A/N: Please excuse my creative license – I'm sticking with the plotline of the series as best as I can.

It was a great day for a carnival. Sun was shining, it was warm and naturally having a little fun put everyone in a good mood.

Melanie thought that the carnival would be the best thing for her. It would take her mind off of the events over the last couple of days and she could have fun. She'd talked with Donna and when Donna had said she and the kids weren't going, Melanie called in her stubborn Irish nature and eventually got Donna to agree to meet her.

So after dressing in the old denim mini and the blue tank top and matching flip flops she'd managed to salvage from the fire destroyed house, she left her mom with her bottle of liquor and took off for the carnival.

Finding Donna was easy enough. The kids were jumping up and down with excitement and yelling to their mother exactly what they wanted to do. Melanie was amazed that Donna could understand what they were saying since they were speaking a mile a minute and at the same time.

"Okay, who wants to ride the roller coaster with me?" Melanie asked. They all raised their hands and Melanie laughed.

An hour later Melanie felt a little sick to her stomach and was sure that she had a bug stuck in her tooth. Kids meant nonstop energy and she would never understand why people had them, let alone more than one.

"Serious. I need a break. You are killing me. Here take the rest of the tickets and entertain yourselves, if it's okay with mom." Melanie said. Donna nodded.

"Stay together and be safe. Stay in this area too, please!" Donna shouted after them. Melanie plopped down on a picnic bench and Donna sat beside her.

"You amaze me." Melanie said. Donna chuckled and looked at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Melanie pointed at the kids in line for a ride.

"How you can handle those kids, work and still manage to not have mentally broken down." She explained. Donna laughed.

"Trust me, I've come close. Especially when Opie was locked up, there were a couple of times I nearly came close to doing that, but…well it all worked out in the end. I can't imagine my life without my kids now." She said. Melanie couldn't help but feel a slight pang. She remembered a time when her mom was outgoing and always there. Of course now she was the complete opposite.

She had no desire to have kids. She liked kids, she just didn't want to have them around her all the time. She liked her quiet time, her space and mostly she liked freedom. She knew once she had a kid it was all over so she never planned on having one.

"Come on. Let's get some fried dough." Melanie said pulling Donna to her feet. They were standing in the line when she was surprised by an arm slipping around her shoulder. She looked to her side and there was a smiling Jax. She rolled her eyes.

"How are you ladies doing?" He asked. Donna was not particularly fond of Jax and Melanie knew that. Donna looked over at the kids instead of answering Jax.

"Good. Having some fun? And how are you?" Melanie said, smiling. Jax's arm was still around her shoulder. He smelled great, a combination of smells that Melanie had always liked.

"Great. So how's the house working for you? Got everything you need?" He asked. His arm slipped from her shoulders and Melanie bit her tongue when she almost protested. She was pleasantly surprised when she felt his hand slid down her back and around to rest on her hip. She knew she should move it because it was probably not wise to give the wrong impression, especially since he'd kissed her, but she liked his hand there. It made her feel safe.

"I got everything. I wanted to say thanks, Jax. I really appreciate you helping me and mom out. As soon as I find a place we'll be out and you can have your house back." She said. Jax turned her body slightly so she was facing him.

"You take all the time you need, Mel. Don't rush." Melanie smiled at him and she bit her lip when she noticed his eyes trailing down and checking her out. "You look good today." He said and he gave this smile that melted Melanie. She swore she was a puddle of goop on the ground.

"Thanks, Jax." She murmured. They stood there for a moment and only when Donna loudly cleared her throat did Melanie realize it was her turn to order. She blushed slightly and stumbled up to the window.

"Two, please." She said. She reached behind her to pull some money from the back pocket of her skirt but her wrist was grabbed and held behind her. Jax pressed his body close to her back.

"I got it." He said in her ear and threw some money on the counter. Melanie's heart was racing in her chest. He let go of her wrist and his hand found its way around her and rested on her stomach, pressing her back into him slightly. The vendor put two paper plates with round dough down and Melanie grabbed one and pivoted slightly to hand it to Donna. She grabbed her own and reluctantly pulled away from Jax to step to the side and put the powered sugar on the dough.

"I'm gonna go check on the kids, see if they want anything. I'll be back. Thanks for the dough, Jax." Donna said and started walking across the field. Melanie sat at the picnic table the two women had previously occupied. Jax sat beside her.

"Can I have a bite?" Jax asked. Melanie smiled.

"Of course, you paid. Thank you, by the way." She ripped off a chunk and went to hand it to Jax but instead he opened his mouth. Melanie stared for a few minutes. She licked her lips and then raised the greasy fried batter to his mouth. He bit down and groaned.

"Mm, that's good." He said. Melanie felt her mouth go dry and she watched him chew for a few minutes before she unconsciously brought the piece of dough he had eaten from to her mouth. She nodded when she tasted it. There was something about fried dough at a carnival. It made sense.

"Yeah it's good." She agreed.

"You have some sugar on you." Melanie went to wipe it off but Jax leaned forward and to her surprise stuck his tongue out and licked it from the corner of her mouth. He pulled back slightly and stared at her. She gulped. What the hell? Was he seducing her?

"I always said you tasted so sweet." He added.

She did the only thing that came to her. She grabbed a hold of his leather vest and pulled him to her. It felt so good to kiss him. It was a passion filled kiss. Nothing timid or shy about it, their tongues battled each other. Melanie wrapped her arms around his neck and Jax had his around her waist.

Melanie moaned into Jax's mouth and he pulled her closer. The world around her seemed to disappear. She was focused only on Jax and how good it felt kissing him. When she finally needed to breathe, she pulled away slowly. They were both breathing heavily. She frowned slightly when he stood up, but he grabbed her hand and was pulling her across the field.

"Where are we going? She asked. Jax slowed slightly but his path was clear. They were heading toward the exit.

"We have business we need to take care of right now." He said. Oh okay, she thought following after him.