A/N - Hi lovely readers! Thank you so much for sticking with me on this one, I've been trying to get it right and it's really really hard! But I've loved it and I hope you do too. I'd love your feedback - your replies and reviews help me shape this story and we all know it's coming to an end soon, so if there's anything you want me to hit soon, let me know...!

This chapter is especially for RhondaL as a birthday present!

Sara x


Nina groaned with exhaustion as she blinked her eyes open. Her mouth was dry from heaving in the night, and she could feel her eyelashes clumped together from her smudged mascara. She cupped her mouth with her hands and breathed out, at least she didn't smell as gross as she felt.

She glimpsed down at her arm, noticing the dark etching in it. She swallowed, the disturbing, twisted letters in her forearm making her shiver a little. She rubbed her fingertips against the lines, as if that might erase them, but of course it didn't. She sighed, closing her eyes for a second before slipping her arm back beneath the covers and rolling over. Chibs lay beside her, and he winked one eye open as he caught sight of her awake. She smiled, reaching across to stroke his cheek gently, and his lips curled into the slightest of grins.

"Morning, love," he murmured. He shifted across the bed with his hip, using one arm to scoop her closer. "You sleep okay?"

He knew she hadn't, he'd been aware of her padding about through the night, pacing anxiously and trying to quiet her nausea. He'd heard Trager on the stairs, sneaking his way up, and while he hadn't heard their conversation, he'd seen her come back to bed without the dressing on her forearm. He'd seen the scars on her, the word that killed him to even think about.

"Bit restless," she murmured, sitting up a little, keeping her arm still hidden away as she did. "I was too hot. Weren't you hot?"

Chibs chuckled as he tugged her to lie down beside him again, he didn't want her to get up and leave him, not now, not when he was feeling so good with her. "You make me hot, does that count?" He started to push little kisses along her face, his beard prickling her and making her giggle as he did. She laughed, easing his hands away from her as they started to edge her nightdress up over her thighs.

"Hey…" She looked at him, trying to stay sensible. "We've got a guest…"

"Fuck that prick," Chibs muttered. He could see that line of attack wasn't going to work, Nina drew her shoulders up to her ears defensively and wrapped her arms around her. Chibs glanced at the letters scrawled on her with a snarl and watched as she tried to hide them again. "That what he did to you?"

She shook her head. "I don't remember. He's not like that, I don't think he would." She laughed a little, she'd barely believed he would stab her either but that one had come true. She could feel Chibs extending her arm to have a look, his eyebrows furrowing as he studied it. "Don't, Filip. It's healing."

"That'll never heal and you know it." Chibs could feel his stomach churning, that stupid asshole downstairs deserved everything that came down on him. He could feel his fingers flexing with the desire to give Tig the beat-down that Thomas had never managed to finish.

Nina reached over towards the night-stand and picked up her phone. She flicked through a few things idly before spotting a message and clicking the inbox open. She smiled a little as she saw Natasha's name and opened the message.

Call me. Now.

Nina knew better than to ever leave her daughter hanging. She slipped out of bed, pushing her feet into her slippers as she walked across to the window box and settled there, staring out at the front yard absently as she listened to the call clicking through.

"Tash?"

She could hear Natasha whispering something and shuffling through to another room before she spoke. "Ma? Is Tig with you?"

The question was loud enough for Chibs to hear even from the other side of the room. He scowled and got up, hooking his vest on his toes and flicking it up to catch and pull back on. "Aye, arsehole's downstairs."

"Are you alright, Tash?" The panic in Nina's voice was impossible to hide. "Where are you? Who are you with?"

She could hear Natasha hesitate a moment. "Ma, I need you to get out of the house. I can explain, but you have to leave." Nina almost laughed at the sincerity in her daughter's voice, but her moment of humour passed when she could hear the way Natasha was holding her breath. "Please, you don't understand. If he's there, you're in danger. You need to leave. Come meet me, I'm at Tommy's, we can-"

Chibs felt his blood run cold. He stood up, barging over, remembering Tig's panicked arrival at dinner the night before. "What the hell are you doing at Thomas', hey? I thought she was at Hap's," he barked, his hands on his hips. He could almost hear Natasha quivering on the other end of the line, but Nina raised her hand to silence him.

"Why do you want me to leave, baby?" she asked quietly. "Tig's downstairs, he's fine, we're all fine."

"He's not fine," Natasha snapped sharply. "I don't want to talk about this on the phone, you have to come here."

Nina rolled her eyes and stood up, frustrated by Natasha's lack of information. "What's going on, Tash? Are you in trouble?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Was it Hap? What's he done?" She paused, considering the options. "Did he hit you?" The very idea made her sick. "I'll kill him, I'll-"

"He killed Emily." The words blurted out of Natasha's lips, she was unable to hold them in any more. "Tig, he did it. He shot her. He lied, they all… they've all lied. Da, Bobby, Juice. All of them."

Nina felt her eyes fall on Chibs as he overheard the words Natasha said. He went white as a sheet, and froze as Nina snatched up his gun from the dressing table. She clicked off the call almost instantly and raised the gun towards Chibs as her whole body began to shake, confused and panicked by Tash's accusation. Chibs tried to reach for her, wanting to calm her, but she shook her head, backing away and unlatching the safety as she walked backwards out of the room.

"Is that true?"

Nina's eyes were bloodshot as she glared at him. Chibs raised his hands, trying to pacify her, but she stared at him with an ugly hatred.

"Nina-"

"Is it true?!" The words were harder this time, angrier. When he didn't answer, barely able to, she turned on her heel and darted down the stairs. She'd kill him. She would kill him. She'd put a bullet between his goddamn eyes and he would never hurt her or any of her family again, she was sure of it. As she galloped down, she slammed the door of the living room open, fully intent on tearing the living shit out of the guy.

She froze, however, as she saw Tig sprawled across the couch, blood pouring from his mouth as he whimpered and convulsed, his hand desperately trying to press down against his heart. Her indecision flooded her and she dropped the gun in an instant, confused.

"Alex?"

Chibs was right behind her as she stopped short, and he cursed as he saw Tig choking on his own blood. "Jesus fucking Christ." He pushed past her, snatching up a cushion and pushing it harder to Tig's chest, trying to stem the flow as it spilled out, soaking the material. "Call an ambulance," he demanded, turning to Nina. She didn't move, and his expression grew hard. "Now, Nina. Call someone. We need to get him to a hospital."