Jax awoke to a distant knocking. He assumed it was someone at his front door but it was too early to move. And in Kit's words, if it was important, they would come back. He listened as it stopped followed by the latch turning and someone coming in. It could only be one person. Gemma. He reluctantly opened his eyes and turned, expecting to see Kit lying down under the covers next to him but the bed was empty. Did he dream yesterday?

Then he spotted a piece of paper on the bedside table.

I wish I could have stayed and woken up next to you. Duty called and I had to run. I'll make it up to you, I promise

xox K

Jax smiled. It was real. Kit was back in his life. Not even his mother could ruin his good mood today. He pulled himself out of bed to find Gemma. In some ways, he was kind of glad that Kit wasn't here, as bad as it sounded. He had no problem bringing her back under the arm of SAMCRO but dealing with his mom could wait. He didn't know exactly how she would treat Kit but he had an idea and it wasn't good.

Jax found her coming out of Abel's room, holding him in his arms.

"Hey ma," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're here early."

"I came to see my grandbaby. I've missed him," she said, grinning down at the little man in her arms.

"Tara told you that you could visit him anytime, right?"

"It's not the same. I don't need her watching my every move like a hawk. I want to see him in his rightful home," she replied. "Besides, he can't get my pancakes at her house."

"Pancakes!" Abel yelled.

"That's right, baby. I'm going to make you pancakes and then we're going to go to the playground. Sound good, Abel?"

He nodded at his grandmother enthusiastically. "Can Daddy's friend come too?" he asked, innocently. When Gemma look bewildered, he went on. "Kit, can she come to the playground?"

"Why don't you go put on some cartoons and I'll get started," she said, setting him down and watching him run to the living room. She turned to her son. "Really? You're letting that woman back in your life? Around your son?"

"Mom…"

"She's weak, Jax. She can't handle this kind of life, the decisions you have to make. She's a waste of time." Gemma didn't want to be saying these things to her son but she knew women and that Kit wasn't right for him. She wasn't old lady material. She'd already gotten her chance and shown her true colours.

Jax shook his head. "You don't know her like I do. A momentary lapse in judgment doesn't make her weak."

"Jax, sh-

"She's part of my life," Jax said with finality. "You can accept it or not, but you can't change it. She's with me."

Gemma rolled her eyes and continued down the hallway to get started on making breakfast for her grandson. Jax could make his own mistakes and this time she wouldn't be there to clean up his mess. "Clay needs you at the clubhouse," she called.

Jax turned toward the shower. He hoped that would be the end of it. She'd said her piece and he'd said his. He knew that his mother would treat Kit like she had all of his other girlfriends, however the hell she felt like. But maybe this time would be different. Gemma did come around to Tara in the end. There was still hope.


"Juice, put those in the back," Clay ordered, handing the younger man the folders with profiles on the new ATF agents in town. He eyed, Juice's girlfriend, and then kept walking. She was a pretty little thing but nothing like his queen.

"I'll be right back," Juice told Rachel, kissing her on the cheek. As he turned, one of the files dropped and opened on the floor.

Rachel glanced down reflexively and then did a double take. She picked up the folder before Juice had a chance, looking at the photo clipped onto one side. "Why do you have this?" she asked. "Who is this to you?"

"He's investigating the warehouse fire. We like to know who we're dealing with. You know him or something?" Juice asked, curiously. He closed the folder quickly and took it back from her. She wasn't supposed to see stuff like that.

"Yeah, sort of." A million thoughts were racing through her head. The first one was that she needed to find Kit. She'd been trying to get a hold of her all weekend but the girl was basically MIA. "He's my cousin."

"Nix?"

"Yeah, on my mom's side. I haven't seen him in years. Haven't spoken in longer. How long has he been in town?"

Juice shrugged. "Just a couple of days. I'm going to put these away. I'll be right back." He headed for the back room of the clubhouse, thinking about what to do. He had to tell the club, that was a given. Something like that could be huge. He loved Rachel and knew she wouldn't turn on the club but family made you act differently. She was a liability.

He found Jax sitting in the dorm room writing in a notebook. It would be easier to bring this to him than to Clay or to the table right away. He needed some advice before the club made a decision.

"Hey man, got a minute?" he asked his VP.

Jax closed the notebook. "Everything alright?"

"It's about Rachel." He decided to just get into it. "She's Nix's cousin."

Jax's first thought was of Kit. He wondered if she was related too. Either way, it wasn't good. Family always complicated things. "Are they close?" Juice shook his head. "Alright, let's just keep this between us for now. Nix hasn't made any contact with us, just his superior, Hunter. I don't think he'll use her against us and if he does, make sure she knows which side to pick."

Juice nodded. "I'll talk to her." He put the folders on the desk and left.

As soon as he was gone, Jax opened Nix's file. He looked at the photograph and could instantly see a resemblance between him and Kit. They had the same green eyes. They had to be related too. If anyone questioned her feelings about the club, this wouldn't help matters. He'd have to talk to her too. He was kind of glad he hadn't brought her back around the clubhouse in case this changed everything. Giving her up might be what needs to happen, to protect her and his club.

He sighed. Just when he thought things were going great, they'd already hit a roadblock. She had invited him over. It'd be the perfect time to bring it up before he got any more attached to her.


"I have to ask you something," Jax said, not wanting to continue. Kit had made him dinner and they'd ended up in bed together before he decided, reluctantly, to bring up the Agent Nix thing. He didn't want to ruin the night and for all he knew, their time together could be running out.

"Shoot," she said, entwining her fingers with his. She was sitting up in the bed, a sheet wrapped around her.

Jax looked up at her, into her eyes. "There's some new ATF agents in town investigating the warehouse fire. Do you know an Agent Sam Nix?"

She immediately tensed and he had his answer. "He's in Charming?"

"You're related."

"I need to leave." She got out of the bed and pulled her clothes back on as fast as she could. "I have to get out of here."

Jax got up and pulled on his pants. He didn't anticipate this kind of reaction. "Kit, what are you doing? Calm down." She already had a bag out and was starting to throw clothes into it. He wrapped his arms around her to stop her from moving. She resisted him at first but then stopped, her breathing evening out. "What's going on?"

"Nix…I don't want to see him. I never want to see him. It's just better if I leave," she said, her voice steadying. "It's always better this way."

"Kit, I'm here for you. Talk to me," Jax said, almost pleading.

She nodded and he let her go. "Nix is my…he's my brother," she said, a twisted look on her face. "We're not on speaking terms, not for years. I don't want to see him ever again."

"That doesn't mean you have to leave town. You can't just run away. He could be here for months while the ATF try to find something on us." Jax sat on the edge of the bed. "I can't lose you for that long."

"Jax, I just can't. It's too hard. He'll find out we're together and he'll fucking find a way to get to me. Bring me in for questioning or charge me with something stupid. He's done it before." She saw the look on Jax's face. "That's why you brought it up. You think I would talk."

"I don't think that."

"I wouldn't ever do that, Jax. I know exactly what happens to rats."

The way she said that made Jax think there was something behind it, something personal. He knew now wasn't the time to bring it up so he just opened his arms up. She went into them willingly. "Just come and stay with me. He won't get to you there. I'll protect you. I love you and we'll figure this out together."

Kit kissed her boyfriend, glad she had someone to turn to, someone who could be strong. "I love you too."

Jax held her for a long time. He wanted to push for more information. It wasn't clear what the threat was but it was there and he didn't like it. But Kit was the kind of person you couldn't push because she'd just shut down. She would come around in time and he wasn't going anywhere so he could wait.


"So whose house were you at when I picked you up? New guy?" Elle asked between bites of her massive burger. "Because I saw a Harley in the front. SAMCRO?"

Kit sipped on her coffee. She was astonished at how much the woman in front of her could eat. She was tall and slender with a body any woman would kill for. Kit swore all she ever saw her eat was burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Granted, her job as a bounty hunter did keep her fit and on her toes but still. It was almost a question of logistics as to where the food went. Elle had dragged Kit to the shooting range early in the morning, wanting to get some practice in. There was a new indoor place in Lodi not far from work. Everyone knew Kit was the best shooter in the office, one of the main reasons Sean had hired her. Elle wanted some pointers and insisted on treating her to lunch afterward.

"Would it be a good thing or bad thing if it was?"

"It would be interesting. You never talk about your social life. The only guy I've seen you with is that lawyer who used to come by sometimes. SAMCRO is just…interesting," she said with a smile.

"I'm not dating Will anymore. We broke up," Kit told her, eating some of her sandwich. He seemed such a distant memory now.

"Did you tell him that before you hopped on the back of that bike? He stopped by the office last night, looking for you. Told me to ask you to call him."

Kit tensed slightly. So technically she hadn't broken up with Will, just taken a break. But they hadn't spoken since that day. She really didn't understand what he saw in her, what kept him coming back. She was horrible to him in the end and for some reason he still wanted her. Unless he wanted something else? "How was he?"

Elle shrugged. "Pretty shit. Looked miserable. But if you say you're over, there are more important things to discuss. Which son are you dating? I grew up in Charming so I think I know most of them. I like to keep up to date on my biker gangs."

Kit bit her bottom lip a little out of habit. "Jax Teller." She couldn't decipher the look on Elle's face. "What's that look? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing," she finally said, grinning. "I just didn't think you'd go for a guy like that."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. He's hot, that's a given. But he's Jax Teller. We went to high school together and I'm pretty sure that half the girls in my class lost their virginity to him. He gets around and from what I've heard, not much has changed," Elle bluntly told her. "That kind of lifestyle is intense. There is no getting out once you're in, not really. I just don't want you to get hurt, Kit."

Kit took a deep breath and exhaled. "It was all in the past. I can't fault him for that. I wouldn't want anyone to judge me based on mine either. Things just feel better when I'm with him."

Elle hit her playfully. "Oh god, you're in love with him. I can see it written all over you. The Prince of Charming has you under his spell," she teased.

Kit could feel the colour rising in her cheeks. "It's just so fresh. I don't want to jinx it or anything. We're just together. Line drawn, unlabelled, uncomplicated."

"Just let him know that if he breaks your heart, I'll fucking kill him. Pinky swear," she said, holding out her little finger, which Kit took in hers, laughing. "I know where he lives now."

"I'll make sure he knows." It was really nice to talk about boys and just forget about her problems for a while. Ever since she had found out that her brother was in town, she'd been on the lookout, determined to avoid him before he ever noticed her. Rachel said he had stopped by the house twice looking for his sister. He had also warned her about continuing to date Juice so she had been nervous ever since that something bad was going to happen.

"Well, what about me? I need to find a nice, hot boyfriend. What about the babe that just walked in?" Elle said, nodding to the door of the restaurant. There were two men in dark suits that walked in. "The younger one with the dark hair and light eyes. Think I could date a fed?"

As Kit's glanced over and saw the faces of the two men, her heart stopped. "We have to leave immediately," she whispered anxiously across the table, shielding her face so they wouldn't see her. She reached into her purse and threw a couple twenties on the table, not caring about the money. Her only concern was getting the hell out of the diner without being stopped.

"Why? Who is that?" Elle asked, following her friend. Kit slipped past the front counter and into the kitchen before anyone could stop her. There was no way she was risking going out the front. When she made it out the back door safely with Elle in tow, she breathed a little easier. "I take it you don't want me to date him?"

"No, don't. We have to go and I don't want to be spotted." Elle was looking at her expectantly. "It's an MC thing," Kit said, lying. No one ever questioned stuff like that, not wanting to get involved.

"I'll get the car."

As Kit stood by the door, the seconds dragging on, she failed to notice the man walk up from around the corner. She was so worried about the door opening behind her that she didn't see the person she was running from was right beside her.

"I thought I saw you sneak out," he said. She was so startled she jumped about a mile. "You're faster than I remember."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"It's nice to see you too, sis. It's been so long. I'm doing really well, thanks for asking." He took a step toward her and in two seconds, her gun was out of her bag and pointed at him. "Kit, relax. Put it away." Whatever he expected to happen when he finally saw his sister again, the resistance and attitude, he didn't see a gun coming.

"What the fuck do you want, Agent Nix?"

He looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "Can't even say my name? I just wanted to talk, reconnect. I see that was a mistake."

Elle pulled up nearby. "I don't know you anymore, Sam." She lowered the gun and with it, she felt her emotional guard come down a little too. When she saw him, she felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. The sight of his partner was enough to make her blood boil but to see them together, to see Sam allied with such a monster? She wanted to hurt him for it. "How can you look at me when you're working with him? You're not my brother. You're just a fool."

"Fine, if that's how you want it to be."

Kit spit on the ground between them. "It's the way you made it when you chose him over your family." She turned and got in Elle's car without another word.

They were flying on the highway before Elle broke the silence. "He's not going to hurt you Kit, is he? I shouldn't be worried that he'll follow you or something? Just tell me that at least."

"No, not if he has half a brain," she told Elle, her voice vacant. Had she been too harsh? Sam had looked so hurt. Every time she saw him in the past, she wanted to fix things between them but he was always in the way. Sam never let his partner go, never believed a word Kit had said about him, even though she knew the truth. Her brother trusted blindly, always had. It was too much for her to ever get over.

"Are you going to be okay at work? I can take you wherever, Jax's?"

"No, I'll be fine," she insisted. She had to be strong on her own right now. Besides, she needed to figure out everything about this investigation as she could. The faster they were out of Charming and away from the MC, the better it was for everyone.


A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. Things got so crazy with school (started a new program) and life, etc. Anyway, I want to get this back on track. I always think about it but just never have time to write it out. As usual, let me know what you think xoxA