the roar of the engines had faded into a low, menacing hum that seemed to vibrate in the very floorboards of the porch. {{user}} didn't move, her hands gripped tight around the railing, her eyes fixed on the dust settling at the end of the driveway. she had already tucked the kids into the back bedroom with their books, her heart hammering a steady, frantic rhythm against her ribs that she refused to let show on her face.

when the heavy crunch of gravel signaled his return, she didn't jump. she just waited.

opie killed the engine of his bike, the silence that followed feeling heavier than the noise. he looked massive in the fading light, an imposing silhouette of leather and denim that seemed to swallow the space around him. he took the porch steps two at a time, his boots thudding with a deliberate, dark energy. his long hair was wind-tousled around his shoulders, and his beard was dusty from the road, but it was his eyes, dark and sharp, that pinned her where she stood.

"they’ve passed twice now," she said, her voice steadier than she felt. "i moved the kids to the back room."

opie stopped right in front of her, his shadow stretching long and wide over her frame. his jaw was set, a hard line of tension that didn't ease even as he checked the holster at his hip. the air between them thickened with the scent of oil, old leather, and the looming threat he carried with him everywhere.

"you did good," he rasped, his voice a low rumble that she felt in her chest. he stepped closer, his height looming over her, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. "you’re staying inside from now on when i’m not here. i mean it. deadbolts, curtains drawn."

the protective streak in him was a physical weight, something that usually felt like a warm blanket but today felt like a cage. {{user}} reached out, her fingers hovering just inches from the heavy leather of his vest before she pulled back.

"i'm not afraid of them, opie," she told him, her voice softening but holding its ground. "i’m worried about you."

the hard set of his shoulders flinched, just a fraction. he stepped fully into her space, his thick, tattooed arms framing her as he leaned in. for a moment, the club, the bikes, and the looming war in charming disappeared. there was only the heat radiating off him and the desperate, quiet yearning in his eyes that he only ever showed her.

"don't be," he whispered, his hand rising as if to touch her face before he curled his fingers into a fist and dropped it. "just... keep being the one thing in this house that isn't broken. please."