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

Content Warning: Language, graphic depictions of consensual sex

February 2009

"I gotta go to Charming for a few days," Happy greeted gruffly from the corner of the dining room where he was lifting weights, clothed in only athletic shorts. He usually worked out at the clubhouse because they had a better set up, but he'd already been home and there was nothing good on TV, so what the hell? It felt good to keep himself in fighting form, and his shoulder needed a good workout to keep the joint stable. It had been stiff and tight from the cold. As much as he loved and defended Tacoma to Sara, he envied the constant warmth of California. Winter made him feel 10 years older than he was.

Sara closed the front door behind her and removed her outer layers—Christ it took so much effort to go anywhere. Beyond grumbling about the inconvenience, she was beginning to adjust to the cold weather. It still gave her a headache to go in and out of the cold, but at least she'd figured out how to layer so she wasn't miserable in all temperatures. She still hadn't gotten used to the short daylight hours or the incessantly overcast weather, but progress was progress. Her bag was half-heartedly tossed onto the couch to be dealt with later—if she put her bag away, it'd be too easy not to do it. At least this way, Happy would glare at her about the mess until she got her ass in gear, got her reading done, and put her bag in its designated spot.

"Mmkay," she responded, suddenly distracted by his flexing biceps. How was he able to break a sweat in the cold apartment was beyond her, but she wasn't about to look the gift-horse in the mouth. The slight sheen of his sweat glistened in the low lighting, reflecting off all his sharp edges and flat planes of muscle. It was a pleasant surprise that he was even home, let alone looking like be belonged in a men's magazine.

"You hear me?" he asked with a wolfish smile. It'd been over a week and a half since they'd had sex, and the tension was palpable. Their abstinence started because they were both still on edge from their fight and, after that, he'd been coming home to Sara asleep. It was new territory for him to go without when she was home and, admittedly, it bruised his ego to be turned down, but there wasn't much he could do about it at 2am when she shrugged him off.

Today though, she'd had a great review session with Rhiannon and finally felt prepared for her upcoming test. The whole drive home she'd been Cloud 9, and Happy being home early and waiting for her was the cherry on top. She'd been planning on cooking a full meal for dinner to soften him up before broaching some hard topics, but him flexing and sweaty was suddenly a better option.

"Charming for a few days. Got it," she reiterated, pulling her hair down from its casual ponytail. They needed to talk, she knew that despite her own avoidance, but the minute she saw the flex of his abs, all the words she'd rehearsed in her head flew out the window. Words? What words? Words could wait.

"Leavin' in two days," he added, curling dumbbells as she approached slowly, her eyes a dark, seductive blue.

"Sounds good," she muttered, pulling her sweater over her head, leaving her in a tank top and jeans. He grinned at her distracted response; he probably could've told her he was leaving for a mission to Mars and her response would've been the same.

"Whatcha doin'?" he teased playfully as she straddled his lap.

"Just admiring your commitment to your physical health," she sang sweetly, tracing the tattoos on his shoulders before gliding down his gleaming skin to feel the hard muscle flexing with each strong move of his arms.

"'Sall for you, baby," he stated smugly, setting the weights down before moving to grip her small waist.

"Yea? For me, huh?" she asked, biting her lip and looking at him with a frisky flutter of lashes. He hummed in confirmation, her flirtation having the desired effect as she felt him harden beneath her.

"You wanna show me how strong you are, old man?" she asked in a sultry voice and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What'd you have in mind?" he asked with piqued interest.

"I dunno… do some man-stuff… hang some shelves… I don't know… maybe just fuck me against that wall right there," she mused brazenly, pointing the wall behind him with an innocent expression. Goddamn. If she hadn't had his attention before, she certainly had it now.

"Oh, you 'don't know', huh? That just come to you suddenly?" he joked in a husky voice as his hands slid to wrap around her ass, "Gonna need you out of these clothes first…"

"I think can take care of that," she purred, demurely sliding from his lap, grateful for his playful mood. Things between them had been awkward at best since their fight. She didn't know how to fix that, but she knew how to work with this. She tried to look calm and controlled, but her heart raced in her chest as she unbuttoned her tight jeans. She forced her hands to slow their eager movements in effort to build anticipation, and, even though it still felt rushed, it seemed to work as Happy leaned back in his chair watching with rapt attention.

He silently thanked God he'd somehow ended up with such a creature; he certainly hadn't done anything to deserve it. She complemented him nicely in every way: her sly, soft feminine features fit with his overt, masculine ways. As much as it drove him nuts, he loved the way she pushed back at him in all areas of their lives. She was still very much the challenge she'd been when they'd gotten together albeit in different ways. Thoughts of their compatibility—and really thoughts of anything—fizzled out as she disrobed slowly, turning so he got an eyeful of her bending over to slip her jeans down. His throat cleared as she unhooked and daintily slipped her bra down her arms before looking over one shoulder at him with a modest blush. He knew it was for show, but it affected him all the same to see her blushing under his heated gaze.

"Yea, that'll work…" he finally managed to choke out when she turned back to face him, covered only by the tiny little slip of fabric of her thong. Unable to resist any longer, he swiftly pulled her into his lap and kissed her hard, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs. It took a moment to get her bearings, but when she did, she met his movements with fervor. His touches were frenzied and disorganized, leaving contrails of electricity in their wake. Sara was overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of sensations and it left a heady fog around her brain, shorting out her cognitive skills. Her most basic, primal instincts guided her actions. He barely caught a glimpse of the hot flush blossoming under her skin in patches of scarlet, his own blood responding in turn. Every move between them crackled with energy; the tension of the recent disconnect between them only acted as accelerant as their bodies acted on the longing they both felt deep in their souls.

As her nails raked his chest with the animalistic ferocity he loved, he had a sudden realization with an unexpected clarity. There was comfort in their familiarity, a shorthand to their lovemaking. They both innately knew what the other needed, as apparent as their own wants and needs, and they moved in synchronicity. If he was on fire, she was on fire; if she wanted it slow and deep, he wanted it slow and deep.

The tug of fabric around his hips pulled him back into the heat of the moment as she pawed at the band of his shorts, and his epiphany was lost amidst the inferno between them. Taking her cue, he wrapped her smooth legs around his waist before grabbing her thighs and effortlessly hoisting them both to a standing position.

"Jesus Christ…" she breathed.

"Impressed?" he flirted as his ego swelled.

"With you? Always," she affirmed before kissing the skin where his neck stretched into broad shoulder. She felt the echo of low groan in his chest before she heard it, and it satisfied her to know he was defenseless against her caress. With surprisingly lithe movements, he pressed her back to the cool surface of the wall behind them. She gasped at the stark temperature change, the combination simultaneously sending a shiver down her spine and fueling the explosive heat racing through her veins. Her body throbbed with desire and her throat went dry as he nimbly hooked one finger on her thong, pulling it aside to slide another finger through her slit.

"That's my girl…" he groaned in approval. Fuck, she couldn't focus. The onslaught of sensations deafened her to anything beyond him as he shoved a hand between them to push down his shorts, dropping the fabric to the ground. Trusting his body knew its way into hers, he barely took time to align himself before swiftly thrusting up into her.

"Oh, fuck!" she gasped at the quick intrusion, throwing her head back into the wall with a muffled thud; she hadn't felt pain though, too filled with pleasure to register anything else. His strokes were shortened by their position, but the force still rattled her to the core. Even in this frenzied pairing, she felt his love emanating. It was in the way his eyes roved her face with a look of adoration; the way he measured his moves by her little sounds, so in tune with her that she didn't need to speak. His attentiveness allowed her to be swept away in passion, giving herself to him completely. It may have been all the lovedrunk chemicals surging through her body, but she was warmed from the heart out, combining and twisting with the heat radiating from her belly. She'd never thought her soul could go supernova, but here he was giving it hell trying.

The flattened tongue against one of her delicious breasts forewarned the imminent bite of his teeth, just hard enough to leave a soft indentation in the sensitive flesh. He smiled into her breast as she quivered around him in response. In his most primal, feral form, he loved marking her. Whether it was leaving small, temporary marks in her skin or leaving traces of his scent on her, he thrived knowing she was his and that on some subliminal level, other men would know it too. He'd never felt that before Sara. He couldn't clearly remember what it felt like to be inside anyone else, but he knew it wasn't even in the same stratosphere as their coupling. People always said sex was the best when it was with someone you loved, but he'd always thought that was some Hallmark bullshit to keep girls' romantic fantasies alive or shit that only applied to slow, cinematic 'making love'. It wasn't. It applied to every touch—every taste.

"Fuck, Hap," she moaned as his teeth skimmed the creamy surface of her skin.

"You like that?" His words were rhetorical, but she nodded anyway, unable to find her voice between panted breaths. Droplets of their sweat swirled and mixed to loosen his vice grip, but he couldn't bring himself to release her.

"Put me down," she mewed, opening her scrunched eyes to meet his as if she read his mind. He shook his head, denying her. He was fine; he'd never let her slip out of his hands.

"Please," she said in a firmer voice, unlocking her ankles and forcing him to lower her into a standing position. He sulked at her defiance and, begrudgingly, noticed his shoulders and arms aching from their overuse following a workout. How was she so clearly able to know his limits when he hadn't even noticed? Any jilted feelings were forgotten the moment her small hand slipped between them to his length slick with her own wetness. With a grunt, he turned her around and pushed her into the wall, holding her in place with his hulking form.

"Stick out that ass for me, little girl," he commanded with a whisper into her ear, his voice sending a shiver down her spine as she complied willingly, bracing against the cool wall as he slipped her useless, soaked thong down her legs.

"You're so fuckin' short…" he teased as he rose to his full height, grabbing her hips and pulling them out further and tilting them forward, forcing a sharp arch in her lower back.

"I am not, you're just tall," she huffed, lifting onto her toes.

"You good?" he asked, skeptically eyeing her position. It didn't look comfortable, but it did look fuckin' sexy with her up on her tiptoes and pert little ass out, her chest and shoulders pressed to the wall. She nodded and reached for him wantonly, desperate to get him back inside of her.

"Just do it," she pleaded.

"You beggin' for it?" he whispered as one of his palms slapped against her ass before gripping the soft flesh firmly. She whimpered in pleasure, pushing back in desperation.

"This for me, huh?" he asked, slipping his hand around her hips and swiping his fingers through her dripping slit. Her eyes fell closed and she nodded with shiver as his fingers circled her most sensitive parts. An unladylike hiss of disapproval escaped as his fingers pulled away, but she was quickly mollified feeling sudden dampness on her lips a moment later. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise.

"Taste yourself," he instructed with quiet intensity, and she obediently took his fingers into her mouth. A jumble of expletives bled from him as she gently sucked his fingers clean. Fuck, the things she made him feel…

"Should I just fuckin' eat out this juicy pussy instead?"

"No—I want you."

"You got me, little girl…"

"Hap…"

"Beg for it."

"Please!"

"Please what?"

"Fuck me, Hap. Please, just fuck me—" her garbled words were cut short by her cries as he pushed into her roughly, the act jarring her whole frame and forcing her into the wall. A string of her own swears tumbled from her lips as he repeated the harsh motion, nearly lifting her off her toes. "Don't stop."

One of his hands gripped her jaw as he pushed harder against her body, turning her neck to meet his lips as he thrust sharply against her, her moan swallowed between them.

"Yea, you like that, huh?" he purred into her mouth, his own lips pulled wide in a Cheshire grin. He released her jaw to slide his hand between the wall and her breast. His grip was tight, almost painful as he massaged and pulled at the soft mound. It matched the intensity of his thrusts. All of her senses were filled with him and she felt the familiar tightness in her belly.

"Fuck, I'm so close," she whispered, eyes squeezed shut, "Oh god, Hap… Harder!"

"That's right, baby; take it all," he grunted into her ear, watching her face twist as she throbbed around him. His words pushed her over the edge with a flashbang and it was mere moments before his thrusts broke rhythm and he poured himself into her. His legs trembled, forcing him to pull out of her and slide to the floor. The cold linoleum against his hot skin made him wince but he didn't have the energy to reposition. She slid down to straddle his lap, resting her head against his shoulder sweetly.

"That was cathartic," he mumbled, words feeling thick and effortful in his mouth as he recovered his breath.

"Thank you," she mumbled, eyes closed, relaxing as his fingers softly caressed her back.

"For?"

"Just being you," she stated simply, pulling back to kiss his lips softly. Her brain was muddled with the blissful aftershocks of her orgasm and she was feeling sappy. "I know we're in a weird place right now, but I needed that."

"You wanna get fucked against our kitchen wall, you just gotta ask," he teased, and she smacked his arm.

"You know what I mean, asshole. And as much as we needed that—"

"Sara, I don't wanna talk about shit—" he started with a sigh, running a hand over his head.

"Well, we need to talk eventually. We keep just trying to fuck away our problems and it's not working."

"Dunno, seemed pretty productive to me."

"I'm serious, Happy."

"Not right now," he reiterated, feeling the high drain away as angst floated to the surface, "Can't we just enjoy this?"

"Fine," she sighed in defeat. She suddenly remembered the start of their conversation when she'd gotten home, "Why're you going to Charming?"

"Guess there's some neo-Nazis or white power or some shit kickin' up."

"In Charming?"

"Those assholes are everywhere," he stated dryly. She leaned back to look at him for a moment, surprised by the acid in his tone. Sure, it was normal to be disgusted by those assholes, but he wasn't one for such a strong reaction.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothin'. Just have some firsthand experience with racial bullshit," he dismissed tiredly as chemical aftershocks drained him.

"From lockup?"

"No, from when I was a kid… There were a few guys in the neighborhood who used to spit shit at my parents for bein' together," he explained lowly, shrugging as if it didn't bother him but she saw the darkness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I never realized…" He'd told her that his Pops was white, and his Ma was Mexican, but they never really got into the details. He was an expert at rerouting the conversation into something else, and he didn't let her stay on one topic for too long. She could tell he didn't want her harping on the subject, but she still wanted to know more about his life growing up. It broke her heart that he dealt with shit like that as a kid.

"'Sfine, it's been a long time; just brings up bullshit I don't like to think about," he stated, running his fingers down her spine in reassurance. It made her feel guilty, like she should be the one comforting him. "Anyway, they got some issue in Charming so I gotta head down. Prolly gonna be making more trips down there…"

"I don't like you making so many long rides," she admitted, chewing on her lip, already knowing how he'd respond. She'd hoped to talk about things more directly, but he'd given her a window to state her feelings, so she took it.

"Says the woman who had me driving the entire seaboard on a weekly basis for a year…" he teased before adding, "The Charming ride ain't so bad. S'long but easy."

"You're always so sore afterward… I worry about you."

"You're always sore after a long ride too and I don't complain," he commented with a lewd smirk.

"Yeah, because you're the one being ridden," she mumbled with an amused eyeroll. She was grateful for the levity, but she saw it for what it was. He was changing the subject.

"Wouldn't be a good Old Lady if you didn't worry," he acknowledged seriously, kissing her forehead, "I'll stop takin' so many long jobs if my shoulder or back starts actin' up. 'sides, you're busy with school anyway; don't need me distracting you."

"I like you distracting me," she mumbled with a huff.

"Remember that next time you storm outta the apartment in the middle of the night 'cause of it."

"Distracting me and being an asshole are two different things," she pointed out, annoyance simmering to the surface.

"I know. That shit was on me."

There were a number of reasons she didn't want him on the road so much. Sure, she wanted him to be home more and to cut back on the bigger runs for her own selfish reasons, but with her brother lying comatose in the hospital, she worried now more than ever that something would happen to him as motorcyclist in general, or his old injuries could flare up and somehow cause permanent damage when he tried to push through the pain like a good soldier.

She cupped his face in her hands, "I love you, you know that right?"

He nodded in acceptance before kissing her. He considered deepening it in hopes of going a second round right there on the kitchen floor, but she pulled back before he had the chance. She glanced at the clock glowing on the microwave in the kitchen.

"Fuck, I still have to read a chapter tonight," she grumbled, curling back up against his bare chest, "I don't want to move."

"See? Distracting your ass already," he teased, "Go get cleaned up. I'll clean up in here and grab some food and you can get to your studying."

"Reading," she corrected impishly.

"Same shit, smart ass," he rolled his eyes, "that's why you're in school and I'm a grease monkey."

"I like you greasy."

"Yea, yea… go on and shower 'fore I fuck you again right here."

"I can make time for that…"

"Go." He nudged her and she groaned in disappointment but rose to her knees taking a moment to steady herself. She glanced back down at him when she heard him snicker.

"What?" she asked and he simple gestured where she had been sitting to the puddle of fluid dripping across his thigh, "Welcome to my life; see how you like walking around with it running down your leg, tough guy."

"Still think it's hot," he stated as she moved to finally stand on her feet over his legs.

"You'd clean up your own mess if you really loved me," she teased lewdly, and his eyebrow rose in contemplation. She laughed as he wrapped his strong around her thighs to hold her in place and traced the inside of her thigh with his tongue. With a giggle she squirmed out of his grip before he could bury his tongue between her legs.

"Hey, you brought it up," he smirked, "You know I don't back down from a challenge. Get back over here."

He reached for her again, but she moved out of his reach and stuck her tongue out.

"Just know that's going in the spank-bank," he mused, and she laughed loudly.

"You licking up your own cum is jerk-off material?"

"Outta you? Fuck yes." He shrugged with an unapologetic grin.

"I'll let you do it if you promise to talk about your feelings afterward."

"My feelings about your pussy? Gladly."

"Not what I meant…" she grumbled walking down the hall.

"I know what you meant, woman. We'll make time to talk, just not right now," he called after her. She hoped in her heart his words weren't a hollow promise. She'd already proven she'd do anything for him, she needed him to do the same.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review to let me your thoughts. Stay safe and healthy- L