Thank you so much for your feedback! It's very inspiring! A quick word on updates though. I will normally strive to update at least once a week. On my off days or slow days at work, I may be able to update more often but I can't guarantee it. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you!

Chapter 4

"Expected you a day ago." Mel said, opening her front door to find David Hale standing on her porch. His eyes widened and she suspected it had something to do with her opening the door in a white tank top and a pair of black panties. It was early and she wasn't really a morning person. "No, I didn't do it."

"How do you know what I'm going to ask you about?" David said, planting his hands on his belt. Mel rolled her eyes, wondering what the point of that was. She wasn't scared.

"I watch the news, Hale. I know a building went up in a blaze of glory on Tuesday. I just got out of prison for Arson. Even a cop like yourself might think to try and connect some dots." Mel never liked Hale. He was a goody-good in school and he was always snitching on Jax and Opie before they dropped out. "So to save everyone some time, the answer is no. I didn't do it."

"There were gun parts all over the place, Melody. You don't think we know what your family's club is up to? Don't let them pull you back in." Hale said, shaking his head slowly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Even if I did, I doubt you know what you think you do or you would have already busted them." Mel motioned towards his jeep parked on the road out in front of her house. "I'm sure you can find your way back to the station. Any more questions for me can be directed to my lawyer."

Mel closed the door and locked it before heading back to bed. She wasn't ready for the day to start but after half an hour of tossing and turning, she gave in. While the coffee brewed, she went ahead and took a shower, hoping the combination would wake her up.

"Dad, wake up and unlock the damn door!" Mel yelled, banging on the front door of the cabin he had been holed up in for almost a week. She was still tired and cranky. She had no desire to stand outside all day. "Unlock the damn door!"

"Stop yelling! You sound like your mother." Piney yelled back as he stumbled into a pair of jeans on his way to the door. He loved his daughter but she could really work his nerves sometimes, especially in the mornings. He opened the door to see her in a pair of too short shorts and a Nirvana t-shirt. "What do you want? What time is it?"

"Morning." Mel grumbled, sliding past Piney and into the cabin. She scrunched her nose at the smell. "It smells like shit in here."

"No one asked you to come in." Piney said, tossing the door closed. He shook his head as she hopped up and sat on the kitchen counter.

"Are you coming to Gemma's on Sunday?" Mel asked, ignoring how grumpy her father was. She was used to it.

"What day is it?" Piney asked as he walked into the bedroom to find a somewhat clean shirt. Mel rolled her eyes.

"The dinner is on Sunday. Today is Thursday." She said slowly. Piney scowled at her on his way back into the kitchen. "Seriously, Dad. Why are you holed up in here? You hear from Mom or something?"

"No. I don't need to explain myself to you. I'm an old man. I can disappear when I want to." Piney said, refusing to admit that he had come to the cabin after a disagreement with Clay. When he thought about telling her the truth, he realized how childish it sounded. Mel twisted her lips and shook her head. She wasn't buying it.

"Whatever. You need to sober up and come to dinner. I think I saw you more when I was locked up." Mel said. She knew tough love was the only way to get through to him. Asking nicely wouldn't get her anywhere. She learned that a long time ago. "Seriously, it's not like you're going to be around forever."

"Oh shut up. I'll be there." Piney said. Mel smiled brightly and hopped off the counter. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking towards the door.

"Good. I suggest taking a shower between now and then." She opened the door and glanced back at him with a laugh. "Love you."

"Yeah, yeah. Stay out of trouble." Piney muttered, waving her out. Mel laughed again and jogged down the few steps to her car. She wasn't sure if he would actually come to dinner, but she was glad to see he was relatively okay. She had gotten worried.

When Mel got to the clubhouse, no one was around. Even Gemma had left the garage in the hands of the mechanics. Instead of sitting inside and staring at the walls, Mel decided to take advantage of the sun and try to get some color on her skin. She was tired of the "jail pale". She grabbed one of the picnic benches and drug it out from under the awning and into the sun.

"Mel, what the hell are you doing?" Opie asked for the third time. He noticed she had earphones in so he pulled them out. "What are you doing?"

"Tanning." Mel said, not bothering to raise her forehead off the pillow she had made with her t-shirt. To avoid tan lines, she had unhooked her bra and pulled her arms out of the straps.

"Are you insane?" Opie asked shoving the prospect towards the clubhouse.

"No. I don't want tan lines. They don't go well with ink." Mel explained. Opie looked at the large, angel wing tattoo that she had gotten the night of her eighteenth birthday. The black and grey wings covered nearly her whole back, save for a line of blank skin down her spine. He shook his head.

"I could use a beer though." Mel said, knowing her brother was still standing there. She didn't have to look at him to know he was brooding. There was a gruff, unfamiliar laugh. Mel turned her head and opened her eyes to see a heavily tattooed man standing by Opie. He was wearing a kutte but she couldn't make out his charter from her position on the bench. "See? He doesn't have tan lines."

"Mel, put your shirt on and come inside. Need to talk to you." Opie said as his brother lit a cigarette. He didn't like how he was looking at Mel but he wasn't going to put his neck on the line by telling Happy off just yet. Opie would just talk to him about it later, maybe after the Killah had gotten some head from one of the croweaters to take the edge off. Mel sighed and sat up, holding the bra to her chest as best she could. "Jesus Christ, Mel. You could have waited until I went inside."

"What? You were rushing me. You have two kids. I'm sure you've seen tits before." Mel teased. Opie rolled his eyes and walked towards the clubhouse as Mel maneuvered her way back into her bra without giving the unknown Son a free show. Once her bra was on, she stood up and extended her hand to him. He hesitated but took it with an amused smirk. "Melody Winston but everybody calls me Mel."

"You Opie's kid sister?" Happy asked, hoping she would say no. She laughed and he raised his brow, wondering why that was funny.

"He's my twin. I'm actually eight minutes older than him." Mel stated. If people didn't know they were twins, they always thought Opie was a couple years older than her. She assumed it was because of his height. She looked at the man before her, wondering if he was going to introduce himself. When he didn't, she gave him a quick smile and walked into the clubhouse without another word.

"What's up?" Mel said after she found Opie sitting in his regular spot at the club's table. She had only been in the room a couple times and only behind closed doors once. Everyone else, besides her father and the prospect were inside the room as well. Opie didn't answer until Happy walked in and closed the doors behind him. He sat in a chair just back from the table, waiting to be filled in like everyone else. Mel glanced at him for a second before looking back at Opie.

"We're going on lockdown." Clay announced. Mel's teeth ground together so hard, she wondered if Opie could hear them. He looked up at her from his seat as she shook her head. "It's only for a night, maybe two."

"Why am I in here then? Someone could have told me in a bigger room." Mel hated the crowded feeling of the room. The men around the table were by no means small and the table itself didn't leave much room for guests.

"You have a habit of not listening." Clay said, giving Mel a pointed look. The last lockdown Mel was around for didn't go so well. Mel had a race scheduled for the second night of lockdown and she had an opportunity to make a lot of money if she won. Clay wouldn't listen to her when she asked to have a patched member go with her. He just said she couldn't leave, just like everyone else. Mel didn't listen, she always had a problem with authority. The race was going well. She had made two runs and moved into the final heat against a new Mustang GT with some Nitrous Oxide boost. They were lined up and ready to go. That was when their lookout saw the first cop. The green flag dropped and Mel went, ignoring the warning of police. She was determined to win. She made it to the finish line a couple miles away. There were several people around to verify that she had won but unfortunately most of them were wearing badges and guns. She thought about running but they knew her. They knew where she would eventually turn up.

"That was a long time ago and I ended up winning a lot of money since that bitch chickened out." Mel said, folding her arms across her chest. She wasn't some defiant child. She was just an adult and believed in making her own choices.

"You also got probation for that shit." Opie pointed out. Mel would have normally smacked him in the back of the head for him not being on her side but she wouldn't dare do that at the table. "The One-Niners aren't happy with us and they know you're out. Until that shit settles you gotta keep your head down."

"So this lockdown is just for me?" Mel snapped. Opie shook his head.

"No, we just need you to listen." Jax said from across the table. Mel let her arms drop to her side with a sigh.

"Fine but I need to get some stuff from my house." She resigned. Jax nodded and looked to Clay.

"You have thirty minutes. Everyone else should be getting here now." Clay said, obviously unhappy about letting her go.

"One more thing. I want my car in the garage. I don't want any door dings." Mel said sternly. Clay's eyes narrowed.

"Fine. You're running out of favors pretty quick, Melody." He had already agreed to let her get her stuff. He didn't know why she always had to make things difficult. She reminded him of Gemma sometimes. Mel took that as a dismissal and headed out of the room, glancing over at the unknown Son as she closed the doors. He wasn't trying to hide that he had been watching her the whole time.

When Mel got back, she backed her car into the open garage bay and grabbed her bag. She had seen her father's trike when she pulled in and realized that this lockdown was serious. He wouldn't have come down from the cabin for something minor. Mel tried not to think about it and made a beeline for the back dorm room where she liked to stay. It was the furthest from the main room so late night parties or early risers wouldn't bother her.

"Oh, shit. Sorry." Mel's cheeks blushed immediately. She had used her key to open the door, not stopping to consider the possibility of someone else being in the room. As embarrassed as she was, she couldn't help but stare. She knew his arms were fully covered in ink but so was his chest, luckily he was wearing a towel around his torso. Mel would have felt like such a gash for staring at him full-on nude. She clicked her teeth together and took a step back. "Sorry."

"You said that already." Happy said, keeping his laughter internalized. Mel nodded and her cheeks darkened. "Are you leaving?"

"I, yeah, um." Mel couldn't read him. She didn't know if that was him telling her to get lost or asking if she wanted to stay. She closed her eyes and took another step back. "See you around."

"There you are! Gemma said you are staying in the room at the end of the hall." Donna said, finally finding Mel at the bar. She was surprised when her sister-in-law threw a shot back and then shook her head with a laugh.

"Nope, it's taken." Mel said, finally feeling more amused than embarrassed by the situation. Donna furrowed her brow.

"The one across the hall from Opie's old dorm?" Donna asked, sure that she had heard Gemma correctly. Mel cut her eyes over at Donna.

"I usually stayed in the one next to Ope's." Mel said, wondering if Gemma had planned on her embarrassing herself. Donna shrugged. "Thanks for letting me know, babe. I'll take my stuff down there in a minute."

"Okay. Hey, have you talked to Opie? He seems kind of distant with me and the kids lately. It's like the club is his family more than we are." Donna said, sitting down next to Mel at the bar.

"The club is your family to, D. Ever since you took his crow, you've been family." Mel said, despite how she felt about Donna's outlook on the club. "He can't be half in and half out. That's how people get hurt."

"I just wish he could put us first every now and then." Donna said, twisting her wedding band around her finger. Mel threw back another shot and stood up.

"He does, Donna. Every run he makes keeps a roof over your heads." Mel was running out of patience and knew the best thing she could do was to leave the conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was get into it with anyone on the first night of lockdown. Mel opened the door, across from the tattooed biker's who she had yet to learn the name of. It looked just like all the others. She tossed her bag on the armchair and laid down on the bed. Lockdown was already starting to feel too much like lock up.

"Hello?" Mel didn't know who would be calling her. Most everyone she knew was somewhere in the clubhouse. "Hello?"

"Melody." Mel sat straight up in bed. She recognized that voice. "Please."

"Wendy! What's going on. Where are you?" Mel asked, standing and rushing to the door. "Wendy!"

There was no answer. Mel ran out into the main room. She grabbed Jax's arm and then kept running, not bothering with any explanations. She heard a couple sets of heavy footprints running behind her as she rushed to her car, thankful that she had not closed the garage door. She honked the horn over and over until the prospect had the gate out of the way. Mel was thankful that she knew her car so well. The back end was getting loose as she turned sharply down this street, then that one. She made it to Jax's house in less than five minutes.

"Wendy! Wendy open the fucking door!" Mel yelled, hitting the door over and over. A couple bikes were showing up just as she got the lock picked. "Wendy! Oh my god!"

She was lying on the floor with blood pooled beneath her. She was still warm but she was barely breathing. Mel pulled out her phone to call for an ambulance as she checked for a pulse. Any ambulance would be too slow.

"Carry her out to my car." Mel said, rushing past Jax to start the car back up. She sat behind the wheel and took a deep breath. This was more important than any race she had run. This was Jax's kid's life. Mel didn't honestly care what happened with Wendy, she just wanted the baby to be okay. She looked over as Jax and the tattooed son loaded Wendy into the passenger seat. Jax's face was as white as snow. Mel gave him a nod and tore out of the driveway as soon as the door was closed.