JAX PLOPPED DOWN on June's couch after Abel, Thomas and Callie had ran off and made himself comfortable, while Tara sat down on the small armchair that was next to the couch, her scrutinizing gaze wandering around the room while June sat down on the couch next to her brother.

"I heard that Alanna spent the last three nights at Happy's", Jax began, unable to hide the slight grin that formed on his lips. He teasingly shoved his elbow in June's side. "Did Maria's and my plan work after all? Are the two of you gettin' closer again?"

June rolled her eyes, but it took everything in her not to spill the little secret between her and Happy. "None of your business", she chirped sweetly, pulling one leg up to her chest so she could rest her chin on her knee. "I just want the kids to see their dad as often as they see meᅳ it's especially important for Alanna to spend time with Happy."

"I'm not sure that's for the best." Tara rubbed the tip of her nose before crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, he really hurt you, and Alanna too."

"Mhm, right, he did", June hummed, unimpressed by Tara's judgment. She had involuntarily gotten used to it by now. "But Jax hurt you just as much, and yet you're sitting here with him. Maybe you should thinkᅳ"

"Okay, stop it, both of you." Jax sighed as he ran a hand over his beard, giving them both a stern look, but he stopped at Tara. "June is right, you stayed with me too. Why shouldn't she give Happy a second chance?"

Tara snorted through her nose, shaking her head in disbelief. "Because I know your games by now, and you showed immediate remorse", she looked at June with a sigh. "Happy didn't. Did he ever apologize? I thought he didn't even want you back."

"Things can change", June answered calmly, but inside she was seething, the urge to punch her sister-in-law in the face growing with each word the doctor spoke. "I know my husband, and I know when he's genuinely sorry about something. But that's none of your business, Tara. It's my marriage, my life."

"Exactly, and we respect that", Jax said with a meaningful look addressed to Tara, who just rolled her eyes at her husband. Sighing, the blonde turned back to his sister, furrowing his eyebrows. "So you and Happy, is there something goin' on again?"

"Jax, please", June whined, throwing her head back with a soft groan. Until she herself knew for sure whether she and Happy would get back together again, she didn't want to share the state of her marriage. "We'll see. First of all, it's important that Callie and Lana see their dad regularly again, not just every two weeks."

"So you don't want a divorce anymore?" Tara just shook her head, not even trying to hide her disappointment. "Whatever, I have to go to work. Can I pick Abel and Thomas up later or are you dropping them off?"

"Jesus Tara, just let it go", the former Teller hissed, clearly annoyed, before waving her hand. "I'll bring them over later, call when you're home."

"You know what, do what you wantᅳ you have to live with the consequences. But don't come to me afterwards." Tara threw her hands in the air. She would prefer not to leave her sons here at all, but she knew they were in good hands and she still preferred June over Gemma as a babysitter. "Okay, daycare should be open again tomorrow. Thanks for today."

"And if not, that's okay too, my nephews are always welcome", June insisted firmly.

"Just wanted to let you know", the doctor murmured before giving Jax a quick kiss on the cheek. "Will you be home tonight?"

"I don't know yet, it'll probably get late", Jax informed his Old Lady, only earning a sigh from her. Jax was visibly tired, emotionally tired, because he knew that he was slowly losing control over his marriage. "I love you, babe."

"Me too." Tara turned away with a tight-lipped smile, a moment later the door slammed shut behind her.

"That was..cold", June noted carefully, nudging her brother's arm with her elbow. "Should I be worried about you and Tara?"

"Nah, it'll fall into place." Sighing, Jax changed position, taking a more comfortable one. With a small smile, he looked at June, his head supported by his hand while his elbow rested on the backrest. "It's all just a bit difficult right now. That's why I just want you to be happy at least."

"I am. But I also want you to be happy, Jackson", June said firmly, nodding eagerly. And right now, that really wasn't a lie, she was happy. But her brother clearly wasn't. "Can you promise me to keep your mouth shut?"

"Have I ever told you a secret?" he asked with a chuckle, bumping his knee against hers. "You remember your first date that Mom didn't know about and I had to cover for you? Did I ever snitch on you?"

"Jesus, you mean Bryan?" June grimaced, a small laugh slipping past her lips. "Yeah, I remember that day. Mom would've whooped my ass if she had known about me sneaking out because of the boy she absolutely hated. Thanks again for covering for me, by the way."

Flashback; Charming, 1997

A fourteen-year-old June tiptoed through the house in the early hours of the morning, hoping that everyone was still asleep, otherwise she would be done for and get grounded until her eighteenth birthday. Although, Gemma Teller was her mom, which meant that she could be grounded for a lot longerᅳ regardless of whether she was of legal age or not.

As she passed the large, long mirror that hung in the hallway, surrounded by lots of family pictures, June still had to grin slightly. Her hair was in a half ponytail, the colorful streaks shining among the dark brown, and still a bit disheveled from the concert.

She was still happy with her outfit, pretty confident that she had chosen the right one to impress Bryan. Bryanᅳ her first crush with whom she had spent the night in Charming's small town and spent time in the nearby park after the concert. Smoking, drinking, chattingᅳ the perfect date, right? Her teenage mind was convinced that there was nothing more romantic.

Smiling to herself, she finally kicked off her boots, which were covered in dirt and gravel dust, and almost had a heart attack when someone cleared their throat. The shock quickly wore off as she looked to the side and saw Jax' amused face as he lounged on the couch, flicking through the newspaper as if he had nothing better to do at five in the morning.

"Why the hell are you awake already?!", she hissed quietly, her nervousness rising as she looked around warily. "Mom and Clay awake too?"

"Couldn't sleep, and Ope and I were leaving soon. You forget our camping trip? We've planned this shit for months, June", the blonde told her with a crooked eyebrow, examining his sister more closely. "You've got some balls, I'll give you that. Did you really sneak out last night after Ma strictly told you not to?"

A little pride flashed in Jax' piercing blue eyes, the two siblings known for the mischief they always got up to. When the Teller siblings showed up, no matter where, it usually meant troubleᅳ but not always in a bad way, the two just wanted to have fun sometimes.

"Well..", June trailed, clearing her throat before innocently batting her eyelashes while leaning against the doorframe. "I really wanted to go to the concert and just because Mom has a problem with Bryan doesn't mean she can't forbid me shit all the time!"

"Jesus, a simple 'yes' would've been enough", Jax chuckled, throwing the boring newspaper on the table. "You know, I'm not a fan of Ryan either. He's an arrogant dick and thinks he's the coolest", he rambled with a shrug, only getting an eye roll from June. "So, what do I get for keeping my mouth shut?"

"Seriously, Jax?!" The younger Teller groaned in annoyance, throwing her head back. "I only have twenty dollars left! How about you help your little sister out just for once?"

"Hey, I always help you out", the nineteen-year-old snorted, pushing himself to his feet. "But I'm broke and need money for the weekend. Twenty will do."

June glared at her brother as he stood in front of her, his hand outstretched, waiting for her to place the money in it. She uncrossed her arms and, with a scowl, pulled the last twenty dollars she had out of her jeans pocket.

"You only need it for booze anyway", she snapped, shoving the bill into his hand. "You better not get in trouble, or I'll charge you double if you need my help."

"You're getting better at this", Jax observed after shoving the bill into his jeans pocket with a proud grin. "I like it. Now you better go upstairs before Ma gets up and kicks your ass", he winked as he pushed past her and jogged up the stairs.

"Idiot", June muttered, still mad about losing twenty dollars. But she knew that Jax would've helped her even without the money, like he always did.

So she followed her brother's advice, crept quietly up the stairs and slipped through the door to her room just in time when she heard the bedroom door next door creak.

Flashback over

Not only June but also Jax liked to think back to such moments, moments that made their band inseparable. And even today, the siblings would do everything for each other, no matter how often they wanted to bump heads. At the end of the day they were a family.

"So what is it nobody should know?", Jax asked, watching as June's lips formed into a thin line.

The younger Teller hesitantly rubbed her hands together before the words finally fell from her lips. "Happy and I had sex, more than once, and I think we're on the right track."

"Woah, wouldn't have expected it to be happening so quickly." Jax chuckled, letting out a laugh next moment when June punched his arm. "What was that for now?"

"You know", June grumbled, this time she pulled both legs against her chest and sighed loudly. "What if I can't do it, forgive him I mean?"

"Didn't you already?" Jax asked, much more serious now. "I know you did. You wouldn't just have slept with him otherwise."

"Maybe", she admitted, an unusual uncertainty shimmering in her eyes. "But so far I haven't seen Jenna since she shoved her tongue down my husband's throat. What if I see her and realize that I'm not ready to forget about it?"

"Hey, come here." With a comforting smile, Jax pulled his sister into his arms, just holding her while he placed his chin on her head. "You know that this meant absolutely nothing to him. Jesus, he only pulled Jenna on his lap when he spotted youᅳ that was his plan, to push you away and not to actually cheat on you."

"Nevertheless, he did the one thing he knew that I couldn't forgive", she murmured against the cool leather of Jax' kutte, whereas her cheek was resting against. "I know that it should only serve to get rid of me but it still hurt like shit."

"I know", Jax answered, still remembering his sister's and Tara's gaze when they saw them. They had really hurt their women, although it had hit June much harder. "We both regretted what we did, June, but Happy was so tired of being scared..that he thought this was the best for you guys. But you can believe me that he almost lost his mind after you moved out with Lana and Callie."

June was silent while she listened to Jax' words, swallowing the tears that formed in her blue eyes. "Can you be honest with me?"

"What is it?" Jax wanted to know, June's eyes full of uncertainty when she looked at him.

"I probably know him better, but you know him differently", she began, kneading her hands with a sigh. "Do you think he would leave me again when shit gets dangerous again?"

"No." Jax Answer came fast and with such a determination that June had no doubts. "He learned from his mistakes. You have no idea how fast his mood has changed since last week since you gave him the chance to get closer to you and the kids again."

"Really?" June asked, her voice just a little louder than a whisper, a little smile forming on her lips when her brother nodded. She placed her cheek against his shoulder again, letting out another deep sigh. "I want my family back. I really want that."

"And you'll get your family back", Jax assured her and placed a kiss against the top of her head. "Come to the party tomorrow. It's Bobby's birthday. Yeah, Jenna will also be there but you'll see that Happy will only have eyes for youᅳ his Old Lady."

"I don't know." June wrinkled her nose.

Should she really face the woman whose nose she broke a year ago? That she almost beat unconsciousness? On the other hand, June would be able to show everyone that Happy was hers again. In addition, she didn't want to miss more birthdaysᅳ after all, they were also her family.

"Believe me, it'll be less bad than you think", the blonde reasoned, shrugging her head from his shoulder so that she had to look at him. Then he smiled at her encouragingly. "Come on, we all miss you. Don't let a woman ruin everything."

"You know what, I think you are right", June nodded slightly. "I'm coming..but only if Happy is okay with it."

"Oh please..he's just waiting for it", Jax snorted through his nose and then got up. "See you tomorrow, sis. If you don't come, I'll pick you up myself and drag your ass to Bobby's party", he added, casually walking backwards with his famous Teller smirk.

"Idiot", June murmured before she threw one of the small decorative pillows after him and shared a laugh with Jax before her brother left the house.

Smiling to herself, the former Teller woman reached for her phone and let Happy know that she would come to the party tomorrowᅳ and that she would be happy if he came over for dinner later.

word count; about 2.4k

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authors note; I promise there will be lots of Happy scenes again in the next chapter! I'd also love to hear what you think so far, don't be shy and let me know in the comments.🤎