summary: Pope arrives in Charming and finally comes face-to-face with Jax Teller. When he reveals the truth about Willow, Jax is forced to come to terms with the fact that he has a six-year-old daughter he never knew existed. Meanwhile, Willow remains completely unaware that her life is about to change forever.
The clubhouse was quieter than Pope expected.
A few men sat around drinking coffee.
Others worked on motorcycles outside.
Everyone seemed to know who Jax Teller was the second he walked into a room.
Pope followed him into a small office at the back of the building.
The door shut behind them.
Jax crossed his arms.
"You said this was about Julia."
Pope nodded.
For a second neither man spoke.
Jax looked uneasy.
Like hearing Julia's name after all these years had already brought back memories he wasn't ready for.
"How is she?" Jax finally asked.
Pope looked down.
The answer hit harder than he'd expected.
"She died."
The color drained from Jax's face.
"What?"
"Overdose."
Silence.
Jax slowly sat down.
Staring at the floor.
Pope let him process it.
The room stayed quiet for nearly a minute.
Finally Jax rubbed a hand over his face.
"Damn it, Julia."
His voice cracked.
Pope understood.
Julia had a way of getting under people's skin.
Even years later.
"When?"
"A couple weeks ago."
Jax nodded slowly.
His jaw clenched.
"You came all the way here to tell me that?"
"No."
Jax looked up.
Pope hesitated.
Then finally spoke.
"She had a daughter."
Everything stopped.
The room.
The air.
Even Jax himself.
"What?"
Pope held his gaze.
"She had a little girl."
Jax stared.
Then laughed once.
A nervous laugh.
Like maybe he'd heard wrong.
"What are you talking about?"
"Julia had a daughter."
Jax stood.
"No."
Pope didn't move.
"She's six."
The silence that followed felt endless.
"Six?" Jax whispered.
Pope nodded.
Jax's eyes widened.
Slowly.
Painfully.
The math clicked.
The timeline.
The years.
Everything.
His breathing changed.
"When was she born?"
“ March 24th” Pope told him.
Jax sat back down.
Hard.
Like his legs stopped working.
"Jesus Christ."
The words barely came out.
Pope watched him.
"Her name's Willow."
Jax closed his eyes.
Willow.
His daughter had a name.
His daughter.
The words didn't even feel real.
"Does she know?"
"No."
Jax laughed bitterly.
"Of course she doesn't."
Pope stayed quiet.
"Julia never told me."
The hurt in his voice was impossible to miss.
"She never called."
His hands shook.
"Never wrote."
Pope nodded.
"I know."
Jax looked furious.
Heartbroken.
Lost.
All at the same time.
"I would've been there."
Pope believed him.
That was the problem.
He actually believed him.
"She knows about me?"
"No."
Jax let out a breath.
A shaky one.
Then he looked at Pope.
"What's she like?"
That question caught Pope off guard.
"What?"
"My daughter."
The words sounded strange coming from him.
Like he was trying them out.
Seeing how they felt.
"What's she like?"
For the first time since arriving, Pope smiled.
A little.
"She's loud."
Jax laughed.
"Sounds like Julia."
"Talks nonstop."
"Definitely Julia."
"Doesn't like pickles."
Jax barked out a laugh.
"Neither did her mother."
Pope found himself smiling too.
"Calls me Uncle Andrew."
Jax blinked.
"What?"
"Refuses to call me Pope."
A grin spread across Jax's face.
"That's hilarious."
"Yeah."
For a moment both men laughed.
Then reality returned.
Jax became serious again.
"Where is she?"
"With us."
"With the Codys?"
Pope nodded.
Jax looked worried immediately.
"She's safe."
"Yeah."
"Jay's taking care of her."
Jax rubbed his face.
Trying to process everything.
A daughter.
A six-year-old daughter.
One he'd never known existed.
Finally he looked at Pope.
"I want to meet her."
Pope expected that.
"Yeah."
Jax stood.
Immediately.
Like the decision had already been made.
"I wanna see her."
"Not today."
Jax frowned.
"What?"
"She just buried her mom."
The words landed.
Hard.
Pope continued.
"She's hurting."
Jax looked away.
Guilt filled his expression.
Even though none of this was his fault.
"She needs time."
Jax nodded reluctantly.
"Okay."
Pope stood too.
"I'll talk to the family."
"You think they'll let me?"
The question surprised him.
Jax sounded nervous.
Like a father.
Not a biker.
Not a vice president.
Just a dad.
Pope thought about Willow.
About her smile.
Her laugh.
The way she'd buried her face in his shirt at the funeral.
Then he thought about the look on Jax's face.
The devastation.
The hope.
The fear.
"Yeah," Pope said finally.
"I think she deserves to know her father."
Jax swallowed hard.
Neither man spoke for a moment.
Then a voice came from outside.
The office door opened.
A huge man with long hair stepped inside.
"Everything good?"
Pope immediately recognized him.
Opie.
Jax looked over.
Then back at Pope.
And for the first time said the words out loud.
"I have a daughter."
Opie's eyes widened.
"What?"
Jax laughed.
Half shocked.
Half emotional.
"I have a daughter."
Outside the office, another biker with a Scottish accent poked his head in.
"What's all this then?"
Jax looked completely overwhelmed.
A smile slowly spreading across his face.
"My daughter."
Chibs stared.
Then looked at Pope.
Then back at Jax.
"Ye serious?"
Jax nodded.
Still looking stunned.
Still looking like he couldn't quite believe it.
Pope headed toward the door.
His job here was done.
"Wait."
Pope stopped.
Jax looked at him.
"When you see her..."
His voice softened.
"Tell her I'd like to meet her."
For the first time since arriving in Charming, Pope nodded.
"I will."
And as he walked back toward his truck, he found himself thinking about Willow.
About the little girl who had no idea her whole world was about to change.
