A/N: Hey everybody! Loved the comments on the last chapter. I really wanted to show the parallel of how Kyra handled Juice's run to Vegas versus his run in the earlier chapter so I'm glad that some of you caught that. Also, the female dynamics are a huge deal to me, especially where Gemma is concerned. I wanted to see the ladies band together in a realistic way, so that it wasn't too BFFish, but it still drove home the fact that these women have a real bond.

Winding down toward the end now. I'm thinking maybe one more chapter and an epilogue. Don't worry. I'm playing around with a shorter fic that delves more into Juice's history, as well as few one shots.

Enjoy. Share. Review. And thanks for reading!

Kyra

The first phone call Kyra received Christmas morning was an offer from Neeta to attend church with her.

"You sure you don't want to come to service with me? I don't like you spending Christmas alone."

Damn sure wouldn't be the first time, Kyra thought. There were two years between her mother's death and Neeta's release from prison that she'd spent Christmas in her apartment in Sacramento, crying her eyes out, eating Chinese food, and trying to avoid all holiday television programming. "Thanks for the offer, Neeta, but I'll be okay. I told Tara I'd volunteer to help her in the children's ward at St. Thomas today. Just call me when you get out of church so I can drop off your present."

"Okay baby. Merry Christmas. Love you."

"Love you too. Merry Christmas."

Kyra hung up the phone and checked the time. 10:00 AM. Still no word from or about Juice. With a heavy sigh, she rolled out of bed. She was due to meet Tara at the hospital in an hour, and even though it was only ten minutes away, she got no satisfaction from lounging around in bed. She was mid-yawn when she heard the phone ring again. She knew it wasn't Juice, since he had his own ringtone. The screen read "Tara." Her heart stopped. What if she had bad news? Not answering the phone won't make it any less true. "Hello?"

"Jax just called. They're okay."

Kyra didn't realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled enough breath to blow up a balloon. "Thank God. He mention when they'll be back?"

"He said they still have loose ends to tie up this morning, but they should be back tonight."

Kyra fell back on the bed and closed her eyes. Maybe I should go to church with Neeta. Thank Jesus personally...

"You still there?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. I'm here. Just..."

"Relieved. I know. So what time can I expect you at the hospital?"

"I'm getting up now. Gimme about an hour."

If Kyra had anything to say about it, she and Juice would not procreate any time soon. She made this decision an hour and a half into the Christmas party in the children's ward of St. Thomas. The kids' physical limitations didn't allow them to run rampant as most children would. What they lacked in physical energy, however, they made up for with chattiness and curiosity. As an only child and the last born in the James bloodline, she hadn't spent an extended amount of time around children as an adult, but she was getting an education today. The main lesson: kids asked questions. Lots of them. A dollar for every who, what, how come, and why she heard that morning would have been half of a down payment on a house.

She'd just delivered a platter of Christmas cookies to a table of enthusiastic six and seven year olds when Tara approached her, wearing a reindeer antler headband and a red Rudolph nose. "Wow," Kyra said. "We should send a pic to Jax. I'm sure he'll come racing home from Vegas for all this sexiness."

"If we weren't surrounded by impressionable children, I'd flip you the bird right now," the doctor replied with a smile. "How you doing over here?"

"Ready to have you take me in one of these operating rooms and sterilize me," she glanced over at Lyla reading to a circle of wide, attentive eyes. "No, but really. I have new found respect for mothers. How do you do this every single day?"

"It's different when they're yours. Just wait."

"That'll be a loooong wait."

"We'll see. Well, if you need a more laid-back bunch, the teenagers are easier to handle. A little angsty, but they're quiet."

Kyra looked around and noticed a lone boy with the color of Dove Dark Chocolate, seated in a corner with earbuds in his ears. He looked about twelve or thirteen with a slender build that was a little on the lanky side. She wondered how often people assumed he played basketball based on his race and build. He had a notepad in front of him and she couldn't tell if it was writing or drawing that had his total concentration. She was on her way to sit down next to him when her phone started singing Aaliyah's verse from "Back in One Piece.," "I know you'd kill for me, you'd die for me. I know you like to rip and run the streets..." Juice's ringtone. She yanked her phone out of the front pocket of her candy striper's uniform. "Hey," she answered.

"Merry Christmas, babe." His voice was heavy with fatigue, but she could hear that he was smiling just a little.

"Merry Christmas. You okay out there?"

"I'm good. Fucking exhausted, but I'm whole. How about you? Man, I hate that I can't be there..."

He missed her. It was such a small thing. Of course, her man should miss her while he was away, but something about the way he expressed his regret made her heart flutter. He sounded so sincere. "I'm fine. Me and Lyla are helping Tara in the children's ward today. You know, generating some good SAMCRO PR like good little Old Ladies."

"Ha. I don't think there's enough volunteer shit in the world... But I'm glad you're with the girls. I didn't want you at home alone today."

Kyra leaned against the wall and surveyed the room. There were parents, hospital staff, and children everywhere. "I'm definitely not alone. By the way, you're not thinking about kids anytime soon, are you?"

He couged like he'd choked on his spit. "Huh? Why? Shit, you're not pregnant, are you?"

She couldn't help but laugh. There was her answer. He was as freaked out at the thought as she was. "No babe. No little James-Ortizes in the oven. I was just... You know what, don't even worry about it."

"You sure? Because I can-"

"Babe! I'm not. I promise. Just get home already."

He paused on the other end. "Um okay..."

"Love you."

"Love you too. See you soon."

She was grinning from ear to ear when she sat down next to the young boy with the notepad. He looked up at her, distracted by the shadow she cast over his drawing, and removed one of his earbuds. He gave her a once over and tried to bite away the smirk of an adolescent in the presence of a hot older chick. Kyra was almost flattered. "Wassup?" he said.

She shrugged. "Not much. You just look like you need company."

"Why? Cuz I'm the only black kid my age in the room?"

"Yup. And I know exactly how that feels," she stuck out her hand. "I'm Kyra."

He shook her hand told her that his name was Brandon. In a few minutes, she found out that Brandon was fourteen and in the hospital healing from appendicitis. He lived with his father, who was at work at a factory in Lodi instead of visiting him in the hosptial because he couldn't get the day off.

"So what are you listening to?" Kyra asked, pointing at his iPod.

"Drake. You heard of him?"

Who hasn't heard of Drake? How old does this kid think I am? "Uh yeah. I've heard of him. I'm more of a Pac and Jay-Z fan though."

"Ohhh. Old head music. My dad listens to old 2Pac and Jay-Z." He pointed at her wrist. "What's your tat say?"

She ran her fingertips over her ink. "Miss Rhonda's. It's my mom's name. She passed away some years ago."

He frowned. "I'm sorry. That's a nice tat though, well for a girl. I like the bird on your friend's arm." He laid his notepad on the table and revealed a drawing of Lyla's Crow ink. Kyra did a double take. It was a perfect replica.

"Wow," she said, inspecting the drawing, "You're talented."

"Thanks. I wanna draw tattoos one day. But my dad wants me to be an architect."

Kyra's eyes were still glued to the notepad. She suddenly had an idea. "Want some practice? There's twenty bucks in it for you."

Juice

Tired wasn't the word. Every bone in Juice's body screamed at him the entire ride from Vegas to Charming. Under normal circumstances, Vegas to Charming was pretty easy, but after two days of scuffles and brawls, he was in no shape to endure the trip comfortably. The pain was worth it, though. Bishop's killer and the assholes who put out the hit were dead and buried and every Son had walked away from the battle in one piece. And he'd still get to spend at least some of Christmas Day with his lady. It wasn't happily ever after. They still had to go back after the holiday to lay Bishop to rest, but in his life, he took wins wherever he could find them.

Getting home to Kyra was the only thing that kept him from pulling over at a motel en route and taking a much-needed nap. Christmas hadn't meant much to him since he patched, but he knew what it meant to Kyra that they celebrate their first Christmas together. Breaking the news about Bishop and the trip was some of the hardest shit he'd ever had to say to her, but she took it well. Much better than he expected. She didn't call or text once while he was away, and even though he missed her, he was happy she hadn't. He hated the thought of her at home worried about him, and that she knew to wait it out until she heard from him showed how much she trusted him. She'd come a long way from her first time seeing him off on a run.

He wondered, though, what the hell that baby business on the phone was about. He was sure his heart stopped when she asked if he wanted kids any time soon. Shit. He didn't know. And if she wasn't pregnant, was she asking because she wanted to be? He wasn't really ready for it, but if she was, he could get ready. Buy a house and shit. She'd have to get over her money issues though because no way would he let them struggle with a baby.

The baby thoughts were a good distraction because he barely felt the last half-hour of his trip. Before he knew it, they were pulling up to the clubhouse. He'd never been more happy to see the slate grey building in his entire twenty-eight years of life, but that joy didn't begin to compare to what he felt when he saw Kyra leaning against her Mustang, arms folded and face beaming at him. He was cryptic when he'd asked her to meet him at TM so they could ride home together, but her gift had been stashed in his dorm room all week so he had to stop there first.

She looked gorgeous in that effortless way that made her look like royalty even in jeans and a sweater. By the way her hair hung smooth and bouncy around her shoulder blades, he could tell that she'd washed and straightened it since he'd left. There was a navy blue gift bag in her hand and he assumed his Christmas gift was in there. He planned to do the gift exchange back at the apartment, but she waited long enough. They could do it at the clubhouse. She frowned as she approached him and he remembered that his face was a little scraped up from the trip. Nothing major, but enough for him to look battle-worn. "Hey," he said.

Kyra didn't speak at first. Just wrapped her arms around his neck and planted sweet little "hello" pecks on his lips. "Welcome home."

Against his body's wishes, he picked her up for a bear hug and she giggled when her feet left the ground. He kept his arm around her shoulder as they walked to toward the clubhouse. "So you wanna tell me what all that kids talk was about?"

She shook her head. "Nothing really. I was just at the hospital, surrounded by kids and realized we haven't talked about that. But trust me, if you're in no rush neither am I. Are you?"

Thank God. If she was ready, he would have done what needed to be done, nonetheless he was relieved that she wasn't. "Not at all." She exhaled next to him and he smiled, happy that they were on the same page.

Juice was nervous as hell about her gift. He'd recruited Neeta to help him pick it out and she was sure that Kyra would like it, but he needed to see her reaction to know for sure. She was seated on his bed, propped up on her elbows with her long, shapely legs crossed at the ankles on the floor. "I can't take full credit for this," he said, reaching into his nightstand drawer for the rectagular jewelry box. "I had some help from your aunt because I didn't wanna screw this up."

"Babe, it's not that deep. I'm sure I'll love whatever it is."

He blew out a big, dramatic breath and sat down next to her. "Merry Christmas," he said, placing the box in her lap.

There was no wrapping, just a red ribbon that she untied easily. Juice held his breath as she removed the top and picked up the sterling silver charm bracelet. "Jewelry? Niiiiiiice."

He wrapped an arm around her waist. "The bracelet was Neeta's idea, but I picked out the charms. See, there's a comb for your mom. The boom box is for music, because I know you love it so much." He pointed to a little square-shaped charm. "I know it's hard to tell, but this one is a calculator because you're gonna kick that CPA exam's ass and be a great accountant. And this...is a Harley. For me."

She held the bracelet up in the light and bit her bottom lip. "I love this Juan. Really. It's beautiful. Thank you."

He felt his face heat up. What the fuck? Was he blushing? Jesus Christ, I'm whipped. But he couldn't help it. Her happiness had that kind of effect on him. "You're welcome."

"Okay, I got you two gifts-"

Two? "Show off."

"Well now I'm glad I did. The first gift alone would have sucked compared to yours. So here," she gave him the gift bag. He looked down at its contents and could tell immediately by the size and shape of the three individually wrapped boxes that they were video games. He unwrapped them one by one: the newest Call of Duty, L.A. Noire, and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. He never thought she paid him any attention when he talked about video games. "Holy shit! How'd you know to get these?"

Kyra brushed pretend dirt off her shoulders. "I'm awesome. I know. So you like 'em?"

He was impressed. Why would she think these gifts would suck? And in that case, what was the second gift? "Love 'em. Thanks babe. So what's next? Lay it on me."

"Okay," she pulled a small, flat, square jewelry box out of her purse. "This has been a long time coming, but I didn't want to do it until I was sure."

Juice raised a brow. Jewelry? He lifted the lid and found a folded up piece of paper.What's this? It was a drawing of the traditional SAMCRO Old Lady ink, with a slight twist: the crow was perched on a lightning bolt, identical to the ones etched on the sides of his head. A lump developed in his throat and he had to clear it before he could speak. "Wait. So this means-"

She nodded. "I wanted to make sure that when I got it, it wouldn't just be some thing I did to prove that I 'belong' to you. I know how much the club means to you and I couldn't live with myself wearing this symbol unless it meant something to me, too," she paused. "I've been on my own for a long time now, and even before I lost my mother, I never understood what it meant to really have a family, you know? When you were away, it hit me that I now have this group of people in my life, more than just my mom or Neeta, who have my back. And I don't...I don't know that I really understood any of that; love, and loyalty, and family, until you and the club entered my life. Loving you taught me what real loyalty and commitment mean and no matter what happens, I'll carry that with me forever. That's why I'd be honored to wear this ink."

Juice was speechless. The crow alone would have been enough for him, but the explanation floored him. It was nothing for women to want to be branded SAMCRO. Club chicks begged for it. It was their validation in The Life as someone who mattered. He'd always seen Kyra as a powerful woman, and he loved her for it, even in the moments when her strength drove him up the fucking wall. To hear her say that he, the goofball, the screw-up, had given her a valuable life lesson that she wanted to wear for the rest of her life made his heart swell. So much so that he was sure it was about to bust out of his chest. "Wow."

"Now I know you probably want to pick out where it goes, but I'm telling you right now that I'm not getting a tramp stamp or a titty tat."

He was still struggling to find his words when he let out a chuckle. "Agreed." He didn't care where she put it, as long as it didn't require Happy to see any parts of her body that were for his eyes only. "I know you're picky about placement because of work and everything, so why don't you pick."

Kyra smiled. "Good, because I was thinking that it'd it look good right here." She turned her back to him and pointed to an area just below her right shoulder. "I'll have to give up wearing tanks and camisoles to work but I think that's a good spot. What do you think?"

He didn't have to see his reflection to know that he was cheesing like a five year old. "I think it's perfect."

They didn't make it home that night. He'd sworn all the way back from Vegas that his body was too tired to do anything but sleep, but he proved himself wrong, going a couple of rounds after the gift exchange to show her his appreciation. They lay on the bed in his dorm room, tangled in his paper thin sheets and felt blanket, watching an "A Christmas Story" marathon on TBS. Kyra was flat on her stomach, naked, save for the charm bracelet on wrist as her arm dangled lazily off the bed. Her hair, that had been meticulously straightened just hours ago, was now curling up at the ends with dampness from their sweat. Juice almost felt bad for her. She'd never keep her hair neat and perfect as long as he was around. He circled the spot that would soon bear her ink with his index finger. And I plan to be around for a long time.