After he slipped into his white Nikes, he turned around to face Cleo and cup her face in his hands. It was the first time in days be would be gone for a few hours to handle some club business. At first he wasn't sure if he could leave her alone but when she told him Lyla and Dawn were coming over he was kind of relived.

"I should be back in a few hours. If you want I can pick you and the kids up later and we go to your mom's diner for dinner", he suggested.

"No", Cleo shook her head briefly. "We haven't cooked a meal in days. I think I should start doing normal stuff again. Cooking is a good distraction", she told him with a honest smile.

The only reason she got up in the last few days was because the kids needed to be taken care of. Sure, Jax offered to do it on his own but the brunette felt guilty quickly and decided it was better to help him with the kids and the chores.

Her mom, Enrico and Gemma offered their help, too. But Jax and Cleo weren't in the mood to have people around. They needed some time for themselves.

Katelynn and Enrico accepted their wish and didn't bother them, yet they told them to call if they would need anything. Gemma on the other hand stood in front of their door every single day⸺ sometimes even twice a day.

There was something about her that worried both Cleo and Jax. The older woman seemed to be upset about something. The smell of weed and booze was strong everytime she entered the house. And of course, no matter how difficult Jax' and Gemma's relationship was at the moment, he worried about her. So did Cleo.

Had they been to harsh with her? Maybe they should've given her more chances. Cleo just couldn't find a common ground and had no idea why Gemma disliked her this much. Although Gemma's behavior towards Cleo had changed since the accident.

The matriarch was a lot nicer, told her constantly how sorry she was for her about the miscarriage. Somehow it seemed like Gemma was suffering just as much as Jax and Cleo did. But why? Sure, it would've been her grandbaby but drowning herself in alcohol and smoking weed constantly, that didn't look like Gemma at all.

"You sure? Do you have everything you need or do you want me to send a prospect to get you all the stuff?", he asked. There was still a lot of concern in his tone. The blonde really tried not treating her like a raw egg but it usually didn't work out and he ended up getting all cautious again.

"Babe, I'm fine, okay?", she assured him and hushed him out of the door. Standing on her tip toes, she pecked his lips. "Maybe I'll go grocery shopping with the girls. Can't hurt to get out of the house again."

Jax heaved a sigh, pressing a kiss on the top of her head with his hand resting on the back of her head. "Alright. If you call and I don't pick up⸺"

"Then I give one of the guys a call, I know", she finished the sentence for him with the slightest mocking smile that made him laugh.

"Are you already annoyed with me, darlin'?", he asked amused.

"I could never." Her soft chuckle sent a warm feeling through his body. He missed to hear her laugh and see her smile but he understood why she couldn't give him that at the moment. He wasn't feeling any better but he knew how to hide it better.

"See you later, babe. Have fun with the girls", he told her before he made his way over to his bike and swung a leg over it.

Cleo watched him put on his helmet and sunglasses, smiling to herself with her arms wrapped around her body. She couldn't wait to try again and add another human to the family but it would take a while until she was ready for that.

As if the girls had smelled it, they came around the corner just when Jax left and put on their widest smiles.

"We got donuts and your favorite sandwiches", Dawn said cheerfully and hugged her friend before she stepped aside and let Lyla hug the brunette, too.

"And after lunch we go shopping for your vacation", Lyla informed the brunette after she had embraced her in a tight hug. "Don't even try to get out of it!"

Cleo just rolled her eyes and let out a soft laugh. Honestly, she was glad both of them didn't look at her with pity and only made her grief worse. Instead they were trying to distract her with good humor and shopping.

"Wait, you're still going on vacation, right?", Dawn asked once they were inside and put the bag with the donuts and sandwiches on the table while Cleo got enough plates for them and the kids.

"Yeah, we're still going", Cleo nodded briefly. "Abel was so excited about it, we didn't have the heart to cancel everything."

"Why would you? It'll be good for all of you to get out of this town for a few weeks⸺ away from all the stress and worries", Lyla smiled briefly.

"You're probably right. Sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating here", Cleo admitted with a sigh. "I love Charming and my family and friends but after what happened⸺ I think it's better to get away for a while."

"I know you're gonna miss us the most", Dawn said to lighten up the mood again. "And I can't blame you for that, we're amazing."

All three snorted a laugh at Dawn's words and sat down at the table. Cleo called for Abel, who immediately ran into the kitchen, followed by Thomas who crawled after his big brother.

"Donuts!" Abel's eyes lit up as he quickly climbed up a chair. "Can I have the chocolate one?"

"Of course! We picked it for you, buddy", Dawn winked at him and gave everyone a donut and a sandwich. "Tell me, have you packed your suitcase already?"

"No. Cleo and daddy said it's still too early for that", Abel giggled, his mouth already covered in chocolate from the donut he literally inhaled.

"Slow down, sweetheart", Cleo gently ruffled his hair. "You can start packing after the weekend, okay?"

"It's only a week away. You better start packing, too", Lyla shook her head laughing before she had an idea. "Why don't we do it later? This way you don't have to do it all by yourself and we kill time."

"Uh yes! Can we do it later?", Abel turned around to give Cleo his best puppy eyes that she could never say no to. She should definitely start to say no more often⸺ but he was just so cute that it was impossible.

"Fine", the brunette groaned, a soft laugh following. "Let's finish eating, then we'll go shopping and then we can start packing. And if you want, you can help me make dinner later", she suggested while feeding Thomas⸺ well, she more likely helped him a bit with the sandwich.

"Yes! That sounds great", he nodded eagerly and wiped the chocolate from his mouth with his arm. "What's for dinner?"

"Hm, what about quesadillas and a salad?", she asked with a smile. Since she was half Mexican, she loved to cook not only typical American dishes but also Mexican meals.

"I accept that", Abel giggled, making everyone laugh at his perfect interpretation of Chucky. Yep, he was spending way too much time with the man.

"Girl, count me in", Dawn said between her bites. "I love your and your mom's cooking."

"Mh, me too", Lyla nodded in agreement. "You really need to teach us some of your recipes."

"Stop it, I don't know how to handle so many compliments", Cleo chuckled at her friends. She only knew both of them since a few weeks but that was enough for her to know if they were real friends or not⸺ and they definitely were.

"Oh please, you can't get enough of them", Dawn smirked.

"Whatever", Cleo rolled her eyes in amusement before her eyes met Abel's once again. "You wanna ask grandma if she wants to have dinner with us?"

Abel looked at Cleo sheepishly before he lowered his head and shook it. "No, not really", he replied meekly. "I don't want to see her."

Cleo shared a look with the girls. She had noticed Abel's weird behavior towards Gemma a few times already and so did Jax. Neither of them had an idea why Abel suddenly didn't want to see Gemma anymore.

"Okay, that's fine, sweetie" Cleo assured him and put a hand on his arm, carefully running it up and down. "You know you can tell us anything, right?"

"I know", Abel mumbled while nibbling on his sandwich. Slowly, he looked up at the brunette. "Why would grandma hurt us?"

"What?" Cleo's eyes widened. She wasn't sure how to take Abel's words, what he meant with them. "Did grandma hurt you, Abel?"

Gemma was a manipulative and even dangerous woman sometimes, but Cleo couldn't imagine Gemma ever hurting her grandchildren or children in general. The older woman loved kids with all her heart.

"Not just me, all of us", Abel stated with a bit more confidence.

Dawn and Lyla listened in suspense but also in shock, they were just as surprised as Cleo was at Abel's statement.

Cleo assumed Abel meant all the fights they had recently. Especially Jax and Gemma. They tried to keep their problems away from the kids but apparently that didn't work. Cleo would never guess that Abel's behavior had another reason.

"Can you tell me what exactly you mean, buddy?", Cleo questioned baffled. She picked him up from his chair to sit him down on her lap, her arms wrapped around him in a comforting way.

"I don't wanna talk about it", the boy mumbled as he snaked his little arms around Cleo's waist and snuggled against her.

"That's okay", the brunette assured him. She wouldn't force him to talk but she'd definitely have a talk with Jax about this.

⸺

After a meeting with Alvarez, Jax made sure to stop by at Nero's. It was bugging the blonde that they still had no sign of the driver. He wouldn't give up looking. That man would suffer the consequences of his actions.

Nero filled two cups with coffee and sat them down at the table before he took a seat across from Jax. Looking at the younger man, he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the weariness in them.

Jax had asked for his help, too, and Nero did everything in his power to help and find the guy who hit Cleo's car and caused the whole family to get hurt. The Mayans were helping, too. Enrico had done everything to find that guy but they found nothing⸺ just like Nero's crew.

The police hadn't done much. They had tried to trace the call but to no avail. How could a person vanish into thin air, be untraceable? There was always a clue but not this time.

"Anything new?", Jax asked, his voice low and tired.

Nero shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, hermano."

"Jesus Christ", Jax muttered as he ran a hand over his face, leaving it there to cover it up. Suddenly, tears of exhaustion and sorrow left a wet trail on his cheeks. He wasn't able to hold up the facade anymore. "I have no fuckin' idea what to do anymore here, Nero."

"I know, Jax." Nero got back on his feet and stood behind the blonde. He put a comforting hand on the man's shoulder and squeezed it. Nero was the only one Jax felt comfortable enough to let his feelings go. He couldn't do it in front of Cleo, it would only bring her more pain.

"Just let it out", Nero told him sympathetically.

After Jax pushed away Gemma, he was afraid Nero wouldn't understand. But the man understood exactly why Jax did what he did. Gemma's and Nero's relationship was at a point where Nero no longer knew if they would be able to repair things.

Nero always found Cleo to be a great fit for Jax. Unlike Gemma, he never judged Jax' new Old Lady because she was a junkie once. Any junkie was able to recover, he was one himself. And where was he now? Clean for decades and running a thriving business.

Sometimes he hated how Gemma talked about Cleo, he hated it in general when people talked bad about others.

"I just want revenge, you know? My son got hurt, my girlfriend lost our baby and⸺", he needed to pause for a moment as his voice cracked due to the crying. "She's suffering. I should've never let her go alone."

Nero pulled a chair next to Jax' as the man's quiet sobs filled the small kitchen. He put a hand against Jax' neck and forced him to look at him.

"Hey, that accident is not your fault. Even with you in the car the same shit could've happened, Jax", Nero said firmly and patted Jax' neck. "Don't blame yourself for this, you hear me?"

With his face still covered by his hand, the blonde nodded silently and sniffled between shaky breaths. He knew Nero was right but still.

"I need to find that guy, Nero", he said quivering, almost stuttering his words.

"We'll find that guy. No matter how long it takes, you'll get your revenge", Nero assured the man who became like a son to him.

It didn't need much more words. Nero stayed with Jax until he calmed down and made sure the blonde didn't leave until he felt better and was able to ride his bike.

⸺

authors note; I suck at writing men with emotions so I'm sorry for that. Probably the reason why I don't dare to write a Juice fanfic again, lol. Please feel free to leave honest feedback. 🖤