A/N: Hello everybody! Happy holidays! I hope you are having a great time with your loved one :D

Idk when I will be able to update next since I haven't had the time to write so... just don't abandon the story.

Reviews:

Chuckysma – it's ok that you want Jax to kill Wendy and Kohn. Knowing what they will do, I would like to kill them myself. But fear not, prince Jax will come to rescue. I get that it is OOC for Gemma to be like this, but I really wanted this story to be different. I wanted a Tara/ Gemma relationship to be like it was in Season 2 and 3, when these two were a team.

Traceyklewis – omg, I feel so embarrassed now hihih I hope your husband didn't actually read that sloppy smut scene hahaa I'm glad you liked the story :D

Mrssilvers – I'm sorry there wasn't much Abel/Tara interaction. I'm just so caught up in this drama that I forget that I should write some nice scenes too. There is some of it here, but there will be more, as soon as we get rid of Wendy and Kohn, promise. I'm glad you are enjoying this story.

kellytimson1- thank you, kelly :D

brandihogan – I'm glad you like this Jax. Also, we will see his dark side in the future chapters since this one will make him fly off the handle.

amralolic58 – Kohn/Wendy storyline is just starting... I hope to read your comment after this chapter since it will probably piss you off hihih

NaeNae78 – I really wanted him to be as honest with her as possible. As I said, this Jax is far more mature than the Jax from the series. He's seen the errors of his ways and he knows what is important and what not. He's not playing anymore. I'm happy to know you like the story.

There will be a happy ending, please don't worry about that. I would never do anything to hurt our otp. After all the suffering on the show, I too want to give them a happy ending at least via fanfiction.

Also, I promise to go back and rewrite the smut scenes as soon as my schedule lets me. I feel like I have done a poor job and I want to rectify that.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND FOLLOWS. Not all of you leave your name so I can't reply to you, but I want you to know that I appreciate you taking time to review. I love you guys so much

Sorry for any typos and mistakes.

Happy reading :3

I Just Wanna Protect Her

Gemma sat on her bed, the files and pictures of Tara spread in front of her.

Gemma had fought back the tears, she really did. She wasn't the kind of person to easily cry just because some woman was beaten up. That had mostly to do with the fact that, in her years as the SAMCRO queen, Gemma had seen her fair share of croweater and sweetbutts being punched by the guys, their old ladies, or by those of their kind. Even she had thrown in a few of the punches over the years.

It was stupid, really, to feel like this, like her heart was breaking in thousands of pieces. So what if someone beat Tara up? It's not like she was anything different than so many woman that Gemma had face in her lifetime.

But looking at Tara's beaten up face, reading all those reports on the abuse she had suffered, got to her.

Her lower lip trembled as she imagined, no, saw, the horror of young Tara's life. She could clearly see this scared little girl pulling away from her father's violent clutches, her small frame shake with fear. She could hear her sobs and pleas as she lay in her bed at night, afraid that her own dad might come for another round of punches.

Then, Gemma saw a young woman, full of hopes and dreams in her future away from her father, only for it to be snatched away from her by the shit that was this Kohn guy.

And that is how Gemma finally understood Tara's initial attitude towards her and her immediate affection towards Abel.

Somehow, Tara projected her own fears and sufferings form childhood onto Abel, she clearly feared that Jax was just like her father, who neglected her.

Gemma hated, hated herself for being such an obnoxious bitch towards Tara. She regretted every bad word she ever uttered against her.

A person who had gone through all this and made it out alive and kind, with no menace in her, was not weak, as Gemma had initially thought of Tara.

She was not weak. She was strong. She was a fighter.

Gemma's chest filled with pride for her daughter-in-law, this remarkable young woman who had endured so much in her life and still had it in her to love.

To love another woman's child as her own and be willing to raise him was not something that just anybody was capable of. The love Tara felt for Jax and Abel was visible in her every move, every smile, every glance.

In that moment, more than any time before, Gemma Teller swore she would protect Tara at all cost. She swore she would fight tooth and nail to protect her daughter and the baby she was bearing.

She wiped her tear-stained cheeks and sighed, then gathered the papers and photos in the envelope they were initially in and went downstairs.

Gemma burnt the files in her fireplace. There was no use of anyone seeing them.

####################################

The knock on his trailor door woke Unser up from his afternoon siesta. Yawning, he got up and slowly opened the door to find Gemma in all her queen bee glory at his doorstep.

-"Gemma, what are you doing here?"

-"I need to talk to you, Wayne."

Unser moved and Gemma went into his trailor, shutting the door behind her. She sat opposite Wayne, playing with her sunglasses.

Wayne sensed her unease.

-"What is it?"

She brushed her bangs off her forehead and pouted her lips before she spoke.

-"It's about Tara."

-"Oh. You read the files?"

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat at the mere mentioning of those damn files, she nodded.

Unser sighed, slightly bowing his head.

-"What are you gonna do?"

-"I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect my family. I won't let anyone lay a hand on my daughter ever again."

Her voice was stern, as if daring him or anyone else to try and come after Tara.

Unser gazed at her wide eyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Gemma, noticing his reaction, raised her eyebrow in annoyance.

-"What? Did you expect me to cuss and threaten to chase her away?"

Unser tilted his head, watching her.

-"Honestly? Yeah. You don't have what we could call a good track record with Jax's other girls. Not even Wendy."

Gemma scoffed.

-"Tara is not just one of Jax's girls. She's the girl, understand? The one he loves, the mother of his children. I assume you read them?"

She referred to the files. He nodded, bowing his head slightly as if ashamed. He still couldn't shake those images out of his head.

He'd seen his fair share of gruesome picture of beaten, even killed women. But there was something else, something much more painful when that woman was someone you knew.

-"Then you get it. We are her family, Wayne. It is up to us to give her our full support. It is up to us to protect her. Now, I know something's goin' on with her. For weeks now, she's been acting tense and I'm worried. And Jax has assigned a prospect to watch over her. That just raises my suspicions. I need to know what's goin' on so I can act accordingly."

Unser shook his head.

-"Gemma, I-I think you should let the club handle this. If Jax had assigned her a prospect that means the club is aware of what's goin' on. There's no need for you to get involved."

Gemma let out an annoyed sigh.

-"I know, I know. I just want to see if I can help her."

Wayne patted her hand gently, smiling weakly.

-"Let Jax handle it, Gem. Please. You should focus on yourself."

Rolling her eyes, she stood up and opened the door. Before she left, she turned to Unser.

-"I need to know that my family is safe, Wayne. I need to know they're taken care of should anything happen to me. You of all people should understand that."

Unser gulped, tears filling his eyes.

A week ago, Gemma confide in him about her medical condition. They both cried their eyes out. Gemma told him about her fears.

She didn't want her son to hate her for keeping him away from the woman he loved. She didn't want to be the culprit for her son's and her grandson's unhappiness.

If Tara was his happiness, Gemma didn't want to stand in their way.

-"You should tell them."

-"I will. It just not the right time."

She left his trailor and headed to her TM office.

#########################################

Jax couldn't believe he was doing this.

However, this was for Tara. He would do anything for her. That included talking certain stuck up cop whom he harboured special dislike for.

He tossed the cigarette bud on the ground in front of him as he saw David's car approaching.

David turned off the engine and got out of the car, his hands at the hem of his belt as he walked towards Jax.

Jax was leaned against the fence of the Robinson ranch, situated not far from Charming.

He asked Hale to come here because it was a quiet place and there was no chance of someone eavesdropping. Jax knew he was paranoid, but all this fucking Kohn thing was tiring him. He couldn't wait for it to be over, to catch that bastard and get rid of him once and for all so that he could live with his family in peace.

-"Teller, what do you want?"

David's voice held obvious disdain towards the man in front of him.

Jax tilted his head and rolled his eyes. Some things never change.

-"I don't want to bicker, ok? I called you 'cause of Tara."

At the mention of her name, David's posture visibly shifted, his face acquiring a solemn look.

-"What about her?"

-"I know you don't like me. I don't really care for that. But I love Tara and you're her friend. You being a cop actually helps in this case."

This time David rolled his eyes.

-"Cut the crap, Teller. What happened?"

Jax lit a cigarette, his third in half an hour. His nerves were on the edge for the past few weeks.

David leaned on the fence next to Jax, waiting for his response.

-"I imagine you've noticed her behaviour in the last few weeks."

David nodded.

His wife and Tara became close friends, and Tara came to dinner at their house twice a week. Since his wife gave birth to their baby daughter, Tara would sometimes help out either with the baby, or with his other children.

She was always happy and full of energy, playing with the boys or tucking the baby to sleep.

However, her energy seemed to have faltered lately. David would have asked her about it, but he didn't want to intrude.

He just hoped it didn't have anything to do with Jax.

He warned her multiple times not to associate herself with him, but matters of heart are matters of heart.

Jax seemed to care a great deal about her, so David let it go. However, his mistrust and hate for anything MC related were still very present in the back of his mind.

Jax continued with an angry look on his face.

-"She had a boyfriend in Chicago who liked to hit her. She escaped him by a hair's breadth, but he followed her back. He's been calling her and threatening her."

Jax gulped, tears pooling in his eyes. This was the first time he showed his vulnerability in front of Hale.

-"She's pregnant, Hale. This asshole has been messing with her head and I'm scared all this stress will... Will hurt her and the baby. I have my men looking out for her, but another set of eyes and ears wouldn't hurt."

David nodded, understanding what Jax meant by that.

-"I'll have my men run a check on everyone who came to town recently. I can also assign a patrol to drive by her house every couple of hours or so. "

Jax finished the cigarette and thanked Hale.

-"No need for that. I'm doing this for her, because I care about her like she was my sister. I wouldn't want anything to happen to her."

Hale went to his car and a few minutes later he drove off.

Jax wiped a stray tear then called Tig.

-"Have you found him yet?"

-"Nah, man. Sorry. We searched every motel in the area, every dump this shithead could've gone to, but nothing came up."

Jax punched the fence with full force of his fist. He felt a sharp pain spreading through his hand. He must have broken something, however he ignored it.

-"FUCKING HELL! FIND HIM ALREADY! He is new to this town. He can't know it better than us!" - he yelled then ended the call, shoving the phone in his pocket.

He ran his finger through his hair in an exasperated manner, sighing heavily.

Fucking Kohn, Jax thought.

Tara was a good person and she did not deserve to go through all this.

She hadn't slept well in days. Jax knew that because he was awake along with her, trying to sooth her worries and make her focus on other things.

Their new house was painted and the furniture was all there. Some minor changes had to be made and Gemma sought that they did. She wouldn't let Tara handle anything that had to do with the workmen or the general works in the house.

She was to stay at home and take care of herself.

And she did, but she hardly went anywhere. She only went to school, TM, Gemma's and their house. Tara pretended not to be as affected by Kohn's threats, but Jax saw right through it and it pained him to see her like that. She was holding on for him and Abel, but...

He took a few moments to compose himself before he headed home.

Or better yet, to hospital, because he could barely move his left hand and his fingers were already swollen.

##########################################

When Jax came home, he was welcomed by a very domestic scene: Tara was cooking dinner with Abel as her helper. He was washing potatoes as Tara cut them into circles and put them into a pan.

The smell of minced meat and onions being braised invaded his nostrils and Tara and Abel's chatter and laugh filled his ears. He felt a smile forming on his face and he didn't want to suppress it.

It seemed as though all the shit that he had to deal with during the day, just disappeared from his mind whenever he looked at her beautiful features.

He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he used the time to look at her.

Her hair was tied in a messy ponytail, a few strands framing her face. She wore one of his SAMCRO hoodies, the sleeves were rolled up, exposing her arms, and leggings and Jax wondered if she even realised just how fucking gorgeous she was. Her ass was perfect and those tight leggings only accentuated it more, that Jax felt his hand reaching out to touch it.

Her hands worked fast while cutting and Jax caught a glimpse of her engagement ring. His heart swelled with pride; he had finally done the right thing after so many fuckups.

The prince of SAMCRO got his princess and she was the most amazing woman he had ever met.

-"Babe, you're back!"

Her voice rang out with excitement and love Jax felt he didn't deserve. Not yet, at least. Not until he ridded her of demons form her past and gave her the future she deserved.

She dropped the knife and walked to him, tangling her fingers at the nape of his neck and giving him a long and teasing kiss. His arms came immediately around her waist, drawing her closer to him. He got lost in the moment. Her mouth was inviting and her tongue seductive, her lips as soft as velvet compared to his. Her familiar scent hit his nostrils, forever creating a memory of her. The kiss was something he was looking forward to the entire day, that for a moment he forgot they weren't alone in the room.

-"Hi." – he said once they'd pulled back and started breathing again.

She chuckled.

-"Hi."

He caressed her cheek. He missed her, even if they were apart for just a few hours. She leaned into his touch, looking at him with those fierce, flirtatious, and kind eyes full of love for him.

It was so surreal and yet so genuine.

-"I missed you guys today."

Abel ran towards him but stopped midway, his eyes wide in shock.

-"Daddy! What's wrong with your hand?"

Tara took Jax's arm that was around her waist and lifted it, meeting a cast on his hand. She frowned, her eyes widened in worry.

-"Jax, what happened?"

Jax shook his head.

-"Nothing, babe. Don't worry 'bout it."

Tara raised her eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

-"Babe, it was nothing. I'll tell you later."

She mumbled something under her breath, turning his hand and observing the cast.

-"How long will you have to-"

He cut her off.

-"A few weeks. It's nothing really."

He gave her a peck on the lips then hugged Abel and started asking him what he did that day.

Tara observed the two.

Jax sat at the table and Abel nested on his lap, speaking excitedly how he and mommy made muffins for uncle Piney and went to visit him at Kenny's. He and Kenny played with marbles and their action figures while mommy talked to aunt Donna, her sister Lyla and uncle Piney.

Jax would nod and proceeded to ask more questions, engaging Abel more and more in their conversation.

Tara smiled and continued preparing the dinner, all the while listening to Abel's happy chatter and Jax's laughter at something Abel would say.

...

After the dinner, Tara went to take out the trash in her backyard. When she opened the door, she saw fire and smoke coming for the front yard. Hastily, she ran to the front door, scaring Abel and Jax who were in the kitchen, stacking dishes.

As she opened the door, the sight that welcomed her froze her.

Her car was set on fire. A thick stocking of smoke was enveloping it, rising above it. The fire devoured her car as Tara watched helplessly. Her mind shut down for a few moments. She could feel the heat emanating from it.

Abel and Jax came right behind her. When Jax saw what was happening, he immediately yelled at Abel to go inside, and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her inside as well.

Tara started breathing heavily, her throat constricting, making it hard for her to breathe properly. Her whole body trembled as tears came running down her, now, pale face.

-"J-Jax..." – she barely muttered.

-"Shh, baby. Come inside. I'll call the firemen."

Jax caressed her hair, pulling her inside, but her body gave up and she collapsed.

-"H-he d-id t-this."

-"Babe, babe. Look at me, look at me."

Tara turned her head from the sight before her.

When she looked at Jax, he saw utter fear in her eyes. The kind he only saw on the faces of people who knew they were going to die. It was hopelessness, fear, pain.

The only time he had ever seen her like this was when Kohn called her.

Her hand grabbed onto his shirt as she pulled at it vigorously.

-"Ja-Jax."

He felt a weight of hundreds of trucks fall on his chest when she called his name. He fought back his tears, concentrating on her.

-"Baby, baby look at me, please."

She gasped for air powerlessly, then started sobbing. Her sobs became screams as Jax pulled her close to him and begged her to calm down. They were still on the threshold when Jax heard faint sounds of sirens.

-"Baby, we have to get you inside. You are breathing in smoke. Please, babe, please, calm down."

He lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. Abel rushed to her side, crying.

-"Mommy, mommy, what's wrong, mommy? Are you ok, mommy?"

Jax laid her on the bed, but Tara refused to let go of him.

-"Don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

Her words tore his heart.

-"I will never leave you, babe. Never."

-"Mommy?"

Tara turned her head and saw her baby's face stained with tears.

-" Abel, honey. Don't cry."

-"Mommy, don't cry. I'm here. I'll take care of you."

He hugged her tightly and Tara hugged him back, as she fought another wave of tears and sobs to break out.

-"I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go talk to the firemen, ok? I'm not goin' anywhere."

He kissed her forehead and left the room, as Tara and Abel tried to calm each other.

(First of all, I'm sorry for this last scene. But, it's just and intro into the following events. What did you think of Gemma in this chapter? And Jax's talk with Hale? What about Jax in this chapter? Lastly, how about that last scene, ha?

I know that you hate me for this. Please, express your feelings in the review section, I hope to get at least 20 reviews. I love you all xoxo)