Sun And Wind Won't Change You

***** FLASHBACK *****

When I got back to Teller Morrow Automotive, the first thing I noticed was that Opie, Chibs and Kozik hadn't made it back yet. I knew that we were doing our pickups around the same time, but for some reason it still surprised me that I made it back here before them.

Even though helping with wedding preparations was just a cover story, I really did check out the venue once I was out there. Cody had been doing pretty much all of the planning and ordering with Gemma, so I hadn't really been all that involved in planning my twin's wedding. Although that turned out to be pretty great because it gave me a chance to focus on my new restaurant and all of the 'fun' that came with securing all of the necessary permits to do the renovations the building needed for us to open.

The spot that they had chosen was nestled among the trees away from the houses and other buildings on the reservation. Mother Nature had done most of the work to make it a beautiful spot for the wedding. Once Gemma and Cody did their finishing touches, it would be stunning. Bonus points went to them because they managed to find a clearing where the ground was pretty flat and even, so I was confident that I wouldn't do something embarrassing like trip on a root when I was walking to my seat.

Since my brother was nowhere to be seen, I left the 'parcel' I had picked up for him in my truck. I had a box rolling around in the back of my truck from some electronics I had bought that I had put the ammo into to help keep up our ruse. Some might say that move was a bit overboard, but I knew how important it was that Chibs and Piney didn't find out about what I had done, so I was willing to be a bit extreme.

Since making the delivery wasn't going to happen, I figured I would go and check in with Gemma. The garage hadn't been all that busy when I left, but that could have changed while I was away. But fingers crossed it hadn't so that I could knock off early and head home. Happy never knew when he would be able to call (he used the majority of his phone time to check in with his mom), but I always tried to be home during the possible window, just in case.

So far, luck had been on my side when it came to me and Happy, so the outlook for my future luck holding out seemed pretty good. But my bubble burst the second that I stepped into Gemma's office. FUCK! Why didn't I stop while I was ahead?

"Where the hell have you been?"

I stopped short asking, "I beg your pardon?"

Tara stood up from behind the desk and waddled (yeah it sounds cruel, but it was true. She was so pregnant that you really couldn't say that she was walking. But don't worry, I'm not a heartless bitch, I would NEVER say anything like to her face… or out loud.) to get closer to me. I'm sure she was trying to be intimidating, but it really wasn't working on me.

"I asked you where the hell have you been? We needed you here in the garage. That's the reason Gemma called and asked you to come in today."

I opened my mouth to give her a snarky reply, but I forced myself to swallow it. Just a few days ago, Opie had reminded me how ornery and bitchy Donna had been when she was pregnant with Ellie. There had been days when Opie and I had hidden out at the MC's clubhouse to keep from becoming the object of her wrath. And… Right now, I was trying my best to give Tara the same consideration. By that I meant that I avoided being alone in a room with her as much as humanly possible.

I then replied as calmly as I could, "And I have been here, working on as many cars that I could."

"Right. Then you decided to go for a two-hour lunch?"

"What? No, I didn't!"

She put her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot to mirror how annoyed she had become. "Okay. So, I'll ask you yet again… Where they HELL have you been?"

"I was running an errand for Opie."

"An errand…? We aren't paying you to do errands for your brother."

"YOU aren't fucking paying me at all," I spat out with a confident and annoyed bite.

By the look that comment put on Tara's face, you would have thought that I had reared back to land a full forced slap across her face. SHIT! She wasn't supposed to cry. I mean, if she was going to dish it out…

SHIT! Hormones, Andie! She isn't control of her emotions! DAMMIT! This was so NOT a fair fight. FUCK!

"Well… I-if th-that's… that's the w-w-way you f-f-feel…" she tried to reply through her now cascading tears and hiccupping sobs.

My face dropped and I couldn't really find my voice, so I ended up whispering my reply, "Tara… I… I…"

And that was the moment that I became well and truly fucked. As I took a step forward to apologize to her, Gemma stepped into the office from the door to the garage. Of course, the first thing she saw was her visibly distraught, pregnant, soon to be daughter in law with tears pour down her cheeks. No words were exchanged between the two women before Gemma rushed towards Tara to wrap her in a fierce, comforting hug. Gemma stroked Tara's hair while she tried to calm her down but being in Gemma's arms seemed to have the opposite effect. As soon as she was nestled in Gemma's embrace, Tara's tears seemed to fall faster, harder and louder.

While Gemma was doing her best to calm Tara down, she looked up to survey the room. I, of course, made the mistake of standing in her line of sight while she tried to find the origin of Tara's distress. SHIT!

"What did you do?" Gemma practically spat out at me.

"Nothing!" I answered a little too quickly to sound totally convincing and sincere.

Gemma levelled me with a glare that made everyone cringe in a way that only she could while she hugged a still crying Tara more tightly into her chest, "ANDREA… What did you do?"

I know my eyes went wide with shock even though I tried my hardest not to react. I must have looked terrified because I know I felt completely petrified. Seriously, I had NEVER been on the receiving end of Gemma's anger… EVER. (A time or two I was the reason someone else received her withering glare, but I never expected to be on this side of it)

"I… I… I was j-j-just…just defending myself."

"Defending yourself from Tara? Come on, Andrea. Why would you have to do something like that?"

FUCK! Two Andreas in one conversation? THAT was yet another thing that had never happened. How could I fix this? How did anyone get Gemma not to hate them? HAD anyone ever succeeded in redeeming themselves in her eyes? SHIT!

I opened my mouth to make another attempt to mount some sort of defense, but Gemma beat me to the punch. She continued to glare at me with and intensity I didn't think any human could maintain for so long as she added, "You should go now."

"Gemma…" I finally protested through the sob that wanted to take me over.

"NOW, Andrea," she continued over the rest of my words. "I'll call you if we need anything else from you.'

I opened my mouth again, but this time Gemma's steely glare kept me silent. I then backed out of the office, tripping on my feet and the door jamb as I retreated. Gemma then turned her full attention to Tara and making sure that she was comforting her.

***** END FLASHBACK *****

But that call never came. Opie and Dad had kept me p to date about the guys when I couldn't connect with Happy. If they ever asked me about my lack of attendance at TM, I just told them that I was focusing on my restaurant. Luckily, it wasn't a complete lie or else I would have felt a hell of a lot more guilty I said it to them.

"Andie?" Rita Roosevelt called out as she pulled my attention away from the table where Gemma and Tara were currently seated at Rita's fundraiser. "I… I can't thank you enough for everything. The food… the kegs… the soda… your latest donation… I honestly am overwhelmed by your generosity."

When my eyes met Rita's, I finally smiled more easily. "No thanks required, Rita. I keep telling you I'm more than happy to help. I LOVE these gardens. Plus, I owe you for helping me start my garden at home."

She smiled then asked, "And how is it doing? I've assumed it's been doing well since I haven't seen you back at my shop lately."

"Your tips were amazing and it's doing better than I could have ever dreamed. In fact… My pasta sauce is 99% from my garden. The salt and pepper came from the grocery store."

"Really? That's great to hear." She paused to look over her shoulder then said, "Thank you again for everything, Andie. I really appreciate your help today, but I should let you go be with your friends."

"Oh… I…" She started to walk away, so I finished to myself, "Thanks a lot, Rita…" I then noticed that Tig and Chucky were now watching me, so I grumbled pretty much inaudibly, "Fuck my life."

I made up four bowls of spaghetti and sauce and then made my way to their table. I felt like it was a brilliant plan. If they rejected the food, then they would like the snobbish jerks. If they accepted the food, then they would be too busy eating to yell at me.

I cautiously approached the table saying, "Thank you all for coming out to support the cause tonight. If you're hungry, I have spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce from home grown ingredients."

"Homegrown?" Gemma asked as she claimed one of the bowls. "By you?"

I nodded as I watched Chucky and Tig started eating the food I had put down for them. They seemed to be enjoying it, so I quietly answered, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Andie…" She reached out to grip my arm, but I stepped away so that she couldn't touch me. I swear she actually looked sad for the briefest of moments before she her turned her attention to scooping up a forkful of noodles to eat them. As she chewed her food, she gave me wide eyes and asked, "Andie, you made this?"

"It's Luis' recipe," I replied in an almost defensive tone.

"Does that mean it will be added to your menu?" Tig asked.

I smiled warmly at him then answered, "After the reception it's received today, I think I'm going to have to insist it be added."

"You should," Chucky piped up as he finished his dish. "This is really good."

"Thanks, Chucky, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Well… I should leave you all to enjoy the event. Thanks again for coming out."

"Andie!" I paused after I had turned my back on the table to walk away. Before I could turn around, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. "Sweetheart. That dish is beyond amazing, just like the menu at your restaurant. I am so proud of you and the businesses you've built, Baby Girl."

"Really?" I asked as I turned into Gemma's arms to hug her. "I thought that you had written me off months ago."

"Written…? Never, Baby Girl. I could NEVER write you off, EVER." She hugged me tightly then whispered. "You are amazing and I am so proud of all of your accomplishments."

"Really?" I asked as I hugged her back. "Thanks, Mom."

She continued to hug me then quietly asked, "Now will you come sit with us for a couple of minutes? Chucky misses you."

I smiled sheepishly then answered, "Sure… why not?"

I walked over to the picnic table with Gemma's arm wrapped around my shoulders. When she tried to lead me to the seat between her and Tig, I ducked out from under her arm to move over to Chucky's side. Before anyone could question what I was doing, I leaned down to give Chucky a hug.

While I still held him in a tight embrace, I whispered, "I've missed you too." I stood up straight then added in a louder voice, "I'm sorry I haven't had time to be at TM, but…"

"Your restaurant needed your attention," Chucky finished for me. "I accept that. Plus, it's our favorite place to order from now."

"It…? It is?"

Tig pulled my arm until I sat down on the bench to his left. He quickly wrapped an arm around my shoulders and nearly choked me as he hugged me into his side.

"Your place has the best food with the best delivery times in all of Charming," Tig praised before he kissed my hair and hugged me close.

I wrapped an arm around his waist replying, "You're gonna make me blush, Tiggy."

"But it's the truth," Chucky chimed in.

I opened my mouth to reply but was silenced when I heard, "Thank you so much for being part of the committee."

"My pleasure," Tara replied as she shook Rita's hand.

What the fuck? Since when did Tara give a shit about the gardens? I had very personal reasons for donating nearly thirty thousand dollars in cash and refreshments to this event. But Tara? What the hell?

"You didn't know you were on the committee, did you?" Tig asked with an audible chuckle.

Tara shook her head answering, "No."

Tig started laughing so hard that he almost didn't notice that he was choking me. Okay, no… He totally didn't notice until I started tugging on his arm. He finally let up when I dug my nails into his forearm.

"Sorry, Beautiful." He then maneuvered us so that we were straddling the bench and I was leaning, more comfortably, with my back against his chest. "So, tell me, Little One… Why are these gardens so important to you, Andie?"

"Oh… me? Well…" I settled further into his embrace and hugged Tig's arms around my waist. "This was always a refuge for me growing up. Some of my… I… uhh… I… I have some really great memories here."

"Really great memories?" Tig teased. "Please explain that, Beautiful."

"Well… I brought Ty Barnette here and he… we…"

Tig lowered his lips to my ears to quietly ask, "You popped your cherry here?"

I nodded hen turned in his arms to hug him close. "No one else knows that. This place… it's always been MY place…" I kissed his cheek then sat back to look him in the eye. "I wanted my first to be somewhere special and I want other girls to have that same chance. Because this is the most beautiful spot in Charming."

"No, it isn't," Tig whispered as he pulled me into another hug. Before I could protest, he squeezed my torso then whispered, "Your heart is, Andie."

I tried not to laugh as I hugged him replying, "You're too sweet." I then thumped him on the back then kissed his cheek. "But I mean a real place, not your metaphorical bullshit."

"It's not bullshit, Andie. Your amazing heart shines through when you help with things like this. You're a beautiful soul."

"Thanks, Tig. And so are you. Thank you so much for being here when no one else from the club could bother." His eyes went wide in surprise, but I held my hand up to keep him silent. "It's okay. I get that the things that I find important aren't to… the club. That's fine. I just… I just… It would be so much easier if everyone was honest about it and didn't make empty promises."

"Andie…" Tig tried to protest.

That's when Chucky sat up in his spot and said, "Happy couldn't be here even though he really wanted to be here."

I eased myself away from Tig so that I could move over to Chucky's side. I tilted his face up with a gentle hand on his chin as I asked, "Will you please explain that to me, Chucky? Please?"

He nodded then quietly answered, "The clubhouse got shot up. Phil took down one of the shooters, so Happy is trying to make him talk."

"Shooters?" I questioned softly, turning my gaze towards Tig. He nodded causing me to tearfully ask, "The Cartel?""

"Lobos Sonora," Chucky answered.

I frowned then asked both of them, "Did…? Did anyone get hurt?"

"No one from SAMCRO," Tig answered in a very firm tone.

"Thank God," I sighed out.

I stood there trying to hold back my tears, so Tig stood up and wrapped me in a hug saying, "We're whole, Baby Girl. Opie included."

I sniffled in a breath and pulled back to ask him something else, but I then noticed that Rita was calling everyone together. I swiped an arm over my eyes then under my nose. "Good to hear… But it looks like Clay has something to say to us."

While Tig, Chucky and Tara moved towards the stage, I waved Tig off saying, "I just need to make a quick call."

"Alright." He kissed my cheek then added, "Say 'hi' to Happy for me."

But Happy didn't answer his phone. Neither did Opie. Dad ignored both his cell and the landline at the cabin. After Chucky told me that Dad was up at the cabin, I started to formulate a new plan of action while I made my calls.

As I hurried towards my truck, I tried Happy's cell again. I didn't expect him to answer, so it was no surprise when it rolled over to his voicemail again. But this time I left him a message. "Hey, Grumpy… Chucky spilled the beans about what you're doing. I hope you get that asshole to talk. But either way, I… I probably won't be at home when you get back. I want… No, I need to go and check on my dad. If he's going to drink himself to death, I want to make sure he does it on the good stuff at the very least. Take care and I'll see you soon."

I packed a bag of clothes and added in a few bottles of specialty tequila I hadn't shared with Dad yet. I also threw in a couple of bottles of well-aged Scotch too. Hey, I wasn't going to just sit and watch my dad drink. But tequila plus me? BAD combination. I ditched my Yukon at the house and rode my bike up to the cabin. I wasn't worried about getting there safely because I had ridden up there so many times that I could almost do it blindfolded.

I parked my bike at the back of he cabin before I unpacked my bags and walked to the front door. I knocked on the door as I opened it and called out, "Daddy? Dad! It's me…"

"Short Stack?" He questioned as he pulled the door open wider for me. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check on you and…" I placed my two bags on the floor so that I could pull out two of the three bottles of tequila. "And… I wanted to bring you a couple of bottles."

He claimed the bottles from me to scrutinize their labels. When he was done, he turned to me and said, "You know where your room is. I'll get the cards out."

"Really? Thanks, Daddy!"

I hurried down the hall to the sound of Dad's chuckling. It had been a while since we had spent time here together, but I remembered the cabin well. The fact that Dad was ready to welcome me here with open arms meant the world to me and I was better than good to ride that wave.

When I returned to the living room, Dad was still shuffling the deck of cards. I made sure his glass was filled before I sat down and filled my own with Scotch. He watched me with an amused smile on his face. He continued to deal a hand while I watched and sipped from my glass.

"Usual Rummy rules," Dad explained when he finished dealing our hands.

"Really? You are SO going down!"

"You wish, Short Stack."

"Oooh… put your tequila where your mouth is!"

He let out a loud laugh at that. I chuckled heartily when I watched him actually follow that order. Okay, so maybe he was just taking a drink, but the timing was perfect.

Actually, the whole night was pretty perfect. Dad and I drank, A LOT, played cards and reminisced about old times. Dad surprised me with how much he remembered about my youth because I didn't know he had been paying that close of attention. Turns out he actually knew about a couple of the guys I dated in high school. I guess I wasn't as stealthy as I thought I had been back then.

"Short Stack?" Dad called out again.

I didn't open my eyes until I felt him pat me on the back. I blinked a couple of times, but my vision remained pretty blurry when I asked, "Yes, Daddy?"

He chuckled then helped me out of my seat saying, "I think you're ready to call it a night. Come on, Sweetheart."

"But I'm not done kicking your butt…"

"You can try again tomorrow," he replied with an audible chuckle.

He then helped me out of my seat and then down the hall to bed. I practically collapsed once I saw the bed and he even tucked me in. I almost drifted back to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Dad stroking my hair gently helped with that feat.

Before he left the room, Dad leaned down to kiss my head and quietly said, "I love you, Andie."

I kept my eyes closed but made sure to call out, "Love you too, Daddy."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was jostled out of my dreamless sleep by a very loud BANG. I swear it sounded like someone had broken the door down with a battering ram or something. Was someone breaking into the cabin? Or trying to demolish it completely?

Getting out of bed wasn't very graceful, not that anyone was in the room to critique me or my landing. Once I was back on my feet, I stumbled out of the room into the hall. I had to use the wall to help me stay upright as I slowly made my way towards the living room. At least the room wasn't spinning anymore, so I didn't think I was going to hurl right here in the hallway.

"Daddy…? Dad…?"

THUMP!