Short and sweet this time. This particular one shot I wanted to include since the very beginning, but I couldn't make it long enough to be a full chapter.

Thank you for all the comments! I know again i didn't get back to all of you and i'm sorry. It's just not a good time for me. Luckily i wrote ahead a few one shots a while back, otherwise i would have nothing to post right now.

Disclaimer: do not own, not for profit

1998

Age 6

Happy at on a bench at the playground watching Gabby and a friend get chased around by two older boys. Up stairs, across plastic draw bridges, down slides, up rope ladders, a shriek of excitement or a benign threat being heard every minute or so. He envied her energy. He had dropped her off 10 minutes ago and she hadn't stopped moving since.

He had stopped by on his way through Charming to Fresno. He found Gabby home alone again. He had always hated when that happened. It left him in quite a predicament when it was time to leave. Leave her alone at 6, like he found her, or remove her from where her mother had left her. That's why he ended up taking her to the park. There were lots of parents here and Gabby didn't have to cross any streets to get home.

Hap heard a bike before he caught sight of it and groaned inwardly. If any of his brothers saw him here they'd surely stop and question why.

"Hap?" It was Tig who finally called his name as he walked toward the bench Happy was sitting on.

"Tig" He greeted his brother as the man clapped him on the back.

"Didn't know you were in Charming." Tig settled onto the bench not waiting for an invite.

"Just passing through to Fresno. Needed to stretch my legs." Hap's eyes followed Gabby as one of the boys chasing her caught her around the waist and pulled her down off a ladder. They both toppled to the ground and Charlene pulled her up, both of them on the run again without a single sniffle.

"Stretching your legs on a park bench?" Tig egged him on but he didn't take the bait. Tig knew better than to push his brother too far. He instead followed Happy's gaze, searching for whatever seemed to have his brother's complete attention.

He was caught off guard however when his eyes landed on the blurry form of his own young illegitimate daughter running with a group of kids. He swallowed nervously; he could never seem to stay calm around her. Perhaps it was the guilt, but he had the sudden intense urge to make some excuse and leave the park in a hurry. As he was trying to come up with anything plausible a shadow crossed over him forcing his eyes off his kid.

"Got a couple of complaints about some pervert watching kids play. Imagine my surprise when I pull up and find two Sons sitting here." Hale addressed the men, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest trying to hide his fear of SAMCRO after only 6 months on the job.

"Fuck you Hale, we ain't bothering the kids." Tig shot back.

"You 2 have no business here. Move along." Hale wouldn't budge; he didn't want to stand down to these guys. Both men ignored him and he huffed. "Move along or I'll fine you for loitering."

Happy flicked his eyes to the officer for the first time. Nobody told Happy what to do, especially not a damn rookie cop.

"GABBY" Happy barked out and the 4 children stopped dead on their climb up a slide. Gabby hopped down and ran over to him.

Hale eyed the young girl and then the biker who had summoned her. Gabby waited patiently to be told why she had been called over and Happy looked pointedly at Hale. Finally the young officer squatted down to address the girl.

"You know these men?" He asked carefully not wanting to scare her and thus piss off the bikers.

"Yes." Gabby answered simply.

Hale waited for more to come but it didn't. "How do you know them?" Gabby's gaze skipped over Tig and went right to Happy as she pointed at him.

"Happy brought me to the park. He's dating my mom." Tig's gaze went immediately to Happy as she answered. The men were all silent a minute and Gabby started to drag the toe of her shoe through the mulch under foot. "Can I go play now?" She finally asked.

"Go on sweet heart." Hap nodded his head back to her friends as he continued to stare down Hale. Gabby smiled and ran full speed back to her friends that had waited and watched. A minute of intense whispering commenced between the kids before they were running again as if nothing had happened.

"Anything else officer?" Tig asked sarcastically and Hale silently walked away; defeated.

Happy gave out the smallest of smirks before settling to watch Gabby play again. He knew Tig would start with the questions soon.

"So…" Tig crossed his arms and stared at the side of his brothers head. "You're dating someone. And taking her kid to the park." Tig played dumb as to whom Gabby was, though he needn't have bothered, Happy already had his assumptions; but he decided to play dumb as well.

"Her mother's a crow eater. I'm fucking her. Explain that to a 6 year old." Hap summed up quickly, his eyes never leaving Gabby.

Tig didn't know what to say to that. If he started asking Hap about Gabby the truth would come out, and Tig wasn't sure he could handle that. And why the hell was Happy taking Gabby to the park anyway? If he was just fucking Emily why was he playing with the kid?

"Whatever you say brother. I gotta role out. Some of us got day jobs." Tig risked one more look at his daughter and walked back to his bike; he for one was supposed to be on his lunch break.

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