Jax merges onto I-5 North and once his truck has reached the speed limit, he sets the cruise control and sighs when he is finally able to lean back and truly relax in his seat.

If traffic remains steady as it is now, he'll be parked outside Tara's place in five hours at the latest.

That thought alone brings a big smile to his unshaven face, even though he isn't exactly sure where they stand relationship-wise. But regardless of their relationship status, he never doubts for even a second that Tara will be anything but thrilled to know that he's finally broken loose from the Club, and would be a permanent part of Thomas' and Abel's life from here on out.

He thought that his emotions would be all over the place today. That somehow the sadness of leaving Charming, his Mom, the Club, and with it, his father's legacy, would somehow overshadow the joy he feels over the possible future he can now truly envision with Tara. But no, it wasn't ... it wasn't like that at all. He can honestly say that he has no regrets about leaving it all behind him. His only true regret would be the fact that he couldn't leave with his family four months ago.

So sitting all alone in his truck, he is left to his thoughts and it doesn't matter how hard he tries not to, he simply can't help but think about everything that has happened since Tara woke up from her coma. And not for the first time, he wonders if the decisions he's made have been the right ones.

X

Four months earlier …

Gemma pulled her car into the rest stop and parked in front of the small diner. She checked her face in the rearview mirror, before she grabbed her purse, and headed inside.

She had been on the road for a solid four hours, and simply needed a bathroom break, a hot cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and noisy-rest-stop-chatter that would hopefully drown out the voices in her head, even if just for a few precious moments.

She seated herself in a booth, deliberately choosing the one that would give her a view of both points of entrance to the diner. Just so she could keep a lookout for Sons and Cops alike.

She had switched the license plates on her car as soon as the possibility had presented itself shortly after leaving Charming. It all had played out like some soap opera cliché, with Tara waking up the way she did. Surely Tara had confided in Jax by now about what she had done ... who knew, she might've even told the cops.

"Can I get you a coffee or something while you're looking over the menu, darlin?" The younger brunette waitress startled Gemma out of her thoughts.

"Um ... yeah, sure, a coffee," Gemma replied as she gave the woman a once-over.

"You got it." She was just about to walk away, but then turned back toward Gemma once more and added. "I almost forgot to mention, our dinner special is meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans."

"Thanks." Gemma nodded.

She dug her cell phone out of her purse and stared at it for a long moment, wondering how many times Jax or the Club had tried to call her. It had continued to ring so many times as she was about to leave Charming, that she'd turned it off all together. But now as she looked at it, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to turn it back on.

"Jesus Christ" She mumbled to herself when she realized she had over fifteen missed calls and a handful of texts. Not all from Jax, but Chibs and Rat as well.

And then there was just one simple text from Nero. Short and sweet. 'call me, mama', was all it said, all lower cases.

Two months ago Nero had sold his half of the escort business to Marcus Alvarez, further strengthening the business relations between the Sons and the Mayans. He finally went through with his long-time dream and bought his uncle's farm in Norco for his son Lucius. With the rift between Jax and her, he had hoped to finally convince her to leave with him. But she just couldn't. She had been too busy holding on to the life she'd once loved, hoping to get it all back, to even really give leaving with Nero any real consideration.

They had talked on the phone a handful of times since then, but most of their conversations had been fruitless, because she simply held onto the hope that Jax would come around real soon, realize the error of his ways, let her wholeheartedly be a part of his life again and reunite her with her beloved grandchildren for good.

As she stared at the text, Gemma wondered for a moment if Nero already knew the ugly truth. Surely Nero was one of the first people Jax had reached out to in his effort to find her.

She didn't know what made her dial his number. Maybe it was the masochist in her or maybe she just wanted to hear his sweet, sweet voice one more time before she needed to disappear, by her own choice or at the hands of the Club.

But she wasn't surprised that he picked up on the second ring. "You're a wanted woman today, mama." He answered almost cheerfully ... too cheerfully to know the whole truth she quickly realized and it piqued her interest.

"Yeah, well, women love to be wanted." She replied teasingly as she nodded and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to the waitress, who'd placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

"Where are you? Jax called. Heard the good news, Tara is awake. With everything going on, I figured you'd be right there with your familia."

Gemma swallowed, and the thought that Jax might've called Nero under false pretenses to smoke her out quickly crossed her mind. "I'm sure I'd be the last person Jax or Tara would want at her welcome-back-from-the-dead party."

Nero remained silent for a moment. "I take it things haven't gotten any better between you and your boy."

Gemma sighed and stirred her coffee. "No, not really."

"Look, Gem, I'm not sure what's going on with you and Jax, but if Juice truly is the person that attacked his wife ... that's some heinous betrayal by a brother. And whether he sees it right now or not, he needs you. He'll need people on his side that he can trust."

Gemma felt like Nero had just twisted a knife in an already infected wound, but she'd be damned if she'd let it show. "So he told you about Juice?"

"Yeah, he did. And with Tara not remembering what happened, that's all he's got to go on right now."

Gemma's eyes widened in surprise at that. "What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean she doesn't remember?"

"You didn't know?" Nero couldn't believe he was the one to break the news to her. "She's got some sort of ... amnesia."

"Oh, my God," Gemma exclaimed, suddenly wondering if this meant things could still turn around for her. "I-I didn't know. Jax and I haven't been talking much and ... I gotta go." She began to dig into her purse to retrieve a couple of dollars for her coffee and threw them onto the table.

"Call him, Gem, he wants to know what you saw at the hospital."

"I will. Thank you, Nero."

"Don't be a stranger."

Gemma gathered her things and got out of the booth, just as the waitress reappeared to take her order. "Sorry, sweetheart, but I've got to go." And she quickly slipped out the door.

Back in her car she took a deep breath and dialed Jax's number, who answered on the second ring.

X

Three weeks later …

Jax pulled his truck into the driveway, shut off the engine, and looked over at Tara whose eyes were fixated on the home they'd previously shared together. But when he saw the fearful expression on Tara's face his own face grimaced with concern for her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before he said the only thing he could say. "We could sell it, look for a new place." He'd love nothing more than a fresh start with her.

She scoffed and glanced over at him. "Half-sack and Eli died in there ... I almost died in there. Who in their right mind would want to buy this place, when they can get one for not much more over in Charming Heights?" Her words came out sounding much harsher than she had intended them to be and she felt the need to apologize instantaneously. "I'm sorry, Jax." She shook her head. "I just ... So much has happened. I just feel like I don't belong here anymore. I'm not sure I belong anywhere."

"You belong with our sons," Jax replied without skipping a beat and reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips. "You belong with me! And it doesn't matter if it's in this house or another."

Tara smiled, touched by his words but not convinced. "Now that I'm better and out of the hospital it's just a matter of time before Patterson sets a new court date."

"And we'll deal with that when that day comes, Babe. I'm not backing out. I'll honor the deal I made with her and you'll be free and clear to raise our boys." Jax replied with conviction in his voice.

"And I'm so grateful to you for doing that for me. For everything you've done for me." She replied honestly.

Ally and Margaret had filled her in on everything Jax had done while she'd been lying in that hospital bed. She knew that Jax had moved the boys in with Margaret, had only allowed Gemma a handful of visits with the kids, and kept them far away from Club business, yet he'd made sure that he saw them several times a week to spend time with them.

He'd paid her bills for her, continued to make payments on her student loans, and since she was no longer covered after St. Thomas had released her from her contract, Jax had made sure her health insurance never lapsed and remained current so they would continue to give her the best care possible. He'd even paid off the rest of her lawyer bills, Ally's and Mitch's. Her divorce lawyers. The irony in that was not lost on her.

Jax pulled the key from the ignition and looked at her. "Ready to do this?"

Tara took a deep breath. "Yes." And they both got out of the vehicle.

Jax unlocked the front door and pushed it open, stepping aside so that Tara could walk in. Tentatively she took two steps into the kitchen and Jax closed the front door behind them.

Neither of them said a word for a long moment until Tara stepped further into the kitchen and leaned back against the kitchen counter.

Jax stepped up beside her and searched her face wondering if she remembered anything about that day. "Anything?" He questioned her out loud.

She folded her arms in front of herself and shook her head no. "I'm sorry, Jax. I-I ... I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing that I don't remember it."

An image of the bloody scene momentarily flashed before Jax's eyes and he couldn't help but wonder the same thing. He'd give anything to not remember seeing her like that.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Jax gestured to the pile of dirty dishes in the sink and on the kitchen counter, along with the piles of laundry in several baskets near the laundry room. "Sorry about the mess. Turns out I suck even more at housekeeping than you do."

Tara couldn't help but smile at that remark and playfully elbowed him in the side. "Yeah, I think even at my worst it never looked this bad."

Jax glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Well, we better get to it, if we wanna make it to dinner with the boys on time."

She agreed and followed Jax back into the bedroom, where he had put the bags she'd packed for them all those months ago.

"The boy's stuff is already over at Margaret's place." He explained. "So this is mostly your stuff, Babe."

"Okay." She nodded and reached for the first couple of bags and Jax did the same, helping her load them up in the back of his truck.

Jax stowed the bags away and Tara waited while he closed the tailgate of the pickup, and they both climbed into the cab of the truck at the same time.

He was about to start the truck when Tara reached for his arm, trying to get his full attention. "You understand why I'm doing this? Why I've decided to stay over at Margaret's place now that I'm out of the hospital, right?"

Jax turned toward her in his seat and nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I get it. You don't want to rip the kids out of the place they've called home for the last three months." He cleared his throat. "I'm not gonna lie and tell you that I don't want you to come home, but I get it, Babe."

She turned her head away and looked out her window, taking in their small front yard before she let out the breath she was holding, then looked back at Jax. "I don't even know what that would look like anymore ... me coming home." Her chin quivered as she spoke and tears welled back up in her eyes. "The damage we've done to one another ... I'm not really sure we can come back from that, Jax."

"I love you, Tara." He replied without a doubt in his voice and leaned toward her so he could frame her face with his hands and she let him, his eyes never leaving hers. "And you love me. I don't think there's anything we can't come back from."

Jax leaned in further and kissed her, their first kiss since she awoke from her coma three weeks ago. First soft and tenderly, but when he realized that she wasn't pulling away from him the kiss quickly became more passionate and desperate. When the kiss let up, they sat in silence, forehead to forehead. Jax desperately wanted to believe that this was a new beginning for them, but he simply couldn't shake the sinking feeling that it was the end instead.

X

Two weeks later

Jax pulled up to Margaret's place just in time to see her and Tara walk outside. Margaret raised her hand in a greeting, waiting by the car they were just about to climb into, and Tara looked surprised as she stepped up to Jax's driver-side window. "Something wrong with your bike?"

He shook his head no. "Figured you'd be more comfortable in the truck than on the back of the bike."

Tara raised her eyebrows and smiled an awkward smile. "You're here to pick me up?" She pointed back at Margaret and her Ford in Margaret's driveway. "You didn't have to. Margaret was gonna give me -"

"We're going to the same place." Jax cut her off mid-sentence and when Tara hesitated as if she still had to think about it, he added, "Come on, Babe, just get in. I don't bite," and winked at her.

"Fine." She shrugged her shoulders in resignation and looked back at her other friend, "Jax said he can give me a ride. Thanks though." Tara then quickly walked around the front of his truck and climbed into the passenger seat beside him.

"Sometimes you do." She said sheepishly while putting her seatbelt on.

Jax glanced over at her with a quizzical look. "What?"

"Bite. Sometimes you bite." She teased.

He grinned back at her, holding her gaze for just a second too long before he replied. "If I remember correctly, you didn't mind."

She immediately regretted her words when she felt the heat rising to her cheeks, but still couldn't hold back the little laugh that escaped her throat, and neither could Jax.

As Jax pulled onto the main road to Stockton an awkward silence filled the cab of his truck. Tara watched him out of the corner of her eye as he seemed to focus all his attention on the road ahead.

"How's your head? Any more headaches?" Jax's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"It's better ... a lot better actually." She answered.

"Good," Jax replied, but then glanced over at her with concern etched in his voice nonetheless. "That's good, right?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Another five minutes passed before Tara decided to speak up. "Do you really think she'll accept the same deal you offered her months ago?"

Jax glanced at her for a long moment, before turning his attention back to the road. "I can't think of a reason why she wouldn't."

"The Club is up to speed on everything." He sighed audibly before he added. "If everything goes as planned, I'll be out in seven ... ten years max, Babe." He shot her another look and saw the concern in her eyes. "I'm protected inside. We're on good terms with brown, black, and yellow. But if today is the day, I still hope I'll get a couple more hours to spend with the boys ... and you." He gave her another glance.

She smiled almost shyly. "I hope so too."

Tara thought about what he'd said and took in a ragged breath. "All of this still scares me." She confessed, and for the first time since he'd caught up with her in front of Margaret's house, he realized how nervous she seemed about their meeting with Patterson today. "What if she's done making deals? As horrible as it sounds, but that school shooting is old news by now. And the world believes the Irish that were found dead in that warehouse were the ones to blame. Not sure she'd have much to gain at this point by holding you to your deal. So what if she'll just send me to have my day in court?" Tara wiped at the tears that fell suddenly from her eyes. "I already lost three months ... I can't lose my babies again."

Jax reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, which in turn made Tara turn her head away, trying to hide the tears that mercilessly kept on coming.

"Hey ... hey!" Jax said with a demanding tone in his voice and looked back and forth between the road and Tara, who finally dared to look up at him through red-rimmed eyes. He squeezed her hand once more. "I won't let that happen! Trust me, Babe, it will all work out."

"I hope you're right," Tara replied and squeezed his hand in return.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

X

District Attorney Tyne Patterson was seated stoically behind her desk when Jax and Tara were brought into her office.

"Dr. Knowles. Mr. Teller." She said in greeting and then gestured toward the chairs across from her for them to take a seat.

"I have to say I'm glad to see you awake and no longer confined to a hospital bed, Dr. Knowles."

"I appreciate that." Tara smiled politely.

"I hope you're doing well with your recovery?"

Tara nodded. "As well as can be expected, I suppose."

"Good, good." Tyne nodded her head. "Well, let's get to it then. You both are probably wondering why I've set up this meeting with the two of you today?"

"I think we have a pretty good idea," Jax answered and dared a glance at Tara before turning his attention back to the DA.

"Hmmm." Tyne nodded yet again, before she folded her hands on her desk, and paused for a long moment as if she was lost in thought.

"This job ..." she started, "this line of business can truly take its toll on a person. The gangs, the guns, the drugs, the violence, the blood ... not just men. I've seen my fair share of unspeakable violence involving women and children too. This job can take its toll on a soul. And it doesn't matter how much I tell myself that I'm fighting the good fight by upholding the law, there are still times that ... too many times that justice just doesn't seem served. It doesn't get served because the innocent are used as pawns. And no matter which side of the law you'll find yourself on, that's usually where our experiences are similar."

She focused her attention on Tara. "We use the innocent as pawns, all the while telling ourselves that it's in the name of the greater good. A sacrifice that had to be made ... in my case for the people, the county, the state, the country ..."

She looked up at Jax. "Or in your case for the good of the Club, the charter, the alliances that are necessary to survive this dog-eat-dog world."

Jax dared a glance at Tara, who sat frozen in place, before he turned his attention back to the DA. "You can rest assured that today no innocent will have to carry the burden to ensure my Club's wellbeing. I'm here today to honor the agreement we made over three months ago at the Barnes Motel, in exchange for Tara's freedom. Nothing's changed."

"Actually, Mr. Teller, some things did change." Tyne Patterson replied and sighed as she reached for a manila folder on her desk and opened it, looking through a stack of papers until she found the one she was looking for. "This is my revised statement concerning the Pamela Toric murder investigation. In it, you'll find my recommendation as to whether or not you, Dr. Knowles, should be prosecuted for your involvement that ultimately led to her death. It states that after a thorough investigation, I've come to the conclusion that you did not provide Mr. Delany with the murder weapon out of free will. Furthermore, it explains that after talking with you on numerous occasions it became undoubtedly clear to me that you, Dr. Knowles, with your devout catholic upbringing brought the crucifix with you for personal use, and personal use only. Mr. Delany overpowered you, viciously attacked and murdered Pamela Toric right in front of you and surely would have made you his next victim had the staff not acted as quickly as they did."

"It's all here, signed and processed as of this morning." Tyne held the papers out to Tara so she could see for herself.

Tara looked at Jax, confusion written all over her face, before she reached for the papers and looked over them. It was all true. All charges against her had been dropped.

"I ... I don't understand." She stuttered as Jax took the papers from her to look over them himself. Both looked utterly confused.

"Over three months ago Galen O'Shay was found to be the gun source for the KG-9s."

She stood and gestured to the door. "You are free to go." She clarified. Looking from Tara to Jax. "Both of you."

"Just like that?" Jax questioned her as he stood up himself. He was just about to say more, when Tara intervened.

"Jax. Please, let's just go." Tara said and reached for his arm.

Jax looked at her and saw the desperation in her eyes, but he knew there had to be more to this.

"I have to say I am surprised that you're questioning my intentions," Tyne replied with a small amused smile on her face. "After all, an opportunity like this does not often come around."

"If something looks too good to be true, it usually is." Jax countered and he couldn't help himself but immediately let his mind wonder what the DA could possibly have on SAMCRO that his willingness to turn himself in was no longer a consideration.

Tyne Patterson cleared her throat and leaned against her desk. "Let's just say you surprised me, Mr. Teller. And there aren't many people who still have the ability to do just that. I've seen a lot ...In fact, I've seen too much."

She took in a deep breath and sighed. "A gang war was brewing, here and in Oakland. And after the attack on your wife, I predicted the Sons of Anarchy would lead the charge. But that didn't happen and from what I hear, you are to thank for that. I have four months left in this office. Four months before I move on to bigger and better things. So this is me extending an olive branch, Mr. Teller. Reuniting a husband and wife, a mother and her children without the constant loom of impending prosecution. An olive branch to a man who did the right thing for his family. And in hopes that the next four months will be as uneventful as the past four months have been."

X

Jax and Tara climbed back into the cab of his truck, still stunned by what had just happened.

"I can't believe it," Tara spoke up with glee in her voice and smiled broadly at Jax, who didn't look thrilled at all. "Why aren't you happy, Jax? How often, if ... if ever, would someone give you a chance like that?"

"Never." He answered without even having to think about it. He took a long drag from the cigarette he'd just lit. "It doesn't add up. There's got to be a catch. After everything that has happened, she simply doesn't strike me as a person that would let someone like me walk ... out of the goodness of her heart?" He scoffed at the thought. "I don't buy it. She's gotta have something on the MC, something big that would make her bold enough to just let me walk out of there." Jax replied concerned, already wondering how he would be able to explain to the Club what had just happened.

Tara didn't have a response to his obvious concern, but the smile from just a few moments ago had disappeared from her face.

Jax started the truck and lost in his own thoughts began the drive back to Margaret's place.

A couple silent minutes into the ride, Tara simply couldn't bite her tongue any longer and decided to speak her mind. "This is everything we've been hoping for, Jax. The charges against me were dropped, and no charges against you were filed. We're both in the clear now. Ever since I woke up, you've been telling me that you were earning legit now. That you finally got the Club out of guns."

She reached for his arm to get his full attention for a second. "Don't you get it, Jax? We can leave now ... together. We can take our boys and get the hell out of here."

"It's not that simple." Jax countered.

"It is that simple!" Tara shook her head in disgust. "Pull over." But when he didn't make a move to comply, she actually screamed, "Pull over, Jax!" And reached for the steering wheel.

Jax stomped on the brakes and quickly pulled the vehicle off of the road. "Jesus Christ, Tara." Jax raised his voice, looking over at her in bewilderment.

"Jesus Christ?" She mockingly repeated his outburst. With her eyes glued to his, she demanded an explanation. "That's all you've got to say? I want to raise the boys away from here, and I thought you wanted that too."

He flicked his cigarette out of the window and rubbed both his hands over his weary face. "The person who did this to you is still out there, Juice is still out there."

She scoffed. "That's what this is about? The DA lets us go ... lets you go because you prevented a gang war, and didn't go and kill people on some revenge spree, yet somehow you see her pardon as an insult? In your twisted mind, you see that as a failure?"

"I did fail!" He yelled at her, losing his cool at last. His face once more contorted with self-hatred. "I failed you."

Seeing the agony in his eyes, Tara reached for his hand. She shook her head. "You didn't, Jax. You protected our sons, ... that's the most important thing you could've done and you did that!"

"Yeah." He answers with a sigh, because deep down he still didn't feel like that had been enough.

The fact that he had actually done the right thing for once, and protected his own flesh and blood shouldn't have been something so noteworthy. It should've been the normal thing to do, what any sane person would've done under the circumstances. So the fact that Tara considered what he'd done with such awe and gratitude, made him feel even more like a failure ... like she hadn't expected him to step up and do the right thing, hence the 'awe and gratitude', and he didn't like it one bit.

X

Author's Note: Please leave a review if you liked it. I'm curious to hear what you all think. Thanks for reading my story!