Never Again

Chapter 19

Hey, all! It's been a while since I last updated. I wanted to apologize for that. Life has been very hectic for me as of late, and, unfortunately, I think it is going to continue to be a bit hectic. I am going to try my best to continue updating though. I'm not sure if my updates will be weekly like they used to; I'm thinking that every other week might be a bit more doable. But I do intend to keep updating this story. Anyway, a big thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story! I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and don't be afraid to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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Three weeks went by since Donna's funeral. As promised, Opie disappeared for a while, taking some time to clear his head. With him gone and the ATF out of town, things slowly returned to normal. Cora was beginning to settle back into her life in Charming again, things growing simple, nothing out of the usual.

She buried herself in her work to pass the time, and she was actually quite enjoying it; working alongside Dr. Emilia Reid was proving to be a fun time. The pharmacist was quite the character, goofy, with a love for video games, yet also extremely smart and professional. Talking with her between patients always brought a smile to Cora's face. It was nice having a friend outside of the club; it really helped her establish a sense of normalcy in Charming, and to truly accept and find some sense of contentment with her new life.

On the morning which marked exactly three weeks since the funeral, Opie finally returned home, coming back just in time for Bobby's welcome home party. All of the Elvis impersonator's murder charges had been dropped somehow, and he was finally getting released from police custody. The whole club was celebrating the news; even some of the other charters were going to be making an appearance.

Cora was glad that Opie was back, and she was happy to know that Bobby was out, and that the club was finally done with the ATF, yet she couldn't help but worry that things were going to heat up again. She had a feeling of dread inside her the whole morning as she thought about the party and going to see SAMCRO.

She had been avoiding the clubhouse ever since the funeral, mostly because she didn't want to face Tig or Clay on her own. She wasn't sure that she would be able to control herself if she crossed paths with the President or his Sergeant-at-Arms. All it would take was one glare from her and they would know that she knew the truth; there was no telling what they would do if they were aware of her knowledge. She had been checking in on Jax, Gemma, and Tara though; they were her true tie to the club, and so she still wanted to be around them as much as she could, just in a calmer, less risky setting.

Yet, after weeks of avoiding them, she was finally going to walk into the lion's den. However, she wasn't going to be alone, and she trusted that she would be able to distract herself from the two men. Cath was going to be at the party, as always, and Cora had recently learned that both Happy and Kozik would be there too. And there was nothing that Kozik was better at than keeping Tig far away.

Cora sat in her hospital office as she continued to mull through her thoughts regarding the party. She just wanted everything to go well, to be peaceful and relaxing. She hadn't seen Kozik since a few days after the funeral when he had left to go on a run with another charter, so she was eager to see him. In a way, he had become a close friend, someone that she trusted; he was fun to be around, and she missed their conversations.

She was quickly wrenched from her thoughts by the sound of a knock at the door. She looked up from her desk, mumbling "come in," and then watched as her twin entered into the room, Unser trailing behind her.

"Hey, sis," Cath waved, grinning.

Instantly, Cora stood up, heading across the room to hug both visitors. "What are you two doing here?" she wondered once she pulled back, raising a brow.