CHAPTER SIX

Pulling into Donna's driveway at a much more sedate speed then I left the garage I sit in the car for a minute, contemplating the information that Gemma so wholeheartedly believes is true.

When I finally work out what it is about her thoughts that bugs me so much I get out of the car and walk up to the front door. Standing there for a second I consider ringing the bell before I hear Donna call out that she's in the kitchen.

Opening the door I throw my shoes in the corner before walking to where she's standing "How did you know it was me, not someone else?"

Looking over her shoulder from where she's poking at a beef roast she says "I heard the car pull in, it was the same car I heard arrive last night, and the same car I heard leave this morning. Can you do something with that? Opie wants a roast like his mom made, once, and I don't know what to do with it. The fact that Mary got one edible roast out of all the ones she made is a miracle but what the fuck am I doing with that hunk of dead cow?"

I grin at Donna, trying desperately not to laugh. "I can do something with it. Can you ask Ope, does he want it Mary inedible or Sarah edible." Laughing at Donna's face as she remembers the disastrous meal Mary had made trying to do a roast for her and Opie when they went to tell her they were having twins.

I watch Donna as she goes over to her bag and pulls a phone out. Flicking it open and pushing a button she holds it to her ear making a 'shushing' motion to me.

"Hey Baby. I'm doing that roast for you for dinner tonight, but it's black on the outside and still frozen on the inside. What do I do?" Donna manages to sound panicked and on the verge of tears while silently laughing.

I hear Opie's voice from the phone in an angry rush before Donna just can't hold it in anymore and lets a laugh out, followed by more until she actually has tears running down her cheeks. She holds the phone out to me and gasps "He said it'll be just like his mom's that way."

I take the phone from her; put it up to my ear just as Opie yells "Donna, what the fuck is going on?"

"Ow Ope, my ear! The roast is still thawing. I wanted Donna to ask you if you would like to enjoy eating this roast, or with us throwing it out and you getting fast food on the way home?"

Opie makes an apologetic sound in my ear but still sounds irritated when he snaps "I'd like it to be edible of course."

"So, you don't want your mothers roast beef at all. You want my roast beef?" I ask, still trying to be patient with him as he's grumbling down the phone.

"Whoever's roast beef it is. I want it for dinner, and I want it to be edible." I hear a voice behind Opie yell 'me too.' before Opie comes back to the phone and says "Jax says he wants it to be edible too."

"Okay, well it will be ready at 6:30 whether you are here or not." I say, snapping Donna's phone closed and throwing it back in her bag.

Donna eventually manages to pull herself off the floor as I'm rummaging in the pantry looking for spices and herbs. Looking over my shoulder where Donna is now peeling the wrapping of a sandwich I ask her if she's got any spices which she nods and says "Yup, both of them. Salt and Pepper."

"Oh my god, are you kidding me?" I know I sound like a spoilt child, but I can't believe that she wouldn't have some simple dried herbs, but then I remember her husband. The gigantic man who thinks that pasta is exotic.

Resigning myself to a trip to the market later I sit at the table with her and pick at my sandwich while spilling out the thoughts that have been trying to form coherently since leaving Gemma.

"Gemma told me that Jax would have left with me if I'd asked him. She seems to think that he's loved me for almost as long as I've loved him. I don't know; she's under this impression that Tara knew she'd have to get me out of town before she left or we'd have ended up together."

Donna looks at me for a second before swallowing and says in that no nonsense way she seems to have picked up from Gemma since I left "And, she's right about it all. Tara knew that you would help put Jax back together when she left, and she knew that it would be a stronger Jax that came out of the end of it. She also knew that you two loved each other, even if he didn't know it and you couldn't tell him cause of her. She eliminated her competition, and thought that she could get him to leave after that. Did you know that she was the one that told Jax you'd gone? The day after you left, none of us had thought about it yet, we thought you had gone to the cabin for a few days, but she waltzed up to him in the middle of the garage and said 'She's gone, she left town.' Then she turned around, got back in her car and left, Jax followed her."

Donna stops talking and bites of a huge corner of her sandwich, chewing and swallowing before continuing. "Ope told me that when Jax found her she said that you had told her you were leaving, that you hated Charming and you'd been counting down the days till you could go. Then she told him that she was leaving the following day and that she hoped he'd come with her. Which he didn't, he stayed here hoping she was lying. He was the last one to stop waiting for you to come back. I mean, I told him you'd said you were happy where you were, even if you wouldn't tell me where you were." With that Donna stood up and threw her lunch rubbish in the bin and left the room, leaving me sitting at her table lost in thought.

30 minutes later I finally manage to break my train of thought with a shake of my head. Standing up from the table and putting my barely touched lunch in the bin I do a quick check of the beef to make sure it's defrosted.

Walking to the lounge where I find both Donna and Mary sitting quietly watching the twins play I'm a bit surprised, knowing of Mary's dislike of all things club related and that Donna is a very protective Old Lady. I guess their mutual love of Opie and the children playing on the floor have managed to make their relationship function.

Smiling over at Donna she quirks an eyebrow at me and I just shake my head, knowing that the revelations that have happened in my mind don't change a thing about where we are now, and that history is just that.

"Well, I have to go to the market to get some things for dinner." I say heading towards the door.

Donna turns to Mary and asks, "Are you staying for dinner, we're having roast beef."

Seeing the slight shudder in Mary's shoulders she sounds almost scared when she asks, "Who's cooking, please don't murder it like I did."

I just laugh and say "That would be me."

Donna pokes her tongue out at me and turns to Mary, "Yes, she who has spent the last 4 years in culinary school and as a chef in New York is cooking tonight so it better be good."

Mary grins widely and says "Then yes, I will stay for dinner. Donna you go with her to the market, I'll stay here with the kids."

Donna jumps up and the pair of us head towards the door, as it's starting to close behind us we hear Mary mutter to the twins "Troubles back."

Turning to Donna I say, "She means you, I'm too sweet to be called trouble."

Donna almost falls over from laughing so hard, "She said 'trouble's back' I never left, so it's gotta be you."

"Shit, you got me there. And I always thought Mary liked me." Sliding into the passenger's seat of Donna's car I move a few toys to the back-seat and tuck them between the car seats

"She does like you; she also likes your double chocolate fudge brownies with ice cream and whipped cream. Or your banoffee pie, or your chocolate everything slice." Donna grins looking at me out the corner of her eye.

"Umm, no. That was hmmmm you. She liked my meringue nests with cream and fruit. She also liked the stuffed apples. And the baked Alaska. However, because I feel generous I will make something for dessert tonight, but it won't be anything you've tried before."

Hearing a jingle from my bag I pick it up and rummage through before finding the phone Gemma had handed me earlier. Looking at the display I see a number that I don't know, but that doesn't surprise me cause I don't know any numbers of the Sons. Flipping it open I put the phone to my ear and hear nothing but masculine moans and rhythmic sounds of flesh hitting flesh.

Pulling it away I push the button for speaker and say "Someone pocket dialled me while going at it."

Donna starts laughing at me and both of us can't control the giggles but then a very familiar voice comes over the phone drawing one syllable out till it sounds like 5. "Jax."

Then Jax's voice comes over and both Donna and I hear him command, "Do that again."

I flick the phone closed and look at Donna. "Maybe it wasn't a pocket dial after all. She wanted to remind me who Jax is fucking."