Ari was more than Oswald's 'pretty assistant'. She was his right hand woman - she basically found ways to get the upper hand against his business partners. Her shrink degree gave her an insight into their heads and her looks and charm gave her a chance to get her claws on their hearts. She spoke several languages, knew a plethora of things about their corporations and even dug up dirty secrets and deals that might work in Elliott's favor. And for her expertise he paid her six figures a year - to 'play' an assistant and be a corporate assassin.

She was more than just his personal and business guard dog. She told Chibs that her father and Elliott went to college together. When her father died Elliott put her through college and she used her degree to make them both a little richer. When Chibs told Clay what she did for a living he could already see the wheels turning in his head – trying to figure out a way to exploit her connections. But he knew if Clay did use her for something she'd automatically know too much and eventually she'd have to be dealt with. Or he'd task Chibs with keeping her under thumb. Ari just wasn't that kind of woman. She respected his role in the club because she wanted to be with him but if he ever tried to impose some bullshit on her she'd be able to see right through it and that would just lead to more trouble.

Chibs was whipped already and he knew it. Everyone knew it and they teased him about it. He didn't hide who he was from Ari but damn he'd do anything for her. Gemma was particularly disapproving of how fast they moved. She even said that she felt as though they got married behind her back. There had been no time for Gemma to indoctrinate Ari. Test her, get a solid grasp of her personal life and her connections to see if she was a good fit. Find a way to control her place within the club. But Ari had her own life, she wasn't getting in deep like Tara or the other old ladies.

"Did you get engaged?" Tristan asked. The sunlight had caught the ring on Ari's finger and got in her eyes. Ari jumped a little - Tristan had barely spoken over the past month. Elliott put Ari in charge of Tristan's counseling after her attack and their sessions were often hour long awkward silences. With them out of town Tristan was staying at Ari's for the next two weeks. She expected the teen to be absolutely sick of her by the end of it.

"Yeah, actually we've already sighed the papers so I got married too." Ari answered. "If you still wanna be my maid of honor I can start planning a ceremony."

"Sure." Tristan said and shrugged. "You have sex with him right?" Ari nearly fell out of her chair when Tristan asked that.

"Yes." She answered truthfully. Her mind buzzing with thoughts of Chibs - thoughts that shouldn't be playing through her minds eye while sitting in front of this girl.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." Ari's heart sank when she asked that. "Chibs would never hurt me like that."

"Then why?" She took a deep breath. "Why did that man do that to me?"

"Because he's the worst kind of person. Barely even classified as the same species as you. He saw how much fun you were having, how beautiful you were and decided to ruin that out of jealousy and a sick predilection for girls your age. I hope you know you didn't do anything wrong."

"I do."

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" Ari asked. It had nearly been three months. All of her tests were coming back negative. If she was in pain she might need more tests.

"No… not really. I mean everything— down there— is fine." Tristan said as she fidgeted in her seat. "Must be psychosomatic or something."

"I taught you that word." Ari said and smiled at her. "Yes, once physical trauma has healed a lot of people still have trouble getting their mind around it. You have to learn to trust people again."

"How do I do that?" She asked.

"You can start by trusting me." Ari answered and offered her a warm smile.

"Okay… how do I do that?"

"Talk to me. Ask me anything you want to know and I'll answer." Tristan sat there like she was trying to think of something.

"Who did you get married to? That police officer with the big lips?" She asked.

"David? No. No." Ari said and gave her a look. "You really think an uptight guy like that is my type." Tristan shrugged. "No, his name is Philip. He's a mechanic."

"You married someone from that gang!?" Tristan asked in disbelief. Even she knew there was only one repair shop in town and if he worked at Teller-Morrow it meant he was part of the club or closely affiliated to them.

"It's a club, Tristan. And yes, he's part of the Sons of Anarchy."

"Which one? The cute one with the mohawk or that tall one with the blond hair?" Tristan asked. Ari was elated to see her interest in boys wasn't shattered by her attack. But she was surprised Tristan found Juice and Jax attractive. They were hardly the type of boys that went to her private school.

"Um no, neither. He's the one with the scars on his cheeks." Ari said before she pulled up a picture of him on her phone to show to Tristan.

"He's old." It popped out her mouth before she could think not to say it.

"Prematurely gray." Ari corrected her. "Your father is gray and Chibs is over ten years younger than him."

"I guess he's cute in a rocker-grandpa kind of way." Tristan added before she handed the phone back.

"The term is silver fox. And I'll let him know you approve - he'll be thrilled."

"What's it like… you know you love him right - what's it like?"

"Terrifying." Ari answered truthfully. "We're from two very different worlds. Every day I worry that he'll spot one of those biker groupies and decide he'd rather have some pierced up chick than me. Sometimes I don't understand him. I know he doesn't understand anything about me. It's scary but incredible. I feel like I'll never stop learning great things about him." Tristan smiled and Ari knew that on some level she understood. "Now, it's four o'clock - do you want to go to the movies first or dinner?"

"… What's playing?"

Things got a little tricky when Chibs started coming home with blood on his clothes and recently fired guns in his pockets. Maxine ratted on him as soon as he walked through the door with a firearm - he started leaving his glock in the garage but he felt naked walking around her house without it. Ari didn't bagger him about his activities right away - when she eventually asked it was cathartic to tell her about his dirty deeds. He know the information was dangerous but she knew that. Her training as a shrink prepared her for the worse and she found a place to put it away so it didn't eat at her every second of the day. Things got harder when Stahl started digging into the club. It wasn't hard to see the women that didn't fit in and Ari got snatched up the second she was by herself.

"He's calling you again. That's the fifth time in thirty minutes." Stahl said as she looked at Ari's cellphone. It just kept buzzing in her hand until the call went to voicemail. "That's a lot of concern. Mind if I take a look in here?" She asked but she didn't wait for a response before she unlocked Ari's phone. "Aww cute doggies." Ari rolled her eyes - her background picture was of Maxine and Lulu cuddling together. "See those guys all use disposable phones - barely enough space for pictures or data minutes to save videos. But you've got a needy boss who showers you with expensive smart phones… I know I can't resist taking selfies with these things either."

Stahl pulled up a picture before she let Ari see it. She glanced at the photo she had taken of herself and Chibs. There were maybe fifty other ones similar to it in her phone. Along with close to a hundred pictures of him, his bike, her on his bike, him sleeping buck naked in her bed and so on. Stahl made a face like she didn't get the attraction. "All those hot young guys up at the country club and you pick him. You wanna tell me again how you're not involved in the club. Cause this picture of him kissing your tight little cheeks begs to differ." The phone chimed and Stahl snatched it up before Ari could see the message. "A voicemail… let's listen."

"…Oi, Ari-baby. It's me. Your Cayenne just got towed to impound by Half-sac and Tig. I guess if you're hurt in the hospital you can't call me back. Shite… Hey Jackie Boy I'm going to St. Thomas—"

"He sounds really concerned."

"You're hoping he'll do something reckless cause he thinks I'm in trouble." Ari said. "He'll recruit Juice to help look for me cause I know him too. Someone will spot me here, word will get back to him that I'm talking to the feds and the club will kill me to keep me quiet. That your plan?"

"Pretty close. I am curious what kind of brutality that big diamond gets you." Stahl said as she tapped Ari's finger. "Wonder what secrets you'll spill to stay out of jail - no Loubuitton pumps in Stockton. Think he'll actually kill to find you? Your pussy must be made of candy and scotch to get him to flip out like that."

"Actually my pussy is made of rainbows and bourbon. Can I go now?" Ari asked impatiently.

"You think you know your little Scottie so well don't you?" Stahl asked. "You probably know how he likes his coffee - how much hair is on his balls. But I think it'd be best to let you know just who he really is." She dropped a brown folder in the table and opened it. "He was a medic in the British army until they found out his connection to the True IRA. For civilians like you the IRA is a big bad Irish gang that deals in illegal guns and murder for fun. His wife is still affiliated with them and is third generation mean Irish bitch."

"His what?" Ari asked. "You mean his ex-wife."

"No sweetie. There's no divorce papers, they're still hitched. Although his daughter is being raised by—

"Daughter?"

"Oh yes." Stahl turned a few pages until she got to a large picture of a girl. "Only child. About fourteen years old now. She has his eyes don't you think?"

"His wife - Mrs. Fiona Larkin-Telford." Stahl said as she turned a few more pages. "So add bigamy to his list of crimes." She tossed down a copy of their marriage certificate - Ari scoffed at it. They had made it official so she'd get to claim a husband on her taxes for a bigger refund - he'd be added to her insurance and just incase anything happened they'd be able to make final decisions for each other without a hassle.

"He did that so anything he told me would be protected." She said more to herself than to Stahl.

"Despite the broken law about the marriage we can't make you rat on your hubby. We'd have to wake up a judge to get it annulled." Stahl said before she closed the folder and slid it closer to Ari. "That's yours to keep." She put Ari's cellphone on top. "I put my number in there for you. You're free to go."

Chibs hushed the dogs when he came in the door. They were excited to see him. Ari hadn't been admitted to the hospital, she wasn't in the morgue, he even went so far as to call Elliott and the last time he saw her was at the end of the workday five hours ago. He instinctively went to her house to check on the dogs and crash for a few hours. When he walked in he noticed the distinctive smell of weed lingering in the air and looked around. "Ari?"

"In here." Max and Lulu ran to the kitchen when she called back to him. Chibs ran in there and took in her appearance. She didn't look beat up or under duress. The blunt was stubbed out in the ashtray in front of her.

"Since when do you smoke?" He asked.

"I had a shit day."

"Baby what happened?" He asked as he sat in front of her. He noticed the folder on the table and opened it when she eyed it as well. He skimmed a few things, taking notice of the pictures of Fiona and Kerrianne and the very detailed chain of command of the IRA and his connection to it. "Where'd you get this?"

"ATF agent named June Stahl." She answered. "I'm not gonna insult us both by asking if any of what's in there is true. We both know it is and if you lied to me that would only make things worse. I'm also not going to ask you why you kept this from me, why you never mentioned you had a daughter or the danger she's in. Or that the danger is your own wife… your other wife. Although I guess technically I'm you're other wife."

"There wasn't exactly time to get a divorce or decide on custody." He said - not entirely sure why he was suddenly angry with her. He was angry with himself and he just didn't know how to deal with that right now.

"You really don't understand the danger you've put me in. Never mind the inevitable audit I'm going to get from the IRS when they do a background check on you and find out you've got another wife and suspect I'm trying to cheat on my taxes and commit insurance fraud. That's just the clouds in this little shit storm. The real problem is your first wife - she's one nasty bitch if her wrap sheet is any indication."

"You watch your mouth. She's still the mother of my child—"

"And the lover of a gun running psychopath that's raising your precious baby. I don't want that coming to my doorstep!" Ari said. "I had no idea what a spineless shit you were. You let him get away with stealing your family. You cower at the very thought of telling me about them. You and Gemma are always telling me how to be a good wife but it's a two way street. You've got to be a good husband. Otherwise this means nothing." She held up her hand and took off her ring. Chibs was surprised when she put it in her pocket rather than give it back. "You don't get to claim me as yours until you prove you're good enough. Until you do that you can sleep on the couch. I'd send you to the clubhouse but you'd probably just bury yourself in booze and whores."

"Yes ma'am." He said. Ari's steady cool headedness was far more scathing than anything she could ever scream at him. It was the calm tone, the lack of eye contact the lack of emotion in her voice that stung him the most. He could deal with a furious woman - at least if she was angry at him it still meant she felt something. But her indifference was truly hurtful. She felt nothing for him right now and it made him feel like shit. The club demanded to know everything about her. But she was getting nothing in return. It was going to take more than a drunken night of sex, a broken lamp and a ring to make this right.

"Geez man I'm sorry." Tig said. "Do you miss your balls at all or do you hold out hope that she's taking good care of them?"

"Shut it." Chibs sneered at him. Ari had been freezing him out for a week and every second of it he was dying a little inside. It wasn't just the sex. It was the way she looked at him, played with his hair, and whispered things to him. He missed their bond, simple contact that showed she cared, their inside jokes, watching tv together, making plans to meet up for dinner. He didn't care if that made him a pussy - she was worth it.

"Clay is gonna need us back soon." Tig pointed out.

"I just wanna make sure she makes it to her car okay." Chibs said and nodded at the door to the office building when it opened. They both perked up when Hale came out in full uniform. He held the door open and Ari ducked under his arm to get out. He was smiling at her which looked odd on him. Chibs suddenly got the urge to knock his teeth in and was across the street before Tig could stop him.

"Ari." He said to get their attention. Hale instinctively reached for his gun and so did Chibs.

"Chibs? What are you doing here?" She asked. The way she looked at him - like she didn't know him - made it feel like someone had grabbed his stomach and twisted.

"You were snatched up the other day and I didn't know what happened to you. Just making sure you get to your car okay."

"She wasn't snatched - the ATF brought her in for questioning. She had the opportunity to call you, she just didn't." Hale said. Chibs glared at him - god damn he was so smug.

"Down boys." Ari interrupted. "Chibs, I knew you were busy so I called David to help me when I work late. And Stahl never gave me the opportunity to call anyone, just so you know. I do have some concerns for my safety - I'm probably just being paranoid but…" Chibs' eye twitched at the familiar use of Hale's first name. She didn't even say 'officer'.

"No, the streets are a little more sketchy lately." Hale said as he glared at Chibs. That was the expression he was used to on the cop's face. "I'll patrol by your house later—"

"Won't be necessary - I'll be home by then." Chibs interrupted. "Just lock the doors, keep the girls close."

"Okay." Ari said. He wanted to move to kiss her but it would only be an obvious territorial move in front of Hale. That thought made him want to do it even more, especially since Hale was looking at him disapprovingly. He knew the second he walked away the little boy scout would be bad mouthing him to Ari - questioning why such an upstanding citizen would be associating with the likes of him. After a moment Hale offered her his arm and she smiled a little as she took it.

Chibs let them go despite his better judgement. He doubted he had to worry about Hale stealing Ari. Sure he was young, handsome in his own way with those sterling blue eyes but Ari would chew him up and spit him out. The man probably couldn't find a g-spot if he had a map to it. He'd probably cum in his little pleated pants at the thought of being with her. They weren't in the same league. She was too much for Hale - hell she was almost too much for Chibs.

"Have you tried rimming her?" Tig asked once he made it back across the street. Chibs looked at him for a moment, waiting for him to elaborate. "Used to work like a charm on my old lady. She'd be pissed, I'd catch her in the shower. I'm not sure why but shoving my tongue up her ass always made her forgive me."

"Thanks for that."

A/N: Tig's advice is always priceless, isn't it?