Tribulation | Jax Teller

Ten Going on Thirty

Jax's eyes spring open and for a moment he thinks the past day was a dream. He still thinks that he is sleeping on a hard slap of metal with a thin blanket to cover him and a roommate jerking off below him. But his senses quickly catch up to his as he can smell Noelle's perfume surrounding him in a garden of rose, lilac and peach. He can even smell the breakfast Noelle is cooking wafting through the home. His senses weren't flooded with the smell of sweat and urine. His body relaxes as he realizes he's home. He is home and not in Stockton prison.

He buries his head in his pillow before he stretches and works out the kinks in his body. He finds himself slightly disappointed that he didn't get to wake up next to Noelle. After all, he has five years to make up with his wife. He pops his head up to check the time and he realizes it's only 830 in the morning.

He swings his legs over the edge of the bed and makes a detour to the bathroom to pee, wash his face, and brush his teeth.

Walking back into the bedroom, he discovers that Noelle hasn't moved any of his things and quickly locates a pair of sweats and throws them over his naked flesh.

He begins his trek into the kitchen, where he can hear Noelle and AJ talking. He looks into his kids' room and only finds Noah still in his bed sleeping. As he passes the living room, he sees Addie resting on the couch buried in a book. Entering the kitchen, he finds Noelle standing in front of the stove and AJ is placing silverware on the table.

Before Jax can even greet them, AJ senses his presence and a blinding smile comes over his face. AJ greets him with a tight hug around his waist.

"Morning, dad," his youngest greets.

Jax ruffles his son's hair as he returns his smile. "Morning, Little Man."

"Mom's making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast!" AJ proclaims.

"Really?" Jax questions with a raise of an eyebrow as it seems that these chocolate chip pancakes are only for special occasions.

"Yep." AJ tells him. "They're even better than Grandma's." He adds lowering his voice as if Gemma is lurking near by.

"My lips are sealed." Jax promises to his son.

AJ smiles before he heads back to the table to finish setting up. "Mom made you some coffee too."

"Did she?" Jax says as he looks to his wife, who is flipping over some pancakes. AJ nods his head and Jax walks over to Noelle, who has just turned off the griddle.

His arms wrap around her waist and he presses a kiss to her shoulder covered in his T-Shirt from yesterday. For a minute he just stands there reveling in the feel and weight of his wife in his arms. After five years, there is no one yelling at them to separate. There aren't anymore boundaries or restrictions. "I hope I'm not messing up the routine."

"You're not." She replies. "Besides worry about relaxing for now. I took a week off and the kids are staying home from the Rec Center too."

"Babe, you didn't have too."

"Jax, don't be ridiculous." She retorts as she turns in his arms. "Besides it's not like we're on some rigid schedule. It's summer."

"Right," Jax replies and he places a kiss on her lips.

Noelle smiles against his lips as she leans up and brings her hand to the back of his head and tries to deepen it. Jax pulls back, "I was hoping you would've been in bed when I woke up."

"Well it's a good thing we always have tomorrow." She replies as she chases his lips and brings him back into a kiss.

Jax nips at her lip when a loud scoff comes from behind them. Feeling like his head was caught in the cookie jar, Jax backs away from Noelle as Addie looks at them with narrowed eyes as she moves towards the fridge and grabs the orange juice.