The song for this chapter is one of my favorites, Let Her Cry by Hootie and the Blowfish.

That evening, the Sons gathered around the table in the chapel. Half Sack lingered by the doors while Gemma stood at Clay's side with her hands resting on his shoulder as Kozik stood at the edge of the table, Honey's folded paper in his hands. He let out a soft sigh before beginning to read it aloud."When I was in elementary school no one would play with me. Boys would pull my hair and push me into the mud at recess just because they knew the teachers wouldn't do anything. I got counted off on assignments that I knew were done correctly because I had Tara and Donna check them. I kept it to myself though. After all, I had obviously done something wrong to make those kids be so mean to me. There must've been a reason. In middle school, Carly Hall and her bleached blonde bimbo club spread rumors about me. By the time I left eighth grade, I had supposedly fucked over half of the school and been pregnant at least twice. That's why I was so fat, they said. It was baby weight. After all, I was the biker slut of Charming. I kept that to myself too. I focused on dancing and drawing. In ninth grade, the dance group I joined, after going through WWIII with mom to let me join, moved to Oakland. I was forced to drop out because of whatever gang nonsense the club has going on in Oakland. I lost my only hobby. School got worse, I started skipping more. I started popping pills like they were Skittles because it was the easiest way to numb myself to go to school. Every day, someone would leave notes in my locker telling me that I was fat and ugly. Asking how many members of the club I had fucked. My personal favorite was one that told me to quit spreading my diseases to the guys in our grade. I got in fights all the time but never threw the first punch. I was still the one who got suspended, not the other girls. I applied to four colleges. One in Boston, one in San Francisco, one in Texas, and one in Florida. None of these places have charters, so they were all shot down as soon as I mentioned them. I got accepted to all four."

Kozik pauses and clears his throat, glancing at Gemma and Clay. "I have slept with two guys in my lifetime. Three now, I suppose, if you count that monster sweating and grunting over me while I could barely move. Both of them were sad attempts at normalcy that crashed and burned, but if I had ever brought either of them home with me, they would have been dead by the next day. Most other teenage girls are free to date who they want, it's the natural progression of life. Mom and dad have sheltered me to the point I don't even know how to fix myself, I'm so fucked up. But I want to try, and I need a favor from all of you."

"In California, you need only a few things to be emancipated. You have to be over 14 years old, which I am. You have to have a legal way to earn a living and the ability to handle your own finances. I can find a job in town away from TM and I've been saving most of my checks since I turned 14 and mom started paying me. You have to have your parent's consent and to prove that emancipation is the best option for you. Now, all I have to do to get the approval from a judge is bring up the club's arrest history. However, I'm leaving the parent's consent to the club. I want a vote, so I'm invoking my informal right as SAMCRO princess to call an official vote. Majority rules to decide if mom and dad sign for me or not."

Kozik pauses, looking up at them before continuing as he sets the page down on the table. "I call for a vote on behalf of Elizabeth Teller."

A few low grumbles of shock passed through the room before Clay shakes his head. "No vote."

"If there is a second motion to vote, you have to let it happen." Jax cuts in quietly, staring defiantly into Clay's eyes as they look at each other, neither wavering.

"Fine, is there a second motion?" Clay glares around the table at each man seated.

A beat of silence passes before Piney raises his hand. "I second it." He meets Clay's disbelieving stare with a solemn grimace. "Honey might be your stepdaughter, but she's JT's blood. You know he'd want her to be happy."

"You can't be serious." Clay spits, his hands flexing as he sits up. Gemma rubs his shoulders trying to comfort him as he looks to his right, seeing Tig frown. "This will never pass."

"Take the vote," Piney says, pushing the tubes of his oxygen tank back into his nostrils where they had slipped down.

With a heaving sigh, Clay glances to his left at Jax, then his right at Tig. "I call a vote to decide on granting Elizabeth Honey Teller emancipation from her parents. I vote Nay."

Tig immediately shakes his head. "No way."

Chibs stays quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Nay."

Kozik's teeth sink into his bottom lip, feeling what felt like a lump of steel settle in his stomach. C'mon, majority rules. Let her have this.

Happy laces his fingers together and bends them to pop them, glancing at Kozik before grumbling, "Aye."

Opie taps his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray sitting in front of him, remembering the girl he had grown up with fondly. He would do this for her. "Aye." He could see Clay's jaw clenching as they continued around the table.

Piney merely said, "Aye." He tilted his head back afterward, downing the glass of Patron he had in front of him.

Juice made the mistake of looking up, seeing Clay's warning glare. "N-Nay." He coughs, hurriedly looking away as he realizes Honey would never forget this.

Bobby ran one hand through his curly hair, letting out a sigh before shaking his head. "No. She's not ready."

Jax glances around the table before stating clearly, "Yes."

Kozik speaks up then, spitting out a quick but firm, "Aye."

Jax sits back in his chair, looking to Clay. "There's a tie it seems. Sack, vote." He looks over at the prospect who had been biting his nails the entire time.

Half Sack's eyes widen minutely as he approaches the table nervously. "Uhm...Yes. I mean Aye."

"Think about this decision real hard, prospect," Clay warns him, both him and Gemma staring at the young man.

"I spent a little time with Honey and we talked a lot. I know how unhappy she is here, and I know that if you keep forcing her into this life she's going to find her own way out and it'll end even worse. If you emancipate her at least she'll still be close and she'll be happier. So I vote yes." He finishes quietly, looking bravely back at Clay. He knew it was a risk breaking the tie in Honey's favor, but he knew he owed her a lot more than this too.

Clay stares at him for a moment before begrudgingly turning back to look at the table. "Six to five. I have three conditions though. She can't leave Charming until she's 18, she has to check in with us every day, and before I sign those papers I want you two to take her to Washington for a while. If she still wants out when she gets back, fine." He glowers at Kozik and Happy until they both nod their acceptance. The gavel bangs against the table and the men file out of the room, unusually somber as each of them remembers different memories of the small girl they had all taken a part in raising.

Half Sack slips out the clubhouse door after a quick glance around seeing the guys all lost in thought. I'll be quick, I have to make sure she's okay.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Honey was curled up in the hospital bed, her arms wrapped around herself and her headphones on letting her favorite playlist play on her phone. She could see the shadow on the wall when the door opened and she turned over, her eyes widening slightly as she sees Half Sack standing awkwardly in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. Slowly, she takes the earbuds out of her ears and pulls herself into a sitting position as she murmurs, "Uhm...hi."

"Hey...Do you mind if I come in? Tara let me in but I can go if you want..." He runs one hand through his already messy hair, looking everywhere around the room except her.

"You can stay...why are you here though?" She frowns, playing with the paper-like material of the hospital gown as he perches on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle the wires and tubes at the bedside.

He finally brings his sad, blue eyes up to her face and she fights the urge to comfort him. "I needed to make sure you were okay."

"I'm not your problem anymore." She whispers, looking down as she wraps her arms around herself once more. He shakes his head, gently pulling her arms away from her stomach.

"You were never my problem. You're someone I care about, even if you hate me." He manages a small, bittersweet half smile as he looks at her small, pale hands in his.

Honey shakes her head, sighing softly as her shoulders slump and she gently runs her fingers along the palms of his hands. "I don't hate you. I don't think I'm even mad at you anymore." She plops back against the pillows with a huge sigh. "I'm so confused."

"Do you want to talk?" He offers after a moment, still holding one of her hands.

She shakes her head, then nods. "I think so...did Kozik read the paper?"

"Yeah." He gently interlaces his fingers with hers as his eyes examine her face. "I'm sorry about all that you went through."

She shrugs, her eyes locked longingly on their clasped hands. "It was a long time ago. But now you know a little about why I'm messed up."

"You aren't messed up, Honey." He whispers, only to be cut off by her shaking her head.

"I am. But I'm going to get back to myself somehow. That's why I want mom and dad to emancipate me, I can't do anything with them looming over me like a cloud of leather and blood." She sighs, looking up at him as she bites her bottom lip softly, playing with his long fingers out of habit. "Did it pass?"

"Yes, but Clay had a few conditions to go along with it." He runs his thumb gently over the back of her hand, over the delicate blue veins standing out against her pale skin.

"And what would those conditions be?" She frowns slightly, hoping they hadn't found a way to keep her there.

"Kozik and Happy are going to take you to Washington for a few weeks to get away. If that doesn't help and you still want out after you get back, he'll sign the papers. If he signs for you, you aren't allowed to move out of Charming until you're 18 and you have to check in somehow every day." He says quietly, watching her reaction as she nods slowly.

"I figured. I can deal with that." Without much warning, she leans up and kisses his cheek softly, bringing a warm blush to his cheeks. "Thank you for telling me, I know you're not really supposed to be here."

He shrugs, looking down at the dull white bedding between them. "I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

"I am, I think. Just a few more bruises." Honey shrugs as she leans over and lays her head against the soft cotton of his grey hoodie. He had left his cut in his dorm after the meeting. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?"

"She's leaving in the morning. Back to Nevada." He slowly wraps his arms around Honey, holding her close as he presses his face against her thick, brown hair and inhales the lingering scent of her vanilla perfume that calms him a little.

"Why?" Honey frowns as she pulls away too soon for his liking, looking up at him. "I didn't mean to snap on her, I'm so sorry."

He shrugs, mumbling, "It isn't because of the fight. Trust me, it was coming before then." They lapse into an awkward silence for a few minutes as they look down at their hands, slowly playing with each other's fingers until he clears his throats quietly and she looks up at him. "Will you...will you tell me what happened?"

She stays quiet for a moment before looking away, her eyes finding the soft white shine from the moon outside the window as she chews on her bottom lip hard enough to worry him. "I don't want you to look at me different."

"I wouldn't."

"You say that now." She sighs as she throws the covers off and stands, one hand on his shoulder to stabilize herself as her legs tremble from lack of use and the IVs pull slightly as she moves her arm. He rests his hands on her hips, holding her gently as she reaches back to untie the gown. As it flutters off her body, landing in a crumpled mess on the bed, he drags his eyes down the familiar contours of her body. Beginning with the blue-green, bruised mark the size of a baseball on the soft flesh of her breast, then moving down to the hand shaped bruises on her hips and the dark bruises covering her inner thighs.

He bites his lip softly as he returns his eyes to her face, seeing the wet, shiny trails on her cheeks where tears had made their way down, dripping from her jaw as she kept her stare trained on the moon. Slowly, he leans up and kisses the bruise on her chest, slipping his arms around her waist gently and holding her comfortingly. She stays tense for a moment before her body sags against his and she buries her face against his neck, her body shaking with quiet sobs as he sits back down, pulling her into his lap and rocking her soothingly like a child.

When Tara went to check on Honey in the middle of the night, she found them in bed together, Honey curled up against his chest asleep as he played with her hair, dozing beside her. Her eyes widened, then she shook her head and let the door fall shut with a soft click.