Author's Note: We are so thankful to all of you who reviews and alerted this story! It really means a lot to us to hear what you guys think, so thank you! We're posting this chapter early, like we said we would!

Jess woke sleepily the next morning, her eyes wincing from the morning sun streaming through the window. It took her half a minute to fully wake up and realize an arm that was not her own was draped across her stomach. Her eyes widened as the previous night's events flew back to her and she glanced over to see a fully naked Jax lying next to her, sleeping soundly. She bit her lip, carefully moving his arm so as not to wake him up and slid out of bed, quickly pulling on her clothes from the night before that had been thrown all over his bedroom.

"Bye," Jax mumbled sleepily when he heard her open the door and Jess smirked, shaking her head as she quietly closed the door behind her. She walked into the living room just as the front door opened and two women, one brunette that looked to be just a few years older than Jess with a toddler perched on her hip and the other the spitting image of Lux with 20 years on her, walked through the door. Jess froze, looking at them as if she was the deer and they were the headlights.

"I'm… gonna go feed Abel," the woman holding the toddler said, looking questioningly at Jess as she walked past her and into the kitchen. Jess had never before felt mortification like this. She'd been hoping for a clean getaway; no one likes the walk of shame.

"So you must be Jess," the older woman said, her arms crossed as she studied her, "Lux told me I might see you today."

"Well…she didn't tell me I'd be seeing you," Jess said.

"Lux loves her little surprises," she said, shrugging. Jess nodded, standing there in awkward silence as she searched for something to say.

"So you must be Mrs. Morrow," Jess finally said.

"Oh don't call me that. Call me Gemma," she responded.

"Um, yes ma'am," Jess replied. Gemma narrowed her eyes, glaring at her, and Jess had the feeling that if she held that look long enough, it might actually kill her.

"Well I was just…" Jess began.

"Leaving?" Gemma offered. Jess nodded, darting past Gemma and out the door. Realizing she left her car at Cara Cara, she sighed, resigned to walking home.

SOASOASOASOASOA

Jess was suddenly thankful that Charming was such a small town. She figured it wouldn't take more than an hour to walk the entire length of the town so it wasn't long before she got back to Rose's. As soon as she walked through the front door she made a beeline for the bathroom and quickly jumped in the shower. After allowing several minutes to stand under the hot water, she hastily washed before turning the water off and walking back into her room. She crawled back into bed, knowing she needed a few more hours of sleep.

She didn't wake until something large bounced on her. She sat up quickly in shock before she realized she was staring into the glinting eyes of Lux.

"Morning, slut," Lux said, a wide grin on her face. Jess groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry," she moaned. Lux laughed.

"Like I give a shit," she said, "Get up, let's go shopping." Jess put her hands down and nodded, relieved that Lux wasn't angry.

"Okay, gimme a minute to get ready," she said, "I won't take long; I already showered." Lux smirked.

"To wash away the shame?" she said jokingly. Jess groaned again.

"I'm sorry!" she said.

"I'm fucking with you," Lux said, "I really don't care. Now come on, get up! Shopping!" Jess nodded as she crawled out of bed and started getting ready.

Half an hour later, they were in Lux's black BMW on the way to Lodi, the next town over which offered many more shopping choices than Charming.

"So how pissed was Ima when you and Jax went home together?" Lux asked gleefully as she drove.

"I don't think she saw us leave. She was with a customer," Jess told her. Lux's face fell.

"Fuck," she said, "Well, you'll just have to do it again and this time, make sure to tell her you're going home with Jax."

"I don't think I'm going to do it again," Jess told her.

"What? Why? Did he suck?" Lux asked.

"No! It was gr-" Jess started to respond before pausing, shaking her head, "I'm not gonna talk about this with you. It's awkward."

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward. I don't really have that thing called 'boundaries'," Lux said.

"Yeah, I hadn't noticed," Jess muttered, "By the way, thanks for the heads up that your mom and that other chick were gonna be there." Lux laughed, grinning over at Jess.

"You called my mom Mrs. Morrow AND ma'am," she said, "Those are two big no no's." Jess shook her head, not wanting to relive the humiliation of the morning.

"Who was the other woman and the baby?" Jess asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.

"The baby is my darling, wonderful nephew Abel," Lux said, "The woman is Jax's ex, the bitch. Tara. She's the closest thing Abel has to a mom, though, so Jax lets her spend time with him. Personally, I think he does it just for the free babysitting. Gemma says she wants to get back together with Jax, but she's broken his heart so many times I don't really see that happening." Lux was beginning to rant, and Jess realized she was getting on a roll, "I mean really the bitch just needs to leave Charming and let Jax move on with his life but will she? Of course not. She's gonna stick around, constantly trying to weasel her way back into Jax's life."

"Do you think he'll take her back?" Jess asked, wondering how a person's life could get to be so complicated in such a small town. Wasn't everything supposed to be simpler? Move slower?

"Not if he's smart," Lux said, "He just needs to find someone else. I keep telling him that but he says they just had a connection that he hasn't had with anyone else and I tell him just because he hasn't made that connection with someone else doesn't mean he won't. But… he's a stubborn asshole who never listens to me."

"Why don't you like Tara?" Jess asked. Lux sighed.

"Because I feel like every time I see her, I'm staring at her retreating back while my brother's heart shatters into a million pieces. Every time things get tough, little Tara packs her bags and bails. It's been her m.o. since she was 19," Lux explained with frustration. Jess nodded, staring out the window as they pulled into the parking lot of the only mall in Lodi.

She had been right. Last night had been fun, really fun, but it couldn't happen again. She did not need to be getting involved with a guy who had so many complications going on.

SOASOASOASOASOA

Several hours later, both of them weighed down by shopping bags, Lux and Jess finally walked out of the mall and headed towards Lux's car. Lux halted suddenly halfway across the parking lot, tilting her head thoughtfully as she stared towards her car. Jess followed her gaze to see a group of Hispanics wearing the same type of vest as the Sons leaning against Lux's car, but Jess could tell these were definitely not Sons.

"Do you know them?" Jess asked, glancing over at Lux who was still staring thoughtfully at the group of men.

"Yeah. They're Mayans. I'm just trying to remember if they're friends or enemies," Lux said. Jess raised her eyebrows, beginning to get scared.

"Shouldn't that be something you keep track of?" Jess asked. Lux shrugs.

"It changes too often and nobody tells me shit," she said.

"Jesus Christ," Jess muttered, "What kind of club has enemies?"

"A successful one," Lux replied, confusing Jess even further. Lux apparently decided to risk it and walked up to the men, holding her head confidently high.

"Hey Alvarez," she said, greeting what looked to be the leader, judging by the president patch on his vest.

"Lux," he responded, "My old lady said she saw you in the mall."

"And she didn't even say hi," Lux said, "Rude."

"I have a package for Clay," he said, ignoring her comment and holding out a large, stuffed manila envelope, "This saves me a trip to Charming." Lux took the envelope.

"Fine, you can go now," she said, waving them away from her car. Alvarez grinned and nodded, motioning to the others to head back to their bikes and Jess and Lux threw their shopping bags into the back and climbed into the car. They drove in silence almost half the way to Charming before Jess turned to Lux.

"So what's in the package?" Jess asked.

"I told you, they don't tell me shit," Lux replied.

"Don't you want to know?" Jess asked. Lux shrugged.

"Not really. I'm more concerned with how pissed my dad is going to be when he finds out I went to Lodi without a patch," she said.

"What's wrong with going to Lodi?" Jess asked, full of questions.

"My dad is just way overprotective," Lux said, sighing deeply.

"So who were those guys?" Jess asked, "Really?" Lux sighed again, glancing quickly at Jess before returning her eyes to the road.

"Just another motorcycle club like the Sons," she replied, "They're called the Mayans. My dad's… done some work for them… you know, mechanic stuff or whatever. And… uh… sometimes it doesn't go well and they get mad at each other."

"They get mad at each other?" Jess repeated, "But you said they were either friends or enemies."

"Yeah… I guess enemies was kind of a strong word," Lux said.

"Kind of!" Jess exclaimed, sighing with relief, "I was picturing big biker gun shoot outs or something." Lux laughed nervously.

"Whaaaat?!" she asked, a little too surprised-sounding, "No… you watch too much TV." Finally, in an attempt to change the subject, Lux asked, "So, have you found an apartment yet?" Jess sighed, shaking her head.

"All the one bedrooms have a waiting list a mile long," Jess said, "I'll probably have to start looking outside of Charming."

"What? No way. You can't live outside of Charming; that's too far," Lux said.

"Well I can't live with my aunt forever," Jess told her.

"Then move in with me," Lux said quickly. Jess gave her a questioning look, her eyebrows raised. Lux finally took her eyes off the road and glanced at Jess.

"What?" Lux asked.

"You don't really seem like the type to want a roommate," Jess told her.

"I'd rather have you as a roommate than have you in Lodi or something," Lux told her. Jess pursed her lips in contemplation.

"I really wouldn't want to impose like that," Jess said. Lux shook her head.

"I have two bedrooms, it's not imposing," she said, "It's filling the space." Jess thought it over.

"Well how much do you want in rent?" Jess asked. Lux shrugged.

"How much do you want to pay?" she asked.

"Half," Jess responded.

"How much is half of zero?" Lux asked. Jess raised her eyebrows.

"What, you don't pay rent?" she asked. Lux shook her head.

"My dad owns the building. I just pay utilities," she explained.

"Then why the hell do you work so much?" Jess asked, flabbergasted.

"Because," Lux said, "Shoes." Jess laughed.

"Okay, how about I pay all the utilities and buy all the groceries?" she asked. Lux nodded.

"Cool," she said, "Now I can buy more shoes." Jess laughed again, smiling broadly as the pulled into the Teller-Morrow Automotive parking lot. She wasn't sure how Lux would be as a roommate but she knew one thing for certain – things would never be dull. And she couldn't exactly beat the rent.

Lux parked the car close to the entrance and turned to Jess.

"I've just gotta drop off this package and then I'll show you the apartment," she said. Jess nodded.

"Okay, I'll wait for you in the car," she said. Lux pouted, sticking her lower lip out and looking at Jess with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Please come with me," she said.

"Why?" Jess asked.

"Because maybe my dad won't yell at me as much if you're there," Lux told her.

"Yeah, I doubt that," Jess said, "Jax had no problem yelling at me at the Hairy Dog." Lux grinned.

"Yes, and look how well that turned out," she said. Jess rolled her eyes, opening her door and stepping out of the car.

"Fine, but if he starts yelling, I'm running away," she said as she followed Lux up to the front door and they walked into the clubhouse. Jess looked around. She'd had yet to walk into the SAMCRO clubhouse and it was not nearly as impressive as she'd thought. A bar in one corner, ratty couches against one wall, tables scattered throughout, and a stripper pole off to the left. Clay was standing near large double doors, talking to Tig as they walked up.

"Hey Lux," Clay said, smiling as he saw his daughter walking up. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him, "How you doing?"

"Great!" Lux said with bravado, gingerly fingering the package in her hand, "Jess and I had a great day. We went shopping and I got the cutest shoes and Jess got a super hot new dress and I got awesome new jeans and we had lunch and Alvarez gave me this package to give to you and I also got this really cute new halter and it was on sale so I got two in different colors and-"

"Stop!" Clay bellowed, holding the package Lux had thrust into his hands in the middle of her babbling.

"I'm leaving!" Jess said quickly, rushing towards the door.

"Chicken!" Lux called after her, but Jess didn't stop. She ran outside, taking a seat on one of the picnic tables outside and took out a cigarette, searching for a working lighter and groaning when she couldn't find one. Why did she never have a lighter that worked? She sighed, glancing up to see Jax walk out of one of the bays across the lot, walking towards her.

"Hey, darlin'," he drawled and Jess grinned as he grabbed a lighter out of his pocket, lighting her cigarette for her.

"What you doin' here?" he asked, taking a seat next to her and lighting a cigarette for himself.

"Lux was going to show me her apartment because I might move in with her, but this Alvarez guy gave her a package while we were in Lodi so she stopped by to give it to him," Jess explained. Jax raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Lux was in Lodi?" he asked, "Is Clay pissed?"

"That would be why I am out here," Jess told him, "Your family yells a lot." Jax grinned.

"That's how we show we love each other," he said.

"You could just say you love each other," Jess pointed out. Jax grinned, shaking his head as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"So why can't Lux go to Lodi?" Jess asked.

"Clay doesn't like her leaving Charming without a patch. He doesn't think it's safe," Jax said, shrugging.

"Should I not leave Charming?" Jess asked, wondering what this mysterious danger was. Jax shook his head.

"Nah you can leave," he said, "You're not important." Jess turned to him, deadpanned.

"Thanks," she said, but Jax just grinned.

"So you left pretty early this morning," he commented.

"Not early enough since I ran into your mom, your ex, and your son – who is adorable by the way – on the way out," Jess said. Jax continued grinning, looking as though he were trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, not looking like he was sorry at all, "Did ma give you a hard time?"

"I don't really know what a hard time is to your family," Jess said.

"Did she, you know, get in your face and threaten you?" Jax asked. Jess shook her head, startled.

"What? No!" she said.

"Oh good," Jax responded, "She must like you then."

"Your family is crazy," Jess muttered and Jax nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and did you say you were moving in with Lux?" Jax asked. Jess nodded, grinning at the irony.

"Yeah, I was having a hard time finding a place so Lux asked if I wanted to move in with her," she explained.

"Huh," Jax said, "Well you'll be close by then."

"Oh is her apartment close to here?" Jess asked. Jax pointed to a two story red bricked building across the street and Jess looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Seriously?" she asked, "That close?" Jax nodded.

"Clay bought the building so no one could look in on TM. He uses the bottom for storage and Lux lives on the second floor. I think he likes having her close, after she insisted on moving out of the house," Jax said.

"Why is Clay so paranoid?" Jess asked, "It's a body shop. Why would anyone want to look in?" Jax shrugged noncommittally and Jess had the feeling he was trying to play it off.

"It's just Clay," he replied evasively, "He's a paranoid guy." Before Jess could ask any more questions, Lux walked out of the door and Jax looked over at her, grinning.

"Shut up," Lux immediately said, glaring at Jax. He laughed.

"I didn't say anything," he said.

"You were thinking it," she said, tapping her forehead.

"Is everything okay?" Jess asked. Lux waved her hand dismissively.

"Everything's fine," Lux said, "I mean what's he gonna do – ground me? Now let's go see the apartment."

Author's Note:We know some people like to look at pictures of the inspirations behind our OC's and our original locations so we've made a photo bucket with pictures of it all. There are a few OC's you haven't met yet, but they will be coming in later chapters. The pictures are spoiler free, though! The link is on our profile, under the NEW START updates! :)