A/N: don't own don't sue

Lyrics at the beginning are from Tennessee Line 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 Three

I open my lungs
To breathe in forgiveness and love
Haunting me now, reminders of how I used to be
And on down the road my troubles are sure to follow
Looking out the window, hell if I know where I will go
So I'll just keep on driving
On my way to L.A.
Looking into the rearview as the roads fade away
I've sworn off my past
First and last bad call that I ever made
Tell me how to make right
Every wrong turn that I've learned so this can all end tonight
Tennessee line just changed my mind
Well, it's my heart I'll follow this time
Who would've known that pride is so hard to swallow?
As I rest on the shoulder of a road growing colder
With the trouble I own, should I just keep on driving?
On my way to L.A.
Looking into the rear view as the roads fade away I've sworn off my past
First and last bad call that I ever made
Tell me how to make right
Every wrong turn that I've learned so this can all end tonight
Tennessee line just changed my mind
Well, it's my heart I'll follow this time
I know I must be doing something right
Head the other way, back to where I started out
Ask myself if I can turn it all around tonight
And stop living with doubt
On my way to L.A.
Looking into the rear view as the roads fade away
I've sworn off my past
First and last bad call that I ever made
Tell me how to make right
Every wrong turn that I've learned so this can all end tonight
Tennessee line just changed my mind
Well, it's my heart I'll follow this time

They were all off doing something for the club. It was just Naomi, Piney and Half-Sack. She had been a good girl all day, hiding out inside the clubhouse and helping out in the garage, but now she was bored beyond belief and she couldn't take it anymore. While Half-Sack was distracted unclogging the toilet, she slipped outside. She was sore, dusty, covered in grease and oil and she'd had an accident that had left a nasty cut on her arm. Plus the weather had only gotten hotter. She pulled on a grey cotton summer dress she'd got second hand and headed past the garage to a little grove of trees around the side of the clubhouse. Half-Sack had helped her set up a huge hammock between two of the rather unimpressive trees earlier that day and she headed there now with a book Half-Sack had smuggled in for her.

That was how Chibs found her hours later when he staggered outside, a little worse for the wear after a long afternoon of drinking, popping pills and smoking, looking for somewhere to pee. Once he'd finished he squinted at the hammock in bewilderment. He could see long slim legs dangling over the side but nothing else.

"If you touch me with those hands, you'll be singing soprano." Naomi warned before he could quite touch her knee. "Wash your hands."

He caught the bottle of water she tossed at him, unscrewing the lid and pouring the remaining liquid over his hands. She was lying in the hammock, her legs over one side and her long hair loose over the other. There was a large leather tome nestled in the V of her legs. She lifted her eyebrows at him.

"Well? Climb on." She gave him a thoroughly wicked look and he felt his stomach quiver pleasantly.

He gave the hammock an incredulous look and she grinned challengingly. The hammock was swinging wildly when he finally managed to manoeuvre in besides her. He looked doubtful and a little ridiculous and he lifted his eyebrows at her. He leaned over her shoulder to look at the book.

"Is that French?"

"Uh huh."

She flipped it over so he could see the title. It was a collection of French short stories.

"That is a really huge book, lass." He commented and she laughed then winced almost immediately. "What's up?"

She half shrugged one shoulder then gestured vaguely at her forehead.

"Headache." She grinned ruefully.

Chibs considered for a moment, then wriggled around and tucked his hand down the back of his jeans. The hammock rocked precariously and Naomi cursed.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Chibs stopped wriggling and held a rolled up black cap out towards her. She peered at it as if it might be a cunningly disguised poisonous bug that might take her hand off.

"Please tell me that came from your pocket and not down your jeans." She said warily.

Chibs laughed and shook out the cap, slapping it onto her head and tugging it down to her brows. She stared at him from under it for a moment, until his grin slid from his face and he started to wonder if he'd offended her. She reached up and readjusted the brim a little higher on her forehead.

"You're sweet, you know that?"

Chibs almost turned pink and scowled heartily at her but his eyes weren't exactly displeased. Before he could reply he caught a glimpse of the angry red gash on her arm. He reached out surprisingly quickly and snatched her wrist in his hand before she could slide her arm out of his sight.

"What's that?"

She frowned and looked down at her arm consideringly, as if she hadn't even noticed it before now.

"I was helping Half-Sack in the garage this morning. The driver was in a rush. I dropped the socket wrench and he nearly took my arm off while I was getting it back."

Neither of them seemed to notice that Chibs still had hold of her wrist, a gentle feather-light touch. His large hand was surprisingly soft.

"You let him do that?" His scowl got wider. "Half-Sack let him do that?"

She lifted her gaze and smirked at him. He was very close, his alcohol-sweetened breath fanning across her cheek.

"Low profile, remember." She said sweetly, her voice barely a murmur. "I don't think you guys beating the hell out of someone is very low profile. Especially when I'm supposed to be just another girl hanging around you guys."

Chibs turned his bright eyes back to her arm, turning her wrist over. He brushed a still damp thumb over the ink on the delicate skin there. "As you wish…" in intricate curled script.

"It's from a movie." Naomi supplied, wishing he'd move his thumb before he felt the mad fluttering of her pulse. "You wouldn't like it."

"I might." Chibs replied in a thoroughly affronted tone.

Naomi lifted her eyebrows in amusement.

"Ten bucks says you don't make it halfway through."

Chibs grinned. His grin slipped a little when he realised how close they were. He could feel her breath against his throat. The peak of the cap was touching his forehead. He could see all the gold flecks in her brilliant green eyes, the inky black lashes brushing her cheeks when she dropped her gaze. She swallowed, willing herself to stop looking at the slightly parted lips barely inches away.

Naomi drew away, licking her dry lips and putting a bit more space between them.

"Good book?" Chibs asked after a moment of tense silence. "What's happening?"


Chibs had fallen deeply asleep before any of the others emerged from the bar. The noise was ridiculous, Naomi had no idea how anyone could be sleeping through it and it wasn't even a full blown party. Half-Sack had been sent by a suspicious Clay to find Chibs and Naomi. He did not want their delicate agreement with Unser to come unravelled because Chibs had a hard on for the sexy little witness. Half-Sack wobbled a little as he peered at the deserted garage. He followed Chibs's footprints from earlier, adding his own mark to the wall.

Just as Chibs had, he blinked at the sight of legs dangling over the edge of the hammock. He swung his arms over the hammock and squinted down at them.

"Do not throw up on me." Naomi ordered when she saw how bleary-eyed he was.

Half-Sack grinned at Chibs snoring lightly besides her. Naomi sighed and held out a hand to Half-Sack. He helped her slip down from the hammock. She jabbed Chibs in the ribs with her book to wake him up. He grunted in his sleep, batting at the book grumpily and muttering something indecipherable in his slurred Scottish burr. Naomi poked him with her fingers, tickling him until he was squirming. He finally woke up and peered up at them.

"'Sack?"

Naomi was much more awake than Chibs was after a long day of hauling dead bodies in the burning heat on a hangover and she stared at Half-Sack suspiciously.

"They sent you to look for us." Half-Sack nodded and she rolled her eyes. "Well you can tell them that we're both fully clothed, even if only one of us has been conscious for the past three hours."

Half-Sack gave them a strange suspicious look, then he pulled a joint out of his pocket and wiggled it at her. Naomi wasn't a big drug person, but it had been a weird few weeks. Her head was still hurting from the heat and she could do with some forgetting. Half-Sack looked at her, Chibs looked at her. She shrugged. What the hell. She was not, however, having her hammock stinking for weeks. She led them back towards the garage. She and Half-Sack pulled a tarp from a half-stripped car. It was still pretty cool, having been in the shade of the garage for most of the day. Naomi settled down on the hood, the glass windscreen cool against her back through the thin dress.

"Whose car is this?" She asked as they pulled themselves up besides her.

Chibs clambered slightly ungracefully up onto the other side and stretched out, one arm behind his head. He pulled out a lighter and the brief flash of light illuminated the three of them. They passed the joint around in silence for a while.

"Just so we're clear." She finally said, handing the joint to Half-Sack. "You guys have no chance at a three-way."

Chibs snorted and Half-Sack chuckled. Time became a bit hazy after that. Naomi didn't know how long they'd been sitting there, passing the joint around and giggling over stupid questions they asked each other.

"Okay, virginity." Half-Sack slurred, coughing up smoke.

"Is that an admission, Kip?" Naomi teased, nudging him with her elbow. "Don't worry, it's nothing to be ashamed of."

Chibs was spluttering with laughter as Half-Sack hurried to deny it. He even offered to prove it but Naomi pleaded for mercy and he finally stopped grumbling and muttering.

"I was fifteen." Naomi sighed wistfully, blowing a plume of smoke into the night air. "Spider was seventeen. I was so in love." She laughed without much mirth. "I would have done anything for him. Back of my mom's truck."

"I was fifteen, too." Chibs offered. "Polly Sprang."

Naomi burst out laughing, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"Polly Sprang? She sounds like a porn star, or a sex position." Naomi said thoughtfully, causing a bellow of guffaws from Half-Sack. "What happened? Did you put it in by accident?"

Half-Sack could barely breathe for giggling. Naomi giggled, then she turned on Half-Sack and demanded his story.

"Seventeen." He muttered, suddenly very interested in his belt buckle as he fiddled with it clumsily. "My friend's mom."

Naomi and Chibs gaped at him, Chibs propping himself up on one elbow to peer over Naomi's stomach.

"Nice score, brother." Chibs breathed in appreciation.

Naomi snorted and shoved Chibs lightly in the chest.

"Wow that's real tasteful." She mocked.

"Oh tasteful, what like the backseat of mom's car?" Half-Sack protested, jabbing her in the side with a ringed finger.

"Hey it was the flatbed of my mom's truck." Naomi corrected as haughtily as she could when she was trying to squirm out of his reach.

"Wow the height of class." Half-Sack taunted, jabbing her again.

He must have hit a ticklish spot because Naomi jumped as if electrocuted with a muffled shriek of protest.

"Hey! Don't make me hurt you. No. Ah-" Naomi broke off into breathless giggles as she tried to get her woozy body to respond.

Chibs caught both of her flailing hands in one of his and took over poking and prodding her with the other. Half-Sack watched them both in hazy amusement until their antics almost knocked him off the hood of the car.

"What the—hey! Get a room." He groaned, settling back against the window.

"Weren't you supposed to be telling Clay where we are?" Naomi said idly as they settled back down.

Half-Sack looked confused for a moment, then his whole face drooped and a horrified look stole into his eyes. He scrambled down off the car and darted into the darkness towards the muffled noise of the bar. Chibs and Naomi watched him disappear.

"You should probably go with him, you know." Naomi sighed, pushing herself up into a sitting position. "Just to prove I haven't had my wicked way with you or anything."

Chibs chuckled. In his intoxicated state all he could see was her pearly white profile framed by dusty stars, her dark hair tumbling over her shoulders from beneath his Samcro cap.

"If you stare at me any harder, your eyes will fall out." Naomi said coolly, but she avoided his eyes shyly. "It must be late. I'm gonna head to bed."

Chibs clambered down and helped her slide from the hood. His hands were warm on her waist and her lips quirked into a smirk.

"You going to walk me to my room?" She asked in amusement, quite enjoying the way he glared at her in something like embarrassment.

He muttered something until she took pity on him and tugged his sleeve. They walked towards the bar together in surprisingly tense silence.

"Can I ask you something?" She said as they came to the little path that led between the garage and bar. "What's your name?"

"Filip." Chibs said.

"Er, okay. Chibs it is." Naomi said as best as she could when she was biting her lip to keep from giggling.

She saw Chibs's frown even as he shrugged it off. She touched his shoulder lightly.

"You're cute when you smile."

She brushed her fingers against his chin, then reached up onto her tiptoes and touched her lips against the scar on his cheek. She felt him start in surprise and she pulled back, hurrying towards the clubhouse without looking at him again. That would be a very dumb idea.


Chibs and Jax had just finished storing the guns in the late night hours. The clubhouse was quiet for once, everyone was at home or in bed it was that late. Jax handed Chibs a cigarette, eyeing the older man curiously. He'd been withdrawn all night, not the thoughtful silence he was capable of maintaining but something brooding and heavy.

"Something on your mind?" He asked after puffing away in silence for a while.

Chibs shrugged, fiddling with the shades slung around his neck absently. Jax figured he had a pretty good idea what was on the Scot's mind but he knew better than to mention it. He pushed away from the wall, stamping out the cigarette and stretching tiredly.

"Better get back, I left the kid with Gemma."

Chibs nodded absently, not really registering anything he said he was so deep in his own thoughts. Jax clapped him on the shoulder and left him to it. Chibs finished his cigarette slowly, peering across the dark lot without really seeing it. When he was done he tossed the butt away, making his way through the clubhouse to his room on autopilot. He already had the door half open when he remembered it wasn't his room at the moment. He paused at the strange panting noises emanating from the dark room. Whimpering and huffing. He scowled. She was not screwing somebody in his bed? He shoved the door open the rest of the way. The sheets were writhing and his anger peaked.

"What the fuck are-" He broke off when Naomi bolted upright with a muffled shriek.

She scrambled backwards, falling off the bed with a loud painful-sounding thump. He hurried around the bed, switching on the lamp. She must have been dreaming, her skin was slick with sweat and her hair was plastered to her neck and shoulders in sticky tangles.

"It's okay, lass." He murmured gently, pushing her damp hair off her sweat-beaded forehead.

Her eyes were darting and her chest was heaving, she clung to his arms so tightly her nails dug into his skin.

"It's okay." He took her face in his hands, forcing her to focus on him. "It's okay. Take a deep breath."

He was worried she'd hyperventilate, her chest was heaving so deeply it looked painful. And each bone-rattling gasp ended in a sharp rattle.

"Calm down, Naomi."

The sound of her name seemed to calm her somewhat, the scared look melted from her eyes and she seemed to recognise him. He tucked her hair behind her ears and she took several deep gulps of air. He could feel her trembling.

"It was just a dream, sweetheart."

She nodded and her death grip on his arms eased a little. She took a few more deep shuddering breaths. He could feel her pulse thundering under his palm, the skin of her throat burning up.

"That must have been a hell of a nightmare."

She shook her head, quite clearly indicating that she didn't want to talk about it. Now she'd loosened her grip on his arms he could feel her hands shaking.

"It's nothing."

Her voice was croaky and weak. She managed to unclench one of her hands from his sleeve and swipe her forehead with her arm.

"Ya shaking like a leaf." He frowned worriedly.

"And here you thought I had it all together, huh." She smiled humourlessly.

"Everyone dreams." He said firmly. "Can you stand up?"

"I had a nightmare, I'm not an invalid." She muttered indignantly and he grinned.

He took her by the elbows and helped her up, sitting her down on the edge of the bed. She was shaking from head to bare toes, he could actually see her hand trembling as she lifted it to push her heavy curtain of hair off her damp shoulder.

Chibs rolled his sleeve up and showed her the crescent-shaped marks where she'd dug her nails through his shirt, touching one finger to the dark bruises still braceleting her arm.

"Guess you got me back."

Her lips tweaked weakly and he smiled, smoothing back her hair shakily.

"This is so embarrassing." She groaned miserably, hiding her face in her hands. "Are you going to tuck me in too?" She peeked at him between her fingers.

"Only if you want me to, darlin'."

She smiled despite herself and he grinned.

"I guess I'm lucky you're here."

She tugged on his sleeve playfully. Her cheeks were pale and her hands were still shaking but the fear had drained from her eyes. He pushed her back gently and she crawled under the tangled sheets obediently. They were damp and heavy with sweat as she pulled them over her waist.

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?"

He frowned at her. She was grinning teasingly at him, propping her head up with her hand. Something shifted while they looked at each other, the grin slowly slipped from her face and her gaze flickered briefly to his lips. She frowned as if she were thinking about something she shouldn't be.

"Only if you want me to, darlin'." He repeated.

His voice sounded strange even to his own ears, his accent was thicker than ever. He leaned down, pressing his lips to her temple. He didn't miss the sudden intake of breath at his proximity. Okay so pretending she was his daughter was not working. Not at all. She stared up at him and he knew she was holding her breath. The room was so quiet he could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. His own wasn't too steady either.

"That would be a very bad idea." He said slowly and carefully.

"Very." She agreed, so quietly that he hardly heard her, which only succeeded in drawing his attention to her mouth. "Still…"

The moment continued to draw out like a long thin wire stretching between them, ready to snap.

"You're scared." He swallowed, scrambling to pick up the pieces of his resolve when she peered at him with heavy-lidded eyes that seared right through to his groin. "You don't want to be making rash decisions… and I don't want to be taking advantage." He moved away from the bed before he could change his mind.

"There is such a thing as being too much of a gentleman, you know."

He heard her mutter as he pulled the door closed behind him.


Chibs didn't think he was imagining Naomi avoiding him like the plague for the next two days. Every time he entered the clubhouse she seemed to be just leaving the room. When he sat at the bar she sidled off to help Half-Sack work on an ugly station wagon outside. When he took a smoke break at the garage she beat a hasty retreat inside to help Juice with some research. She was laughing with him now, sitting on the desk besides his computer as he tapped away. Chibs leaned against the wall with one shoulder, puffing absently and watching them through the dark glass of his shades.

Juice said something and she laughed, tilting her head back until her hair caught the light filtering through the window. She leaned down towards Juice and his cheeks flamed as he listened to whatever she was saying. She poked him in the shoulder when he shrugged them embarrassedly. From where he was standing Chibs could see Juice struggling valiantly to keep his eyes on the computer and not her jeaned thighs next to his arm on the desk.

"You okay baby?"

Chibs blinked at the sound of Gemma's voice, shrugging vaguely. Gemma followed his gaze over his shoulder.

"Somethin' going on there?" She asked, watching as Juice gestured with his hands and Naomi shook her head giggling.

"I ain't the gal's keeper." Chibs muttered grouchily.

"Uh huh."

Gemma studied Naomi. She was comfortable with Juice, that much was obvious, but there was nothing more than light flirtation in her manner. She had maintained a few inches of distance between them and her body was unconsciously tilted slightly away from him. Chibs shifted besides her as Naomi leant one hand on Juice's shoulder for support as she craned down to see whatever he was pointing at on the screen. Her long hair was vivid against the black of his leather vest, her hand resting familiarly on his shoulder.

"Seems to me if all she wanted was a certain appendage, she'd have plenty of options." Gemma said wisely, indicating Half-Sack who was watching the two of them out of the corner of his eye.

Chibs shot her an inscrutable look, grunting in disinterest that didn't fool Gemma for a second. She turned when Clay called her name, squeezing Chibs's arm and heading towards Church. Chibs watched a little longer. Why should he care if she had a thing for Juice? Hadn't he told her himself? She'd been scared and out of sorts and he wasn't going to take advantage of her. So why wouldn't she talk to him anymore? And why did it bother him so much? Juice seemed to have found the information he was looking for because the printer started chugging out sheets of printed paper. He slid away from the desk and disappeared into the depths of the clubhouse. Naomi jumped down from the desk, turning to straighten it up.

"Why don't you talk to her?"

He scowled as Gemma crept up on him again, that knowing smug look that women always seemed to get at the worst possible times all over her face.

"Why?"

She cocked her head, her smirk only getting bigger.

"Because you've got a face like a smacked ass and you've been scowling at that pretty little thing for the past two days." Gemma said bluntly. "If you're going to keep sulking, find another pussy or get it out of your system."

Chibs watched her departing back sulkily. He was fine.

"What's with the long face?" Half-Sack asked as he passed by him, his arms full of laundry.

"Fuck off." Chibs snarled, shoving past the startled Prospect.

Naomi tensed when she heard him approach. He could almost see the muscles in her neck tightening and her shoulder blades draw together slightly.

"Hey." She said in a falsely bright voice without turning around.

"You okay?"

She nodded, shuffling a pile of folders together. Once the desk was spotless she didn't have an excuse to keep her back to him. She didn't quite meet his eye as she turned around though.

"Sure. No nightmares." She offered him a wavery smile.

So that's what it was. She was embarrassed about the whole thing, ashamed of what she'd almost done with him. He frowned, wondering why his stomach felt so knotted all of a sudden.

"So we're good." He stated gruffly and she blinked.

"Of course." She gave him a half-smile, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Why wouldn't we be?"

He nodded, somehow feeling as if he'd just taken a giant step in the complete wrong direction.