They talked about family, food, and bikes. After the heavy conversation about her life and club they both felt more at ease with a lighter conversation. He wanted to gain her trust but he also wanted to get to know her. After a while, the topic of conversation came back to her. She was getting uncomfortable at talking about herself. When his phone rang, she sighed with relief.

She tuned him out as he talked to whomever had called him and began looking around her bedroom. A few minutes later, he was off the phone. He watched her in silence as she just took in her surroundings. When she realized he wasn't talking, she turned towards him.

"Gemma wants to cook dinner tonight. For everyone that's already here. Why don't you introduce yourself to my brothers and start things off right?" Jax offered

"Look, I don't want to get to know any of you." She retorted, looking away from him

"You're mistrusting of us and most of my brothers are mistrusting of you. Things got off on the wrong foot here. Get to know us and let us get to know you. There's some things you need to know that I haven't told you yet." Jax told her

"Like what?" She stated

He hated having to tell her this but knew if he wanted her to trust him… to trust the club…. then he would have to tell her.

"There's a rival club we think has their eye on you. We know for a fact that they have someone with eyes on you." He stated

She cocked her eyebrow at him.

"We do think it's a threat. Someone is pushing meth in Charming and we noticed it right after you came to town." Jax informed

"What?! And you think I have something to do with that shit?!" She exclaimed, clearly shocked

"No we don't. But it's suspicious that people started showing signs of severe meth use shortly after you came here. I think the three bikers from your class are part of the rival club. I think they're taking your class for reasons other than keeping tabs on you." Jax explained

"So you're here to save me? To keep me safe from the big bad wolf?" She stated sarcastically and jumping up off the bed, "Let me tell you something…. I took care of myself quite well before you bastards came along!"

"I understand that. Why don't we drop this, introduce yourself, and have a good meal. We can talk to Clay, the club's President and my step-father, tomorrow and get all our facts straight." Jax offered

She stopped her pacing and looked at him. Staring at him she realized she'd have to play this little game or she'd never get them out of her house!

"Fine. If I have dinner with you lot. Will you leave my house then?" She stated

He grinned at her, "I can't promise anything."

She rolled her eyes at him as he stood. He walked over to her and grabbed both her arms just under her shoulders. She stared up at him, stared into those blue eyes, wondering what he was about to do.

"Listen to me. I am not going to hurt you, Darlin'. My club isn't going to hurt you. If you only trust one person, trust me." He implored

She barely nodded making him smile once again. He led her out of her bedroom and into the living room. Gemma was busy in the kitchen making a good-smelling dinner for them.

"This is Tig, he's our Sergeant-At-Arms. The one with the beard is Bobby and he's our Financial Officer. You know Chibs, he's our resident medic. The young guy over there is Ratboy and he's not an officer of any sort." Jax stated, pointing everyone out

"I'm…. my name is Kalila." She stated, taking a deep breath, "It's nice to meet you."

"Why the change in mood?" Tig questioned, raising an eyebrow

From what the SAA had gathered, she didn't really like them. Not for reasons like Hale didn't like them either. He found her… odd.

"Look, everyone got off on the wrong foot. Let's start over." Jax said, trying to get his point across

"Well it's nice to meet you too, Kalila." Ratboy stated with a smile

"Kalila, tell us about your competitions." Bobby stated, voice soft and calm

"Well they're brutal, as you can see." She laughed, holding her injured shoulder, "Physically and mentally demanding but very fulfilling."

"Can you elaborate?" Ratboy asked trying to understand how someone could actually like beating the hell out of one another

"Well, it's a very competitive sport. It pits one fighter against another and they're usually… roughly… equally trained. It's style versus style in these fights. Not everyone has the exact same training or the uses the exact same martial arts styles.

It's not boring like boxing. The same few moves and dodges. You never know what's coming! You're using all four limbs to fight with, not just two hands. It's…. a sport but not a game. And there's no standing eight count." She said, obviously passionate about what she was talking about

"Well now I want to see you actually fight!" Tig laughed, ice blue eyes twinkling

"If that's true I'm sure I can find a good sanctioned fight somewhere close." She told them

Bobby nodded his head while Ratboy smiled at her. Jax had wandered into the kitchen to talk to his mother. He needed her to know why he did what he did and about the conversation he'd had with Kalila. This was her son, so of course she forgave him, but she really wanted to hear what he had to say. He told her about the conversation he'd had with the younger woman and how he was trying to build trust. Jax asked his mom to not be so abrasive with her and to let Kalila get to know them on her own terms.

Gemma didn't like the way her son was handling things but he was adamant about it. Happy was doing some recon with one of the other guys. They were trying to find out where this other biker club was located at. The other bikers just led them to a cheap motel. The two Sons were prepared to camp all night watching them if need be. Spike, Charlie, and Juan were staying at the motel so as to not inadvertently lead anyone to where their boss had set up shop.

"So Kalila… how long do yeh think yeh'll be outta commission?" Chibs asked

"Couple days. Then I'll be able to start training again." She replied

"Where do you train? How do you train?" Tig questioned

"By practicing martial arts. Usually when I get injured, I'll add more stretching and flexibility exercises to my regiment and if I have access to a pool I'll also add some aqua therapy." She explained

"Jax has a pool at his house. Don't you need someone to go against when you train?" Tig stated, glancing at his VP

"It usually helps but I can use a punching bag if there's no one I can spar against." She shrugged, ignoring the comment about the pool & Jax

"Wouldn't it be better teh have someone teh go against when yeh practice?" Chibs questions

"Well of course. As I said, it's not just physical but mental as well. I have enough experience under my belt that I can train with a punching bag and still be ready for my next competition." She stated with a half-smile

"You can always use me as your punching bag!" Tig stated, wiggling his eyebrows

"You're too squishy for me." She retorted without even batting an eyelash

Everyone laughed at the exchange. The room started to relax some, Kalila included. A few minutes later, Gemma called everyone to the table. Kalila walked into the dining room and stopped when she saw the table. The table had been set including a glass of sweet tea at one setting, a glass of wine at another, and beers set out in front of the others. Gemma had gone all-out. Home-made pot roast with carrots, celery, and onions, salad, rolls, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy made from the pot roast juices. It smelled and looked incredible!

Gemma nodded towards the setting with the tea so she moved to have a seat. The Matriarch sat where the wine was at while all the guys found seats around them. It had been a long time since she had such a wonderful home-made meal like this. Although Kalila could cook some, she didn't usually make meals like this. Especially since it was just her. Gemma watched the younger woman as she ate. It became obvious that the girl didn't eat like this much and it bothered the Queen Bee.

Bobby got Kalila talking more about how the martial arts competitions worked. She was as passionate about the martial arts and competitions as the boys were about the club and as Gemma was about her family. Kalila found herself happily talking about martial arts, MMA, competitions, and the like as these people seemed to be truly interested. She hadn't come across many people who were actually interested in what she was.

"So how is Jax coming along in class?" Gemma inquired

The question took Kalila off guard making most of them laugh slightly.

"Well…. He needs to practice more. But I can see some potential in him. He could be pretty good if he applied himself." Kalila expertly replied

"Would you mind showing some of us some moves?" Ratboy suddenly asked, "When you're feeling better of course."

"I'll happily teach you anything you want to know." She replied with a smile

Jax watched the exchange between Kalila and Ratboy. The smile she flashed was genuine. Everything she did when talking about MMA or martial arts was genuine.

"I don't think some of our brothers would be able to make it through a lesson, though!" Jax laughed

She laughed too.

"As long as they're not in as bad a shape as James then they'll be alright." Kalila stated

Jax knew who she was referring to and it made him laugh as well. Gemma, as well as his brothers, just looked between the pair as they had their "moment".

"Have you noticed how into it Sarah is?" Jax asked

Kalila laughed a bit, "I've seen her type many, many times. Bored house wives who want something to do. Something they can take home to their hubby and show off. It's the same as those women who take the pole-dancing classes."

Gemma just nodded as she sat there listening to the conversation.

"Why did yeh get into it deh first place?" Chibs questioned

"Self defense. I'd already gotten into street fighting to protect myself. After one really nasty fight, this gentleman approached me promising he could teach me better ways of doing that." Kalila stated

The whole group just looked at her. Of course they already knew how she grew up but hearing her speak of it just made it more real to them.

"Aye. Figured out yeh had a knack for it." Chibs stated

"Exactly." She replied with a smile as she thought about the gentleman she'd been referring to, "He said I took to it like a duck to water."

"Were your parents ever into martial arts?" Ratboy questioned

"Not that I know of." She frowned, "But come to think of it, my dad really loved watching boxing matches."

As Gemma watched the young woman, she could see her relaxing some. She may not trust them just yet but there was a crack in her walls. It appears that her son was cracking her defenses. What he was doing was working but he wasn't going about it the typical Jax way. What did that say about him? Or about Kalila? After dinner, and after everything had been cleaned up, her guests finally left her house. Jax was the last to leave.