Alianna sighed as she slowly became more conscious. The room was quiet and cool, just the way she liked it. Her hands drifted to her waist as her eyes opened, her body missed the familiar warmth and weight of Jax's arm but he had to run to the warehouse early in the morning to sort out a problem with the week's exchange.

Jax's prolonged absence raised a red flag in her mind but she did not think too much of it; if Jax needed her to bring backup, he would have called. She could hear Genevra working in the kitchen downstairs, she and the older woman had gotten into a routine, Genevra would make breakfast during the week when Jax was up in the earlier hours of the morning while she would be in charge on the weekends when Jax liked to laze in bed. Alianna sighed as she got out of bed, donned in the dress shirt Jax had worn the night before and headed to the bathroom. After going through her morning routine and slipping into a clean pair of shorts and a flowy top, she made the bed and headed downstairs.

Alianna came to a halt as she saw Jax, Evan and Rex sitting at the table. She cocked her eyebrow as Jax sauntered over to her, wrapping arm around her waist and kissing her lightly.

"Good morning." His low murmur betrayed how tired Jax was.

"Morning," Alianna smiled as she cupped his face and looked at him in concern. Jax chuckled before turning his head and pressing a kiss to her palm before leading her to the table.

"Morning boys," she chirped happily as she smiled at Genevra who brought over her breakfast. Her eyebrow arched higher as her bubbly greeting was returned with monotone grunts. Jax looked at Genevra, a silent signal that she should leave the room for a moment.

"What's going on?" Alianna asked, leaning forward, leaving her food untouched. She easily slipped back into the person she was whenever she received missions from Marino. Jax clenched his fist, hating to see this side of her when she looked at him.

Evan leaned forward, knowing that Jax would not get straight to the point, "Alianna, there has been much discussion at the warehouse and a couple days ago, a formal request was made. Our men have realised that they are insufficient in some areas of combat and they would like you to teach them."

Alianna inhaled sharply and sat back. Even though she had done it before, the thought of training people to kill was against her morals. The knowledge she possessed should not be shared with anyone else, for their own safety and sanity. Jax knew her answer before it left her lips.

"No."

Evan exhaled sharply glancing at Rex's triumphant smirk. "Alianna, please reconsider."

"I will not," she said loudly, her refusal evident from the tone of her voice and her body. "I will not teach others what I know. These ways die with me."

"Alianna, please, it's so that they can protect you."

She tilted her head, recognising Evan's valid point. "All you need to do is train. Your men are good enough, you don't need me."

"Alianna," Evan paused, "you said it yourself. L'iiblis' men are going to attack with full force and we are not ready. We need you to guide us."

"You have one of Marino's men in your ranks," Alianna gritted out, her voice getting colder by the syllable. "Let him teach what he knows."

"He's not you Alianna," Evan said bluntly, "he's not a killer. You are."

"ENOUGH!" Jax banged the table. Alianna grabbed his wrist, stopping his fist from meeting Evan's face.

"It's alright," she said softly to Jax, trying to placate the beast's fury, "he speaks nothing but the truth." She let go of his wrist and stood up. "Excuse me gentlemen, I have lost my appetite."

She smirked as she walked out of the kitchen at the sound of Evan's pained grunt as Jax landed a punch.

~

"May I join you?"

Alianna looked up from the nook on their balcony to see Jax holding a tray with what she assumed was her uneaten breakfast under a silver cover. She smiled weakly and nodded as she stood up, letting Jax sit as he placed the tray on the nearby table. She smiled as Jax pulled her into him and silently they looked out at the ocean, Jax's fingers tracing complex patterns on her thigh.

"Evan will apologise as soon as the swelling recedes." His grip around her waist tightened, indicating his displeasure at his friend's comments.

"He doesn't need to apologise," Alianna said, her fingers playing with Jax's. "Evan is right, I am a killer. He's also right, your men are unprepared for the fight ahead. And I am the only one who could teach them what they need to know."

"This choice is entirely yours Alianna," Jax murmured as they watch the seagulls fly by. "Neither me nor my men will hold a grudge if you decline."

"You would be leading your men to slaughter without me," Alianna said emotionlessly. "I can't have those deaths on my conscience. There's only one person who I have my sights set on, the last person to fall by my hand will be L'iiblis."

Jax grit his teeth at her resolve but he heard the waver in her voice, she was not telling him that; she was reaffirming that decision to herself. He took Alianna out of that life and wanted to keep her out of it as much as possible but he knew how much it meant to her so this time he would make an exception. "Your answer?"

Alianna sighed, "I'll do it. But we play by my rules."

Jax smiled and kissed her neck before placing the tray in her lap. "I'll inform the men, is the first session tomorrow?" Alianna nodded before digging in, becoming more aware of the pangs in her stomach as the weight in her mind was lifted.

"I do have one rule."

"What's that?"

"You can't shoot anyone's toes off."

"Jax," she whined.

~

The warehouse was on edge the next morning. All activity was halted as the men lined up at the warehouse floor, facing Jax's office, waiting for the people within to emerge. Footsteps made everyone look up.

Alianna stood at the base of the steps, dressed to kill and shadowed by Evan and Jax. Rex adamantly refused to be part of the training and decided to take up surveillance duty instead. The building was eerily quiet as everyone waited for their orders.

Jax placed his hand on the small of her back. "Tell me when you want to stop, okay?" Alianna smiled and nodded as Jax pressed a kiss to her cheek before joining Evan and his men. Alianna breathed in deeply, very much aware that she was now the most powerful person in the room.

"Place your weapons and shoes aside."

Her unexpected command broke the tension and the men murmured in confusion but did as they were told. Alianna stepped down from the platform as they returned to their formation.

"We are dealing with bred killers. Men who will stop at nothing to get what they want. They are vicious and tenacious and they do not care for who or what stands in their way." Her boots were the only sound in the room as she walked to the crowd.

"A lot of people think that the hardest part of killing someone is the physical act, watching or holding your victim until their life leaves their eyes or they take their last breath. It is difficult but it's nothing compared to mental blocks you have to overcome to actually carry it out. It is a lot easier if that was the life you were born into, when killing is all you know but not everyone here has been afforded that privilege." The hair on Jax's arms rose as Alianna talked.

"Close your eyes." Alianna nodded at their compliance.

"Empty your mind. Forget the life you live. Forget your family, forget your friends, forget everyone you have ever loved. Throw away all your possessions, your job, your achievements. Strip yourself of every emotion. Especially love, love can give you strength but right now, it is your weakness." Her eyes locked with Jax's and she gestured to him to close them again.

"You're lost. You're nothing. But someone comes to you. Takes you under their wing. They fill you up with new life and new morals, teaching you to disregard human life, to spare no man and show no mercy. They give you your one purpose in life; to kill." The hair on the back of her neck rose and she saw Joel looking at her, his gaze showing that he hadn't obeyed her orders at all. "That is our enemy. That is the emotions driving them and if we're going to survive; we're going to hit them with ten times more force."

She clapped her hands, jolting the men out of their stupor. "Pair up. One-on-one combat." She walked over to Evan and Jax as they got ready to wrestle. 

"That was intense." He tried to play it off but Evan was visibly shaken by her words.

"How did you know what to say?" Jax asked. He was unsettled, this was not his rose, this was Alianna the assassin.

"Those words were said once to me and have never left." Alianna rolled her neck. "Now don't think because I'm your lover that you'll get off lightly. Get to work." She gestured to the men who were wrestling.

"You'll never hurt me," Jax teased with a smirk.

Alianna looked at him, they both knew she would not but when Jax saw her finger graze her knife, he did not want to risk it.