The Scottish Thistle and The English Rose by HaylsValo

Chapter 37: Cry because it's Over

Boo sat alone at the top of the stairs that lead to Maureen's apartment clutching a cloth filled with ice to her swollen right eye, which she still couldn't open. Maureen had given her some painkillers before she'd taken Fiona and Kerrianne back to the rectory but they had done nothing to ease the pain in Boo's eye and jaw. A glance in the mirror had shown Boo that almost the entire right side of her face was swollen and littered with dark bruising, her eye was black and the cut just above it was shallow but curved right up to the lining of her hair. The bruises on her cheeks, left by Jimmy's fingers, were lighter in colour but had spread quite far out on her skin, making them seem worse than they were. Boo knew Chibs was going to go insane when he saw what Jimmy had done to her, when he found out about all that had happened whilst he was in Dungloe. She hoped he won't be stupid or reckless enough to go after Jimmy and that if he did; she'd have it in her to stop him. Chibs would only get himself killed if he went after Jimmy now. Boo was about to go and replace the rapidly melting ice in the cloth when the roar of motorcycles reached her ears. She got to her feet with smile, a smile that soon fell away when she caught sight of the convey of bikes; even from a distance and with one eye swollen shut, she could see that there were several men missing and that those that remained looked a little worse for wear. The atmosphere on the lot became subdued and depressed before everyone had rolled to a stop. Boo hesitated at the top of the stairs as the Sons dismounted their bikes and headed inside, uncertain if it was her place to join them and ask what was going on but she soon realised that everyone was going inside but Filip, who had sat himself down on one of the benches. Within moments he'd dropped his head into his hands and his body convulsed and jerked with sobs. Boo dashed down the stairs to him at once, gripping the handrail for support as her distorted vision meant she was stumbling. As she approached Filip the last of the stranglers – Jax and Juice - headed inside; each of them patted him on the shoulder as they passed him by, offered words of comfort. Boo couldn't help but notice that their skin and clothes alike had been blackened with something akin to soot. Boo gulped fearfully, her hands started to shake and she couldn't rid herself of the feeling that something truly awful had happened.

"Filip…" Boo whispered softly, uncertainly, once they were alone outside. She kept a distance from her husband, who smelled strongly of smoke and blood, for she was certain her presence would startle him and make him lash out without thinking. Chibs raked his shaking fingers through his hair before turning to face Boo, who gasped in shock at the heartbroken expression on his tear dampened face. His eyes were almost black, burning with anguish, ringed red from spent tears that still continued to fall from them while his hair, although freshly washed that morning, was limp, dirty and hung about his face heavy with grease and filth. His blackened face was gaunt under the dirt that stained it, damp with tears, his lips contorted into a grimace that seemed to age him ten years. Whatever had happened in Dungloe had left his so distraught he didn't even see the mess Boo's face was in; in fact it was almost like he didn't see her at all. Boo took a few cautious steps closer. Chibs eyes focussed a little more then sparked in recognition. He held his hand out to Boo who took it without hesitation, laced their fingers together tight. "What's going on Filip?" Boo asked anxiously, voice shaking as much as Chibs was. The Scotsman didn't answer, he just pulled her closer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into her chest with an anguished sigh. Even through the layers of clothing she was wearing, Boo could feel his tears. She put one arm around his shoulders at once, curled her free hand tight in his hair, holding him too her before burying her face in his hair, despite the dirt and grime that clung to it. Now that she was pressed up against him, Boo realised her man smelt of death. She held Chibs too her, still and silent, for more than a full minute before she asked "Where's Paddy?" She'd noticed the young Irishman had been missing from the convey of bikes as soon as it'd pulled into the lot. As much as she liked to believe that maybe he'd stayed behind for some reason, Chibs anguish made it obvious that something had happened him.

"He…" Chibs drawled heavily, his voice muffled by the soft, warm rise of Boo's breasts. He was reluctant to pull away from the comfort her soft chest offered; he could just bury his face in her dark top and close his eyes, breathe in her sweet smell and forget the horrors of Dungloe. He felt safe with his face pressed into Boo's chest, his arms around her slim waist; it was like he was back in Charming and alone in bed with his girl, not stuck in Ireland with the image of his dead nephew's disfigured body burning fresh and forever in his mind, with Padraic's blood clinging too him along with the rank scent of his burnt flesh. Eventually Chibs decided he could not bring himself to leave the comfort and refuge of Boo's chest just yet, so he tilted his head so that his next words would not be muffled. He did not want to repeat them. "He's dead." He whispered, words deadpan and emotionless, barely loud enough for Boo to hear yet they echoed in his and Boo's head alike. He's dead. Padraic, his foolish imp of a nephew, the boy that had become a man that had flirted with his wife, the man he'd planned to humiliate for that sin in front of everyone by shaving a dick into his hair once he'd passed out, was dead and gone and wasn't coming back. A fresh wave of grief hit the Scotsman then and he longed for nothing more than to return completely to the sweet sanctuary of Boo's breasts, but he didn't because he knew his wife would ask questions that he had no choice but to answer.

"What?" Boo choked out, sounding strangled by her own surprise and grief. She'd heard Chibs as clear as day and had known from the moment those words had passed his lips that Padraic was indeed dead. She needed details however, an idea of what had happened – as grim and morbid as that was – for Paddy couldn't just be dead; there was reason to it, something or someone had killed him. But who, how or what? Boo had a sneaking suspicion that Jimmy - although at Maureen's when Paddy had undoubtedly died - had had something to do with the young Telford's demise. The sooty, bloody stains and thick stench of blood and death on Chibs told Boo without words, that that demise had been brutal.

"We were set up at the barn." Chibs explained, no emotion at all seeping into his expressionless voice. The Scotsman knew if he allowed himself the luxury of allowing his grief and anguish to be made apparent in his voice; he'd never be able to tell Boo what had happened in Dungloe. "Explosion was meant for us; took out some of the Irish instead." He added, his voice sharpening slightly, making his bitterness and resentment at what'd happened apparent. His head rang with the memory of the explosion, the fear and confusion, the certainty from before hand that something was going to happen. He could hear the screams in his head, his own and those belonging to his brothers and now all Chibs could see was Padraic, dead and armless on the ground, all he could smell was his burnt and bloodied body. He couldn't help but feel guilty – he should have been the one lying dead and in pieces on the floor, surrounded by his weeping and anguished brothers, not Paddy. Not young, innocent Padraic. "Padraic included." Chibs declared, before burying his face into Boo's chest once again. And then it came; the wave of tears and heart wrenching sobs that he'd only forced himself to hold back so that he could ride back to the clubhouse with the others. The tears came so thick and fast they blinded him, made his eyes sting and throb so much he felt as though he'd had something thrown into them. Before long the front of Boo's shirt was sodden and the Scotsman was certain his warm tears had soaked right through to the soft skin of her breasts. He was certain she was saying things to him, words of reassurance and comfort, but he could not hear her. All he could hear was the muffled sounds of his own sobs, haggard and violent, like the sound of someone being strangled with something that was so tight around their neck, it was practically crushing their windpipe.

"Filip…" Boo whispered as Chibs began to weep, unable to say anything more, uncertain of what she could say to comfort her husband. She curled her fingers into his hair and held him to her, trying all the while to ignore the tears that had formed in her eyes, the ache in her chest. She'd known Paddy only for a few days but his death was still hitting her hard, was still making her ache with crippling despair. She couldn't imagine how much Filip was hurting. "It's okay, I'm here." She assured him as she rubbed his back, her voice tight and strained, thick with her own grief. A few tears spilled down her cheeks but she ignored them. "I'm not going anywhere, you cry as much as you want." She promised Chibs as she pressed a kiss into his matted, greasy hair. Despite the rank smell of death that clung to Chibs' locks, Boo kept her face buried in them. She continued to hold him tight and close, her hand constantly rubbing his back reassuringly as he sobbed. His whole body jerked and convulsed with the intensity of his sobs and Boo's chest felt damp from his tears, but she continued to hold him and after a long while, the sobs started to subside. He soon titled his head once more so that he could speak without having to leave the sanctuary of Boo's breasts.

"He was just a boy Hen, just a wee lad." Chibs drawled brokenheartedly, his voice thick with emotion, accent coming through much stronger than usual. It didn't seem fair at all that Padraic was one of the men that had perished; he'd been the youngest patched member in SAMBEL at just 23 years old, he'd had his whole life ahead of him – the chance to find love, a devoted Ol' Lady who would stick by him no matter what, who'd give him children and help him through the rough times – and now he was dead, now all he had in front of him was a hasty, secret burial that would all too soon be forgotten about. Chibs was determined that things would not end like that for his nephew; he'd make sure the lad got a grand send off. It was what he deserved. "Why? Why him?" he demanded, his words not really directed at Boo but at the God he'd long since stopped believing in. God of course, could offer no answer for Chibs knew he didn't exist but maybe Boo could say something that would at least sooth his aching heart.

"I don't know Filip, I don't know." Boo wept softly as she shook her head. She wished she could say more, give Chibs the answer he was so desperately searching for but she couldn't because there was no answer. Not one that Chibs would want to hear anyway. "Was this Jimmy?" Boo asked for although he had been at Maureen's with her and the others when the explosion happened, Boo didn't doubt his involvement in the explosion for one second – after all, he was meant to have been in Dungloe for a meet with the Sons but he'd actually been in Belfast, threatening the women Chibs deemed himself closest too.

"Who the fuck else would it be?" Chibs spat angrily, pushing Boo away from him as he spoke to protect her from the outburst of anger he knew he couldn't stop from coming. He no longer needed proof; some members of SAMBEL were in Jimmy's pocket and he was certain one of them was Liam. He hated to think how many more of them were on Jimmy's payroll! Doing his bidding to line their pockets and look where that had gotten them! Almost half a dozen of their brothers were dead, with many more injured. If things carried on the way they were, they'd be no more charter left by the end of the month! "I'm gonna tear apart these Irish pricks Hen; they're in his back pocket and because of that my nephew is dead!" Chibs snarled as he leapt to his feet, grabbed the nearest thing to him – a half-full bottle of beer – and flung it with all his might at the clubhouse wall. He watched as it shattered into hundreds of tiny shards, as the flat, lukewarm beer slowly oozed down the wall. The sound of it smashing rung in his ears, soft and comforting, and the Scotsman found himself smiling just a little. He wanted to take his anger out on a person, to lay his fists into Jimmy O again and again until he'd beaten the little prick to within an inch of his life! But he couldn't and nor could he lash out at the Liam, the man he believed to be in Jimmy's pocket, for the club had no proof. What he could do however, was destroy things and so he did. He grabbed at what he could, from beer bottles to ashtrays, from chairs to the spare helmets that sat on the bench he'd just been sitting on, and hurled them against the wall with as much force as he could muster, roaring as he did so, screaming and cursing in English and Gaelic. He revelled in the release destroying things gave him, the temporary break from his grief at Padraic's death and when he finally ran out of things to hurl, he dropped to the floor and started sobbing again, raking his fingers through his hair in an attempt to gain control of his near unmanageable emotions. "At least… it would've been quick. No pain." He muttered vaguely, for Padraic would have been dead before he even knew what was going on, before the sound had even reached Chibs' ears. He wouldn't have felt a thing; just sweet release from his mortal body.

Boo watched, but did not try to stop, as Chibs destroyed everything and anything he could get his hands on. She knew he needed to do something, anything to help him cope with losing Paddy, the pain and the anguish, the anger. Boo wished she could say something to comfort Chibs, to ease his suffering somewhat but she couldn't for nothing she could say would bring Paddy back or put right what had happened, so she merely watched and waited for him to tire himself out, to finish venting his frustrations. She felt herself tear up as she watched him, his face red with rage, his accent so thick she didn't understand a single word he said but she didn't dare try and wipe the tears from her eyes. The right side of her face was already sore and tender and so sensitive that just touching it cautiously with her fingertips had her hissing in pain. When Chibs finally collapsed to the ground in tears, Boo went and crouched down in front of him, took his hand in hers and held it tight. Chibs didn't even look at her, he just continued to sob.

"You're going to get your revenge Filip." Boo assured him as she gave his hand a firm shake. Boo had been part of the club long enough to know when they were planning something; the little hints Chibs was dropping told her that it would eventually lead to the hopefully brutal demise of Jimmy O and that she shouldn't ask any questions for her own good. Boo hoped whatever her family intended to do went as planned or she'd lose them all to jail for a very long time indeed. "You and the club will work past all this bullshit, get to the truth, get to Jimmy before he causes yet more trouble other than all the things he did today." Boo insisted, for she was certain that the club intended to get to Jimmy before things got any worse, before he hurt or killed another person that Filip loved.

"More trouble? What else has the bastard done?" Chibs asked, anger seeping back into his voice. He'd listened closely to what Boo had said and hadn't missed her choice of words 'before be causes yet more trouble other that all the things he did today.'. Chibs knew at once that more had happened that day because of Jimmy other than the explosion in Dungloe and immediately looked up at his wife for answers, suddenly fearful that Jimmy had done something to her or his little girl. He gasped when he caught sight of her face. He couldn't believe how swollen and bruised the right side of it was, so swollen that she couldn't even open her eye! Her cheeks were littered with bruises that could only have been left by fingers, there was an awful cut curving up her forehead too and while it didn't seem deep, Chibs believed it would leave her scarred for life. Boo's skin was so black that Chibs had to touch it just to reassure himself that his girl wasn't covered in dried blood. She wasn't but she winched at her touch."Yer face Boo…" he muttered dejectedly as he traced the tender, ragged, near black cut on her forehead. Boo winched again and Chibs felt a tug on his heartstrings, felt his eyes swim with tears yet again. "This was Jimmy wasn't it?" he spat, voice and body alike suddenly shaking with rage. Boo nodded her head and the Scotsman felt his anger worsen His rage wasn't just directed at Jimmy, but at himself as well. He'd not been able to protect his wife from Jimmy! The vile Irish prick had put his hands on his girl, squeezed her face until it'd bruised, hit her so hard her face was bruised, swollen and scarred for life; Chibs would never forgive himself for allowing such a thing to happen to his girl, for failing to keep her safe from the one man he'd vowed never to let hurt her. "Fiona? Kerrianne, what about them?" he then demanded, words caught in his throat he was so panic stricken. If Jimmy had hurt Boo this badly, what on earth had he done to them?

"They're fine, at the rectory." Boo assured Chibs, managing to smile at him for just a moment so that he knew her words to be true. "But Kerrianne is really shaken up, completely terrified." She admitted. While Kerrianne had calmed considerably before she and Fiona had returned to the rectory, Boo was certain this was only because she was glad to finally be returning there, somewhere she felt safe. Jimmy's attack had terrified her and she'd undoubtedly be in quite a state because of it.

"What happened darlin'?" Chibs asked, removing his hands from Boo's face despite the fact that he wanted to examine her wounds more, despite the fact that he wanted to check to see how much damage Jimmy had done to her; his touch was obviously hurting her so he'd leave her be for now. Boo launched into the story at once, rambling quickly as she detailed the events of that afternoon. The Scotsman growled in anger as Boo tearfully told him of how Jimmy had burst in with Donny, armed and with a gun aimed at Casey's head. His anger heightened she told him of how Jimmy had leered at her, threatened to rape and cut her, threatened to give her scars that matched his own. He cursed then, in Gaelic and English, spat out every nasty word he could think of before allowing Boo to continue with her tale. Despite how horrified and sickened he was by Jimmy's threats against his girl – and indeed himself – he was pleased to learn that not only had Kerrianne been out of the room at the time but also that Boo had managed to stand up for herself, for them, just a little by spitting in Jimmy's face. "Yeh spat in his face?" Chibs asked with a hearty chuckle. When it came to hygiene and sanitation, Jimmy was almost as ruthless as he was with the Cause. He hated dirtiness; near enough feared germs… having someone spit in his face was just about his worst nightmare! "That's my girl!" he cried jubilantly when Boo confirmed this, before gently cupping her cheeks in his hands and giving her a chaste but proud kiss. Chibs' pride in his Ol' Lady however, was short lived for he soon discovered that it was the vile act of spitting in Jimmy's face that had lead him to smashing her in the side of the face with his gun. He then listening in anguish and barely controlled anger as Boo told him of how Jimmy had killed Casey to prove that he was in charge, of how he tried to take 'his family' home and of how Jimmy had threatened to kill Boo if Fiona and Kerrianne didn't leave with him. Chibs was both astounded and elated to discover that Fiona had stopped Jimmy from killing Boo – at Kerrianne's insistence – when she could have so easily let her rival die. He hoped such an act of kindness, even if it was one that was not entirely Fiona's own, would help Boo and Fiona form some sort of civil relationship, if nothing else. The Scotsman was also frustrated to learn that Boo didn't quite know what'd happened with Jimmy in the end, as Gemma - after the matriarch had managed to snatch control of the situation from Jimmy - had ushered her away from the kitchen, but knew he'd get his answers from Fiona if he went to the rectory. One of the very few things he had in common with his estranged wife – other than their daughter – was their hatred for Jimmy O. She'd tell him about everything that had happened after Boo had left and would make sure he knew all about how Kerrianne was coping with matters. "I need teh go and see Fiona and Kerrianne; make sure they're okay." Chibs sighed as he took both of Boo's hands in his own. He wasn't sure how Boo would react to this, given all that had happened with Fiona that day, but was surprised to see her nod her head and smile warmly.

"Yeah, I know you do. You need to make sure they're okay, I get that." Boo said. While she really had no idea where she stood with Fiona or where the Irishwoman stood regarding her relationship with Filip but after their blazing row that afternoon, after being attacked by Jimmy and saved by Fiona she was starting to realise that maybe Chibs had been right all along; maybe Fiona was just scared and certain Chibs was the solution to her problems. Maybe the afternoon's events would make her see she could handle her shit without her estranged husband or maybe they had made her want him even more. No matter what though, Boo knew her man had to go and make sure Fiona and Kerrianne were okay and she wasn't going to stop him from doing so, or make him feel guilty for it either; it was just the sort of man he was, he put those he loved first and he his mind wouldn't be at rest until he went and checked on them.

"Good. Darlin' I'm so fuckin' sorry Jimmy did this to you." Chibs sighed as he very carefully reached out and brushed his fingertips over Boo's face once again. The bruising had only gotten even darker still as they'd talked, but the swelling had started to go down. Hopefully by the time he was back from the rectory her painkillers would have kicked in probably and the swelling on her face would have gone down enough to allow him to examine the extent of the damage done by Jimmy – they couldn't risk taking her to a hospital in Ireland, but if the damage was bad enough, they'd find a way to make sure she got treated. "I'm not gonna let him get away with this, with killing Paddy nor with what he did to Fiona and my daughter." He promised firmly, taking Boo's hands again before placing a succession of kisses on her knuckles. He didn't want to focus on his rage right now, his need to go after and tear apart Jimmy O, he just wanted to focus on making sure his wife was okay, on making sure that his daughter and Fiona were safe, unhurt and recovered somewhat from the days events. Then, when he finally knew all his girls were okay, he'd sit down with his brothers and discuss with them how their plans to go after and kill Jimmy were altered by the days events and of how violent he could make the man's death after all he'd done that day; he wasn't going to be stupid and reckless enough to just go after the man, Jimmy would be half-expecting Chibs to do so and would kill the Scotsman before he even caught sight of his Irish rival.

"You go and check on them Filip." Boo repeated, ducking forward to kiss Chibs cheek as she did so. "They need you right now." She added as Chibs got to his feet, before pulling Boo to hers and gently brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I'm going to our room but I'll wait up for you." She explained as she nodded her head towards the grotty motel that SAMCRO were staying at. She desperately wanted to take some more painkillers and sleep for a little while and figured she'd have a few hours to nap before Chibs returned both from the rectory and his inevitable meeting with SAMCRO about the day's events.

"Aye." Chibs nodded, smiling as he spoke. He was so thankful that Boo was becoming far more understanding and at ease with the Fiona situation as time went on and hoped that soon, once Jimmy was dead, they'd be able to put the whole thing behind them, especially if Jimmy's demise brought about the one thing (other than contact with his daughter) Chibs now wanted from Fiona; a divorce. He'd promised Boo that he would talk to Fiona again about divorce whilst they were in Ireland and she likewise, had promised not to bring the matter up until they were home to avoid upsetting Fiona to the point where she simply flat out denied to grant Chibs a divorce. "Thank yeh darlin', yer wonderful, yeh know that?" he grinned, carefully kissing Boo's battered and bruised forehead, before pressing his lips to the end of her nose and finally, her lips. By the last kiss Boo was giggling in delight, her eyes were sparkling and all traces of the pain she'd been in were gone from her face. "Don't know what I'd do without you; don't you ever leave me." He sighed, cupping her cheek before kissing her one last time.

"I promise." Boo whispered, smiling softly as she stared deep into Chibs' warm, loving brown eyes.

SAMCRO

Chibs was tired and weary, spent with emotion, and wanted nothing more than to just crawl into bed with Boo but he couldn't just yet as he needed first to make sure that she'd be safe for the remainder of their time in Ireland, along with Fiona and Kerrianne. His trip to see his estranged wife and daughter at the rectory had reassured him that they were both doing well after Jimmy's visit to Maureen's that afternoon. Kerrianne had greeted her father with a smile and a hug, but had soon retreated to her room with her iPod leading Chibs to believe she was still very shaken up about the incident. Fiona assured Chibs that his little girl would be okay, given some time and Chibs in turn assured Fiona that he was going to do what he could to make sure Jimmy was soon dead. Filip left without telling his daughter that her cousin Padraic was dead, he just didn't have the heart to do so, he knew she wouldn't take the news well. He'd have to do so at some point however, which meant revealing to his little girl just how close he'd come to getting blown up for a second time, something he was dreading.

"I want a patch on them at all times." Chibs demanded angrily as his eyes scanned the room, looking from brother to brother. He was just waiting for one of them to contend his request, to say they didn't have the numbers to do such a thing. If any of them dared to do such a thing he'd bite their head off, pin them to the wall and put a gun to their head because as far as he was concerned, his family needed protection and he didn't want anyone other than a fully patched member from SAMCRO with them at all times. Father Ashby couldn't keep them safe and SAMBEL couldn't be trusted so SAMCRO needed to step in. No one contended Chibs, in fact no one said so much as a word so he continued. "Boo too; I don't ever want her left on her own again while we're in this shithole country!" he growled, shuddering softly at the thought of what might just happen to his girl if she were to be left alone again whilst they were in Belfast. He'd hated that she was alone in their room while he talked with his brothers and was eager to just get done with them so he could join her, make sure she was okay and protect her from any threat that appeared.

"You're got it." Clay agreed with a nod of his head, eyes scanning to room to see who he could spare for such a task. He didn't really want to lose two brothers for the sake of babysitting a few women by he knew that if it was Gemma he'd be making sure that there was someone he trusted with her at all times. Boo of course, was still family to him even if she'd long since stopped being his daughter so he wanted to make sure she was safe but he was far less bothered about protecting Fiona and Kerrianne. Still, protecting them would keep the Scotsman focused and calm so the SAMCRO president decided to put Bobby with Boo and Juice with Fiona and Kerrianne. If he needed more men he'd have Bobby take Boo to the rectory so Juice could watch over her too.

"Oswald's got a cargo plane heading out of Manchester day after tomorrow." Bobby informed Chibs, for he'd spoken to the man as they'd waited for Chibs to return. Oswald had dropped some heavy hints that he wanted everyone to return on that plane so Bobby had been forced to make it clear that they weren't returning without Abel, who was yet to be found. "You should take Boo, Fi and Kerrianne and get on it, head back to Charming." He added. In his opinion, considering how violent and uncontrollable things in Ireland had been, it made perfect sense for Chibs to take his women home where they'd be safe and no longer a distraction for the club.

"He's right Chibs, you've gotta keep them all safe." Jax chipped in when Chibs didn't immediately reply. He didn't understand why Chibs wasn't jumping on the idea at taking his girls home with him, at doing something that would undoubtedly keep them safe. All three of those women could get killed if they stayed in Ireland much longer!

"No." Chibs drawled, firmly and dangerously. He wanted of course, nothing more than to take his daughter and Ol' Lady home – and by default, his estranged wife too – but Kerrianne didn't want that and he knew forcing her to return to Charming with him would make her resent and hate him forever.

"You've gotta protect them brother." Opie said, trying to keep his voice level. He knew the Scotsman must have his reasons for refusing to take his family home on Oswald's plane and wanted to hear him out, after all his family was at stake her, his wife and child, the mother of his daughter. He wasn't just going to let them get killed. Other's in the group were less understanding however, Jax jumped to his feet before Opie had even finished talking and marched towards Chibs, his face contorted in rage. Chibs stared his VP out, his eyes near black, a dangerous look about him; it was obvious he wasn't going to back down, even if Jax was his superior within the club. Happy thankfully, edged closer, ready to jump between the two men if needs be.

"This is just your family we're talking about bro." Jax spat, eyes wide and blazing as he looked Chibs up and down in barely concealed disgust. Shit was bad enough in Ireland as it was, Jax didn't want to add to that by having to constantly worry about the safety of his little sister. Things would be so much easier for him – and indeed everyone – if they knew she was safe and at home. "Boo is family to all of us; we all love her and we don't want anything to happen to her." He ranted, looking around at the others for support who all nodded their heads or made grunts of agreement. Boo had been part of their family for near nine years now and there wasn't a single member that didn't have some form of attachment to her! They all wanted her safe and as far as Jax was concerned, Chibs was being foolish and irresponsible by refusing to take Boo – as well as Fiona and Kerrianne – back to Charming.

"I am going to protect them." Chibs barked as he shoved Jackson away from him, giving him as he did so, a look that told the younger man how offended and maddened he was by him for doubting in his ability to protect Boo. Jax gave a curt nod, willing to hear what the Scotsman had to say before he jumped down his throat again about protecting Boo. "This is Kerrianne's home and she does not want to leave. I'm not going to force her." He drawled firmly, yet rather reluctantly. As much as he wanted his daughter home with him, living with him and Boo in Charming, he wasn't going to force her away from the place that she considered home. Maybe in the future, she might visit and decide to stay but for now she wanted to stay in Ireland. So she would. "And if yeh think Boo will get on plane with Fiona, yeh obviously don't know her very well at all." He added a little snidely, his eyes on going around the room as he spoke. Every one of his brothers knew how bad things were with Fiona and Boo so why they expected the pair of them to just get on a plane together and head back to Charming Chibs didn't know. "They only way I can keep Fiona, my wife and my baby safe is when that bastard O'Phelan is dead." Chibs went on, spitting the words, fists clenched and shaking. If Jimmy died, so would any threat against Fiona and Kerrianne. With him dead, Fiona and Kerrianne would be safe; so Chibs was going to kill him. Sure Chibs murdering Jimmy was already part of Jackson's plan but that all depended on how things in Ireland played out and wasn't a certainty. The Scotsman wanted to make things very clear; no matter how things went in Ireland and back in Charming, he was going to kill Jimmy. Him and him alone. "And I guarantee, I am going to make that happen." He snarled determinedly, eyes on Jackson, lip curling for just a moment as he thought how much joy he would get from killing the prick that had ruined his life and stolen his family.

"Yeah, okay bro." Jax nodded, all his doubts against Chibs ability to protect Boo suddenly gone. He could see how determined the man was to protect his family, to keep them safe and knew without doubt that he'd make sure that happened. "We'll sort this shit Chibs; you go up and be with Boo." He added as he nodded his head towards the stairs that lead to the shitty little rooms McGee had booked for the club. Boo was up there all alone and Jackson worried for her. She'd been through a hell of a lot in the last few days, hell the last few months, and she was in no fit state to be left alone. She needed to be with Chibs and the grieving Scotsman likewise, needed to be with her. "You both need one another right now." He said as the others nodded their agreement. Chibs had just lost his nephew, had just discovered his Ol' Lady, estranged wife and daughter had been threatened and attacked by Jimmy; he didn't need to be dealing with club shit, he needed to be in the arms of the woman he loved, grieving and processing the day's events. "We'll fill you in tomorrow." He promised. There wasn't much left to discuss so it'd be easy enough to fill Chibs in come morning.

"Yeah and we'll make sure Boo stays safe; someone will be with her at all times now, I promise." Clay added with a nod of his head, standing and clapping Chibs on the shoulder as he spoke. Chibs nodded his thanks and embraced his president, his mood heightened by the knowledge that a patched member would be watching over his girls from now on and that soon, he'd be curled up in bed with Boo in his arms.

"Aye; thank yeh brothers." Chibs said with a nod of head, embracing each of his brothers in turn before he headed up to the room he and Boo shared. He was pleased to see that, as promised, she had waited up for him. She was curled up in bed with a book and a large bag of candy – comfort eating no doubt – but pushed both aside when she head the door open. "Hey." He drawled with a smile. Boo returned his greeting as he shut and locked the door behind him. She shifted aside in the small bed giving Chibs enough room to crawl in next to her. After kicking off his boots and shrugging off his jacket, he did so, kissing Boo's lips tenderly before gently touching at her swollen eye with his fingertips. The swelling had finally started to go down, but the bruising was even worse than it had been earlier and Boo was still unable to open her right eye. "This hurtin' yeh at all?" Chibs asked, for Boo didn't flinch away from his touch or hiss in pain like she had done last time he'd touched her battered face.

"Not as much as it was." Boo admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. Her face was still tender and raw but the painkillers Maureen had given her had finally taken effect, meaning Chibs touch stung a little but otherwise didn't hurt at all. Chibs smiled at that, kissed her once more before pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms around her. Boo cuddled into him and closed her eyes, she was exhausted and longed to just sleep, but knew it would evade her for a while yet. "How are they?" she asked, despite only really caring for how Kerrianne was doing.

"Safe. Shaken up, but safe." Chibs said with a heavy sigh. He wished he could say different, that both were fine and had shrugged off the incident with a hearty chuckle, but he couldn't. Kerrianne had closed herself off completely but Chibs could tell she was terrified, shaken up and anxious about what'd happened. Fiona likewise, had been rattled by the incident, even if she did try to act like it hadn't. "Someone will be watching over them from now on." Chibs went on. The incident with Jimmy had been awful, made him feel sick with fear and anger but the one comfort he could take away from it was that now there'd be a fully patched member of SAMCRO with all his girls at all times. Now he didn't have to worry about them so much, now he knew they'd be protected, should something happen. "There'll be someone with you too." He added, somewhat hesitantly. He knew Boo would hate having someone 'babysitting' her, despite how much Jimmy's attack had gotten to her. He expected her to protest, to beg him to stay with her instead but she didn't, she just nodded her head without saying a word. Chibs bit back a sigh of relief – he was in no mood to argue – and pressed a kiss to Boo's forehead in way of thanks.

"Are you okay?" Boo asked after a short silence. She'd wanted to protest about the fact that a fully patched member would now be babysitting her but had stopped herself before the words had even left her mouth. Chibs needed to focus on helping the others find Abel, on going after Jimmy and he wouldn't be able to do either if he was worrying about her safety. So she'd put up with being babysat like a child and hopefully it would lead to Abel getting found a lot quicker. "Stupid question, I know." Boo added when Chibs didn't immediately answer. She opened her eyes and tilted her head up so she could look at him, took his hand in hers. He looked overwhelmed and forlorn, like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. His eyes were glassy with tears, dark and hollow, his skin pale and still marred by the soot he'd not been able to completely wash away and his lower lip was trembling as if he was on the brink of bursting into tears. When still, Chibs did not give her an answer, Boo leaned up and pressed her lips to his, nuzzled his nose with her own. As she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Chibs', she felt him smile just a little, felt his fingers curl into her hair, holding her to him.

"Aye… aye, I'll be fine darlin'." Chibs promised as he held Boo to him, nodding his head slightly as he spoke. The warm weight of her atop of him was familiar, comforting and eased greatly the heavy feeling of grief that was weighing down on him, the guilt he felt for not being able to save his nephew from the blast or protect his girls from Jimmy. With Boo atop of him, her lips so close to his, her arms around him and her ample breasts pushed up against him Chibs felt as though there was nothing else in the world but them, no pain, no worries, no dead nephew or sacred daughter and defiantly, no Jimmy O. If he could, Chibs would stay in bed with Boo forever, just holding her atop of him, breathing in her sweet smell, feeling her soft skin with his fingertips… "You, Fiona and Kerrianne are safe now and soon I'll get to kill that Irish prick O'Phelan. That's all that matters." Chibs added for he took just as much comfort in the knowledge that a fully patched member would be with his girls at all times as he did from having Boo wrapped around him. "Are you okay?" he asked, opening his eyes so that he could stare up into Boo's. Rather, so he could stare up into her one good eye and the swollen and bruised one that didn't look like it was going to open any time soon. The Scotsman couldn't help but shudder at the sight of Boo's battered face close up, the bruising was so dark and painful looking, her eye looked like it was about to pop right out of her head. "Jimmy must've really rattled yeh and I know yeh had a fight with Fiona." Chibs added, chuckling in amusement as he mentioned Boo's fight with Fiona. When he'd first heard about the fight he'd been livid – after all he'd told Fiona and Boo alike to keep their shit with one another to themselves – but he soon calmed down when he realised that not only had Kerrianne not been in the room as they'd bickered but it had also allowed Fiona and Boo to move past their differences and hatred for one another somewhat – according to Fiona anyway.

"Yeah." Boo admitted with a nod of her head, her cheeks burning red at the admission. She'd not expected Fiona to mention their fight to Filip but in a way, was glad that she had because that meant she didn't have to. The Scotsman didn't sound mad at her at all, despite his warnings to her on the matter, so Boo decided to explain herself a little. "I… I'm sorry I just needed to say some shit to her." She rambled quickly, for that just about summed up her reasons for arguing with Fiona; she'd needed to say some things – albeit angry things – to the Irishwoman and so she'd said them too her. Now that those things had been said, Boo felt more at ease around the woman – and felt more at ease about Filip being around her – more so because of what had happened with Jimmy and the fact that Fiona had saved her life. "Kerrianne wasn't in the room I swear." She added quickly, to which Chibs nodded, letting her know he both knew and believed his daughter had been out of the room as Boo and Fiona had fought. "But the shit with Jimmy…" Boo whispered with a shake of her head, shuddering softly as she spoke. Chibs felt her shudder and scowled, hating that Jimmy was still scaring her hours after the attack. He placed a hand on her back and rubbed it in a comforting way. "He scared me when he threatened to cut me, to rape me… when he traced out your scars on my cheeks…" Boo choked out, voice strained and high, her fingers tracing over Chibs scars as she mentioned how Jimmy had done the same to her. The Scotsman let out an involuntary, animalistic growl at that. The fact that Jimmy had threatened to give Boo scars to match his own was what had gotten to him the most and he was now determined to make sure the Irish prick was the recipient of those scars instead. "I could handle that… just about…" Boo went on uncertainly. In truth she couldn't handle Jimmy's threats, not really. They'd terrified her and still, hours later and in Chibs protective arms she couldn't help but be overcome by the fear that Jimmy's threats against her would become reality. Still those fears were nothing compared to the fear Jimmy had instilled into her regarding the man below her. "What got to me was that he threatened to kill you." She admitted tearfully. Jimmy could say and threaten her with whatever he wanted and as much as that terrified Boo, she'd put up with it and deal with his threats should they come to pass but she couldn't deal with him threatening Filip. It'd been Jimmy's threats against her husband's life that had lead Boo to spit in his face. Filip had done nothing to Jimmy other than have the life he wanted and Jimmy had robbed him off it, had cut him open and near enough killed him and now, 13 years later, still loved to torment and threaten him. It was unfair, it was pathetic and childish and Boo hated that Jimmy did such horrific things to her man for the sake of a little jealousy and to further himself in a Cause which his greed was now destroying.

Chibs wrapped an arm around Boo's lower back, held her tight as he sat himself up, pulled her closer once he'd shifted back against the pillows. Boo made herself comfortable in his lap, smiled when he tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ears, as he took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles, gave it a firm shake.

"He is not gonna kill me Boo, not ever!" Chibs assured Boo firmly as he stared deep into her eyes. He didn't like that she was scared for him, that Jimmy had made her believe that he'd kill him should he be given the chance. That was never, ever going to happen and Chibs wanted to assure his wife of that; Jimmy could threaten his life as much as he wanted but in the end, it'd be Chibs killing him and not the other way around. "But I'm gonna kill him Boo, I promise yeh, and he ain't gonna go easy!" he growled, eyes darkening dangerously as he spoke, voice laced with venom. After all Jimmy had done to him and those he loved, the pain he'd caused, the anguish and hurt Chibs wasn't going to let him die quickly or easily. The prick deserved to suffer and greatly at that, he deserved a painful death that had him screaming and begging for mercy, mercy of course, that Chibs would never give him. "I'm gonna tear him teh fuckin' shreds Boo, I'm gonna cut him teh pieces." Chibs growled, so viciously and with such anger he shook. His eyes went black like coal and burned holes through Boo, his grip on her hand tightened to the point where it hurt. Boo suddenly felt very scared of her man, something that had only occurred a handful of times before, but was certain he wasn't even aware of how angry he'd gotten, how close he seemed to just snapping and throwing her across the room in anger. She jerked her hand free from his and gently shushed him, placed her hand on his cheek and tenderly ran her fingers over his scars.

"Filip, calm down…" she whispered softly, a note of panic in her voice. Chibs, who up until that moment believed he had his anger contained, calmed in an instance. His black, dangerous eyes melted in a moment, flooded brown with warmth and regret, sympathy. The hardened, angry expression on his face vanished, replaced in a moment with a scowl of anxiety and sorrow. He'd not realised he'd been scaring his Ol' Lady and hated himself for it; Boo wasn't meant to fear him in any way, she was meant to simply love and trust him. She shouldn't fear Chibs or indeed any man at all, not even Jimmy, for he was going to protect her from him and was going to put an end to him so that he could never hurt her – or Fiona and Kerrianne – ever again. "Save your anger for Jimmy." Boo insisted, lips perking upwards into a smile for just a moment. She was pleased to have gotten though to Chibs so quickly and her fear of him suddenly vanished. The moment his eyes melted and flooded with warmth, he became her darling Filip once again. She gave him a sweet and lingering kiss to calm him even more so, smiled into it when she heard him utter apologises against her lips. When she pulled away and rested her forehead against his, laced her hand in his once again he had calmed completely.

"He got away with what he did teh me but I'll be damned if he gets away with this." Chibs muttered softly, voice calm and steady, all traces of his anger gone. He traced his fingers over Boo's swollen eye as he spoke, the curved cut above it, the bruises that littered her cheeks. His fingers shook slightly as his anger at Jimmy threatened to consume him once again, but he kept it contained as he didn't want to scare his girl again. "Nor will he get away with what he threatened yeh with, with killin' Paddy and with all he's done teh Fiona and Kerrianne…" he whispered, voice becoming tight and strained as grief hit him once again. Mentioning Paddy briefly deprived him of the comfort holding Boo brought him, tears filled his eyes and suddenly his mind was filled with the image of his young nephew's mutilated body, the body he'd been forced to leave behind or risk being caught out by the Irish police… Chibs hated to think of the poor boy, all alone in the police morgue…. He wanted to claim his body, to bury it and say goodbye but he knew this was impossible as he was in Ireland illegally. Would anyone claim his body or would it be dumped in an unmarked grave? Would anyone in SAMBEL give him a proper Sons of Anarchy style send off, or were they all so deep in Jimmy's pocket that they'd rather let him rot?

"I know." Boo nodded, kissing him again. She felt Chibs fingers graze her swollen eye as they kissed, felt it trace the cut that ran across her forehead and knew from the way he softly muttered against her lips, that he was using his experience as a medic to try and determine how well and quickly her face would heal. He didn't give her an answer, just growled softly instead, leading Boo to believe she'd be left with yet more permanent scars marring her face. It wouldn't be long before she and Chibs really did match… "Luthor said… said they managed to get hold of Paddy's body." Boo informed him after a moment, muttering the words against his lips as she was so reluctant to pull away from them. Luthor had dropped in on his way home to inform Chibs that they'd managed to rescue Padraic's body from the blast site and had asked Boo to pass on the message once he realised the Scotsman was at the rectory. The bodies of other members had been saved too, but of course Chibs would only care for what happened to Padraic's. While all the others were to be buried, Padraic's was to be cremated as apparently this was something the young Irishman had requested upon joining SAMBEL – a common practice in charters with a high mortality rate. "They'll be cremating him tonight down at the crematorium on station road, once it's closed." Boo added, hoping that this would bring Chibs comfort, the ability to say goodbye to his young nephew.

"He told me…" Chibs began, stopping short as his throat tightened and captured his words, as tears started to tumble down his cheeks and onto Boo's. What he didn't realise was that Boo was crying too and that the tears on her cheeks where her own. Nevertheless he wiped them away with the pad of his thumb, drew in a deep, shuddering breath so that he could continue. "He told me he wanted to patch SAMCRO." He said, chuckled nervously at the admission. The Scotsman was certain he was the only one aware of his nephews wish as the lad had admitted he didn't want to bring it up with McGee until Jimmy was dealt with. He'd wanted to see a bit more of the world, be close to his uncle and distance himself from a charter that he was beginning to both resent and fear being a member of. He'd been right to be afraid, but that fear had done him no good in the end for being part of SAMBEL had still killed him. "Poor boy never got the chance to even put it to vote." He added dismally. Chibs knew that on SAMCRO's end at least, Padraic's transfer request would have been unanimously agreed upon – the men that had meet him trusted and liked him and SAMCRO needed more men to fill the void that would be left when most of the charter went to Stockton – but SAMBEL's vote on the matter however, would have been questionable at best. "Least I can do is take his ashes back teh Charmin', give him a good send off down by the ocean." Chibs sighed, smiling slightly at the thought. Paddy would like that; as a wee lad he'd loved going down to coast with his uncle at the weekends. There, he'd sit on the sand and watch the waves, build things in the damp sand then giggle as a wave came crashing down atop of it and washed it away. It seemed right that the waves take him away to his final resting place…

"Yeah, I think he'd like that." Boo nodded, for one of the few things she and Paddy had talked about in the short time she had spent with him before his death was of his childhood trips to the beach with his uncle Chibs, of how he'd bury the Scotsman to his neck in the sand as he took an afternoon nap in the sun and of how he'd taught a very young Kerrianne how to build sandcastles using just her hands. "Want to get a few hours sleep before you go down to the crematorium?" she asked, for it had suddenly occurred to her that time was ticking on and that there was only a few hours left before Chibs had to be at the crematorium.

"Aye." Chibs nodded with a weary sigh. He lay back down and eased Boo along with him, shifted so that he and Boo alike were laying on their sides, him spooning her from behind. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, wrapped his arms around her waist. "Yeh gonna come with me?" he asked before sleep consumed him. He didn't want to go and say goodbye to Padraic all alone - sure some of his SAMBEL brothers would be there but right now he didn't know which of them he could trust and which of them were in Jimmy's pocket. He needed Boo there, at his side, holding his hand. A rock to keep him steady, a comforting presence to help him keep his emotions in check. "He'd have wanted yeh there…" Chibs drawled for he felt sure this was true. Playful flirting aside, Padraic had been quite taken with Boo and had admitted to his uncle how right she was for him, how in love they seemed. "I need yeh there." Chibs admitted before Boo could answer. He felt her nod and pressed his lips to her neck in way of thanks.

"So I'll be there." Boo whispered, smiling softly as Chibs whiskery kiss tickled at her neck. A silence followed, but Boo sensed that Chibs had not yet fallen asleep so she spoke up. "Chibs." She muttered, waiting only a moment for his questioning 'Hmm?' before she went on. "Put me with Fiona and Kerrianne, wherever you need to in order to keep us all safe; Juice can watch over us together." She sighed. Boo knew that Clay would have to sacrifice two men to keep watch over her as well as Kerrianne and Fiona and that the president would be unhappy to be doing so, especially as things in Ireland were so brutal and unpredictable. It made sense that she join Kerrianne an Fiona at the rectory – or wherever the club put them for their own safety - so that only one brother would have to be sacrificed for their protection, not two. "It'll be easier on the club like that." Boo added. Although she wasn't keen on the idea of spending a prolonged amount of time with Fiona – even after the Irishwoman had saved her life – she'd do so to help out the club

"Aye?" Chibs asked, rather shocked by Boo's request. Sure she and Fiona may have found some small amount of level ground after their fight and run in with Jimmy that afternoon but they still hated one another and seemed eager to avoid one another at all costs.

"Aye." Boo nodded with certainty, which made Chibs chuckle softly and press another whiskery kiss to her neck.

Just three short hours later, the couple dragged themselves out of bed and headed down to the crematorium. Chibs found it highly suspicious that at the cremation of a club member, only two members of SAMBEL – Luthor and VP Ryan - were in attendance. All of SAMCRO had shown up however, despite not knowing Padraic at all and all of them shared Chibs' suspicions. Chibs stood at the back of the crematorium during the hasty and hurried service conducted by Father Ashby. He lurked in the shadows, clutching Boo's hand tight so that his brothers could not see the silent tears that fell down his ashen face. He shook violently the entire time and despite wanting to bury his face in Boo's curls so that he wouldn't have to watch his nephews body, in it's quickly made makeshift coffin, burn he didn't. He watched and he held everything in, every goodbye he wanted to say and every foul thing he wanted to scream. He'd say his goodbyes when he emptied Padraic's ashes in the ocean and he'd let out all his frustrations at his nephew's death when he finally got his hands on Jimmy O'Phelan. Padraic was cremated in his cut, the one he'd inherited from Chibs, but just as everyone was leaving, Luthor pressed Padraic's 'Belfast' – which he'd taken off the lads cut as they'd prepared his body for cremation - patch into Chibs' hand. Chibs accepted it with a nod of his head and a forced smile, embraced his Irish brother in thanks. Chibs and Boo then returned to the grotty B and B they were staying at so that they could go back to sleep. As they drifted off, Boo suggested that Chibs' sow Padraic's 'Belfast' patch into the inside of his own cut once they returned home; Chibs agreed, declaring the idea as wonderful and an inspired way of keeping his nephew close. At daybreak, the Scotsman returned to the crematorium to collect Padraic's ashes before it opened. He stored them in the room he shared with Boo and at the same time, tucked away his grief and put it on hold so he could focus all his energies on finding Abel and going after Jimmy O.

SAMCRO

Boo was dozing in the family area of the rectory – where Juice and Father Ashby were watching over her, Fiona and Kerrianne – when Juice's prepay rang, causing him to disappear into the hallway so quickly Boo had to wonder if there was a croweater out there waiting for him. Since Jimmy's attack a few days previously, she'd not been sleeping well at all meaning she often found herself falling asleep in the middle of the day. The awkward atmosphere – that Juice cheerful tried in vain to do something about – created by both Boo and Fiona's presence at the rectory didn't help matters and Boo often allowed herself to fall asleep just to escape it.

"That was Chibs." Juice explained when he re-entered the room less than a minute after he'd gotten the call. He seemed panicked and anxious so Boo jerked herself awake, knowing at once that something had happened. An icy, fearful sort of feeling spread through her at once and she found herself shuddering, certain that Jimmy O was either on his way to the rectory or had attacked the club once again. She'd been kept mostly in the dark about their run-in's with the Irishman over the last few days, but knew the club had encountered him a few times and that they'd been able to weed out the members of SAMBEL that'd been in his back pocket. "He didn't say why, just that we've gotta go." Juice added before Boo could so much as open her mouth to question him about what was going on. "Back to Maureen's and quick." He said. Boo nodded at that and joined Fiona and Kerrianne in gathering up their belongings as quickly as possible. They were out the door within less than two minute's and hurrying back towards Maureen's and the SAMBEL clubhouse as fast as Juice could drive them – he didn't dare go over the speed limit for fear of being pulled over; after all any police in Belfast could be on Jimmy's payroll and if they were, they'd not hesitate in handing Kerrianne, Fiona and maybe even Boo over to the former IRA leader.

When they arrived at Maureen's Chibs, Clay, Opie and Happy weren't there but Gemma, and Jackson were. Boo was shocked to see Jackson in tears, looking anguished and uncertain while Gemma, by contrast, looked livid. Within moments she'd jumped down Kellan's throat, was accusing him of twisting Jax up. Boo stared on in confusion, unsure of what was going on or what it was that Kellan had said or done that had left her brother looking so damn tortured. Before she could ask any question however, the roar of motorcycles reached her ears and a quick check by Juice confirmed that the others had returned. Everyone rushed outside to greet them, whatever was going on between Jackson, Gemma and Kellan instantly forgotten. Before they were even down the stairs, Clay informed them that Sean Casey was dead and that Jimmy had tortured him beforehand for information about Boo, Fiona and Kerrianne's location. Boo almost stopped in her tracks at that, suddenly completely consumed by fear and the need to be physically sick. If Jimmy had tortured a man to death for information on her, Fiona and Kerrianne's would he do to them when he found them? The young author caught her husband's eye and noted that he looked as scared as she felt. He was ashen, visibly shaking and his eyes were as wide as saucers. He looked from Boo to Kerrianne and seriously seemed to be considering just grabbing them both and running. Boo half expected him too, but then Kerrianne was in front of him, her face tearstained and full of fear, eyes on her father and all that changed. The fear melted away from his face in an instance, his eyes hardened and his arms opened for his daughter who he pulled close at once. In less than a second he went from a man terrified for the ones he loved, to a brave and fearless father who wanted nothing more than to protect and comfort his little girl. In that second, Boo fell even deeper in love with Chibs and she felt her own fear lessen; he was going to keep her, as well as Fiona and Kerrianne, safe from Jimmy O, she just knew it.

A tearful Kerrianne stumbled frantically down Maureen's stairs towards her father. She just wanted to be in the comfort of her father's strong and loving arms. She felt safe in them, protected and knew that even if Jimmy suddenly turned up, guns blazing – which the teen fully expected him to do – then she'd be okay, as long as her father held her. Jimmy would no longer be interesting in merely getting her and her mother back, he'd want to punish them for everything that had happened in the last few days. Kerrianne felt certain that she knew what that punishment was; she'd seen the way Jimmy looked at her, the way he licked his lips and shifted the front of his trousers… Those looks made Kerrianne feel sick to her stomach, made her blood run cold. Her mother furiously denied Jimmy was lusting after her in any way but Kerrianne her mother only said this to stop her from getting scared. Either way, as soon as the looks had stared Kerrianne had started dressing down and covering up in loose and baggy, shapeless clothes. Despite her best efforts, the looks did not stop and Jimmy had taken to bursting into her bedroom whenever he thought she might be changing.

"Da." She whispered as she felt his arms close around her. At once a wave of calm washed over the teen, her frantically beating heart slowed and she sighed in relief. She felt safer at once and immediately closed her eyes and embraced her father back. She breathed in the warm, manly smell of him and for a moment, allowed herself to believe she was elsewhere, as was her usual way of coping in such situations. She let herself believe that she and her da were in London - where he'd always promised to take her as a child but never got around to doing - and far from any place that Jimmy O might find them.

"I've got you baby." Chibs whispered tenderly as he enveloped his daughter in his arms. He noted that she was shaking and held her tighter still, kissed her forehead affectionately. Jimmy of course, would immediately go to the rectory to search for Boo, Kerrianne and Fiona so they had a head start in getting away. As the Scotsman began to draw up a mental list of places he could take them – to Manchester perhaps or to Scotland where he knew of many people that would willing put him and his family up for a few nights – he looked up at Boo, who was smiling down at him affectionately, yet was obvious as terrified as Kerrianne was. Chibs shifted Kerrianne so that he was holding her close with just his right arm before holding his left out to Boo. "Come here Hen." He murmured as he gestured with his fingers to indicate that she join them. The young author gave a curt nod and hurried down the last few steps to where Kerrianne and Chibs were embracing, allowed her husband to slip his arm around her waist, to pull her into the hug and press a kiss to her forehead too. She put one arm around Filip, the other around Kerrianne and allowed herself to seek comfort in their embrace.

The Scotsman couldn't help but sigh contently as Boo cuddled up to him, despite the fact that Jimmy O was doing his damn best to find and possibly even kill Boo, Fiona and Kerrianne. He had his two best girls in his arms and because of that, for just a moment before reality hit him once again, he felt on top of the world.

"Wasn't for them, it was for Abel." Father Ashby explained as he watched Filip embrace his lover and daughter. He couldn't help but notice that Fiona, while scowling in disapproval, didn't look overly upset by this. The priest was soon distracted by Jackson Teller who demanded to know what Jimmy wanted with his son, the son that just hours previously he had given up on so that the child could have a normal, loving life and good catholic parents. Now it was glaringly obvious to Kellan that such a life would never be possible for young Abel Teller; his life would be as chaotic and dangerous as his fathers, maybe even more so. "Jimmy's needs a way out the country." Kellan explained grimly. "He's gonna use your child for leverage!" he added. The priest felt that he was somewhat to blame for this latest turn of events; he'd known Jimmy since he was just 5 years old and he should have known that Jimmy would go to any lengths to get out of Ireland, even if that meant involving an innocent baby.

"The hotel!" Jax cried, eyes widening with fear as he realised that Jimmy O was heading to the hotel that Abel and his new parents were staying at. His innocent, normal, law-abiding parents that would stand no chance against Jimmy and would be dead before they even knew what was going on. If only Jackson had followed them about a little while longer, he might have been able to save them, to stop Jimmy. Now the Irishman had a firm head start and might already have his hands on Abel. The SAMCRO VP spun on his heel and rushed towards his loaner bike without bothering to wait for a reaction from any of his brothers or even from Clay. He didn't care what his president's orders were, he was going to the hotel and he was going to do whatever it took to save his son from Jimmy. Thankfully, everyone – with the exception of Juice, who remained behind to keep watch on Boo, Fiona and Kerrianne - swiftly followed behind him.

"Be safe." Boo called after Chibs after he broke away from their embrace and dashed towards his loaner bike along with the rest of the club. Jimmy could quite easily be laying in wait for the club at the hotel but with all of them going they'd probably be able to get the advantage – Jimmy was good but he and Donny couldn't face off against SAMCRO all alone.

"Aye. You too; all of you." Chibs nodded as he hopped on his loaner bike and strapped on his helmet as quickly as his shaking fingers would let him. As glad as he was that Jimmy wasn't after Fiona, Boo and Kerrianne he wasn't any happier to discover that Jimmy was going after Abel instead. The boy was just a wee baby, totally innocent in all of this and yet Jimmy was willing to use him like a poker chip so that he could get what he wanted! He couldn't get any lower as far as Chibs was concerned. "Juice will stay here with you." He cried as his bike roared to life. He then sped after Jackson and the others, hopeful that they'd get to the hotel in time to save Abel and capture Jimmy.

"So? Cards?" Juice said, eyes going from Kerrianne to Boo and finally, to Trinity as the others zoomed out of the lot. He'd been enjoying spending time with Boo and Kerrianne over the last few days – when Boo was awake that is – but he really wanted to spent time with Trinity. She was cute and sweet; better yet she knew the club way of life… She was the sort of girl that was built to be an Ol' Lady but, like so many women, she only had eyes for Jax. Or at least, her eyes had been for Jax until she discovered that he was her half-brother! Juice hoped that by spending a bit of time with her, she might shift her affections to him. "What?" Juice asked when Boo gave a weary sigh, chuckled in amusement and shook her head.

"Nothing." Boo lied as she turned away from Juice and headed back up the stairs that lead to Maureen's. She wanted to warn Trinity and Kerrianne that Juice was an awful poker player, a sore loser and an even worse winner but knew Juice would get pissy with her if she did for he so obviously still had eyes for Trinity. The others soon followed behind her and while Fiona and Maureen enjoyed a cup of tea and a chat in the kitchen, Juice, Trinity and Kerrianne played cards in Trinity's bedroom while Boo watched, unwilling to play. Kerrianne (who was betting with candy) and Trinity (who, like Juice, was betting with cigarettes and money) soon learnt why Boo had refused to play and just how much of a sore loser Juice was. When Trinity won the first round, he threw his cards down onto the bed and cursed like a sailor, was in a dark mood as Kerrianne dealt out the next hand, a dark mood that soon changed when he realised his next hand was a winning one. Their games were briefly interrupted when Chibs, Jax and the others returned from the hotel with the dismal news that Jimmy had Abel and that he'd murdered the young couple that had adopted him. Trinity stayed upstairs while Boo, Fiona and Kerrianne sat in on the clubs subsequent meeting with Kellan (at Chibs insistence, after all the meeting was about Jimmy O and what the prick would do now that he had Abel, who or what he might want in exchange for baby Abel aside from passage out of Ireland. That person could very well be Fiona, Kerrianne, Boo or any combination of the three and so they had every right to sit in on the meeting and find out what was going on as far as the Scotsman was concerned) about what was going on. All three of them stayed silent throughout the meeting, save for a sigh of relief from Kerrianne and Fiona alike when they realised they weren't part of Jimmy's plans to escape Ireland. Boo almost spoke up once she realised that Abel's fate lay not with the club but with the IRA council but a warning glance from Chibs silenced her before she'd even opened her mouth; she knew at once it would do her no good to talk back at Kellan Ashby and so kept her thoughts to herself. The girls, as well as Juice, returned to Trinity's room after the meeting and resumed their card playing like nothing had happened, mostly because not a one of them wanting at consider for even a moment, what might happen if the council turned down Jimmy's offer of safe passage in exchange for Abel. They played cards until Chibs and Fiona returned in the early evening. Juice had been on a losing streak until that point, but when Fiona and Chibs appeared in the doorway he triumphantly and smugly threw down a winning hand.

"Cheater." Trinity groaned as she dumped her cards on the bed. She didn't think Juice was actually cheating – he wasn't suave or cruel enough for that – she was just annoyed that she'd lost to him and that he'd get all smug as a result. Trinity found him so annoying when he was like that, which was a pity because she also thought him to be quite cute.

"Hope you girls have been letting him win a few hands at least." Chibs chuckled as he eyed the occupants in the room with a contented sigh. He was in such a fantastic mood for finally things were on the up; finally they were going his way. The club was going to get Abel back, their gun trade – and therefore income – would dramatically increase, he had his daughter back in his life and best of all, Chibs was finally going to get his hands on Jimmy O. This had always been part of Jackson's plans of course, but now Jimmy's death at Chibs hands was pretty much a certainty and the Scotsman couldn't be happier for it.

"Of course we are." Kerrianne grinned as she nodded her head. It was far easier to pretend like they'd let Juice win rather than admit he'd beaten them fairly! The grin on Kerrianne's lips widened even more so when her father chuckled at her comments; every day it was getting easier to be around him and she could slowly feel them becoming more like the father and daughter that they should be. Of course this would all change once he returned to Charming, but at least now she'd have regular contact with him. Kerrianne already planned to write to and call her father often and hoped that he would do the same for her.

"He gets so cranky when he loses." Trinity added teasingly, her eyes sparkling as they fell on Juice who seemed completely oblivious to the way the young shopkeeper was looking at him (as he had been all day). He seemed more interesting in claiming his winnings!

"And this is why I didn't play." Boo chuckled as she hopped off the bed and went to greet Chibs with a chaste kiss. She could tell from the smile on his lips, the way his warm eyes glittered that things with the council had gone well. The panic she'd been feeling since the meeting with Father Ashby melted away in an instance; they were getting Abel back, she just knew it!

"That's because you always lose all your money to me." Juice teased as he started to sort through his winnings; he'd probably end up giving the candy back to Kerrianne – he didn't have much of a sweet tooth - but he wanted to claim it to start with simply because it was part of his winnings. "Everyone hates a champion." He smirked, looking pointedly at Trinity as he spoke as it'd been her to whom he'd lost against the most that afternoon. At once all three girls tutted and laughed, made comments such as 'sure' as they rolled their eyes, but Juice ignored them all; he was the winner and they just had to deal with it.

"Juice? Give me a minute would yeh please?" Chibs asked, somewhat reluctantly. He could see that his girls were having a good time and didn't want to interrupt but with the clubs business in Ireland almost done, they'd soon be heading back to Charming. Chibs wanted to spend as much time as possible with his little girl before then. He also wanted to fill al his girls in on all that had come to pass since that afternoon. Juice was quick to comply; he tried to gather up his winnings but when he realised he couldn't just grab it all, he promised he'd return for it. As Trinity left the room, Chibs patted her arm and thanked her, but before Juice could as well he stopped him. "Hey; thanks fer lookin' after my family." Chibs muttered affectionately, gratefully as he placed a hand on the back of Juice's neck. He gave Juice a warm smile as he spoke; he'd be ever thankful to the lad for watching over those he loved most, for keeping them safe. It must have been difficult and annoying for Juice to be on babysitting duty while the others went after Jimmy, but he'd done it without so much as a word of complaint.

"With my life brother; love you man." Juice grinned with a nod of his head as he patted the older man on the arm. To Juice, Chibs had always been the sponsor that Tig had never been. The Scotsman had arrived in Charming just as he'd started his prospect year and that had bonded them; they'd learnt about and immersed themselves the SAMCRO way of life together – for obviously, SAMBEL and SAMCRO were two very different charters – and as a result, were closer than most members of the club. It was Chibs that Juice looked up to and admired more than any of his other brothers and he'd do anything for the man who was becoming more and more, like a father to him.

"Thanks Juice." Chibs muttered as he embraced the younger man. Juice then left without another word and Chibs was startled to see that Boo tried to follow after him. He grabbed her hand firmly and pulled her back to him before she could get away, smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand, pressed his forehead against hers. "Hey; I want yeh here fer this, okay?" He whispered tenderly as his fingers found the ring that adorned her left finger and rubbed it proudly. "Yer my family too darlin', yeh know that." He added, kissing Boo quick to reassure that she was his family; she was his Ol' Lady, his wife and in many ways, felt more like his family that Kerrianne did. It wasn't that he didn't love his daughter and see her as family, it was just that it'd been 13 years since he'd really been her father and she was almost like a stranger too him – that would of course change, given time. Boo on the other hand had been a huge part of his life for almost 8 years and for five of those years, she'd been his and therefore the biggest part of his life.

"Okay." Boo nodded, smiling shyly and yet in delight when Chibs kissed her again. She knew of course that she was family to Chibs and had been since the day he'd first arrived in Charming, she'd just assumed he wanted some time alone with his daughter and estranged wife, who he'd soon be leaving behind once again, although this time hopefully, not for so long. Chibs patted her cheek and moved over to the bed, where he sat down next to his daughter. He kept a firm grip on Boo's hand the entire time and pulled her against him once he was sat down, wrapped his arm around her waist.

"So Clay is getting Abel back." Chibs explained as he tucked his hair behind his ear, eyes on Boo as he spoke so he could see the joyous grin that appeared on her lips and the way her eyes sparkled when she realised her nephew would soon be back with the family. He then turned his attentions to Fiona and Kerrianne, wrapped an arm around his daughters shoulders. "And Jimmy? You'll never see him again in the six counties." He added proudly, the weight of the world lifting off his shoulders as he spoke. It felt so good to finally be able to tell his family that they were safe from Jimmy, that they'd never be bothered by him again. It'd been a long time coming and was vastly overdue but it'd finally happened and soon, Jimmy would be dead and it'd finally be over. The Scotsman waited for his girls to absorb and process what he'd just told them before he continued, his heart suddenly feeling very heavy indeed as he'd rather his next comments were very differently worded. "Listen; there's nothing I'd love more than to have you both come back to Charmin' with me." He whispered heavily, eyes filling with tears at the notion that his little girl wouldn't be travelling home with him and that he would yet again, be leaving her in Ireland as he travelled to his home that was halfway across the world. "But I know this is your life and your home here so…" he sighed, trailing off before he said the words he didn't really want to say aloud. It hurt enough to be leaving his daughter behind once again, it would hurt even more to actually admit to such a thing out loud.

"I love you da." Whispered Kerrianne, unable to look up at her father as she said the words. It was still too weird, too awkward to say those four words too him as she looked him in the face, even if she did mean them. She wanted to say them however, as many time's as possible before he returned home. She wanted him to know and be sure of the fact that she did love him and that despite all the years apart, he was still very much her father. In some ways, she wanted to go back to Charming with him and Boo but Ireland was her home, where her friends were, where she went to school and she didn't want to leave all that behind.

"Love you baby." Chibs replied as he kissed his daughters forehead tenderly. He'd never get tired of hearing his daughter tell him that she loved him and nor would her saying it ever fail to warm his heart. "You know it won't be years next time. I'm gonna make sure I come back and see yeh every few months; promise." Chibs promised as he removed the silver cross he always wore from around his neck and draped it around Kerrianne's. Chibs had kept that cross close for years, worn it almost every single day since Kerrianne had been born for he'd found it as he'd rushed to the hospital to be at Fiona's side as she'd given birth to their daughter. He'd been out doing some target practice in the woods with Padraic's father when suddenly young Paddy had appeared, sweaty faced and anxious. He'd informed his uncle that Fiona was having the baby and at once, the Scotsman had taken off on foot towards the hospital, in too much of a panic and rush to hear his brother-in-law offer him a lift. He'd arrived there soon enough and as he stood in the courtyard, getting his breathe back, he'd caught sight of the glittering silver cross lost amongst a patch of freshly grown daisy's. He'd liked the thing so much he'd picked it up and put it on without so much as a thought for the person who owned it before rushing inside to be at Fiona's side as she gave birth to their child. Hours later, as Fiona slept and Chibs held Kerrianne in his arms, his newborn daughter caught sight of the sparkling thing around his neck and reached out and grabbed it… The cross had been one of his final links to his young daughter in Charming and now that Kerrianne was back in his life, Chibs was passing it on to her so that she'd always have something to remind her of him. "And yer more than welcome to come visit me and Boo in Charmin' whenever yeh want, right darlin'?" he added, the tone of his voice making it more than apparent that he hoped Kerrianne would take him up on the offer soon. He turned to Boo as he spoke and smiled when she nodded her head earnestly.

"Yeah, that's right." Boo grinned. She'd love for Kerrianne to visit; for one she really liked the girl and for another, a visit from her would make Chibs very happy indeed. As far as Boo was concerned, Kerrianne was always welcome in their home.

"I'd like that." Kerrianne whispered with a shy smile, her fingers twisting at the cross her father had placed around her neck as she spoke. She knew the story behind the cross, knew how much it meant to her father and was both astounded and touched by the fact he'd passed it onto her. She hoped she'd get to go and visit her father soon. While she didn't want to live in Charming, it would be nice to spend the occasional week or two there visiting him and enjoying the warm California sunshine! Her father was clearly very pleased by her response for he beamed at her and pulled her close, pressed another tender kiss to her forehead. Kerrianne blushed a little but her smile widened; it felt good to have her da back.

"Thank yeh fer everything Filip." Whispered Fiona tearfully as she reached out and took her estranged husbands hand in hers after allowing him to have his moment with their daughter. The relief she felt at knowing that Jimmy was gone was enormous and she couldn't help but cry. Finally she was free, finally she and her daughter were safe. Fiona would be ever thankful of Filip and would feel indebted to him for the rest of her life for despite all she'd done to him all she'd put him through, he'd still stepped up and done right by her and their daughter.

"Aye. Yeh'll both be safe now…." Chibs whispered, nodding his head before giving Fiona's knuckles a quick kiss. He then pulled Kerrianne close once again, kissed her forehead before resting his head against hers with a weary sigh; he'd done it, his daughter and estranged wife were safe, no one was ever going to hurt them again and he was soon going to kill the man responsible for taking them from him and causing them all such misery. The Scotsman smiled as he felt Boo lean into him and wrap her arm around his waist and finally allowed the tears in his eyes to fall. Everything was okay now, life was good; he had his little girl back, he'd made things right with Fiona and now they could both move on with their lives – Filip with his beloved Boo and Fiona hopefully, with someone that made her as happy as Boo made him. The four of them stayed like this for… well none of them knew how long. When they finally broke the embrace, Kerrianne, Boo and Chibs alike were shocked when Fiona stood up and placed a hand on Boo's arm. The younger woman shot her a questioning look, confused by the sudden gesture.

"Yeh know, I've done some awful things in my time. Thing I can never take back, things that will haunt me forever." Fiona whispered wretchedly, a scowl on her lips as she spoke. Most of those things she'd done with good reason, for the Cause, for a united Ireland or for her daughter but some? Some she'd done for no good reason, some she'd done out of little more than spite and malice and for her own gain. The things she'd done to Filip – leaving him for Jimmy, having him cut up, keeping him from Kerrianne – fell into the latter category and were in Fiona's eyes, the worst things she'd ever done. "Of all the things I've done, what I did to Filip was the worst; I'm sorry for all of that Filip, I truly am." She went on, turning to her estranged husband as she spoke. Filip of course, was a sweet and kind man who'd never hold such actions against her. He accepted her apology with a warm smile and a nod of his head. Fiona smiled back, glad to have finally apologised to Filip before turning back to Boo. "I'll never forgive myself for what I did teh him; yeh were right, I should have died fer him instead of going with Jimmy." She muttered. Admitting that the younger woman was right was hard, but Fiona could see now, the truth in her words. She should have died for Filip when Jimmy had first come knocking, or better still should have fought for her marriage and used her high IRA connections to simply get rid of Jimmy. But she hadn't, she'd taken the easy way route and would have to live with that choice for the rest of her life.

"Things are alright now, for all of you." Boo replied. She'd been shocked when Fiona had first approached her, worried about what the older woman would say and had found herself incredibly relived when Fiona offered nothing but apologies for what she'd done to Filip. Boo suddenly thought very highly of the woman; it took a lot to admit to such horrible mistakes and apologise for them. "Be thankful for that if nothing else." She added with a smile. Despite all that had happened between them, all that Jimmy had threatened them with, Fiona, Kerrianne and Filip had come out whole and alive. Jimmy on the other hand, would soon be dead, allowing them all to move on with their lives and be happy once again. It also meant that Fiona had no reason to be feeling guilty over what she'd done a moment longer. "Don't let what happened all those years ago destroy you; then Jimmy's won." Boo concluded. Fiona had done wrong yes, but that was in the past and there was no reason for her to let those wrongs destroy her. In Boo's opinion she deserved happiness as much as Filip did. Fiona nodded her head at that, managed to smile briefly at the younger woman. She'd never be friends with her and she'd never really like her very much at all, but Jimmy's downfall and impending death had made her realise that she didn't want Filip anymore, not in anyway. She didn't love him and felt nothing for him, hadn't for a long time. He likewise no longer loved or wanted to be with her, but he did want to be with Boo. Fiona may never be able to give him back the years he'd missed with his daughter, would never be able to heal his marred face but she could step away and allow him to be with the woman he loved.

"You take care of him lovey." Fiona said as she nodded her head towards Filip – who was watching the exchange between the woman he'd once loved and the woman he now loved with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face - as she spoke. "He loves you, he needs you. I can see that now." She went on. Filip, a man whose heart was his weakness, needed someone to love and take care off and someone to do the same in return for him. Boo was that person; over the last few days Fiona had seen how in love they were, how well suited they were to one another. They were very lucky to have one another and she hoped that one day, she'd find someone just as well suited for her – but not for a while yet at least, after so long under Jimmy's tyrannical rule she wanted some time to be free and single. "Yer good fer him." She concluded as she held her hand out to Boo. She smiled briefly once again when Boo shook it.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to him." Boo whispered as she shook Fiona's hand. She was glad to finally be at peace with the older woman, to have an understanding with her and hoped this meant that she'd granted Chibs the divorce that would finally allow Boo to marry him.

Kerrianne – who was glad to see her mother and would-be stepmother finally getting along – fumbled around in her bag in search for something as they talked. She knew Boo and her father would be leaving the next day and she wanted to give something to her da before then. She waited until Boo and her mother had stopped talking before she passed it to her father; it was the little kilt clad teddy waving a Scottish flag that she'd given him one Christmas long ago.

"Here da…" she whispered, cheeks flaming red as she placed the stuffed bear in her fathers hand. It may have been years since she'd last given it too him but she felt sure that he'd not have forgotten it, after all she'd brought it for him after saving up her allowance and it was the one and only thing she'd even brought him out of her own money. "This belongs to you." She added, glancing up at her father with a shy smile. Her smile widened when her father gasped in shock, when he grinned in delight and held the bear up.

"I never thought I'd see this again." Chibs cried in disbelief as he looked at the tiny bear his daughter had just handed him. Its fur may have faded and it's kilt may be looking a little worse for wear but there was no mistaking it; this was the bear Kerrianne had given him during their last Christmas together. He couldn't believe he had it back! "My sweet, wonderful little girl, thank yeh so much; I'll treasure it always and I promise, I won't lose it this time!" he gushed as he wrapped his arm around Kerrianne's shoulders once again and kissed her forehead. Chibs chuckled right along with his daughter when she giggled softly at his comments and kissed her forehead one last time before turning to Boo. He smiled at her like he wanted her to kiss him, a smile that widened when she got the message at once and pressed her lips to his. He slipped an arm around her waist as she did so, pulled her onto his knee and against his chest in the same movement. He then sighed contently, closed his eyes and leaned forward into both Kerrianne and Boo, the smile on his lips so wide he felt like his face might split open. "My girls." He whispered as they in turn, leaned into him.