A/N: don't own don't sue
Lyrics at the beginning are from 'Broken Arrows' 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 Seventeen
Hey, show me one man that's never made mistakes
Oh, and I'll pay
All of my time and every dime I made
But today
The best of intentions I lay at your feet
And I need you to see past the worst part of me
I'm tired of taking my aim
When I keep on missing
There's gotta be a better way
Gotta be a better way
And every little word I say
Keeps getting twisted
Coming out wrong
So baby hold on
I'm tryin' to hit the mark
But I'm shooting with broken arrows
It's like I'm shooting with broken arrows
No, I may not be a saint but I've got a heart of gold
Oh, like a telephone
Connection ain't clear, but I hope you hear my soul
You gotta know
The best of intentions I lay at your feet
And I need you to see past the worst part of me
Naomi was sitting cross-legged on top of one of the picnic tables, deeply engrossed in a book Juice had picked up from the library for her. He had been nervous and embarrassed beyond belief just going through the door, never mind searching the rows of books for any of the titles she'd mentioned in passing. The librarian looked at him as if he was something she'd trodden on as she showed him how to fill out a form to loan the books without a library card. Juice wouldn't have done it for anyone but Naomi, unless he was under orders. She'd flushed pink with pleasure when he'd given her the stack of books, enveloping him in a brief hug that made his body burn pleasantly. It had also made Chibs's fierce gaze catch his through the dark lenses of his glasses.
Ignoring the racket from the boxing ring besides him, Chibs glanced over his shoulder, making sure his redhead was still safely ensconced with her back to the sun so the glare off the pages didn't hurt her eyes. She had been oblivious to the chaos of the yard around her for the past few hours, buried deep in the pages of first one ratty old book then another. She looked up every now and then when a particularly raucous bellow from the ring's spectators drew her out of her imaginary world. Even through the tinted lenses of his glasses he could see the scarlet glint of her braid.
Naomi knew he was watching her again. Even hiding behind his shades, she knew when he was looking at her by the tingling that rippled over every inch of her skin. The books had helped distract her, especially when Chibs was in the ring showing Half-Sack moves. He was just too delicious. Naomi finished the last paragraph of her chapter and glanced across at the ring. Half-Sack was talking to that girl. Cherry. Naomi had yet to decide whether the skinny thing was good enough for Half-Sack. Still, he was head over heels for her so she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. For now.
"Hey sweetheart." She blinked out of her daydream and looked over her shoulder to see Clay marching over to the ring and Tig a few steps behind him. He winked at her. "Looking good." He leered.
She rolled her eyes but she had learned that Tig showed his affection in a very odd manner and any female he addressed as something other than "bitch" was as close to polite as he ever got. He was growing on her too. She waved at him. She watched Clay and Chibs talking by the ring, studying Half-Sack and Cherry intently as they talked. She took the opportunity to give Chibs an appreciative once over. Just looking at him burned her up and she licked her lips without realising. She hurriedly looked away as Clay headed back over her way. Clay made her a little nervous, mainly because she knew he only tolerated her presence because it momentarily benefitted their club, and there was also a little bit of resentment at the cock-block standing in between her and Chibs. He nodded at her and she smiled fleetingly.
Naomi, Opie and Happy were shovelling in pizza when Chibs got back to the clubhouse from the boxing match, annoyed to have lost his own personal bet and aching from his bouts in the training ring with a kid half his age. He helped himself to a whisky since Half-Sack was being consoled by Cherry and leant against the bar watching her. She was laughing her ass off at something Happy was saying, throwing her head back to expose her throat, lifting up a slice of pizza and lopping the stringy cheese around her finger. She didn't look across at him but he knew she'd registered his arrival, just as he always knew when she walked into a room. Chibs answered Opie's questions about the fight automatically, gulping down his whiskey. He wanted her. He wanted his brothers to clear off home so he could touch her.
He watched as she slid out from around the table, trying not to notice Happy's hand graze the bare flesh at her waist as she brushed past. She sauntered over and around the bar besides him, retrieving two cold beers from one of the little fridges. As she leaned over him for the bottle opener, her lips brushed against his ear.
"Let's go for a ride." She breathed against him. "I'll meet you in the yard."
All of Chibs's aches and pains and tiredness fled at the feel of her warm breath against his cheek, the curve of her breast against his arm. She moved away from him, her hips swinging enticingly as she walked back over to the guys and handed out the beers. He heard her telling them she was heading to bed, ignoring the wolf whistles and obnoxious mumbled comment from Happy as she headed towards the dorms.
He waited until she'd disappeared down the dark corridor, focusing on not watching her departing back and gulping down the last of his whiskey. After about ten minutes, he tossed his empty glass onto the bar. Opie and Happy called after him but he didn't reply, walking out into the yard. It was slightly chilly at this late hour as he crossed the wide empty lot. She was leaning against his bike, her long legs stretched out before her emphasised by her skin-tight black jeans, her hair a wave of red silver in the bright floodlights. He had no idea how she'd gotten out of the clubhouse and right then, he didn't really care.
"Where we going?" He asked in an undertone, aware sound travelled in the empty lot.
"Anywhere you wanna take me, Scottish." She laughed, her eyes glimmering in the light.
Chibs felt heat pooling in his groin, he went through the motions of clipping on his helmet, watching her hurriedly braid her long hair back so she could pull on her own helmet. Chibs started up his bike, waiting for her to climb on. Once they'd set off, roaring out of the lot, she clutched at him as he weaved through parked cars and turned sharp corners heading out of town. As they left the town behind and reached the long stretches of road that linked these small towns, he opened up the power of his bike and she squeezed his waist tightly between her knees. He dodged a lump of roadkill, swerving gracefully across the road and her panicked gasp became a surge of exhilarated laughter as she clung onto him. Chibs felt twenty five again, his bike roaring down the road, a beautiful woman clinging to him. He felt like a god.
They rode out to a random patch of land. It was one of the 'viewing points' along this stretch of the highway, nothing but a flat patch that looked out over the rest of the dusty plains stretching out. This late it was lit by a single orange floodlight that barely reached the rickety old railing. Chibs left his bike just out of the orange circle and they both climbed off.
"That was awesome!" She whooped, jumping on the spot. "I am so turned on, right now." She said breathlessly, looking at him with that hungry stare that turned his body to fire.
She coiled her arms around his neck, seeking his cold lips with hers. He folded her against him, her body feverishly hot in the cool night air. His hands slid under the baggy hoody she'd worn for the ride, caressing the small of her back and her bare navel, his leather gloves cold from the night air yet warm from his body heat. She shivered and drew away from him.
"I am not having sex by the side of the road." She said breathlessly, taking a further step back from him.
He pushed his gloved hands through his hair, watching her walk over towards the railing and pull herself up onto the wooden bar. She pulled her hair out of her braid, letting the slight breeze filter through the silken strands. He leaned back against the railing besides her, his gaze fixed on his bike glinting dully in the weak moonlight.
"The trial's coming up." She said quietly, looking out at the black expanse stretching away from them.
Chibs grunted.
"A week or two and I'll be gone." She propped her elbows on her knees. "One way or another."
She pushed her hand through her hair and curled it over her shoulder.
"This is not what I expected my last days on earth to be like."
Chibs reached out, his gloved palm cool against her cheek. Her mouth was rigid beneath his for a moment, then her lips parted and she leaned towards him.
"Oh well." She sighed as they parted. "YOLO."
"YOLO?" Chibs repeated, his brows drawn down as he stared at her in confusion.
"You only live once." Naomi intoned, watching his face crease up as he goggled at her. She burst out laughing at the look on his face. "It's a saying." She shook her head. "Never mind." She turned back to the blackness pooling around them. "I like it out here. With you. It's so quiet." She leaned her head sideways against his shoulder. "We should go back." She smiled at him, beautiful even under the ugly glaring orange light. "It's late."
Naomi relaxed a lot more on the ride home, she held onto the stomach of his cut lightly and her knees only squeezed him when he made a sudden change of direction. They were maybe halfway home when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He glanced in his mirrors but there were no headlights behind them. Yet he couldn't shake that feeling. His skin prickled and he rolled his foot over the gas a little.
"What's wrong?" Naomi shouted over the roar of the engine, leaning forwards to press her cheek against his.
He shook his head, trying to figure out what was causing his gut to twist so painfully. Realisation struck him a second before the car did. It had been thundering along with no headlights on, and luckily it only managed to strike the back wheel of his bike. He struggled to keep his bike on the road but the heavy vehicle refused to obey him and they rolled. He was vaguely aware of Naomi screaming, her grip on his body tightening unmercifully. He let go of the bike, knowing the heavy hunk of metal could crush them. He saw the ground rising to meet him, then stars exploded in a shower behind his eyes.
Naomi could taste dirt and blood. She had no idea what was going on or where she was. She lay still for a moment, trying to figure out if her limbs were still attached. She stared up at the inky black sky and struggled to get her bearings. For a moment of pure boiling panic she thought she was back outside the garage after she'd been stabbed and fear threatened to choke her. When she managed to squash her panic down for a second, the events of the last few minutes filled her head and she forced herself to roll over despite her dizziness. She vaguely recalled the screeching of tyres while her world had been spinning and she hurriedly scanned the darkness for a pair of headlights. A dull red glow a few metres away must be Chibs's bike, but there was no sign of the car that had hit them. The car had been a rusty old banger she was sure of that as it had flashed past her, luckily it hadn't been able to build up enough speed to catch the bike while Chibs had been trying to impress her. Chibs. Naomi crawled to her feet, mentally assessing for damage. No broken bones, plenty of scrapes from dragging along the road but all in one piece. Dizziness almost floored her as she stood up and she hurriedly bent over and waited for the ground to stop wavering. Her head was throbbing and the side of her face and temple felt warm and wet.
"Chibs?" She called in a low rasping shout, her throat raw from the dusty road and the screaming. "Chibs!"
She couldn't see a fucking thing, it was all black in every direction as far as she could see and panicked tears were blurring her vision. She searched the pocket of her hoody and yanked her disposable out of the pocket, hoping to use the bright display to see a little better. It was smashed, completely unresponsive.
"FUCK!" She screamed, tossing the phone as far as she could and blinking back frustrated tears.
A brief groan reached her and she whirled on the spot, squinting into the darkness. She could make out movement, flickering between her and the red light of the bike. She hurried over, swearing as pain gripped her left leg causing her to stumble. Chibs was sprawled on the ground, trying to get onto his hands and knees. She helped him up, relief washing over her. They staggered towards the beacon of his bike and Chibs heaved it into an upright position and flicked the switch to turn on the headlights again. Miraculously they weren't broken and the sudden pool of bright light made them both wince. Naomi blinked at Chibs owlishly, taking in the cuts and bruises on Chibs's face and the swelling already blooming on his cheekbone.
"You alright, lass?" His voice was gravelly and hoarse and she stepped towards him, wincing as she put her weight on her sore leg.
She glanced down. Her jeans were ripped open and she had a nasty gash on her thigh oozing blood but she waved him off, fluttering around him anxiously. She wouldn't believe he was fine until she'd checked him over herself. He growled when she prodded a particularly sore patch around his shoulder and she exposed a nastily bruising patch on his ribs when she lifted his shirt.
"What happened?" She asked, turning towards where she hoped the road was.
Chibs didn't reply, he was too busy checking his bike in the hopes that it was still running. Miraculously it was, the paintwork was scratched all to hell and some parts were bent and dented but it would get them back to Charming. Once he was sure of their escape route, he turned off the headlights and joined her scanning the dark road. There was no sign of the car that had pushed them off the road.
"Hey!" Naomi said suddenly and Chibs turned at the tone of her voice. "Is this supposed to be happening?"
Chibs followed the line of her finger, squinting in the dim red glow of the brake light.
"God-fucking-dammit!" He swore loudly, scrubbing his hands back through his hair in frustration. "It's pissing out oil." He explained, sincerely wanting to punch someone.
"We're in the middle of nowhere." Naomi glanced across at the road. "Do you think they're still out there?"
Chibs huffed, studying the bike intently. The amount of oil the bike had already lost meant there was no way they could get home. They were sitting ducks out here.
"We need to call someone."
"Who?" Naomi was looking at him with big eyes and he knew exactly what she was thinking. There was no excuse for them to be all the way out here alone that Clay would accept. "Half-Sack couldn't keep a secret from Jax if his life depended on it."
Chibs pulled his phone out of his pocket, miraculously undamaged, and hit speed dial.
Juice jumped down from the cab of the truck and rushed straight over to Naomi, almost knocking Chibs over in his hurry.
"What happened?" He demanded when he saw the blood caking the side of Naomi's face and her bloody leg.
Chibs ordered Naomi into the truck, watching in exasperation as Juice helped her climb into the cab and fussed around offering her one of his discarded jackets. Juice helped Chibs load his bike onto the back of the truck, filling him in on what had happened without explaining why they were out here in the middle of the night. As Juice tightened the straps holding the bike down, Chibs leaned his sore back against the side of the truck and watched him.
"Juicy-boy." Chibs looked tired and agitated as Juice turned towards him obediently. "I need a favour. This needs to be between us." Juice was blinking at him, a furrow etched into his brow.
"Someone ran you off the road." Juice pointed out in confusion. "Clay's gonna find out about that. You're both bleeding."
"Aye." Chibs nodded, puffing heavily on a cigarette. "He will. You let me handle that. Can I trust you with this?"
Juice hesitated, glancing through the rear window of the truck at Naomi who was quite blatantly staring back at them both suspiciously. Juice seemed to deflate and he sighed, giving Chibs a small nod. Chibs clapped him on the shoulder and flicked his cigarette into the darkness.
The ride back was silent, Naomi sandwiched between Chibs and Juice watching the road before them. Every few seconds her gaze flicked towards the rear-view mirror and every time a car appeared she gave a little jump in her seat. In the darkness of the cab, Chibs put a reassuring hand on her knee. If Juice saw, he didn't comment.
When they reached the compound, everywhere was dark and silent but Jax appeared in the clubhouse doorway, squinting in the headlights. Naomi saw the glint of metal in his hand as he tucked the gun into the back of his sweats. Naomi did not miss the fact that he was shirtless either as he crossed the dark lot towards them, watching Juice and Chibs release the bike from the back of the truck with questioning eyes. Naomi vaguely heard Chibs explain what had happened with a few minor adjustments. Apparently he had taken her out for emergency feminine supplies and they had been cutting around the back streets to avoid attention when it had happened. Naomi tried not to look like this story was new to her, which was pretty easy considering her head was agony. She was sitting on one of the picnic benches when Jax reached her.
"You alright, darlin'?"
Despite the head injury and the dried blood, Naomi still flushed bright pink as a half-naked Jax crouched down beside her. She caught a glimpse of Chibs poker-faced behind him watching them carefully. She felt Jax's fingers brushing strands of hair back from her face, tilting her chin so he could see the blood.
"Have Chibs take a look." He said decisively.
He indicated Juice and he trotted away after him, glancing across at Naomi as he went. She lifted her hand to show him she was alright, letting Chibs bring her to her feet and walk her into the clubhouse.
Her head wound wasn't as bad as it looked after they'd rinsed her hair with warm water and her leg would be alright if she didn't strain it too much. Naomi let him bandage it without protesting as long as he promised to let her return the favour. He grumbled and cursed, but he suffered her ministrations as she cleaned his cuts and scrapes and checked every inch of his bare torso.
"They nearly killed you." Naomi said suddenly as she rinsed her bloodied hands off in the sink of the adjoining bathroom.
Chibs was sitting on the end of his bed, watching her through the open door. She'd stripped her ruined clothes and pulled on one of his t-shirts, her wet hair trailing down her back.
"They nearly killed us." He corrected, scrubbing his hands through his hair.
"Oddly enough, that doesn't make me feel any better." She said with a dry laugh.
She crossed back into the small room, running her hands through his hair and sweeping the strands back from his bruised face. She perched on his knee, her arm around his neck.
"I don't want you to get killed because of me." She murmured against his hair.
"This might not be you, lass." His breath was warm on her collarbone.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you take me out." She sighed, propping her head on his shoulder.
"You didn't exactly force me." He pointed out with a chuckle, brushing the tip of his finger along the edge of the bandage on her thigh.
"I'll be on lockdown after this, wont I?"
Chibs lifted his head and tilted her chin up to face him. The nasty gash was hidden by her hair and only a slight bruise around her temple marred her face. She was stunning, her light freckles emphasising her cheekbones and the dark length of her lashes bringing out the brightness of her eyes.
"It's late." Chibs said quietly, which was an understatement considering daylight was already filtering through the window.
He got to his feet, tipping her lightly onto the bed. She crawled towards the pillows with a tired groan. She knew he wouldn't stay with her tonight, it was too risky with Jax in the dorms. Chibs pulled the sheets over her shoulders and brushed his fingers over her cheek.
"Night, lass."
