Tara and Charlotte stood in Jax's kitchen not talking, both women visibly tired by the events from the previous days, Charlotte's eyes unable to not stare at the blood-stained linoleum. Thinking how pissed Gemma would be, having just replaced the floor before Abel came home. Charlotte almost let a laugh out at how ridiculous that thought was, Gemma would be so pissed about so many other things, the floor would be the least of the things Gemma would be mad about when she learned the truth everyone was keeping from her. Charlotte's eyes finally darted up when the side door open and Clay walked in with the rest of the club. She heard Tara mumble Jax's whereabouts but tuned out the rest of the conversation until Tara touched her arm. "I'm going to check on Jax."
Charlotte nodded, resuming her stare at the floor until Clay spoke with her next as the rest of the guys who had been dealing with Jax came back into the kitchen. "You doing okay sweetheart?" he asked in a fatherly tone, concern on his face.
"No, no I'm not." She responded shaking her head not looking him in the eyes everything glossy to her with the tears that threatened to fall at any second.
Clay put his arm around Charlotte "Just hang in there everything's going to be okay."
"I can't keep lying to Gemma, Clay, she keeps calling asking about Abel."
"I know it's hard but keeping her in the dark is what's keeping her safe right now."
Their conversation was cut short when Jax entered the kitchen. Clay stepped away giving Jax the space he had occupied next to Charlotte. "There's fresh coffee." Charlotte said to break the silence they had had between each other for days now even though Jax was already reaching for a cup.
Jax took a sip facing towards the counter while Charlotte was sideways looking at him. He didn't take his eyes off the window to the back yard. "Why wasn't he with you Charlotte?" Jax asked now, turning to look at her.
"What?" Charlotte asked confused at first by his question but then saw the anger in his eyes.
"He should have been with you at the clubhouse, safe."
Charlotte defended herself anger coming through her voice "He was with your mother and Tara, he was safe."
"You're his aunt you're supposed to take care of him." Jax said stepping towards her.
Charlotte heard the calm scolding tone of Chibs "Jackie."
"And what about you Jax." Charlotte shouted. "You're his father, and instead of being out there looking for him you've spent the last three days drunk and stoned in that room." Charlotte said, reaching her hand out smacking Jax across the face. "Be his fucking father and find him." Before she could smack him again, he grabbed her wrist holding it. Not violently just holding it, she could see the anger disappearing and replaced with pure sadness. Charlotte pulled her hand away pushing him but with not enough force to sway his stand. "You fucking find him Jax." She cried out, hitting him in the chest tears flowing down her cheeks.
Jax grabbed her, pulling her into his arms as she cried against him. "I'm sorry Charlotte." He whispered kissing the top of her head.
Charlotte clutched his t-shirt in her hands "You find our baby Jax, please." She begged him.
Jax whispered back to her upturned face wiping at her tears" I will, I promise." As quickly as he had pulled her into his arms, he released her and without another word he left out the side door slamming it behind him.
As the men filtered out after Jax it was only Chibs that spoke to her "We'll find him little love." Kissing her tear-stained cheek before he left.
Charlotte jumped when she heard Tara scream from down the hall then heard the furniture go next. She gave Tara a minute after the commotion ceased. When she walked into the room, she saw Tara sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. "You feel better?" Charlotte asked as she struggled to sit down on the floor next to Tara.
"Shit Charlotte I'm sorry." Tara said, looking at the mess she'd made of Abel's room.
"It's fine Tara we all need to blow off a little steam but maybe next time find a more constructive way then something we have to clean up later."
Tara wiped at her tears "He told me to leave Charming. I know he's blaming me."
"Tara did you not hear him blaming me just a minute ago. He's not in his right mind right now. None of us are."
Tara turned her head to look at Charlotte "Do you blame me?"
"No more than I blame myself. Tara, you and I are not responsible for what happened, neither is Jax. It happened and now we have to deal with it."
"I should've have just left him at the clubhouse."
"And I should have made you leave him, we can't go back in time Tara so the should've, would've, could haves don't help. What were you supposed to do, the man killed Kip, were you supposed to let him kill you too and then we wouldn't have known who took Abel."
"I'm pregnant." Tara blurted out.
"Oh Jesus." Charlotte sighed out "Does Jax know?"
Tara shook her head no "I just found out myself. Maybe I was protecting my own baby instead of protecting Abel. But I'm supposed to be his mom too and I didn't protect him." Tara began to cry.
Charlotte put her arm around Tara pulling her closer. "It's going to be okay Tara everything is going to be okay." She soothed even if the doubt showed in her voice.
When Tara was done crying, she sat up wiping her face looking around the room when Charlotte said, "Come on let's get this cleaned up."
Tara stood helping Charlotte up "No leave it I'll do it. When was the last time you were home and slept in your bed? You still need to take it easy, go home Charlotte, take a shower get some sleep."
"Okay but I'm coming back I can't just sit at home and do nothing."
After taking a long much needed nap Charlotte was freshly showered in the baby's nursery, putting away another load of newly washed onesies. She had heard the bike pull up outside, so she wasn't surprised when she heard a key hit the lock of her front door. Jax didn't call out when he came in the front door, but she heard him walk through the house looking for her and she didn't turn when she heard him stop at the doorframe and speak. "I'm sorry about this morning Charlotte." Charlotte could hear the pain in his voice and saw it on his face when she turned around.
"You know Jackson you have a limited amount of mean shit you can say to a person before they're done with you. That goes for me and Tara."
He ducked his head down "I know." But quickly met her gaze when she spoke again.
"You been home yet apologizing to Tara?"
"At what point does my relationship with Tara no longer become a topic of conversation between us?"
"When I'm no longer the mother of your child and what shit you pull doesn't affect me or our baby. Every choice you make has consequences Jax." When he started to speak, she raised her hand up letting him know she wasn't finished. "And I'm not talking about Abel, that's not your fault, it's not my fault and it's not Tara's fault. The club slightly at fault but who knew that bitch Stahl was going to lie, and that Cameron would overhear it and blame you. Bad shits going to happen sometimes Jax and there's no one to blame and we as a family are going to have to roll with it. And I can't do this on my own." She said motioning to the nursery and their baby. "So, you take your ass home and apologize for being an asshole to Tara because you need her, and I do to. And despite whatever is going on in that complicated mind of yours you love her and will regret letting her go for the rest of your life. We don't get a lot of second chances in our lives don't blow this."
He nodded "Understood Charlotte."