October 30th, 2004

Tacoma, Washington

It was a plan that Kozik and Lauren had concocted together, a scheming duo that she had no idea even existed. Lauren had bought the outfit, a lace-trimmed French maid costume, complete with fishnets, five-inch black, patent heels, and make-up that would make Dita Von Teese jealous. The pair had burst into her apartment, while she was grading papers in her sweatpants, and forced her into the ridiculous getup, and dragged her to the SAMTAC clubhouse for the Halloween party.

Except, she didn't spend any actual time at the party. Kozik had dragged her right up to Happy's room and left her sitting on the bed. "Come on, you've been too busy for one another lately," Kozik told her when she had tried to argue. "You know it, I know it, Lauren knows it. When's the last time you even got laid?"

And so, since she couldn't come up with an answer, she sat down on the bed, and began semi-patiently waiting for Happy to return from whatever he was doing. There was whiskey on his dresser, and she poured herself a couple of shots, before sitting back down on the bed and turning on his tv. It felt like she watched the news for hours before sleep finally overtook her, and she lay down on the bed, on top of the impressively crisp sheets, her back to the door.

The door opened when she was half-asleep, and she recognized Happy's heavy bootfalls, but she was just starting to get comfortable, and didn't move a muscle.

"Whoever you are, get the fuck outta here," she heard him growl.

With a sigh, she pulled herself into a sitting position, an amused smirk on her face. His back was to her as he poured his own shots. "Alrighty then, mister," she replied smoothly. "I guess I'll just tell Kozik and Lauren that their get-Sarah-laid plan was a bust."

His back stiffened, and he turned around quickly, a look of complete shock on his face. His eyes wandered across her figure, perfectly accented in the dress that she wore, and his Adam's apple bobbing. The sultry look that she had on her face quickly dropped, however, as she realized that the front of his shirt and pants were covered in blood.

"Jesus, Hap," she murmured, springing off the bed. She placed her hands on his shoulder and stood arms' length away, inspecting him carefully. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," he told her firmly, brushing off her hands so he could pull his shirt over his head. "It's a costume."

Sarah frowned. "Last week, you told me that costumes were for pussies," she stated slowly. "So try again, please."

"I tortured a man to death, and this is his blood," he told her quickly and bluntly.

She couldn't tell if he was serious or not, as she watched him take off his pants. His answer seemed rather prepared, and he had delivered it in a very deadpan way. She was about to laugh it off as a joke, until she recalled an earlier conversation that she had had with him about how he had a certain set of skills, and quite a reputation in the club.

How could she not have seen it? The Unholy Ones patch, asking her if she was scared of him, alluding that he had a specialized set of skills…

"You're the enforcer," she whispered. "Assassin? Hit man? I'm sorry, I'm not really quite sure what the appropriate title is."

"Tacoma Killer," he replied, his voice rumbling. He took a step towards her, and she fought the instinct to step backwards. "You're not afraid."

"I'd be lying if I said no." It was the same thing that she had said the last time he had asked. One of his eyebrows raised, and she sighed. "Look, do we have to have this conversation right now? It feels incredibly awkward to be standing here in a slutty Halloween costume, while you're fully naked with your one-eyed trouser snake standing at full attention."

Her joke failed to cut the tension, as he slowly shook his head.

"Okay, fine," she continued. "Having the man that you love admit that he kills people for his motorcycle club is a tough pill to swallow, but I should have seen it coming a long time ago. I mean, you've been dropping all those subtle hints for a while now." She sighed. "I don't just see the killer. I mean, I can see how you would be a killer, because you've got this tough, outer shell. But I've also seen what lies beneath that shell. You framed my diploma, and helped me find my apartment, but you didn't bust in and try to take control of my life. You're incredibly cuddly, but you also know when to give me space. You love your mom, and your club. It's hard to reconcile all of that, but, in the end, it's hard to be completely and wholly afraid of you."

He was silent for a moment, as her words sank in. Her fingers tapped anxiously against her thigh as she waited for him to say something. The thumping bass from the party below seemed to fade into the distance, and she swore that she could hear a pin drop. After what felt like ages, he finally spoke. "You love me?"

She jumped. "Did I really say that?" she asked, utterly astonished at her own brain. Did she have a filter in between it and her mouth? Surely, in this conversation, given how serious it was, she wouldn't drop the "L" bomb for the very first time.

Happy chuckled. "It was one of the first things you said," he replied.

"Did I now," she mused, mostly to herself. "And you didn't pick up anything else from my little monologue?"

"I listened to the whole thing, but the first part seemed to be the most important," he said, a smile spreading across his face.

She shrieked as he suddenly lifted her off the ground, his hands cupping her ass as she threw her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling to the floor. His kiss was searing against her lips, as he attacked her with an energy she had never felt before. He laid her down gently on the bed, pulling back to look at her with a smirk on his face.

"Are you ever going to hurt me?" she whispered, unable to keep the question from tumbling out of her mouth as she reached up to touch his cheek with her fingers.

"No," he stated firmly.

"And the people you do hurt?" she pressed. "Who are they?"

"Threats, rivals, enemies," he told her. "People who would do the same to me if they had the chance."

"Okay," she said softly.

"Okay?" he asked in confirmation, and she nodded. He grinned. "Now, this costume is amazing. Had my eyes glued on your tits since I walked in the door."

"Oh, was that before or after you told me to get out?" she teased.

"Never shoulda said that," he admitted, as she sat up to give him access to the long zipper that ran down the back. The costume was easy to wiggle out of, leaving her only in the thigh-high fishnets, garter belt, and heels. His thirsty gaze raked over her body as the mass of black and white fabric slipped from his fingers. "Although, I gotta say, that dress looks way better on the floor."

She couldn't help but agree.

November 18th, 2004

Tacoma, Washington

"Am I late?" she almost shouted, as she burst through the doors of Tacoma General Hospital's maternity ward, and spotted Kozik standing by a water cooler.

The man was frozen for a second, a cup of water half-raised to his lips, blinking once. "Uh, no, you're not late at all," he said after a moment. "I like Lorca said she was at, like, a 9, whatever that means."

"So I'm just in time?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Lauren had been waiting a long, long, long time for the baby to arrive. She had survived pregnancy through the heat of summer, and was, at this point, overdue by almost a week. Sarah had been anxiously sitting by her cell phone for the last couple of weeks, hoping that Lorca would call and let her know that it was time. Of course, the call came during one of the busiest days of the week for her, and she had to rush out of class early to make it to the hospital on time.

"Oh, and one more thing," Kozik called, as she was turning to head down the hall to Lauren's room. Sarah paused, and waited for Kozik to catch up with her. "Our Prez's old lady, Jessie, is in there with her right now, sayin' something like Lauren doesn't have any family support, so Lauren kinda told her that you were cousin."

Sarah shrugged. "I can live with that," she replied simply. In honesty, it did not surprise her that Lauren would try to sneak in a family relation. Throughout her pregnancy, especially at her baby shower, Jessie had seemed to worm her way into every aspect of Lauren's life, despite the fact that Lauren had been very clear that she was annoyed with the unsolicited help.

Even when Sarah got to Lauren's room, Jessie was still at the bedside, trying to dab Lauren's forehead with a washcloth, while Lauren looked like she was about ready to take the older woman's head off.

"You're doing great, honey," Jessie cooed, as Lauren tried to swat her hand out of the way. "The nurse says you're almost at 10 centimeters. Are you ready to meet your little one?"

"Thank god I'm not too late," Sarah said loudly from the door, causing both women to look in her direction. She let her backpack slip from her shoulder and fall to the armchair across from the bed. Lauren smiled, while Jessie frowned. "Aaron called me hours ago. I thought I would be just too late."

"And who are you, making yourself at home?" Jessie asked, turning her nose up as Sarah took a seat at Lauren's other side.

"I'm her cousin, Sarah," she replied. "You know, the one she picked for support in her birth plan?"

Jessie scoffed, but Sarah continued.

"I was all the way in Seattle, in one of my classes, and I rushed down here as soon as I could." Her voice was sickly sweet, like honey, and the tone surprised even her. "Thank you so much for supporting her, but I got it from here."

Jessie was about to protest when Lorca walked back into the room, carrying a cup of ice chips, an unfamiliar man in a kutte on his heels. Lorca smiled when he spotted Sarah sitting at the bedside, and she gave him a wave.

"This must be the cousin," the unfamiliar man said. It was only then that Sarah spotted the President's patch on the front of his kutte. "I'm Lee, this one's husband," he chuckled, jerking a finger in Jessie's direction.

"I'm Sarah," she replied smoothly. "I was just thanking your wife for helping my cousin out while I was finishing up my class."

"Of course, Jessie loves helping the gals out when they have kids," Lee told her, before placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Come on now, mother hen. Lauren's got her support person now. It's time to ease off the throttle, even if you're almost past the finish line."

Reluctantly, Jessie stood, and followed her husband out of the room, and Lorca took her seat. Sarah shot him a grin, before Lauren groaned, as another contraction hit her. "Remind me why I'm doing this?" Lauren grunted, her knuckles turning white as she grasped the railings of the bed on either side. "Remind me why I'm pushing a watermelon out of my hoo-ha?"

"Actually, it's more like a cantaloupe, I think," Lorca muttered, before his wife glared at him. "Did I, uh, say that out loud?"

"Whatever, can we just get this kid out of me?" Lauren almost shouted in her husband's face.

The couple of hours that followed were filled with screams, pushing, ice chips, and soothing, all of which resulted in the birth of a beautiful baby girl, who entered the room with a wail of her own. Julia, it was decided her name would be, and Sarah was more than happy to help place her on Lauren's chest.

A sudden spike of baby fever hit her as she watched Lorca place the little, pink reaper cap on his daughter's head, beaming from ear to ear. There was just something so cute about babies, something that made her crave one, even though she was certain it would never happen with Happy. He didn't exactly give off the same fatherly vibes that Lorca did.

Of course, it was right after she had suppressed her desire for children, when Lorca disappeared to announce the birth of his daughter and Lauren fell asleep, that Happy quietly entered the room, which she barely noticed as she stood over Julia's bassinet. It wasn't until she felt his hand on the small of her back that she sensed his presence.

"Isn't she precious?" she whispered, her eyes never leaving Julia.

"They did good," he agreed quietly. His hand began to rub small circles, and she leaned back against him. "Lorca also mentioned that you may or may not have kicked the President's wife out of the room."

Sarah chuckled and shrugged. "I was only following Lauren's wishes," she countered smoothly. "She was quite pleased with how it all came out in the end."

They stood in silence for another moment, just watching the baby sleep. "Ready to go home?" he whispered in her ear, and she nodded.

That night, she dreamed of having her own baby girl.

December 24th, 2004

Palo Alto, California

Her Christmas Eve, despite her best intentions, was spent with her father and his family at his massive compound in California. The current Mrs. Vaughn, Diana, had sent out her invitations two months ago, and she was a force to be reckoned with if the reply sent back was anything other than "yes." The schedule of events, according to what her stepmother had written down, included a formal, black-tie dinner, and midnight mass at the grandest cathedral in the city.

She was absolutely thrilled when Happy had mentioned he would be going to his mom's for the holiday, so she didn't even have to suggest subjecting him to the whole Vaughn clan at once.

And so, on the night of December 24th, she found herself pulling her junker of a car into the driveway filled with expensive automobiles. It must not just be family dinner, she thought to herself, as she slid out of the driver's side. She was probably going to be underdressed then, wearing a floor-length green gown that she had found at the thrift store for a bargain. There were cars sitting in the driveway that cost more than her tuition.

"It's invitation only, ma'am," an immaculately dressed attendant sneered at her as she approached the front door.

Seizing the opportunity, Sarah frowned. "Oh no, I must have left my invitation at home," she lamented, throwing up her arms. In reality, the damned thing was sitting in her purse, but if she could get out of this thing by pretending that she didn't have the required invitation. "Is there anything I can do to get in without it?"

The man looked taken aback for a moment, and almost seemed to consider her proposition, before shaking his head. "No, ma'am, the hostess was very specific," he replied.

Internally, she cheered, as she turned to walk back down the steps, until she heard the screams of children, calling out her name. Jo, her ten-year-old half-sister, and Chase, her seven-year-old half-brother, came barreling down the steps after her. She had no choice but to freeze as they wrapped their arms around her. Jo almost came up to her mid-chest now, and Chase was not far behind.

"Mom told us you were coming!" Jo exclaimed, a wide, toothy grin on her face. "Chase and I are so excited. You'll sit next to us, right?"

Sarah chuckled drily. "I'll probably be the only adult at the kiddie table drinking wine," she muttered. "I can't stay though, sweetheart. I left my invitation at home."

"That's okay, we can get you in!" Chase screamed, pulling away and tugging her dress. She stumbled, but followed after him, shooting the attendant an apologetic look as the chattering children dragged her into the grand foyer.

She had been correct in her assumption that she had been underdressed. She was about 96% sure that her dressed was made out of some sort of rayon or polyester, while the women that surrounded her wore silks, satins, and velvets. Even Jo, who hadn't even hit puberty yet, wore a floor-length satin gown that she was certain would get food on it later that night.

"Come on, mom is going to be so excited to see you!" Chase told her excitedly, weaving her through the crowd.

She spotted Diana on the edge of the crowd, and groaned internally once again. She loved her half-siblings, but her stepmother was a different story. She smiled brightly as she saw her children tugging Sarah towards them, and extended her hand. "It's so nice to have you here," she greeted warmly. Diana turned back to the women she was talking to, both grey-haired women in expensive dresses. "Barabara, Janice, this is my daughter, Sarah, from all the way in Washington."

"Step daughter," Sarah added smoothly. There was only a five-year age difference between them, and it irked her to no end that Diana wanted to be called "mom."

"Oh, isn't she lovely, Di," one of the women gushed. "Is she single? I'd love to set her up with my son. He just got divorced from his second wife, but he only has daughters. I'm hoping for one more wife who can push out a couple of boys to inherit the family name."

"Or my son!" the other woman exclaimed. "Sure, he's maybe a decade or two older than her, but at least he's never been married. He wants a whole brood of children, for some godforsaken reason. I think two is more than enough. What about you, Sarah?"

Sarah froze, blinking twice.

"She'd gladly go out with one of your boys," Diana answered for her, patting her arm. "She's young, educated, and wealthy. And, she doesn't have any children. Isn't that a rarity these days?"

At least she had a couple of truths in there, Sarah thought to herself, as she plastered a smile across her face. "Actually, I'm sorry, but I'm not single," Sarah said through gritted teeth.

"Well, this is news to me," Diana exclaimed, fanning her hand excitedly. "You haven't mentioned this to us before."

"It's still new," Sarah backtracked quickly, so that she didn't have to answer any further questions. "I, uh, actually promised I'd call him to let him know I made it to California safely. If you don't mind…"

The ladies waved her off as she ducked out of the conversation, and headed towards one of the quieter alcoves in the main ballroom of the mansion. The kids had run off a couple of moments ago, leaving her to her own devices. She pulled out her phone and fired off a text message to Happy, letting him know that she was there and hated everything about what was going on so far.

"Excuse me, ma'am," a voice said from behind her. A hand rested gently on her shoulder, and she jumped. There was a man standing behind her, an older gentleman who now raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, that's okay," Sarah replied, laughing lightly. "I was simply lost in my own thoughts."

"Are you here without a gentleman to accompany you tonight?" he asked her.

"Uh, yes," she answered unsteadily, not liking where the conversation was heading, until she spotted a wedding band on his hand. "And you? Did your wife not make it tonight?"

The man laughed. "Oh, no, she's here, probably tittering on with her friends about this and that," he said. "I'm James, one of Alexander's associates. We work for the same firm."

"Sarah," she said, reaching out her hand. If this man really worked with her father, he would recognize her from one of the several photographs that he kept in his office, especially the one of her in her college graduation robes.

"It's nice to meet you," James told her, shaking her hand. "Say, I'll get right to the point. I know my wife is here, but what would it cost to get a little discreet, quick companionship while I'm here?" Her eyes flicked down to where his hand had disappeared into his pocket, and was beginning to rub up and down slowly. "Whatever your usual is, I'll triple it, no problem. It's the price to pay at such a lavish event as this."

Sarah coughed, but covered it with a laugh. "I'm sorry, James, I think I did a terrible job at introducing myself," she said cooly, feeling the ice rush in her veins. "My name is Sarah Vaughn. I'm the eldest daughter of Mr. Alexander Vaughn, the man who owns this very house, whom you claim to work for. However, it you've ever spent a moment of time in his office, you'd see my picture proudly displayed on his desk for everyone to see."

The man stumbled backwards. "Miss Vaughn, I do apologize…" he began to say, but she had already stormed off. She wasn't spending another godforsaken moment in this hellhole, even if her youngest half-siblings had been thrilled to see her.

She had almost reached the door when someone else called out her name, and she sighed, turning to face her father. There was concern etched in his features as he soaked in the rath that was radiating off of her. "I'd say it's good to see you, kiddo, but it looks like someone's already pissed you off," he said carefully. "What happened?"

Her eyes darted around, and she noticed that several people were watching them. "Your office?" she asked, and he nodded. She followed him through the crowd, and up the back steps by the kitchen, to where his home office was. He turned over two glasses on the sideboard, holding up the whiskey decanter to her. She nodded, and he poured her a glass, which she took without argument.

"What happened tonight?" he asked, sitting down in the armchair by the fireplace.

She sighed, and took a seat on the couch. "You know I never fit in at these things, dad," she told him, swirling her glass. "I've been here, like, all of ten minutes, and I've already had two of Diana's friends try to set me up with their sons who are far too old for me, and one of your so-called colleagues propositioned me. You know I love Jo and Chase, and if I could, I'd spend the whole night just with them, but I just…" She sighed.

He took a long sip of his whiskey. "I understand," he said. "I'm disappointed that that has been your experience tonight. If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really, you won't stop me?" she asked, and he nodded. "I mean, I'm sorry, dad. I just didn't know that this was going to be a family and friends party, that's all."

"It's okay," her father repeated. "I'll tell Jo and Chase you went home sick, and send them up to visit you in a couple of months. How does that sound?"

Sarah grinned. "I'd love to have them," she replied.

"Is there anything I can get you before you hit the road?" he asked.

A plan began to form in her mind. "Actually, would you be able to print me directions?"

A short while later, she found herself in Oakland, in front of a tiny, yellow house, that seemed to be overflowing with light and laughter. She knocked twice on the door, and was greeted with Juana's smiling face. "Hi, Juana," she said quietly. "I'm, uh, really sorry to show up unannounced, but I was kind of hoping it would be okay for me to crash tonight."

Juana beamed. "Of course, Sarah, you're always welcome here," she told her, before turning towards the kitchen and calling out to her sister. "Frieda, set another place at the table! We have another guest tonight!" She turned back to Sarah, and looked her up and down. "My dear, where did you get that dress? I think I owned it back in the 80s. Do you have a change of clothes?"

Sarah nodded, and Juana shooed her out to the curb to get her clothes from her car. She had shoved a pair of jeans and a sweater in the backseat, which she was going to change into at the first rest stop she came across. As she turned back to the house, she saw Happy leaning against the railing of the porch, a smirk on his face.

"I had to see who my Ma invited for dinner," he told her as she approached. "What happened to dinner with the parents?"

"Well, mom's still in prison, dad's colleagues are creeps, and stepmommie's friends are way too eager to set me up with their romantically challenged sons."

He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds rough," he commented. She smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "You shoulda come here with me all along."

As she inhaled deeply, caught the scent of a homecooked meal, and listened to laugher pour out of the front door, she couldn't help but agree with him.