I'm cruising right through these last few chapters. :) Thanks for the reviews, loves.

where the touch of the lover ends
and the soul of the friend begins
there's a need to be separate and a need to be one
and a struggle neither wins
where you gave me the world i was in
and a place i could make a stand
i could never see how you doubted me
when i'd let go of your hand
Jackson Browne, "Sky Blue and Black"

Olivia was in a blind panic. She couldn't leave Charming. There was no way it was too crazy to even think about. How could she leave Tara? Opie? Juice?

"Oh God," she whispered. She pressed both hands to her mouth to try to muffle her sobs. She knew crying wouldn't help anything, but lately she'd been such a fucking basket case.

Once she had herself under some semblance of control she grabbed the phone and dialed Juice's number.

"Hey," she said when he answered. "Hey, listen, are you busy?"

"Liv? Have you been crying? What's wrong?"

"Please, Juicy, I just—I need to see you, okay? It's important."

He sounded almost as rattled as she felt. "Yeah, of course. I'll leave now."

"Come to Tara's. I have to get out of here."

"Olivia—"

"Please. I can't talk about it over the phone."

There was a long pause, and she could tell he wasn't happy about it, but finally he said, "Okay. I'll be there soon."

She hung up and threw on some clothes that she could be seen in, and as she crossed the living room her dad called out from the kitchen.

"Olivia?"

"Going out," she said. "I'll be back later."

He followed her to the foyer and watched with a frown as she got her jacket from the hall closet. "Take the Cougar, sweetie," he said.

"It's fine. I'm just going to Tara's."

"I have to go to Home Depot later, so I'll need the truck. It's okay; you can take the Cougar."

She had her hand on the doorknob and her shoulders were tense. "I'll walk."

"It's almost three miles, and I'm not sure I want you out on the street."

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. She took the keys from the hook and slammed the door behind her. If he thought he was going to bribe her with the fucking car he had another thing coming. This was not a bribable situation.

The Cutlass was in the driveway when she got to Tara's, so that was good. She maybe should've called first. If Tara's dad were on a bender he wouldn't like random visitors on a Saturday morning. Olivia knocked and waited, and after a bit Tara came to the door.

Her eyes went wide when she saw Olivia. "What's wrong?" she said.

"Is your dad here?"

"No. He didn't come home last night. Again."

Olivia grabbed Tara's arm and dragged her into the house. "I've got a problem."

"Yeah, I can see that. Sit down. Tell me what's up."

Olivia couldn't sit. Instead she paced, lap after lap, carefully dodging the piles of newspapers and magazines Tara's dad refused to throw away. Tara perched on the edge of the couch and watched her.

"My dad wants us to move to West Virginia," she spat.

Tara blinked. "Wait. What?"

Olivia stopped pacing and dropped down next to Tara. "He got a job, a better job I guess, and it's in West Virginia."

"But, Ollie—your dad has a job! Here. At the mill here. In Charming."

Tara's voice rose with each word until she hit Charming and it cracked.

"He can't keep working at the mill. TJ's dad is on a mission to fire him, or make him quit, and it's gotten really awful."

"Okay." Tara took a deep, shaking breath. "Okay, so, maybe he can work at TM until he finds something else. I know Gemma would take him on. He's a great mechanic, and—"

"That'd probably go over like a lead balloon." Olivia slumped so that her elbows rested on her knees. "He also doesn't like how close the club's gotten, paying for my lawyer and helping with the bail and everything. And then whatever they did to get the DA to drop the charges. He's grateful; I mean, we both are; but he's freaked out about it."

"Holy shit," Tara said. "Have you told Juice?"

Olivia buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook as sobs overtook her again. Tara felt frozen. This was the second time in six months Olivia had cried over a guy, but Tara knew this time was completely different. She put an arm around her friend and pulled her close.

"I'll take that as a no," she said.

"I asked him to come over here. I called him, I mean, before I left. I hope that's okay. I didn't want him coming by my house. I think—I think maybe he's part of why Dad's doing this."

"I thought he liked Juice."

Olivia gave a soggy nod. "He does. I know he does. I just think—Juice works at TM and is best friends with Opie and Jax and rides a motorcycle. Now his mom works at TM, too, and I think my dad thinks him patching into SAMCRO one day is sort of inevitable."

"He doesn't want his little girl to be an old lady."

"Exactly." She sniffed hard and wiped at her eyes. "He was okay with Opie because I guess he knew…but like with Juice…"

"He knows how much you love him. Maybe he'll change his mind. You're gonna be a senior; he can't move you before your senior year. And what about me? What am I gonna do without you?"

That set off fresh tears, and this time Tara joined her. They fell against each other, both crying. "I know," Olivia said, her voice almost incomprehensible. "I told him that. All of it. He's made up his mind and I don't think he'll change it."

"Ollie!"

"I know! But like everything I say for reasons why we can't go are all reasons he has why we should. I'm too close to the club, school's been hell this year, I killed somebody."

That made Tara snort with laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"It's a little funny."

"Shut up. I hate you."

"Liar," Tara said. "You love me." She paused. "You could come stay with me. Like, maybe just through senior year? Then we'd both be off to college anyway, so…?"

"Yeah, I kinda said that to him. Or Jax, because I'm sure Gemma would take me in. Which, yeah, he'd love the hell outta that."

"My dad wouldn't care. It'd be great. We'd be like for-real sisters then."

Their eyes met, and they both knew it was just a dream. A great dream, the sort of dream that kept you going when you thought you couldn't, but still just a dream.

"Tara—"

"Don't," she said. "Don't say anything. Let's pretend, okay? We'll pretend that you'll stay here with me and then we'll go to college near each other and I become a world-renowned surgeon and you become the hottest, most celebrated sculptor of our generation, then we come back to Charming and I marry Jax and you marry Juice and Donna and Opie get married and our guys run SAMCRO the way it's meant to be run, while we hold the reins in the background."

"That's a lot of pretending," Olivia said with a sad smile.

"We can do it." Tara laced her fingers through Olivia's and squeezed hard.

"It's true our capacity for self-delusion is high."

"Ollie, come on! There's a chance he could change his mind. Right? If you explain to him how important it is for you to finish out high school here, with us. And how, like, basically the only thing that's gotten you through the last year has been your amazing and wonderful friends, especially your college-and-med-school-bound best friend Tara Knowles."

"He could." She bit her lip and felt a tiny spark of hope. "I hadn't thought of that part. You guys helped me get past the accident and all of that bullshit, too. If I'd had to deal with any of it alone—" She broke off. "SAMCRO or not, that's gotta mean something."

"Yes! Just explain it all out, calmly and rationally. Your dad's not a tyrant. He'll listen."

Olivia opened her mouth to reply, but the doorbell interrupted her. "That's probably Juice," she said. She wrapped her arms around Tara and they hugged for a long time. "Is it okay if I leave the Cougar here? I think we need to talk this over alone."

"Yeah, of course." One last embrace and Tara went to answer the door.

"Hey," Juice said, his brow furrowing when he saw her. "Olivia called and said—oh."

Tara had opened the door wider and stepped aside, and Juice's eyes darted from Olivia to Tara and back again. It was clear they'd both been crying. Whatever was going on it wasn't good, and Juice felt fear like an ache in the pit of his stomach.

Olivia stepped out and took Juice's hand. "Come on," she said. "Let's go for a ride."

He cast a questioning look at Tara, and she just nodded. "I'm gonna call Jax. Okay, Ollie?"

Olivia hesitated, but after a moment she nodded. She really didn't want to have to break this news to anyone else. If Tara told Jax, Jax would tell Opie, and then everyone important would know. Gemma. Someone would need to tell Gemma. She'd have to give notice and—

"Liv?" Juice said.

"I'm okay," she said. "Let's just get out of here."

He frowned and passed her the helmet. Clearly she wasn't anywhere near fine, but he knew she wasn't going to tell him until she was ready. She got settled in behind him and they both offered a wave to Tara before Juice took off.

He headed for the pines without thinking about it, or asking her. His mom was home so they couldn't go there, and her dad must be around or she would've just asked him to come to her place. It was obvious she wanted some privacy, and the pines was their place.

No scenic route today: he went straight there, and when they dismounted he grabbed a blanket from stowage and they climbed the hill in silence. He spread it out and they both sat. They still hadn't spoken; her movements were stiff and jerky; and he felt stretched tight like a bowstring.

Suddenly she turned and kissed him, hard and desperate. Her teeth sank into his lower lip and he pulled back with a surprised gasp.

"Olivia—"

"Don't talk," she said. "Please. I just want you."

She was all over him, in his lap with her hands under his t-shirt and her mouth on his neck. She bit him again, harder, and his hiss turned into a groan. She sat back and stripped off her shirt and bra, then was kissing him again. He grasped her shoulders and tried to push her away, but she wasn't having it.

"Liv, Olivia, baby, what's going on? What's wrong? Please—"

"Juice. You told me yesterday you want me. Is that true or not?"

"Of course it's true, but—"

"We can talk later. Right now I need you to fuck me." She ran her tongue around his ear and bit the corner of his jaw. "Hard, Juicy. Please, God, I need it so bad."

"I didn't bring any condoms," he said even as he helped her get his shirt over his head.

"Don't care. On the Pill, remember?"

She pushed him onto his back and he flipped them over so that he was above her. She let out a rough breath as he nipped at her throat and kissed lower, down her chest. He sucked her soft skin into his mouth, heedless of the red marks that appeared in his wake. His lips closed around her nipple while his hands worked the button on her jeans. He got them undone and she wiggled out of them, kicking them away with a frustrated grunt.

The jingle of his belt buckle and grate of zipper seemed far away as he kissed her, his tongue plunging in and out of her mouth. She wrapped her legs around him and bucked up into him. He groaned against her lips, frustration and lust, and reached between them to strip her panties away. She shoved his shorts down and wrapped her hand around his erection as he thrust two fingers into her.

"Juicy!" she cried. "I need your cock, baby, please!"

"Nuh uh," he said, a deep rasp. "Gonna make you come like this first. You're mine, remember? That means right now I decide. Just me. No one else."

She rocked her hips with a needy moan and he brushed his thumb across her clit. He curled his fingers inside her and let her set the rhythm she wanted.

"Say it, Livvie. Wanna hear you say it." He swirled his tongue against the spot where the pulse pounded in her throat. Bit down.

"I'm yours," she gasped. "I'm yours, Juan Carlos, only yours."

"That's right," he said. "That's it, baby." He rubbed her clit harder, faster, teasing flicks and long strokes, until she writhed beneath him.

"God, Juicy, oh my God, please, please!"

"You like that, Livvie? You gonna come for me?"

"Yes yes, don't stop!"

Their eyes met and he cupped her face as he kissed her. He swallowed her eager moans and tapped his fingertips against her G-spot. Pressed deep, wiggling his fingers and curling and straightening them, until she jerked against his hand. His thumb still worked her clit and she buried her face in the side of his neck, her nails digging into his back, as she chanted his name.

"Juice, Juicy, yes, Juan Carlos, yes yes yes!" He groaned when he felt her clench around him, and he didn't let up on her clit as the orgasm gripped her. She shuddered and begged and and still he didn't stop; every twist of his fingers or flick of his thumb set her off again.

Finally she grabbed his wrist. He smirked and curled his fingers one last time before he pulled away. "Feel better?" he said, planting a soft kiss on her temple.

"Uh huh," she said with a vague sort of nod. "A little." She turned to bury her face in his chest. "Tell me you love me, no matter what."

"Olivia, sweetheart—" He sighed. "Of course I do. I love you no matter what."

"Good," she mumbled. She pressed him into the blanket and straddled his hips. His hands fell to rest on her waist, and he squeezed a little. She ran her finger down the center of his chest and her mouth curved in a teasing smile. His erection was big and hot between her thighs, and he let out a strangled breath as she rocked against him.

"Babe," he said, "tell me what you want."

"You know what I want, Juicy." She dug her nails into his skin. "That was so good, baby. You made me come so hard."

He smirked. "I know I did."

She bit her lip around a teasing grin. "Do it again."

"You're the most demanding girlfriend I've ever had," he said, his eyes sparkling with a combination of humor and excitement.

She leaned down, her breasts brushing his chest, and let her mouth hover over his, just out of reach. "Are you complaining?"

He flipped them again, swallowed her surprised laugh with his kiss, and sank down between her legs. "God no," he said. He slid into her, long and slow, and her body arched on a groan.

"Yes," she said, drawing it out into a hungry, sibilant hiss. Her legs wrapped around his thighs to pin him against her, and he rocked deep. "So good, Juicy."

"Love you so much, Livvie," he said, dropping tiny kisses over her face: her forehead, the tip of her nose, her closed eyelids. "You feel incredible. Missed you, baby, God I missed you."

"I know, love; I missed you too."

He ground into her and caught her hot breath with his mouth. Nibbled on her lip and slipped his arms underneath her to gather her even closer.

"Please, Juan Carlos, please. Harder!"

"Shhh," he murmured. He nuzzled the side of her neck and kissed her there. "I got you, Livvie. Just let me."

She shivered as she opened her eyes. His expression was intense, his movements easy and sweet, and every time his pelvis rocked into hers she felt a lick of heat from her clit through her whole body. She whimpered and and tried to buck against him, but he pressed his lips to the spot just behind her ear and whispered her name.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's good. Just like this."

But it was too much. Too intense. Too intimate. A rough fuck she could handle, but this? It was everything she'd be leaving behind, everything she'd never known she'd wanted and would be losing.

But God it was so good and she loved him so much and—

"That's right, sweetheart," he said. "Just like that."

She moved with him, rolling her hips to take him deeper, and his eyes were steady on hers. He grasped one of her hands and held it above her head, their fingers entwined and their palms pressed tight.

"I love you," she gasped. "I love you. Always, Juicy. I'm yours."

"I know," he said. His own breath came in unsteady gasps, and she could feel his smile when they kissed. "I'm yours, Liv. No matter what."

She let out a soft cry as he picked up speed and the heat built like an ache. He kissed the furrow in her brow and her soft mouth.

"That's right, baby," he said. "That's it, that's so good, wanna feel you come, need to feel you come all over my cock. Please, Livvie, goddamn please!"

Her fingers tangled in his hair, and as he ground into her clit again the orgasm rolled through her, like submerging in a hot bath. She went tight around him and her body undulated beneath him, and at the sound of her high-pitched keens he knew he couldn't hold on.

"Yes, Juicy," she breathed, "please please!"

He let out a rough cry and spilled into her. Her eyes went wide at the feeling. She moaned and he forgot himself and slammed into her.

"Livvie!" he groaned.

She lifted off the blanket to meet him and he felt her come again as his own orgasm began to wane.

He held her tight while she trembled, and when her fingers loosened in his hair and her arm fell boneless beside her he collapsed. She took his weight with a little oof, and when he tried to move she wrapped herself around him.

Lifting his head from her shoulder, his eyes went wide when he saw her face. She was crying. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks, and he could feel her body shaking from it.

"Olivia," he said. He rolled over to lie beside her and gathered her close. She felt so small, delicate and fragile, and he was afraid to squeeze too hard or she might shatter. "Please tell me what's wrong, sweetheart."

"I don't want to lose you, Juice," she said through her sobs.

"You won't, Liv. Never. I'm yours as long as you'll have me."

"I'm leaving," she said, her voice so garbled he couldn't understand her. "He's not gonna change his mind and we're gonna leave and we might never see each other again and I don't know what to do!"

"Wait." He took her by the shoulders and pushed her away just a little, enough to see her face. "Wait, Liv, what are you talking about?"

She took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together. "My dad, Juice. He's moving us to West Virginia. He thinks the MC is a bad influence and that all the shit that's gone down with TJ is fucking with me at school and…honestly, I think he's worried about how close we are, and how close you are with Jax and Opie."

"And SAMCRO," he said.

"Yeah."

"Jesus." He sat up and ran both hands through his hair. "Jesus, Olivia. When? When are you leaving?"

"I don't know." She sat up too, curling her legs underneath her. "I think maybe as soon as school's over? He's got a job over there, so they're waiting for him."

"That's like three weeks!"

There wasn't anything she could say to that, so she just nodded even though he faced away from her. He surged to his feet and paced, heedless of the twigs beneath his bare feet.

"Did you talk to him?" he said. "Did you tell him you can't go, that—that—your whole life is here, like school and your friends and—and me?"

"Of course I did, Juice! I told him all of that. But like I told Tara, I think everything I said just made him more determined."

"Shit." He dropped back to his knees and pressed shaking hands to his face. "Shit, Livvie," he said, and she could hear the tears in his voice. Suddenly he straightened again. "We'll run away. I've got money saved from working at TM, and we can just get on my bike and go. You and me, baby."

She brushed her fingers over his face. "Juicy, you can't run away. Your mom?"

"Oh…fuck." He took a deep breath. "Okay, so…it's only like a year, right? In a year you can come back over here for college, or we can both go somewhere that's close together. In the meantime we can IM and email and sometimes talk on the phone. Maybe at Christmas you can come visit, or if your dad still wants to keep you away from the MC I can go out there."

He reached for her and she fell against him. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed her forehead. "I'm not gonna lose you, Liv. I swear."

"I know, Juan Carlos," she said, her voice soft and sad. "I won't lose you, either."

"We'll figure it out, Olivia. You believe me, don't you?"

"I do," she said. "Of course I do."

And she did, because she knew he meant it. But she also knew how things worked, and they so rarely seemed to work out for her. Or for him, either. She wanted to be with him forever, but she was a realist: she was moving hundreds of miles away and they were both just stupid kids. In high school. Girls would be throwing themselves at him and she couldn't expect him to be a monk.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get dressed and I'll take you home. We can talk to your dad together. I get how he must feel. He told me once he trusted you with me, and I fucked it up."

"Juice, you didn't—"

"I did, Liv. From his point of view, and from mine, I totally did."

"Doesn't anyone care about my point of view?"

"Yup," he said. "But sometimes shit just doesn't make sense. It's the human condition."

The truck was in the driveway when they got to Olivia's house, and as they dismounted Juice grabbed her hand in his.

"It's gonna be okay," he said.

She nodded and tried to smile, and they walked to the house together. Her dad was in the living room, and he looked up in surprise when he saw them.

"I didn't hear the Cougar," he said.

"I left it at Tara's. Juice and I needed to talk."

James put the ball game he was watching on mute. "Come sit down, pumpkin. You too, Juice."

Olivia sank down next to him on the couch while Juice took the chair. "I'm sorry about how I acted earlier, Daddy," Olivia said. "You just—you surprised me."

"I understand, Ollie. It's a big deal, and it's natural you'd be upset." His eyes darted between Juice and Olivia. "You seem calmer now."

She took a deep breath, but Juice made a quick gesture. She frowned at him. He tilted his head. Finally she lifted her hand and he took that as permission to continue.

"Mr. Gable, you told me once that you trusted Olivia with me. After what happened on prom night I feel like I betrayed that trust."

James studied him for a long time. "What TJ did wasn't your fault, Juice. You took a bullet for my daughter."

Juice ducked his head, clearly embarrassed. "Not exactly. I know I should've protected her better, and I don't blame you for being upset."

James waved him quiet. "I'm not angry with you. Not in the least. I'm her father, and I'm the one who never noticed how bad things had gotten with TJ." He looked at Olivia, a sad smile softening his features. "I've let a lot of things slip through the cracks recently."

"Dad, no—"

"Yeah, I have. That's why this move is a good idea. Better hours, like I told you this morning, and I'll have more time to spend with you. It's a chance to start over, pumpkin, away from Charming and all the crap you've been dealing with since Christmas."

Olivia cut a look at Juice. "Dad, I think you know how Juice and I feel about each other."

"I do," he said, "and I appreciate that. But you're seventeen, Olivia. I know what you're going to say: I met your mother when we were seventeen. That's true, but it was different."

"How?" she said with a scowl. "How exactly was it different?"

He lifted his hands in a shrug. "For one, there wasn't an outlaw motorcycle gang in the mix."

"I'm not involved with SAMCRO, Mr. Gable."

"You are, Juice. Right now you might not have any intention of patching in or prospecting, but you work at the garage. Your two best friends are second generation. You are involved with SAMCRO, and I don't want my daughter pulled any deeper than she already has been."

"We're getting sidetracked," Olivia said. "Look, Daddy, I wanted to tell you I'm not happy about it, but I'm not going to fight you anymore on this moving thing."

He gave her a mild look. "How generous of you."

His dry tone reminded Juice so much of Olivia he couldn't hold back a laugh.

She cast him an exasperated glare. "I just mean—I love Juice, and I love my friends, but you…" She swallowed around a lump in her throat. "You're my family. Since we lost Mom it's been you and me. We've got each other's backs, right?"

James reached for her hand and squeezed hard. "How do you feel about it, Juice?" he said after a moment.

"I just want her to be happy, sir. I mean, yeah, I want her to stay, but…" He clenched one hand around the other and the muscles in his jaw danced. "I'm not sure Charming's real good for her anymore."

"Juice…?"

"He's right, Liv," Juice said. "About school and stuff. And the MC. Maybe even right about me; I don't know. Whatever they did got the DA to drop the charges, but I seriously doubt TJ's dad is just gonna shut up. He had enough pull with the school board to get Mr. Collins fired without a hearing or anything; who knows what he could get up to."

He pushed himself to his feet. "I'll let you guys talk," he said. "I just wanted you to know how I feel about Olivia, Mr. Gable. She's—she's real special, and she deserves the best." He smiled at her and bent to kiss her cheek, and when she started to get up he shook his head. "Stay. I know the way out."

James stood and followed Juice to the door. They shook hands, and a few moments later Olivia heard his bike start up. Her father leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest, and studied her.

"Maybe I misjudged him a bit," he said after a time.

"He's a good guy, Dad."

He sighed and dropped down next to her. She didn't resist when he put an arm around her shoulders, and after a moment she leaned into him. "I love you, Ollie. This fresh start is a good thing. I promise."

"I know, Daddy," she said, her voice small. "I just wish fresh starts didn't hurt so much."

He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "What can I do to make it easier?"

"I don't know. I don't think anything."

"Ice cream? Would ice cream help? Even just temporarily? A minor stopgap."

Her mouth quirked, just a little. "Ice cream never hurts."

"That's my girl," he said. "Come on. We'll hit up Ice Cream Palace and then I'll drop you by Tara's to get the Cougar."

She took his hand and let him help her stand. Before he could let go she threw her arms around him and hugged tight. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Really. I was a jerk this morning."

"I probably would've reacted the same way in your place. But thanks for saying it." He mussed her hair. "Now let's go. I want my ice cream."

Hum. Well, one more after this.

For those who might not know, ao3 (aka, Archive of Our Own) is another fanfic site. But, uh. It's kind of better? Like more user friendly and the interface is just nicer to look at and they don't have a bunch of rules about content. I have some things that are only published over there, like the Come With Me Tonight sequel and the missing scenes, and like I said it might be the only place I publish the sequel for this one.

Anyway, you don't have to join to read stuff, or to leave kudos, but I'm not sure if you can leave a comment as a guest. *shrug* Anyway, like I said I'm copperleaves over there, and you can also find all my fic on my tumblr, stupidscalptattoos.