"Your mother made it very clear to me that she no longer wants you working here at the TM."

Clay said gruffly recalling the smack to his face. They were both sitting at the bar. Clay and the Club had just gotten done with talking about some type of Club business and now he was free to turn his attention to her.

She chewed on the inside of her jaw before she sighed deeply. She knew this was bound to happen. Ever since Tara made the mistake to call up her mother things had went downhill and fast.

"But my question to you is -- what do you want baby girl?"

Clay asked looking to her face for some type of give away. [Name] sighed and hung her head, knowing that her mother would stop at nothing now to get her to try to come back to Ireland where she deemed it was safe.

"Honestly," She stated, turning to look at her uncle's face. "I want to continue working here at Teller-Morrow. I love what I do. But, at the same time, I don't want to get anyone else hurt."

Clay frowned deeply. Gemma had informed him about her feelings on what happened with Chibs. The young woman blamed herself for the incident, which was something Clay didn't approve.

He leaned over toward her and placed his hand around her face, cupping her cheek as his thumb rested on her chin. He looked into her blue eyes -- the same color as her own.

"You can't continue to beat yourself up over that."

He said while shaking his head. She paused and felt like this was something he had wanted to tell her from the beginning.

"When you had asked me some months ago if you could talk to me after the meeting we had about Opei's wife."

He said quietly, causing her gaze to fall to the floor. His thumb moved her head, making her look back up to him.

"You asked me if I would consider putting you in for a Prospect. I told you no for a reason. This is one of those reasons why."

Clay explained. Causing her eyes to sadden.

"Because you were afraid I'd get hurt."

She stated. Clay shook his head. She looked at him confused.

"We're all gonna get hurt someday baby girl. But it's how you deal with that hurt determines if you can make the cut for this Club."

Her eyes widened, partly understanding what he meant.

"I can't have someone who second guesses about the "What ifs" when shit goes down. That type of thinking will eat away at you faster than the death of an enemy on your hands."

She lowered her eyes again as she felt Clay drop his hold from her chin and put his hand back in his lap. He leaned back against the counter of the bar and sighed deeply.

At first, Clay had no doubts about putting her up for the position in the Club. He knew she was strong and he also knew the backlash he would take from other charters if they'd know that a SAMCRO princess joined among their ranks.

He wasn't worried about that and he wasn't worried about the shit storm that would come from her mother either.

His main concern was that on the Brothers of the Club. She had grown closer to some more than others he could clearly see that.

Jax had spoke up about her closeness to both Tig and now even Chibs.

Juice is was obvious to see the way she and the young guy joked around while they worked to the way he kept close to her and gave her advice on things he too had went through.

Happy really paid her no mind, but he kept to himself around everyone for the most part.

Opei and her had grown up together for a while while she lived here in Charming till her father headed down South to start up a charter in a town down there.

Jax was her family. They had always been close even though the age difference was something of around ten years. He protected her for most of his life, so Clay knew the bond they had with one a other.

Half-Sac wanted to date her -- it was completely obvious and it irked Clay. The kid was nice, but there was no way in hell. That being known, he knew the boy would help her out -- if and when Clay allowed him around her again.

Piney and Bobby were there with a watchful eye, to give advice when needed, but they never really paid much mind to her aside from that.

Tig, he was Clay's Sargeant-in-Arms. Clay knew that because [Name] was Clay's flesh and blood, her uncle and the President of the Club, that Tig would risk his neck for her in the same manner he would for Clay.

And then finally Chibs. Chibs had shocked him the day of the blast. He could have ran and told her to do the same, but instead he grabbed her up and shielded her from the majority of the blast.

Chibs had went above and beyond that day, and Clay was going to make sure the man knew it.

"What I'm trying to say is... this life isn't for the people who use their heart more than their head. It ends ups getting people hurt, bad."

She nodded, thinking she understood what he meant. But truth be told, he was worried more about his Brothers trying to protect her while she tried to protect them.

That's just the type of girl she was as she put others before herself.

"This is the only life I've ever know."

She said sadly. Clay looked at her from the corner of his eye as she was looking at the ground.

"Between the charter from Belfast -- which mum never liked me being around anyway -- to the point of me being here and down South, this has always been my life."

She said glancing up from the floor.

"Twenty-three years, almost twenty-four years of my life and this is all I've ever known. I'm a high school drop out, dropped out of collage -- never had any other job than something in one of the Clubs somewhere."

Clay leaned his head back as he listened to his niece.

"I'm highly intelligent, but due to the way things have worked out, school was never a high priority for me. I wanted to start work as soon as possible and help out the family -- the Club. And then dad got sent to prison over bullshit guns and what was left of the Club ran me off. I had no where to go, no family left, no place to call home -- until Aunt Gemma called."

She sighed deeply turning toward Clay and resting her face in her hand as her bottom lip quivered as she tried her best not to cry, her voice wavering and showing.

"And I felt like I had a place to call home again." She sniffled. "I didn't feel alone anymore. I have a home, I have Brothers, people care for me."

Clay watched with saddened eyes as his niece broke down in front of him. Clay had to admit that he had never been one to comfort someone. But when it came to his girls, he couldn't help but turn soft.

"Shit. Don't cry, baby girl."

Clay said wrapping his arm around her shoulder and bringing her into his chest. She laid her head down onto his shoulder.

She cried softly for a moment as Clay sat there holding her to him. It was only when the sound of the Club door opening did she make herself stop the best she could and pulled away to see Tig standing there looking shocked and slightly confused.

"Uh, the rest of the guys are ready."

Tig said pointing his thumb behind his shoulder and looking from Clay to [Name]. Clay sighed deeply before he unwrapped his arm from her hold.

"Duty calls."

Clay said with a slight smirk, hoping she'd smile and understand. She gave a sad smile and nodded before taking the sleeve of her shirt and wiped her face clean of anything that could have shown she was crying.

Clay stood put and gave her a pat on. Her shoulder before walking awag. Tig stood there for a moment as Clay walked past him and toward the door.

Tig just stood there watching as as she glanced up to look over at him. He felt conflicted about what to do; so he did what he felt was right and walked over to her.

She had looked away and turned her back to him after seeing him there and when  she heard his feet coming up behind her, she mentally kicked herself for crying in front of Tig.

She heard as he sat down next to her on the stool Clay just sat upon. It was only when she felt his hand on the small of her back did she look over to him.

His fingers traced her spine as his hand sat in the same place, but his fingers moved up and down and in little circles.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

He asked her. He gave her those big sad eyes as he leaned over toward her. He had never seen her like this before and it hurt him to say that he wished he hadn't seen her this way.

She shook her head and gave a muffled laugh.

"Just silly girl problems."

She said giving him a forced smile. Although it wasn't a complete lie, she didn't want to burden him with the whole speech again she had given Clay.

Tig shook his head as his other arm came up and grabbed her shoulder that was farthest away from him. He turned her on the stool to face him.

His hand still on the bottom of her back while his left hand was on her shoulder now. Her work uniform was open and he could see a good chunk of her breast that peeked out from the undershirt.

His eyes moved down there for a moment before he closed his eyes, bit his bottom lip, and shook his head. She looked at him confused.

He opened his eyes slowly and looked at her. His heart was racing as he felt the heat from her body on his hands. He wanted to plant his lips over hers and take her there on that stool. He wanted to make her moan and call out his name.

But most of all he wanted to make her forget about whatever it was she was sad about.

"You know you can talk to me about whatever, I'll listen."

She felt her heart in her throat upon Tig's comforting words. She smiled for real this time as she nodded. How had she been so lucky to land up with so many people that cared about her?

Leaning over, she placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed his face next to the side of his lips solftly. Tig froze, feeling the corner of her lips grazing the corner of his ever so slightly.

When she pulled away she looked up at him that smile still clearly on her face as her thumbs rubbed back and forth on the sides of his cheek.

"Thank you, Tiggy. Same goes for you too."

She said softly. Tig just looked down at her and before he knew it he found his hands on both sides of her face, his thumbs rubbing the sides of her cheeks.

He was so close. So close to her and her lips. She looked up at him her eyes wide wondering what his next move is going to be. It didn't go unnoticed that his eyes landed on her lips more than once, she had seen it.

And then he leaned forward, but instead of putting his lips on hers, he pulled her head toward him and kissed the very top of her head and sighed deeply.

He was playing a dangerous game and sooner or later someone was bound to get hurt.