Juice sat on the bed with Angela between his legs as she breastfed their daughter. He loved sitting with them like this. Loved the intimacy of the act. For the moment, it felt like they were in their own little bubble where nothing bad could happen to them. If he could, he would stay there forever. His hand brushed over Angela's back, moving her hair away from the stark white bandage that was covering her new ink. "How long you gotta wear this for?" he asked, itching to take it off to get another look at it.

"Few more hours, goofy," she replied on a laugh. "It's gotta heal a little."

"Hmm," he grunted in disappointment. He nuzzled his nose against her neck, kissing the base of it before moving his way across her shoulders, his lips searing her skin.

A soft, moan left her lips. "Baby, I am feeding your daughter right now," she reminded him, squeezing his thigh with her free hand. "Don't start."

He chuckled, sitting up so he was closer to her. He moved one arm around her waist and settled his other hand on Evie's head. "You're kinda like a cow, Angel," he stated.

If anyone else had called her a cow, she would've smacked them, but he'd said it so sweetly, so innocently, she found it hard to be mad at him for it and laughed instead. "Please explain why you just called me a 'cow', Juice, and be very, very careful with how you do it."

"Oh shit. I didn't mean...not 'cause of how you look because you're beautiful. Like really gorgeous and sexy and pretty and I didn't mean to call you a cow like that," he blurted out quickly, rapidly trying to cover his mistake. "Because I love you and you're gorgeous. Did I mention you're beautiful? Because you are. And I'm...I'm an idiot. I didn't-"

"Its okay. Relax. Just...explain."

Juice rubbed a hand over his head, trying to remember what exactly he'd been trying to say. "I meant...I meant you make milk and then Monk drinks it from you're boob sometimes and other times, you like...milk yourself with that pump thing. Like a cow. But you don't look anything like a cow, Angel. I swear."

Angela's laughter filled the room, making him feel a little bit better about his unfortunate choice of words. "Goof!" she exclaimed, turning her head to kiss his cheek. "You're ridiculous!"

He squeezed her middle as he caught her lips with his own. This was one of those times he was grateful Angela's sense of humor was so similar to his own. If he'd told any other woman they were cow-like, they would've flipped out, but Angela seemed to think it was hilarious. "Love you, Angel," he said on a sigh of relief. "You're not a cow...except for the milk thing."

"Moo," she said, smiling when Evie broke away from her breast, her little hand reaching up and waving around. "Yeah, Evie-doll. Your daddy narrowly dodged a big bullet. Callin' your Mama a cow. Can you believe him? Silly daddy."

Juice chuckled, carefully taking Evie from her arms so she could fix her shirt. "Daddy's a bad guy, Monk. That's somethin' you gotta get used to," he said, mouthing her chubby fingers when she put them to his lips.

"Don't say that," Angela said on a scowl. She sat up, moving so she was seated on the side of him instead, her legs draped over his. She lay a burping cloth over his shoulder to protect his cut while he burped Evie. "You're not a bad guy. At all. Where did you get that from?"

The corner of his lips turned up in a sad smile. "Just...feels that way lately," he admitted. He regretted it when he turned to see her dark eyes studying him with a look of worry and fear. "Angel, I'm okay."

She shook her head slowly; unconvinced. "No, you're not. Stop playing it off as nothing. Juice, talk to me. Please."

"Just been going through a lot of shit lately. I didn't mean it," he said, turning his head to avoid her gaze and focusing on his daughter instead.

She grabbed his face and turned it so their eyes could meet. "But you did. I know you did. Talk to me," she begged. "I am here for you. I'm always here-"

"I'm fine, Angel," he interjected, hoping that the more he said it, the truer it would become. She stayed staring at him, her expression telling him she saw right through him. Sighing, he handed Evie back to her and ran his hands over his head. "Just figuring shit out. I got this."

"Juice-"

He knew what she was thinking about now. Could see it by the fear written all over her face. The last time he'd tried to figure shit out alone, he'd ended up trying to kill himself. She was worried he'd do it again. But he would never consider that now. Not when he had so much to live for. No, this time, he was going to fight to live, whatever it took. "I'm not goin' anywhere, Angel," he assured her, cutting her off again. He stood, taking her chin into his hand and kissing her softly. He ran his thumb over her lower lip as he pulled away. "I love you. Both of you, and I'm gonna fix this."

"Juice, please..."

There was a loud knock on the door before it swung open to reveal Chibs. "Need to have a word with ye, Juicy."

For once, Juice welcomed the interruption. He nodded to Chibs and kissed his Old Lady one more time. "I gotta go. I'll see you out there."

Chibs watched him walk by before turning to look at the young woman still sitting on the bed. "Didn't interrupt anythin' did I?"

"No," she answered curtly, looking back at her daughter.

"Yer worried about him," Chibs stated rather than asked.

She cut her eyes to him, glaring at him with all the frustration and anger she felt growing inside of her. How dare he act like he cared about Juice? Like he hadn't just beaten the shit out of him? The bruises on Juice's face had yet to fade and were a constant reminder of his standing with the club, a constant weight on his shoulders. "Fuck off, Chibs," she muttered. Regret filled her the instant she said it. Sure, it was what she was feeling, but she had no right to talk to him like that. Not when he was being nice to her.

His eyebrows skyrocketed up in surprise. He took a slow step into the room, closing in on her, his dark eyes angry. "Now hear me, lass. I ain't yer Old Man, and I ain't your cousin. He may put up with that shite, but I won't stand for it," he said, shaking his head. For a moment, she was genuinely afraid of the Scot as he stepped in front of her. She held Evie closer to her chest, swallowing hard as Chibs set a hand on her shoulder and continued speaking, "The mess yer Old Man is in, is his own doin'. What I did, I did to make it right. Could've gone another way, love. He deserved much more for the shit he pulled. Ye know that, don'tcha?"

Angela nodded, looking down at her daughter and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. He was right, of course he was right. What happened to Juice was nothing compared to the sentence he deserved for what he did. "Yeah," she rasped, swallowing back tears.

Chibs squeezed her shoulder, dipping his head to meet her eyes. "Ye have a beautiful daughter, Angie-girl. Take care a her. Don' worry abou' him. Juicy will be fine."

Somehow, she doubted that. "Okay," she replied softly. She wiped at her eyes and sighed. "Sorry for snapping at you. Just..."

He leaned over and kissed her head. "I know, love. I know." He gave her a weak smile before disappearing out the door.

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

Chloe sat at the bar, reading up on the latest nursing newsletter on her iPad for lack of a better thing to do. A half empty beer bottle sat in front of her; a treasured item, apparently, since they were quickly running out. No one really bothered her. A woman wearing glasses that was nose deep in her tablet didn't seem to attract much attention from the rest of the Sons. A part of her wondered if it'd be different if she took the glasses off and pulled down her shirt, but she didn't feel like finding out. One because she had a feeling Happy wouldn't like her trying to lure men in too much and two, because if she did do that and they still treated her as if she were invisible, it'd be a serious kick to her ego. The only man who was paying her any attention was the one with the plastic hands who had introduced himself as Chucky. He kept breezing by, asking if she was okay, setting out food for everyone. For someone with plastic appendages, he was sure handy to have around.

"Hey," Tara greeted, taking a seat at her side, reaffirming that she was not, in fact, invisible.

"Hey Tara," she replied, grateful to have someone to talk to. It'd been awhile since the little Ortiz family had disappeared, and though Juice had come back to talk to his brothers, Angela was staying holed up wherever she was. Chloe hoped she was actually sleeping. The girl needed some rest, she was starting to look a little worse for wear. "How's it going?"

The doctor's green eyes scanned the room as she shrugged. "Fine," she said, her eyes landing on where Thomas was playing with Ellie. She watched them for a brief moment before looking back at her. "Surprised to see you here. Didn't think you were involved with all this shit," she said, gesturing to the rest of the room.

Chloe and Tara had worked together many times at the hospital since Chloe favored working in the maternity ward and tried to get that shift as often as she could. St. Thomas was a small hospital, and since she was well trained in most areas, they let her bounce around when she wanted. "Angela's a close friend of mine," she explained nonchalantly.

"Don't bullshit me. I know it wasn't Ang that brought you here. I've seen the way Happy is with you. Plus, that mark on your neck is textbook SAMCRO bull shit. I don't know who they learn it from, but they all do it sooner or later to stake their claim," Tara said, a hint of anger and annoyance in her voice.

She rubbed at the hickey self-consciously, wondering if it had faded enough to be hidden with makeup. She doubted it. Even if she tried, she knew Happy would just rub it off. He seemed to like seeing that mark there. "Ha. Yeah," she replied, awkwardly. "I'm just glad he didn't pee on me."

That earned her a smile from the doctor. "How much do you know about him, Chloe? Do you even know what you're getting into?"

"I know enough about him to know I'm fine being here," she answered vaguely. "As for what I'm getting into, I have no clue. I'm just rolling with it."

"You mean, Angela didn't tell you who he is? What he does?"

Chloe's brows furrowed together in confusion. "No, I mean...we really don't talk much about him," she answered, glancing over to where Happy was playing pool with some of his brothers. Croweaters approached him in waves, but he turned them all down with a simple shove. If she wasn't so flattered by the fact he was staying faithful to her, she'd be annoyed by unnecessary forcefulness of his reaction. She knew the girls were pushy, but did he have to literally shove them away? Didn't that hurt them? If it did, however, the sweetbutts didn't show it. They'd wait awhile and come back. Chloe could practically set her watch to their routine. "Why? What does he do?"

"He's the club's assassin, Chloe. They call him the Tacoma killer," Tara answered flatly. "He kills people."

She didn't know what to do with the information bomb Tara had just dropped on her. It was something she'd always suspected. Hap, Juice, and Angela had alluded to it enough times. Mostly joking, but every so often, she caught the hint of truth in their teasing. No wonder Angela always told her not to worry about it when she questioned her on it. "Huh," she said, for lack of a better response. She wasn't sure whether to be angry or afraid, mostly she was just annoyed.

The doctor gave her a shocked look. "That's it?" she asked, eyes wide. "I-"

"Tara! Thomas is crying for you," Ellie chimed in, cutting off whatever Tara was going to say.

Tara sighed and nodded, taking the crying baby from her arms. "Thank you," she told the young girl, waiting for her to leave before turning to Chloe. "You should be afraid of this shit. You should be getting out while you still can because this club will slowly destroy everything you love. You want proof? Look at what its done to your friend."

"Ang is fine," Chloe said, though she knew it was a lie. Angela was far from fine, but she had no idea what was wrong or how to fix it.

"No, she's not, and you know it," she shot back, glaring at her before taking the crying baby to the back rooms.

Chloe let out a lengthy breath. She'd long since stopped trying to figure out what was wrong with Angela. It seemed to change on a daily basis. She always figured it was more about Juice then anything, but she was starting to think maybe the club was really what it all was about. Tara seemed more than a little jaded by the club, but what she said could also be true. Maybe if they removed the club aspect out of their relationship, Angela and Juice would be fine. Now, her relationship with Happy was another matter all together. That man was defined by his club. She had a feeling that without it, he would be stuck behind bars or worse. With a long sigh, she drank what was left of her beer before pushing her glasses back into her hair and heading to the back to find Angela. There were a few things she needed to discuss with the undertaker.

It was easy enough to find her; she was hiding out in the dorm room as she'd been periodically when she could get away with it. She was lying on the floor with Evie, both on the baby's little gym mat. Angela was tugging on the toys hanging from the arches above them, making them move and rattle while Evie smiled at the bright shapes and colors. "How clean is that floor?" Chloe asked, catching her attention.

"Pretty gross, but she's on the mat, so I'm not worried about it," Angela replied, flicking the sun with the goofy sunglasses. "Why would a sun need glasses anyway? It's the sun. Does its own brightness get in its eyes?"

"It's a baby toy, Ang. There's also a monkey and a bear hanging over her and those don't typically co-habitate," she pointed out, taking a seat on the bed.

"Fair point," she muttered, smiling when Evie giggled. "I can't get over how fucking cute she is. I mean, she has Juice's smile which is...the weirdest thing."

"Yeah, she's a cute one," Chloe said distractedly. She kicked Angela's foot to draw her attention away from her baby. "So Tara told me something about Happy."

Angela tensed at that, her jaw clenching and unclenching just like Happy's did when he was annoyed. "What could she possibly know about Hap that you don't?"

"Oh. How about, that he's the club assassin."

She sat up, a conflicted look on her face as if she were deciding how to address that. After a moment, she shrugged. "Yeah. And?"

"You didn't think I should know that?"

She shrugged again. "Now you know. What does it change? Does it make you love him less?"

Chloe gave her a hard look before sighing. "I don't love him."

"Okay," she said on a snort of disbelief. "But that wasn't my question. Does hearing that he's the club assassin change the way you feel about him?"

"No."

"So? What's the big deal?"

"Okay, reality check, Ang. Not many people have killed other people. It's called homicide, and it's illegal. Everywhere. That's a big fucking deal."

She scoffed at that, rolling her eyes as if it was the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard. "Look, he does what he does for his family. Its not often, and its not pretty, but he does it for us. Because he loves us. That's his way of showing it."

Chloe ran a hand through her hair, letting out a long breath as she tried to wrap her head around what Angela had just told her. "The people he...takes care of...they're bad guys, right?"

"One held me up at gunpoint when I was eight, another was an ex of mine who not only smacked me around but had killed some innocent people. He's not a maniac. He doesn't just kill for the fun of it," she assured Chloe. It was the same thing she always told herself about Happy. She wasn't entirely sure it was always true, of course, but it was how she liked to look at it. Sometimes, she felt he enjoyed the chase and the eventual kill, but she didn't need to tell Chloe that. The poor woman already looked scared. "He'd never, ever hurt you, Chlo. He'll protect you with his life."

She smiled a little at that. "I know," she said softly. Her heart had already made her decision, long before she'd known about his stupid title. Her feelings for the Tacoma Killer ran deep, too deep to give them up. A part of her like the added edge to him. "You really get held up at gunpoint when you were eight?"

"Yeah," Angela answered on a laugh. "It was wild."

"I don't know what I'm doing here, Ang," Chloe admitted to her. "And I don't mean why I'm physically here, I mean, emotionally. This is...I went from almost marrying a cop to..."

"Fucking an outlaw," she stated bluntly, smirking when Chloe winced in response. "Yeah, that's a big change."

Chloe laughed a little bit and nodded. "Yeah."

"You're handling it quite well," she assured her with a smirk.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "It is similar, though. The cop and the outlaw. With both of them there's this...constant fear that when they leave, they won't be coming back," she admitted softly. "Does that...does that happen often?"

Angela flinched at the question, remembering all the brothers that had been lost in the few years she'd lived in Charming. Instinctively, she reached a hand out to touch the dog tags that hung around her neck. "Lately, yes."

"You aren't even going to try and sugar coat that?"

She shrugged a shoulder and sighed. "What's the use? You're going to find out sooner or later," she replied, touching her daughter's tiny fist with her finger. "My advice? Don't get close to any of the rest of them if you don't have to. They'll break your heart in one way or another."

Chloe gaped at Angela for that pessimistic statement. She'd sounded a lot like Tara for a second there. "Well, hello Little Miss Sunshine."

Angela gave her a weak smile as she stood up before bending over to scoop Evie into her arms. "Sorry. I'm just...having issues at the moment," she said on a laugh. "Shall we go back out there? See what the guys are up to?"

She stopped her, grabbing her wrist to stop her path. "You know if you want to talk, I'm here, right?"

She gave her an appreciative smile and nodded. "I know. Thanks," she replied, grabbing Evie's earmuffs from the dresser. "Want to help me put these bad boys on? I want her to get some sleep, but I don't want to be cooped up in here."

"Oh now, you don't want to be cooped up here. A conversation gets close to discussing feelings and you bolt. Just like you're cousin," she muttered, shaking her head at her as she helped put on Evie's earmuffs.

Angela laughed at her for that. "Wait, wait, wait, you've tried to talk to him about his feelings? Are you serious? Like what feelings? About you?"

"Drop it, kid. Ain't sayin' shit," she replied, already heading towards the door.

She smirked when she heard Angela's slow clapping. "Wow. Now, that was a good impression of Hap. I'm impressed!"

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

The clubhouse was bustling with people when they walked back into the main room. Chloe headed over to where Happy was playing with his tattoo machine while Angela walked towards the bar where Tig was calling her over from his spot next to Juice. "Lemme see her," Tig demanded, holding out his hands and moving his fingers towards him in a 'come here' gesture.

Angela laughed, carefully putting Evie in his arms. "There you go, Uncle Tiggy."

The wild haired man grinned at the baby girl, rocking her gently as he murmured nonsense to her. She felt Juice's arm slide around her waist, pulling her back into him. "Hey baby," he greeted, his calloused fingers trailing over the tattoo on her hip.

"Hey you," she replied, kissing his cheek. His eyes were zoned in on his daughter, and her kiss did nothing to distract him. He was watching Tig like a hawk as he did anytime one of his brothers held her. She wondered why it bothered him so much when his brothers held her. He had no problem handing her off to Chloe or Bones, but as soon as someone with a cut or a crow had her in his arms, he got tense and wouldn't take his eyes off of her. It was the strangest thing. She slipped a hand underneath his shirt, rubbing smooth circles into the muscles of his lower back.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her hands on his skin like he always did. His mind was buzzing with all the Irish shit Chibs had unloaded on them. The Irish were pissed off about all the changes happening. Pissed off Irishmen had been the reason Phil and V-Lin were hacked into pieces. Now, they'd taken one of their men and killed another. They had to be furious. Whatever retaliation they had planned was going to be insane if Jax didn't nip it in the bud. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it anyway. He exhaled, relaxing a bit at Angela's ministrations. Turning his head, his kissed her temple, letting his lips linger there for a moment and inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She smelled like jasmine with a hint of lavender, something he knew came from the lotion she used on Evie.

Lifting his hand off her hip, he settled it on her neck, pressing his thumb into the muscles at the nape of it and rubbing upward as she'd taught him to do. A soft groan left her lips as she tilted her head forward a bit to give him better access. "Like that?" he whispered in her ear.

"Mm-hmm," she replied on a content sigh. "Feels good."

His thumb brushed over the top of the bandage on her back, idly smoothing over the tape there. He glanced over his shoulder at Happy who was immersed in showing Chloe the different parts of his tattoo machine. "Hap!" he shouted, catching the killer's attention and Angela's. "Can I take it off?"

Happy gave him a frustrated look before rolling his eyes. "S'long as you put it back on."

"You mind, baby?" Juice asked his Old Lady, itching to see the tattoo again.

Angela laughed and nodded. "Go ahead, goofy."

Juice carefully peeled away the gauze, his heart beating excitedly in his chest. He felt like a kid at Christmas, getting to unwrap a present early. When he finally finished uncovering in it, he couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. It finally felt official. Angela was his Old Lady. She had his mark on her, something that would remain there for the rest of her life. She was his forever. "Damn, baby," he murmured, wishing he could touch it. The lines were slightly thinner than the ones on his head making it more delicate, but the image was unmistakable. He wanted to kiss every inch of it, trace it with his tongue, watch her muscles move underneath it as her entered her from behind. Just thinking about it made his blood boil with lust.

He slid his arm around her hips, dipping his fingers into the waist of her jeans while he placed a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. "This is the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he rasped. The room was filled with people, but he was having a bad case of tunnel vision. All he saw was Angela, all he wanted was her, in his bed, naked.

Shivers went down her spine as she leaned into him, tilting her head back on his shoulder and kissing his jaw. "Glad you like it," she replied, grabbing his wrist to stop his hand from going lower. "We're in the middle of the clubhouse," she reminded him. "My cousin is right there."

Juice pressed his forehead against her shoulder and sighed, trying his best to calm himself down. " 'm sorry," he muttered, kissing her shoulder once more before gently pushing her away and angling himself so he was sitting closer to the bar so as to hide his hard on. "Got chapel in a minute anyway."

Angela smirked a bit, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "After chapel," she whispered, nipping his earlobe.

He nodded in agreement, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Love you, Angel," he said, rubbing his thumb over her engagement ring.

"Nice tat, doll," Tig said, handing Evie back to her. "Figures Hap's kid wouldn't go for the traditional shit. Looks good on ya. Better than it does on him, that's for sure."

"Ain't gonna argue that." Juice smirked and nodded, watching the design move over her shoulders as Angela shifted her hold on Evie. She put her against her shoulder so he could see her cute little face. Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to his daughter's head just as Tig pointed out the cop cars pulling into the lot. Bitterness filled him at the sight of that damn Bronco the lieutenant was so fond of driving. That asshole was the reason he was in the place he was in now. If he'd never found that damn photo, he would be fine. Sitting pretty without a care in the world other than the normal shit the club was dealing with. He wouldn't have this extra weight on his shoulders. He wouldn't be a rat.

"Juice," Angela's voice pulled him from his acidic thoughts.

He looked at her, eyebrows raised in question. "Huh?"

She nodded in the direction of the chapel where his brothers were slowly making their way to the table. Reluctantly, he stood from his stool and gave her a quick kiss. "Be right back, Mama," he told her before kissing Evie. "Love you both."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, but smiled anyway. "We love you too."

He'd just made it into his seat at the table when Jax and Chibs started shouting for them to clear out. He was on his feet and moving in seconds, propelled forward by Happy's hand pushing him towards the front door. He stopped outside the threshold, frantically looking for Angela, desperate to find her in the stampede of people that were making their way out. "Angel!" he called out, pushing his way through the crowd. "Angela!"

His heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn't find her. It was Happy's voice that pulled him from it as the Tacoma killer grabbed his arm and practically hauled him out the door. "She's outside!" he shouted, pushing him in the right direction with one hand while he held tightly to Chloe's hand with the other.

Relief spread through him when he saw her across the lot, calling his name while she held tightly to Evie. He ran to her, wrapping his arms around her and Evie just as someone shouted for them to get down again. They got down together, both of them moving perfectly in sync as if this were the most normal thing in the world. He heard the blast just seconds before he felt the wave of heat engulf them, blowing her hair around them as one of her hands clung tightly to the back of his cut, her forehead pressed to his shoulder, her cheek pressed against his. Evie was nestled between them, her earmuffs firmly in place, completely enveloped by the two people that loved her most. Juice held on to them as tightly as he could, praying it was enough to keep them safe.