Hey! Sorry it's taken so long. Your feedback is so amazing and I really appreciate your words. I've sort of run into some writer's block. I know what I wanna do but I writing is giving me a bit of trouble. So these are probably gonna come out slower.
It's been so crazy at home. I have to finish watching this season of the show, so hopefully I'll have a chance to finish watching that and feel more inspired.
Anyway. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. and a Great New Year!
Sorry about editing. On we go!
Chapter Seven – Don't Bring Her Down
"… She wants the life she missed
Dark eyes and a cocaine drip
She bites down
But I don't want to be, I don't want to be the one
Nice curves and a vicious smile
She's always in denial…"
– Rhino Bucket
'So stupid.' Rosie had no idea how she had done it again. She had blocked it all out. Those shots from the bar. The entire time she, Abel and Maise had been with Jax, Rosie hadn't thought about it once. Now at home, at night just with Maise, Rosie couldn't get the memory out of her mind. Jax had carried the five year old in after the little girl had fallen asleep on the drive back.
It had been awkward for Rosie, she didn't know what to say after she finished changing Abel. Jax seemed completely at ease though, smiling in that bright way of his.
She hadn't even asked for the money, she just said bye and waited for him to leave.
Once he had left she had noticed something next to the pile of blankets that Jax had folded on and left on the couch when he had gotten up that morning.
It was an envelope addressed to her but stuffed with more cash than he owed her. Immediately Rosie dropped the money and set about cleaning her already spotless house.
As she finished dumping Abel's sheets into the washing machine, a bit of a broken grey web caught her eye. It was stuck in the crease of what looked like an attic entrance. It was really blended in well, if it hadn't been for the web she wouldn't have known unless she had really looked. There didn't seem to be a latch or string.
"Hmmm." Rosie turned on the washer and grabbed a chair from the kitchen and a flashlight from the laundry cupboard. Moving her fingers along the edges, it occurred to her to push instead of look for something to pull. The square of ceiling groaned open. A cloud of dust and a musty smell escaped the dark space.
'Spooky.' She squinted, fanning the air in front of her face with her free hand.
Standing on her tip toes and jumping up a bit with the flashlight in hand she could see that there were boxes lining the floor above her. She could probably boost herself up to get a better look but she wasn't sure about her weight braced on the old ceiling.
She settled for reaching in and blindly moving a box towards the edge so she could pull it down.
The one she could reach was heavy, she nearly lost her grip as she lofted it down.
'Whew.'
Thinking it would probably be enough for the night since she had work in ten hours. Rosie shut the ceiling, carried the chair back to the kitchen and coming back for the box after she'd washed her hands.
Before she could open the box in the living room she heard Maise's fearful cry.
"I'm here baby, Mommy's here." Rosie kissed her worried forehead, sitting with her until she fell asleep.
By the time she got out and washed up, Rosie was too tired to think of anything but bed and the missing warmth on her shoulder.
Jax had told her not to discuss it in front of the kids that Monday afternoon when he had dropped Abel off. He had barely allowed Rosie to broach the subject of the extra money that he had left on her couch, before cutting her off and quizzing Maise on what she had learned in school and asking after that boy who had teased her.
'Works out anyway...' she had sighed. It might have been unorthodox but Rosie had been carrying her bills around with her wherever she went, she knew it was stupid, but checking them had become sort of an obsession, each time she would pray that she had just read the numbers wrong. She took Abel and Maise to the admin desk and borrowed few envelopes and stamps from Nancy, sweet old lady at the front desk, who smelled of cough drops and moth balls. Before Rosie could pull out the change to pay for them, Nancy had hurried her away, telling Rosie not to worry about it.
They had driven over to the bank where Rosie finally deposited the money that Jax had left into her chequing account and then to the park, where Maise quickly ran off to begin playing and where Rosie was sat on the grass with Abel, writing out cheques.
As she sealed the last envelope and stuck the stamp on Rosie said a wish for herself 'Please let this be ok.'
Abel's laugh drew her attention, she smiled at the little boy sitting in the space between her crossed legs. She felt his warmth leaning back against her chest as his head lolled back to look up at her. There was a shiny stream of dribble running out his mouth, his wide blue eyes filled with content curiosity.
"Hey there, baby" she grinned at him as it suddenly got colder, and the sun was covered by a cloud. "You ready to get going?" Rosie asked him, raising her head to see Maise distractedly playing on the monkey bars, clearly unaffected by the change in the weather.
After some moaning and groaning, Rosie finally got Maise to get off the playground and come back to the car. Rosie had parked close a post box for a reason. It was just a few paces in front of the car and to the left of the driver's side door. It didn't take very long to strap the kids in and making sure a window was cracked and the doors were locked. Though pretty much everyone had already left the park, she wanted to be careful. Rosie quickly went to the mailbox and after a slight hesitation she dropped the soon to be paid bills in. She felt a wave of relief hit her as soon as she closed the drawer of the post box 'Look at that... I can breathe.' She joked to herself.
Turning back to face her car she smiled at Maise who was waving at her through the driver's side backseat window.
Rosie waved, though she frowned when she heard a noise that sounded like shouting. 'What is that?' She looked away from Maise, her eyes glancing over the roof of her car. 'Who is that?' A sense of dread filled Rosie, as she neared her car's door, opting to open it manually rather than automatically opening all of the locks with her car key. She thought of Jax, the people he might deal with... and judging by this person's dark leather look they could be associated with that shaded part of his life. 'Then again it could just be really an aggressive looking person wanting directions?' Rosie allowed, opening her car door and leaving one foot out as she waited for this woman, who was clearly calling out to her.
'How does she keep that stride in those shoes?' Rosie asked herself taking in the older, but still fantastic looking woman's appearance as she got closer to the passenger side of the car.
"You!" the woman practically screeched at Rosie over the roof of the car, before peering in the backseat.
"Ah… Excuse me, but do I know you?" Rosie asked taken aback by the woman's mean demeanour and abruptly nosy behaviour.
"You should, honey." The older woman fixed Rosie with piercing glare "That's my grandson you have back there." She was practically snarling as she jostled the locked door handle by Abel with frustration. "Open the damn door bitch."
"Momma!" Maise called from inside the car, understandably this nut-job's behaviour was frightening her.
"Name calling won't get you anywhere. I don't care who you say you are, Jax never mentioned you."
The woman's glare tightened, as she began walking around the back of the car. 'Smart... like son, like mother...' Rosie had to commend the older woman, 'if they even are related.'
The woman, experienced in intimidation, obviously knew that Rosie wouldn't risk taking off and backing up over her. So Rosie waited, she had grown up with these sorts of toughened women, it was familiar territory. They liked to get up close to whisper their threats and commit their attacks.
Just as the woman cleared the driver's side taillight she spoke, "Listen you whor..."
Before she could finish Rosie had jumped into the car, turned it on and back out of the parking out. Her heart thudded in her chest, she checked the rear-view mirror to making sure that she hadn't run the woman over. But the string of curses she heard rather than saw just made her keep driving.
"Maise was there Jax, she scared her. You know I can't..."
"I know Rosie, I hate that too." He stated with weary exhale through his nose "Listen I'll talk to Gemma. She won't come near you again. I promise."
"Good." He could hear the uncertainty in her voice over the phone.
"So how is she, the Little Bug?" He asked leaning back against his bike, as he waited outside the shop for Ope to show up.
"Oh... you know..."
"Jackie's asking for me, Mommy! I can hear him! Let me!" Maise's voice piped in from the background.
Jax had to snort at the exchange he was listening to, that little girl was something. 'Both of them are...' his mind wandered to the way Rosie had ripped that guy at the fairground a new one.
"Ok, ok. Jeez Maise Mae." Rosie relented, letting Maise on the phone.
"Jackie!"
"Hey Bug! How's my favourite girl?"
"Good. I liked today. We talked a bunch huh? Can we talk everyday this much? Aunty Molly, my friend, we saw her every day."
"Well, I don't know Bug. I'm pretty busy..."
"Like Aunty Molly's special friend, Mommy said he was busy all over town."
"Maise!" Jax heard Rosie gasp, over the sound of his laughter.
"But it's true!" Rosie had obviously taken the phone away from Maise, as the little girl's voice now sounded further away.
"Sorry..." he could practically see the flush colouring Rosie's cheeks as she apologized.
"Don't worry about it." Jax smiled widely as he spoke "I needed it, you know... being a very busy man isn't all it's cracked up to be. Not many laughs."
"'Very' busy, huh?"
"Pfft, you don't even wanna know" he teased. Jax smiled again, he didn't know why, but lately something about Rosie had been so familiar to him. He hadn't realized it until he saw her in the kitchen that morning, the way she had chided him... Something about her expression reminded him of someone.
"I'm sure I don't" she stated, though there a smile in her tone something had shifted. "Listen, I have to get started on dinner, I'm sorry that I had to, you know... call."
"Yeah, me too. But don't worry about it, just relax..." he trailed off watching as his mother's car pulled into the compound.
"Everything all right?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just gotta go too." He knew both his expression and voice had hardened. There she was, Gemma Teller, looking angry as fuck. Though the anger had slipped from her face and turned into an expression of warmth when she had seen Jax.
But when Jax had drawn his lips and shaken his head from a distance at the woman, that warmth it had been replaced with worry then irritation.
"Ok, well I'll… we'll see you later then." Rosie began to end the phone call.
"See you then." He hung up, making his way over to his mother. "Why do you have to be so god damn insane all the time?"
"What'd I do?" Gemma asked in a legitimate tone.
"You're unbelievable. You stalked and threatened my babysitter, mom!"
Her dark eyes narrowed, "What a rat. One little thing and she goes crying to you."
"What do you expect, mom. You freaked Maise out."
"I was looking out for my grandson. The way that bitch drives you should be glad I was there."
"What?"
"Ah! Mother Goose didn't tell you that did she? Almost ran over me, barely missed my damn feet."
Jax felt another smile pull at his lips, his thoughts drifted to the fair ground. 'She's full of surprises.'
"You think that's funny?"
"She got away from you, kept Abel away from someone who was a stranger. Yes, mom I find it funny that you still have a problem with her taking care of my son."
Gemma's face pinched, she slowly stated, "She's not family."
"So? You were fine with Amaletta."
"He's not at the house." She countered sourly.
"Maise needs to be at home."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Gemma barked out a mean laugh. "She can't stay out of her house. What? She a freak or somethin'?"
"Maise's her daughter, mom."
The cruel grin dropped from the older woman's lips, "That little girl's hers?"
"Yeah. And you scared her."
"Right." She scoffed, "I scared her. Her mother almost kills me and I scared her." Gemma stared at her son, before a strange expression overtook her face.
Jax frowned, "What?"
"Careful Jackson. I see what's happening here." She eyed him wearily.
Sighing, Jax brushed a worn out hand back through his hair, "What do you see happening, mother?"
"This is just so typical of you. You get too attached for your own good."
"I'm not getting attached." He defended.
"You be damn sure that you're not. This is Tara all over again." Gemma shook her head in judgement.
"I thought you and Tara were all close and personal now." Jax had mistakenly taken it as a positive sign when Gemma had allowed Tara to help her after the older woman had hurt herself. But lately Jax had been wondering if Tara getting closer to his mother was a good thing.
He and Tara had been sleeping together ever since that messed up night with her stalker ATF boyfriend. They hadn't put any labels or terms on what was going on yet. What worried him was that he could feel Tara gripping him tighter, in that same frantic way Gemma did when she thought he was slipping away.
"That's not the point." His mother brought his attention back.
"Then what is the point?" Jax tiredly asked.
Staring at him with that defiant Gemma Teller righteousness she allowed, "I need to know he's protected."
Jax felt his jaw clench, "You know what mom? You're right. This is Tara again." Stepping back a little, he went on firmly, "Anytime you feel like there's another person in my life you pounce. But I'm telling you now. Don't do it again. Abel is my son. It's my job to decide who takes care of him and when, not yours."
Once the frustration cleared he could see the hurt now in Gemma eyes, Jax gritted his teeth 'Crap…'
"He's with Rosie." He moved closer to the resilient and proud 'old lady', "I trust her mom. I've thought it through. Her house is safer than mine will ever be and no one would think twice about seeing a baby in a family like that… I mean, don't even deny it. The only reason you found her was because Unser had something to do with it, didn't he?"
Rolling her eyes, she shifted her weight between her feet and looked away as she replied, "We might have been talking when they caught his attention."
"That's what I thought." Jax smiled gently, grabbing his mother's hands and forcing her to look up at him. "So you'll back off?"
"I guess, at least I know who he's with now." Gemma shrugged, before carrying on, "And, I can drop him off too so I don't have deal with you stealin' my fucking car every day. We can both go on with our days uninterrupted."
"Ahh…" Jax pulled back again to look at his mother, trying to judge the best way to say what he wanted to without getting Gemma too pissed "… I don't know about that Ma. Rosie's pretty freaked out about the whole thing and she's crazy protective over Maise… and Abel. So…"
Yanking her hands out of his grasp, Jax could tell he hadn't succeeded, as his mother practically spat, "So… you talk to that bitc… talk to her" Gemma corrected when she saw that Jax was about to speak up "...about me dropping off my goddamn grandson." She declared with finality, before turning on her heel and stomping off towards the office.
"Yes m'am." Jax watched her go.
The biker didn't know why but when Gemma had her made suggestion about dropping off Abel, he had felt a sudden punch of frightened dread. A part of him really didn't want to have Gemma going anywhere near the girls…
He forced his mind off the subject, seeing Ope walk out of the bar, Jax returned to where his bike was standing.
He hadn't want to admit it but he did know why that fear had filled him. He thought briefly of his conversation with Maise, he thought of what it meant to see them as often as he did. But as soon as he had felt it Jax had buried it.
Like he always had.
Like his mother taught him.
Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry I about the awkwardness and editing. This was difficult to get. Can't help the writer's block, but I'm trying.
Not sure when the next one will be up. Please don't hate me :S
Love you all. Thanks for the support.
