I seemed to have forgotten the disclaimer in my haste to post this story. So it's all the same usual shit, I don't own anything that you see on the show, the plot lines, character's etc. I just borrow here and there from it. I do however own everything else you don't see on the show. Thanks for all the love this story has gotten in the reviews. Much appreciated. I will try to post regularly as the muse flows.

Also, I feel like I should mention that my story takes place somewhere in between Opie's return after Donna's death and before Bobby's return party in the second season. I spaced these two event apart as I thought I need to establish Bran more into the lives of SAMCRO before all hell breaks loose with Zorbelle. So it's a bit of an AU story.

Enjoy.

Tara walked across the street with two mugs of steaming coffee and a pile of questions around ten in the morning. She was curious about what happened between Bran and Juice the night before. Jax had suggested she put the bug in Juice's ear to play Bran a visit last night, mind you it was her idea for him to bring dinner. It was the best excuse she could come up with to give him a reason to show up late at night.

Jax suggested the beer.

Clearly, her man's rare attempt at match making went well last night from her late night session at being a nosey neighbour. Tara didn't have many girlfriends, she had a few in Chicago but nothing that lasted over the distance. She was friendly with a few fellow doctors but that atmosphere carried it's own brand of drama. Off ice politics and the sometimes incestuous sexual relations between co workers was often more then she cold take. And she certainly wasn't making any friends among the cro eaters who all wanted to fuck Jax. All she had for female companionship was Gemma, and Gemma was well Gemma.

Things between her and Gemma were more solid, then a year and half ago when she returned to Charming or even before when she and Jax made their first round at being together. Tara sense a little less hate thrown in her direction from Gemma, and quiet possibly a bit more acceptance. After all, for mother replacements for Abel, Tara figured that Gemma must have thought she was a far better choice then Wendy Jax's former junkie wife and Abel's birth mother or the never ending line of cro eaters that wanted Jax's dick.

She was spending more and more time at Jax's house compared to her own. She enjoyed spending time alone with Jax and Abel, enjoyed the quiet and the sense of family. She loved Jax, that was something she couldn't run from or hide. It was a love that lasted distance, time and other people.

As Tara's feet hit Bran's driveway she took a drink of her coffee, burning her tongue slightly on the hot liquid. The morning was already heating up and she could tell it was going to be a hot one.

Tara grasped the handles of the two mugs in one hand as she knocked on the door with the other hand. She only had to wait a moment before the door opened and there stood Bran who looked tired but Tara thought perhaps satisfied.

"Hello, neighbour." Bran greeted her with a smile. She was happy Tara kept to her word and came over. She liked it even better that Tara came over with what looked like a steaming cup of coffee. She needed caffeine after her late night with Juice.

Thinking of Juice, made Bran smile. They didn't have sex, even though they both wanted to. As much as Bran wanted to through caution into the wind and sleep with him, she couldn't. She didn't rule it out from never happening but she was more then willing to wait and see what would happen. Sex complicated a lot of shit, and even with her lack of social knowledge she knew that getting tangled up with an outlaw could end up with her shit laid out for all to see. And that was the last thing she wanted, needed or was interested in handling.

She barely remembered drifting off, snuggled into Juice somewhere around 1am only to wake up a few hours later with a crick in her neck and Juice's face buried in her tits. Clearly he thought they were a comfortable pillow. Bran woke his sleeping ass up and told him dinner and beer didn't buy him a sleep over, and the cushions didn't make a good mattresses. He only put up a little resistance to leaving and it was very adorable to watch.

Bran slept for a few hours after that and woke with a smile on her face and more energy then she should have. Maybe it was something about the California air or possibly she had a little bounce her step from Juice. Either or she put a pretty big dent in getting the house in order.

"As promised, coffee and willing hands to help." Tara said, holding out Bran's coffee. Tara walked into the house and saw it mostly put together. Bran was a very busy girl yesterday apparently. "Looks like you had a productive day yesterday."

Bran took the coffee and followed Tara to the kitchen. She had completed it earlier and she took a seat at the square, oak table. Her chairs didn't match and two were even different colours. She liked that they were all different then each other. " Got a lot done this morning. So take a seat, I can use a break."

Tara looked at the clock on the stove and reminded her self she had an hour and half to two hours tops before Gemma was bring Abel home from his over night visit. Tara took a seat beside Bran and took another drink of her coffee. " I hope that's alright. I didn't know what you liked in your coffee."

The truth of the matter was Bran hated coffee, only drinking when the situation called for it. She didn't even own a coffee maker. She was a tea drinker all the way but she would choked down the cup of coffee in order not to hurt Tara's feelings.

"This is good." Bran told her taking a drink of the coffee and squishing the urge to spit it back out. She was sure Tara made good coffee but any coffee tasted like shit to her. "Thanks again for all your help yesterday. It would have taken me forever to get all my shit inside. I still haven't put my bed frame back together."

"It was nothing, really. And you might want to save your thanks till after you see how much the boys eat. Jax alone eats like a horse, put Juice and Op in there, they might eat you out of house and home." Tara gave a chuckled as she tilted her mug towards the fridge. "So you said yesterday your from out east?"

"Yeah, Maine." Bran said, knowing full well that there was a thin line to walk upon. She didn't want to lie but she knew the price that the truth carried with her family. She may not like what they stand for, how they make their life and resented the way they raised her but rats and traitor's don't live long lives where she's from. Plus she doubted that Tara would swallow the truth, not many people would believe the whole ' my family is generations old hired killers and everything I own is from blood money.' bit. "Maine was good but I think I will like the weather here better."

"I bet you will see the difference for sure." Tara told her drinking more her coffee.

"So what do you do in Charming?" asked Bran settling into her chair with the mug of hot coffee pulled close to her chest. She was hoping to direct the conversation to Tara and away from herself.

"I'm a surgeon at St. Thomas Hospital here in Charming." Tara began shifting around in her seat. She wondered what colours Bran was going to do the kitchen when she got everything settled. She noticed the several high range products on the counter and deduced that Bran was serious about cooking or at least had the skills to warrant the cost in the products. "I mostly work on kids, specifically babies but I also do trauma as well."

"That's a very brave career choice." Bran told her pushing her fridge out of her face. Her hair was piled high in a messy bun and she reached a hand down to pull at the hem of her shorts. They were riding up and starting to piss her off. "I don't think I could do that. It's a lot of pressure having someone else life in your hands."

"It is, but I love it. I mean sometimes I look down at my hands in the middle of surgery and think to myself, whose hands are these doing incredible things. Sure losing patients is hard, and it hurts but when I get to tell a new borns parents their going to make it, everything is worth it." Tara told her, smiling. She really did love what she did for a living. It was long hours, hard work and pressure like nothing else but she loved it.

"What does Jax do?" asked Bran

"He's a mechanic at Teller-Morrow here in Charming. It's a family run business. Jax's mom runs the office and his step dad Clay runs the shop." Tara informed her, easily spitting out the clubs day job."What about you?"

"I'm a jack of all trades I guess. Mostly, I just worked in the family business." Bran said moving her leg up so that it was under her. She took a big gulp of the coffee, set the mug on the table and wondered what she was going to tell Tara. She settled on half truth verse full lie. "My family find people. I tied up some loose ends here and there, did a little grunt work and pushed paper for a while."

It was mostly true, her family at times needed to find people she just left out the part that happened after. You know the who messy blood and brains bit.

"Like bounty hunter shit, like Dog or something?"

Bran grinned at her reference. "Something like that, you could say."

"What will you do now, I mean here in Charming. Are you opening up a bounty hunter shop?" Tara hoped not, as she assumed some of the SAMCRO boys would have outstanding warrants. She wouldn't be surprised if it was more then a few of them. Happy, Tig for sure and possible Chibbs. If Bran was here looking to set up shop then this would mean Tara hope for a friend outside would be shot to shit.

"Hardly." Bran shook her head. Having anything to do with the family business was the last thing she wanted, at least for a couple months. She would eventually have to do a little free lance work to pad her pockets and then there was the favours she used to buy her self some time that would get called in. "I've got enough in savings that I won't actually have to work for a bit, but I kinda want to make something with my paintings work."

"You paint?" Tara asked, finishing the last of her coffee and placing the mug on the table.

"I sketch a fair bit, do a little photography but mostly it's paint." Bran smiled as she talked about painting. "Things with my family and the business can get intense and don't really leave a lot of time or energy to give it the time that I would like."

"If you have time, do you think that you could do something of Jax, Abel and I?" Tara asked, she really wanted some family photo's or really anything of the three of them. "I mean only if you have time and want to."

"Sure, we can working something out. I'm not sure if I am any good, so I'll have to warn you before the fact." Bran finished her coffee and got up, grabbing Tara's mug as she stood. She walked over to the sink and washed them out. "Abel, yours and Jax's? How old?"

"Yeah, he's such a sweet baby. Almost a year and looks so much like his daddy." Tara didn't tell Bran about Wendy, seeing as Abel might as well be hers and something's are better shared over much stronger things then coffee.

Bran turned around from the kitchen sink and looked at Tara. "So, give me the scoop on Charming. Best restaurant's, better priced grocery stores, you know the local shit."

"That's easy." Tara says turning around to face Bran. "You want fresh fruit, you go to Sunflower Mall, down at the end of main st. Meat's and anything bread related you want to go to the Granary and the Block respectively. That's the more expensive route, but you can still get decent quality at the Granger's Market on first st. As for restaurants it depends on what you like. We don't really have that much in diversity but we do have a the standard. Italian, you head to Big Mike's on Fairview and Main st. You want a good family meal, cooked home style that's Lumpy's. As for Chinese, well I think you know which is the good one to get your food."

"Is that so?" Bran set the mugs down in the sink, and picked up the dish towel hanging off a peg on the wall. She dried her hands slowly on the towel. She wasn't the kind of girl who kissed and told but wasn't a normal thing for girls to gossip. "How do you figure that?"

Tara gave her a sneaky smile. "Juice is a good guy, a little socially slow but he's one of the nicest men I know."

"I thought he was very nice yesterday." Bran turned around and leaned up against the sink, giving raising an eye brow at Tara." You know when he came to move my furniture in."

"Was that the only time he was here, yesterday?" Tara prompted.

"Possibly." Bran laughed.

"I could have swore I saw Juice's bike in your drive way awful late last nite."

"I can neither confirm or deny that Juice showed up with dinner last night." Bran told her shaking her head. She wouldn't go into details, having spent some much of her life hiding anything personal it was hard for her to open up too much to fast. But she knew Tara's inquisitive nature wasn't harmful just a way to form a bond between them.

"Oh I can confirm it, and I can probably tell you what restaurant he went too."

Bran laughed at Tara playing detective." Which one?"

"Li Mai's?" Tara guessed, knowing Juice's preference for Chinese food but unsure of which was his favourite restaurant she took a guess.

Bran shook her head. "Kong Wo."

"Boy didn't cheap out." Tara was impressed. Maybe Jax was right about what Juice was looking for. "How good was the dinner?"

"Not the best I've had but certainly not the worse."

"And Juice, how did he rate?" Tara asked her when there was a knock at the door."Maybe that's the boy wonder himself."

"Not that I'm aware off." Bran was just a little bit happy that the someone interrupted the conversation. She walked from the kitchen and towards the door along the front hallway. She checked the window at the side of the door and saw a tall brunette woman with blonde streaks through her hair and a baby in her arms. "Tara, I think this is for you."

"Is it Jax?" Tara asked as she dug into the back pocket of her jeans for her cell. He would have called or messaged if something was wrong, he wouldn't have showed up here. She stood up and walked towards the front door.

"Unless Jax grew boobs, I don't think so." Bran called out behind her shoulder before opening the door." Hello, I'm assuming your looking for Tara."

Gemma surveyed the girl before her. She looked young, Gemma guessed early to mid twenties, short with long hair in a colour Gemma envied. She wore square framed glasses, and her eyes were a more green then brown type of hazel. She was pretty, and when Gemma took a look at her body she knew if Tara brought her around the club, the cro eaters were going to pitch a fit.

Gemma readjusted Abel in her arms and reached out with her hand. "Yes, I am actually. I'm Gemma Teller Morrow."

"Bran. It's nice to meet you." Bran shook Gemma's hand and tried not to frown at the older woman sizing her up. She knew this type of woman, they often came with a backbone of steel, chip the size of the state of Texas on their shoulder and a mouth like nobody's business. Gemma looked like she could cause a world of trouble, and Bran was not looking for trouble, certainly not the kind Gemma wreaked.

Tara stepped out from behind Bran and reached for the baby. Abel was all giggles and smiles as he snuggled into his mama's arms." Hey Gemma. Sorry, I must have lost track of time talking to Bran. Thanks for bringing him over."

"Sorry, baby somethings came up at the shop. Got to whip those boys in to action you know, the like to slack. I just stopped over to drop him off, before I head to the office." Gemma told Tara as she reached out and laid a hand on Abel's soft hair.

"Oh, it's ok." Tara told her as Gemma moved it to kiss her on the cheek. Tara turned to Bran." I'll just go settle him the house with his toys. Catch you sometime this week?"

"I'll be kicking round here." Bran nodded as she leaned against the door frame. "Other then getting the house sorted, I'll be free to hang out. Let me know when the boys and you have your schedule clear for the dinner I owe you."

"Will do, but like I said they might make you regret that. I'll grab the mugs later this week." Tara laughed as she headed down the steps and across the lawn towards her house. Gemma moved into step behind her, casting a look behind her at Bran who waved and watched them walk away.

Juice dug around the tool box and marked off the contents on a clipboard full of paper. Gemma wanted a full accounting of tools that needed to be replaced or were missing. This task usually would have fell to the prospect, Half Sac but he was dealing with the clogged and overflowing toilet in the club house.

He wasn't as tired as he expected from the night before and it surprised him that he had fallen asleep so easily beside someone else. Sure he'd passed out after a SOA party more then once, and most times it was beside an equally drunk cro eater. Since he had patched into the club, he had only ever had one girlfriend, and he couldn't remember being completely sober sleeping beside her. The three beers he had while at Bran's house wasn't even enough to get him buzzed let alone drunk.

His previous girlfriend was just a regular lay with a glorified title. Communication wasn't really his priority with her and if he was really honest he was just tired of the constant revolving door of blurry faces, sweaty bodies and lies of the sweet butts night after night. Seeing what Clay had with Gemma, an old lady who knew that the deal was, helped when she can and played her part made Juice long a little bit for something of his own.

But after his disastrous attempt, he had backed away from making a relationship with anyone. Bran sparked his interest but he wasn't going to put the chart before the horse. He knew when he watched Jax with Tara now, it made him have that same feeling again. He wanted the soft touches, the whispered words and inside jokes. He wanted to come home to someone else, instead of an empty room, cold bed and tv screen that played call of duty on repeat.

Women, he learned were fickle creatures and if he was going to step into murky waters with someone he wanted to see what they were all about.

"Juicy boy!" a rich Scottish accent called from across the garage. Juice's head turned around with a grin hearing his name, then the smile dropped seeing a shit eating grin on Jax's face, and a near identical look on Opie's. Chibbs face danced with delight that made Juice's head throb with what was going to come out of his brother's mouths.

"Boys, come to help me?" he asked setting the clip board down on the tool box.

"Not likely, brother." Opie gave a chuckle before pulling out a smoke and lighting it. He braced his large body against the frame of one of the roll up doors. He was looking forward to Jax teasing the shit out of Juice. He seemed to always need something to laugh about these days.

Jax leaned against one of the cars that someone was working on and starred at the clubs intelligence officer. He understood the wanting of a partner, a needing of someone who understood and could handled the life. Which is why he pushed Tara to encourage Juice to go over there last night. "How did your little visit go last night?"

Juice swore and then laughed. "Hey, your lady told me to go. She was very insistent."

"Well, she didn't kick you out." Jax stated reaching into his pocket to pull out a smoke and lit it up. He took a drag and blew a line of blue smoke out of his nose.

"How do you know that?" Juice asked, leaning back on the tool box and stretching his legs out.

"Four o'clock piss and your bike is still in my good neighbour's drive way." Jax smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Didn't take you long brother."

"Wasn't like that." Juice told them. He didn't mind the jokes and the witty one liners thrown his way, but it got his back up a bit thinking that the boys saw her as an easy lay. "We hung out and shit."

"I'm sure it was, Juicy boy." Chibbs chuckled with a smile on his face. He wanted to get a look at this girl, who both Jax and Opie told him was a stacked little piece of ass. Juice wasn't the brightest blub in the sack when it comes to woman but hand him something with a power source and he turns into a boy wonder. And after the last disaster of a girlfriend Juice tied himself to, Chibbs was a wee bit protective when it came to Juice shopping outside of their sweetbutt market.

"Oh, I doubt you just hung out and shit." Jax took a drag of the smoke, repeating the bullshit line Juice just fed him. He noted that Juice was quick to shoot down the assumption of getting his dick wet inside Bran, something that spark Jax's interest. When a son defends a woman, it generally means he's got an interest that went beyond one night in the sack. Sweetbutts were talked about in the raunchiest terms, it went with the territory. Their best attributives were broken down, discussed and ranked most conversations. The boys weren't lacking on the detail of their sexual encounters with the cro eaters, everyone knew who gave the best blow job or who had the tightest pussy. What else would you talk about after all the important shit has been picked apart at the church? He never offered information about Tara, this time or before when they were young and stupid. He'd probably cut a man up if he talked about Tara like they talked about cro eaters. "The little scene I saw at her doorway proves other wise, Juice."

"What the hell did you do, stare at her house all night?" Juice shook his head. He had hoped that he could feel the situation out before the entire club pounced, and from the look in Chibbs eyes, he doubted if the rest of the MC didn't already know about the new girl in town.

Jax was saved from a reply when Piney entered the shop. The old man was in a mood, that much was clear. But it was Piney and when he wasn't in a mood, the old fucker was drunk and passed out.

"Aren't you fuckers going to do any work today?" Piney snapped, stomping towards them. He held a clipboard in hands and four reposition slips clipped to it. Gemma had delegated him to repos. Like he a founding member handled fucking repos. That was a fucking prospects jobs. " Going to stand there all damn day with your thumbs up your asses or are you going go get these repo's?"

Jax's hand turned from Piney to Op then Chibs and finally Juice. " Don't look at me boys. I got to talk to Clay bout something."

"Don't all fucking jump at once." Piney thrust the clipboard roughly into Opie's chest. "Make sure your home for dinner with your fucking kids. Your mother is not a replacement for Donna. Get your shit together."

"Love you too Pop." Opie grimace and looked down at the cement floor. He didn't know what to say. To his dad, to his mother, fuck especially his kids. He didn't know how to make this better, how to cope himself. How the hell did he make it better for them?

The shop was silent as they watch the old man glare at his son and walk away. The mention of Donna had sucked all the air out of the garage. It had been less then six months since they put their brother's old lady in the ground. Juice wasn't stupid, he could see Opie's hurt pouring out of him. But it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that Stacy and Kenny were hurting to, and just as lost as their daddy.

"Juicy boy and I willa take that." Chibbs reached out and took the clipboard from Opie. He understood the younger man's plight. He had lost his wife, not to similar circumstances but he knew the bitter feeling of being unable to help your own flesh and blood. It took a man more then a minute to work through feeling like you failed your family. "He looks like he wants to tell me more about this lassie without you two nosey girls around."

Juice was grateful for to opportunity to leave behind the tedious and repetitive task of inventory. He dropped the clipboard on the tool box and went to retrieve the keys for the tow truck. Chibbs was good people, had always been good to him and was one of his favourite brothers to be around. He knew exactly how this afternoon was going to go. Chibbs was not going to let him have a moment of peace in till Juice gave him something about Bran.

"Well, whatever he tells you just tell me the juicy stuff." Jax laughed as Juice gave him the finger when he walked out of the garage with the keys to the tow truck.