Chapter 2 begins right where chapter 1 leaves off! In hindsight I should've just merged the two but its fine :))) Also I played up Happy's Latino background hardcore bc everyone likes to pretend that the man is white :/

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General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, mentions of drug use/overdose, violence/death.

CHAPTER 2: BARE BONES

"Wanna be my first?" Tig was pulled from his daydream by Sydney's suggestive tone and dirty smirk. His face only went from one level of dazed to the next, realizing he had completely zoned out when he heard what sounded like a proposition coming from her.

She raised an eyebrow as he visibly snapped out of his thoughts, finally realizing that she meant first customer, although he could've sworn there was some double entendre in her question.

"Savin yourself for me doll? I'm honoured." He placed a hand on his heart.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." She cooed.

He chuckled, his mind slipping back under before she pulled him right back out by clearing her throat and staring at him with expectant, wide eyes as she gestured to the alcohol on the shelves behind her. "Oh uh..." He realized she was still waiting for an order, squinting to try to pass off his 'deer in the headlights' behavior as indecisiveness. "Just a beer darlin."

"Wow, determined to make me showcase my bartending skills huh?" She said sarcastically. He began to chuckle again before realizing that he was supposed to be in church, quickly collecting his beer and shuffling into the chapel where he was greeted by an uproar of laughter and knowing grins before the start of church signalled as Clay lit his cigar.

"Gonna make this quick. We got two things on our table, our warehouse, and that sweet little San Bernardino tart." Tig stiffened at the mention of Sydney, inhaling sharply and shaking the thoughts out of his head, the action eliciting smiles of amusement from Bobby and Chibs.

"What the hell are you thinkin here?" Jax demanded an explanation.

"We are thinking outside the box." Clay snarled. Jax's reaction was nothing less than expected from a member of the Sons of Anarchy, especially the Vice President of the mother chapter - however, tensions rising between him and Clay had them constantly down each other's throats. The guys had started picking up on it, assuming it was some kind of power struggle, an internal beef that Jax had with his stepdad.

"Didn't think to bring it to the table first?" Jax's eyes were wide and his words were dripping venom as he indirectly accused his President of going behind the club's back.

"We don't expect it, no one else will." Happy piped up, his raspy voice carrying from his seat across the table.

"You vouch for her brother?" Chibs questioned - shocked and confused. Happy was one of the most feared members in the Sons, everyone knew that he wouldn't put his reputation on the line for just anyone.

He tipped his strong chin in a nod, everyone at the table accepting his statement. "Got no idea what you're in for." He warned with a smirk.

"She's Packer's goddaughter, James was her old man. She ain't a piece of pussy for us to pass around. We don't respect her the way we respect each other, we gonna be dealin with more than the Tacoma Killer." Clay gave Happy a pointed look.

A wave of sighs and small gasps washed over the table as brows wrinkled and foreheads creased. Everyone in the club knew who James was, although their knowledge was not nearly as strong when it came to his daughter. However, if Sydney could handle SAMDINO and Happy, they knew she had to have something or another to contribute. She held the respect of multiple high-ranking club members by the balls, this set the realization into them that she was to be treated as such.

"Know her well. She's familia. Wouldn't back this shit if I wasn't sure." Happy reassured his rarely earned approval.

"Alright then." Jax backed down.

"Besides, if she don't work out, we got somethin nice to look at around here." Clay said with a grin, earning some light cheering from the testosterone packed room.

"No shit... Is she that one everyone talks about you shackin up with?" Juice exclaimed in realization as he recounted the multiple visiting members who had spoken of Happy getting cozy with a young blonde in San Bernardino.

"The one Donut talked about... Blonde, big tits, legs for miles, that's her boys." Tig nodded, his tone faltering as he tried to hide the disappointment when he found out that his new fixation was already claimed by his heavily tattooed brother.

"It aint like that." Happy snarled with an angry look in his smokey eyes, enough for everyone to believe that what he was saying was the truth, or at least not to question him about it.

"Okay... What about the warehouse? What do we know?" Juice moved to the next topic, trying his best to avoid conflict with the other bald man sitting at the table.

"Nothing yet." Clay started. "My guess is the Mayans, not takin too kindly to our partnership with Laroy. Taking his shipment and cuttin off the ability to get another."

"If we lose the Niner business, we buy ourselves a huge black probl-."

"That ain't gonna happen." Clay cut off the negative statement of his Vice President, slamming his hands down on the table. "These mexi-assholes come into our territory." He pointed aggressively. "They steal from us. They shit on our livelihood. Now I don't care who we gotta grease, or kill. I want those goddamn guns back." He sneered through gritted teeth before taking a breath and calming down. "We got Tigger goin up to meet with Trammel to find out more." Tig nodded affirmatively.

"Alright" Jax retreated, appeasing Clay's outburst.

"Treasury? How we lookin with a rebuild hangin over our heads?"

"Rebuild is a long way's away brother." Bobby's words made Clay wince. "All bills are paid, bar is stocked, run fund is covered for the next two months, Tig is the only man who owes me dues."

"I'm a little short, catch you next week" Tig winked.

"Guess those little Thai boys are gettin expensive huh?" Happy razzed before laughter erupted.

"Yeah they are, how bout I slit your eyes and have you suck my dick." Tig shot back with a sinister grin, Happy motioned to the dark haired man to bring it on, both of them laughing along with everyone else. Clay smiled and let himself have a laugh before concluding the session with a smack of the gavel.

"I've never seen Tigger that stunned before." Gemma disclosed to Sydney as soon as the chapel doors shut.

"Oh yeah?" She had a smug smile, knowing that to hold the Sergeant at Arms patch, Tig had to be just as cold as Happy - which boosted her ego even higher knowing she was able to make him nervous.

"I've seen that man bag hundreds of women over the years, never have I once seen him actually pay any mind to one." It was true, Gemma had witnessed Tig charm his way into the pants of almost every woman who walked through the clubhouse doors, but the way he looked at Sydney was different. The matriarch had a hard time believing that it was love at first sight, this was Tig afterall, but she knew that he was intrigued by the new girl at the very least, which is more than she could say about his level of interest in any other gash.

The chapel doors flew open as Jax made his way over to the two women. Sydney figured the timing was probably best, not giving her a chance to read too deep into the words of the queen.

"So, you must be Sydney." Jax greeted with a boyish grin. Gemma had told Sydney about her son earlier, but she hadn't yet been properly introduced to her Vice President.

Jackson Teller was Vice President for a reason - with a panty-dropping smile like that, the man could get anything he wanted on this earth. He lifted Sydney's hand and nodded to her formally.

"And you must be the SAMCRO prince I've heard so much about." She responded with a flirty smile.

Jax looked down and blushed, looking back up to meet her eyes. "Hm, I don't know about the prince part." He winked.

Another smooth talker with an even smoother voice, Sydney immediately picked up on the fact that Jax effectively dampened the panties of the ladies by being sweet and charming, not rough and gruff like some of the others. Not her style, but tempting nonetheless.

"I can see why they call you VP." She cocked her brows and gave him a once over. Gemma stiffened a bit, clearly protective over her only living son and still weary about the San Bernardino tart who had taken up residence in Charming.

Jax noticed his mother's discomfort and immediately steered the conversation in a more serious direction. "Clay filled us in on what you're doin here, I'm sorry to hear about your old man, I know how that is. You'll be taken care of here."

"Thank you." Sydney replied with a genuine smile. She appreciated the warm welcoming, but wondered just how much Clay had actually told them about her if Jax seemed to think that she needed taking care of.

Jax retreated to the pool table and Sydney resumed serving drinks to bar patrons, the hang-arounds and crows seemingly warming up to her quickly. Tig gave her a quick glance as he stalked out of the bar, luckily for her, he was in too much of a hurry to catch her blushing. She assumed he was on special club business - which she hadn't been filled in on yet, little did they know that she had begun watching their every move to try and get herself ahead of the game. If she was getting into bed with SAMCRO, she was going balls deep.

From what she had gathered so far, their warehouse had been torched, likely by a rival gang. She assumed the warehouse was used as a housing facility for whatever illegal goods they sold - which she already knew to be guns. San Bernardino had always been split about guns. Some wanted them - most didn't, so the vote never passed - much to her dismay. She was thrilled when Packer had given her the nod to head north, with her dad gone, San Bernardino was nothing but a prison for her.

Smart of them using a warehouse out of local jurisdiction, a clear indicator that Charming P.D. was not on Clay's payroll - not all of them at least, meaning that San Joaquin P.D. probably was. The explosion was the reason Packer had sent her to Charming in the first place, knowing that her time had come to reach her full potential and a weakness in a club was the best time to slip through the cracks and prove herself worthy.

As the night went on, Sydney's usual routine of breaking the hearts of thirsty men began in the new town as she turned away hangarounds looking to get in on some of SAMCRO's scraps. She'd noticed the Sons eyeing her from time to time, trying to figure out what made her special enough to be recruited to the mother chapter, more than just a regular whore helping out the club.

She felt an arm against her back and a hand on her shoulder, squeezing protectively, not surprised to look over and see Happy glaring at his brothers, a glare that she recognized all too well. "Easy, Happy Meal." She pressed a hand against his chest reassuringly. "I'm just a shiny new toy. Let the little boys play."

Happy didn't let up on his stare or his grip as he grunted at the sound of his least favorite of all her nicknames for him. "Y'aint a damn toy, girl."

"Maybe not to you." She teased.

"You let me know if there's trouble." He stated firmly. Sydney scoffed in response, the two of them knew full well that anything he could do to the men causing problems, she could probably do in half the time. Happy shuffled away, grabbing a croweater by the arm and dragging her to the dorm room he was occupying, She chuckled to herself at the familiar squabble that always ended the same way.

She realized that her shift at the bar was almost over when she noticed Tig return, Clay immediately walking to the chapel to meet him there. "What'd Trammel have for us?"

"Arson, coupl'a sets of cowboy boots at the scene." Tig said, knowing what this meant.

"Mayans?" Clay sneered.

"Gotta be brother, they ain't happy that were sellin to black." Tig said, shaking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck in contemplation. He looked up, out the shaded window and into the bar, seeing Sydney talking with a couple of croweaters. "So, she really gonna be able to help us out?" He prodded for more information.

Clay narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what the famous womanizer was thinking. "We start thinkin about retaliation." He said in an attempt to keep his Sergeant focused, exiting the chapel.

Tig's eyes landed right on Sydney when he entered the bar, his anger over the Mayans fading into the background as the distraction took over. He walked over to the bar, rounding it and standing next to her. She raised a brow and looked up at him questioningly. He held out his hands, feigning innocence. "What? No kisses for your man?"

"My man?" She sneered playfully with a discerning expression.

"Don't believe in love at first sight?" He mused with squinted eyes.

She felt her soul ignite as her ego fed off of his. "Not until now." She flirted back, giving him a dramatic once over with her lip between her teeth

"Boyfriend wouldn't like you talkin to me that way." He shook his head in mock disapproval. She couldn't help but hand it to the man for the clever way he managed to ask if she was single.

She snorted. "Wouldn't like the way I'm lookin at you either." Her eyes trailed him as she nodded lazily, her tongue rolling underneath her top lip. The gesture alone was enough to get his blood pumping in all the right places, but the sight of her tongue ring got him even more riled up. He noticed that she actually had a multitude of piercings, her ears were full of shiny rings and studs and she had a silver hoop in her nose - it got him wondering what other piercings she might be hiding under those clothes...

"Lucky for us, the boyfriend thing ain't for me." She turned away, walking towards the fridge.

"Oh yeah? Girlfriend thing then." He surmised with a shit eating grin. Typical.

"When I'm in the mood." She purred, swaying her body for him.

He smirked at her before walking around to his proper side of the bar, surprised by her reaction, he knew she had a smart mouth, but he didn't expect her to play so heavily into his flirting. "So, Princess and the Tacoma Killer huh?"

She scoffed. "Now wouldn't that be a fairytale."

Her answer was not nearly as telling as he hoped it would be, so he decided to change the subject, figuring that maybe the new girl needed a little warming up first. "Who all do you know if you're from San Bern."

"Hm... Apart from DINO?" She took a second to think. "Quinn, Hopper, Donut from Tacoma, I never actually met Bobby but I saw one of his Elvis shows when I was little." Tig chuckled.

"Quinn's a good guy. Could scare the shit outta me."

Sydney giggled. "Nah Quinn isn't nearly as scary as he looks, he's a big softy just like Hap." She smiled.

Tig couldn't contain the laugh that rumbled in his chest when she called Happy a softy. "Sweetheart... Have you met Hap?"

She laughed along. "Don't believe me?"

Tig raised an eyebrow in response. "You know he's almost shot people just for tryna chat with him right?" She chuckled, unable to help but find it wildly ironic that the famously stoic Tacoma Killer - the man who didn't care about anything, was so easily bothered by something as little as someone looking for some conversation.

"Hey, I never said he didn't have a temper." She laughed. "You'd be surprised how patient he can be, and I don't mean being nice to the whores for a quick hummer, I mean actually being sweet."

"Hap bein patient and sweet..." He spoke with a scoff. "I'd pay to see that."

"If you would pay to see him be patient, I'd like to find out what you would do to see him be comforting." She smirked with a glimmer in her eye.

Tig barked out a laugh. "Okay now I know you're lyin."

"What's the truth gonna cost ya?"

"Oh baby... I'd give you anything you wanted." He flirted.

"Hmmm..." She drummed the bar top with her nails, an evil smirk plastered on her face while she contemplated just how much she could milk him for. "I need a tour guide." She announced after some thought, using the opportunity to secure some more time with the curly haired charmer.

"Huh?" Tig had gotten lost in her eyes as she contemplated the stakes.

"Around Charming!" She kept her tone light and playful.

Tig grinned, realizing the situation provided him with a double jackpot. "You're on."

"Has he looked this way since you got here?" She asked with her eyes trained on Happy had emerged from the hallway and was now standing near the table by the stripper pole. She wasn't in his field of view, but she knew she was always under his watchful eye.

"Nah." He answered quickly.

She snorted. "Confident answer for someone who's spent the last 10 minutes gawking at me. You didn't even notice ginger snap over there tryin to get your attention." A smug look easily found its way onto her face. Tig's eyes widened as he looked around in bewilderment, finally landing on the red haired croweater who was sulking in Juice's lap, turning back to meet Sydney's knowing smirk before she slinked away from the bar and over to Happy.

Sydney's demeanour drastically changed in the short walk across the room - dropping her head and shoulders, shuffling on the soles of her stilettos and wrapping her arms around herself. Once she reached him, she said nothing as she tucked herself into his side.

Happy flinched, lifting his arm and jumping back, apparently not expecting to be touched so gently. His brow creased and concern washed over his face, softening the mean mug that he presented to the world. "What's wrong?" He spoke with a trace of panic as he checked her over before quickly pulling her into his arms as if to shield her vulnerability. She nudged him over to the bar where the crowd was sparse. "What's going on?" The worry laced his usual demanding tone.

Another surprising thing that Happy was, was intuitive - the man was easily irritated by emotional outbursts but he knew which ones required his attention and which ones he could brush off and he could tell that something this out of character was not to be brushed off.

Sydney looked to the floor, fiddling with the rings on her fingers. "I don't know I just-"

"Who was it." His tone was all business now as he grew angry - not with her, but with the thought of someone, somehow making her this uncomfortable. He knew that she held her own just as well as he could defend her, but this type of reaction was wildly out of character. He concluded that maybe she was intimidated by all the new faces, blinded by her desire for a spot somewhere that mattered, not knowing what would happen if she were to stand up to them.

"No one. Hap I'm just-" Her voice started to shake uncontrollably as she looked to the ground and squeezed her eyes shut while her shoulders started vibrating. His rough hands cupped her dropping face, lifting it to meet his impossibly dark eyes. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, knowing how much more upset it would make her, content that the coast was clear when the only threat nearby was currently passed out over the bartop. He kissed her forehead, pulling her into his chest. "This aint like you. Tell me what's wrong and I'll fix it." He spoke into her hair, running his rough hands up and down her arms as soothingly as a killer could.

"I just need you to calm me down." She whimpered into his chest as her breathing laboured.

"Yes I will." He nodded.

She nodded back, lifting her arms to wrap around his neck. "Thanks Hap, I knew I wasn't wrong when I said you were a softy."

Happy scowled as her voice switched back to normal and Tig bursted out laughing. He abruptly pulled away from her, the look on his face of absolute shock was the cherry on top, enough to finally shake loose the laugh that she had been stifling the whole time.

"The fuck?"

Sydney sauntered over to where the equally guilty Sergeant was seated, leaning over the bar top. "I like this one Hap." She said with a flirty smile, keeping her eyes trained on Tig's as she spoke.

"Oh yeah? C'mere dollface, show you somethin else you'll like." He grinned as he patted his knee. Sydney shook her head slowly with her bottom lip between her teeth. Yes, she could definitely have some fun with this one.

Happy angrily stormed away, leaving her and a cackling Tig in his wake. "Now Princess, that was some top grade shit... You got Hap wrapped right around that pretty little finger don't ya?" She just smirked in response. He leaned in closer to her, dipping his mouth towards her ear. "Id'a done it for free."

She felt bubbling in her stomach, something about the way he spoke... "Don't worry, I got a couple things in mind that you can give me for free." She replied in a tone cocky enough to rival his, watching his jaw go slack as he processed her words, tipping him a wink before she went to serve the last of the hangarounds that had been waiting on drinks.

After some time, Sydney noticed Tig was still seated at the bar and was showing no signs of leaving to join the rest of his brothers in the 'all you could eat buffet' of women spread before them.

"How you likin it here so far?" He asked once her attention belonged to him again.

"Beer, pussy." She shrugged. "What more could a girl ask for?" She said sarcastically, letting it show in the playfulness of her voice that she genuinely did love this life.

He chuckled. "Yeah, you can say that again." He reached into the pocket of his kutte, fishing out a pack of smokes. "He's in love with you." He blurted matter of factly as he lit up his cigarette, deciding to test the matter again after the display he'd witnessed. Never in a million years did he imagine he would see Happy looking at anything the way he looked at the little blonde from San Bernardino - except maybe blood.

"You always so observant?" Sydney asked with squinted eyes and a hint of finality in her tone. She had dealt with people's uncertainty over her relationship with Happy, her whole life. The two of them knew what they were and that was all that mattered to her. She never bothered setting people straight, it left the door open for interpretation, and that was a door that Sydney loved to leave wide open.

"Hear you're gonna help us out… That's new." He retreated, sensing that the stoic Nomad was not the only one who didn't open up much about his personal affairs.

"You heard right-" She peered her head to the left to read the 'Sgt. At Arms' patch on his kutte as if she didn't already know his name and rank. "Sergeant." She said in a sultry voice, eyes glinting slightly while raising an eyebrow and cocking her head, practically seeing him hardening at the sound of her voice as he stared at her. "So, you get any good intel from your special friend up in San Joa.?" She asked playfully, taking him from stunned to petrified. Clay must've told her what was up already, Tig thought as he squinted and studied her expression.

"Clay tell ya what we been dealin with?"

"No." She replied with a cocky tone and devilish smile, leaning onto her arms resting on the bartop, looking right into his eyes and watching him squirm under her penetrating gaze.

Tig softened as he looked at her, really taking in all of her features this time as his mind wasn't as overwhelmed. She had smooth skin, big pouty lips that were begging to be put to good use, high cheekbones and a cute ski-slope nose. Her teeth were perfectly straight with an even more perfect smile that could knock any grown man on his ass.

Sydney chuckled at his gawking as he stared at her in a state of awe. "I don't bite-" Her lips curled up. "Much." She finished, cocking her head and seeing a flash of excitement overtake his face.

"I do." He managed out in a low growl with a lazy expression on his face, those baby blue eyes piercing right through her, the wash of excitement hitting her face now.

She licked her lips before clamping her teeth over the bottom one. The man emanated sex from every cell in his body. She could smell the grease, leather and tobacco mixed with his cologne, the scent drawing her in like a magnet, she had to stop herself from leaning all the way into his neck and sinking her teeth into that delicious looking vein.

Looking down from her gaze and at her lips, he brought the cigarette to his mouth. "You stayin for a bit?" He asked in a hushed tone, matching her leaning slightly, his face now only about a foot from hers as they sat hunched over the bar that separated them.

She seized the opportunity to snap herself out of the trance he had begun to sweep her under. "No." She replied, grabbing the cigarette from his mouth and placing it into her own, taking a drag and blowing the smoke in his face. "But you can walk me to my car." She smiled playfully as she turned around to grab her purse.

Tig tried to hide the smile forming across his face. "Right this way darlin" He said, motioning for the door.

Juice and Bobby watched the entire encounter from the pool table. "You ever seen him act like that?" Juice asked the Elvis impersonator who gave him an amused look and widened his eyes.

"Never."

As Sydney walked around to the front of the bar where Tig was waiting, she took another drag before placing the cigarette back into his mouth and heading for the door.

He jumped up, beating her to it and pushing it open "After you, beautiful." The awestruck look might have faded from his face but it was still very much present in his voice. She looked up into his eyes and smiled mischievously, her gaze following him over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

Tig had his arm wrapped around her shoulders the entire way to her car. Her nerves jolted at his touch, luckily her body didn't respond quite as fiercely, but it was enough for him to smirk at himself when he felt her tense up. "So what's the deal with you dollface?" He unwrapped his arm from her as they approached her car, making her wish it was still there.

"What d'ya mean?" She feigned innocence, looking at the ground while she twirled her gold necklace in her fingers, knowing exactly what he meant. He brought his hand up to rest against the metal frame beside her, boxing her in while her back was against the car.

"With the club, you don't look like the type to be caught up in this shit." He clarified.

She brought her hand up, running her fingers up his stomach to his chest, lifting her chin at the same pace, looking right into his eyes. "You don't like the way I look Tiggy?" She gave a subtle pout and lightly batted her eyelashes.

He flinched a little when she said his name for the first time. "Oh no darlin." His voice was full of exaggerated care as he shook his head and grasped her hand sincerely. "That aint the case at all." His tone quickly became hungry as he bit his lip and looked her up and down, humming in approval.

"Well good, you're gonna be seein alotta me."

The sexual tension in the air could be cut with the knife strapped around his thigh. Sydney was the one who broke the contact with a playful smile as she got in her car. "I hope so." She heard his muttering as she shut her door.

"Thanks for making sure I got to my car safe... Sergeant." She winked as she reversed out of her parking spot, leaving Tig standing speechless yet again. He didn't know what had come over him, he hadn't chased pussy since he fell in love well over 20 years ago, he hadn't even loved the mother of his children. He was usually great with women - as his reputation stood, but he couldn't read her, she was different, not falling to his feet at his charm like he was used to. He had no idea who she was, and he felt a massive need to find out.

Tig walked back to the clubhouse in his daze, oblivious to the watchful eyes of the king and queen.

"Gonna nip that before it starts?" Gemma asked, not taking her eyes off of Tig from where she and Clay sat in the TM office.

"Nah… Not yet."

Songs for this chapter

Horns - Bryce Fox

Hurricane - Halsey

Special - Ashnikko