Life was changing rapidly in Charming. Tara and Jax were older. The club was taking a turn for the worse, threatening to fall apart before Jax could even take a seat at the table. High school was coming to an end. The beginning months of their Senior year had reared their ugly heads. The only thing that had remained the same was Jax and Tara. They had stayed strong, their relationship had been ongoing for nearly three years.

Jax was stumbling through daily activities. The idea of life after high school seemed unfathomable. With his bad grades and poor attendance college was out of reach. He figured that he would attend trade school, snag a mechanic job at TM and then take his seat at the table. After a few years he would move up in the ranks of the club and eventually become President. His future seemed unfathomable to him, but it has always been laid out clear as day for everyone around him.

Tara would become his old lady. She would pop out a couple of kids and take over Gemma's place in the club. The all-knowing, all-seeing matriarch. Tara was destined to become the new queen. The minute she fell in love with Jax Teller that was inevitable.

The school bell rang signaling the beginning of first period. The halls became a whirl of activity before quieting down and emptying out. Jax was left leaning against his locker. The book bag hanging from his shoulder was empty except for his key chain, sun glasses and the blank leather cut that he was not allowed to wear on school grounds.

Jax hiked his bag higher up on his shoulder and walked right out the school's front doors, ignoring Vice Principal Schmitt, as he called for Jax to 'get back here this instant'. He even threatened to call Gemma, but Jax kept walking. His mother was probably in bed with Clay, planning the wedding that they announced in front of the club last week. Jax had to swallow down the bile that rose in his throat as he swung his leg over his bike.

Everyone was sitting around the clubhouse. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. Most of the guys were out on a run, but the rest of them were hanging around. Despite the early hour, Tig and Chibs were knocking back beers. Piney was playing pool with Opie. The familiar sound of the balls clashing together drowned out Tig and Chibs' drunk banter. Jax and Tara were sprawled out on the couch, her head was pillowed on Jax's chest as she caught up on the sleep he deprived her of the night before. The air condition was on full blast, chasing away the late August heat. Everything was normal, peaceful even. Then the clubhouse door clattered open and the sounds of Clay and Gemma's giddy laughter filled the room.

They stumbled into the room with their hands linked, like love drunk teenagers. Gemma's eyes were bright with happiness and Clay was staring at her like she was the only woman in the world. Finally, Gemma turned her attention to the rest of the room, as if just noticing there were people around her. "We have an announcement to make," She said, her gravelly, powerful voice demanded everyone's attention.

Opie and Piney put their sticks down and turned to face Samcro's queen. Tig and Chibs hopped off their barstools, abandoning their bottles to stand before the happy couple. Jax shook Tara gently, then sat up, pulling her with him. He kept his arm securely around her as Gemma continued. "We're getting married!" She cheered, throwing her left hand in the air. A simple diamond ring glimmered on her fourth finger.

Tig and Chibs were the first to react. They moved toward Clay and slapped him on the back before gathering Gemma in their arms for an congratulatory hug. Opie and Piney were next, following suit. Jax and Tara remained motionless on the couch. Tara stared at Jax's clenched jaw and the fire of anger in his eyes.

"What's wrong, son?" Clay said. The last word stung Jax. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, before concealing his emotions behind a perfect mask of happiness. He grabbed Tara's hand and led her over to his mother and new 'step father'. He tried not to grimace when he thought the word.

After that nobody talked about Jax's reaction. Tara tried to get him to talk, but he refused. It was nice to see his mother so happy, even if it was at the hands of his late father's best friend. He was not going to ruin that for her because he was upset with her choice of man. Despite, bedding his dead best friend's widow, Clay was a good guy. He was a good leader to the club and that's all that mattered. Gemma thrived on family and relationships. She had been lost after John's death. She needed this. She needed Clay.

A figure silhouetted by the sun came running toward Jax. He briefly registered the clicking of high heels against the parking lot's pavement. Then the figure came into view and the familiar dark hair flew in the wind. Piercing green eyes met his and his face was split in two by a huge smile. Tara.

"What're you doing, darlin'?" He asked, taking his hands away from the handles and reaching out for her. Tara fit easily into his hands as he knotted them on the small of her back.

"What're you doing, Teller?" She echoed his question, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow suspiciously.

Jax looked at her for a moment. His deep, blue eyes drinking her in. God, he loved her. He wondered if the sight of her would ever not make him hungry with desire. He hoped not. "I need to get out of here." He gestured to the school, but his words held a deeper meaning. His need for a vacation was written all over his features.

Without another word Tara straddled the back of the bike, reaching for her helmet that he kept in the back compartment, sliding it onto her head. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his shoulder, breathing in his delicious scent. A scent that was simply Jax.

Jax didn't try to protest. He knew Tara should be in school. She had a good reputation and the teachers loved her. Her grades were high. School was something she did well. Something she excelled at. Jax didn't want to take that away by helping her skip school, but the ache of his mother's engagement was too real. Too overbearing. So, he revved the bike's engine and shot out of the parking lot.

Jax pulled the bike to a stop in a small parking lot, a few feet away from a beautiful open field. The early fall weather had not turned the grass an ugly brown or stripped the trees of their leaves, yet. Jax let Tara hop off first, then followed her, taking both of their helmets and hanging them from the bike's handle bars.

"Where are we?" Tara asked, her eyes scanned the field. It didn't look like anything special.

Jax intertwined his fingers with hers. He grabbed a bedroll from the back of his bike before leading her toward the field. Tara followed him willingly, her dark brows still drawn together with confusion. Jax pulled her close, squeezing her hip. "My dad used to take me here when I was younger. Me and Thomas," His face took on a look of pain when he remembered his fallen family members. "We'd ride out here on his motorcycle and play football or wrestle for hours. I still come here to clear my head."

Tara nodded succinctly. She knew what it was like. That aching need to feel closer to her deceased mother was always there, begging her to soothe it with some kind of connection. She reached up and ran her finger along the line between Jax's brow, flattening it. His face looked instantly more relaxed.

They laid in the sun for hours. Jax was spread out along the bedroll, Tara's head pillowed on his chest. It was sweet. Tara le the sun wash over her face, warming her features. They whispered quietly about Thomas, John, Sandra and then finally talked about Gemma's impending marriage.

Jax's face becam a mask of anger, but Tara talked him down. She reminded him of his mother's happiness and John's wish for that. Jax relaxed, toying with the ends of Tara's hair between his fingers. She sighed happily. Then Jax brought up the really tough question.

"Where do you want to go to college?" He asked, his voice breaking through a few minutes of silence.

Tara sat in silence for a moment. Her and Jax had only briefly discussed their views on Charming and that had been a long time ago. So much had changed since the last time they talked about it. She sighed and turned so she was facing him, propping herself up on an elbow. "I don't know, exactly." Of course she had ideas. Harvard, UCLA, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Washington University...

Jax looked down at her beneath his long blonde lashes. "Do you want to leave Charming?"

Tara looked at him seriously for a moment. She knew this next answer would break his heart. "I've always wanted to leave Charming, Jax. There's nothing here for me."

She loved Gemma, but the thought of becoming an Old Lady sent chills down her spine. Family might be enough for Gemma, but the idea of sitting idly by, wondering is Jax was going to make it home alive each night was terrifying. She could not bare it. She knew Jax could never leave Charming. There was a seat waiting for him at the head of SAMCRO's table. She would never take that away from him.

"There's nothing for you here?" Jax asked. For the first time since he was a boy he looked truly broken. The tough exterior that he hid behind suddenly faded away. Tara reached up and ran her index finger along the scruff on his chin in a failed attempt at soothing him.

"You're the reason I stay," She whispered, her thoughts retreating to the memory of her drunken father. She shuddered at the memory of his dark days, when she was forced to care for him when she could barely care for himself. Those are the memories she wanted to leave behind in Charming. "I wouldn't be gone long," Tara added. "Only eight years. Not forever."

She had hoped her words would provide comfort, but even as she said them, she knew that they were painful. A lot could happen in eight years. Hell, a lot could happen in a second. Both of them had lived to witness that with John's death. Jax pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. "I'll go with you," He whispered, making the strands of her hair dance.

Tara let the thought sink in for a moment. The club was in complete upheaval at the moment. Members were dying and Clay was making sketchy decisions that he claimed were for the good of the club. Her and Jax running away seemed to be a good idea. Her and Jax on their own in a cozy apartment, far from Charming. Far from anything that could hurt them.

"Okay," She agreed, placating him in a way. She knew that Gemma would never let him leave, but right now they both needed to pretend. They needed to believe that eventually everything was going to be okay.

Jax sighed and let a musical chuckle pass through his lips. "Enough dark shit," He murmured against Tara's temple. "Come here," He smirked, pulling her face closer to his and planting a kiss on her lips. It was quick and sweet at first, but he let his lips linger, before his tongue languidly glided across her bottom lip, asking for access. She eagerly accepted his tongue and let him explore her mouth. When his hands began to move lower she moaned and sunk further toward him, surrendering complete control. Jax chuckled against her mouth and then his thoughts got hazy as he began to think with another appendage.

They lay spent, sweat glistening on their bodies under the setting sun. Jax was wearing only his jeans and Tara was swimming inside his oversized t-shirt. They lay together on the wrinkled bed roll. The only sound is the sound of their breathing.

Tara stared up, squinting against the lowering sun. They had slept together so many times since the first that it had become some kind of routine. They knew each other well and Tara couldn't imagine anything more mind blowing than sex with Jax Teller. Tonight, after their melancholy conversation. Nothing had seemed the same. Each movement seemed calculated and ever touch counted as if their days of sleeping together were numbered. As if their days together, period, were numbered.

They mounted the bike again, hours after the sun had set. Both of their stomachs were growling and Jax promised to make a stop for food on the way home. Tara had smiled and climbed on behind him, reveling in the normalcy. They had both been eager to shove the conversation to the backs of their minds, but traces of it still lingered, threatening to ruin everything they had built together.