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

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 52: Moving On

By Love Ink

Angela climbed down the ladder into the clubhouse, grimacing as the loud sound of the party filled her ears. A part of her wanted to climb right back up and just hide there until Juice came to get her. Juice. Her heart did a little flip as she remembered the kiss they'd shared. She wondered where he was now and how easy it would be to get him alone again. Slowly, she headed to the bathroom to freshen up a bit, make sure her lipstick wasn't all over her face like Jax had implied. As she headed down the hall, Wendy staggered out of the dorm room. "Hey," the blonde greeted with a strange look on her face. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I'd use that bathroom. The other one's covered in puke."

"Noted, thanks," she asked, noticing the way Wendy's eyes appeared dilated a bit. She looked a little twitchy, like Kozik used to after he used. "You good?"

"Yeah, fine," she breathed, waving away her worries as she walked away. "Don't worry about me."

Angela raised an eyebrow at her back, her gut telling her there was something going on there. Was Wendy using again? She shook her head, no way…though it had been awhile since she'd run into her after her grief meetings. "Not tonight," she muttered under her breath. She was having too good of a night to taint it with something she probably shouldn't be meddling with to begin with.

She walked into the little dorm room, checking her make up in the mirror above the sink in the in-suite bathroom. Her lipstick was pretty smeared, and her hair was an absolute mess. She smoothed it down a bit, combing through it with her fingers, before cleaning the lipstick from around her mouth. She touched her swollen lips with a small smile; she'd kissed Juice. After so many years of dreaming about what it would feel like, it finally happened. And it had been just as good as any dream. A part of her wanted to find him again, bring him into the dorm room, and kiss the crap out of him like Rosa had teased her about. Maybe take it a step farther. She wanted to kiss more of him, taste his skin. The idea alone made fire race through her veins. She let out a long breath. "Slow," she reminded herself, splashing some cool water on her face.

She made her way back into the party, looking for Juice and desperately trying to avoid interacting with anyone else. "Angie! Shot time!" Jax called over the crowd, gesturing for her to come over.

Rolling her eyes, she headed over to where he was standing at the bar with Piney. He inched the shot glass towards her, a drunken smile on his face. She glanced at Piney who looked amused, a bottle of Patron in his large hand. "Gave you the good stuff," he told her with a wink.

She smiled back at him. "Thanks, Piney." She held up her shot glass, waiting for them to do the same. "A toast to new beginnings."

Jax gave her a knowing smile as though he knew she wasn't talking about his new patch or Piney's retirement. "To new beginnings," Jax repeated, clinking his glass against hers. They all downed their shots in unison. Jax slammed his glass down on the bartop, slapping Angela's back in a brotherly manner as he did so. To her surprise, he kissed her temple before pushing away from the bar. "I'm out."

Piney's smile disappeared as he shook his head at Jax's back. "Idiot. You got eyes on you," he said, nodding towards where Gemma and Wendy were watching her from the corner of the room.

"Shit," she muttered, cringing at the look on Gemma's face. She'd already told Gemma she wasn't into Jax, yet here Jax was kissing her like it was nothing. Because it was nothing. It meant nothing. Other than that he was drunk and extra affectionate at the worst possible moment. She had just kissed Juice. She wanted him, not Jax. "How screwed am I?"

"Depends on what that little interaction meant to you," he answered, pouring them both another shot.

"Not what they're thinking. That's for damn sure," she said, raking a hand through her hair.

Piney nodded, downing the shot and gesturing for her to do the same. Much to her surprise, once they were done with the shots, Piney did the exact same thing as Jax had and kissed her temple. "That should throw 'em off," he said on a chuckle.

Angela laughed. She understood what he meant. How could they say Jax's kiss meant something romantic when Piney had done the exact same thing? "Genius move. Thanks."

He shrugged, chuckling roughly. "Hang around long enough, and you start learnin' the ropes," he said, his light eyes looking off behind her for a moment. "Looks like it got 'em off your ass. For now."

She glanced over to see Wendy and Gemma had turned away and were talking about something else. "Just gonna steer clear of them for the rest of the night."

"Sounds like a good plan, sweetheart," he said with a grin. He was quiet for a minute, staring at the photo wall of SAMCRO members both current and years past. Angela had never paid any attention to it, but she was glad she did when she spotted her Uncle Chico's photograph on the wall. He looked just as she remembered him, scraggly beard and all. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. She missed him. Piney seemed to notice and nudged her arm. "You ever hear the story about when Chico brought your old man here for the first time?"

Angela's breath caught in her throat at the mention of her father. It was rare she heard any stories about him. Happy and her aunt didn't like talking about him, and her mother refused. Angela was so young when he died, she didn't have many memories of her own. Hearing that Piney did or could provide some insight into him was exciting. "N-no. No, I...I don't really know a lot about him outside of...being my dad."

"Chico loved your dad. That was his little brother, y'know? He wanted to see him succeed. We were raking in the dough back then. Won't tell you how, but we were, and Chico wanted Vic in on it. Wanted to help him earn money for the little family he was building. Your dad came in here on a party night, not unlike this one, took two steps inside and turned right back around. Bolted. Right out the door, cursing up a storm at Chico for bringing him to a whorehouse," Piney explained on a chuckle. "And he turned around to keep cursing him out and backed into the line of bikes."

Her eyes widened, she could only imagine what happened next. "Oh shit."

"They went down like fuckin' dominoes. One right after the other. The sound was deafening. Think the whole party stopped just to look. If he wasn't Chico's brother, he would've gotten his ass kicked for that," he said, shaking his head. "But your old man apologized. Went to each and every one of us, shook our hands, and said he was sorry. Then he worked his ass off to fix every damn bike free of charge. He wasn't great with engines, but he was excellent with body work and paint. All the dents and scratches were gone. Gave a few of them new artwork even. Paid for every cent of paint, every tool he used. The bikes looked beautiful when he was done with 'em."

Angela smiled a little at the story. It sounded an awful lot like something Juice would do. "He painted bikes?"

"He was quite the artist," Piney confirmed with a fond smile. "His main work was on lowriders, but he did bikes too. Shame all of the ones he worked on are long gone. Hap learned a lot of his skills from him, y'know?"

"Kinda?" she admitted, frowning a bit. "I remember watching him paint the small details on these massive, sparkly cars. Not much else, though. Didn't realize that was his job. Thought he was just a mechanic."

"He was that too. Not a great one, to be honest. Chico was the one with the real skills, but your dad got by. But man, could he paint. You ever see his bike?"

She nodded slowly. "One of the few memories I have of him is sitting on that bike while he worked on it. Cherry red. Sparkly. Lots of chrome."

"Beautiful thing. Think one of the reasons he didn't want a part of SAMCRO was because he'd have to paint it. Bright red and chrome is more Mayan then Sons."

Angela smiled sadly. As much as she detested Esai, she had to admit, his bike was beautiful. Sparkling green with the Mayan god in a shimmery gold, the chrome always perfectly clean and polished so it shined. "Yeah, they do have that going for them. Not too much flash with you guys."

"We veered away from it once we started getting into...other things," he explained vaguely.

"Didn't want to be so distinct, huh?" she asked, smirking when Piney nodded. Sighing, she glanced around the room. "I'm not keepin' you from your own party, am I?"

Piney chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, darlin'. This isn't my party. This is for Jax," he said, gesturing to the crowd in the center of the room where Jax was. "No one cares about the old blood. 'm happy to reminisce with someone. Not many people are willin' to listen when there's a party goin' on."

"Well, if you're willin' to share more, I'm all ears, old man."

"No partying for you?"

She shook her head, grateful to have a reason not to partake. There wasn't anything for her to do other than avoid Gemma and struggle with finding a moment alone with Juice. "Nah. I like hearing the old stories. 'specially about Uncle Cheeks and my dad. Reminisce away."

Kozik glanced over at the bar where Angela was talking with Piney. He was glad to see the kid smiling as she listened to the old man, clearly enjoying whatever story he was telling her. It was a big, genuine smile. One he hadn't seen in a long time.

He was proud of the kid. She'd had one hell of a year, and while she'd made some awful choices, she'd pulled out ahead. She seemed a lot better than she had when they went to pick her up from New York. She was going to the grief meetings, healing in a healthier way than finding solace in the Mayan, which was good because shit with the other club seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. They weren't stupid; the Sons had caught word of someone with Mayan ties pushing drugs at the Charming Lumberyard. That wasn't going to fly for long. They were keeping it cool though, trying to find hard proof of it before they called the Mayans on it. Plus, they still had a gun deal in the works with them. They weren't going to mess anything up until after the next shipment. It seemed like Angela had cut ties just in time.

He wasn't surprised when he saw Juice heading her way. The idiot was so infatuated with her, it was ridiculous. It was hard to watch the two dancing around each other, both of them too blind to see what was in front of them. They'd make a good match. Koz was sure of it. Juice was easy going, kind, and a totally goofball. Angela needed that. The only issue was going to be when Juice earned that top rocker. He had a feeling Angela wasn't going to be too happy about that. It was either going to make or break their relationship, romantic or otherwise. Who knew if they'd even be together by then. Probably not. They'd probably still be secretly pining for each other. Too stupid and scared to make a move.

Juice finally got to the bar, and Kozik watched as he set a hand on Angela's lower back, left exposed by her crop top. He'd seen Juice do this before and thought nothing of it. Until he saw the way it lingered there, rubbing over the smooth skin and even slipping under the hem of the shirt just a little, caressing her skin. Koz had never seen Juice touch Angela like that. Had rarely seen them make skin to skin contact unless it was a quick hug. This looked different.

And then she smiled up at the idiot. A different kind of smile than the usual guarded one. This one looked more intimate, sweeter. Like she wasn't trying to hide her feelings anymore. Was she drunk or had something happened between them?

He hoped Juice had finally grown some balls and told her how he felt. Hoped that it meant Angela was finally moving on. It would be good for the kid to have a healthy relationship with someone who'd treat her right. And Juice would treat her right, or he'd have to answer to him and Hap.

The party was winding down. Most of SAMCRO was passed out on the couches or had gone home for the night. Juice grimaced at the state of the floor and the way his boots were sticking to it as he walked. It didn't bring down his spirits any, though. He'd kissed Angela. After waiting to kiss her for almost five years, he'd finally done it, and it had been everything he'd ever hoped for. He couldn't wait to do it again. He'd been called away from her earlier to make another beer run, and now that he was back, it didn't take him long to find her again. The clubhouse was much less crowded now. Most of the people left in the main area were horizontal, either on the floor, tables, couches, whatever space they could find. Some weren't even fully clothed.

She was at the bar again, a can of Coke in front of her this time. Her thumb was dragging through the condensation on the side as she talked to Piney. After a moment, she reached her hands up, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. The movement exposed more of her torso, and the colorful koi fish on her hip. He noticed Half-Sack had stopped wiping down the bar to stare at her.

"Get her home, prospect," Kozik said, his arm around a Croweater's shoulders. "You're freed. We'll make Sack clean up tomorrow."

Juice didn't need to be told twice. He headed over to her, placing his hand on her lower back again with more confidence than he had before. He couldn't help but want to touch the small exposed part of her skin, run his hand over the dip of her back just above where the waist of her low rise jeans stopped. "Hey Angel. You ready to go?"

The slow smile that spread across her face made his heart skip a beat. God, she was beautiful. She nodded slowly. "Yeah." She leaned over and kissed Piney's cheek. "Thanks for the stories, Piney."

"Thanks for listenin', darlin'," he replied with a fond smile.

Juice had so many questions about the exchange. What the hell could they possibly be talking about? When he'd heard them before they'd been talking about bike paint colors. What kind of stories had Piney told her? Were they about him? He knew he'd done some embarrassing things around the clubhouse, but he didn't think they were anything remarkable. "What's that about?"

"Don't worry about it, goof," she told him as they headed towards the parking lot together.

He wished he could hold her hand as they walked, but he stopped himself. There were too many eyes on them. Instead, he moved an arm around her shoulders like he had so many times in the past. It felt different this time, though. This time, she leaned into him just a little more, her arm sliding around his waist easily. "You good to drive?" he asked, secretly hoping she wasn't so they'd have to ride over together. He loved the idea of having her wrapped around him on his Dyna.

"Probably not," she answered, though he could tell she wasn't drunk. If anything she was a little high. "You mind giving me a ride over?"

He tilted his head to the side, studying her face. Was she thinking the same thing? Did she just want an excuse to be close to him too? "Yeah, think I could do that."

They walked towards his bike together. Not holding hands, though close enough so his hand kept brushing hers, sending little sparks through his fingers every time. He grabbed the helmet on his handlebars, watching as she pulled her hair out of a ponytail, shaking her longer locks a bit. The smell of her shampoo filled his nose, and he fought back the urge to reach out and rake his hand through her hair. He set the helmet on her head, doing up the strap for her, letting his fingers linger on her skin for a moment. He wanted to lean in and kiss her, but there were still way too many people milling about.

Her eyes darted to his lips before she smiled a little. "We should go."

"Yeah," he replied, nodding slowly. He got on the bike first, starting it up as she settled in behind him. Her arms moved around his waist, holding on tightly to him as he rode off of the lot. He could feel her breasts pressed against his back, feel the press of her thighs against his. He willed himself to think of anything but how good she felt wrapped around him.

He focused on his stomach, which was in nervous knots. What were they going to do now that they were alone at the house? What did she expect of him? Thankfully, the ride to the house was not long enough for him to have a complete panic attack or get too deep into those thoughts. Before he knew it, he was pulling into the driveway. She dismounted first, handing him the helmet back silently.

He followed her to the front door, waiting for her to unlock it. They both walked into the living room, standing awkwardly beside each other, unsure of what to do next. "Fuck, this is awkward," Juice muttered, shifting nervously.

"Right?" She laughed, nodding in agreement. "I know it's late, but do you want to like...watch a movie or somethin'? Kinda...don't feel like sleeping."

He understood what she was feeling; he didn't want the night to end either. "Yeah. Sounds good."

"I'm gonna go get...comfortable, and then we can watch something? Put on a classic?"

Juice nodded, a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah, definitely. Go...get comfy. I'm gonna...change too and make some popcorn."

Angela smiled at him, pecking his cheek quickly. "Good plan, goof."

His cheek was tingling where her lips had touched it. He watched her walkaway, his eyes glued to her ass. The urge to chase after her, grab her around the waist, and kiss her again, run his hands all over her body, was strong, but he held off. She wanted to take things slow, and he'd do it...even if it killed him.

Angela freshened up a bit, brushed her teeth, and washed the makeup off her face. She glanced at her pajama drawer, reaching for a sexy silk set she'd bought to surprise Raj on their anniversary. He'd ended up cancelling on her, so they were never worn. She was willing to bet Juice would appreciate them. A frown crossed her face; they weren't really her style, though. Why was she trying so hard? Juice wouldn't care what she was wearing. He'd probably think her coming out in a silky pajama set was super weird. She remembered her conversation with Happy from earlier that night and decided to change into a tank top and sweats. The simple pajamas were more comfortable, made her feel more like herself.

Pulling on Juice's hoodie, she headed towards the kitchen, feeling a little awkward as she did so. Yes, they'd kissed and it'd been amazing, but she wasn't quite sure how to interact with him now. A boundary had been crossed, and they were in unknown territory. How was she supposed to act around him?

Juice was watching the popcorn rotate in the microwave. He'd changed into sweatpants and a simple, tight black t-shirt that fit him just right. He must've heard her coming because he straightened up, grinning at her. The brightness of his smile nearly knocked her off her feet. "Hey," he greeted with a nod.

"Hi," she replied, shifting awkwardly.

Juice took it in stride though. "Nice sweatshirt."

Angela laughed, looking down at the oversized piece of clothing with a small smile. "Look familiar?"

He nodded, taking a step closer to her. "Looks better on you, though," he said, twisting one of the sweatshirt ties around his finger.

She could feel the heat radiating off of him, smell mint on his breath. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you...did you brush your teeth?"

"Like you didn't," he teased back, tugging the tie and making it spring back into her face.

"Goof," she said on a laugh. She wanted to kiss him and realized, for the first time, she could. Rolling up to the balls of her feet, she did exactly that, catching him off guard the way he had caught her off guard up on the roof. It didn't take long for him to get into it, though, and he moved an arm around her waist pulling her in closer to him. Her heart was racing in her chest as his lips moved with hers, butterflies stampeding through her stomach. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. An addicting rush of all the best emotions. His tongue moved into her mouth as his hand slid down to her ass, palming it gently. She leaned into him, wanting more of his touch. Wanted his hand all over her body. To feel every inch of him pressed against every inch of her. The microwave went off, the smell of burnt popcorn filling the air as it did. She pulled away with a curse, feeling her cheeks burning in a blush. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said on a breath. He kissed her again, quicker this time, before turning back to the microwave and taking out the popcorn. "It's not too burnt. Think it's salvageable."

Angela smiled in relief. "Nothing some M&Ms won't fix, right?"

"Right," he agreed with a grin. He reached up and pulled the party-sized bag of M&Ms down, shaking some into the popcorn bag while she grabbed the big bowl. He dumped the popcorn into the large bowl, kissing her temple as he did so. Her stomach did a little flip at the sweet action. Was this what Juice was like with all girls? Sweet and affectionate? She had to admit, she liked it. Loved that every time he touched any part of her skin, it elicited sparks. He smiled at her, nodding to the fridge. "You got the drinks?"

She nodded, grabbing two beers out of the fridge before following him to the living room. He sat down in his usual spot, popcorn on his lap as he reached for the bottle. She gave it to him, smirking when he set the sweating bottle down on a coaster. She considered her usual spot on the other side of the couch, thought better of it, and sat down right beside him. He moved his arm around her shoulders, and she settled into his side, her head on his shoulder. A pleased smile crossed his face as his hand slid down her arm, the feel of his calloused fingers on her skin driving her a little crazy while she tried to listen to the movie trivia he was giving her. His hand moved under her shirt at the waist, fingers stroking over the koi fish tattooed on her skin. She looked up at him, wondering if he realized what he was doing, wondering if he somehow knew the fire he was slowly stoking inside of her with every touch. He didn't seem to be paying too much attention, though. He was immersed in the movie. One he'd seen thousands of times.

She furrowed her brow. For some reason, she'd thought he'd try to feel her up, push the limits to how far she was willing to go, but he didn't...because that wasn't who Juice was. He wasn't Esai, she thought, trying not to smile at herself. If Esai had been in this situation, he'd be pushing it, making her squirm and uncomfortable, but Juice had listened when she said she wanted to take things slow. She loved him for that.

Leaning up, she pressed a quick kiss to his jaw, surprising him again. He looked down at her, eyes wide for a moment before he smiled and leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips. Butterflies stirred inside of her. She was falling for Juice all over again. He'd unknowingly hurt her before, and here she was setting herself up to be hurt again. But she liked the way his lips felt against hers, the way he tasted, the way his hands were so innocently and carefully touching her as if every touch was an adoration. The kiss ended too quickly in her opinion. He pulled away, kissing her forehead before turning back to the movie as if it was something he'd done a thousand times before. And it could've been, she realized. If it hadn't been for Raj or for Esai, they could've been together for so much longer.

Raj. It was the first time she'd been able to think about him and not feel a wave of pain or guilt. The grief meetings she'd been going to had helped her heal. Had enabled her to get to this moment without having a complete guilty break down. Without feeling like she was doing something wrong. This was the right move at the right moment, and it felt amazing.

Juice hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep during the movie until he woke up to find he was alone. A cool breeze blew in from the open back door, and he walked towards it curiously. Angela was sitting on the small step underneath the door, her face turned up to the night sky. He could see the faint trail of tears down her cheek and worried for a moment that she regretted what had happened just hours before. "Angel?"

Angela turned her head towards him, a small smile on her face. "Hey you," she greeted, leaning back slightly to see him. She made no effort to wipe away the tears; she wasn't ashamed of them. That had to be a good sign.

He dropped down onto the step beside her, reaching out to brush the tear trail from her cheek. "You okay?" he asked, holding his breath for the response. If she rejected him now, he didn't know what he'd do.

She nodded slowly, turning her face back to the stars. "Just...finding constellations."

He knew that wasn't all she was doing. In New York, when he found Angela on the roof, often times she'd admitted she was having mental conversations with her deceased dad or uncle. She'd told him she could feel their presence, that talking to them helped her work things out in her head. "Talkin' to Raj?"

"Yeah," she admitted, looking a little guilty.

" 'bout me?"

"Hmmm," she hummed noncommittally. "Feels like he's somewhere up there laughing now. Saying 'I told you so'...but like...in a good way. Like he's happy to see me with you. Happy to see me happy."

Relief washed over him; she was happy. He had made her happy. That's all he ever wanted. He glanced up at the stars for a moment. "I'm gonna take good care of her, Raj. Promise you that."

She elbowed him gently. "Goof. You've been taking good care of me," she assured him. Their eyes met, and he felt warm all over at the love he saw in their dark depths. "You saved my life. Twice."

"Just repaying the favor," he told her, kissing her forehead. If it hadn't been for her escape plan, the Ozone crew would've killed him. He knew that for a fact. They'd killed Prulow, and he'd been next. She moved her head to his shoulder and he moved his arm around her. "You weren't...cryin' 'cause I kissed you, right?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "No, goof. Definitely not. Just feels like I'm moving on, and I was kind of...saying goodbye and letting go. Big moment. Tears are standard."

"Oh good," he said on a breath of relief. "I mean...not good, I don't want to see you cry like ever, but...I'm just glad I didn't make you cry."

"No. 's not you. It's just...me, moving on. It's a good thing, I promise," she assured him, moving her arms around his waist. They sat there wrapped up in each other for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. He felt a yawn coming and did his best to stifle it, but he couldn't help it. He let out a big yawn, which made her chuckle. She squeezed him around the middle, making his heart flip at the way she felt pressed against him. "C'mon, goofy. Let's get you to bed."

He didn't want to let her go. Didn't want this moment to end. "No, I'm good. It's fine," he managed to say around another yawn. She untangled herself from him and stood, holding her hand out to him. He frowned, already missing her warmth. Standing, he grabbed her hand, using his hold to tug her back towards him and envelope her in his arms. "This is real, right? I'm not...it feels too good to be true, almost. Like I'm gonna wake up and it'll all be a dream."

A warm, loving smile spread across Angela's lips as she nodded. She kissed him again. "It's real, goof. One hundred percent," she assured him. This time, she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "C'mon, let's get to bed."

Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway together, pausing at the end where it split between her room and his. "This where I kiss you goodnight?" he asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with his free hand.

Her eyes darted to his bedroom door, a dark look in them that made a familiar fire start to form within him; did she want to go back to his room with him? She let out a long breath and nodded. "Yeah. Think that's a good idea. Keep it slow."

He nodded slowly before a thought crossed his mind. "I wouldn't ever force anything. You know that, right? I can...I can sleep beside you without...making a move," he stammered nervously, scratching at the back of his neck. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea about him. He could definitely keep his hands to himself despite how much he wanted her.

Angela gave him the sexiest little smirk as she nodded. "I know you wouldn't force anything. As for not making a move...you might be able to hold off, but I don't know if I can right now," she told him, squeezing his hand. She stood on her toes and kissed him quickly. "Goodnight, goof."

She disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her before he could even wrap his head around what she'd said. She wanted him, was so tempted to go farther with him that she couldn't even sleep next to him. His mind drifted to the idea of her beside him, naked in bed. Of his mouth kissing every inch of her skin, tasting her, touching her. God, he wanted to touch more of her. He let out a long breath, shaking his head as he walked back to his room; he needed a cold shower if he was ever going to be able to sleep.

Let the fluff begin! ;)
As always please let me know what you think! I love hearing from y'all!
~Love Ink