The Tattoo Artist

Natasha smiles as she took her foot off the pedal, listed the tattoo gun away from her client and wiped away the extra ink mixed with blood. Two hours of tattooing a man in his late twenties and she couldn't have been more pleased with her masterpiece.

She continued by using the cleansing fluid and a new wipe to clean away what wasn't needed. "Alright Jamie, you know the drill. Keep it wrapped for a few hours and don't overdo it with the cleansing cream. Don't need you getting another infection." She finished in a very stern voice as she stood up to grab a roll of cling film and some masking tape.

"Yeah i know Tash, i got it this time." He replied with a confident grin which quickly morphed into a wince when Natasha wrapped his left arm and secured it with the tape.

"Yeah, you said that last time." She said as she moved to begin cleaning up. "Go see Jake and finish paying and all the paperwork crap."

The next ten minutes were spent cleaning all of her equipment, removing all the used needles and cling film and making sure everything was put away neatly and ready for her to use tomorrow. Once that was done, she grabbed her sketchbook and made her way out to the front desk and smiled when she saw Jake sat there with a furrowed brow as he clicked things on the computer screen.

"Need help old man?" She asked with a grin.

His head whipped around with a slight scowl. "Cut the cheek, not old and not in need of help. I'm off desk duty and back to work." He finished with a grunt, taking his time to stand up and stretch his aching limbs.

Natasha couldn't hid her smile, Jake was in his early fifties and had once been a handsome man, apparently. Tall and built like a brick house, lots of tattoos, bright blue eyes and a charming smile, but that had never been the Jake she knew. He had always had a slight beer belly and no real muscles to speak of but he had a thick beard and was always smiling and his tattoos were beginning to fade and had become much harder to make out. But that didn't matter.

He had helped her when she was leaning to tattoo and was always there to give her advice about whatever had been stressing her out. He was family to her as it was just them and her father. He had been like a second dad and a cool uncle all mixed into one. He was just as protective of her as her father was but he also didn't mind helping her get into some trouble every now and then.

"Okay, you be careful when tattooing." She said, setting down her pad and pencil as she watched him wave a dismissive hand as he disappeared into his tattoo room.

She glanced at the appointment list and sat they were in for a quiet afternoon so she decided to update their website. Adding a few new photos and expanding on her tattoo biography before double checking the appointment list and how they were doing financially. Once that was done, she moved over and began working on her designs.

Natasha had been working on more abstract pieces lately, similar to one she had on her right thigh that was a ripped skin effect that showed quotes from her favourite authors. It went well with her others. On her left thigh was a samurai sword and then a Japanese scene consisting of a samurai, geisha, coikarp fish, dragon and a traditional setting. On her back from the bottom of her neck to the mid-section is Disney sayings, and on her left shoulder is a trail of three elephants to represent her family.

Her next abstract ideas were to using watercolours. She wanted to play about with the idea of having them look like a basic rough sketch in terms of the black lines but it would be the colour that would really tie the designs together and give them a more unique look.

She was so lost in her drawing that she missed the trio of men who had just walked into the shop. She didn't even lift her head when they approached and it wasn't until one of them cleared their throat that she looked up with an annoyed look that quickly morphed into a friendly smile.

"Hi guys, so which one of you is here for Jake today?" She asked in her best customer friendly voice as she clicked on the appointment list to double check.

She looked up and knew they were sons, the leather covered in patches was a dead giveaway not to mention the fact they stank of smoke and she could see a knife hanging at one of their sides. The guy in front of her had identical scars on each cheek and a bit of a beer belly that she hadn't been expecting. She didn't have to hear him speak to know it was the Scottish one that Sofia had called Chibs and had taken a sudden interest in. Sofia being her best friend who had crow eater tendencies whenever her newest boyfriend turned out to be an ass hole and Chibs had been her go to the last three times she indulged.

She didn't need more than a glance to know the Tacoma Killer was stood next to him. Hell, just a few weeks ago Happy had come into the shop demanding her to give him another smiley face, his third done by her. She knew exactly what they mean and in a way she hated having to add more for him but at the same time they were friendly enough for her to understand that he wouldn't change what he did for the club, for his family. And it really didn't hurt that he was a generous tipper, like VERY generous and she was saving up to get more tattoos and sadly they were rather expensive.

It was Jackson Teller that had her doing a double take. His all american looks mixed with the bad boy image made him hard to miss as did the rumours. It was no secret what happened between him and Tara and the same with his recent ex-wife Wendy, who just so happened to be pregnant. And then there were the endless stories regarding his sex life and how he had a different women every night. Sofia had shared the crow eater stories too which made Natasha cringe at how desperate they were.

She was surprised to see him in the shop though, he hadn't come in for three years. The last time being when he got his tribute to his father doe.

"That'd be me darlin'. Need a t'uch up." Chibs spoke with a smile as he took off his sunglasses.

Natasha gave a nod as she marked off the appointment on the system. "You lot go ahead, you know how it works."

She heard a few moments of talking before she looked back surprised to see Happy stood in front of the desk and Jax sat in the waiting area looking really bored.

"Can i help you, killer?" She asked, twirling a pencil in her hand.

He levelled her with his usual stare that made most turn the other way with fear but only made her grin. "When you next free?" He asked in raspy tones.

"Depends on what you need." She said as she stood up grabbing a few basic designs to swap with the existing ones displayed on the wall. "You want to go for another drink?" She asked as she made her way to the wall next to where Jax sat and began swapping the pages over.

Happy followed at his own pace, making sure his VP wasn't paying any attention to them. "You made it clear we weren't going to do that again," He stepped up behind her and grabbed onto her hips. "No matter how many times i ask."

"Leave off Hap, you know why it can't happen. But if you need another tat or a touch-up, i can find you a slot in the next few days." She told him in a strained yet polite voice as she shoved his hands off her and walked back to her seat behind the desk.

She heard him sigh as he sat down next to Jax who was looking between them quite confused. She saw him turn to the dark skinned man and didn't need to hear the conversation between them to know Jax would be asking a dozen questions about the true nature of their relationship.

Natasha had picked up her pencil again and went back to work annoyed when her thoughts went back to him again. They had gone out to a bar for a few drinks after she had had a long day and he said he needed a drink and a laugh. They talked about all sorts of things and soon enough Natasha was up and dancing. Trying her best to get Happy to join her.

He had refused though, saying he was perfectly find watching her enjoy herself. She knew that they were sort of friends, she tattooed him, they talked about everything from cars, to art to their lives and she felt relaxed around him.

By the time he had dropped her off at home, he was a bit drunk and Natasha was very drunk but she knew she wanted him. She had never denies to herself that she felt attracted to him and after all but demanding they have sex his self control finally snapped. The next morning, they woke up and laughed and he gave her a kiss on the forehead before heading off.

She wasn't sure what they were going to do next or if anything was going to happen but when she received a text from him telling her they'd be getting a drink again soon she couldn't help but smile. Two days later she was at lunch with Sofia and her friend couldn't help but brag about the night she had just had with the Tacoma Killer. Natasha had somehow managed to hide her hurt and confusion until she got back to work and saw him there with a few others.

He walked up to her with a smirk and before he could speak, she asked him how Sofia was and left him standing there with a look of confusion and then regret on his face.

From that moment on she had vowed to never fall into that trap again with him. She didn't push him away or ignore him and force him to apologise, she was a grown up after all and they weren't together or even seeing each other when it happened. It was the fact that he chose her best friend and he knew exactly who she was. So, they had fallen back into a tentative friendship but she never really spent much time with him alone or got too drunk around him now.

When she paused from her drawing, she looked up to see Jax making his way over to her and she suddenly had the desire to run to the toilet and hide in there until all three of them were gone.

"Need something, Jax?"

"What happened between you two?" He questioned with a smile and she could only roll her eyes in response.

"None of your business so leave it alone, Teller." She warned as she heard the tattoo gun finally stop and felt her fleeting hope of not having to continue the conversation disappear as the familiar buzzing noise began once again.

He gave a short nod and continued his annoying grin. "Nah, Hap ain't giving up any details so you have to."

"No, i don't and if you ask Sofia, i'm personally going to make you regret it." She told him dropping her friendly voice in order to glare at the older man.

They continued to watch each other for a few silent moments and Natasha couldn't help but wonder if she was finally going to see something other than the charming version of Jax. She watched as he seemed to think about his options before they were both startled and turned to look ad the door to see her father coming in with a big smile on his face.

Her father was only a year younger than Jake but looked no older than forty five himself. He was almost six foot five and had tanned skin that was full of tattoos, his arms, legs, back, and torso was covered but he had always neglected his neck or face claiming it would look awful. He had short brown hair and brown eyes and he was still in fairly good shape for somebody of his age though he had a few wrinkles coming through and his stubble was beginning to turn grey.

To put it simple Michael was intimidating, he was seconded by only the Sons in Charming. And it was no secret as to how protective he was over his daughter even though he had a good friendship and understanding with the Sons.

He walked to the desk with a big smile and bent down to place a sweet kiss on Natasha's forehead as he placed a bag of food next to her and she immediately began to eat the fried from inside.

"You're not here causing trouble are ya Teller?" Michael asked in a friendly voice but the younger man didn't miss the way he was being watched.

"Course not, Michael, just chatting is all. Been a long time since I've seen Tasha is all, wanted to know how she was doing." A scoff made him roll his eyes as he looked at Natasha who was now stuffing her face with a double bacon cheeseburger and shaking her head at him.

The older man gave a slight nod before looking back at his daughter who just shrugged him off and continued eating oblivious to the way Happy was watching everything she did.

"Okay, so long as you ain't bothering Tash it's fine. Chibs in with Jake?" He asked his daughter who nodded and offered him a fry as he headed back to see the pair.

Jax finally relented and walked back over to the waiting area and picked up one of the magazines for a lack of something else to do. He was very confused about the whole happy and Natasha situation. He ha known of Natasha ever since she had moved into Charming, everybody had considering he was the first and only tattoo artist and shop anywhere near the small town. Of course, he had admired the young girl when she was growing up, she was beautiful and knew about cars and sports, of course, he had found her interesting and wanted to sleep with her. But once he left the school, he didn't notice her anymore and only asked after her when he was getting a tattoo from Michael and was making polite conversation with him.

Because of that, he wasn't surprised that maybe he had missed how she would interact with any other members of the club, but it was the fact that it was Happy that was such a shock. He was the most private member of the club and yet the way he was with Natasha told Jax that they had some kind of friendship but that wasn't what he was asking questions about. It was the fact that Hap had tried to make a move on her and Natasha had flipped at the idea of that.

It made him curious and he really wanted to know what he had missed. It's not like Natasha really cared about the club or was looking for some kind of commitment but it looked like something had happened and she was preventing it from happening again.

Ten minutes later saw Natasha packing up her pencils and moving back into her tattoo room with her stuff. She grabbed her jacket and pulled it over her plaid shirt, pulled her shorts up and then pulled on her Dr. Marten boots. Next, she packed away everything in her shoulder bag before closing the window, turning off the lights and locking to door to her room.

"I'm off now dad, see you two tomorrow!" She shouted as she passed by the room the pair were in, hearing a mixture of farewell from the pair and a Scottish voice mixed in.

She was almost to the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see Jax and tried her best not to frown at him.

"Why don't you and Sofia come to tomorrow night's party? It's been a while since she's been around and even longer since you graced us with your presence." He said calmly, making sure he wasn't forcing her of trying to make her do anything. If she was anything like her father Jax knew that would be a waste of time.

She regarded him for a moment before shrugging. "We'll see. Sofia will be there, either way, the latest guy turned out to be on the run so she needs a good time." She finished, rolling her eyes and leaving the shop.

Her thoughts turned to the invite as she walked and she knew that she had a choice. But knowing Sofia they'd probably be there tomorrow night much to her annoyance.