House of the Rising Son

Chapter 23

Warning: Character insight hidden within some serious fluff. Diabetics beware! xoxo Enjoy.

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*Later that night...*

"So where are Jax and Tara?" Juice asked as he stepped into the Teller residence with a six-pack in hand. "I didn't want to drink his beer." He said raising the bottles and shrugging.

Amelia tiptoed into the living room and curled up on the couch. "She's working and he's just not here; kids are already asleep. I figured it was club stuff but you're here and Mae said Opie's been all over her."

Cracking open two beers Juice's bottom lip jutted out, his head tilting to the left as he thought about anything Jax could have said about that evening. He came up blank. "I don't know actually. He had Luanne bitching at him earlier; he's got a lot on his mind."

"He always has a lot on his mind." She mused stretching out her legs, resting her feet on his lap. "Did they sign the contract with Nero?"

"Can we not talk about the club?" He asked sweetly, watching intently as she wrapped her lips around the bottle and took a swing. "If it's the whole hooker and porn star thing, you got nothing to worry about."

"It's not that." She said defensively. "Maybe a little; I trust you though."

"Good, you got no reason not to. I was thinking of heading home for a while." He said hoping to move away from that topic. Juice had heard of and seen enough drama between Jax and Opie with their girls to pursue that conversation if she wasn't going to push it.

"What?" She sat up a little, suddenly worried she'd annoyed him or worse. "Why?"

"Not home home, back to New York. I don't have a great relationship with my mom, but my sister is getting married. I'm not going to the wedding, but I was thinking of seeing her." Wiggling down Juice sunk into the couch and rested his heels on the table.

Dropping back down Amelia nodded. "That sounds sweet."

"That's me; sweet as ever."

"It's true. You are."

"Maybe you could come with?"

"Really? You want me to meet your mom?"

"You'll help soften her up, she'd like you and she sure as shit hates the path I chose in life."

"Blame her?" Amelia asked as she took another drink.

"No, not really."

They chatted about going, when and how they'd manage to get him away from the club, but it was a not pressing matter. The wedding wasn't for months and there was lots settle within the club before Juice left for the third time. They finished the six-pack, four for Juice and two for Amelia, before Tara arrived back home. She was exhausted, but there was a noticeable difference when she heard Jax wasn't home. Amelia didn't even ask before she offered Juice's services in checking up on Jax, but he wasn't too annoyed. Tara declined and specifically asked her to leave it, but that didn't matter; Amelia was going to butt in anyway. They left and hopped right on his bike, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight, resting her cheek on his back as he sped away from Jax's home and toward the clubhouse. Although Tara was worried, he took a few wrong turns to prolong their ride together.

"Let me talk to him." She kissed Juice's cheek and jumped off his bike.

Running into the clubhouse, she pointed to the chapel and Chuckie nodded. Amelia rapped her knuckles on the door, but Jax remained silent. Amelia knocked again and called his name, jiggling the handle but knowing better than to actually try pushing the door open. When she went to knock once more Jax opened the door just enough to see her concerned face.