_ Chapter Six _

{Author's Note: My excitement to revive this story is through the roof! I can only hope that this revival will lead to more readers as well as the return of my old readers! Enjoy! }

A few more days had passed without incident. The Thompson family had finished up the last touches on their brand new home before falling into a sort of routine that consisted of Lucia starting work at the hospital and Henry searching for a job for both Sam and him. Their first choice was obviously an auto shop but many of the shops were already filled to the brim with employees.

Whilst Lucia worked and Henry worked on securing two jobs, Sam and Lucas enjoyed their summer like any other teenagers would. Sleeping in was involved as well as overeating and gorging on sweets and junk food. Lucas was often pestering Sam to go to the beach and so the biker found himself spending a lot of time at Big Momma's. But he never once ran into Butchy. He still wasn't sure whether this relieved or bothered him.

When they weren't at the beach, the two brothers spent their time walking throughout town. They wanted to see what else the city had to offer and were quite pleased when they found a pizza shop, an arcade, a shopping center, a movie theater, and a lot of other places for boys their age to have fun.

It was on a warm, weekday that Sam had been the first to offer a trip to the beach. Lucia had already left for work and Henry was convinced that a nearby store was willing to offer him a job causing him to leave a few minutes prior. When Sam could no longer take the unbearable heat that filled his room, he stomped into Lucas's room, where the younger teen was sleeping, and spoke his recommendation.

Lucas was quick to agree and hurriedly tugged on a clean pair of shorts, a surf shirt, and some flip flops. He then raced outside to commence waxing his surfboard so that it would be ready when he decided to hit the beach later that day.

Rolling his eyes at the excited teen, Sam stomped into his bedroom and began searching for an outfit that wouldn't make him sweat profusely. Leather was clearly out of the choices and even denim didn't seem like a likely prospect but alas, Sam's biker outfits didn't offer much variety. He eventually decided on some faded, loose jeans that could be folded at the ankles, his typical biker boots, and a crinkly, white button-up shirt that he left unbuttoned. Not bothering to add gel to his hair, he grabbed his glasses and fingerless leather gloves before heading out the door.

Lucas was waiting by his Harley when Sam arrived and so the pair of brothers mounted the bike and began their trip to the beach. They took longer to arrive at the beach than normal due to the excess amount of people that wished to spend this hot day at the beach. Sam dropped Lucas off near the beach before heading to find a parking spot near Big Momma's. He eventually gave up on finding an actual parking spot and simply parked his Harley underneath a large palm tree where it would be in the shade and wouldn't burn Lucas and him later on in the day.

After pocketing his keys and gloves, the teen checked on Lucas, who was already in the water with his board, before heading into a very busy Big Momma's. The small diner was filled to the brim with all kinds of people. Some were having full on meals whilst others enjoyed a nice, cool beverage. Sliding his sunglasses into the front pocket of his shirt, Sam quietly buttoned up his shirt halfway as he felt a bit self conscious in the packed eatery.

"Sam!" His name being called from across the diner caught his attention and his blue eyes flickered about until they fell on Butchy. The other biker had risen from his seat in a packed booth with a few other bikers.

A nervous flutter erupted in Sam's lower stomach as he hadn't seen the other biker in quite some time. The last time they had spoken was the day that Butchy had reminded him of Aidan and a terrible past. Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts, the biker regained his confidence and sauntered across the waxed floors and over to stand before the booth.

"Sam, I'd like you to meet some of my friends: Lugnut, Cheechee, and Struts." Butchy introduced the other bikers with a point of his finger and a smile on his face.

"Hey," Sam greeted them all with a nod of his head.

"Pleasure to meet you!" Struts gushed as she reached across the table to give Sam's hand a mean shake.

"Why don't you sit with us?" Cheechee cooed as she fluttered her eyelashes in a flirtatious manner.

"Yeah, have a seat." Butchy replied as he motioned for the others to scoot in the other direction so that he could slide over, leaving a reasonable amount of space for Sam.

"Thanks. It's pretty packed today, ain't it?" Sam stated as he settled into the seat at the booth, well aware at the fact that he was quite close to Butchy.

"Only place to have a nice cold drink on a hot day like this." Lugnut retorted before taking a long cool drink from his glass of lemonade.

"Speaking of which, you want anything?" Butchy asked as he lifted an arm and wiggled two fingers. In a matter of seconds, a stout, brunette waitress was at their table, pencil and notebook in hand.

"Oh sure, a cold glass of Coke would be nice." Sam told the waitress as she scribbled away into her notebook. Butchy ordered himself the same drink while the rest of the group asked for refills of their various beverages.

As quickly as the waitress had arrived, she vanished to gather their drinks before returning to place them onto the table. Taking a long overdue drink from his glass, Sam savored the delicious taste and the way the condensation on the outside of it cooled his skin to the touch.

"How you liking Funicello?" Butchy asked as he turned his attention from his own glass to Sam.

"It's real swell, I must say." The biker replied, earning a round of smiles from his newfound acquaintances.

"I saw your bike the day you arrived, real nice Harley it is." Lugnut exclaimed with a nod.

"Where you part of a biker group?" Struts asked as she popped her bubblegum a bit too loudly.

"Thanks Lug," Sam smiled before looking at the brunette. "Yeah I was actually. Guess I'm no longer part of any group since the move."

"You could always join the Rodents!" Cheechee offered a bit too enthusiastically before looking at her leader with an apologetic look.

Butchy shook his head at her but his words showed that he approved of her offer. "Yeah, we Rodents are always looking to expand our ranks! Especially since the surfers seem to double in size every summer."

Turning his blue gaze to Butchy's brown eyes, Sam grew aware of the fact that their legs were touching and that their elbows were pressed against each other's. His face flushed at this and he could only hope that the others would mistake it for the heat. This group actually wanted him in their group! They didn't care that he was new to the city or that he had been part of another group before. Ignoring the surfer comment, Sam nodded and smiled.

"I would love that!" He shouted as the loud music of the band suddenly kicked in. Hoots and hollers filled the air and Sam was suddenly aware of the fact that the other bikers occupying nearby tables had heard his statement. Leaping to their feet, they all crowded around him and welcomed him to their ranks before rushing outside where the sound of bikes rumbling to life followed.

Lugnut, Cheechee, and Struts did the same and Sam found himself seated alone with Butchy. Meeting his new member's eyes, Butchy smiled and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, patting his arm happily.

"Welcome to the Rodents, Sam! Now hurry, we need to have a group ride to celebrate our newest member!"

Stumbling to his feet, Sam hoped Butchy wouldn't notice the dark red blush that had spread across his features. Following the shorter biker outside, he found that the rest of the gang were waiting for them. Rushing to his own Harley, Sam revved it to life and another chorus of shouts followed.

Then the ride began. Bike after bike exited the lot and made a beeline for the open road. Some bikes held a sole biker while others held a biker and their girl. Struts was hanging off the back of Lugnut's own bike, waving an arm in the air cheerfully. Cheechee was seated behind another biker but paid him no attention as she stood on the bike, perfectly poised with no fear of falling off. Butchy and Sam brought up the rear, enjoying the antics of those in front of them.

The gang rode for quite a while, weaving in and out of busy streets and into neighborhoods where they were either met with cheers from the owners or glares. Eventually, the gang began to split up. Some made their way back to Big Momma's, some stopped at the arcade, and others wandered off to some house to throw a party. But Butchy did not follow. Instead, he motioned for Sam to follow him and lead him down a street where no bike had gone.

The two rode in silence for a few minutes before stopping in front of a small tattoo parlor. Realizing what was happening, Sam exhaled a shaky breath. The same routine had happened after he had joined the Sons of Liberty. A ride around town before receiving the permanent tattoo that adorned his spine. He knew he would have to get a tattoo for his new group but the realization that Butchy would be there with him made him nervous and excited all at the same time.

After having parked their bikes, the pair of bikers slipped into the shop and found themselves an open tattoo artist. Butchy settled into an armchair as he trained his eyes on his new recruit. Sam perched himself on the tattoo chair as the artist readied his needle and ink.

"Where you want it?" He asked as he had done the same tattoo numerous times for every new member that joined the Rodents.

Motioning to the skin of his right forearm, Sam held his arm out without a word. The artist nodded in approval before diving into action. An hour went by before the man finished his work and wrapped Sam's arm up in a thin protective sheet. Looking down at his arm, Sam studied his new tattoo.

To him, it looked upside down as it was tattooed so that others could see it clearly. It was a funny yet menacing looking tattoo altogether. A large rat with a leather jacket and red eyes sat perched atop a Harley, the words "Rodents" tattooed boldly below the image. The tattoo made him realize that it was official. He was now a Rodent.

Raising his gaze to look at the tattoo artist, he smiled. "It's great. How much?"

The man chuckled and shook his head. "On the house." He stated before walking away to leave Sam once again alone with Butchy.

"Suits you," The biker stated as he rose to his feet and headed for the door. Sam got up and followed, wincing at the throbbing sensation on his arm.

"Where's yours?" He asked curiously as they mounted their bikes and started the engines.

Butchy smiled and shifted to the side so that he could raise his shirt. Tattooed on his right side, below his ribcage was the same tattoo that Sam had just gotten. Sam allowed his blue eyes to roam over the tattoo before moving onto the tanned flesh. Smooth skin was adorned with taut muscle causing the taller of the two bikers to blush furiously. Realizing what had just happened, Butchy quickly lowered his shirt but he was blushing just as badly as Sam was.

"Uh, I want to show you something." Butchy finally spoke after a few minutes of awkward silence. Without waiting for an answer from Sam, he pulled onto the road and began the trip to the next location.

Swallowing loudly and exhaling, Sam followed suit. But all the while, the bare flesh of Butchy's stomach and back flashed in his mind. It made him blush even more as he tried to shake the sudden hormonal thoughts away. Curiosity soon replaced his thoughts as he wondered where his new leader was taking him.

But one question preoccupied him most. Where they going to be alone?