A/N: MUCH OVERDUE CHAPTER. I have had so much going on, but those arent excuses. I let it slide and for that I am sorry. Hope people are still reading. Here a new chapter and more will be up this week. I have been in a writing mood. I found a muse and I don't know where it came from, but she's happy! :)
Jax and Tara walk back into Abel's room. They sat in silence, with nothing but the beeping of his machines to fill the room.
"You know I didn't come back for that, right?" Tara asked.
"What do you mean?" Jax asked her, thoroughly confused.
"To try and get a chance with you. To ruin whatever you had with anyone here." Tara was beginning to be overcome with emotion.
"Hey, I know that." Jax stood up and went to where Tara was sitting on the other side of Abel.
"Okay." Tara said. "I guess Wendy just got into my head."
Jax bent down to eye level with Tara, gave her a small smile and wrapped his arms around her.
The two spent the rest of the day at the hospital. There were bouts of silence, and small chatter. But mostly, they just enjoyed the company of each other. Eventually a nurse came in to kick them out. They both went back to Opie's and went immediately to sleep.
-AHW-
The next morning, Jax and Tara woke up and ate breakfast. To no one's surprise, Kozik and Chibs are there.
"Hey darlin', when ya moving?" Chibs asked Tara. "I'm going to make myself available to help you out."
Tara smiled at him. "Thanks, but I don't really have anything."
"Nothing?" This time it was Kozik who spoke up.
Tara fidgeted nervously.
"Um, the stuff we bought yesterday, and some clothes and stuff of sentimental value. That's it."
"I'm sorry darlin'. We'll take care of ya."
Tara smiled. She hadn't known these people very long, but she was sure she had the family she'd always wanted.
-AHW-
Jax called Gemma to see if she can go and sit with Abel at the hospital until him and Tara can get there. Gemma readily agreed.
"Okay. Mom's going to sit with the boy while we're running our errands. Ready to go?" Jax asked Tara.
Jax took Tara to the bank so she could sign the final papers and get the keys to the house.
Jax called the others with the good news. Opie, Donna, Chibs, and Kozik all met them at the new house.
When Jax and Tara pull up, a lump formed in Tara's throat. Opie's truck was full to the brim with boxes that Tara knew was going to be put in her new house.
Donna had brought lamps, curtains, a shower curtain, silverware, pots/pans, plates, and cups. Basically all of the things Tara forgot she needed.
"Donna, Op. You guys didn't have to do this."
Opie laughed.
"Don't thank us yet. The silverware, plates, and cups are new. Some of the pots and pans are used so I don't know how long they'll last. One of the lamps is from the spare bedroom. And well the curtains, you're going to need them." Everyone laughed at Opie's explanation.
"You guys are amazing." Tara said proudly.
Everyone sat in the living on the floor as Tara went and ordered them lunch. She paid over the phone with her credit card. She knew the guys would throw a fit about it, but she didn't really care. They helped her out so much, the least she could do was buy them lunch. The food came half an hour later. All four guys stood up to pay for the food.
"It's already been taken care of." The young delivery boy managed to say, through a shaking voice. He didn't know much about these four guys, but he knew what the cut meant, and that scared him.
"What do you mean it's already been taken care of?" Jax asked.
"A Miss Knowles paid for it with her credit card. I'm going to need her signature on the receipt."
All four guys looked at Tara. She just smiled and walked over to sign the receipt. She took the bags of food and sat back down on the floor.
The delivery boy turned to walk away.
"Hey, here's your tip." Jax handed him a twenty dollar bill. Jax sauntered over to the group with a smug smirk on his face.
"Still spent money."
"You're such a dumbass." Tara replied, shaking her head.
-AHW-
At 3:45, Jax and Tara finally made it to the hospital.
"Hey Ma. Thanks for sitting with him." Jax greeted his mother.
"Aw Jackson. You know it's not a problem for me to do this. He's my grandbaby."
Tara wasn't sure how she felt being there with Gemma. She knew Gemma wasn't going to leave, and she wondered if she should.
"Hey sweetheart, why don't you sit down." Gemma gestured towards the chair next to her. Tara waited for Jax to reply.
She heard a chuckle next to her and looked up at Jax.
"She's talking to you darlin'." Tara was stunned for a moment, she looked at Gemma and then sat down next to her. Gemma smiled warmly at Tara and then turned her attention back to Abel. Jax laid his hand on Tara's shoulder and they both turned their attention to Abel also.
Back at Tara's new house Donna, Opie, Kozik, and Chibs continued their pursuit of unpacking. Donna had went and got items from her house that Tara had left behind when she disappeared. She didn't know if she'd ever see Tara again, so she kept them for her own reasons. Now that Tara was back, Donna knew it was things she'd want back.
Chibs went out and bought towels and bathroom supplies, and Kozik went out and bought basic bedroom set and pillows.
They continued unpacking and bringing in items, hoping they could have it done before Tara got back from the hospital.
-AHW-
Around 8pm that night, Jax and Tara were leaving the hospital. Gemma stayed until about 6, but said she had errands to run and might see them later.
As they were walking out, they ran into David Hale.
"Hey Jax, can I speak to you for a moment?" David asked tentatively.
"Yeah, what's up?" Jax asked, concerned with why David had sought him out.
"Wendy checked out his morning. Unfortunately that looks good to judges. She checked herself out into a rehabilitation center."
"What does that mean?" Jax asked.
"It means Wendy will probably be able to plead down to much lesser charges." Hale said regretfully.
"How is that even possible?" Jax asked incredulously.
Hale let out a chuckle.
"Jax, you're a criminal. You know how these things work. You do something good and they'll show some forgiveness."
Jax didn't like being reminded of his criminal status. He was working hard to stay away from illegal things. Well, as much as the club would let him.
"Yeah well, my criminal activity sure as fuck doesn't involve potentially killing innocent children." Jax stated.
"Yeah, I guess I'll give you that one. But on the other hand, Wendy does have a record. It's not quite as extensive as yours, but it's enough to show instability on the part of her potential recovery." Hale replied.
This time it was Tara's turn to question him.
"What does that mean?"
"It means once a junkie, always a junkie." Jax spat. "She's been to rehab three times and has relapsed every time" Jax continued.
"Anyway Jax, I'll keep you updated on the case. Hope your son is doing well."
At that, Jax's face softened. "Thanks Hale."
Jax and Tara headed out of the hospital and got on Jax's bike. They headed back to Tara's house. As they pulled up to the house, Jax smiled and Tara took a deep breath.
Littered all over Tara's driveway, on the street, and in the front yard was a whole clubs worth of motorcycles.
"What's this Jax?" Tara asked.
"I don't know, but I'm going to kiss whoever set this up." Jax replied.
"You go ahead. Might be your last chance before I kill them." Tara groaned as she got off of Jax's bike.
Tara opened the door first and came face to face with all of SAMCRO, their old ladies included. On the entryway to the kitchen was a "WELCOME HOME" sign. It was in that moment, looking around at all the men and women packed into her VERY newly purchased house, that she truly felt at home.
"Who did this?!" She yelled.
Everyone was quiet. Except for Donna.
"CHIBS!" Donna yelled.
"Motherfucker." Chibs groaned under his breath.
Tara looked around the room and found Chibs hiding behind Tig. She walked over to him briskly. As she got close, Chibs covered his throat, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. Tara ignored his muffled apologies and threw her arms around his neck.
"Thank you so much. I didn't even realize I wanted this until right now. Yet, you did." she said while still hugging him.
Chibs pulled back a little, but kept Tara in an embrace. "Anything for you doc, you're family."
Tara hugged him tight and kissed his cheek. Loud applause was heard throughout the room. Tara turned toward the group.
"Thank you all so much for coming. I'm sorry I wasn't ready for this. I have an empty home and no food."
Gemma stepped forward and looped her arm through Tara's.
"Sweetheart. Let me show you something."
Gemma pulled Tara into the kitchen. The counters were full of food, alcohol, pop, plates, and silverware. Tara was stunned.
"What? I-I don't know what to say."
Gemma gave Tara a soft smile.
"Go look through the rest of the house." Gemma urged.
Tara stopped in the living room and asked Jax, Donna, Opie, Kozik, and Chibs to walk with her. They stopped in the bathroom and Tara was floored to see it already fully stocked. There were towels in the closet and all showering items she needed were on the counter. Tara stood there completely stunned. She picked up the shampoo bottle and smelled it. Chibs' voice filtered through her musings.
"Donna told me what scent to get. Hope it's okay." Chibs asked.
Tara put the bottle down. "It's great." She replied.
Tara then opened the med cabinet and came face to face with more makeup than she'd ever seen in her life. She turned to Chibs with a smile on her face.
"That wasn't me. I don't know shit about makeup." He defended quickly.
"That was Gemma." Donna piped up.
That surprised Tara. Maybe things weren't going wrong with the matriarch. The group moved to the guest bedroom next. In the room sat a bassinet, diapers, and baby clothes. Tara turned to Donna, shocked.
"People brought a lot of stuff for Abel." Donna explained. "Since Jax's house isn't done yet, we put it in here. If that's not okay, we can store it at my place."
Tara took a second to answer, unsure why she felt a wave of disappointment that it was only temporary. She took a deep breath and answered quietly.
"No, it's fine here. That room isn't being used anyway."
Donna nodded her head and grabbed Tara's arm.
"Okay, last room to see is your bedroom." Donna and Tara walked together, and the men followed.
Tara opened the door and was surprised to find it looking completely different than when she left it five hours ago.
The bed was done in a simple blue comforter with two fluffy pillows on either side. There was a lamp on the end table and on the dresser she bought. What stopped her was the pictures that were hanging on the wall. The first one was a picture of Donna and her, around 18 years old. Both looked young and completely carefree. The next was the original foursome at the clubhouse. Donna on the back of Opie's bike and Tara on the back of Jax's. What made Tara laugh was it looked like a picture in motion. She was falling OFF the bike. Tara's laugh died in her throat as she came across the last picture. The last picture she didn't even know about. It was a candid shot of her and Jax the day after the infamous New Years Eve party. Tara was in the kitchen doing dishes and Jax was watching her from the entryway. She hadn't even known he was there. From the profile of his face, you could see a serene smile on his face.
Unsure as to why, tears began to spring to Tara's eyes. It wasn't until Donna spoke that she remembered she wasn't alone.
"Are you okay?"
Tara frantically wiped her eyes before she turned toward the group.
"Huh, oh yeah. I'm fine. Can I just have a minute alone please?"
Chibs was the first to answer. He laid a hand on Tara's shoulder. "Of course love."
Tara could see that Kozik and Chibs had to practically drag Jax out of the room.
Tara watched the door close behind them and sat on the bed and cried.
-AHW-
Back in the living room, the party was in full swing.
"Hey, where's the lady of the hour?" Tig asked.
"In her room. She just needs a minute." Jax replied.
"Hey Jax, I'm going to use the restroom. Watch the oven for me, yeah?" Gemma asked.
"Yeah, Ma." Jax responded absentmindedly.
By the time Tara heard a knock on her door, she was in full blown hysterics. Before she had time to pull herself together, the door opened. Gemma stood in the doorway.
"Hey." Gemma said, quietly.
"Hi?" Tara didn't mean to, but she posed it as a question.
"Wanna talk?" Gemma asked.
"To you?"
"Well, there's no need to sound so incredulous. I do know how to speak in a polite manner." Gemma said.
"Since when?" Tara questioned under her breath.
"Hey!" Gemma exclaimed.
Gemma walked over to the bed and sat down.
"Okay sweetheart. What's wrong?"
"I'm crazy right? It's all happening so fast. I've been home for less than a week and I've basically got Jax moving in with me. It's insane! I was actually disappointed that Abel's things are going to be here temporarily. Who thinks shit like that about a guy they barely know, and his son!?" Tara ranted, all in one breath.
Stunned, Gemma sat quietly for a moment.
"I'm going to tell you something, Tara. I hated you when you jumped ship 5 years ago. You had an effect on Jax that I didn't think was healthy. I didn't think you'd want to be a part of this life. Yet, here you are. Worried NOT about the club or about all the criminals you currently have in your house. No. You're worried about what people would say about you and Jax." Gemma sat quietly for a moment, than finished.
"Fuck 'em."
Tara looked up in surprise, only to see Gemma smiling.
"Seriously Tara. You and Jax have a history that's spanned a long time. It's not like he's just some guy you met on the street. And let me tell you something else. The people that matter, don't care. The people that matter are rooting for you. Don't let anyone stop you."
Gemma laid a hand on Tara's knee and then made her exit.
Tara sat there stunned. So Gemma was not against it? Gemma acknowledged it was crazy, but she also acknowledged it was happening and didn't say anything negative about it. Tara wasn't sure why, but she felt lighter at the weird advice from Gemma.
-AHW-
Gemma walked back into the living room. She spotted Jax sitting in the corner talking to Donna.
"What do you think caused that?" Jax asked quietly.
Before Donna could respond, Gemma interrupted their conversation.
"Hey Jax. Why don't you go talk to Tara. I think she's feeling much better." Gemma said.
"What did you say to her?" Jax asked, afraid his mother made her usual bold statements.
"Hey! If I was a bitch, she'd have ran of this house crying. Did she do that? No. So don't get all high and mighty on me like you have to babysit me. I'm your mother Jax, not the other way around."
Jax looked properly chastised and left the room, kissing his mom on the cheek on his way out.
He stopped outside Tara's bedroom door and took a deep breath. He opened her door, and before he could even walk in completely, Tara had launched herself into Jax's arms.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jax asked, confused by the turn of events.
Tara let out a humored chuckle.
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Just for one second, everything feels so right."