Chapter 3: Gimme Danger

The motel was what you'd expect for a small town, but the couple out front was surprisingly welcoming. She was used to getting side looks in smaller towns due to her appearance, but not in Charming, at least so far. Maybe something to do with the motorcycle club? She didn't stand out as much. Who knows?

The room was simple and dated, but clean and roomy. They informed her they knew from the reservation she'd have a pet and told her the rules, she was responsible for any damage. But Sid was a well-trained dog and a little over four years old, she adopted him almost immediately after she left Scott six months ago. She felt vulnerable with his obsession, and the dog made her feel safe. Unlikely she would've gone for that walk with Jax Teller if Sid wasn't with her, too. Sid was a trained and retired police dog, and it was just by chance that she came across him. It was love at first sight.

She put Sid's dog bed by the queen bed in the room and put out his blanket, toys, food and water dish. She turned on the loud air conditioner to give the dog a bit of relief. The day was growing dark and it started to cool down, although still warm for her. Even after six years in California, she still struggled with the heat.

She had a quick phone call with Jimmy to let him know she got there safe, she let out hot blondie from the story for now and said she'd be out tonight; exploring. What she had made up her mind about was that she would attend that party. She needed some distraction, and it seemed like a good in on the town. Feel the vibe, or hot blondie's arms? We'll see.

She finished quickly blow-drying her hair and bangs, put on her Doc Martens and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing dark washed ripped skinny jeans and a simple black fitted tank top with a slight V neck. Her chest piece was a dark moth with a skull in it, an intricate geometrical design around it, it perfectly lined on top of her breasts, and up to her clavicle. Like most of her pieces, this one was also done by Scott. He used to call Alex his canvas; "my work of art". She stared at the piece for a while, it was the last one he did on her before their breakup. She ran her hand through it and rested at the base of her neck for a second.

A second, it's all it took for her to remember that night and feel her heart racing. She took her hand away from her own neck and glanced at it again from the mirror. The bruise his hands left there were long gone by now, but the memory was still vivid in her mind. That was the first and last time he touched her to hurt her, she left that night and never turned back.

Jimmy had insisted that she'd see a therapist, she'd been jumpy ever since. Little things would trigger her for no reason, but she refused. She'd deal with it, she told him. It was fine, she just needed time.

And for a while it was fine, she was a tough cookie and dealt with it her way. Suppressing it. But yesterday when Scott showed up at the magazine as high as that same day and in his coke-filled stupor reached for her neck, not to hurt her this time but to try and bring her closer as he used to do before that one night… She broke down and the panic attack came at once, she screamed in panic and next thing she knew she was being driven to the doctor by Jimmy, who kept repeating for her to just keep breathing.

Alex closed her eyes and shook her head to center herself in the present. When she opened again, she ran her hands through her hair and snapped out of it at once, grabbing her eyeliner and applying a light line under her eyes and the corner of her eyes, smudging it slightly before taking another look at herself in the mirror. Just like that: suppressed.

Simple, unassuming, easy to blend in, right? She thought to herself, as she looked in the mirror. She put her cellphone and ID in her back pocket and made sure her laptop and other belongings were in the room safe before leaving.

"You be a good boy," she said to Sid, who lifted his head from his bed and tilted it. She decided not to take him this time. Something about Jax Teller just put her at ease. She kissed the top of the dog's head and gave him a bully bone.

"I will be back soon," she called by the door and the dog just went back to sleep, peacefully as she closed the door behind her.

The nice couple out front gave her directions to the auto shop in the card, even her lost self couldn't miss left and then right. They assured her she'd find it quickly once she got there, and she decided to walk and take the town in a bit more. It was quiet and peaceful, the dark evening brought a fresher air, still warm, but fall was definitely descending on Charming soon. She walked calmly and it wasn't long until she heard it; loud music, laughing, talking, motorcycles.

Alex turned the corner and immediately saw the source of all of this across the street; Teller-Morrow Automotive Repair. It was a complete contrast to the quiet town she walked through just literal seconds ago. The place was a complete riot; full of people, motorcycles engines revving, loud music, talking. It reminded her of Sunset Strip when Motley Crue was playing and she had to cover it for the magazine. She narrowed her look; she hated Motley Crue, but smiled to herself, shrugged, crossed the street and walked right in.

She made her way quite inconspicuously towards the open gate and observed the people around her for a second. Tall, tanned blondes and brunettes and literally any flavour under the sun walked around, bikers crawled the place, distinguishable with their club leather, but also simple and more normal people mingled. There were even some children around. It was an interesting sight.

[xxx]

Gemma Teller was almost on her way out to Jax's house to relieve Neeta in taking care of Abel before the party. She wasn't even a little bit sad to be missing this one, she'd rather be with her grandson. And she's had her share of these parties. She'd give Bobby a big kiss tomorrow when she inevitably would find him passed out inside the clubhouse.

She locked her office and turned around; she'd just check on a few things inside the clubhouse before going but she stopped short outside at an unfamiliar sight. A striking redhead stood there, observing everything. She didn't exactly standout, but something about her caught Gemma's attention and she walked up to her.

"Hello," Gemma said, shortly. The redhead looked at her, she didn't look like one of Luann's girls or any of the crow eaters, which often were the same thing. "Can I help you?"

"Hi!" Alex exclaimed at the woman, with a smile. An older lady but just as hot and cool as the others walking around, even cooler. She noted the scar right in the middle of her chest, likely from heart surgery. Badass, she thought.

The lady in front of her didn't falter though, just looked her up and down. Alex suddenly felt really small and vulnerable. That lady's eyes did that so easily. For a moment she wished she had brought Sid.

"Uh... Jax... Teller, invited me?" she managed to say. Few people so easily took her words away, but this lady... Damn.

"Of course he did," Gemma said in a scoff and looked away from the girl for a second. Bringing an outsider just like that, of course Jax did that. And that accent? What the fuck is she doing in Charming? She looked back at the girl impatiently. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Alexandra-Alex," Alex stuttered. Jesus Christ, get it together. "And, and... you?"

"Alright," Gemma completely ignored her question and already turned back. "Wait here. I will let him know you're here." she said as short as before and walked to the clubhouse.

"O... kay." Alex said lowly to herself as she observed the woman walk away and through a door. She stood still exactly as she was told, she brought her hands to her jeans pockets and shrugged, feeling very small. She looked around, lost and just stayed where she was.

[xxx]

Jax Teller was by the bar inside the clubhouse, on a stool, a cigarette between his fingers and his elbows resting on the counter. His hands together, his thumbs pressing his forehead. Pensive, and lost. He had just left the shower in the clubhouse minutes earlier, his hair was wet and he wore a simple white t-shirt under his leather, jeans and his white sneakers.

He had stayed behind after they chased the Mayan member who they led Opie to believe had killed Donna. Jax, of course, knew that wasn't the case. He stayed behind to remove the "A" Opie had carved on the man, and set up so it seemed like a Niner hit. No one knew what he had done, and when he returned to the clubhouse he went straight to the shower and there he was in his thoughts.

Jax could feel the eyes from both Juice and Chibs across the bar from him, but he chose to ignore it. He had greeted them when he got back and when he got out of the shower and sat down, but didn't exchange any more words with the two. The tension between Clay and Jax was already evident for all other members, with Tig and Piney being the only ones who really knew why. Chibs and Juice didn't know what to make of it.

And now, this whole League of American Nationalists thing… Unser had tipped him and Chibs of their arrival in Charming this afternoon, saying they'd spoken with both Jacob and David Hale the day before, but he didn't have much more to go on. Chibs thought there wasn't much to it, they should stay put and wait, and he still haven't had the chance to mention it in church to the others. Too preoccupied with Opie to think of anything else.

He searched his mind for a way to start change. Pinning the hit on the Niners was a calculated risk that could or could not work. He wasn't acting completely sensibly, even though he tried to rationalize every part of it. The birth of his son, Donna's death, the way Clay just sat in the chapel and lied to his face. Everything just clouded his mind; he took a long drag of his cigarette.

"Jax!" Gemma busted in the clubhouse and snapped him out at once. He knew his mother was aware of Clay's hit on Opie that ended in Donna's death, it was written all over her face. He'd avoided her as much as he could. She sounded impatient as ever, he didn't move and waited for her to walk by his side, arms crossed, she stared at him. He glanced at her, still without moving.

"Some redhead is outside looking for you," she said, impatiently and noted as his body shifted, he stood up at once.

"Really?" Jax jumped from the stool, surprised. Could it be the girl from this afternoon? He exchanged a look with Chibs and ignored his mother's questioning eyes, putting out his cigarette in an ashtray.

"Where the hell did you find that?" Gemma asked inquisitively. Jax walked past her to the door and out, without saying another word.

"Wait!" she protested, but he was gone. She looked at Chibs, annoyed. "Who the hell is that?"

"Ah, some girl from out of town," Chibs shrugged. He didn't understand Gemma's worry, and honestly, that afternoon and just now was the most engaged he'd seen the VP in a while.

"I got that by the accent, guvnah," she said sarcastically and approached him. "I'm asking who she is."

"Don't know," he put his hands up, then took another sip of his beer. "She was lost, he helped her find the motel. Got enamoured. Can't blame him."

Gemma crossed her arms and sighed. She didn't know why, but she knew this was bad news.

[xxx]

Alex waited patiently outside; scar lady essentially crushed her confidence. So, she stayed put, just looking around. Most people ignored her, some eyes lingered here and there but everyone seemed too preoccupied in having a good time to care about who she was. She was thankful for that, but continued to feel small.

"Hey," a familiar voice called out and she turned on her heels, Jax Teller standing right in front of her, a big smile on his face. Disarmed again, immediately, she smiled back.

"Hey you," she replied. So glad he was there. She eased up at his sight.

"You came!" he exclaimed, surprised. And gestured to her sides. "Where's Sid?"

"He's well trained," she said, observing how people would stop by and quickly exchange a pat or a hello with him, he somehow managed to acknowledge every single one and at the same time seem like his full attention was on her, his eyes always going back to hers.

"He will be ok on his own for a while," she continued and he nodded, taking a step closer to her as the music suddenly became louder. Def Leppard, figures, she thought.

"This is... Not moody," she added, gesturing around.

"You'd be surprised," he said, and noted the watchful eyes of both his mother and Clay by the clubhouse. He started walking in the opposite direction, so Alex would turn her back to them.

"Want a drink?" he asked and observed as she just seemed very interested in everything around them. He couldn't make it if she was appalled, impressed or apathetic to the whole thing.

"A beer?" she glanced at him.

"Lager?" he stopped by one of the many coolers with her.

Alex looked around and just watched as a very tanned, very toned, very beautiful woman walked past, naked except for a very small G-string. She lifted her eyebrows for a second. And Jax, who observed every one of her movements, laughed to himself at her reaction, but at the same time wondered if inviting her was the best move.

"Something stronger, yeah?" she looked back at him and met his eyes. "Got Gs?"

"Certainly," he nodded and reached for the cooler, pulling out a bottle of Guinness. "Not draught though, that alright?"

"It will do," she grabbed the bottle as he easily opened it for her at the edge of a picnic table next to them.

"No one told me about the Sunset Strip-ing in Charming," she commented after she took a sip, he laughed, amused.

"Too much for you?" he asked, sincerely.

"Well…" she paused. It wasn't, but she still felt a little out of water. "I'm more, uhm, The Stooges and less Motley Crue," she gestured with the bottle, as she looked around again, taking everything in.

"If that makes sense," she added and looked back at him.

"It does, I am too," he replied truthfully. He liked the references, and understood what she meant. He'd been done with this for some time, and since everything that happened in the last few weeks, he wished nothing more than to stay away from it until he could change it.

"Come with me," he reached his hand on her lower back to direct her away, she hesitated though.

"It's alright, it will just be less Motley Crue," he used the disarming smile again. And she felt a strange but nice goosebump in her spine as his hand went from hovering on her lower back and actually touched her waist gently. He leaned closer and she smelled leather and cigarettes, exactly as she imagined he would smell.

"I promise it will be fine," he said reassuringly.

She took another sip of her beer and watched as he grabbed one for himself with his free hand, opened it quickly by the corner of the table again and directed her to the fire escape ladder to the side of the clubhouse that led to the roof.

[xxx]

"Ah, yes," Alex said sarcastically as she reached the top of the roof and watched him come up right after her. "I haven't been drinking on a roof since I was... I don't know, 18?"

"Alright, UCLA, don't be a snob," Teller said with a smile and took a sip of his beer walking through the roof with her by his side.

"Oh no, I did not it mean that way," they stopped a few feet from the ledge on the other side, down they had a view of the garage front gates, but they were more interested in each other.

"I find it... Charming." she added, when he looked from the people arriving down there and back to her. He smiled brightly at her pun.

"Oh, you're sharp," he said. "I like that," and added, flirty.

Jax felt better when the club's eyes were not on them. Not for any reason other than he didn't want her to feel spooked by them. And the way things were right now between him and Clay, that wouldn't be too hard.

"It's Oxford," she corrected him. He raised his eyebrows at that, surprised.

"Really? No shit!" he added. Impressed.

Alex corrected him for a reason. In her time, she found there were only two types of men: the ones who would shrug at that, uninterested, and the ones that would react as he just did. She did not expect that from him. Scott had shrugged.

She didn't really know what to make of Jax Teller. Down at the garage he seemed watchful, and while his eyes were on her the entire time, she was perceptive to note how he was quick to separate her from everything; literally by taking her up there but also figuratively, as she noted his body language differed greatly when he was engaged in conversation with her or navigating his world. She thought of how sad he looked right before they parted ways that afternoon and grew interested in trying to find out why.

But first things first.

"Yeah, the last year abroad doesn't really change my alma mater, still Oxford," she explained and took a sip of her beer too. Observing his reaction, he was just a few feet away from her.

"Well, excuse me," he added, jokingly and raised his arms. He seemed much more at ease on that roof, away from everything and everyone. No eyes watching them.

"What did you study, though?" he asked.

"Classics and English," she replied, he looked intently, interested at her every word. "I know, a tad... How do you Americans say it... lame?"

"Are you kidding?" he scoffed and shook his head. "I think it's great," he said sincerely.

"It's predictable and stereotypical, innit?" she said, and couldn't help but smile at his reaction. She gestured coolly and slowly, lying against a tall wall for an air vent.

"British? English student? Oxford?" she continued and then stepped away from the vent and closer to the ledge so she could see down again, he followed her with his eyes.

"Not like... You know," she continued sarcastically, glancing down at the garage but his eyes never left her. "Not like Motley Crue, and strippers and motorcycles, and snorting coke out of a leather studded exhaust."

Alex looked back at him and lied against the vent again, with a joking smile in her lips.

"Haha, yeah, it gets old fast, I promise," he laughed sincerely and glanced down at the garage as well, he was eating her every detail and he wanted to take his time, if he continued to look at her like that, god knows he wouldn't take any time.

As Jax glanced down he noticed a Mercedes pulling in the garage. That's odd. He frowned, Alex noticed and narrowed her eyes then followed his, stepping carefully towards the ledge as he did.

"Who the hell?!" he said under his breath, still frowning.

"Who's that?" she asked lowly as she watched curiously the scene unfold below them, standing by his side.

"Not sure," he answered lowly, still frowning, his eyes now on the men getting out of the Mercedes, he scanned them carefully and stopped at one who left from the back seat.

"That..." he pointed briefly with his bottle "Is a neo-Nazi though." One of Darby's men, he noted to himself.

Alex shifted, the journalist in her kicking in. She looked down at the men way more intently now, but continued lowly.

"That's an expensive car for a neo-Nazi," she fished. She knew the League was not your small fish white hate group, that has got to be them. But Teller? He didn't seem to know what was happening.

They couldn't make out exactly what was being said down there. Jax watched as Clay and a suited man seemed to be having a dick measuring contest.

"It's not his car," he said, still watching the men. "I don't know who the suit i-" he stopped short as she shifted back.

Alex observed as one of the bikers pulled a gun, he didn't point it but kept it by his side, she shifted at once and Teller in front of her noticed it. Instinctively he put his hand in front of her and stood between her and the ledge, eyes fixed on what was happening.

"It's ok," he reassured her.

"Things escalate quickly around here that often?" he felt the warm air from her breath touch his neck as she asked in a rushed tone, still watching from behind him. For a second, he felt the hair behind his neck stand, but he stayed focused looking down.

Alex felt a rush of adrenaline through her veins. Her stomach felt cold and she felt her hands get shaky. She had been in situations like this before; when she investigated the cartel who'd promise to reunite families in the US and would actually end up extorting them, she'd found herself in some sticky situations. But generally, things always worked out. It was also part of the reason she liked investigative work; there was something thrilling about it. She tried to keep cool.

"Sometimes," he said and watched as the situation diffused and the men left in the car. The party going back to normal as if nothing had happened.

"You're ok though, don't worry," he turned back to look at her again.

"I'm not worried," she managed a smile, reassuring herself more than him. He squinted for a moment, as if trying to decipher her.

"Americans and their guns," she joked but still seemed nervous, she looked past him and down again for a brief moment, but he caught that.

"Looks like it's over with," he assured again. He didn't expect an Oxford graduate to be this cool about this, even if she was nervous. He didn't know what to make of it.

"You want to look into that?" the tension left her shoulders when their eyes met again, she took a long sip of her beer. "It's alright, you don't have to chaperone me."

"I'd rather hang out with you," they both stepped away from the ledge, and she looked back and up at him, turning around and lying against the wall again. She seemed calmer now, and frankly so was he.

"I can hear you talk for days," he added flirty, trying to steer the conversation away from what happened as quickly as he could. He stopped in front of her again, taking a sip of his beer and watching how she reacted to that.

"Yeah, I've talked much though, and you have not," she finished her beer in one last long sip and placed the bottle by her side, then crossed her arms. "So, tell me, Jax Teller, what does an Iggy Pop boy do in a sea of Tommy Lees and Pam Andersons?"

Jax observed her for a moment before speaking. Her eyes were slightly blocked by a few strands of her bangs, he noted just now that she had really light freckles on top of her nose. He found it quite disconcerting how she was piercing through his problems just like this, unraveling them even if not knowing what they were, in her cheerly yet perceptive and attentive way. She used humour to disarm him, he could see that, and in her way was getting truths out of him that he would, maybe at another point in his life, never reveal to an outsider. In a different point in his life that might've even angered him too, but right now? He was almost glad someone was listening. And the fact she was an outsider somehow just made it easier.

"He has an existential crisis," he said finally and truthfully. He titled his head and gave her his disarming half-smile. She disarmed him with the words, he knew he could disarm her with that.

Jax stepped closer and now they were less than a foot apart. He had to look slightly down at her, he put one hand on the walled vent behind her and the other stayed on his side holding his beer.

Alex felt a cold in her stomach as he approached her and placed his hand on the vent, but didn't move, her arms still crossed. She looked up at him and just focused on his eyes. It wasn't her intention to get this deep this quickly into this. Getting involved with sources was always a bad idea. Obviously, he was an attractive man, and he likely knew that, and being easy on the eyes made it easier to talk to him, however she couldn't kid herself that this was just hot biker blondie. She had intel on him, even if little, that he didn't know she had – although he probably realized by now that she wasn't too clueless.

She didn't know exactly what was the Sons of Anarchy's deal, but the League would not have targeted them for no reason. Getting this close to their VP, literally and figuratively, was a potentially dangerous situation for her. Yet, there was something there in his mind, that she felt he needed to tell someone and couldn't. There was torment there, she's seen it before, her perceptiveness is what made her so good at investigating. She needed to know more, and she wasn't really sure why.

"That would explain you inviting a complete stranger to your lair," she looked up at him, and didn't seem to mind as he pinned her gently there. She licked her lips. Her eyes ran all around his face and back to his blue eyes.

"Rebellion. Shakespearean," she half-joked with a smile, and titled her head to keep looking at him now that he was so close. She uncrossed her arms, resting her hands next to her body, by a bump on the wall vent behind her.

"Predictable?" he asked, looking down at her. Resisting every urge to kiss her, for some reason he wanted to keep her talking.

"No, little angsty, though," she teased. "Very Hamlet."

"You've no idea," he said, the thought did cross his mind before. It was funny it crossed hers. He raised his other hand with the bottle and touched her face gently with his free fingers, putting some strands of her bangs behind her ear.

His touch was cool from the iced bottle, and for a moment she hesitated thinking he'd touch her neck. Scott popped in her mind at once, but she suppressed it quickly by lifting her left hand running her fingers through his leather, he looked down as her finger traced his V President patch on his chest and rested there as she looked up at his eyes again.

"To thine own self be true, Jax Teller" she said lowly. He felt those words all the way down to his spine. He adored the way she said his name, but the whole thing just seemed surreal to him. He let out a breath, with a gentle laugh and shook his head for a moment, he could feel his heart beating in his chest.

"My god," he said and stood back only a few more inches. He had to diffuse this before he talked more than he should. She looked up at him, amused. "A redhead quoting Shakespeare and saying Tell-ahr like that, I feel this is not fair."

"Oh, you're a charmer," she stepped forward the step he took back and was eye to eye with him again. Evasion, huh, she thought. She put a pin on that again, why won't he just say what's on his mind?

"You can't possibly be trying to convince me that my awfully cliche talent for quoting the great bard in a proper English accent is really what gets you going." she didn't press it now and went back to her light banter. "Not when you have literal Barbie dolls all around you."

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind," he said wittily and she opened her mouth in a truly amused smile. Midsummer's Night Dream? Not bad, she thought. Also bullshit, of course, but she let it slide.

"It is a plus for love though when the mind comes in this package," he pinned her back to the vent, his left hand back on the wall behind her and next to her head, his other hand with the bottle this time touched her waist. She felt the wet and cool of the bottle and his hand through her top. He pulled her waist closer. Ah yes, that's more like it, she thought.

"I don't like Barbies much. Plastic." he added, his eyes locked in hers. She could feel her heart in her throat and her breathing was slow. He teased, staying close to her but not kissing her or letting her move, not that she tried.

"Jax!" a voice called out before she could speak. Jax licked his lips, sighed and looked down, she chuckled, and looked to the opposite side of the fire escape.

Alex hadn't felt this much sexual tension in a long time. And she hadn't been with anyone but Scott for the past four years; their relationship was intense, like this moment except at all times. And she hadn't been with anyone since she left him either. She took a deep breath and looked away, unable to face whoever had just come up the fire escape. Teller stood exactly where he was, but let go of her waist.

"Oh, shit, I'm sorry," Juice called out from the fire escape as he saw that someone was there with Jax. He clearly interrupted something.

"It's fine," Jax looked back, at him, with cynical smile, then back at Alex, who looked up at him again and smiled.

"We're just talking," Teller said lowly, teasingly, and winked at her. He unpinned her and turned to the young man by the fire escape.

"What is it?" he asked, actually amused at the interruption. Classic Juice.

"Uh, hi," Juice took a better look at the girl with him when Jax turned. Definitely the redhead Gemma had questions about. She had both her hands in front of her body, but managed a quick wave when she noticed him looking at her.

"Hi. I-I'm Juice." he said quickly. Yeah, he got it too.

Alex let out giggled for a moment. Juice? Fantastic. Jax glanced at her briefly. She was sure a lot more disconcerted at being caught in this situation than he was.

"Hi, Juice, I'm Alex," she said looking at Juice. The younger biker had a short Mohawk and tattoos on his head. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Jax seemed absolutely unbothered by the whole thing.

"Cool," Juice said transfixed, eyes still on Alex.

"Juice?" Jax called out, raising his eyebrows but still amused.

"Right!" Juice snapped out of it. Was Jax going to kill him? Only time would tell. "Yes! It's Bobby. He's here!" he said quickly again, excitedly.

"I'm coming," Jax said still with a smile. Juice took that as an opportunity to turn on his heels and leave as quickly as he could, but not before managing a wave at Alex. She waved back, and looked at Teller who has just turned his attention to her again, they shared a laugh.

"Want to come down for a minute, Iggy?" he joked, and gave out his hand for her to come with him. She tilted her head and held his hand.

"Gimme danger," she said. And he locked his fingers on hers, walking to the fire escape. He still could not believe he hadn't even kissed her yet.