After dinner Clay decided to give Katie a break and didn't make her stay with Gemma. He figured it would be cruel and unusual punishment to make her stay with the woman that was nagging her all day. Instead, she went back to the club house and grabbed a shower in Chibs room. Walking into his room, his scent struck her nose and she was suddenly overwhelmed by loneliness. She missed him, it was that simple. She couldn't help but wonder, as corny as it was, if he was thinking about her as well.

Jax, Opie and Tig were sitting at the bar in the clubhouse when she walked out to get a beer. She saw Tig's eyes flash and a mischievous look dance over his face when he saw her and suddenly she felt a pang of guilt wash over her. The rules of runs weren't a mystery to Katie, she knew what happened but it didn't matter. Suddenly, her thoughts of letting the chips fall where they may just didn't seem right. As much as she was attracted to Tig, she felt guilty about their kiss earlier. Although, her and Chibs hadn't really talked about what their "status" was and it was so early into… Whatever the hell they had going on, she still felt guilty. It was like having the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other.

"A conscience, when in the fuck did I develop one of those?" She asked herself as she walked up to the guys.

"How's my cute, little cousin doin'?" Jax asked as he threw a bottle cap at her.

"Cute and little do not belong in a sentence referring to me, shit head," she replied throwing the cap back at him.

"Heard Gemma was ridin' you pretty hard today," Opie said in his gentle, laid back tone.

"Fuck man, she was driving me up a damn wall. I think she's getting worse the older she gets," Katie said with a chuckle as she lit the cigarette hanging from her lips.

"Yeah, well at least it takes the heat off of us, thanks cuzzie," Jax said with a broad grin.

"Yeah, you're all welcome. I save her and I get fucking bitched at… How the fuck does that work?" Katie said before walking behind the bar to grab a beer.

"You look like you're walking better, how's the peg leg been feelin'?" Her cousin asked in a playful way.

"I'm not a fucking pirate, asshole," Katie growled in reply.

"Arrrrrrrrrr!" The three men replied in unison.

Katie stood with a deep scowl on her face, trying to maintain her angry, offended facade but after looking at the three Sons and the goofy looks on their faces she couldn't help it. The angry face fell apart and she joined in, laughing at her expense. As they laughed she couldn't help but look study the two younger men. Jax hadn't really changed much, his blond hair was still long and messy. His beard had grown in a little thicker then she remembered, but he still had a boyish look to him. Opie was a slightly different. Although he was still the gentle giant, there was something different in his eyes, they almost had sadness to them. She had heard about what happened to Donna and attributed it to the loss of his high school sweetheart. He looked older, unlike Jax, gray hairs were starting to come through in his long hair and beard. Silently laughing to herself, she remembered back to when she was a little kid; Opie had always reminded her of a teddy bear.

Studying the two men who were always like brothers to her temporarily distracted her from her thoughts of a certain handsome Scott until the mention of his name snapped her back to reality.

"Got a call from Chibs when you were in the shower," Jax said turning back to Katie. "He called to check in with the club, said everything was running smoothly. Also, wanted me to tell you things are running ahead of schedule and he will be home early."

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Tig watched Katie interact with Jax and Opie. The two younger men always treated her like a little sister, and with the teasing going on it seemed not much had changed. It was obvious by the way she looked at them that her love for them ran deep and true. Even though Jax had made a crack about her leg, she couldn't stay mad, or even pretend to be. He watched as her ears perked up at the mention of Chibs name and suddenly another ping of jealous hit him as he listened to Jax start to grill his cousin about her relationship with a certain Son.

"What you got goin' on there?" Jax asked her with a playfully look on his face.

"Nothing man, what are you talking about?" Katie asked trying to look innocent.

"Clay told me he walked in on you guys suckin' face the other day, Chibs had his hands all over you," Jax teased flashing a shit eating grin.

"Yeah, you know you always did like the old guys," Opie chimed in elbowing her in the ribs.

"Hey, watch yourself there Ope, your beard is starting to look like you fell face first into a bucket of metal shavings," Katie scowled, elbowing him back.

"You know, I always knew you had the hots for one of the guys, but I always just assumed it was Tig over here," Jax said as he lit a neatly rolled joint.

"Me?" Tig finally chimed in, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Tig?" Katie questioned at the same time.

"Yeah, I mean you were always glued to his hip when you were younger. Then, when you got older you guys were like inseparable, always going riding and disappearing together and getting into trouble and shit. You are so much a like to, you know kinda like twisted and a little off," Jax said smiling at his cousin and S.A.A

"Oh really? Well, thanks for the compliment," Katie said then took a long swig out of her beer. "Tiggy's my best friend, what else can I say?"

"I dunno man, I'm just saying I always thought you two would be the ones to end up together. I guess I never even thought about you and Chibs," Jax said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, you and Tig together would be like one mean power house of fighting and death, be a real badass couple."

"Katie just knows she couldn't handle all of this," Tig said motioning to himself with a devilish smile.

"Yeah, that's exactly it old man, you know I would hurt you. I just don't want you breaking a hip," Katie shot back with a certain edge in her voice that Tig loved so much.

"Mmm, talk dirty to me some more," Tig shot back locking her deep blue eyes with his piercing blue. "Really, don't stop. Please keep going."

"Ok, stop you two, it's getting creepy," Opie said with a disgust on his face.

Tig didn't break eye contact, he held it for a moment then flashed a wicked smile and drank his beer.

"Anyway, Tiggy if you are done with your attempt at flirting, I was thinking… "Katie began.

"Thought I saw smoke billowing out of your ears," he said interrupting her.

"Shut the fuck up! I looked at the schedule for the garage tomorrow and it's pretty slow. I was thinking about going to my dad's old storage unit and seeing if I can get the truck started and go through some of his old stuff. You wanna tag along and give me a hand?" She asked still giving him a warning look.

"I guess, but try your best to keep your hands off me while we are alone okay?" He said trying to look serious and offended.

"Whatever, I'm going to bed. Meet me in the garage at 9:00 a.m. I just want to clear it with Gem in the morning. I don't need to give her another reason to bitch at me," she said getting up and heading back to Chibs room.

From sitting, even for the short time her leg was bothering her and she limped a little more than usual.

"Hey, you know whenever your leg gets to bad and you gotta take a load off, just remember as long as I got a face, you got a place to sit," she heard Tig's voice shout after her as she hobbled away.

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The next morning Katie cleared everything with Gem like she said she would. It was always best to double check with her to make sure not to put a kink in the garage's business and leave them shorthanded. She was sitting on the picnic table smoking a cigarette when Tig pulled in and parked his bike.

They took the tow truck, in case the truck didn't start. It was just a precaution even though the truck had been sitting for years, Katie's dad was always meticulous about the machine and took incredible care of it. It was doubtful they would run into any troubles.

Katie's heart started to race as they pulled into the parking lot of the storage unit. She hadn't gone through her dad's things since he passed away. A sudden wave of panic rushed through her as Tig shut of the engine and she couldn't help but question her choices.

"You okay doll? You face is pale fucking white right now," Tig asked looking at her with a concerned look.

"Yeah, just a little nervous I guess," she replied taking a deep breath.

With another deep breath she opened the door and climbed out of the tow truck. Her legs suddenly felt like they weren't capable of taking her the three steps it would take to get to the large garage like door. She felt Tig's arm snake around her waist in a comforting, supporting way.

"Come on babe, you can do this," he said as he helped her walk the few short steps.

With a shaking hand she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the key, staring at it a minute before she pulled it into the lock. The thick Master lock clicked open as she carefully turned the key and her heart began to pound yet again. Tig stood closely behind her, a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she removed the lock. Slowly, she walked to the middle of the door, bent to grab the handle and lifted the door. A tight feeling found its way to her chest as she stared inside the dusty, stale smelling unit.

There is stood, her dad's other pride and joy besides her, the black 1978 Dodge Power Wagon covered in layers of dust.

"Dad's gotta be rolling over in his grave seeing how dirty this thing is," Katie said walking closer to the truck.

"Well, let's throw the jumper cables on and let it charge a minute, then see if this beautiful machine starts," Tig said, trying to lighten the mood.

After waiting what felt like an eternity, Katie once again reached a shaking hand into her pocket and pulled out the keys to the truck. With some struggle she climbed into the cab of the lifted, old truck. She had almost forgotten how high off the ground it sat and for a moment had a flash back of the day she helped her dad install the lift kit. She slowly pushed the clutch in and checked to make sure the beast was in neutral before she inserted the key and turned it. A broad smile went from ear to ear as the sleeping beast roared to life once again.

Tig walked up to her driver's side window which she had a rolled down and smiled up at her.

"You don't want to go through the rest of the stuff today do you?" He asked smiling up at her.

"Fuck no man, I wanna get this thing back to the garage and get it cleaned up and checked out," she said excitedly. "Do me a favor and lock up the door for me after I pull out?"

"Sure thing doll," Tig replied as he made a mental note of how happy she looked.

The deep, hearty rumble of the '78 Dodge filled the unit as she put it into gear and pulled out into the day light and began the trip back to the garage. Thankfully, most of the roads to the garage were all back roads which gave her the chance to blow out the engine and let it breathe a little, a wide grin plastered on her face the whole time. The memories flooded back as she raced down the road. Her dad insisted she help him on everything when it came to that truck, every turn of the wrench had been done at the hands of either her or her dad, no one else was allowed to touch it. She was lost in her nostalgia when she roared into the parking lot of TM.

Katie didn't say anything to anyone, she didn't even notice when Tig pulled in and stood and watched her for a moment, she was lost in her own world. She had parked the dusty truck by the hose on the side of the building, having decided the first thing to do was to wash it. After getting her wash bucket and other essentials she would need she climbed back into the truck and turned the radio on. The only thing her dad had changed in the interior of the truck was the stereo, they had put in a new CD player. When she turned it on another smile found its way to her face when she discovered that her favorite CD from a few years ago was still in the deck. With the speakers blaring an A Perfect Circle cd, she went to work washing and cleaning the near prefect truck.

After she washed and waxed it, she moved it into the garage and put up on one of the racks to change to oil and check a few other things. The day went quickly without her knowledge and before she knew it the garage was clearing out and night began to fall. Katie had her head buried under the hood, putting the finishing touches on the truck as she wiped down the motor and a few other things. She was so caught up in her work she didn't hear the bikes pull into the lot, or have any idea that there was someone standing behind her.

With everything finally finished, she pulled her head out from underneath the hood and stood up straight, attempting to ease her aching back. Suddenly, someone grabbed her by the hand and spun her around, catching her off guard. When she finally got her bearings she was met with the dark, sexy eyes she had been longing to see. Chibs stood before her smiling and studying her face.

"Ay, are you a sight fer sore eyes or what love?" He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hi, Chibby," she smiled back up at him, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

Nothing else was said, instead he lower his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly, pulling her tightly to him. Little did they know Gemma had been walking out of the office and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the two. Instead, she now stood with her arms crossed and a smile on her face, trying to decide on the right time to make her presence known.

Katie was too caught up in the sensation of Chibs tongue moving with hers to remember that they were still standing in the garage, let alone that they weren't alone. After deepening the kiss once more, the two broken apart, slightly out of breath.

"Missed you darlin'," Chibs said after they broke apart, and ran a rough hand over her cheek. "Anyone in the club house?"

"I don't know, been out here workin' on dad's truck all day and night," she said with a tired smile.

"Ay, she is a beautiful piece of machinery. One night we'll have to take her out to tha place by the river ya showed me and…" Chibs started to say but was cut off,

"Please, don't finish that Chibby," Gemma said finally making her presence know.

The two lovers turned, quickly peeling themselves away from one another, like two teenagers that had just been caught making out for the first time.

"Katie, I got the schedule for tomorrow if you want to come and look over it," Gemma said trying to contain a smile.

"I'll meet you in the club house darlin'," Chibs said trying to escape the stare of Gemma.

Katie sighed, and walked slowly into the office, not wanting to hear whatever Gemma had to say. She knew she was in for an ear full, mostly because she hadn't said anything to her aunt about her and Chibs and Gemma did not like to be out of the loop.

The schedule was sitting on Gemma's desk which was the first thing she went for, trying not to meet the glare of the curious older woman. Katie looked over it and studied for a minute.

"Looks like a busy day," she said still not pulling her gaze from the piece of paper in her hand. "Okay, well I'll be in the club house."

Katie put the paper down and tried to make it out of the office as quickly as possible but was stopped by Gemma's sharp tone.

"Not so fast," she heard Gemma say.

"What?" Katie asked trying to look as innocent as possible.

"So there is something going on between you and Chibs, I knew it!" Gemma said pointing a finger at her niece. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Aunt Gemma, this may come as a surprise but I don't tell you everything, and there is nothing to tell at this point. We are just having fun and I'm trying to get used to being home. End of story," Katie said crossing her arms.

"How does Tig feel about all of this?" Gemma asked eying the younger woman across from her.

"What do you mean? I don't talk about this kinda shit with Tiggy, he's the last person that should give advice on relationships," Katie said trying to act as casual as possible.

"I see the way Tig looks at you. I saw it the night you came back, something in him has changed as far as you're concerned. He doesn't look at you the same way he did before you left," Gemma said as she leaned against her desk.

Gemma paused for a minute as though she was deciding what to say next.

"He was pretty messed up after you left. I mean we all were, but it hit him pretty hard," she said after a minute.

"What do you mean?" Katie said suddenly confused.

"He didn't really do much, he was like a zombie. He came here and worked in the garage, did his stuff for the club and that was it for a long time. When there were parties he would hang out for a little bit then go and lock himself in his room," Gemma explained. "Come on Katie, you two were always so close, it was almost like you took a part of him with you."

"Gemma, he and I have talked about this, he understands why I did what I did," Katie began then thought a minute. "What do you mean the way he looks at me?"

"I cornered him about a month after you left and forced him to talk to me. At first he said he was fine, just worried about you. But then after a while he broke down. He said what bothered him the most was the thought of never seeing you again. That man is your best friend and biggest supporter, you guys talked about everything. He said he could tell you shit that he wouldn't dream of ever saying out loud to anyone else. His biggest fear was that he would lose the only person he had ever had that kind of a connection with. Let's face it Katie, Tig Trager is not the kind of man that is emotional or gets close to people and trusts them easily. You're probably the only one to ever be that close to him and be able to break through that wall, it's been like that ever since you were a kid," Gemma said in a soft voice.

Katie's eyes were glued to the floor, guilt finding its way to her conscience once again. She hadn't known how badly her leaving had affected Tig, the last person she had intended on hurting. In all the letters he had written back to her, he had never mentioned how badly she had hurt him or mentioned anything of what Gemma had just said.

"I didn't know Gem, he hasn't said anything to me since I came back. He was the last person I would ever expect… I just wanted him to be proud of me," Katie said in a low voice, her eyes still on the floor.

"Baby girl, that man and all of us will be proud of you no matter what you do. You can do no wrong in his eyes," Gemma said. "I just thought you should know. He's definitely glad to have you back, that's obvious. But I get the feeling that he's not ready to lose you again, let alone to another man."

"What do you mean to another man? I'm not getting married, hell I'm not even Chibs old lady or anything. It's not like he's going to kidnap me and take me back to Belfast," Katie said pulling her eyes off the floor and meeting Gemma's.

"I think Tig's feelings for you run a little deeper then he lets on, I can tell by the way he looks at you baby girl, it's just something a woman can see," Gemma said.

"What are you getting at Aunt Gem?" Katie asked eying her aunt curiously.

"I'm just saying, I think he feels more for you then you think he does and I think you should try and talk to him about it," Gemma replied.

"You're out of your mind, Gem. I don't want to talk about this anymore, I gotta get into the club house," Katie said standing up quickly and walking out of the office.

Gemma was definitely reading too many romance novels. It was absurd to think that anything she had said was true. Katie knew Tig was attracted to her, that was obvious, but to think it ran any deeper than that was just too hard to fathom. As Katie walked into the club house her head was once again swimming with confusion. When did everything become so complicated?

Katie walked into the club house in desperate need of hard liquor, it had been a hard, long day. She made her way behind the bar, pushed the prospect out of the way and grabbed the bottle of Jack before finding a seat between Clay and Tig. After a long swig she pulled a mangled pack of cigarettes from the front pocket of her TM mechanics shirt and lit a smoke. As the liquor made its way through her blood, the comforting warming sensation took its hold on her aching body and helped her relax.