CupKatyCakes asked for a One Shot with Jax, something cute, and I swear to God, that was my intention but as so often, when I put two characters together the conversation turns into something I hadn't expected.

Thing is; Jax and Grace hasn't been portraid as being very close. And when I was going to get them to know each other... well, two smart people in a room, one much older and more experienced. Shit happens. I still liked it and thought it was worth posting. It also explains some comments from Jax about Grace that comes much further ahead in Crooked Rain. Still handing out those online cookies to my faithful readers ;-D

Another A/N at the end, nothing big but I don't want to ruin the read.

Jax beat you at your own game today

"Jax?"

"Yeah."

Jax was next to a bike and had somehow been put on babysitting detail despite being the fucking president. He'd been cut in the leg a few days earlier and by orders of Tara he was supposed to rest. That's why he was now in the garage with a very quiet teenage girl.

He looked over at Grace who was sitting on a work bench with a book in her lap. She was fourteen but Hap didn't want her running around alone with all the shit that was going on. Wasn't anything major but when it came to his kids Hap was very protective. Extremely protective. Overprotective to be honest.

"Where's Abel and Thomas?"

He turned back to the bike. "At home."

"Sorry you got stuck with me. Not like I really need a sitter, just dad's overprotective drive again."

He looked over at her again and smiled. "Nothing to be sorry about hon'. I like it."

She met his eyes and gave him a crooked smile. "You're a lousy liar but thanks for trying."

He was a lot of things but a lousy liar wasn't one of them. He took a closer look at her. Hap had called her a living lie-detector and Jax had assumed he was just boosting his kid. But that comment made him wonder. She'd been around a lot but he hadn't gotten to know her that well. Sure, he'd written her those letter when he was inside but to him that had mostly been one more way to keep in contact with Abel.

When she looked up at him again, still with a smile he noticed those eyes again. This was a smart kid and for the first time he wondered why she stayed clear of him. She had most of the other guys wrapped around her fingers but she'd never even tried with him. He was starting to suspect that he knew why.

He sat down on the chair in front of her. "Wanna tell me why you're not trying to charm the shit outta me like you've done with the others?"

"Aww, feeling overlooked?" She said with her head tilted to the side. When he didn't fall for it she sighed. "I'm not really charming them. I think they just miss their own kids and took me on me as a substitute." She shrugged. "You and Ope have your kids. Juice used to be like a kid and he's still all in his own family life."

She was right. The ones she was closest to was the ones that had kids that was pretty much out of their life. Bobby was still in contact with Tiki but Precious was running that show. Gemma wanted a granddaughter and saw her chance in Grace. There was one of them that didn't fit in however.

"And Piney?"

She looked up at him and shrugged again. "Not sure." This is why she'd been avoiding him. Only thing was, the more obvious it became that she had been avoiding him on purpose and that she now was trying to dodge some topics, the more curious he got.

"You're not the only one who can spot a lie, sweetheart." She closed the book and put it next to her on the workbench. "Make you a deal, hon'. You tell me your theory and I promise I won't tell anyone."

It didn't really matter what her theory was and it was a promise that probably wouldn't take that much to keep. This was mostly him satisfying his own curiosity.

"Promise?" She looked him straight into the eyes.

"I promise."

With a nod she took a deep breath. "He took Jonah to the cabin when they caught him at our place. He probably heard him talking about me and I think he felt sorry for me at first. Then he just started to like me." Jax could practically feel his jaw hit the floor. How the fuck did she knew about that? "You promised!"

"I know." He cleared his throat. "You knew they took him up to the cabin?"

"I assumed that's what they did. Nowhere else to take him."

Jax's head was spinning. This was not really what he had expected when he agreed to babysit earlier. "And what do you think happened?"

"Dad killed him." She didn't say it in a nonchalant way, she looked him right in the eyes when she did and she didn't flinch.

"He told you that?" Hap was a badass fuck in a lot of ways but telling a kid you killed her father seemed crazy even for him.

"No. I figured it out and asked him."

"How?" That was the only thing he could think of asking. Then something else hit him. "When?"

"When we were in that first lockdown, just after mom had been attacked." She was six fucking years old then! "Ever time Jonah had found us before we moved. We didn't move and mom was... calm, she didn't worry anymore."

There was something in her eyes that caught Jax attention. "And?"

"It said so on his chest."

'I live, I die, I kill for my family'. That's what Hap had tattooed along his neckline. He took an even closer look at Grace and it hit him why she was avoiding this. He wasn't her mom or dad with preconceived notions about what their daughter would and wouldn't do. More importantly, he was better at this than she was. And those tearful, guilty eyes told him that she both wanted and not wanted him to ask.

"You knew he would."

She was still looking at him and with an almost relived sigh she answered. "I wasn't sure but when mom didn't... she didn't do the things we usually did I figured... And when Gemma gave me that phone she said that I had to call her or Dad and they'd take care of it."

"You're a smart one."

She looked up and smiled at him while drying her eyes. "Takes one to know one. And you're smarter than me."

That made him laugh out loud. "You think I'm smart?"

"I knew you'd figure it out. That's why I made you promise." She was still drying her eyes and then she sighed. "Piney knew too."

Jax nodded. Piney had been a smart guy and Piney wasn't the kind of guy who had preconceived notions about anyone. He knew people would do pretty much anything it took to stay alive. Grace probably wanted someone alive who knew. Jax knew better than anyone how shit like that could weigh you down and just telling someone, knowing that someone else knew and didn't judge you could make a huge difference.

"And your mom and Hap?"

"Mom might but dad would've asked me about it if he did."

Then something else hit Jax. "It wasn't your fault, you know that, right?" But she didn't answer him. "It's not like you ordered a hit on him. You saved your mom the only way you could. Anything after that wasn't up to you anymore."

"I know." She gave him a tiny smile. "This is why I haven't tried to 'charm the shit outta you'."

Her trying to imitate his voice made him laugh as much as the comment. "Because I'd call you out on your shit?"

"Yes. You're good with people and you see through them the way I do and Piney did. But you're better at it."

"So if I asked about your opinion on what I think about people, what would you say?" He asked mostly for fun to. To make her feel better and think about something else.

"You still don't fully trust Tig."

She stunned him again since she didn't even have to think about it. She'd noticed it long before he asked. "And your dad?"

"You do now. You weren't sure before but he was always on you side you know."

"How the hell does a kid become like you?" He shook his head.

"Dad says it's a combination of genetics and surroundings. I'm smart like my mom and the way we used to live I had to figure out who to trust quickly. I'm guessing you got better at stuff like this after your dad died."

There was probably some truth to that but she wasn't more than fourteen and she seemed to avoid most people except the ones in the club. And Peter of course. Hap was worried about that but Jax was pretty damn sure he didn't have to. Peter was most likely gay.

He'd thought it was a bit funny at first, Hap playing dad but he'd quickly noticed that it wasn't Hap just playing dad to get into the mom's pants. He was dead serious about it and they were very close. Those 'weekly sessions' was impressive and he'd tried something similar with Thomas and Abel.

"He really tells you everything, doesn't he?"

"No. Not everything but he's always honest with me." She gave him one more of those shy smiles. "And he talks to me the way you do."

"How do I talk to you?"

"Like I'm not just a kid but he did it already when I was six." She eyed him again. "But you're going to tell him about this talk. Aren't you?"

"Some of it."

She nodded. "I know it wasn't really my fault. It just feels like it sometime." Her eyes were getting shiny again. "And I dream about it. That he says it's my fault."

"Your dad?"

"No. Happy is my dad. Jonah." She said it with such determination that he felt bad about it.

"Sorry." She didn't reply, only nodded.

"You're good at this," she said after a few moments of silence.

"At what?"

"Making people talk."

"So's your dad."

"He hits them to make them talk. I mean like this, luring it out."

This chick had shocked him more times than anyone else had in a long time, all in less than twenty minutes. He laughed again. Girl sure knew her dad.

'Luring it out', he had gotten a lot better at that over the years. He wondered what a girl like Grace would be like when she grew up. Judging by what she looked like now and how beautiful her mom was she'd be stunning and smart. Much like Tara was. She didn't look fourteen yet but she'd always looked younger than she was. She was starting to look less like a kid though and Hap would probably be a very busy dad in just a few years.

"If Piney was around I'd talk to him instead of Hap if thats what you wanted. Piney really got you, didn't he?"

"Yes. But not because we talked. He was just there." She eyed him again. Like she was trying to figure something else out. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He was mostly curious to what she would ask and that's why he agreed to it. She had a very determined look on her as if she didn't really want to ask but felt forced. This should be something special.

"Did you kill Clay because he killed Piney?"

Jax was utterly speechless for quite a while. There was no end to it with her. "Hap told you that?"

"No." Another one of her smiles but it was a sad one. "I figured it out."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"I think we've already established that I'm not stupid."

"Didn't ask Hap?"

"No. He wouldn't have told me anyway. I loved Piney and when he died..."

Jax knew that Hap had been really worried about her. Apparently she'd hardly eaten or slept for quite some time after Piney's death.

"Listen..."

"I don't need any details. I just want to know that he..."

"...was avenged. Don't worry about it." She knew what he meant by that. He'd killed Clay. Well, actually, Opie killed Clay and Hap cleaned it up. "How did you know it was Clay?"

That wasn't known to anyone outside the club. They'd kept it silent to not cause problems in the other charters. Just dealt with it.

"I figured it out." She said again and did another one of those teenage shrugs.

"Don't try, hon'. How did you know?" He needed to know since he wanted to know if they'd fucked up.

"You and Ope glared at him at Piney's funeral and then you distanced yourself from him even more. And Bobby did too. Tig was a bit off for a while and then I think he made up his mind. Probably after Clay beat up Gemma."

"You knew about that too?"

"Who else would dare to beat her up? Also, dad came home really late one night and seemed very off. The day after they found Clay dead."

"Do you know why he killed Piney?"

"No." She studied him again. "And you're not going to tell me." He shook his head. "It's ok. Probably better that way."

"Absolutely better that way."

If she'd been the silent type he would've probably realized that Hap wasn't just bragging but she really lived up to that nickname, Sunshine, and was always talking to everyone and he'd written her off as just another whimsy teenage girl with a very proud dad.

"I'm gonna have to talk to Hap about some of this. I know I promised..."

"I know. And I knew you would."

"Then why did you ask me?"

"Just wanted to see if you meant it. Besides, you broke a promise so now you owe me a favor."

"Been watching 'The Godfather' lately?" He laughed and continued laughing when she held up the book she was reading. It was 'The Godfather'. "Collecting debts?"

"Something like that."

They both heard the bikes and jumped as if they were caught in the middle of something completely forbidden. She looked at him and smiled.

"I'll keep some of it out of the conversation." She nodded and jumped down from the bench and started to walk outside. "Hey, Sunshine! Got a hug for me?"

Smart kid like that was worth keeping close. Also; he admired her and now he knew what all the fuss was about; she was a very special kid. But with her latest comments he decided to let the part where she felt guilty about her dad slip. He'd bring that up with Hap some other time. The Clay / Piney thing was much more important now. And he owed her one. He wanted to pay her back and this was one of the most interesting and surprising conversations he'd had in a while.

She turned around and walked up to him. "Thank you."

Hap walked in and got a hug and a kiss from Grace. "All good, Sugar?"

"Yeah." She looked over her shoulder at him. "I think Jax wants a word with you."

Hap looked up at him too and frowned. "Ok?"

Happy watched Grace as she ran up to Bobby and was caught in a big hug. He wondered what the hell she'd been doing now.

"She in trouble?"

"We had a... talk." Jax laughed a little. "I knew she was smart but..."

He'd hear that opening a couple of times before and sighed. "Fuck! What did she figure out this time?"

"That Clay killed Piney and that we offed Clay."

Hap sighed. It would be nice if she stayed out of trouble at least once in a while and why the fuck did she tell Jax and not him that? "She won't tell anyone."

"I know. I'm not worried about that." Jax lit a smoke. "That girl got her smarts from her mom and the loyalty from you."

It would've been interesting to hear their 'talk'. Two really smart people who could read others like few could. Must've been a real battle of the minds. He wasn't surprised that Grace lost, she was good but she wasn't Jax. He probably played her like a fucking piano.

"What else did she say?"

"Just that she'd figure out early on that you killed Jonah." Jax gave him a smile. She sure had. Didn't take her long at all.

"How come she asked you about Clay?" It bugged him like hell that she hadn't asked him about it.

"She knew I'd tell her the truth and she said you wouldn't have."

"I wouldn't. Why did you?"

"I owed her." Jax said with a strange smile. "Make sure she know that's why."

Happy sighed again. "I'll make sure." He looked at Jax again and wondered if Grace really wasn't in trouble. "So she's ok?"

"I know she won't talk about it. She's smart and she just wanted to make sure that Piney'd been avenged. She really loved the old man."

Happy nodded. He should've known it was about that and nothing else. Going directly to the prez was smart of her too. None of the others would've told her shit about it and Jax was the only one who could make that decision. She'd been around the club enough to know how it worked.

"The others can download you the info. I'll take her for a ride."

"Do that."

He walked out and found Grace in the bar. "Come on, Sugar. We're going for a ride."

She just nodded and followed him outside. He took her to their spot and they sat down.

"Jax said to tell you that he told you the truth cause he owed you."

He could see her mind run and then she smiled and almost annoyed smile. "Damn!" She laughed. "He got me!"

"Gonna tell me what he did for you?"

"No." She said and had her mom's smile. "Don't worry about it."

"You should've asked me."

"You wouldn't have told me the truth. You're still trying to protect me but I've know what you are since I was six. How far you're prepared to go."

He looked at her and hugged her close to him. "Doesn't mean you need to hear shit like that. You shouldn't hear shit like that."

"Then you shouldn't have put it permanently on your skin."

"Wasn't counting on showing it to a kid."

"Didn't see kids in your future?"

"No." He shook his head with a smile. He had not seen any kids in his future what so ever. He had decided early on that it wasn't for him. "Took a special one to change my mind."

"I am rather fabulous."

"Don't let it get to your head." He kissed her. "Remember; Jax beat you at your own game today."

"I knew he would if we ever got to it."

"Only thing you never get is when guys are hitting on you." He laughed. She never noticed and she was still too young for guys her age to have figured out that game. Thankfully.

"Don't think they do that."

"Oh, they do. You just don't notice it."

"And I'm guessing you scare them away before I do."

"Oh, yeah." He was making very sure that none of them got even the slightest glimmer of hope to get anywhere near her.

"Doesn't matter yet."

"Yet?" He looked at her. "Got your eye on someone?" He tried to say it in a light manner but he was about to choke.

"I'm fourteen, dad. I'd have to be dead to not have my eye on someone." She tried to say it in a light manner as well. He knew her better than that but he let it slide. She lost at this once today and probably needed to get away with something. So he simply gave her another kiss.

"It'll be fine, honey." Hopefully it was quite some time left until it really became an issue.

"Thanks for everything today." She put her arms around his waist and hugged him tight. "Am I ok with the club too?"

"Sure you are. You knew what you were doing." Jax might have played her like a piano but he had to give it to her; she'd found out what she wanted too. He wondered what she had to give up to get that and had a feeling that's what Jax had 'owed' her. Something Jax hadn't told him.

"Kind of did. If he didn't want me to know he wouldn't have told me. If he told me it should be ok."

"Should isn't really enough when you're playing around with this shit, Sugar. So keep calm from now on and ask me instead."

"Ok."

"Wanna ask me about Piney or Clay?"

"Would you tell me anything?" She said with a raised, skeptical eyebrow.

"Probably not."

"I don't need to know the details anyway. Piney was a friend and I loved him. I wanted to make sure that someone gave a shit."

"We all did, Honey."

She nodded. "Dad?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Think Jax is mad at me?"

"No. He's not. He's very impressed."

Her smile grew bit. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Another thing."

"What?"

"Think you can stop asking the guys to babysit me? I'm fourteen. It's embarrassing. For me and for them."

He sighed. It had been some shit going on but nothing major. And she was right, she was fourteen. "Fine. But you need to call me all the fucking time."

He could also ask Bobby to keep baking things for her, that would keep the fourteen year old sweet tooth at the fucking clubhouse.

Some of you have asked how Clay and Piney died and I simply 'borrowed' that from the series. Obviously pushing it forward quite a few years. It's not a major thing in the actual story even if it will have some meaning to Grace later on.