Avery knew she should say no, but Xavier Cross did save he life, so she owed him. She knew Chibs would be pissed but he'd get over it, or so she hoped. She got dressed in yoga pants, black t-shirt, a zip up black hoodie, she pulled on her boots. She got her knife and gun. She didn't like using a gun, but she'd use one if she got into a tight spot.

She pulled out her phone sending a text to Hap and Chibs.

Helping a friend, with a job, in San Francisco. No worries!

She headed out the door, climbed into the jeep, heading to San Francisco. She heard her phone going off, but didn't have time to pull over, to see who was texting or calling her. She figured it was Chibs and/or Hap, telling her to get her ass back to Charming. She owed Xavier a debt, and she was going to pay it back. She was seriously thinking that this was the last job she'd do, she was considering getting out of her line of work. She was tired of running, and being someone different all the time. She was ready to be Avery Joy Lowman all the time.

Her phone continued to blow up in her bag, she reached in trying to find it with her free hand. Damn it to hell! Fuck me running! Her phone slipped further down in her bag. She pulled over in a convince store parking lot to plug the address into her GPS, it was a new place for Xavier. She went to the address Xavier, had sent her, she knocked on the door, waiting for him to answer. Instead of Xavier, Lloyd Barnaby, opened the door smiling at her.

"Come in Lindsey, or is it Nicole, or Melody...that's right you're real name is Avery!

She walked in, she was going to face, this head on, finish it, so she wouldn't have to worry about it any more. "Hello Lloyd, still a pervert?" That earned her a hard slap across the face. She looked at him and laughed. "Nice to see you're finally doing your own dirty work."

She stood up, and threw her own punch, landing it in his gut. He doubled over, she kneed him in the nose, she pushed him down to the floor. He rolled to his feet, got back up, pushing her against the wall, holding her against the wall.

"You're going to work in one of my clubs, pay back the money you stole. That's a lot of lap dances!"

"The hell I am!"

She applied pressure at his wrists, and pushed his hands away, breaking his hold, she pushed him away. She walked towards the door, he grabbed her wrapping his arm around her neck and the other around her waist. He dragged her to the livingroom, where another man was waiting. He stuck her with a needle full of a drug that made her go to sleep. She faded into darkness, wishing she'd remembered to check her phone and gotten a hold of Chibs or Hap.

XXX

Chibs and Juice got off their bikes in a park, in San Francisco, they's lost her again. Rat pulled up in the van, Juice jumped in opening his laptop, he'd accessed the GPS tracker on her jeep. Chibs couldn't decide if he was more pissed or half out of his mind with worry about Avery. He was ready to throttle her within an inch of her life, for taking off like this, was she out of her mind.

Zack and Lloyd Barnaby were still out there, looking for her, and she ran off to help a friend by herself to San Francisco.

"I've got her, last location 45 Tuplo St."

They jumped on their bikes, heading to the address, he was going to make sure she was okay, then shake some sense into her.

XXX

Her head was spinning, she couldn't remember how or where she was. She could barley remember her name, she slowly sat up looking around the room she was in, it was gaudy and tacky. She put her head in her hands, where the fuck was she? She had the natural instincts, she needed to get the hell out of there. Pushing herself up off the bed, her head, started to spin, she had to steady herself.

The door slammed against the wall, an older gentleman was standing at the door smiling at her.

"Good, you're awake! I've been wanting to do this since I first saw you!" He picked her up, throwing her back on the bed, ripping her clothes off of her.

She started to fight him, she knew enough that she didn't want this man touching her. She was fighting all she could, she wasn't very strong, he was winning. She let out a blood curling scream, that could be heard through out the quiet house. The man raised up, slapping her senseless , she was reeling. She knew she still needed to fight. She was pushing him, with all her might, suddenly he was lifted off of her.

She looked up, to see three leather clad men in the room. She pulled the sheet around her, shaking, staring at them, feeling even more terrified then before. One of them with scares on his face, picked the man up that was trying to rape her, and threw him against the wall. He picked him up, holding him there and drove a knife into his heart.

She closed her eyes, her head pounding, it was all too much for her to take, she gave in slipping into the peacefulness of the darkness. She felt a cold compress on the back of her neck, hot breathe on her ear.

"Avery love, open those beautiful eyes for me.'

She fluttered her eyes open, looking into warm dark ones, she knew this man, she was trying to come up with a name. She wasn't finding one, her heart knew him, as well as her body. She continued to look at him, hoping something would shake loose. His hands, were gently caressing her face, he leaned down, kissing her.

She knew her name, she saw her cousin Happy standing at the door, pacing back and forth, looking nervous. "Hap, I'm fine." He approached the bed, smiling at his cousin.

"You had us all worried, AJ! Running off like that! What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry!" She closed her eyes. "But what are you talking about?" She felt the hands on her face go still,, she looked into his eyes, then to Happy.

"Don't you know me love?" She closed her eyes, then opened them, looking deep into his.

"I feel like I should know you." She touched the center of her chest. "I feel like I know you here, but here..." She points to her head. "I don't have a clue..I'm sorry."

She watched his eyes cloud over in mixed emotions, before he hugged her to him, she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.

XXX

She remembered what she did for a living, and how she ended up in Charming, she remembered finishing the job and diving away as the FBI, drove into the parking lot of the Barnaby's that's all she had of her memories. She was searching her memory banks trying to find information about the man, she was sitting behind on his bike.

They took her to the hospital in Oakland to be checked out, worried about the memory loss, wanting to make sure she was whole.

The doctor sat down with the two men. "What is your relationship with Ms. Smith?"

"I'm her cousin, this is her okd man! She went missing, when we found her, she didn't know him!"

"She's been heavily sedated, and tortured. It could be the reasons. It should eventually come back to her, don't push it. We'll need to contact the police."

They waited for the doctor to leave, they had to get out of there before the police came, they found her in a room, and got out of there. Chibs was trying to control his temper, someone had tortured her. He'd taken care of one if the Barnaby brothers, he was going to find the other and rid the world of him as well. He also wanted information on the friend she was going to help, find out what hand he had if any in this.

XXX

She followed them out into the parking lot, not saying much, she put the helmet on. She climbed on the bike behind Chibs, because she felt like it was the most natural thing to do. Wrapping her arms around his waist, holding on tight, and inhaling his scent, all seemed comforting, and like something she'd been doing for awhile. She wished she could remember him, she was leaned against him, enjoying the ride.

They pulled into the city limits of Charming, they drove through a neighborhood, stopping in front of a house. She knew it wasn't Happy's house, she looked at the back of Chibs. Wondering what she should do next, she pulled off her helmet.

"Where do you want to stay, love?"

"Before I left town, where was I living?"

"With me."

She closed her eyes. "Maybe I should, still stay here them. If you don''t mind."

He leaned in, kissing her. "That will be fine."

He helped her from the bike, leading her into the house, in the next few days, he'd learn to be a patient man.