***Thank you to everyone who read this story. Especially the ones that took the time to review it. I really appreciate it so much! I'm sorry it's over but I am glad to be able to mark it complete!

To my guest reviewer recently, I wish you weren't a guest so that I could have messaged you back, but I wanted to answer your questions/confusion:

Yes, it is possible to be 27 and look much younger, I speak from experience. As for appearing underage, I was trying to get across that she dressed and presented herself to look even younger than she already appeared.

As for looking maternal to Jax, this was in reference to her actions and character...not her appearance.

As for "she is a beaten Down Escort with no selfesteem one moment and ready to attack her boss or jax the NeXT" ok what I meant to get across in this story is that Kate was beaten down, by Carlos, and after years of living in the abuse she did not want to take it anymore, but she could never fight back. There is something called traumatic bonding, this is an example of that. This is also why she was able to stand up for herself to other people. I will go back one day and rewrite some parts so that comes across better. I'm sorry if Kate was a frustrating OC for you, but I am glad you read the whole story, and I am very happy to get any review - good, bad or otherwise :)

And without further adieu***

The warm water worked it's magic down her back, easing the discomfort the exercise had unwelcomely bestowed upon her, on muscles that hadn't been pushed so far in months. Tiny clumps of soap suds gathered on the scars, pausing there until they grew large enough to slide down to the ground, just long enough to pull her attention to the ugly marks, reminders of the day her life ended.

The day her life began.

It had been a long road to get here, but she did it. Luck, fate, circumstance, who knows, but the bullet that Gemma had fired, while acting as a final straw on Kate's already injured body, had not been life threatening in itself. It had entered her on the left side of her lower back, exiting out the other side, and managed not to hit any major organs. What sent her to the hospital for weeks, then to the rehabilitation center for even more, were the injuries she had sustained in the car accident. With multiple fractures in her femur, her hip and further down her thigh, she had no idea how she had been able to climb out of the car, much less follow Gemma into the brush that day. Her abdomen had been cut open also, severed deep in two places by her seat belt, the one thing that was actually meant to keep her safe in an accident. The rest of the damage was more superficial, cuts and bruises the tumbling car inflicted on her body. She had to undergo surgery to repair the damage the seat belt caused to her liver, and another two for her shattered hip.

But she was alive.

When Kate was in the hospital Jax had visited her every day, bringing her flowers and telling her about all of the things he was doing, all the many ways he was changing his life. Every update causing her to smile just hearing about the new life he was carving out for his sons. He had sold the garage to Chibs and was using that money to open a new, smaller one in Nevada. He had Wendy searching for a new place for them to live, somewhere small and safe, somewhere with good schools. Every time she heard his news, it brought her happiness, it helped to keep her focused and push her further towards recovery.

As she moved into the rehab facility, Jax was down to visiting only two or three times a week. He had begun his life in Nevada and things really began to pick up for him. Wendy had found an apartment and Jax was staying with her while he looked for a house. He had given her a job helping him get the garage up and running, but she said it was only until she found work that she really wanted to be doing. Kate was happy for him, happy for Wendy, and happy for the boys, but part of her felt disappointed, almost jealous at how everyone's lives were going on, and without her. For a moment she thought, feared actually, that maybe her future was different than theirs.

And each day she grew stronger. Each day she had always been growing stronger.

One day she finally got to come home, to her home. The home Jax had bought, Wendy decorated, and they all surprised her with the day she got out of rehab. Each of their lives had been uprooted...shook up, rattled and spun in a blender, but now they were finally starting to settle and grow again, and this time from a foundation cemented in bedrock, a beginning stable and hopefully permanent.

Stepping out into the hallway, her nose was hit with the overwhelming smell of coffee, her mouth watering at the possibilities that little drink would provide her. A shuffled noise and a high-pitched squeak came just seconds before a small blond head darted across the hallway. A man on a mission, Kate thought to herself as she heard the video game turn on.

"Abel?" She asked, not shocked at all when she garnered no response from the little boy. "Abel, where's Daddy? And Thomas?"

"They went out." He answered quickly, not turning his head as he made his selections to start up his game.

Kate looked out the kitchen window, noticing the SUV still parked in it's spot, and strained up on her tip toes to make sure she wasn't missing anything. "Are you sure? The car's still here." She called to him from the kitchen.

"They took Daddy's bike." Really? What the hell? She walked back to the bathroom to hang up her towel, cursing under her breath. Why would he do that? Why would he put Thomas on his bike?

Pushing her hair behind her ear, she walked back into the hallway staring down at her naked feet, and tried to shake the annoyance that was creeping up inside of her.

"Hey," Jax's voice pulled her attention up to him, a side grin on his lips as he held the door from the garage to the kitchen open. Thomas, nothing but a blur, ran under Jax's arm, straight into the other room.

"Did you take Thomas out on the bike?" She asked him, a soft lecture underlying her question. Part of her tried to hold back, not wanting to give him a hard time, just knowing how much he was going through transitioning into this new life.

Jax laughed and placed the bag he was holding down on the counter before going over to her. "You sound like an overprotective mother," He reached around, a strong arm pulling her gently towards him, but Kate kept her eyes away from his in an effort to not go soft, one look and she would for sure forget anything she had ever been thinking.

Jax chuckled again, noticing her weak attempt, "Of course I didn't, we took the car. I just put him on the bike to move it into the garage."

Green eyes found blue and Kate smiled, relieved. She scanned over his skin, his eyes, the long stubble on his cheek, his lips that twitched when her eyes finally landed on them. She felt a little bit guilty for being annoyed at all. His face, once mature and weathered with the weight of his world, was starting to be softer, even younger looking. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on inside his head. Things had been different for him that's for sure, and in some fucked up way, she really suspected this reality was proving to be harder for him than his past. His life had changed completely, everything he knew, everything he was, were gone. And here he was, trying to figure out how to be something else.

How to be happy.

Gemma was dead. Alvarez too. Chibs was safe. And Jax had done the impossible, he had left the club.

Kate had never asked any questions. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't want to, oh how she wanted to; in fact, there were times when she could feel the questions buzzing about in her, itching just barely beneath the surface of her skin, begging to come out. Sometimes she would think about questioning Wendy, assuming it would be easier. But it was proving to be something that no one seemed to want to bring up, a subject that was avoided, and maybe they thought it would hurt her, just as she thought it would hurt them, to bring it up at all. So she made herself a promise, she would let him tell her, at his own speed and when he was ready.

So far he hadn't been ready.

Sometimes, he would look sad and lost.

A lot of times he would go for long rides on his bike, escaping, therapy for his soul.

Her heart broke for him, but as pained as she was seeing him this way, she couldn't help but be proud. The sacrifices, the changes, everything. Looking in his eyes she saw more of a man than she ever had before. The emptiness was gone, shadows brightening with the beginnings of this new life.

"What's going on in there?" He whispered, his eyes open as he gently held the sides of her face and kissed her, melting her heart every time. If he only knew. "You wondering where we went?"

"Where'd you go?" She asked him, smiling in response to the mischievous gleam in his eyes, happy that he couldn't read her mind.

"Patience," He answered her, swiping the bag off the counter with one hand before he left to join the boys in the other room, "No peeking."

With her interest sparked, Kate fidgeted standing in the tiny kitchen. Their voices spoke in hushed mumbles, but that didn't stop her from fumbling over herself to inch closer, trying to pick up even one teensy word. Realizing she was obviously being silly, she decided to make herself a coffee and distract herself. Besides, what could really be better than coffee? Seconds felt like hours with patience nowhere to be found.

"Eh hem," She jumped when she heard the little voice clearing his throat, spilling her coffee slightly over the top of her cup, and turned to see what the big secret could be.

Never was there a cuter sight.

Abel with his hands on his hips, demanding her attention. Thomas holding the small shopping bag out to her with pride, and Jax leaning in the doorway with a grin on his face, one that reached all the way to his eyes, a smile she never found more attractive than in that moment.

Putting down her cup and wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans, a strange feeling of nervousness suddenly made her hesitant to know exactly what they were up to.

"What's that?" She asked, nodding to the small bag.

"It's," Abel answered, looking over at his brother, "Thomas, take it out."

Thomas reached his little hand inside and pulled out a small black velvety box, dropping the bag on the floor in the process. Not sure if it was the exercise that had caused her legs to suddenly become weak, Kate bit her lip, scared to say anything, scared to look over to Jax, scared to let it all sink in.

"We got you a present," Thomas told her, thrusting the box in her direction.

"Oh?" She asked, her feet heavy, anchored to the floor and not able to move. She wiped her hands on her jeans again, swallowing hard.

"Open it Thomas," Abel commanded the little boy, and from the corner of her eye Kate could see Jax starting to move in closer. Closer to where it was all going down. The sweat, the panic, the anticipation. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, over reacting and running away with one blaring thought. It could be anything. It could be a necklace, it could be a pin...

Thomas turned the box to face him and took what felt like hours and hours of effort to pry the thing open. When he finally did, his hair blocked her view of what was inside, his head hanging low to observe what was placed inside.

"Thomas," Abel called him and Thomas looked up smiling. Reaching for what was in his brother's hands, Abel grabbed a hold of it, offering Kate a mind-blowing view and paralyzing her even more.

"Kate, this is for you," Abel said, taking her hand and placing the ring inside of it.

"Wha-, wha-," Her voice stammered, not sure what to say. A simple circle, white gold maybe, with the most beautiful diamond in the center stared back at her.

"We want you to stay with us," He told her, "Will you marry our family?"

Her head snapped up, quickly leaving the inanimate object in favor of the amazing person in front of her. Not even feeling the tears that started their way down her cheeks.

"Of course, of course Abel, there's nothing I would love more," She answered as she hugged him, pulling Thomas in to hug him too. A firm warm hand grasped hers, prying her fist open to reveal the ring she had tightly clenched inside. Looking up at him, his eyes intently focused on taking the ring from her palm, she almost thought he might be nervous too. He slipped it on her finger and looked back up at her with a smile.

"You do know that means you have to marry me too right?" He asked her, confidence reappearing, the gleam back in his eyes. Pulling her face close to his, his thumb wiped her chin clean of the tears as he waited for her response.

"Yes." It was all she could manage as she couldn't bear it any longer, reaching around his neck and pulling herself the final stretch up into him. She could feel the smile on his lips as he kissed her...a warm, soft kiss. Maybe it wasn't anyone else's idea of normal. Maybe it was the rockiest disgrace of a road she had to travel just to get here. Maybe she really didn't deserve it. But she felt it, and she gave it. She felt it in his smile in their kiss, his insistency of not letting it end every time she tried to pull away. She felt it around her legs, the little bodies hugging closely, squeezing themselves in between them as much as they could. Never before had she ever felt it so clearly, and never again would she not know what it was.

It was love.

****Thank you again for reading! I love writing and while I'm not a professional, I appreciate all the reviews and PM's and getting out the stories that are in my head, hopefully it helps me grow! I love all you guys!****