The moment Angela walked into the funeral home, a strong odor of decomposition hit her hard. Normally, she'd make a face and go on with her life, but in her pregnant state, the stench made her gag. Holding her breath, she headed straight to the office and closed the door, taking in a deep breath. "Holy shit, who reeks in there?"

While Skeeter usually would've laughed, at that moment, his face looked grim. "I don't know how to tell you this, Ang. Don't really know how close you guys were. I mean, I saw you guys dancin' at your wedding, but I don't know how close you two actually were."

Angela was doing her best to figure out who the hell he was talking about. She'd seen all of the men she was closest to within the last few hours. They wouldn't be dead long enough to smell like that. Whoever was in their fridge had to have been dead for days. "Who is it?"

"Piney Winston," Skeeter answered on a frown.

Her heart sank at the name. Could this day get any worse? First Juice being taken, and now Piney was dead? She loved Piney. He was one of the few people who had known her Uncle Chico well enough to tell her stories about him, and he was always happy to share them and his bottle of tequila. She'd found it odd that she hadn't seen him around, but she'd heard he was up at the Sons' cabin in the woods and hadn't thought much of it. He wasn't the healthiest guy. Maybe he'd had a heart attack and it'd just taken them awhile to find him. "Natural?"

He shook his head slowly. "Dunno what happened, but the big hole in his chest tells me it definitely wasn't natural."

She sunk down onto her desk chair, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. Juice had told her multiple times that the club was into some dangerous shit lately, but Piney was old and usually on the outskirts of it all. Who had gunned him down at the cabin? "Oh fuck."

" 'm sorry, sweetheart. Was a good guy. I liked him too," Skeeter said with a frown. "Ope'll be by sometime after six. Witnessed cremation. I can handle it, though."

Angela shook her head slowly. "No, it's fine. I'll take care of him," she replied, twisting her ring around her finger. It was the least she could do for Piney. "There goin' to be a service?"

"Ope wants him cremated. Didn't mention a service or anythin'. Wanted to look into getting something in the veteran's section."

Her mind went to Kenny and Ellie, wondering how they were doing. If they knew. She hadn't seen them around much. Last she knew, they were spending a lot of time with Lyla since she and Opie had moved in with each other when the rest of the boys were in county. She hadn't heard much from either of the kids, which she took as a good sign; they were happy, well cared for. That's all Angela really cared about. "Sounds good," she said, making a mental note to reach out to the Winston kids. "Please don't charge him."

"Don't gotta. Piney paid for his shit a long time ago," Skeeter said on a shrug. "He's got a pre-need. Lots of the old Sons did during that gang war that happened a few years ago. My pops used to cut them one hell of a deal."

"Smart of them," she said, though the idea of the Sons planning their own funerals during the last war with the Mayans made her stomach twist. SAMCRO being in danger was not new, and it didn't seem like anything had changed over the years. Would there ever be a calm time? A time where they could just be a bunch of Harley enthusiasts hanging out? She let her head fall into her hands as she sighed.

As she tried to keep from crying, she heard Skeeter take another phone call. There was another pickup just inside of city lines. He grabbed the keys for the van. "I'm gonna go for a pick up. Might grab a sandwich on the way back. You want one?"

"I'm good. Thanks." Angela wasn't even remotely hungry. Her stomach was churning as her mind went over the events of the day. Juice being picked up, Piney being found dead and decomposing. How had no one thought to check on him? Someone had to have been worrying about him after not hearing from him in so long. Something didn't feel right. She watched Skeeter leave and went back to the computer to check on the death certificates she was waiting to be signed.

Bones walked in, his nose wrinkled. "Dude, someone in the cooler stinks! What did Skeeter bring in?" he asked, throwing himself into Skeeter's office chair.

"That would be a friend of mine," Angela answered on a frown.

He sat up straight, eyes wide behind his thick black glasses. "Oh shit! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

" 's okay, Boner," she told him. She sighed heavily, rubbing at her temples as she felt a migraine coming on. There was just too much going on right now. It was overwhelming. "Don't know if this day could get any worse."

"Don't jinx it," Bones said on a frown. He messed with the cuffs on his blue button up shirt for a moment. "Want to come check my work?"

Angela shook her head; she knew she didn't need to. Bones was learning fast and had yet to mess up on any of their clients. The only trouble he had was with doing makeup for the women that came through. Luckily, the person he'd just prepared was an old man, so she wasn't really worried about it. "Not unless you got a question about it. I trust you. You've been doing really well."

He grinned proudly at her. "Thanks." He folded his long fingers together, setting them on his stomach as he started to rock the chair back and forth. "How's baby doing? I remember my mom in her first trimester was puking like all the time."

"No puking, though that smell is...not making it easy."

"Yeah, I feel you on that one," he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. "Any weird cravings?"

Angela thought of the way she yearned for Juice. The quickie they'd had in the office and fought against a smile. "Not yet. What weirdo cravings did your mom have?"

"The typical ones. Pickles and ice cream. Oh! And grape juice! She drank so much of it she almost gave herself gestational diabetes. Too much sugar," he said on a grimace. "And then it became my sister's favorite drink! It's kinda funny how it worked out. Was like Penny liked it so much on the inside, she wanted it on the outside too."

She smiled at him. She couldn't help it. He'd been through so much heartbreak, yet he persevered like nothing had happened. Pretending his mom and sister were still alive probably wasn't the best coping mechanism, but it seemed to work for him. "That's cute. Mine probably will crave something I'm not allowed to have."

"Booze and coffee? Sushi?"

All of a sudden the craving for sushi hit her hard, and she groaned. "Why does sushi sound amazing?"

"Cause you can't have it," Bones said with a smirk.

Angela laughed lightly and nodded. "Probably," she said on a heavy sigh. "Have you ever had like really good sushi?"

"No," he said around a laugh. "Closest I got is the stuff at the gas station, which is not great."

"Once I get this baby outta me, 'm takin' you to San Francisco for sushi. You'll love it," she told him, smiling with him as he grinned excitedly. "We'll go to the little mall in Japan Town, and you can nerd out on all the anime stuff."

Bones pumped a fist in the air excitedly. "Fuck yes! I love that! Baby's first sushi date!"

Angela laughed; she loved that he included her future child in the mix. She loved the idea of Bones being in the child's life. Of them having a somewhat normal guy to look up to and love. It would be a nice balance to the crazy group of biker uncles they were going to have.

"I'm gonna go set up that dude in the crematorium so that you don't attempt to move him like we both know you were planning to do," he said, getting up again and heading out of the office, whistling the Star Trek theme to himself as he went.

She smirked at his back; she definitely had been planning on moving Piney on her own. It wouldn't have been easy, but she could do it. She was stronger than she looked. She worked on paperwork and inventory for the rest of the day, casually skimming through a baby name website just out of curiosity, though she didn't find any she liked.

The sound of a Harley pulled her from the website. It was a deeper, louder sound than Juice's, almost as though it was a bigger bike. Checking through one of the security cameras, she saw Opie get off his bike and head towards where Donna was buried. She kept the security camera stream open, giving him some space. When he got up and headed towards the front, she took in a deep breath and pushed away from the desk to go meet the biker outside.

"Hey Ope," she greeted softly, taking a small step towards him. She patted his arm gently, knowing better than to hug him unless he initiated it. They weren't that close. "I'm so sorry about, Piney."

Opie's hazel eyes softened a bit as they looked at her. "Thanks," he muttered, ducking his head down. "We good to go back there?"

"Yeah. Follow me," she said, walking a little a head of him towards the retort. She opened the wooden doors and let Opie go in before her.

He hesitated in front of the cardboard box in front of him, grimacing a bit at the strong smell of decomposition. Piney's soiled cut was laying on top of the box; the jean material stained with blood and other biological fluid. "This him?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly as he picked up the cut.

Angela nodded, walking in front of him to check out the dials on the machine and make sure it was on. "Yeah," she answered on a breath. "I'm gonna open the door, and you can slide him in. We'll let it sit open for a moment so you can say goodbye, and then, when you're ready, I'll close it so the process can continue."

Opie nodded, clutching the cut closer to his chest. "Thanks, Ang."

" 'course," she murmured, opening up the chamber and stepping back. She nodded, encouraging him to push Piney inside. He did so gently, taking a step back beside her once he was done. She watched the flames lick the side of the cardboard box. Tears filled her eyes as she thought of the many memories she had with Piney. He always told her the best stories about her dad and her Uncle Chico. Always was there to entertain her during the crazy club parties when Juice was busy and always saved a shot of his best tequila just for her. She'd miss that man. "Bye, old man. Thanks for the stories...and the tequila."

She saw the corner of Opie's mouth twitch in a ghost of a smile. He exhaled softly, leaning against the counter. Wiping at her eyes, she sniffled a bit; poor Opie had enough to deal with, he didn't need to comfort her on top of it. "I can leave if you want," she told him.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Don't matter to me. You knew him too. Know he liked you," he explained, messing with the frayed edge of the cut. "Thanks for handlin' this."

"Of course. I liked him too," she told him, pushing herself up to sit on the table beside him.

They both sat there quietly, watching the fire as it surrounded the box. The sound of the door opening made her jump, though Opie didn't look surprised. Unser walked in looking a little frazzled. She gently lowered herself to her feet; this was her cue to go. "Chief Unser," she greeted with a little nod. She knew he was no longer Chief, but he'd earned that title, and it was all she ever knew to call him. Patting Opie's shoulder gently, she gestured to the flames. "Just pull down the door when you're done. I'll come and check on him once you leave. I'll be inside if you need anythin'."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Unser said, nodding to her.

Angela gave him a brief smile before ducking her head and heading out of the retort. She wiped at her eyes as she headed out of the retort, pausing when she saw Jax heading towards her from where he'd just parked his bike. She raised an eyebrow, wondering who had called him and hoping it was Opie and not Unser meddling. "Hey Angie," he greeted, pulling her into a hug. "What's goin' on in there?"

"You don't know?" Angela asked, looking from him to the closed door.

Jax shook his head. "No. Was just told to come down here."

She considered telling him but decided against it. "I um...you should hear it from Ope. He's...he's inside."

He gave her one last concerned look before heading inside with Opie and Unser. She grimaced as she walked back towards the main office. Both Ope and Jax had her number, they'd text her if anything went wrong. In the meantime, she started doing a little baby shopping just for fun.

A few minutes later, she heard raised voices outside and checked the camera to see the boys had left the retort. Slowly, she headed towards the front intending to close the oven and let Bones know to set a timer since he'd long since gone up to his apartment to play video games. When she was close enough, she heard the click of a gun and Opie loudly declaring, "Clay killed my old man!"

Angela shrunk back behind the door, not wanting to interrupt as she heard Jax tell him he had to be wrong. Opie insisted though saying, "He killed my wife, now my father. Did you know?"

She froze at that declaration. Clay killed Donna and now Piney. A lump rose in her throat; how could he have possibly done those things to one of his club members? Did Juice know? How could she tell him? It seemed crazy. She held her breath, waiting for Jax's response and hoping he didn't know. He couldn't know. Knowing Clay had killed Piney would've made him complicit in the whole thing. That wasn't like Jax. To let someone he held so dear rot in the cabin while figuring out how to explain it to the rest of SAMCRO.

"No Ope!" Jax cried out in response. "Of course not!"

Whatever was said next was too quiet for her to hear from where she was. She didn't dare move, though; she didn't want them to know she'd heard it all. That knowledge was dangerous should Clay find out. Then she heard the gunshot, and she couldn't stay put anymore. She ran out of the door. "What the hell happened?" she asked, looking to where Jax was trying to start Unser's truck with no luck.

"Ang! Keys!" he shouted at her, pointing to her Mazda. "Please!"

Angela grabbed the key from her pocket and pulled off the one for her car. "You crash it, and you're dead, Teller!"

He ignored her and got in the car, barely pushing the seat back before he was racing off into the night. Angela looked at Unser in utter shock. "What the hell was that?"

"No idea," Unser answered, a clear lie. "I'm assumin' that was your personal ride. You need a ride home?"

Angela considered it for a moment, but she really didn't want to be in a car with Unser. She didn't know him well enough and didn't want anything to do with him at the moment. Not when he seemed just as entrenched in the matter as Clay was. She'd take home the hearse once Unser left. "N-no. I'm good. Gonna finish up here, and I'll have Juice pick me up."

It was a lie. Juice was locked up somewhere she couldn't get to, but Unser didn't need to know what. He nodded, getting in his truck and managing to start it on the first try this time. He drove off, and she sat down heavily on the stairs, trying to make sense of what just happened. How was she going to explain this all to Juice? Should she even?

Sending a quick text to Bones to check on the cremator, she grabbed the keys for the hearse and headed for the hospital to visit Koz. She'd figure out how to answer those questions when Juice was finally safe at home.

Angela didn't mind St. Thomas at night. It was kind of peaceful in a strange way. On her way home, she'd picked up two burgers and fries for her and Koz to share. He'd been so excited when he saw the greasy bag that breaking the rules was totally worth it. After they were done, Koz asked the nurse for pudding cups for dessert. He'd scooted over on the bed, and she stretched out beside him while he searched through the channels for something decent to watch. "Tellin' you right now, the only good thing they got is Animal Planet. Channel 12," she told him.

"You've spent way too much time here," Kozik muttered, putting on the channel before going for a spoonful of pudding. "But you're not wrong."

Angela smirked. "So when do you get your bionic leg?"

"Got a bit more physical therapy, but I'm good at walkin' on my crutches, so they say I can get outta here sooner than most people. Then they'll fit me for a temporary prosthetic," he explained, pushing her spoon out of the way to get more pudding. "Y'know, Han said I could stay with her for awhile since her place is one story."

Angela smirked; she did know that. She and Hannah had been talking about where Kozik would land after he was out of the hospital for a while. He couldn't go stay with her Ma and Aunt because they had stairs, which would make his recovery harder. Her house was one story, and they had an extra room for him, so he could easily stay with them. Hannah had a cute little studio apartment on the second story of an apartment building that had an elevator, which made it easily accessible for him. It was up to Koz where he wanted to stay. "Yeah? That where you want to land?"

Kozik shrugged a shoulder, sucking on the spoon a little longer as he gave it some thought. She took advantage and grabbed another spoonful of pudding. "Not permanently. Was thinkin' of goin' between your place and hers if that's okay. Kinda like the idea of bein' around to help with my namesake."

She laughed, shaking her head at his fear of commitment and insistence that they were going to name the baby after him. "Well, our door is always open for you...but I do like Hannah. I think she's good for you. A little commitment never hurt anyone."

"Know that," he said, scratching at his neck where the name of his ex-girlfriend, Jenn, who'd made him relapse and then overdosed and died the same night, was tattooed.

"She's not Jenn," Angela assured him. "She's straight, Koz. Not into that junk. She's good for you."

Kozik bobbed his head in a nod, swallowing hard for a moment. "Know that," he repeated, his voice softer than usual. "More worried that I'm not enough for her. She's gettin' her life together. Goin' to school and shit, and here I am with a missing leg, and she's gonna have to care for me and balance all the other shit. 'm not worth that."

"That's ridiculous. You're a catch, Koz. You're kind and funny. Probably make her laugh and feel special. She likes you for you or she wouldn't be here every day pissing my aunt off. She'd have run the second she came into this room and had to stare down my Ma and Aunt," she told him on a scowl. "Don't doubt yourself, its unattractive."

He elbowed her gently, chuckling under his breath. "Think that's my line."

Angela shrugged, leaning her head against his shoulder. "It's a good one."

"You're hogging the pudding," he pouted, pulling the cup closer towards him. There was a new cup of pudding on the table waiting to be opened but sharing one at a time brought her back to sitting on the couch with him when she was a kid, sharing the last cup of pudding or a pint of ice cream.

"Stop! I'm eating for two! I get double," she justified, pulling it back towards her. "Think of your namesake, Kozi!"

He chuckled, giving in and letting her have the pudding cup. "Fine."

Happy strode in through the open door looking a little grave. He grabbed the closed pudding cup from the table and the spoon Kozik offered him before sitting down heavily. Angela watched him curiously, waiting for him to speak. "Clay got shot. In surgery now," he explained on a heavy sigh.

"Shit," Angela drew out, eyes wide. She wondered if Opie was the one who shot him. He'd certainly sounded angry enough just moments before. Did Hap know about Piney? It didn't seem like it. Hap wasn't big on showing emotions, but she could read him well enough to know if he was sad at least. He seemed annoyed about Clay getting shot but not sad. Maybe Jax hadn't told anyone yet.

"Do we know who did it?" Kozik asked, turning off the hospital television.

Happy nodded slowly. "Black."

Angela's heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Flashbacks of the moment she'd been attacked by the two Niners a few years prior going through her mind. The way she'd shot one. The way they'd driven her off the road days later. She was so deep into her thoughts she didn't hear what they were saying. Kozik gently squeezed her hand to bring her back to the present. "You good, Angie-pie?" he asked, concern in his deep blue eyes.

"Y-yeah," she inhaled quickly. "Sorry, just went to a weird place."

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Happy asked, eyes narrowed at her. "Where's the idiot?"

Angela frowned, looking down at the empty pudding cup. "Feds swooped him up this morning. Didn't give a reason. Not really sure where they took him," she answered honestly. She let out a long breath, meeting Happy's dark eyes. "Something big is going on, isn't it?"

Happy nodded once, a grim look on his face. "Don't worry about it now. VP's got it all figured out."

"You all know this isn't on Juice, though, right? He's in good standing?"

He nodded again. "Idiot's good, kid."

Angela exhaled, hating the lump that had formed in her throat, the tears that had sprung to her eyes. She knew Juice was doing his best to be transparent with the club and help them but hearing her cousin confirm that what he was doing was working and that he was still okay with the club was something she didn't realize she needed until he said it. Happy wouldn't lie to her. If Juice had fucked up, he'd let her know.

"Way to make her cry," Kozik said, sitting up a bit to wipe a stray tear from her cheek.

"Didn't even say anythin'," Happy muttered, staring at her like she was crazy.

Angela sniffled, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Hormones. I can't stop fuckin' crying. It's awful. I hate it!"

Kozik laughed, reaching over to grab a box of tissues that was on the table by his bed. "Well cut it out you're breakin' my heart."

Happy nodded in agreement before pushing himself up to his feet. "C'mon, kid. Let's go. You need sleep."

Angela couldn't fight him on that one, though she knew she probably wasn't going to get much sleep without Juice there. She pecked Kozik's cheek before getting off the bed with a grunt. "See you later, Kozi."

"Wow, you must be exhausted. Think that's the easiest you've ever given into bedtime," Kozik teased around a laugh.

She flipped him off as she shouldered her purse. "Fuck off. I'm literally growing a person inside of me, asshole."

"Love you, Angie-pie!" Kozik called after her as she headed towards the door.

"Love you too, Kozi!" she replied over her shoulder, backing into the door to open it.

His laughter followed her out of the room, making her smile. She waited outside the room for Hap, knowing he probably wanted a minute alone to fill Koz in on club shit she wasn't privy to. He came out a few moments later, and together they headed down the hall.

She noticed his gait slowed as they got to the nursing station and smirked. "Chloe's not working tonight. She's day shift usually," she told him, knowing he was looking for her. Happy shrugged his shoulder, acting indifferent, but she knew better. "C'mon, I know you were lookin' for her."

"Drop it, kid," he stated as they neared the hearse. "The fuck you drivin' this for?"

"Felt like it," she answered on a shrug. "Your Ma go home finally?"

He nodded slowly. "Ran out of things to clean."

She sighed in relief; as much as she loved her aunt, she was ready to have her house back. "And you?"

"If the idiot ain't home when I get there, I'm stayin'," he stated calmly. "Ain't leavin' you alone there with all this shit goin' on. 'specially if it's the Niners."

Angela nodded, feeling even more relieved that she wouldn't be totally alone in that house. She knew the Niners weren't behind Piney's death, but she wasn't going to tell Happy that. If he thought she needed protection, who was she to fight him on it. "Thanks, Hap."

He rolled his eyes at her, waiting for her to get in the hearse before closing the door and tapping on the hood. "Follow you out. Keep me in your mirrors."

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

Juice stared at the folder on his father that Roosevelt had just given him. Apparently, whatever Jax had done to keep the feds from busting in on the meet up with the Irish had worked and neither the Irish Kings nor the Sons had been taken into custody. They hadn't even been able to approach the meeting.

Roosevelt had given him the folder, told him all of the information about his dad and his involvement with the feds had been purged, that RICO was going away, and led him into one of the interrogation rooms of the holding facility that had a phone inside so he could make a call to have someone pick him up. He was free.

His first call was Angela. The phone only rang for half a second before she picked up as if she was expecting him. He'd barely gotten the address out before she'd told him she was on her way and hung up on him. He hoped like hell she didn't drive like a crazy person; he didn't want her to get hurt just to get to him. He stopped at the front desk to get his property, putting his wedding ring on before anything else. It'd felt odd to be without it the two days he'd been locked up. He hadn't taken it off since she'd put it on him. Even when he wasn't wearing it, there was a noticeable tan line around where it was supposed to be as if his own skin had adapted to show who he belonged to, a silent claim forever in his skin. He was hers.

He pushed his way out the doors, breathing in deeply to let the fresh air fill his lungs. It was nice outside, sunny in a way that made him feel hopeful. Things were going to get better. Less complicated at least. He didn't have to worry about the feds and the club anymore.

He wasn't waiting there long when the hearse pulled into the parking lot, whipping around it expertly until it was parked in front. Angela jumped out of the driver's side, eyes hidden by her mirrored aviators as she blew a bubble with bright blue bubble gum. In her black slacks, heeled boots, and black vest with a blue camisole underneath, she looked sexy as hell. She always did though.

He clocked the moment she saw him. Gone was the tough girl façade, and in its place was that brilliant smile of hers. She headed towards him at a bit of a run. Smirking to himself, he stood, waiting until she launched herself at him. He caught her easily, holding her tightly against him as he used the momentum to spin her around. Burying his nose into her hair, he inhaled deeply, comforted by the scent of her. She smelled like home. "Hey baby," he murmured, setting her down on her feet and giving her a long kiss. He could taste the sickly sweet blueberry gum she'd been chewing on her tongue and smiled a bit as he pulled away. "You good?"

"Me?" she asked, pulling away to frame his face with her hands. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"Good, good," he answered on a little shrug. "What's with the hearse?"

Angela grimaced, scratching anxiously at the back of her neck. "Yeah, about that...I'll fill you in once we're in the car."

And she did. Hearing about Piney, then what happened with Ope and Jax was...a lot to take in, especially hearing that Clay was responsible for it. Then hearing that Clay had randomly got shot while at the garage, and they suspected it was the Niners surprised him even more. Something didn't add up there. He ran a hand over his face. "And no one else knows?"

"I don't think so," she said on a sigh. Her phone went off again, and she showed him the caller ID, which read 'Chibbies'. "You want to get that?"

Juice sighed heavily and nodded, swiping his thumb across the screen to answer. "Hey man," he greeted, putting it on speakerphone so Angela could hear too.

"Juicy boy! Finally! Where ya been, boy-o?" Chibs voice came crackling over the phone.

"Federal holdin'. They just let me go. Everythin' good?" he asked around a nervous laugh. Chibs explained everything to him, though he made no mention of Piney. He had no idea how that was going to turn out. How were Jax and Ope going to spin that one so that it made sense? "Shit. I go away for a couple days 'n' everythin' goes to shit, huh?"

Chibs chuckled loudly. "Yeah. Glad to hear yer out though," he said on a sigh. "We got Church tonight. Eight o'clock. Best see ye there on time. Tell Angie-girl not to make ye late!"

"I'll be there, brother," he promised before hanging up the phone. He slumped down in his seat, messing with the brown folder on his lap. Not only did it have the information about his father in it, it also had his entire criminal history. Some shit Angela didn't even know about. "They purged my record. Literally just...gave it to me."

Angela glanced over at him briefly, and he showed her the folder. She shrugged her shoulder and turned her eyes back on the road. "Sounds like an interesting read."

He thumbed the edge of the folder for a moment. His past wasn't as colored as some of the others, but he still did some pretty bad shit. Shit he was embarrassed about. Shit that would always follow him around. He glanced over at Angela; he didn't deserve her. Not with all the shit he'd done. Would she leave him if read it all? Did she love him enough to see through it? "You wanna read it?"

"Do you want me to read it?"

Juice frowned, staring down at the brown folder. Did he? There was a lot about his past life in those pages, but she knew the worst of it, and she was still there. Her love for him had never wavered even when he'd had to leave her for fourteen months to serve time. Would reading about the little shit he'd done as a kid change anything? He doubted it. "I dunno," he answered honestly. "Just feel like you should know who you married."

Angela scowled at him, pushing her sunglasses into her hair to look over at him. "That's not who I married," she stated, reaching over to tap the folder as she stopped at a red light. She moved her hand up and patted his chest clumsily. "This is who I married. And I love him. A lot."

A sense of relief filled him as he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. "Love you too, Angel," he murmured, holding her hand to his heart for a moment. " 'm sorry about all the shit that's been goin' on lately."

"Nothin' to be sorry about," she replied with a shrug. "Just happy you're not in federal holding anymore. That and my aunt finally went home, so we can finally be alone together."

Juice had to admit he was happy that Elena wouldn't be at their house when they got back. He loved her to death, but he didn't want to explain where he'd been. He also was looking forward to spending time alone with his wife. It'd been too long.

To his surprise, when they neared Charming, she turned away and drove up to their little spot on the mountain rather than straight to their house. Parking the hearse, she looked out over the view. The sun was just starting to set over the little town, casting it in hues of orange and pink. She got out of the hearse without a word, going to sit on the nose of it.

"Didn't want to go home?" he asked, sitting beside her.

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Not yet," she sighed, looking out at the view. "Just wanted to take a minute away from everything. To breathe."

Juice smiled, moving an arm around her shoulders and dropping a kiss to her head. With his other hand, he offered her his folder. "Got a picture of my old man in there."

"I'm only opening this because I want to see the picture not because I want to judge your criminal history," she told him sternly.

He nodded, holding his breath as she opened the folder. The picture of his father was on one side, but his mug shot was on the other. "Look at this cutie," she teased, tapping on his face with a smile. "Full head of hair, little prospect's cut, sad puppy dog eyes. When was this?"

He snorted; only Angela would think he looked cute in a mugshot when he was trying to look tough. "Probably right after you went back to New York," he answered on a shrug. "Was kinda messy for a few days 'cause you wouldn't answer my calls. Thought you were never gonna talk to me again. That I'd lost you. Let the hair go back 'cause the tats reminded me a you. Got real drunk...in public. Guys thought it'd be funny to lock me outta the compound 'n' I got caught pissin' in one of the flower beds on Main Street."

She blinked at him for a moment as it all sunk in. He'd thought she'd laugh, but the look in her eyes was a little sad. "I'm sorry."

"Why? Wasn't your fault."

Angela nodded slowly, her fingers still tracing over the photo. "I shouldn't have ignored your calls. I got back to New York and all I could think about was coming back to California. To you. And I was so mad 'cause I was with Raj, and I loved him, but I couldn't stop thinking about you. Made me feel real shitty. Thought actually talking to you would've made me feel even worse. And then Raj died, and I wanted to call you so badly, but it felt even more wrong to want you after losing Raj."

She'd mentioned how she'd felt about him when they'd been apart before, but it never stopped surprising him. He nudged her gently. "You wanted me?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Yeah, asshole," she muttered, elbowing his side while she tried to keep from smiling. "I wanted to talk to my best friend."

Juice's heart warmed at being called her best friend. It was a title he didn't take lightly. Even when she wasn't his, he wore it as a badge of honor. "You're my best friend too, Angel."

She leaned in and caught his lips in a sweet kiss. Pulling away, she turned to the other side of the folder where the picture of his dad was. She was quiet for a long moment, taking it in. He took a moment and did the same. His father was at some kind of industrial kitchen grill with what looked like a pot of chili in front of him. He had a huge smile on his face, which he may have inherited. "He's a handsome guy," she stated softly. "Was he a chef?"

"Line cook," he answered on a frown. "Worked at this soul food restaurant in Harlem. Not even that far from us. Went to see him once. Confront him about why he left. Had it all planned out in my head, then he got in front a me to serve me at the counter 'n' he called me 'son' and I froze. Couldn't say shit. Told him I wasn't his son and got outta there before I even ordered."

"Did he recognize you?"

"Dunno." He shrugged, remembering how cowardly he felt walking out of the hole in the wall restaurant. "Never saw him again. Not until fuckin' Roosevelt showed me this stupid picture."

Angela nodded slowly, handing the folder back to him. He stared at the picture for a long moment before closing it with a sigh and putting it on the car behind him. He never understood how his father could've just left them like that. Walked right out the door leaving him and his sister behind without once looking back or reaching out to them. Without checking in to see if they were okay. He couldn't imagine doing that to his own child, to Angela. There was no way he could ever walk away from them. "I'm not him, Angel," he told her, needing to say it out loud. "I'm never going to leave you guys. Not if I can help it."

She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "I know, goof. The thought never even crossed my mind," she stated with a shrug.

Juice exhaled, leaning in to press his lips to her temple. "Good. 'cause it ain't happenin'. I'm never gonna leave my girls."

"Girls?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Somethin' you know that I don't?"

He didn't know why, but he wanted their child to be a girl. Wanted them to grow up without the expectation to go into the club. Wanted them to be free of his past and to create a brand new life for themselves. Of course, a boy could do that too, but he knew the kind of pressure they'd go through having most of their family be in the club. It was inevitable that his son would feel he had to be a part of it too. "I dunno. Kinda like the idea of Monk bein' a girl."

"I kinda like that idea too."

"Gonna be hard to name her after Kozik though."

Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. "Kozina," she joked, her dark eyes sparkling with happiness.

Juice loved the sound of her laughter. After being locked up for the few days with nothing but cartoons and bad TV to listen to, it was a healing sound. He joined in her laughter, leaning into her as he did so. For that small sliver of time, everything was perfect. He just hoped that it would last.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~
A looooong one, but I did love writing it.
Always fun to write Angela with her boys.
Let me know what you think!!
🥰