The four men spent most of the night at Jax's, only returning to the ice cream shop as dawn began to show on the horizon. Tig was sent on ahead, to explain to the guys what had happened. When the others arrived, the MC was already grouped together in the shop, waiting for what the next call was going to be. Jax remained silent as he dropped into a booth at the back of the shop. Bobby gathered the rest of the guys close, outlining directions for different supplies they would need. As Bobby spoke, Happy turned to look towards Jax who had slumped down, staring at the scarred table, while Rat swallowed slowly, tears forming in his eyes, as he glanced back and forth between Jax and Bobby. The group split up, Montez and West to their bikes; Rat and Happy to the van.
They drove the van in silence back to Jax's house, the only words exchanged throughout the whole errand were when they explained to the cop outside the house that they were there to pick up clothes for Jax and the kids. They crossed the threshold of the front door quickly, only looking to their right. Their gazes dropped to the suitcases that sat abandoned in the hallway. Happy kneeled down, unzipping each, quickly identifying the one with the children's clothes before carefully setting the other aside. Rat continued past him, moving down the hall towards the master bedroom. He found the duffel bag on the floor next to the bed and going to the drawers filled it with clothes for Jax. As he made his way back he dropped the duffel by the front door and moved across towards the kitchen. His gaze slowly moved around the room, taking in the carnage as he said a silent prayer for the doctor, before turning to pick up the bag and meet Happy at the van.
Happy and Rat returned to the shop a couple of hours later. They noted West and Montez had already returned as they pulled into a spot across the street from the shop. Bobby had already sent out word to the other charters alerting them to the events of the evening before and to be on guard. None of the other crews they dealt with would go after the wife of a member, this attack was unexplainable, and in that even more dangerous. Chucky and Brooke stopped by at different times, but Bobby sent them both away, Chucky back to Teller-Morrow and Brooke home for the day. Jax remained in the booth watching Abel across from him playing with toys, Thomas in his arms. Chibs sat at the counter, keeping a watchful eye over them as Tig leaned against the front window.
"Boys are back." Tig said straightening up.
"Took them long enough." Bobby muttered.
"Juice too." Tig added, noting the third figure trailing behind Happy and Rat.
"Where the hell has he been?" Bobby ground out.
Tig held the door open for Happy and Rat as they brought in the suitcase and duffel. They turned back to the van, Juice clearly aiming to follow as Chibs caught him by the arm to hold him back.
"Where have you been?" He asked, noting Juice's eyes move around the room, quickly moving on as he passed over Jax.
"I was looking for Gemma."
"Gemma." Bobby breathed out in realization that someone would have to tell Gemma what happened.
"She's okay, Unser took her home." He fidgeted a bit, before turning his gaze on Jax. "I thought Jax was giving himself up to Patterson."
"Something happened." Chibs said, stepping back to watch Juice as Bobby explained the scene at Jax's house.
"Jesus Christ." Juice breathed, his gaze darting quickly to Jax, then away. Chibs eyes narrowed as the other man shifted from one foot to the other. He couldn't study Juice any longer as Happy and Rat brushed by, carrying a full-size mattress up the stairs.
"Jax." Bobby said quietly, waiting until the other man shifted his eyes to him. "Montez and West brought back some food and sheets for the bed. You should probably get some sleep, we'll watch the boys."
"I can't sleep." He responded simply, the flash in his eyes making it obvious that sleep would only bring nightmares of his wife's body laying on the floor in front of him.
"You should eat something at least." Bobby insisted.
"No." Jax answered, turning his gaze back to Abel.
The club spent most of the afternoon talking in low voices in the shop. Juice offered to go to Gemma's to tell her and Unser what had happened. Bobby nodded his agreement, and told Chibs that he'd better call Nero as well before everyone found out from the news. As the day went on Bobby noticed that Main Street was much busier than usual, it was obvious as people slowed in front of the shop that news was already spreading and they were coming to gawk, trying to see what the club would do. He seriously considered sending rat upstairs for the sheets to hang them across the windows so no one could see in, but decided against it. The boys needed normalcy around them, sheets hanging from store windows seemed to be pushing it.
Nero arrived at the shop within a hour of hearing the news. Pushing aside all his feelings about how Jax had been conducting business, and regretting his words to the younger man about karma, he strode into the room.
He slowed his pace as he made his way towards Jax. He exchanged hugs with the club members that he passed, only looking away from Jax to offer quiet condolences. He noticed Gemma's absence, worried about her safety.
"Juice went to tell her." Bobby said quietly from beside him.
Nero thanked him before continuing to Jax. Nero's heart broke at the sight of the other man with his sons. Nero's mind went back to two nights before, 'had it really only been two days?' he thought to himself as he stopped beside the booth. He noted the stiff set of Jax's shoulders, a broken man using every bit of strength he had to hold himself together. Nero crouched on the floor next to the booth and rested his hand on Jax's shoulder.
"I am so sorry my brother." He said quietly, squeezing Jax's shoulder. Nero let go as Jax acknowledged his words with a nod.
The sun was starting to set when Juice finally returned with Gemma and Unser in tow. Chibs frowned watching as the three crossed the street, surprised that it took so long for them to appear.
Gemma pushed through the door to the shop, stopping short when she noticed Nero sitting at the counter parallel to where Jax sat in the booth.
She steeled herself as his gaze met hers, dropping her eyes before he could note anything he shouldn't and then turned her gaze to her son.
"Oh Jackson." She said quietly, moving through the shop.
Unser and Juice had followed behind her, Juice remained separate from the group as Unser joined Bobby and Chibs.
"What the hell happened?" Unser asked quietly, guilt filling him as Bobby laid out the scene. Unser turned his gaze to where Gemma was kneeling next to the booth talking in low tones to Jax, his heart seizing as an awful thought made it's way through his head.
"You okay?" Chibs asked, reaching out to grab Unser by the arm as he swayed.
"Yea." He answered. "It's just terrible, what happened to Tara." He finished.
Chibs and Bobby remained silent, those words pretty much covered what they were all thinking.
"Jackson." Gemma was saying quietly as Unser was talking with Bobby and Chibs. "Baby look at me." She implored, reaching up to clasp Jax's cheek.
Jax flinched away, pulling his face away from his mothers. Clenching his teeth to keep his emotions in check he turned to look at her. His mother had a hunted look in her eyes, one he had rarely seen. If Jax had been able to think clearly he would have questioned why she looked hunted instead of devastated. As it was, all his thought was being used to hold himself together in front of his club and his boys. Tara was the only one he could truly be himself with, truly be vulnerable with, and she was gone.
"I'm so sorry about Tara." Jax fought down a sneer, everyone was so sorry about Tara now, when just yesterday half of them were willing to put her in the ground themselves. Jax stiffened at the dark thought, his gaze trailing around the room as if trying to imagine any of people who remained were capable of such a thing.
Gemma refrained from reaching out to hold Jax, already stung at his refusal to accept her comfort earlier. She looked over at her grandsons, her beautiful boys.
"I'll take them home with me tonight." She said quietly, coming to her feet and already reaching out to take the sleeping Thomas from Jax's arms.
"No!" Jax yelled, waking Thomas as he pulled back from his mother. Abel jumped in alarm, looking with wide eyes at his father. "Our boys are staying with me."
"Jax." Gemma said in a needling tone. "The clubhouse is no place for your sons, they should be at home, where things will be familiar."
"Their place is with me." Jax said simply.
Gemma looked like she was getting ready to burst into an argument when Nero tugged on her arm and pulled her away towards where the rest of the club stood.
"Gemma, it's best for him to be around the boys right now." Nero said quietly.
"He's in no state to take care of them." Gemma argued.
"We're all taking care of them." Tig interjected.
"We have a room set up upstairs, they can't go back to the house obviously and they'd never be alone." Bobby added.
"They wouldn't be alone at my house."
"Gemma." Chibs said in a comforting tone. "He needs the boys with him so he can focus on being a father right now, and not sink into the depths of realization that he is a widower."
While the others spoke on the far side of the room, Jax gathered up his sons and led them upstairs. He moved them into the makeshift bedroom, changing both into their pajamas and laying Thomas down in the pack in play.
Jax turned to the suitcases that Tara had packed and pulled out the books that were neatly stacked in the bottom. At the sight of the familiar book, Abel climbed onto the watching as his father moved towards him.
"Where's mommy?" He asked, mommy was the one who read that story.
Jax's heart stopped at his son's words, tears burned in his eyes. He set the book on the edge of the mattress, and pulled Abel into his arms as he sat down.
"Do you know what angels are Abel?" He asked quietly a few moments later having tried desperately to get himself under control.
Abel looked up at his father in question, then slowly nodded unusually grave.
"Angels watch over and protect us don't they? Isn't that what mommy said?" Jax asked, waiting for Abel to nod again.
"Sometimes, the world needs more angels to protect us." He paused. "God needed mommy to be an angel, so that she can watch over you and your brother."
Abel remained silent, staring up at his father.
"Mommy will watch you too?" He asked.
Jax choked out a sob, tears slipping free as he pulled Abel close and kissed him on the top of his head. "Yea, mommy is watching over me too."
Author's Note: You guys! I'm am so shocked and thankful that so many of you have read the story and reviewed! It's amazing to see so many people who have the same feelings over the finale, how many of us want to see the same thing. I am pleasantly surprised that many of you have remembered my other fic. I hate that I'd left it unfinished, it was so difficult over the last couple of seasons to find the inspiration to continue. Hopefully this story will help to heal these wounds and then maybe I can reset and try to imagine happier times. Thank you all so much again!