A FEW LEAVES RUSTLED under Jade's black combat boots as she walked down the street and headed for one of Charming's grocery stores. Her son was padding next to her, fascinated by the colorful leaves falling onto the asphalt.

He stopped in excitement, which made Jade stop too, and pointed at the leaves under his tiny feet, completely amazed by all the colors. No wonder, he had only known extreme heat and desert. Autumn and winter did not exist in the part of Arizona where the mother and son duo lived. Sure, California wasn't that much colder, but at least they had all four seasons in a few parts of the state.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A warm smile graced Jade's red lips when she saw how excited her son was. But she had also missed the changing weather, especially autumn. "Come on baby, so you can finally get your porridge."

With all the excitement, Jade had completely forgotten to pack groceries before she set off for Charming with Thomas and her best friend Alison. They had only arrived yesterday and the worst was still to come for the young womanᅳ clearing out her father's house, her childhood home.

The grief sat deep in her chest, but up until now Jade had focused on other things to distract herself from the sadness. She would probably only realise at the funeral that she would never see the man who raised her alone again.

Humming softly, she entered the supermarket, and the cool air of the AC immediately hit her. Thomas squeaked happily and jumped from one floor tile to the next, loving to do so.

Jade just shook her head and chuckled, always fascinated by what could bring joy to small children, before she leisurely strolled through the store, but she still kept her eyes open and kept looking over her shoulder.

The Cooper woman was aware of where she was and who she could run into here, and right now she wasn't ready for that. Although she didn't know if she would ever be ready for that. Right now, Jade just had to make it to the funeral, then she would be gone again.

A few more things were added to the porridge, with which she finally walked towards the checkout, always holding her son's tiny hand, and paid. Just as she had put the things in a bag, the two-year-old rubbed his eyes and yawned, whereupon Jade tucked the bag into the crook of her arm and picked her son up so he didn't have to walk.

Maybe she was spoiling him, she often heard, especially from older people, that she was harming her child by doing soᅳ but Jade learned not to care about what they said. If her child was tired and wanted to cuddle, she wouldn't refuse, it was as simple as that.

"We'll be back at the hotel in a minute, then you can take a nap", she murmured lovingly against her son's blonde hair, placing a kiss on top of his head on her way out of the store. "And then we'll go to Grandpa's house with Ali."

While she was talking to Thomas, who was now snuggled up to his mother and exploring the area with tired eyes, she didn't notice who crossed her path.

"Jade?" It was only when she heard a familiar voice that her blood froze in her veins, her wide eyes staring into Gemma's, next to her none other than Tara Knowles, someone Jade never liked, not even as a little girl.

The fact that she was out with Gemma only meant that the Knowles woman was probably back together with Jax, their past no secret. And at the thought of them being back together, Jade's heart ached.

"Gemma, hey." With a tight-lipped smile, Jade tried to hide her nervousness, almost protectively cradling Thomas closer to her. "Uh, that's a shame, but unfortunately I don't have time."

She felt a hand on her arm, long fingernails now digging into her warm sweater, stopping her just as she was about to turn around. "I'm sure you got a minute for me, baby."

"Well..not really", the brunette murmured, slowly freeing her arm from Gemma's tight grip. "How's Jax?"

God, how desperate was she trying sound? Couldn't she have thought of a better question? But if she was honest, that was the only thing that interested her, no matter how the two of them had parted ways. The look of the other brunette, Tara, was practically boring into her skullᅳ but Jade didn't care.

"Jax is fine, a lot has happened since you left", Gemma said, her hands on her hips after brushing a strand of hair out of her eye. "I heard about your dadᅳ I'm really sorry. Lenny was a good person."

Jade swallowed softly, her lips curving into a sad smile. "Yes, he was."

"I'm sorry too", Tara said, her arms crossed as she sceptically eyed the other woman, and the child that sat on her hip.

"Thanks", Jade replied somewhat irritated. "Okay, I really have to go. It was nice to see you again, Gem."

"Jade." Again, the matriarch prevented Jade from leaving. Her smile fell, replaced by a coldness that could send shivers down anyone's spine. Her brown eyes studied Thomas long enough to confuse Tara and make Jade's nervousness skyrocket.

Gemma reached out, brushing some of Thomas' hair from his forehead. Blonde hair, blue eyesᅳ the same as that of a very specific person. Not only the eyes, but everything else bore a striking resemblance.

Jade's reaction only confirmed Gemma's suspicions. When the young brunette took a sudden step back, half-covering the little boy's face with her hand, Gemma's gaze turned cold.

The matriarch snorted through her nose, taking a step towards Jade. "You bitch. I knew you wouldn't have the heart to do it. Only Jax was naive enough to believe you."

"He's not his", Jade hissed, panic written all over her face. When Gemma grabbed her chin roughly, unimpressed by the people around her, Jade let out a soft whimper. "Let go of me", the brunette spat, staring at Gemma.

"Jesus Gemma!" Tara shot forward, tugging the older woman away in embarrassment as the child in the other woman's arms began to cry. "What's wrong with you?", the doctor snarled through gritted teeth. "You can't just do stuff like that."

"That's my grandchild", Gemma shouted indignantly, ready to follow Jade as she immediately seized the opportunity and jogged down the street.

But Tara stopped the matriarch again, her eyes widening in shock. "Jax has another child? But..he's much younger than Abel.."

"Bitch got pregnant just before Abel was born", Gemma explained with a snort, nervously searching for the cigarettes in her bag. "They both decided an abortion would be the smarter thing to doᅳ I hated it but no one asked me. Apparently she didn't go through with it and left Charming so Jax won't find out.

"That can't be true..", Tara whispered, finally letting go of Gemma's arm to run both hands through her hair. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I can't give you a hundred percent", Gemma sneered, getting into gear after linking arms with Tara, dragging her along. "But you saw him, he looked just like Jax."

"Iᅳ what does that mean for Jax and me now?" That was the only thing Tara actually cared about. Her life was difficult enough right now, she didn't need another burden.

"Nothingᅳ except that you'll take care of two children in the future. She won't leave Charming with my grandchild again", Gemma snorted bitterly. "And I'll make sure Jax takes care of itᅳ or her. And if not, I will."

"Oh my God, will the problems never end?" Tara asked herself, reluctantly following her mother-in-law. "I might have to go to jail, what's Jax going to do with two kids? Besides, we don't even know if the boy is really his."

"Like I said, I'll make sure Jax takes care of it. He'll find out." Gemma stopped, intently looking at the woman she was slowly getting closer to again after months. "You're not going to jail, baby."

"I'd love to be as optimistic as you", Tara snorted desperately, but she was also curious now.

One thing she knew, if this really was Jax' son, then a lot of things would change and she wasn't sure if she liked that.

ᅳ

JAX STARED AT THE TWO women in disbelief, wondering if his wife and mother had completely lost their minds or if there was a grain of truth behind the news they had just told him.

He knew that Jade was in town, she would never miss her father's funeral. And part of him had hoped to run into her at some point. If he was honest with himself, he had missed the woman since she left town. Not a day went by he didn't think about herᅳ but they wouldn't have worked out, his life was too messed up for that back then. And somehow it never got better.

Still, he often wondered what would've happened if he had gotten involved in a relationship back then. Jade was someone he couldn't just forget. She wasn't just pretty, no, the Cooper woman had brains, was kind, helpful and never judged anyoneᅳ especially not him.

But after a failed marriage and a child on the way, he wasn't ready for a relationship. And yet a few weeks later he had plunged into a relationship with Tara. So many times his gut feeling told him that he regretted it, especially in the last few months when the couple had grown apart.

But he kept pushing the thoughts away, swallowing the guilt he felt when he saw another, very specific face when he was buried deep inside Tara, imagining it was Jade moaning his name.

Jade had been the only one who had the potential to make him happy, and he had messed it up because he had been overwhelmed, naive and scared.

"You wanna say something about that?" Impatiently as always, Gemma snapped her fingers in front of his face as Jax just stared at the table, flipping the pack of cigarettes in his hand. "You might have another son, don't you want to know the truth? If I have another grandchild, I want him with me!"

Jax sighed deeply, annoyed that his mom had to be the center of attention again, and ran a hand over his tired face. "Jesus Mom, can you not make everything about you for once? I need to let all this sink in first."

"No, she's right, Jax." Tara leaned against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed and a less than enthusiastic look on her face. "I also want to know if you have another child. And what we'll do if that boy is yours."

"She said she's getting an abortion", Jax shrugged, looking back and forth between the two women. With a soft thud, the half empty cigarette pack landed on the table after Jax fished one out. "What do you expect me to do now? To search the whole town for her?", he asked, placing the cigarette between his lips.

"Don't you want to know if he's your son?" Gemma shook her head in disappointment, moving to stand next to Tara. "If you don't take care of it, I will."

"And I'll help", Tara added with a sigh. "I need to know if there's another child of yours out there."

"Neither of you will do shit", Jax seethed, slowly leaning back in his chair, a warning look in his eyes that made both women swallow. "Neither of you will harass Jade or the kid."

Jax knew that if, whether it was his mother or Tara, Jade got even a scratch on her, he would lose his shit. But if Jade was lying, he wanted an explanation and he would make sure to get it.

Irritated, Tara tilted her head to the side, taking a few steps towards Jax. "Are you defending her?"

Jax lifted an eyebrow, letting the smoke slide past his lips after taking a long drag of his cigarette. "I'm not taking another one of my sons' mothers away, Tara, like it or not."

Rolling his shoulders, he rose from his chair, closing the last distance between Tara and him. "You stay away from Jade, you hear me?", his gaze found Gemma's, his own as serious as ever. "That goes for both of you, mom."

Would he be angry if the boy was his? Yes, absolutely. He would probably have to get out of Charming for a few hours to calm down, making sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. But would he hurt Jade? No.

He had perhaps become someone you didn't want to mess with, cold and hot-heated. Ope's death had changed him, the problems with Tara too, and his mother's constant manipulations had been the cherry on topᅳ and the club, the President Patch, had also changed him so much that sometimes he didn't even recognize himself anymore.

By now he was known for crossing all boundaries, even hurting women if he had toᅳ something he secretly hated himself for. Wendy and Ima were the best examples of that.

But he would never hurt Jade, the woman who still swirled around in his thoughts every day. But he wouldn't just let her go either if the child everyone was talking about was his.

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