Chapter 1

Charming, California. Population 14, 679. Gotta love small town life. Home of SAMCRO. My name is Sydney Riley Winston. Everybody calls me Riles. Well everyone except my mother. She insists on calling me Sydney. My father is Piney Winston, First 9 of SAMCRO. My brother Opie is a patched member and his best friend is Jax Teller. Jax is SAMCRO's VP. I've had a crush on Jax for as long as I can remember.

I've lived in Charming my whole life. I'm 25 years old. I work at TM during the day and then some nights I bartend over at LUMPY's bar. If I'm not bartending there then Gemma usually gets me to bartend at the clubhouse.

It was Friday night, Gemma had asked me if I would work the bar that night. I had gone home to change out of my TM work clothes and into something a little more appropriate for a SAMCRO party. I was wearing a black ruffled mini-skirt with fishnet leggings, a black SAMCRO tank top with my leather jacket and my black ankle heeled boots. I was pulling back into the lot when I saw my brother getting on his bike. I climbed out of my car and walked over to him. "Hey Ope." I said, reaching his bike as he was climbing on.

"Hey Riles. You working tonight?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, Gemma asked me if I'd bartend. You headed home?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Lyla's got a late shoot so I gotta be there with the kids." He said. Lyla and I had been friends for what seemed like forever. We had been friends since we were kids. Donna, Opie's first wife had been nice but she never liked Opie being involved in the club. She kept trying to change him. So when she took off two years ago, Lyla had stepped in and helped him out. They've been married almost a year. I'm happy for them.

"That's cool, she coming by after?" I asked, not having seen my friend much lately.

"I think so." Opie said.

"Cool. Give the kids a hug for me." I said. He nodded, starting his bike and pulling out of the parking lot. I walked into the clubhouse, Gemma was sitting at the bar with Clay. I walked around them and behind the bar.

"Hey baby." Gemma said.

"Hey Aunt Gem, Uncle Clay." I said.

"Hey Riles, when you gonna quit your normal Friday night job and come work here full time?" Uncle Clay asked me.

I put my hand on my hip. "Now Uncle Clay, you know I can't do that… Can't have the boys thinking their special now can we?" I said.

Clay laughed. "You got me on that one." Clay said, laughing with Gemma.

I started prepping the bar for the party that night, when Jax and Tara walked in. I wasn't happy that she was back and that Jax had taken her back so easily but he didn't want to listen to me about it. "Hey Riles." Jax said as they walked up to the bar.

"Hey Jax, Tara." I said.

"Ma got you bartending tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah. Said that some of the guys from Tacoma were coming down and that they might enjoy seeing a familiar face." I told him, as I was wiping the bar down.

"Lyla coming to help you tonight?" He asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, Ope said that she had a late shoot. She's coming by when she gets done." I told him. Tara kept shooting death glares at me. It was no secret that Tara didn't like Lyla, and it was all because Lyla worked in porn. Before Lyla and Ope had gotten together she had been a single mom. She had to pay the bills somehow. I talked with Jax for a while before the guys started coming into the clubhouse. Tig, Juice and Chibs sat at the bar. "Nope." I said.

The three of them looked at me with shocked looks on their faces. "Come on Princess, one beer." Tig said.

"Sorry Tigger. Besides you smell like the garage. I'm not serving you while you smell like a grease monkey." I told him.

"Fine fine. You drive a hard bargain Princess." Tig said heading down the hall.

"Hey Juicy." I said leaning over the bar to get his attention. "I can't find the prospects and I could use some ice."

"No problem Riles, I'll take care of it for you." Juice said walking towards the kitchen.

I turned and looked at Chibs. "Hey there Chibby. How you doin' today?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Not too bad, Riley-girl. Just been a long day." Chibs said.

"You need a drink?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Aye, that'd be great." Chibs said smiling at me as I grabbed him a beer. I handed it to him. It didn't take long before Juice was back with the ice that I needed.

The clubhouse was full. I saw a couple of the guys that I recognized from Tacoma mainly Happy and Kozik. Lyla had gotten there a few minutes ago so I took the opportunity to step out and take a smoke break. I walked outside and sat on the picnic table and lit one of my cigarettes. A few minutes later, I noticed Chibs walk out. "You okay Lass?" He asked me walking over to me.

"Yeah, just needed a smoke break before I break Tara's nose like I did in high school." I said.

He nodded at me. "How's things with you and Kozik?" He asked me. Kozik and I had dated for a little while, although it was more of a friends with benefits, kind of thing.

I blew out a puff of smoke. "There not. We ended things a while back. We're just friends now." I told him. "But that's old information. You already knew that." He put his hand on my thigh. I let a small moan escape my lips as he ran his hand up my thigh toward my hip. I leaned my head back and looked at him. "You know, if you keep that up, it's going to be last weekend all over again…" I said, flicking my cigarette.

He leaned closer to me so that he was now hovering over me. "Maybe that's what I want?" He said.

I leaned closer to his ear. "Well then I guess that your gonna have to come by my house later." I said, scooting around him and going back inside. I walk back around the bar and Lyla stares at me. "What?" I asked.

She leans closer to me and smiles. "I'm not stupid. You know that." She says and I smirk at her. "But how long do you think that you can keep doing this before your dad and Ope find out?" She asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I dunno. It's kinda fun." I said.

I made it home around 3. When I pulled into my driveway, Chibs was already there. He was leaning against the railing on my porch. I climbed out of my car and made my way to the porch. "Hi." I said.

"Hi beautiful." He said. I unlocked my door and we walked inside. Once we were inside, he shut the door behind him. I sat my purse and keys on the kitchen table.

"Did anybody see you pull into my drive way?" I asked him never looking at him.

"Nope. Most everyone was passed out." He said.

I nodded, walking over to my fridge and pulling out a bottle of wine. I walk over to the sink and grab a wine glass out of the cabinet and pour a glass. Chibs walks over to me and wraps his arms around my waist. I leaned back against him and took a drink of my wine. "How long do you think that we can keep doing this?" I asked him.

He moved my hair away from my neck and kissed it. "I don't know love. I know that you hate lying to everyone." He said.

I let out a sigh. "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep lying to everyone." I said, taking another drink of my wine. It was something that had been on my mind all night. Ever since my conversation with Lyla. I had my conversation with her in my head.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you pushing me away?" He asked me.

I quickly turned around. "Can you honestly tell me that if Fiona came back that you wouldn't repair your family?" I asked him. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to hear the answer.

"Riles, that's not gonna happen." Chibs said.

"How can you be sure?" I asked him, walking over to the kitchen table sitting down and pulling my smokes out of my purse. I lit one.

"For one, her family is in Belfast she won't leave that and for two, I sent her divorce papers." He said.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You sent Fiona divorce papers?" I asked him.

He walked over and sat across from me. "Aye. I did. I love you and I want to be with you." He said.

I took a puff from my cigarette and blew the smoke out. "I don't know what to say to that."

"I know." He said. He reached for my hand but I pulled back.

"You should go. I need time to process all of this." I said. He nodded. He got up and the next thing I heard was the front door closing.

The next morning when I woke up, I realized that I was on my couch. "Rough night?" I looked across my living room and saw my brother sitting in my chair.

"Ugh. What're you doing here?" I asked him.

"Wanted to check on you. Lyla said that you were acting strange last night." He said.

I sat up and grabbed my smokes. I pulled one out of the pack and lit it. "I'm fine, Ope." I said.

"If that's your story." He said.

I let out a sigh. I knew where this was headed. Ope wasn't gonna give up until he got the answers out of me that he was looking for. I just didn't have time right now. "I gotta take a shower and get ready for work." I said, putting my cigarette out in the ashtray.

An hour later when I pulled into the lot at TM, Gem's caddy was there. I climbed out of my car and started toward the office. Chibs stopped me. "Hi." He said.

"Hi."

He looked around to make sure that nobody was listening. "Did you think about what I said last night?" He asked me.

"Yes and as a result from it I now have a hangover." I said.

"Well, can we talk about it?"

"Not now… maybe later. I'm late for work." I said walking around him and into the office.

"Hey baby. I thought you were off today." Gem said.

"Supposed to be. But I need some extra money and I didn't feel like sitting at home." I said, plopping myself onto the couch.

"Hangover?" She asked me.

"It's not that bad. Just tired of my brother and Lyla asking me fifty million questions." I said.

"About what?" She asked.

"My love life or lack thereof." I told her.

She nodded. "Well, why don't you work in the clubhouse today? Do an inventory list. Make sure that we have everything. We can go to the store later." She said.

"Sounds good. I think I'll start with a cup of coffee." I said, standing up and walking out the door. When I walked into the clubhouse, I wasn't expecting what I saw. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was hoping that you would help me." She said.

I noticed that Chibs was sitting with her. "Chibby, do me a favor. Get Gemma and Jax." I said. He nodded and walked past me. I still hadn't moved from my spot. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here. First, you try to convince my brother to choose between you and the club. Second, when he needs you the most, you bail… not just on him but your kids as well," I said as I heard the clubhouse door slam behind me. "And then finally, when he's happy you show back up and you want me to help you?" I finished.

"Yes." She said.

I lunged toward her but I'm pulled back by a set of hands around my waist. "Let me go! I'm gonna rip her to shreds." I yell.

"Ma, you better call Ope." I hear Jax tell Gem. That's when I realized that the hands that were holding me were Chibs. "Chibs, take her outside." Chibs turned us around and was about to start pushing me out the door when Jax stood in front of me. "Riles, you gotta calm down. We're out of bail money this week." He said.

"Hardy har har." I said, as Chibs pushed me out the door to the picnic table. "Okay okay. You can let go, I'm outside." I said.

Chibs let go of me and I sat on the picnic table to wait for my brother. This was not gonna be pretty. "Why do you think she's here?" Chibs asked me.

I lit one of my cigarettes. "To try and sink her claws back into my brother." I said, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Isn't that what leeches do?" I asked.

He laughed. "I take it your still pissed at her."

"Her and my mother. Donna let my mother get in her head, that's why she ran away. She ran from Opie, her kids, and the club." I said, right as I saw my brother's bike. "Get ready for a floor show." I said.

Opie walked over to us. "What the hell happened?" He asked me.

"I walked into the clubhouse and there she was. Asked me to help her. I told her to go to hell. I tried to rip her to shreds. Chibs pulled me out here. End of story." I said.

"What does she want?" Ope asked me.

"Probably you. I did tell her you were happy though." He nodded. "Don't let her ruin that for you. Because brother or not, you break Lyla's heart… I'll kick your ass." I told him. He nodded and walked into the clubhouse.

As I sat there waiting to find out what was going to happen next, I thought about me and Chibs. So much had happened in the last two years… yep, Chibs and I had been seeing each other for two years. It all started right after Donna left.

I was sitting in my living room. Opie had just called me and told me that he got home from work and all of Donna's stuff was gone. He said that she left a note. Just like my mother. She couldn't handle the club life anymore and she couldn't handle being a mother, so she packed her stuff and she ran. She was a coward. I wasn't sure how long I had been sitting there when I heard a knock at my door. I got up and went to answer the door. I was surprised to see Chibs standing on my porch. "Hi Chibby." I said.

"Hey Riley-girl." He said. He was the only one that called me that. It was his own personal nickname for me.

"What're you doing here?" I asked him.

"Your pop called me and told me about Donna. Said that you might be upset." He said.

I nodded. "You want a beer?" I asked him.

"Sure." He said. I turned around and headed to my kitchen. I heard the front door close and then I heard him walk into the kitchen behind me. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and turned to hand him one. "Thanks." He said, and I gave him a small smile.

We ended up in the living room, sitting on my couch. He turned to look at me. There was something about his eyes. Something that I'd never noticed before. They had this sparkle about them. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I sat up on my knees and leaned closer to him. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. It wasn't anything special, but it was sweet. When he pulled back, he stared at me for a minute. "Riles… I'm sorry I don't know what happened." He said.

"I'm not." I said. And before I could let him say anything else, I found myself crushing my lips to his. It was sweet… at first. As the kiss progressed, I felt him wrap his arms around me. His arms felt good around me. He gently picked me up and moved me to his lap, so that I was straddling it. Suddenly, the kiss became filled with more heat, desire and passion. Everything was in this kiss.

It was the beginning… the beginning of everything.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by someone calling my name. I turned to see Opie standing beside me. "Hey you okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I was just thinking. Did you talk to her?" I asked him.

He nodded, sitting beside me on the picnic table. "Yeah I did." He said.

"You wanna come over to the house and we can drink and talk." I said.

"Yeah let's go." He said. Ope headed to his bike and me to my car. I drove the short distance to my house. Ope and I had a lot to talk about and it would all take time, especially since I still needed to talk to Chibby. When I pulled into my driveway, Ope was right behind me. When we walked into my house, Ope went into my living room while I went to the kitchen to grab whiskey and some beers. When I sat down across from him, he looked at me. "So, where do you want to start… Donna or Chibs?" He asked me.

What? "How did you know?" I asked him.

"Riles, you two have been really friendly the last two years… especially right after Donna left. Then I noticed it again after you and Hale broke up."

"Don't mention that asshole." I said. That had been hard. Yep. I dated David Hale too. He tried to change me. He tried to get me to walk away from my family. When I wouldn't, he broke up with me. Opie and Jax spent two days in jail because of it. They'd gone to confront him and ended up punching him.

"Anyway, the third and final time I noticed it was when you broke up with Koz. You never told me what happened there." He said.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey. "I wanted more… he didn't." I said. "End of story." I took a drink of my whiskey.

"And you think that Chibs could be that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But he makes me happy Ope." I said.

"I oughta punch him for this."

"There's more." I said. Ope nodded. "He told me last night that he sent Fiona divorce papers."

Opie raised an eyebrow at me. "Seriously?" I nodded. "It sounds like he's serious about you sis." He said.

"I know. I'm not sure how it makes me feel though. I mean, for two years I've wanted nothing more than to tell, you, Dad and the entire club about me and Chibs… but now…I don't know." I said.

"Do you love him?" He asked me, I nodded. "Then nothing else matters. I would tell Dad before you tell the rest of the club."

"I know." I said. "Now, what'd Donna have to say." Opie and I sat there and talked about Donna. Apparently, now she had guilt about leaving. Ope said that he told her that it was too late for them but it wasn't too late for her to have a relationship with Kenny and Ellie. I told him that he needed to keep an eye on her. He agreed. After a while he left. I put the whiskey back in my freezer and threw the beer bottles away. I poured myself a glass of wine and went to sit back on my couch and think about everything that Chibs and I had talked about the night before. He wanted to be with me. He sent Fiona divorce papers. He loved me. He wanted to be with me and not Fiona. Opie was right… I loved Chibby and nothing else mattered. I grabbed my phone off the coffee table and dialed his number.

"Hey Riles. Everything okay?" He said when he answered.

"Yeah, I just… I need to talk to you. Can you come over?" I said, unsure of what his answer would be.

"Yeah. I'll be right over." He said and hung up.