Happy stared at Chloe's front door from where he sat on his bike. He knew she was home. It was still early and her car was in the drive, but he couldn't bring himself to go in. He hadn't seen or talked to her since everything with Juice had happened. But after seeing Bobby's eye get ripped out of his head on that shitty iPad, Happy needed someone to talk to and his usual moral compass hated his guts. He didn't realize how much Angela meant to him until he didn't have her to turn to. Hearing her say she wasn't his kid anymore had hurt more than anything he'd ever experienced, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

He was surprised when the front door opened, and Chloe stepped out onto the porch almost as if she'd sensed his presence. "You comin' in, creeper?" she asked teasingly. He smirked, setting his helmet on his handlebar and swinging his leg off his bike. Her hazel eyes swept over him as he approached, her brow furrowed in worry. "Haven't seen you in awhile."

"Didn't think you'd want to," he explained on a shrug. "You hear what happened?"

She shook her head slowly. "Had to be something big if you and Ang won't talk to me."

"Kid won't talk to you?" he asked in surprise. If Angela wasn't talking to Chloe, who was she talking to? The kid needed someone to vent to, someone to take care of her. There was no way she could deal with losing Juice all on her own.

Chloe's eyes narrowed as she stepped back into the house, inviting him in. "No. I've called her, texted her, went by the house and...nothin'. She fell off the face of the earth."

Happy followed her inside, sitting heavily on the couch and letting his head fall into his hands. "Juice is gone," he rasped, his heart feeling strangely heavy in his chest despite knowing the idiot wasn't really gone.

"What?" she gasped in response as she dropped down onto the couch next to him. "Are you...are you serious? What happened?"

He shrugged a shoulder and shook his head. "They tried to run," he explained vaguely. "Club got him."

"Shit. She must be...wait. Did you have anything to do with it?" she asked, her eyes wide.

He clenched his jaw, keeping it shut tightly. For some reason, he wanted to tell her everything just so someone else would know what he did, why he did it. So someone would tell him he did the right thing in letting Juice go. "She thinks I did."

Chloe raked a shaking hand through her hair, swallowing hard as she sniffled. "Shit, Hap. I don't know what to do with this," she murmured. "This is...you really killed Juice? Just like that?"

He shrugged again, not wanting to lie to her but also knowing he couldn't tell her the truth.

She stood then, her fists clenched in anger. "Are you serious? What the hell, Lowman? What happened to family first? She is your blood! How could you do that to her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I did what I had to do," he replied through clenched teeth, trying hard to keep his cool despite the loud volume of her voice.

"Bullshit! That tattoo you have is a total contradiction to the way you live your life! I live, I die, I kill for my family is bullshit! You do all that shit for your club and then shit on the only family you have that truly loves you! What the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted, gesturing wildly with her hands. "Angela loves you like a brother, like a father. How could you do that to her? Are you really that much of a spineless lemming following your stupid club around blindly? I thought you were better! I thought you--"

"Enough!" Happy shouted over her, getting to his feet. "You got no idea what the fuck you're talking about!"

Chloe didn't back down, though, not even when he took a step towards her. "I know exactly what I'm talking about! You--"

"Drop it, Braun!" he demanded, furious now. He'd come there for a much needed release, not more shit. "Didn't come here for this!"

"What did you expect from me, Happy? Huh? You think I'd hear you killed my best friend's husband and be okay with it? Think I'd understand?" she asked incredulously. "No! Get the fuck out before I call the cops on your ass!"

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Luckily, his phone went off at just the right moment. It was Tig. Apparently, they had to dig up some dead dude to help Jax in his trade for Bobby. He rode out to the secluded spot in the woods. Tig sat back while he did the digging, putting all of his frustration and anger into every shovel full of dirt he tossed out, only vaguely aware of whatever bull shit Tig was saying about wanting to be a preacher.

When he finally got to the bodies, he sat back, not at all bothered by the smell. "How much of him do we need?" he asked Tig from his spot in the unmarked grave.

"Just his torso and his legs," Tig replied, grabbing the hand saw.

Happy quickly snatched it from him. He was in desperate need to dismember something. What better way to unleash his anger than hacking away at a guy that was already dead? At least that way no one got hurt. "I want to do it."

------------------

Bones stepped out of the funeral home, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. He'd been down in the workroom embalming for so long, the fluid fumes were starting to get to him. The first thing he spotted was the pretty blonde sitting on the steps, cooing to the big dog at her feet. Rigor was licking at her face while she stroked her hands through his fur. He dropped down to sit next to her, catching her attention.

"Hey," Ellie greeted, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear. She grabbed the tennis ball at her side and threw it across the lot. "Came by to check in with Ang, but she was on the phone. How is she?"

He looked out over the lot at Rigor who had gotten the ball and was running back towards them. "She's talkin' to Juice's sister, so probably not so great. Ken says she doesn't eat 'n' I'm pretty sure she doesn't sleep either," he answered on a frown. "But give her Evie or ask her for something and she tries so hard to pretend like everything's okay, but you can see she's fakin' it. Trying to be strong for us. I'm worried about her."

"Me too," she agreed softly. She was quiet for a moment as Rigor approached them, depositing the ball at her feet. She grabbed it and threw it as hard as she could, a scowl on her face. "This whole situation is so fucked up. Why couldn't they just let them be happy?"

Bones shrugged. "I dunno. That whole world is foreign to me."

Ellie rubbed at her eyes, shaking her head. "You're lucky. It kills everything you love. The icing on the cake would be for Jax to walk in and kill Angie too. Then he'd really fuck me 'n' Ken over. She's the only one left that still loves us."

He paled a bit at the idea, flashbacks of the night someone had broken into the funeral home hitting him hard. He'd found out later it was a few members of the Sons who'd done it which had scared him more than anything especially since one of them had asked for Angela specifically. What had he wanted with her? Had they been sent there to kill her? "You don't think he'd do that, do you?"

"No, but I didn't think he'd kill Juice either and look what happened."

"They're not going to kill her. They don't kill women," Bones pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

Ellie's frown deepened. "Yeah, tell that to my mom."

He furrowed his brows together in confusion; Kenny always said his mom died in a Sons related incident, not that they were responsible. "The Sons killed her?"

"Clay ordered a hit out on my dad. Mom was driving my dad's car home, and they hit her instead. Not sure which brother it was, but it was one of 'em. I heard dad talking to Piney about it once," she explained, picking at a hole in her jeans. "Don't tell Ken. He doesn't need to know."

Bones felt a chill go down his spine. At first, he hated the idea of Angela living in Oakland but after hearing what happened to Ellie's mom, he realized she was definitely safer there than in Charming. "You don't think they'll hurt Evie, do you?"

"No. SAMCRO does a fantastic job at protecting their kids by acting like we're non-existent until something good happens or we're in trouble," she answered bitterly. "Gemma didn't notice Ken 'til Ang started the adoption papers. She barely says hello when I see her in front of Scoops 'n' Sweets. That whole "brotherly love" thing is total bullshit. They'll kill each other first chance they get. They're all giant, arrogant, stupid pieces of shit."

He grabbed the ball from Rigor and threw it again. "Wow. Tell me how you really feel."

That got a smile out of her. "Sorry," she said on a blush. "I just...Juice was one of the good ones. Not to mention Ang is the closest thing we have to a mom right now. Lyla tries, but at the end of the day, she's still a porn producer. Kinda hard to take advice from her. I mean, she's great at make-up and shit, but her reality has nothing to do with what I want for my future. I want to go to college, I want out of this shithole and away from all the shitty people in it."

Bones pressed a hand to her heart, feigning pain. "Ouch. I'll have you know, I am one of those shitty people, and I quite like it here."

Ellie smiled a bit, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Not you, Bones," she amended, brazenly reaching out to grab his hand and weave her fingers between his longer ones. "I like you. A lot."

He could feel his whole face heat up at her touch. "Yeah?"

She bit her lip as she nodded. "Yeah," she stated leaning forward to brush her lips against his in a quick kiss. She pulled away, insecurity bleeding in her eyes as she studied his face. "Sor--"

He cut her off with another kiss, this one more urgent, his hand sliding into her soft hair. Neither of them were particularly experienced kissers so it was a clumsy kiss, but it made him see stars nonetheless. When they finally separated, a little oxygen starved, he chuckled. "Been wanting to do that for awhile," he admitted, sounding a hell of a lot more suave than he felt.

Ellie laughed in disbelief, shaking her head at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, I just...I didn't think you were all that into me. I'm kind of...old."

She laughed again, rolling her eyes at him. "Bones, you're like two or three years older than I am. Not that big of an age difference."

"I know but still...I'm sure you got a line of guys waitin' on you and I'm just...well, me."

Ellie kissed him again, sending him reeling. "I like you, Leonard. You're different from any other guy. You get what I've been through. It's nice to not feel alone all the time."

Bones smiled sadly. "Guess Evie's joining our shitty little club."

"Just halfway," Ellie joked, feeling a little horrible about it. "She's still got Ang."

"We've all got Ang," he said with a smirk. "I mean...its cheesy to say, but..."

She gave him an understanding smile. "I get it," she replied, squeezing his hand. "Hopefully we get to keep her."

Bones nodded, leaning in for another kiss just to make sure the first two weren't flukes. He could feel her smiling into the kiss and couldn't help but smile himself. The loud roar of Harley's made them separate quickly as if they'd been burned. She chuckled nervously, gently wiping off some lip gloss from around his lips. "Probably just passin' by, huh?" Bones asked, a goofy grin on his face.

Ellie shook her head as the sound grew closer. "No. They're coming here," she said, watching the sunlight gleam off the black tins off the leading bike. "Shit. Go get Angie."

He didn't move, though; he didn't want to leave her there with the Sons. Getting to his feet, he tried to make himself look bigger than he was, something he'd learned over the years from watching Juice when he was around his brothers. He grabbed Rigor's collar holding the dog so he wouldn't run in front of the motorcycles.

Jax was the first one off of his motorcycle, his blue eyes looking over Ellie for a brief moment. She stared right back at him as if daring him to say something. He nodded his greeting to her. "Ellie Winston. Been a long time," he said, a sad look on his face.

She stood, wiping her hands on the thighs of her jeans. "Not long enough," she replied, glaring at him before heading to the old Cadillac that had once belonged to her grandfather.

Bones admired her strength from afar; he certainly didn't have the balls to say such rude things to the President of the MC. "Gentlemen," Bones greeted them, feeling stupid the second he said it. "What can I do for you?"

"Need to talk to Skeeter," Jax replied curtly.

"He's doing work out in the cemetery right now, but Angela's in the office. Let me go get--"

"We'll wait for Skeeter," the SAMCRO president interrupted rudely. "She doesn't need to be involved with this."

Bones recoiled a bit, scratching at the back of his neck nervously. He didn't like the sound of that at all. Angela had been running the small funeral home for as long as he could remember. Sure, the property was under Skeeter's name, but the older man rarely did anything to help the place. It was Angela who brought in the customers and made sure everything was running smoothly. Without her, Dubrowski's would've gone under a long time ago. That and, for as long as he could remember, she was the go-between with the Sons. Skeeter wanted nothing to do with them. "I uh...Skeet's probably going to be out for a while."

"We'll wait," Jax insisted, taking a seat on his bike, the rest of his brother's following suit.

There was an aura of sadness hovering over them that Bones couldn't shake. He was well aware of the big van that had pulled in behind them and had the sneaking suspicion there was a body in the back of it. If the looks on their faces were any indication, whoever was in the back meant a lot to them. A part of him hoped it was Juice, but he knew better. Juice had been dead for three days now, and they definitely would've asked for Angela if it was him, none of this sneaking around to ask Skeeter behind her back. "Okay," he gave in on a nod. "I'll let him know you guys are waiting."

Whistling for Rigor, he waited until the dog stopped messing with the wild haired son and Angela's cousin and trotted inside before following him in. Shutting the door behind them, Bones leaned against it and let out a long breath. He hated talking to the Sons. His hands were still shaking as he headed towards the main office, peeking his head inside to see Angela leaning over Evie's bassinet, staring at her daughter with that sad, worried expression on her face.

"Ang?" he said, catching her attention. The expression was masked quickly, a more neutral one appearing in its place. She was doing her best to be strong for all of them, but he knew she'd crack eventually.

She gave him the best smile she could muster. "What's up, Boner?"

"I uh...the Sons are outside," he stated, immediately regretting it when he saw her fists clench. "Um...They got a van and J-Jax said he wanted to talk to Skeeter, not you. Somethin's not right."

"No shit," Angela seethed, taking in a deep breath through her nose before letting it out slowly. He watched as she opened her desk drawer with a key, pulling out a small gun before heading towards him.

He stood in her way knowing her gun paired with the mental state she was in was probably not a great mixture to have when going to talk to the men who killed her husband. "Maybe that's not such a good idea..."

She glared up at him, her dark eyes all fire. "Move."

"Jax said it doesn't concern you."

She laughed humorlessly. "Did he? That's fuckin' rich. Move, Leonard," she growled, before shoving her way past him. When he went to follow her, she glared back at him. "Stay. Watch Evie. I got this."

Angela took a deep breath as she neared the back door, trying to reign in her anger as she tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants. Going out there with her gun drawn and pointed would only land her in a world of trouble. She opened the door slowly, her anger coming back with a vengeance when she saw Skeeter standing there deep in conversation with Jax. Her boss looked at her, a grimace on his face before he looked back to Jax with a curt nod.

Jax didn't even have the decency to look at her. He turned and walked away, gesturing for the others to follow. She chased after him, dodging the different Sons' hands as they reached for her. Reaching out, she grabbed his arm, forcefully turning him to face her. "The fuck are you doing here?" she demanded, keenly aware of Quinn, Hap, and Tig hovering behind her, ready to grab her should she make any move they didn't like.

"Bobby's dead," Jax replied, hands in his pockets, his body language showing that he wasn't afraid of her. "He was a good brother. Loyal. Just seeing to it he gets the burial he deserves."

She knew what he was inferring; Juice wasn't worthy of the same treatment as Bobby. All for one mistake. In that instant, she saw red. She lunged at him, but the brothers behind her grabbed her before she could even get close. "You piece of shit!" she screamed at him, kicking and struggling against Happy and Quinn's hold. "You deserve every fucking thing that's ever happened to you!"

Jax's glare intensified as he took a step towards her. "What did you say?"

"I should've helped Tara when I had the chance! Should've helped her get those boys away before you could do anymore damage! Maybe then she'd still be alive!"

The SAMCRO President took another step forward, his hands curling into fists, only to have Chibs stand in his way. "Easy there, Jackie-boy. She's not worth it."

"Fuck you, Chibs!" she shouted at the Scot's reaper. "You're sleeping with a fucking pig! Who's the rat now, you little bitch?"

"That's enough," Tig said, putting his shoulder into her stomach and hauling her up onto his shoulder. She struggled against him, using every curse word she could as he made his way towards the cemetery. When he was a good distance away, he put her down. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she was swinging. Tig dodged her punches for a few seconds before he grew frustrated and grabbed her wrists. "Stop! Stop! Relax! The hell are you thinking?"

"He deserved better!" she insisted, fighting against his hold as tears blurred her vision. "He did everything for your shitty club! Everything! And you killed him for it! For the exact same thing each of you stupid ass fuckers have done! All of you have fucked up, and he's the only one who had to pay! Why? Because your psycho president could just let him go! Couldn't let him live!"

Tig held her gaze, his eyes sad as he took in a deep breath. "He was going to rat to the Mayans, doll. You know it. He went there ready to rat."

"No," she gasped, suddenly overwhelmed by her own grief. She knew deep down Tig was right, but it didn't hurt any less. "He didn't give them anything. He just wanted us to get out. He just wanted to be a family. Why couldn't we just be a normal family?"

He let go of her hands and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, baby doll. I'm so sorry," he soothed, stroking a hand over her hair. He pushed her away, his piercing blue eyes meeting hers. "It hurts. And its going to hurt, but you gotta be strong. That shit you pulled right back there could've gotten you killed easily. Jax ain't right in the head. Hasn't been since Tara. You can't push him like that. Ain't gonna end well for you. Fighting against the club won't bring Juice back. 's only going to get you hurt. Your kids need ya. Don't let your revenge turn you into the same monster as Jax."

Angela blinked up at Tig in disbelief. He'd given her sound advice before, but lately, he was full of deep, meaningful stuff. She wiped at her eyes, sniffling a bit. "Shit. You're right. Venus is a really good influence on you, you know."

"Best thing that ever happened to me," he agreed on a nod. " 'sides the time I had a foursome in the middle of a desert"

She raised her eyebrow at him before shaking her head. "I don't want to know," she muttered, staring at the headstone they were standing in front of. Dawn's. She looked over at him to see he was also focused on the stone. "How do you move on?"

Tig shrugged a shoulder as he rubbed at his mustache. "You don't," he answered, his voice low and rough. "You just find someone that makes you feel better, more normal."

"Not goin' to find anything to replace him. Ever. It's not happening," she stated honestly.

"Come on now, doll. Idiot couldn't have been that great," he stated, the twinkle in his eyes telling her he didn't mean it. At her glare, he sighed. "You got a daughter and a new son to do that. Let them fill that need. Take care of them."

Angela stared back at the funeral home, not at all surprised when she spotted Kenny running towards them. "Yeah," she said softly. Tig would never know how much Kenny took care of her, how much he supported her. "Speaking of the devil."

"Hey! Everything okay here?" Kenny asked as he approached them.

She gave him a warm smile and nodded. "Yeah. What's up, Ken?"

He glanced warily at Tig before shrugging a shoulder. "Nothin'. Uh...Chibs wanted me to get Tig," he explained. Tig looked between the two, hesitating a bit before Kenny stepped up. "I got this."

A strange look passed over Tig's face at the three words. He nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah," he said softly. He reached out a hand and set it on Kenny's shoulder. "See you guys around."

Angela nodded in response, watching him go with a raised eyebrow. "You talk to Jax at all?"

Kenny shook his head. "I tried ignoring all of 'em. Chibs grabbed me though. Told me to go find you, get Tig, and bring him back. Didn't seem too happy."

She smirked a bit; after what she called him, she wasn't surprised. Just another bridge she burned. Not that she needed it anyway. In her heart, she knew what she had to do; she had to pack up her kids and get the hell out of California. "What do you think about Texas?"

"For what?"

"His sister lives there," she replied, staring at the headstone at her feet. "Soon as the adoption goes through, we're going to go on a little trip."

A smile made its way on his face. "That's awesome! I've never even been on a plane before," he said on a nod. "How much longer 'til its done?"

"A week or two," she answered, smiling back at him. "Few more things we gotta put in order than go to the courthouse and get it all settled."

His eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? That whole Gemma thing..."

"Gemma's not blood, and she's got a record a mile long. Lawyer said the only thing they did with her complaint was actually reach out to your real grandma to double check," she explained, linking her arm with his. "Mary was all for it, apparently. Her opinion knocks out Gemma's. Few more things we gotta put in order, get everything signed and notarized at a courthouse, and then you're stuck with me, kid."

A soft, almost relieved sigh escaped his hold. He looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. "Can't wait."

-----------------

After working a twelve hour shift at the hospital, Chloe was exhausted. She'd been yelled at, puked on, and bled on, she was ready for a hot shower and bed. Turning onto her street, she almost stopped and went right back to the hospital. There was a motorcycle parked in front of her house. She could just make out his figure when she pulled into the drive. He was sitting on her porch, a bottle at his hip, his face illuminated every so often by the cherry of his cigarette. The conversation they'd had earlier that morning had swirled around in her head all day. She was angry at him for what he'd done to his cousin. That was unforgiveable in her eyes. How could he hurt Angela so badly? Didn't he love her? He didn't seem at all apologetic about it either, which made it even worse. Maybe she'd misjudged him. Maybe deep down, he wasn't the good man she'd thought he was.

Taking in a deep breath, she opened her door and headed towards him. He lifted his head when he heard her footsteps, his dark gaze meeting hers. The pain she saw in his dark eyes took her breath away. She'd been wrong; he did care. She could see it in every line on his face. "What are you doin' here?" she asked softly.

He stubbed out his cigarette while he shrugged. "Dunno," he rasped, his gritty voice sending chills down her spine. "Don't got nowhere else to go."

Chloe softened a bit at the sadness in his voice. She had a feeling this wasn't just about Angela. "What happened?"

He shook his head slowly, taking a swig from the tequila bottle at his side. Slowly, he stood, swaying a bit before he straightened up. "Nothin'. Shouldn't a come."

She put a hand to his chest before he could take another step towards the bike. "You're not leaving like this," she stated, pushing him back gently. He went easily, but she knew it was because he wanted to, not because she pushed him. "C'mon. I'll make you some coffee. Sober you up."

Happy's black eyes followed her as she walked by him and unlocked the door. She could feel him behind her as she followed him in. Her traitorous dog, Hades, ran to greet him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth happily. He passed a hand over his head but didn't stop following her to the kitchen.

She could feel his eyes on her as she went about making coffee for him. The silence that hung in the air wasn't awkward; Happy never did talk much, but there was a tension between them that made it hard for her to think of what to say to him. He wouldn't speak first, that she was sure of. "What's going on, Hap?" she finally asked.

"You talk to the kid?" he replied, dodging her question.

Chloe fought the urge to smirk. Of course he asked about Angela. It was rare they didn't talk about the one thing they had in common. "No," she answered curtly, trying hard not to let the hurt she felt bleed into her voice. Angela was one of her closest friends. The fact she had to hear about Juice's death from someone else hurt. "I don't even know where she is."

"Oakland."

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair as questions filled her head. What the hell was Angela doing in Oakland? Who was she with? Was she with Evie? "With Evie?" she questioned for clarification. He nodded once. She sighed again, watching the coffee slowly drip into the pot. "Is she safe?"

He nodded again, playing with the rings on one hand. The same nervous trait his cousin had. They were a lot alike, the two of them. Bits of Happy always came through in the conversations she'd had with Angela and vice versa. The dinners she'd shared with them and their mothers' house, she could see the easy way the two interacted, moving around each other and navigating their crazy mothers with a fluidity that came with growing up together. They protected each other, fought for each other, which was why she was having a damn hard time wrapping her head around Happy killing Juice. It didn't fit. Juice and Angela were two halves of a whole. Losing him was going to rip her to shreds. Happy knew that. So why would he put her through that kind of pain just because it was what the club wanted? Didn't he say he was going to start putting her before the club?

"Did she at least get to take care of him? I didn't hear about a funeral or anything..." she trailed off, hoping she hadn't missed it if there was one. He shook his head, a grave look on his face that irked her. "And you just let that happen?"

"Wasn't my call," he rasped, staring at his boots.

Chloe stared at him in disbelief. This man who wouldn't budge an inch unless he wanted to, let the club walk all over him. She'd yet to see him ever stand up to them. "You couldn't have pushed to let her at least see him. She needs that kind of closure, Hap," she pushed, disappointed in him. "You should at least take her to where you buried him."

Happy shrugged a shoulder. "Kid won't talk to me. Can't show her shit even if I wanted to."

"Are you surprised?" she shot back. He shook his head in response, back to gestures instead of talking again. "Hap, I don't know what to do with you. With all of this. It doesn't make any sense."

"Want me to go?"

She stared up at him, studying his face. Her head was screaming for her to tell him to get out, but her heart told her to let him stay. She genuinely cared about him and, much to her surprise, it hurt her to see him hurting. "You sorry about it? What you did?"

Happy was silent for a moment, his jaw clenching before he nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "Yeah," he rasped before downing the rest of the tequila in his glass.

Chloe sighed, giving into the need she had to take care of him. Shifting in her seat, she moved in closer to him, allowing him to drape his arm around her shoulders. She settled against him, staring at the TV for a moment before glancing up at him. "Show her where he is. It's the least you can do. Send her a text or something, anything to get her attention. Give her that peace. She deserves to know."

"Yeah," he agreed, his fingers trailing up and down her arm. He was deep in thought, his other hand slowly swirling the tequila in his glass. " 's not like she'll forgive me."

"She loves you, Hap. I'm sure she needs and misses you just as much as you miss and need her."

Happy shook his head slowly. "Not this time."