Clay Morrow was hung over. His head was spinning and aching, his stomach was protesting every movement he made and he'd had so little sleep he felt like he'd fall asleep at the table, sitting up and everything. He wanted nothing more to go home and crawl into bed with Gemma, but as he'd just received a call from The Niners that was an impossibility. So now he was pissed, and he was going to make the rest of the goddamn club aware of it.
"I just had Laroy on the phone…" he growled, fists clenched, eyes narrowed and stalking round the table at the rest of the club, all in varying states of alertness. Laroy, in an attempt to mend the bridge's burned in Oakland a few months before with the attempted murder of Piney and the girls they accidently killed as a result (Authors note: See Tig/Boo One-Shot) was giving SAMCRO a heads up that the Mayan's were sniffing around, asking questions about a missing Nomad. A Nomad that would have been travelling along the highway between Charming and Oakland. And they suspected that the Redwood Originals had something to do with it. "He tells me the goddamn Mexicans suspect we killed one of their Nomads and that Alvarez will bring that blood to Charming if he finds out for certain it was us." Clay's attentions immediately went to Tig. This all came back to him, he was the one that had killed the guy – without consulting the club – and this shit would be on his shoulders should the blood land in Charming. Tig didn't flinch under Clay's glare but glared right back at him, his blue eyes blazing fiercely, yet so cold they look like ice.
"Hey I made a call man, that Mexican bastard was going to rape your little girl!" he stated firmly, jaw twitching as he attempted to reign in his anger. He couldn't believe that Clay was reacting the way he was over the Nomad Mayan. Sure it was coming back to bite them in the ass, but wasn't it better to deal with the Mayans that to let Boo get raped? Did Clay not get that? Clay didn't miss the twitch in Tig's jaw, and knowing the Sergeant at Arms as well as he did, knew that he was holding his rage in. That only seemed to anger the President more.
"You should have called the club first, now this shit is falling on all of us!" he snarled, pointing at Tig before then pointing to himself, his real point made clear. Tig's shit, his decision was landing in his lap. The rest of the club stared on in steely silence, uncertain as to what to do. It wasn't like Tig at all to contest Clay.
"And what I was about to stand aside as he raped Boo huh? Just let him! I killed him because I had too!" Tig asked brazenly, shuddering as his own words played out in his mind. Himself, standing aside and watching emotionlessly as some Mexican asshole beat Boo into submission and raped her as she wept, her big blue watery eyes staring up at the Sergeant at Arms in terror and confusion, questioning why he was doing nothing to help her...
"I would have made the same call brother." Chibs said, finding to confidence to talk as he slapped Tig hard on the back. The Scotsman didn't understand Clay's anger either, if someone had tried to rape his little girl, dared to touch Kerrianne, then death would have been a certainty. A long draw out death that Chibs would have taken great pleasure in.
Tig nodded once in thanks, his eyes scanning the rest of the room, demanding with a look an answer from the rest of the club. What did they think of all this? What would they have done? No one dared say anything back for a long while, looking between Tig and Clay as if trying to work out which side they landed on. Eventually, Jax heaved a heavy sigh and spoke up.
"Look Clay, Tig made the call any one of us would have made, let's just work out how we're going to get past this." He said frankly. In his mind, it didn't matter what had happened or what should have happened, all that mattered was the here and now and how they were going to deal with it. The rest of the club murmured in agreement, silencing Clay before he had a chance to speak up again.
"We still have this bastard's bike right? Maybe we can let it find its way onto enemy turf…" Piney said, lips twitching upwards slightly. The Mayans Fatboy was still sitting out in the garage, tucked out of sight in a corner and covered with a sheet. Piney didn't say it, but he wanted the bike to land in Niners territory. It was just 6 weeks since they'd tried to kill him and the anger was still raw, fresh. He knew it would never pass though, the Niners were trying to build bridges with SAMCRO, were interested in buying the clubs AK's so that they could defend their heroin trade. Profit came before all else in the club with Clay.
"The Chosen Few have been giving the Mayans trouble of late… maybe they saw a Mayan Nomad passing through and upped their game a little." Booby suggested. Jax nodded at once, seeing that the plan was simple and made sense, seeing as well how SAMCRO could use it to their advantage.
"Then maybe we could give The Chosen Few a little heads up, sell them some guns so that they can defend themselves… make a new alliance." He said, turning back to Clay with a smirk. Playing off rival gangs and MC's against one another was one of the many things SAMCRO did best and they always found some way to work it to their advantage.
Clay wasn't stupid, he knew it was a good plan, knew that if things worked out their upped gun trade would sky rocket and the profits would jump significantly. He nodded.
"Calling a vote." He said, which resulted in a unanimous 'Yay'. "Motion passed. Tig, this is your shit, you and Piney make sure that bike makes its way to The Chosen Few's turf." He said, bringing his gavel down as he turned to Tig, the look on his face telling Tig that there would be no arguments on the matter.
SAMCRO
That night was the last night Tig was spending at the Teller-Morrow household, the work on his apartment having been finished that day. Normally, he'd wanna take the excuse to celebrate but dumping the Mayan's bike had been more trouble than he'd anticipated – The Chosen Few were out in force on the streets of Alamo after one of their numbers was attacked by the Mayans. Thankfully Piney and Tig were dressed down and managed to jump on an opening when a Mayan stopped at traffic lights, and was attacked by The Chosen Few - and he just wanted to sleep. There would be time to party tomorrow!
"Tig…" The Sergeant at Arms didn't jump this time as the door opened and a beam of light shot across his pillow. Here was the other reason why he hadn't gone and partied that night... Boo. He'd been expecting her to come, after all she was so clued up to what happened within the club (no matter what Clay liked to believe) she was bound to know that there was a Mayan threat hanging over the club. Because of what had happened on the highway. Because Tig had killed someone to defend her.
"Hey doll..." he sighed, lifting his head to look at her, a soft smile on his lips. She looked as terrified as she had done a week before. He didn't hesitate in patting the empty space beside him where a blanket was already waiting for her. The teen cocked an eyebrow, gave Tig a questioning stare. "I knew you'd end up coming here…" he groaned, dropping his head back onto the pillow with a yawn. Boo didn't say a word, just nodded and clambered into bed next to Tig, her entire form visibly relaxing as she lay down next to Tig. She kept a distance between them, but faced Tig, her blue eyes wide and glazed with unshed tears, still looking rather distressed. "You'll be the death off me you know that." Tig said softly, an amused smile on his lips letting her know not to take his words too seriously. Even if she did end up being the death of him it would be a worthy death indeed. He'd die for her as easily and willingly as he'd die for his own daughters, or for his brothers.
"So it's true then? The Mayans know you killed that guy?" Boo asked, a shudder running through down her spine. She knew of course, that the Mayan's suspected SAMCRO had killed one of their Nomads – Gemma kept her very well informed with what happened in the club. Preparing her, Boo believed, for the inevitability of her becoming an Ol' Lady – but wasn't aware of how much Alvarez knew. What if he knew everything? What if he knew that it was Tig that had killed him and went after him? Or went after her for being the person that instigated it in the first place?
"No no, don't you worry Boo." Tig said, hurrying over his words in an attempt to calm Boo, his hand finding its way to her shoulder, squeezing it to comfort her. He hated that she was shaking, hated it. Goddamn Mexican! If the guy wasn't already dead Tig would have willingly killed him again! "They just know he's missing, that's all. We set things up to place the blame elsewhere." He explained truthfully (even if that hadn't been the truth, he would have been truthful. He couldn't lie too Boo, she could always tell when he did!) squeezing Boo's arm once again. The shaking stopped, but still she looked worried.
"If they came after you because of me I'd never forgive myself." She whispered, sounding as though she had a snake coiled around her throat. And she knew full well that she wouldn't. No matter what anyone might say to convince her otherwise, if Tig died because of what had happened on the freeway, she'd carry the burden on her shoulders forever. Tig scowled at once, not at all pleased by Boo's comments.
"Kid, listen to me." He said gently, eyes never leaving hers, thumb gently stroking her shoulder. "I'd die a hundred times over if it meant keeping you from harm okay?" he assured her, his voice soft and tender. Boo managed to smile, nodding as a single tear finally escaped her eyes. Tig wiped it away affectingly, knowing it wasn't a tear of sorrow, but because she was so overwhelmed with strong, conflicting emotions.
"I know you would." Boo whispered softly, indeed being plagued by conflicting emotions. On the one hand yes, Tig would willingly die for her, and she accepted that, but on the other, if he did, she would never forgive herself. Feeling the need to change subject before she burst into tears or started an argument with Tig about her holding any blame over his death, Boo asked him "What were you talking about before, when you mentioned Chibs had scars?" Tig cocked an eyebrow, wondered if Boo was kidding with him. Those scars were as plain as day, how could she have not seen them?
"Surely you saw them doll, the ones on his cheeks..?" he asked when he realised that she really wasn't kidding. Boo shook her head at once... she hadn't noticed any scars on his cheeks. She'd just noticed his warm brown eyes and the smile that seemed to reach his ears... Boo scowled to herself, wondered if maybe his smile hadn't reached his ears at all... wondered if maybe it just looked like he did because he was simply smiling a very different smile... the notorious Chelsea Smile or Glasgow Grin that she'd read so much about when researching the Kray Twins for a school project.
"No I... I didn't notice them." She admitted vaguely, lost in her thoughts. She wondered what pain Chibs had must have gone through in receiving such horrific scars, what he had done to deserve them in the first place. It must have been bad... you didn't mark someone like that without good reason!
"That's cause you can hardly look at him, what with your little schoolgirl crush and all!" Tig teased, misinterpreting Boo's vagueness as her thinking about Chibs. "You get all flustered when you look at him doll?" he asked with a smirk, his eyes sparkling wickedly. Boo blushed and rolled her eyes.
"Tig please don't!" she begged, turning her back on Tig, not wanting to deal with him teasing her about Chibs. She hated that he made fun of her over her crush, hated it! It made her feel like a small child with their first flutter of the heart over a playmate or a cartoon character.
"Boo!" Tig protected as Boo rolled over, surprised by her behaviour. He put his hand back on her shoulder but she shrugged it off with a 'Hmmppff'. Tig frowned, now a little worried. He'd never upset her this bad before. "Hey come on, I didn't mean to be cruel." He said, to which Boo let out a cynical 'Ha'. Tig couldn't help but smirk – how well she knew him! "Well I did, but you normally come back with some witty remark that shuts me up." He admitted humbly, hoping to provoke a reaction from Boo. She didn't move.
"Yeah..." she whispered sadly. Tig's frown deepened, along with his concern. This wasn't like Boo, not at all. Chibs really must have her panties in a twist!
"Jeez you must really have a thing for Scotty. I'd be jealous if I didn't know that you liked me more." Tig teased, trying one last time to get a reaction out of Boo. Finally, and much to Tig's relief, she turned and smiled at him, although the smile only lasted a second.
Tig knew he had to do some damage control before her little thing with Chibs got way out of control and became an obsession rather than just a crush. Chibs wasn't about to take some 16 year old kid as his Ol' Lady, least of all Clay's daughter! If he were to take an Ol' Lady it would be someone more his own age, someone old enough and mature enough to deal with all the shit that came with being the Ol' Lady of a SAMCRO member. Boo, as mature as she was for her age, was neither of those things. Not yet anyway. Tig was certain that one day she'd make a brilliant Ol' Lady – maybe to Juice or another future prospect closer to her own age – but not now.
"Look kid, you need to nip that in the bud or it'll fuck with your head." Tig said sternly, his facial expression making Boo aware that she should be listening to him, taking in all he said. "He's a lot older than you Boo, and a club member. You know what that means..." Tig trailed off, not needing to explain himself on that point. Boo had seen for herself time and time again over the last year what the men of SAMCRO were like, what they did with croweater's with or without them being tied to an Ol' Lady. The whole 'What happens on a run, stays on a run...' deal having been drummed into her head from day one. "You deserve a better guy than that, one your own age that'll treat you right." Again Boo just nodded, this time allowing a few tears too spill down her cheeks.
"Okay." She whispered, not trusting herself to say anymore. She knew Tig was right, knew that she didn't stand a chance with Chibs and that chances were, if she did find herself with him, she'd not be able to take the fact that he'd be with other women on runs, that croweater's would be constantly scrambling to do him or that he'd be walking into danger near enough every day. But that didn't make her pain any easier to bear... She didn't understand how, after knowing Chibs less than two days, he had such a powerful hold on her heart and mind. It was going to take her a hell of a lot to get over him! Who the hell was he?
"Boo..." Tig whispered sadly regretting hurting her but knowing it was necessary, when tears started to tumble down the teen's cheeks, trying to think of some way to comfort her. Boo shook her head, she didn't want to talk anymore. Not about Chibs, not about anything. Thankfully Tig picked up on that and pulled her too him, into his arms. She immediately relaxed against him, head in the crook of his neck, damping his skin with her tears, arm round his waist. "Go to sleep okay? You'll feel better tomorrow." Tig whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead before closing his eyes and attempting to sleep himself.
SAMCRO
"Can I ask you something?" After Tig's words of warning the previous night, Boo knew she should be avoiding Chibs. Knew that keeping her distance from the Scotsman would be the only thing that would help her get past her stupid crush and in the long run stop her from having her heart broken. But she was curious. Sneaking glances at Chibs throughout the morning had confirmed what she'd suspected – someone had given Chibs a Glasgow Grin. The scars on his cheeks, that curved up to his ears making it seem like he had a smile that stretched that far... She had to know why he had them; it was eating away at her, taking over her mind and preventing her from doing her work.
Chibs looked up from the car he was tinkering with and smiled softly at the sight of Boo. Again her behaviour was driving him mad with confusion: she was avoiding him like the plague and he couldn't understand why, what he'd done to upset her or piss her off. The day before he'd helped her fix then XR-750 she'd been having trouble with(since Tig had been hauling the Nomad Mayan's bike into the back of the club van alone, Clay's way off getting back at him for contesting him) and she'd been chatty and eager to spend time with him.
"Sure darlin'." He said, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands on as he followed the brunette over to the picnic bench by the front door of the clubhouse. She sat down opposite him, but didn't look at him, just down at her hands, which she fidgeted about nervously. Boo wasn't sure if she wanted to look up at Chibs, knew that if she did her eyes would go straight to his scars. He must get so much of that, it must be so irritating to have people staring at them and not at him. Eventually Boo fell back on her old trick – looking at a spot just over his shoulder so it seemed as though she was looking at him.
"The scars..." she said, not sure what else to say. Would he want to tell her why he had them? Or would he prefer to keep that information to himself? She needn't have worried as Chibs tutted and shook his head, a smile on his lips.
"Aye, shoulda known." He said, unsurprised by Boo's words. Everyone always wanted to know where his scars had come from, always. What surprised him was how upfront so many people were about asking him. Most people just came out and asked him how he'd gotten them. He was so used to it he didn't find it rude anymore, after all if it were someone else his curiosity would eventually drive him to ask why said person had such horrific scars."It happened a few years back..." he began, not sparing any detail in the story. After all the kid could handle it, she must be able to if she hung around Tig all the time. In two days off knowing him Chibs already knew that the Sergeant at Arms was a deeply disturbed and rather unusual man with some strange sexual desires, a lust for violence and a sick sense of humour. At least Chibs hoped it was a sense of humour... Either way the point was any woman that hung around Tig and put up with all he had to say could handle Chibs story.
Boo listened in wonder as Chibs spoke of his wife, his daughter and that 'McBastard' that swooped in and stole them, excommunicating him in the process, giving him a permanent reminder of all he had lost. In some ways it was the most horrific thing she had ever heard (clearly this Jimmy guy had left Chibs alive so that he'd always suffer, rather than killing him which would have ended his pain rather swiftly, no matter how much he prolonged it) but at the same time it was so romantic. The smartest thing Chibs could have done was walk away from Fiona when Jimmy stepped in and stole her away, but he'd fought for his wife, his little girl, because he loved them so much. He didn't care about the inevitable cost of standing up to Jimmy, he just cared about getting his family back, about proving to them how much he loved them and that he'd so anything for them...
"I think it's beautiful..." Boo whispered dreamily without thinking. Chibs looked at her in shock, his mouth hanging open allowing the cigarette between his lips to tumble to the ground, burning a hole in his jeans as it went. He didn't even flinch, so shocked was he by the kids comment. Beautiful? Had she even heard the story? Did she not get that he'd lost his family, everything he had known and loved because some Irish prick had decided he wanted what Chibs had? Upon realising what she'd said, Boo made an 'ep!' sound, her face bright red, before hastily trying to explain herself. "I mean not... no I'm not saying I think it's a good thing you got your face cut up..." she rambled, unable to find the right words.
"What do you mean?" Chibs asked, interrupting Boo's senseless rambling. He couldn't understand at all how any part of his story or his scars could be beautiful, but he'd give Boo a chance to explain her comment. Boo took a breath and paused for a second before starting up again, trying desperately to work out the right way to say what she wanted to say. Finally she looked up –actually looked at him, in the eyes despite the way it made her blush furiously– and spoke, choosing her words very carefully, speaking slowly so that he'd understand what she was saying.
"You got all cut up cause you loved someone... loved them more than anything else in the world..." she explained, smiling softly, her eyes sparkling at both the torment and romance she saw in Chibs story. "And you wear those scars with pride because of what they represent..." she continued, eyes drifting to his cheeks. Chibs fingers automatically went to his scars, he ran his fingers up them as he listened to Boo speak, captivated by what she had to say. "How much you love your family, you wife, your little girl... I can't think of a more beautiful reason to be as cut up and scarred as you are..." Boo concluded, still staring off dreamily. Chibs story was the stuff of fairy tales... almost anyway. The story was a bit sinister for a fairy tale, and only half done, but it was a fairy tale nonetheless. The tale needed to be finished, with Chibs either winning back his family and vanquishing the bad guy, or finding love again despite all he had been through, despite the scars on his face... Boo honestly didn't know which ending she preferred. Leaving Chibs deep in thought, Boo went to return to her work, knowing that the owner of the Harley Dyna she was working on would be back to pick it up within the hour.
"Boo wait..." Chibs called out after a second, chasing after Boo and grabbing her arm to stop her returning to the garage. The brunette jumped at the contact, obviously not hearing his call. He had been deeply touched by what Boo had said, no one had ever had such an interesting take on his story before, most just prattled on about how sorry they were about it all, but she... she had seen beauty in it where he had only seen pain. That had amazed him, she had amazed him, astounded him, completely bewildered him. He couldn't work her out at all. "Thank yeh, what yeh said... means a lot." He said sincerely, beaming down at the teenager, earning himself a sweet and shy smile from Boo in return. "I've never thought about 'em like that before... I like yer take on them better than my own." Boo nodded, pleased with herself, before returning to work and allowing Chibs to do the same. She was glad she had spoken to him, for while it had made getting over him that much harder (how could she not be more attracted to him after hearing that story? He was more than just a biker with a lust for whores, he had a wonderful heart and he loved his family as though there was nothing else in the world worth his time...) she kinda wished that he would one day win his family back and get the happily ever after that he deserved. And that dulled the pain a little...
SAMCRO
Gemma and Clay weren't due in at the garage until the afternoon. They'd rearranged their work so that they could go and visit Wayne Unser, Chief of Police before he went for his first round of chemotherapy that afternoon. The poor man was terrified and Gemma had insisted on going to see him, knowing that his wife wasn't fond of hospitals and that a friendly face would do him the world of good. Clay had been in a mood the entire morning, a foul mood that had pissed Gemma off. She tried her hardest not to snap at her husband – least of all when they were with Wayne – but he was really getting to her. He'd been going on and on about how Tig and Boo's stupidity had landed the club in hot water. About how Tig had dared to challenge him and how 'the kid' had been nothing but rude to him since it had all happened. Finally, when they were in the privacy of their own home, Gemma had snapped. It was about time Clay learned a few home truths. Like how Tig was stepping up and taking Clay's place in Boo's life. Being the father that Clay wasn't.
"Boo was in Tig's bed last night." She said simply as she sat at the dining table with a coffee in hand, knowing the remark would be enough to get Clay's attention. She'd watched from the shadows as Boo had snuck into Tig's room, clearly distressed, and listened in as Tig comforted her about her fears around the Mayan problem. Gemma had slipped back into her own bed then, satisfied that nothing sexual was going on between them. She'd been watching them for months, as had the rest of the club (save for Clay), watched as they'd formed a friendship, bonded, gotten closer, watched as Tig started to really care for her step-daughter, watched as he stepped into Clay's shoes and become the father figure that Boo so desperately craved.
"What!" Clay roared, throwing his own cup of coffee against the wall in anger and disgust. Gemma didn't flinch, just raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that bastard is fucking my daughter?" he asked his face ablaze with rage. He hoped to god he'd misheard Gemma, or that all was not as it seemed, because if it was true, if that animal had touched his kid, there would be hell to pay! There would be blood!
"Clay he doesn't see her like that!" Gemma snapped, gesturing for Clay to sit down, her steely glaze informing her husband that he should sit his ass down and listen to what she had to say. Clay obliged reluctantly. "She went to him because she doesn't feel safe; she blames herself for the shit with the Mayans!" Gemma explained coolly, holding Clay's gaze. Clay calmed a little, relived that his right hand man wasn't boning his 16 year old, but anger still raged inside of him. Why hadn't the kid come to him? He was her father after all! But no, she'd just been nothing but rude to him since all this had happened.
"Don't I keep her safe? Am I not her father?" Clay growled, eyebrow cocked, eyes bulging in their sockets. Gemma's lips thinned... Father. That was a pretty loose term for what Clay was. He hadn't been a father to her in the first 15 years of her life – despite knowing about her, despite her mother allowing him contact – and in the last year he'd not bothered to be a father either, just the occasional attempts to bond with her that lasted less than a day. It had been driving the poor girl up the wall, never knowing what to expect from Clay. One minute he'd brush her off and not bother with her and the next he wanted to find out how her school work was going and take her out for the day. The girl needed more stability than that, and Tig was that stability.
"I don't know what you are to that girl Clay; you blow her hot and cold as it pleases you!" Gemma scowled, staying as calm and collected as possible despite the rage she felt. "One minute you're trying to be the father that you weren't for the first 15 years of her life and the next it's like she doesn't exist with you." Clay looked at her, annoyed but not entirely shocked. Obviously this wasn't news to him – so why the hell wasn't he doing anything about it?
"I can't help it if I can't connect with the kid!" Clay shrugged obviously feeling as though this justified his lack of parenting on Boo's behalf. "If she were a boy..."
"But she's not Clay, she's a girl!" Gemma snapped, interrupting him, attempts at remaining calm thrown out the window. Clay had a son – her son – to bond with, to do the 'boy' stuff with, but he had a daughter as well and he should damn well learn how to connect with her! "She's just a scared little girl deep down Clay, a girl who needs a father!" Gemma went on. It had broken her heart to see the way Clay pushed Boo aside time and time again every time the girl reached out to him in an attempt to bond with him. Gemma loved that kid like her own – she was the daughter she'd never had – and she just wanted to do right by her, wanted her to have her daddy. The relief she'd felt when Tig had stepped into that role had been immense, but she wanted more than anything for Clay to be the one that had stepped up to the mark. After all, wasn't there where he was supposed to be? "Why else do you think she went to Tig huh? Because he's the father to her that you have never been and clearly don't want to be!" she cried, finally coming out with it all. Maybe Clay's stupid pride might make him man up and take over from Tig, become the father to Boo he already should be.
"I never asked for this Gemma! I never asked to have her in Charming!" Clay replied bitterly, sounding to Gemma as though he'd rather his daughter wasn't in Charming. The Queen couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so enraged at her husband! "I don't know how to be a goddamn father to her."
"Yeah? Well it's not like you've tried!" Gemma cried frankly, slamming her cup of un-drunk coffee down on the table, the contents spilling everywhere. "Tig has done all he can to make that girl feel safe and loved! He's succeeded where you've failed." She went on, pointing a finger at Clay, eyes narrowed dangerously. "That kid loves him, but I don't think I could say the same about you!" Something snapped in Clay then, he went beyond anger into a place where nothing made sense apart from making The Sergeant at Arms account for what he had done. He knew he'd been a bad father to his daughter, knew it and hated it, but in his mind that didn't justify another man stepping in and taking his place. Tig was going to pay for that, he had no right, no right at all to be his kids 'father'. It would have been better if he had been fucking the kid! That he would have expected from Tig! But this? The man couldn't even be a father to his own daughters so why the hell was he trying to be a father to Boo? It was a hit to Clay's ego, to his pride and that stung deep and hard! There needed to be vengeance and there would be blood.
"Well then, I think it's about time Alex and I had a little talk." Clay growled his voice eerily calm. He got up and walked out the front door, slamming it behind him. Gemma knew he was going to the garage, but didn't dare to try and stop him. Clay's pride ruled him right now, and that was a dangerous thing to mess with! Instead she raced to the phone, hoping to give Tig and Boo some sort of heads up. But no one was answering their phones...