Disclaimer: I don't own Sons of Anarchy or anything else associated with the franchise. All that beautiful goodness comes from its creators. Thank you

Note: Should have put this in the first chapter that this story spans from season 1 up to the beginning of season 4. Please pay close attention to the dates as they will jump around in time, I made them in bold in hopes they will be easier to notice. Story is rated M for mature themes, language and sexual content.

Note 2: I know that the time line doesn't add up well in the show, so I adhere to my own timeframe to make it work…hopefully

October 10th, 2008

Tara stood nervously in front of Clary's door taking a few deep breaths trying to calm herself. She had been excited all week about this little planned meeting and now that it was here, she worried she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Glancing back at her car she pondered for a quick second if she should just get back in and head home.

"Come on Tara get it together," she whispered to herself.

Stepping forward she knocked on the door and right away she could hear Clary's muffled voice approaching. The door swung open and Tara was greeted by Clary who stood in the doorway with a blinding smile, "Tara you made it! Come in, come in."

"Thank you."

Clary stepped aside letting Tara into the house as she glanced outside her eyes moving from her drive way and down along the street. Gripping the door, she started to close it when her eyes landed on a silver car parked at the curb just in front of her neighbor's house. She could make out the form of someone sitting in the car facing her direction. Her eyes glanced back and forth from Tara's car and the silver one for a second before stepping backwards into the house. Pushing the door shut Clary turned around to see Tara patiently waiting for her in the hallway.

"Can I get you a glass of wine?" Clary smiled walking towards the kitchen.

Tara nodded following her, "Yes please."

"Red or White?"

"Red, cab if you have any."

Clary grinned, "Ahh I knew we were going to get along."

She headed towards the kitchen cabinets standing up on her tip toes she grabbed an unopen bottle from the shelf. Tara watched as she pulled a wine opener from a drawer and opened the bottle while grabbing a glass. She poured an ample amount of wine into the glass before walking over and handing it to her.

"This way." Clary titled her head signaling Tara to follow.

The two women left the kitchen walking across the hallway into the living room. Entering the room Tara caught sight of Josie laying on the floor drawing with baby crowns on a giant blanket sketch pad. Clary picked up her tea mug from the coffee table before taking a seat on the couch, "Can you say hi Josie?"

Tara watched as the toddler blatantly ignored her and just kept drawing. Clary sighed making her laugh as she took a seat on the other end of the couch.

"Sorry she's been kind of crabby all day."

Tara smiled, "It's ok, toddlers seem to live by their own set of rules."

"Isn't that the truth," Clary laughed taking a sip of tea before speaking again, "So Tara what brought you back to Charming? Your dad said you were doing exceptionally well in Chicago."

She lifted the glass of wine to her lips as she answered, "I came back for my dad's funeral and realized just how much I missed this place."

"You didn't come back for Jackson?"

A small laugh escaped her, "Jax and I are ancient history."

"I'm sure it is," Clary retorted with a devilish smirk.

A deep red blush spread across her face and she quickly took a sip of her wine. Gulping down the red liquid her eyes trailed back to Clary's face, "Why did you move to Charming?"

"After my dad passed, I didn't have any reason to stay in North Carolina and all the best memories of my childhood were my visits here."

Tara's brow furrowed, "You visited Charming before?"

A bright smile spread across Clary's face as she leapt to feet and quickly left the room leaving Tara staring after her. A few seconds later she returned carrying a box that she opened as she dropped back down onto her spot on the couch. Dropping the lid to the floor she started pulling photographs from the box shuffling through them before finding what she was looking for. She held the photo out towards Tara shaking it let her know to take it.

Tara reached out plucking the photograph from her hands and bringing it towards her so she could see it properly. Looking down she was greeted by the smiling faces of a young Jackson Teller, Opie Winston and what she could assume was a little Clara Winston. Jax and Opie were easy to identify since she had already seen dozens of their childhood photographs from her earlier days of dating Jackson. They had to be about five years old, Clara was wedged between the two boys her adorable little pudgy face smiling brightly at the camera.

"My dad used to do training exercises or some type of secret co-op shit during the summers. While he was gone my mother would rent an apartment or a house here so I could spend time with my cousin."

A few more photographs were handed to Tara as Clary spoke. Photographs ranging the children's ages from 1 to 8, most of them were pictures of the trio however some of them included Thomas while some were duo pictures of either Clara and Opie or Clara and Jax.

Tara glanced over them, "You three seem to be really close."

"We might not have come from the same parents, but Opie and Jax are my brothers. Jax is the one who started calling me Clary."

"Really?" Tara chuckled.

"Yeah he said Clara sounded too fancy."

A blush crossed over Tara's features at her next question, "Have you and Jax ever…."

"No never, like I said I see Jackson as my brother." Clary chuckled.

Tara brushed her hair back with her hand, "He told me you were a bit of a free spirit with an aversion to committed relationships."

"Is that so?" Clary laughed, "That was a sweet way to say I'm a whore."

"Oh no, he didn't mean it like that that. He was just trying to explain in an easy way your relationship with Tig and Juice. I was just surprised by it."

Clary nodded, "Sex isn't complicated if you take away the idea of being in love."

"You don't love either of them?"

"I love them both, just not in love."

Sipping her wine Tara lowered the glass and swirled the red liquid around as she looked up to make eye contact with the woman before her, "Have you ever been in love?"

Her lips turned upwards forming a small smile her eyes growing sad, "Once a lifetime ago."

Tara opened her mouth to probe that statement further but quickly it closed when she realized pushing Clary on that may lead to a conversation about her own relationship with Jax. She knew right now any conservation about her relationship with Jax would just force her to face feelings she wasn't quite ready to face.

A silence formed between them and Clary started to shift through the photographs again. She flipped through them before stopping on one her thumb running over the top of the photograph before looking back up at Tara. Smiling she held the picture out for Tara to take it.

Tara took the image and looked down at the smiling face of a younger Gemma her cheek flushed with that of a young beautiful chocolate haired woman. The unknown woman was beyond gorgeous with perfect manicured eyebrows, full lips, square face shape and hazel eyes sparkling at the camera.

"Gemma and my mother Giselle became really good friends during our visits out here," Clary smiled.

"I didn't realize that Gemma could genuinely get along with other women."

Clary chuckled, "Anyone who knew my mother said she could make friends with a grizzly bear if she tried."

"That would be the best description of Gemma."

The two women stared at one another after Tara's little quip silently for a second before they both started laughing. Josie glanced over her shoulder giving the braying women an annoyed look before going back to her drawing. Tara reached up to wipe the moisture from the corner of eyes, "You know you look just like her and from what I hear about you, your also good at making friends."

Clary took the photograph back from Tara and stared down at it with sad smile, "She grew up in an orphanage in some small town in the middle of France. When she was sixteen, her and some friends moved to Paris. From what I know she spent some years doing a few odd jobs and when she was in her early twenties, she planned a trip to New York to visit some of her friends that came here to work. She was taking a flight out of Amsterdam and while in the airport she bumped into some military man. Like some scene from a movie, she dropped all her things to the ground and he very gentlemanly picked everything up for her. She always told me that some smiles were exchanged, but she hadn't gotten his name. But when she boarded her flight her seat mate happened to be the same man from before."

"Your dad?"

"Yep, Mom always told me the story like it was some type of fairy tale. They spent the whole flight talking and when they landed my father canceled his next flight to North Carolina and asked my mom if she would like to do a road trip to see the real United States. She didn't think twice, they rented a car and spent the next few weeks driving around, falling in love. They got married two months after meeting."

Clary shuffled through some more photographs before finding the one she was looking for. It was picture of her parents when her mother was pregnant with her. She handed the image to Tara, who looked down at the hard face of Archibald Winston, Piney's older brother. He had the same towering height as Opie, broad shouldered and extremely muscular from his work in the military. His handsome face was marred by a scar that ran along the left side, making him even more intimidating.

"He looks rather formidable, Jax said that him and Piney had some bad blood between them."

A small laugh escaped Clary at Tara's use of the word to describe him, "Formidable…kind of an understatement when it came to him. My dad was an unforgiving man, who hated my uncle for leaving the service and becoming a biker. If it was up to my father, I would never have been given the opportunity to meet Piney or Opie."

"Then how did you end up visiting here during the summers?"

"My mother always wanted a large family and unfortunately she suffered some complications during my birth which resulted in her to be unable to have any more children. It was because of her desire that I have a family that she never got a chance to have growing up that my father reached out to reestablish a relationship with Piney."

Tara smiled, "He must have really loved her."

"My father had a lot of demons that he developed during the Vietnam war. According to him there was something about her that made all the bad things that plagued him disappear. He always said there wasn't anything he wouldn't have done for her."

"What happened to her?"

Clary looked down sadly at the photograph of her parents, "She was murdered in our driveway when I was eight."

"Oh my god," Tara whispered reaching down to place her hand on Clary's knee, "I'm so sorry."

"She had been out Christmas shopping and some guys followed her home. Why one guy waited in their car the other one ran up to steal my mom's car as she was getting out of it. I had heard her pull into the driveway and went running outside to greet her. I must have surprised the guy when I shouted for her, because he shot her in the abdomen. He stole the car and left my mother bleeding out in the driveway."

Tara gripped her wine glass tightly as she stared at Clary horrified, "Did the police ever find the guys?"

"No, they never did."

December 7th, 1987

The taxi came to a lurching halt in front of a small grey ranch that belong to the eldest Winston brother. Piney shoved the door open roughly climbing out the back and onto his feet. He glanced at the house for a moment before leaning down to stare into the front passenger window, "Wait here."

After the cab driver nodded in understanding Piney turned back to house and slowly made his way up the walk way. As he approached his mind drifted back to the phone call, he had received two days ago that had led him to boarding an airplane and flying all the way to the other side of the country. He was lucky he had been home to answer the phone that afternoon and that he hadn't hung up right away when no one respond to his greeting.

He called out several hellos and just as he was about to hang up, he could make out shuffling sounds before a woman with a heavy German accent had answered the phone. She had immediately apologized for the phone call, unsure why Clara had dialed the number. At the mention of Clara Piney quickly explained that she was his niece. To his horror the woman informed him of what had happened to Giselle and that Clara must have called him to tell him.

Once the phone call was over Piney drove over to Gemma's to deliver the news. She had been devasted by it, but had immediately order Piney to head to North Carolina and bring Clara back with him. Piney had refused and the pair had argued for an hour before Gemma had pointed out to what kind of life a little girl was going to have being raised by a man like Archibald Winston. Knowing she was right he had the club's information specialist book him a flight under a different identity since he technically couldn't leave California.

Reaching the door, he knocked and after a few seconds it swung open revealing his older brother's face. Piney watched as his eyes grew cold and his lips thinned to an angry scowl, "What are you doing here Piermont?"

"I heard about Giselle, Arch. Why didn't you say anything?" he asked softly trying not rouse his brother's anger any more than it always was.

Archibald glared at him, "Because it's not any of your concern."

"Of course, it's my concern you're my family."

"We don't need you."

"And what about Clara?" Piney growled.

His brother's eyes darkened, "What about her?"

Piney sighed, his shoulders slumping, "I'm really sorry about what happened to Giselle. She was a fine lady that didn't deserve that, but when she was alive her greatest desire was to have Clara being raised by all her family."

"What are you trying to say?" his voice was hard as he stepped out onto the porch pulling the door shut behind him.

Piney kept his head up staring him in the eyes, "I came here to see if you would let me bring Clara back to Charming with me. She is going to need a woman to raise her, and both Mary and Gemma already love her like a daughter. Besides Clara loves Opie, she should be able to grow up with her cousin."

"I just lost my wife and now you're coming here hoping to take my daughter from me?" Archibald growled his face growing red in anger.

The biker's hands rose up slowly trying show he didn't mean any harm, "I'm just worried about her, Arch. You work long hours and travel frequently for the military. How are you supposed to take care of her? How is she going to have a normal life if your gone all the time?"

"I'll take care of my child, my way." Archibald spoke his voice deadly calm as he glared at his brother and pointed to the waiting taxi, "Now get off my property or I'll contact your parole officer. I doubt their aware that you left the state, it would be disappointing for your boy if you ended up back in jail."

Piney stepped back at the seriousness in his brother's eyes when he spoke. Knowing that he wouldn't hesitate in following through on his threat Piney gave him in a hard look in return before turning around and heading back down the walk way. He was half way back to the cab when he heard the door shut up and close behind him. Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder back to the house he caught sight of a small face staring out of a window.

He stopped turning around to see Clara standing at a window, one of her little hands pressed against the glass as she stared out at him with tears streaming down her face. His heart dropped in his chest at the sight and all he wanted to do was stormed into the house and take her back to Charming with him. Yet, he knew if he took one step into the house Archibald would shoot him, family or not it wouldn't matter.

Knowing he didn't have a choice he turned away from the house and quickly climbed into the cab, "Airport."

The cab driver quickly shifted into drive lurching away from the curb. As the car pulled away Piney stared forward not willing to look back at the house, his heart breaking into pieces leaving that sweet little girl behind.

December 15th, 1987

Clary blinked, looking up from the work book sitting on the table to the door that someone had just knock on. The older grey-haired woman sitting across from her stared at the door too before speaking in her heavy German accent, "Wonder who that is."

She climbed up from the table walking to the front door as Clary watched her unmoving from the kitchen table. Reaching the door, she pulled it opened to see Clary's father standing on the other side.

"Archibald you're here early." She smiled softly pulling the door all the way open so he could enter.

The man smiled stepping into the house nodding his head respectfully to the older woman, "Yes, ma'am. I've come to collect Clara."

At the sound of her father's voice Clary immediately began to collect her books off the table, shuffling forward towards the door before her father could call for her. She approached him turning to the door when he placed his hand of her shoulder to steer her in the direction.

"Thank you, Ms. Krause. I'll see you tomorrow." Clary announced sweetly to the woman as she walked out the house.

Archibald's perfect smile remained in place, "Thank you Ingrid."

"Any time, Archibald. I do enjoy watching her." She responded watching the duo leave.

Clary started to walk across the grass heading in the direction of their home when her father called out, "This way Clara."

She stopped mid stride turning in his direction as he walked toward the street heading for his 1981 Lincoln Continental parked at the curb. Clary remained in place staring in confusion as to why he had parked in the street instead of the drive way. He stopped at the car pulling the driver side door open before looking back at her.

"Get in the car!" he barked as he climbed into the vehicle.

Holding her books tightly to her chest she ran forward, stopping at the rear passenger side door and quickly grabbing the handle to open it. Pulling the door open she climbed into the back seat pushing her books down its length so she could climb into the seat. Once she was in, she pulled the door close and pulled her seat belt in place before her father could scold her for taking too long. After securing the belt she looked up to the rearview mirror catching sight of her father watching her. Seeing that she was ready he shifted the car into drive and drove down the street heading out of the neighborhood.

Clary stared out the window as they drove down the road heading out of the small town, they called home. Her father drove several minutes on the state road before turning off on a dirt path. When he turned, she caught sight of an abandoned factory sitting not too far off from the main road. She glanced to her father, perplexed as to why they were coming here.

Archibald parked the car in front of the old building that had once been a textile mill. He climbed out, slamming the door shut he walked around to pull the passenger side rear door open.

"Come on," he ordered.

She slipped out the car and stepped to the side so her father could shut the door. He slammed it closed and immediately proceed in the direction of factory. Clary followed closely behind him glancing around the empty lot wondering what was going on. Reaching a door Archibald pulled it open and held it for Clary, "Go inside Clara."

Clary looked up at him confused for a second before she moved forward. She took a few steps onto the large factory floor, and the first thing she noticed was a foul stench mixed with a decay of the old building. Her eyes moved around the wide-open space before they settled onto two forms hanging from chains. She froze unwilling to move forward as she stared at the two men hanging with their arms up over their heads.

"This way," Archibald order walking past her and towards the men.

She stumbled forward following closely behind her father, growing more and more terrified as they approached them. When they were a few feet away Archibald held his hand up to stop her. The foul stench had grown stronger the closer they got, she realized it was the smell of urine and feces meaning they had probably been there a few days. Both men were white, probably in their thirties, one had black hair while the other had dirty blonde. Clary halted looking up at him unsure as he stared forward at the men, "Do you know who these men are Clara?"

The pair were staring at her with panicking eyes, their mouths covered with tape and she looked at them searching their faces before answering, "No."

Archibald turned his head to give her a hard look and she quickly answered again, "No, sir."

"These men," he pointed at them making her look up at them again, "are the men who killed your mother…. left her alone to bleed to death."

He stepped forward ripping the tape from both the men's faces making them groan in pain. Once the sting of the tape removal subsided both men starting begging, "Please man, it was accident."

"You murdered her for a few toys and a cheap watch," Archibald growled circling them as he spoke. Clary watched him with horrified eyes, a madness had developed on his features that terrified her.

The one with dirty blonde hair looked at him with pleading eyes, "I didn't mean to shoot her. The kid surprised me when she shouted, accidently pulled the trigger."

Clary's eyes widen at the man's words, her heart hammering in her chest when she realized it had all been her fault. Her father glared at the man who had spoken before pulling a hand gun from his belt and shooting the dark-haired man in the face. The blonde man started screaming as his partners body slumped lifeless in the chains.

"Your blaming my daughter for you shooting my wife."

The blonde sobbed as he dangled helplessly, "No…man…no."

Tears were pouring down Clary's cheeks as she stared at the ground unwilling to watch what would happen next as her father circled the man. Archibald stopped next to him pointing the gun against the man's temple before looking over at his daughter.

"Please man, I'm sorry." The blonde cried.

He lowered the weapon and walked over to Clary stopping in front of her to block her sight of the blonde. Staring down at her, "Clara."

She looked up at him, tears still falling like a river from her eyes. A sniffle escaped her lips as she tried her best to keep herself from sobbing loudly. Archibald bent down so he was eye level with her, "Stop crying Clara. Crying is for children, and you're not one of those anymore."

As he spoke, he grabbed her hands pushing the gun into them before rising up and stepping around behind her. She turned her head looking up at her father horrified. He placed his hand on top of her head turning forcing her to look back at the blonde.

"It's just like when we go hunting." He spoke from behind her, "And stop crying."

Clary took a deep breath pushing away the tears as she gripped the gun looking at the man. He was crying, snot sliding down his face as he looked at her whispering please over and over again. She trembled, she hated every single time she was made to go camping and hunting with her father. Every time she had been forced to kill an animal for food broke her heart, shooting a man…. she couldn't.

"Clara, this man killed your mother." Archibald whispered behind her when he noticed her hesitation, "I found them because the police were too lazy to do their jobs. If we give him to them, he will just go to jail for manslaughter and be back out of the streets in the a few years. While that beautiful woman is gone forever."

"Please I'm sorry, I'll do anything." The blonde wailed.

She remained frozen holding the gun in her little hands while her father started growing impatient behind her. He crouched back down to whisper in her ear, "Think about her Clara. How you watched her bleed out on the pavement. That man did that to her."

Her eyes cast down at the memory of her mother laying on the ground, blood spilling from the gunshot wound to her stomach. Even as she was dying her mother was staring at her with loving eyes mouthing the words, I love you to her. By the time she had heard her dad screaming her mother's name, her mother's eyes had gone blank and her body was motionless.

Clary looked back up, raising the gun up at the man who howled begging for forgiveness. She gripped the gun tightly as her father growled behind her ear, "Do it Clara."

"NOW!" he roared suddenly.

The sound of the gunshot quelled his rage and he looked up to see blood spilling from a hole in the blonde's chest. Clary watched as the man's head slumped to the side, his eyes focused on her as he bled out.

"Good girl," her father spoke from behind her.

Clary didn't acknowledge him, she sat the gun down on the ground and slowly turned around. Archibald watched as she walked away from him, staring forward without blinking or without looking back at him. She walked slowly to the door with her head held high, and when she reached the exit, she pushed it open.

She stepped out of the factory pushing the door shut behind her and continued forward walking calmly back to the car. After reaching the vehicle, she pulled the rear passenger door open and quickly climbed inside. She pulled the door shut and sat back against the seat, staring forward at the back of the seat in front of her taking deep breaths.

Several minutes passed before she turned her head to look down at all her books in the seat next to her. She reached over plucking the German language book from the pile and leaned back onto her seat. Pulling the book into her lap she opened it and started reading pushing everything else into the farthest depths of her mind.