Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters and storyline...

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 1: Changes

By Love Ink

Two and a half years later...

The second the subway doors opened, Juice started running. He could feel blood pouring down the side of his face from where a bullet had managed to graze him as he'd sprinted away from his adversaries. He'd managed to get away, but Prulow hadn't been so lucky; he was slower, a bigger target. Juice hadn't looked back when he heard Prulow screaming for help, he'd just run faster to the nearest subway and boarded the first train he could. Luckily, it had been the right one.

Snow covered his shoulders as he walked, soaking through his sweatshirt, though his adrenaline was keeping him warm enough. He kept his head down, his hoodie pulled over it to keep his battered face hidden from curious eyes. Not that he needed to see his way anyway, he knew the way to her building by heart. Walking up the steps, he pressed the button next to her name over and over again knowing the sound of the buzzer would wake her up eventually. "It's two AM. What the fuck?" came her rough answer.

If he wasn't afraid for his life, he would've smiled at the brusque greeting. "It's me," he rasped, shivering a bit.

He heard her curse under her breath before he heard the lock on the door click open. He took the steps to her sixth floor apartment three at a time. As soon as he lifted his hand to knock, the door opened revealing his very disheveled friend. "Were you walking around in the snow?" Angela asked, her dark eyes wide. At his nod, she grabbed the front of his sweatshirt and pulled him inside. "Holy shit, are you bleeding?"

Juice nodded again, turning to close the door and slide all five of her locks into place. He'd always thought they were excessive until that moment. "Yeah," he breathed, pulling back his hood. His heart was still racing, breathing still labored as he tried to wrap his mind about what had just happened. All of his hard work with the mob had just blown up in his face. He and Prulow had hacked their way into the files of a rival family, giving their bosses intel to use against them to get even. When their rivals came back with a vengeance, their boss had offered him and Prulow up as a way to make things even so the families could reach some kind of peace treaty. "Got grazed."

"By a bullet?" she questioned in disbelief as she started pushing him to her small bathroom.

"Yeah," he said, sitting down heavily on the closed toilet and pulling down his hood.

Her worry turned into anger in seconds as she slammed the first aid kit down on the counter. "I told you to keep away from that mob shit, Juice! What the fuck happened?"

"I don't know...I don't..." It was getting harder and harder to breathe. He had to get out of there, out of New York, or he was dead meat. The mob's reach spanned across the East Coast; nowhere there was safe for him anymore. "I can't..."

"Hey, woah, breathe," she said, her anger dissipating as worry took over again. She grabbed his face in her hands, making his eyes meet hers. "Look at me, Juice. Match my breathing, c'mon. In 'n' out."

He followed her directions, meeting her gaze as he tried to calm down. Her eyes were dark, so dark they looked almost black in the overhead light of the bathroom, but he knew if the sun hit them just right, they were a chocolate color that complemented her tan skin perfectly. Looking into them now was comforting. She made him feel safe. He knew he could trust her with his life, tell her anything and not have her turn on him like his mob family had. His breathing evened out after a moment, and he gave her the best smile he could muster. "I'm good, I'm good."

She nodded, straightening up with a sigh. "Talk," she urged, turning to her first aid kit. "Quietly."

Juice raised an eyebrow at her. "Raj here?" he asked, only then noticing the NYU logo printed across her chest. Raj, her boyfriend of two years, was a law student there. He was a nice guy, smart as hell, and treated her right. Juice actually liked the guy despite being jealous of him and his relationship with Angela.

Angela nodded again, shrugging a shoulder. "We went to see Les Miserables on Broadway. Again. He put the damn soundtrack on while we had sex," she explained with a roll of her eyes as she started to clean the graze. He knew she was trying to distract him to help him calm down, but he wished she'd picked a different topic. He really didn't want to picture her having sex with another dude. He didn't want to picture her having sex with anyone else at all. "Hard to climax when a prostitute is wailing about her broken dreams."

He cringed, more from the detailed story than from the alcohol she was using to clean his wound. "That's entirely too much information."

She shrugged again, narrowing her eyes as she studied the graze. "You asked," she muttered before sighing. "What the hell happened, Juice?"

"I dunno. One minute, I was their number one guy, and the next, they were chasin' me and Pru through Ozone Park, bullets flyin' by our heads 'n' shit."

"Pru's a fuckin' idiot. Told you he was gonna bring you down after that numbers bag incident."

Juice frowned, remembering Prulow's cries for help he'd heard only moments before. "Yeah, well, they got him. I was too fast."

"Shit."

He nodded slowly, trying not to think too much about it. "I gotta get outta here, Angel. They're gonna come after me. They're gonna kill me."

"Don't be ridiculous, goof," she said, applying butterfly bandages to his cut. "You're gonna be..."

"No! You don't get it," he interjected, pulling away from her so he could meet her gaze. "The goddamn mob is after me. You've seen the Godfather, the Sopranos. You know what they do when someone they want dead gets away! They won't stop until they're dead! Them and everyone helpin' them! Shit, Angel, they could come after you!"

Angela didn't look all that afraid. He had a feeling it was because of the two big bikers with their Reaper vests that visited her every so often. "Don't worry about me," she said, waving away his concern. "We just gotta get you outta here."

"I got nowhere else to go, Angel. You know that. You're pretty much all I got since my sister won't talk to me anymore! Where can I go? They got satellite families all over the East coast."

"So you go west," she stated, her dark eyes lighting up as an idea came into her head. "Go to California. Find my cousin. Him and his club of brutes will take care of you."

He blinked at her for a moment, confused. "What?"

She sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes at him. "You're gonna get outta these wet clothes, sleep a couple hours, and then we're gonna go sell my car, buy you a bike, and you're gonna ride all the way to Oakland to my Aunt's place. I'll explain everything to my cousin and hopefully he'll hook you up with his club. They'll protect you."

"Sell your car?" he repeated, dumbfounded. "You love that car."

"I don't drive that car. That's what the subways are for, right? Just throw me some cash to put on my MetroCard, and we're square. "

Juice shook his head quickly. "Nah, I can't. That's your car."

"So? I'd rather know you're safe than have my car rusting in the garage," she insisted, glaring at him. "Please take it and go! Just be safe."

All of a sudden the idea of leaving his beloved city became incredibly real. He was going to leave everything he knew, his friends, his family, Angela, to go to a new place clear across the country where he didn't know anyone. "Jesus Christ, you're serious."

"Yeah, goof. You'll be safe there," she said, packing up her supplies and putting them away. "C'mon, we'll map it out."

Juice watched as she leaned over a map she'd pulled seemingly out of nowhere. She drew a line across the county, muttering to herself as she went. On the edge of the map, she wrote an address. "This is my Ma and Aunt's place. Go there first. They'll take care of you until Hap can figure out something better," she explained, scrawling out a few numbers with names beside them. "Happy Lowman's my cousin but don't call him unless you think someone is hunting you down. Elena's my aunt who's awesome, and Graciela is my mother. Don't call her either unless it's an emergency. This is Kozik's phone, if you get lost. I'll write mine too just in..."

"I know yours," he cut her off, studying the map. "This is insane, Angel. I can't do this."

"Of course you can," she assured him, setting her hand over his and squeezing it reassuringly. "You can do this, Juice. Everything's gonna be okay."

He drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I got this," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Shit. I don't got cash or clothes. I can't go home."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Lucky for you, I have your laundry from this week. Saw it sitting at the laundromat when I got mine. I picked it up for you so they wouldn't sell your shit."

"Knew I was forgettin' somethin'," he muttered, shaking his head.

"And I got cash. Tons of it."

"Yeah, but you're savin' it to buy new shit for school," he pointed out.

Angela shrugged again. "I don't need new shit. I'd rather have you alive then a shiny new trocar."

Juice had no idea what that was, but he knew it was a big deal for her to give the money to him instead of getting a new one. "I'm gonna pay you back for everythin', Angel. Every cent of it, I promise."

"Whatever floats your boat, man," she said nonchalantly. He knew she'd never take any kind of money from him, though. She looked at the map again, her eyes bright and excited. "This is gonna work. Right?"

"Angel, why are you doin' this? I'm...I don't deserve this shit."

She scowled at him, looking a little offended at his question. "Don't be stupid. If they kill you, who's gonna watch Star Wars marathons with me and fight with me about stupid shit like which Mario Kart character is the best? Who's gonna have impromptu dance sessions at the laundromat to the crazy 80s music Miss Lola plays there? I don't want to lose you, goofy. You're my best friend, and I need you."

Juice wrapped his arms around her before he could stop himself. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. She hugged him back just as hard, her body fitting perfect against his in the most comforting way. He felt tears fill his eyes at the idea of losing her. She was his best friend too. One of the few people he trusted implicitly. He was going to miss her like crazy. "How'm I gonna do all that shit from across the country?"

Her dark eyes were shiny with tears. "I dunno, but we'll figure something out," she said, sniffling a bit. "And I'm...I'm gonna move back to California as soon as I graduate, I hope, so...so we'll be together again soon. Promise."

He nodded slowly, reaching a hand to wipe away her tears. "Pinkie promise?" he asked, holding up his fist with a pinkie finger in the air.

She smiled at him, hooking her pinkie around his before kissing her fist while he kissed his own. When he lifted his head, her face was just inches from his. Her eyes flitted to his lips for just a brief moment before she pulled away with a nervous laugh. "Pinkie promise," she replied on a breath. "Go change out of these wet clothes while I get the cash for you. Your shit's in the guest room."

He headed back towards the two guest room and found his laundry bag on the bed there. He went through it, making sure everything was there before laying out a new outfit. He'd just gotten a fresh pair of pants on when there was a soft knock at the door. He turned to find Angela standing there, a wad of cash in her hand and a small black hunk of plastic in her hand. Her dark eyes swept over his naked torso in a way that stirred something inside of him. "Missing a sweatshirt," he commented.

"Weird," she replied, a secret in her dark eyes. "Umm. Here's some cash and this piece of shit phone. Its big and the reception is shitty, but it works and has a lot of minutes on it. Should get you started. You have to call me at least once a day until you reach my Ma's house, okay? Don't make me worry about you."

He felt a blush heat up his cheeks; he'd never really had anyone to worry about him before. "Will do."

She took in a deep breath, giving him the smallest smile. "Am I gonna see you before you leave?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder, though he knew the answer was 'no'. He didn't know how to say 'goodbye' to her. Didn't want to. But saying goodbye right then would be just as hard. He pulled a shirt over his head, covering his face as he answered, "I um...probably."

A knowing look crossed over Angela's face. "Okay," she said, unhitching herself from the door jamb and walking over to him. She lifted her hand as if she was going to set it against his chest, then seemed to think better of it and pretended to pick lint off his shoulder. "Gonna miss you. A lot."

"Don't start. You're only gonna make it harder."

Her eyebrow raised, a smirk pulling up the corner of her lips. "That's what he said."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her and feeling a sense of calm fill him when her laughter joined his. Her hair fell into her eyes as she laughed, and he fought off his instinct to tuck it behind her ear, let his fingers linger on her warm cheek. Her skin had to be soft. So soft. As soft as he imagined her lips would be if he kissed her. His laughter faded as he stared at her lips wondering what would happen if he closed the distance between them and kissed her. He shook his head again, banishing away that thought; he didn't even know where it'd come from. He had thought he'd buried any romantic feelings he'd had for Angela deep down in the back of his heart years before.

She stopped laughing too, her gaze meeting his. Something seemed to shift between them as she took a step closer, this time actually setting her hand against his chest just over his heart. He gave in and moved her hair behind her ear like he'd wanted to earlier. His heart was racing for a completely different reason then it had been before. Her eyes darted to his lips again as her own lips parted just a little as if in anticipation. Did she want kiss him as badly as he wanted to kiss her?

"Ang?" a voice called from down the hall.

Angela pulled away from him, a dark blush coloring her cheeks. "I um...I'm over here."

Raj appeared at the doorway, shirtless, a sleepy look on his face, his dark, longish hair a mess. "Hey Juice," he said, nodding in greeting as he glanced at the bandages on his face. "Rough night?"

Juice laughed, scratching at the back of his neck. "Yeah. Somethin' like that."

"Anythin' I can do to help?" he asked, his offer genuine. There was no suspicion in his eyes. There never was. Raj seemed to trust him for some reason.

Juice hated how much he liked the guy. He was a good guy, smart, treated Angela like a goddess, but he was boring as dirt. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks."

Angela turned to Raj, setting her hand on his bare chest the same way she'd just done to him. "Go back to bed, Raj. I'll be there in a minute."

"All right, babe," he said, dipping his head to kiss her the way Juice had wanted to just moments before. He nodded at Juice again. "Goodnight, Juice."

"Yeah. Night," Juice replied, giving him a little wave.

Angela watched Raj leave for a moment before turning back to him. "You need anything else? I got some cold pizza in the fridge if you're hungry. Tonight, tomorrow, whenever."

He nodded quickly. "Thanks, Angel. For everything."

She smiled, pulling him in for another hug. "Be safe, goof. I'll see you again soon."

"Yeah," he rasped around the lump in his throat. He watched her turn to go and called her name, stopping her. "Hey Angel! Ikh hob dikh lib."

Angela raised an eyebrow at him. "What the hell does that mean?"

He gave her a small smile and shrugged. "You'll figure it out."

"You won't speak Spanish, but Yiddish? No problem!" she teased, shaking her head at him. She kissed his cheek again, taking his hand and squeezing it. "Good night, goofy. Stay safe."

"Night, Angel."

Angela knew the moment she woke up Juice would be gone. In a way, she was grateful for that; she didn't think she could stand saying goodbye to him. She slipped out from under Raj's arm and made her way to the guest room just to make sure her theory was correct. It was empty save for his hoodie folded neatly on top of the perfectly made bed, a note with her name on the front folded on top of it. She smirked as she picked up the note and unfolded it. Ever since the first napkin he'd given her with his name and number on it, she'd given him shit for his careful, neat handwriting, but she secretly loved it especially the way he wrote her name. The note read:

"Angel,

I can never thank you enough for all this. Sorry to leave without saying goodbye, but I wouldn't be able to leave if I waited. Hope you understand. I'm leaving you one of my hoodies, though I'm pretty sure you have the other one. Hold onto them until we see each other again which will be soon, I hope. I'll miss you like crazy. Don't forget me.

- Juice."

Angela sighed softly as she put the note aside, picking up Juice's sweatshirt and slipping it on despite how dirty it had to be. He hadn't been wrong; she did have his other hoodie. When she'd seen it in his laundry bag, she couldn't resist stealing it. Raj didn't wear hoodies, preferring sweaters and jackets instead and while they looked great on him, she wished he had hoodies to steal. She'd settled for stealing Juice's hoodies instead. They were always so warm and cozy, the smell of cologne and weed that lingered in the fabric strangely comforting.

Sitting down at the edge of the bed, she thought about the moment they'd had the night before. There'd been an intense heat between them the moment she'd walked in on him with his shirt off. She'd wanted to touch him right then, move her hands all over his skin, kiss and lick her way down his torso right to the waistband of his tight boxer briefs. Just thinking about it had her cheeks heating up in a blush, her heart beating just a little faster. She laughed, shaking her head. How could she think these naughty things about Juice of all people? He was her best friend, practically her brother...so why couldn't she get that moment out of her head?

"Ang?" Raj's voice came from the doorway.

She lifted her head and met his gaze, giving him a small smile. "He's gone," she said with a simple shrug. "He um...he got into some deep shit and had to leave so..."

"Aww that's a shame. I'm so sorry," he said, sitting down on the bed next to her and kissing her temple. "Know he meant a lot to you. But it's not like he's dead, right? You can still call him and stuff."

"Oh. Yeah, I know. It's just...different," she replied, leaning her head against his shoulder. "What are you up to today?"

He shrugged, running a hand through his long, wavy dark hair. "Studying. Got a big exam coming up. Do you have any plans?"

Angela tried to hide her disappointment. Usually while Raj was studying, she and Juice hung out. Sometimes they'd sneak up to the roof, smoke a little weed, and just talk. Others, he'd take her around New York, showing her little places and taking her to the best restaurants he could find. If she had a big math test, he'd sit with her and walk her through it until she understood it. She spent more time with Juice than she did with Raj. She sighed softly. "Nope. Guess I can figure something out."

"Brunch first?"

"Yeah, sounds good," she said on a little nod.

He leaned over a kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about Juice, babe. He'll be just fine."

She gave him a fake smile. "Of course, he will be," she said standing up and folding her arms over her chest. "Hey, you know any Yiddish?"

"Nope. I speak a mean Hinglish, though," he said, walking out of the room. "Almost as good as your Spanglish."

"Excuse you! I'm fluent, thank you very much!" she called after him, smiling for real now. She really did like Raj a lot, yet the look in Juice's eyes, the fire his touch left behind still lingered in her mind. And that damn Yiddish phrase. Ikh hob dikh lib. How the hell was she going to figure out what it meant?

What Juice says is "I love you" in Yiddish. I hope its correct, but I also don't speak Yiddish and used Google translate to write it...if someone speaks Yiddish and can correct me, that'd be awesome! :)

So Juice is off to Charming! :D

Let me know what you think! :)

~Love Ink