This one shot is also set after chapter 5, and sometime soon after the last one shot.

Disclaimer: do not own, not for profit

2008

Age 16

Tig pulled into the gas station a little after 9 pm. He had overheard a conversation between Happy and Chibs that Gabby was having trouble with some late night customers. Chibs and Bobby had both started stopping in randomly to check on her when Happy wasn't in town.

He took a deep breath and started to walk inside. He had been hearing a lot about Gabby lately. Mostly from his own Charming brothers spreading around and piecing together what they heard from Happy. Maybe Gemma was right, the guys in the club did tend to gossip a lot.

He stopped at the door and looked through the glass. The things he'd been hearing worried him. Not that he was really going to try and change anything at this point, but somehow he just couldn't go home tonight till he saw her. He watched her at the register working on some kind of homework. That didn't seem to match what he heard; that she was close to failing out of school.

She glanced up at what must have been a security monitor and furrowed her brow, turning to look out the window behind her. She must have spotted his bike on the camera and could see there was no gas being pumped.

He took a deep breath and pulled the door open just before she turned back to look at it. He watched panic fly across her face and for just a moment regretted the way he had handled everything; handled her.

"Hey doll." He looked around the store quickly making sure it was empty.

"Put $30 on pump 2 for me." He walked up to the counter and threw a pack of lighters down. What he really needed to buy was condoms but for some reason even he thought it was wrong to buy condoms from his own flesh and blood.

"That" he pointed to the lighters, "and a pack of camels, blue." He added as she turned to the wall of cigarettes.

She only half turned her back to him and he wondered if Hap had taught her that or if it was a natural inbreed instinct. He thought about making small talk with her; asking her a few questions to quell his curiosity about what he had overheard, but held back.

"Anything else?" Gabby asked him doing her cashier duty of ringing him up and being polite. Tig could read the uncomfortable look in her bright blue eyes like a book. That was one thing she hadn't gotten from Tig or Hap, the ability to hide her emotions.

He threw a snickers bar on the counter and took pity on her. "That's all doll what's my tally?"

"$38.21"

He pulled two 20's and slid them across the counter. "Keep the change." He grabbed his stuff and walked toward the door. He paused for a moment before turning around. "Show some cleavage you'll get bigger tips." He turned not bothering to wait for a reaction and left. He couldn't act too nice; he didn't want her noticing something was different.

He walked back to his bike and started pumping gas. He'd been bitched out by Clay yesterday for not having enough gas to roll out with the rest of the guys when shit had been stirred up. He watched a car full of teens pull up, met eyes with the driver, and watched the car peel back out of the lot. He finished pumping gas and grinned; apparently his little visit had accomplished something tonight. Even if his questions hadn't been answered.

Short, I know but it is just a one shot. Tig shows more and more interest in Gabby as she gets older and I felt like I was missing the beginning stages of that in the story.

As a treat since this was so short I have the title of the sequel for you all. Heart of the Lioness. And a big thank you to lederra for helping me come up with that, I am horrible at naming my stories! There are 7 more one shots after this and then I will start posting the sequel, it will be on Wednesday's as well. I think once a week is a pretty good schedule for me to keep. Since the one shots are done I'm working on the sequel now, and being a few chapters ahead and not feeling under pressure to post is nice. I can stretch out and think things through and write much better, and since I will have time to go back and add or change things before I post I won't have as many (if any) one shots.