Abel stared blankly at the only slightly busy garage. He had been sitting there in some parking spot for what must have been at least an hour. He had driven cross-country in the space of twenty-four hours, and now that he had gotten here, he couldn't even bring himself to get out of the car.

He wasn't sure if he couldn't leave because he was too scared to meet his parents, or if he was too scared of leaving what was left of Cassie. He could see her everywhere – her sandals thrown into the backseat that she had never gotten to change into from her heels, her coffee mug sitting in the cup holder, the scuffs on the dashboard from where she constantly put her feet, and the lingering smell of her sweet perfume.

How the hell had this happened?

Just twenty-four hours ago, his life was perfect. He had a scholarship to any Ivy League college he wanted, his soccer team were national champions, he had a decent set of parents, and he was dating his favorite person in the entire world.

And now?

Now he had practically abandoned his mother, got his girlfriend kidnapped, and he couldn't even get his ass out of the car to meet the two people who had set all this in motion, the two people who had done this to him. The two people who effectively gave him life and ruined it in one go.

Abel sighed and then before he could put more thought into his actions, he got out of his car, and made his way towards the place where a bunch of men sat wearing some kind of leather vest that said 'Sons of Anarchy' on it.

He walked past them and moved inside the clubhouse despite the men's cries of protest, none of them were his father, he wasn't sure how he knew, he just did. He didn't even freeze when the men pulled guns on him, he was quickly becoming immune to the threat of them, he just surged forward till he caught sight of who he was looking for.

Abel looked just like him that was the only coherent thought he could form. Abel looked exactly like his dad. Same blonde hair. Same blue-grey eyes. Granted, Jax looked older than him, had hair longer than him, and wasn't clean shaven, but other than that, it was literally like someone had made a copy of Jax, and called him Abel.

For a brief moment, he wondered if that was even his real name, and then he shook the thought away, in the whole grand scheme of things, that was kind of irrelevant.

He wasn't sure what to say, or what is was he was supposed to feel staring at the man who was meant to be his dad, who in a different world would have been his dad, because the truth was, he didn't feel anything, but one single emotion, and that was longing.

He didn't feel anger at the sight of Jax, nor did he feel love. He didn't feel hatred nor did he feel like. He was plain and simply indifferent about the man who was standing in front of him.

All he could feel was longing for the beautiful blonde who had been laughing in his car, who's house he snuck into every morning because he didn't think there was anything sexier than her buttoning up his school shirt in nothing but her bra and panties, who wore t-shirts with his last name on it at every game cheering him on, all he wanted was to see her again, to make her laugh, to make her smile, hell, he even wanted to piss her off so badly that her nose scrunched up, and it took every amount of self-control in him not to kiss it.

He just wanted his girl, and his peace of mind, and his life back.

"Abel."

It wasn't a question, Jax knew exactly who he was and he wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not, but it almost sparked some type of feeling in him that was unrelated to Cassidy.

"Call your dog's off," He said as a form of reply.

Jax nodded at the men and the guns were immediately lowered before he nodded his head in the direction of two black leather double doors, and Abel followed him into what seemed like a makeshift conference room.

Abel waited for a moment, Jax was staring at him, and while it wasn't exactly the most comfortable of experiences, he let him, he waited as his eyes – identical to his own – searched him up and down as if looking for something.

He wouldn't begrudge the man that much.

"I'm not sure what to say."

"I'm here for a reason," Abel said sitting down on a chair and giving the gavel in front of him a weird look before turning back to Jax, "You don't have to say anything."

"Can you sit somewhere else?"

"What?" Abel looked at him, was this guy for real? That's what he wanted to say to him, sit somewhere else?

"Sorry," He said quickly, "Just that isn't exactly a seat I've ever pictured you or Thomas sitting in, and now that it's happening, I'd rather it didn't."

Abel rolled his eyes but got up and moved to the seat to the left, "Is this all good with you?"

Jax nodded as he took the seat Abel had vacated, and he couldn't help the sudden urge to get up and sit somewhere else, anywhere else, like all the way across the room. He didn't like the way Jax looked at him.

He looked at him like he knew him, like there wasn't a single secret Abel could keep from the man, and he almost wanted to spill all his dirty secrets to him, not that there were very many, for a second he wondered what it would have been like being raised by this man.

He figured he wouldn't have had any secrets from him, not by the way he was reading him like an open book, he probably wouldn't have gotten away with anything, but then again, he rode a motorcycle and carried a gun, he couldn't care that much for rules. The thought almost made him smile.

And then he forced the thought away as quickly as it came, he didn't give a damn about Jax, or anyone else here, all he wanted was Cassidy, and that was it.

"I have a girlfriend," He blurted out sounding like a complete idiot.

Jax half laughed, half smirked, "That's nice, buddy."

Abel wondered why the comment didn't make him feel like five year old, god is this what all adopted kids felt like when meeting their birth parents?

The man wasn't God, he didn't need to be impressed by everything he said or did, not everything needed to be overthought.

"Her name's Cassidy," He said her full name rolling off his tongue for the first time in a while, he had never called her anything other than 'Cassie, "And some dick named Father Kellan Ashby took her."

Jax's face lost all traces of humor as the color drained out of his face and he stared at him like he couldn't believe that those words had just come out of his mouth, "How do you know Father Kellan?"

"I don't," Abel said pulling out the prepaid from his back pocket, "But I'm assuming you do. So why don't you give your old friend a call, find out what he wants, so I get my girlfriend back, and we can go back to pretending the other doesn't exist?"

"Abel-" Jax said slowly as he picked up the phone.

He shook his head cutting him off, "This isn't a woe is me sob story, I'm not interested in why you gave me up, and I truly don't give a shit if you didn't want me, just make the phone call, that's the only thing I will ever ask of you, make the phone call and do whatever it takes to get my girl home."

Jax put the phone on speaker as he continued to stare at him like there was something he wanted to say, something he wanted to contradict, but honestly, Abel wasn't interest. The indifference was short lived and going away, he wanted Cassidy, he wanted to get the hell out of this stupid town, and he didn't want to listen to his father talk.

He just wanted everything to go back to normal.

"Jacks-"

"Where's the girl?" Jax said cutting the increasingly familiar Irish accent off with a harsh and biting tone that almost made Abel's anger deflate just the slightest bit.

"Now son, let's discuss things rationally."

"So tell me Father, where was rational when you kidnapped a girl? Where was rational when you threatened my son?" Jax's voice grew louder with each word he spoke till he was all but yelling.

Abel frowned for a second, his son, how weird was that? He truly was this man's son, he was a complete stranger yet they shared the same blood type, the same genes, the same face, they were familiar strangers.

"I assure you Jax, the girl has come to no harm."

"Prove it," Jax said enunciating the words, "Give her the phone."

"Abel?" A panicked tone but nevertheless familiar voice filled the room.

"Cassie," He cried feeling like all he wanted to do was lunge through the phone and grab her from wherever she was, "Are you alright? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She said quickly, "And you?"

"I'm fine," He repeated though he was pretty sure that wasn't the word to use for either of their situations, "I'm going to get you back, everything's going to be okay, babe."

"I know," She repeated the same words she had said to him last night, "I know."

"Good."

"I have to give the phone back, Abel."

"Don't be stupid, Cass," He warned though he wasn't all too sure what he was warning her about.

"I promise," Cassidy said quietly, "Hey Abel? I believe in you."

"There," Father Kellan took over the phone before Abel could respond to that, "The girl is fine, now Jax why don't we talk about the things you need to do for me to get her back?"

And then just like that all of Abel's indifference was truly gone, any bit of any remotely kind feeling for Jax was gone, as one thought and one emotion hit him like a bus.

This is his fault, this is Jax's fault.

And all he could feel knowing that was rage.