Brothers In Arms

Chapter 5

Thanks for all the comments, votes and messages about my idea! I decided to go with it! I changed the name in the previous chapters and made a few smaller changes to some of the lines by nothing too drastic. If you have time I'd say to go back and skim but it's not necessary as the plot has not changed.

Thanks you guys! Meet Josephine 'Josie' Montgomery-Hotchner....

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Days and weeks passed with limited contact between Josie and Jax. They saw each other off and on while visiting Abel and shared a few words and hugs but she tried to keep her distance. Although she and Jax were awkward and their budding friendship strained Josie and Opie were slowly forming a close friendship out of mutual loneliness and a multitude of shared experiences and emotions.

As Josie headed out of the hospital, on her way to work, she saw Jax parking a few spots away from her car. She sighed, still angry over how he treated her after their mistake and bitter that she felt uncomfortable moving forward with Opie because of him.

"Mornin', darlin'," he smiled brightly at her. "How you doing?"

"Good, busy," she shrugged. "You?"

"Abel's coming home," he beamed proudly. "I wanted to be the one to tell you it's why I came by this early."

Josie's mouth curled into a wide, toothy smile as she threw her arms around him. For that moment she felt a draw, the connection they shared in that clumsy grief stricken night rushing back to her. As they pulled, away each hesitated, their lips about to touch, before Josie stepped back to leave a wide space between them.

"That's incredible," she said happily. "I am so happy for you."

"We're having a little home coming party for him," Jax shrugged. "It's this Friday, just something Gem is putting together and I really want you there. I may have to hire you to help with him," he laughed.

"You don't mind if I still come around?" There was no hiding her shock over the request.

"Yeah, of course," Jax shrugged. "Just because it happened doesn't mean you don't get to be a part of Abel's life. Wendy wanted it and I want it."

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to decipher any insinuation in his words or deeper meaning to his statement. Drawing back to her previous work, trading expressions and analyzing Jax as he spoke, didn't help. Josie was rusty, her mind not so focused on the psychology behind her new acquaintances, so she still couldn't read any hidden agenda.

"Sure, I'd love that," she said slowly. "As long as we're cool."

"That shouldn't have happened," Jax said sadly. "Too soon after Wendy and for all the wrong reasons."

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm glad we're talking about this, I wanted to clear the air and all."

Jax nodded and draped his arm over her shoulder. "We're good darlin'."

She smiled and nodded, "Awesome. I'm glad." His crystalline eyes cut through her and Josie felt her heart quicken which only confused her further. "I'll see you this weekend then."

A few hours later as Josie sat in her office waiting for the day to come to a close she heard a light knock at the door.

"Yeah?" She called out, grabbing the frame from her desk and hiding it face down in her drawer. "Who is it?"

"It's Ope," he grumbled.

"Oh," she slammed the drawer shut. "You can come in."

Opening the door he smiled at her, goofy and sweet, and entered the office hesitantly. "This okay?"