Up In Smoke - Jax Teller

twenty three

Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so
- William Shakespeare

~

"No."

"What?"

"No. I said no. You're not leaving with that woman, Jackson!"

"Mom-"

"No! I won't let that- that- harlot take my baby away!" Gemma has tears in her eyes. "This isn't what your father wanted."

Jax laughs. "Y'know what he would've wanted? Me to be actually happy and I can't do that here, mom. It's time for me to start a life- my own life. That's what he'd want."

Gemma huffs, wiping away a tear as she looks out at the TM parking lot. "You're throwing your life away for her."

"Seriously? I'm throwing my fucking life away if I stay in Charming! I'm leaving, deal with it." Jax shakes his head as he stalks back to his bike. He revs the engine before speeding off to Sig and Marge's to finally ask their permission to marry their daughter figure.

~

"No."

"What!?" Sig and Jax say.

"I'm just messin with you baby." Marge laughs, her hand covering her mouth. "Yeah, I mean you've cleaned yourself up for our daughter." Sig squeezes her shoulder. "And since she's leaving, again, we can't be there with her. Now she has you. Take care of her. Look after her. And don't," she stands, slamming her hands against their table, "don't you dare break her heart."

Jax and Sig visibly shrink into themselves as they look at Marge. Sig's never seen his wife this serious before; not even when Alex got arrested the first time. He's kind of nervous. "You have my word, ma'am." Jax smiles. "My promise."

"Then you have our blessing." Marge nods at Sig who pats Jax on the shoulder. "Just remember that if you break our little girl, we'll come after you."

"You got it." Jax smiles again. "You guys did one hell of a job bringing that girl up. She's so great. Thank you guys."

"No, thank you, son." Sig says in a quiet voice with tears in his eyes. "Take care of each other."

"You got it."

~

"Where are we movin to?" Alex asks as she sits on the bed. Jax is drying off from his shower.

"Where do you want to move to?" He shoots back.

"Somewhere south. Somewhere far."

"I've never been past Nevada- well, I mean I've been to Alabama and drove through a couple states but that's it."

"Same here. I'd never been outta California until Alabama." Jax gives her a smile as he joins her in bed. "W-what about Tennessee or North Carolina or- or Texas?" Jax shrugs. "Where're you thinkin'?"

"Somewhere where no one knows our names." He whispers, looking over at her. "So anywhere outside of the West Coast and Nevada." He laughs, pulling her against his side.

"I'll start lookin' for houses in Texas." Alex says, grabbing her laptop and a notebook. "You're good with Texas, right?"

"Oh yeah baby. I'm good with Texas."

~

"Wow." Alex mutters, shoving the last box in her truck bed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this." Jax wraps his arms around his fiancé from behind, his chin on her shoulder. "Holy fuck."