Juice woke up with a groan, rubbing at his eyes as he stared blearily at the alarm clock. Eight AM. It took him a minute to realize he was alone in bed. He wondered when Angela had woken but was grateful she'd taken care not to wake him. Instead of the aquarium, they'd spent the whole day before in San Francisco, exploring all the city had to offer before making the hour and a half drive home. The kid's had slept in their guest room, crashing as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

He hit snooze on the alarm just as the door opened. Angela walked in dressed in leggings and one of his t-shirts that was much too big for her. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, and she looked like she was still half asleep. "You escaped," he stated, watching as she peeled off her leggings and walked around the bed.

"Had to take the kids to school," she explained around a yawn, pulling the shirt over her head and grabbing the one she'd slept in before to put it back on since both had a strict "no outside" clothes in the bed rule. He enjoyed the quick peek at her bare breasts before she pulled the shirt down and considered the bed while she tugged the hair tie out of her hair. "You need to get up?"

Eventually, he'd have to go to work. He had time to snooze, though. Gemma wouldn't mind if he came in late. "Nuh-uh. C'mere," he murmured, reaching out an arm to her. Angela smiled, crawling towards him and settling into her usual position with her head on his chest, one leg between his. He curled his arm around her, digging a hand into her hair and scratching at her scalp. He loved the soft sound she made in response, almost like a little purr. "How was drop off?"

"Too early. Got donuts though," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against his chest. His stomach grumbled at the idea of a donut, and she rubbed her hand over it with a soft chuckle. "Got you one too, goof."

Of course she did. He was willing to bet it was a crumb donut too; his favorite. Angela was always thinking of him. "You got work?"

"Mmm," she grunted, moving her arm around him a bit. "Later. Sleep now."

Juice chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead and letting his lips linger there for a beat. "Love you, Angel."

She was already asleep, though. Her dark eyelashes pressed to her cheeks, breathing even. He knew his arm was going to fall asleep at any minute, but he didn't really care. He just pulled her in a little closer and enjoyed the last few minutes of quiet before they had to start their days.

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Angela cracked her knuckles as she shut down her computer for the day. Standing, she stretched a little, enjoying the feel of being on her feet. It'd been a long day, and she was ready to head home. She grabbed the phone to call Juice and see where he was at. He answered on the first ring. "Hey baby," his voice sounded...off.

"Hey you. You good?" she asked as she started her car.

"Fine. Rough vote is all," he explained on a tired sigh. She redirected her car, heading towards Teller Morrow instead of their house. "Want to ..."

" 'm on my way," she said, pressing a little harder on the gas. It wasn't a far drive, but she wanted to get there as soon as possible.

She pulled into the lot, parking next to Tara's car, not at all surprised that she was there. She was willing to bet Gemma was there too. The matriarch always seemed to be around when shit went down. Angela had no idea what the vote was about, but it sounded like Juice wasn't pleased with the outcome. Getting out of the car, she spotted Juice sitting at the edge of the ring. Alone. His head down. So deep in his thoughts, he hadn't seen her arrive.

She greeted the rest of the guys and Tara with a nod, making a beeline straight for Juice. He lifted his head at the sound of her voice, and a look of relief crossed his face along with a smile. His shoulders seemed to relax as he took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between them. He enveloped her into the tightest hug, burying his nose in her hair. She squeezed him back, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. He loosened his hold just slightly so that their eyes could meet. "You good?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

He nodded, framing her face with his hands and dropping a kiss to her lips. "Now I am. Overthinkin' things, I think."

"You'll explain later?"

"What I can," he confirmed on a nod. He kissed her again, his thumbs stroking over her cheeks. "Thanks for comin'."

Angela rolled her eyes at him; he didn't have to thank her. It wasn't necessary. " 'm here for you, goof. You know that."

Juice nodded, sighing in relief. "How was your day?"

"Better than Tara's," she replied, keeping her voice low as she nodded to where the doctor and Jax were chatting at the picnic table. She'd run into Tara earlier when she was doing a pick up at St. Thomas. The doctor explained Gemma somehow had elbowed her on accident, but it felt like there was more to the story than Tara was willing to share. "She said Gemma did it on accident. First Cherry, now Tara. Feel like I should start wearing like a face guard around her."

He laughed, and she felt like she'd won an award. He'd gone from being deep in his head and stressing to smiling and laughing. She'd wanted to make him feel better, and she'd succeeded. "I'll see if I can find one for ya. Gotta protect your pretty face," he replied, poking her nose with a finger.

She wrinkled her nose in response. "Goof."

Whatever he was about to say next was drowned out by the sound of Chibs yelling followed by an explosion. Juice instantly turned them around, shielding her from the blast. She buried her face in his chest, clinging to him and hoping they'd both stay safe. It was over as quickly it had happened. Once the blast had subsided, they noticed the lone figure on the ground. Juice made eye contact with her quickly, both of them nodding to assure each other they were okay. Then he grabbed her hand, pulling her over to where a crowd was already forming around Chibs. His eyes were closed, a pool of blood growing slowly underneath his head.

Tara glanced over at Angela, eyes wide. "Ang, call 9-1-1."

Angela looked at Jax quickly, seeking permission. Jax nodded his head, and she pulled out her phone. Juice was beside her, his hands on the top of his head. She set her hand on his shoulder, rubbing over it as she did her best to explain what happened to the dispatcher on the other line. She was careful not to say anything about a potential bomb and tried to explain it as an engine malfunction, though she could tell the dispatcher didn't quite believe her. Apparently, the explosion had been seen around town and other people were calling in saying a bomb had gone off at Teller Morrow. Angela stared at the wreckage feeling a sense of foreboding that raised the hair at the back of her neck.

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Juice's heart was still racing as he watched the ambulance drive off with Chibs in the back. When he closed his eyes, he could see the bright flash of the bomb over Angela's shoulder. Feel the heat on his face for the briefest moment before he'd grabbed her, turning them around to protect her. She'd clung to him instinctively, her face pressed into his chest until the blast was over. He could see the fear in her eyes when it was over, the way her voice shook just a little as she explained what happened to the dispatcher when she called 9-1-1. Angela was talking to one of the police officers, giving her statement since she was the reporting party. She'd been carefully coached on what to say by Clay. Some bullshit about explosive fluids and wires. He had no doubt she was doing a good job of playing dumb for them.

"She good?" Hap asked from his side.

He jumped a little; he hadn't heard the Tacoma Killer approach. Apparently, he'd been on his way back to TM from Elena's house and had seen the blast. "She's not hurt," he replied. He didn't know if she was good mentally. Hell, he was still trying to process it.

"Good," he acknowledged with a little nod.

Juice nodded in agreement, watching as she dug her hands in her pockets and headed towards them her shoulders tight. She glanced at Happy, an eyebrow raised. "When'd you get here?"

"Don't worry about it," he shot back, an answer that made her roll her eyes. He hugged her quickly, taking a step back and looking her over. "You good?"

"Fantastic," she stated flatly. "Love watching shit get blown up and then being questioned about it for an hour."

Juice saw the smallest hint of a smile tug at Happy's lips. Angela was one of the few people that could get him to smile like that. "You tell 'em a good story?" Hap asked her, which earned him another eyeroll.

Angela nodded, smirking just a little. "I don't know much about cars, Officer. I think he rubbed some wires together wrong," she asked, her voice an octave higher, sweeter, emphasized by her batting her eyelashes. An act of innocence that Juice almost believed.

Happy actually smiled this time, leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Love you, kid," he muttered, mussing her hair. "Let's go idiot. We got church."

Juice nodded, waiting for Happy to leave before pulling Angela in closer to him. She grabbed onto the front of his cut, a look of worry in her dark eyes. "Is everything okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded again, leaning in to top his forehead against hers. "Yeah. You're safe, baby," he assured her, kissing her softly. "Ride home with me?"

"Don't think I have a choice. My car's part of a crime scene," she said, gesturing towards the Mazda that was within the yellow crime scene tape. She glanced over her shoulder to see most of the guy heading back inside the clubhouse. "Go. We'll talk later."

Juice nodded, kissing her one more before following his brothers into the clubhouse. He sat through the motions of church, barely listening as Clay bought up retaliation. They all knew had done it. It had to be Zobelle and his crew. He'd been searching through every database for intel about the guy and had yet to be able to find a single damn thing him, which was what he put in when revenge was being discussed. He knew going after the guy was going to be dangerous, but he also knew retaliation was necessary given what him and his crew had done to Chibs. The discussion was short and the decision for payback was unanimous. They just had to figure out how.

The second it was over, he walked out without stopping to talk to anyone, heading outside and straight for Angela. She was sitting at the picnic table watching the policemen and firefighters as they worked. Her shoulders were tight, jaw clenched as she fidgeting with her rings. He set a hand on her shoulder as he approached, and she jumped just a little. "Oh. Hey you," she said, looking up at him. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he murmured, leaning down to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. She got up slowly, taking his hand in hers and letting him lead her to his bike. "Home?"

Angela hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

He rode as fast as he could to their house just wanting to be home already. They entered the home in silence before Angela finally sighed and sunk down on the couch. There was something on her mind, and he was almost scared to hear what it was. "Talk to me, Ruiz," he said, sitting down beside her.

She messed with her ring, her brows drawn together in concern. "This Zobelle guy I keep hearin' about. He's...white hate, right?"

Juice let out a long breath and nodded. "Seems like it."

"Please be careful," she stated softly. "You need to watch out more so than anyone in the club."

"What do you mean?"

"The rest of 'em are white, Juice," she explained, worry in her dark eyes. "If they're gonna target any one in there, it'd be you."

A shock of fear gripped at his heart as he realized she was right. It wasn't fear for him, though, it was for her. What if one of Zobelle's crew came for her because of her association to the club? It wouldn't be the first time someone went after her. The Niners had done it two separate times. He could still see her hanging unconscious in her car after they'd run her off the road. "What about you? They'll know we're together, Angel, and you..."

"I'm okay, I think. Before, I was a way to kill two birds at once with the Mayans and Sons. This time...I'm just a girlfriend. They won't..."

She wasn't just a girlfriend. She was his whole world, and if they knew she meant anything to him or any other part of the club, they'd target her. "You're not just my girlfriend," he corrected with a scowl. "Also, if they're white hate, using you to get to us is killing two birds with one stone, Angel."

Angela's eyes widened just a little; clearly, she hadn't thought of it like that. "No, no. How are they even gonna know? We're not...we go away from Charming to do things. We're not really together here in Charming."

That was a lie. They'd just had a very public display of affection the other day in the hospital and in the parking lot of the grocery store and in front of TM. Not to mention, the first night Zobelle showed up at the clubhouse, they'd been in the midst of a hot and heavy makeout. "Baby, we were just kissing in the middle of the hospital not too long ago."

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "What do I do then? I can't...I can't stop working just because some Aryan asshole may have seen us kissing, and you guys don't have enough people to have someone shadow me twenty-four seven. That wouldn't even pass this time. They'd put guys on Tara and Gemma before I ever got my own shadow. You know that."

He hated how right she was. There was nothing they could do at the moment to keep her safe other than hope Zobelle and his guys didn't know who she was or if she even existed. "Maybe go to Cara Cara more? We got good security there. They won't touch you. Make sure you carry some kind of protection everywhere you go," he tried, feeling like the suggestion was weak at best. "I don't know what to say here, Angel. If I could, I'd follow you around myself, but I can't...we got too much shit goin' on."

"I don't need that. I can protect myself, I promise. If they're not worried enough to have someone on Gemma and Tara, I'm probably good," she said on a shrug, but he could still see the worry in her eyes. He wished there was something more he could do. "It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay." 

Juice nodded in agreement, though he could see she was more trying to convince herself than anyone. "Not gonna let anything happen to you, Angel," he promised, tapping his forehead to hers. 

Angela nodded, swallowing hard. "I know. It's just...I've got a really bad feeling about this," she said softly, she pulled away from him a bit, setting her hand on his cheek. Her thumb brushed over the scruff growing there before she leaned in to catch his lips in a quick kiss. "I love you so much. Please...please be safe." 

His heart fluttered at her words. "Love you too, Angel. I'll do my best. Already told you, nothing is going to take me away from you," he promised, pressing his lips to her forehead. He hoped like hell he could make good on his promise. 

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This was initially another longer chapter with Ang and Juice taking the Winstons on an adventure, but I'll throw that in an extra one-shot on my other story since it didn't fit the mood. :) 

Let me know what you think! 

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