Angela couldn't stop her leg from bouncing anxiously in the back of the SAMCRO van as they headed towards the clubhouse. It'd been one long ass flight back home, but she'd been thrilled the whole time. They had Abel, and she was going home. She couldn't wait. Happy's hand fell heavily on her knee, a not so subtle sign he wanted her to stop fidgeting. She glanced at him in time to catch his smirk and rolled her eyes. Stifling a yawn, she leaned her head against Juice's shoulder, fighting the urge to ask when they'd get there.

She knew they were getting home only to jump into more danger and chaos since Tara had been abducted by some Mayan-adjacent club. The Calaveras. She vaguely remembered seeing them at different Mayan rallies growing up, but they never really seemed all that dangerous mostly because they were all Mayan rejects. She hadn't even known they were part of the outlaw MC world.

Juice tilted his head against hers, reaching out to take her hand in his. He squeezed it gently before bringing it to his lips to kiss her knuckles. Ever since he heard what happened to Tara, he hadn't let her out of his sight. He was convinced that, had she been home, she would've been taken too. That was enough to spook him. Make him hold her a little closer. She relaxed against him, closing her eyes and letting the movement of the van lull her into a peaceful sleep.

"We're here, baby," Juice's soft voice woke her up. She blinked at the light flooding in through the van's open doors.

Angela rubbed at her eyes for a moment before her eyesight focused, and she saw a blonde head of hair. "Kozi!" she exclaimed, scrambling out of the van and practically jumping on him.

Kozik caught her easily in his big strong arms, spinning her around. "Welcome home, kiddo," he said, squeezing her tightly as he set her on his feet. He pulled away, gently smacking her cheek. "God, its good to see you. How you doin? You good?"

She nodded and shrugged. "I'm good. Long ass flight is all."

"I bet. Glad you're home and in one piece," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Missed you, Angie-pie."

"Missed you too, Kozi," she said as he slung an arm around her shoulders and practically dragged her towards the clubhouse. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Juice smirk as he shook his head at them. "Sorry about running out on you. Didn't know things were going to get so... involved."

Kozik sighed heavily, shaking his head. " 's all right, kiddo. Wouldn't expect anything else from you. Your man almost kicked my ass for that, by the way," he told her with a smirk. "Not that I'd let him."

Angela's heart squeezed in her chest; she didn't like the idea of Juice and Kozik going at each other. Juice was quicker than Koz, but Kozik had a mean right hook. As much as she loved Juice, she knew Kozik would most likely be the winner of that battle. "Glad that didn't happen."

He just chuckled in response, ruffling her hair as they entered the mostly empty clubhouse. The rest of SAMCRO started filing into the chapel. Juice kissed her cheek as he walked by, heading inside and closing the doors behind him.

The meeting didn't last long, and they all filtered out shortly after. This time, Juice headed her way with a little smile. "We gotta go do some shit. You good to stay here?"

She frowned, hating the idea of staying in the clubhouse when she just got back from one hell of a trip. All she wanted was to take a hot shower and get into bed, her own bed, preferably with Juice. "Can I just go home, please?"

Juice hesitated before shaking his head. "Just let us get this shit with Tara resolved, and we'll be back home in a few hours. Promise. It's either that or you go to Gemma's house with her 'n' Lyla."

Angela sighed, glancing over her shoulder to where Gemma was talking to Clay. For some reason, staying at the clubhouse sounded better than going all the way to Gemma's. A part of her wanted to avoid Gemma's house because she knew she'd have to pass Jax's house to get there, and the last time she'd seen Jax's place, Half-Sack had been bleeding out on the floor. She didn't want to go back to that place, didn't even want to see it. She hadn't truly processed it yet, and she didn't want to go back there. To be honest, she had a feeling if she really pressed, he'd give in and let her go home. He was too tired to fight with her, but she felt just as tired. She knew he was coming from a place of love, so she decided not to push it. "I'm good here."

He looked relieved that she wasn't fighting him on it. "Thank you. I'll be back soon," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Be good. Love you."

"Love you too," she said, kissing him quickly and watching as he walked away.

She sighed, her stomach churning anxiously. Glancing over at the bar, she spotted one of the prospects walking in from the back with a case of beer. He was the thinner one of the two new guys. For the life of her, she couldn't remember his name; they'd never been properly introduced. He put the box of beer down and looked her over. The hungry look in his eyes making her feel slightly uncomfortable. "Can I get you somethin', sweetheart?"

Angela sat down at the bar, making sure the sweatshirt she was wearing was fully zipped up so as not to show any hint of cleavage, though his eyes seemed to bore through her like he had X-ray vision. "Um...I'll take a shot of tequila, please," she replied, shifting awkwardly on the barstool.

"Sure," he replied, grabbing a shot glass and one of Piney's bottles of tequila. "Even give you the good stuff."

It wasn't his smartest idea, and if Piney didn't like her, the prospect could be in serious trouble. Still, Piney wasn't there, and she wasn't one to pass up good tequila. Plus, she knew Piney was always willing to share his tequila with her. "Thanks," she stated, downing the shot and enjoying the warmth it spread through her chest.

"I'm Miles, by the way," he said, refilling her glass. "Haven't seen you around much. You here to welcome the boys home?"

Angela smirked at him. There'd been more sweetbutts than usual milling about waiting to welcome the boys home with open arms and open legs. Clearly, Miles thought she was one of them. An odd assumption considering she was wearing no makeup, her hair in two braids, and Juice's hoodie. A far cry from the perfectly made up and scantily clad sweetbutts walking around. "Something like that," she said, more to entertain herself than anything else. He had to catch on eventually.

"Y'know, I'm gonna get my top rocker soon," he told her, leaning over the bar. He winked at her again, and she fought the urge to wrinkle her nose. "Bet I can give you a better time than any of those guys. Even give you a test run 'fore they get back."

She chuckled at his gall, downing the shot and shaking her head. "No, thanks."

"Aww come on, 's not like you can say no to a patched member, right?"

Angela wrinkled her nose in disgust; it didn't quite work that way. At least, she didn't think so. She knew the SAMCRO boys pretty well and knew they'd never force a girl to do anything she didn't want to do. "First of all, you don't have a full patch. Second of all, you're very wrong. I definitely can say no. So can any of the other girls, asshole."

Miles scowled at her, shaking his head. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. You don't gotta be such a..."

"Down boy!" Hannah interjected as she walked back into the barroom. She was looking exceptionally hot in a black corset top, a tight leather skirt, and her dark red hair down in pretty waves. She was ready to prowl, and Angela was pretty sure dressed like that, she was aiming for Hap. "Angela's Juice's Old Lady. You don't want to mess with her."

Miles' face paled slightly as he looked from her to Hannah. "Shit. I didn't know...I mean, I heard people talk about Juice's...but I didn't think she'd be so..."

"Why don't you grab another keg from the back? Preferably before you piss her off more, sweetheart?" Hannah said, patting his shoulder affectionately before rounding on Angela and sticking a perfectly manicured finger in her face. "And you, stop antagonizing the prospect! Poor guy didn't know you were Juice's Old Lady!"

Angela rolled her eyes; as much as she hated the "old lady" term, she'd given in to the usage of it in the clubhouse. It showed she belonged to Juice, that he belonged to her. It was a necessary evil to earn respect from not only his brothers but the other sweetbutts. Once the sweetbutts knew Juice had an Old Lady, they tended to stay the hell away from him just like his brothers wouldn't dare cross that line with her. "He shouldn't be treating anyone like that!"

"It's all part of the package, girly," Hannah explained with a little shrug. "We know what we're signin' up for."

She grimaced at that, shaking her head. "That's pretty fucked up."

Hannah just shrugged again as if it were no big deal. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she grabbed a cold beer from the fridge, popping the top and giving it to her. "Go get some air while I school the prospect."

Angela smirked at her; she actually liked Hannah. Liked that she was actually honest and didn't pander to her like she did to Gemma. She told it like it was, and Angela appreciated it. "Good luck," she said, taking the beer and heading outside.

She sat at the edge of the ring, taking a long pull of the beer before pulling the hood of Juice's sweatshirt over her head and laying down on the mat behind her. She knew the ring was filthy but after such a long flight from Ireland, so was she and it was as good of a place to nap as any. At least the warm breeze in the air felt nice.

She was mildly aware of Harleys pulling in again. Propping herself up on her elbows, she saw some of the SAMCRO boys pull in. Happy caught her glance as they all headed back in the clubhouse. She waved at him in greeting, and he nodded in returned. She was aware that Juice wasn't with them, which made her just a little anxious. Still, if something had happened to him, Happy wouldn't have just walked back into the club so nonchalant; he would've told her. She took comfort in that at least and flopped back down on the mat.

It wasn't long before another set of Harleys pulled in; too many to be the remaining Sons. The sound was familiar, though. It brought her back to her high school days. Slowly, she sat up, pulling her hood down off her head as she watched four Mayans ride in, their ape hangers gleaming in the sunlight. Marcus, Rosa's dad, Nessa's dad, and finally, Raffa. She grimaced; she hadn't seen Raffa since Esai died. She wondered if he was still mad at her, if he still blamed her for Esai's death. His dark eyes landed on her, and he rose an eyebrow, nodding to her. She nodded back, though she held back from making any bigger greeting gesture; they were there on club business not a social call. SAMCRO filed out of the clubhouse before the Mayans had all even gotten off of their bikes; they must've seen them ride in on the cameras.

Marcus didn't seem to see her as he talked to Jax and Clay. She was too far to hear their conversation, but she knew it couldn't be good. A van pulled in, tires squealing. Kozik, Bobby, and Juice climbed out of it, hauling a terrified woman out with them. Angela stood, taking a few steps closer more out of curiosity than anything. What the hell was going on and what did that poor woman have to do with it? The woman was speaking in very quick Spanish about not knowing anything.

"Nobody speaks Spanish?" Clay asked, glancing at Juice who looked like he was trying very hard not to be seen. "Nothing?"

Juice shrugged. "I'm a Puerto Rican from Queens. I speak better Yiddish."

Angela snickered at that; he wasn't lying. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered the night he told her he loved her in Spanish. She hadn't heard him try to speak Yiddish since then, and she wondered how much of it he really knew. He must've heard her because he caught her gaze, smirking slightly. He gestured her in a little closer as if to see if she could help translate. With everyone focused on the woman, she was able to clearly hear what Marcus was asking the woman, his gun pressed to her forehead.

The woman finally gave him an answer, her Spanish so fast, Angela barely understood it. Marcus and the boys sprung to action. "You catch that?" Juice asked her as the boys all turned to look at her.

"The old dumps close to Eighteenth Street," she translated quickly. The boys barely let her finish before they were all racing towards their bikes to follow the Mayans out.

Juice stopped to kiss her quickly. "Thanks, baby," he called over his shoulder as he ran towards his bike and just like that, they were all speeding away.

She watched them go with a sigh before she walked back to the ring again. She lay down and stared at the ceiling silently praying that they were able to get to Tara in time, and that they all stayed whole in the process.

~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~

Juice couldn't be happier to walk out those Chapel doors. They'd been in California for all of five minutes before they had club shit to handle. He'd barely seen Angela for more than five minutes, though she'd come in clutch when they'd found Salazar's aunt and she'd been able to translate Salazar's possible location. Salazar hadn't been there, of course, but they'd found him eventually. Found him, saved Tara. Everything seemed to be happening in fast forward again. When they'd finally got back to the clubhouse, he'd been excited to get back to Angela, but Clay had called for Church where he explained a new possible deal with the Irish that they'd somehow be able to handle inside prison. The president had tried hard to impress upon them all how they needed Koz to patch in, though Tig turned it down, and Koz couldn't patch in if the vote wasn't unanimous.

Juice couldn't bring himself to care about anything Clay said. Every minute they stayed talking in the chapel was one minute less he had with Angela. He looked around the clubhouse, watching as the sweetbutts went to the guys, each of them eager to snag one for the night. Angela wasn't among them. "She's on the roof," Hannah said, elbowing him gently. "Been waitin' patiently on you all day, sweetheart. Go get her."

"Thanks, Han," he said, squeezing her shoulder before nodding to Koz. "Go get him. Was a rough one."

Hannah smirked, waving him away. He chuckled, shaking his head as he headed towards the small locker room to grab something before heading to the little ladder in the hallway that led to the roof. His heart was beating fast in his chest with anticipation. Just like Hannah said, Angela was sitting on one of the vents, face turned up to the sky. Her dark hair was braided perfectly away from her face, hands tucked into the front pockets of his hoodie that she was wearing. The moonlight caressed the panes of her face, making her even more beautiful. His breath got caught in his throat, and he took a moment to just enjoy the view.

"Hey you," Angela greeted without looking at him. "How's Tara?"

He smirked, unsure of how she always seemed to know when he was close. "Good. She's real good. Safe at home. Baby's doin' all right," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets as he sat down beside her. He looked down over the parking lot, surprised to see Tig and Kozik sitting on the swings of the new play structure the prospects had made for Abel. "Tig voted against patchin' in Koz again. Still don't know what that's about."

"I honestly have no idea," Angela answered with a laugh. "Glad Tara's okay, though."

"Yeah, me too," he said, moving an arm around her shoulders. He pulled her in closer to him and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You good? Know its been a long day."

She nodded, leaning into his side. "I'm good. Just happy to be home," she answered on a soft sigh. She breathed in deeply, exhaling in another content sigh. "Being away for so long kinda made me miss the clubhouse. 'specially this spot. Is it weird that this is one of my favorite places?"

Juice shook his head. He understood why she liked the spot. It was quiet, peaceful. It reminded him of the rooftop of her apartment back in New York that she loved so much. "No. 's one of mine too," he agreed with a little bob of his head. "Feel like this is where it all stated for us."

Angela smirked, shaking her head. "Nah, that was Central Park."

"Nuh-uh. That's where we met, but the first time we kissed was right here," he explained, his memories going back to that night. "I couldn't believe you wanted me. That I'd missed every single signal you'd thrown at me."

"I don't think I was sending you anything blatant, to be quite honest," she admitted, tilting her head to look up at him with the smallest hint of a smile on her face. "I don't think I was ready for you. For us. I needed some...turbulence before I could appreciate what we have now."

Juice nodded slowly. They'd had a shit ton of turbulence too, but they'd weathered through it and come out stronger than ever. "Maybe," he replied on a shrug. He used his free hand to stroke his fingers over her cheek, leaning in to kiss her softly. She tasted of tequila and something more familiar, something that was purely her. The simple taste was addicting and warmed him to his core. He didn't know what he was going to do without being able to kiss her anytime he wanted.

He pulled away, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he did so. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but his brain was buzzing so loudly with everything he wanted to say that he couldn't figure out how to say it. Clearing his throat, he began, "I love you, you know that right? More than anything. You saved my life so many times, and I...when we were inside, just for those few days, you were all I thought about. Over and over. Just you. You kept me sane. And then I got shanked, and I...all I could think about was I was going to die in that stupid jail yard, and what if I died, and you didn't know how much I love you?"

Her gaze softened, a sad look in her eyes; she didn't like when he talked about that moment or any moment when he got hurt. "Juice..."

"And then I did lose you. And it was hell to be without you," he explained on a frown, his heart aching as he remembered what if felt like to be without her. He grabbed her hand, playing with her fingers for a moment as he stared at her hand. "And now, we're probably going inside again. It feels inevitable. Probably for longer. Hate that I'll be forced to be away from you for any period of time because I feel like I've been waiting for you for so long, and we just got together, and I don't want to lose you."

Angela smiled, kissing his cheek sweetly. "I already told you, I'm not goin' anywhere, Juice. It's my turn to wait for you now."

He smiled a little, swallowed hard as he lifted his face to meet her gaze. The love in her dark pretty eyes made him breathless. He could feel how much she loved him as if it were something tangible. "Yeah, guess so," he said on a small smile. He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand softly. "I've been waiting for you since I watched you leave on that damn subway in New York. Waited for you to call then and missed it. Then we ran into each other by chance in fuckin' Queens of all places at that little bodega, and you said you were with someone, so I was okay with being your friend and waiting, just waiting to see if maybe, somehow, I'd get a shot. Know that sounds creepy, but I don't mean it like that. I woulda been fine bein' your best friend too. Woulda killed me, but if it meant I got to stay in your world, I woulda been okay with that. I know we've been together for a while, but that's nothin' in comparison to how long I waited for you. Feels like it went by in a blink."

"Juice..."

He breathed in deeply, mustering up the nerve to ask what he so desperately wanted to know. "And I don't want to wait any longer for this, Angel. Life's too short, and I want you to be mine for however long we got left so..." He slowly got down on one knee, pulling out the little box in his pocket and opening it to reveal the ring. "Angela Inez Ruiz, will you marry me?"

"What?" she breathed, her dark eyes glistening with tears as they went from the ring to his face. "Juice, are you serious?"

He nodded quickly, his heart hammering in his chest. She hadn't said yes. She was just looking at him in utter shock and confusion. He was pretty sure he'd asked the question right, though maybe with his nerves being all over the place, he hadn't gotten it across the right way. "Yeah. I mean, I know we're going to be together forever, but I want to make it official. I want to marry you. If you do, that is..."

"What? Yes! Yes! Of course!" she exclaimed, kneeling down and throwing her arms around him. His heart skipped a beat as he hugged her back, turning his head to kiss her temple. She pulled away for a brief moment her hands framing his face as she fused her lips to his in a soft, warm kiss that he felt through his whole body. Breaking the kiss, she tapped her forehead against his. "God, I love you. So much, you big goof."

He grinned at her, his heart soaring. He couldn't believe she' said yes! That she was going to be his wife. After waiting for her for so long, it didn't feel real. They could start a family and grow old together. It was everything he ever wanted. His dream come true. "Love you more, Angel," he murmured, kissing her again before offering taking the ring out of the box. "Can I?"

Angela's smile was blinding for a moment as she nodded emphatically, giving him her left hand. Her smile slowly faded into a look of awe as he slid the ring onto her finger. She held it up, moving her finger this way and that, so the diamonds glinted in the moonlight. A small round diamond with two rectangular ones on either side of it on a gold band. It looked perfect on her finger, as if it was meant to be there. "This looks just like the one my Dad gave my mom," she said softly, her eyes growing a little glassy.

Juice scratched at the back of his neck nervously. He wasn't sure if she was going to like the fact he'd used her mother's ring, especially given that she and Graciela didn't have the greatest relationship. Why hadn't he thought about that aspect of it? Maybe he should've gotten her something brand new without old memories attached to it. "That's 'cause it is. I um...I was gonna buy you one, but your Ma gave me this one when I asked her and your Aunt for their blessing."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You asked them?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat.

Juice nodded, unsure if her reaction was good or bad. "Y-yeah. 'course I did. Wasn't about to do it without their blessing. Hap and Koz too," he explained honestly. A tear slid down her cheek, and he wiped it away quickly. God, he hoped the tears weren't a bad sign. He really just wanted her to be happy. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. I can get you a new ring. Brand new. You can even pick it out!"

"No! No, this is...I love this. It's perfect," she said on a light laugh. She leaned in to kiss him softly. "I just...can't believe this is real."

"Feel the same," he rasped, swallowing at the lump in his throat as he grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb over the ring. He loved the way it looked on her, it's meaning, but at the same time, he felt guilty as hell knowing he was giving it to her then going to leave her again to go to prison. "Sorry it's shit timin', us goin' inside 'n' all."

She shook her head, stroking his cheek with her right hand. "Not shit timing at all," she assured him, her dark eyes sparkling just as much as the diamonds on her ring. "I was always gonna wait for you, Juice. Ring or no ring, I wasn't goin' anywhere. Hell, I'll marry you in the jail chapel if you want. Pretty sure that's a thing. Think if we're legally married, we can even have conjugal visits or whatever."

He wrinkled his nose at the idea of it. She seemed unaware of what conjugal visits were like in prison. The lack of privacy with the guards watching either in person or via a camera or double paned glass. That and there was no way was he going to marry her somewhere so depressing; it wasn't worth it. She deserved better. A big, beautiful wedding filled with their family and friends. Their love deserved to be celebrated. "Absolutely not. We're doin' it up big when I get out. Give you the celebration you deserve."

"Celebration we deserve," she corrected with a smirk. She kissed him again, laughing softly. "We're getting married, Ortiz. I'm gonna be an Ortiz!"

Juice's stomach did a flip flop. They'd joked about her taking his name before, but it never felt more real than it did at that moment. "Or I can be a Ruiz..."

Angela laughed, practically tackling him to the ground with a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, matching the intensity of her kiss. She pulled away, tracing her fingertip down his nose. "Doesn't matter. 's long as you're mine."

"Been yours for a long time, Angel," he told her, leaning up to kiss her again. "Just waitin' for you to catch up."

"I'm here," she promised, nuzzling her nose against his. "Forever."

God, he loved the sound of that. Loved the idea of spending the rest of his life with her by his side. He couldn't think of anything he wanted more. He could do the time in prison if it meant he got to spend the rest of his time with her.

~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~

I really love the end of this chapter...
Please let me know if you do too!!

Kinda want to re-write it in Angela's point of view on the side story. Is that something y'all would be interested in reading??

Hope you readers have had the loveliest of holidays!!
💚❤️💚