A/N: don't own don't sue
Lyrics at the beginning are from Call Your Name by Daughtry
Set after Season One, before Abel is kidnapped and Gemma is raped and Jax turns into a jerk and the whole club hates each other. Generally back when the show had fun and all the coolest characters were still alive. Because I can, it's called artistic license.
Learn My Lesson
Chapter Ten
You never said, you never said, you never said
That it would be this hard
Love is meant to be forever, now or never seems to discard
There's gotta be a better way for me to say
What's on my heart without leaving scars?
So can you hear me, when I call your name?
And when you fall apart
Am I the reason for your endless sorrow?
There's so much to be said
And with a broken heart
Your walls can only go down but so low
So can you hear me when I call your name?
Complicated situations are the makings of all that's wrong
And I've been standing in the river of deliverance way too long
There's gotta be a better way for me to say
What's on my heart without leaving scars?
So can you hear me when I call your name?
Can you hear me when I call your name?
And when you fall apart
Am I the reason for your endless sorrow?
There's so much to be said and with a broken heart
Your walls can only go down but so low
Can you hear me when I call your name?
They'd decided to drop the girl off at a hospital in Lodi where she couldn't point a cold turkey induced delusional finger at them while they treated her. She'd started scratching herself in her desperation and there really wasn't much else to do with her. Naomi and Jax had to work hard to convince Tig and Happy not to toss her out of the back of the van on their way past the hospital. Half-Sack kept sliding sidelong glances at her for the rest of the day as they pottered around the clubhouse. She was officially on lockdown after the events of last night; she couldn't even go outside into the lot without being ordered back inside by one of them. She was sulkily brooding at the bar, glowering at everyone who entered and left the clubhouse freely. After another shooting glance she scowled at Half-Sack, kicking the side of the bar.
"What?"
Half-Sack jumped, scrubbing a hand through his hair nervously. He leant his elbow on the pile of boxes teetering on the pool table and peered at her.
"I just… I mean… that girl tried to kill you." He blurted, an adorable puzzled expression flooding his face. "She put a knife in your side. She made you bleed." He looked genuinely confused. "Why didn't you want us to hurt her? Happy would have done, he likes you."
Naomi let out a laugh, too amazed to think about what Half-Sack really meant.
"Happy likes someone?" She asked curiously.
Naomi wrinkled her brow at the concept and Half-Sack grinned, kicking lightly at the pool table with the toe of his boot. He was still squinting at her like she was some exotic creature he wasn't sure would bite him or not. She pushed away from the bar and slid off the stool. Half-Sack darted over to take her elbow and she rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to pee, Half-Sack. Pretty sure I can manage."
Half-Sack flushed pink but he didn't let go of her arm, he held on as she walked towards the bathroom and he waited outside while she did what she had to do. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him standing awkwardly in the middle of the room when she left the bathroom.
"I can walk from one room to the next without a bodyguard." She pointed out.
He shrugged one shoulder, avoiding her eyes guiltily. She looked at him suspiciously, folding her arms and studying him closely. He fidgeted, flashing her a bright grin that she didn't buy for a minute.
"Are you under orders?" She asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him.
Half-Sack took a step towards the door. She shook her head, dodging into his path. Half-Sack flinched, his eyes darting back towards the door longingly.
"Did Clay tell you to watch me?" Half-Sack pulled his mouth together so tightly his lips turned white and she gave a little hiss. "Did Chibs?"
Half-Sack forced a laugh, made an excuse and bolted for the door without replying. Naomi seethed. Seriously? She couldn't even be trusted to occupy the clubhouse now? She stomped around the room irritably, tossing open the wardrobe doors and glaring into its depths, slamming the doors closed again and marching back across the room with a huff. Truthfully she was boiling with anger but not at the guys, at herself. If she had just dumped that asshole's stuff on the lawn and set fire to it like any other woman in the world would have done, none of this would be happening. Why did she have to be on that goddamn street? Why then? She could have done it some other time. She sat down on the end of the bed and buried her face in her hands.
She rubbed her wounded side absently. Some jerk had wounded her pride and now look where her spite had gotten her. Her side throbbed and she knew it was almost time to take her pain killers. She didn't move to fetch them. On some inner level she was sure she deserved the pain as punishment. She hadn't even been in love with Joel. At the time she'd thought she cared about him, but she hadn't. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even liked him all that much. It had been the barest bare bones of a relationship, and even that was exaggerating a little. They'd used each other. She had never cheated on him but that was mainly because she'd been satisfied with their pseudo-relationship and she'd never been tempted. She hadn't even been surprised when that scrawny Melanie with the blatant boob job had let news of their torrid weekend away slip out. She had not been surprised or hurt but she had been furious. Everyone knew about their secret relationship, everyone knew he'd humiliated her and that was what had hurt. It was her wounded pride that had made her think scratching his car was a brilliant idea. Well, that and the three quarters of a bottle of vodka on an empty stomach. Because she'd been a proud spiteful bitch she had a bunch of lunatics running around sticking knives into her guts. When they finally succeeded, and they would she knew that, they'd go after her brother too just to prove a point.
She must have been brooding for a long time because it was obvious Chibs had been lounging in the doorway for a while when she finally realised he was there. His mouth was half-cocked in amusement, his eyes sparkling brightly when she blinked at him in surprise. He pushed away from the doorframe, scooped up the chair by the door and dragged it towards the bed.
"What's with the long face, lass?" His eyes drifted briefly to her waist even though her bandages were hidden beneath her shirt. "How's the pain?"
She shrugged, massaging her side again. His brow drew down into a frown, watching as she hung her head so her hair drifted into her face. He pushed it back, his fingertips curling over the shell of her ear.
"I'm a terrible person." She murmured into her lap.
His frown deepened. The hand that had pushed back her hair trailed under her chin but she moved her face away from him. She spilled out her black thoughts in a flat monotone that chilled him to the core. When he reached for her hand she moved it out of his reach, curling her hands into fists and pushing them against her belly. He didn't try to argue with her or rationalise away her fears or explain that she was probably just reacting to nearly dying. He listened in attentive silence, his dark eyes fixed intently on her face. She felt exhausted when she was done. She'd expected to feel a little lighter but she felt heavier than ever, like she'd pulled on a stone helmet.
"I can't tell you that this isn't your fault. I can't promise that they won't come for you when this is all over. I ain't gonna lie to you, lass." He said gently after a long silent pause. "I can't convince you of anything that you don't want to believe." He heaved a heavy sigh and this time she reached for his hand. "You're stronger than you think you are. You're stubborn and a right pain in the arse most of the time." She grinned and he lifted his eyebrows. "I don't know if you were all the things you say you were, but right now…"
He pursed his lips and cocked his head as if he was searching for the right adjective and coming up short. She didn't wait for him to find the right word; she didn't need to hear it. She pushed herself off the bed and slid onto his lap. He pulled her close, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair and the tangy spice of her hot skin. She brushed featherlight kisses into his hair, the fingernails of one hand caressing the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck. With her free hand she toyed with the chain around his neck, murmuring into his ear. He relished the feel of her warm pliant body against his, her sweet words warm against his ear and her fingers bringing up goosebumps all over his body. She'd hooked her legs over the arm of the chair, the smooth inviting flesh of her bare thighs vivid in the corner of his eye. Her legs were rapidly bruising in places from where she'd hit the ground and he used the plump swell of the pad of his thumb to caress the purple and yellow marks marring her bronzed skin. He shifted a little to get more comfortable and she let out a little surprised hiss of pain. She'd completely forgotten about her wound, distracted by his close proximity. He pulled away and scrutinised her closely. She tried to smile it off. He didn't buy it. He was on his feet before she'd even realised he was moving and she let out a little squeak at suddenly finding herself in the air.
"Hey Naomi I brought-"
Juice froze in the doorway, panic flickering over his face until Naomi lifted her head and grinned at him over Chibs's shoulder. He grinned sheepishly.
"I brought your drugs." He said cheerfully as Chibs plonked her gently down on the bed again.
"Ooooo." She clapped her hands excitedly. "Gimme."
Chibs eyed the little pills Juice tossed her beadily.
"They are pain killers, right Juicey?"
Juice waved off his concerns, shrugging his shoulders in an entirely unconvincing manner that had Chibs scowling. Naomi held both of her hands out to Juice and he gave her the glass of water he'd brought. She gulped down the pills.
"Are these ones the same as the ones this morning? They were awesome. I kept seeing little blue flowers everywhere."
Juice hastily turned his guffawing laughter into a loud hacking cough at the glaring look on Chibs's face.
"They're just painkillers. I swear." He protested.
Naomi clambered onto her knees on the bed, reaching out and grabbing Juice's arm.
"Thank you, Dr Juice." She giggled, planting a smacking kiss on the corner of his mouth.
Juice flushed dark pink, his cheerful demeanour vanishing into shyness. He shot a look at Chibs as Naomi flopped back down onto the bed.
"Painkillers. Really." He looked at Naomi, quite clearly beginning to doubt himself, and made a hasty dash for the door.
"Chi-ibs!" Naomi trilled in a sing-song voice, breaking into giggles.
Chibs lifted his eyebrows, watching her making a snow angel on the duvet. Goddamn Juice.
"They are just painkillers, don't worry." Tara handed him back the pills and Chibs pocketed them with a look at a worried hovering Juice. "She's having a mild reaction to them. She must be allergic to one of the ingredients. Here. Try these."
Juice eyed the bottle of pills with interest over Chibs's shoulder as he thanked Tara. Naomi was still sleeping off her afternoon dose, her face and bare shoulders pink from the reaction. She stirred when Tara closed the bedroom door, her face creasing as she tugged her stitches in her half-awake state. She pushed herself into a sitting position.
"Hey. What's up?" She smiled, looking at him through half-lidded eyes that shot electric sparks through his groin.
She rubbed her face, watching Chibs shove a discarded pair of jeans onto the floor so he could sit on the desk chair across from the bed. He watched her fondly as she braided her hair back from her face, her cheeks still lightly flushed from sleep, eyeing the bare expanse of navel where her shirt had ridden up.
"I have to go for a few days." He scratched his chin thoughtfully when his stomach squirmed pleasantly at the frown suddenly darkening her face. "Club business."
"Can I come?" She asked immediately, fiddling with the hem of her shorts.
Chibs cocked his head and frowned. It was club business. He couldn't exactly take a tourist. He was supposed to be watching the Irish and she was far too distracting. She was watching him carefully, observing the cogs turning behind his dark eyes. If he took her with him, it would take the heat off the club for a week, well the heat she was causing anyway.
"I'll just pretend I'm your… piece." Her lips quirked in amusement and he chuckled.
"Ya far too good looking for that to be believable." He said gruffly, getting up and pacing the small room thoughtfully.
"I can act the part." She scoffed, a teasing lilt filtering into her voice. "Look, I don't need to know what 'business' you're getting up to, or who any of the people are. Just think of me as the dumb bint arm candy."
There was a hint of begging in her voice and Chibs felt guilt flaring in his chest. It was only a little job, pretty much babysitting. In actual fact it was just to show club presence to some associates.
"What's going on?"
Chibs glanced at Gemma, leaning against the bedroom door suspiciously. Naomi had turned even pinker, staring at a spot just over Gemma's shoulder. Gemma listened with her head on one side, looking from one to the other thoughtfully.
"Okay." Naomi stared at her and Chibs blinked rapidly. "I'll talk to Clay."
She was gone before either of them could say a word, leaving a stunned silence in her wake. Naomi's face split into a grin and she grabbed Chibs, yanking him onto the bed with her while he was too surprised to react. She propped her head on her heel of her hand and grinned at him smugly.
"Road trip!"