"Twenty-bucks says he gets her digits."

Catherine shook her head at the ridiculousness of Happy's bet. By the looks of it, Jax was less than a minute away from either being slapped or having a vodka cranberry thrown in his face.

"Nuh uh." She brought her pint of Harp to her mouth, finishing the last sip. "Forty says he ends up wearin' her vodka."

Happy thought about her offer for a second, and then held out his hand for a shake. He lifted his chin to the brother sitting at the bar beside Catherine.

"You want in on this, Chibs?"

The Scotsman set his beer down, turning around to watch Jax utterly crash and burn in his sad attempt to pick up a lonely blonde for the night. It was painfully obvious where it was headed and Chibs couldn't believe Happy thought it would end in Jax's favor.

"I'm wit' Caitie on this one."

Sure enough, the last words that exited Jax's mouth were deplorable enough for the blonde to pick up her drink and toss the contents into biker's face. Chibs and Catherine couldn't help but laugh, while Happy displeasingly dug into his wallet for four crisp twenty-dollar bills. Catherine snatched them up right away and handed Chibs his share of the cash. Only, he waved it off and told her to keep it. Remembering his time as a lowly soldier in the ranks of the IRA, Chibs knew Catherine was making pennies off the deals she was making, while Jimmy was stashing away his thousands. There was no way she could afford the lot of designer clothing and shoes she was buying on her own accord. Jimmy was undeniably bankrolling her semi-lavish lifestyle and he wanted to do what he could to get her out from under Jimmy's thumb.

Catherine hadn't been expecting Jax to be at the Alibi with Happy, much less Chibs, and that alone almost made her walk right out the door and head back to the house. Before sitting at the bar with the trio, she had done a quick scan, trying to spot an obvious Provo, but when she didn't, only then did she sit beside her uncle.

"How's the house vodka?" She cheekily asked Jax when he approached the bar. "I'm thinkin' of switchin' over ta somethin' a little heavier, but I wanna make sure it's good first."

"Fuck you." Jax humorously spat.

Chibs smacked a hand on Jax's shoulder. "That's no way ta speak ta a lady, Jackie-boy. No wonder the lass turned ya down."

The comment earned a chuckle from Happy and that took Catherine by slight surprise. Up until that point, she wasn't sure if a man like Happy knew what a laugh was. Happy's demeanor intimidated her more than Galen O'Shay, and he was affectionally known as the Belfast Butcher.

Reaching for a stack of cocktail napkins, Jax wiped the vodka and cranberry juice off his face. He made a jesting remark about Catherine being far from a lady. Catherine took it in stride and bought Jax a beer and shot of Jameson so he could nurse his bruised ego.

"Don't sweat it, Don Juan. She looks like the type ta be a sad shag anyway." Catherine said.

Jax slung his arm over Catherine's shoulders. His words were slurred from one too many Jameson's and forgot Chibs was sitting within earshot when he spoke. "You don't look the type to be a sad shag."

Catherine nearly choked on her mouthful of beer and her cheeks burned brighter than a string of Christmas lights. She wasn't used to being hit on and she wouldn't deny his flattery would get him anything he wanted.

"It's always the quiet ones." Jax dug himself into a deeper hole. "And I happen to know what they say about redheads is true…"

"And this where I think we call it a night!" Chibs took the pint of Harp from Jax's hand and set it on the bar.

Watching Jax drunkenly try to score with his niece wasn't all too amusing for Chibs to watch. Before he was forced to kick his vice president's ass, Chibs decided the best thing was to get his ass to bed.

Realizing this was most likely the last time she would see Chibs for awhile, Catherine jumped up from the barstool and engulfed him in a tight hug. She knew for a fact, Jimmy would be up awaiting her arrival, and when he caught a whiff of her smelling like beer, whiskey, and cigarette smoke, he would become privy that it was the farthest thing from a business meeting. It would be quite some time before he trusted her again.

"When are ya headed back ta Belfast?" Chibs asked.

That was a question Catherine had no idea how to answer. In less than twelve hours, she guessed, but she didn't say that to Chibs. "Once I hear back on the vote fer that…Russian arrangement, I'll be headin' back ta get it all squared away."

"Should know the day after tomorrow. Waitin' on a brother ta get back from up north then we'll vote. Jax or Clay'll give ya a ring when it's done but, I think it'll sway in yer direction."

Catherine was pleased to hear that. The more business they could do with SAMCRO, the better.

She kissed the scar on his left cheek and dreaded the final goodbye. "I'll see ya soon, yeah? An' I'll be sure ta give Kerri and Fi yer love."

Reaching into the back pocket of her jeans, Catherine pulled out a crumbled and folded envelope. Although she hadn't been expecting to see Chibs, she had been carrying the letter with her at all times since the night she ended up at the clubhouse. He had stuck his neck out for her, the least she could do was make sure the handwritten note made it into his hands.

"Fiona wanted me ta give this ta ye." Placing the small envelope into his hand, Catherine closed his fingers around it. She pressed another small peck into his right cheek. "An' that's from me Ma."

The gesture touched Chibs. It was a blessing for him to see that under the hard exterior she built to protect herself, her heart was still as soft as ever. Just as he had done for her, Catherine was sticking her neck out for Fiona, which was a bitter feat for her. The relationship between Catherine and Fiona was beyond repair but to Chibs, it showed maturity beyond her years that Catherine didn't go straight to Jimmy and tell him what Fiona was up to. If Fiona trusted her enough with this task, maybe all hope wasn't lost for her. Handing that off to him was an enormous risk on both Catherine and Fiona's part. Had Jimmy found out, God only knew what he would have done to both.

Reaching up, Chibs cupped her jaw and brushed his thumb along her cheek, just as he had done countless times when she was a child. "Take care'a yer'self, and keep an eye on my Kerrianne. Please, don't let her get dragged into this life."

"Aye. Ya have me word, I promise."

After getting a taste of this life herself, Catherine vowed she would fight tooth and nail to keep her future children out of it. Much less sit back and watch a sweet, innocent soul as Kerrianne become corrupted in the dwindling fight for Northern Irish independence. Catherine's eyes were open enough to know the True Army was becoming a shell of itself, quickly losing sight of the cause it once fought for.

"Awww!" Jax crooned, throwing his arms around the uncle and niece. "If this isn't a Kodak moment, I don't fuckin' know what is."

Catherine patted the top of Jax's head, sighing. "So cute, I remember my first shot of Jameson."

"Let's get ya home, Jackie-boy." Chibs cut in before Jax could open his mouth and anything else stupid. He then turned to Happy, throwing his thumb back at Catherine. "Make sure she stays outta trouble?"

A man of few words, Happy simply lifted his pint to Chibs. A thick cloud of gloominess fell upon Catherine as she watched Chibs escort an intoxicated Jax out of the bar, wishing like hell she could have had more time with him. Sitting on the stool beside Happy, Catherine grabbed the lowball glass her uncle had been sipping whiskey from. She tossed it back, enjoying the all too familiar burn in the back of her throat.

Out of the corner of her eye, Catherine could see Happy staring at her intently. The only thoughts she could formulate were of him, and when she turned her head she came face-to-face with his stoic expression. Sometimes in life, all a person needed were a couple of drinks and mind-numbing sex, and it quickly became clear that's what this night was about. Sure, Catherine was physically attracted to Happy. Just like she was attracted to the SOA secretary back in Dungloe. The leather-clad men who rode their Harley's with pride were off limits, as business and pleasure were not to be mixed. She was a hot-blood woman who craved whatever she was told to stay away from, and Happy was no exception.

Lifting his pint to his mouth, he polished off the rest of his beer before tugging his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans. Just as Catherine was about to tell him she'd pick up the tab, he told her to shut up, tossing a Benjamin down onto the bar. She quickly zipped her lip, realizing he was a man not to argue with. The only thing she could do was thank him for the beer and shots of whiskey.

Not in the mood to wait for his change, Happy didn't say a single word to Catherine, leaving her in pure confusion, as he walked to the dimly lit hallway where the restrooms were located. Her heart instantly began to race, and a fire sparked itself deep within her belly. All Happy had to do was turn around and jerk his chin to tell her to follow him. If she were in her right mind, Catherine would have shaken her head and headed back to Jimmy. Lucky for Happy, she wasn't. Hopping off the stool and onto her feet, Catherine nonchalantly tailed Happy to the bathroom where he pushed her in before closing and locking the door behind her.

"This isn't a good idea," she said.

"Shut up."

Happy didn't care whether it was a good idea or not, all he knew was that he wanted her and he'd deal with whatever chaos came afterward. Like Catherine, the delicious rush of mayhem always tasted too sweet to pass up. He hoisted her up on the vanity, his fingers diving straight into her hair as his lips attacked hers. The kisses were beyond uncoordinated and full of hot, wet tongues. Teeth clashed, lips were bitten, and their noises were irritatingly getting in the way. Catherine mauled him much to his pleasure. She didn't give two thoughts about where on his face she was kissing, licking, or biting. It was open season, and his lips, cheeks, chin, and neck had become targets. Happy wasn't going to let this chance pass him by; he wanted a piece of her before she headed back home and nothing short of getting shot was going to stop him.

There wasn't a single ounce of guilt in Catherine as she felt his large hands move to her denim-clad ass, then the front where he could undo her jeans. Shifting her weight, she helped as much as she could as Happy removed her pants and panties.

She slipped her hands under the shoulders of his kutte, and when Happy shrugged it off, she neatly folded and set it on the counter beside her. Most women he knew would have tossed it to the floor, but his this one. Even though her scene wasn't outlaw bikers, Catherine still understood his colors held great meaning to him and thus treated his kutte with respect.

It wasn't long before Happy's shirt joined her forgotten clothes on the floor.

Never in her life had Catherine seen so much ink on a man. She was obviously a fan of tattoos as she had one herself, but seeing his entire torso and arms covered made him even sexier to her. Biting her lip, she wished she had the opportunity to trace her tongue along the large and elaborate snake on his chest and belly.

"You like what you see?" He broke the silence.

Her big doe eyes looked at him and she nodded. The youth she possessed didn't go unnoticed to him—she was soft and natural unlike most of the women he had been with.

Before dropping his pants, Happy pulled a condom out of his wallet and tore the package open with his teeth.

"I know you Irish Catholics don't believe in using these, but I don't need you tracking me down in nine months."

Catherine cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head to the side as she watched him roll on the condom. There was nothing she could say in her defense, all the times she had been with Jimmy and Lorcan, never once was a form of contraception used. That was mainly due to pure carelessness and not out of her devout religious beliefs.

Nevertheless, Jimmy was a million miles from her thoughts as she could only focus on the broad man before her. Catherine braced herself on the edge of the counter as she leaned back and propped the heel of her foot up by her hand. Happy began to salivate at the sight of the beautiful redhead who had opened for him. He rubbed the head of his cock against her swollen clit, enjoying the small whimpers that escaped her mouth. When he was done having his fun, Happy felt her sharp fingernails dig into his biceps and her legs instinctually wrapped around his waist as he slid inside.

"Fuck, give it up, little girl." His voice was hoarse. It didn't matter that she was soaking wet, it took him several thrusts before her body stretched for him.

The grip she had around him was vice-like, but that didn't mean he would go easy on her. Holding her hips, he quickened his rhythm as his brain began to fog when he caught a whiff of her perfume. She started to quake more each time their hips met frantically.

Catherine had forgotten the thrill that accompanied indiscriminate sex. This wasn't her first time enjoying a dirty romp in the bathroom of a pub, as she had done it thrice before with a True Army lad whom she trained within Tralee. But, Happy brought a new sense of peculiarity as she knew absolutely nothing about him. Breaking the mold of her presumed good Irish-Catholic-girl status, left Catherine feeling more invigorated and alive than ever before. For the first time in her life, she felt as though she was finally living. Saying to hell with the rules and pressures dumped upon her. She would have screwed a stranger a long time ago if she knew that was all it would have taken for her to remind herself she was her own woman, not just the arm-candy who blindly followed every order thrown at her by Jimmy.

"Holy fuck…jus' like that." The vulgarity that slipped from her mouth only excited Happy more. His knees almost buckled when she leaned back, tilting her hips, even more, to allow him to hit deeper.

Sweat began to bead over their skin; her hair sticking to her neck. Letting go of one of her hips, Happy reached up to pull down the cups of her bra, greedily wanting to watch her fat breasts bounce as he drove with more force. Now, it was his mission to make sure she would be sore so she would have something to remember him by when she went back to Northern Ireland.

Catherine slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her cries when she felt his thumb apply pressure to her clit.

"Please, don't stop," she begged. The words passed through gritted teeth as if Happy could stop at this point if he wanted to.

Her grip on his bicep, those sharp nails diggings into his russet flesh, only encouraged him as he watched her eyes roll into the back of her head. Knowing what that meant, Happy refused to stop rubbing her oversensitive nub, determined more than ever to make her come harder than she ever had.

And, sure enough, Catherine did.

The feeling of her hot, tight, cunt clenching even tighter around him caused his balls to tighten in preparation of his impending climax. His fingers bit painfully into Catherine's hips, whilst he let loose with a few more frantic thrusts, chasing his own orgasm.

Needing a minute to collect himself, Happy dropped his head, his sweaty forehead resting against Catherine's chest. He could feel her heart pounding, just as hard as his was. This was what he loved most about quasi-anonymous sex. She expected nothing more after this one night, just as he was only looking to empty his swollen sac. The only thing that did take him by complete surprise was how good it had been. She seemed like the type to be quiet and reserved in bed, almost ashamed of her healthy appetite when it came to her sexuality. Catherine had wanted it just as bad as him and didn't shy away from his roughness or pure need to get off. Sometimes, it was better when the act was as simple as, I get mine and you get yours.

When Catherine reached up to place a hand on the back of his neck, Happy noticed the shamrock tattoo on her foreman. He straightened up and grabbed her arm, examining it a little more closely.

"I thought Jimmy wasn't your old man."

Catherine jerked her arm away from him, almost embarrassed by what was inked inside of the emerald design. Fiona—along with the rest of her family—nearly had a heart attack when they spotted the black "J" shaded into one of the leaves. Her tattoo had taken Happy aback, as she was so quick to correct him when he referred to Jimmy as her "old man."

"I wish ya wouldn't bring his name up while yer still inside me."

Now it was his turn to raise an eyebrow, as Happy gripped the base of the condom while withdrawing. He tossed the latex barrier away and grabbed a wad of paper towel to clean himself off, and then zipped up. Catherine hopped off the counter; she threw her sweat dampened hair into a messy bun before dressing. Once she had her clothes back on, Happy grabbed her arm again, rubbing his thumb over the green and black ink.

He had seen it happen too many times to count during his tenure in the club. Bitches would ink the name of the man they were screwing, thinking it would last forever, only for the relationship to come tumbling down like a house of cards. Her situation was no different and he knew eventually, it would come to an end.

"When it's over, come find me. I can cover this up. Or maybe just the J, at least, so the rest of it can be salvaged. It's great work, whoever did it."

"What makes ye so sure it'll end?"

"You just fucked me in the bathroom of a dingy bar. Obviously, things aren't too serious."

Catherine quickly became defense, revealing far more information that she wanted to divulge. She became emotionally slutty. "He'll leave Fi soon enough."

Happy didn't care enough to ask what the hell she was talking about, but then again it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out she was nothing more than the hopeful mistress. That only made her seem pathetic to him. He realized he did have her pegged wrong. Maybe she wasn't as strong-willed as he originally thought and maybe it was a good thing an ocean would be put between them.

He still told her the truth.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Dropping her arm, Happy reached for his kutte and put it on before opening the bathroom door. He left her there with an overwhelming feeling of regret storming through her. Catherine's back hit the wall as she sank down into a squat, her face buried in her hands. There was no taking back what just happened and there was no use in blinking back the tears. She absolutely hated Happy Lowman at that moment, never wanting to see him again. It wasn't necessarily because she felt guilty about the sex, it was because he had pointed a sad truth she didn't want to face.