Disclaimer: Kurt Sutter and FX own any and all recognizable characters.
Chapter 9: Decisions
"I don't know where I'm at
I'm standing at the back
And I'm tired of waiting
Waiting here in line, hoping that I'll find what I've been chasing.
I shot for the sky
I'm stuck on the ground
So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down
I thought I could fly, so why did I drown?
Never know why it's coming down, down, down.
Not ready to let go
Cause then I'd never know
What I could be missing
But I'm missing way too much
So when do I give up what I've been wishing for."
-Jason Walker "Down"
Donna and Hallie had a girly day. It was a good way to get Hallie thinking about anything but Jax and, subsequently, Tara. Plus it gave them a chance to pamper themselves before the party that night. Hallie wanted to look her best—she just hoped it was enough to get Jax's attention.
While Donna was finishing the last loose curl on Hal's head when she shared a brilliant idea. "Maybe Hap is a good idea. If it gets Jax off his ass, he can finally make a claim on you. If he gets back with Tara, you get to go for a wild ride with the Killah."
Hallie smirked. "Smart bitch! I like it."
Going to her closet, Hallie pulled out her one-shoulder, leather mini-dress with the studs on the single strap and her matching stilettos. She wanted to be dressed-to-kill for the party. The dress hugged every curve of her body and showed off her toned legs to perfection. Donna had curled her hair to look tousled—sort of like she had just rolled out of bed after really good sex, but it was perfect. She made her face up with dark, smoky eyes and her signature chapstick.
Donna was letting Hallie dress her again—though it was a little different now that she was sporting a noticeable baby bump. Hallie put her in a dark aqua, strapless dress with an umpire waist that made her cleavage look epically scrumptious. It stopped mid-thigh. She wore silver strappy heels to compliment the dress. Her hair was pinned back—it had grown significantly in the last couple of months. She was glowing. Donna had recently admitted that she couldn't keep her hands off Opie—the hormones kept her horny all the time. And, apparently, Opie found her sexy as hell, baby bump or not. He was more than happy to give her everything she asked for and more. This outfit was sure to get him going tonight.
When they finally arrived at the clubhouse, the party was bustling and pouring into the lot. There was a crowd gathered around the boxing ring close to the picnic tables. While Donna went in search of Opie, Hallie decided to check out the fight. Apparently Happy and Tig were going to go at it. Hallie spotted Bobby sitting on one of the tables and decided to keep him company during the fight. Bobby caught a glance of her out of the corner of his eye. He had to do a double take. "What the hell, kid? You're gonna give an old man like me a stroke if you don't put those legs away."
Hallie smiled at Bobby as she took a seat next to him. "What's going on with those two?" She asked pointing at Hap and Tig.
"Nothing. Just wanna beat the shit out of someone and figured why not each other," Bobby shrugged. He put an arm around Hallie as she laid her head on his shoulder. He really was like a father to her lately. He had kind of pulled her under his wing and looked out for her like her father surely would have—Chibs too. The two of them were her guard dogs of sorts.
When the fight was over, Hallie was surprised to see Happy and Tig hug it out in the middle of the ring. She would never fully understand MC mentality. As they hopped out of the ring, they both made their way over to the picnic table. Tig was the first to bust their bubble. "Damn, girl! You look good in leather. Bet you look better out of it." His eyebrows wiggled suggestively. "I need someone to fix me up since I kicked Hap's ass. Wanna come back to my room for a while?"
She knew Tig was joking. They didn't have that kind of relationship, but he knew he could make her blush, so he did it anyway. "Awe, Tigger. I would break some poor skanks heart if I let you do naughty things to me. And it looked a lot like Hap was winning when he gave you that bruised eye," she pointed to his already blackening eye. "Since he got the best hit in, I think I need to take care of him for the night." She smiled brightly and slid off the table.
Hap was going to hold her to that. He hooked his arm around her neck and they walked towards the clubhouse. Hallie relaxed under his arm. He just had that effect on her. Jax could get her wound up like no one else, but Hap had a surreal calming effect. Inside the clubhouse,
Jax caught sight of them as soon as they walked through the door. He couldn't help thinking that he should be with her right then. That thought stopped him in his tracks—maybe he was ready for her. That thought changed it all for him. Jax stood from his seat near the bar and moved to make his way toward Hap and Hallie when another familiar female body caught his eye. He was frozen.
Tara's eyes landed on Jax. Their eyes met and, slowly, they gravitated toward each other. Jax wasn't sure what to say. She hadn't been gone long—six months maybe, but it had been log enough that he didn't know how to act around her.
Tara smiled widely at him. "Hey. I was gonna call, but I wasn't sure what to say." Looking around at the rowdy room, "Can we go somewhere quiet to talk?"
Jax rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. We can go to my dorm."
Tara followed him back to his room, catching Hallie's eye as she watched-on with sadness—she could tell who she was with one look—Jax had given her that much of a description.
Once they reached the room, Tara slipped her arms around Jax and kissed him solemnly. He kissed her back for a moment before he gathered his senses. Jax pushed her back by her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. "What are you doing, Tara? And what are you doing back here?"
Tara looked down. She kept her eyes trained on her hands as she spoke, "I missed you. I miss you." She looked up into his eyes—vision blurred by unshed tears. "I thought I could get away and forget everything—you, the club, Charming. But I can't. I love you too much to stay away."
Jax could tell she was sincere. He loosened the grip on her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her with force. He shut his mind off and focused on her. He could worry about the rest later.
Hallie had decided that she would just confront Jax—at least tell him how she felt before he tried to figure his heart out. She wasn't prepared for the scene she found in his room though.
Pulling open the door, "Jax, I…" She stopped, mouth still hanging open. She didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything.
Jax was balls deep in Tara when he heard the door open. His movements stilled when he saw Hallie standing in his doorway. "Hal…"
He didn't get any further before she turned and walked away. She guessed there was no point in telling him how she felt at that point.
AN: So Hap is a real contender here. I know quite a few of you are interested in this angle. We will have to wait and see who she ends up with.
