Disclaimer. Everything belongs to the genius KS.
Tara's heart sunk into her stomach, she abandoned the coffee in hand and looked straight at both bikers. "Let's go." She was far more concerned about the safety and wellbeing of her estranged husband than her morning fix for the moment. "I'll call in sick" she uttered under her breath to no one in particular.
As she stormed out of her home, she couldn't breath. Her mind was constantly thinking about the what if's. This call was what she'd always been waiting for ever since he was sentenced and the feeling wasn't very nice.
"I got this Tara. You can't even hold the steering wheel without wanting to-" Quinn stopped himself from continuing when Tara glared up at him more hurt than he thought and he sighed deeply. "It can't be as bad as your thinking. Just think about your kids girl."
Tara got out without arguing and made her way around to her passengers side before clicking her seat belt into place.
As they set out for the twenty minute ride to the clubhouse, Tara couldn't even think straight. Yeah she had moved on, or at least tried to moved on but nothing and no one could stop her heart from beating unless it involved her family.
Jax held a special place in her heart. One that no other man could. He was the father of her three children. They were the air that she breathed because of him. The reason she lived was because of the three lives he'd blessed her with. There was no doubt in her mind that she would always love him.
But she couldn't help the growing anxiety that something bad was about to happen- or had happened. She just couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.
Jax could be injured and in serious condition in Stockton's inventory right now.
Jax could potentially be dead and making his way in a body bag home right now.
Jax could-
"Stop thinking like that. Nothing's wrong with him." Tara furrowed her brows as Quinn cast a small smile to her. She'd realized then that she'd spoken out loud and tears had formed a trail down her face.
Tara wiped her tears away too soon before more fell. "Oh god Quinn, I don't know what to think. How to think. I mean- What if something happened to him inside? He's still being protected right? What if-"
"You gotta stop thinking like that Tara. He's a strong man-" Quinn stated, cutting any delusional thoughts of Jax from her mind but she still couldn't help but worry. She always worried. "And to answer your question, yes he's still being protected."
Tara sighed in relief, although it was short lived as she cut through the silence of their ride. "I didn't have to see it but I know I completely shattered his heart. It was like leaving him when we were in high school all over again. And that wasn't even the worst of it. I left him in prison with false hope." Tara couldn't even think clearly at this point. She hated and loved Jackson Teller and it was seriously fucking with her mind.
Quinn took Tara's face in both of his hands, his large ones making her face appear so small in them. "Calm down Tara. I don't know what Bobby told Chibs but he kept it plain and simple. That's gotta be a good thing right?" He wasn't so sure of his words himself but he tried reassuring the mother of three that it was nothing but good news.
Tara sighed. "You could still be wrong." There was slight movement behind Quinn that caught Tara's attention and she realized that they'd arrived at the clubhouse. "Give me a minute? I need to clean myself up and call work" Tara whispered as she pulled away from Quinn and pulled down her sun visor and opened the small flap before checking to see that her mascara had left a black trail mark down her cheeks so she fixed her makeup up before sliding out of her car.
-o0o-
The sun was glistening with the soft breeze that whipped past him and he inhaled the soft scent Charming always brought him. The loud heavy traffic in the near distance was barely loud enough to drain out the soft chirps of birds communicating but he enjoyed the freedom nonetheless. He was definitely glad to feel freedom outside of the four concrete walls and heavy iron fences with razor sharp wires that he'd been incarcerated behind for the past ten years.
A true sight to see was his name alone that stood hanging on the replica sign his father had done many years ago.
Teller Automotive.
He'd ordered Bobby to have Clay's name removed from the sign and anything Morrow written around the garage to be removed. After everything Clay had done to his family. To his father. To his wife. To a point his mother and even to himself, he wanted no trace of the evil man he'd once cared for enough to have called father.
But that was the past. He no longer cared for Clarence Morrow.
Taking in one of the few places He'd grown up in as a child, he lingered on the large remade clubhouse building that didn't look all that different from what he could remember. It still had the same murky grey paint. The large reaper tag on the wall and it brought a smile to his face.
The smile however faulted when he remembered why he was here. He had nowhere else to go. His mother's joint wasn't an option- not that his childhome even crossed his mind. Jax hadn't heard or seen his mother since the day she almost killed Tara. His old place also wasn't an option and he had no idea where Tara was- not that he'd give up on finding her just yet. He just needed his head on straight before he made any rational and unexpected moves against her.
Pulled from his thoughts as a rumble of a motorcycle entered the lot after following a dark blue SUV, Jax furrowed his brows together.
"Enjoying the fresh air brother?" Bobby asked when Jax came back to sit down after taking in the compound but the cigarette lingering on his bottom lip had his eyes going wide when he spotted that familiar SUV.
"Something like that" Jax smirked as he took the cup of freshly made coffee Bobby had poured him and took a sip. "Expecting someone?" Before Bobby could answer, Chibs was making his way towards them.
-o0o-
Connor woke up with a start. Taking in his surroundings, he had no idea where he was. If this was some fantasy from a little action he got last night then it wasn't a funny one. He was too far gone from last night's course of events that he stumbled from the bed in an attempt to chug up the vomit forcing its way out- Taking a chance, he opened the nearest door only to realize that it was an empty closet but it was too late- he'd tumbled over and threw up in the small storage space.
-o0o-
Tara slid out of her seat and shut the door behind her. She straightened out her collar to her shirt before making her way towards the small crowd of bikers surrounded at the nearest picnic table outside the clubhouse.
"BOBBY?" Tara yelled furiously from across the lot. Casting her eyes briefly around the table of bikers she spotted Bobby, Chibs, the prospects and Jax. "Where's-" her sentence fell from her mouth as she flicked her eyes back to Jax unexpectedly. Stunned into complete silence, Tara was speechless to say the least.
Jax pulled himself out from the picnic table they were surrounding and stood in shock. He didn't expect Tara to be here so soon and looking so- beautiful. Gorgeous. Hot.
Her reddened cheeks were a tell tail sign that she'd been crying.
Wait, she was crying. Why the fuck had she been crying he thought.
There was just so many words to describe his wife's appearance and it caused a tight sensation in his heart.
"Jax" she whispered barely above a whisper and even though they were a short distance from one another, he could clearly hear her. She took a single step forward as he did too. "How is it-" She stumbled out a short string of a sentence.
"That I'm here?"
Too soon to answer, he just stood admiring the way she was dressed. Those tight fitting jeans. Tank top. Elbow length sleeves on her peachy colored blazer. And her hair. Man it was long just the way he preferred- but give or take. He loved the way she looked no matter what.
Seemingly in their own bubble, just absorbing each other, the guys didn't matter in this moment.
Jax studied the way she scrunched her nose and how her eyebrows drew together as if trying to make of the whole scenario. Time definitely hadn't caught up with Tara in her age yet and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Tara could tell from the look of his appearance that he definitely fit the description of someone who had done time the body of an inmate. His almost too tight of a white shirt defined his masculine upper half. He definitely used his time inside to his advantage and Tara couldn't help but to linger over his torso along with his hair that was perfectly slicked back just as she remembered and it truly took her breath away.
Tara's heart rate sped up at the electrifying touch and she wanted nothing more than for him to wrap his arms around her and tell her that she wasn't dreaming. That this moment right here wasn't how she pictured seeing him again for the first time in almost three years- ten as a free man.
Jax was just as desperate to hold Tara but he felt if he made the next move, she would back away and run off. He knew it could be an option but he let Tara lead. His eyes still roamed up and down her body and he couldn't hold the tight sensation that was slowly making it's way down to his groin.
Female contact.
That had been a loss cause for ten years.
Before she could even stop herself, she made the first move and slammed herself into his masculine body- gripping him like he was her lifeline. Her sobs soon broke out and all she could do was clutch onto the man who still held her heart to this very day.
The guys standing around let Jax and Tara have their moment and made their way back to their picnic table.
But then realisation hit her and she pulled out of his grasp and slapped him straight across the face leaving a trace of her fine handprint. "You complete ass Jackson Teller. How in the fuck is it that your here?" She demanded. "I was worried out of my fucking mind when the guys told me there was a development with your case. What the hell is going on?"
The sting of the slap barely hurt him as he composed himself. At least she still cared about me he thought as crystal blue eyes met furious green ones.
"Surprise" he joked unconvincingly causing Tara to narrow her eyes into slits and cross her arms in an effort to calm her anger down.
"This isn't funny Jax." She inhaled sharply and glared to the guys behind him before turning her attention back to him. "What happened?" Her tone was soft when she asked.
"Shit, I had a whole speech planned out but I forgot what I was gonna say" Jax stated as he frustratingly ran a hand through his shoulder length hair. He chuckled to himself and looked to the guys having their own silent conversation before Jax turned back to Tara.
"So?" Tara asked.
"There was overcrowding. Inmates were being sent to other prisons and some were getting out on parole. I had that deal with Patterson-"
"Yeah I remember" Tara stated clearly as she took a seat beside Jax at the picnic table. "Twenty-five years imprisonment. Ten on parole or maybe seven" Tara relayed his sentencing to him as clear as day and it caused Jax to cring.
"Well here I am now. Parole for two years. Ain't allowed to leave the state."
"Just as well then" Tara chuckled. "Look, Bobby was gonna head to Stockton and see you. I know this doesn't change anything but-"
"Babe, this changes everything now that I'm out. I just-" his hands met hers and he clutched them tight in his own. With pleading crystal blue eyes gazing into those mesmerising hazel eyes, Tara swore she could see the beginnings of tears forming in them. "I want another chance. Three years without contact with you fucking ruined me Tara and I miss you. I miss my kids. They probably don't even remember me and I guess that's my fault."
Tara's heart sank into her stomach for the second time today. "We can sit here all day for all I care and play the blame game Jax but it was my fault. I should've taken them to see you when I let the guys take them. I should've done everything I could."
Times like these was frustrating for everyone. Jax blamed himself while Tara blamed herself. It was just pathetic.
"Agree to disagree" Jax rasped as he offered Tara a sad smile. "Although none of this shit would've happened if I just left the club in the first place."
"Let's choose not to go that way now Jax. We have exactly an hour to-" pulled from her thoughts when she heard a familiar raspy voice coming from inside, shock then confusion plastered on her face as her eyes finally grew wide in shock at the scenario that could quite possibly blow up in her face.
"Connor?" She said it while he was addressing the group of intimidating bikers.
"Connor? What are you doing here?" Tara asked in surprise having completely forgotten that the guys had mentioned that Tig had brought Connor back to the clubhouse last night.
"Tara" he whispered. Thank fucking god he thought. "Honestly I have no idea. I was at that-" he cut himself off when he noticed her eye roll which stopped him from continuing his walk towards her, only as he made an effort to head towards her, Quinn, Happy and Tig were blocking him from making any move. "Please, I just need to talk with you."
"Let him go guys" Tara politely asked with a sigh. It was just as well they listened cuz she needed to talk with him too.
"Who's this Tara?" His voice was full of content bottled in rage and everything Tara knew he was trying to hold in.
With a pleading look, she held his hand in an attempt to calm him down while addressing Connor. "Alone?" Connor added with hope as Jax glared him up and down.
Tara slowly conceded knowing that if Jax overheard what she needed to speak with him about, he would most likely lose his shit.
"I won't be long Jax. Please."
Jax held his glare with Connor, eventually offered her a curt nod then without thinking, pulled Tara flush against his own body, cupped her face with one hand as if his life depended on it then wrapped his free hand around her waist snaking it through to her back and resting it just where he knew his crow lay and gave her the most sincere, passionate deep and meaningful kiss he'd ever given her.
Tara was surprised that it wasn't so much the need to claim her in front of this man that Jax no doubt knew she'd been with but more so to reassure her that he wasn't giving up on them. Not while he had the opportunity to mend their failed relationship.
AN. More will be coming either tonight or tomorrow.