So guys. This is the last official chapter! I'm so sad yet relieved that we've finally got here!

Do you know how fucking scary it is to write a birth scene when you're months away from going through the same thing?! Honestly I had to take a comedic route before I had a fucking breakdown.

I've changed the kid's name at least ten times whilst writing this chapter. I've stressed about this kid's name more than my actual real baby.

Thank you for all of your kind messages on my pregnancy, and thank you to every single one of you who has come on this journey with Jax & Tara on their quest to get the HEA they deserved.

I will post an epilogue which will show how things are going in the future for my babies, but for now, I hope you enjoy the final chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

It's been a blast guys x

Days pass, and slowly things get back to normal for them. Gemma's ghost slowly disappears until her betrayal is something that doesn't linger between them. After that first night, they don't speak of it until four days before Tara's due date when she wakes up alone in bed. She wants nothing more than to fall back to sleep, but the image of his crushed face as he admitted that he couldn't kill his own mother for her has haunted her for weeks, and she can't let him get wrapped up in his fucked up thoughts regarding Gemma.

That woman is finally out of their lives, and she will be damned if she lets the poisonous cow ruin the last few days of her pregnancy for her or for Jax. Carefully shuffling out of bed, Tara slowly goes to look for him, her soft footsteps the only sound in the house as she makes her way down the stairs. She finds him sitting on the couch in the lounge surrounded in the dark, the muscles in his shoulders clenched tensely as he stares into space. Despite her lack of labido the passed few weeks, a spike of arousal shoots through her at the sight of him bare chested, the tight muscles of his back rippling as he shifts around to look at her as she turns on a lamp.

"What's wrong?" Tara questions quietly seeing the conflict dancing on his face. To his credit he does try to hide it but she can spot it from a mile off. In the months since they've been sharing a bed once again, she hasn't woken up alone in bed once.

"Come sit with me," he says, holding out his hand out to her.

Swallowing back her nerves, Tara makes her way to him and lets him gently tug her down next to him and waits.

"I don't want to be like her," he whispers eventually. Tara looks up at him sharply but Jax won't meet her eyes.

Oh Jax.

"You could never do the things that she's done Jackson," Tara says softly.

Jax's hand squeezes tightly around hers as he lets out a sharp breath. "I've done things some fucked up things Tara. You don't know the half of it. How can I have all of this, you and the kids, with the blood on my hands? She's a part of me, no matter how much we both don't want to admit it, but her blood runs in my veins. I'm poison, just like her-"

"Stop it," Tara says sharply. "You stop this right now you're nothing like her. Yes she's a part of you, but she's a part of me too." Tara blinks against her sudden tear-filled eyes. "I loved her too Jax. Despite everything, I will never forget that she was a mother to me when I needed one, and she was the first adult in years to care about me when I was a teenager. She's been a part of my life, and if you're poison, then so am I baby." She presses her free hand to his cheek and gently turns his face towards hers. "The things that we've done, our children will never know about them, and they will never have to do anything like that because you changed the club, you've changed this town."

Jax meets her eyes at last, his jaw clenched tightly as he sucks in a sharp breath. "You don't know that."

"Yes I do," Tara says, her voice strong with conviction. "You've made Charming safe for the first time in years Jax. Every decision you have made has led to us sitting here. Things could have gone so differently, but I would do every little thing all over again if it means we get to where we are today." Her thumb strokes his cheekbone and she patiently waits until his clenched jaw eases. "It's alright to miss her, Jax," Tara whispers.

Jax swallows, and though he remains silent, she feels the tension leave him. He pulls her into his arms, the baby pressed firmly against his stomach as he presses his face into her neck. A pair of lips press gently against the tender skin of her neck as he whispers, "Thank you."

The next night he drives passed Gemma's house as he's on his way home from the clubhouse. He stops outside, his eyes lingering on the drawn curtains and the empty driveway.

She's gone.

For a moment he does nothing but stare at his childhood home and realises that it hasn't been a home in a very long time. The moment his little brother died, this place became a tomb filled with grief. The anger and bitterness came later when his father took off for Irish pussy.

He is not his father. He won't ever fuck another woman the minute things get messy between him and his wife.

And he is definitely not his mother.

He drives away feeling nothing but relief.

Tara goes into labor a week early.

"Stop petting me I'm not a fucking dog!"

Jax flinches and backs away slowly Tara slowly. He swallows tightly and looks at his wife as she shoots him a look filled with such disgust and pain before she curls up in a ball around her belly and buries her face in her pillow.

He aches to touch her, to tell her that it's going to be alright and that soon she will have their daughter in her arms and all of the pain would have been worth it-

But right now, Jackson Teller, the scariest, toughest biker Charming has ever seen, is shit scared of his wife.

The thing is, he never thought he'd be afraid of Tara. Sure, his girl can be an absolute psycho when she gets going. He's seen her beat the shit out of a girl or two and can attest to the damage her right hook can do first hand, but Jax never thought that she would ever be a threat to him. When they were kids, she had a wild temper and it took almost nothing to wind her up. He's seen glimpses of that wild girl over the past few years, mostly when he's fucked up but more so during the last nine months what with her... erratic hormones.

He has a healthy respect for that crazy side of his wife and knows exactly how to calm her down when she gets riled up.

Sometimes.

But Tara in labour is on a whole new level. She's downright terrifying. And Jax is completely out of his element.

Things had started out fine.

Tara had kissed the boys and calmly told them that they would get to meet their little sister soon and to be good for Aunty Lyla. The boys had gone with little fuss despite being woken up in the middle of the night and though they were eager to meet the newest addition to their family, they were both asleep by the time he reached Lyla's house. Lyla barely had time to wish them well before he was in the car and breaking every speed limit in Charming to get back to Tara. All he could picture was her greeting him with a baby in his arms and telling him that he's missed another of his kids births -

Of course he was being stupid and Tara laughed in his face when he explained why he was back so quickly.

Tara was calm, let him freak the fuck out for a while whilst she calmly informed him she wasn't anywhere near to giving birth and to chill the fuck out whilst she takes a bath.

His girl took it all in her stride with an amused smile as she breathed through every contraction with nothing more than a hiss through clenched teeth whilst he hovered around uselessly asking her if she was alright, if she needed anything, should he go start the car yet -

Not once did she snap at him. In fact she was the one who comforted him.

"Jax, baby," Tara said eventually once he started apologising for all of his fussing. "This maybe your third kid, but it's your first birth. You're allowed to freak out."

It still took him a while to calm down and remember that his wife is an actual doctor and knows a hell of a lot more about this whole giving birth thing than he does and has in fact actually done this before. After a while he actually felt helpful instead of a hinderance. He watched over her as she got a few hours of fitful sleep, until eventually she couldn't contain her grimaces and said that it was time to head to the hospital.

Tara kept shooting him amused glances as he drove way like a little old lady, but she thankfully kept any remarks on his driving to herself.

They settled into their suite in the early hours of the morning, Tara's contractions slowly getting worse but her friendly smile remained in place as various colleagues dropped by to wish them luck, and damn he could tell that she wanted nothing more than to be left alone but not once did she turn anyone away.

And then his brothers arrived.

He heard them before he saw them, and despite the fact that she was tired and in pain, Tara's face lit up when they bursted into the room.

They all ignored him and headed straight for Tara, surrounding her bed each questioning her wellbeing and demanding that she got the best care this damn hospital provided. Even Happy asked after her and gave her a smile so soft he was sure that he imagined it.

Chibbs sent him a sly smirk and said, "Do ye need a different birthing partner lass? Not too sure Jackie Boy is up to it, he's lookin' a little green."

"Have you got a name yet?" Bobby piped up. "How about Harley?"

"Why aren't you filming this Jax?" Tig demanded, a wicked smirk on his lips as he continued, "I was really hoping to get my hands on a copy for private use."

"Jesus Christ," Happy muttered.

"That's it. Out the lot of you," Jax had snapped, but Tara was laughing and despite their shitty timing, it warmed his heart to see the two halves of his life finally unite together.

Eventually though Jax lost patience and told them to get the fuck out and leave them to it.

Tara's smile was tired as she met his eyes once the lot of them have finally got out. "You okay baby?"

Jax had huffed out a nervous laugh. "Aren't I supposed to be asking you that?"

Tara shrugged, and though she couldn't quite hide her grimace as she shifted on the bed, she tried to smile anyway for him. "We're in this together right?"

Jesus Christ. He really doesn't fucking deserve her.

Then the contractions got worse, and his loving, patient wife turned into a vapid viper.

Tara lets out a miserable sob and rolls over onto her back. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it." She holds out her hand to him, and damn him, but he scurries to her side and has to bite back the filthiest curse words that pops into his head as she squeezes the bones in his hand so tightly he's pretty sure he just heard the bones crack over the sound of Tara's pained cries.

"Why? Why did I say no to the drugs?" Tara bites out. "Oh fuck! This really hurts!"

"Maybe there's still time to get an epidural-"

Tara's eyes flash and he's pretty sure that if she could actually move she would murder him right in this moment. "I don't want an epidural!" she snarls. "Women do this everyday, and I am not pumping our baby full of chemicals-"

"Okay, I got it," Jax says gently. "Babe, you're doing good."

Tara huffs out a groan. "Only another three centimetres to go right?"

"Not long-"

"Not long for you but you're not pushing a human being out of your body," Tara snaps, and immediately after her face crumples. "Oh baby. I'm sorry."

Jax presses a kiss to her hand and smiles against her soft skin.

It's been hours since that first contraction which suddenly feels like a lifetime ago. Seeing her in pain is a kick in the balls every time she has a contraction, and fuck, but the grip she has on his hand is making him wonder if he will ever be able to ride a Harley ever again after this - not that he's stupid enough to say anything right now.

But there's nothing he can do apart from be here by her side.

It carries on for hours, the contractions, the erratic moods, the screams and the threats and the crying. Chibs and Tig bravely venture into the room halfway through the morning, and whatever fucked up comment Tig was no doubt going to make dies on his tongue as soon as his eyes land on Tara.

"Oh doll," he cooes, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "How's it going?"

Jax rolls his eyes towards Chibs who looks at him with a wicked smirk that makes his scars stand out even more than usual, both of them expecting the most scathing remark his girl can possibly come up with-

"I'm okay," Tara breathes, her eyes softening at the sight of him.

Jax's jaw actually drops. "How come you're being nice to him?" he blurts out before he can stop himself.

"Because I'm not the reason why she's in her current predicament dumbass," Tig says with a smirk. Jax rolls his eyes, but he can't help smiling as Tig claims Tara's attention and distracts her. "Don't worry doll, we're all going to pitch in and get Jax a lifetime supply of condoms so you never have to go through this again."

Jax fights down the urge to snap at Tig, only because Tara's smiling for the first time in hours. Tig sends him a sly smirk and is about to spew out some more of his poison when Chibs thankfully interrupts.

"Go clean yerself up, take a break for a few," Chibs says softly as he notices the tension radiating off him. Jax's eyes stay fixed on Tara, and though he really could take a piss he doesn't want to leave her-

"I'll be fine," Tara says softly, finally acting more like his wife and not the pained harpie who has been shouting at him for the past few hours. She gives him a tired smile. "Go."

"We've got her, Jackie boy," Chibs says and all but pushes him out of the room.

He takes a few minutes for himself, and when he returns Tara is mid contraction snarling at Tig to quit being a baby as she crushes his hand in hers. Chibs is howling with laughter on Tara's other side, and when she shoots him a look that suggests she's about to swing for him it only makes him laugh harder.

Jesus fucking Christ.

It's passed 6pm when Tara's face twists with pain and grits out through clenched teeth, "I need to push." She sucks in a sharp breath. "Oh shit, I really need to push-"

"What? Like now?"

She actually growls at him. "Yes now! Jesus Jax!" Jax frantically runs for the door and shouts at a passing nurse to get a doctor. He doesn't wait for a reply as he rushes back to Tara's side, her hand gripping his with an almost superhuman strength. It takes all of his self control not to cry out, and judging by what she's gone through for almost sixteen hours, he's never allowed complain about pain ever again.

The doctor comes in, a young man who is quite clearly fond of his wife and very eager to please as he gives her a warm smile and enquires about her health. Tara shoots him a look full of hatred and it's a relief that it's not being directed at him for a change.

He takes a seat to examine her, and though under any of circumstance the boy would have his hand chopped off for even daring touching her there, Jax almost cheers when he says, "You're fully dilated, Dr. Knowles."

Tara groans in what he's pretty sure is relief and Jax helps her shuffle down the bed until she's in a comfortable position to push. She shoots him a nervous smile, "Don't pass out okay?" she says softly.

Jax tries to smile despite his pounding his heart and presses a kiss to her cheek. "I won't."

She swallows tightly and for the first time today he sees how scared she is despite her having done this before and reassuring him throughout all of this. And he realises then that Tara hasn't stopped being terrified that all of this is going to go wrong since the moment she realised she was having another baby, and that fear isn't going to go away until their daughter is in her arms.

"Promise? I can't do this alone."

If he's honest with himself, he's absolutely terrified. He could quite honestly pass out right now and she hasn't even begun to push yet. But Jax pushes her hair away from her face and gives her a tender smile that is reserved just for her. "I'm not going anywhere babe, promise." She tilts her head up expectantly and Jax kisses her softly. "You've got this, Tara."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need you to push on your next contraction Dr Knowles," the doctor pipes up.

Tara squares her shoulders, and though the doctor's speaking to them Jax doesn't hear a word of it. His sole focus is on his wife - his beautiful, incredibly strong wife. She gives him a small scared smile and then she's pushing through a contraction and she's arching forward, gritting her teeth and lets out as something he can only describe as a war cry as she bares down and pushes with all her strength. She clutches onto his hand once again but he barely notices as he watches Tara, telling her how proud he is of her, how amazing and strong she is and to breathe-

"The baby's crowning," the doctor announces. "Does dad want to have a look?"

Jax swallows tightly and ignores Tara screeching, "Jax do not look! I swear to God-"

He looks - maybe it's fatherly pride or maybe just morbid curiosity and he wants to enjoy every moment of this beautiful experience - and he regrets it instantly.

He cringes away ignoring Tara's pained amused look. "Jesus Christ, that looks fucking brutal," he cringes, horrified.

Tara lets out a manic laugh and snaps as another contraction hits, "It feels pretty fucking brutal!"

"The head's out," the doctor pipes up. "And you've just passed the shoulders, Dr Knowles. Just one more big push."

Tara lurches forward pushing, and she lets out one final screech of pure determination that makes his head spin-

And then all at once there's silence.

Tara falls back against the bed, exhausted, breathing heavily. For a moment, that's all he can hear: her heavy breathing as she fights to fill her lungs. And then Tara sits up, suddenly alert as the silence suddenly dawns on her. "Why isn't she crying?" she gasps almost silently. The doctor doesn't answer, his sole focus on the silent child in his arms. "Why isn't she crying?" Tara snaps shakily.

"Answer her!" Jax shouts when he still doesn't respond.

This isn't happening. This has to be another fucking nightmare-

"One moment, Dr. Knowles," the doctor says calmly, his lips pressed into a hard line as he stands with the baby in his arms and heads to the back of the room with her.

"Give her to me," Tara demands, already shifting to get out of bed to follow them until Jax captures her arm and forces her to stay put.

"Let him work Tara," he says gently. She collapses against him, all of the fight leaving her. Jax wraps his arms around her, his tear-filled eyes fixed on the doctor's back.

"No, no, no please," Tara cries. She buries her face in Jax's chest, her entire frame shaking as she sobs against him. All he can do is hold her and wait-

He's never felt so fucking helpless in his life.

It will forever remain the scariest minute of his life.

That's all Jax can hear, Tara's soft cries.

Then, piercing and shrill, the sound of a baby's cry joins it.

He freezes. He doesn't move; he can't move.

The sound terrifies him, and at the same time it fills him with such an inexplicable feeling of love. Love, hitting him like a freight train, right in the gut. Paralyzing him.

"It's a girl," the doctor tells them, his features relaxing back into an easy smile as he turns to them with the screeching baby. "A healthy baby girl."

Tara squeezes his hand, her cry of relief louder than the baby's but Jax can't take his eyes off his daughter, watching intently as the doctor wraps the baby loosely in a cream piece of fabric, passes her into Tara's trembling arms, then makes his way across the room to give them a bit of privacy.

Everything else around him is a blur, the baby is the only thing he can see clearly, the only thing that matters in the world right now. Red-faced and squalling, with a head of dark hair and the bluest eyes he's ever seen in his life. And tiny – so, so tiny. So tiny that he can hardly even believe she's real.

A daughter. His daughter. Their daughter.

The sound of Tara's happy sobs bring him back to reality. Her gentle voice is almost drowned out by the baby's cries as she says, "Hey baby. You scared the hell out of us just then.. I'm your mama." Her voice trembles and a new wave of tears spill over as she meets his eyes. "A-and that over there is your daddy." Tara sits up and angles herself towards him, "Take her."

For a split moment Jax hesitates, suddenly aware of how small and delicate his kid is and how big and clumsy he is. He knows it's fucking stupid, Abel was half her size when he was born. Swallowing tightly, Jax carefully takes the baby and after a moment she's nestled comfortably in his arms, as light as a feather, almost enveloped completely by his hands which look huge compared to her. She stops crying as soon as she sees him, her tiny mouth falling shut as blue her eyes appraise him in silence, her little arms waving about in the air.

She's so fucking beautiful it hurts.

It feels surreal, like the most beautiful dream. Like every terrible thing he's ever done suddenly doesn't matter anymore, like she's taken away his sins and made him a better man. He can't describe how it feels to hold a tiny piece of him and Tara in his arms.

It was different with Abel and Thomas. As much as it shames him to even think, Abel was a burden he wasn't ready to bear especially with Wendy, and Thomas was already a few days old when he first held him in his arms.

But he gets it now, why they call it a miracle.

"Hey," he finally opens his mouth to speak, his voice low and unsteady. "You know me? I'm your dad. I'm that guy who was always talking to you in there." The baby looks up at him, and though it's his eyes staring back at him, the look she's giving him is all Tara.

Beside him Tara sighs and rests her head against his shoulder, a beautiful smile on her face as she looks down at the baby. Jax presses his lips to her forehead. "Thank you," he breathes, still not able to believe that they actually ended up here.

Tara looks up at him. "For what?"

Jax shifts the baby in his arms, hesitating. "For forgiving me and giving this a chance. Carrying her around and going through that." He can't help but grimace at the memory of her curled up in pain for hours-

"But more than anything, thank you for her."

Tara's mouth trembles, and just when he thinks he's fucked it all and should have kept his fat mouth shut, she carefully places a trembling hand on his cheek and guides his mouth down to hers. She kisses him, a soft sweet kiss and whispers, "Thank you for not passing out."

A laugh rumbles deep in his chest. "You have no idea how much I love you."

"I love you too." He kisses her again, careful of the squirming baby in his arms. Tara pulls away, her eyes immediately going to their daughters. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" she breathes.

The baby looks up at them, taking in the world with wide, curious eyes. "Just like her mama," Jax says. Tara snorts but makes no comment, all to content to watch their daughter. He could honestly look at her forever, and he never wants this moment to end.

He doesn't deserve her, this pure and innocent thing.

Tara's soft voice finally breaks the silence. "All of the pain and the heartbreak, it was worth it. She was worth it."

He agrees with every word.

An hour or two later, once the baby has been cleaned up, had a few standard tests and Tara's been taken care of, they finally allow visitors. Tara's sitting up in bed in her pajamas, her hair tied back and her face fresh with pride.

She looks like a Queen of a nation, not a Queen of bikers.

Although they wanted the boys to come and meet their new sister, it was almost their bedtime so they had settled on a phone call where Abel had almost deafened him with his shout of joy and Thomas had cried because he still couldn't see his mom.

His brothers burst through the doors, Chibs at the front and demanding to be the first person to hold his goddaughter. Jax rolls his eyes but doesn't bother correcting him as he hands the baby to Chibs. There is nobody he'd rather have as his daughter's godfather in all honesty though he vows to talk to Tara about it when things have settled. The rest of his brothers gather around them, congratulating them, asking about names and if Tara was alright.

"Did it hurt?" Rat asks stupidly.

"Don't be a dumbass," Bobby snaps quietly.

The second the baby is in his arms, Chibs is uncharacteristically quiet, his mouth twisted into a soft smile, his eyes shining as he looks down at the baby in his arms. "Well, aren't ye a pretty lass. Clearly ye take after ye ma," he says with a cheeky smirk, throwing a wink at Tara. Tara preens, finally satisfied that one of her children take after her. "God help ye Jax when she's a teenager, yer gonna have to keep her locked up. She's gonna be a beauty."

"She won't be dating until I'm dead," Jax says, not willing to even imagine her coming home with a boyfriend one day.

Tig barks out a laugh. "Do you remember what Tara was like at sixteen? She was hot as hell and a wild little shit to boot. Imagine a kid with her and Jax's genes together. She's going to be a fucking nightmare."

Tara lets out a tired laugh, and though he can see her try to stifle a yawn and she wants nothing more than to sleep, she doesn't say a word as she keeps one eye on her daughter. "Let's just hope she doesn't have my fondness for bikers."

Jax pales, and his brothers roar with laughter.

"She's got blue eyes," Bobby observes, stroking the baby's head with one hand.

"Most newborns' eyes are blue. They'll probably change color."

"Not hers," he says with certainty, and presses a kiss to her temple. "Hers are gonna stay blue. I've got a feeling."

In the end, the baby gets passed around until the baby reaches Tig's arms and promptly bursts into tears. "What the fuck did I do?" Tig cries, looking alarmed at the screaming baby in his arms. Tara shifts and fails to hide her grimace as she automatically shifts to get the baby, but Happy rolls his eyes at Tig and snatches the baby out of his arms.

Without saying a word, Happy gently rocks the baby in his arms until she falls silent. Everyone stares at him in shock until Happy looks up, his eyes flashing with murder and snaps, "The fuck you looking at? Babies love me." He presses a kiss to the baby's head and gives her a small smile as he gives the baby back to Tara.

Chibs's keen eyes catch Tara just as she fails to hide a yawn, and quickly tells them it's time to go. Bobby gives Tara a careful hug and promises to bring around some cakes for her and the boys once she's home. Chibs lingers behind, he kisses Tara on the cheek and gently touches the baby's cheek. "Yer did well guys," he says softly. He hugs Jax for a long moment, and when he pulls back his smile is sad. Jax knows that he's remembering a time when it was him in hospital with his wife and daughter, and how that all turned out. "Don't let them go for anythin', Jax," he says quietly only for him to hear.

Don't repeat my mistakes is what he doesn't say. With one final clap on the back, Chibs leaves, his eyes cast away when Jax tries to catch his eye.

It's close to midnight when Tara wakes up tucked up against Jax's. She'd fallen asleep not long after feeding the baby. The memory of her baby at her breast whilst Jax held her from behind, his soft voice in her ear as he watched in fascination is something she will treasure for the rest of her life. The baby is asleep in Jax's arms, and though he looks like he's about to fall asleep himself he sits tall, his eyes fixed on the child in his arms.

"Hi," he whispers as he looks down at her with a soft smile and glittering eyes as she shifts against him, grimacing at the pain between her legs.

"Hi," Tara says softly, her throat still raw. They're silent, both content to watch her. She almost regrets falling asleep, feeling irrationally jealous of Jax for those precious few hours he had extra with her.

That mind numbing terror she had felt in that moment when she realised that the baby wasn't breathing is a feeling she never wants to have ever again.

They could have easily lost her today, and when she sees Dr. Wilson again, she will thank him with all of her heart for helping her daughter to take her first breath when she wasn't able to.

Tara counts the baby's breaths, relieved to see that everything seems to be fine, but she won't be completely appeased until she can examine her daughter fully herself.

"Guess she needs a name," Jax says quietly. "We can't keep calling her baby for the rest of her life."

It's the perfect distraction.

Tara is quiet. They've had no luck in agreeing with a name in months, and looking down at her daughter, only one name comes to mind.

"Melody," she says softly, reaching out to stroke the baby's soft cheek.

"Huh?"

"Her name. Melody Louise Teller.. It's kind of stupid but when she was silent for so long and then she suddenly burst out crying, well, it was the most beautiful sound in the world to me." Tara swallows tightly, her eyes filling with tears as she smiles down at her daughter. "The most beautiful melody I will every hear." She looks up at Jax, a nervous smile on her lips as she swipes at her eyes. "So.. What do you think?"

Jax smiles softly. "Melody Teller.. It's perfect."

"She's perfect," Tara sighs.

Tara leans back and looks down at the sleeping infant in Jax's arms with so much love in her chest right now that she almost doesn't know what to do with herself.

She wonders how she got so lucky. She won the lottery with this man despite the odds, and for him to give her the gift of having his children -

Well, this is happiness.