Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from Sons of Anarchy… just my OC's. Thanks!

…Chapter Nine…

It was late when Tara got home from work. Jax wasn't there, again, and the boys were staying over at Gemma's for the night. Being alone, she was a little grateful for the peace and quiet, since she had a stressful day at the hospital. As Tara was doing the laundry, she thought about taking along bath and unwind with some beer and think about everything that's been happening. Jax acting more secretive than usual and different since Opie and Lyla's reception - being gone or not even at home for the past week. Then there was Gemma acting weird, as well as the guys, and to top it all off - with the help of Margaret Murphy - she got a job offer at a hospital in Oregon and Tara has no clue how to deal with any of it.

Picking up the jeans out of the hamper, Tara noticed a paper fall out of one of the pockets, onto the floor. After stuffing the jeans into the washer, she grabbed the paper and opened it. Her eyes widened as she read what it was. It was a drawing of three people holding hands next to what looked like some kind of tree and a house with a bunch of flowers. On the side of that, it said "Mommy, Daddy Jax, and me." On the bottom, it said "To Daddy. Love, Lily. I love you."

Tara put the soap and softener in the washer, turned it on, and slammed the lid, then she grabbed her phone to dial a number. "I can't believe this." she muttered, waiting for the line to be picked up.

"Hello?"

Tara was staring intently at the drawing. "Gemma, I know you know."

"Excuse me?" she scoffed. "Know what?"

"Who the hell is Lily?"

"Oh, shit." Gemma heavily sighed, then for the next twenty minutes, she told Tara about Ava being back in Charming, along with everything else that's been going on for the past week, and why she was being avoided by almost everyone.

...

Jax walked into his house, a little after 11:45pm. He was supposed to spend some time with Ava and Lily, but he didn't get to, since he was out with Chibs and Opie. He went into the boys' room first, but it was empty, so he went to find Tara. After a moment, he found her in the tub taking a bubble bath with a bottle of Jack Daniels - straight up. "Hey, where's Abel and Thomas?"

"They're at Gemma's."

"Oh." he nodded, then noticed the frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I had a long shift at work." she paused. "Also… I, uh, got a job offer at a hospital in Oregon today for a position as a pediatric surgeon."

Jax crossed his arms. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"I called Margaret and said that I'd think about it, but I do have to meet with the chief resident and attending in a few days… and honestly, it'd be a great opportunity to start off fresh and keep the boys safe." she took a deep breath. "If I do decide to accept the offer, will you come with me?"

Jax let out a irritated groan. "You know I can't leave, especially with all the shit piling up with the club."

"Well, I haven't gave a definite answer yet."

Suddenly, Jax's phone went off with a text message. Once he opened it, he saw that it was from Ava, and read it. "I need you." he quickly snapped it shut before putting it back into his pocket. "Look, I gotta go."

"Can you stay? The boys are gone… it's just us."

"I can't. I have to go check something out at the warehouse."

"Oh, okay." Tara knew he was lying, but nodded anyway. "Can you think about what I said?"

"Yeah, I'll think about it." he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye, Jax." she replied, then watched him walk out of the bathroom. Once she knew he left on his motorcycle, she threw the whole bottle of Jack at the door as hard as she could, screaming out of anger. She wasn't about to give up Jax Teller without a fight, no matter who it was. She needed to come up with a plan and fast.

...

After Jax pulled up to Gloria's house, he noticed that the door was slightly open, so he quietly walked in. "Ava?" he whispered, shutting the door and locking it, then he felt arms wrap around his legs, and looked down, with his eyebrow raised. "Hey, Lily, why are you awake?"

"I had a bad dream."

"You did?" he picked her up. "You sent me that text from Mommy's phone?"

"Yeah." she nodded in the crook of his neck. "I'm scared… can you stay here with me?"

Jax noticed that the couch was made up with pillows, blankets, and her two stuffed animals. "Of course I'll stay." he put her down on the couch, then took off his cut, empitied out his pockets, and took off his shoes before laying down next to her. "So, what was your dream about?"

"It's too scary, Daddy." Lily said, resting her head on his chest, then there was a long pause before she spoke. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Staying with me when I'm scared." she yawned.

"Just call or text me… and I'll try my best to be here or there for you." he gave her a kiss on the side of her head. "Okay?"

"Okay, good night, Daddy."

"Good night, Baby." Jax wrapped his arms protectively around Lily's tiny frame and closed his eyes. He loved his little girl and he would protect her with his life and his last breath, just like he does with Abel and Thomas.

...

"Hey, Beeotch… wake up." is what Ava woke up to the next morning.

"What, Tiny?" she groaned outloud. "What time is it?" she reached over and felt nothing, then lifted her head a little, looking around. "Where's Lily?"

"She's fine… come on and bring your ass."

"Alright, alright." Ava rolled out of the bed and followed Tiny into the living room.

When they came to a stop, Tiny pointed to the couch. "Look."

Ava saw Lily sleeping so peacefully in Jax's arms, she smiled. "When did he get here?"

Tiny shrugged. "I don't know. I thought you told me that he couldn't come over last night… something about him being out with Ope and Chibs."

"Yeah." Ava nodded. "That's what he told me… they look so cute."

"Yeah, adorable." Tiny agreed. "Well, I'm gonna take a shower." then she walked down the hallway.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Gloria asked, with a yawn.

"Take a look." Ava pointed to the couch.

Gloria raised her eyebrow. "When did he get here?"

Ava shrugged. "He told me he couldn't come over last night, but there he is."

"Well." Gloria nudged Ava's arm. "I'll go make some coffee." then she went into the kitchen.

Ava sat down on the coffee table in front of Jax and Lily and watched them sleep for a moment before she tapped his arm. "Jax." she whispered. "Jackson… wake up." suddenly, he blinked his eyes open and rubbed his face with his free hand, then she chuckled. "Good morning, Sunshine."

"Oh, hey." he yawned and pulled the blanket to cover Lily's shoulders. "What time is it?"

"Almost eight-fifteen-ish… when did you get here?"

"After midnight." he yawned again. "I got a text from your phone that said 'I need you' and when I got here, Lily was awake waiting for me."

"What?" Ava raised her eyebrow. "She sent you a text?"

"Yeah, she had a bad dream and needed her daddy."

"Wow." Ava chuckled. "It's barely been a week since you two met and she already has you wrapped around her little finger."

"Yeah, but I'm not the only one."

"Oh, yeah." she chuckled. "Happy too… always getting her Hot Wheels and ice cream." she noticed the way that Jax was staring at her. "What?"

"I'm really glad that both of you are here."

"Me too." Ava nodded.

"So… does that mean you'll stay in Charming?"

"Ha-ha, nice try." she stood up. "I still have a week to make a decision." Jax made a pouty face, sticking out his bottom lip, making her laugh. "Now I see where Lily gets that from… you want some coffee?"

"Yeah." he grabbed her hand, pulling her down to him for a kiss, then closed his eyes as she went into the kitchen.

"So?" Gloria nodded her head towards the living room.

"Well." Ava started, grabbing two coffee cups out of the dishwasher. "Lily had a bad dream and needed her Daddy… she sent him a text and he came right over."

"Aww… that was nice of him."

"Yeah." Ava nodded, then poured coffee into the cups.

"Hey, do you think Tara knows about Lily?" Gloria kind-of whispered.

"Don't know." she shrugged. "And I honestly don't care if she does or doesn't… it's none of her damn business."

"How do you figure? Her and Jax are still together."

"Not for long."

Gloria raised her eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Well." Ava leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "It's just… Jax told me that him and Tara are drifting apart, even before I came back into the picture."

Gloria studied Ava's face for a moment. "You still love him, don't you? And tell me the truth."

"Mom." Ava sighed in defeat. "Seeing him and Lily together, melts my heart and all of those feelings I felt for him long ago, keeps bubbling to the surface and I can't help it."

"Regardless what everyone says - specifically Gemma - you and Jax belong together."

"He asked me to stay in Charming."

"Are you?"

Ava shrugged. "I have another week to decide."

"And where exactly would you go? Back to Sedona? What if Mason is there waiting for you?"

"I… I don't know, Mom."

"Ava , you know that if you stay home - where you belong - that Jax will go above and beyond to protect and keep you and Lily safe."

"Yeah, I know he will."

"She's right… you should stay."

Ava and Gloria looked over and saw Jax leaning in the door frame. "Jax…" she breathed out, with her eyes widened a little. "Um, how much of that did you hear?"

"Almost all of it." he smirked.

Gloria got up from the table and chuckled, grabbing her cup of coffee. "I'll leave you two love birds alone."

"Gee, thanks, Mom." Ava groaned, watching her walk out of the kitchen, then she turned her attention to Jax and picked up one of the cups she poured. "Coffee?"

Jax shook his head. "No."

"Well, what do you want?"

"What I want…" he went up to her and rested both of hands on the counter, trapping Ava between his arms. "… is an answer. Will you stay here in Charming with me?"

"Okay, wait… before I give a definite answer, I need to know that it's just you and me. No Tara. No Gemma and no outside interference splitting us apart this time." she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked right into his eyes. "You want me to stay, then that's what needs to happen."

Jax nodded. "I promise, Babe." then he leaned in and kissed her.

"Eww, gross." both of them heard, followed by a chuckle. "Get a room… I haven't even had my coffee yet."

"That's funny, Natasha."

"Hey." Tiny pointed her finger at her best friend, trying not to laugh. "You watch your mouth."

"Oh, you know I love you, Beeotch." Ava laughed as she moved away from Jax and went into the living room.

'Hey, Jax?" Tiny said before he followed behind Ava and turned around facing her, waiting for her to continue. "Ava's my best friend - basically my family… well, actually my only family - and I get that you're the love of her life; you always have been, but if you hurt her, you'll have to answer to me. She's been through enough bullshit and she doesn't need anymore pain. Lily doesn't need it either, but she's little and won't really understand." Tiny paused to take a breath. "Just… please don't hurt them, Jax."

"I won't." he shook his head. "I have no intentions of hurting either of them. I just got Ava back into my life with a daughter I never knew existed. I'm not about to fuck that up, so there's no need to worry."

"That's good to know." Tiny poured her own cup of coffee. "I think everything will be okay.."

"It will." Jax nodded.

"Daddy?!"

"Yeah?" he walked out of the kitchen, then into the living room and saw Lily with different clothes on. "Hey, you're awake and already dressed."

"Mommy told me to."

Jax sat down on the couch next to her. "Where is your mommy?"

"In the shower." Lily jumped in his lap and rested her head in the crook of his neck. "Thank you for staying with me."

"You're welcome." he kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy." she smiled up at him. "So much."

"Hey, Lil…" Tiny called out. "Come and eat, then we'll go to the park for a while."

"Yay!" she cheered, jumping out of Jax's lap, and skipped into the kitchen.

Jax got up and followed. "Tiny, only you two going to the park?"

"Yeah." she nodded. "Just for a little while."

"Okay." he pulled out his phone. "I'll have someone go with you."

"Roger that." Tiny gave him a slight smile.

"Have fun and see you later."

"Bye, Daddy." Lily waved.

Jax smiled at her and headed to Ava's room. After he sent the text and got a response back, he quietly went into her room, he still heard the water running. He quietly walked in and shut the door, before leaning against the sink - with his arms crossed and waited.

A few minutes later, Ava finished and shut off the water, then was startled right after she pulled the curtain back. "Shit, Jax?! What are you doing in here?" she noticed that his eyes were glued on her dripping wet body. "Can you hand me a towel?"

"Nope." he shook his head, licking his lips.

"Come on, Jax." she chuckled a little. "I'm getting cold in here."

"Oh, yeah?" he smirked, slowly walking up to her. "I can warm you up."

"I bet you could." she chuckled. "But I really don't want our daughter to come in here while we're in here."

Jax reached over and locked the door. "Done… besides." he started removing his clothes and shoes. "Tiny is fixing her something to eat, then." he got into the shower with her, putting one of his hands on her hips. "She's taking Lily to the park, so." he reached over to turn the water back on. "… we'll have nobody to bother us."

"Jax…" she breathed out as he was kissing her shoulder and collar bone, then she backed up a little. "My mom is here."

"So." he shrugged and quickly dove into her neck, nibbling on it, and after that, he moved to her lips. Ava gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

...

"Come on, Lil… put your shoes on, so we can go!" Tiny called out.

"Okay." a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Lily had just finished and stood up. "I got it!" once she opened it, she had a huge smile on her face. "Uncle Happy!" she hugged his leg.

"Hey, Kid." he reached down and patted her back, then after Lily let go, he went up to Tiny. "Where's Ava?"

Tiny glanced at Lily. "Go and finish your cup of milk before we go."

"Okay." she nodded, skipping into the kitchen. "Don't leave without me."

"Where's Ava?" Tiny repeated his question, turning towards him. "Well, Jax is here, so she's probably getting knocked up as we speak."

Happy stared at her for a moment. "Alright, I'll talk to her later."

"Okay, I'm done, Aunt Tiny." Lily grabbed Happy's hand and looked up at him. "Can we go on your bike?"

Happy chuckled. "There won't be any room for Tiny."

Lily shrugged. "She knows how to drive a car."

Before Happy could respond, Tiny spoke, slightly shaking her head. "No, Lily. No bike rides until you ask your mom or dad, okay?"

"Okay." Lily sighed. "Let's go have fun at the park."

"I'll drive." Happy said, after the three of them walked out of the house, then they got into the Tahoe and he drove off.

A/N: Yes, I know that I've abandoned some of my stories. My apologies. I'll try to start them back up again, but these story ideas I have for The Hobbit will not leave my mind. I can't help it, I LOVE that movie… actually, a certain sexy dwarf has plagued my thoughts. LOL. Honestly, I wasn't too happy about the ending. I seriously cried, like, a baby in the movie theater, because not having read the Hobbit book, at all, I was shocked and devestated. Anyways, back to what I was saying… once I, at least, have it written down, I'll work on other things. Don't worry my peeps. Hope you enjoyed this super long chapter and don't forget to R&R. Thanks a bunch.