Title: As the Rush Comes

Summary: She rode into town in an old convertible, as if on the wind. Will she find herself caught in the middle of one of the deadliest biker wars in Charming history?

Disclaimer: the Sons of Anarchy belong to Kurt Sutter, not me. I'm a poor college student, so it'd be pointless to sue.

A/N: The song for this chapter is 'Perfectly Flawed' by Otep.

A/N: Read & Review, please Live by the motto: If you read it, feed it.

What….what is….what is that smell? Is that….Coffee? Oh, how delightful – some maniac has broken into my house and fixed coffee, awesome.

Vanessa untangled herself from the blankets in her bed, having had a rough go of it the night before. Her assumption had been correct – sleep hadn't come easy. The night she shared with Tig had played through her head over and over again. 'This isn't the time for that', she mused. 'The first floor of your house could be filled with Nords or Mayans who want you dead.' Grabbing the .9 mm from her nightstand, she cautiously made her way downstairs, being greeted by Chibs' smug face as he leaned against her kitchen counter.

"Morning, sunshine. I was wonderin' when you were goin' ta get up."
"How did you get into my house?"
"Tricks of the trade, darlin'. That and I remembered that you had a spare key taped inside of your mailbox. Coffee?"

Chibs asked, extending his hand that held a cup of coffee for Nessa. He knew she wasn't a morning person, and always had to have at least one cup of hot coffee in her before she could function like a normal human being.

"I told you we weren't finished – that'd we be finishing that conversation eventually."
"I didn't think eventually meant within twenty-four hours."
"Nessa-doll, you've been with me for how many years now, and you're just now figurin' out that I'm one inpatient bastard? So…..out with it. Where've ya been?"
"I told you already. I went up to Tacoma to be with my mom. I thought she had cleaned up her act, but she hadn't. Gemma called and told me how sick Dad was getting, so I came back."

She wasn't lying – she really had gone to be with her mother, but that wasn't the only reason. Chibs loved her – she knew that – and she loved him back. If he knew what she had done, he would go after Tig and kill him, and would likely then kill himself. Chibs stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide if he believed what he heard, but was shaken out of his thoughts by a knock at the front door.

"I think you'd better get that one, Nessa."

She nodded her head in agreement, knowing that as she headed for the door that Chibs wasn't far behind her, ready with his gun if need be. Opening the door, a woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a very nice tailored suit stood in front of – someone who definitely would stand out in the motorcycle crowd.

"Can I help you?"
"Good morning, Miss Unser. I'm Agent Stahl, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. I need to speak with you regarding the Sons of Anarchy. Do you have a free moment?"
"Uh, sure, I suppose."

Nessa moved aside, allowing Agent Stahl access to her home. Chibs was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, becoming noticeably tenser once he found out who had been at the door.

"Telford, I didn't think I'd be seeing you here."
"Well, I suppose this mornin's just full o' surprises. You can talk to Nessa all you want, I'm just here to make sure you don't pull anymore of your tricks on anyone."
"Nessa? That's odd – I seem to remember hearing that you were with another woman now, an Emily Duncan?"

Nessa rolled her eyes as the agent spoke. Emily Duncan got more ass than a public toilet seat – and was commonly referred to as the town bicycle – everyone got a ride. Knowing his temperament, Vanessa put a hand on Chibs' arm in an effort to calm him.

"Look, Agent Stahl, perhaps this wasn't the best time after all. Do you have a number where I can reach you when I have more time?"
"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that, Nessa."

The way Stahl said her name made Vanessa cringe, and suddenly hate the nickname that the boys down at Teller-Morrow had given her.

"I'll be in contact with you soon enough. I just want to leave you with these. I'm sure you'll find them as interesting as I did."

As quickly as Agent Stahl had entered the home, she had left again. Chibs turned and looked at Vanessa, his eyes full of an emotion that she couldn't put her finger on. Was it anger? Fear? Shock?

"I don't want you talking to her, Nessa."
"Don't worry, I won't tell her anything about the club. I'm smarter than that."
"I know your smart, but it's not about that. I don't trust her – you need to stay away from her. I have to get down to the garage, let the boys know Agent Stahl is sniffin' around, but promise me that you aren't going to talk to her."
"I'm not going to talk to her."
"Thank you."

As soon as she heard the roar of Chibs' bike heading down the street, Vanessa emptied the the contents of the manila envelope onto the table, sending photos across the table. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped as she looked them all over. Was it blood? No, that she could've handled. Guns? Tanks? Saddam Hussein?

The pictures spread across the table were of a mix of her with Chibs, and her with Tig. These photos were evidence that at least Stahl knew about her affair – more than likely hoping to use it against the club. 'If Stahl knows, who else does? This is bad, really bad…..

Well, shit.