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

Lyrics at the beginning are from Break the Spell 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 Six

Like a moth into a flame
I'm hypnotized and like a stone
I'm paralyzed 'cause I can't look away
You found your way under my skin
And I'm tryin' not to love you
But I hate the way I keep on givin'
Into you, like I always do, no matter how I try
Or maybe could it be
That you're the part of me
That's keeping me alive?
How am I supposed to break this spell you got me under
I'm so addicted to the pain
Got your poison running through my veins
The way you pull me in
The way you chew me up
The way you spit me out
I keep coming back, I can't get enough, I can't go without you
I could fight you 'til the end but I will lose you if I win
So I guess I'll just keep on givin' into you
Like I always do, no matter how I try
Or maybe could it be, that you're the part of me
That's keeping me alive?
How am I supposed to break this spell you got me under
I'm so addicted to the pain
Got your poison running through my veins
The way you pull me in
The way you chew me up
The way you spit me out
I keep coming back, I can't get enough, I can't go without you
This feeling is far from sober
It's beauty buried deep inside
You're the only one who gets me high
And I know it's far from over
As you can see you're the part of me
That's keeping me alive

"No that's not him." Naomi sighed in frustration, shoving her hair back out of her eyes irritably. "Look, I didn't even see the guy, just his reflection in the mirror when he came out of the bathroom."

Chibs frowned at her sympathetically. Her hair had dried almost immediately in the suffocating heatwave and it stood up all over her head like a fiery halo. She'd changed into one of his t-shirts and he was having increasing difficulty keeping his attention from her long bare legs despite the seriousness of the situation.

"Just a few more?" Juice turned his big liquid brown eyes on her entreatingly. "We have to find this dick and punish him for hurting you."

Chibs could practically see Naomi melting into a gooey puddle right before his eyes and he felt something burning hotly at the base of his stomach. Naomi smiled sweetly, leaning forwards and pressing a chaste kiss right on the tribal tattoo facing her. Juice flushed bright red.

"You're all so sweet." She sighed. "Okay, next lot."

Juice grinned, hitting a button until the next lot of mugshots filed onto the computer screen. They were still flicking through them when Half-Sack returned with Gemma in tow. Gemma cast a curious eye over Naomi on her way to the office but didn't comment. Half-Sack hurried over.

"Naomi! I'm so sorr-"

Naomi cut him off, coiling her arms around his neck.

"We're okay." She reassured him, squeezing him tightly.

The boiling point in Chibs's stomach was searing into his intestines now and he climbed to his feet. He could feel their eyes on him as he walked away. Jesus. He was sulking like a thirteen year old because she'd hugged Half-Sack. Jesus H Christ. He felt completely ridiculous and yet he couldn't calm the fever roiling in his belly. He had wanted to strangle Half-Sack when they'd arrived at the truck to see her splattered with blood, whiter than a ghost and looking as if her bones had disappeared. He felt boiling anger surging through his chest, thinking about how afraid she must have been and wishing he could get his hands on that guy. He also felt a random surge of pride at how quickly she'd reacted, how smart she'd been to act when she did. He ran the edge of his thumb along the scar on his cheek absently.

"What're you doing out here?"

He blinked back to the present, surprised to find Naomi standing in front of him. He ignored her question.

"You shouldn't be outside." He said gruffly, shoving his glasses up his forehead so he could see her properly in the late afternoon sun.

She looked back at him calmly, the slowly setting sun glinting off her hair. The sun had brought out the freckles on her nose. He studied his shirt hanging from her slender shoulders to mid-thigh. It just now occurred to him that she was still fond of his shirts, despite the fact that she'd bought her own clothes. He felt sweat running down the sides of his t-shirt, trickling through his hair, and he wasn't entirely sure it was from the stifling heat. He was almost ashamed of himself, she'd been seconds away from death mere hours ago and yet his head was still filled with nasty images of what they could be doing. It was almost as if she could read the images flickering across his brain, her chest lifted as her breathing pace increased minutely and he saw the blood creep up her bare collarbone. His phone rang, breaking the pressure building between them. She turned away and disappeared back inside, the soft slap of her dusty espadrilles against the concrete echoing around the deserted garage.

"We found him." Jax's voice was harsh against his ear. "He's dead. She hit the femoral artery. He bled out a few blocks away."

Chibs felt his heart sink.

"We know who he belonged to?"

Jax made a noise at the back of his throat.

"None of the usual suspects so either there's a new player in town…" Jax trailed off significantly and Chibs turned to look through the window at Naomi and Juice vaguely. "The cops are crawling all over this place. Get rid of anything with blood on it."

"There's nothing to lead them to us."

"If he's from whoever's after Naomi, then Unser's going to know enough to come looking around here."

It didn't occur to either of them to explain what happened to the police and hope she'd be let off. Chibs hung up feeling even worse than before. Juice was beckoning to him through the dusty window and he crossed back into the marginally cooler clubhouse. Naomi was nowhere to be seen as he made his way over to Juice.

"What's up?"

"I've been checking Naomi's Facebook page every day, just in case someone tries to lure her out or something." Chibs frowned at the pink flush creeping over the younger man's cheeks. "I found this."

Juice pointed at a post on her wall, sent a few hours ago. It was only one word: SOS. Chibs indicated the little picture besides it and Juice clicked on it. It took them to another page. A boy with the same vivid hair as Naomi hanging out of a truck with a ridiculous expression on his face nestled besides the name Dexter Swift. With a sinking feeling, Chibs scrolled down to the boy's information section. Siblings: Naomi Swift. He looked at Juice, who looked right back at him miserably.

"The post was sent from a mobile device." Juice explained.

"So it might not even be him."

"If someone had his password, maybe." Juice answered reluctantly. "It was sent before the guy went for her."

Chibs filled Juice in on the guy's current deceased state as he worked his magic on the computer.

"We can't tell her." Chibs decided, scratching his chin and staring at the flashing images on the screen as Juice clacked away.

"Tell who what? You didn't scratch Gemma's car again did you?"

Juice jumped out of his chair in surprise, shooting an anguished look at Naomi. Naomi eyed him in amusement, her smile slipping a little when she saw the screen behind his shoulder.

"What's going on?"

"Nothin'." Chibs snapped, irritated that she'd managed to sneak up on them when he was trying to keep the nasty side of this business away from her. "Go back to your room."

She stared at him for a long moment, then her shoulders tilted back and she crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. Chibs could sense an argument brewing and Juice was staring at them both with huge eyes. Chibs weighed his options, eventually sighing and scrubbing his hands back through his hair unhappily.

"Your brother… would he turn you over to these guys?"

"Of course not." Naomi scoffed.

"Not even if they… uh…" Juice cast around for a polite word for 'torture', his face heating up as she stared at him uneasily.

"They wouldn't be able to."

Chibs snorted, not entirely convinced that the grinning boy on the screen would be able to withstand torture. She shifted from one foot to the other uneasily.

"No, I mean as soon as all this happened my dad packed him off to stay with one of his old friends in Alaska."

Chibs scowled and Juice's face creased in confusion. He couldn't seem to figure out how a father could go to such lengths to protect one of his children but not the other.

"Why are you asking about my brother?" Her voice rose in alarm and she made an involuntary movement towards the computer.

Chibs caught her back gently.

"What's going on?" She struggled to break his grip and he held her tighter to him. "Tell me!"

In the end she was wriggling and scratching so much that Chibs hauled her bodily into a chair and Juice showed her the post on her page. She was very still, staring intently at the tiny digital letters in silence for a long time. Then she held her hand out to Chibs.

"Give me a phone please." Chibs opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off with a dark look. "Either you give me a disposable phone or I go down the block and use the payphone."

He glared at her, she was trembling at the thought of venturing out alone after what had happened but she glared back defiantly. Juice looked from one to the other nervously. They looked as if they were trying to bore into each other's brains using just their eyes and the air between them was practically shimmering with tension.

"You can't ring his phone." Chibs said sternly, handing over the spare disposable they all kept on them at all times.

"Duh." She rolled her eyes, busy punching out numbers. The ringing echoed around the empty clubhouse. When the line was finally connected she broke out into what sounded like fluent Russian and then fell silent again as she waited. "Dex!"

Her face flushed with genuine pleasure, her eyes sparkling happily as she listened to her brother's voice. She listened intently and Chibs watched the different expressions flashing over her face.

"Please tell me you have not been in contact with these people." She ground out through clenched teeth. "So how would you know-" She broke off, chewing on her fingernail absently as she listened. "Oh. But they don't know where you are, right?" Relief crossed her face, so vivid that Chibs felt something tug at his heart strings. "Well I knew they were looking for me." She glanced up at Chibs automatically. "No, Dex, you can't check your Facebook. You're in hiding, stupid. The police only agreed to let you leave the State for your own protection. Dumbass." She seemed to be praying for patience as he twittered in her ear. "Dexter, if you so much as blink in that direction I will hunt you down and I will beat you." She announced flatly and Juice got the giggles. "What?" She frowned, looking confused. "Of course I'm alright. I'm being protected just fine. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. Look, unless you hear different from me personally, I'm still good." Her scowl cleared and she guffawed. "She did not!"

Chibs rolled his eyes as she started chattering giddily and she pouted.

"Look, Dex, I have to go. Shut up you brat. I know." Her cheeks turned pink. "I love you too."

She handed the phone back to Chibs, avoiding his gaze shyly. Her face contorted and Chibs reached for her automatically as she wobbled slightly on the spot. She lunged towards Juice, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she leaned over him to squint at the screen.

"That's him!"

Chibs started towards them hastily, leaning over Juice's other shoulder. Juice enlarged the mug shot on the screen and Naomi shrank back with a shudder.

"That's definitely him. Those nasty beady eyes."

She shivered again, turning away from the screen.

"Call Jax." Chibs muttered in an undertone to Juice. "Come on, lass."

He took Naomi's elbow, frowning when she jumped slightly at his unexpected touch. He didn't miss how shaky she was but she let him lead her back to the dorm room without removing her arm from his grip.

"Chibs?" He paused in the doorway, turning to look back at her sitting forlornly on the edge of the bed. "When you find him, what will you do?"

He stared at her and she blinked back at him trustingly. She'd already lost a little of the innocent sparkle she'd arrived with. He wasn't going to tell her the truth and ruin her life.

"Don't worry about it." His voice was gruffer than he'd intended but she didn't seem to take offense, merely looking back at him with big eyes.

"But…" Her forehead puckered and her lips creased as she puzzled over something. "He won't… come back?"

Chibs crossed the room in three long strides and put one hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"He's not coming back." He promised.

She nodded glumly. Juice hollered for Chibs like his pants were on fire and he flicked a glance at the empty doorway over his shoulder.

"Sounds like he needs you." Naomi's lips curled in amusement. "Or he's got his hand caught in the clamp again."

Chibs chuckled, patting her shoulder and squeezing lightly.

"Get some rest, lass."


Naomi tried to take his advice but she kept waking up with a racing heart and clammy palms expecting someone to spring out at her. The next time she woke up it was 3am and the room was dark. Feeling ridiculous, she checked the wardrobe for ghosts. As expected the room was deserted but she still couldn't sleep again. Feeling a chill she pulled on a hooded black jumper and crept out of the room. Even at this late hour there were usually a couple of people hanging around the clubhouse but the place was creepily deserted. She felt a momentary flash of panic. What if those men had found her and killed everyone looking for her?

Naomi scurried back into the corridor, too afraid to knock on any doors but pausing with bated breath listening for various snoring sounds. Her heart thudding like a jackhammer she paused outside the door she knew Jax had given to Chibs for her stay. She tapped lightly on the door, trying to hear over her thundering heart. After an interminably long time, the door creaked open a crack and she gasped at the glint of metal. Chibs hurriedly yanked the door open the rest of the way, tossing his gun onto Jax's chest of drawers.

"What's going on?" He demanded quietly, pulling her into the room.

She was momentarily distracted by the sight of him shirtless and rumpled from sleep.

"Nothing! I… I..." She broke off, stammering and blushing furiously.

Chibs had only been asleep a couple of hours and was caught in that twilight phase between rested and alert. She fidgeted nervously in the open doorway, the too-big hoody emphasising her long slender legs and delicate hands as she fiddled with the toggles at her throat. Her legs were bare and he wondered briefly whether she was naked under the hoody. She was saying something and he forced himself to concentrate. He moved further back into the room, drawing her with him gently. She closed the door behind her, following him back towards the bed. She sat cross-legged on one corner as he fumbled around in the dark looking for a shirt.

"I can't sleep." She said, peering past Chibs and out of the small window at a square patch of moonlight. "I keep waking up. Thinking someone's in my room."

Chibs frowned, giving up on his fruitless search for a shirt and sitting down opposite her on the bed.

"No one's going to hurt you while you're here."

She pushed her hair off her forehead, still looking out of the window.

"I can't stay here forever." She wound her hair into a rope and tucked it over one shoulder as she spoke, her brow creasing thoughtfully. "After I testify… I'll have a target on my back for the rest of my life."

Chibs studied her in silence, she was mostly in shadow except for the bright sparkle of her eyes and the curve of her cheek illuminated briefly by the shifting moonlight. She hung her head until her hair slipped over her shoulder. She was quiet for so long that he thought she might have fallen asleep. He felt sympathy coiling in the base of his throat. She was so young, so vibrant, making this sacrifice for her brother and she would only get punished for it. Anger flared in his gut. He was so angry at those jackass detectives, hanging their entire case on her testimony and blackmailing her into giving it. They knew as well as she did that the kind of people they were dealing with would kill her no matter who was behind bars. They were hanging her out to dry to save their own hides and if they were here right now he'd have laid them out one at a time.

Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face because she was looking at him strangely. She looked down at her hands in her lap again.

"I'm sorry I woke you up. I just had a bad feeling. I was worried."

He cocked his head curiously, reaching out to touch her cheek. He could feel the heat emanating from her blushing cheek.

"About what, lass?"

She tilted her face back towards him.

"I thought they'd come for me. That you were all gone." She pushed away from him and he realised his fingers were wet from her tears. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologising." He said, a little more abruptly than he'd planned. "You've nothing to apologise for." He continued, a little more gently.

"Can I stay here?"

He frowned at the sudden question. She was hanging her head again, her hair a curtain between them. She seemed to take his silence as rejection.

"Please." She whispered. "I won't bother you. I just can't..." Her voice cracked a little.

He realised she didn't want to spend the night on her own. He took a deep breath.

"Okay."

She smiled although he couldn't see it.

"Thank you."

"Can we go to sleep now?" He grumbled and she laughed sheepishly.

She crawled across the bed and slid under the sheets he'd abandoned, still slightly warm from his body heat. After a long moment she turned back to him.

"Are you getting in?"

He studied her thoughtfully. Her hair was dark against the pale sheets and her eyes glittered strangely. She couldn't think of a reasonable excuse not to accept her invitation as she patted the sheets besides her. If she wasn't squeamish about sharing a bed with him then he shouldn't be. He was a grown man. He slipped in besides her, her body spreading heat towards him in the darkness. He could smell her hair, her breath warm against his cheek. That's the problem, he thought darkly, I'm a grown man and she's… he took a deep steadying breath, willing himself to behave.