Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

Once Ophelia and Happy got back to the warehouse, she went to check up on Rooster and make sure nobody had killed him yet. She had a feeling they were going to need him again before this whole thing was over. They had moved Rooster from being to duct taped to a chair and was now keeping him locked in a small room in the back of the warehouse.

When she entered the room, he looked up from his spot in the corner. "How many did you kill?" he asked.

She sat down in front of him. She was glad to see that his face was looking better. "I killed three, but I didn't stick around to count bodies," she said as she opened up her bag to get him water and some food.

"Good," he muttered as he took the water from her.

"Good?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows. "These guys were your brothers. Your family. You're turning on them awfully fast."

He glared at her. "You said it yourself. They left me for dead," he said. "You've been nicer to me than any of them ever were anyways."

She smiled as she stood up and start to leave. "I'll bring you some real food tomorrow."

"A beer would be nice," he called after her.

She wasn't sure what they were going to do with him. They couldn't keep him locked in their warehouse for the rest of his life. She didn't know if SAMCRO would ever trust him enough to let him go. He had turned traitor to his own club after all, but she didn't know if she could let them kill him either. Charming was making her go soft.

After telling Ratboy to not kill Rooster, Happy took her back to his place. When she walked through the door, she realized that Happy hadn't changed a bit since leaving Tacoma. The apartment only had the bare necessities. A small couch sat against the wall and a tiny TV sat on the opposite wall. Everything was clean and nothing was out of place.

"You know the rules," Hap said as he hung up his kutte by the door. "Don't make a mess and we won't have any problems."

"Glad some things haven't changed," she mumbled. "Are you still reusing condoms too?"

He shot her a glare before sulking back to his bedroom. She set her stuff down in the corner and then collapsed down onto the couch. Her exhaustion had finally knocked her off her feet. It had been over two days since she had gotten any sleep. She tried her best to get comfortable on the small couch, but even with her shorter frame, her feet still hung off the end. She stared up at the ceiling, praying to sleep the day away. As she laid there, her thoughts drifted to the day she first met Happy.

October 14, 1994

Birthdays are meant to be spent with friends and family. You're suppose to be celebrate with people who care and love you. Ophelia had no friends in Tacoma and what little family she did have were too busy with bigger problems than worrying about her 17th birthday. So instead of wallowing in self pity, she did the next best thing she could think of.

The abandoned warehouse was packed with people. Everyone was trying to place bets on the current fights. Ophelia had been coming to these underground fights for years, but it wasn't until her dad had gone to prison six months ago that she started participating in the fights herself. She knew he would have a cow if he found out she was fighting, but he had promised that he wouldn't leave her and look how well that turned out.

"Hey, Franky," Ophelia called to the man organizing the fights.

"Lily," he grinned. "How you doing, baby girl?"

"You know what I've said about you calling me baby girl," she said crossing her arms over her chest. She looked around the crowded warehouse. "I want in on a fight."

"Now, you know how much I love having you fight," Franky said. "But you're late, and late people don't fight."

She raised an eyebrow. She produced a wad of cash from her pocket. She held it in front of his nose. "Get me in the ring and this is yours." Franky was a rat and money was his cheese. His eyes never left the cash as he thought about it. He reached for it, but she pulled it just out of his reach. "Get me in the ring," she repeated.

"Twenty minutes. Ring three," he said finally.

She smiled and tossed the cash into his hands. "Thanks, Franky," she said as she walked past him. She went to ring three to watch the fights before hers. She wasn't sure why she had started coming to these things to begin with, but now it was almost a habit. Every Friday night she found herself in the same spot. Sitting next to the ring; taping up her hands.

"You fightin'?" a voice asked from behind her.

"No, I just like taping up my hands for shits and giggles," she said without looking up from her hands. Once she was finished, she looked up to see two dark eyes watching her intently. If she hadn't grown up in the environment she had, she probably would have been terrified of him. He towered over her. He had a toothpick between his lips, and she could see a maze of tattoos up and down his arms.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm trying to figure out how a girl like you ended up in a place like this," he said watching her carefully.

"And what exactly do you know about a girl like me?" she asked.

He rolled the toothpick between his lips. "Just want to make sure you know what you're doing," he said shrugging.

The guy running the ring called her name signaling that it was her turn. She smirked at the dark eyed stranger. "Guess you'll just have to see for yourself," she said before climbing into the makeshift ring.

He watched her dance around her opponent. She let the guy get a couple good hits in to build up his confidence. Nothing like hitting a girl to build up confidence, but just as quickly, she tore it down. She moved quickly and flawlessly. She hit hard and with precision. Within five minutes of getting into the ring, she was standing over him in victory sporting only a split lip and the makings of a black eye.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" the dark eyed stranger asked her as she got out of the ring and started gathering her things. He was impressed, and he was not easily impressed.

She smiled to herself. That was the question she got asked after almost every fight. "My dad taught me."

"He taught you well," he said. He watched her carefully. "I'm Happy."

"Are you telling me what you're feeling or your name?" she asked. The toothpick twitched in his mouth. She smiled and threw her bag over her shoulder. "Lily Loveless," she introduced herself. "I'll see you later, Happy." She pushed through the crowd in search of Franky to get her winnings.

With an extra $2,000 in her pocket, she made her way outside to her bike. Fights were always easy money for her. Nobody expected a girl to be able to take down a guy twice her size. She walked down a dark hallway that led outside. "Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me," she sang under her breath.

"Hey bitch!" someone yelled from behind her.

Assuming that it was just someone who had too much to drink, she kept walking. It wasn't until a hand gripped her forearm that she was forced to stop. She was pushed up against the wall. As she got over the shock, she realized it was the guy she had fought.

"You lost me all my money!" he spat in her face.

She shoved him off of her. "You lost all your money yourself." She started for the door but he grabbed her again.

"You owe me my money!" he yelled.

"I don't owe you shit!" she said venomously. "You're the one who let a girl beat the shit out of you."

"Fucking bitch!" he yelled slapping her across her face.

Her hand clutched her cheek. No one slapped Ophelia and walked away from it. She kicked him between his legs as hard as she could. He dropped down to his knees, holding himself. Then she roundhouse kicked the side of his face, sending him to the ground.

She bent over him. "You ever fucking touch me again and I'll make sure you'll never breathe again," she threatened. She stood up and straightened out her clothes. She tried to go for the door again, but two sets of hands grabbed her. They pushed her up against the wall.

"Find the money!" the guy on the floor yelled.

They searched her pockets, groping her as they went. She struggled against them, but it only made it worse. Their hands went up her shirt and down her pants.

"Get off me!" she cried.

"You like it, don't you?" the one with his hands down her pants said in her ear. "You're wet and ready for me, aren't you?"

Tears were falling down her cheeks. She needed it to stop. Suddenly, the two men were ripped off of her. She slid down the wall to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself. She watched as all three of her attackers were beaten to a bloody mess.

Once he was finished with them, her savior helped her to his feet. She looked up to his face; his dark eyes full of concern.

"Are you hurt?" Happy asked hoarsely.

She quickly wiped the tears away. "I'll be fine," she said, trying to convince herself.

He gently took her face in his hands and forced him to look at him. "Did they touch you?"

She brushed his hand away. "I said I'm fine," she said sternly. She looked down at herself. She was a mess. She was dirty and her shirt was ripped. "I can't go home like this," she muttered to herself. If she went home like this, they were never going to let her go anywhere again.

"I live right around the corner," Happy said, causing her to look at him. "You can clean up before you go home."

She nodded slowly. "Okay," she mumbled. She knew this could be a terrible idea. She didn't know him. He saved her life, and she didn't see another option.

"You okay walking?" he asked as he slipped off his sweatshirt and put it around her shoulders.

She nodded, but it didn't seem enough to convince him because he put his arm around her to steady her. He walked with her outside. The chilly air outside suddenly made everything that had just happened so much more real to her. She was already fucked up. Mommy took off when she was a kid. Daddy's in prison. Now add sexual assault to the mix, and it makes her even more of a hopeless case.

When she went into Happy's apartment, it was nothing like she expected. She expected beer bottles and ashtrays everywhere and that distinct bachelor pad smell. Happy's place though was clean. There was nothing out of place, and it smelt like clean laundry.

"The bathroom is right there if you want to shower," he said pointing towards it. "I can try to find some clothes if you want."

"I have clothes in my bag," she said numbly. She went into the bathroom but stopped at the door. She turned back to Happy. "Thank you."

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "You're welcome."

She turned the water as hot as she should get it, hoping to burn away the feeling of their hands on her. She scrubbed at her skin with Happy's soap until it turned raw. It was only after the water turned cold did she give up.

She took her time getting dressed. Her back was sore from being shoved against the wall. When she finally looked in the mirror, she looked even worse than she expected. Her lip was split open and there was a large cut across her cheek. Both of her eyes were starting to turn purple. She looked like she had been to hell and back. In reality, she had been to hell. Now she just had crawl back out.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she almost tripped over Happy's feet. He was sitting on the floor across from the door.

He looked up at her. "I didn't want you to be alone," he explained.

She slid down the door frame to the floor. "I think I used all the hot water," she mumbled.

"It's okay," he said. He saw the cuts on her face needed to be taken care of. Silently, he got some antiseptic and bandages from the bathroom; then he sat down next to her. She didn't stop him as he moved towards her. He was careful as he cleaned the wounds on her face. He didn't want to cause her anymore pain. He was almost done when she suddenly started shaking with laughter. Unsure what was going on, he sat back waiting until she calmed down.

"I'm sorry," she said through her giggles. "I'm sure you think I'm crazy. I would think I'm crazy." She wiped away the tears that had formed from laughing. "It's my birthday, and of course I would find myself in this position. On the bathroom floor while the Tacoma Killer, of all people, cleans me up."

"How did you...?"

She shrugged. "I had a feeling, but when you beat the shit out of them, it kind of gave it away."

"Are you scared?" he asked, watching her carefully.

"No," she sighed, looking down at her hands. "I've seen much scarier things in my life. I would much rather be here than back in that hallway."

"They can't hurt you again." He had made sure of that.

She met his dark eyes. "Why are you helping me?"

"You remind me of someone," he said honestly. "Why do you fight?"

She took a deep breath. "I fight because that's the only time I can feel anything," she said gripping the hem of his sweatshirt that she was still wearing.

Right then, he saw a glimpse of the girl that she carefully hid from the world. He realized she was just like he was before he got on the path that led him to becoming who he was today. In that moment, he decided he was going to do whatever he could to protect her from becoming what he was.

Present Day

She was woken up by Happy violently shaking her. His dark eyes stared at her as he towered over her.

"You snore," he commented before shoving a cup of coffee in her face.

She sat up and tried to stretch out the kinks that had formed while sleeping on the small couch. She accepted the coffee from Happy. She had no idea how long she had slept for. It was still light outside. So hopefully it had just been the afternoon and not several days.

"You hungry?" he asked.

Her stomach let out a involuntary growl. "Starving."

"I ordered pizza. We have to be at the clubhouse soon."

"Pizza," she said in disbelief. "I thought that was part of your unnecessary spending?"

He rolled his eyes and walked back to the kitchen. "Take a shower," he called to her. "You look like shit."

"Yeah, I feel like shit," she mumbled before finding herself in Happy's bathroom once again.

Author's Note

We got some Ophelia before she becomes a mercenary and Happy saving the day...

Thank you so much for those of you who have left reviews and have followed and favorited. I never thought I would get this much feedback in this short of time.