A Raven Among Crows

by m.s.alexis

"I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it." She's looking to get in with the infamous MC. Will her hidden skills earn her a reaper, or will a surprise romance compromise it all? You've heard their story, now you get to hear hers. An SOA retelling (Tig/OFC) currently being revamped to be readable with no prior knowledge of the show. Returning soon!

16. The Rise of The Queen

Most queens are born, some queens are crowned, but the Cali Queen was made, and Tig finally finds out why after heart-racing ambush that finds two of their enemies, in one place.

General trigger warnings for this story: Language, smut, mentions of rape, abuse, drug use/overdose, violence/death, racism/gang activity.

Be sure to follow aravenamongcrows on Tumblr (ask & submissions are open), and m. s. alexis on Instagram (tracking #aravenamongcrows), for exclusive photos, updates, and more!

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CHAPTER 16: THE RISE OF THE QUEEN

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"You hungry?" Tig heard behind him as he was getting dressed, glancing into the bathroom where Sydney stood in front of the mirror, brushing her damp hair.

"See, doll." He smirked as he approached her, wrapping his arms around her towel-wrapped body from behind. "This is why I'm gonna marry you." He chuckled against her neck, pressing his lips to her cheek before he left the room.

She chortled to her reflection, pulling on one of his t-shirts that she knotted in the front before slipping into a pair of leggings. She twisted her wet hair into a bun on the top of her head, securing it with the multiple bobby pins that she was already finding scattered around his room before stepping into her black fuzzy slides and making her way to the kitchen where she got to work preparing breakfast for the surely heavy hangovers that the morning would bring.

She'd surveyed the fully-stocked kitchen - thanks to Gemma - as a fresh pot of coffee brewed, taking the time to establish what ingredients she would be working with before she headed out to the bar to do a headcount. When she reached the musty, beer-scented room, she found multiple passed out crows, Juice on the pool table, Bobby on the floor, Chibs on the couch, Happy at the bar - who was being pestered by Tig, and Half-Sack racing to clean up.

"You need help, babe?" Tig nodded, his attention turning away from his scowling brother - giving the bald man some momentary relief.

"No, I'm fine. Hangout." She smiled, handing him a cup of coffee where he pecked her on the cheek before she returned to the kitchen and began frying up multiple packs of bacon and sausages, as well as scrambling two dozen eggs.

"So, you guys are the real deal?" Happy regained the Sergeant's attention after massaging his throbbing temples.

"Oh yeah, man." The blue-eyed man gushed.

"Don't fuck her around. Spent a lot of time teachin' her that she's special, ain't about to have you fuck it up." Happy grunted, cutting off any idea that he may have wrongfully given Tig that could have indicated that he approved of this.

"Brother, I saw what she did to you last night…" He raised a brow. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"For real. That one's somethin' you'll never find again. Deserves the world. Only reason I'm letting it happen is cause I've never seen her want it before." Happy let his harsh words soak in for a few seconds before going back to freak mode - his usual setting around Tig. "So, how is she?" His black eyes glinted as he grinned wickedly.

"Like you don't know... I hear the way she talks to you, man." Tig scoffed. Yes, Sydney's sorrowful anecdote had wiped up every last drop of confusion that he may have had about their relationship - but Happy didn't know that, and Tig was never one to shy away from hassling a brother, especially Happy Lowman.

"Only talks to me like that to piss me off." He shook his head. "Knows I won't do it."

"I don't know how you don't." Tig scoffed again.

"You want me to do it?" Happy retorted, his response getting the desired effect as the Sergeant finally shrunk down in his seat. "She doesn't fuck around with anyone. That one's a tease - gets a kick out of it, too. The DINO guys hated it."

Tig looked down as he felt a rush of heat grace his cheeks. He had no idea what it was that could've possibly made him special enough to make her break her rules for him.

"Never had anything serious with anyone." Happy confirmed with a nod. "She dabbled with a couple scrawny bitches back home to keep the guys away... Chewed 'em up and spit 'em out when she got tired of entertaining 'em. Funny shit." His eyes went hollow as he reminisced.

When Happy had first found himself in San Bernardino, he was a freshly eighteen year-old prospect from Tacoma. He'd been drinking at the SAMDINO clubhouse when he felt something brush against his leg. He'd pulled back abruptly, but the absolute last thing that he'd expected to see was a toddler hanging from his baggy jeans. He'd done everything that he could to shake her - literally - but the second that she opened her mouth to tell him 'no' with a high-pitched giggle, he'd sold his soul to the little girl.

Even all of those years ago, Happy was still stoic, still tattooed, and still terrifying - but for some reason the little blonde toddler shadowed him like no other. She wouldn't let anyone else near her if he was around - not even her own parents. The tattooed man had been her hand-chosen babysitter, and as time went on he eventually grew to love the role that allowed him to exercise his regularly hidden soft spot for cartoons.

Happy knew that it was this time that they'd spent together, that had made them so close - a closeness that was too close for them to ever indulge in whatever Tig seemed to find so incomprehensibly irresistible. The love between them was that of family - family that had been together through both life, and death.

"I'll treat her right." Tig said honestly as he nodded to the bald man who was clearly deep in thought.

"I know." Happy smirked. He had made it his life's ambition to have Sydney know her worth, to make sure that she never got hung up on some pretty boy - and it wasn't a job that he had finished yet. "Hundreds of guys would kill to be where you're at with her." He gave one final reminder to the man that, deep down, he knew didn't need it.

"Another one over here, sweetheart." The attractive man with dirty blonde hair tossed Sydney a wink from down the bar. She flashed him a smirk before grabbing his beer, sauntering over to him with a swing in her hips where she leaned over the top of the bar with her tits on display once she met him - he was attractive enough that his attention was enjoyable, but not nearly enough to let him take her to bed.

"Gotta head out." He said abruptly - the influx of leather-clad men being the cause, no doubt. The forced finality in his weak tone told her that he was trying desperately to appear like he had somewhere important to be, but she knew better. She rolled her eyes, turning around to greet the San Bernardino Sons.

"Hey, honey." Her dad addressed her with a warm smile and a squeeze to her hand as he quickly walked past her, grabbing a beer and making his way to the poker table.

Happy walked around the bar, pouring himself a whiskey as his eyes glued themselves to the man that Sydney had been talking to, narrowing his gaze down at her with a smirk. "He'll be back for you." He nodded to the now empty seat that had been occupied by the poor excuse for a man.

"I bet he will." She scoffed.

"Gonna let someone hit it?" He raised a brow, unexpectedly - he knew how hard it was to earn a spot on her exclusive roster.

Sydney couldn't resist the urge to press his buttons as that scowl appeared in the crevasses of his face when she didn't answer quick enough to satisfy him. Getting closer to him, she slowly pressed her body against his, pushing him against the bar. "You offering?" She nodded in a low whisper as her playful green eyes became hooded.

He hesitated for a second, looking her up and down before pulling away where he rapidly began shaking his head. "Shouldn't say shit like that, little girl."

"Awe why not, Happy Feet?" She mock-pouted, ending her facade with a smirk once she was met with the warning glare that she knew all too well. "I'll start throwing bones when I know I'll get a good one in return." She shrugged as they watched the cowardly group of men filing out of the clubhouse.

"Yeah... tell me about it." Tig said dreamily.

"Hurt her, and I'll slit your throat." Happy said casually, clapping the dark-haired man on the shoulder as Sydney walked out holding two plates, placing one in front of each of them.

"Coffee?" She nodded to Happy, setting a steaming mug down in front of him as he nodded. "Still take it black, I assume?" He nodded again. "Great talk." She nodded sarcastically, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Sydney finally made her way back out to the bar with her own plate of food and coffee in hand, scowling as she looked down at Half-Sack where he sat, scrubbing vigorously at the floor - cleaning what she assumed was vomit.

"Hey, Kippy." She chuckled, feeling sorry for the poor prospect. "You eat yet?"

"Nah." He squinted as he looked up at her. "'I've been cleanin' all morning."

"Well, there's eggs and coffee in the kitchen... Sorry I didn't make any tofu." She pouted playfully.

"Thanks." He chuckled with a barely noticeable roll of his eyes.

Sydney waltzed over to where Tig and Happy were sitting in their barstools, setting her plate onto the bartop across for them - opting to stand while she ate. "Damn, little girl." Happy shook his head as he swallowed a savory bite. "I knew there was a reason I missed San Bern." He grinned.

"I thought you were lookin' a little skinny these days." She chuckled, poking him in the ribs with her fork. "How's Ma?" She piped up, realizing that she hadn't spoken to Happy's mother since she'd left. It was odd, she realized; how right SAMCRO felt, how right Tig felt. It all felt so right that she'd completely forgotten that she'd had a whole other life back home.

"Good, misses ya." He nodded. His mother's health had improved vastly since it had brought him to San Bernardino, all of those years ago - hence why he was now comfortably bouncing between the western charters as a Nomad. "Told her that we were here together, she's happy." He smiled.

Esmeralda Lowman was the closest thing that Sydney had to what she imagined an involved mother was. Being an old fashioned latina woman; she babied, clothed, and cooked for the young blonde whenever she could, no matter what her condition had been.

"I bet she is." She smiled as she tried to figure out if the older woman had known all along that she and Happy would be in Charming together - it definitely wouldn't have been unlike her to keep it a surprise.

The three of them were all pulled from their separate thoughts as they heard Bobby begin to wake, laughing inharmoniously as the discombobulated man stumbled about the room littered with unconscious party-goers.

"Breakfast is in the back, sleepin' beauty." Tig called as the large man made his way to the kitchen, stopping halfway down the hall to throw up.

"Oh come on, man..." Half-Sack groaned from the end of the hallway where he had finally finished his cleaning.

"Jesus Christ, man." Jax came barging out of his room to see what the ruckus was after being startled out of the sleep that he must've succumbed to sometime after returning from his early morning ride out to the warehouse, scowling when Bobby ignored him and continued his path towards the food. "Dude, where are you goin'?" He scowled.

"Breakfast." The Treasurer barely uttered out.

"Gemma here early?" Jax crinkled his brows, rubbing his forehead as he prepared for the cyclone that was his mother, much earlier than he had anticipated.

"Sydney." He managed to choke out before a coughing fit began.

Jax's crinkled brows turned into a deep scowl as the older man's answers only flooded him with more questions. "You're tellin' me that the Princess is goin' domestic?" He shook his head incredulously.

"I ain't complainin'." Bobby shrugged as he grabbed a plate and began to dish up.

Jax strolled out into the bar after filling his own plate of food, grabbing the empty stool beside Tig. "Laundry and dinner yesterday, breakfast today..." He mused as he looked over Sydney with a sly smirk. "You got a good one here, brother." He nudged the Sergeant's shoulder.

Tig smiled proudly while Sydney beamed across from him. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd gotten - he had the girl that everyone wanted, the girl that every member only dreamed of having; the one who embraced the club with open arms, the one who fucked him like her life depended on it, the one who looked like a playboy centrefold, the one who was half his age - but most importantly, the one whoonly had eyes for him. She had him completely done for.

"You really make all this, Princess?" Jax nodded.

"Well the prospect wasn't going to." She shot him a knowing glance.

"Lookin' to get promoted to Queen?" He raised his brow with a smirk.

"All in good time, VP." She mused, taking the empty plates back to the kitchen.

"You better put a fuckin' ring on that, man. Before I do." Jax poked at Tig who was still basking in all of her glory - waiting to wake up from the dream, but he didn't. This was real.

After everybody was done gorging on Sydney's status-securer of a meal, she headed back to Tig's room to properly get herself ready for the day. She pulled her now dry hair from the bun where it fell down over her shoulders in big, voluminous waves - just the way that she'd hoped. She didn't bother throwing on any makeup before slipping into a baby blue, v-neck tee - she would be doing plenty of that later.

She passed through the bar, smiling as Jax gave her an approving nod which she returned as she made her way outside where she spotted Tig sitting at a picnic table with Happy, Juice, and Bobby. She strutted over, throwing a little extra swing in her hips - running her hand over Tig's shoulder as he sat with his back to her.

"Oh. Hey, baby." He cooed when he looked over his shoulder to see her smiling down at him, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I know what we can do today, Tiggy." She announced as she pushed herself up to sit on top of the picnic table.

"What's that, doll?" He quirked a brow, the genuine curiosity behind his attentive eyes giving her hope that he might actually say yes.

"You should teach me how to ride." She mused, looking down shyly as she fiddled with his kutte - lazily circling the smooth leather with her fingertip.

"Oh, sweetheart... You ride just fine." He scoffed, raising a sly brow as the guys laughed.

"Well, maybe..." She tilted her head as she ran her finger down his forearm. "If you give me a few pointers, I'll show you what I've learned later..."

Tig stood up without second thought as the table erupted in a chorus of groans and gags, leading Sydney over to his bike which quickly turned the protests to laughter. She was sure to tip Happy a wink over her shoulder - a wink that he returned.

"How much you wanna bet she wears his crow within the next six months?" Bobby proposed another bet in hopes that this one would favor him better than the last one that he'd participated in.

"I give it three." Juice snorted as he opened his wallet and tossed a bill onto the table.

"More than that." Happy shook his head, standing from the table. He knew that she would never get a crow before she got her reaper, but that knowledge was valuable enough - he didn't need to profit off of it.

"You sure you wanna do this?" The reality-blinding enchantment of sex quickly started to dissipate as they reached the row of Harleys where Tig realized just what she was asking him to do.

"Well, you're the expert, right?" She raised a brow. "Who better to learn from?" She flashed a cocky smile as she plucked the helmet from his handlebars as pulled it down on top of her curls.

"I don't know, doll…" He sighed. "My bike ain't stock... Got a lot of-"

"Yeah, yeah, you have mods, I know. But that means it'll just be easier if I learn on something hard." She countered. He pursed his lips, she had a point... "Besides, your bike is my favorite..." She looked down again. "It looks the best, it's faster than all the other ones..." She mused as she ghosted her fingertips over the skull on the brake handle this time, stroking the gleaming chrome just like she was stroking his ego.

Tig squinted hard, sighing as he grimaced. "I hope you know that I don't let anybody ride my bike alone. Ever." He rarely even let anyone ride it with him.

"I promise I'll make it worth your time, Sergeant." She nodded eagerly, her tone laced with just enough seduction.

Tig spent the next fifteen minutes explaining the components and functions of the bike. Sydney listened intently, nodding in fascination as the world around him blurred, his silky voice echoing in her ears as she blissfully revelled in his presence; curls bouncing and eyes glimmering in the sun as he explained his passion.

"You get all that, kitten?" She snapped out of it, nodding rapidly once she registered that he had stopped talking, and was now staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Mhmm." She hummed the assurance that he clearly didn't believe, but he didn't have time to do anything about it as she fired up the engine. He helped her get set up, making sure that she was steady on the thousand-pound machine that he had seen grown men struggle to control - finally pulling away after relaying the gear shift, and making sure that her helmet was buckled tight.

Sydney rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she chortled before she started rolling, getting ready to kick off. "Wait!" She heard him yell behind her, whipping her head around impatiently to see him grabbing a nearby helmet off of one of the bikes - yanking it down over his own head, nodding for her to continue once it was clipped in place.

"Asshole." She rolled her eyes again while he grinned, turning her attention back to the monster of a bike beneath her.

"That's it, baby!" Tig cheered as she fumbled with the clutch a few times before getting a halfway proper start under her belt. She couldn't help but blush, looking down as her nerves forced a smile. "Do that a few more times, and then you can start practicing above first." He nodded.

She went back and forth across the lot in first a few more times, as he instructed - stalling every once in a while. "So neutral is between first and second?" She looked up at him for clarification as he showed her how to shift the bike into a higher gear, crinkling her brows in confusion when he nodded. "I thought you said that this would be like shifting in my car." She whined.

"It is, baby." He nodded reassuringly. "Neutral's after first, so that you can't accidentally shift twice into second." He rubbed her back soothingly as he explained.

"Oh." She nodded slowly before giving it a try, jerking around a little more. "Neutral is hard." She pouted, stomping her foot to the pavement as she pushed her lips out in hopes of some more tender encouragement.

"It's okay, sweetheart. You're doin' great." He lifted her wrinkled chin, smiling when her frown broke into a sweet smile

Clay pulled into the lot, scowling as he watched Sydney shakily ride the giant Harley around the perimeter. He chuckled once he saw Tig standing in the middle of her small circles, shaking his head as he rolled his bike into formation. He pulled his helmet off as she made her way back over to Tig, stopping with a screech - the seasoned Harley riders sharing a chuckle as she giggled nervously.

"What's this?" The older man mused, tossing her a wink.

"Princess wants to learn how to ride." Tig nodded confidently as his ringed hand shielded his squinting eyes from the harsh July sun.

"If I'm gonna get my patch, I'm gonna have to learn." She said through a knowing grin.

Clay raised his eyebrows discerningly. "Hey, Tiggy." He turned his attention to his Sergeant. "You mind checkin' with Jax?" His playful eyes narrowed much more seriously.

"Sure thing, boss." Tig nodded eagerly once he realized what this was about, heading towards the clubhouse in search of the VP.

"So..." He began laughing as soon as the dark-haired man was out of earshot. "How long you planning on makin' him chase you around the parking lot?"

"A little longer." She replied with a cocky smirk.

"You're something else, Princess..." He laughed, taking off towards Bobby, Juice, and Happy where they sat, thoroughly entertained at their picnic table.

Sydney rolled Tig's heavy bike next to Clay's, making her way back over to where everybody was gathered.

"So, how'd ya manage that?" Clay scoffed.

"She just asked." Happy beamed.

"She told him she'd ride him later." Juice scoffed, kicking his fellow bald-headed brother under the table.

"You would've done that anyway." Clay scowled.

"Exactly." She purred with a smirk, swaying playfully before she took her leave.

"Jax took care of it - everything still looks good. Doesn't look like the Mayans have tried to come back." Tig nodded to Clay as he approached, his hand trailing Sydney's as she strutted past him.

"Heard she didn't even have to bribe you for that." Clay joked as the pussy-whipped jokes started coming at the Sergeant who had been far too easily convinced to spend his afternoon playing teacher.

"You gonna say no that?" He posed with wide eyes, humming as he gestured to Sydney walking away, those juicy hips swinging while her ass bounced along behind her - just below the ends of her shiny hair.

"You got a good point, my friend." Clay nodded, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Heard we had some riding lessons goin' on out there?" Jax teased as Sydney entered the clubhouse.

"Sure did. Better watch your back, VP... I'm comin' for that precious little flash on your chest." She winked.

;

The afternoon came to a close much quicker than Sydney had anticipated after spending the bulk of her day with Tig. Before she knew it, she found herself at the table with a beer and a pack of smokes in front of her in preparation for the lengthy conversation that was about to take place; the Mayan ambush.

"We gotta figure out the best way to do this..." Clay sighed. "With the Mayans and Nords, we're gonna be outnumbered - by a long shot."

"If we pull this off, we only have to worry about the Mayans tailing us back. Nords don't care enough to fight a battle that ain't their own - especially for brown." Tig added.

Clay began explaining his plan for what would undoubtedly be an all out warfare: The Sons would ambush just after 9:00 P.M., interrupt the handoff with guns drawn, load the AKs into the van as quickly as possible. The plan was smart, but Sydney didn't know if it was smart enough to avoid a possible casualty by going in blind, with bullets flying.

"You need me on the inside." She decided, sitting up straighter as Clay's deep blue eyes landed on her the second that the words left her mouth. "You have no idea where the guns will be, or when they'll get there. If I'm on the inside with a gun to Marcus' head, we can secure a safe exit." She rushed to her own defense before he could protest.

"And how do you plan on getting a gun in under one of your tight little whore dresses?" Bobby mused. "Gonna use that prison wallet that Tiggy talks so highly about? Huh?" He chuckled heartily.

Sydney smiled sarcastically, pulling her shirt down to reveal a teeny tiny Colt Pony stuffed deep in her cleavage - silently thanking the puberty Gods as the guy's faces dropped, and eyes widened while Tig laughed proudly.

"Didn't see that comin', did ya, old man?" She teased Bobby, tossing a wink to Tig. "And neither will they."

"Darby and some of his guys know what you look like. So does that Mayan that we set free." Jax countered.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, VP. I got that covered." She cooed with a theatrical shake of her head.

"Juice - in the van." Clay began. "As soon as you roll up, you pull in front of the bikes - they're gonna start firing right away." Juice nodded. "Sack, you're in the van with Chibs - you two are in charge of transport." The Scot gave a curt nod while Sydney smiled at Half-Sack across the room as Clay assigned him his first major role on a job. "I'll make sure Laroy's on board."

"I'll get one of the girls to drop me off just before 9:00 P.M., text all updates off a prepay." Sydney nodded.

The meeting dragged on with the boring details of where the rendezvous points were, how to get there, and what weapons would be best - but Sydney didn't care, she'd gotten her way. When it finally wrapped up, she made her way back to Tig's dorm to gather her things before she was to head home and get ready.

"This ain't gonna be like anything you've done before." A voice came from behind her. The worry in the tone, for a split second, had her wondering who was speaking. She looked over her shoulder with care - she wasn't scared, but she knew that going undercover in what would end in a shower of bullets was something that for once, warranted the worry of her best friend.

"Don't think I can handle it?" She teased lightly.

"If anyone can, it's you, mi sol." Happy sauntered into the room with a nod. "But bullets... They don't care how good you are. Anyone can get hit."

Sydney smiled softly to herself. She knew how to get under Happy's skin, but he wasn't completely unaware of how to get under hers. The praise always did something to her when it rolled off of his tongue; the roughness of his gravelly voice emphasizing the soft words that were so hard to earn from him, making them that much more infectious - and he knew it.

"Guess I'll just have to aim for a flesh wound." She smirked.

"Just don't wanna see anything happen to you..." He gave in to the softness as much as he could make himself - the softness that she had always desired from him. "Old man would roll over in his grave and kick my ass."

They both shared a chuckle before Sydney's smile faltered, feeling the never-too-dormant anger bubbling in her blood as her emotions hastily began to take over. Her dad's death had thrown her for a loop; had made her lose all control over herself, made her act like everything she was against. She hated that her throat stung and her eyes burned every time he was mentioned, she hated that running away from everything she had ever known - from everybody who had ever loved her - felt so damn good. But most of all, she hated that erasing the existence of her father was the only way that she could handle remembering him.

"It's okay to cry." He nodded, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I miss him too."

Her eyes refocused and her head snapped up from the hung position that it had fallen into. "No." She snarled, shaking her head angrily as she pushed his hand away.

"Syd... If it was Ma who died, I woul-"

"Enough." She clenched her jaw, her face hot with unspent emotion. "I'm fine."

Happy's chest rumbled with a chuckle as he pulled her against it. "Too much like me, little girl." He shook his head. "Too much like me..."

Sydney chortled, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to subside. "You need to be careful, too..." She took a deep breath, finding a calming comfort in his familiar scent of cheap soap and pine needles. "I don't know what I'd do without you..." She said softly.

Happy stared ahead blankly, mindlessly stroking her hair. "C'mon." He pulled away. "Show these fuckers what I taught you." He spoke with a smirk that her lips curled up to mimic before she followed him out the door.

;

Sydney felt her skin beginning to ripple with the familiar buzz of excitement that espionage never failed to bring her, clutching onto Tig a little tighter where he rolled into her driveway.

"You be careful tonight, kitten." He took off his sunglasses to look her in the eyes as he unclipped her helmet for her.

"Of course." She nodded up at him before he threw an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a sweet kiss.

"You better take a long look at me, Sergeant..." She pulled away with a grin, nudging his forehead with hers. "Cause later tonight, you won't have any idea who I am..."

"Don't get me excited like that, pussycat." He growled against her lips.

"You better stay whole for me tonight." She raised her brows expectantly. "I still have to show you what I learned today." She smirked as she pulled away.

"Hey." He held his hands out. "Since when do I gotta be whole for that?" He teased as she dismounted his bike.

She chortled. "You stayin' at the clubhouse tonight?"

"Yeah, Clay's gonna need me close after this shit goes down - who knows what it's gonna stir up." He sighed, shaking his head as he looked off into the distance while Sydney nodded. "You are too." He told her, watching her brow crease in confusion. "I don't want you alone tonight." He explained, watching those playful green eyes roll behind her dark lashes. "I mean it, baby." He narrowed his eyes.

She chuckled before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes, Sergeant." She whispered into his mouth, sealing the promise with a kiss - she had absolutely no problem with the excuse to spend another night with him.

"That's my girl." He hummed in approval, grabbing a generous handful of her ass before she finally broke away.

A few hours later, Sydney was finally ready to go with her makeup caked into oblivion, wig glued in place, brown contacts settled against her green eyes, and temporary tattoos powdered to satisfaction. She slid into the skin-tight, satin red dress where she saw Jessica's dark Volkswagen pull up in front of her house - pulling on her cheap hooker heels and spraying the knock-off version of her favourite perfume before she headed out the door.

The brunette didn't notice Sydney walking out the door as she sat playing games on her phone while she waited, looking up when a dark-haired woman opened the passenger door and slid in. "Uh, I think you have the wrong car-" Her brows were furrowed in confusion before she recognized her passenger. "Holy fuck... Sydney?" She exclaimed as her jaw fell to the floor.

Sydney cackled, pulling the mirror down. "Not too shabby, huh?" She dragged her finger along the corner of her cherry red lips.

"How the fuck did you do that?" Jessica bounced in her seat. "Oh my god..." She shook her head in continuous awe. "Where were you when I was using other people's IDs?" Sydney laughed again, plugging her phone into the aux cord as they set off to Pope.

The two shared a fun ride full of laughing, gossiping, and singing along to the stereo. Sydney was starting to see the wild brunette as a genuine friend, not just a whore who was to obey her commands. They drove slowly along the dirt road until they finally saw the old farmhouse - which was a much smaller residence than Sydney had expected for such a large gathering. She scanned the property as they pulled up, her quickly drying eyes running over a few old pickup trucks until she spotted them, like a bunch of diamonds; the gleaming Softails.

"Bingo." She smirked. "Thanks, Jess. See you later." She kissed her chauffeur on the cheek, pulling out her burner to let Juice know that she was heading in as she strutted up the rickety steps of the beaten down building, pulling open the screen door where she was hit with the strong scent of marijuana and chemicals - successfully remoistening her eyes as they adjusted to the fumes.

She glanced around, eyeing mostly Nords mingling with the women that she'd met with at the diner, spotting the red-head who had given her the address standing with Darby and the man that she had seen with him at their meeting - assuming that he had to be his new right hand since they'd killed Whistler. She made her way over, her dramatically altered appearance successfully preventing any of them from recognizing her where she stood just close enough that she could catch the end of their conversation as she served herself a drink - listening to Darby relay the details of the drop which would be taking place around the side of the house very shortly. She chewed on the edge of the red solo cup in her hand, heading off to the bathroom once she was satisfied with the intel - locating the side door on her way.

Juice and the rest of the Sons were parked on an access road off of the highway a few miles away where they awaited Sydney's final signal. The entire group was antsy - as to be expected before a shootout - but Clay noticed that Tig was squirming on his bike in a way that he wasn't used to seeing; in a way that sent him back in time...

"She's gonna be fine, brother." He assured him with narrowed eyes.

"Oh." Tig snapped out of it. "Yeah... I know." He tried to play it off with a casual nod.

"Now." Juice called out, snapping his phone shut.

Tig was grateful for the distraction from his worry, the nerves fueling his actions as he sped off down the road - everyone behind him with their guns in hand.

Sydney snuck out the side door just before Alvarez arrived, with ease - rounding the back of the house where she positioned herself with her back against the splintering wood. Finally, she heard the door creak open, peering around the corner to see Darby, his bitch boy, and two other men exiting down the steps that threatened to snap even under their unimpressive weight as Alvarez pulled up with a black Impala in tow.

The Mayan President dismounted his bike, taking his time making his way over to Darby while his men popped the trunk. The two shook hands before walking over to check out the guns, Darby nodding a few seconds later before motioning to one of his guys who then handed Alvarez an envelope. At the last possible second, Sydney finally heard it - the rumbling of the Harleys. Showtime.

Shots began ringing out as soon as the Mayans realized what was happening - bullets hitting the side of the van where Juice came to a screeching halt in front of the Sons. Sydney grinned as the Niners emerged from the property line behind the trees with guns in hand, successfully giving Half-Sack and Chibs a clear path to haul the crate of AKs to the van as everybody scrambled to find cover.

Sydney was in awe as she watched Half-Sack fearlessly walk straight into open fire with his gun drawn, seamlessly taking down one of Darby's guys as Alvarez and another Mayan ran back in her direction. She tucked herself back out of sight as they rounded the side of the house, landing them face to face with the barrel of her gun.

"Ay, ese." She greeted the President with a smile. "Mind telling your mano here to pass me his gun?" She nodded to the trembling man who stood behind him.

"And who the hell are you?" Alvarez said with a snicker.

"Oh, sweetie... You gonna make me say the magic words?" She cocked her gun and pressed it against his forehead.

"Give it to her, Esai." Alvarez laughed again, giving the younger man a nod before he reluctantly placed his gun into her unoccupied hand.

"Gracias, amigo." She tossed him a wink. "On the ground, hands behind your head. You behave, and I'll let your pretty face go without a scratch." She ordered as she stroked the tip of his own gun over his face. Esai Alvarez was a beautiful man, it would be a shame to have to carve him up - plus, she knew that harming the President's son would likely cause more problems than it was worth.

Esai slowly began to sink to his knees before her, freezing as she brushed her bare knee against his cheek with a snicker. "No, sweetheart. Over there." She nodded across the yard, smiling sadistically as he stood shakily and backed away. "Great bodyguard you got yourself, Pres." She turned her attention back to the senior Alvarez.

"I like this one, Mijo." Marcus laughed to his son.

"Call your men off. Now." She ordered, nudging him forward with her gun.

Alvarez surrendered easily, slowly turning against the barrel to where it was positioned at the back of his head as the little brunette walked him out into the open where the Mayan gunfire ceased immediately once they saw the predicament that their President was in.

"Guns on the ground." He ordered, the Mayans all dropping their weapons from where they had shielded themselves behind various trees and vehicles.

The Sons emerged from behind the van, Chibs and Half-Sack taking the opportunity to hurriedly get the guns loaded safely while the Niners moved in to collect the fallen weapons.

"I think you have something for me, Papi." Sydney cooed into the short man's ear, feeling him tense the moment that he realized that this had all been perfectly set up by the Sons. He exhaled sharply, placing the envelope between her fingers - his brown eyes flicking towards the gun in her hand. "Try it, see what happens." She coaxed with a smirk, ripping the envelope out of his grasp. "We'll consider this a finders fee." She taunted loudly enough for the rest of the men to hear, nudging Alvarez again as she continued her strut. "Always a pleasure, Ernie." She winked to Darby as he and his men stood stiffly on the sidelines, unwilling to shed more blood over a Mexican beef.

"You gotta be shittin' me..." The bald man groaned once he realized just who the leggy brunette was...

"Nice car." She cooed before she shot out a tire, the rest of the Sons following suit as they opened fire on all of the vehicles that could potentially be used to follow them.

"Pleasure doin' business." Clay called out with a wave.

The Niners held each and every Mayan and Nord at gunpoint while Sydney safely walked Alvarez over to the van as her crew got ready to make their escape. She nodded to Jax, who took the signal and hightailed it out of there with the rest of the mounted Sons in tow while she kept her gun on Alvarez as she led him around to the sliding door, pushing him to sit where Chibs lifted her up before Juice backed into a circle and took off down the road.

"Since when are the Sons recruiting putas?" Alvarez asked Sydney with a smug smile.

"Since the Nords started recruiting wetbacks." She retorted, leaning into his face. "Thanks for the cooperation, Marcy - now don't do anything stupid." She nodded sweetly, kissing him on the cheek before pushing him out of the moving vehicle. Chibs slid the door shut once their hostage was unloaded, everybody screaming in victory as Juice floored it down the dirt road where they headed to the meeting point.

"Kip!" Sydney gave the prospect a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "What the fuck was that? You were amazing!" She screeched excitedly.

"Ah, it was nothin'..." He blushed bashfully.

"Hell no! That was some rambo shit, that was not nothing! Where the fuck did it come from?" She shook her head at the shyness of the young man.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "I mean, I was in the army so I guess it just comes naturally..."

"Ah..." She squinted with a slow now. "Now I see why they let you prospect." She smirked.

"Aye! I told you I wasn't crazy to sponsor him!" Chibs yelled. "I think you two are gonna be up for MVP tonight!"

Half-Sack's nerves jolted when he felt Sydney's hand grab his and he looked up to see her beaming with pride. He looked down as a nervous laugh rippled in his throat. He couldn't believe that he had managed to take her by surprise.

"Doesn't look like they're followin'." Juice hollered from the front.

"Good." Sydney laughed. "Maybe they aren't as stupid as they look."

Ten minutes later, the van rolled to a stop on the opposite side of the access road where they were to wait for Laroy and the rest of the Niners so that they could hand off the AKs and finally begin to fill the order that never should have been interrupted in the first place.

"Hi, boys." Sydney cooed when the door slid open from where she was sitting among the crates and barrels full of guns, with a grin on her face and her legs crossed.

The Oakland gang leader's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he was greeted with such an unexpected scene - holding out his hand to help the mystery woman down. She winked at him as soon as her feet hit the ground, strutting over to her crew to exchange victory cheers.

While Clay and Jax handled business, Sydney eyed Tig who was still on his bike a few yards away, keeping watch down the road. She blushed when he looked over and winked at her, looking down to the ground bashfully before a shrill whistle brought her attention right back. She watched as Half-Sack perked up, following the Sergeant's nod as he motioned him over. She chuckled, shaking her head as she propped an elbow against the side of the van while the eager kid took his place as lookout.

"Hey, Sergeant." She cooed as he walked over, swaying side to side slowly as she twirled the fake hair around her finger.

"Who is that." Laroy hummed, licking his lips as he raked over Sydney's figure from the back - which somehow was an even better view than the front.

"Hey there, darlin'." Tig greeted, his lusty eyes giving her a once over before he looked over his shoulder and moved his hands to her waist. "You know, we should probably get outta here before my old lady sees us..." He teased before crashing his lips into hers where he shoved her against the van before either of them had time to laugh, tightening his grip on her as she moaned. His tongue dominated her mouth almost immediately as her hands moved up to his neck, pulling him in further without a care in the world for the audience as the post-heist adrenaline coursed through their veins.

"Wait, wait, wait.." Laroy winced at the atrocious sight before him. "You ain't bouta tell me that she... Is with him?"

"We don't get it either, man." Jax chuckled.

The pair was standing close enough to be able to hear Laroy's comment, but Sydney was too wrapped up in her man to care. Her man, however, felt anger bubbling within him as he turned so that he could look the man in the eye as she moved down to kiss his neck - grinning when the younger man quickly looked away.

"Good, kitten." He purred in her ear as he grasped her hair.

"Think we have time?" She whispered with a devious smile that he quickly returned as she glanced to the van.

"We better wrap this up before they start fuckin' right here." Clay announced, shaking Laroy's hand.

Sydney and Tig finally pulled away from each other, retreating to their separate modes of transportation as the handoff was completed. The rest of the drive was uneventful compared to the beginning as Juice pulled the van into the TM lot, but before Sydney could even step foot on solid ground, Tig was right there waiting for her. He wrapped his arms around her legs and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her into the clubhouse while she freely laughed this time as the whistles began.

"Church!" Clay called as Tig passed him.

"Later." He replied simply with a low growl in his voice.

;

Everybody except Sydney and Tig sat around the table in complete silence, listening to the muffled screams that were audible even from across the clubhouse, and behind multiple closed doors.

"Is anyone else getting hard?" Juice asked, causing an uproar of laughter.

"How long d'you give it?" Chibs asked with a grin.

"Thirty seconds." Jax scoffed, eliciting another round.

Sydney stayed on her arms and knees for a few seconds after Tig had pulled out and made his way to the bathroom, collecting herself before she finally got to her feet and straightened her dress. When he emerged a few seconds later, he briskly walked towards her - taking her face in his hands and kissing her as soon as she turned to face him. Her body gave into his as she leaned back, pressing herself completely against him - craving the intimacy that the first round had lacked.

"I'll take care of my princess later." He promised tenderly with his lips against her neck, exciting her all over again. She smiled and nodded before he grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to the chapel where they entered to a round of hassling.

Sydney smiled bashfully as she realized that they had likely heard the entire encounter - albeit a short one - rolling her eyes. "Now that is how we get shit done." Clay stated as the stragglers took their seats, bringing on a new round of cheers. "Laroy's happy. After tomorrow, business resumes as usual - gonna set up that new warehouse with Elliot." He ignored Jax's grimace.

"What kinda discount did Laroy get out of us?" Sydney winced in anticipation for what she was sure was going to be a devastating blow.

"Only thirty..." Bobby nodded with a sly grin. "Wanted fifty - but a certain brunette changed his mind."

"You saved our asses, Princess." Clay nodded as he tossed an envelope across the table. "Laroy was pure profit. You got our money from Alvarez - you deserve that."

"Wow... A week with you guys and I've managed my whole salary back in San Bern." She mused as she thumbed through the $20K that glided smoothly over her fingertips.

Clay smiled softly, his eyes falling downwards before he was startled by a breeze - looking up to see that she had tossed the envelope back to him. He scowled deeply while Tig swung his head towards her, the other men knitting their brows as she passed up the hefty payday.

"The club is a team, not a dictatorship." She shook her head. "Split it the same way that you did the thirty-five we got from Alvarez. Like you said, business as usual." She nodded firmly. "You wanna cut me in a little extra? I won't complain." She shrugged with a smirk. "But I want a share given to the prospect."

Half-Sack's head shot up at the unexpected request. Prospects never got payouts.

"You know what you're doin here, Princess?" Clay narrowed his eyes as his forehead creased. He was shocked that she would pass up that kind of money, but he was even more shocked that she would ride this hard for the club - let alone for a prospect.

"Yes, sir." She stated with a confident nod.

Clay clearly didn't understand, but he nodded haphazardly anyways - respecting her wishes and handing Bobby the envelope to re-divy up. "We head out tomorrow at noon." He concluded the session with a nod.

"Police scanner software is downloading now." Juice nodded as everybody began to file out - most of the guys opting to head home after the long day. He took a deep breath, nodding as he accepted that he would be working in silence tonight as he made his way over to the couch.

"So... Doesn't look like anyone's too worried about retaliation tonight." Sydney mused as she closed the door to Tig's dorm, shooting him a discerningly expectant look.

"You never know, doll." He shrugged, feigning oblivion as he sat on the edge of his bed and began untying his boots.

"You sure you just didn't want me to stay with you again?" She teased with a squint of playful suspicion, walking towards him where she placed her hands on his shoulders, smirking down at him as she waited for him to crack, but he said nothing as he grinned up at her while his hands trailed up the back of her thighs. She laughed before pulling away, shaking her head as she retreated to the bathroom where she began the lengthy process of transforming back into herself.

She was about to start the shower once her wig was finally off and her contacts were out when she realized something that she hadn't bothered to realize before - that his shower was actually a bathtub. She felt a smile coming to her face as her chest filled with a warm comfort that she didn't feel often when she thought about the few things that she missed back home - but a bathtub was one of them. She leaned out the open door where she spotted Tig, lounging back on the bed with his feet up and his arms behind his head as he watched TV. Seeing him like this only made her smile widen; he looked so casual, so at peace - a sight that she rarely got the privilege of witnessing when he was distracted by something other than herself. She felt the deep appreciation in the no-longer hollow pit of her stomach beginning to swirl, the weight lifting into a lightness that drained into her core as her body began yearning for his touch - the touch that she'd been deprived of earlier.

"Babe!" She called as she ducked back into the bathroom, leaning against the sink as she wiped the fake tattoo off of her arm where it didn't take long until she was face to face with him in the mirror, unable to help but smile as she turned around to face him where he quickly cupped her face with one hand, and cradled the back of her head with the other.

"There's my sweet girl." He grinned, running his fingers through the pale hair that he was used to as he pulled her to meet his lips.

Sydney smiled against his mouth, scooting up onto the sink without breaking the kiss. She placed her hands on his sides, clutching his hips between her knees as she continued moving her lips against his, her tongue quickly finding its way into his mouth as she moaned - turning the sweet kiss into a sensual makeout session.

"What'd you want, kitten?" He pulled away, still holding her close.

"Can I have a bath?" She smiled up at him.

"Of course, baby." He chuckled. "But if you need bubblebath, you're out of luck." He painted on a silly frown.

"Well..." She smirked, walking her fingers up his chest. "I need my old man." She draped her other arm over his shoulder as her hand trailed back down his chest and up under his shirt. "Your kitten's had a long day without her Tiger." She mock-pouted as she spoke at his lips, feeling him hardening against her thigh.

Tig bit his lip, breaking the enchanting eye contact as he tried to contain himself. He had his own plan for how their night was going to go, and he wanted it to be more than just another bout of exhibitionism. "Later." He looked back down at her, dropping his hands from her head, to her waist. "Got some shit I need to do." He bit his lip again, growing impatient as she jutted out hers - tightening his grip on her waist as he moved a hand to clamp the back of her neck - pressing his forehead against hers. "No attitude. Have your bath, relax. I'll fuck you when you're done."

Sydney felt the proverbial sloshing in her core become a very real wetness between her legs as she listened to his commands; the sinful contrast of his dominant actions, but sweet tone - biting her lip as she nodded slowly as the feverish look overtook her face until he gave her a curt nod and started out the bathroom door.

"One more thing." She called after him.

"Mmm?" He hummed inquisitively as he turned back, hanging onto the door frame with an attentiveness that had her questioning if the cold exchange that they'd shared just seconds ago, had actually happened.

She ignored the confusion that she knew he was trying to stir up - taking the wooden spoon into her own hands as she smiled devilishly and turned around, moving her hair over her shoulder before peering back at him.

Tig's breath caught in his throat as he realized what she was asking him to do, hesitating for a second before he briskly walked over and began to tug the zipper down as fast as possible.

"Careful." She whirled around and smacked his hand. "You'll break it and have to buy me a new one." She teased with a smirk, turning back around while he kept his stoic expression.

He started again, carefully pulling the zipper down the length of her spine - his body betraying him when she pressed herself back against him as his hands smoothed up her sides and his lips went to the crook of her neck.

Sydney shivered, whimpering as his lips grazed her skin. She reached up behind her to grasp the back of his neck - holding her to him as she took every last drop of contact that she could.

"My needy little girl..." He chuckled against her neck.

"It's not my fault that you showed me what I was missing..." She responded with an organic innocence that every single thing about him managed to draw from her; his scent, his warmth, his breath.

Tig spun her around where he roughly reclaimed her lips, pulling away to lift her back onto the counter. She smiled evilly as she pulled him back to her, his grip on her waist tightening as one of his hands moved down to her ass where he pulled her body flush against his where all of a sudden, his lips abruptly left hers.

"Bath. Now." He commanded, the sternness of his voice reminding her that she was not to give him attitude.

Sydney nodded reluctantly, huffing in defeat as he slipped out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She rolled her eyes as she shook it off - starting the bath where she ran the water as hot as she could before she finally sunk into it, sighing as the liquid-hug enveloped her body. She took her time, deciding that she was grateful for the solitude - but she wasn't going to tell Tig that. Once she was good and relaxed, she pulled the plug, towelled off, and slipped into one of his t-shirts and a pair of black boyshorts - leaving her wet hair down to dry. She exited the bathroom, steam billowing out behind her as she walked out into an empty room. She looked around with a scowl - his kutte was on the armchair, his boots were by the bed where he'd taken them off, and the TV was still on. She willed herself to ignore the ever-present detective's voice in the back of her mind, crawling into bed to wait for him, but she only grew increasingly more impatient as time passed and he didn't return.

Eventually she couldn't take it anymore. In reality, it had likely only been a few minutes, but it was a few minutes longer than something as simple as grabbing a snack or a glass of water should've taken - and patience had never been a strong suit of hers. She sighed dramatically as she threw the blankets off of her, stalking out into the clubhouse where she found that he wasn't in the kitchen, wasn't at the bar, and his bike was still in the lot. She stood in the doorway with a crease in her forehead, her hands finding her hips as she searched her brain for any other logical answer.

"Roof."

"Jesus." She gasped, turning to see Juice sitting on the couch with his laptop. "I didn't know you were still here." He placed her hand over her racing heart.

"I'm almost done." He chuckled. "He went up to the roof." She scowled. "I don't know." He put his hands up before she could question him. "He told me to tell you when you came out."

Sydney was really confused now, but she headed down the hall towards the ladder anyways - beginning her ascent to the rooftop. Once she made it through the hatch, she was immediately captivated by the night sky that was clearer than she had ever seen it before. She titled her head back as far as she could as she twirled around with a huge smile on her face as she admired the scene above her where each and every star was visible - not snuffed out by the big city lights like they had been back home. She finally stopped her spinning when her twinkling eyes fell on Tig who was watching her with a grin on his face.

"C'mere, babe." He motioned for her to follow him.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to contain the excitement in her voice.

"Just come here." He shook his head, holding out his hand before she ran over and took it, allowing him to lead her to the second level of the spacious rooftop.

"You ain't gonna propose to me, are you?" She joked.

"Nah - figured I'd save that for next week." He winked.

They both chuckled as she climbed the short ladder after him, grabbing his extended hand where he lifted her up the last two rungs. Once she was over the ledge, she saw was it was that he was talking about; multiple sleeping bags laid out with pillows and blankets atop them in a makeshift bed. She grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling just as the stars did above them.

Tig smiled back and led her over where he sat them both down on the surprisingly comfortable surface, laying back to look at the stars. On the ride back from the job he'd found himself drawn to the clear night sky - a habit he'd undoubtedly picked up from her - knowing how upset she would've been about having to ride in the back of the van if she'd known how beautiful the stars were.

"And to think that people say you don't do romance..." She mused.

"A month ago they were right." He chuckled.

"All those other girls are missin' out." She teased with a toothy smile, looking over at him. He smiled softly as something in the air around them changed - like the temperature had dropped, but he was still sweating. He shook it away, returning his gaze up to the abyss above them as he lit the end of a blunt that he'd rolled for them - taking a puff and passing it to her.

Sydney inhaled the marijuana deep into her chest, feeling the relaxation set back in as a peaceful stillness trickled over her already soothed muscles while she allowed the smoke to lazily escape her lips as she stared at the perfectly clear night sky.

"You know any actual constellations?" Tig teased, taking the blunt back from between her fingers - avoiding her dagger-shaped nails.

"Only a few." She chuckled. "The stars don't look like this back home."

"You probably can't see Orion from there, huh?" He laced his fingers in hers, bringing her hand up in his as he pointed to the cluster of stars that resembled something of an hourglass.

"That's the belt one right? Those three right there?" She moved their hands around as she traced the three stars.

"Yeah, the three are his belt." He smiled. "But the other four are his shoulders and legs, then the little ones connect his body." Sydney smiled dreamily as he guided her finger around, drawing the constellation in the sky.

"I've never seen all of it before." She grinned, captivated. "What about the bears?"

"Ursa Minor and Major?" He smiled at her excitement while he moved her hand in his, pointing to the spoon-like shapes that decorated the sky.

"Isn't that the Big Dipper?" She scowled.

"They're the same thing, darlin'." He chuckled. "You probably never seen the whole thing at home, but look - all these little ones make it more than that." Her eyes widened as the image of the bear came finally into view with his help.

"Wow..." She took another hit. "And to think I've been gawkin' over the city-slicker version of all this, the whole time." She mused as she passed the dwindling blunt back to him as they both chuckled. "Do you believe in aliens?" She asked as the weed started to take effect.

Tig barked out a laugh. "I've seen Bobby get laid, that's enough to make a man believe just about anything." Sydney cackled. "You like this stuff, huh?" He asked as he snubbed out the roach.

She looked over at him and nodded, smiling softly - modestly. "I've always liked nature shit. My dad got me a big telescope for Christmas one year so that we could look at the stars together."

"He give you this?" His hand folded over hers where it had instinctively clamped down onto the gold necklace as she spoke of her father.

Sydney was a little taken aback by his observation - the observation that she'd never made herself. She nodded slowly as he examined the gold pendant that she religiously wore around her neck, leaning in to press a delicate kiss to her lips before pulling her across his chest.

Hours seemed to pass like seconds as they talked; laughing, sharing heavy stories from the past that seemed so much lighter as the high drifted their minds into the star-speckled sky. For the first time in years, Tig allowed himself to open up - talking about his daughters with a freedom that he thought he would never see behind the bars of his choices since a drug-riddled Colleen had kicked him out of their lives, and corrupted their view of him forever.

"You'd think I'd be upset, right?" He scoffed after he'd moved on to an even more sensitive topic... "My daddy murders my mama, leaves me all alone to take the punishment of his mistakes." He mused. "Nah..." He shook his head. "Nah, I was relieved that at least one of them was gone..."

"How old were you?" She asked softly. She knew all about the confusion that came with the sense of relief after losing a parent...

"Fourteen." He nodded. "The day I turned eighteen, I enlisted - got the hell out of there."

"Have you ever looked back?"

"Nah." He scoffed. "No siblings, no relatives that were any better than my parents." He shook his head. "My dad told the cops it was drugs... They didn't even bother investigating. That tells you everything that you need to know what the Tragers." He chuckled humourlessly.

"It makes sense..." She nodded with a soft smile from her position on her stomach, propped up on her elbows while she absorbed each one of his vulnerable words. "Why you are, the way you are."

"You mean fucked up?" He scoffed from where he laid on his back.

"We're all a little fucked up, Tiggy." She smiled, poking him in the ribs.

"What about you?" He nodded. "How did you get so fucked up?"

"Hey! I prefer the term 'unique'." She mused theatrically, the two sharing a laugh before he brought the seriousness back to the conversation with that depth behind those gorgeous blue eyes.

"How did you become this?" He asked.

Sydney was taken aback by the almost dreamy tone to his inquisition. "You really wanna know? From the beginning?" She asked sincerely. She would tell him if he wanted to know; she wasn't a total stonewall, but she rarely met people that she cared enough about - or that cared enough about her - to discuss her past.

"I wanna know, baby." He nodded with just as much sincerity in his eyes.

Sydney nodded softly, settling back onto his chest as hers began to curdle as the memories began flashing behind her eyes. "My dad was VP until I was six..." She inhaled deeply. "On the weekend of my fifth birthday, my mom walked out - took my dog, whatever money was around the house, and disappeared. My dad was worried sick… Thought that the club had pissed off the wrong people. He sent out search parties everywhere that he could; club, family, fuck even the police." She scoffed. "After a couple of days the club found her in a meth house with some dude."

"She ever pull shit like that before?" Tig's brows furrowed. Hit and run parents weren't exactly a shocking thing to come by in the life that they lived.

"No." Sydney replied with the disbelief still heavy in her tone, even all these years later. "She disappeared for months... Eventually we found out from the hospital when she came in battered by the guy, that she was using. After that she came back - said she was clean and wanted to fix things. My dad was still heartbroken so he let her back in." She felt her chest tightening as the harder parts of the story began to near. "She managed to keep the act up for a few days before stealing everything that she could get her hands on and taking off again - racked up my dad's credit cards, defaulted on all of the loans that he'd co-signed… We almost lost our house."

"The club didn't help out?" Tig shook his head in shock.

"SAMDINO ain't outlaw... They don't earn like you guys do." She shook her head. "They helped as much as they could, but we were eating from a food bank while she was spending my college money on crank." She chuckled humorlessly. "One day the spending stopped, and we stopped hearing from anyone who had contact with her. We just assumed that she was dead..." She scoffed. "Beaten to death, or finally pushed her limit too far."

Tig nodded, tightening his warm and comforting grip on her - lightly rubbing her arm as he listened to what he assumed would be the end of the story.

"Then a few months later... It was the spring of first grade." He watched her expression chance - a light smile on her face as she transported herself back to that day. "There she was... Picking me up from school with my dog, standing with all of the other moms who were waiting for their little girls, as if it was where she had been the whole time." She continued, her eyes glossing over as she recounted one of the only vivid memories that she had left of her mother. "God, I was so excited." She shook her head. "We went home… I thought her and my dad had gotten back together, but I was wrong. He was there." Her tone changed from a bitter nostalgia, to a pure, unbridled hate. "I wasn't a sheltered kid - I knew exactly who he was, and what he did. I don't remember them ever threatening me, but I remember being scared - knowing that I couldn't tell my dad that he was ever in the house. I'm sure you can put those pieces together." She scoffed. "Eventually my dad came home, and by then my mom had already changed the locks - told him that she was taking the house. I remember screaming bloody murder behind the door while he held me back as she told him that he wouldn't see me again if he called the cops." She felt her skin begin to crawl. Naturally, one of the only vivid memories that hadn't faded, was his hands on her. "That vindictive bitch was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them… She knew that they would never give sole custody to a Son, and he would die before he saw me go into the system."

"He didn't have a choice…" Tig nodded regretfully.

"She told him that her junkie boyfriend was gone and she was clean - he couldn't do much else but hope that I would tell him if anything happened." She shrugged. "He made sure that some of the guys kept an eye on the house for the first little bit, until they convinced me to tell him that things were okay..."

Tig nodded along while she spoke, adjusting his grip accordingly as he felt her muscles tense and relax during different parts of the story that he knew was only going to get worse.

"My daddy did everything that he could to make sure that I was happy when I was with him..." She smiled softly as she recounted the few happier memories from that time. "It went on for a few months before the guy started coming around more once the heat was off." She felt his fingers squeezing her a little tighter as he anticipated what was to come next. "He never touched me." She clarified. "But he made sure that I knew he would… He made sure that I watched while he hurt my mom. He made sure that I watched him beat the shit out of my dog so that I would know that 'that was what disobedient bitches got'."

"Jesus." Tig winced, his own muscles tensing this time. "Your dog..."

"He killed her." She felt her jaw beginning to tighten, forcing herself to loosen up as she moved on. "I was so scared to tell my dad... They did such a good job of making me feel like what was happening was my fault... And that feeling is something that a child that young shouldn't even be able to comprehend." She closed her eyes as she felt them filling with tears of regret. "I didn't know that she was still using..." She explained as her voice dropped to a whisper. "If I did, I never would've lied about it-"

"Sydney." Tig hushed her, stilling her rapidly shaking head. "This was not your fault." He shook his head slowly, speaking with more sincerity than he'd ever spoken with in his entire life.

Sydney blinked a few times, taking a deep breath and collecting herself before she continued. "One night I went into the bathroom to look for her when she didn't put me to bed... She was in the bathtub. I didn't even have to touch her to know." Tig could've sworn that he could feel her blood going cold under her trembling skin. "I don't remember feeling anything… But what I do remember is the sick fucking smile that the bastard gave me when he found me standing over her body."

"I'm so sorry, angel." Tig said softly as he held her close.

"I don't miss her." She said a little too abruptly, sitting up from his chest - softening immediately when she caught herself, keeping her anger in check as she rolled onto her elbows. "I've taken all of the good out of it, and I'm grateful. If she lived, she would've fucked my life up much worse than she had managed to in five years. She chose to put me in danger. I would've been tortured by him the same way that she was, and I don't even want to think about the kind of shit that would've happened as I got older." She looked back into Tig's eyes - feeling the uncomfortable wave of vulnerability again. She took another deep breath, willing herself to understand that this was part of a relationship. "After it happened, I spent a few days with my grandpa while they swept the house for drugs and evidence. Apparently I wouldn't come out of the closet - crying, saying I was scared, but I don't remember it at all.. I don't even remember being there."

"Must feel weird..." Tig nodded thoughtfully. "Hearing things about yourself that you don't remember - things that you've done."

"It feels like another violation." She choked out. "My dad went a little off the deep end after that... Tried to throw himself into the club, but that didn't last long."

"That when he turned in the patch?"

"He was voted down." Sydney was barely able to utter out through her anger. "He turned to other means of distraction..." She felt the tears beginning to shake loose. "Knew that it scared the shit out of me, but he did it anyways." Her father's short-comings were often memories that she would leave out of the story, but something about the safety of Tig's arms had pried them from the depths of her self-altered psyche. "He tried to hide it from me... But even as a kid, I wasn't somebody that you could hide things from."

"That a warning?" Tig raised a brow, trying to lighten the mood with a playful smile.

"It sure is." She chortled, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Things eventually evened out when he decided to throw himself into raising me full-time." She sighed. "We never talked about it, but I knew that he blamed himself for her death... And I think that raising me to be everything that she wasn't, was his way of righting that wrong." She nodded thoughtfully. "I guess the reason that I never really missed her was because I didn't remember anything about her… There was nothing there to miss. All I knew was that I felt relieved." She narrowed her eyes pointedly. "Sometimes I would miss what could've been, but none of it was realistic. I was missing ideas, not her."

"What about the rest of your family?" Tig asked gently as he trailed a finger down her arm as he thought about her fucked up answers that matched up seamlessly with his own. He wished that he had been able to have taken the same stance with his daughters, because maybe then he would actually be able to call himself a father.

"My grandpa helped a bit when my mom left, and then again when she passed, but no one in that family ever looked at us the same. They blamed my dad for driving her into his arms - which seems a little ironic if you ask me, but grief is a fickle thing I guess." She chuckled genuinely this time. "My dad left home when he was fifteen, so I'm not joking when I say that I got jack shit for family." Another chuckle. "The club became my family after that, but nobody in SAMDINO ever took me seriously - no matter how much of their dirty work I did, or how well I did it. They'd never let me patch." Bitterness found its way into her tone, yet again.

"And you'd never forgive 'em for what they drove your daddy to." He surmised easily.

"They were great to me." She assured with a sigh - the most confirmation that she was willing to give. "But their priority was always to keep me safe, nothing else." She felt her jaw tighten the way that it always did when she thought about her San Bernardino brothers, but an odd sensation followed this time as the tense muscles in her face began to relax. "But I guess that's because they'd failed to do it so many times before..." She nodded slowly as the realization dawned on her for the first time, forcing herself to swallow the bitter taste on her tongue that she'd always known was unwarranted, but she could never quite get rid of it when it came to them - to that place. "The brotherhood isn't strong there." She shook her head, getting back on track. "They aren't doing anything like the shit that you guys are doing here. They get more time with their families - time to have totally separate lives from the club, which was something that I never had, so that's why I think SAMCRO feels so normal to me..." She paused again, smiling softly. "Happy spent a lot of time in San Bern. for his mom. He helped train me, taught me how to fight, how to kill - saw what the others couldn't force themselves to see." Tig's eyes widened as all of the loose pieces that had been floating around in his head finally started to fit together. "I always knew I had something different in me... A rage. The club tried to pretend that they didn't see it, but Happy did." She smiled fondly.

"How?"

"Because when we would play pretend, I always wanted to be the evil queen - never the pretty princess." She smirked.

"Well, you're my pretty princess." He gave a small smile.

Sydney chuckled, twirling her finger over the thread count of the blanket as she got to the better part of the story - the part that she could look back on with at least some fondness. "He helped me track down my mom's ex... I never blamed him for what she did - that shit was on her, they were her choices. But the anger that I felt towards him never went away. I needed to get it out before it would eat me alive, the way that the club would've seen happen." More bitterness. "Happy saw it as an opportunity for practice - a pussy who'd never hit anything more than a few feet off the ground." She snorted. "Showed me how to bind, how to torture - get past the mental block of it all. He let me do it all by myself... Didn't try to stop me or get scared that I was going too far." A wistful smile came to her face "He let me kill him. And that piece of shit got to see my twisted fucking smile before he died - the same way that I had to see his."

"That's why you love him." Tig nodded, finally able to fully understand the odd bond between his girlfriend, and his brother. Sydney nodded appreciatively. "How old were you?"

"Seventeen."

"I killed my old man the day that I left for the Marines." He added the final detail of his own backstory that he'd always left out as she divulged a story almost completely identical to his own.

Sydney's eyes widened, she wasn't necessarily surprised - but she was surprised yet again by just how similarly they'd grown up. "Good." She nodded curtly, regaining her composure. "He deserved it."

"Yeah, he did." Tig held back the bite in his tone. "So that's where this is from, huh?" He nudged the happy face tattoo on the top of her foot - effectively reverting the attention back to her, and away from himself.

She nodded with a snicker. "I think letting me start early taught me how to control it... How to harvest it when I need to, how to be rational..."

"Yeah... I think I'm still learnin' that..." Tig chuckled.

Sydney giggled. "I don't hate that part of me." She chose her words carefully - knowing what it was that he meant, and hoping to show him that she knew how he felt. "For a while, I did. I was disgusted by what I was capable of. But I stopped fighting it... It's who I am, and being proud of who I am is saying a lot..."

Tig grasped her face, nodding reassuringly as he listened to each and every word, even though he didn't know what to say. "Why don't any of us know about you, darlin'?" He shook his head incredulously - the only reaction he could form as he tried to process the wealth of information. "Half of the charters in the states have heard about what you've done here by now... I mean, we've all heard a few things about the Cali Queen, but we always just assumed it was a cartel play - never knew you were associated with an MC."

"My dad always knew I wanted to patch." She smiled half-heartedly. "He knew that the only way I would be able to, was if I became some kind of secret weapon - made the DINO guys keep me under wraps while I earned a reputation under a different name. He knew that club recommendation would be enough to get my foot in the door, but not enough to keep it open. If people knew my reputation then I would have club recommendation and backup - might actually stand a chance."

"You do shit a lot of shit for the club back home?"

"I got to do shit when they needed it, or for training." She snorted. "Their own personal mercenary." She mused. "But I wasn't privy like I am here. I was more of an... Advanced Gemma." She chuckled. "I was allowed to know more than most associates of the club, but I also was kept in the dark about a lot. They never saw me as an equal, but I guess that's what happens when one day the little girl that they once knew is suddenly a twenty-two year woman trying to sit at their table." She pursed her lips knowingly. "Happy didn't look at me like they did, and Les always knew that I was much more than what they needed."

"Cares about you a lot…" Tig nodded. "I've known Hap a long time, never really seen him close to anyone outside of the club or his family."

"He's protective, but he knows I can handle myself." She nodded. "As much as he hates to admit it, he always knew I'd end up with a Son." She shot him a sly look.

"You're incredible, baby." He smiled dreamily - a kind of dreamily that she was confident in this time.

"Yeah... It's not all it cracks up to be." She chuckled softly. "Nightmares have been a bitch for as long as I can remember."

Tig knew the feeling all too well; the feeling of guilt, embarrassment. He pulled her closer into his chest as it ached with a pleasant appreciation for the fact that he was the one who she'd chosen to share her life with - that she trusted him with her deepest and darkest memories.

"I get them too, doll." He whispered while he stroked her wavy hair. He had known that she was a hurricane from the second that he met her; powerful, dangerous, complex - but tonight, he realized by looking into the eye of the storm, that she was so much more.

Sydney shivered with a wave of emotion as she laid in his arms - completely and utterly at his mercy - and before she knew it, her teeth were chattering violently. The way that he had held her, and listened to her had been so natural - it was a way that assured her that he would've laid for hours in any uncomfortable position just to listen to what she had to say, and she'd never experienced that with anybody.

Tig sat up without a second thought, pulling the blanket over top of her shaking body, rubbing her arms to help warm her up in the chilly midnight air.

Her glossy eyes shone up at him, deep with emotion as she realized in that moment that she was completely screwed, allowing the perpetual stinging in her throat to give way, pushing streams of hot tears out of her eyes. She'd fallen for him hard. He'd shown her a kind of love that she never knew existed outside of the cheesy movies that she avoided like the plague - the kind of love that made her chest ache, her stomach flip, and her mind race; the kind of love that made her finally understand why people in it, did such crazy things.

"Oh, baby." Tig whispered sympathetically, his hands running over her face as concern washed over his. "I'm sorry that I asked… Made you relive that..." He shook his head as he began cursing himself for crossing that line so early on - hoping that it wouldn't push her away in the way that he'd let it push himself away, so many times in the past.

"It's not that." She whispered back, grabbing his hands. "I love you." She looked deep into his eyes as tears continued to spill from hers. "Tig, I really fucking love you."

Tig wiped the tears from her eyes as pools formed within his own - he never thought that he would experience somebody getting emotional over their feelings for him, ever again. "Ah fuck." He tilted his head towards the sky while they both chuckled at their collective softness.

Sydney sniffled as she pulled the blanket overtop of him as he hovered over her, pulling him down on top of her where she pressed her palm again his heart while they cried in each other's arms - rocking themselves to sleep.

;

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Mi sol - "My sun"

Ese, mano - "Friend, pal, homie" etc.

Gracias amigo - "Thank you, friend"

Mijo - "My son"

Puta - "Whore"

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Future me reading this back and seeing how much foreshadowing there is in this chapter like 👀

Songs for this chapter:

Campfire - Amine ft. Injury Reserve

Ride - Lana Del Rey

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol