February 12th, 1999

Charlotte couldn't help the smile on her face as she left school for the day. She was no longer having trouble focusing and her grades were just as she hoped they would be, top of her class. She had just aced a big exam and she planned on celebrating that evening, hopefully with Happy.

Her smile got even bigger at the thought of him. The two had spent almost all of their free time together. He even helped her study. She was surprised by him all the time, she never knew he could be so interested in her school work. It was great. He was going at her pace, too, which she appreciated. He never pressured her for more than she was comfortable with.

She had walked to campus that day and started down the street towards her apartment, with Happy Lowman on her mind. She heard the roars of a motorcycle and turned at the sound. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized who was on that bike.

He pulled up next to her, a lazy grin on his face. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," he said.

Charlotte threw herself into his arms, a few tears escaping her eyes. "Jackson Teller, what in the hell are you doing here?" she squealed in his ear, hugging him as tightly as she could.

Jax laughed and pulled back a bit to look at his sister. "Samcro is in town," he replied. "Club business. I wanted to come see you first though. I don't think everyone has even made it into town yet. Opie was right behind me."

As if on cue, another bike came down the road, revealing one of her very best friends, Opie Winston. She walked away from her brother and over to the tall man, giving him a hug. "Well, I am just the luckiest girl in the world right now," she said to the pair. "How long do I get you two for?"

Opie smiled at her, "Hop on, we'll take you to your place. We can hang for a few, but you'll have to come to the clubhouse tonight! Gonna be a big party."

She got on the bike behind him, putting on the helmet he offered. She told him how to get to her apartment. She was a little nervous about the clubhouse party. She hadn't actually been to the clubhouse since she had been spending time with Happy. She was certain no one knew about the two of them. She for one hadn't said anything, and she knew he wasn't much for talking in general.

He also hadn't mentioned that Charming would be making the trip up to Tacoma. That made her wonder if he even knew they were coming.

The three walked into her apartment and she showed them around. The boys settled in on her couch and she brought them all a beer. "I think I'm still in shock that you guys are here! The only thing that could make this better is if Annie was here!"

Opie shook his head at the mention of his younger sister. "She's just as bad as you are," he replied. "She's a workaholic."

"Besides, we're not really here for a social call," Jax reminded her. "She wouldn't have been allowed to come, you know that."

"Oh, thank god, that means mom isn't here," Charlotte teased. "Listen guys, I'm sorry I haven't made it back home in a while. I've just been avoiding it really and-"

There was a knock at the door that stopped her mid-sentence. She stood up and walked over to answer it. It was Happy. "Oh, hey Happy. Come on in. My brother and Opie are here," she said quickly, giving him a warning.

He nodded at her, walking inside. Jax and Opie stood up, greeting their friend. "Hey brother, good to see you," Jax said. "I wanna thank you for keeping an eye on my sister, keeping her safe."

"No problem," he replied shortly. "Clay said I'd probably find you two here. Church in an hour."

Jax and Opie looked at Charlotte. "Guess we've gotta head out," Opie said.

Jax hugged his sister. "You better make it tonight. We've got a lot of catching up to do," he told her.

Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know, I've got a lot of studying to do," she replied. All three men looked at her. "Alright, alright, I'll take a break tonight! I'll see you all later."

Jax and Opie walked towards the door, Happy stayed put. "You coming man?" Opie asked.

"Yeah, I'll be right behind you, bro," Happy replied and the two other men left. He turned to Charlotte when they closed the door. "Hey."

She smiled at him. "Hey yourself," she replied, closing the distance between them. She reached up and kissed him briefly. "How do you feel about me going to the clubhouse tonight?"

He looked down at her, his arms wrapped around her. "It's up to you," he replied.

"Well, nobody knows about us," she said. "And I know you don't like lying about anything."

Happy let out a breath. "I ain't gonna lie about shit," he returned.

"I don't know if telling them is a good idea right now. I mean, we just got together, Happy."

He stepped back from her and narrowed his eyes. "What does that have to do with it?"

"I'm just saying, maybe we don't go telling them anything yet. I like having you all to myself," she said with a smile, trying to reach for him again.

He pushed her hands away, gently but firm. "Fine," he replied and walked towards the door. "Gotta go."

Charlotte jumped a little when he slammed the door behind him. He obviously didn't like her idea. She hadn't seen him this upset before. She wasn't sure how her brother would react, or Clay.

She and Clay didn't always see eye to eye. She didn't have much use for him. She had had a father, she didn't need Clay as a stand in after he passed. She thought her mother moved onto Clay way too quickly, one of the biggest strains on their relationship was Clay. She had always been a daddy's girl, she wouldn't turn her back on him just because he died.

She decided to work on her homework for a couple hours and then get ready to go to the clubhouse. She knew that the party would be in full swing by 9 and go all night. She had plenty of time.

Charlotte arrived at the Tacoma clubhouse around 9:30. The parking lot was filled, but she had found a spot. There were people hanging out outside at the picnic tables set up, she recognized a few of them and waved when they waved her way.

She walked inside and was greeted by loud music, loud people and the smell of booze. It was an old familiar ambiance. She had grown up in the clubhouse in Charming, it was taking her back to when she was 16 when she went to her first club party.

She walked through the room, searching for any sign of Happy, her brother, or any of the guys from Samcro.

"Lookie what the cat dragged in!"

Charlotte turned to the voice and felt herself being crushed to Bobby Elvis. She grinned at him. "Hey, Bobby! Did you bring any muffins for your favorite girl?" she joked, returning his hug.

Bobby laughed and released her. "No such luck, darlin'," he replied. "Next time you come to town, I'll make some special just for you."

She nodded at him. "I'm gonna hold you to that! Hey, have you seen Jax anywhere? I doubt I'll be able to find him on my own."

"Sure, I'll take you back to him. They're back playing pool," he said and led her back further into the room.

Charlotte saw Jax as they approached. He was playing pool, as Bobby had said, with Tig, Happy and Opie.

"Hey guys, look who I found!" Bobby announced and the four men looked over towards her.

Jax, Opie and Tig smiled at her. Happy glanced her way before looking back at the pool table. "Hey guys," she said. "What's a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?"

Opie handed her a beer. "Finally decided to take a break from all that doctor stuff?"

Charlotte took a long pull on the beer he handed her before answering. "Yeah, I'm done with my work for the night. Opie, how's Donna? The kiddos? I'm kind of surprised she let you leave when she's alone with those 2 babies."

He laughed. "She practically pushed me out the door," he replied. "Guess I'm driving her crazy."

The two sat down at the table next to the pool table. "Why's that?"

"I don't know how to do anything the 'right' way," he returned, using air quotes. "She's got her own system and doesn't like how I change their diapers. Or feed them. Or anything."

Charlotte shook her head, laughing a little. "She's still a new mom, she'll get tuckered out and appreciate any help you give her, just give her some time," she put her hand on his arm. "Twins are hard, just ask my mom."

Jax sat down next to his sister, wrapping his arm around the back of her chair. "So, what do you do when you don't have your nose in a book?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't have time for much else," she returned. "Med school is pretty demanding. Plus, I have my job at the hospital too."

Bobby and Tig joined the three at the table. Happy leaned against the pool table, listening in on their conversation. "You sure do look happy, kid," Tig commented. "You sure it's just school that's got you smiling like that?"

All 5 men looked at her. Her face flushed a bit. She looked at each one, Happy a little longer than the others. "There may be someone that I've been seeing," she admitted, Jax looked at her, surprised. "But it's new and I'm not ready to get into that with any of you! Please respect that."

"What's his name?" Jax asked.

She glared at him. "Jax, did you not hear what I just said? I really like this guy and I don't want my brother and his friends to scare him off."

Happy scoffed at the comment of being scared, but didn't say anything. Jax looked at his sister. "Fine, I'll let it go. For now."

She silently thanked him. "What about you, little brother? Who is the latest conquest?" She looked around the room. "Or is it just another sweetbutt for tonight."

The men at the table laughed, Jax included. "I like the single life for now," he replied, also looking around the room. "Any recommendations, Hap?"

Everyone looked towards Happy, who was still leaned up against the pool table. Happy shrugged. "Tried one, tried 'em all."

The men all laughed. She hoped the pain in her eyes didn't show. She knew he had slept around, but she was hopeful that he wasn't currently sleeping with the croweaters. They hadn't exactly put a label on their relationship, so technically he could do whatever he wanted. They hadn't yet slept together; she couldn't really blame him if he found it elsewhere.

Charlotte stood suddenly, interrupting the conversation that they were having. "I'm gonna go get some air," she said and walked away before anyone could say anything to her.