#kozik!reader

This was a writing prompt. I ran, RAN with it. So enjoy this super long, fluffy, smutty, sweetness that is Herman Kozik. Sorry in advance. It’s super looooong. I just oculdn’t stop. XD

You grabbed your phone, tapping in your brother’s new number and shooting him a text.

Tiggy: Alexander! It’s your sister! Dawn and Fawn are supposed to be over today. You better get your ass here! These fifty boxes of cake mix aren’t gonna magically make themselves. Feel free to bring a couple guys for backup. Maybe a cute one if you can handle it. And no, Happy isn’t cute. Love you! See ya in a few!

You: Hey! I think you have the wrong number, but I’ll be there in a few! Frosting cakes is my specialty! Love you too! PS I like to think I’m pretty cute.

What? Who did you text then? In all honesty, you weren’t really even mad. The more help the better, and he was confident in his looks. About half an hour went by and you heard the bikes roaring down the road. Your laughed to yourself, Tig must’ve just been messing with you. Dawn and Fawn emerged from their cave at twelve-thirty, and the bikes pulled into your driveway. You counted five bikes, which wasn’t normal, maybe bike five was your mystery man. You laughed to yourself, shaking your head. Tig gave a quick knock before pushing open the door.

“Hey guys!” You cheer, waving to the few you already knew. Happy, your brother Tig, Bobby, and Juice, but you didn’t know the blonde who hung back behind everyone, a smile on his face so wide his blue eyes were barely visible.

“Shoes at the door assholes, dirt in the kitchen makes you a dead man.” Tig barks at the blonde who kicks his boots with everyone else’s. “Hey princess, the girls finally get up?” You looked back to the couch where they’d been and no longer were.

“Maybe they went to the kitchen. Wanted to look like formidable wives when your biker gang showed up.” You let out a laugh, holding Tig’s shoulder. He laughed dryly. He didn’t like the idea of you with a biker, much less his daughters. Your eyes met the blonde’s for a second before you looked away. “What’s the deal with Creeps over there?” You ask lowly, Tig’s eyes follow your directional nod and finds Kozik standing at the receiving end.

“That’s Kozik. Used to live around here, moved to Tacoma after he killed Missy.” Tig nips, frowning. He felt you roll your eyes and heave a sigh.

“Christ Alex, that was eight years ago. Just forgive him.” You snap, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the kitchen. “Feel free to follow Mister Kozik!” You call as you disappear around the corner. He followed, still smiling, she was as cute and sassy in real life as she was in the picture.

“Happy, don’t break that, Jesus.” You nip, snagging the pig decoration from his big hands. You wrap him in a quick hug, getting a kiss on the forehead.

“I just don’t see why you can like pigs so much. The animal or the cops.” He rolls his eyes with a chuckle as he heads to the sink.

“I think they’re cute! The animals and the cops!” You retort, kicking him in the ass as he washed his hands. “Everyone, wash your grubby greasy hands and follow me. I have fifty boxes, so everyone’s gonna have to do a few.”

“I got dibs on you.” Happy calls, drying his hands. You threw a box at him.

“Shut it, bald head!” You call, shaking your head before handing out bowls and whisks. “And I have the girls on cutting parchment circles for our pans. So once you get a box mixed, pour into a pan, the girls will get started putting them in the oven.

Three hours spent mixing boxes of cake batter and putting it in the oven, once you were done, you had a kitchen table full of small round cakes and a big smile. You had made more the twice the amount of frosting you needed because you knew these idiots would make a mess.

“So Kozik, you’re from Tacoma, you killed my brother’s beloved Missy. And I texted you this morning, didn’t I?” You ask, handing him a bowl of frosting and a frosting spatula. The blonde gave you a look of concern and then smiled.

“Yeah, it was me. I told Tig he better get his shit around, you didn’t sound like you were playing. My frosting skills are, at best, adequate. Just so you know.” He laughs, getting you to laugh too. Tig watched from the other end of the table as his sister fell for the blonde idiot. To break up the weird dynamic, Happy grabbed a finger scoop of frosting and smeared it across your face. You couldn’t help the laugh as you grabbed a little frosting and smeared it back across his shirt and face.

“Hey now!” He barks, grabbing some and smudging Dawn’s face. She shrieks, smearing some on Tig’s goatee. You watch on as he gets her back. You couldn’t help the laugh. You had needed a fun change. The seriousness of work had been too much lately and you just needed a break. Alex always knew how to cheer you up. The blonde gets the bright idea to follow suit, getting a little frosting and wiping it down the bridge of your nose, dotting each cheek and your chin.

“Actually, my frosting skills are still badass.” He nods, grinning from ear to ear as you try to lick it off your nose.

“Oh buddy, you have no idea.” You disappear into the kitchen, returning with a plastic spoon and a dark grin. Dipping the back of the plastic spoon, you smudge it across his forehead. “Simba!” You laugh, going back to frosting your cakes.

“You guys quit! We only have two more hours before I have to go to work and these are getting dropped at Gemma’s.” You bark, trying not to smile as Kozik mimics you, rolling his eyes. Tig couldn’t help the littlest smile. You and the dumb blonde were getting along well. You finished the cakes’ first layer of white frosting and got out the piping bags and colored frosting. You had a bag of pink frosting, red, black, and green. “S-O-A is going on thirty of them. Like this.”

You concentrated on the lettering, making it look so easy and pretty. Kozik was mesmerized as he watched you work. You handed him a bag of red frosting, Happy a bag of black, the girls each a smaller pink and green bag for flowers, and the others grabbed their own bags and filled them with black frosting.

An hour later, all the cakes were decorated and put into cute boxes that the girls decorated. You gave a content sigh, happy with the finished products for Gemma’s fundraiser and piled them into your car.

You got to Gemma’s and shockingly enough, there was blondie, waiting patiently to help unload the boxes. Gemma watched the interaction, your face hot with blush as you let him do all the heavy lifting. Once done, he met you back at your car door with that big dumb grin on his face.

“You goin’ to the fundraiser tomorrow?” He asks, eyes dropping to your badge on your scrub top.

“Yeah, I plan on it, but I gotta get to work.” You smile, climbing into the car.

“I’ll see you there. Hey! I think you’re beautiful. Let’s hang out tomorrow. Can’t promise how long though. I guess Gemma’s making me help the guys with something.” He chuckles, watching you flush bright cherry red, looking down at your tennis shoes.

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t make any promises either, I guess I’m on the bike washing in a bikini crew.” You roll your eyes as he laughs.

“I’ll be sure to bring the Dyna through.” He assures, giving you a wink and biting his bottom lip before heading back towards his bike.

“Hey! You were right!” You call as you watch him walk away. He looks over his shoulder at you. “You are pretty cute.” You bite the corner of your lip as he chuckles and climbs on the Dyna, leaving you there smiling like an idiot.

“Oh hunny, you two might as well get hitched at this gig tomorrow.” Gemma calls from the front door.

“Shut up.” You laugh, leaving to the hospital. As you stepped into the locker room to put your lunch away, Carrie Ann meets you in there, giving you a knowing look.

“You met someone.” She announces, grabbing your shoulders.

“I did.” You put your head down and sigh, giving it a shake to try and get rid of the smile but to no avail.

“Tell me everything, but let’s talk in the ER, I’ve got a couple guys needing some stitches. A couple harmless wounds.” You follow her to a bay and you turn around quickly.

“Shit.” You mutter, gripping your fists together Carrie Ann caught you, and peeks back into the room. She saw your brother, whom she’d met at a little party you’d had, but the blonde, she didn’t know him.

“Oh girl. Hunny. Yes.” She nods, patting your shoulder as the two of you walk into the room.

“Well you were the dumbass that pulled out into traffic. And I’m the one without a license!” Tig barks, smacking Kozik upside the head.

“Ow! Asshole listen! I said I was sorry! Listen, about your sister— I really-“ Tig coughs, points a thumb behind him. Kozik peeks over his shoulder and quickly turns back around. “Shit.” He coughs, putting on his best grin. Carrie Ann starts to disinfect the wound on Tig, making small talk with the man. Carrie Ann had slept with your brother more than once, but you didn’t much care. Groaning internally, you slide a cart over to the grinning blonde with a stab wound to the shoulder. You start disinfecting, numbing the area around his deep cut.

“You two in an accident?” You ask, grabbing the curved needle and the sterile thread.

“Nah, I—“

“No! His stupid ass pulled out in front of a black van full of cholos and the cholos jumped out, cut us off, and beat our ass.” Tig barks, yelling more at the blonde.

“I said I was sorry! I swear to god they were not there before!” He shouts, throwing an arm at your fired up brother. He hisses, grabbing at his shoulder.

“Well, quit moving.” You snip, giving him a sweet smile. He visibly calmed down when he saw your smile. Tig watched on with a smug grin.

“Tell me doc, why are you doing the bike wash tomorrow?” He asks as you continue stitching the gash.

“Why not?” You ask, eyes never leaving his chest.

“Cause you’re too pretty to be standing there in a bikini, gettin’ chatted up by a bunch lowlifes.” He coos, stopping your hand. You look into his dark blue eyes for a second, getting lost in the pools.

“Wouldn’t that make you a lowlife?” You ask, raising a brow at him.

“Yeah, I am. I don’t deserve you. No one does, but I don’t wanna beat up some guy cause he put his hands on you.” He mutters, hiding his face as he dropped his chin to his chest.

“Hey, you okay?” You ask, lifting his chin.

“Yeah, I just-I don’t even know you and I already wanna fight guys that haven’t even seen you yet. It’s just weird. I’m not normally like this.” He chuckles, standing and following you out of the room as you discharge him.

“Okay, Kozik. No swinging punches or anything, got me? You pull those stitches you’re gonna cry. And I’m gonna laugh.” You order, pointing a stern finger at him. He grasps your hand and kisses your knuckles.

“Yes dear.” He smirks, watching you turn cherry red and yank your hand away as if his lips were made of fire.

“Christ, go on.” You push playfully at his shoulder and he turns and saunters away with your brother. He looks over his shoulder as he rounds the corner, giving you a wink before disappearing out of sight.

“Oh my God!” Carrie cheers, grabbing your hands and shaking them. You laugh, shaking your head as you start towards the other bay ready to finish your night. The rest of the night was pretty normal, as normal as it could be in the emergency room. You were heading home when a bike pulls out behind your car on the last bend before your driveway.

“Hey,” Tig coos as he shuts the bike off in the drive. He sometimes stayed the night if the clubhouse was overcrowded. A bike roared up as you two headed towards the house.

“Hey!” Kozik calls as he makes it towards the steps. Tig ignored him as he swung the door open for you.

“You invite the whole club for a sleep over?” You ask with a chuckle. Kozik gives a low warning as he scoops you up at the threshold.

“Nah, just lover boy. I’m building fort. And you fuckers aren’t allowed in if you don’t help.” You giggle excitedly. You and Tig built blanket forts so often as kids, it was your fondest memories of him. With a spring in your step, you headed to your room and pulled out a pair of matching jammies that consisted of a SAMCRO tank top and shorts with a drawstrings. Slipping on your favorite pair of pink socks that went up to your knees. You and Tig used to race across the kitchen floor in your slipperiest pair of socks.

Tig offered Kozik a pair of basketball shorts he’d never worn to keep and he warned him before you and the girls came running back with armloads of blankets.

“No funny business. You’re lucky I’m letting you see her like this. This is our secret. I’d like you to straight-ly explain to another biker that you were making a blanket fort with me. Gay. It doesn’t leave this room. Got it?” He asks, pointing a ringed finger at him.

“The only thing gay is that you’re here.” He laughs, heading to change. When he returns, he stops short, jaw close to the floor. There you were sitting on the counter with a Jaws coffee mug full of brightly colored ice cream, spoon in your mouth, head tipped back and eyes closed. Tig cleared his throat next to him, wondering if they saw the same thing. The pale peach skin that divided the shorts from the socks made Kozik shift uncomfortably. He wanted a taste of it, his face between your—.

“Are you okay?” His thoughts are interrupted by Tig’s daughter Dawn, and he coughs, shaking his head.

“Yeah, sorry.” He smirks, wiping a hand down his face. You hop down, giving him a little smirk as you swing your hips while you walk. He watched every movement with full attention. Tig gave a low guttural warning, glaring at you.

“Enough, get all the pillows and blankets.” He barks to the girls, yourself obviously included. You scamper away to get all the pillows, big and small. Kozik appears at your doorway, giving you a little fright. He takes the pillows from your hands, watching as you head back towards your bed for more. Stretching you toes to boost you a little further forward, Kozik drops the pillows and grabs your hips, pulling you up and back against him. Finally. You thought, letting his breath tickle the back of your neck. Your breath catches, and he hears it, revels in it. His lips brush gently against the column of your throat, sending shivers down your spine. Your eyes closed, listening to the thudding of your pulse in your ears as his hands drifted up your body to your breasts, your nipples taut as the pad of his thumb brushed back and forth across them. You stifled a moan as you rolled your head back against his shoulder, pressing your lips to his jaw. He groaned, pulling away from you and gathering the pillows he dropped, disappearing. He left you there, in shock, completely vulnerable. Your hands followed the path he’d made like a brand.

You grabbed the rest of the pillows and head out to the living room. Hanging blankets precariously from chairs and the sofa, you hand Kozik the other end to hang over the TV. Tig watched the interaction with a smile. A small part of him saw a glimpse of the future. You and Kozik with two kids, maybe a boy and a girl, doing this ten years from now. He accepted that might be a good outcome.

“Alex? Alexander!” You call, snapping your finger in his face.

“What? Sorry.”

“Get the movie started! I’m gonna start the popcorn, Kozik is grabbing beer and pop.” You laugh as the two of you leave the fort. Once behind the safety of the kitchen wall, Kozik’s hands find your waist, his lips meeting yours for a quick passionate kiss. You toss a bag of popcorn into the microwave and hit the button.

“Here, put them in this basket.” He took your stretched up figure as an opportunity, grinding against you, his lips pressing quick hot kisses where your tank top strap had been nosed aside. As quick as he was there, he was gone, filling the wicker basket with drinks and heading back to the fort.

You awoke with a start, smiling when you felt. A nose pressed against your neck. You peeked as gently as you could to see Kozik fast asleep, arm slung heavily over yours, hand tucked under your ribs. Wriggling out from under him, you’re met in the kitchen with a hot cup of coffee and a smiling Alex.

“Aren’t you two just cute as pie.” He chuckles softly, sipping from his favorite mug with Missy’s face on it. The girls got it for him last year.

Shut up, asshole. You’ll never experience it. Cause you beat hookers.” You giggle, mimicking his sip. You shivered as the coffee warmed your soul.

“You are. Seriously, kid. Just be careful.” He warns, sitting at the bar. You finish the coffee in silence, kissing your brother’s cheek in agreement before disappearing to your room. Finding your black bikini with high waisted bottoms, you find your curling iron, giving your hair a quick once over. Brushing on a light dusting of makeup, you slip on a yellow sundress and slip on your pink strapped gladiator sandals and head out to the fundraiser. You met Gemma there, helping her set up the cakes. She was grinning as if she knew something. You didn’t dare ask with her, you didn’t really wanna know.

“You and Tacoma, what’s going on?” You shake your head as you put down the last cake on the table.

“Nothing much, just a little fun. He’s a pretty cute guy, Gem.” You gush, sitting in a chair with her as you waited for the rest of the girls to show up. This kicked off at eleven, and it was currently nine fifty-eight.

“Yeah, he and Tig have a deep beef. You know that right?” She asks, eyeing you as you drink your coffee.

“Yeah, I know. Listen, Alex even said he thought we were cute. Okay? Plus, I’m never gonna be with Jax, stop trying. He’s too young.” You both laugh. For a long time, Gemma was sure you’d date her perfectly eligible son, but you kindly refused each time.

The bikes began rolling in, as did the Cara Cara girls, and you pulled your sundress off. Heading towards the small crowd of women, you greet each with a hug and smile. Handing them each a small tube of sunscreen and chuckle.

“Girls! We’re here for a good time and a good cause! Don’t burn yourselves, don’t dehydrate yourselves, and don’t take shit from a man that isn’t yours.” Gemma cheers as the women get ready. Bikes were lined up down the street when Kozik and Tig arrived, Tig’s eyes found you washing down a bike from another charter, the man standing there obviously looking at your ass. Tig groaned in pain when the man slid money into the hip of her bottoms, he wanted to drop that old fuck for touching his sister. Stalking to the table, his hands hit the top and make Gemma jump.

“Yes?” She nips, glaring at him.

“Why in the fuck are the other guys touching them? I told you I’d talk my sister into it if they were just washing bikes.” He growls, white knuckles gripping the edge of the table.

“Oh shit.” Gemma mutters, heading towards the blonde Tacoma man as he stormed into the line of fire of the hose. You turned, wondering where the water was, when you saw a very angry Kozik standing behind you, the water pattering against the leather kutte.

“Hey you!” You giggle awkwardly, patting his chest.

“Garage.” He demands, pointing to the open bay of the Teller-Morrow repair garage.

“Koz-“

“Now.” His eyes were dark and dangerous. You headed towards the garage, stopping to tell Lyla you’d be right back. Kozik stormed ahead to his bike, grabbing a small blanket from his saddlebag and wrapping it around you. Once in the garage, he herded you into a corner, his lips attacking yours hungrily.

If any of those are a trigger warning, please don’t read this. I’ll get some fluffy Kozik up soon ❤️

💕Kozik’s Girl. Tig’s Baby.⭐️

You were a Trager, but you only met your pops once or twice, never really connected, but now in Charming on business; your father was unavoidable. Though he didn’t know, nor would you tell him, that while you lived in Tacoma you had slept with— on multiple occasions— a fellow brother named Herman Kozik, or Hermie as you dubbed him in bed.

“Hi, I’m Stella Trager. Here to see my pops,” you state as you head into the shop.

“Hey! Lady you can’t be here without car troubles, you can’t be back there.”

“I’m the daughter of Trager, you can go ahead and tell him his baby is out here getting a sunburn waiting for you to approve it or I can go in.” You snip at the Mexican boy chasing you down.

“He’s busy, but I can take a message for him.” You saunter passed him and shout into the garage over the tools and chatter.

“Daddy! I’m here.” You call, eyes scanning for his curls. You didn’t see them, but you did recognize the puff of blond hair coming towards you with a smile. When Trager and Kozik both stand in front of you, both looking confused.

“Baby—“

“Don’t you dare finish that motherfucking sentence. Stellar, you have ten seconds before I rip his balls off and stuff them down his throat. Why the hell is he responding to ‘daddy’?” He growls, eyes meeting yours.

“Well, I’m not sure what he’s even doing here. But, anyway, that’s what I came to talk about. I’m sleeping around with a Son.”

“That one? It had to be that fucking MORON? One in another COUNTRY would’ve been better than this fuckhead!” He swings on him, fist connecting with Kozik’s face.

“I’m sorry, pops. I didn’t know how else to tell you! I was thinking about moving back to Charming, but Kozik would have to be patched in here,and you’d have to agree.” You try to reason with him, but he barely hears you, as his fists pound relentlessly into Kozik’s face.

“And you expect me to patch you in after you got my dog killed and my daughter calls you daddy?” He screams, grabbing Kozik’s throat with both hands.

“Sir, I love your daughter.” He chokes out.

“She’s not just some lay, she’s my daughter.” He growls, his blue eyes like the deepest ocean.

“I know that, sir. That’s why I want patched in, man. I wanna marry her and I want our kids to know you. I want them to know we got over this decades-old shit and got passed it. I wanna tell em that your daughter is the prettiest woman alive. I wanna grow old with he—-“ He’s cut off with another hit, but a truck whips into the lot while everyone’s gathered around the ring, and a man jumps out and grabs you, hand covering your mouth and dragging you into the truck before whipping out of the parking lot, gunshots sounding off behind you. You were now blindfolded, bound, and gagged.

Kozik and Tig’s swings are stopped when Jax’s gun shoots off. They both turn their attention to the Vice President, his face pale.

“What, man? What’s goin on? Where’s Stellar? She alright?” His questions are met with a few looks of disgust and a few of pale ghastliness.

“She was just kidnapped man. Found this on the ground.” Jax murmurs, eyes averted to the ground as he hands off the note.

“Kidnapped? They just TOOK HER?” He pulls his gun out and hops on his bike, squealing out of the parking lot and flooring it down the road.

“Blue Chevy! Green passenger door! Crew cab! 2004!” Eyes watching for the description Jax shouted behind him.

“Son of a bitch!” He shouts, ducking just in time to miss the string across the alley he zoomed down. “Fuck!” He yells as he flies back out into the main road, hugging tight to his handle bars as he revs up between to cars at the intersection. He’s finally stopped by a police car, parked directly in the road, stopping him. He skids to a stop, lying his bike out, the hot tar ripping up his exposed forearms as he tumbles, landing at the cops feet.

“Mister Kozik, speeding, endangering the lives of civilians, failing to follow traffic signs, you’re looking at a hefty fine mister.” She taps the toe of her boot on the ground.

“I don’t care. They took her. They took her. They took my wife!” He screams at the top of his lungs, his heart burning as he starts to cry. “They took my baby.” He whispers, starting to get dizzy from the sun and the blood loss.

When you awoke, you knew where you were. You were in Tacoma, the smell of the air and the sound around you, it was Tacoma.

“Easy princess.” She knew that voice. “I’m gonna give you back to Kozik, but he’s not leaving Tacoma, you got that? I give you back, ALIVE, and you and Kozik move back to Tacoma, we put this behind us.” It was Reverend Wheeler, from the Tacoma charter.

“I—I’ll tell him that you did this!” You shriek, grabbing the ropes that held you down.

“Now, listen to me. I really want Kozik as the next President of this club, and he can’t be that from Redwood. Now, I’ve got some business calls to make. Keep quiet.”

“Kozik! How are things going down in Redwood?” Reverend Wheeler asks, listening as Kozik heaves a sigh.

“Somebody took Stellar.” He chokes, eyes watering.

“Oh shit, man. I’m sorry. I told you those Redwood Originals can’t keep anybody safe.” He offers, eyes flicking over to you.

“Yeah, guess you’re right. I gotta find her, man.” He whispers, hanging up. Pulling a burner phone from his breast pocket and dialing the same number.

“Hello?” His soft, confused voice broke your heart. He was being played the men who were supposed to love him.

“Herman. Kozik? Is it? I have someone who would like to speak with you. Remember darling, a wrong word, and I’ll kill ya.” He murmurs to you.

“You got my baby? You got her?” He shrieks, jumping to his feet and pacing the club. “I want her back, man. Listen, I don’t know why ya took her, but that’s my baby. That’s my girl. My best friend. My one and only, man. I just want her back. Please dawg, tell me what you want. I’ll make it happen.” He pleads, eyes begging one of his club members to help him. He was going crazy without you.

“We need ten thousand dollars, by tomorrow or your girl dies. And my god, I’d hate to see something happen to this little lady’s pretty face, Herman.” The man said, something about his voice stuck in the back of Kozik’s brain, eating away at him. He knew that voice.

“Lemme talk to her. I just wanna hear her voice, man. Please.”

“He-hello?” You ask, throat sore and dry.

“Holy shit, hey baby. I got you okay? I’m gonna kill these bastards. Don’t you worry! Just hold on, baby! I love you!” Tig watched Kozik fall apart in front of them, and he felt horrible. Tig was so distracted and angry with Kozik that he let his own daughter get kidnapped. The tears on the blondie’s face made him feel awful. First, Abel was stolen, but they found him. Now Tig’s daughter and Kozik’s babygirl. That shit was wrong. He knew, at that moment— Kozik in the clubhouse begging on his knees just to speak with you— that the blond moron was the best thing for you.

“I love you, Hermie.” She whispers, breaking what little piece of his heart was left. He staggered to his feet and his fist hit the wall.

“Baby!” He shrieks as the line goes dead. Nothing but dial tone filling his ears.

“We’re gonna get her, man.” Opie assures, his hand resting on Kozik’s back.

“I hope so. I know them. I don’t know how, but I know who it is. There was somethin’ about the way this guy said Herman, man.”

“It’s alright, dude. We’ll get her back. What’s the ransom?” Jax asked.

“Ten thousand. I got that shit, it’s chump change in Tacoma.” He stepped away from Opie for only a moment, but then his eyes were the size of saucers. “Tacoma. They’ve got her in Tacoma!” He barks, heading to his room to get the cash and sprinting for his bike.

“Woah! Woah! What do you mean they’ve got her in Tacoma? Why would anyone in Tacoma take her? Was it the Nomad charter? Why?” Tig asks, chasing after him.

“Because they didn’t want me leaving. So they took her, gonna use her as a bargaining chip for me to go back to Tacoma. Rev wanted me to be the next president, but when I told him I was probably moving, he came unhinged, man. Told me I’d regret not staying in Tacoma.” He explains as he packs his saddlebag before mounting his bike, taking a deep breath from his helmet, and smelling the sweetness of your coconut shampoo.

“Why would he do that?” He asks.

“Because Tacoma’s gettin’ desperate, man.” He takes off, leaving Tig and the crew to follow behind him as he headed for Tacoma. They arrived at the clubhouse and he busted through the door. Dropping the bag on the table, he grabs the prospect up and presses a gun to his head. “You’re gonna take me to the girl. Or I’m gonna spill your brains across the clubhouse table. You got me?” He growls, jamming the boy in the back as they headed outside. “You don’t take me to her, you alert any of these motherfuckers. I’ll goddamn kill you.”

“I got it, dude. Man, this club isn’t what it used to be dude. I want out.” He grumbles as he storms towards the shed.

“Tell you what, since you don’t seem to know anything, talk to Jax. Become part of the Redwoods. There’s other charts, kid. Don’t stay with these assholes. You wanna come back with us?” He asks, as the kid swings the door open. There you were, his sweet angel, duct taped to a support in the middle of the shed. “Baby, oh hunny. Look at you. Beautiful, sweetheart. Just beautiful. Always.” He whispers, hugging you against him. You let out a soft whine, the pain in your ribs twinging and stabbing. “What’s the matter baby?” He whispers, scooping you up.

“My ribs, they kicked me a lot. Sorry, hun. I’m okay. Just happy to see ya, daddy.” You laugh, sucking in a sharp breath and gritting your teeth.

“Easy, hunny. I got ya. Let’s go. You got any guff about sparky over there joining SAMCRO?” He asks, directing your attention to the sweet boy who was bringing you water and food when the club left.

“Nah, he’s a good kid. He deserves a good club.” You whisper, letting the kid hug you awkwardly, showing the rest of them he was good.

“We gotta get outta here they should be back any minute. Get the fuck outta here. I’ll take care of em.” The guy barks, heading into the clubhouse.

“Kid! Get your kutte on, let’s go. You ride with SAMCRO. Let’s go.”

“You guys aren’t gonna kill me right? Rev says if anyone found out about it, I’d get killed. No other charter would take a nark man.”

“Kid, you listen to me. You were the only one who brought my wife food and water while your president held her hostage. You deserve to be in a good club, you got a good heart. Now, let’s get outta here, before they come back.” Kozik was ready to zoom away, but he heard the bikes coming up the street. Digging through his bag, he tossed his second bulletvest to the kid.

“Put it on and stick with us, you’re crow now.” He calls to the kid. Rev pulls into the lot, seeing the Redwood MC his eyes widen for just a moment, scared out of his mind. How had he known?

“Crows.” Someone whispers. Kozik swings a leg over his bike and stands in front of Rev.

“You. You son of a bitch. You took my girl from me, make a ransom call from a burner, and think I wouldn’t remember when you threatened me? I’m gonna kill you. You’re fucking dead, Rev.”

“That right? Go ahead and shoot me, my boys will back me up, well except you, I guess.” He chuckles darkly, walking towards the bike you were currently perched on. “You tell him how I touched you? How you loved it? How you begged me to keep going? That Herman here, couldn’t get it up for ya anymore!” His maniacal laughter and shrieking is cut short when Kozik grabs him by the throat.

“You touched her?” He asks, eyes dark with hatred. Some MC wash up was now playing god with you.

“Hey man, if you ask her, she fuckin’ loved it.”

“Don’t. Don’t say another fucking word. Jax! Tig!” He shouts, you watching on as Jax and your dad each grab an arm.

“What? You gonna execute me in front of my men?” He chuckles.

“Yeah, I sure the fuck am, on your knees!”

“I believe the chap said,” Chibs’ boots kicked Rev in the back of the knees. “ON YOUR FUCKING KNEES!”

“Now, look at this. You here on the ground. You wanna suck my dick? Huh? You wouldn’t like that? I’m sorry, I don’t really remember asking. That’s my daughter that you just admitted to raping.”

“Huh, don’t that just suck man? I should let him do that doggie shit to ya, let him do what he wants and leave you here like the crying bitch that you are. But hey, I’ve got better plans. Take off his shirt.” Kozik slicked the blade across this man’s back, carving whatever he was carving into his skin, Rev crying out. “Lastly,” his sunk the knife into the front of Rev’s chest, cutting what appeared to be a circle, then proceeded to stuff his big hand into the opening and yank out Rev’s still beating heart.

“Kozik, man. I’ve never seen this Viking shit before. I didn’t know you had it in ya!” Jax cheers as Rev falls to the pavement. Kozik turns to you, your eyes wide and your face pale.

“Baby,” he starts towards you. He’d forgotten you were right there, witnessing the monster rearing it’s ugly head.

“Don’t. Don’t touch me.” You whispered. You held gently to him the whole ride back to Charming. No words were spoken between you two. Hell, you were scared out of your mind. You couldn’t believe what you saw. That was your man, the one who built you shelves for your workspace at home. The man whose strong arms made you feel so safe. You’d never witnessed this crusader of a barbarian, and it scared you.

“Baby, can I talk to you?” He murmurs, his heart breaking over again. You wouldn’t get any closer than four feet, scared of him.

“No! You ripped out some guy’s heart!” You shriek, grabbing a chair and putting it between you two.

“Keep your fucking voice down. Don’t be out here yelling that shit!” He hushes, stepping toward you.

“Jesus, what would stop you from doing that to me? What would stop you? Huh? What would stop you from killing me?” You shriek, arms wrapped around your small frame as you quake.

“What?” He asks. “You think I could do that shit to you? Baby, baby listen, I know I’m a little messed up, but he raped you and was gonna kill you. Chec, the kid from Tacoma, said they planned on killing you and dropping you off at our front door. As a warning. And I wasn’t gonna just let that shit happen!” He shouts, and you shriek, covering your head with the blanket that was wrapped around you.

“I’m sorry, Kozik. I just need some time. This shit that went down, I’m still a little fuzzy, but you ripping out someone’s heart, that’s clear. I saw you. What did you carve into his back?” You coo, eyes still on the floor.

“Your name.” He steps a step closer to you, you take one backwards.

“I need time. It’s over, Kozik. I’m sorry. I can’t be with someone who can live two separate lives, because like today, those two became one.” You head out the door, limping and dragging your blanket behind you. You spent the night in Kozik’s room at the clubhouse, avoiding eye contact with everyone who watched on confused. Eyes turned to the door as Kozik walked in, his eyes directed towards the barkeep.

“Gimme a couple shots of something strong. It’s gonna be a long night.” He grumbles, putting himself on a barstool.

“What’s going on man?”

“Nothing, apparently women aren’t as keen to that barbarian shit.” He chuckles dryly. “Hey, I’m gonna stay in the guest room across the hall from her, do you guys mind? I just, I don’t wanna leave her alone, guys.” He murmurs, eyes fogging with tears, only to blink them away.

“Hey there, Conan. You wanna throw me over your shoulder and have your way with me?” A crow eater wandered up to him, smooth talking and sexy, she was hard to resist. “Oh come on, baby. You and I both know you did that to protect her. That’s hot.”

“Yeah. I did.”

“And all she did was think you were a monster. You sexy, beautiful beast. Lemme show you what a real man should feel.” He downed three more shots, feeling buzzed enough to go through with it. She leads him to his dorm, pushing him back onto the bed, letting him wrap a denim clad leg across her soft skin, the rough denim exciting her.

“She doesn’t deserve me.” He whispers, letting her ravage his body.

“That’s right, baby. Let me show you what you deserve.” She whispers, sending fire chasing her lips down his chest.

The next morning, she’d figured it was time to talk to Kozik. She was sorry for overreacting the night before. As you step into the clubhouse after heading out for a coffee, you tiptoe over the women and men on the floor, heading back to Kozik’s room. As you reach for the handle, you hear your dad from behind you.

“Hey, he’s not in there. He already went to the shower and said he was headed back to your house.”

“Well he’s not there. I’ll just wait for him in here. can you call him?” You ask, twisting the knob and swinging open the door.

“I won’t need to.” He mutters, eyes dark with fear. As you stepped into his dorm you knew why. The stench of sex hung in the air, and your eyes fall onto the scene before you. Some blond, hair flowing over Kozik’s arm, his big arms holding her tight to his body the way he held you.

“What in the mother fuck is going on in here!?” You rage, ripping his blanket from them, revealing naked bodies. “Kozik, you better be pranking me, you fuck.” You growl, watching his eyes flutter open and land on you.

“Awe shit, baby. I—“

“I dare you to try and save it. Go ahead.” You grind through clenched teeth, tears falling down your face.

“Babe, I—“

“He just wanted to feel good about what he did. You made him feel like shit for killing a man who raped you and hurt you. I was a comfort, if you will.” You grabbed the closest weapon, a baseball bat and stretched it back above your head.

“You have ten seconds, doctor Phil.”

“Is she serious?”

“Babe, just leave. I’ll handle this shit, just go.”

“Ok.” You turn, but he calls to you. “Hey. I was talking to her.” Your heart stops in your throat.

“What?” You whisper, watching that bitch saunter out of the room. You can’t help it, you lunge on her, grabbing a handful of hair and slamming her face into the door jam. “Don’t ever, and I do mean ever, touch my man again.” You bark, still holding a handful of her hair.

“Jesus Christ hunny! Let her go!”

“Well someone needed to comfort him.” She croons, a sick grin on her bloody face.

“You bitch!” You drag her through the whole clubhouse, fury pulsing through you. Throwing her onto the hot pavement, you straddle her back, slamming her face into the concrete.

“Grab her before she kills someone!” Jax shouts, hooking his arms through yours and dragging you away from her.

“No! I’m not done!”

“Kozik! You need to keep you girl in check, man. She’s out here bashing some chick’s face into the asphalt.” Jax chuckles a little.

“Don’t fucking bother. I’m gone.” You storm over to his Dyna, kicking it over onto the ground, scratching your initials into the gas tank, and getting into your car.

“Wow, she doesn’t play around man.” Tig chuckles a little, but dry. “You really pissed off my baby, man. She’s my little star, I love her. Don’t make her regret moving home.”

“I won’t man, I just need a minute to process. Shit, bro. What do I do? What do I say? I gotta get her back, for fuck’s sake, she almost killed another woman.” He was back to square one, his heart pounding, head throbbing, as if he’d never found her.

“I don’t know kid, you’ll have to beg.”

“I gotta go, if that bike even rides still.” He chuckles, tipping his bike up and jumping on, heading for home.

“Baby?” He calls into the house, eyes searching the kitchen. “Babe? Ya in here?” He opens the garage door to find you on the garage floor, bound and gagged, shirt ripped open. “Holy fuck. Who?” He screams, grabbing you up, checking for a pulse.

“Tacoma.” You hush, tears falling down your cheeks.

“Why? I killed him!” He cries, examining your body to find something carved into your chest. “I’m gonna get you to Tara, you’re gonna be okay baby.”

“I hate you.” You whisper, eyes narrowed on him before they drift shut.

“I’m sorry, hunny.” He whispers, grabbing you up and carrying you to your truck. Once at the clubhouse, he carries you gingerly inside, placing you on the pool table before grabbing Tara from Jax. “Someone attacked her in our fucking garage, dude. Hoping you could patch her up, see what they carved into her.” She hesitantly agrees, patching up your chest. When Tara lets out a gasp, Kozik dashes to her side. ‘BITCH’ was etched into your chest from shoulder to shoulder.

“Who knew that she was done with me? Who saw her little tiff?” He yells, realizing who probably did this.

“I mean, she did bash that girl’s face into every solid thing she could find. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hired someone. That’s kind of brutal for a comeback though, man.” Jax calls from the table. As if on cue, that red-headed crow eater comes sauntering in, eyes both puffed and purple. Kozik rushes her, eyes dark.

“Did you do this?”

“No, but it’s karma.” She laughs, continuing past him.

“Listen, if you did this I need to know. Like, ya I slept with you, but that doesn’t mean anything. And that also means you can’t just attack my old lady. You know that, right? And even if you were gonna, a little scare would’ve been plenty. This is too much.” She puts her hands up and laughs.

“I didn’t do it, but it’s fucking karma. That bitch said she was done with you, then dragged my ass through the fuckin’ dirt. I could be your girl, Kozik. I could be twice—“ He covers her mouth with his hand.

“Don’t. She’s always gonna be mine. I swear to god, I’ll follow her to the ends of the earth. Okay? You don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. We fucked. It was nothing more than that.” He growls, stalking away before he did something he’d regret.

“Hey, how you doin?” He murmurs to you, perching on the edge of the bed.

“Fine. Listen, Hermie, I can’t do this. At least not until I heal a little better. Just, I need some time. I’m not leaving you, I just. Need a break. Okay? Can you give me that?” You ask, eyes meeting his. Tears fill his sweet, sad eyes, but he nods.

“Yeah, of course. I love you, baby.” He whispers, stepping away from you. He wanders away, leaving you alone.

A month went by, the angry marks turning to scars. You went to a tattoo shop, Happy’s, and had the scar tattooed over and had ‘that’ put above it. You start into the clubhouse to show off your new ink. Sauntering in the place like that bitch that you are, you shove aside that tart who banged your man. Standing in front of him, grinning.

“Just thought you’d like to see this.” You whisper, pulling off Kozik’s SAMCRO sweatshirt to reveal only a black lacy bra and the new tattoo.

“What an attention whore.” That tart laughs, but she’s cut short by your fist. You drop her on the ground, spinning in a slow, tantalizing circle eyes only leaving Kozik long enough to finish your twirl. His eyes catch a glimpse of a crow under your boobs, wings outstretched to cup your perky breasts; it’s beak an arrow to that slender neck. His name never looked so good, scribed on her skin.

“I found confidence. I found peace. I found my love of crazy-filled days. I found a lot out about myself being alone. And being alone I learned that I don’t need a man to control me; but goddamn it, I didn’t find contentment. I didn’t find love. I didn’t find anything close to you. I love you, Herman Kozik.” You huff, spinning and starting to walk out.

“Tig, if this is another ploy to get him killed, man,” Tig shakes his head, glancing at the blonde biker for a moment, his blue eyes twinkling.

“Send him. Trust me.” He chuckles, and they both smile. “Release that idiot like a grenade though.”

“Like a grenade?” Jax asks, confused written on his soft face.

“Yeah, like pull the pin, throw him in, shut the door. Let ‘em go.” He and Kozik start rolling. The blonde knew he was right. She might be a little unstable.

“Alright, Kozik, you alright going?” He nods, patting Tig’s shoulder in a silent thank you.

“Kid.” Tig calls, watching Kozik turn. “Don’t come back yapping about it. Got me?” He gives him a stern look before letting him disappear to his bike. There was a new pep in his stride as they packed up and headed out.

“What’s going on between you and Tig? He’d kill you any other day, but now, he wants you protecting his oldest daughter?” Clay asks as they head to the counter for a pop.

“Hey. Tiggy likes my skills, man. Ex-marine is useful sometimes.” He chuckles, disappearing.

As they pulled their bikes into her driveway, he sees her face for a second in the window before it disappears.

“Like a grenade.” Jax assures, still concerned. He watches Kozik hop off his bike and head for the door. The door swings open they’re all shocked by what they see. The black, curly haired lady jumps into his arms and he hugs her tightly.

“You alright baby?” He asks, pinching her chin and kissing her lips in front of them.

“Tig’s lettin’ you bang his kid?” Jax shouts from the bike.

“Tig did me one better, he let me marry her.” He laughs, kissing her once more. “Baby, this is the crew from Charming. You wanna come down?” He asks, holding her tightly against him.

“Nah, I’ll get my stuff honey. Be down in a minute.” She assures, smacking his butt as she headed inside.

As they disappeared into the house, Kozik kicked the door shut, hauling her against the wall, his lips never leaving hers.

“Fuck, I missed you so much, baby girl.” He hushes against her skin his hands gripping her butt. His touch was warm and strong, she’d missed him so much since he’d gone and now here he was.

“I missed you too, Herman.” She whispers, her lips leaving butterfly kisses across the tattoo on his neck.

“Let’s go get your stuff, baby.” He chuckles, leading her back their room to get her duffel bags.

As they walk down, meeting the group of bikers in her driveway, the shock written into the wide eyes and slack jaws.

“What?” She asks, giving Kozik a dirty look.

“Nobody knew, baby. They all thought your pops was losing his mad shit when he told ‘em to send me.” She starts to cackle, holding her sides.

“They absolutely thought he was setting you up for death.” She laughs harder, leaning over onto her husband who’s laughing just as hard.

“Hold on, you two been together how long?” Clay asks.

“Started seein’ her when she was in college up here. Tig shot me in the leg the first time I asked him to marry her.” She loses her smile, patting his arm.

“So, he thinks you killed his dog, and you married his daughter. No wonder he doesn’t want you in SAMCRO.” They all start laughing, loading her duffel bags into the car before heading out.

“Daddy!” She cheers, watching as Kozik gives her a devilish look.

“Yeah?” The blonde asks, licking his lips.

“Kid, I told you. Don’t.” Tig warns, pulling a gun from his jeans and pointing it at him. The crew watched on as they three started a conversation and headed inside the club.

“How did you get his blessing?” A prospect asks, eyeing Tig’s angry glare.

“He shot me. In the leg, when I asked the first time. I told him I wasn’t going down without a fight. Said we could duke it out or he could kill me, but he’d have to ex—“

“Explain to my daughter why I killed her boyfriend. So I told him if he ever hurt her I’d put another hole in him like the one right there.” He jabs his finger into the meaty part of the blonde’s upper thigh with a chuckle.

“So he said, fine but you tell my kid it was a misfire. I did, by the way.” He assures, eyes dodging to her to find her glaring at her father.

“Dad!” She barks, grabbing Kozik’s arm.

“I had to make sure he was for real, hunny. Besides, he’s alive.” He waves a hand to her husband like it’s some kind of consolation.

“And you, you kept it from me this whole time?” She crosses her arms, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. Kozik growls, scooping her up and nuzzling his nose into her throat.

“Baby girl, it doesn’t matter how I got his blessing. I got it, didn’t I?” He asks, pressing little kisses to her lips.

“You did.” She laughs, Tig watching on as they laughed together, totally in love.

“Besides,” he turns a sly look to Tig. “I ain’t no bitch.”

“You really shoot him in the leg?” The prospect asks, and Tig’s gun hits his upper thigh.

“You wanna know that bad?” He asks.

“Nah man.”

“Hey kid, don’t think about it. That,” he directs his gaze to his giggling daughter. “Was a one time thing. Pick a different one.” He growls.

“He had some balls doing what he did.” Jax laughs as he sits next to Tig, taking a swig from his beer.

“He still does. He’d still stand toe to toe with me.” He assures. “Watch.”

“Tig-“ It was too late to stop him, watching the man walk up behind the blonde sitting on the coffee table chatting up the dark, curly haired girl on the couch. A solid sucker punch in, and Kozik turns, facing him.

“What the hell man?” He asks, raising his hands.

“Ring.” He barks, pointing to the garage. Kozik rolls his eyes and pats her leg, giving her a kiss.

“A little healthy fight.” He assures, chuckling as he hands her all his rings. “I’ll be right back, baby. You can watch your old man knock out your dad, if you’re down.”

“This is part of the deal, I’ll scrap him anywhere at anytime.” He laughs, climbs into the ring and eyes Tig for a moment.

“Baby, you okay?” She asks, fingers dancing around the blood drying on his face.

“You know I am.” He growls, hauling her against him and planting a hard kiss against her lips, fist bumping Tig as he carries her towards the dorms.

“They really are something.” Jax chuckles as they disappear.

“Yeah, I had to beat him up before he laid my kid. I knew it was only a matter of time before he’d bring her here. I’m happy for ‘em. He’s an okay kid. We can vote him in, if you want. I’ll give him a yes, man.” Tig assures, taking a drink.

“Hey, I’m gonna head out.” He whispers, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.” You giggle, patting his hand as he headed towards the door. “Hemi?” You call, stopping him at the door. You run to him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Why can’t you stay here?”

“I can’t. I’m done with Rev, man. Come with me.”

“I can’t. My job is here, my house.”

“I’m not leaving SAMCRO, sorry.”

“Just come with me.” He barks, grabbing the door handle.

“I can’t!”

“You don’t want to! Afraid your daddy will hate you? Disown you?” He shouts, pointing at you. Tears filled your eyes, you plant your hands on his chest.

“Just go! And don’t come back!” You shout, pushing him out the door and slamming it.

“This is over!” He shouts from outside before climbing onto his bike and flying down the road. About an hour passed by when she heard a bike pull up. Ignoring it, you went back to the laundry, folding one of his shirts and tossing it on the bed. The door creaked open, you figured it was Kozik coming in to apologize.

“Listen, I’m not in the mood, Kozik. Just go.” You call out, but he doesn’t respond. You found it odd and turned to find a Hispanic short masculine man with a gun pointed at you. “Aw shit.” You groan, an elbow swings up, knocking you unconscious.

“Clay Morrow, long time no hear. Listen, I need a few things from you, and I’ll give back an old lady. The new guy’s old lady.” A thick Spanish accent growled through the phone, and Clay’s eyes met Kozik’s back for only a moment before he stood up and headed toward the blonde.

“What do you need?” He asks, tapping Kozik’s shoulder.

“Money, and the drug business you got from Álvarez.”

“Dude, you leave your old lady unattended up in Tacoma?” He hushes to the blonde. Kozik lazily spins on the bar stool, flirting with the barkeep. “Kozik!” He barks, the blonde jumping. “You leave your old lady unattended in Tacoma?” He’s confused for a moment before his eyes slowly bulge. Sliding down onto his feet, he grabs the phone.

“Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter. You listen, I have your little puta here, and if you plan on seeing her alive, you bring me what I need. Álvarez and twenty-thousand dollars.” The ransom was believable, but he couldn’t place it. He’d heard the voice before.

“How do I know you didn’t already kill her?” He challenges, praying to hear your voice. He hadn’t left on good terms, and even if you were through, he loved you.

“Aye, puta!” He hears a scuffle and loud thump, a groan coming from someone.

“He-hello?” You ask. He stared into Clay’s eyes and he expelled the breath he’d been holding. “Hello?” Your voice snapped him from his trance.

“Shit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to leave like that. I’m sorry!” He shouts at you, seeing your ghost standing in front of him.

“Hemi.” You whisper. He heard the tiredness, the exhaustion and pain in your voice. It hurt his heart that you weren’t there with him.

“I got you, cupcake.” He chuckles, wiping his face down. The stress was eating him alive.

“Well Hemi, this little love story is great, but me and cupcake here have some talking to do, so how about you drop the bag with Álvarez at the park on Seventh, at noon. I’ll assume once Álvarez is alone with the backpack, we’ll proceed with giving her back.” The phone hangs up. Kozik shouts.

“No! Shit!” He drops the phone on the bar before he starts pacing the length of the bar.

“Quit before there’s a hole in the floor or you wear out the floor there.” Tig groans, taking a drink from his beer. “It’s not like she’s your old lady.”

“Shut up, man.” He huffs, pacing still.

“It’s not! She called and said you had a big fight before you left. You said it was over.” He chats, still nursing his beer. Kozik’s eyes meet the black-haired man’s in a fit of rage and shock.

“She called you?”

“She called the office maybe two hours ago, just wanted to make sure you made it here okay.” Tig shrugs, turning to face Kozik as he stood to head out. Kozik grabbed his shoulder.

“You didn’t think I should hear that? That I didn’t need to talk to her?” He barks, hands fidgeting as he stands there on the verge of a breakdown.

“She said not to tell you. She didn’t want to talk to you, I offered to come get you.” He states, putting his hands up in defense.

“She didn’t?” He whispers, wiggling his nose to keep from crying. He’d been so mean for no reason, just upset you wouldn’t putt everything down and come with him. He knew there was a reason he pressed you harder than normal. If he had just made you pack a bag, you’d be here at TM, ignoring him and angrily doing her painting. Her commission was currently a pitbull painted in pink, blue, and green, and she’d laid the base colors. He’d remembered the base colors well as she’d smeared them across his body before they made love all night.

“Shit!” He shouts, kicking the wall of the building, his fist connecting with the tin siding. “Why man!” He shouts, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. “I should have made her come with me.” He mutters against his Dyna.

“Hey cowboy.” A voice calls, heels clicking against the pavement as they got closer to him.

“Go away.” He whispers, feeling her help him to his feet.

“Puta! Wake up! If your amante makes it today, you’ll go home alive. If not, muerte.” He runs a finger along your throat, imagining a blade in its place.

“He’s a man of his word, he’ll be there. He’s not my old man, you moron.” You spit in his face, wiggling at the restraints. His hand cracked across your face, knocking you out once more, dragging you to his car and getting to the park at 11:56.

“Puta! Up!”

Kozik stood there, dropped the backpack with Álvarez and started back to his bike when he saw a girl humped over on the ground 20 yards from him. He headed towards her, to find her pretty battered and beaten up. Scooping you up, he carries you the van before heading back to his post. Your face so beaten, you were unrecognizable to him.

“Kozik.” You whispered, and caught Tara offguard. She gave a shriek, grabbing a scalpel and pointing it at you.

“Geez doc, don’t scare the poor girl.” Tig chuckles, trying to get some of the blood-crusted hair away to see your swollen green eyes looking at him.

“Tiggy.” You smile, grabbing his hand with your weak one.

“I see ya baby. It’s okay, hunny. We’ll call Kozik, tell him we got ya.”

“He brought me here.” You whisper, patting his fingers.

“I know. He didn’t recognize you. You’re pretty tore up, darlin’. Don’t worry though. It’s alright now.” He hushes, pressing a ghost of a kiss to your forehead. You hear a phone click open and hear Tig hush into the speaker, “you grabbed her, man. We got her. Let’s go.”

Kozik’s feet thudded towards the van, his heart pounding harder with every step closer. He didn’t want to get in the van. He didn’t want to see you. Tig slides the door open for him to get in. His eyes drop to you for a moment, finding your swollen, bruised green eyes looking at him. Your bottom lip was busted up and bruised pretty badly. His eyes charted every little thing wrong. Every bruise, every cut, every red spot.

“Shit.” He whispers, his eyes filling with tears once more. His heart putted a little, almost stopping when you gave him a little smile.

“I’m okay, Hemi.” You hush. You pat his hand, assuring him you were okay.

“It’s my fault, fuck, I’m sorry.” He whispers, hands hovering over you, afraid to touch.

“I’m okay, Hem.” He shakes his head, moving away from you and hugging his arms to himself.

A week passed, you had healed for the most part. Kozik had been scarce lately, since the napping. You chalked it up to busy, but something about it bothered you. You were heading to TM currently to confront him. Upon arrival, you find only a woman behind the bar and Tig at the bar, drinking.

“You seen Kozik?” You call as you head to the curly-haired man with a smile.

“Nah, he’s in the shop. Why? You here to rile him up?” He asks with a laugh, pulling you into a warm hug.

“No, just here to see him. Haven’t seen him since he took me home and posted some prospect panty-wetter at my house twenty-five eight.” You groan, reveling in the contact of another human being.

“I’m sorry, darlin’. He’s been pretty fucked up. Cried a lot, fought me a lot. He was scared out of his mind when he heard about you.” He informs, his hand resting on your back.

“He hasn’t really cried a lot, a lot.” The barkeep contributes. “We’ve slept together almost every night this week.” Your eyes meet hers, a fire lit behind your green irises.

“Hey, uh. You might wanna get outta here.” Tig warns her as you reach for a bottle. “Woah woah, don’t do this. Your not thinking right. Hey, listen. I’m gonna go get Kozik. You two obviously need to talk.” He disappeared from the bar for what seemed like seconds, and when you heard Kozik’s voice, you snapped. You lunged over the bar, grabbing the girl and dragging her into the open carpeted area by the pool table, grabbing a pool cue and hitting the girl with it.

“Christ Tig! You left them alone?” Kozik shouts as he rushes towards you. You swing the pool cue like a bat, connecting with his arm with a crack.

“Don’t touch me.”

“You just hit some chick! You expect me to do what?” He shouts, reaching for the stick in your hand.

“To leave me alone! You couldn’t come visit, and I gave you time because I thought maybe you needed it. My mistake.” You snarl, stabbing the pool stick at him to keep him away from you as you exit into the sunshine. “Yeah, I just assaulted some crow eater at the TM, Wayne. Hit her pretty hard with a pool cue. Send an officer to come get me, if you don’t I’m gonna kill this little smarmy bitch.” You hiss into the phone, sitting the pool cue on the ground next to you and pulling out a cigarette and a lighter.

“Listen, I needed some—“

“Different pussy? You stretch mine out too much?” You bark, raising your brows as you took another puff off your cigarette.

“No, no it’s not like that.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I forgot that little rule, where you don’t want your bitch once another dick’s been in it. Is that right?” You ask, eyeing him dangerously. He was taken aback by the words that tumbled so effortlessly from your lips.

“Cupcake—“

“Don’t. Don’t call me that Herman. You lost that privilege. It’s Nell. You know it. 
Use it.” It stung. It was like being shot. You hissing his given name at him like venom. You’d never said it in your life.

“No-“ The police showed up as you stood and headed toward the car, arms above your head.

“Turn and place your hands on the hood of the car, feet shoulder-length apart.” The officer states, patting you down and cuffing you, stuffing you into the back of the car. Kozik took towards the car, but Jax and Opie held him back.

“No!” He shouts, strangled and broken. He fell to the concrete. He’d just gotten you back, and now you were gone again. “No! I’m sorry! Let me go, man! Let me go get her!” He cries, the three men moving away from him to give him a moment. “That’s my old lady.” He whispers, his fists hitting the concrete. “I can’t protect her. I can’t make her happy.”

“Kozik, we need to talk about what she said.” Tig hushes, hauling him to his feet.

“That she left?” He hushes, reaching for your hand only for it to be replaced with a cold bottle of rum.

“Kozik, she said you wouldn’t want her once another guy’s dick was in her. Koz, we all talked. None of us had sex with her. Kozik I think that she was—“ Tig stopped, he couldn’t say it. Kozik’s eyes lifted from the bottle in his hand to the other man.

“No man,” he whispers.

“Raped.” Opie finished. Kozik swallowed hard, unable to breathe.

“No.” He growls, slamming the bottle into the bar, shattering it before standing and stalking out. He rode to the station, finding Wayne’s car in the parking lot.

“I gotta see Nell.” He hushes to the sheriff, his eyes flicking to the door and back to the man at the counter.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you back there. She won’t let anyone post bail. Sorry, kid.” He shrugs. Kozik rolls his eyes and heads to another desk, grabbing a keyboard and smashing it into the counter, the desk monitor.

“Listen!” Wayne shouts, grabbing him and cuffing him. He gets tossed into the cell next to yours.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” You groan.

“I had to see you, Wayne wouldn’t let me.” He shrugs, sitting on the hard bench.

“So you did what?” You ask, sitting on your own bench.

“I smashed a keyboard and computer.” He chuckles, sliding against the adjoining wall.

“Typical.” You snort, sliding a little closer.

“Cupcake, when you said that I wouldn’t want you once another guy’s dick was—“

“Yeah, the little Mexican fucked me. So what?”

“It was assault, darlin’.”

“Kozik, you were banging some crow eating hooker, why does it have to be assault? Maybe I liked it?” You huff, covering your mouth to keep from crying.

“Cupcake, I’m sorry. Okay? I couldn’t feel worse. You didn’t like it. It‘s okay, and I’m sorry you ever thought that I left because of that, or that I would.” He hushes, reaching through the bars and grabbing your hand, squeezing it. “Don’t worry though. The guys are on it, gonna cut his dick off and superglue it to his forehead.” He laughs, and so do you. For a moment, he was concerned when you put your back against the bars, but you encouraged him to lean against you. Both your hands held the others through the bars and the two of you fell asleep.

“Wakey wakey lovebirds!” Tig laughs, watching the two of you groan as you come to life. The minute the two of you were released from your cells, Kozik’s arms snaked around you and gripped you tightly against his chest.

“Christ cupcake, it’s been a long damn week. Let’s just go home. Find a bed, and never leave it.” He growls against your skin, hefting you over one shoulder and patting a hand on you rear as he carried you out of the station like some kind of trophy. You were met by the MC and their women, cheering echoing and bikes roaring. Kozik drove you straight to his Charming apartment, carried you inside, and dropped you on the bed. In seconds he had three blankets, four pillows, a couple water bottles and a bag of chips. He dove into the mess covering both of you up and snuggling against you.

“I missed you so much, Hemi.” You hush, feeling tears of joy fill your eyes.

“Hey, we got a couple out of towners hangin’ for extra muscle. Don’t let ‘em get to ya.” He chuckles, grabbing your duffel and tossing it over his shoulder, his other arm draping over your shoulders. Leading you into the clubhouse, he takes your bag down the hall, last door on the right. He noticed a couple duffels with the SAMTAC patch on them, heading into the main room, his eyes lock on the Tacoma Moron. The blonde headed idiot. He starts to grit his teeth to keep from saying anything. Those duffels were Kozik’s. It didn’t take an fbi to figure that out.

“Clay. What the hell’s Tacoma doin’ here?” He growls, keeping his voice low so you couldn’t hear them.

“He’s here in business.”

“Yeah? I bet he didn’t happen to tell you him and his ol’ lady haven’t been together in the past six months. Haven’t even seen each other in six months. She could be in danger and he’s gonna push her out.” Tig barks, jabbing a finger behind him.

Blue eyes met yours, yours met his. Your heart stopped. Kozik. You choked on the air you sucked in and you ducked.

“Are you stupid?” You muttered to yourself, tucked against the bar.

“Was that my wife?” He asks out loud, grabbing a long drink from his beer before heading towards you. “Baby?” He asks, looking under the barstool after you.

“Oh fuck.” You stand, slamming your head under the bar and drop to the floor, grabbing your head and groaning. You hear him chuckling, but it’s quickly quieted when Tig stalks up. You knew it was him from his shiny black boots.

“Back off, Blondie.” He barks, stepping between you two, grabbing your hand and pulling you up into his grip.

“Listen, that’s still my wife.” Kozik warns, his eyes looking over you.

“You left her for six months. And you still think you can claim her? Jesus, you’re as dumb as you look.” He barks, pushing past him. You snorted, that was kind of funny.

“So tell me something now. Why are you here?” You ask, eyeing the blonde.

“Here cause Clay asked me. Didn’t realize you’d be here. Sorry, I should have warned you.” He whispers, eyes pleading with you for a moment before he turns and heads back to his beer. You watched him go, a small sigh escaping you.

Heart thundering heavy against your chest, you stumble back to the bedroom to find SAMTAC bags on the floor near the bed on the left side of the room.

“Are you serious?” Grabbing the handles you toss them into the hall, something fluttering to the ground from his bag. Bending down to pick it up, just as you flip it a hand reaches down and snatches it from your hand. You had caught a glimpse of your own face in a Polaroid.

“Don’t touch it.” He sucks the corner of his lip into his teeth, chewing on it.

“Sorry, I was just moving the bags. I didn’t realize they were yours.” You hush, running your tongue over your teeth and grabbing the door knob.

“You knew they were mine.” He barks, shaking his head.

“No, I didn’t.” You argue, swinging open the door only to be stopped by his hand gripping your arm. You hiss and yank away from him as if he were burning you.

“You did. You knew. Babe, I—“

“Don’t call me that.” You nip stalking away from him.

“Doll—“

You were sitting at the table, under Tig’s protective arm and Gemma’s harsh stare.

“Hey, can I talk to you?” He asks, stepping up to the table hands in his pockets and shifting from foot to foot. You groan, standing and stepping a little ways away from the that helped you through the first few weeks of separation.

“What?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Uhm, so the only room left was the back one, and it was the only one with a couch and not a chair, I was wondering if you’d let me sleep there. On the couch, I mean.” He stammers, hand scrubbing the back of his neck. He was nervous. He was unsure of you in front of the MC, which wasn’t right. You wanted him to look as tough as he deserved.

“Of course, just stay off the bed.” You chuckle, eyes meeting his for a second to find a twinkle of something there. You dismissed it when your turned and promptly sat back down next to Tig.

As you bid everyone goodnight and headed to bed, you noticed Kozik was still up talking to Jax and Opie, his attention on them. You slipped into the room, pulling the blanket from the bed and laying a pillow and blanket on the couch. Pulling off your jeans and shirt, you slip into an old SAMTAC shirt you’d kept of Kozik’s. For a moment, you contemplated changing, but Tig shot you a text that finalized your decision.

Tiggy: Headed your way. Let me know if you need me. ❤️

You dove into the bed, covering your face up and shutting your eyes. In moments, you were fast asleep.

Kozik walked down the hall, his breath catching every now and again. He’d never been nervous like this before around you, but he was going to be careful. Lucky didn’t even begin to describe how he felt that she agreed so quickly. Truthfully, he’d sleep on the floor if it meant being in the same room as you. It had been six months, six long months without you, and the moment he’d heard the words ‘lock down’ his heart had raced so hard he thought he’d die.

Giving a soft knock, he cracks the door to find you sprawled across the bed. At first a chuckle left his lips, a soft smile clung to his lips. Taking a step into the room, his eyes fell across your small body, a pair of black lace panties on and his old SAMTAC tee shirt that normally swallowed you whole. But it was ridden up and splayed around you.

With a shaking hand, he slipped a finger under the corner of the comforter and pulled it back over you. Something broke in his heart as he leaned to press a kiss to your forehead. He stopped himself and stepped away, taking a shaky breath. Running a hand through his hair he almost stumbles to the bathroom to shower to get his mind off you. Rubbing his knuckles back and forth against each other, he grabs towel and gets out, towel-drying his hair and body, wrapping the towel around his waist and stepping back into the roo, to find you awake.

“Shit, I’m sorry, baby. I thought you were sleeping.” He mutters, grabbing for his bag.

“Christ Kozik, I’m still your wife. You don’t have to play the decency card with me.” You chuckle, rolling onto your tummy to face away from him. He too chuckled for a moment before dropping the towel at the foot of the bed to change. A squeak escaped you when you glanced behind you to find the blonde man naked, digging through a duffel bag. Looking over his shoulder at you, a little smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

“Fuck.” You whisper, eyes falling on the tattoos across his back and arms. You’d gone so long without his touch, you’d been starved for a long six months, and you’d be damned to give in to him the first night. He stands, the muscles flexing and relaxing as he did so, sliding on a pair of blue boxers. “Koz—“ You hush without thinking, eyes meeting his immediately.

“Yeah?” He asks, eyes alert and trained on you.

“No, it’s nothing.” You assure, rolling over onto your back and sitting up.

“What’s wrong, baby?” He asks as he starts to throw down another blanket on the couch.

“Do you think we could talk?” You stammer, eyes on your fingers tangling in your lap. He stops and stands at the end of the bed, waiting for you to the pat the area at your feet for him to sit down. “Can I sit?” He asks, pointing to the end of the bed. You nod.

“Why? Kozik I deserve that much. Why did you walk out on me?” You whisper, sniffling quietly.

“That’s what you think happened?” He asks, eyes wide as he reached for your face.

“What was it? What do you call abandonment?” You snort, dodging his touch.

“I was scared, baby. I was terrified. When you started talking about kids and stuff, I ducked. I’m not dad material. I’m sorry, I’m just not.” He shakes his head. “Nor do I want my own blood looking up to me, I’m not a leader in any shape or form. I don’t want kids, I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Jesus, Kozik. That was all you had to say. I just wanted to hear you say it. I don’t really want them either. At least not now, not yet.” You assure, eyes meeting his beautiful blue ones. Those eyes were part of your dreams most nights, they woke you almost every night.

“What?” He whispers, still in shock.

“You did it. You abandoned me for six months over a misunderstanding.” You laugh, softly at first, but it turns into wild laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” He asks, eyes meeting yours concerned.

“Because I’ve been going crazy. Trying to figure it out. I’ve racked my brain for every possible answer. That I’m the one who drove you away. That there was a crow eater here, but when I showed up I only met one who even knew you. That you were sleeping with another woman but you’d only been down here once before and that crow eater that tried to get you in bed, said you politely refused. So I was lost. I went back to Tacoma, thinking maybe there was a crow eater there, som tighter pussy, prettier version of me, but even there the crow eaters all said how polite you were to them. I went crazy searching for a reason. One that made sense, but nothing did.” You sob, wiping away tears. His heart pounded as you talked.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” He whispers, reaching for your hand. Your breath hitches when touches your hand. Pulling away, you lay back down.

“You can find your couch.” You sniffle, feeling his weight shift off the bed and a pat to your foot.

“I love you so much.” He whispers, and you swore you heard a sniffle as the light clicked off and you heard him lay down.

Some time in the middle of the night you heard rustling and then shouting. In a stupor, you stumble toward the couch and watch for a moment. Tears were streaming down his face, his eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched at his sides.

“Baby I’m sorry. Baby I’m so sorry. Please. Come home. Come home baby! I’m sorry. I’ll take it all back!” He shouts, tossing his head to the side. “Please.” A strangled sound escaped him as he swung at the air. “No. Please come back! I’ll change! I’ll quit! I’ll be whatever you want!” He shouts, grabbing at the air. “I’m just sorry.” He sobs, jolting awake to find you standing over him, hands covering your mouth. He was almost sure he was still dreaming, but his stomach lurched and he dove into the bathroom just in time to lose what little contents he’d eaten into the bowl.

He glances over his shoulder, thinking for a moment that your figure would be gone. But you still stood there, horrified at what you’d witnessed. Wiping his nose and clearing his throat, he brushes his teeth and staggers from the bathroom to land on the couch to compose himself. He was so embarrassed that you had just witnessed it. He’d had night terrors almost every night, replaying how you’d left him and they always ended the same. Him waking up sick, running for the bathroom and landing back on the couch heaving for breath.

“Sorry you had to see that.” He whispers, cracking his knuckles as his eyes never leave his hands. Tears filled his eyes. He was heartbroken that you’d witnessed it, what he’d become without you.

“Kozik, what the hell was that?” You whisper, stepping a little closer to his heaving shaking frame. He stands, stuffing his feet into his blue jeans and boots, yanking a shirt over his head and throwing on his kutte.

“Nothing. I’m so sorry.” He stammers before standing and making it for the door to find some fresh air that wasn’t strangling him. He tumbles out the front door and smacks his sweaty body against the cold concrete. He heaved against the concrete finally able to breathe. The tears had fallen a little more before subsiding as he found a seat on a picnic table.

“Kozik?” A familiar voice called from behind him. Jax had appeared and sat beside him, offering a cigarette. Kozik gladly accepted, the nicotine calming his frayed nerves. “You alright man? You look pretty shook up.” He chuckled. Yeah.

“Yeah, I’ve had these night terrors since she left. I normally just wake up and I’m okay, but she saw it. Saw how weak I was. Man, she probably thinks I’m some kind of loser now. I was a strong guy, kept her safe, what wife wants to see her husband wake up sick from a bad dream, man.” He chuckles, taking another drag.

“Dude, you’re a strong guy. You have your moments, alright every guy does. And hey, don’t worry. Chicks love when dudes cry.” They share a laugh, Jax clapping his back and standing up. “You alright though? You want me to talk to her?”

“Nah, I don’t even want to go back in there. I can’t face her after that, man.” He wipes a hand down his face and lets out a heavy breath.

“Anything I can do?” He asks, watching the blonde shake his head no, giving him a sad smile.

“Nah, go hug your girl man, tell you love her. Do it.” He points a finger at the younger biker.

“You got it boss.” He disappears into the clubhouse and Kozik was alone in the night once more. He heard the door open and he had a feeling it was you.

“Koz?” You hush, afraid to break some kind of invisible barrier.

“Don’t. Don’t whisper like you’re afraid you’re gonna break me.” He barks, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry, I was just worried about you. You wanna talk?” You ask, his sweatshirt swallowing you whole. A little smile graced his lips for a moment as he saw you. He loved when you’d go camping and he’d toss you a sweatshirt and you’d sit in his lap by the fire. “So, how long’s that been going on?” You ask, eyes meeting his for a second to find heartbroken written in them.

“Six months.” He husks, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Since you left?” You whisper, contemplating grabbing his hand. One hand held a cigarette to his lips, the other gripped the edge of the table between you two.

“Yeah.” He nods, taking another heavy drag to fill the silence.

“Kozi—”

“Don’t.” He rasps, stamping out the cigarette on the table before standing.

“Don’t what?” You challenge, glaring at him. He twists and faces you, a dangerous look in his dark eyes. He jabs a finger in your face.

“Don’t act like like I’m weak.” He growls.

“Weak? Because you have nightmares? Or because you left me alone in Tacoma while you galavanted around with a group of overgrown boys on motorcycles while I sat at home trying to figure out what I did wrong?” You shout, standing toe to toe with your husband. His expression changed, softened into shock as he listened to you.

“What?” He whispers.

“Don’t you dare act like you’re shocked. You know what you did.” You hissed.

“I’m sorry, baby.” You heard the strangled sound of the broken boy from an hour ago and your heart broke. He saw your face widen and he knew you were thinking about it. “Stop it! I never wanted you to see me like that. Because you’ll always compare my sorry to what I said when I was sleeping. You’ll always see me as vulnerable.” He rolls his eyes. “You’ll always see that part of me now. How stupid was I?” He asks, eyes meeting yours.

“What?” You ask.

“How stupid was I to think that I’d be able to fix this?” He whispers, eyes filling with tears. He swings a fist into the gate. “Son of a bitch!” He shouts, swinging relentlessly at the stationary fence post.

“Kozik stop! Kozik! You’re going to hurt yourself!” You cry, reaching for him.

“You don’t see us as us anymore. Do you?” He chokes through his teeth. You didn’t respond. “Tell me the truth. Say something. Fuckin’ Christ!” He shouts, swinging at the post again and against.

“Kozik, stop. You’re going to break your hand.” You softly talk, trying to calm him down. He stops mid swing and looks at you.

“Tell me.” He whispers, jaw quaking and fists clenched tightly, blood dripping from his busted knuckles onto the pavement.

“Koz-“

“Never mind. Please don’t say a word. I can’t do it. I can’t. You weren’t supposed too see that. You were always supposed to see me as this. A fighter, a bruiser, a brawler. Never supposed to see that weak bitch moment in there.” He mutters, tossing a thumb over his shoulder.

“Weak bitch moment? I woke up the first two months in a cold sweaty mess of sheets screaming for you. Do that make me a weak bitch?” You nip, eyes meeting his angry ones.

“You’re a woman, you’re supposed to cry and be dramatic. I’m a man, I’m just not wired that way, you weren’t supposed to see that. You were never supposed to see that.” He growls, swinging a fist into the post again.

“Is that right? So because I’m woman it’s not a weak bitch moment?” You shout, trying to get a rise out of him. You weren’t sure what you were looking for, but if he was looking for a fight, you’d give him one.

“Baby that’s not—“

“What? Not what you meant? Like when you left me alone? Scared out of my mind while you freely wandered earth?” You bark, crossing your arms over your chest.

Tig had heard the commotion and started outside. He found you and Kozik standing toe to toe, his fists bloodied and Tig saw red. He was sure he’d seen a dark patch on her face like he’d hit her.

“Hey! Everything okay over here?” He calls, heading towards them.

“Oh wonderful! Here comes god himself to whisk you away from me.” Kozik sneers, waving a hand to Tig.

“Hey man! Someone had to look out for her while you were gone.” The curly haired man states, a chuckle on his lips.

“Tig, we’re fine. Just working out our shit.” You assure, patting his arm.

“Yeah, you alright with that Tiggy?” A dark grin crossed Kozik’s face.

“Yeah, it’s really great.” He nips, smiling back just as darkly. “What’s your problem, man? Want a kiss?” He challenges, making a kissy face at the furious blonde.

“Bet you wanna kiss my wife, don’t ya?” He hisses, watching Tig’s face unchanging.

“Oh yeah, dream about her every night. Running my hands up her—“ Kozik swings, hitting the ebony-haired man. Tig swung back and pretty soon they took to brawling both their fists bloodied as they jabbed and swung, Kozik’s manliness had to be put back in check, and he figured he’d do so fist-fighting Tig.

You stood there in shock, watching the two go to war with each other, not knowing what to do. Feeling confident, you waited for an opening and you slipped between the two of them. Tig grabbed at Kozik’s fist, but he missed and the ringed knuckles slammed into your back, sucker-punching the air from your lungs and knocking you out.

T.K.O. You hit the ground and it stopped the fight. Kozik wasn’t breathing. He stood there, staring at you.

“Awe, come on man.” Tig nips, looking to Kozik for some kind of reaction. He watched in shock as his worthy opponent staggered backwards in shock. Tig had never seen that look before. He watched the blonde’s bloodied lips open and close, but no sound escaped them. “Kozik?” He asks, wondering if the blonde was also gonna hit the ground. He continued his uneven backwards steps, tripping over his own boots and hitting the ground. Tears filled his eyes and he found himself scrambling to his feet.

“What the hell’s going on?” Clay shouts from the door. It happened in seconds, Kozik grabbed his keys and hopped on his bike and took off. “Where’s Tacoma going? What’s she doing on the ground?” Tig handed you off to Chibs and got on his bike headed after the dumb blonde. He expected something stupid from him.

He finally found Kozik in Tacoma, sitting on the front steps of their house, his pistol sitting on the step between his knees. His head resting in his hands.

“Hey, stupid.” Tig calls, unclipping his helmet and dropping it on the seat. “You didn’t mean it man.” He hushes, sitting next to him.

“I hit her. Fuck, first I had a nightmare and she saw that. Saw how weak I was, throwing up and crying, like some kind of bitch show. Then she tried to stop me from hitting you and I hit her.” He swings at the concrete.

“Listen, fuckin’ moron. You’re big and dumb, sure.” Tig shrugs, handing him a cigarette to calm the blonde’s nerves. “But anyone who knows her knows you love her more than anything. You and her are great for each other. Whatever the fuck’s going on right now, this pissing match between you, every couple goes through it. Just, for christ’s sake, you left her there on the ground. What if I didn’t take her to Clay? She’d still be there when you got back. She’d be alone, on the cement, cold and shit.” He tries to figure out where his head is.

“Yeah, probably dead.” He hushes, chewing on his bottom lip before he takes a drag of the cigarette.

“Hey man, nah. She’s a tough girl. You know that. She’s gonna be fine. She’s probably already up. You wanna head back?” He asks, patting the blonde’s shoulder.

“Nah, I can’t face her after that. I might as well move to Mexico and change my name. I’m toast, man.” He hushes, pressing the back of his hand against his eyes to stop the tears.

“Listen, I won’t ever forgive you for what you did to my dog, but you know what? You and her, you two were meant for this life. You’re both strong enough to live it. Now get your sorry ass up and let’s go get your girl.” He assures, hauling the Tacoma native to his feet and dusting off his shoulders. He grabs the mans hands to inspect how badly he’d injured them. They were rough. His knuckles were torn up he could possibly see muscle and maybe a bone, he wasn’t sure. The cuts were deep though. Pulling a couple bandanas from his kutte pockets, he wraps the other mans knuckles and pats his shoulders. “Listen to me, you don’t talk about this. Me chasing you like some bitch. You don’t deserve her, but you know what? She deserves you. You’re a good guy, you’re great brother, and even if I can’t get over this ancient shit, know I got your back and hers.” He climbs on his bike, watching the other man climb onto his bike too.

They arrive back to SAMCRO around nine in the morning, Kozik’s heart thundered as he stepped into the clubhouse. All eyes fell on him and Tig as the other bikers were all dressed and standing in a group.

“Jesus christ, that looked gay.” Tig rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t miss the laugh Kozik gives. “No worries hunny, your hubby survived.” Tig pressed a hard kiss to your forehead. Kozik stayed his distance, eyes on his boots. You looked at him, eyes bearing down on him like a heavy weight.

“Alright, Gem we gotta go meet with Lin, you and the others hold down the fort baby.” Clay assures, patting your back as he hugged Gemma to him. You longed for your husband to give you the same attention. “Boys, let’s get our shit around. Put your vests on, your women don’t need to worry about bullet holes.” He chuckles as everyone herded out the door. You watched, almost sick as Kozik trudged back to his bike. Everyone was busy kissing and cooing, giving you an opportunity to go to Kozik. As you approached him, his eyes flicked up for only a second before they hit the ground again.

“Hey baby.” You hush, afraid of whatever silence that sat between you.

“What?” He asks, checking his saddlebags for something. Your hand touched his forearm, and he flinched away. That arm was connected to the ringed knuckles that knocked you to the ground only fifty feet from where they currently stood.

“So you hit me, and you wanna play this?” You hiss quietly, getting his attention.

“It’s over baby. Just go inside. I’ll be back in Tacoma tomorrow night. Trust me.” He hisses back.

“Herman Jack Kozik, you didn’t mean it.” His face lifts to look at you.

“You’re right. But it doesn’t matter, you understand? I hit you. I. Hit. You. I knocked you onto the ground. I did that.” He waves a hand to the dollar-bill sized scrape mark where your head hit the ground.

“I mean, yeah. But I stepped into it. I deserved it.”

“No. No baby. Don’t ever say that. You don’t ever deserve to be hit. Do you understand? And if any man you marry after me hits you, I’ll kill him. Do you understand me?” He snarls, fists clenched at his sides. You reach for his bruised and battered face, remembering the swings between he and Tig.

“I guess you won’t have to worry, I’m not going to marry anyone after you.” You state, swallowing hard.

“Alright guys, lets get ready to roll!” Clay shouts. You looked at Kozik, seeing he’s not wearing his vest. You pull one from his saddlebag and hand it to him.

“Come back to me.” You plead, handing him the vest.

“I will.” He assures, never meeting your eyes as he drops the vest back into the bag and tightening it down. You laughed sickly, turning and stumbling blindly towards the big building. “I love you.” He whispers, and he knew you didn’t hear him, but he said it. He had too, he needed you to know it.

“Kozik, put the fuckin’ vest on, stupid.” Tig yells over the roar of the bikes. Kozik straps it on, but you didn’t see it.

The men returned that night, all in tact, but Kozik wasn’t with them. You met everyone at the door, looking for his pretty blue eyes.

“Where’s—“ You’re cut short when he comes strutting in with some girl under his arm. “What in the fuck?” You shout, stomping into his view.

“Hey, this is my ex-wife, this is Beatrix.” He cheers, waving a hand to her.

“She gonna be a trick alright,” you growl, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her to the ring, stuffing your hands into boxing gloves and pulling off your tee shirt. A sports bra and shorts, bare foot, Kozik drank you in, watching his little brawler get in the ring with a crow eater.

“Kozik, what the hell are you doing?” Tig shouts over the cheers and chants.

“I just wanted to bang a crow eater and show her what kind of person I am. I want her to hate me, leave me in the dust and start a new life. I want her to find some guy that works nine to five, comes home and hugs her, brings her flowers. I want the best for her, and I’m not it. I could just get her to hate me. It’s the easiest way. But, uhm, she’s gonna kill her.” He points to the ring, the crow eater barely standing after two hits.

“Jesus Christ. Just leave her then.” Tig barks, jumping into the ring and dragging you out. You shove the man away, still bouncing back and forth.

“You tell him, he kicks my ass, he can leave me. Or sleep with her. Whatever he wanted.” You snap, glaring at the blonde.

“Yeah, uh, she said you gotta beat her in a ring fight to leave her.” He watched Kozik laugh dryly.

“No, man.” He shakes his head, heading for the ringside.

“Fight me.” You hiss, danger dancing in your eyes.

“No. You know I won’t do that shit.” He snips, grabbing you and pulling out of the ring, propping you on your feet in front of him. “Can we talk outside?” He asks, your heart falling through the concrete floor. Tossing the gloves onto the ring pad, you step out into the parking lot of Teller-Morrow with your husband.

“You serious?” You whisper, eyes meeting his.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I just. I don’t want you as my ol’ lady anymore.” He states, shoulders tensed. You coughed, eyes staring into his still.

“No. Ring fight or you’re not leaving me. Beat me the fuck up. Show me what you hate. Be everything you hate, show me him.” You challenge, standing in front of him, arms crossed over your chest in a power stance.

“No. I’m not gonna hit you, real men don’t hit—“ He stopped. You watched on as he swiped quickly at his face, turning his back to you. With a gentle hand, you touched his shoulder.

“Kozik?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, ya know? I hit you.”

“It’s okay, it was an accident, Koz.” You assure, patting his arm.

“Yeah, I know it was. But it doesn’t excuse it. I hit you. A man should never lay hands on a woman, especially his woman. I broke that, I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve this. I should just leave you. Just give me the ring back. I’m done.” He whispers, hand outstretched.

“You, my loving wonderful husband, better pry this ring from my cold dead hand.” You snip, turning on your heel only to be snatched up. He pulls your hand to him, spinning the ring around your finger.

“Why are you goddamn fighting me so hard on this?” He asks, eyes pleading you to give up.

“Because I’ve been through hell and back without you. You were just a ghost that haunted me. You didn’t help me get over my attack, you didn’t answer Tig’s calls, you didn’t stay with me as I fought you off in my dreams, so let me tell you. I stayed with you against all odds, and you have the audacity to tell me you want it over, after ghosting me for six months? Oh no buddy, you and me, we’re in this together. You don’t have a choice.” You jab him in the chest.

“Attack?” He asks, curiosity in his eyes.

“Yeah, I was kidnapped after you left. Guy said they were stalking our house in Tacoma, said he knew when you left and when you came home everyday. But it doesn’t matter. I would wake up in the middle of the night screaming for you, scared I was back there again.” You hush, looking down at your feet.

“Baby, I’m so sorry.” He yanks you against him, gripping you impossibly tighter to his body. “Jesus, baby. I’m so sorry.” You listened to his thundering heart as he held you. Six months. You’d waited six months for this exact moment. He was back for good. “I’m gonna make it up to you, those six months. Babygirl, I’m gonna fix this. Do you trust me?” He asks, still holding you. He’d been touch starved for six months, and finally your soft skin was against him, all was right with the world.

“Of course. Why do you think I’m still here?” You laugh, your hands gripping the back of his shirt. He gives a growl, scooping you up and heading through the crowd, dropping you on the bed.

“Don’t move.” He orders, disappearing for a moment, returning in just boxers, all his tattoos on display. Diving onto the bed, he pulls you against him and tucking his nose into your hair, he breathes in.

Tears fill his eyes, and you felt a drop on your shoulder. Leaning back to look at him, you find his eyes closed.

“Kozik?” You ask, met with tear-filled blue eyes.

“I’ve never been so happy. Sorry.” He whispers, hugging you so tightly against him.

“It’s okay, baby. I’m not going anywhere again. As long as you promise me the same.” You assure, holding him as he hugged so tightly to you.

Kozik has been your old man for a few years, but when he moves to Charming, you stay in Tacoma. Tig had been blowing him shit all day about how much they all loved you, and they were upset that she stayed in Tacoma.

“Yeah, I loved her too.” He growls, jabbing a finger at him before walking away. The whole crew missed you. Dialing your number, he waits until you pick up to whisper, “please come home, babe.” And you did. You drove as fast as you could to your man.

You found him sitting on a swing in the back of the yard, toes of his boots dragging through the sand.

“Baby.” You hush, watching he jumped to his feet and ran at you; his arms wrapping tightly around you and squeezing you.

You step out onto the front porch, enjoying the cool summer morning, when he see a humped over figure on your swing. The blonde tufts of hair give him away. Kozik. You gently shake his shoulder.

“Hey, shit sorry. I didn’t think you’d be up this early.” He rasps, just as an alarm on his phone goes off.

“What are you doing here?”

“Napping. I guess, that’s what it looks like anyway.” He chuckles. You disappear into the house and return with a cup of coffee for him. “Thanks.”

“I mean it Hemi.” His nickname that you’d started when he said his favorite trucks were dodges.

“Yeah, I just sit here at night to make sure no one fucks with you.”

“How long have you been doing this?” You ask, rather shocked.

“Like a week.” He mumbles.

“A week? Kozik, that’s kind of stalkerish ya know?” You glare at him.

“Yeah I know. It’s just that after we found out someone took Gemma and raped her, I was scared they might do the same to you.” He explains, taking a sip from his cup.

“Kozik don’t worry. I’m okay. Trust me. Go inside, kick off your boots and take a nap. I’ll call TM and tell em you don’t feel good.” You assure, patting his knee before standing heading in the house. You hear rattling around in the kitchen, and ignore it, probably just Kozik finding something to eat.

You head upstairs to change and get ready for work when you hear a loud crash downstairs. You tiptoe down to find Kozik tumbling around your house with another guy, pale skin and tattoos.

With a couple more hits, Kozik drags the man out the door, the heel of his boot connecting with the man’s jaw with a sickening crack.

“Baby?” He calls, a quiet curse leaving his lips. “Princess?” He asks, his eyes meeting your shocked ones.

“What was that?” You whisper.

“That was one of the guys that Gemma ID’d.” He hushes, meeting you at the stairs with an outstretched hand.

“He-“

“Hush. It’s okay, darlin’. He’s not gonna hurt you.” He assures, pulling your quaking body against him just as your legs give out. He hugs you tightly as he carries you to the couch. Hushing your sobs, his warm hand smoothing across your back.

“Kozik.” You whisper, so relieved he’d been there.

“I know, baby.” He whispers, kissing your forehead. “I’d never let anyone hurt you, you know that? I’ve been here for a week for this exact reason. I was afraid they’d target you. It’s because they heard me talking about you. I’m in love with you. I have been for a long time. It’s okay, you don’t have to feel it back.” He assures. Your eyes meet his for a moment and they flick to his pink lips, your tongue making a pass across your own lips. Maybe it was how close he was to you, maybe it was because he just beat the crap out of some guy, whatever it was, you let it take over. His lips met yours in a sweet, soft kiss.

“Kozik, I love you too.” You hush against his lips, reveling in the secrets you’d both exposed.

“Thank Christ.” He heaves, grabbing your chin and pressing a hard kiss to your lips.

Warning: sexual content ish.

Her car started sputtering around 11:15pm on some side road, as the highway was closed for so long and this was the detour.

“I’m gonna lose my shit if one more thing goes wrong.” She sighs, feeling the tears coming on. She supposed now was as good a time as any. The tears started to fall, and with heart broken and everything in a trash bag in the back seat, she figured it couldn’t get much worse. Headlights come into view as she wipes off her face.

The truck slows down, and a gorgeous blonde guy hops from the driver’s seat. “Hey darlin’ car looks pretty rough, want me to tow ya home?” She hiccups, tears falling again.

“I’m not going home.” She cries. He pops open her door and takes her arm, pulling her from the car.

“You can go home with me, baby.” He assures, hushing sweet confidence to her as he led her to the truck. She let him lift her into the truck, watching as he climbed into the other seat and backed up to hook her car up. “So, what’s going on?” He asks, eyes meeting hers for a moment.

“Left my boyfriend. Car just sputtered to a stop right there.” She swings her hand to the spot where her car was.

“Ah, sorry. Here, here’s my phone if you wanna call anybody.” He drops a flip phone into her lap. She sweetly hands it back, a thin smile on her face. “You wanna slide over here?” He asks, patting the middle of the seat.

“You okay with that? You don’t have a secret wife or girlfriend, do you?” She asks, eyes narrowing on him.

“Nah, just me.” He assures, smiling as he hears her slide across the seat.

“You live alone?” She asks, cuddling against his side.

“Yeah, sometimes I stay at the MC clubhouse though. Gonna drop your car there. We can take my bike back to the house.” He laughs as he gets to the clubhouse parking lot. Getting out and letting down her car, he headed into the office, returning a moment later in a leather vest and a black tee shirt.

“You’re not just a tow truck driver, are you?” She asks, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Just a tow truck driver who likes motorcycles.” He chuckles, leading her to his Dyna.

“Kozik!” A voice shouts, meeting another blonde wearing the same vest with different patches.

“Hey man, told Gemma I was heading out early. She said it was all good.” Jax gets to them and smiles to her.

“Yeah, it’s all good. Just wanted you to know that car you brought in was getting worked on in the morning. Can you be back about nine?” He asks, eyeing her with a knowing smile.

“Yeah, man. See ya.”

“Kozik?” She asks as he hands her his helmet.

“Oh, yeah, I’m Kozik. You can call me Koz if you want.” He smiles as he heads to his house.

“Hmm, cute. I’m Starlight. Don’t laugh, my mom was a drug addict.” She chuckles as he pulls into his driveway. Leading her into his house, she’s met by a homie feeling of warmth and men’s cologne.

“Well, Starlight, you hungry? Want a shower?” He asks, dropping his keys into a bowl on the table.

“A shower, please.” She whispers, eyeing him for a moment. Studying his next move.

“Alright, I’ll grab you a tee shirt and some shorts if you want.” He asks, heading into his bedroom. “The shower’s in here.” He calls, the drawers opening and closing. She scans his walls for photos, none.

“Okay. Thanks again.” She smiles, taking the tee shirt as he lets himself out, leaving the door partially open. Heading into the shower, she strips down and turns on the hottest water she can handle climbing in.

Tears start to fall, mixing with her exhaustion and how dumb she felt. She was with some guy she’d never met, showering in his bathroom while he could be planning her murder in the next room. With a huff, she can’t hold her own weight anymore and collapses, letting the water pelt her face.

Kozik was in the middle of making something to eat when he heard a horrendous crash in the bathroom. Jumping and sprinting in there, he finds her on the shower floor bawling, hands resting on the floor holding herself up.

Yanking his shirt off, he kneels down and slides the door open.

“Hey.” He hushes. When she chokes out another sob, he huffs, not sure what to do. Stepping into the hot water, he slides his arms under hers and hauls her up, turning her to face him. Her naked body pressed against him.

“I just wanna forget him, Kozik.” She whispers. That was all he needed to hear. Pressing a kiss to her lips, she revels in the feeling. Finding her footing, she pats his shoulder before she reaches for his jeans and belt.

“Babygirl, you sure about this?” She nods as she kisses him ardently, the need for passion was so high. He kicked his wet jeans off on the bathroom floor as he carried her straight to living room.

“Why out here?” She asks, listening to his heavy breathing.

“Cause when I’m done with you, I’m gonna cuddle the hell outta you in that king sized bed. You’re gonna wake up and think you’re in heaven. But first, let’s take a trip to hell.” He growls, positioning himself at your entrance. “Last chance.” She brings her hips up to meet his, pressing him into her a little. “Hold on.” He hushes against her skin as he slides into her. Her nails sink into his skin and she cries out in pleasure.

He gathers her in his arms, carrying her to his bed.

“Wow, what a gentleman.” She giggles, watching as he ducks into the he bathroom to return with her undergarments and his black SAMCRO tee shirt.

“Here ya go.” He winks, disappearing only to return with a sandwich and a bag of Doritos. “Here.”

“I’m not hungry, really.” She puts up a hand, snuggling against him as he ate his dinner. “Thank you.” She hushes, pressing a kiss to his torso.

“Babygirl, unless you got other plans you’re mine now.” He gives a sweet little wink and a peck on the lips.

“Are you claiming as an old lady or whatever it is?” She asks, eyeing him.

“Not yet, I don’t know if you snore.” He laughs, wrapping an arm around her and gripping her against him. In a few moments, while she studies his face, she falls asleep. “You’re too precious. Whoever hurt you, you can forget him. I got you now, baby. I won’t do what he did.” He whispers, dropping his plate in the trash and sitting the bag on his end table.

“I love you.” She whispers, her eyes shut. He couldn’t tell if she was asleep or not.