JADE WAS SNUGGLED INTO Gemma's arms, finding comfort in the arms of her future mother-in-law. A mix of joy and concern was etched into Gemma's features as the matriarch pulled back, her hands resting against Jade's arms.

"I'm glad you're going to be a part of the family soon, baby. And I mean that", Gemma said sincerely, smiling wistfully. "You were always the right one for Jax, and now you have to suffer Tara's mind games."

Jade's smile faded while she shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Well, we don't know for sure if it was Tara yet. But if it was her.."

"Then I'll kill the bitch myself", the older woman said with determination, but there was no doubt in her words. "Are you sure you wanna take the kids with you already? Is it safe enough for them?"

"Then you have to hurry and get her before I do", Jax snorted bitterly, the look in his eyes dark before he cradled Olivia closer to him, his heart heavy. What if today really was the last time he saw her? "It's safe, mom. And we really need some time alone with our kids after all this shit."

"Okay, fine", Gemma nodded, understanding the situation. "Want me to get the DNA test to the labor? You have it with you, right?"

"Yeah, we took it with us." Jade slid her bag from her shoulder into the crook of her arm and pulled out the envelope. "We just still need to do it, haven't found the time yet."

"Alright, let's get this over with", Jax said with mixed feelings, running his large hand over Olivia's head while his boys were still playing in the living room. "Let's see if you're my daughter, sweetheart."

Olivia cooed unknowingly, her bright blue eyes looking up cheerfully at the man who was looking down at her wistfully. Squeaking, she reached out and explored Jax' face, tugging on his beard. Every time he pulled a face, she let out one of those laughs that could give anyone baby fever— and with each laugh, Jax' heart ached a little more.

Jade and Gemma watched the moment between father and daughter in silence, exchanging a wordless look. Both knew that a negative result would break Jax, and both secretly feared the moment when the truth would come out.

"Okay, I'll be careful", Jade finally chirped as she pulled two small tubes out of the envelope and took a saliva sample from Jax, flashing him a supportive smile. "You're her dad, no matter what the test says, you know that, right?"

Jax swallowed, a tired smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Doesn't matter if I don't get to see her anymore. All the problems, the tense moments between us could've been avoided."

"Hey, we got through this, baby", Jade said firmly, placing a gentle kiss on his lips before pulling the second stick out of the tube and carefully pushing it into Olivia's mouth. "I know, sweetie, doesn't feel nice. But it has to be done", she cooed at the girl with sympathy.

Olivia wrinkled her tiny nose, her little face twisted in confusion and disgust as the stick swabbed against the inside of her cheek, almost making the girl gag. Olivia shuddered in Jax' arms, clinging to him.

"It's already over, bug", the blonde biker hummed soothingly, rocking her on his arm. "That's daddy's girl, you did so good."

"Oh I'll bring that bitch back from the dead if she lied, after I already killed her for almost setting your whole house on fire", Gemma spat quietly under her breath that only Jade could hear her, the brunette sending the older woman a supportive look. "It's always her who breaks his heart, who makes his life difficult."

"Bitch has no idea what she's doing to himᅳ or she knows exactly what she's doing", Jade seethed as she sealed the envelope and then handed it to Gemma, watching Jax walk over to Abel and Thomas with Olivia in his arms. "Tara can't tell me she ever loved him if she'd do something so cruel to him."

Gemma scoffed, slipping the envelope safely into her bag. "It's fucked up and that's putting it nicely." Hesitating for a moment, Gemma reached into her bag again for something else, holding out a gun to Jade. "You carrying? If not, take thisᅳ at least while Tara's still on the loose."

"Woah, Gem!" Jade's eyes grew wide, but her curiosity was still piqued. She had only ever heard of guns from Jax, had never touched his guns or owned one herself. "I mean, come on.. do you really think I need one?"

"Yeah, I don't trust that bitch." Gemma slid the gun into Jade's hand, her gaze holding an authority that sent a shiver down Jade's spine. "It's loaded, be careful. If you don't know how to handle it, talk to Jax or I'll teach you."

"That feels weird", the brunette murmured as she carefully examined the piece in her hand. It felt good in her hand, she had to admit, and maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to carry one with her. "Jax wanted to get me one months ago, but I wasn't a fan of it."

"Better safe than sorry, baby", Gemma cooed motherly, turning around as the boys rushed toward Jade. "Hey boys, was nice having you here. Next time we'll order pizza, okay?"

While the boys cheered and jumped up and down, Jax caught a glimpse of the gun that Jade slipped into her bag. Her frightened gaze met his, but his immediately softened. "It's okay, you should carry one with you."

"Are you sure?" Jade asked, releasing the breath she had been holding. Why she had thought for a moment that Jax might have a problem with her carrying a gun now seemed silly to her, too. "It's only as long asᅳ"

"No, you should always have one with you, babe", Jax finished the sentence for her as he came to a stop in front of her and planted a kiss on her forehead, still carrying Olivia. "I'll teach you how to use it tonight. But first I wanna spend a few more hours with you, the boys and Liv before I drop her off at Tara's."

"Of course, Olivia is more important", Jade nodded eagerly, leaving no room for discussion. Sighing, she rubbed the side of her neck. "To be honest, I'd like to spend some time with her too."

"You do?" Jax' eyes lit up. Once again, Jade managed to surprise him. Now that she was finally starting to build a bond with Olivia, it could all be over. "I'd love to fake the result if it was negative, but then I wouldn't be any better than Tara."

The corners of Jade's mouth drooped downwards, her heart aching at Jax' words. "You could never be like her, Jax. Come on, let's go."

"Mommy, where are we going?" Abel asked excitedly, grabbing her hand.

Thommy was also immediately at her side after Gemma had helped him put on his shoes. "Can we go to the playground, please, mommy?"

Jade chuckled as she picked up her younger son and led Abel to the door, never letting go of his hand. "Sounds like a great idea. And afterwards we'll get ice cream."

"Yay!!" the boys shouted at the same time, and Olivia began to happily bounce on Jax' arm.

Everything could be so nice if there wasn't forming a feeling of dread in the pit of everyone's stomach.

ᅳ

A HEAVY FEELING SETTLED in Jax' chest as he scooped Olivia out of the car seat and into his arms, a bittersweet smile on his lips and a sadness in his eyes that even the little girl seemed to notice.

Cooing softly, she reached out her tiny hand and explored her father's face again before burying her face in the hollow of Jax' neck in a fit of squealing, clinging to the leather of his Kutte, babbling.

"You know, I'm goin' to miss you", Jax murmured, a thick lump sitting in his throat as he placed a kiss on the top of her head, each step toward Tara's door heavier. "And Jade's goin' to miss you too, so will your brothers."

It was weird, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that Olivia wasn't his daughter now that the test had been done. Not once had he seriously doubted that until Gemma brought the subject up. He wanted, needed, to know the truth and yet he wished that no one had ever questioned whether Olivia was his.

Sure, he was listed as the father, he had insisted on that back when the first test came back positive, which meant that he could fight for Olivia. But for how long? After a few court hearings at the latest, the judge would side with Tara anyway, after all, he wasn't really the father.

His heart broke when Olivia looked up at him, beaming at him as she repeated the words 'dada' several times as she clung him, not knowing that she might not see him again.

"I love you, kid, just so you know", he croaked as he ran his large hand over her blonde hair and came to a stop in front of a brown wooden door.

His hand already been raised to knock, he lowered it again when he heard a loud argument between two people, his curiosity bringing out the better of him. Leaning a little closer to the door, his features hardened before his eyebrows shot up the next moment.

"Don't you think that went a bit too far?!", a man's voice shouted in horror, a voice that seemed quite familiar to Jax and yet he still couldn't quite place it.

"Jesus Craig, why do you even care about these people? You don't know them", Tara shot back, annoyance in her loud voice. "I told you from the beginning that I wanted him to lose everything and you were okay with it!"

"But you risked people's lives by doing what you did now, Tara", the man barked. "Aren't you doing him enough harm by taking money out of his pocket for child support payments for a child that isn't even his? But now you're endangering other people's lives too!"

"That's not nearly the punishment he deserves! He left me, humiliated me", Tara yelled at the man, her voice cracking. "I want him to lose everything, Craig. Jade, his sons and ultimately Oliviaᅳ everything. Only then we can leave Charming and start over with our girl."

And there it was, the truth that Jax desperately wanted to hear, and it hurt more than he thought it would. His throat felt dry as he ran a hand down his face and instinctively cradled Olivia closer, the girl suddenly quiet in his arms.

But that wasn't all of the truth. It was also clear that Tara was behind the fire, even if it wasn't mentioned directly.

Jax stepped back, his steps slow as he walked back to the car, the anger trembling inside him and the desire for revenge bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. With tunnel vision, he put Olivia back in the car, all the last few months, the hard times passing before his eyes as he made sure that the girl was properly buckled in.

His movements seemed controlled as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his mother's number. As expected, it didn't take long for Gemma to answer the call.

"Jax, hey. It's good that you called, I was just about to tell you that I wanted to invite you guys over for dinner next weekend", she said over the phone, her heels clicking against the asphalt in the background. "What's going on?"

Jax gripped his phone tighter, his breathing becoming shallower while he kept staring at Tara's house. "You have to pick Olivia up. I'll send you the address. And momᅳ not a word to Jade, I'll explain everything to her later."

Gemma stopped in her tracks, he clicking of her heels stopping. "What's going on, Jackson?"

"I don't have time to explain. Can you pick Olivia up or not?", he asked, his voice already trembling as he watched the argument, which seemed to be going into the next round, through the large window in Tara's living room. "I'll send you the address."

Gemma snorted nervously into the phone. "Jacksonᅳ"

"See you in a minute", and with that he hung up, sending Gemma the address.

The muscles in his jaw twitched violently, his arms folded on the roof of Jade's car as his face took on a dark tinge. Hate was a strong emotion, stronger than probably any other, and for one person the day was not going to end wellᅳ and it wasn't going to be him.

ᅳ

IT WASN'T EASY to get rid of Gemma, but Jax had finally managed to get her to leave and was now standing in front of Tara's door again, ready to do something he should've done a long time ago. This time he knocked, no, practically pounded on the door.

"I'll be there in a minute!" He heard footsteps behind the door, which got louder until Tara finally opened the door. The former doctor immediately cast an irritated look over at him when she didn't see Olivia. "Where's Liv?"

"With Gemma", he replied coolly, an almost fascinated grin crossing his features as Tara's face lost all color. "You better let me in, we have something to talk about."

"What do you want, Jax?" Tara scoffed as he pushed past her, his white sneakers gently thudding against the carpet, his movements controlled as he looked around. "Why isn't my daughter here?"

"Your daughter", Jax hummed darkly, slowly turning to face her. "Only your daughter, right? Is there something you wanna tell me?"

It was the cold, deadly look in his eyes that sent a shiver down Tara's spine. "Iᅳ I don't know what you mean."

Nervously, she stumbled back a few steps as Jax slowly approached, like a predator trying to catch his prey. "You're scaring me, Jax! What's going on? You have no business being here without Olivia!"

"I think I have the right to the truth, doc", he spat, emphasizing the last word with extra bitterness. "Let me help you a little", his voice dropped as Tara finally felt the wall in her back, his hands quickly coming to rest next to her head. "I've heard your little argument."

A humorless snort came from him as Tara's eyes grew to twice their size, her mouth open but the words stuck in her throat. "Yeah, that's how I looked when I heard the news. But that's not all, right? The fire? That was you too."

"What's going on here?!" Craig rushed down the stairs, quickly getting between Tara and the blonde biker, his shoulders squared; a desperate attempt to intimidate someone like Jax Teller. "You better get away from my girlfriend."

"Look who we have here", Jax' voice dripped with mockery, a chuckle rattling through his throat as he turned to the familiar face. The damn doctor who had done the first test. "Tell me, what did she promise you to get you to play her games, huh?"

The man in his forties swallowed nervously as he too had to face the man who was known to have a side of him that no one should mess with. "You treated her like dirt by leaving her for someone way out of her league, and she wanted her revengeᅳ we never planned to go that far!"

"Bullshit", Jax suddenly yelled, making Tara flinch as he slammed his elbow into Craig's face, sending the man to the ground. "You knew exactly what you were doing, what you were destroying with your plan!"

Jax lifted the man off the ground, his grip on his collar vice-like, murderous intent shining in his eyes. "You're Olivia's father, aren't you?"

"Jesus, please!" Craig's facade crumbled instantly, and he wasn't even trying to play the tough guy. "Yes, yes Olivia is my daughter. Weᅳ we wantedᅳ"

"Yeah? You wanted what?" Jax arched an eyebrow, the sneer growing as Craig slowly began to hyperventilate.

"Leave him alone, Jax!" Tara shot forward, tugging at Jax' shoulder to get his attention. "It was my idea, mine alone. My plan was to tell you Olivia wasn't your daughter when she turns eighteen", the brunette's voice was clipped, yet fear was floating at the surface. "I thought taking money out of your pocket for eighteen years and making sure you love her to the moon and back would bring you enough pain when I finally tell you the truthᅳ the pain you and Jade deserve!"

The room went silent, only the ticking of the clock, Craig's loud breathing and Jax' aggressive sniffling could be heard. He let go of the man fully, turning to Tara, who stood before him. The same hatred he felt for her reflecing in her eyes.

"That was a mistake, a mistake that your child has to pay for", Jax' tone was calm but threatening, dangerous even. His hand shot to his gun, pulling it from the holster. With one quick move it was aimed at Tara. "You've gone too far this time, Tara. I should make you suffer for this, maybe even let Happy handle you, but my time is too precious for that."

"No!" Craig stumbled between the two, his eyes wide with fear and sheer horror, his hands raised in surrender. "Please, please..we're leaving town, you'll never see us again, you'll never hear from us again. Every dollar you paid for Olivia you'll get back andᅳ"

"You think this is about fuckin' money?!" Jax' voice was so loud the sound bounced off the walls, making the other two flinch. The blonde biker snorted vulnerablely, the gun now pointed directly at Craig. "Olivia doesn't deserve parents who will use her like she's just a meaningless toy. You should've considered your fate before helping my crazy ex wife."

Jax glanced out the window, making sure no one was walking past the house, before pulling the trigger and putting a bullet right between Craig's eyes. "Worthless piece of shit."

Tara's screams and cries filled the room as Craig fell to the floor, his body landing hard as blood already seeped into the carpet beneath them. Sobs tore through her as she fell to her knees, her trembling body hunched over Craig.

"How could you?!", she screamed through her tears as she glanced up at Jax.

Jax was too far gone, too hurt and full of hate to feel mercyᅳ for anyone. "I'm not done yet, Tara."

Whimpering, Tara fell back onto her backside, her hands planted firmly on the ground as tears upon tears streamed down her face as the cold steel was pressed against her temple.

"You won't kill me, you loved me too much for that once", she choked out, unable to move or fight back. "And if you really love Olivia, you won't take her mother away from her."

"Guess I'm an even bigger monster than the one you've long seen in me", he said heartlessly as he hovered over her, his head ever so slightly tilted to the side. "But remember, the monster standing in front of you right now, that you're hating so much, you created it."

Tara choked back her own tears, sobbing hysterically. "Jax noᅳ"

But it was too late, the trigger already pulled, sending a bullet straight through her skull. "Guess I'll see you in hell."

With a hard thud Tara's body fell to the side, her blood all over the carpet and even on the wall next to them, mixing with her boyfriend's on the floor, their dull, lifeless eyes wide open.

Jax' snorted bitterly, the ticking of the clock slowly becoming annoying as he looked at his work. And he felt nothing. No remorse, no guilt, just reliefᅳ both of them deserved to rot in hell while Olivia would grow up with a family that wouldn't use her for their own benefitsᅳ he just had to find one first.

Shoving his gun back in the holster, he pulled out his phone, unfazed by his actions, and called Tig and Happy to help him clean up the mess and make it look like Tara and Craig had left town and left Olivia in his care.

It was over, the games and the terror were overᅳ and a strange calm settled deep in his chest as he looked down at the lifeless bodies once again.

word count; 3450