JADE STARED AT HER burned out garage, the wall on the side of the house scarred by the aftermath of the fire. Soot clung to the walls and ash littered her driveway, the smell of smoke still in the air. Her heart shattered into a thousand pieces as the firemen tried to save a few more boxes. Boxes of memories.

She couldn't even cry, the shock too deep to even react, to move, her arms just hanging limply at her sides.

"Miss, this is your house, right?" One of the firemen stepped up next to her, sighing softly as Jade nodded apathetically. "We couldn't save much, but at least a few boxes. Luckily the fire didn't reach the house, which means you can stay."

Jade swallowed hard as she slowly tore her gaze away from the house, her lips trembling as she quickly wiped the first hot tears from her pale cheeks. "That's okay, thank you for trying. Do you know what started the fire yet?"

"We can't tell you much yet", the man began, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "But we don't believe it an accident."

"You think it was intentional?" Jade shook her head in disbelief, holding back a sob with all her strength. "Why would someone do that? My kids could've been in the house!"

"I can't answer that, miss. We also think it's just horrible." He sympathetically put the box down next to her, the woman visibly too upset to carry things around at the moment. "If your neighbor hadn't reacted so quickly, it probably would've ended worse. I'm sorry, ma'am."

Jade's hands shook as she ran them through her hair, finally letting out the sob as the fireman walked back to his colleagues. Sure, it could have been worse, but now most of the memories she had stored in the garage were gone.

Tearing her eyes away from the house with a heavy heart as she heard bikes rumbling down the street, she finally burst into tears after Jax practically jumped off his bike, almost knocking it over, to rush towards her.

Deep worry lines were carved into his features, pain and sheer concern reflecting in his blue eyes as he saw the pain his Old Lady was in, like someone had just broken her heart. The sobs, the tears, the tremblingᅳ shit, he hated seeing her like this.

"I'm so fuckin' sorry, babe", he croaked out as he pulled her flush against his chest, his voice tinged with something deeper as Jade cried in his arms. "I'm so sorry."

Slowly, the rest of the Sons gathered around, expressions hard as they looked at the burned out garage, each spinning their own theory in their minds.

"Jesus Christ", Chibs cursed under his breath, running a hand down his face before he walked over to Jax and Jade, rubbing the latter's back comfortingly. "We kno' what happened, lass?"

Still clinging to Jax, the brunette shook her head vigorously, huffing and puffing as she turned her head slightly to stare at her house again. "No, nothing. One of the firemen just said they think it wasn't an accident."

"That's not good", Tig chimed in, placing a hand on Jax's shoulder. "We have to do something, man. If that was the Irishᅳ"

"Not now, Tig", Jax almost pleaded, too emotionally tired to find someone to blame right now. They would, no question, but not now when Jade needed him. "But whoever it was will pay for it", he added seethingly, pulling Jade back against his chest. "I promise you, babe, they'll feel it. They'll feel it all."

"Almost all the memories are gone, Jax. Pictures, his clothesᅳ this isn't fair!" Another chocked sob crawled up Jade's throat as she buried her face back into Jax' chest, clinging  to him, her sobs breaking Jax' heart.

This wasn't over, he wasn't going to let this go. No one did this to his family and get away with it. And the worst part was, he didn't believe the Irish or any enemy of the club was behind this; it just wasn't their style.

ᅳ

AFTER WHAT FELT LIKE an eternity, Jade had managed to calm down somewhat in Jax' arms. It was pure luck that the house was undamaged, but she still mourned the garageᅳ or more like the things that had been in the garage.

Except for Tig and Happy, everyone had gone back to the clubhouse except for Chibs, who drove to Gemmia to give her an update and help her out with the three kids until Jax and Jade would pick them up tomorrow morning.

"I have to thank Betty, without her this would've ended much worse", the brunette sniffed as she slowly pulled away from Jax and sent a tired smile to the three men who looked at her with sympathy and concern at the same time, yes, even Happy. "Thank you for being here."

With these words, Jade turned on her heel and slowly let her hand slip out of Jax' before she walked over to Betty. "Hey Betty, I wanted to thank you. Without you..", Jade swallowed hard, shaking her head with a sad smile. "Just thank you."

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry", the older woman said, compassion and sadness shimmering in her eyes before pulling Jade into a hug. "This house meant so much to your father, I'm just glad most of it is still intact and none of you were in the house."

Jade blinked a few new tears away, nodding weakly as she hugged the woman back before slowly pulling away. "I know, he put so much work into the house. And I'll make sure it looks like it did before."

"Whenever you need help, I'm here", Betty offered, pulling her orange cardigan tighter around her body. "I can't help much, but I can always look after your boys if you want to work on the house."

"We appreciate that, Betty", the brunette replied gratefully. Hesitantly, Jade crossed her arms and shifted from one foot to the other. "Did you, uh, did you see anything? Or someone before all this happened?"

Betty looked uncertain, glancing at the police and then back at Jade. "I saw someone, but I didn't pay any attention to it. If I had known what was happening.."

"Hey, it's not your fault", Jade said immediately as tears of guilt welled up in Betty's eyes, her hands gently braced against the old woman's arms. "Nobody could've known. Can you tell me what you saw; who you saw?"

"Still, I may could've prevented this", the woman pressed out in a trembling voice, trying to keep her composure. "It was the woman who always brings little Olivia here; I assume her mother. Iᅳ I just thought she was going to pick up her daughter."

"Tara?" Jade shook her head in disbelief, stumbling back a step as she turned only to see Jax behind her, her mouth open but no words coming out.

"Jesus Christ", Jax muttered, running his hands over his head before kicking over the random trash can next to him, slamming his foot against it again after the can had fallen over with a loud thud and got everyone's attention.

Betty clutched her chest and recoiled with a small gasp, but only because she was momentarily startled, the anger and frustration she could understand.

Tig and Happy were there immediately, shooting the cops a glare as they approached the small group. This wasn't a good time to bombard them with questions, but they were just doing their job.

"Jax, hey!" Jade tugged on his sleeve until he looked at her, his breathing heavy and fast, and grabbed his face. She gently rubbed her thumbs into his beard, pressing a kiss to his lips. "It's okay. If she did it, she'll get what she deserves, baby", she whispered soothingly. "Don't get yourself in trouble because of her now."

"If she did it", Jax seethed, his voice shaking with anger, his hands clenched into fists. "Then she's as good asᅳ"

He got cut off, interrupted by one of the cops walking toward the group. "Miss Cooper? We have a few more questions for you."

"Can't you wait with that?" Jax asked with a huff. "My Old Lady has enough on her plate right now, don't you think? She hasn't seen shit."

"Did I talk to you, Sir?", the Cop asked, sending the blonde biker a stern glare, earning another, almost mocking huff from Jax in return.

"Jax, they're just doing their job," Jade said gently, assuring him that it was okayᅳ that she somehow was okay. "I'll be right back."

Jax watched as Jade stepped aside with the cop to answer his questions, his Old Lady still visibly shaken and burdened by the event. A part of Jax wondered how much longer she would last before she would break.

First the thing with Olivia, now thisᅳ and both things probably planned by Tara.

This would end now.

"Hap, Tig", Jax snapped his fingers, waving them closer. "Watch Tara, don't leave her out of your sight."

"Whatever you need, Pres", Happy rasped out, putting on his sunglasses.

Tig frowned before he leaned in closer, his hands on his hips. "You think it was her?"

"Not sure, but the chance is big", the blonde sneered, as pissed as ever. Jade's sad face was always in front of his eyes, her painful sobs still burned into his mind. "And she'll pay for it if she did it."

"What if it was the Irish, Jax?" Tig asked cautiously, tilting his head. "I mean, they blew up Collete's place to show us what they thought of our idea about the guns."

Jax thought about it for a moment, but shook his head as he fished a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. "That's not their style. They showed us what they thought of our offer, why go a step further without waiting for our answer? No, it doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, yeah, that's right", Tig agreed, rubbing his forehead. "We'll let you know if anything unusual happens at Tara's. You stay home tonight, take care of Jade and get some sleep."

"I will. Thank you, guys", Jax nodded, placing the cigarette between his lips. "I'll take over tomorrow when I drop Olivia off at Tara's."

"Alright man", Tig nodded, slapping Happy's shoulder on the way to their bikes, which were just a few steps away.

The feeling deep in Jax' chest never betrayed him, never. Tara was involved in this whole thing and he wanted to know why; why she was so intent on ruining Jade's life, before he'd put an end to her miserable lifeᅳ even if it meant that Olivia would grow up without her mother.

ᅳ

THE HOUSE WAS QUIET when Jade came out of the bathroom. Her hair was still sitting in a messy bun on the top of her head, her petite body dressed in one of Jax' shirts after she had taken a long, hot bath while Jax had taken a quick shower.

Part of her wanted to snuggle up in bed, her children in the middle while Jax told another one of his made-up stories to make their boys laugh. She even missed Olivia a little because she knew how much Abel and Thomas loved their half-sister. Watching them take care of the girl and play with her was always heartwarming.

And since she'd spent the whole night with Olivia yesterday, helping her through the pain of teething while the little girl was all snuggled up to her, her chest was heaving with the thought that Olivia wasn't Jax' daughter after all.

The Cooper woman would strangle Tara with her bare hands if it would turn out that this was all just a lie. That would ultimately break Jax when he was no longer allowed to see Olivia, his love for the girl already too great to deal with this kind of loss.

"Feelin' better?" Jax sat at the foot of the bed, only a pair of gray sweatpants hanging on his hips. He stood up, slowly walking towards his girlfriend. "Want me to get you something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine. I just need you and my bed", she assured him softly, the tiredness slowly showing. "I wish the kids were hereᅳ"

Jade cut herself off mid-sentence as she threw back the covers and her gaze fell on the small box that was lying on her pillow. Deep down she knew exactly what it was, her mind only needed a moment to realize what might be about to happen.

"What's that?", she asked anyway, picking up the box hesitantly. Her small smile tinged with nervousness, she looked up at Jax. "Can I look inside?"

"It's for you, you can do whatever you want with it." His muscles were tense, not sure if today was the right day to propose. But why not? Maybe that's exactly what she needed today. "I know that right now might not be the right time", he began as Jade opened the box and a soft gasp fell from her lips, her eyes growing wide.

"Jax Iᅳ", the brunette swallowed, her vision blurred with tears as she looked up at him. But there was also something else in those pretty eyes of hers; a flicker of joy, hope. "Is that what I think it is?"

He gently pulled her closer by her wrist and took the ring out of the box, lifting her chin with his crooked index finger. "I put you through a lot of shit, Jade, and you've always stayed by my side, forgiving me for my mistakes; and you never judged me for who I am."

"Because I love you, I always have", Jade answered without a doubt, smiling shyly up at him. "And I always wanted to be the only woman you wantedᅳ even my dad knew this was going to happen someday."

"He did?" Jax asked amusedly, his eyebrow arched.

FLASHBACK
    six years ago

In between their brief lunch break at the clubhouse, after Clay had asked Lenny to fix something, a crooked grin formed on his face when he noticed his daughter staring over at Jax, the blonde biker sitting at a table with Tig.

"You know, I'm not psychic, but I think one day you'll marry him", he said casually as he peeled his sandwich from the paper it was wrapped in. "The man can't take his eyes off you either."

Jade almost choked on a bite of her own sandwich, staring at her father. "What, how..do you know about us?"

"I may be almost deaf, but my eyes still work, girl", the man chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You bring him home at least twice a week now, sweetheart. Every time we're here, you're practically glued to each otherᅳ and he treats you well, which shows that you mean something to him."

It was no secret that Jax Teller was a man-whore sometimes, so it was all the more surprising that since Jade showed up, he only had eyes for one womanᅳ a sign that he was finally growing up.

"Yeah, he does, he's really great", the brunette muttered with flushed cheeks, amazed that her father was really so attentive. Then again, he always was, so it wasn't a big surprise. "But I don't think it'll last forever. I mean, he could have any woman", she said with a sigh, the thought of losing him to another woman was just cruel. "But it would be nice if you were right."

Lenny lowered his sandwich, looking at his only daughter for a long moment. The girl who had now become a young woman, his pride and joy. "Just remember my words when the time comes. He would be stupid if he would let a girl like you, a girl who'd do anything for him, go, Jade."

"Oh stop it, dad", Jade mumbled sheepishly before sinking a little deeper into her chair, unable to wipe the smile from her face.

Her gaze wandered again, Jax' eyes already on her, his blue orbs staring straight into her soul. They shared a smile, both completely smitten, eliciting another chuckle from the man next to Jade.

"Yep, you're definitely going to get married", he grinned confidently.

What if her father was right and all her wishes would come true? Or was it naive to think that a man like Jax would ever really settle down?

FLASHBACK OVER

No, it hadn't been naive to think that Jax could ever choose her. He had found his match and it was time to finally seal it with a ring.

"So I basically have your father's blessing?", he asked with a wry smile as he gently took her hand in his. "Because I really want to marry you, babe. I want you to be my wife, to bear my name."

"Yeah, you would've definitely had his blessing. My dad loved you, always saw the good in you." Tears of joy filled Jade's eyes as she nodded eagerly as she was once again overwhelmed by a thousand emotionsᅳ but this time positive emotions. "I would love to be your wife, baby."

"Then marry me, Jade", Jax croaked against her lips, slowly bringing the ring to her finger while impatiently waiting for a 'yes'. "Make me the happiest man in the world, darlin'."

"Yᅳyes, yes of course" Jade's voice cracked, followed by a sob that turned into a happy laugh as Jax slid the ring onto her finger. "It's so beautiful, looks perfect on me."

"There's nothin' that doesn't look perfect on you", the blonde smiled, his hands already cupping Jade's face. "I love you more than you can imagine, babe."

"I love you too, Jax, so much", she whispered with another soft sniff before she placed her hands on his chest and hummed contentedly as Jax' lips claimed hers, the kiss full of hunger and affection as he slowly pushed her down onto the bed.

It might sound cheesy, but maybe it was a sign from her father from beyond the grave. She had needed this today to realize that the memories she had of her father were always in her heart, not just in boxes.

word count; 3050