Sheriff Roosevelt hauled Jax down to the police station almost as soon as Gemma was rushed off to surgery. He'd spent three hours in an interrogation room being 'interviewed'. Jax couldn't say that he blamed Roosevelt. The club was responsible for a drive by shooting taking place in the hospital parking lot. But the entire time he was in the room his mind was at St. Thomas Hospital with his mother and Clay. Jax didn't do much talking during the interview. Rosen did most of the talking because Jax really had nothing to say.

This wasn't a situation that needed police intervention. He didn't need protection. He needed vengeance and he would have it. Jax kept thinking about the last words Gemma uttered to him before he put her on a gurney. Russians.

The Russians were finally lodging a real play for payback against the club and it had been well executed. Clay was on death's door and if Gemma hadn't knocked Jax to the ground he'd probably be dead right now. Miles was dead from a bullet to the head.

Opie walked into the waiting room and looked around for Jax. He made a beeline for his best friend and said, "All of the families are in lockdown at the club. Hap put in a call to Quinn. He said that the Nomads will be down in an hour to help keep a watch on the club. Jury is on his way with Indian Hills to help out, too. Any news on Gemma?"

Jax was seated in the uncomfortable waiting room chair with his head in his hands. He heard Opie talking but his mind was focused on other things at the moment. Try as he might all he could think about was carrying his mother's bleeding body into the hospital. He kept replaying the events in his mind. He heard Gemma's voice calling to him at the last possible moment. He looked up and saw his mother throwing her own body against his as gunfire erupted.

Opie reached out and touched Jax's shoulder. He was more than a little concerned about his best friend's state of mind. "Jax?"

Jax snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Opie. He saw the concerned look on Opie's bearded face.

Opie was taken aback by the hollow stare he was greeted with. He'd never seen Jax like this before. "Did you hear anything that I said?"

Jax nodded. "Yeah, I heard you, Ope. I was just thinking. Thanks for getting that set up man. Did Piney give you any trouble about going back to the club?"

Opie said, "He argued a little but I convinced him that I needed him at the club to help protect the families. That finally got the old man to agree."

"Good. I don't want him out there making himself a target. I saw the way he looked after they took Gemma away for surgery. He wanted to go find some Russians," said Jax.

"He's got an AK and a bottle of Whiskey at the club. He's alright now. Mary is there to get on his nerves and fuss at him."

Jax nodded in thought. He said, "It is too dangerous for any of the women to go out to get any supplies. Send a couple of the prospects out to do that."

"Already got it covered, man. Tara and my mom sat down and worked out a list. I sent V-Linn and Filthy Phil to the store to pick everything up. The families are secure, Jax. You have my word on that."

"I trust you, Ope," said Jax. He stood up and ran a frustrated hand over his short hair.

Opie decided to try again. "Any news on Gemma?"

Jax said, "She is in post op. I won't be able to see her until they move her up to the ICU in a couple of hours. Everything I need to do will have to be run from here. I'm not leaving her here until I have to."

"She going to be okay?" asked Opie.

Gemma was like a second mother to him. She had been a part of his life since he was born. Gemma looked out for him and cussed him out when he needed it. The idea of losing her was something Opie didn't think he could process right now.

"She lost a lot of blood and they might have to remove her left kidney. The surgeon said that she is stable and he's cautiously optimistic. Whatever the fuck that means. Just medical double speak to cover his ass in case she takes a turn for the worst and dies. The doctor said she should wake up from the anesthesia soon. Mom was lucky. The second bullet was really close to hitting her heart. A couple of inches to the left and…" Jax trailed off not wanting to finish that sentence.

"That is good news, man. There was an angel watching over her today. The rest of the guys will be glad to hear that. They are all worried about her," Opie replied

"Yeah, I guess. She risked her life trying to save me. I was so distracted planning my next move with Chibs that I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything…until it was too late. I don't even know how she knew. I just keep thinking about something she said to me in the cemetery earlier. Mom said she'd do whatever she had to do to protect me because I am her son. And she did…she took three bullets…"

"She's your mother. Me and Mary have our shit but you think she wouldn't take a bullet for me if push came to shove? We're all they've got man. We're all they've got," said Opie.

"Clay is my biological father," said Jax.

Jax didn't bother looking in Opie's direction. He just needed to say it out loud to someone. And he trusted Opie enough to tell him the truth.

Opie's eyes widened slightly. He tilted his head to one side like he was trying to see if Jax was joking around. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Mom told me yesterday at the house. Before all of this shit went sideways. She told me that she got pregnant with me while my Pops was still in prison. The three of them agreed that JT would raise me as his own."

Opie just stood there stunned not sure what to say about the situation. He shook his head. Opie's lips twitched into a small smile. "I always wondered where you got that blonde hair from."

Jax chuckled a little. "Fuck you, Ope."

Opie put an arm around Jax's shoulders and said, "I would but then you wouldn't respect me anymore. So, I guess when I call you a bastard now I am accurately describing you."

Jax just chuckled a little and pushed Opie away. He had a seat in the uncomfortable chair again and tried to relax. The tension was vibrating through his body even though he'd just shared a laugh with his best friend. "Keep what I told you between us. I don't want anyone else to know right now."

"I won't say a word, Jax. I am guessing that is why your face looks like that?" asked Opie.

Jax chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that I didn't take the news well. I fought with Clay last night. Mom put a gun to his head. You know, wholesome family fun."

Opie just laughed and shook his head. "When did Roosevelt finish questioning you?" asked Opie. He had a seat in the chair next to Jax.

Jax shook his head. "I got here about an hour ago. Just in time for them to tell me that Mom made it through the surgery."

"What about Clay?" asked Opie.

"He's out of surgery but they had to put him on a ventilator. The doctor said the chances of him coming back off of the ventilator are slim to none. He suggested that I get Clay's affairs in order. I don't even know how to do that. Mom knows all of that shit. I guess at some point I will have to go to the house and look for the life insurance shit. Just don't feel it right now. I just found out that he was my father and now he's going to die."

"I'm sorry, Jax. I know all of this is hitting you at one time. These Russian pricks went after your family hard. Tried to take you out, too. We've got to make a big statement," said Opie.

"I don't want a statement. I want to wipe them off the face of the fucking Earth. They went after the President and Vice President of this club. I want this retaliation to be felt all over NorCal. When I get done all I want is scorched Earth as far as the eye can see. I am going to bring it to the table tonight. Anyone that wants to bow out can. Because what we are about to embark on isn't going to be clean. We are going to get bloody," said Jax.

Opie looked at the rage playing over Jax's features. "You really think any of the guys are going to walk away from this? They hit our club. They killed Miles and maybe Clay. They nearly killed a woman we all love and look at as a mother. They don't walk away from this. It is time for a little bloodletting."

"I just want to make sure they are going into this with their eyes wide open. I don't want to leave anything standing when I am through, Ope. We need intel on as many Russian safehouses as we can get."

"I can reach out to some of our people. And I can get Juice into doing property searches. We are bound to find something, but if we really want the upper hand we might need to call our new friends from south of the border. They've got connections that we need right now," said Opie.

"I got a call from Alvarez earlier offering his condolences. And to let me know that the Russians hit one of his warehouses this afternoon. I managed to get Romeo's number from him then. I've already put in a call to him. He's going to meet me here at the hospital's chapel. I need you to call the other chapters. Let them know what went down and tell them that I want the top two from every chapter from here to Washington here in Charming by tomorrow."

Opie raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Jax didn't just want blood he wanted an all out war. Opie couldn't argue with that sort of thinking. He was ready to do whatever was necessary. "I'll get on that now. I am going to head back over to the club. Do you need anything? New clothes?"

Jax looked down at his clothes. His t-shirt and jeans were stained with Gemma's blood. He was sure that some of it was from earlier in the day when he'd found Clay. Gemma's blood was still staining his hands. He was sure he looked like a psychopath to the casual observer but he didn't care.

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't need any clothes. I'm good. I'll give you a call after I talk to Romeo."

Opie stood up. "Actually, I'd like to be there when you talk to Romeo. If that is alright with you."

Opie wanted Jax to know that he wasn't in this alone. He could see the wheels turning in his head. He could see that his best friend was not himself. Jax was the leader of this club for the first time and he would need help. He couldn't do this on his own.

Jax stood up and hugged Opie. "I definitely want you here, Brother. I am going to need your help in all of this."

Two hours later Jax sat in the ICU watching Gemma. It was a relief to see her breathing on her own. Clay wasn't that lucky. She had only briefly awakened from the anesthesia and now Gemma was fast asleep again.

There was a light knock on the door and then Opie walked into the room. "He's here, Jax."

Jax nodded slightly. He leaned down, kissed Gemma's cheek, and squeezed her hand. "I'll be back soon, Mom."

Opie said, "Quinn is here in the hallway. I asked if he'd be willing to stand guard outside of the room. I know the Russians weren't after Gemma but it is better to be safe than sorry."

Jax nodded. "Good idea, Ope. I am already sorry. And they will be, too."

He walked out of the room with Opie. Jax walked over to Quinn and hugged him. "Thanks for coming down, Quinn."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Brother. The Nomads are here to do whatever you need, Jax," said Quinn, patting Jax's back.

Jax said, "I appreciate it. We'll talk later."

Opie walked with Jax to the elevator. "Romeo and his guys are waiting for us in the chapel. You sure about this?"

Jax hit the button for the 3rd floor. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Opie."

When the elevator reached the third floor they walked toward the chapel. There were three men hanging around the door casually acting as security. They moved and opened the door for Jax and Opie to enter the room.

Romeo and Luis were seated in the chapel and stood up when the guys walked into the room. Romeo stepped forward first and offered Jax his hand.

"I am sorry to hear about your sorrows. If there is anything that we can do…let us know," said Romeo.

Jax shook Romeo and Luis's hands.

"Thank you, Romeo. That is actually why I asked you here tonight. I need a favor from you. I need the location of a couple of Russian safehouses," said Jax.

Romeo had a seat in one of the pews and motioned for Jax to join him. "How many?"

Luis and Opie sat in the pew behind them and watched the two men talk.

"As many as you can find. I will be sure to repay you for the favor. We'll reduce the price on two of your next shipments," said Jax, laying his cards on the table.

He didn't want to haggle. He wanted information to put the Russians into the ground.

Opie reached over the pew and handed Romeo a slip of paper with the reduced price written down. The guys had church earlier in the evening and decided on the price they'd be willing to give the cartel in exchange for the information.

Romeo looked at the price and then handed it to Luis with a nod of his head.

Romeo said, "I can do that. How soon do you need this information?"

"As soon as possible. Your next shipment comes in tomorrow. Happy and Chibs will work with you on the details for the hand off," said Jax.

"I will get back to you some time tonight with the addresses you are looking for. Do you need anything else?" asked Romeo.

Jax shook his head. "That is all we need."

Romeo stood up and said, "You'll be hearing from me soon."

Jax stood up and shook Romeo's hand. "I'll be looking forward to your call."

Romeo and Luis exited the chapel leaving Jax and Opie alone.

Jax asked, "Has Juice made any headway?"

"It is like an Easter Egg hunt going through the financials for all of the shell companies the Russians use. He is having a hard time finding anything other than business addresses. The sheriff is going to be on the club's ass. He is going to expect retaliation from us. We need to keep him and his deputies way the fuck out of our business," said Opie.

"We'll just have to keep him busy with other things. A couple of meth labs go boom in his county and he is going to have to pay attention to that. Look at it as SAMCRO doing its community service for the month. And when I saw boom…I want it to look like the Fourth of July, Ope," said Jax.

Opie smiled slightly. "I will cook up something truly spectacular. The police will be busy for days sorting through what's left of the meth labs. The Pres and V.P. from all of the chapters should be rolling into town tomorrow around 3:00."

Jax nodded. "Good, I want the other chapters to know about the can of worms I am about to open with my next move. Once we do this the Russians are going to come back at us. It might put the other chapters in a bad spot."

"They'll understand why you are doing what you are doing. An attack like this doesn't just go in the face of SAMCRO…it makes the entire club look bad. Trying to assassinate the President and Vice President? That just can't stand by anyone's standards. I can't think of a brother that would disagree," said Opie.

"Do you think that you can be awartime consigliere?" asked Jax, with a small smile.

Opie chuckled softly thinking back to the movie they'd fell in love with as little boys. There was something about organized crime that both boys fell in love with at an early age.

"Jax, are you asking me to be your Tom Hagen? And does that make you Sonny or Michael?"

"Considering Sonny didn't survive through the first movie. I think I will take Michael. But all joking aside… if I am going to be sitting at the head of that table I want you there next to me as my V.P., Ope. I can't do this without you."

Opie smiled at him. "I'm in."

Jax hugged Opie and pulled back with a smile. "Glad to hear it, Brother. How are Tara and the kids?"

Jax hadn't seen his wife or children since that afternoon.

"They are doing good. The kids are content and Tara is on the ball getting everything organized. You'd be proud of her, Man. When I left the club earlier she had the ladies working on dinner. She is taking everything in stride. You should probably call her later. She is worried about you."

"I am not going to bother with calling her. I can't say anything real to her over the phone. Once I know things are settled down here I will head over to the club for a bit and talk to Tara in person," Jax explained.

More than that he wanted to be able to put his arms around his wife. She was the only thing that was keeping him sane at the moment. Knowing that he had to stay alive for Tara and his kids was the only reason he wasn't out in the middle of the street telling the Russians to come for him. He'd get his revenge but it would be smart and it would spill as little Sons' blood as possible.

Jax looked at his watch and said, "I am going to go back to the ICU and see Clay."

Opie nodded. "I am going to call the club and make sure everything is still locked down tight there. I'll meet you in the ICU."

Jax nodded and clapped Opie on the back before exiting the chapel.

When Jax arrived in Clay's room he was taken aback by the sight before him. The once larger than life figure was laying helplessly in a hospital bed with a ventilator doing his breathing for him. Jax instantly flashed back to his childhood when John was in the ICU on a ventilator. The rhythmic whooshing of air seemed so robotic to him.

He walked over to the bed not sure what to do or say. He'd told Clay to stay away from him last night. He had said a lot of hateful things to Clay last night. But even through his hatred and pain he'd heard the man loud and clear. All he'd ever really wanted was for Jax to love him.

And as a child Jax had loved Clay dearly. But his teenage years were filled with tragedy and angst. And their relationship as step-father and step-son was antagonistic by nature. Jax was resisting Clay at every turn. With John being dead the last thing he was going to do was let Clay take his place. Jax was unwilling and perhaps unable to betray his father's memory. The memory of John Teller was the only thing he had left. Thus, their struggle began.

Jax had a seat next to Clay's bed and watched the machine breathing for him. He marveled at how shortsighted the club had been to have not seen the retaliation on the horizon.

"You know, I don't hate you, Clay. And despite what I said last night. I know that you took out JT because he was a rat. He turned on his own club and the only remedy for that is death. I hate you for keeping the truth from me but I won't lie and say that I would have taken the news any better before now. I don't know if you can hear me or not. I don't know how this shit works but I want you to know that I do love you. And I always have. You've always been there for me even when I was a surly prick and didn't want you to be. The doctors say that they don't think that you are going to walk out of here. And that hurts more than I ever thought it would. I'm not just losing a brother and an uncle. I am also losing a father I never really got the chance to know. But I want you to know that despite fighting you at every turn I've learned a lot from you and I will protect my family and my club. And I will slaughter every Russian I come across."

The door opened and an older gentleman walked into the room carrying a bible. "Oh, I am sorry. I am the hospital chaplain, Chris. I didn't know that anyone was in here."

Jax stood up and said, "That's fine. I was done here anyway."

"Well, I was going to say a prayer for Mr. Morrow. Would you like to stay and pray with me?" Chris asked.

Jax shook his head. "No thank you, Father."

"It might bring you some peace, Son," said Chris.

"I don't want peace," said Jax, he walked out of the room.