7

Mo Chuisle Mo Choí

Laura had been exaggerating.

She doesn't head to TM right away, despite the potential importance of the situation. Instead she makes some breakfast for her and Moby, cleans up a bit and then looks in the paper for any potential jobs. She can work at Lumpy's, but that would mean working with Angela and she rather not. She can work at Hanna's Diner too, but she isn't a very good waitress. She tried that in San Fran and spilled hot chili on herself once, she ended up having a second degree burn. Of course, ideally, she would apply for job at the beauty salon on Main Street, or even settle for a position at Lumpy's barber shop, but neither said they were hiring when she called. So now she searches for any position that pays well and isn't taking out the garbage.

With school for Moby less than a month away, she knows she needs to be employed quick, and that's yet another push factor in getting her dressed and out of the house.

Moby hasn't been asking about Lowell, Laura said he was on a very important vacation, but she can see the eagerness in his face when she pulls up in the TM lot.

"Is Daddy back?" He asks, wiggling around in his booster seat, craning his neck to look farther out the window.

"Um," she has half a mind to tell him no, but she's here now, and it would be wrong to keep Lowell from his own son.

"Yeah," she answers finally, finding a good parking space, "he is, so we're here to visit him, but we can't stay long."

Moby whoops in happiness, pumping his fist in the air and practically leaping for joy as he slides out of her car. He slips around and flys his Lightning McQueen car through the air.

"Settle down," she says, "and hold my hand, we're in a parking lot."

He ignores her, though that's nothing new, and she can't get too mad considering the place is pretty much desolate at this time of the day.

Moby goes sprinting across the lot towards the garage, and she follows a brisk pace, eyes scanning the mechanics for any glimpse of Clay. None. One of the men looks familiar though, with bronze skin and tribal tattoos on his shiny head. He has a nice smile, she thinks, seeing him grin from a ways away. Moby is already weaving in and out of the garage in search of his father, she has to call his name twice to get him to come to her. The men are cast her looks that make her cheeks warm.

"Excuse me," she calls to the tan man, he must be her age, "hi. I'm Laura."

"Hi," he smiles, "Juice. I know, we met the night Clay got out."

She doesn't remember that. Oh God, she had blacked out.

"We did?" She regrets her words instantly, and tries to back track.

"I mean, well, I mean...we did?"

Juice laughs, a pleasent sound, and shakes his head, "no, I'm just kidding. I know who you are though. Are you looking for Clay?"

Laura gives a shakey smile, wondering if it was Gemma who spread her name.

"Yeah, or even Gemma. Do you know where they are?"

"Clay's out with Tig right now," Juice frowns, "and I'm not sure where Gemma is. Jax is on the roof though, if you're looking for someone to pass on a message."

"Okay, thank you Juice."

"Yeah, no problem!"

She waves a bit, and he looks like he's about to say something else, but decides against it. Laura can feel Moby tugging on her hand, so she leaves, now taking the boy inside the clubhouse, which is almost entirely empty save for a few mechanics playing pool. They greet Moby like an old friend, and he gushes and tells them about his new TV all the way down the hall.

Laura had barley opened Lowell's door before she sees the man fly off the bed and swoop Moby into his arms. He screams and laughs, hugging his father tight around the neck, wrist clutched in his little fist.

"I knew I heard you," Lowell laughs, "you goofball!"

Moby laughs too, still not releasing his father.

"I missed you Daddy! I have so much to tell you! We got a new couch, and a new TV! Daddy you missed a lot on vacation."

Lowell is grinning ear to ear at his sons words. His eyes fly to Laura and seeing her brother and her nephew reunited, she is reminded that Lowell is something her father had never been.

A loving dad.

At this epiphany, she feels like an intruder on an intimate moment. She has neither the courage nor words to explain to Moby he has to leave soon. Besides, it would only ruin what's happening now.

"We'll talk later," she says, "I have to go see

Jax, so why don't you guys spend some time together." Her eyes shift to Moby, "okay kiddo? I'll be right back. Just hang with your Dad a little bit."

He waves but doesnt acknowledge her leave, and other than a nod, Lowell doesn't either.

Laura knows what roof Juice had been talking about earlier, Jax used to sit on it when he was a kid too. There's a very vivid memory she has of him standing on the ledge, looming over everything like some sort of phantom. It had been right around the time Tara left, and she wonders if maybe he hadn't been a phantom, just drunk.

When she looks up at the roof, she thinks she sees movement, but she's never been up there and she doesn't have to be a scientist to know that's his place. Going up there uninvited is rude and quite frankly presumptuous, but her meeting with Stahl is fresh in her mind. She knows it's necessary. Laura steels herself and grabs the metal rungs, one foot after the other. Her head peaks over the other brick and-

"Shit!"

Laura squeaks, jerking back and nearly losing her grip on the ladder. Jax, cigarette dangling in his lips, reaches out and grabs her bicep to steady her. When she had reached the top, he hadn't been a foot away, ready to go down. Clearly, neither of them expected to see each other.

"Jesus," he shakes head, "you a'right?"

"Yeah," she breaths, grip white on the rung,"sorry I scared you."

"Don't worry about it," he backs up, jerking his head to allow her to step onto the roof. Once there she sifts her weight awkwardly.

"So, um, sorry I just came up here and interrupted you."

"No worries," he lights the cigarette and takes a drag, her eyes follow the wafting blue smoke, "Juice said you were looking for me, I was coming down to see you."

"Yeah, I just. Well." How was she supposed to start this?

"How're you doin' darlin?" He interjects with smirk, leaning back and taking another drag. Laura feels herself blush and turns her eyes to the ground.

"I'm good. I'm, uh, busy though. I'm moving here."

"Yeah I heard," his smirk changes all of the sudden, to something less teasing and something more...melty. Or melting. Or whatever she feels in her stomach at the sight of it.

"Good to have you back," he says and Laura just about loses it. Her chuckles are breathy and quick.

"Thanks," she looks up finally. Did he get closer? "How are you?"

"Same shit," he shrugs, not upset. He sobers and jerks his head in the direction of the clubhouse.

"How is that?" He asks, "you know, with the kid and everything?"

As if it couldn't get any worse, he remembers her mindless complaining from that night. Laura groans and places her hands over face, her ears and chest hot with shame. There's something though, the fact he cared enough to ask. No ones asked.

"Don't worry about it," she brushes him off, "really. I was drunk and dumb. I probably said a lot of stupid stuff."

Jax shrugs and leans back against a large heating vent, "not that stupid. Ma said Lowell could get out any day. You ready for that?"

Laura hasn't really thought about it. She only stayed one day with Lowell before he went and shot up, and her dynamic with Moby isn't perfect, but it is routine; having another person in the house, her brother no less, is definitely gonna change things. She imagines his freak out from that night at the party, the way his fists clenched and the absolute fear in her gut. Is she ready for that? Because Lord knows that won't be their only fight.

"I don't know," she answers in a whisper, "I feel like I should be, I mean he's my brother, but..."

Jax nods knowingly, "and Moby?"

Her her worry dissolves almost automatically, "oh he's great. I mean he's a lot to handle, but he has a really big heart. He helps me with just about everything. And you should see some of the shit he draws, I swear Jax, he'll be an artist one day."

Realizing she's blabbing, Laura clamps her mouth shut and looks down at her hands, twisting her thumb ring around the skin. Jax is smiling at her in that encouraging way he does, and she isn't really embarrassed to speak anymore.

"I'm still not ready to be a mom," she murmurs, "but I think I'm learning."

Jax finishes his cigarette and squishes it beneath the toe of his sneaker. Laura turns, looking over the horizon line at the sky, then down to the lot where she can see skid marks from motorcycle tires, not far away, is the gleam of their metal in the sunlight. She leans against the ledge, concrete cool against her palms. Saying it all out loud didn't seem scary, maybe becuase she felt so isolated up here. Jax works his way over to her, propping his elbows on the ledge and looking down with her. She can still smell the smoke on him, smoke, summer air, and pine. Jax has always smelled like pine trees.

"How's Abel?" She questiones. Looking over at him. His expression is reluctant at first, but then he smiles.

"He's doin' good, he should be coming home in a couple of weeks."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm-I don't know what I'm gonna do. Christ, at least you've taken care of kids before. The only time I tried I almost dropped Opie's kid on the floor."

Laura stifles a giggle and Jax shakes his head at her, running a hand down down his face.

"I don't have much more experience than you," she shrugs, "and I got the hang of it. I think it will come naturally to you, Abel's your son, you love him."

Jax nods, thinking, and Laura asks before she loses the nerve.

"How's Wendy?"

He looks taken aback, and she immediately wants to retract her words. His relationship is none of her business, and it's clearly more complicated than it seems with Tara showing up at the clubhouse crying. But she's curious, and she shares a history with Wendy which she knows he knows.

"She's in a halfway house right now. She's doing really good."

Laura smiles, a part of her hopeful. Wendy had always been a good girl, one who deserved more despite her habits. And if she can get sober, why can't Lowell?

"Anway," Jax turns around and looks down at her, "what'd you need me for darlin?"

Oh right. Laura had been so lost in her conversation with Jax, she forgot why she came up her in the first place.

"Last night," she tucks a wayward lock of hair behind her ear, "I was unpacking when some lady showed up at my– at Lowell's house. Said her name was June Stahl and she's with the ATF."

Jax curses, jaw working. He shakes his head and looks back to her with his brows furrowed.

"What happened?"

"She asked to come in to ask some questions and I couldn't say no. We talked probably ten minutes before she left. She was asking all about SAMCRO and how my brother knew you guys and blaming my dads death on you."

It's so quick Laura thinks she imagines it, and so faint she's convinced herself she's crazy. But. But it's there, the tiniest flicker of guilt in those blue eyes. Does Jax know? Does Jax know what Clay did?

There shouldn't be any reason he doesn't, she is under the impression the President tells his charter everything, especially about who they kill, but the way Clay had explained it to her that night made it sound like some big secret.

"What did she say exactly?" Jax asks, "what did you tell her?"

"It was lots of hot air mostly. She was basically bullying me into giving her answers. I just said you guys like motorcycles and wouldn't hurt a fly."

Jax smirks, and Laura smiles too.

"When she asked about Opie being in prison for arson I told her he has a passion fireworks."

He chuckles, his whole face lighting up,

Laura can't help but join along.

"Good job darlin," he cocks his head a bit, "listen, I'm sorry she showed up at your place like that. I can't promise you she won't do it again, but I can promise to handle it. A'right?"

"It's okay, I just figured I should let you know."

"Yeah, thanks," he kisses his teeth and frowns, reaching into his jean pocket, "if she bothers you again give me a call, okay?"

They exchange numbers, and slowly they begin walking towards the ladder again. He descends after her till they're standing once more on the blacktop. Reality seems to come flooding back.

"I gotta get back to work," Jax squints, "but hey."

"Yeah?"

"You're doing good."

His hand is on her waist suddenly, warm and heavy, and then his lips are on her cheek. The kiss is innocent, friendly even, but lasts just a second longer than most, her belly heats up at the contact.

"See ya around Lue."

And he's sauntering back to the garage. Just like that, leaving her with heart palpitations and butterfly's like some high school girl. She needs to get rid of those now.

She thinks about having to go face Lowell in two seconds, and those butterflies drop dead. Laura sighs.


Rising Sun Nursing Home is on Ednen drive, not too far from St. Thomas hospital. It has a neat lawn and looks more like a large ranch house than a nursing home. It's painted the same colors as the uniform: finch pink with creamy white accents.

Laura is not a nurse, she doesn't know anything beyond basic CPR and so she does not work there as such. Laura is, for lack of a better term, a glorified janitor. Her boss calls her a housemaid.

Her job is to clean the rooms and empty bedpans, to serve meals and provide company to anyone that asks her. She is also on Bingo duty every Thursday night, and she has to weed the gardens every Monday morning. She works from seven AM to seven PM, or eight to eight, or nine to nine, all while Neeta watches Moby. Laura has little contact with the patients, but Charming is so small she gets to know them all anyway. That's why when Mr. Preston, a genial bald man, passes away, she hides in the staff lounge and cries.

"It gets easier," Robbie says. He's a scruffy, husky man, maybe two years her junior but kind as can be. He's one of the nurses, and can always be spotted becuase he wears blue scrubs while the employees wear pink.

"I know," she wipes her noes and tugs at her fingers, "I shouldn't even be crying."

"Crying's natural," he squeezes her shoulder, "it's a healthy way to get things out. Don't repress your feelings."

It does get easier after that, and thankfully the deaths aren't as often as one would think.

A week later Moby begins school and Lowell checks out of SAMCRO rehab into a seven day recovery facility. After that he'll return home, a thought that makes her both anxious and irritated.

It's Tuesday. Laura is scrubbing a bathtub in the dementia ward when she realizes it's Tuesday at 3:30. Moby gets off school at 3:30 and Neeta doesn't watched him on Tuesdays. She curses, sitting up so quick her back gets a cramp, and collects her tote. The room is only half done, but she needs to get there quick, Kennedy Elementary is on the opposite side of town and she won't be there for another twenty minutes. Laura curses all the way down the hall, slipping past a coworker pushing Mrs. Adams in her wheelchair. She puts her things away in the cleaning closet and is skipping past her bosses office for the front door. The woman is about as old as the patients, and an absolute psycho. She wouldn't allow Laura to leave early if her house was on fire, let alone leaving her nephew alone at school by himself.

She'll explain it later, hopefully boss won't even know.

Laura is halfway there, the last car she passed still honking at her when her cell begins ringing. She fishes from her breast pocket with stumbling fingers, and frowns when she reads Donna.

"Hello?"

"Hey," the woman chirps, "thank God I reached you."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, chill out," she can hear the humor in Donna's voice, "I was calling to let you know I'm here at school with Moby. I was a little late picking Kenny and Ellie up and saw him waiting by the play ground. I figured I would hang out till you got here."

Laura releases a breath of utter relief and releases the gas a little bit.

"Thank you so much, you didn't have to do that."

"I know, but knew you'd do the same if it was me. I also wanted to ask a question."

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to come over to my place when you get here? The kids are having a lot of fun and keep asking for a play date. I figured we could hang out too."

Laura bites her lip. She wants to, but she's unsure, for no particular reason except for the lingering feeling that she doesn't want to make a life here. Even if she already has.

"Please?" Donna asks. "Opie and Jax are there and I dont want to make dinner for guys and kids again."

Laura giggles, spotting Kennedy and taking her left. Pulling into the parking lot she can see Donna sitting on one of the playground benches in a lime green t-shirt. Laura wonders when she forgot how pretty the woman is.

"Okay, I'll come over."

It's surprisingly easy to get Moby in the car, especially when there's promises of going to play with his best friend Kenny at his house. Laura meanwhile is a bit shakey in anticipation herself, only becuase there's a certain someone there. Someone with blonde hair and white sneakers.

"Help me carry the groceries in," Donna asks her as the kids go running into the house without them. Two motorcycles are parked on the curb, somehow Laura is able to tell whose is whose, and she isn't sure how to feel about that.

"Geez," she huffs, shouldering three bags, "how much did you buy?"

"Not enough," Donna teases as they go in, Laura laughes and pushes her a bit, causing her to stumble going up the stairs and they both burst into laughter. It feels good to laugh again, it feels good to talk to a woman that isn't Gemma or Neeta.

"You forget," Donna whispers as they lug the groceries into the kitchen, "that my husband is the fucking Sasquatch."

Laura barks out in suprised laughter, really unable to contain herself becuase with his big beard and gentle eyes he does sort of look like Sasquatch. Not to mention he's 6'5 and his hands are as big as her face. A mental image of Opie creeping through the forest naked actually makes her snort as she laughs, something she hasn't done in months.

"Did you just-"Donna cackles, and the two are so occupied they don't see Sasquatch and his best friend walk in through the back doors, both giving each other amused glances.

"Having fun you two?"

Donna yelps and spins around, seeing Opie and sniggering to herself, catching Laura's eyes who almost loses it all over again. She adverts her attention to Jax, whose looking at her like he did on the roof of TM. Her face heats up.

"Let me help you with that," he says, taking the bags from her to set them on the counter. She rolls her eyes, feeling uncharacteristicly brave from all the laughter.

"Wow," she says, "thanks for taking on such a heavy load."

His eyebrows jerk up in surprise and he smirks, "couldn't let you carry it all that way darlin."

"My hero," she deadpans. Donna reaches into the fridge and starts handing out beers.

"So what," Opie nods at Laura, "you working at the old folks home now?"

"Yeah, I just clean basically, and it pays pretty well."

"That's good," Donna tilts her head, then scowls, "shit, I forgot to bring in the water. Ope, come help me."

The next things knows she and Jax are alone again. He smiles down at her.

"Long time no see."

Laura rolls her eyes, "yeah, two weeks is pretty crazy."

"I know, I couldn't wait till it was over."

Her blood pressure spikes. Is he...flirting with her? Laura practically has to fight off another blush, reminding herself they're just in the kitchen of her friends house and talking. Not doing anything and she's not some fifteen year old with a crush. She's a grown woman conversating.

Jax is grinning.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?"

He shrugs, his face practically split in half, he stuffs his hands in his pockets, "no reason."

He's still giving her that look, and she isn't sure if it's becuase she came in with a good mood, but he's in a good mood too. And if this is how they are every time they're in a good mood then Laura never wants to be upset again.

"What?" She demands, pushing lightly on his shoulder. Jesus. What's gotten into me?

"Nothin," he chuckles, leaning in close for a spare second, "maybe it's just cause I'm seeing a pretty face."

Laura scoffs and turns away, "yeah? Do pretty faces make your pick up lines corny too?"

He licks his lips, the corners turning up, "nah, that's just yours darlin."

He's really close now, his eyes taking in her face and she feels like if they stay like this for any longer, the sweat on her palms will make her drop her beer. She needs to look away, but she can't. And ultimately Jax yanks his gaze away from hers like he's realized what he's doing. He shifts awkwardly and she takes a swig of her Corona as an excuse not to talk.

"So," he says, as if nothing strange just happened, "has my mom started nagging you into coming to Ables party?"

Laura chuckles, "she may have mentioned it a few times. Why?"

"Just seeing if you were coming," he says, eyes flicking to the side as Opie and Donna walk in, each with a case of water in their arms.

"I was going to to," she shrugs, "as long as you want me to."

Jax smiles, "course I do. If I didn't I wouldn't have asked. Bring Moby too, he'll have fun."

Laura nods, "okay. We'll be there."

He smiles, then looks over hid shoulder and jerks his head at Opie. The larger man nods.

"We gotta get back to the clubhouse," he tells Donna, pulling her body against his, "I'll be home for dinner."

"Okay," she smiles, standing herself on her tippy toes to kiss him. Laura feels a pang in her chest, she takes a big drink of her beer so she doesn't have to look any longer. Then she folds her arms so no one sees the fists she's making. Must be nice, she thinks, to have someone love you unconditionally. She knows they have their problems, but they look so happy and all Laura has ever wanted is what Donna has.

"So I'll see you later?" Jax says, and she turns her head to look at him.

"Oh," she smiles, "yeah."

"Good," a quick peck on her cheek, "bye Lue."

Laura and Moby stay for dinner at the Winstons that night. Everyone is happy as a clam, Moby is on his best behavior.

But Opie doesn't come back.

(She later learns he walked in at two in the morning and slept on the couch.)