Extended # 4

Setting: Chapter 37 - Season 4, Episode 1

Rating: T

"Mommy!" Abel's voice called two seconds before his bedroom door opened. Jax pulled away from resting his forehead against Tara's to look towards their bedroom door.

"In the bedroom baby." Tara called back and Jax watched as Abel ran into the room. The little guy spotted Daddy sitting on the bed with Mommy and Thomas and a huge smile broke out on his face before he charged for the bed.

"Did you have a good nap buddy?" Jax asked as Abel climbed up onto the bed and threw himself down into Jax's lap. He nodded happily before he reached out to kiss Tara's cheek.

"You sleep too Mommy?" Abel asked, as he looked around the room. Despite being only 2 years old, he still spotted that Tara was wearing a robe and the bed was a mess.

"Yeah baby, me and daddy had a nap too." Tara picked Thomas up out of her lap and placed him on her shoulder, rubbing his back to burp him.

"TomTom up now?" Abel picked up Jax's hand and started playing with his rings.

"Yep. Up and Fed." Just as Tara finished speaking Thomas burped loudly. Jax threw his head back and laughed heartily. This was the first time he'd witnessed such a normal act. He'd never seen Thomas feed and subsequently burp. But the little guy could belch like a trucker. Jax found himself feeling oddly proud at that fact. He smiled at Tara as she rolled her eyes at him before settling Thomas to sit in her lap.

"Daddy you staying?" Abel asked as he abandoned his daddy's hand in favour of his brother's foot. Jax couldn't help but smile as he watched Abel rub Thomas's foot.

"What?" Completely wrapped up in watching his boys Jax missed the question.

"You staying home now? Not going away again?" Abel's little face was looking up at Jax with such hope and Jax found himself feeling oddly conflicted. It broke his heart that Abel was scared that he'd be going away again. But it filled him with joy that Abel wanted him around.

"No buddy, I'm staying right here with you, Thomas and Mommy." Jax answered placing a kiss on Abel's head.

"Good. Mommy missed you." His question answered, Abel turned back to Thomas who was smiling happily at his big brother. Jax however looked at Tara. Her eyes swimming with unshed tears, smiling softly as she looked at Jax, she mouthed the words 'I love you' and Jax felt his own throat tighten.

"I missed her too." Jax tightened his hold on Abel gently as he mouthed 'I love you' back to Tara. "I missed you all." Jax whispered placing a kiss on Abel's head.

"Me?" Abel asked with a cheeky grin that looked far too much like his father's.

"Of course." Jax answered with a tickle to Abel's tummy. Abel squirmed with a giggle, reaching up to wrap his arms around Jax's neck.

"Thomas?" The cheeky grin on Abel's face widened at this new game he'd found to play with Daddy.

"Every day."

"We missed you too Daddy." Abel kissed Jax's cheek before turning back to Tara and taking hold of Thomas's reaching hand. "Can I watch cartoons Mommy?"

"Yes baby." As soon as the words left Tara's mouth Abel was off and running toward the living room, his baby brother, Mommy and Daddy all but forgotten. Jax laughed and shook his head as his son hightailed it before turning back to Tara and Thomas. Not for the first time, Jax was struck by how beautiful their baby boy was. Always happy and smiling. His little arms and legs were constantly moving. Jax loved to just watch him. But it never took long before the urge to hold him took over and watching wasn't good enough anymore.

"Come here little man." Jax reached out to take Thomas from Tara who smiled happily as she handed the baby over to his Daddy.

"Can you watch them while I shower?"

"Of course babe." Jax placed a kiss on Thomas's forehead, while the baby's hands were playing with his beard.

"Thank you."

"We're going to hang out huh little man. Thomas and daddy." The baby giggled happily in Jax's arms as he raised him over his head before laying him on the bed. Jax undid the two buttons on Thomas's onesie that covered his stomach and exposed the soft skin. Thomas's hands waved about happily as Jax leant down to blow raspberries on his belly. "Woah buddy. You need a change." Jax spoke to the giggling baby as he lifted him into his arms again.

Jax paused on his way to the nursery to glance into the bathroom. He couldn't help but smile at the familiar, and downright sexy, sight of Tara in the shower. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Jax forced himself away from the far too enticing sight of his naked fiancée and down the hall to the nursery. When Jax lay Thomas down on the change table he paused.

"This is the first time we've done this huh little buddy? Well go easy on your poor ol' dad." Thomas only giggled as he kicked his legs in the air. Jax went about the task he'd performed a thousand times on Abel without incident. In fact, he couldn't help but note that it seemed easier now, like riding a bike, he hadn't forgotten. With Thomas clean, powdered and changed, Jax lifted him into his arms, placing a kiss on his neck and revelling in the sound of his happy chuckle.

"Come on buddy. Let's go see your brother." For the next ten minutes Jax sat with his boys in the living room watching some cartoon that he couldn't quite understand. Something to do with a pink piglet scooter and a blue elephant van. He'd heard three different accents. What the hell ever happened to the smurfs? When Tara emerged with wet hair, her skin slightly flushed from the shower and clothed only in a robe, Jax had to take a deep breath and think of Bobby. It was not a good idea to get hard with his 8 month old son on his lap, and his 2 year old sitting beside him. But the things this woman did to him.

"Alright Daddy. Your turn." Tara smiled as she took Thomas from Jax and sat down beside Abel. Jax dropped a kiss on Tara's lips, and then another before heading off for the shower himself.

In a couple of hours Jax had the task of standing up at Opie's wedding as his best man, for the second time. Something he was slightly apprehensive about. He hadn't told anyone, but he didn't think this wedding was the best idea. Jax didn't doubt that Opie loved Lyla, but it was all happening so fast. And then there was the ever present issue of Donna. Opie wasn't over her; he had never even grieved for her. Donna was his whole life, his Tara. If anything ever happened to Tara, Jax knew he'd never get over it. He'd never be able to be with anyone else. She was it for him. So he knew that Opie couldn't possibly love Lyla the way a wife deserved to be loved by her husband. Opie was putting Lyla in the same position he'd put Wendy in. It wasn't fair on anyone. At least when he'd done it, there hadn't been kids involved. And that's what worried Jax the most.

If things went sour, the way Jax feared they would, it would be the kids who inevitably suffered the most. They'd lost their mother, while their father was still a stranger to them, and now had another woman in their lives. What would happen to Kenny and Ellie if Lyla was taken away too? It was a nasty situation, and Jax could only hope, that everything turned out ok.

As he stood under the spray of the shower he couldn't help but think of the day that Opie and Donna got married. They'd been high school sweethearts like Jax and Tara, and the four of them had ridden to Vegas on a whim one day. At least Jax and Tara had thought it was a spur of the moment thing. They had no idea that Opie had already proposed. That this little trip was them eloping. When they got to the strip Opie and Donna had told them of their plan, they found a chapel and Jax stood beside Opie, Tara beside Donna, as their best friends were married.

It had been beyond simple, and more than slightly tacky, but it had been real. The love that Opie and Donna shared was real and honest and deep. Jax had felt no hesitation standing beside Opie that day. He only wished he felt the same today.

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist Jax was drawn from his deep thoughts when Abel came running down the hall to stand in the door way with a cheeky grin on his face.

"Whatcha doing little man?" Jax asked and watched baffled as Abel laughed happily before running into his bedroom. Jax had a real bad feeling. His son was a chip off the old block and he was up to something.

"Tara!" Jax called out and waited in the same position until Tara appeared with Thomas on her hip.

"Yeah baby?"

"Our son is up to something." Jax stated before ducking into the bedroom to quickly dress.

"Abel Teller, what are you doing?" Tara's voice echoed down the hall followed quickly by Abel's laughter. Now that he was dressed Jax headed slowly toward Abel's room. He was more than a little apprehensive to see what mischief his son had gotten himself into. When he entered the room he found Tara standing in the middle of the room, one hand on her hip, the other holding on to Thomas and looking down at Abel with a stern expression on her face. At least, she was trying to look stern. Jax could see the smile that was trying to etch its way onto her face, and the laughter that was bubbling up inside her. He finally chanced a look at his son and saw exactly why Tara wanted to laugh.

Sitting at his little table was their son. His face and hands completely covered in the chocolate he'd obviously pilfered from somewhere in the kitchen.

"Someone found Mommy's stash." Tara whispered to Jax, who could only stare at Abel.

"Abel Teller. What did you do?" Jax asked as he crouched down to Abel's level.

"Chocolate is yummy." Abel smiled. Jax shook his head and threw Abel over his shoulder. The toddler giggled happily as Jax carried him into the bathroom. He put him down in the shower stall.

"Arms up little man." At his daddy's command, Abel put his arms up over his head. Jax proceeded to strip him down to his diaper and then turned on the shower. "What are we going to do with you kiddo?" Jax whispered. Abel's smile had never left his face, but he leaned over to kiss Jax's cheek. He was trying to love up to him now. Abel knew he might be in trouble. "Don't do that again little man. It's not good for you."

"Ok daddy." Abel smiled while nodding his head.

"Good boy." Jax smiled as he started to wash all the chocolate off his son, all the while completely aware that they'd have to find a new place to stash Tara's 'Once a Month' chocolate. If he could find it, Abel was going to do it again, that he was sure of.

Once Abel was clean and redressed, Jax found Tara in their bedroom pulling things out of the dresser while trying to keep hold of Thomas.

"Here daddy. Look after the boys while I go do my hair and make up." Tara kissed his cheek as she passed Thomas over to him.

"Why do you need to do anything? You look gorgeous."

Tara looked at him with an unamused expression. "I look like I've just got out of the shower after having spent the afternoon rolling around in bed with you."

"Exactly. I think you look hot."

"You would." Tara winked before disappearing back into the bathroom. Jax had to admit, Tara was a pretty cool chick. He knew it wasn't very 'progressive' of him to assume that women take years to get ready, and he knew Tara better than that, but he was still surprised when she emerged from the bathroom 30 minutes later. Her hair was up, her makeup perfect, and the blue maid of honour dress she wore was stunning. She looked amazing. The only word that floated through his mind as he looked at her was 'perfect'. She was perfect, and she was all his. The ring on her finger however was missing.

"Where's your ring?" Jax asked as he stepped closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her tight against his chest.

"I thought it best that we wait to tell people. It's their wedding; it should be all about them, not us." Tara answered with a coy smile and Jax was struck with just how considerate she is. He never even thought about it. But Tara was always thinking of others. It was one of the things he loved most about her.

"You're absolutely right baby. I love you." Jax whispered before taking her lips in a gentle kiss. He wanted to deepen it, to mess up her perfect make up with his kisses so everyone at the wedding knew just who she belonged to. But he controlled himself and pulled away from her seductive lips.

"I love you so much baby." Tara whispered, her hands coming up to caress his chest before pushing him away gently. "Now go get dressed." Tara smirked and walked past him into the living room.

Ten minutes later Jax stood leaning against the pillar looking into the living room with a big smile lighting his face. He'd just spent a completely normal afternoon with his family. Playing with the kids. Bathing Abel and changing Thomas. Getting ready to go out with Tara. It was a normal family afternoon, a real afternoon, doing the everyday things that Jax had been longing to do for 14 months. The things that most people take for granted. It was afternoons like this, the ability to experience them every day; to be with Tara and their boys, nothing threatening them, no secrets and no brushes with the law, which had led to his decision to get out of Samcro. Jax wanted this every day. He wanted to live with his family knowing they were safe and nothing would take him away from them again.

As he climbed on his bike, watching Tara get into her new SUV, Jax was more determined than ever. He would find a way, he would get out. Just like he'd told her earlier today, they'd be a real family in a safe town, leaving the MC behind in a whole other world and another life.

Ok guys, it's been a while between extended chapters, but here's finally a new one for you all. :D Hope you enjoy.

xx Ally

P.S. Regular update real soon.