Disclaimer No. 1: I do not own Sons of Anarchy.
Disclaimer No. 2: This is a work of complete fiction and is intended for entertainment purposes only. This story is based solely on the canon created by Kurt Sutter and has no basis on actual MC life. I ask that anyone who reads this please suspend their disbelief as this is completely AU and totally just for fun. Nothing is intended to be taken as fact.
Disclaimer No. 3: To those of you who have expressed your concerns about where I am heading with this story, please rest assured. This is a Jax/OFC fic, not a Jax/OFC fic masquerading as a Jax/Tara fic. Tara will NOT come between Jax and Jolene. In my universe, Tara never returns to Charming. I love Jax and Tara on the show, but my story is AU and Jax's heart belongs to only one woman: Jolene Morrow. What's in store for them is a little more complicated and way more interesting than a triangle involving a past love.
A/N: Once again, thanks to everyone that has added my story to their alerts. I hope you all continue reading. Feedback is always welcomed and makes me happy. :-)
Rated "M" for coarse language and adult situations.
Even for late August, it was an unusually warm day in Northern California. Jolene had her windows down and STP blaring on the radio as she barreled down the I-22 from Stockton. Usually, depending on traffic conditions, the drive to and from CSU-Stan took about 30-40 minutes. Today, surprising even herself, Jolene had managed to make it almost all the way to the Interchange leading to Charming in about 20. Lately, giving in to Jax's nagging, Jolene had managed to tone down her driving, with her speed usually hovering around 75 on the highway. Considering the circumstances, all bets were off today. Jolene checked her speedometer and cringed as she eased off the gas just a little. Yikes, she was doing 90. Glancing at the Victoria's Secret bag nestled on the passenger seat next to her, Jolene noted there was no point in rushing home if she wasn't going to get there in one piece.
The last two months since Jolene's 18th birthday had gone by in a blur. In spite of all the bullshit she had dealt with in the last two years, Jolene had managed to graduate in the top 5% of her class at Excelsior Prep in Charming. With less than two weeks of down time between the end of high school and the start of her early-admission freshman year, Jax had tried convincing her to delay starting school until the Fall. Although in hindsight he had been right about Jolene taking on too much, too soon when it came to college, she felt like she had something to prove to ghosts like McAllister, who doubted that Jolene would ever do more with her life than shuffle papers around T-M's office. The eight-week accelerated semester had almost killed her, but Jolene had just taken the last final of her summer session courses, which left her with a whole ten days off before she returned to school after Labor Day. Yay!
Shit, she really should have taken the summer off, Jolene thought to herself as she realized that lately, no matter how hard they tried, she never seemed to be able to connect with her old man. Being alone in the same room together, at the same time for any extended period of time was proving harder now than when they were hiding the fact that they were together. That lack of quality time together had forced them to start meeting up at the streams again, if only to get away from the constant drain at the Clubhouse on their precious alone-time. Jolene had practically floated on cloud nine as she headed towards her student adviser's office earlier this afternoon, preoccupied with her mental checklist of what she had left to do and pack for her Tahoe getaway with Jax. They had planned on leaving as soon as possible today. It was only a long weekend away, but they were determined to get some uninterrupted, adult time together, even if it killed them. That was the plan, until Jax called on her pre-pay and shot her happy little bubble out of the sky with a grenade launcher.
Ditching her pre-scheduled meeting with the student adviser, Jolene made a dash for her car as Jax explained that the Club needed to kill two birds with one stone. They were doing a protection run for Unser Trucking into Nevada, on their way to Indian Hills on a four-day run that Jax had hoped he could pass on. Unfortunately, with at least four other charters also heading to Indian Hills for what was being billed as an epic fight night, Clay insisted that no one was exempt from going. The entire mother charter, including its Prospect, was expected to make its presence known at the Devil's Tribe-sponsored event and they were hitting the road first thing tomorrow morning. With her plans for a long weekend suddenly reduced to less than 18 hours to spend with her old man, was it any wonder she was speeding?
Jolene was almost at the home stretch, when the blaring of a siren brought her back to the reality of the fact that she was pushing over 90 again.
"Shit! Fuck! Shit! Shit! Fuck!" Jolene banged her fist on the steering wheel as she slowed down and pulled over onto the shoulder. Coming to a complete stop, she flipped off the radio and whipped off her sunglasses as she watched the hunter green Jeep Wrangler pull up behind her. Recognizing the Charming P.D. shield emblazoned on the driver's side door as it opened, Jolene crossed her fingers. "Please let it be the Chief, please, please, please. Oh, fuck!" She groaned as a tall and muscular officer at least 30 years younger than Chief Unser stepped out of the Jeep and started walking towards the Mustang.
Nice, Jolene smiled to herself, throwing her shoulders back. "Ok, this might be alright," She said to herself as she readjusted her v-neck tee, pulling it down so that her cleavage was ever-so-slightly exposed. Jax was not her dad and he would not hesitate to take her car away if she got a ticket for ripping through the outskirts of Charming at almost 25 miles over the speed limit. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Watching the deputy saunter towards her car as he adjusted his campaign hat atop his head, Jolene suddenly realized he looked familiar.
"License and registration, please." The Deputy requested as he stopped at the driver's side door, his hands resting on either side of the buckle on his holster around his slim waist.
Jolene pulled her license from her wallet and the registration out of the glove box. Turning slightly in her seat, she looked up at the officer. He seemed momentarily taken aback as her bright green eyes connected with his ice blue ones.
She looked at his name tag and smiled. "Hale, as in David Hale?" Jolene asked, handing him her documents.
"Do we know each other?" Hale smiled back, as he gave her an appreciative once-over. He would certainly remember meeting her before, he thought.
Jolene pointed to her license in his hand. "You tell me."
Reading her name and glancing at the picture on the license, Hale chuckled and looked at Jolene again with a quirked eyebrow. "Jolene Morrow? Really?" He smiled as Jolene nodded. "I never would have guessed it was you."
Jolene laughed coquettishly. "It's been a while since I've seen you around Charming. Last I heard you were in the Philippines. Marines, right?" She asked, doing her best to maintain eye contact. Last thing she needed were points on her license.
"Yeah," Hale started, one hand on his waist and the other with her documents leaning against the car door. "I did four years. Came home some time this past spring and went straight into the academy."
"Well, welcome home." Jolene beamed up at him. Hale looked at her license again, noting her birth date. She's certainly a very mature 18, he thought.
Hale prided himself on being a gentleman, but damn, that cleavage was a bit distracting. Noticing a sly half grin on her face, Hale caught himself staring at her and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I just can't get over the fact that you're the same tomboy I used to see working on cars at Teller-Morrow."
"Don't judge me too harshly on past transgressions," Jolene flirted. "I'm all girl now."
"I see." Hale smiled. Jolene mentally high-fived herself as she saw what could only be classified as a blush stain his cheeks. I don't think I've ever made a grown man blush before, Jolene marveled to herself.
"You know why I pulled you over, right?" He asked, still a little unnerved by those piercing green eyes and the realization that she was Clay Morrow's daughter all grown up.
"I do," Jolene replied, her long lashes fluttering before she slammed him again with her eyes. "I'm really sorry. Today was my last day of finals and I was a little eager to get home."
"Finals?" Hale asked and Jolene nodded. "College?"
"CSU-Stan." Jolene confirmed. "I started an accelerated Bachelor's Degree teaching program in early July."
"Good for you. Charming can always use good teachers." Hale said, genuinely pleased. He handed Jolene her license and registration. "Because this is our first encounter, Jolene, I'll let you go with a warning, but I did clock you doing 96. Next time that means points on your license and massive fines. More importantly, you could end up really hurting yourself or someone else, so slow it down, okay?" He asked and Jolene nodded eagerly.
"Thank you so much, David and I really appreciate the concern, too." Jolene smiled, already anxious to get back on the road.
Hale looked like he was about to speak again, but quickly changed his mind. Instead, he tipped his hat and made the move to walk away, but abruptly stopped himself. Turning back to Jolene, he ran his hand over his clean-shaven chin. "You know, I'd really like if we could get together some time, over dinner maybe, and you could bring me up to speed on the goings on in Charming."
In her mind, Jolene had anticipated up to and including the point where flirting would get her off without a speeding ticket. Having Hale ask her out on a date she hadn't seen coming.
"I'd love to, David, but I think my old man may have a problem with that." Jolene explained.
Hale chuckled. "Clay? Why would Clay have a problem with us having dinner?"
"Not Clay." Jolene replied. "Jax."
Hale could do very little to keep the surprised look off his face. "You and Teller?" He asked and Jolene nodded solemnly. Why wasn't he surprised? Even after all these years, not much changed around here. As had always been the case, there wasn't a beautiful girl in Charming that Teller had not gotten to first, even his own stepsister. "Would he mind us getting together over coffee instead? As acquaintances?"
"Yeah, I think, in general, he would have a problem wrapping his mind around the 'getting together' part." Jolene started. "He's a bit of the jealous-type and I'm really sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, but I'm in love and the happiest I've ever been. I'd rather not rock the boat with my old man." She explained, feeling a little guilty.
"No, I totally understand, Jolene. I'm glad to hear you're happy and I'm happy for you, too." Hale lied. "Jax is lucky man." He smiled. That wasn't a lie. Jolene Morrow was a beautiful girl. She was fresh and clean-looking, not tatted up, as far as he could tell, and not world-weary and worn-out like most women associated with the MC. Aside from driving like a lunatic, she seemed to have her head on straight, she was going to college, and, hopefully, had a life outside the MC. Unfortunately, as Teller's old lady, that was a combination that more than likely would not accommodate a happy ending. Hale despised the resentment that still seeped into his bones, even after all of these years and all of his accomplishments, whenever he thought of Jackson Teller. Why did it bother him that a woman he had barely noticed in the past and haven't seen in years was happily hooked up with SAMCRO's favorite son? "It was really nice seeing you again, Jolene. Just keep an eye on your speed, ok? Oh, and by the way, you should really update the photo on your license." With a forced smiled, he tipped his hat and headed back to his Jeep.
Jolene threw her car into drive and pulled out onto the road. Biting the thumbnail of one hand as she drove with the other, Jolene couldn't help but feel bad that Hale had looked dejected as he walked away.
Having managed to keep herself from speeding as she drove through Charming, Jolene tore into the driveway and came to a screeching halt beside Jax's bike. Dang, she thought. Jax had beat her to the house. There went any chance she had of jumping in the shower and changing into something a little more slutty. Grabbing her messenger bag and newly purchased lingerie, Jolene jumped out of the car and nearly ran to the front door. Reaching for the doorknob, the door flew open and there he was, her golden god, standing in the doorway minus his cut and a lecherous grin on his handsome face.
"I was starting to think I got stood up." Jax kidded. "The way you drive, I expected you here an hour ago."
"I was still taking a test an hour ago, smartass." Jolene dropped a quick kiss on his lips and pushed past him and into the house. "Making fun of my driving is not conducive to you getting some. Besides, I had a pit stop to make first." She said, indicating the Victoria's Secret bag.
"Darlin', as beautiful as you look in all that girly frou-frou, I'm a simple man. All I need is you naked and awake and sometimes, even that's optional." Jax said as he slammed the door and followed her inside.
"Ewww, Jax!" Jolene exclaimed as she dropped her bags on the floor in the foyer.
Jax laughed. "That was one time, babe and it's not like you didn't wake up before I was finished."
"You're an animal," Jolene laughed, throwing herself into his arms. " You realize I've starting popping vitamins like Pez and chugging energy drinks because of you."
Jax smiled as he buried his hands in her hair, letting it loose from the clip holding it back. "I've missed you." He almost whispered, his eyes searching her slightly upturned face.
Jolene framed his face with her hands and pulled him down for a kiss. She had been so busy studying for summer finals that they had not spent the night together in over a week. They still managed to have sex, but it was usually quick and dirty, with Jolene running out of the Clubhouse right afterwards to go study. Surprisingly, their new routine was starting to make Jax cranky as he had grown accustomed to falling asleep with his arms wrapped around his old lady at least several times a week. Her heart nearly exploded in her chest when he had suggested taking her away to Tahoe for a long weekend just so they could have a conversation that didn't necessarily include the terms "harder, baby" or "right there, darlin'." She didn't want to bring it up now, but Jolene had caught a glimpse of her program for the Fall and it wasn't going to be any less hectic.
Now, this damn run to Indian Hills was throwing a wrench into their plans, making every moment from now until 8 o'clock tomorrow morning count. Pulling out of their embrace, Jolene grabbed Jax's hand, and started towards the stairs.
"Wait," Wincing, Jax pulled her back down. It killed him to stop their progress towards the bedroom, but they needed to have this discussion now, before he was putty in her hands. "Why did you keep me waiting?"
Taken aback, Jolene shook her head slightly, her brow furrowed. "I wasn't that late, Jax. Besides, I told you I had a stop to make."
"There's something else you're not telling me, Jo." Jax continued, although he was starting to think that maybe he should drop the whole thing. He was her old man, not her father after all. The look she was giving him, with her hand on her hip, was telling Jax she was thinking the same thing.
"Okay, obviously you already know what I'm not telling you," Jolene started. "So, why don't we just take it from there? Who ratted me out and what did they tell you?" She was on the defensive. Jolene knew she was about to get busted for her driving, but what was irking her most was that he chose to bring this up now, knowing that they had so little time together before his run.
"Unser called not two minutes before you arrived." Jax started. Jolene rolled her eyes and tried to pull away, but Jax held her back. "He wasn't ratting you out, Jolene. He was just concerned. We've talked about this before, darlin'. I thought you were beyond all the self-destructive bullshit."
Pulling her hand out of his grip, Jolene glared at Jax. "Not everything I do is related to my so-called 'mommy issues', Jax." She said angrily.
"That's not what I said." Jax said defensively.
"Not in so many words." Jolene retorted.
"You were clocked doing 96, Jolene." Jax argued.
"I know. I was there, yet here I am now wasting time discussing how I did NOT get a ticket." Jolene defended herself.
Jax smiled, shaking his head slightly. Knowing Jolene, she had probably worked those incredible eyes of hers to her own advantage. God only knew how many times he'd fallen victim himself. She could get away with just about anything with him, but not this time. "That doesn't mean you didn't deserve the ticket or the points." Jax chastised.
"Okay, so I got lucky this time. At least David saw fit to let me go with a warning and a promise that I'd slow down. If the man with the badge can let it go, why can't you?" Jolene asked.
"David?" Jax quirked an eyebrow at Jolene. Since when has his old lady been on a first-name basis with law enforcement? She never addressed Unser by anything other than Chief. She had apparently worked her mojo on this "David" and Jax was pretty sure he didn't like that.
"We're really going to discuss this now?" Jolene asked, slightly annoyed.
"Yeah, we are. You can start by telling me who the fuck David is."
"Deputy David Hale," Jolene started. "You remember him. You went to high school with him and he used to deliver our paper."
Jax nodded. Yeah, he remembered Charming's favorite son alright. The first time Tara had broken up with him had been while he was a Prospect. On leave right after basic training at the time, Hale had not wasted a minute before asking her out. Who knows what would have happened between them had Hale not shipped off to Southeast Asia.
"Did he ask you out before or after you told him you were my old lady?" Jax asked sarcastically.
"Before," Jolene replied and knowing how important full disclosure was to the both of them, continued, "And after. He refused to take no for answer at first."
Jax's jaw instantly clenched. He was just being an asshole asking her that question. He didn't think Hale was ballsy enough to go after SAMCRO blood, but apparently he was ballsy enough to go after his old lady. Again.
Jax bit his lip in a futile effort to control what was threatening to leap off the tip of his tongue. "I'll fuckin' kill him, Jolene."
Jolene ran up to Jax and threw her arms around his midsection. "No you won't, baby. There's no reason to. I made it very clear that I am head over heels in love with my old man." She started, unbuttoning his shirt and dropping kisses on his exposed chest. "Please, Jax, the clock's ticking on what little time we have together, so let's not waste anymore of it."
"It's not a waste of time, Jolene, so stop saying that." Jax said, a little stronger, and angrier, than he had intended. Grabbing her by her upper arms, Jax gently pushed her away before running his hands over her shoulders, and cupping her face. "I'm serious about your driving, darlin'. Do you even understand what it would do to me if you ever got hurt?"
Jolene could tell by the look in his eyes that he was imagining what that pain would feel like. "Okay, okay," She started, feeling guilty that she had let her pride convince her that Jax bitching about her driving had been about control, when he was so very obviously only concerned about her well-being. "You don't have to get all romantical about it."
"Now you're just making words up," Jax smiled. "But take it easy on the driving, promise?" And stay away from David Hale, he was tempted to add, but didn't. She had made it clear to both him and Hale that her heart, and that fuckin' tight body, belonged to only one man.
Jolene smiled back, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. "Only if you promise to do that swirly thing with your tongue. I swear, I think I passed out the last time."
"Oh, I will and you did, but that doesn't mean your driving is negotiable, darlin'. Give me your car keys." Jax demanded.
Jolene was momentarily stunned. "Jax, you're leaving town tomorrow. What am I supposed to do without my car? How am I supposed to get around?" He had warned her before. Take it easy behind the wheel or she was going to have to dust off her old skateboard in order to get around Charming when he wasn't around.
"Gemma, Donna, Neeta. I'll even leave you money for cabs." Jax suggested, pointing his finger into the outstretched palm of his hand. "I want your keys, Jo."
Jolene pouted prettily as she batted her eyelashes, but Jax was unmoved. "Fine." She conceded, retrieving them from her messenger bag.
"I love you." Jax grabbed the keys and shoved them into his jeans pocket, while pulling her towards him with his other hand.
"I know. I love-" she started but was cut off by Jax's hungry mouth on hers, leaving her almost breathless. Pulling away just enough to yank her t-shirt off over her head, Jax tossed it on the floor.
"No." Jolene went to pick it up, but was stopped by Jax pulling her into his arms again. "What if Gemma comes home early and sees our clothes scattered all over the place?"
"Then she'll know I'm fuckin' your brains out, darlin'," Jax smiled, dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose before bending and scooping her over his shoulder cave man-style.
"I can manage walking up the stairs, you know." She admonished, playfully smacking his ass.
"You're not fast enough, Jo and I'm done waiting." Jax replied, climbing the stairs towards her bedroom two at a time, prompting Jolene to squeal in fear for her life.
Reaching her room at the end of the hall, Jax practically kicked the door open as he entered and dropped her onto the bed. He quickly pulled his half-unbuttoned shirt off as Jolene grabbed him by his SAMCRO belt buckle and undid his jeans. Before she got the chance to pull his pants down, Jax fell to his knees on the floor, between her legs. With a slight smile on his face, Jax unhooked her push-up bra, releasing her beautiful tits. Jolene ran her hands over his broad shoulders and into his golden hair as Jax kissed her breasts and sucked on her nipples, before making his tortuously leisurely way down to her navel as he gently pushed her back onto the bed. Jolene arched her back and lifted her hips slightly as Jax slowly undid her cargo pants and, slower still, pulled them off.
"Don't pass out on me now." Jax threw her a wicked grin as he slowly pulled her knees apart.
Jolene tried to stay up on one elbow to watch as Jax nuzzled her core through the thin material of her underwear, her other hand buried in his hair, but lost the battle to stay upright once Jax ripped the underwear off her hips. Falling back onto the bed, Jolene moaned as Jax slid his tongue between her cleft and flicked upwards over her clit and back down again. Grinding her hips against his face, Jolene suddenly arched her back, shaking and crying out for Jax as he worked her with his mouth and fingers. She must have lost consciousness very briefly as he made her cum because the next thing she knew, Jolene was startled into practically kicking Jax in the head. Donna was standing at her bedroom door, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, as she apologized profusely before running out of the room.
Frustrated by the interruption, Jax was leaning against the bed, his eyes closed, and his head in his hands. "I think she's crying, Jo."
Jolene could still hear the blood rushing through her body as she came down from what she had hoped would have been the first of many orgasms and had to strain to hear Donna softly whimpering in the hallway outside her room. "Aw, shit!" Jolene moaned, thinking that maybe she had traumatized her friend with what she'd just seen. Jolene crawled off the bed, stopping briefly to kiss Jax. "To be continued."
"That goes without saying, darlin'." Jax replied, even though he had the sinking sensation he was going to be flying solo or suffer the worse case of blue balls known to man. Served him right for not thinking to lock the fuckin' front door!
Wrapping her fluffy white robe around herself, Jolene entered the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind her. Donna was sitting on the floor between what used to be Jax's old bedroom and the bathroom, her legs pulled up against her chest.
"I'm so embarrassed, Jolene. I'm so sorry," Donna started, hiccupping as she tried to stop her crying. "I should've known when I saw the bike outside, but I needed to talk to someone."
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Jolene sat next to her friend on the floor and grabbed her hand.
"I love Ope, I really do, but I don't know what I'm gonna do." Donna managed to say before breaking down again.
Jolene leaned against the wall, tempted to bang her head against it. This was starting to sound familiar. Donna was obviously very upset and Jolene had to fight hard to bite her tongue. If Donna had another falling out with her parents because of her relationship with Opie, she was going to have to pull up her big girl panties or let him go. Donna was 20 years old. Jolene had been 17 when she stood up to her father over Jax and, when it came to fearsome, Donna's parents had nothing over her dad. Thinking that maybe her friend had a lot of growing up to do before going forward with her relationship with Opie, Jolene had not been expecting what came out of Donna's mouth next.
"I think I'm pregnant."
Jolene's eyes widened. "Oh," She grabbed a sobbing Donna and hugged her. "Damn." Running her hand over the soft dark hair on the back of her head, Jolene let Donna get it all out and, apparently, that meant out and all over the shoulder of her bathrobe. When Donna finally pulled away, she was a snotty, tear-stained mess.
"When was your last period?" Jolene asked, using her fluffy sleeve to wipe down Donna's face.
Donna shook her head. "I can't remember. I think it was before your birthday party. As a matter of fact, I think that was the night it happened. In the heat of the moment, we started unprotected, but Opie ended up using a condom, so I didn't think anything of it." Shit, Jolene thought. Opie really loved Donna, of that Jolene was sure. Enough to risk knocking her up if it meant getting her to commit, of that Jolene was sure of too.
"I'm scared, Jolene." Donna continued. "How's Opie gonna take this? We only just got back together. What if he wants out, or worse? What if he wants me to get rid of it?" She started crying again.
If Donna was indeed pregnant, Jolene was willing to bet she had nothing to worry about, especially if what she suspected was true. Deeming it unnecessary to share her thoughts at the moment, Jolene decided to take control of the situation for her friend, the hot mess currently sitting in a puddle of her own tears. "Do you know for sure if you're pregnant? Have you taken a pregnancy test yet?" Jolene asked.
Donna shook her head. "No." She almost whispered.
"Fine, we'll start there." Jolene gently pushed Donna back by her shoulders. "We'll deal with everything else as it comes, okay? I'm with ya, every step of the way."
Donna nodded with a hint of a smile brightening her face, feeling somewhat relieved now that she had someone to share her burden with. "I know I'll probably never live down my incredibly poorly-timed cock-blocking, but can we do it now, please? I need to know as soon as possible."
"If cock-blocking was your intention, you timed it just right." Jolene teased, getting a genuine chuckle out of Donna. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. Go clean yourself up while I get dressed, okay? Don't use the head, though." Realizing that she had left Jax in a delicate state, Jolene expected to find him naked and spread eagled on her bed, ready to pick up where they left off. Instead, she found him, still in his jeans, sitting on the bed against the headboard and smoking a cigarette.
Jolene climbed onto the bed and slowly crawled up his legs until she was straddling him. Putting his cigarette out, his hands instantly found their way into the opening of her robe to caress her breasts, sending shockwaves through Jolene.
"I'm sorry," She apologized and something in her tone forced Jax to groan in frustration. "Something came up."
"I know and you're sitting on it, darlin'." He kidded, even though she could tell by his flared nostrils that he wasn't happy.
"You wanna quickie?" Jolene offered, her hands caressing the muscles on his bare chest. "Or I can blow ya, but you have to promise not to think about baseball while I'm doing it." She teased.
His hands now buried in her tousled hair, Jax smiled as he searched her face. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but no, I don't want a quickie. I will, however, take a rain check on the BJ, darlin'," He winked at her. "I'm just tired of hit-and-runs, Jo. I want to make love to my girl, long and slow, like we're the only two people on earth that matter."
"I want that, too." She grabbed one of his hands and kissed his palm. "We'll get together again, in a couple of hours, max, I promise."
Jax pulled her in for a hard, almost angry kiss before gently nudging her off of him. "I'll be at the garage." He said as he picked his shirt up off the floor and headed out without saying another word.
"Damnit!" Jolene muttered as she jumped off the bed. "And he took my car keys with him."
Even though Donna wanted to get the test done as soon as possible, Jolene reasoned that going to a pharmacy in town would be like putting out an ad in the Charming Pennysaver. Instead, with Jax holding her car hostage, Jolene drove Donna to Lodi in Donna's mom's 1978 AMC Gremlin to buy the pregnancy tests. There was absolutely no way Jolene could get clocked for speeding in that piece of shit. She might, however, get fined for driving too slow since it apparently had only two speeds: slow and fuck-it-I-can-walk-faster-than-this-shit. Once there, Donna walked down the aisle and scooped several hundred dollars worth of tests into her basket. Pulling her back from the ledge, Jolene convinced her that all she needed were two, maybe three. Whatever the results, she was going to have to follow it up with a visit to an OB/GYN anyway, either for pre-natal care or to finally get her ass on some birth control. Back at the house, as they waited for the timer to go off, Jolene also reminded Donna that whatever the results, she was going to have to talk to Ope.
Forgetting until it was too late that she wasn't supposed to be driving, Jolene finally pulled onto the lot at a little past 5 o'clock and parked by the garage. "You okay?" Jolene reached for Donna sitting on the passenger side and clasped her hand.
Donna smiled, a wide, genuine smile for the first time this afternoon. "I'm just gonna sit here for a while and re-group," She started, looking out her window at Opie who was chatting with Chibs at the picnic table and had not noticed her arrival.
"Okay," Jolene squeezed her hand. "I'm gonna go and jump my old man. If you need me, promise you won't come looking for me until after 8 tomorrow morning." She sounded like she was kidding, but she was deadly serious. Cranky, sexually-frustrated bikers could quickly morph into rampaging killing machines, she was sure. Exiting the car, Jolene strutted towards the garage and approached Jax, who was busy taking his aggression out on an engine. "Save some of that for me." Jolene leaned against the slate gray Lexus he was working on.
At the sound of her voice, Jax pulled himself out from under the hood. "You sure you can handle it? There's a lot of pent up frustration I'm dealing with here."
"I kinda like the sound of that." Jolene nodded. "Just promise you won't be gentle." She teased.
Jax smiled. "I don't think I can be even if I wanted to, darlin'."
"I'm a lucky girl then. Be as brutal as you need to be, baby. I want to be able to feel it for the next three days." Jolene purred. "Give me something to tide me over until you come back to me."
Jax laughed, running his hand over the whiskers on his chin. Damn, she had a way with words and although he had been upset with her earlier, he was quickly learning that he couldn't stay that way for long. "I get hard just listening to you talk, darlin'." And that's never happened with anyone else before, he thought to himself.
Walking up to him, Jolene pulled him into a kiss with one hand, while the other traveled south. She smiled against his mouth. "You weren't kidding, were you?"
Jax shook his head slightly, a sexy half-smirk on his face. "I'd start walking towards the Clubhouse if I were you cuz I'm a heartbeat away from bending you over the hood of this car."
Jolene raised her eyebrows. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Teller." She laughed as she made a break for the Clubhouse, barely escaping his intention of making good on his threat.
Donna watched as Jolene made a mad dash from the garage towards the Clubhouse, with Jax hot on her heels, no doubt intent on finishing what she had so rudely interrupted this afternoon. Donna felt herself turn red as she covered her face with her hands in an attempt to block out what she'd seen. At 18, Jolene exuded the confident sexuality of a woman in her 30s. At 18, Donna had debated whether or not Opie would think she was fast and loose if she let him grab her breasts while they kissed.
They were worlds apart and Donna couldn't help but wonder if what Opie needed was someone more like Jolene. Someone who didn't give a shit what others thought and who made no excuses for who she was. Someone who didn't feel the need to make excuses for who her man was either. Jolene didn't love Jax in spite of his connection to the MC. She loved him in part because of it. In all fairness, Donna was being hard on herself as there really was no comparison. Jolene was born into the MC life. She didn't know what "normal" was and more importantly, she didn't have a taste for it.
Unlike Donna, Jolene was a great believer of destiny and that everything happens for a reason. This was something Jolene had tried to convince her of as they drove back to Charming this afternoon. Jolene had explained that even though at the time it had broken her heart, Jolene knew that before he could be hers, Jax was meant to be with Tara. She suffered through those three years they were together all because Jolene knew that it wouldn't last. Tara was wrong for Jax. Jolene could see it in her eyes and knew, even before Jax, that Tara wasn't cut out for the Life. She knew Tara would bail on him and break his heart. Jolene was convinced that Jax had needed to suffer that kind of pain so that he would know the difference when he was finally hers. As she spoke, Donna cringed at times, thinking that Jolene might have been bordering on obsession when it came to Jax, but she knew for a fact by seeing them together now that her young friend had been right all along. Jax Teller and Jolene Morrow were made to go together. There was no one else in this world for either one of them.
Looking at Opie now, Donna was coming to that same realization herself. Like Tara, Donna had bailed on Opie, more than once, and for the same reasons, too. Only difference was that Donna was lucky enough to have Jolene on her side. According to Jolene, destiny had forced Donna's hand because she and Opie Winston were meant to be together. Anything else and Donna would regret it for the rest of her life.
With more confidence and determination than she actually felt, Donna exited her car and headed towards the Clubhouse. Thinking that Donna had probably heard from Jolene that the Club would be leaving first thing in the morning for Indian Hills, Opie jumped off the table and met her halfway. If Donna was gonna tear him a new one, he didn't want Chibs to witness it.
"Hey, Donna," Opie started, but was cut off as she threw her petite frame against his. With her hands lost in his beard, Donna pulled him towards her and kissed him. Pleasantly surprised, Opie wrapped his arms around her slender waist and lifted Donna off her feet, kissing her back. Pulling away slightly, Opie smiled. "I'm happy to see you, too."
"Really?" Donna tilted her head to the side, the expectation of something clear in her beautiful blue eyes.
Sensing this had nothing to do with Indian Hills, Opie stroked her silky sable-colored hair, his eyes searching her face for some clue. "Always." He promised.
"Are you busy, Ope? We need to talk." Donna asked, looking around the lot. Although it was bustling with activity, everyone was preoccupied with wrapping up for the day and no one seemed to be paying them any attention.
If there ever were a set of words that made a man's balls shrivel up and crawl back into their bodies, those words were definitely "we need to talk". From experience, Opie knew nothing good ever came from hearing those words come out of a woman's mouth. She was either going to list point-by-point every damn thing he'd ever done to take her for granted or she was about to tell him it was over. The latter conversation he's had with Donna too many times to count, but today, he wasn't getting that vibe from her, if the kiss she had just planted on him was anything to go by.
"Sure, babe." Opie bent towards Donna and dropped a kiss on her lips before leading her by the hand to the picnic table, now unoccupied as Chibs, unable to indulge in all of his favorite vices because of the fight night coming up, had taken off on his bike.
Donna climbed onto the table and sat with her denim-clad legs drawn together and her white-knuckled hands gripping her knees. "I love you, Ope." Donna started and Opie involuntarily winced, causing her to look at him like he had two heads.
"Donna, you know I love you too, but when you start a conversation with 'we need to talk' and then follow it up with an 'I love you', I can't help but feel like I'm waiting to hear a 'but' followed by all the reasons why you're leaving me again." Opie explained.
Surprised that he would speak so bluntly, Donna couldn't help but laugh. Opie's heart swelled with the love he had for this woman. She never looked so beautiful as when she was happy and laughing. Feeling oddly comforted by the fact that Opie was expecting to get dumped again, Donna blurted, "Opie, I'm pregnant."
Not exactly surprised that she would be, Opie felt the corners of his mouth tug into a grin. "Are you sure?"
Donna gave him a wide-eyed smile as she nodded. "Pretty sure." She replied and, in an instant, Opie swept her into his arms, hugging and kissing her as he spun her around. He was breathless and Donna was woozy by the time he put her down on her feet.
Donna grabbed onto the front of Opie's cut with both hands, realizing, strangely enough for the first time, that the only time he ever took it off was when he made love to her. "I just thought that with everything that's come to light lately, about the Club, that maybe you'd think the timing was really bad." Donna explained. "Do you really want this baby, Opie? Do you really want me?"
Knowing that he should probably let the fact that they were having a baby sink in first, Opie fought the urge to ask her to marry him. She was in a vulnerable state and was still dealing with the bullshit her parents were putting her through, what he had put her through by keeping the truth about the MC from her. He didn't want to pressure her, but he didn't want to give her parents the opportunity to talk her into something neither of them wanted, and what he wanted was Donna and their baby.
Opie felt his heart tighten in his chest. Donna was waiting for his response and it was clear that it was suppressed happiness and excitement that he was seeing in her eyes. She wanted this baby, too, but she was holding back her emotions, afraid of what he would say and of what he might ask her to do. Without saying a word, Opie fell onto one knee before her.
"Donna," Opie started and Donna's hand flew to her mouth, the anxiety gone from her face as her eyes danced over his. "I love you and there's only one thing I want more than having you be the mother of my children. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"
Unable to control the tears that had been threatening to fall ever since she had seen the double pink lines in Jolene's bathroom, Donna grabbed Opie's face and kissed him, forgetting that his question required an answer.
"Is that a yes?" Opie muffled against her lips as he pulled her into his embrace.
Opie stopped himself just short of banging on Jax's door. If the noise coming from that room was any indication, Opie should know better than to interrupt Jax. Opie almost turned around and left, but stopped and, cringing slightly, knocked on the door. He waited for the longest 15 seconds of his life, and when the activity on the other side of the door continued at the same rigorous level, Opie knocked a little harder.
"Get the FUCK away from my FUCKIN' door!" Jax bellowed. Opie could hear Jolene murmuring something to Jax, with Jax responding that he didn't give a flying fuck if they were being invaded by Mayans.
Knowing that payback was a bitch and that Jax would find a way to get back at him, Opie knocked again. "Jax, it's me. I need to talk to you."
Jolene pulled her ankles out of Jax's hands and gently nudged him with her feet against his chest. "Go talk to him." She insisted, already knowing that Opie either had great news to share or needed someone to put a bullet in the back of his head.
"Really? I'm hard as a rock, Jolene." Jax started sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure my best friend would appreciate me NOT talking to him with a raging hard-on."
"Please," Jolene pouted, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "This is Donna-related, I am sure of it. It's important to Ope or he wouldn't be standing outside your door listening to us have sex."
"You hope." Jax replied. "You're not exactly the quiet type, darlin'." He teased, barely escaping getting kicked off the bed.
Jax considered answering the door buck naked. It would certainly teach Opie a lesson, but almost like she could read his mind, Jolene admonished, "Jax, put some pants on!"
"How about covering up that ass?" Jax demanded, tossing a bed sheet over Jolene before jumping into his jeans.
"Why? Are you inviting him in?" Jolene teased, wrapping the blanket around herself before jumping out of bed and heading into the bathroom.
Watching her leave, Jax realized that this was the hardest he's ever had to work at getting a piece of ass. His old lady was more than worth it, but he'll be damned if he wasn't about ready to kill someone. Shaking his head, Jax threw open the door, scowl firmly in place.
"Somebody better be dead, bro." Jax said menacingly.
In spite of his friend's foul mood, Opie couldn't help the grin threatening to crack his face wide open. "Not dead. How about pregnant?"
Confused by the lack of blood currently making its way to his brain, Jax narrowed his eyes. Thinking Opie knew something he didn't, Jax's head whipped around towards the bathroom door. "Oh shit!"
Opie was shaking his head. "Relax, Jax. Not Jo. Donna." Jax's eyes widened. "And it's a good thing." Opie added when it looked like Jax was unsure.
Cracking a genuine smile, Jax gave his best friend what Jolene called a bro hug. Clasping hands as if they were going to arm wrestle, they pulled each other in for a shoulder bump and finally a back slap.
"Congrats, bro." Jax started, knowing how much his friend really loved Donna. "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, man." Opie smiled. "I'm sorry for barging in on you like this, but I just need to think out loud, bounce an idea off of you."
"What is it, Ope?" Jax asked, his arms crossed over his bare chest and his coitus interruptus momentarily forgotten.
"We want to get married and I don't want to push her into doing it fast, but given the opportunity, her parents are gonna give her hell about it. They'll try talking her out it, I just know it. I love her, Jax and I don't know what I'd do if that happened." Opie explained.
"Then don't let it happen." Jax started emphatically. "If this is what you both want, fuck 'em. Do what's gonna make you and your old lady happy. Her folks' opinion about you is never gonna change, especially after they find out you impregnated her with your Sasquatch spawn." He kidded.
"That's why I'm here, brother." Opie smiled. "I don't want to give her a chance to change her mind, so I was thinking that during this run to Indian Hills, Donna and I can head over to Reno and get married. And I know I'm speaking for Donna too when I say that this can't happen without our two best friends there with us."
Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open and out popped a fully-clothed Jolene, which prompted Jax to do a double take. Considering that he was still raring to go, Jax would have been less surprised if she had run out of the bathroom naked. She was across the room and leaping into Opie's arms in a flash, planting a big, wet kiss on his hairy cheek.
"Congratulations!" Jolene beamed as Opie hugged her and put her back down onto the floor. "Ohmigod, Jax, they're eloping. Are we going? Can we go? Please." She asked excitedly.
Jax smiled as he shook his head. He'd probably wait until after his kid was born, but Jax was definitely gonna kill Ope. "Hell's yeah, we're going, darlin'." He replied and Jolene leaped into his arms, but unlike Opie, Jax had no intention of letting her go. "They won't be able to head out with us tomorrow, though." Jax directed at Opie. The Club, under a ruse of a protection run for Unser Trucking, was actually transporting a shipment from the Irish to Nevada for distribution to several SOA charters in town under the cover of fight night. Jax didn't want the girls along for the ride while transporting merch. Traveling through Northern Nevada was dangerous enough without the added worry of needing to protect their old ladies.
"Oh, no," Jolene started. "We can't leave tomorrow. There's too much we have to get done first. As a matter of fact, I should go talk to Donna." She made the move to dislodge herself from Jax's hold, but he tightened his grip around her waist.
Looking at her with raised eyebrows, Jax was shaking his head. "Oh hell's no."