Hey guys, still madly in the middle of moving and currently surrfering from some major writers block. Hopefully can get back in the swing of things soon. Until then, here's the next chapter

Chapter 13

Graves and Ghosts

I rode around the streets for a while, not really sure where to go. Without realizing, I pulled up outside the cemetery. I wandered around, looking at the names on the headstones. I stopped when I saw a familiar name.

Harry Opie Winston

Beloved father

Devoted son

Fearless brother

Loyal friend

I sat down in front of his headstone, leaning against it.

"I wish I was here before you left, so I could have stopped you. ," I said, resting my hands on the ground beneath me. "I know why you did it, Ope. Sacrificing yourself for Jax. I know how lost you've been since Donna was killed. But I'm so lost now without you here, Opie, we all are. Especially Jax. I don't know how to get through to him. He needs someone to pull him back when he strays. That was always you, even when you were kids, and I don't know of anyone else has that power. I thought I could get through to him, but I was wrong..."

I sighed, and stood up, kissing his headstone, before I wandered to a spot I used to visit every week as a child.

I dropped to my knees, and placed my hands on the two headstones sitting side by side.

"Hi Mom and Dad," I said, my cheeks wet from tears. "I've missed you."

I lay down on the ground, and closed my eyes, just as I used to do when I was little. I didn't say a word, but I had never needed to. Just being here was enough. Here, I had a family who had loved me, a Mum and Dad to protect me from all the hurt and pain.

I wasn't sure how long I had closed my eyes for, but it was well and truly dark when I opened them, feeling the first few drops of rain falling on my head. I sighed, thinking about getting up, but where would I go? Instead, I gave up and closed my eyes again.

I lay there for a while, slowly getting wetter and wetter, but still not caring enough to move. I soon felt a hand on my forehead, brushing my hair back.

"Georgia?" he asked, his voice soft. "Thank god, I looked everywhere."

"Where else would I be?" I muttered.

"Come on," he said. "You'll get sick staying out here."

"Leave me alone, Happy," I said, rolling away from him.

Instead of leaving, he sat next to me, laying his jacket across me. "I'm sorry for what Jax said. He had no right to say that to you."

"Of course he did," I muttered. "He's president, he makes the rules. And maybe he's right. Maybe I am just a kid trying to play pretend."

"Don't say that," he said.

"But it's the truth. I'm not one of the Sons, and this is not my family."

"Of course it is," he said. "Jax is just pissed."

I sat up and looked at Happy. "What if there's a reason my parents died when I was so young - maybe I don't deserve a family. Maybe I'm supposed to just be alone."

Happy grabbed my face, holding it tightly. "You listen to me. You are not alone. You are my family, and I promise I will never leave you."

I shook my head. "You'll leave. Everyone does."

"I swear to whatever God is out there, I will always be here for you. If I have to climb out of hell itself, I'll be there."

"Jax was right through. I can't keep pretending to be a part of the club. I guess that part of my life is over."

"Do you really think anyone is going to let that happen?" Happy asked, standing up. "You're our sister, much as we are brothers. There is not a Son at that table who doesn't think the same."

He held his hand out, and pulled me to my feet. He wrapped his jacket tighter around my shoulders, and put his arm around me as we walked.

"Like I said, Jax is just pissed. He's dealing with a lot of shit right now," he said. "He'll calm down. But until then, maybe it's best to keep your distance from TM for a few days. Let things calm down a bit."

I nodded. Happy was right, I needed to remove myself from the club. I wasn't any help there right now.

"Listen, Diosa is opening tomorrow. Why don't you see if Nero needs an extra set of hands?" Happy suggested. "Lyla's still out of action, so I'm sure they'd like the help. And it will keep your mind busy, and off all this shit."

"You sure that's such a good idea?" I asked. "It's still Jax's company too."

"I doubt he'll hang around for long. It'll be fine," he assured me, handing me my helmet. "I promise."

The next morning, I rang Nero. He was delighted when I offered to help. I told him I'd be there in an hour, and went to get ready.

I went to pull a pair of jeans out to put on, then stopped myself. I had to dress the part. I instead reached for a short, low-cut black dress, and pulled on a pair of black knee-high boots. I put on some make-up, and checked myself in the mirror. I left my hair down and straight, and walked out to the lounge, where Happy was sitting on the sofa.

"Holy shit, Georgia," he said when he saw me. "Nero's going to have to charge people to just look at you."

"It's too much, isn't it?" I said, pulling at the dress, trying to cover up more. "I'll get changed."

He stood up and grabbed my arm. "Don't you dare," he said, eying me up and down. He cleared his throat, and grabbed his keys. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

I followed him out to where his bike was parked. He climed on an handed me a helmet. I stood next to the bike.

"I didn't think this through very well," I said, looking at the short dress and the seat I had to climb on. "Oh, what the heck," I said, climbing on behind Happy. I tugged my skirt down as much as I could, and managed to maintain some level of dignity as we rode.

We pulled up outside Diosa, and I instantly felt a chill down my spine. I pulled off my helmet, and stared at the Elk Lodge.

"Hey, you ok?"

I nodded, still staring at the building. "I just haven't been here since that night with Frankie. It just gives me the chills."

As Tara had promised, most of my memories had now returned, however the events at Diosa and what followed were still missing.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Happy said, putting his hand on my back.

I shook my head, climbing off the bike. "It's fine, I promised Nero. Besides, they're just ghosts, and ghosts can't hurt me."

"I have to go," he said, kissing me quickly on the cheek. "But we'll swing by once Diosa's opened."

I turned to walk inside, and he grabbed my arm, spinning me back around and pulled me down to him, kissing me passionately. I pulled away, breathless.

"Just so you know, I'm going to fuck your brains out when you get home, dressed like that."

I blushed slightly, and stood back as he pulled back onto the highway. Composing myself, I walked up towards the Lodge.

Pulling open the front door, it was a hive of activity inside as girls were rushing around, putting finishing touches on everything. I looked around, little fragments of memories coming back in waves of emotion.

"Georgia!"

I turned around. "Lyla!"

I bent down and kissed her cheek. She was being pushed in a wheelchair by one of the girls, her leg bandaged up still from where she was shot.

"Sorry I haven't had a chance to see you," she said, holding my hand. "It's been a bit hard getting around too far. The boys told me what happened. How are you?"

I smiled. "I'm fine, Feeling much better now. Some things are a bit fuzzy but Tara said it was to be expected. What about you? How's the leg?"

She shrugged. "A few weeks and I'll be back to work before you know it."

"Well, it certainly doesn't seem to slow you down at all. You look gorgeous." She wore pale blue lingerie, with a matching sequin jacket and lace across her bandage. Oh, and of course she had a pink feather boa across the back of the wheelchair, just to match the decorations.

"You don't scrub up too bad yourself," she said. "You better watch it, or the guys will have you on the books soon."

I shook my head. "Just here to help out for the day. Think of me as your assistant."

"That sounds fancy," she laughed. "Never thought I'd get myself an assistant. But I do actually need some help getting the bar set up if you don't mind? There's still a few cartons of champagne in Nero's office."

"Leave it to me," I told her, making my way down the hallway. I knocked on he door, and when there was no answer, I let myself in. I glanced around the room, searching for the champagne. There they were, sitting on a red sofa. I walked over running my hand down it, and as I did I vaguely remembered laying on it, tied up. I sat down, closing my eyes as I tried to remember. I had flashes of being in this room, but everything was still a blur.

I heard the door open, and I quickly stood up. Nero walked in, a stack of papers in his hands.

"Hey, Georgia," he said, smiling. His face grew concerned. "You ok? You look like you seen a ghost."

I shook my head. "Just trying to remember. I can remember little bits, here and there. But mostly nothing."

He moved the boxes and sat down, patting on the sofa next to him. "Why is this so important to you that you remember that night? Most people would be happy to forget that kind of shit."

"I dunno, Nero," I sighed. "At first it was obviously that I wanted to remember all these people who mean so much to me. Now those memories are all back, it's just like the last piece of the puzzle I just cant finish. Something in my head is telling me that if I can just remember what happened that night, everything will make sense. The whole thing with the Nomads, and now Jax -"

"What's happened with Jax?"

I bit my lip, not sure whether I should tell Nero about yesterday. "Just some personal stuff. I tried to give him some tough love and I got back more than I bargained for. Don't you worry about it though," I said, patting his leg. "Today is your big day. Come on. Let's make some very happy customers."

I leant against the bar, looking around the room. The girls and Nero had really done a fantastic job getting the place ready. Customers had started coming in, and the girls were mingling and flirting their way around.

Three guys walked through the door. Mexican, by the looks. I walked over to greet them, seeing that most of the girls were busy.

"Welcome to Diosa Norte, gentlemen," I said with a smile. " Please, make yourselves comfortable at the bar, or in one of our lounges."

"We're here to see Nero," one of the guys explained.

"I believe he's busy at the moment," I said, glancing around. "Big day with the opening and all. Is he expecting you?"

"Look bitch, go and tell Nero that he's got some business to deal with out here," he said, grabbing my arm and pushing me away.

"Hey, Hey," Nero said, coming down the hallway. "What is this shit, Renaldo? You come in here and treat my girl like that? Uh-uh. No way, man."

"Since you left Stockton, we got Dante's crew stepping on our book," he explained. "Triple Two shaking up our protection. We need guns to hold down our streets. Maybe your new friends could help us with that."

"Not in here," he snapped, turning around and walked out the back, the others following him.

I scanned the room, checking if anyone had noticed the scuffle. A few people were glancing over. I went and spoke to those customers, assuring them that it was just a personal disagreement, and ensured they were being well looked after by the girls.

"Thanks for handling that," Lyla said, as I walked back over to the bar. "You ok?"

I waved her off with a smile. "It was nothing. Listen, everything seems settled out here. I'm going to just check the rooms, make sure they're stocked."

Lyla nodded and I walked back down the hallway, checking the empty rooms, making sure everything looked immaculate. I made my way through the rooms, and was just about to head back to the bar, when I saw Jax and the Sons walk in. I backed into the room, pulling the door closed behind me. I glanced through the window as they spoke to Lyla, then walked though to the back, following Nero.

Once I was sure they were gone, I made my way back to the bar to help the girls. Nero returned about 20 minutes later. He saw me behind the bar, and waved me into his office.

"All good?" I asked as I closed the door behind me.

"I'm sorry about that shit," he said, slumping down in the chair, rubbing his head. "Renaldo's trying to make a name for himself, you know? He shouldn't be coming in here like that."

"Don't worry about me," I said, sitting next to him. "Did you at least get it sorted out?"

"I hope so. He was after guns, told him our partnership with Jax wasn't like that. Jax is going to hook him up anyway, keep the peace, you know."

"Good move," I agreed. I stood up and grabbed a bottle of scotch off the shelf and two glasses. "You look like you could use a drink."

I poured two glasses, and set one in front of Nero. I held mine in the air. "To Diosa, may she keep your pockets full and customers happy."

We had been chatting in Nero's office for a while when his phone rang.

"Its Jax," he said, excusing himself to answer it. I glanced at the clock. Nero and I had been in here talking for the last hour. Happy was right, I needed this today, to have a break from the MC.

"Shit. Yeah, we're on our way. I'll let her know."

He hung up the phone and looked at me. "That was Jax. There was an issue with the trade. Ambushed or something. Happy was with them."

"Is he ok?" I asked, standing up.

"Jax didn't say," he said. "Just said he'd meet us at TM and to bring you."

"Alright then, let's go."

We pulled up at TM, and I hopped out of the car, Nero right behind me. I pushed open the door to the club house, and walked into the bar. Happy sat at one of the tables, blood dripping from the side of his head, soaking his singlet.

"Oh my god," I said, rushing over.

"Its ok," he assured me. "Ripped through. I'll be patched up in no time."

I shook my head as Chibs came in carrying a first aid box. I pulled a bottle of pain killers from the box and tipped a couple out for Happy, while Chibs started to stitch up his head. I could hear Nero and Jax talking behind me, but I ignored them - I had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

Happy picked up the bottle of scotch off the table, and took a drink. "This is a nice change."

"What's that?" I asked

"Me being the injured one. You worrying about me," he said. "You're cute when you worry."

"And I think you're enjoying getting shot in the head far too much to be normal," I told him. "Just please don't make a habit of it."

"No promises," he said with a sly smile. I shook my head and held his hand as Chibs stitched his head.

Jax left with Bobby soon after I arrived, without us speaking a word to each other.

"Thanks Chibby," I said, once he had finished stitching up Happy.

"That's what I'm here for," he said, pulling off his gloves. I helped him start packing away the medical kit. I carried it back down to the back of the bar with Chibs while Happy stayed at the table, drinking the bottle of scotch.

When we were alone, Chibs turned to look at me. "I heard what happened yesterday with you and Jackie. He didn't mean it, you know. He's just hurting. But he loves you. We all do."

I nodded. "I just don't know if I can get past what he said. We're all hurting Chibs. That doesn't excuse it..."

He pulled me close and kissed my cheek. "Try and forgive him. He's dealing with a lot of shit. He's doing his best. If it makes you feel better, your man defended your honor yesterday."

"He did?"

Chibs nodded. "Oh yeah. I've never seen Happy so pissed, let alone at his pres. He loves you, more than anything."

"Except the club," I corrected him. I wasn't bitter. It was a fact. Club came first.

"You know, a month ago, I would have agreed. But now..." he sighed. "If it came to a choice between you or the club... I don't know if we would still have Happy."

I was stunned. I hadn't realized Happy felt that strongly for me. The last thing I wanted was for him to have to choose between me and his club. "But Happy would die for the club. We nearly saw that today."

"Aye, we all would," Chibs agreed. "But he would die for you too, Lass."

I was still a little shocked when we walked back out to the others.

"You ok?" Happy said, looking between Chibs and I.

I smiled. "I should be asking you that, shouldn't I? We should get you home."

Happy shook his head. "I'm going to hang here for a while. I think we have Church tonight. But I'll be home as soon as I wrap thing up here."

"Come on, Sister," Nero said. "I'll give you a lift."

Happy walked me out to the car with me and Nero. I kissed him. "Be safe."

I climbed in the car, and as Nero reversed out, I heard Happy call after me.

"We're still having sex tonight, right?"