A/N: don't own don't sue
Lyrics at the beginning are from 'Rescue Me' by Daughtry
Set around 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 Thirty One
Our story's old, older than the wind
It's been decided for years
How can we pretend
That we all know just how it's gonna end
Rescue me in the middle of the ocean
Crashing down, it's always hard to breathe
Some say, it's easier to give up on it
I say, it's time to rescue me
Lost and lonely people standing by, afraid to try
Some of them here, the same as you and I
The differences are all but left behind
So I need you now
Rescue me in the middle of the ocean
Crashing down, it's always hard to breathe
Some say, it's hard to make the changes
Rescue me and I'll never be the same
Rescue me in the middle of my darkest hour
Time will tell I never really had the power
Some say, it's easier to give up on it
I say, it's time to rescue me
We gotta get out, how foolish I would feel
To say it's all been a waste of time
We may lose and we may win
But like the sun, we will rise again
But until then
Naomi had been floating around like she was on cloud nine since Chibs's birthday outing. Things were still tense around the Club but she managed to stay under the radar and out of Clay's line of fire as they spent more hours than ever in that horrible little room they were obsessed with. She kept herself occupied by keeping the clubhouse as clean as possible (her mom would find that hysterical) and working in the garage when she was permitted. She was especially glad that she and Chibs had made up, since he spent ridiculous hours on "Club business" and she'd hardly seen him for a week. She forced herself to be patient though, to savour every minute they did have together since she knew the trial was drawing closer and their time was coming to an end.
She'd been helping Half-Sack with a car and was covered in oil, well admittedly they had devolved into a bit of an oil fight when the container had burst all over them. Since she'd won the fight, she left Half-Sack, pouting, to clean up the mess. They were sequestered in that stupid room again so the clubhouse was blissfully peaceful as she crossed through in her bare feet, not wanting to spread oil on the floor. Her ruined shorts and shirt were discarded on the floor of their room and she padded over to the rickety desk in her thong and flimsy vest. It was punishingly hot today and she needed a tie for her unruly hair to keep it off her neck.
That was how Chibs found her a few minutes later, after being released with instructions for the Club's next move. He was turning over their decisions in his mind when he walked into their room, so it took him a moment to take in the sight of her. She was leaning over the desk, rummaging through a small bag and grumbling to herself. Her hair draped over one shoulder was glimmering in the burning sunlight and her bare limbs shimmered. He could see the faint thread of blue between her thighs from her thong, everything else was on full display. He was so overcome with lust and jealousy that he had to grip the doorframe to keep steady. She was standing like that with the door wide open where anyone could see her. This fucking woman.
He strode into the room, pushing the door shut firmly behind him. He had every intention of yelling at her, but in the four steps it took to get within touching range of her, his mood changed. He brushed his palms over the naked globes of her buttocks greedily instead. She was actually a little more dressed than he'd first realised, although the vest left little to the imagination as it pulled tight against her body and she wasn't wearing a bra. She made a little noise of greeting in her throat but he had no interest in talking, he'd done enough of that today. He stroked his hands up her waist, sliding under the vest. The cold metal of his rings made her shiver as they danced over her ribs. He palmed her breasts roughly, the way she liked, and she swayed back a little towards him.
She leaned back so her bare ass brushed against the groin of his jeans. One of the things he loved about her was how responsive she always was, she was always ready for him. Their eyes met in the little oblong mirror that ran the length of the desk. His face was dark with need, his mouth drawn down and tight. He needed to not think, and this was how he planned to achieve that. Her face had flushed in the mirror as he tugged on her nipples, her eyes darkening as her lashes fluttered. She made a sulky little noise when he withdraw his hands from her vest but it quickly switched to a little gasp of want as he ran his fingers over the thin material of her thong. She squirmed happily as he gauged how wet she was and he slapped his hand down on her bare cheek suddenly with a crack that made her groan. He watched idly as a red imprint of his hand blossomed on her pale skin while he unbuckled his belt. She obediently spread her legs a little wider as he dropped his jeans. He snatched that little scrap of blue lace from her, tossing it over his shoulder.
He thrust into her with little ceremony and the desk rocked beneath her as she tightened her grip on it. He fisted her hair in his hand and pulled it out of the way, drawing his tongue down the back of her neck and tasting sweat and metal and dust. He watched her breasts swaying in the mirror, holding her hair tightly in his fist. Her eyes had fluttered closed and her mouth had fallen open a little. The desk rocked and scraped beneath her, the little tub of pens clattering noisily across the desk and the pile of her books thumping to the floor. The mirror wobbled dangerously as he picked up his pace but he was too entranced with her reflection to care. He saw the familiar pout form on her face, her nose scrunching and that goddamn mewling sound rising in her throat as she came, her knees wobbling as she slouched forwards against the desk. He lurched over her, pistoning his hips roughly until he followed with a gasp.
They lay hunched over the desk for a moment, struggling to catch their breath. Eventually Chibs forced himself to move and he lifted her to her feet with him. She was boneless against him, letting him lift and toss her onto the bed. Feeling it was more dignified to take off his boots and jeans rather than waddling, Chibs hurriedly shed them. She lay sprawled on the bed as he flopped down beside her.
"That's quite a hello, Scottish."
He laughed, grabbing his pack of cigarettes from his nightstand. That was another thing he loved about her, she trusted him implicitly. He'd barged into the room, groped her and fucked her right where she stood and she'd responded in kind. Another girl might have been put off by his roughness or expected a little more romance, but not her. He reached out and ran his fingertips over the marks on her bare thighs where the the desk had dug into her skin.
"I'm sorry." He said gruffly, handing her the cigarette.
"Why?" She scoffed, blowing a plume of smoke towards the ceiling. "Do you have any idea how hard I just came? That was so hot."
He grinned, accepting the cigarette back. Admittedly, now that the adrenaline and lust had worn off, he was feeling the after-effects a little. His knees were aching like they did on a long ride. He wondered how much longer he could keep up with her.
"Are you done discussing the mysteries of the universe in there?"
He shrugged and didn't reply. He didn't want to talk about the Club right now. It made him feel guilty that he was here, balls-deep in a hot younger woman who couldn't get enough of him and trying his best not to fall in love, when everything was chaos right now. As if she could hear his thoughts, she rolled over and cuddled up against his bare arm. Sensing he didn't want to talk, she slid her hand under his shirt so she could draw idle pictures on his bare skin with her fingernails. He hoped she wasn't after round two because he was definitely too old for that quick a recovery period.
"What were you looking for?"
It took her a dazed minute to remember why she'd been at the desk at all.
"Looking for a hair tie so I could shower."
He glanced at her in amusement. Her lashes were lowered and she was practically purring with contentment as he stroked the small of her back idly.
"You bent over in a thong with the door wide open to look for a hair tie?"
Her eyes flew open and a violent blush of embarrassment spread across her face and neck.
"I thought I'd pushed the door shut behind me, it must not have caught." She said defensively, ducking her head against his shoulder to hide her blushes.
"Ya lucky it was me." He pouted, forcing down a surge of jealousy at the very idea.
She rolled her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. Spying a hair tie on her nightstand she grabbed it triumphantly and set about bundling her hair up on top of her head. Chibs finished his cigarette and watched her, her breasts wobbling temptingly with her arm movements and the vest sliding up her navel to expose her belly button. Catching him staring she grinned, flinging one leg over his hips and settling on his belly. He could feel the heat of her through his thin shirt as she stripped off the vest and tossed it haphazardly into the depths of the room. She leaned over to kiss him, littering his jaw with tiny butterfly kisses as he roamed his hands over her thighs and the naked swell of her buttocks.
"Unfortunately for you, I still need a shower." She murmured, catching his earlobe between her teeth and tugging in a way that made him tense pleasantly.
She flashed him a smirk and he glared at her, reaching out to slap her ass as she wriggled away from him and scampered into the bathroom. Fucking tease was going to be the death of him.
"Don't let Clay catch you feeding that mangy rat."
Naomi jumped, the bowl in her hand flying away from her and the stray cat she'd been coaxing towards her disappearing into the grass at the back of the garage. She whirled angrily on Tig.
"That was rude, don't sneak up on someone with a death sentence!"
Tig lifted his eyebrows above his shades as she glared at him. Even though it was dusk and starting to get a little chilly, she looked eminently enticing in a pair of denim cutoffs and a vest. Alas his loyalty to his brother kept him from trying his luck. Plus he was pretty sure if he tried it she'd castrate him. And he liked his dick.
"What is that?" He squatted down beside her and nodded at the fallen bowl. "Milk?"
"Cats are lactose intolerant." She snapped, retrieving the bowl.
"They're what?" Tig snorted in disbelief.
"Allergic to milk."
He frowned at her but she looked totally serious.
"Clay wants you."
Her face dropped from anger to confusion and he felt a tiny flicker of pity for her. She was a sweet kid, it was a shame what was happening to her. She followed him into the shady clubhouse warily, pausing outside the door hesitantly until he gave her a little push over the threshold.
She avoided looking at the table where she'd nearly bled to death, choosing instead to look at Unser's comforting face. Clay lurched to his feet and left them abruptly, pulling the door closed behind him. Unser gave her a little smile that somehow made her feel worse. He gestured to one of the big chairs and she nervously perched on the edge of one beside him.
"They've set a date for the trial." He said in his gruff voice, something like sympathy flashing in his eyes.
"Oh, I see." She responded lamely, her brain not quite computing yet.
"It's in three weeks." Unser continued, studying her closely as she gazed vacantly at her lap. "Unless something happens to push it back again."
She nodded but didn't reply, her mind spinning and lagging all at the same time. Three weeks. Three weeks left here with her friends. This meant she'd most likely be dead by the end of the year. Depending on how long the trial took. She politely thanked Unser for telling her and stumbled out of the room in a daze. She bypassed the occupants of the clubhouse and slipped outside into the cooler evening air.
The sun had set while she'd been inside and the yard was emptier than usual. She was glad for that, she didn't want to speak to anyone yet. She pondered how to be alone for a moment, concentrating on solving this puzzle until she could think things over. She glanced up. She'd seen Jax on the roof sometimes, smoking and thinking. It couldn't be that hard to get up there, right? In fact it only took her five minutes to locate the stairs she needed and she could have cried when she realised the window to the roof was unlocked. She burst through the door and stumbled out onto the roof gasping for air. She felt like she was suffocating.
After a few moments of sheer utter panic, she managed to catch her breath and slow her heart rate back to normal. She slid down the slanting roof towards the edge, concentrating on the faint stars in the distance as her mind spun. She'd been joking about being killed for months now, and she'd come to terms with the likelihood of it happening, but there was something about having a definite timeline to count down your remaining days that made everything more concrete. It was odd, actually. Now that she knew it was happening she felt… calmer. Like she'd been waiting for this and now a weight was lifted from her shoulders.
"Lass?"
She blinked back to the present, turning her head to see Chibs looking at her worriedly. He slid down the roof, looking rather undignified, until he was beside her. He stroked her hair back from her cheek and it was only when his fingers glistened in the dim light that she realised her face was damp from tears.
Chibs stroked her hair in silence for a while, watching the emotions play out over her face. Unser had sought him out to tell him the news and he'd, rather embarrasingly, immediately flown into a panic when he couldn't find her. Eventually Jax had spotted her on the roof and told him how to get up there. He'd waited for a while, keeping an eye on her from afar, letting her work through what she needed to. After she'd been up there alone for hours, he went to her.
"I knew it was coming." She said suddenly, startling him.
Her voice was flat and dull, not at all the vivacious sensuous tone he was used to and it made his chest hurt to hear it. He tucked her hair back behind her ear, drinking in her profile hungrily. The cute upturn of her nose, the long sweep of her lashes on her freckled cheeks, her full pouty mouth slightly swollen from where she'd been chewing on her lips. He'd been thinking a lot, too. Thinking that three weeks wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
"How long have I been up here?" She shivered as if suddenly realising it was cold, and he pulled her to him.
"Hours."
He felt her wet cheek against his neck, her face was hot from crying.
"I'm sorry if I scared you."
He grimaced. Truthfully if he'd been the first one to spot her on the roof and not Jax, he probably would have shit himself in fear of her jumping.
"I just… needed silence." He squeezed her tighter against him. "Can we just, stay here, for a little while longer?"
He lifted her from where she was sprawled at an awkward angle and settled her between his legs, leaning back against his chest. She relaxed immediately, her body sagging against his. He dropped a kiss on the side of her neck, stroking her bare collarbone lightly.
"Of course, baby. Anything."