A/N-Thanks for all the reviews! I guess all I had to do was ask and I got them! While I understand the frustrations of one reviewer, please keep in mind that we're only on chapter four and it's been established, at least I think it has, that this situation is pretty impossible for her to get out of at this point. So...on to seeing the Gemma we all know and love. Enjoy!

LOVE SONG

Chapter Four

As Kate dutifully followed Gemma into the kitchen, and with all the guys now gone, she realized that it really was just the two of them alone in that big house. There was a chill in the air now and she wasn't sure if it was because the house was near-empty or because she was alone with Gemma. And as she entered the kitchen, she found herself remembering something her mom had once said about Gemma: that she wondered if Gemma was bipolar or had multiple personalities. Maybe that explained the chill she felt before. She found herself wishing that Jax was still here…at least he was making a continued effort to make this situation easy for her. She was beginning to feel like he was the only one who was going to do that for her. With Gemma, one just never knew what to expect.

She set the pile of dirty dishes she'd been carrying next to the sink and looked around anxiously, unsure of what to do next or what was going to happen next. Sure, they could catch up on each other's lives, reminisce about all the times she'd spent the night at their old and much less expensive house when her own mother had been unable to care for her and she was contemplating asking where, exactly, Abel's mother was, and on some level, things could relatively go back to the way things were before she left Charming, at least with Gemma. But there was a part of her that sensed there was a side to Gemma she hadn't seen nine years before, a side that her mom had only briefly complained about when she was in between getting high and running her porn business. When she was 16, she'd been oblivious to much else besides school, boys, her bitterness about her dad's imprisonment, and her mom's problems. She wouldn't have caught on to anything off about Gemma but there was something about the way she'd acted at dinner that had caught her off guard…she had a feeling that Gemma's 'other' side was about to rear it's ugly head.

"Well, all the boys are gone now…it's just you and me, kid." Gemma said, coming up behind her.

"Um…yeah."

"So, how's that little store of yours?"

And here we go, Kate thought to herself.

"It was pretty slow at first; I think it took me a little bit longer than I thought to get everything up and running and to figure out how to run it…but word of mouth seems to be helping." At this point, she was just talking so they wouldn't have to stand there in silence. It was already awkward enough.

"You know," Gemma said as she moved back over the sink. "From what Clay told me, you're quite the businesswoman. Just like your mom."

Kate knew that Gemma had actually intended her comment to be a compliment, at least she thought, but it was hard not to feel a pang anytime her mom was mentioned, especially whenever it involved similarities between the two of them. She wanted to put just as much space between her and her mom as she did with the club.

Gemma immediately picked up on the reason behind her silence and she shifted, her hand at her hip, to get a better look at Kate.

"So," Gemma wisely changed the subject. "How are you doing with all of this, anyways? Clay, Jax, and the prospect in your hair…?"

Kate bit her lip in thought, knowing that this was more interrogation than friendly conversation. She was certain now that Gemma actions towards her before and during dinner were all but an act she'd put on, for who though, she wasn't quite sure. She sensed that her answers now were important, not just for the sake of her and Gemma's relationship, but also for the sake of her own safety. Although she hadn't had much experience with the bad side of Gemma, she knew enough to know that Gemma had more influence over Clay, and essentially the club, than any actual member. Her answers would get back to Clay, Jax, and the rest of the club one way or another. She didn't like this test and hadn't had enough time to prepare.

"Well," she began with a deep breath. "I can't say I enjoy their presence. Jax has been decent enough…I know he's trying to make things easier for me, which I appreciate, but I guess I can't appreciate the way my entire life has been taken over. I'm sorry for being so frank but it's true."

She figured, in this situation, honest was always going to be the best policy. Gemma was already watching her carefully, waiting for her to slip, waiting for her to give her a reason not to trust her…almost like she had been expecting it and now was looking for the evidence. Kate knew that giving Gemma any kind of ammunition was the exact opposite of what she needed to do now.

"Hmmm…" Gemma said guardedly as she rinsed off some dishes. "But you're dealing with it?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah…I have to. I mean, if I don't, I'll lose my store and there's no amount of freedom that's worth more to me than that."

Gemma turned around and met her gaze straight-on. Kate couldn't exactly read her expression but knew that she was weighing her answer and trying to decide how to interpret it.

"And what about your opinion of the club? That's changed a hell of a lot since the last time we saw each other…how are you dealing with the presence of the, uh, cargo in your basement?"

Kate took another deep breath as she figured out how to answer that question. She knew she couldn't tell Gemma the whole truth but also knew she couldn't risk Gemma calling her on a lie. How could she go about meeting somewhere in the middle with this and still leave with all limbs and body parts in tact?

"I'm just trying to pretend that it isn't there and going about business as usual." It was simple enough and as close to the exact truth as she could possibly get without shooting herself in the foot.

"And the club?" Gemma didn't miss a beat, calling her on the fact that she had avoided Gemma first question.

"The club is the club…it's not like I'm not familiar with what goes on, I guess I did grow up with all of that after all…and as soon as this is over, I'm just going to back to my life like nothing ever happened."

Gemma's eyes narrowed into thin black slits. "And you think you'll be able to do it? Just like that?"

Kate shrugged, trying desperately to maintain any sort of composure in the presence of this intimidating woman. Now she knew exactly why her mom had spoken of Gemma like she was her best friend one day and like she was the devil incarnate the next. LuAnn hadn't exactly been right about a lot of things…like telling her 16-year old daughter her third time at rehab would really be the charm…but, all things considered, she'd been dead-on about Gemma. And this Gemma, this dark, fierce, and steely Gemma, was scary as hell.

And here she thought Clay was the scary one.

Before she could stop herself, she turned to Gemma and the word vomit just spit out of her: "Gemma…I know what's going on here. I know you're trying to figure out if you can trust me, if I'm going to call the cops, if I can handle all this pressure…and while I can't tell you I'm happy about this, well, I've never lied to you my entire life and I'm not about to start now. I value my life and my business enough to do anything to piss you off. But what I can tell you is that I'm not going to call the cops, if anybody shows up asking questions, I don't know anything and Jax already put his number in my speed dial so I can call him easily if anything like that happens. I know I don't want to have anything to do with the club and I know that makes you feel uneasy but I would also never do anything to hurt the club either."

She wanted to clamp her hand around her mouth and scream as soon as the words were finished spilling out of her. It was as if her tongue had a mind of its own. She closed her eyes briefly, just to get her bearings back, and when she found the strength to open them back up, Gemma was studying her carefully.

Several moments passed without a word, both of them staring at each other, trying to figure out the next move in this chess game. Finally, Gemma quietly broke the suffocating silence.

"You know, Kate," she said with a soft smile. "I appreciate your honesty. I really do. And I want more than anything to believe you…and while I understand that you have a lot at stake here, you have to understand that we have a hell of a lot more at stake, so it's only natural for me to question whether or not this arrangement is really what's best for everyone involved, including you."

Kate nodded slowly, not sure if this was good or bad.

"That being said," Gemma continued. "I hope we can put this…unpleasantness…behind us and try to keep the peace…you know, that reminds me…I came across this the other day…"

Gemma turned on her heel and went into another room, rummaging around for something. When she came back, she handed Kate a slightly worn picture of a pre-teen, shaggy-haired Jax with his arm slung around the tiny shoulders of her younger self. She had to have been no more than seven in that picture and she found herself smiling back at the grinning images looking up at her. They both looked a little dirty and she vaguely remembered Gemma snapping it of the two of them after they'd come back from a few hours playing baseball at the park. Jax, very unsuccessfully, had been trying to teach her how to bat and she marveled that even then, he'd had remarkable patience for her.

She started handing the picture back to Gemma, too caught up in the past but Gemma just shook her head.

"Nah…keep it. I've got a few copies of it anyways. I had completely forgotten how you two used to play together when you were so little," Gemma sighed, looking back at the picture. "And now look at you both…all grown up, you—a college grad, running your own business, and Jax—with a kid, a house, VP of the club…it seemed like it all happened so fast."

"Yeah…Jax showed me a picture of Abel actually. He's adorable. He looks just like the baby pictures of Jax I've seen."

Gemma smiled wistfully. "That boy is my pride and joy…I don't know what we would have done if we'd lost him…"

Kate frowned. "What?"

Gemma looked back at Kate in frustration, her brow furrowed. "Jax must not have told you much."

"No," she shook her head. "All he told me was that Abel just had a birthday party."

Gemma nodded sadly and motioned for Kate to sit down at the now clean table. "He's unbelievably lucky he even had a first birthday, let alone two. I probably shouldn't be telling you this but that god damn bitch of a mother of his…God, I wish Jax had never laid eyes on her…she was a crack addict and Jax, like the idiot he was, married her anyways. After a few months, he got sick of dealing with her shit and left. She supposedly went to rehab and came back promising him that she was all better, that she hadn't touched the shit, and, like the god damn idiot he was, he believed her and she got pregnant. After he found out she was using again, he bailed on both of them and filed for divorce."

"They were married?" Kate asked cautiously, barely believing what she was hearing.

Gemma nodded, her lips set in a firm line. "Yes…trust me, I still have no idea what possessed him to marry her in the first place but that was a disaster everyone saw coming. Abel was born prematurely because she decided to shoot up when she was seven months pregnant. He had a hole in his stomach, not to mention the family defect, and was in an incubator for months. Nobody thought he had a chance, except for me, but the little guy pulled through and he's as healthy as a horse now."

"And Abel's mother…where is she now?"

Gemma shuttered a little, something Kate had never, ever seen her do. "Well, the divorce was final over two years ago and after that waste of space packed up all her shit and got the hell out of here, I have no idea where she went or what she's doing. I don't care as long as she never shows her face around here."

"And Jax isn't worried that she might come back?"

Gemma laughed, almost frighteningly. "She knows better than to come looking for what isn't hers. Besides, she knows she'd never make it out of this town again alive. So no, Jax isn't too worried and I'm not either."

Kate nodded slowly, feeling her previous uneasiness creep back up. Gemma really could turn it on and off like a light switch—she was funny and friendly one minute and ready to bite someone's head off the next. That thought alone was enough to make her take a cautious step closer to the counter and away from Gemma. Had Gemma always been like this? It was difficult to reconcile this woman with the warm, happy, and welcoming 'Aunt' she had spent so much time with years before. She couldn't help but wonder what had happened to this woman to make her this way…and then part of her began to feel a little sorry for Gemma. Sure, she had more money and power than Kate could probably conceive of, but she couldn't be happy, couldn't be able to really enjoy any of it…always worried about the men in her life, always manipulating, always threatening people, albeit underhandedly, to get what she wanted from them….no one could be happy like that for long. And then, as this new realization sunk in, Gemma suddenly didn't seem so scary.

"So," Gemma said as she wiped her hands with a towel. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure."

"You know, those cookies you brought tonight were divine. What brand do you use for the store? I'd love to pick some up." Gemma continued as she started a pot of coffee.

"I actually make those from scratch."

Gemma turned on her heel with a confused expression on her face. "You…wow. You know, I never would have pegged you for the baking type…but, well you did love that easy-bake oven when you were little."

Kate surprised herself by laughing. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Did you always plan on doing the bookstore-café thing?"

"It started as a bookstore-coffee thing and then a couple of customers told me they wished they could have lunch at the store too and then the café just kinda happened on its own. Actually, it was the best thing that ever happened to the store—I don't know if I'd still be in business without it."

Gemma nodded in understanding and handed her a cup of coffee, gesturing for them to sit at the table. "Jax mentioned earlier today that he had lunch there and that it was the best club sandwich he'd ever had. Which, given the amount of food my son eats, is a pretty good compliment."

Kate sighed softly, remembering the way she had treated Jax earlier that day. He hadn't necessarily deserved everything he got and she was starting to feel a little guilty for taking all her frustrations out on the one person in this whole mess that was actually not only being genuinely nice to her, but was also trying to help her. She looked back to Gemma, was watching her curiously and took a cautious sip of her now-cooled down coffee.

"So, anyways," Gemma continued, still watching her. "Now that we've cleared the air a little, how are you really doing? I mean, you're all by yourself out there, no help, no people, no man, no parents…you look like you have your shit pretty well figured out but then again, a lot of people can put on an act."

Well-played, Gemma, Kate thought. Well-played.

So she just shrugged. "There are plenty of times when I just want to lay in bed and say screw everything. But, I always have to remember that I've worked really hard to get where I am right now…to be able to own a business, a car, and be able to make a dent in my student loans at the same time…I'm pretty proud of that. And I guess, in hindsight, once all this is over, I'll be out from under my debt with the club and will actually own the store."

"I'm sorry you had to find out about that the way you did. Otto really believed he was doing what was best for you and Clay really believed the club would never need the money he lent to your dad. But, times are tough as shit right now and it really was a last resort. If it makes you feel any better, I was just as against that idea as Jax was. I still don't see why the club couldn't try something else first…it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

"Well, that's because you don't really trust me." Kate said with a smile.

To her surprise, Gemma quickly caught on to the joke and threw her head back and laughed. "That might have something to do with it…yeah."

They laughed together for a few moments, each woman surprised by the humor of the situation. A few minutes before, it hadn't seemed so funny. But now, here they sat, laughing over a cup of coffee like old friends might. It was all still so surreal. Sometimes, Kate found herself wondering if she was really here, if this was really her body, if she hadn't switched into someone else's somehow. But then again, there was still that uneasiness resting at the pit of her stomach that she had a feeling wouldn't be disappearing any time soon. That gut feeling that told her no matter what Gemma, Jax, or the rest of the club did or said, there would always be imminent danger lingering around. The club really wasn't that different than what she'd seen tonight from Gemma. Sure, it might seem friendly and welcoming and purposeful—sometimes—on the outside, but on the inside, there was a hard, sharp edge, a dangerous glint that could around and snap at any moment's notice. The club was dangerous and so was Gemma. She couldn't allow herself to forget that.

On that note…

"Well," Kate said as she pushed herself up from the chair. "It's getting late and I should get going."

Gemma nodded, still watching her with careful eyes. "Right. Early morning?"

"Yeah," she replied over her shoulder as she looked for her purse.

"You sure you don't want to wait for Jax to get back? He's probably not going to happy if you just leave by yourself."

"What do you mean?" She was confused now. Why the hell would she need Jax's permission to leave?

"He's gonna want to make sure you make it home ok. Probably has plans to follow you home and spend the night again to make sure you're alright."

"Doesn't he have a son at his own house he should spend some time with?"

Gemma nodded and put a hand on her hip. "Honey, you are preachin' to the choir. But once he gets an idea in his head, that's all there is to it. That kid is more stubborn than his father…I didn't think it was possible…but, anyways, he also knows we have a nanny and me to take Abel when he needs help so the kid will be alright for another night."

Kate bit her lip, weighing her options. She really didn't want Jax to spend another night, let alone two nights in a row. She needed a god damn break from all of this and it had only been a full 24 hours. But since she was already on thin ice with him, she wasn't sure if pissing him off even further was exactly her best move right now.

"I think I'll just go now. It's not a big deal…he doesn't need to baby-sit me." The stubborn side of her won out.

Gemma looked impressed. "Alright. I'll make sure to pass along the message."

"Ok, and Gemma, thanks for dinner." She replied firmly with a nod.

Gemma smiled, the first genuine smile Kate had seen, and gently waved goodbye to her from the table. "No problem, hun; it was nice to see you again. Don't be a stranger, alright?"

Kate nodded with a faint smile. "Ok."

Then with a heavy exhale, she left the house and walked back to her Rav-4. When she was finally sitting in it, she just sat there for a moment, feeling completely exhausted and drained off all her energy. God, if she felt like this after one day, how was she going to feel by the time all this was over? She shook her head, not wanting to even consider possible answers to that question and quickly put the gear into drive and got the hell out of there.

As the club gathered around the Redwood, Jax took his place with an uneasy feeling settling at the pit of his stomach. When he made brief eye contact with Juice, he knew his suspicions were true. Juice had found the information he'd asked him to get and judging by the grave look on Juice's face, the results were worse than he'd thought. He hadn't really let himself think about what Juice might find and now that he was face to face with it, part of him was beginning to wish he'd just left it alone. But then again, given the person involved, he couldn't leave it alone.

"Let's get this party started," Clay announced. "First things first—how's everything really going at that book store?"

A few chuckles went around the table as Clay took a long pull from his cigar.

"There's nothin' to worry about," Jax began his report. "Sure, Kate's been a little…difficult…but she's let me and the prospect do everything we need without any interference. It'll take a little more time for her to get used to everything but she's going to cooperate, no problems."

Several club members nodded immediately, not needing any further reassurance. The matter had already been discussed in great length during previous church sessions and that little piece of information from Jax was all they needed to know the cargo was going to be safe.

"I still think we should bug her phone." Tig offered sullenly. He, of course, was still the sole member who was having some difficulty digesting the club's current predicament.

Jax shot him a hard look. "And we already decided that's not only unnecessary but a huge invasion of privacy."

"You decided," Tig retorted testily. "And I'm sorry brother, but when it comes to the club, nothin's private."

Jax opened his mouth to speak and start rehashing previous, already settled arguments when Opie curtly cut in to cut off the tension.

"Alright, guys—everyone knows we talked about this already—what we should be discussing is how we're going to organize the runs to Kate's store. I think we're all in agreement that Jax needs to go on every run just to keep things easier but if someone decides to start following us, don't you think it will look less suspicious if we take turns going with Jax? And—I was thinking about this more—we need to come up with a cover in case anyone starts asking questions, especially to Kate. I don't think anyone's going to believe that Jax and the prospect are really going there because they like to read."

Another round of nodding went around the table. It was definitely true—they needed to be especially careful with these runs, more so than usual, because an innocent life was potentially on the line if things went south. Jax wasn't about to allow that to happen so he was all about doing whatever needed to happen in order to keep Kate safe, as long as that plan included allowing him to go on every run to Kate's. He wasn't going to budge on that one.

"We don't need the cover right now—I don't know if we'll ever need it since this is as under the radar as under the radar could be. Let's just stick with the plan and send Jax and the prospect for now. If we need to change things up, we can, but for right now, everything's working out the way we need it to. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right?" Clay offered good-naturedly.

Opie shrugged and shook his head. "Alright…I guess."

Clay nodded with approval, satisfied that the matter had ended and that he was right. Jax ran a hand uneasily through his hair and took a long drag from his cigarette to calm him down a little. He had a feeling Clay was going to be wrong about this and that, once again, Clay's poor judgment was going to backfire which made him feel even more nervous for Kate's safety now. He was going to have to think of something, some kind of cover they could use, and let her know, even if the rest of the club didn't have to know. Anything to keep her safe.

"Alright," Clay said, "anybody got anything else?"

Jax felt his heart clench in his chest. He looked at Juice and they nodded solemnly to each other.

"I've got some information that you all should know about," Juice started with a slight catch in his voice. That immediately alerted the rest of the table that something was up and made the ever-present knot in Jax's stomach double in size. Juice looked to Jax, who took that as his cue to add some introduction to this awful story.

"Last night," he began with a deep sigh. "Kate told me she was attacked at the store. Some guy broke in, beat her up, and dragged her to the bathroom. He had her tied up and was about to do God knows what when her dog got out of her apartment and scared the guy off."

A slight murmur went around the table as it was Juice's turn now to take over.

"I was able to get a hold of the police report and it sounds like the guy, his name's Carson Cooper, had been stalking her for a couple weeks before making his move." At this point, Juice's voice started a waver a little. "He had her locked in that bathroom for over an hour and, although the police report didn't go into the dirty details, it did say that he sexually assaulted her—he didn't rape her—but he came about as close as he could before her dog got in there and just about ripped his arm off. The bastard had his pants down already and the dog tore a big piece out of his ass too. And…there's pictures of Kate in the police report after the attack. They're pretty brutal."

He threw the folder down on the table, as if just having the pictures in his hand made his stomach crawl. Jax swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a brief moment. He'd been afraid of this. Afraid that there would be evidence like this…he didn't want to look but knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he saw exactly what happened. He was very aware the images would eat him up inside but he also knew that wouldn't be worse than not knowing exactly what she had gone through that night. He needed to know.

Clay was the first brave one and gingerly flipped the folder open. His jaw set tightly in a thin line as his eyes grazed over the pictures before he quickly shoved them over to Jax. Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed one of the pictures and brought it closer to his face. He felt bile rise in his throat as he looked at the image of the woman he had grown to respect and admire as much as his own mother with large purple welts underneath both eyes, one eye swollen shut, broken and bloodied lips—it looked like there were bite marks on her lips—the deep bruising on her arms, stomach, and thighs. He wanted to rip the picture up into a million pieces and then shove them down the throat of the man responsible for it. He had only felt this insurmountable rage once…after his mother told him what had happened to her…and he wanted flip over the table, if he could, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get those images out of his head. The crimson marks around her throat…the cuts on her thighs…no woman should ever have to even think about that happening to her. And that nightmare in its entirety had happened to her. He was never going to get over that.

His head was still fogged up by those images and the sheer rage that had built up in him before he realized that Juice had started speaking again.

"When the case went to trial, Kate had to testify over two days…she had to recount everything that happened that night in front of a jury. But the most interesting thing about the whole thing is that, during the trial, she had a few chances to reveal her connection to the club…if the prosecution had gotten wind of whose daughter she was, they might have spun this onto the club and turned it into part of a gang war or something. She could've sold us out then, could've told them anything she knew to make the trial easier on herself but she didn't say anything."

The table went silent as each man digested the information. Jax, for all the swirling emotions in him, did not miss the irony of this situation. Only minutes before, they had been arguing about whether or not she could be trusted. Well, if they didn't believe him now, they probably never would. And for all of Kate's bitching and moaning about wanting nothing to do with the club, she had protected both her father and the club when she could've easily given up any information she had. Her motive behind those actions, however, where still a mystery to him.

"But," Juice continued. "There's some good news about all of this…because Kate never gave up her connection to the club, the law never knew where not to send our friend Carson. You guys will never believe it but he's in the same prison as Otto. He's not due for parole for another eight years but…"

The entire table looked at each other raised eyebrows and amusement. Things certainly couldn't have worked out better.

"Well," Jax finally spoke. "I think we'd better find a way to get the word to Otto."

When Jax and Clay came back to the house, both men were surprised to find Gemma alone. Even though they were all treading through uncharted territory with this situation, given all the information they'd just learned and everything they had seen, neither wanted Kate to leave by herself.

"Kate left?" Jax asked frowning in disbelief. He cast a quick glance at Clay who just shook his head and headed for the bedroom.

Gemma shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, she did."

"Why the hell did you let her just leave by herself?" He asked, his frustration mounting.

Gemma threw her hands up in the air and rose from the chair to get closer to him. "What was I supposed to do? Tie her to a chair and gag her until you got back? The girl may be a lot of things but she's not the type to sit around waiting for a man to walk her home."

Something hitched in her voice as she spoke and Jax's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What did you say to her?"

"What?" Gemma shrugged as she walked over to the coffee pot to fill up her mug. "Want some coffee?"

His jaw was set tightly now. "Don't change the subject. What did you say to her?"

Gemma took a moment, looking at the ceiling. "I just needed to make sure I could trust her is all. We had a very nice conversation. That's it."

Jax shook his head in disgust and resisted the urge to slam his fist into the counter. It was just one thing after another. There was never a break in the bullshit. Especially when his mom was involved.

"God dammit, Mom! So what—you scared the shit of her and made her high tail it out of here before you could bite her head off some more—we both know how 'friendly' you can be. Jesus Christ…I've been working so hard to get her to trust me and now you probably just shit all over it. Great. Just god damn great."

Gemma's eyes widened and her arms instinctively attached themselves to her son's shoulders. It had been a long time since she'd seen him this worked about something and the look in his eyes was alarming.

"Jesus, Jackson…I think I rattled her a little bit but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She's one tough chick…shit, if she wasn't so opposed to the club she'd be one hell of an old lady for somebody. She stood up to me just the way her mom used to…for a second, I think I was actually talking to LuAnn the way she sassed back to me. Now, I'm not saying my nerves are completely settled about all this…business…but I can say that she made me feel more…comfortable…with everything. There, that settle you down a bit?"

Jax leaned back against the counter, his legs crossed out in front of him and sighed deeply.

"Jax…what's got you so upset?"

He sighed again, debating whether or not this was information Gemma needed to have. On one hand, it might potentially give her some ammunition to do whatever it was she did and manipulate Kate somehow. But on the other hand, it might be one more thing to make Gemma realize that Kate wasn't someone to be afraid of, not in the slightest.

"I have to tell you something about Kate. We just found out everything at church tonight so you have to promise me you'll keep all this to yourself." He started cautiously, hoping he wasn't making a mistake telling a story that wasn't really his to tell.

Gemma's face paled slightly and she nodded, taking a slow sip of her coffee, her eyes on him.

"Kate has this very impressive handgun at the store—she actually pulled it on us before she realized who we were—and I just had a gut feeling that something was off with it, that it was more than just for protection. She finally told me that she'd gotten attacked at the store one night after she closed everything down. The fucker had been stalking her for weeks and beat the hell out of her, dragged her to the bathroom and…"

He had to stop himself from slamming his fist once again into the counter. Hearing it had been one thing, telling it was something completely differently altogether.

"Did he—" Gemma whispered.

"No," he responded quickly, knowing exactly what she meant. "No, but he damn well tried. Had most of her clothes off, had most of his clothes off. And the worst part, Mom…the worst part is that the cops have pictures of her face, of the bruises on her body, all the shit and hurt he did to her…I will never be able to get those pictures out of my head."

"What happened?" Gemma murmured softly.

"Somehow her dog heard her scream and managed to get out of her apartment. He jumped onto the guy and just about tore him apart and the guy ran off. It's such a damn miracle—that's what saved her."

"Jesus Christ. I can't believe it."

Jax nodded in silent agreement. It was difficult to believe that the strong, stubborn, and brave woman he was getting to know again could have ever been in a situation like that. Maybe, he was beginning to realize, that was part of what had made her so strong.

They were silent for awhile, neither really knowing what to say before Gemma finally spoke:

"Wow…what kind of dog does she have?"

"A golden retriever." Jax replied with a soft laugh.

"Wow…some golden retriever…that dog deserves a damn metal or something." Gemma laughed out loud. "Do you think I should talk to her?"

Jax shook his head quickly. "No—now's probably not the best time, even if she wouldn't kill me for telling you or the club."

They were quiet for a moment, just standing in the kitchen as they tried to absorb everything. It was a lot to take in, especially for night and especially for this new connecting thread from Kate to Gemma.

"I know you're going to yell at me again for asking this," Gemma finally broke the silence. "But—there's nothing goin' on there right?"

"What?" Jax's brow furrowed in complete confusion.

"You and Kate."

"Me and Kate?"

"Yeah—I saw the way you were looking at her at dinner, the way you squirmed when I mentioned her being under or on top of some guy…you looked like you were gonna puke up your dinner. I've seen that look before, Jackson…"

"Mom," Jax held his hands up in defensive, unable to believe she was going there—especially now. "There is nothing happening here. I can't even believe you would think that. I'm just trying to make this as easy for her as possible."

"You don't think she's grown up to be a hot piece of ass?"

"Mom!"

"What?" Gemma said with a shrug. "Isn't that how you describe your…whatever they are?"

Once again, Jax held his hands up in defense. "It's not like that."

"Good," Gemma had her hands on her hips now. "It better not be like that. She's a good girl and she'd probably be good for you…but you and I both know the club is no good for her. I think we can trust her to get through this shitty situation but beyond that…she'd crack…or run…or get herself killed."

"Mom—drop this, ok? I told you; it's not like that. It's not going to be like that. This is club business. That's all."

"Come on. You can't pin how pissed off you were that she left by herself all on you wanting to act like her bodyguard now. You're pissed that she didn't say goodbye."

"You been smokin' a joint or something because you must be high."

Gemma brushed off his comment and laughed heartily.

"Ok. Just checkin'."

"The hell you were." He replied gruffly.

Gemma grinned and sent her son a sly wink. She leaned over to him and kissed him softly on the forehead. "I'm just being a good mother is all. Doing what I do best. You know that. Now, go home and spend some time with your son. That boy needs his father."

Jax nodded with a sigh and ran a hand through his now greasy hair. He grabbed his keys and kissed her quickly on the cheek before heading for the door.

"'Night, Mom." He called out as he left.

"'Night, Jax." She replied.

When the door clicked shut behind him, Gemma took another sip of her coffee and shook her head. She exhaled deeply as her eyes bored into the ceramic tiles on the floor.

"If I know my son," she murmured under her breath. "This is all going to end very badly."

A/N-Why are moms always the first to know? Haha...well, I think it's safe to say that after this night, things aren't really going to be the same with Kate and Jax. They're definitely going to be treating each other differently-Kate started to feel guilty for being mean to Jax and starting to appreciate what he's doing for her (at least a little bit) and Jax feeling even more protective of her, especially now that Gemma may have called him on a few things. They're still figuring each other out so it might be a little while before they acknowledge the feelings there or do anything about them. I don't think this story would be realistic at all if they just jumped into bed. Besides...it's the build-up that counts, right? Haha...please read and review!