October 2008

Happy sat at the bar in the Redwood clubhouse, cigarette and whiskey in one hand and cellphone in the other. He listened to it go to voicemail for the third time and furrowed his brow, starting to get a little worried. He'd stopped by Sara's place and it'd been empty even though she should've been home from work already. He'd half-expected her to be at the Clubhouse when he pulled up but her car wasn't in the lot and she wasn't inside.

"Hey Juice." He called out seeing the familiar haircut walk through.

"What up, brother?" Juice responded, coming over.

"You seen Sara? Been callin' her and she's not answerin'. She ain't home neither."

"Yeah, she's doin' Clay a favor. He didn't call you?" Juice seemed confused, taking a seat next to Hap.

"The fuck she doin'?" Juice simply shrugged.

"Didn't ask." 'Course not. Not his girl, not his business. Juice was relatively newly patched; he couldn't be nosing into Clay's shit. He may have that top rocker goin' on a couple years, but he still needed to earn all his stripes. Happy dialed Clay next, Juice leaving to go do whatever the fuck he was doing.

Sara closed the bedroom door quietly, finally getting Lowell asleep after fits of withdrawal as the sun started peeking through the trees. She tiptoed toward the kitchen, trying to avoid the creaky floorboards, but she wasn't familiar enough with Piney's cabin to navigate it successfully. With each squeak, she paused and listened for stirring but she exhaled a breath of relief as she finally made it to the coffee pot. She heard the thunder of a bike pull up and peeked out the window curtains before smiling despite her irritation at the sound. So much for keeping the noise down. She met him at the door, opening it before he could knock.

"Hey baby." She greeted, sounding weary and brushing a few stray tendrils of hair from her face. She was in leggings and his hoodie, her hair up in a messy bun, and her face clean of make-up. He could see the dark circles forming under her eyes and he grimaced, not likely that she looked so run down. She was beyond tired, but he still couldn't help thinking she was pretty.

"The fuck you doin' up here and not tellin' me?" His gravelly voice echoed in the wooden cabin and she shushed him urgently. Christ, she just got the man down to sleep so she didn't need Happy barging in a walking him back up. The longer he slept, the better.

"I couldn't. Clay put a gag order on me when I got here." She admitted, feeling prickly in her state of sleep deprivation she led him into the kitchen where she continued fixing herself a mug of steaming coffee.

"That don't mean shit. You shoulda called me."

"Oh yea? You mean like how you call and tell me everything you do for the club?" She snapped, annoyed with his attitude and her nerves a bit frayed. All of her patience had been used up on a sick, sweating, feverish Lowell. She was the one that got called out of bed in the middle of the night with the expectation that she would just do it.

"Watch your mouth." He warned. He didn't like that Clay had gone behind his back to ask her for a favor, but at the end of the day she was just trying to be a good club woman and follow the rules. He knew she'd be fucked if Clay found out she'd let his business slip, even if it were to Happy; that didn't mean she got to serve attitude about it.

"Clay told you I was up here?" She segued, sidestepping their disagreement because she knew it would result in a pointless argument, one she didn't have energy for.

"Ya, fuckin' finally told me after I called a dozen times and promised not to come up." He admitted, crossing his arms and leaning on the counter. biting the inside of his already raw cheek. Clay'd told him to leave it be last night when he'd initially called. He'd tried to obey but he'd ended up unable to sleep not knowing where she was; his anxiety had been full fledged. He'd spent most of the night cleaning her apartment and pacing. He'd even gone for a drive in hopes he'd randomly come upon her car and find her that way. Finally, after he'd called Clay at 5am and woken him up demanding to know where she was, the President gave in with a grumpy order to leave her to her work and to 'not be a goddamn distraction'.

"And you call me the disobedient one..." She grumbled sipping her coffee.

"You ain't gonna rat on me." He declared confidently. "The fuck you doin' up here anyway?"

"What else? SAMCRO Rehab." She answered with an eyeroll. "Detoxing over the weekend and then getting Lowell into a halfway house." She tossed a thumb over her shoulder towards the closed bedroom.

"Why's Clay keepin' it quiet?"

"Didn't ask." She stated simply before pausing, "You think it has to do with the bodies they found?"

"What would Lowell have to do with that?"

"I dunno. Maybe he knows something." Sara whispered conspiratorially, glancing towards the closed bedroom door with furrowed brows.

"Don't poke your nose in Clay's shit." Happy warned, seeing her wheels turn as she tried to put it all together. She nodded and blushed a little, self-conscious that she'd let herself a little get carried away in some narrative about Clay and Lowell covering something up. Clay'd never been anything but kind to her and had taken good care of Lowell too as far as she knew. "Where's his kid?"

"I dunno. Clay just said he was being taken care of." She shrugged, and despite her exhaustion, her heart warmed seeing Happy concerned about a little kid. He was such a big softie sometimes.

"You probably should head out. I don't want him hearing you and getting you in trouble with Clay." Sara sighed and Happy grunted. "I'll be up here all weekend but help yourself to anything at my place."

"I'm just stopping through. Running a job down South." He rasped. Sara nodded in acceptance; it made it easier knowing she wasn't going to be missing out on quality-time with Hap. She didn't mind cleaning up a club friend, she'd been doing it for years in some capacity and this would be easier than Kozik, based on the first night anyway, but she didn't get a lot of one-on-one time with Happy and she would have been annoyed if she'd been busy while he sat around in her apartment.

"But maybe I'll head over and raid your dirty panties," he added with a lewd grin and she smacked his arm in response.

"You really know how to kill a good moment…" She chastised, pushing him toward the door and kissing him goodbye. He tasted like beer, cigarettes, and a hint of whiskey. After locking the door, she turned back to the quiet cabin. She supposed she needed to try to get some sleep… it was gonna be a long weekend.

"Hey Sara." The blonde turned, hearing her name. She smiled softly seeing Jax walk up.

"Hey Jax. Visiting Abel?" She asked, gesturing to the hospital next door.

"Yep."

"How's he doin'?"

"Better each day." He stated with a proud grin.

"Good, I'm glad. Let me know if you need anything." Sara hesitated, wondering if it would be out of line to ask about Wendy.

"Actually, I gotta a big ask…" He started slowly. "How much Hap tellin' you these days?"

"About?"

"Club business." He asked vaguely.

"I've got my guesses. He hasn't confirmed anything; but he hasn't denied it either." She shrugged and he nodded, eyeing her closely as he tried to figure out how much to tell her.

"What do you need, Jax?" She asked exasperated, checking her watch. Her lunch break was nearly over, and she needed to get back up to her desk.

"We're a bit strapped for cash right now. Everyone's pooling together what we got." He responded vaguely.

"Shit, Jax." She groaned, pinching her nose. "By when?"

"Soon. Couple days, max." She whistled and shook her head. "Yea… I know." At least he had the decency to look bashful.

"Yea, I got about…" She took a moment to do the math in her head, "…5k maybe that I can spare."

"You sure?"

"Yea, so long as you pay it back eventually." She stated with a pointed look. He nodded in affirmation. "I'll run by the bank later and give it to Hap."

"Thanks, darlin'." He praised, flashing her one of his bright smiles. She rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I gotta get back. I'm on my lunch break." She stated, pointing to the building next to the hospital.

"You givin' the Club money?" Happy asked from the couch as she walked in later that night.

"Jax asked." She shrugged, kicking off her heels and dropping her purse haphazardly on the coffee table. He gave it a dirty look and she rolled her eyes like a sullen teenager before picking it back up and taking it with her.

"Don't need your money." He shouted as she walked through the hall toward the bedroom.

"Not what he said." She shouted back. She reemerged moments later in a tank top and yoga pants, holding out a thick envelope.

"How much?" He asked with a raised brow accepting the envelope and peeking into it.

"Five." She stated moving into the kitchen to pour a drink. She returned with a glass of wine and a beer for him. He pulled her into his lap, and she giggled, nearly spilling her glass.

"You don't gotta give up your cash for this." He reiterated, hand wrapping around her waist.

"It's fine; family and all that. Just make sure I get it back." She soothed, sipping her wine and rolling her eyes at the TV. Some dumb gearhead show.

"You got it." He stated squeezing her thigh in appreciation, grateful that she didn't ask too many questions. Jax had made it clear that he hadn't included her in the details of the gun deal; presumably Sara hadn't made it known that she knew anything. She'd played 20 Questions about the gun running for months and, without Happy confirming anything, had pretty much narrowed it down to the truth on sheer logic alone. She was a smart bitch. Smarter than people gave her credit for, Happy noted to himself for neither the first nor the last time.

Sara groaned loudly in annoyance as his phone rang shrilly, waking them both. She moved her head off his chest and rolled over to her side with a huff as he reached for the phone.

"Yea?" He answered gruffly, barely awake. "Fuck; everyone whole?" He probed; a bit more alert. She turned and lifted her head in question, hearing his words. "Yeah… You need me to come in?... Aiight" He ended, closing the flip phone to end the call.

"Everyone okay?" She asked groggily.

"Yeah; someone took shots at Clay during a meet. He's good though; Irish contact got shot but Chibs is dealin' with it." Happy assured, rubbing his face. Reassured that everyone was okay, Sara dropped her head back to the pillow faced away from him. She smiled with her eyes closed feeling his warm hand slide over her hip as his body nestled behind hers.

"You gotta get up…" She reminded, feeling his breath against her shoulder.

"Nah, staying here; they don't need me right now." He informed; his voice raspier than usual with sleep.

"Then why the fuck did they call?" She snapped in annoyance.

"Just lettin' me know." He answered, pressing his lips to the crook of her neck, spooning his body behind hers.

"Hap…" She whined, pushing his chest away with her elbow. "I'm tired and I gotta get up early for work."

"I ain't starting anythin'… Just appreciating what I got." He defended, running his hands up and down the slopes of her curves. "Come back over here." He encouraged, rolling onto his back and pulling at her arm. With a huff, she rolled back over and rested her head on his shoulder, throwing her leg across his hips. Just as she was settling back into sleep, the sound of his phone cut through the silence again.

"I swear to God, I will murder whoever that is…" She hissed, as he grabbed it off the nightstand, flicking it open. He held her tightly to his side when she tried to roll away again.

"What?" He asked, a bit agitated now, "Fine; this couldn't have waited?... No, but my girl is real fuckin' pissed she keeps gettin' woke up since she works tomorrow… Yea, she's puttin' death threats on ya…" He squeezed her hip playfully with his words and she kissed his bare chest in response. "Later, brother." He rasped, hanging it up and tossing it back on the nightstand. She smiled into his chest hearing him use her needs as a reason to not be disturbed anymore. Closest she'd get to being his priority, she figured.

"Well?" She asked sharply, wondering what was so urgent that they needed to disturb them again.

"Called Church first thing in the morning." He dismissed quietly, kissing the top of her head and settling himself back down. He slipped his fingers under the hem of her boyshorts to rest comfortably against the bare skin of her hip. With his eyes closed, he felt her wiggle against his thigh, opening her legs and turning more onto her belly to press herself against him. He was normally pretty quick to sleep, having been used to catching short amounts of sleep whenever he could and being on-call 24/7.

"Hey, Hap?" She asked quietly. He grunted in acknowledgement, nearly asleep.

"Would you still love me if I didn't have arms or legs?"

"What the fuck?" He asked with a snort. "Go the fuck to sleep."

"I can't. I'm awake now."

"Oh, so when I push up on ya, you're too tired and need to get up early but when I'm nearly asleep you're asking weird shit?" He groaned, rolling his eyes at the ceiling.

"Well would you?"

"Jesus Christ, Sara. Go to sleep."

"Just answer me."

"Sure, so long as I can still fuck your weird limbless body." He joked dryly.

"You'd have to do all the work."

"I already do all the work." He grunted and chuckled when she slapped his stomach playfully.

"No, you do not."

"Prove it." He enticed, grabbing her ass and hoisting her over his groin. She giggled in response before rolling her hips over his. He pushed the baggy shirt she was wearing up until she took over and pulled it off. His palms covered her bare breasts as she leaned forward to press her lips to his.

"Hey, sorry for wakin' you guys up last night," Bobby apologized, seeing Happy walk in just as the sun was started to break.

"Not me you gotta apologize to." He disregarded, lighting a cigarette.

"Well, you apologize to your girl for me."

"Already did, brother; twice" Happy answered with a smirk. Bobby chuckled and patted Hap on the back as they made their way toward the Chapel.

"Jesus Christ. Where's Clay?" Bobby asked as they spotted the bloody Irishman on the table unconscious.

"Unser took him in. Between the shootout with the Mayans and a hit on Darby's guys, body count got too high for the old man to look the other way." Tig answered.

"Where's Jax?" Happy asked, looking around for the blonde VP.

"Can't find him. He was supposed to go get the Doc but he hasn't come back."

"Shit you think he's okay?"

"Dunno. Just know this here man's gonna die if we don't get him some real medical care." Chibs answered with a tired sigh.

"I'm gonna look go for Jax." Tig stated, walking out.

"The fuck didn't you call us in for?" Bobby asked incredulously.

"What're you gonna do?" Chibs responded irately, clearly tired. Juice cracked his neck but kept his bloody hand wedged in Cameron's bullet wound.

"Guys, my arm's going numb." Juice informed nervously.

"You better not fuckin' move that hand." Chibs warned with a point. "Where the fuck is the Doc?!"

Happy walked into Sara's apartment late. She was on the couch with a glass of wine, watching something on TV.

"What you doin' up?"

"Couldn't sleep." She answered with a shrug glossing over the fact she always struggled to sleep without him in her bed. "Everything taken care of?"

"Yea, should be." He stated, rubbing the new smiley tattoo on his ribs through his shirt. Esai had been easy money and had sealed the gun deal with Mayans.

"My brother's vitals have improved." She informed with a smile, watching Happy move to the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Yeah? He awake?"

"Not yet, but the doctors are confident it should be soon. The swelling in his brain is way down so really, he could wake up at any point I guess."

"Any idea if he'll be able to ride?"

"No, they need him to be awake to do the neurological tests." She sighed. Happy tossed her an envelope of cash as he sat down beside her.

"What's this?"

"Payback for loanin' cash." He answered gruffly, sipping his beer.

"You guys are already flush?"

"Nah, that's payment for a hit I did. But the Club has a deal that'll cover the refund, it just ain't through yet." She handed him the envelope back.

"I don't want your money." She stated, choosing to ignore his admission to the source of his money.

"Just take it."

"No, you need it for your Mom. The club will pay me when they have it."

"Sara—" He started with a tired sigh.

"No. Use it to buy your mom's meds or her groceries or whatever." She dismissed firmly. "How's she doin' by the way?"

"As good as you can with shit doctors and cheap meds." He practically snarled, but she knew his anger wasn't directed at her by the way his thumb gently rubbed her thigh.

"Has she been to the neuro-specialist?" Sara had done some research into treatment of multiple sclerosis since Happy had admitted his mother's diagnosis to her months before. She'd managed to find a specialist doctor up in Sacramento and had passed the info on to Happy but she hadn't heard anything since.

"The consultation alone is a couple hundred." He sighed, rubbing his face. "That's not even the tests or treatment or anything."

"It'll work out." She soothed, rubbing his forearm affectionately.

"Yeah…" He answered half-heartedly, staring at the TV but not watching it. She nudged him with her foot comfortingly and he pulled her feet into his lap, leaning deeper into the couch. They watched TV together in silence until eventually Sara fell asleep. Happy watched her breathe quietly, the slow rise and fall of her ribs as she lay on her back, head still facing the television.

She was a vision to him still with her blonde waves spilling out of her ponytail. He couldn't imagine himself without her anymore, memories of his bachelor life were distant and foggy. Even when he was his meanest and grumpiest, she was always there to push him back into a good mood—or at least call him on his bullshit so he stopped taking it out on others.

Her stupid question the other night had left him thinking; while he didn't anticipate her losing all her goddamn limbs any time soon, he'd realized that he would fuckin' love her no matter what, because she loved him no matter what. He'd just fuckin' casually admitted to murder and she hadn't even flinched. She just fuckin' side-stepped that shit like it never happened. She knew he was a goddamn killer and she still had the gall to try to boss him around, forcing him to keep his money. Fuck, she'd never even met his mom and she was invested in her care.

Fuck, man.

He was in deep.

She was his goddamn Old Lady.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and support lately! Hit that review button to let me know you're still with me! -L