11
JAX IS REALLY ALIVE
Chapter 3 Recap
Tara explains that the Paralorns were forced underground by their enemies the Sliven who detonated an atmosphere destroying weapon. The queen took four ships with Paralorns and embryos, donated by citizens hoping to keep their genetic line alive, to Earth.
The Paralorns were infertile, unable to conceive or carry to term the embryos they brought from their home world, Rackle.
The embryos were then implanted in pregnant Earth women expecting that the women would give both to two babies. Only one baby was born. That child matched the Earth parents DNA.
A baby died and came back to life. The citizens of Charming called it a miracle. The Paralorns checked the baby's DNA and found it now matched back to the Paralorn's genetic structure. The baby was a hybrid with four parents.
Tara is a hybrid. She came back to life and the queen, nicknamed Meg by Tara, rescued her before an autopsy could be performed. Tara can come back from some injuries, but she wouldn't survive autopsy.
Tara and Meg can stop time. They don't know why they have this power. They believe it has something to do the Earth's atmosphere.
Jax guesses that he's an alien.
CHAPTER 4 Washing Off the Wendy
Tara looked at Jax.
"Yes. That's why I had to stop time and save you. If that truck had hit you head on, you wouldn't have lived, alien or not. That's what you were going for isn't it? That Jesus moment with the head back, arms outstretched?"
"Yeah. I've screwed up my life so much, Tara. There's just no coming back from it. How do you know I'm alien?"
"They keep records and they've been watching us. You've met Meg. You know her as the homeless woman."
"I saw her today. She said it was time. I thought she meant it was time to die."
"We have a bigger destiny we need to live out."
"So, you're going to kill me so I turn into an alien?"
"You don't turn into an alien. You stay yourself. Humans won't see you as Jax Teller. It's the only way. You've got so much heat on you, you can't disappear and we can't fake your death."
"What if I don't want to do it?"
"I don't know. The idea takes some getting used to I guess. For me, I didn't have a choice. It just happened to me. I'm the same person, but I'm more focused. I have a greater sense of purpose, but I don't think that's alien. I think that's because of everything I went through. We're here," Tara said.
She drove the SUV straight into a huge rock that was a large as a two story house. The rock disappeared.
"What the hell?"
"Pretty cool, huh? The door opens and at the same time a picture of the outside is projected, so it looks like we drove into the rock. It's perfectly synced."
Jax exhaled loudly.
"This is starting to feel real now."
"I do love some of the tech stuff. I have to eat after I stop time or I get really sick and I can lapse into a coma. I come out of it, but it can take a couple of hours."
Jax looked again at Tara and his doubts about her identity returned. Maybe they had taken Tara's memories and put them into someone who looked a lot like Tara.
Aside from the unique way of opening, they were in an ordinary garage. There was a blue SUV also parked in the garage.
Tara walked to a door without a handle and it opened for her.
"There's some kind of sensor that verifies my identity before opening. This is the Queen's retreat. Very few know about it."
The door closed silently behind them. It had a modern décor, but it didn't look space age. It was all very calm and serene feeling in soft shades of blue and white. There were two seating areas, a dining table with chairs and a counter with bar stools. There was a small kitchen area and a hall that led to the bedrooms and a conference room.
"We'll eat at the counter."
"Who else is here?"
"Just us. We have the place to ourselves for a while. I know this all is going to take some time for you to adjust to."
Jax was struck by how confident Tara was acting. She seemed so calm and in control. When they were together, he had always assumed the lead in everything except taking care of the kids.
"We're having burgers and fries. What do you want to drink? There's beer, iced tea, water and close to every variety of soft drink. Paralorns love beer and soda sometimes together."
"Beer would be good," Jax said. He knew it would take more than one beer to take the edge off but at least it was a start.
Tara opened a cabinet and pulled out two plates with burgers and fries on them. They could have come out of any upscale burger place. She put the plates down and grabbed a beer bottle and a bottle of iced tea from the refrigerator and some napkins from a cupboard.
"This is the Jax burger. Medium, BBQ sauce, pickles, lettuce, double thick cut bacon with two slices of American cheese."
"My perfect burger," Jax said. Tara always surprised him by knowing all the details of what he liked.
"This is mine."
"Let me see if I can figure it out. Guacamole and hot sauce."
"I'm surprised you knew that," Tara said.
She got up from the bar stool and rummaged in the refrigerator until she found a bottle of ketchup.
Jax tasted the French fries. They were perfectly crispy.
"This food is amazing."
"I know. It's kind of depressing that machines and robots can cook better than humans. All I have to do is tell it what I want to eat and they make it and keep it hot and ready. They just can't come up with their own recipes. There needs to be something left for people to do."
"Are you happy?"
Tara looked at Jax with surprise. She couldn't remember him ever asking her that.
"No," she said slowly. "I have been so busy focusing on what I need to do that I haven't given much thought to anything else. I've been so worried about you, watching everything spiral out of control."
Jax nodded.
"I've been so lost without you."
Tara finished the last of her French fries, weighing what to say next. She was torn by her empathy and compassion for him, but she was still white hot angry about some of the things that had happened between them. The way she was seeing it, it was all his fault.
Tara carefully wiped her fingers on her napkin before turning to face him.
"While I was alive, you cheated on me with a whore and not just once. You screwed Wendy today knowing that you were going to kill yourself and you told her you loved her."
The fury in her brown eyes removed all lingering doubt that this was Tara. This was a stronger, tougher Tara, but she was still Tara. She just wasn't going to be as easy to deal with as old Tara.
"Tara, I'm buried with everything that has happened. We can talk everything out, try to fix things, but I just can't deal with much now. I'm still working on you being alive and part alien and me being part alien."
"Fine. Understand one thing though, I didn't say I wanted to fix things. A lot has changed."
Once again, Jax felt like the ground was shifting beneath his feet. He assumed that since Tara was alive, they would be together. He needed her.
"You are the only one I've ever been in love with."
"Too bad your body wasn't as faithful as your heart."
"I deserved that."
"And a whole lot more." She got to her feet. "I'll show you where your room is."
She led him down the hall to a medium sized bedroom furnished with a bed, desk, chair, a closet and an attached bathroom all in the same blue and white color scheme.
"It's a little small for two, but I don't mind sleeping close," Jax said.
"I'm not sleeping here."
Jax was undeterred. He had never found a woman who could resist his sexual charm and that included Tara. New Tara might take a little more warming up, but he could get there. No problem. He had the perfect solution.
"I think I'll take a shower," he said, trying to sound casual. Tara never could resist him when he took a shower. He always left the door open so she could check him out and that always led to sex.
"There's a chest of drawers in the closet with T-shirts, underwear and socks. The closet has jeans and a few dressier clothes. All your size."
"Thanks, Tara."
"It will give you a chance to shower off the Wendy."
OK. This Tara was a lot more difficult than old Tara, but sex was sex and she would be his. He laid his cut on his bed, deliberately focusing his mind on sex and not on SAMCRO. That was too much to deal with now.
He stripped his clothes off and left them on the floor. He always did this at home. When he finished showering, he would pick up his clothes, but when Tara was around, she would pick them up and that would be her reason for being in the bathroom watching him all hot and steamy in the shower.
Just as he thought, Tara was in the bathroom, checking him out and picking up his clothes. New Tara or not, this would have the same ending. He feigned modesty by wrapping a towel around his waist. He was confident it wouldn't be there long.
Tara was in the bedroom.
"I'll start removing your tattoos."
"You have a laser?"
"No, there's a cream that lifts the ink."
She sat on the bed and opened a small case with a jar of cream and some cotton cloths.
"Really? Did you have yours removed?"
"Yes."
"Mind if I have a look?"
"Go ahead."
He sat next to her, unsure for a second.
"The one on your back. The rose."
"Go ahead."
She was wearing jeans with a white button front blouse with red tulips. It perfectly molded her breasts and waist.
He reached over and unbuttoned the first button. She didn't object, so he continued. After the fourth button, he had enough of her blouse open to pull it down off one shoulder to check for the rose tattoo.
His fingers brushed her skin checking for any scarring from the tattoo removal. As he stroked her skin, he heard her catch her breath.
"It won't work," she whispered.
"I don't know what you mean."
"The seduction. Here's your problem—you want me more than I want you."
"I can fix that, baby." He brushed her cheek with his thumb.
Tara looked into his eyes and laughed at him.