Chapter 11: The Prodigal Son Returns
It was Jax's fourth and last night in Reno. He went and got fucked up, finding himself a girl who was now sucking him off in one of the clubhouse dorms. He hadn't had a drink in a while and was starting to sober up. He couldn't focus on the girl on her knees and after a few minutes, pushed her off of him. Grabbing his smokes, he walked outside the Clubhouse. Smoking a cigarette, Jax grew angsty about returning to Charming. He had spent the last four nights trying to get his head around the fucking situation that landed at his charters table, a table where running guns and killing people were usually discussed. He scoffed. She was just a fucking girl.
Jax tittered to himself. Just a fucking girl. She wasn't just a fucking girl. She was Éire Morrow. She was the SAMCRO sweetheart, the SAMCRO princess. The girl who had brought SAMCRO to its knees. Who had brought him to his knees. He didn't know what to expect back in Charming. The weeks running up to the girl's departure had scared even him. Hell, they scared even Happy, the god-damn Tacoma Killer! Éire had been in a bad place. She was young, she was foolish and fearless and she had been off the fucking rails. But he'd be damned if it was to be him that would knock the crown from the Princess's head again. And her father, his President, would make sure of that.
The next morning, Jax set off for Charming. The ride from Reno to Charming gave him a chance to shake off the hangover and get his head straight. He and his President did not get a chance to discuss the current situation, with Clay's solution being to ship him off to Reno for a few days. But he couldn't stay away forever and here he was on his way back to Charming hoping to face the situation head-on by talking to his step-father.
Riding into the lot of Teller-Morrow, he spotted the very man coming out from underneath the hood of a cage when he heard the bike pull in. Judging by the way Clay stopped what he was doing and came over to Jax, he had the same idea of nipping this in bud and getting on with business. The Club couldn't afford to have Jax away on extended business unnecessarily. Clay motioned his head for Jax to follow him. Clay sat at the head of the table, as Jax came in and shut the door. Jax stood with his arms folded, eventually sitting down after being ordered to do so by Clay.
Neither of the men wanted to have this conversation. If there was anything that could cause a very heated argument between Jax Teller and Clay Morrow, it was Éire. Jax was curious as to what Clay would say. He wasn't a fool, there was a lot to be said. But Jax had evolved over the last two years, eventually coming to realise the extent of his actions so he told himself he would try to remain calm.
Clay was the one who spoke first. Running his hands over his face and sighing he said;
'Look … I'll get straight to the point. You don't need me to tell you how difficult these last few years have been.'
Jax, keeping his gaze fixated on his President, nodded slightly in agreement;
'But we ain't going back there. This, the shit that went down between me and you, it can't happen again.'
'It won't. That ain't my intention Clay,' affirmed Jax.
'I know Éire coming back, it eh, it can stir up some of that tension tha –'
'Clay, let's just continue, business as usual. Me and you? We're good.'
'Yeah, we're good,' agreed Clay, as Jax got up to leave.
Walking towards the door, Jax concluded that the discussion had gone suspiciously well, considering the circumstances. However, Clay who still remained slouched in his seat, called out to Jax just as he was walking out the door;
'We're good Jax. As long as you keep your fucking hands off of her.'
And there it fucking is. Jax clenched his jaw and sucked his teeth as he stalked off out the door.
He didn't realise he would be so mad. The conversation went surprisingly well. But, jumping on his bike, Jax wondered why he was so pissed with Clay's last comment. Maybe it was because he hated it when anyone, especially Clay, told him what to do. Or maybe it was because Jax finally realised that Éire was really home, after a year and a half of her absence, and he knew that this time he really would have to keep his hands off of her.
After Jax cooled off, he returned to the Clubhouse. He walked in and his brother greeted him. It was a Friday night and the place was pretty busy. Jax went to the bar to order a whiskey from the prospect. He was sitting down talking to some of the croweaters and sipping his drink when he felt a presence move in to sit on the stool beside him. He looked over and saw Chibs. He told the girls he'd find them later and looked at Chibs. Chibs, facing forward and not turning to look at him, dryly remarked;
'You know Jackie boy, I saw a fine looking lass in her a couple of nights ago drinking whiskey neat like you are now. Stunnin' she was.'
Chibs looked over at Jax, who was looking down at the glass in his hand, smiling at what Chibs believed was the same memory Éire was smitten over just a couple of nights previous. Downing the whiskey, Jax replied;
'Home less than a week and already letting her away with bloody murder.'
'I think we were both guilty of that Jackie boy and more often than not, you were the partner in crime.'
The two men chuckled and sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Jax looked over at Chibs. Chibs knew what he was after and gave it to him;
'Fine, quiet though. Let nothing slip or no emotion show.'
'She never did.'
The prospect behind the bar heard them talking about Éire and decided to comment;
'My God that girl can drink.'
Jax flicked his eyes towards Juice and remained silent.
'Aye, that's the Irish in her.'
Chibs replied to Juice's comment while cautiously trying to gauge the reaction of Jax beside him.
Jax downed his drink and finally spoke;
'So you've met the famous daughter of Clay Morrow. What do you think of her Juice?'
'Well let's just say, I wouldn't mind having her on the back of my bike again.'
Chibs took a long breath and could hear Jax sucking his teeth after he heard Juice's response;
'Again huh?'
Juice explained to Jax how he dropped Éire home the night of her party. Juice had never been told the full story on what went down with Éire and so he was unaware of how this information would seriously impact Jax's mood. And with that, Jax stalked off towards his dorm, a bottle of whiskey in hand, as a very concerned Chibs stared at his back until he disappeared.
