Jax would be lying if he said he was surprised that Stella hadn't come back to Charming with Kozik after she found out about Tig. They must have underestimated how muchTig had hurt her but Jax guessed he would be the same way under the same circumstance. The Garage was busier then normal that day so luckily he couldn't dwell on the thought. They had all tried to get into contact with her but Opie was the only one she had spoken to and that was because of Ellie and Kenny. They all thought she was still in New York and were all surprised that she had moved to New Orleans. She needed her space and they all understood that but Jax did miss her. He had been changing a carburettor in a 1974 Firebird Formula around about closing time when he heard high heels clicking in up the driveway. There was Stella walking towards him in a white trench and raven hair flowing back behind her.

"Clay!" Jax called out

"What!"

"Princess"

That was all that Clay needed to hear before rushing to Jax's side. Jax heard Clay breath a sigh of relief when he saw her. She threw herself into Clay's arms and held him tight before letting go.

"Where is he?"

"Come on, I'll tell you all about it"

She followed Clay into the office with Jax by her side. She felt his hand wrap around hers and she was very grateful, Stella hadn't realised how venerable she was feeling, until that moment. Clay sat at the desk and Jax and Stella sat in the chair by the door.

"U.S Marshalls?" she asked. Truly believing that's what it would be.

"We've had Juice look into it" Jax told her "He's hacked into every system and data base we can think of. There are no warrants for his arrest. He's clean"

"Then who?"

"We're thinking Darby" Clay spoke up.

"Darby? What's he's beef with Tig?"Jax and Clay looked at each other quickly and Stella understood very quickly what Darby's beef would be, she shook her head and sigh. Clearly there was a lot she didn't know about Tig. She wasn't dense she know that Tig wasn't the nicest guy in the world and she knew that he had done some pretty bad shit in his life but Darby was insane and now she was really worried."Okay what do we do?"

"We think Darby pulled together enough brain cells and has taken Tig outer state. Last time something happened to Tig we drove a truck through a hotel wall to get him back. The story is pretty notorious and I have no doubt that Darby has heard it." Jax told her.

"Wherever he is, We don't have the protection we need to do whatever it takes to get him back. Not like we are in Charming"

"So we're at an impasse"

Suddenly a thin geeky guy ran inside the office, Stella had never seen him before. New Prospect? She thought to herself

"Everyone's ready" he told them. Both the guys stood up and Jax reached out his hand for hers and gently pulled her up. Stella knew she should have left New Orleans with Kozik but she was still hurt and she was stubborn. Jax took her hand and guided her toward Church. She was only too aware of the rule about women and Church so as Jax and Clay moved into the room Stella stayed at the door and notice someone was sitting in Tig's spot.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" she asked, ice in her voice

"This is the Stg At Arms seat"

"No it's not, it's Alex's chair, get your arse up out of it"

"He isn't here" Kozik fired back.

"And he ain't dead yet, Sunshine so move it or I'll make you"

It was a rare moment that Stella's family had heard that tone in her voice but they all knew that when her voice got quiet and deep like that, it was time to hit the deck. Kozik put his hands up in defence and stood up out of the chair. They stared each other down as he walked past her. Everyone expected Stella to go sit in Tig's spot but she didn't, she stayed in the doorway. Suddenly she felt someone's hand brush her waist, Juice kissed her cheek as he walked into the room

"He's in Arizona" he announced

"What?" Stella asked outraged

"Do you know where?" Clay asked

"Of course I do"

"Okay, boys this is high risk and out of our area. If we get caught with anything we shouldn't be carrying, we're up shit creek. We won't all need to go but who ever wants to take a road trip, is more then welcome. We just needed someone with a really big brain to come up with a great plan" Clay said looking over at Stella she just chuckled and smiled at him.

"You're going?" Kozik asked with an edge to his voice

"Of course I'm going"

He swiftly stood up and grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her out of the room. Jax and Opie had to contain themselves to stay seated and not knock Kozik on his arse because of the way he grabbed her. They just had to remember that he was doing it because he was worried.

Kozik dragged her outside the clubhouse and final let go of her arm. Stella shoved him before saying

"Ouch!"

"You can't be serious! There is no way your going to Arizona. Do you have any idea what Darby and his guys would do to you, if things went bad?"

"No one is asking you to come along"

"Stella, if he has been gone this long, he's dead already"

Before he even saw it coming Stella slapped him with all her might for even thinking of it, let alone saying it out loud.

"We don't know that and even if that was true we would still find him and bring him home"

"You didn't give a shit three days ago"

"And now I do" she said walking past him and he grabbed her arm again. Stella looked at Kozik then down at her arm and back to him. Before she could say anything to him they were interrupted.

"What's the plan, beautiful?" the Scotsman called out.

Kozik grip on her arm lightened as she saw Chibs, Jax and Juice standing in front her. Clearly they were coming with her. Kozik finally let go of her.

"We can't go on the bikes. They'll be expecting that plus if he's hurt were going to need something bigger"

"I'm on it" Chibs said jogging off

"Juice can you work your magic and find me everything you can on Darby and he's guys. Any thing I can use? By four this afternoon"

"Is that when we're leaving?"

"Yep"

Jax and Stella stood in front of each other for a few seconds and Stella took a deep breath and knew it was going to be a long night.

"We're low in guns" Jax told her "We're pulling together the personal supplies"

"I'll get mine out of the car"

"You drove guns over state lines?"

"Who hasn't?"

Jax laughed as they walked over to her car, he had been expecting one or two what he wasn't excepting when she opened the boot was a rolled up blanket the size of Mount Rushmore.

"Holy Shit! How many guns do you want, woman?"

"Tig brought me two guns a year since I was twelve. Birthday and Christmas"

"Twelve?"

"When I started to" she stopped trying to think of the right way to say this "Develop"

Jax cracked up laughing, that would be the way that Tig would deal with that age. Here's a gun and here's how to use it. Jax kind of understood that. Stella may have been gorgeous and very polished, but she had an edge to her, how could she not? And that edge came out when the people she cared about was in danger. Jax had the idea that they were all going to see a different side to their princess, in the next few days. He carried the blanket into the clubhouse and all the guys stared at him when Jax dropped it on the ground. Stella ripped the Velcro and kicked the blanket a few times to roll it out. Two guns every year since the age of twelve. Thirty guns. All the guys stared at her and back at the guns.

"Well, I don't know what you guys' a using" she said joking around "But I'm using these"

Stella's bad arse quota went up, with all of them. She took her coat off and got down to business. Her guys were with her every step of the way.

Stella stood in Tig's room putting make up on and getting ready to go, she was nervous and she didn't know if her plan was going to work but she prayed that it would. The adrenaline was flowing through her veins and she kind of understood why the guys enjoyed doing stuff like this. It's was a high.

"You're getting dressed up to rescue him?" someone said at the door. She looked up and saw Kozik standing there.

"Gotta use whatever I can to get in there and get him"

"You didn't even say goodbye, Stel" Kozik said quietly. Stella looked at him confused "When you left, you didn't say goodbye"

Stella looked at him outraged. She was anything but thinking clearly once she found out what happened to her father, anyone else would understand that. Why did he always have to be such a pain in the arse.

"I rang you twenty times and left you five messages. I didn't know where you were"

" I was getting ready to transfer, so I could be with you because I thought we had something but you left and you didn't tell me in any of those messages that you were leaving. To go back to New York to your suit of a boyfriend"

"Fiancé" she corrected

Kozik frowned and looked at her in shock "Excuse me?"

"He is my fiancé"

Kozik shook he's head and slammed the door behind him, which made her jump. Once she started to feel guilty Stella mentally shook herself and reminded herself there were more important things to think about and do right now. She hadn't returned to Charming for Kozik she had returned to get Tig's back and that's what she was about to do. Stella walked out of the Clubhouse and tightened the belt on her white coat and walked towards the van where the guys were waiting for her. Juice gave her a folder full of paper.

"It's all I could find"

"That's great! Thank you" she said kissing him on the cheek and hoping in the front seat with Jax. The rest of the guys sat in the back and slammed the door behind them. Stella had a little studying to do before they got to Arizona.

The sun had gone down and Stella hadn't even looked up from her folder, she was in the zone and Jax understand but he was worried.

"Why do you need all the stuff?" he asked taking his eyes off the road for a slipt second. She didn't look up.

"I have to use what I can to get him back. If that is a little blackmail and subterfuge, I'll do it" she told him "Hell, if I have sleep with Darby to get him back in one piece, I'll do it"

Jax frowned at her shocked that she'd go to such lengths but he had to take his hat off to her. Stella loved her Scarecrow.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that"

They all drove into the night and Jax tried to concentrate on the road and not the beautiful woman beside him.