The next couple of days went by, with Tara and Venus doing their things. Smitty lent them each a car, as they did not want to be dependent on the men they were linked to. Harper would stay with the boys, until Nadine came around. The cursing jar got fuller every day, and they had to start removing money from it every night. It was both too funny and too cute, the way everybody held their tongue, or paid up every time they cursed, whether Harper heard them or not. At this pace, Tara would be done repaying her student loans, and the little girl would have the choice when it would come to choosing where she would get her education.

The men were there, even though they were trying to not crowd them. Tara had noticed that Venus and Tig had gotten closer, in a very strange fashion. Her soul-sister finally told her about the talk they had had. Venus had not wanted to hide it from her, but she had not been sure how their talk would impact the way they interacted, and she had wanted to see what happened first.

Tara had recounted her kiss with Jax, and most importantly, the way he had been honest with her and had admitted to kissing other women. In a way, Tara didn't need to know if he had done more, as a kiss was too intimate in itself. She had been supposed to be the only recipient for his kisses, and she hadn't. It hurt a little but she was certain that her choice had been the right one at the time.

"Do you think more will happen?" Venus had asked, when they had gossiped like two teenagers.

"I don't know. What happens when we get home? I don't want to think about anything more. I'm trying to live in the now, hoping that he knows that whatever happens, he needs to remember that I have a little girl who has feelings. If I see that he doesn't realize that, I guess it will be a sign that nothing should happen."

"Darlin'," Venus said, "he's looking out for your girl. When I came back here yesterday, he was teaching her poker."

Tara had laughed.

Soon enough, the charter started preparing for its next big event. Smitty and Nadine worked together in order to get the place looking like a kid's paradise. Harper helped in her own way, as Nadine would ask her what she thought of Smitty's idea, instead of debunking them herself.

Kids from the Sons' families started arriving, and balloons were blown up. Smitty was on edge, seeming both anxious and impatient to see his family. Venus was cooing at some of the babies the old ladies brought to the party.

"I've never been to a kid's birthday," Jax said in her ear, sneaking in on her.

"You'll need stamina. They can be a handful, and that's putting it lightly."

"Yours already is," he said smiling, but she could see something in his eyes, something which looked like longing. She wanted to kiss him, but refrained. They had not shared other intimate moments as that one, as if they both knew what was at stake, or maybe they were both too chicken to roll the dice and see what would happen. In her case, she felt like the fact that she was a mom made her less chicken, and more reasonable.

She shook those thoughts away when she saw a couple with children slowly make their way toward the barbecue area where they were.

"Charlie, Eden!" She exclaimed.

"Dr. Knowles…" The blond girl who looked like Nadine started.

"Come on, I'm Tara for now."

She gave them both brief hugs. The taller woman seemed worried, so Tara whispered in her ear:

"You'll be fine. Venus is here if you need a pep talk."

"Thanks."

"By the way, you remember…"

"Haley, Bobby and Martin, of course. Happy birthday buddy!"

"Thanks," the boy said.

"Charlie!" Nadine exclaimed, before running to see her daughter, and Tara shared her emotion.

Jax curled one arm around her, as she watched mother and daughter be finally reunited. Nadine hugged Eden with as much fervor, before turning to her grandchildren.

"Grandma, why haven't you been around?" Little Hayley asked.

"Grandpa and Mama were a bit cross with one another, and they decided to stop being pig-headed, and now we can all be together!"

The kids seemed to want to all fit in their grandma's arms. It was touching.

Jax sighed heavily in her ear.

She turned toward him, and saw that he was experiencing something of his own.

"My mom… I wish she'd get something like this, but she won't," he whispered, sounding so broken she took him in her arms, wondering what he meant.

They broke apart when they heard catcalls from the other Sons. They went to join the others, and she wondered if Harper would ever have siblings. She wished she would, but she couldn't picture herself going through the in vitro process once again.

Nadine made her way to them, while the Indian Springs Sons were awkwardly getting to know again the woman who had been their brother before.

"I hate to ask, Tara, but, what about Eden's back?"

"I removed the Sons tattoos. Skin there is smooth. There is nothing the others would have to remove. Things are good Nadine, don't worry."

"Well, you're a mother, you know how we are."

"I do."

"By the way, I'm so happy for you two…"

Jax and Tara were both blushing when Venus came to join them, and put an arm around her, saying:

"We did good, Darlin', Smitty and Eden are chatting. I think that he needed to see it, you know?"

"Yeah I know…"

When Jax looked at them like they were talking in code, which they probably were to him, she explained:

"Parents fear for their children, but also for their grandchildren. Smitty couldn't imagine how his grandsons and granddaughter were dealing with their father transitioning. They needed to see that the kids were not troubled by this. We worked on it, with a child psychiatrist, in order for them to understand that what was happening didn't change the fact that their parents loved them so much. They know that Eden did what she did to feel good and be able to be a good mother for them, and it's what Smitty and Nadine are seeing."

"Do you remember the Sons, when I became a prospect, just after Clay was elected president? Those Sons could never have dealt with that…" Jax said.

"Things change… What happened to Clay?"

"Parkinson's and jail."

"Well, I won't shed tears for him," Tara said. "You never knew him, right Venus?"

"Nope, Jaxy boy was already president when I met Alexander."

"Didn't Chibs used to call you Jaxy Boy, and Tig too," Tara asked smiling.

"They still do," he said with a sour face, and they found themselves laughing.

SOASOASOASOASOA

Then, the day was over.

All were exhausted, and the language jar was full.

"I need to go back to the hospital," Venus said, wishing she didn't have to.

"I'll drive you," Alexander offered, and she was tempted to accept.

"Nay, stay here, and recover. Your girls may have been rowdy, but I'm sure they were nothing like this whole pack of kids…."

"What makes you think my girls were rowdy?"

"I know their father too well," She said, winking.

And with that, she went to her car, hoping she would be able to do things quickly and then just go and slip in bed with Tara. She found herself chuckling, as she remembered that time Harper had explained to the boys that they often all slept in the same bed. Tara had said matter-of-factly that she was the little spoon. Jax and Alexander had seemed to think that they were sleeping in the same bed just when staying there.

Venus felt melancholy as she thought about Jax and Tara, and how she hoped they would get together, or back together, whichever way you wanted to look at it. She would not be welcome in that bed anymore… Then she thought of Alexander. They had not had their big talk, and she was not certain they would have it in the near future. They were doing good, being friendly, and perhaps getting to know the other in a semi-normal setting, emphasis on semi.

She drove quickly to the hospital, and started walking through the corridors to get to the clinic.

"Hey Lana," she said, upon spotting the head of the daycare center in the corridor.

"Miss Venus, hope you're well!"

"I hope you're too," Venus answered, about to move past her when she noticed something in the woman's eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering, does Doctor Knowles have a man in her life?"

"She may, but please don't repeat it," She said. "Why?"

"Well, a man came by yesterday and asked to take Harper from daycare to surprise Doctor Knowles."

"That makes little sense…" Venus muttered, wondering what that was about.

Jax knew that the little girl was at the compound.

"How did he look?"

"He had brown-hair and…."

But Venus didn't hear the rest. She thanked the woman and went to the nearest seat she could find, actually shaking, as she held in her purse the small gun Alexander had found for her.

Kohn had come to the daycare to try and take away Harper.

She felt herself shaking, and she had to remind herself to breath. She searched for her phone, and dialed a number.

"Please come and get me."

And this was how, by the next morning, Venus, Harper and Tara wound up all three in Charming, California.

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