This is the sequel to "Hands All Over". If you haven't read the first story, this one definitely won't make much sense.
It's still a work in progress so I can't promise updates will be as frequent, but I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think along the way!
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"Daddy!" the loud whisper coupled with the tiny hand smacking his cheek had Juice's eyes flying open only to find his daughter's face just inches from his. The almost three year old girl had gotten a toddler bed a few months before and had been taking advantage of the fact she could easily get out of it and slip into bed with her parents.

Angela slyly rolled off of him, turning away in a manner that meant it was his turn to deal with Evie, something he'd yet to do successfully. Angela could get her back into her own bed with a few quick words and some tough love, but he just couldn't say no. The only time he'd carried her back to bed was after he'd gotten a swift kick to the balls from her squirming around. Even then, he'd ended up sleeping on her floor next to Rigor to protect her from monsters. This time was different, though. This time, he was determined to make her go back to her own bed all on his own.

"What's up, Eves? Why you outta bed?" he asked, his hand raking over her soft hair. Rigor, her bodyguard, was lying next to her, already half asleep as if he knew Juice wouldn't be able to kick her out.

"Bad dweam," she said, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Her hair was sticking up on all sides of her head, and she was holding her favorite bull dog stuffed animal by its arm. "Need daddy love."

And there went his resolve. How could he deny his daughter love? It just didn't feel right. "Okay, Monk," he breathed, sitting up and grabbing her under the arms to lift her into their bed. "Up you go."

Her dark eyes lit up as she grinned at him, settling comfortably between him and her mother. Her little hand instantly went to Angela's shoulder, tapping lightly. "Mama," she whispered in Angela's ear. "Want love."

Angela gamely rolled over to face her, lifting her arm to allow her to snuggle in closer, the two of them sharing one pillow. Juice shook his head, sighing when Rigor jumped up on the bed and settled between them too. "So much for Daddy love," he grumbled, feeling just a little lonely on the other side of the bed.

"Push over," Angela murmured before she began humming softly to Evie.

Juice moved in closer, reaching over Evie to find his wife in the dark. His heart ached with love for both of his girls. Despite being safe in Texas for almost two years now, he still couldn't believe his incredible luck. He'd gotten out of Charming safe and sound. He was living the life he'd always wanted. "She out?"

"Like a light," she replied before letting out a long sigh. "You gotta stop lettin' her do this, baby."

Juice frowned a bit. "She wanted Daddy love. How do I say no to that?"

Angela smirked, tucking Evie's hair behind her ear. They both knew once Evie was asleep, she'd stay asleep; a trait she'd inherited from her daddy. "A little tough love, some snuggles in her bed, and she's fine. Plus, think of all the morning Mama love you could be getting if we woke up without this little monkey in our bed."

He raised an eyebrow at her suggestive comment, an idea popping into his head. "What are the odds she stays asleep if I carry her back to bed?"

"Pretty damn good. She sleeps like her daddy." She ran a finger down the slope of Evie's nose, smiling a bit when she snuggled in closer. " 'course you could also leave her here. Get away with it while we still can."

Juice smirked, reaching around Evie to set his hand on Angela's stomach. "Yeah, she'll have to deal with a little brother or sister soon."

"Yeah," she agreed around a laugh. He could feel her tense a bit and felt a hint of his own sadness. They'd been birth control free since they'd started their life together in Texas. They were ready for another baby, finally in a safe place to have one, yet it still wasn't happening. He knew Angela was worried something was wrong with her.

"It'll happen, baby. I got a magic penis, remember?" he teased. Angela laughed softly, her hand searching blindly for him in the dark. He smiled when he felt her fingers brush against his cheek. Turning his head, he kissed her palm. "I love you, Angel. So much."

"Love you too, goof."

A happy sigh escaped her lips, warming him to the very core. The move to Texas hadn't been easy on her. She had applied to every funeral home within driving distance and not a single one was hiring. They all either had a full staff or were too low on funds to hire another employee. With his salary and the money she got from owning half of Dubrowski's back in Charming, she really didn't have to work, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

Angela wanted to work, needed to work. Staying at home all day had driven her crazy especially since they'd been taking Evie to the day care at his work so she could spend time with kids her own age. Thankfully, Dino's personal assistant quit, so he'd offered her the job. She'd gladly accepted it, but as much as he loved having her only a few desks away every day, he knew she missed the work she used to do at the funeral home. Knew it drove her a little stir crazy to be sitting at a desk all day managing Dino's schedule.

"Angel?"

"Hmm?" she hummed sleepily.

"You're happy here, right?" It was a question he asked her almost every night, and he could practically see her rolling her eyes at him in the dark room.

"Yes, baby."

A long time ago, they'd been at one of Gemma's big family gatherings and Kozik had asked her if she was happy. Juice could still picture the look in her eyes when she'd looked over at him and answered, 'the happiest'. It was one of his favorite memories, one that made him realize just how much she loved him. "The happiest?"

"I've got you, don't I?" she shot back before yawning. "Go to sleep, goofy."

"I love you, Angela Ortiz," he told her just because he knew he was driving her crazy.

"Go to sleep, Juan Carlos, or it's you that's going to be kicked out of bed."

He smiled to himself as he scooted closer to his two girls. Angela always gave him shit for saying they lived 'happily ever after', but he couldn't think of a better way to describe the life they were living now. He had everything he'd ever wanted and more. It may not be the typical happily ever after written about in story books, but it was certainly his happily ever after.

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Angela woke up to the feel of little hands patting lovingly against her cheeks. It wasn't a surprise. Even when Evie slept in her own bed, she always snuck in to wake them up for breakfast on the weekends. It was the reason they always made sure to fall asleep fully clothed lest she catch them naked in bed. Angela opened one eye to find Evie looming above her, her dark hair hanging forward, tickling her cheeks. "Mama, Riggy needs ta bafroom."

She looked over at the dog and smirked when she found him still asleep on her leg. "Oh does he?" she asked the little girl.

Evie nodded, a very serious look on her face. "Yeah. And 'm hungry. Want waffles."

"Aha! Knew there was a reason, you little stinker," she teased, poking her little nose with a finger and grinning when she wrinkled it, Juice's smile spreading across her little face. "C'mon, Evie-doll. Let's get some grub."

"Yay!" She clapped her hands excitedly as she got off her mother. "I wake Daddy?"

Angela shook her head, grunting as she picked Evie up and put her on her hip. "Not yet, baby doll. Let's let him sleep a bit, yeah?"

Evie nodded, playing with her mom's hair while they headed to the kitchen, Rigor at Angela's heels. "Mama, your hair is pretty."

"Thank you, baby," she replied, opening the door to let Rigor out. She put Evie on her feet, running her hand through Evie's soft hair. It was getting longer by the day, just a little past her shoulders now and curled naturally at the ends. "Your hair is pretty too. But you know what? We gotta cook."

"Hair tie!" Evie exclaimed, running toward the bathroom while Angela washed her hands. She came back with two hair ties in her hands. "Messy bun!"

Angela laughed, gathering Evie's hair and putting it in the style she'd requested before doing the same to her own hair. "Go get your stool, Monk."

Evie scrambled for the little stool she used when helping her Mom cook, stretching her arms up once she was on top and letting Angela tie her little apron on. "Hands!"

"Go ahead. I'm going to get the waffle iron out," she urged, watching from the corner of her eye as Evie soaped up her hands and rubbed them together like a surgeon getting ready for surgery. She was so much like her Dad sometimes it was scary. "Rinse, baby girl. I'm pretty sure you killed all the germs on those tiny hands."

Evie giggled and moved her stool towards the big mixing bowl. She climbed on top and grinned up at her mother. "Ready, Mama."

Angela leaned over to kiss her cheek before she began to put the ingredients out. This was a normal Saturday morning for the little Ortiz family. Whether she managed to get into their bed or not, Evie would wake her up early, and they'd make breakfast together. It was moments like these, Sinatra playing softly on the stereo—per Evie's request—while they cooked in the sunlit kitchen, that Angela felt like all was right with the world. She glanced out the window, watching Rigor run around the gated pool, his tongue lolling out happily. As soon as Juice or Kenny woke up, they'd go out and toss the ball around with him. It was perfect. A far cry from their chaotic life in Charming...and yet...

She shook her head slowly, doing her best not to let her mind go down that path. She loved her life in Texas, but she missed her job and the family she'd left behind in Charming. Missed working with her hands and putting the degree she'd worked so hard for to use. She was thankful Dino found a way to get her a job, but she hated being chained to the desk; his personal babysitter. Not that Dino was a baby. To the contrary, he was pretty easy to handle. Too easy, which meant she was sitting at her desk, bored, ninety-five percent of the time, her boredom only eased by Juice's quick visits between his own tasks.

She wasn't unhappy, just unsatisfied. She missed the days she'd spend day outside maintaining the cemetery or doing a hard facial reconstruction or teaching Bones, helping families or just feeling generally useful. She didn't feel that now, and it was starting to make her feel restless.

Her love for Juice, for their little family was what got her through each day. She was happy just to be home with them, to know they were all safe. In time, she'd find some kind of funeral home job, she was sure of it. She just had to be patient and wait for it.

Her phone went off, the Star Wars Cantina Song filling the air making Evie giggle. "Mama, phone!"

Angela looked down at her flour covered hands and sighed. "Can you grab that for me, baby girl? Its your Aunt Chloe."

"Coco!" Evie screamed, running to get her Mom's phone. She picked it up and expertly slid her fingers across the screen. "Hi Coco!" she shouted as she answered, making her mother wince; she knew that had to hurt her friend's ears. Evie listened intently, her brows drawn together in the same way her father's did when he was concentrating. "Okay, I give phone to Mama. Mama, PHONE!"

She chuckled, drying off her hands before reaching out for the phone. "Gracias, preciosa," she said, playing with her hair. "Go wake up Daddy. Tell him you need help finishing breakfast." (Thank you, precious)

Evie grinned back up at her. "Okay, Mama! I go get Daddy!"

Angela watched as she ran away, laughing to herself. "Hey Chlo! What's up?" she greeted, tucking the phone in the crook of her neck as she unplugged the waffle maker. The mix was already prepared, and Juice was more than capable of taking over once he was down there.

"Ang, you need to come home," Chloe said, her voice rougher than usual. "Elena's sick."

She moved outside, leaning against the porch railing. "Yeah, I know. She's been sick for a long time. She'll get better," she said, brushing it off like it was no big deal. "She always does. I talked to her last week, and she was fine."

"She relapsed this weekend. Badly. Ang, she's in the hospital. She's been having breathing complications and her emphysema is not helping. You need to come down here now if you want to see her again before..."

Angela ran a hand through her hair, grimacing slightly. "Shit," she muttered, a sinking feeling in her gut. She'd known this day was coming, that Elena was living on borrowed time as it was, but she never considered going back to Charming to say goodbye. She and Elena had already decided she'd stay in Texas. That they'd say goodbye over the phone since neither of them were good with teary goodbyes anyway. "Chlo, we can't go back to Charming."

"This is Elena, Ang. You're gonna let her go without sayin' goodbye?"

She sighed, turning to look through the glass doors behind her. Inside, she could see Juice holding Evie against his hip, grinning at her as she talked to him. Her heart ached at the idea of taking her family back to Charming; it would break Juice. There was no way. "Chlo, I..."

"Don't give me an excuse. You should be here. It would...it'd mean everything to Lena to see you and Eves one last time."

Angela twisted nervously at her rings, her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder. "We can't."

"Hap needs you, Ang. Don't let him go through this alone."

She took in a deep breath, hating how desperate Chloe sounded. It scared the shit out of her. Chloe was supposed to be on top of this shit; she was supposed to be the one helping Happy. It'd been the only reason Angela didn't feel so guilty leaving him behind in Charming. "That's what he has you for."

"He's been pushing me away lately. Trying to figure out how to handle it all. The man can do unspeakable things, but this...he has no control over it, and he doesn't know what to do. He needs you, Ang. Needs someone who knows exactly what he's going through."

"Goddamn," she murmured, closing her eyes tightly. She had already made her peace with the idea Elena would pass while she was in Texas. It was the reason they had regular phone calls and video chats just in case. Hearing Hap needed her made it harder for her to justify staying away. Hap had helped her through everything, had even saved her husband from certain death just for her. She couldn't just leave him alone if he needed her. It was her turn to step up for him now. "Lemme talk to Juice. Figure shit out."

"Don't take too long in coming over here. Shit is unraveling fast."

Angela clenched her jaw, hating the feeling of being pulled in two directions. She didn't want to go to Charming. It was a door she'd closed long ago. Hell, she hadn't even gone back for Ellie's graduation, settling on watching it through Boner's phone recording. Ellie had insisted she didn't want her to go and had asked if she and Bones could come visit Texas instead. They'd had an absolute blast. Ellie claimed it was much better than watching her suffer while being in Charming. Plus, she'd mentioned how all of SAMCRO had been at the ceremony despite her begging Lyla not to tell them. Angela was thankful the young girl had been so understanding; she was already dreading seeing any member of SAMCRO other than Hap, Tig, and Quinn.

This year had been Kenny's graduation, and Ellie and Bones had come down to celebrate. Now they had gone with Kenny and his girlfriend, Jasmine, on a senior trip out to Florida for a Disney World trip. Them being gone made the idea of going back to Charming that much worse. "Yeah, I got it. Ken's out on his grad trip, though. Probably be just me heading over there."

"Well, it'll be nice to see you."

"Yeah. Same. I gotta go, Chlo. See if I can take some time off and get a late flight out tomorrow night," she stated, waving weakly to Juice when he caught her eye through the window. "See you soon."

Chloe sighed softly. "Take care of yourself, Ang. See you later."

Angela hung up the phone, squeezing it tightly in her hand for a moment as she strategized how best to break it to Juice. He opened the sliding door, sticking his head out. "You all right, Angel?" he asked, a worried look on his face.

She unhitched herself from the deck railing and sighed. "That was Chloe," she explained, heading towards him. She scratched at her eyebrow, shifting uneasily. "She uh...called to tell me Lena's not doing too well."

Juice's face fell, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he swallowed hard. "Jesus Christ, baby. Are you okay?"

"I think so," she rasped, feeling a little overwhelmed. She let out a long breath meeting his gaze at a total loss for words. "I um...we knew this was going to happen. This isn't...she's old, and she's been sick for so long and I just...we're lucky she'd been alive this long. Right?"

He nodded, looking over his shoulder to make sure Evie was entertained before stepping out onto the deck. "Yeah. Seemed fine the last time we talked to her."

"Right?" she asked on a small laugh. She shook her head, her mind buzzing. Was she really going to leave the safety of their perfect little life and jump right back into the chaos of Charming? "This is...this is crazy. I'm not gonna go. I don't need to..."

"Go where?" His words stopped her train of thought. She'd forgotten she hadn't said anything to him about it yet. By the way his eyes were slowly becoming the size of saucers, she knew he guessed what she was thinking. "No. We can't...you want to go back to Charming?"

She ran a shaking hand through her hair. "N-no. I don't want to go back there. I don't...Chlo thinks I should say goodbye."

"But you said...you said you didn't need to. That...that you didn't want to be there when she..."

Frustration started wearing on Angela's nerves. Juice was right, of course; she'd told him she didn't want to go back to California for any reason. That she was okay saying goodbye to her aunt over video chat when it came down to it. Hell, even Elena had told her not to go up. What she hadn't counted on was Happy. If Chloe hadn't said he needed her, she'd be fine staying in Texas in their perfect little house with their perfect little life. But Happy did need her, and she'd be damned if she didn't show up for him. "I know, but Hap...Chlo says he's not...coping and he..."

"Needs you," Juice finished knowingly. He took a deep breath, straightening himself up and squaring his shoulders in a show of strength. "So we go."

She blinked at him for a second, processing what he'd just suggested. No way in hell were they going anywhere. She was going back to Charming, not him. Never him. Juice going back to Charming meant Chibs finding out he was alive which could lead to them carrying out what they'd failed to do before. She wasn't willing to take that risk. Not when they'd finally gotten their happily ever after. "No, we don't."

"But you just said--"

"I said I'd go. Not you," she clarified, shaking her head. "You're not going anywhere near Charming. Just me. You stay with Eves and Rigs. I'll go and take care of this on my own."

Juice shook his head. "No, absolutely not. 'm not gonna let you do this alone!"

She gritted her teeth at his choice of words. "You don't have to let me do anything! If I want to go, I'll go!"

"Shit, Angel. You know I didn't mean it like that," he backtracked quickly. "I just...don't want you going back there. Not without me."

"You can't come with me, Juice. It's not safe, its not..."

"No! I'll be fine!"

"You're dead there, Juice!" she shouted in exasperation. Her breath was coming a little too fast now as she went into panic mode. Her mind was reeling at the idea of Juice going back to Charming. Of him jumping right back into the place that had all but killed him. He was never ever supposed to go back there. "Don't you get that? You cannot go back!"

Juice stared at her in shock, surprised by her outburst. "Angel, please. I'm not scared of them anymore," he begged softly. "Please, let me go. You're going to need me there when Lena...when she..."

"No! I don't want you there!" she spat in anger. The hurt that crossed his face cut her to the core. He shook his head in disappointment turning his back on her. "Wait! Juice!"

He turned around slowly, his shoulders tensed. "Save it, Ang. I want to be there. I'm willing to risk everything to go back there for you and you...you don't want me there? I'm your husband. I'm supposed to support you. You helped me through everythin' 'n' you won't let me return the favor. And I...I can't wrap my head around why. You really think I'm that weak?"

"You don't understand..."

"I think I kinda do," he said on a sad laugh. "And it really fuckin' sucks."

"Juice, please, just..."

"I gotta...go clear my head. I'll take Evie to the park or something," he muttered, turning around again and walking away.

This time she let him go, feeling her heart sink to the bottom of her chest. She felt like she was being pulled under water, fighting her best to stay afloat, to survive, but it was all starting to be too much. Pressing her hand to her heart, she struggled to catch her breath. Hot tears of frustration pricked at her eyes as she sunk down in the Adirondeck chair, pulling her knees up to her chest. She hated being in this situation, hated fighting with Juice, hated the idea of going back to Charming. Though she'd said she'd visit, she'd honestly never planned to go back there ever again. Wiping at her eyes, she looked up at the sky, letting out a shaky breath as she prayed like hell that her dad or her uncle or Kozik or anyone of her guardian angels heard her and helped her because she desperately needed them right now.

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Juice pushed Evie on the swing set, watching her go higher and higher and letting her laughter ease the pain he was currently feeling. He still couldn't believe Angela told him she didn't want him there. After all they'd been through, he'd never thought she'd push him away like that. Never thought she'd reject his help as if she didn't need him.

But he knew better. He knew she needed him, knew her going to Charming by herself was a bad idea. She was putting on a strong front now when she was miles away, but once she was in front of her sick Aunt, once she was face to face with idea of letting her go, she wasn't going to be that strong. She was going to need him there to keep her sane. To help her strengthen herself so she could be strong for Happy.

She wasn't supposed to go back to Charming. Neither of them were. They were done with that town and everything they'd left behind there. He was dead there and everyone he used to love there was dead to him.

But her whole family was there. Her whole family and the job that she loved, the life that she'd loved, were all back there. What if she went back and realized how much she wanted to stay? Realized she'd made a mistake when she'd up and moved her whole life to Texas? He couldn't lose her. Couldn't fathom what it would be like to live without her. Already the idea of her leaving for an indiscriminate amount of time was giving him heart palpitations. He didn't want to be away from her. He didn't want to be alone again.

"Too high, Daddy! Too high!" Evie's exclamation, pulled him from his thoughts, and he realized he'd let all of his frustration out on the swing set. Evie wasn't a daredevil like her mother; she was more cautious like him.

He carefully put his hand on the back of the swing, slowing her down considerably. "Sorry, Monk. Want to get out?"

"Yeah! Shop now?"

Juice nodded, picking her up and holding her close. He was determined to stay away from his house, from Angela as long as he could just so he could gather his thoughts before diving back into it. He took Evie on every errand he could think of, driving her around to all of their favorite spots and succeeding in totally wearing her out. By the time he finally headed back home, Evie was sound asleep in her car seat.

The front porch light was on when he pulled into their driveway as was the light in their bedroom. He finally had his thoughts put together, his head on straight, but he still wasn't ready to talk to her. Didn't even know where to begin.

Carefully, he lifted Evie out of her car seat, making sure not to wake her. She clung to him, her face snuggled into his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs. His bedroom door was closed which meant Angela wasn't ready to talk to him either. They were both more frustrated than angry with each other; both unsure of how to deal with the situation they were in.

He gently shook Evie awake as he sat down on her bed, reaching for her Little Mermaid PJs. "C'mon, Monk. PJ time."

She groggily helped him change her into her pajamas, rubbing at her eyes as he took out her bun. "Beso, Daddy?" she asked around a yawn.

Juice kissed her cheek, running a hand over her wild hair to smooth it some. "Goodnight, Monk. Love you, baby girl."

"Love you too, Daddy," she murmured, grabbing her little bulldog. "Beso, Mama?"

Of course, she needed to have a goodnight kiss from her Mom before she went to sleep. It was pretty standard. Evie wouldn't go to sleep without saying goodnight to both of them. "Sure, baby. I'll go get your Mama. Get cozy, okay?"

She nodded snuggling deep into her covers before giving him an expectant look. He smirked, chuckling a bit as he headed down the hall to his bedroom. The door was open now, the glow from the lamp inside warm and inviting. The open suitcase on their bed was a little less inviting. In fact, it was downright irritating; she'd clearly made her decision without consulting him about it. Angela was standing by their bureau, a picture frame in her hands. He knew without asking which photo was in the frame. It was a strip of photos from the photo booth at Fun Town taken on one of their rare dates at the beginning of the relationship. It was the cleaner one of two they'd taken. The other, naughtier set was behind it, only accessible if you opened the frame. It was the only picture of him with his mohawk that wasn't packed away in storage or locked in their safe. It was hidden in her underwear drawer instead to serve as a reminder of their beginnings, of their happier days.

He tapped his knuckles against the doorframe to catch her attention. She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. "Hey you," she greeted softly, setting the picture frame back into the drawer.

"Monk wants Mama besos," he stated gruffly, his eyes on the suitcase instead of her.

"Okay," she murmured, slipping by him, her head down. Her scent reached his nose, giving him the urge to grab her arm and pull her in close, kiss her until she couldn't breathe. He resisted the urge, watching her hips sway as she walked down the hallway. He waited until she'd disappeared into Evie's room before heading down the stairs to the living room. Throwing himself on the couch, he turned on some late night cartoons, feeling his eyelids grow heavy as he tried to focus on the large screen.

Juice didn't realize he'd dozed off until he felt her warm body stretch out across his. Again the scent of her shampoo infiltrated his senses, calming him the way it always did. "I lied," Angela whispered, her breath tickling his neck. "I want you there. Of course I want you there."

"But..." he goaded, his fingers raking through her dark hair.

"But you can't be there," she murmured, turning her head to kiss his chest. "Because if you go there, they'll kill you, and I'm not going through that again. I'm not...I can't lose you again."

He sighed, turning his head to kiss her forehead. "You're not going to lose me. I'll stay far, far away from Charming. In Oakland or San Francisco. Just...let me be close to you."

"No. It's not worth the risk, baby," she rasped, sniffling a bit. "Please just...let me deal with this on my own. Please. I have to focus on Lena and being strong for her right now, and I can't do that if you're there. If I know you're in danger."

Juice felt a lump form in his throat, glad he couldn't see her face in the position they were in. He knew the memories of their past had to be haunting her, making her so stubborn about him staying put. Selfishly, he wanted to go with her only because he didn't want to be alone again, but if it was what she wanted; he had no choice but to go along with it. "Me stayin' here, it'll make things easier for you over there?"

"Either way, 's not going to be easy," she told him, tracing shapes along his chest. "But knowing that you're here, that you're safe? I need that peace of mind because everything else is going to be complete chaos. I need you to be my rock, to be the sane, stable one to support me when I need you. You can't be that if you're there because everything there will be completely insane for both of us."

"But its so far," he murmured, whining just a little bit. "How can I be there for you when you'll be so far away?"

She sat up, straddling his hips and meeting his gaze. "Because just hearing your voice calms me down," she told him, caressing his cheek with her hand. "And we can FaceTime and text message constantly, and you'll always be right there, in my pocket. Safe and sound."

He moved his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her down for a kiss. "Okay, baby," he murmured against her lips. He knew he'd made the right decision when her shoulders relaxed, a look of relief passing across her face.

"Thank you," she sighed, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.

"Just promise me one thing," he asked, brushing the back of his hand over her cheek. At her eyebrow raise, he continued, "Promise me you'll come back to me. Please."

She was surprised for a brief moment before a knowing look crossed her face. "Of course, I'll come back to you," she promised, kissing him again. "Why wouldn't I?"

He shrugged, trying to think of the best way to explain it. "Because you loved your life there. Loved being with your family and your little Scooby gang and working at the funeral home. It was...it was perfect."

"It was perfect because I had you," she pointed out. As good as her words made him feel, he was still unsure about it, and it must've been written all over his face because she frowned and said, "Baby, I've lived there without you, and it...it sucked. All I wanted to do was get out of that hell. I got you back from the dead, Juice, remember? No way am I letting you go again."

Juice sighed softly, pulling her back down to his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around her. He was comforted by the perfect way her body fit with his, her lips pressed to the side of his neck, her hand resting over his heart. He stroked a hand through her hair, breathing her in while he still could and ingraining this feeling into his mind because once she was gone, he didn't know when she'd be coming back. "This sucks."

He felt her mouth curve into a smile against his skin. A light chuckle escaped her hold, blossoming into a laugh that he could feel vibrating through his whole body. He couldn't help but join in with his own laughter. It was a hysterical sort of laughter that felt good. It was the release they needed after such a stressful day. She pushed herself up, her lips crashing down against his, her tongue sliding into his mouth. They pulled away from each other, oxygen starved and still laughing as they undressed each other clumsily. A growl left Juice's throat as he rolled them over. "Juice!" Angela shrieked as he blew raspberries into her neck. Her fingers raked through his hair as their eyes met, their laughter dying down as they grew serious.

"God, I love you," he said, roughly kissing her with another growl.

She grinned at him. Her smile warmed him from the inside out, gave him faith that they'd pull through this. That no matter what happened in Charming, they were going to be okay. She loved him, and that would never change. She leaned up and kissed his nose. "Love you too, goof."