A/N: I still don't own and didn't create SoA.

Okay, Okay. DON'T HATE ME! I didn't plan on taking forever to update, life interfered with my writing. GRAWR.

emphasis

thoughts or phone conversation

past

notification


Welcome Home

It was eight in the morning when a ringing phone woke me up.

"Shit!" I rolled and fell on the floor with a thud. I could hear Happy groan, then chuckle as he saw me lying there. "Oh, shut up and pick up your phone!"

"Wasn't me. I have the lame ring tones, you're the one who customizes shit,"

He reached over and dragged my phone off the nightstand, tossing it on my stomach. Then swung his legs over the other side and stretched his arms and yawned loudly.

I looked at my phone, opening it, it beeped at me. One Missed Call. Kippers

I groaned and made a face. I told Kip I wasn't getting up until at least noon. Reaching up over my head, I placed my cell phone back on the nightstand and rejected Happy's hand to help me up.

"Think I'll just stay down here," I dragged a pillow off the bed and turned over so that I was lying on my stomach.

"C'me on, ya gotta talk ta Sack, look for a job and I got work, let's go," He grabbed my waist and pulled me to my feet.

"I hate you"

"No, you don't." He planted a kiss on my neck while holding me flush against his body, then turned me around.

I sighed and bent to pick up the blanket and pillow to put them back on the bed. He sat back down, watching me, that way he always did. I stayed on my knees and slid between his legs. Grinning, I took his cock in my hand and began to stroke him. Slow at first then increasing my speed. He hardened at my touch and groaned, wanting more. Leaning over, I kissed the shaft, teasing him. I ran my tongue over his now hard cock and looked up at him, arching an eyebrow. His hands gripped my shoulders to the point of almost bruising and pulled me closer. I opened my mouth, slipping him inside, and tightened my lips around him. He groaned once again and tangled a hand in my hair, keeping my pace steady. Hearing him moan, I swallowed and took him deeper, until he was fully inside and I could feel him in the back of my mouth. Tightening his grip on my hair and shoulder, he began to thrust himself inside my mouth. Blow jobs may not have been my specialty, but he seemed to be enjoying it, and tasting him made me want to continue, and see what he could do later.

"God, woman..." He groaned, a smile in his raspy voice, as his fingers began to bruise my shoulder from his ever tightening grip.

I could feel the chill that ran up his spine and prepared before he came. He had pushed himself deeper down my throat and mumbled something I was unable to decipher as he did, in one hard burst. I swallowed hard and ran my tongue over him as I pulled away, grinning.

"Damn..." He breathed.

When I stood, he grabbed my hand and pulled my onto his lap.

"You." He kissed me. "Are." Another kiss. "Amazing" He nipped my neck, hard enough to leave a mark.

"Why, thank you. You're not too bad yourself." I smiled.

He made a snorting noise and shook his head. "Yeah, I am."

"Why do you put yourself down like that?"

He kissed a trail along the dragon tattooed across my chest, then my neck, cheek and finally lips. "'cause it's true."

I didn't let him stand when he tried to gently push me off of him. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think you were worth it, remember that."

"Right." He stood, shoving me to the side, just hard enough to force me off his lap.

It was my turn to grab his hand, pulling myself up to my feet, feeling the chill as they hit the cold hardwood flooring, I kissed him. He cupped my face, and tilted his head slightly, locking our lips together. The kiss was slow and deep and neither of us wanted it to end, but my cell phone rang...again.

"Ima kill that kid" He growled when I bent to answer it.

"If I leave ya any ta kill," I snapped the phone open and held it to my ear while Happy held me close to him. "What do you want?!" I roared as I heard Kip's voice.

"I woke ya up, didn't I?"

"Yeah, ya did. What time did I say I would be up?"

"Noon."

"And what time is it now?"

"Nine..."

"How many hours difference is that?"

"three..."

"That's right. You gypped me out of three hours of sleep. THREE FRIGGIN' HOURS!" Happy chuckled in my ear.

"Uhm...sorry?"

"You should be. Now, what the hell did you want?"

"Can we talk? I'll buy breakfast?"

"Fine."

I sighed as I threw the phone on the bed and looked up at Happy.

"Kid wants ta talk. He's buying food."

"It's guna be the 'do ya know what the fuck you're doin' speech, ya know."

"Yeah, I know." I shrugged.

"As long as you know" He pressed his lips hard to mine in a moaning inducing kiss. Then pulled away, allowing us to get ready for the day.

~*~*~*~

The ride to the diner was fine, though I was used to riding with Happy.

"You're slow." I complained, mocking the way he whined.

"That was the speed limit"

"Who follows the rules?"

I closed the door before he walked in so he ran into it.

"Sorry" I smirked.

I took a seat at a random booth and watched as Kip slid into the seat opposite of me, rubbing his head. We made small talk about my time in Tacoma as we waited for the waitress to come take our orders.

With the waitress out of the way for a while, he spoke first.

"Why him?"

"What?"

"Why Happy? What made you fall for him?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just like 'im. He's kinda in the background, doesn't talk too much. He sure as hell ain't some kinda hopeless romantic."

Kip nodded as the waitress set our drinks down. "Well, just be careful with 'im"

"What duh ya mean?"

"He's not guna be...faithful all the time. We'll be out on a run and he'll fuck some other chick. It's inevitable, Jay. And by the way, what's with you picking all the violent ones? I mean, Jesus, he's the club's friggin' hit man. And if he's pissed...damn."

"Number one: As long as it's not some long term thing or at home, I really don't care. Two: I kin handle myself. He's never even tried to lay hand on me, never even looked at me like he would,"

"Yeah," He stared at the bite mark on my neck and motioned to it.

"Kip, he bit me. Do I have ta go over the details of that?" I smiled at the thought of this morning, though it troubled me still how Happy had said those things about himself...

"Uh, please don't" Kip's voice ripped through my thoughts.

"Good, I wasn't going to."

"Just be careful, that's all I'm sayin' I've seen what he's capable of, it's scary shit."

I chugged down my Coke as the waitress placed our food in front of us. She gave us a strange look but then saw his cut and suddenly the conversation was completely normal.

~*~*~*~

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

My mother said nothing, only sobbed into her hands.

"Mommy?" I gently tugged on her shirt sleeve. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, wiped her face and picked me up onto her lap. "It's Daddy..." She trailed off and gazed at the floor.

I tilted my head, not understanding what she was trying to tell me.

"He's not coming home, baby...He-He was killed today..."

The tears flooded her eyes and fell onto my lap. I wrapped my arms around her as best I could. My vision became blurry due to the water welling up, no matter how hard I tried to hold it in.

~*~*~*~

"How?! How did you let this happen?!" I could hear her screaming from the living room as I lie in bed, unable to sleep.

"Rachel, calm down...He was doing his job"

"Calm down?! How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! I have a five year old, no husband and now your saying that I don't have an income to support us?! You try being calm!"

"He was in the line of fire, he know that. Blame him, not me!" My late father's partner was losing his temper; my mother always wound him up.

"You...you, you could have tried to get him to move...I just don't know what to do...What can I do, Joe?"

There was silence; I could hear the uncomfortable shifting.

~*~*~*~

Following my mother, I stumbled to the coffin and looked at my father's lifeless body. Half of the casket was closed, but I could see he was in his police uniform. I placed the small flower on his chest and remembered when he taught me how to play soccer, causing the tears to fall harder which visibly re-broke my mother's heart.

"Bye-bye, Daddy..." I sobbed, unable to stay strong for another minute.

I felt a pair of strong arms snake themselves around me and pull me close.

"Its gunna be okay..." I heard Joe's soft voice trying to soothe the pain as my mother fell to her knees beside us, running her hand through my hair.

He held me into his chest as the rest of his team and police force watched me drench the young man's dress shirt and suit jacket in a mixture of tears and snot, though he didn't seem to mind.

~*~*~*~

It was only months later that I noticed when of my father's friends was hanging around the house a lot more than he used to. His name was Paul, he told me, though I already knew him from when my father took me to visit the police station every Friday. Those regular visits ceased but Joe would pick me up and bring me over every once and a while.

Joe stepped up to father figure roll when Dad died, whether it was from guilt or because he genuinely cared, I still don't know and don't really care. Paul was more like the kid down the street with a giant crush on me, trying to convince me of some cliché love-at-first-sight story.

~*~*~*~

Sitting on the bar, I chatted it up with Bobby, trying to see what kind of shops there were that were interesting to me. Tattoo parlor, sounds fun, but they weren't hiring, figures. Coffee shop, not good with complaining people. Salon, preppy people? Hell to the no. Cigar shop, gross. Sure that may have given the boys an advantage over this guy, Zobelle, but the idea of working with a Nazi, wasn't exactly appealing.

"There's always a liquor store."

"HA! Me surrounded by booze? You think that's a good idea?" I laughed out.

"True...Hmmm..There's a little boutique that would probably take ya"

"I can do that." I nodded once then asked for directions.

~*~*~*~

I got the job in a heartbeat, all I had to do was walk in and inquire.

~*~*~*~

Friday rolled around a lot faster than anyone thought it would. I had completely forgot about the surprise that they were supposed to have for me so I wasn't particularly ready when the two bikers stopped their bikes in front of Caroline's Boutique and revved loudly before shutting them off and making their way into the store. The owner, Caroline, was staring at them.

"Hey you. Ya ready?" Happy tilted his head as he eyed me.

"For...?" I stepped around the counter in a tight black t shirt and grey skinny jeans, belt buckle proudly displaying the USMC seal. He gave a low wolf whistle.

"You'll see,"

I looked behind him at Tig.

"C'me on," The blue eyed man was as impatiant as ever.

I shrugged as I waved to Caroline, who nodded, and followed the boys out the glass door. Happy handed me the helmet he had managed the time to buy for me, I strapped it on and mounted the bike behind him.

~*~*~*~

The clubhouse seemed quiet, the lights were off and no one was in sight. Though everyone's bikes were there, and a few, well, a lot extra.

Happy backed into his spot, dismounted and took the helmet from my hand. He walked towards Tig, I followed quickly behind him, grumbling.

"Why do you have ta walk so damn fast?"

"Get used to it, Marine." He smirked.

Tig strode ahead of us, leading the way to the clubhouse. I felt something brush against my hand. Looking down, I realized what Happy was doing. His hand slid under my arm and around my waist, pulling my tightly against him.

"Thought you didn't like physical contact in public" I whispered.

"Fuck it" He looked down at me and smiled.

Tig yanked the door open, only missing my face because I leaned back. Happy's outstretched arm caught it while the other pushed me inside.

My breath caught when I turned my turn from glaring at him. The bar was full of men wearing Sons cuts, random women and a bottle of Jack Daniel's on the table, my name written on it in Sharpie.

"Surprise," Happy whispered, lips to my ear, his hands on my shoulders.

"What the hell?"

"Every Marine deserves a homecoming party. Ours happens to be a patch over. Everyone in the Charters of three states, plus the nomads, are here. 'Cause you're home!" Kip bounced up and down in front of me.

"Welcome Home!" The California and most of the Tacoma charters whooped and hollered and raised their beers as if on cue.


Wasn't really planning to leave it there, but site's being dumb, so I guess I will. Press the review button? Pretty please with a mound of chocolate chips on top?