Chapter 1

Tara was at a loss. She stared expressionlessly out the window while driving home. Feeling the tears cloud her vision and the lump building in her throat, she let out a deep breath. Her mind racing, trying to piece the thoughts together from the past few days. Seeing Jax in bed with another woman. Her stomach turned at the thought of it as she tightened her grip around the steering wheel, feeling the sting in both hands. She looked down at her swollen and bruised knuckles. She could not shake the image from her mind. Jackson Teller was the only man Tara had ever truly loved. Their connection and passion for each other was undeniable. But was it enough to salvage their marriage from all the bullshit they'd been through?

She shrugged, quickly wiping away the tears that had slipped out and brought her focus back to the road as she pulled into the driveway. Unser's truck was parked in front of the house. She wondered what he'd be doing there. Wondered if he caught wind about the deal Jax made with Patterson. News seemed to travel pretty quickly in the small town of Charming.

Save our sons. Jax's words kept playing in her head, over and over as she made her way to the front door. That's all she has ever wanted out of this mess. And now, Jax had made a deal for her to do just that. Tara felt the relief rush through her once again, easing her mind from everything else going on. Knowing that she could take their boys out of Charming and raise them, away from all the chaos of the club and everything attached to it.

Tara twisted open the handle and walked into the house. Closing the door behind her, she looked around for Unser.

"Wayne?" She called out, but no response. Sighing in exhaustion, Tara made her way to the couch in the living room and plopped down. Laying her head back, she closed her eyes. All she could see was Jax's face. She replayed their recent moments in the hotel through her mind. Her heart rate and breathing picked up at those thoughts. What he was doing for her and their boys. They both knew it was the best thing. But Tara couldn't help but wonder, what about us? Where do we go from here? She could feel the tears flooding back and her body begin to tremble. She looked down at her wedding ring on her shaky hand. She reached and slid it off her finger, staring at it. As she leaned over and put it in her purse, she saw the .38 revolver sticking out. Just as she picked it up, she heard shuffling footsteps in the kitchen.

Startled, Tara jumped up off the couch and tucked the revolver in the back of the waist band of her jeans, again, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. She could feel them getting swollen and puffy. Shrugging at the thought of Unser's relentless questions, she made her way to the door way of the kitchen.

"Hey Wayne. Look I-" Tara froze midsentence as she stood and stared at her mother-in-law, Gemma Teller on the other side of the kitchen.

Gemma was looking rough. Bloodshot eyes, could barely hold her balance as she leaned her arm against the counter for a moment. Oh what a surprise, high and drunk, as usual. She could smell the vodka from the other side if the room. Tara could feel her heart racing and palms sweating, breath starting to stagger. She thought to reach back for the gun initially, but hesitated. All at once, Gemma was across the room to Tara, raising her fist to swing. Just as her hand connected to Tara's cheek; the voice of Eli Roosevelt stopped the brawl in its tracks.

"Gemma! What the hell are you doing?!" Eli cried out. Tara was down on the ground with Gemma over top of her. Juice followed behind Roosevelt, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Holy shit, Gemma." Juice said calmly. He rushes to her side to help her up.

"I got it Juice." She snaps at him. Juice backs away with his hands up in defeat. Gemma stumbles to her feet, shaky and breathing heavily. Eli, still standing behind Tara, helps her up. The rage in both of their faces is evident. Eli nor Juice had any idea what was going on between them. After a moment of silence, Tara speaks up.

"Are you fucking kidding me Gemma? What the hell is your problem?" She felt her cheek burning and swelling already. Well, this is going to leave a mark. Tara wasn't too surprised it had come to this. After the pregnancy lie, she knew Gemma wouldn't go down without a fight. She also thought Gemma of all people would understand her reasoning. Protecting her family. Gemma was all about family.

"Don't act so surprised, sweetheart." Gemma said slyly, crossing her arms while leaning against the kitchen table to keep her from falling over. "You think you can just keep my grandbabies from me anytime you want? That's not how this works. I am there grandmother! I have a right to see them." Gemma's voice was harsh and hostile, which fueled Tara's rage.

"Well is it any wonder? Jesus Christ, look at you! Your eyes are glassy and bloodshot and you can barely stand straight. You do not have any rights to my sons. Clean yourself up, Gemma." Tara's eyes burned into Gemma's. She could feel the heated anger radiating from her body from head to toe, her fists clenched, and jaw tighten. Who the hell does she think she is?! Gemma kept her head down, now practically slumping over the kitchen table. Tara could tell she got under her skin from her silence. Eli and Juice could feel the tension in the air, both unsure of what either of these women were capable of at this point. Juice's phone started ringing as he reached for it from his pocket. It was Jax. Juice knew Jax would want to know about this and he needed to stay on his good side as best he could at this point.

"I gotta take this. You okay with these two?" He said looking at Eli.

"Yea, I'm good." He said with a chuckle.

"Hey man…" Juice said as his voice faded and he slipped out the back door to take the call.

Tara signed heavily and shook her head at Gemma in disgust. She turned to head to the living room, nearly pushing Eli out of the way. He followed her anyway.

"Dr. Knowles, do you intend to press charges again Gemma?" Eli said, looking at her with concern and worry. Slowly pacing back and forth, Tara scoffed at the idea.

"No, I do not Sheriff. This is a family problem. Jax and I will handle it." She said sternly, continuing her pace.

"I understand." He said, nodding.

Gemma eventually collapsed into a chair barely able to hold her head up, trying to keep her sobs silent from Eli and Tara in the next room. Oh God, what have I done? Gemma thought. She closed her eyes and reflected back on her intentions of showing up at Jax's that night. Kill that rat bitch. It's about protecting Jax. I'd do anything to protect my family. Before she could continue to process through her thoughts, Juice was back in the kitchen. She quickly wiped away the tears that slipped out.

"Jax is on his-" The motorcycles were revving in front of the house before he could finish.

"Oh, shit." Gemma sighed.