Longest chapter to date I think. So I had plans to end this in like two more chapters, and then this happened. So yeah, you're stuck with me for a while longer.
She wakes up to the feel of his hand on her belly rubbing small circles under his shirt. At twenty five weeks pregnant, she has long given up trying to squeeze into her clothes now, instead opting to wear his shirts around the house and relishing in the heated look Jax gives her every time.
When she opens her eyes, he's gazing down at her with such a tender expression that it makes her stomach flip. There is no trace of the man who he becomes when he leaves their house to be president of the Sons of Anarchy. In this bed, he is just another expectant father who is excited to meet his child.
"Hi," she whispers. He meets her eyes and smiles lazily.
"Hi." He kisses her gently on the lips, but she's having none of that. Tara claims his lips and pulls him down firmly. He slips his hand from under the shirt and carefully maneuvers himself until he hovers over her, careful to keep his weight off of her. Her hands greedily travel along the hard ridges of Jax's chest and around to give his ass a firm squeeze. He laughs into her mouth and flexes his hips against hers. And just as things are getting good, there's a firm kick against her stomach.
Jax pulls away in surprise and stares down at her with wide eyes. "Did she just-"
"Yes, she did." She's unable to prevent the grin that spreads across her face. Jax's answering smile is blinding as they both stay still, waiting to see if she kicks again. All is quiet for a few minutes and then she's kicking again, four little kicks in a row and she has to bite her lip to contain her squeal of joy.
"Jesus she's strong," he breathes in awe, his hand planted firmly on the exact spot of the baby's kicks.
"You don't know that it's a girl," Tara comments, running her hand through his hair. She had gone for her second scan two weeks previously (this time actually telling Jax) and despite her now normal blood pressure and the all clear to work a couple of days at the hospital, she couldn't help but be disappointed when they baby refused to cross it's legs to find out the sex. "That's the Knowles genes," Jax had commented, earning him a dirty look and a small smile from the doctor.
"Definitely a girl," he says, shooting her a wicked smile. He lifts up her (his) shirt and moves down her body and presses his cheek against her stomach. She can't wipe the smile from her face at his reaction. Tears sting in her eyes when she remembers the first time Thomas had kicked. She was curled up on the couch with Abel, his sleeping head cradled against her breast when she had felt it, and though it remains one of her favorite memories of her boys, she had wished more than anything to have Jax there too.
Her heart melts and she's pretty sure she's about to burst into tears when Jax presses a kiss against her stomach, speaking nonsense against her skin. It's times like this that makes all of the shit they've been through worth it. At the end of the day, her bad ass biker is as soft as a marshmallow. He glances up at her with a small grin. "You okay up there?"
Tara rolls her eyes and ignores the dampness around her eyes. "Laugh it up Teller. You won't find it so funny when she's screaming at 3:00am wanting to be changed and demanding your attention. And if she's good at interrupting now, how good is she going to be when she's actually here?"
Jax laughs, resulting in another kick. "We'll make it work babe."
"I'm serious Jax!" she says, trying to keep a straight face. "With the boys and a newborn, you're going to be lucky if you get laid by the time she's two years old."
Jax's eyes widen in mock horror. "You're serious? Well, we can't have that." He presses his cheek against her stomach and says gravely. "Now listen up kid. I love you so much, and I'm sure that the moment you're here, you're gonna have me wrapped around your little finger. So let's make a deal. I'll buy you whatever you want-"
"Jax!" Tara protests, unable to help the giggle that follows.
"Shh, babe. I'm taking care of it." There's a kick against her stomach. "Right, so I'll buy you anything you want. I won't shoot the guy who you want to marry." Tara rolls her eyes. "I'll get all of the prospects to have tea parties with you and whatever other shi- stuff you girls do. But only if you let me and mommy have some special time now and again. I love you kid, but I think your mommy needs some attention too. So, do we have a deal?" There's a hard kick against her stomach, and Jax grins up at her. "See. It's all sorted babe. And while we're at it, let's talk about boyfriends. You see, your old man has a large collection of guns-"
Tara bites her lip to contain her laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. "Jax, you know that she has no idea what you're saying right? She's just reacting to the sound of your voice."
"Don't be jealous babe. Me and the kid have an understanding. You're still my top girl." He gives her the smirk.
Raising a challenging eyebrow, Tara whispers, "Prove it." Jax grins, and with one last kiss to her belly he's crawling up her body with the grace of a predator, his grin turning into a sinful smile that has her toes curling in anticipation. He kisses her lazily, as if they have all the time in the world when she's pretty certain Abel is going to come bursting in at any minute and she really doesn't want to scar him for life-
"Stop thinking," he mumbles against her lips, kissing her harder. He links their hands together and grinds his erection against her thigh. She hears the way his breath catches in his throat. Pulling her hand away, Tara manages to maneuver her hand around her belly and grasp his dick. Giving her a delicious groan, he pulls away and stares down at her with heated eyes. She strokes him slowly, watching him, the way he hisses through his teeth as she swipes her thumb across his head and how his mouth will part in a silent moan when she tightens her grip. He does not take his eyes off of her when she runs the head of his cock up her wet slit, her eyes closing briefly when it bumps against her clitoris. Her breath becomes ragged as she teases herself with his cock, each length a delicious torture that she cannot seem to stop.
Eventually she guides him into her, his cock slowly stretching her. He fucks her slowly, each snap of his hips dragging out the pleasure until she can't stand it anymore. Her fingers are tight on his hip, desperate not to be parted from him. A moan escapes her every exhale as she fists the sheet with her free hand. She is consumed by him. She can never get enough of her hands on his skin, and his on hers. She ravages his mouth, needing to feed the fire building deep in her belly. With a groan he spills himself inside of her, his hips stuttering in their pace as he slides a hand between them and circles her clitoris with two fingers, and she is not far behind him, her orgasm almost dazzling her in surprise.
"Oh God," she gasps, all sense of mind lost. He goes to move off of her but she gropes for him, unwilling to be parted just yet. The feel of his strong, toned body above hers is something she will not be able to feel for much longer as her ever expanding belly grows.
They lie together melded by the sweat of their morning activity, and for the life of her she does not want to move.
"I gotta go," he whispers against her lips. Tara hums and runs her nails lightly over his ass. She can feel him stirring against her thigh and grins.
"Then go," she whispers right back. Lifting her head, she captures his lips once more, gently sucking on his bottom lip lazily, but before she can get much further, Jax wrenches himself away from her with a groan. "I don't think that I can keep up with you for much longer," he laughs.
Raising a condensing eyebrow, Tara replies, "You weren't complaining an hour ago."
"Oh, you will never hear a complaint from me." He pauses. "I'll die happily between your thighs if you need me to babe." He tosses her a wicked smile and dodges the pillow she chucks at him before heading for a shower.
She's drifting off to sleep, the sound of the shower lulling her to sleep, when she feels Jax kiss her forehead. "Stay in bed, I'll get Abel to school and Neeta can have Thomas for the day. Get some rest baby." Tara hums in agreements and mumbles, "Love you," before she is sound asleep.
It's past 12:00pm when she wakes. With a soft sigh, she stretches lazily, her body aching in the most delicious way. The baby kicks gently, and she is soon reminded of her early morning activity. She smiles, unable to help herself because right now she is so fucking happy. "Hello," she whispers to the baby, her smile widening at the movements going on in her uterus. Eventually she pulls herself out of bed, showers and makes herself an omelette. At a loss with what to do with herself, she looks around the packed up house restlessly. True to his word, Jax has found them a house, almost a fucking palace compared to this one. Five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
("Five bedrooms?" she had asked incredulously. "I thought we agreed on four."
"You deserve the best, and I intend to give it to you-"
"But five bedrooms? What are we going to do with all that space?"
Jax smirks. "Well, we could always fill it with another Teller."
For a dreadful moment she thinks that he's speaking of his mother living with them, and then it hits her. "You want to have another baby? Another?"
"Why not?"
Tara splutters for a moment before replying, "Because I'm still carrying the third one and you're already talking about Teller number 4!"
"So?"
"I'm not a bloody brooding mare Jax-"
He laughed then and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Look. I'm not going to apologize for knowing what I want. I want a family with you, and if you don't want more kids, that's okay. I'm more than happy with three. But if you ever want more, well, I won't complain."
Tara had stared for a long while before replying, "If, and it's a very big if, we had another one, I would want to wait a few years. And I'm definitely not saying yes Jackson. Jesus it's like you want me to be eternally fat."
In the end he got his way, and he didn't wipe that damn smug smirk off his face for two days straight.)
Beautifully decorated thanks to the prospects. They're due to move in a week, and though she had fallen in love with the place the moment she walked through the doors, she can't help but feel sad at the prospect of leaving their tiny home. Though so much heartache had occurred within these walls, she had created her family here and she would forever have a special place in her heart for this house.
With nothing else to do, she calls Neeta, frowning briefly when the call goes straight to voicemail. Leaving a message, she squashes down her worry and tries calling Jax but his goes straight to voicemail too. "Call me," she demands into the phone as she looks around restlessly for something to take her mind off of Neeta and Thomas. But all she can see are boxes and damn if she's not going to stop worrying until she knows where her baby is. Grabbing her keys, she drives around town aimlessly, stops by Neeta's empty house and finally stops at the clubhouse.
Nodding at Chucky, she pays no attention to his panicked expression as he flails his arms about and rushes to intercept her. "Tara!" he calls desperately, but she doesn't hear him, all thoughts on the missing Thomas and Neeta. She knows that she's being silly, but she has to know where her boys are all the time.
She walks into the bar, not registering the way Tig's eyes widen or the blond croweater he's serving a drink to.
"Hey, Tig? Have you seen Neeta, I can't get a hold of-"
She cuts herself off when the blond turns around and any thoughts of Neeta and Thomas fly from her mind. There's a flash of surprise on her face as she meets Tara's astonished eyes. Hands curling into fists, her smile is feral as she gazes upon the woman whose face is ingrained in her memory.
Tig jumps away from Colette as if she has the plague and comes around the bar with a worried smile. "Hey doll. Hows it going-"
"Colette, I presume?" she interrupts, not sparing Tig a glance. Tara holds out her hand with a viscous smile. "I didn't have the chance to introduce myself the first time that we met. I'm Tara, Jax's wife."
"Oh shit," she hears Tig mutter and the telltale sound of his phone being flipped open and hastily dialing a number. She would bet her annual salary that he's calling her husband.
The bewildered blond takes her hand and shakes it. "Hello," she murmurs, all the while looking at Tara suspiciously. She takes a seat next to Colette, her eyes taking the other woman in. "Yes, now that awkward introductions are out of the way, I think it's time for you to leave."
"I'm here to see Jax," Colette replies, not missing a beat.
"No you're not. If Jax wishes to discuss business with you, then he is free to contact you at his discretion. But you do not step place in this clubhouse where my children play or where my family live. You will have no part of my life, and like it or not, this club is. Get out."
Colette takes a sip of her drink, and smiles at Tara coolly. "I'm sorry, Tara. But I simply can't leave until I have spoken to Jax. Besides, you are not a member of the club, you're an Old Lady." Her eyes linger on Tara's belly and her smile widens. "You have no authority here honey. I don't have to do a damn thing you say."
Tara stands, and shakes her head at Tig as he tries to interrupt. He scowls at her but remains still. She notices the prospects hanging around, shooting her curious looks. Her eyes land on Oliver for a moment, his sweet face sending her a nervous smile. There's some truth to Colette's words. Old Ladies don't have any say in club matters, and Colette is part of their business. But she's forgotten one thing. She's Jackson Teller's Old Lady, the President of this club.
And now that Gemma's out of the picture, she's Queen.
"You don't know what you're talking about sweetheart. It's true, I am an Old Lady. But I am Jackson Teller's Old Lady. I have known some of these men for half of my life. I'm a doctor whose patched up the men of this club and with one word from me, you will be chucked out.
"You were nothing but a pawn in Jax's goal to hurt me in the only way he knows how. I'm not going to stand here and threaten you to stay away from my husband, because you don't even register on his radar sweetheart. But I can promise you that if you presume to get in my way again then you will be finding a new place to get paid for sucking dick."
Colette narrows her eyes. "You can't do that-"
"Yes I can," Tara snaps, her impatience finally shining through. "One word from me and Jax will have you replaced by the end of the day, and you will be going back to your street corner with the rest of the crank whores." She runs a hand across her belly and smiles sweetly. "Jax is just so attentive now that we're back together, especially now that we have another baby on the way. I'm sure that he will he happy to do anything that I ask. Watch your step sweetheart, or you're going to be losing that cozy room of yours."
The roar of motorcycles can be heard as they come down the street, but Tara pays them no mind. Her eyes are glued to the washed out woman in front of her and she thinks how could this woman have ever been a threat to her? Tara gives her points for not standing down as so many others had back when she had to fight women to show them who Jackson Teller belonged to, but she knows that she has won.
The roar of the bikes come closer.
She ignores them. "It's time for you to leave," Tara hisses once more.
Colette doesn't back down. "I was doing my job. I was not in a position to say no, and nor would I say no if he came back to me again," she says with a hint of steel in her voice. "He's quite something, isn't he?" she whispers, as if they are two friends sharing the secret of Jackson Teller. Her eyes flash and she smirks cruelly. "That look in his eye when he's inside of you, it makes a girl feel like she's his entire world."
One moment she is standing in next to the blond and then the next she has her hands wrapped in Colette's hair and is smashing her face against the bar. Tig's calling her name and the Prospects rush to stop her but it's too late. The sickening crunch of her nose as it breaks and the accompanying scream is the sweetest sound in the world. Croweaters she can deal with, but this skank is on a whole other level. "Fucking whore," Tara hisses, bringing the blond's head back up ready to fuck up the bitch's face even more when strong hands pull her back.
"Let go of me," she hisses, never taking her eyes off of the bleeding skank in front of her as Tig shoots Tara an impressed look before cooing over the crying Colette. Struggling to free herself from her captor, she goes still when it's Jax's voice in her ear hissing, "For fucks sake Tara stop!"
She hears the voices of Jax's brothers around her but she pays them no heed. Her fists shake in anger and she aches to go after Colette again but then Jax is spinning her around and forcing her to look at him. He's angry. All clenched jaw an hard eyes.
And she's pretty sure that he's angry at her.
"Make sure she doesn't go to the cops," he growls at Tig. Nodding seriously, he waits until Jax's back is turned before sending her a smirk and a wink before going to tend to his new found charge. Jax takes her hand and leads her to his room and slams the door shut. He stares at her with wild eyes.
"I didn't know that she would be here Tara. I swear. Tig deals with her now, I haven't seen her since-"
"Shut up," Tara growls, before pressing her lips to his roughly. For a moment he is lost to her touch, the warmth of her mouth on his and the hard press of her lips. He welcomes her touch eagerly, his hands clutching onto her ever disappearing waist and pulls her against his hard body. Curling her fingers into blond locks, Tara tugs his head back and hisses, "I don't give a shit who you've fucked in the past. No fucking more. You are mine. Do you hear me?" Not giving him chance to answer, she claims his mouth once more, swallowing his groan. Sliding his cut off with quick hands, she pops the button of his jeans and is sliding her hand down the waistband of his boxers when suddenly he wrenches himself away from her.
Looking at her incredulously, he growls, "What the fuck Tara? Two minutes ago you were pounding a woman's face into the bar and the now you suddenly want to fuck me? What the hell are you playing at?"
Aching to touch him once more, she curls her hands into fists and lifts a condensing eyebrow. "Proving a point," she replies simply.
"Which is?" he demands, pulling up his jeans and scowling at her.
"That you are mine," she replies, anger curling deep in her belly.
Jax snorts in disgust and moves away from her, as if he can't even stand to be next to her. "You don't have to smash bitches faces into the fucking bar Tara!" he shouts. "I have always been fucking yours, how much longer is it going to take you to get that into your dense skull? Jesus fucking Christ. You're pregnant Tara! You can't go around picking fights with people. What if she hit you back huh? What if she hit you in the stomach?"
"Maybe if I could walk into a room without there being one woman my husband hasn't fucked then I wouldn't have to pick a fight with them," Tara shouts back.
"I have apologized over and over again. What the fuck do you want from me Tara?"
That brings her up short. He's right, she realizes in surprise. She already has everything she wants. The club is safe. She has her boys, her baby and she has him.
Abruptly all of her anger disappears and the fight leaves her. Jax's eyes soften and he takes a tentative step towards her and then she's flinging herself into his arms and does her absolute best not to burst into tears.
"I'm sorry," he whispers against her hair, pressing a hard kiss to the top of her head. "When I heard that scream I almost fucking died Tara."
"No, no you don't have to apologize," she says softly. "I'm sorry I scared you. She just.."
"What?"
Tara swallows tightly. "She just got to me. I'm not hardest person to wind up-" Jax snorts but she ignores him. "And you know. Hormones. But I shouldn't have to be fighting women because of you Jax. And I'm not going to do it anymore. You are mine, and if a wedding ring and three kids don't send the message, then I don't see how me smacking them one helps the matter."
"You don't trust me," he states, his voice void of emotion.
Blinking back tears, Tara takes his face into his hands and forces him to look at her. "I want to trust you, and I believe you when you say that you won't touch another woman." Pressing a soft kiss to his lips, she whispers, "I'm trying Jax. Just give us some time."
Tucking her face against his neck, they stay curled up against one another for a while. She breathes in the familiar scent of him and forces herself to calm down. Because this? Jax and Tara? They were forever. Life could throw all kinds of shit at them, but this time she is determined to have him at her side no matter what.
Jax snorts making her look up at him curiously. "Does that mean your cat fighting days are over?"
"Yes."
Looking almost mournful, he says seriously, "Well, maybe you could have one last go and maybe we could video it, cause seeing you 'staking your claim' is one hell of a turn on-"
Making a noise of disgust, she hits him in the chest. "You absolute ass!" she cries, struggling to contain her laughter.
Mouth twitching into a smile, Jax pulls her into a hug and mutters into her hair, "Damn shame though, you've got one hell of a right hook."
She laughs, punching him in the arm for good measure when her phone starts to ring. A relieved smile flutters onto her face when she sees Neeta's picture flash across the screen. "Neeta, where have you been?" she says as soon as she answers. "I've been calling you for-"
"Please tell me he's with you," Neeta cries, her sobs making her words almost unintelligible. "Please, tell me you have got Thomas-"
Clutching the phone tightly in her hand, Tara holds onto Jax with her free hand and forces herself to breathe. "What are you talking about Neeta?"
"Thomas! I-I can't find him. Somebody hit me in the back of the head and knocked me out. T-they've taken him, Tara. T-they've taken Thomas!"
The phone drops from her hand and she's gasping for breath. She vaguely registers Jax asking her what's going on, is she okay? She opens her mouth to tell him but no words come out because she just can't do it again, tell him that his son is missing. He picks up the phone and is demanding Neeta to tell him what the fuck is happening. And she sees it in his eyes, the exact second he realizes that it's all happening once more. He's shouting for his brothers, demanding Neeta to go over every little detail and there's movement all around her but she is numb to it all because her only thought is that once again she has failed her baby boy.
Thomas, where are you?