Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter! I thought I had typed a lot for the first chapter, but in the end, I wish it was longer! I'll try to make the following chapters longer. I am sorry it took me more than a week to put up this next chapter, I thought it was going to be easy to upload a chapter weekly, but it takes a lot of time out of my busy schedule. ESPECIALLY because all the good Fall Shows are coming back on TV! I'll try to update as soon as I can, I know how frustrating it is to wait. Thank you for being patient! (And how crazy has the Season 6 episodes been?! No spoilers, but to those who haven't been watching, I suggest you catch up with the episodes ASAP!) Nothing much to say, other than I hope you enjoy this second chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, only Emily.

CHAPTER 2: WELCOME TO CHARMING

Kozik's motorcycle flew by multiple cars, earning numerous honks along the way. Kozik would just laugh, flip them off and speed down the road. Emily always loved the rumbling of a motorcycle's engine; its constant buzz would always put her in a dreamlike state. Almost lulling her to sleep. She laid her head down on Kozik's back, enjoying the sweet sound of the engine until they pulled into the airport's curbside. She held onto Kozik until he shut off the engine, it's rumbling sound quickly replaced with the blaring noises of the distant planes flying overhead.

Jumping off the bike, she took off her helmet and handed it to Kozik. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to undo the knots that formed. "You sure you can handle the lone trip?" he asked while yanking off her duffel bag from the bike and handing it to her.

"The flight is the least of my problems. Mary is going to be in town, she doesn't want me there." She sighed, pulling the bag over her shoulder, the weight making her take a step back. It was heavier than she had thought.

He laughed and shook his head, clearly entertained. "It was nice knowing you, Em. Mary is going to kill you when you roll into town."

Yeah, I know.

"I've been scared of going back because of her, ya know? Since the day we left, she wouldn't stop saying how horrible Charming was, she kept drilling it into my head. Then when Ope went back to live with my dad, it just got worse." She absentmindedly fumbled with her fingers. "I don't want to give in anymore. She can't keep me from the club, or my family…" she trailed off.

Kozik bumped his knuckles on her jaw, smiling. "Stop it, don't think about Mary. She might not be supportive, but you'll have Opie and Piney there, and the rest of the club too. Shit, Happy will sure as hell be there for you while you're in Charming. Guaranteed."

She couldn't help but laugh, "Thanks Kozi. For the pep-talk and the ride…and everything. I appreciate it." He suddenly lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her and held her tightly. Her face was shoved in his chest, her arms trapped in between their bodies.

"You make it sound like we're never going to see eachother again! Stop being such a buzz kill, kid! You're going to see your family! Everything will be fine!"

"Stop!" she giggled, playfully punching him in the stomach. He always found a way of making her laugh, it's what she loved about him. He didn't need to comfort her or do any favors for her, but always made time for her.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, he quickly let go of Emily and answered it."Yeah?...alright, I'm on my way." He hung up and sighed. "Duty calls and you have a flight to catch. You can't be late or Kim will rip me a new one."

She laughed, but the smile quickly fell from her face, she sighed. "I'll miss you Kozik." They shared one last hug.

"I'll be waiting for you here, Em." He kissed the top of her head and pulled away. "Say hi to the guys for me. Have a safe trip."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

She slowly made her way toward the gate leading to the front desk, looking back at Kozik one last time, gave a small wave goodbye. He smiled at her and put his helmet back on before jumping on his bike and speeding off.

She quickly pulled out a jacket from the duffel bag on slipped it on before she headed for the check-in counter. She got her ticket and, after going through security, headed straight to the terminal's waiting room. She took a seat, pulling her messenger bag closer to her and popped on the earphones as she turned on her Ipod. Music filled her ears as she stared at the people walking from terminal to terminal. She always loved people watching, she didn't care if she looked creepy while doing it. She liked to imagine what type of life people had based on how they looked or acted, always having an open mind while doing it. Her phone vibrated and she yanked it out of her pocket, already having a guess of who it might be. Mary. She pressed the END button and quickly pushed the POWER OFF button, watching her cellphone's light fade away.

She didn't want to answer her calls, Emily was going to avoid her until the last possible second. Suddenly, everyone around her stood up and walked towards a flight attend who was standing next to the gate entrance. Emily quickly scrambled up and followed the crowd. After getting her ticket checked, she boarded the plane and walked down the aisle, plopping down on her assigned seat. She shoved her bag underneath the seat and buckled her seatbelt, shrugging into the uncomfortable This is really it. She thought as she sighed nervously, glancing around the plane as it quickly filled with people. My nerves will be the death of me. Just as quick as her morning had begun, the plane took off and soared through the sky.

The flight had been quick, and she had managed to calm her nerves by the time the plane landed. Maybe the tequila she drank during the flight had been a major factor, but she didn't question it. After collecting her duffel bag, she quickly hailed a cab. She didn't want to call anyone from the club to pick her up, definitely didn't want to call Mary. She threw in her bags in and stepped into the cab, immediately greeted by the old gray man driving behind the wheel.

"Where to, Miss?" He asked as her smiled at her.

"Charming, please…" she looked over the front seat, stared at his Taxi License displayed on the dashboard. "Patrick." She smiled back. He chuckled as he steered the cab onto the road.

"Small town, huh? Anywhere specific?"

She wasn't sure where to go. She didn't know Opie's address, or her father's, and she sure as hell wasn't going to call her mother to ask. "Teller-Morrow Auto Shop." she decided. He gave her a questionable look through the rear view mirror, but didn't ask any more questions.

She stared outside the window and watched as the busy streets soon disappeared into small dirt roads, a sign that she was getting closer to her hometown. "Hey Patrick?" she spoke up, it was a long drive and the silence made it drag on even more.

"Yes, Miss?" he chimed, his grey eyes glancing back at her.

"I was just wondering, how did you end up as a cab driver? Driving from town to town, meeting different people every day, doesn't it get a bit…" she chewed on her lip, trying to find a fitting word.

"Tiring?" he answered as he chuckled. "Yes, sometimes, but I've always loved driving to different places and seeing new sights. I stumble upon rude people most of the time, but it's people like you that make me like being a cab driver, Miss." That caught her off guard.

"People like me? What do you mean by that?"

The old man let out a light chuckle after seeing her confused face. "You're quiet and respectful. You don't seem to cause any trouble, and the fact that I get to make sure you get to your destination safely, well, that makes me happy, Miss." Sweet man. She couldn't help but smile.

"My name is Emily."

"Pretty name for a pretty lady."

They exchanged some more small talk, mostly chatting about his past experiences with people who weren't as nice to him as Emily was. Thinking of how anyone would treat this little old man with any rudeness made her furious. She had always treated everyone with respect and kindness, but that didn't mean she was a weak. Kozik and Happy made sure she was able to stand up for herself, with force if necessary. It was nice knowing this old man wasn't as small and weak as he seemed either; he told Emily he had thrown a good punch or two to some passengers trying to take advantage of him and steal from him. This made her laugh, not being able to imagine this sweet man as the fighting type, but hey, everyone has to stand up for themselves at some point.

Their conversation came to an end as the cab passed by the WELCOME TO CHARMING sign. "We're finally here." Patrick announced.

"Yeah." Home Sweet Home. She stared outside the window as they came into town, passing by all the familiar shops she was used to seeing as a kid, including the small grocery market she would go to with her mom. Lumpy's Gym and Floyd's Barber Shop, everything was the same as she had remembered. This is it.

"A little anxious, are we? You look like a cat, you're ready to pounce out of the cab." Patrick laughed.

"Y-Yeah. Just a little excited, I guess. It's been a long trip." She mumbled. They passed by the small elementary school and this immediately brought a smile to her face. Emily would get bullied by her classmates for being quiet and keeping to herself, but it would never last too long. Opie and Jax would confront anyone who had given her a rough day. Unfortunately, this prevented Emily from making any good friends in school; the boys were too scared because of her older 'brothers' and the girls would just pretend to be her friends so they can hang around the cute older boys. But she didn't mind. She loved being around Opie and Jax, even though they would usually ride off with their bicycles, leaving her behind.

She must have spaced out, thinking about her childhood memories, because she faintly heard Patrick's voice suddenly say something. She turned to him, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, what was that?" he chuckled as the cab slowed down to a complete stop.

"We're here." She could see the TELLER-MORROW AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR sign above the garage where she saw people lazily working on cars. No backing out now. She hesitantly stepped out of the cab, dragging her bags along with her and quickly pulled out her wallet.

"Thanks for the ride, Patrick." She handed him a bill. "Keep the change." He smiled at her.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Take care of yourself, alright?" she nodded and returned the smile.

"I will. It was nice meeting you."

"It was a pleasure, Emily." She closed the door, sending a small wave as Patrick drove away. She turned and slowly made her way into the lot, trying to spot the first person she recognized. She didn't see any of the motorcycles lined up, which she found rather odd. She headed for the garage, one slow step at a time, a quickly spotted a familiar face.

"Lowell?" the man looked up from the car he was working on, and stared.

"Holy shit, Emily, is that you?" he walked over and gave her a hug. "Wow, haven't seen you in ages, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

She looked around the garage as she answered, "Thought it was time for a family reunion, ya know?" he laughed.

"Yeah, I just saw Mary pass by a couple of hours ago, actually. Talked to Gemma and Jax then stormed off."

She sighed, and nodded her head. "Yeah…sounds like my mother." They laughed, she shifted uncomfortably. "So…how have you been? Your son?" Lowell's smile faltered as he looked at the ground.

"Y-Yeah, I'm doing good. Moby's been amazing. Great kid. I'm lucky to have him." She smiled. The last time she visited, while the club would be out handling business she would spend most of her time with Lowell. He would rave about every small thing Moby did, he was always so proud of him. Being away from his son when he was having problems with drugs would bring him down.

"You're a great dad, Lowell." He looked up with an embarrassed smile.

"T-Thanks, Em."

"Have you seen my dad? I don't see anyone's bikes in the lot."

He shook his head, looking around the garage. "Haven't seen Piney since this morning. Clay, Tig and Jax left a while ago. Gemma too. Everyone seemed pretty busy today." She nodded and shifted her bags, her shoulder was starting to ache.

"Guess I decided to pass by at the wrong time. If it isn't too much to ask, do you think you can give me a ride to the hotel? After your shift, that is." He cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"Wait, you came back to Charming without having a proper place to stay?"

"This was an unplanned trip and I don't want to bother anyone. I think it's better this way. Besides, nobody knows I'm back in town yet, besides you of course. Do you mind not mentioning me? " He nodded while scanning the garage.

"Yeah, I understand. That'll be no problem. I just need work on one more car, shouldn't take too long."

"Thanks Lowell. I'll be hanging around in the office for a bit." With a quick nod, he headed back inside the garage as Emily stepped inside the small, messy office.

You would think with Gemma being in charge here, everything would be neat and organized. She threw her bags to the ground and plopped down on the small couch, trying to get comfortable. She sat in the quiet for a while, until she grew restless. Taking out her cellphone from her pocket, she turned it on and as soon as it lit up, she searched for Opie's number. He better have the same number. She pressed the CALL button; the line went straight to voice-mail.

"Hey, Ope. It's me. Mary told me what happened, and guess what? I'm in Charming." She sighed, not completely sure of what to say. "Listen, I don't know when you're getting out of Stockton's watch or when you're gonna check your phone but, I'm hoping its soon. I'll be staying at the Ramada. No way in hell I'm going with mom. Just…call me whenever you can. Bye." She hung up, sinking further into the sofa and closed her eyes. So much had happened in one day, she wasn't sure what to do next. None of this was planned out, she didn't think of anything ahead of time. Am I in over my head? Shit, I don't even-

Her thoughts were interrupted when the office phone suddenly started to ring. She got off the couch and looked out the window facing inside the garage. Lowell seemed too busy to hear the ringing. She turned back to desk and reached for the phone. "Teller-Morrow Automotive." She stated, not knowing what else to say.

"Who the hell is this?" the voice of a woman rang with annoyance. The Queen herself. Emily couldn't help but smirk.

"Hey Gemma, it's me, Emily."

"Oh my god. What are you doing at the shop? I didn't know you were in town." She could hear the disappointment in her tone; Gemma was the kind of women who NEEDED to know everything that was going on. Observant and always judging.

"Yeah, it was a last minute thing." She fumbled with the phone's cord, hesitant on what she was going to say next. "I…um…I-I heard about Ope. I had to come back." She heard Gemma sigh.

"Oh, sweetheart. He's going to be okay. Things have been pretty heavy around here. ATF has been up our ass for the past couple of days. All we have to do is bear through it." As if we have a choice. She knew better than to ask why federal agents had Opie in custody; some shit must have happened with the club. She scoffed.

"Y-yeah, you're right. I heard Mary passed by and talked to you, did she cause any trouble?"

"No, she wanted to know why she had to pick up her grand-kids. She didn't seem to know much about what was going on with Opie, just like the rest of us."

Just then, Emily heard someone tapping on the glass window behind her. She turned and saw Lowell motion for her to start heading out. "Alright. Well, I gotta go. Lowell is going to give me a ride to the hotel. It's been a long day."

"Can you tell him to lock the place up for me? I have some things to take care of back at Jax's house, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course, I'll pass by."

"Alright, baby. Get some rest." They said their goodbyes and hung up. She grabbed her bags and headed out the door. The sky was darkening fast; she didn't realize how much time had passed.

"Gemma called, asked if you can lock up?" she mentioned to Lowell as he was putting all of his tools away. He mumbled a 'yeah' and quickly put everything in its place before locking every door to the garage.

"Ready to head out?" Emily nodded and they walked towards his truck. As soon as they stepped into his vehicle, he turned on the engine, making the truck rumble to life. "Where ya staying?"

"The Ramada." He laughed as her pulled out onto the road.

"Where else right? Not like this town has too many options for visitors." She turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

"So now I'm just a visitor?" He turned to her, then back to the road, and let out a nervous laugh.

"N-No. I-I didn't mean it like that. Y-You know this will always be your home." She laughed at how jittery he was. She loved picking on him, he was always so respectful; whenever he thought he offended anybody, he would automatically apologize repeatedly and try to justify his statement.

Her phone started to vibrate in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out, ready to hang up on her mother's incoming call. She was about to press the END button when she read the Caller ID wasn't Mary. "Opie?" her throat felt dry as she answered her phone hastily.

"Why the hell are you in Charming?" her brother's rough voice demanded on the other side of the phone line. Why can't my family ever greet me with a 'hello'?

"Geez, it's good to hear from you too, big bro." her sarcasm seemed to have affected him, when he spoke again his voice was gentle.

"Sorry, it's been a shitty day. Where are you?"

"Lowell is giving me a ride to the hotel."

"No, head to my house. You're staying with us. I'm out of Stockton, we're heading over now." She sighed, bringing up her hand to rub her eyes tiredly.

"No Ope, I don't want to bother. You guys need time alone. Donna is going to need an explanation after all this shit."

"Don't worry about that. You are not staying at a damn hotel."

"Go to our house, Emily. If you're not there when we get home, I'm sending Opie to pick you up at the hotel." She heard her sister-in-law yell into the phone, she was probably driving the truck while she let Opie take the passenger seat.

"There's a spare key under the mat. Let yourself in. We'll be over soon." He hung up.

"God damn it." She shut her phone and threw it into her messenger bag.

"Change of plans?" Lowell suddenly asked. For a second, she had forgotten he was driving next to her and heard the conversation. She sighed as she nodded her head.

"Yeah. Ope wants me to stay at his house." After checking if there was any cars heading his way, Lowell did a quick U-turn and headed towards the opposite side of town. "Sorry about this." She mumbled, embarrassed that she had Lowell driving her around.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled at her as they continued down the road.

Lowell slowed his truck as they pulled up into Opie's drive way. Emily hopped out of the truck and turned back to retrieve her bags. "Thanks, Lowell. Sorry for dragging you around halfway across town." He shook his quickly and gave her a smile.

"Stop apologizing. It's okay. Just happy you're back. Want me to wait with you?" This time it was Emily who shook her head.

"No, I'll be fine. I've taken up enough of your time as it is. You should head home. Thank you again for the ride." He gave her one last smile as she slammed the door shut. She walked up to Opie's porch and reached for the key that was hidden under the mat. She unlocked the door and kicked it open. She turned back to look at Lowell, who was still waiting in his truck, and waved goodbye to him. She saw him wave back before his truck continued to roll down the street.

She turned on the lights, wincing as they blinded her. As soon as her eyes had adjusted to the bright lights, she threw her bags on the couch and headed straight to the kitchen. She filled a teapot with water, and turned on the stove to let the water boil. She skimmed through all the cabinets, looking for coffee grounds, but was disappointed when all she could find was a box of Chamomile herbal tea. Fuck it. She shrugged and grabbed a mug from the cabinet, setting it on the counter, and waited for the water to start boiling.

She grabbed her phone from her bag, scrolled down the contact list, and dialed Kim's number. "Hello~" her voice chimed.

Emily couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, Kimmy."

"How is everything?"

"Pretty good so far. I saw an old friend at the auto-shop my dad and brother work at. Didn't see anybody else though. At least not yet."

"Sorry to hear that. So what are you doing now?" Emily walked over to the couch, sat down and laid her head on a cushion.

"At my brother's house. I let myself in, and now I'm just waiting on him and my sister-in-law to get home."

"Oooh, the anxiety is killing you isn't it?" she chuckled.

"Yeah, sorta. I just called to let you know that I'm alright. Have to call Kozik or else he'll be butthurt." She heard Kim laugh, making her smile as she repressed a laugh of her own.

"Well, I'll let you go. I have another morning shift tomorrow at the restaurant. Enjoy the rest of your night, and remember that you can call me whenever you want!"

"Thanks Kim, you're the best. Good night."

Emily stood up from the couch and headed over the teapot as it started to let out steam. With one hand she grabbed a rag, moved the pot to the counter and dialed Kozik's number with the other. "Hey, Em. What's up?" his voice ringed.

"Nothing much. Are you busy?" she heard him sigh, mentally picturing him rubbing his temples and slowly pacing around in a circle.

"No, not anymore. Had a lot of things to do today, but got everything done. How's it in Charming?"

"Passed by the shop, saw Lowell, got a call from Gemma while I was hanging around the office, and now I'm waiting on Opie to get home." She tried to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal, but her nerves were almost shot dead. She poured hot water into the mug and ripped open the box of herbal tea, dunking a small sealed bag containing the crushed Chamomile leaves into the water.

"So no welcoming party?" he laughed, sounding very tired.

"No. Everyone was pretty busy, trying to figure on what was going on with Ope and other club stuff, I guess."

"I'm guessing you didn't see your mom?"

"No, not yet. The longer I can put her off, the better. But, you sound tired, I'll let you get some rest." She heard him laugh again, a bit more lively this time.

"How considerate of you. But yeah….i'm pretty tired. I bet you are too. Get some sleep as soon as you can."

"Okay, dad." She teased and heard him groan.

"No, don't start."

"I'll talk to you later Kozi."

"G'night, Kid."

As soon as she hung up the phone, she heard the front door swing open. She looked over and saw Donna's small frame walk in first, followed by Opie. "Emily." Donna stated as she walked over to her and gave her a tight embrace.

"Hey, Donna. It's been a while." She let her go and they exchange a small smile. Emily turned to her brother and they locked in a hug without hesitation.

"Hey, sis." He kissed the top of her head and continued to hug her, shoving his face into her blonde hair. It had been 10 years since she had last seen him.

When she moved away from Charming, her mother let her spend one summer with her father when she was 16, Opie had turned 20. He had just finished prospecting for the club, earning his SAMCRO patches, so she didn't see him or Jax or the rest of the club as much as she would have liked. After that summer, she didn't have a chance to go back to her hometown and visit anyone from the club, until today. He let her go and let out a deep sigh. "I've missed you. I'm really glad you're here."

"Same here." She smiled up at him and walked back into the kitchen, pulling out an extra mug. "I made some tea, hope you don't mind, Donna." She shook her head tiredly and took a seat at her small table.

"Not at all." Emily handed her the mug filled with the herbal tea, earning a smile and a quiet 'thanks' in return. Before Opie had the chance to walk towards the kitchen, Emily beat him to it and quickly took out a beer and handed it to him. He walked over to his wife and took a seat next to her, gently reaching for her hand after she set down the mug.

Emily took a sip of the tea and leaned on the counter, not sure of what she should say to the tired and quiet couple. "Where's Ellie and Kenny?"

"With Mary. They're spending the night with her." Opie answered before taking a swig of his cold beer.

Emily scoffed. "Poor Kids."

"It's just for the night. They'll be here tomorrow. But for tonight, you can take Ellie's bed. It might be a bit uncomfortable but…" Donna trailed off, but Emily quickly shook her head.

"N-No Donna, it will fine. Thank you, really, it means a lot." The small women nodded and continued to drink the warm tea.

"I'm happy to see you Em, but you really shouldn't have come down here. You have your own shit to take care of back in Washington."

"All I do is work…and its been a long time since I've seen any of you. I've missed you. I couldn't stand the thought of pretending everything was okay while you guys are getting involved with the ATF."

The room went silent and after a few seconds, Emily rolled her eyes and sighed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on or do I really have to ask?" her blue eyes stared at the couple until she heard Donna sigh as she turned to her husband.

"I'll leave you to it. Emily, I'll take your bags into Ellie's room and set it up for you." Emily nodded, understanding why her sister-in-law didn't want to hear the details Opie was going to tell her. Donna kissed him on the cheek and flashed Emily a small smile before she grabbed the bags and walked down the hall.

Opie took another chug of his beer before he started speaking. "You know how much I hated chipping wood, it was nothing but shit pay. The club needed me and it was the only way I could earn money fast." He looked up to her and she stared back at him, urging him to continue. "It was supposed to be a quick job; in and out, without a problem. Out of nowhere the ATF pick us up at 2:30 in the damn morning and we're heading to Stockton. ATF bitch tells me Bobby was arrested after an eyewitness ID'd him as the murderer; they cleared some of our debt…" he didn't need to finish. Shit.

"They're setting you up as the rat." He nodded and she let out a frustrated sigh. "That's bullshit. The club knows you wouldn't do something like that." He finished the rest of his beer and set the bottle down, bringing his hands up to rub his face tiredly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure anymore. Stahl has been trying to bust the club and she's willing to do anything to make sure it happens. I have to talk to Clay and the club, let them know what ATF is up to." She nodded her head, staring at the empty mug in front of her and mumbled a quick 'yeah'. She looked up to meet her brother and could see how distraught he was; she hated seeing him like this.

"Does dad know you're here?" he tried changing the subject as he stood up to throw his empty bottle away. She shook her head and cleared her throat before speaking.

"No. I haven't seen anyone besides Lowell. Talked to Gemma on the phone, but that's about it. Everyone had shit to take care of."

"You'll see them soon enough. How long are you planning on staying?" she stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to think of a response.

"I…I'm not completely sure. Probably until I know you can stay out of trouble."

Opie let out a tired laugh and shook his head, looking down at her. "Then get ready for a long stay, sis."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is WAY longer than the first chapter, so I hope I it was worth the wait!
Please let me know what you think and I am always open for criticism, opinions and even ideas! Thank You!