Ana woke up the next morning feeling nauseated still. She barely made it to the bathroom before she was puking her guts up.

Juice woke up and heard her retching. He leaned back against the bedframe, worried about her. He had a feeling this wasn't some flu.

But before he could go check on her, his phone rang. With a look at the bathroom, he answered, keeping the conversation low. It was Jax, who was needing his help since Bobby had never come back from Stockton last night. It looked like Otto turned rat, due to Bobby and Luanne's relationship before her death. Tig had found out about the shooting, and had gone rogue on the Niners. Jax and Chibs were going to help him, and Jax needed Juice at the clubhouse to fill everyone else in on what happened the night before.

Juice hung up and went to the bathroom. He sighed as he saw Ana leaning against the tub, her skin pale and clammy as she sipped some water.

"Still sick, baby?" he asked, concerned.

All Ana could do was moan and nod.

Juice sighed and sat on the edge of the tub. "I'm sorry, amorcita."

Ana smiled a little at Juice's sweet endearment, and leaned into his knee.

"I'm probably going to go see Margaret when I visit Tara. See if she can see what's wrong," she said softly.

"You're probably worn out," Juice said, pushing away some sweaty strands of her hair as he turned the taps to the tub on. He grabbed her lavender bath salts and poured some in. "Just take a bath while I'm gone, and then if you're still feeling bad, go see Margaret. Let Gemma and Tara and the club handle their own shit. You just worry about you, okay?"

Ana nodded and smiled again as Juice kissed the top of her head.

"I've got to help Jax, okay? Tig's done some stupid Tig thing. I'll talk to you later."

Ana nodded, and as he left, she prayed everything was going to be okay.

A few hours later Jax and Juice were on the roof of the clubhouse, waiting for the rest of the club to get back. He was listening as Jax told him the story behind what had happened. Piney was dead. Opie blamed Clay for it, and shot him. Jax shot Opie's hand before he could finish the job. The black story was a cover up, but they hadn't said if it was Niners. What Tig had pulled was stupid, and an innocent woman was killed.

"Hey, Jax?" Juice asked after he was done. There had been a strained silence for a while as Juice had processed the information.

"Yeah, man?" Jax asked. He was already pissed off at Tig for going in blind at the Niners.

"You serious about leaving?" Juice asked. "Like, getting out of SAMCRO?"

Jax nodded, his eyes narrowing a little.

"Yeah. I get the feeling you're having the same thoughts?" he asked Juice.

Juice nodded, flicking the end of his joint down to the ground below.

"I don't know, Jax. I mean, I'm glad you considered me for the Sergeant's patch. I really am, but I'm not wanting a power position. I see what power does to people. Bobby even said that I'm too good for it, whatever that means. And lately, this club hasn't been the same. I feel more at home with Ana now than I do here. You told me that my family has to come second to the club once-"

Jax held his hand up, stopping Juice.

"That was before I had my own family, man," he said seriously. "That was some stupid shit I said. I'm sorry for saying it. Your family should always come before this club. Not like, her breaking a nail, but if she's having a baby and you're out on a run, then yeah, you should turn the fuck around and fly like a bat out of hell to see your kid come into the world."

Juice pondered that for a moment.

"Clay's time is over, dude," Jax continued. "It's going to be Bobby at the head of the table. He thinks the same way I do. I'm not saying you shouldn't go, Juice, but I'm also not going to stop you if that's what you want. I'm just saying that I think Bobby deserves a chance to make this club into what it once was."

"Thanks, man," Juice said. "I'll think on it, I promise."

They saw Gemma's car pull into the lot, and Jax sighed.

"Let me go see what my mommy dearest wants, now," he said. Juice chuckled and received a playful smack to the head as Jax went down. He stayed on the roof for a while, letting Jax's words sink in as the sun sank lower into the sky.

Ana was sitting on the couch when Juice came home that night, exhausted but happier than he'd been in a few days.

"I heard about what Tig did," Ana said.

"Hey, I didn't know you were still up, baby," Juice said. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Ana said, smiling a little. "So, what's got you so chipper?"

"Nothing, really. I have an amazing girlfriend I get to come home too, and that's reason enough to be happy as fuck," Juice said. He'd decided he wasn't going to tell her his decision until he was really sure. "You go see Tara?"

Ana nodded, the smile on her face sliding off her face. "Yeah. She came home today. Um, you need to sit down."

Juice sighed. That didn't mean anything good. He took a seat and handed her a cup of tea, which she took gratefully.

"That attack on Tara wasn't Lobos," Ana said quietly. "It was him. Clay."

Juice groaned loudly. "Son of a bitch. I had a feeling that Lobos story was bullshit. Clay killed Piney, too."

Piney was dead, too? Ana listened as Juice filled her in on what Jax had told him earlier.

"Gemma found out, that's why he beat her," Ana said after recovering from the shock. "Are we...are we going to be like that? Like them?"

"No," Juice said feverently, scooting closer to her and placing his hand on her knee. "No, because I don't plan on us getting involved in bullshit drama like the Teller Morrows do. I love them, I do, but their life is a fucking soap opera."

Ana laughed a little, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked with laughter still in her voice.

"Our business is ours, okay? I'm not putting our personal shit at the table anymore, Me going to find you was the only time I did that, and I don't plan on losing you again," Juice said. "So we're not going to be like them. I'd rather die."

Juice kissed her to seal that promise, and in that moment, he realized he wanted this woman to be in his life forever. And that there was something he was going to have to do soon to ensure that.

Jax, Chibs, and Juice were all taken aback by what had happened at the barn the next day.

Juice wasn't even supposed to go to this, but Jax and Chibs insisted, and besides, he was wanting to bounce some ideas off of them again. Happy didn't offer the type of advice he needed, and besides, the fact that Happy was currently screwing his little sister made things a bit uneasy between them. Juice knew how Happy was, and how Jenni was. Happy wouldn't be ready to take on an instant family, and Jenni didn't want to be committed to SAMCRO, or any gang or club in that matter. The shit in Queens had scared her for life.

But before Juice could tell Jax and Chibs what was on his mind, they were blindsided by the Irish, by them refusing to deal with the cartel without Clay. That combined with their obvious racism was enough to send anyone over the edge, so Chibs and Juice left the barn, to give Jax some space to talk things over with Romeo.

Chibs glowered at the ground as they waited.

"Heard you're thinking of leavin us, too, lad," he said to Juice as he lit a cigarette. "Everything okay?"

"Just disillusioned, I guess," Juice said. "Came back to all this shit going on. I spend more time wondering about what Ana's up to, and criticizing Clay's shitty decisions, it just don't feel right to me anymore. I ain't made a decision yet, though."

Chibs nodded and looked off into the woods.

"I get it, Juan Carlos," he said, and Juice knew it was time for a Filip Telford speech. "You're in love. You want to protect her from all that could ever hurt her, but have you ever thought that the only thing that will truly ever hurt her is losing you?"

"What do you mean?" Juice asked.

"I mean, you're SAMCRO. It doesn't run in your blood like Jackie Boy's, but you're a good man, and you want the old days back more than anyone, I think. Bobby's going to need you with him when Jax leaves. You're smart. Your old lady isn't in your head pulling you every which way like Gemma and Tara are doing to Jax and Clay. I know Ana, she's with you no matter what. You patching out, I don't think it's a life you want. You'd lose a big part of yourself, and that wouldn't be fair."

They were silent for a moment.

"Just let Bobby try," Chibs said, tossing the cigarette to the ground. "Help us get those days back, brother. You, me, Happy, Bobby? We're the best chance this club has at getting back to that."

"Ope and Tig?" Juice asked. "What about them?"

"Ope is probably done now," Chibs said. "And Tiggy? I love him, but he's got to control that hair trigger. I think Jax is done with him after that shit yesterday."

Juice could understand that perfectly.

"I'll think on it, Chibby," Juice said, grinning as he dodged Chib's punch. He noticed Jax coming out, looking angrier than ever, and sighed.

"Head on back, guys," Jax said. "I'll call you guys later."

"Wonder what that was about?" Juice said to Chibs as they got back on their bikes.

"We'll find out later. Come on. We'll find a bar and you can talk to me some more. I know it's more than the club that's on your mind."

Ana grinned as she helped Abel paint a watercolor for his grandma. Tara was busy packing in the next room, and Ana was babysitting for her.

"Will you finish when I'm gone, Aunt Ana?" Abel asked sweetly. Ana nodded.

"You bet, buds," Ana said, filling in one of the narrow lines for him. "Your grandma is going to love this."

They were interrupted by Jax coming in. He looked pleasantly shocked to see Ana on the living room floor with Abel, and gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, darlin," he said. "Having fun with Aunt Ana, buddy?"

"I painting, Daddy," Abel said with a grin that Jax returned.

"I see that. Where's Mommy at?" he asked. Ana and Abel pointed to the bedroom, not taking their eyes off the paper.

Ana looked up a few minutes later as Jax left, and he looked miserable. Trapped, and angry. Ana hadn't seen that look on anyone before, and it made her nervous.

She ran out after him.

"Jax!" she called out before he got on his motorcycle. "Did someone else die?"

Jax shook his head.

"No," he said. "Just some changes happening soon. Juice will fill you in, okay?"

Ana nodded, then inspiration struck.

"Let me take the boys tonight. You and Tara can get some alone time, and they can have fun with Uncle Juice and me tomorrow," she said, hopefully. Jax regarded her for a moment, then got off his motorcycle and came over, giving her a crushing hug.

"I am so glad you came back," he said, pulling away. "Sometimes I think you're the best damn thing that's happened in this town. Thank you."

Ana nodded, touched.

"So that's a yes?" she said, wiping a tear from her eye. Jax nodded, then got back on his bike.

"Yeah. Go tell them the good news," he said as he started the bike.

Ana walked back in to let Tara know, Jax's words still ringing in her ears.

Juice stood with Happy at the door, waiting for Jax to wave them inside. Tig was already at the table, but not in his Sergeant's chair. That had been delegated to Chibs.

Jax looked up at Happy and Juice, and gave them a smile, and nodded them inside. Happy grinned and took a seat beside Tig as Juice closed the door.

"This mean you changed your mind, brother?" Jax asked before Juice sat down.

Juice nodded.

"Yeah, man," he replied with a grin. He owed Jax a chance to change things. Chibs and he had made a point these past couple of days. He had faith that Ana would be with him no matter what, she'd told him as much when he talked about leaving.

Jax smiled a little then nodded for Juice to sit down.

"Not there," Jax said as Juice went to take his usual seat. "Sit by the VP's chair."

Juice raised his eyebrow, but moved seats, pleased with the new seating arrangement.

They all sat in silence for a minute, before Chibs asked where Ope was. It looked like everyone was right; Opie was done with SAMCRO.

Jax banged the gavel after sighing, and thus, a new era of SAMCRO was born.

Juice pulled into the driveway, the weight of that day hanging on his shoulders. He was surprised to see Ana sitting on the porch, a baby monitor in one hand and a beer bottle in the other.

He sat next to her, and she handed him the beer bottle.

"What's with that?" Juice asked, gesturing to the monitor.

"We have house guests in the second bedroom," Ana said, smiling a little. "I offered to keep Abel and Thomas. I figured that this was a conversation best held out here given our underage company."

Juice smiled and kissed the side of her head. They sat in silence, Juice drinking his beer and Ana keeping an ear out for Thomas.

Juice finished his bottle and sighed.

"I'm not leaving right now, babe," he said. "Jax is President now. Clay's stepping down. I think I owe it to him to see if things can change, you know?"

"Tara told me," Ana said, fiddling with the crow charm on her necklace. "I guessed that you would be staying, too."

"You can still go," Juice said. "I'd understand. And I'd catch up if shit here didn't get better."

Ana smiled and shook her head.

"I can't just go," she replied. "I can't quit on my family. I can't walk out on you again."

"You're not walking out on me, or quitting on me, baby," Juice explained. "I'm just telling you the option is there."

Ana sighed and pulled out something from her pocket. Juice took whatever Ana was handing him, and studied it for a moment

"I can't leave even if I wanted to. I'm not going to rob you the chance of being a father," she said quietly.

Juice looked confused for a moment as he studied the paper, then recognition dawned on his face as he took the image and her words in.

"You're pregnant," he said. He didn't ask. She nodded, waiting for his reaction.

"Yeah. We're going to have a baby," she said.

Juice looked at the image again, and again. He took in every detail, then he looked at Ana, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Really?" he asked, his voice breaking a little. Ana's heart filled with joy when she took in the look on his face. She had never seen him look so happy since she'd met him.

"Yes, really," she said, smiling back.

"I'm...I'm a dad," Juice said, more to himself than to her. "I'm a dad. I'm a fucking dad, Ana, oh shit!"

He jumped up and pulled her up to him, kissing her feverently. Ana laughed as she felt a tear land on her cheek, and then she realized it wasn't hers, it was his. Juice was actually crying, and smiling at the same time. He placed his hands on her stomach and grinned again.

"I love you so much," he said, kissing her again. "You seriously just made me the happiest man on the fucking planet."

Juice looked back at the ultrasound, and then to Ana's stomach again.

"How far along?" he asked, doing the math in his head.

"About seven weeks," she said. "Five if you want to be technical. The first two are just like the two weeks before ovulation or some shit. It was definitely after that first time in Denver. Shit, it probably was that first time in Denver."

"You were on the pill, though," Juice said, though that didn't dampen his spirits at all.

"I was also on antibiotics a week before you found out who Amber really was," Ana pointed out as they walked inside. They tiptoed to their bedroom, where Ana set the monitor on the nightstand. "I'd gotten strep throat. Margaret was there for my freak out after she told me, and explained."

"Oh," Juice said in understanding. He was still looking at the little blip on the picture in awe.

"You're not angry?" Ana asked, curling up on the bed. Juice placed the picture on his nightstand and grinned, taking a box out of his kutte before pulling it off.

"Hell no," he said. "Matter of fact, that makes what I'm about to do even better."

Ana's eyes widened as he knelt beside the bed and opened the box in front of her.

He'd gotten the ring from Chibs. It was something called a claddagh ring. It represented loyalty, friendship and love. Chibs had told him the uses for it, so he took Ana's right hand, and placed it on her ring finger, with the tip of the heart pointed inside.

"This means you're in a relationship," he murmured. "Now if you put it with the tip outward on your left hand, it means you're engaged."

"Are you ready for that, yet?" Ana asked, admiring the ring. It was beautiful. The band was white gold, with a diamond heart held by hands and topped with a red gemstone inside the crown. She'd read about claddagh rings before, so she knew about the symbolism.

"That one's your call, remember?" Juice said with a grin. "Before I went inside, we established you'd be the one asking me to marry you."

Ana laughed at the memory, and couldn't believe Juice remembered that. She wasn't surprised, though. Juice was the type to remember almost everything.

Juice got in bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her forehead as his he placed his hand over her stomach in a loving, protective gesture.

"Right now, let's just focus on getting used to the fact that there's a bambino growing in you right now. The rest can wait for a while," he said.

Ana nodded, and sighed contentedly.

She was finally getting what she wanted. A family of her own.

Here we are at the end of season 4, folks. And yes, I had to do it. I love reading stories where Juice is a dad. Plus I love seeing clips of Theo Rossi with kids, he has the most adorable face.

I got the claddagh ring idea from loveink's story, Hands All Over. It's really good!

As always, thanks to you reviewers, and I'll be updating soon after I move.