Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy.
A/N: First off, I am really happy to see how well you guys have received First Love BS. I know some of you are not happy about including Tara in Jax and Jolene's back story, so I really appreciate all the alerts and the reviews I have received to date.
Reviews, however, have been a little on the low side. Your reviews really help me see how I'm doing, especially when you let me know if something particularly struck a chord with you, made you laugh or maybe even pissed you off a little. It let's me know that you guys care about the characters as much as I do. Every review therefore, is important to me, so please if you haven't had a chance before now, please review. My muse tends to go AWOL when I don't have reviews to feed it. LOL!
Also, just a heads up on Chapter 10 of All Roads Leads to Charming. It's in the works, but it's going to take me a little longer than usual as it is an epic chapter and I don't want to rush it because I want to get it just right. Also, it might be a little on the long side. Just saying.
"Move ya lazy arses!" Chibs yelled as the two Prospects worked doggedly in the Clubhouse. The after-Church party had been particularly wild and the Main Room was a mess. There were still several drunken Club members and scantily clad croweaters scattered around the room, which was also littered with empty liquor bottles, containers of food, and clothes strewn over the floors and furniture. "And I want the floor to shine like a mirror, or I'll know the reason why."
Chibs was sitting on top of the bar, with a bottle of Jameson in his hand as he oversaw the clean up detail. He looked up as Big Otto Delaney strolled out of the Chapel with their President.
Looking over the mess, Otto said to Clay, "It seems like someone forgot to clean up in here."
"Well, it better be clean by 3:00, or I'll have me a couple of new hides to put on the wall." Clay sneered.
"What the hell is this?" Big Otto barked as he pointed to a bucket of dirty water that was sitting in the middle of the room. "Yo, shithead!" Indicating the nearest Prospect, Otto called menacingly, "Don't you know anybody could slip and break their neck on this wet floor?"
The Prospect looked down at the floor. "What wet floor?"
The bucket suddenly tipped over and created a river in the Main Room. "That wet floor, idiot." Otto smiled brightly. "Clean it up. And before three, remember?"
As they walked out of the Clubhouse, Clay clapped his hand on brother's back. "You are one twisted son of a bitch, you know that?"
"Hell yeah!" Otto replied, laughing.
Opie glared at Jax. "What wet floor? Really?" He snarked. Nodding at the mess, Opie said to his best friend, "You're on your own, bro."
Jax sighed. Fuck!
Leaning against the car while Big Otto demonstrated how to change a timing belt on a BMW, Jolene looked up when she heard a familiar bike pull into the lot.
Jax parked in his designated spot and cut the engine on his Dyna-Glide. As he swung his leg over the bike and yanked off his helmet, shoving it onto the handlebars of his ride, Jolene could tell that Jax was pissed off to the extreme. Jolene was so engrossed in watching him that she didn't hear Otto ask for the torque wrench.
When he didn't get a response to his request, Big Otto pulled his head out from under the hood. Chuckling to himself, he saw that Jolene's attention had been redirected towards a certain young blond biker, who was currently making himself at home on top of the picnic table.
"Am I boring you?"
Jolene's head jerked as she heard Big Otto's quiet voice. "No, of course not, Big O." But Jolene's eyes betrayed her as they darted back to Jax, who was now smoking a cigarette.
Otto smiled to himself. Growing up on the T-M lot, many would argue, including her father, that Jolene's first love was cars. Otto knew that Clay was probably deluding himself into thinking his little grease monkey would never grow up because anyone with eyes could see that her first and only love was Jackson Teller.
"Oh, go on." As Jolene looked at Otto with a light in her green eyes, he nodded. "I think I can handle this on my own. Go take a break."
Wiping her oil-stained hands on a dirty rag hanging from her pocket, Jolene sauntered over to the picnic table and plopped herself down next to Jax. "Hey," She said breathlessly as if she had run a mile across the lot.
"Hey, little darlin'." Jax replied taking a deep drag on his cigarette.
Jolene took a minute to catch her breath. "Are you okay?" At Jax's look, she replied, "It's just that you look a little pissed. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Jax blew a long cloud of smoke towards the sky. Feeling like a royal asshole for even wanting to spill his guts, Jax decided to come clean to the one person, other than Opie, that he felt he could confide in.
"It's Tara. She's still bitching about me quitting school. Things got a little heated, that's all."
Both Jax and Opie had recently been asked to prospect by the Club, Bobby Elvis being their sponsor. The standard time before a Prospect could be invited to patch in was a minimum of a year. Only two months into their Prospect period, both Opie and Jax had decided to drop out of high school, to Tara's shock and amazement.
While Jolene was happy that Jax and Tara's relationship seemed to be finally heading towards skid row, she was glad that Tara's complaining had finally given her the opening she needed to tackle Jax on the subject.
Looking at the man who she wished didn't see her as just his little stepsister, Jolene replied, "I can't lie to you, Jax. I'm a little disappointed in you, too."
Jolene wished that she had a camera to capture the priceless expression on Jax's face.
Uh, huh. Didn't see that comin', did ya?
Of all of the people he expected support from as he prospected, Jax would have pegged Jolene as number one in his corner.
Jax finally regained his power of speech. "Disappointed? Why, because I want to patch into SAMCRO?" He asked incredulously. "I expect this shit from Tara, not you, Jo. I know I've told you before. All I've ever wanted from the time I was five was—"
"A Harley and a cut." Jolene finished for him. "I know, Jax, but that's not what I'm talking about. I know how much the patch means to you, and to Ope." Unlike your girlfriend, who doesn't have nor want a clue. "I'm talking about you quitting high school. A year is a year. Your probationary period's not gonna go any faster 'cause you quit school." Jolene wrinkled her nose. "I am so not a fan of your girlfriend, but I think she's right."
Jax scoffed at his stepsister. "What the hell do I need a diploma for? Am I going to hang it on the wall next to my mug shot?"
Jolene threw up her hands. "Okay, so a high school diploma isn't exactly a requirement to patch into SAMCRO. I just never took you for a quitter, to want the easy way out just to move along to the next step."
"Prospecting is not easy, Jo. Not by a long shot." Jax retorted.
"I'm not saying it is, but let me ask you, what would your father think about you dropping out?" Jolene inquired, looking at her fingernails as if Jax's answer was of no real consequence.
Throwing his cigarette on the ground, Jax gave Jolene a hard look. "That's a low blow, little darlin'."
"It wasn't meant as one, but whatever gets you thinking is fair game." Jolene retorted.
"My father was a smart man and he didn't need a college education to be the man he was."
"I agree, and unlike your girl, I'm not the one harping on you to go to college." Jolene replied.
Jax rubbed his face with both hands. "Then why are you harping on me?"
"Jax, you know I love SAMCRO, but most of the patches I've met don't have a tenth of the brain power JT did. Education is not high on their list of top priorities, so it's not all about just getting an education. To a lot of these men, actions speak louder than words. What kind of message do you think you and Ope are sending by quitting? Not finishing what you start? How much faith can they have in a Prospect that can't handle two difficult tasks at once?"
Jax opened his mouth to answer her, but decided to take a moment to really think about what she had said. A stray comment made by Kyle Hobart had made its way back to Jax. While Jax knew that Bobby wouldn't sponsor anyone he didn't believe was worthy of patching in, Kyle seemed to think that Jax didn't deserve the opportunity to prospect and wasted no time in letting his brothers know. Even Jax could tell that Kyle held little sway over those that sat at the table, but he continued dropping little seeds of doubt amongst the croweaters, who brought it back to the patches. Now Jolene had him wondering just how the Club viewed him dropping out and how it could affect his chances of patching in.
Realizing that what Jolene had to say made some sense, Jax sighed. "Maybe you have a point," He said as Jolene started to smile. "But Jo, the idea of going back to high school now—I just can't see it happening."
Jolene put a hand on his strong and well-muscled shoulder and it took everything within her not to blush. "Look, going back now would probably suck ass, so you don't have to."
Jax raised his eyebrow. "Jo, don't go acting like a woman on me now. I get enough of that shit from Tara." As Jolene's eyes narrowed, Jax continued. "You're confusing me, which is it—go back to school or don't go back?"
Jolene put a hand on her hip. "Smartass!" Clipping him on his shoulder with a small, but powerful fist, Jax grunted. "You can go for your G.E.D. At least you'll get to finish what you started. It may not seem like it's important now, but one day you may have a family and knowing you, you'll want your kids to look up to you. I've never known you to be a hypocrite, Jax. You wouldn't preach what you yourself haven't practiced, would ya?"
Looking at Jolene, Jax couldn't help but smile. She obviously thought more of him than he did of himself.
"Besides, it's not like you have to do it alone. I can help, drill you in stuff, whatever you need." Jolene offered. Realizing that she had given Jax enough to chew on for now, Jolene got up and headed back over to Big Otto. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she looked back at Jax. "Just think about it."
"Uh, hello." The voice on the other end of the line cracked nervously. "May I please speak to Jolene?"
Jax gripped the cordless phone with a look of astonishment on his face. It was not his habit to pick up the phone in the Teller-Morrow household, but Jolene asked him to grab it while she ran upstairs to collect the G.E.D. review materials for the prep session she had planned for him and Opie.
Finally managing to convince Jax and Opie to get their high school diploma, Jolene remained true to her word and was volunteering her time to help them study and prepare for the G.E.D. classes, twice, sometimes three times a week.
Not realizing that his best friend was behind him, leaning against the hallway entrance into the living room, Jax replied, "Who the hell is this?"
Opie raised an eyebrow, Jax's heated and nasty tone directed at the person on the other end of the line taking him by surprise.
Somehow, I don't think that call is for Gemma.
"Uh, my name is Denny Williams. I go to school with Jolene."
WTF? Jax looked at the phone incredulously. This little piece of shit can't possibly be calling for my little darlin'!
Jax was of two minds about this turn of events. While he was very well aware of Jolene's infatuation with him, in the end, he knew that she would eventually grow out of it and would get involved with boys of her own age. But the fact that it would happen gave him an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Despite the age difference between them, Jax had very special feelings for his stepsister. The idea that she could turn to one of her schoolmates after she finally realized that things were never going to happen between the two of them gave Jax pause. He would hate for her to make a rash decision, especially if her heart was vulnerable, and end up being a victim of any number of the perpetually horny teenage boys in her circle of friends.
Obviously, it was in Jolene's best interest that he get rid of this little turd and quick.
Turning back to the phone, Jax growled into the handset. "Do you have any idea who the fuck I am?"
The boy on the other line practically swallowed his tongue after hearing the terse reply coming from the angry young biker. "Uh, no sir."
"I'm Jolene's big brother and if you know what's good for you, you won't call here again. As a matter of fact, if you're smart, you'll spread the word among your little friends that Jolene is off-limits." Jax replied menacingly. "That is, unless you like the idea of me chaining you to the back of my Harley and taking you for a ride. We clear?"
A gulp came across the line. "Crystal." The next thing Jax heard was the sound of the line being disconnected.
Jax replaced the handset on its cradle and looked up as Jolene jogged down the stairs loaded with books in her arms. She had pencils and pens stuck haphazardly in her hair which she had pulled up into a top knot at the crown of her head. With tendrils of her hair falling down and framing her face, Jax realized to his utter amazement that his little stepsister was growing up.
"Who was that on the phone?" Jolene asked as she finally made it to the base of the steps.
Jax smiled crookedly as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "Uh, nobody. Wrong number."
Jolene headed towards the dining room. "Well, come on you two. We've got a shitload to cover today."
"That was certainly interesting."
Jax, sitting in his designated parking spot on the T-M lot, cut the motor on his bike and pulled off his helmet. "Yeah, I have to say, I think someday Jo's gonna make a really great teacher."
"Nah, that's not it." Opie hung his helmet off of one of the handlebars on his ride. "I mean your little conversation on the phone before our session with Jolene. Whose ass were you chewing on back there, brother?"
Jax pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Just some little twerp calling for Jo. No big deal."
"I don't know, Jax. It sure sounded like a big deal to me." Opie folded his arms as he leaned against his bike.
Jax blew out a trail of smoke. "Look, Ope. I'm just watching out for her, that's all. You know what people think about MCs in general, especially the women associated with them. I just don't want any of these little dicks thinking that they can push up on her. I would've thought that you wouldn't want anybody trying shit with her either."
"Hey, of course I wouldn't. I'm just saying that Jo's a pretty tough chick. She knows how to handle her shit. I just don't want my best friend getting a new asshole ripped into him by little sis if she should find out that you're scaring off potential love interests." Deciding to yank on Jax's chain by playing Devil's Advocate, Opie called out over his shoulder as he headed to the Clubhouse, "After all, Jo's growing up. She won't be crushing on you forever."
It was a late Friday evening when Jolene decided to make herself at home in her father's man cave. With everyone at the Clubhouse enjoying Friday night festivities, the coast was clear for Jolene to sneak downstairs to enjoy her father's new big screen TV. The man cave was a hodgepodge of ultra man-sized furniture in a variety of colors, sizes and materials and it was probably Jolene's most favorite room in the house.
Clay had declared his den "a home-decorating free zone" the moment they had moved in a couple of years ago, refusing to let Gemma put her design skills to use, which irked her to no end.
"You can trick out the rest of house any which way you want," Clay had declared, "But this space is MINE!"
The room definitely reeked of testosterone. With dark paneling on the walls covered with old photographs from Clay's days in Vietnam and the early days of SAMCRO and the dark brown wood blinds on the small windows, the room had a cave-like feel to it. The room was big enough for several sofas, some leather, some upholstered in a dark patchwork design, a large mahogany coffee table and a couple of mismatched end tables and lamps. A large desk was situated in the corner of the room and was surrounded by several built-in bookcases filled with books, including Sun Tzu's Art of War and Machiavelli's The Prince. The room just screamed "No Girls Allowed" and that was exactly how Clay liked it.
Jolene had always loved her father's den and had spent many hours in it with him just hanging out while Gemma was out and about with Luann or doing retail therapy with the rest of the old ladies in San Leandro. However, with the brand new boxy-looking 50-inch projection television, the room now had an even more special appeal to Jolene.
Jolene was practically lost in the deep cushiony oversized patchwork sofa. She was wearing a big and fluffy white robe and her favorite barber pole striped wooly socks, a gift from Jax from his first official run to Eureka. With her warm and toasty feet propped up on the coffee table and a large bowl of homemade hot and spicy buttered popcorn in her lap, Jolene sighed contentedly as she watched Richard Gere and Julia Roberts flirt as they sat in a piano bar of an exclusive hotel.
"What are you doing in here?"
Jolene gave a little squeal and nearly upended the bowl of popcorn in her lap. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Jax standing in the doorway. The blond biker was leaning casually against the door frame. Wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, baggy jeans, sneakers, and, of course, his prospect cut, Jax was looking particularly fine that evening.
Jolene tried not to swallow her tongue. "What are you trying to do, kill me so you won't have to buy me a birthday present this year?" Jolene did her best to sound pissed instead of love struck.
"I won't have to kill ya 'cause you're as good as dead if you mess up Clay's new TV." Strolling into the room, Jax leaned down over Jolene, stretched out a hand, and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Damn, Jo, you like a little popcorn with your butter?"
"Oh, please, you know that's how you like it, too." Jolene barely managed to snark. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" She looked at her watch. "It's only 11:00. The after-Church party has barely had a chance to heat up."
"And what would you know about that?" Jax said as he reached for another handful of popcorn.
Damn, Jo does make a mean bowl of popcorn.
"Maybe you've forgotten, but I've been around a while now. And you still haven't answered my question."
To be honest, Jax wasn't exactly sure.
Jolene was right, the party had most definitely been jumping. In fact, he had been having a great time. That is, until Tara lost her mud.
One of the older sweetbutts, a red-headed woman named Gigi had been steadily making advances towards Jax all night and right in front of Tara, no less. Jax had ignored her for the most part, but when Tara was confronted by Gigi, who was quick to tell her that her services were no longer required, Tara lost her grip. It took several brothers to break up the cat fight and after cleaning his girlfriend up, Jax took Tara home. While part of him felt an obligation to stay with her, especially as her father was working nights again, Jax didn't feel like dealing with the drama of the situation. But, strangely enough, he didn't feel like going back to the Clubhouse either. Instead, he found himself heading home, curious to see what Jolene was up to on a Friday night.
Deciding not to re-hash the night's events, Jax shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I had the same idea as you. Thought it would be nice to chill out and watch a little boob tube. I didn't expect to find you in here watching chick flicks, though."
Not believing her good fortune of having an evening all to herself with Jax, Jolene smiled roguishly. "Well, if you want to hang with me, I'm afraid watching chick flicks is the price of admission." She said smartly. "So, are you in or are you chicken?" She challenged.
Jax quickly rounded the sofa and, before Jolene realized what he was doing, sat down on the sofa next to her, grabbed the bowl of popcorn and placed it in his lap. Stretching out on the full length of the sofa, Jax placed his head in her lap and sighed contentedly as he quickly started eating more of the buttery, spicy popcorn.
Oh. My. GOD!
Jolene was almost frozen in her shock as she peeked down at the pretty blond biker whose head was currently resting comfortably in her lap.
As a young child, while still living with her mother, Jolene had suffered nerve damage as a result of nearly being frost-bitten due to exposure. Because of that, Jolene was always cold and could never seem to get warm enough. With Jax's body heat slowly seeping into her, Jolene nearly moaned at the sheer pleasure of it.
D is not going to BELIEVE THIS!
"Hey, if I have to watch this chick flick, why don't you at least turn up the volume?" Jax ordered.
First shaking, then nodding her head, Jolene's hand trembled as she reached for the remote. Turning up the sound, which Jolene desperately hoped muffled the sound of her rapidly beating heart, she spent the rest of the night making popcorn and watching movies with the love of her life's head in her lap.
"I'm telling you, D. He's coming around." Jolene crowed.
The two girls were sitting together in a quiet corner of Charming Public Library. Jolene had put in a full Saturday morning working at the garage before she was able to escape Gemma's eagle eyes so that she could go "study" at the library. It was the first time that Jolene had an opportunity to fill in her best friend on the details of her first Friday night "date" with Jackson Teller.
With several opened, but unstudied books on the table in front of them, Jolene, in a hushed whisper, gave Donna a blow-by-blow of last night's events.
Donna was suitably impressed with the retelling as Jolene rhapsodized over the intimate time she had spent with her "old man".
After finishing Pretty Woman, Jolene had made another batch of fresh popcorn while they stayed up and, at Jax's coaxing, switched to watching slasher movies.
"Thank God it was all stuff I had already seen because I have absolutely no idea what was playing."
"God, Jo. What time did you finish up?"
"Not until about 4:00 in the morning." Jolene sighed dramatically. "The best part, aside from his head in my lap, had to be watching the slasher flicks. I'd pretend to be all scared and shit and I jumped him a few times before he put his arm around me!"
Donna's eyes rounded to the size of dinner plates. "Shut up!"
"Let me tell you, his chest is as hard as a rock." Jolene sighed dreamily. "And D, we just didn't watch movies. We talked and talked, oh, about everything."
"What I wanna know is why wasn't he hanging out at the Clubhouse? Didn't you tell me there's a big party going on every Friday night?"
"Apparently the party was a bust. I got the lowdown from Lowell this morning, who heard what went down from Tig. NP got into a fight with one of the croweaters and Jax took her home. I guess he's getting tired of the drama because he seemed to be exactly where he wanted to be last night. With me! I'm telling you, NP is on her way out the door!" Jolene crossed her arms under her A-cup bosom and winced slightly.
As happy as Donna was for her best friend after what surely had been a special night for her with the love of her life, Donna still wasn't sold on the idea that things were turning around for the better. Still, she decided that at least for now she would continue to be supportive of her friend's feelings. From experience, first crushes usually come to disappointing ends all on their own.
Realizing that she just saw her BFF wincing in what seemed like pain, Donna nodded sympathetically towards Jolene's growing rack. "A little painful, huh?"
"Uh, ya think?" Jolene tried to discreetly adjust her bra. "You couldn't clue a sister in to the fact that the girls coming in wouldn't be a pain-free process?"
"What did you expect?" Donna shot back. "It's kind of like teething. Same principle."
"Like I remember teething, bitch. Between this and the PMS'ing, I'm about to flip the fuck out."
"You don't say?" Donna replied in mock shock. "You'll live. It's all a part of growing up. It's painful now, but once you're done, hopefully your body will catch up with your attitude and give you all the ammunition you need to snag Jax." Donna giggled softly. "Until that happens, what's the plan going forward?"
"Keep hope alive." Jolene snarked as she wriggled her eyebrows.
Donna opened her mouth to respond when she spotted two teenage boys bee-lining it to their table. Donna's eyes widened when she recognized one of them. "Don't look now, but I think Denny's coming over here."
Jolene rolled her eyes. "Oh, God. Not today." She moaned.
It was Donna's turn to roll her eyes at her best friend. At 16, Denny Williams was the most popular boy in their school. Denny was 6'1, good-looking, and well-built with wavy dark hair and hazel eyes. He almost looked out of place in high school. The sophomore was Captain of Excelsior Prep's basketball team and President of the Math Club, making him popular with the jocks and the geeks, as well as teachers. Rumor had it that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Captain of the Pep Squad and a cute little blonde name Charlotte. From what Donna had been able to gather, Denny was in the market for a new girlfriend. It was apparent to anyone that kept up with idle gossip, namely Donna, that he was singling out freshman Jolene Morrow for the privilege.
Unfortunately, Jolene couldn't be bothered to give him the time of day.
"Hey. Hi, Jolene." Denny stood in front of the two girls, with his sidekick and teammate Pete Tarnowski standing beside him.
"Oh, hey Denny." Jolene said with a lackluster tone in her voice, his intense scrutiny making her a little self-conscious. Did budding breasts send out a signal that would immediately have the boys circling like sharks?
"So I guess you heard that the Panthers made it to the quarterfinals. We're playing the Warriors next week." Denny said, referring to the team for Modesto High School and Excelsior's arch rivals. "Will I see you at the game?" He flashed her with a bright smile.
Jolene felt kind of bad about Denny. He was a really nice guy, smart, too, but she wasn't into him like that. She had to nip this in the bud because she didn't want to lead him to believe otherwise.
"No, I can't make it, but I wish you and the team all the best. I know the Panthers will represent Excelsior Prep well." Jolene stood up and packed up her messenger bag and Donna quickly followed suit. "We have to go. Donna's mom is picking us up out front."
Donna headed towards the back of the library. "I have to make a pit stop. I'll meet you outside, Jo."
As Donna exited the Women's bathroom and headed towards the exit, she noticed Denny and his friend standing off to the side so deep in conversation that they didn't even notice her. As she passed them down the aisle, something Pete said caught her attention. Ducking behind a bookshelf where she would remain hidden as she eavesdropped, Donna strained her ears to listen.
"She most certainly did blow you off, man." Pete was saying as Denny flipped through a book, not really paying attention to the contents.
"No, she didn't. She's probably shy, that's all." Denny replied a little annoyed.
"Jolene Morrow? Shy?" Pete laughed. "Nah, man. Those two realities do not go together."
"Well, if she did blow me off, maybe her brother's pressuring her to."
"Yeah, well, if that's the case, she may be hot, but it's not worth it." Pete opined, causing Denny to glare at his friend. "Hey, all I'm saying is her brother has a bit of a reputation for being a hothead and he's a biker, too. Don't they travel in packs?"
"What? You think I'm afraid of her brother?" Denny snapped the book shut. He was always up for a challenge. Denny had only backed down on the telephone because the biker had caught him off guard.
"You should be. He said he was gonna chain you to his bike and take you for a ride. Sounds like he put a lot of thought into it, man. If I was you, I'd leave her alone."
Donna was struck dumb and immobilized as Denny threw his book back onto the shelf and walked away from Pete, more than a little pissed with his friend and Jolene's brother.
"Holy shit!" Donna squealed to herself as she turned tail and headed outside.
Jax was determined not to think about Tara Knowles on what was probably the best night of his life.
After going through the living hell of being a SAMCRO Prospect, Jax leaned back in his chair and reverently ran his hand over the cut that now sported his top rocker. He had finally earned the privilege of wearing the Reaper on his back and he was determined to enjoy the fuck out of this moment.
His probationary year had not been an easy one, but Jax had put his full effort and time into the Club, surviving the hazing, the insults, and the grunt work. Now, recalling the words spoken by his President during the patch ceremony, came the truly hard work of proving himself worthy of his patch everyday.
Being a fully patched member meant his brothers trusted him blindly and in the coming weeks they would prove just how much. This evening, along with their patches, Jax and Opie had received their first real assignment for the Club, a run to the Canadian border with two Tacoma brothers, Happy and Kozik. As First 9 progeny, Clay felt that both young brothers had been exposed to enough of the Life within the Clubhouse walls to know exactly how the MC earned. In the days to come, they were going to learn first hand the business of gun-running, a partnership created by JT himself between the Sons and the True IRA.
As proud as Jax was of his cut, the Reaper hadn't been his only achievement in recent months.
After being nagged mercilessly by Jolene for weeks, Jax and Opie had earned their high school equivalency diploma. At times, Jax felt that Jolene had rode them harder than any patch in the Clubhouse ever had. At least twice a week, Jolene would transform from his favorite little grease monkey into a strict and unyielding schoolmarm.
She's tough, Jax smiled to himself, but smart as hell.
After all the work and effort Jolene had put into getting them ready, come test time, Jax was more worried about letting her down than he was about failing. As it turned out, there had been no reason to sweat as both Jax and Opie passed on their first try and with pretty impressive scores.
Not surprisingly, Jolene had been right all along. After learning from Jolene that Jax and Opie had passed, Big Otto had pulled Jax aside and congratulated him for finishing what he started. In Otto's mind, it was a big accomplishment and showed stones that they chose to finish their education.
Grinning, Jax watched as Ope, who had been enjoying the company of two sweetbutts, one sitting on each leg, got up and headed towards to his new dorm to celebrate. Sitting at the table, with a red-head perched on his lap, Jax was having a great time. The patch party was rocking, with the jukebox blasting Metallica and chaos in the Main Room so amped up that he could barely hear himself think.
Suddenly, a shot glass was slammed down on the table in front of Jax. Smiling, Bobby Elvis sat across the table and toasted the newest Son. "Your dad would be really proud of you, Jax."
Jax felt a momentary fleeting sense of sadness. How he would have loved to have had his father and brother there to witness him joining the brotherhood that his father had co-founded with his best friend Piney Winston, the father of his own best friend.
Jax cleared his throat. "Yeah, I know."
"We're expecting a lot of good things from you." Bobby said on a slightly serious note. "I know you are going to be an asset to the Club." Giving him a wink, Bobby stood up. "And I know a lot of good things are going to happen for you."
Jax knew that Bobby was right. He had been preparing for this his whole life and Jax was prepared to dedicate his life to the brotherhood. The one thing he had not been prepared for, however, were things not turning out as planned with Tara.
Jax had hoped that the woman he had hope to make his old lady would have a change of heart and at least make an appearance tonight, but it was going on 1:00 in the morning and there had been no sign of her.
Although Tara had been mollified when he told her about getting his G.E.D., she quickly jumped on the college bandwagon. When Jax refused to discuss a path that did not include SAMCRO, Tara finally came clean about her real feelings regarding the Club.
Jax had been lying in her bed after making love to her and had been in a good frame of mind. That is, until Tara broached the subject of leaving SAMCRO and Charming. To say that he was stunned was putting it mildly.
The discussion quickly escalated into an argument of epic proportions and Jax stomped out of her house. A week later, after getting the news that he and Ope would be patched in, Jax had gone to her house hoping that at the very least she would be happy for him. Instead, he found Tara was MIA and not returning his calls. After a week with no contact, Jax had given in and called and left a message on her machine inviting her to the party, but now, with Tara a no-show, Jax was starting to fear that she was out of his life for good.
"Hey, sugar." The sweetbutt who had made herself at home in his lap without an invitation bent over and nibbled on his ear. "Why don't you give me the grand tour of your new dorm?" Gigi smiled down at the young blond biker. "I've got a housewarming present for you." She said coyly.
Suddenly, Jax became enraged, but not at Gigi. It was Tara who should be here celebrating with him. Jax smirked to himself, feeling the effects of one too many shots of Jack. If Tara thought she was going to control him with pussy, then she had another think coming.
What the hell, he thought.
Standing up, Jax quickly threw the sweetbutt over his shoulder and headed for his dorm, to Gigi's utter and screaming delight.
"How's it looking under there, little darlin'?" Jax asked as he searched for an impact wrench on the work table behind the white Subaru Legacy. Hearing a muffled reply, Jax turned and looked down to see Jolene's booted-feet sticking out from underneath the car. "Are you gargling marbles 'cause I didn't understand a word of that."
Rolling herself out on the creeper she was resting on, Jolene wiped her sweaty brow leaving a grease smudge on her forehead.
"I said 'it looks like shit'. Leaking transmission fluid is the least of its problems. The whole front end of the chassis is corroded." Jolene put the wrench on her flat tummy and flashed rust-stained jazz hands at Jax. "Everything I touch turns to dust."
"Did you see where the leak's coming from?" Jax squatted next to her.
"Between the block and the transmission. The pushrod is missing a seal."
"We're gonna have to put it on the lift." Jax declared. "Good job." He smiled as he pulled a somewhat clean rag from the back pocket of his work pants and wiped the smudge off her face.
Sitting up on the creeper, Jolene cocked her head at Jax. "What's this 'we' business? I offered to help with the leak. Anything involving the lift sounds like an all day job."
"No good deed goes unpunished, little darlin'." Jax snarked, barely dodging the greasy rag Jolene chucked at his head.
"Yeah, I'm starting to learn that real quick around here."
"Maybe you need to screw up every once in a while 'cause you're getting too good for your own good." Jax advised.
"Eh, what else am I gonna do with my Saturdays?" Jolene replied, sitting with her elbows resting on her bent knees.
"How old are you again?" Jax cocked an eyebrow at her. "Because you sure don't sound like any teen I know."
Jolene pulled off her Reaper Crew cap and undid her ponytail in order to pull back stray hairs that were getting on her nerves. Watching her fuss with her hair, Jax leaned against the work table and lit a cigarette.
"What about you?" Jolene asked.
"What about me?"
"After last night, I sure wasn't expecting to see you up bright and early and working in the garage." Jolene replied.
"Trust me, after last night, I wasn't expecting that either." Jax started and contemplated leaving it at that, but as usual, he found himself wanting to share too much information with Jolene. "The patch party was great. It was the morning after that sucked."
"What happened?" She asked, momentarily distracted by the sound of a car entering the lot. Jax was about to tell her about getting busted with Gigi in his bed this morning by Tara, but Jolene suddenly squealed. Lying down again on the creeper, she pulled herself under the car. "Make him go away, Jax!"
"What?" Jax asked confused. He pushed himself away from the work table as he watched a black Camaro pull into a spot and a young man wearing an Excelsior Varsity jacket jump out of the driver's seat.
"That's Denny Williams." Jolene replied and Jax's ear perked up at the familiar sounding name. "He's gonna ask me to go to homecoming. Make him go away."
Oh yes I will! Jax felt his eye twitch.
As Jax made his way to the garage entrance, Denny chuckled to himself. Even though he didn't know Jax Teller personally, he knew of him.
Great, now I'm going to have to get past Jolene's brother in order to talk to her.
"Can I help you?" Jax flicked his cigarette and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, maybe." Denny started. "I called the office earlier and was told I could find Jolene Morrow here at the garage. Have you seen her?"
"And you are?"
"I'm Denny Williams." Denny extended his hand, which Jax had no intention of shaking. After half a minute, Denny put his hand down. "I believe we spoke over the phone once."
Jax raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you do remember. What? You here for that ride I offered?"
Denny smiled. He was really starting to dislike this guy, but he wasn't about to back down.
"No." Denny said simply, crossing his arms over his own well-muscled chest. "I think I made my reason for being here quite clear."
Jax flashed Denny a feral grin. "That makes two of us because I could have sworn I made myself crystal clear to you before. Jolene's off-limits, so get back in your little cage and get the fuck off the lot before I wrap a chain around your neck and take you off the lot myself."
"Really?" Denny was still smiling. "Am I supposed to run and jump in my car because I'm afraid that the big bad biker will get me?"
"Run, don't run. No skin off my ass, but I will kill you, if that's what you're asking."
Denny looked into Jax's steely blue glare and could see that he was being deadly serious.
Shaking his head slightly, Denny said, "Come on, man. All I want is to talk to Jolene."
Looking at the earnest kid, Jax could tell he wasn't half bad. Under different circumstances, he may have backed off (maybe not), but Jolene wanted him gone and gone he was going.
Backing up and without breaking eye contact with Denny, Jax yanked a heavy iron chain used to hoist engines out of cars off its rig. His eyes suddenly wide with panic, Denny maintained his cool, but threw his hands up.
"Okay, I get it. I'm going." Denny said before turning around and heading to his car.
"Was it something I said?" Jax called out after him, a grin threatening to split his face in half as he casually draped the chain over his shoulders.
Hearing the peeling of tires as Denny tore out of the parking lot, Jolene pulled herself out from underneath the car.
Seeing Jax wearing the chain like a feather boa, Jolene shook her head as she walked over to him. "Please tell me you didn't threaten to tie him to the back of your bike with that thing?"
"You told me to get rid of him." Jax exclaimed, the picture of innocence.
"Yeah, I did, but I didn't mean 'get rid of him'." Jolene emphasized with air quotes. "You probably shaved ten years off his life."
"Whatever works, right?" Jax smiled. "Come on, let's get back to work."
"Poor Denny. I sometimes forget how scary you can be." Jolene followed Jax to the rig and helped him thread the chain back on.
"Whaaat? You forget?" Jax said in mock disbelief. "I don't intimidate you?"
"Pffft! You intimidate me?" Jolene laughed, hoping to sound casual. "Nah, you're nothing if not a big mush."
"Hey!" Jax pointed a finger at her. "Don't let that spread. Besides, I'm only nice to you."
"You're an ass, but thanks for getting rid of Denny for me." Forgetting herself, Jolene tiptoed and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna get the keys so we can move this thing onto the lift."
Taken by surprise, Jax shook his head and smiled as he watched her bounce into the office.
Jolene was sitting comfortably at the counter of Nicky's Diner sharing a basket of fries with her BFF. Between them sat a bowl of what Nicky called his special "fry sauce" but which was actually nothing more than ketchup, mayo, and Tabasco.
Donna was alternately dipping fries into the sauce and popping them into her mouth and shaking her head as Jolene finished telling her about Jax's run in with Denny earlier in the day.
"I don't get you, Jo. Denny's a nice guy. What's so bad about him wanting to take you to homecoming?" Donna asked, wiping her fingers on her napkin before taking a sip from her glass of Cherry Coke.
"First of all, I wouldn't be caught dead at the homecoming dance," Jolene started as Donna sighed exasperated. "And I already told you, I'm not looking for a boyfriend because I'm waiting for that special someone."
Donna paused as she was about to dip her fry. "So, it doesn't bother you at all that Jax has chased Denny away before today?"
Jolene rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? This just proves that he is in total denial about us. He knows I'm meant to be his, but he can't see past my age and the fact that our parents are married."
"Well, I don't know about all that," Donna replied. "But at the very least, now that he has scared Denny off for good, you shouldn't have any more problems with guys running you down for a while."
Jolene smiled. "That's the best part. Denny pulled out of the parking lot so fast, he's probably in New York by now." She cackled.
Donna shook her head as she looked at her friend. In her opinion, Jax's scare tactics, while supremely entertaining, were only a momentary stopgap. Although Jax didn't seem to recognize it, puberty was at work in one Jolene Morrow. Denny wasn't the only guy in Excelsior Prep who had noticed that Jolene was changing. Although Jolene's transformation was something of a slow burn, sooner or later, Donna was sure that it would explode and Jax would find it difficult in his capacity as an older stepbrother to stop the tide of Charming's young men from swamping the Morrows' doorstep.
Unfortunately for them, Donna was very sure of her obsessive friend. Jolene would be no more interested in them then than she was now.
Donna knew that when Jolene finally finished her transformation, Jax Teller had better look out, 'cause Jolene Morrow would be gunning for him, and if she knew her BFF, the poor guy didn't stand a chance.
With her father and Big Otto on a run to Eureka and Gemma and Luann having a girls' day at a spa in Stockton, Jolene was hanging out at the Clubhouse on a boring Sunday afternoon. Donna had gone out of town for her family's annual family reunion, so rather than hang out at home alone, Jolene gave Opie a call and had hitched a ride on the back of his bike to the T-M lot.
Sitting at the bar, Jolene watched with fascination as Piney knocked back what had to be his tenth shot of tequila, yet he managed to look as sober as a judge.
"Damn, old man," Opie shook his head. "It's only 1:00. Haven't you had enough already?"
Piney looked at Opie with red-rimmed eyes. "Son, believe me. When you've lived the life I have, waking up every morning still shocks the shit out of me. I'll be damned if I take waking up tomorrow for granted, so shut up and let me enjoy my drink 'cause each one may be my last. You don't like it, go shit a brick."
Chuckling, Jolene turned to Piney and said, "Eh, don't listen to him. Ope's just jealous 'cause I don't think he inherited the gene that can help him hold his liquor."
"Oh, and you can?" Opie shot back. However, when he saw the gleam of determination in her eyes, Opie held up a large index finger. "Jo, I love you like the sister I never had, so don't you even think about it or I'm gonna have to rat you out." He warned.
Jolene was no stranger to alcohol. Being brought up in the MC world, liquor was always readily available in the Clubhouse if one knew how to get to it. However, Jolene often had it right under her father's nose at their dinner table, taking sips of his beer when he wasn't paying attention.
The idea of learning how to drink tequila shots from a master sounded great to Jolene, especially since her dad wasn't around so neither she nor Piney would catch hell.
Quickly turning on the stool to face Piney, Jolene waved Opie off. "Don't be a mother hen, Ope. I can do this."
"Do what?" Jax strolled into the Main Room heading towards the bar as he shrugged into his cut.
Piney laughed. "My young friend here," He started, wrapping a meaty arm around Jolene's dainty shoulders. "Believes she can handle her liquor and I think this is something I need to see."
"Wait a minute, old man." Jax said exasperated. "Now I know you must be drunk if you think a 14 year old should be learning to drink that shit."
Piney waved off Jax's misgivings. "Ah, screw you! A girl needs to know how to handle her liquor and if there's anyone that can do it, it's this kid. I have no doubt that she can probably drink you two dicks under the table." Looking at Jax and Opie and giving them a quick wink, Piney roared at the Club's current Prospect who was manning the bar, "Hey, shithead! Bring another shot glass for my friend here."
Jolene beamed as the Prospect brought a glass and set it in front of her. Piney picked up the already more than half-depleted bottle of Patron and poured both him and Jolene a shot without spilling one drop, to the amazement of all four people at the bar.
Piney set the bottle down and picked up his glass. "Now, you could do this all fancy, with the salt and the lime and all that happy shit, but a real man prefers his tequila straight." Holding up his glass, Piney sighed. "Look at it, the color, the texture, the smell; it's a beautiful thing. Now," pointing a finger to Jolene, "Watch and learn." Piney brought the glass to his lips, quickly tipped his hand so that the liquid poured effortlessly into his mouth, hitting the back of his throat and creating a fiery trail to his gut. He slammed the shot glass upside down on the bar.
Piney looked at Jolene and smiled. "Your turn."
Jolene looked at Piney, Opie and Jax and then, just as easy as you please, picked up the shot glass and in a fairly good imitation of her teacher, knocked the tequila back and slammed the glass on the bar.
Oh. My. GOD!
As the fiery liquid blazed a trail down her throat, through her esophagus and into her stomach, Jolene gasped, trying to catch her breath and began to cough and retch.
My mouth is on fire, my throat is on fire, my belly is a freaking volcano!
Opie shook his head ruefully as he forcefully slapped Jolene on the back. "Just breathe, Jo, you'll get through it."
Jolene frantically waved him away. "What are you trying to do, beat me to death with those meat hooks of yours?" Jolene was finally able to come up for air. Her head felt dizzy, like she was swimming in a fog and her entire body felt like someone turned up the furnace. She was sweating and her mouth and nose burned from the liquor.
And then she turned to Piney. "Again!"
Piney let out a belly laugh. "That's my girl!" and poured two more shots.
Jax had had enough. "Okay, I think the bar is closed."
Turning to address Jax in order to inform him that he should mind his own damn business, Jolene swung her hand up to put it on her hip. Unfortunately for Opie, she missed.
Jax stood open mouthed as his friend went down like one of the Redwood trees on Elliott Oswald's land. Clutching at his balls, Opie let out a long moan as his father laughed hysterically. "Gawd, that had to hurt."
Jolene, whose head was currently spinning out of control, was too intent on getting her next drink down to notice the fact that she had knocked a patched member on his ass. Before Jax could stop her, the second shot followed the first.
For the first time in his life, Jax saw Jolene's complexion go from its healthy golden tone to a bright pink, followed by a pasty yellow, and finally a pale green. Weaving back and forth on the bar stool, with her hand clutched to her stomach, Jolene suddenly realized that her stolen sips of her father's beer had in no way prepared her for the gut-wrenching and mind-blowing feeling of 80 proof tequila.
When Jax saw Jolene clap her hand over his mouth and her eyes threatening to roll to the back of her head, he knew what was about to happen. Moving quickly, he swept Jolene up into his arms and ran for the Clubhouse bathroom. Bursting in, he dropped Jolene by the toilet bowl and held her thick and lustrous curls away from her face as the teenage girl bowed for the first time before the porcelain god.
And, thanks to Piney for opening Pandora's Box, it wouldn't be the last time Jax had his hands full of inebriated pussy in the form of his stepsister. Little did Jax know that eventually tequila plus Jolene would equal the love of a lifetime.
A/N: The final chapter of First Love BS will be up by the end of this week. I've really enjoyed writing these prequels and one shots in order to give more detail on Jaxene's canon. I'm not done yet. There's another prequel in the works, which will detail Jax and Jolene's history before the events in Charming's Worst Kept Secret.