The Ortiz Clan

Family,
where life begins and love never ends

:;:;:;:;:

Her feet ached and her mood was foul as she finished her shift at the pub, she walked up the driveway connecting to her flat. She cast her eyes to the second hand car parked in her driveway, just another thing she needed to fix. She jammed the house key into the lock and leaned against the old door, pushing weight onto it as she successfully unlocked it. A sign escaped her as she took in the one room apartment, joint kitchen and bedroom was all she could afford at the moment.

She dumped her keys on the island table separating the kitchen and bedroom, next were her flats to go as she kicked them to the end of her single mattress. Changing her white shirt to an oversized green one and slipping into a pair of ripped skinny jeans as she walked bare foot out of the apartment to the Chevy sitting the drive way. Unlocking the boot, she pulled out her tools and brought them around to the front of the hood. Making the stiff muscles finally relax as she bent forward to replace one of the hoses.

"Could you use some help?" She glanced up at her brother as if his appearance was normal.

"What would you know about cars,idiota?" He didn't say anything about the Spanish word, he was use to her calling him an idiot from their younger days and watched her continue to unscrew a blot.

"I've learnt a bit but these guys could fix it." At the mention of others she looked up from the engine and scanned over the couple of guys at the end of the driveway, each one dressed in black and leaning against a Harley.

"Why would you like to help me?" She dragged her eyes away from the men to her older brother. "Why now?"

"I'm offering it to you, not telling." She hated how she could read the true emotions on his face, there was something wrong but it didn't matter, she wasn't going to help him if he couldn't help her when she need him most.

"Not now, not ever." She dropped the spanner into the tool box and turned her back on him, making her way back to her apartment.

"Alicia, Ma past away." She felt as if the air was knocked out of her, her legs wouldn't move her any further.

"At least she finally got away from the bastard." Alicia turned around to face Juice but didn't move any closer to him.

"I see you did too." Juice searched her face, looking for any type of emotion from the news.

"I needed to get out." She became defensive at his tone.

He nodded towards her flat. "Well it doesn't look anything like heaven."

"But its all mine." Alicia stood straighter and raised her chin, it may not be much but it was home in her eyes. "I'd invite you in but i haven't got anything to give you."

"Saw a takeaway shop down the road, my shout." Her eyes flickered to her brothers, it wouldn't hurt to hear him out and she was hungry anyway, she would never pass up free food.

"I ain't riding that thing." She nodded her head to the motorbike, it wasn't that she was afraid of them but she didn't want to involve herself anymore than needed with him- she didn't want to bring up past memories.

She could almost hear him holding his breath. "Its only a short walk." He shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Ill just grab my handbag." Turning her back, she cast one quick look over her shoulder to see Juice talking to the others. It gave her the perfect view of his cut, the grim reaper on the back- the reason to her brother disappearing. Shaking her head, she grabbed her bag and locked the front door realising as she turned around that her drive way was over run by men as they settled themselves around her car. She would have done something if it wasn't for the hand on her arm that pulled her in the other direction away from her Chevy and towards the small takeaway shop.

She didn't know where to start as they sat on opposite sides of the table, they hadn't been in contact for years and they were both to blame for that. Alicia found it hard to spot the similarities in her brother, the closest thing was the tan of their skin from their mother while Juice had the dark hair and Alicia's had a reddish tint to hers. She knew that it had to do with the fact that their fathers were two different men, but family was family no matter how far the apple fell from the tree. She had to hand it to her mother, she liked to explore as that was proven- Juices father happened to be black while Alicia's was white but the Puerto Rico in them balanced out the cultures giving them the skin of russet silk. Juice's father had long left town when their mother met her white ass father. The man was abusive and Juice was soon quickly escaping the town. That hurt more than she wanted to admit, which is why she was going to make sure that he didn't enter her world as quickly as he left. Juice wasn't perfect though, she could remember the late mornings and early nights were he went down to the pit- it was probably where he met SAMCRO. "You still have the cheese burger and lime milkshake?' She wanted to say 'no' so it meant he didn't remember anything about her but shook her head.

"Sooo how did you find me?" She had made sure that no one knew of her whereabouts- she wanted something new that didn't mean having her past bring her back down.

"I've extended my skills." Their meals came over, the largest one with a-lot burger and a plate covered in chips was place in front of Juice with a bottle of coke- it seemed his diet hadn't changed much over the years either.

"You aren't doing illegal things?" She narrowed her eyes at the shrugging of his shoulder that meant 'yes'.

"Don't look at me like that. You've had your fair share." It was true but she got out of that life away from the illegal world unlike her brother. She knew she wasn't an Angel, she still felt the twitch of her fingers for the next hit when the stress became to much. "Shit, i didn't mean that." He hated the look on her face, they were meant to reunite, not fight. "You know i ha-"

"Have no filter." She cracked him a smile to let him know that no harm was done, she really did believe he didn't think before the words flew out his big mouth.

"You know I am really sorry about leaving."

She chewed her burger making him wait on her response. "You'll have to prove yourself like any other."

Juice nodded his head in understanding, he didn't except anything else from his sister. He wasn't about to tell her but he did keep on an eye on her, checking her data base to make sure she wasn't struggling to much. She always seemed to laid flat on her feet, the only time she was unsteady was the first few months he had left town and the incident report on the police data base about a abusive boyfriend, it hinted that their was rape involved and another man. Juice had taken care of it the only way he knew, retaliation though he wouldn't tell Alicia that unless she questioned him herself. It took awhile but she climbed back onto her feet and with club business at the time, he couldn't just leave them hanging. He also knew that she deserved better, she was one of the few hard working women he knows. "I'm going to handle Ma's funeral."

She knew he meant financial."I'll organise it." Their mother wasn't a bad woman, she just had a taste for the worse men known to earth.

"Are you prepared to come down to Charming with me?" There was the question she was waiting for, it was always her go there when she was need. This time she wasn't going for Juice or her father but their mother to show her final respects.

"So she's going to get buried in Charming?" He hesitantly nodded his head while watching her reaction.

"Guess she would like that, she always wanted to be close to you." Juice was a product of a loving relationship that didn't work, Alicia was an accident but their mother never degraded her for it though Alicia knew it and her mothers state of mind once Juice had left proved it.

"She loved you, you do know that." Alicia nodded her head feeling the emotion swell up tight in her throat. "W-why don't we start heading back to yours?" Juice still couldn't handle the emotions of women- he really didn't seem to have changed.

Once Juice had paid for their meals and they were outside walking back down her street, he threw an arm over her shoulder. She was tempted to move it but it reminder her of the good days when they use to walk home from school together, nudging each other in the ribs or laughing at the childish jokes. "Thanks Carlos." She saw the slight surprise flash across his face at the nickname of his middle name, but soon gave her one of his large smiles that seem to fill his whole face.

"Anytime." But not the time she needed him the most- she kept the words in the back of her mind as she became destructed by the sight of men moving around in her garage.

"Juice?" She looked to her brother for words.

"I didn't think you would like a five hour drive on the back of the bike, so i asked the guys to fix up your engine." She didn't want to admit it but a job that was taking her weeks had taken the Sons hours.

"Ahh...thanks." The words left her mouth as she watched the four bikers came to stand before her.

"Hey darling, the names Jax." She knew without a doubt that the blonde hair and blue eyes made him a heart breaker as she shook his hand, her eyes catching the Vice President patch.

She turned her attention to the man with fuzzy hair and the large belly. "Bobby, its nice to meet you." Her eyes flickered to Juice, wondering what he had told these guys. She didn't get a chance to question him as another man came up to her, scars on either side of his cheeks.

"I'm Chibs." He nodded his head towards juice. "Lets hope you are the one with the brains in the family." The older man put his arm around Juices shoulder, her brother seemed to be closer to his man than the rest as he gave a look one would to a mentor.

"Do you think you could leave this afternoon?"Turning her attention to Jax, she hated the thought of leaving at a drop of the hat but what choice did she have. She would just call work tomorrow morning and use her sick leave or holidays.

"I'll start packing." Heading to her door she knew Juice was following behind- good, she needed to bounce some questions off him. She led him to her bedroom and pulled the suit case from under her bed. "How long have you been with the Sons?"

"Six years. Look Alicia, there is nothing to worry about they'll treat you like a part of the family- you are family." At the look on her face he continued."You are family, no matter the quiet years."

She sat on the bed next to him, not wanting to say the words but swallowing her pride. "You know i cant afford to stay too many nights in a motel."

"I wouldn't except you too. You can have my house, don't use it that often anyway." She was thankful that he didn't say anymore on the subject or make any comments about her place. "Whatever you need, just give me a hell."

"Juice." He stopped at hearing the warning in her voice, he just wanted to put it out there.

"I know, I know. You ready?" She nodded her head and went outside to the car. Juice tried not to notice how she had to move the door to make it lock securely or how thin it appeared. He helped put her suit case in the boot and leaned towards the drivers side with the open window where she seated. "You drive in the middle."

"The middle?" He started backing towards the drive way to the rest of the black bikes were lined up.

"Yeah." She didn't get any further explanation as the roar of the engines filled the neighborhood.

Alicia couldn't express how happy she was at seeing the welcome sign to Charming, she never wanted to come to this town though now she would be grateful to just get out of the car and stretch her sore legs- she didn't know how the guys could do it on bikes with only the few stops they had made.

They went down the main street before turning into an garage- it made sense how the men could fix her car so fast if they did it for a daily job. The bikes went to line up with the rest while she took to parking across from them. She didn't know what to except but the group of women surrounding a picnic table didn't give her the best first impression of the Club- no wonder her brother stuck around for so long and never looked back. Without a glance at the women, Juice made his way to Alicia and helped her get the few bags out. Moving her to the club house with a hand on her lower back, he figure it was best to get the introductions out of the way but he knew for a fact that Gemma was going to chew his ass for leaving his sister in the dark for so long- family meant everything to that woman.

Juice held his breath as he closed his room door behind him, Alicia stood in the middle of the messy room but they both preferred it here than outside the door where Tig had succeed in making both the Ortiz's blush bright red and Gemma's questions with thrown in threats had became a mouthful of an introduction. Juice was starting to wish he had just taken his sister to his house and dealt with Gemma alone."Maybe i'll come stay at the house." The situation sudden made Alicia burst into laughter. "I'm serious."

She had spent a few days in Charming and the nights at Juices house watching movies with him, the rest was mostly around the club unless Gemma wanted a hand with something. The woman was full of questions about her relationship with Juice but she never once strayed to conversation of the rest of her family- She knew that Juice probably spoke to her. The women who she found out were named croweaters, didn't come within a few feet of her. One glance from one of the men and they backed off or stiffed at them like bitches in heat. She didn't know how a woman could allow herself to get that low, but again she had watched her mother feel the same way- that she needed a man to complete her.

She watched the way the men acted around the club, each had their own different personalities and appearance but they all had a sense of loyalty to one another which she hadn't seen anywhere else with in her life. "Your thinking to hard?" Juice passed her a soda and a wrap for lunch while he took a pull of the beer in his hand.

"You don't think enough."

"Zorra." Her eyes snapped up to Juice, it was the first time he had spoken Spanish since they were little. She tried to ignore the fact that he just called her a bitch and nudged him in the ribs.

"Cabrón." He didn't take to much offense from the word, in a truthful sense he was a bastard because his father and mother weren't married. "You seem close to him?" Juice followed her eyes to Chibs in the Garage and noticed that she wasn't pulling a joke about being gay from her tone.

"Chibs had always helped." She noticed the relationship between the two, earlier she had said mentor- now it was father.

"Like a father figure." She couldn't help the acid taste in her mouth- neither of them had really good relationships with their fathers and she hated the fact that Juice got a chance to experience a relationship like that, someone who cared for him and showed him guidance when needed.

"I never really thought of it like that but yeah, i guess it kind of is."He nervously twisted one of the rings on his fingers, fathers had always been a fragile subject to them. "He stopped me from killing myself, a couple of times actually." Alicia gave him a sharp look. "Chibs helped me through it, kept me living this life, no matter what happens." He didn't like to admit it to people but this was his baby sister, he didn't want to hide anything. "He helped me to become a man, not a boy that pretended to be one. Which is why i never stayed home. Why i left because i couldn't be the man you or Ma needed me to be." Without saying a word she leaned her head on his shoulder, giving him comfort without words.

"You know he'll be at the funeral." Her voice came out as a quiet whisper as if the words would make her father appear in front of them.

"I know. I wont let him do anything to you, not ever." And Alicia trustfully believed him for the first time in six years.

AN: After the revealing of Juice's father, i have had this idea written down for months and wanted to explore Juices family and becoming a Son, not to mention the relationship between Chibs and Juice that I love. Oh i hope the Spanish words are correct, got them from the Internet. Hope you enjoyed it, i did writing it :)