A/N: Ok, so I was supposed to be taking the rest of the week off, so I could focus on getting my house back in order after Christmas, spending some time with the husband, etc... And yet, this just seemed so much better lol. : ) Anyways, in case there's any confusion (because it's happened before), there was a new chapter right before this one (last night), but I deleted my little author's note chapter, so... Yeah... : ) Idk when to expect the next chapter, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe Saturday...

"You're early," Chibs said off-hand as Sabina came back to the table he was sitting at.

"Aye, well, Tig ain't 'alf bad at listenin' if ya swat 'im a few times," She joked, but Chibs could tell her heart wasn't into it.

"What the hell is goin' on, Críona?" He asked quietly, pulling her down into his lap.

She took a deep breathe. "Hayes is lookin' for me. Which means Jimmy's lookin' for me," She admitted slowly

The sentence was barely out of her mouth, when Chibs stood up, practically throwing her out of his lap.

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?" He demanded angrily. "Fuck! Shit!"

"It… Clay says they 'ave ta vote if I can stay or not. The boyos will be 'ere with in 'our or two," She said quietly.

If he'd been mad before, now he positively murderous. "I'll fuckin' kill the bastard," He hissed, heading towards the office.

"Chibs –!" She grabbed at him, attempting to hold him back

"Who the fuck does he think he fuckin' is? Old Ladies ain't none o' club fuckin' business," He spat, brushing her hands off of him.

"This time, it fuckin' is," She retorted, grabbing him again. "An' I'll not 'ave ya throwin' the fuckin' club away over it."

Chibs actually stopped, and stared at her. "Are ya fuckin' stupid, Sabina?" He yelled. "What part of 'I fuckin' love you' do ya not quite get? If you fuckin' go, I fuckin' go!"

"That's not 'ow this works, Filip!" She yelled back. "Do nae be stupid 'bout this! The club is ya fuckin' life!"

"You're my fuckin' life, ya crazy bitch! What do I have to do get that into your thick Irish skull?"

"I can't be, ya stupid Scottish fuck!" She yelled, shoving him hard.

"Oh, gee, I think it's a wee fuckin' late for that, Sabina!" He snapped back.

"I'm tryin' ta keep ya alive, 'Chibs'. Or do ya want some more scars to go with the one 'e already fuckin' gave ya?"

Anyone else, Chibs would have beat the fuck out of. But her eyes were filled with tears, and she simply stared for a moment, before dropping to the ground, her knees seemingly giving out.

With tears in his own eyes, Chibs scooped her up in his arms, laying his head on hers, and she replied by burying her face into his cut.

"Sabina… You're stuck with me, Críona," He whispered. "Where you go, I go."

When she only sobbed harder, he sighed, and made his way into the club house, and down the hallway to the bedrooms.

As he sat down on the bed with her, he couldn't help the fresh tears that welled up in his eyes, as she continued sobbing in his arms.

She was so young. Trying to bear the weight of the safety of the club –and wasn't that a fuckin' laugh –desperate to keep him safe and in the dark, but unwilling to let him go. He could only imagine what the juggling act was costing her.

She hid it so well, sometimes he forgot that she was barely twenty. Hell, she wasn't even old enough to drink legally in the States, he thought sadly. She shouldn't have even had that much shit to juggle, much less have to worry about someone trying to kill her.

Suddenly, his ears began to pick up on what she was mumbling into his vest, and his attention was pulled back to her, trying to make out the entirety of her words.

"… shouldda jus' fuckin' left, I should nae 'ave fuckin' stayed," She babbled. "Ya all are gonna die, an' it's gonna be my fuckin' fault."

" 'Ey, now," He said firmly, making her sit up. "None o' this is your fault, ya understand? We're all big boys here. An' it ain't like you're the only dangerous thing we got goin' on. 'Sides, luv… You need to have a little faith in us. We ain't exactly easy ta kill, in case ya haven't noticed yet," He said with a cheeky smile, trying to get even a half-smile out of her in return.

But she only stared at the wall, eyes unfocused, as she whispered, "Aye… That's what I used ta say too."

There was silence around the table as Clay stared at each man slowly, before lighting a cigar. Finally, after what seemed an eternity even to him, he spoke.

"Anyone not know why we're here?" He asked, pointedly ignoring Chibs' glare at him. "No? Okay, anybody wanna say anything?"

The shifting of feet underneath the table was the only answer for a few minutes. Clay was getting ready to start the vote, when Piney stood.

"No matter what the outcome of the vote… I just want to say... I don't like this idea of voting about someone's Old Lady," The older man said firmly, staring at Clay. "I think if we do this… it's gonna open a whole shit can of worms we'd rather not have."

"This affects the club, Piney," Clay said moderately, knowing most of the Sons felt the same way as Piney did, and weren't very happy with him about the vote. "I think that if it involves the possibility of us all gettin' killed, it should be put to a vote at the very least. Especially since she refuses to tell us what we're even up against."

He sighed. "I know this is a tough call. And I know none of us want to make it. Sabina stays. Yea or nay.

"Nay," He said slowly.

There was no hesitation on Tig's part. "Yea," He said fiercely, dark eyes flashing.

Chibs –who wasn't allowed to vote –cast his best friend a tight smile. "Thank ya, brother," He said simply.

"Opie?"

The tall man –hell, he was barely out of puberty yet, and twice as big as most men at the table, Clay thought with grim humor –was silent for a moment, before speaking in that careful, measured way he had.

"Sabina's always been there for the club. Anything we've ever asked, she's done. Not just with Chibs. She's… well, she reminds me of a miniature Gemma sometimes." He paused as the other men chuckled. "She's always there for anything or anybody who needs her. I think it'd be pretty shitty to throw her out after all she's done the past three years."

Piney smiled, and patted his son on the back. "Well said, son. Obviously I'm a 'Yea'."

Happy shrugged. "Like we don't risk our lives every day for stupider shit," He said scornfully. "Yea."

Bobby hesitated. "It doesn't really matter, since there's not enough for a majority anyways. I just wanna say… I do think this is dangerous, and I don't like the idea of her bringing the Irish down on our heads. Sorry, Chibs, but I don't. But I don't like the idea of voting on who we can be with either. I'm not gonna vote on this," He finally said, pushing back from the table.

Jax glared at his step-father. "Yea," He said angrily. "I can't believe we had to vote on this."

Chibs let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and looked around the room with tears in his eyes. "Thank ya, laddies," He said thickly. "I… Thank you."

Tig slapped him on the back, a huge grin plastered on his face. "What're you waitin' for?" He demanded with a laugh. "Go let your Old Lady know."

Chibs raced home, pushing the bike to its limits as he rounded some of the curvy country corners, only slowing down to screech to a halt in front of the house.

"Sabina?" He called happily, bursting into the house. "Críona?"

He paused when he seen the note on the table. Picking it up, he read through it once. And then again, before flinging it across the room.

"Fuck! Bastard-eating mother-fucking shit!" He screamed, rampaging through the house before heading out to his bike.

Filip,

No matter which way the vote turns out, it's not safe for anyone for me to be here anymore. And I can't be selfish about it. I know you won't like it; hell, I don't like leaving myself, but this is how it has to be. For everyone's safety.

I'm sorry it had to end like this. Know that I was never happier than I was with you. You were my reason for living. Don't worry, I've made sure the club is protected. I knew this would happen eventually, and I took some insurance measures for you and the other boyos.

Know that I'll love you till I die,

Sabina