Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy. Harlee Quinn does, however, own Marlowe, Nico and any other OCs that appear in the 2 Sons Universe. I'm just taking them out for a spin!

A/N: Hope everybody is doing well. Just wanted to thank everyone who posted a review: bikey, rockinBallerina, dhnysports88, TellatrixForever, Bella Ami, Shannan143, wabi-sabi1090, angel897, Shantigal, DeirdreLaelia, KitKat, nighthawk1975, HGRHfan35, SamanthaMarie0930 and xxxRena as I really appreciate hearing from you all!

Caution: Tissue Alert!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

At first Nico thought it was an earthquake.

As her upper body rocked slightly at first and then became more insistent, when the tremors of her upper body finally made it to her head, Nico let out a long, low moan of agony. The noise almost sounded otherworldly and at first Nico was positive that the strange wailing hadn't emanated from her person. But as the rocking of her shoulder commenced again, it took another minute before Nico was forced to crack one eye open into a narrow slit. As the bright morning sun from the patio doors off the living room beamed its unforgiving rays into her eye, she felt the pain of a slamming hangover pierce her skull and she let out another long wail, the sound something between a screeching coyote and a mating call of a moose.

"Oh Gawd," she moaned pitifully as she managed to bring up one of her arms—she wasn't sure which one—to block her face from the sun. "It's a damn earthquake. I'm going to die! Why the hell did I come to California?!"

As the tremors started once again, Nico knew she needed to get up and probably drag her ass under a table to save herself from the quake, but she then realized that death by earthquake was probably more preferable than death by hangover.

That is until the earthquake spoke.

Loudly.

"Hi! Are you wake?!"

Struggling to remove her arm from her face and this time managing to crack both eyes open, it took a moment for Nico's vision to focus. When it finally did, she saw a pair of inquisitive bright blue eyes were staring back at her.

Abel Teller was standing by her side wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of Superman pull ups. His shoulder length blond hair was in a bunch of riotous curls that framed a sweet baby face.

"Uh," Nico cleared her throat several times and managed to get her voice into a raspy croak "Hi there, bud."

"I'm not 'bud'; I'm Abel," the little boy said rather importantly. "What you doing on the couch? Are you sick?"

It took a moment for Nico to form an answer. "My head hurts a little, but I'm fine," Nico lied. "I was taking a little nap. I guess everybody else is sleeping, huh, little man?"

Abel nodded, his hair flopping in his face. "I waked up 'cause I'm hungry." He eyed her. "I 'member you. You was at Grandma's house."

"That's right. I'm Nico," she replied. Gingerly pulling herself into a sitting position, Nico slowly swung her legs over the side of the couch.

Shit, I think the room is spinning.

Nico felt a little tug on her shirt sleeve and looked down at the little boy.

"I'm hungry," he repeated. "Can you make me some cereal?" he asked plaintively. "Please?"

The absolute last thing Nico wanted to do was to drag her ass off the couch, but looking down at the sad blue puppy dog eyes tugged at her motherly instincts. When a secondary thought occurred that she might be able to scarce up a pot of coffee and some desperately needed drugs to kill her hangover, Nico decided to have mercy on the little tyke and herself.

"Okay, sure, Abel," she croaked again. "Let's see what we can find," as she slowly started to lift herself up from the couch.

"You sound like Unca Happy," was the little boy's reply.

"What?" Nico exclaimed, her butt suddenly hitting the soft couch again as she gave the little boy the hairy eyeball.

"You sound like my Daddy's brother," Abel giggled. "You don't sound like a girl."

"Thanks a lot, kid," she mumbled before once again attempting to get to her feet and finally managing it. The room swayed first to the left and then the right before she got her bearings.

Shit, I really tied one on last night!

When Abel placed his small hand in hers, Nico took a couple of swallows praying that her suddenly queasy stomach obeyed her internal command to hold onto her shit.

I don't think Marlowe would like me hurling on her kid.

Nico then took several very small steps towards the kitchen. It felt like she was crossing a desert and it seemed like forever before she finally felt her bare feet hit the surprisingly chilly linoleum floor.

"Shit," she muttered as the icy chill sent a shiver throughout her body.

"Don't say 'shit'," Abel advised in a solemn tone as he looked up at her. "Arlo wouldn't like it."

"Then let's not tell her," Nico muttered as she made her way to the kitchen cabinets. "Now let see if I can find the cereal."

Fortunately for her, Abel was a smart little kid and quite knowledgeable about where everything was located. After a few minutes of following his directions, Nico had managed to pull out a box of Cheerios, a bowl, a spoon and milk and set the boy up with his breakfast, before going on a hunt for coffee. Ten minutes later, Nico was finally sipping on a large mug of strong black coffee and had been fortunate enough to find a bottle of aspirin of which she popped four of the pills for good measure. She sat across from the little boy who was making a little bit of a mess as he happily slurped up his breakfast, while she sat with her back and side away from the dining room window in a vain attempt to block the sun's rays from its slow medieval-like torture of her awesome headache.

So intent on finishing her mug of coffee so that she could get another refill, Nico never heard the foot falls of another person as they entered into the kitchen, so when they spoke it was quite a surprise, but nothing at all compared to the visual.

"Well, looks like somebody's up and eating breakfast without me!"

"Hi Daddy!" Abel said as he turned his head to greet his father.

Later on, Nico would forgive herself for her response. After all, any red blooded American woman couldn't be faulted for what happened next. Her mouth literally gaped open. She just couldn't help it. She just wasn't prepared.

Standing at the threshold of the kitchen, Jackson Teller stood in all of his glory, sexy, bearded and scruffy looking, his normally perfectly slicked back hair now tousled and sticking up in unruly waves from his head. Wearing nothing but a pair of low riding gray boxers and bare feet, his upper body was stunning in its form. His muscled left pectoral was decorated with a tattoo of his son's name in bold script, which flowed right into a flawlessly tapered and incredible six pack. The only disfiguring marks that marred that body of perfection were the three, long pink scars below his pecs, most likely from the attack he received while in prison.

Damn, Marlowe gets to wake up to this every morning? Lucky biatch!

"Morning Nico. I heard you tied one on last night." Jax's smirk barely held his amusement in check as he took in the wide eyed stare of his son's companion. "Are you okay, Counselor?"

Nico found that she was somewhat incoherent, a by-product of a garbled and significantly impaired brain as she tried to answer the question. "If your old lady ever leaves your ass, I got dibs," she muttered under her breath.

"Well, I'll be sure to let her know." Jax watched as the woman sitting in front of him cringed. "Let me guess—you didn't mean to say that out loud, huh?" His shoulders started to quake with silent laughter as Nico's face turned a bright shade of red. "Don't worry darlin'. I won't' dime you out. After all, I still need you to fix my Club and I'd hate for my old lady to have to hurt you. She can do some wicked shit with her KA-BAR."

Wanting to slap herself, Nico took another sip of her coffee. "Where's Marlowe and Lyla?"

"My old lady's still snoozing, but Lyla went home last night. My Mom brought the kids by and ended up taking them all home."

"Your mom was here," Nico said in confusion. "I don't remember that."

"Well, I think you might have been passed out at the time."

"Your mother saw me like this?" she cringed. What a great second impression.

"Afraid so. Apparently Marley couldn't wake you up, so she took your keys and decided to let you sleep it off."

Shit. How fucking embarrassing.

Having remained on the outside of the conversation, Abel tugged on his father's boxers. "Daddy, Miss Nico sounds just like Unca Happy," he said importantly.

"Yes, she does." Jax tried to smother a laugh and failed miserably.

"Really nice, laughing at my misery, Prez," Nico grumbled. "You any relation to my little brother?"

"No, but I promise not to dime you out to him." Jax grinned and reaching down, he picked up Abel and tossed him high in the air, eliciting a burst of giggles and laugher. "Maybe I'd better give you a minute to yourself, make sure the kid here is dry and throw on a little something while you get a second cup of Joe," he threw over his shoulder as he exited the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah, you do that," she rasped.

Sunday—April 17, 2011

There was absolutely no doubt that Happy Lowman thoroughly enjoyed his position as the mother charter's enforcer. Having spent years building a reputation as a skilled interrogator and assassin, Happy liked knowing that he was the go-to patch who was a problem solver. His dedication to his Club, to his family had earned him the right to be called an Unholy One and it had been good to be able to put his skills to use on behalf of his brothers once again.

With the Las Vegas Charter having a need for specialized services on a highly sensitive matter, its President, Mason "Mace" Lee had had reached out to Jax Teller requesting SAMCRO's urgent assistance for the only patch that could solve the problem.

Instead of helping SAMCRO with the transfer of the Cartel's next shipment to Romeo, Jax had tasked him to handle the breaking situation. Happy had made his way to Nevada to provide assistance and had spent several days working to get the job squared away.

With a rat discovered within the Las Vegas Charter, it was imperative to neutralize the situation before it could be investigated, raided and summarily gutted by the Feds, the possibility of heavy jail sentences being the ultimate ending.

Mace had been grateful that Happy was able to resolve the situation so quickly and quietly. Dealing with faithless bitches was the SAA's expertise and the discovery of a rat would have far reaching consequences for the Charter and the Club as a whole. With the rat in the Club's custody, it had taken several days for Happy to extract information necessary from one Larry "Junior" Jensen—specifically all of the info that the rat had shared. Junior, a new patch for only two years, had been busted in a drug bust and had been turned. Facing jail time, the faithless bitch was being pressured to provide Intel to the DEA of the Charter's drug trade. He was discovered reporting to his DEA handler on a daily "check-in" call, stupidly doing so outside of the clubhouse.

Taking his time and using excruciating methods of torture, Happy not only retrieved the important Intel, but then proceeded to provide much needed advice to the Vegas Prez. Telling Mace that they should cease and desist the drug trade until further notice, Happy was surprised when he was met with resistance. Seeing that they were intent with continuing business as usual, Happy insisted that if they were going to continue selling meth that at the very least they should immediately change their operational procedures to avoid the Club being questioned and arrested for drug possession and distribution.

With Happy having done his job, Junior wouldn't be talking to the DEA—or anyone else ever again, and the Vegas Charter would be safe for the time being. In appreciation, Mace had thrown a huge weekend party to end all parties. Food, booze and women were free flowing and the brothers had shown Happy much love and, once again, Mace had reiterated his offer for Happy to have a seat at his table.

"Hap, we need someone like you with us. Granted, I know making the move from the mother charter to Vegas might seem like downgrading to some," Mace urged, "but we have a lot of perks here that could make a man really happy." The Prez beckoned his finger and Happy had watched as a pair of young, tight pussy in the form of brunette twins, came over, one who sat on his lap while the other wrapped her arms around his shoulders and started to massage them. "Now brother, where can you find women like these?"

I already got one and she's way the fuck hotter than both of these bitches, Happy thought ironically and then nearly fell out of his chair as the thought fully penetrated his brain.

What. The. Fuck?!

Pushing the disturbing idea of Tiny from his head, Happy nonetheless managed to entertain himself with the twin bitches, and had thanked his host for his generous offer, but regretfully turned it down before getting on his Harley to make fast time back to Charming.

The early morning ride home was enjoyable, yet it also allowed thoughts of Tiny to creep into Happy's mind. The woman had only been in town for a couple of weeks and he was starting to find it strange that the little bitch seemed to occupy his headspace more often than not, to the point that he had sought out his Prez to provide Tiny with protection. It had never occurred to him that he would be assigned to do so, but when he gave it more thought, Happy realized that overall it was the best situation. An untried prospect might end up bailing on Nico in a bad sitch, like that piece of shit Shepherd had on his very first assignment for the Club: protecting old Lumpy Feldstein. Instead he had hidden away as the old man had been beaten badly and later died of his injuries.

On the other hand, setting up Nico with another patch could pose a bigger problem. More than one of his brothers had made no secret of the fact that they wouldn't mind pressing up on Tiny.

And that was not a fucking option because Happy intended to be the only one tapping Tiny's ass for the foreseeable future.

However, despite the fact that Tiny was practically within spitting distance of the Club, pressing Club matters and her schedule had denied them the opportunity to hook up again.

That last shit had been fucking wild. Who would have thunk that such a little diva could be a wildcat in the sack? The blue-eyed bitch was getting more emboldened and adventurous with every hook up. What had been surprising to Happy however was the fact that he had found himself giving over control to a woman.

It was enough to make him feel a little uneasy about the situation. He wasn't a man given to let anyone run shit, with the exception of his Club President. When it came to handling his shit in the bedroom, he always called the shots, so letting Tiny take the lead was something completely new for him and he was starting to realize just how much he had fucking enjoyed it.

Finally pulling into Charming, Happy dismissed his thoughts concerning the tight piece of ass that was Nico Torelli and focused himself on his Club. Arriving on the lot, Happy saw the string of parked bikes and knew that his brothers were waiting for his arrival. Jax had called for an impromptu Church session so that he could fill in his brothers fully on all the events of the past few days. With a great deal of questioning on the part of his President and his brothers, Happy spent a good hour detailing the events as they unfolded.

Jax had thanked him for handling the situation and had said that he would reach out to Mace to reinforce the need for extreme diligence and to keep things on a very low profile. With the DEA being denied an opportunity to sweep up the entire charter for the illegal manufacturing, possession and distribution of meth, the pigs would be even more vigilant in trying to tie the Sons to any criminal activity. The meth trade that the Vegas Charter had developed would have to be shut down by order of the National President until further notice.

After the meeting, Happy and Opie stayed behind to discuss the possible ramifications of the Vegas Charter's near fuck-up on SAMCRO's legitimate expansion plans. Jax was very concerned. In the past the federal government had often used the actions of one charter to shut down an entire Club, outlawing the Club colors, stripping it's funding and completely exterminating the identify of an MC. Many larger and more powerful MCs than the Sons had fell victim to the Feds and Jax was determined that the Sons would not be next in line. Jax knew that once SAMCRO made the decision as a charter to cease being outlaw, a caucus would have to be called with those charters involved in gun running or the drug trade to encourage them to leave the outlaw life behind or otherwise risk the safety of entire Club. It was a discussion that would have to take place down the road and not one that Happy was looking forward to.

Instead on dwelling on the matter, Jax advised that they should table this shit for now and had ordered Happy to get cleaned up and to bring his ass over to his house for dinner that afternoon. With Opie and his old lady and kids joining it was sure to be a loud noisy affair.

Happy had been tempted to tell his Prez that he would give the dinner a pass, despite the ass chewing he would be sure to get from Marley. However, with Jax dropping the fact that his old lady had extended an invitation to their new counselor to join them, Happy changed his mind.

For the second time this weekend, Nico was headed over to the Tellers for another social gathering. It had been a fun and totally enjoyable evening that she had spent with Marlowe and Lyla. She had a great time eating and drinking and spending time getting to know the two high ranking old ladies of SAMCRO, and while generally speaking, Nico usually was able to hold her liquor, she had really let her hair down that night and had over indulged, which was not at all her normal practice as she always liked being in control at all times.

While it seemed that Lyla had kept a strict watch on her alcohol intake enjoying a nice buzz, Nico had completely gotten shitfaced. Marlowe, however, lived up to the Navy tradition of drinking like a sailor and seemed to be relatively unimpaired after the three of them had managed to consume two thirds of a full bottle of Jack. Instead, Nico dimly remembered Marlowe relieving her of her car keys and insisting that she stay the night.

The couch had been very comfortable and Nico had slept like a rock and figured that she probably would still be there if she hadn't been wakened by a hungry little angel.

As she paused at a surprisingly busy intersection for a Sunday afternoon, Nico grimaced as she recalled the somewhat embarrassing episode. She hadn't been quite sure what had been worse, her practically eye fucking Jax Teller in his own kitchen or her somewhat bedraggled appearance in front of him. While she wouldn't say she was completely vain, Nico was just like any other woman who hated being caught not looking her best. Fortunately she didn't see the complete mess she was until she gotten home, having elected to make her escape after gulping down a second cup of coffee. Finding her car keys on the kitchen counter, Nico had grabbed her bag and sneaked out the back door before Jax returned with his son and Marlowe in tow. Leaving had been in poor taste, considering the fact that she hadn't thanked her hostess for a good time, but she was feeling more than a little embarrassed at practically strip searching Jax Teller in his own home.

Having spent a good part of Saturday morning nursing her hangover, it had taken Nico a little while to get herself together. Having a meal of a small fruit salad and some vitamin water had definitely cleared out the cobwebs, and by mid-afternoon had allowed her to do some work on the current UT situation. She had figured that she probably would have spent the remainder of the weekend on her own. Getting a call from Marlowe not only to check up on her well-being but to invite her back to break bread with her and Jax on Sunday had been a welcome respite. Especially considering the fact that Happy was not around.

Marlowe had let it drop during their girl's night that her brother had been called out of town on Club business, which would explain why Nico hadn't heard from him for a few days. Not that the outlaw had been blowing up her phone since they had last hooked up. Happy Lowman was not the type of man to chase after a woman, especially as there was nothing in the way of a relationship between the two of them. They were fuck buddies, nothing more, nothing less, which after 16 years of marriage to an unfaithful bastard was exactly what Nico wanted. Absolutely no strings attached. The taciturn SAA wouldn't want some needy woman looking for a relationship and neither would he have a say on who she chose to be with, although at the very back of her mind, she thought that there might be a vague possibility that the outlaw might think he could call those shots if he wanted. Refusing to even consider the ramifications of her desire that he would be interested, Nico had dismissed the outlaw from her head and had spent the rest of the evening in quiet solitude.

Pulling into the Teller's driveway, Nico parked her car. Well, at least today I look a damn sight better than yesterday. To make sure, she flipped down the visor to check her appearance in the mirror before exiting the car. Driving with the window down had caused her hair to become tousled, but running her hands through it briskly a few times brought it back into shape. Retrieving a large bakery box and handbag from the passenger seat of her car, Nico hit the locks, slammed the door and headed up the walkway.

Now as she pressed the doorbell, Nico smiled brightly to herself as she considered the opportunity she would have of seeing Jax and Marlowe together in their environment, along with Lyla and her giant of an old man, figuring that it should still be fun even though technically she would be a fifth wheel.

But as the door opened, Nico's eyebrow lifted in surprise as the gleaming bald head of the Club's SAA stood in front of her as he blocked the entrance.

"Hey, Tiny."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nico demanded as she stood at the door. "I thought your ass was out of town," she said.

Leaning against the doorframe, Happy smirked at the gawking woman standing in front of him.

I guess Tiny wasn't expecting to see my ass today, Happy thought with amusement.

"It was. Now I'm back."

Nico sighed dramatically. "So are you going to let my ass in or what, killer?"

"Why should I? You haven't told me how happy you are to see me."

"Maybe because I'm not," Nico lied.

"Stop lying. You know you missed my big dick," Happy smirked.

"Don't be so damn cocky," she shot back and using her hip shoved him aside with surprising strength as she walked inside. "Besides," Nico taunted as she turned to face him. "If I missed your dick, you know you were missing my pussy even more," she challenged in a low voice.

Before Happy could lie, a lively piping voice reached them both. "Hi Miss Nico. You came back," Abel said as he stood by her leg. "Are you feeling better?"

"Hi sweet baby," Nico said with a smile. "Yes I am much better now." She smiled as the little boy ran off and through the open patio door to join the loud noises of what were undoubtedly more SAMCRO spawn.

"Yeah, I heard you got pretty wasted, Tiny," Happy chuckled as Nico frowned at him.

"Really? And who ratted me out?"

"Not me," Marlowe said as she came from the kitchen, Lyla trailing in her wake. "That would be my old man."

Standing up from an armchair seated across from Opie, Jax strolled over. "Thanks a lot, babe. Now you'll have Nico thinking I can't keep shit tight."

"Well sometimes you can't," his old lady replied, turning to Nico. "I see you managed to survive our Friday night bash. I have to say I was a little surprised. I didn't think you were such a lightweight," she teased.

"I am nobody's lightweight, bitch," Nico said defensively. "I was slightly impaired is all," she claimed.

"That's not what I heard," Opie said sotto voce.

"You know you're a pretty big man, to be trash-talking my ass, but I can cut you down to size. Believe that," Nico eyed the biker as his shoulders shook with silent laughter.

"Now, now, no fighting among my guests. At least not on an empty stomach," Marlowe said with a grin. "I see you brought some desert. Thanks."

Nico rolled her eyes as she handed over the box. "It's a double chocolate fudge cake from the bakery in town. Hopefully it's good. I would have liked to make you something from scratch, but—"

"Wait a minute. The high-powered shark can cook?" Happy snarked. "I don't believe that shit. Not for a minute."

"Well believe it killer. I have skills and maybe one day you'll—" Nico amended. "All of you will get to find out first hand."

"Well, we look forward to that," Jax purposefully cut off his SAA from what was sure to be a fiery comment that would set off the little lawyer. "Especially if your cooking is anything like that grub you had at your restaurant."

"It's even better."

"That's sounds great. I love Italian food and Opie said the food was fantastic and he's not the most adventurous man I know when it comes to experimenting," Lyla said as she walked over to give Nico an air kiss before looking up at Happy. "And you need to stop teasing Nico. Far be it for me to say anything, but in the short time I've known her I have learned that she doesn't seem to be the type to take shit from anybody." Lyla grinned. "Just saying…and respectfully too."

"Humph," was the cranky biker's reply. "Ope, apparently your old lady has been spending way too much time with Marley. She's been indoctrinated. You don't want her getting too sassy on your ass."

"I like my woman a little sassy," Opie replied as he wrapped an arm around her slim waist. "But I like it even more when she fixes my ass something to eat…like now, maybe?" he queried, his green eyes looking hopefully at Marlowe.

"All right, already. I guess we need to take pity on you men," Marlowe said. "Why don't you go outside and coral your kids so we can sit down and eat? Lyla, come on and let's get this grub on the table. Nico, I know you don't have a man here to wait on," Marlowe said cheekily as she gazed at her brother, "but would you like to help out anyway?"

"I guess I can do so…this time," Nico's eyes twinkled. "Don't want anybody to get used to me waiting on anybody as it's not my shtick."

Seeing Happy open his mouth, undoubtedly to drop some snarky ass comment, Marlowe slapped a hand over his mouth and glared at him. "Hap, you be fucking nice or I swear I'll put rat poison in your food."

Swatting her hand away, Happy rolled his eyes. "Shit, overprotective ain't ya?" he muttered as his sister made her way to the kitchen. "Look at this shit, Jax. Only in town a few weeks and these bi—old ladies are already taking up for Tiny."

Standing next to him, Jax grinned as he slapped a hand on his back. "Seems like it bro. I guess my old lady feels she has good reason to warn your ass," he said a little cryptically. "Come on, let's grab a quick drink before we eat."

The dining room in the Teller-Guthrie home was crowded with adults and children as they sat around a table that was piled with an abundance of aromatic food. Platters of sliced pot roast, smothered in rich gravy and served with tiny new potatoes and carrots, along with macaroni and cheese, sweet potato soufflé, broccoli casserole and hot potato rolls were passed around the table.

The conversation had been light, fun and energetic and the tasty food had been dispatched rapidly. Now, with the youngsters in the backyard running off their sugar high, the grown-ups sat relaxing around the table as they steadily worked through the cake Nico had brought for desert served with cups of strong Cuban espresso.

"God, I'm going to be the size of a blimp if I keep eating like this," Nico said as she put her fork down. "I never eat like this back home."

"Well you should," Happy snarked. "You're pretty healthy, but a couple more pounds would be good on ya."

"I don't recall asking your opinion, outlaw," Nico replied coolly. "I'm not trying to buy a whole new wardrobe while I'm in town."

"Stop busting Nico's chops, Hap," Opie said as he delved into his cake. "It's probably all the fresh NorCal air that's been giving you an appetite. I wouldn't worry about it too much. As hard as you're working for the Club, you'll burn off that shit in no time." Surprised, Nico nodded her thanks to him and was startled when he gave her a quick wink.

"Speaking of work, so I gather things are going well at Unser's?" Marlowe asked as she sipped on a cup of coffee.

"So far, so good," Nico replied. "The paperwork has been a little wieldy, but I'm making sense of everything. Lyla's been a real help too. She's got a real attention for detail and a smart head on her shoulders." Turning to Jax she smiled at him. "Once I get shit get straightened out, I think we'll need to talk about getting the business more automated in order to allow the company to properly expand at a consistent rate. I think Lyla can be a real help there."

"That sounds like really great news to me," Jax grinned. "We really appreciate all Lyla has done to help get Unser's right. I know Ope is real proud of you," he nodded at the smiling young woman. "We all are."

"I really appreciate that, Jax. I'm having a wonderful time. Nico has really made learning about the business interesting. She's even got me the study materials so that I can become a Notary." She reached over to squeeze Nico's arm. "I'm going to really miss you when you leave us."

"Well, she ain't going anywhere just yet," Happy replied gruffly. "She's got a lot of shit to do."

"Yes, she does," Marlowe grinned. And if I have my way, she'll be sticking around for a long time if I can only get your stubborn ass in line.

"I think Happy likes Nico," Lyla said as she sat in the middle of the bed wearing nothing but a tank top and a pair of boy shorts.

Having returned home from Jax and Marlowe's, Opie and Lyla had made quick work of getting their kids in bed and were now lounging in their bedroom.

"Oh, you do, do ya?" he replied as he hung his kutte on a hanger and placed it in their closet.

"Yes, I do," Lyla replied as she watched him carefully. "You don't feel the same?"

"As a matter of fact, I agree with you," was his somewhat surprising reply.

While his brother's sexual proclivities were legendary among his brothers and Hap had never been known to have had a serious relationship with any woman, never mind the possibility of an old lady, it was apparent to Opie that he had developed a marked preference for the Club's new lawyer.

And as far as Opie was concerned, Nico Torelli was all right in his book.

Although initially suspicious of the outsider, Nico had managed to impress him with her handling of the Cara Cara arson claim, her ability to sooth the savage beast that was the Club's former president and the counsel she had provided with regards to Big Otto. But it was the compassionate way in which Nico had dealt with his old lady that had put him directly in her corner.

Lying in bed together the morning after the Lyla and Marlowe had hung out with Nico, Opie had teased his old lady regarding what exactly the women had gotten up to without their menfolk around. He had been surprised when Lyla had hesitantly relayed how she had shared some of her painful past with the newcomer and Nico's warm, empathetic response. Although they had spent a lot of time working and dealing with Lyla's former drug dependency as a couple, they had both shied away from discussing in depth her former career and the impact that it had on their family.

Discovering his old lady's hidden fear—that their children would come to truly understand what she had done for a living and despise her—had been a revelation and Opie realized that it was a real concern for the future of their family. After listening as his wife expounded on the advice that Nico had shared, he realized that the counselor had made a number of good suggestions. Wrapping his arms around his old lady, Opie told her that she wasn't going to go through this alone; that anyone who dared to talk some shit about her to their kids would have him to deal with, never mind if they were somebody's kid. There was plenty of retaliatory measures against their parents that Opie had no problem in carrying out.

Ultimately, together they would find the right way and time to best talk to their children about her former career choice and that he would be right there fully supporting her. Lyla would never face this burden alone.

That reassurance had been all that Lyla had needed to hear. Burying her hands in his long hair, the two of them had started to make love, only to be interrupted as their two sons banged on the outside of their door demanding breakfast.

"Kenny, the door is locked," Piper had sighed loudly outside their parents' bedroom. "You know what that means."

"Yeah, they're going to be in their forever. C'mon. Let's get Ellie to make us something to eat," his brother snickered.

Thankful that he had a capable daughter to handle her younger brothers, Opie had proceeded to make fervent love to his woman, something that he thoroughly enjoyed, especially now that they spent more time communicating in their relationship than just fucking.

Now, as he sat down next to his wife, Opie wrapped a beefy arm around her. "Babe, Hap may be a hard brother to know, but even I can read between the lines that he has an interest in Nico. I'm just not sure—"

"—whether it's just about him hitting her shit or if he's interested in something more permanent," Lyla concluded.

"Exactly," Opie hesitated. "I love my brother, but I think I know him pretty well. It's not likely that he's even remotely interested in having an old lady, although—"

"What?"

"The more time he spends with her, he might just change his mind about that shit," Opie shrugged his shoulders, "especially since he's kind of Nico's bodyguard now."

"What?!" Lyla exclaimed. "Nico didn't say anything to us. When the fuck did that happen?"

"Just this week. Jax pulled her in and told her that whenever she was on Club business outside of Charming that Happy would be her security." Opie hesitated wondering if he should drop the dime on his brother, but he really wanted to hear his old lady's thoughts. "The thing is that Nico's protection wasn't Jax's idea—it was Happy's."

"Oh, that's so fuckin' romantic," Lyla squealed.

"I don't know if it's all of that. He's the Club's SAA, babe. Happy is always concerned about protecting the Club. I think he just saw the possibility of shit going wrong if something happened to Nico and is taking the necessary steps to preemptive shit."

"Oh really?" Lyla derided. "If that is all it is, why is he looking after Nico? Any patch or prospect could do the job, right?"

Opie shrugged. "Probably, but—"

"But this way, he gets to keep Nico all to himself."

"You sure are reading a lot into this sitch, Ly."

"It's called woman's intuition Opie. You should look into that shit," Lyla laughed. "Besides, men like Hap are usually the last ones to realize that their really into a woman until it's too fucking late and she's got him by his short and curlies."

"You know you're talking a lot of shit?"

"It's shit I know. After all," Lyla said as she stroked his beard, "that's how it happened with us."

Refusing to acknowledge Lyla's knowing smirk, Opie changed the subject. "Well, what about Nico?" Opie asked. "Do you think she's into Hap? It looks to me like she is."

"Oh Ope, you know I can't dime Nico like that," Lyla said as she made to get up from the bed, only for her old man to yank her back down.

"Hey! You're the one who brought this shit up. You just mined me for a shit load of Intel on Hap," he blustered. "The least you can do is return the favor."

"Nope, no can do, babe." Lyla winked. "It's kind of like Church. What's discussed between us women is on a need to know basis, and right now you don't need to know." Standing up, Lyla made quick work to strip off tank and boy shorts and now naked turned to head for the shower. "Besides, I'd rather discuss some other things right now—like what you're going to do to me in the shower," she purred.

Feeling his cock starting to stand at attention, Opie shrugged and stripping out of his boxers went to join his wife.

This shit is what happens when I let my dick do the thinking. That quasi-interrogation was definitely a Marlowe-inspired scenario. Hap is right. Ly is learning way too much from Jax's old lady. I don't know what she and my old lady is up to, but I get the feeling that I better stay the fuck out of it.

Something tells me that these old ladies are gunning for my brother. Hap is just going to have to take care of himself.

Tonight was a good night, Marlowe thought to herself as she readied Abel for bed.

Throwing together a dinner party this weekend had definitely been a spur of the moment thing and even though she had been tempted to invite a few more people—like her favorite sperm donor Kozik and his trusty sidekick Tig—she ultimately decided that it was best to keep it simple. After all, dinner was just a pretext for getting her brother and the Club's new counselor in the same room for a little observation.

A little devious, sure, but the evening had been a roaring success. Although Marlowe had never anticipated that settling in Charming would morph her into a happy homemaker like her Tía, she had to admit that she had enjoyed cooking and hosting as much as her guests had enjoyed eating and being catered to. The kids had especially enjoyed a good time, socializing among themselves and quizzing their parents about SAMCRO history. As a result, however, the youngest of the bunch was giving her a bit of a hard time during their nightly bedtime routine, resisting going to bed and, if he must, insisting that he wanted to sleep with Marlowe .

Freshly bathed and dressed in Spiderman footie pajama's, Abel had roped Marlowe into reading him two bedtime stories after Jax had already read him one. The little tyke was definitely putting up a good fight.

"I don't wanna to sleep in my bed," Abel pouted, his small arms folded across his chest as he eyed Marlowe with a militant eye. "I wanna sleep with you and Daddy, pease?" he whined.

Marlowe gave her little boy a tight squeeze before ruffling his hair. "You know the deal, Abel. You have a big boy bed now and that's where you need to sleep." Giving his father a side glance, Marlowe was hard pressed not to laugh out loud. Jax was standing at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed over his broad chest exactly like his son and the hairy eyeball he was giving her speaking volumes.

Sorry pal, but my ass belongs to your father tonight and he's not interested in sharing.

"But I like sleeping with you and daddy," Abel protested.

"Sorry little man, but you're sleeping solo tonight," Jax said sternly.

A calculating gleam—identical to his grandma's, Jax noted— suddenly appeared in the little boy's eyes. "Can I sleep with you tomorrow?" he asked.

Catching his old lady's eye, who gave him a sheepish shrug of the shoulders, Jax sighed.

I'm about to bust a nut here, Jax thought grimly. He loved that his son was so attached to Marlowe, but his frequent attempts at cock-blocking his old man were a little much sometimes.

"Okay," Jax finally capitulated. "You can sleep with us tomorrow, but tonight you're staying here."

Abel grinned, apparently quite pleased with his negotiation skills. "Okay, Daddy." Pulling away from Marlowe, he crawled on his hands and knees to the foot of the bed where Jax picked him up and tossed him in the air as Abel giggled and screeched happily.

"Jax, he throws up on ya, you're gonna bathe him again," Marlowe warned.

Stretching out his arms, Abel grinned as Marlowe took him from his father and bent down to tuck him in. "See, Mommy, I didn't throwed up. I be good."

Marlowe so busy snuggling the boy into the soft and colorful Spiderman comforter that it took several seconds for Abel's words to penetrate.

"Uh, wha—what did you say, baby?" she stuttered.

"I gonna be good," he piped up with a smile.

"No, sweetheart, I mean—" Marlowe moistened her suddenly dry lips. "I'm mean what did you call me?" she said quietly as she sat down on the bed next to him.

Standing unseen behind her, Jax had a huge grin on his face as he waited for his son's reply.

"I called you 'mommy'," Abel whispered. Looking over at his father and seeing his father's smile and encouraging wink, he continued. "Piper calls Auntie Lyla mommy." He reached up to place his chubby hands on either side of her face. "So youse my mommy now, right?"

With her heart a staccato beat in her chest, Marlowe swallowed the huge lump in her throat and blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to stop the swell of tears. "Yes, baby I am," she whispered. "I'm your Mommy now."

Snaking his small arms around her neck, Abel gave her a fierce hug. "I love you, Mommy."

"And I love you too, baby boy," Marlowe said brokenly and she squeezed her son to her. Pressing kisses on his hair and face, she was finally able to control her emotions and tuck her son into bed.

On the other side of the bed, Jax reached down to kiss his son on the forehead. "Sleep tight, little man," and reaching across the bed, he grabbed Marlowe's hand. "C'mon on, darlin'. Time for bed." Pulling her up, he led her out of the room and closed the door behind them.

Standing in front of their California King bed, Jax looked at his old lady. He could count on one hand with three fingers down, the number of times his old lady had ever shed tears in his presence—once while in the middle of suffering a PTSD nightmare—the last at the happy news confirming that his brother Kozik was her biological father. Now as he watched her try and fight her emotions, he knew that she needed to let them out.

"You okay little mama?" he said quietly.

"I'm a fuckin' mess, is what I am," Marlowe swiped under her eyes while the soldier in her tried valiantly to dispel her tears and failed miserably. "Oh shit," she blubbered as instead they started to rain down heavily.

As Jax wrapped his arms around his old lady she buried her face into his neck. "I am Abel's mommy," she gasped as the realization really hit her. "Babe, I really am his mother."

Jax tangled his hands through her long caramel colored locks as he focused on her bright gray eyes as they continued to flood tears. "That's right, you sure are darlin'. The absolutely best mother he could possibly have and we have a really smart kid because Abel knows it too. His birth mother was useless and abandoned him, and Tara was nothing but a poor substitute who couldn't even protect him when he needed it the most. There's no one in the world I could ever trust to be his mother. You're the only one, and I'm so fuckin' proud of you."

Taking her lips with his own Jax kissed her deeply. As Marlowe eagerly returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to bury her hands into his hair, he settled his hands around her ass and hoisted her up. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, Jax turned and gently laid her across the bed.

Gently making quick work of stripping her of her faded Navy tank, Marlowe moaned as Jax found her soft, round breast and pinched her nipple teasingly before taking it in his mouth.

Her hands in his hair, Marlowe gently pulled his head back, her teeth tugging on his bottom lip as he growled, slipping his hand into her underwear.

"Oh God, Jax!" Marlowe moaned. She pulled Jax's mouth back to hers, her hips moving in a circular motion as he stroked her with his fingers. Marlowe gasped, her breathing quickening and her eyes fluttering closed as she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out, fearful of waking their son.

"Look at me, darlin'." He whispered, coaxing Marlowe to look him in the eye as she gave in to the convulsions that shook her body as she came against his hand. Bringing his hand to his mouth, Jax sucked her juices from his fingers as she watched him through half-hooded eyes. As he unbuckled and unzipped, pushing his jeans down to his ankles, Jax promised himself that as long as he had air in his lungs, no other man would ever hear his name fall from her lips like this. Tearing her skimpy briefs apart, Jax ripped them off her hips. Kissing her hard and deep until she was almost whimpering, Jax forced her legs open and up around his waist as he pushed himself inside her. Marlowe lifted her hips off the bed to meet his manic thrusting.

Suddenly, Jax was back on his knees and Marlowe cried out as he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her towards him. Impaling her as deep has he could go, Jax grunted as he pounded into her over and over. With their eyes locked on each other, Marlowe moaned as she pulled at her hardened nipples, letting herself go as Jax brought her to a shaking and violent release once again. She couldn't help but smile at the look of self-satisfaction on his face and yet the tenderness that lighted his face spoke of so much more than having made her cum. As many times as they had made love before, this time was different. It was as if the declaration of Abel's love for her had them both realizing that they were truly now a complete family unit, and Marlowe felt like she was truly home.

Letting go of her hips, Jax held onto Marlowe's arms and pulled her off the bed until she was straddling him. Coiling her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair, a stunning thought managed to pierce his mind.

No one will ever take this woman from me and our son.

Laying quietly, basking in the afterglow with her old man, Marlowe couldn't believe how the evening had ended. Abel's revelation had truly stunned her. She had known that a strong bond had indeed formed between herself and Abel, but it had not really dawned on her how much that love and feeling was reciprocated and receiving that sweet and innocent love had seemingly dispelled all the feelings she had believing herself incapable of being a mother to a child. There was no doubt in her mind now that not only could she be a mother to Abel but that she would protect her son with her life.

Maybe this is how Hap felt about me when I was a kid.

With her thoughts turning to her brother, Marlowe smiled in the dark, the breath of a slightly snoring old man tickling the back of her neck as they spooned together.

There was definitely something between Happy and Nico, on that Marlowe was definitely sure. Granted, Nico had only been in Charming for a short while, but there was an undeniable attraction between the two and if Marlowe was a betting woman—and she was—she was sure that things had kicked off between them long before Nico had arrived in town. It was a foregone conclusion that Happy had probably followed Nico home tonight for some fun and games.

With her own family happily settled, it was time for Marlowe to interfere in Happy Lowman's love life. The first step would be to take every opportunity to throw the two of them together. Fortunately for her, her old man had had a hand in that with making Happy responsible for Nico's safety while in NorCal, which had been a very exciting piece of news that he had shared with her. The second would be trickier—getting her brother to see the benefits in making Nico Torelli his old lady.

Of course, Nico would have to be brought on board as well. Marlowe sighed softly.

This matchmaking shit is a lot of fucking work, she thought grimly. Good thing Uncle Sam taught me one valuable piece of advice.

Never give up!

A/N: Now, didn't I say there would be some Jaxlowe in this story? Y'all just need to be patient, that's all! LOL! Marlowe's has her hands full with getting Nappy together, and looks like she has suborned Lyla as a willing assistant, but I think the former hospital corpsman can handle it.

Marlowe finally came to terms with the fact that she is Abel's mother. I have to admit, I got teary-eyed writing that scene. It kind of reminded me of that moment in SOA canon when it hit Tara that she was Jax's old lady. I think this was way better, though! LOL! Having Abel choose her had way more of an impact on Marlowe than had she started prompting him to call her mommy, don't you think? Let's just hope that this new confidence she now has continues to grow.

This was a huge chapter, so please send us some detailed reviews for this chapter, which I could not have done without plagiarizing some of Harlee's previously written sexy times as I have absolutely no skills in that regard!

Next Chapter: Progress is made regarding discovering the culprits behind Luann's murder, Nico has a heart-to-heart with a patch (maybe you can guess who) and Nico gets in a little target practice.

Hugs, WebStar