A/N: I feel it necessary to note on this chapter, especially considering the content of it's fist half, that I do not own sons of Anarchy or it's wonderful characters. Kurt Sutter does and I only own Hailey.

Chapter 4

"Hey Gem. Need me to help with anything?" Hailey asked as she walked into the Samcro matriarch's kitchen.

"Hey Sweetheart. I didn't hear you come in. Think you could turn the vegetables for me?"

"Sure can."

"How you enjoying being back in Charming?"

"It's been okay. Can't say I've really been back long enough to form an opinion. Is it just me or are things kinda tense between Jax and Clay?"

"Yeah things are a little rough at the moment. Jax and Clay are kinda headed in different directions. Hopefully tonight is exactly what they all need."

Hailey smiled. Gemma was forever looking out for the men of Samcro and trying her best to make them take time out from the crazy world they had created for themselves. Being the first to arrive gave Hailey the chance to observe Gemma in one of her quieter moments. A moment where she was happy flitting about her kitchen doing one of the things she loved – caring for her boys through food.

"I ran into Tara today. She said you're thinking of sticking around."

"Yeah thinking of it. Crazy as it seems I kinda missed this place. And Ellie and Kenny have grown up so much since I left."

"You've been gone for five years sweetheart. Of course they have!"

"I meant more so since Donna died. They seem pretty accepting of Opie and Lyla getting closer."

"Yeah. Ope say anything to you about her coming along tonight?"

"Yeah he did mention it."

Gemma sighed. "I have to say sweetheart you haven't come back at the greatest time."

Hailey's response was cut short by Tara storming in. "I thought you were bringing a salad?" Gemma greeted her stoically.

"I've been busy." The younger woman snapped before pulling the older aside to begin a heated conversation that grew louder and louder. Something about Gemma butting her nose in at the hospital and risking Tara's job as far as Hailey could tell from what she overheard while slicing the large roast Gemma had just pulled from the oven.

Hailey glanced up to see Kenny and Ellie come quietly through from the front hall with Lyla close behind a large potato bake in her hands. "Hey." Lyla said by way of greeting toward the two feuding women.

Tara glanced around. "Perfect. Serving hand jobs for dessert?" Tara said sarcastically as she turned away toward the kitchen.

Lyla looked close to tears at the doctor's words. "Oh that's real nice in front of the kids." Her voice was shaky as she slammed the platter she'd brought down onto the table and stormed out.

Hailey glared at Tara before heading over to greet her niece and nephew who stood wide eyed and confused by the situation around them.

"Hey you two." She said placing an arm around each of them. "You both okay?"

"Yeah Aunt Hailey." Ellie answered quietly.

"What was that all about?" Asked Kenny.

"I think Tara just had a bad day is all." Hailey explained. "Now let me look at you two. You both gotta stop growing you know or pretty soon I'm not gonna recognize you!" She continued, mussing Kenny's hair and pulling a hand through Ellie's ponytail.

They both smiled and Ellie giggled. "I missed you Aunt Hail."

"Missed you too honey!" Hailey responded as Jax and Bobby arrived.

Jax immediately went across to Tara to find out what was up with her and why she'd insulted Lyla. A short while later Opie came in with Lyla on his arm and saw Hailey with his kids. "Hey kiddo good to see you." He said placing an arm around her shoulders. "You too Ope." She smiled.

"You're welcome home dinner goin' alright so far?" he asked jokingly.

"Ha. What do you think?" She answered glancing around the room filled with so much tension it could be cut with the knife on the serving platter Gemma was carrying to the table.

"What happened?" Jax asked turning his attention to his mother after something Tara had said to him.

"C'mon everybody. C'mon let's sit down." Gemma said in a last ditch effort to diffuse the tension in the room, ignoring her son and his questioning look.

Everyone began moving toward the table, the tension eased somewhat but no one really seeming too enthused about the idea of family dinner right now.

"Where the hell were you?" Clay demanded as he came through the back door. Hailey glanced up from helping Ellie to push her chair into the table to see Tig, Happy and Half sac behind him. Happy caught her eye and raised his eyebrow, the customary scowl reserved only for her all over his face. "I got two guys laid up in hospital and the rest of you can't even answer your phone?" Clay continued.

"We were neck deep in our own pile of shit." Bobby answered.

"Yeah well we almost got killed tryna take back our guns man." Tig growled back at him.

"Club business. Not here asshole." Bobby growled back, earning Tig launching at him and a scuffle ensue between them. Hailey looked on as Happy and Ope stepped in to break it up. "Hey they were helping me Clay." Opie said loudly. A loud exchange ensued between the men and with all eyes on them no one noticed Deputy Chief Hale hanging about at the still open back door. Hailey saw him before he spoke, surprising everyone else in the room.

"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt." He said as he moved uninvited into the room. "I figured I should tell you this in person," he began slowly. All eyes were now on him and a feeling of growing concern spread throughout the room. Hailey noticed even Happy's eyes weren't as hard as usual as Hale continued. "We just found Luann Delaney on County 18 beaten to death. We have no other details right now. I'm sorry." He said as he turned to leave those gathered to process what they'd just been told.

Hailey steadied herself against the back of Ellie's chair and looked around the varying degrees of shock on the faces of everyone in the room as the Chief's announcement sunk in. Gemma especially looked like she might cry but the shock coupled with all the previous tension of the night prevented her from doing so. She couldn't help but notice Jax and Opie looking not only shocked and surprised but perhaps a little guilt ridden. Clay waited till Hale closed the door behind him to turn his attention to Jax.

"Did you cause this?" he asked of his stepson.

"What are you talking about?" Jax answered defensively.

"Payback? Cara Cara?"

"This is on me." Hailey turned shocked at her brother's admission.

"And me too. " Bobby added.

"What did you idiots do?" Tig asked at which point Bobby's answer resulted in another scuffle between the two with Happy and Half sac jumping in to break it up.

"You see what you're doing to this club?" Clay yelled over the raucous at his stepson.

"I was risking my ass for this club." Jax yelled back straight into Clay's face.

"Bullshit." He growled back.

"You're as blind as you are crippled." Jax yelled as he stepped back in contempt.

"No son the blind guy is in prison with no wife coz you just got her killed." Clay retorted drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Hailey took note of Gemma, who stood unnoticed off to the side of the two men of most importance to her life. She wasn't watching them as everyone else was and her face was distraught at the shattering of the relationship of her son and her husband before the eyes of everyone in the room.

"I'm not the one murdering women." Jax yelled back at Clay. Suddenly everyone's eyes were drawn to Gemma as she picked up the huge platter filled with roast meat and slammed it down on the table sending meat and broken crockery flying across the table in front of her.

Tig and Half sac paused in their attempt to pull Clay away from Jax and Clay took a step back. The whole room took in the broken form of Gemma as she crumpled and sat down on the dining chair behind her. An uncomfortable silence ensued as each of them stood not making eye contact, no one knowing what to say or how to explain the scene that had just transpired and in Gemma's home no less.

It was Hailey who broke the silence. "Welcome home Hailey." She said just loud enough for the rest of them to hear. "Sorry sweetheart. This isn't how tonight was meant to go." Gemma said looking up from the mess on the table she was seemingly studying with great thought.

"I'd hardly say it's your fault Gem." Hailey answered looking across to Jax and then Clay.

"Sorry Hailey." Clay offered. "This shit should never have been brought up here." He said looking across to Jax.

"Yeah sorry Hailz. Sorry mom." Jax sighed.

Tara moved forward and placed her hand on Gemma's shoulder. Gemma placed her hand upon it and offered a weak smile up at her as Lyla moved forward and began to clear up the mess on the table.

"Most of this is still good Gemma," Lyla commented.

"I'll go get another plate." Tara said.

"Thanks sweetheart." Gemma said standing up. "C'mon everybody sit. You all still need to eat."

Slowly they all began to move toward the table and take their regular seats, none of them saying a word as they watched the women clearing the table. Hailey could feel Happy's eyes on her glaring holes through her. She didn't dare look at him.

"Hailey, I put Lyla's dish in the oven to heat. Could you go grab it sweetheart?" Gemma asked.

"Sure Gem," Hailey answered heading toward the kitchen.

As she moved to open the oven door she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry about that in there Doll." Tig said quietly from beside her.

"It's okay Tiggy. I know I've come back at a really bad time." She answered turning toward him.

"Yeah but there's no excuse for bringing that shit here, and spoiling your welcome home bash."

"Don't worry. Tara was already doing a pretty good job of that anyway."

"Didn't seem like a happy family that we walked in on." He answered. "C'mon lets head back out there." He said turning to leave the kitchen.

"Tig?" Hailey called him back. "What did Jax mean out there when he said he's not the one murdering women?"

"Nothin' Doll. Just blowin' off steam." Tig answered quickly but Hailey saw a look of apprehension, almost guilt flash across his face before he said it.

"C'mon Doll." He said placing his hand on her back as she headed out of the kitchen, Lyla's dish in her hands.

"Fuckin' Princess." Happy growled from across the table at her as she placed the dish on the table in front of him.

"Really Hap? You wanna start this now?" She growled back.

"Knock it off both of ya. Enough shit has gone down tonight." Clay interceded, sounding tired.

"Just sit down Hailey." Tig added motioning to the spot next to him.

What transpired from that point on was the most awkward and uncomfortable family dinner that Hailey had ever attended in Gemma's home. Conversation was strained and for the most part it was eaten in silence. The absence of Chibs was particularly felt and the tension between the patches was unfathomable especially between Jax and Clay. Hailey glanced across the table at her brother where he sat his arm across the back of Lyla's chair. He looked well, at peace with Donna's death, happy where he was at with Lyla. She didn't know any details of what they had all been arguing about but she had no doubt that her brother was once again neck deep in the shit that was all par for the course in the Samcro world. It was these shit storms that she had wanted to get away from, the very reason she had left Charming.

She looked around the table at the men she'd known her whole life and wondered why she'd come back. She knew that if it weren't for Opie she'd stay away. Yes she'd grown up around them, yes she loved them but in all honesty she knew what they were. Outlaw bikers, criminals. They led the sort of life that if she stuck around and decided to move back to Charming, despite their best efforts to keep her out of it, she'd end up embroiled in something she wanted no part of.

She sighed and rested her head against Tig's shoulder as he placed his arm around her in response to the only audible noise from anyone at the table in the last ten minutes.

"You a'right Doll?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah Tig. Just thinkin' is all."

"About my dick and how good it would taste in your mouth?"

"Hardly. But I bet you're loving that picture you've painted for yourself hey?" Hailey responded somewhat grateful for his interruption of her thoughts.

"Sure am Doll. You wanna make it a reality for me?"

"Not tonight Tiggy." She answered seeing the scowl Happy was casting across at her. "You got a problem Hap?"

"Not one I care to cause a scene over Princess." He answered still scowling.

Gemma rose from the table and began clearing it, Lyla and Tara moved to help her. Hailey moved from Tig's side where she had been lazily stroking his leg, indulging him in his fantasies a little and began helping also.

"We got this tonight Hailey. You just enjoy being home sweetheart." Gemma told her.

Hailey gave her a small smile before excusing herself from the room.

She slipped outside into the cool night air leaving the tumultuous tension of the night's events behind her. What in heaven's name am I doing back here? Of all the places I could have gone to get away from Joel, I come back here. With the darkness surrounding her she thought of the previous night and the sheer terror she'd seen on Joel's face as he'd met Happy's murderous glare. She knew Happy was right. She did come back here when it all got too much. But she'd planned it this time. She hadn't admitted it to anyone in so many words yet but she'd had every intention of staying in Charming this time; that was until tonight. The shit storm she'd witnessed tonight, the tension between Tara and Gemma, Tara's self righteous attitude, they were all reasons why she had left Charming. She'd left all the shit of it behind. In Tacoma she was Hailey Winston, CPN at a leading children's hospital. In Charming she could never be that. She had thought perhaps she could make it work but tonight had proved how wrong she was.

She heard the door slide open behind her and turned to see Happy's tall and muscular form stepping out into the darkness.

"Great. Guess I'll be going back in then." Hailey scowled at him.

"Not so fast Princess." He said blocking her path.

"Get outta my way Hap." She glowered trying to move past him. He nudged her shoulder forcing her backwards.

"What the fuck was that in there Hailey? What makes you so fuckin' special that they all think they spoiled your night?"

"They're my family Hap."

"And that means you have to be the centre of attention? Act like a spoiled little Princess?"

"What is it to you Happy?"

"It makes me sick the way they treat you. The way you lap it up like it's your birth right. The way you give them no fucking respect back." He berated her.

"Well you'll be glad to know I'm leaving in a couple of days then won't you?"

"Leaving huh? Now that you've had me do your dirty work again?" he growled.

"It's got nothing to do with that."

"Like hell it hasn't Princess. I shoulda let him rape you."

"And then maybe joined in on the fun?" She glowered sarcastically.

She gasped sharply as he grabbed her arms and pinned her back against the wall. "I may not think very highly of you Princess but let's get one thing straight. I ain't ever, nor will I ever treat a woman, any woman like that low life piece of scum treats you. You understand?"

She gave a small nod, feeling tears stinging the corners of her eyes she didn't trust her voice and didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing them. She felt his body pressed hard up against hers, his breath hot on her cheek. For the first time in the five years that she'd had him following her he was nearly scaring her.

"I was there to save you this time Princess but runaway again? Let the big bad world get the better of you? Next time I won't be there to save your sorry ass. I'm done being your tail Princess."

"Good maybe I can lead a normal fucking life then!"

"You're such an ungrateful little bitch aren't ya? You know what really pisses me off about you?"

"Enlighten me Happy." She groused and then gasped as his grip on her arms tightened.

"After all the shit you've caused around here you still have the audacity to act like a fuckin' Princess. And now they've welcomed you back, scraped aside the fuckin' shit storm that's brewing to make everything all happy and dandy for Princess Samcro and you're gonna throw it all back in their faces by running away again."

"I left Charming to leave all this shit behind Happy."

"So why do you keep coming back? Oh that's right you didn't have me up there babysitting you."

"Don't flatter yourself Hap."

"Face it Princess. You can't cope without me watching your ass." He said chipping her chin up to meet his eyes. They held that unmistakable glower.

"You wish Hap." She whispered refusing to let him know the truth of his words.

His eyes softened a little at her lowered tone. Despite her best efforts to lock him out he knew he was getting through to her. "You're gonna break Opie leavin' again you know that right?"

"Yeah." She nodded sadly, "I really was planning on staying but clearly now isn't a good time."

"It's never a good time around here Princess."

"Exactly why I'm not staying."

"I meant it when I said I won't be watching your ass anymore."

"Good."

"Just know then Princess that no one else will ever protect you like I did." He said. There was no menace in his voice as he pulled her hair back forcing her to meet his eyes. His lips lingered ever so close to hers and she felt his breath hot against her cheek. When she met his eyes the menacing glower they usually held dropped for just a moment replaced by a look she couldn't decipher.

"Remember that Princess." His usual glower returned as he released his grip on her hair and shoulders and headed back inside leaving her wondering what had just transpired.

A/N: So this chapter much like my initial thoughts for the whole premise of this story focuses on the what if? What if there was another person around watching everything that goes on. I've often wondered what happened in the Morrow household after the credits rolled on this episode. I think Hailey provides the necessary perspective to diffuse the situation. What did you think?

Thanks so much for your reviews. Please keep them coming. I love reading them.