༄

While the days passed Gemma felt like an outsider more and more. She almost lost her family once and now that she was finally back in, gaining back a bit of control she wouldn't let anyone take it away from her again⸻ especially not from a woman her son dated, again.

Cleo wasn't trying to get rid of Gemma but the matriarch wasn't a fan of her. At first, the brunette seemed to fit into that lifestyle perfectly since she kinda grew up with her brother being in a club. But that was the problem now⸻ her brother and his club.

Maybe they found a solution this time but what about next time? What if next time wouldn't end so well? Sure, Cleo's ex couldn't start shit anymore now that he was dead. But maybe Cleo's father would cause problems in the future. Gemma was sure Enrico wouldn't go against his father but her son would be stupid enough to get in trouble to protect his Old Lady.

If Cleo was smart, she would pack her shit and leave her son alone. This way no one would get hurt⸻ at least not physically. The heartbreak would fade over time and it would be worth it for Gemma if that would save her family. So, she had to get rid of Cleo before worse would happen and the only person who would help her with that was Tara.

Parking her SUV in front of Tara's new apartment, she got out and grabbed her bag before walking over to the door. It took her lots of courage to ask her former almost daughter in law for help, especially after how things ended between them⸻ but it was for her son.

"Wow, you were the last one I expected", Tara said almost amused after she opened the door, a brow raised at the older woman. "I don't have much time for your bullshit, Gem. Jax is gonna drop off the kids and I wanna spend my time with them in peace."

"I know I know", Gemma waved her hand and stepped inside the apartment before Tara even offered her to come inside. "Close the door, we need to talk."

"About what?", the former doctor asked suspiciously and closed the door. Curious about what Gemma had to say, she led her into the living room.

"You still want your revenge on Cleo?", Gemma came right to the point.

"What?", Tara snorted a laugh. "Is this some kind of trap, Gemma?"

"No trap", Gemma retorted with a shrug and made herself comfortable on the couch. "She's not good for Jax and especially not for my grandkids. I have a feeling she's gonna cause a lot of trouble in the future with her brother's club."

The brunette frowned as she listened to Gemma, taking a seat across from her on the other couch.

"And you're coming to me for help? You must be desperate", Tara huffed, yet her interest was piqued. "I bet you have a plan already, right?"

"Yeah, I must be if I come to you", Gemma scoffed, still honest about her mixed feelings towards Tara. "You still want your family back?"

"Of course I do", Tara replied quickly, almost sounding offended by Gemma's question.

"Good, I can help with that. But-", she paused for a moment. "I'll rip your god damn head off if you try to get my son away from me and Charming again, understand?"

"You want the best for your son and grandkids but still don't want him out of this town? That's so pathetic, Gem", Tara let out a bitter laugh.

Gemma grew slighty inpatient, tapping with her heel on the carpet nervously. "You want him back now or not, doc?"

"Fine, it's a deal. I just want my family back and her gone. That bitch ruined my whole career", Tara groaned. "What's your plan?"

You did that yourself, Gemma thought to herself, proud that she managed to bite her tongue and not let that one slip. Yes, she was desperate and needed Tara's help so she had to play nice.

"What if she gets in an accident? I mean, car accidents happen every day, right? Hit and run it is. No one will ever find out who caused the accident if it happens on a road without any cameras or other modern shit", Gemma explained calmly.

"Wait, you want to kill her?", Tara's eyes grew wide at that. Not that she would mind if Cleo would be gone and, normally, such an idea from Gemma wouldn't shock her, but it did. Well, for a few seconds, then she kinda thought the plan out in her head. "How will this get me back with my family exactly?"

"Really? I thought you were smart", Gemma raised her brow at the brunette. "Jax is gonna need someone by his side while he's grieving, doc. I'll take care of my grandkids while you make sure to be there for him. It's a win-win for both of us."

Tara's lips were in a thin line and with a concentrated frown she studied the woman across from her. This could actually work and Gemma didn't have to know that she would still try to get Jax out of this poisonous town.

"Let's say I'll help you, who's gonna drive the car that hits her's? We can't use one of our own, we need to borrow one or buy a cheap one that we can get rid of afterwards", Tara rambled on, thinking about ways not to get framed for murder.

"You get a car, I'll drive it. Sound good?", Gemma inquired, earning a brief nod from Tara.

"I can do that. Give me a week, alright?", the former doctor asked.

"That's okay, I can wait another week." Gemma stood up and looked down at the brunette, patting her cheek. "I always knew you were smart. Give me a call when you have the car."

"Yeah", Tara muttered under her breath, looking after the woman she despised so much when she left her apartment. She wasn't stupid, Gemma used her just the way she was going to use Gemma. They would never become friends but they had one thing in common⸻ both wanted Jax for themselves.

⸻

"Hey honey", Katelynn smiled widely at her daughter as she entered the house and embraced the brunette in a tight hug. "You already look better, I'm glad about that. Does your face still hurt?"

Cleo squeezed her mother's hands after pulling away, a smile on her face as she did so. "A little, but it's much better already. Give it another week and I'm just as new."

"I hope so!" Katelynn gently pushed her daughter to take a seat at the couch and got from the kitchen a tray with two cups of tea that she had already prepared and croissants from the diner. "So, tell me about your vacation plans with Jax and the kids. I wanna hear everything!"

Cleo chuckled softly at her mother's enthusiasm. It was nice to see her like this. Because of her, Katelynn had a hard time to pretend to be fine. She was worried all the time, especially because she couldn't help her daughter much. But luckily Enrico was able to help Cleo.

Two weeks ago after everything happened, Cleo decided to tell her mother everything. Secrets didn't feel right. It was a real shock for the blonde to hear about the abusive relationship she had with Adrian. That guy was always weird with his smug grin plastered on his face everytime they met, yet she didn't want to judge and trusted her daughter's decision. To hear what an absolute scumbag he was made her angry and hurt her at the same time. The worst thing for a mother was if her child was hurting.

Cleo even told her about his death and Katelynn hadn't even batted and eyelid at that information, she was just glad her daughter was safe now and in much better hands.

"Okay, so", Cleo smirked slightly and put her laptop on the table she had brought to show her mom their holiday destination. "We wanted to go somewhere warm and sunny, even warmer than here. There were a few places we liked but in the end we chose five days Miami and five days Tampa. Abel is so excited that he can't even sleep", she finished with a soft laugh. "We go next month."

"Oh, that sounds so amazing! I wish I could go, too", Katelynn raved about the plans and the pictures her daughter showed her.

"Well, why don't you come with us?", Cleo asked simply.

"Really?", the blonde asked in surprise.

"Yes, I'd love to have you around, too. When was the last mother/daughter trip? Right, years ago. You deserve some time to relax, mom", Cleo told her firmly and put a hand over her mother's. "And this way you can get to know Jax and the kids better."

"You think he's okay with me coming along? And what about the diner? Closing it for almost two weeks is impossible", the blonde sighed but still had a smile on her face. "You four go alone and enjoy some family time. You deserve it after all the bad shit."

"Mom, you're coming with us", Cleo nodded eagerly. "I could ask a friend of mine. Her name is Dawn and she's looking for a job anyway. We could hire her if she does good in those two weeks."

"The extroverted brunette you brought with you last time?", Katelynn asked amused. She still remembered the young woman, it was hard not to honestly, and she liked Dawn right away.

"Yeah, that one", Cleo chuckled. "She's good with people and I think with a bit of Enrico's help she can actually do this. And you could go on vacation with us. Come on, mom, that's the perfect solution!"

"Alright alright", the blonde laughed. "But I want to talk to her myself, okay? I've only met her once. If you trust her, I do, too. But I still want to ask her a few questions."

"That's no problem. If you want you can come back with me later and talk to her? I'm sure she's at the clubhouse", Cleo offered. "I'll be right back, need to use the bathroom."

"Yeah, great idea!" She heard her mother call after her on her way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she got one of the painkillers out of the bottle she had constantly with her since that night she swallowed that damn pill.

She knew it was too early, she hadn't been sober long enough. The brunette looked at the pill laying in her palm, a soft sigh escaping her lips before she swallowed it with a bit of tap water from the sink. Crushing it to snort it would've taken too long.

The pain in her face was long gone, it didn't bother her anymore. She only took those pills because she relapsed. It became harder to stick to just one or two pills a day and she knew she had to do something about it⸻ and she needed to tell Jax before he would find out on his own. The guilt towards Jax, her mom, the kids and Enrico made it only worse and caused her to feel like a horrible person.

"Okay, you wanna see attractions we have planned with the kids?", Cleo asked as she came back, putting on her best smile so her mother wouldn't get worried.

"Of course", the blonde beamed and put an arm around her daughters waist after she sat down again, letting her show what they had planned out.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty good. Her mom came to the club with her and had the chance to meet everyone, finally. The only one she knew before already was Jax. Cleo was happy about the relationship between her mother and Jax. It was so relaxed and uncomplicated. Sometimes it felt like the two knew each other their whole life already and Cleo knew this was better than winning the jackpot. She needed to get her shit together once again⸻ for them.