Disclaimer: I do not own Sons of Anarchy. I do, however, own Jolene and any other OCs that appear in the Jaxene Universe.

Jolene Teller had her head plastered against her old man's back as Jax weaved his bike through the streets of Charming on their way home from St. Thomas the next day.

After seeing an ER doctor, who stitched up the knife wound on her arm, dressed the area grazed by Salazar's bullet, and cleaned the bruises on her face, Jolene was given a thorough examination by Dr. Negron. Even though there were no major irregularities in the results of her blood work, Jolene was severely dehydrated and had gone two days without her heart medication. The doctor had insisted that, even though it was just precautionary, after the ordeal she had endured, it was best if she stayed in the hospital overnight. According to Dr. Negron, the best way to get the medication into her system as quickly as possible was intravenously, where she would also get several glucose bags to help with the dehydration as well as a course of antibiotics to prevent a staph infection due to the massive cut on her arm.

Jolene would have preferred going home right away, but considering how bone tired and weary she was, she readily agreed to stay for observation as long as Jax could stay with her. Knowing his old lady like the back of his hand, Jax was a little more than surprised—and worried—when she also agreed without argument to take a week off of work as recommended by Dr. Negron. After they were left alone for the night and she had curled into Jax's embrace on the hospital bed, Jolene confessed that she felt more beaten emotionally than physically. She needed a mental break in order to regroup before being able to go back to life as normal.

What Jolene had hoped would be an early spring had quickly reverted back to winter. Although the early afternoon sun was shining brightly and it was a beautiful day, the cold winter wind was seeping into her bones in spite of the ¾ length faux fur-lined leather jacket, turtleneck sweater and jeans that Gemma had sent to the hospital for her to wear. She couldn't wait to get home and hug and kiss all of her babies until they squealed before slipping into a hot bath, where she would sit until she resembled a prune.

As they left her hospital room earlier, Jax had tried to explain that her dramatic self-rescue had made the ten o'clock news. Apparently, St. Thomas had been under siege by reporters ever since her arrival last night. Considering how small a town Charming was, Jolene had underestimated what that actually meant until they reached the lobby and were greeted by what seemed to be at least a dozen patches, including Opie and Tig. Their entourage was clearly outnumbered and they were forced to leave the hospital by using the back entrance. A persistent group of reporters, however, were determined to get the scoop of the week and decided on following the Tellers back home.

As Jax pulled into the cul-de-sac that was the entrance to their house, Jolene's eyes widened as she took in the number of bikes and cars belonging to Club members and their families parked all over the Teller's property. Surprisingly, there seemed to be more reporters and TV vans blocking the driveway into their home than had been waiting outside the hospital.

"Shit, baby," Jolene tightened her hold around Jax's midsection as she tried to hide her bruised and battered face from the photographers trying to stick cameras up her nose. "What the hell's going on?"

"I don't know, darlin'. Roosevelt was supposed to get rid of these assholes." Jax was literally grinding his teeth as he spoke above the roar of his bike. "Back off!" He yelled at a particularly aggressive cameraman.

Revving their motors loudly, Opie and Tig surged to the left and right of Jax, forcing the crowd of reporters out of the way. With the rest of their entourage slowly pushing the trespassers back out onto the street, Jax pulled into their crowded driveway. Hopping off, Jax quickly led Jolene to the suddenly opened doorway, with Opie and Tig right on their heels.

As the door slammed shut behind them, Jolene found herself being smothered in the warm and familiar bear hug of her father.

"Daddy!" She gasped, half-laughing and half-crying. "I can't breathe."

"Baby girl, you're gonna have to grin and bear it for just a little while longer." Clay's voice was jubilant, but his eyes were moist with his tears as he pushed her away slightly and looked her over. "Sons of bitches!" He growled angrily.

Jolene smiled up to her father. "I'm good, Dad. I really am." She promised and Clay pulled in her again, planting a kiss on the top of her head as he squeezed her again.

The house was seemingly packed to the rafters with Club members and their families, all wanting to be on hand to show their support when the Queen of Charming made her triumphant return home. Jolene could barely hear the screams of her children above the noise of their warm welcome.

"Mom! Mommy!"

Jolene managed to pull herself out of her father's embrace as she heard the cries of her children. She barely had time to brace herself for the impact as Abel and Maddy slammed into her.

Falling to her knees, Jolene fought to hold back her tears as she hugged her children tight, tenderly stroking her son's blond head and her daughter's ebony curls.

"Mom, are you okay?" Abel asked anxiously, his hand gently cupping her purple cheek. "I was so scared when you didn't come home right after—"

"I'm fine, baby, I promise. It was just a precaution." Jolene pulled Abel in for a kiss on his forehead. Standing, she scooped Maddy up as the little girl wrapped her small arms around her mother's neck.

"I was so scared, Mommy." Maddy said brokenly through her sniffles, the horrible events of the kidnapping flashing through her mind. "The bad man took you and Abee away."

Jolene smoothed the child's bangs out of her eyes and wiped away the tears coursing down her cheeks. "But I'm back now, baby. Abee's fine and I'm better than fine now that I'm back home with you, okay?" Jolene assured her and the little girl nodded as she rubbed at her eyes with small fists.

Looking over Maddy's shoulder, whose head was now tucked into the crook of her neck, Jolene smiled through her own tears as she saw Neeta and Gemma with a bouncing TJ in her arms who was shrieking in excitement for his mother. Without a word she found herself engulfed in the embrace of both women.

Finally pulling away, Neeta gasped. "Girl, you must have nine lives! You're gonna put me into an early grave one of these days!"

"And I'll be right next to her if you keep this shit up!" Gemma managed to say before her grandson decided to leap out of her arms towards his mother. Barely managing to wrap her injured arm around him before he went tumbling to the floor, Jolene clasped TJ against her body in spite of the pain caused by the nearly 40 stitches.

"Mama! Mama!" TJ chortled as he managed to plaster a wet, open-mouth kiss on her collarbone.

Laughing, Jolene found herself being cradled from behind by her old man. "Babe, I think you better sit down before you fall down." Jax helped her sit on the couch as their family gathered around her wherever space was available.

Now settled comfortably with her two youngest on her lap and Abel tucked into her side, Jolene's eyes ran through the crowd, slow at first and then quicker as she started getting impatient. People were bombarding her with questions when Jolene raised her voice to make herself heard.

"Where are my niece and nephew?" She asked, referring to Ellie and Kenny.

The crowd around her suddenly became subdued as Jolene's motherly instinct kicked into high gear. Jolene had felt an underlying tension the moment she had entered her home and now she had confirmation. Eyeing everyone grimly, she refused to let herself panic until someone told her what the hell was going on.

Her daughter wasted no time. "Mommy, the police took Ellie and my Kenny away." She wailed.

Jolene's eyes widened in astonishment and anger as she looked at her old man who was sitting next to her. She swerved her head to catch sight of Opie's woebegone expression before turning back to her husband. "Jackson, what is Maddy talking about?"

Jax reached over, ran a hand through her hair and sighed. He knew that this shit was going to hit his old lady sideways, so he had avoided telling her for as long as possible. "Babe, the night you were taken, CPS stepped in and put the kids into foster care. They're being kept in separate facilities in Lodi."

Jolene stared at him blankly. "Are you kidding me?" She tried not to explode—at least not yet in a front of an audience. She loved Jax and respected his authority as SAMCRO's President, but family shit was old lady business. "And you didn't think I'd want to know before now that two very important people are missing from my family?"

"Darlin', there just never seemed to be a good time to tell you, not with you in the hospital." Jax reasoned.

Jolene's eyes started to well up. "I love you so much, Jax, but it's really in our best interest that you never keep anything regarding our children from me again." She whispered. "And that includes Kenny and Ellie, no matter what's going on." Standing up, Jolene passed TJ to Neeta and then dropped Maddy into Clay's lap.

"Gem, I need help taking a shower." Jolene indicated her bandaged arm.

"Babe, let me help you." Jax stood up, hoping he'd be able to talk her out of being angry with him.

Grabbing onto his kutte with her good hand, Jolene shook her head. "No, baby. I need you to get in touch with Mona Day and tell her to meet us at the foster care facility in Lodi in one hour." Jax nodded and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"Mommy, you gonna get my Kenny back?" Maddy asked gleefully.

Jolene looked back at her daughter. "Oh, you bet I am!" She practically ran up the stairs as Gemma trotted after her.

Opie crossed his arms and grinned at his best friend. "She looked like she wanted to skin your ass, brother."

Jax smiled, grateful that his old lady had kept herself from doing just that in front of his Club. "Day ain't over yet, bro."

As Jolene took a quick shower and got dressed, Jax and Opie headed down to Jax's man cave. Opie pulled out his pre-pay to find his attorney's phone number when he realized that, during the commotion and drama of Jolene's release from St. Thomas, he had missed two phone calls from Mona Day herself. Checking his voice-mail and hoping for some good news, Opie felt like he had been punched in the gut instead.

According to Mona's hurried explanation, Debra McAlister, the court-appointed foster care liaison, upon hearing of Jolene Teller's epic escape from her kidnappers, had rushed into court that morning to file a temporary restraining order. McAlister was looking to block Jolene from regaining temporary custody of the Winston children, using her kidnapping ordeal as the primary reason why the children would be safer in the custody of CPS. Mona had been advised of the emergency motion only an hour before both parties were required before Judge Hollister to present their arguments regarding the TRO. Mona, unable to get into contact with Opie, had already left for court.

Jax, Jolene, and Opie had rushed over to the family court in Lodi just as oral argument was wrapping up. Expecting the Judge to call for a short recess, Mona looked shocked when Judge Hollister did not hesitate to render her decision from the bench and directly into the record. Granting McAlister's motion for a temporary restraining order, thus rescinding her previous order granting Jolene custody, Kenny and Ellie Winston were to remain in the protective custody of foster care until the conclusion of the custody trial. Judge Hollister also granted Mona's and Rick Morrell's request for visitation, which allowed both parties access to the children.

"I can't believe this shit." Jolene was on the verge of tears as she paced back and forth in the courthouse conference room after the hearing. Turning to Opie, who hadn't said a word since the Judge's ruling, she could no longer keep her tears from falling. "I'm so sorry, Ope."

Shaking his head, Opie reached for Jolene and pulled her into his arms. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Jo. I am just so grateful that me and the kids have you on our side. You did everything you could possibly do and you did it right. Thank you." He dropped a light kiss on her head as Jolene wiped her tears away.

"When can Ope see his kids?" Jax asked.

Mona folded her arms across her chest. "Tomorrow, Thursday at the latest."

The Lodi Home for Boys was a six-story building located in the southern part of town. Just a couple blocks on the other side of the railroad tracks used primarily to haul lumber, cattle and produce to other parts of California and the Pacific Northwest, the Boys' Home had the same negative connotation associated with coming from the wrong side of the tracks. Unwanted boys ranging from as young as 10 to as old as 17 were residents of the home. For most, especially those that came from impoverished and dysfunctional homes, surviving foster care intact was a daily struggle many couldn't overcome. Stories of children leaving the system worse off than when they had first arrived were far too common.

Bob Lerner grimaced as he got out of his blue sedan and looked at the old structure. The building, which had been built in the 1950s, looked structurally sound, but it was painfully obvious that very little had been done by way of maintenance. With peeling paint, cracks on the sidewalk and on the side of the building, and dirty windows, the place looked like it had been years since it was properly looked after. Bob shuddered to think that the inside probably didn't look any better.

With a sigh, Bob walked around the back of the car to open the door for his wife. As she stepped out, Helen wrinkled her nose. "This can't be the place. You must have made a wrong turn."

"Our GPS doesn't usually lie and neither would the sign, Helen." Bob grumbled as he pointed to the large, worn sign on the high fence that surrounded the property, proclaiming it, "The Lodi Home for Boys."

"This is awful!" Helen was aghast. "It's worse than where they're keeping Eleanor, and I didn't believe that was possible."

"Why would you?" Bob muttered under his breath as he slammed the car door. "You never believe what you don't want to believe, even if it's staring you right in the face."

The petite woman glared up at her tall husband. "You know, I am really getting tired of all these little muttered comments and digs of yours. If you have something to say, just come right out and say it." Helen declared.

Not waiting to hear if he did indeed have anything to say, she turned on her heel, missing the angry glare that crossed Bob's face as she marched over to the gate. Pressing the intercom button on the security panel, Helen announced herself and waited impatiently to be cleared for entry. As the buzzer sounded, Helen pushed through the gate with Bob following behind her.

This was the first visit they were making to their grandson. Their first visit with Ellie earlier that morning had been a dismal failure. Although the foster care facility Ellie was in was smaller and somewhat cleaner, Bob could tell by looking at the other young girls that it was not the place for his granddaughter. The girls looked forlorn and hopeless, with some of them looking rough and just downright angry and mean.

Ellie reminded Bob so much of her mother when Donna was that age. Donna, however, although a very sweet and good-natured girl, had a little of a hell-raising streak in her, a product of growing up with two older brothers, that was missing from Ellie. In spite of growing up in the world of outlaw bikers, Donna had pretty much kept her daughter sheltered from that way of life. As a result, Bob was afraid that Ellie was ill-equipped and unprepared for living through the rough patches in life without the love and protection of her family, her mother in particular.

When he entered the visitation room and saw his granddaughter, he could hardly believe his eyes. She was a shadow of her former self. Pale almost to the point of being colorless, Ellie seemed withdrawn and sad. After asking about her twin brother, she simply retreated within herself, refusing all attempts her grandparents made to engage her in conversation.

Now, walking into the home in which his grandson would be held prisoner until a final resolution could be reached in Helen's attempt to strip Opie of his parental rights, he could only hope that Kenny was faring better than his sister. Although still just a young boy who loved roughhousing and hanging out with his best friend Abel Teller, Kenny was developing far quicker than Ellie. Looking very much like his father with each day that passed, at 13, Kenny was already 5'10". He also shared his father's disposition and somewhat reserved nature. Because he was slow to anger, most kids who picked on him at school because of his family's association with SAMCRO quickly learned how mistaken they were in assuming Kenny to be harmless. Apparently, those mini-meat hooks packed quite a wallop, which his grandson was unafraid to unleash on anyone that pushed his buttons. Bob could only hope that Kenny would keep himself out of trouble while in this place. The last thing he wanted was the guilt of something happening to his grandson on his conscience.

So it really came as no surprise when Mark Dixon, one of the social workers on staff, informed Bob and Helen that Kenny was currently being kept separate, for his own safety, from the other boys.

"I wish I could tell you more," Mr. Dixon advised. "But in spite of the fact that it was Kenny defending himself against four other boys, all just as big, if not bigger, than him, he refused to tell us what happened."

"Is he all right?" Bob demanded.

Mr. Dixon nodded. "Yes, he was taken to the infirmary and did sustain some minor bruising. We intervened as soon as we became aware of the altercation but, as you can see, we are severely understaffed. He did manage to hold his own. Any other boy his age, and it could have been a lot worse."

"OH MY GOD! What kind of place is this? I want to see him right away!" Helen demanded angrily.

Mr. Dixon sighed. In his mid 50's, he had a tall, bulky frame and seemed somewhat mild mannered and gentle despite his appearance. "I understand you've been granted visitation rights by family court—"

"That's right." Helen quickly interrupted. "And we have all of our paperwork right here," She patted her leather handbag. "In case there are any doubts."

Mr. Dixon shook his head. "No doubts, ma'am. It's just that—" The social worker hesitated.

"What is it, sir?" Bob asked.

Mr. Dixon took a deep breath and let it out along with a rush of words. "He doesn't want to see you."

Both Bob and Helen were stunned speechless.

"I'm sorry. I must have misunderstood what you just said." Helen said stiffly, a faint blush of embarrassment already staining her cheeks.

"I'm afraid you didn't." Mr. Dixon replied.

"Mr. Dixon," Helen started in an ingratiating tone of voice. "You are familiar with my grandson's case, yes?" She asked and Mr. Dixon nodded. "Well, then you know that both of our grandchildren have suffered—we all have suffered a devastating loss. Unfortunately, as a result, Kenny has been exposed to a lot of terrible things, causing him to become a little confused, misunderstood, even. That's one of the reasons why my husband and I are seeking custody. We want to help both of our grandchildren get back on track and lead good and productive lives. We certainly don't want him in here forever. He may be angry with us now, but I'm sure that if we could just see him, I can probably reach him and help him see that we have his best interests at heart. I'm sure that you of all people can agree that the best place for him would be with his grandparents who love him and not here as if he was lost and unwanted."

Bob raised his eyebrows as he watched Helen work her mojo. She could be very persuasive when she wanted to be and was pouring it on thick. Unfortunately, it looked as if Mr. Dixon was buying everything she was selling.

"Absolutely. Of course I understand and I think it's commendable that you want to help your grandchildren. Look, I'm going to set you up in a private room and I'll bring Kenny down to you. Maybe once he sees you, he'll be open to working things out."

Helen smiled triumphantly at her husband as the man escorted them to a small room on the first floor. It was a group therapy session room used to work with several boys at a time on a variety of problems.

"Helen, I hope you know what you're doing." Bob said testily as he sat down on a metal chair. "Maybe it would be best to give Kenny some time to calm down before forcing ourselves on him. He's bound to be upset at us both for what he feels is a betrayal."

"Betrayal?! Have you lost your mind?!" Helen raged quietly through clenched teeth. "I am doing what needs to be done in order to save our grandchildren from the man who is responsible for killing our daughter! And don't you forget it!"

Kenny Winston followed the social worker down the hall, limping as he walked.

Mr. Dixon looked him over. "Are you okay? Maybe we should have somebody take another look at that."

"I'm cool." Came Kenny's aloof reply. "Am I going back into Gen Pop?"

Mr. Dixon's eyes widened. "Gen Pop? Kenny, it's not a prison, it's a school yard."

"School yard, prison yard, it's all the same to me. I can't leave without permission so what's the difference whether I'm outside locked in the 'yard' or inside locked in my room?" Kenny theorized. "It's still the same old shit."

"You know, you don't have to stay here. You do have options. It looks like a lot of people must care about you and your sister to be willing to fight for you." Mr. Dixon reasoned.

"Well, I sure wish people cared a whole lot less. Maybe if they did, I wouldn't be here in the first place." The boy growled under his breath as they came to a stop in front of a door. He ran his hand through his mop of uncombed hair and let out a heavy sigh. "Let me guess, Mr. Dixon. I've got visitors. I told you before, if it's not my Dad or my Aunt and Uncle, I'm not interested."

"Son, your grandparents have a right to see you, too. Don't make this situation any harder on yourself than it already is." Opening the door, he placed a gentle but authoritative hand on his charge's shoulder, gently pushing him through the door. "And be nice." He cautioned as he closed the door behind him leaving Kenny alone with his grandparents.

"Oh my God!" Helen cried. "What have they done to you?"

Rushing forward, Helen took Kenny's chin in her hands to examine the large welt on the side of his face. Pulling his chin out of her grasp, Kenny replied laconically, "Nothing as bad as what they got in return. Hey Grandpop." Kenny stepped around his grandmother and sauntered towards Bob, giving him a tentative hug.

Bob wrapped his arms around his young grandson and squeezed. "Damn, son. Either you're getting taller or I'm shrinking."

Kenny managed a slight grin. "I think it's a little of both, Pop."

Helen didn't know what to make of the cold reception she was getting, but she was determined to ignore Kenny's attitude.

"Your grandfather and I are just so relieved that you and Ellie are safe. I shudder to think what could have happened had those kidnappers taken you instead of Abel Teller." She commented.

Kenny eyed his grandmother coldly. "I'm thinking it would have gone down the same way it did. Aunt Jo would have kicked some ass and saved me just like she saved herself and Abel."

"Don't you realize that things could have been much, much worse?" Helen was aghast.

"Of course I do, Nana." Kenny scoffed. "Bad shit happens all the time—"

"You know I don't like it when you use that language, Harold." Helen chastised.

"And you know I don't like it when you call me 'Harold', so it looks like we're both gonna be unhappy today, huh?" Kenny shot back.

"Kenny!" Bob said in a gruff tone. "Respect your grandmother."

Kenny felt a flicker of shame, but he was too intent on having his say. This would probably be his one and only chance and he was determined to get it out, whether or not his grandmother could take it.

"I'm sorry, Pop, but you know I'm speaking the truth. Bad stuff happens all the time and bad stuff happens to good people. Some of it we can prevent, others we can't. I loved my Mom and I always will, but she made the decision to save the lives of two innocent kids because she felt that it was the right thing to do." Kenny turned to face his grandmother. "I miss her every day," His voice cracked with emotion. "But I have nothing but mad respect for what she did because she did it out of love. Because she loved her family and Maddy and TJ were her family. Just like me and Ellie are Aunt Jo's family. Mom loved us and she loved Dad because he made her happy, even when he left his dirty laundry lying around the house or when they fought like a lot of grown ups do. No matter what, though, she loved him and I don't understand why you always hated that she did. He's my Dad, Nana. I'm a part of him. Does that mean you hate me and Ellie too because judging from what you're doing to us, if feels like you do." He said mournfully.

Bob watched his wife as their grandson's words hit her like tiny knives. "Of course I don't hate you, Kenny." She said tremulously.

"Then why are you doing this?!" Kenny's anger suddenly exploded. He swept his hand around the room. "How is ripping me and Ellie away from Dad and putting us in this horrible place a loving thing to do? I can't even think about what Elle must be going through! We've already lost Mom and now you want to take us away from Dad. I haven't seen my sister in almost a week and have no idea how she's doing. You're tearing my family apart and what for? Mom would be so disappointed in you right now." He ground out.

Kenny headed for the door and stopped. Without looking back, he said, "I don't know what's gonna happen, but even if you do win in court, you've already lost me."

Watching his grandson stalk out of the room, Bob had never felt such pride as he did in that moment. Sitting in silence, the only sound being Helen's quiet tears, Bob finally spoke.

"Are you so self-involved and selfish that you cannot see that you are destroying the lives of your very own flesh and blood? You are putting those children through unnecessary pain and heartache and they will resent you for it. They're going to resent me for it too and that's why I can no longer be a party to this. You are on your own. You really need to think long and hard about going any further before you lose everything you claim you love."

"Shit, bro, you do realize that it's like 40 degrees out here, right?" Opie quipped as he stepped out of the kitchen through the French doors to find his President flipping burgers on the deck at Teller's state-of-the-art grill.

Jax grinned as he inhaled and exhaled, his cold white breath trailing around his face. "Yeah, man, but Mad wanted me to make her one of my special burgers, so I thought I'd throw a few on for her and Abel."

Opie chuckled. "Damn, you're an awfully big man to be wrapped around Maddy's tiny little finger."

It was Sunday afternoon and Jolene had sent out an invitation for a mandatory family dinner at the Teller home. Opie was glad to be there. The last couple of weeks had been difficult to say the least.

Opie was spending as much time as possible visiting both of his kids at the foster care facilities in Lodi. It was painful seeing his children in such a horrible place and even worse seeing the apathy creep into his young daughter's eyes as the days turned into weeks. When not visiting his children, Opie was working tirelessly with his family law attorney in pulling their case together, including working with private investigators hired to dig into the Lerner's health issues in order to get as much ammunition as possible before depositions were scheduled to begin.

He was also keeping himself busy at home, doing a lot of work on the house with the hope that his children would come home permanently. There was no other option for Opie and he was determined to make that happen. He had his entire SAMCRO family in his corner, finally coming to the understanding that separating himself from his family and the Club had not been the answer. Pulling closer together was.

Opie turned as the door opened and his niece ran outside. Wearing nothing but one of her brother's old t-shirts and a pair of jeans, she made an attempt to climb up her uncle's legs. Bending down to give her a hand, Opie now had her perched in his burly arms. "What are you doing out here without a jacket, Maddy? Aren't you cold?"

Maddy gave him an emphatic nod in the affirmative. "But I want my burger more than a jacket, Uncka Ope. I'm hungry! Is it ready, Daddy cuz Mommy said dinner's on the table?"

"You can't rush perfection, Mad." Jax quipped.

Reaching for her father, Maddy grabbed onto his chin hair—a habit she picked up from her mother—and pulled him towards her, planting a wet kiss on his cheek. "You make the best burgers in the world, Daddy." Maddy smiled angelically.

Jax gave his daughter a rakish grin as Opie rolled his eyes. "That I do."

Yeah, Ope's right, Jax smirked to himself. Between Mad and my old lady, I've been reduced to a pile of mush. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Jolene smiled as she looked down the long table in her formal dining room. Normally, Sunday dinner called for the casual dining room right off the kitchen, with the formal one reserved for holidays and special occasions. Inexplicably, however, Jolene had awoken feeling more like herself than she had in the last several weeks and, considering all that's happened, that in itself was a special occasion and a reason to celebrate.

Jolene thought about the countless family dinners at her parents' home over the years. In spite of the hard work before, during and after such dinners, Gemma always seemed to get so much joy out of bringing her family together. It was also a good way of reminding the men at the table that sharing a patch meant that SAMCRO was indeed a family.

Unfortunately, two of those men needed more of a reminder than the others. Jolene made a mental note to confront them later on and remind them that reneging on a promise was not an option.

Sitting next to her husband who was at the head of the table, Jolene scanned the happy faces that were chattering boisterously through mouths full of food. Not much could be said about their table manners as a whole, but the love they had for each other and their own families was clearly evident. Jolene swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as she looked at Opie and at the chair next to him now occupied by his mother Mary.

That was Donna's seat.

Even though it still hurt to realize that the majority of Opie's family was missing from these gatherings—two of which they were prepared to fight tooth and nail in order to get back—Jolene finally felt somewhat at peace. She still missed Donna, always would, but she was comforted by the fact that she was lucky enough to have her in her life for over twenty years. Now it was time to move on and honor their relationship by taking care of Kenny and Ellie.

She only hoped that she would get the chance to do so.

Neeta got up from her seat at the table and headed into the kitchen. It was almost time for dessert and she had made her famous red velvet cake.

Made especially for my baby Abel, and maybe just a little for Jax, too. Like father, like son, they both just love my velvet cake, she thought smugly.

She had just placed the large sheet cake on the wooden island in the kitchen when she heard the front doorbell.

"Damn, who the hell can that be on a Sunday afternoon?" Heaving a sigh, she shuffled towards the door. But as she got closer to the beveled glass in the front door, Neeta was able to see who it was. "Oh my, wonder what he wants."

Throwing open the door she looked into the eyes of Bob Lerner.

"Good evening. It's Miss Neeta, isn't it?" Bob asked kindly.

"That's right and you're Opie's father-in-law, Mr. Lerner, right?"

"Yes. I stopped by his house, but he wasn't there so I took a chance that he might be here." Bob explained.

"That's always the safest bet," Neeta replied as she ushered the older gentleman in. "Here or at the Clubhouse. Let me take your coat."

"Oh, no, that's quite all right. I won't be staying too long." Bob declined.

"Well, then follow me."

Walking through the living room entrance, Neeta crossed over the thick carpet and into the entrance of the large dining room. It was loud with laughter and the noise of conversation, so much so that at first, no one was aware that there was a visitor among them.

Neeta turned her head towards Mr. Lerner. "As you can see, they're a rowdy bunch."

"Yes, I get that." Bob smiled. "Just like most families."

Suddenly, Neeta put two fingers in her mouth and cut loose with a loud wolf whistle.

"Damn, woman!" Tig exclaimed, clutching at his chest. He had been sitting near the foot of the table closest to the entrance. "You scared the living shit outta me! I didn't know you could do that."

"Just cuz you haven't seen it, don't mean I can't do it. I can do a lot of things," She replied drolly. "Like announcing visitors. Opie, you have a guest."

Opie, however, had already gotten up from the table when his eyes caught sight of his father-in-law. "Bob, what are you doing here?" The room suddenly grew quiet.

"Maybe you'd like to talk in private." Jolene offered anxiously.

"No, there's no need. In fact, I think it would be a good idea if everyone heard this." Bob walked around the table to face his son-in-law. "I wanted to tell you this in person, before you heard it from your lawyer."

Opie's heart sunk in his chest. Aw shit! "Tell me what?"

Bob reached out and placed a trembling hand on Opie's shoulder. "We're dropping the custody suit, son. Your kids are coming back home to you."

It was deadly silent for all of five seconds before the cheering and war whoops cut loose and Bob suddenly found himself in the crushing embrace of his son-in-law. As the celebration broke out around them, Bob barely managed to make out Opie's whispered words in his ear. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Jolene was mopping at the tears deluge of tears running down her face as she was first hugged by her old man and then Gemma who was sitting on her right.

Clay wrapped a burly arm around his old lady. "That is fuckin' fantastic!" Looking down towards the end of the table, Clay saw the look of relief and peace that finally settled on his former SAA's face.

This bit of good news should go a long way in healing the breach between my brothers.

Opie finally managed to get himself under control, but his face was wet with his own tears. "I don't understand. What happened?" The crowd quieted down to hear Bob's reply.

"What happened? Your son happened, that's what happened." Bob laughed. "You should be proud of Kenny. That boy's got his head screwed on tight. He talked Helen off the ledge."

"What?" Opie said blankly.

"Actually," Bob reconsidered, relishing the memory of his grandson putting his wife in her place. "It was more like he shouted her off. He may come across like a gentle giant, but that boy's got quite a temper."

"Takes after his old man." Jax called out with a grin and a wink aimed at his brother.

"Well, he made a shit load of sense," Bob said. "Really brought home some ugly truths to my wife about herself. Finally seeing who she's become through her grandson's eyes made quite an impression and she's really ashamed of herself. Truth is, with her bitterness and resentment towards you, she had lost Donna way before our daughter died. Helen finally opened her eyes to the fact that she was about to lose her grandchildren for the same reason. I just hope that one day you'll be able to forgive me for letting it get this far. Helen not dealing with her grief was a big part of this, but I was too busy dealing with my own to see that she was hurting.

"Anyway," Bob sighed. "Don't let me keep you from dinner. I just wanted you to know that we had finally come to our senses. Papers will be filed first thing in the morning withdrawing our motion. If all goes well, you should have your kids back by the end of the week, so you can start rebuilding your family again. With our blessings."

Tig poured himself another shot of Jack as he sat in his favorite leather armchair. It was a quiet evening for him and a little strange considering that the after-Church party was probably raging out of control and he was sitting in his living room across town and not there. It was very unlike him, but at the moment, for the first time in a long time, he was actually enjoying his own company.

It had been almost a week since Bob Lerner had shared the good news concerning Opie's kids. However, even though Bob had been true to his word and papers withdrawing their motion for custody were filed the next day, the court-appointed liaison was determined to rock the boat. Debra McAlister quickly filed yet another emergency motion requesting that the children remain in foster care. She argued that, considering the biological father's affiliation with outlaw bikers, it was likely that the Lerners had been "persuaded" to drop their suit. And even if they weren't, the Winston children were still at risk.

Judge Hollister, listening to her instincts, quickly shut McAlister down, saying that her courtroom would not be the backdrop for the execution of personal vendettas. The Judge was dismissing the case, citing that McAllister's request in light of the Plaintiffs' withdrawal of their suit was "transparent and absurd and a poor waste of the Court's time and money".

Without any further complications, Opie had been reunited with his children the day before yesterday. Finally, Tig felt like he could heave a big ol' sigh of relief. Although he had seen and had been responsible for some truly sick shit going down in his time as a member, nothing had brought him to his knees like being partially responsible for a brother almost losing his entire family.

He would be forever grateful to his former President Clay and his daughter Doll Face for giving him the two kicks in the ass he needed to start the process of getting his shit straight. Killing Hector Salazar in order to close that painful chapter in SAMCRO history had also gone a long way in healing that wound. Even though he had pulled the trigger so Jolene wouldn't have to, she had relinquished the kill to him in exchange for a promise to make things better with Opie. Judging by the time that has passed since then, it would obviously not be a process that would happen overnight. Even though they had yet to sit down and settle the matter once and for all, Tig had noticed that Ope no longer went out of his way to avoid him. That his brother would actually initiate conversations that included him.

Yeah, it won't happen overnight and things between us may never be the same again, but we'll find a way to co-exist for the sake of the Club.

Reaching for the bottle of Jack, the SAA was about to pour another shot when he heard the distinctive sound of a bike pulling into his driveway. Moments later he could hear the heavy tread of footsteps up the porch stairs before there was a knock on his front door. Hesitating for a moment, Tig put down the bottle and picked up his Glock. In spite of Jolene busting into his home uninvited, he still wasn't used to visitors. Taking the safety off, he walked towards his front door. Peeking through the window, Tig froze as he saw Opie standing on his front porch.

Oh shit.

It appeared that a time for a reckoning had finally arrived. Sure Doll Face had put her foot down about the two brothers coming to terms with what happened for the good of their family, but in reality this was Club business. Ultimately, it would be up to Ope to decide on a resolution. As the one indirectly responsible for the deaths of Opie's wife and father, Tig knew he really had no say in how Opie handled the situation. He could only hope that his brother did not call for his head on a platter.

Putting his gun in the back of his jeans, Tig opened the door.

"Uh, hey."

"Hey." Opie replied quietly. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure." Opening the door wide, Tig headed towards his living room, his brother closing the door and following behind him. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Sure."

"What'll you have?" Tig pointed to a bar set up he had in the corner of the living room.

Opie eyed the bottle of Jack sitting on the coffee table. "What you're having is fine."

Tig nodded and strode over to the bar to grab a glass as Opie sat down on the couch. Returning to his own armchair, the SAA poured them each two fingers of the whiskey. The two men drank in silence until Opie spoke.

"You know that Jo and I go back a really long time, right?" Opie started as Tig nodded. "She literally is the pain in the ass little sister I got stuck with because, even back then, I think Jax knew he wanted her, but definitely not as a sister."

Tig chuckled as he drained his glass. "Yeah, poor bastard never stood a chance, did he?"

"No, he didn't," Opie smiled. "And neither will we if we don't do as she says and handle our shit. I don't know about you, but I don't want to piss her off again. She packs a mean punch."

"Really?" Tig asked with a raised eyebrow. "And you know this from experience?"

"Unfortunately, I do. I got a little mouthy with her a while back and got clocked right on the nose." Opie said wryly. "Almost knocked me back a step."

"Shit, you really must have set her off."

"Yeah, enough that Jax knocked me on my ass for it the day after." Opie said somewhat shamefaced.

Tig's eyes widened as he made the connection. "So that's why Jax had you kissing the pavement. She's a tough bitch, but upsetting his old lady could have put you in an early grave, man." Tig laughed.

"And I would have deserved it, too. I was in a bad place, still am a little, but that didn't excuse the horrible things I said to her, especially when all she was doing was looking out for me and the kids." Opie explained.

"She has a habit of doing that, huh? Looking out for people." Tig commented thoughtfully. "If it makes you feel any better, she broke into my place a couple of months ago and then busted my balls."

"She did?" Opie's eyebrow shot up. "And you lived to talk about it?"

"Barely. Little girl unloaded on me when I didn't show up for your homecoming party. She's a tricky bitch, that one." Tig nodded. "Picked my lock and walked right in uninvited, tossing her weight around. Ordered my ass into the shower while she made me breakfast. Softened me up real good and proper and then, wham, she went for the jugular. If I didn't think Jax would kill me for laying a finger on his old lady, I would have picked her up and tossed her out on her ass. I'm glad I didn't, though. Doll Face never took a shot at me, but she might as well have. Her words are just as good as a couple of nut punches, but they woke my ass up."

Opie laughed. "Yeah, Jolene Teller does have that effect on people."

The two men were silent for while as they contemplated all of the shit that had gone on between them.

Finally, Opie sighed. "I wanted to kill you, you know."

"I know and you're completely entitled to feel that way. I caused the death of your wife and, ultimately Piney's as well." Tig said somberly.

"No. You didn't, bro."

In shock, Tig's blue eyes thoroughly examined his brother's face to try and read his thoughts and was surprised when he saw that the animosity and hatred that had been in Opie's eyes for the last seven months were gone.

"It's taken me a long time to get to this point. I still believe that you fucked up. Big time. But I know you didn't mean for shit to go sideways. You protected my daughter, kept her alive while all this shit was going down." Opie sighed. "And I know in my heart that if you could have saved Donna you would have."

Tig was so suddenly overwhelmed, he could barely choke out his next words. "I really would have, brother. I would have traded places with her in a heartbeat."

"I know." Opie nodded. "And Pop? He was sick. If his doctors were right, he would have died right around this time and his cantankerous old ass wasn't about to die peacefully in his bed. Going out the way he did was what he wanted. If he hadn't done it for Donna, he would have found some other reason. He didn't carry around those cyanide pills in his pocket for nothing. The way he went out, that was his endgame and I can't put his death on you."

"I am sorry, Ope. I can't tell you how sorry I am." Tig said quietly.

Opie swiped at an errant tear. "I know you are. You're my brother, Tig. The Club is my family and I love my family. It may never be the same between us, but I'm willing to try and work our shit out. The Club needs you and so does Jax. You think we can do this?"

Tig nodded. "We have no choice. Not with the Prez's crazy old lady on our ass. If she's anything like her father—and I know she is—she won't take too kindly to having her orders disobeyed. She would have made Clay a great son and an excellent patch."

Opie smiled. "Yeah, somehow, I don't think Jax would agree with you on that one." The two men laughed quietly.

It would take some time for the two brothers to find their way, but eventually Opie realized that they would.

They were already part of the way there.

The End?

A/N: I hope that you have enjoyed reading Charming Revisited as much as I enjoyed writing it. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their alerts, favorites, reviews and PM's. They really kept me going and inspired me to keep writing.

So do you think it's possible for Opie Winston to ever be happy again after losing the love of his life? Please stay tuned for the launch of my newest fic, Beauty and the Charming Outlaw. It takes place three years after the conclusion of Charming Revisited. If you guys thought things got twisted between Jax and Jolene, you aren't going to believe what happens with Opie and the new woman that comes to Charming. And don't think that Jaxene will be totally left out of it 'cause there's plenty of drama for the Teller family too! I won't spoil it for ya, but let's just say that Jolene ain't too thrilled about the new girl in town. (Hee Hee!)

These two-shot Opie stories have been in the works from March of this year and my beta and I have been working on the outlines for both of these stories for months. With nearly ten chapters in rough draft, I have been itching to jump into the sequel. I hope that you will give the possible new love in Opie's life as much love as you have shown to my OC, Jolene Morrow Teller.

And don't worry. I will soon start posting again on Four Women. It's just gonna take me a minute to get back into the groove of that story. Again, thanks for all your support and please, please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter or if you've never reviewed any of the chapters of this fic, please feel free to submit a review on the story as a whole.

—Harlee