Jax and Cori grew up together. They, along with Opie, were best friends growing up, but Cori always saw Jax differently. She watched him go through several relationships, all of them ending badly, as she sat back and waited for him to notice her. So...
"You remember the time I had to come bail you out because Wayne caught you all skinny-dipping in Oswald's pond?"
Cori snorted with laughed as she stirred the pancake batter. "Oh my god, I do! You were so furious with me! Declared right then and there that I wasn't to be around those "SAMCRO boys"." She shook her head as she turned and winked at her father. "Didn't quite work though, did it?"
Harry shook his head at the smirk on his daughter's face, finally breaking out into a smile of his own. "Yeah, but I knew when I said it that it wouldn't stand. You were too wrapped up in Jax for that to happen. I would have had to shot you to keep you from him back then."
Cori just chuckled and nodded as she flipped a pancake. Today was one of her father's good days and he had demanded breakfast for dinner, something they had done a lot when Cori was growing up. "Yeah, well, things change."
Harry just nodded as he took a sip of his coffee and watched her for a moment. Finally, he continued. "I haven't heard you say anything about him of any of the others since you've been back. Maybe you should go see them, catch up."
Cori shrugged as she transferred the pancake to a plate before pouring more batter into the pan. "I've seen them since I've been back, but I've been busy and... well, let's just say that Jackson has a full plate lately."
Harry snorted. "Jax always has a full plate. Never stopped you before." He eyed his daughter for a moment. "Or is it who is on his plate nowadays?"
Cori shook her head before looking over her shoulder to frown at her father. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Harry lifted a brow at that. "Really? Rumor around the hospital is that Tara is keeping him busy lately." At Cori's surprised expression, Harry just shrugged. "Nurses like to gossip and they don't pay attention to the old people they're talking around."
Cori shook her head as she poured more batter into the sizzling pan. "Well, then you know what he's busy with. I can't compete with Tara Knowles, never could. For some reason, she has always been a weakness for Jackson. Time apparently hasn't changed that."
Harry scoffed, shaking his head. "Nonsense, girl. You were a weakness for him too. Everyone saw it but the two of you. You give him some time, he'll come around to seeing it eventually, especially now that you're back." He murmured thanks when she sat his plate in front of him. "Elliott called earlier today, he's going to stop by this evening for a chat."
Cori nodded and grinned at her dad as she sat opposite him at the table. "That will be nice for the two of you. I know you miss seeing everyone."
Her father simply nodded as they began to eat, a comfortable silence falling between them. Soon, Cori had her father in his recliner in front of the television and she had cleaned up the kitchen and started the dishwasher. She was just drying her hands when the doorbell rang. She grinned when she heard her father say that he'd get the door, assuming that it would be Elliott Oswald. As she started a grocery list, she heard her father talking quietly to someone but she couldn't hear much. Silence followed as she opened the fridge to take stock of what they needed, so she jumped when she heard a voice from right behind her.
"You're a hard lady to pin down, aren't ya?"
Cori put a hand to her heart as she turned to see Jackson leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his face. "You scared me to death!"
He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. Whatcha doin?"
Cori rolled her eyes as she went back to surveying the inside of the refrigerator. "I'm making a grocery list. What are you doing?"
Jackson grinned as he took a step farther into the room, making Cori suddenly realize just how small the kitchen was. "I'm trying to find out why you've been avoiding me."
Cori scoffed. "I haven't been avoiding you, Jackson. I have a life, ya know."
Jax took another step and Cori swallowed hard at the sudden tension in the room. "Yeah, I know you do, but you should really make time for me... and the others." Another step brought him right in front of Cori, so close that he could reach out and touch her if he wanted to. "Also, mom said she came by here today and saw you on the roof. Wanna explain that one?"
Cori lifted a brow and stepped back, only to find her back against the fridge. "The storm the other day knocked a few shingles loose. I was nailing them back down before we got a leak."
Jax shook his head and breathed deeply, letting Cori know that he was trying not to lose his temper as he stared down at her, eyes wild and nostrils flaring. As odd as it may sound, Cori had always loved this look on him... when he was just shy of being furious. Truth be told, when they were younger, she would do things just to get this reaction from him.
"I don't want you climbing around on the fucking roof, Coraline! You could have been hurt!"
Cori drew herself up as straight as she could, knowing that she would still be short. She poked a finger into Jax's chest as she looked up at him. "You're not the boss of me, Jackson Teller!" She spread her arms out to her side. "Look. I'm whole and in one piece, so apparently it was taken care of."
Jax shook his head, leaning down to look her in the eye. "That's not the point, Cori! Next time, call someone. We'll send a prospect over to handle that kind of thing."
Cori sighed as she shook her head. "Is this why you came over here? To yell at me?"
Jackson grinned and shook his head. "Nah. Look, Oswald is here with your dad, which means you're free for a while." He took her hand in his and pulled her behind him as he started back across the kitchen to the door. "Come for a ride with me."
