A short, bittersweet story of friends turned lovers, turned strangers who find their way back together and attempt to get it right. AU: Jax, Tig, Juice, Kozik and Kip are still alive, otherwise basically follows the rest of the show.
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Ten:
We locked up the garage at five o'clock and I let Tig drag me inside of the clubhouse to the bar. Everything was different from the clubhouse back in Tacoma, and I let out a long rush of air that I hadn't known I'd been holding as peace settled over me.
It had taken me a long time to let Happy go and, being with the Sons of Anarchy had brought panic back into my heart, but I was overcoming it. Slowly.
"Lass!" Chibs grabbed me as soon as I was in reaching distance and pulled me out from underneath Tig's arm. "Hear you're gonna be working in our office?"
I hummed in agreement and stole the shot he'd had on the bar, throwing it back. "Chivas?"
"Aye." He kissed my temple, a much friendlier action than should have been acceptable for someone that he'd just met, but I melted at it. He reminded me somewhat of Kozik, his calm nature and easy going attitude, and it made me miss the Son that I'd left behind.
After the day that I'd gone looking for Happy, I'd made a point of not going back to the clubhouse and staying away from the Tacoma chapter of the Sons. I'd never gone back to Billy's. I'd rang Happy that many times that I didn't want to see their pity-filled gazes when they looked at me, so I avoided the situation all together.
A blonde man with hair longer than Chibs came up and eyed me with confusion before he turned to the Scotsman for information. Before he answered, I stuck my hand out in greeting. "Hi, I'm Jasmine, I'm your new phone bitch."
Tig sputtered his beer out in between laughter and the blonde with the President's patch smirked. I knew that I'd won him over with my statement, and the weariness drained from his eyes when he returned my handshake. "Jax, the President."
"How's the White House?" I deadpanned.
"Wonderful this time of year." He managed a laugh that sounded like he'd had too many cigarettes and looked me top to bottom. "And how did you get the gig in our office, Jasmine?"
"Chibs came and rescued me, Tig fed me and I was in." I winked at him.
He looked at Tigs in confusion and the curly haired man shook his head. "She offered to help with the paperwork. For someone her size, this bitch has balls made of brass. She threatened to put a wrench through William's windshield if he spoke to her like shit next time."
I felt the usual blush coat my cheeks as all of their eyes landed on me and I coughed uncomfortably. "For the record, I did say for all womankind, not just me."
"Welcome to the family, darlin'." Jax patted me on the shoulder before he motioned for the prospect to get him a beer. "It's a fucking wild ride, but you seem like you're going to fit in."
After another shot, I looked down at the time on my phone and slid my handbag over my arm. "Okiedokie, I've got to get out of here. Nine o'clock tomorrow?"
"Don't be a party-pooper!" Tig drunkenly called and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Stay and have a few drinks with me-"
"I can't." I cut him off with an affectionate pat to the hand before I peeled it off my body. "I've got a man at home waiting for me to make dinner."
"And she cooks!" Tig groaned. "If you weren't taken, I would make you my Old Lady."
His words made me wince, reminding me of Happy, but I plastered a smile on my face and shook my head. "Tig, you would not be able to handle me."
"Your car still in the shop?" Jax asked me when I began making my way to the door.
I frowned as it hit me that I didn't have a ride home, and he saw the emotions flicker over my face. He laid his hand on the small of my back and nodded towards the door. "I'll take you home, I should get going, anyway. Gotta get home to my boys."
Jax led me over to his bike and I stood next to it silently, just looking at it. Once upon a time, being on a bike had given me the sense of freedom that I'd always craved, and I missed the feeling desperately. But Happy had told me that I was never getting on the back of anybody's bike but his, and I still hesitated while his words rocked through my brain.
"Never been on a bike, darlin'?" Jax had mistaken my hesitancy on nerves, and I looked away from the shiny metal to look at him.
"I have been." I shook my head to clear it and smiled before I took the helmet he was offering. "Not in a long time, but I loved to ride in my old life."
He shot me an inquisitive look when I referred to my past as my 'old life', but got on the bike without a word and I silently thanked him for it. After I'd used his shoulders as leverage and gotten on behind him, he turned the engine on and then looked over his shoulder at me. "Where are we going?"
"Cornelia Street." I called out over the engine. "Number nineteen."
Jax nodded before he revved the engine and we were off.
Just like every time that I'd ever been on the back of a bike, the air whipped around me and I smiled so large that I thought my face might break in half. The excited squeal that left my lips was completely involuntary, but it was enough to make Jax laugh and rev the throttle a little harder to push the speed limit. No matter how great it was, it didn't feel like being on the back of Happy's bike, though.
It wasn't home.
After he'd pulled up in my driveway and I'd dismounted from the bike, Jax smiled his bad-boy smile. "I'll pick you up on the way to work tomorrow, darlin'. Quarter to suit you?"
"Suits me great." I confirmed with a nod. "Thanks for bringing me home, Jax."
He shook his head like it was nothing, then thought for a moment and spoke. "We're having a party tomorrow night. If your man is okay with it, you should come."
I looked over my shoulder at the lights on inside and thought about it, then looked back at him. "Are any other chapters coming, or is it just Charming?"
"Just us." He raised an eyebrow.
I smiled. "Okiedokie, I'll be there with bells on."
