Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or SOA

Author's Notes:

1. This is sort of a filler chapter and kind of awkward in places. I'm a little rusty so that's probably part of it. I'm just trying to move the story forward. Elena is a little back and forth in this chapter but I wanted to show her going through uncertainty as she starts to figure out just what goes in in Sam Crow. Not everything, but some things are being revealed to her.

2. You can find Elena's outfits for this chapter on my tumblr blog: tvdcrossovers. Go to the navigation tab on the sidebar and find where it says CHAPTER 6 under this fic's name.

3. I hope that you like it!

She let out a delighted laugh as he spun her around the room, making everyone else disappear when he took her in his arms. For just a few moments, they could have been the only ones there. Then it all faded away and she heard the chatter of the bar's inhabitants and the sound of music filtering through terrible speakers. Elena knew that this wasn't her dream, even as she tucked her chin into her partner's shoulder.

"They hate me," she murmured, her voice sounding much different. "They say I don't belong here."

He simply hummed, swaying back and forth with her.

"I think they're going to make me leave," she said quietly.

Across the bar, she could see a mirror mounted on the wall. Blue-green eyes, not brown, stared back at her. The reflection showed everything she felt, happiness and wonder but also sadness and uncertainty. All she could see of her dancing partner was the back of his head and dark hair that curled beneath his collar. What would become of her when he went back home? They wouldn't let her stay. Gemma never liked her, even when she volunteered to watch the kids. Jax was a sweetheart. He always wanted to tell her story after story about what he would do when he had his own motorcycle and could join Sam Crow. It was almost sad to hear, knowing what would become of him if he did. He would no longer be the sweet kid with beautiful blue eyes. He'd be a killer, just like the rest of them. Just like the man that held her.

"Isobel," he whispered in her ear. "You'll always have me."

She smiled, forgetting all about everything else as she closed her eyes and melted in his embrace. Then everything seemed to change. The music became clearer and the voices faded away. When she opened her eyes, they were all alone in the bar. She looked in the mirror and saw her own dark brown eyes staring back. The hair of her partner was no longer dark, but blonde. Pulling away, Elena looked up into Jax's blue eyes.

"You'll always have me," he said, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

His eyes were tender and his arm was an anchor around her waist, keeping her grounded as she put her hands on his cheeks.

"Always," Elena breathed, leaning up to press her lips to the corner of his mouth.

He turned his head, kissing her fully as they continued swaying. Before long they were embracing passionately, her fingers tangled in his hair and her body pressed fully against his. When one of his teeth nipped her lip sharply, she gasped and pulled away, touching her fingers to the blood that welled up and dripped down her chin.

"Did you think that you could hide from me forever?" an entirely different voice asked.

She looked up with wide eyes to see Klaus standing there, his fangs out and his eyes blood red.

"I'm going to find you, Elena, and I'm going to kill everyone when I do."

Elena screamed as loud as she could as he launched at her, his teeth aimed for her throat.

She woke with a start, gasping loudly as her back hit the chair that she was sitting in. It took Elena a moment to orient herself, her chest heaving as she looked around. Luckily there was no one else in the office of Teller-Morrow. She took a deep, shuddering breath as she swept a few stray hairs out of her face and tried to shake off the nightmare. She was used to the Klaus dreams. This one was more confusing than terrifying, what with the Isobel of it all. They were clearly in the clubhouse at the garage, but it made no sense for her biological mother to be there. And who was she dancing with? Was it all just a coincidence? Her mind messing with her?

"You okay?"

Elena jumped, not expecting Gemma to be standing by the desk with two cups of coffee in her hand. She didn't even hear her come in.

"I'm fine," she sighed as Gemma set one of the cups down in front of her. "Just tired."

"Well you did stay out late last night," the older woman reminded her, picking up a stack of papers to do with the blown up gun warehouse. "Again."

Elena glowered at her before taking a long sip of the sweet coffee.

"How's my son doing?" Gemma asked.

"You can't ask him yourself?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

Gemma shrugged, clearly doing her best to look casual about it.

"I have a feeling he talks to you more these days. Your late night chats included."

Elena sighed, standing up to make room at the desk.

"Jax is doing okay, all things considered," she said, picking up the stack of repo paperwork she'd been working on.

"It's good that you're here," Gemma said, smiling at her. "He needs someone to talk to."

"He's not the only one," Elena mumbled.

Gemma looked at her questioningly but she was saved from explaining further when Clay walked into the room closely followed by Jax.

"Need to get these to one of Rosen's guys," Gemma said, holding the warehouse papers out to Clay as she referred to their lawyer. "I can't sort these losses out."

"I'll get on it," he nodded, taking them from her before kissing her cheek.

Elena barely heard them as she watched Jax approach her, remembering the dream she just had. Her thoughts about Isobel and Klaus overshadowed the kiss in the dream but now the memory made her cheeks flush slightly. When Jax nudged Elena with his shoulder, she managed a weak smile before taking another drink of her coffee.

"Gonna go see the kid in a while," he said quietly, looking over at her. "You wanna come?"

"Yeah," Elena said.

It had been a week since Abel was born and she'd gone to see him with Gemma nearly every day. Jax went less than the both of them and he definitely didn't like doing it alone. Especially after Wendy somehow overdosed in the hospital the same night as Abel's surgery and nearly died. He nodded at her with a relieved look in his eyes before turning away to walk out.

"Hey."

He turned his head, looking at Gemma.

"I still wanna do that dinner we were talking about," she said, looking at Jax. "Maybe tomorrow night?"

"Sure," he nodded, smiling at her. "We got some paperwork for the BMW that's ready for pickup in the garage. Want me to bring it?"

"I'll come get it," Elena said, setting down her coffee.

As she walked out with him, they were blissfully unaware of the two calculating gazes that followed them.

"Something happening there?" Clay asked once they were gone.

"I'm not sure," Gemma said, tapping her finger against her lips. "What are you doing today?"

"I gotta go see Unser. His deputy is getting a little hyperactive about the gun warehouse, claiming jurisdiction because our security guard was found inside Charming with a bullet in his head."

"Shit," Gemma said with wide eyes.

"We'll figure it out," he assured her.

"And Jax?"

Clay sighed, shaking his head as he thought of how challenging his VP had gotten lately.

"We'll figure that out too," he said, kissing her on the lips once more before turning to walk out as his phone rang in his pocket.

"That was Unser. Got a protection run tonight," Clay informed his sergeant-at-arms once he hung up the phone.

Tig remained silent, staring at Clay hesitantly.

"What?"

"I gotta tell you something, man. I mean, it could be bad," Tig admitted.

"It already is," Clay reminded him.

Tig sighed before replying.

"Those two dead women in the warehouse hall… I was hitting 'em."

Clay let out a groan, tilting his head back.

"Jesus Christ. Both of them?" he questioned.

"Oh yeah," Tig nodded in confirmation.

Clay began pacing, trying not to let his anger build.

"Tell me one of them isn't carrying your DNA."

"Afraid they both are," Tig answered.

Clay's jaw tightened at the news as he stepped closer.

"You did time, shithead. You are in the DNA Database," he growled.

"Yeah, I know," Tig muttered.

Clay began pacing again, wondering if the shit would ever end.

"Forensics team gets a hold of those bodies…"

"I'll go pull 'em out of there," Tig suggested.

He shook his head.

"Hale's gonna be watching that warehouse day and night," Clay reminded him.

"Well, maybe Trammel can sneak me in, you know? He's a county sheriff. He outranks the local PD, right?" Tig wondered.

Clay turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, you're just gonna stroll out of there with two dead women draped over your shoulders?" he questioned, completely unimpressed with the other man.

"I'll gut them and flush their bellies with bleach. No DNA," Tig shrugged casually.

Clay grimaced at him, shaking his head.

"What kind of nasty shit did your mama do to you?" he demanded.

Tig looked at him with an innocent expression.

"What do you mean?"

"What were you thinking, brother?" Chibs demanded as they all sat down.

"I was thinking about getting my dick sucked twice," Tig shrugged.

Everyone glowered his way.

"All anybody can prove is that a couple of women have your DNA and died hiding from the fire. You didn't kill anybody," Bobby said simply.

Jax shook his head, leaning forward.

"It's not about the manslaughter rap. If the CSU team tests those bodies, Tig's DNA puts the gun factory at our doorstep," he reminded them all.

"And then ATF takes up permanent residence in our collective rectums," Juice added.

"That warehouse sits on county property. Hale's gonna have to wait days to get San Joaquin to shake loose a forensic unit," Clay said.

A couple of guys nodded in agreement.

"It's a local case. County won't get involved. Hale will just wind up borrowing a crime scene unit from Lodi," Juice said.

Jax considered it for a moment before glancing over at the tech genius.

"Hey, Big Otto's sister still works for the ADA in Lodi. Call her. See if there's a forensic team heading this way."

Juice nodded, pulling his phone out.

"I gotta have a talk with Unser. Maybe I can convince the chief to put a leash on his hyperactive deputy," Clay muttered.

"Unser's just waiting for the clock to run out. That old boy's a lame duck," Jax scoffed as they all stood up to leave.

When he and the others walked out of the clubhouse, Elena was sitting on a stool in the garage listening attentively as Half Sack worked on his bike and explained what he was doing. The prospect was technically off the clock but he was using the garage resources to tune up his ride.

"You thinking about changing careers?" Jax asked, interrupting whatever was going on.

Elena's head snapped up and she blinked at him with surprise, clearly not even noticing that he was there. He tried to ignore the flare of heat in his chest, refusing to accept the jealousy for what it was.

"Maybe," she said, shrugging one shoulder.

He smirked, walking closer to her as Half Sack did his best to pretend like he wasn't even there.

"Then you're better off learning from the best, babe."

"You're right," Elena said, her eyes lighting up with inspiration. "I should go see if Juice is busy."

Jax let out a bark of laughter as she hopped off the stool and started to walk past him.

"Sorry to disappoint but he's busy with something," he said, catching her wrist as she brushed past him.

Elena turned to face him, a smile playing on her lips.

"Don't you have someone's oil to change?" she asked, letting him pull her back towards him.

He nodded, grinning at her.

"Maybe I can talk you through it real slow," Jax suggested, his voice low and suggestive.

Her cheeks flushed pink as Half Sack let out an uncomfortable cough. Neither of them paid him any mind.

"Sorry," Elena said, fixing the collar of his flannel shirt as she stared into his eyes. "I've got paperwork to take care of."

"That's a shame," he said, brushing his thumb back and forth over the smooth skin of her wrist.

She caught her lower lip in her teeth, holding back a shudder at the warmth that spread through her body at his touch. She was well aware that this counted as flirting. It was hard not to think of her dream and even harder not to imagine his lips on hers. They were teetering on a very dangerous line at the moment. Elena knew that one slight push in either direction would lay bare all of the unspoken things they'd been experiencing for the past few weeks. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. It felt more dangerous with Jax than it had with Matt, Stefan, and Damon combined.

Sometimes she felt like there was a simmering fire beneath his skin and something unexplainable was tugging her towards him, urging her to ignite with him. But she had her hesitations, and with good reason. Bad breakups – check. Complicated pasts – check. Secrets aplenty – check. Maybe it was the thought of all that, or maybe it was her own fear, but she couldn't stop herself from stepping away from him and gently pulling her wrist from his grip. There was a flash of disappointment in Jax's eyes but he looked at her with understanding.

"I really do have to work," Elena explained, trying to ignore the cold loss of his touch.

"I can wait," Jax said, winking at her.

As she smiled and turned away, she knew that he wasn't just talking about teaching her how to change a car's oil. Walking out of the garage, she let out a heavy sigh and silently commanded herself to figure out what the hell she was doing here. There was no ignoring this thing between her and Jax anymore. Either she had to deal with it in a mature manner and tell him that she wasn't ready for anything or she had to relent to her feelings and throw her doubts out the window. There was a decision to make but she wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

"Figure it out, Elena," she muttered to herself before walking into the office to do her job.

Luckily Gemma wasn't in there, so she could sit down and take a few deep breaths before picking up a stack of paperwork to sort through.

"Well, I talked to Otto's sister and Lodi's forensic team will be here first thing in the morning," Juice informed the rest of the guys as they sat around the table once more.

"And the shit keeps piling on my head," Clay sighed with a shake of his head. "Only one thing is gonna stop that Lodi forensics team from getting to our warehouse and that's another murder in Lodi."

A few of the guys nodded in agreement but Jax frowned, putting his cigarette out before speaking.

"I don't know. Hale's on red alert. Mayans, Nords…everyone's twitchy as hell, man. It's not a good time to kill…"

"It's never a good time," Clay interrupted him. "We're talking about protecting Tig and staying out of ATF's crosshairs. We hit the projects. We find ourselves a scumbag, a dealer."

Tig leaned forward, looking focused.

"We should off a couple of Nords, Clay, is what we should do. All right?" he suggested, anger in his voice. "We should just do that, and then dump the bodies in Lodi. It buys us some time to get those Mexicans out of the hole. It sends a message to Darby. Kill two birds with one Crow."

This time, some of the other guys looked skeptical.

"Very clever. With the cops eyeballing the warehouse?" Chibs questioned.

"Doesn't matter," Tig shrugged.

Clay considered it for a moment before nodding.

"I'll handle that. You set it up," he decided.

Tig started to stand but Jax stopped, determined to make himself heard.

"Hey. What if I could do this without spilling blood?" he questioned.

Around him, everyone shot him wary looks and he shook his head.

"Look, this isn't me tripping some guilt shit because of my kid. This is about one of us thinking straight. Brains before bullets, right?" he said, pointing to a sign on the wall that said those exact words.

Clay glanced around before sighing as he leaned back in his chair.

"Let's hear it," he said, inviting Jax to talk.

"All we need for a murder are bodies and a crime scene," Jax reminded them.

Confusion was prevalent in the room at his words.

"Jackie boy, now you lost me," Chibs said.

"Skeeter. He's always got more gambling debt than he can handle. I'll make it worth his while."

"The cemetery guy?" Bobby said, making a face.

Jax nodded in confirmation as he glanced at Clay.

"Cash for cadavers. I like it," Chibs said approvingly.

"I give Lodi a front-page murder. We don't stir up another shit storm to bite us in the ass," Jax said, leaving it up to the president.

"What about educating Darby?" Tig wondered.

He looked over at the sergeant-at-arms, pressing his lips together for a moment.

"I'll figure that out. The important thing is to keep your DNA out of the petri dish and protect the club," he said simply.

Clay glanced between Tig and Jax as he considered it carefully.

"Path of least resistance is always best, right?" he finally said, nodding at Jax. "We'll do it your way, VP."

"All right," Jax said, looking triumphant.

Clay banged the gavel and they all stood, making their way to the door. Before Jax could leave, the older man stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Don't make me regret this," Clay warned him.

Elena could see Jax approaching the office from the window and bit down hard on her lip when her heart leapt. This couldn't be happening. She wasn't ready for it. But the emotional part of her mind seemed disconnected from the rational part and it just wasn't listening. He smiled at her as he came through the door and she hated the warm flush that rose to her cheeks.

"You ready to get out of here?"

If she were smart, Elena would shake her head and make some excuse about being buried in paperwork that she promised Gemma she'd finished by the end of the day, even if it was a lie. But she clearly wasn't that smart, because she answered with a nod, setting down her pen and grabbing her purse from the floor by the desk.

"Let's go."

She fell into step with him as they walked towards his bike. When his hand lifted and brushed over her back, his fingers teasing at the sliver of skin showing just above her jeans, she barely contained a shiver and didn't miss the slight smirk on his face. He was definitely doing this on purpose. Two could play at that game, though Elena wasn't sure if she was ready to face the consequences no matter who won. Once she clipped the helmet he handed her into place, she climbed on the back of his bike and wrapped her arms firmly around his waist, propping her chin up on his shoulder.

"Take it slow," she reminded him softly, her lips brushing his ear as she spoke.

Elena could have sworn that she saw his grip tighten on the handlebars.

"Whatever you want babe."

She couldn't help but smile as he slowly pulled out of the garage's parking lot and headed towards the hospital. They weren't on the road for five minutes before a police officer in a Jeep pulled up next to them at a stoplight.

"How you doing, Jax?"

Both Elena and Jax looked over at him. He was somewhat young with close-cropped hair and a stiffness to him.

"Heard about Wendy and the baby. I'm sorry."

Jax grew tense as he spoke and Elena knew that this man wasn't a friend despite his kind words. As she pressed herself closer to him, the officer's eyes flitted to her.

"Thanks Hale," Jax said, pulling the attention back to him somewhat purposefully.

He didn't sound genuine in his gratitude. Once the light turned green, Elena nudged him and he took off. It didn't dissuade the cop one bit.

"You know, I took a ride out to the streams today," he said, pulling up alongside him to continue talking. "Saw that warehouse that burned down."

Jax huffed, glancing over at him briefly with a vaguely amused look.

"Outside your jurisdiction, ain't it?" he asked.

"Did you ever hear of a Bluebird Supply Company?" Hale asked, waiting for Jax's reaction.

When he didn't get one, he continued.

"Apparently they hold the title on that parcel. Whole area was littered with casings and gun parts. That warehouse was a weapons depot."

Jax shrugged carelessly as Elena kept her face neutral. She already knew all this, luckily, so none of it was coming as a surprise. She had a feeling that withholding information from the police was commonplace amidst Sam Crow.

"No kidding?" Jax said.

"Chief Unser's retiring at the end of this month. I'll be stepping into those shoes," Hale said as they slowed to a stop at a stop sign. "Unser's always had a look the other way policy with the Sons of Anarchy."

"Unser's a lazy drunk," Jax snorted.

"I will not look the other way, Jax. Just a friendly heads-up."

Jax looked over at him, not at all fazed by his words.

"We're all free men protected by the Constitution. You look any way you want, Chief," he said.

Before he could turn on the road that ran by the hospital, Elena caught a glimpse of anger and frustration in the cop's eyes. He was definitely not a friend. As soon as they pulled into the parking lot and he found a spot, Elena climbed off and watched as he cut the engine.

"You're worried," she said, seeing the frustrated crease on his forehead.

"There's just some shit on that warehouse property that could really screw us," he admitted. "Almost Chief Hale back there would love to lock us all up so he's dying for some evidence against us."

"I thought that they couldn't connect you to any of it," Elena said as he climbed off as well.

Jax shrugged, clearly trying not to make a big deal out of it.

"Can I help?"

The words came out of her mouth before she could stop to think them through. When he looked at her with surprise, she stared back at him without flinching. She'd already offered so there was no taking it back now.

"Not this time," he refused, shaking his head. "But I may take you up on that later."

Elena felt a thrill of fear and anticipation at the thought, which made her wonder when she began to accept this completely different life.

"Let's go see the kid," Jax said.

She nodded, putting her curiosity to the side as they walked inside the hospital together.

As Clay walked down the street next to Unser, the Chief of Police in Charming, a frown was fixed on his face.

"So your boy… not really a team player. I've made several gestures of friendship. He's declined every one," he said, glancing over at the other man.

"Hale's not interested in friends," Unser sighed, shaking his head. "He thinks Charming's stuck in 1969. Wants to bring it into the twenty-first century."

Clay rolled his eyes.

"Hale is a half-bright clerk with a Wyatt Earp complex. Hardly seems like a guy with a vision."

"Don't underestimate him. He's tight with city council and his old man's got deep political ties with Northern Cali," the chief warned.

"Yeah. But you're the boss, right?" Clay said.

Unser stopped, turning to face him with a tired look on his face.

"Come on, Clay. Since they found the cancer last year, I got one foot out the door. I mean, the squad's his now. It'll be official in a few weeks."

Clay stepped closer, an annoyed look on his face.

"This uptight piece of shit is gonna make our lives miserable. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he said through gritted teeth.

"There's nothing I can do about it. Doctors, my wife, they're making me step down. I'm sorry. It's done," Unser said.

The biker stared at him for a few more moments before nodding.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," he said, turning to walk away.

"This doesn't mean we can't keep our business arrangement. Me and you, we had a good thing going for a lot of years. We need each other," Unser said, falling into step with him once more.

"Yes, we do," Clay nodded. "What's the run?"

"Got blu-rays and iPods heading down to San Jose. Goddamn Niners have been jacking the shit out of them. Keep your eyes open on this one."

The president of Sam Crow made a noise of agreement.

"I'll make sure they get where they're going."

Jax and Elena stared through the window at Abel with similar looks of concern and wonder. He was actually figuring out how to move his arms and legs. It was an amazing sight considering how much worse he looked when he was born. When the dark-haired doctor, Tara Knowles, stepped out of the incubation room, Elena barely glanced her way before looking back at Abel.

"He's moving around a lot more," Jax said, turning to face the doctor.

"Yeah. All his vitals are up," Tara said with a smile.

"Any permanent damage?" Elena asked, finally looking over at her fully.

Tara's smile faltered as she looked over at Elena before glancing at Abel.

"Can't know for sure. But everything so far points to full recovery," she said hopefully.

"How long is he gonna be in that thing?" Jax asked.

"Could be weeks," Tara said, shrugging her shoulders. "But he'll be in the NICU for at least three or four months."

Elena and Jax looked over at Abel again, both of them pained at the thought of him having to stay here for months.

"He'll be okay," Elena said when Jax let out a heavy sigh, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "He's a fighter."

"Yeah he is," he said with a slight smile, leaning into her touch.

They stood like that for so long that neither of them really noticed when Tara excused herself and walked away. It wasn't until Jax's phone chimed in his pocket and he read the text that he sighed and glanced over at her.

"I gotta go," he said with a sigh. "We've got something in the works to keep Hale from screwing us over. Want me to drop you back at the garage?"

Elena shook her head.

"I'll stay here with him until your mom shows up. I told her I'd go grocery shopping with her later."

Jax nodded, leaning in to brush his lips over her cheek before turning to walk away. As Elena watched him go, she couldn't help but let out a sigh, leaning back against the glass that separated her from the incubation chamber where Abel was struggling to survive. It was horrible to think of the tiny little boy as a complication but whatever was going on between her and Jax didn't exist in a vacuum. He had a son and an almost ex-wife.

She couldn't do anything without taking all of that into consideration. As much as she wanted to throw all caution to the wind and do whatever the hell she wanted, that just wasn't like her. Glancing over her shoulder at Abel, she bit down on her lip and watched his small chest rise up and down with his assisted breathing. Just when she thought that her life had reached its complicated limit, Charming and Sam Crow showed her that there really was no limit.

"You want to go in?"

Turning around, she saw Tara standing there. The doctor looked somewhat interested in her, as if she was holding back some things she wanted to ask or say. Elena knew the feeling, since she wondered exactly what happened in Tara's past with Jax and Sam Crow. All she knew was that she'd broken Jax's heart and left Charming.

"Can I?" Elena asked.

"Jax put you on the visitation list a couple of weeks ago. Go ahead," Tara said, not entirely unkindly.

Elena followed her into the room, feeling a stab of pain and sympathy for the little boy who was fighting to survive. If she thought that life was stacked against her when she was born, being a doppelganger and all, it was nothing compared to what Abel was going through. Sitting down, she put her hand on the glass and began talking to the little boy about all the plans that Gemma had for his nursery. She felt Tara watching her as she spoke but didn't really care. In this moment, she felt the slightest bit of peace and healing. If Abel could get through his life's shitty start and come out the other side, Elena felt like she didn't have much of a choice but to do the same.

That night, Clay made the protection run for Chief Unser along with Bobby, Tig, and Opie. Only it wasn't exactly a protection run. The president of Sam Crow had something else in mind. By the time they had the truck pulled over in a field and the driver tied up in the back, the others quickly figured it out.

"Circuit City, kiss my guinea ass," one of his contacts, Jimmy Cacuzza, said with approval. "I can move this whole load for you in two days."

Clay glanced between the man and the electronics piled in the trailer.

"Good."

"Fifty-fifty?" Jimmy offered.

He shook his head, waving him off.

"Just throw me ten percent. It's my little gift to you," Clay said, turning to face him before speaking again in a low voice. "We had a little setback with the business."

"Yeah. We heard rumors. Mayans, right?" Jimmy asked in an equally quiet voice.

Clay nodded in confirmation.

"It might be a minute before we're up and running. I'd appreciate it if you and some of the other crews would be a little patient, give us some time to get on our feet before you found another distributor," he said convincingly.

Jimmy thought about it for a moment before making his decision.

"We might need to go elsewhere in the short term. But I'll let the boys know. They don't do any big gun business with anyone except the Sons, hmm?" he said, reaching out to shake hands.

"Thanks, Jimmy," Clay said, returning the gesture before walking away.

As he approached their bikes, Opie stepped up with a frown on his face.

"You knew all this was going down?" he demanded.

Clay looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I had it in the works, but I wasn't sure till I got the call," he shrugged.

"Well, what about your deal with Unser? We're supposed to protect the cargo," Opie said, looking concerned.

Clay only smiled, relishing in the best part of this deal.

"Chief Unser needed a wake-up call. We needed a goodwill gesture. It'll all work out," he said confidently.

The younger man still looked uncertain.

"You wanted in, right?" Clay reminded him.

Opie hesitated for a moment before nodding in reply.

"Yeah, I did."

Elena knew that Gemma had a busy day ahead of them when she walked out the next morning to find the other woman making a long list of groceries.

"You know how to cook, right?" she asked without even looking up at Elena.

"I'm almost afraid to say yes," Elena admitted.

Gemma finally lifted her eyes, smiling at her.

"I think it's about time you see what a family gathering looks like with us," she said, leaning back in her chair.

She turned away, pouring herself a cup of coffee. It was a distraction for both Gemma and herself. Elena didn't really know how to respond to that suggestion. Though she arrived in Charming over a month ago, it felt like she'd been there for much longer. It wasn't hard to integrate herself into the lives of Jax, Gemma, Clay, and everyone else. Hell, she spent the majority of her time around them. Was it really surprising that Gemma suggested she was part of the family? She was living with them, working with them, and slowly but surely learning their closely guarded secrets.

Part of her felt bad for the latter, since no one but Gemma and Clay knew anything about the secrets that she kept tight-lipped about. Even they didn't know just how much danger everyone would be in if Elijah failed and Klaus found her in Charming. Part of her wanted to assure Gemma that she did not want Elena to be any part of her family. The other part selfishly wanted to belong in this place, for some reason that she still couldn't identify.

"You alright?" Gemma asked from behind her.

Turning around, she nodded once before taking a long drink.

"I can cook," Elena said once she swallowed the sweet coffee.

"Great," the other woman said, returning to her list to scribble down a few more items.

A stab of guilt struck her in the chest and Elena prayed, not for the first time, that Klaus would stay far away from Charming. She didn't want to be responsible for something bad happening to anyone here. Even if she managed to evade Klaus once more, it would be hard to go on with her life if she knew that more people died because of her.

"Let's get going," Gemma said, standing up with her list in hand. "Might as well get an early start. It'll be a long day."

Elena pulled herself out of her morose thoughts.

"I'll grab my bag and meet you in the car," she said, putting her concerns to the side for now.

As she walked back to her bedroom, Elena contented herself with the fact that Gemma would probably keep her distracted enough that she wouldn't think too much today.

It didn't take long for Unser to find Clay once he got news of what happened with the truck and its cargo.

"What the hell happened out there? O'Brien Electronics is my biggest account," the chief of police hisses as they met on Main Street.

The president of Sam Crow simply replied with a shrug and a smile.

"That's probably the last time they'll use Unser Trucking to transport their precious cargo."

Unser narrowed his eyes, barely containing his fury.

"What are you doing, Clay?" he demanded.

"Just keeping a good cop on the job is all," Clay replied, stepping closer. "You don't step down for another six months. You let us rebuild. And keep Hale off my goddamn back."

The other man considered it for a moment.

"If I say no?"

"Then I'll make sure every truck leaves this yard hits a roadblock," Clay said simply.

Unser huffed before resuming his pacing.

"Where's my driver?"

"Oh, he's getting patched up. We convinced him to keep this incident in-house," he assured the policeman.

Unser shook his head with a look of disbelief.

"Jesus Christ. This is how you treat an old friend?"

"No," Clay said, shaking his head. "This is how I treat an old cop."

After spending far too much time in a grocery store, Elena hated to admit that she was already tired and it was only eleven in the morning.

"Clay has a few things for me to look over and then we'll run home to get started on cooking," Gemma said as they pulled up to the garage. "Can you go put these in Jax's room?"

She handed Elena a bag full of discount toiletries.

"No problem," she said, climbing out of the car to head straight for the clubhouse.

Chibs pulled her into a one-armed hug when she entered the bar but simply shrugged when she asked if Jax was around.

"He may be in his room," Juice said from one of the tables where he was working on his computer.

"Thanks."

Elena headed back for the rooms and knocked on Jax's door several times. When she got no answer, she pushed it open and wrinkled her nose at the absolute mess that greeted her. Setting the bag on the bed, she spotted a few pictures spread out and picked one up, smiling when she saw that it was Gemma's wedding day to Jax's dad. Heavily pregnant, she was gorgeous and glowing. A much younger Clay stood on the other side of John Teller with a wide grin on his face. It was a happy picture.

Elena felt like she was somehow intruding, though, and set it down to turn away. Walking out, she reminded the guys about the time for the dinner. Once she stepped out into the sun, her eyes automatically gravitated to one of the rooftops and wasn't surprised at all to see Jax sitting up there drinking a beer and focused on something in his lap.

It didn't take long for her to cross the lot and climb the ladder up to the roof. Jax glanced up when she came into view and smiled at the sight of her in spite of the new bruise that had formed on his cheek somewhere between now and the last time she saw him. He closed the binder that he was holding as she approached and sat down next to him.

"Exciting night?" she asked, nodding at the bruise.

"Hazards of the job," he said with a shrug. "Got to stage a crime scene in Lodi to keep their forensic team from combing through the warehouse."

Elena stared at him with wide eyes. Just when she thought that she'd heard some of the strangest things when she was dating a vampire, somehow these people managed to take her by surprise.

"I don't think I want any details," she said, somehow knowing that they'd broken more than a few laws by staging this crime scene.

"Smart," Jax commented, lighting up a cigarette before handing one over to her.

Elena took it, leaning in as he held up his lighter. They were both quiet for a long time before she felt the urge to say something just to fill the silence.

"I talked to Wendy," she said, already wincing at her choice of subject.

"What? When? Is she awake?" Jax asked.

"No. At least I don't think so," Elena said with a shake of her head, already wishing that she hadn't brought it up. "It was before… when Abel was having his surgery."

"Why'd you talk to her?" he said, sounding more curious than anything else.

She shrugged, glancing over at him.

"I just figured that she was probably lonely and scared. If I was in that situation, I think that a few kind words would really help me. So I talked to her," Elena said, hoping that he wouldn't get mad.

Jax stared at her for a long time without saying anything. She couldn't read him past his steady gaze until he finally spoke.

"I've never met anyone like you," he admitted.

Elena couldn't help but flush, looking down at her lap.

"What? Stupidly naïve and somewhat nosy?" she said dismissively.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "You really care, don't you? I mean you never met Wendy before and a lot of people in your situation would just see her as a selfish junkie."

She shook her head but didn't look at him.

"I've never been in Wendy's situation," Elena said, kicking at a small rock on the ground. "I have no right to judge her for what she did."

Jax sighed, reaching over to wrap his arm around her. She let him pull her in, laying her head on his shoulder without a second thought. They sat there for a long time, neither of them talking once more. This time, Elena didn't try to break the silence. She was content right where she was. Then they spotted Clay walking out of the garage as he glanced around the entire property.

"He's looking for me," Jax said.

Elena sat up, letting his arm fall from her shoulders.

"I have to go help your mom cook," she said, knowing that Gemma was probably looking for her too.

Once their feet were on solid ground, they headed over to Clay and began walking with him to Gemma's car. Before they could get far, a familiar Jeep pulled into the parking lot and Deputy Hale climbed out with simmering rage in his eyes.

"Unser's not retiring," he called as both Clay and Jax ignored him.

Elena didn't miss the way that they shifted, each falling into step on either side of her. It seemed like they were protecting her without thinking, which was more flattering than it should have been.

"What did you do? Threaten to rape his daughter?" Hale demanded.

Clay and Jax both stopped short and Elena looked between them with wide eyes as they turned to look at the cop.

"That's a little harsh," Clay said, his voice light and unconcerned. "Maybe the old man's not ready for the gold watch."

"Just got back from that Bluebird warehouse. There were two dead women in the utility hatch before my guys got pulled off. They're gone," Hale said, a scowl on his face.

Elena's blood ran cold at the new information and she barely kept herself from looking up at Jax for confirmation.

"They could've been napping," he said with a careless shrug, sounding more amused than anything else.

"You guys," the deputy scoffed, shaking his head. "Cruising around here like heroes. But you and I know the truth."

"What truth is that?" Jax asked.

"You're white trash thugs holding onto a dying dream."

"Oh, that is so poetic, Chief," Clay said as Jax smirked. "Oh! I'm sorry. I guess it's just Deputy Chief. Right?"

Hale stepped forward, his eyes burning with fury.

"It doesn't matter if I'm chief or not. You can't stop progress. It won't be long before Sam Crow is just an ugly memory in the history of Charming. So you enjoy the ride while you still can," he said, the threat clear in his voice.

Jax and Clay still looked completely unworried until his eyes flickered down to Elena. She didn't avoid his gaze, meeting it head on with a carefully blank look on her face.

"And you should stay far away from them," he warned her. "People around these guys have a habit of getting hurt."

It didn't sound like as much of a threat but Jax and Clay's casual demeanor disappeared as they closed ranks and stepped in front of Elena.

"You don't talk to her," Jax said, his voice suddenly cold. "Ever."

Elena leaned around him only to see that Hale was already backing away.

"You'll see me again," he promised before turning to walk to his Jeep.

Once he was gone, the tension drained from Jax and Clay. Elena couldn't help but take a step back as they glanced over at her.

"Hey," Jax said, realizing what she'd heard.

She shook her head, nimbly pulling herself out of the way of his reaching hand.

"I have to go help Gemma," Elena reminded him.

Neither of them said a word as she walked away, climbing into the passenger's seat of Gemma's Charger. Her hands were shaking as Hale's words repeated over and over again in her mind. In the back of her mind, she knew that they were involved with more than just illegal gun running. The memory of Jax's shirt stained with blood and the gun tucked into his waistband caused her to shudder. It was one thing to see the evidence and quite another to hear about two dead bodies that were undoubtedly connected to Sam Crow. Whatever Jax had done the night before, staging a crime scene in Lodi, was probably to distract Hale and the others so that they could sneak the bodies out. With the information she had, Elena could probably get half of Sam Crow arrested. It was a scary, horrible feeling that she hated with every fiber of her being.

Much to her luck, cooking and preparing for the dinner that night kept Gemma from asking any questions about her pale face in the aftermath of the confrontation with Hale. Unfortunately, it didn't keep her from thinking things through a thousand and one times. Solution one – pack up all of her shit and leave Charming behind. Solution two – turn in all of the information she knew about Sam Crow to the authorities. Solution three – come to terms with the fact that she was safe in Charming with a morally grey group of criminals and stop freaking out every time she heard something new and dangerous about them. Solution one seemed like a one-way ticket to Klaus finding out she was alive and killing everyone she loved. Solution two made her feel sick to her stomach and guilty somehow. Elena couldn't do it. Solution three somehow felt like the most dangerous and tempting of them all.

"You can go get cleaned up," Gemma said once Elena pulled a huge roast chicken out of the oven. "We'll finish up."

More women had shown up to help them out, much to their relief, so everything got done relatively easily. Now that the guys were starting to come around, Elena knew that it was nearly time for dinner. Escaping back to her room, she splashed some water on her face, changed her clothes, and found herself sitting on her bed as her fingers nimbly fixed her hair. A knock came on her door after a while and she invited the person to enter without asking who they were. She already knew.

"Hey," Jax said, sitting on the bed beside her.

Elena simply hummed, focusing on what her hands were doing.

"It's not what you think," he said.

"I don't need to know," Elena said quickly.

He stared at her for a few long seconds.

"They were employees," he finally said, ignoring her words. "They didn't get out fast enough. Their blood isn't on our hands."

The way he said it was so carefully worded that Elena knew he was trying to make it clear that just because they didn't kill the two women didn't mean that they never killed. Dropping her hands with a sigh once she finished off her ponytail, Elena glanced over at him only to see that he was staring back warily.

"I don't care."

The words took them both by surprise. It was the truth, she was only just accepting it.

"You don't?" Jax asked, sounding slightly skeptical.

She shook her head, realizing that her words were misleading.

"I don't like the idea of people dying," Elena said, her eyes darting away from him. "But I don't know everything about your life. I don't know what decisions you face. It's just like with Wendy. I can't judge you for something that I don't understand. It wouldn't be right."

He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head at her words.

"I don't know what to do about you," Jax admitted.

Elena met his eyes and saw bold desire in them. She couldn't help but think that he said those words for her benefit because it looked like he knew exactly what he wanted to do with her. Warmth gathered in her chest as his gaze flitted down to her lips and back up. It was hard not to feel that same desire stirring in her that she saw reflected in his eyes.

"What are we doing?" she whispered, finally addressing it after what had to be weeks of tension.

Jax smirked slightly, shrugging one shoulder.

"Whatever you want," he said.

Realization crashed down on her. Ever since she first rode on his bike, Jax had been putting all of this in her hands. He never made a move without making sure that she was okay with it first. It was a far cry from Damon's almost bullying way of trying to get her to admit that she had feelings for him. It nearly brought a smile to her face but she hesitated.

"I don't know," Elena admitted.

Jax didn't look bothered.

"No one says you gotta figure it all out right now," he assured her.

With that, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. One surprised blink of her eyes later, he was walking towards the door. If she didn't feel a slight warmth and tingling in her lips, Elena would have thought that she imagined the kiss.

"Come on out and eat," Jax said, opening her door. "Everyone's waiting."

She watched as he went, rooted to the spot as her mind whirled with a hundred thoughts all at once. When she finally settled on Jax, everything else seemed to go quiet and a slow smile finally spread across her face. Pushing herself to stand, she made her way into the large dining room slowly and laughed at the raucous welcome she got. Chibs kissed her soundly on the cheek and Bobby pulled her into a tight hug. Even Tig clapped her shoulder and handed her a beer, nodding her way.

As she slipped into a seat between Jax and Chibs, Gemma gave her a smile and a nod from across the table. As she watched everyone talk, eat, and laugh their way through a comfortable meal, Elena realized for the first time what they meant when they talked about their family. It felt good. Reaching under the table, she slipped her hand into Jax's and entwined their fingers. He looked around to meet her eyes with a question in his eyes.

"One day at a time," Elena said conditionally.

She wasn't ready to commit to anything more. Somehow she knew that he would understand. He didn't disappoint.

"Sounds about right to me," he said, squeezing her hand lightly.

She smiled at him, sweeping her thumb back and forth over his hand as they focused on everyone around them. It crept up on her but Elena finally felt like she fully belonged here, all of her doubts calmed into silence by the feeling of Jax's warm hand wrapped around hers. This could definitely be home for her, a thought that made her heart leap with something that felt like joy.

I would love to hear what you think!

Updated: 4/11/21