Brief A/N: I've decided to set this after season 3 sometime, just as a point of reference. And I switched around some events from that season to here (you'll see what I mean). Enjoy!

It had been weeks since the "incident," as Kit was now referring to her night with Jax Teller. He hadn't called but she didn't expect it. This was what she wanted, or at least what she said she did. The most frustrating thing about the whole thing was that she couldn't talk about it with anyone. She desperately wanted to tell Rachel but she knew her cousin would just encourage her to pursue Jax. She had never really bonded with William. Rachel would probably start planning double dates the second Kit told her about it.

The guilt had mostly subsided. Kit kept her life compartmentalized. She had to in order to have any chance of a normal life. Her work stayed at work and she rarely talked about it with anyone but the people in her office. Her boyfriend knew what she told him. It sounded bad but she had been spinning lies so long, sometimes it was like the Kit he knew was a completely different person, a better person. Her past stayed in a box she tucked away in a corner of her mind that she tried not to open. And now Jax had his own little compartment in a place that was completely undefined. She kept it away from everything else and tried not to think about him. But like her past, it wasn't always easy.

As much as she tried to forget the incident, Kit had moments when Jax would just pop into her mind. Flashes of the night they had, the way he smiled at her, touched her, and even the way he smelled just came back to her. Sometimes it was just a flash and other times it was like a flood. It was distracting to say the least.

Rachel snapped her fingers in front of Kit's face. "You are being so weird, lately. What's going on? I feel like we haven't really talked in a while."

Kit smiled and took a sip of her now cold coffee. "That's because you're always with Juice. I'm totally fine. It's just a work thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. You know how I'm a perfectionist and this thing just didn't go how I planned. So, how are things going with you and the biker?"

Rachel was intuitive but easily distracted. She was more than happy to talk about her boyfriend and how big of a sweetheart he was. Juice apparently really was holding to his pledge of protecting her. Some hang around at the clubhouse got a little rough with her and Juice took a few hard hits at the guy before he finally let him leave. Rachel was really happy that he had defended her honor.

"How is the clubhouse? Do you go a lot?"

Rachel shrugged. "Sometimes. I think most of the time it's pretty dead. They go on a lot of runs and have a lot of late nights. I've been spending a lot of time at his place. But sometimes, it just feels like he's never around or we keep missing each other. It's hard to balance with my work schedule and stuff."

Kit mulled that over. "Yeah, that sucks." Is that how a relationship with Jax would be like? Is that something she could deal with? She closed her eyes and stopped herself. She would not go there or even start down that road.

"You should come out tonight. I've got to work but a bunch of the girls are going to be there. I can get you free drinks all night and before you say no, just think about how much you actually need this. You work too hard and a night of dancing could totally change your outlook."

"I'd love to but I've got a thing with William later. We're having dinner with some of his friends." The night was sure to be a dull affair but she needed to remember the relationship she was actually in. They'd been through a lot and there was no reason to throw it away on a crush. Besides, it would be nice to spend some more time with him.

"Alright, but if it's boring you should come by the club." She kissed her cousin on the head. "You're too serious sometimes Kit. One of these nights, you're going to have to come out with me and just let loose."

Kit hugged her. One day she would tell her everything that was going on in her head. "I promise."

Jax was at his happiest when he was with his son, Abel. Since he had come into the world, he was the most important thing in dad's life. Everything was different, more complicated. For the most part though, things had settled down. After a tumultuous relationship and subsequent break-up, he and Tara were still friends and co-parents. Tara had legally adopted Abel and got custody before Jax went to Stockton prison. While he was inside, she looked after him like he was one of her own. Even though they weren't blood related, Tara would always be his mom. She loved Abel but she just couldn't take the life that came with SAMCRO. When it came to Jax, love just wasn't enough to keep her by his side.

Abel screamed with happiness as his dad pushed him on the swing. He would soon outgrow the little playground they had built on the TM lot. Jax couldn't believe how big he'd gotten. He was almost two and a half.

"Grandma!" he yelled out. Gemma had come over from the garage to see him.

"Hi baby," she said, beaming at him. "Want to play with me for a little while?"

He nodded and hopped off the swings and into her arms. "The guys need you inside," she said to her son. "Sounded important."

"Alright." Lately, he felt like he never had enough time with Abel. Something always came up. He was glad that he had at least one stable parent in his life. "Tara'll be by after work to pick him up."

"Okay, sweetheart."

"See you later, buddy." Jax ruffled his son's hair. He was a little glad that he wouldn't have to see Tara. She had been bugging him about spending time with Abel, saying he wasn't around enough. She was right but it wasn't by choice.

Jax reluctantly went to the clubhouse to see what problems had arisen now. He figured he spent most of his days lately just cleaning up messes. He always knew that gun running was dangerous but ever since he read his father's memoir a few years ago, he knew that SAMCRO had to get out or it would ruin them one day. Something had always been in the way though. They always just needed one more deal or to carry on for a few more months that somehow turned into years. It was hard to say no to cold, hard cash.

Once inside, Tig brought him up to speed. The former president of the Calaveras MC, Hector Salazar, had gone rogue. Last week they had figured out that the Mayans were patching them over. After he ordered a hit on the member of the Grim Bastards, the Mayans and the Sons came together and put him in his place. They stripped him of his patch and cut. Now he was back with a vengeance.

"We know he hit up Lumpy's gym. Fucked up the old man and blamed it on the Mayans," Tig told him.

"Hale had the most to gain from that. He probably hired him," Jax said.

"Opie, Bobby and Happy have already gone to get answers. That's not the bad part. Alvarez's wife is missing. Salazar left the Calaveras symbol at his house."

"Jesus Christ." That really was bad. "Did he make any demands? He wouldn't kill her if he wants any chance at living this out."

Clay shook his head. "She's been missing since last night. Alvarez just called to ask for our help and warn us. This guy's out for revenge and he'll want to hurt SAMCRO too."

Jax nodded. That made sense. They killed his right hand, flushed his cut in a toilet, and forced Alvarez's hand to kick him out of his club. The Mayan president wasn't exactly opposed to the idea but the Sons definitely had a target on their backs as well. "Put everyone on alert, friends, wives, kids. If we don't find this bastard then we should bring them all here tonight."

Clay and Tig both nodded. Even though it was over a year ago, Abel's kidnapping was still fresh in their minds. You couldn't be too careful when you were dealing with men who had nothing to lose. "We're going to meet Alvarez to find out what they know," Clay said. "Juice and Kozik will stay here and see what they can dig up."

It was just after ten by the time Jax and Juice pulled into the parking lot of Kit's workplace. The place was pretty deserted. Kit was outside smoking with her boss, Sean. The office was closed now and they were just having a conversation about a case before heading home.

"Hey guys," Sean said, nodding to the Sons.

Kit looked at them curiously. She didn't know what to feel. It was weird seeing Jax in person. She saw Juice around the house sometimes but Jax was different. He still intrigued her and something about him made her feel nervous and excited all at once.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Jax asked, knocking fists with Sean.

"Can't complain. What brings you by?"

"This lady right here. Got a minute, Kit?" he asked, a small smile on his lips. He forgot how bright her green eyes were. It had been weeks since he'd seen her but a part of him still really wanted her and he didn't realize how much until he was looking at her. She seemed cool but a bit mysterious too. When he thought back to their night together, she didn't actually reveal all that much about herself. She was pretty guarded and that had piqued his interest.

"Yeah, sure. I can lock up," she said to Sean.

He said his goodbyes and went off to his car while Kit led Juice and Jax inside the office. She brought them to her office in the back. It was a small room but she definitely preferred it to the open concept plan of the rest of the space.

"What can I do for you guys?"

"We need to find someone," Jax said. Juice laid out the photo they had of Salazar on her desk. "He's part of the Calaveras MC. The Mayans are looking for him too. He's gone rogue."

Kit looked at the photo thoughtfully. "Why would he do that?"

They explained everything about the circumstances leading up to his unceremonial removal from his club. Then they expanded on what Alvarez told them earlier about his wife's kidnapping. Apparently the mark Salazar left at the house was written in blood, which obviously had Alvarez anxious and on a warpath. He knew his wife was a fighter and he was afraid she might try something drastic to escape.

"Have you gone after his family, girlfriend?" she asked. The easiest way to flush out anyone was through their loved ones. It was a sad truth.

"They're both MIA," Juice told her. "Rachel's safe, by the way. She's at the clubhouse. Just thought I'd mention that." Kit nodded appreciatively.

"We've been looking for him all day. We got some leads but they all ended up dead ends. The Mayans are an important ally right now. If something happens to that woman, it could send Alvarez off the deep end. Who knows what he'll do? It could change things for SAMCRO and not for the better."

She sighed. "This could take a while. Two crews have been looking all day and have nothing." She was supposed to be going over to Will's house. They had been fighting over a lie she told and had finally come to common ground this morning. Tonight would fix things. "How important is this to you guys?"

"He's a loose cannon that needs to be contained. He hasn't made demands yet so we still think he's just torturing the Mayans with silence. Regardless, we pissed him off too. I wouldn't put it past him to hurt one of us."

Kit closed her eyes for a moment and thought about it. She didn't want anyone hurt because she needed a night alone with her boyfriend. That would just be selfish. She knew she had to do this and there wasn't really a choice involved. Plus, at the back of her mind, she knew that she wanted to take this on to be a little closer to Jax. She just wanted to know him a little more. Maybe they could even be friends. "Alright, but you really owe me."

Jax smiled and Kit knew she made the right choice. "Thank you. Anything you need, you tell me and the club will have it done. Juice, stay here with her. I don't want her pursuing anything on her own, no matter how tough she is," Jax said, smirking.

Kit just rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as he left. She kind of liked that he thought she was tough even though he barely knew her. It was also good to have help and considering Salazar's brash decisions, back up was probably wise. She turned to Juice to get the rest of the information regarding her newest target. They had a lot of work to do before the night was over.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/faves! I'm literally blown away, its amazing. Drop me a line to let me know what you think :) xo A