Angela sat at the breakfast table at Jax's place next to Abel while Gemma cooked them breakfast. The head Old Lady had invited her to come over earlier that morning, as she'd been doing a lot lately. Chloe had told everyone she wasn't supposed to be working or driving in her present pregnant state, so she was essentially on house arrest. It was driving her insane. So much so that whenever Gemma invited her over, she accepted the invitation, no questions asked. It had occurred to her the woman had an ulterior motive, but she didn't care much about it; she was just happy to be out of the house. It felt way too empty without Juice there.

"How you doin', preggo?" Gemma asked.

Angela sighed and shrugged. "I'm tired," she answered, her rough voice emphasizing the statement.

She frowned in response. "He'll be home soon, sweetheart."

Angela wasn't so sure. Juice had been gone a whole week now and had yet to contact her once. She wondered if it was because he wanted to give her space or if he was too busy with sweetbutts to even think about her. She was going to say something more when the front door opened and Happy strode in. He went over to greet Gemma before leaning over Angela to steal a piece of her bacon. "Hey kid," he muttered, pulling on the end of her braid. "What're you doing here?"

"Gemma invited me over for breakfast," she replied, tilting her head back to look up at him. "You?"

"Club shit," he replied, ruffling Abel's hair in greeting before going to sit at the table across from him.

She rolled her eyes in response, standing with a grunt and taking her plate over to the sink. Rinsing it off, she tucked it into the dishwasher just as Jax walked in with Thomas. He went to Gemma first, handing off Thomas before he nodded to the undertaker. "Hey Ang," he greeted, kissing her cheek. "You feelin' all right?"

"Pregnant," she replied, pointing to her huge belly. "But good."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her and moving to Abel. She felt her heart clench painfully in her chest as Abel asked his dad when Tara was coming home. The poor kid had been asking anyone who would listen to him since his mother had left.

Gemma handed her a bowl of baby breakfast cookies for Thomas just to give her something to do. With a small smile, she took a seat in front of Thomas, making faces at the baby boy as she poured some out onto his little tray for him. Whatever conversation that was going on between Jax, Gemma, and Happy fell on deaf ears for her. It wasn't any of her business what they were talking about, so she ignored it choosing instead to focus on Thomas as he babbled away at her. It wasn't until Jax announced he was going to go visit Tara that she started paying attention. She grimaced, knowing Tara wouldn't let him through. The doctor had called her a few days before, begging her to change her mind about taking the boys. Angela had refused and told her she needed to talk to Jax. Tara had refused that, saying she didn't want Jax to see her in jail. Angela had a feeling there was more to it than that, that Tara had something more up her sleeve.

"He's doing a good job, Mom," Happy stated, nodding in approval to Gemma and pulling Angela from her thoughts. "His Old Man would be proud."

Angela discreetly wrinkled her nose in distaste at Happy addressing Gemma as 'Mom'. He had his own mother, and it sure as hell wasn't Gemma. If either of them saw her expression, they didn't say anything. She held out her hand as Thomas offered her a cookie, taking it from him and popping it into her mouth. "Thanks Tommy," she cooed, handing him one back. The little boy giggled in response, showing off his tiny baby teeth. "Eat up, kiddo. Got to be big and strong like your brother."

Gemma laughed, moving to stand behind Angela. She petted a hand over the undertaker's hair fondly. "Gonna drop the boys off with Unser at TM, then I'm gonna head to Diosa. You want to come with or head home?"

"I'm gonna go home and be a fat, lazy slob," she answered on a heavy sigh. "Just started this crazy show on Netflix. Some dude pushed a chick in front of a bus. Gotta see what happens next."

"Huh. Sounds like my kind of show," Gemma commented on a smirk.

Happy chuckled, pushing away from the table and standing up. "I'll follow you over."

"That's not necessary," Angela replied on a scowl. "It really isn't that far of a drive."

"Not s'posed to be driving at all," he reminded her. She stuck her tongue out at him for lack of a better thing to say or do, and he held up two fingers, mimicking a scissor. "Best stick that back in 'fore I cut it off."

Angela smirked, remembering how often he'd said that to her growing up. She looked back at Thomas and grinned. "Somebody's grumpy today. Huh, Tommy?" she asked the baby before turning back to Happy. She stood slowly, holding onto her big belly. "If you must follow me, then let's go."

Gemma pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I'll see you later, sweetheart. Maybe get you something to do around TM when I get back from Diosa?"

"Please," she said on an enthusiastic nod. Not only had Gemma been inviting her over for different meals, but the Queen had also been giving her work to do at TM. Work that mostly involved sitting and answering calls which was only slightly less boring then sitting at home all day. At least it kept Rigor entertained since he was allowed to run freely around the TM bays and soak up all the attention from the TM boys. She followed Happy to her car, stopping at the open door and glaring at him. "Don't tell Chlo I've been breaking her rules."

Happy shrugged. "She knows. Didn't expect you to sit at home all day anyway."

Angela laughed, not bothering to answer as she got into her car. She waited patiently for Happy to start up his bike before pulling out of the driveway with a squeal of her tires and speeding down the road. She could see Happy's angry look in her rearview and smiled wider. Sometimes, she really liked pissing her cousin off.

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

Juice pulled into TM, his eyes searching the parking lot with no luck. The Mazda wasn't there and neither was she. After giving Angela "space" for a week, he didn't know what he expected. Of course, she didn't know he was coming. He hadn't told her, hadn't talked to her once in the week they were apart, but he'd missed her like crazy. He spent his nights avoiding the sweetbutts and watching her on their little in house cameras. He noticed a lot of the time, she wasn't home. Bones explained  she spent the night at her mom and aunt's place a lot. That she didn't like sleeping in that bed alone. Juice took comfort in that. At least someone was taking care of her; at least she was with family.

As he parked his bike, the exhaustion he'd been fighting settled in on his shoulders, and he felt more tired than ever. He hung up his helmet and looked towards the front office spotting Gemma in the doorway. The older woman quickly made her way over to him and he heaved a sigh of exhaustion. He knew a lecture was coming eventually, and he didn't want to hear it. Sighing, he nodded to Rat and both of them headed back towards the Queen.

To his surprise, she didn't say a word. Their conversation had been short and depressing as hell, but she hadn't reamed him for leaving like he'd thought she might. So he was left with the choice of getting on his bike and heading home or getting back into work. He wanted to go home. Needed to go home and see her, but he wasn't sure if he was even allowed to do that anymore. What if she didn't want him? Didn't want to be anywhere near him? Maybe the space he'd given her had given her a clue as to how shitty of an Old Man he was, and how much better off she was without him. Maybe she didn't want him anymore. The idea of not being wanted in his own home made him even wearier. Slowly, he trudged towards the clubhouse. If she didn't want him back, he didn't want to know just yet.

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

Gemma watched Juice slump his way to the clubhouse and frowned. She was worried about him. That space hadn't done him any good. In fact, he looked worse off than when he'd left. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning when she'd asked Angela how she was feeling and was met with the same response in the same tired tone that Juice had just given her when asked the same question. It seemed they were both equally miserable without each other. It was a good sign, proved how much they cared about each other. Gemma knew when John was off in Ireland, she didn't suffer quite so much as Angela had and Juice wasn't even that far away.

Smirking, she knew just what to do to make Juice's day. She pulled out her phone and found Angela's number, hitting the call button. The undertaker picked up on the very first ring. "Hey Gemma. How's it going?" Angela asked, sounded bored out of her mind.

"Hey Preggo. Still up for coming over to help?"

"Yes!" she replied enthusiastically. "Please!"

She chuckled. She knew being sentenced to bed  rest was driving the girl insane. Angela had too much energy to just sit around. Lately, she'd been calling the undertaker over to sit and answer phones just to keep her busy. Close and busy. Gemma wanted Angela on her side when the shit hit the fan with Tara. The undertaker and the doctor had once been close, and Tara still seemed to trust her despite their little dispute over the boys. Having Angela as a go between worked well for her. "Come on over then."

"Thank you! Can I bring over Rigs? He's just as bored as I am."

Gemma smiled at the idea. It would do Juice some good to see his dog. "'course. The guys love that mutt."

"Awesome," Angela said, a smile in her voice. "Be right over."

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

Angela pulled into the lot, lowering her music as she did so. She knew Gemma hated it when she drove in with it blaring. Grunting, she got out of the car and popped open the hatchback to let Rigor out. The large dog waited for her signal before jumping off the back and taking a second to sniff the air. Then he was off in a way that was uncharacteristic for him. Even if Tig or Hap was around, he usually walked with her to greet them. She had only seen him go crazy like that for one reason. Her eyes went down the line of bikes, stopping on the familiar one at the end. Her heart did a little flip; he was home. That was why Gemma had called her.

"Rigs! Hey boy!" Juice's voice floated across the lot making Angela's heart skip a beat. It had been way too long since she'd heard that voice. Monk danced in her belly at the sound of it.

She followed the dog's path slowly, enjoying the sight of Juice getting reacquainted with their dog. He was kneeling on the floor, letting Rigor lick his face as his ringed fingers dragged through his fur. As if sensing her presence, Juice's eyes lifted from Rigor and met her gaze. "Angel," he breathed, a sad smile on his face as he looked at her. "Hey."

"Hey you," she replied, hating how awkward things felt between them. She didn't know how to greet him, whether to keep her hands to herself or hug him. God, she wanted to touch him, to hug him and never let go. She pushed away those feeling; he'd asked for space too. Maybe he wasn't ready to jump into that, maybe he didn't want to go back to it at all. "You just get back?"

He nodded, straightening up and shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "Few minutes ago."

"Oh. How was your trip?" she asked, playing with the charm around her neck nervously. He looked exhausted, mentally and physically. His usually bright eyes were dull and flat, lifeless almost.

"Good," he replied, bobbing his head. "How's Monk doin'? Anythin' new?"

"She's good, healthy," she replied, wincing as the baby kicked. "A future soccer player if her kicks indicate anything."

His eyes lit up at that, an excited smile spreading across his face as he took his hands out of his pockets, itching to get his hands on her belly and feel his daughter. "Monk kicks?"

Angela nodded, reaching out to grab his wrist and putting his hand on her stomach. "She went crazy when she heard your voice," she said with a warm smile as she put Juice's hand over just the right spot.

"Holy shit," he said, a huge grin on his face when he felt his daughter kick his hand. "Hey there, Monk. How's it going, baby girl?"

For the first time in a long time, Angela could see the old Juice as he talked to the baby in her belly. "She missed her daddy too."

Juice's eyes lifted from her stomach to her face, widening slightly. "You missed me?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.

She nodded slowly, biting at her lip as she nervously tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I..."

Her nod was enough of a confirmation for him. He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "Missed you too, Angel."

Angela grinned, toying with the front of his cut as she looked up at him. "Yeah?"

He nodded, angling himself around her belly and pulling her in close. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He buried his face in her neck, pressing a kiss to the spot just below her ear. "For everything."

She sighed in relief. "Me too," she replied, her eyes getting a little bit misty as she slid her arms around him.

"No more space, Angel," he murmured, into her skin, his nose nuzzling her throat. "I want you two close."

She smoothed a hand over his mohawk and laughed. "Sounds perfect," she answered, enjoying the feel of his hands on her. Her grinned widened as one hand landed on her ass, his lips moving down her neck, across her chest and closer to her breasts. "Watch it there, buddy."

"These are bigger, right? It's not just me?"

Angela pushed his head away, laughing at the question. "Yes! They grow, Monk grows, my feet are huge, I'm huge. It's gross."

His eyes were glued to her cleavage as he shook his head. "I beg to differ," he said before his gaze met hers. "You're beautiful, Angel. Always have been."

"Well, that's a lot better than being called a selfish bitch," she teased, smiling to show she didn't mean it.

Juice grimaced at hearing his own words thrown back at him. "I'm gonna be hearin' about that for the rest of my life, aren't I?"

" 'slong as you're with me," she said, shrugging his shoulders.

He slid an arm around his waist and smiled at her. "Rest of my life it is then," he stated, kissing her temple. "Love you, Angel."

Angela sighed happily, looking up at him with a renewed sense of the feeling. "Love you too, goof. Glad you're home."

He kissed her again, just because he could. "You here to visit Lyla?"

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she shook her head. "No. I've been helping Gemma with the phones at TM since Bones and Skeet won't let me work and I need something to do or I'll go crazy," she replied on a laugh. "Why? What's wrong with Lyla?"

"She's in the clubhouse. Got banged up pretty bad. Torture porn," he answered, immediately regretting telling her when her face paled.

"Jesus Christ!" she cursed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I gotta go..."

He nodded in understanding, pushing her towards the clubhouse. "Yeah, go. I'll be out here. Gotta finish up a few things. Meet me out here 'fore you leave. I'll follow you home."

Angela nodded, kissing him quickly before moving as fast as she could across the lot to the clubhouse. She had to admit that despite the fact Lyla had been hurt, she was a little relieved that it'd had nothing to do with the club. It gave her the false illusion they were just a little safer than she thought they were.

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

After comforting Lyla and catching up with her for a few hours, Angela was ready to go home. She waddled her way over to the TM office to tell Juice she was ready to go. The rest of the boys had gotten back, but Juice and Chibs had never come into the clubhouse. She figured the Scot was helping him with something in the garage. She was surprised to find the bay doors were closed. Had he left without telling her? Slowly, she walked into the dark office. Sounds of grunts and gasps of pain were coming from the garage side of the office. Curious, she peered through the blinds. The sight she was met with scared her to the core. "No," she gasped, watching as Chibs' fist sunk into Juice's already bloodied face. "No!"

She ripped open the office door that led to the garage. "Chibs!" she shouted, catching his attention. She wasn't dumb enough to step between them and put her child in danger, but she sure as hell wanted to.

The Scot looked up at her, one hand fisted in Juice's white t-shirt, holding him up, the other at the ready to hit him again. "Stay out of it, Angie-girl. I'm making things right."

Angela glanced at Juice, who nodded his head at her, an agreement with Chibs' statement. Her heart twisted painfully in her chest as she saw the broken look on his face. As much as it pained her to admit it, he needed this. He'd been mentally beating himself up for so long that he needed this physical beating to make things right not only for him but also to reconcile his relationship with Chibs. Nodding her head, she stepped back into the office, closing the door behind her. She sat down heavily in the office chair, leaning her elbows on the desk and letting her head fall into her hands. Tears came to her eyes as she sat, listening to the sound of flesh against flesh, and fighting against every instinct that told her to intervene. Just a few hours ago, Juice had been okay. Happy to be home, happy to be with her. Now, he'd had that broken look in his eyes again. No doubt Chibs' disapproval of his homecoming had cut him deep.

It felt like hours had passed before the door opened up again. Chibs stepped into the office and nodded to her. "'m sorry ye had to see that, love. But ye understand why that had to happen, yeah?"

She looked up at him, trying her best not to hate him. This was his way of making things right. She was lucky it was just a beating and not a killing. "Yeah," she admitted, sniffling slightly. She wiped at her eyes as she let out a sigh. "He okay?"

Chibs shrugged, a grim look on his face. "He will be. C'mon, dearie," he said holding out his bloodied hands to help her up. "Let's go get 'im cleaned up."

Angela paused at the sight of the blood, choosing to get up on her own. He stepped back to let her go in first. The sight before her made her stomach churn. Juice was sitting on the floor against the cabinets in the garage, his knees pulled up, arms draped over them, head hanging down. She could see blood dripping from his nose and gathering in a puddle between his legs. Carefully, she lowered herself onto her knees in front of him. "Juice," she breathed, reaching out a hand to touch his face gently.

Juice lifted his head to look at her, a blurred image surrounded by a halo of light. "Angel," he coughed out.

"I'm here, baby," she murmured to him, her soft lips brushing across his forehead as his bloody palm settled over her belly. "I got you."

Chibs helped carry Juice into the clubhouse, moving him towards the couch and helping the younger man sit on it non-too-gently before turning to Angela. "Start cleanin' him up. I'll get my med bag."

Angela nodded, glancing at the bar where Happy was sitting with Lyla out of the corner of her eye. She headed by them to one of the dorm rooms to get a clean towel. "He got off easy," Hap's voice spoke from the doorway.

"I know," she replied softly. She wasn't surprised he'd followed her; she'd expected it. Without turning to face him, she wet a towel before grabbing a bag of cotton balls and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "You gonna add to it?"

Happy shook his head slowly. "Don't want to kill 'im. Yet."

Her head snapped around at the last word. "Hap..."

" 's a joke, kid. Not gonna kill 'im," he stated, smirking at her. "This you two makin' up?"

"This is me taking care of my Old Man," she replied, a fierce note to her voice. "Because as much of an asshole as he can be, I love him. Just like I love you."

Happy nodded in understanding, a proud look on his face. He'd never tell her, but he loved when she stood up to him, loved seeing how strong of a woman she was. "Jus' watchin' out for you, kid."

Her glare softened a bit as she nodded. Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek. "Love you."

"You too," he said, mussing her hair before pushing her back towards the main room. "Do what you gotta do, cuz."

With a nod, she walked back into the barroom, making her way over to Juice. Rigor was sitting at his feet, his big head on Juice's booted foot, a soft whine coming from him every so often as if he knew how much pain his owner was in. And it had to be a lot of pain because Juice's face was a mess. Blood oozed down his face from his nose and a cut in his cheek, covering his neck and soaking the front of his white t-shirt. He was doing nothing to stop it. Just staring blankly ahead of him as if he didn't feel it, as if he didn't feel anything.

It wasn't until she stepped in front of him that he blinked, his eyes refocusing on her. She sat down on the table in front of him, holding up the wet towel as if to ask for permission. He gave her a nod in response. Carefully, she began to wipe away the blood from his face. He winced a few times but didn't make a sound as she gently cleaned off his nose and then down his neck, her heart aching at the sight of him. He was broken, inside and out. It was up to her to fix him.

She was so focused on what she was doing she didn't realize Chibs had come back until his hand was on her shoulder. She stopped what she was doing, but didn't move as Chibs started to patch up the deep cut on Juice's cheek. Instead, she looked down at Juice's hands, noticing how bloody they were despite the fact that he hadn't fought back. She took one in her hand and started to wipe the blood off of his knuckles. As she wiped the towel over the ring she'd given him, his fingers curled around her own, stopping her. She raised her eyes from their hands, meeting his broken stare. Slowly, she leaned over and put her lips to his in a quick kiss. His fingers squeezed hers as she pulled away, a silent thank you he didn't need to give her.

Chibs made quick work of his stitching, rubbing a hand over the back of Juice's head when he was finished as if he approved of the way he'd taken the beating, as if they were now okay with each other. Juice seemed to relax at that. Chibs nodded to Angela, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he stood. "He's all yours now, love," he said, ruffling her hair lovingly. "Take care of 'im."

She nodded, waiting for him to leave before she squeezed Juice's hand again. "Want to go home?"

He nodded, his fingers sliding through hers so that their hands were interlocked. Home. That sounded fantastic to him. He felt like he hadn't been home with her in years. It took some effort, but he finally stood. She moved closer to him, letting him sling an arm over her shoulders and lean on her for support. Together they headed towards front door.

She helped him into the passenger's seat of her car and let Rigor into the back before walking around to the driver's side and sliding in. Starting the car, she drove quickly out of the lot, slowing once she hit the main road.

He watched her as she drove, wondering how she did it. How she stayed so strong when everything was falling apart. He knew she was scared for him, could see the worry in her eyes, but she stood strong. God, he loved her. There was no one he'd ever loved more. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed hers once more and held tightly to it. Her hand in his was the only thing holding him to the ground, the only thing keeping him sane.

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

Angela pulled up to the front of the house, getting out of the car with a grunt and opening the back to get Rigs out. Juice groaned as he pulled himself to his feet, and she was at his side in seconds. "Need someone to lean on?" she asked. He gave her a grim smile and draped an arm around her shoulders, trying not to lean too heavily on her.

Once they got inside, she helped him to their bedroom, turning to leave as he started to undress. He stripped to his boxers and lay down with another pained grunt, propping his torso up on the headboard. It felt good to finally be home in his own bed. Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, comforted by the smell of her that lingered in the room. It wasn't long before he felt the bed dip and something cold press against his cheek. Slowly, he opened his eyes, smiling as best he could when he saw the frozen vegetable packet she was using as an ice pack. "For the swelling," she explained, frowning a bit. "It'll still bruise, but it'll hurt less."

He raised his hand to cover hers. Comforted more by her touch than the bag of frozen food. Setting the bag on his bedside table, he tugged on her arm hoping she'd get the hint. With a small smile, she went over to the dresser drawers. He watched her pull out one of his old t-shirts and boxers. A small smile crossed his lips as she tugged the long dress she was wearing over her head, revealing her round tummy. He stretched out a hand to her, his finger just barely brushing over the taut skin of her belly.

She took a step closer, wincing with him as he moved to a sitting position, his legs draped over the side of the bed. Taking her hips into his hands, he pulled her to him until his cheek was pressed to her belly. "Hey Monk," he murmured, his hand rubbing up and down the smooth skin. Monk kicked his bruised cheek in response, making him wince again, but he didn't mind. His little girl could kick him as much as she wanted. He probably deserved it. " 'm sorry. Haven't been the best dad."

He closed his eyes as Angela's nails raked over his mohawk. Tears blurred her vision at the broken sound of his voice. She knew he was hurting in more ways than one, and she had no idea how to fix it. "She loves you, Juice," she whispered, knowing it for a fact. "You talk and Monk dances in my stomach. You're the only person she does that for. Can't you feel that?"

He could and loved the feeling. He could stay there all night feeling his little girl move. "Strong kid."

" 'course. She's yours."

Juice looked up at her, a lump forming in his throat. "I love you, Angel. You gotta know that. Whatever happens to me, I want you and Monk to always know that. And if...if they..."

"Stop," she interrupted, taking his face in her hands, one hand on each of his cheeks. She didn't want to hear his last wishes. Not now when his life had just been spared. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

"Angel, please just tell her how much I love her. Make sure she always knows," he said, his voice cracking as his eyes grew glassy with tears. "I want her to know."

Her fingers gently traced over his cheek before she leaned down and pressed her lips to his. "You can tell her yourself, okay?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "She's going to need you like I need you right now. You have to stay here, please. Don't let them take you away from us."

Juice nodded, swallowing hard as he moved his arms around her again, his cheek on her belly. "I'm sorry, Angel. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she replied softly, her fingers tracing over the tattoo on the side of his head. "You're okay, baby. Everything's going to be fine. I love you. Okay?"

He nodded again, kissing her belly before moving to lie back down. His eyes followed her every movement as she got dressed in his clothes and stretched out next to him, tossing the large pregnancy pillow to the side. She wasn't going to let anything get in between them tonight. They lay together in silence for a while, his hand rubbing over her belly, making the baby inside of it kick a little more than usual. "What are we gonna name her?" he asked, his voice rough.

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. He'd just gotten the shit kicked out of him, and he wanted to talk about what they were going to name their child? He surprised her more and more everyday. "I don't know. I haven't even thought about that. S'pose we can't call her Monk forever, huh?"

Juice shook his head, grateful she was going along with the conversation. That she allowed him something normal despite his current state. He needed some kind of distraction or else he'd drown in his thoughts about the club and his future as a member. "She should have a pretty name. Like yours."

"I'm starting to think you're a bit concussed, goofy," she said on a light laugh as she tilted her head back to look at him.

He gave her a small smile in response. "Maybe," he agreed on a shrug. "What was Kozik's name again?"

"Herman," Angela said on a soft sigh. There wasn't much they could do with that name. Not for a girl at least. "Herman Evan."

"Evan," he repeated pensively. "Remember that one time Chlo came over and you guys were watching kid movies and there was that song with that bug and then that time Bones played Disney music while we were fuckin' in the bathroom and he played the same song...what was it?"

She laughed again, she couldn't help herself. This conversation was so strange and out of place after what they'd just been through. "You want to name our daughter after a song we had a quickie to in the bathroom of the funeral home?"

"It was pretty," he confirmed around a yawn. "What was it?"

Angela thought about it for a second before she remembered. "Evangeline."

"Evangeline," he repeated softly, his smile growing when a good strong kick landed against his hand. He liked that name. Liked that it had a piece of Kozik's name and a piece of Angela's name in it. It was fitting. "Monk likes it. Does Mama like it?"

She nodded slowly, a lump rising in her throat. The fact she was having a baby had never felt more tangible than it did at that moment when they were choosing a name for her. She loved that Juice had picked it. Loved that he'd included Kozik's name as a tribute to her late brother. Sometimes she forgot Juice loved him too. That as much of a brother as Koz was to her, he was also a Son, which meant he was Juice's brother as well. "I love it."

"Evie," he whispered, his hand leaving her belly and playing with her hair. "Evangeline Victoria."

Angela lifted her head off of his chest, her eyes wide. "Victoria?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes. There was no way he wanted to name his daughter not only after Koz but after her dad too.

"Your dad's name was Victor, wasn't it?"

She nodded, smiling despite the tears that were falling down her face. God, she loved this man. Despite all of his faults and all of the problems they'd had in the past, she couldn't see herself with anyone else. "We don't have to..."

"Evangeline Victoria," he repeated, cutting her off as he wiped away her tears with a hand. "Its perfect."

Angela couldn't stop smiling as she nodded in agreement. "Evangeline Victoria Ortiz."

"You don't want to put your last name in there?"

She sighed, resting her head back on his chest while she began tracing the tattoo of her name on his pec with a finger. "She's yours, Juice. She's an Ortiz."

With a grunt, he reached his hand out to his bedside table. She watched curiously as he open the drawer, fishing in there for something. He found it easily and held it out to her. "You should be too."

Angela looked at the ring lying in his palm briefly before her eyes met his. "Juice..."

"I've made some mistakes...a lot of mistakes," he corrected with a frown, "and I've treated you like shit and I'm an idiot. I know that. And I know that you're unsure of...of me, but I...that space we had...just for that week was...it didn't feel right. I don't feel right without you. You said before that we're fine the way we are without taking it farther but I...I want to, Angel. I want you to be different from everyone else. I want people to know you're mine."

"Juice..."

"And I know Hap didn't give me his blessing but...Koz did. 'fore he died, he told me I should do it regardless of whatever Hap said because he knew...he knew how much I love you. I don't want anyone else. You're my angel, and I know you think its cheesy to say, but its true. You save me. Every time I think I've hit bottom, you're there and you pull me up. And I want you with me, for the rest of my life however fuckin' short it might be with all this shit goin' on," he finished before taking a deep breath and grimacing when it pulled on his bruised ribs. "And I know you'd be anyway. Ring or not, I know you'll stick by me, but I want it to be official. I want...I want you to take my name and be my wife and have a family with Evie and Rigs and I just...I want it all, and I want it with you."

Angela picked up the ring in his hand, looking at it. It was a simple yet beautiful design. A square black diamond held by its points with a silver band. She'd never seen anything like it. Her eyes studied his bruised and bloodied face for a moment before she met his hopeful gaze. "You're missin' a question there, goof."

He let out a nervous laugh before clearing his throat. "Wanna be an Ortiz with me and Monk?"

She nodded in response, laughing a bit at the way he phrased the question. "Yeah, I do," she replied with a smile.

Juice smiled back at her, a full fledged smile, ignoring the pain he felt as the movement pulled at the stitches in his cheek. He hadn't expected her to say yes. He was waiting for her say it was a bad idea especially because of his standing in the club which had been emphasized by the beat down Chibs laid on him. But she hadn't. She'd agreed. She wanted to take his name. She wanted to be his officially. Legally. His other half for the rest of his life. He slid the ring onto her finger, thankful he'd ordered a half a size up on accident because it fit her slightly swollen fingers perfectly. "I love you, Angel," he whispered, dipping his head to kiss her lips. "I'm always gonna love you."

"If you say 'forever and ever', I'm going to smack you, you concussed cheesehead," she said laughing as he kissed her again. She grew serious after a moment, moving so her forehead was pressed to his. "We're going to get through this, Juice. We'll make it of this shitstorm and get hitched and be happy."

"Forever and ever," he tacked on at the end, chuckling when she smacked him. He kissed her once more, hoping she was right. That the club would spare him so he could live long enough to have a family with her. So he could be the father and husband he'd always wanted to be.