a/n: Again, thank you for the reviews! I'm working on responding to the PM's and reviews but I got a little caught up writing this chapter. Also, I hope you all don't mind but I realized that this is going to be a pretty long story. I was a little shocked that we were already at chapter 16. There's still so much in store for "Haxlie" and you fine readers! You may now begin:::

Chapter 16

"Gemma called you a few times." Happy said as I walked into the kitchen in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He was still in the same clothes from the night before so I knew he'd stayed the whole night. I picked my phone up from the counter and cleared out the missed calls. "I didn't want it to wake you up."

"It's fine. Thank you." I said, climbing into a bar stool. He slid a mug of fresh coffee across the counter. "Thanks for staying. I promise I'm not always such a wreck."

"You've had good reasons to be. Are you hungry? I can cook toast, oatmeal or scrambled eggs." He offered. I laughed and shook my head.

"I'm good with coffee." I took a sip after adding an adequate amount of sugar. "I find it hard to believe your mom never taught you how to cook."

"She did, just not breakfast. I usually wasn't awake for breakfast." He shrugged and leaned across the counter. "When we get back from Atlanta you should come to Bakersfield with me."

"You want me to meet your Mom?" I asked, delighted that he cared enough to take that step. He nodded and stood up straight. "I would really like that."

"Good. I need to go to the clubhouse. We're trying to figure all this shit out." He didn't need to specify what that "shit" was. I knew they were working to find who had killed Donna. I felt a shudder run up my spine. I followed him towards the door, wringing my hands as we walked.

"Why don't you come back tonight? I know it may be late and that way we can leave for the airport from here. Or I can come by the clubhouse in the morning and pick you up." I paused and realized that with everything going on, the club may not be able to spare him. "I understand if you're needed here though. It's just for a couple days. Mom and I would be fine."

"Are you done?" He asked, holding onto the front door. I snapped my mouth shut and looked down at my bare feet. "I'll see you tonight and we'll head out in the morning. Don't wait up."

"Oh okay." I said just before he gave me a quick kiss. I was glad that I had brushed my teeth before coming out to the kitchen. Happy jogged down the front steps before slowing down to a walk out to his bike. It was hard to hide my smirk as I watched him walk. Every member developed this kind of swagger after being in the club for a while. They just seemed to have this borderline cocky strut. Happy was no different, it just wasn't as pronounced as my brother's.

I walked back inside the house and started cleaning. There wasn't much to do besides wash our two mugs and the coffee pot. Other than that, the house was tidy. I stripped my bed and put the sheets in the wash to start after I took a shower. Standing in front of the mirror, I could barely recognize myself. I was accustomed to looking tired, thanks to my profession, but I noticed I had also lost weight since coming back to Charming. Sure, I had noticed it in the way my clothes fit but I hadn't really seen a difference in the mirror until then. My collar bone was more pronounced and my ribs caused my tattoo to look rippled. I knew I needed to start eating better and working out again. There was no way I could take care of my patients or my family if I couldn't take care of myself.

Instead of getting into the shower like I'd planned, I pulled on a sports bra and a pair of shorts to go take a jog in. Part of the reason I'd lost weight was because I'd lost muscle. I wanted that back. I didn't want to look frail. After double checking that the hidden key was in place underneath a loose pathway stone, I locked the door and headed out. The first mile went well but then I started to really feel it after that. I came to a stop and bent over, putting my hands on my knees to catch a breath. My heart was pounding in my ears, so I almost missed the whistle coming from an old, beat up truck. I straightened up and and took a step back to distance myself from the two men.

"Can I help you?" I spat at the two men. The one on the passenger side was leaned over as far as he could, grinning with about half a set of teeth. I recognized some of their tattoos. They were Nords. Darby's guys.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He asked, wagging his brow. I scowled and pursed my lips, not impressed by his lame pickup line. I regretted leaving my cellphone at home. It was stupid. "Need a ride, baby? You look tired."

"I'm fine. You can move on." I said, starting to walk away. They followed me slowly, yelling out comments and pick up lines as we went. "Really? Fuck off."

"Oh, she's got some fight in her. I like when they fight back." The driver said, licking his lips. I clenched my teeth together and kept walking. I knew the garage was only a few more blocks away and there was no way they would follow me onto the lot. I kept walking, picking up the pace just a little but holding my head high. I refused to show any fear for them to feed off of. I wasn't afraid of them, not in the middle of the day on a main road. They may be racist scum, but they weren't that stupid.

We were less than a block from the garage when I heard the bikes. The truck was still right beside me, completely unfazed by the motorcycles coming towards them. The club was riding in full force and every one of them came to a quick stop, surrounding the truck. Jax was the first one off his Harley, not bothering to remove his helmet or gloves.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jax said, kicking the driver's door. He was in full big brother mode. Most people thought he could be intimidating until they saw him protecting me. At that point, intimidating quickly changed to terrifying. I felt an arm grab my waist and yank me back quickly. I didn't know it was Happy until I saw him step in front of me. He was right beside Jax, his hand resting on the hilt of the knife hanging from his belt.

"We didn't do anything to her. Just trying to show her a good time. Mind your damn business, biker boy." The passenger said, throwing the door open. Tig kicked the door, causing it to fly back and hit the man.

"That's my little sister. You need to apologize and move on." Jax spat. Chibs threw his arm around my shoulders and sighed.

"Ya know those two want ta kill that racist trash." He whispered. I groaned and nodded, wishing I had just driven to the gym at the clubhouse and worked out there. The two men chose life over their pride and got back in their truck. Tig and Bobby rolled their bikes out of the way so the truck could back up and leave. Jax turned to me with a scowl.

"Why didn't you call me? What are you doing walking around like that anyways?" Jax said storming towards me. I crossed my arms and stood my ground.

"I left my phone at home and I was jogging. I'm not just walking around." I was embarrassed that the whole club had witnessed Jax jumping on me. Happy looked pissed but he didn't say a word.

"Go get a shirt and have somebody drive you home." Jax snapped, turning his back on me. I scoffed and he turned around. "We have shit to handle, Alexis. I can't follow you around because you want to dress like some sweetbutt."

"I'll take her home and catch up with you." Happy growled. Jax looked over at him and shook his head with a sigh.

"Alright. Tig, go with Happy to take my daughter home." Clay said. I felt my lip twitch into a snarl at the word daughter. I hated when he called me that. "Stay home, Alexis."

"I'm twenty-six, Clay. You can't just ground me like a kid." I snapped. Happy took my wrist and shook his head, warning me to be quiet. I rolled my eyes and walked with him to his Dyna.

"Here." He grabbed a hooded sweatshirt out of his saddlebag and shoved it at me. I could tell he wasn't just pissed at the Nords. I contemplated saying something about his hostility but decided to pick my battles instead. I pulled the hoodie over my head and looked down. It looked like an oversized dress on me. I caught his lips twitch up in an attempt to smile but he hid it quickly. "Hold on."

Tig rode beside us on our way back to Tara's house and my temporary home. I noticed that he seemed different. He didn't seem like himself at all. I knew Donna's death was still fresh on everyone's mind but it seemed like more than that. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different about him but he definitely wasn't the Tig I knew.

"Give me a minute." Happy told Tig, swinging his leg off his bike after taking the helmet back from me. I squatted down and got the hidden key, not wanting to piss Happy off further by giving Tig a show. He was right behind me as we walked through the front door. I heard the door slam behind me and rolled my eyes, ready for a fight. It wouldn't be the first time we got into an argument, just the first time in a long time. "Come on, Alexis. You couldn't just wear a shirt?"

"They get clingy when I run. Why are you blaming me? Guys run without shirts all the time and never have to worry about women following them like that. It's not my fault they're creeps." I had more ammunition for my side of the argument but he cut me off by grabbing the front of his hoodie and yanking me to him. I swallowed hard and looked up at him, refusing to let him see just how nervous I was. He'd never hurt me before but I knew he was more than capable of it. I'd seen him box brothers twice his weight and knock them out cold.

"There's only so many places to hide bodies, Lexie." He put his hand on the back of my neck and took a deep breath. "Just wear a shirt next time and keep your damn phone with you. I don't want to waste shallow graves on those assholes."

"I'm keeping your hoodie." I said, relaxing and feeling silly for thinking he would hurt me. He nodded and kissed my forehead. "Be careful out there, okay?"

"I'll see you tonight." He said, turning away. Happy was gone before I could even finish nodding. When the sound of their motorcycles' exhaust faded away, I walked away from the door and down the hall to take a much needed shower. My legs felt like jello after the jog and ride back home, so I turned the hot water up as much as possible before I stepped in. After a long shower, I got dressed and pulled on Happy's hoodie over my t-shirt. I ignored Clay's order to stay home and left out for Jax's to see Abel and Tara.

"Hey, nice sweater." Mom said, opening the front door as I came up the steps. I set her with a look and walked inside. My mood still wasn't fully recovered from my run in with the Nords. Tara walked into the living room with Abel in her arms. I smiled and waved to him.

"Hey little man!" I said, wiggling his foot. Tara handed him over and I cradled him in my arms. He yawned and stretched his arms out. "You look like you just woke up."

"He did. He fought a nap for hours and finally went down at about two." Tara said. She pulled her hair up and rubbed the back of her neck with a yawn of her own.

"You know I've been trying to call you all day. I need to know what time we're leaving for the airport." Mom said quietly. I knew if Abel wasn't in my arms her delivery would have been a lot louder and angrier. I nodded and made a silly face at my nephew.

"We're leaving at eight thirty." I told her. My plan was to actually leave at eight but I knew she would get there early and I wanted to try and avoid her seeing that Happy had stayed the night. I thought that if I told her eight thirty, she would get there no later than eight fifteen and we would already be up and ready to go.

"Okay baby. Do you want to just stay in our guest room? You look like you need sleep." She said, rubbing my shoulder. I shook my head.

"No, I'm good. Thank you though." I gave her a small smile. I could see the worry in her eyes and knew that she was concerned about me. It made me feel both loved and guilty at the same time. "I'm okay, Mom."

"No you aren't baby. You will be though. We all will be." She said. I wasn't used to all the optimism from her. Normally, she was down to earth and realistic.

"I know." I said, wishing I could just tell her that I wasn't as fragile as everyone thought. Instead, I just walked around the living room and kitchen, bouncing Abel in my arms. He was one of the happiest babies I had ever been around. Hank's cousin Layla had a baby a couple years ago and she was the fussiest little girl. She almost always cried, even when she got older. Abel was just the opposite, at least when I saw him he was always smiling.

Mom eventually headed home to finish packing for our trip. She also said something about getting ready for a proper goodbye with Clay but I tuned her out before it made me vomit. Tara and I put Abel back down around dinner time and then ordered a pizza.

"So, how is life with my brother?" I asked with a grin. Tara rolled her eyes and turned the television on.

"Busy? No, it's great. I love being with him and being here for Abel. He's just busy with the club and he seems preoccupied when he's here." She said, twisting a loose string on her jeans. I nodded and pulled my legs up beneath me.

"Sounds like Jax. It's going to get better once they figure out everything with Donna." I felt my chest tighten at her name. "I can still smell all the blood."

"I can't even imagine. I know we deal with blood day in and day out but not like that. Not for someone we know. You know I'm hear if you need to talk, right?" Tara asked, squeezing my knee. I nodded with a thankful smile. "Okay, let's talk about something happier. Actually, whom does that hoodie belong to?"

"I see what you did there. Today was pretty shitty. After Happy left this morning I went for a jog because I'm losing muscle and look horrible. Anyways, I get closer to town and these Nords pull up beside me and start cat calling. I started walking towards the garage hoping that they would leave me alone when I walked onto the lot." Tara's eyes were as large as hubcaps. "Unluckily for the both them and me, the club was rolling out when we were about a block away. They surround the truck and my lovely brother jumps on me for wearing shorts and a sports bra after getting rid of them. Clay threw his two cents in before Happy took me home. I thought he was going to lay into me about my clothes to but he didn't he just told me to wear a shirt so he doesn't have to kill people. It was sweet."

"You know if you told anyone else that him saying that, they probably wouldn't see the sweet side in that. Rewind though. What do you mean after he left this morning? He stayed over?" Tara said, leaning in with interest. I shrugged and took a deep breath, explaining how he'd come to stay the night with me. "He's nothing like he seems on the outside. I've always thought he was cold and heartless. No offense."

"None taken. Don't get me wrong, he can be really caring and sometimes even sweet. He's still Happy though. He didn't get the nickname killah for nothing. I'm just glad I'm on his good side." Tara frowned and I realized how that sounded. "He would never hurt me."

"Just be careful, Lexie. Everyone has a point where they can lose their temper. I just don't want to see you in the situation I was in with Josh." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, taking offense to her thinking Happy could be like that monster. I took a moment before responding.

"Happy isn't Josh, Tara. Even if something like that did happen, the club would never let him get away with it. They'd never let anyone hurt me like that again." I didn't see why I needed to remind her what had happened when Kohn hurt me. She pursed her lips.

"It's not like I let him get away with it, Lexie. I went to every precinct in Chicago, just looking for someone to take my report." Tara said defensively. I shook my head and took her hand.

"I'm not saying you let him get away with it, Tara. You did everything you could. We both know that statistically a woman goes a lot longer without taking actions to get out of the situation." The doorbell rang, interrupting our conversation. I felt like I was literally saved by the bell. I hated that I'd offended her. We eventually moved on from the heavier topics of domestic violence and Donna's death to talking about work. We compared some techniques and talked about surgeries we'd done for the rest of the night. I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket as I pulled my jacket on.

"Hey, I'm at Jax's. Well, Jax and Tara's." I told Happy, knowing what he was most likely to ask. "I'm just going to look in on Abel and then leave."

"Okay. I'm taking a shower. I'll see you when you get here." He sounded tired. I ended the call before tip-toeing into the nursery. Abel was sleeping soundly. Looking at him, you would never think that he'd almost died when he was born. He was still smaller than other infants his age, but that was to be expected. I pulled the door almost closed on my way out. "Thank you again for letting me stay in your house until I can figure something else out. We should talk about rent when I get back."

"It's already paid for by the life insurance and I'm not taking your money. Have a safe trip back to Georgia. I'm only a phone call away if you need to talk or anything." Tara said, hugging me tightly. I nodded while giving her a quick peck on the cheek. I made the short drive back home and locked the door behind me, wondering for a moment if Happy had picked the lock or used the spare key.

"I half expected you to be naked." I joked as I crawled into bed beside Happy. He was wearing his normal, black boxer briefs and seemed to be having a hard time staying awake. I ran my fingers over his necklace chain and held the golden bullet that hung from it in my palm for a minute. "Sorry I was late."

"You can apologize when you're an ill ass in the morning. Roll over and go to sleep." His whisper sounded like a soft growl. I was just turning when he caught my shoulder and kissed my lips gently. "Goodnight, Lexie."

"Goodnight Hap." I whispered, rolling over with a smile on my face. It was late but I knew I would be able to sleep well with him holding me. There was no denying my body's reaction to sleeping with him. I felt drawn to him and wanted nothing more than to say fuck sleeping and stay up having earth shaking sex until it was time to leave. Luckily, my brain was able to override that primal instinct. If he was able to take it slow for me, I wasn't going to make it any harder for him. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was for the best; that it would be better in the long run.

"Stop making so much noise." I grumbled, wondering what Happy could be doing to make all that banging noise. He grunted and pulled me closer, burying his face against my neck. The banging started again and I heard the unmistakable sound of my mother yelling my name. My eyes flew open and I threw the sheets and blanket off of me, checking the time on my phone. It was five minutes to eight. My plan was shot to hell. There was going to be no fooling her about how Happy was there already. I was an adult and I knew she was aware that we were somewhat involved. I just didn't want to face the brigade of questions she would have about our status. I wasn't even ready to answer the questions for myself.

"Ignore her and she'll go away." Happy said, lifting his arm and inviting me to come back to bed. I grabbed my pillow and hit his legs with it. "Hey."

"Hey nothing. That's Gemma. She doesn't just go away. At least put some pants on." I said, stepping into sweatpants of my own. I grabbed Happy's hoodie on my way to the front door, hoping he listened and put pants on before Mom saw him almost naked first thing in the morning.

a/n 2: So, that was fun, right? Next chapter will be in Georgia. After their time in Georgia we will be getting back to some events that happened in the show and I have something planned for everyone that's been wanting some Jax/Tara scenes. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a lovely week! Happy Memorial Day to my fellow Americans.