A Princess in Charming

Chapter Eighteen: Kristina

"How are you and your pops getting along, babe?" Jax lay on his side beside her with his head propped up on his hand, running his fingers lazily over her swollen stomach.

"We called a truce right before he walked me down the aisle." Kristina caught his hand in hers and interlocked their fingers. "I agreed to play nice and to try and move on from Michael's death. I meant it, don't get me wrong, but I still don't want to spend too much time around my dad and I never want to go back to Port Charles ever again."

Jax took back his hand and reached up to caress her cheek. "There's nothing wrong with that, darlin'. You need to create your own identity away from your father. Sonny Corinthos casts a big shadow, I get it. I'm never going to make you go anywhere you don't want to go. No visits to Port Charles for you. If your family wants to see you, they can come to Charming."

Kristina turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand before smiling brightly at him. "Have I told you how much I love you recently?"

"Probably," Jax smirked, "but I've taken a lot of blows to the head in my life. The reminder is always appreciated, sweetheart." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "I love you too, princess." He sat up and reached over into his nightstand drawer to retrieve a stack of official looking paperwork. He handed the stack to her without saying a word.

Kristina sat up in bed and quickly scanned the papers in front of her. When she realized what they were, tears clouded her vision. "You want me to adopt Abel?"

Jax nodded with a small smile. "He's been calling you 'mommy' for the past month anyway." He reached down and patted her rounded belly. "You're giving me a legal role in Tommy Boy's life by putting my name on his birth certificate. I want you to have the same role in Abel's life... just in case. This is to make sure that you and the kids stay together... no matter what."

Kristina knew what he was really trying to say. In the case of his death, Jax wanted to make sure she kept custody of Abel. "Give me a pen." She didn't even have to think about her decision. There was no way she wouldn't sign the papers. The love that she had for the blond toddler in no way differed from the love she felt for Thomas. Jax handed her the pen that they kept next to the phone on the nightstand. Kristina signed the documents before passing them and the pen back to Jax. "You know you're stuck with me now, right?"

Jax laughed as he set the papers back in his nightstand drawer. "Good. That's the way I want it." He laid back down and pulled her to lay cuddled up to his chest. "I've been trying to find the right time to tell you... I sat down with the club's IRA contact. Apparently, they have a shit ton of Celtic antiques that they want to smuggle into the country. You were right. Black market antiques bring in way more dough than guns. We have one more shipment and then SAMCRO is completely out of the gun running business. We're gonna be transporting, storing, and fencing the IRA's old shit now. It's all because of you, babe." He kissed her forehead.

"Glad I could help, honey." Kristina leaned up and kissed his chin.