A/N: Hello all you wonderful people! I have so much love for you all! Thank you for all your support. I am so excited that you are all still reading and enjoying what I'm creating. Thanks for all your feedback please continue to let me know what you think about the story thus far!

I'm sorry for the delay in updating, life has been kicking my booty but here's a new chapter to brighten your Monday!

Ghostwriter- Thank you thank you! Yes they are rallying, Bert was good for one thing, giving them a lead to hunt down, so it's time for a plan.

Hennele-rogue- Thank you! Exactly! I'm so glad you said that. That mix of strength and weakness is what makes her real and believable, because just as you said, we are all a mix of both.

KS- Yes, Bert got hurt, then put in the dirt, lol. Just what he deserved.

BekaRoo- Yes he is, lol. Thank you!

Khyharah- Opie sure has his teddy bear moments. Dani might have some mixed feelings about some things but my crystal ball says her relationship with Opie will be just fine. Lol.

I know what happens, but you don't so go ahead and check out the new chapter.

Chapter 28

It had been a week—more than a week. It had been the longest week of her life. When she had been introduced to Happy, the club member from their Tacoma charter, two thoughts instantly sprung to mind; first that Happy looked the exact opposite of happy. He looked intimidating as hell, but he was very serious as Jax discussed what we needed help with, and despite only having a general idea of a location, based off intel 20 years old and sketches drawn from memory almost two decades after the fact, he seemed confident that he could turn up something. The second thing that came to mind upon meeting Happy was that there was no longer any doubt I was living in a twisted version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Happy had agreed to look into it and let them know if he found anything. There was only one thing that Dani asked. If they found Eric, she wanted to be there. She wanted to look him in the eye and make sure he knew that she was the one who was responsible for making them pay, and she wanted him to know that he didn't break her. Opie and Jax both objected. "I need this," she had told them simply. They relented when she agreed that if the situation was too dangerous, if they weren't sure they could guarantee her safety that she wouldn't go. Dani waited every day, wondering when she was going to hear back, but so far, she there hadn't been a single update.

The following days dragged by. Dani went with Opie to work where she read or visited with one of the guys and usually wound up taking a nap in Opie's room in the clubhouse. Healing broken bones was tiring, apparently. She felt completely restless; she couldn't go running with Jax or punch things with Chibs, she couldn't ride on a motorcycle, and even her evening extracurricular activities with Opie had stopped. Dani was sure it was because Opie had it in his head that she was injured and he didn't want to hurt her, and while she was grateful that he cared, and she didn't exactly feel sexy with her cast on, but she hated being thought of as 'fragile.' She needed to feel capable and productive. Dani had even tried to help in the office at the garage once but filing and using the computer one handed took way too long, and with all the fumbling she was doing with her left hand…she felt useless. She had been talking more with Gemma, mostly short, casual conversations but it was better than how they had been. They were trying.

It was the weekend and she was kneeling in her garden weeding and plucking ripe vegetables with her free arm. She pulled on a particularly stubborn weed as hard as she could and as it gave way, so did her balance. She toppled backwards and landed on her bottom. Dani sighed and shuffled awkwardly to her feet. She headed for the garage where Jax and Opie were working on something. "Hey," she said as she opened the garage fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. She held it out in their general direction. "Open, please."

Opie was bent over the engine of her truck turning something with a wrench so Jax reached over and twisted the top off for her. "Thanks," she told him before folding herself into the chair that Opie had taken to leaving out for her.

"How's the gardening going?" he asked her.

"Got in a fight with a weed," was her reply.

Jax chuckled. "Who won?"

"I think it was a tie," Dani told him. "I pulled the thing up, but it literally knocked me on my ass as I did it." They both laughed at her as she play pouted. "Now what are you doing to my truck?" she asked.

"It's been sitting a lot lately, just making sure everything's still working the way it should." Jax told her.

"Oh, thanks." Dani said.

"Wait, you're not going to argue, or sigh or roll your eyes at us?"

"No Jax, I'm not. I've come to accept that I have an overprotective brother and boyfriend that will insist on doing things that they think they need to. I might even appreciate it from time to time," she admitted.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that." Jax teased.

"I blame the pain medication," Dani said cheekily. "Also the fact that there is a legitimate reason why I can't do certain things for the time being. Once I get this cast off, be prepared for me to be a stubborn ass again."

"When does it come off?" Opie asked.

"I go back in two weeks for them to do an x ray and see how its healing. They may say it can come off then. I don't know. Though I'm about ready to find a hacksaw and cut the thing off. I've had an itch on my arm for the last two days and it's driving me crazy." As she said this Dani began tapping on the outside of the cast trying to relieve the itch.

She sat there and chatted with her brother as he and Opie finished up. It was nice Dani hadn't spent as much time with him as she had been lately without their runs, and even when she saw him at the clubhouse everyone else was around and it just wasn't the same. But here, at home, just her and Jax and Opie chiming in now and then, it felt comfortable, relaxed.

As if he was sensing what she was thinking Jax looked at her as they were wrapping up under the hood. "Next week sometime I need to go to our storage units and see if there's anything I can use for when the kid gets here. Should be some of your old stuff in there too if we can find it. I know we talked about trying to find your stuff a while ago. Want to come with me and check it out?" he asked.

"Sure, sounds good." Dani grinned at him. "You staying for dinner? I haven't been cooking much lately with my arm and all, but I've become an expert at ordering takeout."

Jax shook his head. "Can't. I'll see you later," he said and riffled his hair as he said goodbye and walked out the open garage door to his bike.

Dani scowled after him as she tried to smooth her hair back down. She glanced over to see Opie watching her with amusement. Her face softened into a smile as he approached. "Hey," she whispered as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

"Hey," he said back in the low, gravelly tone that she loved so much. He took her hand and pulled her up. "Let's get cleaned up and figure out dinner." They went inside and she headed for the kitchen sink. Turning on the faucet she inspected her hand. Dirt was caked under her fingernails and she had green streaks running across her hand from the weeds. She grabbed the soft bristled brush that they kept there for hand washing, the kind that was perfect for removing dirt and engine grease from hands. It had a small handle on the back that Dani could grip with the tips of her fingers poking out of her cast while she washed her dirty hand but before she could begin, she was enveloped in warmth, strong arms coming around from behind her took the brush from her, and sandwiching her one hand between his, Opie began washing their hands together. He did it so naturally, as if he always washed a third hand between his.

Dani leaned back into his muscular chest, enjoying the feel of his touch. "I can wash my own hands, you know," she murmured.

"Hush," he said bending down to kiss the side of her neck. "We both know this is easier and you don't seem to be complaining."

"I'm not," she said. She stood there watching Opie's hands scrub away the dirt and grime from their hands and in that moment felt how much she had truly missed being intimate with Opie. Over the last week he had helped her wash her hair, brush her hair, get dressed, yet despite the closeness that was needed for many of these tasks, he hadn't touched her in the ways she had been most aching for. As he finished washing up, he reached to turn the water off. Dani grabbed his hand before he could step back from the sink. Dani didn't turn around, she just stood there facing the sink, gripping Opie's hand, suddenly feeling nervous.

"What is it, baby?" Opie asked her.

"Why haven't we… I mean we haven't—since the accident we haven't been…"

"Together?" he finished for her. She nodded. Opie gently turned her around and gently nudged her chin encouraging her to look up at him. "Baby, I'm not a saint. It's been taking just about all my restraint not to take you on every surface of this house. But you're hurt. You're still healing. And some of the things you need help with right now make you vulnerable. I don't want to take advantage of the situation."

Overwhelmed by his words and the depth of his soulful eyes, Dani let out a shuddering breath. "What did I do to deserve you?" she asked. "It's like the universe said 'yeah we dealt you an incredibly shitty hand in life, but here is the perfect man to make up for it. Protective, kind-hearted, sexy as fuck. We're even now.' I'm healed Opie. Bruises are gone, scrapes healed up, and yeah I'm stuck with this cast for a couple weeks more and its not exactly the most attractive accessory but I don't want to wait. You're not taking advantage. I'm yours, remember? You can't take advantage of me when we belong together. I-" Opie cut her off with a kiss. He pulled her so she was flush against him as he deepened the kiss. Hus hands skimmed down her sides and went around to cup her ass before he lifted her into the air. Dani let out a gasp and instinctively wrapped her legs around Opie as her good arm went around his neck and clutched at his shoulder. He carried her out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

Later, after several rounds of unbridled passion, Dani was curled into Opie's side, feeling completely sated. Her limbs felt like jelly, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to move if her life depended on it in that moment. Dani lay there with her head on Opie's chest, her broken arm resting on his stomach, one of her legs hitched over his as Opie played with the strands of her hair.

"What do you think about moving your stuff into my room?" Opie asked her.

"Are you serious?" Dani replied, looking up at him.

"Yeah. We're together every night anyway," he said. "There's plenty of room for your things in here. I want you in here."

Dani didn't say anything from a moment. "Well, I suppose that it would save time trying to figure out which bed to go to all the time." Her tone was playful.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes. I'll move in here with you." Dani tilted her head up to meet Opie for a kiss, this one sweeter, more simple than the one they had shared in the kitchen earlier that day, but this kiss was filled with promise, with hope, with love.

When they broke apart, Opie looked down at her with amusement in his eyes. "So I'm sexy as fuck, huh?" he asked.

Dani laughed and flushed. "You know you're gorgeous, Sasquatch, all tall and scruffy with the muscles and the tattoos."

"You like my tattoos?"

"Most of them." What she didn't say was that there was one tattoo she wasn't a fan of, and that was the tattoo of his ex-wife. She knew he had a life before her, but she felt awkward when she touched the skin over that particular image, though she would never directly come out and say it.

"Would you ever consider getting one?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it. Maybe… if I could get past the whole letting strangers touch me thing and depending on what it was. Why?"

"I've been thinking I'd like to see my crow on you," he told her.

"Crow?" Dani asked

"Yeah. Crow as in SAMCRO. It lets everyone know that you're one of us, and that you're mine." He went on to describe the tattoo of the crow, with its wings spread, heart on itch chest, clutching the arrows, and the forever banner.

"Forever, huh?" Dani asked.

"I like the idea of keeping you around."

"Can I think about it? The tattoo part. I like the you and me part, the forever part sounds pretty appealing too."

Opie kissed the top of her head. "Yeah baby, take your time."

"If I decide to get it, where do you think I should put it?" she asked.

"I've thought about that, too, and while it's your decision, I think it would be best here." His hand drifted away from her hair and trailed down to where the base of my neck met my back. He traced a circle with his fingers outlining where it would go. That area of her back was free from scarring and Dani could imagine the crow there. The idea of having something that symbolized the permanence of her relationship with Opie gave her a tingling feeling of satisfaction deep in her soul.

Dani just nodded. "I'll think about it," she said.

When hunger finally pulled them from bed, they both scarfed down a couple grilled cheese sandwiches that Opie made and were settling on the sofa to find something to watch when Opie's phone rang.

"Yeah," he answered. His eyes shot to mine. "Yeah, we'll be there. You too, brother." With that Opie ended the call. "Happy will be here tomorrow. He thinks he might have found our guy, has some intel he wants to go over."

"What did he find?" Dani asked, her heart racing, her veins turning to ice.

"I don't know yet. We'll find out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?! I can't wait til tomorrow, I'm freaking out. I don't think I thought this would ever actually happen, that we could find them." Dany felt like she was grasping for breath. She felt Opie pull her into his lap.

"Just breathe, baby. Nice and slow," Dani tried to follow his direction as she reached out and put a hand on his chest. "That's it, just breathe with me. We don't know what they found. It could be nothing, it could be the wrong person. But no matter what it is, I'll be there with you. We'll figure it out together."

Dani nodded as her breathing slowed. She was equal parts scared little girl who had been abused and terrified of the men around her and grown woman full of anger and a desire for vengeance. She didn't particularly like either of those facets of who she was. She did her best to push those things away as she calmed down, focusing instead on the present. She was safe and warm and in Opie's arms and she told herself nothing else matters. She would think about the rest of it tomorrow.