𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 - 𝙎𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙮

Thirty-One

Ellie's sitting on her parents bed after Jax dropped her off. He took a shower, washing off all the blood, before leaving and going to the hospital. Tara asks Ellie who shot Clay and Opie, but the teen doesn't know. She said, she just heard the gunshots. Tara hugs her daughter, silently thanking God she wasn't hurt. Ellie lays in their bed, watching her mom pack, wanting to be close to her right now. They hear the sound of the security system beeping indicating that someone opened the front door. They see Gemma walk into the room.

"Another vacation?" Gemma asks.

"Yep. Because the first one went so well."

Gemma notices Ellie in the room and gives Tara a look, "Clay was shot last night."

"I know." Tara points to Ellie, "She was there, in the clubhouse, heard all the shots."

Gemma's shocked, "What? Did you see who did it?"

Ellie shakes her head.

"Opie." She tells them.

"What? Why would Opie do that?" Tara and Ellie are both equally confused.

"Because Clay killed his father. Piney's dead. Clay put a shotgun to his chest."

"Oh my God. He killed him because he thinks he had the letters."

"No. Piney didn't. He never even saw them. But Clay will do anything to stop that truth from leaking out. He's the one that tried to have you killed, Tara. Clay hired those men that came after you."

Ellie scoots off the bed, sitting down on it, leaning against her mother's chest at her grandma's revelation. Tara wraps her arms around Ellie, holding her close, "How do you know that?"

"He took money out of our safe to pay them off. I confronted him. That's why he did this. Clay will keep on hurting everything and everyone that gets in his path until he gets those letters."

"He threatened me yesterday. Told me Jax and I would never make it out of Charming unless I gave them to him."

"Because he's already read them. The copies. He knows how dangerous they are. Where are the letters, Tara? I'll give them to Clay, we put this to bed. I'm out of options. This may be the only way we get out of this alive."

"And if we do that get out of this alive then you know Jax and I are leaving."

"I know."

"They're in the storage unit. Towards the back, underneath a stack of boxes. Old ATM receipts."

"Okay." Gemma hugs her, kissing Ellie's cheek, "Sorry, honey. Glad you're okay."

Physically, that is. Tara thinks. Mentally, her daughter must be a mess. She closes her eyes, laying her head against hers, and strokes her head with her good hand, "Mommy's still here, Ellie. I'm right here."

~ SOA ~ ~ SOA ~

Gemma finds Jax going through Clay's things at the clubhouse. She has the letters in hand.

"Look, I know Clay and Piney were beefing over this cartel shit-"

"It wasn't over the cartel. It was over these. Maureen Ashby put them in your bag before you left Belfast. They're letters from your father. Tara found them before you did."

"Tara had these? Why didn't she tell me?"

"She knew they would break your heart. Same way they did mine. When Thomas got sick your dad stopped going to Belfast. Started writing to Maureen. The only person JT ever let work on his bike was Lowell. Clay must have paid him off or threatened him. He had to be the one who sabotaged the Panhead. Lowell was killed by the Mayans a week later. Clay buried the secret."

"How do you know all this?"

"The letters. The speculation. The Mayan ambush. John knew Clay would kill him. And Clay knew those letters would prove it. Enough to get him voted out, undo everything he'd worked for. Piney got ahold of these. He must have threatened Clay."

"Oh my God." Jax starts to realize what this means.

"That's not all. I found the cover letter Maureen wrote telling you to read them. It was in your house. I knew Tara was the one who'd found them. I- I panicked. I told Clay."

"Clay knew that Tara had these?"

"He tried to kill Tara. That thing that happened in the park, that wasn't the cartel. That was guys Clay hired to kill your wife, Jax."

"How did you get them?"

"Tara gave them to me. Don't be upset with her. She didn't want you to read them. She didn't know what you might do."

"Why are you telling me this, Mom? Why now?"

"Because I know how dangerous secrets can be and it's time we all knew the truth. Clay Morrow killed your father. Stole that seat away from this family. Gunned down your father's best friend. And he tried to kill your wife. He's a murderous traitor. And there's only one thing to do now, Jackson. For your father, your family and your club. It's in you. It's who you are. Clay has to die. Read them. See them in your father's own hand. And then you kill him, Jax. You kill Clay before he's on his feet and strikes first. And when it's done you take your place at the head of this table where a Teller belongs. Where you belong."

Jax stares at the letters in his hands. He doesn't even know if he wants to read them as he tries to process this newfound information.

~ SOA ~ ~ SOA ~

It's late when Jax arrives home. The house is dark when he checks on the boys. He opens Ellie's bedroom door and sees her empty bed. He goes into his bedroom and sees her cuddled up next to Tara. Tara's awake, holding her sleeping daughter in her arms, rubbing up and down her back. Jax kicks off his shoes and takes off his shirt. He changes into shorts and gets into bed. He tries not to disturb Ellie too much, concern on his face. All this violence must be so hard for her to process.

He's quiet for a moment, his voice low, "You should have told me."

"I was going to. When you got out, you were so eager to leave, I just- I was afraid it would push you back in. I'm sorry."

"I have to kill him, Tara."

"I know."

"And this is how you do it." Tara tells him, explaining all the science behind the drug in the syringe she passes him, "It's a blood thinner. Inject it into his IV line and pull the tube from his chest. He'll bleed into his lungs and drown. It'll happen quick. It'll just look like he pulled it out in his sleep."

Jax nods. He knows Tara put this together after his mom told her what happened. He puts the syringe into the drawer beside his bed and looks at Ellie.

"She okay?"

"No." Tara says, "She hasn't been. Not for a long time."