After we had finished our multi-course dinner, Chucky brought out a delectable chocolate peanut butter cheese cake for all of us to enjoy. I could tell from the looks on Dad's and JC's faces that it was JC who had spilled the beans about my favorite dessert to our chef.

Trust me, I LOVE my dad, but there are definitely a few facts that he doesn't know about me. Don't get me wrong, he knows the truly important stuff, the fundamentals that help mold me into the woman he knew today. But the fun things? Read trivial (Dad's words on more than one occasion, not mine) things? He was still trying to decide if he ever wanted or really needed to know them. When I kissed JC's cheek and said a quiet thank you for the thoughtful dessert, I think the scales started to tip in my favor to convince my Dad that the little, stupid, trivial things really could matter.

After the table was cleared, we were all content to just sit around the table enjoying some after dinner drinks. Most of us were drinking coffee, so it was easy for me to catch Chucky after he poured the end of the pot of coffee along with a generous shot of Bailey's into my mug.

"Yes, Miss Mia? Was there something else that you wanted? Something else I can get for you?"

The way he asked the question made me feel like I was a Disney princess who could ask for the moon and he would find some way to make sure that it was delivered. Instead of such an outlandish request, I replied, "Could I bother you for a hug?" He just stared at me in confusion for a second, so I felt compelled to explain my request to him. "I just wanted to thank you for all of your hard work. The food… our meal that you prepared was unbelievably delicious. Thank you so much, Chucky, for all of your hard work."

He then leaned in to wrap his arms around me in a friendly hug and then quietly said, "The secret ingredient in tonight's meal is love."

I tightened my arms around him and chuckled softly. "Believe me, I know that it was. Thank you again, Chucky. I can't even begin to explain how much I appreciate it."

"You are very welcome, Maria."

He then hurried back to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee while we all sat around the table and tried to let our dinner digest. I know that I ate way too much food, but I refused to accept full responsibility or blame for it. Chucky had basically made a full Thanksgiving feast with a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, steamed veggies and gravy, so who could blame a girl when she chose to indulge? It wasn't like I was the only one who had tonight.

Someone had turned on some music while we rested around the table and suddenly there were a bunch of people… ahem women… who hadn't been present for dinner dancing on a makeshift dancefloor in the clubhouse. Nero and Gemma were the first couple from the table to join them during one of the slower songs that were playing. Personally, I was more than happy to just sit and watch them dance because I felt like I was more than ready to burst and worried that too much movement would be the cause of something unfortunate, like my dinner coming up the wrong way.

That was until I heard a familiar piano and guitar melody playing. They were soon accompanied by one of my favorite voices on the planet singing, "Wise men say…"

"Nena? May I have this dance?"

I stared at my dad's hand and then up at his face feeling too stunned to answer him. Dad had been teasing me about my taste in music since he found out how obsessed with Elvis I was when I was a little girl. When I moved back to Charming, he pretended to be surprised that that hadn't changed.

"Dad?" I questioned with pure confusion in my tone once I found the ability to speak again.

First, my dad wasn't a dancer. He was always noticeably absent whenever music started, and the dancefloor opened up at any club get togethers, even at weddings. Second, he hated… and I mean HATED sappy music in every shape and form. If it wasn't death metal, he acted like it made his ears bleed. I was finally able to find a happy medium with him in my truck by finding some classic rock like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.

While I was still mentally trying to decide if my dad had completely lost his mind or not, I felt him tug on my hands to force me up onto my feet.

"The damned song will be over before we get out there at his fucking rate," he growled once I was on my feet.

That comment made me laugh out loud. I was being stupid, so I hugged him and then let him lead me out to the makeshift dance floor. "There you are, Daddy. I thought that I had lost you for a minute."

"Never, Baby Girl. You will never lose me, if I have something to say about it."

He gave me a proper hug and then he maneuvered us so that I was held comfortably in his arms. I let my hands fall to his waist so that I could place my head on his shoulder. I felt like a little girl dancing with her daddy by standing on his feet at a family party. I know that was a ridiculous thought because I was an adult and I had never done such a thing with either my father or my so called step-dad. But the feelings of comfort and joy I felt right then were what I was sure little girls felt during a moment such as this.

Chibs stepped up behind where Juice was still seated at the table watching Mia dance with Happy. He placed a firm hand on each of Juice's shoulders and gave then a hard squeeze.

"I don't know about you, but I think that would be the perfect song for the Father/Daughter dance. Don't you think so, Juicy?"

Juice turned in his seat so that he could see Chibs to ask, "What the fuck are you talking about, Old Man?"

Chibs gave his shoulders another firm squeeze before he pulled up a chair to sit down beside Juice. They both continued to watch Happy dance with his daughter as Chibs answered, "You aren't seriously telling me that you haven't thought about tying the knot with our little Mia, are you?"

"What?" Juice questioned as he turned to give Chibs wide eyes. Chibs just smirked as Juice continued, "Marriage? She and I just started dating, so no. No, I haven't given marriage any thought yet."

"Well, Sonny, you might want to start… and soon. You and I both know he'll be thinking she's a virgin until she gets herself married…" He shook his head at the disbelieving look on Juice's face. "It's the little white lie we all tell ourselves about our little girls to keep from gutting our Baby Girl's boyfriends. Trust me, Brother, you'll want to have a ring on her finger before you have any 'accidents'."

"What? She… We… We're careful."

"Careful… Alright… Are you…?"

Chibs fell silent when he saw Chucky rush over to open the clubhouse door. He wasn't sure who he expected to be on the other side of it, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't shocked to see Lieutenant Roosevelt walk through the door.

He then completely abandoned is conversation with Juice and jumped to his feet and rushed oved to where Jax and Bobby were having a quiet, private conversation.

"Da fuck is Eli doing here?" Chibs asked both of them as he made his approach.

Jax just shook his head to say that he had no idea while Bobby asked, "You don't think he's here for Mia, do you?"

"Tis the only thing that makes sense, Brother," Chibs replied hoping that one of them would have a better answer to his question.

Eli spoke softly to Chucky when he first stepped inside and then he waited at the door. Chucky looked nervous, well more nervous than usual, as he moved to follow the Lieutenant's request. But, before he could get too deep into the clubhouse, Gemma completely blocked his path.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded of the Lieutenant with her hands on her hips.

He instinctively held his hands up and very politely answered, "I was just hoping to get a chance to speak to Mia. She wasn't at home, so I thought this would be the next best place to check to try to find her."

"And you need to talk to her about…?"

Gemma didn't get a chance to finish her question. She was cut off by Happy angrily shouting, "No! No, you have nothing to say to her!"

He rushed towards the lawman, but he hit a wall of his brothers instead of an empty path. They all worked at holding him back because he was practically foaming at the mouth. Eli just took a step back closer to the door and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. Not really the easiest thing to do when you're dressed in a uniform where a taser, baton, gun and handcuffs on your waist were standard issue.

I nearly ran over to my seat so that I could grab my shawl and wrap it around me. JC tried to catch my arm to stop me from moving away from him, but I just wrapped the silk around my torso and quietly, but firmly, stated, "I need to get over there before Dad does something really stupid." I placed a solid kiss on his lips then nearly pleaded, "Please don't let Dad do anything that he'll… that I'll regret."

JC smiled softly then replied, "I promise that I'll do what I can."

Knowing that was the best that I could hope for, I continued towards the large group forming by the door. I wanted to say something helpful and comforting to my dad, but I couldn't immediately find the words. Plus, it looked like Bobby and Chibs had been able to successfully talk Dad down, so I worried that if I attempted to say anything else, that I would inadvertently undo all of their hard work.

After I carefully skirted around where Dad and his Brothers were standing, I pulled my shawl more tightly around myself in a minute measure of comfort as I quietly called out, "Lieutenant? You…? You wanted to talk to me?"

Gemma stepped in front of me to block my path and my line of vision to the Lieutenant. "You don't have to talk to him, Baby Girl. Jax is calling Lowen right now, so you can wait until she gets here before you do this with him, if you want."

"Thanks, but I think I'll be able to take care of this just fine, Momma Bear." I moved to step around her, but Gemma grabbed my shoulder to stop me in my place. Before she could attempt to mount a new argument, I explained quietly, "He's here alone. If he was going to arrest me, he would have brought in the SWAT team with him to make sure that he could keep Dad under control. I've got this. Trust me, please?"

I think the last 'please' and the begging tone I used did the trick. Gemma gave me a resolute nod then kissed my cheek and said softly into my ear, "I trust you, Baby Girl. But you just yell, and we'll all be over here in a heartbeat to help you."

"Thank you, Gemma. I REALLY appreciate it more than you know."

She then walked over to the group of men who were now just watching us talk. I almost laughed when I noticed that Chibs and Bobby hadn't fully released their hold on Dad's shoulders and upper arms, even though he didn't seem to notice it or be bothered by it at all. Gemma then gave Dad a hug and quietly said something to him. After that, he allowed her to wrap an arm around his shoulders to easily lead him deeper into the clubhouse.

Crisis averted, I thought to myself as I let out a long, relieved sigh.

After taking in a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and took a couple of steps towards where Roosevelt was standing silently watching the show that we were all putting on for him. I gave him a bright smile then said, "Sorry about all of that, Sir. Why don't we step outside so that we can talk without interruption?"

"HAPPY! NO!"

I whipped around when I heard JC's panicked voice. He was now helping Chibs, Bobby and Tig hold Dad back. I had no idea what had Dad so riled up. Roosevelt hadn't made any moves to touch me in any way. I was fully covered up and was barely showing any skin at all above my waist and yet he had a wild look in his eyes that was usually accompanied by someone getting to know a world of pain at his hand. Why was Dad slipping into full serial killer mode right now?

"Stay where I can see you!" He finally shouted as everyone struggled to hold him back.

OH… That…

"Aye Dios Mio! Fuck!" I mumbled to myself before I turned my attention back to the Lieutenant. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Roosevelt. I guess we have to stay inside here to talk. I hope that's okay with you."

He spared a glance in Dad's direction ad he replied, "No need to apologize Mia. I should be begging your forgiveness for breaking up the party early. Or should I have said, breaking up YOUR party early?"

I laughed politely then replied, "It's really Gemma's party. I'm just the excuse she's using to host it. So? What can I do for our fine Sheriff's department tonight? Are you finally bringing your fleet in for those upgrades that I told you about?"

Now it was his turn to issue a heartfelt chuckle before answering, "No Mia, I've already told you that we can't look at any expenditures like that until my next fiscal year. I just can't justify such frivolous spending right now."

"Frivolous spending?" I tapped my left eyebrow while maintaining painfully direct eye contact with Roosevelt. "I guess I just thought that you would go to the mucky mucks from the county and explain that we're living in tumultuous times in Charming and that you are just looking out for the best interests of your Deputies. Y'know, that you're just trying to ensure they get home safe after every shift?"

"Wow. If I ever have to do that, I will most definitely be calling on you to speak on our behalf. But no, a new business venture isn't why I'm here right now."

"Oh? So…? Why are you here, Lieutenant?"

He smiled then handed me something that looked like a CD-R in its jewel casing. "I wanted to give you this, Mia."

"Oh?" I questioned in a confused tone at his casual use of my nickname as opposed to the fact that he was giving me a gift. "You made me a mix CD?"

Roosevelt stared at me for a second before he barked out a loud laugh. "No, Mia. It isn't a mix CD. And this isn't the eighth grade. That right there is the surveillance video Juan Carlos burned for me the other night."

I know I just stared at him with a confused look on my face, but I truly was so perplexed I couldn't help it. Why was he giving it to me now? What the hell did he think I had done that was worse than what he witnessed on this recording?

"Mia? Are you okay?" He asked in a soft, kind voice.

I held the CD case up then stuttered out, "Wh-why are you giving this to me? Wh-what'd…? What do you think…? What'd I do?"

He reached out and gripped my forearm gently in a comforting gesture. "Mia, I'm not here… You didn't…" He stopped there and shook his head to regroup. "Mia, I just wanted to come by to tell you that I had a meeting with the D.A. this afternoon. She agrees with the Sheriff's department and the incident caught on that surveillance tape has officially been classified an act of self-defense. You will not be going to jail, let alone trial, for what you had to do to keep yourself safe."

"Seriously?" I asked as tears sprang into my eyes.

His tone somehow softened even more than it had been before as he replied, "Seriously. You…"

He lost the rest of his words as I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. I sniffled in a breath and then started to cry against his shoulder causing him to place a comforting hand on the back of my head.

"Shh, Mia. It's okay. You were just defending yourself and now that's what's on record."

As he stroked my head, I tried to calm my tears and slow my breathing. After I few seconds, I pushed myself back so that I could look up into Roosevelt's face. "Th-th-thank you, Lieu… Lieu…"

"Eli, Mia," he interrupted with a warm smile. "After everything we've been through together, I think you've earned the right to call me Eli."

"Alright," I replied as I accepted the Kleenex he was offering me. "Thank you, Eli. Thank you for everything you've done to help me. I… I don't think I would survive even one day in County, so I'm beyond relieved that you've made sure I won't be going there."

"I don't know about that," he countered with a warm, almost teasing, tone.

He paused there to let Dad reclaim the role of my comforter by hugging me into his chest. I really hoped that Dad wasn't trying to be intimidating because Eli really didn't deserve that from any of us, especially Dad, right now.

"Mia, I think you're stronger than you and some people give you credit for." He shared a look with Dad that I couldn't decipher then added, "You definitely can be your Father's daughter… and I mean that with the utmost respect and as a compliment. I'm sorry that I had to intrude on your night, but I hope my news hasn't put a damper on your celebrations at all."

"It hasn't," Dad replied as he passed me off to Tara. "It just gives us another reason to celebrate. Thank you, Lieutenant. My Mia… She really doesn't belong behind bars, so thank you for keeping her a free woman."

Eli watched as Tara led Mia towards one of the restrooms as he said, "You're right. Mia is a very bright and talented woman. She really doesn't deserve to be brought down by anyone… like the criminal element… who attacked her here the other night."

Roosevelt's deliberate pauses weren't lost on Happy in the least. Or anyone else in SAMCRO for that matter. Jax wasn't looking to start a fight with the Sheriff's department over a war of words, so he rushed over to Happy's side to try to run interference between the two other men.

As he wedged his body between the two of them, Jax gave Roosevelt a disarming, warm smile and said, "And we thank you for the good news, Lieutenant. Like Happy said, now we have a new reason to celebrate. But… Was there anything else that you needed to talk to any of us about?"

Eli nodded towards the door to silently ask Jax to speak with him privately outside. Chibs and Bobby appeared, almost magically, at each of Happy's sides to lead him away from their President and the Lieutenant with a couple of quick words of gratitude to the lawman.

Once he was sure that Happy was handled and under his Brothers' control, Jax escorted Eli out the door and closed it quietly behind himself.

"What else did you need to tell me about?" Jax asked once he was assured that they were completely alone.

Roosevelt actually looked over each of his own shoulders before he answered, "I honestly don't know if what happened to Mia is connected to the home invasions or not. We haven't been able to find anything that connects him to Pope or any other crew that we know might have a beef with the MC. We're still working on that angle, but in all honesty, I don't know why he would be sent to attack Mia or any other employee here at TM. I'm sorry, it isn't a great update, but that's the best that I can tell you right now, Jax."

"That's alright. Thanks for the information, Eli. We'll keep working on the why on our end and we'll let you know if and when we figure anything out. And you will be the first person to know if it has anything to do with the home invasions because that shit has got to stuff."

Roosevelt placed his hat back on his head saying, "Alight, good. I'm glad we're on the same page about that."