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Chapter 53

Alex began to clean up the makeshift campsite they'd set up in her former living room. Opie was in the backyard sitting at the picnic table staring off into nothingness. He kept replaying his conversation with Jax and the moment he saw his children. The simple exchanges wouldn't leave him or let his mind settle. Alex had the same problem, but for different reasons. She was worried, but more about Opie than anything else.

As she folded the deflated mattress, Alex heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. She slowed, but didn't stop picking up, not even after she heard the car park and a door slam shut. Jax was supposed to come by for a moment or two and she was expecting the blond to be the one walking through the front door. When he did, he was greeted with little more than a glance.

"He here?" Jax asked calmly.

Alex nodded as she folded the last corner of the air-bed.

"In the backyard." She answered. Kicking the hulk of plastic rubber aside, Alex gave him her full attention. "He's still thinking."

"Bout his kids?"

"About everything."

Jax nodded heavily. He continued to stand awkwardly near the front door. He hadn't made it more than a few steps into her home because everything still felt just a little too uncomfortable and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

"You guys are heading back today?"

"Yeah," she sighed softly. She could see sadness touching Jax's eyes and knew the same was reflected in hers. "And we're not coming back, Jackie." His brows creased slightly. "Ever."

"You serious?"

Alex nodded. "I don't want Opie coming back here. And…" she hesitated. Alex's head dropped and her shoulders slumped under the weight of what she was about to say. "I don't want you coming to see him… either."

No one spoke. The air grew tense and Alex could almost feel the hatred rolling off Jax. When she managed to look up, she as surprised to see that anger wasn't the dominating emotion. Jax looked heartbroken, like she'd killed his puppy in front of him or worse. It hurt her to see.

His eyes tinted pink almost immediately and looked like they were glassing over. It forced her to mimic the action. Her eyes began to burn and an ache grew in her chest. She didn't want to hurt Jax, but she had. The problem was, Alex knew he and Opie couldn't be around each other, at least not now and maybe not for years to come. Jax was waist deep in a world that destroyed Opie's entire life and while it wasn't intentional, the damage was still there.

But Jax understood and that's what made him tear. He knew where Alex was coming from and it wasn't intentionally geared towards causing him pain, but it was there regardless.

"I'm sorry Jax, I…"

He shook his head to stop her explanation.

"I get it." He replied after a moment. His voice cracked, but he remained strong. "It's fine."

She shook her head softly to herself. It was a lot of things, but 'fine' wasn't one of them. The two were brothers to each other and Alex was prohibiting one from seeing the other.

"I'm going to go talk to him for a minute." He said before disappearing through the back door.

Alex walked into the kitchen and watched the two through the window over her sink. They sat together on the bench to the picnic table. She saw them speak to one another, but not make any gestures in the way of comfort or anything else. Instead, they could have just as likely been talking about the weather. It was sad, but she knew the reason behind it. Neither was willing to show the other how sad they really were.

After a few minutes, both stood and faced each other. They hugged tightly. Jax's back was to the window giving Alex a perfect view of Opie's face. Despite being hidden primarily by his beard, Alex could plainly see tears gliding down his cheeks. It forced her to blink a few of her own free.

Eventually the two parted. Opie regained his seat and Jax moved back into the house, wiping the back of his hand along his cheeks as he went. He was surprised to see Alex in the kitchen, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he held out his arms and beckoned her into a hug. Alex easily stepped into it and held his tighter than she thought possible.

"I love you Jackie," she mumbled into his shoulder. "So much."

"I love you too, kid." He replied in the same heavy, thick voice. He tensed his grip just a bit tighter than before. "Take care of him?"

The sentence was obviously meant to be a statement, but it came out as more of a question.

"Of course." She nodded. "You know I will."

He pulled back and forced a smile as best he could. It didn't have much energy in it. In a way, Jax knew he'd never get to see Opie again. Alex wouldn't allow it so long as he was in SAMCRO and Jax didn't know if he'd ever break free.

Jax gently reached up and wiped the few tears that escaped Alex's eyes off her cheeks. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead tenderly.

When the air grew too thick with grief and sadness, Jax had no choice but to leave and go about his day. He was still trying to clean up Club Business and was grateful it'd give him a brief reprieve.

The sound of his car leaving had vanished awhile before Alex stepped into the backyard. Opie was still staring at the ground thinking when a hand appeared in his line of sight. He glanced up and noticed it was Alex. Without having much control over his body, Opie took her hand and let her guide him into the house, and outside once more. She put him in the car and proceeded to lock everything up behind her.

Without a word, she rejoined him in the car, started it up and pulled out of the driveway. They didn't speak or even glance at each other as Alex drove through the town both had called home for so long. Opie watched with mild interest as Charming sped passed his window. On the surface it just looked so peaceful and calm… He knew it was a lie, but that didn't stop his heart from begging to return.

When the Leaving Charming sign vanished behind them, Opie finally felt the hold of the small town waver. It didn't grip his heart as tightly as it did within the city limits, but it was still there. It'd always be there.

"Are you with me, Ope?"

Alex's voice broke the silence that had dominated their time together for the majority of the day.

"Yeah." His rumbling voice cracked from lack of use. "I'm with you."

He hoped it was the truth, but honestly, Opie knew it was a lie.

I know it was short, but I hope you guys enjoyed the story as it went on. Thanks so much for keeping with it and reading. Love you guys for that!