The next few days flew by. Jess was so busy splitting her time between Cara Cara and Jax that she barely had a moment to breathe, but she loved every single second of it. With Nero's mentorship, she was growing more and more confident by the day that she could actually run this business she'd been thrust into and that eventually, she could make it thrive. She had been so overwhelmed trying to carry on Luann's legacy and for the first time, she was feeling like she might actually be able to do it.

Jess leaned against the doorframe of her office, gazing out onto the floor of the club. One of her newer girls, Sasha, was currently killing it on the main stage and Jess was impressed. She watched her gyrate against the pole, spinning around before getting on all fours and crawling to the edge of the stage, her hips moving to the beat of the music blaring. The customers lining the stage were loving it, and it seemed like most of the men scattered around the club couldn't take their eyes off her. Jess would have to remember to give her more prime time slots on the main stage.

She tore her attention from the stage to see Lux flirting heavily with one of her tables that was full of 5 middle aged men, all trying to paw her. Jess hadn't gotten a chance to really talk to Lux, apart from the usual work chit chat. She was sure Lux still hadn't talked to Tig, and Jess really wanted to talk to her about that. She watched her continued flirtations with the table, laughing at something one of them said and brushing her hand back and forth gently on his arm. She was wearing a tight black crop top and a tiny, body hugging skirt, and she looked amazing. If Jess didn't know any better, she'd think Lux was the same carefree girl she usually was. But Jess had learned long ago that Lux's attitude was more often than not a mask to cover her true feelings.

She watched as Lux leaned over at the waist, resting her hands on the edge of the table and giving everyone around her a good view down her shirt and up her skirt. Jess turned her eyes to the ceiling, thanking God that Tig hadn't shown up that night. He usually came by at some point during Lux's shifts to at least say hi and occasionally stay for the show, but she didn't expect him that night.

Lux finally walked away from the table, giving them a flirty wave of her fingertips before walking to the bar to get their drinks. Jess walked over to her just as she was putting her order in to bartender Rob. Lux smiled happily at Jess when she spotted her.

"That table is gonna pay for my new Ferragamos," she said, grinning. Jess smiled back at her.

"Yeah, I saw you working for it," she said. Lux shook her hips back and forth, running her hands up her abdomen before cupping her breasts.

"If you got it, am I right?" she said, winking. Jess smirked, shaking her head.

"As long as you keep 'em coming back for more, I got no complaints," she replied. Rob set several beers and a gin and tonic on a tray in front of them and Lux grabbed it, hoisting it above her head.

"See you around," she said, sashaying her hips as she walked off in a way that made Jess wonder how she didn't spill everything in her hand. She watched her walk off, her smile fading as she kicked herself for chickening out on asking Lux about Tig. She sighed before turning and heading back to her office.

SOASOASOASOASOASOASOA

"What's up with you tonight?" Jax asked, handing Jess a beer. It was later that night after Jess left the club. She'd headed straight for TM and she'd been distracted ever since she got there. She couldn't help but keep tabs on the way Lux and Tig were dancing around each other, completely avoiding one another without making anything too obvious. Tig was sitting on the couch with Chibs, several crow eaters dancing around them while Lux sat at the bar, steadfastly ignoring the whole scene.

"Just tired, I guess," Jess replied. Jax nodded, wrapping an arm around her and kissing her lightly.

"We can go home if you want," he whispered. Jess grinned at him, incredibly tempted, but she finally shook her head.

"I think I'm gonna stay at the apartment tonight, actually," she said, trying to make the words come out as casually as she could. Jax frowned, taking a step back from her.

"Why?" he asked. Jess shrugged.

"Just… haven't hung out with Lux in awhile," she said, "And technically I do still live there."

"You haven't stayed a night there in over a month," Jax reminded her, "And you can hang out with Lux now." Jess shrugged, unable to explain to Jax that she needed to talk to Lux when they weren't surrounded by SAMCRO or sluts, making both the clubhouse and Cara Cara non-options.

"I'll explain later, okay?" Jess said, gazing across the room at Lux and wondering how nobody had caught on to the fact that she had stopped drinking, "I can't yet." She'd hoped this would appease him, but it just caused his brow to furrow even deeper.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "Are you pissed at me or something?" Jess shook her head, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

"No, it's about Lux," she said. Jax glanced across the room at where she sat at the bar before he finally nodded.

"She okay?" he asked. Jess nodded, even though she had no idea whether or not Lux was okay, but if she had to guess, she would say definitely not.

"She's fine," Jess said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible, "I just want to talk to her." Jax nodded, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Okay. I gotta talk to Bobby about some club stuff," he said. Jess nodded and Jax walked off toward the chapel, where Bobby was standing talking to Clay. Jess looked around the clubhouse and spotted Gemma coming out of the kitchen. She walked over to her and Gemma smiled at her.

"Heard you had a visitor," Gemma said and Jess rolled her eyes.

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Jess asked. Gemma shook her head.

"And don't you forget it," she replied. Jess smirked, shaking her head.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," she said, "I'm supposed to have lunch with her tomorrow." Gemma frowned in thought, crossing her arms across her chest and strumming her fingers against her arm.

"Jax said she looks like she's cleaned up," Gemma finally said, and Jess shrugged, nodding.

"She does," Jess said, "She looks great, actually. I just… I feel like inviting her back into my life is just inviting disaster. But she's my mom, and I've never had one of those before. I just don't know what to do." Gemma nodded.

"I'm not saying don't have lunch tomorrow," she said, "I'm just saying… be careful. Watch for the red flags. It's interesting timing, with your inheritance and everything." Jess knew Gemma would see that, too, and understand.

"I know," she said, "But she says she doesn't want money."

"Yeah, because she's smart enough to know you wouldn't just hand it over to her," Gemma said, "I hope I'm wrong, Jess, but I think you're right to stay on your guard."

"But you think I should give her a chance?" Jess asked. Gemma pursed her lips.

"If I were you," she said, "I wouldn't give her the time of day. But you are not me, and you'll probably be a lot happier because of it." Jess nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay," she finally said, "Thanks, Gemma."

"Anytime, baby," Gemma said, patting Jess on the cheek. Jess smiled at her before turning to walk to the bar, taking a seat next to Lux, who looked over at her and smiled.

"How about a slumber party tonight?" Jess asked. Lux's smile grew into a beam.

"You're staying at the apartment tonight?" she asked. Jess nodded and Lux clapped happily.

"Excellent," she said, "Let's get out of here. It's too… crowded." Lux hopped off the barstool and Jess followed her outside, completely aware of Tig's eyes on them as they left, but he didn't try to stop them.

They walked across the street and up the stairs to the apartment and Jess felt an immediate feeling of familiarity, as if the apartment was an old friend she hadn't seen in awhile. It felt good to be back.

"There's beer in the fridge if you want one," Lux said. Jess hesitated, raising an eyebrow at Lux, who laughed, "Really, it's okay. It's not like you're doing heroin in front of me or something." Jess shrugged, because she really could use a beer, and grabbed one out of the fridge before following Lux out onto the balcony. They sat down, each resting their feet comfortably on the bars of the balcony as they looked out across the street at the clubhouse.

"So… I take it you still haven't talked to Tig," Jess said, taking a sip of her beer and glancing at Lux out of the corner of her eye. Lux shook her head, sighing.

"I don't know what to do, Jess," she said, "I've been thinking a lot about this and Tig's right - I would be a terrible mom." Jess didn't know what to say to that. She had been hesitant to entrust Lux with the responsibility of assistant manager at Cara Cara, much less with a child, but something in her told her that Lux was wrong. She thought about how fiercely protective Lux was of anyone she loved, and the ways she bent over backwards to take care of them all. Jess knew right then that Lux would be an amazing mother.

"You won't be," Jess said, her voice nothing but sincere. Lux smiled at her weakly, shaking her head.

"I don't know the first thing," she said quietly.

"That's what we're all here for," Jess reminded her, "You've got me and Jax and Gemma. And Tig." Lux looked at her, startled, before shaking her head.

"I told you, Tig doesn't want any more kids," she replied.

"And I told you, that's because he doesn't know you're pregnant," Jess said, "He loves you more than anything else in the world. He was going to go Nomad for you. Do you really think he's going to run away because you're going to have his baby?" Lux shrugged.

"He might," she said, "And then where would I be? And even if he didn't run…so much would change. Everything would be different. I don't see how we could survive it."

"You've survived a lot more than a baby," Jess said, "And you're still doing good."

"That stuff was different. Tig is an adventure kind of guy. He's the opposite of domestic," Lux said.

"Well you won't know until you talk to him," Jess said. Her phone beeped and she reached down to grab it out of her purse. She checked the caller ID and closed her eyes briefly before ignoring the text and slipping it back into her purse. Tara. So far, she hadn't broken her promise to Jax to not talk to her anymore, but as far as she knew, he hadn't talked to her either. It was starting to frustrate her, but she didn't need to worry about that now.

"You know after I took the test, I drove straight to Planned Parenthood," Lux said quietly, unaware of Jess's brief distraction. Jess looked sharply at her, but didn't say anything and Lux continued, "I sat in the parking lot for, like, an hour. But I couldn't go in. I just kept thinking about Abel, and how he wouldn't be around if Wendy had decided to do that without telling Jax."

"You have to talk to Tig," Jess said quietly. Lux nodded, a defeated look on her face.

"I know," she replied, "I just… I don't know how to talk to him about this. I don't want to lose him."

"I don't think you will," Jess said, suddenly noting the irony of the situation. Here she was, reassuring her friend that she wouldn't lose her man because she was pregnant, while Jess was still sitting on the secret of her inability to get pregnant, afraid the news would cause Jax to have second thoughts about their relationship.

Suddenly Lux burst into tears and it was so surprising to Jess, and so out of Lux's usual emotional range, that she just stared at her for several seconds. Eventually, Lux's sobs subsided into quiet sniffles.

"Um… are you okay?" Jess asked. Lux nodded meekly.

"I've just been…really emotional lately," Lux said, "Hormones or something." Jess nodded.

"Well… what were you thinking about?" she asked. Lux shrugged.

"How the worst part of all of this is all of my usual coping methods are off limits," she said, and Jess couldn't help but chuckle.

"Guess you'll just have to cope the sober way," she said, and Lux burst into tears again. Jess grimaced.

"This sucks," Lux moaned.

SOASOASOASOASOASOASOA

There weren't many options for dining in Charming, California, so the next day Jess found herself meeting Daisy at the diner on Main Street. She had agreed to the lunch meeting reluctantly, and as she approached the doors to the diner and saw Daisy waiting at a booth inside, her apprehension grew. Jess had finally gotten to a place where she was happy with the people in her life. She had gotten rid of all the shits, and here she was, about to have lunch with someone who had up until now been one of the biggest shits of them all.

She took a seat in the booth across from Daisy, who looked up and smiled as Jess sat down.

"I'm so glad you agreed to come," she said, and Jess could tell Daisy was just as nervous as she was. That made her feel slightly more inclined.

"Yeah," Jess replied slightly, feeling an insincere 'me, too' wouldn't be very appropriate. They both studied the menu in silence, even though it wasn't very complicated. There were burgers and sandwiches and a few different salads - not really difficult options. But she didn't know what to say or how to even begin a conversation. Daisy finally put down her menu and Jess followed suit, smiling awkwardly across the table.

"This is awkward," Daisy said, and Jess laughed, nodding.

"Yeah, it is," she said, "I don't really know what to say." Daisy nodded.

"That's understandable," she replied, "I don't either, really. I just… I guess I just wanted a chance to hear about your life and talk, just the two of us. I want to know everything about you." Jess felt her heart lightening a little more, and she smiled at Daisy.

"Okay… well… you know I was raised in foster care," Jess said tentatively. She didn't want to bring it up to hurt Daisy, but she knew the reminder would. But Daisy just nodded, wanting Jess to continue, so she did, as honestly as she could. She told her about a few of the families she'd lived with, leaving out some of the more messy details, and told her about her horrible boss that she'd made the mistake of dating before finally coming to Charming. She told her about meeting Lux and Luanne at Cara Cara, and how Luanne had loved her like a daughter. She felt tears brimming her eyes talking about her, but she carried on and it almost seemed as if she couldn't stop. When she got to Luanne's murder, though, she finally did stop. She didn't want to go in to Zobelle and the kidnapping, or Lux being framed for murder, so she changed the subject to Jax.

"Ah, Jax," Daisy said, beaming, "Yes, tell me how that all happened. I remember when he was born. Vaguely, of course. Those days were pretty hazy, but it was such a happy time, everyone was so excited. And he's so handsome." Jess grinned at Daisy, nodding.

"That he is," she said, "It was… complicated at first. He ended up getting back together with his ex for a while, just when I thought we had started something. But it all worked out in the end."

"He treats you right? Makes you happy?" Daisy asked. Jess nodded, smiling at the thought of Jax.

"Very," she replied, "Very happy." Daisy smiled back at her.

"I can tell," she said, "I'm happy for you, Jess. Seems like everything has finally worked out for you." Jess nodded.

"It's had its ups and downs," she said, though that was putting it so lightly she almost wanted to laugh, "But all in all I've never been happier than in Charming."

"Good," Daisy replied.

"So have you decided how long you're staying?" Jess asked, surprised that she actually found herself hoping Daisy would stick around for awhile. The resemblance between them was irrefutable and it was such a good feeling, sitting here talking to her mother like this. It was almost like they could actually be a family.

"I'm actually looking for a job here," Daisy said, and Jess raised her eyebrows in surprise, a smile spreading across her face.

"Really?" she asked, and Daisy grinned at her reaction, nodding.

"If it's okay with you," she said tentatively, "I don't want to step on your toes here, but I really don't have anything keeping me in Modesto and it'd be nice to stay close to you and Rose." Jess nodded.

"No, I'd… I'd like that," she said, "I'll let you know if I hear of any openings anywhere." She saw Daisy's smile falter somewhat at that, and Jess frowned.

"What?" she asked, but Daisy shook her head, the smile back on her face.

"Nothing," she replied, "I'd appreciate that." Jess nodded, wondering suddenly if Daisy had expected her to offer her a job at Cara Cara, but the only position she was really looking to fill was assistant manager, and she was still hoping that Lux would do that once she figured out her situation. Not to mention that, as happy as it was making her to have a nice lunch with her mom, something was still holding her back from trusting her completely. It would probably be a long road to recovery for all the old wounds to completely heal, but she felt like this had been a good start.

SOASOASOASOASOASOA

"BULLS EYE!" Lux crowed, grinning at Jess in victory before bouncing up to the dart board to pull the darts out. Jess pursed her lips, glancing at the scores next to the board. Lux was kicking her ass. Jess tried to tell herself she was letting Lux win because she knew Lux needed to get her mind off of the conversation she'd promised to have with Tig that night, but if Lux kept throwing bulls eyes Jess wouldn't be able to kid herself anymore.

"Yeah, yeah," Jess said, taking the darts from Lux and stepping up to take her place, "Nobody likes a sore winner." The Sons were still in chapel and Lux's eyes continuously darted to the door every few minutes, so Jess knew that the game wasn't completely taking her mind off of it, but at least Lux wasn't crying.

Jess took her turn, closing out 16 but missing everything else completely, when the chapel doors finally opened and the guys filed out. Lux watched them, her eyes scanning for Tig and when he finally walked out she burst into tears. Jess had come prepared this time with tissues and bleakly handed her one, which she gladly accepted. Tig looked across the room at her, his brows furrowed in confusion, but he didn't come over to them. As far as Jess knew, the two hadn't spoken since their argument.

Jax spotted them and grinned at Jess, causing her to momentarily forget who Lux was as she smiled back at him. He said something to Chibs before walking over to them, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her. Lux's sobs escalated and Jax pulled away from Jess, looking strangely at his sister.

"Are you… crying?" he asked. Lux shook her head, even though she clearly was, and suddenly took off, running across the room and narrowly avoiding Tig before turning down the hall to the bathroom. Tig looked more confused than ever and made his way across the room to Jess and Jax.

"What the fuck is all that about?" Tig asked, the words coming out angry but in his eyes there was nothing but worry. Jess just shrugged.

"I don't know. She's being weird," Jess said, hoping the lie came off natural. Tig shook his head.

"You're telling me," he said, "We get in some stupid fight and she doesn't talk to me for 3 days." Jax glared at Tig.

"What was the fight about?" Jax asked, squaring his body in front of Tig and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Chill, brother," Tig said in exasperation, "Nothing. I just said - it was a stupid fight. She's being crazy."

"She's always crazy," Jax responded.

"Crazier," Tig replied, before walking off to grab a beer from the bar. Jax turned to look down at Jess.

"You know what this is about," he said, and it was a statement, not a question. Jess sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I do, but I can't say anything. Hopefully you'll find out soon enough anyway," Jess said. Jax looked at her like he was going to argue, before deciding to drop it.

Lux came back from the bathroom a few minutes later, her eyes rimmed with red but her tears had dried up. Jess watched her walk into the main room of the clubhouse and stop in her tracks, narrowing her eyes as she watched Tig chat casually with the crow eater behind the bar. She winced as she saw Lux's face twist, and tears began pouring down her cheeks again.

"You are the WORLD'S BIGGEST ASSHOLE!" Lux shrieked, gathering the attention of most everybody in the room, including Tig. He turned on the barstool to look at her, his eyebrows raised in bemusement.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tig spat angrily, "You're acting crazier than usual!" Lux's brows furrowed in anger, and Jess saw her fists ball. For a moment, she was afraid Lux might actually take a swing at Tig, which would be very, very bad. But she didn't. She did something much worse and not at all how Jess pictured the whole conversation going down.

"OF COURSE I'M CRAZY!" she yelled, "I'M PREGNANT, YOU DIPSHIT!" The entire room hushed and Jax looked down quickly at Jess, who waved him off as she continued to watch the scene unfold. A small part of her, that she currently hated, was wishing she had popcorn right now. The rest of her was full of nerves.

Tig just stared at her, his jaw dropping. He looked like he was going to speak for a moment, but no sound came out. His lips parted opened and closed, like a fish, and he was stunned. Clearly forgetting they had an audience, he stood from the barstool, walking closer to her. He reached out his hand, resting it on her belly, his other arm reaching around to pull her close to him. She sobbed into his shoulder, her fingers clutched the back of his cut desperately.

Jess smiled, relief swelling within her, before she remembered the others she needed to worry about. Her eyes scanned the crowd until they rested on Clay, who's face was held in an expression of shock mixed with outrage, but he didn't say anything. Jess looked up at Jax, whose eyes were narrowed as he watched Tig for any sign that he was not planning on doing the right thing. Jess wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning her head on his chest.

"You okay?" she asked. Jax nodded.

"Just a little surprised," he said in the understatement of the year, "You couldn't have given me a heads up?" Jess shook her head.

"Wasn't my secret to tell," she said.

"Jesus, Jess, it's not like I was going to run and tell anybody," he said, the words laced with anger, but he slung an arm around her shoulder, which ceased Jess's worries that he would stay mad for long. She looked back at Tig and Lux, who were still wrapped in each other's arms. Tig leaned back slightly to kiss her deeply, smiling into the kiss, before he broke apart and took a few steps from Lux, looking at the crowd.

"Did you hear?" he called, "We're having a baby!" The crowd roared and Lux beamed at him, before bursting into tears again. He quickly rushed to her side, looking concerned and grasping her tenderly, as if she were the most delicate thing on Earth. Gemma walked up to them, beaming, and pulled Lux in for a hug. Lux wrapped her arms around her, still crying, while Tig looked on helplessly.

Jax grabbed Jess's hand and they walked over to them. Tig looked sheepishly at Jax, shrugging, until Jax held his hand out to him and Tig shook it, grinning and shaking his head.

"This is crazy," he said, and Jax nodded.

"Yeah, it is," he said, "Seein' as you're older than sin, I'm just surprised your shit still works." Tig took the jab, nodding.

"You and me both," he muttered, and Jax laughed. Jess walked over to Lux, smiling happily at her and handing her another tissue.

"I told you everything was going to be okay," Jess said. Lux nodded, sniffling.

"Nobody likes an 'I told you so'," she said between sniffles, and Jess laughed. She barely registered Clay stalking out of the clubhouse, the door slamming behind him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all our new followers and readers and a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed our last chapter! We really hope you liked this chapter, but either way PLEASE, PLEASE review and tell us what you thought! Reviews are our inspiration, crack, entire reason for living (or at least writing). Thanks! :)