She had been sitting outside of Jax's house for the last half an hour. She was suppose to be inside having breakfast with Jax and his family, but she couldn't bring herself to get off her bike. She couldn't get past the manicured lawn with toys scattered across it and the soccer mom SUV sitting in the driveway. It almost looked like someone who worked 9 to 5 lived there if it wasn't for the Dyna sitting in the driveway.

"You gonna sit out here forever?" Jax said as he walked down the driveway towards her. "You're gonna freak out the neighbors."

"Sorry," she said, forcing a smile.

He furrowed his brows. "What's wrong?"

She chewed on her lip. "I can't stop thinking if this is what my life would look like if things hadn't gone to shit."

Jax stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I know that I don't really know you now, but the Leela I grew up with would have hated living like this."

"I would've said the same about you."

It was his turn to force a smile. "Come on, I want you to meet my boys."

She reluctantly got off her bike and followed him inside. It was even stranger for her as she stepped through the door. It was homey and the woman's touch was obvious. They went through the house to the kitchen. Jax went over to the table where Tara and his two boys sat.

"Daddy, who's that?" Abel asked, eyeing Leela.

Jax knelt down next to Abel. "That is Leela. She was my best friend when we were little like you are."

"You were never little, Daddy," Abel giggled like that was the strangest thing in the world.

Leela smiled as Jax tickled Abel. It was safe to say that Jax's genes were the strongest since both little boys looked exactly like him. Even in their mannerisms, they were like mini versions of Jax.

"Leela, this is Tara," Jax introduced as he took Thomas from Tara's arms.

"Nice to meet the woman who was finally able to tame his wild ways," Leela said, holding out her hand for her to shake.

Tara stared at her hand before eventually shaking it. "Don't think anyone will ever tame Jax Teller," she said wearily. "Finish your breakfast, Abel." She stood up to take her plate to the sink.

Leela looked to Jax in question who only shrugged in return. There was obvious tension between Jax and Tara. She just hoped that she wasn't going to get in the middle of it.

She sat down next to Abel. "Do you know how your dad grew up to be so big?" She glanced across the table to Jax.

"How?" Abel giggled.

"By eating all of his food," she said as she made a funny face causing Abel to giggle even harder. He started to eat everything on his plate. "Tara, can I help you with anything?"

"Uh…" Tara looked surprised by Leela's question. "I'm good. Thanks though. Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee would be great, but I can grab it myself." She didn't have a chance to get it herself because Tara set a cup full of coffee in front of her. "Oh, thanks…"

"Mhmm," Tara hummed. "So you're the Leela from Tacoma. Jax, Opie, and Donna used to talk about you a lot."

"Only the good things I hope." She sipped on her coffee.

"Jax told me you got away from the club."

Leela saw the question behind the statement. Tara wanted to know how she got away from the club. "Uh…" She narrowed her eyes at Jax. "I've never gotten away from the club. I left Charming behind, but SAMTAC is my home."

Tara shifted uncomfortably before eventually turning to start washing dishes. Jax kicked Leela's foot under the table and mouthed 'sorry' to her.

"You sure you don't want any food?" Jax asked.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a breakfast person," she shrugged. She glanced down to her watch on her wrist. "Besides, we should be going. Church starts soon."

He nodded. He stood up with Thomas in his arms. He kissed Abel on the head. "Be good for Mommy, okay?"

"Yes, Daddy," Abel said. He looked to Leela.

"I'll see you later, little man." She winked at him. Abel giggled and hid behind his hands.

Jax handed Thomas off to Tara. It didn't go unnoticed by Leela that Tara made sure not to touch Jax. Leela and Jax went outside to their bikes.

"So you wanna tell me what's going on between you and Tara?" she asked as he climbed onto his bike.

"You noticed that, huh?" he asked as he fastened his helmet.

"Kinda hard not to," she said, crossing her arms. "Whatever is going on between you two, I don't want to get in the middle of it, Jax. It's bad enough we have history."

"Tara wants me to get out of the club. She thinks I'm putting my sons in danger," he explained. "This war with the Horsemen isn't helping either."

She pursed her lips. "When Tara came back to Charming, were things good with the club? Were things quiet?"

"No, we were dealing with shit with basically everyone. It was pretty crazy."

"So she knew what she was getting into. She knew the club was your life. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy. If she thinks she can change who you are, there's an even bigger problem."

"I love her, Leela. So much that it hurts. I want to do whatever I can to make her happy, but I can't lose the club in the process," he said.

"You just need to figure out what's important."

"What would you do?" he asked.

She chuckled. "You're asking the girl who has never been in a healthy relationship in her life," she smiled. "But... I would do what I can to help the situation, but if she couldn't handle my life, I wouldn't look back."

He nodded thoughtfully. "It's good to have you back."

"Yeah, you say that now," she muttered under her breath.

After having the night to think about everything, the club had to vote on if they should wage war with the Horsemen. The plan was for Ophelia to get up and tell them who she really was before they voted. Jax had tried to convince her that everyone would be happy she was back. The ones that had known her as a young girl would probably have the hardest time trying to understand why she did what she did.

She had everything she wanted to say to all of them all planned out. Hopefully, what she had to say would help. She needed them all to trust her if they were going to make it through this war alive.

She sat at the bar in the clubhouse waiting for everyone to get there. Jax sat on one side while Happy sat quietly next to her. It helped calm her down knowing that no matter what happened she would at least have Hap by her side.

Then the front door to the clubhouse swung open. Clay walked in with Piney following behind. Ophelia looked to Jax in question. Neither Clay or Piney were allowed to vote anymore. Clay's hands had given out on him, and Piney's health was on the decline. Preventing both of them from riding, and if you can't ride, you can't vote.

"I asked them to come. They're First Nine, and I would like to have their opinions," Jax explained.

Clay looked met her eyes and suddenly her world started spinning. The entire reason why she had stayed away from Charming was only feet away from her. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her hands started to shake. She was losing herself to rage.

"Who's the girl?" Clay asked.

"You'll find out in church," Jax said as he stood to go into the chapel. Clay followed him, but he first looked back to Ophelia.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as she tried to steady her breathing. "You alright?" Happy whispered in her ear.

She slowly nodded her head. She couldn't let herself fall apart right now. "Yeah, I'm good." He looked at her carefully, and then finally accepted her answer. He got out up and went to take his spot at the table. She took a deep breath before going into the chapel as well. She sat down in the same chair as before.

"So who's the sweetbutt?" Clay asked once everyone was seated.

"Well…" Jax licked his lips as he looked to Leela. "I think she needs to explain to everyone who she is."

She tried to remember everything she had planned on saying, but it had all disappeared the moment she had seen Clay. All eyes were on her. She stood up and started to pace around the room. "I haven't been honest about who I am to all of who." Jax gave her an encouraging smile. "Some of you have met me before." She looked at Bobby, Tig, Chibs, Piney, and then finally her eyes landed on Clay. "In fact, I considered some of you my uncles." Reluctantly, her eyes left Clay and went to Opie. "Or my best friends." Everyone stayed quiet. "You don't know me as Ophelia Loveless, but as Leela Blackwell."

She looked around the room as everyone took in the information. Piney was smirking at her like he had known who she was from the moment he had seen her. Clay was looking like he had just seen a ghost. Bobby and Tig were staring at her in amazement. Opie looked like he was having a silent conversation with Jax. Hap was looking at her full of pride. Rat and Juice both looked as confused as ever. Chibs, however, looked different than all the rest of them; he looked angry.

"What's going on?" Juice asked, looking between Jax and Clay. "Who is she?"

"She is Tacoma royalty," Piney said, proudly.

Jax grinned at Leela. "For those of you who don't know, her father, Isaiah Blackwell, founded the Tacoma charter. She grew up in the club as much as me and Ope did."

"Where'd you disappear to, doll?" Tig asked. "We missed seeing you around after Isaiah died."

"More like you missed my ass," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"We all missed that ass," Bobby said.

"You're all very fucked up individuals," she laughed.

"Why didn't you tell us who you were from the beginning?" Chibs voiced the question everyone wanted to know. He didn't look her.

She chewed on her lip as she thought over her answer. "If I had told you who I was, none of you would have let me help. You would have just seen me as the seventeen year old girl that you saw at her father's funeral."

"And not the cold the cold bloody killer you are today?" Bobby said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "A lot of shit has happened." She let out a sigh. "I know you all have a lot of questions, and I will answer all of them eventually. But right now, we need to focus on the problem at hand. The Horsemen will be on your doorstep before you know it. I told the truth about who I am because there needs to be trust between us."

"I trust Leela with my life," Jax spoke up. "From what we saw her do the other night, we need her help."

"I second that," Happy said.

She felt a little bit better knowing that she had at least a few of them on her side. "Let me know what you decide." She slipped out the doors, and took a deep breath once she was out of sight from everyone. She hadn't expected to see Clay. She should've known better than to hope that she wouldn't run into him.

She walked outside needing a nicotine fix and to put some space between her and the past. She fumbled with her lighter as she tried to light her cigarette. She couldn't get it to light; she threw the lighter across the lot in frustration.

Gemma appeared next to her holding out her lighter. "Here you go, sweetheart."

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the lighter from Gemma. She lit her cigarette and took a deep breath, immediately feeling calmer. As she handed the lighter back to Gemma, she looked over the older woman. She had a few more wrinkles since the last time she had seen her, but she was still the same old Gemma.

"You have Isaiah's eyes," Gemma said pointedly.

She let out a snort. "Nothing get's past you, does it?"

"Not usually," Gemma said, crossing her arms. "I always thought you would be a great old lady. You knew how the club worked. What was expected of you."

She rolled her eyes. Almost twenty years and Gemma was still singing the same tune. "Jesus, Gem, you still holding onto that?"

"You were suppose to be the one at his side to help the lead the club," Gemma said getting in Leela's face.

She resisted letting out a sigh. "You gotta let this shit go. It can't be healthy holding onto all of this." Her eyes went to the long scar that ran down her chest.

"Love!" Happy called from the doorway of the clubhouse.

Gemma watched Leela snub out her cigarette. "You hittin' that?"

"Jesus Christ, what is with everyone wanting to know my sex life?" she said, shaking her head. She followed Happy back into the clubhouse and into the chapel. No one would look her in to eyes except for Jax. His face didn't give anything away though. And she made sure not to look in Clay's direction.

Jax waited until Happy had taken his seat before starting. "If we're going to do this with as little of bloodshed as possible, we're going to need you," he said to her.

She took a deep breath. "So we're doing this?"

"We're doing this," Jax nodded.

"I'll start calling all the other charters," Bobby spoke up. "Let them know what's going on."

Jax nodded in agreement. "Prepare your families for a lock down. We might not have a lot of time before it's war." He brought the gavel down onto the table signaling that church was over.

Leela moved out of the way as everyone started filing out. Piney stopped in front of her. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"It's good to have a Blackwell in Charming again," he grumbled before leaving.

After everyone left, Jax looked to Leela. "Am I doing the right thing? Or am I leading all of them to their graves?"

Pain clouded his eyes. She wondered if they had ended up together could she have helped ease the pain. She leaned back against the table and took a hold of his hand. She remembered the days between JT's death and his funeral, when she held his hand nonstop. How he wouldn't let go.

"If we hadn't gotten the guns back, your relationship with Mayans would've gone downhill and the Horsemen would've pushed you out," she said, her eyes not leaving his hand. "Now you have shown them that you will not go quietly." Finally, she brought her eyes up to his. "We have to fight if we want to keep everything for the club."

Someone cleared their throat from the door. Jax pulled his hand out of Leela's as he saw who it was.

"Tara," he breathed. He got up and pulled her into a hug. Tara's eyes never left Leela as she hugged Jax.

"I'm gonna make a few calls. See if I can find anything more about the Horsemen," Leela said, slipping past Jax and Tara.

She went outside to start making phone calls to hopefully find something about the Horsemen. She wasn't paying attention that there was hardly anyone in the clubhouse. So she was met by Bobby, Tig, and Chibs staring at her from one of the tables.

"Hey there, doll," Tig said.

"Hey, Tiggy," she smiled. Tig had always been one of her favorites. Mainly because he flirted with her relentlessly and what teenage girl didn't like being flirted with by someone older. She took the empty seat at the table across from Chibs, who still wasn't looking at her. She knew that if anyone had questions about how she spent the last twenty years, it would be these three.

"Why lie to us, kid?" Bobby asked, getting straight to the point.

She sighed. "I didn't lie. I actually told you more than I tell any of my other clients."

"We aren't clients! We were goddamn family!" Chibs said, standing up quickly. He then stormed off to the garage.

She stared down at her hands. She knew that her disappearing away from all things SAMCRO had hurt more than just Jax.

"So you've really gone mercenary?" Tig asked.

She looked up at him. "Yeah," she said forcing a smile. "The money is unbelievable."

"Really?" Bobby questioned.

She grinned. "You would never be able to afford me."

"How did you get into that?" Tig asked.

She chewed on her lip. "I was so broken that the only time I didn't was when I was breaking other people. And I got really good at it."

"You were kinda scary the other night," Bobby said pointedly.

"I wouldn't be good if I wasn't."

"It's good to have you back, kid. Even if not everyone sees it yet," Bobby said.

"Hell, most of us thought you were dead. Then out of nowhere you roll up all cozy with Happy. You're kinda surprising all of us," Tig said.

She laughed. "What's more surprising? That I'm still kicking, my job, or that I'm besties with Hap?"

Bobby and Tig shared a look. "Happy," they said together.

All of them started laughing. Suddenly, Leela's phone started ringing. She pulled it out and looked at the caller id. Unknown caller. She excused herself from Tig and Bobby to answer it.

"Do you think she'll stick around once we finish this?" Tig asked Bobby as they watched Leela talk on the phone.

"I don't know. I hope she does. God knows this club needs some fresh eyes," Bobby said. "But I think there's something she's not telling us."

"She's right, you know?" Tig said, turning to Bobby. "We wouldn't have let her help us if we had known who she was. I wouldn't have let her."

Bobby tapped his fingers on the table as he thought. "Yeah, she's not the same kid we knew."

Leela made her way back to them. She tossed her phone back and forth from each hand.

"What's up, doll?" Tig asked, noticing that something was bothering her.

"The Horsemen are coming. They will be here sometime this week."

Author's Note

Hope you like it! Thank you so much to all of who have left comments. You rock my socks off!