Small Town Hero

Chapter 12

"Ugh. Fine." She relented after a few minutes of debating with herself.

Jax and Chibs smiled at her as she got back to dicing her tomato and onion.

"Mind if we stick around for dinner?" Jax inquired.

"Do I have a choice?" She rolled her eyes making Happy growl at her mouthiness.

"You can ask us to leave if you'd like." Jax told her.

She huffed and finished her dicing. Putting each on separate saucers, she moved them to the fridge to keep them cool while she finished with the meat. Happy hopped up on the counter to watch her work. Jax and Chibs sat down at the kitchen table chatting about random things. The medic, after hearing more about the girl's life, looked at her as a daughter than as some random chick that had come into their lives. She needed help whether she believed it or not.

Noelle drained the meat as good as she could get it then poured it back into the skillet. She added the seasoning packet and water and let it simmer. Jax watched as she grabbed plates for all of them and set the table. The tomatoes, onions, and a jar of salsa was next. Then a jug of tea was set down. She filled four glasses with ice and set them by each plate at the table. Chibs just smiled warmly at her but she never returned it. Once the meat was done, she moved it to sit on a pot holder on the table then grabbed some taco shells and tortillas.

"Smells wonderful, lass!" Chibs told her.

"Thanks." She replied quietly.

Everyone got to making their dinner as silence descended upon them. Jax had questions for her but didn't want to irritate her anymore than she already was. Once everyone had eaten all they could, Jax softly thanked her for dinner and expressed how good it was. She gave a half-smile before going to clean up her kitchen and put up left-overs. It was nearly time for her to start heading to work. Jax and Chibs bid Happy goodbye and told him they see him at the clubhouse. Having her kitchen cleaned up, she grabbed her over sized purse and looked over to where Happy stood watching her.

"Your mouthiness is going to get you into trouble with this club." He warned her.

She shrugged at him, "I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be, little girl. You need to have more respect for my club and my brothers." He told her.

"Are we done? I need to get to work." She huffed.

That defiant attitude drove him mad but it also turned him on. It was quite confusing to him. He wanted her but she annoyed him with her defiance and mouthiness and lack of respect. He sighed and headed towards the door. At least she'd be leaning against his back as he drove her to work. It made him a bit sad that she'd no longer have to depend on him to get her to and from work. That meant there would be no more impromptu bike rides after two am. The ride to the bar was too short for him as he parked and let her climb off. As usual, she thanked him for the ride and turned to walk inside.

Noelle was a bit distracted all night. She was appreciative of the bikers helping her with the vehicle situation but she wasn't too keen on owing them. It was bad enough she was living in their house. Now she owed them for a car. She didn't like where things were going! Tips seemed to be scarce that night which didn't ease her mood any. 'There has to be a better way to support myself than this?' she sighed as she cleared off an empty table. College seemed to be the answer.

Once she took possession of the car, she'd go down to the local community college and see about taking some photography courses. Maybe she could make a living that way for better pay and less harassment. Happy sat at a table brooding. Even Juice knew better than to tease the Killah tonight. Chibs sat down with his own beer and just looked out into the clubhouse. He knew what Happy was thinking about, or who, and hoped his brother would open up to him.

"Think she'll take our advice and go t' college?" Chibs suddenly asked.

"Hopefully."

"What do you think she'll study?" Chibs asked.

"Dunno."

"Happy, she's had to become this self-protective, independent person way before her time. I'd imagine she's not used to all the 'elp we're tryin' t' give 'er. Give the lass time." Chibs stated.

Happy ran his hand over his face.

"She...she mixes me up so much." Happy finally confessed.

"Oh?" Chibs inquired making Happy grunt.

"She's a sweet girl. But...That defiance, that mouthiness, that lack of respect for the club drives me mad." Happy tried to explain making Chibs laugh.

"As I stated, she's a self-protective, independent young lass. She doesn't come from our world. Our customs don't mean shit t' 'er. You want t' protect 'er, t' keep 'er from any more 'arm. I get it, I feel the same after 'earing all about 'ow she grew up and the things she went through." Chibs stated.

"She won't need me to take her places after she takes possession of the car." Happy quietly sighed.

"Ask her t' hang out. Take her t' go do stuff she probably has never done before. Let the lass explore the world around 'er." Chibs suggested

Happy just grunted before taking a sip of his beer making Chibs smile. He'd given the Killah enough to think about for the moment. Juice had asked if anyone wanted to play pool so the medic got up to play with him. "Take her t' go do stuff she probably has never done before." Chibs' words echoed in his ears. What could he show her? Besides teaching her to shoot a gun. Paintballing maybe? Laser Tag? He needed non-sexual things that would be good experiences for a teen. Maybe take her skydiving. There was a place in Bakersfield that did skydiving.

Would she like these activities? Hell, would she even go with him if he asked her to come along? Sighing again, he waved the prospect down to bring him a bottle of Jack and a shot glass. What was it about her that got under his skin so much? Besides her horrific past? She sure as hell wasn't your typical teen. She was a better adult than most adults he knew. She was responsible, sensible, good with her money. He downed one shot then immediately poured himself another. Why was he even thinking of her in such a way? She's still jailbait even if she was an emancipated minor.

That night he picked her up as usual and drove her home. When they arrived, he grabbed her arm before she could walk away. He told her he'd pick her up at nine am the next morning so he could take her to pick up her car. Gemma would most likely take her to DMV to get it registered and get the new tags for it. Noelle smiled politely and thanked him for all his help then turned and walked into her house. He sighed hoping he hadn't stepped over some boundary and pushed her away. Once her door was shut, she sighed and locked it. No more riding behind him, arms wrapped around his toned waist, leaning up against him, as he took her to and from work. No more late night bike rides he sometimes took her on after her shift.

After dressing for bed, she plopped down and stared at her ceiling. She felt mixed up about the bald headed biker. He didn't have to take her to and from work. He certainly didn't have to take her on rides after he shift every so often. And he didn't have to volunteer to bring her to the clubhouse so she could pick up her car. He was generally nice to her. Then he got aggressive with her which she both loved and hated. That deep, sexy, commanding voice was incredibly hot. But commanding her like she was a child, and calling her little girl to boot, pissed her off.

She sighed, 'What am I going to do about him?' She really needed to talk to Janie about this. Or maybe someone with a little more experience since she hadn't dated much after she was emancipated. Noelle tossed and turned as she thought about Happy and their budding relationship. He had told her he was attracted to her. They did flirt quite a lot, too. Her aged changed things. Even though she was emancipated, she was still off limits until her eighteenth birthday. Would he wait for her that long? Could she expect him to wait for her for that long?

The next morning, she was waiting for him out on her stoop. He pulled in and nodded towards himself. "Gemma will run you down to DMV while Juice gives your car an oil change. She's got all the paperwork that you'll need." he told her as she climbed on. She just nodded as she wrapped her arms around his waist. A few minutes later, he was parking his bike. She slid off and then followed him to the office. Gemma smiled at the young woman and asked if she was ready to head to the DMV. Noelle smiled back politely and said she was. Gemma grabbed the envelope with all the paperwork in it and left the office. Noelle quickly followed the older woman out to her car.

A/N: Please review and vote below!