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

CHAPTER 21: OCEAN EYES

A couple of days had passed since the Fourth of July party and Sydney and Tig had managed to move past their incident. To say that Tig's demonic thoughts had been laid to rest would be an overstatement, but they had been silenced at the very least and he was glad to be feeling more like the version of himself that he didn't despise.

A little time alone to reflect on herself after she'd released her emotions the night of the party, without the embarrassment of showing vulnerability, had done Sydney some good. She managed to conclude that she'd gotten a little too used to the idea that she had to be a robot that was only good for carrying out club duties, that her only task was to prove herself, thinking that any display of emotion or irrational behaviour would immediately strike from the roster - forgetting that she was allowed to be human. Yes, being a woman meant that she needed to work a little harder, but Gemma helped her realize that she'd lost sight of the fact that over all - this was a family.

The next thing she realized was that the reason she struggled with her vulnerability was because no matter how much she hated the way she reacted, it made sense to her - she could rationalize it. She had always been the kind of person who had unconventional thinking and a different way of doing things, but as long as she could make sense of it - she didn't care. She knew her issues were all in her head, she felt they were justified, which is why she had such a hard time pushing it away. The realizations were a step in the right direction, allowing herself to remove the mental block and accept the weakness that she had - at least when she was alone.

Sydney was trotting across the concrete in her garage and over to her ninja when her phone vibrated.

Happy Feet ?: U good?

She smiled, thumbing a quick response to the Tacoma Killer who had left with Kozik the day after the big party to visit his namesake and work on getting in more glocks. She genuinely appreciated that he cared to check on her after her low few days, since he wasn't around to keep an eye on her.

S : Si hermano ❤️

Happy nodded at his flip phone, satisfied with the encounter and stuffing the device back into the deep pocket of his jeans until it vibrated again. He scoffed in frustration, whipping it open.

S : Tell D he better come visit me soon ?

Happy Feet ?: K

She laughed at his short response, knowing that he hated texting almost as much as he hated her double replies.

Sydney sped down the highway on her Ninja with a grin on her face. After days of anticipation it was finally time to confront Elliot Oswald and secure their new warehouse in preparation for the shipment of guns from Michael McKeevy which was due to arrive from Ireland any day now.

Clay, Tig, Juice and Sydney all climbed off of their bikes once they parked on the Oswald's acreage. Sydney was beaming, thrilled that she'd been recruited for this blackmail and even more thrilled that Jax wasn't - finding humor in the insult to injury that Clay threw in, making an example out of Jax by allowing Juice of all people to tag along. The week had been full of unwanted confrontation - she was bursting with excitement over a desired one.

The quartet strolled up the dirt path around the property to the back where the horse stables were located, their boots kicking up dirt as they looked around the substantial estate in various states of disdain before finally locating their target who was brushing the mane of a brown mare. Clay lit a cigar as they approached, tall, threatening, dressed head to toe in black leather.

"Clay." Oswald said shakily by way of a greeting as he turned around, unsettled but not surprised to see the outlaw at his home. "How did you get in here?"

"I told the guard at the gate that we were here to fix your cars." He spoke casually with the cigar between his teeth.

Sydney found herself in admiration of Clay every time that he handled business - there was something about him that was just so intimidating, maybe it was the casual approach that often chose, when it was public knowledge how dangerous he was.

"Guess we look like the help." He laughed with a giant grin, Juice and Sydney chuckling while Tig rounded the horse.

"What's this about?"

"This is a great lookin horse man." Tig stated dreamily, menacingly, while he stroked the mane of the beautiful and surely expensive animal. Sydney smirked, knowing exactly what Tig was doing as Oswald stared at him with a slight scowl in a mixture of confusion and discomfort.

"I assume you got that uh, special delivery package I sent ya." Clay cocked his brow, referring to the balls Sydney had sawed off of the clown that raped the daughter of the wealthy man. The statement sparked Sydney's memory of Tristen Oswald - how she'd promised to visit the young girl, a distant hope that she would be able to while they were on the property.

"Yeah. I got it. You made your point, I reneged on our deal."

"The knife." Clay nodded to Tig who pulled the bagged, bloody knife out of his kutte. "It's still got your prints all over it. The nutless clown that raped your daughter? Well, he's buried in Macon woods. Dead body, muder weapon, motive - the three things a guy needs for a homicide conviction."

"Jesus Christ… You're insane." The petrified look that Oswald had the night of Tristen's rape, washed over his face once again.

"I assure you Elliot." Clay stalked closer to the man. "I'm saner than I've ever been." Oswald looked behind him for a way out as the outlaw got closer, turning to see Tig breathing down his neck. "I need your help Elliot. If you refuse, I'm gonna turn all three of those items over to Unser." He stated as he began petting the horse.

"So what do you want?" He sighed - knowing he was trapped, figuratively and literally - looking over his shoulder at the overbearing Sergeant once again.

"Warehouse. Access road, somethin off the radar." Clay listed his credentials.

"Guns?" The land owner shuddered.

"You don't ever need to know."

Oswald took a final look around him as if to be sure that he had no way out of the situation. He didn't verbally agree, not wanting to say the words out loud and soil that white collar of his, instead he simply nodded and gave the address of a vacant warehouse, telling Clay bitterly that Rosen could draw up the lease papers and he would sign them.

"Your daughter here?" Sydney asked with a little too much menace in her tone considering the unfortunate situation regarding the young girl, but she was desperate for some compensation for the backseat she'd been forced to take on the matter.

"The hell d'you want with my daughter?"

"Just checking on a neighbour." She pursed her lips and shrugged.

"No. She isn't here." Sydney knew he was lying, but she also knew that there was no use trying to see the girl while her undoubtedly overprotective father was around.

The outlaws made their way back down the path to their bikes with smirks on their faces after completing the uneventful coup. Engines were fired up and kickstands were raised when Tig gave Sydney a look and a slight nod that told her to hang back. She nodded, allowing Clay to take off with Juice in tow before she removed her helmet and turned her attention to her man. Her eyebrows raised in question as he dismounted his bike and approached hers, leaning his weight against one of her handlebars.

"You okay with how that went down?" He grimaced. As much as she appreciated Tig's concern as well as the reassurance from him that this was supposed to be her deal, the rush of defence still sparked in her nerves. She exhaled, fighting it off.

"Yeah, I'm good. I can tell Clay's got some shit with Oswald." She answered sincerely.

Usually Sydney would've been more bitter over Clay taking the lead on a blackmail that was only possible because of something that was her idea in the first place, but she could sense that there was history between the two older men and that it meant something to Clay to prove a point to his wealthier and seemingly more successful colleague. For the morale of the club, she'd decided to keep her mouth shut.

Tig smiled when he saw the thought process on her face clear as day - as well as the way she was making a conscious effort to be more open for him. He nodded approvingly before taking her face in his hands.

"Okay baby." He tipped her face up towards his, his lips meeting hers as he poured as much emotion as he could into the kiss in an attempt to make her feel better over the way the afternoon had played out.

Sydney smiled into the kiss, feeling the underlying bitterness beginning to melt away as she brought her hands up to the leather cuffs arounds his arms, holding his wrists in place. Maybe opening up wasn't so bad after all.

"I'll meet you back there." He squeezed her arm with a smile before climbing back on his bike.

"Race ya!' She called before yanking her black helmet down over her curls, her tires spitting up rocks and leaving a cloud of dust in her wake as the bike teetered due to the hasty take off. Tig chortled, glad that she didn't seem to be too phased before he peeled out after her.

Sydney had passed Clay and Juice a few miles back and was currently leant against her Ninja in the TM lot, admiring her manicure. She'd just gotten a fresh set done by Luann's girl at Cara Cara and she had to admit that despite her worry that the small town women might not be able to achieve her standard, they looked great - a long coffin shape and cherry red in colour.

She finally turned her head towards the gate when she heard the approaching Harleys, not seeing Tig among the group. "There you boys are! I was beginnin to think somethin happened." She taunted as the men grumbled and dismounted their bikes. "Where's Tig?"

"Stopped off for gas a couple miles back." Clay reported before he followed the other men into the clubhouse.

"Aye, McKeevy'll be here tomorrow." Chibs held up his burner from a barstool as his President entered, signalling that he had just gotten word.

"Take possession tomorrow morning." Clay nodded curtly. "Where's the prospect?" He asked when he realized that a cold beer wasn't being brought to him immediately and that he had to get it himself.

"Ran out after gettin a call." Chibs shook his head in mild confusion, assuming that the call he'd gotten earlier had been from Clay.

"Hey! Bartender! Beer over here, stat." Sydney yelled to Clay with a grin from down the bar, who chuckled and rolled his eyes before sliding a Corona across the glossy surface of the bar top when Tig walked in.

"Don't even start…" He began with a hand up to silence the trash talk Sydney was about to berate him with for taking so long. "It wasn't an even playing field."

'Mhmm." She nodded with a serious look, feigning acceptance of his excuse before smiling and leaning up to kiss his lips briefly as he approached.

"You know where Sack is?" Clay nodded to his Sergeant.

"Hey babe can you go grab my sunglasses?" Tig asked Sydney quietly, who nodded happily. He smirked in approval and gave her a swat on the butt as she made off towards his dorm.

When Sydney came back out, she noticed Tig abruptly stop his conversation with Clay, looking over to her with wide eyes, furrowing her brows in question.

"7:00 P.M. tomorrow." Clay nodded to the Sergeant.

"You got it man." Tig nodded, looking out the door to see Half-Sack walking up. "Come on, doll." The dark haired man nodded eagerly towards the door as he rounded the bar, holding his hand for Sydney. There were still several hours of daylight left to pull off what he had planned, but they would have to get on the road quickly to make the most of it. Her brows remained creased but she took his hand and followed him out to his bike where he handed her his spare helmet.

"Scared I'd beat ya if you let me ride alone?" She taunted with a grin.

He looked back at her with his lips pursed and an unamused look on his face, saying nothing as he fired up his bike and drove them out of the lot. Sydney held on tight as they roared down the highway, she had no idea where it was that they were going and as soon as she found herself inhaling the sweet smell of the tall redwood trees along the scenic route Tig had chosen, enjoying the air rushing over her face and her hair blowing freely in the wind - she didn't care.

Tig didn't have to turn around to know that she was greatly enjoying herself, he could feel her buzzing as she held onto him which had him sporting a grin almost as big as hers. He reached down off the handlebar, trailing his hand down her calf as if to let her know that he could feel her joy.

Even through her black jeans his touch gave her goosebumps, widening the smile that was already on her face as she continued to scan the scene around them, wondering where it was that he was taking her.

After a glorious two-hour ride, Tig veered onto an off ramp. Unfortunately for Sydney, she had been too busy admiring the shapes of the clouds in the sky to have seen the sign for Santa Cruz. She knew they were in a city on the coast, but it hadn't quite occurred to her yet just what he was planning - that was, until she saw a break in the buildings and the glimmering sea water in the direction they were headed. She lit up, bouncing on the leather seat behind Tig as she tightened her arms in excitement.

Tig chuckled as she squeezed him tighter when they neared the gorgeous California coastline. He parked along the boardwalk, confirming that this was their destination. Sydney was almost screeching with excitement as they dismounted the bike, but her state of awe kept things silent between them, her green eyes wide as she took in the beautiful sight of the sandy beach, blue water, and carnival lights on the boardwalk.

She looked up to him with a giddy grin to see him admiring her. "Thank you, Tiggy!" She squealed before launching herself around him in a hug of appreciation.

"You like it?" She nodded with her nose buried in his chest.

He knew she'd mentioned missing the beach back home, but he hadn't expected her to have missed it this much. He was glad that his impulsive idea after what happened with Clay and Oswald had paid off, realizing that maybe this was his way of making up for the guilt that he felt over the things that had crossed his mind in the past week. He was also glad that he'd been able to pull it off in the first place - having to sneakily get Half-Sack into her house to pack her things and get the go ahead from Clay in the short time that she wasn't in his direct company. He had to admit, he was excited too - Happy being in town more these days meant that the Sergeant was finally getting some much needed time off - real time off, not just getting to sit around the clubhouse in case something came up and Clay needed the ruthless soldier by his side.

"I got Half-Sack to stop at your house…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he popped open the storage compartment to see what the clueless prospect had packed for her - hoping that his faith in the kid was not misplaced. "Uh… Is this… Is this okay? We can go buy you somethin if not..." He pulled out the white bikini that Half-Sack had chosen.

"Damn… You must really love me if you let the prospect rifle through my panty drawer." She spoke with a grin, wanting him to know just how happy she was regardless of his worry over being a little unprepared. "You know, I'm happy just seeing the beach again if you don't wanna..." She trailed off, not wanting him to think that she wasn't excited, but she hadn't exactly pegged him as much of a beach-goer.

"And miss out on showin this whole beach what a hot body your old man has? No way." He winked. "Wanna leave your jacket? It's hot." He looked to her thoughtfully as he stuffed his kutte into the storage compartment on his bike.

She nodded, shrugging out of the leather jacket she wore over her white tube top - it had been a mild day in Charming but here in Santa Cruz, the unforgiving sun was beating down. After the storage compartment was locked, Tig held out his hand to her as they began their stroll along the path that lined the beach leading up to the entrance, letting Sydney go first only so he could slap her ass when she passed by, earning some looks from bystanders.

"Go change, I'll get towels and meet ya out there." Tig squinted in the sun as he nodded towards the open beach, as they approached the building on the edge of the sand which contained changing rooms, bathrooms, and showers. She nodded, pulling him down for a peck before she headed to the change rooms with a bashful smile.

As Tig predicted - he had changed into the black swim trunks he'd acquired from the convenience store on the way back from Oswald's much quicker than Sydney, and was sitting on the blue and white striped beach towel across the sand in a more secluded area of the beach next to a section of cliff-like rocks with his sun-shielded eyes trained on the doors of the facility as he waited for her to emerge. Even with the anticipation, he couldn't have prepared himself for the sight that made his heart stop and his jaw drop: his girl, strutting out of those doors in the white bikini with her hair blowing in the wind like she was on the runway of a lifetime. He groaned at the sight… The white suit making her tan pop and eyes sparkle, the angelic colour making her look like exactly that.

Sydney smiled bashfully and bit her lip when she saw him staring, knowing that even behind the dark sunglasses he wore, his blue eyes were glossed over.

Their moment was cut short as a loud whistle cut through the heavy air. Sydney looked over and smirked in the direction that the whistle came from, seeing two toned frat boys throwing a football back and forth as they so blatantly drooled over her.

Tig grimaced, immediately regretting the bathing suit decision, it was one thing for his brothers to stare at her when they knew she was his but it was another when the stares were from cocky men who didn't know who he was. He grimaced, feeling naked and vulnerable without his kutte, if he had been wearing it, there was no way the group of pussies would've cat called his woman in front of him like that. He'd never thought of himself as a man who hid behind the patch, but maybe that was because the item had become a second skin - never having any occasions or outings where he left it behind. He gulped, swallowing the bile rising in his throat as he tried to remind himself that she was his, and he would gladly show all the pussies on the beach just that.

"Hey Sergeant." Sydney cooed seductively as she approached the towels and sat down beside him.

"I shoulda booked us a private cabana." He raised a brow and lifted his sunglasses, eating her up with his eyes.

"What's the fun in that?" She slowly climbed over to him and straddled his waist. "I was hoping for at least public indecency, maybe even assault." She glanced in the direction of the men who had been staring her down.

"Might just get what you're askin for…" Tig gripped her thighs tightly as he spoke.

Sydney smirked before leaning down to kiss him. "Mmm we should just go to a motel." She purred.

"Now you're gettin greedy." Tig chuckled as his hand ricocheted off of her ass with a loud clap.

"I have to admit…" She pulled away with a grin. "This is not a sight I expected to see…" She ran her hands down his exposed chest, referring to the lethal Sergeant being laid up in the sand, wearing a pair of swim trunks.

"Don't get used to it." He scoffed.

"What if I wanna get used to it…" She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as that wild look took over her.

Tig grimaced, the look in her eye telling him that she may have been serious about that public indecency charge…

"Y'aint used to it are ya?" She grinned back - referring to a woman that could keep up with his vulgarity - when he couldn't keep the grin off his face long enough to even try to perform the mock scolding he'd intended on giving her, knowing that it was completely hypocritical.

"No." He shook his head with a bashful grin. Sydney smiled, leaning in for another kiss, making to get up off of his lap when she froze - her eyes going wide. "What?" Tig's face fell in concern.

"My top came undone..." She leaned back in, whispering in his ear before leaning back with innocent eyes - gauging his reaction before she pushed further by letting the top slowly slide off of her body.

Tig moved faster than Sydney had ever seen him move once he realized what she was doing, quickly covering her tits with his hands and holding the top in place.

"You bad girl." He growled.

"You gonna take me to fix it?" She asked with the same innocent tone that made him weak, smirking when he roughly pulled her against his chest and tied the top back up, pushing her back just as roughly to adjust the front so that she was properly covered once again.

"Can't take you anywhere can I, huh doll?"

"Baby… You could take me, anywhere." She winked before getting up out of his lap and walking towards the blue sea before them, swinging her hips as she gathered her long hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. "You comin?" She turned to Tig who was sitting with his sunglasses off and his mouth agape, quickly getting up to follow her.

"Jesus." He shivered once his feet hit the cold water.

"Water's too hot, water's too cold. I'm beginning to think you might be hiding behind that Sergeant's patch." She teased, turning around and grabbing his hand to pull him out further into the water.

"Better watch that mouth, Princess."

"Or what?" She challenged playfully.

"Or this." He growled, lunging for her legs and slinging her up over his shoulder before taking off into deeper water as she screamed and laughed. "You done?" He asked once he was in waist deep water with her head hovering just above sea level.

"Yes!" She laughed hysterically.

"Okay then." He nodded, faking her out as he started swinging her down before crouching quickly and dunking her head under the water, bringing her back up and properly swinging her down, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He let out a loud laugh when she saw the shock on her face. "You're gonna regret that!"

'No no no no no." He smiled, trying to silence her before she shook her head, the cold water coating his exposed top half as he recoiled, ungracefully dropping her down to her feet.

"I'll give you a ten second head start." She nodded toward the deeper water. Tig chuckled but his face fell when he saw the seriousness in her expression, quickly turning and making a run for it as best as he could in the water.

Once Tig was out deep enough that he actually had to swim, he realized that it had definitely been longer than ten seconds and he didn't hear her splashing behind him. His forehead creased in confusion when he turned around to see no sign of her, no kicks or splashes to indicate that she was below the surface and heading towards him. He scanned the surface for a couple minutes, squinting from the glare of the sun that bounced off the rippling sea, his confusion deepening when she didn't resurface. He began to worry, frantically scanning the rocky ledge only a few metres away. The waves were about as calm as they could get in the ocean - not strong enough to do any real damage, but it was the only conclusion that he could draw. The seconds felt like hours as he waited until he couldn't take it anymore, swimming towards the jagged rocks.

Sydney giggled as she watched him searching for her, easily falling for the bait she'd set. She waited patiently for him to comb through the rocky wall, swimming out deeper and deeper until he eventually reached the crest of the rocky cliff that she was sitting atop, before making her move.

Tig really started panicking now - which is exactly what Sydney wanted. She smirked, knowing that his senses were peaking before she launched herself off of the rock, landing inches away from him with a giant crash into the water. Even far below the surface, she could hear him scream when she successfully startled him, racing to the surface before the bubbling laugh escaped her.

Tig felt his building heartattack subside instantly when he heard her laughing hysterically, whipping around to see that she was the cause of the nerve-frying crash into the water. The worry in his crystal blue eyes trickled away when he finally realized that she was safe and sound and had been planning this the whole time.

"Scare ya?"

"You know how close these rocks are? You could've sliced your leg right open." He addressed her carelessness rather than fearlessness, hoping to cover up the fact that he'd been worried that she'd fallen victim to a shark attack and her splashing into the water meant that he was next.

"Fuck matching tattoos, we would have matching scars." She referred to his leg wound that had healed up nicely over the past week.

"You are somethin else." He scoffed as she swam towards him, widening her eyes innocently once she approached. He'd planned on continuing his facetious scolding with how she shouldn't scare an old man, but his train of thought was lost before he could even board it. He stared at her blankly in a state of awe, a stare she still hadn't quite gotten used to.

"What?" She questioned bashfully, looking down from his eyes. Tig blinked and shook his head, coming back from his short visit to heaven.

"Uh, your eyes." He pulled her body against his and wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly swam backward with her, but he quickly felt himself falling right back into the trance he had just pulled himself out of as he stared at the stunning seafoam green colour in her eyes being brought to life by the sun and surrounding water.

"Oh…" She smiled as her cheeks turned pink.

"You're gorgeous." He spoke with a strong sincerity that she also still hadn't gotten used to.

"So are you." Her tone was just as dreamy as his was as she let herself gaze upon her man, his dark curls wet from the salt water, eyes lighter than ever and body glistening in the sun.

"Think you're gonna get far with flattery?" He joked with a raised brow.

"I have a feeling I might." She responded with a cocky smirk.

"You just wanted to get me out here so you could take advantage of me, didn't ya?"

"You're onto me." She whispered with a grin as she leaned towards his lips, capturing them before biting down on the bottom one and pulling away as she stared into his eyes seductively.

Tig tightened his grip on her thighs before leaning in to continue the heated embrace she'd started, the temptation to fully give in was growing as she began to grind herself against him beneath the water, but he managed to pull himself away.

"And you aint gonna get onto me." He winked before pushing off of her and swimming towards the shore.

Sydney smiled and rolled her eyes before following after him, letting her body glide through the water. She truly did miss the beach; the water, the calmness she felt when she was around it, but this outing had shown her that it really wasn't as far away as it seemed.

Tig turned to grab her hand once he was out of the water and on the sand, the waves rolling over his feet when he realized that she wasn't behind him, she was a few feet out still floating on her back. He smiled, beyond pleased with himself that he had managed to come up with a day that she seemed to be enjoying so thoroughly, especially given his limited experience.

Sydney's peace as she listened to the rolling sea and stared off into the sky above her went undisturbed when Tig slowly drifted up beside her, standing on his knees in the more shallow water. She knew he was looking at her but she didn't move - smiling to acknowledge him instead, wanting to soak up the euphoria as long as she could.

He smiled in return even though she couldn't see, absorbing the sense of relief and lightness that she was radiating. He sat down so that the water was up to his chest, gently guiding her to float in front of him. They sat in silence for a while, both engulfed in their own peaceful trances as the waves gently swayed them around.

"I love you." Sydney broke the silence, a small smile on her face and she stared over the horizon where the water went on forever.

"I love you." He nodded, staring into the same vastness of the ocean.

"Water's always made me feel better." The words began rolling off of her tongue easily. "My parents used to take me to the beach everyday when I was little, before everything. It's some of the only stuff I remember about her."

There was a note of melancholy in her tone as she reminisced, but Tig couldn't help noticing the air of peace as she willingly opened up. "Tell me." He encouraged - all of his memories of his parents were of the vile, horrible, unthinkable things that took place in their home, he wanted to be able to help her remember the good, bring out some of the happiness from her past.

She smiled in appreciation for the man behind her; the man who had brought her to her favorite place, the man who wanted nothing but to make her happy, sighing happily as she rested her head back against his chest as she recounted the happy memories she had from her childhood.

"My grandpa had a beach house on Huntington Beach that me and my mom would go to every weekend. My dad would come when he could get away but a lot of the time it was just us. I don't remember a lot about back then, but I always remember being by the water." She paused, feeling the overwhelming discomfort that always accompanied the happy memories. She clutched onto her necklace as she forced herself to let the words flow freely without altering them.

"She was a good mom..." It was clear from her tone that she was still hurt and confused immensely by her mother choosing drugs and abuse over a happy family. "She was so good at making things seem normal. Like we were a normal family doing normal things, like she was a normal wife. We looked like the American dream, people never would've guessed the kind of lifestyle that we lived at home." She felt the tightening in her throat and decided she had done good enough, steering the memories elsewhere.

"I wasn't allowed there after everything but, I would make Happy take me back every chance I got." She chuckled at the memory of the grumbling Tacoma Killer being guilted by the little girl. Tig chuckled along with her at the thought of Happy being ruled by a child. He could see exactly how it would go down with the way that Sydney still had him so tightly wrapped around her finger.

"You ever get caught?"

"No." Sydney smiled, gently caressing his hands. Even after she was banned from her personal slice of heaven, she always managed to make it there undetected - feeling like it was a sign that it was where the universe intended for her to be. "I'd make Hap sit there for hours, he couldn't wear his kutte and sometimes he'd have to pose as my big brother to blend in - building sandcastles and swimming." Tig cackled loudly at the idea of Happy trying to look like a normal beach dweller. Sydney giggled, she loved the sound of his laugh.

"Once I got my license, I would drive out there almost every night. I didn't give a shit how much gas or sleep I lost doing it." She smiled sadly. "My favorite time of day would be just before sunset, when the air starts to cool down and everyone goes inside for dinner. I'd sit on the beach and listen to the sound of the waves with my feet in the sand, the cool air soothing my inevitable sunburn." She chuckled. "Watch the sunset with the smell of a home cooked meal... There's nothing in this world that beats that." She fought the sadness of nostalgia. "That's the only thing I miss about home." She concluded her session of divulgence - the way he listened to her so intently and allowed her to speak making it much easier to get through.

"You should show me one day… Sounds like I could use a place like that." Tig nodded. He'd never been lucky enough to find a location like Sydney described, but what he had found was a similar peace in her.

Sydney looked up at him for the first time since he'd come back into the water with her, her eyes bright and hopeful. "I'd really like that." She smiled. He returned her smile and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"You about ready to head back to shore, Captain?"

"Only if you promise there will be lots of seamen there." Tig chewed his tongue, holding back his laugh at her clever response before pulling her to her feet and walking her towards their beach towels.

Sydney stretched out across the fluffy blue and white towel, enjoying the warm sun on her wet, chilled skin. Coincidentally, another one of her favorite things to do was suntan - Tig had really hit a homerun.

"I'm gonna have to thank you real good for this." She spoke with her eyes closed and her face tilted towards the sun, the suggestiveness heavy in her tone.

"You're really pullin out all the stops to get me naked aren't ya?" She smirked but kept her eyes closed, seeing that he was carrying on with his decision to be a prude for the day.

"This what you were talking to Clay about?" She opened her eyes as she broke the silence after quite some time in the sun, turning over onto her stomach. Tig opened his eyes, his head lifting from where it had been resting on his hands, staring at her blankly.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah it was." He nodded quickly.

Something ticked in her brain briefly, telling her that his answer didn't seem as sincere as it should've but she brushed it off, thinking maybe he didn't realize what she meant at first - especially since it was sprung on him so suddenly.

"We could go grab some dinner at one of the restaurants." Tig changed the subject, knowing that she would surely sniff him out if he didn't.

"Is that what you wanna do?" She asked gently with a raised eyebrow, knowing full well that the Sergeant at Arms likely wasn't a 'napkin on the lap with a glass of wine' kind of guy - which is exactly what all of the fancy seaside restaurants were full of - but not wanting to come off as rude or ungrateful.

"I wanna do whatever will make you happy, baby." Tig didn't mind sucking it up if it was what she wanted - he'd figured that having a girlfriend meant he would have to succumb to domestic activity sooner or later, it may as well be when he was ready and willing.

"What I want." She smirked, climbing into his lap. "Is for you to remember that I'm biker trash just as much as you are." She whispered in his ear.

Now she was pulling out all the stops to get him hot and bothered - sitting in his lap, tickling the sensitive skin of his neck and telling him he didn't have to sit through a fancy dinner? Maybe he would give in after all...

"That's all you gotta tell me as a thank you for today." He chuckled. "Wanna get dressed and see what they got on the boardwalk? I'm starving." Sydney smiled and nodded, grabbing her clothes and making her way to the changing rooms.

She changed much quicker this time - her empty stomach serving as motivation. She slipped her clothes back on and fluffed her sun-dried hair with her fingers before walking back out to meet Tig.

The pair walked hand in hand as they set off towards the bike to drop their damp bathing suits, earning some scowls from passersby along the way.

"Haven't they seen beauty and the beast?" Tig asked in her ear.

"I guess not." Sydney joked back, completely unphased by the dirty looks - if anything, they amused her.

"Doesn't bother ya?" He couldn't help but ask, knowing she was the one being judged more so than he was.

"The stares? Fuck no. We should turn it into a drinking game." Tig grinned, never failing to feel like he had hit the jackpot when he scored the San Bernardino girl.

"What d'ya feel like eatin?" Tig asked once they approached the boardwalk, the wood clunking beneath their boots. Sydney just looked him up and down in response with a dirty smirk on her face, making him smirk and shake his head - not giving into her antics. "How about-"

"I want a corndog." She cut him off when the brilliant idea came to her, seeing his eyes widen.

"You gotta be kidding me…" She shook her head, looking up at him with those innocent eyes. He snarled, leading her to one of the food trucks and ordering her damn corndog - knowing that he would regret it.

"Lets get some ice cream and go sit on the beach?" Tig suggested with a nod towards the slowly setting sun. Sydney smiled and nodded, knowing that he was doing the best he could to recreate the blissful scene she'd described.

"I don't think they got any of your half baked shit here." Tig teased as they approached the ice cream truck, ordering chocolate for himself as the limited selection also excluded his first choice. The older woman wearing a hairnet and scooping ice cream looked to Sydney impatiently for her order.

"Strawberry please, in a waffle cone." She noticed the wandering eyes of the woman while she got their order together, clearly trying to figure out what was happening between the young girl and older man. She handed the cones over, looking between the pair disapprovingly. "Thanks dad." Sydney turned to Tig.

Tig's brow began to crease but he quickly caught on. "You're welcome, babygirl." He husked, leaning down to kiss her briefly on the lips, lingering long enough to confuse the woman even more as she winced in disgust. Sydney cackled eviley, Tig joining in and shaking his head as they took off towards the sand.

"You dirty girl." He purred in her ear with a smirk.

"You gonna punish me daddy?" She asked with a smirk and she sat down.

Before Tig could answer, Sydney wrapped her lips around the corndog, looking up at him with those wide, expectant eyes. He couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips as his pants tightened when he was met with the look like he knew all too well.

"Might have to…"

Sydney smiled and bit down, snapping the corndog and winking before she began chewing. Tig just chuckled and shook his head, turning his attention to the box full of shrimp tacos he'd ordered.

"Want one?" He offered the box towards her, purposely having ordered more than he could eat - knowing that the single corndog she'd ordered just to fuck with him would not satisfy her appetite.

"Mhmm." She nodded, reaching for a taco. "That corndog wasn't big enough... I need something more filling." She pouted, jutting out her lips and peering up at him through her lashes.

Tig stared at her knowingly, chewing on his lips as he grumbled to himself, refusing to give in as she pushed harder and harder.

As they ate the sun began to set lower and lower, creating that peaceful haze that Sydney spoke of. She felt the tears coming to her eyes in a mix of immense happiness and bitter nostalgia.

"Thank you." She choked out.

"You're welcome, baby." He spoke full of care, putting his arm around her and bringing her closer. "Figured you deserved a good day." Sydney swallowed the instinctive comment her brain had formed about not needing pity after the Oswald incident, for the sake of the good day.

Her slight tense likely would've gone unnoticed by anyone else, but Tig had gotten very familiar with her body over the past weeks - he could sense even the smallest change.

"Y'aint as good at hiding your feelings from me, as you think you are." He scoffed, giving her a pointed look with a raised brow.

"I know, why do you think it pisses me off so much." She laughed through watery eyes, Tig laughed too, he was glad that at least they could laugh about their issues rather than ignoring them altogether and allowing them to eat their relationship alive.

Sydney snuggled closer into his side as the light breeze rolled off of the sea, carrying the cooler temperature of the water along with it as it cut through the warm air. Tig smiled and pulled her in tighter as they stared into the distance, the sky quickly changing from orange and pink to blue and purple as the sun made it's final descent.

Sydney pulled her boots off, sinking her red painted toes into the cool sand as she closed her eyes, inhaling the salty air as it lightly blew her hair back. She felt a clench in her heart, recognizing the feeling she had missed so much.

"This is it, isn't it?" Tig knew by the way her body relaxed, the relief washing over her small frame.

"Almost." She smiled with her eyes closed, savoring the moment as long as she could.

Tig closed his eyes, realizing why she missed home so much - the euphoria of dusk at the beach on a warm day coupled with her in his arms brought him to the same heavenly trance that she was in.

"What happened to it?" Your grandpa's place."

"He still owns it. Once I started making real money with SAMDINO I kept an eye on it, hoping it would go up for sale but it never did. I know it'll stay in the family forever, probably go to my douchebag private school cousins."

"I bet you could convince em to give it to ya." Tig winked, knowing how easily she scared grown men - let alone some pretty frat boys.

"Y'aint wrong." She smirked. "I don't know… Something about it just fucks with me. I'd rather stay away from them, go through an anonymous buyer if it ever went up for sale."

Tig nodded, understanding all too well that no matter how fearless someone was, family would always challenge that. He hugged her close to his side before loosening his grip and getting a start on his melting ice cream.

"Been spending too much time with me, huh?" She smirked, referring to her preference of melted ice cream.

"You're rubbin off on me, soon I'm gonna start doin cartwheels."

She laughed. "I'll get ya nice and flexible for me." She winked before licking a long stripe along her dripping ice cream cone.

"You really gonna pick now to start eating it normally?" He winced, shocked that this girl seemed to never-ending tricks up her sleeve.

"What's the matter Tiggy? I thought you would be proud of me." She pouted, swirling her tongue over the frozen treat. He didn't speak, just stared at her mouth with wide eyes.

After finishing their ice cream the sun had fully set and the lights from the boardwalk lit up the strip while the moon reflected off of the sea. "Let's walk the boardwalk and then get outta here." Tig suggested as he pulled Sydney up from the sand, who nodded happily.

The pair strolled along the boardwalk - soaking up the last bit of the perfect day. Tig smiled as he took a moment to enjoy what exactly was happening: him, walking on the boardwalk with the perfect girl on his arm, the warm air laced with the sweet smell of carnival food and the flashing lights surrounding them. He stopped, yanking her arm towards him and bringing her in for a kiss as he engulfed her with his arms. She smiled against his mouth once she realized what was happening, feeling every bit of emotion that he was pouring into the embrace.

"I love you." He nodded sincerely after pulling away, holding her face in his hands as he stared at her with those crystal blue eyes - the colourful lights bouncing off of them.

"I love you too." She replied just as sincerely, almost in a state of awe with a permanent smile on her face.

Tig wished all days could be like today, where the stress of the club was the second thing on his mind instead of the first. He loved the club and loved being a Son - but when shit got heavy, being a member of substantial ranking meant that the burden fell on his shoulders. He briefly wondered if that would cause problems between him and Sydney - since she was so deep with the club, wondering if the heavy shit they both dealt with would put a strain on their relationship, prohibiting them from being the other's escape. He shoved the worry into the back of his mind, today was a good day.

"We can stay and get a hotel if you want? Or head back if you don't wanna wear the same clothes tomorrow." Tig was happy to do whatever she wanted but preferred the idea of spending the night as he was in no rush to return to the chaos back home, not caring about something as little as having to wear the same clothes two days in a row.

"You think too highly of me." Sydney chuckled. Despite how she looked and carried herself, she could get down and dirty with the boys - there wasn't much that would phase her. "I'd love to, but you've spoiled me so much already…" She trailed off bashfully. She didn't mind him spending his money on her - she wasn't one of those shy, polite girls who declined chivalrous actions from men. He was a grown man and he could decide what he wanted to spend his money on, she just wanted him to know that it wasn't a requirement for being with her, especially since she sported the notorious 'gold digger' look.

"You kiddin baby? I'm spoilin myself." He smirked at her, making her smile just as genuinely and whole-heartedly as she had been all day, loving the way he implied that spending time with her was a treat for himself.

A fluffy chapter? Is one of my favorites? Shocking.