Tig knocked on the front door of Happy's place and was expecting Juice to answer, since his bike was already parked out front. Instead, Talia did and she was holding the collar of Rouge to prevent the dog from lunging on the Son. She waved him in and locked the dog in her room. Juice was sitting on the couch and was using his grinder as he watched TV; the coffee table was filled with joints and snacks.

"Pack up, Tal. We gotta take you to the doctor for a booster shot or somethin'." Tig said as he snagged one of the blunts on the table, tucking it in his pocket for later.

"You weren't supposed to tell her about the doctor." Juice said with a shake of his head.

"Why not? She's not afraid of needles."

"Because she's a kid and that happens when you tell a kid they're getting a shot." Juice pointed to where Talia was just standing and even though she didn't make a sound, he knew she was gone. "She's in the bathroom. I got this." Juice went to the bathroom door and knocked. "Tal, come outta the bathroom."

"Um...no?"

"Young lady-"

"Nooo!"

"Come outta that bathroom right now."

"You don't understand me, Juice!"

"You come outta that bathroom right now! I'm- this is your father speaking and you will respect me in my house!"

"What?!" Talia slammed the bathroom door opened and as soon as she stepped out, Tig closed it and blocked the door with his body. "Mutiny!"

"Talia, you're going to the doctor with us or with Happy. Either way, it's gonna happen."

"I'm sorry, I just get nervous when I'm going to the doctor. Can I have a hug? Hugs make everything better." She sweetly bat her eyes at Tig and held her arms out, so he complied and gave her a hug. "I'm gonna go get some shoes on, then we can go."

"You do realize she's not coming out, right?" Juice said as Talia slipped into her room.

"Tal, will you just-" Tig forgot about Rouge, but she was barking something fierce at him when he opened the door. "Jesus!"

"That's my good girl, Rouge." She gave the dog a pat on the head before she gripped her dog's scruff and looked her in the eyes like Happy told her to and got serious when she commanded, "Guard the house, Rouge. Guard the house. This is your house. Guard the house." Rouge barked and Talia could feel her tail wagging. "Guard the house, Rouge. Guard."

Rouge baked a few more times and Talia gave her a little push to the door. She was defensively barking and growling at the door, knowing that Tig and Juice were on the other side. She paced back and forth a few times, her growls getting softer and softer until it was quiet. Talia could hear the boys whispering, then Rouge went to the left side of the room, bowing her head, and the door slowly opened. Rouge dashed towards it and she could hear Tig and Juice yelling as they struggled to shut the door. The dog finally managed to slip out and Talia laughed as she heard the men running away from her barking dog. She loved her little fluff-ball.

It took an hour of Juice and Tig running around the house before they finally managed to trap Rouge in the backyard where she was still fiercely barking at them. So long as she wasn't trying to take a bite out of their asses, they were fine. They went into Talia's room and found it empty, but the window was open, so they figured she climbed out and was on the streets now. Tig reasoned that she couldn't have gotten very far on foot, so he and Juice went outside to mount their bikes, but Juice's was the only one sitting in its spot.

"Where the fuck is my bike?!" Tig snapped.

"She must've snagged your keys when she hugged you and took your bike. That girl is fearless." Juice shook his head at how brave Talia was, but began smirking when he realized what had to happen next. "Guess this means you're riding bitch with me."

Without another option, Juice and Tig piled on Juice's bike and he started her up, but before he could pull off, he heard a few clicks and the bike refused to move an inch.

"What now?" Tig questioned as Juice was trying to start it up again.

"She just died. That's never happened before."

"She stole my bike, fucked with yours. Oh, this is just a beautiful day." Tig sighed as he dug in his pocket for his Burner. "Mars, bring the tow truck to Hap's place."

~SOA~SOA~SOA~

"How'd Tal's appointment go?" Gemma asked as Tig, Juice and Mars entered the clubhouse.

Tig sighed. "We didn't go."

"Why not?"

"She stole my keys, took my bike, crippled Juice's and now, she's riding God knows where."

"You both got outsmarted by a ten-inch, seven-pound teenage girl?" Jax questioned.

Gemma sushed her laughing son before asking Juice, "Where is she?"

"Don't worry about it, Gem. I'll find her." He squeezed her shoulder before jogging to his dorm and grabbing his laptop, searching for Talia's cell as he came back into the bar. "Huh...she's all the way in Fresno at Beth Israel Cemetery. Why would she be there?"

Tig shrugged as he went behind the bar and grabbed the keys to the van. "I don't know, but I'm gonna go get her."

Tig made the short drive to Fresno and was getting directions from Juice over the phone to the Cemetery until he found the opened gates and parked. He spotted his bike a few spaces away and went over to inspect it for damage, relieved to find that Talia went easy on the damn thing. Heading into the Cemetery, he wandered the dirt paths until he was deep in the cemetery and near the center of it, finally spotting another person. Talia was sitting in the grass at a grave with a short headstone and as he got closer, he could hear her talking.

"…love her. She's really nice. I think she wanted a daughter, but got stuck with Jax instead…that's probably why his hair's almost as long as mine." She giggled. "Clay told me I make her happy and that makes me happy. She reminds me of you, what I remember. She always gives me hugs and she gives me sweet kisses and she's come to cook dinner for me almost every night this week. I don't want you thinking she's taking your place or anything. I'll never forget you and nobody could ever replace you. Gemma just... I guess the universe thinks I deserve a second chance at having a Mom and gave me her."

Talia paused for a moment and looked out into the distance. The sun was high in the sky and all was quiet in the reserved space to let the dead peacefully slumber. Tig decided to keep his cover and continued listening to her speak to her deceased Mother because he was going to tell Gemma all the sweet things her surrogate daughter had to say about her when they got back home; it'd melt her heart.

"I wish you were here so you could meet the Sons. They are some messed up dudes and for a bunch of hardcore bikers, they need a lot of love. I think Tiggy needs it the most. He's just like me, but he's been through harder things than I have, he's been without a family or someone who cares about him longer than I have. You'd like him, Mom. He's a little weird and a bit vulgar like all the boys, but I think he'd love you like he loves Gemma. You'd see the good in him like I do." Tig smiled at her words. "Do you get lonely, Mom? I know you've got Grandma and Grandpa with you wherever you are, but...well, I guess I'm really asking if you miss your husband. I know you loved him, you married him and you guys had me, but after what he did...what he put us through...I wonder if you still loved him."

Tig's head fell to the side as he continued listening in on her conversation, learning about the girl that's been running with he and the Sons for what felt like forever. He's never heard her speak so softly about anything and wondered if this was the only time she did, when she was visiting her Mother.

"Now that I'm back in Charming, I've been thinking about him. If he were alive...I dunno if I could stand to look at him. I don't know if it's because Happy's my Dad or if I just don't have the strength to forgive your husband for what happened to us, but...I wouldn't want him around me. I think I'd hurt him." Talia began tracing the blades of grass under her folded legs as she looked down at her lap, going quiet for a few moments. "...I know you've been watching over me since you left...I've got your guitar and you're probably connected to me now…you know about Happy and what he does...what I do. You've always had such a big heart, so...do you think you could find it in your heart to still love me, Mama? Could you still love your little girl...even if she's a monster now?"

Talia was staring at the headstone now, but she said nothing more and Tig took that as his cue to leave before she realized she was being watched. He retraced his path back to the entrance of the Cemetery and leaned on the gates, smoking a cigarette as he waited for Talia to finish her visit. A few minutes passed, then he heard her approaching and turned to her when he heard the keys to his motorcycle jingling.

"How pissed are you?" She asked as she tossed the keys to him and he caught them in his free hand.

"Not as much as I probably should be. My bike's still in one piece, she's got some more miles on her, you filled the tank and you're safe. What's there to be mad about?" He smirked at her and saw how relieved she looked. "What were you doing up here anyway?"

"I came to visit my Mom. I guess Happy found her grave when we moved here and on my last birthday, he brought me to her."

"That was really sweet of him."

She smiled. "Yeah, he's great."

"It's not too late. We can still make your doctor's appointment." He told her as he rolled his bike into the back of the van, checking his watch. He went to the driver's side and heard the locks click.

"You know, I'm an expert at tucking and rolling out of a moving vehicle." Talia teased and he leaned into the car, pulling his handcuffs out to shackle her to the driver's seat.

"I knew keeping a pair of cuffs on me would come in handy." He said as he lifted her and sat her on his lap, starting the van.

Talia leaned back into his chest and smiled at him, whispering, "Now you're just gettin' me hot."