Angela pulled up in front of her mom and aunt's place with a sigh. There had been nothing to do at the funeral home so Skeeter gave her the rest of the afternoon off, and Happy had called to see if she could come down to run some interference since apparently her mother was driving them all crazy. She'd almost told him 'no', but if he somehow found out she'd had nothing better to do, he'd be pissed and a pissed Happy was never good.

She opened the door, raising an eyebrow as she smelled something burning. The smell was rare in a household that had two amazing cooks. "Angelita!" Graciela exclaimed, going to hug her daughter. "So good to see you!"

"Hey Mama," she greeted, kissing her cheek. "What smells?"

"Ay, ese Miles tried to make pancakes! He left a mess," the older woman explained, shaking her head in distaste. "Come, sit. How's Juancito?" (Oh! That Miles...Little Juan)

Angela followed after her mother to the dining room. "Juancito?" she asked, drawing out the name as if it would give her some clue as to who the hell her mom was asking about.

Graciela rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Si, ese chico guapo con todo ese pelo! Remember? He came to our house yesterday?" (Yes, that handsome man with all that hair.)

"Juice?" she asked, biting back a laugh as she made the connection. She had a feeling Juice wouldn't be too fond of the nickname, especially since he wasn't a big fan of being called, 'Little Rican.'

"Si! Ese!" (Yes! That one!)

"I dunno. I don't see him every day," she lied as she leaned over to kiss her Aunt's cheek in greeting. "Hey Tia."

Elena smiled at her. "Hola, mi amor." (Hi, my love.)

Graciela scowled at her. "You should!" she exclaimed, continuing her previous conversation with her daughter. "A good looking man like that is who you should be after."

Angela smirked, it was funny how quickly her mother's preference had changed. "I thought I should be after someone like Kozik," she said, wondering where him and the other guys were.

"He's too old, mijita. That Juan Carlos is right up your alley!" she explained, her eyes alight with excitement at the idea of her daughter getting together with the attractive Son she'd met the night before. "Nice and young and handsome."

"Whatever, Ma," she said, rolling her eyes at her mother. She found it ironic she was using the one excuse she'd always given her for not dating Kozik as a reason for her to start dating Juice instead.

Graciela threw her hands up in frustration. "Someday you'll listen to me and thank me, mijita!" she said, pointing a finger at her.

"Not today," Angela shot back at her on a smirk. "Don't you have work today, Ma?"

She set her daughter with an angry glare, catching on to her change in subject. "I do. I need to get ready first. I expect to see that kitchen clean by the time I leave, Angela Ines."

She scowled in response, feeling like she was a teenager again getting punished by her mom for mouthing off especially since she'd used her first and middle name. "C'mon, Ma. I didn't make that mess."

"Yes, but you can clean it," Graciela said sternly before heading up the stairs to her room.

Angela stuck her tongue out at her mother's back, turning just in time to catch Elena trying to stand. "Sit, Tia. I'm going to go get Miles; he can clean up his own damn mess," she said looking around the room. "Where are the boys anyway?"

Elena gave Angela a fond smile, remembering her asking the same question over and over again as she was growing up. Whenever Hap was around, Angela wasn't far behind. Unlike most older brothers, however, he never sent her away. He'd never admit it, but he loved having his little sidekick around. She helped him remain balanced. Elena knew her son had a dark side that was darker and more violent than most, and she like to think Angela helped bring some much needed light to his life. "Down in the basement doing stuff with those crates," Elena explained gesturing to the door.

"I'll be right back," she said before heading that way. She knew she shouldn't be bothering the boys; whatever they were doing was club business and, therefore, none of her business, but she wasn't about to clean up Miles' disgusting mess of burnt crap.

Lucky for her, the door flung open just as she got close to it, Kozik emerging holding onto the end of one of the wooden crates. "Sup kid?" Kozik greeted on a grunt as he walked by.

Miles followed after, the other end of the crate in his hands. "Hello Miss Angie," he said, nodding to her.

"Hello," she replied awkwardly, giving Happy a curious look as he appeared next. "Miss Angie, huh?"

"Fool needed to learn some respect," Happy replied, letting her kiss his cheek. "You talk to your Ma?"

Angela rolled her eyes as she nodded. "Yeah. She asked how Juancito was."

The smallest trace of a smile crossed Happy's lips as he shook his head in response. He didn't know much Spanish, but he was familiar with most of the slang, cuss words, and nicknames so he knew what the nickname meant. "You know she knows, right?"

"No, she doesn't," she said on a scoff.

"Yeah, she does."

"Why hasn't she said anything yet then? You know my Mom, Hap. If she knew I was serious with a guy, she'd start buying bridal magazines and baby clothes," she pointed out.

Happy just shrugged in response. "Whatever, kid. I'm tellin' ya she knows."

Angela's brows furrowed together in confusion. "But why wouldn't she say something?"

He shrugged again. "Don't know. Your Ma's crazy."

"That's not helpful," she murmured under her breath as she watched him walk back to the dining room. She trailed after him, barely able to catch up with his long strides. "Hey Hap, you know Miles left a mess in the kitchen, right?"

"You clean it?"

Angela wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. "What am I, his maid? I don't think so. Your Mom tried though. Might want to take care of that."

His eyes darkened at the idea of his sick mother doing Miles' dirty work. She watched as he stalked towards the back door to tell off the newest member of SAMCRO. Angela sat down next to her Aunt with a sigh, happy she didn't have to clean up the awful mess in the kitchen.

"So tell me about this Juan Carlos," Elena urged, her dark eyes alight with curiosity. "Where's he from?"

"He's a Puerto Rican from Queens. He's still got a bit of the accent if you listen hard enough. It's...cute." She felt her cheeks heat up when she realized she'd almost started gushing to her Aunt about how sexy she thought his accent was. As much as she loved and trusted her aunt, there were some things that were still off limits conversation wise. Angela looked down at the ring on her finger, remembering what Chibs had told her about it's meaning as she smiled. "He's smart as hell, Tia. No one gives him credit for that, but he really is. And he makes me laugh, even when I'm mad at him. He listens to me when I need him to...he's just...he's my best friend and I...I...love him, I really do and I don't know why it's so hard for me to tell him that."

Elena gave her a warm smile. "You're just scared, mija."

"Of what though? I know he loves me back. I know he'll say it back but I just can't...something always stops me."

"You remember how much it changed things when you said it the last time with that Mayan boy. All of a sudden, he was here all of the time. He expected things from you that you didn't want, and you started to resent him for it. Remember?"

Angela frowned, clenching her jaw as she remembered that time. It was in the last year of their relationship. He'd gotten needy, clingy. Always wanted her at his house, even when he wasn't there. Wanted her to move in with him and start a family. At seventeen, she didn't want any of that. It'd felt like her whole world was spinning out of her own control. "Yeah."

"I think you're scared that'll happen again and you care so much about this one that you don't want to risk saying how you feel."

Angela's dark eyes flitted toward the screen door where Miles just walked in with a scowl on his face, Happy following after him. "Yeah," she agreed softly. She felt her cellphone buzz in her pocket and sighed as she pulled out her phone to look at the text. It was the weed shop. Apparently, Hazer and Simon had gotten into yet another disagreement. She stood up from her seat just as Happy sat down, his chair angled to he could watch Miles clean. "I got to go."

Elena smiled up at her as she kissed her cheek. "Don't be scared, mija. Nunca sabes cuanto tiempo vas a tener," she said, her dark eyes looking over her niece's shoulder to the framed photo on the wall of Angela's late father. (You never know how much time you'll have.)

She nodded slowly, moving over to kiss Hap. "Problems at the shop," she explained at his questioning look. "I'll talk to you later."

He nodded. "Drive safe, kid."

"Now where's the fun in that?" she teased as she grabbed her keys off the table earning herself a shake of the head from Happy.

Angela waved at both of them before heading towards her car. She took the back roads home, knowing whatever problem Hazer had down at the shop would likely work itself out by the time she got there. As she pulled into a parking spot in front of the small shop, she raised an eyebrow at the two Dynas parked in front of it. If Juice was there, why did they need her?

She walked in, surprised to see a few people sitting in the waiting room. It never ceased to amaze her how many people liked getting a tube shoved up their ass because they thought it'd do them some good. "Afternoon, Ms. Ruiz," the young girl behind the front desk greeted, an eager smile on her face.

"Beth, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Angela?" Angela replied with a smile. Hiring Beth had been another fight between Hazer and Simon. Simon was convinced Hazer only wanted her because she was Southern belle with "curves in all the right places" while Hazer insisted she was better qualified than the "crazy old hippie chick". It turned out that Hazer had been right. Not only was Beth gorgeous, but she was also very organized and an excellent secretary.

Beth blushed a little in response. This was her first real job, and she didn't want to screw things up. "Sorry! It's a habit. Way I was raised and all."

"No worries," she said on a shrug. "The boys work out their problems?"

Beth sighed and handed her a clipboard. "Not really. I really hope they didn't pull you from anything. It's not that important. I told them not to bother you, but Mr. Hazer insisted."

"Don't worry about it. Lay it on me," she said looking down at the clipboard. It was covered in purple and green writing. "What am I looking at?"

"Just some order forms that need to be signed off on. Doctor Smith and Mr. Hazer circled the stuff he doesn't think we need. Mr. Hazer's is purple, the doctor's in green. They've been waiting on you to say who's right," she explained on a frown.

Angela sighed, looking over the messy sheets of paper. "Is Juice here?" she asked, wondering why she hadn't asked him for help with this instead. Juice was more than capable of handling this kind of stuff.

"Mr. Ortiz came in with a very sick friend. Went right by to get a colonic for him. I didn't have a chance to ask. Sorry again, Angela."

"Don't worry about it," she insisted again. "Nothin' you could do. Got another pen color?"

Beth handed her a cup filled with different colored pens. Angela raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged, "I like to make things pretty."

Angela chuckled as she grabbed an orange pen and started crossing things out. She'd only been there a few minutes when she felt an arm slide around her hip. "Hey baby," Juice's voice whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

She leaned back into his embrace, smiling slightly. "Hey you," she said, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "What are you up to?"

"Chibs needed some help workin' stuff out. Too much processed food."

Angela wrinkled her nose; there were some things she just didn't need to know. "Gross."

He chuckled. It was rare Angela was grossed out by anything -she worked with dead people after all—but colonics seemed to be the one thing that she really didn't like talking about...which of course made him love talking about them. "Doc's taking care of him right now. Got him that green tea and mint. He was a little uncomfortable at first but..."

"Stop! Juice, please," she cut him off quickly. "I'm glad Chibs is going to be okay, but I really, really don't need to know the details."

He laughed again, giving her a little squeeze. "What are you here for?"

"Domestic dispute. Seems Doc and Haze can't agree on anything," she said gesturing to the order form. She'd already crossed off two things: an indoor waterfall and an overpriced incense set she knew she could get cheaper. "You see anything else we don't need?"

Juice scanned over the list as he let one of his hands slide across her hips, dipping under the waist of her jeans. Her eyes slowly lifted off the list as she turned her head to look at him. She knew exactly what he was doing; he was checking to see what kind of panties she was wearing. It was something he did whenever he could get away with it and since the high counter of the front desk covered her from the chest up, he was definitely getting away with it. He played it off like nothing was going on, like he didn't have his hands down her pants in front of everyone. "Looks good to me," he said, pressing himself closer against her.

She smirked when she felt his hard length pressed up against her back. A familiar warmth spread through her stomach as his intentions became quite clear. "Beth, would you excuse us? I want to show Juice that problem we had with the sink in the back."

Beth looked confused but nodded anyway. "Yeah, of course," she said, taking back the clipboard. She watched with wide eyes as Juice smacked Angela's ass as he playfully pushed her down the hallway.

Angela turned, grabbing the front of his cut as she pulled him into one of the colonic rooms. He shut the door behind them, spinning her around and pressing her against it, his lips claiming hers in a hot, passionate kiss. "We're going to christen this room, aren't we?" she asked as his lips trailed down her neck, his mustache tickling her and sending chills down her spine. She ran a hand over his Mowhawk while his teeth scraped against the smooth skin of her throat.

He pulled away, giving her a wolfish grin at her labored breathing, that dark lustful look in her eyes. He loved that he could do that to her. "We do own twenty percent. Might as well get our money's worth."

-----------

Chibs walked out of the colonic room feeling like a new man. As weird as it was to get a colonic, he had to hand it to Juice, it felt great afterwards. Maybe the idiot wasn't so crazy after all. He headed into the waiting room, expecting to find the mowhawked intelligence officer waiting for him there, but the room was empty save for a few women waiting for their appointments. He raised an eyebrow, heading towards the receptionist. "You seen Juice?" he asked the attractive young lady.

"Oh, Miss Angie wanted to show him a problem we have with a sink in the back," Beth explained innocently. "Room four, I think. We've been meaning to get a plumber over there."

The Scot nodded slowly. "Thanks, love," he said, pushing away from the counter and heading back the way he came. He counted down the numbers before stopping in front of the fourth room. He could hear Angela's soft giggling and rolled his eyes. "Jay-sus," he muttered before raising a hand and pounding on the door. "Juicey-boy! Get out of there ye horny bastard!"

Angela lifted her head up from Juice's chest, her eyes wide as she looked at the door. They were both lying on the bed used for colonics, mostly naked. He had his legs draped over the little bump in the table with her straddling his lap. "Shit," she cursed, pushing herself off of him.

He chuckled as he watched her slide on her jeans before picking up her torn panties off the ground. "Again, Juice. Really?" she asked, frowning at the destroyed lace.

"I didn't mean to. It was just easier that way," he said on an innocent smile as he got up and pulled on his boxers and pants. "Don't throw 'em away. C'mon." He held out his hand for them.

She raised an eyebrow at him and handed them to him. "What are you going to do with them?"

He shrugged, shoving the electric blue colored panty into his pocket. "Make sure I can buy the right ones offline. I liked them a lot. Looked hot with that bra," he explained, grunting as he pulled his boots back on.

Angela laughed as she pulled her shirt on over her head. "Goof."

"What can I say? I like my girl in blue," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "C'mon, let's go." He lifted her off her feet, walking with her to the door as she laughed, her hands clasping his arms out of fear of falling.

He set her on her feet and she opened the door, giving Chibs as innocent a smile as she could muster. Maybe she could convince him they hadn't just had a quickie in the colonic room. "Hey Chibbies," she greeted, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Fancy seein' you here, Angie-girl," he said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Did ye have a good session?"

"Oh I didn't..." she began, but a knowing grin spread across the Scot's scarred face making her blush like a school girl. "Y'know what? I'm gonna go and...finish that paper work. I'll see you boys out there."

"Ye go do that, love," he said, chuckling at her stammering. Once she had rounded the corner to the front desk, Chibs slung an arm around Juice's shoulders. "You lucky bastard! No wonder ye like this damn place!"

Juice chuckled in response. "It certainly has its perks," he said on a grin as headed to the front desk where Angela was talking with Beth. He'd taken her hair out of its braid during their little session and the half wet tresses hung down her back in small waves. He reached over and tugged on the end of it, catching her attention. "You on your way out, Angel?"

"Yep! I'll be there in a minute," she said, glancing back down at the paperwork as the boys started to make their way outside. She signed off on them and wrote a quick note to Hazer and Simon before handing it back to Beth. "Thanks Beth. Call me if anything else comes up."

"Yes, Miss Angie," she replied on a nod.

Angela smiled at her as she made her way out the door; she could handle 'Miss Angie' a lot better than Ms. Ruiz. At least the first didn't remind her of her mother. She spotted Chibs on the phone while Juice was laughing quietly to himself as he put on his gloves, probably about something the Scot had said. She loved seeing him laugh, loved the rough sound of it. His smiling face was such a change from the one she'd seen the night after the wedding that it gave her hope things just might go back to normal after all. "Hey you," she said, alerting him of her presence.

Juice grinned at her, reaching out a gloved hand to grab her wrist and pull her into his side, his arms snaking around her waist. He stole a quick kiss from her, still relishing the fact he could kiss her anytime he wanted now that he was no longer behind bars. "Goin' to work?"

She shook her head. "Was gonna go for a run. Feelin' a little tired now, though. Maybe I'll take a nap instead."

He was about to reply when a cop car backed in with a screech, their lights flashing, siren blaring. She watched as his smile melted away, a dark, protective look taking its place as he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from view. "If you guys are headin' in, I recommend the green tea and mint," he said flatly as he stared down the cops.

"Hands on the wall," one of the officers ordered. Angela waited quietly to see if the order included her. The officers moved quickly, pushing both men to the wall. "You too, Miss."

She nodded, moving on her own to stand by Juice, her legs spread apart, hands pressed against the ugly tan stucco. Juice stared down the shorter officer as he quickly patted her down, his eyes darkening as the man's hands patted over her torso and hips. She caught his eyes and gave him a reassuring smile; she'd gone through this before. At least this time, the officer was being respectful. The last time, the cop had lingered a little too long on her hips and ass.

Satisfied with his job, he moved onto Juice. Patting him down until he found the baggie of weed in his pocket. Angela grimaced as the officer not only tossed the bag but her lacy panties along with it. "He's got a card for that," Chibs stated while Angela tried desperately to hide the fallen panties underneath her shoe.

"Congratulations. The federal government doesn't give a shit," the taller officer said as the other one tossed his card and pulled his arms behind his back.

Angela could barely hear the back and forth between Juice and the cop as she watched them load Juice inside the police car. Her stomach churned at the all too familiar sight. She wasn't going to lose him again, she couldn't. His worry filled eyes met hers and her heart sunk in her chest. "Stop! He didn't do anything!" she blurted out before she could stop herself, taking a step forward.

Chibs stuck out an arm, holding her back and reminding her of her place."Easy there, love," he murmured, as they closed the car door and drove away. Once the car was out of sight, he turned to her. "You all righ'?"

She nodded, swallowing hard as she tried to process what just happened. "Sorry. I didn't mean to...I shouldn't have said anything. I just..."

Chibs smiled at her, draping an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side. He understood her emotional outburst; he was king when it came to those. " 's all right, love. Can't help it sometimes. I get it."

Angela sighed, raking a shaking hand through her hair. "What do I do now?"

"Ye wait. He'll call ye when he's done," he answered, squeezing her shoulder. "Whatever it is, it won't take long. Sheriff's just showin' off."

"Okay," she said, reluctant to believe him. Getting arrested was not something to take lightly. Juice was on parole, a stunt like that could get him sent right back inside. What could he have possibly done? They couldn't get him on possession. He had a card; it was legal. The only reason she could think of was the police had somehow found out about the Russians. "Shit."

"Ye worry too much, love. He'll be jus' fine," he assured her. He glanced down at the ground and smirked at her. "Ye might want to pick those lovely panties off the floor though. Can't imagine that'd be good for business."

Angela turned red as she quickly picked both the panties and Juice's weed card up, burying the lacy fabric deep into her pocket. "I don't know where those came from."

"Uh-huh, sure ye don't. Can't imagine Happy would be very happy when he hears abou' this," he teased, laughing at her scared look. "Don't ye worry, Angie. I won't say nothin'. Don't want to get Juicy-boy into any more trouble."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said as she looked at the card in her hand. In the picture, Juice had that grin on his face that told her he was hiding something, probably the fact that he didn't really need a medicinal marijuana card.

Chibs pulled her into a quick hug and kissed her temple. "Yer a good girl, Angie. Everythin's gonna turn out okay. Trust me. Just go about yer day. Keep yer cell close so you'll know when to get 'im."

Angela managed to smile as she nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later, Chibbies."

"Bye, Angie." He gave her a quick wave, waiting for her to get into her car before heading to his bike.

Angela didn't go home though. She couldn't. The whole situation left her feeling restless, and she wasn't about to sit at home waiting for a phone call. It'd drive her nuts. Instead, she chose to wait in front of the police department. For some reason it made her feel more at ease to be so close to him. She tilted her seat back, flipping open her glove compartment and pulling out the book she had stashed there. She'd only just gotten comfortable when her phone went off, an unknown number flashing across the screen. "Angela Ruiz," she greeted, kicking open the car door and stepping out.

"Hey baby," Juice replied on the other line, a hint of defeat in his voice. "You busy?"

"Nah," she answered, leaning against the back of her car. "I'm outside the station, actually."

His sigh of relief was audible on the other end. "Be right out."

She watched him walk down the front steps, shoulders slumped, head hanging down. Her heart felt like it would break when his eyes met hers and she saw that sad, defeated look in them. As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her into his chest as he buried his face into her neck. She hugged him tightly, one of her hands sliding up and down his back. The hug was brief but spoke volumes. While wrapped in his arms, she could feel his quick heartbeat, the knots in his back; something wasn't right.

He pulled away, reaching out a hand to brush a stray hair out of her face before kissing her. Walking out of Roosevelt's office, he'd felt suffocated by the weight of what the Lieutenant knew. As soon as he saw Angela standing there, he found it just a little easier to breathe. "You been here the whole time?" he asked.

"I don't mind waiting if it's for you, Juice," she said, knowing how corny it sounded. It was true though. She'd waited fourteen months for him. A few minutes outside the police station in her car was nothing compared to that.

Juice gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Angel."

She waved off his thanks, it wasn't needed. "Want to drive?" she asked, holding out the keys to him.

He shook his head slowly, knowing there were far too many things buzzing in his brain for him focus on the road. "Nah, I'm good."

Angela nodded, watching worriedly as he trudged towards the passenger door and got in. She got in the car just as he was adjusting his seat, sliding the seat backwards before tilting it back just a bit. "You want me to take you back to your bike?"

Juice shook his head again. He wasn't ready to go back to the clubhouse just yet. He needed a moment to himself. "Can we just...drive?"

"Yeah. Definitely." She smiled softly, pulling out of her parking spot and heading for the mountains.

He rolled down the window as she drove, letting the wind rush at his face as he thought about what had just happened. He was angry, frustrated, and scared as hell. He didn't know what the cop was planning to do with the information he had; what he'd try to make him do by using it as blackmail. He knew it had to be something though; Roosevelt wouldn't have pulled him in otherwise. This was no show of power; this was a warning. Something big was about to go down, and Juice had a feeling he was going to be stuck in the middle of it.

Angela pulled the car to a stop and silently got out, disappearing somewhere behind it. Juice looked over his shoulder to see where she went, smiling when he realized she'd pulled over on their mountain. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed. With a sigh, he got out of the car and opened up the hatchback door, taking a seat on the bumper, his eyes on her back.

After a moment, she turned around and walked towards him, letting him grab her hands and pull her between his legs. She was silent, as she usually was when she knew something was wrong. He wondered how she did it. How she remained so patient and quiet when he knew if she was acting the way he was, he'd be asking her questions left and right. "I'm all right, Angel," he lied, looking up at her.

Her dark eyes looked him over, filled with worry. "Are you?" she asked, doubt lacing her words as she reached up a hand to trace her fingers over one of his lightning bolt tattoos.

Juice shrugged a shoulder in response. Of course she'd seen right through him. "I don't know. I was for a minute. These past few days...the shit that's gone down...makes me feel like somethin' bad's gonna happen. Y'know?"

Angela didn't understand what would make him feel like that. She wasn't privy to half the information he was, but she had sensed there was a major decision looming over the club. She'd heard Koz and Hap arguing briefly over something at her Mom's. Out of context, she didn't get what it was, but there was definitely something going on. "I guess," she said for lack of a better answer.

He looked down at their hands, rubbing a thumb over the Claddagh ring on her finger. It was no engagement ring, but it was still something that tied her to him. A trinket she wore willingly as a sign of their friendship, her loyalty to him, and her love. He thought about telling her exactly what happened with Roosevelt, but he hesitated. Though he trusted her with his life, that secret was one he was ashamed of. One he wanted to forget all about. It'd hurt enough to hear Roosevelt's description about what would happen to him should the club find out; he wasn't ready to say it himself. Saying it would make it real.

She used her other hand to lift his chin so their eyes could meet. "Juice, I don't know what's going on in your head right now or what to say to make it all better, but...I'm here for you. You know that, right? Whatever it is you need, I'm here."

"I know," Juice nodded, giving her smallest hint of a smile as he let go of her hand and moving an arm around her waist, pulling her into him and laying his cheek on her chest, his ear over her heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his head, one hand gently rubbing up and down his upper back.

They stayed wrapped up in each other for awhile, both lost in their own thoughts. Angela was busy worrying about Juice, different situations playing through her head. A part of her was relieved the police hadn't kept him for long, but another part of her was suspicious as to what that meant, especially with the way Juice was acting now. It had to be something serious if he didn't want to tell her.

His phone rang loudly in his pocket, breaking the silence. She dropped her arms from around him and took a step away, sitting down next to him. He dug through his pockets before retrieving his cell phone. "Yeah?...Nah, I'm good...Yeah, I'll be there," he said shutting the phone. He'd completely forgotten about the vote that night. Sure, it was a couple of hours away, but Chibs was just checking in to make sure everything was all right. "It was Chibs."

"You got to go?"

"Not yet. Wanna go home? Get a pizza or somethin'?" he asked, craving some sense of normalcy. A dinner spent watching a movie with Angela curled up on the couch next to him seemed normal enough. Maybe it would help take his mind off things.

Angela smiled as she nodded, leaning over to peck his lips quickly. "Sounds great," she said standing up and heading for the front.

"Hey Angel," he said, catching her attention before she got in the car. She looked at him, eyebrows raised, over the roof of the car. A small trace of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Thanks."

She smiled at him in response, shrugging a shoulder. "You're my best friend. It's what we do."

-----------

Juice headed to the clubhouse earlier than usual leaving Angela behind playing a video game by herself. She wasn't alone long, though. After just a few minutes, she heard a key slide into the lock before the door opened and Happy stepped in. "I have got to hide that key better," she mumbled to herself as she got up off the couch and went over to greet him. "Hey Hap."

Happy nodded to her, letting her hug him quickly before he scratched at the back of his neck. "Need an ear."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Literally?"

He smirked at her, knowing that if he really needed a human ear, Angela wouldn't hesitate getting him one; she'd already gotten him a severed thumb and forefinger to use for fake prints. He had them carefully preserved in his locker back at the clubhouse. "Nah, kid. Just need ya to listen."

She looked a little relieved as she nodded. "Beer?"

"Yeah," he said, taking a seat on the couch. "Where's the idiot?"

"Went to the clubhouse already. Said he wanted to do somethin' on the computer," she explained from the kitchen. Grabbing two bottles of beer, she handed him one before taking a seat next to him, taking a long sip as she waited for him to start. Hap was weird when it came to talking about the club with her. He either came to get stuff off his chest or to talk things out. She was expected to sit there quietly and listen, only speaking if he asked her a question.

Happy nodded, slowly taking a pull from the beer. "He tell you about the vote we got tonight?"

"No. We don't really talk about the club. Sometimes he'll tell me bits and pieces, but I never get the full story. Just what I need to know," she answered as she picked at the label on her beer.

"You okay with that?"

Angela smirked. "I'm used to it."

His lips twitched briefly, almost forming a smile. He knew she was implying the way he'd share information with her. Always letting her in just a little but never telling her all of it. "Good," he said on a nod. "What you think about drugs?"

"Drugs are bad," she repeated awkwardly. She felt stupid for her answer, but it was the first thing that came to her mind.

"Lotta money though."

Angela frowned. The Sons didn't deal with drugs. That's why Happy had joined them in the first place. Though he enjoyed his cigarettes, Happy stayed far away from hard drugs; they were what killed his father. "Money we don't need," she pointed out. "We don't pay for meds anymore, you got a lot of money when you got out, and I got a pay raise. We're fine with money, Hap. Everything's handled."

"You got a raise?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "While you guys were inside, Skeet and I went to a conference down in San Diego. Showed a few people my portfolio and got a few offers. A lot of them right in front of the poor guy, made him nervous."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How much you get offered?"

"Enough for me to consider movin'," she answered honestly. "But they were all really far away. Hawaii, Michigan, New York."

Happy narrowed his eyes at her, cocking his head to the side. He really hoped her choice not to move on from this small town weren't because of the idiot. The idea Juice was holding her back pissed him off a little. "So?"

"I'm not going to just leave, Hap. My family is here."

"You mean the idiot," he clarified, disapproval written all over his face.

Her dark eyes snapped to his face, anger flashing through them briefly. Yes, she'd thought about Juice, but, honestly, he hadn't been her main concern. There were charters in other places, if it really came down to it, he could switch. "No, I mean my sick aunt, my overbearing mother, and my crazy ass cousin."

Happy shook his head at her, fighting back a smile. "Ma's fine. She's got a lot more time. Not like you visit every day."

"But I could if I wanted to," she pointed out. "It doesn't matter anyway. We're good with money. Drug free's the way to be."

He smirked at his cousin's use of the cheesy slogan. Though what she'd said before about the finances put him at ease. He would've been fine voting in the cartel if his mom needed the money, the fact they were okay without it made the decision a hell of a lot easier. "Yeah."

Angela bit her lip, wondering if she should ask her next question. She never knew what was crossing the line when she talked to Hap. "Hap, what about Koz?" she asked after a moment. "If you're doin' something with drugs...he could relapse."

Happy knew what she was getting at. Kozik had been clean for five years now, but Angela had seen him at his worst. She'd been there the night they'd all forced him into rehab and watched as he slowly recovered. He drained the rest of his beer before setting the empty bottle on the table and standing. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said, leaning over and kissing her forehead.

She frowned knowing that the conversation was officially over. His avoidance of her question about Kozik made her uneasy. It meant he was worried about his friend too. "Hap..." she started, standing up and following him to the front door.

"Gotta head over," he interrupted. He knew she had more questions for him. Girl could ask him questions for days and still not be done with them, but he'd hinted at too much already and wasn't about to tell her more.

Her shoulders sagged in defeat as she nodded. "All right. Bye," she said, kissing his cheek briefly before locking the door behind him. She ran a hand through her hair, thinking about what getting into the drug business would mean for the club. Maybe this was what Juice had a bad feeling about. She knew she certainly did.

-----------

Juice walked out of the chapel feeling like shit again. He couldn't believe the deal with the cartel had passed. Couldn't believe Jax of all people voted it in. He was no stranger to dealing drugs. He'd done it before in New York for the mob, and it'd gotten him in a lot of trouble. So much so that he could never go back there. They'd kill him, his family, anyone they could their hands on. His only stroke of luck had come from the fact he hadn't lived at home and his mother wasn't talking to him at the time. The cartel would be no different. Big organizations like that didn't bother hurting smaller ones by killing off members; they went for the heart...for their families. In his case, it'd be for Angela.

He looked over the clubhouse. On one side of the room sat the Croweaters, draped over couches, sitting on tables, waiting for one of the Sons to give them that look that meant they'd earned themselves a place to stay for the night. On the other side, at the bar, sat the Old Ladies. Gemma, Tara, and Lyla, all waiting anxiously for their Old Men. As if unsure of her position, Angela was leaning against where they kept the bats, halfway between the Croweaters and the Old Ladies. Kozik and Happy stood on either side of her, Koz with his arm draped over her shoulders, Hap leaning on the support next to her. He wondered how much they were telling her, how much she already knew. The concern in her eyes as she looked up at Kozik told him she knew more than he'd told her.

As he approached, Happy took a step back, clapping a hand on his shoulder and nodding, a look of approval in his eyes. Most people expected him to go the same way as Tig, but Juice couldn't justify starting a deal with a cartel. He was even less inclined to vote it in now that he knew Roosevelt was on his ass. He couldn't believe it had passed, especially since it was Kozik's vote that tipped the scales in favor. That was something no one had counted on.

He stepped in just in time to see Kozik pull Angela into a tight hug. "Stop lookin' at me like that," the blonde said, ruffling her hair. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Angela let out a lengthy sigh; Kozik didn't know she knew about the drugs. That Hap's brief shake of his head had told her whatever it was that tied the Sons to drugs had passed. "Nothin'. I just worry, that's all."

"Well stop it, Angie-pie. 'Causes wrinkles," he teased, giving her a wink before heading off to the Croweaters.

She scowled at his back, muttering something unintelligible under her breath about the stupid nickname as Hap squeezed her shoulder and headed after him leaving her alone with Juice. "You drive over?" he asked, taking her hand in his.

"No. I walked actually," she answered softly. His brown eyes got that fierce, protective look to them, making her stomach flip flop. She squeezed his hand, smiling slightly. "It's just a few blocks, Juice. I had a lot on my mind, needed some air to figure stuff out."

Juice understood where she was coming from, though he hated the thought of her walking around town alone. "Oh."

"You okay?" she questioned, a troubled look in her dark eyes

She'd asked him that question more in those past couple of days than he had in the two years they'd been together, he noticed with a frown. He shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. Fine," he lied, raising an eyebrow as the little blonde sweetbutt from the day before stepped in front of him, putting herself between him and Angela.

"Hey Juicy," she said grabbing onto the front of his cut. She looked proud she'd learned his name. "How 'bout you take me back this time? We can have some fun. I can bet I'm a lot funner than her."

Angela smirked at him over the petite girl's shoulder, an eyebrow raised. "How 'bout it, Juicy?" she teased, arms crossed over her chest.

Juice loved the way Angela dealt with the Croweaters. She always left it up to him to deflect them, never once getting in their faces or going to hit them. She trusted him. At a moment like this, when all he wanted to do was go home, he was thankful that she wasn't causing a scene. "No, thanks. Got my girl already and I'm keeping her for as long as she'll have me," he said moving around the blonde before slinging an arm around Angela's neck and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Let's go, baby."

Angela slid an arm around his waist before looking at the little blonde over his shoulders. "Sorry," she mouthed at her as they headed outside.

Juice rode home at a fast pace, his mind on overdrive. The only thing keeping him from crashing were Angela's arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her body pressed up against his. Once home, he waited for her to get off the motorcycle before getting off himself, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked towards the front door.

They both stood inside, Angela waiting for some cue from Juice as to what to do. He stood there silently, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his cut, his eyes on the ground. After a moment, she sighed and grabbed his arm. "C'mon."

He let her pull him out to the backyard where a hammock was lazily swinging back and forth in the light breeze. He raised an eyebrow, that hadn't been there before he went inside. She pointed to it. "Lay down."

Juice did as he was told, carefully balancing himself on it and looking at her as if to ask what next. She went back inside for a few seconds, re-emerging with a little white stick in her hand. He gave her a small smile as she handed the little joint to him. "Thanks," he murmured, putting it between his lips and lighting it up with the lighter from his pocket.

After a moment, she climbed on with him, her head on his shoulder, arm draped over his stomach. He wrapped his free arm around her, trailing his fingers up and down the bare skin of her arm. Setting a booted foot on the ground, he rocked the hammock back and forth as he smoked. After a few minutes, he felt her head get just a little heavier and looked down to find her sound asleep. The mix of having her close while being alone with his thoughts was just what he needed at that moment. He kissed her forehead, thinking of all the things she'd done for him in the past, all the ways she took care of him. She was his rock, the one thing that never changed while the rest of the world was turned upside. He didn't deserve her, but he wasn't about to let her go. Not now. Not ever.