Alex sits on the floor of her apartment across from the small urn on the upside down laundry basket. She's staring at it with no clue of what to do with it. She flicks her cigarette butt at it and pushes a hand through her hair. The guys cleaned her place up in a few days and she's been cooped up in it ever since. She's still staring at that wooden urn, glaring at it. That asshole is finally boxed up. She flicks another cigarette butt at it as she reaches over to answer her ringing phone. "What?" She's monotoned.

"You okay?" Will asks, a cow mooing in the background with a couple chickens joining in. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Yeah, sorry." She exhales a lungful of smoke. "Things've been kinda crazy."

"Are you smoking?" He sighs. "C'mon baby, we worked so hard to get you to quit."

"Sorry. I'm a little stressed the fuck out. My dad just- sorry." She clears her throat. "My dad just died."

"What!? I'm so sorry, baby." There's an odd sound coming from his end. "You okay?"

"Tryna be." There's more weird nosies. "What're you doing?"

"I'm on my way out."

"What? No I'm fine. You don't gotta drive thirty five hours for me."

"That's where you're wrong, baby. I'm on my way now. See you in a few days." He hangs up and she sighs loudly, reaching over to pick up a half drank bottle of Ole Smokey Whiskey, the salty caramel one. She take a swig and tilts her head back against the wall, closing her eyes as warmth spreads down her throat, through her chest and in her belly.

Alex hasn't talked to Jax since the night she found out what he did. She hasn't seen him. She honestly misses him; his arms, the safety he gives, around her at night. She really needs that comfort but she's still mad at him. Why she isn't mad at Opie, she has no idea but this was Jax's idea.

Ugh.

There's a soft knock on the door. "Go away." They knock again. "Go away!" She shouts, throwing a discarded shoe at her visitor behind the door.

"I haven't seen you in a week." It's Jax.

"God! Go away!" The door slowly opens and Jax peeks in. "You don't fuckin listen do ya?" She shakes her head as she clumsily gets to her feet.

"I'm sorry."

"Say that to my dad- oh wait he's in the fucking box!" She uses the bottle to point at the wooden urn. "Powder! He's fucking powder! Ash!" She looks at the shoebox under his arm. "The fucks that?"

"I snagged it from your old man's place. I think you should look through it."

"You think? Wow, that's a first." She rolls her eyes, finishing off the whiskey. "Actually using the pretty head of yours." Jax creases his brows. She's mean when she's drunk off whiskey, just like her father. "Finally got it outta your ass, huh?" She's creepily, eerily, unsettlingly similar to Lawrence. Jax drops the box on her cluttered counter top, it's usually spotless. "I don't want that here, asswipe." He turns and starts toward her, reaching out for the empty bottle but she shoves him away. "Don't touch me." She's got herself against the wall, keeping herself on her feet. She's afraid that if she moves, she'll end up on the floor.

That's what happens.

Alex takes a step forward and drops to the floor, knocking herself out cold.

Jax looks down at her, shaking his head. He's seen her like this once before, when her mom passed but she learned about her behavior, she said- promised- she'd never do it again. He sighs as he scoops her up and lays her in her bed, sitting in the chair in the corner of her room. He kicks his feet up and waits until she wakes.

+++

Alex groans as she regaines consciousness the following evening. Jax was worried she wasn't going to wake up. He leans forward with his elbows on his knees as he bounces his leg, his shoulders tensing when he realizes she's awake. "Hey."

"Why are you here?"

"Aren't you just a delight." He mutters. "You blacked out."

She laughs weakly as she rubs her face. "I don't do that. I don't drink that much."

"You were a real bitch to me." Her face drops as she leans up. "Seriously."

"I'm so sorry." She whispers. "Holy fuck. I'm my old man." She tears up. "I'm Lawrence! I told you when people see me they see him!" Her head is throbbing and pounding, spinning as she gets worked up. "I can't- I can't- I can't be him."

"Then don't." He shrugs as he stands, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Glad you're alive. I'm outta here."

"No, Jax-" He shakes his head as he heads towards the door. She groans as she stands, reaching out to grab his arm. She turns him to face her and sees his sad eyes. "I'm so sorry." She slides her arms around his middle, her head against his chest, inhaling deeply. "Thanks for y'know checkin on me, I appreciate it a lot."

She gives him a look at almost instantly makes him feel better. "I'm just glad you're okay. You hit your head against the floor kinda hard but I'm surprised you didn't bleed."

"That explains my violent headache." They laugh quietly. "Thanks for everything." He leans down a kisses her forehead. "Really. I mean y'all tried to help and I'm grateful for that..." she trails off, looking at her kitchen counter. "What's that?" She nods at the shoebox.

"I took it from your dads place." He slides it over to her. "Figured it's something you wanted to look through."

"I gotta pack his house up because I'm the closest living relative that they can find." She huffs, tapping her fingers against the lid. "You and Ope are helping. It's only fair since y'all killed him."

Jax rolls his eyes. "Yeah I guess that is fair." There's a soft knock on her door. "Who's that?" She shrugs and answers. "William." He says through gritted teeth.

Will gives Alex a bone crushing hug, the flowers he picked up crinkling in the plastic sleeve against her back. "You okay?" He whispers as he takes in her pale face and dark under eye bags.

"I'm fine. I'm better than I was, y'know?" Jax keeps his arm tight around Alex's shoulders. "I'm gonna take a shower, clean the booze offa me." She pats Jax on the chest before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

Jax sits awkwardly with Will on the couch, the blonde staring daggers at the brunette. "So, William, you just uh dropped everything to come out here for Drea, huh?"

"Her dad died, man." He whispers back. "It'd be rude of me to just stay home."

"You should of."

"What the hell is your problem with me?"

"You're just a little too friendly with my girl."

Will laughs hard, his mind replaying that night they spent together out by the lake when he first came out to California; when she finally met him in. "You're such an asshole."

Jax clenches his jaw as he looks at the cowboy. "You just invited yourself out."

"Dude, she's my friend. She needed me-"

"She has all she needs right here." He gestures to himself.

Alex sighs as she steps out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her hair. She pulls on a pair of sweats and a random Sons tee. She sighs heavily as she hears the two boys bickering. "Y'all are in your late twenties! Act like it!" She snaps, her head throbbing with every word.

"Sorry." They mutter in unison. She huffs as she sits between them, kicking her feet up on the coffee table with a bottle of cherry Pedialyte in her hands, it helps with hangovers.

The trio sit in silence as they watch some shitty movie, Alex dozes off with her head against Jax's shoulder. He gives Will a look that has him rolling his eyes. "Well, I'm gonna go. Looks like you've got this under control." He says sarcastically. "I'll be seeing y'all in the morning." Will leans down and gives Alex a kiss to the side of the head before he grabs his cowboy hat and leaves, heading to the motel room he booked.

Jax carries Alex back to her bed, sliding in next to her after he kicks his jeans and shoes off. He keeps her close with his tattooed arm around her waist, his forehead against her shoulder.

+++

Jax, Opie, and Will are moving furniture out of Lawrence's place while Alex and Donna are putting shit into boxes. "Y'know for a drunk, he was pretty organized." Donna mutters as she looks through his kitchen cabinets. "He has everything facing the same way, the beer in the fridge is the same way." She turns to another cabinet. "His dishes are stacked so neatly-"

"Can we just pack everything, please?"

"You keeping any of this?" Jax shouts from the living room. "I mean this TV is a huge update from yours." He refers to the big, heavy, bulky TV she found at a discount electronics place in Alabama. It was thirty two dollars. "And I can have a comfy chair rather than that wood one."

"Jax." She sighs, a box in her hands. "Actually, that's not a bad idea." She picks out a few things and has the guys load them up into her truck. They drive it over to her place and unload it for her.

"Will's cute." Donna says when they're alone. "If I wasn't with Ope, I'd make my move."

"Yeah, too bad you're in a committed relationship and pregnant with his child." Alex laughs. "Him and Jax don't get along."

"It's obvious why." Alex scrunches her face up. "Do you really not know?"

"Should I?"

"Jax is threatened by your guys' relationship. You were around Will for, what, five years, away from Jax. Jax missed you and doesn't want you to leave again. He probably thinks Will's gonna talk you into leaving again." Alex snorts. "Seriously. Jax wants Will to know that you're with him."

"Donna, Jax told me he loved me." She whispers, blushing at the memory.

"That's crazy!"

"What is?" The blonde biker asks, leaning over to give Alex a soft kiss.

"Where are the other guys?" Donna asks, taking a sip from her bottle of water.

"Ope's moving some shit with Will." He rolls his eyes. Alex and Donna share a look before the silver haired girl grabs the outlaw by the jaw and kisses him hotly. "I think they just pulled up." Jax nods to the door before he follows Alex to an empty bedroom.

+++

"You sure you're doing alright?" Will asks Alex softly as they lay in the bed of his truck at the lake outside of town.

"I am." She sighs, looking over at him. "Thanks for comin out here." She rolls on her side. "It was very sweet of you." Will chuckles bashfully, turning on his side to face her. He puts a hand on the side of her face, his thumb brushing away some strands of hair. Her eyes slowly close, her body relaxing, and she scoots closer to her friend, her head against his chest. Will smiles, rubbing her back. Her phone rings. "Hello?" She mumbles. "Jax? Is everythin alright?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving Oakland. I'll be home soon."

"Okay. Yeah, be careful."

"You got it baby." He hangs up and she pockets her phone.

"So where're you stayin while you're in town?" She asks as she traces her finger over the part of his shirt that isn't buttoned up, across his hint of chest hair. His body gets hot as he feels that finger tug gently on his shirt. She leans up on her elbow, looking at the cowboy with dark eyes. Alex leans down and kisses him. He slides his hand to the back of her neck, moving down to her hip then thigh to bring her leg over his.

"What?" Will breathes out, his cheeks pink.

She giggles as she starts to move off him but she's stopped by his strong hand gripping her thigh. "Will..." she can't help the soft chuckle that falls from her pouty pink lips.

"What do you see in Jax?" He suddenly asks, his chest tightening and his heart pounding. "I'm sorry, it just came out."Alex sits back and bites her lip.

What does she see in Jax?

"He and I went through the same shit 'round the same time, we just have a bond. He's just... I dunno." She sighs, pushing her hand through her hair. "He's always been kinda over protective of me, I guess- I dunno."

"I think you should come back home."

"Will-"

"I know. I just miss you." He rubs her thigh. "And it's wrong of me to say anything-" She presses a finger to his lips. "I'm sorry."

"I've thought about going back to Bama." She admits. "My family is here." He nods and sighs. "And I can't ask you to stay because of your family." She looks his face over and smiles slightly. "You're so handsome." She laughs as he blushes. "Thanks again for coming out." She sits against the back of the truck, her long legs stretching out in her distressed jeans. "Y'know I might go out and visit everyone back in Bama."

"Really? Mason misses you." Alex smiles. Mason is Will's youngest brother. He's ten and he absolutely adores Alex.

"How's Buck?" Buck is Will's older brother, a year or two older than him. He flirts with every girl he comes in contact with; the man looks freaky similar to Will except taller and more muscular.

"He's, y'know, Buck." He shrugs, scooting up next to her, tossing his denim jacket covered arm around her shoulders. "He's been tryna get Mason's teacher to go out with him." She chuckles. "She thinks Buck is his real name and that's why she won't budge."

"What is his real name?"

"Patrick."

She snorts. "What a dorky name!" The two laugh. "I like Buck better. How'd he get that name?"

"It's a long story." He's already chuckling. "When him and my old man went hunting, there was this huge beautiful buck that they saw and my dad was ready to shoot and at the last second, the idiot sneezes." She sits with a half smile on her face as Will laughs hard. "So he gets that nickname and it stuck."

"I miss your family." She sighs, her head dropping on his shoulder. "Felt like a real family. Like how a family should be." Will gently squeezes her thigh then her phone starts ringing.

"Where are you?" Opie shouts into his phone. "Please tell me you're in town."

"I'm a couple minutes away. You okay? What's wrong?" She answers as she climbs out of the bed and into the cab of Will's truck. Will doesn't hesitate to join her, starting his truck up.

"Just get to the clubhouse. Now!" She hangs up and gives Will the address as he speeds off into town.