From the corner of her eye Mila looked at the man who was sitting next to her on the couch. They were watching an episode of The Shield, a habit they had started a few days ago. The show was rude and Mila didn't like it very much, but she enjoyed being around Kozik and she didn't care that much about the show they were watching. Actually she didn't even need to be here all the time. Kozik's rehab went well, he was a fighter and could handle himself inside the house by now. 

She didn't know when exactly her feelings for him had started. It felt like it had grown slowly, and at some point she had realized that she thought a little too much about him. 

"You regret moving in with Shane?" Mila asked after a while. 

She knew he believed that he was a burden to the prospect, although he didn't say a lot about it. Mila however had the feeling there was more. After all, Alex wasn't the merriest roommate someone could ask for and since Juice and she were having a break again, her mood was even worse than before. 

Kozik briefly glanced at her face before he aimed his attention back to the tv screen. The expression on his face told her that he wasn't watching the show; he was deep in thoughts. Hesitating, Mila laid her hand on his knee. "You can be honest with me. I know Shane isn't the most cheerful person in Charming."

Kozik bent his head and stared at her hand. Mila doubted. Should she take it away? She knew the girls in the clubhouse were quite touchy, although she was aware of the fact that she was nowhere as pretty as them. Taking her hand away however felt strange too; after all it was just a friendly gesture. 

Kozik heaved a sigh and leaned back in the couch. "It's stupid."

Mila shrugged her shoulders. "We often find our own thoughts stupid."

He lifted the corner of his mouth, then a pensive frown appeared on his forehead. "Sometimes – sometimes I'm afraid that Shane has feelings for me.

Mila didn't know what she had expected – but not this. She couldn't help to laugh, way louder than she usually did. Somehow this was just hilarious and she was 100 percent sure Alex had no idea Kozik felt this way. 

"Sorry," she hiccuped, wiping her eyes. Her cheeks flushed in shame; he had entrusted her with something that bothered him and all she did was laughing into his face. "Uhmm... Why's that?"

Kozik shrugged a shoulder and looked away. "Never mind."

"No!" She sat up straight. "Look I'm sorry. I don't know why I laughed; I just didn't expect this. C'mon, tell me what's on your mind Koz."

"I don't really know. There were a few times he must have thought I was asleep, and then he brushed my hair and one time he even caressed my cheek. And sometimes – he just looks at me in such a weird way. Especially now he broke up with Juice I'm afraid it's because of me."

Oh Alex... you're making a mess of this. She suppressed a sigh. Apparently Alex's motherly instincts were coming to the surface now and then, especially when her sponsor didn't feel well. But how to explain that?

"Maybe he's just worried about you. He lost so many people and you're some kind of father figure to him. I can talk about it with him if you want? I know he's honest with me. It's ridiculous to feel awkward around him if it's all based on a misunderstanding."

Kozik snorted. "If you ask about it, things are only becoming weirder."

"Hey I'm a girl. I can figure things out very subtly." She elbowed his side teasingly. "He tells me everything; I was the first to know about his feelings for Juice. So take this from me: you have no reason to be worried."

"Don't you think it's rude that he shares his feelings with his ex? Especially since you were together for so long? You were together for what, five years or something?"

"Yeah..."

"Then how old are you? Since you graduated and are even at work in a hospital?"

Oh shoot. If she told him she was 29, she would look like some pedophile. Because of her own feelings for him she neither wanted him to think that she was much younger than he was – ten years was more than enough – and actually she didn't want him to consider her as his brother's ex at all.

Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't think it would get Alex into trouble. "I'm 29. But um – Shane is not really my ex." She folded her hands in her lap. Oh, it would be so much easier if she could just tell him about Alex... But that wasn't up to her. "But we're friends for a couple of years. It was always a weird friendship because of the age gap. We used to live in the same neighborhood and I don't even know how our friendship started. Anyway, I knew for a while that he was gay and he was afraid that his orientation would be an obstacle to become a Son. So I suggested to pretend to be his girlfriend. But then he really fell in love..."

"You gotta be shittin' me!" He stared at her in disbelief. 

"He wanted it so bad, becoming part of the club. And well... you bikers got a certain reputation. I understand why he was afraid that you wouldn't allow gay members – although you apparently already had one."

Kozik chuckled. "Yeah, guess that was a surprise for Juicy himself too."

"He's never been in a relationship," Mila said. "And combining that with the club... well that seems to be a little difficult. But – and I don't wanna be mean – I don't think he has feelings for you."

Kozik bent his head and stared at the missing part of his leg. Lost in thoughts he rubbed his knee. "It was a stupid thought." He snorted mockingly. "Nobody wants a guy with one leg."

"Hey come on, don't say shit like that. You're a great man, Koz. There are plenty of women who want you. They can't keep their hands off you, every time we visit the clubhouse."

"Only because I'm a freak. Because they find it hot to fuck a one legged guy for a change. Like I'm some fucking circus act."

"Not everybody feels that way." Mila swallowed. Should she tell him? "I don't feel that way," she said in a tiny voice. 

As he turned his face towards her, she blushed. "You only say that to cheer me up."

Slowly she shook her head. "No. I only say that because I'm in love with you." She leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. 

For a moment he seemed to hesitate, then his hand glided in her hair and he returned the kiss. Her lips were tingling, her heart raging. She moved her hand to his neck while deepening the kiss. No matter how often she had cursed being Shane's Old Lady – there was nothing she wanted more than being Kozik's Old Lady.

. . .

Alex's head was pounding as she put the key in the hole. What a day. Tig, Chibs and Jax had turned themselves in after an APB had been put out for them. Nobody had told her the exact reason; all she knew was that it had something to do with the death of Tig's daughter and someone had told her that there had been a shooting on the highway in which Chibs and Jax had been involved. Today the men had succeeded in arranging protection in jail, since they had only been hiding in Diosa for one day; an escort service of which the ties with the club eluded her. As if three absent Sons wasn't enough, Opie had suddenly smacked a cop in the face, where after they had put him in irons too. 

Right after that Alex had been dying to go home. Clay however believed this was the perfect moment to raid the three houses. One of them was one of their own mechanics, the other was Unser and Alex had no idea who the last guy had been. The two Nomads hadn't said a lot to her. Her whole goal had been to impress them, but when it came down to it she hadn't thrown a single punch. 

Maybe she was a coward, but once one of them had told her to be on the lookout she had done so. All she had done, was knocking over some stuff; she hadn't laid a finger on any of the victims. She just didn't have it in her. While the other two had jumped on their victims, it had taken her a hell of willpower not to stop them. Now she regretted overestimating herself and she felt stupid for doing this behind the back of their current president. If things didn't go according to Clay's plans she was so fucked. But it was too late to do something about it now. 

She didn't believe the two Nomads cared about her conscience. After all, she was just a prospect; being the outlook was her job. The fact that Clay had ordered her to join them, was enough for them to stop teasing her with her young age.

The tv was on when she entered the living room. As soon as her eyes found the couch, she looked in surprised at Mila and Kozik who were exploring each other's mouths. It made her feel a little more happy and with a smirk she crossed her arms. 

"Well, that was about time. Staying in the clubhouse until late only so one of you would finally make a move was really startin' to get boring."

She grabbed a beer from the fridge and flopped down on a chair close to the couple. Their cheeks were rosy because of their kissing and Alex had to admit it looked cute. Deep inside her the jealousy was gnawing because she wished a certain someone would be waiting in bed for her too, but she pushed it away. She was ready to make their relationship public. Since three Sons had been hiding and the others had been busy with arranging protection there hadn't been an opportunity to tell everyone today. Actually she didn't want to announce it; she rather showed the others in a more subtle way, by grabbing his hand when the others were around. But maybe she should first figure out if he still wanted her. Although he had comforted her last night, he hadn't been overly enthusiast when she had told him she wanted him back. 

"Did the cops pick the guys up?" Kozik asked. Like all Sons he could effortlessly switch to club business. 

"Yeah." She sighed. "But Opie went with them."

"What?" Kozik asked confused. 

"Yeah. I guess he believed the four of them had a better chance."

Kozik sighed. "Whatever we do; we only seem to sinker deeper in the shit."

. . .

At the end of the next day, Kozik's words were proven to be true; the club received a phone call, telling them Opie had been killed in prison.