"Hey. Jax." Opie approached his friend from out of the TM garage. "Where ya been?"
"Hey!" Jax exclaimed back, relieved to see Opie. Jax unclipped his helmet took it off and then swung himself off his bike. "I had uh to go home for a bit." Jax explained as he clapped Opie on back as part of their usual greeting.
"It’s a deal then!" Jax stated with another smile. "We should have a play date for all of ‘em some day. Would be awesome to have the boys hang with yours." Jax added tentatively. He knew Opie’s Mom had been looking after the kids since the incident and wasn’t quite sure if they had been re-united yet. Last thing Jax would want to do would be to upset Opie over it.
Jax took another gulp from his bottle, this time extending the amount he consumed in the one swig, The ice cold beer numbing his shock and pain of the ramming and replacing it with a sense of twisted comfort.
Jax now shook his head at Opie. “No Ope I’m not. You’re my compass and Tara’s my anchor. Without you I’ve been unsure of which way to turn. I’ve been lost. Deals went through, yeah, I’ll admit that, but it’s not been the same without you here. I’ve felt like a part of me has been missing up until the second I saw you a while ago.” Jax looked away shyly again. This conversation was turning almost gay, but Jax couldn’t help it. He just had to express what he felt without Opie, if he didn’t, he wouldn’t feel right. He’d regret it for the rest of his life.
Opie's blood went cold at the mention of his kids. He frowned and shook his head. "Lyla took em... a while ago. Months ago." It wasn't unexpected that Jax wouldn't know... Lyla wasn't around the club much anymore. Last he heard, she'd moved out of Charming, out of California even. He was glad for it though. He didn't want his kids to end up as fucked up as he did.
"I still would like to see the the little rascals. Been away from Uncle Ope for too long." His smile returned, shallow and faint, but bright all the same.
It was short lived, however, as Jax's next words left him feeling breathless. "Careful... The last place I want to be is between you and Tara." He joked, but felt enough of the sincerity that he nodded. "I get it...We always were...well, brothers. Even before the patch." He leaned over and pulled Jax by the shoulder to kiss the side of his head.



















