25
Jax Is Really Alive
"
Chapter 55 Family
"
Author's Note: I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but as it grew I could either end this story with a bunch of straight narrative that would wrap this story up quickly in a few pages, but it short changes the reader. I decided to do it the long and right way.
There will be one more long chapter after this.
"
Jax felt like he was under waves of water holding him down and keeping him from waking. This was different from the void he'd been in before. This time he felt alive. He could feel his body.
He began to swim up. Each stroke brought him closer to the golden light. It felt like unimaginable happiness was just beyond his reach. He took one last stroke and opened his eyes. His family was there. Abel on a screen still in his healing coma, little Thomas was sleeping on his chest, his fist in his hair and Tara was on the other side of him her head resting on his chest her dark hair falling across her face.
He felt wrapped in love. This was a moment of pure happiness. He didn't have the words to describe the joy he felt that he was alive with his family around him. He savored that moment. Once more, he wondered how he could ever have placed the fake Sons ahead of his real flesh and blood sons and placed Tara below SAMCRO.
Despite all the bad shit he caused to happen to Juice/JC, JC was a true hero. He gave his life for Jax to live. He would carry that with him for the rest of his life. He would also fulfill his promise to him about taking care of the MC the right way.
He wanted to tell his parents how selfless and heroic their son had been. Jax could see that JC was never outlaw biker material. He wasn't a criminal. He was just a guy who wanted the love of a family and made a terrible choice. He should have seen this and voted against him ever joining SAMCRO.
Tara opened her eyes and smiled the second she saw Jax was awake.
"I'm so glad you're awake," she whispered not wanting to wake Thomas.
Jax told her about JC's sacrifice and how he'd been running out of the house when the next thing was nothing. He described exactly what Ry said he would experience.
"I thought I was in hell. I thought of you and my boys to stay sane. Finally, I fell asleep."
"You didn't fall asleep. They gave you something to put you in brain sleep. Ry said when the Sliven began using the bomb chemical weapon combo they didn't know about the bomb putting people into a state of nothingness until some of the people survived and told about their experience. Some people never recovered from the mental damage. That's why as soon as they realized what had happened they put you and the two guys who dug you out of the rubble into brain sleep while they made the antidote. One of the antidote's chemicals doesn't exist on Earth, so they had to come up with a substitute. They didn't know if it would work."
She told him that Ry suggested they surround Jax because in the Paralorn culture there's a belief that love and psychic energy can help heal. That's why they were all around him.
"It was one of the best moments of my life when I woke and saw all of you."
"Thomas sure enjoyed pulling your hair. He was laughing."
"Unser was crazy. I don't know if when he converted to alien that it did something to him or he just hid his mental sickness. He hated Gemma. He used the boys to force her to do whatever sick twisted thing he wanted. He took Nero to torture him in front of Gemma. Nero's body was cut up and put on the Charming sign as a fuck you to Hale. I hated Gemma, but when I saw her naked, beaten and tortured, I couldn't hate her any more. He'd even burned her and shaved part of her head. I don't know if she was alive or clinging to life when I saw her."
Jax shook his head remembering the nightmare sight of Gemma.
"I wish I could forget the image. She didn't deserve that. Seeing her after Unser's torture made me realize that there's a part of me that still loves her. I wasn't the best husband to you or a father to our boys, but you've forgiven me. I need to forgive Gemma and remember when she was a loving mother."
"I get it. All her lies don't erase the fact that she was your mother and you have many good loving memories of her. I can even forgive her for killing me. I had enough on you to send you to Death Row. She thought I made a deal and killing me was the only way to save you. I might consider doing that if my boys were threatened."
Thomas began to stir. He looked into Jax's eyes, smiled and drooled on Jax's shirt. He tugged at Jax's hair and laughed.
"I think someone's in trouble," Jax said. "No hair pulling."
Thomas pulled his hair and laughed again.
"He's just like his father," Tara said. "You can't tell him what to do."
Ryland walked into the room.
"I wish I could give you more time together now, but there's a meeting in less than thirty minutes with Lorna. She would like to see Thomas," he said.
"Thank you for saving my life," Jax said, "and giving me these beautiful moments with my family."
"You have definitely been taxing my medical skills."
"What about the two guys that pulled me out of the rubble?"
"They had a faster recovery because they didn't get a full dose of the chemical weapon. They are fine."
Tara put the bed rail down and got out. Jax untangled his hair from Thomas' chubby little fingers and handed him to Tara before getting out of bed.
"I need to change and feed Thomas before the meeting," Tara said.
"Let me do it," Jax said.
"A nurse will be in with everything you need for Thomas."
Tara handed Thomas back to Jax. Thomas cooed at Jax and then began fussing.
"Hey! You have a problem with Daddy?"
Tara went to the bed and grabbed the bunny, the pacifier and his blanket.
"He likes to have his bunny with him."
Tara held the bunny and pacifier out to Thomas. Thomas took the bunny and tucked it under his arm before putting the pacifier in his mouth. The fussing ended immediately.
"Mommy's got a lot to teach daddy."
"
"***********************Meeting****************************"
"
They returned to the table and conference room used for planning the hunt to get the boys back. Thomas sat on Tara's lap looking at all the people and enthusiastically sucking hard on his pacifier. He slapped his hand down on the table.
"You think you're ready for the gavel, little man?" Jax asked.
Tara gave Jax a horrified look.
"Kidding," Jax said.
Seeing Thomas at the table brought back memories of Gemma sitting him in the chair at the head of the table and giving him the gavel. She'd had his life all mapped out for him. Her training began as far back as he had memory.
Ryland looked around the table. Louise was there, Opie, Kozik, Skeeter and Hale. The screen in the room switched on to display Lorna.
"Lorna is doing a live telecast for all Paralorns," Ryland said.
Lorna appeared on screen wearing a burgundy top and a dark navy jacket.
"As many of you know, the atmosphere on Rackle over Paralorn has become breathable. Finally our friends and family will be able to move out of the tunnels and live again in light above ground. The Slivens had other plans. They were going to take our country.
"It was written that we were to develop a powerful weapon off world that would destroy our enemies. At my direction, we developed a weapon to use against the Sliven that would destroy their population. It was our choice to either bow down to the Sliven or to use this devastating weapon. Our Lorne would make the decision. He used a small amount of the weapon on the Slivens hoping that he could persuade them that we could destroy them if they wouldn't agree to a peaceful solution.
"They made a choice to not listen and our Lorne was forced to make a choice to remove the Slivens. We are now in complete control of the planet and the Slivens are very few. While it is a great victory for our people, Sliven lives were lost needlessly and that is a tragedy. They didn't believe we would have the courage to use our weapon. They have forced us to become a fiercer, stronger people.
"We now have hope that we can return to our home world and have our people visit us here. Many decisions will need to be made over the next two years and I will be seeking guidance both from those here and our Lorne.
"As always, happiness, health and peace to all," she said ending the broadcast.
"Lorna will be joining our meeting," Ryland said.
As if on cue, she walked into the room.
"I've been unavailable so much due to security concerns. That's why I wanted to sit in on this meeting so I can hear firsthand everything that's been going on and I wanted to meet my grandson, Thomas."
Thomas looked at his grandmother and pointed.
"That's your grandmother," Tara said.
He put his bunny on the table and spit out his pacifier leaving it hanging from its leash clipped onto his overalls and held his arms out to his grandmother.
"He's never done that before with anyone," Tara said looking at her son with surprise.
Lorna picked up Thomas holding him close to her.
"He feels the bond of family. It's a Paralorn/Sliven trait."
She took him to the head of the table and sat down with him.
"I'm not sure how long he's going to sit still," Tara said.
"As long as I have calm energy, he'll be calm and happy. It's a grandma superpower," Lorna said with a smile.
She nodded at Ryland ready for him to begin the meeting.
"Things are very complicated. So we all know all the details and there's no misinformation, let's just go over what's happened in the last few hours beginning with the party at the Sons new clubhouse. Jax would you brief everyone."
"First I'd like to say something. Tara told me that you were the finest man she's ever known. Of course I was jealous, but you are the finest man I've ever known. You've saved Tara's life, my son Abel's life and my life . . ."
"He saved Thomas too," Tara added. "I need to fill you in on that."
"And Thomas' life. You also gave me one of the happiest moments of my life when you suggested that my family be around me to help me heal and I woke to being alive with my family. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could make a difference."
Jax had privately thanked Ryland, but he wanted to do it in front of the group. This man had done so much for him. He wanted everyone to know what he'd done and that he was grateful. He realized that Ryland wasn't a rival; he was an ally.
"When I left the clubhouse party, they brought me to a warehouse. Miles was there. JC killed him over a kilo of coke. Miles was kind of a goofy guy, but after the alien changeover, he was tougher and smarter. He's been behind a lot of the stuff that's happened including kidnapping the boys for ransom. There was a split on what the ransom should be—one group wanted the bioweapon and the other group wanted money. The bioweapon group including Aranora got wiped out by the money group. Unser used the boys to get Gemma to do whatever he wanted her to do. He also tortured her brutally," Jax said. He couldn't go into the description again.
"I knew that Unser was in love with her," Tara said. "It was obvious, but I had no idea he had that level of hate for her too."
"After I got back, a sniper opened fire on the guests at the clubhouse. Opie helped get everyone to cover. I let Hale know about the shooter. The sniper left and all the wounded were taken to hospitals. After that, we returned to this room. Unser had given me a thumb drive of what he'd done to Gemma. Louise cleverly used it to find where it had been recorded using a geotag. She helped guide us to the location," Jax said.
"Unser gave Thomas poison and there was only a limited amount of time to give him the antidote. I gave Thomas to Opie. I'd stepped on a pressure plate bomb when I took Thomas. JC insisted on changing places with me. He said he was going to do it and we both didn't need to die. He gave up his life for me. I was running out of the house when it blew up. I woke up in the medical unit. I want to see JC's parents."
"I'm sure they will welcome that," Lorna said. "I've spoken to his parents. I told them of his death," Lorna said. "Anytime someone dies for another or our country, I deliver the news in person whenever possible," Lorna said. "In Paralorn culture the sacrifice of one life for another is worthy of our highest honor. We will do a program of his life and his sacrifice. His parents will receive our highest award. His sacrifice will always be remembered as part of our history."
Jax's heart was touched. It wouldn't be the same as having their son back, but at least they would know how much JC's sacrifice meant to everyone. As soon as he could, he wanted to talk to them and tell them of their son's bravery.
"We got Brooke and four men out of the house," Ryland said. All of them have been questioned. One of the men was Miles. He confirmed what Jax said about the Slivens and their plans. They have all been removed."
"Removed?" Tara asked.
"Removed from life," Ryland clarified.
"Executed," Lorna said. "We don't have prisons and treason, kidnapping and murder are proper punishments especially given they kidnapped children."
"Brooke will have her memory wiped so she won't remember getting kidnapped. She's seen alien things," Ryland said. "We will also go in and correct her brain function, so her brain will function normally and she will no longer have to deal with mental illness."
"Is that a risky surgery?" Tara asked.
"No. It's a routine. No incision. No recovery time. We've been doing it for hundreds of years. We just correct the brain's anatomy. It will take a couple of weeks before she will get the full effects, but this will dramatically change the quality of her life. Normally, we don't do medical interventions on humans, but after talking to her, I was impressed with the excellent job she did taking care of both boys under very difficult conditions. This is just a way of thanking her."
"She's talked to me a little about her struggles with mental health," Jax said. "I'm glad there's a way to help her. She's had a tough life."
"Her life will get a lot better."
"Did she anything about who kidnapped her and who hurt Wendy?"
"Miles and his crew took Brooke and left Wendy tied up. They didn't kill her."
"Who the hell would walk into that farmhouse, see Wendy and then torture her?" Jax asked.
"We may never know," Ryland said. "I just know the men we questioned didn't kill her. Kozik why don't you tell everyone what you were doing."
"Once we knew that Aranora was working against us, I was given the secret mission to redo everything she had done," Kozik began. "I'd just discovered the coroner's office had an even worse day than we originally thought. Unser and Gemma didn't turn up at the morgue and it was very difficult trying to get the truth out of those people. It looks like Aranora got Unser and Gemma. I believe that she got away from Aranora when she was captured on traffic cameras in Charming. This information would have been helpful if I'd been able to confirm everything a few days sooner. Aranora had muddied the trail almost like she knew someone would come behind her to verify her work."
"It's ironic that the smart group lost out to the more violent one," Jax said.
"Who needs brains when you've got guns?" Opie said.
"Even more lethal are those with brains and guns," Jax said.
"I thought that Unser had some fondness for the boys," Tara said. "He's watched them and I thought he would never hurt them. Maybe the change to alien hybrid brought a dark side out in him.
"I was sure that Thomas had been poisoned just as Unser said. Why would he lie? I demanded that Ryland give Thomas the antidote, but he insisted on running the scan to see if he had been poisoned because the antidote would kill him if he hadn't been poisoned. I was worried the antidote would be too late. Ryland refused to give him the antidote until the scan was done.
"If he had listened to me, Thomas would be dead. I just became this emotional idiot and I would have cost Thomas his life if it hadn't been for Ryland," Tara said. Her eyes filled with tears.
"That's why Ryland makes the medical decisions," Lorna said. "I have absolute trust in him in everything."
"No pressure there," Ryland said with a smile.
"Thank you for saving Thomas," Jax said to Ryland. "Tara, you made a mother's decision. Most mothers would have done the same thing."
"I'm a doctor. I should have been less emotional."
"You are always a mother first," Lorna said. "Your error was in not realizing that and removing yourself from the decision," there was only a mild note of reproof in Lorna's voice. "You'll do better next time."
"I think we are all up to date," Ryland said.
"There is one thing that I want to bring up about SAMCRO," Jax said. "I promised JC that I would deal with SAMCRO the right way. My father was one of the founders. I realized his legacy too late to do what was right when Tara rescued me from death. I know what I have to do now."
Jax explained what he wanted to do. Opie and Kozik at first were shocked by Jax's plans, but they quickly got on board. Tara was stunned. She supported what he wanted to do, but she was still incredibly stunned.
"I'd like to go over to the MC this afternoon," Jax said.
"I'm going," Opie said.
"Me too," Kozik added.
"I'll run tactical and coordinate with Dane in security," Louise said.
"You think that's needed?" Jax asked.
"The MC's in lockdown. There are guys possibly from the Tacoma charter walking the roof with ARs," Hale said.
"I should have expected that," Jax said. "OK. We'll need more people."
"Not a problem," Louise said. "I'll work out the logistics and update you. What time do you want to do this?"
"Around four," Jax said.
"OK. Let's meet at 3:30 to review my plan. You should be there too," Louise said to Hale. "We may need a law enforcement component."
"Is there anything I can do?" Skeeter asked Louise. He was looking at her with undisguised romantic interest.
She shook her head.
"Maybe dinner?" he said with a smile.
"Hale and I are exclusive," she said sweetly.
"We are," Hale said smoothly picking up the cue.
The meeting ended. Lorna handed Thomas back to Tara who began to fuss almost immediately.
"I need grandma magic," Tara said.
"Feed him and you'll be fine," Lorna said. "He wants one of those teething biscuits and he wants you to play something where you bounce him on your lap."
"How do you know that?" Tara asked.
"Telepathy. He showed me," Lorna said with a smile.
"Since when have you been able to do that?" Tara asked Thomas.
He pulled his pacifier out of his mouth and chewed on one of his bunny's ears.
"
"************Patchover Redone********************
"
The members of Tacoma patrolling the clubhouse roof were taken down by a drone firing sleep darts. The chained front gate was taken out by a small explosive placed on the padlock. Two SUVs screeched to a halt outside the clubhouse doors. The men from the second SUV fanned out. The only thing outside were the blood stains from last night.
Jax was first through the clubhouse doors followed by Opie, Kozik and the two security forces Stuart and his twin Gabe. They had been the men that pulled Jax from the house the previous night.
Everyone fanned out once inside. Stuart and Gabe were armed with ARs. The atmosphere inside the clubhouse was dark. The guys didn't even reach for their guns when Jax and the guys stormed into the clubhouse. That night's sniper attack had broken what was left of SAMCRO's spirit. Chibs had been forced to face the unpleasant fact that the MC's future was at best bleak.
Happy half-heartedly started to reach his hand inside his cut for his gun but stopped when Gabe pointed his gun at him.
"How the hell did you get in here?" Chibs demanded.
"Gave your guards on the roof a nap," Jax said. "They'll be fine."
"You look like Jax," Chibs said.
"He looks like Opie," Happy said. He jerked his head in Kozik's direction. "He looks like Kozik."
"What the hell is this?" Chibs asked.
"Your lucky day. SAMCRO is done in this town. The only thing worse than the idea for a party to celebrate your new clubhouse was the sniper that ended the party."
"How is this lucky?" Happy asked.
"I'm going to give you a bonus. An envelope stuffed with cash in exchange for every cut in your charter and anything you have with SAMCRO on it. I want it wiped out completely."
"If we refuse?"
"We'll wipe you out using every means at our disposal from law enforcement to private security who won't hesitate to fight with bullets. The town hates you and wants you out. When Gemma died, whatever she had would have passed to Jax Teller only he killed her. He can't inherit, so it goes to his kids if they get found. This place is in legal limbo. Sooner rather than later, someone will kick you off the property.
"You have no legal right to be here. No one's going to use TM's services. It's time for this cancer to be removed from Charming. We'll be back in 24 hours. I won't the cuts and all the stuff. You'll get the envelope stuffed with money. If you don't accept the offer, that's it. We'll show you a new version of hell. Law enforcement will pull you over every time you leave. How many felons in possession of firearms do we have in here? Everyone except Rat here," Jax said jerking a thumb in Rat's direction, "who is too new to have caught any charges,"
"How much?" Chibs asked.
"Come with me," Jax said.
He and Chibs went into the chapel. It was just a painted room. There wasn't a table yet since the one in Scoops had gone up with the building.
"Who are you really?"
"The spirit of Jax Teller. It's time for you all to get out of this town. That means no one even rides through town. No one lives here. Get out and stay completely the fuck out of here."
"How much?"
Jax named an amount. Chibs countered and they agreed on a number. Chibs would bring it to the table. He was beaten. He had tried to hold the MC together, but this terrorist or group of terrorists that had been relentlessly attacking SAMCRO was too much. The smart play was to take the money while it was offered because they would be forced to leave anyway.
"Last night you and the guy that looks like Opie helped get the wounded to safety. I saw you and you were being attacked."
"We aren't behind the attacks on the MC. If you have any ideas about who it is . . ."
"Don't know," Chibs said shaking his head. "We've made so many enemies, but the way we're being attacked feels more personal."
"If you get any leads, a call to the cops on a burner phone would help. What happened with TO?"
"He's going to live."
Chibs didn't ask how he knew about TO. This guy that looked almost exactly like Jax Teller knew too much. He suspected that Jax was in contact with him and was somehow behind this offer.
"Good news. We'll be by tomorrow. If you accept the offer, I'll expect everyone to leave town then too."
"I'll have your answer."
"Chibs, leave the MC and go back to Ireland. Stop playing brother and spend some time being a real father to your kid."
Jax and Chibs returned.
"We're ready to go," Jax said.
They returned to the SUVs and both left through the gate as the guys on the roof began to wake up.
"How did your meeting go?" Opie asked.
"Chibs gets that this is his only option. The MC is done in Charming."
"Do you think they get how harmful the MC has been to the town and to them personally?" Kozik asked.
Jax shook his head.
Opie's phone buzzed. He looked at his text message.
"It's Hale. They got the kids," he said.
"Who has the kids?" Jax asked. "And what kids?"
"You missed that part of the drama," Kozik said.
"Kenny and Ellie," Opie said. "Hale told me there's a CPS case on Lyla. They are going to take the kids tomorrow at school. We're getting the kids back from Lyla by sending in some guys who are posing as Marshalls. They are going to tell her that Donna and I are in witness protection and it's safe now for us to have the kids. They've got the paperwork to back everything up. She won't give them any trouble.
"While Donna and I figure out us, the kids will be staying with JC's family. They are good people and they've taken care of kids before. If it works out, I think they may be the kids' grandparents."
"It's common in Paralorn society that if important family members are dead, you look in the community for someone to help provide that family," Kozik explained. "It's a very family and community oriented culture."
"I'd like the kids to have grandparents," Opie said.
"I never had grandparents in my life," Jax said. "It would have been nice to have had some. I like that JC's parents will have your kids."
"They are good people," Kozik said. "The Paralorns living here are all pretty tight, so I've gotten to know them."
"Donna's getting in tonight," Opie said. "I'm not sure how that's going to go. She'll be happy to know we're close to getting the kids back. I haven't felt any great need to get them back."
"Opie, those are your kids. You better figure it out," Jax said.
"I just don't feel attached to them. Between going to prison and then being dead, I haven't spent much time with them. I didn't really have a mother and Piney was a brother and not a father. It wasn't until I started hanging around SAMCRO that I even got to know him. It was only then that he kind of became a father."
"You need to go to a Paralorn counselor. My fiancée . . ." Kozik said until Jax interrupted him.
"Fiancee? Ryland gave you permission?"
"Yeah. It's official," Kozik said with a grin. "I'm going to be a married man. You should go talk to one of the counselors, Ope. Why don't you do it before you talk to Donna and see how you feel then?" Kozik suggested.
"Sounds like a good idea," Jax agreed.
"Kind of short notice," Opie said.
"My fiancée will get you in."
"OK," Opie said with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.
"Give it a try," Kozik said. "You have nothing to lose."
"I said I'll go," Opie said with some annoyance.
"Jax, I'm going to drop you off at the house that you'll be staying at," Gabe said from the driver's seat. "Tara and Thomas are already there."
"OK. Were you one of the guys that pulled me out of the rubble last night?"
"Yeah," Stuart said from the front passenger's seat. "We were the ones."
"Thank you for that. Are you both OK?"
"Yeah," the twins answered in unison.
"
"*********************Dinner Date************************
"
Louise was outside watching Hale grill two of the biggest thickest ribeye steaks she'd ever seen. He put the top down on the grill and took his seat next to Louise on his patio.
"So, are you going to tell me what was going on with you and Skeeter?" Hale asked.
"He creeps me out and it's not because he burns bodies," Louise said.
"Has he ever done anything to you?" Hale asked the cop in him immediately on alert.
"No, he just looks at me like he's picturing me naked."
"Most men do that. They are just better at hiding their thoughts. So how long are we pretending we're a couple?"
Louise shook her head and smiled at Hale. Some guys just needed some help. Hale was one of those.
"We're not pretending. You've had a crush on me for months and I could be persuaded to like you back."
"Persuaded, huh?" Hale said.
"Yep," Louise said.
"Good news for me," Hale said with a grin. "Haven't had a girl like me back in years."
"That's because it takes forever for you to make a move. I got tired of waiting."
Hale laughed.
"You're the best Louise."
"You treat me like that and we'll be good," she said with a smile.
It wasn't the beginning out of a romance novel, but that was OK with Louise. She and Hale could write their own love story and fill it with passion, love and happiness.
"
"**********************Charming Future*************************
"
Jax asked that Gabe drop him off at JC's parents' house and he would walk to the house where Thomas and Tara were staying. The meeting wasn't something he was looking forward to but he wanted to meet with them before Kenny and Ellie started staying with them. They would see him as Jax since they had alien blood. That would then require explanations and warnings about what could happen if anyone learned the truth.
Until Opie and Donna worked out their relationship and figured out how they were going to tell Kenny and Ellie the alien truth, all the dead that had returned to life had to avoid Opie's kids.
JC's parents had been everything anyone could want in parents. They were warm and kind. They understood that JC felt he had a higher purpose with his life and saving Jax was that higher purpose. They held no bitterness in their hearts over the death of their son. They were amazing people. Kenny and Ellie would be lucky to have them as grandparents.
He walked into the house they were staying at and immediately felt the warmth that came from Tara and Thomas being present.
"Do we have the house to ourselves?" Jax asked Tara.
"Yes and we've got everything we need for Thomas. There's a crib, high chair and a changing table complete with supplies."
"OK," Tara said to her son. "We can show him now."
"Your son wants to show you something. He already showed me," Tara said picking up Thomas from where he was playing with some blocks on the floor. "Take a seat in that chair." She put Thomas on his feet about four feet from Jax.
Thomas stood there a moment so his father would see him standing all by himself for the first time. He then took cautious tottering steps into Jax's now outstretched arms. He picked up Thomas and held him high up in the air.
"You can walk, little man," Jax said. "How did you know?" he asked Tara.
"I looked at him and I would see a picture of him standing in the middle of the floor. When I didn't understand, he would fuss and show me the picture again of him standing. I finally figured out that he was showing me what he wanted."
"Maybe Brooke helped him. I knew he was crawling, but I didn't know he was ready to walk yet," Jax said.
"Telepathy and walking all in one day."
"Can you show daddy something? Show daddy a picture," Jax said.
Thomas looked at him and then he looked at Tara.
"Come on show daddy," Jax encouraged.
"He wants you to put him on your shoulders and walk through the house with him. He likes to point at things and have you tell him what they are," Tara said.
"He told you that with telepathy?"
"Uh-huh. Why don't you spend a few minutes doing that with him? I'm going to grab dinner from the oven. It needs to rest for a few minutes."
"You cooked?"
"No. It's lasagna from Lorna. She's got the cooking system like we had in her bunker. She had it made leaving out the heating it for me to do."
The house they were in was a gray hued blank canvas of a house. It desperately needed some style and some color. Like all the homes in the gated community, it contained another whole house that connected the tunnels running under all the houses.
Tara got out a couple of teething biscuits for Thomas. After they ate she would feed him some chicken and rice baby food. He was getting older. She should be giving him a sippy cup, but she wanted the pleasure of bottle feeding him for a few more days. He seemed to grow up so much from the time she was killed until now. The doctor inside was happy that Thomas was developing only a little behind normal milestones, the mother in her wanted to have a little more baby time with him. Now that he was crawling and walking, he wouldn't want her to hold him often.
Tara pulled out the salads from the refrigerator, grabbed the garlic bread from the oven and called Jax.
Over dinner they talked about Jax's meeting with SAMCRO and with JC's parents. He didn't tell her anything about Opie's kids including his confession that he didn't have any feelings for them.
"I met with my mother while you were out," Tara said. She had warmed up Thomas' food and was holding him on her lap as she fed him. Afterwards she had a feeling she would need a shower. He hadn't figured how to eat. Half the food ended up on his face and half ended up in his stomach.
"How did that go?"
"It went well. I'd really like to get to know her and have the boys get to know their grandmother."
"Stay in Charming?" Jax asked.
"We're alien hybrids. Not much is known about us. This is an area of medicine that needs more doctors. I'm needed here. My mother also wants to start teaching me about being Queen. On this planet, she makes all the final decisions. I need to train with her because one day I'm going to be Queen. I will have to train Thomas for the day when he becomes King."
"How do you feel about this Queen and King stuff?"
"It's how they do things. Without the Paralorns, we would be dead. We can learn more about things and if we don't like it, we'll leave. I feel like we need to at least try things here. How are you going to feel if we live here and SAMCRO is gone?"
"SAMCRO needs to be gone. I feel some obligation to help heal the town from SAMCRO's destructive influence. I don't know how, but there's some clean up that needs to be done. We could stay here a year and then see how we feel about staying. The town with Hale in charge and SAMCRO gone is going to be a completely new place to live."
"I appreciated what you said about Ryland in front of the group."
"It finally realized that he and I should be allies and not competitors."
"I will need to work with him on my medical training," Tara said.
"I trust you," Jax said.
Thomas finished his food. He had baby food in his hair, on his face and his clothes. Tara was only slightly cleaner.
"Do you think you could give Thomas a bath and get him ready for bed while I take a shower?"
"Sure."
"There's a baby bathtub in the hall bath. There are clothes in the baby's room for him. Don't let him have his bunny until he's clean."
"Do all Paralorn babies have telepathy?"
"No. He's unique. My mother thinks that it might go away once he starts talking."
"I wonder if it's a mother and son thing and that's why I don't have that connection."
"I don't know. Maybe it will still happen."
Tara enjoyed her hot shower. It was nice having Jax around to help with Thomas. She wondered if this new involvement with fatherhood would last. Most of all, she hoped he wouldn't end up like Opie.
Jax didn't need to tell her about Opie's struggles with fatherhood. She'd heard it all from Donna. That had been an ongoing source of problems between the couple. Donna wanted the kids back and Opie wanted to give it a little more time.
Tara didn't know what the "it" was that Opie wanted to give more time to. She suspected like Donna that it was an excuse to keep the kids away. Tara knew that Donna had reached the point where she was going to give Opie the choice of bringing the kids home or he could leave. Donna would never allow someone else to raise her kids especially an ex-porn star turned porn director.
When she got out of the shower, Jax had Thomas bathed and ready for bed. They were playing with some big plastic cars on the bed.
"When I was killed, I worried that I would never get to raise the boys. I didn't know if I would ever hold either one again. Then they got kidnapped," Tara's eyes filled with tears. "I can barely believe we actually got both boys back. In a couple of months, we'll be all together."
"I expected it would be harder to get the boys back. Once Unser was done with Gemma, he didn't really need the boys anymore. He was sick and dying and he figured he might as take some people with him. I think he might have known we would be able to find him through that thumb drive."
"We'll never know. The whole thing with Wendy is just strange. Poor Wendy was helpless. Who would take advantage of a helpless woman like that?"
"What I'd really like is for Hale to catch this crazed sniper."
"Maybe if the MC leaves town, the sniper will leave too." Tara said. "I'm going to go make Thomas his bottle."
Tara looked at him.
"No. You aren't having a sippy cup tonight. Brooke isn't taking care of you now. I am. I don't care if she taught you how to use a sippy cup," Tara said to Thomas.
"Is he talking in telepathy now?"
"He's showing me a picture of Brooke and one of a sippy cup."
Jax shook his head and chuckled. Maybe it wasn't so bad Thomas couldn't talk to him.
Thomas fussed a little while she was feeding him and showed her a picture of a sippy cup. She would let him use sippy cup during the day, but she wanted to hold him and feed him before bed. She'd explain tomorrow.
"Do you mind if he sleeps with us tonight? We just got him back and it's a new place . . ."
"It's fine."
Tara made a place for him in the middle of the bed, handed him his bunny and his pacifier and covered him with his baby blanket.
"Is he OK with sleeping here?"
"He hasn't said," Scarlett said with a smile. "He may not have any pictures he can show me."
"That might be a good thing."
They cuddled up together to watch a movie. After, Jax began kissing Tara. Thomas woke up.
"Hey, no fooling around near the baby," Tara said playfully slapping at Jax's hands. "He'll rat us out to grandma using his telepathy. I don't want her seeing us fooling around or him either."
"Telepathy, Thomas? Really? You're killing me here," Jax said shaking his head as he looked at his son.
Thomas hid his face in his bunny and laughed as if he understood exactly what Jax was saying to him.
"
Last Chapter: There are a couple of twists left including Lorna revealing some things to Jax. The biggest twist is the identity of the sniper. There may be more Thomas cuteness .
It will be a very satisfying ending. There might even be weddings. Maybe two.