One Rule

Chapter 2

I was up bright and early the next morning. Apparently Gemma was too. I was about to leave to go to the store when she showed up in my driveway with Juice right behind her on his bike. "Where are you headed?" she asked.

"The store. I need groceries," I explained.

"Get in. I'll take you. This one can help carry stuff inside when we're done," she said, motioning to Juice.

"Alright," I nodded. I pulled my car back into the garage and went and got in Gemma's.

"We found out that Abel is coming home tonight, so I'm having a party. I'm gonna get some stuff for that while we're out," she said as I closed the door.

"Sounds good."

"You know, he volunteered to come with when I said where I was going," Gemma informed me. "I think he's still got a crush on you."

"What do you mean 'still'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed, "That boy has had a thing for you since the day he showed up at TM a few years ago."

"I guess I never noticed."

We got two carts at the store, one for my stuff, the other for the stuff for Abel's party. I pushed one, and Juice pushed the second one.

"Sleep okay?" he asked while we meandered through the store.

"Yeah, for the most part. It's weird being back. It's so much quieter here at night than it was in Seattle," I shrugged. "I had to get used to the noise there, and now I have to get used to the silence again." I put a few apples into a bag before putting them into my cart.

"Do I need to send the Prospect over to bang a few garbage cans and yell a little?" he joked.

I laughed, "I'm pretty sure that Deputy Chief Hale would get really pissed off, really quickly!"

"I might do it just to fuck with Half Sack," Juice said, laughing even harder.

"Do I want to know how he got that name?" I asked, loading more produce into my cart.

"He's a vet. He lost one nut in Iraq," Juice explained.

"You two are so slow!" Gemma chastised us, coming back with an arm-full of party supplies. She dumped them in the cart and walked away. "Stop flirting, Juice!"

I glanced at him sideways and saw the blush on his cheeks, and decided not to say anything. "Let's pick up the pace so she doesn't yell at us again," I giggled.

He trailed along behind me as I went down the aisles, loading my cart. When I finished, Gemma came back with the last load of supplies. "Alright, let's check out, go put your stuff away, and head back to Jax's to get ready," she said.

We had our marching orders. When we got back to the house, the three of carried all of my groceries inside. "We'll worry about decorating later," Gemma said as she walked around, inspecting the house.

"Which house is Hale's?" Juice asked.

"That one," I pointed. "Please don't get me in trouble with him already. He's already given me the "I'm watching you" speech," I groaned.

"Oh, trust me. You won't be the one in trouble," Juice laughed.

"I better not be!"

"Come on. We've got shit to do," Gemma said.

After that, we drove to Jax's house. Juice said goodbye, leaving us there. "You can't tell me that boy doesn't have a crush on you," she said once we were inside.

We were decorating when I heard the door open. I looked around, expecting Jax, but it was Wendy that came through the door. I smiled and turned around to keep working.

"Diana? What are you doing here?" she asked.

Wendy and I were never close. We'd only ever really met in passing. "In this house, or in Charming in general?"

"Both."

"Oh good god," Gemma said, coming into the room. "She's here because I asked for help."

"I got a job at St. Thomas, so I'm back for good," I explained as I hung up a banner on the mantle above the fireplace.

"Congrats."

"Thanks."

I moved into the kitchen to start prepping some of the food Gemma was planning on serving at the party tonight. I felt my phone buzz, so I pulled it out. It was a text from Happy. My face turned bright red when I realized it was a picture of his clothed crotch. I could tell he was hard. There was a caption asking if I liked what I saw.

I think you sent that to the wrong number, Hap!

Did I? You didn't answer the question.

You know Clay would kill both of us if he found out anything was going on between us!

I'm not scared of Clay. You should know that by now.

You're not. I am.

I'd keep you safe ;)

I'm busy. I'll see you next week.

You definitely will.

"Oh my god," I shook my head and laughed. I knew there was only so long that I could hold him off. Kozik knew about it. He didn't like it, but we kept it together so that we didn't blow our cover.

I was still working in the kitchen when I heard the front door open, and an explosion of voices file into the house. "What are you doing in here by yourself?" It was Tig.

"Finishing up the food," I replied. He came over and gave me a one-armed hug. "Beers are in the fridge," I told him.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Donna said, coming into the kitchen.

"It's okay. I'm just about done," I told her.

"I'll leave you ladies to it," Tig smiled, dropping a kiss on my hair.

"These guys are gonna be the death of me," I groaned. "You weren't wrong about Juice," I said quietly. "And Happy is still as persistent as ever!"

"Maybe you and you-know-who, need to go public and put a stop to all this. They'd stop hitting on you if they knew you were an Old Lady," Donna told me.

"He told me he loves me," I admitted.

"No way! When?" Donna nearly screamed.

"Last night, but I mean, that wasn't the first time. It's just nice to hear. He's looking for an excuse to come down soon," I told her.

"Good for you."

"Thanks. Can you help me take the rest of this out there?"

We carried the rest of the food out into the dining room and put it on the table. Donna and I went back into the kitchen to get something to drink before going back out to join the party.

"So when is my nephew getting here?" I asked Gemma.

"Should be any minute," she smiled.

"Come sit down, Lass," Chibs said, patting the couch next to him.

I stole a glance at Donna as I sat down and she looked like she was trying to hide her laughter. Chibs put his arm around me and started chatting me up about everything that's gone on in the last few months and what I got up to in Seattle.

"Tacoma never had very many interesting updates," he commented.

Well, at least two of them were trying to get in my pants, one of them being the person who was giving the updates: Happy. "I didn't really go crazy. I just focused on my studies."

"No guys?" he asked.

"I had to keep focused," I repeated. Somehow I managed to keep focused and keep my relationship with Kozik a secret, even from Happy....