A/N - Before I post this, I'd like to thank every single one of you for all the support, particularly Jules (PolarBearBaby) and Inga (DorkySoul) for their great and brilliant help betaing and helping me shape this story. I have loved writing it, and I hope it has been as epically painful for you as it has for me. Don't worry, there is more to come... but perhaps in a different guise. I'll let you know.
There is a point in this chapter when Chibs stands up - please think of it as a total 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' Bridget Jones moment, because that's absolutely how it's intended.
Enjoy and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Sara x
Tig held his hands over Nina's eyes as he led her into the house. Her feet stumbled forward as she tried to work out the way ahead of her, but Tig was too excited to notice her struggling to walk on front of him. "Just come this way," he said encouragingly as he walked her forward. He could feel her eyelashes fluttering beneath his fingers and he grinned. "No peeking!"
"I'm not!" she insisted with a small laugh. She was desperate to but his fingertips were squished against her eyes, holding them closed. Her nose wrinkled as he bumped the door open with his hip and walked into the previously crowded spare room. "What's that smell?"
Tig grinned as he positioned her in the centre of the room and glanced around one more time before he pulled his hands away with a glorious, "Ta daa!"
Nina blinked her eyes open and looked around. The room which had once been full of boxes, trunks, bits of bike and 'vintage' porn magazines was empty, completely empty, and it had been painted a beautiful soft shade of lavender. Nina looked at Tig in confusion and he gave her a bashful smile.
"I did it purple," he said proudly. "Because it's between blue and pink, so it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl."
She felt tears creeping into her eyes at the wide smile on his lips, he was both embarrassed and thrilled in the same breath as he awaited her response. Nina didn't even know what to say.
"I didn't get a crib or shit yet," Tig added awkwardly, trying to fill her silence. "I didn't know if you wanted one of those, you know, pimped out ones. Jax has got Thomas', he said I could have it. I was gonna sand it down, paint it. Get it all right." He gave her a hopeless smile. "I'm trying to get it right here, Nina."
Nina's heart welled up as he said it and she nodded quickly, sure her reaction hadn't been what he had been expecting. "Alex, it's beautiful."
"You like it?" He grinned as he motioned to a bag on the side. "Check this out. I used to do shop at school, it was always my best subject. Good with my hands, teacher said. Could be because I fucked her." He lifted up a little mobile to hang over the crib, it was made up of uniquely cut Harley's that spun around on their own wires. "This one's mine," he said, pointing to it. "And Clay's, and Chibs'."
Nina let him name each one in turn. She had never seen him look so excited as he showed her each of the different vehicles and marks to show which was which. Her lip wobbled as she pressed a hand to her heart, trying to steady herself.
"That's... That's really thoughtful," she whispered. "I love it."
"Well it's for you," he insisted, pushing it into her hands. "For the bump. Whatever happens," he added. "No pressure. I mean, you know I want you here."
Nina sighed and took his hand in hers, holding it gently. "Come on, Tig, you know I can't stay. Chibs is barely letting you stay in the club, he's not going to have me shacking up with you."
Tig twitched uncomfortably. "Fuck Chibs. He won't do what Jax lost his seat for," he said. "I didn't mean like that, though. Not just, you know, living together." She tilted her head to the side and looked at him and he sighed. "I was a bad father to my girls. Didn't take care of them like I should have. Didn't take care of their Mom either. I don't want to make those mistakes again."
He tugged one of his rings from his fingers and pressed it into her hand, curling her palm around it to wrap it tightly, safely in her grip. Nina swallowed and shook her head.
"Alex..."
"Marry me," he whispered, his blue eyes fixed on hers like he was trying to hypnotise her with his gaze. "Let's do it, let's give this bump the life it deserves. Parents, a family, a home."
He pushed a kiss onto her lips, gentle but insistent. His hands held her face tenderly as he nuzzled her with his nose. Nina whimpered in his grip, the embrace surprising but still strangely welcome when she had been feeling so crushingly lonely. She leaned into him and Tig wrapped his arms around her tighter, pulling her into him as his tongue parted her lips and rolled gently against her own.
With a sudden sense of urgency, Nina slammed Tig back against the wall. Her hormones were raging, his touch released something in her that she didn't even know she was holding on to. Tig grunted with the impact as she started to work her fingers over his shirt, unbuttoning it quickly in a bid to get him undressed.
"Jesus," he muttered as she made fast work of his belt. "That a yes?"
"No," she said, her lips wet against his as she growled. "Just fuck me."
Tig had never needed that instruction twice, ever. His hands moved along her body, running across her stomach as he reached for the edge of her T-shirt to pull it over her head. His clothes and skin were smeared with purple paint, as were her palms as she pulled at his pants.
He hesitated as he saw her round tummy. As much as he wanted her, he grew nervous as he looked at it, bare and exposed. His pause made her frown.
"What? What's wrong?"
He shook his head and giggled shyly. "What if I, like, poke it in the eye or something?" He pulled her tight to his bare chest, kissing her forehead lovingly. "Come on, Nina. We can be happy. I know it's not what either of us thought would ever happen but... why not?"
Nina was shaking her head, her hands in her hair, confused and unsure of what was going on. "This isn't right," she murmured, backing up suddenly. His momentary hesitation filled her with unexpected panic. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She snatched up her top and pulled it on anxiously. "I'm sorry. You're... you're just not him."
Tig tried to reach for her but she slipped away from his grasp in an eager bid to avoid him. "I have to go." She tore away from him, through the house, and she hurtled out, not looking back for even a second as she got in her car and just drove.
"You busy?"
Juice looked nervously around the door. Chibs was sitting in chapel, alone, as he often did these days. If the club weren't doing any sort of business, Chibs retreated to sit at the table in silence, chain smoking and ignoring the world around him. He didn't even glance up at Juice, disinterested, but Juice edged in and sat down in Happy's usual seat.
"I gotta talk to you." He looked at his best friend, hating that he was so upset. "You can't just sit here like this. Everybody's worried about you."
Chibs barely even looked at him as he expressed his concern, just stubbed out his cigarette and reached for another one. Juice put his hand on him to stop him.
"Chibs, come on."
That caught his attention. Chibs growled threateningly and Juice withdrew quickly but continued to stare his at his President in dismay.
"Is this because of her?" Chibs laughed darkly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course it was, it was all because of her. He was miserable, gut-wrenchingly miserable because of her. Juice was sure he could see his eyes growing wet, he tried to say something supportive but realised there was nothing he could say but the truth. "Talk to me."
"And say what?" Chibs pulled absently at his beard. "She made her choice. She slept with that idiot, made a baby and she's keeping it, there's nothing more than that."
Juice felt his heart thump guiltily, begging him to be honest. He ran his hand over his Mohawk and wondered exactly how badly Tig might kill him for confessing his part in the deception. He looked down at his cut and saw the 'Men of Mayhem' patch staring back at him. Swallowing, he knew he had to stand up.
"There is." Chibs looked up. "She went to get rid of it, Prez. She went to that clinic in Oakland."
"How do you know that?" Chibs frowned. Juice grimaced.
"I was there. With Tig." Maybe he was wrong, maybe it would be Chibs that killed him first, the look in the man's eyes was murderous. "You know what she's like, sweet, believing in signs and shit. We... we convinced her she didn't want to do it." He ducked his head, waiting for the clout which never came. When he eventually ventured an eye upwards, Chibs was staring at him. "Pulled a couple of tricks, made her think fate was trying to tell her something." He ghosted over the look of fear in her eyes when he'd pulled that goddamn gun out in the place, he wanted to forget that had ever, ever happened. "She didn't want to keep it. She wanted to get rid of it, to be with you, to make you happy."
The words were still sinking in. She would have sacrificed that baby for him, for them. He ran his hands over his face as he let the truth wash over him.
"Are you serious?"
Juice nodded. "I should have told you. Tig, he said I couldn't, that he'd make me pay if I did. And he might, still, but I can't let you sit here any more, hating her and feeling sad when she loves you and we manipulated her." He stood up. "We need to go and find her. What happened with her and Tig was a mess, sure, but it wasn't her fault and she'd be here with you if I had just told you straight away. It was Jax, man, you know that. He sold her out, to all that shit."
Chibs sank his heels in stubbornly. "She knew. About Tig. She didn't tell me."
"She would have," Juice said stalwartly. "I just know she would, when the time was right. We've all slept with the wrong people, boss," he added. Chibs laughed at that, Fiona was definitely the wrong person and he yo-yoed back there too many times in the past few days.
"Aye, maybe." He sighed and leaned back, his hands on the back of his head. "She would have done it?" Juice nodded.
"She loves you." He motioned to the door. "Go. Go and fix this. You know you want to. However angry you are, you love her and you know that. Nobody makes you as happy as she does and you know it."
Chibs got up, inspired by Juice's impassioned speech and headed out. Dutifully, Juice jogged behind him and jumped on his Harley to flank his President. Juice was right, Chibs realised as they went. The fury he had felt was simply just an intense passion for her, Nina had made him rethink everything. Chibs was so sure he had found himself with her, being apart from her made him doubt who he really was.
Sure that he would be able to fix things, Chibs confidently walked into the Diosa bar. Lyla was leaning on the bar, chatting with a client, and she reached for the phone as she saw members of SAMCRO enter. Chibs waved at her to stop.
"He in there?"
He didn't wait for an answer but went to Nero's office. Nero was putting some cash away in his safe as Chibs swung in and he turned around abruptly, slamming it shut in surprise.
"I need my old lady back," Chibs said assertively. "Where is she, Nero? I'll do whatever I have to, I need her."
Nero almost laughed as he heard it and shook his head. "You're too late, mano," he said with a shrug. "She left about an hour ago. Came in in tears, packed and just went."
Chibs stared at him, his eyes wide. "What? Why?"
Nero shrugged, he wished he knew. Nina had barely told him anything, only that she needed to leave and she couldn't be in Charming any more. Nero had sent her off with a couple of grand in unmarked bills and a Biz Lat escort to get her through to Nevada.
"She didn't say, ese, I'm sorry." Nero played the perfect poker face, there was no way he would let any of these men go near Nina again. She had a chance of a life by herself with her child, out of the way, out of danger.
Chibs felt his knees give out and he fell back onto the couch, holding his head in his hands as he tried to catch his breath. Juice stepped up to hold him supportively, checking he was alright. Nero swallowed, feeling Chibs' pain but not wishing to put Nina's plight for freedom in jeopardy.
"We'll find her," Juice assured him as he crumbled in his arms. He could feel Chibs shaking and he kissed his head lovingly, wanting to do anything to help rectify the mistakes they had all made. "I swear, Prez, we'll find her and we'll get her home."