From the time Kit had first heard that her brother Sam was in town, she was on edge. She still was but she had a lot of anxiety about seeing him. Now that she had, that anxiety had transformed to annoyance and anger. Northern Cali was hers. It always had been. Maybe it was immature to stake claim on a part of the country but it was an unspoken agreement between them. She never went back to New York and he wasn't supposed to be here, getting involved in parts of her life. He was investigating the Sons and it was only a matter of time before he learned that she was with the VP. If Sam already knew, he'd hunt her down and try and convince her to break it off with Jax.

Kit really couldn't believe how long she'd spent on the fence about Jax. He was really good to her and she felt she was her true self when she was with him. It was so different than how things had been with William. She kind of thought he might pull away because Sam was in the ATF and she could be seen as a liability but Jax didn't change a bit. If anything, he'd gotten closer to her and she loved him that much more for it.

Jax had asked her to meet him at the clubhouse tonight. He was going to tell the club about her relation to Sam. She'd been at the bar, glancing at the doors of the chapel every so often. It was nerve-wracking not knowing what they would say about it. Jax assured her that nothing would change between them but he had to tell his brothers. Lies and omissions ruined families and that's what Sons of Anarchy was, a big family. Kit had come to accept that fact. She still felt like an outsider and it was going to take work to find her place here. She would just have to break down these walls she built around herself. It was easier said than done though.

"Another one?" the prospect behind the bar asked her.

Kit realized she didn't even know his name. Now was the perfect time to start making friends around here or at the very least acquaintances. "Sure. I didn't catch your name."

"It's Phil," he said with a small smile as he poured her another whiskey. "You're Jax's old lady, right?"

She didn't know what to say to that at first. "I'm Kit," she simply stated, neither an admission or a denial. Old lady seemed a stretch but maybe not. She was still happily living with the unlabeled state of this relationship. "Nice to meet you, Phil."

They continued their small talk until church let out. Kit's heart quickened a bit when she heard the doors open. She didn't dare turn around to see the faces of the Sons. Phil excused himself to get some beers ready for the guys leaving her alone for a few moments before Jax came over, wrapping her in the safety of his arms.

"Things going okay?" he asked, holding her close.

"You tell me."

Jax nodded. "It's all good. You're tense. Just let it go." He kept one arm around her and took a beer from the bar. In addition to everything going on with Kit, this was her first night back in the clubhouse. Jax was worried that she would feel out of place and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Letting it go now." She exhaled and tried to shut off the side of her brain that was thinking about everything but this moment. "How's Abel doing?"

"Great actually. My mom was watching him here earlier. He can't wait to hang out with you again," he told her, truthfully. "He even drew you a picture."

"I'm sure Gemma loved that." Even Kit noticed the bitterness in her tone. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm letting it all go now." She shook out her arms for effect.

Jax kissed her head. "She'll come around, babe. She put Tara through the wringer for a long time before accepting her. It will just take time."

Kit nodded. Gemma's attitude never used to bother her but lately, it had gotten under her skin. Maybe it was because this time around, she was serious about Jax and wanted his mother's acceptance. It was times like this she wished she were more outgoing and bubbly like Rachel. Her cousin had found a spot under the matriarch's wing long ago and hadn't moved since.

"I think I'm just going to go outside for some air. I'll be right back," she told her boyfriend, not waiting for him to reply. Jax was in a good mood and she just wasn't. There was no reason to bring him down.

Jax watched her go, wondering what was going on inside her head. She hadn't been her usual self in a while, not since her brother rolled into town. But Jax knew there was a lot more she wasn't telling him. He was left hoping she would in her own time.

"She okay?"

"You care now?"

Gemma smirked. "You made it clear she's in your life. Doesn't mean I trust her. She hasn't been sleeping by the looks of it. Having your brother in the ATF and your man in the motorcycle club he's investigating must be eating at her."

Jax shrugged. "She's getting by. It would help if she felt more welcome around here." He gave his mother a pointed look.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "She's a big girl, baby. She doesn't need coddling."

Jax knew he couldn't change his mother. She would warm up to Kit or she wouldn't. He went outside to check on his girl. He found her sitting with Opie, smoking. She was smiling at least. Maybe a break was all she needed.

"What's so funny?" Jax asked, lighting up as well.

"I knew this girl looked familiar. She came here with Donna once. Got really drunk too, if I remember it right. Puked behind the building," Opie said, grinning.

Kit bit her lip, blushing slightly. "I didn't think anyone would ever remember that. It was like ten years ago." She looked at Jax who was laughing. "Shut up, Teller. We've all done it."

"Was I here that night?" Jax asked her, still smirking. He'd never seen her punch drunk. The thought of put together Kit like that was too funny.

She shrugged. "I don't remember much to be honest. I was just tagging along with Carrie, a friend of Donna and mine."

"Carrie! Blonde bombshell who threw herself at any guy in a patch," Opie said, remembering. "I always thought she was a bad influence on Donna."

"I remember you two flirting. It was really sweet. She was so short compared to you. I drank way too much tequila with Carrie over a game of pool that night."

Kit tried to remember that very strange summer evening when she was eighteen. She could even recall the outfit she'd chosen, tight dark jeans with a white bustier top that had rhinestones on it, and black sky-high stilettos she borrowed from Carrie. The MC had intrigued her and she wanted to dress how she thought she'd fit in. It seemed a little ridiculous now. She didn't need any of that to get Jax's attention. After she embarrassed herself at that party, she vowed never to show her face here again. "You weren't here, Jax. Carrie was disappointed about that. You were the one she really wanted. Can't blame a girl."

"So, I'm off the hook for not remembering your beautiful face?" She kissed him in response. After a trying couple of days, seeing her smile this way was like a breath of fresh air. It started to fade as soon as police cars started zipping into the parking lot at alarming speed, sirens blaring.

Jax pulled Kit close to him as law enforcement agents poured out of their vehicles. "It's just a raid, don't worry," he whispered into her ear. "It's going to be okay." He hated that Kit had to be here for this but there wasn't anything in the clubhouse so it would be a fruitless mission on their part. It's times like this he missed having Unser on the force. A heads up would have been nice.

"Everyone on the ground!" Sheriff Roosevelt yelled. People were obeying for the most part, save a few drunk people who were eventually shoved down. Jax lay next to Kit, seeing the discomfort in her eyes.

"We have a warrant to search the premises on suspicion that you're harboring illegal weapons," an ATF agent read out on his way inside the clubhouse.

The voice was enough to completely blanch Kit. The dread crept through her like a chill. She put her head down, resting her forehead on her arm so the agent would not notice her. So no one would. Jax reached over and laced his fingers with hers. He suspected what was going through her head. Her brother was definitely here with the ATF and she didn't want to face him.

Kit squeezed Jax's hand and held on tight. It would be over soon and they could continue their night, laughing and reminiscing. After a while the police let them sit against the building after searching them for contraband. Kit remained with her head on her knees, face hidden from the world. She wished she had wings so she could just fly out of this place.

Twenty minutes later, after ransacking the clubhouse, the officers started making their way out. Kit could hear her brother's voice in the distance and she wasn't sure why but she looked up. They locked eyes immediately. His then fell to Jax's hand in hers. He stopped and she could see the confusion on his face, the hesitation of whether he was going to do something. The decision was taken from him because the person he was talking to noticed her too. When Kit saw him coming toward her, she could feel a rush of adrenaline shoot through her entire body. Would she fight or fly tonight?

"I can't believe my eyes," the ATF agent said, a smug look on his face. He was an average man on the outside. He had dull, thinning brown hair spotted with gray, had a small beer belly, wasn't particularly tall but it was his eyes that made him stand out. He had these beady, cold, grey eyes, ones Kit would never forget, ones that were looking at her like she was a piece of meat. "Little Kitty, all grown up."

"Don't call me that," she snapped back without thinking. She was on her feet in an instant. He would not look down on her, in any sense. The hate she bore for him was pulsing through her veins, intensifying with each heartbeat.

"I can call you whatever I want," he said walking over to her, not breaking eye contact. "Or don't you remember?" He stopped when he was mere inches from her face. "Strange finding you here of all places. It's not safe, despite what lies I'm sure they've spun."

It took everything Kit had in her not to lunge at him. She wanted to scream a million things but she had to keep reminding herself that even though he was scum of the earth, he was still a federal agent. "I don't need any advice from you. Just get out of my face, you sick son of a bitch."

He turned to one of the agents nearby. "Cuff this one. If I recall, she had an outstanding warrant for arrest out of New York. You can run her name at the station," he said, smirking at her.

"Kit?" she heard Jax say behind her, concern and confusion in his tone, but she didn't turn around. She was too focused on the man before her. She didn't even flinch as the officer handcuffed her wrists behind her. It was like she was finally resolute. She knew exactly what she wanted her future to hold.

"Lord your power over me all you want but I promise you this, Hunter. I will fucking kill you, if it's the last thing I ever do," Kit said in a steady, even voice. She spit in his face as the officer marched her toward a squad car, one last act of defiance.

Jax watched his girlfriend get taken away. It was clear there was a horrible past between her and that fed. She had looked like she saw a ghost when he first spotted her. The way she had promised to kill him had shaken Jax. Kit was tough but that was cold and calculated, her tone completely lethal. She meant every single word she uttered. Agent Hunter was her brother's partner. Maybe that's what drove the wedge between them. Maybe this fed was the real problem. Questions flooded his brain as the cars drove away. He couldn't wait anymore. Kit needed to start talking now.

Everyday we bitch and complain about everything we want to do but can't. The truth is that you can change your life any second you choose. Kit had to admit to herself that from the time she first saw him, she was afraid to face James Hunter. He ruined her life and changed her completely. But now that the encounter was over, even the anger had dissipated for the most part. She knew she would kill him and as morbid as that sounded, it calmed her. In her dreams she had pulled the trigger on him a thousand times but now she was brave enough to actually do it. She didn't even care if she got caught. Prison time would be well worth it. She could end this, end the nightmares, end it all. And she would.

"You can't just go around threatening federal agents, Kit. That was really stupid," Sam said to her from the other side of the cell bars. She was being held at Charming Police Station and she'd just been processed. "Hunter's not a bad guy. He's made some questionable decisions, sure, but he's not this evil man you make him out to be."

Kit was so calm she didn't even feel compelled to argue with her brother. Besides, they'd had this same fight probably close to a hundred times already. "When do you think I'm going to be out of here? Those charges were supposed to be taken care of. You told me they were."

"Hunter told me they were. I assumed he dropped them," Sam replied, sounding exhausted. Seeing his sister behind a cell was slowly killing him. The only positive was that she was actually talking to him. "Sorry, I should have made sure."

"I'll just add it to the list of things that makes him a complete asshole."

"Look, Kit, I know things will never be the same between us but can we try to wipe away all the shit between us? You and me. Not Hunter, just us. You have no idea how hard this is. You never want to see things from my side."

Combined with Sam's hurt tone, that hit Kit right in the heart. "There is no us while there's still a Hunter, while you still call that bastard your partner. If he's in your life, then I can't be. There's only room for one of us," she forced herself to say.

Her heart had enough to say tonight and it was time for her brain to start making rational decisions. It was the truth, the one she had to swallow every time she saw him. Kit wasn't a cold-hearted bitch. In fact, she wanted exactly what Sam did, just on different terms.

He sighed and sat down, his back against the wall facing her cell. His sister would never change. She was always the most stubborn person in the world even before she shut him out.

"What are you doing, Sam? I'm sure your piece of shit mentor will be done flexing his muscles soon and release me. You don't have to stay with me," Kit said, looking at her brother. For the first time all night, she realized how bad he looked. He hadn't been sleeping much telling from the dark bags under his eyes, just like her.

"Yes, I do," he snapped back. "You're my little sister and I'm going to stay until I know you're okay. Just let me."

Kit nodded and sat down on the bench in her cell. She briefly considered the fact that Sam was probably the most patient brother on the planet and she'd somehow lucked out with him. He refused to give up on her. After all the years of resentment and anger and fights and saying the worst things to each other, in this moment, she remembered why she still loved him.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews/follows/faves

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