A/N: I apologize for how crap the last chapter was. I hope this one makes up for it in some way. This chapter I had to cut in half because it was so long. Please read and review. I'll post the other half tomorrow.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Dancing and tears.

Donna and Opie were married just over three hours ago. Plenty of food and drinks were served as everyone was finally relaxing and having a good time after the events of the week just gone. Jax watched Lacey dance with Donna from where he was sitting between Chibs and Opie. He smiled seeing her laugh and have a good time. She deserved it after the hell Jesse put her through. Even with the covered up fading bruises she still looked beautiful in the deep burgundy strapless dress that reached to just above her knees. Her raven hair was in loose curls with a large strand on either side of her face was pulled back and clipped at the back of her head. Her heels made her at least an inch or two taller. Her make up lightly done with a little black eyeliner, eyeshadow and lip-gloss that matched her dress and the concealer that was hiding the bruises. Lacey was turning him into an even bigger sap then what he was with Tara.

He looked from her to the beer bottle in his left hand as he thought about what happened since she arrived in town for wedding. When he first saw Jesse and Lacey together, he knew the city boy was hurting her. He was openly showing signs of abuse from roughly grabbing her arm tight enough for her skin to bruise to the way she flinched when his hands would caress her flawless flesh. He knew right away Jesse didn't deserve her.

He was beyond furious when he saw Jesse half naked on the couch with an almost naked crow-eater that morning. He didn't have time to think when he pinned the guy against the wall. It was nothing to get as mad as he did over but seeing him hurt Lacey in more ways than he already was made his blood boil. If Lacey didn't stand between them he knew he would've killed Jesse right there and then.

When he got the phone call from Lacey, hearing her mumble his name and then getting no respond when he tried to talk to her, sent chills down his spin. When he and Chibs, who'd overheard everything because he was working in the automotive shop with him, got to the hotel room she was staying at he flew into a fit of rage seeing her passed out, bloody and starting to bruise. He flew out the door leaving Chibs to call an ambulance. Seeing her in the hospital made him want to wrap her in his arms and not let her go. She didn't look like the tough young woman he'd grown up with. She looked like a victim, someone he never thought she'd be.

Two days after Lacey was released from hospital, the club found Jesse holed up in another hotel under a different name. When they confronted him, he started to torment Jax with what he'd done to Lacey. Jax flew into another rage and attacked him again but this time no one stopped him. He didn't give Jesse the chance to fight back. He kept punching and kicking Jesse until he was no longer breathing. Jax managed to walk away with only a few scratches.

While they got rid of the body where no one could find it, Clay went to LA with Bobby to pay Lacey's landlord a visit and get her two weeks notice waved. They grabbed her stuff and brought it back to Charming, putting it in a storage container until she found her own place.

"Have you told her yet?" Opie's voice broke through his train of thoughts. He looked at his newly wed best friend and shook his head.

Jax didn't tell Lacey about what went down with Jesse. He didn't want her to know. "It's better that she doesn't know."

"If you say so," Opie said standing up. "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to steal my wife back."

"Good luck with that," Chibs laughed.

Jax put his beer down on the table and stood up following Opie onto the make shift dance floor as I'll be there for you by Bon Jovi started playing through the speakers. Opie managed to pull Donna away from Lacey.

Lacey went to walk away but Jax gently grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. He slipped an arm around her waist and linked his fingers with hers. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I was going to find someone else to dance with but I guess you'll do." She smiled as she wrapped her free arm around his neck. He smiled seeing the playfulness in her eyes.

With her in his arms, their eyes locked onto each others and not feeling the need to talk made him realize he'd made a huge mistake. He didn't know how he'd been an asshole to her for all those months because he couldn't get what he wanted. His biggest regret was letting her go. If he'd known she'd meet Jesse and go through what she did, he would've stopped her. He cared for her as more than just a friend and he knew he would treat her a thousand times better than Jesse had.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Jax asked her when the song came to an end. Lacey nodded as they let go but remained holding hands. He lead her through the crowd and to the back door without bumping into anyone or telling anyone they were leaving. The walked through the house and out the front door that had been booked for the day by Donna's parents.

They got to his motorcycle. He handed her his helmet. She put it on and got on the motorcycle behind him. He started it and drove away.

Lacey walked into the empty clubhouse ahead of Jax. He followed her over to the bar and got them both a drink. She sat on the bar stool as he remained behind the bar. "They're probably gonna kill us for leaving."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Today's about them, not us."

She smiled taking the cap off her beer and took a swig. "Reminds me of all those times we sneaked away from those birthday parties. Gem would flip shit when she found us hiding."

"And when we'd disappear up onto the roof here, our parents couldn't find us for hours." he smiled back doing the same as her.

Lacey slid off the bar stood and walked back towards the dorm rooms where the access area for the roof was. He followed up the steps and walked out onto the clubhouse roof. They both took a seat, looking out towards the lot.

"I haven't been up here in a long time." Lacey said breaking the silence.

"Not since my dad died. I was up here and no one could find me except you." He smiled at the memory. He was sixteen and she was fourteen. "You knew where I was the whole time but told everyone you didn't. Then you came up here and spent the rest of the afternoon being my shoulder."

She linked her arm around his and clasped their hands together. She leaned her head against his shoulder. "We were always there for each other."

He stroked the side of her hand with his thumb. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you lately. I was a complete fuckin' asshole to you. I had no right to be."

"We can only learn from our mistakes."

"I killed him." He let slip without thinking. She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. She didn't look surprised at his confession. He was expecting her to throw a fit at him but all he saw was relief and maybe a little guilt. He could see her starting to blame herself. "Hey it's not your fault okay. He was the monster."

"If I didn't give into him, none of this would've fuckin' happened."

"It was his choice to be an asshole about it."

She quickly stood up and started pacing in front of him. She was starting to become distraught. What had been building up was starting to crumble. "It's my fault. Everything is my fault. I should have said no. I should have left him. I should've done more."

Jax stood up pulling her into his arms, her head resting against his chest as she lost control of the tears she was holding back. He didn't say anything as she sobbed loudly against his chest. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head as one hand slowly rubbed up and down her back while her ran the other through her hair.