A/N: It's update day! Hi. Hello. I haven't abandoned you, or this fic!

Playlist: Running - No Doubt

Disclaimer: Sutter/FX own SOA

The door opened to the bright and smiling face of Tristan. I exhaled. A little tension dissolving at the sight of her.

"Chi-chi." I grinned, opening my arms.

She threw herself into my embrace and squeezed. When she pulled back I swept her hair back, tucking it behind her ears. She looped her arm around my waist and positioned herself between Chibs and I.

"This is Chibs." I introduced him.

True to Tristan's character, she didn't say anything. She looked up at him with a welcoming, but timid smile before turning back to me. Chibs met my eyes with his, eyebrows raised, and I crinkled my nose up with a small shrug. Tristan kept strangers at bay. She didn't like letting just anyone into her family.

Together Tristan and I began walking through the entrance and down the hall. Chibs followed close behind, his gaze taking in my expansive childhood home. In an attempt to keep things as low stress as possible, I started up with some basic questions for Tristan.

"How's school?" I asked the blonde teenager wrapped around me, "Still in choir?"

I kept Tristan talking, hoping that it would smooth the transition into the dining room. As we reached the archway, leading into the back of the main floor, I reached for Chibs. Tristan noticed and with a small blush on her cheeks, she shifted, allowing Chibs and I to stand together. Chibs' slipped his hand into mine and squeezed. I closed my eyes, knowing that this was it. This was the make or break.

Tristan had already gone ahead and I could hear the anxious chatter in the other room. Exhaling I pulled him closer and stepped into the room. I expected the silence, but you could hear a pin drop. A vacuum sucked out every little sound from the dining room. My mother's knuckles were white around the dish in her hands, while Daddy's face was slowly turning purple, which could only mean he was holding his breath.

I glanced from my mother to him, squeezing Chibs' hand tighter. Elliott kept his faced as schooled as possible. He'd already figured out my little 'affair' and was desperately trying to maintain a neutral expression. Karen didn't bother. Her mouth dropped open the second she saw the man next to me. Even if his scars didn't give him away, he was well known around town for his affiliations.

Tristan was the only one who remained unaffected. She happily bounced into her regular seat, and poured herself a cup of soda. When the hiss of the opening can echoed through the room, it was mum who recovered the quickest.

"Lacey, sweetheart," She widened her eyes at me, "Would you mind helping bring the dishes over."

I gave her a robotic nod and shifted away from Chibs. Chibs took this moment to approach Karen, my mother, and then Elliott. I was leaving Chibs to fend for himself. This wasn't the plan. I was supposed to be his buffer.

I tried to hang back, hoping to catch the introduction between Chibs and my father, but as I was stepping through into the kitchen, my mother grabbed my wrist and tugged.

"Lacey!" She hissed, her eyes nearly popping out of her face.

I furrowed my brow, "What?"

My mother began shaking her head, "How could you? Bringing a Son here. Are you trying to give your father a heart attack?!"

I yanked the bowl of potatoes from her before spinning around towards the door, "If I wasn't serious about him do you think I would have bothered?"

She opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it as I glared at her over my shoulder. She threw her arms up and picked up the plate of greens before following behind me. I stepped back into the dining room to see the tense seating arrangements. Tristan was in her usual spot, smack dab in the middle of Elliott and Karen.

Daddy sat at the head, leaving both sides open, one seat for mum, and one for me. On the right side, next to the empty seat was Chibs. He was standing with his fingers curled around the back of his chair. I glanced at his hands and gulped. I managed to remember to ask him to leave the cut in the car. I didn't remember to ask him to take off the rings. They were a dead giveaway… besides the scars of course.

I made my way to Chibs' side, placed the potatoes in an empty spot and leaned forward. I gave Daddy my traditional kiss on the cheek and smiled. He visibily relaxed at that.

"Daddy?" I spoke, reaching for Chibs. He slipped his hand into mine and I laced our fingers together, "This is Filip."

Daddy glared at our entwined hands, before shifting his eyes over to Elliott. Elliott quickly averted his gaze to Tristan and asked her to pass the bread. I waited for Daddy to look at me again. He took his time. His breathing still hard and his face still a deep purple. I knew this was going to be difficult, but if he didn't let up soon, I was going to walk out. Chibs in tow.

I made for my seat, but Chibs took that as his cue and quietly pulled mine back. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and he winked. I rolled my lips together, trying to keep my laughter at bay and took a seat. He pushed the chair in behind me, and then took his own spot next to mine.

Daddy watched the entire exchange with narrowed eyes. Angry that he had no reason to chase the outlaw from his house. Yet. I knew he'd spend all night trying to find a way to scare Chibs away, but at least Chibs was putting up a good fight. One that Daddy would never argue.

Together, Tristan and I began piling food onto our plates. It caused a bit of stir, startling the group from their staring. Luckily everyone was hungry and began filling their plates. Once everyone had their plates nice and full, Daddy tried a new tactic. Ignore Chibs completely. Daddy looked over to Elliott, who in turn avoided Chibs' and my eyes.

"How're the stables?" Daddy asked, "Suffering without my Lacey there to help out?"

I rolled my eyes, suddenly feeling like a 14-year-old. I never really noticed how Daddy spoke about me. Now it was hitting me straight in the face. Chibs dipped his hand below the table and squeezed just above my knee. I jolted and flicked my eyes towards him. He gave me his best winning smile and I covered his hand with mine. We continued eating, without saying much.

After a while, I sparked up a conversation with Karen over the curriculum at Tristan's old elementary school. Chibs piped in a few times, to Karen's surprise, but when she noticed Elliott and Daddy engrossed in their discussion, she obliged. Eventually mom relaxed enough to join in the conversation. This led to Chibs turning on his charm and having all three (Tristan, my mother and Karen) all giggling at his quips, and swooning at his accent.

The small group of us went on with our dinners, completely unaware of the dead glare of Daddy on all of us. It wasn't until mu asked Filip his first direct question that we all felt the heat from Daddy's eyes.

"Filip, is it?" Mum asked and he nodded, "Filip. How did you meet our Lacey?"

With a gentle smile, Chibs turned towards me for a quick glance before turning back to my mum.

"Luckily for me, her car needed a tune up." He explained, "Luckily for her, I happened to be the only available mechanic at the time."

I scoffed, "Oh please. Lucky for me? If I remember correctly it was you and Teller – both – working on my Jeep. What's to say I wasn't gunning for those baby blues?"

Chibs feigned shocked hurt, while I rolled my eyes at him. Mum giggled, at our interactions. Unfortunately, this was when Daddy decided to steer the conversation.

"What made you choose to pursue, our Lacey?" His voice came out in a harsh undertone.

Every head at the table turned to Daddy. I folded my hands over one of Chibs', tightening my grip around them. I opened my mouth to speak when Chibs wiggled his fingers, signaling to me that he had it. I bit down on my tongue, worried for the eventual blow out about to happen. I knew it was going to come to this.

Chibs understood that he needed to prove himself to Daddy. I wasn't going to interfere with that. I may not like it, or agree with it, but I was still Daddy's baby girl. His only girl. He wasn't going to just going to be ok with anyone in my life. I closed my eyes, centering the need to confront Daddy about being and adult, and able to make my own decisions.

"It was never my choice," Chibs started, "Lacey here had made up her mind by the time I laid eyes on her. All she needed was my consent before we got together."

Daddy swallowed. He was prepared for the typical male response, which he never ended up getting. I could see the vein in his neck ready to burst. He was looking for a reason to explode. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Daddy was searching. Reaching for anything he could throw at Chibs.

Finally loosing his cool, Daddy spit out, "Kill anyone lately?"

"Daddy!" I admonished.

I whipped my head towards my father. I was actually appalled. Everyone knew the rumours. This town wasn't a bunch of backwoods idiots. We knew the Sons had a reputation. That didn't mean Daddy had any leg to stand on. Not to mention any solid proof. I felt the tension roll off of Chibs in waves. Daddy hit a nerve and he knew it. Chibs wasn't going to sit idly by with those kinds of accusations being thrown at him.

"Gordon." Mum hissed, from her seat, in a warning tone.

Daddy straightened his shoulders, "What? It's an honest question."

Chibs, having schooled his anger enough and with an innocent smirk answered, "Not this week, sir."

Elliott choked on the sip of water he'd chosen to take in the moment. Spluttering the liquid back into his glass. Karen reached out, her eyes wide at the inflection used in Chibs' last word, and patted Elliott on the back. I ground my teeth together, shifting my gaze to stare at Chibs. He met me with a sweet smile before releasing my hand and grabbing his fork to resume eating.

Elliott and I met each other's glances before quickly looking away. If Daddy didn't kill Chibs, and Chibs didn't kill Daddy, I may just murder them both. I knew today was going to be hard on Daddy. What I didn't think would happen was Chibs retaliating and making it a full-blown pissing contest.

Mum reached over and placed a hand on Daddy's forearm, before sighing and returning to her own meal. The rest of us followed suit, Daddy taking the longest to recover. Between Elliott and I, we kept everyone talking, managing to dissipate some of the pressure in the room. Eventually, Daddy's face returned to its natural colouring.

~(SOA)~

The rest of the evening continued forward, both Chibs and my father avoiding direct conversation with one another. Once dessert was finished, I began gathering plates, roping Chibs into helping me clear off the table. Both Karen and my mum followed after us, a pile of used coffee mugs between them. The four of us worked in silence managing to get everything packed away into the dishwasher. I made my way towards the door again when mum stopped me for a second time. Chibs, who was following next to me, paused when I stopped.

"Lacey," Mom reached forward and embraced me. I hugged her back, and she continued whispering in my ear, "We're going to talk about this. In detail." I smirked, knowing exactly what mum wanted to know. She pulled back, a bright smile on her face, "Lunch this week? Please?"

I rolled my eyes, letting our arms fall from one another but kept a strong hold on her hands, "Of course. Le me know what day and we can stop at your favourite café in Lodi?"

I turned back to Chibs who had one eyebrow arched at the laugh hidden in my expression. I shook my head in a slight movement. I'd tell him all about it later. Once I answered all the dirty, and detailed questions from my mother. I tucked myself against Chibs' side, a little show for my mum, who was obviously intrigued with my biker, foreigner boyfriend. I glanced back to see both Karen and my mom giggling like teenager and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped.

"Daddy?" I called, walking into the other room, Chibs' arm slung around my waist. He turned, his gaze flickering from my face down to Chibs' hand and then to Chibs and back again. I sighed. I knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"We're going to get going." I broke away from Chibs, "It's been a long week, and I have an even longer one coming up."

Daddy opened his arms to me and I hugged him tight. He pulled back, resting his hands on my shoulders and searching my eyes. From behind us, I could hear Chibs saying his goodbyes to the rest of the people in the house. He continued to stare at me, a calculating look crossing his features.

"Stop it Daddy." I murmured, "I wanted this. He isn't holding me hostage or whatever it is you're using to try and rationalize this with."

Daddy visibly deflated, "I just want the best for my baby girl."

"I know but you need to remember that I'm a grown woman now, capable of making my own decisions." I reached forward again to squeeze my arms around him, "It's serious enough that I brought him home to you. At least try. For me?"

I could feel the physical reaction Daddy had to me asking for him to be ok with a member of SAMCRO dating his daughter, being in his house, conversing with his family and eating his food. If I wasn't trying to get him to take this seriously, I would've laughed. We pulled apart again, and he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"If he hurts you, in any way… His entire club will suffer." The warning in his voice was real, and I believed it.

"You'll be the first to know." I promised.

I sensed Chibs waiting for me on the other side of the room. Daddy took this as his chance to try and one up my boyfriend. Daddy sauntered around me, making his way over to Chibs. I hung back and watch the exchange. It was by no means friendly, but both men came to some sort of truce and in the end, shook hands. I could live with that. They were never going to be best friends. That was fine. At least they were going to try and by civil to each other in my company.

~(SOA)~

Instead of taking us home, Chibs veered off the highway, taking the exit closest to the clubhouse. The drive home had been relatively quiet. Neither of us keen on running through the events of the evening. My nerves had been shot, and I was looking forward to a few drinks with some of the guys. Chibs definitely was in need of getting good and wasted and I wasn't going to stop him. Family gatherings were never easy.

We pulled into the compound and found that most of the Sons were out and about, music blaring and bottles of beer scattered all around. Even with so many of them inside, they could still throw constant parties. I wasn't surprised though. One of the many true rumours about them, was their killer parties.

Chibs made me aware that a few members from other charters were coming into town to help out for the next year and bit. This was going to be my crash course in all things SAMCRO. Not to mention the weird taking that Gemma had with me. It was bad enough when she was trying to get Jax and I together, but now that I was actually with one of the members, she was finding every reason to involve me in everything. You'd think she'd be busy enough with a new grandchild on the way, but no. She still found time in her days to call me, or stop by the house.

Once the car was parked, Chibs and I sat there for a few moments gazing out. There was something on his mind, and he obviously wanted to get it out before we continued on with the rest of our night. I unbuckled my seatbelt, but made no move to leave.

"Lace?" Chibs asked, his hand coming to rest on my knee.

I gazed up at him, an expectant expression on my face.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry."

I laughed, "You sure sound it."

"I am." He sighed, "I shouldn't have let your father provoke me. We both knew we was going to try. I should have just left it alone."

I grinned, folding one hand around his, "It's fine. Daddy needed a good push back. If I didn't think you could hold you own in his presence, tonight would've never happened."

Chibs tilted his head, a question forming. I waited for him to ask but instead he shook his head.

"Spit it out, Telford."

His eyes narrowed briefly, "I doubt I want to know this answer but… how many other's have you brought home?"

I puckered my lips, contemplating how to answer his question. It was an easy answer, but his reaction might make it harder. We were serious about each other. That was obvious, but would knowing I've never brought someone home before make it too much for him? There was no turning back now. We'd already gone through the worst of it.

"You're the first." I answered.

The silence in the car was deafening. I waited for some short of reaction but none came. Our eyes locked on each other's and he grinned. I narrowed my eyes at him, a little confused at how well he was handling this.

He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to my mouth before turning back to his door and slipping out of the car. I pouted for a minute, wondering why he hadn't said anything but in the end let it go. If he was bothered by it, he would have made that known. I pushed open my door and found Chibs leaning against the back of the Jeep, cigarette in hand. He winked up at me as I began making my way over to the clubhouse.

I let him watch me walk away, swinging my hips for emphasis. Kozik exited the building and screamed my name across the compound. I waved at the blond. He was going to roar with laughter when I gave him the run down of our dinner. As I went to pick up my pace, I realized there was someone who desperately needed to know the play by play of our dinner.

"Oh, and Chibs?" I called over my shoulder.

He glanced up from his smoke, "Yeah?"

"I want to go see Tig." I finished.

Chibs chuckled, pushing off the car and following me towards the clubhouse.