Chapter 2

"Good morning." Charlotte said as she exited the bathroom, seeing Jax was now awake, still naked in her bed. She undid the towel from her freshly washed hair, letting her hair fall down resting on her clean scrubs.

"Morning", Jax said, as he wiped his hand down his face shaking off a rough night of sleep. "You headed into work already?" he asked, eyeing her wardrobe. It was the fourth night in a row he had stumbled to her house late in the night or early morning. These mornings had now become somewhat of a routine for Charlotte.

"Yeah, I wanted to go in early and check on Abel before my shift."

"Thank you for that Charlotte, I just can't deal with it right now."

"I know," she said sitting down on the side of the bed facing him. "At some point in time we're gonna have to talk about this." Charlotte said, as she motioned her hands between the two of them.

"You who never wants to talk, wants to talk about this?" he asked, reaching over to her nightstand grabbing his cigarettes and lighting one.

"Jax" She said with a warning she was not in a teasing manner.

"I know, and we will. Just shit with a club and Abel I need some time to wrap my head around it all." He sat up putting his handover hers that was resting on her knee. "You know this, us doesn't have to change."

"But everything changes with Abel being here now. That changes us, it changes everything. We don't know what he's going to need in the future and what that looks like. Jax, we have to think about where we go from here."

"What do you want then Charlotte?"

"It's not about what I want it's about what's the smart decision what's best for everyone, what's best for Abel it's his future we have to think about. He could have so many lingering medical conditions from this."

"I know Charlotte I know." Jax sighed out putting his cigarette out in the ashtray sitting up cupping Charlottes face in his hands. "I promise we're going to work this all out. I just need a minute, Abels four days old and we don't even know if he's going to make it."

"I know Jax just there's a time limit on this, you know that."

"I do" he leaned in kissing her lips before releasing her. "Let's just get through his operation."

Charlotte swiped her badge walking through the NICU doors towards Abel's room. Tara was exiting his room as Charlotte arrived.

"Hey Charlotte." Tara said as she came into the hallway Abel's door shut behind her.

"Hi Tara." Using a simple greeting wanting to avoid getting into a lengthily conversation with a woman she knew absolutely nothing about except that she'd fled charming and Jax years ago.

"He's doing good, surgery is still scheduled for today. He's a fighter." Tara said, motioning towards Abel's room.

"Of course he is, he's a Teller."

"Right." Tara said giving a small smile. "Speaking of Tellers, Wendy's through detox, hasn't had to many visitors checking in on her."

Charlotte walked over to the bench nearby knowing she wasn't going to have a short and simple conversation with the doctor. She took a seat and Tara followed, taking the seat next to her "I haven't spoken to my sister in months and I'm not sure I'm in the best place to speak with her right now. If she's serious about getting clean this time, that's great but what's been done between the two of us I'm afraid our relationship isn't repairable. And I don't have the strength or energy to even want to try."

"I'm sorry I didn't know what your relationship was with her. I just know she needs a friend right now."

"Tara Wendy's a junkie she doesn't need a friend she just needs a hit. And I don't think she even wants to see me."

"I was just trying to see if some of that love for Abel could go Wendy's way." Tara paused, watching anger seep across Charlotte's face raising her hand up signaling to Charlotte to let her finish. "I'm not saying what she did wasn't disgusting or despicable she knows that. Maybe this is rock bottom for her finally."

"Tara, there is no rock bottom for Wendy she always manages to outdo herself. I had to emancipate myself when I was seventeen and by that time she had burned through my parent's estate. Everything went into her veins or up her nose the only thing left was the house. I had to take her to court to put that in my name. I had to sell our childhood home because I couldn't afford the mortgage payments. My college tuition gone, everything my parents had set aside just gone. That was the first time she went to rehab. And when she got out, I was in college and had taken the money from the sale of the house and bought a small two-bedroom condo. And I let her live with me and a year later I came home, and she'd pawned anything she could of mine. That was the second rehab trip. I personally paid for three stints for her, worked my ass off to afford that and school. By the time number four came around she was married to Jax, and I lost count after that how many rock bottoms she had. So, I'm sorry if I lack the empathy and sympathy she needs right now. I can't do it again with her."

"I get it Charlotte." Tara said as Charlotte stood up from the bench.

"Tara, I don't think you're going to find anyone in Charming to comfort Wendy. She's burned all her bridges this time. I'm going to see Abel before my shift starts I'll be down in the ER will you keep me updated on his surgery?"

"Of course."

Charlotte stepped out of her shower toweling off and wrapping herself in a white terry cloth robe she had just finished brushing her hair when she heard a bike pull up outside and then her front door open. "I'm in here." She shouted. A smile crossed her lips in the mirror when she saw Jax come through the bathroom door. He had already removed his kutte leaving him in just a Samcro white T-shirt and jeans. He stopped behind her his hands resting on her waist giving her neck a kiss. She turned to face him. "Did you stop by the hospital? Abels surgery went great."

He returned her smile "yeah just came from there." He leaned down capturing her lips. "I'm going to take a shower, wash the road off of me."

Charlotte watched Jax undress down to his boxers unable to avert her eyes as he removed his shirt revealing his tattooed toned body. She gasped when she saw the bruise. "Jesus Jax are you okay?"

He walked over standing in front of her and pulled her back into his arms seeing the pure concern on her face "I'm fine Charlotte just rolled my bike."

She looked up at him "Jax I did my internship in Oakland I know what it looks like when a vest takes a bullet." She continued when she saw the frustration on his face. "You don't have to tell me everything I don't expect that, but you don't have to lie to me." She reached up putting a stray hair behind his ears. "I worry about you Jax."

"I know you do, I'm sorry Charlotte I shouldn't have lied. It's club shit, it's handled and I'm fine."

"Okay, that's all I need to know."

She went to step around him going to the door when he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. His hand cupping her face leaning down capturing her lips in his. Charlotte leaned into the kiss as Jax let one hand fall and wrap around her waist lifting her up, so she was resting on the marble counter. Feeling it's coldness as her robe rode up in the back. His kiss crept to her neck and his hands went to her waist undoing the tie of her robe, letting it fall off her shoulders exposing her tanned toned naked body underneath. Charlotte reached for the waist band of Jax's boxers sliding them down until they freely dropped to the floor below.

Jax stepped out of his boxers and reached his hands around Charlottes backside gripping her and sliding her to the edge of the counter. Entering her swiftly Charlotte let out an audible gasp in his ear, feeling his warmth inside her. Her hands went to his shoulders bracing herself as he continued his fluid motions. Jax's lips were greedily nipping and kissing her exposed shoulders.

"Jesus Jax." Charlotte moaned out her nails slightly digging in to take hold of him as he increased his speed.

"Fuck Charlotte." Jax whispered, his breath quickening when he felt Charlotte start to contract around him. He tightened his grip on her bare cheeks allowing him to enter her harder which earned him sweet soft gasps from Charlotte every time their bodies connected. He held on until he had felt her tremble with a full body shudder. When he had finished riding the waves of her pleasure, he let himself go, and released her from his current hold sliding his hands up her back pulling her closer to him holding her tightly so he could feel her ragged breath against his chest until it returned to normal.

Jax knew he would never wake up in the morning with Charlotte in his arms. Charlotte Case did not cuddle, it was in her nature but post sexual bliss she allowed these tender moments.

They lay in bed, both freshly showered having gone another round with one another in the process. Charlotte rested in the crook of his arm while his hand softly stroked her bare back. Charlotte had just closed her eyes when she heard him speak.

"Mayans hit our warehouse, burned it down took the guns." He had felt her move when he said that, but she did not give an auditory response, so he continued. "We found out where they were storing them and hit them back. Shit got a little messy took one to the vest. Shouldn't have happened but I hesitated my mind was all twisted up about Abel."

"I think that's to be expected, birth of a baby leads to a different clarity on life."

"Different headspace, need to compartmentalize things differently now."

"What happens now the Mayans will know it's you?"

"Wait and see if they hit back. Be ready for when they do."

They lay there in silence until Jax spoke again. "Charlotte, I meant it when I said things don't have to change between us. I like this, but whatever you want to do I'll respect it."

"I don't know what I want Jax. Well, I do know but my wants aren't what matters right now."

"What would you decide if Abel wasn't here?"

"There wouldn't be a decision to make, I like this between us too. I don't want more and I don't want less. Same question what would you decide?"

"Same, no decision to make, we'd just take whatever this is and run with it."

"I swear it'd be easier if your mom knew then she'd just take control of everything make decisions for us."

"That she would." He said giving a light chuckle. "Speaking of Gemma, she's having a family dinner tomorrow wants everybody there. Wants you there."

"I know she mentioned it the other day I've been avoiding her since."

"You can't avoid her forever she always gets what she wants. Just come to dinner I promise it won't be that bad." He said kissing the top of her head.