"Son of bitch," Veronica muttered under her breath.

Although apparently not under enough, as Tara quickly let out a very offended "Excuse me?"

"Not you," V explained harshly, swatting away the suggestion. "Just…well, my entire life actually."

Tara stared at her with a look of puzzlement. Initially, V thought she was trying to figure out her statement, but the way Tara kept searching her face, her eyes squinting slightly, suggested it was really because she was trying to figure out who she was. She considered giving the poor girl a hint, but quickly decided against it. Truth was, it was rather amusing to watch the perfect Tara Knowles struggle and Veronica was really enjoying having the upper hand. She actually thought about striking a few poses for her own sarcastic sense of entertainment. However, she figured if Tara was still half as serious as she used to be, she would miss the humor. And there was nothing worse than a good bit of smartassery going to waste.

"Veronica?" Tara finally guessed, in what was probably a much shorter time frame than it actually felt like.

"Unfortunately, it would seem," V replied with a half-hearted smile.

She really had to fight the urge to curtsy and add a "your majesty" at the end of her statement. Something about seeing Tara seemed to be bringing out her cheeky nature even more than usual, and she wasn't exactly sure why. Perhaps it was the only way she knew how to react to the awkwardness that was occurring. After all, she did have a history of reacting poorly whenever uncomfortable social situations arose.

Then again, maybe it was just because she had never particularly liked Tara and actually being nice to her took more effort than she would care to admit.

"Wow, you sure look…" Tara began with wide eyes, as she searched for the right word and stared at Veronica's cleavage in the mean time. "…grown up."

And with such a sincere compliment as that, was it any wonder why she wasn't a card carrying member of the Tara fan club? On the one hand, it wasn't like she was blatantly suggesting that she looked like a porn star, so that was refreshing. Yet the underlying message felt like it was definitely along the same lines, especially since the bitch was staring at her chest and throwing major shade. Yes world, Veronica Morrow was a woman and now, very clearly, had a woman's body. And yes, being a 36 D, the navy and floral satin tank top she was wearing probably looked a tad bit more scandalous than it would on a girl who was less endowed. But choosing to be cute and fashionable did not make her a skank, or attention whore, or whatever else everyone seemed to think about her. So, as far as she was concerned, Tara could just kiss her ass.

"Yeah, that tends to happen after ten years," she finally retorted, not bothering to hide the hateful bite behind it.

Tara smiled tightly. "I guess it does."

The pair stood in awkward silence for a moment, neither sure what to say, neither impressed with the other. V had been sixteen when Tara left and they obviously hadn't exactly been friends before that. In fact, Tara pretty much ignored her most of the time, which was probably just as well. On the rare occasion that the two had interacted, Tara had been polite enough, but Veronica always felt like she resented her for some odd reason.

Okay, so it could have been because Tara knew she was secretly in love with her boyfriend. But let's be real, it wasn't like she ever actually stood a chance anyway. Hell, she wasn't even a potential threat, she was just his annoying step-sister. Tara was his goddamn world.

She'd never told anyone this, but it had always amazed her that she had somehow managed to get Jax in the end. It was like a fairy tale, or at the very least, the plot to one of those annoying, but so damn catchy Taylor Swift songs. However, she may have been happy, but she wasn't delusional. Everyone, including her, knew that she and Jax never would have been a thing if Tara hadn't left.

"Well," Tara said, breaking first. "I should probably go, my shift at the hospital starts at four so…."

"Oh, are you a nurse?" Veronica asked curiously.

And there was the fake ass smile again, the one that Veronica wanted so desperately to slap off her face. "Doctor actually. Neo-natal surgeon."

"Well good for you," Veronica said genuinely impressed, but also totally annoyed.

Of course she would be a surgeon for babies, because being a nurse, or even a general practitioner, was too low for the great Tara. And the admirable surgeon probably operated on Jax's son too, which would more than explain Tig's comment yesterday about doctor pussy. It would also explain why Gemma was trying so hard to force her on Jax; to keep him from running back to Tara. However, Gemma was failing to realize that first love/son savior trumped rebound step-sister every time .

Not to mention the fact that Veronica wasn't interested in playing a game of re-win Jax Teller's heart.

"It was good seeing you, Veronica," Tara said, easing her way to the parking lot.

Veronica took her turn at the fake smiling bit. "You too, Tara."

As she started making her way back to the chili station, Veronica attempted to process what was happening, and all she was left with was a hell of a lot of questions. For starters, had Tara come back for Jax, or was Gemma just making assumptions and trying to delay the inevitable? Then there was the question of what she was going to do now that she knew what Gemma was up to. Did she confront her on her manipulative mind games, or just continue playing her part as the naive step-daughter? And then there was Jax to consider. Did she clue him in on what his mother was up to, or go on and let the chips fall where they may? So many damn questions, so much stupid drama.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is why she hated small towns.

But of all the questions she had, there was one in particular that was eating away at her. Why, she didn't know, god knew it wouldn't change anything. Yet she couldn't help but wonder if Tara knew about her and Jax.

"You, pretty lady, look like you could use a burger," a male voice called out from her right.

Veronica turned to see a tall lanky guy who looked to be in his mid to late thirties working the grill at the Charming PD booth. He had slightly salt and peppery hair and a nice enough face, even though his eyes were hidden behind a pair of Aviators. Actually, for a run of the mill looking guy, she supposed one might find him attractive. You know, if you were into the boy next door type.

"No thanks," she replied with a polite smile.

"Oh come on, you look like you could stand to eat one."

While she wasn't quite sure what he was implying, she admired his efforts. Regardless, she honestly planned on turning him down again. Then, as if on cue, her stomach growled.

"Oh, alright," she conceded as she began digging through her purse for some cash.

"Don't worry about that," he said when he noticed. "This one's on the house."

Ignoring him, Veronica continued digging until she finally pulled out a five spot. "This is a fundraiser dude," she said, attempting to hand it to him. "Are you telling me you're seriously going to deny the music program my donation?"

He put down his spatula for a second and reached into his pocket. Pulling out his wallet, he took out five dollars and handed them to the officer collecting the cash. "Looks like it's already been taken care of."

Not one to take a handout from anyone, especially a man, V moved over towards the cash guy and thrust the bill in front of him. The guy smiled, but also refused her money. "It seems your money's no good here, Sweetheart"

"Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes as she reluctantly stuffed the money back into her bag before turning to Mr. Sunglasses. "Thanks, I guess."

As she moved down to the end of the booth with all the condiments, Sunglasses followed. "You're Clay Morrow's daughter right?" he asked.

Veronica looked up and studied him for a moment, feeling slightly like Tara as she tried to place him. "Do I know you?"

"Josh Kohn, new guy in town" he said, offering her his hand.

She eyed it skeptically for a beat before finally taking it in her own. "Veronica. Morrow, but I guess you already knew that part. So you're like the new officer on the force?"

"Yeah," he said with an odd grin, "something like that."

Jax walked out of the gym with Opie and Kyle in tow. He was glad Ope managed to get out all of his frustration, but he wasn't done with Kyle just yet. There was no way in hell the guy was getting off that easy for everything he'd done. Jax would see to that. He had already formed the perfect plan for taking care of it all. He had to take it to the club of course, but in the mean time he could lay the ground work.

He was just about to invite Kyle over to the clubhouse when he ran into Tig and Bobby. "What's up," he asked in greeting.

"We gotta go," Tig answered nodding toward the exit. "Chow Mein's ready."

"Now?"

"Yeah," Tig and Elvis said in unison.

"Alright," Jax replied before turning his attention back to Ope and Kyle. "I'll catch you guys back at the club house."

They both nodded and headed off. Seeing this, Bobby gave Jax a questioning look. "You're going to leave them alone?"

"I'll tell you on the way," Jax said moving toward the exit.

Walking across the yard, he started scanning the crowd for a mess of blonde waves before he even realized what he was doing. Knowing she was somewhere in the vicinity, looking for her, it would seem, was an automatic response. And like he had super receptive Veronica vision, it didn't take him long to spot her over by the Police booth.

The location was odd in itself, but what was even more puzzling was the fact that she was looking rather chatty with some guy. Jax squinted trying to get a better look. He couldn't deny the jealousy that was slowly building within him. Not that he all that was surprised by the green eyed monster that was consuming him. In fact, much like anger, jealousy was also an old friend whereas V was concerned, had been ever since he was a kid watching her play with Tommy.

Across the way, the mystery guy removed his sunglasses and looked straight at Jax while Veronica busied herself with a bottle of ketchup. As he moved, the dude's eyes followed and a fucking know-it-all smirk spread across face. Now that he was getting a better look, Jax realized where he knew him from.

"Jax who is that guy?" Tig asked from behind him. "You looking at him, chatting up our Ronnie?"

Before he had a chance to answer, two hands smacked his shoulders causing him to stop. He turned to find his mother blocking his path and looking more than a little angry. "You tell Clay I'm pissed off," she began. "Bad enough his sorry ass isn't here, now he's taking all my manpower."

Clearly not caring to be her go between, Jax ignored her statement. "Who's that guy with the cops talking to Veronica?" he asked, not taking his eyes off them.

"That's your ATF guy," she replied matter-of-factly.

Jax continued watching as Veronica laughed at something the asshole said. "Guy was at the hospital watching me with Abel."

"That shit's dangerous man," Tig chimed in.

"Yeah, no kidding. You watch him," he said to Gemma. "If he follows us out of here or leaves at anytime, you give me a call."

"Prepay," Gemma said.

"Yeah," Jax said, moving passed her.

As he got closer to the gate, Jax continued watching. He was almost there when he noticed Veronica finally saying goodbye to their new ATF friend. Without pausing to give it any thought, and ignoring calls from Tig, Jax darted to the right and went to meet her half way.

"I need to talk to you." he stated harshly when he reached her.

Veronica cocked her head to the side, and he could tell a snarky comment was about to come out of that perfect mouth of hers. But as much as Jax enjoyed their witty banter, he didn't have time.

"Now, Veronica," he demanded, earning him a fierce "go to hell look," before she tried to walk around him.

He caught her arm, stopping her before she could get past. "Please" he added for good measure, through slightly gritted teeth.

"Fine" she agreed allowing him to steer her away from the crowd.

When they were out of earshot, Jax turned her to face him. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he spat.

Veronica picked up the burger from the plate in her left hand and took an impressively large bite. "I don't know, Jax," she replied, her mouth full for show. "Kind of looks like I'm eating a cheeseburger."

"And chatting up Feds," he accused.

Veronica continued chewing looking almost bored with their conversation. "What are you even talking about?"

"Your new pal over there," he said, motioning to the guy. "He's the latest ATF agent blowing shit up our asses."

Veronica looked over too and then back at Jax. "Well, that makes more sense," she said more to herself than to him.

Jax took a step forward in an effort to maintain a little privacy as some people passed by. "What do you mean?"

Veronica shrugged and dipped her burger into a large mound of ketchup. "Just that I thought our conversation was kind of odd."

"Odd how?"

She shrugged. "He knew who I was even though I've never met him. Plus he was overly chatty, asking me lots of questions like he was digging for information but trying to cover it up. I honestly jut thought he was really, really bad at hitting on me."

Jax had to literally suppress the urge to growl. The thought of some guy trying to smooth talk his way into V's life made him see red. And even though V seemed to be under the impression that he was just running his case, Jax wasn't completely convinced that ATF douche bag didn't have ulterior motives. Dude would have to be a monk not to be attracted to her.

As he looked over with a scowl, the guy nodded at him and smirked. He was seriously starting to piss Jax off. First he'd been creeping around his son's hospital room and now he was chatting up his ex. If he wasn't careful, Mr. ATF might end up digging himself right into his own grave.

"You stay clear of him," he told her. "Don't answer any of his questions, or talk to him at all if you can help it, you hear me?"

Veronica looked at him like he was a moron. "Don't you think I know how this works by now Jax? After all, this," she said motioning between them, "used to be my life."

Jax almost said something underhanded about how he wanted to make sure being away didn't make her forget. At the last second though, he changed his mind and told the truth. "I know, Veronica. I just don't want you caught up in club shit again, not when you worked so hard to get away from it all."

She looked taken aback for spilt second, then her pretty blue eyes narrowed and he knew she was trying to figure out his angle. He also knew, that she knew him actually recognizing that she might have a good life now that he and the club were no longer in it was the last thing he wanted to do. Jax was no idiot though; he always knew that someone as smart and beautiful as her didn't really belong here. A part of him just always wished that she would want to be with him enough that it didn't matter. Yes he was mad, and yes it had all but killed him when she left, but that didn't mean he wished her bad things. He knew she graduated at the top of her class in college and that she worked her way through law school, and he was genuinely proud of her for doing so. She was the type of amazing person that deserved to have everything that she wanted in life, even if that went against everything he knew. And the last thing she needed right now was to get tangled up in a fed case because her stupid family was a bunch of low life criminals.

"I'm serious,V, " he said placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "be careful."

She nodded and stole a hesitant glance at the guy. "I will if you will."

Jax heart might have actually skipped a beat as he paused for a second to make sure he had heard correctly. That used to be their ritual whenever they said goodbye. One would tell the other to be careful and the other would respond back with an "I will if you will." It was such a little thing, but to him it signaled that he had finally taken step in the right direction.

He smiled and fought the urge to pull her into his arms like he used to. "Don't you know I'm always careful, Darlin?'" he uttered, officially completing their old ritual.

Veronica returned the smile slightly, but was still very much guarded. "You should probably get going," she suggested nodding towards the gate were Tig and Bobby were posted. "Tig's practically chomping at the bit. You know he gets separation anxiety when he's away from Clay too long."

Jax chuckled and looked over to see Tig pointing to the parking lot. "Yeah," he drawled, "you're probably right."

She nodded and went to walk past him. "I guess I'll see you around then?"

He smiled at her one last time. "Yeah, I guess you will."

It had been four hours and Veronica was still pissed at herself for opening her big mouth. When Jax told her to be careful, "I will if you will" just came out, like an automated response she couldn't control. A damn good one, one that she sincerely meant, but still probably the dumbest possible thing she could say. God, and the way Jax looked at her when she said it, like she had made his whole world stop. That was exactly what she was trying not to do. Her and Jax could not fall into old habits, she had moved on and he needed to know that.

Thankfully, around eight the fundraiser crowd appeared to have given up on food, which was fine considering they had raised well over $800 and had gone through four giant vats of chili. Needless to say, V was exhausted and her feet were killing her. She was so looking forward to plopping down on her ass and people watching until the fireworks were over, it wasn't even funny. Gemma had been the chili Nazi from the very moment she stepped back under the tent, her penance for running off so early in the game no doubt. But V had done her absolute best not to complain and to just be happy that she hadn't gotten an ear full about talking to Kohn.

Just as she had finally taken a much needed seat in one of the camping chairs behind the tables, Gemma nudged her knee. "We need to start packing up."

Making sure to stifle the groan she was dying to let out, Veronica nodded dutifully and reluctantly rose from her perch. Better to suffer for a few moments, she figured, then to have it held over her head for the rest of her life. That was the thing about Gemma, she never ever forgot when you let her down, a trait V was almost positive she had passed on to her son. Therefore, it was always better to pick and choose your battles wisely in order to save yourself the grief.

"You mind taking these over to the clubhouse for the guys after the fireworks?" she asked as they lugged the leftovers out to the parking lot. "Not that they deserve it, those lazy ass bastards."

Although she had a feeling Gemma's motives were less about feeding the boys and more about hoping she would run into Jax, V nodded. "Sure, I can take them over now if you want," she offered, seeking an opportunity for a quicker escape; seeing Jax might be worth it if it meant she no longer had to act as Gemma's slave.

As expected the offer peaked Gemma's suspicious nature. "You not staying for the fireworks?"

"I've seen fireworks, Gem, I think I'll be alright if I skip these."

"Well, alright," she said moving to Veronica's car. "Just help me load the tables into the Escalade first."

Veronica agreed and followed Gemma back to the tent after the chili was safely tucked in the floorboard behind the driver's seat. She could hear the band gearing up for their show, their flat tones ringing throughout the courtyard as they tuned their guitars during soundcheck. Looking over at the stage she noted the four acne-faced teenaged boys wielding their instruments. It made her smile, as she recalled her own high school days of dreaming big and wanting to be the next big rockstar. Never mind the fact that she couldn't actually sing.

They were almost back, when Opie's gigantic form came into view and stopped before them. "Gemma, Veronica," he said with a nod to each. "Can I speak to you for a minute Gem?"

V looked to Gemma. "You go on," she said," I'll get Unser or Ope here to help me with the tables later."

V happily obliged, more than willing to take the reprieve from the overbearing stepmother. Truth was, she kind of wanted to hear the band play, but knew she had to be sneaky about it if she didn't want to get roped back into the heavy lifting. So she grabbed her purse from the tent and began snaking her way through the people. Her plan was blend in the middle of the crowd closer to the left side of the courtyard where Gemma would have a harder time finding her.

Listening as the band began playing she had to admit she was sort of impressed. As far as small town bands go, Triple X was pretty good. She probably wouldn't be buying their album anytime soon, but it was entertaining enough for the moment. Definitely better than anything she could ever do, and the crowd certainly seemed to be loving it.

Well, except for Gemma, who was currently pushing her way through the crowd rocking a major case of doom and gloom all across her face. Taking this as her cue, V ducked behind the tall stranger she had been standing beside and made a beeline for the parking lot. Whatever Opie had to say had not been pleasant, and she had to get out before whatever it was was inadvertently taken out on her.

When she reached the gate, she looked back to make sure she wasn't spotted. Luckily for her, Gemma had stopped in the middle of the crowd next to Kyle Hobart's ex-wife, whose name V could not recall. It was in that moment, she realized Kyle was nowhere to be found, even though she was pretty sure his son was currently on stage playing the drums. Typical SAMCRO member, always missing the important events in their children's lives for club related shit; she knew how that went first hand.

But hadn't Kyle been excommunicated from the club, and Charming for that matter, right before she left? And that look on Gem's face had been so damn somber. Those two things did not leave one with good vibes, and V could feel it in her gut that something terrible was going down. Maybe she shouldn't have left him and Jax alone together earlier, even if the guy gave her the absolute creeps.

Slightly afraid of what she might find when she arrived, V climbed into her car and headed to TM. She wasn't naive, she knew how the club operated, even if Jax and her father had done their best to hide the gritty details from her throughout the years. Betrayal was not tolerated, and, truth be told, Kyle was lucky he was still left standing after he left Opie high and dry all those years ago. She just hoped he hadn't been stupid enough to try and cozy up to Jax and the club, because if he screwed up again they would not be as forgiving as before.

When she turned on the street of the garage, she passed an unmarked black van and recognized a crazy eyed Tig behind the wheel with Chibs riding shotgun. She waved, but only received a solemn nod in return, which was more than a little odd. The Tig she knew would have rolled down the window and made cat-calls, or yelled something vulgar just for kicks. Receiving a simple nod from Alexander Trager? That was a sure fire sign that things were definitely not right.

Pulling into the TM lot, she immediately noticed all the bays were open and the lights on. However, there were no cars on the racks. Growing suspicious, she eyed the clock on the dash and, sure enough, the shop had been closed for over an hour. She could vaguely make out the scrawny guy she had spotted in the lot yesterday wearing the prospect kutte standing in one of the bays with a push broom staring at the concrete. It was covered in a dark liquid that she initially assumed to be oil. But after she parked and opened her door she knew it had to be blood.

The breeze had given it away, for on it wafted the putrid odor of iron and melted flesh.

Jax was in his usual spot on the clubhouse roof, JT's manuscript in hand, trying to rationalize what he'd just done. He kept telling himself it had to happen, that it was the price Kyle had to pay for disobeying club orders. They had rules for a reason, and going against them would only discredit the order they had worked so hard to maintain. And, as far as Jax was concerned, Kyle had gotten what he deserved for getting to live his life while his best friend got to rot in county. Yet, as he sat there holding his father's original vision in his hand, he couldn't help but feel that every move he made these days was pushing further and further away from what JT would have wanted, for the club and for him.

Closing the binder, because reading it under the current circumstances felt strangely akin to betrayal, Jax rose and went to the roof's edge overlooking the garage. He could see Half-sack had just finished spraying down the mess the evening's activity had left behind. Thinking about it, made him about half sick. The smell of burning flesh had lodged itself in his nasal passages and no amount of fresh air seemed to be taking it away.

He did, however, find momentary relief as his attention was caught by the low rumble of an engine nearing and lights shining up the drive. At first he thought it was one of his brothers coming back by for a drink or a little night time comfort to help them forget. Then he noticed it had two head lights. He couldn't exactly make out the make or model of the car from his current, position, but he could tell it wasn't his mother's caddy.

Jax watched closely as the car rolled to a stop in front of the bays. A black Dodge Challenger, he finally recognized. His breath hitched as he realized who it belonged to, and he began muttering shit repeatedly as the driver revealed herself. The gorgeous blonde he used to come home to at night was now driving perhaps one of the only cars he would love to have parked in his driveway. How fucking fitting. Even better that the person he'd always tried so hard to keep from the all the gruesomeness that came with SAMCRO was now standing in front of all the carnage he had left behind.

She stared on as Half-Sack began to sweep and then, like she could sense him watching, her gaze shifted up. Although he couldn't actually make out her questioning eyes in the distance, he knew she wanted answers. And the weight of that hit him low in the gut, magnifying the tiny bit of regret he felt one hundred fold.

Wanting to try and run some sort of damage control, Jax made the stupid decision of going down to meet her. He had just reached the main entrance leading out to the lot, when she came through the door with a pot of chili. Without saying a word she walked past him, sat it behind the bar and crossed in front of him again.

"I brought you some leftovers," she muttered as she went to leave.

"Veronica," Jax tried, chasing after her.

She stopped, her gaze fixated on the garage as he caught up with her. "What happened, Jax?" she ask, her voice unsteady.

"Nothing, just a little oil spill," he lied smoothly, like he almost believed it himself. "One of the mechanics dropped a cigarette and it lit."

She didn't say anything at first and for a second, he almost thought he'd gotten away with it. But he should have known that was just wishful thinking. V had always been overly perceptive, and observant as hell. Guess that served him right for having a thing for smart girls.

"Do I honestly look like that big of an idiot to you?" she asked angrily. "Oils not red, Jax. And that smell...God, that awful smell..."

"Look, it's club business, alright," he backpedaled, "nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about."

Clearly disapproving of his brush off, she glared at him. "Don't you dare patronize me. I'm not some doe-eyed crow eater willing to pretend that shit isn't happening just because I want to spend one night with the great Jackson Teller."

No, she certainly wasn't, because he wouldn't give a damn what a crow eater thought of him. Unfortunately her opinion mattered, and the way she was looking at him now, like he was the villain she desperately needed saving from, it made his heart ache. This was what he was afraid of, why he always worked so hard to keep her and the club as separate as possible. He couldn't deal with her seeing him for what he truly was.

"What did you do, Jax?"

He groaned and rubbed his face as he battled with himself on how to approach her questions. He could lie again, or flat out tell her it was none of her goddamn business, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. However, telling her the truth would run the risk of pushing her just as far, if not further, away. As usual, with her, there really was no winning.

"We took Kyle's ink," he finally answered.

"Took his ink?" she repeated.

"We told him to black out the reaper, but he didn't. This time we made sure it got done."

She nodded and bit her lip, as horror filled her eyes. "So you burned it off?"

Jax couldn't look at her, couldn't stand seeing his own demons projected in those crystal clear pools he used to spend hours staring into just before falling asleep. So he turned his head and let out a long exhale, wishing she didn't have to see this side of him. Because even though he had done a horrible thing, he wasn't sorry about it, at least not really. Disgusted with himself yes, but only because he felt like he had to live up to a higher standard for her and JT. The remorse, he realized, had absolutely nothing to do with Kyle.

"Did you guys kill him?" she whispered.

"No, but I should have," he answered honestly, turning back to face her. "Kyle Hobart is a bastard and a traitor, and as far as I'm concerned he got what he deserved."

She grimaced, taking his words in. "So it was your idea then? To do this to him?"

He ground his teeth. "It went to the table, club voted."

"But you initiated it."

She said it like a fact, knowing the answer already. And there it was again, the disgust and hatred burning through his skin as she studied him.

"What's happened to you?" she asked, sorrow clear in her tone. "It's like I don't even know who you are anymore."

Feeling the shame and regret bubble in his chest, Jax did what he did best, he lashed out. "And who's fucking fault is that? You're the one who left, sweetheart."

"So it's my fault?" she asked. "Me leaving has driven you to this? To torturing a man?"

"Why the fuck do you care, you don't even like the guy. He used to make passes at you when you were still a kid, tried to put his hand all over you..."

"That doesn't mean I want this. For him to suffer like that. My god, Jax, he's got kids!"

"Well he should have thought of that before he betrayed the club."

Veronica ran a hand through her hair and looked at the sky, tears brimming in her eyes. "This isn't you, Jax, it can't be. The man I remember was a good man, maybe a little on the delinquent side, but not this, not a..."

"A what?" he pried, daring her to say it. "Don't be shy now baby, tell me what I am."

"A monster," she replied hatefully. "I can't even look at you right now."

She turned to get back in her car and a blinding rage shot through him. Hearing her voice his worse fear, that she would see him for less than a man, it broke something inside of him.

"So I'm a monster because I finally took care of the guy responsible for stealing five years from my best friend's life, is that it?"he yelled as he trailed after her.

"If you have to burn a man with a blow torch to do it, then yes, that's exactly what you are," she yelled back as she kept walking.

"Well, I may be a monster, Darlin, but at least I'm not a fucking baby killer," he shot before thinking about how low he was really aiming. "Or have you forgotten how you stole the life of our defenseless, unborn child?"

Before he even realized what he'd done, he pushed the detonate button, kicked over the wedge that tore them apart all those years ago. In retrospect, he should have seen the slap coming. He knew Veronica and he knew he deserved it. Yet, when her small, delicate hand collided with this cheek it shocked him. It wasn't the physical force that cut him to his core, although there was no denying the sting. It was the implications that came with it that overwhelmed him, the pain he'd been suppressing all this time finally coming to the surface.

After all, nothing cuts a man quite like the hatred of a girl. And nothing breaks up a relationship like the love of your life having an abortion before you even know she's pregnant.

Hey Readers, sorry it took me awhile to get this one done. I've been working and travelling a lot so time has been kind of limited. Plus, if I'm being completely honest, I was kind of unsure of where I was going with this chapter. I've known since I first started writing Heat Rising that I wanted Veronica to have the abortion, but the more I thought about how it would play out the more I started questioning . I know the issue was tackled twice in SOA, first with Tara and then with Lyla, so I didn't want it to be so overdone and kind of unoriginal. However, I thought it would be really interesting to kind of explore how Jax would react and come back from a situation like that. And, I thought it would add a new dimension to all of his resentment towards Wendy for getting pregnant. So, ultimately in the end I went with my gut and wrote it how I originally planned. Not that you really needed to know any of that, but I'd just thought I'd share. Anyway, I hope you liked it!