EPILOGUE

"They're here!" Ellie called out excitedly, bouncing up and down at the front door. "Aunt Tara, Uncle Jax, they're here!"

"Okay, okay," Tara smiled. "Calm down. Let's park it on the couch like we talked about, okay? We don't want to overwhelm them."

"Alright," Ellie agreed reluctantly. "But can I hold Gracie?" She and Tara both turned to Jax, who was immersed in the wonder that was his baby girl. He was cradling her in his arms, their noses touching as she cooed and giggled at him.

"Hey baby hog," Tara teased. "Ellie wants to hold the baby." Ellie smiled excitedly, taking a seat next to Jax, holding out eager arms. Jax opened his mouth to protest, but Tara gave him a warning glance.

"Oh, alright," he agreed. He hefted his chunky little girl up and kissed her on her plump, perfect lips, oblivious to the drool. He handed her to Ellie, careful not to let go until he was confident Opie's daughter was holding her securely.

"I remember when you used to look at me like that," Tara lamented.

"What?!" Jax protested. "I still look at you like that!"

"Yeah," Tara laughed. "Not in at least three months you haven't. Face it, Teller, you've given your heart to another girl." Jax glanced at his daughter, who was staring back at him with identical blue eyes. He smiled.

"Okay, you're right," he admitted. Tara laughed, rolling her eyes.

Having heard the car in the driveway, Juice and Trinity returned from the backyard, where they'd been playing with the boys.

"The boys good?" Tara asked. Trinity nodded.

"They're perfect. I reminded them of the plan, that they're going to let Opie and Lyla get in and settled before they come inside, and they didn't seem to care. They're content with their little cops versus robbers or whatever the hell they're playing," she explained.

"Hey, little sister," Jax called from across the room, patting the open spot beside him on the couch. "Come here." Smiling awkwardly, Trinity made her way to her brother, sitting down next to him. He wrapped an arm around her as she watched Ellie play with Grace. "Everything good?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling. "Everything's great." It had been six months since she'd left Fog Hollow to move to Charming with Juice on the heels of a very unromantic, but very sweet and Juice-like proposal. Jax was resistant to their relationship at first, but he saw how happy Juice made his sister, and how good they were together.

Since taking over the club, Bobby had been making tremendous strides toward turning SAMCRO legit. Things in Charming were much safer and more peaceful than Jax could ever remember them being. Besides, if there was anything the ordeal with Simon had taught him, it was that danger was everywhere, not just in Charming. So he was starting to come around. He'd given Trinity and Juice his blessing, albeit reluctantly, and even sold them his house in Charming at a more than fair price.

"Well, you look great," he told her. "Very 'old-lady' like." Trinity rolled her eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment, big brother, even though it didn't sound like one."

"Naw, it was, it was," Jax chuckled. "Look at you with your torn up jeans, leather jacket, and scary ass jewelry. You look like the Reaper Queen already." Trinity held her breath, her posture tense at the mention of the word 'queen.' She was still getting used to the idea of Juice taking over as VP when Chibs became club president. Bobby's back problems were making it nearly impossible for him to ride his motorcycle, and once he could no longer ride, he would have to step down. And although Chibs would likely have several years at the head of the table, anything was possible. As VP, Juice would be next in line for the throne.

"I don't know about all that," Trinity muttered. Jax smiled.

"You'll do great," Jax promised her. "He'll do great." He motioned to Juice, who was laughing with Tara about something. "He'll be a strong leader. He's come a long way." Jax had never given Juice enough credit. He'd considered him weak and unpredictable, not giving much thought to the fact that Juice simply wasn't cut out to run with the sort of club SAMCRO had become. Now that Bobby had things back in line with John Teller's guiding principles once again, Juice had really come into his own.

"I hope so," Trinity said.

"Speaking of queens," Jax added, "how is the Evil Queen of Charming these days?" He'd remained true to the promise he made Tara in the motel that night, all those months ago. He cut off all contact with Gemma, and allowed the club to handle getting her out of jail. She found out she was no longer welcome in her son's life by way of a restraining order that was served on her the day she was released, preventing her from going within 5,000 feet of Jax, Tara, and the boys. Bobby was on hand to explain to her the reason for the restraining order, along with a warning to stay away from club and its members. Once Gemma learned that everyone found out the truth about what happened to JT, she knew her reign was over. There was no way anyone would forgive her for that, ever, especially Jax. Much to everyone's surprise, she'd been honoring the restraining order since it was issued. So far, at least.

"Gemma is….insignificant," Trinity announced with a smile. "Sometimes I forget she even lives in my neighborhood."

"That's good," Jax laughed. "Just keep an eye out for her. She's crazy." Grace began to fuss, so Ellie quickly handed her back to her father. As soon as she was in his arms, she was happy again. She was such a daddy's girl. If it wasn't the most adorable thing on the entire planet, Tara might have been a bit offended by it.

"She's so beautiful, Jackson," Trinity said, running a gentle hand across her niece's dark brown locks, which were no more than a couple inches long.

"Don't you go gettin' any ideas," he teased.

"Oh no," Trinity assured him. "No way. I'm happy just being an aunt. At least for now." She looked across the room at her fiancée, who was gazing at her from afar, and smiled. Her love for that man was out of control.

When the front door opened, Tara had to grab Ellie in a tight embrace to keep her from pouncing. Everyone laughed. Opie walked in first, with a bigger smile on his face than Jax had seen in a very long time.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced proudly, "and Jax…"

"Hey, bro," Jax warned. Opie chuckled, holding the door open as Lyla walked in, a squirmy bundle wrapped in a pink blanket in her arms.

"I present to you my daughter- Opal Mary Winston." Opie peeled back the blanket shielding the infant's face. Everyone oohed and aahed , while Ellie broke free from Tara's grasp and charged her father. Opie scooped her up into his arms, even though she was getting much too old for that sort of thing. "What do you think, beautiful?" he asked, planting a kiss on his eldest daughter's cheek.

"She's soooooo cute," Ellie gushed.

"I think she looks like me," Lyla teased, making her way to the rocking chair she'd gotten at her baby shower. Following Simon's arrest, Lyla was sure Shana was going to renege on their agreement about the baby. But much to her delight, Shana still had much more interest in a ten thousand dollar check than she did in being a mother, despite what had happened with her brother.

"She's perfect," Tara said, kissing the baby on her forehead.

"Thank you," Lyla crooned.

"Congrats, man!" Juice said as he slapped Opie on the back.

"Thanks, brother," Opie replied. Trinity got up from the couch and hurried to Lyla's side. Opie, Jax, and Juice watched in amusement as the girls fawned over the infant. "Give me that baby," Opie insisted after a short time. "Go make me a sandwich or something."

"Opie," Lyla laughed. Opie lifted his daughter from Lyla's arms.

"There's my girl," he whispered, rocking her back and forth as he walked over to the couch and took the seat next to Jax.

"She's beautiful, bro," Jax said, smiling at Opie's new baby while his own daughter wiggled and gurgled in his lap. "Grace, say hi to Opal." He turned Grace so that she was facing the newborn, who was asleep in Opie's arms. "Say, 'hi, baby'!" Grace reached out with one chubby little hand and grabbed on to Opal's fingers. Jax started to pull her away, until he realized that Opal was holding Grace's hand right back. The infant opened her dark eyes and focused them on the slightly older, much bigger baby. Grace smiled.

"Hooooly shit," Jax breathed.

"It's the beginning of a new era, bro," Opie mused.

"A better era," Jax corrected him. He looked up at his beautiful wife, a successful doctor and loving mother, happily joking and laughing with Lyla, not a care in the world. His sister, content in the arms of a man who would lay down his life for her, was watching out the window as Jax's healthy, happy, boys played with their friends in the backyard, safe from fear and worry. And his best friend, the one person who had been with him his entire life, who knew him better than anyone, was by his side, both of them holding their precious baby girls, who would never know the outlaw life.

"This right here, bro," Jax said, a content smile on his face, "this is what it's all about. I wouldn't trade it for anything. This is the path I was meant to take."

THE END