A distant, fuzzy sounding, ringing kept echoing throughout Kozik's head. Slowly the noise became louder and louder, until finally his alcohol riddled brain came to life and told his body to start functioning.

When his eyelids fluttered open and his vision came into focus, he hadn't the slightest clue as to why he was lying on his stomach, in the middle of his kitchen. Kozik tilted his head downwards slightly, and spotted an empty bottle of Jim Beam lying a few feet away. Suddenly it all came flooding back to him like it had every morning for the past six days – Allison was in Charming.

His thoughts of Allison quick vanished, when he realized that his cell phone was ringing on the kitchen table. He knew he should answer it, seeing as it was probably the club - but it was too much damn effort to spring to his feet at that moment.

Kozik felt like a freight train had run him over. His head felt like it weighed three-hundred pounds, and his mouth felt drier than the sand in the Sahara Desert. All four of his limbs felt like they were made out of gelatin. Also, the slightest movement made the churning in his stomach alarmingly violent.

He decided that it would be best to just close his eyes, and go back to sleep. Whoever was calling him could burn in hell.

Xxx

Allison sat beside Kozik, on a bench carved out of a ginormous pine tree log. The sides of their bodies were touching, while they held each other's hand.

As she gazed at the beautiful Yellowstone, forest scenery, which was accentuated by the fading pink sunset; she was certain that sitting on the edge of this cliff with Kozik by her side, was close as human being could get to experiencing heaven while on Earth.

In the far distance, the two could hear the hooting of an early awaken owl.

"That one's a cheeky little bastard," Kozik commented on the owl with a chuckle.

"Well they do say that the early bird gets the worm," Allison replied sarcastically.

Kozik got a mischievous look upon his face. He slid his hand out of Allison's grasp and placed it high up on the inside of her left thigh, "According to this morning's love making session, I'd say that is a true statement."

Allison felt her cheeks grow red, as she thought about how loud she as rode him that morning. Apparently the crisp morning air, combined with the sweet smell of sap and pine trees turned put her libido into overdrive. If there was any wildlife around that morning, she was sure her repeated cries of "Holy shit," and "Fuck Manny," were more than enough to scare it away.

"What are you blushing about," Kozik couldn't help but to laugh at the mousy expression on Allison's face. Her embarrassed expression was probably the cutest thing he had ever seen.

Allison smirked and shook her head, "What do you think? I am sure everybody within a twenty mile radius heard us this morning."

"Well good. Now all of these middle class schmucks know how fucking sexy my woman is in bed," Kozik replied proudly.

Allison rolled her eyes and slapped him on the chest, "So are you glad that you allowed me to drag you out here to camp?" Allison remarked smugly to as she scooted closer to Kozik on the bench.

Kozik bit his lower lip, wrapped one of his arms around Allison's waist and pulled her as close to his body as possible. He stared deeply into the eyes of the beautiful woman beside him. The look of gentle, passionate, understanding that he had noticed so many years ago in her hazel eyes, made his body melt in exaltation.

With his free hand, Kozik tucked a loose chunk of hair behind Allison's ear before he spoke, "Before this week, I just felt so lost inside. I have always been that dude whose actions fuck shit up, and then somebody or something, ends up getting hurt. I have been going down a destructive path ever since I caught a piece of shrapnel from that fucking land mine, and got discharged from the Marines. When I'm with you Allie, you make me feel like a whole man – that I have good soul. It doesn't matter if we are making love, spending time with Briella, or even cooking supper together. I am so tired Allison..."

Allison felt her breath hitch hearing Kozik's statement. She put a hand on her his stubbly and pressed her body into his. "Are you… what are you saying Manny?" Her tone was tender and full of hope.

"I'm saying let's do it. I want us to start putting the parts in motion. The way I have felt this week, I want to feel like this all the time. I love with all of my heart Allison." Kozik whispered, feeling stinging hot tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

"You foolish dumb blonde," Allison whispered with a small smirk, before she raised her other hand to Kozik's other cheek, "I love you too."

xxx

"Juicy boy!" Chibs' exclaimed loudly as he sat down across from Juice, and pulled him into a bro hug.

"Good to see you man," Juice chuckled at the eccentric Scotsman.

"Good to see ya' too," Chibs replied as he let go of Juice. "Sorry it's been so long since I've been up here."

"Don't worry about it dude. You're busy, I get it," Juice smiled.

Chibs nodded and scratched his beard before he spoke, "There was a nice lookin' lassie that stopped by TM last night-"

"Allison," Juice cut Chibs off, "did Gemma give her the keys to my place?"

"Gemma had left for the day, by the time Allison had stopped by. We had a little chit chat, said you wanted her to stay in yer' place?"

"Yeah that's right. Allie is like my oldest friend, I trust her completely," Juice explained. He knew that he had never mentioned to Allison to any of the other members before, so he understood the apprehension in Chibs' voice.

"You two just friends?" Chibs prodded as he raised his eyebrows at Juice.

"Ugh no! I'd never hook up with Allison!" Juice grimaced at the notion of him and Allison being romantically involved.

"Somethin' wrong with you boy?" Chibs leaned back in his seat with his mouth gaping. He was absolutely flabbergasted at Juice's reaction. He didn't know what straight man in his right mind would be turned off by Allison.

"God no! That'd be like hooking up with my big sister." Juice quickly explained himself to avoid any further ridicule from Chibs.

"Ah, okay Juicy," Chibs winked at Juice while laughing. "I told her I would give her the keys once I doubled checked with you. I don't think you'd be happy with me, if I just gave your place up to some stranger without checking with you."

Juice felt touched by Chibs' concern, "Thanks man, but you nor anybody else, needs to worry about Allison. She needs her space to figure her shit out right now."

"Whatever you say Juice," Chibs paused for a moment, unsure if he should ask the question that was on his mind. He decided he might as well – the worst that could happen would before Juice to tell him that it was none of his bloody business. "Allison mentioned last night, that she had just finished serving some time. Do you know what that is all about?"

Juice twitched his mouth side to side, and let out a heavy sigh before replying to Chibs' question, "Yeah I do. Let's just say she was doing time, which she shouldn't have been doing in the first place. Her ex-husband and his associates really screwed her over… It's not my place to say any more."

Allison's incarceration was a tricky topic that needed to be handled very delicately - especially around his brothers. The last thing he wanted to do was divulge too much information, and have Allison possibly harassed by the MC.

Chibs suddenly felt full of rage. No woman should ever have to endure abuse from the hands of a man. What kind of a sick bastard would let his old lady take, the fall for something he was responsible for?

"Aye, I understand. I'll make sure the Gemma and the club get the message," Chibs assured Juice. If there was one thing his fellow brothers understood; it was that it can take a mighty long time to readjust to living on the outside.

Chibs couldn't help but to feel excited by the fact that Juice and Allison, did not have any sort of romantic connection. He really could not wait until Allison stopped by the shop later in the afternoon to pick up Juice's keys.

Xxx

"Oh shit Kozy." The sound of Opie's gruff voice by his ear was enough to wake Kozik out of his slumber.

Without opening his eyes, Kozik grumbled, "Why are you in my house?"

"Dude its 6:00 o'clock at night. Have you been passed out this entire time?"

It took a moment for Opie's words to register. When they did, Kozik's eye shot open and he stood up as fast as a lightning bolt.

"Oh shit," Kozik groaned as he clutched his stomach and ran to his kitchen sink. After a few very excruciating moments of regurgitating a bottle of whiskey, and a ham, lettuce, and mustard sandwich from the previous night; Kozik wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand.

Opie opened up the fridge, grabbed a water bottle, and shoved it in from of Kozik's head which was still bowed over the sink.

"Ugh, thanks brother," Kozik groaned as he grabbed the water out of Opie's hand. He then staggered on over to the kitchen table and sat down on a chair.

Before he replied Opie, rinsed out the sink, grabbed himself a bottle of water from Kozik's fridge, and picked up the empty Jim Beam bottle on the floor. He then pulled out a chair for himself and sat down. "This why you missed the gun exchange with the Mayan's today?" Opie asked as he set the empty bottle down onto the table.

"Ah shit brother, I'm sorry. I didn't-" Kozik tried to explain, but Opie cut him off.

"This is the second time this week you have been M.I.A. My old man was furious when you didn't show up today, and don't even get me started on Gemma," Opie stated. Beating around the bush wasn't exactly his style, so he continued on, "Does you pickling yourself in a bottle of booze, have anything to do with that redhead walking out of TM last night?"

Kozik nearly choked on the sip of water he was taking. Was it really that obvious…?

"No," Kozik blurted out his lie.

Opie shot the blonde and exasperated glare, "Really brother? Then explain to me why there is a photo album full of pictures of you and her sitting on your coffee table."

Kozik's eyes widened and his heart began to beat incredibly fast; he was pretty sure he was going to be sick again. He wanted to refute Opie's accusation, but no words came out of his mouth – Opie had caught him red handed.

"Uh huh," Opie said with a hint of self-righteousness in his tone. He scratched his bearded chin as he spoke, "you want to spill the beans brother? I mean things had to be pretty badly."

Kozik bowed his head and shook it slowly, "You should go Opie. Thanks for checking in on me, I'll be okay. Tell your Pop and Gemma, that I'm fine and I'll be at the garage tomorrow."

"Alright brother, see you tomorrow." Opie sighed, disappointed by Kozik's standoffishness; but not surprised in the least.

Opie knew that in time the truth about Kozik and Allison would come out. It was very evident that Kozik was hurting big time. So, as long as he didn't start using again Opie, would leave the matter alone.

xxx

Allison's could feel that her hands were jittery and her palms were damp with nervous sweat as she walked past the SAMCRO clubhouse. Even though logic told her that it was basically impossible that it was Kozik she had heard laughing the night before, but her gut told her otherwise.

She had barely gotten any sleep because she had been up all night, running through possible scenarios of what might happen if she did actually see that blond son of a bitch again. The thought of kicking him in the balls hard enough to send them back up into his body, had crossed her mind once or twice…

"There ya' are lassie. I was beginning to think ya' wouldn't show," A familiar Scottish voice brought Allison out of her fretting.

Allison couldn't help but to smirk at the sexy, yet cheesy grin plastered across the approaching man's face. After her and Chibs had walked a few more pace, they were standing face to face a few feet away from the office door.

"I'm sorry. I had to take care of a couple of errands today, and it took a little longer than I had anticipated," Allison lied with a friendly smile upon her face.

Really, Allison had been lounging around in her motel room all day, having a panic attack about made up scenarios about her and Kozik. By the time she had gotten her head out of her ass, she realized that it was 6:45 – she had agreed to meet Chibs at 3:00.

"You consider four hours later, a little longer than anticipated?" Chibs teased Allison.

Allison chuckled at the jolly Scotsman, "Alright it was a lot longer than anticipated. I am glad you are still around – you didn't stick around just for me did you?"

She would feel bad if Chibs had waited around for four whole hours, just to give her a lousy set of house keys.

"Na, I had a bunch of work to catch up on around ere'," Chibs partially lied. Yes he did stick around to catch up on some work, but if it wasn't for Allison he would have been long gone come 5:00pm.

"Glad to hear," Allison replied feeling relieved. She did not catch onto Chibs' bluff.

"Aye, Juicy's stuff is in the office," Chibs smiled as he wrapped an arm around Allison's waist and guided her toward the open red door.

At first the shock of Chibs wrapping his arm around her waist startled her, but once she felt the warm heat of his toned body against hers; she relaxed completely.

Chibs was quite happy to say the least, that Allison had allowed him to keep his arm wrapped around her waist until they had entered the office. Once inside, Chibs shut the outside door behind them and reluctantly slid his arm off away from her waist. He walked over to the desk and opened up the top drawer. Allison lingered by the door as Chibs tried to find the empty cottage cheese container which Gemma kept all of the spare keys in, he spoke "I saw Juice today, and he was adamant to say the least about insisting you stay at his house. Ah, here we go!" Chibs proclaimed as pulled container out and set it on the desk. Once fished out the keys that belonged to Juice he closed the lid and sloppily threw the container back into the desk.

Allison stepped forward as Chibs tossed her the keys, "Thanks, I really appreciate this."

"Anytime darling," Chibs replied as he scribbled something down on a piece of paper. He then walked up to Allison and held out the piece of paper, "Juice made it very clear that would like yer' space, but if you ever need anything lassie, don't be afraid to call me."

Allison's jaw dropped slightly as she accepted the scrap of paper that had Chibs' number written on in. "I uh, that's – thanks I'll keep it in mind." She stuttered, mentally kicking herself in the butt for her lack of composure.

"Yer' welcome. I'll make sure that Gemma doesn't come barking on your door either," Chibs added as Allison turned around to leave.

Allison paused with her hand on the doorknob, and turned around. Kozik's damn face had been clogging up her mind so badly, that she had almost forgotten about Gemma. "Thanks, that'd make my life a hell of a lot easier."

"Aye, it would for most of us," Chibs laughed.

"Goodnight Filip," Allison smiled before she left.

"Night," Chibs nodded. When Allison was a good distance away from garage, Chibs leaned against the doorframe, and admired her figure as she walked away.

He hoped like hell that within the next few days, he would answer his phone and hear her voice on the other end of the line.

Xxx

Kozik sat on the floor his shower, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head in his hands. The steaming hot water poured down his body, relieving the aching effects of his hangover somewhat.

Through the trickling of the water, he could hear Zac Brown Band's song Free, blasting from the stereo in his bedroom. The words in the chorus of the song, amplified the aching in his heart.

Just as free
Free as we'll ever be
Just as free
Free as we'll ever be
Ever be

No we don't have a lot of money
No we don't have a lot of money
No we don't have a lot of money
All we need is love

"God I'm so sorry Allison," Kozik cried out as he wept into his hands.

xxx

A/N: Hello there. So I am sorry that there was a delay in getting this out. It has been a crazy week and half for me!

There is a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter, but I won't point out exactly what it is because that would ruin all of the fun! :P

Thank you to all the people who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story so far. I really appreciate the feedback.

Thanks for taking out the time to read, and please review!