CHAPTER 42 - Part 1

****Thursday****

Olivia quickly made her way out of the construction trailer office to her Range Rover. The past two days had been windy, but today's weather had made an impressive turn to gusts that rivaled an east coast tropical storm. Now in the safety of her SUV, she took a moment checking herself in the mirror as she heard the phone beep with an incoming text. Glancing over to her bag in the passenger seat, her heart fell to her feet in hope of it being a certain biker she hadn't heard from since she left the hospital waiting room three days ago. Reaching into the outside pocket, she slowly flipped the phone over instantly feeling disappointment.

Just finished my last chart. On my way to pick up food and head home. See you soon! Drive safe, the weather is getting worse here. Love ya, T

A quite night in with one of her best friends could be exactly what she needed to get out of the funk she'd been in all week.

On my way home to change. See your shortly. Love you too!

Hitting send on the Iphone, she dropped it in the empty cup holder and headed home to the condo.

****Charming****

Having been an only child, Ethan Zoebelle had never been introduced to the feeling of disappointment and he wasn't about to start now. He was tired of excuses of why she had not been detained. Tired of hearing that the situation was under control when it clearly was not. Taking a minute to calm the rage that was continuously building within him, Zoebelle picked up his phone dialing the number to the man who would either get the job done or face the alternative.

"Hello Ethan."

Encouraged to see that he picked up immediately, "Good afternoon Anthony. I'm hoping that you're having a productive day today." Zobelle's voice smooth as silk.

Anthony Weston knew he was on borrowed time if he didn't accomplish what he had been tasked to do. To the outside world, Ethan Zobelle looked the part of a polished business man but to those who knew the true man inside the expensive designer suits, he was as dangerous as any cartel member. Telling him no was not an option. Failing at a direct assignment was grounds for execution.

"I am extremely pleased to inform you that I've locked down her schedule and have determined the best time to execute will be on her way up to the job site." spoke Weston as he trailed the black SUV down the highway, careful to keep a safe distance. "With the road construction on the highway just outside of Charming, she's been taking the rural route which gives me the seclusion needed to set up the extraction." truly believing for the first time his plan would work since he'd been assigned this job.

Zobelle stayed quite while Weston laid out his complete plan and he had to admit, it would definitely work. Isolating her away from the town was smart. "I must say that I'm pleased to know that this project will be finalized by the deadline."

"You have my word that she'll be at the compound when you arrive at the end of the month." Speaking for only a few more minutes before ending the call. He was still following her at a distance to where she wouldn't suspect anything. The end of the month was quickly approaching so to have his time alone with her, his plan had to be implemented within the next week.

***Jax's House***

Two hours into their quiet girls night in, both women were relaxing at opposite ends of the brown leather couch. "So, I'm not going to let you off the hook tonight." as Tara licked a drop of sauce still lingering on her finger. "You're worried about something and don't even try to deny it." looking Olivia in the eye. "What's going on?" hitting the off button on the television.

As much as Olivia wanted to deny what her mind was constantly thinking about, she simply couldn't. "Let's just say that I did something with the best of intentions, but it's obvious that I was wrong about how it was perceived."

"Do we need alcohol for this conversation?" asked Tara.

Instantly shaking her head, "No. I need to keep my head clear." spoke Olivia, dreading this conversation even more.

"What happened?"

Olivia took a deep breath knowing she was safe to tell Tara what had happened. "Before I tell you, this stays in the vault."

Tara reached across the couch, gently squeezing her best friend's hand. "Always."

She pulled a throw pillow across her lap as she settled herself back against the couch. "I'm pretty sure that I've ruined whatever it was between me and Happy." watching Tara's reaction.

"How?" asked Tara completely shocked by what Olivia had just said.

Olivia took a deep breath trying to calm the queasiness she was again feeling in her stomach. "Happy's mom had a double mastectomy Monday morning and I surprised him while she was in surgery." now noticing Tara had stopped mid sip. "Sunday night after he had left my place earlier that afternoon to go up to Bakersfield, I just kept remembering how scared I was the day of Daddy's surgery and how grateful I was that Kerri showed up and stayed all day with me. She didn't make me talk or anything, she was just there if I needed something and I'll always be so thankful to her for that."

Reaching over, Tara took Olivia's hand in her own, knowing how difficult it was for her to talk about her dad. "I just didn't want him to be alone while he waited." Olivia closed her eyes quickly to keep the tears that were forming in her eyes from falling. "I can tell that he's got every hope from what his mom's doctor has said that this could make her cancer free after a preventative round of chemo."

"I don't know much about Happy, but I do know how caring he is for his mom, especially with her cancer treatments." spoke Tara.

Nodding her head in agreement, Olivia reached for her iced tea. "How did he react?" asked Tara, a little concerned about how the club assassin handled the surprise.

"He was shocked to see me at first, and I quickly made it clear to him that I wasn't trying to invade his privacy, that I just wanted him to know someone was there if he needed anything. I then went and found a seat on a couch over in the corner and he just sat there."

Tara had a hundred questions she wanted to ask, but she held back not wanting to put any more pressure on her best friend. "So that's it?"

"No, after about 20 minutes or so, he came over and sat down with me. I just kept looking at random stuff on my Ipad not wanting to bombard him with questions. We just sat there. He looked through some car and tattoo magazines I had brought for him and I checked emails." Olivia recalled.

Tara Knowles wanted to giggle like a school girl at the information she was hearing but she wouldn't for two reasons. One being that it would be entirely inappropriate considering that they had spent the day together waiting for Happy's mom's surgery to be finished and two, any girly response would make Olivia clam up on spilling details on what was happening between the odd twosome. "Well that doesn't sound like you've ruined things to me." Tara stated honestly.

Olivia couldn't help but to look at Tara like she was crazy. "I made it my business to show up at the hospital completely uninvited by a man who is as private as they come. It's no wonder I haven't heard from him since they called him back to the recovery room." Olivia confessed feeling the urge to dig her a hole and crawl in it. "And I'm just being selfish to wonder why he's not called or text when I know damn well his focus should only be with his mom." Shaking her head, "No, I'm positive that whatever has been going on between us, ended the moment I stepped in the waiting room."

Sliding over to sit next to her friend, "Listen, you need to cut yourself some slack. You went there with honest intentions and not to score points." as she put her arm around her shoulders. "You just need to take a breath and relax." Tara kissed her cheek before standing to take their plates into the kitchen.

Olivia closed her eyes as she sat back on the couch. As much as she appreciated Tara's support and understanding at what she had done and no matter how clear her conscience was about just wanting to physically be there for him with no other expectations, she knew that she had crossed a privacy line that he had made very clear to her from the beginning. For the past 4 days, she had replayed every second of Monday in her mind trying desperately not to put too much faith and hope in the fact that while Happy had been mostly quite the entire time, she noticed that he always had his hand on her thigh or his arm draped across her shoulders. They had spent the majority of the time with him sitting in the corner of the couch with Olivia tucked up next to him. Quickly opening her eyes, she couldn't dwell on those little details, because it didn't matter. What mattered was the deafening silence and she couldn't be hurt or offended at his lack of communication. On her drive up to the hospital, Olivia accepted that in showing up, she could push him away, but she felt the risk was worth it. She still felt that way, although now she was feeling something so much more overwhelming.

She missed him.

Hearing Tara walk back into the room, she stood up stretching her arms above her head. "I'm going to head home." Olivia said glancing back toward the patio doors. "This weather is insane." noticing how much the wind had picked up.

"I know, it's crazy. You don't plan on working this weekend do you?" Tara asked.

"No, I'm meeting Michael up at the job site early in the morning to make sure everything is secure, but after that I'll be home. Elliott's closed the office until at least Monday. Christy and I made a grocery store run this afternoon, so I'm stocked up on anything I might need. Are you working?"

"Just on call if it gets really bad." spoke Tara. "Hopefully people will stay home and I can enjoy this horrible weather safe and sound here with Abel and Jax."

***West Charming***

"How many more to we need to pack?" asked Ralph noticing Darby was checking his phone. "This should be seventy five." as he put the now sealed small baggie in the box with the others.

Quickly scrolling through his text messages, "Order is for 100, so keep going. I want to be early for this drop." turning away and walking into the kitchen. This delivery would more than make up for the recent burned down cook house that wiped out a huge chunk of not only his product but over half of his cash. Darby can feel his blood pressure rise as his determination to get even with SAMCRO hits an all time high. He's put up with their outlaw heroics long enough and can't wait until he could inflict his own form of payback.

***San Joaquin Sheriff's Office***

Making his way into the building, he walked over to the small reception desk. "Good evening. Detective Walker to see Sheriff Roosevelt." spoke the thirty year old cop, noticing the man he was here to meet with walking toward him.

"Detective." the sheriff extending his hand to greet a fellow officer.

"Sheriff. Pleasure to meet you in person. I appreciate you agreeing to meet with me on such short notice."

Stepping aside to let the detective in his office, Roosevelt closed the door behind him and walked around his desk. "Well after our conversation, I'm interested to see what you have that might be related to our unsolved murder."

Not wanting to waste any time, Detective Walker spread out his file for the more seasoned cop to look through. "I know I've only been a detective for a little over two years, but my gut is telling me that these murders are connected." as he carefully watched Roosevelt's reaction.

"Look closely at the marks on both women's necks. It's the same choke pattern. Also, he cleaned both victims. That can't be a coincidence."

Being on the job for almost twenty years, the shock of crimes had greatly diminished throughout his career, but having a possible serial killer near Charming rocked him to his core. Murder was bad enough, but to think he would be dealing with a person who was purposely killing people was on a whole different level. "I'm assuming you've ran your theory through the database for similar cases?"

Detective Walker ran a hand down his face. "I have, but nothing matched the criteria." as he noticed the sheriff looking through the autopsy photos. "Look, I know it's a jump to label this a serial killer, but I just can't shake the feeling like this guy is going to strike again."

Over the years, he hadn't met many cops that he instantly liked, but the young detective had managed to join that list. "While I'll dealt with more murders than I'd like to remember, I have to agree with you on this. These deaths are connected. I can see the pattern but that's not going to be enough convenience the FBI or even the US Marshalls."

"So how many more women have to die before they'll label it the work of a serial killer?"

Sitting back in his leather chair, "I'm afraid I can't answer that."

***Bakersfield Cancer Center***

Happy sat silently in the recliner as his mom napped in the bed. Sofia Lowman, even in a hospital bed was a force to be near. Once she was released from recovery and settled into her room, she made sure her nurse knew she wanted to get started with her post surgery rehab as soon as her doctor would let her. She had amazed him his entire life with her strength. Having put her through several stints in jail and prison, watching her face breast cancer head on without flinching made his life screw ups seem trivial. He often wondered how it would effect her not having either breast, not that he ever imagined his mom having breasts. Happy's mind drifted back to a conversation with another woman who was constantly running through his mind.

**Flashback**

True to her word, Olivia hadn't said anything to him after he sat down beside of her on the small waiting room couch. Before he moved across the room, he couldn't do anything but stare at her. Nothing shocked Happy Lowman, but the brunette had managed to do just that. He had walked into the waiting room prepared to watch the clock until the doctor came out to let him know the surgery was over. He hadn't been prepared for Olivia to step in front of him with a fresh cup of decent coffee. It had taken at least twenty minutes before the shock wore off and he made his way over to her. They sat beside each other in silence the first hour before she stood up, telling him she was going to the restroom. Again, all he could do was watch her walk toward the hallway. Doing a quick visual sweep around the room, he saw the volunteer at the desk look away as his eyes caught hers. Checking the time on the wall, he heard the door open as he watched her walking back toward him. Even dressed in black leggings with a denim shirt over a white tank top, she looked beautiful. He noticed the closer she got, she slowed down almost questioning if he wanted her to sit back down. While she had been gone, he had shifted himself into the corner of the couch that was next to the wall. Without hesitation, his dark eyes scanned her from head to toe and back up checking to see she was okay. Olivia started to sit back down, intending to leave some space between them, when she felt his hand grab hers, gently pulling her closer to him. The need to have her next to him wasn't a new feeling. No, Happy had slowly realized over the past three months that his need to have this woman next to him wasn't going away. If anything it was only getting stronger and today was no different. With her now tucked into his side, he slipped his right arm behind her shoulders and felt her relax.

It was after the volunteer walked away with an update at hour three, that he asked her. "Would you have done it?"

Turning her head toward him, "Done what?" she asked not quite sure what he was asking.

Almost whispering, "Have your breasts removed?" watching as she stared back at him.

Olivia's heart was hammering in her chest at his question. "If it meant I would be cancer free, yes, I would."

He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before asking his next question. "You wouldn't feel weird if you didn't have 'em?" as his eyes trailed down to her breasts that he knew intimately, staring just for a few seconds before his eyes met hers again.

"First of all I can't imagine being told that I have breast cancer, but if I had the option to have a mastectomy and be cancer free, I would do it without any hesitation."

He was quiet for a few minutes. "Mom's not going to do the reconstruction surgery." pausing before continuing. "Said she's got no use for them at her age." now trying to get the image out of his head that his mom had breasts before the surgery.

She placed her Ipad down beside of her. "I think it's very brave for your mom to choose to not go through the reconstruction." Olivia said as she placed her hand on his thigh. "I would assume that most women do the reconstruction surgery because they're either afraid of how it will look if they don't or scared their partner want look at them the same way."

Happy didn't ask anything after that. They just sat next to each other on the couch for the next two hours until he was called back to the recovery room.

He quietly stood up, making sure not to wake his mom as he walked over toward the window. For the past four days the majority of his focus was on his mom and watching as the nurses took care of her, but that didn't stop his mind from thinking about her. He couldn't deny that her surprise visit had unnerved him, but any feeling of anger or resentment wasn't there. He wasn't sure what had made her decide to come to the hospital, but he would make sure to find out. Hearing a quiet sigh, he quickly turned around to see his mom waking up from her nap.

"Hey ma." his whispered watching as she reached for her water, quickly handing it to her.

She took a few sips, her throat still scratchy from the surgery. "How long did I sleep?" Sofia asked not sure what time it was.

"A little over two hours. How you feeling?" asked Happy watching to see if she appeared to be in any pain.

Carefully adjusting her bed, she sat up more feeling more awake. "I'm sorry son, I didn't mean to sleep that long." surprised he was still at her bedside.

"It's fine. You need to rest."

Giving him a look only his mother could get away with, "I'm getting plenty of rest. Now don't you worry about that." she said before finished her cup of water. "Now, how about in a few minutes, you can take a short walk with me."

***Tacoma, Washington***

Bobby was thankful that he had finally made it to the SAMTAC clubhouse, just narrowly avoiding the start of a torrential downpour that was currently raining down on all of Tacoma. With a fresh beer in his hand, he settled himself into one of the recliners in the lounge to wait for Slade to get back. He had every right to walk into their church and wait for the charter president, but Bobby chose to not flaunt his title with the mother charter. While the drive up was relaxing, Bobby wouldn't deny that it irritated him to his core that he had to come in person to find out why Koz hadn't sent in their numbers for the past few months. Hearing the door open, he watched an extremely wet SAA walk in.

"Get me a damn towel, Prospect!" yelled Koz as he did his best to shake off the water from his body. Quickly shrugging his soaked kutt off, he looked up still expecting to see Ben with a towel. "PROSPECT!" he screamed out again instantly irritated he was still soaking wet. "WHERE THE FUCK..." he instantly stopped yelling as he noticed the heavily bearded man sitting across the room.

Koz made his way over, a slick grin plastered on his face. "Good to see ya Bobby." as he watched the older man stand and greet him with a brotherly hug. "You lost?" Koz asked curious as to why he was in Tacoma.

"Charming is calm at the moment and I've been itching to hit the road, so I thought what better time to come up and get these books current." stated Bobby as he finished his beer.

***Charming, California***

Staring back at herself in the bathroom mirror, she brushed her teeth having already finished her nightly beauty routine. Carefully spitting the toothpaste in the sink, she rinsed off her toothbrush before placing it back in the case. While dinner with Tara had been relaxing, it had failed to ease her mind that she had made a colossal mistake regardless of her pure intentions. Her stomach had been in knots for days and she was no longer able to deny to herself that her heart was hurting too. Even with a few relationships behind her, this felt like foreign and unfamiliar territory to Olivia. Happy had unknowingly managed to do something that no man before him had ever accomplished. It happened without her even realizing it. She was attached. Over the past months, they had settled into a routine that she not only liked, but actually craved. Mornings waking up with him wrapped around her, lunch at the diner and nights spent pleasuring each other until they were breathless then falling asleep in his arms. To the outside world, they were the obvious odd couple, with no common interest between them, but she felt more at home with the biker than she had with any other man that had been in her life. But now that was most likely over and she couldn't blame him if that was his decision. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to crawl into bed and prayed she'd fall asleep quickly. As she settled herself in the middle of the bed, she turned on her side, just like she would do if he was laying beside of her. As much as she hated herself for doing it, she ran her hand across his pillow almost willing him to come home to her. Olivia would never consider herself desperate, she just simply missed him...desperately. Deciding that she had done enough self loathing for the day, she turned toward the windows and closed her eyes. Thankful that no one could see her, she wasn't sure how she'd explain needing to sleep in his gray SAMCRO t-shirt for the fourth night in a row.