Episode Tag: 1.5 GIVING BACK
Disclaimer: Sadly none of the characters are mine, but they are being borrowed temporarily from Mr. Kurt Sutter and the FX Network. I promise to return them when I'm through, although Jax may be delayed...indefinitely.
A/N: This is my first attempt at fan fiction so please be kind. I've only watched the first 6 episodes of SOA so I hope this is in character. This is my attempt to show what Jax might have been thinking during the scene near the beginning of episode 1.05 when he is reading to Able while Agent Kohn is watching. Please let me know what you think. I was considering writing a follow up to this for the scene later on in the same episode when Tara walks in on Agent Kohn alone in the room with the baby. This has not been betaed so all mistakes are mine.
Watch Over You
Jax couldn't help the small smile that crept over his face as he read aloud to Able. It reminded him of when he was little and his mom would read to him. It was usually just an old motorcycle magazine or repair manual, but she had turned them into fascinating stories about dragons that spit fire and knights who rode on steel horses.
"Sorry little man. I'm not as good at this as grandma." He looked up at his boy as he spoke and noticed someone was watching them. He turned to face the window and gave the stranger a nod of acknowledgement, expecting him to return the greeting and move on. When the stranger continued to stare, Jax questioned him with his eyes and a quirk of his head. When he still got no response he decided enough was enough. Anyone local would've known to respect his privacy. He didn't know this man and the intensity of his stare was making Jax uneasy. He laid the book aside and stepped out into the hallway. Suddenly feeling protective of his newborn son, he shut the door softly behind him and confronted the man.
"Help you." He said, flatly with just a hint of menace behind his words.
"That's a...that's a beautiful boy." The stranger responded.
"Thanks..." Jax said, nonplussed. He waited silently, expecting more.
Without another word the man turned and left. Jax stood his ground looking after him, wondering who he was and what he wanted. He had a feeling there was more going on here then just a passerby who stopped to observe a touching scene. He didn't know why, but a strange sense of foreboding suddenly washed over him. He gave the swinging doors the man had disappeared through one last slightly troubled look before returning to his son. He sat down and picked up the book he'd been reading from, but didn't look at it. Instead he watched his son flailing his little arms and legs around inside the incubator wishing he could touch him, maybe even hold him. It suddenly struck Jax just how vulnerable Able really was. This tiny little person was completely dependant on him, not just for protection, but for everything.
He hadn't really expected the baby to survive. Even after his son was born, he had convinced himself that the boy was weak because of they way he'd come into the world and wouldn't live more than a few days. At the time he'd told himself it was best that he didn't get attached because it could only end in pain and regret. But, if he was honest with himself, it was really because he hadn't want the added responsibility and he certainly didn't want the burden of being tied to Wendy for the rest of his life.
But the baby had survived. Not only had he survived the difficult birth, but two complicated surgeries as well. His mom had said Teller's don't die easy and Abel was doing his best to prove that maxim true. Jax couldn't help but feel a little flush of pride in his son's tenacity. It surprised Jax how quickly Able had wormed his way into his heart. He hadn't wanted to care what happened to the baby, but now that he'd connected with his son there was nothing he wouldn't do to make sure his boy was safe and happy in the bosom of his family. He wondered if this was how his own father had felt when he'd been born.