Angela stared at the crackling flames as they licked the sides of the small cardboard box. That was her brother in there or at least a part of him. She'd gotten over the initial shock and tears and was left feeling numb, empty. She just couldn't believe he was gone. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. It had all just happened way too fast. Happy had explained that Kozik had stepped on a landmine. A landmine of all things! Kozik had survived a war in a foreign country only to be killed by a landmine in his own. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair. How could this have happened?

Sons had been coming in and out of the crematorium to say their goodbyes despite the fact there'd be a small memorial the next day. Most of them wouldn't attend. Death was harder to come to grips with in the light of day. Cowards, she thought bitterly. She had to admit she was surprised Happy was still standing there at her side, watching the flames. He didn't do grief. She knew that well. When her father had died, he'd disappeared for a day before coming back and acting as if nothing had happened. She'd asked him what he'd done, where he'd gone, and he just told her he got away and left his feelings there.

She could feel Juice's worried gaze on her back. After holding her in the shower until the water had gone cold, he'd tried to get her to talk about it, to stop her from cremating Kozik that night to keep her stress level down since stress was bad for the baby, but she'd pushed him away. She'd seen the hurt in his eyes when she'd refused to talk it through, when she refused to cry anymore. It wasn't that the tears weren't there. They were, but she was done crying. It wouldn't bring Kozik back. She wished Juice understood that, wished he would stop worrying about her.

In all honesty, Angela was annoyed by both of them. It was probably the hormones, but the fact they both seemed more worried about her than upset about losing Kozik was pissing her off. They'd seen it happen! Shouldn't they be a little more upset? All of SAMCRO should be there paying tribute to him just as they'd paid tribute to Donna. Hell, the bodies they'd burned the first day she'd met them had gotten a better send off! She understood they were in deep shit with the cartel, but Kozik was one of their brothers. He'd died helping them. And where were they? Getting drunk somewhere or fucking some stupid Croweater, no doubt. Her anger at the club started to build as the fire started to wane. It was all SAMCRO's fault. If it hadn't been for the stupid MC Kozik would still be alive. He'd still be whole.

A cold breeze blew into the hot room as the door opened again. She didn't turn to see who'd walked in, but she did feel a rough hand on her shoulder, the cool metal of the rings on his fingers sending chills down her spine. She flinched at the touch, clenching her fists in an effort not to swing at whoever's hand it was. A second passed before she heard the voice that went with the rough, ringed hand, "Give me a minute."

Juice looked hesitantly at Tig who hadn't taken his eyes off the fire in front of them. He didn't like the idea of leaving him alone with her. Especially not after the way Tig had treated Kozik prior to his death. He was worried as hell the SAMCRO SAA would say something to upset her. Happy clearly did not share his worry. The Tacoma killer just nodded and headed out. "Angel," Juice said, trying to catch her attention. She flinched again, as if the words hurt her.

" 'm fine," she ground out through clenched teeth. Juice locked eyes with Tig briefly, trying his best to convey a warning through his look before he walked out of the crematorium leaving just Tig and Angela alone in front of the fire. Once he was gone, Angela glanced briefly at Tig. "Come to spit at him?"

Tig smirked at the anger in her voice. He'd seen it as soon as he walked into the room, though it'd been clear his other two brothers hadn't. He recognized that dangerous look in her eyes. It was eerily similar to the look Happy had before he put a finishing bullet in someone's head. "Nah," he assured her, holding up Kozik's cut. "Came to put this in with him. You mind?"

"Wait," she said gently opening the cut and digging her hand into the inner pocket. She took out the small, metal sobriety chip she'd bought for him so long ago before nodding to the incinerator. "Go ahead."

Her dark eyes followed his every movement as he opened the heavy metal door and tossed the leather cut into the flames. He turned back to her and pulled out a manila envelope from inside his cut, flipping it over a few times in his hands before handing it to her. She gave him a questioning look as she ran her fingers over the familiar handwriting that spelled out her name on the front of it. The envelope had an oddly shaped lump and was a bit heavier than it looked. "What's this?" she asked, though she had a feeling she already knew.

"Koz's bucket letter. You know for when he...kicked the bucket," he explained, his blue eyes back on the fire. "Wrote one for you, one for Mel."

She carefully unwound the string that kept it closed and lifted the flap. She slid her hand inside of it, surprised when she felt a cool metal chain against her fingers. Gently, she tugged the chain out, surprised to find a pair of dog tags hanging on the end of it. Tears blurred her vision as she moved the tags into her palm, her thumb gently rubbing over the letters of his name: Herman E. Kozik.

Tig's voice cut through her thoughts. "Keep those close, Ang. Means a lot for him to give 'em to ya. He'da given you the Reaper on his back if he coulda."

"I wouldn't want it," she spat, closing her hand around the metal tags. "I hate that damn Reaper."

"You can't blame this on the club, doll," he stated. He knew Happy's family was the vengeful sort, and he worried what Angela's anger could lead her to do. The girl knew enough about the club to send them all inside for a good while. If her anger wasn't contained, they'd all be in trouble.

She tore her eyes away from the flames to glare at him; her dark eyes alight with their own angry fire. "Who else am I supposed to blame then, Tig?"

"The guys who put the mines in that field are a good place to start," he said as though it was obvious.

"He wouldn't even be on that damn field if he hadn't come down from Tacoma to help out with all this stupid ass cartel bullshit!" she seethed.

" 'ey, he voted it in, doll. No one made him do it," he explained, not at all fazed by the dangerous look in her dark eyes. Angela may be furious, but she wasn't an idiot; she wouldn't try to take him on alone. "Coulda happened to any one of us."

"But it didn't. It happened to Kozik," she said, wiping furiously at the tears that had escaped her hold. "And it could've easily been Hap or Juice or all three and I would've lost everything...I can't...I can't handle this. I can't help them! I can't do anything to save them! I feel so fuckin' useless!"

Tig's heart went out to the girl. Watching her break down like this reminded him of why he kept his own kids so far removed from this life that took away as much as it gave. "I know, kid. I know," he said, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "Nothin' you can do. Just gotta get through it."

"Don't...don't tell me it's going to be okay," she said scowling at him. "I'm so sick of hearing that everything's going to be okay. Kozik is dead. Nothing is okay."

"Did I say it was going to be okay? I don't think so. Koz was a selfish prick, but I know he'd want you to get over it. Fuckin' say some bullshit quote or some dumbass line," he stated, watching the corner of her mouth lift slightly, "And I know you're thinkin' of one right now. Keep it. Hold on to it. Tattoo it across your damn forehead. That's the shit Koz woulda loved. You know that."

Angela looked back to the fire, clenching her jaw in an attempt not to say something she'd regret. Tig took her silence as a good omen and continued. "Koz loved the club, doll. This is how he'd a wanted to go out...defending his club, his family."

God, she hated that he was right. Wiping at her eyes, she let out a long breath. "I know," she said finally.

"So stop blaming us. Ain't going to lead you anywhere good. You're gonna end up putting that shit on Hap and Juice, and I know you don't want to hurt them," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Right?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah."

"You good? Want me to send the guys back in?"

Angela sighed and shook her head. As much as Tig had helped soothe her anger, it hadn't gone away in its entirety. "Not yet."

"Want to be alone?"

She nodded again before glancing up at him. "Is that bad?"

Tig shrugged a shoulder. "Nah, 'course not," he said, squeezing her shoulder once more. "Take care of yourself, doll."

"Thanks, Tig."

He nodded, patting her shoulder lovingly before heading out the door and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

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

Mel Kozik's hands were shaking as he opened the door of the rental car. He took in a deep breath before stepping out of the car. He'd been in a daze since he'd gotten the call about his brother. It'd taken him a minute to really understand what the heavily accented Son had told him. A whole two hour plane ride before it really sunk in. It wasn't until he was sitting in the car, an hour away from going to watch his brother burn, that he'd really broken down. Now that he was standing in front of the funeral home, he felt that wave of emotion coming over him again. He raked a hand through his blonde hair, smoothing it over to the side out of habit. Unlike his older brother, he liked his hair to be somewhat neat. Letting out a shaky breath, he started towards the funeral home.

He looked at the white building, remembering the few days he'd spent moving Angela in with Happy and Kozik. They'd all had fun with that one. Too much fun, probably. A small smile turned up the corner of his lips as he remembered Angela all but shoving them out the door telling them that she was a big girl and could handle the rest. They'd gone back to the clubhouse and shot a few games of pool. It was a rare event Koz let him into the MC world, but that night he had, and it was one of his favorite memories.

"Mel," the rough voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned his head towards the sound, not at all surprised to find Happy there. The tattooed man extended his hand which Mel quickly met with his own. He pulled him in, slapping him on the back. "Good to see you, brother."

Mel nodded in response. "You too, Hap," he said, stepping away. "Did I miss it?"

Happy shook his headed and nodded towards the double doors on the side of the building. A light shone out from underneath, the only light in the dark parking lot. "In there."

"Gee in there too?" he asked his stomach in knots at the thought of seeing her again, despite the situation. It'd felt like years since he last seen her, though she'd visited him in San Diego a few months before. She'd been there for some funeral convention, and they'd only gotten coffee, but that'd been enough for him. Angela was like a drug he couldn't get over. Just a simple call from her could make his day. And he knew she had someone, knew she loved him, but that didn't change the way he felt about her.

At Happy's nod, he headed towards the double doors only just noticing another Son was standing nearby, leaning against the building. He didn't pay him any attention as he opened the doors and slipped inside the warm room. The sight of her made his heart race. She was standing in front of the large oven dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a black tank top, her thin fingers playing with a pair of dog tags that hung around her neck. "Hey Geela," he greeted softly.

His heart almost broke in half when she turned to him, her eyes lighting up slightly as she threw her arms around his neck. "Mel," she said as she hugged him.

Mel held her close, one arm around her waist, another smoothing over her soft hair. It felt so good to have her close. Turning his head, he kissed her temple. She let go first, she always did. "That him?" he asked, glancing at the window of the oven. There wasn't much left in there, just a low burning fire and the cut.

Angela nodded slowly. "What's left of him."

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "What was left of him?"

"His arm and his cut."

"Shit," he muttered shaking his head. "You get to see him before all this?"

"Yeah. We went to breakfast," she said, a small smile crossing her face at the memory. "At five in the morning."

Even Mel smiled at that one. "You know he does that to piss you off. He called me late last night to tell me he was going to see you and wake you up early. He was very proud of that."

"Oh, I know. Same reason he calls you late at night," she said on a laugh. Her face grew serious after a moment. "I'd let him wake me up early every morning if it brought him back."

"I know how you feel. I almost didn't answer him," Mel said, a hint of relief in his voice. "It was midnight. I finally got to sleep after a long day at the hospital and my phone woke me up. I was an ass to him, but he just laughed it off like he always did. Told me he loved my cranky ass."

Angela laughed, a tear sliding down her cheek as she picture Kozik saying that. "God, I miss him."

"Me too." He draped an arm over her shoulders, holding her close as they watched the fire die down. The soft ping of the snaps of Kozik's cut falling into the tray made both of them wince. It meant the process was almost over. Once the fire was done, he'd be gone forever.

Juice waited anxiously outside of the crematorium. After Happy had explained the well dressed man who had stepped out of the cab was not, in fact, a fed, but was Kozik's brother, he'd been a little on edge. He wasn't a complete idiot. He'd heard Kozik tease Angela about her relationship with his little brother. As soon as the man had disappeared through the double doors, he'd wanted to go in there just to make sure nothing else went down, but Happy wouldn't let him in. A sense of doubt filled him as he paced back and forth. Kozik's brother was a doctor. The man could give Angela so much more than he ever could. He was normal. He was safe. Things like this didn't happen to a doctor...well, except Tara, but her situation was a bit different.

He stopped pacing when the door opened, and they both stepped out. All of his doubt went out the window when she walked to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into his chest. The fact she'd gone straight to him, with no hint of reluctance or hesitation proved he was the one she wanted, that she was his girl, through and through. Nothing would change that. "Hey baby," he murmured, his lips at her ear as he hugged her to him. "You okay?"

Angela nodded, tilting her head back to look up at him. She put her lips to his in a quick kiss, not at all ashamed to do so in front of Mel. She needed the kiss, needed the rush of emotions that came when her lips met his to show her she was still alive, that she could still feel. As his lips moved against hers, her heartbeat quickened, the familiar rush of butterflies danced through her belly, her knees went weak. Yes, she was still alive. Kozik may be gone, but that didn't mean life was over. She still had Happy, still had Juice, still had the little being that was growing inside of her. Everything was going to be okay.

Juice moved his lips away from hers, pressing kisses across her cheek towards her ear. "I'm here, Angel," he whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"I know," she replied on a breath. "Love you, Juice."

An almost relieved look crossed his face as he nodded. "Love you too, baby."

A throat cleared from behind them causing them to break away from each other. Happy stood with Kozik's brother looking a bit irked. Juice sighed, wondering if Happy was ever going to truly accept him in Angela's life. He dropped his arms from around Angela and nodded to the blonde man. "You must be Kozik's brother."

Mel looked at the hand the tattooed man was holding out for him to shake, a little surprised by the almost friendly look on his face. "Uh yeah. Mel," he said, awkwardly shaking the man's hand. "You are?"

"Juice," he put in on a smile. "I'm Angela's..." He paused. What was he? They'd never had to introduce themselves like this before and he knew saying he was her 'baby daddy' would probably not be the best idea ever. Still, boyfriend didn't sound right. Angela was more than just his girlfriend, the love that bound them together felt stronger than that simple title. Then it hit him. He knew exactly what he was, what he'd been for some time now. "I'm her Old Man."

The title shocked Angela, though Happy had just the smallest trace of a smile on his lips. Mel, however, looked like someone had punched him in the gut. "Right," he said, letting go of the handshake first. He was never one of those macho men who thought they had to prove something in a handshake. "Heard a lot about you."

"Yeah?" Juice asked, a little surprised. He glanced down at Angela who had one of those secretive smiles on her face. "I'm sorry for your loss, man."

"Thanks." Mel nodded and shrugged. "Nothing you could do, right?"

Happy watched as Juice just stared at Mel blankly, no doubt playing the moment over again in his head. He'd been the one that had been closest to Kozik on that minefield. If he had switched places with him, it'd be him in that little black box. Yeah, there was something he could've done, but they'd be in a much different situation then. He could see Juice paling before him and decided to save his ass. "Right," he put in for his brother before slapping Mel on the back. "Let's go, kid."

"I didn't...I didn't book a place to stay," he replied, grimacing at his own stupidity. "You think there's vacancy at the motel?"

"You can stay with us," Juice offered, surprising them all. "I mean, if you want to. We have a couch."

Angela glanced at him in pure shock. Maybe he didn't know about her past relationship with Mel. It was the only reason she could explain him offering up their place so willingly. She glanced at Mel who looked like he would rather eat dirt. "Best couch ever," she put in.

"I wouldn't want to put you out," he said awkwardly. "The motel is fine. Thanks for the offer though."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. He had to get over the fact they weren't going to get back together, that she was with someone else. "You know where it is?"

"I'll figure it out," he said on a shrug as she moved to hug him goodbye. He hugged her back, kissing her temple as he was accustomed to. "See you later, Geela," he said, his eyes lingering on hers for a brief moment.

"Bye Melly," she said on a small smile. She kissed his cheek, squeezing his hand as she pulled away. "See you tomorrow."

He nodded turning to walk towards his rental car. Angela's eyes followed him, a concerned look on her face as she took note of his slumped posture. Though she no longer loved him in a romantic sense, she still cared about him. He'd been her best friend in Tacoma, her partner in crime; though most of the time that just meant he bailed her out rather than him getting in trouble himself. There'd been many times when they'd comforted each other over a break up or a loss, and it always started out the same way. They'd sit and talk and drink and then one thing would lead to another and they'd end up next to each other in bed. That's how their relationship had started originally. His father had died, and she'd comforted him the best way she knew how. Looking back on it, it'd been a stupid, slutty thing to do, but she didn't really regret it. She wondered briefly if that's what he was looking for now, if that's what that lingering look in his clear blue eyes had meant.

"He'll be fine," Happy's voice cut into her thoughts. He knew all about their little ritual. Had heard Mel telling Kozik about it one too many times. Mel had earned himself a black eye and a broken rib because of his big mouth. Even if she didn't see he'd been using her, Happy did, and no one got away with pulling shit like that on his little cousin. He glanced at Juice who seemed to be battling between jealousy and worry. "Take her home. She needs sleep."

"Right." Juice sighed as he nodded, slipping his hand into Angela's. "C'mon, baby. Let's go back."

Angela let him pull her towards the car wondering why on Earth he wanted to drive and not ride, though she had to admit she was thankful for his choice. She didn't want to be anywhere near a motorcycle right now. It was another reminder of Kozik that she didn't want to deal with. He opened the passenger's door for her before jogging around the nose of the car and getting into the driver's seat.

He started up the little Mazda, driving off the lot and pulling onto the main avenue. Looking over at Angela, he found her pulling out something from the envelope. It was a simple disc along with a few pictures. "He gave me a CD?" she said on an incredulous laugh.

Juice looked over at the blue colored case the disk was in, the color sparking his memory. "It's a DVD."

"What?" she breathed, playing aimlessly with the plastic case. "How do you know?"

"Look at it," he said on a nod as he pulled into their driveway. Their house was only five minutes away from the funeral home so the drive didn't take all that long.

She looked at it as she got out of the car, following after Juice slowly. "I dunno, Juice," she said doubtfully, studying the unlabeled disk. "Koz wouldn't know how to make a DVD. He's not you."

He smirked, only Angela would doubt his opinion on a piece of technology. "Only way to find out is to play it."

She sighed and handed it to him, taking a seat on the couch. He slipped it into the DVD player before hesitating. What was on that DVD had to be private, meant for her eyes only. He didn't know whether to stay or go. She grabbed his hand and tugged him onto the couch, giving him the answer; she wanted him to stay. "Before you play it...will you tell me what happened? Please?" she asked. At his hesitant look, she sighed. "I just...I need to know that he died for something. That whatever he was doing in a minefield was something good."

Juice nodded, running a hand over his face as he pressed pause. He could understand where she was coming from. He'd want to know too. "We were going after the other cartel. The ones who hurt Tara," he explained. She turned her head to look at him, their eyes meeting as he continued, "We found 'em in this...field, I guess. Jax told Koz and I to stay close to Clay. Koz went first, then Clay, then me."

Tears started to well up in her eyes when she realized what that meant. If Koz and Juice had switched positions, she'd be left alone. Her child, their child would grow up fatherless. Losing Koz was hard, but she couldn't even fathom what losing Juice would be like. She moved in closer to him as he slipped an arm around her waist, his hand resting on the warm skin of her stomach.

"One of Romeo's guys stepped on a mine first. That's how we knew they were there. The Lobos shot at us. Clay and I took cover, but Koz...he kept going," he explained, his voice catching a little at the end. Tears burned at the corner of his eyes as he swallowed at the lump in his throat. "Out of nowhere, he stepped on a mine, and he knew it. I heard him when he realized it. And that was it. All of a sudden, I see his arm lyin' next to me. His fuckin' arm. Rest of the guys got the big guns. Killed all the Lobos that were left out there."

He didn't feel the need to tell her how fast he'd walked back through the minefield or about his moment in the bathroom with Chibs. This wasn't about him. This was about her and Kozik. She didn't need more to worry about. Stress was bad for the baby.

"Good," she said in response, hatred apparent in her voice. "Fuckers deserved it."

Juice let out a light laugh. "Yeah...yeah, they did," he agreed before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Angel. This is...its messed up. Shit like this doesn't happen to normal people."

Angela could practically hear the tears in his voice. She lifted her head from his shoulder, sitting up straighter so her face was even with him. Her fingers carefully brushed away his tears before she leaned forward and put her lips to his in a soft kiss. "No, it doesn't," she stated honestly. "But we're not normal."

"Sometimes I want to be," he admitted softly. He'd seen the way everything with the club affected her. Had seen that worried, almost scared look on her face for far too long now. She deserved better than that. "For you, for the baby."

She scowled at that, rolling her eyes. "We're going to be just fine, Juice," she assured him. "I tried normal back in Tacoma. Worst couple of months in my life."

A small smile crossed his face before he kissed her again. "That 'normal' sitting in a motel right now?"

"Don't start," she said giving him a half hearted glare. "Thanks for that, by the way. You didn't have to invite him over."

He smirked and shrugged a shoulder. "I knew he wouldn't say yes." He looked at her skeptically. "I don't have to worry about him, right? I mean, I trust you, but he's a fuckin' doctor, Angel. I can't compete with that shit."

Angela rolled her eyes and kissed him again. "Don't doubt yourself. Its unattractive," she said, her thoughts going back to Kozik and the many times he'd said it to her. "And there is no competition. I love you. Plain and simple. He could be a millionaire, and I'd still want your goofy ass more."

He grinned at her, catching her lips in a quick kiss. "That's what I thought. I was just checkin'."

"Uh-huh," she said, taking the remote from his hands and leveling it at the television. "Let's get this over with." She settled into Juice's side before pressing the play button.

Kozik's bright smile and laughter were the first thing that came on the screen. She could tell he was in his dorm room at the SAMTAC clubhouse; she'd seen the messy room enough times. "Is it rollin'?" he asked, looking at someone behind the camera. His grin faded a bit after a moment as if he realized what he was doing. "Hey kid. I t's me...obviously. Shit, I don't know how to do this. Got this kid, Juice, to set this shit up. New guy from Charming up here for...stuff. Nice guy. You'd like him. Got these tats on his head, cheesy ass smile. Too bad you don't go for Sons otherwise..." A knowing smile spread across his face before he shook his head. "Sorry, kid. I swear, I'm tryin' to do somethin' other than give Juicer here an ego boost."

A soft gasp escaped her lips as she pressed pause and looked up at Juice. He looked surprised for a brief moment before it clicked. "I remember this now! I thought he was so weird for asking me to do this, but he said he was a crap writer and his sister would like this better. I didn't really think about it 'cause he called you his sister, and I didn't put it all together until right now."

Angela laughed at the irony of it all. Of course Kozik would predict she'd like Juice; he knew her too well. "Huh," she said, shaking her head. "I wonder if he remembered saying that."

"Nah. He'da told you," Juice said confidently. If there was one thing he knew about Kozik, it was the blonde biker loved bragging about being right. If he remembered the video, he'd have pulled it out and shown it to them both before gloating like he'd just won a gold medal.

"He'da told everyone," she agreed on another laugh as she pressed play again.

Kozik ran a hand through his hair, spiking it up a bit as he took a deep breath and let it out. "If you're seein' this, I'm probably already laid out on your table," he explained, scratching nervously at the back of his neck. "And I'm sorry for that, kiddo. Trust me, I don't want to be there either. Don't cry too much, all right? I love you to death...'til death," he said, a small smirk turning up the corner of his lips at the joke.

"Asshole," Angela muttered under her breath.

"Call me whatever you want, but that's funny," he said on a chuckle. "Anyways. I just wanted to thank you for savin' me. I don't think I could ever thank you enough, kid. Without you, I'da died a long time ago with a needle in my arm."

Juice remembered the next part now, and it was only because he'd never seen the Tacoma Sergeant tear up like he was about to. He looked over at Angela who's smile was starting to fade as she watched Kozik's blue eyes get glassy with tears. "I love you, Angie-pie," Kozik stated, his voice cracking, "And I...I want you to keep livin'. Don't get wrapped up in the past, kid. Move on. Start a family like you wanted. And maybe by the time you see this you'll already have one, and I'll be there teachin' your kids shit you don't want me to...maybe not. If I'm not...just...tell 'em their Uncle Koz is watching them, all right? I may be gone, but I'll always be with you, watchin' you in the least creepy way possible, protecting you. Don't forget that, Angie-pie."

He sucked in a deep breath before shaking his head. "I'm gonna leave that there before I start crying like a baby in front of this idiot. I love you, kid. Stay strong for me," he stated winking  and smiling at the camera before looking behind it.

"That it?" Juice's voice questioned off screen. At Kozik's nod, he said, "That was some deep..."

Then the screen went black. Angela sat there for a moment, just trying to soak it all in as tears slid down her cheeks. "Stupid hormones," she muttered wiping at her eyes. She grabbed the envelope off of the table and dumped out the rest of the contents onto her lap. She flipped through the many pictures that spanned from when she was eighteen to the present. All of them had little notes on the back. Mostly comments about what a pain in the ass she was.

"Look at my little chola," Juice said, chuckling at one of her at eighteen dressed in a tiny tank top and khaki's that were far too big for her. Her lips were painted a dark red, eyebrows filled in, and large hoops hung from her ears. "Sexy."

She elbowed his side but smiled anyway. "I clearly had some issues," she said, shaking her head at her terrible make-up. A ticket stub fell out from the pile. She picked it up curiously, studying the faded lettering on it before a wide smile spread across her cheeks.

"Finding Nemo? Really?" he questioned, his eyebrows shooting up.

Angela nodded as tears filled her eyes once again. "Just keep swimming," she said softly. Those were the words Tig had been hinting at, the ones she needed to hold on to. Kozik had said them to her many times, and she always ended up getting through it. And yes, it was hard to lose him, and she'd miss him like crazy, but everything would be all right. She wouldn't forget him, but she wasn't going to stop living because he was gone. No, she was going to keep swimming because that is exactly what he wanted her to do.