Pull

It had been an interesting two days with just Gemma and I. She told me she was already planning my birthday, and it was going to be a huge deal. I begged her not to go overboard to no avail. She gave me one choice in the whole matter and one only. Whether I wanted it before or after her benefit fair. I grumbled that I'd rather have it after, and thus her hidden planning began. I was not happy about it. Twenty-eight was one too many candles for me to have to look at on a cake, let alone blow out. Plus, Gemma had already bought me even more articles of clothing that she thought I needed over the past few 'bonding' days. Her logic was 'You can't go around here with no clothes, the men would lose their minds,'. There was no arguing with Gemma, so I just humbly accepted what she insisted I needed.

I didn't know what Gemma had planned, and I was already dreading the men finding out about the party. I hadn't actually ever had a birthday at the clubhouse because Ace thought it would be inappropriate for a lady such as myself to be around such debauchery. Gemma was only ever allowed to take me out for dinner on my birthdays, which really irritated her. Especially because the club, all of them, were banned from my 21st birthday, which turned out to be a flop anyway. Knowing Gemma would feel it necessary to make up for lost time, I was bracing myself for the worst. I knew it would be fun, but I just wasn't really into big parties in honor of myself because I just wasn't accustomed to them.

The men had returned from Indian Hills a day before Gemma's benefit fair. I was volunteered to work at Gemma's Chili tent, and as I felt guilty about her buying me all of the clothes and other necessitys, I decided I wouldn't complain. Plus, I had nothing better to do anyway. I didn't start work for another week. Clay had made it pretty clear he wouldn't be caught dead at that benefit, but the other guys were all required to be there. Opie was doing the fireworks, and Bobby had some Elvis event. It always made me laugh when I thought of an Elvis impersonator being a deadly biker.

The morning of the event rolled around, and I was at the site, helping Gemma and Luann set up the chili tent. The park was so far pretty tame, with only the people setting up. Gemma told me to go around and make sure all of the attractions had everything they needed. As I did that, I took note of all of the people that were helping out the community. There was an antique aution set up, and a lot of activities for the kids. Checking my cell for the time, I noted that it was almost go-time. Opie and his family had passed me, Opie embracing me lightly, and Donna giving me a slight nod. Donna and I had always kind of been on the outs. I understood the club and Opie's need to be in it, she didn't. I knew she thought that I was just a biker whore, but I couldn't change people's opinions. I was still nice to her, for Ope.

The gates were opening, and I noticed Jax walking in, but turning around to glare. I followed his gaze to have my eyes fall on Kyle Hobart. Instant and intense anger hit me like a ton of bricks. That asshole was the reason that Opie had gone to prison in the first place because he pussed out. I was beyond furious, and it wasn't going to go unnoticed. I started to make my way over to Kyle, but Jax stopped me.

"Whoa, darlin'. Club's allowing him to be here," he said, but I could tell he wasn't happy about it either.

"What the fuck Jax?! Are you bastards out of your minds?!" I screeched.

"No, Ope said it was fine. Not for revenge. Just stay away from him," Jax muttered, stalking off.

Stay away from him? I think it needed to be the other way around. Kyle had always had an eye for the younger girls, as it clearly showed with his new arm candy. When I was younger and he was still around, he'd constantly make awkward and inappropriate passes at me. He always made comments when the other guys weren't around that if I told my brother, he'd do some pretty graphic things. He always put up the nice guy front, but now that I look back on those times, I realize that Tig was never the one I should have stayed away from. Tig was less dangerous to me than this asshole was, and if he came near me, I would kill him. I wasn't scared anymore, and I didn't have Ace to protect me.

I had been glaring long enough for him to approach the gates, where I was standing. He went to say something to me, I just scowled and stormed off, feeling his eyes burning into my back, knowing he was checking me out. I wanted to vomit. I suddenly felt very dirty. I went back to the Chili tent to start working, and Gemma noticed something was up as soon as I got there.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, worried eyes searching my face for any sign of a problem.

"Nothing, Gem. Don't worry about it," I muttered, taking my place by the cash register.

I knew she knew otherwise, but she wasn't going to push it with me. I would reveal it when I was ready. I saw Bobby and Tig walking up to the booth, and distantly heard Gemma scolding Bobby for being late, and guide him to the booth he was doing. Tig just took up a spot behind the tent and stood with his sunglasses on staring.

"Why don't you make yourself useful, Trager?" I asked, when the stream of customers trickled away.

"Oh, I'm just enjoying the view, doll," he smirked.

I turned to see what he could have been staring at, only to be met with a gaggle of children running rampant, and the mothers chasing them frantically, trying to get them under control. There were not any women of Tig's standards within eyesight, so I turned back to him with my eyebrows raised.

"What view? You gone pedophile now?" I asked sarcastically. He stepped foreward, placing a hand on my waist and leaning into my ear.

"I was referring to you," he said lowly, backing off and resuming his spot at the back of the tent.

It should have bothered me. Especially since I had been so shook up with Kyle being around, but It didn't. There was something different about Tig. A strange comfort in his violent nature. I was comforted by the fact that I knew he would never hurt me. Also that he understood me. I didn't want my comfort known, however, so I shot him an angry glare and turned back around to wait on more people.

Eventually, Tig and Bobby told Gemma that they had to go on a run with Clay. Gemma, of course was pissed. I had been working there for several hours and was dying for a break, but with everyone leaving, I couldn't ask for one. I kept working until Gemma relieved me to go check on Opie to see if he was all set up for the fireworks. I headed in the direction of where I knew the stuff was set up, but I didn't see Opie, only Donna standing there.

"Hey, do you know where Opie is? Gemma told me to ask if the fireworks were all set," I explained so that Donna didn't get the wrong idea. I wasn't good at dancing around people's feelings, but I tried.

"He went to go talk to that Kyle guy, I think he's in the gym with Jax and Kyle," she said. That struck me as odd, and I knew instantly that the guys had found something. I nodded a thanks to Donna and jogged off toward the gym.

I got there in time for a beaten looking Ope and Kyle to walk out followed by Jax. Kyle looked nervous but happy, and both Jax and Opie had unreadable expressions on their face. Kyle smiled lewdly at me when he noticed me. I gave him a murderous look. A look that not many people saw from me. Jax noticed and glanced from me to Kyle. He muttered something to Opie before approaching to to see what was up.

"Hey Shiloh. What's going on?" he questioned.

"Nothing. Your ma told me to check on the fireworks, then told me I could head out," I said. I knew he was asking about the glare I shot Kyle, but I chose not to address it. "Can I get a ride back to the clubhouse when you leave?" I asked.

"Sure, It'll be about 10 minutes," he said.

I nodded. I knew I needed to tell someone that Kyle was a raging pervert, but I didn't know how to go about it. By the look on Kyles face, he had struck up a deal with Jax and Opie, and I assumed he was going back to the clubhouse as well. I was nervous. I didn't want him near me. When we arrived back at the clubhouse, everyone else was just getting back from their run. They looked pretty pissed, so I figured it didn't go as they had planned. I was looking rattled as Kyle followed Jax, Ope and I into the clubhouse, and I distanced myself from him as much as possible, but he didn't seem to want to leave me alone.

"How have you been babe, you're looking amazing as always," he said, looking me up and down. I crossed my arms in discomfort.

"I'm fine," I said shortly.

"Yes you are," he said, trying to sound sexy.

I refused to be defenseless while this cretin was wandering around. I didn't know why he was here, and I didn't care. I was uncomfortable, and I didn't feel like I could go to anyone for it. I turned on my heel, arms still crossed and headed into my bedroom. While I was pulling a box out from under my bed, there was a knock on my door, and then I heard the door close. My heart stopped and I was praying that it wasn't Kyle cornering me in my own bedroom. I was trying to load the gun in my hand as quickly as possible. I stood slowly to get a look at the intruder, Beretta ready in my hand. It was just Tig, looking at me curiously.

"Want to explain why you've got a loaded gun prepared to shoot?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe, a lit cigarette in his mouth.

I clicked the safety back on and pulled the clip out, dropping it on the bed.

"Kyle makes me nervous," I said, simply.

"So you were going to shoot him?"

"If he came near me, yeah," I responded.

"What happened to that whole 'no more homocides' thing? Tig asked, walkking over to my bed and taking a seat.

I sighed heavily and dropped down next to him. I decided that if I was going to bring it up, now was the time. Tig probably wasn't the best person to bring it up to, but he was here, and I was on edge. I needed someone to know about what was going on. I told him everything. Every pass Kyle ever made, every remark, every threat. Tig tensed up and listened, but it was like a loaded gun. A snake ready to strike.

"And you thought that just because he was a brother, we wouldn't rip his dick off for threatening you?" he said lowly.

"I didn't think you guys would believe me. A girls word against a brothers. It was best to keep my mouth shut," I said

"What if something would have happened?" he asked.

"I wouldn't have said anything," I muttered.

"You're too noble. He ain't in the club anymore, and I will kill him. I don't even know why the hell he's here," Tig said angrily.

"Don't just go out there and kill him. At least figure out what Jax wants with him first. Don't let on that I told you anything," I begged. "And you know how you said if I needed anything, ask you?"

"Yeah,"

"Just.... keep him away from me," I asked

"I ain't gonna leave your side, doll, don't worry," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I sat in shock for a moment. Tig just affectionately kissed me. Protectively. What the hell was happening. I thought I told him to stay away from me. I thought I decided that this was bad, and here I was with him, alone in my bedroom. Between Tig and Kyle, Tig was by far the lesser of the two evils. I'd rather have Tig here any day. But the tenderness and affection was something that I never expected out of him.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded.

"I don't know," he replied, looking just as disturbed by his actions as I was. He got up, looking confused, and stood by the door. "I'd prefer you going out there with me, I'm not leaving you alone. Leave your gun here, you won't need it, lock the door,"

I got up and followed him, he pulled me up to his side so I could walk in step with him. I knew this was just a protection method. When we re-entered the main area, Bobby was talking to Kyle. Jax gave Tig and I a strange look, I just shook my head and gave him a questioning look. He also shook his head. At the mention of a Knucklehead, Kyle followed Bobby into the garage, followed by everyone else. I was ordered by Clay to stay here, until Tig whispered something in his ear. Clay gave me a hard look.

"This ture?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't mention it before... Figured it wouldn't have went anywhere," I responded.

"You got a strong stomach?" he asked.

"I killed and gutted a man, soaked his body parts in bleach, and hauled his carcass across California in a duffel bag in my trunk," I said like it was nothing.

"You need to see this," he stated, then turned on his heel and headed toward the garage, "Quick,"

"C'mon," Tig said, nodding his head toward the garage. I timidly followed.

What went on next was disturbing to say the least. Turned out Kyle still had his Sons tattoo on his back. It was a lot of surface area. He claimed he tried to cover it but couldn't. Even I knew that it was a big no-no to continue sporting an MC tattoo when you were kicked out. Removal was necessary. Had he been any other member, what I was allowed to see next would have turned my stomach. I knew Half-Sack was horrifyed, and I felt bad for the kid. They chained Kyle up, regardless of all of his pleas. Jax handed him some whiskey, which he chugged relentlessly. Tig grabbed a blowtorch, the killer rearing it's ugly head.His ice eyes met mine for a split second before he began to burn. I should have been disgusted. I wasn't

I watched, standing next to Juice, as Tig burned the tattoo off Kyles back. Kyle eventually passed out, but Tig still burned until you couldn't tell that it had been a tattoo. He turned to torch off, and the men all helped get Kyle wrapped in a blanket and loaded into the black van. Prospect was left to mop up the mess, and I silently went out to the bar to grab a bottle of Jack and sit by myself to think about the days events. Outside, I could hear the fireworks from the park, but I was in no mood to go outside to watch. The men returned about 20 minutes later. Tig sat next to me quietly, lighting a cigarette and taking the bottle from me, taking a long drink. We sat together in quiet companionship for a while, while the activity picked up around us.

"Happy Birthday, Shiloh." he said before slipping an arm around me to hug me, and standing to go do whatever it was that Tig did.

_________________________________________________________________

I knew that Gemma had planned to do the birthday after her benefit, but I didn't think she meant that night. As soon as everyone was back in the clubhouse, Gemma walked in with a huge cake. I hadn't noticed, being too lost in thought. As I was slouched on the couch, the club filled with a ton of people and a table of presents. Tig came back over to me, crouched in front of me and smiled lightly.

"Hey, you have some guests," he said.

I turned slowly to see the whole MC, Gemma, and a bunch of girls, which I presumed were merely there to entertain the guys. Gemma approached me.

"Hey kid, go get changed, and get ready. We're having your party right now. It's your day, so come on and have a little fun. Smile, darling," she said. I obliged.

I headed into my room to toss on more birthday appropriate clothing. Putting on a hot red corset dress that accentuated my curves and some smokey eye make-up, I let my long hair fall down in messy waves. I tossed on my black platform pumps and headed back to the party. Gemma smiled at me as she saw me approach, and placed a sparkly black and silver tiara on my head. She then grabbed me by the shoulders and led me into the den of bikers. All eyes were on me as I walked to the bar on the arm of Gemma.

"Alright everyone, As you guys know, It's Shiloh's birthday, and since Ace never let her be here for any of her days, I want this to be the best birthday ever. I think we should do presents now, before everyone gets too drunk," Gemma announced. The men all agreed, and the croweaters glared at me with envy. I didn't care. It was my birthday, the first birthday I ever got to spend with the Sons, and I wasn't going to let a couple of whores ruin it for me.

Clay stepped foreward and handed me a package wrapped in Harley paper. I smirked at him knowing full well that Gemma had wrapped it. I opened it slowly, just to annoy all of the guys. I knew they were just itching to drink and socialize with the girls, and I didn't care, because I just enjoyed their company. I held up a hooded sweatshirt that said 'Reaper Crew' on the front, with a AK-Scythe across the back. I hadn't seen this design before, so I knew Clay had it made especially for me. It meant a lot because it showed that he actually considered me as much of a member as a female could be. I gave him a hug and thanked him.

Jax gave me his next. It was a belt identical to his 'SAMCRO' one, that I admittedly always stole when I used to hang around. He squeezed me and told me that now I could leave his shit alone. I laughed and hugged back. Chibs gave me a beautiful leather cuff with a Scottish design on it. He told me his family made it. I flipped it over to see a "Telford Leatherworks" brand on the inside. I smiled widely at him and put the gorgeous cuff on right away. Half-Sack shyly stepped foreward and handed me a small package. I raised an eyebrow at him as I opened it to see a Harley Quinn graphic novel.

"I noticed you had a Harley Quin shirt on the other day, and this reminded me of you," he stammered.

"Aw, thanks, Kip," I said, smiling at him and pulling him into a tight hug. He blushed, muttered that it was no big deal, and stepped back into the crowd.

Juice stepped foreward and gave me a large box. "It's not hot, but it's from Bobby and I" he assured me as I opened the laptop. "Fell off the back of a truck," he said winking. "I put a ton of music on there for you, I know that you probably haven't been up to date on your bands cds," I hugged him and thanked him, then turned to Bobby to thank him as well.

Opie stepped foreward and handed me a box as well. He asked me to please not tell Donna that I got it from him, cause she'd be pretty jealous. It was a feminine but very bad ass leather jacket, I knew that he probably had help from Gemma to figure out what I might like, but then again, a lot of the men probably had assistance. I hugged him, thanking him as well.

Tig approached me last, telling me that his present was outside. Clay gave him a look that Gemma caught and swatted him for. I shurgged and told everyone I would be back shortly, and followed Tig. I was slightly curious as to why no one was following to see what this secretive present was. When I got outside, my jaw dropped.

"Tig, where did you get this at?" I stammered. It was Ace's 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible. He had cherished this car.

"Had it up in storage in Lodi, a bunch of Ace's other stuff is there if you wanna take a look through it at another time, but I knew how much you loved this car, and Ace would have wanted you to have it," he responded, shrugging, and lighting a cigarette.

I launched myself at him, hugging him tightly and kissing him, without realizing what I was doing. He was right, I cherished this car as much as Ace did. I was always so angry when Ace wouldn't let me drive it anywhere because he was afraid I would ruin it. Even when he was driving his bike, which was almost always, his baby was to remain untouched. It always aggravated me. I realized then, that I was still gripping Tig, and he was looking at me with a strange look on his face. I immediately let go and backed away.

"Er..Sorry... Uh...Lets go party, yeah?" I said, trying to save face.

"Yeah," he said walking back toward the door, "Oh, and uh Shiloh... you look incredible tonight," he said before disappearing into the noise of the clubhouse.

I wasn't ready to rejoin the crowd yet. I walked over to the Lincoln and opened the doors. Suicide doors still, just like I remembered. I smiled, running my hand down the side of the car affectionately before getting in and sitting, just to get the feel of the seats. God I missed Ace.