The Scottish Thistle and The English Rose

by HaylsValo

Chibs/OFC. Boo Trager is an author from England, Clay is her father but Tig is the one she considers to be her daddy. Chibs is a Son, patched over to SAMCRO from SAMBEL. Follow their story through the ups and downs of love, life and the club.

36. Chapter 35: Lie to Me, Die For Him

Disclaimer - The characters of this fanfiction, as well as the 'Sons of Anarchy' world belong to Kurt Sutter, with the exception of 'Boo' Trager, who is an original character created by me. I make no profit from this work.

Thank you to all my reviewers, to all those that have added this story to their alerts/favorites list and to all those that have read this story! You all keep me going you really do! This chapter is mainly about Boo and Fiona! Enjoy!

Fiona Larkin smiled as her daughter and husband talked between themselves, their occasional laughter breaking the nervous tension between them. Fiona was glad to see them bonding, to see them getting along so well despite the 13 years they'd spent apart. Less now, she believed that she still loved Filip and that she wanted him back; the icy tension between them after she'd arrived with Kerrianne at the SAMBEL clubhouse had made her more than aware that whatever had been between them years previously, the love and commitment, was long gone. There was still something there between them though, something that would never be erased because of their long history together, and Fiona found herself holding onto that something. It was nice to feel something other than fear and loathing for a change, nice to feel something so warm and tender, so close to love. Fiona though, had no idea what this something was, what it meant for her and Filip. Until then she'd just keep working on trying to win him back, on becoming a family with him again; he was trying to help get rid of Jimmy for good and when that day came maybe, just maybe they could be happy and in love again like they'd once been. Filip and Kerrianne's obvious bonding would help towards that, as would the orange tub of pills that had fallen out of Boo's jacket pocket when Fiona had knocked it off the coat rack by mistake.

"Hey there darlin'." Chibs drawled tenderly, snapping Fiona from her thoughts. She looked up, half expecting to see Filip looking at her, only to find that Boo had walked into Maureen's kitchen, where she, Filip and Kerrianne had been since Casey had agreed they could return to the rectory later with the club. Fiona's eyes narrowed as she watched the young woman plant a kiss on her husband's cheek and smile at her daughter. Fiona hated that Kerrianne and Boo had bonded straight away, that her daughter both liked and approved of the new woman in her fathers life, it would make winning Filip back all the more difficult. After greeting Filip and Kerrianne, Boo headed towards the coat rack. Fiona realised what she was after and her lip curled into a smirk, her hand felt around in her pocket for that orange tub of pills.

"Hey." Boo grinned after she'd kissed Chibs cheek, before giving Kerrianne a smile in way of greeting, which the teenager soon returned. She hadn't wanted to disturb father and daughters bonding time but she was late taking her pill. She'd left her birth control in her jacket pocket without thinking and planned to sneak one out without taking the tub out of her pocket so that Filip didn't see them. "Just need to get something from my jacket then I'll be gone again." She added. Filip nodded his head at that and returned his attentions to his daughter. Boo quickly rummaged through the pockets of her jacket, wanting to find her pills and take one while Chibs attention was elsewhere, but she couldn't find them. All her pockets were completely empty. "Shit." Boo cursed, panicked. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that those pills had been in her jacket pocket – she'd shoved them in there whilst she and Chibs had unpacked upon their arrival. She really hoped she hadn't lost them; she and Filip had already had unprotected sex since their arrival and it wasn't uncommon to fall pregnant after missing just one pill.

"Looking fer these lovey?" Fiona asked as she held up and shook the little orange tub that contained Boo's birth control with well masked glee. She'd been watching Boo frantically search her empty jacket pockets in amusement and as soon as she'd shaken the tub of pills, all eyes had fallen on her; including Filip's. Fiona was delighted to see him scowl in confusion.

"What are they?" Chibs asked as he looked at the tub in Fiona's hands. He knew it was some form of medication but he couldn't think what kind; Boo had been off her antibiotics since she'd had the stitches in her stomach removed and as far as he was aware, she wasn't on any other medication. Boo, who was stark white and whose eyes were wide and shaking with terror, didn't give Filip an answer.

"I hope yeh didn't miss a dose little girl; yeh could find yerself pregnant." Fiona said with false concern as she slammed the little orange tub down on the table that Filip and Kerrianne were sat at. Boo didn't move to get them, she just stared down at them in horror, her arms tight round herself, her eyes suddenly full of fear. "And here was me thinkin' you and Filip were tryin' fer a baby." Fiona drawled offhandedly, for she had overheard Kerrianne asking her father if he had any children with Boo, the Scotsman had informed her that he and Boo were currently trying to have a baby and that she'd miscarried after being thrown to the ground during the same explosion that'd almost killed him.

"We are." Chibs drawled, voice dripping with confusion. He looked to Boo, eyebrow arched in question, his heart pounding with suspicion – what exactly were the pills in that little orange tub and why had Fiona questioned the fact they were trying for a baby? The look on Boo's face unsettled Chibs: she was gaunt and trembling, tears were tumbling down her cheeks and she looked as guilty as sin. Curiosity immediately got the better of the Scotsman so he turned and snatched the orange tub off the table without another word. He gulped as he read over the label; the tub contained birth control and was prescribed to Boo. The date on the tub was from just two weeks previously – more than a week after Boo had informed him she was ready to try for another baby. "Birth control." Chibs whispered bitterly, his words a statement, not a question. The heartbreak he felt at Boo's betrayal, her lies, was apparent in his voice, as was his anger at her. He didn't mean to sound so angry – after all, he was yet to get Boo's side of the story – but he couldn't help himself; Boo had been lying to him, keeping the fact that she was on birth control from him. He couldn't understand why. "Do yeh not want kids with me or somethin' Hayley?" Chibs asked, his eyes still on the tub in his hands. He couldn't look at Boo, didn't want to, he was just too mad, too upset.

"I… I can explain." Boo whimpered, heart caught in her throat. Chibs had called her Hayley, something he'd not done in… Boo couldn't even remember the last time he'd called her by her given name, if he ever had. She knew he must be utterly furious with her to do so because Boo hated her given name and never went by it anymore. Boo put her hand on Chibs' shoulder, wanting him to turn around and look at her so she could explain to him why she was on the pill, but he shrugged her hand off with more aggression that he'd ever used with her. "Filip, look at me please!" Boo begged, hurt by his refusal to look at her.

Chibs didn't say a word for a long while and his gaze continued to be fixed on the orange tub of pills in his hands, which he turned and rolled with his fingers. He was deep in thought; he knew he should give Boo a chance to explain her actions – after all she'd never done anything like this before. They had a very open and honest relationship – but he was so hurt by her betrayal, so angry with her that he didn't think he could. Not until he'd calmed down at least. In the end, Chibs knew he owed it to his wife to let her explain herself; she'd put up with a lot with him over the years after all and she's always given him a chance to explain himself. Now it was his turn to do the same for her.

"I think you and I need to talk; outside." Chibs sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off the ache that had formed behind his eyes. He got to his feet and walked out the door without another word, without so much as looking in Boo's direction. Boo jumped as the door slammed shut behind him, the glass within it rattling. She wiped her eyes and pulled her jacket on, looked first at Kerrianne and then Fiona. Kerrianne was staring at the floor, hiding behind her hair, obviously unnerved by the situation and uncomfortable. Fiona by contrast had a smug grin on her lips, delight danced in her eyes and she was giving Boo a look that screamed 'How could you?' Boo wanted to hit her, to yell and scream, but instead she followed after Filip. She hovered at the top of the stairs that lead to Maureen Ashby's home nervously for a few moments, her eyes on Filip who was sat on a bench smoking a cigarette with his head ducked. Occasionally he'd rake his fingers through his hair, rub at his eyes. By the time Boo hesitantly joined him on the bench, sitting next to him yet not as close to him as she'd like, he'd finished his cigarette and was staring down at the little orange tub again. "How long have yeh been takin' these darlin'?" he asked, voice soft and hurt yet with little trace of the anger he'd first felt upon realising that Boo was on birth control. A few moments to himself had calmed him considerably, having a cigarette had helped to wash his anger away; Boo must have had good reason to lie to him about being ready to try for a baby again. He passed her the tub of pills, pressing it into her hand before wrapping her fingers round it. He then felt, rather than saw, the uncertain look she was giving him. "Go ahead and take one if yeh need teh; I'm not gonna stop yeh." He drawled sadly. Boo nodded her head and, despite the fact that she hated to do so, dry swallowed a pill before Chibs really could stop her.

"Since… since the miscarriage." She whispered unevenly as she tucked the pills away in her jacket pocket. Chibs nodded his head at that, then took another cigarette from his pocket, lit it and inhaled deeply. Boo couldn't help but notice he was shaking but she didn't dare try and comfort him.

"Yeh said yeh were okay teh start tryin' again Boo." Chibs said, finally turning to face Boo. He gave an unhappy sigh as he realised how scared she looked, how distraught she was. He knew then that she hadn't meant to lie to him, not really and that her lies came with good reason. The Scotsman reached out and wiped the tears on her cheeks away with his thumb, gave her the briefest of smiles to let her know he was going to hear her out. "Why did yeh lie teh me?" he asked, inhaling deeply on his cigarette once again before placing his hand on Boo's knee to give her the courage she needed to speak. After a moment's hesitation, Boo placed her hand over his.

"I didn't think you'd understand." Boo admitted shamefully, hating herself for admitting such an awful truth, for not trusting in the man she loved enough to tell him how scared she was by the idea of becoming pregnant once again. At her words Filip sighed again, heavily so, obviously hurt by his wife's lack of trust in him. "Filip you were so excited about us having a baby; I didn't want to disappoint you by telling you I wasn't ready." Boo rambled frantically, hurrying her words out as she was so desperate to have Filip understand why she'd kept such a truth from him.

"So yeh lied teh me instead?" Chibs snapped, anger oozing into his voice once again despite the fact that he was battling to stay calm. He took another deep, long drag on his cigarette – practically finishing it – and watched as the smoke escaped from between his lips. The strange, meaningless smoky patterns had a soothing effect on him. "Darlin', I understand that yer scared teh get pregnant again, that yer worried yeh'll have another miscarriage." He said with certainty, with understanding and sympathy. He couldn't even begin to imagine how traumatic and scarring the miscarriage had been on his poor wee Hen – it'd been hard enough on him – and he couldn't begin to understand why she'd agreed to try for another baby when that wasn't something she was ready for. Did she not realise he'd not be disappointed in her for not being ready? That he'd much rather wait until her fear of miscarrying again had left her before they tried again? Boo after all, was still so very young and men could continue to have children almost until they died… there was no rush for them to start having babies; they still had all the time in the world. "Yeh didn't need teh hide that from me." He added earnestly, his fingers curling round Boo's knee and giving it a squeeze. Boo nodded her head at that, knew that she was stupid for having kept such a thing for Chibs, knew that he'd have understood if only she'd just spoken up. But of course things weren't as simple as that; if she'd spoken up she would have had to tell Chibs what she'd found out about her mother and that was something she hadn't been, and still really wasn't, ready to share.

"There's more to it than that." Boo admitted tearfully as she shook her head back and forth, voice strained, throat tight. Chibs noticed at once how scared Boo seemed and immediately flicked his spent cigarette aside, shifted closer too her, put an arm around her shoulder; whatever she had to say was bad and he knew it. "After the explosion, I asked Juice to find out why my mother killed my stepfather." Boo began, to which Chibs nodded his head. For years now, since he'd known her even, Boo had been curious as to why her mother had murdered her stepfather with whom she'd been so deeply in love with. She couldn't find reason for the pointless, horrific crime but had never sought out the information before for fear of what she might find. Now it seemed, she was right to have stayed away, to shield herself from the truth behind her stepfather's murder. "The reason…." Boo whispered, voice breaking before she could say anything more. She shook her head then, let out a soft, shuddering sob. Chibs was there for her in an instance, cupping her damp cheek in his hand, leaning his forehead against hers, rubbing their noses together.

"Tell me darlin'." He insisted as he stared right into her watery orbs. Boo closed her eyes then, allowing the tears within them to tumble down her cheeks, shook her head once more. "I can handle it, whatever it is… just tell me Boo." Chibs promised, although he was beginning to really doubt that. Whatever Boo was struggling to tell him was bad or she'd be able to just come right out and say it and wouldn't have kept it from him in the first place. He couldn't even imagine how Boo's stepfather being murdered by her mother could have anything at all to do with them trying to get pregnant.

Boo nodded her head, just the once, before drawing in a few deep, shuddering breathes as she attempted to calm herself down enough to be able to tell Chibs everything. She couldn't be near him as she told him though, didn't want to be able to see or hear his reaction to what she was about to say encase it was bad. She pulled away from him and hopped off the bench, took a few tentative steps forward and wrapped her arms tight around herself. Chibs seemed to know that she needed space because he didn't come after her and nor did he try and call her back. Boo could feel his eyes on her though; his gaze was like daggers, cutting right through her.

"The reason she killed him was because they'd been trying for a baby and she kept having miscarriages." She said hurriedly, staring down at a gasoline spill on the ground as she spoke. The way the chemical had created an oily rainbow on the damp concrete was mesmerising and oddly comforting. Staring at it made Boo feel like she was just saying words, lines from a play maybe or the lyrics from a song; not admitting to some terrible truth that hit so close to home it was practically on her doorstep. "She had 7 in two years and blamed it all on him." Boo went on, voice emotionless, low and distant. She just kept on staring at the spill as she spoke, counting the colours in it. Seven colours, from red to violet, sprawled out across the dark ground in a mismatched circle. Seven colours, one representing every miscarriage her mother had had. Boo couldn't look at the spill anymore; she forced her stinging, overflowing eyes shut and spun round to face Chibs, wiped the tears from her face before wrenching her eyes open and staring right at him. He had tears in his eyes too; he looked lost, anguished even and was staring at her like he could physically feel her heart breaking as well as his own. "What if the same thing happens to us?" she asked him, voice so high and tight with emotion she wasn't even sure if her words were audible to Chibs. She was so scared, terrified, of going through what her mother had gone through (something she'd not known about until Juice had looked it up. She and her mother had been close but those last few years back in England had been when Boo was at an age when she wasn't interested in what was going on around her; just boys, her friends and school), of having miscarriage after miscarriage until one day, she could take it no more and killed Chibs, just so she could have someone to blame for her body's failings other than herself.

Chibs stared at Boo in horror as she'd spoken, almost glad that she'd chosen to walk away from him to speak because he didn't know if he could look at her anguished face. He'd always assumed that Boo's mother had murdered her stepfather in an act of meaningless violence, that maybe she'd been depressed and just snapped or that maybe he'd attacked her and she'd fought back and won. He'd never imagined for a second that something so... so devastating had driving Boo's mother to commit so terrible a crime. The truth of her stepfathers murder must have been eating away at Boo since she'd found out, slowly destroying her and filling her with needless paranoia, eventually convincing her that she would befall the same fate. How had she not cracked already?

"Oh Boo… Hen, come here." Chibs cried, jumping to his feet, dashing over to Boo and taking her in his arms before she could even so much as think about coming to him. She collapsed into him without hesitation, the sudden, limp weight of her sending them both crashing to their knees. Chibs kept ahold of Boo though, managed to pull her closer still despite the fact that they'd fallen to the floor. "Why didn't yeh tell me?" Chibs demanded softly as he curled one hand round Boo's waist, the other in her hair. Boo, who had buried her face in the crook of his neck, just shook her head and shuddered softly, wept. Her tears damped the skin on Chibs' neck, dripped down onto the shoulder of his jacket. "Hey, it's alright." He whispered as he buried his face in her warm, rain-damped curls and pressed a succession of chaste kisses into them. "Just because that happened teh yer mother, doesn't meant it's gonna happen teh you." He assured her, because her mother could have miscarried for any number of reasons, reasons she may not have passed down to her only child, reasons that may have indeed been caused by Boo's stepfather. It seemed likely that he might have been the cause; after all, Boo's mother had had no trouble carrying her to term. "Yer miscarriage was a result of the explosion, not because yer body can't carry a child teh term." He pointed out, for had it not been for that explosion and Boo's close proximity to it then she'd probably still be pregnant; at home in Charming with her feet up, hands on her swollen stomach and being plagued by all sorts of weird cravings.

"I know." Boo nodded, sounding as though she'd been calmed somewhat by Chibs' words. She was no longer crying but her voice was still strained, thick with emotion. She looked up at Chibs and managed a weak smile, allowed him to wipe away the tears on her face and kiss her lips briefly. "And I know I'm being stupid, irrational even…" she went on, chuckling uneasily, rolling her eyes at herself. She didn't even know why her mother had miscarried time and time again and chances are, whatever the reason, it wasn't hereditary, just something her unfortunate mother had been unlucky enough to suffer from. "But I can't go through that… getting my hopes up time after time only to lose every child we conceive before it's grown past its third month inside of me." She admitted sorrowfully, shaking her head yet again as she spoke. The anguish of losing one baby had been bad enough; she couldn't imagine going through it again and again, couldn't get pregnant time and time again knowing she'd never have a child to show for it: just pain and blood, loss.

Chibs nodded his head at that, understanding. He didn't want to go through that either, didn't want to watch as his wife go through the pain of losing their unborn child time and time again, didn't want to deal with the crippling grief that came from knowing his chances of becoming a da again had been so cruelly and needlessly snatched away. He wondered if having children was still something Boo wanted or if she'd been scared off the prospect of having babies for life.

"Do yeh still want babies with me Boo?" he asked, frank and serious. He wanted more children, had done since Kerrianne had been born – a want that strengthened when he'd gotten together with Boo, a want that had become a burning desire the longer they'd been together - but if she didn't want kids any longer? He'd give up on the idea and just count himself lucky enough to have a daughter already as well as a loving wife that stuck by him no matter what. No matter how heartbreaking that may be. Chibs would much rather have Boo and no children (other than Kerrianne) than some other woman and a whole horde of dark-haired little brats that he could call his own. Of course, he'd rather have both Boo and brats, a handful of children that were theirs.

"Of course!" Boo explained, sounding surprised that Chibs had doubted her want for a child for even a second. Filip beamed at that, smile reaching his ears and utterly dazzling, eyes sparkling in delight, wide with relief. "Filip, there's nothing in this world I want more than to have children with you." She assured him, smiling as she spoke, her mind filled with images of little children that looked just like the man before her, like her and the man she loved. Little children that were theirs, that they'd created together. She wanted those children, longed for them, but right now she was far too scared of what her body might do to them while they were developing to try for one. "I just… I need some time." She said, placing her hand on Chibs shoulder as she spoke, letting him know that time didn't mean forever, it just meant until she was ready.

"So take some time Boo." Chibs said at once, stoking Boo's cheek with his knuckles as he spoke. "I don't care if its months, years even, I'll wait until yer ready teh try again." He went on, voice soft and assuring, firm. If Boo wasn't ready to try again then that was fine with him, he'd wait until she was. Time was on their side, they could wait years and they'd still be able to have children without having to worry about the fact that Boo's biological clock was ticking. Even if they'd struggled to conceive they'd find a way around it; IVF, artificial insemination, adoption. They were all options, but ones Chibs was sure they'd never need. They were going to conceive naturally like they had once already, Chibs just knew it. "We'll have a baby someday Hen, I don't care when that is, so long as it's somethin' yer ready fer." Chibs said, smile on his lips as he continued to brush Boo's cheek with his knuckles. Finally, Boo smiled properly and nodded her head.

"Thank you." She whispered, glad that finally, everything was all out in the open, glad that Chibs had been understanding and was willing to give her all the time she needed to be ready to try for a baby again. It was things like that that made Boo love Chibs even more. "You mad at me?" she asked, certain he would be considering the magnitude of the lies she'd told, the truths she'd kept from him.

"I was." Chibs admitted with a nod of his head. He had been when he'd first realised Boo had lied to him, very mad, almost at boiling point. But then he'd heard her out, he'd let her talk and explain herself and he'd soon realised he couldn't be mad at her, not really. She'd been scared, lost to her own paranoia and fears; he couldn't be mad at her for that. "Yeh lied but yeh had yer reasons." He added, shrugging his shoulders. He'd rather she hadn't lied to him of course but at least her lies hadn't been malicious or spiteful towards him in any way. "Trust in me next time Hen; I'm yer husband and I love you. I will always try and understand yeh and what yer goin' through." Chibs promised Boo, before bringing her knuckles to his lips and placing a string of kisses along them.

"I love you too." Boo whispered tenderly before leaning up and pressing her lips to Chibs', knowing full well as she did so that his words were the truth and that no matter what, he'd always do his best to understand her, what she was going through and that she'd always do the same for him.

After ordering her daughter to remain indoors, Fiona followed Boo and Filip outside. She didn't join them in the clubhouse forecourt but merely watched from the top of Maureen's stairs, smirk curling her lips, arms folded across her chest, eyebrow arched expectantly. She expected to see their relationship fall apart before her very eyes, expected them to shout and scream at one another, to fight and argue until there was a distance between them that only she could fill. Filip after all, never had liked being lied too, never had liked being betrayed – it was part of the reason why everything that had happened with Jimmy had hurt him so bad. The Irishwoman was surprised to see Filip's anger flare up very little and was even more surprised to see him comfort and reassure his weeping girlfriend, to forgive her. She didn't understand why he wasn't madder at her – he'd seemed utterly furious when he'd first realised what those pills were – after all she'd been lying to him, for weeks or possibly even longer, and about something so important too! He should be furious with her, ready to end things – if Fiona had lied to him in such a way, he'd have been presenting her with divorce papers – and yet he wasn't. He was comforting her, holding her, talking to her and trying to understand. Fiona knew then that he must really love Boo, more than he'd ever loved her, too much to ever leave her. She knew in that moment that she would never win him back – he'd love and be with that girl until his dying day, it was clear for anyone to see – and in many ways, Fiona felt relief. Relief because such a truth hadn't hurt her as much as she'd expected too, relief because she had finally realised that she was no longer in love with Filip and hadn't been for a very long time. But she also felt anger and anguish; they had once been so very happy together, a family, and now that's something they would never be again. Once Jimmy was gone, she'd have nothing and no one but her daughter. She'd be all alone. That terrified Fiona more than she'd care to admit.

SAMCRO

Boo did up Chibs' reaper jacket before kissing him on the cheek and taking both his hands in hers. He and the rest of SAMCRO were joining SAMBEL on a run to Dungloe and despite the fact that they were highly suspicious of SAMBEL and their relationship with Jimmy O, the Scotsman was in a fantastic, cheery mood. It made a chance from the night before when he'd returned from taking Kerrianne and Fiona back to the rectory. Jimmy's men had shot up the van and although everyone had escaped the incident without injury, Chibs had walked away from it very hurt indeed. Kerrianne had made it more than apparent to him that she didn't want to return to Charming with him, that she wanted to stay in Ireland, which she considered her home. Chibs had been hoping that his daughter would return to Charming with him, to live with him and Boo and start a new life stateside so to discover that this was something Kerrianne didn't want was like a slap in the face. To make matters worse it had been then that Jimmy O's men had shot up the van, scaring the hell out of Kerrianne and making her all the more certain that she didn't want to move to Charming. The incident had left Chibs distraught; he felt like a failure as a father and cursed himself for not being able to protect his little girl. When he returned to the room he shared with Boo he'd wildly suggested that he should just cut off all ties with his daughter and leave her be, to let her get on with her life without him. He'd claimed that would be better for her and that she'd be safer without him in his life. He'd even gone so far as to suggest that he was such a bad father that Kerrianne wouldn't want him as her da and he'd even asked Boo why she wanted to have kids with such a failure such as himself. Boo had managed to convince him that the shooting had not been his fault and that he wasn't a terrible father. He'd given up everything and started his life completely anew to keep his daughter safe and now, despite the fact that Jimmy still posed a real threat to him, he'd returned to make sure that the Irish prick could never hurt his little girl again. She'd told him the reason she wanted children with him was because he was a sweet, kind-hearted man that always put those he loved first. Chibs had been comforted and reassured by his wife's words, calmed by them. The couple had then headed down to SAMBEL's club party where Chibs had agreed to fight one of SAMBEL's newest, and biggest, patched members for money and prestige for SAMCRO. Chibs took out his anger about the shooting on the guy and the fight had lasted all off about 30 seconds before the guy from SAMBEL had backed out. Sweaty, spent and on a high from his fight, Chibs had taken Boo up to their room and fucked her until Juice had knocked on their door and informed Chibs that Jax had just talked with Father Ashby about Abel and needed to talk to SAMCRO about what had been said.

"Do I even have to ask you to behave yourself this time?" Boo asked, eyebrow raised, soft scowl on her lips. After Chibs' performance the day before with the Irish police, Boo was worried that should such an incident repeat itself, he'd get himself into all kinds of shit because he insisted on stirring up trouble purely for his own amusement. The cops in Ireland clearly didn't play by the rules and seemed more than willing to put a bullet in a man just for a little back-chat. Chibs' cocky attitude with them would get himself killed if he wasn't careful, especially if said police were on Jimmy's payroll.

"Hey, that copper deserved it." Chibs insisted with a cocky grin, one that Boo didn't return. She was worried, she didn't trust the Irish at all and she trusted even less in their police; as far as she was concerned, the club was walked right into more trouble, trouble that could prove fatal if Chibs couldn't keep his mouth shut and his spit to himself. Chibs laced their fingers and pulled Boo closer, rested his forehead against hers and lowered his voice to a whisper; SAMBEL may be gearing up for the run, but that didn't mean they weren't listening. "We'll be fine Boo; we've just got teh talk to Jimmy about Abel." He muttered reassuringly despite the fact that once again, SAMCRO had no idea at all what they were walking into. He didn't want to worry Boo though and worry she would when she realised that SAMCRO knew they were likely riding into danger or a trap. "Doubt that McPrick will try anything after how yesterday's ambush went." Chibs added in an effort to help convince Boo that everything would be okay. Thankfully she smiled and nodded her head.

"I know, I just worry about you is all, I kinda like you." She teased, giving Chibs a poke in the chest. The Scotsman tutted and rolled his eyes at that, scowled and acted as though her comments had hurt. Boo merely chuckled at his little show and kissed him on the lips, slowly and lazily. They kissed like this for a while, enjoying the way their lips moulded together, the taste of one another, the way their hands roamed up and down one another's bodies… but then Padraic appeared at their side. He chuckled and gave a fake little cough to get their attention. Boo blushed a little and pulled away from Chibs – who was smirking in delight, clearly very pleased with himself – before turning to Padraic, hand on her hip. "And you'll behave too, right?" she asked as she waved a finger at him. Padraic grinned at that; the same cheeky smile that so reminded Boo of Filip. Even his eyes glittered in the same way.

"Oh aye love, I'll be good." He winked as he slipped an arm around Boo's shoulder. He knew that flirting with Boo wound his uncle Filip up no end, so he was determined to flirt with her as much as possible. He knew he'd pay for it at some point – Filip would already have some form of revenge in mind – but he didn't care, it was fun and highly amusing to see Boo and Filip both react to his flirty behaviour. "Yeh don't have teh worry about me." He added, winking again before patting Boo's blushing cheek affectionately. Before he could say another word, Filip slapped him round the back of the head, grabbed the arm he had wrapped around Boo's shoulders and pulled it off of her.

"Hey yeh little shite, what 'ave I told yeh about flirtin with me wife?" Filip demanded dangerously, the laughter dancing in his eyes making it obvious he knew what his young nephew was up to. Padraic grinned and flattened out his hair, so Chibs hooked an arm around his shoulders and drew him close, forcing his head forward so he could give him a noogie. Padraic chuckled and tried to break free of his uncle's grasp, but the Scotsman was far too strong for him and so in the end, he just stood there and took it, laughing wildly the entire time while Boo looked on in amusement. By the time a black car pulled up in the forecourt, Padraic's hair was so messy he looked as though he'd rolled right out of bed and been electrocuted too. "That's Fiona and Kerrianne…" Chibs grinned as he caught sight of the black car, his eyes lighting up. He let go of Padraic – who promptly stuck his helmet on to hide his messy hair – grabbed Boo's hand and marched towards the car as quickly as he legs would take him. "Boo, promise me you'll keep yer shit with Fiona contained today, especially around my daughter." He drawled hurriedly as he walked, turning his head to glance at Boo momentarily, letting her know how serious he was. He knew Fiona and Boo had their issues – especially after the day before with the birth control incident - and that they needed to sort some shit out, but he'd rather they didn't do that in front of Kerrianne. It was unfair that she get dragged into their shit, that she should have to see them fight and argue. If Boo and Fiona wanted to talk out their differences, they could do it away from Kerrianne.

"Promise." Boo nodded, picking up her pace so that she could keep up with Chibs – not that she had a choice, he had a firm grip on her hand so she either had to keep up or get dragged along. She was slightly annoyed with Chibs for making her promise to keep her problems with Fiona 'contained' because she'd been hoping to talk to the Irishwoman about the day before, about the incident with the pills and about whatever game she was playing to get her husband back. She was furious – fury that had not gone away overnight, but had simmered and was now near boiling point once again - with her for flaunting those pills in front of Filip (and Kerrianne) when she knew full well that Boo and Filip were meant to be 'trying'. Boo wondered if Fiona had gone through her pockets intentionally, looking for a way to poke holes in her relationship with Chibs.

"And yeh'll keep an eye on Kerrianne until I get back? Keep her entertained?" Chibs asked as they stood and waited for Kerrianne, Fiona and who could only be Father Ashby to emerge from the black car. He knew of course, that Kerrianne wouldn't be bored waiting for him – she was good friends with Trinity Ashby from what he understood – but he'd rather she spent more time with Boo, bonding with her more, getting to know her. He wanted them to grow close, to be totally at ease around one another, both because it would help his own relationship with Kerrianne and because it would make Kerrianne know that she'd always be welcome in their home, should she decide to move to Charming after all or just want a vacation there. Boo nodded her head at that, but didn't answer aloud for Father Ashby had approached them. "Father Kellan." Chibs nodded, smiling as he embraced the priest like a brother.

"Filip." Father Kellan nodded, smiling at the Scotsman as he placed a hand on his forearm. Kellan couldn't help but notice that Filip had indeed, brought his new young girlfriend to Ireland with him. He knew that young Kerrianne was already quite taken with her and that Fiona resented the hell out of her, wanted her gone. Kellan knew he should not judge her - after all she was just a woman in love, it was not her fault the man in her life already had a wife and such a sordid past – and chose then not to form an opinion of her, at least until he knew her a little better. "Miss Trager." He said to her, offering his hand. She smiled politely in response, took his hand and shook it, but didn't say a word so Kellan returned his attention to Filip, who was looking over his shoulder at Fiona and Kerrianne. "We have a few Italian priests visitin'. I thought it might be best if Michael kept his eye on them here fer a few hours." He explained as he held an arm out to Fiona and Kerrianne and urged them to come forward. Filip looked delighted by the prospect and immediately agreed to the plan. "Good lad." Kellan praised as he patted Filip on the arm then shook his hand. In truth there were no Italian priests visiting; some of the higher ranking IRA members needed to talk to the priest about Jimmy O and what they planned to do about him and the priest would rather Fiona and Kerrianne were far from the rectory when that happen in case Jimmy found them, kidnapped them and tried to get said information from them. He'd torture it from them if he had too and Kellan couldn't allow that to happen.

"Thank yeh Father." Chibs grinned as he shook Kellan's hand before turning to Fiona and Kerrianne. He'd never admit to it, but he was quite mad at Fiona for the stunt she'd pulled with Boo's birth control the day before. She had known exactly what she was doing when she'd held up that tub for all to see and had clearly been trying to stir up shit between him and Boo. As far as the Scotsman was concerned she should have just left well alone, should have returned those pills to Boo's pocket without a word for after all, his relationship with Boo was none of her business and nor was the fact that Boo was on the pill. He would have found out about that in his own time and dealt with the matter away from the prying eyes of his estranged wife. Chibs wanted to just forget the incident now so he greeted Fiona as though nothing was wrong. "Hi." He nodded at her, smiling as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Chibs then turned to his daughter who was smiling at him and looked delighted to see him, despite all that had happened the day before. "Hey sweetheart." He grinned, voice soft and tender. Kerrianne's smile widened but Chibs noticed she was eyeing the rest of the Sons nervously and that she was obviously worried about what they were about to do and what might happen to him. "It's okay, don't yeh worry, I'm just gonna give these Irish boys an escort and I'll be back later, okay?" Chibs assured her as he nodded his head back at them, trying his best to make it seem that nothing more than a simple protection run was going down.

"Okay." Kerrianne nodded. She wanted to believe her father, she really did but she couldn't help but worry that something bad was going to happen. Jimmy O knew that her father and his friends were stateside and also knew that she and her mother had fled from their home. He'd not be happy about that and he'd do whatever it took to get rid of her father and get back the family he considered to be his. Kerrianne had a sinister feeling that something was going to happen that day; she could only hope that her father and his friends were prepared and that she'd be safe at Maureen's. "Love yeh da." She said nervously, yet lovingly. She'd wanted to tell her father she loved him since the day before but hadn't been able to work up the nerve to do so, now she wished she said those three words sooner for her fathers face lit up like a Christmas tree at once. His eyes went wide with shock, yet sparkled in delight and warmth and the smile on his lips seemed to reach his ears.

"Love you baby." Chibs said. He was absolutely elated to hear his daughter tell him that she loved him, especially after the shooting the night before. He'd spent years now believing that he was and had been a terrible father to her but to know that she loved him gave him hope, made him believe that maybe he wasn't such a terrible father after all. Maybe Kerrianne believed what Boo had told him the night before – an indeed countless times over their years together – which was that he was a wonderful father who would give up anything for his daughter, who would do anything for his daughter, even if that meant walking away from her for her own safety. "Go with Boo, alright? I'm sure you girls can amuse yerself until I get back." He added as he wrapped an arm around Kerrianne's shoulder and directed her to Boo, who immediately smiled and waved at his daughter. Kerrianne waved back as she walked towards her and the two exchanged greetings, both managing to become as at ease around one another as they had been the day before. "And look out fer yeh ma." Chibs added, kissing Kerrianne's cheek quick before he turned back to Fiona before she could disappear inside. He took her to one side and lowered his voice, not wanting Kerrianne to hear what he had to say to her mother "Hey I've told Boo, now I'm tellin' you: keep yer shit with one another to yourselves, okay?" he muttered seriously, eyes locked with Fiona's. The Irishwoman scowled and said nothing for a moment but then she nodded her head just the once, the movement curt and sharp.

"Aye." Fiona drawled, her annoyance plain. While she wasn't looking to argue or have it out with Boo in any way there was such tension, such distrust and distain between them that arguments would be near enough unavoidable. Fiona would hold her tongue though, if only for her daughter's sake, she just hoped that Boo would do the same.

SAMCRO

Boo watched with a scowl on her lips as Kerrianne and her mother talked. They had all just had lunch (a very tense lunch where Fiona and Boo tried very hard not to say a word to one another) after which Kerrianne had asked if she could go down and hang with Trinity in Maureen's shop. Fiona had said no at once, had not even considered her daughters request. Annoyed, Kerrianne had asked again, this time suggesting that she take Boo with her. Fiona had said no to this even quicker. Boo was rather annoyed at the speed in which Fiona had denied Kerrianne's request that Boo accompany her to the shop but was more annoyed about the fact that Fiona wouldn't let Kerrianne go down to the shop on her own. Boo wanted to talk – and yell and scream – with Fiona about the incident with the pills, about Filip and the fact that Fiona was meddling in their relationship but she couldn't do that with Kerrianne there because she'd promised Filip she wouldn't.

"Why, afraid someone's gonna shoot me?" Kerrianne snapped, face contorted with anger and annoyance. She sounded fed up and Boo couldn't blame her. The poor girl was being kept under lock and key and just wanted the freedom to go and talk to her friend for a little while. Sure, Jimmy O and his cronies were gunning for her but if she took Casey down to the shop with her she'd be just as safe as she would be in Maureen's kitchen. At least then she could spend some time with her friend. At least then Boo could finally have it out with Fiona.

"Don't you brash me!" Fiona snapped back, clearly not amused that her daughter was talking back to her. Boo got the impression it was the first time such a thing had happened; Kerrianne after all had grown up in Jimmy O's household and talking back to him would have undoubtedly earned her at least a slap in the face. She must have so much pent up rage and emotion, so much she wanted to scream and shout about and only now was she really getting the chance to do so. Once Fiona was finally free of Jimmy, she was going to have quite a lot to deal with in young Kerrianne, but for now she had even more to deal with in Boo.

"Let her go and see Trinity and then you and I can talk." Boo grimaced, turning to Fiona and acknowledging her for the first time since her arrive. Fiona scowled at that, narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. She couldn't believe the audacity of Boo, telling her what to do with her own goddamn daughter! Ordering her around like a child! Did she have no respect for her elders, for those better than her?

"Whatever yeh have the say teh me, yeh can say in front of my daughter!" Fiona drawled slowly, spitting out the words. She didn't give a damn what Filip had said, if Boo wanted to talk to her about their differences then she could do it in front of Kerrianne! Let Kerrianne see what sort of woman her father had chosen to replace her mother!

"I promised Filip I wouldn't start anything with you in front of her." Boo snapped back. She was determined to keep Kerrianne out of the way for as far as she was concerned, the teenager didn't need to be dragged into the shit that had been stirring between her mother and her fathers Ol' Lady. Even if Chibs' hadn't have said something, Boo would want Kerrianne out of the room for her showdown with Fiona. "And I know damn well he made you promise much the same." Boo added with a scowl, arching her eyebrow at Fiona in obvious disgust. She couldn't understand why Fiona would want to have her daughter around why they argued, why she'd want to drag Kerrianne through her shit with Boo. Fiona should be protecting Kerrianne from such things, not throwing her straight into the middle of it all. Boo was certain the reason Fiona wanted Kerrianne around was because she was jealous of the fact that Boo had so easily bonded with her and because she wanted to drive home the fact that she was Kerrianne's mother, Filip's real wife and his first true love.

Maureen looked between the two angry women – both of whom looked ready to kill – and then at Kerrianne, who had sat back down at the table and hidden behind her hair, clearly uncomfortable and unnerved by what was going on. Maureen knew she had to get the teenager out of the way so Boo and Fiona could talk and fight out their differences. Differences that had been brewing for months, years even, and so no doubt would cause an explosive argument between Boo and Fiona at the very least.

"Come on love, Trinity will have yeh stackin' shelves if yeh go down there." She said, trying to sound cheery as she put an arm around Kerrianne's shoulder and pulled her up out of her seat. Trinity's friends never came to see her at the shop because she soon got them doing all sorts of jobs like sweeping the floors or restocking the shelves and Maureen was certain Kerrianne wouldn't appreciate it if she was made to do same! "We'll get yeh set up in her room with some movies." She added, knowing that Trinity had an extensive collection of chick flicks and comedy films stored away under her bed. There had to be something under there that Kerrianne would deem worth watching. Thankfully the teenager gave a weak smile and nodded her head, allowed Maureen to lead her into Trinity's room.

Boo gave Fiona a smug sot of smile as Maureen lead Kerrianne away, glad to have her out of way. She knew that Maureen would most likely stay with Kerrianne in Trinity's room for she had already made it more than clear that she didn't want to get involved with whatever was going on between Fiona and Boo. Fiona may have been her friend for a long time but she'd also stuck up a nice friendship with Boo since the younger woman had arrived in Ireland and she wanted to jeopardise neither friendship, so she was staying out of things. Gemma however, was a different story. She was Boo's stepmother, her friend and sometimes co-worker and would no doubt want to defend Boo against a woman she'd many a time claimed to be afraid off, a woman she both disliked and blamed for Chibs' almost ratting on the club because of Jimmy O. Boo however, didn't want her stepmother rushing to her defence, she wanted to deal with Fiona on her own. Fiona and the way she was butting in on Boo's relationship with Filip was Boo's problem and Boo's problem alone, so she'd handle it alone.

"Gemma, go, this doesn't concern you." Boo told her stepmother firmly, giving her a stern and determined look to let her know she was serious. Gemma however, didn't go. She put down the plates she'd previously been cleaning before sitting herself down in the seat that Kerrianne had just vacated.

"I'm staying right here baby." Gemma said with a smirk that just dared Boo to contend with her. The SAMCRO matriarch could see that Boo and Fiona were ready to practically brawl in out and someone had to be there to make sure they didn't end up killing one another. "What? You think I'm going to let the two of you tear one another apart? Someone needs to mediate here." Gemma said dryly when Boo glared at her and went to protest. Boo knew she didn't have a hope in hell of getting rid of Gemma so sighed heavily and nodded her head, giving in. At the very least she knew Gemma wasn't there simply to jump to her defence whether she wanted her to or not; she there to keep things from getting rough between her and Fiona.

"Fine." Boo groaned, turning her attentions to Fiona once again. She'd spent so long being scared of this woman, intimidated by her, frightened by the notion that Filip might just return to her but now all she felt was rage. It had a complete and total hold on her and all Boo could see was red: she wasn't going to let this Irish bitch come between her and her husband, she wasn't going to let her interfere in their relationship a moment longer and she most certainly wasn't going to allow herself to be afraid of her any more! "I know what shit you're trying to pull and I'm fed up with it." Boo snarled as she waved an accusing finger in Fiona's direction. She could feel that her face was red and contorted with anger and knew that she was noticeably shaking but she didn't care for her rage was giving her what she needed to finally have it out with Fiona. "Stop butting in on my relationship with Filip! He's not yours any longer, he's mine!" she went on, pointing to herself as she spoke. Fiona just continued to scowl and stare. Her narrowed eyes had darkened and her knuckles were whitening as she was gripping her arms so tightly but otherwise she gave no outward sign that what Boo was saying was getting to her. "You made your choice, you got into bed with Jimmy O and then had Filip cut to pieces!" Boo barked, voice becoming tight and strained as she mentioned Jimmy's attack of Filip. She just couldn't understand how any woman could leave the man she loved for another then allow that other man to cut the first to pieces for no other reason than to take pleasure in their torment.

Fiona had, until that point, been determined to remain calm, to keep her voice soft and steady and not to show any trace of the anger and resentment she felt towards Boo. But then the girl had brought up Jimmy's attack on Filip and no longer could she hold herself back. It didn't matter to her that she'd played a large part in Jimmy's attack on Filip – it had been her idea to give Chibs a 'Glasgow grin'. A way to mock his Scottish heritage while reminding him that his loyalties to the Cause, to a united Ireland should have come first – or that she'd taken vast amounts of pleasure from watching Jimmy slice open Filip's cheeks from the shadows an hour before they flew out to Charming to meet with SAMCRO, all that mattered was that she deeply regretted her part in Filip's attack now and that she'd finally realised that Jimmy's powerful hold and control over her had driven her to aid him in his sadistic attack on her estranged husband. The Irishwoman unfolded her arms and stepped forward so that she was directly in front of Boo, her face mere inches from hers. She was glad that she'd worn heels that day for Boo was slightly taller than her but with her heels, they were virtually eye to eye.

"Yeh think I had any choice in that lovey?" Fiona demanded, smirking when she noticed that behind the false bravado and dangerous amounts of anger there was fear in Boo's eyes. "Jimmy would have killed me if I'd have turned him down." She added grimly, eyes darting away from Boo's just for a moment as she spoke. While it was nothing but the truth that Jimmy would have killed Fiona, had she turned him down the reality of the situation was that she went to him willingly. She saw in him something she no longer saw in her husband; love for the Cause, dedication to the IRA and a wish for a united Ireland. Fiona could see that Jimmy O was going to be a powerful player within the IRA while her husband seemed contended to step further and further away from the Cause in favour of spending time with his young daughter. Since a united Ireland was what Fiona had been brought up to believe in and since the IRA was all she knew, it was more than obvious that her path lay with Jimmy and not Filip. Or so she had believed at the time. Now looking back, the Irishwoman could she that she and Jimmy alike had used one another to further their places within the IRA and that Jimmy, ultimately, had won a much higher position than she, much more power meaning now he could use and discard her as he pleased. If Fiona had stayed with Filip she may not have risen so high in the IRA but at least she'd be safe and possibly even happy.

"So you should have died!" Boo cried defiantly, no hesitation in her reply, no room for compromise in her voice. As far as she was concerned Fiona should have allowed Jimmy to kill her rather than get into his bed and betray the man she loved! Chibs would have done the same goddamn thing for her, he would have walked to his death willingly rather than betray her. If Boo had been or ever found herself in Fiona's situation, she would much rather die than leave Filip and crawl into the bed of another man, a man that would then cut Filip open for his own amusement and drive him out of the country just because he could. "As I would for Filip now and as he would for me!" Boo added, voice smug and superior. As she would for Filip, Filip in turn would die for her rather than betray her, this Boo knew for certain. His past betrayals, the whores and croweaters, they didn't count at all, they were just passing flings, the need to get laid, mistakes that would never happen again. Should a woman come along that wanted Filip for herself, a woman powerful enough to have him killed if he dared to tell her no, Boo knew he'd rather give up his life that leave her for said woman. "As he would have done for you and Kerrianne back then and still would now." Boo concluded, an air of disgust in her voice. She hated so much that still, after all she had done to him, Filip would still die to protect Fiona and keep her safe. He'd lay down his life for her at the drop of a hat and he'd do so for his daughter even quicker still. What made things worse for Boo was knowing that Fiona hadn't and would never give up her life for Filip.

"But he didn't die fer me did he?" Fiona jeered, infuriating Boo so much that she leapt forward, fists clenched in preparation to smack the scornful and almost mocking look on Fiona's face. Boo couldn't believe Fiona had had the audacity to say such a thing; it was like she'd expected Filip to die for her back then, that she was disappointed and even maddened by the fact that he hadn't! Did she not realise how close to death he had come? Did she believe her estranged husband had gotten off too easily when he'd had his face slashed open so deeply he'd been left with deep, horrific scars that he'd have to live with for the rest of his life, scars that would forever remind him of all Jimmy had taken from and done to him? Before Boo could punch Fiona however, Gemma intervened. She wrapped her fingers around Boo's wrist and pulled her back and away from Fiona.

"I don't think so sweetheart." She muttered in Boo's ear, despite the fact that she'd quite like to see her stepdaughter land a hard right hook on Fiona's face. Violence however, right now anyway, was not the answer. Fiona and Boo needed to talk – or rather argue - like adults and sort out their difference without resorting to attacking one another. Boo didn't even hear the words that Gemma said to her; she simply pulled her wrist free from Gemma's hold and folded her arms across her chest, digging her fingers right into her arms to help her resist the urge to go for Fiona again. This only made her temper flare all the more so.

"He almost died for you! Jimmy almost killed him that night and you fucking know it!" Boo shrieked, focussing on her anger so that her eyes wouldn't fill with tears. Filip had told her most of what had happened that night, had spared almost no detail, but he always refused to tell her how close he'd come to dying. But she'd managed to get the truth from Tig in the end; Filip had lost so much blood his doctors couldn't believe that he'd lived long enough to make it to the hospital. He'd had to have 12 pints of blood transfused and he'd flat lined 5 times before doctors had stabilised him. Just thinking about the fact that Chibs had gone through so much broke Boo's heart, making her understand why he'd chosen not to tell her about how close to death he'd come.

The hardened expression on Fiona's face flickered only slightly as Boo's comment. Of course she knew Filip had almost died that night; she and Jimmy had been kept very up to date of his condition. Jimmy had given the order that Filip's doctors try their damn hardest to keep him alive. Jimmy wanted him to stay alive so he'd live for years, decades even, faced with a daily reminder of the family that had been snatched from him and the life he'd been pushed out off. Of course he wouldn't have been bothered at all if Filip had died. Fiona at the time, would have rather that Filip died – she'd just wanted him out of the way, gone for good – but now, despite the fact that he'd lived in torment for so long, Fiona was glad that her estranged husband had lived. She hated herself for being part of the attack that'd almost killed him and knew without doubt that if he'd died, the guilt of his death would have weighed down on her and would have pushed their daughter away from her forever.

"Aye, and then he ran teh Charmin' with his tail between his legs; left me and my daughter in Jimmy's clutches!" Fiona snapped because while she was glad that Filip had lived that night, she'd forever resent him for running away like a coward and for falling in love with another woman while she and Kerrianne suffered Jimmy's wrath and tyranny. It didn't matter to Fiona that in Filip's eyes, his wife didn't love or want him anymore, didn't matter to her that he hadn't realised how bad things had gotten for her, what mattered was that he'd not bothered to fight for her again, what mattered was that he'd run away and found happiness again when she'd only found sorrow and fear.

"He left because he knew damn well that he couldn't do a thing to help you; Jimmy was too powerful, trying anything would have gotten you, Kerrianne and him killed!" Boo barked, her throat burning she was yelling so loudly. Chibs had told her time and time again that he often wished he'd fought for his family again but when Boo had questioned why he hadn't Chibs always replied in a solemn, defeated voice with 'Because Jimmy would have killed them without hesitation, just teh spite me. He'd make me watch, then he'd kill me too'. From what Boo knew about Jimmy, she knew she couldn't doubt that for a second. Surely Fiona, a woman who'd lived with Jimmy for 13 years, would have known she, Kerrianne and Filip would have been killed if Filip had dared to fight for them once more? "He left knowing that Jimmy would step over the line one day meaning he could come back and put an end to that Irish prick without risking his daughter's life or yours, even if it put an end to his own!" Boo cried, finally showing a hint of the pain and fear she felt for Filip when her voice became cracked and strained, tight with emotion. She wanted to duck her head as she spoke, to hide the tears that were threatening to invade her eyes, but she didn't because she wanted to continue to look to Fiona, to glare at her and in some ways, she wanted to Irishwoman to see her anguish. Boo wasn't stupid and, despite all Chibs' assurances that things would be fine, she was under no illusions as to what would most likely go down whilst they were in Ireland. She knew it was likely that Filip would die while they were in Ireland, knew he might just lay down his life for his estranged wife and daughter if it meant getting rid of Jimmy once and for all and that was tearing her apart inside. Things probably hadn't been planned that way but that was just the sort of man that Filip was; he'd always put his family first and he'd protect them to the bitter end, no matter what. The young brunette wanted Fiona to know, to understand and appreciate the fact that Filip might just die for her and their daughter despite the fact that he loved her no more and had found love again with Boo and despite the fact that she was continually trying to worm her way back into Filip's heart by destroying his relationship with Boo.

Fiona frowned at that, the hardened expression on her face melting just a little. It was obvious Boo really believed that Filip had come to Ireland to die for her and Kerrianne. She found herself wanting to assure the girl that this wasn't so, that Jimmy was clinging onto his existence with his fingernails and that the IRA would have him taken out within a matter of days, or possibly even less. Her pride however, didn't want to let her. She may well have accepted and found herself relived by the fact that there was no longer anything between her and Filip, that she didn't love him anymore and that there was no winning him back from the girl he obviously loved more than he'd ever loved her but she didn't want to admit to any of that and reassuring Boo that Jimmy wouldn't kill Filip made it more than obvious how she now felt. The Irishwoman knew she had to say something however and went to say something along the lines of 'Filip can take care of himself, yeh should know that!' when there was a loud crash from outside, frantic Irish accented ramblings followed by the door being thrown open. Fiona, Boo and Gemma gasped and spun round to face the door at once, the three of them startled and certain that no one good could be coming through it. They were right; Casey was soon shoved through it by a man who had a gun pointed to his head, a man that was unfamiliar to Boo and Gemma but who Fiona knew to be as one of Jimmy's most trusted men, Donny. He thrust Casey into a chair just as Jimmy O'Phelan entered the room, also brandishing a gun. Boo knew it to be him because of the picture's she had seen off him and immediately backed up towards Gemma and Fiona, both of whom were cursing at the sight of the men before them.

Jimmy smirked at the sight of the three women cowering by the sink in Maureen's kitchen. He'd known he'd find Fiona there – she and Maureen was as thick as thieves, as were Trinity and Kerrianne – but the sight of Filip's Ol' Lady Boo was a welcome surprise. He'd known of course, that she was in Ireland along with SAMCRO but he'd expected Filip to have her hidden away a little better than this, expected him to keep her away from Fiona. He gestured to Donny, informing him to wait a moment and keep his gun on Casey before walking towards Boo, his eyes raking up and down her youthful form as he did so. He couldn't help but smirk, lick his lips in delight; even with the layers of warm clothing she was wearing, he could see that she had a tight little body and sizable breasts. He couldn't wait to get a taste of this girl, couldn't wait to cut her to pieces and watch her die, forcing Filip to watch all the while.

"So? Yer her then? Boo." He drawled sleazily as he got close to the girl, sniggering softly when she paled and gulped in fear. He couldn't help but be a little turned on by that; seeing such fear in a woman, being the cause of it, it always got him going. Jimmy found himself reaching out for the girl before he could stop himself; he took hold of the front of her sweater and dragged her towards him, sniggering again when she shrieked in alarm and started to tremble. He grabbed ahold of her chin, fingers digging tight into her pale cheeks as he examined the features of her face: the startling blue eyes, the plump lips and the still-pink scar on her forehead that had been left by the same explosion that had caused her to miscarry. He found himself quite impressed when the girl stared him out the entire time, eyes wide with fear yet hardened with determination. He let her go and ducked his head forward, pressed his lips right against her ear. "Yeh looked better in yer picture's lass; but still yer a fine lookin' young thing. Filip's a lucky man." He sneered haughtily, taking the chance to grab at her layer covered breasts as he spoke.

Until the moment that Jimmy grabbed at her breasts, Boo had been near frozen by her fear of the man and knowledge of what he could do to her. But then he had mentioned Filip, touched her in a way that only Filip was allowed too and she found the courage to stand up to him, not caring about the fact that he had a gun. She put both hands against Jimmy's chest and shoved him away with all her might, smirking just a little when the unexpected attack made Jimmy tumble backwards.

"Don't you fucking touch me you pathetic little sleazebag!" Boo spat as she rubbed at her aching jaw, where she could already feel bruises forming. Jimmy merely sniggered again at that as he brushed at and straightened out the front of his suit. Filip liked his girls feisty! Boo would soon regret putting her hands on him though, he'd make her pay for it, her and Filip. Jimmy stepped forward again, smirk falling free from his face only to be replaced by a hardened grimace. He curled his fist tight into Boo's hair and dragged her head – and indeed her entire body – back with so much force, he pulled many of her dark curls loose. Boo whimpered in pain and tried to fight free so Jimmy pulled at her hair harder still and jabbed his gun under her chin; she felt silent and still at once, her once determined eyes now awash with tears.

"Just so yeh know, Filip ain't gonna kill me." He snarled, for he had overheard what Boo had yelled at Fiona as he, Donny and Casey had made they're way up the stairs. "I'll put an end to him though." He added with a gleeful snigger. He'd already heard from Liam and knew that Filip had survived the bomb that had ended up taking out many members of SAMBEL (including Filip's young nephew Padraic) but not a single member of SAMCRO. As pissed off as he was that SAMCRO had remained whole, Jimmy was glad that he'd get the chance to kill Filip – who he was now more than bored of tormenting - to take his life in the most god awful way he could. Jimmy got closer still to Boo, pressed his face right up against hers, so close he could smell the fruity scent that clung to her skin. "But don't yeh worry; I'll make sure he gets teh watch as I rape yeh and then cut yeh open, as I give yeh a smile teh match his…" Jimmy drawled sadistically, removing his gun from beneath Boo's chin as he spoke before using it to trace a curve from each end of her lips, right up her cheeks. Boo shuddered again then, gave a soft frightened whimper but she didn't try and fight free; she had learnt her lesson. "And then when yer dyin' in his arms, I'll kill him too so he doesn't 'ave teh go alone." Jimmy concluded, sniggering yet again. He wasn't sniggering for very long however because Boo, in a moment of both courage and stupidity, spat in Jimmy's face, her warm, thick drool hitting him right in the eye. Jimmy grimaced in disgust, almost unable to believe that Boo had done something so vile. He let go of her hair and wiped the spit from his eye with a shudder before bringing back his gun clad hand and whipping it across Boo's face with such force she toppled to the ground with a shriek of pain, her hands clasping at the oozing wound that had formed just above her right eye. Knowing he needed to regain control of the situation, Jimmy turned to Donny. "Find the girl." He barked at as he rubbed at his eye once again. None of the women in the room would dare to try anything if Kerrianne was in the room; they wouldn't want to risk him killing her.

Boo whimpered in pain as she clutched at the wound Jimmy's gun had left just above her right eye. It was slowly oozing blood but it didn't feel deep at all, however it was swelling rapidly and Boo was struggling to keep her watering eye open. The young brunette wished she hadn't spat in Jimmy's face but had done so before she even knew what she was doing. He'd just angered her so much, threatening to rape and cut her, to slice her face open as he had done with Filip! To make matters even worse the sick bastard had talked of killing Filip; of making him watch as she was brutally torn apart by Jimmy in the worst way's imaginable. Boo knew she might not be able to stop Jimmy from doing such awful things, knew that maybe Filip might not be able to either, but at least she'd be able to get one up on him by spitting in his face, no matter how idiotic and regrettable doing so might have been. Before Boo could even think about getting to her feet, Fiona and Gemma had appeared either side of her, each wearing similar looks of terror and uncertainty. Both women ducked down and wrapped an arm around Boo's back, took her arm in their free hand so they could hoist her to her feet. Boo was so shocked by the fact that Fiona was trying to help her up that for a moment, she remained limp.

"Come on sweetheart, get up." Gemma hissed in Boo's ear when she realised Boo was doing nothing to help get herself upright. Boo nodded then, winching as pain shot through her right eye which was now almost completely swollen shut. She stumbled to her feet with Fiona and Gemma's help before backing to the sink once again and fumbling for a tea towel, which she dampened under the dripping tap and held to her throbbing eye. Her jaw ached too, the pain dull and spread right across both cheeks, but she could do nothing to relieve said pain so simply had to put up with it.

"What the hell are yeh doin' Jimmy?" Fiona demanded once Boo was on her feet, voice shaking despite how hard she was trying to keep it steady. She couldn't believe Jimmy had been stupid enough to come after her and Kerrianne when the whole of SAMBEL and most of SAMCRO were soon to return from their run to Dungloe… but then it hit Fiona like a ton of bricks. Jimmy had done something; not all the men that had left for Dungloe that morning would return. She wondered how many of them were dead, if they were SAMCRO or SAMBEL, if they were Filip… She didn't dare say anything though, for fear of making the situation worse. She had no idea what Boo might do if she believed Filip might be dead; she could cost them all their lives.

"Settin' things right." Jimmy tutted as if this was obvious, which in his eyes it was. The bullshit and the fuck ups concerning SAMCRO needed to stop once and for all, the problem – as well as Kellan Ashby - needed to be dealt with and Fiona and Kerrianne needed to return to the compound. Only then did Jimmy have a fighting chance of keeping his place at the top of the IRA food chain. Jimmy turned to Casey then without another word, took aim and fired. He hit Casey right in the forehead, killing him in an instance and sending his blood and brains across the wall.

"Shit." Gemma cursed as Casey slumped down onto the table, dead. She knew Jimmy could just as easily shoot her or Boo dead and so moved in front of her stepdaughter to protect her. Gemma also knew that Jimmy was at Maureen's for Fiona and Kerrianne and so he wouldn't hurt either of them, or rather he wouldn't kill them.

Kerrianne trembled as Donny forced her and Maureen back into the kitchen. When they'd first heard the pandemonium out there they'd tried to escape through Trinity's bedroom window so that they could go and get help, but the drop was just far too high and would have easily killed both of them. Before they could think up another escape route, Donny had appeared, his gun pointing back and forth between them as he ordered them into the kitchen. She and Maureen had done as they were told without a word. The teenager screamed when she caught sight of Casey's body, bleeding out on the table. Sure she'd seen plenty of gruesome, horrific things in her short years on earth but she'd never seen a dead man before and she'd never felt such fear for her own life before either. Even after Maureen covered her eyes she could still see Casey, pale, dead, a puddle of blood forming under his face. She started sobbing then, fearful that she or her mother might be next, fearful that Jimmy would kill every person in that room until they agreed to return to the compound with him – for why else would he have shown up? Kerrianne was thankful when Maureen eased her into her mothers awaiting arms. The teenager clung to her mother, took comfort from the familiar way her mother held her as Maureen and Jimmy argued about Casey and Father Ashby. She couldn't help but stare at Casey's body, couldn't take her eyes off of him. He'd done nothing but try to protect her, her mother and the others and now because of it, he was dead. That shook Kerrianne to her very core – she wondered how many more people would have to die before all this was over. Would she be among them? Would her mother, or her father?

"Let's go." Jimmy ordered after he'd managed to dismiss Maureen's feeble quarrel with him over Casey's murder. He didn't give a damn about Father Ashby or his 'sons' all he cared about was his family and getting rid of the threats against him.

"We're not goin' with you!" Fiona spat, pulling Kerrianne closer and holding her tighter as she spoke. She knew damn well what would happen if she and Kerrianne went with Jimmy; within a matter of hours one or both of them would be dead as way of punishment for fleeing with Kellan Ashby. And if they weren't killed, Jimmy would carry out his vile threats to put his hands on Kerrianne…

Jimmy scowled at that, found himself almost astounded that Fiona and Kerrianne wouldn't just come with him! Did he not have a gun? Had he not just murdered Casey in front of them? He guessed a few nights at the rectory with Kellan and a few visits with dear old Filip had given Fiona the courage she had long ago lost. Well then, he'd just have to scare that courage right back out of her. Jimmy moved forward and knocked Gemma – who was standing in front of Boo protectively – out the way and aimed his gun at Boo's head. Boo, who had been watching everything in horror through her one good eye up until that point, dropped the damp and bloodied towel that she had pressed up against her eye and screamed, tried to back up but found herself pressed up against the sink with no escape route.

"Shall I kill her teh show yeh how much I love yeh?" Jimmy barked as Boo stared at the gun fearfully, frozen and lost for what to do. She had no idea if Jimmy would shoot her or not – he seemed to have bigger, far more sinister plans for her – and didn't know if she should risk trying to run or wait for Fiona to give in and agree to go with Jimmy. Considering how much Fiona hated her, Boo felt the former was the better option. Fiona would likely let her die rather than go with Jimmy. "I'm takin' my family home." Jimmy added, his eyes never once leaving Boo. He didn't want to kill her, not now at least, but he'd do so if it meant Fiona and Kerrianne returned home with him.

"Ma." Kerrianne murmured softly, despite how terrified she was of speaking up and annoying Jimmy. She gave her mothers arm a gentle shake in case her low voice didn't get her attention and cast her eyes away from Casey's body first to Boo and then up to her mother. She didn't want Boo – or anyone else for that matter – to die. She liked Boo, was getting along with her really well and to top things off, her father was head over heels in love with Boo. He'd been utterly torn apart if she died. Kerrianne couldn't let her father lose another woman that he loved.

"Okay." Fiona nodded quickly, looking up at Jimmy with a serious look about her face while gesturing for him to put his gun down. "Okay, no more blood." She said more firmly. Even if Kerrianne hadn't have spoken up, she would have stopped Jimmy from shooting Boo. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't let the girl die, knowing what it would do to Filip. She couldn't put him through that, not again. Jimmy, thankfully, lowered his gun so Fiona took to comforting her terrified daughter. "Come on sweetheart, it will be alright." She assured her as she put an arm back around her. She'd figure out a way to keep Kerrianne safe once they went back with Jimmy, do whatever Jimmy ordered of her if it meant he didn't go near her daughter.

"My stuff… I left my iPod in the bedroom." Kerrianne muttered nervously as she clung to her mother, shuddering fearfully when Jimmy leaned in close to her so he could hear what she was saying. She'd never be able to cope back at Jimmy's compound without her iPod; it was her escape, something that helped her pretend that she was elsewhere and away from the horrors in which she lived.

"Donny would you be so kind as to retrieve my lovely stepdaughters iPod?" Jimmy asked as he turned his attention to Donny, hoping that the small gesture would win him back some favour with Kerrianne. Donny nodded his head and headed back towards Trinity's bedroom. Trinity Ashby appeared at the end of the hallway before he could get there and she didn't hesitate for a second in aiming the gun she had in her hands at his head and firing twice. She was no good shot thankfully, which gave Donny chance to duck and move out of the line of fire. When he looked up again, the blonde had already disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the sound of gunfire had distracted Jimmy O enough to allow a quick thinking Maureen and Gemma to gain control of the situation. Maureen managed to grab a butter knife and jam it right into Jimmy's leg. The startled Irishman cursed in pain and dropped his gun, which Gemma soon got ahold of. She aimed it at Jimmy's head just as Donny reappeared in the room, his own gun pointed at Maureen.

"Drop the gun!" Gemma ordered, her eyes on Donny, gun still pointed at Jimmy O's head. There was silence for a long, agonising moment. Nobody moved, nobody seemed sure of what to do. "Drop the gun, do it!" Gemma barked again, her voice loud and unwavering; she'd kill Jimmy if she had to, she didn't care what repercussions that would cause her. Donny looked to Jimmy for instructions, and put his gun to the floor when Jimmy nodded his head. Neither man liked letting Gemma take control of the situation but they both knew that Gemma would kill them if they gave her enough of a reason too. Maureen fled the kitchen then, calling out to her daughter as she went to check to make sure she was okay. Fiona meanwhile, stepped away from her terrified daughter in order to retrieve Donny's abandoned gun. Boo, light-headed and half-blind from the wound on her head reached out and took Kerrianne's hand in her own for she knew she could do little more than offer comfort to the teen in the state she was in. "We okay in there?" Gemma called out as Maureen hammered on the door behind which Trinity was hiding. As she spoke, Fiona moved in front of her daughter – and by default, Boo – her fingers curling round the gun in her hand as she did so. Boo noticed this but didn't say a word for she had no idea what the Irishwoman planned to do.

"Yeah, she's fine." Maureen confirmed as she and a shaking Trinity returned to the kitchen. Gemma gave a curt nod and turned her attentions to Donny. She ordered him to get down on the floor, his face down and hands above his head, keeping her gun aimed at Jimmy the whole while. Donny complied, this time without looking at Jimmy for instruction; it wasn't worth the risk to ignore Gemma's orders.

"Sit." Gemma instructed Jimmy once Donny was on the floor, dropping her gun for the briefest moment so that she could point it at the chair at Jimmy's side. Jimmy, knowing he had little choice in the matter, held up his hands and sat down on the chair, as ordered. He'd do whatever Gemma asked of him for he knew it was the only way he was getting out of that kitchen alive, but he'd be back and this time there'd be no messing around with idle threats and useless kills; Gemma Morrow would be the first to go and, despite wanting to kill her in front of Filip, Boo would be next. Once he was sat, Gemma turned to Maureen "Take Trinity, Boo and Kerrianne downstairs." She ordered. She wanted all three girls out of harms way; Kerrianne and Trinity because they were innocent in all of this and Boo because while she was heavily involved with the shit with Jimmy and would dearly love to put a bullet in Jimmy's head for Chibs, the Scotsman would be devastated if something happened to her, would never forgive Gemma for failing to protect the woman he saw as his wife. Tig too, would never forgive Gemma if the girl he'd taken on as his daughter came to any harm.

"I'm not going downstairs Gemma, this shit concerns me too!" Boo spat, both hurt and rather disgusted by the fact that Gemma was trying to get rid of her. Jimmy had cut up and almost killed her husband, had threatened to not only do the same to her, but to rape her too and force Filip to watch. Boo didn't know what Gemma had planned for Jimmy but she wanted to be apart of it, she wanted vengeance for Filip and she wanted to prove to Jimmy once and for all that she was no weakling that he could just push around and threaten at will. She wanted to see Jimmy suffer and she wanted to be the one to cause that suffering.

"This shit could get you killed!" Gemma snapped before Boo or anyone else could say another word. She softened her angry features and stared at Boo, implored her to understand; it didn't matter so much if she died – she was willing to die if it meant finding Abel – and nor did it matter much if Fiona died – she had made some bad choices in life and now she had to face the consequences of those choices – but Boo? If she died then so would Chibs, so would Tig. She was so important to the both of them and her death would utterly destroy them. Both Tig and Chibs were important members of SAMCRO and if something happened to them, the whole damn club might just fall apart – Clay couldn't function as president without Tig at his side and Jax trusted and relied on Chibs more than almost any other member. "Tig and Chibs would never forgive me if I let that happen and you know it." Gemma added as she stared deep into Boo's eyes. Boo nodded then, despite how much she wanted to stay and cause Jimmy no end of pain. Gemma's words had had the desired effect. Boo didn't want to risk her own life for fear of what it would do to those she loved, to Chibs and Tig especially. She just hoped that whatever Gemma had planned for Jimmy would have him suffering, suffering so much he begged to be killed, a privilege Gemma would deny him. "Now go, all of you, go!" Gemma ordered, looking to Maureen and Trinity before looking back to Boo and Kerrianne, her eyes dark and dangerous, her voice firm with authority. Boo held onto Kerrianne's hand tighter still than she already was and then followed Trinity and Maureen downstairs, where they gathered around the counter in the locked shop. Kerrianne was sobbing again by the time they got down there.

"Hey it's okay." Boo promised her, enveloping the teen in a tight hug. Kerrianne collapsed into her at once, her fingers curling tight around Boo's arms as she buried her face in her chest and wept. "Your mother will be fine! Her and Gemma? They're tough." Boo assured Kerrianne as she rubbed her back soothingly. Kerrianne didn't reply, she could only nod her head. She knew her mother could take care of herself and knew that Gemma was a fierce and aggressive woman that was more than capable of holding her own but she couldn't help but be scared for them; she knew what Jimmy was capable of, knew what he was like. The slightest mistake on Gemma or her mother's behalf and he'd once again be in control of the situation, gun in hand, with a mind to kill.

As they foursome waited for what was happening upstairs to run it's course, Boo allowed Maureen to tend to the wounds on her face while Kerrianne followed Trinity into the stockroom after the blonde requested some help with restocking the shelves – Kerrianne welcomed the distraction that such a menial task would bring. Maureen assured Boo that she wouldn't need stitches and that she was certain Jimmy hadn't shattered her eye socket but merely caught it at just the right angle, making it swell up and force her eye closed. She asked Boo to get Filip to check it over upon his return as she was no medic or doctor but had simply seen her fair share of wounds after so many years with SAMBEL. As Boo agreed, Gemma and Fiona appeared in the shop. The account they gave of what happened upstairs was very vague but Boo got the impression that Fiona had stopped Jimmy from shooting Jimmy then forced the prick, along with Donny, to leave. As soon as they were done explaining, Kerrianne begged her mother to take them back to the rectory. She was terrified and just wanted to go somewhere where she felt safe, even if that meant missing out on seeing her da again when he returned from Dungloe. Maureen immediately volunteered to take them there and there three of them were soon readying to leave. Both they could go however, Boo took Fiona aside. There was something she wanted to say to her before she and Kerrianne left.

"Thank you." She muttered, forcing herself to look in Fiona's eyes as she spoke and to make her words sound sincere. Fiona shot Boo a bemused look so the author explained herself. "For not letting Jimmy kill me when you easily could have." She added, nodding her head as she spoke. Boo was rather resentful of the fact that she practically owed Fiona her life but she was not going to let the incident pass without telling Fiona how grateful she was. Sure she didn't like the woman, hated her even, but after their bitter argument and all that had happened with Jimmy there seemed to be more of an understanding between them, it was like having a common enemy had united them and allowed them to put their differences aside.

"Don't thank me." Fiona said with a shake of her head for she'd not saved Boo's life for her own sake, but for Filip and for her daughter. "Thank her and Filip." She went on, nodding her head at Kerrianne before glancing down to the ring that adorned Boo's left ring finger, the ring that made it brutally clear who Filip considered to be his wife. "He loves you a lot and I doubt he'd be too happy if yeh died." She concluded. Boo nodded her head at that, understanding that Fiona didn't want Filip to suffer any more than he already had because of her. She didn't say anything else to Fiona but turned to Kerrianne – who looked a little calmer and more at ease now that she knew she was going back to the rectory – and wrapped her arms around her.

"I'll let your da know you're okay, he'll be worried about you." She promised as Kerrianne returned the embrace. "Don't let what happened today get to you Kerrianne, this will all be over soon I promise." She muttered softly in the teen's ear, for she was worried about what sort of effect the horrific events of that afternoon would have on Kerrianne's fragile mind.

"Aye." Kerrianne nodded. What she'd seen that afternoon had been horrible yes, but she wasn't going to let it bother her. She was just going to try and forget all about it and act like it had never happened; this was something that had worked for her in the past and hopefully, would continue to work for her now. "Take good care of my da fer me." She said to Boo as she pulled away from their hug. Her da would be in a state when he found out what'd happened with Jimmy but hopefully Boo would be able to calm him down and assure him that everything was okay.

"Always." Boo promised with a smile and a nod of her head, before hugging Kerrianne one last time and heading back upstairs with Trinity and Gemma.

I've started a Twitter account to go alongside this story, so I can keep you updated about how my writing is coming along. Follow me 'HaylsValo', there is also a link on my profile page.

Also, just to let you know, I managed to pass my college course and get some amazing grades! I have more than meet the requirements to move onto my next course and also, to gain some extra grants!

The next chapter will likely conclude the clubs time in Ireland!

Reviews would be loved; they are extremely motivational and make my writing more than worthwhile!