Hello guys, Thanks so much for the reviews :) Not the longest chapter or most action packed but I wanted to get an update done and it's hard to find the time to write. Hope you all enjoy this.

"Did you get it?" She asked; her voice a whisper even as it cracked on the last word.

"Are you sure about this?" Opie said quietly, handing the small, brown paper bag over to Jules.

Without looking at him, Jules nodded before clearing her throat and forcing herself to speak with confidence.

"Only one way to be sure."

It was still early enough in the day that Jules knew David wouldn't be home on his lunch break for a while yet. Still, she did not want to risk running into him before she had a chance to figure out what she was going to say to him. With her now new added complication, she feared it even more. So with crinkled bag in hand and a frown on her face, she paced feverishly with purpose towards Opie's room and closed the door behind her, forgetting to lock it in her haste.

Ten minutes later she emerged; her face red, her mouth in a tight line, and Gemma hot on her heels. She made a beeline straight for Opie in spite of him being in close conversation with Bobby, Chibs, and Tigs. Aware of Gemma's watchful eye, Jules tried her best to remain composed but still grabbed at her friend's arm and pulled him away urgently as she mumbled a quick apology to the group of older men.

"Sorry, guys, but I need him."

Dragging the taller man to one corner, she whispered as quietly as she could but forced herself to keep the panic from her voice as she knew that Gemma would not refrain from eavesdropping if she suspected that something was truly wrong. From the corner of her eye, she could see the silhouette of her step-mother gradually circumnavigating the differing members of SAMCRO and various crow-eaters and family members that had gathered together to mingle, and heading towards the empty space Jules and Opie were occupying.

"So?"

"We have a problem." she interrupted before he could add any more. "I dropped it."

"What do you mean you dropped it?"

"Gemma came into the bathroom and I dropped it."

"Where is it?" Opie asked, now staring at Gemma even as he spoke to Jules.

"I kicked it under the bathroom counter. I didn't know what else to do and now Gemma wants me to help out with the paperwork at the office." Jules began to ramble as she came undone. "I won't be able to go back and get it and I can't-"

Pulling the panicking woman into his arms, Opie hugged her tightly and shushed her. He had not broken eye contact with Gemma and he watched the Teller-Morrow clan matriarch stop and raise her eyebrows disapprovingly at him as she folded her arms and gave him a knowing look.

"Don't worry. I'll sort it. I promise."

"Opie."

"I've got this." Opie replied, kissing Jules' forehead tenderly and hugging her once more before leaving her in the corner and storming off across the room.

Jules looked on, biting at her nails despite knowing it would destroy her manicure, as Gemma started to follow him. Both, however, stopped when Opie heard Clay shout his name and beckon him. Standing rooted the spot, he turned to face his club president and enquired as to what he wanted.

"I need you to do a job for me."

"What job?"

"Go pay our favourite Police chief a visit and find out why he's avoiding us."

"Clay, wouldn't that be better coming from you?"

His voice firm and commanding, Clay replied. "Tigs, Bobby, and I are all going to see Alvarez about a shipment. Half-sack is manning the bar and Chibs is working in the garage. Juice isn't back from his mom's until tomorrow. Everybody is busy today so just do as I say, Ope. Oh, and take Jax with you. Where is he anyway?"

"Sulking." Gemma answered immediately; one hand now on her hip and the other rubbing at her temples as she felt a headache begin to form.

Instantly, Clay's eyes landed on his daughter and he watched with curiosity as Jules purposefully turned away from him and immediately volunteered to go collect the wayward man that was his step-son. As soon as he was convinced that Jules was out of earshot, he rounded on his wife.

"What am I missing?"

"Beats me."

"Woman, you know everything."

"Well I don't know this." Gemma spat, visibly annoyed.

Rolling his eyes, Opie spoke up just as Jax and Jules entered the room but with his back to them, he was unaware of their presence. "Jules called it quits with Jax, okay?"

"More like she chose Hale." Jax countered, separating himself from Jules almost immediately and walking away without looking at anyone in the room.

"I didn't choose him!" Jules shouted after him, already exhausted by the fallout. "I didn't." she reiterated when she noticed her father glaring at her.

"Are you still going to marry him?" he asked his daughter, his words coming out coated with anger and disbelief.

Without meaning to, Jules turned and shared a momentary look with Opie. Discussions had begun all around her and the buzz of noise that had erupted in the room was suddenly overwhelming. Questions were being shot at her and she struggled to clear her mind.

"I… don't know." She answered truthfully. "And before any of you start, none of you have any right to judge me for leaving Jax. So keep your noses out of my business."

"Your business is our business when you're marrying Hale." Clay argued with his daughter, advancing on her as some of the remaining members of the Club nodded their agreement whilst others stayed reluctantly silent; unwilling to take sides.

"Well here's a novel idea, Clay; try focusing more on your own life and less on mine!"

"Clay has a point." Tigs interjected. "He's hell bent on bringing us down and he wouldn't think twice on using you to screw us over."

The look Jules threw him made Tigs shut up immediately and he shrunk away from her as the venom from her eyes burned a hole in him and he made a conscious decision to hold his tongue. When she heard her father and step-mother begin to agree with him, she stopped them with a single shout and was so busy putting them to rights that she did not notice Opie leave her side.

"David would never do that and even if he did, I would like to think that you have enough confidence in me to know that I would never do anything to put you guys in danger. Me and Jax are done. Me and David... I don't know what we are but let me make this clear once and for all; the Club is my priority. Anyone tries to use me to hurt you and I will make them regret it. Now do me a favour and keep the hell out of my love life."

Begrudgingly, everyone agreed to Jules' simple request but even as she gained their statements of verification, it took just one look at each of their faces to know that they would all fail miserably at their promise. A hand on her lower back and she was pulled from her thoughts to see Opie stood next to her and gazing down into her eyes. He gave her a quick, subtle nod and she found herself unable to resist asking in spite of all those around her.

"Tell me." she whispered

"Not here." He mumbled into her ear as he kissed her goodbye on the cheek and walked away without another word.

The sharp ring of her phone pierced the room and she cancelled the call barely seconds later. She knew that David must have been going out of his mind with worry but she was unprepared for the conversation she knew she had to have with him. Too many times she had lied to him but now he deserved to know the truth about her infidelity. Still, she was not sure she had it in her to break another heart that day. Besides, she thought to herself as she ran after Opie, she had more pressing issues at that moment in time.

The sun hit her like a brick wall and blinded her so much that she was disorientated for too long. Kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel as the wheels of their motorcycles turned, she saw only the backs of the two most significant men in her life as they drove away. There she was abandoned; without answers and left to the clutches of Gemma.


Chaos was the only way to describe it. It seemed as if the population of the precinct had doubled in the space of day. All around them, unfamiliar faces, dressed in perfectly starched suits with badges that shined worn pridefully on their waists, rushed along shouting orders and replies at one another. The two men looked out of place with their own long, messy hair and SAMCRO leather Cuts but even in the presence of so many federal officers they did not panic or lose an ounce of confidence.

Sauntering over to Unser, having spotted the ageing man standing over the desk of one of his fellow officers and obviously deep in a worrying conversation judging by the stress lines that adorned his face and his hunched shoulders, Jax greeted him with a small smile and an inquisitive raise of his eyebrows.

Cutting his current conversation short, he ushered Opie and Jax into his office at the end of the hall and closed the blinds. He kept his voice low as the three of them each took a seat and his body sagged against the peeling leather of his chair.

"You guys can't be here."

"Clay's worried. You've been avoiding us. You're not telling us when raids are going down. We're barely making ends meet with all the running around we're doing just to make sure our stock isn't getting intersected by your guys."

"It's not my call, Jax. I've been trying to cover my ass for the last week! You have no idea of the shit-storm that's coming your way."

"Then tell us." Opie spoke up. "Who the hell are these guys?"

"FBI." sighed Unser, his head falling into his hands as he tried to rub away the tiredness from his eyes. "I turn a blind eye because overall, SAMCRO has been good for Charming but you guys have brought too much attention to yourselves over the last year. The warehouse blowing up last week was the last straw. I can't stop this, Jax."

"What the hell, Unser?" Jax yelled, rising to his feet and pacing anxiously. "A little head's up would have been nice."

"I couldn't tell you! I've barely had a moment to myself. They've been watching me like a hawk. I'm sorry but I can't protect the Club from this."

Standing too, Opie placed a hand on Jax's shoulder and told him to calm down. It had hardly passed early afternoon and already the day's events were enough to send them over the edge. For his best-friend and vice-president, Opie knew, it had been particularly tough and it showed in his strained jaw muscles and involuntary fisting of his hands.

"What are we meant to do?" Opie sensibly asked of Unser when Jax was silent.

"My advice? Lay low and keep your circle tight. The FBI are hellbent on taking SAMCRO down and they're going to do that any way they can. Make sure everyone is on the same page and keeps quiet."

"Easy. None of us are stupid enough to get caught out by a bunch of jumped up douche bags in bad suits." laughed Jax angrily.

"This is serious." hissed Unser. "They will go after any one even remotely associated with the Cub. No one is safe so you'd best be sure that you have no weak links or else we're all going down."

With grave faces, they left the Chief of Police to his own devices and ignored the stream of looks that were thrown their way as they journeyed through the precinct; ranging from curiosity to loathing.

"Clay's going to burst a blood vessel when he finds out about this." muttered Opie.

"Dude, relax. They have nothing on us. We're tight knit. We're good. Everything's going to be fine."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You heard Unser. They could go after anyone. That includes our families, the crow eaters - anyone, Jax."

"Ope, there isn't a single soul that knows anything worth knowing about us that they could manipulate to turn us over. Stop worrying. Who could they possibly go after?"

Their answer came much sooner than either of them could have imagined when a tall, slender, blonde-haired woman crossed their path and cut them up. She eyed them with smug caution before turning left and heading into an open room. Before the door closed, they glimpsed the insides; a tiny room dotted with a couple of desks, a few chair and a wall covered in photos. Beneath the mug shots of both himself and Clay, Jax spotted a face that made his blood run cold with fear.

"Jules."

Review? Not sure where I'm going to go next with this but I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and predictions. What do we think is going on with Jules and Opie? What might Gemma be thinking? There have been a few things in the last few chapters that are little easter-eggs that are setting things up for way in the future too