A/n: this is my first SOA story, I don't own anything. And I of course will be switching something around to fit my story. (The title is a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald therefore I do not own it)

Audrey Winston sat in her apartment staring out of her bedroom window. She was daydreaming about her home, a place she hadn't been in nearly five years. She had been doing that a lot lately, there had been a sinking feeling in her stomach telling her something was wrong. Telling her that she needed to go back, that something wasn't right and she needed to be there. She stood up brushing it off like she always did when she thought about home. Charming was a town that she would never return to. She made a promise to leave and never look back. She still kept in touch with her family, but even she couldn't lie to herself about that deteriorating relationship.

Tonight she was going to out to celebrate her long awaited twenty first birthday, with a few of her closest friends. And she was determined not to let anything ruin this night. She walked over to her full length mirror and checked herself out. Her long red hair was hanging in loose curls stopping just above her shoulders and her make-up perfectly accented her green eyes and pouty lips. She examined her outfit next. Her tight strapless black dress clung to her every curve stopping a few inches above her knees, and red high heels extenuating her long slender legs. She looked good and she knew it, the perfect look for free drinks. She walked over to her bed to grab her red clutch and cellphone. As she went to stuff her cellphone into her clutch it started vibrating. A familiar number popped up on the screen, one she hadn't seen in a while.

Reluctantly she answered. "Hello?" she asked quietly.

"Hey" a raspy voiced, she knew all too well answered. "We need to talk."

"I can't right now." she said before hanging up the phone. Turning off her cellphone she stuffed it in her purse. She was going to have a good birthday for once. She couldn't handle all the bullshit tonight, and she sure as hell knew she couldn't handle whatever he was going to lay on her.

Regaining her composure she walked out of her bedroom and into the living where her two best friends, Chloe and Maddy were waiting on her.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY" they both shouted at Audrey. She glanced over at the clock seeing that it was midnight and officially her birthday

"Hey!" Maddy said flipping her blonder hair over her shoulder "Is the birthday girl ready to party?"

"We are going to get wasted tonight!" Chloe exclaimed wiggling her body in excitement.

"Hell yeah!" Audrey yelled smiling to herself. If only her old friends could see her now, they would kick her ass for being one of those WOO! girls.

"Great because the cabs are here!" Chloe screamed mocking a stupid reality show. They let out a laugh and headed downstairs to their awaiting taxi. We gave them directions to our first bar of the night and we were soon on our way.

About two hours into the night, six bars, and an unaccountable amount of shots later Audrey was drunk. She was dancing on the bars with Maddy when the room started to spin. She climbed down and let Chloe know that she was going to the bathroom. She stumbled into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on her face hoping it would help. She stood with a hand firmly planted on each side of the porcelain sink waiting for the room to stand still. After about ten minutes the room decided to stay still for her.

She slowly made her way out of the bathroom, careful not to move to fast. She looked up to see a blur of blonde hair rushing towards her. She squinted trying to make the blur clearer, for a slight moment she thought she saw him. It couldn't be though she thought to herself. Why would he be here?

Before she could convince herself that it wasn't, he was standing right in front of her. His blue staring back at her, he was livid.

"You're coming with me" was all he said as he dragged him out of the bar.

"Stop" she whined starting to feel sick "No I'm not going with you."

"Audrey we need to talk."

"I told you I couldn't" she said slurring her words. "Plus my friends will worry."

"I don't give a damn about your friends we need to go."

"Why would I go with you?" she snapped

"Audi" he said pleading with her.

"At least let me tell them I'm leaving so I they don't worry" She said giving into him. Even drunk she knew he would get his way.

He nodded and let her go "I'll be by the door" he told her. He watched as she tried to walk back to her friends and back to him. He laughed watching her, knowing that he was going to have to wait until she sobered up to talk.

"Ready?" he asked once she stumbled back to him.

She nodded and started to follow him out the door. And on to his bike "just hold on tight and I'll get you home okay?" She nodded wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. He made the short drive back to apartment and parked his bike. He helped off and started to walk her up to her building.

"Wait I think-" was all she got out before she started vomiting right on his shoes. "Sorry" she said to him as she looked up.

He started to yell but he looked up at her and stopped. She looked miserable; her normally tan face was now ghostly white. She was normally composed, but at the moment she was swaying back and forth trying to stay up right on her two feet.

"It's okay" he said. He walked over to her and picked her up bridal style and carried her up to her apartment. He managed to get her upstairs and through the door.

"Wait" she mumbled. "Take off your shoes before you go in"

Seriously he thought to himself as he slipped off his shoes and kicked them onto the floor mat.

"You can set me down now." She said. He hesitantly complied. As she started to walk she instantly tripped over her own feet and fell right on her ass. Annoyed she ripped her heels off her feet and threw them across the room. She stood up and mumbled and pointed to the right, as she took off to the left.

He followed to where she pointed and found a sink that he assumed she wanted him to wash off his tennis shoes. He grabbed them and cleaned them as well as he could and sat them back down by the door. Then walked towards were he saw Audrey disappear to. At the end of the hallway he found a door that was half open with a light shining through. He slowly walked in not knowingly what he would see, but he ended up walking into an empty room. He looked over to his left and saw another door and heard water running, he assumed she had went in there. He took this opportunity to look around her room. She had books piled on to the bookshelf as well as her desk, and Stanford memorabilia thrown about the room. He looked at the pictures she had on displayed across her room. They all seem to be of her and the two girls she was at the bar with. All but the one that sat on her nightstand, that one had been of her brother, Audrey, and him taken from their youth. He smiled, happier days he thought to himself. He heard the door creek as she walked back in, now in completely different clothes. Well more like a t-shirt and a pair of boy shorts, but at least she was completely covered.

"Minty-Fresh" she slurred as she put on a cheesy smile. Sitting down on the bed, she motioned for him to sit down next to her. He took her offer and sat down.

She started to speak but he stopped her. "Just rest" he said, "We will talk about this in the morning."

She nodded and crawled towards the top of the bed pulling her purple comforter down and climbing underneath it. He smiled at her as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"No stay with me tonight" she whispered.

"You sure?" He asked and she nodded yes. He quickly striped down to his boxer, turned off the bedroom light and climbed into bed next to her. She rolled over to face him; they laid there staring at each other for several minutes before she turned away from him and burrowed herself deeper into the blankets.

"Audi?" he whispered

"Yeah"

"Happy Birthday"

"Thanks Jax"

The Next Morning (Audrey POV)

"Ugh" I moaned, my head was pounding. I crawled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. I was in desperate need of aspirin. I opened my medicine cabinet and grabbed the aspirin and down three pills. Snatching the Gatorade bottle on my counter and chugging it, I walked back into my room. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized that there was someone asleep in my bed. I examined the mess of blonde hair and looked down his back and saw a familiar Reaper tattoo staring back at me. 'No' I thought to myself, 'it couldn't be.' Then the memories of last night came flooding back,' shit, it is him.' I stood in the doorway between my bathroom and my bed room just staring at him in disbelieve. 'Why the fuck was Jax Teller here' I thought to myself. Then I remember that he said he needed to talk to me about something.

Slowly Jax started to stir in my bed; he turned around on his back and stretched out. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked over at me and cocked his head.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Ten in the morning, now what are you doing here, because I know that it's not for a sleepover."

"Funny because I was going to ask you the same damn thing."

"Meaning?"

"Aren't you supposed to be here for school? Not going out, getting blackout drunk, and dancing on the bar like a slut?" He spat at me.

"You're going to lecture me about drinking and looking like a slut. You hypocritical son of a bitch, you drink more than I could ever, and you fuck everything that walks. And furthermore who do you think you are my father?"

He went to say something but I cut him off. "And don't even act like you care." I yelled back at him, how you dare call me a slut, that hurt, and it hurt even more that he pretended he cared.

Jax sat up in in the bed and threw his hands up in the air defeated. He always knew when to drop something with when it came to me. It's something he had learned the hard way growing up.

"Now are you going to tell me why you are here or are we going to stand here yelling at each other." I said sternly.

"You were the one yelling" Jax said smiling. I just glared at him. He wiped the smile off his face and looked at me seriously this time "You need to come home."

I stood there looking at him dumbfounded. "Huh." I finally spit out.

"You, Need, To, Come, Home." He said drawing out every word.

"I got that, but last time I checked I wasn't welcomed back."

"You were always welcomed home" he said starting to stand. "It was just for the best that you stayed away."

"So, I'm supposed to drop everything and go back to a place that is 'best that I stay away from?' I have a life here, I have a job, friends, people who want me around, that love me, and most importantly I have finals next week." I yelled back. How dare he come back here and try to interrupt my life.

"I'm not telling you to drop everything and come home right this moment." He said raising his voice, "but I am saying you need to come home. Finish your finals then come home, you're family needs you. Unless you have forgotten you have a family back in Charming that would do anything for you."

"A family that sent me away when I was sixteen years old, without even giving me a real reason or asking me what I wanted. The family I rarely see mind you, a family that never calls, and a family that doesn't seem to give two shits about what I do. If they care so much, then why did they want me to leave so badly?" I yelled back at him tears swelling in my eyes.

"They do care about you, I care about you, and we all just thought that it was best if you left. That you deserved to lead a less complicated life then you would have, if you stayed. It was never because we didn't want you home. It's been five years and you still don't understand that. " he said softening his voice as he walked over to me. He put his hands on either side of my faced and wiped away a tear that was falling from my eye.

I stepped away from him. His touch had startled me for some reason. I needed to toughen up. I couldn't let him see that after all these years leaving Charming still upsets me. I've wanted to hash out all the questions I had about why I needed to leave, but I knew that this wasn't the time. I didn't think I could handle that conversation right now anyway.

"Whatever" I whispered crossing my arms over my chest, putting my guard back up. "So why is it so important that I come home now, after almost five years of being gone?"

"It's Opie, needs you right now."

"Is he hurt? Are the kids okay? He isn't going to go back to jail is he?" I asked frantically preparing myself for the worse.

"He isn't going back to jail. And the kids him are okay. Well they are as well as can be expected." Jax said lowering his voice to almost a whisper. "Donna was killed. She was shot in the back, execution style. We think a rival MC is responsible for a hit. He's a wreck right now, he is devoting himself to the club and completely abandoning the kids, when they need him the most. I tried talking to him but he aint listening. I need you to talk some since back into him. "

I walked over to my dresser and grabbed a cigarette and lit it. "If he isn't going to listen to you what makes you think he is going to listen to me?"

Jax walked over to me and took the cigarette out of my mouth and took a drag. "You're his baby sister; he'll do anything for you. So use that to make him come to his sense."

"Is it that bad?"

"I'm here asking you to come back, what do you think."

"I have to finish my finals, first. And pack and let ev-" but before I could finish Jax cut me off.

"Thanks." He said hugging me. "Do you want me to come back and get you?"

"No, I think I know the way back home." I said after he released me from his arms. "I'll call you and let you know when I leave."

"Okay," he said grabbing his clothes off the floor. "I need to get going before anyone realizes I'm gone."

I nodded, grabbed my laptop, and walked out into the living room. I set up my laptop on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to get something to drink. Shortly after Jax walked out fully dressed and holding a box that was wrapped in purple paper. I gave him a weird look eyeing the gift. He just smiled back at me and walked over to where I was standing in the kitchen.

"It's nothing special" he said handing me the gift. "It's just something you left behind."

I looked at him confused and took the gift. I started to unwrapped to find a silver locket. One that Opie had given me right before he was sent to prison. I opened it to find the same two pictures staring back up at me "Where did you find this?"

"I, actually my mom, was cleaning my house and found it." He said taking the necklace away from me. "You used to never take it off. I figured you would want it back."

"Thanks" I said turning around and lifting up my hair so he could put the necklace on me.

"No problem." He said clasping the necklace. "Well I should be going." He gave me a quick hug and started towards the door.

He had his hand on the doorknob getting ready to turn it when I said "Hey wait" he looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. "How did you know where I lived. My Dad and Op don't even know. And how did you know what bar I was at last night?" I asked

He just grinned at me "You really think that I was going to let you be this far away without someone watching over you? I went to about four bars before I found the right one."

"Fair enough" I said smiling watching him walk out the door. I walked back to the living wondering what the hell I was getting myself into going back to Charming. I prepared myself for the worst, but I couldn't worry about it too much I had to get ready for this next week.