[Author's Note: Wow! I am so surprised that anyone is even reading this story, let alone liking it! To everyone who had reviewed, thank you so much! Reviews are like candy to me. :) This was originally longer but, the rest of it is unfinished and I didn't want to keep y'all waiting for too much longer. So, I broke it up. The other half has more to it than I'd originally thought. Hopefully I will be done with that no later than a few days from now. Eventually, I hope to get back to my own personal work as well...if only Jax Teller would get out of my head. Anyway, I'll leave you now so you can get to reading. Don't hesitate to let me know what you think! Happy reading!]

Spoiled

—Jax—

Although I was smiling when I left her room, my head was a mess. A lot of shit went down in that fifteen minute conversation and it took every ounce of self-control I had to not kiss her at the last second before I left the room. I knew something had shifted in our friendship but the sudden desire to kiss her threw me for a mind-fuck. I'd never looked at Charlie that way before and as much as I wanted to blame it on feeling protective and confusing that with some misplaced romantic bullshit…it had nothing to do with her situation. I'd been delighted by the brief, light-hearted banter just before she grabbed her stuff and seeing her face light up with a smile after such heaviness made my heart race again. Though she had bruises and a slightly haunted look in her eyes, I found her beautiful in a way I'd never noticed before. Her strength after all she'd been through, the ease with which she forgave all of us for blowing her off…everything that made her who she was suddenly made it on my radar. And I was in trouble.

"How is she?" My mom asked, breaking me of my thoughts.

"She's okay. She just wants to take a shower."

"I didn't mean to upset her."

"She's okay, Mom. She's afraid of being a burden with all this shit," I said and sat at the kitchen table. A pack of cigarettes was in the middle of it and I grabbed it, pulling one out and lighting it with the lighter that was next to it. The nicotine calmed my nerves, the smoke forcing me to take a deep breath. When was my last cigarette?

"Charlie could never be a burden," Mom said with a scoff, turning back to the stove.

"That's what I told her."

"A shower will probably help her feel more like herself," Donna said from her spot next to the counter.

"She didn't get one at the hospital so, I'm sure you're right."

"You really stayed with her the whole time?" Donna asked, an odd smile on her face.

"Yeah. Except when I had Church and one time I went out for food. Why are you looking at me that way?"

"I'm not looking at you any way. I just know you being there has meant a lot to her."

"She means a lot to me," I said. It was starting to piss me off that everything I was doing with Charlie seemed to be under everyone's microscope. It was bad enough that I noticed the shift, I didn't need everyone else analyzing and dissecting what I didn't understand before I had the chance to figure it out. When I found her the way I did, a protective instinct arose in me that I'd never had for anyone before and it shocked me…but I was powerless to stop it. For the first time in my life, retaliation wasn't my focus. I was more concerned with keeping her safe and taking care of her...and it scared the shit out of me.

"Of course she does. She means a lot to all of us. Lately, she just seems to mean a great deal more to you," Mom said without looking at me.

"Mom, it's not like that."

"I know, darlin'," she said and cast me a knowing glance. She wasn't buying my bullshit. I wasn't even buying my bullshit. I just wasn't ready to think about what it all meant. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just an emotional reaction to what she'd been through. She'd been through enough without me adding feelings I wasn't sure of to the mix.

"Opie said the police put the blame on her," Donna said. The mere mention of it made my blood boil.

"Fucking Hale. Of course he would be the brown-nosing piece of shit who'd show up. The bastard he came with was worse. He's the asshole who actually said it was her fault and kept asking how she was dressed."

"What?!" My mom stopped what she was doing and turned sharp eyes on me.

"Yep. With the accusation that what happened to her was somehow her fault came a new problem. She had a panic attack."

"Will that be a regular thing?" Donna asked. She looked stricken that a police officer would accuse a victim of asking for what happened. Poor girl didn't really know what some people in town actually thought of Samcro. Thank God Charlie knew and no one had to explain that shit to her. I put my cigarette out and sighed, the last cloud of smoke leaving my lungs.

"I don't know. Probably no way to really know that. We just have to take each day as it comes. For today, she's okay."

"Thanks to you, I'm sure," Donna said. I shrugged.

"That's partially true," my mom said. "But Charlie has always been strong-willed and had a good head on her shoulders. In the long run, she will be just fine. Different, maybe, but she will be okay."

"I hope so," Donna said, looking away sadly.

"She will be."

We all got quiet, each of us lost in thought. After a few minutes, I grabbed another cigarette and about the time I got it lit, Charlie came into the room. Though her long, black hair was wet and her face was red, and she was in pajamas, she looked like she felt more like herself. She didn't say a word as she sat in the chair next to me and grabbed the cigarettes, taking one for herself. I handed her the lighter, drawn in like a moth to a flame as she put the cigarette in her mouth and inhaled after she lit the other end. About a thousand nerve endings tingled through my body as it dawned on me that I actually wanted her. Beyond the desire to kiss her, I actually wanted her. Did that happen before or after she was attacked? I looked from her mouth to the bruises around her neck and the stirrings of arousal faded. Even if the feelings were reciprocated, nothing could be done about it. At least not right then. And who knew when she would ever be ready for that kind of attention. I choked down my own confusion and chose to focus on taking care of her.

"When did you start smoking, Charlie?" Donna asked, surprised to see the cigarette in her hand. It never dawned on me that Donna hadn't seen her smoke before. Charlie laughed a bit.

"Probably when I was sixteen. I don't smoke as often as most people around here, though," she said, throwing me a sarcastic glare.

"Hey, I could be worse. It's very stressful being in an MC. Shit gets dangerous."

"You don't have to tell me. You should trying being on this end of things once in a while."

"Well, thanks to you, the last few days might have given me a taste of what it's like."

"You're probably not wrong. I'd say it serves you right but, since I'm the one who was attacked, I'm pretty sure I'm not the one handing people a taste of their own medicine," she said and grinned. It

seems her shower did her a world of good. I puffed on my own cigarette and chuckled.

"How can you just joke about what happened to you?" Donna asked, appalled. The mirth in the room was sucked out like someone brought in a vacuum. Charlie took another drag on her cigarette before she answered.

"I don't know, Donna. But it sure beats being holed up in bed crying or having a panic attack."

"But anyone would be doing those things. That's a normal reaction to being raped."

Donna's words seemed to make Charlie shrink on herself, and it pissed me off. I put out my cigarette and glared at her, no longer caring that she was Opie's old lady. I wasn't about to let Charlie feel bad for handling this shit her own way.

"Donna, can you run to the store? I need two more cans of cream of mushroom soup."

"Of course, Gemma," Donna said, oblivious to the malice I was going to send her way. I would have regretted it later and Opie probably would have kicked my ass. Charlie probably would have too since she adored her brother's girlfriend. One look to my mother proved she knew what was about to go down with me so, she was sending away the catalyst until I calmed down.

"Thanks Sweetheart."

"No problem. Be back in a flash."

I felt marginally calmer when she closed the door behind her...until I saw Charlie wiping a stray tear from her face.

"I guess I'm handling this wrong," she muttered. I growled and turned until my whole body was facing her.

"No, you're not. You're handling this your way. If it happens to Donna, she'll handle it her way."

"People cope in different ways, Baby," my mom said, standing across from Charlie. "You were cut from a tougher cloth than most people..you were built to withstand difficult things. Shit like this, well, it just makes you stronger. She'll learn."

"Hopefully," Charlie muttered, finishing the last of her cigarette.

"She better. Otherwise when shit comes up, she'll cave under the weight of the pressure."

"Yeah, but you're talking club stuff, Gemma. What happened to me had nothing to do with Samcro. If she can't figure out coping skills for everyday life, she can't hack being with my brother."

"For Opie's sake, let's hope she learns fast," I said. Charlie stood and winced. "Whatcha doing?"

"The chair is hurting me. I'm going to the couch."

"You can go back to bed, if you want," mom suggested. Charlie shook her head.

"No. I've laid down long enough. I don't want sleep, I just don't want to sit on a hardwood chair. Hurts bad enough when there's cushion."

She walked at an almost normal pace to the spot she always sat on the couch. What was different was the way she sat; slowly and gritting her teeth when she made contact with the seat. The edges of my vision grew slightly red. I couldn't wait until I got my hands on the asshole who dared take what didn't belong to him, who hurt her in one of the most heinous ways imaginable. The first dick in her should have been one of her own choosing. Hell, any dick should be of her own choosing, even if it shocked me that she'd never been with anyone before. Especially given the culture we were brought up in.

I watched her try to get comfortable for a moment before I went to sit next to her. I gently pulled her feet in my lap and handed her one of the couch pillows to put behind her back. She gave me a sweet smile and turned the TV on without a word. My mom made noise in the kitchen and when Charlie settled on a random show, all the heaviness surrounding the situation seemed to evaporate. Without even thinking about it, I started rubbing her sock-covered feet, paying special attention to her arches. She moaned when I hit a particularly tense spot.

"Damn it, Jax. You're spoiling the hell out of me. I'm might need you to move in and rub my feet forever."

I laughed and said, "that can be arranged. I'd planned on staying indefinitely anyway. I can rub your feet any time you want."

"You don't have to actually move in, Jax. I was kidding."

"Well, I'm not. I'm staying, babe. We already talked about that. Although, I might need some sheets for this couch."

"Whatever. If you're staying, we may as well keep doing what we've been doing."

"You're comfortable with me staying in your bed?"

"At this point, I think I'd be uncomfortable without you in it."

"That's what I like to hear from the girls." It was quiet for a moment before she started laughing. A lot.

"I just bet you do like hearing girls say they're uncomfortable without you in their beds. Jesus, I can't believe I said that shit." I kept rubbing her feet and laughed quietly while she kept giggling. Even at my own expense, I was glad to see the laughter. After she stopped laughing, she looked at me with a sweet smile. "Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't true. Please stay in there with me?"

"I don't want to be anywhere else."

"Good. Because you just started something with this foot rubbing business and I'm definitely spoiled now."

"I'm okay with that," I mumbled and smiled at her. We lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching TV as I rubbed her feet. Donna eventually made it back after a few minutes and she and my mom joined us in watching whatever stupid show was on. When my mom's chicken and rice was finished, I brought Charlie a plate and then made her eat a second helping. The main downside to her full stomach was her falling asleep on the couch. After Donna left and my mom was cleaning the kitchen, I gently lifted her and carried her to her bedroom. The minute I got her settled, the cell phone in the pocket of my cut started going off.

"Yeah?" I said after I fished it out.

"We got him," Opie said. My heart raced and an odd mix of relief and rage filled me. I looked over at the sleeping girl on the bed and the relief won out. She would get the justice she deserved. We would see to that.

"When?"

"About an hour ago. We're taking him to the cabin."

"The cabin? Why there?"

"All the guys wanna have some fun with him for a while. Can't do that in Charming with all the screaming he's doing."

"He's already screaming?"

"Yep. Only roughed him up a little. I gotta say, though, the bastard had scratches and bruises all over him. I'm willing to bet my baby sister didn't make shit easy for him."

"She's Samcro," I said with a prideful smile, watching her roll over in her sleep, "she's cut from steel. Not silk."

"Actually," she said without opening her eyes, "silk is stronger than steel when you match their density."

"All right, smarty pants. You're cut from silk, then."

"No, I can be made from steel. It has some jagged edges."

"She awake?"

"Yeah, she's awake."

"I wasn't until your damn phone rang." She sat up and carefully pulled herself to a sitting position, relaxing against the pillows.

"You gonna tell her?"

"She overheard my side, I'm sure she knows, bro."

"All right. Clay wants us all up here tomorrow. Gemma and Charlie too."

"What? Why?"

"Ask him, bro."

"What does Piney say about that?"

"Something about closure. She won't be alone, Jax, and she won't watch what we do to him."

"Shouldn't we be asking her is she wants to do that?" She offered me an inquisitive look, cocking her head to the side. I moved from my spot next to her desk and walked to the bed, sitting next to her.

"Ask her. If she really doesn't want to, I doubt anyone will force her. She will probably never be forced into anything again. Everyone is pretty broken up over it."

"Yeah, I know."

"All right. I'm about to head into Donna's. See you tomorrow?"

"I'll be there."

"Great. Later."

"Later," I said and hung up. I stretched out next to her, lost in thought.

"You gonna keep me in suspense all night?"

"We got him." I turned and her face betrayed nothing of what she was feeling. After a few minutes, she finally spoke.

"They took him to the cabin?"

"Apparently he was already causing too much noise and he'd only been roughed up a bit. Although, Ope said he already had some scratches and bruises on him…courtesy of you if we aren't mistaken."

"I don't remember doing that," she said, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her against me.

"You're a tough little thing, Babe. No way would you have gone down without a fight."

"I don't feel very tough." She snuggled closer to me, burying her face in my chest. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back in slow, steady circles.

"I imagine it's hard to feel that way when you're having a difficult time walking and you have a broken wrist. How's your ankle?"

"Hardly hurts. It's the…soreness…that makes it hard to move."

"I wish I could make that better."

"It'll get there, I think. I just have to be patient. What else did Opie say?"

"Each of the guys want to have some fun with him, that's probably the main reason he was moved to the cabin. It's in the middle of nowhere."

"Torture?"

"You really want to know?"

"I think I do."

"Simple answer: yes. Ten-fold retribution for every second of pain and suffering he's put you through. The only problem I have, though, is Clay wants Gemma and you up there tomorrow."

"Why does he want me up there?"

"I have no idea. But if you don't want to go to the cabin, I won't force you. I have no choice but, there isn't a goddamn person on this earth that will take your choices away again. I don't give a fuck who it is. I will see to it."

"Thank you," she said quietly and I felt her arm squeeze around my middle. I smiled and kissed her on the head again, unable to stop myself, and kept rubbing her back.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I do, actually. I mean, I trust my brother and my dad but, between the protection duty and the spoiling me with foot rubs, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna let you leave. At least, not without me."

"Does that mean you're-"

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I'm sure Clay has his reasons why he wants me there."

"Are you sure? Because I-"

"I'm sure, Jax. Between Opie, my dad, and you…and not to mention the rest of the club, I don't have anything to worry about. Even if he manages to break free, he'd be dead before he could ever touch me again."

"Fuckin' right about that. And I will continue spoiling you with foot rubs, or any other kind of rub you ask for, until you're better and feel more like yourself."

"Mmm. Favorite. Person. Ever." I could hear in her voice that she was drifting.

"You're my favorite person, too," I whispered and soon, we were both sound asleep.