I'll be rising with the morning tide

by Queen-Annabeth-Winchester

In the aftermath of Klaus' ritual, Elena leaves Mystic Falls both to protect the ones she loves and to leave her past behind. Her path leads her across the country to a small town named Charming. Dropped in the middle of a motorcycle club, and inexplicably drawn to its vice-president, Elena discovers secrets not just about the people around her but about her own life. Elena/Jax

7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own neither TVD or SOA.

Author's Note:

1. Yes I am back! Hopefully on a more consistent and immediate basis considering it's been a very long time since I updated this fic. I fully intend to keep going all the way to the end. This is not abandoned and if I have my way, it never will be.

2. I may be a little rusty so forgive any missteps while I give you a very long, 17.5k word chapter.

3. Elena is going to be trying to find her place in Charming and in the club for the next little bit and that all starts in this chapter.

4. As always, I have Elena's outfits up on the tvdcrossovers blog on tumblr.

ENJOY!

---

Sat in the middle of the bar with soft music playing overhead as her only company, Elena was blissfully unaware of her surroundings. Her teeth pressed into her lower lip as she tapped her pen against the table along to the beat of the song, her eyes scanning one of many documents spread out in front of her. Whatever chaos might be happening outside of her focused bubble was far, far away. Someone could have torn through the garage guns blazing, and she'd be none the wiser. For all the attention she paid to her surroundings, it was all too easy for someone to sneak up on her. She nearly jumped from her seat when a hand brushed over her shoulder, pulling a sharp gasp from her lips as her heart set to racing.

"Fuck you," she slipped out, turning her head to scowl at the culprit.

Jax gave her an amused look, raising his hands in surrender though he hardly looked remorseful.

"I assume that's not an offer," he said, smirking down at her.

Elena leveled him with a dark look, dropping her pen to the table as she brushed her hair out of her face.

"You should wear a bell or something," she muttered, sitting back in her chair.

"Sorry," he said, dropping into the chair to her left. "You know it's almost closing time, yeah?"

She shook her head, reaching out to grab the bottle of water she'd been sipping from all afternoon.

"Closing up for the night doesn't magically make all of this disappear," Elena said, waving her hand over the paperwork.

"Do it tomorrow," Jax said with a shrug as she took a slow drink.

Though it was hard not to scoff, she managed to restrain herself.

"If I leave it until tomorrow, there will be more to do. I just want to finish it up."

Jax reached under the table, his hand closing over her knee. The touch sent a shiver through her body that she managed to control, hoping he didn't see her twitch as he brushed his thumb in circles over her smooth skin. Elena didn't know how he managed to affect her like this. In such a raw and uncontrolled way. Nothing had ever felt like this before. The only thing that ever came close was the conflicted feelings that Damon sparked in her. But even he couldn't pull her thoughts from Stefan like Jax did.

After she accepted the end of her relationship with Stefan, she didn't think that anyone could make her want closeness and intimacy again. But Jax drew her in and she felt lit up and breathless all at once by his proximity. Even now, she felt warmth filling her, bringing a light flush to her cheeks as she met his gaze. It had been only a week and a half since the dinner at Gemma's, and she felt more and more drawn to him with every day that passed. Elena knew better than to fall for someone that she just met, but this entire situation seemed wildly out of her control in a way that she wasn't quite sure she was okay with yet.

"Everyone else is going to the fair that's in town," he said, his striking blue eyes staring deep into hers. "Come with us."

Elena hesitated, remembering the last time she attended a town fair all too easily. If she closed her eyes, she was sure that she'd recall the exact feeling of standing protectively in front of a recently changed Caroline, Damon standing inches away and poised to shove a dagger in her best friend's heart. That breathless moment of fear, of wondering whether Damon really would hurt her if it meant killing Caroline. She blinked away the memory, telling herself that she was far away from Mystic Falls. Charming presented a whole host of other problems, but at least she probably didn't have to worry about vampires showing up at the carousel.

"I'll only go if you buy me a funnel cake," she said conditionally.

Jax's eyes crinkled at the corners as he grinned. Elena couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips.

"Sounds like a deal."

---

Laughter, shouts, and carnival music filled the air around them as they trudged across the grass through the fairgrounds. All thoughts of Mystic Falls and unfortunate carnival experiences were far from Elena's mind as she watched a group full of bikers turn into children at every turn. She had a fair few videos on her phone of Jax and the others on the rides for future use, even daring to snap a few pictures of Tig going to town on bright pink cotton candy.

"You're lagging."

Elena snapped to attention only to see that the group consisting of Gemma, Clay, Jax, Tig, and Bobby were a few feet ahead of her. Giving him a lazy smile, she dragged her feet as she caught up with him.

"I may have eaten a little too much funnel cake," she admitted.

Jax let out a snort, shaking his head as he turned around to face away from her. Then he bent his knees a little and spread his arms, tossing his head to get his hair out of his face.

"Come on," he said, clearly welcoming her to jump on his back.

"Are you serious?" Elena asked, laughter bubbling up in her throat.

"Incredibly," Jax said, though the smirk he shot her betrayed his amusement.

She bit her lip to restrain her laughter, hopping onto his back carefully and winding her arms loosely around his neck. His hands cradled her thighs, holding her up and bringing goosebumps to the surface of her skin. Elena tucked her chin in his shoulder, feeling his hair tickling her cheek. Everything else faded into the background, and if one of the guys sent a teasing comment their way, she didn't hear it, only Jax's apt response of "fuck off" before he continued walking with the rest of them, sauntering along as if he didn't have an extra person's weight on his back.

"It's kind of creepy, you know?" Elena said, earning a hum of confusion from him. "Fun Town. That name is just… blech."

"Blech?" Jax repeated with a chuckle.

"Yes! Blech!" she said, standing by her opinion. "I keep expecting some crazed clown to jump out from behind a ride with a chainsaw ready to murder us all."

Jax squeezed her leg lightly, shaking his head as the group started to slow around the middle of the fairgrounds where rides and concession stands all converged together into a crossroads.

"I think you watch too many horror movies, babe."

Elena huffed, refraining from muttering that her damn life was a horror movie. There were some things that Jax still didn't know. Some things that she wasn't sure she'd ever actually tell him. They both fell silent as a middle-aged couple with what looked like their young daughter came across them. The woman looked unhappy to be approaching them at all while the daughter looked torn between curiosity and terror. The man seemed resigned, as if it was something that he had to do even if he wasn't too happy about it. Elena watched the scene play out, intrigued by the different dynamics since the unfamiliar family looked like they belonged at a country club more than anything.

"Hey, Clay," the man said, holding out his hand to shake.

"How you doin', Elliott?"

Clay took his hand without hesitation, a smirk forming on his face as he shook hands.

"Okay, thanks."

With a nod, Clay released his hand and focused on his wife, his amusement growing more clear with every passing second.

"Karen."

The woman pasted a polite smile onto her face, though anyone could tell that she wished she was anywhere else.

"Hello," she said stiffly, her hand gripping her husband's upper arm as if she was ready to rip both him and her daughter away at any second.

"I'm gonna go to the Spinout," the young girl said quietly, looking like she was itching to get far away from them all.

"Tristen, you've been on it four times already," Karen sighed.

"I know," Tristen muttered, color filling her cheeks as all eyes settled on her.

Elena sympathized with her, knowing that the last thing she probably wanted was to get all of this attention when she just tried to slip away quietly.

"Hey," she said, digging a few tickets out of her pocket with difficulty, trying not to fall off of Jax. "Here."

She held them out with a polite smile, earning a wide-eyed look from Tristen and a narrow-eyed one from her mother.

"That's not necessary," Karen said, though she wasn't quick enough to stop Tristen from reaching out and taking the tickets.

"That's okay, we're done riding anyway," Elena said, giving Tristen a conspiratorial grin. "They kicked us off cause this guy was screaming too loud."

She patted Jax's shoulder twice, drawing a laugh from him as Tristen smiled shyly at them both.

"Guilty as charged," Jax said.

"What do you say?" Karen said through almost gritted teeth.

Elena gave the tickets to Tristen to get her out of the limelight, but it was almost worth it to piss off the uptight woman who clearly judged them all by the cover. She almost reminded Elena of Tyler's mom. Carol Lockwood was many things but welcoming and accepting was not one of them.

"Thanks," Tristen said quietly, already taking a step back as she tucked her long hair behind her ear.

"You got it," Jax said, giving her a wink.

As soon as she was gone, Karen retook her husband's arm and looked like she was ready to haul ass away from them. Elena wondered if she'd actually drag him away if it came down to it.

"We gotta go," she said, her voice leaving no room for argument. "Bye."

Elliott murmured out a goodbye as well before they turned to walk away. Elena pressed her lips together to keep from laughing as the others snorted their amusement.

"The Oswalds," Jax said for Elena's benefit. "They own half the town."

"More than half," Bobby said, shaking his head.

"Mmm," Gemma said, a smirk forming on her face as she took Clay's hand. "You'd think with all that money, they could pay someone to remove those sticks from their asses."

They all laughed at once, though Elena hid her amusement in Jax's shoulder. She couldn't help but imagine what would happen if Sam Crow met Mystic Falls. The upstanding citizens would probably have a heart attack at the sight of half a dozen motorcycles traveling down Main Street.

"Come on," Tig said, smacking Jax's arm lightly.

Elena spared a brief glance towards Gemma and Clay as they separated from the group, looking like a couple of giddy teenagers as they stumbled to the photobooth together. Her thoughts lingered on the small family that they just met, a family that probably wasn't much different from her own at the end of the day. Her parents were influential in Mystic Falls, more than she ever imagined. Not only as members of a founding family but as one of the few who knew the truth about the world and the origins of their town.

But there was a line drawn between people like them and people that were born into a different legacy. Matt and Vicki came to mind all too easily. Even though Matt was universally recognized as a good kid, there was a ripple of surprise through the school and even the town when she started dating him. They crossed the invisible line. In Charming, Elena imagined that it'd be something like Tristen Oswald dating the child of a Sam Crow member. It was strange, seeing it from the other side. Especially since she wasn't sure whether she belonged where she currently stood.

It wasn't until Jax tapped her leg that she pulled herself from her thoughts, realizing that they had looped around to another part of the fair. He bent his knees a little, encouraging her to slide off of his back. There was something in the tense line of his shoulders that told her to do it without complaint. Elena found her feet, wavering for a second before peering around him to see what made his mood change so suddenly. His hand found hers, gently tugging her forward as they continued walking towards the three men headed their way.

They were all tall and white, with tattoos spotting their skin and smirks on their faces. Elena could only guess why Jax, Tig, and Bobby looked unhappy at their presence. She'd never seen them before, but it was easy enough to sense the animosity crackling in the air as they grew closer and closer. Elena's skin crawled as they passed, feeling their gazes sweep over her as well as the others. It wasn't until they were long gone that Jax's firm grip on her hand relaxed and he shot her a smile to cover his stress.

"Darby's guys?" Bobby said as they kept going.

The name sparked a memory in Elena's head, of the hospital and Abel and finding Wendy unconscious on the floor in a pool of her own blood. They spoke of the faceless man with contempt then, calling him a Nazi and accusing one of his guys of selling Wendy the drugs that caused her to overdose. Elena suddenly understood the tension. If they were a part of that group, Jax definitely had reason to hate them.

"I don't recognize 'em," he admitted with a shrug.

Elena felt relieved, though she couldn't really understand why. Part of her expected that it might turn to a fight if they found out that the men had anything to do with what happened to Wendy and Abel. It was nice to know that they avoided a situation like that.

"Ooh, look at the big, bad bikers, huh?"

Their attention all turned to the clown sitting on a diving board, hovering above a small pool. Balls littered the ground around him, and there was a spot marked in the torn up grass, showing the players where to stand. Tig patted Jax on the shoulder, nodding with a grin on his face. Sparing a glance her way, Jax grinned before releasing her hand. A laugh rose in her throat as she watched him bend over to pick up a few of the balls, ready to knock the clown into the water.

"Gonna get Clowny all wet, huh?" the clown mocked him, kicking his legs where he sat, looking far too dry.

"Come on, Jax," Bobby encouraged, clapping his hands. "Come on."

Elena pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, watching with her arms crossed over her chest as Jax took his first throw. It missed the target by a few inches. Ignoring the clown's teasing laughter, Jax threw again and almost hit the button that would send the joker careening into the water.

"What's the matter, tough guy? Can't put the little ball in the tight hole?" the clown said, smirking towards Bobby and Tig. "Bet all your leather-wearin' butt buddies say the same."

Tig and Bobby both straightened up, frowns pulling at their lips as Elena shook her head with disbelief.

"Oh really?" Jax demanded, already advancing on the clown.

"Oh, no. That's a Bozo no-no," Tig said, shaking his head as he and Bobby followed hot on Jax's heels.

"Jesus, you guys. I was just screwin' around, man."

Whatever else the clown had to say in his defense was drowned out Jax hit the button to send him into the water. Elena rolled her eyes, knowing that their egos couldn't let this go. Leave it to a group of men to ensure their masculinity escaped the scrutiny of a goddamn carnival clown. Heaving out a deep sigh, she turned away from where they took turns dunking the clowns, smiling awkwardly at the people that stared as they passed, both intrigued and used to the scene that the three bikers were making. It took another minute for them to jump down, looking awfully proud of themselves.

"Oh, you're done?" Elena said in a deadpan voice as Jax stepped up to her side once more. "Good work, gentlemen. So glad you defended your honor against the clown."

She patted Jax's chest once, shaking her head at their protests as they headed off towards another game booth, leaving the wet clown sputtering out curses behind them. After about half an hour of meandering around as the sun dipped lower in the sky, Juice came jogging up to them as they sat around a picnic table drinking frozen lemonade slushies.

"We're heading back to the clubhouse," he said, looking to Jax first. "Delivery is there."

"A'ight," Jax said, turning towards her. "You'll be good?"

She nodded, waving him off. It wasn't hard to figure out what kind of delivery they were talking about. She knew better than to ask questions, even if curiosity filled her.

"I'll find Gemma," she said as he stood up.

"See ya," Bobby said, grinning at her.

"Don't have too much fun without us," Tig said with a wink.

Juice simply waved at her, and she smiled in return, waving back.

"Don't take too long, yeah?" Jax said, lingering by her as they walked away. "Best not to be alone."

"I won't," she said, pushing up to stand as well.

He slid his arm around her, squeezing her hip lightly as he brushed a kiss over her cheek. Elena watched as he caught up with the others, shoving at Juice and laughing at something Bobby said. Once they were out of sight, she turned around to begin her search of the fairgrounds, knowing that Gemma was her ride home. She barely made it a few steps before someone cut into her path. He looked young, around her age with a head of curly dark brown hair and equally dark eyes.

"Haven't seen you around too much," he said, taking a step towards her.

Elena frowned at him, wondering where the hell he came from. When she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye, she saw that there were two more guys to her right, looking the same age and equally interested, something that she most definitely was not.

"Maybe that's because I don't know you," she said, looking back to the obvious leader.

"The name's Kyle," he said, still moving closer to her.

Elena took a step back, wondering if they were really trying to crowd her in public. Her eyes darted around only to see that no one around them had actually noticed what was happening. It was fairly clear that they noticed when Jax and the others left her alone and chose to make their move. It was insulting and infuriating all at once.

"What's yours?" one of the other guys asked.

"Really none of your business," she said dismissively, trying to sidestep them.

"Come on," Kyle said, a smile forming on her face that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. "Don't be like that, sweetheart."

Elena scowled at him, lifting her chin as angry words started to bubble up in her throat.

"We're having a little party in Macon Woods," he said before she could start yelling, tilting his head towards the line of trees that bordered the fairgrounds. "Love to have a pretty little thing like you join us."

He reached out to touch her and she prepared herself to start shouting when someone else cut in.

"Everything alright here?"

They all looked to the left, watching as an older, balding man wearing a tan cop's uniform approached them. Elena's eyes flitted over him, taking in every detail including the shield pinned on his shirt. Wayne Unser, Chief of Police. Elena heard enough to know exactly who he was and couldn't deny the flood of relief that filled her at the sight of him. He may not have known who she was but she knew that he was her way out of this incredibly frustrating situation.

"Everything's fine, Chief," Kyle said, clearly wanting him to go away.

"That's all fine and good, son, but I was talking to this young lady right here."

The chief's eyes remained fixed on hers, kind and imploring as he waited for her to answer.

"I was actually just leaving," Elena said, finally able to sidestep Kyle and his cronies.

None of them looked too happy about it but they couldn't do anything with Unser standing right there. Elena shot him a grateful smile, thanking him quietly as she began to walk away. She heard him talking to the boys but didn't hang around to listen, determined more than ever to find Gemma. The last thing she wanted to be was alone right now, just in case Kyle sought her out again in a place where the chief couldn't intervene. She had a bottle of pepper spray in her purse but she had the feeling it wouldn't be enough with three of them surrounding her and she was rusty on all the skills that Alaric taught her to defend herself.

"Elena!"

Her eyes cut to the right as she slowed down from the power walk she was using through the grounds, the tension in her shoulders lifting away as she spotted Gemma not twenty feet from her.

"Hey," she said, half-jogging over to her.

"You okay?" Gemma asked, tilting her head to the side.

Elena nodded, waving her hand as if to brush away everything that happened.

"Just a few assholes who can't fathom that someone may not be flattered by their attention," she said, forcing a smile onto her face. "Nothing to worry about."

Gemma frowned at her for a few moments longer before nodding once, seemingly letting it go.

"If you say so," she said, glancing around as if she might see what spooked her. "Want a hot dog or something?"

"Sure," Elena said, though she felt far from hungry.

It was something to do, to distract her from what happened. She'd do anything to make her skin stop crawling.

---

"You think the prospect's deep enough?"

The sound of Clay's voice tore Jax from his thoughts. They were gathered in the parking lot of Teller-Morrow, waiting for the truck with their gun delivery to arrive. He glanced from Clay to Half-Sack where he was sweeping out the work area, shrugging one shoulder as he considered it.

"May only have one nut, but it's a big one," he said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "I trust him."

Clay nodded, looking as though he agreed. Jax lit up a cigarette as he called out to Half-Sack, beckoning him over.

"Come on over here. Learn a thing."

The low rumble of an engine reached their ears as Half-Sack jogged out of the garage, looking curious. They all straightened from where they sat on their bikes as the semi-truck pulled into the parking lot, the trailer it pulled laden down with plain black oil drums.

"Hurry up!" Tig said loudly, his attention directed at Half-Sack as the prospect dodged the truck. "Don't get hit."

He reached them just as the truck's engine cut out. Chibs jumped out from the driver's seat, rounding the front as their Irish friend climbed out of the passenger's side.

"Don't screw this up, Sack," Tig said, throwing an arm around Half-Sack's shoulders that nearly turned into a chokehold.

"Good to see you, Michael," Clay said, reaching out to shake Michael McKeavey's hand.

He was their connection to the IRA, always bringing their shipments when he was stateside. Jax didn't have a lot of trust for the IRA but he couldn't deny that Michael had always been a good contact.

"Russian ladies?" Clay said once they got their greetings done with, sweeping his hand towards the truck.

"62's and AK's. Fresh from the Kremlin. Got all the parts, a couple of assembled samples," Michael said as they climbed onto the trailer to pull the guns from the oil barrel.

Clay held up one of the assembled samples triumphantly, grinning around at them.

"God bless Gorbachev."

The others chuckled as they started to unload the barrels, stashing them away in the back of the garage where no one but club members could go. Once they finished, Clay led Michael into the clubhouse with the rest of them following. They gathered close to the bar as Half-Sack got everyone a beer.

"I've heard some things, Clay," Michael said, jumping right in once he had a bottle in his hand. "What's happening around here?"

Clay heaved out a sigh, shaking his head.

"Mayans torched the warehouse where we store and assemble our weapons."

"Holy shite," Michael said, his eyebrows flying up. "What does that do to business?"

"Ah, we just bought nine acres on the edge of Amador County. We start rebuilding, we'll be up and runnin' in two, three months."

Michael glanced around at them, looking hesitant.

"Can't you assemble 'em here?" he asked.

They were all shaking their heads by the time Clay answered, jamming his thumb over his shoulder to call attention to the wall of mug shots behind him.

"We learned our lesson the hard way," he said as Michael took in all of the framed photographs. "We don't cross our money streams. This is strictly a legit automotive business."

"So that means you go three months without buyin' the weapons from us?" Michael asked, sounding less than pleased.

Clay nodded slowly, looking just about as happy as the Irishman.

"Sam Crow's a huge piece of our income," Michael said.

Jax sat back in his chair, exchanging a look with Chibs. They may not have placed bets on how this meeting would go but he knew that he and Chibs both anticipated this exact reaction.

"Gotta adjust, right? I mean, it's part of business," Clay said.

Michael's frown turned to a scowl as he leaned forward.

"This isn't a business for us, brother," he said with a shake of his head. "True IRA… we're not merchants. We're soldiers. The guns we sell fuel the cause. Without it, we lose ground."

"We support the cause, McKeavy," Chibs chimed in, his dislike clear in his voice. "Shit like this just happens. We'll have our guns up and runnin' in no time."

No one blamed him for his resentment towards McKeavey. If anyone had a right to negative feelings regarding the IRA, it was Filip Telford. But Clay still shot him a warning look as Michael heaved out a sigh. They had to tread carefully here and they all knew it.

"That's the problem. No time," Michael said, staring Clay dead in the face. "Three weeks would cripple us. Three months, we can't wait for that."

"What the hell are you sayin'?" Clay demanded.

Jax felt like he could all too easily predict what Michael was going to say next. It would undoubtedly come down to money and Sam Crow would have to pay up if they wanted to stay in the gun business. The only problem was that they didn't have a lot of money laying around waiting to be used for whatever the Irish demanded. Jax's head spun with possibilities. He'd already broached the possibility of dialing down their gun running business. This might just give him more of an excuse to push it with Clay. They were already scrambling to cover because of what they did and it would be a miracle if ATF didn't show up any day now. They couldn't take that kind of heat.

"I'm sayin' if you can't front us the cash in the downtime, we're gonna have to find a new buyer," McKeavey said, confirming Jax's suspicions.

"I've been buying guns from you for over a decade, Michael," Clay said heatedly, clearly losing his sense of hospitality at this point. "When you split from Adams, I stayed with you 'cause of our friendship."

"You stayed with me 'cause the other cowards sold out," Michael said with a scoff, looking unmoved by Clay's declaration. "We're the only outlaws left. Now don't take this personal, Clay. Your warehouse burnin' down is a casualty of commerce. You lose our guns, that's a casualty of war."

Clay sat back in his chair, anger stirring in his eyes as everyone looked his way. They all knew the answer before he even called for a meeting in the chapel. They had to vote, though it was just a useless ceremony at this point. They had no choice and they all knew it. If they wanted to stay in the gun business, they'd have to pay for their next few months upfront with money that they just didn't have.

They were fucked.

---

Almost an hour passed as Gemma and Elena sat at a table talking about this and that. Elena had all but forgotten about her uncomfortable confrontation by the time they heard the shouts. Gemma was the first to rise, making her way towards Karen Oswald where she was shouting her daughter's name desperately. Elena followed close behind, dread filling her with every cry of Tristen's name.

"What's goin' on?" Gemma asked once they reached the hysterical woman.

Karen couldn't even bring herself to look down on them, letting out a soft whimper before she spoke.

"We can't find Tristen."

Elena's heart sank as she and Gemma exchanged a look.

"Oh, Jesus," Gemma sighed, reaching out to touch Karen's shoulder comfortingly. "Well, she must be here somewhere."

"No, we've looked everywhere," Karen said, shaking her head. "She's not on any of the rides."

She let out a sob, raising a shaking hand to cover her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks. Elena heard Elliott Oswald distantly shouting for his daughter as well, feeling sympathy for them rising in her chest.

"We'll find her," she said, meeting Karen's panicked gaze. "We'll all look."

Karen nodded, looking as though she was barely aware of who she was even talking to.

"Tristen!" she yelled out again, desperation in her voice.

Elena turned away, her eyes scanning the crowd as she stepped away from Gemma.

"Unser's around here somewhere," Gemma muttered, pulling her cell phone out of her purse. "Gonna call and let him know."

"Keep in contact," Elena said, turning back to look at her briefly. "I'm gonna go double check the rides."

Gemma nodded, already holding the phone to her ear. Elena barely made it through three rides before something occurred to her.

We're having a little party in Macon Woods.

Elena turned her head, her eyes tracing over the trees that were simply tall, harrowing shapes now that it was dark outside.

Love to have a pretty thing like you join us.

Glancing around nervously, Elena pulled her phone out and held it tightly with her hand hovered over the call button once she dialed 911, ready to call the cops if she so much as heard something suspicious. She trudged into the trees hesitantly, hoping beyond hope that she was wrong. Ten minutes of useless wandering nearly convinced her that the only thing she was accomplishing was getting herself lost in the woods. Then she heard a low moan of pain. Elena froze for a moment, listening for where it came from when she heard a small, female whimper.

"Shit," she breathed out, throwing herself towards the sound.

She ducked low hanging tree branches and sidestepped large roots until she came to a small clearing, her breath catching in her throat when she caught sight of the small form of Tristen Oswald lying on the ground. It was too easy to figure out what happened to her. Elena couldn't ignore the jeans pulled down to her ankles or the blood smeared on her thighs as she shone the light from her phone on the girl.

"Holy…" she trailed off, kneeling beside Tristen. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here."

Tristen whimpered again, turning her face towards Elena. She had a split lip and a rapidly swelling eye that would undoubtedly bruise. Tears pricked at Elena's eyes as she finally pressed the call button on her phone, alerting the police dispatch that she found Tristen in the woods, though she didn't know where. As soon as she hung up, she reached out and took Tristen's hand gently. Her knuckles were split, showing Elena that she'd put up a fight. It clearly wasn't enough. Whatever cruel person, or people, who dragged her in here didn't stop to consider anything but what they wanted from her.

"It hurts," Tristen cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I know," Elena said, reaching up to stroke her hair away from her face. "Help is coming, I promise. I'm not leaving your side until they get here."

Tristen barely seemed to hear her, her small body shaking as she cried. It was impossible not to cry with her, though Elena's tears came from the rage that coursed through her with every beat of her heart. She didn't know for sure that it was Kyle and his friends that pulled Tristen deep into the forest to assault her but she'd be damned if whoever did it got away with it.

"I'm sorry," Elena said, all while straining to hear if someone was coming. "I'm so sorry."

Tristen didn't respond, still sniffling and whimpering. It only took a few more minutes before Elena heard the sound of feet crashing through the forest.

"Tristen?" a familiar voice called out.

"Over here!" Elena yelled back.

Flashlights bounced through the darkness as the search group neared. Elena saw Chief Unser first, watching as his face went from fear to anger in a split second at the sight of the little girl lying on the forest floor.

"I didn't want to do anything," Elena said, hating that someone else was seeing Tristen like this. "In case I messed up the scene."

She nodded at Tristen's pants and the chief seemed to understand immediately.

"Keep back," he called over his shoulder.

"Is it my daughter?"

Elena inhaled sharply at the sound of Elliott Oswald's voice.

"Stop him," she hissed, looking at the chief. "He can't see her like this."

"I can't just keep him away."

Elena shifted, planting herself between everyone else and Tristen.

"If her father sees her like this, she will never be able to look him in the eye again," she said, her voice wavering as she spoke. "Trust me."

She held his gaze, making him see how serious she was. Unser finally nodded, turning away to stop Elliott from coming any closer. Elena sighed with relief, even as she heard them arguing over it. Turning back towards Tristen, her heart sank when she saw that the girl had passed out.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, though she hardly believed her own words as she held the girl's hand gently. "We're gonna get you out of here."

Elena continued whispering reassurances, not knowing if she could even hear her. All she cared about was drowning out the rest of the voices, from Elliott's panicked arguing to Unser's placating voice and the curious murmurs of the search party crowd that hadn't dispersed yet. When the paramedics finally showed up, she forced herself to take several steps out of the way and watched as they surrounded her. By the time she gave her statement and found her way back out to the fairgrounds, where a large number of people were gathered at the edge of the woods trying to hear anything about what happened, Elena felt like she was dead on her feet.

"Jesus Christ."

Her head lifted, her eyes settling on Gemma's face as the other woman hurried towards her. Elena felt faint as if she was far away from this place. A sick feeling stirred in her stomach and she pressed her lips together, hoping she wouldn't vomit right here.

"You found her?" Gemma said, clearly having heard what happened.

Elena nodded, feeling like the image of Tristen lying there was burned into her brain.

"How did you know where to go?"

Swallowing hard, Elena took a deep breath and did her best to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke.

"Because I'm pretty sure that this was supposed to be me."

---

A lack of sleep combined with very little appetite and several cups of coffee to get her going had Elena feeling more than a little antsy as she sat in the office of Teller-Morrow. Gemma was at the hospital seeing Abel. She'd offered to bring Elena over there too but she didn't want to be around such an innocent little life when the horrific images and thoughts from last night were still bouncing around her head. That and the thought of being in the same hospital as Tristen with guilt pressing in on her from every direction made her feel even sicker than she already did.

She'd given her statement to one of the deputies at the scene but it didn't feel like enough. Elena knew she couldn't throw out wild accusations when she didn't even know if the group of boys that harassed her had anything to do with it. All she had was her gut feeling and even that didn't feel reliable. So she sat behind the desk, a rapidly cooling cup of coffee in her hands and a far-off look on her face as she tried and failed to keep her mind from wandering back to what she saw in those woods and what she suspected might have happened.

"Hey."

Elena's eyes snapped up, settling on Jax where he stood in the doorway with wide eyes and a frown creasing his forehead. He stepped further into the office, rounding the desk as she sat up a little straighter in the chair.

"I heard about what happened," he said, leaning against the desk next to her. "You wanna talk about it?"

Elena shook her head, setting her coffee cup down on the desk.

"There isn't much to talk about," she said quietly, her words sounding dull even to her own ears.

"That's some heavy shit to keep to yourself," Jax told her.

She looked up at him, scathing words rising to the tip of her tongue. Demands to know how he could know how it felt to find a thirteen-year-old girl beaten, raped, and left for dead in the middle of the woods when she was supposed to be having the time of her very young life at the fucking carnival. But the rational part of her knew that it wasn't Jax's fault and that he wasn't trying to piss her off. He was in there to check on her. Elena forced herself to remember that before she opened her mouth to actually speak.

"It was horrible," she said, shaking her head.

Jax reached out, brushing his thumb over her cheek gently.

"You look like you could use some rest," he said, his voice softer than she'd ever heard it. "I'm sure Gemma wouldn't mind if I gave you a ride home or if you went to the clubhouse to lay down."

Elena shook her head, looking away from him.

"If I close my eyes…" she trailed off, not wanting to tell him all of the horrible images that flashed through her mind when she finally managed to lay down in bed the night before.

Jax didn't argue with her, looking as though he understood. In a way, Elena was certain that he did. There a big chance that a man who belonged to a motorcycle club and dealt illegal guns saw his fair share of violence, more than she could ever imagine and she'd seen a lot of things over the past year.

"Fun Town sucks," she muttered, knowing that it was the understatement of the year.

"Yeah," Jax sighed, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

Elena looked up at him when he leaned away, trying to think of something that she could say. She didn't even know what she wanted. Whether she would rather be left alone or if she wanted him to stay. Her mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and it was all she could do to keep from screaming. Then they heard Juice calling Jax's name from outside.

"You gotta see this," he said, peeking in through the doorway.

Jax exchanged a confused look with Elena before straightening up. She couldn't stamp down her curiosity, even in her exhausted state, making her way to the door right on his heels. Her stomach twisted violently when she saw what Juice was gawking at. There, in the middle of the Teller-Morrow parking lot, was Elliott Oswald getting out of his very expensive Mercedes Benz. Clay wasn't too far away from him and it was fairly clear that he was the one that the other man was looking for as he walked over.

"Who's the dude in the Benz?" Juice asked Tig, who stood nearby as well.

"Elliott Oswald."

"As in Oswald Lumber?"

"Yeah, Oswald Lumber, Oswald Beef, Oswald Construction," Tig said, listing them off with a nod.

Elliott stopped in front of Clay, though his eyes darted over them one by one. They lingered on Elena when he spotted her and she fought the urge to look away, a chill running down her spine as she saw the anguish in his red-rimmed eyes before he looked away from her.

"I'd like to talk," Elliott said to Clay, his voice just loud enough so that they could hear him.

"Course," Clay said, gesturing towards the office.

Elena moved to slip past Jax, knowing that he and Clay were probably going to be the only ones talking to Elliott.

"Wait."

Her eyes darted to Elliott once more at the sound of his voice. He was looking at her again, indecision on his face for the briefest moment before it disappeared.

"I want you in there," he said.

Elena's lips parted in surprise as she glanced Jax's way. He looked just as confused as she felt but Clay only looked annoyed.

"She found my girl," Elliott said, his voice breaking just slightly. "She's the only one here who will understand."

Elena waited for Clay to refuse but he simply jerked his head in a brief nod before leading them all into the office. She stayed standing with Jax, leaning against the wall with him while trying to be as invisible as possible. It was impossible to know why she felt so uncomfortable here. There was something about being in the same room as Tristen's father while also under the inscrutable gaze of Clay Morrow that knocked her off kilter. She almost wished that she'd taken Jax up on his offer to leave before Elliott arrived if only to avoid this situation.

"My daughter's still in shock," Elliott said once the door shut, sitting in a chair opposite Clay as he stared at the wall with a distant look on his face. "She doesn't remember much. Asshole busted her in the jaw and threw her down in the dirt. Raped her."

Elena ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut as if it could keep the images that his words conjured out of her head.

"She's thirteen-years-old," Elliott whispered.

She looked up at him only to see him staring back at her. Elena didn't know what to say or do. All she wanted was an escape.

"What did the cops say?" Jax asked, thankfully taking the attention away from her.

"Took a report. Hale's out lookin'," Elliott sighed before looking Clay's way. "I want you to find him. You bring him to me first. Pay anything you want."

Elena stared at him with wide eyes, sensing that she wasn't the only one in the room feeling this surprised. Clay was the first to talk, his voice tighter than before.

"Who do you think we are, Elliott?" he asked in a low voice.

Elliott met his gaze head-on without a single shred of hesitation.

"Oswalds have been in this town a lot longer than Sam Crow," he said plainly. "I know what you are."

Elena kept her lips tightly shut, glancing between the two men as Jax remained strangely silent beside her. Several long moments passed in very uncomfortable silence and Clay and Elliott sized one another up.

"I don't want your money," Clay finally said, leaning forward in his chair. "Nobody comes into my town and does this to an innocent girl. We'll find the sick bastard. But when I deliver him to you, I'm gonna need to know that justice will be served. You get what I'm sayin', old friend?"

It was all too easy to understand what Clay was saying. They'd find who attacked Tristen so long as Elliott was there to see it through at the end. She didn't blame him for suggesting it and holding Elliott accountable. There was no point in taking this risk if the man tasking him with it didn't take a little risk himself.

"Yeah," Elliott nodded in agreement.

Clay nodded back, letting them all see that he was willing. Elliott didn't seem keen on sticking around any lawyer, standing up from his seat before false pleasantries could be passed around. Elena watched him walk towards the door only for him hesitate there and look her way. Jax shifted next to her, his eyes fixed on her face as she looked back at the heartbroken man.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The guilt flared up again but Elena forced herself to nod.

"You're welcome," she said, at a loss for what else to say.

Elliott nodded, sparing Clay and Jax a wary look before walking out. They all watched him go until his car was pulling out of the lot. Only then did Clay look to Jax, an unreadable look on his face.

"Chapel in five," he said shortly before walking out.

Elena crossed over to the desk, letting out a quiet sigh as she sank into the chair.

"We gotta vote on it before we do anything," Jax explained, even though she hadn't asked.

"How very diplomatic of you," she said, cracking a small smile.

He shrugged, sitting across the desk from her.

"Some of the guys won't like it."

Elena's smile quickly turned to a frown as his words sank in.

"They draw the line at catching rapists?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Helping an outsider," Jax clarified.

She simply raised one eyebrow at him, leaning back in her chair as she curled one leg beneath her.

"Guess I'm the exception then," Elena muttered, looking away after a moment.

Jax didn't say anything at first but when he shifted in his seat, she couldn't help but look at him again. He was staring back at her with an intense gaze as if he was trying to sort it out himself.

"It's different," he said.

"How?"

Elena watched his lips part, indecision crossing his face before he closed his mouth again. Whatever he was about to say, clearly he decided against it. Part of her wanted to hear it. The other part just wanted to be done.

"You didn't see her," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "What they did to her was… monstrous. I don't understand why you can think about outsiders and prejudices when a little girl was brutalized in one of the worst ways imaginable. She didn't deserve this. So just get the hell over yourselves and do this. If not for Elliott Oswald then for Tristen."

With that, she stood up and crossed the office, her quick steps carrying her across the lot. She pushed through the door to the clubhouse, ignoring the stares aimed her way as she made her way to the back rooms. Walking into one that she knew was empty, Elena closed and locked the door behind her, her breaths coming out in short bursts as she fought against the panic that clawed at her chest. Clasping her shaking hands, she paced back and forth, doing her best to breathe in and out without hyperventilating.

Heat rushed to her face and her head began to spin as she counted her steps, trying not to give into the panic attack. After what happened when she found out that Stefan killed Andie, she had no desire to slip back into that state again. She walked and breathed and counted until her chest loosened up and her mind started to clear. Only when she could breathe without feeling like a weight was pushing down on her lungs, Elena sat on the edge of the bed and wiped at the tears that wet her cheeks, tears that she didn't remember falling.

When the shaky aftermath of the almost attack faded away, she pushed herself to stand and walk back out, inwardly praying that no one noticed. The only one in the bar by the time she stepped out of the hallway was Half-Sack. She could hear muffled voices through the door that led to the one room that no one aside from patched members of Sam Crow could enter without invitation. One particularly agitated and loud voice could only belong to Tig, who would probably be the least thrilled at the idea of helping out Oswald. Half-Sack stared at her warily as she approached the bar, handing over a bottle of water when she asked for it.

"You okay?" he asked as she unscrewed it.

Elena nodded, though she knew that he wasn't convinced at all.

"Nothing I can't handle," she said, forcing a small smile onto her face.

He smiled in return, turning his attention back to the glasses that he was drying.

"Give me some," Elena said, holding her hands out.

Half-Sack looked up at her with uncertainty.

"Seriously," she said, beckoning with both hands. "I need some menial work to keep my mind off of things."

He hesitated for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, passing a tray of wet glasses and a towel. She got started immediately, grateful for the distraction.

---

"We got a 200K deficit hangin' over our heads," Tig said as if they all needed the reminder. "Do we really, really wanna be out there playin' some pro bono Lone Ranger?"

"Guy raped a thirteen-year-old," Jax interjected, staring him down as Elena's words lingered in his mind.

"Thirteen," Bobby echoed, shaking his head.

"I get it," Tig said as the others all watched and listened. "I just don't like puttin' my ass on the line for some outsider. Clay, Oswald doesn't give a shit about Sam Crow."

They all looked to Clay where he'd been sitting quietly ever since laying out the situation. With a sigh, he stared at the cigar he held as he began to speak.

"You know, people get jammed up in this town, they don't go to the cops," he said, looking around at all of them. "They come to us."

"That's right, us," Chibs threw in with a nod.

"And that means somethin 'to me," Clay said, rubbing at his forehead with his free hand. "I don't know. Maybe I got somethin' to prove with this guy. You know, that's my shit. So, anybody wants to pass on this-"

Jax shook his head, not willing to let this go by. He was already convinced before Elena laid the truth at his feet with her passionate words. Now he knew there was no way that they could let this one go by.

"No way," he said, the others throwing out their own agreeing words.

"I'm in!" Chibs all but yelled in Tig's ear.

"We're in," Bobby declared.

"Absolutely," Juice agreed.

Tig smirked around at all of them, knowing better than to disagree now.

"I'm in too. Guess we're huntin' a tot banger then."

"Good," Clay said with a nod, looking each one of them in the eye before asking, "So what do we know?"

"We saw a couple of guys sportin' Aryan ink. Not sure if they were Darby's guys," Jax told them all, knowing that only he, Bobby, and Tig were the ones who saw them, other than Elena.

"And Macon Woods is right on the Lodi border. Darby's got a meth shack couple of miles from there," Clay said.

"Rape as retaliation," Bobby said, almost sounding certain that it was the case.

"Certainly in the Nord wheelhouse," Jax said, taking a drag from the cigarette that he held.

Clay looked to Juice, who leaned forward in his seat with his elbows braced on the table

"Tap into the Sanwa database. Find out which Nords go for underage girls," he instructed.

"Got it," Juice said with a firm nod.

"Bobby and I'll go after Darby," Tig suggested.

A moment passed in silence, waiting for anyone who might disagree. Then Clay nodded at all of them, banging the gavel to end the meeting. Jax felt almost vindicated, knowing that they were doing the right thing. He just hoped that he wasn't misinterpreting the conspiratorial glint he saw in Clay's eyes earlier when they were talking to Oswald. If this wound up being about something other than catching the guy that raped Tristen, Jax knew that he had to find out. He just didn't know how, since Clay was keeping things close to the chest more and more these days.

---

Elena looked over her shoulder as she heard the door open, watching as the guys spilled out from the room with determined looks on their faces. Figuring out the result of the meeting was easy. Especially when Jax came out, shortly followed by Clay and Tig. His eyes settled on her and he gave her a short nod, letting her know that it was happening. She didn't quite understand the relief that filled her at his reassurance. Elena couldn't really pinpoint the moment when her world went from black and white to morally grey.

Did it happen after she met Stefan and Damon? Somewhere around losing her parents? Or was she always headed here, every decision bringing her here, to this mindset? Whenever it took place, whether it was a gradual change or not, there was a big part of her that didn't mind the idea of Sam Crow bringing justice to whoever attacked Tristen. She knew how many rape victims were failed by the justice system, from top to bottom. There was no guarantee that there would even be justice if the cops were allowed to handle it.

But she knew that Jax and the others would see it through and that gave her some level of comfort. They wouldn't be able to do it alone, though, and she knew that she had to speak up about what happened the night before. Not just to Tristen but to her. It was a lead, at least, and she couldn't let it go if the boys that harassed her were the same ones who attacked Tristen.

"Jax."

He turned to face her as the others headed out the door and she slid off the stool, catching up to him.

"About earlier…" she said, knowing she had to start with an apology.

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving her off.

Elena wouldn't be put off like that. She knew that none of this was his fault.

"You didn't make any of this happen," she said as they walked out into the lot together. "I just… I can't get it all out of my head. I didn't mean to take it out on you and I'm sorry that I did."

Jax looked at her with surprise, as if he wasn't too used to someone apologizing to him. Elena had the sense that was exactly what he was thinking. The people surrounding him were many things but she couldn't imagine Gemma or Clay ever showing too much remorse, even if they were in the wrong.

"S'alright," he said with a shrug.

She took a deep breath, knowing that this was the difficult part.

"That's not all," she said, wrapping her fingers around his wrist to stop him. "I have to tell you something about last night."

Jax's eyebrows knitted together but he turned his head when they both heard a commotion from the front of the lot.

"Hold that thought," he said.

Elena let him go, knowing that they had to deal with it. After all, it'd be pretty hard for the Sons to go looking for a rapist when the cops were blocking their way out. She kept her distance, just enough where she could hear what they were saying to Deputy Chief Hale and the two other deputies that accompanied.

"You girls selling cookies?" Clay asked, approaching him with Jax close behind him.

Tig, Bobby, and Chibs were close behind them, all looking less than thrilled at their visitors.

"We're investigating a sexual assault," Hale announced.

"You serious?" Jax scoffed, stopping several feet away along with the others.

Hale took several steps forward, closing most of the distance between them.

"I need to talk to all your guys that were at the carnival last night. If they're not here, get them here now," he commanded, looking less than intimidated by the bikers that he faced.

"You think a Son had somethin' to do with that rape?" Clay said, his voice low and tight with annoyance.

Elena sank her teeth into her lower lip, not even bothering to hide the fact that she was listening, even when one of the deputies cast an interested look her way. She recognized him from the night before. He was the one who took her statement after she found Tristen. He nudged the other deputy, nodding her way as he said something quietly.

"Half of 'em have violent crimes on their rap sheets," Hale said, answering Clay's question. "Just following logic."

"Wasn't it just last week four Oakland cops were busted for prostitution and rape?" Jax wondered, looking at Hale for confirmation that he wouldn't get. "Logic tells me we should ask where your dick was last night."

"And don't say, 'in your mama,'" Clay said mockingly, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Hale stared at them blankly, though anger stirred in his eyes.

"Officers Mann and Fain will be taking your statements. It could take hours," he said, almost sounding triumphant.

Clay frowned at that, his annoyance taking on more heat.

"I'm tryin' to run a business here."

Hale shrugged, taking a step back.

"We can do it here, at the station house, wherever you wanna do it," he said, beckoning the deputies forward. "And don't say, 'in your mama.'"

Jax and Clay exchanged a look, neither looking very happy as Hale walked away. Once he drove off, Jax glanced over his shoulder at her and tilted his head towards the garage. She crossed the lot quickly, feeling the two cops staring at her as she fell into step with him.

"This is bullshit," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the deputies. "You had nothing to do with this."

"Yeah," Jax agreed, though he didn't sound all that bothered by it. "But we're always gonna be Hale's first stop."

She looked at him, wondering just how far back the rivalry between the club and Hale went, and if it all had to do with cop versus criminal.

"What were you trying to say earlier?" he asked once they reached the cover of the garage.

Elena glanced around, seeing that the others were busying themselves with making calls or bitching about the policemen watching their every move.

"There were some guys," she said hesitantly, knowing that this wouldn't go over well with Jax. "Three of them around my age, I think. They approached me right after you left."

Jax's lips formed a thin line at her words as if he could already see where this was going.

"Who?" he asked, the word almost coming out as a growl.

"I don't know. I never saw them before. One of them told me his name, Kyle, but I don't know about the others. They tried to get me to go into the woods with them and wouldn't really take no for an answer. The Chief of Police cut in before anything happened but I got a really bad feeling from them, Jax."

He inhaled deeply, taking a step back and rubbing at his jaw.

"Unser stepped in?" he asked.

Elena nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know if they have anything to do with it. I have no proof but the gut feeling I got from them," she said, hating the idea that they might have had something to do with what happened to Tristen. "They're not a bad place to start."

Jax nodded his head.

"Chibs and I are gonna go question the carnies while Tig and Bobby go question Darby about his guys we saw hanging around last night," he said, running a hand through his hair. "You're coming with us."

Elena shot him a confused look.

"I was just going to stay here."

"Fuck that," he said heatedly, shaking his head as he stepped towards her. "There's no way I'm letting you out of my sight until we find out who this piece of shit is. Especially if those assholes from last night had something to do with it."

Elena wanted to open her mouth and argue with him but there was a part of her that did want to go with him. She wanted to be a part of finding who did this to Tristen. She wanted to see it through.

"Clay probably won't like it," she said warily.

"I'll handle Clay," Jax said, brushing past her without another word.

Elena turned around to watch him march into the office, letting out a deep sigh.

"Excuse me."

Her head snapped to the left, watching as the deputies approached her.

"Yes?" she said, wondering why they were approaching her.

"Any way you could get us some coffee, darling?" the one that questioned her the night before asked.

Elena frowned, not particularly liking how he asked for it. She shot a glance towards Chibs, who gave her a brief nod.

"Yeah, sure," she said, pasting a smile on her face. "Cream or sugar?"

---

A whole hour later, they were watching from the garage as the deputies sipped on their third cup of coffee. Elena was perched on a crate, her legs crossed beneath her as she watched the guys grow more and more restless.

"I can't believe these assholes are takin' another damn coffee break," Jax said with a shake of his head.

"Total jerk off," Clay muttered, anger laced in his words. "Hale must know we're lookin' for the guy. We're gonna be here all day."

Tig straightened up from where he was leaning against one of the steel beams holding up the garage, already heading for the office.

"Two double tranquiccinos comin' up," he said, sounding almost eager.

Elena's curiosity won out on her and she pushed to her feet, following him in just in time to see him drop several white pills into the pot of fresh coffee.

"You're not… poisoning them?" she asked.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "Just giving them a little rest time."

He winked up at her as they heard someone coming their way. Elena stared warily at the coffee pot as Tig swirled it around, making sure the pills were completely dissolved.

"Lookin' at a twelve-hour nap," Tig informed his boss.

"Nice," Clay said appreciatively.

Once it was ready, Tig pushed the pot into her hands.

"Smile pretty for them," he said with a grin.

Elena scowled at him, raising her other hand to flip him off as Jax poked his head in.

"Comin' for refills."

Her heart flipped and she took a deep breath, wondering just how illegal this was and how she got herself in this situation at all. It was pretty obvious why they had her holding the coffee. She looked more trustworthy than all of them combined. Inwardly cursing Elijah, she held it up as the deputies stepped in the door.

"Fresh pot," she said lightly, holding up the pot. "It's hot."

They held out their cups, letting her fill them up and murmuring their thanks.

"Jax?" she offered, waving the coffee in front of him.

He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head.

"No, thank you."

"Juice should be here soon, Clay," Tig said as she set the pot down.

As Elena slipped out of the door, Clay shrugged at the two cops.

"Sometimes he gets lost."

She leaned against the wall just outside of the office, meeting Jax's amused gaze as they heard the thump of the first man hitting the floor.

"That was quick," Tig said, sounding impressed with himself.

Clay let out a chuckle, patting the unconscious cop that he guided into a chair on the shoulder.

"Good to the last drop," he declared.

"That's so bad," Tig said gleefully as they walked out.

Once they reached the line of bikes, Clay looked towards them all as he climbed on his and fitting his helmet over his head.

"Keep in contact," he said, looking mostly to Jax. "Let's find this shithead."

They all nodded, climbing onto their own bikes. Elena slid on behind Jax, taking the helmet he handed to her and clipping it underneath her chin once it was on. Once she wrapped her arms around his waist, fitting herself snugly against him and inhaling the leather and smoke of his cut, she felt more relaxed than she'd been all day.

"Good?" Jax asked, looking at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah," she said, nodding at him.

Chibs rode up next to them as Jax's motorcycle rumbled to life, vibrating beneath them as they headed towards the exit behind Clay and the others. It didn't take long for them to get to the carnival. Elena's stomach twisted at the sight of it but she just held Jax a little bit tighter as they pulled into the parking lot that bordered the fairgrounds. A laugh slipped out of her lips, muffled into Jax's shoulder when she saw Half-Sack sitting on a bike that was easily five times too small for him. She was somewhat used to the hazing rituals they put him through, apparently a necessity when it came to a prospect, but this was the funniest and equally the saddest of them all. Jax and Chibs didn't bother to hide their laughter, earning a bemused look from Half-Sack as he slumped a little further in the small seat.

"Been talkin' to the Fun Town carnies for over an hour," he muttered, gesturing to Hale where he was talking to one of the carnival workers about fifty feet away from them.

"Stay on him," Jax said with a nod.

Half-Sack looked less than thrilled like he was about to argue for a moment.

"He's goin'," Chibs said, pointing to Hale.

With a heavy sigh, Half-Sack put his helmet back on and pulled out, his knees practically at his ears as he drove off behind Hale's car. Chibs and Jax both got a kick out of watching him go as Elena shook her head, fighting a smile.

"You're mean," she accused, pulling the helmet off of her head.

"Remind me to tell you about my prospect days," Jax said, managing to climb off of the bike without displacing her.

"Oh we fucked with him more than anyone," Chibs said proudly, patting her shoulder as he passed.

Jax shook his head before looking down at her, handing his helmet over when she reached out for it.

"You good?"

She nodded, turning to sit sideways on his bike.

"I don't really want to get closer than this," Elena said, stretching her legs out and crossing her ankles. "I'll just stay here."

He nodded, walking up to the carnies with Chibs. She watched the heated exchange from a distance, shielding her eyes from the sun. The carnies clearly weren't happy with Jax and Chibs asking them questions and the bikers didn't really seem to care. They argued about it back and forth until a satisfied look came over Jax's face and he backed away, Chibs right next to him the whole time.

"Anything?" Elena asked as they drew near.

Jax shook his head, reaching out to take his helmet from her hands.

"Said they got nothing to do with it," he told her as she stood up, letting him climb on first.

"Do you believe them?" Elena asked, looking between the two of them.

"For now," Chibs said.

She glanced back at the carnies before settling on the bike behind Jax.

"Where now?"

"Unser," he said, starting the bike. "Think he's at Floyd's around this time."

Elena didn't bother asking who Floyd was, cold seeping into her chest at the thought of asking him about the guys from last night. There was a small part of her that didn't want to talk to him at all, for fear that they were responsible and she was their first target.

---

As it turned out, Floyd's was a barber shop on the idyllic looking main street of town. Jax and Chibs parked just outside of the storefront, backing into their spots. As Jax climbed off, Chibs made no move to get off of his own motorcycle. When Jax reached out and slipped her helmet off of her head, she knew that it was her turn to accompany him. He took her hand in his, leading her across the sidewalk to the door that chimed as he opened it, letting her walk through first. The two men looked at them, Unser sitting up a little in his seat to do so. He still had shaving cream on his face, an annoyed look passing through his eyes at the sight of them.

"Give us a minute, Floyd," Jax said, giving the old barber a grin.

"I'll give you two."

Floyd reached out, giving Jax a fist bump that brought a smile to her face.

"Jesus Christ," Unser grumbled as he sat up, wiping the cream from his face with a damp towel. "My one peaceful moment of the day."

Elena grimaced, feeling apologetic that they'd interrupted his appointment. Before she could utter one word of apology, Jax started talking.

"You haven't officially met," he said, tilting his head towards her. "This is Elena."

Unser's eyes flitted over her, filling with recognition.

"The one staying with Clay and Gemma?" he asked.

Jax nodded and she briefly wondered what the town thought of her. The girl that showed up out of nowhere and stayed at the house of Sam Crow's president and his wife.

"Nice to meet you," she said, smiling at him. "And thank you again."

"Yeah," Unser nodded, his eyes moving to Jax suspiciously. "You're welcome."

Jax sat down in one of the waiting chairs and Elena did the same, fiddling with the hem of her shirt nervously as her heart raced in her chest.

"We need to know where Hale's at with the Oswald case," he said.

Unser let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"Do you have any idea how much heat I'm gettin' on this? I do anything to compromise this case-"

"I'm not askin' you to compromise," Jax cut in, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Just tell us what you know."

"Got nothin'. No leads, no witnesses," Unser told him, frustration clear in his voice. "Only one who knows anything is the girl, and she's sayin' she's got no memory of it. And Karen won't let anyone near her. Guess I don't blame her. Probably do the same if it was my kid."

Elena pressed her lips together, looking away from him as the same sick feeling stirred in her stomach.

"And the pricks from last night?" Jax asked, his voice changing just enough to signal his anger. "The ones that harassed Elena?"

She looked at Unser again, silently hoping that he would give Jax the info that he needed. They had to know. She had to know.

"Those boys?" Unser said, sounding surprised. "Shit, that's just Kyle Brandt and his band of dumbasses. They've got a few juvenile offenses but nothing worse than school fights and a few graffiti instances. They like to get high out in those woods but it'd be pretty out of character for them to go after a little girl like this. Besides, I had one of my deputies keep an eye on them after I caught them messing with you. They had nothing to do with it."

Elena stared at him for a long few moments before letting out a soft sigh of relief. The weight that lifted off of her shoulders was most definitely worth it. She could breathe easy knowing that Tristen wasn't raped because she managed to slip the attackers first. Now they just had to find out who did it. Jax stood up and she followed close behind, turning towards the door.

"Thank you," she said to the police chief yet again.

Unser nodded at her before focusing on Jax.

"Jax, you guys cannot screw me on this," he said insistently, sounding almost desperate. "I don't catch this rapist, I'm the one under the microscope. That's just bad for all of us."

Jax pulled the door open, gesturing for Elena to go out first.

"Don't worry, Chief," he said confidently. "We'll catch him."

Chibs looked over at them as they walked towards him, tucking his phone into the pocket of his jeans.

"That was Tig," he said, pushing his hair back out of his face before putting his helmet on. "Gemma spotted Darby at St. Thomas. Clay wants us to meet up there."

Jax nodded, climbing on the bike. Before she could do the same, he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Elena said with a nod. "Relieved, strangely enough."

He looked as though he understood, patting the seat behind him before facing forward. Elena settled behind him, feeling significantly lighter as they pulled away from the curb. The thought of what happened to Tristen still weighed on her in a way that she didn't think would go away any time soon. But Elena knew that Jax and the others would find who did it to her. In the meantime, she felt like she could let go of some of the guilt she felt. They wound up pulling into the hospital just behind Clay, Tig, and Bobby. Her eyes caught on Gemma where she was sitting on a bench with a balding man, looking fairly satisfied with herself. She stood as Jax and the others cut their engines, all climbing off.

"I'm gonna stay here with Gemma," she said, leaving no room for argument.

Jax's eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to argue but Elena shook her head.

"It's a hospital," she said, handing off the helmet to him. "I'm just going to go sit with Abel. Nothing's gonna happen to me there."

With that, she crossed the parking lot ahead of them, passing who had to be Darby as she went. She met his gaze without meaning, highly aware of the way his eyes traveled over every inch of her in a way that made her skin crawl. Turning to look away from him, she met Gemma at the doors.

"All good?" Gemma asked.

Elena nodded, aware that she probably looked much better than she had that morning.

"I'll tell you inside," she said as they walked through the automatic doors.

---

They sat outside of Abel's room as Elena told Gemma everything, from what happened last night all the way through everything that day.

"You should have told me about those boys last night," Gemma said with a frown, tapping her fingers on her knee.

"I just thought they were annoying assholes," Elena said, shaking her head. "Invasive but not violent. I didn't think anything of it until I found Tristen and by then… well, I didn't know if anyone would believe me. I didn't have any proof."

"We aren't the cops, baby," Gemma said, giving her a look.

Elena stared back at her without hesitation.

"Well, I'm not gonna send the club after someone without knowing that they did it either."

Gemma didn't say anything to that, though she sat up a little straighter when the door to their right opened. Elena looked around, watching as Jax approached.

"Darby?" she asked as he bent down, kissing her on the cheek.

"Wasn't involved, apparently," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of Elena's head before straightening up. "Gave us an address for someone who might've been. We're about to go."

"Be careful," Gemma said.

Elena nodded in agreement, looking up at him.

"Always," he said, shooting them a confident smile.

He looked through the window at Abel, a tender look passing over his face that he always got when he looked at his son. Elena liked seeing him like that. It reminded her that there were so many levels to Jax Teller and so many things about him that drew her in. Things that had nothing to do with the cut that he wore. He rapped on the glass once, very lightly with his knuckles before turning to walk away. She watched him go before looking at Gemma again.

"I need something to eat," she said, realizing she hadn't eaten all day. "Want anything from the cafeteria?"

Gemma shook her head, though she stood up when Elena did.

"Gonna go read to the kid," she said, pulling a few children's books out of her purse.

Elena stared the stack, recognizing one of them as the book that Jax picked out at the gas station. It felt like so long ago, like an eternity had passed since that night though it hadn't even been a month. She gave Gemma a small smile before turning away, making her way down the hall. She barely rounded the corner before she saw Dr. Knowles standing at the counter of a nurse's station with Hale right next to her. Elena backed up a step, letting the wall hide her as she listened to what they were saying. Half-Sack was nowhere to be seen, which meant that he was probably off with the rest of the guys doing whatever they were doing.

"They think they're protecting her by building a wall around her," Hale said, his voice just loud enough for her to hear.

A moment passed in silence before Tara spoke.

"Well Tristen needs to talk to somebody," she said.

"And I need something, anything, to help catch this guy, so we're not doing this again with another girl," Hale said in agreement.

Elena sank her teeth into her lower lip, praying that it wouldn't happen. They had to catch the guy before it did.

"I know Karen needs to sign some insurance forms," Tara said thoughtfully, sounding like she genuinely wanted to come up with a solution to the problem. "I'll try to get an admin to keep her busy for a while."

"Thank you," Hale said, sounding relieved.

Elena almost felt bad for working against him and trying to help Sam Crow get the rapist before he did but she reminded herself that justice was almost guaranteed when it came to Jax and the others. And this was what Elliott Oswald wanted. She started to step away, not wanting to eavesdrop any more, but Tara spoke again and she froze, hating herself for it but listening anyway.

"I need a favor, too," Tara said, sounding as though she was trying to be as casual as possible. "It's more of a question really."

She let out a laugh that sounded more nervous than anything.

"It's going to sound very dramatic."

"Okay," Hale said, encouraging her to keep talking.

"If I had a restraining order against someone in another city, would it still be valid if I went someplace else?"

Elena frowned, tilting her head towards them as she tried to sort that out. She knew from Gemma that Tara recently came back to Charming from Chicago. According to the older woman, it was clearly a move on Tara's part to get back with Jax but from what she was hearing, something else clearly happened to bring her here. Elena felt sorry for ever believing what Gemma said, knowing that the other woman had a high level of resentment for Tara. A restraining order was something serious and no matter what Tara did or didn't do in the past, no one deserved to be in a situation that would warrant such a measure.

"That all depends," Hale said without hesitation. "Every state's a little different. You think that someone might be coming here?"

"No, no, I doubt it," Tara said dismissively, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than Hale. "There was this guy that I dated during my internship in Chicago. Things got weird, he got a little… it's hard to explain."

"Well, you wanna give me his name? I'll run it through the system."

"No," Tara said quickly. "That's okay. I'm just being paranoid."

Silence filled the air between them for a long few seconds before Hale spoke again.

"How long ago did you get the order?" he asked.

"Uh, about six or seven months ago," Tara answered.

"I'll make some general calls, okay? See if it's still in play out here."

"Thanks," she said, sounding relieved.

Elena listened as Hale bid her goodbye and didn't move until she heard the sound of his heavy boots crossing the floor in the opposite direction. Peeking out, she waited until Tara focused on her paperwork again before slipping past, everything that she heard whirling around her head at a mile a minute as she made her way downstairs to grab some food. By the time she made it back up to the third floor, Hale was outside of a patient room being given a very loud dressing down by Karen Oswald. The woman looked furious, giving him hell about sneaking into Tristen's room behind her back. If they wanted to get anything out of Tristen, Elena knew that it couldn't happen that way. Not if they wanted to find who did it to her.

By the time Elena made it to Abel's room, she peered through the window only to see that Gemma was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around with confusion, Elena didn't see her anywhere. Opening the door, she slipped inside and sat down in the rocking chair that was set up next to the incubator. She peered through the plastic that covered him, keeping him warm and safe from diseases. He looked bigger than when he was born but still so small in a way that made it hard to believe he actually managed to survive everything that he'd been through. Reaching up, she brushed her fingers over the barrier between them and smiled at the sleeping baby.

"You might just be my hero, Abel Teller," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're so strong."

Elena stayed like that for a long time, just watching the rise and fall of his tiny chest as the machine helped him breathe. It was peaceful, making her relax for the first time in hours. She didn't even notice that Gemma was outside until the door opened. Turning her head, Elena smiled at her and moved to stand up, not wanting to keep her spot.

"No, stay," she said, shaking her head. "You should read to him too."

"Really?" Elena asked, taking one of the books when Gemma handed it over.

"Yeah," the other woman said, sitting in another chair. "Think it's good for him to hear lots of voices. He needs to know we're all backing him up."

Elena smiled, settling back in the chair as she opened the book and started to read. It was only when Jax showed up in front of the window that she stopped, closing the last book and nodding at Gemma to look. The older woman stood, stepping out into the hallway to greet him as Elena set the book aside.

"Thought you were on the hunt," she heard Gemma say.

"Hit a dead end," Jax sighed.

Elena stood up, crossing the room to step out as well. Before she could get a chance to say what she had on her mind, the doors down the hall opened and Elliott stepped through them. Gemma turned to walk back into the room after exchanging a look with Jax but Elena hesitated where she stood, watching as he crossed over to talk to the other man.

"Did you find the guy?" Elliott demanded, looking and sounding like hell.

Jax shook his head, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Elena leaned against the doorway, guilt filling her for a whole different reason. She'd put this all on Jax right along with Elliott. She told him to find the guy without thinking about how he might feel if they failed. It had to weigh on him, the thought of not catching him. Of letting Tristen's attack go unpunished. Elena knew that he and the others felt like they had to protect the town, even though there were some people living in it who looked down on them.

"We need you to talk to your daughter again," Jax said.

"Tristen doesn't remember anything after she got off the ride," Elliott said, shaking his head forcefully.

"Got to dig a little deeper. We need something."

Elliott sighed heavily, rubbing at his jaw with stress clear in his eyes.

"Did the guy have a car? Was he black? Was he white? Anything…" Jax listed off.

"She's still in shock. Karen just wants her to rest."

Elena took a step forward, ignoring the look that Gemma sent her through the window.

"Look, man," Jax said, sounding tired at this point. "Tristen's our only shot at finding this asshole."

Elliott hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I'll talk to Karen," he said.

"I have an idea."

Jax looked over his shoulder as Elliott's eyes flitted to her.

"What?" Jax asked.

"Let me talk to her," Elena said.

Elliott didn't look convinced, shaking his head.

"Karen won't let anyone but us and the doctors-"

"I found her," Elena said, reminding him of what he said that morning. "I understand more than anyone else, believe me."

Jax didn't say anything, looking at Oswald. Elliott stared between the two of them before relenting with a nod.

"I'll see what I can do."

Elena watched as he walked away, feeling jittery with nerves as Jax turned to face her fully.

"Sure you wanna do this?" he asked.

"Not really," Elena said, not wanting to admit that she was terrified of traumatizing Tristen even more. "But I need to, right?"

He didn't deny it, reaching out to brush his thumb over her cheek. Gemma stepped out of the room, calling their attention to her.

"You take Tristen," she said, proving that she'd heard everything they said. "I'll see if I can get Karen in a corner. She might know more than she's letting on."

Elena looked at Jax to make sure he was okay with it. He simply nodded, stepping aside to let her pass him. She pushed through the doors, tracing a path through the halls all the way to Tristen's room. Elliott and Karen were several feet away from it, exchanging words in hushed, heated whispers. When she stopped, hesitating at the sight of them, they both looked her way. Karen looked her up and down before resignation crossed her face.

"Don't talk to her about it," she said conditionally.

Elena nodded, feeling bad that she planned to do exactly that, hopefully in a way that wouldn't hurt Tristen too much. As she reached out to open the door, Karen turned away and walked down the hall, agitatedly informing Elliott that she was going out to get some air. As she stepped into the dimly lit room, her eyes caught on Tristen where she sat up on the bed. She looked alert, her hair pulled out of her face in a loose ponytail and her lip swollen along with her cheek. Elena's heart sank at the sight of the girl, wishing that she could take away what happened to her.

"HI," she said, smiling at her. "I don't know if you remember me."

Tristen looked at her shyly, nodding her head several times.

"You found me," she said, fiddling with the blankets that covered her up to her waist.

Elena nodded, moving closer to her bed slowly.

"My name is Elena," she said, leaning against the end of the bed while giving Tristen her distance. "I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

Tristen didn't say anything, looking down at her lap.

"My mom told me not to talk to anyone," she said warily.

"It's okay," Elena said, trying to sound as confident as she could. "Your mom knows I'm in here. I just wanted to see you and make sure… well, I just wanted to see you, if that's okay?"

Tristen looked up at her again.

"Thank you," she said, her voice hitching. "I-I thought I'd be out there alone for a long time. Then you came…"

She trailed off, though the pain in her words was enough to let Elena know exactly how hopeless she'd been.

"I wish I'd gotten there sooner," Elena said regretfully. "I'd give anything to take this away from you, if I could."

Tristen looked a little bit confused at her words.

"Why? You don't know me," she said.

Elena took a deep breath, knowing that it all had to be a lot for her to take in.

"I've been through something like this," she admitted, meeting Tristen's gaze. "Not exactly this… but a bad man did hurt me. It was a few months ago but… but I still remember it. Every second of it. And I know how it feels to have those thoughts in your head. To not be able to stop thinking about it."

Tristen looked at her with wide eyes, as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Does it go away?" she whispered.

Elena pressed her lips together as tears stung at her eyes, reaching out to take Tristen's hand gently.

"I really, really hope so," she said quietly, a tear slipping down her cheek. "For both of us."

Tristen squeezed her hand, looking like she might cry herself.

"I can tell you that it helps to talk about it," Elena said, giving her a watery smile. "Holding it all in just makes it worse."

The younger girl looked wary once more.

"My mom… she told me not to tell anyone else," she said.

Realization struck Elena as she realized that Gemma was right.

"But you told your mom, right?"

Tristen nodded her head, looking up at her.

"I told her everything," she said.

Elena smiled at her, relieved for more than just the fact that Karen Oswald knew who raped her daughter. She was happy that Tristen was talking about it. She might have a chance to overcome it if she didn't let it fester and darken her.

"I'm so glad," Elena said, squeezing her hand lightly as she pulled her phone out with her free hand.

"Can I tell you too?" Tristen asked, taking her completely by surprise. "Since you know what it's like?"

Elena stared at her for a long few seconds before nodding her head slowly.

"Of course you can, if that's what you want."

Tristen nodded her head as well, sitting up a little straighter. A small look of pain crossed her face and that was all that Elena needed to glance down at her phone, sending the quick text off to Gemma.

Karen Oswald is outside. She knows everything.

"Whenever you're ready," Elena said, pocketing her phone again as she looked up at Tristen. "I'm here."

Tristen took a deep breath before opening her mouth, telling the entire story in a soft voice as she gripped Elena's hand tightly.

---

"She remembers everything, doesn't she?"

Karen turned around quickly, looking at Gemma with wide eyes.

"What?"

"You don't want the trial, messy press. Just wanna sweep it under the rug," Gemma continued, not letting the other woman play dumb.

Realization crossed Karen's face and she looked enraged, taking a step towards her.

"Don't you judge me," she hissed out, knowing she'd been found out.

"I'm not judging you," Gemma said, shaking her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't know me. And I got no idea what it's like to be you. But I know something about burying the truth. And it is a burden that you never want to put on a kid. Tristen has to know that this really happened. Make her hide it, lie about it- it'll come back and shit on every relationship she ever has. That rich, happy life you've worked so hard to give her- you just kiss it good-bye."

Karen stared at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. Shaking her head, she looked away towards the street as cars passed them by one by one, their headlights shining in the darkness.

"If they arrest this guy, everyone puts a face to the crime and then it becomes real," Karen said, her voice breaking as she looked back at Gemma. "And for the rest of her life in Charming, she's not gonna be Tristen. She's gonna be the girl who was raped at Fun Town."

Gemma took a deep breath, stepping towards Karen with sympathy in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, in her head, she'll always be the girl who was raped at Fun Town," she said, reaching out to squeeze Karen's upper arm. "Only thing worse than everyone knowing is no one knowing."

Karen stared back at her for several long moments before her shoulders slumped and she nodded, the truth slipping past her lips as Gemma listened carefully.

---

Elena stepped out of Tristen's room only to come face to face with Jax where he leaned against the wall. He straightened up, concern crossing his face at her tear-streaked cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

Elena shook her head, not wanting him to worry when he was about to have a lot more to focus on. Before she could say anything, Gemma came hurrying towards them and hissed for them to follow her. They found an isolated part of the hallway and she turned towards them both, determination written across her face.

"Karen Oswald came clean," she said, looking at Jax. "One of the carny guys raped Tristen. Fat guy dressed like a clown."

Elena and Jax both had the same realization at the same time, exchanging a look. They knew exactly who it was. Suddenly, Elena was sorry that they hadn't dunked the guy in water a few more times.

"Jesus," Jax said, clearly thinking the same thing. "Does Hale know?"

"Not yet, but I can't stop her from tellin' him," Gemma said.

"Shit," he huffed before taking a few steps back. "Thanks."

His eyes flitted between them, making sure they knew he was talking to both of them before he turned to hurry away.

"They're going to kill him, aren't they?" Elena asked quietly, clasping her hands tightly.

"Yeah," Gemma said plainly, knowing there was no use in lying. "Got a problem with that?"

Taking a deep breath as Tristen's story still lingered in her mind, she turned away and looked at Gemma.

"Not tonight."

A smile pulled at Gemma's lips and she nodded.

"C'mon," she said.

Elena didn't argue, heading back to Abel's room with Gemma. She hoped that tonight would be easier. She did what she could to find justice. It was up to Jax and the others to do the rest.

---

Jax stared down at the body, dread filling him. He should have known. Back at the beginning of all this shit, he should have known that Clay had something up his sleeve. It wasn't just about catching the rapist, though that certainly was enough motivation to get all of them moving quickly, but it was about getting something on Elliott Oswald. He looked to Clay as he held out the bloody knife, waiting for Jax to take it and bag it so that they'd have the murder weapon with Oswald's prints on it.

"What the hell are we doin' here?" he demanded, anger coursing through him.

"Takin' out some real estate insurance," Clay said, staring back at him. "Makin' sure Oswald doesn't sell off those tracts of lumber acreage."

Jax shook his head, feeling disgusted with the entire situation.

"So you knew this was comin'," he nearly spat, almost unable to believe it. "Whether Oswald had the nerve or not, this whole hunt was about blackmail."

"Well, actually, the leverage was just a fortunate by-product of my community spirit," Clay said, handing the knife off to Tig when it became clear that Jax wasn't going to take it.

As he started to walk past, Jax reached out and stopped him, stepping close and lowering his voice so that Clay was the only one who could really hear him.

"You want me to be your number two, protect this club?" he said, staring Clay dead in the eye. "Then I gotta know where you're takin' us. Otherwise, there's no trust. And if you and me don't trust each other, Sam Crow has got a problem."

Clay took a deep breath, shifting on his feet before opening his mouth to respond.

"If Oswald's land goes commercial, that means housing developments. Population rises, brings more cops, more state and federal involvement. Charming goes Disney and Sam Crow gets squeezed out by the most dangerous gang of all: Old white money."

Jax let it all sink in, realizing that Clay had a point and resenting that he didn't tell him this from the beginning.

"Now you know," Clay said, turning to walk away.

Gritting his teeth, Jax turned away and glanced down at the body again. They did what they set out to do. Justice had been served, even if it wasn't by the law. But he felt far from satisfied. Something had to change. He just wasn't sure what it was yet.

---

The last thing that she expected to see as they walked out of the hospital was Jax, shrouded in darkness yet easily identifiable as he leaned against his motorcycle in the parking lot. After exchanging a confused look, both she and Gemma crossed over to him. When she first came to Charming, Jax seemed like an incredibly closed off mystery of a human being. Now that she knew him a little better, Elena knew that he could be an open book if you just knew where to look. She wondered if Gemma could see the tortured uncertainty in his eyes too.

"You okay, baby?" Gemma asked, reaching out to stroke his hair away from his face.

"Yeah," he said, though he sounded far from it.

Elena watched as he turned his head towards her, meeting her gaze. There was something in the way he looked at her that let her know what to do.

"Okay with you if Jax gives me a ride home?" she asked.

Gemma glanced between them, knowing full well by now, after nearly a month of their late night drives, that she wouldn't actually be showing up at home any time soon.

"Sure," she said, nodding her head. "You two be careful."

"We will," Elena said, smiling at her.

Gemma turned, walking away yet not without glancing back at them a couple of times between Jax's bike and her car. Once she was inside, Elena turned to face him.

"What happened?" she asked, sensing that it hadn't gone as smoothly as she hoped.

Jax shook his head, putting out the cigarette that he had before standing up.

"Not here."

She didn't argue, taking the helmet from him when he offered it to her. Before she knew it, they were cruising through Charming's streets, headed straight out of town for the cliff that had become their second favorite spot, just behind the roof of the clubhouse. Elena held on tight the whole way, hoping that she could calm the anger she saw stirring in the depths of his eyes even just slightly.

When they finally got to where they were going, she climbed off first and watched as he did the same. They wandered over to the edge of the cliff, sitting down without hesitation. Elena tilted her head back, looking up at the star-filled sky as she listened to Jax taking slow, measured breaths next to her, clearly an attempt to calm himself. She didn't say anything, content to wait until he was ready. The moment came quickly enough, much to her relief.

"It wasn't just about catching the guy," Jax said in a low voice. "Not for Clay, anyway. He wanted to keep Oswald from selling some of his land to someone who wanted to develop it into a commercial area."

Elena didn't really know what that meant, or why Clay cared about it, but she knew why Jax was angry. It wasn't that she was particularly surprised, because Clay seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't let an opportunity pass him by, but she was still angered by it. Though clearly not to the degree of Jax's anger.

"Did you find the guy?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Yeah," Jax nodded, staring down at his feet where they dangled over the edge of the cliff.

She didn't push him to talk about it, knowing that his anger was still too fresh.

"When I talked to Tristen, I told her that it helped to talk to someone about it," Elena said, staring off into the endless darkness beyond the cliff. "So she told me everything. How he lured her away and… and how he hit her to knock her to the ground. Everything."

Jax inhaled sharply next to her and she saw him shake his head out of the corner of her eye.

"We saw it," he said, his voice heavy. "All the scratches she left behind on him. She fought hard."

Elena nodded, remembering that Tristen told her how hard she tried to get away from him.

"I can't imagine…" she whispered, trailing off. "I think that people keep telling her that she's strong but no one should have to be that strong. Especially not… not at thirteen. She deserved better than what she got."

Jax didn't say anything. He didn't really have to. They both knew that the other was there.

"She'll survive," he finally said after a long stretch of silence.

Elena nodded, knowing that was true.

"It's not easy," she said as the wind kicked up around them and ruffled her hair. "Being a survivor."

She felt his eyes on her and turned her head just enough to meet his gaze.

"You're here," Jax said.

The rest of his words went unspoken but she got the message. That's what matters. She couldn't help but agree with him, nodding her head as a smile tugged at her lips.

"I'm here," Elena repeated.

The corner of his mouth ticked upwards just before he turned to look out over the cliff again. A few moments passed before Elena did the same. Reaching down to take his hand, she laced their fingers together as she dropped her head to his shoulder, content to just be in that moment. It was the right end to a very long, hard day, as far as she was concerned.

She could only hope that life took it easy on them for a while, at least.

---

"Officer!"

Hale paused on the steps of the station house before turning around, taking in the man who called his name. He was well dressed, though his clothes were casual, and his hair was styled almost too perfectly. There was something too smooth about him, though Hale had been around long enough to know a fed when he saw one. After failing to catch the rapist the day before, he really wasn't in the mood to deal with one so early in the morning.

"Yes," he said, tilting his head to the side in question.

"Agent Kohn, ATF, Chicago Three Division," the man said, holding his hand out.

"Deputy Chief Hale," he responded, shaking Agent Kohn's hand. "What brings you here?"

Kohn pulled off his glasses, giving Hale a slight smile.

"Been working an interstate weapons case. Outlaw crew in your town may be involved… Sons of Anarchy?"

His words may as well have been music to Hale's ears. He didn't need to hear another damn thing. Not when it came to the feds investigating Sam Crow. Nodding at the ATF agent, he stepped back to open the door to the station for him.

"Welcome to Charming."

---

I would love to hear what you think!

Updated: 4/11/21