Sage stayed in the car for a moment after parking at the TM lot. Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she checked to see if Happy's bike was in line with the other Harley's. But he didn't seem to be here. There were generally only three bikes here, and one of them was Jax's.
"Great", she muttered to herself before she gathered all her courage and finally slipped out of her car.

When the door to the clubhouse opened she was hoping it would be one of the other two who were here, but as if she wasn't already tense enough her eyes now fell on Jax who was strolling towards her.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were staying in Seattle", he asked before putting a cigarette between his lips. "If you're looking for Tig, he's not here right now."

"I'm only staying two or three days", she answered shortly, her eyes narrowed to protect them from the sun. "And no, I'm going to see dad later. I'm looking for Happy. Do you know when he'll be back?"

The blonde frowned skeptically while letting the smoke slowly slip past his lips. "What do you want from Happy?"

"That's none of your business Jax." Sage felt Jax' now cold gaze boring into her soul, causing her to cross her arms with a clearing of her throat. "It's important, please."

"What could be so important that only Happy can help you?" He had no right to be so curious and question her, but he found it hard not to. If something was going on between Happy and his ex, he wanted to know about it.

"Jax please", Sage groaned as she began to get impatient. She felt sick, had to pee once again and was hungry. She was also tired from the journey. "Just tell me when he's coming back or where he is, the quicker I'll be gone."

"Maybe I don't want you to leave quickly", he replied with a shrug, acting as if he had just said something completely normal.

"What the hell?" Sage looked at the blonde confused.

"What?" Jax arched an eyebrow, earning an incredulous look from Sage.

"Did you just seriously ask that?", she asked, huffing. "Why would you want me to stay longer?"

"Because you're family." Jax casually leaned against the hood of her SUV and let his gaze rest on her for a while. "We never talked about what happened back then."

"Family", she repeated, her tone dripping with venom. Clicking her tongue, she let out a laugh. "It's unbelievable that something like that would come from you. Do you know why we never talked about it? Because you were too busy fucking Fawn. You didn't give a shit about how I felt, don't pretend that you do now."

"That's not true", Jax snarled angrily, only acting defensively because he secretly knew Sage was right. And that hurt his ego. "You didn't even give me a chance to explain myself."

Looking to the side, Sage let the tip of her tongue glide over her bottom lip, then let out another bitter laugh. Her gaze reached Jax again. "You explained yourself. You even confessed that you had been having an affair with Fawn. Then why should I still talk to you? What is there left to say?"

"I'm sorry", he replied firmly, taking one last drag from his cigarette before tossing the rest on the ground, pushing himself off the car so he could stand in front of Sage.

Before the redhead could back away, Jax gently grabbed her arm and sighed deeply. "The thought of becoming a father freaked me out. I don't think I was ready for it and you were just the opposite. You were so happy, bought things for the nursery and Mom absolutely loved that too. It was too much for meᅳ"

Sage yanked her arm away, nothing but contempt in her eyes. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? You could've talked to me! Instead you pretended to be happy and fucked my sister behind my back. You probably have a good excuse for that also, right?"

"Jesus Sage!" Jax rubbed his exhausted face. "I know it wasn't fair. But Fawn wasn't constantly focused on the baby, nor was she constantly tired or wanting to sit at home."

"Fuck you", Sage spat, the contempt fading, replaced by pain. "God, you make it sound like it's my fault. And yet you stayed with Fawn while she was pregnant! And that was only a year later. You can't tell me that you were suddenly ready then."

"I don't blame you." That wasn't what Jax wanted her to think, not at all. But apparently he chose the wrong words. Or women were just complicated and wanted to get things wrongᅳ like Fawn so often did. "The shit that happened is on me. I just hoped that we could look past it at some point. Besides, no one said that I was ready when Fawn got pregnant."

Sage swallowed quietly, tears gathering in her eyes. At least Jax seemed to feel guiltyᅳ but it still didn't make things any better. "Why did you support her anyway but couldn't support me? You even fuckin'  married her! What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, you didn't do anything wrong", Jax replied simply, straightening his shoulders. "It was only when you were gone and I was tied to Fawn through Hayley that I realized what I had lost. I could've considered myself lucky to have an Old Lady like you, but instead I ruined everything."

"That doesn't answer my question." Her voice threatened to fail, but she managed to pull herself together. "Why did you support her?"

"Because I didn't want to make the same mistake again. I didn't want to lose another kid, whether I was ready or not." When he saw her quickly wiping away a tear, empathy crept into his expression. "Sage, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you back then, that I didn't support you enough."

When he tried to touch her arm again, Sage backed away. Biting her tongue, she looked at him without any emotion. "You cheated on me, that's bad enough. But of all the Croweaters in the club you could have chosen, you chose my sister. My freakin' sister!"

The redhead raised her finger when Jax was ready to interrupt her. "I'm not done yet", she hissed, now standing directly in front of him. "And then you didn't even have the decency to come to the hospital and say goodbye to our son. Instead, Dad and Gemma were with me the whole time, trying to reach you for hours."

Jax' jaw was clenched tightly, his eyes wracked with guilt. "Sageᅳ"

"No, we're done talking. We'll never be able to look past this, not after everything that happened." Her tone was sharp, there wasn't much left of the reserved, kind woman. "Just tell me where Happy is and I'll be gone again."

Jax felt his jaw tense even more. His cold gaze was back now, just as emotionless as Sage's. He didn't like that she didn't even give him the chance to make things right. What he didn't realize was that some things couldn't be fixed.

He slowly lifted his chin and looked down at Sage as if he were something better. "Happy is out of town for a few days, visiting his mom in Bakersfield."

That wasn't true, Happy would be back in the next two hours since he and Bobby only had a quick errand to run, but if Sage didn't give him a chance, he wouldn't be willing to help her. And it really bothered him that she was looking for Happy.

The redhead was silent. Jax's arrogant look didn't impress her, it just showed her that she was glad she wasn't his Old Lady anymore. The gavel seemed to have changed him. A lot.

"Great." Sage took a deep breath. It was her own fault, she could have called Happy beforehandᅳ but she preferred to talk to him in person.

"Where are you going?" Jax asked as she got back in the car. Before she could close the door, he stopped her by putting his hand on top, holding the door back.

"Why the fuck should I tell you?" Sage snorted, shaking her head. The audacity. "Now let go of my door, otherwise you'll be missing a hand."

Jax cocked his head to the side with a snort, but eventually stepped back and let her close the door. Pissed that he couldn't get through her, he strolled back into the clubhouse.

Sage just rolled her eyes in annoyance, then reached into her bag, looked for her phone and sent Happy a quick text.

Hey, I'm in Charming because I needed to talk to you. Jax said you won't be back for a few days. I'll stay in the motel until then. When you get back it would be great if you could come over.

Sighing, she placed her phone on the passenger seat, turned the key in the ignition and left the lot. She could also crash with Tig and Ima, but she would hardly be able to keep her pregnancy a secret because of the nauseaᅳ and she really wanted to talk to Happy first before others found out.

ᚔ

After Happy got the text, he immediately made his way to the motel where Sage was. After her first message, she sent him the address and room number shortly afterwards so that he knew where to find her.

He would have a serious word with Jax later, but for now Sage was more important. If she was here in Charming without telling him, it had to be something important. And despite the worry he felt, he also felt that tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach again.

He walked around the building with quick steps and read all the numbers on the doors until he finally got the right one and knocked. The sun was blazing and it was hot, all he wanted was a cold shower and something to eatᅳ maybe even together with Sage.

"Happy, hey." Happy looked down at a surprised Sage. The smile that immediately formed on her lips caused the corner of his mouth to twitch upwards as well.

"Hey", he rasped, slipping past her without asking. The first thing he did was take her face in his hands, greeting her with a kiss. Fuck, he had missed that.

It was a kiss full of desire and longing and Sage immediately slipped her arms under his Kutte and wrapped them around his waist. Satisfied, she whimpered into the kiss as his tongue brushed against hers and the temptation to rip his clothes off was big.

But she had to talk to him first, then they could always come to the other part.

"Hap", she murmured. Sage hated to push him away, but she had to. She tentatively placed her hands on his chest before stepping away from him. Pacing around the room, she thought  about how to start.

"What's goin' on?" The SAA was alarmed and his protective instincts kicked in even though he didn't yet know what was going onᅳ which once again showed how important Sage actually was to him.

The last three months without her had been lonely and boring and often he just wished he had her with him. He wasn't even interested in the Croweaters after Sage had left. He needed her to feel completely satisfied.

"I don't know how to start to be honest", Sage said honestly, the almost fearful look she gave him now making him nervous himself.

"Just say it." He gently grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking around. "Did something happen? You got problems with someone?"

"No", the redhead immediately waved him off to take his worry away. She slumped against him, groaning, her forehead resting against his chin. This way she was able to avoid his gaze before she just let the words spill out of her. "I'm pregnant. And yes, it's yoursᅳ there hasn't been another man since you showed up at my door months ago."

After Sage had said the words, a mix of relief and nervousness crossed her face while Happy had to let the words sink in. Exhaling loudly, he ran a hand over his bald head before he sat down on the bed, his elbows resting on his knees.

He felt Sage's eyes on him, waiting for a reaction from him. Wordlessly he rubbed his face while it took him a moment to answer.

"I'm sorry", Sage's apology reached his ears, causing him to finally look over at her, frowning.

"Why the hell would you apologize, woman?", he asked, his tone almost sounding like a bark. But she had nothing to be sorry about.

The redhead shrugged uncertainly before slowly making her way towards the bed. After sitting down, she folded her hands in her lap. "Because I'm not on the pill."

"And? Protection isn't just your job. Besides, I knew you weren't on the pill, you never made it a secret", Happy grumbled. In retrospect, both had been careless. "We didn't even use a condom last time. And now we just have to find a solution. But we'll manage it somehow."

Her head shot up quickly after her gaze had just been focused on the old, stained carpet. "Does that mean you don't have a problem with it? You're okay with me keeping the baby?"

Happy didn't show his insecurities, but they were bubbling inside him. He never wanted to be a father, or rather he had never thought about the subject. But he would never force Sage to get an abortion, especially not after she had already lost a child.

And if he was honest, he even felt joy. Or was it pride? Sage carried his child under her heart, his flesh and blood. How could anyone not be proud of that?

He slipped his hand between her folded ones and closed his around one of hers, allowing her to slip her fingers between his.

"It's your body, your choice. If you want to keep it, then keep it. And I'll support you as best I can", he promised her. "If you need moneyᅳ"

Sage interrupted him by squeezing his hand and shaking her head quickly. "That's not why I'm here, Happy. I don't want any money from you, I could take care of the baby and myself just fine. I just wanted to know if you wanted to be part of our life or not."

"I know that. I didn't think that was the only reason you were here", he told her.

Sage was far too independent for that. She didn't need a man to take care of her, Happy knew that. Her art gallery was well known in Seattle and she had enough clients who paid a lot for her work. As they should.

"But it's also my kid and I certainly won't let you pay for everything alone", he added with a grunt. "How are we going to handle this? You're in Seattle, I'm here."

"I don't know, but I'm the one who refuses to move, so I have to find a solution", she answered obligingly, nothing but gratitude in her tone. "You have no idea how glad I am that you're not mad."

"I may not be the type to show feelings and all that shit, but I'm not the kind of asshole who would abandon a woman who's carrying my child. And we'll find a solution together about the living situation." As others would study their books, he now studied Sage's profile from the side. And he noticed that she was glowing. "You look good, little girl. How are you doin'?"

"I guess we just have to visit each other regularly. That's the only way we can both spend enough time with our kid", she said with a sigh, although she then smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, I feel goodᅳ except for the morning sickness."

"Is it bad? Can Dawn support you?", he asked with slight concern in his raspy voice.

"No, it's bearable, really", she assured him, running her thumb along the back of his hand. "Dawn was even worried about letting me drive alone, but she had to work. So yeah, she's been supporting me where she can anyway."

"Good", he hummed, pleased with Sage's answer. "But we still have to talk about the living situation. You know I can't leave here often, and you can't drive all the time. Not with a baby."

"But I can't move here, please don't make me." She looked at him with a pleading look as she turned more towards him and placed one leg bent on the bed. "I just realized again that I couldn't handle being around Jax. There would only be trouble and problems."

"Why, what happened?", he asked bluntly, his tone sounding like he was ready to fight Jax if he had to.

Sage took a moment to admire him, the lines of his face, his dark eyes. Then she told him about the conversation she had with Jax earlier. She had to be honest with Happy, also so that he could understand better why it was absolutely impossible for her to move back to Charming.

"Fuckin'ᅳ", Happy didn't continue, instead he tried his best not to lose every last ounce of respect for his Pres. "I'm talking to him again, he needs to let this go. And I want to know why he said I was out of town for a few days."

"Maybe he's afraid that there's something between us and that he'll lose you because of me", Sage guessed, putting two and two together. "Which would never happen. You're probably the most loyal of them all, it's obvious, that for you, the club comes first. And that's okay for me. But he should know that, too."

Sage had come to terms with it. The two weren't together, it was just sex from the start. The fact that a baby was on the way was never planned, but that didn't mean they had to get married right away. They were able to co-parent, like many others. And as long as Happy was there for his child, Sage had no reason to make a scene or be all dramatic.

"Would that be so absurd?" Happy asked, breaking the silence.

"What exactly?" Sage's heart pounded harder in her chest. So strong that she could feel her pulse in her throat.

"You and me", he answered calmly, his gaze resting on her.

Sage held her breath until her head felt light. Only when she ran out of breath did she allow herself to breathe again. She had told herself to never date a biker again, but she also couldn't be full of prejudices. Happy proved that he was very different from Jax.

"You know that's not possible", she said finally, lowering her gaze again, but leaning her forehead against his shoulder and sighing softly. "That would all be far too complicated. The living situation, the fact that I used to be Jax' Old Lady and am actually taboo for you. It could get you in trouble and that's not what I want."

Disillusionment set in for Happy. Sage was right and he didn't know how to prove to her that it would be easy. Simply because it wouldn't be easy. It would cause tension in the club, and a long-distance relationship wasn't always easy. Co-parenting was probably the smart and best solution for now.

"Yeah...you're probably right about that", he grunted. When he pulled his hand out of hers, she looked straight up at him, a sad smile on her face.

"I guess this, whatever we had, is over between us then?", she asked, although she sounded anything but happy about it.

"You want it to be over?" He had only removed his hand to put his arm over her shoulder. "I don't want it to be over."

"Really?" The sparkle in Sage's eyes returned immediately. "Me neither. I liked what we had."

"Me too", he winked with a grin before claiming her lips. After the short but surprisingly gentle kiss, he ran his thumb along her jaw. "Do you know how far along you are? And who knows about it already?"

Biting her bottom lip, Sage closed her eyes. It still felt so good to be near him that it was almost too good to be true. There were no longer any doubts. She definitely had feelings for him and it would be hard to get rid of them.

"Dawn and my doctor know. I wanted to tell you about it before I tell my parents and Ima about the baby", she let him know.

She broke away from him, but only to quickly reach for her bag from which she took out her wallet and pulled out an ultrasound picture that she gave him a moment later. Nothing but pride plastered on her face. "This is our baby. You can't really see much yet, but the heartbeat is already there. Not many days left until the first twelve weeks are over."

"Holy shit." Happy rubbed his face, looking down at the picture in his other hand. Only now did he really realize that he was actually going to become a father. "Is the kid okay? Does everything look good?"

"Yes, everything's fine. The doctor can't promise anything, but she said that we don't have to worry. Everything is developing as it should so far", Sage said with a broad smile. "I also just wanted to make hundred percent sure I was really pregnant before I told you about it. Dawn can't wait to be the cool aunt, by the way", she added with a chuckle.

"I bet", Happy smirked.

The appointment itself also gave her some relief. After her last pregnancy was so traumatic and left her with a broken heart, she was even more happy to know that their baby was doing well.

"You know what", Happy carefully put the picture aside and pulled the redhead onto his lap, his hand disappearing into her hair to let it rest on the back of her head. "Fuck Jax. I don't give a shit what he thinks about it or if he has a problem with it. I stand by my childᅳ and he has to accept that we've gotten closer. After everything he did to you, he should be careful what he says anyway."

She looked at Happy, kind of speechless, with parted lips. "Does that mean everyone can know that the baby is yours?"

"I want everyone to know about our baby", he corrected her before he gently placed his other hand on Sage's still flat stomach, a proud smile crossing his face. "I'm not going to hide my baby just to avoid problems with Jax."

"I really love you for that, you know that?" Without thinking about what she had just said, she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled into him, inhaling his scent.

Happy grunted quietly. How he would love to say 'fuck the rules'. This woman on his lap was the right one, he just knew. And she would be the perfect Old Lady. But until now he was used to always being loyal and choosing what was best for the club.

That didn't mean he was giving up on Sage. For now, he would settle for co-parenting. But he would look for a solution so he could make her his.