Rebecca looked around the small gray room nervously as she tapped her fingers on the table she sat at.
The woman, Stahl, had put her in the room and told her that someone would be there soon to question her. That had been at least two hours ago, but Rebecca didn't know for sure. She didn't have a watch and the room had no wall clock.
She knew that the large mirror in the room was a two way mirror and that there was most likely someone on the other side watching her. She supposed they were trying to make her sweat, but she was bored more than anything else. She knew she had no reason to be worried; Jax would come and get her as soon as she was let go.
After what had to be another hour, Stahl came in still wearing that self-righteous smirk on her face with two files under her arm; one was at least an inch thick and the other was thin, but it wasn't until she sat down across the table from Rebecca that the thirteen year old realized that she had scratches, cuts and light bruises littered all over her face along with the strip on her nose. Rebecca wondered what had happened to her, but didn't ask her question aloud.
Once seated, Stahl laid both files on the table in front of her before flipping the thinner one open and took out four pictures before setting them in front of Rebecca. The teen looked down to see the lifeless eyes of Joshua Kohn staring up at her.
Each picture was of Kohn, just taken from different angles. His chest was filled with bullet holes and his shirt was soaked with blood, as was the carpet around him. Rebecca looked up from the pictures to look at Stahl who had yet to say anything.
"Why am I here?" Rebecca asked, although the answer was laid out in front of her.
Stahl just lifted an eyebrow. "You murdered an agent of the United States." She reminded the young girl.
"It was self defense." Rebecca responded, almost immediately. "He was going to kill Tara if I didn't do something."
"There's no way you could've possibly known that." Stahl claimed and Rebecca scoffed. "He could have just been...forcing her into submission."
"By pounding her face in?" Rebecca asked tilting her head. "I wasn't born this morning. I'm not some stupid little kid. I know that if I hadn't of done what I did, I'd still be here; sitting at this table, but we'd be talking about Tara's death, not Josh's."
Stahl had to give it to her; the girl had spunk. "What was your relationship with Agent Kohn?"
Rebecca crossed her arms. "We didn't have a relationship." She informed the agent. "We ran into each other a couple of times around town until he kidnapped me from the hospital."
"Can you tell me how you ended up at Dr. Knowles house?" Stahl asked as she folded her hands together on the table and Rebecca sighed.
"I was at the hospital with Jax and my grandma." She explained. "My brother had just gotten out of his incubator for the first time since his surgery last month. Jax left a little while after and I went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat and when I was waiting for the elevator to go back upstairs, Josh grabbed me."
"Did you see Agent Kohn's face?" Stahl asked and Rebecca shook her head. "So you can't be sure for certain that it was him."
"That guy creeped me out every single time me 'ran' into each other." Rebecca told her. "I'd recognize his voice anywhere. Anyway, everything went dark and when I woke up I was lying on a bed and Tara was standing over me while Josh banged on the door. We were gonna call for help, but Josh, he-" She swallowed and looked down, away from the agent and at her own hands. "He had changed me into a nightgown. My phone was in my pants so we couldn't call for help, but Josh was still at the door; banging and kicking and yelling for Tara to open the door."
"How did Agent Kohn end up with six bullets in his chest and another in his back?" Stahl asked and Rebecca looked back up as she bit the inside of her cheek.
"Tara told me to get in the closet." She continued. "When I did, she opened a window and Josh had managed to kick down the door. I left a crack between the door and the frame, but I couldn't see much, just Tara and everything behind her."
Rebecca sat up straighter in her seat. She didn't have anything to be worried about, she hadn't done anything wrong. She had protected herself and that was it. "Josh asked where I was and Tara told him that I had gotten out and was waking up all the neighbors. That's when he attacked her."
"Attacked her how?"
"He started choking her." She answered. "And they fell onto the bed. I saw Tara's eyes starting the close and realized that she was about to die and I had two choices; sit there and watch or do something to help her. So I ran out of the closet and starting hitting Josh wherever I could, but he grabbed me and I kneed him as hard as I could. Then he slapped me and I fell to the ground. I though he was gonna hurt me even more, but then he just stopped and I didn't know why..."
Stahl watched as the girl recounted her story and found it just a bit strange that she hadn't shed not one tear or showed any signs of remorse for what she had done. The pretty little blonde, blue eyed girl sitting across from her had killed a man not even a week ago and didn't even seem affected by it. Stahl supposed she was more like her father than anyone knew.
"Josh turned around and I saw a pair of scissors in his back. Tara had dropped them when he started choking her." Rebecca scoffed lightly as she shook her head. "I didn't even see her get up, but neither did Josh, I guess. He hit Tara in the face and climbed on her when she fell back on the bed and just started hitting her again and again and again and I..." Rebecca's eye finally met the cold, unfeeling ones that Stahl possessed. "I had to do something- anything."
"So I looked around for something to hit Josh with and saw a gun lying on the floor near the door. I didn't even think about it before picking it up and getting off the floor."
"What did you do then?" Stahl asked even though she knew the answer.
"I shot him." Rebecca answered easily. "I didn't even stop to think about what I was about to do before I did it. He got off Tara and tried to come closer to me so I pulled the trigger again, but I didn't stop at one. I didn't stop until he was dead. I didn't stop until I made sure he was dead."
"Why did you shoot him, Rebecca?" Stahl asked. "Why didn't you run? Or scream for help? What's so screwed up in the pretty little head of yours that you chose to kill a man instead of running for help?" Rebecca snorted and quickly covered her smile, but Stahl had seen. "Do you think this is funny?" She asked and Rebecca shook her head.
"It's just..." She shrugged. "You're not the first person to ask me what's so fucked in my head that I am the way I am and honestly, I don't know, but I do know one thing." She leaned forward on her crossed arms as she looked Stahl straight in the eye. "I didn't want to kill Josh, but I'm glad he's dead, because now he can't hurt anyone ever again."
Stahl had left after getting Rebecca's statement recorded on video and Rebecca ended up staying in that room for another two hours before the door opened, but it wasn't Stahl. She was another ATF agent and although she seemed nice and friendly, Rebecca couldn't help but feel wary. After seeing them storming into the club and almost being shot by one of them, no one could really blame her.
The ATF agent, Vicky, had finally let her leave the room and was taking her for something to drink when they ran into Opie and Donna and Stahl and another agent trailed after them. When Donna had seen that ATF had taken not only her children, but Jax's too, she had gotten pissed.
"What the hell?" The small brunette demanded as she turned to Stahl. "You took Jax's kid?"
"Ms. Teller is here to answer question about the murder of Agent Joshua Kohn." Stahl informed her. "Agent Brondson here is taking Rebecca to get something in her stomach while we contact her father to come and pick her up."
"She's coming with us." Donna said taking the girl by the hand. She didn't know who Joshua Kohn was or what Rebecca had to do with his murder, but she refused to leave the small blonde in a building of people who wanted nothing more than to see her father in prison.
"I'm afraid we can't authori-" Agent Brondson started, but Donna cut her off.
"My husband and I signed legal documents stating that in the absence of her father and/or grandmother, Rebecca is to be released into our care from CPS, school, police stations, etcetera." Donna looked between Agent Brondson and Stahl. "You're etcetera. Let's go sweetie." Donna put her arm around Rebecca as she continued out of the building with Opie following behind them.
"When did you sign those papers?" Rebecca asked as they walked through the parking lot.
"Don't worry about that." Donna told her. "We're gonna take you back to our house and we'll get you back to your dad in the morning. Stahl can mess with me, she can mess with Opie or even the club, but she cannot mess with my kids."
"But I'm not your kid." Rebecca pointed out and Donna gave her a look.
"I spent half my high school career at TM with Opie and Jax." She said. "He's like a brother to me and he took care of me, Ellie and Kenny when Ope went inside. He treated my kids like they were his own and I'll be damned if I didn't do the same."
Rebecca hadn't wanted to stay at the clubhouse after what happened with ATF, at least, not until they got everything cleaned up so he took her back to the house after Donna and dropped her off, but he had to wait until he talked to Clay and Tig to make sure they understood Opie's situation. He hadn't ratted, Jax never believed he did. Clay might've said he felt the same, but Jax knew the only people who sincerely believe Opie hadn't ratted before hearing what he had to say were Piney, Gemma and himself. He trusted Opie with his life.
Rebecca had gotten a pleasant surprise when Jax dropped her off and she found Wendy in the kitchen making pancakes. She had shared with Rebecca, but they had both spat them out after the first bite and ate cereal instead.
Rebecca told her everything that had happened since Wendy had gone to rehab; she told her about Logan, Josh, therapy and, even though it had be hard, killing Josh. Wendy, like Rebecca suspected, hadn't blamed Rebecca for killing the agent. She called the young blonde brave and said she had "More balls than me, that's for sure."
The next few days kind of went in routine; Rebecca stayed with Wendy at the house while Jax was out and sometimes Logan or Tristan came over with homework, Jax tried to watch Opie's back as best he could while still making sure his daughter wouldn't stop eating again and the club kind of went on auto-pilot; parties every other night while still maintaining the club. Rebecca had gone to a few emergency sessions with Michelle, who was concerned that Rebecca hadn't showed any remorse for taking Kohn's life, but she chalked it up to shock.
It was the afternoon of Abel's homecoming and Rebecca had been at the house most of the day. Tristan, Logan and Logan's mother, Nicole, had come over to help Rebecca and Gemma set up for the party. Rebecca had never met Logan's mom, a tall redheaded woman in her late early thirties with a small body, but she was nice. She had apparently come to apologize to Jax for yelling at him, but Rebecca didn't know anything about that. She didn't even know Jax knew Logan's mother. He had only ever seen Linda, Logan's oldest sister at sixteen and Nicole's step-daughter, whenever she came to pick Logan up.
Soon it was dark; the decorations were up, the food was prepared and more people had begun to arrive, except for Jax and Wendy. They'd show up with Abel later. At the moment, Rebecca was more interested in trying to make Kenny Winston believe that she and Tristan could read each others minds with most of the adults watching on.
"No you can't." The boy denied when Rebecca claimed so.
"Can too." She said handing her soda can off to Kenny's sister, Ellie. "Okay, watch this. I'm gonna tell Chibs what I'm thinking and then Tristan is going to say it out loud." Rebecca leaned over Ellie and Juice turned so he could hear what she was telling him. "Okay, I'm lying my ass off right now so whatever Tristan says, go with it."
Juice nodded and Rebecca sat right before turning to her friend. "You ready?" She asked and Tristan nodded. They both stared at each other for a good long minute with Kenny watching intently while the adults just looked amused before Tristan said something.
"She's thinking about cats dressed like Tacos." Rebecca's face had disbelief over it. Not because Tristan guessed what she was thinking about but because she had guessed something so absurd.
"You're lying!" Kenny claimed and Rebecca gaped at him.
"Harry Kenneth Winston Jr, I shit you not." She said seriously. "I was thinking about cats dressed like...tacos." Gemma snorted. Rebecca shot her a dirty look and Kenny looked to Juice for confirmation. He opened his mouth to rat on the teen, but Rebecca looked back at him with a deadly expression that he had only seen Gemma use.
"Cats dressed like tacos." He lied with a nod and Rebecca's face morphed into a happy smile as Juice's brothers snickered and the women shook their heads. "She was- She was thinking about cats dressed like tacos."
Now having the confirmation of Juice, Kenny turned back to Tristan and Rebecca with eyes of excitement. "Can you teach me how to read minds?" He asked hopefully and Tristan let her head fall as Rebecca rubbed her neck. Neither of them had expected him to ask that.
"Don't do it." Rebecca ordered quietly as Tristan lifted her head, but everyone other than Kenny seemed to hear her.
"Kenny-"
"Bitch, I said don't do it." That got a few laughs and some more snorts.
Tristan didn't listen. "Rebecca is a dirty liar. I can't read minds and Juice is a liar too."
Rebecca was, apparently, not ready to go down. "Don't listen to her Kenny." She instructed, pulling the eight year olds attention away. "She's the liar."
"Why would I lie?"
"Who are you gonna believe Kenny?" Rebecca asked. "I stayed the night at your house. We talked about Gorillas together. Why would I, of all the people in this room, lie to you Kenny?"
The little brunette boy seemed torn and everyone could see. Of course they all knew that Rebecca was blowing smoke out if her ass, but Kenny was convinced otherwise.
Thankfully he was saved from choosing sides when the front door opened and in walked Wendy and an Abel toting Jax. He immediately stood and rushed to Jax and the new baby as everyone crowded around them. Rebecca looked to Tristan. "You're dead to me."
"Oh, we both know that even if I was dead, I'd come back and haunt you until you went insane."
The night went off great. People mingled, ate, cooed over Abel and Nicole even got to apologize to Jax who promised her that what had happened between them was his fault. Rebecca didn't learn until later the reason Nicole had yelled at Jax was because he kept calling Logan, Isaac.
The only thing that did go wrong was something between Tara, Jax and Wendy. Tara was feeling a bit territorial and kissed Jax right in front of Wendy, Jax took her to the back room and Tara came storming out not two minutes later, but Rebecca never got the chance to ask him what was wrong because Abel started fussing because of a wet diaper and Gemma asked for her help during changing. Rebecca had suspected that she didn't need any help considering she had changed the diapers for two kids, one to Rebecca's knowledge, but went with her anyway.
Gemma had just unwrapped Abel's diaper on the changing table and reached for the wipes. She cursed and Rebecca gaped at her in mock shock before covering Abel's tiny ears.
"Impressionable ears." She warned. "My first word may've been a curse word, but his need to be something normal like no or da."
Gemma looked at her. "Da isn't a word unless you're Irish."
"I distinctly remember you saying on three different occasions that my grandpa was half-Irish. Therefore, I win this argument."
"Trust me, little girl." Gemma said. "If this was an argument, you wouldn't be able to sit on your ass for a week." She looked back to the squirming baby on the changing table. "I forgot to buy baby wipes. Donna's coming back to clean up after she and Opie drop off the kids. Go catch her before she goes and see if she'll take you to the store."
Rebecca held out her arms. "Do I look like I'm made a money."
"Get a five out of my purse." Rebecca gave her grandmother a salute before leaving the room. "Actually look at the labels!" Gemma yelled after her. "Nothing scented!"
Rebecca did as Gemma said and got a five out of her purse before running outside, hoping Donna would still be there and she was. The other car containing Rebecca's lumberjack uncle and his two kids had already taken off.
"Donna!" She called before the woman had a chance to start the truck and Rebecca jogged across the street to her.
"Should you be in there with your brother?" Donna asked and Rebecca shrugged.
"I was, but Gemma didn't buy any baby wipes for Abel." She explained. "Do you mind giving me a lift to the store?"
"Get in." Donna instructed and Rebecca grinned at her before jogging around the car and getting in on the other side.
"So," Donna started once they were on their way. "Your dad and Tara seem to be getting pretty close."
"You mean the kiss?" Donna nodded. "I guess. I know Jax likes her, but..."
Donna glanced at the pensive look on the girls face. "You don't"
"It's not that I don't." Rebecca defended immediately. "It's just...I kinda started liking the idea of Jax and Wendy together. I thought that maybe they could work out their differences. I mean, Wendy's clean now and she wants to be a mother to Abel and we've been talking since before she got out of the hospital. She's a pretty cool chick and I know that she still loves Jax, but I don't see him giving her a chance with Tara around."
"So you don't not like Tara with your dad, but you would prefer him to be with Wendy." Rebecca shrugged, but Donna knew the answer. "Maybe you should tell him." She suggested and Rebecca scoffed.
"No." She said. "Absolutely not."
"Why not?" Donna asked and Rebecca looked at her like she was crazy.
"Jax likes Tara." She reiterated. "I can't tell him that I don't want him to date her because I know that if I tell him that, he'll stop seeing her."
"I thought that's what you wanted.
Rebecca said. "No... I mean, yeah. I want him to be with Wendy, but I can tell he likes being with Tara. I saw them kissing after the thing with Agent Kohn and I saw how happy they both were. It'd be selfish of me to ask them to stop seeing each other." She looked at Donna. "Wouldn't it?"
"I don't think so." Donna told her. "Jax is a dad and I know that your happiness is his number one priority. Don't tip-toe around him because you think you're gonna say something that'll hurt him or make him mad. He's you dad and I know you're not used to how the club and a big family works, but you will one day. Jax wants to know what you're thinking and what you want. Tell him because I can tell you now that you'll both be happier because of that."
Rebecca, wanting to get off the conversation, smiled. "You know, you give better advice than my mother ever did. I mean, when I was five there was this boy at school who kept stealing my toys during playtime. So when my mother came and picked me up one day I was crying and she asked what happened so I told her."
"And what did she say?" Donna asked with a smile.
"She told me that he probably liked me and the next time he took my toy to try and kiss him on the cheek." Donna laughed.
"And did you?" Rebecca nodded and Donna laughed even harder.
"He took my doll and I tried to kiss him, but he started crying as soon as my lips were on his cheek." Rebecca shook her head and Donna continued laughing. "You have got to be kidding. You're laughing at me? Seriously? You are, like, the worst confidant in the history of confidants."
Donna tried to reign in her laughter as she pulled up to the red stoplight and gave Rebecca an apologetic look. "I'm sorry." Rebecca turned so that she was leaned against her door, but had made sure it was locked first. She was not going to be the idiot blonde who had to explain to her father how she fell out of a moving vehicle. "It's a very cute story and your mother gave you good advice. I just don't think the kid was ready for his first kiss."
"It wasn't like I kissed him on the mouth." Rebecca reminded her. "I had a crush on Steve from Blues Clues. I was saving my first kiss for him."
"Oh my God..." Donna laughed as she got her breathing under control. "Five year old you sounds adorable."
Rebecca gave her a bitch brow. "I was and still am adorable."
Donna chuckled again. "If you say s-" But she never got to finish her comment.
Rebecca screamed and covered her ears as she heard the sound of a gun ring out too many times to count. She ducked her head and screwed her eyes shut as they continued, but then they just stopped as the sound of the cars horn began screaming.
"Donna?" Rebecca asked, afraid to lift her head and got worried when her friend didn't answer. "Donna?" She slowly raised her head and threw her hand against her mouth.
The shots had gone right through the back windshield on Donna's side and into the woman's head which had fallen on steering wheel. Rebecca unbuckled her seat belt with her rushing hands before throwing the door open and scrambling out onto the ground.
Tig, who was unaware he had just murdered a mother of two children in the presence of another, scrunched his eyes up when he saw his VP's daughter fall out of the truck. "What the hell?" He slid on the sunglasses that had slipped between the seats of the stolen car, knowing that the girl would recognize his eyes, before driving forward. One look into the car told him everything he needed to know. "Shit!" He yelled and Rebecca looked up from where she sat hyperventilating next to the car so Tig had no choice, but to quickly drive away.
An older man who had been walking his dog, along with a few people from the shops nearby, had called the police. It had taken two women, one of who was a nurse, to make sure Rebecca hadn't been hurt. They tried to move her to the curb, but she wouldn't move from the side of the truck, even as they were pulling Donna's lifeless body from the car.
She wouldn't speak to anyone either, all she could do was stare at Donna as they laid her on the yellow plastic bag they had set up on the ground. She didn't even look away when she heard the familiar sounds of motorcycles pulling up.
And when Opie began sobbing over the body of his dead wife- Oh, God...Rebecca still couldn't look away. She wanted to say something, anything to comfort her fathers best friend, but she couldn't say anything.
After dragging the bawling man away from his wife, Jax put him back in his car before going to check on his daughter. This had been the fourth attack she had seen since arriving in Charming and the second murder. There was no possible way that Rebecca was okay.
Jax approached her slowly as to not startle her. She looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes and a guilty expression on her face. "I did this." She said and Jax furrowed his eyebrows.
"What?" He asked. "What are you talking about?"
"I did this." She repeated and gestured to Donna's covered body. "I killed her."
"Darlin', you did not kill Donna." Jax getting down onto his knees and she nodded.
"Yes I did." She disagreed. "I killed her. I killed my mom, Josh and now Donna." She looked back at him as a tear fell from her left eye. "Everyone around me dies, Jax...I killed Donna...I killed Donna. This is all my fault."
"Look at me." Jax ordered, taking her by the shoulders. "You did not kill Donna. I can tell you right now that what happened to Donna is on the club, not you. And what happened with Kohn..." He shook his head. "You did the right thing. If you hadn't of shot him, he would've killed Tara and taken you away from me and I would die if anyone ever took you or your brother away. So don't trick yourself into thinking that this is your fault." He told her. "This would've happened whether or not you were in the car with her."
"Why did it have to happen at all?" Rebecca asked and Jax pulled her into a hug. "Why would anyone hurt Donna?"
"The world is a fucked up place kid." Was all he could say to her.
When Jax got Rebecca to the house she had ran straight passed her grandmother and Wendy before going to her room and getting into bed, not bothering to change out of her purple sweater dress or sneakers, but she knew immediately there was no way she would sleep that night. Not after seeing Donna's wide open eyes.
Wendy, not liking the idea of her stepdaughter being alone after what had happened, went to check on her after Gemma had gone and Jax went into Abel's room. She couldn't even begin to try and understand what Rebecca was going through; no one could, considering Rebecca had gone through more first hand deaths than anyone should have had to at her age.
Rebecca was just lying in her bed in the dark, the only thing lighting up the room was the moon shining into the window. Wendy realized that whether or not she was sleeping, the light was shining right into Rebecca's face so she went to the window and closed the light blue, butterfly patterned curtains. They kept out most of the light, but let enough in so that it wouldn't be a problem. Wendy had turned to leave the room when she heard a quiet voice call out to her.
"Stay." It said and Wendy's heart broke for the young girl. Silently, Wendy slid out of her boots before getting into the bed next to Rebecca who hadn't even opened her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Wendy asked as she settled underneath the comforter, but Rebecca didn't say anything. It was quiet and Wendy had just began to think that the little blonde had fallen asleep in the thirty seconds since she asked Wendy to stay.
But then the blankets moved and she felt a hand, smaller than her own, grab hers. "No." Rebecca answered keeping her eyes closed. "I'm not okay...,but I've kinda had a shitty couple of months."
"Yeah," Wendy agreed, pushing a lock of hair behind Rebecca's ear. "But everything's gonna get better...I promise."
Jax had been in the nursery for what had to be an hour, just staring at Abel as he slept.
'God...' Jax thought as he looked down at the little guy. 'What did I do to deserve two beautiful kids? Why is the world so screwed up that my family begins to flourish just as Opie's begins to be torn apart? Where the hell is the happy ending for him and his kids? After five years of not being with his wife, he loses her not even two months out of the hole.' Jax reached down and ran his thumb over the small knuckles on Abel's fisted hand. 'Why is the world so fucked?'
With a kiss to Abel's head, Jax finally departed his sons room. He was about to go into the living room to help Wendy with the cleanup, but stopped at Rebecca's bedroom door and decided to check in on her, make sure that she wasn't having a nightmare or, God forbid, another panic attack.
He turned the knob and gently pushed the door in before stepping inside and closing it behind him. He walked over to her bed, praying that he didn't step on the bear feet-shaped slippers Rebecca had that growled whenever pressure was applied like he had a few days ago, but found himself stopping when he caught sight of the scene in front of him.
Rebecca and Wendy were both asleep in the bed. Rebecca had her back facing him, but the covers had been pulled down far enough to that Jax could see that Wendy's arm was under Rebecca's head. He wondered how long they had been that way.
Jax pulled off his kutte and shoes before climbing into the bed on the other side of Rebecca. He had originally thought that his mother buying a queen bed for a thirteen year old was a bit overkill, but now he was thankful.
As if sensing Jax was there, Rebecca's body shifted away from Wendy's and closer to his, the movement caused Wendy to stir and wake.
"Jax?" She asked in confusion and he shushed her. He just wanted to enjoy the moment between the three of them.
For the first time in their entire marriage, Jax started to actually think about Wendy. She was an amazing woman; her habit made her less amazing, but she had overcome it even though Jax, and everyone else, had doubted that she could. And now here she was; one AM in the morning, comforting a child that wasn't even hers. Jax couldn't help but think that Tara wouldn't have done the same. She would've overthought everything and ended up keeping to herself, thinking that Rebecca would come to her if she wanted comfort, but Wendy had known better. Rebecca was stubborn. After everything she had gone through, she hadn't sought comfort from Jax or Gemma, although she had accepted it when it was given to her.
For the first time since marrying Wendy and Rebecca coming to town, Jax realized that he had a family to protect and after what had happened to Donna- he wasn't going to let them down.