I know, its taken me so long to update!! Sorry! The end part of this chapter was really tricky for me, and I think you'll understand why once you finish this chapter...😉

As always, please let me know what you think! I really enjoy hearing all of your thoughts!

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Happy stared at Chloe through the window of her hospital room. The cover were pulled up to her waist, her arms on top of them. Scratches covered her arms, one large white bandage wrapped around her upper arm where he knew a bullet had grazed her. Her face was peaceful and beautiful, only slightly marred by a few scratches here and there. She was stable, they told him. After eight hours in surgery, all they could tell him was she was stable. The bullet had somehow managed to fracture something in her spine. At least that's how Chibs explained it to him. The Doctor had tried to tell him in depth what had happened, but he hadn't understood a damn word that woman had said. All he'd heard was that she was stable, and they'd have to wait for her to wake up before they would know whether she'd be able to walk again.

Guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders. It was a feeling he wasn't used to, a feeling he hated. This was all his fault. He didn't know what had possessed him to show up at the nurse's house that random night so long ago, didn't know why the hell she even let him in. Why she kept letting him in. Into her home, into her bed, into her life. She should've known better. Should've pushed him away. Then they wouldn't be in this situation. She would've been whole. Would've been walking down the hospital's halls doing what she loved instead of laying in one of its rooms.

Stable. The word haunted him. His Ma was stable too. Stable and living out the rest of her days in a hospital room instead of at her home because of him. Chloe was stable and probably wouldn't walk again because of him. Angela had been stable when she was in Texas, and now she was in Charming, pregnant, and at her wit's end because she wanted to be there for him. He was single-handedly ruining the lives of the three women he cared about most. He closed his eyes for a moment, his head pressed against the cold window, what the hell was wrong with him? He was done hurting them, he decided. Soon as he could, he'd have his Ma transferred back to his house, force his cousin and her family to go home, and let Chloe go.

He felt a presence beside him and turned to see Juice standing beside him. "Thought you were at the Mayans place?"

"Angel went with Eves. Told her I'd stay here. Give her updates since she knew no one else would. Its the only way I got her to go back and try to rest," he explained, his hands in his pockets. "How is she?"

"Stable," he replied on a sigh. "Might never walk again."

Juice ran a hand over his face, his wedding ring glinting in the hospital light as he did so. "Yeah, 'm not telling Ang the second part tonight. I was hopin' she'd get some sleep, though I get the feelin' she won't get much."

"Think you guys should go back to Texas," Happy stated bluntly. "Shit ain't healthy for her, not with those monsters inside a her."

He sighed softly, a pensive look on his face. "You're not wrong," he agreed, nodding his head. "But she's not gonna leave."

"She your Old Lady or not?"

Juice gave him a sideways glare, shaking his head. "First of all, she's my wife, not my old lady," he stated on a scowl. "Second of all, I can't make her do anything. 'm not gonna even try. That's not...we don't work that way. I respect her too much for that. Also, have you ever tried to make Angela do something she doesn't want to do without any logic or reason behind it? You can tell her 'til you're blue in the face that you're doing it for her health, but that's not a good enough reason. She'll be equally as stressed in Texas. And it'll be worse there 'cause she'll be so far away."

Happy shook his head. "She needs to get outta here."

The other man looked at him for a moment, his head tilted to the side as if he were studying him before he frowned. "Stop pushing her away," he stated, his dark eyes back on the window. "You've been doin' it for too long and you're not helping her any."

"What?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "I noticed it when she first moved to Texas. At first, I played it off as you wanting her to get settled in before you started makin' her miss home, and I appreciated it," he explained on a shrug. "But it went from months to a year to two years, almost three, and you still didn't reach out."

Happy clenched his jaw for a moment. "Didn't want to hurt her. Make her miss shit here and want to come home."

"Still hurt her," he said softly. "She would never admit it, but it did. Shit, Hap, she was datin' a Mayan, and you still reached out to her when you could. You not talkin' to her or even tryin'...think it made her feel like you didn't care or that you didn't...you didn't approve."

"Wasn't that," he stated quickly, knowing Juice's mind was probably running a mile a minute. If he went down that rabbit hole, it wasn't going to be good. He knew Juice still felt insecure when it came to Angela and her happiness, knew it was something that plagued him. "Wouldn't a let you live if I didn't think you were good for her."

That got a little smile out of Juice, though he tried to hide it. "Then why didn't you call? You can joke about it all you want with Ang, but I'm askin' for real...why didn't you call?"

"She don't need me anymore," he answered honestly. "Not when she has you. Didn't see a reason to call her. Wouldn't a helped her with anythin'."

"You're wrong. There's certain things she needs you for. Certain things she won't tell me 'cause she doesn't want to...to trigger anything for me," he admitted, hanging his head a bit in shame. "I tell her I can handle it and sometimes she humors me, but...she won't talk to me or Chlo like she talks to you. She keeps so much inside."

Happy sighed, rubbing a hand over his head. He understood what the idiot was saying; he missed having his little cousin as a confidant too. Chloe tried, but she didn't understand the club dynamics like Angela did. He spent more time explaining things then venting to her. "Yeah," he said for lack of something better to say. "You should go back. Update her. Make sure she gets some sleep."

Juice sighed heavily and nodded. "Yeah. She won't, but I'll try."

"Think Tig has more of those diaper vitamins," he commented on a smirk.

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "I fuck up once, and no one will let it go," he muttered, the smallest hint of a smile on his face as he shook his head. "I'ma head out then. You should go in there. Starin' at her from out here ain't gonna help her any. Go give her a kiss. Wake the sleepin' beauty."

"I look like Prince Charmin' to you?" Happy drawled, hands in his pockets as he grabbed a toothpick. He yearned for a cigarette, but those days were long gone; he'd broken that habit for Chloe, and he wasn't about to start because of her.

"Pretty sure the only 'prince' Charming ever had is buried six feet under," he quipped, alluding to Jax without even saying his name. "And good riddance to him."

Happy gave him a heated glare, which made him step away. He didn't know why the comment had angered him, but it had. True, Jax had done some bad shit before his death, but Hap wasn't going to stand for Juice trashing him. Not when Juice had done some bad shit himself. The urge to remind him about stealing the coke and killing Miles was strong, but he held his tongue. Bringing that shit up would fuck with the idiot's mind, and Happy wanted him to go back to Angela with a clear head, ready to help her. Instead, he settled with a warning. "Watch it."

Juice hung his head as if a little ashamed of his own comment. "Yeah. I'm gonna go 'fore I say anything that's gonna give me a black eye."

"Good idea," he ground out, turning back to Chloe to signify the end of their conversation. He heard Juice's heavy footfalls as he walked away and discreetly looked at his back. He'd never admit it, but Juice's words made sense. He didn't want to lose Chloe, and he was tired of pushing Angela away. It honestly bothered him not to have his cousin to turn to when he needed to talk to someone. As for Chloe, he'd leave the choice up to her. He wouldn't fight for her. If she told him she was done, he'd let her go without a word. He'd walk right out and never turn back just to keep her safe. After all the heartache and pain he put her through, he owed that to her.

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Piper sat in the wet grass of the cemetery on the small bump of fresh sod Bones had just placed over his mother's grave. He didn't know what he was doing there, but it was starting to get cold. He'd never enjoyed going to the cemetery like Kenny did. He didn't see the point in it. Visiting people who were buried six feet under didn't make any sense to him. Now, sitting at the end of his mother's fresh grave, he understood. He took a long toke off of his joint, enjoying the buzz the marijuana provided him. It was usually calming to him, but his heart was in tatters. He missed his mom. Even though he was grown and prospecting, he still came home to find his Mom waiting up for him. Usually with some food or a joint for him and a good story from Redwoody. That night, he'd gone home to a cold, empty house with the knowledge that his Mom wouldn't be coming back. He'd turned right around; he wasn't ready for that kind of loneliness.

"Stone should be in sometime this week," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see Kenny standing there, his hands in his pockets. "My Ma said you picked a pink marble?"

Piper nodded, rubbing at his forehead with his thumb. "Mom didn't like the black like your other mom and Ope's. She wanted it to be prettier. When Ang showed me the pink one, it just felt...right."

Kenny sat down next to him, his long legs stretched out in front of him. "It'll look nice. Break up some of this bad-ass black marble shit. Lyla woulda liked it," he said looking down the row. "Wish we could've done white for my Mom, but that wasn't my choice."

Jax's, Tara's, Gemma's, Opie's, and Donna's were all black marble. Piper had been shocked when Angela told him there were other colors. "Yeah," he said for lack of something better to say. "Weird that you have to moms."

" 's why I call Donna, 'Mom' and Ang, 'Mama' or 'Ma'," he explained, playing with a blade of grass. "It's easier to keep 'em separate that way."

Piper bobbed his head slowly. "Does it ever stop hurting? Do you ever just...forget?"

"About my bio parents?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know Ell still feels the hurt 'cause she's always comin' down here to talk to 'em or mentioning Donna and stuff, but you...you got a whole new family. Did that...did that make you forget?"

Kenny scowled, flicking the grass out of his hand and to the ground. "I didn't forget about my bio parents. How could I? I think about them every day. It doesn't stop hurtin' either. I've been doing all of these great things with football and graduating high school, and shit, and I would've for them to see that. And Jazzy? They'll never meet her or know her, and that sucks 'cause they woulda loved her," he explained on a frown. "It still hurts. I mean, I saw what my Mom looked like after they shot her. No one really remembers that we were there, but Ope...he was driving her car home and we saw the lights and he just stopped and Ell and I were in the car. We saw...everything."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Sometimes I see it again in my dreams. See my Mom laying in the street, bleeding or my Pops laid out on the funeral home table," he said, raking a hand through his hair. "But Angela was there. For both of them. And she...kind of explained what happened and what would happen next. Had us sit in the cemetery and talk with my Mom. Helped a lot. Ang helped us make sense of it all."

"Sounds like I gotta have a talk with Angie," Piper muttered, offering Kenny the joint.

"Not a bad idea." Kenny passed on the joint, shaking his head. "Not a fan."

"Your new Dad smokes weed, you know," he replied, taking a toke.

"I know. My Ma does too. I'm usually the one that brings the shit from here to Texas when I visit Ell. Juice needs it for his head, and Ang needs to relax some times. Everythin' that happened in Charming seriously fucked them up," he stated, his hazel eyes falling on the large headstone beside the empty space; Opie's.

Piper sighed softly, closing his eyes and breathing in the cool night air. "At least they're alive."

"Yeah."

They were silent for a while before Piper couldn't take it. He had so much shit going through his head, and here was his stepbrother, seemingly there to listen to him. "One day," he stated, breaking the silence. His voice cracked on the last word, a lump forming in his throat. At Kenny's eyebrow raise, he elaborated. "We were one day away from finding her, Ken. If I had just..."

Kenny put a heavy hand on his shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "Don't go there, Pipes. This isn't your fault. There was nothin' you could do."

Piper could feel the tears stinging at his eyes and wiped at them with the sleeve of his flannel. "I shoulda been there to protect her. I was supposed to be there 'n' then Rat needed somethin' so I left, and they took her. I dunno why the other Sons there didn't see it or protect her but...I shoulda been there. She was counting on me to protect her, and I let her down."

"No, don't think like that. They were waiting for her to be alone, Pipes. Probably been sittin' on the place for weeks. From what I heard Ly had gone out to throw somethin' away, and they grabbed her. Even if you were there, you'da missed it. You saw the video. Saw how fast it happened," he pointed out logically. "The way they took 'em was well thought out and planned. If you were there, they'da just killed you too as a way to add fuel to the fire."

He knew Kenny was right, but it was still hard to hear. He sniffled a bit, drawing knees up and hanging his head as he let the tears fall. He hated himself for crying in front of his stepbrother, but he couldn't help it. It was all too much. To his credit, Kenny didn't say a word. Just sat there beside him, giving him company. Piper managed to pull himself together after a few minutes. He let out a long breath, raking his hand through his hair as he wiped at his eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Kenny said, slapping him on the back before getting to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go do some drunk driving."

Piper raised an eyebrow up at him. "You want to drive drunk? You won't even smoke weed!"

"Just c'mon. You'll like it," he assured him, holding out his hand to help him to his feet. Piper took Kenny's hand, allowing him to help him to his feet.

"Where does this drunk driving take place?"

"Funeral home." Kenny nodded at the grave as if to say goodbye. "Bye Ly. See you later."

Piper always found it weird how Kenny and Ellie talked to their parents' headstones as if they were alive and sitting there beside them in the grass. When he'd first seen them doing it, he hadn't understood, but if it made them feel better, he was willing to give it a shot. "Love you, Mom. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you. Miss you so much."

To his surprise, talking to his mom did help him feel a little better. Less alone. It made sense now why Kenny and Ellie spent so much time at the cemetery; it helped them feel closer to the ones they'd lost. Piper had a feeling he'd be coming back there soon. He jogged to catch up with Kenny who'd already started heading towards the little apartment above the funeral home. "So about this drunk driving..."

Kenny smirked, climbing up the stairs to the apartment. He opened the door and the warmth from the heater blew into his face, accompanied by the sound of Bones and Ellie's laughter. Empty beer cans and bottles of cider littered the ground and the sound of motors and some cheesy theme music was blaring loudly from the TV. Kenny pressed an ice cold beer can into his hand before grabbing a controller off the ground. "This one's for you."

Piper chuckled in disbelief. "Mario Kart."

"Yeah. Didn't think we were really gonna drive drunk, did ya?" Kenny asked on a laugh. "C'mon, I bet I can still kick your ass."

Ellie rolled her eyes, nudging Piper's side when he sat down next to her. "Watch out for those two," she whispered loudly, alcohol on her breath. "They're a buncha cheaters. Always have been."

"Hey! I don't cheat!" Bones exclaimed in offense. "I'm just better at this game than you! Ken cheats! He knows all the secrets! Ang taught him the tricks!"

Kenny didn't deny the claim. Instead, he popped the top off of a beer, waiting until Ellie and Bones did the same. "So the goal here is to chug your beer—cider in El's case—and then start driving," he explained with a big grin. "Ready, Pipes?"

For the first time since his Mom died, he smiled and nodded, popping open his own beer. "Let's do this," he said, bringing the can to his lips. As soon as they finished their drinks and started racing, the laughter that surrounded him made his heartache subside just a little. Maybe he wouldn't be alone after all.

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Darkness surrounded Chloe once again as whatever anesthesia they had given her started to wear off. Her back felt strangely numb, which made her nervous. She remembered getting shot. Remembered the searing pain as the metal bullet sliced through the skin of her lower back. She opened her eyes, squinting in the bright hospital lights that were so similar to the bright light she'd hit the second she'd stepped out of the warehouse. She'd been safe for all of two seconds before she'd felt that bullet slice through her skin and then the world had gone black. The whole situation scared the shit out of her.

When she'd been in the thick of it, she'd felt strong, ready to handle everything that was thrown their way but lying in the hospital bed with that strange feeling in her back and limbs, made her feel weak and terrified. How badly was she injured? Would she ever walk again? Happy had promised her he'd keep her safe, had promised nothing bad would ever happen to her, yet here she was lying in a hospital bed. 

She knew he was there. Could feel his presence despite not being able to see him. She would've thought he would've taken off, insisting it was for her own good. At this point in time, she almost wished he had so the decision would've been made for her, so it wouldn't be so hard.

She ignored him for the moment, though. Focusing on her fingers and toes. She moved her fingers, tapping each finger against her thumb to test her nerves. She could move them and feel them, which was good. Next she focused on moving her toes. Despite being covered by the sheet, she could see them moving the way she wanted them to. Relief flooded through her, all hope was not lost.

"You all right?" his rough voice questioned, breaking through the silence. Clearly her movements had alerted him that she was awake.

"No," she answered, wishing she could hit him for asking such a stupid question. She'd been shot in the back; she was lucky to be alive.

She heard the chair scrape against the floor before Happy's face came into view. There was no expression on it, no emotion in his eyes. She'd been used to that after being with him for a while. She was used to catch the little glimpses of smiles or worry, but now, as he was looking down at her in the hospital bed, she saw nothing. She didn't know what she'd expected; Happy had never actually said he cared for her out loud, why should he show any emotion now? He cleared his throat, his dark eyes scanning over her face. "You hurtin'?"

"No," she repeated, wishing she was still sedated. Looking at his blank face made her stomach churn in anger. Still waters may run deep, but would it kill him to at least look concerned? "Still on drugs."

"Guess so," he murmured, reaching a hand out to touch her cheek. She turned away from his touch; surprised to see a flash of pain cross his face. So he could feel, she thought. Happy let his hand fall to his side, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "You want me to go?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, feeling tears stinging her eyes. "I kinda do. For now." 

He nodded in understanding. "Want me to call the kid?"

Chloe wasn't sure if that was something she wanted, to be honest. Angela was her best friend, and she needed someone's support, but she had a feeling Angela wouldn't be too happy about her making him leave. "Not yet. She should rest. I'll ask one of the nurses to call her tomorrow."

Happy nodded slowly. "Okay," he said, his hands hanging at his sides as if he didn't know what to do with them. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Glad you're okay, Braun."

"Yeah, thanks."

He nodded once again as if to say goodbye before his face disappeared from view. His footsteps were impossible to hear. She didn't know he was gone until she heard the door open and close. The finality of the sound of the door closing behind him had her second guessing her decision. She may not have sent him away for good, but knowing Happy, he wasn't going to show up again. Not unless she asked for him.

But she wasn't going to do that, she told herself. Whatever relationship she had with Happy was dangerous. It had put her in the hospital with a gunshot wound of all things! Yes, she'd known how treacherous the life Happy lived was, had seen it reflected in everything that had happened with Angela through the years. As much as she loved Angela, the outlaw life was never something she wanted for herself. Hell, she'd been engaged to a cop! She had loved the kind of security that had come being a cop's wife. There was danger, but it was all around him specifically, it didn't come home with him. When he was home, they were safe. There was no need to worry about rival gangs or drugs kidnapping her and hurting her.

And then there was Happy who was always in danger, but she'd fallen hard for him. After hearing about him and what a great man he was from Angela, it'd been easy to conjure up an image of her caring, kind cousin. When she finally met him, that image clashed with the reality of the tall, tattooed biker, yet he was standing outside her exam room, every muscle in his body tensed as he waited to hear if his little cousin was going to be okay. The more she got to know him, the more she saw glimpses into the caring cousin Angela talked about. They'd already been weeks into their strange relationship when she was clued in about his status as the club's assassin. She had no idea before that. Had been blind to it. Probably because she didn't want to see it. She wanted to keep thinking of him as the caring man who loved his family more than anything, not the dangerous outlaw he was. She'd been so stupid. How could she have been so blind?

Because she loved him and that had made her blind to it all. But was she willing to stay with him and risk her own life? Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath. She wasn't sure about that answer yet. Maybe once she was out of the hospital, once everything around her was stable again, she'd be able to figure out what she wanted. She hoped by then it wasn't too late.

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Honestly, I went back and forth with how to end this chapter with Hap/Chloe, which is why it took me soooo long to update! Let me know what you guys think!!

Also...would anyone be interested in an Angela/Juice AU where they meet and become just friends in NY and then eventually become roommates in Charming?? I have a lot of one written out that I had tumblr user, juiceortiz, brainstorm with me, and I love it a LOT! But I don't want to do overkill with Angela and Juice, so let me know if you're interested!! If not, I'll keep writing it and enjoying it myself. ;) 

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