Cori woke up to a bed that was empty apart from herself. If it wasn't for the aches she still felt over her body then she'd think that she was dreaming. Slowly getting off the bed she shook her head slowly at how weak she felt. When was the last time she ate?

God only knows what would have happened if they hadn't come home in time. It was so damn difficult to believe they'd said what they did. Surely she was mistaken?

Was she? Did they really say the things they did?

Taking tentaive steps towards the bathroom she realised that although her joints ached, her skin no longer felt as burnt and stingy as it did though she had to wonder just why she could smell salad? On her?

Jax was sitting at the kitchen table as Russell was throwing a meal together. He looked at the man who was his lover and couldn't help but grin. This man belonged to him and if they didn't scare her off then they would both belong to Cori as well.

His grin faltered. They'd almost ruined everything by being too forward. Russell was the type of man who knew what he wanted and went out to get it. There was no in betweens and that wasn't going to work in this situation.

The look on Cori's face had gone from stunned to shock to disbelief and Russells powerful nature almost succeeded in her pushing them away. What they were proposing wasn't considered normal in the general population. Would she be able to get past that?

He wanted her. God he wanted her but they'd have to take things slowly if they wanted to have her accept they wanted her forever. She was a delicate young woman, maybe not in mind but definitely in her heart. She was the sort of woman who loved completely and damned if he didn't want that for them. She was a gem, a jewel. She was perfect.

"Why the long face?" Russell had stopped chopping vegetables and was watching him closely.

"Thinking about Cori."

Russell nodded.

"I have as well. I nearly blew it Jax. Hell I might still have."

"Maybe. Until we talk to her we won't know. You just have to remember you're fifteen years older than her Pops. She's young and out for adventure. You've seen a lot more than she has, being heavy handed won't help."

Russell sighed and rubbed across his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I know. I just feel protective of her and shít she scared me yesterday. Christ Jax... how would we have explained it to her father if something happened to her?"

"Oh come on Russell... what happened yesterday was all her own fault for going to sleep."

"True... but I sure as fúck don't want to go through shít like that again."

"Neither do I" Jax sighed and shuddered at how close things had been. Maybe they should have taken her to the hospital but at the time all they could think of was fixing her.

They both looked towards the bedroom when they heard the toilet flush.

"She's awake." Russell said in an obvious voice.

"I'll go." Jax said as he got up from the table to leave the kitchen.

"Bring her in here if she's up to it."

Jax nodded with a smile as he went out of sight.

Russell leant his hands on the kitchen counter and dropped his head.

Shít. Maybe he was getting too old for this... too old for her maybe? Fifteen years was alot but other couples had differences much greater and they had successful relationships... monogamous but still... surely they could get past that? Maybe pretending that she and Jax were a couple would help? It's not like anyone knew that he and Jax were lovers so maybe they could pull that scenario off? Would he be happy with that though? His need to touch her may be a problem though maybe not if he was just putting a friendly arm around her?

"Look who I found wandering about."

Jax walked in with an arm wrapped around Cori's waist. She looked at him shyly and he felt his groin come to life.

Fúck she really was beautiful... sunburn and all.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?"

"Better I think. Hungry!" Her stomach chose that moment to make itself known. "God how embarrassing!"

"Don't sweat it babe. You should hear Pop's when he's hungry!"

Jax helped her to sit down while Russell got together the makings of a cheese sandwich and a glass of juice.

Placing the food on the table in front of her Russell bent down and kissed the top of her head before returning to chopping up vegetables.

"Eat up sweetheart. Let me know if you want another."

"What are you making?"

"Soup."

"Soup?" she scrunched up her nose "In January?"

"Don't knock it till you try it."

"Oh I'm sure it's lovely..."

"Crawler" Jax whispered beside her earning him a mock glare.

"But it's January! No one has soup in January."

"We do now. You need all the fluids you can get for the next few days." Russell tried to reason.

"But it's January!"

Jax started to chuckle beside her.

"Give up babe. He won't change his mind will you Pops?"

"Nope." Russell replied with a certain satisfaction.

Cori sat quietly for a few minutes eating her sandwich with things running through her mind.

"Why do you call him Pops?"

"What?" Jax was surprised by her question.

"Pops... it's... well it's weird."

"How so?" Russell asked just as bewildered as Jax was.

"Well..." she started with a nervous lick to her lips that didn't go unnoticed "see my Dad said you were his step father and well the whole Pops thing... it's sorta creepy."

"What?"

"You know" she prompted not wanting to say the words.

"No babe. I don't." Jax sat shaking his head.

"It's like the whole father son thing and you two are... well..."

"Sleeping together?" Russell said bluntly.

"Yeh" she said quietly.

"So what you're saying is that by calling Russell Pops it's like I'm having sex with my Dad?" Jax's voice was full of shock and surprise.

She nodded.

"Oh hell no! I never thought of him as my dad. Yeh he was married to my mum but... hell no!"

"Maybe you should explain where it came from Jax" he placed the knife he was holding in the sink before turning back around to stand with his arms folded and his face dark.

"From football. He" Jax pointed to Russell "only gave up a couple of years ago. One of the younger players called him Pops and it stuck. Everyone calls him Pops, not just me."

"Satisfied?" Russell asked angrily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know..." her voice trailed off.

"You mean you made assumptions?"

"No! I wanted to know so I asked."

"Well now you know. I suppose I'm out screwing all those other people too?"

"What? No!" she sat shaking her head.

Jax sat quietly beside her. He looked at Russell and by the dark expression he was wearing he knew this wasn't good.

"Then why the fúck talk like I'm fúcking my son? There's no blood connection between Jax and me. I was married to his mother. I didn't marry her so I could fúck her child."

"Stop it Russell. I get it. She's new to town, she doesn't know how things are here."

Russell stood shaking his head.

"It's a fúcking turn off."

"I didn't mean... I wanted to know so I asked! I'm sorry ok?" she got up from the table and shakily made her way to the door. "I'm sorry I offended you especially after the way you looked after me. I'm sorry!"

She held back a sob as she walked away with tears streaming down her face.

"You fúcking idiot! Are you going to leave things like this? Isn't this the sort of shít you ask for? Honesty no matter what? Well she just gave you that and you slapped her in the face with it."

Russell started to shake. Jax was right. Man he fúcked up... again.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Go and talk to her. Clear this up. We can't lose her." Jax walked out of the kitchen and into the loungeroom.

He stood there for a moment trying to think but the words were completely jumbled in his mind. He slowly made his way to the bedroom, each step felt like he was walking through knee high mud.

The door was closed and he rested his head on it for a moment before it snapped up sharply when he heard her talking.

"Hello Daddy... I miss you... not good Daddy... I think I made a mistake coming here... I want to come home."