Jessica's alarm clock went off at 6:00, sending the loud, sweet sounds of Avenged Sevenfold through the house. Jessica silenced her phone and painfully opened her eyes. "Oh my GOD!" she moaned, grabbing her forehead.

"HELP!" Kristina moaned from the next room "ADVIL!"

"Shut up! Oh my GOD" Jessica stumbled into the kitchen, Kristina straggling behind. She dug through the box labeled "bathroom" pulled out the bottle of Advil and grabbed two gatorades from the refrigerator. "We have 90 minutes to heal before we need to leave. I'm gonna get in the shower" she whispered, kicking the box of bathroom supplies down the hall.

"I'm gonna make coffee. I don't know if I can wait 90 minutes to grab some." She said putting dog food into Slash's bowl. "Good morning baby" She whispered "Mommy is in pain." She chuckled, letting Slash into the backyard. She continued into her room, pulling out clothes for the day.

"That was a healing shower" Jessica sighed. "I left the hair dryer on the counter"

"So thoughtful." Kris groaned, continuing into the bathroom. While she was washing away the pain of the hangover, she heard two motorcycles start up and head down the street. "Oh god, what happened last night?" She asked to herself aloud.

"Jesus" Jessica laughed, sitting in the kitchen as Kristina walked in.

"What happened yesterday?" Kristina giggled

"You don't remember?"

"I do, I just…wow"

"I know. We have about 20 minutes. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. C'mon baby!" She said calling Slash back into the house, giving him a treat "Mommy and Aunt Jess will be back soon"

Jessica and Kristina grabbed their work, and headed out the door. They piled into the car and headed off to meet their new boss.

Back Teller-Morrow, Jax and Opie stumbled in, a tired look across their face. Juice, already there chimed in "Late night?" he laughed as Jax and Opie poured a cup of coffee.

Jax laughed and shook his head. "Where were you two last night?" Gemma asked, watching on as Abel colored in his coloring book.

"Home, we've got new neighbors" Jax replied, leaving out as may details as possible, smiling at his son.

"I'm assuming the new neighbors have pussies. Or else you would've answered my phone calls." Gemma countered

Jax sighed "Yeah. I'm gonna head to the hospital to pick up Chibs, if you need me, I'll be there" Jax said, dismissing the conversation and heading out the door. Gemma looked at Opie and waited for further explanation.

"What?" He laughed

She lowered her glasses and arched an eyebrow "Well?"

"Nothin'" he smiled "Jax… wait up!" he said, running out the door.

"Well now, I guess that leaves you" Gemma said, turning to Juice.

"Two girls moved in next to Jax. They're teachers. Cute girls. From New York City"

"Shit" Gemma said, looking through the blinds watching Jax and Opie drive off. "What do they know?"

"They left about an hour after I did. We didn't talk about the club. But they're smitten"

"Smitten or not. Jax can't be getting caught up in bullshit; he's just getting over Tara who just ran back to Chicago and Opie is still trying to piece together being a father. I can't be a mother to everyone. I need to meet these neighbors."

The girls had a ball at their new school. Dr. Rodriguez showed them around, handed them too many materials to carry and expressed her excitement to work with them. They loaded up the car with all of their books they needed to comb through and drove off.

"I guess the next month won't be enjoying the vacation" Jessica laughed

"Day by day. We can knock all of this out in a week, tops. We need to get paint, and organizers at Ikea." Kristina said messing with the radio.

"True. Wanna get paint first? Maybe we can recruit some help"

"If only, right?" Kristina sighed

"What do you mean, if only? Send him a text"

"I don't want to bother him. They left us just a few hours ago. I'll wait for him to call me" She said, shaking her head.

"C'mon. Don't play that game. Fine, I'll call Opie then." Jessica said picking up her phone, lowering the radio.

"NO!" Kristina said, grabbing her phone. "Not yet! It's only ten thirty. Wait a few hours. They are working, you know"

"Fine. Pussy" Jessica chuckled, pulling off of the exit on the freeway, "Coffee? Paint shop is down the road."

"Good call"

Jax and Opie had returned with Chibs, eager to see everyone. "You've got nine lives, baby" Gemma smiled, hugging him.

"And I've got work to do" Chibs said, taking the keys to the van.

"Be CAREFUL!"she shouted as Chibs waved her off. "You two.." she snarled, pointing to Opie and Jax "Let's go" She continued walking towards the office, and closed the door behind them. "Sit"

"This isn't some sex talk is it?" Opie asked

Gemma glared at Opie. "I just want to make a few things clear" She continued "Jackson, your son…"

"Mom, that's not what this is."

"I'm not done. These girls, they haven't got a clue what you two are involved in. The club is vulnerable right now. We are all vulnerable. Do they even know you both have kids?" Jax and Opie shook their heads. "Well maybe before you start spreading your seed all over Charming, you let them know a little bit about what it is that you do have. I don't need any more drama Jackson"

"Yes mom, we know." He said rolling his eyes.

"Now, we've got a repo. Ope, you head out with Half-Sack. Jackson, you stay put" She said, handing Opie the repossession papers. Opie walked out of the office, leaving Jax to his mother's wrath. "So what exactly is happening here?"

"Nothing. They just moved in, we were just getting to know the neighbors. That's all." Jax said, brushing his hair back, clearly flustered.

"That's all?"

"Yeah, I guess"

"Anytime you say 'that's all', you get involved, over your head, and I end up picking up the pieces."

"And what if I do get involved?"

"Can they really handle what it is that you two do? Two young teachers?"

"They're not naive, ma"

"I didn't say they were. I'm asking, are you able to get involved with someone right now? And Opie? That's a lot of information that needs to be laid out before you two even think about anything."

"I know that. Listen, it was a few drinks. That's it"

"Well, I'm going over in a bit to straighten up. My grandson needs a spotless house. And you, you're a pig" she groaned grabbing her keys, throwing her bag over her shoulder.

"Mom, please don't do anything stupid" Jax added

"What do you mean by that? I can clearly introduce myself. I am, after all, your mother. And maybe I can invite them over for dinner." She said, walking out of the office.

"Shit" Jax sighed, looking at his phone. He contemplated whether or not to call Kristina. "It's only 11, nah" He thought putting his phone back into his pocket.

The girls returned to the house around noon with more than enough work ahead of them. They loaded the big boxes into the house, looking at the mess in front of them. "Where do we start?" Kristina asked, turning to Jess

"Painting girl. While that dries, we can set up these impossible organizers" She said putting a baseball cap on to protect her hair from paint. As they were setting up, putting tape along the creases of the ceiling and floor, they heard a car pull into the driveway next door. They ignored the sound until out of the corner of her eye, Jess saw a tall, domineering woman peer into the window of their living room, continuing to head to the front door, followed by a knock. Jessica walked over and smiled at the stranger. "Hi" she said through the screen door.

"Hi there, I'm Gemma, I think you met my son last night, Jax? He lives next door." Gemma said, sounding demanding, yet as nice as she possibly could.

"Oh!" Jessica said, opening the door to her. "Yes! I'm Jessica, that's Kristina" she said shaking her hand. Gemma reluctantly shook, looking around.

"I wanted to welcome you two to the neighborhood. I'm going to be doing some work next door, but if you girls would like to come over for dinner tomorrow night, we'd love to have you" She said, an underlying motive in her tone.

Kristina inhaled and was somewhat intimidated by this woman. "That sounds great" She replied, accepting the offer, but regretting it as the words slipped from her lips.

"You two girls vegetarians or anything?" Gemma asked pitifully

"No no" Kristina laughed

"I can see what my son sees." She said nodding with raised eyebrows. "And you've just got Opie Winston written all over you" she said motioning to Jess.

Jessica nervously giggled and didn't know how to respond. "What time tomorrow?" Kristina added, breaking the silence.

"Eight o'clock good?" She asked

"Sounds good!" Jessica replied

"Well it looks like you two got some work cut out for you. I'll let you get back to it." She said, letting herself out. "Nice meeting you" she waved off, walking back across the grass into her son's house.

Jessica peered out the window, making sure she was inside. "What the fuck?" She whispered "She looks like she'd eat me for breakfast. Reminds me of your aunt."

"We have to be nice."

"But… Jesus. Are you ready to make that phone call now?" She asked Kristina, handing her cellphone to her.

"Absolutely" She said scrolling through her contacts "Wait… should I text him instead?" She asked apprehensively

"KRISTINA" Jessica grunted tirelessly

"Okay, okay" She said listening to the ringing on the other end.

Jess plopped next to her on the couch"Speakerphone"

"Hello?" Jax answered, as he pushed Abel on the swing back at the clubhouse.

"Hi Jax, it's Kristina" She said, nerves pouring through her voice

"Hey there darlin', how's it goin?" Jax asked, the thought of his mother having introduced herself already sat in the pit of his stomach

"Oh not much, we're about to start painting" She said smiling at Jessica. Jessica motioned with her hand, pointing next door, clearly meaning to mention Gemma's introduction and invitation.

"You two in need of some help?" He asked

"That would be great, but we don't want to impose"

"No imposition" He replied

Jessica elbowed Kristina "OW! Dick!" She shouted

"You okay?" Jax asked

"Sorry. So we just met your mom, she stopped by to introduce herself" She said, shrugging her shoulders at Jessica

"Everything okay…?" Jax asked hesitantly

"Yes of course. She invited us over for dinner"

Jax closed his eyes and sighed, stopping the swing and heading over to the benches near the clubhouse door, with Abel at his side "Alright, sounds great. Ope just got here. We're about to head out. We'll see you all in a bit" He said

"Awesome, sounds great. See you in a bit" she said hanging up the phone

"SHIT" Jax growled

"What's got your panties in a twist now?" Clay asked, walking outside.

"Your wife"

"Well now, you'll need to be more specific than that" Clay laughed

"Two new neighbors, and she couldn't keep her nose out of inviting them to dinner to 'get to know them'" Jax motioned with air quotes

"Ah, fresh meat in the neighborhood. She's gotta size em up son. You know that"

"Yeah, well, you're coming too tomorrow." he laughed "So get ready"

"You know, I already have a mother, I don't need two moms up my ass" Opie added

"Too late brother. We gotta head out. We said we'd help them paint" Jax said putting on his sunglasses. "Mom will be back to pick up Abel around 4"

"Alright" Clay said walking inside with his grandson.

The girls heard the two motorcycles coming down the street and shut off next door. Jessica watched out the window as they painted their plain white living room a bold, bright red. Jax continued into his house "I'll be right there" He said, opening and slamming his front door shut. Opie continued across the grass, knocking on the door.

"It's open!" Jessica called out, putting down the paint roller.

"You two have got quite the head start. Who said you needed our help?" Opie asked giving her a hug, looking around the room, nearly finished.

"That…" Jessica answered, pointing to the two large boxes that contained their storage organizers. "That will be my nightmare" she added. Opie removed his cut and tossed it over a chair laughing.

"Shouldn't take too long" he said opening the box.

"Christ! Fine!" Jax shouted back, slamming the front door behind him, walking across the grass, knocking on the front door.

"Come in" Kristina called , from high up on a ladder, putting the finishing touches into the crevices.

"Looks good" Jax smiled, taking off his sunglasses, standing underneath Kristina on the ladder, looking up. "Sorry about my mom…she can be…bold" He added

"Don't worry, she was nice" Jessica replied

Opie laughed "Yeah" He said trying to read the impossible directions that lay before him. Jax looked at him with a disappointing face, acknowledging that they had to give the girls background information before dinner tomorrow night, they knew Gemma would lay everything out if they didn't.

About an hour later, the room was completely painted and both organizers were set up. "That would've taken us all day" Jessica said "Thank you guys so much." She added, handing them a bottle of water.

"Our pleasure" Opie replied

"Break time?" Jax asked, headed towards the back yard.

"Yes sir" Kristina said following him, Opie stayed behind and walked towards the front, motioning for Jessica to follow him. "How's your day going besides all this?" Kristina asked, hoping to just maybe get Jax to open up about who he is.

"All well and good. I wanted to talk to you before you come over tomorrow. I didn't want everything laid out across the dinner table scaring you off" Jax began. Kristina looked at him sideways, unsure of what was to come.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, unsure as to whether or not she actually wanted him to open up now.

"Well, you obviously know I'm a part of the motorcycle club. I'm not going to bore you with all the details. But sometimes, things get complicated. You might hear some things about me, or the club around town, and I don't want you getting the wrong impression" He continued

"Why would I get the wrong impression?" She asked

"It's just, sometimes, things happen. Our names are thrown into it. My family and friends are the most important to me and I do what I need to do to protect them" Jax added, exhaling, brushing back his hair.

"That's totally understandable. Look, not everyone frolics in a field singing the Sound of Music and has butterflies fluttering around them" Kristina joked "Everyone has a burden to bare and has business they need to take care of. I get that, believe me."

"If you ever hear anything, I want you to ask me. I haven't made that many friends in this town, and many people view us as criminals"

"I promise" Kristina nodded

"Another thing you'll be quick to discover.." Jax said reaching for his wallet, opening it and pulling out a picture. Kristina caught a glimpse and her stomach tightened, but not in a bad way, just unexpected. "This is my son, Abel. He's three, almost four" he said, handing her the picture.

Kristina looked at the picture with a different view. "He's so handsome" she smiled genuinely "Can I ask…what.."

"His mother?" Jax interrupted, knowing her question. Kristina nodded. "We were separated before she even found out she was pregnant. She's in rehab. She got in a bad way during the pregnancy. He was born premature, with a heart condition. But he's a fighter" he said smiling, looking at the picture.

"I'm so sorry to hear that" She sighed "Looks like the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree" She smiled

"I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear. And quite frankly, we just met. But I come with baggage. People talk, people have their own opinions. I just wanted to give you a chance to make your own" He said, putting his wallet back in his pocket.

"Well, I appreciate the thought. We all come with baggage. But it's how you handle that baggage that determines who you are" Kristina replied

"I hope I didn't scare you though. You'll learn more and more eventually. But that's who I am."

"Scare me?" Kristina giggled "No no. Honey, my family…" she chuckled and shook her head, quickly deciding against the information she was going to release "I don't scare easily. But your mom on the other hand…"

Jax laughed and wrapped her arm around her "Oh darlin', if you pass that test, then you've got skin thicker than I first thought"

Kristina put her head on his shoulder "She's funny though"

"How so?" Jax asked

"I can see what my son sees" She said, imitating Gemma.

Jax laughed and sighed "I'm sorry"

"No, at least I was worthy enough to be brought into a conversation" She smiled

"That's a good way to look at it" He smirked

"So, tell me something, Mr. Teller, do you call all the women in your life 'darlin'?"

"Only the good lookin' ones there, darlin'" He smiled, rubbing his index finger under her chin. Kristina blushed, looking down at her feet, smiling and feeling her stomach tighten. They heard an obnoxious crash of boxes falling over, and Slash barking. The two ran back inside.

"Jess?" Kristina called out. Slash was standing in the hallway, barking and jumping. "What happened?" She asked, petting his head. Jessica's door was half closed, her laughter filled the hallway as Kristina put her hand on the door, about to push it completely open, and then she laughed, pulling the door completely closed, shaking her head.

"Looks like Ope's story wasn't so shocking after all" Jax laughed walking back into the living room as Kristina picked up a few boxes. "Gonna put this stuff in these?" he asked pointing to the organizers.

"Yep" She smiled, opening a box, removing a handful of markers and colorful tags. "Gotta put some labels on these baskets first, then get sorting" She giggled.

"OCD much?" Jax asked, kneeling down, cutting open the rest of the boxes.

"Just a little" She smiled. Jessica's bedroom door squeaked open, and Slash jumped on her and Opie, trying to get attention as she straightened herself up and cleared her throat. "I was for sure you'd let it completely play out" Kristina said with her back still to Jessica

"Oh shut up" Jessica joked. "It's almost four" She added walking into the kitchen, pulling ice out of the freezer.

"That means it's nearly seven back home. Crack open what's left" Kristina laughed

"What's left… HA" Jessica said looking through the cabinets. "You mean these two.." she said holding two bottles in her hands "Thirsty?" She asked, turning to Opie

"Of course" He replied, helping her pull glasses from the cabinet.

"Chevron or polkadot" Kristina called out, holding up labels for the baskets

"Chevron" Jessica answered "Mixed or straight?" she asked

"Oh god, mixed." Kristina laughed as she wrote on the tags and attached them to the baskets, handing them to Jax to place in the cubicles. "No no! Writing tools, then cutting tools, and then we'll move on to the next one" She said looking up at him.

Jax glanced at Jessica across the room with wide eyes. "And remember, I need to live with her" Jess laughed

"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad. I just like things a certain way" Kristina sighed, handing the last basket to Jax, standing up and beginning to empty the large boxes of supplies into the basket. "See, sharpies markers in this one, but these are sharpie pens, so they'll go in here" She continued

"A certain way?" Jessica chuckled "I thought you were going to need a sedative when you went into work last year and the custodians mixed up the books in your library"

Kris put down the box in her hands and placed them on her hip "That was three weeks of sorting, organizing and labeling!" She shouted defensively, throwing her hands in the air

Jessica, Opie and Jax laughed in response to her reaction. "It's okay, it's cute" Jax smiled, patting her shoulder as she continued to fill the bins, he turned to Opie and Jessica and mouthed "oh my god!" They all laughed in unison. Kristina turned around quickly.

"What?" She asked

"Nothing" Jax smiled. Kristina walked over to the other side of the room, opening another box, digging through it. Jax quickly mixed up her markers across four different bins. She carried another box labeled embellishments to the organizer and kneeled on the floor. "Holy fucking glitter" he laughed as she pulled packets out.

"You haven't seen the paints and sprays she has. Just wait" Jessica said, rolling her eyes.

"Excuse you…" Kristina began, emptying the box into one of the drawers, which also, had baskets organized by season and theme inside of it. "You've become hyped about using all of it. Don't even. My organization makes me who I am"

"Yeah, high blood pressure and anxiety" Jessica laughed placing Kristina's drink down next to her as she picked up another box of markers. Kristina pulled out one of the bin and stared inside. The three of them pressed their lips together to keep from laughing, sipping on their drinks. Kristina looked back at Jessica. "What?" she asked

"That's not funny" she groaned

"What isn't?" Jessica asked again

"Why'd you mix them up?" Kristina sighed pulling the misplaced sharpies out of the crayola bin, pulling open the sharpie bin to only see an array of crayolas, Mr. Sketch and paint markers. She gasped.

"I didn't mix anything up, I was in the kitchen" Jessica said with an obvious tone. Kristina turned to Jax, with a half smile and took a deep breath. He looked away trying not to laugh.

She put a frown on, trying not to blush, because let's face it, that man, he could've knocked them all over and still would've gotten away with it. "Aww c'mon" Jax laughed poking her side. "I'm sorry. I'll help fix it." he added, picking the misplaced markers out of the bins. Jessica and Opie stood next to them, side by side shaking their heads.

"Would ya look at that" Jessica said with a disproving tone

"It's like watching the Discovery Channel" Opie joked "Next up on 'When OCD Attacks'… A man loses his will to joke with a woman who has already proven her power over him. Stay tuned" He added with a british accent. Both Jessica and Opie laughed hysterically.

Jess snorted and shook her head "You both suck"

Opie's cell started vibrating on the table and he leaned over to snatch it up "Ah, the woman that will forever be a thorn in my side" He said answering "Alright yeah that's fine. Let me talk to her. Hi baby, yes tomorrow. Okay, bye sweetie. Alright ma, yeah. Thanks." He ended, putting his phone in his pocket. "Kids are gonna be coming to dinner tomorrow night." he said "My mom is gonna drop them off."

"Looks like my mom really wants to lay it on" Jax laughed

"Always" Opie said shaking his head. "You'll get to meet Ellie and Kenny. They're shy but warm up easily"

"Can't wait" Jessica replied.

"You'll be meeting everyone. They're intense at first, but lay off eventually" Jax added

Kristina laughed "I'm sure we'll manage" Her cellphone went off "Who is it?" She asked Jessica who was standing near the counter where it was charging.

"Dunno, New York number." She replied, handing the phone to Kristina.

"Hmmm" Kristina said, looking at the unknown number "Hello?" she said into the phone. Everyone was laughing as Jax grabbed a handful of markers and looked at Kristina as he motioned to put them in another basket, but he got no response. She gave no facial expression. The three of them got quiet and watched as Kristina's face fell and she nervously sat. They could hear a loud voice on the other end of the phone but couldn't make out what was being said. "Don't-" Kristina began to shout before she was cut off. Jessica walked over to her and put her ear to Kristina's phone and then sat down next to her.

"Give me the fucking phone!" Jessica demanded. The two men stared in confusion. Kristina waved her off but Jessica wasn't having it, she pulled the phone from her friend's hands and shouted "Listen, don't ever fucking call her again" as she ended the call, quickly going into settings, blocking the number.

Kristina closed her eyes and rubbed her face, sighing. She stood up, grabbed her drink, her headphones, phone and her cigarettes and walked into the backyard, not saying a word. Jax and Opie stood still, unsure if they should speak. Jessica sighed exasperatedly. She peaked through the back window to see Kristina sitting on the chair, lighting a cigarette with her eyes closed, plugging her headphones in- one of the only ways she knew how to relax herself when she got to high anxiety levels. Jessica motioned for the boys to follow her into the other room.

"What was that about" Jax asked confused, Opie looking on as his friend took the words right out of her mouth.

"Did Kris tell you anything about New York?" Jessica asked

Jax and Opie racked their brains to think of something that wasn't positive "no, nothing that would answer what just happened" Jax added

"I'm gonna make this short. Because this story could go on for hours. Back after we graduated together from undergrad four years ago, Kristina moved to Manhattan and began teaching. She met this guy, Eric that had all the same interests as her. But he wasn't what you'd call, accepting. He isolated her from all her friends, would start violent arguments if he caught her smoking cigarettes, and made her his arm candy while he went out and tried to become a big time club guy." She began looking out the window to make sure Kristina was still in the backyard, she was sitting there with her eyes still closed, sucking down her cigarette like someone was about to snatch it from her.

Jessica continued "…this went on for years. He'd show up at her job, demand to see her if she'd stop responding to him or didn't respond quick enough. When she started her masters it just got worse. He'd make her go out on nights she had classes or projects, getting in three hours before she had to be at work. I didn't talk to her for almost three years. Because he convinced her no one wanted to be her friend anymore. I met up with her last spring before she had class, the only way she'd be able to get out of that apartment with a reason, and she just broke down, telling me everything. I pleaded with her to leave him. He called her every name in the book, I mean, rancid shit, not just things you say when you're mad. He cheated on her, we all knew, but she couldn't see it. He had her warped. Then one night a few weeks after we met back up, I get a phone call from her sobbing; he wrapped his hands around her neck. She lost it. She left when he was in the shower, and stayed with a coworker that night who tried to convince her to call the cops but she wouldn't. We eventually got all of her shit out of the apartment with help from friends. We moved in together for the last year and it's taken harassment after harassment for her to finally let go. He hasn't tried to call her in a few weeks, but she seemed to be fine, she just wants to be ridded of that evil. You know?" Jess said shaking her head. She looked up at the two confused, yet burly men. "You haven't said anything" she added. Jax walked away, through the house to the backyard, Jessica and Opie watched on. He walked up behind her and wrapped her in a big hug. Kristina pulled her earbuds out and they watched as she and Jax spoke, they couldn't hear what they were saying. Jessica and Opie followed and walked outside. "You okay?" Jess asked.

"Yeah" Kristina said with optimism in her voice. "It's just bullshit, you know?" She added as the two sat down across from her.

"I know. But that's why we're here. A new start." Jessica replied

"Hello?" a voice called out. Kristina and Jess walked towards the front of the house, the guys remained outside.

"Can I help you?" Jess asked

"I'm from the management company. I'm here to have you sign the lease" the woman added.

"Oh! That's right. Come in" Jess responded, opening the door for the woman.

"I don't want to take too much of your time. This shouldn't take more than five minutes" She said pulling the paperwork from her bag. "How are the two of you adjusting?"

"Pretty well, thanks" Kristina smiled, then hiccuped, the smell of vodka was clear. "Sorry. Excuse me." she said, grabbing a pen.

"No worries." the woman laughed "This is the lease, it's for one year. As per the agreement, the school takes care of the rent until September, you two are liable after that."

"Understood" Jessica responded, signing by the multiple x's.

"If you have any questions about the town, please don't hesitate to call. It's a quiet place. If you have any trouble with any of the locals, just let us know. You two should be more than fine." She added "We will mail you both a copy of the lease once it's processed." she said placing the paperwork back into her bag, as Jax and Opie walked in from the back door. The woman looked up, and the tension in the room grew. While this woman may not have personally known the men, she knew of them.

"Ma'am" Jax said as he and Opie smiled.

"Well, if everything is settled here, we'll be in touch. I hope you two find this place as nice as we do" She said walking towards the front door, letting herself out.

"Bye now" Jessica said as the woman picked up her pace down the driveway. "That was weird"

"Like we said, we haven't made a lot of friends in this town." Opie shrugged.

Jax's cell phone rang and he was quick to answer "Yeah, Hello? What do you mean destroyed? We'll be right there" Jax said putting his phone back in his pocket, grabbing his cut from the chair. "We gotta go" he said to Opie. The girls looked confused.

"What happened?" Opie asked as he grabbed his belongings.

"Roosevelt came in and chopped shit up" Jax said, the anger growing in his voice. "I'm sorry, we gotta go" said to Kristina kissing her cheek "I'll call you soon." he said running out the door.

"Sorry" Opie started, giving them both a kiss on the cheek running right behind Jax. The girls could hear the shouting over the start of the motorcycles. What was it that was so traumatic?

"Know what, they said things aren't perfect. We'll know soon" Jess said to Kristina as she watched them race down the street. "Kris.."

"Huh? Yeah I know. Just weird, ya know? We're outsiders. I don't know if I really want to know." She replied heading back over to the boxes.

"We will. And dinner tomorrow night, that'll be fun." Jess joked turning on music. "Singing, drinking, and organizing. It's a perfect evening"

The girls unpacked and sang and drank well into the evening. Around 9:30, the girls were still laughing and joking, finally, for the first time, enjoying themselves without anyone else around. "You think he'll call?" Kristina asked as they finally sat down outside, enjoying the sounds of the night.

Jessica sighed "Kris.."

"I didn't take him into my room to do God knows what. I've done nothing more than hug him"

"First of all, we didn't do anything." Jessica began "Secondly-"

"What do you mean you didn't do anything?!" Kristina laughed "Lies!"

"Our clothes stayed on. So in my mind, we did nothing." Jessica clarified, justifying her answer.

"Okay. So you're telling me you don't wan't to call him?"

"Of course I do. But they rushed out of here. They had to take care of something. He said he'd call you."

"Yeah. You're right" Kristina sighed, looking at his house, the light to the back room was on but she didn't see anyone inside.

"You're in your head too much. We have a beautifully painted living room and it's organized. You should be writhing in ecstasy" Jessica laughed

"I could be writhing in ecstasy in other ways too" Kristina said under her breath.

"You want another?" Jess asked grabbing Kristina's glass.

"Sure, why not" Kristina answered as Jess walked inside. "Hey Jess.."

"Yeah?" She called out grabbing the bucket of ice, bottle and juice. "Open the door" she said stepping outside. "This is easier. No need to get up now" she laughed "talk to me"

"Do you think that Eric thing freaked him out?" Kris asked. Jessica could tell Kristina was having a moment. Kristina always did this. When something was sudden, or didn't seem perfect, she always questioned everything.

"Look at me", Kristina looked up. "Cut it out. No it did not freak him out. He told you about his shit, right?"

"Some of it" Kristina said as though it didn't play an important part.

"Kristina DiPalo"

"Fine" Kristina grunted, pouring her own drink this time. Whenever Eric contacted her, it put her in an anxiety ridden state, questioning everything and everyone.

"You hear it?" The sound of a lone motorcycle coming down the road.

"Yes" she said with a half smile. The motorcycle cut out and the door to Jax's house opened and closed. Kristina sighed. She looked on, staring at the bedroom with the light on, and then Jax appeared, holding his son. She watched as he kissed his forehead, and placed him down. The light shut off and Kristina smiled.

"Are you done now" Jessica asked

"Maybe" she shrugged. They heard the front door open and close again, a few seconds later they heard a knock and Slash barking. "Come on back!" She shouted, not wanting to get up. Jax walked into the back yard, Jessica stood up.

"I'm gonna go... I don't know. I'm gonna wash some dishes" Jess chuckled.

"Hey, I'm sorry about-" Kristina began. Jax walked over to her and pressed his face against hers, nearly knocking her off her chair, pulling all of the breath from her lungs. He pulled a chair up in front of her. Kristina's phone chimed and she saw a text message from Jess reading 'told you' she laughed and shook her head.

"Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. I can't stay. I need to go back but I wanted to be the one to apologize. I'll see you tomorrow. We'll pick you both up around 730. Dinner's at my moms house." He said giving her another kiss and walking back inside. "See you tomorrow Jess" he said, letting himself out.

Jess stepped outside to see Kristina with a smile ten miles wide "Now are you done?"

Her face flushed, she kicked Jess's shin "You're such a dick."