Chapter 4:

Hailey woke the next morning and stretched her arm across the large bed only to find it empty. She rolled over and saw the early morning sunrays creeping around the sides of the blinds that were still drawn. She stretched her arms sleepily over her head before rising to find some clothes, a familiar and pleasant ache between her legs reminding her of the night before.

As she opened her bedroom door, Harry sat alert in front of her. She reached down to pat him between his ears, as she heard the telltale noises that told her that the rest of her household was up before her. Cartoons on the TV, she knew the scene she would find before she even walked through the lounge room, Harry on her heels, on her way to the kitchen for coffee.

Happy Lowman sat with his daughter on the sofa watching early morning cartoons, a bowl of cereal in each of their laps, the cereal box and milk carton on the coffee table in front of them. It was a scene that always brought a smile to her face.

"Mornin' baby." Happy greeted her as she leaned across them to grab the milk carton.

"Morning." She smiled her perfect contented little smile at him.

"Make sure you bring that back." He said to her as she crossed the room to the kitchen. She thought she caught a smirk in his eye as she glanced back.

"I will baby." She called back as she crossed over to the kitchen bench. She didn't miss the sweet little giggle that escaped her daughter's lips, nor the almost frenzied shush that escaped her father's. Hailey narrowed her eyes back at the pair of them as she approached the kitchen to prepare her coffee, knowing them both well enough to know they were up to something. She and Happy had made a habit long ago of leaving two upturned coffee mugs on the counter next to the percolator. Only her mug remained and as she picked it up she saw a small black jewelry box where it had been.

"Baby," She called, "What's this?"

Happy made his way to the kitchen unable to wipe the smile from his face, his daughter hot on his heels. Picking up the box, he sank to one knee in front of her as he snapped it open and gave Amey a nod.

"Momma will you marry Daddy?" Their little girl asked.

Hailey felt tears spring to the corners of her eyes as she turned her gaze to his searching his eyes for an explanation.

"Marry me Princess." He said.

She shook a little as she held her hand out and allowed him to slide the ring onto her finger.

"Is that a yes?" He asked.

"Yes. Happy Lowman. Yes!"

She could think of no better way for him to ask her than for him to include their daughter who was standing beaming at his side. He stood to embrace her, kissing her tenderly before breaking it off and lifting Amey up to join in their embrace. Wrapping a little arm around each of their necks she smiled the biggest smile Hailey had ever seen on her face.

"Do I get to be a flower girl again?" She asked.

Hailey laughed. "Of course you do Baby!" She said planting a kiss on the little girl's cheek. She had been the most angelic flower girl ever seen at Rat and Brooke's wedding the year before. In fact if Hailey was honest thoughts of Happy asking her to marry him had been in her head since that day and presumably in his for a while also being that he already had a ring. She didn't see any way he could have gotten it in the time since their conversation with his mother the day before.

"I love you two." Happy said earnestly.

"We love you Daddy." Amey answered. Hailey didn't need to say anything. The look in her eyes spoke volumes for the way she felt at that moment.

"C'mon, let's go watch some more cartoons Mija." He said to his daughter, "and leave Momma to make her coffee." He said planting a kiss on Hailey's forehead before leaving the kitchen with a smirk.

Hailey poured coffee into her mug catching sight of the new glistening on her finger as the sun hit the multifaceted diamond and gold. She smiled to herself at the perfect moment that had just happened.

She returned to the lounge room, coffee in one hand and milk carton in the other. She passed it to Happy who had just refilled his bowl. "I love you Hap." She said as he took it from her.

"I love you too Princess." He answered as she sat on the couch, Amey between them.

"We need more Cheerios, Momma." Amey said returning the moment to normal.

"Again? I only bought that box two days ago." She glowered happily at the pair.

"Guilty as charged Princess." Happy said.

She smiled. She knew the appetite of the Tacoma Killer and she also knew that his daughter's appetite was a close match.

"No worries babe. I'll go past the store on my way home from work."

"You're workin' today?" He asked.

"Yeah. Amey will have to go with you." Hailey said without a second thought.

"She can't Princess. Not today." Happy responded shortly.

"Why? What's today?" Hailey asked, concern rising in her voice.

"It's just a big one Princess." He said clearly trying to avoid her questioning.

"Hap? What aren't you telling me?" she asked knowing that something big was rare these days. She knew she should have known that their perfect morning would not last.

He sighed glancing across at his daughter. "We'll talk later 'kay?"

"Yeah 'kay. I'm gonna go take a shower." She said making eyes at him to follow in a bit so they could talk.

"Sure baby." He returned her look.

He looked on approvingly through the open bathroom door as she stepped from the shower and reached for a towel. She still had all the perfect tight little curves that his hands had known intimately for years. He watched as she blow dried her hair before she joined him on the bed wrapped only in her towel.

"What's going on Hap?" she asked concerned knowing there had to be a reason why he didn't want Amey on the lot. It was never usually a problem unless there was some kind of danger.

He sighed. He knew Hailey wasn't going to like what he was about to say.

"We've got a shipment of AK's to deliver."

"Guns? I thought you were out of the gun running business."

"We are Princess. It's just a protection run for the Mayans."

"I'm not stupid Hap. If the Mayans are asking you to help them protect their run then there must be a serious threat. Who from?"

"Russians struck a deal for a shipment of guns recently and they were less than impressed to learn that Samcro is no longer involved."

"Shit Hap! What happened to legitimate earning?"

"We are still legit Hail. The Russians don't want to deal with Mayans. We're just there to keep the peace."

"And it will probly turn nasty which is why you don't want Amey at the lot." Hailey said with a sigh.

He nodded. "It's not a risk I wanna take Princess."

"Jesus Happy. She's grown up without all the danger and pretty much without ever needing a tail."

"I know baby. Hopefully it's just for today."

"I guess I'll see if Lyla or Brooke can take her."

"Thanks Princess. Let me know who and I'll put someone on to watch 'em"

"Shit Hap. Does that mean I need a tail too?"

"'fraid so princess. Russians aren't ones to mess with."

He took in the depleted look in her eyes as he chipped her chin toward him. "We'll get through this Princess." He said before kissing her lips and raising his hand to remove her towel from around her.

He tweaked her nipple between his fingers before running his hand down across her side to her hips. She gasped as he slid his fingers inside her. "Oh Hap." She moaned as he wrapped his free arm around her waist and she bucked back into it.

"What about Amey?"

"She's watchin' TV Princess. Relax." He said continuing to slide his fingers in and out of her while his thumb delicately caressed the nub of her clitoris. He loved nothing more than watching her fall apart with pleasure.

"Oh baby," she moaned leaning back against his arm that held her upright. She bucked her hips and writhed against his fingers pressing them further into her as she drew ever closer to spilling over the edge.

"Look at me Princess." He demanded when he knew she was close.

"Mmmm, no" She murmured squeezing her eyes shut, knowing that his intense gaze would make her come before she was ready to.

"Hailey open your eyes baby."

She writhed against him in building ecstasy as she slowly opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"That's it Princess." He murmured as she began to tip over the edge. "Come for me baby." He rasped looking deep into her steel blue eyes.

"Oh fuck Hap. Oh baby." She moaned as his fingers became drenched in her juices that spilled forth from her orgasm.

"Mmmm, Happy." She sighed breathily slumping forward against his chest as he slid his fingers out of her and then slowly back in teasing out the last waves of the pleasure he knew was still rippling through her.

She breathed in the ever familiar smell of his leather as he slid his fingers from her and chipped her chin up to meet his gaze once more.

"I love you Princess." He said crushing his lips against hers.

"I love you too Killer." She murmured breaking the kiss to meet his eyes. She didn't like what she saw there now. Angst and menace resided there now and she knew that Samcro, Charming and all who resided within its borders were under threat once again after years of quiet. It was a look she hadn't seen in his eyes for a long time.

"When are we getting married?" She asked knowing already what his answer would be.

"Soon. This run today has the potential to turn bad really quickly."

"Are things really that dangerous right now baby?" She said quietly he knew reading his eyes.

"Yeah Princess. Get Amey ready to go. When do you start work?"

"In a little over an hour." She answered.

"'Kay. Figure out who can take Amey and I'll follow you there and then to work." He placed a kiss on her lips before pulling his cell from his pocket and dialing as he left the room.

"Why the hell aren't you answering you cell?" Tig demanded from the other side of the nurse's station.

"I can't while I'm working. What's so important?" Hailey asked fear beginning to rise in her when she saw the look in Tig's eye.

"You gotta come with me. We need you at the clubhouse." He said, she knew no not being an answer he'd accept.

"Tiggy what's going on? I can't just leave in the middle of my shift."

"Happy's been shot." He said quickly.

Hailey's face dropped. "Oh my god … Is he …"

"He's gonna be okay but you gotta come with me now Hailey."

"Um yeah I …"

"It's okay. Go." Said the nurse she was sharing her shift with. "I'll cover for you."

"Thanks." She said as she gathered together her belongings and followed Tig outside to his bike.

The fear and anguish rising up inside her felt like a constant lump in her throat that she needed to swallow. She fought back tears as she drove toward the clubhouse, Tig following behind. She couldn't cry. She had to be strong.

She pulled up in the lot and raced into the clubhouse quicker than she thought possible.

"Where is he?" She demanded as soon as she was through the door.

"Relax Lovey. He's in the apartment. I've already patched him up."

"Yeah okay. You look like you could do with some patching up too." She said noticing blood trickling from his hairline.

"I'm okay. It's just a scratch Lovey." He answered her as they both entered the apartment suite of the clubhouse.

Happy was laying on the bed facedown nearly passed out on whatever pain meds Chibs had given him, his blood soaked t shirt she saw had been tossed aside to the bathroom floor.

"Oh my god, baby." She said going to his side. He had been shot in his left shoulder and the bullet had gone clean through leaving what must have been a grizzly and messy exit wound before Chibs had cleaned and stitched it.

"I'll be okay Princess." He said groggily rolling to his uninjured side and forcing himself awake.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Russians weren't in the mood for talking when they hijacked the shipment." He answered her.

"Shit Happy." She said as she removed a piece of gauze from the medical bag Chibs had left open by the side of the bed. "Here let me put this over it."

He nodded, allowing her to do so.

She looked into his eyes and didn't like what she saw there. She could tell there was something else that he wasn't telling her. "Happy what else happened?"

"I didn't tell her yet Hap." Tig said from the doorway.

"Didn't tell me what?" She said turning to face him. She'd been unaware that he had even been there.

"Princess." Happy grimaced with pain as he forced himself to sit up.

"Hap what's going on? What aren't you all telling me?" She asked confusion and fear rising in her voice.

"They took Amey, Princess."

A/N: So this is the last full chapter I have written and with very little time to write for the foreseeable future I'm going to have to leave you all hanging. Sorry! I'll try my best to get the next update up as soon as I possibly can though. Please let me know your thoughts!