Enjoy!

Nora

Magi had been right when she said that the dress would fit her, and to Nora's surprise it wasn't low cut or tight, much like all of Magi's clothing. Instead it was an A-Line, dark blue, strapped dress. She'd decided to top it with a grey cardigan and black flats that Nora had owned. It was cute and definitely something past Nora would wear, not something present Nora wore.

"Seriously why don't you wear dresses more?" Magi asked looking at her from the mirror.

Shrugging she gave an uninterested look back "Just not for me I guess. I feel more comfortable wearing comfy clothes."

"Comfy clothes" Magi repeated with a humph, "Are you going to at least take your glasses off and put contacts in? Maybe let your hair down?"

Nora hadn't really thought about it, she was wearing a dress wasn't that enough? "Ugh…" she began to say then looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't worn contacts in years, and her hair had always been up in a bun or a pony tail since she'd moved to charming.

Noticing her indecisiveness with her glasses, Magi opted by saying "at least put your hair down." Picking up the straightener Magi began to straighten her own blonde hair.

"Fine…" Nora huffed then took the elastic out to let her dark brown tresses of hair fall across her shoulders. It was naturally wavy without much tangles to her surprise.

"Are you serious?" Magi rolled her eyes incredulously as she watched Nora's hair flow around her "You need to wear your hair down more often."

"Maybe, but it won't happen." Nora shrugged again with a soft laugh as Magi shook her head "You ready yet?" she asked trying to get Magi's attention back to herself.

"Almost, just need to finish my makeup and then we'll be good to go." She said placing the straightener onto the rubber mat as she reached for the rainbow colored makeup bag.

"Alright." Sitting down on the twin bed Nora reached for her bag and pulled out her phone. Brad had sent a text about not wanting to go to a carnival and instead he was joining a study group for the evening. Nora outwardly groaned. She had counted on him to come and at least keep her attention as Magi and Opie did their own thing. Even though his friends were supposed to tag along how was she supposed to know that she'd actually get along with them? Then it clicked, she actually knew nothing about this guy, she knew that he didn't go to the same college as them, and had a job. That was really it.

Looking up from her phone towards Magi who now applied a heavy dose of mascara to her lashes, she asked "Hey, so how old is Opie? You've never really told me that much about him. Just that he looks rugged in a sexy kind of way and that he works for a repair shop."

Stopping mid swipe of her lashes Magi blushed, "Promise you won't freak out?" She began to say that made Nora's stomach drop "Okay…" her brows knitted together as she spoke with unease.

Dropping the mascara into its holster Magi looked into the mirror to see Nora looking right at her "He's…Well okay, he's 30" she paused and raised her hand before Nora could speak "And before you start telling me that's too old you need to remember that I'm 20 so it's only like 10 years difference."

"Jesus, Magi" Nora breathed out "30? What 30 year old goes after a 20 year old? Shouldn't he be married? Does he have kids? What the hell is wrong with the guy?" She hadn't meant to sound so cynical, her Father was 15 years old than her Mother so age was truly just a number. But knowing how easily manipulative Magi was she could only imagine the things he made her do.

"It's not like that, Nora. Nothing is wrong with him, and to answer your questions that I don't have to answer. He was previously married but his wife passed away and yes he does have kids. And before you ask, no, I've never met them. But, he's told me about them."

"Okay." was the only word that came out of her mouth and Magi's eyes widened in surprise. In reality who was she to judge? If this guy made her friend happy then so be it she would be happy for her.

"Okay?" Magi repeated with confusion.

Nodding Nora stood, placed a hand on top of her friends shoulder and smiled "He obviously makes you happy, Mags. I'm excited to meet him." Her smile dropped momentarily as a devilish grin took it's place "But don't be surprised if I razz him on dating someone 10 years younger than him."

"Please don't" Magi groaned.

Laughing she shrugged her shoulders playfully "Can't make any promises."

"Ugh, just please don't embarrass me…" Magi rolled her eyes as she went back to applying her makeup.

Twenty minutes had passed and they were on their way to the Carnival. Surprisingly Nora was excited; she'd stayed close to the university at all times so traveling around the city was a rarity. Tonight she would enjoy herself and maybe meet some new friends, eat some unhealthy food and end the night with hopefully a stuffed friend. Not that she was into that kind of stuff but it would still be a nice souvenir. The drive though short was filled with chatter and singing and as they pulled into the parking lot Nora smiled, the Carnival was exactly as she had envisioned. The large Ferris wheel sat in the middle of the lot surrounded by other rides and in front of that vendors, and game booths sat. This would definitely be a great evening, she just knew it.

While Nora looked out the window of the car Magi had sent a text to Opie then smiled as her phone buzzed a second later "Okay, so they're inside already. Let's go have some fun!" She cheered then bounded out of the car leaving Nora still sitting inside laughing as she watched her friend.

Once inside the sounds of bells ringing, carnies calling to play their games and the smells wafting all together should have made her feel overwhelmed, but, instead she smiled bright. It had been years since she'd went to anything like this. Thoughts of her Father came to mind. The one time she decided to go to something like this it was with a boy from school who knew nothing about her family, which had been a rarity since the Northern Angels basically owned their small town. She had opted to meet him there instead of having the boy pick her up and when she thought she was free Nora had made the mistake of telling her sister Caroline, who told her Mom, who then told her Father. Little to say her evening of fun turned into a chaperoned date with not only her father but the other members who kept a close eye on the two. The boy eventually left when he said he was going to get a drink but Nora knew immediately he wasn't coming back. Who would stick around when 10 burly men watched your every move?

Tonight though, there would be no Father, no group of men watching just people getting together for a night of fun. At least that was the plan until she saw the group of people surrounding Magi and a heavily bearded man as he made introductions.

"You've got to be kidding me" she whispered in disbelief once she saw the Reaper logo proudly display on the back of the members kuttes. There were four men, and three women, one woman was holding the hand of a younger boy and a stroller. As Nora inched closer she noticed that Magi was completely unaware of her presence. Smirking to herself Nora took that as a sign to just turn around and walk away. Obviously Magi would be fine with the group, which would mean no hard feelings when she read the text that Nora was about to type.

How Magi had managed to miss the fact that her new boyfriend was a member of the Sons of Anarchy was beyond Nora. Normally girls were happy as hell to blast out loud that they were dating one of those men. At least that's how it was where she was from. Shaking her head then turning on her heels she walked away from the group to only be greeted by two other men who wore the same leather vests as the group behind her. There was one with long grey hair and the other shaggy brown hair, both were older and both looked at her hungrily.

Keeping her head down, she continued to walk forward 'Where's Brad when I need him…' she thought to herself as she passed the two.

"Hey, wait up." A voice came from behind her followed the feeling of a hand clasp her wrist causing her to turn around to see the shaggy brown haired man that she'd passed only a second ago. Slightly dazed and flustered she glanced up to the man who gave a soft smile "You looked lost and I can't let a pretty girl like yourself walk around without at least making sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." She snapped out a lot harsher than intended as she pulled her arm away from his grasp.

Raising his hand in defense mode he let out a sharp laugh "Whoa there tiger, obviously you're fine. Let me start again, names Tig and what's your name pretty girl?"

"It's none…" were the only words that escape her lips as the sound of a familiar voice said from behind Tig "There you are man, Jax wants…" he paused when he got close enough.

Nora's eyes widened when the man stood beside Tig, she knew him 'oh god no…' she thought to herself.

"Coffee girl" Juice said with an easy smile all the while he gave her an appreciative once over. This was a lot more different from the sweater wearing girl he'd seen earlier. If it weren't for the glasses he wouldn't have recognized her.

"Ah, hey." She fought the words to come out.

"Oh man you guys know each other?" Tig asked his smile growing even wider at the prospect of Juice introducing him.

"Not really. I just saw her at the coffee shop didn't get a name." he said with a sweet sort of smile that made Nora shift uneasily.

"Ugh…." She stammered.

"Dude" Tig smacked Juice's chest and then pointed towards Nora "You at least have to introduce yourself first. Have I not taught you anything?" he ended by giving an apologetic smile that was meant to ease her which had not and she instead surveyed the area to find the perfect escape.

Making an oomph sound when Tig's hand contacted his chest, Juice let out a laugh as he nodded and extended his hand "Names Juan but most people call me Juice."

'Be nice, Nora. Shake the guys hand and then get the hell out of there.' She scolded herself. Forcing her hand up to give a firm handshake she pushed her worries and forced a smile "Nora, nice to meet you both."

"Nora…" Tig played with her name across his tongue "That's a pretty name." What he thought was charming came off as creepy while he eyed her for the second time since she'd seen him. Juice immediately took notice of how she shifted uneasily like she was going to bolt at any moment, he looked over at Tig "But, hey man, Jax needs you. Something about you being the best shot of the group? I'm sure he's waiting for you." He said while hiking his thumb towards the group of people that were now gawking at the three of them. Nora noticed Magi smiling wide as she waved over at her then pointed to Opie and mouthed 'This is him!'

"Oh, okay." He glared at Juice knowing full well Jax didn't need him and that Juice had indeed claimed dibs "Well it was nice to meet you again, Nora." Tig said with a slight bow before turning his back and walking towards the group.

A brief moment of silence fell between the two until Juice cleared his throat "So, you know Opie's girl?"

"Yeah, we go to college together…" she replied suddenly feeling naked, why had she agreed to the dress what she wouldn't give to flop on a sweater to drown herself in and to top it off if her Father were ever to find out that she was talking with a member of SAMCRO she'd never hear the end of it.

"Cool" he replied coolly as if not taking notice of her uneasy demeanor "So, want to go join the group. I know we're being stared at. I can feel it." He smiled before glancing over his shoulder to see Magi giving two thumbs up and Opie nodding his agreement as he laughed.

Shaking her head to stall she thought of an excuse, it needed to be good and believable. Giving an apologetic smile she thought of the perfect excuse she'd used time and time again "I should actually get going. I just remembered I have a test tomorrow and I haven't studied and I need to get back." She tried to sound cool and saddened by the fact of this realization.

"Oh. Alright, well okay it was nice meeting you anyway." He said sweetly while the group behind them yelled for their attention.

"You too." She said with a nod before turning around and walking away leaving him standing alone and the group yelling for her to come back.

Lowering her head she sighed, this was a bad idea and why she'd agreed to it in the first place was beyond her. 'Stick to the school, don't go anywhere.' she told herself over and over again. When she had gotten almost half way through the park, the exit banner that said 'Carnival Everlee Thanks you' mere feet away she was almost free. Until she Stopped to let out a curse when she remembered that Magi had driven them here and the university was nowhere near walking distance.

Slouching forward she closed her eyes "Jesus…" she breathed out a frustrated breath. Would Brad pick her up if she asked? Deciding to take the risk instead of trying to find Magi and the group she sent a text that simply said 'Stuck at the Carnival please tell me you can pick me up."

Brad always quick to reply sent back 'I wish I could! With study group remember?'

Groaning she knew she couldn't just wait around until she spotted Magi walking to her car without raising some sort of suspicion and a cab while a good idea would be extremely expensive. Swallowing the nerves she turned around and walked back through the crowds of people as she looked for Magi and the group. It hadn't taken long to find them, when there's a group of large men wearing MC vests it's hard not to see them. When she had walked closer to the group Magi's smile beamed brighter "I thought you were leaving?"

Shrugging, she gave a sort of off smile like it was nothing "Change of mind. So, you going to introduce me to your man?" she asked when Opie stood next to Magi as he held an a smile much like Magi had.

Nodding Magi pointed to him "This is Opie, Opie this is Nora. I'm so happy you guys are finally meeting!"

"Nice to meet you" Opie waved briefly before wrapping an arm around Magi who gleamed up at him.

"You too." Nora copied his emotions.

"Well now that we're all here let's continue on! Opie's determined to win me a bear. I don't really care, but he does." Magi poked his stomach as he barked out a laugh while he disagreed with what she was saying.

As they walked she was introduced to the ladies one being the wife of the president, Tara and the men. The long grey haired man was named Bobby, a man who went by the name of Chibs had a devilish smile, salt and peppered hair, scars adorning his face and the way he spoke with the Scottish accent actually made her swoon. Something about accents always had been a thing for her. There was Tig who seemed far too happy that she was back, and finally Jax the President of their club. Nora couldn't get over how young he was. Really young, she was sure her Father would have something to say about this, and then it dawned on her. He would have already known that the President was young; it wasn't like he was kept out of the loop with these things. 'Poor guy' she thought to herself. Her Father had always held a youthful look but the club took chunks off his life. His once youthful face now held scars, and untold stories. He was never the same once he'd become President. Nora could only imagine that was how Jax would end up.

"You came back." A happy voice said bringing her back to the present. Tilting her head slightly to the side she saw that Juice was now beside her as they walked behind the crowd. She hadn't noticed that she was staggering behind, but neither did the group as they walked in front "I thought you had a test?" he asked playfully.

Shrugging she continued to walk forward "Change of plans I guess." Just because she came back didn't mean she had to make friends, she thought.

"Ah, well I'm glad you came back." He admitted with a smile "Even if it was a change of plans." He laughed like he knew the real reason as to why she came back in the first place.

"Thanks I guess." She said trying to sound amused, although it came out more bored and annoyed than anything.

Noticing her unamused tone and bored expression he smiled then quickly intertwined his fingers with hers to pull her towards another section of the carnival. Nora's skin prickled by this contact and her heart sped up. Had he figured her out?

"Where are we going?" she asked looking over her shoulder in hopes to get Magi's attention.

"We're going to get you a bear or something. Obviously you don't really want to be here and you look less than comfortable with the group. I get it. The guys are intimidating as fuck" he laughed as they continued to walk through the crowd "So yeah, I think you would enjoy a less crowded night unless you want to go back?" He asked as they continued to walk through the crowd of people, both hands intertwined together. It oddly felt right; Nora thought to herself but shook the thought just as fast as it had entered her head.

"I, ah. Yeah okay I don't. But, the real question is you usually pull girls you literally just met from a group of people? How do you know you can trust me?" she asked when she should have asked if she could even trust him.

This gained her a hearty laugh that made him stop in his tracks "No, I don't usually pull girls away you just looked less than impressed. If you think about I'm helping you. As for the trusting part, you look pretty innocent to me. Unless you have a knife in that small little purse of yours" he pointed to the small purse that only held her wallet and phone.

"Okay, you may have a point about both" she admitted truthfully "I guess I should thank you for taking me away from what was sure to be a boring evening of watching my friend practically hump your friend." For the first time that night she had laughed and not her fake laugh but a true genuine laugh that made Juice smile brighter.

"Don't worry about it. Just glad I can be of service." He said looking down at their intertwined fingers. He had actually forgotten he was holding her hand. "Sorry…" he said removing his hand from hers; he could have sworn she gave a small pout before standing up straight and shrugging it off.