Night had fallen upon Charming and the guys had returned to TM to regroup, and then head home. Their run, to my knowledge, had not been one of success, nor had it gone south. Just a routine annoyance and a lot of miles. They were tired and hungry when they returned, and some decided to go to the bar. Chibs was ready to go home, and as I stood by his bike waiting on him to return from using the bathroom, Tig was hunting through the garage trying to find my helmet. I had been looking for it all afternoon, and Tig had said he remembered seeing it, and went to see if he could find it. Luckily, he did.
I was leaning against the Glide as Tig walked out of the garage, my helmet dangling from one hand and the orange glow of a cigarette illuminating from his mouth. He walked up to me, playfully shoved me with his hip, and handed me the helmet as he sat down in Chibs' seat.

"Hey!" I laughed.

Tig pretended as if nothing happened and flicked out his spent cigarette.

"Don't like our helmets?" he asked.

I looked up at the curly-haired man to see him grin.

"I prefer mine," I replied, wondering what he expected me to say.

Tig crossed his arms over his chest, smiling.

"They do look silly. Especially on me. I'm completely disproportionate, anyway," he said.

I smiled and looked down at the black piece of headgear, which had a giant scuff up the side from the crash.

"You think, if I agree to patch in, Chibs will still let me wear this one? I know all of you wear the same style of helmet," I said.

Tig shrugged.

"I don't think he'd care, baby girl. You could probably ask him anything and he'd say yes," he replied.

I nodded in agreement. Chibs reappeared seconds later, walking through the garage as Juice, Rane and Hap were helping close up. He said goodbye to them and headed our way.

"How's he been doing?" Tig asked quietly.

I shrugged.

"He seems better," I replied, "Been pretty relaxed."

Tig nodded.

"Good. Probably helps that he has some company," he said.

"Yeah," I agreed quietly.

When Chibs was in hearing range, Tig stood up before he could be yelled at, then leaned down and hugged me.

"You're a good girl, Cal," he said, then pulled away, "Call me if ya need me."

I smiled and nodded.

"I will," I replied.

"And Venus says she misses you and when ya get some free time, she wants to go do girly shit."

I laughed.

"Can do," I replied.

Tig winked at me, and with that, left a friendly pat on Chibs' back as they passed each other and the VP went on his way. When Chibs came close enough for me to clearly view him, I could tell he was minutes away from passing out on his feet. His eyes, already heavily hooded, were hardly visible, they had sunken in so far. He was exhausted.

"Ya ready to go, Callie girl?" he asked.

I straightened up and nodded.

"Yeah," I replied.

Chibs grabbed his helmet from the handlebars and seated himself on the Glide, placing his helmet over his head.

"You good to ride, man? You look pretty tired," I said.

As Chibs started to fasten his chin strap, he cut his eyes up at me, stared at me for an uncomfortable six seconds before letting out a short, but amused laugh.

"I ain't ridin' bitch, Callie. No way," he said.

I smiled and put my own helmet on before climbing on behind him.

"You men and your pride," I said jokingly, "Won't even take a favor."

"Hey, now," he replied, "I appreciate it, trust me. A man has got to control his bike, though."

I rolled my eyes and pulled my shield down. I could not foot the bike if I tried.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

I held his sides as he started the bike. He then slowly pulled out of the TM parking lot and we made the tired ride home.

Juice arrived at TM early the next morning, several hours before it opened, as asked. He had always done as asked, no matter what.
That thought hung heavy over his head as he rode to the site of the old clubhouse, blown up by the Irish. The place where he had Prospected, and later granted Full Patch. The place where everything started. Would he have taken it back for a second? Never. Not those moments of brotherhood. However, he would never wish his life on anybody. The betrayal. The beatings. Trying to make things work, yet missing the point—the reason Chibs never went through the same shit. Under Jax Teller, there had been no rational point. The rules were fucking stupid. Family meant nothing when one rule, which for all logical reason should never exist, was broken. When it meant building lies upon lies to save yourself, when you should never had had to. When doing the right thing to make up for a wrong, led you to run from the charter you called home. Family—brotherhood. It had never meant shit under the brotherhood. Rules had changed now under Chibs, but still…the things that had been asked of him…
Juice opened up the garage and found Callie's bike clean, polished, and ready to go. Quinn, being the only one anyone really trusted to ride it, gave it a test ride, running the bike through its paces before using Chibs' credit card to fill the tank, and bring it back to TM with a passed inspection. Chibs did his own check before deciding that the bike was indeed golden, and had made plans with Juice to put it on a flatbed and haul it to Red Woody. They were going to surprise Callie today.
Juice busied himself with a polishing cloth while waiting on Chibs. He did not have to wait long before the familiar sound of a motorcycle echoed from the road. Juice looked up from the handlebars to see one of his brothers pull in, but it was not Chibs. Ratboy. Juice turned his attention back to the bike until he was certain he had polished every fingerprint away. Ratboy parked his bike up and walked up to the garage, removing his gloves and watching the older Son curiously.

"Hey," he said.

Juice looked up from the bike and nodded.

"Hey, man," he replied.

Ratboy slowly moved to the workbench to grab a stool.

"What are you up to?" Juice asked as he circled the bike, checking the chrome for blemishes.

Ratboy smiled at Juice. He knew that bike was spotless, but telling this to Juice was futile. Not with his OCD.

"Came to open up, but looks like that's been taken care of already," he replied.

Juice looked up at Ratboy.

"Yeah, Chibs asked me to come and get the bike ready," he replied.

Ratboy nodded.

"Cal gettin' her bike back today?" he asked.

Juice nodded.

"Think she'll make a good Prospect?" Ratboy asked.

Juice looked to the younger man and watched him for moment, his mind flooding with the morning's worries that had been put to a halt as he occupied himself with opening the garage and the bike.

"Yeah. I just…" Juice trailed off.

Ratboy watched Juice, waiting for him to finish, but the moment was lost when another motorcycle pulled in. Chibs.
The two looked up and watched the club President park his bike before he walked into the garage.

"Mornin'," he said gruffly.

Juice and Ratboy nodded to him and replied with their "mornings." Chibs gestured to the bike.

"We good?" he asked.

Juice nodded.

"Ready to roll," he replied.

Chibs nodded, then looked up at Ratboy.

"Get the truck," he ordered.

Ratboy obeyed and eagerly disappeared into the office in pursuit of the keys. Chibs turned back to Juice.

"Let's get this bike loaded. Rat can take it to Red Woody. Follow Rat and you and Cal can go ridin' today. Rat's gonna come back here and get caught up some business. I have some shit I gotta do, but I'll meet up with ya at Red Woody later," he said.

Juice nodded. Chibs patted his back and started for Callie's bike when Juice stopped him.

"Hey, just a sec," he said.

Chibs stopped and looked down at him, confused. Juice fidgeted nervously under the President's gaze.

"Can you promise me something?" he asked.

Chibs turned, Juice now having his full attention.

"What's up, Juicey?" he asked.

Juice swallowed.

"Just…I'm all for Callie to patch in, but…promise me you won't ask of her what Jax asked of me. All of that bullshit. I know you always sided with the club rules—"

"Old rules. Rules that weren't fuckin' right. Even Jax knew that. Trust me, boy, I'm not gonna let what happened to ya happen to her, or anyone. Nor will it happen to ya again. Understood?"

Juice nodded. Chibs gently gripped the back of Juice's neck, pulling the younger man against his side.

"Listen, I know a lot has changed and it seems unfair, and I know I sort of cheated the system and made up a bunch of pussy rules, but these are different times now. Change has been long overdue," Chibs continued.

Juice nodded understandingly. Chibs butted his forehead against the tribal tattoo on the top of Juice's head.

"I know," Juice said quietly.

"We don't have to lie to each other anymore," Chibs said.

Juice smiled at that. How he dreamed of never keeping another secret.

"It's a fresh start. Remember that. Now, help me get this damn thing loaded," he said.

Juice smiled at that, and followed Chibs to retrieve the straps and push Callie's bike onto the flatbed.

"You guys ever see that Dumbo movie with that acid trip scene? All the marching elephants and shit?" Tig asked.

Rane shot the VP a look, and Happy laughed.

"What the fuck are you watchin' fuckin' kids movies for?" Rane asked.

"Hey! I had two daughters…and I was goin' through a phase where I was on a lot of mushrooms, but that's beside the point. Cal, you know what I'm talkin' about, right?" Tig asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"Unfortunately, I do. Hated that movie. Sad as hell," I replied.

Tig tapped my arm.

"But you know what I'm talking about! Okay, so I had this nightmare last night that I was watching that fucked up elephant scene, but instead of elephants, there were all these sex dolls. I just…fuck no!"

We all started laughing

"Fuck sex dolls," Tig spat.

Happy snickered.

"Literally," he commented.

Tig rolled his eyes and flicked a bottle cap at him.

It had been a long morning, and it was just barely nine o' clock now. Chibs had forced me to get up at the crack of dawn, saying he had important shit to do and that I needed to be at Red Woody as soon as possible. He wouldn't tell me what was going down, and I didn't ask. I just hopped on the back of his bike and he left me in the company of Rane and Happy until some of the other Sons showed up. During which time, some actresses had shown up to film today's movie, which the boys had been eager to sit behind the camera and watch. I just rolled my eyes. Men.
The door opened as Tig was delving deeper into his twisted little dream, revealing Juice. I sighed in relief. Good. Someone to talk to.
Lyla approached us, wearing clothing that would have been trashy and skimpy, had the actresses been more covered. She looked like a nun.

"We're about to start rolling if you guys want to come get a sneak peak," she said.

The guys eagerly stood up and followed Lyla to the set. I shook my head and looked back down at the bar. Juice approached me, looking after his brothers.

"What was the flick of the day?" he asked.

"'My Little Pony Ride,'" I replied.

Juice laughed and stepped up to me. He seemed to be in a cheerful mood, tapping his fingers against the countertop, his brown eyes bright and rested.

"Interesting," he commented.

I smiled and tilted my head to the side, watching the boy curiously.

"What?" I asked, "You don't wanna watch?"

Juice smiled and shook his head.

"Last production I watched I believe involved a bottle going up a guy's ass," he replied.

I laughed and cringed.

"Jesus," I groaned.

Juice laughed.

"Why don't you come outside? Found something kinda cool," he said.

I eagerly hopped off the barstool and followed him just as I heard Tig make a My Little Pony joke.

"Hey! If she's not careful, she'll get Rainbow Rash!" he said loudly.

I shook my head, held back a laugh, and followed Juice out the door.

"How about we hit the road?" he asked.

I almost asked him "With what?" when I saw it. My bike, sitting next to his Harley, shining like new, looking as good as it had in the showroom.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, "It's done?"

I walked up to it and gripped one of the handlebars.

"Yeah. Quinn checked it out. Test drove it. Says it runs like a beast. Chibs checked it out, too. You're all good, Cal," he replied.

My excitement to see my bike in one piece with the promise of hitting the road again hit me like a freight train. It was strange. When I left home, heading north, I honestly didn't think I would feel the rush you get—that pure adrenaline and impatience to hit the road for a high-speed joy ride. This was just…I can't even begin.

"This is awesome! Where's Chibs and Rane? I need to thank them. Rat, too," I replied.

Juice shrugged.

"They're working at TM. Chibs had business to take care of, but we'll see him later," he replied.

I nodded.

"Go get your helmet. The tank is full, so let's hit the road."

Excited, I ran back inside to grab my helmet from where I had left it with my bag, tucked away beside a couch, and bolted back outside. Juice was straddling his bike and buckling his helmet. I mounted my own bike, kicked up the kickstand, and put my helmet on. When I did, though, a strange feeling spread through me, starting in my chest and swirling down to my stomach, as if I had inhaled a large amount of freezing cold air. I put my hands on the handlebars in preparation to start the engine, but my elbows locked. Without warning, my mind raced back to that night. The darkness. The heart-stopping jolt of being catapulted from my bike. Just knowing as I crawled through the gravel, fumbling for my gun, that I was going to die. Before that, I had never been afraid to die.
My heart went from zero to 100 in a millisecond, breathing became difficult, and I realized that I had to get off of the bike. I put the kickstand back down and nearly shot off the bike—in the most clumsy way possible as I stumbled over my feet in my rush to get away from the machine.

"Cal?" Juice asked.

I felt my knees shaking, and had to take several deep and slow breaths to keep myself from either passing out, or psyching myself out and actually passing out. Juice unbuckled his helmet, hung it on the handlebars of his bike and dismounted.

"Cal, what's wrong?"

I stared at my bike. What was wrong with me? I'm not a pussy. I don't panic. I don't get scared. I get back in the saddle and go.

"Callie," Juice said sternly.

I broke contact from the bike to find him right in front of me, worry written clearly on his face.

"You okay?" he asked.

I swallowed dryly, my mind cloudy.

"No," I replied, shaking my head, then my mouth went into overdrive, "I can't do it, Juice. I thought I could do it but I can't do it. I don't know what's wrong."

Juice gripped my shoulders.

"Callie, easy. Easy. Slow down. Breathe," he said.

I looked up to meet his dark brown eyes.

"What is it? Is it your hip?" he asked.

"No," I replied.

"'Cause you've been ridin' with Chibs fine," he continued.

I shook my head.

"No. I just…" I trailed off to catch my breath, "I can't. I'm sorry, Juice."

Juice shook his head.

"It's okay, Cal. I understand. Look, come here," he said, pulling me into a hug, "We can go another time."

I sighed and let go of him.

"Things like this take time. Believe me. I've crashed a few times myself. I understand what you're goin' through."

I just nodded.

"God, we can't let Chibs know," I said.

Juice furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What do ya mean?" he asked.

"If he knows I freaked…what if he reconsiders letting me patch in?"

Juice laughed, and for a brief second, I wanted to slap the kid.

"He won't. Trust me. He'll understand. Look, you're white as a sheet. Let's put the bikes up, and we can try again when you feel ready, 'kay?"

I nodded.

"Yeah," I replied quietly, "Yeah, okay."

He smiled and patted my shoulder. I pushed my hair out of my eyes. I needed to calm down. Get right. Quit being a fucking pussy.

"Um, I'm gonna call Venus. Go and chill for a little while."

Juice nodded.

"Okay. We can try another day, okay?"

I just nodded and turned to go back inside. As I opened the door, I looked back over my shoulder.

"Hey."

Juice looked up as he prepared to move my bike. I gave him a small smile.

"Thank-you," I said.

Juice smiled.

"Welcome."

With that, I returned inside and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket to call Venus. She answered within three rings.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said, her southern drawl, even through the phone, was a a comfort.

"Hey, are you home?" I asked.

"Yes, baby, I am. What's goin' on?"

I sighed.

"Can you come pick me up?"

Chibs returned to Red Woody at noon, a saddlebag full of goodies he had picked up. Small gifts for his club. Current and pending members. He had ordered the items not long after the agreement to patch Callie in, and he was excited to surprise his crew.
As he walked into Red Woody expecting to find no one except Lyla's actors, he was surprised to find Juice in the office, slipping his cut on. When both men saw each other, Juice jumped and Chibs stared at him in surprise.

"Hey," Chibs spoke.

"Hey, you scared me," Juice said.

Chibs walked in, setting the bag of items he had picked up on the desk.

"I didn't expect to see ya. What are ya doin' here?" he asked.

"He was helping me with the books," a female voice spoke.

Chibs turned to see Lyla enter and hand Juice a large calculator. She smiled as he took it off her hands and thanked him. Chibs raised his eyebrows.

"Books, huh?" Chibs asked.

Juice watched the President nervously.

"Yeah. Just trying to help out, ya know? Lyla stopped me and asked if I would go over some stuff. I helped her out and cleaned up a little. Was just about to head to TM and make use of myself," he explained.

Chibs' eyes narrowed.

"What happened to goin' out for a ride with Callie?" he asked.

Juice shrugged.

"She wasn't ready, brother," he replied.

The wrinkles on Chibs' forehead deepened with his confusion.

"She's been ridin' with me and she was fine," he said.

Juice set the calculator down on the desk and let his free hand fall heavily against his jeans.

"As soon as she got on that bike, she panicked. That crash traumatized her, man. It's gonna take some time," the younger man explained.

This worried Chibs, and he wanted to speak with her as soon as possible.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"Tig's place. Venus picked her up. Guess she needed some…girl time."

Chibs smirked.

"Alright. You head to TM. Help Chucky out while you're on a roll. I'll head to Tig's and talk to her," he replied.

Juice nodded and said goodbye to the President before heading out. Chibs picked up the bag and groaned to himself. He was not surprised that this had happened. He should have expected it. The first time he crashed a motorcycle, he swore off of them for good. Of course, now you would never see him without one. He felt sorry for Callie, as he knew how frightening it could be. He wanted to offer his advice and provide some sort of comfort. He had to make sure that she was okay, and if not, then he would try to make it okay.