Rachel hugged Kit so tight she thought she'd suffocate. "Thank god you're okay," she said giving no indication that she'd let go. It was torturous waiting in the SAMCRO warehouse with no clear word on what was going on. She knew she was in some sort of danger but knew her cousin was in more. When she suggested Juice go to her for help, she didn't imagine Kit would end up on the wrong side of a gun. Rachel knew she could take care of herself the whole thing was still scary.

"Totally fine," Kit assured her. Rachel finally let go.

"You should have called. Or at the very least sent a text."

"Next time, I promise I will. I didn't think things were going to go the way they did." Kit didn't want to say too much. Who knew how much Juice shared with her. It was better for her to not know. If she understood the danger her boyfriend was constantly in, she might even end things. Rachel never handled stress well.

They watched Chibs and Opie walk Luisa into a room off the main lounge area. It was a meeting room with a big wooden table in it. Kit saw Jax come in and walk straight toward a woman sitting across the room with a blond child. She rose and hugged him tightly. Jax gave her a small kiss and then picked up the boy who laughed and smiled. This must be his son.

"Who is that?" Kit asked, unable to stop herself. She felt a little sick. Did Jax have a wife?

Rachel followed her gaze. "That's Tara, Jax's…I'm not really sure. It's his kid's mom. I think they're together but I don't think they're married. I was talking to her earlier. She's super nice. It's really sweet actually. They dated in high school."

Kit had to sit down. She dragged Rachel to the bar and they both sat on stools. Her guilt that had been fading since the "incident" resurfaced and hit her like a ton of bricks. Jax had a family. She cheated with a guy who had a family. What was wrong with her? It had never even occurred to her that he might have a girlfriend. She watched Tara grab a bag from a shelf in the corner and go into the room with Luisa.

"She's a doctor," Rachel added then saw her cousin's disposition. She just laughed. "It's so obvious you have a crush on Jax, Kitten. He is really cute in all fairness. You do have a boyfriend though and I have to say he's also pretty cute despite everything else."

"Everything else?"

"He's cool and everything but he's kind of possessive. Sometimes it seems like you're always doing things he wants to do. Relationships are about balance and it's a little one sided in you case. At least that's how it looks. And he never wanted to get to know me despite how many times I tried with him. I'm your only family out here. Doesn't that matter to him?" she asked.

Rachel didn't mean to say all that but it was like she couldn't stop once she started. William wasn't the guy for Kit and she knew it. They'd been dating for almost a year and Rachel had never seen any passion between them. Obviously not every relationship is fueled by sex, lust, and excitement but sometimes it seemed like Kit was just going through the motions. She wanted to say that too but that would definitely be crossing a line. They probably loved each other but their relationship was just missing something.

Kit ordered a drink from the prospect behind the bar. She hated that she was superficial that this bothered her. Was that really how her relationship looked from the outside? She and William had fun together. In the time they were together, she could recall tons of times where they did things she wanted. Rachel had it wrong. She was always really forward and pushy with William too. He was a little shy but he was always nice to Kit's cousin. They didn't have to be best friends, which Rachel didn't understand. She downed her whisky in one go and demanded another.

"He's been calling by the way," Rachel said a little tentative. "He was trying to find you. He worried. I told him I convinced you to go out with me and we got home late last night."

"Thanks," Kit said.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, I'm glad I know how you feel," she replied, her voice empty. She wasn't mad at Rachel. She was mad at herself in a lot of ways. She felt like a fool. She was in an apparently shitty relationship that she was intent on ruining and Jax had an old lady and a family. She thought she felt something with him earlier in the woods and at the cabin but obviously not.

Rachel squeezed her shoulder. She knew Kit well enough to know that she needed space. She got a bit detached sometimes. "I'm going to talk to Juice."

Kit drank her second whiskey alone and tried to stop thinking. Jax was just a one-night stand that had gotten out of hand. She could let it go. Her mind was her worst enemy sometimes. It felt like she had created this whole thing with Jax. It wasn't real and she needed to remember her actual life and her relationships.

She downed the rest of her drink and went to get some air outside. It was actually a nice day still, sunny and breezy. She walked over to the picnic table out there and lied down on top, letting her legs hang off the end. She shut her eyes and willed for time to go faster. Once the Sons paid her, she could leave and move on.

The next thing Kit knew, Jax was gently shaking her awake. She must have dozed off. He was sitting on the bench by her head, a cigarette between his lips. She debated sitting up but it just seemed to require too much energy right now. After a night of no sleep and an eventful morning, she was exhausted.

"You know there's a bed inside you could have slept in," Jax said.

"Oh, I remember."

"You doing okay?"

Kit hesitated then realized being a little honest might be the way to go here. "Not really." She couldn't really take any more of her jealous thoughts running wild. It would be better to sort things out now. "I really like you Jax but I didn't realize your life was so complicated." She perched herself up on her elbows so she could see his full reaction.

He smiled a little. She was being forward. "It's really not so bad."

"Yeah?"

"I have a son, Abel. His mom is my junkie ex-wife. Tara's been there from the beginning. She's his real mother. We broke up when I got out of Stockton a couple months ago. The whole thing was pretty hard on her," he told Kit. "She couldn't handle the club life and all that comes with it." If he wanted any kind of future with her, he'd have to be open. His life was complicated but he was willing to try with Kit.

"What were you in for?" she asked.

"Federal gun charges. Fourteen months."

Kit laid back down and stared at the roof. "You're right. It's not that bad." She reached over and took the cigarette from him, taking a draw.

"What about you? You walked in front of a woman firing a gun today. Why did you do it? Just because you got some lucky shots in doesn't make it any less crazy."

"They weren't lucky shots. I'm a brilliant marksman."

Jax laughed. "Really?"

Kit pulled herself up and moved to sit beside him. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"You've just been surprising me all day. I didn't realize you were so talented."

"It's not talent." For the second time in a short span, she decided to tell the truth. "When my parents died and I came here, I was very angry. I should have been sad but I wasn't. I was sullen and full of all this rage and just all around unbearable. Rachel's dad and brothers went to the gun range in Stockton sometimes and they took me one day. It was my uncle's idea. He thought I'd get some of my anger out. It worked a little too well and I became a little obsessed. I started going everyday."

"For how long?"

"Until I was like eighteen at which point I started going once a week. It eventually got less frequent but I developed some pretty handy skills. It sounds reckless but I'd rather risk two seconds of exposure and hit my mark than just keep firing and hope I hit something."

"That is reckless, beautiful." Jax looked at Kit for a few seconds before pulling her closer and kissing her. There was just something about her. Maybe it was that she was open and willing to share parts of herself. He could identify with her experience of dealing with a dead parent and the anger that comes with the sadness. Or maybe it was that she was just real. Her honesty was refreshing. She was also really pretty which didn't hurt.

The door of the clubhouse opened and Kit pulled away from Jax instinctively to see who it was. It was only Juice thankfully. "Tara can stitch your arm now," he said, smirking at both of them before going back inside.

She sighed and rested her head on Jax's shoulder. She had gotten caught up in the moment. It was easy to forget things when she was with him. She may not have potentially broken up a family but did she really want to get involved in such a complicated situation? What about her situation? Jax was just so easy to talk to about things she had kept held in so tight. She didn't know what it was about him that made her feel…safe. She just trusted he wouldn't judge her; he would just get it. Her past was still locked away but with him, maybe it didn't have to be.

Jax wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head. "I really like you too, Kit. And I'll have a word with my brothers about interrupting us."

She laughed and kissed him on the lips before going inside. He had laid it all out. Should she show him all her cards too? If she wanted to really give this a chance, she'd have to eventually. But that time wasn't here yet. They weren't anything. They just liked each other.

Tara was waiting at a small table. She had gloves on ready to go. Kit took off her jacket and laid it over the chair before sitting down. So much for not complicated. Her crush's ex-girlfriend who happened to be the non-biological mother to his kid was going to stitch her up. No big deal at all.

"I'm Tara," she said, smiling.

"It's Kit. I'm Rachel's cousin."

Tara untied the bandana Jax had wrapped around the wound. It really wasn't too bad. "This is nothing. A few stitches and you'll be fine. When they said you were shot, I was expecting worse." She started cleaning the area. "I haven't seen you around. Do you work with the club a lot?"

"This is my first time dealing with the Sons. It could have gone a lot worse," she said.

"You got shot."

"I'll mark it down to the cost of doing business with the MC." She winced as Tara stuck a needle with anaesthetic in the wound. "I get a beautiful scar to remind me of the day I helped save an innocent woman."

Tara smiled at her. "Rachel was saying that's what you did. You find people."

Kit nodded. "Sometimes it's objects or information. Sometimes it's people who don't want to be found. Whatever comes across my desk really. I'm a unique kind of hunter. Today, it was for a good cause."

"You aren't afraid you'll get hurt? Next time you might get more than a scar." Tara didn't want to see another person get pulled into this club and get hurt. Kit seemed like a nice girl but she didn't know how hard it was to live with some of the things these men did. Tara loved Jax and everyone here but a lot came with that. She had broken up with him to get out of the club but it seemed to always find a way to pull her back in, like today.

"I try not to think about it too much. Whatever happens, happens. Our lives are already fated," Kit said. "Besides, I like what I do and I'm good at it. If it puts me in dangerous situations with dangerous people, so be it. I chose this," Kit said. She didn't really have a feel for Tara yet. She seemed okay but it was like she was holding back on saying something.

They sat with that for a few minutes while Tara finished up. "All done," she said when she secured the white bandage around Kit's arm. "Just keep it clean and it should heal nicely. Come by in a week and I'll check the stitches out. They should be good to come out then."

"Thanks."

Tara squeezed her hand in a friendly way. "Be careful, Kit," she said. She packed away her stuff in her bag and left Kit with her thoughts. It was a strange encounter. She wondered what Tara would say if she knew that she might start dating Jax. Would she even have anything to say? Kit watched her go to her son and pick him up. He was really cute. She obviously loved Jax to stick around here despite the danger. Salazar wanted to kidnap his kid. This kind of environment came with its own risks.

Jax took Tara's seat. "All patched up?" he asked, smiling at Kit.

"Yeah, I'm good to go." She yawned. She wanted to go home and sleep. She was so tired she almost wanted to tell him they could figure the money thing out another time if it meant she could be in her bed. But Sean would kill her. "My car is still at work."

"Sleep in the back. No one will mind and I'd feel better if I knew you were safe while I'm gone." He still had to help deal with Salazar. He didn't really want to but it came with being the VP. This fuck could still hurt SAMCRO.

Kit wanted to dispute that it wouldn't be a good idea right now but her body refused. "Sure, that'd be great."

"Good." They both got up and he moved to kiss her good-bye but she turned away and walked off in the direction of his bedroom. He wondered why she would do that then it occurred to him that it had to be Tara. She was his ex and that could be uncomfortable since she was still in the room. Tig called him to go from the door. It was time to do his work.

A/N: Thanks for all the great support! Keep it coming. Hope you enjoy this one.