Okay all, here we go 7 years later and I am finally here to finish. Before I start, I want to apologize. I will be the first to say real life comes before fanfiction and sometimes you lose the writing bug, but it was never my intention to leave the story like this. I had everything planned out and story boarded and just couldn't make myself write for a long time. When I stopped writing I was back into a dark period of chronic clinical depression. A lot changed in my life at once and I got decidedly worse. Things built up to the point that I attempted suicide. I obviously had a lot of work to do on myself after that and changed my living situation for the better. I will let you know now that I am currently looking for a full time job and I have one more 6 week long class left to complete my bachelors degree, so I will probably not be able to keep up a rapid pace of posting but I will finish this story.

So thank you to everybody that has come back to finish this story with me, and thank you to all my new fans that have found my work in the years I have been absent.

It took me a day and a half to read this story start to finish to refresh myself before I started writing, and I don't expect you to do the same, so here is a very short summary of the major events in the past 33 chapters you need to know going forward.

1. Charlene was Gabby's best friend in Charming. 2 years ago she cut herself out of Gabby's life at the request of her abusive boyfriend Ryan.

2. Gabby befriended a young woman names Becky with a daughter named Suzie who is currently in the beginning stages of a relationship with Tom Tom.

3. Gabby is newly pregnant and only Casper, Happy and Shark know.

4. The club murdered a drug dealer in Fresno and started a war that ended with Chris dying and the only living enemy giving testimony that he saw Lenard kill Chris, Lenard has been arrested.

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit from my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

I no longer have a beta, so all mistakes are my own.

Here we go….

2022

Age 30

Set 1 month after the end of the last chapter

The men all left Church depressed. It had been a month and they had no leads in their case with Lenard. They had attempted to find Salus, the only D-27 left in Fresno that had abandoned X, but he was nowhere to be found, even his dry-cleaning business had been sold. They had brought Red in from L.A., willing to testify that X went insane and had a vendetta against the club but Sieben, the club's lawyer had informed them the testimony wouldn't hold up in court. There was no way to prove X had it out for the club and was giving false testimony without releasing the information that SAMFRES had killed X's brother Deus.

Casper shut down his tech corner and prepared to go home to his wife and kids. Happy gave him a nod indicating he would see him at the house.

Tom Tom came down from his dorm room quickly and headed out the club house door as well.

"Hey! Wait up," Shark called over, jogging towards him.

"What's up man?" Tom Tom shot back, still walking.

Shark looked him up and down, he wasn't wearing his cut and he was walking towards his newly acquired car. "Where you going dressed like that?"

"To fuck your mom." Tom Tom shot back, annoyed.

"My mom's dead, try again." Shark snapped back.

Tom Tom felt momentarily bad for the comment. "I'm meeting a realtor about a house to rent."

"Oh yeah, going house route instead of an apartment?" Tom Tom had lived in the dorms for ages and had been asked by the officers to prepare to move out so they could kick him and Bull out at the same time, in an effort to drive Bull away from the club.

"Yeah, I want a garage, and you know," Tom Tom shrugged.

"You know…what?" Shark egged on.

"You know, maybe…more than one bedroom." Tom Tom dipped his head as he finished his sentence.

Shark smiled wide. Tom Tom and Becky had been spending a lot of time together, and Becky's lease to her dilapidated apartment was up in 2 months. Obviously, Tom Tom was thinking ahead.

"Might want to make it more than one extra bedroom. You never were very good at working a condom." Shark got in one last dig as Tom Tom reached his car.

"Whatever fucker." Tom Tom slammed the door in his face and peeled away.

Shark headed back into the club house and spotted Kaye. Kaye was a cute sweet butt he had been playing around with for a bit now. She was too young for him in the long term, but she was sweet and sexy, cleaned his house and cooked him casseroles. No one else had screwed around with her, although Bull had made more than one attempt and had been brushed off by her. Frankie and Vin were making comments about Shark finally hooking up with "the one" but he thought of her more as a "one right now".

"Hey," Shark whispered in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Want to go for a ride, get a bit to eat?" He suggested.

"With you, always." She bumped his hip in a flirt and walked with him towards the door.

Casper came home to the sounds of kids playing and Gabby singing as she worked on dinner. He kicked off his boots and snuck into the kitchen behind her, planting a kiss below her ponytail on his name on the back of her neck.

"You're early." She said, smiling.

"I wanted to help you." He smacked her ass and walked around the kitchen island to take in what she was cooking.

"Good, you can chop up and sear the chicken." She slid over the defrosted meat and picked the can opener up again she had set down at his entrance.

"Not a problem." Casper smiled as he watched her dump cream of chicken soup in a mixing bowl. His wife couldn't handle the smell or sight of raw meat when she was pregnant. Pregnant. Baby number 3. He was still ecstatic. She was only 2 months along, and only he and Happy and Shark knew. Gabby had had trouble getting pregnant in the past and had a miscarriage between Kristen and Matthew. She was insistent no one else knew until she was passed the first trimester.

"Your dad's coming over too." Casper mentioned as he finished cutting up the chicken.

"Of course he is," Gabby smiled. "And he'll be just late enough for me to slide this in the oven before he walks in the door." They both chuckled as they cooked in unison until they heard a thud and Matthew started to squeal.

"I'll get him" Casper offered.

"Oh no you don't, you cook the chicken, I'll get the toddler." Gabby countered.

Tom Tom stood in the kitchen of the rental staring out the window at the back yard. He liked the house. A lot. It was a safe neighborhood and would put Suzie in the same elementary school as Kristen in August. Oh God, when had he started thinking about elementary schools?

He really felt he should bring Becky here for her opinion before he signed the lease, but technically he hadn't asked her to move in with him, he just wanted to. In 2 months. Yeah, 2 more months. He was being stupid, he chastised himself, if he would just talk to her about it he could wait till her lease was up, they could pick out a place together, and he wouldn't have to buy furniture she already owned in her own apartment. Of course, her furniture was all second hand and beat to death. Especially the couch. Especially after what they did last night on the couch. Tom Tom smiled.

The realtor cleared her throat. "Mr. Buckley, sir, I really don't think you should wait to sign the lease. This is a hot property, 3 other showings are scheduled this week, and the rent is very fair. It will go quickly."

Tom Tom cleared his head. "Yeah, sorry, okay, I'll take it." He took the offered lease agreement she had already reviewed with him and signed the last page.

Reginald Buckley the Third. Thanks dad. He rolled his eyes.

"I guess this makes me a grown up." Tom Tom handed the contract back to the realtor.

"Umm yeah…I guess it does." Answered the realtor before sliding the papers in her briefcase.

Casper lay in nothing but shorts on his living room floor after dinner, his son walking on his back.

"Oh yeah, right there buddy, dig in" Casper moaned at the massage and Gabby chuckled.

Kristen sat on the floor next to him tracing the fancy cursive of her name between his shoulder blades.

"Daddy, how come me and Matthew's names are on your back and mommy's name is on your front?" Kristen asked, still tracing.

Matthew precariously made his way off his fathers back and Casper turned over. "Well, I put mommy's name over my heart when we got married. And I knew I wanted lots and lots of babies so I just decided I would list them alllllll the way down my back."

Gabby threw a pillow at Casper's head as Kristen got up. "What about you Grandpa, you gave mommy and daddy their tattoos, who does yours?"

Happy picked Kristen up and settled her in his lap, "oh, an old friend in Tacoma does my new tattoos when he comes to visit me."

"But I never see my name on you." Kristen remarked.

"That's because my top half was already covered when you were born. I put your and Matthews initials and foot prints on the back of my calf."

"But no one gets to see it."

"No, they don't. Because real men don't wear shorts." Happy stated and glanced at Casper.

"It's July, it's 97 degrees outside and I am in my living room." Casper immediately got defensive.

"You have sexy legs babe. Grandpa's legs are all pale and scrawny from never being in the sun."

Happy aimed his glare at his daughter. "Pale I'll give you, but nothing on me is scrawny."

Gabby stuck out her tongue at her father and stretched her legs out on the couch.

"Mommy, if you have more babies where are you going to put their names?" Kristen asked.

Gabby cleared her throat; Kristen couldn't keep a secret to save her life and didn't know her mom was pregnant. "I don't know sweetie." She looked at the inside of each of her arms, where her children's names her scrawled in the same font as on Casper down her forearms an inch high.

"I think you have to have 2 babies. And then you can put their names down each of your legs like you have me and Matthew on each of your arms." Kristen stated matter of factly.

"Yeah, Good idea sweetie." Casper gave his daughter a high 5 and smiled wide at Gabby. She responded by throwing a second pillow at his head.

"When can I get my first tattoo?" Kristen asked, turning to face her grandfather again.

"30." Gabby stated.

"18." Casper countered.

"16." Happy said over top of him.

"It's not legal to get a tattoo at 16." Gabby informed her father.

"It is with parental permission." He wagged his eye brows at her. "And that's when you got yours."

Gabby rubbed her foot over her opposite calf and the small tattoo if a stuffed dog Happy had given her, a memento of the first toy he ever bought her.

She cleared her throat. "The point is sweetie, you have to pick a tattoo that is really important to you, and that you want for the rest of your life. What you want on you at 16 may not be what you want on you when you're an old lady."

"But I'll always love you." Kristen looked earnestly at her mother.

"Oh honey, of course you will, and I will always love you." Gabby sniffed once, refusing to cry. She blamed the hormones.

Gabby crashed back down on the couch as Casper did the same, pulling on a shirt after giving the kids a bath. They had finally just gotten the kids to bed.

"You 2 look beat." Commented Happy from across the room.

"Not beat, completely and utterly worn out." Corrected Gabby. Happy smirked and leaned further back in the recliner.

"What's the score?" Asked Casper, too lazy to turn his head towards the TV.

"8-nothing." Informed Happy. A quiet knock on the front door overlapped Happy's answer.

"I'll get it." Gabby slowly got up with a playful shove from her loving husband.

Gabby raised herself on her tip toes just a bit to see through the peep hole as she hadn't heard a bike drive up and Becky was at work. She let out a horrified gasp that had Casper and Happy on their feet immediately.

"Charlene" Gabby breathed as she opened the door wide.

Gabby's best friend since elementary school, estranged for the last 2 years, stood before her, both eyes black, lip swollen, dried blood under her nose and on her shirt. Gabby couldn't help but engulf her friend in a hug anyway, being mindful of any other injuries the woman may have.

"I…I didn't know where else to go." Charlene whispered into Gabby's hair.

"Here, always here." Gabby assured her, drawing her back and holding her by the shoulders. "Come in, please come in." Gabby pulled her forward before letting go.

"I'll get the first aid kit." Casper offered, rushing to the bathroom. Happy stood staring at Charlene, his hands balled into fists.

Gabby sat Charlene down at the kitchen table and ran a clean towel under the facet, coming back to wipe the blood from under Charlene's nose.

"Charlene…" Gabby started, holding the cold towel over Charlene's lip.

Charlene pushed away, "It's not what you think." She started in a shaky voice.

"Okay," Gabby reassured her. "Okay, that's okay, lets just get you taken care of."

Casper came back and set down the first aid kit. He retrieved an ice pack from the freezer and wrapped it in a towel, handing it to Gabby. "Hap," Casper whispered, pushing his father in law by the shoulder. "Hap, come on." He tried again.

Happy turned and looked at Casper, slowly stepped back a few feet, but did not leave the kitchen.

"I know what you're going to say but it's not what you think." Charlene started again. "I didn't come here to…listen…I just…" She broke into tears and Gabby kissed the top of her head.

"Every situation is different. It doesn't matter right now, let's just take care of you, okay?"

Charlene nodded and took the ice pack from Gabby, holding it to the side of her head.

"Charlene, I think maybe we should go to the hospital, you could have a concussion-"

"NO! I didn't…I don't…I was just driving around and…I didn't come here for that, I just…" Charlene said between tears.

"Okay. Okay hun, can you just tell me if he hurt you anywhere else, your ribs? Anywhere?"

"He…he was drunk…he usually doesn't drink that much…but he lost his job…and I made him mad…he said I was picking a fight…and…" Charlene heaved out a large sob ad slowly raised her blood-stained shirt. There was a distinct half moon print on her rib cage, a deep, angry, purple and red welt. Happy recognized it as what happens when the bottom of a bottle hits bone and doesn't break.

"Jesus," Hap whispered and turned away. He took long strides and forcefully opened the garage door, slamming it behind him.

Casper locked eyes with Gabby a moment before following his father in law.

"Let's get you more ice, okay? Gabby tried to distract Charlene.

"What are they going to do? I don't want them to do anything!" Charlene panicked and started to stand up.

"They aren't going to do anything, they're just too angry to stay inside." Gabby reassured her friend and pushed her gently back down into the chair. "Let's be quiet now Char, I know you don't want the kids to see you this way." Gabby used her kids as an excuse to settle Charlene down.

"I don't, oh my god, no I don't" Charlene whispered and hugged herself tightly.

Gabby heard the bikes start up outside and loudly cleared her throat. "Take some Tylenol Char, I know you won't take anything stronger and this will help with the swelling."

"Okay." Charlene swallowed the pills with a large glass of water and tried to calm herself "You must think I'm pathetic."

"No, I don't."

"Oh, sure you do. I'm sitting here in tears, all banged up, after not seeing you for how long….and after you said all of this was going to happen if I stayed with him."

"I would never think of you as pathetic Charlene. You're my friend and I love you and I worry but I don't judge."

Charlene quietly nodded her head and picked up the damp towel, holding it to her lip.

"The fucker better be here." Was all Happy said as he walked up to the front door.

Casper took a deep breath. He had always been afraid Charlene was being abused by her boyfriend. His was ashamed to say he had put it out of his mind after 2 years without her around. Seeing her like that, bloody and bruised, lit his blood on fire.

Casper had the presence of mind to check the door knob before he kicked the door in.

"RYAN!" He yelled as he stormed through the house. He found him passed out among beer bottles on the couch. Happy picked him up by the front of his shirt and shook him awake.

"Who the fuck-" Ryan slurred.

"You know who the fuck I am." Happy responded and threw Ryan to the floor.

Gabby came back into the kitchen with a fresh shirt for Charlene to change into.

"Gabby, where are the guys?" Charlene asked, concerned.

"They left to give us some privacy." Gabby lied.

"They're going after him, aren't they? They don't know the whole story! They can't, I don't want them to." Charlene stood up in a panic.

"Hun, you need to relax, okay. Just let me take care of you. Don't worry about them."

"No. Gabby no. They can't! That's not why I came here! Damn it, don't you people know any other way other than violence?" Charlene yelled.

Gabby grabbed her friend's hands. "Charlene you are a bruised mess. How can you think Ryan doesn't deserve at least the same fate?"

"They're gonna kill him!"

"No Charlene, No. They just want to make sure he doesn't hurt you again. You came here for help, let me help."

"I came here for…for a sympathetic ear, a place to take a breath, that's all!"

"Charlene," Gabby tried to pull Charlene back from the front door.

"No! I shouldn't have come here. God Gabby, you really are one of them. Violence for violence. You don't even know what happened."

Gabby bit her lip, she could just hear Ryan in those words. "It doesn't matter what happened. He had no right to hurt you. No man has a right to hurt a woman. Ever, Charlene."

"But a man can hurt a man? Eye for an eye?" Charlene pulled away from Gabby's desperate hands and opened the door. "You have no idea what you've done." She threatened and slammed the door in Gabby's face.

"You feel better now?" Casper asked as they stood over Ryan's wheezing body.

"Slightly." Responded Happy.

Casper looked around the room. They had used mostly their fists. But he had also taken the opportunity to ram a bottle in the man's rib cage the way he had Charlene's.

Ryan laid on the floor, blood gushing out his nose, he was holding his head and moaning unintelligently.

"What now?" Casper asked Happy.

"If we had a cage we could take Charlene's stuff with us." Happy theorized out load.

"We didn't quite think that one through, did we?" Casper mumbled, stopping himself from running a slightly bloody hand down his face.

"Let's get out of here." Happy responded. Giving Ryan one last kick in the kidney's before leading the way out the door.

Happy revved up his bike as Casper's phone buzzed. Charlene was on here way back. He blew out a breath. He didn't think Gabby was gonna get her friend back after this.

Shark kissed Kaye once more, slow, deep, and ran a hand through her hair. He didn't want the love making to end. He would take this over a quickie in the dorms any day of the week. He rolled off of her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her onto his chest. She intertwined her legs in his and nuzzled in.

This, he could get used to. Slow, sensual love making, cuddling, maybe some morning sex and a hot breakfast. He stroked his hand down Kaye's hair and took a deep sigh.

She was young, immature, had no plan for her life. She was looking for someone to take care of her. And sometimes it was nice to be the knight in shinning armor. It made everything a little more romantic, didn't it? And who was he to turn down a bit of romance?

Sure, she held her head a little higher in the club house. And she stayed away from the other men. But what wasn't to like about a confident girl who didn't flirt with his friends? He had never led her on that they were in a relationship, never made a commitment to her. He didn't call her his girlfriend. So maybe he bought her dinner once a week. Maybe she had a tooth brush in his bathroom.

He rubbed a thumb along her upper arm. Maybe he was leading her on. He didn't mean to. So she wasn't the one, didn't mean he couldn't enjoy her till his soulmate came around, right?

Thank you all for reading. I can promise you this, I am posting this Saturday night, I have all day Sunday free and about a 1/3 of a chapter written already. I WILL update soon!