When a mysterious woman rescues Abel from a kidnapping and wants nothing in return, it gets Jax's attention. Then he starts finding out more and more things about the woman that just don't add up. Will his curiosity get the better of him or will he...
Gemma met Jax in the parking lot, halfway between the garage and the clubhouse. She gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek before she smiled at him.
"Hey, baby. How was your day?"
Jax shrugged as he lit a cigarette. "It was a day. Hey, you heard anything from Ariel since we left on the run?"
Gemma cleared her throat as she pretended to think about his question before shaking her head. "Nope, can't say that I have, but I was going to go out and see her tomorrow, maybe take her shopping." She grinned. "You know, have a girl's day out."
Jax nodded before giving his mother a knowing smirk. "That's cool, as long as you don't plan on trying to change her or anything. She's more than fine the way she is, ma."
Gemma grinned as she nodded. "Duly noted. Hey, I can watch Abel for a few hours in case you wanted to take a ride and unwind."
Jax looked at his mother for a moment before chuckling and nodding. "That's the best idea I've heard all day."
Jax pulled up in front of Ariel's old shack and shut off his engine, shaking his head with a laugh as he noticed her standing on the porch watching him.
"Does anyone ever get the jump on you or do you always know what someone is going to do before they do it?"
Ariel shrugged and chuckled softly. "Not everyone, but then again, you're pretty easy to read, Jackson." She watched him walk closer. "How was your trip?"
Jax grinned. "It's called a run, and it was good. How have you been?" He frowned when he got close enough to see the fading bruisesn on her face. "What happened?"
Ariel blushed before shrugging again. "Just a silly accident. What brings you out this way?"
Jax glanced back at his bike before smirking at her. "I thought you might like to take a ride with me. The weather is great for it."
Ariel shook her head as she bit her lip. "I don't know about that, Jackson. I've never been on a motorcycle."
Jax's smirk got bigger as he winked at her. "Come on, don't tell me you're scared of something?"
Ariel put her hands on her hips and shook her head in exasperation as Jax chuckled. "I didn't say that I was scared! I've just never done it, that's all."
Jax nodded before holding a hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"
Ariel looked into his eyes for a moment before nodding and placing her hand in his. "With my life, Jackson."
When Jax parked his bike in the parking lot of Fun Town, he grinned at the gasp that came from Ariel. She had held on tight through the entire ride, a fact that he wasn't going to complain about at all. He felt her release her hold on him and shift to get off of the bike, allowing him to do the same. He took her hand in his and started to walk as she looked at him in confusion.
"What is this place? It's very... busy."
Jax grinned as he nodded toward the entrance. "It's a carnival." When she just continued to look at him in question, he sighed and shook his head. "You've never been to a carnival? Cotton candy? Rides? Games?"
Ariel shook her head, blushing slightly when he frowned down at her. "Fun never was a part of my life experience."
Jax nodded, silently thinking that her parents sucked. "Well, it's time that it was. Come on, let's see if I can win you a stuffed animal or something."
An hour later, with Ariel carrying a stuffed dragon and a bag of popcorn, the pair ran into a familiar face. Jax stopped walking and sighed, his hand tightening slightly on Ariel's waist.
"Tara. I didn't expect to see you here."
Tara smiled and nodded, taking the hand of the man beside her. "Jax! How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while." She turned to Ariel with appraising eyes. "Who's your friend?"
Jax looked down at Ariel, who for her part, seemed intrigued by the new couple. "This is Ariel Fleming. Ariel, this is Tara Knowles, my ex-girlfriend."
As the two women nodded to each other, the other man stuck out a hand toward Jax to shake. "Steve Lawson. Tara and I work together at St. Thomas."
Jax shook hands with the Steve before saying that they had to get going. As they walked back to the bike, Ariel pulled on his hand, making him stop just outside the entrance. "She seemed nice."
Jax shrugged as he lit a cigarette. "Yeah, we just couldn't make it work, you know?"
Ariel nodded. "You miss her." When Jax raised surprised eyes to hers, she grinned. "It's okay to miss her, Jackson. I can tell that she was an important part of your life for a long time. You should never deny that you loved her." She sighed as she reached up a hand to pat him on the cheek. "You should never deny love, even a fleeting one."
Jax nodded before pulling her closer by the waist. "What about you? Did you ever have someone you loved?"
Ariel gave him a small smile as she shrugged. "I think everyone does."
Jax nodded before frowning at the look of complete concentration that came over her face. He knew that Ariel was no longer with him, but off somewhere else, seeing another scene play out in front of her that he wasn't a part of. Suddenly, the fog cleared and she gave him a huge smile, practically humming with excitement as she pulled on his arm.
"Come, Jackson! We must hurry! I have company coming!"
As Jax stowed her stuffed animal in the saddle bags, she hopped on the bike, making Jax laugh at the child-like excitement that was now running through her. "This must be some company that you have coming."
Ariel laughed and nodded as he got on the bike in front of her. "My sister is coming to visit."
Jax frowned as he turned to look at her. "You don't have a sister."
Ariel grinned the impish smile that Jax was starting to love and giggled. "She's not a blood sister, no, but a sister nonetheless. You're going to love Minerva!"
