💘( Mending the King! )✨

ONE

[ Service ]

( 🤴🔨👸💋💑🏍 )

" You sure? I wouldn't want to out stay my welcome and kick you out of your own 'private party,' now would I? "

~ ALU ORTIZ to JUICE ORTIZ

☆《》¤

ALU'S OUTFIT 

ALU'S FINGERS DRUMMED NERVOUSLY AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL as she sped down the darkened road. The night air blowing in through the window was cool, but it did little to settle her racing thoughts. The unsettling note and flowers left on her car this morning replayed in her mind like a warning siren, and the confrontation at the bar only added to her unease. Yet, despite everything, her thoughts kept drifting to Jax—the man who had stepped in tonight, uninvited yet strangely comforting. The cut of his SAMCRO patch brought a flash of recognition; it was trouble she knew all too well. Trouble she was determined to stay away from if she wanted any chance of reclaiming her son.

As she approached Juice's apartment, a knot of tension coiled in her chest. She knocked on the door, and it swung open to reveal a girl she didn't recognise—barely dressed in a tank top and panties.

The girl's eyes narrowed, "Hi? Can I help you?" Her tone was as unfriendly as it was dismissive.

Alu sighed, barely masking her frustration–she really couldn't deal with attitude right now, "I'm looking for Juice."

The girl crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe with a smug smile, "Sorry, he's occupied. Private party. He's got all the attention he needs, darlin'."

As the girl went to slam the door in Alu's face, she stopped her, gripping the edge of the door, flashing the blonde a sarcastic smirk, before she forcefully pushed it open, her eyes hardening as she pushed the tramp aside and stepped inside. 

"Hey!" the girl snapped, stumbling back.

Alu ignored her, moving further into the apartment. The heavy scent of beer, smoke, and something far less innocent filled her nose as she called out her brother's name, her heels clicking heavily against the hardwood floors, reverberating off the four walls. 

As she turned the corner, she found Juice sprawled on the couch, a smirk on his lips as a curvy red head rode him. At the sound of footsteps, Juice's head snapped up, his eyes finding his sister. The colour immediately drained from his face.

"Shit!" Juice scrambled, yanking a sheet to cover himself. "What the hell, Alu?!"

"Oh, please," Alu waved her hand dismissively, completely unbothered. "If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it." 

Alu's voice was cold as she turned to the woman on the couch, "Out." 

The girl scoffed, crossing her arms, "You can't talk to me like that! Who do you think you are—?"

"Get out," Juice sneered at the crow eater—no one disrespected his sister like that. 

The girl shot him an incredulous look. Juice was one of the only sons that treated crow eaters with curiosity and respect, "Juice, baby—" she cooed, caressing his cheek. 

Alu's lips curled into a mocking smirk, "You heard him. Door's that way," she said, motioning over her shoulder. 

Muttering angrily, as Juice simply removed her hand from his cheek and narrow his eyes, she grabbed her clothes and stormed out, the first girl trailing close behind, but not without throwing a glare Alu's way, which was met with a taunting wave goodbye. 

As the door slammed shut after them, Alu giggled to herself, finding it amusing that she crashed their little party. 

Juice exhaled, running a hand over his Mohawk as he pushed himself to his feet, sliding his jeans back on, and doing up his belt buckle and fly, before making his way to the kitchen that connected directly onto the lounge room, grabbing a beer out of the fridge, "What's going on, Alu?"

Alu smirked, crossing her arms as she glanced around the messy room, "So, what's the deal, Ju? Running a daycare for desperate crow eaters now? Or is this just your way of keeping the groupies entertained? I guess two brain cells is always better than one, huh?" she teased, but her eyes were void of any humour as she arched an eyebrow, coming to lean on the archway that led into the kitchen. 

Juice rolled his eyes, cracking open a beer and tossing the cap into the bin as he leaned against the counter, and took a sip, "They fill the silence. Why are you here anyway?" 

Alu's expression morphed into a sympathetic one, her eyes displaying a hint of sadness that much her brother's at that moment, before she let out a scoff, mocking offence, as she pushed her past pain away, "Is that any way to treat your favourite sister?" 

"You're my only sister, cabrona." 

"Still," she whined, pouting out her bottom lip and narrowing her eyes at her brother. 

A wide grin stretched across Juice's face as he sat down his beer on the counter and held out his arms, "Come here. Give me a hug." 

A smile light up Alu's face as she rushed forward into his out stretched arms. In her brother's warm embrace, she felt the tension finally begin to ebb as he squeezed her tight, lifting her up, causing a squeal to escape her lips.

"Ahh, I've missed you so much," Juice breathed out, holding her close as her feet found the safety of the tiled floor once more. 

"Me too," Alu whispered, burying her face in the crook of Juice's neck, the familiar, almost comforting scent of his cologne filled her senses. 

And that was what broke the dam. Her muffled sobs filled the room as she soaked Juice's shirt with her tears, gripping the material tightly like he was her lifeline. 

Juice Ortiz, her big brother and best friend, was the only person Alu ever allowed herself to break down in front of. Not even her closest friends had seen her shed a single tear. She was tough as nails, never letting anyone witness her vulnerability—that's exactly how he had taught her to be.

Juice immediately pulled back, "Hey, what's up?" he rushed out in concern, cupping her face with both hands, and brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

Alu pulled back, handing him the folded paper she'd pulled from her leather jacket, "He found me again. That was left on my windshield this morning. I had to hire a car just to get here. I was too afraid to take my Jaguar." 

Juice's eyes widened in alarm as he read the threatening note, his grip tightening until the paper crumpled in his fist. 

Did you really think you could hide forever? You slipped away once, but I never lose what's mine. It's only a matter of time before we cross paths again, darling. And when we do, everything you cherish will be mine too.

His jaw clenched with barely contained anger, "No, it was a good call. You sure it's him?" he asked, voice low.

"Who else would send me creepy notes like that?" Alu's voice broke. "I'm telling you, Juice, he's found me again. And It's only a matter of time before he finds out about Moss." 

Juice's eyes flickered with a fierce protectiveness as he pulled his sister into a hug, "That's not gonna happen, you hear me?" he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Look, the club's going into lockdown tomorrow, you'll be safe there. Until then, you'll stay here. Where I can protect you."

Alu's expression shifted, worry creasing her brow, "But Moss—"

"You said it yourself, he doesn't even know he exists, and unless he finds out otherwise, little Carlos is safe," he said with a fond smile. 

Her son was in fact named after her brother. Because Juice was the only reason Moss made it into this world alive and why Alu was still breathing, but that was a story for another time.

Alu smiled, pulling back and reaching up to caress his cheek, "Thank you, Juan." 

"What are brothers for?" He forced a playful smile. "You can have my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

Alu chuckled softly, wiping the remnants of her tears away, "You sure? I wouldn't want to out stay my welcome and kick you out of your own 'private party,' now would I?" 

Juice laughed, a real one this time, "Get upstairs and shower, hermana. You stink." 

Feigning outrage, Alu threw a cushion at him. The siblings' laughter filled the room, a fleeting reprieve from the shadows that loomed around them. 

After Alu made her way upstairs, Juice sunk back into the couch, the weight of the night pressing down on him. His hands instinctively reach into the inner pocket of his kutte that layed out on the armchair, pulling out a worn, folded photograph. He stared at it for a long moment, before unfolding it, his eyes immediately locking onto the image of a girl—her bright eyes, the soft smile on her lips.

She's sitting on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands resting gently on her waist. They're laughing, carefree, in a moment of pure joy that feels so far removed from the pain that had come after. Juice rain his thumb slowly over her face, his heart clenching, "I miss you so fucking much, baby," he sobbed, the force of it shaking his entire upper body. 

He could still remember her laugh, the way she'd always made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

But that was before. Before the night she was taken from him. Before everything fell apart.

A tear slid down his cheek, the weight of her loss was unbearable. He pressed the photo to his chest for a moment, taking in a shaky breath, before slipping it back into his kutte. He leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, feeling the hole she left in his heart grow just a little bit wider. 

And that's where he stayed—all night, perched on the couch with his gun in hand—ready for anything. Despite Alu's repeated pleas for him to get some rest, he stubbornly refused, driven by the need to protect his little sister. Determined to match his resolve, Alu stayed up with him, but exhaustion eventually won. She drifted off to sleep, her head resting against his shoulder.

***

Words: 1748