Jax walked into the living room after hanging up the phone. He had gotten the call from Roosevelt a little before nine at night. Giselle had just put the kids down for bed and was now sitting on the couch, toying with her hair. "You threatened D.A. Patterson?"
"No. I made her a promise," Giselle frowned at him.
"Baby," Jax sighed,"I love how crazy you are. . But I don't want you in cuffs." He sat down beside her.
"Why not?" She crawled into his lap,"I thought you always wanted to try handcuffs. . Or did you want me to handcuff you?"
He grinned,"You are such a bad girl." He gripped her hips.
"You made me that way," She grinned at him and bit his ear,"And I'm grateful."
"I have handcuffs," Jax ran his hands up her sides.
"Oh, do you?" Giselle raised a brow.
"Oh yes. I do." He picked her up and carried her to their bedroom. Giselle giggled.
...
Jax walked into the clubhouse and had to stop and do a double take. Chibs was sitting at the bar, drinking what looked like whiskey. It wasn't beer because it was in a glass. And that struck Jax as very odd. Chibs had quit his morning drinking thing ever since hooking up with Kellis. That woman had whipped a decent amount of bad habits out of him.
It was one of the reasons that Jax loved them together. Kellis was so good for Chibs. And Chibs loved Kellis with everything he was.
Jax walked over to Chibs,"You okay, bro?"
Chibs scrubbed a hand down his face,"I really fucked up, Jackie boy. ."
"What happened?" Jax sat beside him at the bar.
"I. ." Chibs looked down into his drink,"I called Kellis by Fiona's name last night in bed. ."
Jax gawked at him like he'd sprouted a second head,"You WHAT?"
"I know, Jackie. . "
"Bro. . I thought you were over Fiona. . "
"I thought I was, too. . Jax, I love Kellis but I saw Fiona the other day. . She was here visiting some family, I guess. . . And I just had her on the brain and it came out. . " He sighed.
Jax sighed,"Man. . If I ever called Giselle by Tara's name-"
"You would die," Giselle walked in, her arms crossed. "Daddy, how could you?"
"I'm sorry, lass," Chibs got up and came over to her,"I love ya and your ma more than anything in this world. You know I do. I'll always love Fiona and Kerrianne is my baby, I love her dearly and I would die for her. But I am in love with your mother. She is my forever."
"Then why?"
"Why is my best friend sobbing in my office?" Gemma walked in.
Chibs groaned,"Not now, Gem."
"Daddy," Giselle took Chibs's hands,"Give her a few days to relax, then you apologize until you lose your voice."
Chibs nodded,"I feel like such an ass." He walked away.
Giselle sighed. She loved her parents, and knew how they felt for each other. Kellis was the reason the sun rose and set for Chibs and Chibs was the only man Kellis had ever truly loved in her entire life.
Giselle had grown up with Galen as her father. Kellis had been married to him. And Giselle had always hated him. Kellis had raised Giselle in the United States after leaving Galen for being an abusive, disrespectful, adulterous prick. Giselle had been six years old when that had happened. And ever since Chibs had taken the role of Giselle's father. He had raised her with Kellis and only after becoming an adult had Giselle found out that Chibs was her real father.
Kellis had been sweethearts with Chibs as teenagers and after marrying Galen when Chibs had been cast out of the I.R.A., had met up with him once while John had come to visit SAMBEL. Galen had beaten her to a pulp an she had run to Chibs immediately. One wonerful night of solace and nine months later, Giselle had come along.
Kellis had told Giselle that she couldn't be angry with Galen for cheating when Giselle was the product of her adultery. But Giselle didn't care. Kellis had fallen into Chibs's arms after a brutal attack and an unhappy marriage. Not just an unhappy one but one filled with fear and hate.
Galen had just decided to sleep with any pretty young thing he could find. He was so sanctimonious and preachy about his religion and it drove her crazy. He was nothing but a wife beater and a hypocrite.
Giselle kissed Jax gently,"I know he loves us."
"Everyone knows, babe." He kissed her back,"Where are the kids?"
"Play scape." She nuzzled his neck.
"Good," He stroked her hair,"You going out to the office?"
"Yeah and doing some last minute shit for the wedding. Wanna meet me for lunch and we can go over some stuff?"
"Sure, baby. Name th-" Before Jax could finish bullets began flying through the walls. Jax yelped, feeling a burning pain in his arm. He grabbed Giselle and dragged her to the floor, covering her. They could hear screaming and gunfire and squealing tires.
When the bullet storm stopped, Jax got off Giselle and she sat up. "Oh baby, your arm!" Giselle touched it gently.
"I'm fine. Find the kids!" Jax snapped.
Giselle nodded and ran outside. Her mind was racing. Her kids. Oh God her kids. If they were hurt, she would murder whoever had done this. Jax wouldn't get the chance. "Fy! Abel!"
"Mommy!" Fyori sobbed from the play scape. Abel and her were cowering in the corner, Juice, holding them. He'd probably shielded them from the attack. He had a bullet in his leg.
Giselle ran over and examined Juice. It was shallow. Thank God. "Oh Juice, thank you, baby." She hugged him. Then she grabbed her kids and held them.
"Dear God!" Giselle heard her mother's voice scream. Giselle brought her kids with her when she went to find her mother. She was standing in the doorway to Gemma's office, staring ahead, ghost pale. Giselle looked.
Chibs was on the ground, blood pooling around him from his chest. Giselle screamed,"Daddy!" She ran to him and started to cry,"Daddy! Oh God. ." She kissed Chibs's hair. she felt his blood dripping onto her her clothing. "Daddy, please. . Hold on. ." She put pressure on his wound, hoping to help it.
Jax grabbed Giselle gently away from Chibs when the paramedics got there. She watched them take him away and she looked at her mother,"Why did you just stand there!" Giselle snapped at her. "Why didn't you help him!"
". . . It's my fault," Kellis said softly,"This is my fault. . He could die. . And. ."
"What?" Gemma walked up,"What do you mean it's your fault?"
"H-He was coming to apologize to me," Kellis said. "I saw him coming and I opened the door to talk to him. And then. . Then the car sped in and. . If I had just forgiven him. . If I had just let it go. . He wouldn't have been outside and he wouldn't. . have. ." Tears streamed down her face and her knees gave out. She crumbled to the ground. It had been too much. The fight with Filip, watching him get shot, watching him bleed out. Gemma held her up.
"Kellis, listen to me," Gemma said,"This is NOT your fault. We will find the people who are at fault though. Right now, we need to go to the hospital and be there for him when he gets out. Chibs survived a damn car bomb. He'll survive this."
Kellis breathed deeply to calm her shaking,"Y-Yes. . The hospital. . L-Let's go."
Giselle looked at Jax,"Your arm. ."
"Is fine," He said gently,"It just grazed it pretty close."
"Where's Juice? He had a bullet in his leg. . Is anyone else hurt?"
"No. Juice was taken with your dad, baby. Let's go get you cleaned up. You're covered in blood. Then you go to the hospital. I'll keep the kids."
"No. I will. You just figure out who did this and be safe." She kissed him deeply.
Jax kissed her back,"Go on baby. I'll be there after church. But leave the kids, okay? My mom can look in on them while I'm in church. And I'll bring them to the hospital. You're shaken. Just calm down, clean up a bit, and call if you need anything."
Giselle nodded and helped her mother to her car.
Jax looked over at Gemma,"What'd you see?"
Crossing her arms, Gemma glared,"Asians. Looked like Lin's crew. But you know they all look the same to me."
"Mom. . Can we cut the racist jokes?"
"Who was joking?" Gemma rolled her eyes.
"Mom," Jax frowned,"How do you know they were Lin's crew?"
"Chuck recognized one of them. He was the one who said something. Soon as we all turned to greet him, they opened fire."
Jax nodded,"Take the kids? I'm going to figure this out."
...
The Reaper Room was full that night, everyone gathered to talk this out. Well. . Almost full. Without Chibs at Jax's right hand and Juice gone as well, the table almost felt empty. This was wrong. Jax was, for the first time since Opie's death, without the man he turned to more than any other.
"Why would Lin do this? It makes no sense. We had a good thing with him. We stay away from his turf, he stays away from ours, and we sell him some of our best stock," Bobby took a drag off a cigarette.
"Maybe Lin doesn't know this happened," Rat offered.
Jax raised a brow,"What do you mean?"
"Maybe things aren't all zen in paradise," Rat said.
Tig stared into space and said,"These guys are probably trying to overrun Lin. They attack us, get us to do the dirty work for them and take over Lin's entire operation. Once they take over, they come after us, possibly taking us down, too. And then they've not only eliminated Lin but eliminating us is the shit that would make them legends and take them out of Lin's shadow for good almost instantly. And it'd all be justified, all for revenge for the old boss' assassination."
Jax looked at Tig,"Why do you think that's their plan to get power?"
Tig looked back at him,"It's what I would do."
"Do I need to be worried?" Jax blinked.
Tig had to chuckle,"No, brother. I'm just saying. It's a good plan. These guys aren't stupid, and they've thought it through. But they assume we're idiots and that's their biggest mistake. But it's still a good plan."
"Yeah," Jax nodded. It was a good plan. And honestly? It's what Jax would have one, too. Hell, it was what Jax HAD done. He had killed Clay and Galen both, justification being the murder of J.T., the attempts on Jax's life, beating Gemma. . So many other things. But when you got down to it, it was for power and revenge.
"Now we have to decide what to do next," Bobby said.
...
After church, Jax went to the hospital. The boys had decided to talk to Lin first. They'd had a good relationship for years. If this wasn't him, they didn't want to start a war. If it was, though? He died on the spot.
Jax parked his bike an got off. He turned to go in but stopped, seeing Giselle sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette. Which was very odd because Giselle did not smoke. He blinked and walked over to her,"Giselle? Baby, what are you doing? Where's your mom?"
"Mom is in the chapel, praying. I'm smoking a cigarette."
". . . Is he. . I. . Is Chibs okay?"
"He has a bullet in his chest. No. He's not okay."
"Giselle," Jax sat down. "What the hell?"
"Sorry," She sighed and blew smoke. "He's alive. Still in surgery and we can't see him after he comes out because he'll be too weak." Giselle took Jax's hand,"What if he dies, Jax? Our family. . This club. . We've all been through so much death. . Half Sack, Piney, O-" She choked on that one,"Opie. . ."
"You forgot Clay, baby."
"No. I didn't." Giselle did love Clay. Years of memories of Clay and the guys raising Giselle, looking out for her, being her family. But Clay had run this club practically into the ground and nearly killed Jax on a few occasions. Her love for him had died with him.
Jax kissed her hands gently,"Chibs will survive, babe. I know it. And if he doesn't. . . We'll deal with it. And I'll be right here to help you. Just like you'll be here for me. And the club will be here for both of us."
Giselle nodded. "I love you, Jax. . . But maybe we should call off the wedding for now. Just so we can get Chibs and Juice whole again. Figure this shit with the Chinese out?"
"I never said it was the Chinese."
"Gemma was here earlier. She mentioned it."
Jax sighed,"Damn it, Mom. . . But all right, baby. If you think setting back the wedding is best, we'll do it."
Giselle sighed and leaned into him, holding him close,"I love you so much."
"I love you, too, Giselle."
...
They spent all night at the hospital and in the morning, Gemma brought Abel and Fyori to the hospital to see Jax and Giselle. They were eating breakfast together in the cafeteria when one of Chibs's doctors found them and told them that not only was Chibs awake but he was asking for Giselle and Kellis. Kellis was asleep though. Which she needed because she had just passed out from exhaustion a couple of hours ago.
Giselle took the kids to the hospital's daycare center and then she and Jax went to see Chibs. He looked tired but not weak. "Daddy?" Giselle came over to him.
Chibs smiled,"Hey, baby girl." He kissed her hand when she touched his cheek. "Are you okay? Your ma?"
"Mom is getting much needed sleep. And I'm fine," She kissed his head,"Daddy, I don't want you to worry about anything. I'm gonna help mom take care of you."
"Giselle, you just focus on finally makin' an honest man out of my Prez, here," He nodded to Jax,"Big day's right around the corner. I'll be just fine. Doc says so, too."
"Daddy, I want to help you get better. . And Jax and I are calling off the wedding."
Chibs sat up,"What!"
"Woah!" She eased him back to his laying position,"Easy. It's just for a little while."
"Why would you call of your wedding!"
"Because I don't want to get married until you're better. Until this is all straightened out. It's a stupid tradition and maybe it's juvenile of me but I want you to give me away and you can't do that if you're strung up in the hospital with a bullet to the chest. . . Besides, Lin is invited to the wedding and I would prefer the day I get married to be a happy occasion and not a repeat of Opie and Lyla's wedding reception."
Chibs softened. He wanted to walk Giselle down the aisle as well, to give her away to Jax. And it would be the best day of his life thus far. No day would ever compare until Kerrianne got married and Chibs gave her away, too. If it happened. And he supposed that every little girl, deep down, dreamed of her father giving her away. "Lass, keep the wedding set. I will be there, injury or no. And I will escort you down that aisle. Your wedding is the joy we need in a time like this." Chibs smiled.
Giselle smiled an nodded,"Okay." She kissed his head,"Just let Jax and I talk a bit more but okay. We'll keep the date."
"I'll be back on my feet in plenty of time," He kissed her hand again,"When your ma wakes up, will you send her in? I think she'll forgive me if I apologize while in the hospital."
Giselle had to giggle,"You're terrible. But okay. You get some rest. We're gonna take the kids home," She hugged him gently,"I love you, Daddy."
Chibs held her. No words more beautiful had ever been spoken. "I love you, too, my baby girl."