Juice's phone went off in the middle of the night. It didn't matter though, Angela was already awake, tossing and turning this way and that as she tried to get comfortable. The baby in her belly was kicking up a storm and driving her insane. Not that it bothered Juice. He could sleep through anything including the loud incessant beeping sound of his burner. Angela couldn't think of a sound she hated more than that stupid tone. She thought about not waking him up since it felt like he'd only just gotten into bed, but she knew better than to let him sleep through it. They would keep calling until they reached someone. "Juice," she muttered, trying to shake him awake. "Baby, your phone."

He groaned as he opened his eyes. "Shit," he muttered, running a hand over his face as he reached out to answer it.

In almost the same instant, Angela's phone went off. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she said, grabbing it and checking the ID before answering. "Chloe? What the hell?"

"Sorry, lady," Chloe's voice was truly apologetic. "We've been trying to get a hold of someone in the Teller family for a half hour and have gotten nothing. You're second on Thomas and Abel's emergency contact lists at the day care, figured I'd give you a shot."

Angela sat up, watching Juice as he paced back and forth, his phone pressed to his ear. Tara had never told her she was on their emergency contact list, though she understood why; the doctor had told her more than once she was one of the few friends she had left. "Shit. What happened?"

"Gemma was in an accident with the boys in the back seat of her car," she explained on a sigh. "Thomas is fine, but Abel got a pretty bad bump on the head and something funky happened with his heart. Can you get a hold of Tara?"

"Yeah, yeah, definitely. I'll figure it out," she said quickly. "Should I head over?"

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, per se. I'm sure Margaret would appreciate someone looking after Thomas while she does all the paperwork," Chloe replied.

"All right. I'll be right there. Thanks Chlo." Angela hung up the phone and got out of bed with sigh, heading over to her dresser and pulling out a pair of yoga pants with one of her looser tank tops before turning to Juice. "What was yours for?" she asked, watching him get dressed.

"Jax and Chibs were run off the road," he explained, pulling up his pants. "You?"

"Gemma got into an accident with the boys in the car. I'm on their e-cards at the day care so Chloe called me to go down there to take care of 'em. Do you have a way to get ahold of Jax or Tara again?"

Juice ran a hand over the strip of hair in the middle of his head. "Shit. Those poor boys. Yeah, I'll let 'em know," he muttered, crossing the room to her. She'd put his big baggy sweatshirt on to hide her baby bump, something she was still getting used to. He zipped up the sweatshirt for her, kissing her forehead when he got to the top. "Gonna head to Clay's. Let him know what's up."

Angela's disapproval was apparent on her face. "Can't you just call him?"

"I don't got the number for his burner, and he doesn't have his house phone set up," he explained, a little irritated by her attitude. "It's club business, baby. That's how we do it."

She didn't look convinced. "Whatever, Juice," she said on a sigh. She absolutely hated how close he was to Clay. "I'm gonna head to St. Thomas."

That small feeling of annoyance he'd had when he'd gotten home earlier grew stronger. There had to be a reason why she hated Clay so much other than the fact he'd killed Piney. What was she hiding from him? What made her hate Clay so much? "What's your deal with Clay?"

"Nothing, Juice," she murmured, shaking her head at him and sitting on the bed with a sigh. She leaned over with a grunt, slipping on her shoes.

He caught her chin in his hand, lifting it gently so that her eyes met his. "Baby, you can't keep me outta this," he said, letting go of her chin and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "You don't keep secrets from me."

The way he said it caught her attention. He wasn't saying they didn't keep things from each other. No, his statement was one sided. "But you're allowed to keep them from me? Right? Is that what you're saying?" she asked, moving away from his touch.

Juice was taken aback by her questions. He'd never thought about it that way. Sure, he had secrets from her, but they were club secrets. He thought she understood that. Taking a step back, he shook his head. He saw the fight on the horizon. Lately, fighting was all they'd been doing. He couldn't catch a break. "I don't want to fight right now. I don't have time for this."

"Of course you don't," Angela said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she got to her feet. He rarely made time for her anymore. He was always too busy helping Clay, driving Clay around, talking to Clay. It was bullshit. "Go on back to Clay like the little minion you are."

"Minion," he repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. He felt his anger growing, felt it choking him as he took a step closer to her, getting in her face as he tried to intimidate her. She didn't back down, she raised her chin defiantly, her eyes telling him she wasn't afraid. "You gotta be kidding me with this shit, Ang!" he exclaimed before sucking in a deep breath and continuing calmly. "I'm gonna pretend it's the hormones that's making you act like a total bitch and ignore what you said."

She laughed. It wasn't the hormones. The hormones made her cry at the drop of a hat, made her crave strange things, but they did not make her hate Clay and they certainly did not make her speak her mind. This fight had been coming for a long time now. "What would you know about my hormones, Juice? You've missed the last three appointments!"

"One! I missed one!" he shouted back.

"Three!" she corrected, holding up three fingers to emphasize her point. "I let the other two go because you were actually busy and they were just check ups, but it's been three!"

Juice felt like she slapped him in the face. Three appointments. He'd felt bad for missing one but three? Where had he been? This was his child that he was skipping out on. "Jesus Christ, Angel."

Angela knew what was coming next and held up a hand. "Do not say you're sorry because you're not! If you were, you'd have remembered, you'd have moved hell and earth to go to the next one!"

"What do you want me to do, Angela? Tell the club no? I can't! You know that!"

"You're telling me that Jax, father to not one, but two kids wouldn't let you take one hour out of your busy schedule of helping Clay to go to your own child's appointment?"

He'd never asked Jax if he could take the time to go. Not once. To be honest, he had a sick feeling the other two appointments he missed, he'd been at Clay's house, unpacking his shit, something he easily could've gotten out of. "You don't understand!" he said as an excuse. "This is my family!"

"And we're what?" she shot back, gesturing to her stomach.

"You're...you're my family too! It's different!" he said, frustrated beyond belief. "Didn't you have to deal with this shit with Hap too?"

"No! Believe what you want, but unless they were locked up, neither Hap nor Koz missed a moment that I needed them! They were there for every event, every birthday! When Kozik found out I was pregnant, he offered to ride down here to go to the doctor's with me, and he would've done it too if I hadn't told him not to!"

Juice didn't know what to say to that. He hadn't missed a single one of her birthdays save for when he was in jail. They didn't really do anniversaries, so he hadn't missed those. It was just the appointments. That was it. He was getting reamed for missing three stupid appointments where he'd just have to sit there and watch the doctor poke and prod his Old Lady. "I haven't missed anything else, Angela! Just those appointments! Is there really a reason I need to be there anyway?"

She clenched her jaw, breathing in deeply and fighting against the urge to punch him in the face. "You know what? Go fuck yourself, Juice," she spat, her eyes black with anger as she slung her purse over her shoulder. "I need to take care of your family's kids."

With that, she quickly walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Walking into the living room, she was surprised to find Boner sitting there, his jaw slack as the game controller dangled out of his hand. "Um. Hi," he said awkwardly. "Are you..."

"I'm going to St. Thomas. You stay here with Rigs," she ordered breezing past him and toward the exit. She ignored Juice who was shouting her name, grabbing her keys pulling open the front door.

Juice caught up to her easily, grabbing her arm and hauling her away from the door. "What the hell was that? You can't talk to me like that!"

"What are you gonna do about it? Huh? You gonna hit me, Clay?" she shouted, remembering the way Clay had savagely beaten Gemma. The angry look in Juice's eyes told her he wasn't far from doing just that. "Want to smack me around a bit? Go ahead! I dare you!"

He was disgusted at the mere idea of doing what Clay did to Gemma to her especially with his child in her stomach. The fact she was daring him to do it as if she thought he was capable of it, made him feel even worse. "No! What do you want from me, Angela? I can't do everything! I can't be everywhere!"

She put her hands on his pecs and pushed him off of her making him stagger back. "I want you to care! I want you to be here!" she exclaimed, pushing him away with each exclamation. She sucked in a deep breath before sighing. "I don't want to do this alone."

Juice hated himself in that moment. She'd been there for him every moment he'd needed her no matter what. He'd thought he'd been doing the same for her, helping her through losing Koz and Mel, but he'd been wrong. He hadn't helped her through shit. It was Chloe who'd finally gotten her out of Charming, had given her the relaxation time she needed. And he'd thought he'd been good at taking care of her and the baby by getting her those baby books, downloading apps onto her phone, and making sure she had the vitamins she needed. True, he hadn't read any of the books nor had he made sure she was taking the vitamins, but he was trying! He'd planned to make her a healthy dinner, but he'd been so busy with Clay, he'd never gotten around to it. She was right to be mad at him. He stared at her with wide eyes, utterly speechless.

"You're not alone," Bones piped up from the couch, saying the words Juice couldn't find.

Angela's eyes were filled with disappointment as her gaze met Juice's. "Thanks, Boner. Good to know someone cares," she said, wiping at her eyes as she opened the front door.

Juice watched her leave, unable to do anything else. The door closed behind her and the Mazda started up and just like that, she was gone. Bones was sitting on the couch with Rigor at his feet, his dark eyes also on the door. Juice ran a hand over his head, cursing under his breath. "I gotta...I gotta go," he muttered, heading for the door.

"Please tell me you're going after her," Bones said, a pleading note to his voice.

Juice looked back at him and sighed. "I can't. I gotta...I need to tell my club."

He shook his head, a disappointed look on his face. "Yeah, I know but sometimes...sometimes you should put her first."

Juice didn't reply. What did the kid know about his life? He headed out to his bike, swinging his leg over and putting his helmet on. There were two ways to go now. If he went left, he'd be headed to St. Thomas, he could make things right with Angela. If he went right, he'd be headed to Clay's where he was supposed to go for club business. He was literally at a crossroads. He knew going after Angela meant more fighting, most likely with Happy within hearing distance. That meant another beating for him. Going to Clay would be a hell of a lot easier. With a sigh, he started up his bike and turned right.

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

Angela stood in Margret's large office with Thomas in her arms, rocking him as she walked around the room. She spoke softly to him as she held him close, happy for the captive audience. "You're going to have a little friend to play with soon," she murmured to him, kissing his forehead. "I don't know if they'll be a boy or a girl, but I know they'll be cute. A pain in the ass if they're anything like their father, but damn cute."

Thomas cooed back to her, his hand fisted in the big fabric of her sweatshirt. "You like that, Tommy?" she asked, smiling down at him. "You want a little buddy?"

"I didn't know you were pregnant," Margret's voice interrupted.

Her dark eyes found the red haired woman leaning against the office's doorjamb. An embarrassed blush colored her cheeks for a brief moment as she nodded. "Oh, yeah. About five months now."

"Congrats, Angie. I'm very...happy for you," Margret said, a worried note in her voice. She hesitated a moment before saying, "The father, he's...a club member, right?"

Angela nodded slowly, already not liking where the conversation was going. "Yeah," she answered, noticing the disappointed look the flitted over Margret's face.

"And you're staying with him?" she asked in disbelief. "After everything that's happened with Tara, you're staying..."

"I'm not Tara, Margret. You and me, we don't have this kind of relationship. You can judge me all you want, but please keep your opinions to yourself. I don't need to hear them; I can already see them on your face."

Margret ducked her head, a blush coloring her cheeks. "My apologies," she murmured before clearing her throat. "I came in to let you know Tara's here and Abel just got out of surgery. I was going to take Thomas over."

"Sure." Angela smiled, gently moving Thomas to give him to Margret, but the baby fussed, his face distorting as if he were about to cry. She pulled him back to her, and he relaxed again. "How 'bout I take him?"

"You can follow me over," Margret said, walking swiftly out of the room towards Abel's. She hesitated at the door. "You go ahead. I'm going to check on the paperwork once more, and I'll be back in to update them about Abel."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Margret," she replied on a small smile. She walked into the brightly decorated room, frowning a little at the sight of tiny Abel in the large hospital bed. She looked at Jax and Tara who both looked worried beyond belief. Tara stood when she saw her, moving to take Thomas into her arms. "He's been fed and changed," Angela reported, running a hand over Thomas' soft hair.

Jax gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Ang," he said, standing to hug her.

"No problem at all," she said on a shrug as she hugged him back. "How's Abel doing?"

Tara sighed, holding Thomas closer to her chest. "He's stable. Needed a procedure to fix his heartbeat, but he'll be good as new when he wakes up. Heard you were the one they called. Thanks for being there. I'm sorry if it woke you."

Angela shrugged a shoulder. "I wasn't sleeping anyway," she said, setting a hand on her belly. "Hard to get comfortable with this little monster moving around."

"Not to mention the one sleepin' next to ya," Jax teased, giving her a smirk.

She laughed lightly. "Him too," she said, rolling her eyes at him. "I'll give you two some space. Margret said she'll be in with some info about Abel in a sec."

Tara nodded in response, giving her friend a half hug. "Thanks again, Angie."

"Don't even worry about it. I love these boys," she replied, looking at Abel once more and heading out the door. She greeted Margret softly as she went into the Teller's room before turning to find Bobby heading her way. "Hey Bobby."

"Just the girl I wanted to see," he said, digging into his cut and pulling something out of the inner pocket.

Angela raised an eyebrow at the envelop Bobby was extending to her. Slowly, she took it from him, peeking inside to see a pretty thick stack of bills. "What's this?" she asked, flipping through it. It was mostly fifties and twenties.

"Ash cash," Bobby stated simply.

Her eyebrows rose at the words. "Ash cash?" she repeated as if the concept was foreign to her. She hadn't burned anyone for them in days besides Carla, and she was pretty sure the club didn't know about that. She'd adamantly refused payment for Piney and Koz's cremation. Where the hell was this coming from? "For who?"

"Greg and GoGo," he said simply. Her face fell briefly, her breath catching in her throat. His brows furrowed in concern. "You didn't know, did you?"

"No. Juice didn't...he didn't say anything," she breathed, her heart felt like it was beating too fast in her chest. Pressing her hand to it, she inhaled deeply trying to calm herself as her head swam dizzily. Another brother she'd been close to was gone.

Bobby set a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. "Ya all right? Why don't we find you a place to sit?"

Angela shook her head, giving him a shaky smile. "Nah, I'm good," she lied, leaning against the wall behind her. "What...Can I ask what happened to them?"

"Ain't my place to tell ya, darlin'. 'specially if Juice didn't tell you beforehand. 'm sorry," he said, an apologetic look on his face. He didn't know how much Angela knew about the club or if there was a reason Juice hadn't told her. Either way, he'd leave the explaining up to her Old Man.

"Right," she said on a nod. She handed the envelope back to him. "We don't need this."

Bobby held up his hand. "I insist. You do a lot for us. Keep doin' it for free and you'll be outta business," he said giving her a smile. He didn't tell her that Skeeter had asked for the money over the phone to cover the costs of the break-in. If he did, he'd have to tell her the two men she was about to burn were responsible for beating the shit out of her apprentice. She didn't say anything more, just tucked the envelope into her purse. He set a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lovingly. "Thanks for your help, Angie. Know we don't say that enough."

Angela gave him a small smile. Bobby's thanks felt different than Clay's had. It was more genuine, made her feel good for helping them. "Anytime, Bobby. Really."

"Stay safe, sweetheart. Wouldn't want anythin' to happen to you or the little Rican inside ya, all right?" he said, giving her a warm smile.

She smiled back at him or tried to. She was teetering on the edge of a breakdown and doing her best to remain strong. It was easy to do when she was fueled by anger, but in the face of Bobby's kindness, she felt herself cracking. "I'll do my best."

Bobby's brow furrowed as he looked her over again. Her eyes had that glassy sheen to them that precluded crying, tears were gathering along her lashes. "You all right, darlin'?" he asked again.

Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, fine. Thanks," she replied wiping at her eyes. "Just baby hormones. I'm gonna go grab a coffee or something."

"All right," he said on a nod. "Gonna go talk to Jax. You let me know if you need anythin', darlin'."

"I will, thanks," she said, trying for a smile again. She waited for him to leave before heading down the hallway and through the closest set of double doors looking for a relatively empty place to gather her thoughts.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a familiar voice. "You seem a little nervous. I bet Clay's real curious about our private little conversation right here. Our blood bond we share," Roosevelt's voice was deep, smooth and not at all trying to hide what he was saying.

The responding voice made ice run through her veins. "You're gonna get me killed," Juice was whispering, clearly worried about being overheard.

"That concern left me when I watched my wife die," was Roosevelt's reply.

Angela's breath caught in her throat, her heart sinking to the very bottom of her chest. Roosevelt was going to expose Juice. He was going to send him to his death all to seek revenge for his murdered wife. It wasn't fair. When was this man going to stop playing with their lives like this? Giving Juice freedom and then binding him again all because of some sick need to kill a man who had wronged him. Tears clouded her vision as the very real scenario played through her head. Roosevelt would tell Jax, Jax would take it to the table, they'd vote, and Hap or Tig would kill Juice for being a rat. Just like that the club that was constantly taking him away from her would take him away for good. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Quickly, she walked away, finding another quiet corner and sitting down heavily in one of the chairs. She dug in her purse, sighing when her fingers found the cold metal ball chain and the tags attached to them. Pulling them out, she ran her thumb over Kozik's name, tears falling steadily down her face. God, she needed him. Needed someone to lean on. Someone that would understand or at least, help her understand.

"What happened?" a rough voice asked from her side. She felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder.

Leaning back in her chair, she wasn't surprised to see her cousin sitting there. "Nothing. What happened to Greg?" she asked. She didn't give two shits about Go-go; that guy had always creeped her out, but Greg had been kind, a truly nice guy.

"Nomads were behind the break ins. They tried to break into Unser's, and he defended himself," Happy explained easily.

Angela let out a light laugh, she couldn't help it. She was starting to feel like her life was slowly but surely falling apart. Greg, the man she'd mourned for the last ten minutes, had broken into her funeral home and beaten up the kid she considered her little brother. Meanwhile, she couldn't manage to be nice to Juice for more than an hour without wanting to rip his head off. She should've gone to him after she'd heard Roosevelt threaten him, should've tried to console him in someway, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was still so angry with him for what he'd said that morning, for the mere fact he'd once again chosen to go to Clay's rather than chase after her. The club was screwing up her life left and right, and it was driving her insane. If she didn't laugh, she'd be headed head first into a breakdown. "I'm so done, Hap," she said brokenly. "I'm so done with everything."

"That include the idiot?"

Angela laughed again, she couldn't help it. Was she done with him? Sometimes it sure felt like it. "No. I'm...frustrated with him, but we're not...done. I love him. He's the future father of my kid, Hap. He's not going anywhere," she said unconvincingly. She looked down at the dog tags in her hands, curling her fingers around them as her vision blurred. "I just...I miss Koz."

Happy sighed, running a hand over his head. "I ain't him, kid. I don't know what to say to make ya feel better," he said, that familiar pain twisting at his heart as he watched a tear slide down her cheek. "But I love ya. That ain't ever gonna change. You wanna talk, talk. You don't, don't. But I'm here."

Angela nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder. Silent tears slid down her face as his arm slid around her shoulders. Despite his words, she still felt alone, burdened by a club she didn't have a choice in being a part of. "I should have listened to you, Hap," she stated softly. "I should've stayed away from the club."

"That's on me," he admitted after a moment. "Shouldn't have brought ya to Charming. I knew you had other job offers in other states, but I wanted ya close. Knew the club would reach out to ya in Charming. Knew Gemma'd take ya in soon as she found out who you were. Didn't think it'd happen so fast though."

"You wanted me to be a part of the club?" she asked, shocked by the revelation. "But you kept me away. Shit, Hap, I didn't even realize Cheeks was a Son until yesterday."

He nodded slowly, taking his arm from her shoulders and playing with his rings as he thought of how to explain it. "He didn't want you to be a part of it because your dad didn't want it. I respected that. But you went ahead and fell in with the Mayans, and I didn't have a choice, I had to get you out. Had to bring in Koz to help me. Back in Tacoma, you were goin' to school, doin' well. Didn't want you to get your head all wrapped up in club shit, so I kept you away as much as I could. You finished it, wanted to get outta the rain and Charming had a spot open. Figured it was as good of time as any to let you in."

Angela looked at Happy as if she was seeing a new man. He had orchestrated everything. From the very first moment to the very last. The one thing he hadn't planned out was Juice. "Jesus, Hap. Why didn't you just take me to the clubhouse? Introduce me to everyone?"

"Didn't want to force it," he said on a shrug. "Wanted you to make your own tie with the club on your own terms. Didn't think it'd be by gettin' an Old Man though."

"Are you disappointed?"

The ghost of a smile turned up the corner of his mouth. He wasn't disappointed all. Everything she had done had made him proud as hell. "Nah," he answered, looking up to see Chibs gesturing for him down the hallway. He leaned over and kissed her temple, ruffling her hair as he stood. "Gotta go."

She nodded, slowly pushing herself out of the chair and giving Hap a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you, Happy."

"You too," he said, pushing her away. "Be strong, kid. Keep it together for the brat."

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

Chloe looked over at Angela from her spot on her friend's couch. She was off of rotation for the night and had come over to give her pregnant friend some company and unwind. She had a glass of wine in front of her, Boner sitting on the floor at their feet coaching her through Mario Kart while Angela waited patiently for her to get it. But it was clear Angela had stopped listening awhile into it. Her dark eyes were focused on the wall across from them, finger slowly dragging around the rim of her wine glass filled with the grape juice Bones had bought for her when he heard they were going to have a "wine girl's night".

"Hey Boner, why don't you take Rigs outside for a sec?" Chloe suggested, nudging the younger guy's head with her socked foot.

Bones raised an eyebrow, his eyes looking to Rigor who was dozing contently in his little bed. "But..."

Chloe nodded over to Angela who was still staring at the wall, oblivious to the whole exchange. He sighed and stood up, heading to the back door. As soon as it was open, Rigor got to his feet and ran out of it. The sound of the door sliding closed again snapped Angela out of her trance. "Talk to me, Ang," Chloe encouraged softly. "What's going on with you, lady?"

Angela sighed, rubbing at her tired eyes. It felt like she hadn't slept well in days. "Nothing," she answered automatically. She moved a hand to her belly as the baby stirred a bit inside of her. "Monk's been kicking up a storm."

Chloe frowned at her attempt to change the subject. "What're you, eighteen weeks now? Almost halfway. We can get a definite sex next appointment. I've got a great guess, but if you want to know for sure..."

"I need to talk to Juice about it first," she replied, going to mess with her ring only to find that she wasn't wearing it. She'd taken it off to shower and hadn't put it back on. That was weird. She always put it back on.

"What the hell is going on with you two? Boner told me you fought again this morning. Said you told him to go fuck himself? That's not right. Let me in, Ang. You're supposed to tell me this shit so I can either help you through it or help you dig a hole for the body. Now, do I need my shovel or not?"

Angela smiled at Chloe's speech, rolling her eyes. "No shovel needed. We're just hitting a rough patch right now."

"Because he cheated?"

She frowned, staring into her glass. "I don't trust him anymore, Chloe. I want to. I want to start over. I told him we were starting over with a clean slate, but every day is something new. We fight constantly and if we're not fighting we're..."

"Fucking," Chloe finished with a laugh. "Baby hormones."

Angela wrinkled her nose at that. "Fuck that. That isn't an excuse. He tried to say the same thing. I'm not angry because of my hormones, I'm angry because I'm...frustrated with this whole relationship. Its starting to feel one sided. I give and I give and I help his club, and I comfort him and clean him up and make sure he's okay, but he can't even make it to one appointment for me? He can't stay to have dinner with me for one night?"

She nodded in understanding, taking a long sip of her wine while she thought. "You've been together for how many years now?" she asked. Angela held up three fingers in response. Chloe raised her eyebrows in surprise; she thought they'd been together longer. "Maybe you guys just need some space."

Angela almost choked on her grape juice. "What?"

"You've been together for three years and have gone through more than most couples do in ten. Maybe you just need a breather. A break from each other."

"Are you crazy? If I let him go now, I'm never going to get him back. He is going to start screwing all those dumb Croweaters and realizing how much he likes that freedom and then I'm going to be stuck raising this kid on my own."

Chloe shook her head. She couldn't see Juice doing that in a million years. "Or he spends that time trying to make it up to you. Proving to you that it's you he wants. You that he'll do anything for. He wants a family...make him prove it."

"And if he figures out he doesn't want me?"

"Then that's not the kind of man you want raising your child," she replied as if it was the easiest thing in the world. At the unsatisfied look on Angela's face, Chloe sighed, "Look, you are clearly unhappy with the way things are right now. You can't just suffer through it, Ang. Its only going to get worse."

"I'm not unhappy or suffering, drama queen," Angela lied in response.

Chloe rolled her eyes, ignoring her friend's answer and continuing. "You are. I can see it, Boner sees it, Hap sees it. Hell, I bet Juice sees it too. You two keep going at each other like you are and that baby is going to be born into complete and utter chaos. Take a break. Be friends while on that break. Make sure you still include him in all the baby stuff but just keep the intimate stuff out of it. Come stay with me or something. If he's the guy that I think he is, he will make you fall in love with him all over again."

Angela looked as if they idea of it physically pained her. "Chloe, I can't..."

The front door opened at the same time the backdoor did, cutting off her sentence as Juice walked in and Rigor sprinted for the door. Angela could see the weight in Juice's shoulders as he crouched down to his knees to greet his dog. "Hey Rigs," he murmured, scratching it behind the ears. He looked up to where both women were watching him, then to Bones who was standing in the open back door, and then back to Angela. She wouldn't look at him. "Hey Chloe, Bones. How's the head?"

"Still on my shoulders," Bones answered on a shrug. "I was gonna head back to my place actually."

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "No rush," he said, looking at Angela for reaction. He thought she'd be happy as she usually was when he was nice to her apprentice, but she wasn't. She was staring at the wall, running her finger over the rim of her glass. He noticed she wasn't wearing his ring. "Wine?"

"Juice," she replied flatly, finally meeting his gaze.

"What? Are you drinking wine? Angel, you can't..."

"It's juice," she interjected, an annoyed look on her face. "I'm not an idiot."

Juice shook his head; clearly she was still upset from earlier. By the way Chloe was looking at him, he guessed she'd told her best friend all about it. "Didn't say you were," he said under his breath as he headed to the kitchen in desperate need of a beer.

Chloe could feel the tension in the room. Draining the last of her wine, she stood. "I'm going home," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "You should really think about what I said."

Angela stood, hugging her friend tightly. "Drive safe. Tell Hap I said hi."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Chloe said looking guilty as sin. She turned to Bones and tossed him her keys. "C'mon, nerd. I'm buzzed, you're driving."

Bones didn't catch them. They clumsily fell out of his hands and hit the floor. A blush rose to his cheeks as he stooped to pick them up. "Got it!" he said holding them up in triumph. "Bye Ang!"

"Bye Boner," Angela replied on a light laugh as he awkwardly hugged her. "See you at work tomorrow."

"Yes! Definitely! I will be there because I live there," Bones said with a wide smile. "Bye Juice!"

"See ya," Juice called back, nodding to him from the kitchen. He watched as Angela stood at the front door, waving to her friends. She closed the door with a sigh, moving to grab the empty wine glasses off of the table and take them to the kitchen. She walked right by him and put them in the sink. "You're not talking to me? Thought we were starting new? Clean slate and all that," he said, reaching out a hand to brush a stray hair from her cheek.

She moved away from his caress, her dark eyes flat when they finally met his. "I'm tired, Juice," she stated. "The baby's been kicking me all day and I didn't sleep at all last night and I have to burn Greg and Go-go in the morning and I just...I don't have time for this. I just want to go to bed."

He hadn't realized just how much those words could sting until they were thrown right back at him. She didn't have time for him. It was still early, though which meant she had time, she just didn't want to waste it on him like he hadn't wanted to earlier that morning. "Okay," he replied softly. "I'm sorry, Angel."

"Yeah," she said on a light laugh that was anything but humorous. "Night."

Juice smiled sadly at her. He could feel something shift in their relationship, and it worried him. "Night, baby."

He watched her walk away as he sipped on his beer. Finishing it off, her put the empty bottle in the recycling bin and headed back to their bedroom. The light was already off; she was already in bed, lying curled on her side, her back to him. He got ready for bed and slid in next to her, turning his head to study her back left mostly bare by her tank top. Her smooth caramel skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. He stared at the space between her shoulder blades, the spot where he'd wanted to put his mark on her but never had. He brushed his fingers across the empty space now, watching as her shoulders tensed at his touch. What had he done to her? She'd given him everything, and he'd given her nothing in return. No crow, no ring, just a baby that he wasn't even taking care of. He didn't deserve her. Every day they stayed together, that became more apparent. He was going to lose her soon if he didn't change, he could feel it. "'m sorry," he repeated, his words barely above a whisper as he ran his knuckled over her smooth skin. She was awake, he knew she was, but she didn't say anything. "Don't give up on me, Angel. Please."