Okay so here it is the last chapter hope you enjoy (Sorry about pulling it)xx

Everything Changes

Chapter Thirty Four

Nicole stood outside Clay's room staring through the window at a man she barely knew anymore. He had made many wrong choices over the years, it came with being President of the mother charter, tough choices had to be made sometimes, but the choices he had made lately were not for the good of the club it was to protect himself. He was selfish, he was disloyal but most of all he was a murderer.

Unser had told her everything. Told her how Clay had put a shotgun to Piney's chest and killed him at point blank range. It was exactly the same as what Opie had said but for some reason hearing it from Unser made it more believable, more real. Maybe it was because Unser wasn't threatening to kill someone she loves...loved. Yes it was defiantly past tense Nicole did not love the man in front of her. He was not the Uncle she had once looked up to and respected, loved.

And it wasn't just because of what he had done to Piney, although that was bad enough especially since Clay's underhand dealings had already taken away Opie's wife. But it got worse. Just as she was digesting everything that Unser had just told her he started explaining why Clay had done it. He started talking about some letters to Maureen, letters that told of the suspicions JT had against Clay. Nicole felt the bile rise in her throat and her body felt like it was on fire. She needed some air and that was exactly what she did. Cutting Unser off mid explanation Nicole had run from his trailer and climbed into her truck and drove away and some how ended up here.

She wasn't stupid, and it didn't take her long to put two and two together. Clay had killed John. And that was why she didn't love him, why she couldn't. He had taken John away from her away from his family. John may have not been perfect but he was a damn site better man than Clay was.

"Hey sweetheart." Nicole turned to see Tig standing next to her a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Hey." One of his hands came up and wiped that the tears Nicole didn't even know had fallen.

"He's gonna be okay doll..." Nicole huffed and turned her head away from him. She didn't want him to be okay, everyone would be better off if he was dead.

"Did you go after Laroy?" Nicole asked not taking her eyes off Clay.

"Yeah." He sighed as his arm circled around his shoulders.

"What happened?"

"Nothing for you to worry about sweetheart..." Nicole tore her eyes from Clay and turned in Tig's arms to face him.

"You shouldn't have bothered. You shouldn't have put yourself at risk for him, he's not worth it."

"Nic.." Nicole shrugged his arm from around her and stormed off down the hall ignoring Tig's calls for her to come back.

Jax stood at the bottom of the corridor that led to Clay's room. Since leaving the Warehouse after listening to the Gallindo's threats he went to go and try and get his head straight. Figure out what the hell he was going to do. This morning everything was decided he was leaving by the end of the day with the woman he loves and his two beautiful children but now...now that couldn't happen. He had to stay he couldn't let her go to prison even though he was pissed at her stupidity. Although he knew deep down that it wasn't really all on her he was at fault to.

Finally putting one foot in front of another he moved down the corridor. This was another promise he was going to have to break to Tara and it made him sick.

"Hey...I've been tryin' to call you man." Tig said as he jumped from his seat next to Clay's bed.

"Why?" Jax asked secretly dreading the answer, he really couldn't handle any more shit.

"Nic came by earlier. I don't know man some things wrong with her. I know she's hurtin' from this Clay and Gemma shit but..." Jax rubbed his eyes.

"A'right I'll sort it. How's he's doing?"

"He's in and out."

"Give me a minute with him." Tig nodded and started to head for the door. "Oh and put a call out to everyone Church 8 o'clock."

"'Kay brother."

Standing in front of Clay, being alone with him, Jax felt his rage for the man rush to surface. He may have butted heads with the man over the years, disagreed with a lot of his bullshit decisions but he still looked up to the man who not only helped raise him but Nicole as well. Not any more though now all he saw was the man that murdered his father, taking him away from his family. He deserved to die, he had ruined so many lives but Jax knew he couldn't do it. His hands were tied. Leaving the club was one thing but walking away and letting it crumble, die Jax couldn't do it, it would be another disrespect to his father and to Piney. Plus he couldn't let Nicole take the fall, she had been through enough because of the club.

"Son." That one word sent chills down his spine especially coming out of Clay's mouth.

Closing the blinds to give him a little bit more privacy Jax walked back to the head of the bed grabbing Clay's cut off the back of the chair Tig had been sitting in. Pulling out his knife from the sheath on his hip he laid the cut on the bed and before Clay could say anything he pressed the blade against his neck.

"I read the letters. I know you killed my father..." Clay tried to defend himself as his worst nightmare became reality but Jax pushed the blade harder against his neck making it almost impossible to speak. "You tried to kill Tara..."

"Please Son..." Clay managed to get out but again he felt the blade dig deeper into his skin.

"Don't call me that. The only reason I am not slicing you open right now is cos I need this cartel deal to happen. And those prick Irish men won't deal with anyone else."

"You've..."

"No. Your done tellin' me anythin'. Now I tell you. Your stepping down as president, you can sit at the table, you can have a vote but that's it. You keep the Irish happy, and you stay out of my god damn way. If you don't I let the club read the letters and let Opie tell everyone you murdered his Old man."

"Who gave you the letters..." Jax dug the knife deeper into his skin.

"It doesn't matter."

"Was it Gemma?" Clay fought to get out.

"You stay away from my family." Jax watched as Clay went to defend himself again, not wanting to hear it Jax finally pushed the blade into his skin drawing blood. He was so tempted to just keep on pushing the knife deeper into his skin finally killing him and putting an end to all of this but he couldn't and it took what strength he had left to stop himself. He pulled the knife away from him and creating a little space between them. Watching Clay wince in pain, Jax felt a small bit of satisfaction but it wasn't enough.

Grabbing the cut off the bed Jax took the knife and cut the president patch off. He threw the cut back at Clay.

"You might as well kill me."

"Your already dead."

Nicole let herself in through the back door of Clay and Gemma's house. The room was encased in darkness but that didn't stop her from noticing the dark figure sat at the kitchen table. She'd seen his bike outside and knew exactly who it was sitting there, the only thing she didn't get was why he was sitting in the dark.

"Hey." She said as she turned on the light. "You okay?" Jax shook his head. Nicole dropped her bag on the table. "Me neither. I went to see Unser today he told me everything...Clay killed Piney Jay."

"I know." Nicole was surprised by how rough his voice sounded and it hadn't gone unnoticed that he hadn't looked at her since she entered, something was wrong. Taking a seat her hand reached across table as she took a hold of his hand. Her fingers ran over the SONS rings on his fingers. He'd been to the graves, more importantly he had been to see his father. She knew it was a little to late but she knew that Piney would be happy that he finally went there. Piney had wanted her to get Jax to go and see him, get his faith back John and Nicole was glad to see that he had. Although she was happy there was a small part of her that wondered why he had gone there, did he know about these letters? "Jay..."

Jax finally looked up at her, so far he had avoided it but he knew he couldn't forever no matter how much he wanted to. The questions he had to ask her were questions he never thought he would have to ask and although he probably wasn't in the right mood to do it, considering that a little over an hour ago he'd broken the heart and all the promises he had made to the woman he loves. And all for the woman was holding his hand. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of bitterness towards her. But they had to have this conversation no matter what.

Nicole was pleased when he finally looked up at her but it was short lived when she noticed the redness around his eyes. He'd been crying.

"Jay..." She stopped when he pulled his hand from underneath hers and reached inside of his cut pulling out a folder. Her first thought was that these were the letters and when he slid them across the table towards her, Nicole actually thought about pushing the folder back towards him insure if she wanted to read that ugly truth.

"I need you to be completely honest with me here Nic..." Her head snapped back up to his. She was confused what did she need to be honest about, if it was the letters inside how would she know what was the truth.

"I don't understand what's going on?"

"You tell me." Hoping that whatever was inside the folder could shed some light on her cousins strange behavior she opened the folder and started reading.

One sentence was all she needed to realise what this was.

Jax watched her closely as she read through the folder. Her eyes went wide and he could see the glisten of tears forming behind them. By the time she was halfway through the folder started shaking and after reading a little bit more she'd finally had enough and closed the folder.

It was a nightmare it must have been because this couldn't be happening. She thought that she had left those four months behind her but now it was sitting in front of her and from Jax's behavior with her he had read it all. What had she done.

Seeing her shaking and seeing the drop of tears land on the folder Jax actually felt himself feel sorry her.

"Nic I need to know what happened...how all that happened..." Nicole wiped her tears and looked up at her cousin. She tried to read what he was thinking but it was hard because the way he was looking at her in a way he never had before. That scared her.

"Was this Gallindo, did they give you this...?"

"Yes."

"Why?" This was why she begged Jax not to get into bed with the cartel, this was what she feared. They would use everything they had on her against the club, that's why she wanted to leave with Liam. God she regretted that now, she should have ignored her heart and done what she knew was right. She should have left.

"Doesn't matter...I just need you to tell me the truth..."

"Have you read it?" Jax nodded. "Then you already know everything..." He felt his stomach drop he knew it was all true but hearing her admit to it was like a punch to his stomach. He felt like all the wind had been knocked out of him. He knew she had a knack for getting herself into trouble but this really took the piss. The prison sentence that Gallindo was threatening her with wasn't just a slap on the wrist she could get life for this shit.

"How the hell did this happen?" Nicole shrugged she really didn't want to tell him all of this, it would kill him as well as her. "How did you end up there?" Nicole never said anything and her silence was annoying the hell out of him. "I need you to tell me, you owe me that much." The last bit came out harsher than he planned but it seemed to do the trick because she started talking.

"After you were arrested I bolted. I couldn't stay at the clubhouse, you had ratted on the club and I knew what that meant. They were going to kill you and being in the clubhouse was too much I couldn't handle it. The thought of losing you...It broke my heart. I got wasted and the more I drank the more I couldn't bare the thought of..." She shook her head words dying in her mouth. She ran her fingers through her hair taking a deep breath trying to build up the courage to continue. "I went to see Darby." Jax took a sharp intake of breath but she ignored it. "I begged him to kill me..." She winced when he banged his fist on the table. She couldn't blame him for being mad. "I'm sorry it was stupid..."

"Yeah it was." He couldn't explain but knowing she had gone to Darby pissed him off. After everything Darby had done after everything Jax had done to protect her from him she just threw all back in his face. It was insulting. She may have been hurting but it was hard to understand why she chose Darby and death or her family who would support her not kill her. He ran his hand over his beard before he spoke again. "What happened next how did you go from Darby to getting into bed with the Cartel?" He tried to ignore the pun.

"Darby wanted to make me suffer, death was too easy. He started giving me drugs long story short he got me hooked." Jax knew Drugs was her Achilles heel and apparently so did Darby. No wonder it all went down hill.

"Then what?"

"He had me right where he wanted me. I would do anything..."

"For him...Darby..." She could hear the bitterness in his tone.

"For the drugs. I needed them. It wasn't about Darby."

"He get you into dealin'?"

"Yes."

"How the hell did you get mixed in with cartel?" Jax still couldn't understand any of this.

"Darby introduced me to them."

"Okay then what?" Nicole buried her head in her hand she couldn't do this anymore. Reliving it was horrible but having to confess it all Jax killed her plus if he kept pushing her they were going to get deeper and she didn't want to go there.

"I can't do this." Nicole went get out of her seat but Jax pounded his fist on the table making her freeze.

"Sit."

"Jay please don't make me I can't..."

"SIT..." He yelled making her sit down immediately. Although he had read it all he had to hear it from her. He needed to know that what Gallindo was threatening her and himself with was the truth. "How did you get into prostitution?" Tears were streaming down her face now. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had really fucked up this time. How was she supposed to discuss this with him, how was she supposed to justify sleeping with men for money.

"Jay please don't make me I can't..."

"Tell me..." He snapped.

"It just kind of happened."

"How does sleeping with someone for money accidentally happen?" He shouted at her, his anger towards her clear in his tone.

"I don't know it just did. I was high..."

"I ain't buyin' that shit."

"I CAN'T REMEMBER..." Nicole shouted, burying her head in her hands again. Jax reached across the table and opened the folder spreading the pages and pictures across the table. Nicole looked from behind her hands. One picture was of her entering a seedy Motel with some guy in a suit. Obviously a customer.

"Ring any bells?" He pointed to another picture. This time she was dressed in a silky black robe leaning in the doorway another customer with her.

"Jay please..."

"Okay what about this." This time he picked up the picture of a guy spread out on a bed, a needle sticking out of his arm, foam at the sides of his mouth and he had a leather belt tied around his neck.

Nicole snatched the picture from him. She recognized the guy, he was the reason for her finally getting herself out of the hell she had created for herself. But the image she was seeing now wasn't what she remembered. He had OD that was it, she had panicked and ran but she didn't kill him and he defiantly did not have a leather belt tied around his neck when she left, she may have been high but she defiantly knew that that was not how she had left him when she bailed on him, leaving him dead and alone.

"I didn't do that...I didn't kill him he just...he OD..." She looked up from the picture at her cousin. He looked so pissed and she knew the deeper they got into this conversation the more his hate was building towards her. It killed her. "I didn't kill him...you have to believe me...shit...This is what they're blackmailing you with..." It was suddenly all becoming clear to her now it had been a set-up the cartel had set her up, that was probably their plan all along. They had used her and she had let them all for a couple grams of coke. "What do they want?"

"Clay has to step down..." Nicole knew that Jax was never going to let Clay lead this club after finding out that he had killed Piney but at the same time she knew he was leaving no matter what. "Romeo wants me to take the gavel..."

"But you're leaving." Jax shook his head and Nicole could see now what it was Romeo wanted he wanted Jax at the head so that he could use him as his little puppet. "He's holding this over head he's using me to make you stay." His silence confirmed it. "Your staying because of me."

"Yes." And that was the god honest truth. And that bitterness he felt towards her increased hearing her say it out loud. He loved her there was no doubt about that and he would protect her till he was dead and buried, Christ he was proving that now, he was choosing her over his future wife, the future of his children but that didn't mean he had to like it and he didn't. She had really fucked up this time and although he was going to protect her he didn't know if he could forgive her for this right now. "Ive gotta go. We're at the table." He stood to his feet and Nicole's head tilted back to look up at him. She wanted him to reassure her tell it was all going to be okay, but he couldn't do that.

"Jay wait..." Jax turned around. Nicole was standing on her feet her arms folded around her. He knew what she wanted he could see it written all over her face. She wanted to know if he was going to keep her secret. He shook his head, this was just typical.

"Tara's knows, but apart from that this shit doesn't leave this room and you don't tell anyone about the Cartel." Nicole nodded. She was good with that she didn't want anyone to know, she'd rather Tara didn't know but she understood why Jax had told her to some degree because he had to explain why they weren't leaving somehow.

"Does she know it all?"

"Does it really matter?" Jax snapped back at her. Nicole shook her head the sting of tears burning in the back of her eyes again.

"I'm so sorry Jay." Jax could see that she was about to break and normally he would be there in a second to comfort her but he couldn't do it, he couldn't be that rock that she needed he was just to mad. "Jay..." She started to edge towards him but Jax backed up.

"No..no.." The tears fell down her cheeks but Jax just turned his back on her and left.

Nicole stared at the door Jax had left through. He hated her she could see it his eyes see it the way he was acting with her. She had screwed up before but never like this, she had gone to far this time and although he may be protecting she knew she had lost apart of him today and it broke her heart.

Tara pulled into T/M. After her talk with Jax where he told her that he had to stay she had sat on the floor sobbing. He had told her everything the Cartel had threatened him with and she wanted to scream. Nicole had succeeded, she had made him stay, she had ruined her plans of getting her family out of Charming. She knew this would happen. Jax had told her to go, that she could still leave with the boys and when she sat there crying in his arm she really considered it but when he had gone and she calmed down she finally started to think clearly.

She wanted her family, she wanted Jax. He was hers not Nicole's and not Gemma's. If she left they would win and she would lose. She would be free of this town but she wouldn't have Jax and that thought killed her she had already been without him for 10 years she didn't want to be apart from him any more. She couldn't, she didn't think she'd survive.

That was why she had called Neeta to watch the kids, she knew Jax was sitting at the table at 8 to take his new role as President. She had to be there. She was his Old Lady and he was her Old Man, her future husband she wasn't going to leave him stand alone. She was with him all the way. And the sooner Nicole and Gemma got that the better, Jax didn't need them all he needed was Tara and he had her.

The Chapel doors were closed. She knew the rules women were not aloud inside especially when the doors were closed but things were different now, Clay was no longer King and Gemma whether she believed it or not was no longer Queen. This was her and Jax's club now. With a deep breath Tara pushed open the doors. Chibs had switched seats with Tig meaning that Chibs was now the new SAA. The VP seat was empty she assumed it was being saved for Opie.

"Hey." Jax's soft voice drew her attention back to him. She went to him straight away. Her hand clutching his as she dropped to her knees, his forehead pressing against hers.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm here baby...I'm here."

Gemma was in the kitchen when she saw Tara enter the clubhouse and head straight towards the Chapel doors. She continued watching and was surprised when she went inside. Curiosity getting the better of her Gemma made her own way towards the she got there Jax was sat at the head of the table and Tara was standing behind him her hand resting on his shoulder. The image brought back memories of herself and John, and the look Tara had in her eyes, the fight, the determination, reminded Gemma all too much of herself, and that wasn't a good thing.

Nicole pulled the jacket tightly around her. She had been sat outside for god knows how long before she heard a rumble of his bike. It was a risk coming here because he might have easily crashed at the clubhouse, but then she hadn't really thought about that when she climbed into her truck and started to drive. But it seemed that she had come to the right place.

She watched the bike slow down when he noticed her and she actually felt herself become a little nervous. Was he going to be okay with this?

Happy parked his bike and shut off the engine, placing his helmet and night goggles on the handlebars. Swinging her leg over his bike he cautiously started walking over to her. Even in the darkness he could tell that she had been crying and that made his pace quicken. This was defiantly no booty call.

As he got closer her tears started falling again as her chest started heaving seeing him just brought back all the pain of the night and she couldn't stop herself. She crumbled.

"Hey." Happy rasped as squatted down in front of her. His hand coming up to rest on the side of her face as his thumb wiped away some of her tears.

"Hi..." Nicole managed to get out in between her sobs.

"What's happened?"

"I really messed up this time he hates me..."

"Who?"

"Jay." Happy moved his hand from her face and ran his hand over his face. He knew something like this was brewing, he felt it today at Tara's house. And even though he had wanted to keep Nicole out of the line of fire by the looks of it she had ended up burned.

"Come on." Happy took her by the arm a pulled her up from the steps he was taken aback when she wrapped her arms around him. His froze for a moment before he wrapped his arm around her. "Come on Kid." He said again leading her up the steps to his cabin.

When he wrapped his arm around her pulling her close Nicole was glad she came because just like every other time before she felt safe with him. And she needed to feel that because she knew that today, everything had changed.

(I'm so sorry to those who read the original one I posted but the more the day went on the more I wasn't happy with it. I promise that this is it now I am not going to pull this chapter.)

I have been completely overwhelmed by the response I have received for this story, especially when I had almost given up on it. Feels good to actually have it finished.

Of course this story would be nothing without all you lovely readers. Seeing the view count and the amount of adds for this story really encouraged me to keep writing and was lovely to see that people were reading it. And of course to all you readers who took the time to review. I love reading them and hearing what you think good and bad I love it.

As to those who have asked yes I do plan on writing a sequel to go along with Season 5. However I can't really can't say how long it will be before I start publishing, because as always I like to have the story pretty much mapped out so I don't get writers block and leave you all hanging. (I learnt my lesson the hard way with this story)

I do have other stories in the mix as well. I'm working on the last part in the Happy/Liv trilogy. Again I can't give a date for upload but it will be titled Heavy In Your Arms. So if you want to read that story keep your eyes peeled.

Big thanks again to everyone who had supported this story I love you all and thank you xxxx