Disclaimer: I do not own anything SOA related. My empty pockets tell that tale. Anyone you don't recognize is mine.

A/N: I'll admit I'm a little nervous about posting this chapter. There's some more action (and not just between Happy and Madeline). Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites. I hope that you enjoy this as well.

Chapter TEN

It was still hot. Kozik felt sweat slick his skin as he lit a cigarette and walked away from the clubhouse. It had been a long night. After he'd watched Hello Kitty leave he'd gone back inside determined to have the best night possible. It had been okay. He'd spent some time in a dark corner with a busty blonde who'd shown up the week before. Won about fifty from Chibs in a game of pool only to lose it and more to Tig.

That was what had set him off, turned his mood truly foul. Now he was going to walk it off before he went back and got into bed. If he stayed there would be something said, nothing that he would regret but nothing that would make his chances of getting voted back in to Charming any better.

Kozik was deep in this thoughts about the club, the transfer, the past and what would hopefully be his future. He only heard the footsteps when they were directly behind him. He went to turn and then there was pain. Blinding pain that split his head. He stumbled as he heard glass shower down on the ground. His eyes wouldn't focus and then there was just the black.

10 10 10 10 10 10

Madeline had changed into a pair of pants with bright pink and purple lips all over them and a purple tank top. "What?" She questioned as Happy's eyes settled on her. She'd never seen eyes quite that dark before or eyes that had so much to say that she didn't understand.

"Come here." His voice was gruff. This little redheaded devil in front of him had no idea how sexy she was. No clue how much he wanted her. Happy had never seen the point in denying himself what he wanted so why should it be any different with her?

She swallowed down her nerves and stepped forward. "Here?" She asked even though she was damn sure that she knew the answer. He never took his eyes off of her just shook his head no. A few more steps but her within arms reach of the chair. Happy shook his head again. "Here?" She asked when there was no farther she could go without having to straddle him.

She wanted to straddle him. The ice cold shower had did nothing to dampen the fire that raged beneath her skin just from seeing and being near him. When he reached out she went with it allowed him to pull her down onto his lap.

There was no mistaking the intent behind the kiss. Madeline gave herself over to him with the knowledge that they weren't going to stop until they'd both gotten what they wanted from one another. It was reckless, crazy even but fuck, it felt so right that she made no move to stop him as his large calloused hands slid beneath the hem of her tank top.

Madeline exhaled, let her head fall back as she felt his lips brush against her neck. There were a million things to say rolling through her mind but it was impossible to form the words for any of them. The extent of the feelings that rushed through her were almost as distracting as his mouth against her throat.

Happy growled as her hips moved against him. He could feel her heat through the thin pajama pants she wore, through his own jeans. He detoured his mouth to hers, sucked her tongue into his mouth and smirked as she whimpered. His fingers gripped the hem of her shirt to ease the material up.

If she was going to protest he hoped like hell that she'd do it now. He let two fingers trail up her back and she moved so that her breasts were very close to his face. They were firm, full and he could see the dark peaks straining against the material.

The sound of his phone stilled his hand. Son of a fucking bitch! "Not again." Madeline said as she struggled to breathe normally.

"Gonna kill someone." He released her to reach for the phone. "Don't move." He ordered, his dark eyes meeting hers. "We ain't finished." He turned his attention to the phone. Fucking Kozik. He was going to cheerfully break the blonde man's jaw.

Happy opened the text message and his grip around the phone tightened as he looked at the picture. It was a close up of Kozik's bloody face pressed against concrete that already had the dark red liquid pooling on it. "Happy?" Madeline questioned.

"Get up." He snapped at her. "Lock the door behind me and stay in the house."

"What's going on?"

"Just do it!" He shouted at her. Madeline nearly tumbled off of his lap in her haste to get up. Happy rose and strode to the door. He paused and looked back at her. "Stay in the house."

Madeline nodded solemnly and watched him go. She went to the door after it slammed and locked it. The window next to the door gave her a good view of him in front of his bike with the phone pressed to his ear.

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"Where the hell is Phil going?" Jax questioned as he stuck a cigarette in his mouth and walked down the yard to the sidewalk. Tig and Chibs were behind him. Juice was in the doorway of the clubhouse, shot gun at the ready.

Happy's call had dragged the other three men away from willing, flexible women and none were too pleased but no one had seen Kozik and the picture that Happy had forwarded to Jax was enough to raise concerns.

They found their brother, unconscious and bleeding, just down the block. "Shit!" Jax swore as he tossed his cigarette. "Call Tara, now."

"Got it." Tig replied as he kept his gun in one hand and took his phone out with the other. Chibs moved forward, dropped to his knees and began to work on the man. The familiar sound of a bike filled the air and Happy pulled up at the curb.

"He breathing?" Happy demanded as he got off of his bike.

"Yeah. Just had Tig call Tara." Jax looked over at the assassin. "Where the hell were you?"

"With her." Happy told him, his jaw set in a hard line. He moved forward to help as Chibs lifted Kozik to his feet.

His eyes were now open and he was coming around. "Head hurts." He said shortly.

"Gonna need some stitches." Chibs told him. "Don't worry, the good doctor is coming to do them. You'll be as pretty as ever."

"Where's his phone?" Happy questioned. "Anyone see it?"

A short search ensued but no phone turned up. Fresh rage built up inside of Happy. It was a pre-paid, couldn't be traced but that wasn't the point. The numbers of every other pre-paid would have been saved in there. Who knows what information was in the text messages if Kozik hadn't deleted them?

"Jesus Christ." Jax exhaled. "Everyone get rid of their phones now."

Happy supported Kozik's weight along with Chibs until they got inside the clubhouse. "Clear out." He ordered and the people who had no real business there took off for the door without question. "Get him on the pool table."

"I'd rather sit at the bar." The blonde man said in a shaky voice. "I think I need a fucking drink."

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Madeline remained at the window next to the door and watched the man who was out there to watch her. He'd shown up about five minutes after Happy had rode off down the street. The big biker with curly hair and a pair of glasses sat across the street. His eyes never left the house and she felt safer because of it.

Something had happened. She'd known that when he'd looked at his phone. It had been written all over his face. Whatever it was, it was bad. The presence of someone watching her spelled that our clearly. At least she could be sure that whoever had been tormenting her with the knocking earlier wouldn't come back.

For lack of anything else to do Madeline retreated to her bedroom. Her mind went to Happy. She'd hoped that he'd be joining her in her bedroom tonight after they finished whatever they had started on the chair. It had been nearly a year since she'd made love with Justin. If anyone would have asked her a week ago she'd have said that she wasn't ready to consider a physical step with anyone.

And then she'd met Happy.

Now her mind seemed to be permanently stuck on sex. After the thought that she'd given to it, she knew that he wasn't going to be anything like Justin. No. He was going to be rough, demanding and she was sure that she'd love every single moment of it. But not tonight. Tonight she would curl up beneath the covers in her lonely bed and wonder if the man she wanted was safe or not.

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"Gonna be about ten stitches." Tara told Kozik. "Should let me numb it."

"Can't hardly feel it." He told her. "Keep feeling like I'm going to be sick."

"You might be. You've got one hell of a concussion. I'd like to take you to the hospital and run scans." She looked at Jax who shook his head. "But apparently that isn't going to happen so you're going to need to be baby sat."

Jax chuckled. "I'll put out the word, there will be a line of bitches willing to take him on."

"Fuck that." Kozik told him. "Sick of these girls."

"Maybe a scan isn't a bad idea." Chibs chuckled. "Day that you're sick of all the pussy running around here is the day that we lower you into the ground."

"Or he could just be realizing that there's better women out there than the ones who hang around here opening their legs for anyone who smiles at them and wears a patch." Tara pointed out.

Kozik managed a weak chuckle. "Speaking of better women, what the hell you still doing here Hap? Should go get back to that sweet little redhead."

"Redhead?" Tara questioned. "Not the one with the Hello Kitty tattoo?" She grinned as she looked over at Happy. "Man Kozik, I am glad that I am not you right now." The look on the other man's face was one of pure anger. If Kozik wasn't already bleeding she had no doubt that he would be.

"Leave her out of it."

"You brought her into it." Jax lit a cigarette. "Finally figured out why Phil hightailed it out of here. He's sitting in front of her house."

"What?" Kozik moved and winced. "Fuck Tara."

"Stay still." She told him. "I'll be done in just a few minutes."

"You've got Phil sitting on her house?" Kozik grinned despite the needle going in and out of his skin. "Fuck. Never thought that I'd see the day you went soft Brother."

"Soft?" Happy growled the word. Was that how his brothers would see it if he let things continue with Madeline? He'd be soft? A fucking joke? That wasn't an option. Not for him. His brothers couldn't see him that way no matter the cost. Not for some bitch. Not even for the redheaded devil he couldn't stop thinking about.

"Koz." Jax's voice was a low warning.

"I'll stay with his dumb ass." Happy cleared his throat. "Ain't got no place I'd rather be." He added. Tara shot him a look but the President's old lady was smart enough not to say anything to go along with the expression.

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Morning dawned and Madeline got out of bed. She went into the bathroom, took care of her business and emerged with a desperate need for a cup of coffee. As she set the machine to brew she took down two cups and walked over to the front door.

She'd fully expected to see the same man sitting on the other side of the street but he wasn't. In fact, she didn't see anyone watching her house. Perhaps the danger from whatever happened had passed? Still she felt unsafe now and retreated back into the house immediately.

Did she stay in the house until he came back? He'd told her not to leave but if he'd called off the guard on her than that should mean that she was safe, right?

Madeline returned the second coffee cup to the cabinet and opened the fridge door. Normally she'd have oatmeal or cold cereal to start the day, it was simple and filling but not today. Today she was going to cook herself a huge calorie filled breakfast, eat every bite and then go right back to bed.

It was pathetic, self pitying and pathetic, but that was all she could think of. She began to cook and when the scent of frying bacon met with the enticing aroma of coffee she realized that she was smiling. Sometimes it was the simple things in life that made her happy.

She'd just finished making a pan of scrambled eggs when there was a knock on the front door. "Great." Her heart stuttered in her chest. For a moment she considered not even going to answer it but that wasn't the answer.

Still in her pajama pants with lip prints and tank top she opened the door. "Can I help you?" She eyed the woman standing on her front porch with curiosity.

"Hi. I'm Ella. I live a couple of houses down and I was wondering if you had like four eggs I could borrow. My husband took the car and I need to make a cake for this dinner thing tonight." The woman had dark red hair pulled up in a bouncy ponytail, several visible tattoos and a nice smile.

"Sure. One second." She shut the door with a smile, went to the kitchen and took out the already open carton of eggs. "You can have these."

"You are a life saver! Sorry I haven't gotten over here to meet you sooner. Things have been a little crazy."

"I know that feeling." Madeline relaxed slightly, smiled at the woman. "I hope your cake turns out well. I should get back in, got breakfast getting cold."

"Don't wanna serve your man a cold breakfast. Trust me. I know all about that."

"I don't..." She almost said she was alone in the house, that there was no man with her. "I don't know anyone who likes a cold breakfast." Madeline smiled.

"Thanks again for the eggs. I really appreciate them." Ella spoke with a smile. "I'll see you around."