Chapter 36

Dani sighed as Opie let them into the house. He had driven her around aimlessly for about an hour before heading for home. Opie hung up his keys and made sure the door was locked behind them before he turned and looked at Dani. She was looking up at him through half open eyelids, and though the ride had helped relax her, he could still see the tension in her stance and worry in her tired eyes. "Go sit down," he said gesturing to their dining table. "I'll heat us up some leftovers. You've got to be hungry- you were at the hospital all day, did you manage to get anything to eat?" he asked.

"I had some coffee," Dani told him sheepishly. Opie gave her a look that clearly indicated what he thought of that response before he pulled open the refrigerator door. "Where did you guys go today? She asked as he pulled out a Tupperware container to inspect. Apparently, he was satisfied with what he saw because he pulled the lid off and popped it into the microwave.

"Jax had a, er, conversation with the guy who sold Wendi crank while she was pregnant. We went to make sure that conversation went smoothly." Opie told her.

"Right, conversation," Dani scoffed rolling her eyes. "You mean a conversation with his fists."

"This conversation was with a pool cue and the guy's nuts." Opie said, a little too casually.

Dani sucked in a breath. "Ouch. Though it sounds like he deserved it." She sighed. "I can't stop thinking of Abel. He's so tiny and already has so much to overcome."

"You Tellers are fighters," Opie reminded her as he grabbed a couple of forks and came to sit with her, handing her a fork as he set the Tupperware container between them and scooped up a bite of leftover chicken and rice. "If there's anyone who can beat the odds that kid has to, it's a Teller." He put his free hand over hers and gave it a squeeze. "He'll be ok."

Dani nodded and scooped up a bite. "No plates?" She asked gesturing to the Tupperware.

"Less dishes." Opie told her with a smirk.

Dani gave him a half smile and just shook her head as she took another bite.

"Listen," Opie said, "I know the kid is gonna be ok, but all of this, well it has my mind on my kids and the need to check on them. I'm going to see them tomorrow morning." He told her.

"Ok," Dani said in understanding. "Can you drop me off at the shop before you go? I left my truck there and I'll probably take care of some things and check in on Able while you're gone."

"Um, I actually was thinking I'd take you with me to meet them." Opie said almost shyly.

"Yeah?" she asked. At his nod, she smiled. "I'd love to go with you meet your kids, Opie." Dani was pleased that Opie wanted to include her, to introduce her to his kids but also a tiny jolt of anxiety ran through her, hoping that they would like her. Opie's grin at her acceptance of joining him chased that anxiety away for the moment and she gave him a returning smile as they polished off the container of leftovers.

"Feeling better?" Opie asked her as he stood and took their dishes to the sink. She stood as well and waited as he rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, then together they made their way to the bedroom to get ready for bed. Dani was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, thinking over the events of the day. There were ups and downs throughout the day, joys and worries, and memories. And for what felt like the first time since she had been home, it felt like it was her turn to care, to be a part of the family, to offer support to Jax, to her new nephew. It was also, she realized, what it really must be like to be part of a family, to be more than just herself. It was easier to see it now when she was on the sidelines of the family concern as opposed to when she was in the middle of it. It helped her make sense of a lot of things that had happened since she came here.

Then her mind drifted to Opie. She thought of how much he loved her, how patient he was with her, how he worried for her and cared for her, and she thought of everything he must have gone through on her behalf since they had gotten together, and he only seemed to love her more. Her own love for him increased at the realization and she stared at herself in the mirror.

She hadn't been intimate with Opie since before their trip. She had clung to him, she had leaned on him, but she had also pushed him away, closed herself off at times. She hadn't felt like she could be with Opie while everything was so fresh in her mind. And Opie hadn't pushed, he had simply been there and let her take what she needed from him when she needed it, occasionally gently nudging her when she lost a little too much of herself.

Opie was her forever, she knew that, and as her confidence in him and what they were together grew, so did the tingling, yearning sensation in her abdomen. She gave herself one last look in the mirror as she put her toothbrush away, seeing a very different woman than the one that had walked into the bathroom.

As she entered their bedroom, she saw him sitting on the side of the bed wearing only chis underwear, getting ready to slip into bed. She walked over to him and as she approached, he looked up at her as she approached with a soft smile on her face. His face grew more serious when, as she approached, she pulled off her nightshirt, and when she stood in front of him in only her panties, she put her hands on his shoulders as she put a knee on either side of him on the bed, effectively straddling him. His hands moved automatically to her hips as his eyes moved to hers searching. She looked at him and tried to show him with just her eyes what she wanted before she leaned down and kissed him a slow and sensuous kiss. Dani felt Opie's arms wrap around her and before she realized it, they were moving, and she was laying on the bed, with Opie hovering over her.

"Are you sure?" Opie asked as he broke their kiss to gaze down at her. His hand skimmed up her side, coming up to cup her breast, fingers grazing her nipples.

She shivered from the delicious sensations. "I'm sure," she replied staring back up at him. "I don't want to let what happened hold me back-hold us back anymore. Make love to me Opie."

Opie did just that, made love to her slowly, passionately, each movement inside her until they were both completely satisfied and exhausted. Afterwards she lay there in his arms, feeling peaceful, almost like she was floating, and she made a silent vow to herself not to let her past weigh her down in the present any longer. "Love you," she murmured as she drifted off to sleep, barely hearing Opie reply, "love you back."

She felt the cold, heavy weight of the shackle and lock as it enclosed around her ankle, despite her struggling as the men finished securing it. Once it was secure, the men stood and exited the room and she sat there, clawing at her /ankle, trying to pry the lock or the shackle loose, then yanked on the chain that was connected to it. She followed the chain to where it was secured to a ring in the center of the room. She began tugging at the ring, clawing at the floor, trying to pull it loose.

"Breaking rules has consequences," a male voice said from the doorway. Dani stood upright and took a few steps away from the doorway and the man standing there. "Attempting to run away before you even get here is not a very good start. I was told you would be… spirited. I can see they were not wrong. Welcome to your new home, Diana. That chain is a punishment, continued bad behavior can increase the severity of your punishment, likewise good behavior can reduce your punishment. That being said, would you like to say something about your antics today?" He asked as he stepped into the room. Dani stared at him. He looked to be about in his mid 30's, about 6 feet tall, light brown hair cut short, pale blue eyes, wearing what looked like a very high quality, crisp, white, button up shirt with the top button undone and an equally quality looking slate gray suit. As he spoke he had removed his suit jacket and hung it over a chair just inside the room.

Sucking in a breath, she made her choice. "I won't stop trying. I won't give up."

The man let out a sigh, as if he were disappointed, though his eyes lit up as if he were going to enjoy the challenge. "Very well," he said and reached for me.

Dani's eyes snapped open and she sucked in a breath. A glance at the clock told her it was 4:00 AM, she had been sleeping for a little over five hours. 'At least it's more sleep than I've been getting,' she thought to herself. She glanced at Opie, glad he appeared to be sleeping still and she hadn't disturbed him. Her first instinct was to get out of bed and let him sleep while she puttered around the house. She lifted the covers and started to do just that, but then she paused. Letting herself get up, get out of bed, miss out on sleep, miss out on the time spent in Opie's arms, wasn't that still just another way of letting her past taint her present. Making her decision she let the covers drop as she laid back down and turned to rest her head on Opie's chest, one arm wrapped loosely around his torso. She was slightly surprised when Opie's arms came round her as she felt him place a kiss on top of her head.

"You ok?" he asked. Apparently she had woken him up.

Dani nodded against his chest. "I'm ok now." She replied softly, "it was just a dream."

"Do you need to get up? Want me to get up with you?" She feel the low rumble of his voice reverberate through his chest as he asked the question.

"No, I want to stay here with you," she murmured. "Let's go back to sleep."

Within a few minutes Dani could feel Opie's breathing even out and she lay there for the rest of the night lightly dozing and just listening to Opie and the sounds he made as he slept.

Later that morning they were in Opie's truck, on the way to see his kids. Dani had dressed comfortable in a pair of light wash denim capris, a white and teal paisley tank with a blue sweater, and had slipped on some brown suede sandals and a brown and turquoise wrap bracelet. She had braided her hair into two separate braids and pinned them up to form a crown braid to keep her hair out of her way. She took a sip from her travel mug of coffee and turned to look over at Opie.

He had one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting along the open window, hair tucked up under his beanie, wearing a dark gray t shirt and jeans, and as always, his kutte.

Opie caught her observing her and gave her a quick smile before turning back too the road, but switched his hands on the wheel so he could reach over and put a hand on her knee. "You good?" he asked.

Dani nodded. "I'm fine, I'm just getting a little anxious. Do you think they will like me?"

Opie gave her knee a reassuring squeeze. "They'll think you're great. They'll probably like you better than me," he replied.

Dani rolled her eyes. "They're your kids, of course they're going to like you more."

Opie shrugged. "I missed out on a lot with them while I was in prison—years. They were so young when I went away that I was practically a stranger to them when I got out. Things have gotten a little better since then, but I still don't see them enough to feel like they can really get to know me and be comfortable around me."

Dani put her hand on top of Opie's. "Maybe they do feel that way a little. All you can do is be open with them and show them you love them. Time will do the rest."

A while later they pulled into the park they were supposed to meet Donna, Ellie and Kenny at. Opie got out of the truck and Dani scooted over to climb out next to him. Together they walked towards a bench where a small brunette woman was waiting. Dani recognized her from the image tattooed on Opie's arm.

"Hey Donna," Opie said as they came near.

Donna stood and stepped closer to them. "Hey Ope." She glanced over at Dani and gave her an awkward smile before looking back to Opie. "Is it serious? I don't think it's good for the kids to meet her if this is… casual."

"It's serious, Donna. We're together. Donna, this is Dani, Dani, this is Donna." Dani reached out her hand and awkwardly shook Donna's as the other woman scrutinized her.

"You look a little familiar. Are you from Charming?" Donna asked.

"Sort of," Dani replied. "There's a little family resemblance between me and my brother so that might be who you're thinking of."

"Oh, who's your brother?" Donna wondered.

"Jax Teller."

"Jax Teller?" Donna asked in surprise, her eyes widening, obviously taking a moment to let her brain process what she knew about Jax's sister. "That's right, I remember seeing that article that you were back."

At the mention of the article, Dani winced slightly. "Yeah, that's me, though I'm not the biggest fan of that article for more reasons that I can count."

"Well I'm really glad you are home safe." Donna said, and Dani could tell the woman was sincere. She gave her a smile and as Donna turned to call the kids over Dani looked up at Opie who gave her a reassuring nod.

Dani watched as a young boy and girl ran their way. Dani smiled as Opie dropped to one knee and the kids both ran right to him for a hug. "Hey guys! Look at you, you're getting so big, the both of you!" Opie told them as he took a minute to say hi to his kids and listen as they each tried to get his attention to tell him something. Opie just smiled and listened to the tell their stories at the same time. "That's great guys!" Opie said enthusiastically. "Listen, I want you to meet someone ok?"

The kids looked over to Dani and suddenly began acting shy.

"This is your Dads' friend, Dani." Donna said. "Dani this is Kenny and Ellie."

Dani smiled and gave a shy little wave of her own. "Hi Kenny, Ellie, it's nice to meet you guys." She replied softly.

Kenny tugged on Opie's hand. "Come see the racetrack I built in the sandbox." Opie stood to follow, looking over his shoulder as he did to make sure everything was ok. Dani smiled and nodded and gave him a little shooing motion, leaving Dani alone with Donna and Ellie.

"You look like you've been having a lot of fun at the park this morning." Dani said to Ellie a little awkwardly. Ellie nodded. "What's your favorite thing to do at the park?" Dani asked.

"I like to swing." Ellie replied softly. "Do you like the park?" Ellie asked her.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Dani crouched down so she was on the same level as Ellie. "I haven't been to a park since I was a little girl, littler than you."

Ellie's eyes widened in surprise. "Why not?"

"Well they just didn't have any parks where I was, I guess." Dani answered, thinking quickly. "But I used to love to do two things at the park more than anything else. I used to love to swing, and I used to love going down the slide. Do you think you could maybe help me figure out if it's still as much fun as I thought it was?"

Ellie nodded. "Mommy too?"

Dani nodded. "Sure, if she wants?" They both looked over to Donna who shrugged before she nodded and then smiled.

"What do you want to do first?" Donna asked.

"Swing?" Ellie suggested. And then took off at a run across the playground to the swings, leaving Donna and Dani to chase after her.

A couple hours later Opie and Dani were in the truck on the way back to Charming.

"Thanks for coming with me." Opie said. "They really seemed to like you."

"I really liked them too. Your kids are great Opie, and from what I could see they adore you."

"Yeah it was a good day." was Opie's reply.

"Yeah," Dani scooted so she was in the middle seat of the truck and rested her head on Opie's shoulder.

"Everything's good with you right?" Opie asked after a moment of silence. "You seem a little different, last night, and then today, you seem more relaxed, less jumpy. You didn't get up when you had that dream last night."

"Yeah, everything is good. There's more than one way to get through things. I was isolating myself before, from my feelings, from other people, from you. I don't want to do that. So I'm not going to hide behind some cupcake recipe when I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm going to go back to bed and draw strength from you. I'm not going freak out when something scary happens anymore. I'm going to stop and assess the situation and as calmy as possible get my ass through it. My initial reaction to a situation is not always the right one, or the best one, so I'm just trying to do better, for both of us."

"You're pretty fucking amazing." Opie said, kissing the top of her head as they made the rest of the trip in a comfortable silence.