—

The log cabin was cute, almost stereotypical from the outside.

The inside was a bit of a mess, partially due to it's current occupants. Mac strode in, eyeing the mess, but mostly looking for Cameron.

The Irishman had requested that Clay bring her to the safe house. Apparently, he wanted to meet the girl who'd taken out one of the Irish's enemies. At the request of his IRA bosses, of course.

Mac knew there was an ulterior motive, which was enough for her to agree to Clay's request. When asked, Chibs had just shrugged, equally confused. Busy himself, Mac had asked Half-Sack to drive her up, the prospect eager to see Cherry before she left.

She found Cameron on the couch, and Mac gestured for him to stay seated, taking a seat next to him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better, lass. Much better. I've been well taken care of. I appreciate the roll you played in tha', distractin' me tha' night."

Mac nodded.

"It was nothing."

"It wasn'a nothin', and I won' soon forge' it."

She stayed impassive, and when she didn't respond, Cameron continued.

"I have ta thank ya for the other favor ya've done."

Mac nodded again. The Irishman pressed for details, but Mac skirted the questions as best she could. The fewer people that knew, the better.

"Is that why I'm here?" she asked eventually. "To give a report?"

She didn't think so, but Cameron's questioning had given her the sense that he was reporting back to someone.

He answered in Irish.

"Níl. Tá dhá chúilín agam. Bhí mo bosses ag iarraidh orm bualadh leat. Go teicniúil bhuail muid le chéile cheana, ach níl cuimhní iontacha agam an oíche sin. Agus tá teachtaireacht agam ó cheann de na gnóthachain níos airde."

(No. I have two goals. My bosses wanted me to meet you, and my memories of that night aren't great. But I also have a message from one of them.)

Mac nodded.

"Bhuel, bhuail tú liom. Seiceáil an ceann sin aon uaire. Cad é an teachtaireacht?"

(Well, you've met me. Check that one off. What's the message.)

Cameron sighed.

"Níl a fhios agam cé as go díreach atá sé, nó i ndáiríre cad atá i gceist leis. Is dócha go mbeidh a fhios agat. Is é: feicim thú."

(I don't know who it's from exactly, or really what it's supposed to me. I suppose you'll know. It is: Feicim thú.)

Mac froze, her heart seizing.

The Irish phrase was immediately recognizable to her, but what it really meant…

I see you.

—

Peter.

She'd gotten away from Cameron Hayes as soon as possible, not wanting him to have anything interesting to report back to his bosses. She'd found Half-Sack, and they'd left as soon as he could say goodbye to Cherry.

It has to be.

The only person on the planet, the only person who might have any reason to get her that message, was Peter.

It has to be from Peter.

She was home now, pacing, thinking hard. It seemed so unlikely, that Peter might've found her, connected her to the Sons, connected the Sons to the IRA, and had somehow gotten the Irish to help him. The manipulation that would required…

But Peter always had been an expert manipulator.

It didn't make sense, though. The Irish had always had a good working relationship with the Sons. Hell, her recent job had helped assure that. Cameron's message could so easily be seen as antagonistic - why would the Irish allow that? Someone that might jeopardize their deal with the Sons?

With no proof, Mac would have to keep quiet about it. The Irish were already contentious enough, the Sons certainly didn't need her stirring up shit over a guess.

But the thought felt hollow to her. Somehow, in some way, this would come back to Peter.

—

Despite Cameron's message, the next week passed quietly.

Chibs was mostly gone, dealing with some emergency, so Mac spent most of her time at home or at the clubhouse, either alone or with Tara. Tara had filled her in on everything that had happened with Jax, and neither could deny that the quiet was nice after the mess with Kohn.

But today was about to get louder, they knew, as SAMCRO exited church, laughing loudly.

Chibs pulled her aside, whispering to her that their plan for Stahl, involving Otto and Luann, had worked. Apparently culminating in Otto beating the shit out of Stahl.

Mac just shook her head, thinking that that explained the laughter.

The guys decided to celebrate winning the battle, even if they were still fighting the war. Mac hung back, sitting next to Chibs but watching quietly instead of participating. Opie and Donna were there, and while she hadn't heard anything from Donna in a while, there was definitely still something up. Opie's bond with Jax, Chibs, Juice, and Piney looked stronger than ever. But there was serious hesitancy betwen Opie and Clay. And Tig, if Mac was seeing it right.

Half-Sack stood suddenly, knocking over his stool, pointing at the security cameras.

"Oh shit." he mumbled, and Clay swore.

But it was too late. Moments later, a half-dozen jacketed ATF agents stormed into the clubhouse. They had everyone face down on the floor in a few seconds, which was unfortunately sticky and incredibly gross.

Mac lay there placidly, keeping steady eye contact with Chibs, even as he joked around withe guys. She saw his eyes flick up, a snarl creasing his face moments before Mac was hoisted up by her shirt and hair.

"Ow." she said, deadpan, now on her feet.

Stahl stood in front of her, a smug smile on her bitchy face. Mac was pleased to note the damage that Otto had managed to inflict.

"This is her." Stahl said, motioning to two agents. They stepped forward and cuffed Mac.

"Oi! What're ya doin'?" Chibs yelled, trying to stand. He was wrestled back down and pinned there by another agent.

Clay tried unsuccessfully to kick Chibs to get him to quiet down.

"It's fine, Chibby." she said breezily, putting a devious smile on her face. "This'll be fun."

But Chibs wasn't having it.

"She's coming with me." Stahl said, giving Chibs a spectacularly arrogant look, which Mac knew would only piss him off more.

"Why?" he snarled, still fighting the agent on top of him.

Stahl pretended to think about it.

"Because… I said so."

She clicked her tongue, and turned to walk out.

"Mac." Clay called to her. "We'll get the lawyers on this. We'll get you out."

Mac nodded, giving everyone a helpless smile.

Tig and Tara looked murderous, and Juice and the prospect upset. But it was Gemma that acted, hissing and spitting in Stahl's direction. The action earned her a swift kick to the stomach.

"Gemma!"

Mac aimed a venemous glare at Stahl.

"Let's go."

Stahl was very self-satisfied now.

All Mac could do was give Chibs one last glance as she was lead out of the door.

—

"She's being held at the station." Clay said. "Unser can't get a straight answer on why. Stahl's a wiley bitch."

Chibs nodded, still pissed. They'd all talked to Rosen, but no one seemed clear on what Mac was being held for. Tig and Happy maintained that the job with Hefner had been clean, so it seemed like Stahl was playing some sort of long con.

"Where's Ope?" Clay asked, gesturing at the empty spot at their table.

"Maybe he's talkin' to the bitch."

Tig meant to whisper it, but really it came out as a mumble.

"My son isn't a rat." Piney snarled, Jax's glare backing him up.

Tig put his hands up.

"Just a thought, boys." he said.

But Clay caught his eye, and Tig could see understanding there.

"I'm sure he's got family shit or somethin'." Jax said. "I'll go get him later. He's a loyal brother of this club. Not a rat."

—

But Opie's house was quiet.

His wife, the kids, the man himself - all nowhere to be found. Not completely unusual, but Jax had really wanted to bring Opie over to the clubhouse, having him fight for his status.

Jax found the key hidden under the doormat, and let himself inside. Everything was quiet, nothing looked disturbed.

He shrugged to himself.

They might be out to eat, at the park, at the movies. None of it meant Opie was a rat. He walked slowly through the house, looking for anything out of place.

Nothing.

Nothing, except for Stahl's business card, sitting on the kitchen table.

"Fuck." Jax said, hearing the disgust in his own voice.

It can't be Opie.

He would not rat.

It was time to talk to Unser again.

—

Mac wasn't sure how long she'd been in the cell when they walked Unser past her.

It gave her a good shock, though, and she gave him a questioning look. Unser just shrugged, the cuffs on his wrists clinking.

"Corruption charges."

Fat lot of good Unser would do them, locked up in his own jail.

She sat there, stewing. Things hadn't been very interesting since Stahl had locked her in here, and with no explanation for why she'd been arrested, there wasn't much that Mac could do.

A few minutes later, a deputy walked up with Gemma. He told her to stay outside, and then walked away.

"Hey doll." the biker queen said, leaning against the bars.

"Sorry they won't let you out. The Stahl bitch is interfering."

Mac nodded.

"They technically have no reason to keep you in here. She's got nothin', and she knows it. But with Unser locked up now… anyways, Rosen's on it. And the lawyer's good, for a lawyer."

That made Mac smile.

"The guys are furious, of course. Though I think it's the worst for Chibs. He really likes you."

Gemma eyed Mac, a million questions in her eyes. But they had limited time.

"Anyways, I'm here because there's been a new wrinkle. Jax found Stahl's business card on Opie's kitchen table. Ope's whole family is gone now, apparently taken away in the middle of the night. Opie's mom got a call to come up to Stockton - somehow the kids ended up there. Plus, someone paid off the rest of his debt. Federal wire transfer."

Gemma's voice dropped to a whisper.

"Startin' to look like he sold you out."

Mac considered. Gut instinct, she did not guy Opie as a rat. Not now that she knew Donna's state of mind. And after the money she'd given Donna, finances couldn't have been pressing enough for Opie to turn for money. Plus, given his relationship with Jax and his old man, it just didn't make sense.

She might've mentioned all this to Gemma had Stahl not walked up.

"How's the stomach?" she asked Gemma, whose face went a color that couldn't have been healthy.

But Gemma said nothing, choosing instead to turn and walk away.

"Good to see you're learning." Stahl called after her, and it was to Gemma's credit that there wasn't a hitch in her step.

"Now, you."

Stahl turned her attention to Mac.

"You're interesting, and don't take that as a compliment. I tried to do some more digging, but no one could or would give me anything. What did you do that makes them so unwilling to acknowledge even your existance?"

Silence.

"Does the club know you're a killer? Does Filip Telford know?"

Mac pretended to be bored.

"Well, I think we can assume the club knows, since it makes even more sense that they'd hire you to kill Hefner then. It all makes a fucked up sort of sense."

Mac sighed.

"Is this going anywhere?" she asked, allowing annoyance to seep into her voice.

"Let me summarize." Stahl continued. "You show up, somehow already friends with the Sons of Anarchy. Not easy. You hook up with Filip Telford. But when his brothers ask you for a favor, well, it's hard to say no to them, isn't it? Seems okay - quick shot, job done. But now you're stuck. They know too much."

It confirmed every suspicion Mac had. Stahl still didn't understand her past, and somehow had no idea of her other jobs for the Sons, not to mention Kohn. Somehow, she also had completely mischaracterized her relationship with the club. When it came to Hefner, they really were in the clear. Stahl was completely, utterly fishing.

As long as Opie hadn't turned, that was.

"It was too neat for me, though." Stahl said. "So I went back to the beginning. I wanted to understand why you'd left - I mean, you enforcers are all the same. You don't want to give it up. You aren't really human, after all. But you left, and why? Why, Mackenzie? What were you running from?"

Mac kept her face steady with monumental effort.

Inside, she'd gone cold. She didn't give a damn what Stahl thought of her job, but tracing back Mac's past would only lead to Peter. And perhaps, if her latent concerns were correct, the Irish. Which would only be bad for the Sons.

But Mac did not give an inch, and stayed silent.

Stahl, fed up, stormed out.

—

For a while, Mac sat in thought, watching the light in her cell change.

The thing with Opie was bothering her the most. Not that she thought Opie was a rat, but that the guys might. She'd seen the distance between Clay and Tig and Opie. That was an issue. And with Jax's information, it was clear that the situation was ready to explode.

Mac decided to act.

"Hey!" she said, belligerently.

"HEY! Mr. Uniform!"

The deputy outside her cell turned towards her, annoyed. He raised his brow.

"I want my phone call."

He stared at her.

"Hey man, I gotta call someone to get bail, or I ain't ever gettin' outta here."

Mac mostly succeeded in squashing the accent from her voice.

The deputy just sighed. But he reached for his keys.

"Let's go then." he said, unlocking her cell door. "The soon we get you outta here, the less I have to deal with you."

He led her through the station house to a phone on the wall, and handcuffered her to the bar next to it.

"I'll be around the corner now, but I can still see you, so don't try anything."

He walked away.

Mac picked up the phone, dialing the operator and asking for the main ATF number. It took a while, but she slowly worked her way through secretaries and department, aware that time was short. Eventually, she reached the desk phone of an old friend - one whom Mac was hoping still owed her a favor.

She needed to know for sure if Opie was a rat.

Karen picked up on the first ring.

"Karen Barkman."

"Karen, it's Mac. Mac Adrien."

"Mac! Wow, it's sure been a while. How are you?"

"Been better."

"Uh oh, what's up?"

"I need a favor. I'm doing some background work for a job, and I need to confirm info on a CI."

There was a pause before Karen sighed.

"Only for you, Mac." she said. "And only because of Newport. What's the agent the CI is under?"

Mac grinned.

"June Stahl."

"Interesting, I've heard of her. Apparently she's a real piece of work, stay far away."

Mac snorted.

"I'll do my best."

"What's the CI's name?"

"Harry Winston, goes by Opie - O-P-I-E."

"Mmmm, yeah, he's here. Sons of Anarchy MC member. Identified as a possible weak link - it looks like Stahl's trying to put together a RICO case here, so she'll need someone to turn. Says she brought him and his family into Stock ton last night, but he hasn't said anything. Neither has his wife. Doesn't really look like they - aw, shit."

"What?"

"She paid off some debt of him. He didn't give, but she did it anyways. Typical prisoner's dilemma shit - trying to frame the guy, hoping he'll be so afraid of retribution that he'll be forced to turn in exchange for government protection. She's even bugged his car. Damn, Mac, I don't know what you're mixed up in, but this guy's life is in danger."

Mac was silent, her grip on the phone white-knuckled. The relief that she felt knowing that Opie wasn't a rat had been swamped entirely by panic over what would happen if the guys found those bugs.

And if she'd read Clay and Tig right, they would find them.

Shit. Shit.

She thanked Karen and hung up quickly. Just in time as Stahl came charging around the corner not a minute later.

"Got away with it, huh?" she asked nastily, none-too-gently relocating Mac's cuffed hands to behind her back.

"She doesn't get a phone call, she wasn't even booked or anything!" Stahl screamed at the deputy. "She's one of mine!"

"We can track those phone calls, you stupid bitch." Stahl said, leading Mac away.

But Mac just shrugged. That's why she'd called the operator first, and then the main ATF line. Even if they traced the call past the operator to ATF, Stahl would just be confused.

But the panic of the moment before had dulled her, so she wasn't really listening as Stahl continued to rant. Even now that she knew the truth about Opie, there was absolutely no way to inform the guys, and it was obvious that time was running out.

Stahl pushed her past her original cell.

"We're putting you back here. Where you can't cause any trouble."

She shoved Mac inside, and the door crashed behind her.

"Enjoy the silence."

—

The truck flew into the garage lot, wheels squealing as it turned into a parking space.

Opie and Donna hopped out, hurrying over to the garage.

"Ope!"

Jax strode out. Opie embraced him, and Jax froze in surprise for a moment before returning the hug.

"What's up?" Jax asked. The rest of the Sons gathered around.

"I'm not a rat. I know what that Stahl bitch did. Paid off my debts, made me look like one. But I'm not. I love this club - you guys are my brothers. I would never turn."

Jax relaxed slightly.

"And you?" he asked, turning to Donna. "I know you had reservations after Ope got out."

"Actually, it was his mother that tried to talk me out of it." Donna replied. "But Mac was right."

She took Opie's hand.

"I've always loved Opie - that's been the one constant in my life. I wasn, and still am, terrified of losing him. But my fear does not outweight my desire to live a happy life, and that involves the club."

There was conviction - steel - in her voice, and Jax nodded.

"To church, then." Clay said, shaking Opie's hand.

The group turned to walk towards the clubhouse, but Clay stopped Tig before he could walk away.

"Search that truck for bugs." he whispered. "I'll have Gem keep Donna occupied."

Tig did as he was told, and when he told Clay about what he found and destroyed, Clay almost exploded.

"Ope's a rat. He'll die for this."

Tig could only nod.

—