After dropping Aisha off at the Clubhouse, V. started to point the Charger towards Jax's house, but changed her mind after two blocks and turned back towards her apartment. She knew she should at least call him and tell him she wasn't coming over, but she groaned inside at the idea of having to explain why she'd rather be alone tonight. The truth was the whole conversation with Aisha had been fucking depressing, and she was worried about how things were going to be going forward and wanted a minute to herself to think about it. Which, of course, Jax wouldn't understand. Sighing as she pulled into the parking lot of her building, she pulled her phone out and painstakingly punched in a short text message: Took Aisha out for a drink. Tired now. See you tomorrow. Knowing he'd text or call back, she turned the phone off before returning it to her pocket.

Showering the next morning, V. was struck with a feeling it took a long time for her to place. It was, she realized with amusement, guilt. She felt guilty for standing Jax up, and even guiltier for the way she'd been avoiding Abel. Maybe I'll go over there this morning, she thought. Take Abel to the park. She knew she'd be too late to catch Jax before he headed to the garage, but he'd probably be a lot happier with her later if he knew she'd spent time with Abel.

-0-

"Fuck." Jax slammed the phone into the cradle. The babysitter had cancelled again. At the last minute. When he was already running late. Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair. He'd have to take Abel to the garage with him. Which was, now that Abel was mobile, a bit of a nightmare. Maybe Gemma would watch him. Wouldn't want to ask Queen Fucking V., he thought bitterly.

After gathering Abel up and quickly packing a bag for him, Jax headed towards his truck. He hated having to drive rather than ride anywhere, especially the Clubhouse, but with Abel it couldn't be helped. As he was strapping him into the car seat, a familiar car pulled up. "Jesus Christ," Jax muttered. Like he needed one more thing to deal with this morning.

Leaving Abel in the car seat, Jax strode towards the street. Tilting his head, he watched the woman climb out of the car. She looked good. She always did. He looked at her for a long moment, not saying anything. She met his gaze, then looked away. Finally, he spoke. "Been a long time, Tara."

"Jax," she smiled. "It's good to see you."

He was surprised that after all this time, it was still hard not to wrap his arms around her. After two years, and remembering why she'd left, how bad everything had been then, seeing how good she looked now, how happy she looked to see him—it all made it hard to be mad at her. "Good to see you too."

"I don't want to be presumptuous, Jax, but can I see Abel? I came the other day, but…"

He laughed. "Yeah. I heard about that. Sure."

-0-

By the time she pulled up to Jax's house, V. was almost excited about her "date" with Abel. She thought maybe they'd make a morning of it—she could take him to the park, then maybe by Teller-Morrow and to lunch before naptime. He loved the garage, and didn't get to go too often anymore since he was always underfoot. By the time she got to the door, she was smiling. Just as she was about to turn the handle, the door opened.

V. jumped back a bit, startled. In front of her in the doorway, holding Abel on her hip, was Tara. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Tara smiled in a way that was far from friendly. "Jax asked me to watch Abel." She turned towards the little boy and her smile widened. "I guess the babysitter canceled."

"And Jax asked you to babysit?" V.'s voice and face were skeptical. She wondered, for a moment, if Tara was actually some sort of freaky stalker who had broken in again. "Why the fuck would he do that?"

Tara's face returned to the fake smile. "I don't know," she said. "I guess he didn't have anyone else to call." She shook her head. "Nobody he could trust, anyway."

V. felt her blood pressure start to rise and her hands ball into fists. Keep cool, she told herself. You don't want to lay this bitch out in front of the baby. "Well," she said, matching her falsely friendly tone to Tara's, "I'm sure you have lots to do. I just came by to pick Abel up from the sitter and take him out. His car seat in the truck?"

Tara screwed her face into the picture of concern. "I don't know about that," she said. "Jax didn't say anything about you picking him up."

V. took a deep breath. "That's because he didn't know. But I take Abel out all the time. It's fine."

Tara shook her head. "No, I really don't think I'm comfortable with that." She shifted Abel slightly on her hip, wrapping her arm a bit more possessively around him. "I'd think that if you were really back-up care for Abel, Jax would have called you this morning." Pasting the fake smile back on, she moved back as if to close the door.

Quickly as a flash, V. stuck her knee out to catch the door. "You don't dismiss me," she said.

"I'm sorry…V.," Tara responded. "I don't think we have anything else to say to one another."

"Like hell we don't," V. hissed. "If you know what's good for you, you'll the fuck home. I'll take over with Abel. You don't belong here."

Tara's smile turned to something real. "No," she said sweetly. "I think it's pretty clear. You don't belong here."

-0-

The sound of V.'s car screeching into the lot raised all the Son's heads from their work. "What the fuck?" Jax strode out to investigate the noise, the others just behind him. When he saw it was V., he rolled his eyes. What the hell was she in a snit about?

As V. approached him, it became clear that whatever she was pissed about, he was going to bear the brunt of it. She came close to him, her hands in fists. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She was yelling, her face taut with rage. "You left Abel with fucking Tara? Left that bitch in your house, to disrespect me?"

Jax was confused. "What are you talking about, disrespect you? The babysitter canceled, Tara showed up, she's doin' me a favor."

V.'s eyes widened. "She just showed up? She's doin' you a favor? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Jax grabbed V.'s shoulders, shaking her lightly. "Calm the fuck down. Stop yelling. We'll go inside and talk about this."

V. jerked away from him. "Calm down?" She was screaming, every word clear to the on-looking mechanics. "I went over this morning, to pick Abel up and take him to the park. That vapid cunt wouldn't let me in! She told me she didn't feel comfortable with me taking Abel. She didn't feel fucking comfortable." V. was shaking with rage.

Shit, Jax felt his stomach sink. No wonder she's pissed. He could just imagine the interaction between his former and current old ladies. Oh God… "Jesus, V.," he said, "is she OK? Did you hurt her?"

Several of the onlookers winced, hearing what must have been the very worst thing Jax could say. V.'s nostrils flared, and for a moment, it looked as if she really would hit Jax. "Did. I. Hurt. Her?" Her chest heaved. "No. I didn't fucking hurt her. She was holding the baby." Her eyes flashed. "But you know, maybe you ought to go home and check if you're so fuckin' worried."

"V., that's not what I meant," Jax began. V. cut him off.

"Fuck you, Jax."" V. shook her head.

"V.," he reached for her again. "This doesn't mean anything. I don't want Tara. I love you."

V. laughed derisively. "Come on, Jax. You're not really that fucking stupid. You know what's she's doing, and you played right along with her."

"Well what the fuck was I supposed to do? It's not like you're ever willing to help!"

"You're right. I'm not. I'm not your maid and I am not your kid's mom. You knew that to begin with. It hasn't changed. "

"Nobody asked you to be a fucking maid. It would just be nice if you acted like an Old Lady once in a while."

V. threw her head back then, laughing fully. "Jax," she said, her voice softer now. "I've told you. Over and over again. I'm not an Old Lady." She took a deep breath. "Go home to your doctor, Jax."