Hello so sorry that it' been ages I've just struggled to find the time. jut a little warning that this chapter gets a little dark.

Chapter 15- Wanderer

Emery basked in the warmth that spread across her face and chest as she stoked the fire in Piney's cabin, April was sat on the sofa with a blanket wrapped around her legs, they'd gotten here a couple of hours ago and it was chilly, Jax had made the fire as they unpacked. He was going to head back to Charming in the morning to help Alverez find his rat and to help deal with April's fathers dilemma.

'okay so the bedrooms done, only problem is there's only one bed and its tiny' Jax looked to both girls.

'it's okay I can take the sofa' April smiled at him,

'no way, I got it' Emery walked over to where her friend sat plonking herself down next to her, April placing her covered legs on Emery's lap.

'come on Em, really I don't mind' April chimed, laughing a little as Emery tickled the bottom of her feet.

'I'm not gonna argue bout it, I said I got it' she pulled the end of her blonde ponytail before going into the kitchen and returning with three beers, Jax beamed as Emery handed him a beer,

'so Jax have fun snooping in my underwear drawer?' April asked him as Emery snickered beside her. Hearing April's question he nearly spat his beer out,

'nuh uh, I didn't go nowhere near your shit let alone your underwear drawer' Jax defended himself, smirking at a smiling April,

'told you he'd deny it' Emery winked at him as he shook his head,

'so that's how its gonna be eh?' he took a swig of his beer, 'you two ganging up on me' he pointed the bottle at each of them with an eyebrow raised,

'well if you'd let Juice come she would have been distracted' Emery shrugged at him, smirking when she saw her friend blush furiously,

'yeah actually, what is going on with you and Juicy?' Jax asked raising his eyebrows as he stood up from in front of the fire and walked into the kitchen bringing with him more beer,

'i….urm' April frowned a little, 'I dunno' she sighed, taking another bottle from Jax, before he returned to laying on his side on the floor, propping himself up with his elbow.

'well do you like him?' Emery asked

'yeah course' April responded blushing again when she realised she's spoken too quickly, she saw Emery smile at her softly as Jax tried to hide his smirk behind another swig of his beer.

'anyway' April cleared her throat, 'what about you and Ryan? Do you like him' April didn't miss Jax tense up.

'yeah, I suppose I do' Jax saw Emery blush a little, and a rage burned inside him, Ryan, fucking Ryan he took another large gulp of his beer, then stood he didn't want to be around for this conversation,

Emery watched as Jax walked into the kitchen with a face like thunder, she could hear him rummaging around in the fridge, the beers they'd already had were making her feel warm and a little fuzzy mixed with their earlier beers and shot when they'd first got here.

'I'm gonna go take a piss' April told her as she threw the blanket at Emery,

'very lady like' Emery smirked at her friend catching the blanket, she laughed as April stuck her tongue out before disappearing behind a door.

'what's up Teller?' she asked a startled looking Jax when she walked into the kitchen, making her way over to the fridge

'noth-'

'don't' she scolded him placing one beer on the side and grabbing another she shut the fridge,

'I just kinda wish I wasn't stuck babysitting' he bluffed

'jee thanks blondie' she twisted the cap off the beer she was holding and held it out to him, he stepped closer taking it from her with a nod of thanks

'you know what I mean' he told her, she took a drink of her beer keeping her eyes locked on his, 'I want to be in on the action, not told about it later'

'sure that's all it is?' she asked him, placing her beer down and resting back on her arms against the counter,

'what else would it be?' she watched him swig his beer in a poor effort to hide his expression, he knew he'd been caught

'well, lately you do this thing'

'thing?' he asked

'yep this thing' she told him popping the p

'and what's this thing?' he asked as she drank more of her drink

'every time somethings mentioned about me and Ryan, well , it kinda just seems like you try and run away or find something to do' Jax let out a low chuckle she knew was fake 'don't you like Ryan?' she asked him

'Ryan's ight' he sighed running his hand through his hair before stepping forwards so he was closer to her, she could hear that April had returned and put the tv on in the living room and was guessing Jax didn't want her to hear their conversation after all April was close with Juice and Juice was very close with Ryan. 'It's just'

'you don't like me being with Ryan?' she rushed it, her heart was beating fast but she needed to know, Jax let out another sigh and she realised just how close he was when his breath blew across her face, it was a mix of mint and beer, she watched as his eyes flicked from her mouth back up to her eyes, there was a hint of confusion in them

'its not that' his eyes flickered to her lips again before dropping to the floor

'then tell me' she half pleaded her voice causing his eyes to retreat back to her own

Very slowly his face began to move closer to hers his lips hovering centimetres from her own,

'hey guys where's the beer at?' April called from the other room pulling them both out of their moment and into an awkward atmosphere,

'sorry' Jax muttered before grabbing more beer and heading into the sitting room. Emery let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in, what did he mean? Was he going to kiss her? would she have let him? Taking a breath she went back into the living room to join her friends

'I'm gonna go get some more firewood' Jax called as he slipped on his hat and ventured out into the chilly night.

'what's up his ass?' April asked once Jax had shut the door behind him,

'what do you mean?' Emery turned from the door to her friend,

'he just seems a little I dunno…off?' she shrugged

'you think?' she shrugged hoping April wouldn't notice he shift in atmosphere, but she was now sure of one thing, and that was that Jax didn't approve of her relationship and if Jax didn't how the hell was she supposed to get her father to

'how long do you think we'll have to stay here?' April asked her voice small, as Emery stood to stoke the fire

'couple of days maybe' her back was still turned to her friend 'at least that's what Clay said'

'think we'll make it back in time for the party?' April asked seriously, Emery spun around find her friend was being deadly serious, she couldn't help but laugh

'really Ape, people are after you and your family and all you can think about is the party?' she laughed again,

'what?' April looked genuinely confused,

'wow Ape….just wow' she chuckled again, 'come on it's getting late' she ushered her friend off to the bedroom Jax was right the bed was tiny, how the hell did Piney even fit in it? Closing the door behind her she began clearing away the beer bottles and washing up the glasses before settling down in a blanket on the sofa.

Hours had passed with no sign of Jax, she hadn't been able to sleep she'd tried but sleeping in a strange place and with Jax going awol it was starting to make her panic a little, swinging her legs off the sofa and dumping the blanket next to her she crept over to the bedroom. Opening the door she cringed a little at the squeak it made, poking her head inside, April was still fast asleep snoring a like a baby hippo, shaking her head with a fond smile on her face she made her way to the cabin door. Slipping on her hiking boots and her coat, she wrapped her scarf around her neck before heading out into the rain.

Within minutes of being outside she was piss wet through, her hair was plastered to her face, her jeans were sticking to her legs, each time she moved they rubbed against her thighs, which burnt from the cold wind and the rain. Thankfully she'd picked up a torch which was on the step of the cabin since she didn't want to use the one on her phone whilst it was pouring down of rain, she'd been walking for at least an hour, not really knowing what direction she was going in. She'd called for Jax a few times but she still hadn't come across him, she'd also tried ringing him but being out here in the middle of nowhere was bad getting signal as it was, throw a light storm into the mix and it was hopeless. Hearing a noise she span around, fear etched her face as her heart fell, she turned, eyes wide, they were met by a brown owl which seemed to be looking at her curiously, she gave a shaky laugh her hand still clutching her chest,

'dickhead' she laughed to herself, 'of course there'd be animals in the god damn woods' great she'd finally gone crazy, she was now talking to herself, or the owl she wasn't quite sure. She thought about turning back, but everything looked the same in the dark with only a dim light guiding her. Hearing noises which sounded a little like people talking, made the panic from her earlier encounter with the owl return, should she head toward the sound? Or get as far away from it as possible?. Curiosity got the better of her and she started stumbling towards the noises hoping she was being quiet but was more than likely failing, the trees in the dark now looked garish and threatening, looming above her as she gradually made her way hopefully in the right direction. Now that she was listening for things, noises flooded her hearing, she could hear leaves rustling and crickets chirping, not paying much attention to where she was going since her head was constantly whipping around at the different sounds around her, she tripped over a chucky branch, landing on her stomach and hands. She felt pain in her hand and tried to fumble around for the torch she had dropped, its light going out as she'd landed,

She sat back on her knees wondering when she'd thought this was a good idea, now she was lost in the woods, cold, lonely and scared, she took deep breaths trying to hold back the tears which were threatening to make an appearance. She wiped her runny nose on her sleeve and threw her head back, her legs and face burnt from the cold, she had constant trickles of water falling down her face. Sitting back on her bum she brought her knees up to her chest, hoping to try and capture some heat. She wanted to head back but was unsure of the way, she dropped her head onto her knees and let the tears fall, no-one would know if she cried, no-one was here anyway. After around ten minutes of sitting there she decided that she needed to do something whether that was to carry on walking all night or at least try and find shelter.

The voices were getting louder but they didn't sound familiar, she continued towards the voices until a hand was placed over her mouth and she was dragged backwards falling as she went, her cry muffled by the hand. She tried to fight against the restraint but was hoisted back to her feet and dragged further until she was behind a tree, someone stood in front of her but between the rain and the dark she couldn't make out anything, no features, nothing

'shhh, Red it's me' A husky voice drawled and she relaxed, tucking her arms around Jax's torso, she let him pull her into an embrace, 'what the hell are you doing here?' he whispered to her, running his hand across her forehead moving the strands of hair which were stuck there from her face

'you didn't come back' her voice was small, she blinked back more tears as she ran her fingers under her eyes,

'don't cry Red it's okay' he pulled her head into his chest again, and although his hoody was wet through she felt some warmth from him. A bright light shone out and Jax dragged them both down to a squatting position, her wet jeans tightening in protest,

'guy's I think there's someone over here' a deep voice sounded before rustling was heard

'shit' Jax dragged them both up and began running 'come on Emery' he grabbed hold of her hand and set off sprinting half dragging her behind him, her legs burned as she tried to keep pace with Jax, behind her two men were following them she stumbled over a couple of times but Jax was there to catch her,

'Jax you need to go' she panted as they hid behind a tree, 'I'm slowing you down'

'I'm not leaving you' he ran his hand across her cheek catching a stray tear 'Juice and Ryan are out here somewhere, come on' he took hold of her hand again and taking a deep breath she continued to run, her jeans rubbed at her inner thighs and her chest was tight, struggling for breath, they skidded to a stop as one man jumped out in front of them, she felt the absence of Jax's hand as he lunged for the man tackling him to the ground. Though her eyes had adjusted she couldn't see completely, she turned when a hand gripped her upper arm tightly and she turned to see a tall stocky man leering down at her,

'well what do we have he-' she didn't give him time to finished his sentence before she punched him in the jaw, she cried out a little at the pain that raced through her hand at the connection, but the man staggered back holding his jaw.

'bitch' he spat at her before advancing on her again,

'Emery run!' she turned to see a smaller man sat on Jax's chest laying down punches as she stumbled backwards away from the advancing man,

She was torn, she could run and leave Jax but deep down she knew that wasn't an option, and although she knew she couldn't fight this man, she would never win, she wouldn't run and leave Jax here. She felt a pain in her stomach as she doubled over, the stocky man having landed a kick to her gut, she heaved before straightening up and was pushed to the floor, and the man loomed over her, she could hear Jax as he fought against his attacker but couldn't see if he was winning or not. Scared she began scrambling backwards as the man continued forwards, she kicked out at him hoping to gain some space from him. The man managed to block each of her attempts before grabbing one of her flailing legs and dragging her towards him, she let out a small cry of shock, she couldn't hear anything, anymore, all she could do was try and kick and claw at the man as he began to bend over her, sitting on her hips, pinning her legs to the floor with his own. Then realisation dawned on her, seeing the sick perverted smile creeping across his lips, she tried pushing him off her but he was too strong, he pinned her arms above her head. She shook her head and tried to buck him off her desperately struggling, tears were falling down her face. The man bent his head to her ear, his stale breath burning the little flesh of her neck which was peeking out of her scarf,

'such soft skin' he muttered to her as he dragged the scarf from around her neck and ran his nose against her skin,

'please, no' she cried tears flowing down her face, he laughed a sick chuckle at her, before grabbing her zipper on her jacket and roughly tugging it down, an eager expression illuminating his face, Emery continued to desperately thrash around, if this was going to happen she wasn't going to make it easy for him,

'such a sweet voice' he cooed at her, causing another sob to escape as he grabbed for her top pulling viciously on it, she squeezed her eyes shut when she heard the tearing of fabric and felt the cold night and the rain assault her chest and abdomen, hands which made her skin feel as though razers were being dragged across her, skimmed across her stomach and the man's head returned to her neck, turning her face into the man she sunk her teeth into the nearest flesh, she bit hard and teared as the man shot back up to a sitting position, finally having her hands released, she placed one across her chest as the man held his hand to his bleeding neck, using her free hand she scrambled in the mushy dirt for something, anything. Her hand felt something big and hard, she raised it smashing the man around the head with the rock, he cried out again but was still sat on her so she hit him again and again, until he wavered and she pushed him off her, she was still pinned by her jacket so she shook herself out of it and quickly rolled over though she didn't get far before she was trapped again and the man was back on her,

'Max!' she heard a gargled cry coming from the other man, Jax must be winning. the guy she assumed was Max was sat on top of her, he didn't seemed bothered by the fact his friend needed him, instead he harshly grabbed Emery by the hair, her hands flying up instinctively to try get him off her as fresh hot tears streaked her face 'no!, Jax!' she cried Jax's name as Max licked from her neck up to her cheek, one hand roughly trying to push past the waistline of her jeans, her hands were now on his wrist trying desperately to stop him

She jumped as a gunshot rang out, and the man on top of her stopped trying to force his hand and looked up, Emery watched as a knee connected with the man's face and he was dragged from her shaking body, she could hear the grunts as Jax continued to beat the man,

'filthy piece of shit' she could hear Jax yelling insults, almost as if she was in a daze she slowly rose to her feet and walked to where Jax was towering over the man who was now cowering on the floor at his feet, Jax's foot connected with the mans bloodied face before she placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. She began stomping and kicking the man in the stomach, in the face, anywhere she could make contact. Her actions weren't being carried out by her anymore instead they were guided by blinding fear and rage. She backed away from the man until her back hit a tree then she fell to the floor sobbing, her knees tucked protectively under her chin. Her damp eyes met the glazed lifeless ones of Max's friend as he lay dead not far from her, he didn't know if she'd killed Max like Jax had killed the other or if he was just unconscious and she didn't care, she hoped he was dead.

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