A/N: So, here's chapter 12! Hope you guys enjoy it, I know I did. :)
"Don't worry Ma, it won't hurt much longer."
"Jax, please don't do this. I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand." Gemma plead with her son.
Jax didn't say anything, just kept dragging her out of the room.
"No, you just didn't mean to get caught." Opie retorted.
Everyone else stood in silence and watched the matriarch get taken back to her death. Movement in Opie's peripheral vision caught his attention. He looked over to see Clay putting his hand inside his cut. Opie grabbed his also.
"Clay, don't. You know this has to happen." Upon hearing Opie, the others caught on to what was happening and made a wall between Clay and the retreating Jax and Gemma.
Jax lead Gemma back to the room that was designated as Clay's. Clay rarely used it, but it was here in case he ever needed it. Jax closed the door and locked it. He sat Gemma on the bed and stood in front of her.
"Jackson, you can't do this. I'm your mother. I only wanted what was best for this club. I helped build this club and I couldn't have anyone, not even my own son, take part in changes it's ways. The club is good where it is and no changes need to be happening."
"If the club was so good, why did you jump at the chance of sending me to prison? Your own son." Jax emotion was so thick, he barely got the words out.
"You would have done the same if you didn't like where this club was headed. You would have ratted in a second." Gemma argued.
"That's where you're wrong. I told you about loyalties. I am loyal to this club. I have killed for this club and I would die for this club. This club is my home, my family. And that woman out there, the one you so carelessly pushed away, she's my family too. She meant more to me then I can even describe. And had her kidnapped and tortured. But that's not even the worst of it. The worst of it is that you had my father, your HUSBAND, killed. Why? Why did you do that? You couldn't handle the fact that he didn't love you anymore? That there was someone else out there that captured his attention? That he was a GOOD man?!" Jax's voice rose the longer he talked.
"He did everything for you! Built this club around you and what YOU wanted. And then when things didn't go as planned, you killed him. That wasn't an accident out there on the highway was it? You fucked with his bike somehow. I want answers. This is your last chance to talk to me, because if I don't get answers in the next 30 seconds, I'll shoot you where you sit."
Gemma started visibly shaking.
"Alright, you want answers, fine! Yes, I killed John Teller. Not with my own hands, but I had a part in it. But you have to know Jackson, that I wasn't the only one. There are other people here that are just as responsible for what happened to John and Tara as I am." Jax took a step back. Someone else knew about Tara?
"Do you think I could have gotten away with any of this without Clay knowing? Come on Jackson, get real. Clay knew everything up front, and he supported me. He wanted the club the second he was patched in. That was always his plan, to get the gavel at any costs. You're blind if you think that he didn't know about all of this up front. And as for the thing with Tara...well you know I can't do research to save my life. I had to get all of that Intel somewhere. Juice didn't know what I was using if for, but he sure the fuck played his part in this whole thing. I think he knows that now. He probably hoped that you'd shoot me on the spot and I wouldn't be able to tell you any of this. I'm sorry Jackson. But this was the only way to get what I wanted."
"Get what YOU wanted. Again with you! You're such a selfish bitch that everything is revolved around you, and what you want, and what you need. I'm sorry, but this time, you don't get what you want. For once, I get what I want, and what I need."
Jax bend down and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. Knowing it would be the last time, he roughly whispered that he loved her. He then stood tall, to his whole six foot frame, and shot his mother point blank between the eyes.
The shot echoed through the quiet room, and everything was still.
Back in the main room, there was still a wall being presented that separated Clay from Gemma. When the shot rang out, Tara and Donna jumped, but everyone else was stock still. The men shared troubled looks with each other and a few even said a silent prayer. Tara and Donna sat on the couch together crying. Donna was crying because of the violence that had ensued, but not Tara. Tara cried for a chapter in her life that she might finally be able to close. She didn't want Gemma to die necessarily, but she knew there was no other way when it came to the club. You rat, you die.
When Jax didn't emerge from the room, Opie and Chibs went back to see if everything was okay. The door was locked, but it didn't take more then one kick to get it open.
Gemma was laying on her back, blood rushing out from her head, and Jax was stone still on the floor. He had dropped to his knees and was cradling his head in his hands. The look on Gemma's face before he pulled the trigger would be forever etched into his mind.
"Jax, Jax you alright?" Opie was trying to get his attention.
"I killed my mother. I can't believe I killed my mother. What makes me better then her? She killed my father, and I killed her." Jax was rambling.
"Jackie Boy, you know this had to happen. If you hadn't done it, any one of us would. John was our leader, our founder. And your mother did something unspeakable."
"She didn't do it alone." Jax said through the fog that plagued his mind.
"What do you mean she didn't do it alone." Opie asked, concerned for what else was about to come out.
"I mean there are two more people in this club house responsible for some of Gemma's actions. Clay knew everything. Everything about John, everything about Tara."
"Jesus Christ," Chibs exclaimed. "What do you mean about the other one?"
"Juice." Jax said.
"Juice wasn't even here when JT died..." Opie said. And then it clicked. "Tara?"
"Yeah. He was indirectly involved. But what concerns me is he didn't come right out and say anything when Kohn showed up. Gemma had Juice dig up all the dirt on Tara and Kohn."
"What the fuck is going on in this club?!" Chibs asked, frustrated.
"What's going on in this club, is we have someone at the head of the table who didn't deserve it. Who literally killed to get that spot."
"How do we handle this, Jax?"
"We do what we always do. We take it to the club and let them make the final decision."
Opie and Chibs helped Jax off the floor. He wiped away his tears and left. He didn't spare a single glance at his dead mother on the bed.
The room was still silent when Jax and the other two entered.
"It's done." Jax said to no one in particular.
Everyone knew from the single shot heard, but hearing Jax's confirmation rocked everyone a little.
Clay sunk down into the chair he was standing by.
"There's more to the story then just Gemma." Jax said to the group.
Jax stood at the fringe of the circle and took a deep breath.
"I gave Gemma one last chance to come clean about anything that she knew. And she told me a lot of information. Firstly, Juice." Jax turned his glare to the man of topic.
"Why didn't you come to me when Gemma had you looking up information on Tara?"
Juice just stood there, staring at Jax.
"Juice?" Bobby asked.
"I didn't know what she was going to use the information for Jax, I swear. And then when Tara showed up and everything came out, I freaked. I didn't want to get thumbed for having any involvement into the whole thing."
"But you were involved. You should have come clean with everything. You should have come to me directly and told me Gemma was looking for Tara. You knew my involvement with her and you still did NOTHING to keep this from happening to her." Jax waved his hand in Tara's direction for emphasis.
"But that's not the worse thing." Jax walked up to Clay and stood above him, the same way he had done to his mother.
"Gemma said you knew everything. That you helped her with John, and you knew about Tara." Audible gasps could be heard around the room.
"Jax" Tara's weak voice resounded through the room.
"Clay was there the day Gemma threatened me. He broke up the fight and confirmed everything Gemma said to me. He knew about me leaving too."
Jax scrubbed his worn out hands over his even more worn out face. Things were just stacked up against him, and he wasn't even sure why.
"You're not getting a word out of me." was all Clay had to say.
"That's confirmation enough right there." Piney said, advancing upon Clay.
"You and Gemma are the most selfish of people. Did you honestly think that you could get away with stuff of this caliber?" Piney asked him.
To everyone's surprise Clay looked up, the most evil smile gracing his face.
"I did get away with it. For ten years. And you know what? I made this club what it is."
Tig was the first to speak up.
"This club isn't half of what it used to be. This club is in shambles. Your reign caused nothing but heartache and bloodshed. I don't even know who you are anymore." Tig backed away from Clay, clearly disgusted by what he had heard.
In a flash, that no one was ready for, Clay withdrew his gun he hadn't taken his hand off of yet.
He fired a shot and a body could be heard hitting the floor. Everyone turned their attention to Clay, Tig being the closest was able to disarm him and without processing everything shot Clay in the chest with his own gun.
Everyone's attention was on Clay and Tig. Until they heard someone cry out in pain, they had forgotten that someone else had been shot.
A/N: So, don't shoot me (haha) but I left a cliff hanger. I want to see who you guys think was shot! It's already written but I'd love to know who YOU think it is ;)
