Angela watched from her place on the bed as Juice shoved things into his pack. It was way too early in the morning for both of them, but he had to go to Arizona and she wanted to say goodbye. She loved watching him pack. He was so OCD about everything. Making sure his clothes were all folded a certain way so his pack wasn't lumpy and his beloved laptop was safely secured in it's sleeve. He was softly murmuring different things he had to remember to himself, every so often cursing when he forgot something. He looked into his backpack and frowned. "I'm missin' something. What am I missing?" he asked, looking up at her as if she would know.

"Toothbrush?" she offered on a shrug.

He clapped his hands, grinning at her. "That's it!" he exclaimed before disappearing into the bathroom to grab it. "What would I do without you?" he asked, leaning over to brush a kiss to her head on his way back to his pack.

She laughed, hooking her arms around her legs and resting her chin atop her knees. "Have a lot of cavities?"

He smirked, already armed with a line for her. "Sweetheart, I get enough of those from you 'cause you're so sweet."

Angela groaned at the cheesy line as she fell back on the bed with a small thump."Goof!" she exclaimed, looking up at the ceiling.

He chuckled, climbing onto the bed and holding himself over her. Dipping his head, he caught her lips in a long kiss. Her hand reached up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing over his lips. He could see that small little wrinkle between her eyebrows, the one that told him she was worrying. "Be safe, Juice. Please," she said, her voice soft, worried.

He kissed her once more, enjoying the feel of her lips on his and knowing he'd miss it on his short trip down south. "Roger that."

She smiled at him, that troubled look never leaving her eyes as he pushed himself off her and continued packing. "Hap going with you to AZ?"

Juice shook his head. "Nah. He'll be around. Koz and Ope went up to Tacoma so they'll be back early too."

"Bet Koz is mad about missing the bike show. He always picks up a few sweetbutts there," she mused, sitting back up and pulling her knees into her chest.

Something told him she wasn't entirely convinced the only reason they were going to Arizona was for a bike show. "How much did they tell you?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Hap mentioned something about drugs. That's all."

"We're not dealin'," he explained flat out. "Just mulin'. The Mayans are doin' the dealing."

She sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. She was no stranger to the Mayan's drug trade. She'd seen the ugly side of it one too many times while she was with Esai. "Heroin?"

"Coke," he corrected.

She nodded slowly, letting the information sink in. She honestly didn't have a problem with it mostly because she knew she couldn't change it. Her boys would do what the club wanted them to do regardless of her opinion. The least she could do was support them despite how wrong she thought it was.

"You think you could...keep an eye on Koz? He's been clean for awhile, but still...shit happens," she said looking down at the sheet and feeling stupid for asking. "I mean, you don't have to babysit, I don't want to burden you or anything just...if you see him with it, will you let me know? I'm kind of his sponsor or whatever. If you can't, it's no big...I get it. No one wants to be a baby sitter."

Juice smiled at her rambling. Angela had such a big heart when it came to the people she loved. He had no doubt she was one kickass sponsor, and if it meant so much to her, he'd be more than willing help. He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it up so their eyes could meet. "I'll keep an eye out," he promised.

"Thanks," she said on a soft smile. "Where you guys stayin' over there?"

"SAMTAZ clubhouse," he explained, zipping up his pack. He saw her pull a face and chuckled. "Don't worry about the sweetbutts, Angel. I know we're on a run and shit, but if you can last fourteen months without using the prison clause, I think I can last a few days."

Angela laughed as she nodded her head in agreement. To be honest, she hadn't really been worried about it; Juice had never given her cause to worry before. That and she planned on sending him some dirty pictures just to remind him what he was missing while he was away. She leaned forward and hooked a finger around his belt loop, tugging on it to bring him closer again.

He grinned at her as he leaned over to catch her lips in a quick kiss, not at all surprised when she grabbed the front of his cut to pull him in closer. "How much time do you have?" she asked, her lips just inches from his own.

"Enough," he murmured as he slowly pushed her back on the bed, pressing his lips to hers in a hot kiss.

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

Gemma was surprised when she walked into the new flower shop and found Angela leaning against the counter, cell phone in hand, no doubt playing some game or other as she usually was when she was bored. "Hey there, Little Miss Undertaker," she stated, catching the younger woman's attention.

Angela jumped a little, almost dropping her phone in the process. "Hey Gemma! How's it goin'?"

"Good, good," she answered, looking her over. She was dressed in her formal work pants and a nice blue blouse, her dark hair tied back in a tight braid as it usually was when she was working. Gemma could just barely make out a dark mark on her neck, one she'd obviously tried to cover up since there was a bit of make up along the collar of her blouse. "Nice mark."

Her cheeks darkened in a blush as she reached up a hand to cover the spot. "Damn it, Juice," she muttered under her breath. "Is it that bad?"

"You're fine, sweetheart. Just button up a bit," Gemma suggested, watching as Angela did as she was told. With the few extra buttons done up, the collar effectively covered the mark. "See? All covered."

"Thanks."

"Hello Angie," Chucky said, waving his fake-fingered hands at her.

Angela grinned at him and waved right back. "Hey Chucky."

"Buying new flowers for the home?" he asked, picking out a particularly pretty one and handing it to her. "This one would look great on Leah's headstone."

Angela took the flower from him and nodded in agreement. "I'll make sure it gets there."

"Thanks," Chucky said before turning to look for more flowers.

"Leah is..." Gemma questioned casting Chucky a weird glance.

"Just someone he visits sometimes," she replied vaguely as she shrugged a shoulder. She grabbed her coffee cup off the counter and took a long sip before glancing back down at the phone to check the time. Skeeter had wanted her to be back by now to start work on a new body he'd picked up.

Gemma recognized the cup as one from the hospital and raised an eyebrow. "You swing by the hospital already?"

Angela grinned as she nodded. "Tara and I had a coffee date."

"Here are your flowers, Angie," Rita said as she brought out a large bouquet. "I put in a lily or two for you."

"Thanks Rita," Angela replied grabbing a brown accordion folder off the counter and tucking it under her arm before going for the flower bouquet.

Chucky stepped in, easily lifting the bouquet up for her. "I got it. To the van?"

She nodded in response. "Thanks, Chucky. Rita, can you put that and this flower on Skeeter's tab, please? He forgot to give me the credit card."

"Sure thing, Ang," Rita said, scribbling it down. "I'll send him the bill."

"Thanks. See you later, Gemma," Angela said, nodding to her before heading out the door after Chucky.

Gemma watched her leave, her eyes on the brown folder under her arm. It was the same one she'd found in Tara's desk, the one with the letters in it. Angela had said she'd stopped by the hospital on her way in; could Tara have given her the letters? The girls were getting awfully close to one another; Gemma wouldn't be surprised if the doctor roped the undertaker in to help her out. With a sigh, she decided she'd have to "check in" with Angela just to make sure she didn't know more than she was supposed to, and if she did, to make sure she kept her mouth shut. The information in those letters was dangerous, not only to her family, but also to the entire club. Even if someone as inconsequential as Juice found out about them, it could set off a chain reaction that she would definitely not be on the right side of.

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

Gemma pulled up in front of the funeral home and headed straight for the front doors, Chucky muttered something about going to visit someone before disappearing into the cemetery. That was fine by her, she needed some alone time anyway. Pushing open the big wooden doors, she took a look around the place. It was simple with a few very well done flower arrangements on the entry tables. One she recognized as the one Angela had picked up just a few hours before. "How can I hel...Gemma? What are you doing here?" Skeeter asked as he walked in, his eyebrows raised in surprised.

Gemma nodded to him in greeting. "Came to talk to the undertaker. She in?"

"Yeah, yeah," he answered a little over eagerly. "Finishing up an embalming. I'll go get her for ya. Go ahead into the office, I'll send her right over."

"Thanks," she said walking past him in the direction he'd nodded. She walked into the office, surprised by its large size. There were two antique wooden desks facing each other with a wide space in between, each desk had two matching chairs in front of them. One had an old PC that had seen better days on top, the other had a flat screen monitor. Gemma didn't have to guess which one was Angela's.

She was assured of her decision when she walked around it to find three framed photos. One was a close up of Juice making a stupid face, his nose wrinkled, lip curled as if he hadn't wanted her to take the picture. The other was an older photograph of two women Gemma assumed were her mother and aunt only because of their resemblance to both Angela and Happy. The last one made her smile as she picked it up. It was of Angela when she was about four or five sitting on a much younger Happy's lap. The young girl had a very large baseball hat sitting atop her head and covering her eyes. Happy was grinning behind her, sporting a head full of hair that looked like it just been shoved under the hat seconds before. "Cute," she murmured, setting it back down.

Scanning the desk, she found the brown accordion folder sitting on top of a few papers. Frantically, she pulled it open, fingers sliding into the folder and pulling out...pictures. Before and after pictures of some pretty gruesome shit along with a resume or two, brochures, and some paper work. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized the letters were nowhere in sight. Moving the folder aside, she picked up the simple folder underneath it. Curiously, she picked it up and opened it, a curse leaving her lips when she saw what was inside.

It was an autopsy report complete with crime scene pictures she would recognize anywhere. Her hands shook as she read the name on the top of the file: John Thomas Teller. "Shit," she muttered, flipping through it. It was filled with medical things she didn't really understand. That wasn't what worried her. What worried her the most was the neon yellow post-it stuck to copies of the entire report that read: "T, Got this for you. Let me know if you have any questions. -A."

"Jesus," Gemma whispered, raking a hand through her hair.

Angela walked in to her office to find Gemma sitting at her desk, a folder opened in front of her. She swallowed hard as she realized what the older woman had found. Shit, she thought, her stomach in knots. "Gemma?"

Gemma closed the folder with a snap, her dark green eyes narrowed as they looked up at her. "Where'd this come from?"

"The city morgue," she replied honestly, trying her best to remain calm. There was a valid reason she had the file on her desk other than the fact Tara had asked for it. She just had to make sure Gemma believed her when she said it.

"Why do you have it?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "Thought it'd be interesting. I pull files out all the time so I can see different injuries and think about how to make them look good. This time I got a stack of T's. Look underneath it, they're all there. Not my fault that one happened to be there."

Gemma frowned as she lifted the file and found four or five more files with last names that began with 'TE'. At least the undertaker was telling her some of the truth. "Doesn't explain this," she said, pointing out the post-it and the copies. "What's Tara want with it?"

"Dunno," she lied, shrugging her shoulders again. "She asked for it as a favor."

The Queen pressed her lips together as she looked her over. Something in Angela's tone told her what she'd said was a lie. If Tara had asked her for the report, she was willing to bet she'd explained why she wanted it. She wondered if Angela also had a hand in getting her other information "You get her that police report too?"

"Police reports are public domain, Gemma. If she has one, I didn't get it for her," Angela explained, trying her best to steer the conversation away from her. "Why does it matter?"

"I think you know exactly why it matters, undertaker."

"Is there a reason you came here?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or did you just want to look through my stuff?"

Gemma gave her a trite smile as she stood from her seat and walked over to Angela. The way the girl answered her question with another question was similar to the way Tara had avoided her questions as well. Both girls were incredibly smart, too smart for their own good, it seemed. "Just wanted to invite you to the Garden Benefit this week. Thought you might like to donate."

"I already have, thanks," Angela replied, seeing right through Gemma's lie. "That all?"

The queen nodded, picking up the folder from her desk and holding it out to her. When she went to grab it, Gemma pulled her in close. "Whatever you know, you best keep it to yourself, undertaker. And this," she said, invading the girl's personal space. "Doesn't get into Tara's hands. You hear me?"

Angela nodded slowly; biting back the urge to ask her what exactly would happen if she disobeyed. A show of disrespect like that wasn't needed and to ask would mean she knew the weight the report carried and why it'd be so dangerous in Tara's hands. "Loud and clear."

"Good," she said, walking right back out of the office and out the front door.

Once the door closed behind Gemma, Angela let out a long breath of air. She ran a hand through her hair as she sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk. She was under no illusion that she'd successfully convinced Gemma she didn't know anything about the letters. Though, Gemma hadn't outright asked if she knew, the Queen of SAMCRO had that knowing look in her eyes that put Angela on edge.

"Shit," she cursed, wondering why she had such a bad feeling about the whole situation. She didn't even know what was in those damn letters. "So much for staying out of Old Lady shit."

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

After hearing about Piney's collapse, Angela swung by Lyla and Opie's house to pick up Kenny and Ellie so they could all go visit him. Piper had a play date with another friend, so she just had the Winston kids for the day. It'd been awhile since she'd last had just the two of them, and she found she'd missed it. As much as she loved Piper, his need for attention usually led him straight into trouble, and he always dragged Kenny into it with him. Without Piper there, however, Kenny was a little better behaved. He had less to prove and acted more like his normal self.

Case in point, they were currently talking about books. A topic Kenny wouldn't have said a word about had Piper been there because apparently, Piper was too cool to read. Ellie was halfway through the Twilight series and every bit as obsessed as all the other girls her age. "My Pop's in Washington. Have you ever been there?" Ellie asked Angela from the passenger's seat of the Mazda.

Angela smiled at her as she nodded. "I lived there for a few years, actually. Up in Tacoma. It's very pretty."

"Have you been to Forks?"

"Nope. Forks is like a three hour drive from Tacoma, and there's not much there."

"Oh." Ellie looked a little disappointed. "Well does it rain all the time? Like in Twilight?"

Kenny made a sound of disgust in the background which Angela agreed with, but she wasn't about to tell Ellie that. The books had gotten her to start reading and that was all Angela really cared about. "Not all the time but a lot," she answered with a small smile. "You start that book I got you yet, Ken?"

The boy nodded excitedly. "It's so funny, Ang! There's this one thing called the 'cheese touch'..."

Angela only half listened to him go into detail about the funniest part of his book, the other half of her brain was worrying about her encounter with Gemma and what it could mean. Not to mention the fact they were currently heading over to St. Thomas to visit Piney who'd collapsed in Tara's office. Tara had told her she'd been talking to him about JT's letters just seconds before it happened. God, she hated those damn letters. "That's great, Ken. I'm glad you like it," she said on a laugh once the boy was finished talking.

"Gramps is all right, right?" Ellie asked after a moment.

"Oh yeah, he's fine. Oxygen levels were just off. He's got to stay there overnight, so I figured we'd go visit. Cheer him up a bit," she explained as she pulled into a parking spot.

She let the kids go into the room first, armed with fresh flowers from Rita's shop. After greeting Piney, she excused herself from the room and headed over to Tara's office. The door was open and Tara was sitting inside, flipping through charts. "Hey T," she greeted, startling the doctor slightly.

Tara gave her a friendly smile. "Hey Ang. Come to visit Piney?"

Angela nodded, digging her hands into her pocket as she walked in. She kicked the door closed behind her before sitting on the couch across the way. "Remember how you asked me for JT's autopsy report?"

"Yes," Tara said, dragging out the word in a questioning tone.

"Gemma stopped by my office today. I caught her going through my files. Had the copy of JT's file there with a post-it I'd written to you."

Tara's eyes widened as she processed the information. "Why the hell was she going through your files?"

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "That's a really good question."

"Did she confront you about the report?"

"What do you think?" she shot back on a smirk. "She told me to keep whatever I know to myself...which, ironically, isn't much."

Tara sighed, feeling terrible about getting Angela roped into this shit. "I'm sorry, Ang. I didn't think..."

Angela shook her head slowly. "Nah, it's on me. I shouldn't have left the file there but no one ever comes to visit, T. Just Juice. Maybe Happy. She said she wanted to invite me to that Garden Benefit thing but...I doubt that. Why would she go through my stuff? What did she think I was hiding?"

"She's getting paranoid. Maybe we should cool it on the time we spend together. Distance ourselves," Tara offered, shaking her head at how ridiculous the idea was. Angela was one of the few friends she trusted, but if it meant keeping her away from the potential danger of the letters; she was willing to give her some distance.

"This whole thing is so stupid. What is so bad about those fucking letters? I don't get it," she exclaimed, frustrated as hell by the situation.

Tara sighed again, looking over her at distraught friend. "Do you want me to tell you?"

Angela sucked in a deep breath as she considered it. Raking her hand through her hair, she exhaled as she shook her head. "No...I don't know...maybe?"

"Ang, that's not exactly helpful."

"I know, sorry. I'm just wondering if I'm already in too deep. If adding what you know to it would just make it even harder to dig myself out, y'know?"

"If Gemma thinks you know, you're not going to be able to dig yourself out. Trust me."

Angela bit her lip as she nodded. Tara was right. There was no way to prove to Gemma she didn't know what was in the letters without admitting she knew about the letters and if she told Gemma she knew about the letters, there was no way to prove she hadn't read them. She almost felt like it'd be better to read them and know what she was dealing with, that way if shit went down, she knew why. But her cousin's words ran through her head, 'Stay out Old Lady shit'. This most definitely fell into the category.

Her stomach was in knots as she finally made her decision. "Just tell me this: why is Gemma so afraid of them?"

"They make her and Clay look responsible for JT's accident."

Angela ran a hand through her hair as she nodded. She'd had a feeling it was something like that. "Shit."

Tara nodded in agreement. She'd already felt some of the weight slip from her shoulders when she told Piney about it, now that Angie knew as well, the weight was getting easier to bear. "Yeah."

"Great. Well, I better go get the kids before they drive Piney crazy," she said, rubbing her palms on the thighs of her jeans before standing.

"Ang?" Tara's voice stopped her trek to the door. "This has to stay between us."

The undertaker pulled her fingers across her lips as though she was zipping them closed. "My lips are sealed."

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

Angela felt her lungs burn for air as she stopped in front of the white gravestone. She'd been sprinting through the cemetery, desperately trying to leave behind the heaviness of the day. It didn't help much though. All the secrets, the lies, everything was weighing on her shoulders. She couldn't believe the drama attached to that stack of old letters. Couldn't believe she'd let herself become so involved with them. All for what? To help Tara? Would Tara have done the same for her? Angela wasn't so sure. Happy had warned her time and time again her selfless streak would get her in trouble, but she never truly believed him. Now, she was starting to understand where he was coming from.

She wasn't an idiot. She recognized Gemma's veiled threat, and if Cherry and Tara's broken noses were any indication, the woman could cause some serious damage when she was angry and Angela didn't hold the same status as Tara. She wasn't engaged to Gemma's son, hell she wasn't even an Old Lady! She wouldn't be surprised if Gemma found a way to cut her out completely which meant she'd lose Juice.

She was already losing him though. He'd gone into prison a happy, goofy guy and had come out harder, more jaded. But that had been fine. She still saw the old Juice shining through every so often. Lately, since his encounter with Roosevelt, she hardly saw the goofy man she'd fallen in love with. Sure, he still smiled at her and joked with her, but behind those smiles were worry and fear. Something was weighing on him. Whatever it was, he refused to share it with her, and she couldn't help him through it if she didn't know what it was.

The feeling of helplessness overcame her. She was powerless when it came both to the letter matter and to Juice. The power of the emotion brought frustrated tears to her eyes, blurring the lettering of the gravestone in front of her but not enough to distort the words written on the bottom: "We fight because we believe."

Sucking in a deep breath, Angela drew strength from the words. She wiped away her tears and nodded. She was going to fight because she believed things would get better. She believed she could get through this, believed she could make everything go back to normal, and she was going to fight like hell until that happened.

Looking at the name on the headstone, she fought the urge to smile; the irony of the situation did not go unnoticed by her. It seemed the one person who'd unknowingly given her strength was part of the reason she'd needed it: John Thomas Teller.