AN: This is a prompt request from xbeautifulsaddnessx. It's a what if Gemma didn't crash the car with the kids in it and they actually got the opportunity to have their weekend at the cabin. Should be about 4 pr 5 parts. I'm aiming to update it weekly. This is just a starting point for something a bit more steamy. As always let me know what you think!

The ipod speakers where still playing the 1950's rock and roll he had put on to cover the sound of the body dismemberment that was going on just a room away from his wife. She was asleep on the bed, or at least appeared to be, on her side facing away from the door. Her hair lay above and behind her on the pillow, tousled in her usual way.

He collapsed next to her on the bed. Neither of them had been bothered enough to undress, get under the bed sheet or even take off their shoes. Jax was vaguely aware of his wife stirring next to him. Without either of them speaking he lifted his arms for her to curl into his side. Tara's body felt tense against his chest, the events of the day where thick in the air.

Off in the distance the two could hear the sounds of Chibs and Tig hauling the corpse out of the cabin to be buried deep in an unmarked grave, not exactly the sound track he was hoping for when he suggested they come up here to unwind. But he hadn't expected a van to try and drive by him and chibs and them to pick up a casualty on the way.

The tension was palpable, how was he supposed to explain this one to her? So far his reign as king had been a shit storm of bodies and bullets. Getting clean was dirtier than Jax had ever thought it could be. The end goal was always in sight, something decent and sustainable to pass on to his boys, retirement for the older members of samcro and enough to set up Lyla and the kids for life. If he couldn't do that for Ope, get Lyla away from the camera's for good, he would never be able to reconcile his friends sacrifice.

He found it hard to look at himself anymore. He was going through hell, so the plan was to just keep going. Ride it out until the road ahead smoothed out again. His moral playground was littered with the grit of the dirty business he took over from Clay. The worry that filled him with every proposed play was hard for him to mask, Bobby and Chibs could tell though, and he didn't mind seeing his doubt. That's what made him different from Clay, he could make the hard choices, but they didn't always sit right with his soul. He often thought back to his father, and wondered what he would have done. Piney was right about him and his old man being similar, they were both good leaders. They knew their business, but the weight that rested on them wasn't always comfy.

Jax never wanted to lead from fear, in a way you could tell that's what Clay was doing in his later years. His fear of stepping down from the gavel with nothing to show for it, the fear of being exposed as a illegitimate leader, and using the club for his own dirty gain.

Jax was tired of being crushed under the weight of greedy men. Soon he would put an end to all of it. Once rico was dead and they were done with Galindo, then he could start living and earning quietly. That's all he really wanted, was a bit of quiet. You didn't join the MC for a boring 9 to 5 life, but just a couple of months with no major disasters would be really nice.

Tara mumbled something, he couldn't tell what, he was so weary from the day he didn't really want to concentrate on anything but he knew better than ignore her, 'What did you say babe?' he muttered into the top of her head.

'Are we safe here?' His heart sank hearing the doubt in her voice.

'Yeah babe, I'm going to have Chibs stay here with us. Send Tig and Bobby to get the club looking for Frankie. I'll deal with all that when we get home. Rat is with Gemma and the boys at the house' He was going to write, and sleep and run stuff from up here. Anything that pulled him away from her was just going to have to wait.

It's what he needed. No distractions, just him and her. It had been too long since they just laid in bed for a day, he couldn't remember the last time they watched a movie together. Normal was never going to be something Jax could give her, but the illusion of it for a couple of days would be nice.

If he was going totally honest, her weight of her on his probably cracked rib didn't feel great. Also coupled with the fact that they were both fully clothed and her earring was digging into chest somewhere, Jax was going to have to break this up. Their union was all seams and zippers and belt buckles.

'I need to soak my bones and clean up my leg, hows the sound of a bath?' with that he stroked her side with the arm wrapped about her, placing a quick kiss to the top of her head. Her hair was splayed out over his chest and down her back. She hummed in agreement but made no effort to move.

He threaded his fingers through the hand that was on his chest and rubbed his thumb over hers. Since she hadn't been able to operate for some months she had let her nails grow out a little. They were painted a dark blood red, ironically. Pressing his lips to her hand he savoured the feeling of her soft skin under his lips.

'I love you so much'

Pulling her hand free she brought it up to his face to play with his beard, arching her neck to make eye contact. 'I love you too'

Jax was making a mental note of these small moments, they are what got him through the chaos of the day to day. They hadn't been saying it so much recently, partially because of the tension that followed the two of them everywhere. Tara's involvement with club affairs was never what either of them wanted. Otto was not the man Jax had known, Luanne's death had turned him bitter. Involving his wife in that was not something he just decided to do, if anything Tara demanded to involve herself. She had really turned into her own version of a matriarch. She was protecting her family, just like another woman in his life, but she didn't have the selfish agenda that his mother had.

'We need to get in the bath before one of our phones start ringing'

She let out a sigh and started to move 'Good point Teller'. As her weight lifted Jax winced at the shooting pain in his ribs. Sharply turning back around to face him she gave him a doctors look.

'You go down that hard back there?'

'Yeah we had to go down the side of the road, it's nothing, just a hit to the ribs and leg' Yeah he was playing it down at bit, but really he just wanted Tara his wife right now, not the doctor.

'Alright well let me have a look at it'

'You don't have to pretend to patch me up to get me to take my clothes off. You should know that by now'

'Oh I know. I just don't want you getting sepsis. Now take them off Jackson' She turned on her heels and crossed the hall to the bathroom to start running the bath. Never needing any encouragement he kicked off his trainers and unbuckled his belt and pushed his jeans to the floor and took a seat at the end of the bed. He unzipped his hoodie and pulled off his t-shirt, eyeing the bruise that was already starting to appear on his pale expanse of skin.

She lovingly pulled out an alcohol swab and some cotton gauze and sat back on her knees in front of him. Silently she started dabbing at the graze on his thigh. Her hair fell around her face, framing her soft features. The sting of the alcohol in his wound was dampened by the sight of her. As she worked cleaning the cuts with gentle touches he ran a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. A slight smile spread across her face and her emerald green gaze came to meet his.

'They arn't deep, but you are going to be bruised for a while. Let me see your rib' she said with honest eyes. He straightened as she looked at the area. Her delicate fingers skimmed his side.

'Well Mr Teller, you'll live' resting her hands on his knees she contemplated the man in front of her.

The room smelt of jasmine and the condensation was running down the walls. She gave her entire weight to the man seated behind her, letting her head loll onto his chest. Tara examined his hands in hers, it wasn't often she saw them without his rings on. His slender digits where calloused from years of work at TM and riding. His nails were short and bitten, his nervous tell was to chew on his hands and things had been tense recently. His sleep was shallow and he was not often home.

'Mmmmm this is nice' she hummed through her thoughts. There was something magical about a hot bath, the ceremonial washing away of the emotional dirt of the day. The world felt so far away, just the two of them, they needed this isolation.

The bubbles had mostly dissipated and Tara was very aware that Jax had an unobscured view of her wet, submerged and naked. She could feel his length in the small of her back and his strong muscular arms wrapped around her.

'Yeah' he kissed her neck and brought his hands round to link over her stomach.

'Tell me if I'm hurting your ribs babe' she could feel the scruff of his beard on her temple and slightly turned into him.

'Don't worry about me'

'You know I always will Jax' the words were out of her mouth before she could even contemplate an answer.

He smiled softly.

'Yeah I do' he tightened his embrace around her and nestled in the crook of her neck.