Marks volunteered Tiny (he hadn't introduced us at all, so I had to go with my own nickname for him) to drive me home following the tow truck with the motorcycle on it. I quickly called Leo to apologize for missing our meeting. Turned out that he had a family emergency, so he was going to call to reschedule anyways. I'm not going to lie, but I started to breathe a bit easier after Leo told me that because I was worried, I had royally screwed myself over by 'flaking' on him.

When we finally made it back to TM, I hesitated before I reached for the door handle. It didn't hit me until we got back to the garage how having the bike towed would look to the guys at the garage. If I had of been thinking I would have had them drop me off a block away and driven it back the rest of the way. But then again, I obviously wasn't using my brain today, so it was just par for the course today, I guess.

"Miss?"

I startled out of my thoughts and turned to catch Tiny's eyes in the rearview mirror as I absentmindedly finger combed my now loose hair. "Sorry. Thank you for the ride. I'll get out of your hair now."

"It's no problem."

I then quickly opened the back door and got out. I really didn't want to embarrass myself any more than I already had, so I didn't say anything else. Plus, there was no point in delaying the inevitable, so I braced myself for the teasing I knew I would be getting from the other mechanics.

"Did something happen with the bike? Because Joey said it was good to go," Wade asked as we watched the tow driver unload the bike.

"No, it's running beautifully. But…" I sighed and felt my cheeks start to heat up. "Look at the gas tank."

He gave me a weird look before he turned to follow my instruction. I moved so that I could watch his face to see his reaction. And he did not disappoint. As his eyes landed on the logo, his expression morphed from being amused to disbelief and then finally concern and near panic.

"Oh shit! Mia… I… I didn't even think…" He stepped closer to me so that he could continue just over a whisper, "Fuck. How much shit are you in?"

"Not that much." I laughed at the look of disbelief on his face. "Lucky for me, Jax isn't a total dick and he took pity on me and my stupidity."

"Thank God for that. And seriously, Dude, I'm sorry I didn't notice it before you left."

We started walking towards the garage, following Joey as he pushed the motorcycle into one of the bays. "Not your fault at all, I wasn't paying attention. Do you know if my dad is in the clubhouse?"

"Yeah. Him and a couple of other guys are."

"Would Juice be one of the other guys?"

"Actually, yeah… he is."

"Awesome. Can you do me a favor? Can you cover the bike up and keep it hidden until I get back?"

"Absolutely."

"Awesome. Thanks."

I then nearly sprinted towards the clubhouse. As I got closer to the door, I forced myself to slow down so that I didn't look so panicked. I didn't want to look too eager going in, either. But I t was hard for me to contain my excitement. I couldn't wait to give JC his gift. He had been pretty upset and down since Clay was voted out of the club and I was hoping this would help to put a smile on his face.

As soon as I stepped through the door, I hear a loud 'Maria!' that almost made me want to turn around and run away. But I had vowed not to be a coward, so I continued inside. Jax had been forgiving about my transgression, so that meant no one else could or should be angry about what happened, right? If the President wasn't going to punish me then there was no reason for any other member of the MC to come up with a punishment, right?

Alright… Suck it up. He's pissed because he's your dad… or maybe he's just worried… Yeah… right. Chin up. You can do this.

I slowly started to make my way towards where Dad had been sitting with Tig and his new dog as I called out in a sing song voice, "Yes, Daddy?"

He jumped up to his feet and hurried over to me to wrap me in a tight hug. I barely had a chance to reciprocate before he pushed me back at arm's length and cupped my left cheek. "Nena, are you okay? Jax said that you fainted and hit your head."

"I'm fine, Papi. August… err… Mr. Marks help to cushion my fall, so it wasn't that bad."

"The cut on your tri-brow is telling a different story." Tig gave Dad a strange look, so he directed his attention from doting on me to glare at the other man and say, "It's Mia's description, not mine. Give her the dirty look."

Tig turned to give me a confused frown, but before he could say anything, I quickly explained, "The scar from my stitches cut my brow in half. Now instead of two eyebrows, I have three, ergo 'tri-brow'. It's a clever play on words." Tig opened his mouth to say something, but I turned my attention back to my dad and continued, "Part of my old cut re-opened. It's not like it's a new cut or anything. I've taped it. It'll heal. No big."

Dad looked like he was going to argue, but that look quickly faded. He hugged me again and kissed my eyebrow saying, "Alright, Baby Girl. If you say so."

"I do." I kissed his cheek then whispered, "Thank you, Daddy."

He was trying to make good on his promise of listening to me and not assuming he was the only one who knew what was best for me. I knew it was hard for him to relinquish control like that, especially when it came to me and my well-being, so I tried to remember to show my appreciation nay time I noticed him making the effort. I also had to work hard at not being a wiseass with him at times like that too. That had always been my go-to reaction (defense mechanism), but if he was willing to try to change, then I knew I had to as well. That was the only way we were going to keep this relationship working and to keep it healthy.

Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders to escort me back to where he had been seated. Tig was still sitting there with his new dog, looking like he didn't know if he was allowed to speak or not. I immediately felt guilty and diverted my course to make my way to his side to try to apologize.

I leaned down to kiss his cheek then quietly said, "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I hate having to explain my jokes to people because it's like admitting they aren't funny. I hope you can forgive me."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and I relaxed into his embrace. Big mistake. Instead of just hugging me, he pulled me over the arm of the chair and into his lap. I was too surprised by the maneuver to do anything, but I did let out a surprised shriek while he flipped me over to sit on his lap.

Once he had me sitting comfortably across his thighs, he kissed my left eyebrow then said, "I think your tri-brow is cute."

"Thank you, Tiggy." I looked over at my dad and added (I just couldn't help but to be cheeky because I had been forcing myself not be all day. It was a hard thing for me to do because it came to me so effortlessly.) "Finally! Someone who has good taste and a wicked sense of humor."

Dad rolled his eyes then retorted, "Remember what you said about not being right in the head?"

I wrapped my arms around Tig's neck and took in a very loud, dramatic gasp. "How dare you…?"

I was then cut off by the sound of a dog growling at me. I turned in my seat to find the white pit bull that Chibs had stitched up standing about two feet from where Tig and I were sitting. She was bearing her teeth with her ears pushed back and looking very fierce.

"Maria…"

"Dad… don't move," I calmly interrupted as I slowly released Tig from my playful hug. "It's okay puppy. I wasn't hurting him. See…?"

"MARIA…"

"Dad… I love you, but SHUSH. She'll pick up on your nervousness. We all just have to be calm. No one is hurt. No one is fighting, so no one has to be upset. See girl? Tiggy's fine." I had to gently elbow him as I quietly said, "Talk to her, Tig. Let her see that you're okay."

"Oh… okay…" He then sat up and cheerfully said, "It's alright, Athena. I'm fine."

The dog stopped growling, but she still looked like she was ready to pounce. I eased myself off Tig's lap by moving over the chair arm so that I was no longer between Tig and his new rescue dog. I kept my eyes on her, just in case (not that I really thought she was going to attack me anymore.) and promptly ran into my dad's chest.

"Maria…"

"Shh… watch," I quietly stated as I lead him back to his chair.

Almost the second after I was out of Tig's lap, Athena jumped into it. She licked his cheek and then made herself comfortable in the spot that I had just vacated. Tig started to pet her and kiss the top of her head once she was comfortable. It wasn't hard to see that she was completely at ease with him and relaxed as soon as she was in his lap.

"How did you know that would work, Nena?" Dad asked as I draped my legs over the arm of his chair and made myself comfortable in his lap.

"Dogs survive through pack mentality. Humans really aren't all that different from them." Dad snorted in a laugh. I tried to sit back and give him a dirty look, but it didn't really work with where I was sitting. I then abandoned that course of action because right now I was more than happy to cuddle into my Daddy's chest and feel safe in being his little girl. "Don't laugh, it's true. What would you do if you saw some random guy with Jax in a head lock?"

"I'd… I'd…"

"You'd shoot first and ask questions later," I replied over his stuttered response. "You wouldn't check if they were joking around, you'd protect your President… your Alpha, no questions asked."

"And that's what she did?" Dad questioned, still sounding like he didn't believe me. "She thinks that Tig is her Alpha?"

I snuggled deeper into Dad's chest as I hugged his neck answering, "Absolutely. He rescued her, so she'll thank him by ripping out the throat of anyone who tried to hurt him."

"But you weren't hurting him," Phil commented as he passed dad and I bottle of beer each.

I took a drink then explained, "She doesn't know that. Let me go back to the headlock analogy. Gut instinct is that something bad is happening. It takes your brain some time to process the scene… and make out faces. So, say it was Chibs who had Jax in the headlock? You've now shot your favorite Scot because your first instinct was to make sure you protected your President."

Dad hugged my torso against his chest. "How did you get so smart, mi cardo escocés?" I shrugged while I continued drinking my beer and made no effort to answer him. "Nena, I meant… how did you get so smart about this kind of stuff?"

I shrugged again, but this time I answered, "You know that I've always loved to read. After your lecture… our talk about… about Liz, I started reading a lot of sociology and psychology books."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Back then I thought it might help me to understand her… and why she did was she did… why she didn't…"

I just shook my head without finishing my thought, so Dad pushed my hair back in an effort to try to see the side of my face. I had taken it out of the two French braids during my chauffeured ride home, so it was very crimped and somewhat unruly. He combed his fingers through it until he could get it to stay behind my ear.

"Did it help, Baby Girl?" He asked just over a whisper.

I shook my head, answering in a voice so quiet and timid, I didn't recognize it. "No, not with Liz." I knew that answer would worry Dad, so I hugged his neck and added in a stronger voice, "But then again… someone could do their PhD thesis on Liz and barely scratch the surface with her."

"That is VERY true."

Phil suddenly appeared beside us with two more bottles of beer. Dad and I said a quiet thank you before he retreated towards the bar again. I wasn't sure about anyone else, but I was completely content with just sitting here, shooting the shit and drinking beer with the guys for the rest of the night.

I watched Tig with the dog and couldn't help myself before I asked, "Did I hear you call her Athena?"

"Yeah, Mia-Baby, you did. She responded to it right away, so it seemed like a perfect fit." He finally turned his eyes towards me. "You aren't having second thoughts about the name, are you?"

"No, not at all. I'm just glad you like it Tiggy because…" I stood up and walked over to his side as I pulled a pink bone shaped dog tag out of my pocket. "I made this hoping you'd like it."

Tig took it from me and held it both of his hands like it was the most precious thing he had ever touched. "Mia… this is… too much."

He moved to wrap an arm around my waist, but I stepped out of his reach. He looked so hurt that I almost jumped forward to wrap him in a hug. But I didn't want to be the reason my dad shot a dog, so I jutted my chin towards where Athena was laying on the floor saying, "I don't want to test her limits yet. You can thank me later." I whistled then motioned towards Tig's lap calling out, "Come on, Pup. Come try it on."

Tig then patted his chest with both of his hands and she finally moved to comply. It warmed my heart to see the two of them together because I knew Tig had a huge heart filled with love. He just had a weird… okay… he had a FUCKED-UP way of showing it most of the time. But then again, as humans we always seem suspicious of people who offer us such a fierce form of love like Tig would, but a dog wouldn't. They gave love unconditionally and it was VERY rare that a human could reciprocate so completely.

"Thanks, Mia. It's a perfect fit."

I couldn't help myself any longer. I walked over to Tig's side and pet Athena on the back of the neck. She didn't really pay any attention to me, so I chanced it and leaned over to quickly peck Tig's cheek. "You're very welcome, Tiggy."

As I started to move back towards my Dad's side, I took a moment to look around the room. When I first got here, practically everyone was in the clubhouse. Jax had said a brief hello as he left for the night and it looked like a couple of other people may have as well.

"Phil?" I called out while I continued to move my eyes around the room.

He took a couple of steps towards me answering, "Yes, Mia? Is there something I can help you with?"

"JC… uhh… Juice… He was here, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was."

"Was… shit." I turned to face him and asked, "Do you know where he went? Did he mention where he was going?"

"Sorry, but no, he didn't. He just said something about clearing his head. But he didn't say where he would go to do that. Sorry, Mia."

I patted his arm and said, "Nothing for you to apologize for, Phil."

I then walked back over to Dad's side and kissed his cheek. When he turned to look at me, I squatted down and placed my chin on my forearms that were folded over the arm of his chair. He gently pet my head but he didn't say anything. He just waited patiently for me to say whatever it was that I had captured his attention to tell him.

"There's something I want to do tonight. Before you ask, I can't tell you. It could ruin the surprise."

"Alright, Baby Girl. Is it something you need my help with?"

I shook my head answering, "No, it's something I need to do on my own… But…" I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath before continuing, "But I might not come home tonight. I just want to make sure you're okay with that, especially after what happened in Oakland."

I opened my yes to see his reaction. Much like I had hoped, he looked slightly amused. "After seeing you in person, Oakland's been forgotten. Have fun tonight. Good luck."

"Thanks, Daddy."

I stood up to give him a hug and another kiss. I then said a quick good night to Tig and Phil while double checking that Chibs and Bobby weren't in the room. They had both disappeared and I just assumed that must have happened around the same time JC had. It wasn't like them to leave without saying goodbye, but I'm sure they had their reasons for it.

As I walked to my truck, I did a quick inventory of all the vehicles still sitting in the parking lot. Not surprisingly, Jax's and JC's motorcycles were gone. Chibs was too, but Bobby's was still in its spot. I couldn't help but wonder if something was going on that I hadn't heard about yet. I knew JC was having a hard time with Clay being voted out of the club and Clay's potential relocation to Ireland so maybe Chibs was too.

The thing I wanted to do was cheer up JC. Or at least give it my best effort. The only problem was that I wasn't sure how to do that exactly. I didn't want to just jump into bed with him and assume that would automatically make him happy. I wanted to do something that showed I cared and was willing to support him, even during a rough patch when he wasn't my happy go lucky JC.

That's when my eyes landed on the garage. Phil said that JC wanted to clear his head. What better way was there to do that than taking your bike out for a ride? What better way was there to show him I wanted nothing more than to love and support him any way he needed me than to go for a ride with him and be a silent pillar of support? If he wanted to talk, I'd be there to listen. If he just wanted to ride, then I'd just be there so he could feel that he wasn't alone.

Add to that equation a brand-new bike that I had pain-stakingly detailed by hand? Well, I felt like that would all add up to be the near perfect solution.

Now… how do I get the bike to him? I contemplated loading it into my truck, but that was more of a two-person job. On my own, it would take way too long, especially in the dark.

So that left riding it. I really didn't want a repeat of what happened in Oakland. Or… more importantly, to piss off Jax by disobeying him. But he was probably at home with Tara and their boys, so the chances of him catching me were slim to none. Plus, Charming wasn't all that big. It wouldn't take me long to get to JC's house. Plus, I could just make sure that I kept my artwork on the gas tank covered.

As soon as that thought came to me, I was almost in the garage. I grabbed a couple of clean shammies out of the cupboard and draped them over the tank. Thankfully they were wide enough that when I was seated on the bike, my legs held them down so they wouldn't flap in the wind.

Remember that for next time, Dumbass! I reprimanded myself as I turned over the engine.

The streets were virtually deserted, so it took no time for me to get to JC's home. It was a bit of a long shot, but I figured if he wasn't home, then I would just set up some kind of 'home coming' for him.

But as I turned onto his street, I breathed out a sigh of relief because his bike was parked in front of his house. Perfect! Now I can surprise him with his new present and the two of us can go for a ride.

I parked the new bike beside this old one and removed the shammies. The great thing about using them to cover up the artwork was that I could quickly buff the bike and helmet so that they would look perfect for when I presented them to him. Plus, that would also give me some time to catch my breath and calm my racing heart.

I don't even know why I was so nervous. It wasn't like I had any doubts that he was going to like the bike. I had ridden behind him enough times on the back of his bike to know how he like the ride to feel. Plus, the artwork was exactly what he loved too. After the first time I woke up in his bed to the Reaper image on the wall, I had asked him why he had such a large representation on his bedroom wall. He told me that seeing the Reaper every morning made him feel at peace.

"Like rest in peace at peace?" I asked as I curled my legs under myself on his couch. "Should I put you on suicide watch?"

"No," he answered with a laugh. He leaned forward to kiss me then sat back and explained, "At peace like I'm not on my own anymore. I have a club, a family at my back now. I can conquer anything because I have people to support me now."

"Conquer anything or anyone?" I asked with an audible tease.

"Anything."

He leaned forward to kiss me again. While he had me completely distracted with his lips, he gently pulled me towards him. I followed his silent wishes because I was chasing his lips. I was so malleable that it took nothing for him to move me into his lap.

I let out a soft whine that turned into a quiet growl when he completely released my lips. He smoothed my hair back and then held the sides of my head for a couple of heart beats. I thought he was doing it to make sure he could control and dominate our kiss, but he made no efforts to embrace me again.

Instead, he made painfully direct eye contact as he reverently said, "Mia, you will NEVER be a conquest." He picked up his knife that was still in its sheath and held it up. "If I have ever made you feel hat way, you can use this to castrate me."

I took the knife from him and dropped it to the floor. He smiled and moved forward, but I stood up of the couch before he could kiss me.

"Mia?"

I pressed my finger to my lips to quiet him because of the emotion I heard in his voice. Once I was certain he would remain silent, I pulled my shirt over my head and shimmied out of my jeans.

"Alright, JC. That was literally the nicest thing anyone has EVER said to me. To show my appreciation, you get to choose. Do you want this?" I pointed to my mouth. "Or…?" I turned around and bent at the waist as I pulled my lacy panties down my legs.

"Wow," he breathed out once my whole backside was revealed to him.

"Well?" I questioned while I remained bent almost in half. "Which…?"

I let out a surprised shriek when I felt him wrap an arm around my waist and pull me into his lap again. While I had slowly stripped my panties off, he had quickly removed all of his clothing. A grateful purr passed over my lips when I felt him press his bare flesh against mine. I rested my back against his chest and moved my head to the side so that he would have full access to my neck.

He playfully nipped my neck then whispered in my ear, "We haven't tried reverse cowgirl yet."

I felt an involuntary shudder rock through my body at that memory. Before that night the club's logo had always creeped me out a bit, but after hearing JC's explanation, I formed a whole new appreciation for it. That's the major reason why I had chosen to paint it by hand on the bike. I had spent as much of my free time as humanly possible to practice drawing it so that it would be perfect for him.

Here goes nothing.

I eased open the front door in the hopes that I could surprise him. The first thing I was greeted to inside was JC sleeping on the couch. As soon as he came into view, I almost turned around and left. If he had fallen asleep on the couch, it meant that he needed to res, so I didn't want to disturb him.

I was just about to leave, but froze when I heard a groggy, "Did you find the pipe?"

Alright, not asleep. Just ready to pass out.

My mouth opened, but it wasn't my voice that I heard answer, "No. But I found this!"

I turned my eyes to the hallway that led to the kitchen and found a half-dressed blond holding up a bottle of tequila. With her arm in the air, the t-shirt she was wearing was pulled up far enough that I could see she wasn't wearing anything underneath it. Well, at least there was nothing now covering anything below the waist-line, but I was guessing she also wasn't wearing a bra.

"EW. Who is she?" Skank Barbie asked. "I told you, no threesomes."

JC tried to lift his head off the back of the couch, but the effort looked like it was too much for him to manage. Once his head was resting on the back of the couch again, he answered, "Wasn't the plan."

"Alright, good." She then turned towards me and said, "You heard him… SHOE!"

I almost had to pick my jaw up of the ground to say an incredulous, "JC?!"

He groaned and somehow managed to get his head off the back of the couch. I thought he would try to explain the tableau playing out before me, but he didn't and just asked, "Have you seen my pipe?"

"Pipe?" I questioned dumbly as I watched the blond slut sit down on the couch beside JC.

She completely ignored me and put the bottle to his lips. JC tipped his head back so that she could pour the bottle's contents into his mouth. From the way they were acting, I had a feeling they had forgotten I was standing at the doorway.

The keys I had been holding bounced off JC's chest, causing the liquid in his mouth to spill down the front of his body.

"I hope you like it! It was custom built for you!" I yelled at him before I turned on my heel and left.

XXXXXXXXX

"Good. She's gone," the blond said as she started to crawl into Juice's lap. "Now come here. I'll make you feel all better."

She ran her hands up and down the front of his t-shirt covered chest in an attempt to get him to refocus his attention on her. He didn't move or acknowledge her until he felt her hand fall to the fly of his pants. His hand crushed it as his other hand fell to her leg to push her off of him, but he paused when he felt nothing but bare flesh.

His head moved off the back of the couch so fast that he almost head-butted her by accident. "Where are your pants?"

"On your kitchen floor. Now… com here and I'll make you forget all about that uptight bitch."

She tried to move forward to kiss him, but Juice had other plans. He stood up off the couch and dropped his would be companion on the floor with a resounding thud. She stared up at him and made no efforts to cover herself up. Usually all she had to do was flash her tits or give a brief glimpse of her moist pussy for a man to turn into putty in her hands. But for some reason that wasn't working tonight, and she was getting even more annoyed.

"Get out," Juice commanded as he stepped away from the nearly naked woman. "I told you I just wanted your weed. No take it and get the fuck out. I don't want to smell your musty stash or rancid gash ever again."