A/N: don't own don't sue
Lyrics at the beginning are from Losin' My Mind 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 Two
Never thought a train goin' any place could've changed my life
Never thought I'd say I could go insane, 'til I saw your eyes
And I had to take another look to know for sure
That you could be for real
You found an empty seat sittin' next to me
And I asked your name
Where you comin' from?
Where you headed to this Saturday?
'Cause I'm gonna be out on the town
As long as you are goin' there with me
Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'
You got me trippin'
There's something about the way you move
Yeah, every little single thing you do is like
One part angel and one part danger
But, oh, the kind of crazy I like
You got me losing my mind
It's getting hard to sleep
Getting hard to think 'bout much these days
'Cause everywhere I go
Only thing I see is your glowing face
And the way you light up every room you walk into
Just makes me want to scream
Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'
You got me trippin'
There's something about the way you move
Yeah, every little single thing you do is like
One part angel and one part danger
But, oh, the kind of crazy I like
You got me losing my mind
Can't understand why you got me so far gone
You're gonna have to lock me up before too long
You've got me losing my mind
Yeah and my head keeps spinnin'
You got me trippin'
There's something about the way you move
Yeah, every little single thing you do is like
One part angel and one part danger
But, oh, the kind of crazy I like
You got me losing my mind
Jax had moved back home once Abel came out of the hospital so he allowed Chibs to take his room since his back was agony sleeping in that armchair two nights in a row. He could have turfed Naomi out of his room but it didn't seem very chivalrous. He woke up surprisingly early, showering sleepily and tugging on his jeans and a shirt. The clubhouse was quiet as he knocked on his door to check Naomi had made it through the night. She didn't answer the door, even after the third knock and he felt concern roil in his stomach. He pushed open the door warily, his hand touching the gun at his waistband. The room was empty, the bed neatly made. Panic surged in his chest and he barged further into the room. There was a note on his pillow and he snatched it up, scrumpling it up in his anger. He took a deep breath and smoothed it out. It was the back of an old receipt for condoms and smokes, loopy girly handwriting scrawled across the back.
Chibs
Don't panic! I went to get some actual clothes. As much as I like wearing your stuff, there's only so long a girl can go without underwear.
He screwed the note up and shoved it into his pocket, grabbing his cut from Jax's room. He was going to have to find that girl before Clay found out he'd lost her and put a bullet in his frontal lobe. He found Half-Sack setting up the bar with the new liquor order. He blinked in surprise at Chibs's sudden appearance.
"You seen that gal?" He demanded gruffly.
Half-Sack shook his head, looking worried.
"No. Not this morning. Is she okay?"
"She won't be when I find her." Chibs ground out angrily. "Keep it between us." He ordered and Half-Sack nodded.
He drove from one end of town to the other. It was still early, people were opening up stores and wandering bleary-eyed down the high street with coffees. But no Naomi. Just when he was ready to strangle her, he caught a glimpse of those familiar legs heading into a store. He parked up and dashed after her, nearly knocking someone over in his hurry.
"Can I try these on? Thanks."
He stomped through the store, straight past the startled cashier and into the dressing room. Only one curtain was pulled across a stall and he shoved it to one side.
"What the—hey!" Naomi at least managed not to scream as he grabbed her.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He snarled, grabbing her arm and shaking her.
"Trying on some jeans." She replied calmly, indicating the jeans pulled halfway up her thighs.
The sight of her half-dressed, a black lacy bra dark against her pale naked skin, somehow only made him angrier.
"You're supposed to stay out of sight!" He hissed, his grip on her arm tightening.
"I was." She tried to disentangle her arm but his gloved fingers bit into her skin harder than ever. "I rang this place and told them I'd been robbed and all I had was the dress I was wearing and I could hardly go to work in it so they opened the store an hour early for me."
Some of his anger left him, calm returning now he knew she was safe. The store had been empty now he thought about it. She watched his face return to its normal colour until he let go of her arm. He felt shame flicker at the violent red marks he'd left on her pale skin. They'd definitely bruise.
"Can I finish getting dressed now?"
He suddenly realised quite how small the cubicle was. She'd backed up against the wall when he'd barged in. She didn't seem upset at his close proximity although her cheeks had reddened slightly. He stepped back with some difficulty.
"I'll be outside."
He listened to her moving around behind the thin curtain, trying not to think of what was going on. The sight of her half-naked form was burned vividly into his brain and he couldn't quite figure out why. She finally re-emerged in the jeans and a red chequered shirt rolled up at the sleeves. She had another pair of jeans and several tops slung over her arm and he eyed them.
"I hope ya weren't plannin' on paying for these with a credit card."
She lifted her eyebrows at him.
"Do I really look stupid to you?" She sighed, heading past him towards the cashier. "That dress was designer, worth at least a few hundred. She agreed to take it for all this."
He stood behind her scowling as the cashier folded up the new clothes and placed them into a bag. She kept glancing from Chibs to Naomi and back again, curiosity twisting her mouth into a grimace as she tried to smile and keep her mouth shut at the same time. Naomi thanked her and took the bag, following him out of the store. His back was absolutely furious and she stared at the Reaper uncertainly.
"I told you not to leave the clubhouse." He growled, cornering her the moment they were out of sight from the street.
"And I told you I needed stuff. Unless you want me to wear your clothes until the trial."
He glowered at her. She moved to go past him and he grabbed her, snatching her back and shoving her against the wall of the store, one hand on either side of her head to keep her in place. She looked up at him. There wasn't the least trace of fear in her eyes although they were glittering brightly. She tilted her chin defiantly. From this close her face was all angles; the slope of her nose, the line of her high cheekbones, the sweep of her lashes casting shadows on her freckles. Her tongue darted out along her lips and his gaze flickered down.
She peered up at him, his arms on either side of her face shrinking her world down to just the two of them. His dark glasses reflected her back at him, she could just make out the faintest glimmer through the black glass as he blinked. His scowl only emphasised the curve of his lips and she swallowed.
"Are you going to spank me?"
He pulled away, taking a step back away from her.
"You could have been killed." He said seriously. "You're here so we can protect you. Remember?"
She hung her head and muttered something. He touched her chin until she looked up at him, immediately sliding her gaze away.
"I said; it doesn't make a difference. If I testify or not I'm probably going to die. These people don't mess around."
"So why testify?" He asked gently.
"My brother got caught up with his friends, who for some reason thought it was a bright idea to rob a bank." Her cheeks flushed. "If I don't testify he goes to prison as an accessory." She fiddled with the shopping bag in her hands. "My brother wouldn't cope well in prison."
"That's a pretty selfless thing to do, sweetheart." His leather glove was warm against her chin but she refused to look at him. "Does your brother know you've got a price on your head for this?"
"No." She said sharply. "And he's not going to. He's just a kid." She scratched a mosquito bite on her arm absently. "My dad would kill me if I let my brother go to prison."
Chibs pushed his glasses up into his hair, frowning at her.
"Don't think your dad would want you to get killed over it."
She laughed.
"Let's just say if there's a firing line he'd give anything he had for it to be me and not Dexter jumping in front of it." She ran her hands through her hair uncomfortably. "It's fine. Really. It's a long story."
She pushed away from the wall turning her shoulder to him.
"Can we get breakfast?"
He looked at her and she smiled. Eventually he sighed and relented.
"To take back." He said firmly and she grinned, rolling her eyes with a pout.
"You're no fun."
He tucked her new clothes into the saddlebag on the bike and led her back onto the high street. They fell into step, walking the two blocks to the closest diner in tense silence.
"So how'd you end up on babysitting detail?" She ran an appreciative glance over him. "You look relatively capable to me. I would assume the Prospect would be given such a shitty duty."
He laughed.
"You'd have Half-Sack watching your back?" He asked incredulously and she grinned.
"You all watch my back. Part of it, at least." She lifted her eyebrows pointedly and he took the opportunity to take in how well the new jeans fit her.
"'Sides, it's not babysitting, it's keeping your troublesome ass alive."
"And I'm grateful." She laughed as they mounted the steps leading up to the diner.
He contemplated the jeans on their way up, part of him wondering exactly how grateful. When he joined her at the cashier inside she was reeling off half the menu.
"Steady lass!" He blurted in surprise. "You won't fit into your new clothes."
The distinctly pudgy waitress gave him a nasty glare that quite blatantly said 'sexist-pig' and turned to holler at the chef.
"How hungry are you?"
"For the guys." She said sweetly as if it were obvious. The waitress turned back to them and she pointed at Chibs. "He's paying."
"Generous." The waitress sneered, taking the money as if it were infectious.
"You have no idea." She smiled, leaning into his side.
He glared at her from behind his dark glasses.
"Come on, lighten up." She grinned.
He tried his very hardest to scowl at her but his lips weren't exactly receiving the messages his brain was sending and he found himself half-smiling at her.
"Oh baby!" Tig crowed, inhaling the scent wafting from the bag of food with a blissful grin.
They had descended on the two of them as soon as Chibs's bike had pulled up in the lot, first with leering chants and wolf whistles and then with various hoots of appreciation when they saw the food.
"Sorry it got a bit squashed." She apologised, handing out breakfast burritos and bagels stuffed with bacon and eggs.
"Eat it on the run." Clay ordered, striding into the yard looking intimidating. "I need you."
Naomi glanced over her shoulder at Chibs, a frown creasing her brow.
"She seems sorta attached to you." Tig observed with a dirty grin at Chibs.
Chibs ignored him, following Clay into the clubhouse.
"What're they doing in there?" Juice asked, leaning between the two of them from the back seat to get a better view of the ramshackle old hut they were watching.
"What do you think they're doing?" Chibs asked pointedly.
Juice giggled. Then he nudged Tig.
"What do you think about that girl at the clubhouse?" He grinned, exchanging a look with Tig and grinning at Chibs. "Hot right? Can't believe we're stuck out here watching a door. I bet Jax has got her bent over-"
Chibs shoved the truck door open and jumped out irritably.
"You okay?" Juice looked at him in surprise.
"Need to take a piss. Gonna hold it for me?" He snapped, marching around the truck and out of sight.
He was angry for some reason and he yanked his phone out of his pocket. He'd given her a disposable and told her she was only to use it in emergencies. He stabbed out the number without really knowing why. It rang for a long time. Just when he was about to hang up, she answered. Her innocent voice only inflaming his suspicions.
"Hello?"
"What're you doing?" He demanded in an undertone, feeling completely ridiculous.
"Sitting in my pyjamas watching re-runs of the Simpsons." She replied calmly, apparently completely unfazed by his tone. "Why? Is there something I'm supposed to be doing?"
He shook his head to himself, shocked at the surge of jealousy coursing through his blood. Why should he care what she did? Or who she did?
"Are you still there?"
He sighed, rubbing his free hand over his face tiredly.
"Yeah."
"You're weird, you know that?" She laughed.
"Just make sure you lock the window tonight. I gotta bad feeling."
"The window is glass. Anything that wants in is getting in." She pointed out and he cursed.
"Just do as you're told. For once."
"Alright. Don't get your panties in a bunch. Geez."
He closed his eyes and prayed for patience. He could practically hear her amusement trickling down the phone. Christ he'd barely known her for three days and already he didn't know if he wanted to strangle her or... He frowned. She got right under his skin and he had no idea why.
"Was there something else?"
He hung up. The sooner they got rid of her, the better. She was bad for his peace of mind. Juice banged on the back of the truck to get his attention. He tugged his gun out of his jeans warily, gaze flickering around suspiciously. The meth head took him by surprise, sending him sprawling face first into the dusty ground. His gun bounced out of his hand. He could hear Tig and Juice hollering as he struggled to throw the guy off his back. He felt a searing pain in his shoulder and rage surged through his system. He managed to throw the guy off and Tig grabbed him.
"You're bleeding!" Juice panted, hauling him to his feet.
Chibs touched his shoulder, his hand coming away bloody. The sleeve of his shirt was ripped but the cut didn't feel too deep. He shook his head at a worried Juice, watching as Tig knocked the meth head around trying to get Clay's info out of him.
For not being too bad of a wound it bled a hell of a lot, all over the truck in fact.
"What the hell happened?" Gemma demanded, the instant they reached the garage.
"S'nothing." Chibs muttered, edging past her and into the clubhouse, leaving Tig to take the heat from Gemma.
"You're bleeding!" He blinked at Naomi when she darted in front of him.
"Just a scratch, sweetheart."
She glared at him and he glared right back. Then she reached out and jabbed his shoulder firmly with her finger. He hissed in pain then swore at her.
"What the fuck was that for?"
"Just testing a theory." She said pointedly. "Are you going to the hospital?" She scowled angrily when he scoffed. "At least clean it. Scars are sexy but infections aren't."
"Yes, mother."
She tried to scowl again but he could see her lips were curling slightly despite herself.
"Stop fussing, lass. I've had worse than this." Her smile faded slightly. "You gonna take care of me?"
She gave him a small half-smile again, grabbing his sleeve and leading him over to the bar.
"You didn't have to rugby-tackle a knife wielding maniac just to give me something to do." She chastised, shoving him down on a stool.
"Well it was that or lock you in. Can't be chasing you down if you go walkabouts again."
"I explained about that." She said crossly, ducking down behind the bar.
"A new pair of jeans wouldn't mean shit if you'd got your ass shot."
She mumbled something under her breath, pouring him a shot of JD.
"You gonna use that to clean it?"
She stared at him as if he'd said something blasphemous.
"Hell no. This is Jack Daniels, why would I waste it?" She pushed his shot at him. "Painkiller."
She rummaged around and dug out a rather dusty First Aid kit. She unzipped his leather vest, helping him shrug it off his wounded shoulder.
"Do you want to take it off, or shall I cut the sleeve off?" She asked, fingering the knife slice in the material.
"You can handle a knife, huh?" He lifted his eyebrows, watching as she squinted at the wound.
She grinned, looking at him from under her lashes and pouring him another shot.
"A girl needs some sort of protection, shacking up with a garage full of red-blooded bikers." She cocked her head. "I have to look like I'm resisting somewhere, bad for my reputation otherwise. So." She tugged on the shirt sleeve. "Off?"
"Just couldn't wait to get his clothes off him, could ya?" Juice snorted when he walked in on Chibs slipping his wounded arm out of his sleeve with a grimace.
Naomi rolled her eyes although her cheeks had gone pink. She wiped the blood away with warm water, then swiped the wound with an alcohol wipe and antiseptic. She used a bandage to wrap around his arm, tightening it until he winced. Clay summoned them into Church and she cleaned away the bloodied cloth and bandage wrappers. She sat uncomfortably at the bar and waited for them to re-emerge, running her finger through a small puddle on the bar's surface.
"You okay?"
She shrugged at Half-Sack as he paused on his way to Church.
"Yeah. I think I'm going to lie down."
She smiled at him brightly, as he cast a worried glance over her.
"It's been a long morning." She pushed her hair behind her ear. "Sounds like they're waiting for you." She grinned as Opie shouted for him and Half-Sack scuttled for the door.
"Hey. You gonna hide in here all night?"
She shrugged without looking up, moving a card across the bed to the correct pile.
"What's wrong?"
She felt the bed dip as Chibs sat down behind her. She'd swept her hair over one shoulder and she could feel his intent gaze burning into her bare neck.
"Nothing." She frowned at the cards spread out in front of her. No more moves.
"You've been in here since this afternoon." He said gruffly, watching the play of muscles rippling under her pale skin under the black vest top as she reached for the cards.
"The last time I went somewhere, you got stabbed." She muttered, shuffling the cards back together.
The words didn't sink in at first, he was too busy trying to figure out what the black ink between her shoulder blades was. When his brain did catch up, he scowled.
"That had nothin' to do with you, sweetheart." He leaned closer towards her when she seemed to ignore him. "That was business. Not your fault."
She cocked her head slightly until he could see her profile, the sweep of her lashes and one corner of her mouth.
"You better not be lying to me."
He grinned.
"Cross my heart, lass."
She pursed her lips, assessing him carefully. Eventually she turned away and packed the cards together.
"What's going on out there?"
He lifted his eyebrows and she smiled. From the loud music, raucous cheering and excited whooping echoing through the thin walls, it was quite obvious what was going on.
"Come on." Chibs took her elbow and pulled her to her feet. "Half-Sack bet Tig he couldn't take you in a drinking competition."
"Nice to know you're wanted." She sighed.
She moved towards the door but his hand on her wrist made her pause.
"I… er… you might want to think about getting changed."
She could almost have sworn that he was blushing as she looked down at the shorts and vest she'd pulled on to sit around in. They really did leave very little to the imagination.
"Oh. Right." She could feel her cheeks burning and she avoided his eyes.
She pulled on a pair of jeans and some Converse, tying her hair back in a ponytail out of the way. The clubhouse was heaving with people as she weaved her way through the groups of bikers and pornstars. She climbed over the bar, arranging beers on a tray, stacking a tower of shot glasses and grabbing two bottles of tequila. She pulled out a tray of freshly sliced limes and a couple of the salt shakers from behind the bar. Tig, Juice, Chibs and Bobby were sitting around one table near the back.
"Well boys… it has been a long week. Any bets on how many shots I can take you guys for?" She cocked her head to the side as she joined them.
Juice nearly fell off his stool besides her as she poured them all a shot. She nudged him playfully with her elbow.
"Think you boys can take me?"
"Can we do that body shot thing?" Juice asked excitedly as she handed out the salt and limes.
"Maybe later." She smiled at him. "If I'm losing."
Naomi could feel someone burning a hole in her back and she glanced over her shoulder. Tara was glaring at her with a face like a busted clock. Naomi leaned sideways towards the Prospect who was on her right.
"What's with her? Which one of you has she got by the balls?"
The Prospect could barely get the words out he was so busy choking on his tequila, so he nodded at Jax instead. Naomi turned her green eyes on the blond-haired VP.
"Shame."
Jax grinned at her, saluting her with a shot glass.
They were halfway down the second bottle of tequila when Half-Sack and Juice begged for mercy and Naomi staggered into the crowd to find a bathroom. On her way back she got roped into an argument Piney was having with Happy and it took her nearly an hour to extricate herself. She crossed the room to where Chibs and Bobby were playing poker with a few Sons from out of town. Chibs slid over slightly and she settled down between them.
"Gentlemen."
She tapped the table in front of her and Chibs grinned, dealing her in.
"How about we make it strip poker?" Tig leered from a seat nearby, his hand up a blonde's skirt.
"If you like." Naomi said evenly, giving him a long level stare.
Gemma leaned one arm on Clay's shoulder, her dark eyes on the poker game. She'd been observing Naomi carefully since she'd arrived, a fact the redhead had noted and let pass unchallenged out of respect.
"Gonna be a problem?" Clay murmured as a sexy blonde in a miniscule skirt exchanged his empty glass for a full one.
"I kinda like her." Gemma chuckled as Naomi won the hand and Bobby stripped his vest to loud cheering.
There was loud whooping and wolf-whistles as Bobby stood up to drop his jeans. Most of them, who weren't otherwise occupied by now, had gathered to watch the rest of the game. Bobby was now in nothing but his underwear and one sock. Chibs had maintained his jeans and little else. The out of town sons had dropped out hours ago and their places had unwisely been taken by a drunken Juice and Half-Sack. Juice was down to his socks and vest with nothing but an empty snack bowl to protect his dignity and Half-Sack was down to his underwear. Naomi, however, was still fully dressed and sitting on a very large pile of chips.
"What do you say boys, ready to call?"
Juice swore and tossed down his cards, turning to a nearby brunette for comfort. Bobby was muttering furiously under his breath but he was grinning as he downed the rest of his beer and left the table.
"You've got a good poker face." Tara commented as Naomi gathered up her winnings and restacked the cards.
"I guess."
Naomi and Tara exchanged long considering looks. Jax's eyes flickered from one to the other, his beer halfway to his lips. Juice nudged Half-Sack eagerly. The prospect of a cat fight between two hot girls flashed around the bar like wildfire. Naomi turned away with a sigh, forcing her way through the crowds and slipping into Chibs's room.
She was coiled up on top of the sheets when Chibs checked on her a few hours later. Her hair was spread out across the mismatched pillows, her long bare arms and legs tucked together. Pulling the sheets up over her he glimpsed the mysterious ink he still hadn't figured out yet peeking from under her vest where it ridden up her back. In his drunken state it seemed like an excellent idea to take a peek. Her skin was warm against his fingertips, smooth and pliant. She made a little sighing noise, pressing a little further into the mattress. He inched the vest up a little further, eyeing the way her hip curled into her ribs. She sighed, rolling fully onto her front and away from his hand. She turned her head on the pillow until she was facing him. She looked peaceful and young and he felt guilt flare in his stomach. He gave up, tucking the sheet up around her waist and staggering out of the room.
Naomi wandered bleary-eyed and yawning into the clubhouse around lunchtime the next day, still in her vest and shorts. Piney hailed her from by the bar, flicking his gaze over her bare flesh. She lifted her eyebrows as she took a seat besides him and he held out his hands.
"I'm old, not dead." He chuckled.
"Well look who it is."
She winced as Tig and Chibs ambled into the clubhouse on their break. She glared at them from under her tousled red mop. Tequila always gave her a hangover like an anvil repeatedly being dropped on her head.
"Can't take the heat, lady?" Tig teased.
"I can hold my own." She grinned, gratefully grabbing the coffee Chibs shoved towards her in amusement. "Were you in my room last night?" She asked after a moment of blissfully sipping the lava-hot liquid.
Tig and Piney turned to Chibs with matching amused smirks.
"No." He snapped defensively, leaning across the bar and propping his elbows on the shiny surface.
"Huh." She sipped some more coffee. "Must have been a dream."
"More like a nightmare." Piney wheezed and Tig guffawed in amusement. "Lock your door, gorgeous."
"I'm standin' right here, old man." Chibs snapped touchily.
"You didn't wake up feeling violated, did you?" Tig asked and she laughed, then winced. "Any bruises?"
She shook her head, then lifted her arm where the bruises from her shopping trip were still a vivid blue-black on her pale skin.
"Didn't know you were into that." Tig leered, sliding a little closer to her along the bar.
"Only if I'm doling it out."
Tig's smirk only got bigger. Naomi glanced at Chibs in amusement, only to find him frowning darkly at the two of them. He looked like he was trying to figure something out, something complicated with no right answer. It made her feel like she was under a microscope and she shifted uncomfortably on the stool, feeling flushed.
