Heather led him into the house to wait for the kids. He was taking this awfully well, not the Jax she remembered. "maybe being a dad changed him a bit." She thought to herself as she went into the kitchen to cut up some fruit for the kids to eat when they got home. She knew he walked into the room behind her as she felt him, she always felt him. She silently cut the fruit as he silently sat at the table, watching her. Neither talking, one trying to approach the subject cautiously while the other trying to figure the best way to answer questions.
"Hey Aunt Heather." Harry stated, coming into the kitchen. "Oh, hi Uncle Jax."
"Hey Harry." Jax stated, giving the boy a high-five.
Heather gave him his plate and sent him to do his homework. Ellie came in with Lizzy behind her and they both took their plates, not noticing the biker at the table. Heather turned to wash the knife in the sink when she heard a plate crash to the floor. "Oh, momma...I'm sorry."
She took a deep breath and turned with a rag to see Jax in the floor, helping Lizzy pick up the glass pieces. She watched as they both moved, she couldn't help the tear in her eyes as she watched them. Their movements were identical as father helped daughter pick up the plates. Jax stood up with the plate pieces and looked at Heather, noticing the tears. Lizzy looked between the to adults in the room and walked to her mom.
"Why are you crying, momma?"
Heather dried her eyes, knowing her daughter would assume the worst, before answering.
"This is Jax, baby. I told you about him." she stated, taking the pieces from him and throwing him in the trash before cleaning up the floor with a wet cloth.
"That doesn't explain why you are crying. Is that his bike?"
Heather stood up and motioned for father and child to set at the table. Ellie, knowing better, silently left to do her homework before Lyla and Piper got home as Piper had detention today. Heather sat the cloth on the counter before looking back at the two blondes.
"Yes, that is his bike. I told you that your Uncle Ope and Jax rode, baby girl."
Jax and Heather waited for Lizzy to reply, the biker waiting for questions before actually talking.
"Mom." Lizzy stated, looking at the woman. Heather felt the tears as she knew the tone in her daughter's voice, she was scared. She knew all her daughter knew about bikers were they hit and hurt people, they weren't nice.
"Elizabeth, they had bikes in the pictures, I have told you all kinds of stories. The bikers here, they are good people. They protect the ones they love, their families."
Lizzy looked from her mom to Jax. "You don't hurt girls?"
Jax was thrown off by the question and looked to Heather. The woman, now leaning against the sink, looked away from him. He looked back at the girl sitting at the table with him, "No, not intentionally. Sometimes we do, but it's more like arguing. I wouldn't hit a girl if that what you mean." He figured he should be as honest as he could with her, the club was complicated, but he hurt people who hurt women, didn't hurt women themselves...except Ima.
Lizzy knew he was hiding something, but didn't know what. Her mom had told her that there were somethings that she wouldn't be able to know because of her age, but from now on, Lizzy knew her mother would be as honest as she could be.
"So you're not like my da...Jake?"
Jax getting more confused, looked back to Heather, "What is she talking about?"
Heather walked over and knelt in front of her daughter, making her look at her mother.
"Samcro, they protect. What Jake and them did won't happen here, Liz. Jax, he is a good man. Why didn't you tell me that's what was wrong? I knew you had some thing's you were sure about, but I thought we talked about it already."
"Jake wasn't like that after he got out either momma, remember. He didn't start until you tried to leave, while you were at work, while you were asleep. He made me promise not to tell, remember?"
Jax watched as both girls had tears flowing down their cheeks, he could feel something was very wrong about this Jake and Jax had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.
"Baby, you told the hospital nothing happened." Heather stated, looking at her daughter and rubbing their hands together.
"He didn't, mom. I hid every time he came in drunk in my closet in the wall like you showed me. The night you went to the hospital was first time he found me. They gave him the idea to tie me up like that. Momma, bikers don't protect, th..."
"Lizzy."
Everyone in the room looked over at Ellie standing in the Kitchen with Piper.
"I don't know what happened in LA, but what I do know is that bikers don't hurt. My daddy never hurt me or Harry. He never hurt Lyla and Piper, no one. Uncle Jax didn't either. I know the club helped a lot when my dad was in jail and after momma died. We are family here."
Heather watched as Ellie walked over to them and gave her daughter a hug before walking out to play with Piper in the backyard.
"Why did you go mom? If they didn't hurt why leave? I heard Jake tell you that they didn't love you, he didn't love you. I don't know who he is, but if your daddy and brother never hurt you, why leave?"
Heather's heart broke for her little girl, and was sad that Jax had to watch this. Taking a deep breath and trying not to pay attention to the man who she knew wanted the answers as much as her daughter, she answered the questions. "I left because I was stupid, Elizabeth. I left because my heart was hurting to stay and watch things it didn't want to see. Jake knew it, knew what I wanted and who I couldn't have and used it against me. I let him for a long time, baby girl and you got hurt for it. I should have come back a long time ago, but I just couldn't face anyone, let alone your daddy."
Heather pulled the girl to her, still not being able to look at the man who still held her heart.
"Heather, what happened?" Jax whispered it, but she heard it anyway.
She pulled back from Lizzy, both looking at Jax. Lizzy got up and walked over the biker, putting her hand on his that was on the table. "I know we don't know each other, but if you ever hurt me or momma, I will call 911."
With that said, the twelve-year-old went in search of her cousins. Heather stood and sat in the chair that Lizzy vacated. Both adults sat, neither knowing where to start. Heather could still see everything Jake did to her and Lizzy as if it was yesterday and to tell this man about it would crush her, she was sure of it. She'd have to come clean, about that summer, about why she left, everything, she just didn't know how to.
Jax watched the red-head, with Lizzy stating what she did as she walked out, he knew whatever happened with the guy was bad, really bad. He wanted to reach out and hold her, pull her against him and tell her it would be alright, that he wasn't going anywhere. Truth was though, it was complicated. Tara and the divorce, her wanting to take Thomas back to Chicago and having full custody. It was seeming as if everything fell on him at once. He pulled out his cigarettes, lighting one up and handing it to Heather, who took it. He lit another for himself and continued sitting in silence, waiting. Waiting...it seems that's all he did for the last decade or so. Waiting for Heather to come home, Tara to return, Abel to be found, and Jax found himself tired of waiting. He had never told Opie that he was in love with his sister; thinking on it now, if he had, maybe she would have come back when she found out about Lizzy. Maybe she didn't feel the same way and would have stayed gone. He didn't really know what would have happened then, but she was here now and he'd be damned if he let her go twice. He was tired of letting go, not getting what he wanted. He let Tara go, but that was for him too. He figured that out when he signed the papers, they never really loved each other. If they had, they wouldn't have tried so hard to change everything.
"Heather..."
Heather and Jax both jumped, realizing that Lyla was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Hey Lyla." Heather replied, getting up to pull out dinner.
Lyla looked at the two people in her house. She knew about Lizzy, of course. Who couldn't, she was the spitting image of Jax and even Abel. "Everything alright? Where are the kids?"
"Yeah, Lyla everything's alright, I guess. The kids are in the back yard with the dog." Heather replied, turning around. "Jax, you staying for dinner?"
Jax looked up at Heather and smiled. "Nah, I should get to Abel. I have a lot to tell him. Um, Can we meet tomorrow since it's Saturday? I would love for him to meet Lizzy."
Heather nodded. "Yeah, should be fine. I may need help with stuff in storage if your up for that."
He nodded, gave both girls a kiss on the cheek before going to say bye to the kids and riding home.
Lyla watched as her sister-in-law was busy making spaghetti for dinner, knowing she needed a minute before the questions started. Heather didn't want to look at Lyla, so she busied herself with dinner.
"Did you get a house?" Lyla asked, deciding on a small approach.
Heather nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it's got four bedrooms in it with two bathrooms. If you want I was gonna look through dad and Ope's things. I wont have much money for furniture till I get a job."
"That's fine. You alright?"
"I couldn't tell him, Lyla. He knows Liz is his, but I couldn't tell him why I left or about Jake. I don't want him to feel guilty because he didn't feel the same way."
Lyla looked at her friend as she turned to put the bread into the oven and watched her. What a lot of people didn't know was that she could read you like a book. It's part of what made her so popular in the movies she did. With Jax, she always felt as though he was waiting for something, someone, even with Tara being around. She'd bet her money that he was in love with the girl in her kitchen and vice versa. "I think you're more worried that he'd go after Jake and end up in the jailhouse. I know that's why you didn't tell your dad or Opie."
Heather walked over to sit at the table with Lyla, finishing her cigarette. "A little, I guess. I don't want Lizzy to go through that. She's so damn scared of guys on bikes, Lyla. She hardly looked at him, thinking he was going to hurt us. I know you told me what he did to Ima, but I would have beat the shit out of her for the same thing. He was protecting you, Ope, and Tara. What Jake did was different."
Jax rode home, knowing his mom would be there with Abel and dinner. As he pulled into the drive, he remembered that Heather's car was at Gemma's. He took his helmet off and left it on his handle bars, walking up to his door to go in. Abel immediately jumped up from the TV and ran for his dad, wrapping his arms around him as tight as he could.
"Hey little man, where's grandma?" Jax asked, picking his son up and holding him close.
"In the bathroom, we are having meat loaf."
Jax chuckled, knowing that was Abel's favorite, before letting him down to go back to the TV.
"Hey baby."
Jax turned to his mom, giving her a kiss on her cheek and following her into the kitchen to get a beer.
Gemma watched her boy as he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat at the table, pulling out his pack and lighting a cigarette. She knew a lot was dumped on him today, and with the shit Tara was trying to pull, knew he needed a break.
"I'm taking Abel for the night, Jackson. You need a break."
Jax nodded, not saying anything as he agreed with his mom about the break.
Gemma watched him as he stared out his window, sipping his beer and smoking his cigarette. He wasn't going to talk until he was ready and she wasn't sure what all Heather had told him about LA or Jake and his buddies. She knew now, looking at him and remembering, that he was in love with that girl when she left. She also had a feeling that's why he settled for Tara and Wendy as both were here and made promises not to leave. She wanted to be angry about her god-daughter, but just couldn't find it in her to be. She knew they both had to work through a shit ton of things and she really hoped they came out on top. When he was finished with his cigarette, he got up telling Gemma he was going to hop in the shower real quick.
While in there, Jax thought about Heather and Lizzy. He knew something was wrong and it was eating at him. What had the bastard done to his daughter and her mom that would make Lizzy so afraid to look at him, let alone the 911 thing. Thinking about Heather, though, got something stirring in him and he knew he had to get out. His mom was here and he didn't need to wank off with her in the other room with his five-year old. She was just as beautiful as she was when she left. He needed to find a way to tell her how much of him she took with her when she hopped on Jake's bike and took off, he knew that. He turned the water off when he was finished and reached for the towel on the hook, wrapping it around his waist. He walked out of the bathroom into his room and went to his closet, reaching for a pair of jeans. He slipped them on and then ran the towel over his head, drying his blonde locks. Walking toward the kitchen, he smelled the food just coming out of the oven and realized how hungry he was since eating with Heather at the diner.
"How was your day?" Gemma asked, keeping to light conversation.
"Alright, I guess. I'm gonna get Abel early. Heather needs some help in the storage and asked." Jax answered, taking a bite of the meat loaf.
"She get a house, than?"
Jax nodded and proceeded to eat. Gemma, knowing he didn't want to really talk about it, let him.
"Daddy, can I wear my new bike jammies at grandma Gemma's?" Abel asked.
Jax smiled, looking at his boy. "What ever you want, Abel."
Abel smiled, making Jax think of Lizzy and today, as he asked, "Who's Heather?"
Gemma looked at Jax, wanting to see how he answered the question. Jax took a drink and looked at his son. "She's Uncle Opie's sister. She moved back to help Lyla take care of El and Harry. Wanna help her move some things tomorrow?"
"Why haven't we seen her before?"
"She lived out-of-town in a different part of California, Abel. Eat." Gemma answered for her son, who looked are her in appreciation.
After dinner, Jax helped Abel pack a bag while Gemma did the dishes for her son. Jax was following them as he was going to take Heather her car and then walk home, getting his bike after helping her tomorrow since they'd need a truck.
It was movie night at Lyla's and since it was most likely the last weekend Heather and Lizzy would be there, the mother's decided to make a big fort in the living room and everyone sleeping there like a camp out/slumber party for the weekend. As the kids were gathering blankets and sheets, Lyla and Heather were moving around furniture to where they could set up and still be able to watch the movies when there was a knock on the door. Heather moved to answer it since she was closer and found Jax at the door.
"Hey, brought your car back since I took Abel to stay at mom's and I could walk the block home."
Heather smiled and took the keys, moving aside. "Wanna stay a bit? We are making a fort and watching movies with the kids."
Jax walked in and took his cut off, "Thanks, I can for a bit."
Heather smiled, taking his cut and laying it on her bed in the extra room she shared with Lizzy. When she came back out she saw Jax helping her daughter getting the popcorn and other snacks in the kitchen while Lyla and the other kids were putting the fort together. She leaned against the wall in the hallway, just looking. With Jax here, she was hoping to show her baby girl that not every man with a bike and some leather would beat you, or even hurt you. Lyla looked up and saw her friend next to her, "I'm glad he stayed, gives her time with him where she's comfortable." Lyla whispered.
Heather nodded in agreement as Jax turned and smiled at her.
Grabbing what he could, Jax helped Lizzy carry everything into the living room, watching as Heather went to gather the rest. They all plopped down on the pillows and blankets getting comfy while Harry got to pick out the first movie. He picked out Sandlot, which was his favorite to watch with Opie and sat next to Piper. Heather sat next to Lizzy, who was next to Jax. Jax was leaning against the couch so that he was comfortable, but could still talk to Lizzy if she wanted to, hoping she was alright with him here.
Lyla watched as she leaned against a chair with Piper and Opie's kids were in the middle laying on their stomachs, watching a movie that Opie loved. Jax sat watching the movie when he noticed Lizzy slowly falling asleep on his shoulder, he moved his arm to lay on the couch so that she could get comfortable, looking at Heather who had a tear in her eye at the picture. All four kids were asleep by the time the movie was over and so the adults just left them there while they cleaned the snacks up. Heather and Lyla were sleeping in there with them as they always did on movie night. While Jax was helping Lyla, Heather snuck out the front to have a cigarette and think. "Oh Op, how'd we get like this?" she asked, looking up, hoping her brother was looking down on her. She heard the screen open moments later and felt Jax sit next to her, lighting his own cigarette.
"It's so peaceful here." she whispered, still looking at the stars.
Jax looked up and stared at them, taking in what she said. "Thanks for inviting me to stay, it meant a lot."
She smiled and looked at him. "Good. I want her to know you're not bad, Jax. I really shouldn't have left Charming."
Jax wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his side as they sit. "What happened to you both in LA, Heather?"
She sighed and looked away toward the sky. "A hell of a lot that shouldn't have, Jax. I was nineteen and in love with a guy who fucked anything with a pussy who would let him anywhere near it. I needed out, couldn't watch anymore. I hated lying to everyone, but mostly to Ope, Jax. He was my brother and your best friend and we lied to him a lot. I thought Jake would be a new start, which he was, just not the start I wanted. He was abusive. When he found out Lizzy wasn't his, he beat me black and blue, hitting me in the stomach and causing early labor. I tell you, she shouldn't have made it especially when the doctors found her condition. Teller's are fighters I tell you."
She took a breath and let him process that, still looking up at the stars. Jax sat quietly, taking in what she told him. He wanted to hurt that guy, badly. He almost killed his daughter and her mother.
"You didn't tell Ope, I'm assuming as he didn't go there and kill anyone."
She chuckled, "Nope, didn't tell dad either. I didn't want them in Jail and Donna just had Ellie. He went to jail because I ratted on his bike club, not saying anything about Charming. He did his time, got better. So he said anyway. I didn't know all that about Lizzy having to hide till she said so today, makes me mad. He started hitting again when I found out about Donna, told me I wasn't allowed anywhere near Charming or you. He threatened Lizzy if I left, so I stayed. When daddy and Ope died, I knew I had to come back. I had to be with Ellie and Harry. I had to get Lizzy out. I got home from working my last shift when I found my baby tied up and naked. He didn't do anything to her as I got there in time and they turned it on me."
She said the rest fast so that she could get it out. She took his arm from around her and moved, knowing that this may be his breaking point. Jax was thankful she did as he really wanted to hit something and he did. He punched his hand into Lyla's garage, hard. After he calmed down, he saw Heather, shaking and went directly to her. "Did they...?"
she shook her head and he let out a breath, pulling her to him. She broke down like she had with Gemma later that day and he held her as his own tears began for everything this woman had to go through.
