I own nothing you recognize. All original characters and storylines are my own.

Coffee and Clauses

"Here you go, black with three sugars." Milla said as she handed the coffee to her best friend and sat across from her on the patio. "How long are they taking the kids for?"

"Three days. I'd ask you but I hate to rely on you too much for this. You have a life of your own and a good job." Donna sipped her coffee as Milla rolled her eyes.

"I also have the time and ability to look after my godbabies. Besides Juice loves having them around the apartment, it gives him a chance to bring out his best toys. You know Kenny loves playing car crash with his Uncle Juice." Milla smiled into her coffee as she thought about the elaborately staged car accidents Juice had set up for Kenny and Ellie using all of his physics and geometric knowledge to create setups that were like huge Rube Goldberg machines. Kenny and Ellie loved it and Milla was more than impressed with her man's ingenuity.

"Ok, I'll be honest here. It's been forever since my Mom saw the kids and I know Juice has that thing next week that you tear up about every time you talk about him being gone. I thought I'd just take the kids to Mom and Dad's and give you the weekend with Juice." She looked into her best friend's eyes and saw that Milla had teared up again. She didn't know what was happening but whatever it was was really bothering her friend. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Milla shook her head. She loved Donna, loved her more than she loved just about anyone else but she couldn't talk to her about what was happening next week. She knew Opie kept Donna out of everything and wouldn't appreciate her divulging Club business to his wife. Also her "no info, no pussy" deal with Juice didn't extend to divulging that info to others. Besides, every time she thought about what could happen it caused her throat to close and she didn't think talking about it would help her at all, it would just make her more anxious.

"I love you Donna, but I think the less I think about it the better." She gave her friend a smile and dabbed her eyes before she continued. "Besides, didn't we get together for you to tell me your big news?"

This time Donna smiled and took a drink of her of her coffee and smiled. For the first time in the three years and some change since Ope had been in things were looking up for her and she couldn't have been happier about it. She set down her coffee and grinned at her best friend.

"I got accepted into the Respiratory Therapy Program at Delta and St. Thomas is footing the bill!" Donna grinned wider and Milla practically launched herself across the table to hug her friend. This was fantastic news, Donna wouldn't just get an increase in pay, she'd have more hours at a single job and become more marketable if the time came to look for another job. This really was fantastic.

"I'm so happy for you, so, so happy and you know I'll help with the kids right?" Milla asked as she moved back to her seat, grinning almost as wide as her best friend.

"Oh I count on it." Donna laughed and Milla felt tears in her eyes, it had been so long since Donna had been happy that she couldn't help but share that happiness. Especially when it made her forget her misery even for a few minutes.

…

Later that night Milla sat at her rolltop in the corner of their living room. She was going over her spending reports and trying to figure out a budget with just her paycheck as income. It was going surprisingly well and she discovered that when it was just her she made more than enough to live. She had rent covered and a food budget and even a little left over for clothes and entertainment. Her pleasure at the discovery was immediately snuffed out when she remembered why she was doing this and her stomach rolled. God she didn't want to think about this.

"Baby!" She heard his shout but stayed at her desk, she had to close down the programs before he saw them, she didn't want him to think she was planning a life without him, the thought made her chest ache. "There you are. Why didn't you answer?"

"I was doing some research, sorry Baby." He just smiled and walked up to her as she rose in her seat then he gave her a hug while he kissed her. God this was the best way to start his night with his woman.

"So you wanna do anything special tonight? I have the whole weekend off and I plan on spending it in bed with you so tonight's your last chance to do something before you can't walk right." She giggled and kissed him, all she wanted to do was be with him, once Monday rolled around things would be uncertain and it made her feel like throwing up.

"You order dinner and I'll unmake the bed." She whispered huskily and Juice chuckled before he took out his cell and watched his baby walked to the bedroom. Once he ordered they'd have forty five minutes to kill and he knew just how he wanted to kill it.

…

"I just don't see why we couldn't eat in bed." Juice said almost sullenly as Milla took a piece of shrimp from her lo mein and nibbled it.

"One, because you can be a messy eater. Two, because we'd just end up having sex and invariably make the bed a mess of hoisin sauce and fried rice from knocked over containers. Finally, you'd go for some kinky 9 ½ Weeks style food sex and burn me or cause something unnatural. That's why we can't eat in bed." Milla said as she punctuated each point with a poke to the air and Juice chuckled but capitulated. She did have a very good point about him wanting sex again and the food sex also sounded good to him but if moving to the living room made his Old Lady happy he'd do it. Besides he knew she was nervous as hell about the week to come. He could see the barely contained fear in her eyes when he'd brought out his saddle bags the night before and he hated seeing that look in her eyes. With a sigh he knew that he had to put it all on the table. He knew she wasn't going to like it but he had no choice, she needed to be prepared.

"Baby, we need to talk." He said with a sigh and felt his stomach drop when he saw the fear in her eyes but he soldiered on. "I know you're scared and nervous but we need to get this settled. I'm a Son and that means this shit is gonna happen and probably a lot if your Dad gets his way."

Milla bit her lip to keep from crying as she thought about what he said, she knew he was right but a childish part of her thought that if they didn't talk about it, it wouldn't happen. She took some deep breaths but refused to look him in the eye because she knew that as soon as her eyes met his she'd start crying and she'd be damned if she'd let him see that scared little girl. Unfortunately Juice had already seen that scared little girl and he put his fingers underneath her chin and raised her head. He looked into her dark chocolate eyes and pressed his forehead to hers in a display of tenderness that caught her off guard.

"I'm so sorry you're scared baby but I need you to be strong for me. This is just a small thing, a tiny thing and I know you'll be ok no matter what happens." He brought his lips to hers and was almost taken aback by how hungrily she kissed him. He got lost in it for a second before he realized what she was doing. She was seducing him so she wouldn't have to talk about it and once he realized it he moved her away from him and broke the kiss. "That was hot but we still need to talk."

She looked at him and her eyes were showing a bit too much white and he felt a pain in his chest but knew he had to do this. If she couldn't handle this, there was no way she'd even handle a bid. This was nothing but a bunch of what-ifs and worst case scenarios, the real thing would kill her.

"I know, I'm just so fucking scared right now." Milla managed to rasp out and Juice chuckled, tell him something he didn't know. He pulled her into his lap and held her while she clung to him for dear life. "I don't know how I could possibly live without you."

"Good thing you don't need to think about that Babe, because I'll be back before you know it. This is just a meeting, kind of like a shareholders thing. We hash out any grievances and our clients let us know what they need. We already have the assurances that no one will be armed and the Guineas are providing the locale and some contracted muscle. As far as things go we'll be good as gold." He kissed the top of her head and felt her grip him tighter as she got even tenser so he rubbed her back. "Worst case scenario it's an ambush and we die. If that happens there's nothing you can do but bury me and go on with your life. Hopefully you'll be heartbroken and never have sex again because I will come back and haunt the ass of anyone else who touches you."

As the words left his mouth she shook her head and dug her nails into his back, she was trying desperately not to cry but he wasn't helping. He knew he was saying the wrong things but he just wanted her to put things into perspective so he held her head still and to his shoulder as he continued.

"Less worst case but still pretty damn bad, is that there's a rat and we all go down for RICO or something. If that's the case I expect you to be here and wait for me. If the bid's long I'll even consider letting you take advantage of the prison clause." At mention of the clause Milla let out a slightly pained but very harsh laugh. The prison clause meant shit to her because the only person she wanted was holding her in his arms. She doubted she could get wet for anyone else. "What baby, you think that's funny? Me going to jail?"

"No, I think it's funny you putting the prison clause on the table. You know, sure as hell that there's no one but you for me. I doubt I'd be able to give anyone else the time of day, let alone access to your pussy." She moved away and looked him in the eyes, suddenly feeling less nervous and scared.

"You know it can get pretty lonely baby." He whispered and she leaned down to kiss him but moved away with a small smile on her face.

"If it would make you feel better we can make a list. I'll make a list of the five people I'd willingly exercise the prison clause with and you make a list of tail you'd be allowed to tap on a run. Croweaters and Old Ladies don't count." Juice smiled, knowing this was her way of compartmentalizing her issues.

"Deal." He kissed her before he nudged her off his lap and she went to her rolltop and came back with two sheets of paper and pens.

It took less than five minutes for them to come up with their lists and Juice felt nervous. His list was a bunch of bullshit. These were women he'd never get to in a million years and he worried that Milla had a more sensible list but prayed that she was just as unrealistic.

"Ok, here's my list. No laughing." She smiled and started reading. "Number one is Jared Leto, two Shakira, three Michelle Rodriguez, four David Draiman, and five Orlando Bloom. Like I said, no laughing and I add the caveat of no judging."

Juice grinned at his woman, pleased that she had put the same seriousness to this that he had. She looked at him expectantly and he smiled before he read off his list.

"Ok, number one is Tera Patrick, the bitch probably knows what she's doing, two is Catherine Zeta-Jones, three Michelle Rodriguez. " He looked at his woman and raised an eyebrow while she laughed. "Four is Reese Witherspoon and five is Liv Tyler. So according to our list if we both happen on Michelle Rodriguez that means a threesome isn't out of the question?"

"Oh Baby." She reached her hand over and rested it on his cheek. "A threesome is always out of the question."

He laughed and looked at her list. The presence of women on it didn't faze him in the least. He knew his girl was bisexual but that didn't matter, she may have been attracted to other women but he was fully aware that he was her world and he was secure in that knowledge. Her refusal to have a threesome was kind of irritating but he figured it was far less irritating than her screwing a girl and liking it too much.

"Feel better?" He asked as he took her hand and kissed her palm. She took a shuddering breath and nodded.

"Yeah, but I want you to promise that you'll do everything in your goddamn power to come back to me. I mean it, if you have to beat up a nun or steal an ice-cream truck to do it I want you back with me where you belong." She pointed a threatening finger in his face while he nipped at it.

"I'll tear down heaven and unleash hell if it means coming back to you." He said all that needed to be said as she moved forward and kissed him, this time he knew it was what she needed and let nature take its course.

…

Milla watched Juice pull out of the lot in the van behind the guys and felt her throat constrict. He was going headfirst into danger and all she could do was watch helplessly and hope for the best. She took deep breaths but managed to calm down when she felt an arm go around her and a pair of lips drop to her cheek.

"It'll be ok baby, have faith." Gemma kissed her daughter's cheek again before she steered her toward the clubhouse. Her baby was still new to all this crap but she was taking it well. Taking it far better than even Gemma anticipated. At twenty-two Milla was showing the grace and composure of a woman twice her age. A casual observer would never know that Milla was terrified but her mother knew, her mother always knew.

"Is this how you felt, the first time John rode out for a meet?" Milla asked unexpectedly and Gemma was taken aback. Milla never mentioned John, in fact sometimes it was like Milla forgot that her daddy was Gemma's second husband, so to hear his name from her lips came as a shock but Gemma composed herself quickly.

"Yeah baby I was on pins and needles until I heard his bike. You'll have your man back, there's no way he'd let anything get in the way of comin home to you." Milla nodded and moved from her mom's grasp before entering the clubhouse, looking even more composed than before and Gemma sighed. It's always tough to realize just how grown up your babies are. Even tougher to realize that they might not need you as much as they used to. Watching Milla getting coffee from a croweater and sitting calmly at the table, no longer a wreck, proved that maybe her baby really didn't need her.

With a proud smile Gemma moved to sit with her baby at the table and took the mug Milla offered. As Milla accepted her offer to Irish it up she had to laugh. Her baby may not have needed her as much as she used to but she still needed her and Gemma would always be there. Even if Milla didn't want her to be.