The first person Jax's eyes wanted to land on after church was his old lady's. After looking around the lot, he couldn't find her anywhere. With a worrisome look on his face, Jax found his mother sitting at one of the picnic tables with a cigarette in between her lips.
"Ma." Jax moved quickly towards her. "Where's Vanessa?"
"Left a few minutes ago." Gemma took another pull of her cigarette before exhaling. "Said she needed to eat something and shower. Chibs' nephew walked her over." Jax nodded and kissed his mother on the cheek before heading towards the flophouse.
Jax walked into his room in the inn, not expecting to see Vanessa sitting in nothing but a towel with her head in her hands. She was breathing softly and it looked as if she was almost asleep. When the door shut quietly behind him, he saw Vanessa's head pop up.
"Sorry." Jax whispered, she looked at him and saw his eyes looking sad and empty. She wanted to embrace him, hold him and never let him go. Especially after what happened tonight. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She adjusted the towel on her chest. "I wasn't expecting finding Abel to go smoothly, but I didn't think it would be this bad either."
"I know." Jax shook his head. "I'm sorry."
"It was my choice to come here, Jax. Just like it was my choice to come and to stay in Charming."
"Vanessa…" Jax sounded exasperated.
"No, listen to me, Jax." She stood up from the bed and walked towards him. She reached out for his hand and when he didn't pull away she felt the strength to say exactly what she wanted to say. "You think that I didn't know what your life was when I agreed to be your old lady? I did, baby. I knew what it entailed. I knew about the possibilities of bloodshed and violence. I knew but I still made the choice to stick around because I love you. So why do you keep trying to push me away?"
"I just want to protect you."
"You don't have to protect me, Jax. I don't need your fucking protection. I just need you and our son and that's it."
"I don't want to fight with you right now, Nes. I just want to find my kid and get off of this moss covered shithole." She wanted to continue the conversation, but knew that with Jax's stubbornness, it would just turn into an argument. So she just nodded, agreeing that after the craziness that happened earlier in the evening, the last thing she wanted to do was fight. "You eat yet? They're grilling up burgers and shit. Having some fights. You gonna come down?"
"You gonna fight tonight?"
"Gotta rep Charming, darlin'." He smirked at her. "Plus, I feel like I need to pound my fists into someone after all the bullshit that's been going on here already."
"Then yeah, I'll meet you down there." He nodded and checked her out as she pulled the towel off and walked over to her duffel bag. She felt Jax staring at her naked body but disregarded him, and instead just started getting dressed. He gave a small smile at the thong she pulled on before walking out of the room.
Vanessa quickly got dressed into a pair of tight denim jeans, a black tank top, and her leather jacket. She threw on her boots, and opted to leave her face bare of any makeup and her hair natural. She walked down the stairs of the inn and outside to the street, already hearing the music and seeing the smoke even though she was a block away.
When Vanessa reached the lot, she looked around for any of the people that she knew. Immediately, she found Jax, sitting on top of the picnic table while women circled around him like vultures. She watched as Jax shrugged the two sweetbutts away from him with a small smile. She frowned when she saw the look on the women's faces, making it completely obvious what they wanted from him.
Not being able to stomach the women circling him anymore, Vanessa went to walk towards him, but saw Gemma sit down next to him. She rolled her eyes but smirked as the women left him alone. Apparently, Gemma's reputation preceded herself, even in Ireland.
Jax saw her the moment she walked onto the lot, but refused to make eye contact. He wanted to laugh when he saw the angry purse on her lips, but held it back. When Gemma sat next to him and the prospect came over to take a food order, Jax nodded Vanessa over with a flirty smile.
She sat down next to him and she looked around, taking in how the lot didn't seem much different from Charming, especially with all of the people that were there. Just a moment after sitting next to Jax, a prospect arrived with two plates of food. He handed one off to Jax before handing the second to Vanessa without making too much eye contact. She thanked the prospect as he nervously shimmied away from her, and she immediately dug in, moaning at the taste of the food in her mouth.
Vanessa only got up for a second to throw away both hers and Jax's plate when Jax stood up and volunteered himself for the next fight against O'Neill. She watched as a swarm of sweetbutts offered to wrap him, probably wishing they could wrap him in more ways than one. She walked back over, putting her best look of confidence on and stared at them with a manicured eyebrow raised.
"Get lost." she spoke sternly. The girls here were apparently and surprisingly much less willing to fight than the ones in Charming. She watched as they all backed away, going off to the next patch they could find. Jax shook his head in amusement before handing her his kutte and rings which she put gently on the table next to her and Gemma's seat.
"You're gonna knock him out." Bobby walked over and said to him with an excited tone.
"Don't you worry about that." Jax scoffed, taking his chains off and handing them to her too.
"Don't want him messing up that pretty face." Bobby laughed. Jax scoffed again, not worried one bit about O'Neil and his fighting skills.
"It's him that should be worried about that. Just watch." Jax put his hair up into a small bun and Vanessa had to take a deep breath at how good he looked right now. Jax took his shirt off next and Vanessa was just about to get the wrap from the table when Trinity stood up quickly with the wrap in hand and moved towards them.
"Wrap?" Trinity asked him excitedly before she looked over to Vanessa who had a possessive look in her eye as she stood next to him with her hand on his waist. "So, uh, she can wrap you up?"
"Thank you." Jax smiled knowing that Trinity was a little intimidated by Vanessa. Vanessa took the hand wrap from Trinity with a smile before looking down towards his hands, while gently starting to wrap his knuckles. Jax stared at her face as she concentrated on his hands, and he was suddenly hit with the nostalgic memories of her doing this for him each time he fought as a prospect. "Just like when we were kids, huh? Gotta say, darlin', you've always been the only one who can wrap me just right."
"You flatter me, Jax." She smirked, looking up towards his face before rolling her eyes and concentrating on his other hand. She watched him make fists and nod to her. Vanessa watched him as he stared at her lips, causing her to move in closer to him, but instead of kissing him she whispered close to his ear. "Kick his ass."
She pulled away and stood at the edge of the circle where the fight was going to take place. Just a moment later she heard whistling and yells in support of who each charter wanted to win the fight. She watched Jax shake himself loose, a menacing look on his face.
"You ready, punk? Come on." Jax teased before taking a step towards O'Neil. Liam took the first swing, a jab to Jax's face that Jax easily deflected. Next thing she knew Jax was throwing punches left and right. He threw an uppercut to the man's ribs which made him groan and she saw Liam's face when he realized exactly what he was getting himself into. Jax threw a jab to his face, causing the man's nose to bleed slightly.
She saw Jax's eyes move to her then back to his opponent before he threw a right hook that caused Liam to hit the ground. Vanessa watched as the man's nose started gushing blood until he conceded. Jax smiled as she cheered for him, raising his arms in victory. As he walked over to her, Vanessa took a towel from a sweetbutt and handed it to him. He smiled a 'thank you' to her before wiping his face with it.
Jax focused on her smile towards him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, walking with her over to a few of the other guys who were still cheering for him. And even though he was sweaty, she reveled in the feeling of his arm around her.
"You look so fucking good right now." Vanessa whispered to him as they walked together. He looked down at her with hungry eyes, laughing as they continued walking towards the group of SAMCRO guys.
"I'm gonna hit the shower." Jax said when he got to Chibs, Opie, and Bobby. But he just stared at her as he said it. Her face flushed slightly as they made eye contact and she quickly looked away from him.
"Mom and Dad are rockin' the casbah." Opie laughed.
"Great." Jax shook his head. "You wanna come with me or stay here, darlin'?"
"I'll come with you." Vanessa spoke up, fixing the rings and kutte that she held in her hand.
"Alright. Sounds good." Jax licked his lips.
"Sounds good, doesn't it?" Bobby muttered a laugh. Jax took a playfully threatening step towards Bobby who just laughed.
"Don't forget to scrub his back, darlin." Chibs said next and making the three men laugh even harder. Vanessa rolled her eyes, but was glad to hear that everyone felt a little more at ease now that they were so close to finding Abel. They started walking towards the inn when Vanessa looked up at the stairs to the Ashby home.
"Jax." She muttered nodding pointedly to the man who stood at the top of the steps. "Is that Kellan Ashby?"
"Yeah, I think so." They both walked over to the priest and he met them down the stairs, seeming to already know who they were.
"Jax Teller." He shook the man's hand before the priest looked over to Vanessa. "This is Vanessa."
"Jackson. Vanessa." Kellan greeted. "Father Kellan. Well… better clean yourself up. Sean here'll see you make it to St. Matt's in one piece this time. We can talk there."
"Okay." Jax nodded, walking over to the flophouse with Vanessa. She pulled out clean clothes for him to wear while he quickly jumped in the shower. She looked in her purse, making sure her gun was in there for an extra measure of safety. After Jax got out of the shower and got dressed, they walked outside and towards Sean who then brought them to the car. Jax sat next to Vanessa, his hand immediately grasped onto hers and she squeezed his comfortingly. They were both ready to get their son back.
Vanessa and Jax followed Sean into St. Matthew's Church, seeing Father Kellan sitting on the first pew by himself. Jax sat directly next to the priest while Vanessa sat on the end of the pew, her hand close enough to her bag that she could reach the gun if needed. They both stared at the man waiting for him to explain. When he didn't say anything, Jax was the first person to speak up.
"Maureen said you have my son."
"Well, I know where he is, yes."
"Then where is he?" Vanessa spoke up this time, not wanting to waste another minute.
"He's… he's safe. Far from Belfast."
"What?" Vanessa choked out.
"What the hell does that mean?" Jax asked teary-eyed and through gritted teeth. "Do you have Abel or not?"
"Your son was in danger. That threat is still present."
"Jimmy." Jax exhaled.
"Aye."
"Why?" Jax's anger and concern started getting the best of him as he raised his voice. "He has no reason to hurt my kid."
"Oh, he has many."
"What are you talking about?" Vanessa asked, getting angry at how every time they tried to get answers all they got were more questions.
"What I'm about to tell you both is a very volatile subject. The words I say, only God can be a witness. You understand?" They both nodded. "Jimmy O'Phelan wants to end the Army's relationship with the Sons of Anarchy, wants to cut out the Belfast charter from any future work. Stop dealing guns in Charming." Vanessa and Jax looked at each other, not knowing what this had to do with their son. And Vanessa couldn't help but think that maybe Jimmy was right, that it would be for the best if Sam Crow moved away from selling guns.
"Running protection is Sambel's main gig. It's why my dad helped set up the charter."
"Well, Jimmy wants to keep that income in his pocket. Wants to start selling your guns to the Russians up in Oregon for greater profit. Everything Jimmy does is for profit."
"What the hell does that have to do with Abel?" Vanessa spoke up, tired of hearing about things that told her nothing about where her son was.
"The Army council have come to a very difficult decision. Jimmy's greed and arrogance has become a hindrance both internally and politically. You experienced a vivid example of that hatred tonight."
"You're gonna get rid of him."
"Well… Jimmy is enmeshed in so many things that define us, if word got out that we had killed one of our own leaders, there will be chaos. The Loyalists would have a field day." Jax sighed and came to the realization of why they were keeping his son from him.
"But if someone from the outside killed him…" Jax started putting the pieces together, as did Vanessa.
"Vengeance of a distraught father. Something every Irishman would understand."
"And Jimmy knew that if we came here, you and me would be having this conversation."
"He knows a line's been drawn. That's why he lied to you about the baby; why he tried to get you deported; and now you're here, why he wants that little one as leverage. He is a grave threat to both our families. You kill Jimmy O'Phelan and I promise I will make sure Abel goes home in the arms of his loving family."
"Wait. Wait!" Vanessa stood up, angrily. "You're saying you know where Abel is but you won't tell us because you need Jax to kill Jimmy for you? Just tell us where our goddamn son is!" Vanessa cried, causing Jax to get up too. "Just tell us where he is!" Father Kellan got up and began walking away from them, the Casey brothers following behind him. "You're using our son as leverage! You're both using a baby as a pawn for your own gain you selfish fucking assholes. Just give us our son. Give me my son!"
Vanessa cried into Jax's chest, not knowing why this was happening to their family. She gripped onto his sweatshirt tightly and sobbed for their baby. "He knows where he is. Why won't they just give us our son back, Jax? I just want him back."
They stood there holding onto each other for a few minutes before one of Kellan's men came up behind them and cleared his throat. "C'mon, I'll take you back."
"We'll walk." Jax gritted his teeth and letting go of Vanessa. "We need some time alone."
"Aye. Slam the door on your way out." The man walked away and Jax sat back on the pew, putting his head in his hands. Vanessa stayed standing, watching him quietly while tears were still filled in her eyes. She finally sat next to him and shook her head, hearing Jax exhale a deep breath that held all of his worry, fear, and exhaustion.
"This is all my fault." Vanessa tried to hold back the tears from falling. "I should have done more to protect him. I should have done something else. I'm sorry."
Vanessa stood back up quickly and began walking towards the door to exit the church. Jax sighed before following behind her. The entirety of the walk back to the flophouse was silent.
Vanessa changed into one of Jax's big t-shirts and laid on the bed, wrapping herself up in the blankets. She refused to look at Jax, knowing that the second she looked at him, she would break down into tears again. Instead she faced the wall and closed her eyes, just a few minutes later she felt the other side of the bed sink in. Arms wrapped comfortingly around her waist, Jax's hand laid on her stomach as she inched as close to him as possible.
It wasn't long before she was asleep. The stress of the day and the past few weeks had built up, leaving her exhausted. But she felt Jax get up in the middle of the night. Her eyes stayed shut as she heard him dialling a phone number.
"You ever hear of Kellan Ashby?" Jax asked the other person on the line. She laid quietly, wishing she could hear the other person's response.
"Yeah. I had no idea that was going down." Jax responded, though Vanessa truly had no idea what he was talking about at the moment. "We can talk about that shit later. Kellan Ashby. He's a priest. What do you know about him?"
Another moment of silence.
"More than a friend. He's a shot caller. I need to know everything about him." He took a deep breath. "He's got Abel. And he wants me to kill Jimmy to get him back."
More silence.
"I know. I'll figure it out. Just get me some intel on the priest." Jax suddenly hung the up phone and laid back on the bed, wrapping his arms around Vanessa once again. She felt a small kiss to the back of her neck and felt more tears wanting to flood her eyes but kept her breath even.
She wanted to ask him about who he was speaking with, but instead she just pretended to still be sleeping.