I do not own any characters from Sons of Anarchy. I own Sara and any other original characters.

Content Warning: Language, references to drug use, references to domestic violence, references to infidelity

April 2005

She watched Kozik from the corner of her eye as she drove them towards the narcotics meeting the following evening.

"You doing okay?" she asked seriously, noticing his rapid foot tapping. She had spent enough time with the fellow blonde to know what he looked like when he was anxious or agitated. She was highly attuned to his mental frequency, as if she had a preternatural sense for his distress.

"Yeah, I'm good," he answered nonchalantly, charming as ever.

"Honestly?" she probed further. He shrugged and shifted to gaze out the window, preferring to avert his eyes as he searched for inner truth.

"Some days are rough," he finally responded, barely above a whisper.

"What's goin' on?" she asked softly. He'd been resolute last time they spoke, so something must have happened to shake his foundation.

"Kendra's birthday was last week," he admitted, eyes flicking as he watched streetlights pass in a strobe of orange and black. Sara glanced at the forlorn man beside her. His daughter had always been a sensitive subject for the man. His self-admitted greatest mistake was driving her and her mother away with his addiction. It'd been too late to reconcile the relationship with Jen, but he'd hoped when he finally cleaned up he'd at least have some kind of relationship with his child.

"And?" Sara prompted after a beat.

"I called to talk to her... she didn't have anything to say to me," he lamented, "We're total strangers. I'm just some sperm donor that calls a few times a year and sends money."

"You have to respect her boundaries, remember? If she needs space, she needs space. Your addiction hurt her too. How many times have you promised her you'd get clean? I know this is the longest you've been clean since you started using, but its not long enough for her to let herself feel vulnerable again. All you can do is keep letting her know you are there for her now and that you want a relationship if or when she is ready," Sara reminded gently. Kozik nodded in agreement, although her words did little to sooth the ache in his chest.

"You slipping?" she asked bluntly stopping at a red light and turning to face him. He sighed loudly and shook his head.

"Not yet," he grumbled quietly letting his forehead rest against the window.

"Hey, quit that attitude. You've been clean for eight months so far. That's a really big deal. Do you know how many relapse on the first attempt to get clean?"

"Fifty percent," he whispered back, reciting the information that she had given him.

"Are you going to be in that fifty percent?" she asked pointedly. The light turned green and she turned away from him to continue the drive but her other senses kept close watch on him.

"No," he answered firmly.

"Good boy. Tell me about your triggers."

They continued talking out the events that triggered his cravings, the locations he was avoiding, and his feelings of temptation. She made him relive all the reasons his addiction was ruining his life and reminded him of why he had to leave Charming.

He left his kutte in the car and zipped up a generic black hoodie to cover his tattoos. There wasn't much he could do about his bruised face; Tig really did a number on him. He leaned against the car and stared at the Presbyterian church deep in thought.

"I promise you won't light on fire," she joked, nudging him towards the building, "Come on, I want to get in there before all the good cookies are gone."

"How's your pops?" Kozik asked as they walked out two hours later. He was feeling significantly lighter and more centered than when they had walked in. She made a noncommittal noise.

"Good; been busy," she answered curtly as they climbed into the car.

"You good? You gonna get in trouble for making this trip?" he pressed further.

"I'm fine, Kozik. And no, Jax asked me to come up so my dad couldn't exactly say no," she responded in exasperation.

"Doesn't mean you won't take heat for it," he snorted before catching the glare she sent his way, "Hey, you don't get to exorcise my demons and expect me not to do the same."

"They aren't my demons. You know my dad; you know what he's like."

And he did know what Skip Harris was like: old school. Didn't take any shit from women –especially if it was his own daughter.

"I know; that's exactly why I'm asking if you are good." Kozik vividly remembered the times that Skip used Sara as example to the other women of what happens if you don't follow their rules to a tee.

"If I step out of line, he reminds me to step back in. That's all there is to it," she responded firmly. It was Kozik's turn to watch her critically. She sighed loudly.

"I'm fine, Koz. It's just the way my club runs. The guys just expect more respect from women than they do in Charming. And it's like not like I don't push the limits; I know better and I bring it on myself."

If Kozik had learned anything in the months he spent with Sara it was that the girl didn't always keep her mouth shut when maybe she should. She was a good girl for the most part, her daddy made sure of that. And by almost any other standard she was a perfect example of what a woman in an MC should be, but that was never enough to Skip.

"It ain't about respect, Sare, and it sure as hell ain't about whether you deserve it or not. It's about the fact your dad will slap you around for any bullshit reason just to flex his power in front of his club." She gave him a pointed look of warning. He rolled his eyes at her nonverbal threat and shrugged, "It's the truth."

"It's not like he beats me, Koz," she said, taking her eyes off the road again to glance at him.

"He certainly walks the line," he retorted dryly. She sucked her teeth in response.

"It's not about hurting me. It's about sending a message. You know that... Besides, it's not like he's alone in his methods. The other guys all do it too. Don't act like you don't see this shit in Tacoma," she defended.

"Not like down in SB. And either way, doesn't make it okay," he argued, voice rising to fill the car.

"It's also not your business," she finally snapped. She pulled the car into the diner parking lot. He grabbed her arm as she moved to get out.

"Hey, Sare, you know I'm just asking because I care about you. You saved my life," he reminded, and she calmed slightly.

"And he's my dad, Koz. It's my life. I'm an adult," she sighed in justification. Kozik nodded in acceptance and led her into the diner.

"Fair enough."

They were halfway through a meal when his phone rang.

"Yeah?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"Be right there… No, I'm with Sara... Sure thing, brother. See ya." He closed his phone and shoveled a huge forkful of food into his mouth and flagged the waitress.

"We gotta go," he informed, and Sara nodded taking a large bite and pulled out some cash to pay for the meal.

"Keep your money, kid. This one's on me," Koz stated tossing a twenty on the table and standing up. Sara thanked him and they hurried to the car.

"So what's up?" she asked as she drove.

"Mayan shit kickin' up," he answered vaguely, "You're gonna have to hang at the clubhouse for the night I think."

She sighed loudly and nodded.

"Can we at least swing by Clay's so I can grab some stuff?"

He shook his head.

"Sorry darling. You're just gonna have to get by. You can borrow some of my stuff."

She grumbled sullenly to herself about it not being fair but drove towards TM. She was just grateful she was dressed casually: her Harley Davidson tanktop was under an old plaid flannel that had been her brother's a few years back; her torn jean shorts were cuffed and showed the expanse of her legs tucked into black ankle boots; her blonde hair was down and wavy under Ryan's old gray beanie.

Kozik was out of the vehicle before it had even fully come to a stop in the TM lot and she followed at a slower pace while he jogged ahead. Jax was leaning against the wall outside having a smoke as Kozik ran past.

"Good evening?" Jax asked her conspiratorially when she finally reached the door.

"Yep. He's rock solid," she answered following him into the clubhouse, "Any specific reason I can't go sleep in my own bed? Or your bed, as it were."

"It's the guest room now technically. Ma replaced all my shit when Wendy and I moved in together," he answered dryly.

"Things not going so good?" Sara asked genuinely.

"Wendy's got her problems like the rest of us," he answered cryptically, "and you're gonna have to stay here tonight. It's best we don't have any friends of the club out on the streets tonight."

"First of all, I would be at Clay's, not 'on the streets'—I'm not a homeless person. Second, it's not like they would even know who I am," she argued in confusion.

"Doesn't matter. Just a precaution, darlin'. It's just one night. Besides, some of the guys are staying back anyway so it'll just seem like a party."

"A party that I can't leave," she grumbled as Jax excused himself to go talk to Bobby. Her mood perked a little when her gaze fell on Juice.

"Any chance you are one of the ones sticking behind to keep me company?" she asked, planting herself on a stool beside him.

"Not sure yet," he answered with a shrug, "Doubt it."

"I hate lockdown," she sighed.

"We aren't in lockdown," he corrected.

"You know what I mean," she reached over the bar and grabbed a bottle of rum, "You end up hooking up with that girl last night?"

"A girl, yes. The crazy one you sent my way? No," he teased. She smirked and shrugged.

"Well, at least I tried."

"You and Hap were chummy last night," he mentioned in a low voice with a shoulder nudge. She rolled her eyes and took a sip from the bottle, grimacing a little at the taste.

"Chummy? Sorry, Grandma. I didn't even know who he was at first," she answered dismissively and looked at the label on the rum bottle in disgust.

"Yeah but then you kept talking to him."

"So?" she asked looking up at him in confusion.

"Dude's scary." Juice stated with a shrug and a long drink from a beer. Sara shrugged.

"I guess." She took another sip from the bottle and cringed. She hadn't drank liquor straight from a bottle in over a year and for good reason: last time she ended up trying to dance on the bar in the SAMDINO clubhouse. Dad hadn't been too proud of that.

Juice scoffed.

"How are you not afraid of all of these guys?" he asked incredulously.

"You're not scared of them," she pointed out and took another sip.

"Yeah, but I'm a guy. And a patched member. I'd be scared shitless of Hap if I wasn't."

"I grew up around it; if I'd had a dick, I'd have a patch. It's pretty much all I know. Besides, you know how I like 'em," she answered simply.

"Old with questionable morals and a bad attitude?" Juice offered brightly and she giggled and nodded, "So how is the boyfriend?" Juice asked changing to topic. He regretted it when her face darkened.

"We broke up."

"Again? Why this time?"

"I found out he's been fucking some whore while he's been on all those runs in Nevada," she glowered and took a longer pull from the bottle.

"You're gonna give yourself alcohol poisoning if you keep that up," Juice reached over and took the bottle from her and traded it for his own beer bottle, "Was she like an actual whore or just some girl?"

Sara scoffed in annoyance that it was a valid question. Sometimes the MC life sucked balls.

"Some girl, I think. I don't know. Anyway, I found out and got pissed and he pulled that 'what happens on the road' bull shit. So, I ended it. Now he can fuck whoever he wants on the road. Viola!" she snorted and shook her head. She knew what the guys did on runs. She hated how stupid she felt for expecting him to do anything different.

"Well don't revenge-fuck a brother in the meantime," Juice advised and she glared sideways at him, "Don't act like it's not something you would do."

Her response was halted by Clay calling for church.

"… Bobby, Piney, and Hap, you're gonna stay back and keep an eye on things here." Clay ordered and Happy's eyes shot up from fiddling with his rings.

"What? No way, Prez! I'm coming with!" he argued, irritated that he got grouped in with the old guy and the baker.

"I appreciate your convictions, brother, but you just got out on parole. Don't want any witnesses being able to point fingers and getting you thrown back in."

"Easy: no witnesses," he suggested simply with a shrug.

"Next time, man," Jax soothed. Happy sulked for the rest of Church and was the first to hit the bar after it let out. Around the time Hap had finished his third beer, the rest of the guys headed out. It wasn't fair that he was getting benched on this. He was an asset. Hell, he was an enforcer; the muscle. If anyone was going, it should be him. He might as well head back up to Tacoma if they weren't going to use his skills to their full potential. He didn't stop glaring at his bottle as the blonde hopped onto the stool beside him.

"Sorry you got stuck with the babysitting. Promise I'll be a good girl and make it easy for you."

His brows quirked up a little as his mind immediately jumped in the gutter. Out of the corner of his eye he watched her giggle slightly and drink from her bottle. So, it was an intentional double entendre.

"Yeah? How easy?" he asked placing a hand on her lower back and turning to face her more.

"Not that easy, tiger." she giggled.

"You drunk?" he asked not bothering to hide his amusement. Sara shrugged and tried to grab his drink. He held it out of her reach, causing her to lean close as she stretched for it. In the close proximity, he inhaled her soft floral scent and caught the slight flush of her skin, and his dick twitched in response.

"It's only eight. How much have you had to drink? You even old enough to drink?" he asked when she finally gave up trying to steal his drink.

"Wow, dad. Does it matter?" she asked with an eyeroll. He ruffled slightly. She was right, it didn't matter; what did he care?

"Just don't want you drunk-wandering off. You look like a wanderer."

"Guess you'll have to stay close then," she whispered suggestively before hopping off the stool and heading to the pool tables where Bobby and Piney were playing a game. Happy watched her walk off with a discernible amount of uncertainty.

He was pretty sure he shouldn't fuck this girl, but he also wasn't sure he cared enough to stop himself if she offered.

Author Note: Review please. Thank you for your continued support.