I am the worst. Honestly. I hate authors like me. I take way too long to update, and when I finally do, it's with this rubbish. But this needs to happen so we can get to the good stuff. Thank you all so much for your patience. I hope to have the next chapter out in a few days.

Just a reminder, though I have left this site, I will finish any WIP stories - though I maybe convinced to post my SOA stories here. All of my new stuff is over at Archive Of Our Own. Check it out, it's so much better than this site.

Again, I'm the worst. I'm sorry.

There's a long silence between the two women that is filled with raging hostility on both sides. It's the first time they have spoken in months, though it hasn't been long enough in Tara's opinion. The memory of her fists hitting Gemma's skin is one that equally shames her and humors her.

"I don't know what you mean," the former queen replies smoothly.

"My son," Tara bites out, her voice shaking with rage. "This is sick even for you. After everything we went through with Abel, how twisted can you be to do this to us-"

"Tara," Gemma interrupts, her voice dry with impatience. "I don't know what the fuck you're going on about."

"Tell me that you have Thomas. If you ever want any kind of relationship with your grandsons, you need to bring him back before this gets entirely out of hand."

There's a sharp intake of breath from Gemma, and though her suspicions do not fade completely for she knows Gemma far too well, a sob builds in Tara's throat as she comes to the conclusion that perhaps Gemma really is innocent this time.

"Thomas is missing?" Gemma demands, her voice shaking.

Tara doesn't reply. She gingerly lowers herself to Jax's bed and presses her free hand firmly to her mouth to muffle her sobs. Gemma's shrill voice echoes in her ear, but all her words are lost to Tara. She had been so sure, hoped even that her son was with Gemma because that meant that he was safe. But now-

"Tara! Tell me what's happening," Gemma snaps.

"N-Neeta was attacked. Thomas has been taken-"

"Did you call the cops?" she demands, suddenly all business. The thought had not even crossed her mind. She wonders what it says about her when her first thought was to let a motorcycle club find her abducted child rather than the local law enforcement.

"No. Jax is handling it."

"Good. The cops only get in the way. Jax will do what needs to be done."

There's a terse silence before Gemma says, "This is why they should be with their family. They need protection from the club-"

"They're little boys," Tara snaps, her irritation soon coming center forward due to this woman's need to insult her even now. "They don't need gang members following them around when they go to the park."

"Well obviously they do seeing as my grandson has gone missing again! None of this would ever have happened if they had been with me instead of with an elderly woman!"

Tara snorts. "You're an elderly woman."

"One who knows how to use a gun sweetheart. Those boys need to be with family, with their mother. You should be at home more-"

Tara rolls her eyes to the heavens and wills herself to have more patience. "Are you seriously going to insult my parenting skills at a time like this? I am a good mother. I'm a fucking doctor. You should be proud that your grandchildren have a good role model as their mother, not some junkie with a needle stuck in her arm." She takes a breath and tries to get back on point. "Jax says the club is clean. I think this is personal."

There's a long silence. "Tara, I swear that I have had no part in this. I know that we have our differences, but I wouldn't put my son through this again."

Tara considers her words and the honest tone of her voice. "If you're lying to me-"

"I'm not," Gemma insists, her voice thick with tears. "Listen to me. I would never hurt my babies-"

"You have before," Tara replies harshly, her mind wondering back to the phone call she had received from the hospital telling her that her children had been in a car accident followed by the revelation it was because their grandmother was high.

"Not intentionally," Gemma replies quietly.

"Then there's only one other person that I can think of," Tara says absently, cursing herself for not thinking of her sooner.

Gemma swears. "Wendy."

"Yes, Wendy."

"Now isn't a time to be weak," Gemma is quick to say, her voice carrying over the sound of her slamming a car door and the purr of an engine. "Tara, you know what has to be done about this bitch-"

Tara hangs up the phone before Gemma utters another word. She stands on steady legs and heads into the bar with quick feet. It's empty apart from a few of the hang arounds, though none dare to speak to her as she grabs her bag and heads outside to her car. She has little time before her mother in law comes bursting in with her guns at the ready. She gets in and clutches the steering wheel, Gemma's words repeating themselves over and over.

Would she be able to do it, actually kill someone in cold blood? If her son was in danger, she wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in Wendy's skull. But would she be able to look Abel in the eye everyday, all the while knowing that it was her who killed his birth mother, the woman who gave him life, just to secure her position in Abel's life?

She knows the answer. She always has. She would do anything for her sons, but they deserve better than having a cold blooded murderer as their mother. She looks at her husband and can't help but wonder how different would he be if his mother wasn't a complete psycho and his father a brutal man who dragged him into a life of crime.

She has long since known that she is not Gemma, just as Jax is not John or Clay. She is determined that they will not follow down their paths of self destruction, and her children will never have another man's blood on their hands.

With shaking hands she reaches for her phone and dials Jax's number.

He answers on the third ring. "Tara I haven't-"

"It's Wendy."

There's a long pause. "Babe?"

"If it's personal it has to be Wendy," Tara says quickly. "That's why you haven't been able to find any leads. This isn't retaliation. She's the only one Jax! Your mother is out of the question, and seeing as Colette was at the clubhouse, that rules her out. Wendy's been sniffing around Abel. She knows that she hasn't got any legal chance of getting him back so of course she's going to resort to something like this. With Abel at school she's got no chance of snatching him, but Thomas-"

"She can get to easily," Jax finishes, his voice hard as he realises their mistake. "We've always been so worried that she would go after abel we never gave Thomas a second thought. Fuck-"

Tara starts the car and pulls out of the lot. "I'm going to check her place out. Hopefully she's too stupid to go elsewhere-"

"The fuck you are," Jax interrupts, his voice leaving no room for argument. "Go home."

"I am not going to sit around waiting."

"We agreed that I would handle this-"

"That was before I found out that Wendy Nut Case took my son," Tara snaps. "I can handle Wendy. You can't."

"I was married to her! I think I have more experience with her-"

"The last time you saw each other you jammed a needle into her arm!"

"And you said that you would slit her throat!" Jax snaps impatiently. "Listen. Wendy has few friends and fewer places to hide. I got this. Please Tara. Go home. I can't deal with this and be worrying about you too."

Tara opens her mouth to argue, but there's a soft nudge against her belly, as if to remind her of the child growing in her belly, and she knows that he's right. Though it goes against every cell in her body, she agrees. "Alright. I'll go home. Be safe baby."

"Always am."

She has to suppress a snort of disbelief at that. "Go get out son Jax."

She hangs up and heads home. The journey seems to take twice as long as usual. The street is quiet as she pulls up. Noticing how dark it's getting, she grabs her phone once again and calls Lyla.

"Hey Lyla-"

"Oh my God Tara! Have you found Thomas?"

"No," she replies. I just - can I talk to Abel? I need to hear his voice-"

"Of course," the other girl replies softly. She hears Lyla shouting for Abel, followed by a muffled conversation before she hears her baby's voice.

"Hi Mommy!" he shouts, his voice bringing tears to her eyes.

Tara clears her throat. "Hey baby, hows your day been?" Abel launches into a tale of his epic school day, and though her heart is yearning to have him in her arms, she forces herself to listen and reply in all of the right places.

"When can I come home mommy?" Abel asks.

She swallows tightly. "Not yet baby. In a little while."

"Oh," the little boy responds. "Are you alright mommy?"

"I'm perfect. I have to go now baby. I love you, Abel."

"I love you too Mommy," Abel replies happily, completely oblivious to the latest turmoil affecting his family.

Tara sucks in a shaky breath and wipes at her eyes. She climbs out of the car and heads inside. "Can you put Lyla back on the phone for me?"

"Okay Mommy. Bye bye."

Tara tosses her bag to the side and slams the door shut.

Lyla's voice flutters through the phone. "Can I help with anything Tara?"

"You're already doing enough. Thank you for everything Lyla."

"It's not a problem, really," the other woman offers kindly. She still feels a slither of guilt every time she remembers how she first treated Lyla because of her profession. There are few women as kind as Lyla in this wretched town.

"I'll come pick him up soon-"

There's a creak of a floorboard in the kitchen followed by a quiet whimper.

"Lyla," Tara says softly. "Call Jax. There's someone in my house."