A/N: I am so sorry for the delay in update… My mother had surgery and so I was at the hospital for five days, and then my cord broke and I didn't get it till yesterday. So I am so sorry, hopefully you'll still review.

XOXOXOXO

"You pass?"Jax asked her as he and Opie walked up to her and Donna standing outside the School Office just as school was letting out for the day.
She smiled over at Donna who beamed right back at her before they both looked over at the curious fifth graders and flashed them there test scores.
"We're Fourth graders now!" both girls squealed in excitement that they weren't leaving the other behind.
"I knew you were smart Tara but I didn't know you were smart enough to skip a whole damn grade." Jax said surprised at his little friend.
"It's because I eat my vegetables." She explains to him, before staring back down at the paper that had her score and a big number 4 on the top corner.
"You do not! You give them to me! I've been eating your vegetables for the last three years, because somehow I always get seated next to you." Opie protested before Jax and Donna smirked at each other before they started to sing-song the "Green Giant" theme song much to Opie's annoyance.
Before her friend could come back with something more than a mumbled "shut up" her mother showed up honking the horn getting their attention.
"Hey Mom! She called as her and Donna walked over to the rolled down passenger side window.
"Hey sweetie. How did you and Donna do on your tests?" She asked shifting the car into park.
"We passed! We are gonna be Fourth graders starting on Monday." She gushed handing over her score sheet to her mother.
"Oh Tara I knew you could do it!" Her mother said before her eyes started to water. . "Ugh, stupid hormones. I'm really proud of you baby." Before wiping at her almost overflowing orbs.
"I'm proud of you too Donna." Her mother said congratulating her friend.
"Thanks." Donna said before stuffing her paper into her empty backpack.
"All right well I'm supposed to pick the boys and Tommy and drop them off at the garage but after I do that why don't I take you girls out for ice cream to celebrate the smartest girls in Charming. How does that sound?" She asked as she unbuckled her seatbelt getting ready to get out of the car.
She was met with enthusiastic smiles as she opened her car door.
"Here mom, just take my backpack and I'll go get Tommy and the boys." She told her mother before slipping the neon green and purple bag off her shoulder and pushing it through the window before turning around and walking towards the Kindergarten room with Donna and eventually Opie and Jax trailing behind. Walking up to the paper mache decorated door she saw the kids lined up at the door waiting to exit the class quietly. However as soon as Tommy saw her the idea of being quiet flew out the window.
"Tara! Tara!" He called out to her getting out of line and running right out the door and into her.
"Hey Tommy how was school?" She asked the little boy.
"Thomas!" Ms. Morris called his name, causing the little boy to turn around and walk slowly back to his spot in line.
"Sorry about that, He just gets excited when he sees me." She apologized to the teacher, before looking down at the ground.
"It's okay Ms. Knowles, I don't blame you it's just that they have to learn to not break the rules now or else-" Ms. Morris explained fading off as her gaze settled on the boys standing to the side of her. At that the teacher glanced at her watch before telling the class to straighten up and exit one by one.
By the time Tommy got out the door he looked like he was ready to jump to the moon.
"Come on buddy, I bet if you ask Aunt Kat she'll take all of us out to ice cream." Jax said grabbing his brother's little hand and started to walk down the hall and back toward the parking lot, but not before winking over at her.
He just wants free ice cream she thinks following behind the Teller boys.
XOXOXOXO

We'll do our ice cream day another time with just you, me and donna." Her mother told her as she entered into the Teller-Winston Autoshop.
"Yeah, okay." She said disappointedly before the car was parked next to the open bays.
"Alright boys go tell Gemma or Piney that we are going out for ice cream and you'll be back in an hour to help out." Her mother told them watching as the boys got out and ambled into the shop office.
Not five minutes later Aunt Gemma came trailing behind her toddling youngster with her leather bag slung over her shoulder.
"Are you joining us Aunt Gemma?" She asked from the front seat.
"Yep I figured I'm not a total bitch. I don't want to leave my little hellions with a tired pregnant lady and three other kids in a sweet shop." She said before kicking her out of the front seat and into the very back with Jax.
"Liar. You just want to get out of that office and leave the prospect to file everything." Her mother said seeing right through her aunt's poor excuse of a helping hand.
"Maybe she wants to celebrate with us." She piped up trying to help out her aunt
"What are we celebrating?" Aunt Gemma asked her, turning her head as much as she could to look at her in the very backseat.
"No school for two days." Jax and Opie supplied in unison.
"No! We're celebrating Donna and I being fourth graders now." She told her aunt excitedly.
"Now that sounds like the perfect excuse to leave the prospect to do the filing. We have to celebrate Wins when we have um, because the losses just pull us down. " Her aunt said matter-of-factly before her mother started the car and drove out of Teller-Winston.
XOXOXOXOXO
"Look Mom they have pumpkin!" She pointed excitedly into the ice cream display case as they walked up to gaze at the frozen confections.
"I see that, it means we're getting awfully close to Thanksgiving." Her mother told her before smiling at the attending at the register.
"I think that's what I'm gonna get, a scoop of pumpkin and mint chocolate chip." She told her mother before cocking her head to decide whether to get it in a sugar cone or in a glass flute with whip cream.
"Whatever you want sweetie; what are you gonna get Donna?"
"Strawberry." Donna told her mother before walking up to the register and asking for a sugar cone.
After much deliberation from the three boys we ordered our ice creams and sat down at a booth.
"This rocky-road is so good." Jax mumbled his delight over a big bite of chocolate and whip cream.
"No Dude, this moose tracks is the shit!" Opie grinned at his own joke before licking around the edges of his waffle cone.
Her mother gave Opie a stern look which had him shrinking back in his seat and quietly enjoying his treat.
"To Tara and Donna! The smartest girls in all of Charming." Gemma and her mother saluted them, cones in hand.
She couldn't help the smile that over took her face as her mother and family congratulated her on being a bookworm. She looked over at Tommy who was standing on the faux leather bubblegum pink bench in-between her mother and Aunt Gemma, cone raised in hand as his sweet dripped onto the table. Her gaze shifted over to her two best friends, Jax and Opie who each had there treat raised high before nodding at her and then diving back into the cold creamy delight.
With a thank you on her tongue and gentle smile for Tommy they spent the rest of the time in the ice cream shop talking about what everyone was doing for the weekend.
XOXOXXOXO
"Congratulations again Donna!" Her mother called out to her friend from the driver's side door as her friend hurried up the drive and into the house.
"Now let's go tell Daddy." Her mother said excitedly as she pulled away from the house.
She couldn't wait for her daddy to hear about her new class and that her new friend was going to be in it with her.
As soon as the car was parked in the driveway she bolted out of the door, leaving her backpack for her mother to bring in. Pushing open the screen door and twisting the bronze flecked knob she shuffled into the house, not even caring to take off her coat and shoes as she rushed in to the kitchen to find her father tinkering with the kitchen faucet.
"Daddy! Daddy! Guess what? Guess what?" She called getting her father's attention as she stood right by his side waiting for him to listen.
Putting down the red wrench and turning on the water before turning it off he guessed that she ate an elephant for lunch.
"No Dad! I didn't eat an elephant, it's impossible to eat an elephant. Guess again." She prodded.
"You finished Charolette's Web?" He guessed, turning to look at her.
"Yes, I finished that on Wednesday. But guess what else?" she said getting a little annoyed.
Her father put a finger to his lips and tapped it twice humming before he looked at her with a slow smile creeping onto his face before he said, "you passed your test?"
"Yes and I am starting fourth grade on Monday. With Donna!" She shouted in glee, as her daddy wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a big smooch on her cheek.
"Wow my little girl is starting fourth grade. I'm getting old."
"Just wait till she starts high school." Her mother said as she set her backpack and keys on the counter.
For a moment she felt her father cringe before he planted another kiss on her cheek, and holding her a more tightly.

"Don't worry Hugh; it's a long way off." Her mother said in-between a giggle or two before walking towards the fridge.
She wriggled out of her father's arms, but not before escaping with another kiss planted on her hairline and skipped out of the kitchen singing "I'm gonna be a fourth grader, I'm gonna be a fourth grader."
For the rest of the weekend, and it was a very long weekend if you asked her parents she couldn't stop talking about how she would get to pick out lunch before all of her old classmates and that she'll make new friends besides Donna and Opie and Jax, and best of all her desk will be right next to Donna's.
XOXOXXOXOX
Monday morning arrived a lot earlier then the rooster would have liked as the Knowles household was alive with activity as she got her parents up not-so-bright and early. She was fully dressed with backpack slung over her back and a book clutched in her hand as she demanded that her Mommy make her pancakes, smiley face pancakes.
"udhfhw" Her mother responded into the pillow.
When her mother refused to move she tried getting daddy out of bed and that mission was more successful if only by a margin.
"Coming Princess, I'll meet you in the living room in a minute, go watch some cartoons." He huffed out as he groaned as he sat up in bed and running his hand over his haggard, exhausted face.
"Okay Daddy." She said sweetly, turning to walk out of the room, before she turned back around to double check he was really getting up, "Oh and I want bacon. Mommy always says a big breakfast is the best way to start the day." She smiled at him as he ran a hand through his hair before glancing at the glowing red numbers stamped on his clock.
"Okay, be out in a minute." He acquiesced before yawning and getting up.
Assured that her dad was going to make her pancakes with bacon she hurried out to the living room to watch some television.
After watching half of a Scobby-Doo episode her daddy came out looking bright-eyed and bushy tailed as Uncle Chibs likes to say.
Turning on the coffee pot and scooping out some grounds he sets it to percolate before taking out ingredients to make her Smiley face Pancakes with bacon.
"I KNEW IT WAS THE BUTLER!" She called to her dad as the credits rolled.
"It was? Wow I never would have guessed it was the butler." He feigned surprise as he dropped the batter onto the griddle.
"Yeah it was, and he would have gotten away with it too if It wasn't for Scooby." She explained as she came into the kitchen and sidled on up to her dad who lifted her up to place the chocolate chips and bits of banana for the eyes.
Once the pancakes were sufficiently cooked and the face only looked a little lopsided her mother joined them in the kitchen and plopped down in the chair next to hers, waiting for a plate of her own.
"Head off the table mommy." She chirped to her mom as her dad set a plate full of bacon and a pancake with curly whip cream for hair in front of her before handing her a glass of milk and a fork.
"It's five-thirty in the morning." She grumbled as she lifted her head to receive a kiss and a cup of coffee.
"She's just excited honey. You could have stayed in bed, I am more than happy to take Tara to school." Hugh offered as he went to fill up his cup for another cup of coffee.
"No, no it's fine. I'm already up and I promised Tara that I would do her all pretty for her first day as a Fourth Grader". She assured him before taking a leisurely sip of the caffeine.
The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair as the adults drank their coffee in peace while she are her pancake and nibbled on her strips of bacon before licking her lips in satisfaction.
"Can we do my hair now mama?" She asked her mother once her plate was clean of all traces of food and her glass of milk was drained to the last drop.
Her mother looked up at the clock hanging above the sink to see that it was only five after six, and school wasn't for another two hours. However as she looked back over at her daughter with her backpack still strapped to her back and she couldn't seem to care that it was bloody early. Taking one last gulp of her only cup of caffeine she nodded her head yes, and asked her to clean up her breakfast.
Deciding she could always stop by Gem's before dropping her daughter off she kissed her husband on the cheek before heading towards their bedroom to take a quick, although at five months pregnant, nothing was ever really quick anymore shower before doing Tara's hair and running over to the Tellers.

"Daddy do you wanna watch cartoons with me or do you want to read?" She asked her father as she pushed her plate onto the counter followed by her milk glass.
"How about we sit right here, and you can read your book and I'll go get the newspaper and we can read. That sound okay?" He asked as he scooted out from the table and made his way toward the door. Watching her dad open the door and push open the screen door, she could hear that they weren't the only ones up getting ready for school.
"Seems like Uncle Piney is up too, did you wake the whole neighborhood?" Hugh joked with her as he closed the doors and made his way into the kitchen.
"No I know better than to wake Uncle Piney. He's almost as bad as Opie in the morning." She told him as she pulled out a book from under her seat and opened it to the bookmarked page.
"You're starting to act like a squirrel with those books. Soon I'll start finding them in the fridge if I don't buy you another bookshelf." He quipped before sitting down and opening up the small five page paper to the happenings going on around Charming.
A chapter, a half a glass of milk and thirty-three minutes later her mother was dressed and ready to take on the day, and also to do her hair.
"So what do you want pigtails, a braid, a high ponytail or half-up?" Her mother asked her as she sat on the closed toilet seat.
Cocking her head she decided she wanted to look like her mama who wore her hair loosely in a half-up style.
"I want to look like you do mama." She told her mother who was all smiles as she hugged her before lightly parting her hair into a section to go up and one to stay down and flowing.
After a few brushes of the horse-haired comb that Uncle John brought her mom from a trip far away some of her hair was put in a loose pony.
"Pretty as a picture." Her mother said before setting the brush back on the counter and opening the door to head back into the hallway.
"Look at my two most beautiful girls." Her father said after whistling once he saw her and her mother in the opening of the hallway.
"Daddy! We're your only girls." She reminded him before flashing him a smile.
"And it's a good thing too, because if I had more I'd be an awfully spoiled man and pirates might come and try and take you from me." He said before planting a kiss on her mother's ruby red lips.
"You bet mister, and don't you forget I'm worse than any pirate." Her mother told her father before flashing her a coy smile and announcing that they need to go if they're going to stop and see the boys and Gemma.
She nodded her head before running into the kitchen to grab her book and backpack ignoring the yells of her mother to not run in the house.
"Oh that reminds me, when I went out to get the paper this morning it seems we weren't the only ones up so damn early. Piney and Mary were up as well." He told her mother as she listened in the kitchen, while nibbling on a spare piece of bacon.
"They were probably up early with Opie, or maybe the guys are going on a run." Her mother supplied.
"I don't think so. I couldn't exactly hear anything concrete but they sounded angry." He explained.
"Hmm, well I don't know anything but I'll talk to Gemma about it this morning." She said ending the conversation before calling for her bacon-stealing thief of a daughter and picking up her purse and keys. "Tara Elizabeth, come on you don't want to be late to school!" Her mother called sarcastically for her as the clock hit seven AM as she opened the door.
"I'm Coming! Wait, don't leave without me." She yelled running out of the kitchen, past her daddy and right into her mother's leg.
"What did I tell you about running in the house young lady?" Kat said sternly, using her Fitzgerald voice.
"I shouldn't do it because it isn't proper for young ladies to run in the house." She mimicked her mother's warning before smiling sheepishly up at her.
"Let's Go!" She said before pushing open the screen door and allowing her little rambunctious eight year old to sprint past and down the steps.
XOXOXOOXOXO
"Good Morning Aunt Gemma!" She yelled excitedly running up the front walk, completely forgetting not to trample on Aunt Gemma's prized panies.
"WATCH OUT FOR THE PAN-"Aunt Gemma screeched, with her red glossed talon-like fingers gripping onto her coffee cup.
It was a light pink one. Taken too soon by her left foot, it had barely had time to nestle in for the winter nap. She lifted her left foot gingerly, as if that would soften the blow before walking sullenly up the rest of the walk.
"I'm sorry Aunt Gemma" She said looking up with big eyes.
"Tara Elizabeth Knowles! What did I tell you about running?" Her mother exclaimed vehemently, power-walking as best she could up to her and Aunt Gemma.
"I forgive you Tara. Now go on in and make sure Uncle John gets Jax out of bed." She says as her grip on the cup loosens if only slightly.
Not waiting around for another minute incase her mother decided to yell at her again she scurries past her aunt and into the house. Maybe she should eat something. Daddy always says she feels better after she eats for two. She probably didn't get enough bacon. She thinks as she hunts for her Uncle John. Finding her uncle standing inside Jax's bedroom door she sneaks up as best as she can before she tries and spooks her Uncle.
Clutching his chest, he whirls around in surprise, "Tara you scared me, and you'll give this old man a heart attack if you aren't careful." He feigned surprise.
She simply gifted him with a blinding smile.
"You are more a Fitz then you are a Knowles, you got your mother's ways in you." He chuckled before lifting her up on his hip.
"You're getting to be a heavy thing. You must be twelve years old!" He told her as he walked farther into Jax's room, whose namesake was burrowed under three layers of blankets.
"I'm Eight Uncle John you were at my birthday party." She reminded him.
"Really? I think you must be mistaken, you most certainly are not eight, you re at least twelve." He was adamant.
"No." She said shaking her head.
"Well then I must be mistaken." He acquiesced, before setting her down on the foot of Jax's bed.
"Jackson it's time to get up. Time for school. Son." Uncle John told his son yet again, before smiling down at her and nodding at the boy under the blankets.
"Jax time to get up!" She sing-songed patting the lump closest to her.
"No I don't want to." He called out from under his blankets." As the lump near to her moved to shove her away.
"Jackson get up. Its Tara's first day of Fourth grade, and you wouldn't want to make her late. Up! I won't say it again." Uncle John said authoritatively, and seeing no sign of progress picked her up and set her on the floor, motioning to be quiet with a finger to his lips before he took a hold of the end of the blankets, and yanked.
The layers of blankets flew off the bed and fell in a heap on the floor. The blonde boy in the bed stuck out a hand, searching for a shred of warmth to burrow under. Finding none he opened his eyes to look at her and his father.
"I'm Sick." He said before closing his eyes.
"You don't look sick Jax." She said walking over to stick a hand to his face. "You aren't warm." She said before looking at Uncle John.
"Doctor's orders. Get up!" He said before he motioned for her to follow him out of the room.
Skipping after Uncle John she left Jax to get ready for school.
"Good Morning Kat." Uncle John said hello to her mother as they walked into the kitchen to find Tommy in his little seat eating.
"Morning John. Sorry to drop by but this one had me up before the rooster crowed." She said pointing at her.
"Oh it's no problem; she sure helped get Jax up." He said before smiling at her, "We should have you here every morning." He told her before he walked over to the coffeepot.
"Don't give her any ideas John. I don't need to be awake earlier then I absolutely have to." Her mother warned him, who let the warning slide off him in a smirk and a sip of coffee.
"Speaking of getting up early, it seems Piney and Mary were up awfully early as well. Hugh said they seemed like they were arguing. What's going on there?" Kat asked, looking between John who was leaning against the counter and Gemma who was making sure Tommy didn't make a mess of his school clothes.
"It seems Mary is a little upset about his latest run." Uncle John told her mother, who merely looked at him for a second before rubbing circles into the side of her belly.
"Some women aren't cut out for the Club." Aunt Gemma remarked, before dabbing away the food from Tommy's cheeks and letting him down from the chair.
The room was silent for a long moment as Tommy made Vroom Vroom noises with his hot rods motorcycle in the air.
The adults seemed to be saying something she couldn't hear as they gazed at one another in turn.
"Coffee." Jax grumbled as he lumbered into the kitchen.
Uncle John broke his gaze from my mother and ran a hand on his neck before staring down at me before looking over at his oldest son.
"You are too young for coffee." He said before taking a pull from his cup before smirking at his son who just sat down at the table and plopped his unkept head on the table.
She watched as Aunt Gemma poured him a glass of Orange Juice and set it next to his head before she "Morning baby." She said softly before smiling over at her sweetly.
After much hemming and hawing Jax drank his juice only after Tommy threatened to drink it before he went to get ready for the day.
Once he was dressed and ready to go the four of them headed out the door with Tommy holding his Hot Rod in one hand and her hand in the other.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

For those that wanted to know if this story was going to be solely in their young years, I plan on writing this story way past the young Jax/Tara….. I wanted to know if you want smaller chapters more frequently or longer chapters likes this (Over 4k words) once a week? Please let me know. Also please review, it makes me extremely happy.