BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Stella looked up from the sofa where Kozik had dumped her the night before, since she passed out in the car on the way home. She gave Kozik a death stare since he was the one making all the noise.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing" he said smiling before banging the saucepan with the wooden spoon again

"Oh my god, stop!"

Kozik laughed and walked away. She sat up slowly and noticed that fog had crept through out the whole clubhouse, it wasn't foggy, it was just the damage she had done to her brain. Her head was pulsating and it felt like there was a rock in her stomach. All signs of a good night. Stella saw Opie and Jax walk into the clubhouse all bright and happy. Well, that's wrong! She thought to herself

"What gives?" she yelled out "You guys drunk more then I did last night, how come you're fine?"

"We have to be, babe" Jax called back "Got some business to take care of"

She knew it was about the drive by, they couldn't leave that unanswered and they had been busy trying to find Gracie. Stella should have guess that's what was going to happen.

"Hey" Jax said sitting down next to her "Don't look so worried. We're going to be fine"

"I know but you know me. When it comes to you guys, worrying is in my second nature"

"I know" Jax said smoothing down her hair gently, which was just about the same time Kozik walked past. He watched them for a second or two. Was it just him or were the Prince and Princess of SAMCRO getting extremely close. Everyone would think that was prefect. The prince and princess together. Kozik bet Tig would have a problem with Stella and Jax together, at least not the way he had a major problem when Stella and Koz first got together. When Clay stepped down Jax was going to need someone as strong as Stella by he's side. Suddenly Kozik's cheerful morning turned icy cold as they all moved into Church.

Gemma showed up at the clubhouse an hour later and the guys were still locked away ironing out the details. She noticed that the clubhouse had never been cleaner and there were delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Which was the first time in, well ever.

"Oh,my god. Martha Stewart much?"

There was Blueberry pancake and waffles by the tower load. These guys better be hungry.

"I went a little overboard"

"They won't mind. Those guys would eat a leather boot if it was served up right. Worried?"

Gemma knew Stella too well. Gemma could read her like a book. Stella sat on the edge of the sink and looked over at Gemma and tried to smile through her worry.

"How do you do it Gem? I don't remember it being so full on, when I was a kid"

"These past few weeks have been intense and when you were little we tried really hard to keep you from all this because that's the way Tig wanted it"

Stella nodded her head but wasn't surprised at all. Alex was the strong silent type, Stella always like get a bit of insight.

"What going on in here?" The man in question asked walking through the door. Stella smiled, hopped off the sink and gave him a huge hug. "Hey? What's this for?"

"Being you"

"I should be me more often"

"Wow" Chibs said walking through the door, following his nose. "Breakfast!"

The rest of the guys followed Chibs' bellow. Their reactions were the same .

"You guys should feel privileged. I just don't cook for any man" she called over the noise. Tig finally let go of her and grabbed some breakfast before it was all gone. Suddenly Stella felt another figure looming over her she turned around to see Jax who had a sneaky grin from ear to ear. She knew he was up to no good.

"What are you…."

Stella couldn't finish her sentence before a bunch of batter ran down the inside of her dress. The whole clubhouse heard Stella squeal but then again they all knew Jax was up to no good, so no one was worried. Jax emptied the bowl down Stella chest and down her dress not knowing that Stella did a whole other bowl full to the top of batter. Stella reached behind herself for it and poured it on his head.

"Don't start something if you don't want me to finish it"

When Kozik walked into the kitchen unknown to Jax and Stella, he got a great show that looked a lot like the show that Tara walked in on in Gemma kitchen when Stella first had came to town. Jax had pinned Stella against himself and was shaking his head so all the batter shook off on to her back. She fought against him even though it was helpless since by struggling it was only getting messier and he was stronger then her so Stella was going nowhere. Kozik decided he had seen enough. First this morning, now this. It was very clear that the Prince liked what he saw.

"What the hell?" Gemma yelled from the doorway seeing batter all over the place "Jax, clean this up. Stella in the shower now!"

"Why do I have to clean it?"

"You started it"

"Stella could have started the whole thing"

"Please" Gemma said not believing a word of it. This was pure Jax. This was something that he would have done were they were kids. Stella loved seeing the faces of the guys when they saw her. They were all laughing along with her but she noticed that Kozik was missing, not just from the laughter but also from breakfast.

Gemma had been kind enough to help Stella wash her hair over basin, just like when she was younger. Stella found out the hard way that batter was hard to get out of hair, god help Jax since his head was covered in it. After her hair was clean Gemma left Stella to get the rest of the stuff off her.

Left walked out twenty minutes later in baggy jeans and a SAMCRO t-shirt that was once again, too big for her. She almost smashed into Kozik on his way out.

"Hey" she said

He mumbled something before stepping around her and walking off

"Hey!" she yelled

"You do know that Jax has a thing for you, right?" he said without thinking, it was just really bugging him.

"What?" she asking laughing

"I'm serious"

"You're crazy. I'm like his lil sister"

"You might have been at one point but not now. You should see the two of you together. No wonder Tara wanted your head on her wall. He wants you"

Stella was shock by the accusation but also Kozik reaction to it, she was stunned.

"Why would it matter to you?"

"You tell me Stel!"

"It would matter since he is with Tara and I for one wouldn't cheat and you know that"

Kozik threw his arms up in the air

"Jesus Christ! What do you want from me! I'm done saying sorry. I don't even think it affects you anymore, I don't think you care that it happened it's just something you use to keep your distance. Just like this Parker guy"

"Excuse me?"

"You're not in love with him and that's exactly the reason you are with him because he is safe. You can't get hurt if you don't have feelings for him"

"Really Dr Phil?" Stella asked, and now she was pissed "You know nothing about my relationship so butt the hell out of it"

"Stella you know its true and that's why you kissed me last night"

"I was drunk"

"Not that drunk you didn't know what you were doing. Love to stay and chat I have to go see someone"

"Check if she's got a STD, before you do anything" Stella called out after him.

The boys left late in the afternoon and it was a long night of worrying for Stella. She knew she shouldn't worried but Stella had a bad feeling about this one and she just couldn't shake it. They walked back through the door at one the next morning and Stella's bad feeling was right. The Mayan's had been tipped off and were waiting for the Sons. It had been a trap. She watched them all sit down and the alcohol was the first thing they reached for and fast. Stella's guys were there but a few were missing. Some of the Tacoma guys.

"Where's Snake?" She didn't need to ask, she already knew. "Cooper and Skinny?"

"With Snake"

Stella knew it could have been worse but it still sucked. She hated losing any of them. Each guy was dealing with it in there own way. Some didn't like to talk about it and some needed too. Opie told her the whole story it had been the guy that Kozik had gone to see that gave them the information, had set them up. Dispute their fight before he left Stella felt sick to the stomach because she knew that Kozik would be beating himself up about it.

"He's hurt, Stella" Opie told her

"Mentally or physically?"

"Both"

This is going to be a long night she thought to herself before taking a deep breath

He heard three lights taps on the door and knew who it was immediately. She opened the door and stuck her head in the door.

"Hey" she said quietly "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Stella"

He used her full name, he always called her Stel. Always had. She moved into the room and stood in front of him. Koz was cut and bruised up pretty bad.

"Jesus, no your not" she said taking the first aid kit off her shoulder and dropped it on the bed next to him. She grabbed a cottoned ball and the cleaning alcohol.

"Stella" he protested before she stopped him.

"If I don't do this it's going to get infected and then your face is going to fall off"

That got a smirk out of him and so did the fact that she straddled his lap. It was lucky that the cut wasn't too bad just bloodily. He made a face in pain before covering it quickly but Stella saw. She blew on the cut and placed a bandage on it before she saw a tear fall down his cheek. It was one of the only times she had seen him cry. Of course he was upset, he had just lost his brothers.

"It's going to be okay"

"It's my fault and it just got all fucked up"

"It wasn't your fault" she told him wiping the remains of the tear off his cheek with the back of her fingers "This is apart of the life. It's apart of the world we live in. It's a risk, Koz. You listening to me? It has nothing to do with you"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer and she didn't resist. This was the real reason she had walked through those doors. Stella wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They stayed that way for a while, Stella didn't know for how long but she did know that it was healing the both of them. She felt his breath on her neck and it was having an unexpected effect on her.

"Why are you here?" he asked muffled by their embrace. She froze terrified that they were about to have an actual honest to god talk about everything and that scared her more then anything. Stella didn't want to get too truthful with him or herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Here? In Charming?" he asked pulling down and looking up at her "You could be anywhere in the world. You could do anything you wanted with that big brain of yours. Cure cancer, end world hunger but instead you're here. Why?"

"My family is here. My hearts here and you don't choose the people you fall in love with"

This truthfulness was what she was worried about. She slowly unwrapped herself from around him and stood on the floor, picking up after herself and zipping up the first aid kit. She was only too aware of Kozik watching her every move. She put on a brave face and turned back to him.

"You need pain killers, or anything?"

"Pain killers isn't what I need right now" he said taking her hand and pulling her towards to him. In the past he had told her he loved her and that he wanted her but this was the first time ever that Kozik had admitted to needing her

"Koz" she protested

"Stel, stop thinking"

Was it that simple? Could she simply stop thinking and just act? He looked so venerable and it was an entirely new experience for her. She sat back down where she had been and caressed his damaged face.

"Stel"

"Shut up" she pushing them both back on the bed. She kissed him exactly the same way he had kissed her the night before but this time Kozik was the one to turned up the heat. He instantly rolled her on to her back because he remembered that she liked someone else to take control. He remembered the effect that running his hand up her left thigh, had on her and he remembered what she sounded like when he was doing his job right.