SETBACK

***JAX***

I slumped into the chair, my body heavy from the burden of the last hours. My hands rested on my thighs, my fingers involuntarily clenched into fists. The silence in the room was stifling, but I wasn't ready to break it. It was Celine who finally spoke up.

“I'm sorry, Jax,“ she said softly, her words hesitant, as if she knew that no apology would suffice. Her eyes sought mine, but I just shook my head, unable to accept her words.

“Sorry's not good enough, Celine,” I murmured, my voice cold and rough. “What has happened here... all of this...” I paused, took a deep breath before continuing. ‘We finally need someone to rid this city of the scum. If the police are incapable of doing so...’ I let the sentence hang in the air, waiting for someone to finish it.

It was Damian who spoke, his voice unexpectedly calm, almost thoughtful. “Then we should do it.”

I raised my head, looked at him, and his expression surprised me. It wasn't provocation, anger, but something that almost seemed like conviction. But before I could say anything, Celine spoke up.

“He's right, Jax,“ she said, her voice becoming firmer, more confident. ‘It would make more sense than bringing disaster upon the city or continuing to destroy each other. We could make a difference.”

I laughed dryly, a bitter sound that filled the room. ’So you're saying the three of us...” I made a meaningful gesture between us. “...as a kind of superhero squad to save this city?” My voice was full of sarcasm, but I couldn't deny that part of me found the idea intriguing.

Celine smiled weakly, but her eyes remained serious. ‘Why not?’ she asked softly. ”What else do we have to lose, Jax? Look at us. Look at this city. If we don't act, who will?”

Damian leaned back, crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me. “You laugh now, Jax, but think about it. We have the means, the contacts and, above all, the will to change something. We could give this city a new direction.”

I rubbed my forehead, the idea gnawed at me. It sounded insane, but at the same time... logical. My gaze wandered back and forth between the two of them, looking for signs of weakness, doubt, but I found none.

“You're crazy,” I finally said, my voice was quiet, but no longer quite as convinced as before. ”But maybe... maybe that's exactly what we need.”

Celine and Damian exchanged a quick glance, and I could see that they had both been waiting for this moment. It wasn't a decision I made lightly, but in this room, in this darkness, it felt like the first ray of light in a long time.

“All right,” I finally said, my voice becoming firmer. ‘Let's see if we can turn the chaos we've created into something good. But if any of you screw up...”

“Then you'll handle it,’ Damian interrupted with a slight grin, his eyes sparkling. ”As always, Jax.”

I couldn't help but laugh softly. It wasn't a perfect idea, but maybe it was exactly what we needed to change something in this damn city.

I leaned back in my chair, looking at Celine and Damian. Their faces were tense, but also determined. A determination I hadn't seen in a long time – not in us, not in anyone.

“Maybe this is more than just a plan,” I said quietly, my voice rough but clear. ”Maybe it's something that finally brings us together. Something that shows us who we really are. As a family.”

Celine smiled weakly, her eyes shining with emotions she didn't try to hide. “Exactly, Jax,” she whispered, her voice warm but imbued with that unwavering strength she so often displayed. “That's what we need. Not just for this city, but for us.”

Damian nodded slowly, his gaze moving to me, then to Celine. “A family,” he murmured, and there was a hint of hesitation in his voice, as if the word was hard for him to say. “That's what we should be, what we should have always been.”

I looked at him, my eyes narrowing slightly. ”Damian, I'll be honest. We've all made our mistakes. But if we really want to see this through, then there can be no more excuses. No relapses, no secrets. If we fail, we fail together.”

Damian held my gaze, his jaw clenched, but then he nodded again. “No excuses,” he repeated, his voice firmer. “No secrets. I'm in.”

Celine radiated something I couldn't quite put my finger on – maybe hope, maybe relief. “We can do this,” she said, her voice clear and sure. “But only if we work together. No more recriminations, no more blame. We've suffered enough.”

I took a deep breath, letting her words resonate within me. It was as if we were slowly working our way out of the darkness that had surrounded us for so long. Maybe it was naive, maybe it was risky, but it felt right.

“All right,” I finally said, my voice firmer, more determined. ”We'll do it. Not for the city, not just for others. But for us. For what we should have been.”

Celine smiled, a real, sincere smile that I hadn't seen on her face in far too long. “For us,” she repeated softly.

Damian put a hand on the table, looked at us both, his gaze dark but clear. “For the family,” he said softly, and his words seemed to hang in the air like an oath.

In that moment, I felt something I hadn't felt in years. Hope. Not just for us, but for everything that lay ahead. Maybe it wasn't perfect, maybe we were anything but perfect. But that was okay. Because sometimes it was enough to try. Together.

**One year later**

**DAMIAN**

A year. It was amazing how much everything could change in such a short time. My life had taken a turn that I would never have imagined before. I stood in my office, letting my gaze wander over the club, which vibrated with energy, with people, music, light. Jax's club, our club, which we had rebuilt together. It felt like a triumph, but also like a relief.

Celine came up behind me and gently laid her hands on my shoulders. Her touch was warm, a soft echo of the love that surprised me every day. “You look content,” she said softly, her voice a melody I never wanted to lose.

I turned to her, took her hands in mine, and for a moment I saw only her – my salvation, my anchor, the woman who had changed everything. “I am content,” I said, my voice calm but full of meaning. “And I have you to thank for that.”

A smile played on her lips, but she shook her head. ”You have yourself to thank for that, Damian. You fought. For yourself, for Jax, for us.”

Jax. My brother. My heart tightened when I thought of him. We used to love each other like brothers, then we hated each other, maybe even despised each other. But now? Now we were on our way back to what we used to be.

The sessions with Professor Dr. Sidney had changed us. It hadn't been easy – countless hours, countless conversations about all the terrible things that had happened to us. But they had opened us up, bit by bit. I had learned things about Jax that had hit me hard, that for the first time really made me understand what he had been through. He wasn't guilty. He had never been guilty. Just like me, he was a victim, a helpless boy who had done what he could to survive.

I took a deep breath, let go of Celine and looked out at the club again. “We did it, Celine,” I said softly, and my voice was a whisper in the darkness.

She came over to me and put her head on my shoulder. “And we'll never look back.”

A weak smile played around my lips. “Never again,” I agreed.

Jax had finally found someone too, Yasmin. A blonde beauty with a touch of craziness that suited him perfectly. She gave him what he needed - stability, but also a certain lightness that he had so often lacked. And for Celine? Well, he had become the perfect brother. He watched over her like a guard dog, and I couldn't help but laugh at how seriously he took this role.

Life was intoxicating, a feeling I hadn't felt in so long. But it wasn't just the club or the love for Celine that fulfilled me. It was something bigger, something that made me wake up every day with a smile on my face.

“Did I actually tell you that I'm going to be a father soon?” I suddenly asked, my voice full of pride and joy.

Celine raised her head, a radiant smile lit up her face. ”Yes, Damian. But I always like to hear it.”

“Twins,” I murmured, almost to myself. ‘I'm going to be a father of twins.”

“You'll be a great father,’ she said softly, her eyes sparkling with tenderness.

“No, my beauty,” I said, my voice deep and rough, a low growl that vibrated between us. ‘I will be the best father.’ My eyes flashed with desire and a hint of dominance. I stepped closer, my body tensing with every step. ”But first, I want you. Here. And now.”

Her smile grew wider, almost teasingly, as she crossed her arms over her chest. She leaned back slightly, as if to challenge me even more. “Well,” she began slowly, her voice velvety soft, but with a cheeky note that spurred me on even more. “Then you should think about how you can best get what you want.”

I laughed softly, a dark, deeply vibrating sound that spoke of a promise. My eyes wandered over her body, lingering on her mouth, which had driven me out of my mind so many nights. “Don't tempt me, Celine,” I warned, my voice a dangerous whisper that hung between us. “I'll get it anyway.”

She tilted her head slightly to the side, as if considering my words, but her eyes sparkled with challenge. “Oh,” she said softly, her voice almost playful. “Someone is very confident.”

I stepped closer until there was only a hint of distance between us. My hand found her waist, pulling her closer, while my other hand slid over her back, encircling her neck. “Confident?“ I asked quietly, my lips only a breath away from hers. ‘No, Celine. I'm quite sure.”

Her breathing faltered for a moment, but she quickly caught herself, a mischievous smile playing around her lips. ’And if I don't make it easy for you?” she asked, her voice a challenging whisper that only provoked me more.

I leaned forward, letting my lips glide over her skin without touching it completely, feeling her body tremble at my touch. “Then I'll take it,” I whispered, my voice a promise, a fire burning between us. “Bit by bit.”

She laughed softly, her breathing growing heavier, and her hands found my chest, pushing me back slightly, but I could see the desire in her eyes. “You really are impertinent, Damian,” she said softly.

“Oh yes, I am,” I said, a dark smile playing around my lips. ”And I intend to remind you why you are with me, Celine.”

Celine drew back slightly, her eyes fixed on mine with a challenging sparkle. Her lips curved into a smile that boded ill – at least for my self-control. She let her fingers glide playfully over my chest before resting her hands on my shoulders.

“Prove you deserve me, Damian,” she said softly, but her voice was like a command hanging in the air, irrefutable and electrifying. ”I want something special... not standard.”

A soft, rasping laugh escaped my throat, and I felt my chest tighten with pure desire at her words. “Something special, hm?” I murmured, my eyes glancing over her face, then her body, as if I wanted to study every inch of her again. “You know that you're treading on dangerous ground with demands like that.”

She raised an eyebrow, her smile growing wider, almost mocking. “Dangerous?” she repeated, running her hands over the back of my neck, her fingernails scratching lightly across my skin, just enough to challenge me. “That sounds interesting. Or are you getting nervous, Damian?”

I stepped closer, my hands found her hips, pulling her close enough to almost fuse our bodies. “Nervous?” I whispered, my lips brushing her ear, and I felt her catch her breath. “No, Celine. I'm anything but nervous. I'm just enjoying the moment before I show you that I've not only earned you – but that I'm all you'll ever need.”

Her breathing quickened, but she held her own game, tilting her head back slightly so that her neck was presented to me. “Big words, Damian,” she said softly, her tone playful but demanding. “But words are cheap. Actions count.”

I grinned, a dark, confident grin that I knew would throw her off guard. “Actions?” I murmured, my hands sliding lower, closing tightly around her waist. “Then let me show you something, Celine.”

Without another word, I lifted her up in one fluid motion, her surprised inhalation sounding like music to my ears. I carried her to the table, set her down on it, before leaning slightly over her, supporting my hands on either side of her body. “Something special, you say?” I murmured, my gaze burning into hers. “Then you'd better be prepared, because I won't just exceed the standard – I'll show you that nothing else will exist for you anymore.”

She bit her lower lip, a telltale glint in her eyes, but she said nothing. It was an invitation, a challenge, and I accepted it without hesitation. The room seemed to shrink, the air to grow heavier as I lowered my lips onto hers, my hands finding her body, exploring it with an urgency that made everything in me burn.

Celine was not a woman who was satisfied with anything less than everything. And I was a man who knew exactly how to give her everything – in the most intense, irresistible way.