other direction, likely to see if any of his other fuckbuddies are available.

The pair enters the food court and Maya heads immediately for the pizza place, knowing Juice frequently laments the lack of good pizza in California. "So, you were serious." He says, sounding weird.

In line, Maya looks over at him. "What, you think you guys have a monopoly on no-strings sex?"

Juice looks perturbed. "Dude, hearing you say that is like hearing my sister talk about her sex life."

Maya rolls her eyes, ordering a slice and waiting for Juice to do the same, and he slaps down money to pay for both of them before she can pull out her wallet. "Now you know how I feel, like, all the time around Charming. You're a dirty fucking slut, Juan Carlos."

They claim a table and Maya gets a little more serious for a sec. "For real, though, you would probably be better off not mentioning that in front of Hap."

Juice studies her as he bites into his pizza. "You ever gonna tell me what the fuck is going on with the two of youz?" he says around a mouth full of food.

She sighs around her own bite. "I don't even really know, man." pause for another bite. "But he made it clear that, whatever I get up to, he doesn't want to know, just like I'm not really interested in whatever sweetbutts and porn pussy he messes around with. Other than that, we're friends….. I'm still only 17….. By the time I'm 18, who the fuck knows what either o' us is gonna want." It's the most she's ever answered the question, though he is far from the first to ask. It's also not the first time he's asked.

Having virtually inhaled his pizza, Juice, hands now free, reaches forward and grabs the wrist with Maya's SAMCRO cuff, examining it. In doing so, it shifts enough for him to catch the edge of an inked line underneath. "17, huh, then where'd you get the tat?" he tries to lighten the mood with a grin and joking tone even as he pulls at the snaps before she can stop him.

Juice stares down at her wrist, no longer smiling, as Maya glances around to make sure no one important is here and she hadn't noticed before.

He finally looks back up at her face. "He know you have this?" The tone is weird. Like he can't decide if he's supposed to be worried or menacing.

"Who do you think put it there, dumbass?" Maya snips, finally setting down her pizza as she snatches her wrist back, as well as the cuff, buckling it back on.

Her stares at her, floored expression on his face. Apparently he hadn't even considered that Happy may have tatted her…. With his signature, basically.

"And you guys are just friends?" Juice is now VERY incredulous as he watches Maya pick up her food again. She gives him a looks that somehow conveys 'yeah, I just fucking told you that'. Shaking his head, he asks, "Did he tell you what that is?"

Swallowing she, answers, "He said it was for protection. Like, more personally than the club? That he would be responsible for me, and if I asked an ally for help and they didn't, they'd answer directly to him."

Juice blinks hard. That's one way of saying it, he supposes. "Maya, that smiley face is his calling card, his personal mark." She stares at him like he's stating that the sky is blue. Going further, he explains more. "As far as anyone in our world in concerned, that tattoo," he points needlessly at it for emphasis, "may as well say 'Property of Happy Lowman'." Maya's expression goes blank, and he can tell she's finally getting the gravity of the situation that Happy had obviously not informed her of fully. Hammering home his point, he goes on. "If you ever even get another tattoo with feathers, make damn sure they DO NOT look like crows' feathers, comprende?"

"Why not?" her voice is smaller than he's used to.

"Crows are the traditional mark of an Old Lady, but sometimes guys just give their girl the feathers and a mark like that instead." nodding down at it, again needlessly. "If you do that on accident, who the hell knows what would even happen. Fuck. Hap shoulda told you all this." Juice is frustrated now.

Maya gives up on finishing her food, dropping it back on it's paper plate and pushing it over to him, watching as Juice inhales the remainder in 3 bites even as he watches her process what he'd just told her. Her regular phone starts chiming, and she pulls it from her pocket to turn off the alarm she'd set before leaving the store. "I gotta get back. How long you in town?"

"Couple days."

"I got a short shift tomorrow, just the morning. Wanna hang out in the afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure. Meet ya in the Middle Village? We can figure out some shit to do from there."

"Sounds good." Hugs, and they part ways, Maya still reeling from the unexpected visit and onslaught of information, not knowing how she feels about it. And then the questions she now has, most of which she doesn't want to think about because there are no answers. Many of them are more of the standard about what exactly things thing between her and Happy is/will be/maybe one day. There is one curiosity, though. Guys from 3 different clubhouses had seen her with it uncovered, and she knows bikers are notorious gossips. While she'd been there last summer, it had rarely taken more than a few days for word of anything particularly juicy to get back to Charming, especially if there was more than one charter in on the news.

So why hadn't Juice known about the tattoo? Even if, for whatever reason, Happy had decided to not tell his home charter, what had stopped word from getting back. And why wouldn't Happy tell them? Is it the age thing again?

These thoughts distract her through the remainder of her shift.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Juice's visit had been a pleasant distraction, but only 2 weeks later, Maya had sat her SAT exams, getting about the results she expected 4 weeks after that. She's a solid B- student, and it's reflected in her test scores. She just hopes it's good enough.

College applications begin. Deadlines are tight, most being in the first couple weeks of May at the latest. Thankfully, her work throughout the previous months on her portfolio pays off. She's able to shuffle and add or subtract pieces from the digital portfolio for each program as she needs to, with plenty to choose from, and help from Mr. Jackson.

She uses Happy's address on her applications, because in-state tuition is cheaper. She'd applied for and received a few grants and scholarships, but, if she doesn't get any more, either from other applications she'd submitted or from whatever school she goes to itself, she'll have to get financial aid. All of the schools she is applying for are in Northern California - try to contain your shock.

Happy doesn't know that, though. They haven't discussed the details much, but the deal they'd made is that she goes to at least 2 years of art school, to expand her knowledge and skills, and he'll set her up with a tattoo apprenticeship more or less wherever she wants. He knows artists/shop owners in most major cities.

What he doesn't know is that she's planning on asking him to be her mentor. He may or may not agree. She doesn't think he's ever had an apprentice before. She knows he's a licensed master tattooist, though, she's seen the certificates, framed and hanging on the wall in his living room. And that means he can technically take her on as an apprentice. But for all of this to go down, she needs to be at least close by.

Besides, she just wants to be near Charming.

Between Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco, she applies to pretty much every school with an art program in addition to every specifically art college, and then it's a matter of waiting.

Thankfully, most schools do things online now, and the ones that don't, Happy takes a picture of the letter and emails it to her. He'd been confused, at first, to find mail in his box addressed to Maya, until he realized the return address on the large, thick envelope was the Art Institute of California. Even then, she'd had to explain about in-state versus out-of-state tuition, and, from that point, he'd simply accepted it.

Tuition ends up being a moot point. She doesn't have all her responses back by the time she has made her decision, and it's a private school that she decides on, so her address is irrelevant. The second Friday in June, she's called to the administrative offices at school to pick up her diploma, having declined to walk in the graduation ceremony that weekend.

Pulling out her smartphone, a group text is sent to her parents and the Minkuses, asking for the 5 of them to get together, perhaps for a meal, in the next few days because she has something important to discuss with them.

This must've freaked them out pretty badly, because it's only a couple hours later that they are sequestered in a private room at some restaurant near Minkus Tower, ordering as the adults throw cautious looks her way.

"Will you guys please stop looking at me like I'm a bomb that's about to go off?" Maya pleads as their drinks are set down.

"Sorry, honey, we're just a little anxious about you bringing us all together to talk like this. Especially on such short notice." Jennifer says.

Maya rolls her eyes just a little. "I did request sometime in the next couple days. You guys were the ones that dropped everything and insisted on doing it right this second."

The adults, bar Shawn, look sheepish.

He's the one that finally asks. "So, what's going on, Maya?"

She reaches back to pull her trusty messenger bag from it's spot hanging on the back of her chair, and pulls out two manila envelopes. The thinner one, she hands to him without comment.

Cautious, he flips the tab open and pulls out the pieces of paper inside. The top one, of course, catches his attention,and he only briefly flips through the papers behind it to confirm - a diploma, and high school transcripts. "So, either you found a really good document forger, or…."

"I accidentally graduated early." Maya says blandly as she picks up her water to take a drink.

Stuart snatches the papers away from Shawn. "How do you ACCIDENTALLY graduate early?!"

Setting the glass back down, Maya relaxes in her chair, shrugging. "Didn't do any clubs, or sports, or teams, or whatever. Ended up in extra classes instead without realizing. Here we are."

Jennifer recovers first. "When's the ceremony?" she asks, picking up her phone to check her and Stuart's schedule.

"Oh, I declined to walk. That's why I already have that." Maya gestures to the documents that the men are still looking at in disbelief.

"Why would you decline to walk?" Katy says indignantly.

Maya blinks at her mother. "Because I don't want to."

"So, we just don't get to celebrate the landmark of you graduating?" Shawn sounds a little pissy, surrendering the papers fully so Stuart can put them back in the envelope.

Maya's face morphs into an 'are you dumb?' expression and she gestures vaguely around them. Shawn purses his lips in response. She sighs. It's not worth fighting about. "ANYWAY." she attempts to get the conversation back on track. The next envelope is thicker, filled with documents she has printed out. "I WAS just going to find a way to move out and get on with life, but a friend convinced me that maybe giving the whole college thing a try wouldn't be the worst thing in the world." Maya hands this envelope to Stuart, knowing he'll disseminate the information based on who would need to see what. "I got some grants and scholarships, but the school I want to go to is private, so…."

"More expensive than a state school." Stuart fills in automatically. "California College of the Arts. What's this address you have listed as your residence? Where's Charming, California?"

"Charming?" Katy chimes in, looking like she's trying to remember something.

Looking at Stuart firmly instead of her mother, Maya answers. "Charming's about an hour outside Oakland, where the main campus of the school is located. I have an aunt there. I used that address for all my California applications; I know it doesn't matter for the private schools, but I did them pretty much all at the same time, I was just on autopilot." She doesn't mention that that address does not, in fact, belong to her aunt, or that she had only applied in California. Selective information is always key.

"Wait." Katy now sounds dumbfounded. "Is that where you were last summer? With Venus?"

Maya heaves a sigh. "Look, mom, I know you think I am stupid and immature or whatever, but I wasn't about to take off to some random place that I didn't know anyone. Whatever you may think about me taking off last year, I really did have a plan, and was perfectly safe."

Now her mother looks stricken. "I don't think you're stupid. How could you possibly-"

The girl cuts her off. "Because that's how you act. Like I have no idea what I'm doing, with anything. Like I'm some little kid that just does whatever she wants without thinking. Well, newsflash, I do actually think about my actions, and their consequences as far as I can reasonably predict them, and weigh those against why I am doing things. Just because you don't agree with what I choose doesn't necessarily mean I'm wrong."

There's an awkward silence, where Jennifer and Stuart slowly go through the college papers, not sure how to move forward. The food arrives, which eases a little of the tension as everyone has something to do.

Stuart and Jennifer both eat one-handed and continue perusing. Stuart eventually says, "Well, Maya, this looks like a good school. You're sure this is what you want?"

"Yes, sir." she replies, a little embarrassed at her outburst. "I was hoping I could borrow-"

Jennifer cuts in with her usual bluntness. "Borrow, schmorrow. We're paying for your college, and your living expenses. And you still have your card for day-to-day expenses and spending money."

Maya tears up, having no idea how she had lucked into having such incredibly generous people in her life. Seeing this, Stuart is quick to assure her, "You're Farkle's best friend, and a very good person Maya. We're happy to do this for you. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you felt comfortable coming to us with this." Now she feels even worse for all the things she keeps from them and her parents.

"Why not closer to home though?" Shawn question, somewhat morosely. When the couple and Maya turn to look at him, he is quick to clarify, "I'm not knocking it down, I'm just saying, California's a long ways away, and there's a lot of good art schools right here, and I can't help that I'm gonna miss you, kid."

Maya has to concede that that's fair. "I really liked they Bay area when I was staying with aunt Venus. I made some really great friends."

Shawn raises an eyebrow. "Oh, like the one you talk to at all hours of the night?"

She flushes. "Yes, actually."

"Tell us about your friends." Jennifer requests curiously. She is still friends with the same old group, but the distance had grown even more over the past school year. Now she supposes she understands why, Maya had been a busy bee.

"Well….. There's this guys from Queens-" she starts.

"I meant your California friends."Jennifer clarifies.

Maya laughs lightly. "Yeah, I know. He lives there now. He works at the shop that aunt Venus runs. But he's originally from Queens. He's a total tech nerd…." she proceeds to give general descriptions of a few of the people she had become close with, leaving out key details.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Maya should have remembered that the Minkii would try and spoil her. As if paying for her education and all her expenses while she is in school isn't enough.

She spends a few weeks cleaning out her childhood bedroom, getting rid of any remaining old clothes she doesn't wear (most had long since been traded in at Demolition for the more utilitarian style that she now prefers, but there's some that she finds stuffed in random places) and generally giving away or tossing out random crap that doesn't have any value, either real or sentimental. The remainder of her worldly possessions fill up 3 big boxes, almost 1 and a half of which are art supplies, and she packs only her backpack with clothes to take on the plane. She'd gone a whole summer with less clothes than what's in there now, she's sure a couple weeks in a hotel while the Minkii get her set up in an apartment will be fine.

See aforementioned 'forgot she was dealing with Minkuses'.

So, the last Sunday of July, Jennifer takes the window seat next to her - they're flying first class, naturally - while Stuart is across the aisle. The woman pulls out her laptop, blatantly disregarding the pilot's direction to pack away electronics, and Maya marvels at the rich-white-person-ness of it even as Jennifer starts showing Maya…. Real estate listings.

It takes her the 4 of the 5 hours of the flight to convince them that she doesn't need a whole house with a yard, or a townhouse, or a condo on the beach, eventually talking them down to an apartment. Jennifer emails the real estate agent, who is apparently still going to be helping them with that, about the change of plans, while Stuart says the dreaded words.

"So, Shawn mentioned that you already know how to drive, but we'll need to take you to the DMV to get you a license before we go car shopping. You DID remember to get your birth certificate from your mother, right?" A California Driver's Handbook is plopped onto her tray table for her to study, because apparently she has an appointment in 3 days for both the written and practical exams, the practical portion to be done in a rental.

The ritzy hotel is close to the Berkeley Campus, but still not far from the CCA one either, and the rental car is a fancy BMW convertible that Maya is almost embarrassed to even be sitting in.

"Is this really all you have for clothes?!" Jennifer looks at the contents of Maya's backpack in bafflement. "I'll have the desk send up your boxes-"

"There's not anything better in there." Maya is quick to tell the woman, knowing what's coming next.

Sure enough, it's moments before she's being dragged from the room, Jennifer pausing only to duck into her and Stuart's room across the hall, loudly announcing, "Maya doesn't have ANY clothes." as she snatches up her purse. She means, of course, the Maya doesn't have any clothes that aren't denim or semi-fitted cargo pants/short - having not seen the leather ones, packed away in a box, thankfully - and tank tops and tee shirts. Completely unsuitable for the fancy restaurants that the couple is prone to going to.

An hour and a half later, they are meeting Stuart at the restaurant where they have reservations that night, Maya wearing one of her dozen new dresses, bags in hand with the rest of the purchases and the outfit she'd been wearing before. Jennifer had at least let her largely choose the style, but had insisted on dresses of various formality level, then unceremoniously gotten her shoe size and paid one of the shop attendants $50 to go to ANOTHER shop with a copy of her credit card and pick up shoes that met various specifications.

Having not had time to get ready on account of taking Maya shopping, Jennifer is also sporting a new dress and pair of shoes. Another cash exchange, and a valet is taking their bags to be loaded into the BMW that Stuart had driven there from the hotel.

The whole ordeal exasperates Maya. She knows this is only the first of several such shopping sprees, and probably the shortest and most painless she'll have.

Jeans and a tee shirt are, thankfully, perfectly acceptable at the hotel restaurant for breakfast, because Maya refuses to get dressed up to get hauled around the city all day arguing about apartments. And she has no doubt there will be arguments.

The realtor meets them for breakfast, and eyes the 'REAPER CREW' shirt Maya is wearing critically before looking almost skeptically at Stuart and Jennifer and pulling out a tablet, primed with listings for apartments that are, in Maya's opinion, far too much.

"I don't need that much room."

"But what if you want to have someone come stay, wouldn't a guest room be nice?" Stuart asks.

"That's a 3-bedroom apartment, even if I had a guest room, what's the other one for?" Maya questions, buttering another piece of toast to nibble on.

"Your art studio, of course," Jennifer says, as though it's obvious.

Yes, her art studio, how could she be so silly. "A 1-bedroom, 1 bath, with a living room and kitchen is more than enough for what I need." Maya insists as sincerely as possible.

The couple look at each other for a long moment before Stuart lets out a resigned sigh. "A dining room as well, to convert to an art space." He compromises.

"And a balcony." Jennifer throws in. "Somewhere to get some natural light."

It's the best she's likely to get from them, so Maya nods her acceptance of the new parameters. She'd be happy with a cramped little studio with a kitchenette and a bathroom, but that would do. Jan the Realtor plugs in the new search and fiddles with her tablet to narrow down a list of places for them to go look at today. "Can I look at that list before we go?" Maya asks.

Most of Oakland is perfectly safe, but there are small sections of it that she needs to avoid, and Juice had sent her a map with the general areas delineated. Looking at the tablet, she sees there's a nifty map view and clicks into it, studying it and removing 2 places immediately, then 5 more for sheer distance from the campus, before going back to a list view and handing it back over. Seeing the curious looks, she answers the unasked. "I get that I'm going to have to commute, but I don't want to drive all the way across the damn city every single day." This explanation seems satisfactory, and they take off, Jan sending the first address to Stuart and saying she'll meet them there.

He hands Maya the keys when the car is brought around, and she looks at him dumbly. "You have a driving test in this thing in 2 days, you should get used to it." he says, opening the back door and getting in, leaving the front seat for Jennifer.

The Minkii insist on seeing all the options before committing to somewhere for Maya, so it's a whirlwind 2 days where the apartments begin to blur together. It's near the end of day 2 that she speaks up in vehement approval of one, enough to make them take notice.

"Now, try not to judge this next one based on the location. It's not the best part of town, but it's not bad, either. It's mostly working class and hispanic residents. The unit is in a small building, not far from the freeway, close to locally owned shops and restaurants. A darling little place, really." Jan tells them as she sends the address.

In the car, Stuart reads off the address, which Jennifer punches into the navigation system even as Maya pulls out to follow Jan. As Maya looks down at the map, she gets a little excited. It's close to the Mayans clubhouse, the cross streets and address of which she had memorized at Happy's request when it had been confirmed she'd be moving to Oakland. She'd only seen a few Mayans in passing, not even meeting them properly, but they are firm allies of the Sons (though she had been informed that's a development of recent years), and the boys would be happy if she were close by them.

The second-floor apartment is cute. Hardwood floors, small but open kitchen, a large area that is both living and dining room, big windows letting in lots of light. The bedroom and bathroom are both fairly standard, and all the appliances and fixtures are less than 10 years old. There's a little balcony off the 'dining' area that has room for probably only 2 chairs and a tiny table, but the railing is wrought iron and partially threaded through with some vine that can be seen creeping up parts of the building.

Turning to Stuart and Jennifer with a massive smile, she says simply, "I LOVE IT." They look at each other, resigned, because of course she does, and it isn't even her doing the usual Maya thing trying to just get the cheapest option - which it very nearly is of the apartments they've looked at. She really does just like this one that much.

Maya takes measurements with the tape measure that Jan keeps in her car because apparently that's a thing for realtors, and makes notes, because she knows that the Furniture Wars are coming, and she needs to know what space she's working with.

But first, the Car Fight. Test taken and passed in the morning, her temporary license reads her new address as they pull up to the first lot.

"I'm not driving a BMW." Maya says, stubbornly refusing to budge from the BMW that they are in at the moment.

"Why not? You did great in this one!" Stuart encourages her from outside of it where he's holding her door open, trying to entice her out.

Maya is adamant. "I don't want a new car."

"Maya, I thought we agreed that you need a-" Jennifer starts.

"I said I don't want a NEW car." Maya stresses. "I want something with some character. That I can maybe learn to do some basic stuff to. All these fancy schmancy new ones are nothing but electronics." This at least gets her down the block to a Chevy dealership, where Maya agrees to exit the car and look around. Still, they try and sell her on a new model. After the third car of them talking up features she doesn't care about, she just flat out walks away in the middle of the salesman saying something and heads to the 'Used' section of the lot, hearing the Minkuses following with the confused salesman maybe 30 feet behind her.

Eye catching on something, she stops at a cherry-red older-looking car that she couldn't describe further for her complete ignorance about automobiles, but she knows she's found her car.

The others catch her up, and the salesman says, "Oh, yeah, this Corvette's a beaut. Some guy brought her in for a full restore then couldn't pay; ran into some trouble in the stock market and had to yield her. Cryin' shame. '69 Stingray. They don't make 'em like this anymore."

"I don't know, Maya, the neighborhood your apartment's in…" Stuart begins.

Maya turns, hands on her hips. "That is racist and prejudiced bullcrap." She, of course, cannot tell him that she will be a protected commodity around her new neighborhood, because no one there has any interest with messing with the Sons, because that means messing with a much more immediate problem - the Mayans.

Her status as protected or not, her point is valid, and he looks suitably cowed at being called out on it. Looking at Jennifer, he says, "Y'know, I use to wonder, sometimes, if we may have missed out on something, not having more kids. A daughter, perhaps."

His wife pats him on the back and addresses the salesman. "Let's make sure she can handle it, then you can show us where to sign."

The next day, Stuart and Jennifer have actual business to attend to, leaving Maya free, so she decides to take the few boxes from home from their temporary storage at the hotel and drive them out to her new place.

After lugging the boxes up the single flight of stairs, she digs through them until she finds her SAMCRO tank top and changes into it before thinking twice and grabbing the matching SAMCRO beanie that had been in her birthday package from the club, and walking back out, locking up on her way. At her car, she unlocks the door long enough to set the beanie strategically on the dash - immediately visible - and take off her leather cuff with a deep breath of the hot and slightly humid air. She's not used to not wearing it anymore. She snaps it around the steering wheel to keep track of it before locking and closing the door and walking off down the street. That should be plenty to protect her new car until she's known. Not that she has the same inherent suspicions as Mr. Minkus, but she's going to take reasonable precautions all over the city anyway.

She should ask Happy if there's SOA bumper stickers or something.

Her block, and the ones on either side, seem to be a mix of older but well-enough-maintained houses interspersed with small apartment buildings not dissimilar to the one she's in. At the nearest cross street, she looks each direction, knowing there's some shops and restaurants both ways, but not sure which to go. Picking left arbitrarily, she meanders down the sparsely-populated street. Reminding herself that it's barely 10 am on a Wednesday, she supposes there's no real reason to expect it to be busier at the moment.

Noting what shops are where for future needs, she eventually spies a second-hand store and thinks maybe she can curtail a little of the back-and-forth with Jennifer come apartment-furnishing-shopping time.

Two hispanic women are chatting at the counter and look up when Maya walks in. She sees them both take note of her shirt, and one pulls out a phone, rapid-fire tapping out a text, as the other calls, "Can we help you?"

The inquiry is made in English, and Maya almost wants to answer back in Spanish, but something stops her. Maybe keeping quiet that she speaks it might come in handy one day. So, instead, she answers, "I just moved in a few blocks away. Wanted to try and buy as much as I can locally instead of the big box stores." She's getting good at these carefully-worded truths.

The woman that greeted her nods suspiciously, but says, "Well, let us know if we can help you with anything." The pair go back to their conversational tone, but too quiet for her to hear what they are saying as she slowly works her way through the store. She finds a surprising amount of things she wants. It's only minutes before she hears the bikes, the rumbling a different cadence than she's used to. Another couple minutes, and she catches sight of them in a mirror. Two tan-skinned men with harshly slicked-back hair standing on the street, smoking, watching her. She's kinda deep into the store at this point, and the blue reaper on her back probably isn't very clearly visible, so she tries to make a turn toward a dresser look casual so they can see the big block letters.

A minute later, they are inside and walking towards her as the women quietly move to some back room.

"You must be the girl Tig told us about." Her eyes sweep over his kutte, not knowing what most of it means, but registering the patch that looks similar to the one on Happy's Sgt at Arms one. So, he's the Mayan Happy, then.

"You must be Enrico." A quick look to confirm the other one doesn't have any patches of note - the officers ones she had come to know were important. Smiling, but knowing it's a little tight, because this is the first time she is meeting a biker without some kind of buffer and she just isn't comfortable with it yet, she continues. "I was given your information in case of any… trouble. I'm Maya." She reaches out to shake his hand, and he looks surprised, but she isn't sure if it's from her words or the gesture.

She realizes it's something else as he shakes the offered hand. As he does, he's glancing surprisingly subtly down at her other one. He asks, "Thought you were Tig's niece?"

Maya follows his gaze. She's REALLY not used to having it exposed. Shrugging one shoulder, she casually says, "I am." without elaborating further. Mostly because what the hell is she supposed to say? I'm Happy's friend, who he decided to mark as his property?

Realizing he isn't going to get anything further on the subject, he nods to his shadow, introducing his friend as Roberto. "You let us know if you need anything, chiquita."

"Actually…." Maya screws up her face apologetically. "Not to be THAT FRIEND right off the bat, but…. Do you happen to have a prospect and a truck or something you could spare for like half an hour? There's some furniture in here I wanna buy, and my boys are all like an hour away. My apartment's only like 3 blocks from here, but I don't think I can get it there by myself."

Enrico laughs and motions to Roberto, who pulls out his phone. "Si, chiquita. Settle up with the girls, we'll get you taken care of." he tells her, obviously amused even as he strides to the back to call the women back out.

They still look at her with suspicion, but treat her respectfully, so they must be somehow attached to the club at least enough to know not to fuck with someone rocking SAMCRO colors, even if they did immediately alert their club to her presence. She doesn't blame them, and just goes about pointing out which things she wants, piling the smaller stuff on the counter as the guys stick around and help clear things off of the 2 dressers and 2 tables she is buying, then load them up along with their prospect when he pulls up with a box truck and Maya is paying and helping one woman put some of her stuff in spare boxes for carrying.

"Dios mio, chica, you buy half the store?" Roberto asks at one point, lugging boxes out.

It's mostly kitchen things - a set of dishes, a few coffee mugs, some random pots and pans - and miscellany - toothbrush holder, a stack of picture frames, worn but perfectly serviceable dish towels.

"I literally just moved here from New York like 2 days ago. My apartment's almost completely empty, I have a lot to buy." she defends.

Despite the amount of stuff, it does take less than an hour for them to get all the crap into her apartment, and she thanks them profusely, getting smiles and a 'family of Sons is friends of ours' in reply, and they make note of her car. She has no doubt that word will be out to every chop shop in town within the next couple days that anyone looking to steal a 69 cherry red Stingray can expect trouble.

It's still barely midday, but she's hungry. Heading back out and turning right this time, she eventually runs into a little grocery store, obviously a local place, that takes up maybe half a block, and goes in. Grabbing a cart feels absurd - she's never shopped so much at a grocery store as to need a cart before - but she does, knowing that she may as well stock up on the basics as long as she's here. Things quickly begin filling it - sponges and dish soap, garbage bags, toilet paper, plastic containers for leftovers, a single sharp knife until she can get a block, plastic utensils until she can get silverware. It adds up quickly, and that's before she even gets to food.

A store clerk sees her shirt and beats a hasty retreat to the back, only to return a few minutes later, nodding at her respectfully as he passes where she's picking out a few bell peppers. A call to the local MC, and she's been cleared. She snorts lightly, going back to gathering some food, barely believing what her life has become.

As a different clerk is ringing her up, she feels a vibration and pulls out both phones to find a text on her burner. 'Making friends?'

Stashing the other one back in her bag, she replies, 'New apt close 2 MMC clbhs. Locals called me in after abt 3 sec.'

'Ur babysitters still in town?' Happy questions. She'd told him before she left New York that he and the guys should put off coming to see her until after the Minkii left, to avoid too many question. She thinks Jennifer is already suspicious, with all the looks her various swag has been getting.

'Yeah, prbly 4 a couple more days. Still have fights abt furniture & gadgets 2 go.' Happy had been incredulous when she'd told him her best friends parents are so loaded that they try and just buy her everything she shows the slightest interest in, and hadn't blinked at getting her an apartment, furnishing it, and paying for her to live while she gets an education which they are also paying for. Even she has to admit it sounds unlikely. But 'unlikely' is a pretty good word to describe a lot of things in her life, including him.

He'd been planning on having Juice run a background check, because he can't fucking believe having financials like that. Maya had laughed and said he didn't need Juice. He'd been home, so, at her direction, he'd sat down at his laptop and Googled her best friend's name. Farkle Minkus. Results had immediately popped up. Articles and science techy crap and business profiles about this 17 year old kid - Maya had even been in some of the photos - and how he's the heir to the multi-billion dollar family business.

"This is your best friend?" Happy had asked, not knowing how to process that information.

Maya had let out something between a laugh and a sigh. "Along with Riley - she's the tall gawky brunette - since 1st grade. Until Riley's family moved to London, anyway." He'd hated how sad she'd sounded.

Back in present time, the next text comes in as her final groceries are being bagged up, and her hands already hurt thinking about the walk home, even if it isn't far. '2 days, then im coming over whether they r still here or not.' She doesn't argue, just sends a smiley face back at him and gathers her shopping to lug… home. Because this is her home, now.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Having gotten a lot of the random little crap already, and get it put away as well, Maya was able to make a comprehensive list of the major purchases that are left and actually goes with the flow of Jennifer's shopping crusade to get it accomplished as quickly as possible. Having decided not to fight it, given that there's only a few real big-ticket purchases left, and she wants them to be comfortable anyway, the Minkii are pleasantly surprised when she simply goes around trying different mattresses until she finds one she likes, then they arrange delivery and move on to a furniture store, where she picks out a simple but elegant cherry-stained oak bedroom set without fuss.

"Who are you and what have you done with Maya?" Stuart asks, only half teasing as they move on to living room furniture.

She shrugs, looking around at the little staged areas for anything that catches her eye. "You guys are doing a lot for me. I fought on the things that were really important to me. At this point, a couple hundred dollars here or there on furniture is pretty irrelevant."

The couple locks eyes, and Jennifer's expression tells him to stop questioning and accept.

Maya does still put her foot down on extraneous purchases. "I don't need a stand mixer."

"Why not?" Jennifer asks, looking at the plethora of colors KitchenAid offers.

"I've never baked anything that doesn't come either frozen or in a box mix." Maya says dryly.

"But what if you want to start?" Jennifer insists.

Maya rolls her eyes to the ceiling. "Then I have a credit card linked directly to your bank account and will buy one when it becomes necessary."

In BestBuy, it's Stuart that needs reigning, and Jennifer is a surprising ally. At first. "No." Maya says simply at the TV he is standing in front of.

"But…" he begins to rattle off some technical specs that she doesn't understand or care about.

"This big." Maya indicates approximately the size of TV she will accept.

Jennifer chimes in. "Maya's always been the musical one, dear, you're better off trying to get her on the sound system."

The girl waggles a finger in the woman's direction. "She's right. If you get me an epic surround sound and stereo setup, then I'll even let you buy me a this big" she indicates a slightly smaller size than before "TV for my bedroom too."

Stuart starts to walk off, already talking with a guy about surround sound and Maya calls an afterthought "Don't forget a waterproof speaker for the shower!" and receives a vague hand wave in recognition.

This ends up backfiring. Not the TVs and sound system, but while Stuart is busy with that, Jennifer drags Maya around buying up a new smartphone - hers is 4 years old now, she's overdue -, a new laptop, a new camera with a few lenses at different lengths, an HD scanner and color printer, and, the thing Maya only puts up a token argument about, a Cintiq drawing pad to plug into said laptop. Plus all of the peripherals, software, and accessories that a brand new college student could possibly want, and some that just seem absurd.

"Why though? Why a spinny chair?"

"It's ergonomic."

Maya does talk her out of that one.

The next morning, Maya insists on checking out of her room at the hotel. All of the purchases of yesterday are being delivered that day, and she'll be damned if she is sleeping anywhere but her apartment that night. Jennifer rides over in the Corvette with Maya, revealing that she has a secret love for classic cars passed down from her father, and that she'd actually been thrilled with Maya's choice. But don't tell Stuart.

Maya laughs and mimes zipping her lips.

Delivery and installation guys are in and out for the better part of the day, and, between directing them on where things should go, Maya and Jennifer do things like hang curtains, while Stuart chats with the electronics and cable/internet install guys as they work.

Maya has to assure them several times through dinner that night that she's sure she'll be fine, and yes, they can go home, and she has the card for anything they forgot, and she'll call if she needs anything, and she'll keep in touch in general. Afterward, they're a bit weepy as they hug her goodbye, having booked tickets on an early flight out in the morning.

'U busy?'

'No.'

Maya sends Happy her new address.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Happy pulls up next to the red Corvette she'd sent him a picture of a couple days previously, before carefully backing his bike in at an angle in the space behind it, making sure the car behind her still has room to maneuver out without hitting him. When he stands and turns toward the building matching her address, she's in the main doorway, holding it open and watching him, and he wastes no time moving forward, snatching her up in a hug as he steps inside and letting the door automatically close.

When he eventually lets her go, he sees they're in a little communal entranceway with mailboxes and stuff, and Maya quickly turns, leading him up the stairs. There's only 4 units in the building, 2 on each floor. Her door opens into a living room that has a…. Bright fucking blue couch, and matching chair. He shakes his head.

More immediately, he spots a slatted wooden bench under a row of hooks mounted to the wall. Her helmet is already hanging from one of the hooks, making him crook a smile as he sits to pull off his boots and kick them under the bench to join her small collection of shoes lined up there before standing again and stripping off his kutte to hang up. Maya looks surprised when he does this, but also pleased.

A flatscreen TV is mounted to the wall across from the couch, and he spots speakers strategically mounted around the space. Under the TV is a dresser, obviously second-hand, painted a much more subdued blue color.

The "dining" room has an oval table in it, but it's old and scratched up, surrounded by a few mismatched, equally old chairs and stools, covered in art supplies that she was clearly in the middle of unpacking into another dresser off to the side against the wall, atop which are several shelves that are clearly waiting to be mounted to the wall. The kitchen has a smaller, round table that is clearly meant for eating, with simple chairs, this time matching.

Walking forward, he bypasses the bathroom with a glance and peeks around her bedroom curiously, wondering if it'll be some overly girly affair, and is relieved to see simple, dark furniture, a plain grey comforter on the bed, and no pink or frilly crap in sight. He removes himself from there fairly quickly as he spots the exposed, square legs of the bed and has a mental image of ropes tied to them, leading up to her delicate little ankles.

Turning back around, he finds Maya standing in the middle of the living room, next to the black rectangle coffee table, arms crossed over her chest, watching him, clearly amused. "Everything meet your approval?" she teases. Happy rolls his eyes and makes himself at home, going to the kitchen and opening the fridge, pausing when he doesn't find what he's looking for. Maya snorts, clearly aware of what he's after. "If I'm not 18 yet, then obviously I'm also not 21 either. If you want beer here, you're gonna have to buy it. I have water, milk, juice, or coffee."

He grabs a bottle of water from where they're stocked in the door, noting to himself to start bringing beer. Settling himself on one of the chairs at the art table, Maya gets the message and goes back to what she was doing, tapping the smartphone that's hidden among the detritus and starting her music playing again before going back to sorting paints from pencils while Sebastian Bach sings about Youth Gone Wild in surround sound.

Happy could watch her all night, but he starts to feel creepy after a little while, so he helps himself to some paper and colored pencils and they just quietly enjoy each other's company after not seeing each other for 11 months.

Most of the stuff is organized away into drawers after awhile, though he knows she'll probably re-organize it at least a couple times as she settles in. That's how it always goes; you have to rearrange all your supplies as you realize you use this or that group of things way more or way less than you realized at first. He's pulled from his half-concentration on his drawing of some random muerta imagery as Maya clicks the deadbolt on the door and slides the chain into place, effectively informing him he'll be staying the night. After turning off the music, she wanders into the bedroom, and he gives her a couple minutes to get ready for bed, not trusting himself with the sight of her actually pulling off clothing.

When Happy goes in there, there's just the lamp on what he knows will be 'his' side of the bed on and she's crawling in on the other side, plugging in her phone. Neither of them particularly care what actual side of the bed they are on, but Maya knows he wants to be between her and the door. She calls it macho manly protective crap. He calls it practical.

There's a big chair in the corner, and he piles his clothes there after stripping down, taking only his piece and his phone and setting them on the nightstand before clicking the lamp off and getting in bed himself.

On their road trip, he'd had an excuse, however flimsy. This, however, is severely pushing the line with club bylaws, and his gut clenches thinking about what would happen if his brothers ever find out that any nights he spends here are in her bed and not on her couch. He'd taken Tig to the ring to be allowed to hang out with her alone without scrutiny, on the promise that he had no intention of doing anything that would warrant club action. Yet, here he is, standing right on top of the line between 'weird but acceptable' and 'inappropriate and illegal'.

Happy lets out a huge breath that is only not a groan by virtue of self-control when she drapes herself over his chest, sliding one smooth leg to hook over his thigh and rest between his, and he wraps his arm around her, brushing his fingers over the soft skin peeking out where her tank top has ridden up a little. There's nothing to be done about it right this second, he may as well enjoy it.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

When Maya wakes, she's almost surprised that Happy is still sleeping. He's typically an early riser. When she manages a peek at the digital clock on her bedside table, she sees it isn't THAT late - only just past 7 - but she will need to make sure he's up soon, because it's not Sunday, so he probably has to get back to Charming and go to work at the shop.

But, for the moment, she forces herself to stay totally relaxed and enjoy the position they're in. He's a light sleeper, and if she tenses up, it'll wake him. They've shifted in the night, and Happy is now spooned up behind her, arm tightly around her and positioned to run almost vertically up her torso for maximum contact as his hand rests loosely near her collarbone. His head is rested somewhere very close behind hers; she can feel his deep, slow breaths tickling her ear and neck. He has wrapped one of his legs around one of hers, effectively tangling them together, and making it so she really can't miss the half-hard morning wood pressing against the inside of her thigh.

This was a really bad idea, and she's SO glad she'd done it. And that he'd gone along with it.

She knows it can't become a habit. Tig had sat her down last summer after that first, fateful boxing match she'd watched, and had a very in depth heart-to-heart with her about what could happen to Happy if absolutely anything even seemingly inappropriate happened between them before she turns 18. At the time, she had listened then brushed it off, knowing they both genuinely only had friendship in mind.

In their little bubble on their trip to New York, however, even at other SOA clubhouses, they had pushed it. The looks had been surprisingly subtle, but she hadn't missed that they had been watched. Or the fact that, when they had been allotted 2 rooms and elected to take only 1 in those last few clubhouses, an officer that probably wouldn't normally have stayed the night suddenly did, in the room right next to theirs.

After Juice's revelations about her tattoo months previously, she'd realized that that is likely why word hadn't made it's way back to Charming about it. The men all have tattoos, they can easily spot days-old ink. Undoubtedly, Happy'd gotten the 3rd degree when she'd been otherwise occupied, and, after a night of basically listening to make sure that all they did was sleep, and probably even confirming it with the clubhouses before and after them, the information had been suppressed. They had been skating right on the borderline of the rules, but not breaking them, and it was probably only Happy's excellent standing within the club that had let them get away with it.

She wonders if Juice had said anything, then immediately knows he hadn't. At least not to anyone but Happy, if that.

She wakes him simply, with a stroke of her hand up and down the forearm holding her tight to his chest, and feels him immediately come awake with a deep breath in. He begins to move and she stops him by threading her fingers through the hand resting against her chest and pressing herself further back into him. He lets out a little still-slightly-sleepy groan that she will never tell him is cute, but he doesn't argue, staying put for the moment.

Eventually, though, he does pull away, checking his phone briefly for messages before heading into the bathroom, and Maya gets up as well, only bothering to throw on some shorts and making her way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and pulling out some eggs and bacon to make them breakfast, glad she'd thought to go grocery shopping a couple days previously.

As Happy emerges several minutes later fully dressed and helps himself to coffee, she is idly glad that he takes his coffee black and plain, and takes a second to put sugar on the running shopping list on her phone, because she hadn't thought of it yet. She guesses she's only getting milk in hers this morning. Once eggs, bacon, and toast are eaten, he pulls on his boots and kutte and they hug for a long minute before Maya pulls back and motions for him to wait a sec and darts to the kitchen, grabbing something from a drawer, coming back to him and pressing it into his hand.

Much like she had the evening nearly a year before when he'd inked her and she'd not known what to make of it, Happy stares down at the simple ring with 2 keys threaded onto it sitting seemingly innocently in his palm.

"The big square one is to the front door to the building," Maya tells him. "The smaller one's for this door - the chain supposedly has some thing that if the deadbolt is unlocked from the outside with a key, it'll automatically release itself. I haven't tested it, but if the chain is done up, I'm home, so I'll be able to let you in. But, theoretically, you can come over anytime." She's nervous about how he's taking this gesture, so she's rambling a little.

Happy can't do anything he wants to to her right now, so he settles for pulling her into another fierce hug for having that much trust in him, then easily unthreading the keys before pulling his own keychain out and joining them on the ring with his own housekeys.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Maya doesn't tell anyone else in Charming that she's more or less settled, not wanting a big to-do.

Instead, she shows up Saturday night for the party unannounced. The guys must still be in church when she arrives, as it's just girls and hangarounds milling about outside, looking her way curiously as she pulls in. Once she steps out of the car, however, she's recognized, and there's a cheer from a couple people that quickly swells, bringing Venus outside to investigate.

"Maya Penelope!" Venus chastises her for not telling her she was coming even as she pulls her niece into a tight hug.

Maya's never let far from Venus's side even as she is basically passed from person to person, those she knows reasonably well all greeting her with enthusiasm. Somewhere along the line, a prospect - a new one - hands her a beer, and she makes her way inside. She's standing with a hip propped against the 'poker' table, talking to Brooke, when the chapel doors swing wide and the guys stream out in a loud rush of chatter. Looking over her shoulder at them, she watches to see who's going to notice first.

Happy's near the back of the pack, but he's one of the taller guys, and she catches his eye quickly. He looks more amused than surprised. Forcing her gaze away, she again starts looking at all of them, examining changes.

It's Phil that shouts "Maya!" happily and lumbers over toward her. It draws the attention of the others, and the next few minutes are a whirl of leathery squishes and beardy kisses to the cheek.

Soon enough, she's almost escorted to her old spot at the table right next to the boxing ring, though she's notably more surrounded by people than she used to be. Though he isn't speaking to her directly, Happy is sitting on the bench next to where her feet are resting while she sits on the tabletop, him talking to some other people as she chats with Lyla and Venus.

While Juice is boxing a hangaround, Maya shifts her knee to bump Hap's shoulder and get his attention, then flicks her eyes up toward the ring questioningly. He raises a brow and smirks at her, well aware why she is asking if he's fighting tonight, before draining his beer and standing, grabbing her empty as well before moving off to grab them each a fresh one and find himself an opponent.

Lyla and Venus had been discussing something about the kids, but now they are looking at her questioningly. "What?" Maya asks innocently.

Venus shakes her head and says only, "I hope you 2 are being careful." before meandering off.

The older blonde woman is less circumspect, sitting down next to Maya. "Anything juicy you wanna talk about?" she asks encouragingly.

Maya sighs, fidgeting with her cuff. She is, of course, not stupid enough to be flashing that ink around here already, but she has been getting used to having it showing the past several days. "There's not really much for me to talk about even if I could, Ly."

Calling her bluff, the woman grabs her wrist pulling the leather out for a peek, eyes going wide as she looks back up and Maya snatches her hand back. Maya puckers her lips in a 'sh' motion and glances around to see if anyone else caught the exchange. Lyla looks like she's in pain for holding back her questions, but Happy reappears then, looking at them oddly as he sets a new beer down for Maya. Maya shakes her head at him to not ask, and her turns and walks back off still holding his own brew.

"How do you expect me to not ask questions about that?!" Lyla whispers harshly once he's gone.

Leaning over and tucking her head into her friends shoulder so her mouth is close to her ear, Maya mutters, "Do you know what they would do to him?" She feels Lyla shake her head a little. "It's not just frowned upon, okay? They have actual bylaws about it."

When she pulls back, Lyla's eyes are still wide, though she now seems to better understand the severity of the situation. "And you two are…?"

"No." Maya insists quietly. "We haven't broken any rules. Technically."

The woman next to her slumps a little, looking stunned. "But these guys don't care about technically." she almost whispers. "If they even have solid reason to suspect…."

Maya nods. Tig had been disturbingly frank on that point in particular, telling horrifying stories of things that he, in his time as Sgt, had done to people on suspicions even when they had ended up being innocent. They may be more careful now, but the club is the club, and she and Happy had done more than flirt with the line.

Eventually Juice's fight ends and Happy makes his way back over to leave his things with Maya, having apparently lined up a match for himself. Maya's less self-conscious about enjoying the view now, and does so blatantly. Once he's up in the ring, Lyla leans over and says, "Y'know, girl, I gotta say, even if he scares the crap outta me, you got some good taste." Apparently she also isn't unappreciative of the show.

Laughing, Maya asks, "Why does he scare you?"

Lyla smiles sideways, admitting, "It's kinda a holdover from when I first met him, I think. I mean, you know what he does, right? For the club?" she waits for Maya's nod and mutter of 'generally' before going on "Well, I came around when things here were bad. Like, REALLY bad. Now that shit's smooth sailing, and I know him a little better, I know I'd have to do something against the club for him to ever hurt me and that he's a decent guy, but, back then….. Girl, I was fucking terrified of him. And, believe me, I am not the only one." she motions at the crowd, gathered in clumps around fire barrels and tables.

Maya doesn't think *too* much of it, but, admittedly, the fight has started, and her brain is largely occupied with watching Happy duck and weave and punch with the guy - a visitor, she thinks from Alabama.

When Happy comes back to retrieve his things, his tee shirt has found it's way from being folded in it's usual place on his kutte to under Maya's butt. He raises an eyebrow at her as he stuffs his rings and wallet into his pockets. "You're 'spose to watch my shit." he rumbles at her, teasing.

She makes her eyes big and looks down as if she has no idea what he's talking about. "Oops! My bad. I must not have been paying attention." A smile twitches the corner of his lips as he grabs his leather and goes to clean up, wondering if she'll be here when he gets back.

Maya's not, nor is his shirt, though her car is, and someone tells him that Lyla had offered her her couch for the night because she wanted to get back to the kids anyway. He knows Maya will be long gone probably before most of them are awake in the morning. She has campus tour and new student orientation in 2 weeks and wants to prepare as much as she can. He was a little surprised she showed up tonight at all. But she'd had a few beers, which means she wouldn't be allowed to drive tonight. She's so damn tiny and doesn't drink much, it doesn't take a ton to get her tipsy, though he has to hand it to her that she at least isn't wasted after one beer like some chicks that hang around either.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

"Okay, seriously, you're telling me you guys have never-" Lyla had opened a bottle of wine as soon as they got to her house and they are settled on the back porch. The kids are inside, movie still playing that had been on when Maya and Lyla had arrived.

"Nope." Maya says calmly.

Lyla has that blown-mind look again. "But the way you two are with each other!"

"Not even a kiss." Maya insists. "Though we have slept in the same bed."

The woman's brows furrow at this incomprehensible situation. "I'm sorry. You've slept in the same bed, you spent more time on his bike in 2 months last summer than I did on Opie's in the nearly 2 years we were together, he's basically inked his name on you for the whole outlaw world to see - when you aren't covering it up with the name of the club that's stopping you from being together right now, hello, should we talk about THAT symbolism?-, and is risking who even knows what the club would do to him, and you HAVEN'T EVEN KISSED HIM?"

"Unless you count on the cheek." Maya says blandly. "You forgot met and got in a fight with his mother."

The older blonde looks at her like she's insane. "I don't even want to think about the fact that Happy HAS a mother. She must be TERRIFYING. You FOUGHT with her?!"

Maya is very amused by her friend's perception of Happy. She knows he has the capability of being dangerous, obviously, but she just doesn't see why people seem to find him so scary. Shrugging, she sips at her wine, wondering idly if Lyla realizes she's only a few years older than Ellie, Lyla's daughter. Step-daughter. Whatever, like that matters.

"It was really more like she said some shitty things to Happy, and a couple weeks later I went down there on my own and yelled at her for it." Maya clarifies.

Lyla drains and refills her wine glass. As delicately as a pornstar can, she asks, "But you're not, like, a virgin, right?"

"No." Maya says, somewhat uncomfortably. She's more comfortable with sex in general, but she doesn't really have girlfriends like this - ones that just talk about it so plainly. "I had a regular hookup back in New York."

Curious, the other woman questions, "Oh?" faux-coyly.

"You know those really pretty guys they get to work at the Abercrombie stores?" Lyla nods, smirking wickedly. "He worked at the Abercrombie store a ways down from where I worked at Hot Topic." Lyla laughs, reaching out her glass for a cheers, which Maya indulges her with.

"Any good?" is the next question.

Maya gives a weird hunchy type of shrug. "Nothing really for me to compare it to. I got off more often than I didn't, so, I guess?"

"And what about now that you're in Oakland?" the real questions begin. "You know if Happy finds out you're sleeping with anyone that he can get to…."

"I know." the girl sighs out, taking another big drink of wine. "I'm thinking I might have to order some battery operated friends."

Lyla snorts. "Order? Honey, I have storage rooms packed with toys at the studio. Most still in original packaging. We'll stop by there in the morning after I take you to pick up your car, you can take anything." Tipsy and now vaguely embarrassed, Maya only giggles an agreement.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Alvarez had needed his particular brand of assistance with something, and it had taken until the small hours of the morning. Being too tired to ride all the way back to Charming that night sounds like a fantastic excuse to stay at Maya's.

He's not a dick though; it's pretty late and she has class tomorrow, so he's extra quiet as he turns the key in the door, cringing slightly at the jingle of the chain dropping on the other side, hoping it hadn't woken her, before stepping in and silently relocking the door. That done, he pauses as he hears a noise from the bedroom. It comes again and it sounds like Maya is... whimpering?

It's probably just a nightmare or something, but he gets his gun out and silently creeps toward the cracked-open door of her bedroom just on the off chance she's either being held hostage or has company that he needs to shoot.

Turns out, none of the above, but he feels 13 again and definitely about to shoot something, but it ain't his gun.

There's not much light coming in through the closed blinds and drawn curtains, barely enough ambient glow for him to make out the outline of her form on the bed, blanket flipped down, one leg bent up and to the side as she thrusts something (vibrator, some tiny corner of his brain that's still functioning links up the low humming sound with what she's doing) into her pussy with one hand and gropes at her tit with the other.

No. No. She's still underage and has no idea I'm here, I can't stand here and watch this. He thinks, wrenching himself away with quite a bit of difficulty and just as silently making his way back to the couch, removing his boots and kutte, and all the other random little stuff like wallet, phone, and knife, to make himself comfortable to settle down, trying desperately to ignore the deliciously enticing sounds coming from the bedroom.

It's several minutes before there's a sharp cry and Happy's imagination launches into overdrive even as the slight noises of her settling to sleep reach him.

Despite her couch actually being pretty comfortable, he does NOT sleep well that night.

The next morning, she looks immediately confused coming out of her bedroom before even seeing him, probably smelling the coffee and breakfast he's making. When she does spot him standing in the kitchen, flipping bacon at the stove, she freezes as their eyes meet, obviously wondering when exactly he'd gotten here and if he'd heard her masturbating last night because she'd been unable to fall asleep.

"Hey." she says. "When did you get here?" she tries to make the inquiry casual as she gets a cup of coffee.

"Late. Was helping the Mayans with something, too tired to ride back to Charming. Figured you wouldn't mind me crashing here for a few hours."

"Totally fine. I just didn't hear you come in." she assures him. "Why didn't you come sleep in the bed?"

"Didn't wanna wake you." he lies through his teeth. He'd desperately wanted to wake her, not that she'd been asleep when he'd gotten here, but she'd be horrifically embarrassed, and he can't go there. Not for almost 3 more months.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Maya's made some friends at school, and one of them in the fashion design program as well as another in the theater department for makeup artistry are happy to help her with her Halloween costume as long as Maya sits for photos so it can go in their portfolios. A deal, really.

She has no idea what she wants, though. When they ask her if there's a theme, she discloses that the party she's going to is at the Sons of Anarchy clubhouse, so reapers are always a safe bet. After a round of curious questions about how the hell she has an in with the Sons of Anarchy, they insist she is too cute to just be in some boring long robe with face paint, and, after some talk (and a couple cheap wine coolers; #college) Little Dead Riding Hood is born.

So, when she climbs out of her car, her face is done in intricate makeup to make her look skeletally emaciated. She's wearing a crimson corset over a dress of grey satin and black lace, torn to shreds and tatters, lace thigh-high stockings artfully ripped, and knee-high black suede, heeled boots; all topped with a ripped and tattered half-length crimson cloak that reaches her hips. Her hair - now reaching past her shoulders again - is pulled back in snarled twists and braids, gathered into a messy riot of a ponytail that she is already dreading untangling tomorrow, but she can't deny the effect.

It goes down well. Too well for Tig's liking - he takes his duties as uncle seriously - but she's literally the most-covered woman on the lot, with even Venus showing more skin than Maya, so he can't even say anything. Most of the girls are in literal costumes from Red Woody. He's not stupid, he knows most of the younger guys at least check out Maya, though they are low-key about it. Between the rules, and not wanting to cross either him or Happy, they have to be. And they're so used to practically-naked girls walking around that the girls are practically furniture - just THERE; a pretty girl dressed relatively modestly is a novelty.

HIs eyes narrow as he watches his niece walk up behind Killa. He still doesn't like it, but they'd settled the matter and he can't say shit unless there's a damn good reason for him to reopen the issue.

Happy only glances over his shoulder as she bumps into the back of him where he's sitting in a chair talking to a couple guys down from Tacoma. Maya pulls something small from the top of her corset, which Tig realizes is a necklace as she casually fastens it around his Sgt's neck and leans down to say something in his ear before tapping a kiss to his cheek that even Tig can't read anything but 'friendly' into for once. What gets to Tig is the smile. Not on Maya, she smiles on the regular, if not necessarily all the time.

No, it's Happy that smiles. Not just any smile. One of those smiles like Tig used to give his first wife, and finds himself dopily flashing at Venus nowadays. Happy isn't a smiler in general, and seeing a smile like that is incongruous enough; it also being caused by Tig's not-18-yet niece for the last year and a half has rankled.

But, Hap is a club man, to his core, and Tig has had to force himself to trust that he has kept his word, and kept his hands - and all other appendages - off.

He takes some comfort in the fact that the Tacoma boys look as freaked out by that expression on Happy as Tig feels.

Feeling someone sit on the stool next to him at the bar, Tig looks over to find Lyla, holding a drink and looking the same direction he had been a moment before. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's counting days." the blond woman says casually.

"I don't want to hear shit like that." Tig says. He's also not blind to the way his niece watches Happy, particularly when he's boxing. He doesn't want to think of her in that context.

Lyla looks to him now. "Maybe not, but that doesn't mean you don't need to hear it." When Tig looks confused, she goes on. "Look, I don't know a ton, but the stereotype about girl talk is there for a reason, okay? I know she's frustrated enough that I set her loose in a stock room at the studio a few months ago and she came out with-" she stops as Tig goes slightly green. "You get my point. The thing is, if anything were happening, she wouldn't be that frustrated. So, maybe stop worrying so much and trust them a little more? She may still be relatively new to all the club stuff, but she considers us her family and she's serious about doing right by everyone. And if you were going to make a list of guys most likely to bend club rules for any reason, I'm pretty sure Happy would be right at the fucking bottom, right? I've seen enough guys come and go by now to know that much."

Queasy as he is, he can't fault her logic. And he does actually feel better. A little. "Thanks, doll." He finds himself grinning down at her a little gratefully, and she hops up, leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek before she wanders off again.

Wandering off himself, he finds Venus by the dart boards playing a game with a couple of girls and playfully pulls her in to cop a feel when she's done with her turn.

"Lyla put your mind at ease, then, baby?" she asks. Yeah, his girl don't miss anything. He nods. "Good. After I'm done with this game you can take me in back and show me how much better you feel."

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Maya goes home to New York for Thanksgiving with the agreement that her parents and the Minkii would not give her a hard time about staying in California for the Christmas break. Katy still initially tries to put up a fuss, but Maya threatens to simply not come home for either, and, presumably, Shawn talks some sense into her.

So, the third week of December finds Maya handing in her last final of the fall term before hurrying home and collapsing in bed because, somehow, finals week had managed to coincide with her period that month and she's fucking exhausted. After a nap, she migrates out to her balcony to enjoy the surprisingly mild evening to work on the last few drawing she has to finish for the club boys. She doesn't know most of them well enough for personalized gifts, so she'd snuck pictures of all their bikes (with some help from Venus) and is drawing and framing them for Christmas gifts, tacking on personal gifts for those she's closer to. She has 4 more to complete before she heads out to Charming the following week on the 23rd to help Venus start preparing for the club Christmas Eve party as well as the 'family' Christmas dinner on the actual day.

She's surprised when her burner starts ringing with Lyla's name flashing up at her. "Hey! What's up?"

"Well, I just happened into some information I thought you might be interested in." Lyla says in a teasing tone.

"Oh?" Maya tries to sound interested, but honestly, she hurts and is still tired.

"Mmmmhhhmm." Lyla sounds like the proverbial cat that got the canary. "The last couple months a few of the girls have been complaining because Happy was never around anymore. I didn't say anything, because I figured he was just being more discreet now that you were back, or whatever, like last year. But, today, I found out that he hasn't been messing with any of the sweetbutts either."

OK, now Maya's interested for real. "What?"

"Yeah. I was at the clinic in Lodi to pay on the studio's tab for our monthly testing requirement, and overheard a couple of the sweetbutts talking in the waiting room. Apparently, he hasn't touched any of them in months, and they all think you 2 are already boning and just keeping it like WAY on the DL, and they're all pissed, but are too scared of him to say anything or be bitches to you like they would if it was anyone else," her friend practically gushes.

Not knowing what to think about this, Maya says simply, "Huh."

The silence resonates for a few long beats before "Really? 'Huh?' That's it? I bring you the juiciest gossip SAMCRO has had since that time Frankie got drunk and actually fucked his bike, and it's that your guy isn't fucking around and all you give me is 'HUH?'?!"

"He's not my guy." Maya says blandly, still working on the drawing of Chibs' bike she'd been on when Lyla had called.

"MAYA." the other blonde's voice screeches from the phone. "HAVE YOU NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION TO ANYTHING I JUST TOLD YOU?"

Sighing, the teenager insists "Look, we haven't actually talked about anything, okay. I didn't ask him to lay off screwing other girls. We've been kinda both just sitting on this whole me not being 18 thing without ever actually talking about what's gonna to happen once I am. And I'm not gonna to make any assumptions. For all I know, he could still be fucking other girls and he was just tired of sweetbutts and porn stars. You're making a big deal about something that's probably not."

"Maya." Lyla whines. "You are being STUPID."

Maya's pretty sure there was more after that, but she doesn't get to hear it as the phone is taken abruptly from her hand and snapped shut. Double-checking the street in confusion, she confirms that she didn't miss his bike pulling up before looking up at Happy.

She can't quite make out the expression on his face as they stare each other down for a minute. He eventually grumbles, "I'm not fucking other girls." moodily and turns, going back inside, taking her phone with him.

By the time she has gathered her things and gets inside, he's snapping her phone shut for a second time, waiting for her to set her art stuff down before handing it back to her. Eyes narrowing, she opens it and goes through a few things, quickly realizing her whole text history with Lyla is gone. So he'd sent her something, likely about talking about his personal affairs, which he didn't want Maya to read.

Deciding it's not worth the energy, she pockets that phone and pulls out the smart one, quickly pulling up the Dominos app and ordering a pizza. She's tired, she hurts, and she has a feeling it's going to be a long fucking night. She doesn't want to cook. That done, she moves to the fridge and pulls out 2 of the beers that are now a standard fixture, Happy making sure to stock her up regularly, popping the tops and handing him one.

Once she is collapsed on the couch with her own beer, she reaches for the remote and flicks the TV on, navigating to the guide to try and find something relatively brainless that they will both enjoy, aware that Happy is still standing and staring at her as if he had expected something entirely different and now doesn't know what to do.

"How'd you get here?" she questions.

Happy finally moves to sit, maybe a foot away from her on the couch. "Was helping the Mayans with somethin'. Had 'em drop me off here. I'll need a ride back to Charming." he tells her.

"Tonight?" is her only question.

He shrugs noncommittally. "Or tomorrow. Whenever." Maya thinks she must imagine that he sounds… insecure?... about whether she would want him to stay or not as she settles on IDTV and some random murder documentary.

"Cool." Maya says what she hopes is casually, but it sounds tired even to her ears, before taking another long sip of her beer.

20 minutes later, he asks, "Are we going to talk about it?" sounding anxious.

Before Maya can answer, her phone starts buzzing, and she says, "Well, it'll have to wait at least until I go downstairs and grab the pizza." before hopping up to do just that.

When she gets back, there's paper towels and fresh beers on the coffee table and she sets the pizza down there as well for them to eat straight from the box. Maya almost inhales 2 slices of the greasy, carb-loaded goodness before slumping back and half-turning herself towards Happy, who is eating at a more sedate pace and watching her with an odd look on his face. She curls into a ball, leaning against the arm and back of the couch tiredly.

"Are you okay?" he asks, finally realizing that something seems to be wrong beyond whatever with them.

Shrugging one shoulder, she tells him, "I just got done with finals, and one of my internal organs is ripping pieces of itself off in protest of not being utilized in what it considers a timely manner."

Happy has to actually stop and think about that - all the way back to high school sex ed, in fact - before he catches her drift. Now he's less sure about wanting to talk about this right now. Not because he thinks she'll be unreasonable just because she's on her period (he's not stupid, he's known plenty enough women to be aware that that stereotype is false), but just because she looks so exhausted already.

Maya makes the decision for him as he finishes the slice of pizza he's currently eating, beginning to speak. "I like you. A lot. And possibly more than that. You're pretty much my best friend, at this point. I talk to you a hell of a lot more than anyone else, and you know me better than any of my other friends do. And clearly we're attracted to each other. But I've never done the whole relationship thing. Or even dated, really. It's pretty much all new territory for me, I have no idea what I'm doing, or what you expect, or what the club expectations would be. I had to find out from Juice what this tattoo REALLY means - thanks for that, by the way." At this, he looks sharply at her, having been unaware that Juice knew about the tattoo, but she doesn't give him time to question it. "It's like we've spent so long just focused on this whole 'wait til I'm 18' thing and now it's only a couple weeks away and I have no clue what's actually going to happen once it gets here; what you want, what it's reasonable for me to expect or ask for or even really want. And then I have Lyla randomly calling me and telling me all this crap that I frankly am not sure I even wanted to hear even if she's insisting it's some good thing-"

Happy cuts her off here. "She shouldn't have done that shit. Ain't her business." Wiping his hands, he goes on. "When did Juice find out about the tat?"

"When he came to New York to see his family in February. He kinda freaked out about it - thought at first that I'd gotten it on my own or some shit." she snorts at the last bit.

"Dumbass." Happy mutters about Juice. At least the kid had been smart enough to keep his mouth shut. Hap would have to talk to him about it. "As far as the club, long as you're 18 and consenting, anything that happens or doesn't between you and me ain't any o' their business, and there ain't no expectations unless I put a crow on you."

"Or feathers?" she interjects with a raised eyebrow, running her thumb over the aforementioned tattoo of his signature mark. Okay, Juice had REALLY informed her, then.

"Or feathers." Hap confirms. "As for the rest…" it's his turn to collapse against the back of the couch. Gesturing vaguely, he says, "We do whatever we're both comfortable with." Turning his head to look at her, he goes on. "I don't do much for expectations. You GOTTA tell me if you ain't okay with shit, because I'm not a fuckin' mind reader, and I DO NOT want to hurt you, or make you uncomfortable." He waits for her to nod and agreement before continuing. "And I expect to be the ONLY person you're fucking. And you're gonna be the only person I'm fucking. I ain't done this whole relationship thing in a long ass time, but I ain't ever cheated before and I ain't gonna start now."

"Even on the road?" the question is meek, and part of him wants to be offended, but he pushes it down. It's a fair question. She must've heard the standard rule by now.

"Yeah, even when I'm on the road." Happy confirms firmly. Loyalty is a big part of him, and if he's committing to her, then she's it. "For the not knowing what's okay to want or ask for or whatever…. It's okay to want or ask for anything, but I might not be able to say yes or give it to you. I'll try. As long as that's good enough….."

Maya's actually letting out a tentative smile by now, despite still looking exhausted, and Happy's thinking maybe this whole talking thing wasn't so fuckin' bad after all.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

Maya's back in her old room at Venus and Tig's for Christmas, thinking how weird it is that these will probably be the last nights she sleeps here, unless she has to stay here for some random reason after New Years.

Only staying 3 nights, she doesn't bother with unpacking, but does unload her haul of presents out to the gigantic Christmas tree in the living room. Once that is done, she joins Venus in the kitchen and immediately dives into helping cook.

At the party the following night, Happy is…. affectionate. Not in the bordering-on-obscene public PDA way that most of the guys are with the various girls around them, but in the way he usually only is with her in private. They're almost always touching, be it his arm hooked casually around her waist while she sits on the arm of the chair he's in, or their legs pressed together as they sit next to each other on a table outside but talk to separate groups of people, or when he takes her hand to pull her over to the pool table to play doubles against T.O. and Monica, pulling her to stand between his legs where he sits on a stool, hands on her hips, when it isn't their turn.

Maya feels like she has a shit-eating grin on her face all night.

When Venus starts making the rounds saying goodnight, Maya does the same, and Happy makes the almost obscenely gentlemanly gesture of walking her out to the passenger side of Venus's car, even as Tig walks Venus out. OPening the door for her, he leans down for a brief hug and mumbles a 'see you tomorrow' before giving her a hand up into the SUV and closing the door.

Maya notices Tig looking across the hood at Happy…. Unhappily.

"He'll get over it, sweetpea. Please tell me you two are waiting until your birthday?" Venus questions as she pulls out of the lot.

Maya nods and says, "Yeah." easily. Since their talk, she's much more relaxed about the whole issue. They'll figure it out.

"And what exactly is happening at that point?" her aunt takes the questioning further.

Shrugging, the girl watches the dark town roll by. "We're definitely going to try the whole relationship thing. What exactly that's going to mean?" a non-committal noise in her throat. "Apparently he hasn't screwed anyone since, basically, I moved out here." Looking over, she sees Venus's surprised expression. "Yeah, that's pretty much how Lyla reacted too. Then she decided to call and tell me, which is how I found out, and there was some drama over that, because he doesn't like people in his business."

"I can see that," her generally-sensible aunt replies, clearly trying to think back over the last several months for anything she may have missed.

Maya goes on. "He also promised that I'm it. Even on the road." An even more surprised look. "I didn't even ask. He just told me that's how it's gonna be."

"Oh, darlin'," Venus sounds stunned now. "That boy must really have it bad for you."

Finding herself smiling dopily out her window, Maya answers, "I'm kinda hoping so."

Dinner the following day is more of the same, Maya's chair getting pulled close to Happy's at the dinner table, his arm slung over the back once he's done eating; Maya herself pulled into his side - practically in his lap, really - afterward while everyone's in the living room opening gifts. She has gotten him a new wallet and chain, in addition to the club standard drawing everyone had gotten, having noticed that his are looking worn lately, but specifically requested he not get her anything, insisting that the tattoo he's giving her next week is a combined birthday and Christmas gift.

Happy had tried telling her he's glad to ink her anytime and just give him some idea for presents and she'd sternly told him off for that, saying she doesn't want special treatment, it's his craft and trade, and if he isn't going to let her pay for it, then she isn't accepting anything else as a gift. All he'd been able to do was shrug a little helplessly, because what was he really gonna do, bitch because she DOESN'T want him to spend his money on her? He's not an idiot.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

New years eve, Happy finds himself ignoring most text messages - he answers only Chibs, because he's not going to blow off his Pres - asking where he is.

The answer is Maya's apartment.

Neither of them is at the clubhouse party, having chosen tonight to do the tattoo she has asked for and drawn up. It's not a small piece, it'll take a few hours. He sets up at the kitchen table and traces out a stencil before calling her in from where she's lounging on the couch watching the festivities in her hometown - the ball had just dropped there. When she comes in, he sees her clamp down on the smile that threatens to break out on her face and growls at her, knowing it's because of the damn reading glasses he hates wearing but can no longer risk not having while working.

Happy becomes instantly less annoyed as she straddles the back of the chair he has set up for her in front of him with a pillow for her to lean against and only hesitates for a moment before reaching down and pulling off the loose tee shirt she's wearing, draping it over the back of the chair she's sitting in. Maya sits straight and just a little tense as he dry shaves the whole upper right quadrant of her back and quickly sprays it with a fine mist of water before carefully lining up the transfer paper.

Outline in place, he goes to hand her a mirror to check the placement, to be thrown a little when she shakes her head and says, "I trust you." before steeling herself, gripping the sides of the chair backrest in front of her in preparation for the coming pain. Pulling himself together, he snaps on gloves and repositioning her slightly so her hips are back towards him and she's leaning more forward, so he has easier access to where he's working, then picks up his rig, leaning over himself and getting to work.

She'd obviously been expecting the same pain level as the little tattoo on her wrist, and relaxes rather quickly when she finds that the back of her shoulder isn't quite so sensitive. It still hurts, of course, and some places do more than others even within the region - close to the spine is worse than the meaty spots over the shoulder blade, for example - but it's easily tolerable.

Maya hasn't shared the meaning of the piece with him, but he can tell it's personal, not just pretty. A winding, serpentine Asian-style dragon, chasing dark storm clouds spewing bolts of lightning.

It's nearing midnight when he stops and tells her to take a break. His hand needs it, it's been awhile since he's done a big, detailed piece. She doesn't bother covering up as she stands, stretching a little, asking, "Want something to drink?"

"Beer." then, as she move to the fridge, he tacks on, "Not for you - alcohol thins your blood, makes a goddamn mess. Get juice or somethin', keep your blood sugar up." As she moves around, he keeps his eyes away, knowing his self control is a thin thing with her these days and they are literally less than an hour from it no longer being an issue. Instead, he busies himself stretching out his right hand, wiping down his rig, and refilling caps with more ink until she has set a beer down on the table a little off to the side of his supplies and resettled herself in front of him. He catches a whiff of orange juice.

Another hours and he is finally done with line work, swapping needles out for a shader. It's only maybe 20 minutes into this second portion of the work when he notices Maya is noticeably controlling her breathing. He doesn't pay much attention at first; they've been at it for awhile, she must be hurting by now, and some people are just more sensitive to shading then they are to line work, or vice versa. Another 20 minutes, and Happy realizes she's trying to stop herself from shuddering, and doing admirably well, only letting the occasional slight tremor break through.

Deciding it's now time to check in on her, he pulls back to dip into the ink anyway and asks, "You wanna stop? We can finish this in a few weeks when you're healed up."

Maya sucks in a breath and seems to involuntarily twitch, rolling her hips and almost squeaking out, "No don't stop!"

Happy pauses as he takes that reaction in, something niggling at his brain. That almost sounded like…. No. No fucking way. His vision actually distorts behind the damn glasses a little as his pupils blow out, and now it's his turn to take some deep breaths. HIs gloved free hand rests on her rib cage as he leans forward and growls into her ear, "Are you getting off on this right now?"

Maya swallows and pulls in a ragged breath before answering in a huskier voice than he's used to but immediately make it his new life goal to hear as often as possible. "I would be if you'd get back to work."

Before abiding, he tells her, "You actually get close you tell me - don't need you fucking up your own tat movin' around." She nods that she understands, and Happy pulls back again, going back to work and now grinning every time there's a hitch in her breathing or a tremor runs through her muscles. He doubts she even had any idea she'd have this kind of reaction, and he is one lucky fucking bastard.

She hasn't stopped him by the time he's done, so he carefully wipes down the finished piece and eyes it critically for anything that needs immediate fixing before sending her into the bathroom to go look at it, making himself focus on cleaning up instead of following her, knowing how annoyed he'd be in the morning if he left all his shit out and dirty. Thankfully, it takes only a couple minutes to pull the protective plastic wrap from everything and stuff all the garbage in the bag he has handy, and he's nearly done wiping everything down by the time she's walking back out with a somewhat tired but very pleased smile on her face.

Now, however, he's largely distracted by her tits, since she obviously still isn't wearing a shirt, and hadn't bothered covering herself at all. Happy's still seated, so they're right at eye level.

Maya takes advantage of his distraction, moving right over to him and cupping one of her small hands around his jaw, tipping his head up and swiftly dipping in to plant a hard kiss on his lips. Happy's quick to respond, dropping the paper towel he's using and pulling her down to straddle his lap and holding her there firmly with an arm around her lower back, careful not to stray too far up and scrape against the fresh ink. The other hand is quick to find one of those perky tits, just enough to fill up the palm of his hand, nipple a hard little peak that he rolls between his fingers, enjoying the breathy little moan she lets out into his mouth at the contact even as she rolls her hips trying to get some friction, reminding him that she's been riding the edge for awhile.

Maya's own hands aren't idle; one's under his shirt, stroking over his chest, while the other cups around the back of his neck, holding him hard to her. Still, he pulls back a little, making the nails, already dragging against the skin of his neck, bite in deliciously as she protests with a whine.

Chuckling, Happy insists, "Gotta tape your back up." Maya whines again. "Then I'll take you into the bedroom and make you cum until you can't move anymore." he promises. She's still pouting a little, but gets up and turns around, allowing him to stand as well and use medical tape to secure saran wrap over her new piece to protect both it and her bedsheets.

As soon as he's done, he begins to make good on his promise, wrapping and arm around her stomach and pulling her back into him, still standing in the middle of her kitchen. "You like pain, little girl?" he asks lowly, hand slipping down to cup her pussy through the soft cotton short she'd been wearing all night for comfort. The crotch is more than a little wet. Applying some pressure and listening as she whines, he tells her, "Asked you a question."

"Yes." she chokes out in a half whisper and he rewards her for answering him by starting to rub at her through the cloth. "At first it j-just hhh-hurt, then-n after awhi-awhile … oh fuck…" she grinds down against his hand a little and hooks an arm up behind her, around his neck to hold herself up, the other hand's blunt nails digging into his forearm a little. Even with him holding her more or less still, the pressure on the new tattoo has to be stinging and throbbing, and, if her reaction to getting the thing is any indication, it's probably only helping. Eventually she spits out the rest of what she was saying. "After awhile it just started feeling really fucking fantastic."

Shifting again so the hand holding around her ribs is instead playing with a tit, he rubs hard around the nub he can feel through the thin material of her shorts and is rewarded with whimpering and moaning interspersed with cuss words as Maya's head falls back against his chest, and it's not long before she's cumming, eyes rolling back a little and half-choking on his name and shuddering and fucking gorgeous and he wants to see it 10 more times right now.

Straightening up and pulling back a little, he pushes her forward gently and she shuffles off toward the bedroom on shaky legs, pushing her shorts off once she's there before turning and starting to eagerly pull at his clothes. Happy accommodates her, stripping off his shirt while she unbuckles his belt and makes quick work of the buttons at his fly, pushing his jeans and boxers down in one motion. He's almost surprised at how forward she's being so quickly, but doesn't have time to form thoughts about it before her hand is wrapping around his cock and stroking firmly while she licks and nibbles over his chest and forming thoughts is difficult.

Forcing himself to not get distracted, he wraps his hands around the upper curve of her hips and walks her back until she hits, the sits on the bed, stopping her before her head dips down toward his dick. Wonderful as her eagerness and that thought are, he's determined.

Instead, he hits his knees and is equally unshy about pushing hers apart and diving in. As he expected, she tastes as delicious as she looks and sounds, and it's only a few moments of his running his tongue over her obviously still-sensitive slit before she collapses back to rest on her elbows with a loud moan of "Oh god, Hap…."

Maybe it's because he's been exclusive with his hand for a few months - which hadn't actually been intentional, all the sluts around the club had just lost appeal when he had started spending nights semi-regularly wrapped around Maya - but her complete inhibition, seeming to not care about how she sounds or looks as she just enjoys what he's doing to her, is possibly the sexiest thing he's ever seen. Or maybe it's because her reactions are genuine instead of the fake pornstar shit he's gotten so used to the last several years. Either way, her hands move up to pinch at her nipples and she's moaning and looking down at him while he fucks her with his tongue and then she's cumming again, her thighs clamping hard over his ears, and he switches to gently sucking at her clit and pumping a couple fingers into her clenching pussy to keep her orgasm rolling as long as possible until she's reaching down to push him away because she's officially too sensitive.

Maya scoots further back onto the bed, careful to keep her back from dragging, and Happy follows her up, settling down over her and kissing her slowly, biting at her lips and sucking on her tongue, enjoying as she runs her hands over him greedily. When she eventually starts pushing for him to roll over, he accedes, watching as she sits up and pulls her now very messy hair from the half-undone bun it had been in previously before eagerly flipping herself around.

"Ain't gonna last very long it you do that, girl." he tells her, even as he smirks at her enthusiasm.

"Oh darn," she says sarcastically, leaning down. She's facing away, but he knows she's rolling her eyes. "You'll have to stay the night and fuck me in the morning. Tragedy." It's past 3 by this point, officially her birthday, and he plans on fucking her for as much of it as he can until they have to go to Charming for the birthday dinner Venus has planned. He may allow a nap, but certainly not a proper sleep.

Happy's focus is pulled back to the immediate as she sucks firmly on the head of his cock, and his hand finds it's way quickly into the hair right at the back of her head, though he's careful not to push her down.

Maya has less qualms than he does, clearly aware of her own limits. Or lack thereof, he thinks, hearing himself groan as he hits the back of her throat and she tenses up only briefly before forcing herself to relax and just keeps pushing herself down. Gathering up her hair so he can watch, she bobs her head, making obscene wet smacking noises and humming when she's up far enough to get air out. When she shifts slightly, he can see even better, and one of her little hands is rolling his balls. Happy surprises himself when when he starts letting out moans not dissimilar to how she had been earlier. He's never been particularly vocal, though even he can admit he talks to her more than he's talked to pretty much anyone ever, so maybe that's related.

In an embarrassingly short amount of time, he feels a tingling racing down his spine and tugs harder than he means to at her hair, forcing a strangled "Mayaaaa…." out between clenched teeth in warning, and she pulls back, barely, switching to just stroking his cock quickly.

A minute later, she's sitting back up and smirking smugly at him, his cum dripping down her chin, neck, and chest. How - HOW - had he managed to find the actual perfect girl? Okay, she's probably not perfect. He knows she's not, in fact, but she's pretty great, and certainly seems to be perfect FOR HIM.

Happy pulls her down for a quick, hard kiss before letting her go get cleaned up while he gets comfortable for that nap.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

When he wakes awhile later, it's to the sound of foil being torn open. Cracking his eyes, he finds dim light in the room, mostly from the kitchen light that had been left on coming in through the open bedroom door, the blinds and curtains effectively shutting out everything from outside, though he does see a glow around the edges of those that tells him it's past daybreak.

Happy's laying on his back, and he feels Maya shift on the bed, coming into view almost the same time he feels her rolling a condom onto his already hard dick. Eyes still only partially open, he watches with interest as she sleepily moves to straddle him, bracing herself on his stomach and adjusting her positioning once before slowly sinking down on him slowly with a relieved-sounding groan.

Now, Hap has a reputation among his club brothers for liking girls with big tits, but that's not entirely accurate. He likes tits - what straight, red-blooded male doesn't? - but the fact that the girls he used to pick had big ones was more or less coincidental. When he'd been younger, barely more than a kid, really, he'd accidentally hurt a couple girls during sex. He's not a small guy, but they had been small girls. After a couple tearing and bruising situations, he'd felt so damn bad about it that he'd started just going for taller girls, who seemed to have less of an issue. Around the club in particular, those girls all seem to have massive tits, which he wasn't about to complain about.

So, Maya, being one of those tiny little girls he's been avoiding for the better part of 15 years, he's a little bit worried about hurting on accident. Not, of course, to be confused with hurting on purpose in a way she likes, because obviously they're going to have to find out about those, after last night. He's honestly a little relieved she's taken charge and hopped on top for this first time.

They're both less frantic, less urgent than earlier, smiling lazily and letting out smaller, but no less satisfied noise as Maya bounces up and down on him while he softly runs his hands up over her thighs and hips. She eventually bottoms out, swirling her hips to grind her clit against his pubic bone pulling a low groan from both of them before setting a faster pace moving over him.

Happy moves a hand to hold some pressure on her lower stomach, just above her own pubic bone, and circle over her clit with his thumb as she moves faster, making her tits bounce with her motion, and she twitches and gasps at the contact, staring down at him with slightly glazed eyes.

"You're so fucking sensitive," he comments, sounding pleased about it even to his own ears, which he is. Maya's response is several whimpering breaths as she thrusts herself down to take him deep in a few quick motions of her hips before collapsing a little as her eyes widen and her orgasm slams over her. Happy grins widely, not stopping rubbing her, but taking over, thrusting slightly up into her as he feels juices dripping down his balls and thighs. "Good girl…" he mutters, gleefully watching her shake and shudder.

Maya tries to keep going once she's recovered, but he can tell her body just isn't used to this. With some pressure on her hips, he has her move off of him before he sits up and arranges his feet under him, pulling her in for a long kiss before arranging her so her knees are on either side of his as she faces away, basically sitting in his lap. He braces one forearm around her lower stomach and uses the other to gather her hair off to one side before switching to line himself up. Biting down gently on her shoulder before sucking on it, he waits until she relaxes back into him a little before swiftly thrusting forward into her hot, wet pussy, relishing the sharp cry of pleasure she lets out.

Yup. It's official. He's never going to get tired of this.

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

They roll up to Venus's house in time for the 'family' dinner celebrating Maya's birthday that night on Happy's bike. No one's surprised, but there's more than a few eyebrows raised, especially after both of them had been conspicuously absent at the New Years Eve party the night previously, and neither had responded to texts inquiring where they were except the one to Chibs from Happy confirming he's fine and just not going to be at the party.

There's really no hiding the hickies on either of their necks, or that Maya is walking more than a bit gingerly, not that Happy cares if anyone knows, but Maya's a little embarrassed as a few of the guys snicker - the girls all being in the kitchen still as they arrive, but Lyla and Brooke are sure as hell not going to let this pass without comment.

Tig looks disturbed as he shakes his head and mutters, "Well, at least we know for sure they weren't fuckin' before today. Helen Keller wouldn't'a missed the signs." and Chibs, next to him, snorts an agreement.

Maya blushes and scuttles off to the kitchen to join the other womenfolk.

Brooke spots her first, loudly asking in her brash way, "Jesus fuck, did you get mauled by a bear?" making Lyla, Monique, and Venus turn to look at Maya.

Venus is quick to shake her head with a laugh and get back to work on cooking, Monique lets out a 'Daaaaamn, girl!' first.

Lyla takes it upon herself to answer Brooke. "From what the girls have said, Hap's nowhere near hairy enough to be a bear. Big enough, though."

Maya cuts in. "Lyla, you're already on thin ice with him….. even if you were able to tell me what brand and size of condoms I needed to buy with complete accuracy." Grabbing herself a glass of wine, she goes on, "Although, he hasn't seen my toybox yet, so that may also get you back some goodwill."

Resuming whatever task she'd been on, Lyla argues her point, "Well, I'm in a weird position, okay? I have all this information about almost all of the guys, that's only useful to people who want to fuck them. Forgive me for having no idea what to do with it."

"Hey, I get it." Maya tells her. "You're the slutkeeper."

It's Brooke that cracks the first giggle, and the other women are all quick to join her.

Once they've calmed down a little, Lyla wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, declaring, "Oh, fuck. That's going on my business cards AND in my email signature first thing tomorrow morning."

Some time later, they're all settled around the table, eating, drinking, and being their usual gruff, merry, loud selves.

Now with 3 glasses of wine in her, Maya is feeling loose and fuzzy and abruptly remembers something she'd been meaning to ask Happy. Turning to him, she says, "Did you talk to Chibs about Ireland yet?"

Across the table and several seats down, Chibs abruptly turns to them looking worried. "Wut aboot Ireland?"

Before Happy can explain in any way that might have made sense, Maya gives her version. "I'm a Clutterbucket!" she announces proudly. "And when Hap was taking me back to New York we were at the clubhouse in Kansas City and Jake Owens recognized me cuz I look like my momma and he knew her cuz they grew up together in Opossum Trot and when I told him my momma's Katie Grace Clutterbucket the other guy…. um….. I can't remember his name cuz I'm a little drunk…. but he was DEFINITELY Irish! He told me I have Clutterbucket cousins around the Irish charters, and I was like 'YEEEAAAH!' but Happy got all sternface" she does a bad imitation of Happy's mean face and points "and tells me I'm not allowed to to go Ireland to meet them without him, and a couple months ago he told me we have to clear it with you and from your expression he hasn't even TALKED to you about it." she turns back to Happy and morosely says, "You haven't even TALKED to him about it."

Happy looks exasperated.

"There's Clutterbucket's in da States?" Chibs asks confusedly.

Maya's head bobs up and down as she turns back to the president again, proudly telling him "Uh huh! My grandpa, Owen Clutterbucket, immigrated from Galway in 1957 when he was 17. He settled in Arkansas and worked as a farm hand for hire, and eventually met my Gammy Grace when he was workin' on her daddy's farm, and, when she was old enough, they got married an' eventually had my momma." She's unintentionally slipped into the accent telling the story of grandpa and Gammy, having only ever heard it told in Gammy's thick twang, and the expressions around the table are a mixed bag of amused and creeped out. "He died when my momma was 14, though, so I never got to know 'im."

Still looking vague perplexed, Chibs looks over to Happy for some indeterminate thing before looking back at Maya and assuring her, "I'll see about us gettin' ye over ta meet yer cousins, darlin'."

She beams a smile back at him, saying, "I got airfare and anything else covered if that's an issue, it's just whatever club stuff…." Chibs nods an acknowledgement and then turns back to whatever conversation he'd been having.

Much later, at Happy's house, Maya is abruptly pulled from her excitement of spending the night there for the first time when she realizes Happy is mad at her. He'd been extra quiet for the rest of the night at Tig and Venus's, but she hadn't thought much of it until they'd gotten to his house and he'd been short with her. He's rarely chatty around the group, but alone with her is a different story.

Still tipsy and sure she had actually done something wrong this time but not knowing what, Maya takes her time in the hall bathroom getting ready for bed, brushing her teeth, then her hair, and going to the bathroom after changing into the tee shirt of Happy's she'd stolen months before that she'd taken to sleeping in and brought with her tonight for that purpose. Happy'd gone into his bedroom and it's en suite to prepare for bed, and she looks down the hall to see it's dark through the open door, though the hall light is on, clearly so she can see to get to bed.

Unsure and not wanting to face him in that intimate of a setting when he's upset with her, she turns the other direction, quietly moving to the dark little kitchen and just as quietly getting herself a glass of water before moving into the just as dark living room. Settling on the end of the couch closest to the windows, she pulls her legs up under her, half curled into a ball in the corner of the piece of furniture and looking out over the quiet street past the slight reflection from the hall light to one side, sipping at her water. Maya supposes she should be thinking back over the night trying to figure out where things had apparently gone wrong, but she can't make herself focus.

Sometime after she has set the empty glass down on a coaster on the end table between the couch and window, she sees the reflection of Happy emerging from the hallway.

"Why aren't you coming to bed?" he asks, sounding even more annoyed than in the clipped, short sentences she'd gotten upon them arriving earlier.

Maya sighs, but tries to minimize it. She doesn't want to be dramatic, it had been involuntary. Shrugging very slightly, she doesn't look away from the window, quietly answering, "I'm still half-drunk, and you're mad at me, and I don't know why, and it just felt like coming out here would start less shit than going in there. Apparently I was wrong." They've been together for less than a day and they're already fighting. Great. They've never fought before; even that one time he'd had that one weird jealousy moment, all she'd done is point out why he was being dumb and it had diffused everything.

She can feel him just staring at her, but doesn't turn to look at him. She'd answered his question, told him what's wrong with her. It's his turn if he wants to get anything resolved.

It feels like a long time before he finally speaks. "Bringing that shit up about going to Ireland in front of the whole club, right in the middle of dinner, was fuckin' disrespectful." Maya stays put, waiting for him to be completely done, but already feeling bad, because she hadn't considered that at all. "I told you I'd take care o' that shit, you tellin' the whole fuckin' charter that shit undermines my authority."

There's a couple minutes of silence, and he appears to be done. "I'm sorry." Maya tells him, genuinely moroseful. "I didn't think of that at all. I asked you months ago and you haven't said anything, and I just... remembered that I was going to ask you for an update, then…." she stops, knowing there's no point in over explaining. He's not stupid, he gets the drift. She's new to this and her mouth got away from her brain.

More silence and then an amazing thing. Happy sighs and moves to sit behind where she's curled up, pulling her back to lean against his side. "I shoulda talked to Chibs about it when you asked." he admits, acknowledging that it's at partially his fault. The Happy version of apology and forgiveness, rolled into one, she thinks, relaxing a little against him. "Now will you please come to bed? Fuckin' you all day wore me out. Still gotta get up and take you home before work tomorrow."

_p_a_g_e_b_r_e_a_k_

It had been super fun telling Katy that Maya wasn't coming home for Spring Break. Note that sarcasm, please.

First, her mother had been pissed. Then, Maya had told her, "But mom, I'm going to Ireland to meet the Clutterbuckets!" and Katy had been more okay with it. So okay with it she'd started talking about coming with.

"I'm pretty sure you won't want to meet them, mom." Maya had said with assurance, dreading the fight that was about to happen.

"What?" Katy sounds confused. "They're our cousins, you're going to meet them, why wouldn't I want to?"

"They're bikers, mom." Maya states plainly.

Silence, then "Bikers? As in, bicycles?" hopefully.

Sighing, Maya continues packing as she explains with her mother on speaker next to the backpack on top of her dresser. "Mom, have you ever heard of the Sons of Anarchy?"

"... Yes?" is the wary answer.

"Well, first off, Jake Owens says howdy. That's nearly 2 years overdue. Second, our cousins that I'm going to meet are Sons."

And then she had to explain that Jake Owens - yes, THAT Jake Owens, from Opossum Trot - is also a Sons, and yes, Maya has met him and that how those two things are related, and it's a long story, mom. No, she'll be perfectly fine in Ireland, even though she's meeting their biker cousins. It's Ireland, not Iraq.

Maya doesn't mention that she's staying in clubhouses and probably has a greater chance of coming into contact with guns and/or bombs in Ireland than she would in Iraq. Once he realized that he'd kinda fucked up not keeping her in the loop and being timely about addressing the matter, Happy had filled her in on the very basics of why, exactly, he'd decreed she wasn't to go to Ireland without him in the first place. No details, of course, but enough to make her aware that the IRA is, in fact, alive and well, and car bombs and fire fights aren't as much of a thing of the past as the government and media would have you believe, and the Sons there are very much a factor in those things.

So, they fly out today (Wednesday) afternoon and arrive in Dublin midday the following day, where they'll apparently be met with a bike to borrow, and immediately setting off to spend 2 nights in Galway clubhouse, followed by 2 nights in Cork, then circling back to spend a final 2 nights in Dublin and return the bike before heading home so there's a few days for her to sleep off her jetlag before school starts.

Maya packs simply; in addition to the jeans and tee she's wearing to fly, there's another 2 pairs of jeans, 3 shirts, underwear and socks for every day, travel-size toiletries, her little digital camera and an extra battery, a burner she had been assured would work overseas with a charger she had been equally assured would fit the sockets in Ireland, and her helmet.

She has one boot on when she half-clomps back into her bedroom, grabbing a couple strips of condoms from her nightstand and stuffing them into her toiletry bag.

That done she goes to pull on the other boot, her SOA jacket, and SAMCRO beanie before locking up the apartment and heading to wait out front because Happy and whoever is driving them to the airport are due any minute.

A confusing amount of time later that Maya is choosing to call 16 hours because the local time is 16 hours later than the local time they had taken off, the couple is walking out of the airport in Dublin, bickering lightly.

"I still can't believe you brought your fuckin' helmet. Like they don't got 'em here." Happy shakes his head.

Maya rolls her eyes. "I still can't believe you're trying to convince me I overpacked because your bag is bigger than mine."

"Told you, it's-"

"Club shit that Chibs needed you to bring as long as you were coming, yeah, yeah, so you've said. Like 10 fucking times already." she cuts him off, spotting what is obviously their small welcoming committee before he does and walking toward them.

"Least I didn't forget anything." he teases Maya.

It's her turn to shake her head. "You're a biker that's about to spend almost a week on a borrowed bike and didn't even bring the small comfort of your own helmet. I forgot to pack hair ties, which I replaced before we even left the airport for like a buck fifty. For all you know, the last guy who wore the helmet you're about to put on had some skin infection." When there's no immediate comeback, she knows she's gotten him with that one. He's a notorious clean-freak, and very particular about what he can share comfortably.

They reach the three guys in kuttes standing in the loading area, where there's a bike parked behind a van, and Happy greets them with hugs before introducing her. They don't linger long, pulling open the back doors of the van long enough for Happy to open up his bag and pull some things out, tossing them on the floor behind the… drivers seat, because it's backwards here…. Then, continuing to pull more out, breaking the rest of his haul out between the bags on the bike behind him and leaving the now-empty duffel in the van and grabbing the larger of the two helmets there before moving to close the doors.

"Don't want one o' doze for yer girl?" one of the guys asks him, but all three look curious.

In response, Maya swings her backpack off of one shoulder and unfastens the top, pulling her helmet out and refastening it quickly. When she gets raised eyebrows, she shrugs, resettling her pack on her shoulders and setting the helmet over the hair she'd quickly french-braided while they waited for Happy's bag at the baggage claim. "I came prepared." she smirks in Happy's direction and he tries not to look grudging as he puts on his own borrowed helmet. A minute later, they're off.

She'd looked up the ride times back home on Google maps, but she's still somehow surprised when it takes less than 3 hours to cross nearly the breadth of the whole country. It's takes her family that long to drive up to Shawn's old cabin upstate.

They're greeted warmly and shown to a room above the bar. When they come back down, Happy is taken off into the Chapel. Chibs really had decided to take advantage of this trip; Maya had been informed discreetly by Venus that, other than one less-than-legal trip to the Belfast charter a few years previously to recover a kidnapped baby (long story, but he's fine, she'd said), no-one from SAMCRO had been one a proper visit across the pond in nearly a decade, so Hap had the honors of playing diplomat as well as escorting her.

20 minutes at the first clubhouse, and Maya gets the feeling she'll be more or less on her own a lot, and probably getting to know Old Ladies and prospects a lot better than her cousins, to whom she had barely been introduced before they'd absconded with her boyfriend and sequestered themselves.

"No worries, lass," a woman probably about Happy's age says as she settles easily on the stool next to Maya at the bar, setting a pint of beer in front of each of them. "Dere's some business fer da boys ta see ta, den dey'll be out in time fer dinner and da party."

Maya tries to smile over at her. "Yeah, my aunt tried to warn me, I guess I just didn't quite realize…. This trip was supposed to be for me to meet my family."

"Oh?" the woman asks curiously, sipping at her pint.

Gesturing at herself, Maya introduces herself the way that she had pretty much been told to for the duration of her stay. "Maya Clutterbucket."

The woman's green eyes go wide and she nearly spews her beer. "Yer SHITTIN' me?!" Maya only shakes her head. "Well, fuck me sideways to Tuesday. I'm Maryann. I suppose ya could technically call us related. My Ol' Man is Joey Clutterbucket, who I suppose will be a cousin o' some sort ta ya?"

Maya shrugs a bit helplessly. "Of some sort, yeah. I don't know exactly. Just that my grandfather moved from here to the States in the '50s. The rest of the family tree is all pretty much a mystery to me."

They continue to chat, Maryann introducing her to the other Old Ladies that eventually show up bearing food, the smell of which makes Maya's stomach rumble, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since the snacks she'd had on the plane for 'breakfast' that morning.

To her stomach's dismay, dinner is held until the men come out from Church at nearly 9. She has been sipping on beers, careful not to have much, not wanting to embarrass either herself or Happy, but her caution means the 'liquid bread' hadn't filled her up at all either. It is, frankly, a small consolation that Happy is both in the same boat and appears both more tired and more frustrated than she is. Of the club officer positions, Sgt is the one that is, most of the time, mostly muscle and brain, and less about talking. He's out of his element here.

Once they go through the line and have a plate of food and a drink each, they are sat down at a table with Maryann, Joey, and the 2 other resident Clutterbuckets, neither of whom have Old Ladies, one being older and divorced, the other being Joey's age (40ish) and never married.

They are utterly uninterested in getting to know Maya, or telling her about their family. All they want to talk about is SAMCRO, or the goings on around here, and Maya ends up just looking down at her plate to avoid the slightly pitying looks Maryann occasionally sends her when the boys are distracted.

When the party picks up, Maya does her best to put on a good face. She seems to succeed, as the women other than Maryann don't seem to notice anything amiss, but she has a hard time even enjoying watching Happy's boxing match as much as she usually would. Things are less debauched here than back home, people automatically making for dorm rooms instead of shedding clothes in the middle of the bar. Catholic country, she supposes.

Around midnight, she makes her excuses of being tired from the long flight and heads upstairs to her room.

Happy doesn't join her for nearly 2 hours, and he's clearly shitfaced when he does, so she pretends to be asleep and lets him think his drunken attempts at being quiet - which are still better than most peoples', to be honest - actually are.

The next morning, a prospect makes them breakfast before Happy is pulled straight back into Church and Maya is left to her own devices. She hadn't even brought a sketchbook, so she bugs the prospect for whatever paper and writing implement is available and end up at a table with some printer paper and a shitty ballpoint pen, just for something to do.

"Maya!" a voice calls from the doorway, making her look up. It's Maryann. "Come on, then. Grab anything you need, I'm takin' ya fer an outin'."

Maya bites her lip, glancing at the chapel doors. Happy will be pissed she's leaving without even telling him, much less knowing where she's going, but she also doesn't dare interrupt. Jotting down a note, she folds it up and scribbles his smiley face on it, hurrying to the back she hands it to the prospect with strict instructions to give it to Happy as soon as they come out of church. Emerging from the backroom she tells Maryann she'll be right back and runs up the stairs to retrieve her jacket, phone, and camera.

The wrong-side-of-the-car, wrong-side-of-the-roadthing still freaks Maya out a little as they drive through the city. She's kind of expecting some sightseeing or something, so she gets confused when the end up in what appears to be a residential area.

"Where are we?" she asks, part curious and part wary.

Maryann looks over at her as they unbuckle after she's parked. "Well, ya wanted to know about yer family, dincha? Da boys are clearly not inclined ta tell ya, so I brought ya ta someone who will."

Tears well up in Maya's eyes immediately. "Thank you." she croaks out, exiting the car at the same time as the older woman.

The whole street is seemingly long rows of townhouses occasionally broken by narrow alleys; they approach one set that has a lower level done in grey brickwork and the upper level whitewashed, the only personality from the outside being the color of the door and the shutters. The door Maryann leads her to is a striking cobalt blue color, and she presses the buzzer.

The woman who answers the door a minute later is old. Older than Gammy. But seems to be spry. She narrows her eyes at Maryann before turning her critical gaze on Maya and asking, "What have you brought ta my door?"

Maya seizes her chance to make an impression, because this is clearly a matriarch who will not appreciate anything but a woman who doesn't speak for herself. "Maya Hart. Granddaughter of Owen Clutterbucket."

The old woman purses her wrinkled mouth, looking her up and down with a gimlet eye, and Maya abruptly realizes that she's only a couple inches taller than Maya herself.

Maryann speaks up now to explain herself. "She has ties ta da club in da U.S., an' came ta visit ta git ta know her family, but ya know how Joey, Craig, and Matty are."

The old woman sighs. "Don' give a whit abou' da family name, any o' dem. I s'pose ya best come in, den." with this,she steps back, perfunctorily ushering the girls inside and closing the door behind them.

Soon, they're settled at the kitchen table as the woman, who has been introduced as her great-aunt Bethany, Owen's Aunt, putters around the kitchen making them tea and piling some biscuits on a plate, telling Maya about Owen as a child. Photo albums appear, and, soon, Maya is learning about much of the family, the general history, little anecdotes, and also telling Bethany about herself. She's glad she'd brought her camera, even if she'd expected to use it for sightseeing, because she takes pictures of the pictures.

Before she knows it, they've been there for hours chatting.

Apparently, she passed muster, because she gets a hug and Bethany's contact information as they leave, while Maryann gets a command to take better care of her hair.

"She likes ya." Maryann confirms as they climb back into the car and begin the drive back to the clubhouse.

"I like her." Maya says, smiling. It's not what she expected from getting to know her family, but she'll take it. Especially if the rest of the trip at clubhouses goes how she thinks it's going to. "Hey, is there somewhere on our way back that I can buy some art supplies?"

They stop at an art supply store, then Maryann takes her to one of the small city's main tourist attractions: a street that has been a shopping district since the 1400s. Maya has her first experience carrying around a small, savory pie that fits in her hand, munching on it as they browse through shops. She buys a pair of earrings in intricate, twisted celtic knotwork for Venus, and a ring of knotwork twisted into a flower for Rosalinda.

Maya's had a pretty good day, but her mood sinks as they walk through the door of the clubhouse. The guys are walking out of Church at the same time the girls come in, and Happy looks thunderous. Turning to Maryann, Maya forces out a smiles and says, "Thank you SO MUCH for today. You have no idea how much it meant to me."

Maryann's smile is sympathetic. "O' course, darlin'. Ya just gotta tell me one day 'ow ya got da ol' bat ta like ya so quick. She hates everyone!"

Leftovers from the night before are being brought out for whoever's sticking around, but Maya's not hungry and she knows where the kitchen is if she wants something later, so she heads upstairs after spotting Happy in line to dish himself up some food.

She'd kept her purchases small - physically. The sketchbook is only about 4 inches by 6 inches, and she'd gotten a simple set of 3 pencils of different hardness, and a little sharpener. The 2 gifts she'd bought are wrapped up into little tissue-paper balls, which she stows in her toiletry bag to keep track of, smiling ironically at the condoms she'd stuffed in there at the last moment before running out of the house. At this rate, she'd be amazed if they use one or two of them before heading home.

Stripping off her boots and jacket, she sits against the headboard on 'her' side of the bed, opposite from her apartment, but the same as his house and further from the door, bending one knee up and flipping open the little sketchbook, deciding to do something detailed that will take a lot of time so she can conserve pages for the next days. She doesn't doubt she'll be very bored.

Happy seems dangerously calm as he eventually comes in and shuts the door softly, standing and staring at her, and Maya stops, closing her little pad of paper and setting her things aside to look back at him, knowing he will interpret it as her ignoring him if she keeps drawing, even if she's listening. Last thing she needs to do right now is piss him off any more with rudeness, perceived or otherwise.

"Did I or did I not make it clear that you need to be with a Son if you leave the clubhouse?" he asks, voice tightly controlled. Maya nods, face blank. "So, all the trouble we went to to bring you over here, so you can meet your cousins, you're determined to just piss away by running off with anyone that offers to show you around. Fuckin' great." Now it's Maya that's beginning to get pissed, because she's the one that had done most of the arranging for her and the club's arrangements had been largely for Happy and their business, but she knows it won't do any good to fight back. She'd known when she left with Maryann today that it would be her one adventure for the trip.

Instead, she forces herself into false calm and tries to make herself sound repentant as she says, "I won't leave the clubhouse for the rest of the trip."

She can tell he's surprised by her immediate agreement. He'd expected her to fight back. Happy tried to cover this by saying, "Damn right you won't." as if that had been his intention to enforce, and Maya realizes he'd likely been prepared to bargain.

Thing is, she's past caring at this point. She has a feeling her cousins at the other clubhouses are going to be just as interested in her as the ones here, and there's no outside family really to meet in the other cities. Maryann had told her that the boys in Cork and Dublin had moved there after patching in here, only their Old Ladies and kids if they have them are there with them. The family's based in county Galway. So, Maya will be on her best behavior for a trip she now wishes she had the freedom to cut short. Because she's in a beautiful country, with a lot of cool stuff to go see, and she's stuck in fucking clubhouses for the next 5 days while her boyfriend is, basically, in meetings, and she has to put on a good face at the parties and pretend she's happy to be here.

The matter is obviously closed, but in no way resolved, and Happy now looks unsettled instead of angry, the interaction clearly not having gone the way he expected it to, and not having really had an outlet for his anger so much as she had unexpectedly cooperated and the anger had disappeared, leaving and itchy antsy feeling behind.

Like he's missing something, but can't see what.

They go downstairs, and Maya makes a good show of being social with the handful of guys and whatever girls are hanging around.

The next morning, the couple takes off for Cork. They are due to stop in Limerick for a few hours, which turns into a good portion of the day in the way that is already becoming familiar - Happy in Church with the locals. When several of the women turn out a big lunch, the guys emerge only to gather plates and go back to the chapel to eat as they continue talking, while Maya chats a little with the women, but largely is left alone to keep herself entertained. It's late afternoon before they get back on the road. That whole small island thing comes in handy; it's only a bit over an hour before they're pulling into the Cork clubhouse, where dinner is waiting, and they are assured that Church will be waiting for tomorrow and shown to their room to drop off their things before coming back down to eat.

Maya is introduced to the one cousin she has here, Stevie, who is at least more friendly than Joey, Matt, and Craig had been, actually talking to her instead of ignoring her in favor of Happy. Maybe because he's younger, only a year older than Juice. Putting on a fun face is harder that night, and she can feel Happy watching her, having clearly noticed that she isn't even pretending to drink anymore, and that she's hardly talking, only answering direct questions, even if she's being perfectly friendly. He knows something's off, but still hasn't figured out what.

She manages to slip off around midnight, and Happy joins her in bed surprisingly soon after, smelling of beer but not nearly as drunk as previous nights. When he 'wakes her up' with soft kisses to the neck and slow caresses, she goes along with it, almost desperate to have something positive associated with him right now. If this goddamn trip is going so sideways for her, at least she still has this with him, right?

The logic seems to work, and they fall asleep later tangled in each other like they do at home.