"Where's Jax?"

It was the first question on everybody's mind but Chibs was the one to say it out loud. Maureen Ashby looked at him, her cheeks flushing red as she did, and glanced awkwardly at the other Sons at her dining table as they ate.

"He went ahead," she said quietly. Bobby looked up, abandoning his spoon in his soup and starting to stand but Mo pushed him to sit down again. "He insisted, said he couldn't stay here while he knew the boys weren't safe."

"Where are they?" Chibs asked. He hadn't wanted to eat, he felt sick in his stomach knowing the outcome of the vote and what was to come. Mo shook her head.

"I don't know." Happy gave her a withering, skeptical look and she grew timid. "I don't! I don't get involved, I don't know how SAMCRO run things but SAMBEL keep their old ladies separate from their club."

Chibs pursed his lips. While the others had spent an hour settling into their new base, he had already been out on the rounds, looking for any little trace of Jax but to no avail. He knew it was better not to go too far out of town alone, but now the rest of the club were almost ready to go they could trek out to the country roads.

"Did you see the boys?" Bobby asked, wiping a napkin over his beard to tidy up any stray droplets of food. Mo shook her head.

"They went straight to your old lady," she said, nodding to Chibs. "Had Emily for a couple of days. She's a good wee lass."

Chibs smiled a little at that. "Doesn't get that from her father," he joked. He looked up as the door swung open.

"Bit harsh."

Tig stood in the doorway, a proud grin on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. Happy stood in an instant and paced across the room to hug him tightly, squeezing his whole body in his arms. He kissed Tig's temple before stepping back and allowing the others the same welcome. Chibs stared at him, unable to believe he was here.

"You got out."

Tig nodded as Bobby slapped his back with approval. "Nero. Set up Roosevelt with some of that shipment, looked like he planted it." Chibs laughed, that was why he had wanted some of the merchandise.

"Risky play."

"Turns out Grandpa wants the best for Emmy," Tig smiled. "I, uh, forgot my way here, took a bit of time going around the houses. Been a couple of years."

Mo nodded and instantly went to get him some food. Rat moved out of his seat to let Tig sit and they watched as he hungrily wolfed down his share.

"What's the plan?" he asked, gazing around expectantly. Nobody said anything, in all truth there was no plan yet. They had to find the boys, and then Jax.

Mo's phone rang shrilly and she reached for it to quiet it. Her little hushed voice whispered softly but her eyes changed as she continued her conversation. Chibs watched her carefully as her skin grew pale, paler than usual. She nodded and replaced the phone on the handset before turning to them.

"That was Padraig," she stammered. "Jax... He's in the hospital." Before anyone could respond, she added, "He's been shot. Critical."

The club members looked at each other and Tig's lips turned into a wide, pleased grin. "So you voted," he said. Bobby's face was grey as he nodded.

"It wasn't unanimous." He stared at Chibs for a long moment. "You knew that."

Chibs put his hands up in an instant. "You think I did that?" He laughed but Quinn muttered,

"You're the only one who wasn't here for a while, brother."

Chibs snorted, that was a ludicrous accusation. "Neither was he," he snapped, jabbing his finger at Tig. "You going to question him?"

Mo slipped out of the room quickly, hearing the debate escalating and knowing she shouldn't be there. When the door clicked to mark her exit, Tig frowned.

"I just got here!"

"It's not like Jax has a lot of friends out here," Juice said, trying to sound reasonable. "It could have been an accident."

Chibs furrowed his eyebrows. "We'll see," he muttered. "We better go."

They filed out and, taking instructions and an escort from a couple of SAMBEL crew stationed at Mo's, they made their way to a small, military base hospital. The bikes were parked up in perfect formation and Chibs headed the group as they walked into the building.

Chibs started towards the reception desk, trying to remember Jax's alias, but before he even got there he spotted Emily and Thomas playing together on the floor in the waiting room. He turned and paced over quickly to find Nina sitting on the chairs with Abel, reading a book to him while he barely listened, staring into the space in front of him.

"Christ, thank God you're alright."

He stepped forward to hug her but she simply pulled Abel closer to her. Nina didn't want to touch him, she didn't want to be like them. She was sure if he held her, he would just know what had happened, she was positive of it. Chibs halted, embarrassed as the rest of the club filtered around him.

"Emmy!" Tig was down on his hands and knees in an instant, scooping his daughter into his arms and cuddling her tightly. Emily giggled as she stroked his hair and kissed his cheek gently, clapping her hands to see him.

"What happened?" Bobby asked, looking at Nina expectantly. She shook her head, unable to say. Galen had made it very clear what would happen if the club found out it was her shot.

"I don't know," she said reservedly. "I was just told to come here." She didn't tell them she had called an ambulance the second Galen and his men had left, presuming the whole business was finished with now. "I had to bring them," she added as she motioned to the children around her.

"You have no idea who shot him?" Juice asked as he eyeballed her. She swallowed and shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry." She grimaced as she looked at Chibs, he was staring at her with a strange mix of hope and desparation. "He's in surgery, they said the shot was to his chest. Caught his heart but didn't hit it, the bullet's in his lung." She covered Abel's ears as she lowered her voice. "He's at risk of drowning in his own blood."

Nobody spoke, they all knew that Jax didn't deserve much better than that. Bobby motioned for the Sons to step aside, and they huddled a few steps away from Nina and the children. Tig, eventually, let go of his little girl with a promise he would be back in just a few moments.

"This is bullshit," Bobby muttered. "It has to be the Irish."

"Maybe they've sorted out our internal problem," Chibs mused quietly. "What other choice do we have?"

"We got to do right by the club," Bobby said earnestly. "Find the perpetrator and kill them, it's as simple as that. I blocked Mister Mayhem, this was not the club's decision."

Chibs nodded, glancing at Tig. "I didn't do it, Bobby."

"Me neither," Tig said quickly, raising his hands. "We'll find out when he pulls through. It'll be green."

Bobby sighed, taking a step back. "It better be," he muttered. "Because I swear to God, if it was either of you two, I'm out."

He walked away and Chibs exchanged a silent look with Tig. The two remained together as the others dispersed, and Chibs lowered his voice as he muttered,

"We're burying enough bodies, brother." He looked at Nina as she watched them idly, staring into space as she stroked Abel's hair. "Reach out to Galen, I want to hear what he has to say for himself. This has to be him." He pulled a face. "Let's shoot the bastard who did this and be done with it. I can't be the only one who just wants to go home, whether that traitor pulls through or not."