To lessen the blow of the previous chapter, and because I start uni again tomorrow... Here's another chapter :):)

Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

Bamby

JPOV

The moment the words had left Tara's lips, we'd all rushed into action. Getting Jax and Clay before we all got on our bikes and rode off to the hospital as fast as we could, while Tara drove Gemma. There was nothing more important to us than family, and Scarlett was family. It didn't matter how pissed Jax and Clay were, they both pushed it aside knowing they were needed somewhere else.

As we rushed through the halls, we rounded a corner to see Hale pacing outside a closed door. He had been in deep thought, clearly worried. The moment he looked up to see all of us heading to him, he sighed, stepping up to us.

"What happened?" Jax moved to the deputy, the love and worry for his sister taking charge.

Clay moved next to him. "Is she okay? How bad is she?"

Hale shook his head, looking to the ground. "I haven't heard anything-"

A nurse walked out of the room then her eyes landing on all of us. "Are you family of Scarlett Teller's?"

"Yes." we all urgently said together.

"There's no serious damage. Everything is intact. But she did receive a severe beating, so there is quite a lot of swelling and bruising. That'll clear up in a couple of weeks. Her nose was broken, which we set in time so it'll heal properly. And the stitches in her head and arm had ripped opened, so we'll need to keep an eye on her to make sure her head injuries don't cause any more problems."

"But she'll be okay?" Gemma asked, scared and hopeful at the same time.

The nurse nodded. "She should be fine."

Hale looked to the woman, hesitantly asking, "Was she raped? When I found her-"

Raped!? What the hell was he going on about? What sick bastard- Then it clicked. Her ex did this.

"No, there doesn't appear to be any signs of sexual intercourse." the nurse assured him. Turning to the rest of us she nodded. "She's awake now, if you'd all like to see her. We just ask you keep it short. It may be too much for her right now." she told us before walking off.

Gemma and Tara pushed through the doors, heading right for Scarlett.

But before the others moved, I grabbed Hale's arm, pulling him to look at me. "Where's the guy that did this? Do you have him in custody?" I needed to know. I had to find this guy and kill him.

Hale shook his head. "He's dead."

SPOV

The doors to my room opened as Tara and mum hurried in. The moment mum's eyes landed on me, she began to cry as she rushed over to the side of my bed, grabbing my hand, kissing it gently. I hadn't actually seen how bad I looked, but with how I felt I knew I was probably purple all over. I hurt everywhere, but I was alive and that's all that really mattered to me at that moment.

Still crying, mum leaned over to kiss my cheek. "Oh, my poor baby." she shook her head, tears rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry." she cupped my face gently. "I'm so, so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault mum." I tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen.

"I should have told Clay and Jax what happened to me. Then they might have left you alone-"

I cut her off, looking to her hand that still held mine, not wanting to meet either her's or Tara gaze. "This was no one's fault. Okay? This wasn't Zobelle." as I opened my mouth, the door to my room opened. Jax, Clay, Tig, Ope, Happy, Bobby and Juice walked in as I went on. "It was my ex, Drew."

"Mind if we talk with Scar a moment, mum?" Jax asked, receiving a glare from Gemma.

I squeezed her hand. "It's okay. Maybe you and Tara could go grab some coffees?"

She hesitated, looking me over. I knew she didn't want to leave me. I had a feeling she wouldn't want to leave me for a while now, with everything that had been happening. But we both knew she couldn't stay. The guys had questions, and they wanted to ask them in private. So, reluctantly, mum nodded before she kissed my cheek again and then turned to leave, Tara following close behind.

The moment the doors closed, leaving me alone with the tough bikers I loved dearly, I felt the room's tension change. It was like I suddenly had this pressure being pressed on my chest, making it hard to breath. I don't know why, but I was scared that they were angry with me...

Taking a step closer to my bed, hands coming to rest on the mattress as he leaned forward a little, Jax looked down at me. "You need to tell us what happened, Scar. And we need to know the truth. All of it."

Looking to each of them, I took a deep breath as I started. "I was waiting for Hale outside of Caracara. I'd called him, asked if he could give me a lift home because I knew everyone else was busy doing stuff for you guys. That's when he jumped me." looking down, I avoided their gazes. "He pushed me to the ground. I hit my had and everything went blurry. Then he grabbed my hair and dragged me to his car. He- he tired-" I chocked on the words, eyes watering.

"He tried to rape you." Jax said through clenched teeth.

I nodded, still looking down so I wouldn't have to see the pity in their eyes. "I kicked him and got away, trying to get back inside. But he pushed me to the ground again. He just kept hitting me." the tears ran down my cheeks as I shook, images of the attack flashing in my mind, causing me to flinch. Jax grabbed my hand as he, and the others, listened to every word. "He- he stripped me down and started on his pants. I didn't know what to do. I found my gun on the ground. I didn't know what else to do, Jax. I didn't know." I shook my head, looking up at my brother, needing him at that moment. That's all I wanted, my big brother.

Understanding, Jax grabbed my shoulder carefully, pulling me to him as his arms wrapped around me. His cheek rested on the top of my head as I cried, burying my face in his shirt, letting it all out. Hand grasping his cut, I refused to let go. I shook and sobbed harder than I had in along time, knowing that Jax would hold me like that as long as I needed him to.

"You killed him."

I flinched at the words, turning my head enough so I could look at Clay

Part of me had been wondering, hoping that Drew was dead. While the other part just thought I'd shot him and maybe Hale had called the ambulance and gotten us both some help. But now that I knew I had killed someone, I felt sick. Like a monster. It didn't matter what he'd done to me, I'd still taken his life with my own hands. It made me feel terrible.

"I killed a man?" my voice was so small, my tears slowing as I pulled away from Jax a little more.

A gentle hand landed on the small of my back. I turned to see Juice looking down at me. "It's okay. You're gonna be all right."

...

After realising no one would be leaving anytime soon, Hale had come in to ask me a few questions last night. He informed me that I wouldn't be charged with murder unsurprisingly- seeing as Drew had beat me up pretty bad and tried to rape me. Once he was done, he left me to be with my family.

Mum had put herself on the chair next to my bed, refusing to leave despite me telling her to go home and get some rest. I tried convincing them all actually, but it took a few hours before they left, only because a nurse came in to tell them visiting hours were over and that they had to leave. Jax had leaned over to kiss my forehead before promising that he would send someone over to keep watch over me tomorrow.

As soon as I was alone, I pretty much crashed. I don't even remember falling asleep.

When I woke, I wasn't alone, and throughout the day I never had a moment to myself. Someone was always there, whether it be mum, Unser, Tara or one of the guys. But the one person who seemed to be there most was Juice. He'd told Jax that he wanted to keep watch over me, as a thanks seeing as I'd asked Jax to watch him while they were locked up. But I knew that was just an excuse.

Opening my eyes now, I found him standing by the window, looking out at the afternoon sun.

"Hey." I smiled, pulling myself up a bit. It hurt, and I hissed a little, but I was alive.

Turning, he walked over to help me sit up. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"You ask me that every time."

Giving me that smile that had me hooked, he shrugged. "I worry about you."

"I know." smiling back at him, I lifted my hand to grab his shirt, pulling him a little closer.

It didn't take him long to get the picture. Smile turning to a grin, he leaned down to place a kiss on my lips. It was soft and careful. I melted at the touch.

Juice knew I was still shaken from what happened to me, and he knew it might take some time before I really recover. But I didn't want what happened to stop me from being with him. After hearing he'd almost died, and after being attacked myself, I'd come to appreciate Juice and what we had- whatever that was- a little more. There was no doubt in my mind now that I wanted to be with this guy, no matter what the guys and their rules said.

Pulling back a little, staying close enough that our lips brushed, he spoke. "I thought you said-"

I cut him off, knowing what he'd been about to say. "That was before I nearly got blown up, you went to jail and almost got killed, and I was beaten up by my psycho ex." I noted. "You once said I was worth the risk. I still think you're an idiot for thinking that, but I don't want to let you go and have some porn-star replace me."

He frowned, pulling back a little more. "What porn-star?"

"I might have heard something about Ima and the wrap party." I shrugged, not really wanting to get in to it.

Pulling back completely, he looked at me confused. "What did you hear?"

"That you and her were getting close at the party." I answered, my voice small. I was anxious. I didn't really wanna know what happened, but we were here now. "It's not like we were a thing or whatever. I mean, if you two hooked up-"

"I didn't sleep with her."

"You didn't?" I was shocked. Pleased and happy, but still shocked. "But, she's a porn-star."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. She was all over me, and to be honest... I was going to. We did do things, but I couldn't go through with it."

"You did things?" I asked, feeling my insides sink. "Like what?"

"Scarlett." he gave me a look. "You really wanna know?"

"No, probably not." I sighed. "So why didn't you go through with it?"

"Couldn't, not after being with you." he admitted. "I haven't been able to have sex with any one else since that first night with you."

Once again, I was shocked. "Oh..."

Grinning at my silence, he leaned forward to press his lips to mine again. "Like I said, no one could replace you." he assured me before kissing me again, only this time it was more the tiniest bit more heated and passionate.

Still being careful, with not only my feelings but with my bruises and sores, the kiss had my nerves tingling and heat building inside of me. I felt my insides warm and swell as I smiled against his lips. Juice leaned in closer, hand resting on the pillow beside my head as he deepened the kiss even more. I moaned, wanting more. Needing more. The idea of might come from this kiss had my mind ignore my injuries as I reached up to run my hand over his shoulder and grab his cut at the back of his neck. His free hand moving to grasp my side as his body tried to press against me as much as it could.

Suddenly the door opened causing us to spring apart, turning to come face to face with Tig, who stood there holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

His jaw dropped as he looked between the two of us.

Juice's face went white. "Oh shit."

JPOV

"You son of a bitch!" Tig dropped the flowers, heading for me.

"Shit." I backed up, unable to get away from Tig as he grabbed my shirt, ready to knock out my teeth.

"Stop! Please!" Scarlett yelled from her bed.

Tig stopped for a moment, looking over his shoulder at her. "Lett, don't make me get mad at you, too. Juice knows the rules. You're off limits." he turned again, his eyes set on mine, glaring and dangerous.

"Alexander!" she used his real name, showing how annoyed she was. "I can kiss, or screw, whoever I want."

Tig's eyes went wide as he realised what she'd said. "You fucked her?!" he asked me, lifting his fist again.

"Tig." I raised my hands in surrender. "Tig. Cool it, man." my breath was coming out fast as I looked between his fist and his eyes.

"If you touch him, I swear to God, Tig. I will castrate you while you sleep." Scarlett's voice was serious and warning. "Put him down. Now."

He didn't listen right away, of course. Contemplating whether or not he should listen to her at all, his fist hovered in the air, tightening as he tried to decided if he should hit me. It took a moment, which told me just how badly he really wanted to knock my teeth out, but after a moment he finally let me go and stepped back, clenching and un-clenching his fist as he walked over to Scarlett.

"You're lucky I love you." he grumbled at her. "Or he'd be dead."

She smiled triumphantly. "I love you too. But if you tell Jax, or anyone... I'll kill you."

The thing is, it didn't sound like she was bluffing. Looking at her, black and blue, all cut up and bruised... You'd think she'd look anything but scary. Yet I was one hundred percent sure, she'd do exactly what she said, and that was enough to scare me.

Tig shook his head, glaring at me again, before turning to the door, walking out without another word, leaving us alone.

"Maybe I should go..." I sighed, coming back to stand by her bed. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She nodded, pulling me down to kiss me gently. "Be safe, okay?"

SPOV

It was dark now, and I hadn't had another visitor since Juice and Tig left. I was getting fidgety, wondering what everyone was doing. I hated hospitals, but I hated being alone even more. Now that Drew was gone, I knew I didn't have to worry. Yet I found myself worrying more than before. Not having to think about Drew, meant I started thinking about others...

"Hi." I looked over at the door, seeing Zobelle walk in. "Scarlett Teller, right?"

"Get out of here, before I call my brother and have him kill you." I warned.

He chuckled lightly, coming to stand by my bed. "I'm not here to harm you. I'm just here to talk."

"Talk? And what makes you think I'd want to talk to the asshole that had my mum gang raped?" I spat, fighting the urge to leap out of my bed and strangle him with my bare hands.

Ignoring my hostility, he went on. "I'm not sure what you've been told about me, or my people. There's been a misunderstanding, but I can assure you, I'm not here to cause any harm. I'm simply here to make a proposition."

I knew I should have told him to leave. I knew I should have called Jax right then and there. But curiosity got the best of me. I couldn't help but want to know what he might want from me. "Go on."

"Samcro are more than just mechanics and Harley lovers. We both know that. I also understand they have an agreement with the One Niners. That needs to stop. I don't want any more trouble with Samcro or their associates. So I'm willing to give them one last chance, to do what's right."

I hated this man. I would pay any amount of money if it meant I was suddenly well enough to get up, and rip him to shreds right here and now. "Theres something about me, that not many people know. See, I like people. Black, brown, yellow, white. I like them all. I'm not one to judge someone by their colour, or background. But when people mess with my family and my club, shit doesn't sit right with me. So if you think you can come in here and promise me pretty little things, hoping I'll help you. You're wasting your time." I shrugged, staying as calm as possible. "So, I'll repeat myself. Get. Out."

He nodded, grinning as if he were untouchable, which made me hate him even more. "I understand. And here I thought I could mend fences." he sighed, turning for the door. "Tell your mother I said hi."

That was the last straw. Pulling my blankets off, I got off the bed, pushing him away from the door as I seethed with anger. My arm pressed against his throat as I looked up at him with rage in my eyes. "Don't you dare talk about her. Don't even think about her. If I find out you've been anywhere near her, I'll hang you up from your fancy ass tie, outside your shop for everyone to see. Then, I'll go after your bitch of a daughter. I'll skin her alive and feed her to wild dog." I warned, ready to snap the moment he made a wrong move.

He tried covering up the fear in his eyes, but I could still see it. It may only be slight, but he was scared. "I understand." he nodded, hands in the air.

With that said, I moved back, letting him go. "Now leave."

He turned for the door, his hand reaching out to grab the handle before he looked back at me. "It's amazing how fear stopped you from being the fierce Samcro woman you can be. Imagine what your life would have been like if you had disposed of your ex earlier." he shrugged before leaving.

Bamby