Hi Guys! Chapter 26, just for you. Let me apologize for the lack of editing, my eyes kind of hurt and I really want to just be asleep. Hopefully, it isn't bad. Know what would probably make me feel better though? A review or two. Just sayin.

Anyway, enjoy!

The room went shockingly silent for about half a minute. All eyes were on Chibs, who was sitting frozen in his chair. Each man in the room could sense the pure, unbridled rage building in their resident Scotsman. They all knew that his girls and their safety and happiness was the single most important thing in the world to Chibs, and for somebody to put either of those things in jeopardy was an outright bad, bad idea. Opie and Piney and Kozik had the good sense to give him a moment to contain his anger and compose himself, but Filthy Phil was new and he wasn't exactly blessed with a good read of the situation.

"What should I do?" the Prospect spoke up. "Should I tell him to call back later?"

"Do that, and I'll kill you myself," Chibs growled, his glare alone enough to make the younger man take a few steps back.

"Bring the phone in here," Opie demanded, and the Prospect rushed from the room. Op looked at his friend, who was very nearly shaking. Shit was already going south with the Russians trying to pick people off left and right, and now this. Having a family, or really anybody that you loved, was always a concern with a life as dangerous as this, and Opie knew his brother's worry. They had to get whatever was happening in Belfast under control, and they had to do it now. There was no way that they could handle the Russians and the Irish both on their backs.

"Chibs, listen to me," Opie requested, placing a hand on his friend's back. The Scot's eyes met his, and Opie saw the fire there. "I know. I know what you are thinking right now-"

"Do you?" Chibs asked, through bared teeth.

"Yeah, I do. I have a family that I love, too," Opie nodded. "But you need to calm down. I have no idea who is on that phone, but if it's IRA, we can't afford to be on their bad side, not with the Russians pulling their shit. We need to appease the Irish. We will figure this out, but we need to stay calm and hear what they have to say. You can't-"

"Yeah," Chibs agreed grimly. "I know."

Chibs unclenched his fists for long enough to light a cigarette as the door cracked open again, and Filthy Phil returned with a cell phone in hand. His beady eyes shifted nervously to Chibs as he cautiously skirted around him and handed the phone to Opie. The acting President pressed the speakerphone button and laid the cell on the table.

"You've got the table," he said into the phone.

"Christ, it's about time," the accented voice on the other end of the line said. "The boy you've got answering phones is dumb as a sack of potatoes."

"One of our Prospects," Opie said by way of explanation, still not entirely sure who he was talking to. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry on it, Son," the other man said, before taking a deep breath. "Are you there too, Filip?"

"Aye," Chibs spoke up, sounding old and tired. "I'm here, Mr. McCormick."

"I've told you before, boyo, call me David," came an exasperated voice. "But I suppose you never are going to listen to me."

"Probably not," Chibs agreed, becoming impatient. "So what's the word?"

"We've got quite a bit of upset in Belfast, as I am sure you've heard by now," McCormick sighed into the phone. "There wasn't any evidence of Fiona or Kerrianne in the rubbish that's left. Tell me your family wasn't in that building this morning, Filip."

"No," Chibs told him quickly. "They're here with me."

"That's good," came the reply. "I figured that if they had been, you would be out ending the world right about now. Still, there was some panic. Maybe next time, one of you could give us a bit of notice about any out of town traveling."

"Why, what was the IRA going to do? Stop by and water the plants?" Chibs asked, instantly defensive. Opie shot him a warning look, which he ignored. This whole situation was pissing him off and he hadn't even begun to think of how he was going to let his girls know that somebody had possibly tried to kill them.

"Easy there, Filip," McCormick replied in a soothing voice. "We all want the same thing, which is your family, safe."

"We know that," Opie cut in, silencing Chibs with a look. "Things are just a little tense here. We have a lot going on. Do you have any ideas who is responsible?"

"I understand," the older man said. "And we know exactly who was responsible. We caught the bastards." That perked everybody up, as they waited for the man to continue. "We picked up two lower level men who worked for Jimmy O'Phalen. They were hungry for some revenge for the death of their boss and were only too agreeable when somebody contacted them, putting them to task on this."

Opie and Chibs exchanged a look. It seemed as if the Russians were reaching pretty far in their quest for retribution.

"Do you know who?" Chibs asked, wearily.

"I think we both know who, Filip," came the reply. "We know about the Russians and how they seem to have a vendetta against SAMCRO."

"That vendetta comes from following IRA orders," Opie remided. "It was you guys who demanded Jimmy's death. That death came at a cost."

"It seems that it did," McCormick agreed. "Listen boys, things need to be settled with the Russians. You have our support, but this sort of violence cannot happen again, it's not good business for either of us. Can we rest assured that you boys will settle this?"

"You can," Opie affirmed. He briefly explained their plan to meet with the guys and eventually reach out to the Russians to prevent any more bloodshed. Chibs made a good show of listening, but it wasn't difficult to tell that his mind was a million miles away. In fact, it wasn't until he heard his own name that he focused on the conversation again.

"What? he asked stupidly, making it completely obvious that the conversation was lost on him.

McCormick chuckled on the other end of the line. "I asked how Fiona and Kerrianne were taking the news?"

"Oh," he replied, and searched for words. He finally just sighed. "They don't know yet. They'll be back soon. I will tell them then."

"Best of luck with that," McCormick replied. "I have a feeling you are going to need it."

The main room of the Clubhouse was much emptier than Tess expected when she finally wandered in. Kozik had claimed that there was an emergency, but Tess could find very little evidence of it. Filthy Phil was behind the bar, stacking glasses. Chibs and Opie were playing a game of silent pool in the corner. Piney was on the couch, asleep. Kozik himself was at the bar, his head resting on his arms. Some noises to the left old her that Chuckie and several others were back in the dorms. Overall, it looked like a pretty standard scene.

"Hey," she said after a full minute of going unnoticed. Her voice was loud enough to be heard by them all. "I'm here."

Kozik was at attention immediately. The other guy watched with barely hidden smirks as he practically jumped off the barstool and and rushed across the room, stopping just short of the brunette.

"Hey," he replied, and then looked hesitantly at her, before muttering "fuck it" under his breath and throwing his arms around her.

Tess froze for a moment, completely unsure of what was happening. She had considered a million possibilities as to why she had been summoned to the Clubhouse, but none of them had included a moment with Kozik hugging her for all he was worth. After a second, she relaxed and hugged him back. She knew that she shouldn't, but she simply enjoyed the moment spent wrapped in his arms.

"What's going on?" she questioned as she ended the hug. "Are you okay?"

He nodded as he looked her over, just once, making sure she was really whole. He had no idea why he was so worried for her and her safety. There were a million possible targets for the Russians, and there was no evidence that she was in any more danger than the rest of them, but he had a bad feeling when it came to her safety.

"Come on," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Let's talk."

She thought that he would lead her back outside to the picnic table, as that was generally one of his favorite haunts, but she was wrong. She followed him back through the hallway and into one of the dorm rooms. The menthol cigarettes, 1950's pinup posters, and ragged picture of a dog named Missy told Tess that this was Kozik's room she currently occupied. She sat on the edge of the bed while he grabbed a wooden chair from the corner and dragged it over, sitting closer to her than he had in a very long time.

"I think you have spent enough time around here to understand that we aren't really just mechanics and guys who like riding bikes and wearing leather vests," he started, gravely serious.

"No kidding," Tess muttered with a half smile.

"Yeah, well," he shrugged. "Some of the things we do aren't exactly what most people would call legal. When we do what we do, we tend to make a lot of enemies."

"What is it that you do?" she asked, startled by the grave tone this conversation had taken.

"That's not important," he insisted, shaking his head. "What is important is that there is somebody who has taken issue with one of our business dealings. These people are ruthless and dangerous and they are hurting people close to us. That means you."

"Me?" she squeaked. "I'm in danger?"

Kozik nodded. "Yeah. These people would not hesitate to hurt you in order to send us a message."

"Why me?" she asked, clearly panicking. "I am nobody."

He looked at her like he couldn't quite understand what she was saying. He very nearly cracked a smile. "Don't you get it? You're not nobody. You don't just work here, Tess. You are family here. You're important to us," he told her. Almost as an after thought, he added, "You're important to me."

"Don't say that," she told him, and the weakness of her voice startled even her. She wasn't sure why, it could have been fear or stress or anger, but she was crying all of a sudden. "That's not fair. Not now; not when I have a boyfriend and things are going great. You hurt me! You were my best friend and much more and I would have done anything for you, but you didn't want that. So I met somebody who loves me and wants to be around me. It's not fair for you to say this now, right before I am supposed to be spending the weekend with him. It's not fair for you to tell me NOW that I matter to you."

"I know," he agreed, trying to take her hand, but she snatched it away and folded her arms over her chest, desperately trying to hold herself together. "I am so sorry, Tess. Sorry for what I did and sorry for what I am doing now. If it were up to me, I would go take back what I did, but I can't. I want you to be happy, and as much as I hate seeing you with that guy, if he makes you happy, then I accept that. But this isn't about me not wanting to see you go off with another guy. This is about your life being in danger. I can't let you go with him."

"Who says you get a say?" she asked, standing and pacing in her anger. "You don't control me, Kozik! I don't have to listen to you!"

"Aren't you getting it?" he shouted at her, loud enough to make her stop in her tracks. "They stabbed our VP in prison. They killed one of the girls, just because she was associated with us! I am NOT trying to control you. I am trying to protect you."

"They killed somebody?" she whispered, completely stunned.

He nodded at her. "No matter what you think of me, I just can't see that happen to you, Tess. Promise me that you won't leave. We will get this cleared up as soon as possible, and when that happens, I swear you can go and I won't say or do a thing to stop you, not if you don't want me to. But please, if you care even a little bit at all, don't leave today."

She bit her lip, not wanting to back down, but she couldn't deny the truth in his eyes. He just HAD to throw in that last sentence. Tess cared; she had cared about him then and she cared about him now. They probably both knew it. Before she could reply, the door cracked open and Chibs poked his head in.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "The Stockton boys are on the phone. We need you in the chapel."

Kozik nodded as Chibs ducked out of the room, but looked right at her. "Promise me," he demanded softly. "Please."

She couldn't form words. She was confused and exhausted and scared, and she didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

"Thank you," he breathed, and before she knew what was happening, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. She didn't know whether is was desperate or grateful, but before she could ask, he had turned and left the room, leaving her sitting on the bed, tears staining her cheeks, in a dumb stupor.

Chibs watched Tess and Kozik disappear to the back room. He silently wished the younger man well, knowing that the task he faced with their shopgirl was difficult. Chibs could relate. He was well acquainted with apologies and regret, and he knew full well that he was about to become even better acquainted.

"You okay?" Opie asked, well aware that he wasn't. They had gotten a text saying that the group of women were on their way back to the Clubhouse.

Chibs shrugged in response. "Not really."

"Yeah," Opie agreed. "I guess I can understand that."

Chibs was quiet for a minutes, locked inside his own head. He tended to get that way when things got intense; Fiona was always telling him to get out of his own head and just talk about it. He often had trouble seeing the wisdom in that. True to form, he looked at Op and asked, "What if I don't tell them?"

"Are you serious?" Opie asked, before he could stop himself.

Chibs nodded. "We have enough to worry about right this second. What if I wait until after things are settled with the Russians? I don't want to stress them out any more than they already are."

"I'm sorry man," Opie said. "But that's bullshit. You don't want to tell them because you don't want to deal with the anger. That's selfish; they deserve to know the truth."

Chibs didn't know whether he wanted to hug Opie or punch him. When it came down to it, though, his brother was right. "Yeah."

"Besides, if you waited to tell them and then they found out you knew all along, Fiona would castrate you," Opie pointed out.

"You're probably right," Chibs agreed.

"I am always right," Opie insisted, before nodding at the door, where the group of women was entering. "Go talk to your family."

Chibs sat his pool cue on the table and headed off Fiona and Kerrianne before they got too far into the room. He greeted them, allowing himself to be hugged and kissed and loved for just a moment, before wrapping an arm around each of them and leading them to an empty, quiet corner. "Come on. We need to talk."

Kerrianne was looking at him curiously, but Fiona was on edge. "What happened?" she asked plainly as they sat close together, out of the earshot of everybody else.

Chibs didn't answer. Instead, he took one of her hands, placing the other on top of Kerrianne's. Fiona could tell that whatever news her husband had to share, it wouldn't be good.

"We got a call from Belfast while you were gone," he explained quietly.

"Is everything okay?" Kerrianne asked, suddenly very worried.

"No, Darlin," he told her, not quite looking at her because he couldn't take it. He was drowning in his own guilt at this point. "Something happened. Something bad."

Fiona squeezed his hand tightly, steeling herself against whatever hard truth was coming her way. "What is it?"

"The Russians," he explained, his voice tight. "They hired some of Jimmy's guys, eager for a bit of payback."

"Christ," Fiona whispered, while Kerrianne said, "Da…"

"They burned your apartment building to the ground. Not many survived," he told them, looking at his own feet, struggling to get the facts out. He met their eyes, absorbing some of the shock on their faces. "I am so sorry."

Kerrianne yanked her hand from his grasp and immediately brought her thumb to her lips, where teeth met nail. Her eyes drifted towards a spot on the wall and she said nothing. Chibs could see it right before his eyes; his daughter retreating within herself, as if she could hide from what was happening. Fiona, on the other hand, had fire in her eyes. He decided to try to handle the easier battle first.

"Kerrianne," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry that this happened. It will be okay. I don't know how, but I will make it okay."

"Yeah," she shot back, and the sharp tone of her voice stung. "Of course you will. I am going to go get a soda."

And just like that, she was up and walking away, heading towards the bar, leaving two heartbroken parents in her wake. Chibs ran his now empty hand over his face and turned towards his wife.

"I really am sorry, you know," he told her, desperate for her to understand. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

"But it happened anyway," Fiona replied, sounding tired and angry and sad. "It's not your fault, but that was our home, Filip. It wasn't much, but it was out things and our place that we made after Jimmy. It was our pictures and our clothes and our lives. And now it's gone."

"I know," he told her, absolutely devastated. "I will find a way to fix this. I'll make it up to you guys, somehow."

"I am not sure if you can, Love," she told him sadly, squeezing his hand and standing up. "I am going to go talk to her."

"Aye, I'll come, too," he said, moving to stand as well.

"No," she cut him off, placing a hand on his chest. "We need a few minutes. Besides, I think your boys need you." She nodded towards Opie, who was on the phone, waving everybody over. "Go be with them."

With that, she was following Kerrianne over towards the bar, knowing how much her words had hurt him, but unable to turn around and say she was sorry.

Tess had no idea how long she sat on the bed in the dorm room, staring at the carpet in a dumb stupor. It could have been minutes and it could have been hours, she really had no idea which. Her cell phone ringing brought her back to reality, and she mechanically pushed the answer button without ever even looking at the phone.

"Hello?" she said, robotically.

"Where are you, Tess?" she heard Lex ask. "I am at your apartment to pick you up, but you're not here."

She swore under her breath. In all the drama occurring, she had completely forgotten to call Lex and tell him she couldn't come. She thought quickly, trying to pull words together. "God, honey, I am so sorry. I forgot to call you. I am at work. We had sort of an emergency."

"What kind of emergency has you at work at this hour?" he asked. She should have been shocked by the harshness in his voice, but she really wasn't.

"It's hard to explain," she told him. "I should have called, I am sorry."

He sighed heavily. "Nevermind. I will just pick you up there."

"No," she told him quickly. "Don't come here. I am so sorry Lex, but I can't come this weekend."

She had no idea why she was doing this, cancelling a weekend with her boyfriend simply because Kozik had told her to. She didn't even know whether or not she believed his tale of danger and murder, but here she was, cancelling. She felt absolutely pathetic.

"What the hell do you mean you can't come?" Lex spat, angrily. "The place is booked. I am packed and ready to go. I am at your house, and now, all of a sudden you can't go?"

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice tiny.

"It's somebody else, isn't it?" he asked, his voice accusing. "One of those mechanics you work with?"

"What?" she asked, shocked. "Why would you even think that?"

"Well, what am I supposed to think, Tess?" he asked, rage bleeding into his tone. "I go through the trouble of planning and paying for a nice weekend away for the both of us to reconnect and just be together, and now you tell me at the last minute that you don't want to go, because you are too busy at work. That is fucking ridiculous."

"It's not that I don't want to go," she started to explain. "It's just-"

He cut her off before she got any farther. "I know what it is. I love you, Tess. I am good to you and I treat you like a queen. We have fun together. You like being with me, don't you?"

"Yes," she whimpered. It all sounded so good when he said it.

"Then why are you ditching me?" he asked, his words accusing.

"I'm not," she cried, wanting him to understand, even though she was giving him no explanation.

"It sure feels like you are," he replied. "Look Tess, I like you and I want to be with you, but I won't play second fiddle to some job. You either want to be with me or you don't."

"I do," she told him, her words far from confident.

"Well then if you want to be with me, you will be outside that garage in five minutes," he told her.

Tess's breath caught. She knew that he deserved far better than her. He had been so patient and kind and loving towards her. He didn't deserve to be treated this way, he deserved to be with somebody who didn't spend half of her time thinking of another man. There was no way that she could tell him this over the phone. She owed him more than that. She would meet him outside and they would go for coffee and she would explain to him, face to face, that she couldn't be with him anymore.

"Okay," she said into the phone. "I will be outside."

"Good," he told her instantly. "I will be there in five."

He hung up the phone as he watched the entrance to Teller Morrow Garage from where he lay in wait across the street, and she couldn't see it, but there was a triumphant smirk on his face. He had played his cards exactly right, and soon, he would have her exactly where he needed her.

Tess picked up a pen and pulled a piece of scrap paper from her purse. She scrawled a quick note to Kozik. Koz, I had to go meet Lex and end thing. He deserves to hear this face to face. Try not to worry, I will be back soon. Love, Tess She tucked the piece of paper under his pack of smokes and headed out towards the door, wiping her face to erase evidence of tears before she left the room.

"Where are you headed, Sweetie?" Gemma called to her just before she reached the door.

"Just out for a few minutes," she explained. "I have something I need to take care of. I will be right back."

Gemma narrowed her eyes. "Does Kozik know where you're going?"

"Of course," she lied. "Don't worry about it, Gemma. I will be right back."

Tess didn't wait for a response before she walked out. She didn't bother stopping at her car, instead making her way to the fence that separated SAMCRO from the outside world. She wandered outside the confines of the fence, breathing in the crisp night air as it cooled her face. She walked for a bit and then leaned against the tall chain link and pulled her phone from her pocket, to text Lex and tell him that she was waiting. She felt conflicted, but she also felt confident that she was doing the right thing here. Before she could hit the send button on her phone, she felt a blinding pain surge to the back of her head and then, she felt nothing at all.