I don't own anything. All the characters belong to Kurt Sutter. I'm just playing with his toys.

Okay, seriously, I don't know how to even respond to how much steam this is picking up. All the reviews and favorites and follows are just amazing and I love it and I'm so thankful. SPARKELS77, I see your "3" and raise you "4", which is a superior number because it is one more than "3" and also because this is the month of April, which is the fourth month.

I'm on chapter 11 after I did a massive rewrite on 7-10, and it is a bitch to write. My God. So much shit. So many emotions. Ugh, not writer's block, just a healthy dose of "how the hell do I write this" and I kind of sit here and stare and rewrite the same paragraph over and over. It's exhausting and I love it, but that's not what's important. What's important is, this is the same drill as last update. If I can finish off Chapter 11 (not counting the edit) by the end of tomorrow, you get chapter 8 on Friday. And it's a great Chapter. There's a lot on Happy in that one.

So read, review, and enjoy.


7. Holidaze


For the rest of her Christmas vacation, Holly had made sure to pick up extra shifts at the shelter, the extra income is what she said had appealed to her. But really, she didn't want to hear anymore questions about Happy. And she didn't want to see him, either. Luckily for her, he seemed to have picked up on it and he hadn't been around since he'd come back from the run. Chances were he was off somewhere with Winsome getting his dick ridden and she didn't want that thrown in her face by anyone.

She was again lounging on the couch mindlessly binging on made-for-tv Christmas movies of the Hallmark Channel variety just as she had been doing for the past two years. It was nice to throw out pithy little remarks about how unrealistic they were, but this year, she was coming up short and she couldn't really figure out why. The pot brownie she'd ingested earlier hadn't helped and instead, it seemed to have made her particularly depressed. She'd cried a couple times, which was mortifying even if no one had seen her do so.

She had hidden the brownies in the back of the refrigerator and gone back to sleep when her phone rang. There was loud noise echoing through the earpiece and she yanked it away from her head in surprise. "Holly, where are you?"

"What do you mean, where am I?"

"The club's New Year's Eve party! It was tonight!"

She slapped a hand over her head and slid down further on the couch. "I had to work and I forgot. Besides, I'm not really up for the partying."

"Everybody is here!" Lyla was nearly screeching into the receiver. Holly cringed at the high pitch. "Well, good for them."

"I'm sending someone over to get you. Be ready when they swing by." The line went dead and Holly tossed her phone on the table and then rushed to take a quick shower. How she managed to style her hair, pick out an outfit, and put on her make up before anyone came to get her, she'd never know. There was a polite knock on the door and Holly went to answer it. Jimmy froze when he saw her. "Holy shit! You're wearing a dress!"

"Yes," she said slowly as she shut the door behind herself and then locked it. "I've been known to do that."

He gave her a wide smile and for once it wasn't creepy. It was sincere. "You look great, Holly. And you definitely look classier than most of the women at the party."

She gave him a thankful smile and brushed her hair out of her face. "Well, thanks, Jimmy that was really sweet of you. Is the party going to be rough? I mean, nobody's gonna get too grabby, right?"

Jimmy opened her door with a thoughtful expression. "You might want to stay outside. Most of that shit goes on in the clubhouse and...it gets real bad in there."

"Maybe I shouldn't go." She started to step out of the van and he stepped in front of her to stop her. "No, no, no. I promise, you'll be okay. I'll stay with you if you want!"

"You would, really?"

"I don't think Chibs or Tig would mind and it would be the lightest bitch work I'd get tonight. I mean, the only other thing I could be doing is running around getting everyone a beer."

They pulled out of the driveway and Holly shook her head at his words. "Can't even enjoy a party without being shat on, huh?"

"I'll patch in in six months and it'll be good."

"You patch in in six months," she asked incredulously. "That's a really long time!"

He grinned over at her, obviously proud. "Yeah, I got awhile."

When they pulled into Teller-Morrow, the crush of people flooding the parking lot was astounding. And daunting. Holly couldn't help but curse under her breath as she watched the mass stagger around one another, the patrons rubbing up against one another sinfully. She cringed into herself. "Oh, God, I'm gonna need a beer. Or ten."

She swung her door open when they parked and put her head between her knees, breathing in and out slowly. Jimmy was out of the van and at her side in a second. "Shit, are you gonna be okay, Holly?"

"Just a little social anxiety," she wheezed out as he attempted to rub soothing circles into her back. "It happens."

"I 'll take you home if you want."

She shook her head up at him, surprised by the offer. "You'd get in trouble for that."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged and Holly was suddenly reminded of how young and innocent he really was. He was only a year or two older than her, she thought. She didn't really know that much about him and it made her feel bad. "So? You almost had a panic attack in the parking lot. I think I can handle cleaning the club bathroom's floor with my toothbrush."

"Just get me a beer and I think I'll be okay."

He smiled reassuringly at her and tugged the ends of her hair. "I'll meet you over by the swing set in ten. You good with that?"

How Holly managed to navigate the crush of people without having a hand snake up the back of her dress, she didn't know. It seemed like most everyone had ventured back into the clubhouse and she was thankful that she was still outside. The clubhouse door swung open and the largest SAMCRO brother, Quinn came outside followed by Tig, Chibs, and her least favorite brother, Happy. She resisted the urge to climb off the swing and hide out in the small playground fort. Instead, she turned away from the group as they settled down on one of the picnic tables and looked down toward the line of bikes before her.

They gleamed in the moonlight and she appreciated the way they were lined up perfectly with their back wheels barely an inch from the concrete wall, fronts wheels all turned facing left. It was beautiful and clean and sparkling. She heard loud, raucous laughter filter out from the clubhouse door and looked up to see Jimmy coming out with four beers in hand.

"Where ya headed, Prospect," Tig called to him as he passed without a word. Jimmy didn't respond and when he handed her the beer, she could feel several pairs of eyes bearing down on them, causing her cheeks to flush. "I brought extras."

Jimmy settled in the swing next to her and they sat in silence as they drank their beers. She eyed him curiously, leaning heavily on the chain holding up her swing. "So, how'd you end up prospecting?"

He shrugged. "Don't really have any family. Guess I was kind of looking for one?" She could tell by the thoughtful expression on his face that he hadn't really put much thought into it and she nodded as if she understood, because really, she did. "So what about you? Why do you live by yourself?"

"Well, my parents couldn't take care of me so I lived with my Mom's parents, Nan and Pop. Then Nan died when I was thirteen and my Pop got diagnosed with Alzheimer's when I was fourteen and I had to put him in a home by the time I was fifteen, so I got myself emancipated and now I'm kind of his conservator or whatever."

Even in the dim light of the glowing moon, she could see that he was clearly impressed. "Wow, so you're like really responsible for your age, huh? I mean, I'm twenty-six and I'm a mess, but you've got your fucking priorities straight." He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his kutte and offered her one. She declined politely and he stuck one in his mouth and lit up. "Shit, I don't even remember what I was thinking about when I was eighteen."

"Getting laid," she answered for him, smirking. He chuckled. "Sounds about right."

They grinned at each other and he watched her as she swung back and forth gently, finishing off her beer. He handed her a second one and cocked his head to the side, his expression serious and a bit guilty. "I'm sorry if I've been really weird around you. I just think you're really cool and I get that I came on too strong. I know you're not interested and I tend to get weird around chicks I'm into."

Holly studied him for a moment, seeing the sincerity in his eyes and the guilt in the frown he sported. She gave him a reassuring smile and shrugged her shoulders. "It's cool. Just don't do it again."

He grinned then and nodded before he jerked his head over toward the clubhouse. "You got enough liquid courage in you?"

She shook her head negatively. "I'm not going to be able to go in there. You Should just leave me out here and rejoin the party. Find yourself a crow eater."

"They're, uh, not to interested in guys who don't have their full patch."

Holly's face scrunched up in disgust and she gave a sad shake of her head. "Those materialistic sluts."

He chuckled and went back to sipping his beer before he stood. "I gotta go break the seal. You good by yourself for a bit?"

She gave him a smile and watched him trot back to the clubhouse. The parking lot was now deserted and the only member of SAMCRO still outside, was the very one she didn't want to see. "Fuck," she cursed under her breath when the clubhouse doors swung shut and he immediately stood from the picnic table and started stalking toward her with long, fast strides. Holly turned her face away from him and refused to look up at him when he reached her. When it became apparent that she was purposely ignoring him, Happy slid directly in front of her, gripping the swings chains in both hands and leaning back slightly, causing the swing to pull toward him.

Holly looked up at him then, her knees brushing against his thighs as the swing swayed. His face was shadowed by the darkness surrounding them, but she could feel him radiating toward her, his whole body hummed with a dark energy that both set her on edge and lulled her into a more relaxed state. He jerked his head toward her. "What're you doing here?"

Holly couldn't have stopped herself from trying not to glare at him even if she tried. Indignation swelled in her chest. Who was he to dictate where she could and couldn't go? "Lyla invited me."

"No, I mean, why are you sitting out here all alone with the prospect?"

Anger swirled into confusion and nervousness. She shrugged and looked away from him again, focusing on one of his hands, which was gripping the swing near her head. "I had an anxiety attack when we got into the parking lot. There's just too many people."

He took his hand away from one side of the swing and the swing fell back a little. Holly reached forward without thinking, using his kutte to steady herself. Happy remained stoic as he gripped her by her elbow and pulled her out of the swing. Once he was sure she was on steady feet, he gently pried her hand from his kutte and tugged her along with him. "You need something stronger than beer to get you to relax."

She balked when they neared the clubhouse, trying to pry her hand out of his grip and she realized that she hadn't even noticed he'd slid his hand from her elbow and down to twine his fingers with hers. He gave her another firm tug. "I ain't taking you inside, Holly. Chill the fuck out."

Instead, Happy pulled her around to the side of the clubhouse and in the darkness she could make out the tall stacks of tires. When she stopped walking again to look up at the looming black towers of rubber, he tugged her hand gently. "C'mon. You trust me or not?"

Holly didn't reply, but she let him lead her into the shadows and he dropped her hand when they neared the chain link fence that closed off the property. She slid her fingers up to grasp the fence when Happy whistled to get her attention and she turned to look at him. There was a shorter stack hidden by the much taller stacks surrounding it and shielding it from prying eyes. He gestured for her to sit and then pulled a rolled joint from his pocket. Holly settled down on the tire and looked around. It was strangely cozy, sitting in this small, clandestine corner of the lot hidden away by old tires under the moonlight. It occurred to her that it was also, albeit oddly, very romantic.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she watched him light the joint and take a hit before passing it to her. She took it from him, never breaking eye contact as she took a hit of her own. The edges of her mind felt fuzzy and warm and full of giddy happiness. She'd always been a lightweight when drinking and tonight was no different. It probably didn't help that she was still feeling the effects of that brownie she'd had at home. She let out a low, breathy giggle as she smiled up at the heavily inked man before her.

"Happy," she sighed out. She didn't continue on, but he gave her a toothy grin as he watched her fall back against the tires and the jean jacket she'd been wearing was tossed to the ground. She gave him a smug smile which only she seemed to understand the meaning of and watched avidly as he took a long drag off the joint. When he offered it back to her, she carefully ghosted her fingers down the length of his, keeping her hazel-green eyes locked with his own burning black ones and she gently pluck the joint from between his fingers. She had no idea what had possessed her to be so bold, especially when she didn't really like him all that much. That was what she told herself. He was abrasive, uncaring, cold on his best day, and any other multitude of unkind words she could think to call him and he was twenty years older than her and just wrong. A bad idea she shouldn't be entertaining.

But all that hardness was physical, too, and in such a sexy way. And it was getting really hard to tell herself 'no' because they were hiding behind the SAMCRO clubhouse and instead of him being inside fucking a crow eater or Winsome or both, he was sharing a joint and grinning at her and it was so cute and it was making her so curious. This was very bad. Very, very bad. She needed to stop.

"You're missing the party," she told him before she puffed on the joint and held it back out to him. He took it from her and inspected it thoughtfully, then shook his head as he took a long drag. "I'm good."

"You just gonna stand there," she asked, gesturing to the space next to her on the tire. He looked to where she was pointing and then back up at her. He shook his head and took another puff. "You're really tall." Her mouth wasn't cooperating anymore. She kept saying what she was thinking and that wasn't good.

"So are you."

She pursed her lips as they stared each other down, her heartrate picking up significantly as time wore on. "You make me nervous."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she gulped involuntarily, tucking her hair behind her ear as she licked her lips. Happy followed the movement with his eyes and stepped closer to her, crowding her. Holly's eyes widened when he braced one of his large hands on the tire, right up against her thigh and leaned in close to her. "What are you doing," she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Wanna see somethin'," he murmured back and the tip of his nose skimmed her ear. She turned her head, trying to catch his eye and Happy surged forward. Holly's fuzzy mind cleared the moment his lips pressed against hers with enough force to tip her back. Kissing Happy, having his lips pressed softly against her own made her realize that she really, really liked him. It was very bad and wrong for to like him, but she did.

Holly felt like a livewire. Her heart throbbed loud and wild in her chest and her blood thrummed through her veins. Without meaning to, Holly opened her mouth, letting out a delighted giggle and Happy used that to his advantage, snaking his tongue into her mouth. Holly met it with her own eagerly, moaning and pulling him closer. She was dimly aware of his hand as it softly pushed her legs apart and skated up the her skirt, leaving a trail of fire where his fingertips had been. His hand curled around her hip as he bent over her. Arousal pooled low in her abdomen and she couldn't stop the way her hips ground up against his. The friction it created was addictive and dangerous and so many other things that lit her body on fire.

"HOLLY!"

The couple froze simultaneously at the high-pitched yell from just outside the clubhouse. "HOLLY!"

The redhead slowly pulled her hands away from his face, eyes widened. Happy started to back away, watching her with sharp, yet barely focused eyes. She let her gaze drop down and her cheeks reddened when she caught sight of the skirt of her dress, which was up around her hips, exposing her bright blue boy shorts. She hastily pulled it down with shaking hands, suddenly ashamed and unable to look up at him as she fixed her hair and rubbed at her swollen lips. There was a dull clink as he slowly re-buckled his belt and she cringed at how loud it was in the silence that surrounded them. She had come so close to doing something so stupid. Her conversation with Janet from earlier in the week replayed in her mind and she felt cold.

Holly crossed her arms over her chest, keeping her fingers pressed firmly to her mouth. Her lips were numb and sore. She couldn't bring herself to look at him for a long time. The shame that burned through her now was threatening to spill from her glassy eyes. A parking lot on top of a used car tire. She'd almost let him fuck her in a parking lot on top of a car tire. The fact that he seemed so calm and collected about it, as if this wasn't anything to be bothered about was all the assurance she needed to know he'd done the same with many more women in many similar places. She felt her heart drop into her stomach at that and she pressed a hand to her abdomen to will away the nausea that was building. How could she let him treat her like that? How could he treat her like that?

"I'm not like them." She hadn't been aware of the words that had spilled from her mouth until she saw him turn away from her out of the corner of her eye. He hadn't quite turned his back to her, but it was close enough and it made her feel so very ashamed of herself. "Those girls in there. I'm not one of them."

Holly needed him to know that. She would never be a crow eater and she wouldn't tolerate being treated like one. She felt the bile rise in her throat. Was that what he had been aiming for? Add another wet and willing woman to the Sons of Anarchy harem? That was a sickening notion. Never. It would never happen. She was better than that. She wanted better than that. She deserved better than that. She blinked the tears away and looked up into the night sky.

He was nodding and she couldn't tell if it was directed at her or himself. She smoothed out her skirt and stepped around him, desperate to be anywhere but near him and that painful, humiliating position that he'd put her in. "I gotta go."

Just as she passed him, he gripped her arm. "I know you're not."

Happy dropped his hold on her arm and she scurried toward the front of the clubhouse. Lyla was there and when she spotted her young friend, she smiled in relief. "There you are! Where have you been?"

Holly shrugged helplessly. She had no words at the moment. Lyla hauled her over to the picnic table and began to babble on about what had transpired at the party so far. But Holly couldn't hear her, not when all she could think about was how Happy's lips had felt on hers and how she desperately wanted it to happen again because he knew she wasn't one of them and he was okay with that.


Today was not her day. It was the first day back to class and ever since she and Happy had fooled around in the Teller-Morrow parking lot, her mind had been a muddled, frustrated mess of indecision and second guessing. She'd never realized how one drunken indiscretion could so wholly tear apart her self-worth, but it had done so brilliantly and she was treading water trying to wrap her head around it.

She'd sat through each class half-listening as the teachers went over the semester's syllabus. English Lit, Calculus 2, Psychology, American History 2 with her lunch period sandwiched between Calculus and Psychology. She always ate lunch out on the grassy area in front of the school. The shady trees provided shelter from the hot sun and she was a safe distance from the school and the drama that came with it. Eating lunch in the cafeteria was just something she was not willing to put herself through ever again. Going through that torture freshmen and sophomore year had been enough.

Holly wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her when she went out to her car to drop off her textbooks. Shoulders slumped in disbelief, she stared down at the damage as shock and anger swirled within in her, coalescing into white hot rage and she kicked one of the flattened tires with as much force as she could muster. After kicking it a couple more times, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the all too familiar number.

"This is Teller-Morrow, how may we be of service?"

"Vee?"

She must have sounded more distraught than she meant to because Vee's light and breezy tone was suddenly filled with worry. "Oh, Holly, my dear, is that you? What's happened?"

Holly wiped at her eyes and sniffled realizing she was crying. "Someone slashed my tires."

"Oh, my poor baby, all right," Venus's soft voice was soothing and Holly managed to stop hiccupping, "I'll send someone down with the truck to pick it up. Do you want to come down here and spend the day with me? I'll make you a cup of tea."

"No," she blubbered. A cup of tea sounded really nice, but she needed to get through the day. "I have perfect attendance. I can't mess that up."

"I understand perfectly. You are such a strong young thing. Okay, someone will be there soon."

"Thanks, Vee. I really appreciate this."

"Oh, it is my pleasure, darling! You know we love you here. The boys and I are just so proud of you. I hope your day gets better."

"Me, too," she muttered, still sniffling, "Bye."

Holly managed to clean herself up by splashing water on her face from the outside drinking fountain. Her appetite nearly nonexistent, she managed to eat an apple before she trudged back into the school and off toward her next class. She stomped into the classroom and took a seat near the back and decided today was just not her day. She tossed her backpack on the desktop and pillowed her head on it, waiting for the second bell to ring.

That was how she proceeded to her next class as well. She spent that class period folding the syllabus into a paper airplane as the teacher explained that he planned to at least be studying up on World War II by mid March. When the bell rang, Holly was the first one out of her seat with her backpack slung over her shoulder. She was half-way out the classroom door when it finally registered that someone was calling her name.

She turned outside the room. It was a boy her age with dark hair and pale blue eyes. She eyed him cautiously. "What do you want."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She had to fight to keep from frowning at herself. She'd sounded just like Happy. He was rubbing off on her and she was definitely sure it wasn't a good thing. The boy didn't seem bothered by her attitude and he smiled widely at her. It was a nice smile. A really nice smile. He was good looking in a classic sort of way and it made her all the more suspicious of his intentions.

"How's it going?"

"Spectacular. Do I know you?"

"Aaron Foster. I sat behind you in Chemistry." When she simply stared back at him blankly, his easy smile faltered. "We didn't talk."

"Yeah, I gathered that," she replied in a clipped tone. "What did you want?"

He scratched the back of his head and glanced around. He licked his lips and Holly had the impression that he was nervous. Really nervous. She took the time to observe the students in the hallway with them. Some of them were outright staring. She let out a huff of air. This was officially the worst day ever. First her tires were slashed, and now some guy who was apparently a big deal at her school was trying to talk to her. She was not in the mood. So she told him as much as she stalked ahead of him down the hallway, people jumping out of her way like startled sheep.

She whirled on him once they reached the front entrance of the school. "Look, someone slashed my tires and I gotta figure out how to get to work-"

He perked up at that and he gave her another smile that on any other day would be devastating to her resolve. "I can drive you."

Holly had to fight to keep from snarling. "No. I gotta go home first to change and I don't want you knowing where I live."

She turned back around toward the front steps and stumbled when she looked up across the parking lot. Where her car had been parked only hours ago was Happy Lowman, leaning up against his Harley with his tattooed arms crossed over his chest while her chewed on a toothpick and stared up at the school entrance like he owned the place. What an asshat. Holly didn't know whether to turn around and haul ass into the school or fly across the space between them and deliver a strong South Paw to the jaw. It had been almost two weeks since her and Happy had kissed and she hadn't seen nor heard from him in that time. He hadn't been on runs either. Lyla kept making it a point to keep her abreast of all Happy's comings and goings whether she liked it or not.

"Motherfucker," she hissed as she settled for stalking down the front steps leaving Aaron standing awkwardly at the top, looking confused and flustered by her clear brush off. Ever stoic, Happy didn't move a muscle as she neared him and came to a stop, several feet away. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Taking you to work." That was it. Happy Lowman, eloquent as ever. Holly was sure she was the embodiment of a thundercloud. "No way in fucking hell am I riding bitch with you," she spat darkly. He was unfazed by her outburst, even as the crowd of students leaving school slowed down both out of curiosity and surprise. Holly was the quiet, bookish girl who kept to herself, not a raging spitfire who took on a deadly biker in the parking lot after school.

He sighed out through his nose and held out his helmet toward her. She smacked it away without even looking at it. "I said no and I meant it. I don't give a shit if Tig sent you-"

He stood in one fluid motion like a panther stalking its prey and Holly fell back a step even though her face remained stormy. He held the helmet up between them as he attempted to stare her down. She remained unmoved and Holly managed to catch the way his eyes sparked as she won out. "I volunteered."

Her irate expression faltered as her eyes widened in surprise and a deep blush began to creep into her face. She snatched the helmet from him quickly and crammed it down on her head, her lips still pursed while she glared up at him and strapped it on. Happy cocked his head to one side and rolled the toothpick around to the other side of his mouth as he looked down at her. "You're wearing make-up."

She bristled at his observation, defensive in an instant. "I decided it was time for a change. I wanted to look nice for once."

He gave her another once over and then nodded. Her face reddened further. That had clearly been approval. Holly didn't want his approval. She wanted him to tell her she looked stupid so she could tell him to fuck off. She watched him straddle the Harley and rev the engine, turning his head as if to look at her, though his gaze was aimed out toward the parking lot. Not affording the rest of the student body a single glance, she gingerly climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle and clutching his shirt in her hands. He slowly guided the bike out of the lot and her embarrassment grew tenfold when she realized that all activity outside the school had come to a grinding halt because of the spectacle he had made of her. She hugged herself closer to him, willing herself to somehow become invisible or melt into the leather of his kutte. People would be talking about this for months. She would never live it down.

When they pulled into her driveway, she practically threw herself from the motorcycle and hurtled through her front door with her chest heaving as she took deep breaths to calm herself. She had no idea what Happy was playing at, but it was freaking her the fuck out. She managed to stumble her way into her bedroom after dropping her backpack on the her coffee table. She rummaged through the bottom drawer in her dresser for a thermal to go under her scrubs as she kicked her shoes off, bracing herself against the furniture's top. Her phone began to buzz in her pocket as she had her black top halfway over her head.

"Yeah," she grunted into the receiver as she yanked her shirt over her head and nearly fell over on top of her dresser. "Son of a cunt!"

"Are you okay," Lyla chuckled, "called to see if you needed a ride. Heard someone slashed your tires."

"I'm pretty sure I know who did it," Holly sighed out as she started shimmying out of her black skinny jeans. They were the tightest pair of pants she owned and they were always a bitch to take off, which was why she rarely ever wore them. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but I got a ride. I just need to get ready and head out."

"You sure? I can be there by the time you're finished."

"No-"

A large, dark hand snatched the phone from her ear and she squeaked in shock to find Happy standing right behind her, his eyes roaming over her body slowly as he took in her nearly naked appearance. "I'm taking her." He ended the call before her friend could respond and Holly watched him dumbly. What the fuck?

"Either you need to put more clothes on or take the rest off."

Holly flushed crimson as she pulled on the thermal and then her scrubs. Happy's intense gaze never wavered and Holly bit her lip to keep from asking one of the many questions that were floating through her mind. "I can't call into work," she mumbled, "I need the money for bills." Why didn't she just say no because she didn't want to, especially not with him?

Happy's expression didn't alter in the slightest as she spoke and she couldn't tell one way or the other if he was put out by her clear refusal to sleep with him. He continued to stand and watch her pull her clothes on and once she was finished, he followed her out the door and over to his bike. He held out the helmet toward her and she put it on without complaint, climbing on behind him with little fuss. When Holly slipped her hands around his middle, she felt his stomach muscles clenched beneath her fingers in response. Holly could feel herself grinning goofily at the discovery and she buried her face in the back of his kutte, inhaling the scent of leather she found there.

When they reached the shelter, he pulled up to the curb directly in front of the building and cut the engine. Holly slowly dismounted and pulled the helmet from her head. She handed it over to him and Happy put it in one of his saddlebags before looking back at her. "What time do you get off?"

"I get off at seven, but you don't have to do that. I can call Lyla-"

"Do you want me to pick you up or not," he asked tersely, and he looked irritated. Her mouth fell open, opening and closing a couple times as she thought over his loaded question. She looked away from him, her face reddening as she thought over the implications of telling him what she wanted. She could feel his eyes practically burning holes in her as he watched her. Finally, she tucked her hair behind her ear quickly glanced at him, her eyes lowered half-way toward the gravel below her feet. "Yeah, I want you to pick me up."

His eyes lit up at that. It was a subtle change, but Holly managed to catch it. He looked, pleased by her response even though there had been no other outward indication that he was. Blushing harder, she bit her lip and looked away again. She jumped in surprise when she felt him slid a hand around the back of her thigh and squeeze in order to gain her attention. He looked straight into her eyes, solemn, as if he were promising her so much with his next words. "I'll be here at ten til' seven."

She watched him as his Harley roared to life and he pulled out of the parking lot. When she could no longer see his retreating form, she finally entered the building only to be bombarded by questions from Janet about the scene Happy had caused after school. Her shoulders hunched and all of her anxiety was replaced with tension. It was going to be a long shift.