I'm working on drawing a straight line

And I'll draw until I get one right

It's bold and dark, girl, can't you see

I done drawn a line between you and me

I'm working on erasing you

Just don't have the proper tools

I'll get hammered, forget that you exist

There's no way I'm forgetting this

My Backwards Walk – Frightened Rabbit


When Mattie saw Gemma's new Caddy sitting in her driveway, she thought the Queen would be waiting in the car, except the driver's seat was empty. Shit. Luck was, once again, not on her side.

Mattie only planned to go on a quick run, but then she'd hopped the fence that separated the park down the street from the baseball fields behind Charming High and ran around the deserted track until her legs ached. And then she kept on going until she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, until she was just a burning set of lungs and limbs and emptiness.

Nothing had gotten better. Only worse. With the guys in jail, everyone left in Charming was more on edge than usual- which was why Mattie had a gun tucked the sweaty space between her ass and the waistband of her running shorts. She'd probably have some sort of nasty blistery bruise back there, but hell, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The front door was locked so Mattie had to suffer the indignity of ringing her own doorbell, only to be met with one of Gemma's disapproving looks. Hadn't been enough room to bring along a set of keys, and besides, her houseguest- her other houseguest- should've been perfectly capable of dealing with an intruder if any happened to come by during her absence.

"Baby girl." Gemma tsked, not budging the last lock. "Next time you leave the Prospect home alone, why don't you make sure he's not zonked out on painkillers first?"

Mattie gritted her teeth. "Fuck me. His next dose isn't for another three hours. I've already had to refill his prescription twice and the girl at the pharmacy is going to think I'm some sort of junkie."

Half-Sack tried to recuperate on his own, but after nearly burning down his shithole apartment with a hot plate while completely fucked up, he'd made a phone call to Mattie and asked if she'd take care of him. Never one to turn away a friend- or prospect- in need, she'd set him up on the couch, where he'd been ever since. Now she was beginning to think he planned on taking up a permanent residence in her living room. Or at least while Tig was gone- read: in prison- the kid had forged himself a comfy spot.

Gemma finally allowed Mattie inside her own house, and the Queen made sure to pointedly secure all the locks while keeping her gaze trained on Matt the entire time. Shit. She couldn't remember what she'd done wrong- besides not locking the front door- or if she'd forgotten about some long ago promise she'd pledged. Maybe Gemma found out about the little chat Mattie had with David Hale, which honestly made a lot of sense considering how well the Deputy Chief kept his goddamn mouth shut.

"I was going to ask if you could handle watchin' Ellie and Kenny a couple days until we get shit sorted out, but it looks like you're already babysitting." Gemma remarked, pointing towards the kitchen. "Took the liberty of making myself some coffee."

"I don't mind." She replied idly, walking past the Queen to pull out the chilled bottle of water she'd purposely stuck in the freezer before going running.

"Which? The coffee or the kids?"

"Both are fine by me. Mary's gone for good?"

"Surprised she stuck around as long as she did." Gemma's tone was light but Mattie knew that she there were accusations hiding within her words. Mary Winston was never much of a mother. Not as bad as Reese, though. Had to give the woman that.

"Me too." Mattie took a long swig out of the frozen slush. The over exercise was starting to flare in her legs. Tomorrow morning, she probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed. "But that's not why you came here in the middle of the afternoon. Especially with everything that's going on."

Gemma smirked. "You're right. I, uh, talked to Rosen this morning. Then I got a call from Clay, too. About bail."

"How bad?"

"Five hundred thou a head."

Mattie bit the inside of her cheek to stop her jaw from dropping. "Jesus fucking Christ. For weapons charges? That's ridiculous!"

What goddamn judge in their right mind would set bail that high? Fuck. The lawyer part of Mattie's mind was beginning to fret, churning up ideas and sorting them according to quality. How well did she know the San Joaquin legal system? Only judge she could think of was Hale's father and he wasn't likely to be of any help. Mattie never took California's bar exam so she was pretty much useless too. Morada's cops wouldn't want to share any info- wasn't like Charming PD where she could go down to the station, ask Unser for the evidence files and analyze them to her heart's content. Or maybe she could convince Rosen to let her take a look at them? No, they'd never been fond of one another and that last time they'd had a face to face she'd called him an insipid asshole.

Mattie Cardinal, always burning those bridges.

Shit. Judging by Gemma's inquisitive stare, she was watching the silent conversation roll across Mattie's face. "On account of there being families at the rally or some bullshit like that. Tara and I are going to put our houses up for bond, but that'll only free Clay and maybe Jax, and you know those two are only gonna leave when all their brothers are going home."

"I'll put my house up, too." Mattie offered instantly. Prison wasn't a place for men without protection, and with all the power that Zobelle had, she was sure that he'd have plenty of his AB lackeys inside those barbed wire walls looking to take down a Son.

Gemma's mouth tightened and Mattie knew something was wrong. Her house wasn't worth that much, but it should've been enough to grant freedom to another Son.

"Baby, when Clay called this morning, he told me…" The Queen took a second to find her phrasing, and then continued in a no nonsense manner, "Tig doesn't want to you to list your house as collateral."

"I don't fucking care what he wants. It's my house. I pay the mortgage. He doesn't get a say." Mattie was speaking more out of fear than bravery, which Gemma seemed to understand.

"Apparently Tig made himself very clear to Clay. No matter what, your house doesn't get touched. And sweetheart, I know your intentions are good, but I'm not gonna go against my husband." Gemma put a hand on her shoulder, but Mattie shrugged it off.

Cocky bastard. Trying to tell her what to do from fucking prison. Fuck that. Mattie's name was on the deed, not Tigger's, and that meant she could do whatever she goddamn wanted with the thing. Burn it, flood it, give it away. Didn't matter. It was hers and if she needed to take a risk in order to get him back, then she was going to. God, she fucking loved that man and the last thing she needed to hear was that he'd taken a sharpened toothbrush to the kidneys because she hadn't helped to get the MC out of Stockton fast enough.

Mattie couldn't handle losing him. Not when she could've prevented it and he would know that and that's why he went through Clay instead of going straight to her- she'd have to listen to Clay. Fucking blue-eyed asshole who knew her too goddamn well. When Tig came home, she'd rip him a new asshole- after she fucked his brains out. They'd gotten in a quickie the morning before he went away- old lady speak for 'got taken away to jail' even though she wasn't really an OL- but whenever she was pissed at him it usually made her abnormally horny.

That was probably because Tig ended most of their early arguments with sex so good it still made her toes curl. He'd conditioned her with sex. Mattie wondered if it'd been intentional.

"So what are we going to do?" Mattie asked, throwing her hands in the air.

"I'm not sure yet." Gemma set her coffee mug in the sink. "Came over to deliver the news. And Tigger's message."

Wait a second. Mattie had something else she could offer up as collateral, an item that Tig hadn't even thought about when deciding what she was and was not allowed to do.

"I know it's not worth nearly as much as the house, but what about my car? The Mercedes? That's gotta be worth something to somebody." And if that didn't work, Mattie probably had some jewelry upstairs that she could hock and get a decent chunk of change for. What about her engagement ring from Patrick? That damn diamond was probably worth a couple thousand dollars…

"Mattie." Gemma sighed. "You think that's a good idea?"

"I've been using the pickup lately. Losing the Benz wouldn't upset my day to day life."

"You wouldn't lose the car. Only if they fuck up their bond agreement." Yeah. Only. If Tigger didn't want Mattie to put her house up, he must've had some fear that the club wasn't going to play nice with the legal system.

"I know."

"And if Tig catches wind of your devious plan, baby girl, I'm sure you've got some fucking gowns in your closet worth their weight in silk charmeuse." Gemma grinned. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"It's not the whole truth. But I doubt the bondsmen want some dresses when they could have a nearly new Mercedes." Mattie replied sheepishly, figuring the MC Queen was going to insult her clothing again. When she was a kid, she was too much of a tomboy. Now that she was grown, her clothes were too froufrou. Mattie could never please Gemma.

She just shrugged in reply, and Mattie knew she'd gotten off to the hook though not how it happened. "You been the hospital to see Chibs?"

Fuck. Could Mattie have some warning before they jetsetted from one uncomfortable topic to another? Was that allowed?

"I went earlier this morning. He was still asleep so I just stayed for a little while before jetting."

Despite the bandage wound around his head, Chibs looked sweet all swaddled with itchy hospital blankets. Mattie still wasn't sure what she'd say to him if he ever was awake when she visited, but she found herself able to relax in his slumbering presence. Before she was all fumbling hands and nervous pacing, unable to stop venting her feverish energy. Of course not. She'd almost kissed him- or been kissed, she didn't know the difference and didn't want to think about it anymore because it gave her both a headache and indigestion- and then been mostly responsible for his accident. What the fuck was there to discuss after that? Hey, sorry you were nearly blown up and let's not discuss how awkward our relationship is going to be from this point forward. Yeah. That'd work.

"Tara said he was most responsive in the early evenings. That'd be a good time to head to St. Thomas." Gemma was doing that thing where she said something without really saying it and Mattie was sure it was a subtle comment on her relationship with Chibs, which inhabited the not-quite-friends and the not-quite-something-more quadrant.

"I might try and go over later, then." A long pause, and before Mattie could consider what she was asking, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course."

Christ. Mattie didn't share. She didn't ask for other people's opinions, especially when it concerned something so personal. Not anymore. Sure, if she was sixteen, she'd be seated at the kitchen table at the Teller-Morrow's venting her little heart out, but shit, it'd been a long time since then. Mattie ruminated. She hemmed and hawed. She did not ask for advice. Especially when the woman she was speaking to could at any time go and tell Tigger what she'd almost done.

Sounded stupid when she phrased it that way. Almost done. Their lips hadn't met and Chibs barely touched her, but Tig would see the whole situation as utter betrayal. Mattie saw it as a mistake made out of emotional and mental exhaustion. She should've stopped it, and would've if Hale hadn't fucked up her entire world with a simple declaration, but her head was in the wrong place and Chibs' mouth was in the wrong place and it'd all gone wrong. A mixture of her timidity and his boldness and now she was feeling guilty as fuck and she hadn't technically done anything wrong. Mattie still loved Tigger. Nothing changed, but at the same time, everything did.

Might it have been better if Chibs actually leaned in all the way and kissed her? Would she have resolved some of her feelings by now? Probably not, but a girl could wonder.

"A week and a half ago, on the day of the… of Chibs' accident, we went out to lunch. Right before then, actually. Wasn't planned. We just ran into one another and decided to go to Mel's Diner."

"You ran into him at the office?" Gemma was already suspicious.

"I stepped out to run an errand. He was picking up that tow. We were stuck at the same traffic light and he waved me down." Mattie explained, and thought that her throat was swelling shut. Well that was probably just psychosomatic but didn't stop her from reconsidering what she was about to say. "I was having a really terrible day and he was trying to cheer me up, and after lunch, we were in the parking lot, walking back to the trucks. I think I said I was cold and he put his scarf around my neck. Y'know how he is sometimes, any excuse to get close."

"And?"

"Chibs had me against Tig's pickup, like pressed against the door inadvertently, and he ran a hand down my side and up to my cheek and I should've known what he was going to do but I just stood there while he settled in and tried to kiss me. He stopped, though, right before our lips touched. Just pulled away like nothing happened." She covered her mouth. "And I feel so fucking guilty about it, Gemma. I don't know whether I should or not."

The Queen took a deep breath, and then cast a glance towards the living room. Sack was still sleeping, a quilt pulled up to his chin. Their conversation would have no observers.

"You've been playing with fire." Gemma stated, matter of fact. "Chibs doesn't want to be your friend. He's never wanted to be your friend. He thinks that if he's close to you, the moment you and Tig go bust- if you go bust- he's got front row tickets to your vacant pussy."

Mattie's chest tightened. Was Gemma right? Did Chibs only want to sleep with her? Just some impossible conquest for him to brag about- hey did I ever tell you guys about the time I fucked Tigger's girlfriend- an eventual notch on his bedpost. But they got along so well. That back and forth they were so good at, their natural rapport combined with matching interests. He was always asking her questions, trying to get deeper inside her head- that was a lot of work for a man just looking to score. Christ, Chibs was the first friend Mattie made in a long time. To find out everything was in her head… Mattie didn't know how she would handle it.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Maybe you're right, Gem. You always are."

"You're not gonna tell Tigger, right?"

"I haven't decided. I'm afraid of what he'd do if he found out. Probably tear me apart." Or worse. How many times would he have to threaten to kill her before the year was out?

"Baby girl, Chibs'll wind up with two holes in his head. One from the asphalt, the other from Tig. And you'll be chained to this house for the rest of your life."

"I doubt that. He'd escort me out of Charming." Mattie had no delusions about the kind of reception she'd get from Tigger if she ever decided to really cheat on him. Mr. Double Standard was allowed to sample any and all of the croweaters, while she had to remain chaste.

"We don't need anymore hard times, Matt. Take care of this. Understand me?" Gemma lifted an eyebrow, daring Mattie to refuse.

"Done."

"Good." Gemma picked up her purse from the kitchen table. "Now I've gotta clean up some other shit storms, so if you could stay out of trouble for a little while, I'd really prefer it."

"I'll try my best."

"Baby girl, let's just put it this way, if you wind up in jail, you're on your own."

That wasn't true, but Mattie nodded anyway. "Okay.

Mattie walked Gemma to the door, watching as she climbed in her SUV and drove back towards the main drag. Half-Sack stirred then, almost rolling off the couch as she strolled back into the living room. Blonde hair all messed, his eyes slow from sleep and his drugs. Kind of like Moby when he got up from a nap- minus the painkillers, of course.

He nodded when she told him her plans, but she was pretty sure he was going to wrap himself back up and shut his eyes again. Shower, hospital, dinner. And a potentially awkward conversation. If Chibs was awake.

Mattie kind of wished she could drag down another blanket and nap on the other sofa. Nope. Couldn't do that.

Had to swallow both her pride and fear and ask a man whether she was a friend or a conquest.


Chibs heard the rickety meal cart roll down the hall, passing his room without any hesitation. Damn. The doctors hadn't allowed him solid foods yet, especially after a particularly nasty episode with some chicken broth, but he was jonesing for some jello. Radioactive lime green, blood red cherry, nuclear waste orange, Christ, he didn't care. Something more substantial than whatever was dripping in his IV. He dreamed of hams and roast beef, accompanied by a side of potatoes and finished with a thick slice of chocolate cake.

He was hungry.

Lonely, too. Apparently all his visitors were either in jail- he picked a great time to get sidelined- or came when he was sleeping. Tara popped by occasionally to check on him, but their conversations were mostly health related. He didn't blame her, she had other patients to take care of and then a son to go home to, but god, hospital life was boring. Aside from Gemma's daily updates and Tara's quick informative chats, Chibs' was going stir crazy.

He flipped through the channels again, hoping for something other than the evening news- he didn't know why they aired two solid hours of the shit before primetime television, considering they just repeated the same stories over and over again- or reruns of Friends. One of the lone cable channels usually aired a marathon of Law and Order, and yes, that was a mark of how desperate he was.

A quick knock at the door distracted Chibs from his pursuit of better programming and he turned. He was pleasantly surprised.

"Gemma!" He said in a booming voice-though it came out in a croak- glad for the company. The Queen shook her head-grinning all the while- at the response.

She kissed his forehead. "How ya feeling, sweetheart?"

"Shitty. Bored. Tired." Chibs could keep going, but he figured those top three complaints were enough.

"Yeah, I can imagine. If you wanna sleep, go ahead. I'll catch on my," She glanced up at the television, "Sex in the City? Shit, honey, you sure they didn't remove your balls by accident while they were tinkering with your head?"

Chibs expected the jab. "I was flipping through the channels when you walked in."

"Sure. I bet you were." The Queen went over to the miniscule closet in the corner and set her jacket inside. He couldn't sense the difference inside the hospital, but apparently the nights were getting colder. Summer was, unfortunately, slipping away and giving up its footing to fall. Autumn in Charming was one of those strange seasons, warm during the day and chilly after dark, sometimes requiring an outfit change in between.

"And I'm sure I can keep my eyes open for a visit with my favorite old lady." He called across the room to her, his attempt to shout making his head ache just a tad. Maybe he should take the volume down.

"Oh, I don't think I'm your favorite old lady. I think a certain curly haired lawyer takes top spot."

Chibs might regret his decision to stay awake. "I don't remember her having either a crow or a ring."

Gem raised an eyebrow. "And do you really thinks she needs them?"

"I just think-"

"And were you thinking in the diner parking lot?"

Chibs' mind whirled for half a second, trying to remember when the hell he let those details spill, whether he said something when he was under, if Tig heard- but he knew it was impossible. There was only one other source Gemma could've gotten her information, and no matter how unlikely it was that Mattie would've said anything, Chibs couldn't figure out an alternative.

Jesus Christ.

He hadn't even seen Mattie since the accident, and while part of him was glad not to have to deal with the awkwardness between them while there was a hole in his head, the rest of him wanted her at his side all day and night, weeping for him, caring for him. The nurses would comment upon her steadfastness and he'd say, 'that's my Mattie,' and they'd grin knowingly while going about their business. And that wasn't to say that Matt had been completely MIA, both Gem and Tara said she'd been by plenty, just always when his eyelids were shut. Ships passing in the night.

He wouldn't blame her if she were avoiding him. That day in the parking lot, he'd gone too far, pushed her against the truck with no way to flinch away even if she wanted to. But Chibs reveled in their rare closeness, the feeling of her skin under his hand, her breath against his cheek. He'd been filled with the smell of her and the feel of her, gotten bold off the high. Manipulated the situation far past its boundaries.

Would she have kissed him back? If his lips landed on hers, if he hadn't lost his nerve at the very last second. Mattie was Tig's. That's the thought that invaded his mind, the reminder that the girl he wanted so badly belonged to another man and that wasn't liable to change, no matter how hard he kissed her. And he wanted to do things right. A relationship wasn't going to bud because of a stolen kiss in a parking lot. Not with Mattie. She might be secretive but Chibs wasn't stupid.

Yeah, secretive. So what the fuck was with Mattie talking to Gemma about it? Since when did she go to anybody for advice?

"She told you." He would've asked, but stating it felt better.

"Yeah. I don't know why," She sent him a glance that said you know how she is, and did he ever, "but she did. Do you have anything to say?"

"No."

"Well, I do, sweetheart, and you're not gonna like it." Gemma pulled a chair towards the side of his bed closer to the door. "You know you gotta lay off this shit, right?"

"Why? Because of Tig?"

Her mouth was set in a sudden, straight line. "Abso-fucking-lutely. What did you think would happen, Chibs? You think you lay a kiss on her and she'll automatically say, hey, fuck you, Tigger, I got a new man?"

"I don't know." If he'd known being awake for more than ten minutes today meant he'd get lectured, he would've just slept into tomorrow.

"Well, she's never gonna leave him. I'm sorry, baby, she just isn't." Gemma shrugged, leaning back in her seat but still looking all business. "Kissing her isn't going to change that simple fact. If you'd fucked her, even. Nothing would change."

"I didn't kiss her. I didn't so I don't know what the big fucking deal is." He closed his eyes. Was it time for his painkillers yet?

"The big deal is this has to end. Because sooner or later Tig's gonna find out about all the sneaky shit you're doing and he's going to fucking explode."

"And that's supposed to frighten me?" He couldn't help himself. "Tig's all talk and no action when it comes to his threats."

The Queen shook her head. "You don't understand how protective he is of Mattie."

"Territorial." Chibs corrected, noticing her nostrils flare. Apparently Gemma figured he'd accept her strongly worded advice without questioning it. Hadn't done it with Jimmy O- he'd initially stood his ground and still ended up fucked- wouldn't do it now.

"Maybe. Doesn't change the facts." She caught his gaze. "I'm not trying to break your heart, baby. I'm just trying to get you to see how stupid you're making yourself look. As a Son, as a man, all around. You're better than this."

Chibs wasn't pathetic. He wasn't following Matt around like a little lost puppy; he hadn't sent her any bouquets of roses or left her unsigned love letters. He flirted with her, sure. Pressed his luck plenty of times. What color panties you wearing today, lovely? he'd ask, standing too close. Mattie never answered him, of course not, even if she was feeling cheeky the most he'd get in return was wouldn't you like to know. And there was time she'd bent over to change that car's oil… Yeah, he'd been staring at her ass. So what? So fucking what? He was a man, she was a woman, and he was attracted to her. He had fun with her. What was wrong with that? What warranted Gemma coming to the hospital and warning him to stay away from Mattie?

Well, Chibs knew. Of course he knew. The kiss in the fucking parking lot. No, the near-kiss because his lips never met hers. They never met hers and things had still changed. He'd say everything was blown out of proportion but… shit. Like Gemma said, Tig and Mattie were a done deal. In spite of everything, he still doubted Tig loved her as much as Gem insisted he did, but Chibs knew Mattie loved Tigger. He didn't understand why, and probably never would- everyone said if he'd been there at the beginning, he'd be able to see, but he wasn't sure he'd ever believe it.

"And it's not just you, Chibs. It's Matt too, but you know how fucking hard it is to talk to her, especially when it's something she don't wanna hear." Gemma smirked, "Guess she mighta got that from me."

"Taught her to keep secrets, too?" Or how to lie, he left unsaid, but implied.

"No. Think she figured that one out on her own." She tilted her head dangerously, "And I wouldn't talk about keeping secrets if I were you. A secret wife and child trumps whatever Mattie isn't telling you."

His stomach twisted. He'd blame it on the lack of real food but he knew that wasn't the cause of the discomfort. "I haven't not told her."

Chibs wasn't sure why he hadn't. Well, in some ways he was, but he hadn't heard much about Mattie's family outside the MC either. Especially her mother, unless a drunken Bobby complained about his sister and what she'd done to tear her family apart.

And perhaps that's the reason why he'd never told Mattie about Fiona and Kerrianne. He left them like a thief in the night after Jimmy cut him from cheek to cheek, a cowardly move that was supposed to save his girls. Only managed to cause him near constant worry, because as they said, the devil you know is worse than the devil you don't- though if he'd stayed in Ireland, they'd likely all be dead. Hard to defend oneself with almost hundred stitches and a hardcore buzz from the all the morphine. Add in all of Jimmy's goons and Chibs could nearly convince himself he'd done the right thing for his family, but he hadn't gotten there yet. Never would, he supposed.

So how was Mattie, who'd been abandoned by her mother at age seven, supposed to find sympathy for Chibs, who'd abandoned his own daughter when she wasn't much older? Any pity she directed his way would be false, so he didn't even bother divulging that part of his past. Mattie had her lies, he had his. If she ever suspected him of hiding the truth, she never pointed it out. Chibs didn't know whether that was reassuring or something else entirely.

"What, she's supposed to ask?" She retorted, "No more of this 'secrets' bullshit. Everybody has them and everybody wants to keep them close. What, you think if you force her into spilling hers, she'll what, fall for you? Like I said, even if you managed, it's never going to happen."

"Because she loves Tig. I get it."

"No. You don't." Gemma shot back, leaning forward, ready to wage verbal battle. "She will never be in love with anyone else. She was married, for fuck's sake, and she still came back to Tigger. Six years went by and she still loved him. You cannot change that, baby."

"She did leave, though. Doesn't that say anything?"

"Once, maybe. Not anymore. Not with how things are." She sighed. "I love you, but I can't watch this anymore. I won't."

Filip, those little ripples you make will turn into tidal waves, Fiona used to say. He hated his wife, but she'd been right about that one.

"I haven't seen Mattie since… Since." Chibs admitted. "Haven't been awake to see her, at least."

"She's been by, promise you, especially at first. Actually planned to visit tonight but something happened with Lowell and his ex-wife, so Matt's watching Moby." Like always hung unsaid. "She was thinking about bringing him, but I convinced her it wasn't a good idea."

"I see." Chibs figured Gemma offered her advice specifically to deter Mattie from coming to the hospital- wouldn't do if the two women intersected by accident.

"She's got a lot on her plate. The garage, Moby, Tig and," The Queen shook her head with a smile, "The Prospect conned her into taking care of him while his ball heals."

"Of course." He'd predicted that one. "That's gotta be a full time job."

"You'd think, but he's passed out on her couch. Tigger's gonna be thrilled to see that when he comes home."

It hit Chibs, once again, that while he was sitting in the hospital bored with a hole in his head, the rest of the guys were fighting for their safety in Stockton. Pissed him off that he couldn't be there along with them, gathering allies and watching their collective backs. Because of Zobelle, Chibs was fucking useless.

"How are they? Staying safe?"

Something dark crossed Gemma's features. "Yeah, baby. They're gonna be okay. Just looking for the financing to get them out."

"Wish I could do something."

"Get better." She commanded. "And take care of this shit."

Chibs took a deep breath. "I will." Somehow.

He fought all his instincts. Being told not to do something always made him do the opposite and it also always got him into trouble of various magnitudes. He was always ready for the outcome, even with the Jimmy/Fiona fiasco. Hadn't been pleasant- far fucking from it- but he couldn't say it surprised him.

Problem was, Chibs couldn't say what'd happen if he ignored Gemma's strongly worded advice, which was exactly what the too persuasive voice in the back of his mind had already decided upon.

He was such an asshole.


A/N: I know, I know it's been forever. Life just gets in the way sometimes. No worries, I haven't abandoned the story, just got a little distracted by the real world. Anyway, I guess I don't have a lot to say this author's note, but I'm thinking the next chapter will be a flashback and then after that several present chapters back to back- they run pretty concurrent to one another and breaking them up would just be confusing. As always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing, and please continue to review so I know what you think!