A/N: I do not own anything about Sons of Anarchy. It belongs completely to Kurt Sutter, and I am just so glad to be allowed to play in the wonderful world he created.

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Charlie showered and left the house to see whether the beauty salon on Main Street was still operating. Chibs and Juice were already gone when she left, and since she didn't have a tail, she figured that things were going well with the club. Or, at least, they weren't expecting an imminent threat in Charming. Charlie parked her truck in front of the salon and went in, glad that it was a Wednesday morning and the ladies weren't busy. She was quickly ushered into a chair where she told the stylist that she need a trim and an eyebrow waxing, and an hour and a half later, Charlie left the salon feeling much better. As she climbed into her truck, her cell phone rang, and Charlie answered it.

"Yep?"

"Where the fuck are you?" Tig growled through the phone, and Charlie clicked her tongue at him.

"Well I wasn't aware that I needed to check in and out of the house, daddy. I'm on Main Street; what's going on?"

"We're on lockdown. Go to the house and pack a bag; one of us will meet you there."

The line went dead, and Charlie sighed in frustration. She had barely been home two weeks, and the entire town was falling apart. She started the truck and headed home, where she found Kozik and Happy waiting for her. Charlie slid down out of her truck and smiled at them.

"Wow, I get two escorts to take me down the road five miles. The Mayans must have a fucking nuclear bomb." Charlie said as she walked to the front door, unlocked it, and went inside. Happy and Kozik followed her.

"Actually, Clay seems to think that I'm an incompetent liability now that you've spilled the beans." Kozik said, and his voice wasn't exactly warm.

Charlie shot him a warning glare and said, "Yeah, well, you're still breathing thanks to me, so I think we're even."

Charlie headed down the hallway and went into her room. She heard footsteps behind her and the doorjamb creaked. Charlie glanced over her shoulder to see Happy leaning against the doorjamb as she pulled a duffel bag out of the closet and started throwing clothes into the bag.

"How many days are we looking at? What about work?" Charlie asked as she shoved a couple of tank tops into the bag along with another pair of clean jeans.

"Few days. You'll have an escort to work and back. Bastards will keep someone at the bar the entire night." Happy said as he watched her.

"Do I get more information, or do I just get the babysitters without explanation?" Charlie asked as she pulled out a few pair of underwear, some socks, and another bra and shoved them in the bag. She didn't get a reply and she turned to see Happy still staring at her. "Well?"

"I'm just the messenger." He growled, but the corners of his mouth turned up in a smirk.

Charlie shook her head and pulled her cell phone charger from the wall and shoved it in the bag along with her laptop and makeup bag. She swung the duffel over her shoulder and headed toward the door, and Happy stepped to the side to let her past. Charlie stepped into the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush and some toothpaste, and then she headed down the hallway and grabbed her favorite book off the bookshelf in the living room. She motioned the guys towards the front door.

Kozik noticed the book in her hand and laughed. "You're still reading that thing? It hasn't fallen apart yet?"

Charlie looked down at the book, The Princess Bride, and smiled at the worn cover and pages. "It's my favorite. Westley and Buttercup and I have a good relationship." Charlie ushered them out of the house and locked the door behind her, then threw her bag in the truck. "I'll follow you guys." She said, and Happy and Kozik both got on their bikes and started them. Charlie backed out of the driveway and let them both out in front of her, but Kozik pulled to the side and let her pass so that he was following her. Charlie rolled down her window as she lit a cigarette and giggled to herself before muttering, "Oh look, it's a Charlie sandwich."

As Happy pulled up to the front gate and revved his engine, the gate was pulled back and the three of them pulled through. Charlie noticed that it wasn't just Sons at the gate – there were skinheads out front as well. Happy and Kozik parked their bikes in their usual places, and Charlie backed her truck in beside Gemma's Cadillac. She pulled her keys from the ignition, clipped them to the front pocket of her jeans, grabbed her duffel from the passenger seat, and slid out of the truck. She followed Kozik and Happy into the clubhouse, nodding a hello to one of the skinheads she recognized as Garrett, one of Tully's higher ups.

As Charlie walked into the clubhouse, she was assaulted with noise and chaos as she took in all of the families and close friends of the charter. She scanned the room for Kenny and Ellie, but she didn't see them. She immediately went up to Opie who was at the bar with Chibs and Jax, and said, "Where are my niece and nephew?"

Opie rolled his eyes and said, "They're in my dorm playing Monopoly with Luann."

Charlie nodded, then looked over at Chibs and smiled. "So, my chivalrous roommate, you're going to let me stay in your dorm, right?"

Chibs raised an eyebrow while Jax and Opie laughed. "An' what if I need ta sleep, lass? I'm the one protectin' everyone."

Charlie sighed and put her hand on Chibs' shoulder, then said very seriously, "It's a queen size bed Chibs – I swear I won't violate you in your sleep." Charlie leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, and then headed towards the hallway that led to the dorms. She paused and turned around halfway to look at him, then said, "Wait, should I boil the sheets in bleach first?"

Chibs, Jax, and Opie erupted into laughter, and Chibs gasped out, "Yeah, ye'll need to wash the sheets lass."

Charlie shuddered and turned to continue down the hallway. She opened the door to Chibs' dorm and dropped her duffel on the floor, then headed straight to the bed to strip the sheets. As she carried them down the hall to the laundry room, she passed Gemma, who gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"You doin' okay sweetie?" Gemma asked, eyeing the sheets in Charlie's arms.

Charlie smiled. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm taking over Chibs' dorm for the duration of the lockdown, and I do not sleep in cum covered sheets… Well, I'm not going to sleep in Chibs' cum covered sheets."

Gemma laughed and nodded. "I understand that. You just be careful tonight at work." Gemma started to walk past her, then paused. "And be careful with whoever you choose, Charlotte. You do what's best for you and for the club, sweetie. We're all these boys have; don't forget that."

"Tully and I aren't-"

"I don't need details. I just need you to think things through." Gemma interrupted Charlie, then touched her shoulder gently and continued down the hall.

Charlie continued down the hall and into the laundry room, and started the sheets in the washing machine. She set a timer on her phone and then headed to Opie's dorm to spend some time with her niece and nephew.


T.O. escorted the final patron out of the bar around two-thirty, and Charlie knocked back a shot of Jack Daniels as he locked the door and turned to her.

"You doin' okay?" He asked through a smile.

Charlie let out a sigh and shrugged, then poured herself another shot and downed it. "It's a good thing that I'm apparently incapable of driving during a lockdown." She replied as she cleaned the glass and started wiping down the bar.

T.O. started putting the chairs on top of the tables upside down, and said, "It's not that, and you know it. If you're on the back of a bike, we can control things better."

"You mean you can control me better."

T.O and Charlie locked eyes and Charlie scoffed, knowing she was right. She shook her head and finished cleaning up, then she emptied out the register and handed the money to T.O. Charlie followed him outside and waited as he locked up, and then climbed onto his motorcycle behind him. Charlie wrapped her arms around his waist and took a deep breath as they pulled out of the parking lot, smiling as he revved the engine and shot down the road. She enjoyed the ride back to Charming immensely, and was slightly sad when the gate to the clubhouse came into view. T.O. pulled in after the gate was opened, and he stopped beside the picnic tables. Charlie climbed off and squeezed his shoulder in thanks, and then he headed back out of the lot. Charlie nodded to some of the guys sitting outside – she recognized some as Sons from other charters and some as obvious skinheads. As she walked into the clubhouse, she saw Tig, Chibs, and Bobby sitting at the bar, and she headed towards them.

"Hey, Hurricane, how was work?" Tig asked as Charlie dug her cigarettes out of her pocket, lit one, and then climbed onto a stool beside the men.

Charlie shrugged and replied, "It was alright. I'm already done with the babysitting."

Bobby shook his head slightly and said, "Really? It hasn't been twenty-four hours."

Charlie stood up on the bars of the stool and reached around to grab a slice of pizza out of the box on the bar, then she took a bite. "I haven't threatened to shoot anyone yet." Charlie said with her mouth full.

"Well, yeah, we should be grateful fer tha'." Chibs said sarcastically, and Charlie grinned at him.

She took Chibs' beer from him and took a sip while they guys went back to their conversation about Bobby's latest upgrades to his motorcycle. Charlie finished her slice of pizza and Chibs' beer, then started on another of each.

Chibs winked at her and said, "So much for eatin' better an' exercisin', huh?"

Charlie glared at him and replied, "It's not like I can go for a run or eat the fresh vegetables and fruits that I bought and put in the house."

Chibs shrugged and went back to his conversation with Bobby and Tig. Charlie sat there with the guys for another few minutes, and then she stood up and stretched, yawning deeply.

"I'm going to bed." She said, finishing the second beer and setting it on the bar. She tapped Chibs' cheek gently. "If we're sharing a bed, I promise I won't violate you, okay? Otherwise, I hear the pool table is quite comfortable."

Chibs nodded and grinned. "If I wake up and ye have yer hand down my pants, I'm pressin' charges."

Charlie winked at him and said, "Yeah, well, I doubt that'd be the only thing you'd be pressing against me."

Tig choked on his beer and shot Charlie a wide-eyed look, and Charlie just smirked before heading down the hallway and into Chibs' dorm. She was so glad that she had put the sheets on the bed before she left for work, and Charlie went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take her makeup off. When she finished in the bathroom, she returned to the bedroom, put her Makarov on the bedside table, and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before turning off the light and falling into the bed.


"Jesus Christ, Chibs, do you know how to use fucking nail clippers?"

Charlie was groggy because she had been sleeping deeply when something sharp cut into the back of her legs. She opened her eyes slowly and rolled over to see Chibs in the bed beside her, still asleep. Charlie kicked him, probably harder than she should have, and his eyes popped open.

"Wha' the fuck?" He growled, shoving her roughly.

"You're scratching me with your fucking foot long toe nails."

Charlie's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she noticed that Chibs wasn't wearing a shirt and that the covers had moved off of him to show his boxers. "You're just wearing fucking boxers?"

Chibs beat his fist into his pillow and turned over to put his back to her. "Yer're not wearing a bra. We're even."

Charlie sighed and rolled over onto her stomach and fell back asleep.


The next time Charlie woke up, she was alone in the bed. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes, then slowly climbed out and headed towards the door. She shuffled down the hallway and stopped when she saw Tully, Chibs, Happy, and Juice all standing around the bar. They stopped talking when they saw her and she muttered, "Coffee." She turned into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, then leaned against the fridge and closed her eyes. She heard footsteps enter the kitchen and she felt a body near her, but she didn't open her eyes.

"You've got scratches on your legs, pet."

Charlie grunted.

"That's not usually the place for scratches."

Charlie didn't answer.

"Does the Scot have any scratches on him?"

Charlie opened one eye and looked at Tully, noticing the tightness in his jaw. "It's too fucking early for this, Tully." The coffee pot beeped and Charlie filled up a coffee cup, then stepped around Tully and headed back towards the hallway.

"Pet…" Tully said lowly in a warning, following her.

Charlie whirled around and said, "What, Tully? What? We aren't a couple. We haven't had sex with one another in years, and yet you think you own me. You know what, maybe I did fuck Chibs last night. Maybe I let him pound me into the mattress like the whore that everyone thinks I am. Maybe he hit all those spots that feel so good, and made me scream so loud that it set off fucking car alarms." Charlie was breathing hard by the time she finished her rant, and she noticed that none of the families were in the room. Thank god for small favors. Charlie flicked her eyes over to Happy, Chibs, and Juice, and all three of them practically had their mouths hanging open.

Tully had a look of surprise on his face, and before he could reply, Charlie continued. "I'm not your pet, Tully, not anymore. Your shit is between you and the club, but I'm not a member of the club, as people keep reminding me, so you and I are done. No contact, nothing. Fuck. Off."

Charlie turned on her heel, headed down the hallway, and walked into Chibs' dorm, slamming the door behind her. She took a few sips of her coffee then set it on the desk. She looked up at the alarm clock on the top of the dresser and saw that it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. Charlie took her coffee into the bathroom and started the shower before finding a clean towel and washcloth in the cabinet. She set the towel outside of the cubicle, then stripped and stepped into the shower with the washcloth, sighing as the hot water hit her head and body. Chibs didn't have Bulgari in his dorm shower, but at least he stocked generic shampoo and body wash so that she could function. She finished showering, turned the water off, and then wrapped herself in the towel before stepping back into the bedroom to see Happy sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette.

"That was quite a show." He said, turning his head to look at her.

Charlie shrugged and headed to get her duffel bag. "I'm done being pulled in a hundred different directions. It's what Opie and my dad wanted, and I'm okay with it. It shouldn't blow back on the club; Tully wants this connection."

She carried her duffel bag back into the bathroom, left the door cracked, and dried off before starting to dress.

"He was pissed when he left. Really pissed."

After she was dressed, Charlie started brushing her teeth and opened the door up all the way and looked at Happy. "He'll lick his wounds and be alright. Where's all the families?"

"We sent them home. Zobelle is dead, and we've got a tentative peace with the Mayans."

Charlie stepped to the sink and spit out a mouthful of toothpaste, then went back to the door to look at Happy. "What? How?"

Happy's eyes darkened and he stood up, lifting his shirt to show her a newly added smiley face on his stomach. "Zobelle is dead. We've placated the Mayans with the promise of a new gun deal, and we'll see how that goes."

Charlie bit the inside of her lip when she saw the well-toned muscles of his stomach, and was almost sad when he let go of his shirt and let it fall. Happy picked up a blow dryer from the bed and stepped towards her, handing it to her.

"Tara left this for you this morning. Thought you might want it. You can go home whenever you want." Happy turned and headed back towards the door, but he paused and said, "And you might want to buy a swimsuit. I've pretty much decided to buy the house with the pool." He continued out of the door and closed it behind him.