Disclaimer: I own nothing but my soul and a shih tzu.

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Vinnie stared up at Tig in awe. He wanted her to stay with him. He wanted them to really have a relationship. "I can't say I haven't been with anyone else," she whispered.

"Yes you can," he stressed. "You didn't choose that. Unless there were other men that you CHOSE to fuck."

She shook her head. "I haven't been with anyone else, but you. I don't want to go back to my apartment. I want to be with you as much as possible, and live with you. I trust you, if that's what you tell me you feel. You can ask me anything, anytime, because I don't consider age an issue. I don't want you to fuck anyone else, and I want you there with me at the festival." Vinnie's voice was trembling.

"Then you'll move in with me?" he asked. "Not here. I have a house, but it always seems so empty. We'll live at my house, but we can stay here sometimes too."

Vinnie was looking up at him with sparkling dark eyes, then she was smiling, and then she was kissing him, her naked body pressed against his clothed one. It was the first time she'd kissed him since the assault. He kissed her still, soft, short kisses, but she hadn't started anything. And she wanted to. "Tig," she whispered, running her hands down his chest to his pants. "Take off your clothes," she ordered, and her hands began to work on his pants.

He wanted her so damned bad, he didn't argue. He'd stop if she said stop, but for now Tig was going to take what he could get.

989898989

Jax and Val headed to the hospital, Jax catching Val's hand in his as they walked inside the large building. He kept giving her these looks, and smirks, and it kept making her giggle. Jax liked hearing her giggle, so he kept doing it. He dropped her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, and she leaned into him, every once in a while he would wiggle his fingers, making her twitch and giggle again. It was turning into a pretty damned good day, and they were taking advantage of it. They rarely had an opportunity to just be and play. Since they'd met, everything had been a whirlwind of constantly living on the edge.

Val looked over and he was smirking at her again. It was the smirk that said 'I know what color your panties are'. He did, because he'd helped her put them on. Not that she'd needed the help, he just used any excuse to touch her. She was feeling a lot more secure with him. Val had been telling the truth when she'd told him he hadn't had to come home the night before, but that he had meant everything to her. It hadn't been hard to see his fear when he'd walked into that room full of, well, everyone, but he had, and he'd come straight to her. Now he was looking at her with that smile, and occasionally tickling her side, and she couldn't help but be happy.

They arrived at NICU, and found that Abel was out of the toaster. Which meant he'd be able to go home in the next day or two. Val wanted to take him with them to the festival, but she would have to talk to his doctor first. She didn't want to hurt him in any way. He was HER baby. She held him first, and it felt so right. He looked up at her, and she knew he wasn't really looking at her, all he really saw was a blonde blob. But he was content and didn't cry.

"Think she's gonna show," Jax murmured.

"I think she'll show within the next sixty seconds."

Jax kissed Val lightly, and looked down on his little man. Val looked natural with the baby in her arms.

"Hello, Jax," Tara's voice came from the doorway, and she'd made it sound warm and loving. Then she saw Val, and her smile went away. She looked surprised instead. "Oh, I didn't know you'd be bringing your friend with you."

Yeah, I'll bet you didn't, Jax and Val both thought. "Don't know why you'd think that," Jax shrugged. "She's gonna be Abel's Mama," he watched as Tara grimaced. "I also should let you know that the crow on your back. If you want to cover it up, black it out or leave it be, it's fine whatever. Val's my Old Lady now, and she'll be taking my crow."

Jax was startled to see the pure fury sweep through Tara's eyes at his statement. Holy shit, he thought, I think she's lost her fucking mind or something. He would need to be very careful to keep her away from Val.

"Here," Val said, handing off Abel to Jax. "I'm going to go ask Abel's doctor a few questions."

Jax leaned down kissing her lightly, and then watched her walk out the door. Abel gave a little squeak, and Jax grinned. "Mama will be back, Little Man."

"Is this some kind of fucking joke," Tara hissed. "I'm your Old Lady. I wear your crow, and have since High School."

"Tara," he said, his voice normal despite her hostile tones. "You stopped being my Old Lady the minute you left me. You wanted out, you got out. I hope you didn't expect me to just sit around and wait for you to come back. I moved on. Gotta admit, it was mostly just fucking who ever I wanted to, but when Val and her sisters showed up, that was it for me. I was done. She's the only woman I've noticed since. And I am surprisingly, very happy with that. The amazing part is, that no matter how I fucked up in the past, she leaves it there, in the past. She chose me, and I'm a lucky son of a bitch for it. Now, for old times' sake, when we were friends, I'd really like you to accept, that's not MY crow anymore. It's changed since then. I've changed since then, and I'm sure you've changed. Val, she's my present and my future, and nothing's going to change it."

She gave a derisive laugh, "You think that now, but you're wrong. She'll find out who and what you are and leave you blowing in the wind. Just like I did. She'll get herself knocked up, and realize, she can't have a baby with Jax. And she'll terminate the pregnancy… just like I did."

Jax felt like he'd been stabbed. Her words were cold, cruel, and savage. "You were pregnant when you left?"

"Sure was," she said flippantly, "But I know I couldn't have it. You running around with that fucking Motorcycle Club, spending all that time with your mother. You not willing to give up anything for me. I left town, and had an abortion, and then my life went on."

"I think it's time for you to leave this room, Dr. Knowles," Val's stony voice came from behind Tara.

"You gonna make me you little whore?" Tara spit.

"She won't, but I will."

Tara spun quickly, her heart in her throat and saw Dr. Namid, her boss in the doorway with Jax's little girlfriend. "Dr. Namid, let me explain…"

She was cut off as he held his hand up. "I've heard enough for right now. I have business to attend to, but right now I want you to go home. Be back here at ten am. We will talk then." He casually dismissed her, and made his way to Jax and Abel, Val right there with him.

Tara burned with anger and embarrassment. But she quickly rushed out the door, and made her way out of the hospital.

Val moved to Jax, "Are you okay, Babe?" she whispered. She couldn't believe the things that woman had just told him. If she had wanted to terminate the pregnancy, fine, it was her right, but she could have let him know, and she didn't have to tell him this way.

"I don't know," he told her hoarsely, looking down into her sad eyes.

His eyes were filled with anguish. So she hugged him and Abel to her, making sure not to squish the Little Man. "Dr. Namid, why don't you tell Jax what you were telling me?"

"Certainly," he gave Jax a warm smile. Dr. Namid had to admit to himself that Jax Teller had certainly surprised him when it came to putting in time with his son. He hadn't expected that from the biker, or the bikers really. Jax wasn't the only one to visit. They'd seen a lot of those SAMCRO kuttes in the hospital since the baby was born. "I was just telling Valeria, that we should be releasing Abel on Friday."

Jax blinked in surprise. Finally? "Really?" it was almost like it was perfect timing. The baby shower was the next day, which was Thursday, and the next day they could bring him home.

"Definitely, he's a fighter, your son. Also, Val was asking if it would be a problem to take Abel with you next weekend. She informed me that she and her sisters have a band that plays at these things. I gave her a list of things, mainly keep him out of the sun, keep him warm, but not too warm, and make sure to keep to his feeding schedule."

"I see babies at these things all the time, even newborns," Val stated, "but with Abel just coming out of the incubator, I wanted to make sure it was safe."

"Just follow that list, and I think everything will fine with you taking him." The doctor told them, and said his goodbyes.

Once it was just Val and Jax in the room, Val moved to him. "Come on, let's put Abel back in his bassinet, and then you promised to show me your house."

He simply nodded, and kissed Abel, before handing him to Val. Jax watched as she too kissed the baby and gently set him in his bassinet. Then they headed out. Gone was the playful banter and tickling. Jax simply felt numb. Val took the keys to the car from him, and they headed to his house, him giving her directions in a monotone voice. It didn't take long to get there, and then they went inside. They stopped in the living room, and Val moved to him taking him in her arms again.

"I'm so sorry, Jax," she murmured.

"She just didn't even fucking care," he said. "She wanted to leave, and didn't want any hassles following her. That's all it was. A problem. It interfered with her life. And fine, it's a suck ass decision, but she didn't even tell me. Didn't call, didn't write; didn't even leave a two line note for fuck's sake."

"It was wrong." Val agreed. "The choice to terminate was hers, but she should have let you know. She didn't because she was a coward, and spiteful. Before she left you were in a committed, loving relationship. That doesn't mean you could handle raising a child, but… she should have told you."

"You told me," he whispered.

She grimaced. "Well, not quite, Sam told you before Andrew could. But I was going to tell you the very next day. For me it was a simple choice though. I would never get an abortion. I don't hold it against women who do. Shit I saw so much hell in the system, that maybe it would be better for some to do it. But I couldn't. Especially since it was your baby. Even if you had told me you didn't want it. Even if you told me to terminate, I wouldn't have." Val reached out and grabbed his hands, placing them on her still flat belly. "Don't stay in the past with what ifs. That's what she wants. It's what she's aiming for. We need you here with us, in the now. Where we have Abel coming home soon, and this one on the way."

His hands rubbed slowly back and forth on her belly, his eyes watching.

"Soon we'll be able to see if our baby is a boy or a girl, and we can start planning. The nursery, picking names… this right here is what we have to hold onto, Jax. You helped me see that. It's called the past because it's already gone, there's no going back to change anything, we just keep moving forward." Val wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him to her tightly. "I'm here for you. Here for anything you might ever need. I hope you know that."

"I do," he murmured into her neck. "I do know that. I love you so much, Val."

"I love you too."

"Come on, let me show you the rest of the house. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a finished attic space."

"Wow, it didn't look that big from the front outside."

He gave her a half smile. "No it doesn't. The house is more long than it is wide." He took her into Abel's nursery.

"This is lovely," she murmured.

"Ma helped a lot."

"Gemma would, she's great."

"You know, you're the first woman I've been with that she's approved of. Hell she loves you. And she loves spending time with you, the other girls, Vinnie and Donna. And wow, did you all help change that relationship. Donna was always intimidated by my mom, and her expectations."

Val grinned. "Your mom is tough, but honestly, she just wants what's best. When Donna realized that Gemma wasn't attacking her, but trying to help in her own bizarre way, their relationship twisted. I think Donna didn't have a great relationship with her own mother."

"You'd be right on that," he told her with a snort, as he showed her the two unused bedrooms. "Her mom is a cold blooded bitch. She controlled the house."

"Well, that explains it then. Gemma is an aggressive, confident woman, but maybe Donna visualized aggressive and confident to be bad things."

They stepped into the master bedroom, and Val let out a sound of appreciation.

"I've been working hard in here. Knowing we were going to live here, me and a few of the other Sons have been coming over and working on some updating and remodeling."

"It's beautiful. I love it. I can't wait to live here with you and Abel."

"Just a few more days. We'll have to come back tomorrow during the daylight. I want to show you the backyard, but you won't see it great at this time."

"Sounds good to me!

Jax put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go get some food. I'm starving."

"We're starving too,"