AN: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to those of you who are giving this one a chance! I see there are a few who are SOA fans which is awesome, and maybe I can convince a few more of you to give it a shot! My main man Nero doesn't arrive until S5 though so you gotta commit, LOL. Anyway, I hope this chapter gives you the feel of what I was saying before, even though Gemma and Nero are main characters the story is mostly focussed on Caryl. I have a little side story planned for Gero but it is meant to compliment the Caryl story, not distract from it. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. It's a lot longer than my typical chapters - sorry about that!

Chapter 2

"I'm almost ready," Gemma called out, when she heard Nero come into the bedroom.

He poked his head into the en suite bathroom and watched her apply her mascara. They smiled at each other in the mirror. It was so nice to have someone that she looked forward to seeing everyday. And someone she missed when they were apart for more than a few minutes.

"How's Carol settling in?" He asked, leaning on the door frame.

"I checked on her before I came home to change," Gemma replied. "She actually seemed alright," she nodded her head in thought. Gem knew it wouldn't take long for Carol to feel at home living at the club but she also knew it wasn't the kind of lifestyle Carol was used to and she worried the culture shock might scare her a bit. "Daryl is watching her like a hawk though," Gemma added with a smirk. "It's actually kinda adorable."

Nero was quiet and Gemma realized he was trying not to smile. "What?" She gave him a harmless glare in the mirror. "Oh God… it's true, I really am going soft aren't it?" She moaned. She turned and narrowed her eyes, "This is utterly and completely your fault."

"Me?" Nero pretended to be shocked. He crossed his arms and gave her a smug look. "How do ya figure, Mama?"

"You and your sweet, romantic side," she scoffed. "I'm a companionator. I'm all about the love," she muttered, quoting him and mimicking his accent, badly.

"Ouch," Nero wrinkled his nose. "I do not sound anything like that."

Gemma laughed. "Yeah that was bad. But still, totally your fault that I'm feeling so squishy lately."

"Mmm," he sighed, stepping forward to pull her against him. "Nope, not squishy at all," Nero groaned, grabbing her ass with both hands.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Don't start," she warned. "We can't be late."

"Yep," he replied, essentially ignoring her as he leaned in to suck on her neck.

"Did you want to piss on me too?" Gemma joked, as he pulled away and she saw the little red mark on her neck. "Keep all the other dogs away?"

Nero just laughed and found her mouth instead. If she let him keep going they were definitely going to be late. She promised she would help finish setting up and get everyone organized for the surprise before Jax brought Chibs home. But, dammit, she loved kissing him… and she loved what came after the kissing… it felt so good… "Okay," she gasped, pulling away. "Save that for later, please?"

Nero pouted but agreed. "Oh fine, I don't want to keep you from all your other boys."

Gemma laughed. "You're the only one I want to bring home." She quickly put on her lipstick. "Let's go."

When they arrived at the club everyone was at work, even Carol. She was helping Daryl hang a banner. Gemma stopped to watch for a moment. "They look like an old married couple," Nero whispered in her ear. Daryl was up on a ladder and Carol was helping him get the banner straight. Everytime she directed him Daryl would give her a look like he was totally annoyed, but watching it from a distance Gem, and clearly Nero too, could tell he was actually enjoying it. Daryl was like one of those boys in grade school trying to pretend that girls are gross, but really all he wants is the girl's attention. "Fuck, look at his face," Nero snorted. "They just met and he's smitten with her."

Gemma nodded in agreement. Smitten was the perfect word. But suddenly she was nervous. She hadn't intended on playing cupid. Daryl was there and she'd needed someone to keep Carol safe and make sure she got settled in. Carol had a crazy husband somewhere out there, who would be looking for her any time now… "Hey Mama, stop that," Nero's voice brought her out of her own head. "He's a big boy. She's a big girl. Let it be… let it flow…"

Gemma sighed. "You're right." She shrugged, "Who knows… maybe they'd be good for each other." She got the sense Carol had been with the asshole for a long time. And even though Daryl had been single as long as she'd known him, not once had she seen him partake in all the porn pussy that had been around, nor had he showed up at Diosa looking for an, uh, companion. Not that she hadn't seen him wander off with a random chick at a party… but he was always a bit shy around the ladies, compared to the others.

It was time to get to business. "So can you go help Tig and Happy at the bar. Those two yahoos are gonna drink half the supply before Chibs even gets here," Gemma said to Nero. "I'm gonna go bark orders at people, get this place in shape." With that they both headed off to get to work.

CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL

"Just a little more to the left… no that's too far… down a bit… no…" This is hopeless, Carol thought. "Just like half an inch… too far…"

Daryl jumped off the ladder. "You do it," he snapped, gesturing towards the ladder.

Carol glared at him. "I can't climb the ladder in these boots… can I?" she added, looking at him, her face softening. She felt silly, but she honestly didn't know if going up a ladder in high heeled boots was dangerous. It likely was, given that simply walking in the damn things had been a challenge at first. But they looked so sexy she couldn't bear to take them off.

"I dunno," he shrugged, looking down at her boots. "Gemma wears boots like that all the time and she does everything."

"Of course she does," Carol muttered. She wasn't feeling bitter, but more envious. Gemma had her shit together. Everyone she'd met so far loved Gemma, even though most of them were scared of her. Gemma didn't take no for an answer. When she said jump, people asked how high. Carol couldn't imagine how it would feel to have that kind of power, but there was a little part of her that really wanted to find out. Maybe being around Gemma would bring out that side of her… if she had a side like that somewhere in there… "Well you need to hold the ladder," she said to Daryl, stepping onto the first rung.

The next thing she knew his hands were gripping the ladder, holding it steady, but it put her body inside his arms. And, she realized, as she carefully moved up a couple more steps, her ass pretty much directly in his face. Carol ignored her shaky legs and quickly fixed the banner. When she leaned and reached to adjust the far side she felt Daryl's hand on her thigh, holding her steady. She was about to snap at him for letting go of the ladder, but she decided she liked how it felt with him touching her. "There, all done," she announced, righting herself and starting down the ladder. When she got to the bottom Daryl hadn't let go of the ladder yet. Carol could feel his body heat behind her and she could see his sexy biceps in her peripheral vision.

She somehow managed to turn around inside his arms. "Thanks," she said softly.

"Oh, uh, yeah, no problem," he stammered, finally letting go and backing off to give her some space. "Looks great," Daryl added, pointing up at the sign.

Nero walked up and broke up what could have become an awkward moment. "Hey Mariposa," he said sweetly. Carol wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it wasn't anything bad.

"Hi," Carol replied. "Thank you again for the clothes," she said, smiling as she looked down at her outfit.

"I need a drink," Daryl muttered as a way of excusing himself. They watched him wander over to the bar and grab a beer.

"So, I was thinking… if you're interested… maybe you would consider working for me? At Diosa?" Nero asked. Was he serious? Was he asking her to be a… Carol's jaw must have hit the floor. "Oh, woah… not like that," he said quickly. "Sorry, I should have explained first," he chuckled. "We need someone to do the books," he said with a sigh. "A few of the girls have tried but… uh… math just ain't their forte."

"Oh, you need a bookkeeper," Carol sighed with relief. "That's something I can do," she nodded. She did all the finances at home. Paid the bills, balanced the chequebook, even did their taxes to save money on an accountant.

"Yeah?" Nero looked excited. "It's gonna be a mess at first…" he looked apologetic.

"That's okay," Carol smiled at him. "If there's anything I know how to deal with it's a good mess," she joked. They chatted a little longer and she agreed to start the following Monday.

As soon as Nero left Daryl returned. As the night continued she noticed that was his pattern. Any time someone would come talk to her Daryl would find a reason to leave, but he never went far - he was always hovering close, and as soon as the person would leave he would be right back with her.

Carol did her best to hang back and just observe the party. It was absolute culture shock for her, but it was also extremely intriguing and it left a tingle of excitement inside her. The lifestyle these people lived was clearly nothing short of wild and crazy, but it made her want it too. Seeing the girls whirling around on the dance floor, with absolutely no inhibitions… it made her envious. When she watched Gemma and Nero slow dance it made her heart ache. They were so in love it made her want to cry just looking at them. The way he held her close, the way her eyes were closed as she melted into him… Carol wanted that too. She was quite certain even when she thought she loved Ed… it had never been like the two of them.

Sometime after midnight things got just a little too insane for Carol. Gemma and Nero had already left. They came and said goodbye and Gemma gave her the office key like she promised she would. She also left her a prepaid cell and her phone number in case of emergency.

Carol was pretty sure she was the only one that wasn't completely wasted at that point. Well, her and likely Daryl, though she knew he'd had his fair share of beer she was pretty sure he wasn't even close to everyone else in the room. She had already seen the guy with the mohawk… what was his name? Apple juice… yeah, Juice, that was it - he'd taken a blonde and a redhead to his room. That wasn't a big deal. It was the heavy make out sessions that were happening all over the room to the point she was pretty sure some of them had turned into oral and even full intercourse, that had her feeling extremely out of place.

She pushed away the fear and loneliness that was creeping up inside her. The only other choice you have is to go home to the man that almost killed you, she reminded herself. No, that was not going to happen. Carol sucked in a breath and walked over to Daryl at the bar. She had to speak loud for him to hear her over the music. "I'm going to my room to sleep now," she said. He nodded and reached for another beer. "Night," Carol said with a wave. Maybe he could really enjoy himself now that she would be safe in her room, Carol thought, looking back over her shoulder. He hadn't moved from the bar and didn't seem to be interested in anything but the beer bottle in his hand.

Carol went into her room and laid down on the bed without getting undressed. Just as she suspected, the music was thumping and there was no way in hell she was going to get any sleep until the party wound down. Unless… she fished the key out of her pocket and held it up, turning it over in her hand. TM was printed on the keytag. It stood for Teller-Morrow, the name of their garage. Gemma must have known she would need it.

When she got back out to the main room Daryl was no longer at the bar. Maybe he had found someone to keep him company after all, she thought. Carol wasn't prepared for the pang of jealousy that followed the thought and she stumbled slightly with the physical feel of the jab in her heart. She shook it off and kept walking. What the hell was that about? She wondered as she pushed open the door and headed across the lot to Gemma's office. She didn't even know him. Tired I guess, Carol decided. She let herself into the office and turned on the light. She found a desk lamp and turned it on so she could shut off the main light.

Quiet. Carol sunk down to sit on the couch and she saw there was a blanket, pillow and note. Hope you get some rest - Gem. Carol chuckled at the fact Gemma knew she'd come to the office. She reached for her boots and had just pulled off the second one when the office door swung open. "Oh my God," she gasped, jumping to her feet while trying to find something to throw at her intruder, until she realized it was Daryl.

"Really?" he said, giving her a look. "You sneak off… and you leave the damn door unlocked so anyone can just walk in?"

"Fuck," Carol muttered. "Sorry," she muttered sweetly, giving him a cute look.

"It's fine," he grumbled. "But ya should have told me you were coming out here." He locked the door with a click.

"You were gone," she snapped. "Sorry," she said again. She hadn't meant to sound so bitchy.

"I had to piss," he explained.

"Well, I'm fine. You go back to the party, I promise I'll lock the door when you leave," Carol instructed him.

"Oh hell no," Daryl shook his head. "I ain't leaving you out here alone. If anything happens to you Gemma will…"

"Gemma gave me the key," Carol interrupted. "She didn't tell me I needed to bring a bodyguard, so I'm sure it's fine." Daryl shook his head and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well where are you gonna sleep?" She looked around the small office. "There's just this one couch."

"I don't need to sleep," he said, taking a seat in the desk chair. "You get some rest."

Carol didn't feel like arguing with him. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to budge anyway. She grabbed the pillow and blanket, got herself situated and laid down on the couch. But the longer she lay there she more guilty she felt. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"Come take this pillow and blanket and you can sleep on the floor," she said.

"I told ya, I don't need…"

"Just take it," she hissed. "Take it now and lay down, right there on the floor and sleep," Carol demanded.

"Okay," he replied, coming over to get the blanket and pillow. Well, that was easy she thought, allowing herself a little smile. Maybe Gemma was rubbing off on her already. In a matter of seconds Daryl was laying beside her on the floor. "I don't really need the blanket, if ya want it," he said gently, holding it up to her.

"Oh.. okay, thanks," Carol replied, taking it from him. The office was quite warm so she used it as a pillow instead. As tired as she was Carol couldn't seem to fall asleep. "Daryl?" she said again.

"Hmm?" he gave his standard response.

"What's SAMCRO stand for?" she asked. Carol had been curious of what the acronym on their vest meant.

"Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original," he replied quickly.

"Huh," she replied. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again. Then she thought of another question. "Daryl?" she said again.

"Mmm hmm?" he replied.

"Why does your vest say 'prospect?'" Carol asked.

"I'm not in the club yet," Daryl explained. "I have to prove myself first and if I'm lucky, maybe one day they'll patch me in. Or they kick my ass to the curb."

"You'll get in," she replied confidently. She'd only been around one day, but she saw the way the other guys were with Daryl. They liked him and Jax respected him.

"Thanks," he whispered. It sounded very genuine as if he really wasn't sure himself and it felt good to have someone tell him.

For a third time Carol closed her eyes and tried to sleep. And once again she had something she wanted to ask him. "Daryl?" she whispered. There was no answer and then she heard him snore softly. Carol smiled. Typical man, asleep in a matter of seconds, even after he assured her he didn't need to sleep. She rolled onto her side and she could just see his face in the dim glow of the lamp. He really was a handsome guy. He had a young face, but Carol had a feeling he wasn't all that much younger than her. He looked very peaceful as he slept and it made her feel warm and happy.

As much as she really hadn't wanted him there at first, Carol realized she was thankful to have him. Daryl was like a guard dog sleeping at her feet. Not that he really had a choice. Carol knew he was scared of pissing off Gemma just like most of the others, but it was still sweet that he was taking his job so seriously.

She rolled onto her back again and closed her eyes. What a weird, weird day, Carol thought. But for the first time since she'd married Ed she actually had a taste of freedom - and it felt good. Maybe a little too good. Her last thought was a curiosity of what the next day would bring and she couldn't wait to find out.