Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy. I do, however, own Jolene and any other OCs that appear in the Jaxene Universe.


Pinching the bridge of her nose, Jolene was biting the inside of her cheek in a desperate attempt to remain civil. Looking long and lean in a pair of tight dark wash jeans, mile-high black suede wedge booties, and an off-the-shoulder blouse that cinched at the waist, she was watching a young woman clumsily fumble around one of her beautifully set buffet tables. Growling softly to herself, Jolene finally lost the internal struggle with her Type-A tendencies.

"No! That's not where it goes!" Jolene blurted, probably a littler harsher than she had intended. Like a deer caught in the headlights, the relatively-new old lady froze in her silver-studded biker boots. With her hands up in front of her as if Jolene was holding her at gun point, she was at a loss regarding what she had done wrong and how to fix it. Exasperated, Jolene huffed out loud and practically rolled her eyes. "That potato salad goes on the table with the other cold foods, not on the hot food table." She gave the clearly intimidated young woman the stink eye, causing her to stumble in her haste to remove the offending food.

Watching her practically run to the other buffet table with the dish, Jolene grumbled under her breath. "And if she had a smidge of brain matter in that empty space between her two big ears, she could have figured that out on her own."

"Now, now," Gemma grinned as she approached the Queen of Charming. "Don't be mean."

Jolene turned her head to shoot a raised eyebrow at her mother-in-law. "Me? Mean? Are we getting soft in our old age?" She grinned inwardly as she saw Gemma's eyes narrow. "You know as well as I do that back in the day that heifer would have been wearing that potato salad as a sombrero just for being so damn clueless. I thought I was being pretty nice, all things considered."

Carrying a stack of paper goods over to the small table holding the rest of the dinnerware, Jolene fussed over the placement of the napkins, cups and plastic utensils. "You know, if Donna were here, I wouldn't need any of these useless old ladies helping me. That woman could organize the shit out of anything." She sighed.

Gemma wrapped her arms around Jolene from behind and squeezed. "I know, baby girl. I know."

Squeezing the older woman back, Jolene pulled out of her embrace. "Sorry. Let's not go there today, right? This is Ope's welcome home party and we need to make sure that he and the kids have a great time." Jolene took a look at her dainty wrist watch. "And where the hell is Neeta?"

"Right here, so stop bad mouthing me behind my back." Both women turned to see her pushing a shopping cart loaded with large aluminum pans, followed by a Prospect carefully carrying a large sheet cake. "I'm old, fat and tired, which gives me the right to take my time getting anywhere. Now c'mon and help me get this food set up."

Banning further interference in the form of "help" from the inexperienced old ladies, the three women worked together to quickly finish setting up as more patches and their families continued to make their way into the Clubhouse. Someone had put on some music and a number of children were already running wild and loose.

Jolene allowed her gaze to skim over the almost maxed-to-capacity Clubhouse looking for one patch in particular. She had been keeping an eye out for him ever since she arrived at the lot over four hours ago. Her heart sunk a little in her chest as she realized that if he wasn't in the Clubhouse by now, he probably had no intention of showing up at all.

Turning to Gemma, she put a hand on her hip. "Tig isn't here." She stated resolutely.

"I haven't seen him." The Queen Mother replied as she lit a cigarette. "And I get the feeling that you're not gonna see him either."

"Damn it!" Jolene was visibly upset. "I knew this was going to happen."

After the first Church session with his VP at the table, Jax had come home to share Opie's edict concerning Tig and his refusal to have anything to do with him. Knowing how deeply affected he had been by his perceived role in Donna's passing, Jolene had sensed that Tig's agreement to stay out of Ope's way would prompt him to skip the family dinner.

"I understand how Opie feels, Gem," Jolene said, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "But this is Tig's family, too."

"Hey, your preaching to the choir," Gemma advised. "But at this point, I'm not sure there's anything that can be done, except wait it out."

Jolene pursed her lips. "Humph! We'll see about that. I won't allow my family to be broken forever and SAMCRO is family and we don't run away from our shit. You've taught me that much."

Gemma grinned as Jolene stalked away to oversee food prep in the kitchen.

Yes, indeed. I believe I have taught you well after all.


As Jolene picked up the cooled pan of Bobby's freshly-baked cornbread from the bar, she felt a small body slam into the back of her legs almost knocking her over.

"What the fuck?!" She yelped, barely keeping the pan from flying out of her hands.

"That's five dollars, Mommy."

Jolene looked down to see an impishly smiling Maddy wrapped around her legs. Mobi Harlan, Lowell's four-year old son and Maddy's sidekick, was standing alongside her, grinning up at Jolene. "Does that mean I get five dollars too 'cause you said the 'F' word, Aunt Jo?"

Maddy quickly answered for her mother. "Yeah, you do. Youse my best friend and whatever I gets, you gets too, right, Mommy?"

"Not when you do sh—stuff that makes me drop the F-bomb, honey. You nearly knocked me over." Seeing her middle child's nostrils flare and her brow furrow in frustration just like her father whenever he was denied a lil' sumtin'-sumtin', Jolene did her best to hide a smile. "Okay, Jax Jr., why are you running around with all these people in here when I told you earlier to cut it out?"

"Who said I was runnin', huh?" Maddy snarked with her hand on her little hip. "If you didn't see me, I didn't do it."

Jolene practically dropped the cornbread on the table and fully turned to face her daughter. "You wanna repeat that, little girl?" She towered over Maddy, her green eyes flashing.

"Uh-oh." Mobi said, having the good sense to back away.

As Maddy was about to snarkily repeat herself, Gemma, popping out of nowhere, interceded. "I wouldn't if I were you, sweetheart. Apologize to Mommy."

Kicking at invisible rocks on the Clubhouse floor, Maddy looked up at her mother with eyes sweet enough to melt her outlaw biker father's heart. Unfortunately, Jolene wasn't Jax and continued to stare down her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Mommy." Maddy said in a tiny voice.

"Good, now go visit your Papa and keep him busy before you get into any more trouble." Gemma grinned.

Jolene shook her head in disbelief as her little girl, with Mobi trailing behind her, took off at a dead run towards Clay, who was sitting on one of the couches, his grandson sleeping in the stroller next to him. "You believe that shit? She's three. Imagine when she's a teenager." Jolene was incredulous. "I love all of my babies, Gemma, but sometimes I think you were right. Women who have mother issues should be allowed to drown baby girls at birth."

"Ha! You better not let your old man hear you say that." Neeta retorted as she put down a pan of biscuits on the bread table.

"Or your father either." Gemma added. "Forget you and all the drama between Jax and Clay when you were a teenager. Sometimes I think those two are at war for the sole affections of that little girl."

"Yeah, and she knows it too." Jolene smirked.


Pulling into the lot, Opie squeezed the family-size SUV into a space at the far end of the lot after dropping his mother off at the entrance to the Clubhouse. Getting out of the car, he slammed the door behind him, his kids following suit.

"Wait, Daddy. Your collar doesn't look right. You don't want to go into the Clubhouse looking all messed up." Ellie said with concern.

Opie obediently got down on one knee to allow his daughter to re-adjust his kutte and button down shirt underneath. "Now you look good. I'm glad I made you go to Floyd's."

Opie grinned as he tugged at Ellie's ponytail. "I didn't look that bad."

"Uh, yeah Dad. You did." Kenny chimed in. "Not that that shit's important to me, but you don't want Aunt Jolene seeing you look like a crazed mountain man. You actually did look like a Sasquatch before Floyd cleaned you up."

"Yeah, Mom hated it when you let yourself get too scruffy-looking," Ellie said with a small catch in her voice. "And since she's not here, I have to look out after you."

Opie wrapped an arm around Ellie's shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head. "And you're doing a damn fine job."

But she shouldn't have to and I can't keep letting her. It's my job to take care of her, not the other way around.

"C'mon, I guess we better go deal with the SAMCRO Queen before I lose my courage." Tousling Kenny's mop of hair, Opie led his family toward the Clubhouse where everyone was waiting to warmly welcome them back into the fold.


Jolene was standing in the kitchen stirring a large pot of Bobby's famous chili when she heard the steadily growing roar of the crowd in the Main Room as the cheers erupted. Placing the lid back on the pot, she quickly threw the potholder and ladle on the counter and walked into the Main Room.

Standing by the bar, Jolene's eyes got misty as she watched her beloved Sasquatch practically get mauled by his brothers as they welcomed him back with bro-hugs and back-slaps. Through the tears that tracked unnoticed down her cheeks, she frowned as she took in his appearance. Although he was neat and tidy, his beard newly trimmed and his hair gleaming in the lights of the Clubhouse, Jolene noticed that his clothes were hanging loosely from his large frame. His ruggedly handsome face was gaunt and, even though his upper body still had muscular definition, he was thinner than she had ever seen him before.

Swiping at her leaky eyes before her tears ruined her make-up, Jolene sniffed loudly. Feeling a familiar arm wrap around her shoulders pulling her closer into the crook of his body, Jolene looked up into her old man's concerned face. "Babe, remember what we talked about. This is a happy day and you can't be boohooing all over Ope."

"I know," Jolene sniffed. "But he just looks—"

"Like he's been through a war and came out on the other side." Jax finished for her. "But at least he's home and whole, darlin'. It may take him a while to get back to himself physically and emotionally, but don't beat him over the head about it. Okay?"

She nodded, fighting a losing battle with her tears. "Shit, I never have a damn tissue when I need one." Jolene smiled at her old man as she snatched the blue bandana he offered her. "Thank you, baby. You're always looking after me." She blew her nose and tried to hand the bandana back.

"And I always will." He dropped a sweet kiss on her lips. "But as usual, you can keep that mess once you use it."

Jolene cracked up, unable to stop herself from snorting. "Asshole."

"Hey, it looks like there's an opening." Jax gently shoved her towards Opie. "Go welcome your brother home."

Just then Opie's eyes fell on Jolene. Hesitating briefly as he tried to gauge whether her red-rimmed eyes meant she was happy to see him or about to kick him in the balls, Opie opened his arms. Running into his embrace, Jolene wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed as she found herself being lifted off of her feet. Pressing her lips to Opie's roughened cheek, she pulled away to look into his eyes.

He had changed. It was obvious that he was not the same man, but somewhere in that still-devastated face was her Opie Winston.

And Jolene was determined to do what she could to get her brother back and whole.


Wearing nothing but a damp towel around his waist, Jax walked over to his old lady as she brushed her long hair in front of the large mirror over the his-and-hers double sinks.

"Hey, babe," Jax wrapped his arms around Jolene's waist, pulling her backside into direct contact with his crotch. "I was hoping you would join me in the shower. Water got cold with me waiting for that to happen." He nibbled at her ear, causing her to lose interest in brushing out her hair as she threw her head back against his bare shoulder.

"I'm sorry, baby. TJ woke up the second I put him down." Jolene explained. "It took a warm bath and another feeding to finally knock him out."

"Abel and Maddy?" Jax's lips moved down to her neck and his hands up to her tits.

"Down for the count, too." Jolene replied, her eyes drifting closed. "After all the fun they had running around the lot today, we should get at least eight uninterrupted hours of quiet time."

"Mmmm," Jax growled against her throat. "That almost gives me enough time to do everything I plan on doing to you tonight."

Not before I get a chance to speak my mind first.

Dropping her hairbrush onto the vanity with a loud clang, Jolene managed to pull herself out of her husband's embrace. Turning to face him, Jolene smiled slightly at the look of frustration on her old man's handsome face. He looked like a little boy who just had his favorite toy confiscated for being naughty.

"How do you think it all went tonight?" Jolene asked, as she leaned against the counter.

Jax quirked an eyebrow at his beautiful old lady, not quite understanding why she would choose now to discuss Opie's welcome home dinner.

"It was great." Jax stepped forward and pulled her into his arms again. The pouty little stink face she was giving him was almost like a challenge. How long before I can get her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she bites those pillowy lips? If Jax had a say, not long at all. "Babe, I hope you're not upset. You did an amazing job and everyone had a great time."

Jolene shook her head. "Jackson, I'm not talking about the food and drinks. I can do that shit blindfolded." She eyed him with a dangerous glint in her seafoam green eyes as she once again pulled out of his embrace.

Oh, shit. I'm gonna get it and I don't even know why. Not to worry, though, 'cause I'm sure Jo has no problem telling me.

And he was right.

"I still think a smaller family dinner for Ope at the house like I had originally planned was the way to go. But I was fine with doing it at the Clubhouse as long as everyone showed up and I could have some one-on-one time with Opie. Instead, Tig didn't show up and Opie avoided being alone with me all night." Jolene crossed her arms causing her terry robe to gape open revealing a large portion of her creamy breasts.

Jax's eyes glinted with purpose as he started to play with his old lady's tits again. "Jo, I think giving Ope a big welcome home was the way to go. It took the pressure off of him being surrounded by so many people. Besides, he needs a minute to get himself settled into life at home again before you rip him a new asshole."

But Jolene wasn't having it. Brushing his hands away, she tightly secured her robe.

No goodies for you until we hash this shit out.

"Ope's been away too long. Someone needs to find out where he is mentally and, as much as I love him, he needs somebody ripping him a new one for leaving Kenny and Ellie behind. We need to bring Opie closer to us and not allow him to isolate himself again."

Jax nearly rolled his eyes. "Jo, he was the center of attention today, surrounded by a Clubhouse full of people who love him. How is that isolating himself?"

"He's isolating himself from me, Jax. Every time I approached he ducked and dodged me like he owed me child support." Jolene retorted.

Jax sighed and suddenly anchored his old lady in his arms. "If he's avoiding you then maybe you should take the hint and give him the space he needs."

Jolene's eyes widened. "But—" She started.

"No buts, Jo. I mean it. Ope's a grown man whose life has taken an unexpected turn. It's okay for him to be a little fucked in the head right now. We can be there for him, but we can't fix this for him, especially if he doesn't want us to."

"Jax, he doesn't know what he wants. He's so busy trying to compartmentalize his feelings that he can't see the forest for the fuckin' trees."

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter, babe. What matters is that as your old man I'm telling you to drop it and leave him be." Jax said strongly, tempering his demand by adding, "For now."

Rolling her eyes, Jolene met her old man's implacable gaze. "Fine," She huffed. "I'll leave Opie alone. For now."

I'll lay off Ope, but he didn't say shit about Tig.

The determined look on her beautiful face warned Jax not to buy into her easy acquiescence, but he was going to let it go for now anyway. He had a more important issue regarding their relationship that needed to be addressed. They both loved Opie and his kids very much, but had recently been butting heads on how to deal with the situation. That, however, was no excuse for putting his pussy on lock down.

"Good. Now, where was I?" Jax quirked an eyebrow in thought. "Oh, yeah," He smiled lecherously as he lifted her into his arms. "I have some serious pipe that needs laying, that's if I even remember how."

Jolene laughed as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "You are so full of shit. It hasn't been that long."

"If I had been on a run maybe, but you haven't let me get my dick wet for the past two days out of spite. And that hurts." Jax fake pouted.

"Spite, huh?" Jolene gave him the stink eye. "You wanna go for three, easy rider?"

Jax laughed smugly. "Not happening, babe. The drought ends tonight." He pressed his mouth hard against hers.

"Mmmm," Jolene heard herself moan as he gently bit and sucked on her lips.

Pulling away slightly, Jolene ran her hand through his damp hair and down the side of his face, smiling at the hazy, feral look in his eyes. Bringing his mouth back to hers by pulling on his chin hairs, she fused her lips to his again as her tongue pressed for entrance to his mouth. Letting her take control, Jolene deepened their kiss as Jax carried her into their bedroom.

Pulling away from her lips, Jax trailed soft kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. With one hand on her ass supporting her weight against him, Jax reached down between them, untucked his bath towel and let it fall to the floor. Jax sat down on the edge of the bed as Jolene straddled him, her knees on either side of his thighs and her hands on his broad shoulders. Holding onto her slender hips, Jax let out a soft groan.

"Like that, baby?" Jolene asked, almost breathless.

Looking up at his old lady, Jax licked his lips and smiled as she rubbed her moist cleft on his erection lying flat against his stomach. Untying her bathrobe, Jax let it fall from her shoulders and answered her with a low growl as his mouth clamped over her nipple. Teasing it with his tongue until it was taut, Jax sent shockwaves through Jolene as he grazed the tight bud with his teeth.

"Fuck!" Jolene moaned as her hands slid down his chest, first feeling the raised skin of his "Abel" tattoo and then the hard muscles rippling underneath with every move he made.

Gripping a fistful of hair at the back of her neck, Jax pulled her towards him, letting her tongue invade his mouth again. "I'm ready, baby." He almost whispered against her swollen lips as he grab her ass and forced her down against his throbbing cock. Jolene whimpered.

Leaning over him, her hair a wavy, dark curtain around them, Jolene reached down and wrapped her hand around the hot, silken flesh of his dick. She was dropping little kisses on his closed eyelids and whispering sweet-nothings as she slowly eased herself onto him, gasping slightly as he filled her. Jax could feel her tighten around him. Shit, his eyes were in danger of rolling to the back of his head from the sheer pleasure of it. Grunting and with his fingers clutching the delicate skin of her round ass, Jax guided her up and down.

"Damn it, Jo!" Jax growled against her throat, causing Jolene to shiver as goosebumps pimpled her skin. Bringing her mouth to his, Jax sucked on her bottom lip. "Your pussy's so tight . . . Shit!" That fact never ceasing to amaze him.

"You like that?" She breathed against his mouth as she pushed him deeper inside her, her blunt fingernails leaving crescent moons on his shoulders.

"I fuckin' love it, darlin'." Jax was breathing harder as Jolene moved up and down a little faster. "C'mon, baby. Look at me." He gently cradled her head as it lolled back.

"Oh god, Jax." Jolene moaned, a lazy half smile on her face as she forced herself to open her eyes. "You feel so good." Running her hands through his hair, she rested her forehead against his. "Harder . . . please." She begged.

"Yeah? Like this?" Gripping her hips, Jax bucked his, forcing Jolene to cry out.

"Oh god, yes!" Jolene balled her hands in his blonde locks and rode him as he pounded into her mercilessly. "Fuck!" She fell against him as he suddenly stopped, both breathless and trying to catch their breaths.

She had been close. Jax could feel her muscles starting to convulse. The sensation of her walls closing around him, he knew, would send him over the edge as well. Catching her swollen lips in another kiss, Jax started moving again as Jolene ground her hips down onto his. Kissing each other madly, Jax felt the heat building at the base of his spine as Jolene made soft, whimpering noises. With his old lady gently holding his scruffy face in her hands, they lost themselves in each other's eyes as first Jolene came, her cries soft and breathy as she rode the crest of her release, quickly followed by Jax. Slowing down his thrusts, Jax groaned as he felt himself spill into her hot, sticky liquid.

Jax grabbed her face and kissed her as he flipped her onto her back. He could still feel her pulsating around his still-hard dick as he positioned himself above her. Jolene wrapped her arms around him, relishing the rapid thudding of his heart against her chest, knowing that he was just waiting to catch a second wind before he pounced on her again.

Finally! My dick is home and happy again. And as soon as he gets a little rest, he'll be ready for Round Two, Jax smirked to himself.

And so will I.


Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tig emitted a low, guttural groan as the loud pounding on his front door brought him back from unconsciousness. Still in his clothes from Friday, Tig had uncomfortably slept through the weekend on his couch after spending his days drinking before passing out piss drunk every night.

Having decided that he would stay away from the Clubhouse and Opie's welcome home party on Sunday, Tig had planned to spend most of the day watching porn and jerking off, two of his all-time favorite activities. Unfortunately, getting stinking drunk seemed to be the only way he could stand being with himself and had spent the day in a self-pitying drunken stupor instead.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the pounding continued, Tig grabbed a leather and suede patchwork throw pillow that was lying on the floor. Using it to cover his head, he was hoping to smother himself or, at the very least, muffle the sound that was sending deep knives into his forehead.

"Argh! Fuuuck! I don't know who that is," He snarled, his voice gravely and raw. "But you need to go away before I beat the shit out of you and then shove it down your throat!"

The banging stopped. Content that he had scared whoever it had been away, Tig let his eyes drift closed again, the pillow still on his face.

Suddenly, Tig sat up ramrod straight as he heard the front door open.

What the fuck?! Who would have the balls big enough to just walk into my house uninvited?

Reaching for his Glock that was sitting on top of the coffee table, Tig quickly jumped to his feet, in spite of his massive, gut-churning hangover, ready to do battle.

"I'll take my chances with the beating, but I'd put the gun down if I were you. Shoot my ass, Tigger, and your Prez will have your head on the Reaper pole by lunchtime."

Tig suddenly relaxed his shoulders and lowered his weapon, sighing in exasperation as Jolene Teller walked into his living room. Putting the safety back on his gun, Tig growled. "Shit, Doll Face! Do you realize how close I came to doing just that?! What the fuck are you doing here and how in the hell did you get in?"

Jolene's booted heels clicked first over the gleaming hardwood floors and then were muted as she walked over the scattered area rugs. Dumping a couple of canvas shopping bags of groceries and a large thermos on the coffee table, Jolene tossed a lock picking kit at Tig. "You're not an outlaw biker's old lady for this long without learning a few tricks. And you know why I'm here." Jolene announced briskly, her hands on her hips. "Like most women, I don't like being stood up."

Tig shoved his gun into the back of his pants and groaned, putting his hands over his ears. "Do you have to be so fuckin' loud?" He complained.

"Yes, I do!" The Queen of Charming took great pleasure in raising her voice, eliciting another groan from her husband's hung over and fucked up SAA. Jolene wrinkled her nose. "Damn, Tigger! When was the last time you shook hands with a bar of soap? You need a shower, maybe two."

"I wasn't expecting company." Tig retorted belligerently. "Nobody comes here without an invite."

"Well, lucky for me then that I'm not 'nobody'." She snarked. "Now get your ass in the shower while I get this food ready."

As Tig gave her his most menacing glare known to send grown men screaming in fear for their lives, Jolene tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. "If you've got something to say to me, spit it out. If not, go jump in the shower because I don't have all day. I want to enjoy what's left of the school holiday, so get busy."

Like a petulant child, Tig turned away from Jolene and made his way to his bathroom. In deference to his "guest", he waited until he got there before stripping off his clothes. As the scalding hot water poured over his muscular body, Tig leaned his head against the shower wall.

Shit, I'm in for it now.


Sitting at his kitchen table in a clean pair of jeans and a wife-beater, Tig surprisingly discovered that he had something resembling an appetite. The hot shower had gone a long way in reviving him and Doll Face could always be counted on to make coffee the way he liked it—strong and black. That, along with the aspirin she had shoved down his throat, was starting to take effect.

Slamming a bottle of some fruity-looking juice on the table in front of him, Jolene commanded. "Drink."

Picking up the bottle, Tig grimaced. "What the hell is it? I don't do Kool-Aid."

"It's Vitamin Water. The next best thing to Piney's hangover remedy. Chock full of all the vitamins every growing boy needs—especially after tying one on. Now go on and drink it—its fruit punch flavored." Jolene ordered cheekily as she took down a frying pan hanging from its hook on the wall.

Eying his Prez's old lady warily, Tig broke the seal and drank the bottle down.

Not bad, he thought, already starting to feel somewhat normal.

Nodding her approval, Jolene smiled. "Good. I brought in your paper. Read that while I get this ready." Rolling his eyes, Tig sat back, glad that she wasn't pushing him to talk. Starting to relax, Tig read the paper as the kitchen soon filled with the aroma of delicious breakfast food.

Placing a large plate of scrambled eggs with cheese and tomatoes, a side of sausage, toast, and a large glass of orange juice on the table, Jolene refilled his coffee mug before sitting across from the SAA as he dug into the food.

This shit's pretty tasty. Jax really lucked out with his bitch, Tig thought as he shoveled the food into his mouth.

Jolene sighed as the man made quick work of the food. At least Tig knows how to keep his mouth closed while he eats. Too bad he can't learn Uncle Elvis that trick.

Tig scraped up the last bit of eggs and put his fork down. "Clean plate. I guess you liked it. You want some more?" She offered.

"Nah, I'm good, Doll. That really hit the spot. I didn't realize I was so hungry. I don't think I had anything to eat yesterday."

Aw, fuck! As soon as the words left his mouth, Tig knew he had just given her an opening. I'm screwed.

"Really? You poor thing. And here I was yesterday with a Clubhouse full of food. Didn't you know because if you did, maybe you should have come over. Oh, wait a minute. You did know. You just chose not to show up, didn't you? What part of 'attendance is mandatory' did you not understand?" Jolene crossed her arms under her impressive breasts, which managed to give Tig a slight lift. He'll take a reaming from a hot bitch any day. "So lay it on me, Tiggy. What's your lame excuse for being the only no-show?"

Tig used one of the pretty napkins his President's old lady had brought to wipe his mouth. "Look, I wasn't in a sociable mood is all, a'ight?"

"No, it's not 'a'ight'." Jolene replied sarcastically. "Sunday dinner is a mandatory family function. Your ass not showing up is unacceptable. Skipping a family dinner is bad enough, but you ditched Ope at his official welcome home party. How do you think that reflects on you, Jax, and your brothers at the table in the eyes of the rest of the charter?"

"Look," Tig sighed. "I appreciate you coming here and all—"

"But you think I should mind my own business?" Jolene finished.

"Yeah. I do."

"Too fuckin' bad, Tig! SAMCRO is my family, making it my business, so me butting out, not gonna happen." Jolene reached over and gave one of Tig's wild curls a good tug.

"Hey!" He yelped.

"Be glad I didn't hit you in the face instead. A little pain is good for the soul, but you shouldn't wallow in it, and that's what you've been doing for the last three months. It's time to put this shit to bed." Jolene demanded angrily.

"And how the fuck do I do that, Doll? How? I killed my brother's old lady!" Tig shoved himself away from the table and stalked towards the living room.

"Asshole, you weren't the one riding the bike that mowed her down! I know because I WAS THERE!" Jolene yelled right back as she ran after him. "And don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you." Jolene grabbed him by the shoulder to pull him around.

Tig grabbed a hold of his hair and pulled at it by the roots. It was do that or pick his Prez's old lady up by the waist and throw her out of his house and he knew Jax would kill him. "How can you even stand to look at me? Donna was your BFF."

"Because I love you, you shithead! And that's what families do. We mess up, we make mistakes, but we find a way to deal with the shit we've done." Jolene reached up to place her hands on both sides of Tig's face. "We keep going despite the hurt.

"I loved Donna. We were more like sisters for almost twenty years. She gave her life to save my children. Do you realize how guilty I feel about that? If I had been with my kids instead of Donna she would be alive and her children would have their mother. But I wasn't there. Donna was and she willingly made that sacrifice and I have to accept it. If Donna were alive now, there's a good chance that Maddy and TJ wouldn't be. It's taken me a while to accept that that wasn't the outcome Donna wanted. Just like you need to accept that you didn't deliberately put this shit in motion. Hector Salazar did and he and his bitch are going to pay for that." Jolene sighed as she brushed away the tears that were quietly rolling down Tig's face.

"You've been through a lot, Tigger. Sitting at the table with Opie is not going to be easy, but you need to have your head on tight. You're my old man's SAA. He needs you, I need you, to protect his back, to protect the Club. It's going to take Opie some time to get his shit together and while I can understand where his anger and pain is coming from, SAMCRO is your family too. I'm done letting you isolate yourself from us when you need your family the most. I won't allow it any more, you understand?"

Tig sighed and nodded. Bending over, he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Shit, Doll Face. Gem's trained you pretty good, huh?"

"Maybe," Jolene shrugged her shoulders. "But it was my dad who taught me a long time ago that any man wearing the Reaper was family and that family would always protect me. What happened to Donna wasn't your fault. If you could switch places with her, I know you would, but killing yourself with booze and reckless behavior is not going to bring her back. Killing yourself would just break my heart some more."

Tig laughed as he wiped at his runny nose with the back of his hand. "Ha! Using guilt against me, huh?"

"Whatever it takes to get the job done." Jolene smiled.

"Is it so totally wrong that I wanna bang you six ways from Sunday right about now?" He grinned as Jolene rolled her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, it is, but considering the source, I'll take it as a compliment." She grabbed her handbag from the coffee table. "But hey, if you got an itch you need scratched, I suggest you get your ass back down to the Clubhouse. There's a swarm of croweaters running around like headless chickens at a loss without your dick. I've done enough yelling at ya for one day. I'm going home to spend what's left of the long weekend with Jax and the kids." She took a good look around the living room. "I have to say, this is a pretty nice place you have here. I can't believe I've been in Charming all these years and I never even knew you had a house."

"Hey, Doll, how did you find out?" Tig called to her as she headed for the front door.

"Don't beat him up," Jolene cautioned. "But I nagged Tiki to the brink of death before he fessed up."

Tig groaned. "I'm gonna tar and feather that little shithead."

"Don't you dare, Tigger. The Prospect really cares about you. I guess it probably has a little something to do with the fact that you helped get his behind out of that dive in Lodi in one piece. You were looking out for Uncle Elvis' kid, a part of our family. Maybe you need to keep that in mind."


Opie tossed down yet another shot of Jack. Sitting in what used to be his father's favorite spot at the bar and looking at Piney's grim-faced mug shot on the wall allowed him to feel a little closer to his old man. In spite of the fact that years of hard living and rough riding had taken a toll on his health and his marriage, Piney had never stopped loving the Club. Opie had to admit that even though he too had lost much, being back home and in the Clubhouse among his brothers was giving him a measure of peace.

This is where I belong.

Telling himself that over and over had become his new mantra as Opie busied himself with taking in the collection of mementos of their SOA heritage over the bar and which he had already seen over a million times. If he could continue to think about these things, maybe he could keep his mind off the fact that Tig Trager was at the opposite end of the Clubhouse, shooting a round of pool with Clay.

It had been a week since Opie had returned home and true to his agreement, Tig had managed to stay out of his way, going so far as skipping his welcome home party. Opie had hoped that it would continue just a little bit longer, but Tig had finally returned to the lot earlier in the week, working in the garage and meeting with Jax regarding several Club matters.

Opie knew that as the two officers working closest with Jax, they would eventually have to work together, but the longer he could put off the inevitable, the better. Opie loved the brotherhood and as long as Tig wore the Reaper, he was his brother. He was genuinely looking forward to the day when he could look at the SAA without his fingers itching for his gun. Until that day came, it was best to keep his distance.

His first official after-Church party was jumping, with a few brothers visiting from the Tacoma charter. Bobby, who was still working as bookkeeper at Cara Cara, had made arrangements for a number of the girls to show up and provide extra entertainment.

Unfortunately, most of the croweaters had not read the memo and weren't too happy with the new crop of fresh faces and tight bodies. With the number of choice pussy for the brothers to choose from almost doubling, the entertainment thus far had been several cat fights between the Club women and porn stars. Opie had thought about taking Emily Duncan back to his old dorm, but decided against it after she had thrown a drink at a petite brunette before yanking her off the stripper pole. Instead, Opie found himself contemplating calling it a night and going home to his kids.

That is, until someone sat down at the bar next to him.

"Can I get a shot of Jack, please?"

Opie looked over and then down to see a petite woman next to him. Opie's eyebrows rose as he took her in. It was obvious that she was one of the Cara Cara girls.

She looks too cute and wholesome to be a porn star.

With long wavy blond curls trailing down her shoulders and back, the woman had a beautiful pair of blue eyes in a heart-shaped face. Wearing a simple white halter dress which stopped mid-thigh, she had on a lot more clothes than most of her co-workers present.

As their eyes made contact, the woman took in the huge bearded patch sitting next to her.

He's kind a cute in a grizzly bear kind of way, but he really needs to lose the beanie.

"Hi."

"Hi there. I don't think I've seen you around before. My name's Lyla."

"You got a last name to go with that?"

The woman grinned as she accepted her shot from the Prospect manning the bar. "It's Dean. You got a name?"

Opie gave her a crooked grin. "It's Opie."

"Got a last name to go with that?" Lyla snarked.

"Yeah. It's Winston."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Opie Winston." She eyed Opie's bemused expression. "Why are you looking like me like that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's just, uh, you don't exactly look like—" He trailed off.

"A porn star?"

"Yeah. I mean, not that you're ugly or something. I mean—" Opie tried to repair the damage as the girl laughed. "You're very pretty, but—"

"I look more like the girl-next door?"

"Yeah," Opie sighed. "That's it."

"It's a really big draw. A lot of guys have a thing for the barely-legal girl-next-door-type. It certainly pays the bills." Lyla explained.

"I guess I can see that." Opie motioned to the Prospect for a refill. "You want another?"

"Sure why not?"

"Is this your first time here?"

Lyla shook her head. "No, I've been invited to a few parties before. Been here maybe once or twice, but I don't really party much outside of my work. Some of the girls dragged me here tonight." She gave Opie a flirty little smile. "Now I'm kinda glad they did." Lyla did a quick look over her shoulder. "Hey, it looks like one of the couches just opened up. Why don't you grab a bottle and meet me over there so we can talk a while? Much more comfortable than here on this barstool."

Opie looked down and perused Lyla's body. She had apple-sized breasts, a small tapered waist and a tiny ass. She looked nothing like his beautiful old lady and certainly had nothing in common with Donna.

Good. "Sure, why not?"

Sitting at a table with another croweater, Emily watched as Opie and the Cara Cara It-Girl shared a bottle of Jack and a couple of laughs on the couch.

Shit, that looks just too damn cozy.

Emily had really enjoyed the one night she had spent with Opie last week and had been hoping for a follow-up tonight. A Club hangaround for the last six years, Emily had made the rounds with every patch at least once, including Jax Teller—before his old lady had come back to Charming. Every patch, except Opie Winston. The man had obviously been devoted to his old lady because, according to the girls from the other charters, he even stayed away from road pussy when on a run. Emily had never been lucky enough to snag herself a man like that and even though she was a good ten years older than the SAMCRO VP, with the passing of his old lady, he was just too good a prospect to lose to some skanky porn star.

Determined not to lose her place in line to some skinny little bitch, Emily was about to strut across the room when one of the patches from the Tacoma charter grabbed her by the hand. Pulling her into his drunken embrace, the bloated Son everyone called Lorca was slobbering on her neck, trying to get her on her knees right there in the Main Room. Knowing she didn't really have the option of saying no, especially to an officer of the Club, Emily quietly managed to coax Lorca to one of the empty dorms.

If she was to have any chance of snaring Opie away from little Miss Porn Star, she couldn't go around acting like one herself.

If I want a fair shot at Opie, I'm really gonna have to amp up my game.


A/N: So do you think it was a good idea for Jax to stop Jolene from taking Opie on? What do you think about Jolene's confrontation of Tig? What do you think about Opie and Lyla's first meeting?

As always, thanks so much for all of the reviews for Chapters 7 and 8 last week. I really look forward to reading your comments. It may be possible for me to post another chapter later this week. We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, I can't wait for tonight's SOA Episode 5.3. This season is KILLING ME! Of course, let's all do our part not to post spoilers without a fair warning out of respect to those who are still behind a season!

-Harlee