For the fifth time today Jax ran a hand over his face and leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh after Cleo told him about Gemma's little visit at Abel's school. When he sent her away and threatened to kill her if she ever came back he actually believed that she would stay away and leave them alone.

But no, Gemma would always be Gemma and stick her nose into everything⸺ even if that meant death for her. And with her visit she had definitely signed her death warrant.

"You know what she wanted from Abel?", Jax asked after a while, his head now leaning against the back of the chair who stood at the head of the big wooden table with a reaper carved into the middle of it.

He decided to take Cleo to this room after she mentioned that she saw Gemma. In here they were undisturbed and no one could overhear what was going on.

Cleo heaved a sigh and shook her hand, a hand resting on her stomach. "Not really. I think she gave him something and just asked if he was alright."

"Alright, it doesn't matter anyway, she's gonna die", he said firmly, yet Cleo heard a hint of insecurity in his tone. Maybe she was just imagining it but maybe not. Killing your own mother wasn't something you ever recovered from. Maybe if you never met that woman, or if she was an absolute horrible person and abused her child from day one.

But before all of this, before Jax met Tara and then her, Gemma was a great mom. Always there for Jax, gave him everything he needed. Besides all the lies and the manipulation, Gemma was a loving mother in the past who only wanted the best for her son. Well, in her own weird way.

"You can't kill her, Jax", Cleo pointed out cautiously. "What she did was wrong and horrible and her being stupid enough to come back doesn't make things any better but, she's your mom."

"She almost killed my Old Lady. Our baby is dead because of her", he seethed, bending over the table a little so he could put a hand over hers that rested on her stomach. "Do you really think I still care about her?"

Cleo closed her eyes for a second, already regretting her next words. "Yes, I think you still care about her. You can hate her all you want, baby, but she'll always be your mom. It's the same with my dad. No matter what he does, I could never kill him."

"Because you're not like me, babe, which is good." He took her hand into his, running a thumb over the back of her hand. "She didn't listen the first time I threatened her. If I let her go this time, she won't learn her lesson. And I won't take the risk of her hurting you or our kids again."

As absurd as the situation was, a small smile formed on her lips. She loved how Jax called the boys their kids. He did that since a few months and she still felt her stomach do a flip when he called them theirs again. Only a few days after she told him that she was pregnant again, he took Abel aside and explained that it was okay if he wanted to call her mom from now on. And since that day Abel did exactly that, Thomas imitating his brother.

It filled Cleo's heart with pride, love and warmth every time she heard the word 'mom' come out of Abel's or Thomas's mouth. To be honest, it meant a lot to her and the fact that Jax trusted her enough to let his boys call her that showed how serious he was about her and their relationship.

"What if you never come back from this?", she asked in a whisper, a pleading look in her brown eyes. "We have three kids soon. They need a dad, Jax. And I need you, too."

Jax sighed, an understanding look in his ocean blue eyes as he eyed his concerned fiancée. He didn't want to worry her, especially not during pregnancy.

"What other way is there, hm? You really want Gemma to be around us all the time again, darlin'?", he raised his brows, really interested in her answer. Maybe there was another way but he doubted that.

"No, of course not", the brunette groaned, feeling overwhelmed with all of this. "Why does she have to come back now? Things were going so good."

"See, that's what I mean. She always causes trouble", the blonde said with a huff. "There's only one way, babe."

Another deep sigh slipped past her lips, her head lowered and her eyes staring at the wall behind Jax. She hated this. Why couldn't Gemma just listen and stay where the fuck she was? No, the matriarch had to come back and cause more problems once again. All Cleo wanted to focus on for the next few months was her family, giving birth and to plan Jax' and her own wedding and also Enrico's and Dawn's. Her mom, Dawn and Lyla already started planning everything out and Cleo had the fun of her life doing something so nice. But now with Gemma back, she could be happy if she would get at least some peaceful moments.

"But tell me⸺ what happens if you can't live with such a burden afterwards? I just want an answer, Jax", she inquired cautiously.

A slight smile appeared on his face. The answer to her question was simple. "Then I still know that I have my wife who has my back and won't give up on me."

Cleo wasn't sure if it was the hormones or if she was just being overdramatic but his words actually brought tears to her eyes. They were true though. She would never give up on him, mostly because of the children and because she loved him. Plus, she wasn't one of those women who bailed and ran away when things got complicated.

Jax stayed with her while she was going through a rough time. Despite his own bad experience with a drug addict, he hadn't given up on her and supported her in getting clean. At her most vulnerable time, while she looked like shit because she didn't have the strength to dress up during the withdrawal, he stayed and never once judged her for her addiction.

Maybe they really were made for each other and the brunette was glad she never listened to all the rumors she heard about Jax Teller and his infamous Teller grin.

"I'll always stand behind you, baby", she assured him with a sincere smile.

"I know, darlin'." Jax said as he stood up from his chair and walked over to her to press a kiss on the top of her head before holding out his hand to help her get up. "Come on, I wanna see my babygirl", the blonde added with a proud smirk.

⸺

The couple couldn't get enough of looking at the new ultrasound pictures they got from their babygirl. While Cleo actually saw detailed things like the baby's nose, ears and fingers, Jax slipped his arm around her shoulder and grinned in amusement as his fiancée enthusiastically tried to show him where the baby's nose was.

"Oh yeah, here, right?", he pointed at something that he thought looked like a nose but he wasn't sure though.

"That's her mouth", Cleo chuckled with a shake of her head. "You can clearly see what is where."

"That's what I wanted to say." Jax, laughing, pulled her closer and kissed her temple. "Wanna eat something? We still have an hour before we have to pick the boys up."

"Mh..sounds good. What about pizza? There's a new Italian restaurant only five minutes from here." Cleo carefully tucked the pictures into her wallet, which she tossed into her purse and snuggled back up against Jax as they strolled down the street.

"Pizza it is", the blonde winked at his Old Lady and let her led him to the restaurant. Since she was pregnant she had introduced him to so many restaurants that he had given up to count. Her cravings were unreal sometimes but he tried to get her everything she craved. One of his newer brothers earned himself a black eye for calling him pussy whipped for doing everything Cleo wanted.

It wasn't like Cleo asked for it. She never asked him to get up to get her something she craved in the middle of the night. It was always himself who made sure to get her what she wanted and needed. For months he paid attention to the littlest things because he didn't want her to lack anything. He had made the mistake of not paying enough attention to both Wendy and Tara in the past. Everything else came first and was more important. The blonde didn't want to make the same mistake again with Cleo. Yes, the club came first and all but right now he put his family on top, they were his priority.

At the restaurant, they sat down in a booth by the window and enjoyed the Italian flair of the restaurant. It was modern but not too modern and still comfortable, not as snobby as some other new restaurants. As they were about to order, Jax' eyes snapped to the door that got pushed open. A wide smile on his mother's face as she walked next Nero, her arm linked with his.

"They gotta be kidding me." The anger that swelled in his voice couldn't be missed, but it was the disappointment about Nero's betrayal in his eyes that sent a shiver down Cleo's spine.

The brunette quickly stood up after Jax did and laid her hands on Jax' chest, her eyes locked with his. "Don't. Not here, Jax", she pleaded, immediately regretting that she suggested this restaurant.

The last thing she needed was her fiance ending up behind bars because he couldn't control himself in public. As angry as she was too, she couldn't let him do whatever he had in his mind right now. Jax, overwhelmed with the situation, pushed her hands off his chest before he ran both of his hands through his slicked back hair. Him pacing around got a lot of people's attention, including Gemma's and Nero's.

Cleo swallowed softly after he pushed her hands away and grabbed her purse, ready to go. She understood his anger, she really did, but she couldn't stay and watch him do something stupid, they had to get out of here. Now.

Before Jax could walk over to where his mother was Nero came to their table after he whispered something into Gemma's ear and quickly hugged the young woman before his eyes landed on Jax once again.

"Let me explain, mano", he said calmly.

"Oh, I'm all ears", Jax seethed angrily, pushing his shaking hands into his pockets to keep himself from lashing out to the man he once trusted so much.

"Can we sit down?" Nero gestured towards the table.

Jax's eyes followed every step Nero took as they sat down. Protective, almost possessive, he pulled a silent Cleo next to him and leaned back with a dark look. "What is she doing here and why are you two acting like nothing ever happened?"

Nero, aware of how angry Jax was, folded his hands on the table and let out a sigh. "She came back three weeks ago, stood in front of my door and asked if she could come in. At first I didn't want to let her in, tell her to leave. But I wanted to know why she was here. We had a long talk and she feels sincere remorse for what she did to you guys."

Jax fiddled with a napkin lying on the table, his breath heavy as he listened to Nero, his other hand was under the table squeezing Cleo's hand who's features were now just as hard as his own.

"Didn't seem like she feels sincere remorse to me when I had a talk with her a few hours ago", the brunette said indifferently. Now she squeezed Jax' hand under the table, feeling the blood boil in her veins. "She's here since three weeks and you didn't think it would be a good idea to tell us?"

"She's scared, Cleo. You know how she is when she feels insecure", Nero sighed.

"Stop defending her! She's ruined enough!" A few people jumped when Jax's hand slammed down on the table, the waiter not quite sure whether to say something or stay in the back.

An apologetic look was now on Nero's face, he understood Jax's outburst of anger. He knew that working with Jax and the club would probably be over now that he was able to forgive Gemma for her mistakes. Nero was still disappointed in the woman he loved, but he was someone who gave everyone a second chance.

"I understand your anger, mano", Nero paused for a moment. "But everyone deserves a second chance, don't you think?"

"A second chance?" With a bitter laugh Jax shook his head and once again his hand came down to the table. "She had so many chances and still decided to fuck it up everytime. I'm done giving her chances. You're lucky if I don't kill you, too."

Gemma had seen and heard enough and made her way over to their table. Yes, she felt horrible for what she did and maybe she had been wrong about Cleo but now that Nero forgave her she felt a lot more confident again and wouldn't let her son talk down the way he did right now to the man she loved.

"Leave Nero out of this, Jackson. If you're angry at me, take it out on me. I know I've made a mistake, even several, and I'm sorry for every one of them. But at some point it's enough to play offended, right?", the matriarch asked, her tone almost scolding.

With now both of his brows raised, Jax looked up at his mother, still too baffled to even say anything. This woman actually had the nerve to scold him now.

"What is wrong with you, Gemma? Are you okay, like, actually okay?", Cleo asked honestly concerned. No normal person would dare to talk to their son like this after being the reason for the death of their unborn child. "Did you forget what you did to us?"

Jax gently pushed Cleo forward so he could stand up, stepping close to his mother. He let out an almost amused laugh when Nero immediately stood at Gemma's side as if he were her new watchdog.

"I promised you something, mom", he spat the last word at her, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath tickling her skin. "And I keep my promises."

Gemma felt the anger radiating from her son and inside she was anything but calm, even fearing for her life. But she didn't show it on the outside and put a hand on Jax's arm. "Do whatever you need to do, but I'm not leaving this town again. I'll show you that I can be different, that I've changed. And maybe someday you'll be able to forgive me too, just like Nero."

Jax immediately drew his arm back, his eyes staring vengefully into his mother's. Her calm demeanor and the fact that she actually believed that he could ever forgive her provoked him even more.

Cleo knew she had to get Jax out of here before he would lose control for good, and one more word or wrong look from Gemma or Nero would be enough.

"You've really lost your mind if you think we'll ever let you back into our lives", Cleo muttered under her breath, her hand now on Jax' back, gently pushing him towards the door. This time he didn't resist and pushed open the door, which he then slammed shut just as furiously.

The brunette was surprised when Jax unexpectedly pulled her into his arms and buried his fingers in her hair, holding her close to him.

"I'm sorry, babe. I'm sorry for all of this shit", he whispered against her hair, his grip around her tightening.

She could feel his body trembling as she was pressed against him. Sympathetically, she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and buried her face in his chest, her hands running up and down his back soothingly.

"It's not your fault your mother knows no boundaries", she mumbled. "She's definitely gonna be a problem."

"Not for long", Jax promised, the instinct to protect his family at all costs kicked in and the familiar feeling of wanting to get revenge rose inside him once again, obscuring his thoughts.