Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy. I do, however, own Jolene and any other OCs that appear in the Jaxene Universe.

Fawn was Tig Trager's daughter through and through. Like her father, she wasn't afraid of confrontation. Unlike her father, though, she didn't seek it out. She did, however, suffer from perpetual diarrhea of the mouth, so confrontation usually played a part of her day in one form or another.

With "Calm the fuck down" apparently not a part of the Trager family lexicon, Fawn wasn't the type to shy away from confrontation either. Although she would never consider biting someone's ear off when confronted by an adverse situation, Fawn usually chose to deal with whatever shit storm decided to come her way head-on, even if the consequences ended up biting her in the ass. That part of her personality was completely at odds with what was expected of her regarding the whole Tina situation.

After Clay Morrow had vacated the premises, leaving Tina alive, but emotionally beaten after his verbal assault, Fawn had managed to convince her friend to stay put in Charming until they could figure out their next move. Instead of taking her home, Opie—with a couple of well-placed kisses in the crook of her neck and some ass-groping—had managed to convince her to leave her car behind and ride back with him to his dorm. Being in desperate need of some good and proper loving, Fawn was already sitting on his bike before he made it down the walkway.

Once ensconced in the privacy of Opie's room at the Clubhouse, however, Redwood had nearly blown her craving for some dirty biker nookie by suddenly going all caveman on her ass. And not in the good way either.

After getting Tina's side of the story, Fawn's guilt over her role in bringing her to Charming in the first place was somewhat alleviated. Her intention had never been to hurt Jolene and she wanted the young woman to know that. They were going on almost two days without speaking and Fawn felt it was now the time to reach out to Jolene and work things out between them. Unfortunately, her ill-timed announcement of her plans to talk to Jolene and her insistence of going ahead with her plans even after Opie had told her it was a bad idea had forced him to throw out the "Club Business" card.

Confused by how any of this was Club-related, Opie broke it down for Fawn in the simplest way possible: Mind your own business.

As Fawn sat in stunned silence on the edge of his unmade bed, she slowly returned to her senses as she realized that Opie had resumed the task at hand, namely getting her naked.

"Uh," Fawn pushed his hands away and started buttoning up. "I don't think so."

Now it was Opie's turn to be surprised as Fawn went on a hunt around the room for her hastily discarded ankle boots. Standing in the middle of the room half-naked and fully erect in his jeans, Opie face-palmed himself.

"Shit, baby. That didn't come out right at all." He said.

"You think?" Fawn retorted sarcastically as she pulled the caddy-cornered dresser away from the wall to retrieve her missing boot.

"No, seriously, Fawn," Opie approached her. Grabbing the boots out of her hands, he tossed them on the floor next to the bed before pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such an asshole."

Opie was unable to stifle a groan as Fawn first rubbed, then grabbed a handful of manhood currently straining the crotch of his black denim. "It must be the lack of oxygen making its way to your brain."

Opie laughed, the sound a deep and sexy rumble, as he bent his head to nibble at the space between her ear and collarbone. "You gonna help me out with that? Get my circulation pumping again?"

Fawn cut loose with a girlish giggle. "No way, asshole!" She pushed him away. "If you're taking back this mind-your-own-business shit—which, for the record, are words that I should NEVER hear coming from your mouth again, Outlaw—then you need to explain to me what the big deal is about me wanting to talk to Jolene now." Fawn insisted.

"Babe, I understand where you're coming from," Opie started, running his hand through his loose shoulder-length hair. "You wanna clear the air with Jo and, in your mind, the sooner the better—"

"Exactly, Ope. I need to know where I stand with Jolene because she sets the standard that determines how I'm treated in this Clubhouse." Fawn explained earnestly. "Don't think I didn't notice that every single patch hanging out in the Main Room tonight suddenly became engrossed in picking the dirt out from under their fingernails just so they wouldn't have to look at me when I walked in. I need to know where I stand with the SAMCRO Queen because if I'm not welcomed here, if I'm the enemy, there's no point in me setting foot in the Clubhouse again."

"Fawn, baby," Opie pulled her into his arms again. "You're over-thinking this shit. I've known Jolene since we were kids and I'm telling you, poking a stick at an angry mama bear is not gonna help you in any way. All the shit she's managed to compartmentalize for so many years has hit her sideways. She needs time to make sense of all the noise in her head. Once she's had the chance to think things through, she's gonna realize that none of this is your fault and she'll make the first move. Trust me, there's no forcing Jolene's hand on any issue, especially when she feels she's in the right, but she's big enough to admit when she's wrong, too." Opie cupped Fawn's face, his fingers buried in her silken hair. "And with all due respect to old ladies, none of them run shit in this Clubhouse. I love Jo like a sister, Gemma like a mother, but SAMCRO is a brotherhood and I'm VP. Anyone makes you feel unwelcomed in my Clubhouse—old lady, croweater, hang-around, another brother—you tell me and I'll handle shit."

Opie dipped his head and caught her sweet lips in a tender kiss. Pulling away slightly, Fawn ran her fingers through his beard lightly, her vivid blue eyes wide and round as they engaged his. "I just want things to go back to the way they were, Redwood. For a minute there, life was so good." She almost whispered.

"It still is. We're still good, right? That mind-your-own-business was a brain fart on my part, babe." He teased as he nipped at her lips. "You and Tig are better than ever and I know for sure he's got your back on this. Just like I do. And as soon as the dust settles, everyone else will fall in line, I promise."

"You promise?" Fawn repeated, doubt clearly evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I do." Opie replied emphatically.

"So there's no way the Club can make you reconsider your choice of pussy?" Fawn asked, her brow furrowed as she suddenly became interested in fingering the Reaper on his chest.

"What?! Where the hell did that come from?" Opie gently forced her chin up.

Fawn shrugged her shoulders. "Clay. He told Tina that not only should the MC keep me out of the Clubhouse, but that maybe you needed to reconsider your taste in pussy. Hearing that shit hurt, Ope. And I thought he liked me too, but apparently, I was just feeding his caffeine and pound cake addiction."

Opie shook his head. "That's bullshit, babe. You are NOT pussy. Pussy has never made me as happy as you have these past couple of months. You're my girl. You know that, right?" He asked and Fawn nodded. "I'm gonna have a talk with Clay."

Now Fawn was shaking her head violently. "No, Ope, you can't, please. He'll know Tina told me and she's got enough working against her. You have to promise that whatever you and I discuss, especially about Tina, doesn't leave this room. Please."

"Okay, Big Red," Opie agreed, albeit reluctantly. "I promise." Just then, his prepay started ringing in the front pocket of his jeans. Pulling it out with a curse, Opie's eyes widened as he saw the caller i.d. "Shit, I have to take this. It's Jax."

Fawn felt her heart drop to her feet as Opie stepped away to take the call.

After a long, exhaustive night of deep conversation and hot and sweaty love making, Fawn found herself wide awake, her mind refusing to shut down for some much needed sleep long after Opie had passed out. Lying on her side with her right hand tucked under the pillow supporting her head, Fawn had been watching Opie sleep since before the party in the Main Room had wound down and the sun had begun to rise.

Opie was fast asleep on his back, his left forearm draped over his eyes. Biting her lip, Fawn let her eyes roam over the fine specimen of man she was sharing a bed with. His muscled chest, as solid as a brick wall, rose and fell gently with his deep, even breaths. He had kicked his legs free from the confines of the covers and the thin summer blanket barely covered his impressive package, leaving the muscles on his hips that formed a deep "V" exposed.

Even in a deep slumber he's a total bad ass and sexy as hell, Fawn smiled to herself. He's all man and he's all mine.

But for how long? Inner-Fawn chimed in, but Fawn refused to let her mind wander to the bad place Jax's phone call last night had taken her to.

Although on the surface the news Jax had shared was good, reading between the lines, Fawn got the sense that she was once again on the outside looking in as far as Jolene Teller was concerned. According to Jax, if Tina chose to stay in Charming to help Fawn with the salon that was her business. She could rest assured that no one would interfere or make her stay unpleasant. All Tina had to do was agree to steer clear of Jolene and her family as the young woman had no interest in seeing or speaking to her birth mother ever again. Violate the agreement once and Jolene would run her ass out of Charming herself.

As far as Opie was concerned, that was indeed fantastic news, but to Fawn the definition of "her family" was a little murky. Did that mean Jolene's immediate family, or did that extend to include SAMCRO as well? And if it did, where did that put Opie and his kids? What hit Fawn like a punch in the gut was the implication that, by associating with Tina, she herself was no longer a part of the extended SAMCRO family.

Opie had done his part to convince her she was reading too much into it and that no one outside of their relationship had a say in it. Fawn had been able to set aside her anxieties while she had been wrapped in his arms as he made love to her. But once their passion for each other had been quenched and their ardor had cooled as fatigue set in, her worries came rushing back and had kept Fawn awake for the rest of the night.

Looking on the bright side, at least Tina wouldn't be bullied out of town. If SAMCRO chose to shut her out because of her association with Tina, Fawn had to ask herself why she would want to be a part of their clique anyway. After all, it was obvious they were too busy picking splinters out of everyone else's eyes before yanking the giant wooden beam out of their own. Fawn didn't have time for petty bullshit or hypocrisy. She had a business to get off the ground and a dear friend to get unpacked and settled in.

Having managed to ease her way out of Opie's bed, Fawn tip-toed her way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. It was early, barely an hour past dawn, but even though exhausted from not sleeping, Fawn was eager to get her day started. The plan was to sneak out of the Clubhouse and head home to change into something appropriate for moving boxes and unpacking before showing up bright and early on Tina's doorstep. Considering that Ope usually slept with one eye open, however, she shouldn't have been startled when she quietly opened the bathroom door and found her man wide awake and sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for her.

"Hey." She smiled, wrapped in a large pale green bath towel with her hair in a top knot.

"Hey yourself," Opie replied as the big man held his long arms out for her. Without another word, Fawn walked into his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Why are you up so fuckin' early?" He asked, pulling at her towel until it fell to the floor. Gently squeezing her breasts together, Opie nuzzled his face in the valley they created. With her hands balled up in his hair, Fawn let out a soft moan as his tongue lapped at one of her nipples before taking it into his mouth, sucking on it until it felt so good it hurt.

"Shit, that's a good question." Fawn replied, a little breathless and slightly weak-kneed, causing Opie to chuckle. Sweeping aside his mop of reddish brown bed head, Fawn pulled his chin up. Bringing her lips to his, they kissed each other ardently as Opie cupped her ass and pulled her closer.

"Mmmm," Opie groaned as he forced himself to break their kiss. "So tell me, why did I wake up to find my bed half empty?"

"I'm sorry. I tried not to wake you up, but now that Tina's been cleared to stay in Charming, I wanted to get over there and get her unpacked before she changes her mind and hightails it out of town. I figured I'd leave you to enjoy the rest of your Sunday in peace."

"Well, you figured wrong." Opie advised calmly. The big biker fell back onto the bed, lifting Fawn off her feet and rolling her onto her back as she let out a high-pitched squeal. "See, first, you need to help me take care of this morning wood."

"Oh really?" She giggled, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck as she wriggled her hips against his, forcing a sexy growl out of Opie. "And then what?"

"Then we'll do our part for water conservation by taking a shower together." His green eyes danced wickedly over hers as he nudged her legs apart with his knee before grinding his hips into hers.

"But I already took a shower." Fawn faux-argued.

Hey, I've got no problem getting wet again, inner-Fawn argued.

"Trust me, babe. When I'm done with you, you're gonna want another shower." Opie promised lecherously. "And after, we'll head back to your place and grab some breakfast before you change so we can go help Tina unpack." He wanted to smile as he saw her bottom lip tremble slightly. Instead, he sucked it into his mouth before kissing her deeply again.

It was his continued use of 'we' that tugged at her heart. "We, huh?" Grabbing a handful of hair, she pulled him away.

"Ow, woman! Damn! What?" Opie asked with mock-indignation. "Did you really think I was gonna let my girl move a shit load of boxes by herself?"

Fawn had to blink a couple of times to hold back the sudden rush of tears. "Ope, if helping us out is gonna cause a problem between you and Jolene—"

Opie shushed her with another deep kiss. "Then that's between me and Jolene, okay? Besides, I know Jo. She may be in a bad place right now, but she won't hold it against me if I help my woman out."

Fawn suddenly arched her back, letting out a soft whimper, as Opie entered her slowly. With his elbows on the bed on either side of her head, he buried his hands in her flaming hair. Releasing it from its top knot, Opie kissed and sucked from her neck to her jawline before enveloping her mouth, their tongues dancing against each other as Opie slowly picked up speed.

Opie's feelings for Fawn were strong and intense and raw. He didn't fall in love easily, but once he did, he was all in. If he was honest with himself, Opie had known he was in love with Fawn before she had tried kicking his ass to the curb on Friday. In that moment, however, the fear of losing her had been so great that he had to admit to himself that he loved her and would plow through anyone or anything to protect her.

Accepting that he loved Fawn, Opie no longer felt overwhelmed by the guilt he had been feeling over being truly happy with a woman that wasn't his late wife. He loved Donna and always would, but the two women could not be further apart in their differences and he knew the love he felt for Fawn was slightly different. Not based on the uncertainty of young love—he had lost count of the many times he and Donna had broken up before finally settling down—but on the maturity and level-headedness he and Fawn have achieved by overcoming their different set of obstacles in life.

As much as Opie wanted to tell Fawn he loved her, he couldn't. Not yet. Not until he knew what place, if any, he held in her heart.

While Fawn had openly shared the details about her troubled youth in Oregon and the new life she had made for herself in Seattle, she had not been overly forthcoming about her love life. By Big Red's own admission, Tina knew Fawn better than anyone. Helping Fawn's new partner settle in would give him the opportunity to not just find out more about Tina, but maybe he could gain some insight about his girl. Specifically, there had to be a reason why a beautiful, vibrant, and sexually giving and loving woman would deliberately take herself off the relationship market for over a year, and Opie wanted to know what that was.

I may be her first lover since her self-imposed celibacy ended, but I intend to be the last one, too.

The bright morning sunshine was spilling through the windows of her temporary home. Even during the summer, this wasn't something Tina was used to living in Seattle, where there were more reported sightings of Big Foot than the number of times the sun actually made an appearance.

Tina twisted a couple of rings on her fingers as she paced back and forth. It was a nervous habit she had developed since switching to decaf after her last physical and a habit that had become more aggressive since arriving in Charming. With the damage her past drug use had done to her body, namely her heart, her doctor believed she could do without the stimulant that was caffeine. That was easy for him to say, of course, because he probably never had the prospect of a small army of angry bikers gunning for him.

Reliving the moment she had come face-to-face with her daughter for the first time in many years, Tina lamented that the shock and anger she had seen play over Jolene's pretty face physically hurt her heart more than caffeine ever could.

Heading to the kitchen to pour herself a dreadful cup of decaf, Tina sat down at the kitchen table to punish herself again with the last memory she had of a teenage Jolene. It had been her final horrible act as a mother and Tina was sure it was just one of the many reasons Jolene hated her. As much as she wanted that not to be the case, Tina couldn't blame her daughter because she hated herself too. Tina winced as in her mind's eye she could see herself banging on the small bedroom door where Jolene had slept, screeching like a maniac and calling the 17-year old every vile name she could think of as she threatened to kill her.

Threatening to kill my own flesh and blood to protect a piece of shit pimp I hated with a passion, Tina thought disgustedly. But if she were honest with herself, Tina had loved Pretty Ricky as much as she had hated him, if only for the drugs he provided. With him around, there always seemed to an endless supply of what she needed to help her forget she was living a wasted life.

Even though Clay had looked at her as if he hadn't believed her when she told him, Tina was indeed indebted to him for saving her life. He had beaten her within an inch of her life before forcing her to sign the papers giving him full custody of their daughter. By what little he had said regarding the matter, Clay had made it abundantly clear that Ricky was dead, his way of avenging the near-rape his baby girl. He also made it clear that the only reason he was leaving her alive was in case family court decided to contact her about her "sudden" change of heart. He trusted that she would corroborate his version of the agreement they had made regarding custody, or he would send the same guy that had sent Ricky on a permanent vacation to deal with her.

Little did Clay know that, with Ricky dead, he had set her free from the life she had seen no escape from. It had taken her a while to recover from the beating, but once she had, Tina finally sought the help she needed.

Tina's guilt for what had nearly happened to Jolene and her part in it had eaten away at her for years. For a long time, she believed that she had passed down her own bad and corrupted genes to her daughter. That in spite of the loving upbringing Jolene had in her father's care, turning out just like her egg donor had been inevitable.

If I ever catch up with the skank Fed that fed me that line of bullshit so many years ago, I'll fuckin' rip her heart out.

Angrily musing over all the awful lies fed to her by the ATF about Jolene and her life, Tina's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the distinctive roar of a Harley approaching the house. Stumbling to her feet, Tina trembled a little at the thought that Clay had come to his senses and was here to finish her off without witnesses.

Running to the living room, Tina let out a sigh of relief as she peered out the window and saw Fawn. And she wasn't alone. Tina smiled suddenly as she watched Opie Winston get off his ride, taking a helmet from Fawn, and literally towering over her in her flats. With a raised eyebrow, Tina chuckled as the SAMCRO VP wrapped his arms around Fawn, his bear paw hands firmly clutching her ass and pulling her up against his hard body as he mauled her mouth with his own.

But it wasn't the soft-core porn she was witnessing that had Tina's heart melting with happiness for Fawn. It was seeing the outlaw biker affectionately nuzzle the young woman's throat and then her nose, before giving Fawn a gentle kiss on the forehead that put Opie in the win-win column for Tina. The affection he displayed was far more loving and telling than his attack on her ass and mouth.

"That boy's in love." Tina said to no one in particular as she bit her thumbnail. She knew Fawn as if she truly were her own daughter and this was usually the point in any new relationship where Fawn bailed.

Before I leave Charming, I have to do my part to make sure that Fawn doesn't send this one packing.

Stripped down to a plain white tee, Opie made quick work of moving the heaviest boxes into the house as Fawn transported several travel trunks on wheels containing just a small fraction of Tina's wardrobe.

Fawn wasn't kidding when she warned him that Tina was not a light packer. Along with her clothes and cosmetics, she had brought along many of her high-end kitchen appliances as well as a few of her favorite pieces of furniture in order to make the furnished rental feel more like a home. Once in California, Tina had made a side trip to Stockton to pick up the order she had placed earlier in the week of supplies for the Take 5 Body Beautiful salon. Opie playfully teased Fawn that he had technically offered to move Tina in, but that offer did not include unpacking, which he estimated they would be doing at least until Labor Day.

Accidentally bumping into Tina after dropping off another box on the floor of the master bedroom, Opie took a step back and looked at her from head to toe.

"Wow," Opie smiled as he shook his head. "I still can't get over how weird it is looking at you, Tina."

"Ope! Don't be rude." Fawn yelped as she dropped a box on the bed.

"Nah, I'm just being honest, babe. It's kinda strange looking at a woman who looks like Jolene's older sister. I just wish Jax were here so he could see for himself what his woman's gonna look like in about 20 years. My brother's a lucky bastard." Opie grinned and threw a wink at Tina.

In spite of the fact that she was anything but a naïve virgin, Tina found herself blushing.

"See what you did?" Fawn playfully shooed him from the room. "Stop gawking at her like that and go move the boxes that are left in the trailer into the kitchen." She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Opie mock-saluted, waiting until Fawn turned around so he could give her denim-clad ass a resounding whack. "Sorry, babe. It was calling my name." He laughed, running out of the room to barely dodge a shoe horn aimed at his head.

"Fawn," Tina chided. "Don't be so rough with him."

"Eh, he's a biker. He can take it." Fawn opened the box she had just brought in to look inside. "Oh, goody! Shoes!"

"I don't know why you're so excited. You don't even wear a size 8." Tina snarked.

"And it's a damn shame too," Fawn breathed as she held up a pair of Manolo Blahnik black leather pointed pumps with an ankle chain. "These are too cute."

"Forget the shoes," Tina grabbed them and threw them back into the box. "Now that I've seen you two together, let's dish."

"About what?" Fawn ignored Tina and pulled out another pair of kick ass shoes to look at. "Me and Ope?"

Tina nodded enthusiastically. "That biker boy is sweet on you!"

Fawn smirked, attempting to wedge her size 10 foot into a lizard-print pump. "Boy hardly describes Redwood."

"Nevertheless," Tina sat down on the edge of her bed. "He's in love with you. I can tell."

"What?!" Fawn gave up on the pump and picked up a Louboutin platform. "What you're seeing is one ridiculously happy man after being treated to a fan-fuckin'-tastic blow job in the shower before coming over here."

Tina shook her head. "You're doing it again."

Frustrated with the feet she had obviously inherited from her father, Fawn gave up on the shoes to turn her attention to Tina. "You're nuts." She said simply, moving the box of shoes to the closet in order to unpack them.

"But you know I'm right." Tina replied, watching her friend carefully place the shoes on the specially-made shoe racks in the walk-in closet of the master bedroom. "So come on, before he comes back, tell me that you're in love with him too."

Dropping the shoes she was holding on the floor of the closet, Fawn turned to face Tina. "I'm happy. Can we just leave it at that?"

"So, you're not in love?" Tina wheedled.

Exasperated, Fawn put a hand on her cocked hip. "I'm. Happy. Please. Stop."

"Ohhhh," Tina nodded as if a light bulb had just gone off in her head. "You're still afraid to commit."

Suddenly flustered, Fawn was struggling to get her words of righteous indignation out when the sound of a bike pulling into the driveway travelled through the open front door and up the hallway to the bedroom.

"The one friendly biker I know is already here." Tina said, slightly alarmed. "Who on Earth is that?"

Both thankful for and nervous about the unexpected reprieve, Fawn shook her head. "There's only one way to find out."

"Hey, brother." Tig said affably as he got off his ride.

"Hey," Opie replied as he met Tig with the standard bro-hug. "I didn't expect to see you over here, man."

"I stopped by the house looking for Fawnzy and came up empty. Figured I'd swing by to see if she was here and if she needed any help." The SAA pulled out a pack of smokes and offered one to Opie, who accepted, before lighting up. "How's shit going on in there?"

"A'ight." Opie replied as he released a large plume of blue smoke. "So I take it you heard Tina's staying?"

"Yeah, heard it from Bobby. Also heard Doll Face ain't too happy, but she's a classy broad and won't complicate things for Fawnzy. I really appreciate that." Tig explained. "I know how close you, Jax, and his old lady are, so I really appreciate you being here for my girl too. She needs all the help she's not too stubborn to accept."

"Yeah, well. I'd like to see her try and chase me away." Opie said, bringing his cigarette to his lips. It didn't work the first time.

Tig shook his head, his nose scrunched up in distaste. "I caught an earful from Gemma, too. That, plus all the shit I heard about this gash back in the day makes me nervous for Fawnzy."

"That was back in the day, Tig." Opie reassured him. "She doesn't seem to be a gash now."

Tig exhaled a trail of smoke as he eyed Opie thoughtfully. Jax had blind faith in his VP's opinions, so if Opie didn't have a problem with Tina, maybe she wasn't half bad.

Or maybe Fawnzy's just leading him around by the dick and he can't think too straight, Tig smirked to himself.

"Then what is she like, man?"

"See for yourself." Opie replied, nodding towards the house.

And Tig Trager turned around in time to get his first look his daughter's best friend.

Fawn was smiling in relief as she walked through the wide-open front door to see the all too familiar patch talking to Opie.

"Well, shit," Tina breathed. "That's your father, isn't it?"

Fawn grinned. "That's my old man," She said a little boastfully. "Let me introduce you."

The two women made a pretty picture as they walked towards the two bikers. Tig, however, ignored his daughter as his fierce blue eyes centered on the woman at her side.

What the fuck? Tig marveled to himself over the fact that the woman walking towards him was almost a dead ringer for Jax's old lady. It's Doll Face the Sequel. Removing his sun glasses, Tig shoved them into the pocket of his kutte so he could get a better look. The bitch is fuckin' hot.

Wearing a pair of tight black leggings that stopped at a pair of firm and shapely calves, Tig almost salivated at the nice-sized rack fitted into a white tank top with a deeply rounded neckline, exposing undeniably firm and perky breasts. Shit, I'm a sucker for big tits, he nearly groaned out loud, feeling a slight twitch in his pants. With her heart-shaped face, dark hair and green eyes, Tina was obviously the mature version of her hot-as-fuck daughter.

"Hey, Dad." Fawn said enthusiastically. Tig wasn't much for public displays of affection, so she snaked her arm around his waist and grinned as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, Fawnzy." He greeted, his eyes fixated on Tina. "I guess this must be your friend."

"Yep, this is Tina Giamatti. Tina, my jarhead of a father, Tig."

Tig extended a powerful hand to take Tina's perfectly manicured one in a possessive grip.

Tina had seen photos of Fawn's father before, so thanks to his dark curly hair and tall, lean frame, she had recognized him right away. Photos, however, simply hadn't done him justice.

In the flesh, Tig was a rough-looking hardcore biker. Outfitted completely in black with multiple heavy silver rings on his fingers, she wouldn't want to come across him in a dark alley, but he was still sexy as hell. Although she knew he was about 57, Tina was hard pressed to believe it. Not only did he carry himself with the cocky confidence of a much younger man, Tina could tell that he kept himself in shape. And those eyes, so much like his daughter's, had an untamed quality to them that spoke volumes. He was dangerous, and not just in the obvious outlaw way. After years of being with just one man, her late husband, Tina could still sense a man's sexual energy and Tig Trager's was the most powerful she had come into contact with in a hell of a long time.

As his large hand gripped hers, Tina felt her heart jump in her chest, which surprised her. After all, she had been around and, even though she was clean and sober, men were still a weakness. She had, however, given up on the bad boy-types once she had changed her life for the better. Seeing the raw admiration and heat reflected in the biker's eyes, Tina swallowed the lump in her throat.

There's no harm in flirting, though.

"It's really nice finally getting the chance to meet you after all this time," Tina said softly. "I've heard so much about you, I feel like we've met before."

"Shit, doll, I'd remember meeting you before," Tig gently squeezed her hand, but didn't let it go. "I've heard a lot about you too, but don't worry. I have no intention of holding any of that shit against ya."

"Dad!"

The SAA shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, just being honest here. Anybody who goes to bat for my kid is okay in my book." Releasing his hold on Fawn, Tig smoothly transitioned his arm around a startled Tina's shoulders as he continued holding her hand in his powerful grip. "It's getting hot out here. Why don't you invite me in for a nice cool drink and tell me about yourself?"

"I can manage that," Tina said, a flirtatious smile spreading across her face. "After all, this is Charming. The name says it all, doesn't it?"

Fawn stood in shock as her father and her best friend headed inside. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I hate to break it to ya, babe, but that was your daddy putting the moves on your friend." Opie drawled with amusement. "You okay with that?"

Fawn looked up at Opie as if he had just lost his mind. "I would think the look of horror on my face speaks for itself, don't you?"

"Well, hold onto that look," Opie wrapped his arm around Fawn's shoulders and pulled her to his side as they headed inside as well. "Because something tells me shit's gonna get seriously twisted in Charming."

Fawn felt her left eye twitching rapidly as her head bounced back and forth between her friend and her father as if she were watching a tennis match between two equally-matched opponents, both intent on winning.

I think I'm having a stroke, Fawn gingerly fingered the eye that had suddenly developed a nervous tic.

She wasn't quite sure how it happened, but Tig had stuck around for the rest of the day to help with the unpacking. Even though there had been a heavy dose of flirting going on between Tig and Tina, her father had managed to help them make a big dent in getting Tina organized and settled in.

With only her personal effects left to organize and put away, Tina had extended the small group an invitation for Sunday dinner as a way to thank them for all of their help. Now, after quickly throwing together a simple dinner of turkey Italian sausage and peppers served on top of angel-hair wheat pasta in a butter garlic sauce and thick wedges of homemade garlic bread made with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, the four of them were sitting around the dining room table talking, laughing and eating.

Well, three out of four were talking, laughing and eating. Fawn, the lone dissenter, was too creeped out by the heavy flirting going on between Tig and Tina to do anything more than count the number of times her eye spasmed in the last hour.

Catching her man's eye, Fawn wriggled her eyebrows at the two people sitting across from each other and the obvious sexual tension she could cut with a knife. Opie shrugged his shoulders as if telling Fawn to let it go as she continued to squirm in her seat. Taking pity on her after the rough weekend she's had, Opie decided to break up the sudden love fest that had erupted between the older couple.

Knowing Tig, he'll get me back for cock-blocking, but Fawn needs a break.

"So when are you starting down at the shop, Tina?" He asked as he twirled some pasta on his fork.

Tina found herself having to pull away from Tig's mesmerizing and sparkling blue gaze to answer. "That's a good question," She started. "I think I'm going in tomorrow, right?"

"That's right," Fawn replied, relieved. "I'm bringing my car over so we can move the supplies you brought for the salon." She said excitedly. "I can't wait for you to see the progress we've made so far."

Tina grinned. "I can't wait to finally see everything and meet everyone, especially Lexie. We really didn't get a chance to talk on my first day here. I'm sure I didn't make a good impression." She said a little wryly.

"Nah, no need to worry about that shit. Lexie's a good bitch," Tig replied. "Even though I do think she's scared to death of me."

"Uh, yeah." Fawn punched her father on the shoulder. "Undressing a woman with your eyes isn't always the best way to set her mind at ease when you meet them for the first time."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Tina said glibly. "It hasn't bothered me at all." She said saucily.

Tig grinned. "See, Tina understands me." The SAA replied, pointing a fork at his daughter. "Sometimes you are too fuckin' uptight. You get that crap from your mother. You need to loosen up a bit."

Opie managed to turn his laughter into several robust coughs as he eyed the mutinous expression on his woman's face. "Big Red's pretty loose," Opie spoke up, looking to score some brownie points with Fawn by making her father squirm. "I can make her bend in ways I didn't think were possible."

Both Fawn and Tina almost spit up the mineral water they had been drinking as Tig inhaled a mouthful of pasta, nearly choking.

After a productive Monday morning at the salon meeting with Tina, Lexie, and their construction foreman Bill, Fawn was feeling pretty damn good about the progress they were making. Considering all the unexpected expenses and delays due to plumbing and electrical problems, it was safe to say that this was the first time since breaking ground on the renovations that Fawn could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

With Tina now available to oversee the completion of the Body Beautiful Day Spa upstairs, Fawn and Lexie were now free to tie up loose ends before shutting the salon down for business in order to begin the final phase of construction. Demolition of the shop currently known as Gina's Cut-N-Curl would take about ten days. After that, the raw space would be transformed into Take Five. If all went according to plan, Fawn was less than four weeks away from seeing her dream come to fruition, none of which would have been possible without Tina's involvement.

After their construction status meeting, the new partners had headed over to Nicky's Diner for their first "power lunch", where they discussed plans for the grand opening and marketing ideas, including the salon's new website. As the three furiously jotted down notes of ideas they were tossing around over grilled chicken salads and iced tea, Fawn found herself breathing a sigh of relief.

Although Lexie hadn't said anything to lead her to believe otherwise, Fawn had been worried that Lexie would regret taking Tina on as a partner after the spectacle that had unexpectedly erupted on Friday. But upon arrival at the salon, Tina did not hesitate to approach Lexie to apologize and to assure her that scene had been a one-off situation, one that she would die before having play out in their place of business. Lexie had been gracious about the apology and had in turn assured Tina that she trusted Fawn's judgment whole-heartedly and had been on pins and needles all weekend, worried that Tina would head back to Seattle.

After witnessing Tina put the screws to their foreman Bill about not tolerating any further delays and hearing her recite from a journal she had been using to catalog ideas for the salon, Lexie knew she had been right to put her complete faith in both Fawn and Tina.

"For the website," Tina started as she pulled a folder out of her designer laptop bag. "I've met with a couple of graphic designers in Seattle last week and I think I've found exactly who we should bring on board to work with your website guy—what's his name again?"

"Juice." Fawn replied as she took a bite of the slice of cherry pie they were sharing for dessert.

Tina furrowed her brow. "I won't ask."

"Good, 'cause I don't know the answer." Fawn replied as Lexie chortled. "You should know he's a member of the Club."

"And he's still willing to work with me on the website?" Tina asked doubtfully.

Fawn nodded. "Trust me, if Juice weren't a member of the MC, he'd be part of the Geek Squad. He lives for this kind of shit. He's still on board."

Tina smiled. "Good. As I was saying, I found a graphic designer to work with Juice to create the salon's logo and design for the advertising. I'm working on an advertising budget, so I need a list of local publications and contact information for their marketing departments. Fawn, I know you want to hire at least two more stylists, but I'm leaving that to your and Lexie's discretion. I have, however, been in contact with every cosmetology school up and down the coast. Recent graduates are eager for the work and, without the experience, much cheaper to hire, so I suggest starting your search there. There are also a number of hair shows coming up. We should pick one within the next six months to attend where you would like to introduce the new salon."

"Oh man, along with overseeing construction of the spa, you have your hands full, Tina." Lexie noted after draining her second cup of coffee. "When do you plan on sleeping?"

Tina inhaled deeply and let out a quick breath of air. "Never. I forgot to mention I'm also working on a plan for grand opening cross-promotions with other local businesses and on developing my personal recipes for body scrubs and moisturizers into a line for the salon."

Listening to the list that would be keeping Tina's plate full, Fawn was in complete awe of her friend. Bringing Tina on had definitely been the right decision. Not only would the money that brought Tina a third of the business keep them afloat while the salon proper was closed, she and Lexie would have been unable to run the administrative side on their own while still running the shop and overseeing their end of the construction. But all work and no fun was totally unlike Tina, so Fawn made a mental note to talk to Lexie about finding ways to show their new partner a good time.

As Tina prattled on and on, Fawn smiled broadly. Finally, everything's going according to plan.

But when the past refuses to be forgotten, it's just a matter of time before Fawn's world turns to shit. Again.

With the salon suddenly overrun by walk-ins, Ellie Winston was being kept busy multi-tasking as she assisted the other stylists. Having started her day at one o'clock, she had missed seeing the new partners and was anxiously waiting for them to return from lunch.

With her father pretty much missing in action, nothing unusual on the weekends since he had hooked up with Fawn, Ellie had spent the past couple of days filled with angst, worried about her Aunt Jo, Fawn, and her father. Kenny, the Prospect fly on the Clubhouse wall, had fed her the details on the soap opera that had suddenly erupted in Charming, engulfing her family.

Ellie had been truly stunned by the news that Fawn's best friend and Aunt Jo's birth mother were one and the same. While she didn't know the details of her aunt's life with her mother before she came to Charming, Ellie knew enough to know that Aunt Jo had no love at all for the woman, and that worried Ellie.

She loved her Aunt Jo and had grown to love and admire Fawn as well. She knew how important loyalty was to SAMCRO, so she hoped that Tina's arrival did not cause a rift not only between Fawn and the Club, but between her Dad and Fawn. Ellie, however, was determined to reserve judgment until she actually met the woman Fawn considered a mentor and surrogate mother.

She had been so busy handing slips of aluminum foil to Mary Ellen as she mulled over her thoughts that the happy chatter and girlish laughter did not quite register with Ellie until she heard Fawn call her name. Turning to greet the three women as they returned from lunch, Ellie felt her jaw literally hit the bottom of her shoe.

Seeing the shocked look on the young woman's face, Fawn took the foil from Ellie and placed it on Mary Ellen's station. Grabbing Ellie by the hand, she led her towards the back and motioned for Tina to follow.

"Elle, I want you to meet my friend, Tina." Fawn started, quirking an eyebrow as Ellie continued to stare at the older woman facing them. "Tina, this is Ellie, Opie's daughter."

"It is so great to finally meet you," Tina said, genuinely happy to meet the young woman that Fawn had helped out of a bad situation and who had actually encouraged a relationship between Fawn and her own father. "Are you alright? Fawn, I think she needs water." Tina suggested afraid that Ellie was about to pass out.

Ellie quickly shook off the shock. "No, no. I'm fine. I'm sorry for staring. It's just that—well, I heard you looked a lot like my aunt. I just wasn't prepared for how much."

"That's fine," Tina laughed. "I've been hearing that quite a lot since I arrived in town. I'm sure—" She suddenly stopped, her own eyes widening in shock as the bell above the salon's front door tinkled merrily announcing another walk-in. "Holy shit!"

Standing face-to-face with her new partner, Fawn noticed Tina's face grow a sickly pale and knew that something was dreadfully wrong. Saying a little prayer in hopes that no one else was here to cause trouble for her friend, Fawn's knees almost buckled as she heard the deep baritone voice that at one time used to melt her bones every time she heard it.

"Baby Girl, you sure are a hard woman to find!"

Now it was Fawn's eyes that tripled in size as she silently screamed at Tina that this could not be happening. She quickly found herself being swept off her feet as a pair of very strong arms cradled her against a powerful chest as she was whirled around and around.

With her eyes finally focusing on a pair of familiar pale blue ones, Fawn wondered where the hell were those notorious California quakes when you needed one.

"Fuck me!" She exclaimed horrified.

"First thing's first, beautiful." Her assailant smirked and Fawn panicked as she saw a set of sinfully full, warm and sensual lips aimed in her direction.

Shaking her head violently, the last thing Fawn could remember thinking was "He was such a fuckin' good kisser" as she failed dodging the mouth that completely smothered hers in a breath-taking kiss.

Ellie's eyes widened in astonishment and then narrowed in anger as she saw her friend struggle in earnest against the onslaught of the admittedly sexy man who had seemingly invaded the salon. Frantically patting the pockets of her hot pink smock, Ellie came up empty.

Where the hell is my fuckin' phone?! This is an emergency!

A/N: Aw, don't you just love Opie? I just love how despite the drama surrounding Tina's arrival, he's doing his best to get to know her and support Big Red and trying to be the calm and reasonable person despite the angst-ridden issues beleaguering Fawn and the Club regarding "Tina-gate."

And speaking of the new woman in Charming, it seems that, despite the trail of havoc left in her wake, she's managed to catch the eye of the smoking hot SAA. How this turn of events is going to end up is anyone's guess. For the most part all Tina is concerned about is helping Fawn and Lexie get the business on its feet before she returns to Seattle, although she can't help but flirt with the sexy outlaw. After all, flirting's not a crime!

However, with Fawn's old flame showing up on her doorstep, it just seems as if the poor girl can't catch a break. Even through no fault of her own, she always manages to end up in hot water.

I know you guys probably think I'm TERRIBLE for leaving you with a cliffhanger. Hopefully your reviews will inspire me to get another chapter up and posted sooner rather than later. I need my love in the form of your reviews and I missed hearing from a lot of you last chapter. :)

Stay tuned for the next chapter when Opie meets Fawn's old friend—the infamous Max Ryder—and gets an earful about their history together; Fawn is confronted by Opie about her relationship with Max, who has decided to stick around; Tig bums another meal; and Tina herself gets an unexpected visitor at the salon.

—Harlee