Kicking the tattered door shut, Jasper Jacks takes a good look around the place that he will call home for the foreseeable future. The paint on the walls have seen better days, peeling and holey, but it would have to do for now. The bed looked far too used for him to even attempt to find comfort on it, thankfully he had a sleeping bag that would do the job well enough.
Dropping his things to the side, he makes the venture to the window to shut the blinds, needing his privacy and wanting to shut himself out from the world. He needed focus. His first and foremost reason for being back in that bland town is his family.
He had always felt responsible for Jerry, being his brother and all, always covering for him and bailing him out of the most godforsaken situations. Now, all Jax wants to do is drive a knife through that muscle in Jerry's chest that possibly passes for a heart.
It was one thing to go after Alexis, but to go after his daughter...Jax wondered if his brother was purposely trying to draw him out. They weren't as close as they once were, but for Jerry to attack the people in his life, the people he loves, Jax wanted nothing more than to put an end to his brother.
Setting his laptop carefully down on the desk that probably had seen more sex than he has had lately, Jax opens up the program that brings up the image of his daughter. He had been worried when Carly had brought her back to the hospital, but a discrete call later and he was relieved of his fear.
Now that they are back home, Jax is able to watch over his daughter while killing time until he puts the next step of his plan in motion. Touching his fingertips to the screen, he feels the familiar void in his heart, wishing more than anything that he could be there for her.
That he could wrap her up in his arms, hold her until all her fears subside and she knows in her heart that her daddy will always protect her. In order for that to be true, however, Jax had to focus on his brother and putting an end to the evil that he had helped create.
There's one thing stopping Jax at the moment. Ewen Kennan. Jax had thought of him as family, going back many many years, but for him to do what he did...for him to put his daughter in danger...to put Alexis in danger...Jax held no respect for the man. None at all.
Though, he's certain that his brother is the mastermind, Jax would never forgive the role that Ewen played in the whole ordeal. Kidnapping his daughter from her home, taking her to Jerry, and standing by while Jerry shot her up...Jax was ready to kill Ewen along side Jerry.
The only thing stopping him in regard to Ewen, making him think twice about it, is Elizabeth. No matter what has happened over the years, Elizabeth still mattered to Jax. Her son had given his daughter another chance at life, a sacrifice that Jax wasn't sure he would have been able to make.
That atop of what she had done for him all those years ago. True, their child didn't survive, she had miscarried, but Jax still held a special place in his heart for their baby. He still held a special place in his heart for Elizabeth and all she has done for him. It was their baby that gave him hope in regard to Jocelyn.
He'd always be grateful to Elizabeth and that was the reason he had a hard time making a final decision in regard to Ewen. He has noticed that they've been seeing each other and the last thing Jax wanted to do was cause Elizabeth anymore pain.
There was a spark of hope, however, now that Jason and Elizabeth have started gravitating towards each other. It was only a matter of time, he deduced, until they give into their underlying love, inadvertently freeing his hands to put an end to Ewen Kennan. A past bond or not, Jax won't let Ewen get away with what he has done.
Pushing away thoughts of the two men that have betrayed him, Jax proceeds to set up his home base. He's got a few tricks up his sleeve that his brother couldn't even possibly dream up and he was going to use every last one of his resources to make sure they both pay with their lives.
Admittedly, he had considered forgiving Ewen after he saved Jocelyn and Alexis, but then another thought stopped him. If not for Ewen, his brother would never have been able to get close enough to anyone. His face was too recognizable and Jason would've been onto him within the next breath.
No. Ewen is just as guilty as Jerry, if not more, and Jax wasn't going to stop until both threats are dealt with. Though he had bee a little apprehensive when Carly sent Morgan to military school, Jax was now glad that he had one less member of his family to worry about.
A knock at the door pulls Jax out of his contemplation long enough to answer it. With a slight smile, he stands aside to allow his step-son entrance into the godforsaken motel room. He had been hesitant at first, bring him into the mix, but it has been the best decision thus far.
"Joss made this for you." Michael hands him the drawing before shrugging out of his jacket. "Apparently she saw you when you stopped by the hospital."
"Michael..."
"Don't worry. Mom doesn't know and I made her promise it was our secret." Michael assures, gesturing to the luggage. "You haven't set up yet?"
"Just getting to it." Jax admitted, taping the drawing to the door so he'd have full view of it. "So...uh, how's Starr doing?"
"She's still coming to terms with having her daughter back and the fact that her uncle kidnapped her, leaving Cole to die." Michael shrugs, grabbing one of the bags to unpack it. "We're slowly getting Hope used to me being around, but we're taking it slowly. We don't want her to be confused or scared."
"That's good." Jax smiles slightly, knowing how hard it had been after he lost Abby. "That's good...I'm glad you have them."
"Me, too." Michael admits, shaking his head a moment later, reminding himself that he wasn't there for him. He's there to ensure the safety of his family. "So...what's next?"
"What's next is Jason." Jax admits, walking over and pulling out an envelope from his jacket. "I need you to give this to him and come back."
"You're going to tell him about Jerry?" Michael guessed, tossing the empty bag to the side.
"Yeah...and Ewen." Jax admits. "He deserves to know and it'll do us some good for him to put pressure on the both of them."
"What about Elizabeth?" Michael points out, knowing the connection between her and Jax. "Does she deserve to know, too?"
"I'll be the one to tell her." Jax concedes, knowing he owed her that much and more. "She deserves to hear it from me."
"Just be careful." Michael says, shrugging back into his jacket. "The only way this works is if Jerry doesn't know you're back."
Michael is the first to leave while Jax waits a good hour or so before he leaves the motel. He makes a call to be sure that she's home, not saying anything, but just being sure that she's there. Michael has told him that he spotted Ewen at the hospital, meeting up with Jason there, so it frees up Elizabeth for him.
"Jason." Michael stops him, gesturing that he follow him into the elevator.
Without hesitation, Jason walks onto the elevator, a little confused when Michael stops anyone from walking onto it after him. When the doors shut, Jason braces himself for whatever reason Michael has created privacy for them.
"Here." Micheal hands him the envelope. "Its from Jax."
"Jax?" Jason looks at him confusedly, though he shouldn't be surprised after what happened to Jocelyn. "What is it?"
"Read it. It'll tell you what you probably already know or suspect." Michael say simply, waiting for the elevator doors to open up again. "And listen to your gut about that doctor...he's bad news. Elizabeth and her boys aren't safe with him around."
Before he could question Michael further, he walks off the elevator and out of the hospital. Shaking his head, Jason shoves the envelope into his back pocket before pressing the button to close the elevator before anyone else can get on. He wasn't sure what that was about, but the warning from Michael made him want to solve the mystery of Ewen Kennan that much more.
"Jax?" Elizabeth stares at the man standing at her back door, completely shocked to find him at her house. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?"
"Are your boys around?" Jax questions softly, noting that she wasn't mad to see him, but relieved.
"They're upstairs." Elizabeth admits, stepping aside. "Come inside, please."
With a slight smile, Jax enters the house, having taken the back entrance so he wouldn't scare the boys or confuse them. He could see that she was confused by his presence, but she wouldn't voice it and she certainly wouldn't be rude. That much he was certain on.
"Can I get you anything?" Elizabeth questions, pouring herself a glass of water, merely to keep herself busy.
"Water would be nice." Jax admits, shrugging out of his jacket. "I'm not really here on a social visit, though."
"Oh?" she turns to him, handing him a glass of water. "Why are you here, then?"
"I'm here to warn you." Jax says cautiously, keeping his voice hushed. "I can't explain a lot, but I know you've been seeing a former friend of mine...Ewen Kennan."
"Maybe." she concedes. "Look, Jason has warned me already, but I don't see why everyone thinks he's so dangerous."
"That's because he is."
"But he's so good to me." Elizabeth counters. "He listens to me and understands me...how can he be anything but good?"
"Think about it." he pleads with her. "Think of the times he seemed a bit off...conversations your gut was telling you didn't seem right...times when you questioned the man he is..."
"He acted strange when we stumbled onto the topic of you and Jerry." Elizabeth remembers the look on Ewen's face. "He looked nervous...I found it a little strange. He acted like he didn't know you, but I could tell that he did in the way he spoke of you and your brother."
"Keep going."
"Then there was that time I caught him on the phone..." Elizabeth shuts her eyes tightly before looking at Jax again. "He's a good guy, Jax...he has to be. I don't understand any of this."
"There's no understanding it, Liz." Jax says seriously. "Ewen and I...we go back many years...much like you and Jason. I know him, Elizabeth, and you need to be careful. He's the farthest thing from safe and that is the last thing you need right now."
"You're right." Elizabeth sits down at her dining table. "That is the last thing I need, right now."
"I won't dare tell you how to handle your blooming relationship with Ewen, I just want you to be careful." Jax kneels down in front of her. "You matter a great deal to me, Elizabeth, and I just don't want you hurt because of him."
"This is really happening, isn't it?" Elizabeth stares into his eyes, knowing that this was real and she chose wrong again. "Why do I always choose the wrong guy?"
"You don't choose wrong...they chose right." Jax corrects, smiling softly. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah." she assures him, still trying to grasp what she should have seen all along. "I'll be careful around Ewen...mostly because I know you wouldn't lie to me about something like this."
"I have to go, but I need you to keep this visit between us." Jax says seriously. "I need my presence in town to be kept a secret for a while longer."
"Okay." she promises. "I won't tell anyone."
He moves to leave, but stops in the doorway to look at her. "On second thought, go to Jason." Jax says carefully. "Ewen isn't the only danger to you and your boys right now...let him protect you."
"You're encouraging me to go to Jason?" Elizabeth counters, a slight smile playing at her lips.
"Crazy, yeah, I know." Jax smirks, shaking his head. "I don't want anything to happen to you or your boys...so, yes, go to him. He can keep you safe until this is over...promise me, please."
"I promise." she says, having already considered going to Jason already. "I'll talk this over with him and we'll figure it out, okay?"
"Okay." he accepts, smiling slightly. "See you later, Liz."
"Thank you for warning me." Elizabeth says, standing in her doorway as he walks off the back porch. "I really appreciate it."
"After everything you've done for me...its the least I could do." Jax says simply. "Take care."
Taking great care as he makes his way back to the motel, Jax lets himself into his motel room to find Michael finishing off the unpacking. With a slight smile, he closes the door and moves to help him finish the set up.
"How did it go with Elizabeth?" Michael breaks the silence. "Did she believe you?"
"After some convincing...yeah." Jax really believes he got through to her. "What about your meeting with Jason?"
"He was a little confused, but he'll listen to whatever you wrote." Michael assures. "I dropped a warning about Kennan and the danger he poses to Elizabeth and her boys...he'll take you seriously. And maybe even go after what he wants."
"Good." Jax finally feels like they have a chance to really put an end to this. "I gave Elizabeth a little shove towards Jason, as well...they can do the rest."
"I always thought Sam and Jason belonged together." Michael admits, stepping away from the desk. "But seeing them together...the way they are around each other...I believe that he and Elizabeth work better...they have a distinct connection that even I can't deny."
"Now that finished our matchmaker project." Jax chuckles, stepping away from the desk, satisfied with their work. "We have real business to get down to. You ready?"
"Yeah." Michael says without hesitation. "I'm set."
A/N: THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS, AGAIN! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! YOU ALL TRULY MAKE ME LOVE WRITING HERE!
Okay...with that said and done...now down to the story. I just had to bring Jax in...with Jerry attacking Alexis and then Jocelyn...people that Jax loves...I had to bring him in. Hope you like the addition and the bond forming between Jax and Michael.
Can't wait to hear from you again!
- ROCkER