Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

X

The next morning

"Babe?" Jax's affectionate voice is barely above a whisper, but combined with his hand that's tenderly sweeping her hair back, it's enough to bring her out of her peaceful slumber.

Tara slowly opens her eyes, blinking at the bright morning light illuminating their hotel room, and squinting a bit as she tries to focus on him smiling down at her. "Morning." He greets her, his expression one of pure happiness when he leans in to press a kiss against her forehead.

"Morning," Tara mumbles back sleepily, but then closes her eyes again and sighs contently, because there's nothing better after a night of passionate love-making, than to wake up to this sweet version of Jax, lovingly caressing her.

"I let you sleep as long as I could." He explains calmly, still slowly running his hand over her hair. "But I ordered us breakfast, and it'll be here soon."

His hand repeatedly stroking over her hair could easily lull her right back to sleep, but his words make her squint curiously back up at him again, and has her suddenly realizing that his hair looks damp from a shower. "You already showered?" She asks, surprised that she hadn't heard the shower going, let alone him getting up. And then she notices that he's fully dressed too, wearing her favorite blue flannel, which prompts her next question. "Where did you get the change of clothes?"

"I packed us an overnight bag. Left it in the bathroom for you." He explains, nodding towards the bathroom door, while his fingers now trailing up and down her bare back, causing a shiver to ripple through her at the sensitive touch.

"What time is it?" She mumbles next, suddenly yawning widely whilst swiping her fingertips beneath her eyes trying to fix any possibly smudged mascara, since she didn't bother cleaning her face last night.

"It's almost nine. Time to get a move on, sleepyhead." He answers, a teasing smile on his face. But contradictory to his words he's not moving himself, still sitting beside her on the edge of the bed and leaning over her to keep drinking her in.

"Nine?" Tara repeats in confusion, before the questions that are now forming in her head begin to jumble out of her mouth in succession. "Why so early? Isn't check-out usually around 11 or noon? What's with the rush?"

"We've got places to be, things to do." He answers her, sounding a little vague. But she doesn't even seem to notice since her mind automatically starts going over her internal to-do list, and she realizes that he's right.

Because if everything goes as planned, then they'll be closing on the new place this coming Tuesday. And they still have so much to pack, furniture that needs to be taken apart, right along with countless other little things that need to be done before this move. The list seems endless.

"Okay." She nods, reaching out to trail her fingers along his bearded chin, sounding a tad disappointed when she adds. "I guess you're right."

Tara pushes herself up into a sitting position then, letting the sheet and blanket fall to reveal her breasts and despite his heated gaze traveling down her body, Jax stands and backs away to give her room to climb out of bed. He offers her his hand to help though and she takes it and allows him to pull her up.

Standing before him in all her nakedness she does elicit a smirk from him, probably because there's not a hint of shame in her eyes about last night's sexcapades. Smirking right back at him, she rises quickly on her tiptoes and reaches up once more to frame his face with her hands, before pulling him down just enough to press her lips to his in a sweet but lingering kiss.

In that same instance his arms are circling around her body to draw her even nearer, one hand curling around her head and fisting her hair while the other's pressing against the crow tattoo on her lower back. He's holding her firmly in place against him like this when their lips are parting, the kiss turning from sweet to intense, but then his hands slip further down to palm her ass and lift her as he begins to slowly make his way back over to the bed again after all.

But before they both fall right back into bed, their heated moment is interrupted by a sudden knock on their hotel room door with room service announcing itself, and it has them pulling apart on a frustrated groan.

"Guess breakfast is here," Jax announces the obvious, releasing her at once when he reminds himself of their plans for today. "Hold that thought for tonight." He smirks at the disappointment he can see flicker through her eyes, then presses one more quick kiss to her lips and takes a step back. But he simply can't resist slapping Tara's bare ass as she turns away from him to quickly hide away in the bathroom. "Hurry, or it'll be cold." He calls after her, winking at her when she throws him one last heated look before she closes the bathroom door behind her, and he turns to answer the door.

X

After a quick shower and getting dressed, Tara joins Jax at the table for breakfast, not surprised that he's ordered the standard of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast to share between the two of them.

The mood is light - happy - as they're eating, talking a little about this and that, about their date night and the dancing last night, and more reminiscing about the nineties music that brought back so many memories. But they're also exchanging knowing smiles with each other across the same table she'd tied him against last night. Her cheeks tinting pink just a little at the memory.

But when Tara changes the subject and starts mentioning some of the things they should be able to get done today once they get home, it's Jax's cue to finally broach the subject at hand, and to fill her in on the plans he's already made for the rest of the day. "What if we renewed our vows on our anniversary, keep the same date?"

Tara finishes chewing the bite of food she just took, swallowing quickly, and after thinking it over for a moment she's already nodding when she begins to reply. "Yeah, I like that Idea. And it'll give me enough time to lose the baby-weight too."

Clearly she misunderstood, assuming he's talking about next year, so he doesn't waste a second to clarify. "No, babe, I meant this anniversary."

The fork full of eggs she was raising to her mouth freezes in mid-air and she just looks back at him with her mouth clamped shut, trying to figure out if he's messing with her or not. And then she lets out the smallest of chuckles while holding his gaze, because he can't possibly be serious, yet still finds herself asking him exactly that out loud. "Are you serious?"

To her shock, Jax gives her his most charming smile and nods. "What if I am?"

"That's in less than a month." She points out, lowering her fork back to her plate, the food forgotten, and continues to stare back at him with a look of pure disbelief.

"Three weeks exactly." He explains sounding nonchalant.

It suddenly dawns on her then, that his idea of a vow renewal doesn't seem to be the same as what she had in mind. She had hoped to celebrate with their friends, with a dress and flowers, dancing, dinner and a cake. Something closer to a real wedding and maybe even getting away for a day or two, for a small honeymoon after. And so she tries to keep the disappointment out of her voice and from showing on her face when she wonders out loud. "Three weeks is not a lot of time to plan. And we're about to move too, Jax."

"I know." He agrees, and when he notices the shock on her face getting replaced by sadness, he reaches across the table to clasp her hand in his and hurries to explain. "Christy's been helping me, we made some calls, turns out everything's been booked for the next six months or longer. But there's a resort outside Brookings, it's right by the coast, they had a cancellation." He gives her a little grin, biting his lip before he admits. "So I booked it."

"You already booked a place?" Tara interjects. She raises her eyebrows as she scrutinizes his expression for any hints to where he's going with this, but at the same time trying not to get her hopes up too much that it's starting to sound like Jax wants a real wedding too.

"The couple grand I took from the bank, and told you it was to get everyone in Charming on board with setting Gemma up. Well, that was a little white lie, ... I didn't have to bribe or pay anyone off. The money was a down payment for the venue, caterer, and a bunch of other stuff."

"Oh my God." She sighs, raising her hand to her mouth in realization that he's already set it all in motion. "You are serious."

He chuckles at her reaction, squeezing her other hand that's still resting in his on the table between them. "That's why I couldn't let you sleep in. We're supposed to meet with someone at two-thirty, look at the place, narrow down some details."

"Jesus Christ, Jax." She shakes her head, feeling so conflicted at the moment, because on one hand she wants this too, but at the same time she can't imagine being able to pull it off in three weeks' time.

"Look, I know what you're thinking -" Jax starts.

"I really doubt that." Tara interrupts.

"No, I do." He interrupts her right back, regarding her very seriously all of a sudden. "The truth is, I was gonna plan it all myself so you wouldn't have to worry 'bout a damn thing. And then I was just gonna take you up there on the day and surprise you. But Christy pointed out that it'd be no better than the way I sprung us tying the knot on you last time. She's been a huge help, but she's also been up my ass about all the 'what if's'. What if you don't like the place? What if you want a say in the guest list? What if you don't like the caterer, the baker, or the fucking florist they work with?" He rattled off some of the concerns Christy has voiced to him, then lets out a deep sigh. "Look, I get it, the fucking list is endless. But let's just check the place out, talk it over ... and if it's not what you want, ... worst case, we lose twenty-five percent of the deposit if we back out today. So whatever you decide, it'll be okay." He smiles and tugs on her hand, hopeful, holding her gaze, waiting for her to process everything he's just thrown at her.

After a long anticipation filled minute Tara finally puts him out of his misery and nods her head in agreement, squeezing his hand in return and even gives him a shy smile. "Yeah, okay. Let's check the place out."

X

Tara screws up Jax's timeline a little when she insists on not leaving the balloons or the beautiful bouquets of flowers behind, wanting to keep the physical evidence of Jax's rare romantic gesture for just a little while longer. How could he possibly say no to that?

So after several trips to load up the truck, they're grabbing the last vase of roses to take with them and quickly have one last look around the room to ensure they didn't leave anything else behind.

He suddenly pulls the small card he notices is still attached to the bouquet, having forgotten about it last night and hands it to her. "Shit, forgot to give you this last night."

"You got me a card?" She asks surprised again as she turns the envelope over to pull the card out. Her eyes scan over the front that simply reads 'To my Valentine', but when she opens the card a smirk stretches over her face while she reads it, only to repeat it out loud a second later. "You make my heart have premature ventricular contractions." Her smile is even broader now at both the cheesiness and the fact that she loves it despite of it.

She stares at him curiously and her eyebrows are raised to new heights, still smirking from ear to ear, willing him wordlessly to explain, and so he finally does. "I googled it." He says, then tries to read her expression, suddenly worried that she's amused because Google might've fed him a bunch of bull and he got it wrong after all. "Did I get it wrong?"

Tara lets out a little shy laugh, but shakes her head. "No, it makes sense ... if you meant to say I make your heart skip a beat."

"Good." He leans in, holding the vase in one hand, and curling the other around the back of her head to press a quick kiss to her lips. "That's what I was going for in doctor-speak."

She holds the envelope against her heart like it's something precious and leans up to kiss him in return. "I love it. Thank you."

Tara's busy tucking the card into her purse when her eyes catch sight of their old wedding bands. "The rings" She points out the set still sitting on the dresser, and is just about to grab them too, when Jax takes her hand in his to stop her and pulls her towards the door with him instead.

"Leave 'em." He simply says, and she is just about to ask if he's sure, when their eyes lock on one another's and she can see how certain he is about leaving that part of their past behind them for good.

He lets go of her hand to pull the door open, holding it for her to step out of the room ahead of him, and with one last look back at the old rings his mother had given them, he steps out too and lets the door fall shut behind him with a click. Good riddance!

X

After a quick stop at home to drop everything off, they can finally be on their way to the aptly named Beachside-Resort near Brookings.

But before Jax even starts the engine, he's reaching in the backseat and presents Tara with a three-ring binder, he'd hidden under some blankets, a moment later.

"What's this?" She asks in the same instance she opens it to have a look herself.

He starts the truck, turns on the turn signal to merge into traffic, and begins to explain. "It was a PDF they emailed. I had it printed at that office supply store down the street from the garage." His eyes are focused on the road ahead, but he gestures with his hand towards the binder sitting open in her lap. "They got everything in there. Flower arrangements, linen colors, cake designs, menu options from the caterer ... literally fucking everything. It'll take close to three hours to get there, ... figured you'd have time to look through it, get an idea of what you want."

Tara swallows as she glances over at him for a long moment, feeling unexpected emotions clogging her throat. She's impressed and truly touched about the lengths he's already taken to make this impromptu wedding an actual possibility. And for the first time since he's shocked her with this plan earlier, she feels that the idea seems not quite so crazy and they might actually be able to pull this off.

The radio is playing quietly in the background, while Jax tries to keep his focus on the road ahead, but he can't help the occasional glance her way, watching her as she's taking her sweet time looking through the binder from front to back with what he perceives as interest.

At last, Tara digs a pen from her purse and takes one of the empty pages from the very back to take notes on, before she turns her attention to Jax, and does something she never pictured she'd get the chance to do with him, - begins to plan their wedding.

X

The pictures from the binder Jax had given her were beautiful, but it turns out that they didn't do the Beachside-Resort justice. It is much bigger than Tara had anticipated, has been freshly renovated over the last year or so, which gives it a clean and almost modern vibe, but somehow they still managed to preserve some of that quaint old-time charm too.

Traffic wasn't bad and they made it there early enough to not only grab a late lunch at the restaurant that also caters most of the functions held at the resort, but they also have enough time to take a look around the place on their own too.

They meet up with Mrs. Stroud, one of the event coordinators, and the woman Jax has been in contact with, right before their two-thirty appointment time. The resort has two indoor venues, and one of them has a wedding happening today, at four to be exact, and so Mrs. Stroud decides to give them a quick tour before the festivities start.

She goes on and on, pointing things out to them here and there, it seems she has the PDF file memorized by heart, making suggestions about the other decorations and setups they offer as they walk around, while staff members are still buzzing about, putting last-minute touches on the decorations for the upcoming wedding. Like a true salesperson, she's trying her best to sell them on the space, gushing about the countless beautiful weddings they've held here over the years, but truthfully, Tara's already sold.

"Well, I'll give you a few minutes to look around yourself and talk things over. Come find me at the front desk when you're ready." She finally says, smiling sweetly at them before she leaves them be. Tara and Jax can tell she's trying to be polite and doesn't rush them out of here, but there's unmistakable urgency in her voice, hinting once more at the limited time they have, before guests for the wedding that's happening here today will be arriving.

They're holding hands as they walk around the great room, when Tara leads them up towards the altar, or more precisely towards the large square wall made up entirely of light pink roses that serves as a backdrop for the impending nuptials.

She leans in close, close enough to smell the flowers, only to turn back towards him in surprise. "They're fake."

"They are?" He wonders, surprised, and takes a step closer now too, to get a better look.

"They look so real though." She replies, running a fingertip over the pedals, before she turns her attention back to him right beside her, a questioning look on her face when she gestures to the wall of roses. "What do you think? Too cheesy for a badass biker and his doctor bride?"

Jax chuckles at her wording, stepping up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist to tug her closer, loving the way she relaxes against him and places a kiss in the crook of her neck. He's shaking his head at her question though. "Naa, the way I see it, we got some major leeway what all this romantic shit's concerned, just to offset how we did this the first time around." She twists in his arms then to glance up and meet his eyes as he continues. "How'd you word it? In a brothel, wanted for murder." He recites her words from nearly two years ago, once more reminding himself of what a shitty deal she got not just regarding the wedding, but his upholding of their marriage vows as well. "What I mean is, if you want a cheesy wall of roses? You've got it, babe."

She smiles at him sweetly, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, and her next words give away why that is. "But this isn't just my wedding. What about you, Jax? What do you want?"

What he wants is to make her happy, but he knows that that oversimplified answer won't do. He sighs deeply, burying his nose in her hair for just a second to straighten out his thoughts. "What I want is to go back in time and fix all my fuck-ups." His words surprise her, but before she can comment on them, he's already carrying on. "I want to make you happy. I wanna give you a good memory, just this once ... something we can both look back on and not be reminded of all the other bad shit that was happening at the same time."

She knows he's talking about Opie's death, and she'd be lying if she said it wasn't true that that was something that has always overshadowed their start as a married couple.

He strokes his thumb over her cheek, gaining her full attention again. "I regret so much, Tara. So many things I'd do differently if I could, most of them concerning us, ... how I've treated you, how I've hurt you. Look, the truth is, I'm not that invested in fucking color schemes, or flower arrangement or ..." He gestures to the wall of roses again beside them. "Or flowery backdrops. What I am invested in is not wanting to wait anymore to start the beautiful life I've promised you. I wanna make this something special for you. The kind of wedding you should've had from the start, the kind of wedding you deserve. Does that make sense?" He wonders out loud, searching her face and relieved to see her nodding her head that she understands.

"So, you think we can pull this off in three weeks?" He asks, curious if he's talked it up enough to get her on board.

She looks around the room in thought, before glancing back up at him and once more nods her head in agreement. "I'm probably crazy to agree to this, but yeah, I think we can."

"Alright." Jax leans his forehead against hers for a brief moment, relieved he's convinced her that they'll be able to do this. But then he straightens up again, meeting her eyes. "How about we go get that binder with the notes from the truck, track down Mrs. Stroud and lock all those details down."

"Okay, but ..." She pokes her finger into his chest. "You have to promise to speak up if there's anything you don't want."

"I promise." He agrees, taking her hand that's still resting against his chest and raises it to his lips to place a quick kiss against her knuckles. He looks around the room then, noticing that it seems like guests have arrived. "We better get outta here, before they think we're wedding crashers."

X

The sky above them is gray, a canopy of clouds, and the air feels cool and yet damp, forecasting an approaching storm. The strong wind makes the waves crash all the more violently against the shore and jetty rocks, while the pier that runs clear out disappears somewhere in the mist.

Tara's long hair is tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck, to keep it from whipping across her face in the forceful breeze. Her hand is firmly in Jax's, their fingers laced as they wander along the otherwise deserted stretch of beach, their boots leaving footprints as they're sinking a little into the damp sand with each step they take. Jax looks back at her to meet her eyes, then juts his chin to a suitable spot to sit and steers them that way, to one of the many huge, overturned tree trunks that litter the beach.

He finishes the last of his cigarette, then drops it to grind it out in the sand, before he hands one of the blankets they've brought to Tara. He shakes out the other one, fighting the wind to spread it out on the sand, and quickly kneeling on it to keep it from flapping and flying away. He wastes no time and settles with his back against the tree, before reaching out to her, clasping her hands and helping her take a seat right in front of him, settling between his bent legs.

Jax pulls her back against his chest, pressing a sweet kiss against her wind-chilled, rosy cheek while he wraps the second blanket and his arms securely around her from behind, engulfing her with the fabric and his larger frame for warmth.

Then they just sit there in comfortable silence for a long while, content and tranquil, lost in their thoughts, watching and listening to the waves come and go.

She eventually turns her head towards him just a little to ensure he will be able to hear her and breaks the silence when she says. "It's so peaceful here."

"Yeah, it is." He easily agrees, cuddling her closer while his gaze once more roams up and down the shoreline that is stretched out in front of them.

Tara sighs contently, shifting a little sideways in his arms so she can rest her head more comfortably against the crook of his neck, while still keeping the ocean in her line of view too.

And then a thought suddenly pops into her head and has her daydreaming out loud. "Maybe thirty years from now, when we're both retired and the kids are all grown, we could move here, or to a place like this?"

Her question is followed with a long stretch of silence until she feels a slight nod and hears the faintest of replies from him in the form of a hummed agreement. "Hmmm."

She can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but something about his response seems off. And it has her pull away just enough to peer up and meet his eyes, unsure what to make of the look she's greeted with from him and it has her wondering out loud. "What?"

"Nothing." He replies right away, shaking his head almost imperceptibly, but the expression on his face doesn't match the reassuring tone he'd tried to convey.

Tara raises her eyebrows at him, shaking her head just a little in a show of disbelief. "You've been very forthcoming about your feelings today." She states, obviously referring to their earlier conversations. "Don't get all quiet on me now, Teller." She tries to sound lighthearted, and even though she'd bet money that her suggestion about moving here someday isn't what has him suddenly tongue-tied, she still uses it in hopes it'll get him to talk. "If you don't wanna move to a place like this, you can just say so."

"That's not it." He readily admits, but also confirms her suspicion that there is more to it, and despite the wind and the sound of waves crashing, she can hear him sigh heavily and then gulp to clear his throat.

"What's up, baby? Talk to me." She pleads quietly, reaching up to tenderly cup one bearded cheek for a moment and press a quick peck to the other cheek, before she settles back and relaxes against him. She's hoping, or rather thinking, that if she's not pinning him down with a stare, he's more likely to start divulging what's suddenly on his mind.

He's repositioning and tightening his arms and the blanket around her for a moment before he finally speaks up. "Thirty years from now." He slowly repeats her words from a few moments ago like they're foreign and he's testing them out on his tongue for the very first time, and after a pause he explains. "I guess I just never looked that far ahead. Never pictured myself still being here when the boys are grown, and our age."

His admission is both sobering and sad, and her first instinct is to reassure him and tell him more about the possible future she can envision for them. Especially now that Gemma's been dealt with, and he's no longer part of Samcro and the violent world that comes with it.

But before she can even get a word out, he's surprising her by further elaborating on his thoughts. "Things with the club had turned so violent, it was never a question how I was gonna go out; - wiping out on my bike during a chase or getting riddled with bullets, ... hell, most likely a combo of both." He scoffs, humorlessly, shaking his head in reflection of what his life used to be like, then adds. "And as for when, I figured it'd be sooner rather than later, a lot sooner. Damn sure never found myself wondering where I'd be thirty years from now, you know?"

Now it's Tara's turn to swallow away the lump that has formed in her throat, while also fighting the tears from forming after hearing his confession, not liking the thought that he always assumed he'd die young. After a moment to collect herself, she gives in to her earlier instinct and tries to reassure him. "That's not your life anymore. We have a future now. You and me, growing old ... together." Then tries to steer the conversation back to something happy, sounding hopeful. "I mean, I can see us sitting right here in thirty years looking out at this view. Can't you?"

There's another pause from Jax, and he seems to really be taking the time to think it over. He believed he'd truly loved her as much as any human being could possibly love another, but after coming to live with her here in Oregon and devoting his life to her and the boys, he knows now that he had been wrong. Because this life they share now, far away from the club and away from the pain he used to have to live with daily, it has opened his eyes in a whole new way. A way he never could've imagined if it hadn't been for Tara taking him back, and giving him another shot. He never stood a fucking chance without her, he knows that now.

The two of them were made for each other, it's as simple as that. The world had tried to rip them apart, but it failed, and it would keep on failing should it try again. There is no question that he would die for her and would die for their sons and this baby too. He'd lay down his life for them without giving it a second thought, but more importantly he'll now live for them too. Have a future with them. And so at last, he finally nods in agreement and replies. "Yeah, I guess I can." He squeezes her then and kisses her hair affectionately and it has Tara slowly relaxing again after that serious change in subject from him.

But a few moments later another thought occurs to him, and suddenly - out of nowhere - he's chuckling to himself. And the abrupt switch in his mood has her again pull out of his tight grasp so she can look up at him, her own smile appearing after seeing the amusement that's so openly showing on his face now. "What?" She asks again, curious about what could be going through his mind this time.

He chuckles again at the mere thought of his next words, his eyes shining with mischief when he explains. "I was just thinking how I'd most likely be going out these days."

"Thinking about how you might die has you laughing?" Her smile falters when she questions him skeptically, and yet the humor that is still so blatantly displayed in his facial features feels contagious, and so despite the sore topic she finds herself with the smallest of smiles on her own face a second later. "Alright, I bite. How would you die?" She asks, her expression teetering between intrigue and amusement.

He swipes a hand down his face to stop himself from laughing so he can actually try to get the words out to answer her. Then pulls her back against him again, nuzzling his nose against her hair when he lowers his lips to her ear and says. "The way you've been jumping me at all hours, there's a good chance I might die from exhaustion while being inside you."

"Jax!" Tara gasps out in the same instant he starts laughing again. Then her cheeks are blushing something fierce when she whips around to look at him and playfully backhands him in the shoulder because he continues to laugh out loud at her expense. But she can't be mad, because A) he wasn't lying, she did have naked-time on the brain all of the time now, and B) his laugh is such a hearty and carefree laugh, making his whole body shake, and she loves it. So instead she ends up joining him in laughter a second later, although hiding her face behind her hands at the same time.

"I can't believe you just said that." She scolds him after catching her breath, shaking her head at him and trying to look offended when she's glaring at him over her shoulder, but it's impossible to keep a straight face as she meets his mirth filled eyes.

He thoroughly enjoys the fact that even after all these years, - after what they did last night in the hotel room - he can still make her blush like this with just his words. It's times like these that he can see the innocent teenage girl he fell for shine through, reminding him of their tumultuous and passionate beginnings, but also their heartbreaking chapters too. It makes him beyond grateful that in the end it still worked out. That every twist and turn somehow were a straight line back to one another and landed them right where they are now. Still madly in love with each other, finally happy and together again. Planning a wedding, talking about the next thirty years ahead of them, raising their boys, and not to forget their newest addition to the Teller family, which brings him right back to their current discussion, which in truth is just good-natured fun.

"Look, I get it. It's the hormones." He shrugs his shoulders then, a smug smirk firmly in place on his face and his eyes shining with trouble. "I hear most pregnant chicks crave pickles and ice-cream, ... but lucky for me I don't have to make midnight runs to the store. 'Cause I'm like your personal all-you-can-eat buffet, open 'round the clock. All I gotta do is reach in my boxers to get you what you're craving."

If she wasn't already blushing, she certainly would be doing so now, after what he just said. "Lucky for you?" She repeats his sentiment, sounding amused but unmistakably sarcastic too. "A moment ago I was exhausting you to the point of death. So which is it, Teller?" She doesn't give him a chance to answer her though and instead matches his smug smirk with one of her own when she quickly adds with a saccharine sweet voice. "But don't worry, baby, I wouldn't wanna be responsible for your premature demise. So you can rest assured I won't be jumping you again any time soon."

"Oh really?" Jax raises his eyebrows at her, observing her for a long couple of seconds, before he wonders out loud. "Is that supposed to be a threat, babe?"

She shakes her head. "No, not a threat. It's a promise!" She replies smiling, but there's unmistakable defiance sparkling in her green eyes right back at him too, and as if on cue, she suddenly tries to pull away from him to stand.

But having anticipated that to be her next move, he's quicker and has already tightened his hold on her, pulling her right back to him. And then to defuse the situation he's suddenly tickling her mercilessly, which only adds more urgency to her struggle to get away and has her writhing and squirming in his arms, but it only leads to both of them getting lost in laughter together all over again too.

Before she knows it though, he's maneuvered them around and she's lying on her back, getting pinned to the ground by him as he hovers right above her. The only bright side, he's no longer tickling her and she's slowly able to catch her breath again. That is until he expertly moves one of his thighs between her legs and shamelessly presses against her already aching core, and then has the audacity to smirk down at her when he realizes she has to bite back a moan.

"You're not fighting fair." Tara huffs breathlessly, but even as she says it, she has to admit to herself that this is what she wants too. And for a brief moment she doesn't even care that they are lying on a blanket at a public beach, and instead presses herself into him for even more contact.

And it's at that moment both their expressions turn from playful to serious. Her heart thumps wildly in her chest while she waits for him to make a move, loving and yet also hating how quickly desire floods her, and how her body's betraying her completely. Besides his obvious good looks, there's also his intoxicating scent, his ripped muscles she can feel pressing against her even through the layers of clothing that separate them, not to forget his commanding presence, but above all that, it's the fact that she loves him that makes her want to give in to him so easily.

Jax never replies to her accusation, at least not with words. He just frames her face with his hands, his calloused fingertips somehow feeling gentle on her face, his nose brushing against hers in an Eskimo kiss, and for a few moments they just stare at each other. All the while her skin prickles and heats from his warmth as he continues to press his body against hers, hinting at more to come.

Then he finally - finally - kisses her, and despite her feigned outrage and 'promise' to not jump him anymore from just a few moments ago, her hands seem to move on their own accord, slipping around the back of his neck and into his hair, to pull him in and hold him closer while she kisses him right back.

They kiss hungrily, greedily, needily, - and time seems to stand still when they're suddenly all over each other. Shamelessly making out in public like their much younger teenage versions would've. And with the beach as deserted as it is on this cold and windy February day, God only knows how far they would've taken it, had it not been for Jax's phone interrupting them when it started to ring and vibrate somewhere between them.

They pull apart, reluctant as much as breathless, and he shifts his body off of her, propping himself up on one arm so he can dig in his pocket and wrangle his phone free. The name 'Ellie' flashes across the screen, and it feels like an ice bucket has been dumped over their heads, reminding them at once that they're no longer kids, but have kids of their own to get back to. It's a sobering thought, and yet for reasons neither can explain, it makes them both laugh out loud right as Jax answers the call and raises the phone to his ear.

Not too long ago, an unexpected call from their babysitter would've elicited a brief moment of fear and panic in them, but that's not the case today, and it just comes to show how much Gemma's conviction has truly eased their minds regarding their boys' safety.

Still curious though, Tara tries to listen in, and judging from Jax's responses alone, the boys seem to be doing fine, and Misses Ellie was only calling to check up on them and to ask whether or not she should expect them back in time to join her and the boys for dinner.

He ends the call, shoving the phone back into his jeans, then turns his attention back to her and resting his now free hand sweetly on her stomach.

"Back to reality?" She states it like a question, but she's really just voicing her thoughts out loud. The drive home is close to three hours long - if traffic isn't bad - and they both know it's time to get going.

"Yeah." Jax agrees, nodding, but doesn't make a move to get up. He's still propped up on his arm right beside her, running his fingers through her hair, that during her struggle to fight him off, has come undone from her hair tie. And for a moment he's looking down at her all earnest, and brings them right back to their last subject of discussion when he says. "For the record, you wanting me is the best part of my day."

It makes her blush again, and he chuckles in response, and goes back to teasing her just a little bit more. "Let's face it, I'm ridin' you a hell of a lot more than I've been ridin' my Harley."

"Your point is?" Tara interjects, rolling her eyes at him, ignoring his crude remark, but instead raises her eyebrows at him in yet another challenge.

"My point is, I can't think of a better way to go out than in your arms while we make love." He kisses her then, sweet and tender for a long minute. But he suddenly pulls away again and before she can think of a response to the kiss or to what he said, he's suddenly on his feet and tugging on her hands, helping her stand up too.

They both try to brush the sand off of their clothing, and while Jax shakes out the blankets and drapes them over his arm, Tara gathers her hair into a ponytail again.

"Ready?" He asks and holds out his hand to her, which she quickly takes, lacing their fingers together and exchanging one more quick little kiss before they start their journey back to where they've parked his truck.

X

Jax wipes his hands over the steamed up mirror, glaring at his reflection for a long moment, only to suddenly realize that he doesn't outright hate who's staring back at him tonight. I guess that's progress!

He takes his time brushing his teeth, even runs a brush through his still wet hair, and then dresses in the boxer briefs and sweats he brought in the bathroom with him, before discarding all his other clothes into the hamper.

After flicking the light and the fan off, he steps into the hallway and already notices that something feels off, because the apartment is just too quiet. Peeking into the boys' bedroom, he stops in their doorway, smiling at the sight that greets him. Tara and both boys are cuddled together in Abel's twin size bed, a Dr. Seuss book lying open in her lap, but all three are already fast asleep.

He leaves them be for just a moment, goes back to their own bedroom instead, and hurries to move the countless throw pillows off of the bed, before folding back the blanket on her side and flattening her pillow too.

Stepping quietly back into the boys' room, he first lifts Thomas carefully out of her arms and moves the toddler into his own bed on the other side of the small room. He takes his time, tucking the blanket around his youngest son and pressing a kiss against his forehead, careful not to wake him.

Turning his attention back to Tara and Abel, he closes the book, putting it aside, then cautiously untangles Abel's arms from around his mother. But when he lifts her arms to drape them around his own neck, she stirs, blinking up at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh." He shushes her, but then instructs her when he's about to scoop her up. "Hold onto me."

He lifts her out of Abel's bed with ease, but she still tightens her arms around his neck on reflex as he carries her out of the boys' room and into their bedroom instead.

She still looks a little disoriented but loosens her arms around him when he lowers her down onto their bed, and tucks her in much like he'd done with Thomas a few moments earlier. "I'm sorry I'm so tired. I love you." She mumbles into the pillow, her eyes closed, yawning before she drifts right back to sleep, and for whatever reason it makes him smile again. She's safe, they're all safe!

"I love you too." He replies, pressing a kiss to her hair and disappears back out of the room.

Back in Abel's room, he tucks his oldest boy in as well, switches off the lights, closing their door before he makes one more round through the apartment, to ensure everything is locked and turned off so he can turn in too.

Slipping into bed, he snuggles up close behind her, spooning her. One arm wedged beneath her pillow, the other wrapped around her waist and holding her tight, he leans in, kissing the back of her still damp hair and loves the way she instantly melts against him and sighs contently in her sleep. How did I get so fucking lucky?

He's feeling blissful at the moment, there's just no other way to describe it. Today was a good day, and he's relishing in the knowledge that as long as they're together, as long as they make each other a priority, there are countless more days like this to come.

X

Author's Note: I hope everyone's still doing okay? In this chapter, it seems like most of the drama is behind them, but I hope these sweeter chapters are welcome too. If you have a moment, please leave me your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you.

P.S. There's an awesome SOA FF group on facebook, if you feel like joining, just search for "SOA Fan Fiction Revival"!

Also, I'm editing older chapters for mistakes, so if you get a notification that I 'updated' one of my stories, but then there's nothing new there, that's why. Sorry!