Disclaimer: Kurt Sutter owns SOA and anything recognizable. Brenna is mine. That is all.

Chapter 13:

Brenna rode back to the clubhouse with Gemma. With the beating her body had taken, she couldn't get on a bike. And honestly, she needed time to figure out Happy anyway. He was so hot and cold. Bren had no idea what made him kiss her in front of the club, no less, when just hours ago, he basically called her a slut. She needed to talk to him, and she wasn't looking forward to it at all.

After Gemma parked her Caddy close to the clubhouse doors, Brenna didn't even have a chance to open her door. Her brother made it to her before anything else. She knew he didn't usually say much about the situation, but she could tell, even as she stood outside of the station, Jackson was worried, and it hurt him to see her hurt.

Jax helped her stand from the car, looped her arm over his shoulder and hoisted her up. Usually she would fight it, obviously she could walk on her own, but her body was exhausted and she had been put through the ringer just a few hours ago. She was dead on her feet, and in pain to boot.

Jax set Brenna on a bar stool when Tara made her way over. Her nose would have to be set before she could get any sleep, and she desperately needed a shower.

"This is gonna hurt like hell. Want some meds before I start setting your nose and stitching your face up? Looks like you've got some bruises and scratching on your hands and….everywhere else," Tara looked a little more freaked out than she let on.

"Nah, I'm good. Just do it. And be warned, I'm probably gonna curse at you during this. No hard feelings, I just get pissed as hell when I'm in pain."

"Here we go." Everyone just stands around to watch the show.

I almost come up off the bar stool when her fingers push my nose back in place. "Motherfucker…..FUCK! That shit ain't no joke."

"I just need to stitch it up now. Looks like you took the butt of a gun to your face. Have you been feeling dizzy or nauseated?"

"A little dizzy. Probably just from lack of sleep."

She reaches forward and snips the last stitch. "You probably shouldn't risk it. If you have a concussion and go to sleep, you might not wake up." She begins cleaning my face.

"I'm willing to risk it. I feel like I fought with the devil himself….and he got the best of me. I'm tired and I have yet to figure out how I am going to lift my arms to shower. A little sleep is all I really want right now."

Brenna was shocked as hell when Happy spoke up. "How long should she stay awake?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm getting some sleep," Bren gritted out.

Tara decided against pissing Hap off, "I guess we could go with 12 hours. Usually it is longer, but I know she can't make it that long."

Hap spoke again, "Alright. Come on. Let's get you showered. You got a long 12 hours ahead of you."

Before Brenna could refute, everyone started to disband. Clay turned from the doorway to the clubhouse, "Soon as you're feeling better, you're going to church with us. We need to know everything that happened. Love you sweetheart. Listen to Happy."

"Love you too, dad."

Gemma leaned over and kissed my face once more, "listen, baby, I know you don't want to do what Tara asked, but I can't risk anything else happening to you. Love you, baby girl." Gemma followed Clay outside to go home.

Brenna and happy were the only ones left. He started to speak again, but Brenna lifted a hand and cut him off, "can we do this later? I need to get the feeling of that man's hands off of me. I feel too fucking dirty." Brenna stood to limp away, but was shocked again when Hap scooped her up and carried her bridal-style to the room—his room.

"Nope. You can take me to Juice's room. I don't wanna lie in Ima's skank juice."

Happy smirked. She was a firecracker. "Sheets are clean, mattress flipped. Ima's skank juice has been burned."

Bren didn't say another word. She looked around the room after he set her down on her feet. Her bags had already been returned to the room. She didn't even look for new clothes. She headed straight of the bathroom.

She was still unsure of how she was going to properly wash herself when her arm ached every time she lifted them—her bruised ribs screamed at her. She let the hot water cascade down her body. Ahhh, this was exactly what she needed. He nearly jumped out of her skin, when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She knew who it was. Hap was examining the scratched and bruises that littered her body from the fight.

"We said we would protect you. We failed. I'm so sorry, Bren."

He sounded kind of broken in that moment. She turned to look him in the face. "I made the decision to go out there alone despite what happened weeks ago. It's not your fault."

"You were out there because you were pissed at me…weren't you?" Happy knew the answer to that. This was all his fault. He had been an ass—hadn't listened to her explanation, and she had paid for it.

"Hap-" he cut her off with his lips. It wasn't a passionate "I wanna fuck you" kiss like they had shared before. This was needy. This was his way of pouring all of those terrifying feelings he had been feeling into her. He needed to show her how he felt because he sure as hell wasn't ready to speak them.

Brenna could feel everything he was trying to say. She knew right then that they would move on and forget the previous afternoon. She didn't need to talk it out any further once she felt the ferocity of how he cared for her. This wasn't just a one-time thing; he would prove that to her in time. He wasn't making her his old lady. But he could imagine that somewhere down the road.

After Hap broke the kiss, they stood there, eyes closed, breathing deeply for a while. When she opened her eyes he was staring right into them. Everything that needed to be said was settled in that moment.

He picked up her loofa and body wash and proceeded to wash every inch of her body. He felt it was his fault that bastard had gotten his hands on her. He wanted to rid it from her body himself. He washed her hair, grazing the sensitive spots behind her ears and on her neck. This had to have been the most sensual thing she had ever experienced. And she was dumbfounded that she was sharing it with Happy—the last person she would ever assume could be sensual.

When he had finished, Happy gently lifted Bren using the back of her knees to pull her up around his waist. Brenna kissed him this time. She needed to feel that passion that only he could relay with his lips and tongue.

Pushing her hips against the shower wall, he entered her. He paused for a moment—he needed a moment to gather himself. No woman had ever made him feel this way and he needed to be sure that he could give her every bit of attention she deserved, without causing her battered body any pain.

Hap took it slow with her. She was in no condition for wild sex. And truth be told, he wanted to take his time with her. After a while, she began to feel that familiar knotting in her lower abdomen.

"Happy," she whispered in a moan. He was barely hanging on. As he thrusted into her one last time, they came together. It was sensual and erotic beyond her dreams. She felt complete in that moment.

Happy was terrified by how amazing he felt. But he wasn't going to fuck up again. Last night when they and gotten the call that there were shots and she was involved, before learning that she had taken the shots, he was in a panic. As hard as it was for him to imagine having a woman in his life steadily, it was harder to imagine his life without her. He knew he couldn't let her go.

Brenna exited the shower after Happy. He helped her dry off and slipped one of his tee shirts over her head. Hap pulled on his boxers and they made their way to the bed. He wouldn't let her lie down. They sat against the headboard to watch movies and keep her awake for a few more hours.

She was exhausted. It was going to be a long 10 hours yet.

AN: This is far from finished folks! Thank you for all of the feedback. I really love hearing from you guys!