A/N: Thank you all for being so patient (yet again). I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks Ang, yet again for letting me bounce ideas off of you...I am super grateful for you! I also want to thank everyone for the reviews, likes and favorites...y'all are amazing! Lastly, I hope are staying safe and healthy during the COVID outbreak. Enjoy. XO


The quiet murmur of voices in the clubhouse were shattered by a highly irritated Gemma. "Who dipped into the cake I had saved in the fridge?" Gemma shrilled from the kitchen before she stormed out and waved around a half empty container. "Was it you?" She glared at Juice, who unknowingly walked into Gemma's wrath.

Juice jumped about a foot as Gemma shoved the container at him. "Uh-uh." He shook his head and made a hasty retreat, back to his dorm room, where I am sure he was going to need to change his underwear.

I bit the inside of me cheek and covered my mouth to keep from giggling. I looked up at Opie, who looked like he might tell Gemma that we were the guilty party. "Don't you dare tell her." I whispered. "If you tell her it was us, I swear to God, Ope this temple will be closed to you forever." I tried to make minimal motions as I pointed to my body.

"I can't make any promises, Nora." Opie whispered back. "She's pissed." Well shit, not even the threat of losing sex could sway him from telling Gemma the truth. I was impressed by the amount of fear she struck in the club.

I laughed loudly enough to draw Gemma's attention to us. "What is so funny?" She tapped her annoyed foot at us. I gazed up at her and smiled sweetly. "You ate the fucking cake, didn't you?" She barked at me as she shook the container.

I faked shock. "Gemma I would never…" I looked over at Ope, who sat quietly staring at me, from what I could read from his expressions, he was surprised I would egg Gemma on.

"Nora Scarlet, you are the worse liar I have ever met. You ate the god damn cake, didn't you?" Gemma's hazel eyes narrowed as she glared down at me.

Most people would squirm under Gemma's glare, and most of the time I would have but I was feeling brave and I shrugged. "If I did you will never find the evidence. But then again, I am sure there are several people who can vouge for my where-abouts last night. Come to think about it I was pretty preoccupied." I gave Opie a side-eyed glance before looking back towards Gemma.

If looks could have killed me, I would have been dead in a split second. I could tell Opie was losing his nerve, he shifted in his chair under Gemma's scowl. I wanted to say to him…if I say run…run, but I refrained, because she would have had the proof, we ate the cake.

"What the hell is going on Gem?" Clay walked out from the dorms. I was sure he was roused by her mad rant about cake.

She told him all about what happened to his birthday cake that, he had not gotten a chance to enjoy, according to her raving. Had I known I probably wouldn't have eaten it. Oops.

Clay chuckled before responding to a hyped-up Gemma. "Honestly, I appreciate your concern for the missing cake, but I wasn't going to eat that shit. At my age it would clog my arteries." He took a puff on his cigar. "I don't need anything else trying to kill me." It was not lost on me and probably everyone else in the room that Clay had plenty of enemies and many wouldn't mind killing him… cake was the least of his worries.

Gemma relaxed and tossed the cake at Half Sack before turning back to me and glowered while pointing her perfectly manicured finger in my direction. "You're not off my shit list kid."

"That's nothing new." I smarted off with a shrug. "Pretty sure I have been on that list since I was born." I glanced at Gemma whose glare was softening.

Gemma tried not to, but she ended up cracking a smile. "Maybe you should stop being such a little shit and you could get off of it." She shook her head.

I smirked. "What can I say Gemma, I like to live life on the edge…and keep things interesting."

"Ain't that the truth, kid." Gemma snorted and made her way back towards the kitchen in less of a huff than when she came out. I am pretty sure Jax and I were the only ones who could get away with lipping off at Gemma the way I had. She had always treated me as her own kid, and I got all the perks of being one. In many ways I think I took the place of Thomas after he passed away from what Gemma called the "family curse".

I turned my focus back to Opie, who looked less like he was going to spill the beans or his breakfast. He was a shade paler than when Gemma stormed out of the kitchen.

"You were totally going to tell her, weren't you?" Opie looked like a schoolboy who had just been caught in a lie. "Are you scared of Gemma?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I asked him.

In his defense, Gemma had developed quite the reputation with most of the members, their old ladies and the Croweaters. She was a force to be reckoned with and not many people stood up to her or talked back to her. Gemma sometimes got the respect she had, due to the fear she put into people. She was used to getting her way and didn't like it when she got push back.

"Fuck Nora." Opie blew out a loud breath. "Of course, I am afraid of her…I mean that outburst was just over cake, could you imagine if it was something more important?" Panic washed over him all over again. "You are playing with fucking fire." His eyes were exuding concern and something else that I couldn't quite read.

A quiet snicker left my lips. "Ope, I would never fuck around with Gemma if it was something important. Sometimes she needs someone to resist her, so she doesn't let her power get to her head. And honestly Opie, she would never do anything other than chew me a new asshole. I am sure you have zero clue about how many times I have walked this fine line with Gemma, and I am still here..." I reached out and touched his hand; "…in one piece. And like I said to Gemma, I live on her shit list." I smiled as I rose from my chair and closed the space between us.

Opie gently grabbed my arm and pulled me down on his lap. I let out a surprised gasp as landed. "Oh, Mermaid what am I going to do with you?" He asked as he placed his forehead against mine.

A mischievous smile crossed my lips. "I can think of plenty of things. All things that would keep me very busy."

The seriousness in Opie's face was swiftly replaced by a smirk. "Kenny and Ellie will be gone for a few weeks, so they can't keep you busy. I guess you have something else in mind?" He raised an eyebrow to challenge me.

Alright, I'll play. "Well I thought about locking myself in my loft and letting my creative juices flow. Maybe have B.O.B out for a tryst or two." I shifted on Opie's lap. I was rewarded as a quiet groan left his lips.

"You're killing me, Mermaid." Opie's raspy voice whispered before he gently bit my ear lobe. "I might need to visit you and watch your creative juices flow."

He thought I was killing him; what he had just done turned my libido into full drive. "Who said you were invited?" I teased. Oh, who was I kidding Opie was always welcome and he knew that.

I could feel the chuckle building inside of Opie's chest before it erupted from him. "Well I guess I could stay here…" A roguish grin graced his face as he glanced around the room as if he was looking for a croweater he was interested in

I grabbed his face between my hands and turned it back to me. "I don't think so Ope. I don't like to share; I probably should have been an only child." I guess I pretty much was since I had lived with my dad for most of my life. Which would explain my distaste for sharing.

"Was that a warning Mermaid?" Opie's hazel eyes looked serious even though his voice didn't sound that way.

I shrugged and didn't have a chance to answer him because the door to the club house opened. Jax walked in and officially interrupting our moment. I was going to get up off Opie's lap, but he held me there and placed a kiss on my neck before letting me up. I smiled as I rose and sat back down on my chair. I don't know if he knew how much that meant to me; he was showing his affection for me in front of his brothers. That was a huge step for us.

Jax neared our table and smirked. He clapped his hand on Opie's shoulder as he greeted us. "Hey Nor. Do you mind if I borrow Ope for a few minutes?" He gave me an all-knowing look as if to say, I saw what just happened.

I shrugged like I didn't care even though I did. "Of course." Club business would take Opie's attention away from me and to other issues. Some of which could potentially bleed into our relationship.

Before Opie walked away with Jax, he turned to him with a very serious look on his face. "Did you know what a fine line this one walks with your mom?" He gestured at me with his thumb. Tattle tale!

Jax chuckled. "Sure, I do. Nora used to live on my ma's shit list when she lived here. What did she do this time?" He looked down at me with a shit eating grin on his face. Jax liked it when I was in trouble with Gemma because it took her attentions off of him and what he was doing.

"We ate the fucking cake and Gemma freaked out. I may have pushed a few of her buttons. He was going to tell her it was us." I nodded my head towards Ope. "Scared of her just like everyone else." I was not scared of Gemma, but that didn't mean I didn't have a strong respect for her. I knew what Gemma was capable of when it came to Croweaters, outsiders and people she thought was threatening her family. I was not a Croweater, outsider and I was certainly not threatening her family or the club for that matter, so I was safe.

Jackson laughed harder. "My mom gets upset over the stupidest shit." He shrugged. Which was totally the truth. Opie shot him a look; I couldn't read it. "But that doesn't mean you should egg her on Nor." He stopped laughing as he gave me a somewhat stern look.

I knew by the tone in Jax's voice that he wasn't actually serious. He was probably just saying for Opie. Jax enjoyed egging Gemma on as much as I did. When we were younger, we made a game out of it.

"Yes, Jackson." I said more for Opie than truly actually agreeing to it. "Now if you must deprive me of my company hurry up and do it so I can have Ope back."

"Now, now Mermaid, there is enough of me to go around." Opie smiled down at me as I rose to my feet. I needed fresh air; it was becoming far too stuffy in the clubhouse.

I walked past Ope and turned back to say, "Selfish…remember?" and made a kissy face at him before making my way outside.

Jax and Opie's laughter filled the room as I left the clubhouse. I laid down on the top of the only picnic table in the sun. I had always loved the sun; I could not believe I lived so long without the California sun. I was finally back to my sun-kissed glow verse the paleness I was when I moved from New York. I smiled as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the heat on my bare skin. I didn't even open my eyes when I heard a Harley roar into the parking lot.

"How you doin' Kid?" Tig's voice pulled me from my sunbathing joys.

I sat up from where I was lying and looked at him. "Hey Tig. I'm doing well." I smiled thinking about Opie. "How about you?"

Tig sat down on the seat of the table so I turned my body, so I was facing the same direction as him. "I'm hangin' in there Sweetheart. Thanks for asking. So how are things going with Ope?"

I sighed. Sure, we were a hot topic around the club, but I didn't really want to talk about it especially with Tig. I mean I barely spoke about my relationship with Ope, with my own dad. Shit, I didn't even talk to Opie about it; we had no clue what we were, well at least I didn't know, maybe Ope did.

"Things are going well. Thanks for checking in Tig." I smiled down at him. I guess it was nice of him to check in on me. He had always been a father-ish figure in my life…I suppose most of the guys were.

He patted my knee. "I am glad that you were able to fill the void Donna left in his life Nora." Why did he have to mention Donna? It was the one name that filled me with guilt and sadness when it came to being in a relationship with Opie.

Tig continued, "I have never regretted anything more in my life than that night."

Wait. What? I thought to myself. I waited for him to continue but he didn't. I sat there for a moment before asking because I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer. "What do you regret about that night?" I finally asked with butterflies erupting in my stomach as I looked down at him sitting next to me.

Tig didn't hesitate, "pulling the trigger." His eyes were focused on a point on the ground and would not meet mine, I was grateful for that.

My stomach lurched, I felt like I was about to vomit. I quickly jumped off the table and stared at Tig with disbelief and distain. I wanted nothing more than to be far away from him. I looked towards my car and realized my keys were back in my bag in Opie's dorm room. There was no way in hell I was going back into the clubhouse and potentially crossing paths with Tig again. Tears filled my eyes as I turned to leave. I needed to get away…far away. I started to walk swiftly towards the gates.

"Nora?!" Tig called after me. There was sad panic in his voice, but I could have cared less.

I refused to turn and face the man who had just admitted to me that he murdered someone I cared about. I needed space so I could wrap my head around what I was just told. Why would Tig kill Donna? Why was the club involved? Did my dad know? Did Opie know? Everything I wondered hurt far too much to consider.

I didn't know where I was going when I left the Teller-Morrow. I just needed space, I needed to escape. My mind raced as I thought about Tig's confession; sure, I knew that the guys, my dad included had killed for the club, but never anyone I knew or who was a part of the club. Hell, none of them had ever dropped such a big bomb on me or told me that they had killed someone.

I kept walking until I made my way to the Charming Cemetery, not really the place I meant to go, but there were only a few places in Charming that were quiet, and devoid of people and that was one of them. Tears finally blurred my vision to the point I couldn't see anymore. I sat down on the stairs of the mausoleum, buried my face in my hands and just cried. I cried until I didn't have any more tears and all I had were dry sobs that racked my body. I hurt. I hurt not just for myself but I ached so god damn much for Opie.

A lone Harley rumbling in the distance drew my attention to the road leading into the cemetery. I didn't know if I wanted to run and hide or just stay and face whoever it was. As the motorcycle came into sight, I could tell it was Opie without even getting a good look at the rider. I remained where I was sitting, even if I wanted to get up, I don't think that my body would have cooperated with me. I felt cemented in place.

"Nora?" Opie called my name as he got off his Harley and made his way to where I was sitting.

I looked up at him as he kneeled on the steps in front of me. Tears began to flow freely again.

"Hey." Ope's raspy voice was gentle. He took me into his arms as I continued to cry. "What's this all about Nor?" Opie rubbed my back as I ugly cried into his chest. "Nora, what is going on?"

I shook my head. What if he didn't know about Tig? What if I was about to tell him that one of his brothers was the reason his wife was dead? What would that mean for us? "I…" I shook my head again; I didn't want to talk about it.

Opie's hazel eyes took me in with concern. "Alright, you don't need to talk right now. How about we go for a ride and get out of Charming, then we can talk." He suggested as he held his hand out to me.

I nodded and accepted his hand. He helped me up from where I was sitting. My limbs did not betray me and carried me to the waiting Harley. Opie handed me my helmet before he climbed onto his Dyna. I pulled on my helmet and climbed onto the bike behind Opie. Being close to him made me feel safe but it didn't help the gut retching hurt I felt.


Opie had pulled into Micke Grove Regional Park in Lodi. I don't know if he knew it at the time, but it was one of my favorite parks; the Japanese Garden was so inspirational. We made our way to the gardens and walked hand in hand. We stopped on one of the bridges and just watched the water together in silence. Opie had not let go of my hand, he had no clue how much I appreciated it or how I was drawing strength from him.

Opie broke the silence. "I had no clue where you were Nor. Tig just said you took off on foot. What is going on Nora? Things were so…perfect until you went outside."

I exhaled deeply before turning to face Opie. I needed to tell him the truth, even if it ruined everything we had. God, I prayed that it wouldn't. "I was sitting outside and Tig stopped to ask me how things were going. He asked me how we were; I told him we were fine. He basically confessed that he killed…." Her name was stuck in the back of my throat. I felt dangerously close to tears again.

Opie must have sensed it, because he pulled me flush against him and held me tight. "I know, Nora." He murmured flatly, his voice was devoid of any emotion.

I pulled back and stared up at him in disbelief. "You know? If you already know then why is he still alive? Why hasn't there been a mayhem vote?" My voice was forceful. How could he seem like he didn't care?

Opie heaved a sigh. "There wasn't a mayhem vote because the whole of the club doesn't know about it and I think we should leave it to that way."

"What?" My anger and pain were starting to boil to the surface. "How can you look Tig in the face every day knowing what he did?"

Opie shook head. "Honestly? I don't know Nor. I guess I feel like keeping it under wraps is for the great good of SAMCRO. I can't completely blame Tig or Clay for what happened because Stahl made me look like a rat. If Donna's death should be blamed on anyone it is her." I found Opie's first flaw; he was so devoted to the club, it was to the point of blind loyalty.

"Wait, he was going to kill you?" I searched his face but all that it held was truth. I ran my hand through my hair. "Fuck Ope. What the hell?! How am I ever going to look at Tig or Clay the same ever again?" My childhood ideology of SAMCRO and its members had been shattered. I didn't know how I could ever be in the same room as Tig or Clay ever again.

Opie took my face into his hands. "Nora, I need you to promise me that you will not say anything to anyone. I just want you to forget that you know about it." There was something warning and urgent about what he was saying to me. "Please Nor, promise me."

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to be quiet, I wanted to god damn fucking loud about it. I wanted Tig to pay, for stealing a mother from Ellie and Kenny and as much as I hated it, a wife from Opie. On the reverse side of that if Donna was still around, I wouldn't have been in the arms of the amazing man standing in front of me. And if I announced to the world that the SOA mother charter had a member kill another member's old lady, I would be next on that list.

"I promise, Opie." I whispered, but I vowed to myself to make Tig pay in my own way.