I woke up with Juice's arms around my waist tight and my back against his chest. His scent enveloped me. He smelled like grease, his cologne, and the road so I knew he'd been working that day. I snuggled deeper into his arms and smiled for a second before I remembered why I was home a week early and my breath caught in my throat. As if he sensed the mood change, Juice shifted in his sleep rolled us so that I was strewn over his chest. He pulled me tight and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled softly down at me and said quietly, "I haven't even gotten the chance to kiss you yet."

"So kiss me."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. His hand settled over my hip and he rolled me onto my back and settled over me. His tongue slipped past my lips and stroked mine gently. Juice was the softest kisser. He kissed like there was no hurry. Like there was all the time in the world and I loved it. He wriggled his way to settle between my legs and tangled one hand in his hair so he could tip my head back and assault my neck. He nipped at my earlobe and sucked it into his mouth. I gasped as the moan he released vibrated against it. I ground my hips against his and his hand tightened on my hip, pinning me to the bed. His erection pressed against me. He worked his way down my neck with small, quick kisses. He spread them over my collar bone and across the fabric of my t shirt.

"Laura, I need you," he moaned.

I nodded and he pulled me up quickly to strip me. He warned me, "Baby, I'm sorry. There won't be a lot of foreplay right now."

"It's okay. I have to get to Gemma's soon anyway."

We made love then. It was quick and full of passion and whispered words of love. Afterwards, he joined me in the shower and washed my hair and back for me, rubbing the knots of tension from my shoulders and pressing light kisses to my neck. Then, he lay in bed while I got ready for my day. As I was about to leave, he suggested, "Maybe you could stop by and talk to Opie today. I know it had been a while since you and Donna talked but I think it could really help him out to have somebody to talk to about how special she was."

I nodded and informed him, "I'm going to make Half Sack give me a ride on his bike. I've missed being on the back of a bike."

"Well, I should be the one who gives you your first ride then, baby. You're my girl. I don't want them thinking I'm not doing right by you."

I rolled my eyes at him and he leapt up quickly to yank his clothes on. He pulled on his clothes, his cut, and his weapons, and followed me out the door. At Opie's house, I climbed off the bike and kissed Juice quickly before he rode off. I went up to the door and knocked. Opie's mom, Piney's ex wife Mary, opened the door and took a long look at me.

"You're the girl Donna loved so much. The one she said messed up and ended up in the club. That was before she got back involved in it. Before she got killed by it," she said harshly.

"You can't blame the club for everything, Mary. I'm here to see Ellie and Kenny. They know me."

"I know that they know you. What do you want?"

"I want to see them. I know they're having trouble. Juice told me Opie hasn't really been home. They know you but not as well as they know me. They need somebody familiar." I stared Mary down. She was shorter than me and she had fifty years on me but it had been a long time since she'd been considered an old lady. I had more pull than her. Even with Gemma.

"Fine. But you do not mention anything about Samcro or you'll be back outside."

"You think I would do that? The most I would do is talk to them about their mom. The nice stuff about her. Maybe some good things about their father. Seems like they need it right now."

"What good things about their father?"

"This is what I'm talking about. They need somebody who wants them to remember the good stuff. Now let me in this house."

I took a step forward and she moved out of the way. Kenny and Ellie were in the living room and they stood up to come to me. I knelt down and wrapped my arms around them. I stayed with the kids all day and fell asleep on the floor with Ellie. I was woken up by a size eighteen work boot nudging me in the ribs. I opened my eyes to stare up at the giant of a man that was Opie Winston.

"Laura, right? Juice's girl?" He asked.

I nodded slowly and rolled out of Ellie's grasp. I stood up and stared up at him. He was the size of a mountain. I greeted, "Hey. I came here for the kids. I know Mary had them but she didn't really know her like I did."

"Donna?"

"Yeah. She was my best friend."

"She mentioned you a few times. Said it all went to hell a bit before you were scheduled to leave. Never really said why."

"Club problems."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"I don't want to remember that though. I want to remember the good stuff."

"You were around a lot when I was working full time up at the lumber yard," he said slowly. "You babysat for us a bunch and I've seen you around the club house. Juice said you went off to college. He's real proud of you for it."

"I know. I'm here for two weeks. If you need a sitter or just somebody to talk to, let me know."

"I will. Mary said you were talking to the kids about Donna."

"Yeah," I stared into his crystal blue eyes and informed him, "If you ever want to know anything about her, or our friendship, or if you ever want to share anything about her, you let me know. There's a lot of stories between me and her. Do you know how we met?"

"She never mentioned it."

Since he didn't tell me not to talk about it, I barreled forward, "It was right after I really got serious with Juice. I was barely sixteen, you know, and she found out through the grapevine. You were scheduled for release in four months still and she was all alone with the kids. She came up to me in the grocery store when I was shopping for one of Gemma's family dinners. One minute I'm just looking for a good bag of apples, the next I'm getting scolded for being a part of Samcro. You know, I didn't know her from Adam so I told her I didn't know what she was talking about and that's when she just unleashed it on me.

"Told me that if I'm eating dinner with the Queen Bitch then I was part of the family and it was too late for me. Told me that Samcro men will make you love them so much your heart breaks and you'll hate yourself for loving them, but you'll never be able to stop. Told me that once you sign over, you're in for good. I told her that she was being a little ridiculous. She just laughed and the next thing I knew, I was having dinner at the house a few nights later so she could tell me all about the evils of the mohawked mechanic I was taking up with. We shouldn't have worked out as friends but I saw her three or four days a week after that."

"You were around a lot after I got released. Not as much but you still were." I nodded and tears filled my eyes. I wiped them away quickly. He said, "I'd like to hear more about her sometime."

"I'd like that. I have to get back to the clubhouse. Juice is probably freaking out that I haven't called him by now. It's already eleven thirty. I need to call a cab."

"I'll take you. My bike's outside."

I nodded and followed him out. I climbed on to the back of his bike and wrapped my arms around him. He was so much bigger than Juice. It was like trying to hug a tree. With Juice, my hands clasped right above his belt buckle and my head rested right between his shoulder blades. With Opie, my head fell about five inches below his shoulder blades and my hands didn't clasp. I was holding onto his cut for dear life and clenching the seat tight with my thighs. He rode slow and safe for me so I could get adjusted. At the garage, I climbed off and thanked him. As I turned to leave, he reached out and grabbed my wrist. His fingers almost wrapped around it twice. I was reminded once again of how truly petite I am. I turned back to look at him and he said, "Get my number from Juice. Call me sometime this week so that we can talk."

I nodded and went inside where Juice was waiting in bed for me.