Mel stopped his car outside of the simple one story house he'd followed Happy to. It was a quaint little beige house with green shutters on the windows, not at all where he'd envisioned an outlaw living. Sighing, he followed Happy to the front door shifting nervously when he pulled out a key ring and let himself in rather than knock. Mel sort of wished they'd at least given the couple a warning of some sort. Maybe if they had, he wouldn't be looking at the scene in front of him.

Juice was stretched out on the couch, his head against the arm rest with Angela on her stomach top of him, her head pillowed on his chest. She was wearing an oversized sweatshirt that just barely covered the curve of her ass. Juice had one arm draped across her back, his other hand was entwined with hers resting on his chest close to the intricate tattoo of her name. Their clothes littered the room around them. Mel spotted her bra, a black, lacy one, draped over a lamp, Juice's jeans were gathered in a heap on the floor nearby. He glanced over at Happy, waiting for the man to explode.

Happy should've been pissed, should've wanted to beat the shit out of Juice, but he couldn't find it in him. Maybe it was because, despite the lack of clothes, there wasn't anything remotely vulgar about the way they were situated. It was the way Juice's fingers were laced with hers and pressed close to his heart, almost as he'd wanted to keep her as close as possible. Happy had no doubt Juice had done his best to comfort Angela, and for that he was thankful. There was only so much he could do to make his little cousin feel better. He was more than content to pass that torch on to someone else. "'ey, idiot," he said, lightly nudging Juice's thigh with the toe of his boot. As Juice started to stir, he quickly put in. "Don't move."

Juice blinked his eyes open, glancing down to find Angela still asleep against him. "Shit," he groaned, lifting his arm from her back to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He looked up at Happy and panic flowed through him. He was just in his boxers and he knew for a fact Angela wasn't wearing anything underneath his sweatshirt. "Hap...I..."

"Shut up," Happy cut him off. He didn't need to hear any apologies, didn't want to have any verbal confirmation of what the two had done the night before. "She all right?"

He sighed in response, his hand smoothing over her hair as he shook his head. "Spent most of the night cryin'. Stopped a few hours ago," he said with a frown. He left out how she'd come onto him after. The way her hands had slipped under his shirt, that needy, almost desperate look in her eyes. And he'd done his best to make her feel good as they made love right there on the couch.

"She eat anythin'?"

Juice nodded slowly. "Got her to eat a slice of pizza. Well...half."

"Pizza," Happy said wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"I didn't have time to make much else," he justified. He'd shoved the pizza into the oven as Angela watched Kozik's video for the tenth time and had to force her to eat more than the four bites she thought she could get away with.

"Surprised she didn't down a handle of tequila," Mel said with a smirk. He'd picked up a bottle of Jose on the way home the night before and had made a reasonable dent in it. Luckily, he'd woken up with a headache and not many other symptoms. In the past, he and Angela had shared many handles, passing them back and forth during the wee hours of the morning as they drank away their troubles. It wasn't a good fix, but it'd served them just fine in the past.

Happy grimaced at that. He knew Angela turned to alcohol when she was feeling wounded; it was her way of running. He blamed that habit on her mother who'd emptied out many a bottle of wine after a hard day. "She even try?"

"No. Of course not," Juice said, looking almost angry that Happy even dared to ask. Sure, Angela was hurting, but she wouldn't hurt the baby intentionally like that. "She wouldn't do that."

Mel snorted, shaking his head. "You obviously don't know her as well as you think."

"Know her just fine, asshole," Juice muttered, glaring up at the blonde. He played with her hair idly. "She wouldn't do that to..."

Happy cut him off with a quick slap to the side of the head. "Shut up. Both of ya," he said, shaking his head at Juice. If Mel didn't know she was pregnant, he wasn't going to tell him. "Wake her up."

Juice didn't want to. She hadn't been asleep for long, and after all she'd been through, she needed all the sleep she could get. "Hap..."

He ignored Juice, reaching out a hand to shake his little cousin's shoulder. " 'ey, kid. Wake up."

Angela's eyebrows pulled together as she groaned sleepily. She turned her face, nuzzling her nose into Juice's chest for a brief minute before she sat up with a jerk. It'd been Happy's voice that had woken her, not Juice's. "Crap!" she exclaimed, untangling herself from Juice and managing to stand up without flashing the other two men in the room. Juice moved so he was sitting on the couch, feet flat on the ground. She sat back down next to him with a sigh, raking a hand through her hair as she looked between Happy and Mel. "How the hell did you two get in?"

"He's got a key," Mel answered. Her sweatshirt wasn't zipped up all the way, giving him a good view of her chest. He did his best to avert his eyes, but he knew both Hap and Juice had caught him looking. Angela was oblivious to it until Juice reached over and tugged the zipper up all the way, shooting Mel a dark glare as he did so.

She didn't pay any attention to the exchange, more concerned about the new information she'd just gotten. "You have a key? I thought you used the spare."

"Got tired of tryin' to find it every time. Koz made copies," Happy explained on a shrug. He knew blaming it on Kozik would save him a headache.

The anger she'd felt towards Happy's invasion of her privacy deflated when she heard who really was to blame. She didn't have Kozik to be mad at anymore. He was dead and gone. Just a bunch of ashes in a little black box. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach. She could taste the bile in her mouth and quickly shot up and sprinted towards the bathroom.

Mel watched her run by, an amused look on his face. "Guess she must've hit the bottle after all," he teased. "She's sneaky like that."

Juice stood quickly. If his girl hadn't just run off to the bathroom, he'd have given Mel a good shiner for that dumbass comment, but Angela needed him more and when it came down to helping her or beating the shit out of some dumbass, he'd always choose her. "Fuckin' dumbass," he cursed, glaring at Mel before heading down the hallway to help Angela.

Mel watched him leave and looked over at Happy. He knew he wasn't Juice's favorite guy in the world, but he had been doing his best not to piss him off. "What's his problem?" he asked, still smiling as though it was funny. "I was kidding."

Happy pinched the bridge of his nose wishing like hell he didn't have to deal with all this shit. His cousin had been complicating his life since she was born; he was a fool to believe she'd grow out of it. "Ain't doing that shit 'cause she drank," he said on a sigh.

"She sick?"

For a minute, Happy contemplating lying to the poor sucker. Mel had done a lot of things wrong in the past, but when it came down to it, he'd been there for Angela more times than not. He knew she'd have gotten into a lot more trouble in Tacoma if she hadn't had Mel by her side to reign her in a little."Knocked up."

Mel felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. He blinked at Happy, hoping like hell he'd heard him wrong. "Pregnant?" he repeated. At Happy's nod, he shook his head. "How could she...what...is she keeping it?"

"Yeah. 'course."

"Fuck, man," Mel said, sitting down heavily on the couch. "Gee is...my Gee is..."

"Ain't yours anymore, kid," Happy put in quickly. "Let it go."

He ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head again. He kicked the coffee table angrily, wincing as his toe jammed against the wooden leg. It wasn't supposed to go like this. She was supposed to wait for him. They were supposed to have a family. He knew she'd been joking when she'd said if they weren't married by the time she was thirty, they'd should give it a try, but he'd been waiting it out just to see if she'd give him a shot. It wouldn't happen now. He'd lost her. And to a Son, no less. The one kind of man she'd always sworn she'd never end up with. "I can't just let it go, Hap."

"Way I see it, you don't got a choice."

Mel clenched his teeth, anger flowing through his veins. How much more was that damn club going to take away? First his brother, now the love of his life. What more could he lose?

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

Juice found Angela bending over the toilet, throwing up whatever was left in her stomach. Sweeping her hair off her shoulders, he knelt down next to her. After one last heave, she sat back on her heels feeling totally drained. He let go of her hair and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms tightly around her as she buried her head into the crook of her neck. Her whole body was shaking as she leaned into him. "He's gone," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart ached as she thought of her lost brother. "He's really just...gone."

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered as he felt her hot tears on his skin. "Tell me what to do to make it better. Please just...tell me what to do."

Her fingertips gently smoothed over the fading bruise on his neck. "Don't go anywhere, Juice," she answered softly. "Please."

He held her tighter then, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I won't, Angel," he promised her. He hated himself for trying to leave her like that in the first place. How could he have been so stupid? "I'm sorry, baby. So sorry."

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

Mel sat the shot glass down on the coffee table with a loud thunk as he sank down into the couch. He knew they'd had sex on that couch, the evidence of it was everywhere, but he ignored it. His mind just kept circling back to the fact his dream girl was having a baby with another man. A man who had just reappeared in the hallway, holding up the fresh pair of camouflage pants he was wearing. He walked over to where his dirty pants were on the ground and easily pulled the belt out of them before slipping it around his waist. The word "SAMCRO" emblazoned across the silver belt buckle gleamed at Mel in the early morning light. He scowled at it. He hated that damn club and everything it stood for.

Juice caught Mel's glance and looked at Happy with an eyebrow raised. Happy just shook his head, a movement that said don't ask. "What happened?" the Tacoma killer asked, nodding towards the hallway. Juice had been in the bathroom with Angela for a good fifteen minutes.

"Morning sickness," Juice explained on a shrug. He left out the part where she'd broken down in his arms knowing Happy would try and use his "tough love" on her which was the exact opposite of what she needed at that moment. "Takin' a shower now. Heard anythin' from Clay?"

Happy nodded in response. "Should head over there soon."

"I can't leave her," Juice said, sighing as he ran a hand over his mowhawk. "She's not okay."

"I can take care of her," Mel piped in softly. He had dealt with enough pregnant women during his residency at the hospital to know how to handle them. Morning sickness was no sweat compared to some of the other things he saw on a daily basis.

Juice shook his head at him. "No. I got this, thanks."

"I'm a doctor. I know what I'm doing," he replied, getting to his feet. "I can take better care of her than anyone here."

Juice scoffed in response, a sense of protectiveness coming over him. "Says who?"

"Four years of college, four of med school, and a residency at a hospital, douche bag. This stuff is my profession, and I'm fuckin' good at it."

Happy grimaced. There was that Kozik arrogance both Mel and his older brother shared. He walked back to the kitchen to get a beer knowing whatever was going to happen between Juice and Mel needed to happen if they were ever going to move on from the past.

"Good for you!" Juice exclaimed, rolling his eyes at the blonde man as he shrugged on his sweatshirt. "She's my girl. I got it."

"Do you though? Way I see it, you're probably not even going to stay. Club's gonna call and you're just gonna leave," Mel spat, crossing his arms over his chest. "What does she even see in you? What can you possibly give her?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," he seethed in reply. Mel's words had hit a nerve, a niggling doubt he'd always had about their relationship. "Get out of my house."

"And leave her alone in the state she's in? Fat chance."

Juice shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere," he insisted just as his phone went off. Gritting his teeth, he resisted the urge to answer it.

Mel crossed his arms over his chest, a cocky smirk on his face. "Go 'head and answer it. Bet your club needs to use you for some bullshit, dangerous plan."

"You don't know shit about my club!" Juice shouted, anger coursing through his veins.

Mel shook his head. "I know you're going to end up hurting her! And that poor kid is going to end up fatherless because of all the dangerous shit you guys do! Angela doesn't deserve that! She deserves better than some idiot outlaw!"

A growl escaped Juice's lips as he lunged at Mel, but Happy was there in seconds, easily stepping between them and holding them both at bay. " 'ey! That's enough!" Happy shouted, pushing Juice back before turning around to hold off Mel who was trying his best to get around him.

Angela had heard what Mel said and could tell how much those words had stung by Juice's reaction. He didn't lash out like that without good reason. As soon as she saw Happy step between him, she stepped in. Setting her hand on Juice's chest, she gently pushed him back. "Hey, hey, calm down," she urged gently. He was zoned in on Mel, though, his chest heaving up and down, a dangerous look in his dark eyes. She turned towards Happy who was working on getting Mel calmed down. "Hap, get Mel out of here!"

"Let's go, kid," Happy said, glaring down at Mel. The blonde didn't budge. Happy rolled his eyes and grabbed Mel's arm. "Move. Now," he ordered, yanking him towards the front door.

Juice's eyes were on the door long after Mel and Happy had gone through it. "Hey!" Angela shouted up to him, her fingers curling into the soft material of his shirt and tugging down to catch his attention. "Juice! Look at me!"

He looked down at her. To his surprise, she met his lips with a soft kiss, her arms snaking around his neck to hold him to her. A sense of calm filled him at the feel of her soft lips pressed against his own. She pulled away, pecking his lips quickly once more. Juice swallowed hard, trying to swallow his anger. "I'm sorry," he said, exhaling a long breath.

"Don't be. He's an asshole," she said on a smirk. "I would've hit him myself if he talked to me like that."

"Yeah, well, didn't get very far," he muttered, looking down at his hands that were still itching to beat that dumb smirk off Mel's face.

Angela grabbed onto his hand and squeezed it. "That's okay. If I know Mel, he's not going anywhere anytime soon. You'll get your chance."

Juice laughed, surprised by her response. "Are you giving me permission to hit him?"

"If he keeps spewin' lies like the ones he just said, then yeah. You can hit him. Hell, I know Koz would've," she said on a light laugh. Her face grew serious for a moment. "Mel doesn't get to decide what I deserve. He doesn't know you. He doesn't get it. What we have is...it works, Juice. I don't need a guy to be on my ass every second of the day. I need someone who has their own life. And yeah, this club shit is dangerous, but you're smart. You walked though a minefield and survived."

"Twice," he said on a smirk. Her eyes narrowed at him in a glare. He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

"Regardless," she said, sighing heavily. "I don't see this kid being fatherless anytime soon."

Juice nodded slowly, reaching a hand out to brush a wet strand of hair from her eyes. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, kissing him once again. She pulled away when he tried to deepen it. "You walked through that minefield twice?"

"Don't worry about it," he repeated, catching her lips in a kiss to cut her off the lecture that was sure to follow.

That familiar fire spread through her veins as his tongue swept into her mouth. She'd never say it aloud but seeing Juice all fired up turned her on like no other. She'd heard pregnancy hormones made you incredibly horny, but she didn't believe it until right at that moment when she was battling between asking him more about the minefield incident and jumping his bones right there in the living room...again.

His rough hands slid down her back and over the curve of her ass, pulling her into him so she was flush against him, and her hormones won out. Her hands tugged down the zipper of his sweatshirt, pushing it off to reveal his cut and a tight white t-shirt that clung to him in all the right places. Slipping her hand under his shirt, she raked her short fingernails over his abs, smiling as a soft moan escaped his lips, his hips bucking forward slightly. One of his hands left her ass to unbutton her slacks before sliding inside her pants, fingertips gently sliding over the lace of her panties. A soft gasp escaped her lips as he teased her. Just as it was about to get good, his phone went off. The ringtone loud and obnoxious. He pulled away his eyes on the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed heavily. "Damn," he cursed, trying to slow down his own heartrate. "Baby, I gotta..."

"Yeah, I know," she said, swallowing hard. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she took a step back, buttoning her pants back up. "That hasn't happened in awhile," she commented, to herself as he answered the phone. She played with the front of his cut while he talked, idly snapping the buttons one by one. She stopped at the last one, her fingers slipping down to his belt buckle and tracing over the top of the metal oval.

He caught her hand knowing if she managed to pull it open, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. As it was, he was going to have a very uncomfortable ride to the clubhouse, he didn't need her making it any harder. He brought her hands up to his lips, kissing her fingers. "I'll be back in awhile, baby," he said, chuckling as her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. He went over the past couple of hours; thinking of the range of emotions each of them had burned through in that short amount of time and yet here they were, back to the beginning when they couldn't take their hands off of each other.

She gave him a sound kiss on the mouth. "Go do your club stuff. I have my own job to go to."

"You do?" he asked playing dumb. He squeezed her ass cheek through the soft fabric of her black slacks. "Was wondering why you were dressed so nicely."

She rolled her eyes at him, pushing him away. "Go! Before I handcuff you to the bed and have my way with you."

"Promises, promises," he teased, kissing her nose. He turned to leave, hesitating slightly at the door and turning. "We're going to be okay, right?"

Angela grinned at him and nodded. "Yeah. All three of us."

Juice jogged back to her, taking her face in his hands and giving her one long kiss. If she said it was all going to be okay, he believed her. "Good. I'll see you soon, baby," he said, his hand slipping down to her belly. "Babies."

She scoffed, pushing him back again. "Get out of here, goof!"

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

Angela was watching Bones prepare an old man feeling completely bored out of her mind as she flipped through a baby name book they kept in the office. The name book was worn and all marked up, mostly for Skeeter's own entertainment. He liked to put a tally next to each name to see which ones were the most popular. Apparently it was a tradition he'd started with his father who owned the funeral home before him. Once the book started to fall apart, Skeeter would replace it with a new one. The one in her hands was over twenty years old and, so far, 'John' was winning. Angela ran her finger over the tallies after that name. One of those belonged to John Teller.

"You think of names yet?" Bones asked, looking up from his work to glance at her.

"Nope," she said on a sigh as she turned a page. "I haven't really had time to think about this poor kid at all. There's just been too much going on."

He nodded in understanding, going to massage the corpse on the table. "I get it. What's the dad's name?"

"Juice," she answered distractedly. Her head was somewhere completely different now. She was in over her head with this baby thing. As good as she was with kids and babies; she didn't really know how to raise one. Sure, she could play aunt all she wanted but playing mom was quite different. Not to mention raising a baby with a Son was like being a single mother on most days. The way Tara had a constant babysitter for Thomas and Abel told her that. Could she handle raising a kid on her own? The thought alone scared her. Sure, she could take the kid to her mom's place when she needed a break, but her mom and aunt were still a two hour drive away, a long drive just for a babysitter.

"His name is Juice?" Bones' exclamation brought her out of her thoughts. "Okay, we can work with that. What if you name him like... Soda? Or if it's a girl name her Margarita. That's cute, right? You'll have a Juice and a little Margarita."

Angela laughed at that one. "How 'bout no," she said, shaking her head at him. "This kid is going to have a nice, normal name. I'm probably not going to be good at this parenting thing to begin with, might as well give them a name they can't get made fun of for."

"That's total bullshit, Ang," he said on a scowl, "And you know it. Yeah, right now you're thinking of other things because your friend just died so of course you're distracted but that doesn't mean you're going to be a shitty parent. I think you'll be awesome at it. You're a great teacher, and that's kind of the same thing."

"Thank you, Boner," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Now stop brown nosing and get back to work."

He gave her a small smile before doing just that. "What about the name Leonard?"

"That's your name," she said, flipping another page.

"I know."

She shook her head, smiling at his suggestion. Here was yet another pseudo-uncle vying for the honor of having a child named after him. "Has to sound good in Spanish."

"Fair enough," he said on a chuckle. "Leonardo?"

"No."

"Raphael?"

"No, and no to Michelangelo and Donatello too." Angela smirked, shaking her head at him. "Those are Ninja Turtles, Bones."

"Yeah and painters."

"Is that what you're planning on naming your children?"

Bones shook his head. "Nah, I always wanted to name my boy James Tiberius and my girl Nyota Uhura."

"Poor child. I hope you never have a girl," she said on a laugh. "The mood swings are crazy though. One minute I'm crying, the next I'm so horny I just want to jump his bones."

He pulled a face, shaking his head at her. "Too much information, Ang."

"Sorry, but its true!" she exclaimed on laugh. "I mean is that normal?"

Bones chuckled and nodded. "My Mom would go from laughing to full on sobbing in like five seconds. The other part, I'm not sure about. Didn't really care to ask. You get weird cravings?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "I feel like I haven't had time for them yet. Yesterday I wanted tequila. Badly."

"Yeah, that's a terrible craving for a pregnant lady," he said rolling his eyes at her.

Angela groaned raking a hand through hair. "Tequila, coffee, and Juice."

"Everything that's bad for you," he commented before replaying the comment in his head. "Shit, I didn't mean..."

"My big, bad biker man?"

Bones nodded, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Its not that I think he's bad for you...I mean, I'm sure he's awesome. I just...worry. And not in that weird like jealous way, but like I worry about my sister, y'know? I don't want anythin' to happen to you. And I'm like five million percent sure he knows how to take care of you and you know how to take care of yourself but I just kind of...worry. So this is awkward now. Awesome."

She smiled at his rambling, wondering if this was how Juice acted when he was younger. Bones reminded her a lot of him, actually. The kid was a typical nerd with a big heart just like her goofy intelligence officer. "Not awkward. It's actually really sweet," she said with a light laugh. "Don't worry about me, Boner. I'll be just fine."

The door to the work room opened, and Skeeter walked in, pulling one of the gurneys behind him. Sweat was beaded across his forehead as he grunted with the effort of moving the gurney that was topped with what looked like a very heavy individual. The smell of decomposition hit both Angela and Bones at the same time. "Shit, Skeet," Angela said, covering her nose with a hand. "How long has that guy been dead?"

"Dunno," he said, moving the gurney into the corner. "A while, I assume. Got some news to break to you, though, kiddo."

Her eyes widened as her heart sunk in her chest. She knew what that look meant."Another one?"

"Another what?" Bones asked looking between his superiors completely confused.

Skeeter ignored his question, wiping his sweat away with the sleeve of his shirt. "Piney Winston."

Angela exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Thankful it wasn't one of the younger Sons. Piney was old and had a long list of health problems. It wasn't that she'd been expecting him to die soon, but if he died naturally, she wouldn't be surprised. She almost hoped he'd died in his sleep rather than the alternative. She could deal with that, it made sense. "How'd he die?"

"Gunshot wound to the chest."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, swallowing hard as she shook her head. "Shit," she murmured. His death only added to the heavy feeling in her chest. It seemed the Sons were dropping like flies. "Gotta get some air."

Bones watched as his mentor rushed out of the room leaving him behind with Skeeter. "Is that another Son?" he asked, still a little confused.

"Yeah. Founding member," Skeeter answered on a sigh. "Real good guy too."

The younger man glanced at the door that Angela had disappeared though. "Should I?"

Skeeter held up a hand and shook his head. "Nah, I got this one. Don't worry about preppin' him. Gonna burn him after hours," he explained as he lumbered out of the room. He walked out the front door, not at all surprised to find Angela sitting on the front steps just staring out at the cemetery in the distance. He set a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know. This is number five, Skeet. Five people associated with the club have died since I've been here. Donna, Luann, Sack, Koz, and now Piney."

"It ain't you, sweetheart. I can promise you that. 'fore you came we had just as many. You've hit a peak. Club must be doin' something dangerous. It happens every so often, y'know? Other times, we get a lull where it's almost too quiet."

She nodded, wiping at the tears she felt gathering in her eyes. She knew the club was doing something more dangerous than usual. "I hate it. I hate getting close to these people and then having them ripped away. No one in this club dies a normal death. It's always bloody. When you said it was Piney, I'd hoped...God, this is going to sound so bad, but...I hoped his heart or his lungs just gave out on him. How awful is that?"

"I get it, actually," Skeeter replied on a sigh. "Whoever went after him could easily go after your guys. If he'd just keeled over, there wouldn't be that danger."

Angela nodded again, leaning her head against Skeeter's shoulder. "Pretty much," she said, frowning. "Ope coming later?"

"Yeah. Told him I'd burn him after hours," he answered, draping his arm over her shoulders. "You going to be around? Think he might appreciate you being there more than me."

She sighed lengthily, raking a hand through her hair. "Yeah, 'course."

Skeeter kissed her temple. "Thanks, Ang." He smiled as he heard her phone start up with its tell-tale Jimi Hendrix ringtone. "Weed shop?"

"Mmm," she said, glancing at the screen with her eyebrows raised. "You need me for anything?"

"Bones all right with the body down there?"

"Routine embalming. He'll be fine," she answered confidently. "Just make sure he doesn't get sick with the decomp smell. I don't think he's used to it yet."

Skeeter chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll check on him. Go do your thing."

Angela smiled, getting to her feet and extending a hand to help him to his. "Thanks for understanding, Skeet."

He waved off her thanks, a big smile on his face. "Shit would fall apart around here without you, Ang. I know that. I'm not gonna keep you here if there's nothin' for you to do 'specially with the past couple of days you've been havin'. Go distract yourself or somethin'. Be back by six."

"I'll be here," she replied heading to her Mazda. "Thanks again!"

"Drive safely!" Skeeter shook his head as he watched his young employee leave. He hadn't been lying when he said the place would fall apart without her. Ever since he'd hired her, she'd kept the funeral home running smoothly. She'd organized everything and digitized their files so they were more accessible. She was also a lot better at dealing with their different associates that he didn't have the patience for too. Often times, she managed to talk her way into getting things half priced or for free which saved them a lot of money. Funeral supplies were not cheap and a half-priced coffin thrown their way because of Angela's people skills definitely put more money into his bank account.

He'd been toying with the idea of asking her to be his official partner for awhile now. She'd done more than enough to prove she deserved it, and with a baby on the way, he was sure she'd accept it too. He even planned on giving her the place once he retired. He had no kids of his own to hand it down to, and in the three and a half years they'd worked together, he'd come to see her as a daughter. He wished she wasn't so wrapped up in the Sons stuff. He had buried enough Old Ladies to know how dangerous being in that life was. He just hoped she wasn't next.

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

Angela trudged towards the weed shop, a heavy weight on her shoulders. Her head was starting to pound, hands shaking as the lack of caffeine was slowly getting to her. She was about to pull open the door when it swung open, smacking her in the face. Great, that's all I need, a huge bruise to explain to Juice and Hap later, she thought as she rubbed at her head.

"Shit, I'm sor...Angel?" Juice's voice questioned. His hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling her hand away from the bump to inspect it. He rubbed his calloused fingertips over it, feeling all sorts of guilty. "You okay?" he asked on a light laugh.

She smacked his hand away, glaring up at him halfheartedly. "It's not funny," she said on a scowl. "That hurt."

He moved her hand away again, pressing a kiss to the little red mark on her forehead. "I'm sorry, baby," he said, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms. He placed a sweet kiss on her lips, fighting the urge to grin when her arms slid around his neck, pulling him in closer as she deepened the kiss.

Juice responded in kind, turning them and pressing her against the wall. His hand skimmed over the soft fabric of her blouse, cupping her breast and squeezing. She pulled away from him, a laugh escaping her lips. "Damn hormones. This is definitely not what I came here for."

He squeezed again, a teasing grin on his face. "You started it," he reminded her. "What're you doing here?"

"Besides getting to second base with my Old Man?" she replied, a smirk tugging up the corner of her lips. It was the first time she'd ever called him her 'old man' and the nickname felt foreign on her lips. Not bad though. She liked it a lot more than "boyfriend". "Doc had a problem apparently. You fix it?"

Juice nodded. The feeling that came over him at hearing her address him as her 'old man' was indescribable. The love he felt for her always surprised him. He still couldn't believe after all these years she still found ways to make his stomach do that strange flipping thing. "Domestic dispute between him and Haze. Figured it out."

"All by yourselves, imagine that," she said with a roll of her eyes. She sighed again, her fingers toying with the pockets of his hoodie as she looked down at his boots. "So much for a distraction."

He recognized the sad tone in her voice. Whatever joking mood she'd been in was gone. Worry and sadness had taken over. He hooked a finger under her chin lifting it to meet her eyes. "What happened, baby?"

Angela bit her lip. He didn't know about Piney yet. She doubted any of his brothers did. It wasn't her place to tell him either, so she shrugged. "Just dealin'," she answered vaguely. "Mood swings are making life difficult."

"Little sea monkey's messing with ya, huh?" he said, his fingers moving under her shirt to caress her lower stomach.

"Mmm-hmm."

He poked her stomach gently. "Stop messin' with your Mama, monkey," he said on a laugh feeling ridiculous for talking to her stomach but loving the fact it got her to laugh too. "It should stop now. Kid listens to me."

"Uh-huh," she said, rolling her eyes at him. Her eyes were drawn to a black car that had just pulled up in front, a curious look in them. It was a nice car, so it could've been one of Doc's clients; he always seemed to get wealthy people looking for an easy fix to their digestive problmes. She knew she was wrong when two suited men stepped out. That could only mean one thing. Feds.

"Mr. Ortiz," the one closest to him addressed him as though they knew each other.

"What the hell is this?" Juice demanded, gently pushing Angela behind him so he was between her and the strange men.

"We need some bud advice," he replied, opening the back door. "Get in."

He felt Angela's hand grab onto the back of his sweatshirt and glanced over his shoulder to find her glaring at the two men, a deadly look in her dark eyes. He turned to her, taking her face in his hands. "I'm gonna be okay, Angel," he assured her, pressing his lips to hers. "You didn't see shit here, okay? Anyone asks, you don't know where I am, all right?"

She swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. "Okay," she said softly.

Her eyes were glassy with tears as she nodded. It killed him to see her like that. His thumbs caressed her cheeks briefly. "I love you, baby," he whispered, kissing her one last time. "Stay safe."

"Love you too," she replied, her words choked. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it one last time before he got into the back seat of the car. The suited driver had the gall to nod at her to which she responded with a simple, rude hand gesture that she wouldn't have done in a million years had her hormones not been bouncing off the walls.

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

Angela was shaking with her pent up feelings once she got back to the funeral home. She was furious with the awful way her day was going. Losing Kozik was still fresh in her mind and then everything that happened with Mel and finding out about Piney just pissed her off more. The feds taking Juice away was the straw the broke the camel's back. She practically sprinted into Bones' apartment, scaring the crap out of the poor kid who was just settling down for some GTA on his new couch. "I'm going for a run," she explained, heading to the bathroom to change.

"Sure," Bones said, still gawking after her. He could practically see the trail of smoke she left behind like when the Roadrunner sprinted by in those Looney Tunes cartoons. "Don't worry about me. S'not like this is my place or anything."

She came back out dressed in her tight spandex running pants and dark blue halter top. "Thanks, Boner," she said, ruffling his hair as she ran by him and out the door.

Sprinting out into the cemetery, she found her groove along her normal path. She felt the frustrations of the day slowly melting away as they were replaced with the burning sensation in her calves, the cramp in her side. It'd been awhile since she'd run, and her body was telling her that with its aches and pains. But this kind of pain was easier to deal with than the kind of emotional pain that'd been hovering over her like a black cloud lately.

She saw the hulking figure bent over a familiar grave and slowed down into a jog. There was no Reaper on his back, but she would recognize the gentle giant kneeling at the foot of his deceased wife's grave anywhere. She wasn't planning on stopping, but Opie lifted his head at the sound of her sneakers on the grass. His hazel eyes met hers, and she stopped dead in her tracks, just a few feet away from him.

The anguish in his eyes broke her heart. This was the second person the club had ripped away from him. He gave her a nod, acknowledging her presence. She nodded back, patting his shoulder as she walked by. Tears started to cloud her vision as she started walking faster before breaking into a run.

She hoped to God her family didn't end up like that, that her kid would have more than just a picture on a headstone to talk to. Whatever little being was growing inside of her had already lost an uncle because of the Sons; she didn't want them to lose any more. She knew the kind of contempt that bred. Had seen the resentment in Ellie Winston's eyes whenever the club was brought up. Kenny still idolized his dad, grandfather, and uncles, but it was obvious Ellie didn't feel that way anymore.

While she knew her child was going to grow up with the club, she didn't want it to define them, to run their lives. She wanted them to be free to grow into their own person without the influence of the outlaws around them. But that was impossible if it was a boy. Despite all that happened to Kenny because of the club, he still talked excitedly about the day when he'd finally be able to prospect. The draw of the Reaper was in his blood, and if she was blessed with a son, there was no doubt in her mind he'd one day grow to be a Son just like his father and uncles. The thought frankly terrified her. She knew how much the club meant to Juice and Happy, had meant to Kozik, but she'd never want this kind of life for her son. For that reason alone, she prayed she had a girl. It was the best chance her kid would have for staying far away from this crazy outlaw life filled with heartbreak and death.