A/N: Here's something to wet your beaks until Wednesday =)

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Playlist: Checking for You – R. City & Coffee (F***ing) [feat. Wale] – Miguel

Disclaimer: Sutter owns SOA

A week… One whole week. Happy had only been gone a week and I'd already deep cleaned my entire apartment, organized all my folders with photos to be developed, arranged the portfolio for the project and managed to make it to my weekly class. By Wednesday I was bored as hell which is how I found myself meandering around campus, looking for something to do. For the life of my I couldn't recall what I used to do to keep myself entertained. The one thing that kept me going was the sporadic calls I would get from Happy. About twice a day, at the most random hours, I would get a call from him just to check up. I had yet to hear from him today, but knew that it would come at some point. I threw my head back, letting out an exasperated huff. Had I always been this boring? There was one good outcome of this whole week and that was when I found my trusty old Polaroid camera. One of the ones that was released in the eighties and my parents let me have when I took an interest in photography at a young age. I still even had a bunch of boxes of film for them, which based on my Google search, was going for near sixty bucks for 8 negatives these days. With film being that expensive I knew that I needed to save the ones I had for a special project. I wasn't sure what would be special enough to justify using the film, but I was certain I'd find something worthwhile. With nothing else to catch my attention, I decided to make the short trek home. I shuffled along, dragging my feet to make the walk a tiny iota longer. I wished for something to occupy my time and as if the heaven's above were listening, the trill of my phone began to go off. I glimpsed at the caller id and grinned.

I slid my finger across the screen to answer, "Hey girl!"

"Elle?" Lyla sniffled on the other side.

I stopped in my tracks, "What's wrong?"

On cue, Lyla's sniffles became full on sobs, "She's here… I… and Opie…"

"Where are you right now?" I cut her off.

She took a deep breath, "Hiding in a closet at the studio."

"Need me to come rescue you? Have a girl's afternoon?" I figured whatever was bothering her could be cured by a little time off.

"Please." She pleaded.

"Alright. I'll drive out. Be there in an hour. Meet me at TM?" I gave her instructions, hoping that it would take away from her problems.

"Okay." She answered.

"See you soon." I replied, hanging up and jogging the rest of the way to my apartment.

I bounded through the lobby doors, skipping up the steps two at time. Once I was inside, I grabbed my bag, keys and sunglasses. I did a quick glance around, spotting the Polaroid 600 Camera sitting on the coffee table. I paused, one the fence about using it but ultimately decided that having a bit of fun with it for Lyla was meaningful. I scooped up three boxes of file and the camera, shoving it all into my bag and shutting the door behind me. Off to Charming I went.

~(xXx)~

When I pulled up to TM, the lot looked ominous without the familiar line of Harley's parked on the side. I spotted both Lyla and Tara sitting at the picnic table. I met with the two other women, witnessing Tara's simple hug with Lyla.

"Elle." Tara greeted with a tentative smile.

I pulled her into a brief embrace, "How's it going?"

"Keeping Lyla some company until you got here." She answered.

I reached out and squeezed Lyla's hand in mine, "You alright?"

She shook her head, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She opened her mouth but I stopped her, "Let's focus on something else. Why don't we go shopping? Or get mani-pedis?"

She gave a half-hearted nod and wiped away the few stray tears that escaped. Tara stood excusing herself and rounding the table. I narrowed my eyes at her retreating back. She'd been acting strange for the last couple of weeks and I wanted to know what was up.

"I'll be right back." I informed Lyla before jogging to catch up with Tara. I reached and touched her arm, "You want to come with?"

Tara startled and spun around, "No, no it's alright. I have to get back to work anyway."

"What's wrong?" I demanded.

She couldn't hide it from me. Something had spooked her. Did it have something to do with why the boys were gone for the week?

She shook her head, "It's nothing." I raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed, "I'm stressed… Getting engaged… the club with the cartel and the death note. I'm just – "

I cut her off, "The what?!"

She grimaced, "Oh shit. I'm sorry Elle."

My eyes widened, "Cartels? They're working with cartels?!"

Tara's hand covered my mouth and she shushed, "Be quiet! You're not supposed to know."

My heart thudded in my chest while I thought about Happy on the open road, nothing to protect him from being shot at. Did this mean they were into drugs? I had an inkling they dealt with guns, but drugs too?

"Calm down." Tara advised, "They're all fine. I spoke to Jax 20 minutes ago."

I pulled my phone out from my pocket with the intention to call Happy. Tara covered my hand with hers and shook her head.

"Seriously Elle, everything is fine." She soothed.

I took a minute to breathe and center my anxiety. If Tara had just spoken to Jax, then everything was fine. Happy always called, always checked in. He would call sometime soon. He wouldn't let me down. I tucked my phone back in my pocket and gazed up at Tara.

"You sure you don't want to spend the afternoon with us?" I confirmed, hoping that she'd give in.

She shook her head, "I really can't. I have to get back to the hospital."

She turned around and climbed into her SUV, leaving Lyla and I to our girl's day. Lyla walked up next to me and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, resting my head against hers. Half a year ago, I would've never thought one of my good friends would be a porn star. I had my regular friends, those everyday ones that I saw on campus, or around the city but Lyla was something more. We clicked. I knew she was hurting, and I knew she would give me the low down when she was ready. Right now I just needed her to know that I cared, that I was her friend and no matter what, that wasn't going to change.

"You wanna drive?" I asked.

She nodded and we both piled into her car.

~(xXx)~

Lyla and I were relaxing in our massage chairs, one lady at our feet, another at our hands. This was exactly what we needed. A day of pampering. On the way over, Lyla had explained the entire story all the way up to the point where she called me hiding in a closet. She told me how Opie wanted her to stop with porn and he thought having a kid was the way to get her out but with the cartel business she wasn't prepared for the dangers of bringing another life into this world, and kept taking birth control behind his back. She told me how he found it one day when him and Jax came to ask about Georgie. While her and Jax were off looking for her producer, Opie stayed in the dressing room and discovered the pills. They had a huge fight over it and she admitted to having an abortion recently. Opie ended up packing up his things and staying at the clubhouse. When she went looking for him the next day, she found Ima leaving and confronted her, learning about Opie's adultery. There were tears, there was swearing and then there was silence. Through the whole recount, I held on to her hand tightly, reassuring her that I would always be here for her. Whenever ever she needed a shoulder to cry on, or even someone to vent too, I was only a phone call away. When we arrived at the salon, I did everything in my power to deter her thoughts from her troubles and gave her a day to relax, regroup and think positive thoughts.

"What're you thinking of for your hands?" Lyla asked, browsing through a look book.

I shrugged, "Probably just boring French tips."

She frowned, "No. I'll find something hot for you."

I laughed as she put her mind to work on finding something for me. While she was bookmarking certain pages I felt the vibration of my cell shoot through my leg. I leaned on my side, digging into my back pocket and pulled it out. All my stress faded away as I read the name on the caller ID.

"It's about time." I answered.

"Excuse me?" He demanded.

"This has been the longest you've gone without checking in." I complained, "What if something had happened? How am I supposed to know that you're ok if you don't call? You've been gone too long. When are you guys getting back?"

He waited until I was done ranting and spoke, "Finished?"

I sighed, "Yes."

"Good. What're you doing?" He asked.

I smiled over at the picture Lyla had shown me, "At the salon with Lyla."

I heard the smirk in his tone, "Getting dolled up for me?"

"Maybe I was… but with that attitude maybe you aren't going to get anything." I teased.

He growled, "Don't test me, woman."

"Just come home. We can fight about out who wears the pants in our relationship then." I joked.

I heard his light chuckle through the sound of rushing wind, "We'll be back Saturday night. Think you can hold out that long."

I groaned, "You're trying to kill me here Hap. I'm tired of waiting…." I hesitated for a second, worried that I might be moving too fast but my heart won over my mind, "I miss you."

There was silence on his end, only the sound of cars and other men talking in the background. I ground my teeth together, throwing my head back onto the seat. I turned to face Lyla, who'd been eavesdropping on our conversation. She gave me a tense reassuring grin, knowing exactly what I was fretting about.

In the background I heard Koz's shout, "Hap! Let's go."

"Saturday." He stated, "We'll be back then."

"Ok." I murmured listening as he hung up.

Lyla reached over, rubbing her hand on my forearm, "He likes you. Don't worry about it."

I shut my eyes, "I should've just left it light. We've never really talked about how we feel for one another."

"They're all like that." She smiled, "Tough on the outside but secretly the biggest teddy bears." Quick to change the subject she flipped open her magazine and pointed to a nail style, "What about this?"

It was gaudy design with glued on rhinestones and wild colours. It was busy and uncoordinated. I hated it.

"You're not serious, are you?" I gaped at her.

She broke out into giggles, "No! Of course not, but the look on your face was priceless."

I shoved m hand into her arm joining in with her giggles, "You're going to make me crazy."

She grinned at my and then turned past a group of pages, pointing out her real suggestion.

~(xXx)~

I waved as Lyla drove off down the street. We had a great day and I was able to cheer her up, if only for a few hours. I hadn't realized that her and Opie were having such troubles, but at the same time knew it wasn't really my place to get involved. I would always be here for Lyla whenever she needed me, and give her advice based on my opinions, but in the end it was their marriage and if they wanted it to work out, they'd have to work on it together without interference from anyone else. She had to go and pick up the kids from the babysitter so she dropped me off at TM, where I'd left my car. I dug through my bag for my car keys. The limited light in the compound making it difficult to see so I settled for dumping everything out onto the asphalt behind my car. While I rummaged through my mess, I heard a distinct roar coming from the side streets. My jaw dropped in shock as I watched the line of Harley's enter the complex. Clay parked, Jackson next to him, Tig after him, Chibs, Happy, Juice, Kozik, Bobby, and finally Opie. I stood up from my squatted position and placed both hands on my hips. Each of the men demounted their bikes, laughing and joking. I narrowed my eyes spotting my Son.

"Happy Lowman!" I scolded.

Every man spun around to find me standing across from them. Happy dropped the cigarette he'd been about to light in surprise, while Kozik gave him a firm pat on the back.

Chibs nudged Happy's shoulder, "Looks like someone's in trouble."

All the boys broke out into a fit of laughter while I stomped over to them. Happy unfroze from his shock and met me halfway.

I smacked his bicep, "You lied to me!" His eyes smoldered as he stared at me. I creased my eyebrows, giving him a side glance, confused at his expression, "You said you weren't going to back until Saturday!"

His hands shot out, one tucking into my hair and the other pressing into my lower back. His lips smashed into mine and I melted into him. Both my hands landed on the edges of his cut and I yanked him closer to me. Apparently he missed me too. I didn't expect him to admit to it, but having him here and being greeted to this kind of reaction solidified my decision to tell him how I felt.

"This doesn't change the fact that you lied." I murmured around his mouth.

His hand on my back slid down, grabbing a handful of my bottom and he mumbled back, "Shut up."

An eruption of wolf whistles, catcalls and whooping broke out from the peanut gallery behind us. Without having his lips leave mine, Happy extended his hand behind him, flashing all the boys the finger. Their laughter rose, cheering for their brother. Happy pulled back, looping his arm around my waist and began to steer me in the direction of the clubhouse. I followed for a few steps then remembered that the entire contents of my purse was laid all over the lot.

"Hold on!" I ducked away from him, skidding over to my bag.

I scrambled to shove everything back into it, pausing when I reached for the camera. A cunning grin formed on my mouth as I thought of the perfect payback. I threw the strap over my shoulder and ran back to Hap, my camera brandished as a weapon.

Happy hauled the clubhouse door open while I blew the boys a kiss, wiggling my eyebrows, "Goodnight."

Hap jerked on my arm, "Elle!"

The boys outside roared with laughter as Happy yanked me through the door and out of sight.

~(xXx)~

Once inside his room, I dropped my bag on the floor, and placed the camera on the bed. With haste I undressed, tugging at my clothes unable to get them off fast enough. In my excitement my head got stuck in the opening of my shirts, tangling with my hair. My arms flopped still, unable to wrangle myself out. Happy's chuckle sounded from next to me and I poked my hip out.

"A little help would be nice." I muffled through the material.

His placed his hands on my bare stomach, running his fingers up my torso, slipping underneath the fabric and pulling it over my head, freeing me from my prison. He dropped the shirt and sweater into a heap on the floor while I pulled on the button of my jeans. I wiggled them down my hips letting them pool around my ankles. I jumped up onto the bed and spread out, leaning against the head board.

"Strip." I ordered.

His eyebrows rose into where his hairline could have been.

I smirked, "Punishment for lying to me."

He rolled his eyes but started pulling off his layers, "I lied because I was going to surprise you at home tonight."

I let out a sweet giggle, "You're adorable."

He grumbled at me, something about how a man like him wasn't adorable but burly and masculine instead. He tugged his t-shirt over his head and I saw his white boxers peeking out from below his jeans. With a seductive curl to his lip, he moved forward about to crawl on to the bed when I grabbed my camera and snapped a photo. The flash ricocheted through the room. I blinked half a dozen times readjusting to the darkness of the room.

"What the fuck." His voice rumbled in the newfound darkness.

I dropped the camera on his side table, the picture in my hand and kneeled up. I waved the film in the air, waiting for it to develop and stuck my tongue out at him.

"Something for our own little art project." I winked.

He lunged forward, knocking me flat on the bed and reached over, grabbing the camera for himself. I squealed throwing my hands up to try and shield my face but he'd already taken the picture. He laid the camera down next to us, taking the picture from it as well as grabbing mine and dropping them down on the table.

"I have a few ideas on how to use that camera." He growled in my ear, nipping at my jaw.

I moaned, "I'm sure you do."

I wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped the both of us so that I was on top of him. I caught both his hands in mine, curling our fingers together and sliding them high above his head, while lowering my chest towards his face.

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and nipped at his ear lobe, "We have enough film to last us all night."

I rolled my hips against him and planted my mouth against his, sucking his lower lip between my teeth. He attempted to pull up but I slammed his arms back down on the bed.

"I call the shots tonight." I whispered to him.

He licked his lips and complied, "Whatever you say, sweetheart."