"I need to go."

The second they came out of the other room, Shriek was on her feet and making her way towards Tig. He met her half-way across the floor, intercepting her with a hand on her lower back as he guided her to the bar.

"Do you want a drink?" He seemed relaxed, maybe it was the joint they had been smoking but his hands felt warm on her, dwelling for longer than they should have been. "You must be off the clock now, right?" She pressed her lips together.

"That depends. Are we still having an appointment?"

Tig chuckled a little, he loved her adamant little way. He hopped one foot against the front of the bar, fishing two beer bottles out of the ice in the sink and handing her one. "Well you're going to have to stay here a little longer," he shrugged, not entirely apologetic but sure that he was going to get blasted for it. "Clubhouse is going to be in lockdown for a few hours at least, you might as well get comfortable."

"Comfortable?" She shook her head, not taking a drink but putting the bottle down on the bar. "No, I don't think so. I have things to do."

Tig smiled. "Like what? Go back to your big empty house?" He pursed his lips a little, swaying his hips towards her. "Lay in bed? Touch yourself?" He broke into a filthy grin and leaned into her. "You think of me when you touch yourself, Doc?"

She gritted her teeth and stared at him, trying not to rise to his baiting. "I'm going home," she said. She took one brief sip from the bottle and raised it for a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality." She started towards the door and Tig saw the look from Clay, he knew that there was no way she could slip off the lot while they were under siege. She shouldn't have been there in the first place, if a cop saw her there, Tig would be hauled back to Charming PD.

"Hey." He dashed to catch up with her and put his arm around her. Even though she tried to shrug him off, he held on anyway. "Don't be like that. Let me show you around."

"I'm not interested." Her tone was curt. "I was shot at here, Tig, I'm not staying."

"You're safe here," he insisted, his eyebrows furrowing. They stepped out of the front and Tig paused by the picnic tables but she was adamantly striding forward. "Come on. It's not like you've got a ride anyway."

She turned around with a frown. "I can catch a cab." He laughed.

"You know those gunshots, Doc? No cab'll be coming around here any time soon." He took her hand and pulled her towards Teller Morrow. "Let me show you where I work. Maybe you'll, I don't know, piece me together or some shit."

Seeing he wasn't about to give up, she gave in and followed him begrudgingly towards the garage. Clay was still in the club, thankfully, and the workshop was empty. Tig walked her in, motioning around, talking about nothing in particular when she planted her feet on the spot and crossed her arms.

"You're just going to ignore the fact that we were shot at?"

Tig put his hands in his pockets for a moment, avoiding her eye as he focused his attention on a scratch on the paintwork of one of the cars. He rubbed his thumb over it casually.

"Are you hurt?" He looked up, waiting for her to answer. When she shook her head, he shrugged. "Then it doesn't matter, does it?"

She couldn't believe he was serious. She stared at him, irritated, and Tig sighed. Pacing around her, he reached for the control panel for the shutters and lowered them, blocking out the setting sun as he enclosed them in the confines of the garage before continuing.

"The other MCs. Sometimes they take over smaller groups, patch them over. It was a christening, that's all. Nobody was going to get hurt."

She shook her head in disbelief. "So what? They just come by, take a few shots and hope for the best?" Tig didn't answer and she squared up to him. "I saw the faces on your security camera. Those Mexican kids. Paolo Carlitos, he comes into sessions at the office. He's dangerous, Tig. Some of the things he's done…" She shook her head, she didn't even want to think about the rap sheet she had read for him. Rape, assault, both sexual and physical. Armed robbery, abduction. "I know you're fucked up but that guy wasn't here for a goddamn christening."

Tig could see her getting frustrated, bound by her knowledge of one of the Mayans who had come through the lot. He pushed his hair back from his face and tugged out the remains of the joint they hadn't finished, holding it up, proud that he had managed to rescue it.

"Why don't we just calm down, huh? You're stuck here, Doc, whether you like it or not. Let's just chill."

She was about to explode in frustration when Tig's phone rang, the sound shrill in the confined space. He motioned for her to keep her cool, lifting the phone to his ear.

"Clay?" Clay's voice was low, Shriek could barely hear it but she could see from the changing expression on Tig's face that something wasn't good. He nodded slowly and motioned for her to come closer as he muttered, "Yeah, Prez, I got it. Thanks." He hung up, clicking off the line, and took her arm, steering her towards the office.

"Get off me," she demanded. Tig didn't listen, not until they were clear of the garage floor, and he pushed her into Gemma's office. Locking one door – and then the other – he turned the blinds to hide them both and grimaced at her.

"There's someone still on the lot," he said softly. "I don't want you to panic, Doc, but I just need you to keep your shit together and stay here with me. Quietly." He looked around the office, seeing a half-empty coffee pot, and he pulled a face, wishing he had brought more beer with him. "Take a seat, we could be a while."

"Are you serious?"

She watched as he stood with his back to the door and slid down, his ass hitting the ground as he sat with bent knees. It was clear he wasn't going anywhere, they were clearly stuck in here together.

"Make yourself comfortable," he murmured, gesturing to the couch. "Figured that was more your kind of thing. Shrink and all," he added with a smile. She gritted her teeth and sat down, and Tig tugged out his lighter, flicking it and holding it to the end of the joint. He took a drag before handing it to her for a turn. When she didn't accept it, he shrugged. "You can be a real bitch when you want to be. You have to loosen up."

She frowned at him, irritated. "Are you serious? You stood me up for our appointment. I bothered to come down here to look for you and your boss threatened me. Then I get shot at, and you're telling me I need to loosen up?"

Tig chuckled a little, leaning his head back against the door and taking it back. "Lex used to like a little smoke."

Shriek pursed her lips for a moment before she sat down on the sofa, knowing full well that she was locked in with him. "Well I'm not Lex." Tig smiled dopily, looking at the paper burning between his fingers.

"Yeah, you're not."

An awkward silence fell between them and Shriek began to arch her fingers, her knuckles cracking as she flexed them. "What does she do? Lex?"

Tig grinned. "Not very much," he laughed. "She used to be a bit of a wheeler dealer. Odd jobs, making friends, that kind of thing." He shrugged. "Figure it all got a bit tiring in the end. Now she's just… waiting for me, I guess."

"Look what I made!"

Tig pulled off his helmet as he stopped the bike on the drive and looked up at the death-trap of a swing Alexa had put together. She was standing proudly, her hands on her hips, a hammer tucked into the belt of her skirt as she stared with admiration at the thing, beaming. Tig dismounted the Harley and paced around it, studying it. There was no way on God's green earth that this thing was safe, it would probably collapse the second he touched it.

"It's, uh, beautiful, baby." He carefully stroked the rope, sure it was about to drop but it didn't. Striding towards her, he wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on her mouth. Lex leaned into him, her hands winding around his neck and up into his hair as she returned his embrace before turning him encouragingly towards it.

"I thought it could be, like, a love seat."

Tig laughed at thought. "It's a bit, um, small," he frowned, scratching his head. "For a love seat. I think my fat ass won't fit on there with yours."

Lex pushed her lower lip out at that and admired her handiwork again. "I can sit on your lap, though. We can swing together."

Oh God, she was going to make him sit on it. Tig dragged his feet a little as she led him towards it, looking up at the branch it was tied to. The knots were far from secure, it didn't take a genius to see that, and he scratched his head hesitantly.

"You sure this is safe, sweetheart?" He tugged on the rope, hoping it would fall and prove his point, but it didn't. It was fixed fast, despite the look of it, and Lex looked disappointed that he was so uncertain.

"Here, look." She ploughed past him and sat down. Her sleight weight was nothing on it, and the seat rocked securely back and forth. "It's fine, see?" She stood up and Tig, hesitant, edged towards it. He perched just the edge of his ass on it, leaning his weight on it, and he cringed as he heard the bough above shifting and creaking. But, to his surprise, it didn't break and he didn't fall.

Almost immediately, Lex gamboled towards him and settled on his lap. She was purring happily and Tig gathered her onto him, cuddling her close. Part of him was sure they were going to end up on the floor, but her unending faith in her project seemed to be keeping them up.

"You been working on this all day?" Tig looked up at it, he had to admit he was impressed, he was sure it was going to collapse but he was completely wrong. She nodded, resting her face in the crook of his neck.

"Mmhmm," she murmured happily. "I thought we could sit in it forever."

He laughed, stroking her hair softly. She would come out with the cutest things sometimes. "We'll have to get up sometimes. Get food. Shower."

She giggled. "I thought we could stay here. Just be stinky." She played with his hair beneath her fingers, not opening her eyes, she was too happy where she was. "You can feed me protein anyway," she added, her hand stroking against his groin. Tig groaned with pleasure and squeezed her.

"Think the neighbours'll have something to say about that," he muttered. "Fuckers."

They rocked together quietly, their limbs tangled together and their breathing falling into sync. Tig pursed his lips and hummed softly as they nestled together, not needing a thing in the world.

"Alex?" Her voice seemed small and he looked down at her.

"Alexa?"

She smiled a little. "When I die… will you wait for me?"

Tig cuddled her tightly, the very thought made him feel sick. "Don't talk shit, Lex," he said firmly, gathering her even closer to him than she already was. "That'll never happen."

She leaned back a little, putting some space between them even though it was the last thing Tig wanted in that second. "No, I'm serious." She toyed with his hair. "I mean, I know you'll die first. Because you're, like, older than me." He gave her a playful punch and she sniggered. "But I know I'll wait for you. I just… I don't know about the other way around."

Tig kissed the top of her head protectively and cupped her face in his hands. "Lex. I will never, ever let you go," he promised her, his blue eyes bright with eagerness. He held out his pinkie finger, wanting to swear it to her, wanting to make it clear that whatever happened, that would never change. "You and me, we'll make a pact, right now. Forever, okay?"

She nodded, stretching her finger to link with his. "Okay." She smiled, relaxed. "Forever."

"I'll always love her," Tig murmured quietly, reaching down and stubbing out the remains of his joint on his boot. "Me and her, we had something… unbreakable. Except, you know." He laughed darkly. "It broke."

Shriek rubbed her hand over her knee and leaned forward. "What happened?" she asked. Tig shook his head, closing his eyes to hide the fact that he was sure he was about to burst into tears.

"I don't want to talk about it, Doc." He screwed his eyes closed before opening them, blinking the droplets away. "Another time. When I'm less… dopey." He threw the burnt end towards the bin and smiled to himself as it landed in place. "It's just one of those things, you know? I fucked up. I fucked up a lot."

He stood up, turning his back to her as he twitched the blinds, looking for movement in the garage. The place seemed abandoned and he dug in his pocket for a second, flipping his phone to see a message from Clay. Stay put until clear.

Lifting Shriek's legs on the couch, Tig ducked beneath them and settled down beside her. He leaned his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You must think I'm the world's biggest screw up," he sighed, breathing out heavily towards the ceiling fan. "Can't keep a goddamn thing together."

"I think you've had a lot to struggle with," she said quietly. "That doesn't mean you've done it wrong."

"Wish that were true," he replied with a laugh. "Make me feel better, Doc, tell me it's not just me." He twisted his head to look at her, his eyes glazed over as he studied her. She seemed different, maybe it was the change in circumstances but Tig felt her proximity more than ever as they sat there, caged in. "Are you lonely?"

"We're not talking about me," she said abruptly, shaking her head and starting to get up but Tig took her hand, holding it with a gentleness she hadn't felt before. He smiled with a sweetness she wasn't used to.

"No, I'm serious. You're off duty. Just consider me a friend." The corner of his lips twitched. "You know all about me. Talk to me about you."

A/N - Thank you so much for all your reads and review and favourites and follows, they mean the world to me. Thought I'd break this chapter up, it was at risk of getting too heavy for me so I'll pick it up on the next chapter, promise ;) Hope you loved it. S x