DutchessTiki- Glad to see you've picked back up with this story!

I had to take a break for a while as I needed time to adjust to motherhood, but I'm back, and I'm really just glad that people are still interested honestly, thank you for being so patient with me.

SOAFAN2021- Ima ho deserved getting her ass beat. Though she didn't have to be a stupid rat!

Right? And just a head's up, she still hasn't learned her lesson, even after Jax and Elise thought they set her straight. She'll get her's eventually though.

Chapter 7: Family

Rita

Rita sighed somberly, as she watched a happy customer walk out of her shop. She'd had steady business all day, and did pretty well for her grand opening, but she found it difficult to be happy, because she was too worried about Elise. She was worried sick, wondering where her daughter was, and hoping she would be found safe. Even though she knew Eli caused all of this, she couldn't help but blame herself for not being able to pick Elise up. She knew none of this would've happened if she had gone up to the school instead of her husband. She also knew that this whole situation could've been avoided if Elise knew how to drive to begin with.

'Why did I let him talk me out of teaching her how to drive, when she asked a while back?!' Rita thought, shaking her head, as she stared off into space.

Just then, her phone went off, causing her to jump. She quickly picked it up off of the counter, looking at the caller ID. When she saw that it was Eli, she wasted no time answering.

"Elise! Did they find her?! Is she okay?!" She bombarded him with questions, hoping to hear some good news.

"Elise is fine, baby. Cane's on his way to the station with her now." Rita felt like a weight had been lifted up off of her shoulders when she heard that.

"Oh thank god! Where was she?"

"Somewhere she had no business being. She took her ass down to that auto repair shop, owned by the sons of anarchy, even after I told her to stay away from that place."

"What? How'd Cane find her over there?"

"He was responding to a call about an assault that happened up there earlier. Apparently, Elise was the one he was there to arrest for beating some woman bloody today. Caught herself an assault charge and everything. She's gonna be booked when she gets here." Rita's eyes widened as she took in the information, Eli was giving her.

"Beat her bloody? Why would she do that? That doesn't sound like something Elise would do unprovoked."

"I don't know anything else."

"So what's gonna happen to her now? Is she gonna be taken to county? I close in two hours, should I come see her before they take her?" Rita asked, sounding concerned.

"Don't worry, she won't be shipped to county, but I'm thinking about making her sit in there for the weekend."

"What? why?"

"Because she needs to learn her lesson, Rita. She got herself into this situation, remember?"

"But we don't even know who started it, Eli. For all we know, she could've been defending herself. See, that right there is why she doesn't talk to you. You're so quick to condemn the girl, instead of trying to understand her, which is only gonna push her further away than she already is." Rita warned, but Eli scoffed.

"You think I care about pushing her away?"

"I know you don't, but you will later. Trust me."

"Yeah, okay. Well listen, I was just calling to let you know that she's been found safe, so you can stop worrying."

"I'll stop worrying when she's at home, and not in jail, where I'm sure she doesn't belong, but okay. Thanks Eli." Rita shot back, before hanging up in his face.

Despite the circumstances, Rita did feel a lot better, knowing that Elise had been found safe. She set her phone down on the counter, drawing in a deep breath, and exhaling with a slight smile on her face. She was glad that she didn't have to worry anymore, and could go about the rest of her evening with a somewhat clear head.

Jax

"This is bullshit!" Jessica spat, as we stood in the office watching Elise get carted away in the back of a police cruiser.

"Yeah, Elise is a sweet girl. Ima's a catty whore. I'm sure she deserved every bit of that ass whoopin', like she said." Gemma cosigned.

I was just as pissed off as they were. Not just because Elise got arrested, but also because Ima knew better than to get the law involved anywhere near the club. That stupid whore knows we're outlaws, and she still called them out to where we do business. All over her talking shit to Elise, because she was jealous that she was on my bike. You have a one night stand with some pornstar two years ago, and she suddenly thinks she's your unofficial old lady or some shit.

I stayed quiet for a while, thinking of a way to make this right for Elise, and that's when the idea popped into my mind to pay her bail. I figured it was the least I could do, being that she got suckered into a fight over me, and ended up in this situation, on her birthday of all days. I also decided to pay Ima a visit, to… convince her not to press charges, since she started with Elise in the first place.

"Hey ma." I spoke up.

"Yeah baby?"

"In a few hours look Elise up on the jail website, and shoot me a text when you find out how much her bail is." I said before heading for the office door.

"Where're you going?" Jess and Gemma asked at the same time.

"Got some shit to take care of. Just make sure you keep me posted." I tossed over my shoulder before stepping out of the office, and jogging over to my bike.

Elise

The station was relatively noisy when officer Cane and I walked in, but it quieted down, when everyone noticed us. It seemed like all eyes were on me, as officers watched us move through the building in shock. I never had a problem being the center of attention, but I was dreading it right then, so I just lowered my head and allowed Cane to guide me around the station.

First we went into a room, and I had my mugshot and finger prints taken, then he took me to the back where the holding cells were. Once we reached the barred room, I felt relieved to see that I was the only one being held.

"Slow night?" I asked, stepping into the cell, and waiting as Cane removed my cuffs.

"Small town." He responded, shutting the cell. The sound of metal bars clinging shut behind me, caused me to jump, and cringe internally. I turned to look at Cane, as he locked me in.

"Sit tight while I go get the lieutenant." He said before turning to walk out.

After he was gone, I just sighed, walking over and taking a seat on the cold concrete slab, that acted as a bench. I dropped my head in my hands, reflecting on how shitty this day had been ever since I left school. First it was the shit with Eli, and him almost breaking my wrist, then the situation with the skank at TM, and now I had to hear Eli's mouth again on top of everything.

The only good thing about today was the time I spent with Jax, even though a part of me wished I had never took off walking earlier. That was on Eli for pushing me to that point though. I swear if he just knew how to let shit go, I would've never even thought about getting out of the car, and none of this would've happened.

About fifteen minutes or so went by, before I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up to see Eli appear on the other side of cell bars. He was glowering at me in disappointment. I just sat, with my back pressed against the cold brick wall, staring blankly ahead as I waited for him to say something.

"Sitting in jail on your eighteenth birthday…" Eli shook his head, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I wonder how an assault charge is gonna look to the academy."

"Like an assault charge I'm guessing." I monotonously shot back, knowing I didn't give a damn how it would look, because I had no intentions to attend the academy in the first place.

"You wanna tell me why you carried your ass down to that auto shop, after I specifically told you to stay clear of that place?" He asked, and I shook my head.

"No… I don't actually, and I don't have to. All you need to know is that I was there, and I beat the brakes off of some trashy hooker who started with me. That's it."

"That's it, huh? No explanation as to how you ended up at that garage with those lowlifes?" He asked, and I stayed quiet, because I wasn't obligated to explain anything else to him. All he needed to know was what happened.

"Okay, well your bail is set at 2500. I'm not paying it, and I'm sure your white trash friends ain't either, so you have fun sitting in here until Monday." He said and I shrugged, thinking that might not be so bad.

"Hey, that's fine with me. Sitting in here beats being at home, listening to you gripe at me 24/7 anyway. You sure you can't make it a week?" I asked, causing him to chuckle out of frustration.

"If only you didn't have school… Anyway, I'll be sure to tell your mom not to wait up for you, because you won't be coming home until Monday. Happy birthday, Elise." He said, before leaving.

"Thanks, dickhead!" I grumbled under my breath, before tossing myself down onto my back and looking up at the ceiling. Reflecting on the day I had. All of the sudden, I realized how tired I was from everything that happened today, and before I knew it, I was out like a light.

Two hours later…

I was jolted out of my sleep, when a loud clinking noise resonated throughout my cell. It was now dark as I looked around wondering what was going on. My eyes landed on the digital wall clock outside of my cell, and I saw that it was half past eight. Then my gaze shifted over to officer Clemons, as he pulled the cell door opened. I propped myself up on my elbows, and rubbed my eyes, looking at the lanky salt and pepper haired cop, standing in my doorway.

"What's going on?" I groggily asked.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty. Looks like you made bail." He said, and my eyebrows wrinkled up in confusion, because I thought Eli said I had to sit in here until Monday.

Figuring he must've changed his mind, or maybe mama paid it, I didn't ask any questions, and took a moment to get myself together before following Clemons out into the front of the station. I looked around, expecting to see mama waiting for me, but was caught by surprise when I saw Jess walking up to me, smiling, with outstretched arms.

"Look who got her cherry popped!" She smiled, pulling me into a warm embrace.

"You paid my bail?" I asked, pulling back and looking at her.

"No, Jax did. I'm just here because he had me down as a reference, since I have a legitimate job." She said, and my eyes widened not expecting that answer at all.

"Jax paid it? The whole 2500?"

"Yeah… You seem surprised."

"You're not?" I asked, and Jess shot me a knowing look.

"I've seen how sweet my brother is on you, and it's obvious that he likes you. Which is why he did this. And I'm sure he feels partly responsible for what happened between you and Ima, so this is his way of apologizing." She said, sounding fine with it.

I wanted to ask just to be sure, but I couldn't say anything else before Jess was looking around at all the sheriffs, as they watched us.

"Let's get out of here. All these nosey ass cops make me nervous. Mom's still cooking for you, and said you should stay the night tonight." Jess said, grabbing my arm, and pulling me towards the station's exit. Just before we reached the door, we were stopped as Eli stepped in front of us with a hand up.

"You ladies mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"

"Well, pops, I know you had your heart set on keeping me in here over the weekend, but looks like my 'white trash' friends had a different plan." I smirked, and he cut his eyes at Jess.

"I believe we met earlier. What did you say your name was again?" He asked in a polite tone, that I could tell was forced.

"Jessica… Jessica Teller." His eyes widened when she said her last name.

"Teller? You wouldn't happen to be related to Jackson and Gemma teller would you?"

"Jax is my brother, and Gemma's my mom." She finished his sentence, and that's when he shot me an eyebrow raised look.

"And you think I'm gonna let you leave with this girl?" He asked, and I chuckled, knowing that he wasn't going to stop me, as I knew he didn't want to cause a scene in front of the other sheriffs.

"Let me? Tuh! I dare you to try and stop me in front of all these people. Let's go, Jess." I said, looking him dead in his eyes as they bulged with anger. Jess started walking first, and I followed not far behind, brushing past Eli in the process.

"Oh and make sure you tell mama not to wait up for me, cause I won't be back until Monday. Don't abuse your power, and send your hounds out looking for me again either." I called out, just as we exited the building.

Jess and I made it to Gemma's house around 8:50, and saw that all of the guys' bikes were parked in a row out front, along with a few cars in the driveway. Jess had to pull up by the curb, due to there being no room in the driveway and I wondered just how many people were invited to this birthday dinner.

"Is this dinner or a party?" I asked and she smiled.

"One thing you should know about Gemma is that she's extra about everything… especially dinner. Now I don't know about you, but I'm starving, so come on." She said, and we both got out of the car, and headed up to her house. When we got closer, we noticed the strong smell of marijuana coming from the dark front porch, but didn't see anyone around. It wasn't until we walked up the steps, that we saw Jax, sitting in a chair off to the side smoking a nice sized joint. Blowing out a cloud of smoke, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, making his face visible in the moonlight.

"I see they freed Mike Tyson." He announced, and I smiled.

"I hear it's all thanks to you." I said back.

"Annnnddd that's my cue to go inside. Save a little bit of that for me." She told Jax, referring to the joint, before going inside the noisy house and shutting the door.

I looked back over at Jax, as he put the joint out on the porch's wood floor, and set it on the table next to him. He glanced up at me, and nodded for me to come over to him, which I did.

"How was jail?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"No different from being at home, honestly." I said, stopping a few feet in front of him, and he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Listen, I wanna apologize about Ima starting with you today. She can be a bit delusional when it comes to me. Crazy pornstar thinks a one night stand two years ago, somehow means we're together, and she doesn't know how to act when she see's me with someone else."

"Ehh, no need to apologize for her actions, but I really hope that's the last bitch bold enough to step to me about you. I don't wanna catch anymore assault charges over you and your dick having poor judgment."

"Understood." He chuckled, looking both shocked, and impressed by my assertiveness.

"And about that assault charge, she's getting it dropped. I made sure of it, so you don't have to worry about that anymore." He assured me and I furrowed my brows, wondering how he made that happen.

"What? How'd you manage to pull that one off?"

"We had a talk, and came to an understanding." He said and I could tell he was being vague, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she wasn't pressing charges, and I was off the hook.

"Man… you do a lot for me, Prince Charming. The night of your party, my wrist, bailing me out, and now getting me clear of a charge?! I can't help but feel indebted to you." I told him, watching his face turn serious, before he reached out, and pulled me closer, by the waistband of my leggings.

I was now so close that I stood in between his legs, with my arms draped over his shoulders, as I stared down into his moonlit eyes.

"You don't owe me anything. It's like I said earlier- I don't do things for you because I want something in return." He said, in all seriousness.

"Well I'm glad you don't want your money back, because you'd be shit outta luck with that…" I paused, pondering my next move.

"But I think I might have something worth giving you though." I said, watching as curiosity overtook Jax.

"Oh yeah? What's that, sweet cheeks?" He asked, gently placing his hands on the back of each of my thighs, and it felt like a levee was overflowing in my underwear, because I became unbelievably wet all of a sudden.

"This." I said, licking my lips, before closing my eyes, and slowly moving in to kiss him.

When our lips finally met, I felt goosebumps break out all over my entire body, as I melted into the kiss. I followed his lead as our lips and tongues danced against each other's. I moaned into his mouth when I felt him squeeze the back of my thighs. I felt the urge to climb on his lap, and wrap my legs around his body, but felt that was taking it too far, since we weren't together, so I remained standing.

We kept at it for a few minutes, before Jax pulled away, and planted a trail of kisses down my neck, stopping just as he got to my chest. He looked up at me, chuckling with a sigh.

"That was wild for my first kiss." I told him, pressing my forehead up against his. "Why'd you stop?"

"Because if we keep going like this, we might start something you ain't ready for." He said, hinting at sex, and I looked around the porch before looking back at him.

"Right here? On your mom's front porch?" I asked and he looked at me like he wasn't playing.

"I'll have your legs folded behind your head right here in this chair, if we keep this up. But like I said, you ain't ready for that yet, darlin'." He said, causing me to bite my bottom lip as a mental picture played out in my mind. Just thinking about it was temptation enough, but the morals mama instilled in me, just wouldn't allow me to take it that far yet. She's always pushed the 'commitment before sex' thing on me, and that's just what I planned on doing.

"You'll let me know when you're ready. But for now, how about we go in here and see what these crazy people did for your birthday." He said with a mischievous grin, before quickly leaning in and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Hey, what are you doing? Put me down!" I laughingly demanded, as he stood up, adjusted me on his shoulder, and continued over to the front door.

"Eyy, Jacky boy, what ya got thea?" I heard Chibs, the Scotsman ask as soon as we came in the door. I couldn't see him, but I knew it was him talking because he was the only son with an accent.

"What, you never seen one of these before, Chibs? I caught myself a jailbird!" Jax jokingly shot back, causing me, and everyone else to erupt in laughter.

Still not putting me down, Jax strode through the house, and finally set me down in a chair, at a table, with a candlelit cake sitting in front of me. My face lit up and I looked up at Jax as I was definitely surprised. I mean I knew they were doing dinner, but I had no idea they'd go all out like this.

"Don't look at me, this was all Jess and Gemma's doing." He said, and I looked across the table, at them with a smile.

"Figured it was the least we could do after the day you had." Gemma spoke up, and I blew her a kiss, and mouthed the words thank you as everyone else came and gathered around the table. I couldn't do anything but smile as they started to sing me happy birthday. I could've cried in that moment because of how kind these people were to me, without really knowing me. They had managed to do more for me than my own family did on my birthday, and made me feel welcomed, when they didn't have to.

After they sang to me, I blew out the candles, and we all sat around the table eating dinner, laughing and talking. It was crazy how I barely knew these people, but was able to be myself around them like I'd known them my whole life. I don't even feel like this at home, since I have to constantly watch what I say or do, to avoid pissing off my dad. It was nice to feel like I actually fit in somewhere, and be treated like I belonged… Like I was family.

AUTHOR'S NOTE- I just wanna say thank you to all of my readers. It fills my heart with joy to know that people enjoy my story, and have stuck around when I took time away. I will continue to write this story, and I hope you all stick around for the ride because it's going to be a wild one. Also, I love reading reviews, and will be responding to them in every chapter update, so please feel free to leave feedback.