A few weeks passed by, and they were honestly the happiest of Juice's life. He had thrown himself into finding out everything he could about what Ana would be going through. He'd gone with her to an appointment where he could hear his kid's heartbeat. Juice tried to hide his tears the best he could, but he didn't do the best job. It all became a solid reality to him in that moment. That was a heartbeat he helped make. He had a concrete reason why he shouldn't let the bullshit get him down. He was going to be a dad, and a damn better one than his father ever was to him.

Once Ana had passed the twelve week mark, she gave him permission to let everyone know about his newcoming status. He did so in true Sons fashion at the table during chapel. It was a little sad, with Bobby still in jail over a RICO case that Otto had turned rat for, but he couldn't keep it in anymore.

"I got some news, guys," he said after Jax called for new business.

Jax's mouth quirked. There was no doubt he knew, since Tara had found out and probably already told him.

"Go ahead," Jax said.

Juice pulled out a baby sized beanie with a reaper logo on it and tossed it onto the table.

"I think that's too small for you," Happy said, looking at it, confused.

Chibs was the first one to get it.

"Holy shit," he said, looking from the hat to Juice, to the hat again. "Juicy boy, no way."

Juice's grin only confirmed it, and finally Jax shook his head.

"Juice is going to be a dad, guys!" he yelled, rapping the table with his rings as the table exploded with reactions.

Chibs tackled Juice with a bear hug as the rest of the guys, even Tig, rapped their rings on the table along with Jax. Happy punched him in the shoulder, playfully, and Ratboy offered his congratulations nervously.

"Congratulations, son," Clay said as the noise died down. Juice took Clay's words with a tight smile-he still couldn't get Gemma's battered face out of his mind. Unfortunately, when he'd been released from the hospital, Clay became Juice's responsibility. He had to help him pack his shit and move to a new place, since Gemma had started divorce proceedings. Juice had made it clear to Clay. He wasn't there to be a therapist or a marriage counselor. He just was there to help do the heavy lifting.

"How far along, man?" Tig asked, pulling Juice back to the moment at hand.

"12 weeks," Juice said. "She wanted to wait until she was in the second trimester to tell anyone."

"Juice becoming a dad," Happy said, leaning back in his seat and grinning as Juice sat back down. "Now there's something to put on the news."

"We're proud of you, man," Jax said, a genuine smile on his face. "Anything you guys need, just let us know."

Juice grinned again as he took the beanie back and placed it in his kutte. He half listened to the details of the botched run, thankful this was one he had sat out. He was glad he'd decided to stick around, because this...this felt like the old days indeed. At least for the club.

Because there was a serious problem brewing at home.

Ana wasn't okay. The hormones, he was expecting, but he didn't know that combined with depression, the woman he fell in love with was slowly turning into someone he couldn't recognize. Here lately she'd become snippy, argumentative, and it was hard to get a smile out of her. She'd even stopped painting, which worried Juice even more. She tried to assure him she was fine, but they both knew she wasn't, and it was getting to the point where Juice was going to get Tara to intervene if things didn't improve.

Juice thought about her as he pretended to listen to the details about the run that he wasn't going on. He loved Ana, and would never bail on her. But something had to give. She had to talk to him instead of keeping it inside. For his sake, for hers, but most of all, for the life they'd created together.

Ana sat at the picnic table outside the clubhouse, reading a magazine as the club walked out, done with the chapel meeting. She gave a small smile at Juice as he walked over, and he returned it brightly.

"Hey, babe," he said, kissing her cheek as he sat down next to her. "Whatcha reading?"

Ana shook her head as she closed it and set it down. "Nothing important, just some baby shit," she said. Juice saw that today was looking to be a good day, so he took her hand, the one with the claddah ring, and kissed it lightly.

"Hey, there's the mommy to be," Jax said teasingly, kissing the top of her head. "Congratulations, sweetie."

"Thanks, Jax," Ana replied. She leaned against Juice and sighed contentedly as the guys milled about.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when she saw Eli and Mark walking up to the clubhouse, looking serious. Mark spotted her and a look of hatred came across his face. Juice noticed and stood up, blocking her from his view.

"What do you want?" he asked, staring Mark down. Ana sighed and stood up, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on her slightly swollen belly, as if reminding him why antagonizing a self-proclaimed dirty cop wasn't the best idea.

Mark looked around with a smirk before speaking.

"You guys aware of the violence happening in Charming?" he asked, rolling his eyes as he noticed Ana's condition.

"Yeah, two home invasions lately, right?" Ana asked snippily.

"I wasn't talking to you," Mark shot back. "But yeah."

Eli sighed and intervened.

"Enough, Corcoran," he said. "Yes, we're just asking around, getting some information."

"Well," Chibs said, eying Corcoran with intense dislike. "Contrary to popular belief, we can read."

"You think we had something to do with it, Sheriff?" Juice asked Eli politely.

"Well gee, three weeks ago, Veronica Pope was killed in a hit that is assumed was meant for Laroy Wayne. Now one of the TM mechanics, and then just the other day one of your biker whores have their houses broken into," Mark said. "Yeah, there's a pattern."

"He wasn't talking to you," Ana said, mockingly to Mark, her eyes flashing angrily. Juice sighed, and knew that the hormones were making their presence known again.

"Look," Eli said, trying to diffuse the tension. "If these attacks are retaliation from Pope or the One Niners-"

"There's been no beefs, man," Tig interrupted. Ana swallowed the bile that rose in her throat when he spoke. He was the reason the club was being hunted now.

"Really?" Mark asked skeptically. "Then who would attack your truck outside of Modesto last night?"

Juice remembered then that the run he didn't go on the night before had been attacked. Phil had barely made it out alive, it was one of the things that he and Ana had argued about before he reminded her he didn't even go on the run in the first place. Which led to an argument about him helping out Clay, another thing Ana was refusing to understand.

"Angry pirates," Happy retorted, bringing Juice back from his thoughts. Juice and Ana snorted, and even Eli bit his bottom lip to supress a smile.

That did it for Mark. He stepped forward to where he was in Happy's face.

"I don't give a shit if Pope blows up every one of your fucking trucks," he said, his gaze on Happy now. Happy returned it with an unfaltering glare of his own. "That shit ain't happening in my quadrant."

"Whose quadrant, officer?" Eli asked loudly, reminding Mark who was really in charge.

Mark didn't care, he was still staring up at Happy with hatred and disdain.

"One innocent gets hurt, and I will make Pope look like an alter boy, you understand?" he asked Happy nastily.

"I see what you did there!" Chibs said with a laugh, diffusing the bomb that was likely to explode. "I appreciate a good Catholic joke!"

Ana and Juice cracked up, then, and even Happy laughed as Mark looked bewildered. Ana saw the truck pull in behind the cops and nudged Juice with a grin.

"BOBBY!" Chibs yelled, walking pass Mark as if he wasn't there. Juice and Ana went to join them but Mark blocked their way.

"Thought I told you to stay gone," he sneered at Ana.

Ana shrugged.

"What can I say?" she asked, in an attitude that reminded Juice so much of Gemma. "I guess I just don't do as I told."

His eyes flickered from her to Juice in disgust.

"Wow," he said. "Already knocked up, guess you're right where you belong after all."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Juice asked as Ana seethed beside him.

"Just hope that kid's a boy," Mark said, a knowing look on his face. "Like mother like daughter, right Ana?"

Luckily, he had turned just when Ana lunged for him with a feral growl. Juice grabbed her, and pulled her into the clubhouse, trying to contain her before she unloaded on a cop. He was at a loss. Ana had acquired a hair trigger lately, one that could rival Tig on his worst day. Juice didn't know what to do at all, he'd never been around a pregnant woman, and the last thing everyone needed was for a pregnant Ana being locked up with no one but an asshole cop around.

"Are you insane?" he hissed as he closed the door.

"You heard what the fuck he said," Ana said, snarling.

"Yeah, but more importantly, I saw through it and realized what he was really doing. And he almost succeeded in getting what he wants, babe!" Juice said harshly.

"Yeah, well good for you with that magic perception bullshit!" Ana said hotly, pushing his hands away from her. "Patent that shit and sell it or something, because all I saw was an asshole who made me leave this town insult my kid."

Juice groaned as she stormed out of the clubhouse and past Bobby, who looked at Juice with wide eyes.

"Well I heard congratulations were in order," Bobby said, hugging Juice. "But it seems Mom there isn't feeling it."

Juice rolled his eyes. "Fucking hormones, plus Corcoran baited her. Not a good combination."

Bobby chuckled as he grabbed a beer from behind the bar. "Best to steer clear. Precious was a monster while pregnant."

Juice narrowed his eyes at Bobby.

"You talking about the red headed rattlesnake? You mean she was worse while pregnant?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yep," Bobby replied, chuckling. "Be glad Ana isn't Precious."

Juice sighed, and realized that Bobby had a point. No matter how bad Ana was right now, things could be worse. She could still be gone.

Ana looked up as Juice walked in, her eyes full of tears. She'd been wrong to unload on him earlier, and now all she wanted to to kiss and make up, and to watch old movies the way they always did when the days were long and stressful.

"Hey, baby," Juice said, as if the argument at the clubhouse didn't happen. He kicked off his shoes, hung his kutte up by the door, and put his gun in the drawer at the side table before walking over and sitting beside her.

Ana leaned on his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was out of line-"

"Hey," Juice said, before kissing her lips sweetly. "You're carrying my baby. Your hormones are whacking out. I can take a little unnecessary ballbusting for a while."

Ana smiled before surrendering to another kiss. This kiss was slow, sensual, and delicious. Juice knew what he was doing with that mouth of his, and after almost three years of experiencing those kisses, she still couldn't get enough.

"You know what the best part about fighting is, babe?" Juice asked huskily, unbuttoning her dress as he nibbled her neck.

Ana giggled as he pulled her dress off of her. "No, what's that?"

"Make up sex," he said, catching her off guard and pulling her into his arms swiftly. Both of them laughing, he carried her into their bedroom, the fight long gone in their minds.

Well, the move was good, folks. I'm sorry it took so long to bang this chapter out, but I've been exhausted. I've barely even been online. It was when I was getting a tattoo when I felt that writing itch happen in my brain, so after the pain in my arm went away, I began writing.

I hope all's been well with you guys, and I hope I can do regular updates again.