GAH! It took me WAY too long, but it was hard to get this chapter just right! Sorry! (I also blame the Olympics for distracting me.)
Thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to read, review, favorite, and follow! I got back to most of you but thanks also to Sabrina!
Big thanks to KupKakes09 for letting me bounce ideas off of her! She's got a great Juice/OC (also Fiasco/OC) story called "Monster" that y'all should check out! :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Chloe, Evie, and Jazzy. The rest is all from the mind of the brilliant Kurt Sutter. :)
Overexposed
Chapter 4: Charming Life
By Love Ink
Angela waited on the threshold of her old house once again, emotionally and physically exhausted after spending all day with her aunt. She looked at her phone, smiling when she saw a picture of Bones, Ellie, Kenny, and Jazzy in her text messages. They were at the airport, waiting for their flights back to California. With the last minute change, Kenny and Jasmine weren't able to get on the same plane as the other two which meant Ellie and Bones would have to wait at the Oakland airport for the other couple's plane to land so they could all go home together. She'd offered to drive them all, but they'd insisted they'd be fine. She just wanted them to get there soon; Charming wasn't the same without her Scooby Gang.
Ringing the doorbell, she couldn't help but smile at the sound of little feet running toward the front door. Hopefully, Evie's day with her Abuela had gone well, and she was running towards the door because she was excited to tell her all about it. The door opened, and to her surprise, it wasn't Evie standing behind it; it was a little blonde boy with bright blue eyes. The spitting image of a mini Jax Teller. Those baby blues lit up when he saw her, a huge smile spreading across his little face. She grinned back at him, squatting so she was level with him. "Hey Abie-baby, you remember me?"
He smiled at her and nodded. "Hi Auntie Gee," he replied, almost shyly.
"You grew up on me, little man," she told him, ruffling his hair. Yes, his father had been responsible for Juice having to leave Charming, but he was also Tara's son, and she'd told her friend she'd look out for him as best she could. She'd forgotten that promise along the way, but now that she was in Charming, she swore she'd be better about checking in on the younger Tellers like she'd told Tara she would. "How you doin', kiddo? Havin' fun with Wendy and Nero?"
"Yeah!" he said, grabbing her hand and holding it as they walked into the house. "I go to school now and...and...play at the ranch with Nero's animals."
"Oh yeah? Are you doin' well at school?" she asked, squeezing his little hand.
He nodded exaggeratedly in response. "I'm gonna be a doctor."
"Like his Mom, huh, Abel?" Nero put in with a grin as he walked into the living room from the kitchen. "Abel's a good boy. Watches out for his brother, keeps him in line. Don't you, mijo?"
Abel nodded again, letting go of Angela's hand when Graciela called him from the kitchen. She watched him leave with an eyebrow raised, glancing at Nero curiously. Nero shrugged a shoulder, his hands sliding into his pockets. "He likes helpin' your Ma cook. Tommy don't got the patience for it."
Angela couldn't believe her mother let him anywhere near the kitchen while she was cooking. Hell, she was shocked she was even cooking! It was rare that she cooked a meal when she was growing up, much less allowed her to help. "Surprised she has the patience," she muttered more to herself than to him. "Where's my baby girl?"
"Playing with Thomas in her room," he answered, chuckling soft. "Those two have been playing all day."
She wondered if Juice would be okay with Evie and Thomas playing together. Thomas was only four years old, after all, and he'd barely known his father; it wasn't fair to judge him because of his asshole dad. "Good. I'm glad she's having fun. She's got two older primos, so she's used to messing around with boys." (cousins)
"I can tell. She don't let 'em boss her around," he told with a hint of pride. "How you doin' after seein' your Aunt? Know that wasn't easy for ya."
The question made her feel guilty as hell for some reason. She'd treated him like shit before she'd left that morning. All but spat in his face, and yet here he was asking if she was okay. She wanted to hate him for dating her mom, but she couldn't, not when he looked so honestly concerned about her. "I'm fine, thanks. It was nice to see her," she replied, twisting at her ring. "Can I…can I talk to you in private for a sec? Know my Ma's nosy ass is listenin' here."
"Hey!" Graciela exclaimed indignantly.
Nero chuckled again, shaking his head at her. "How 'bout I show you your Ma's garden out back?" he asked, gesturing to the back door.
She headed in that direction, opening the sliding door and taking a deep breath as she stepped outside. The hammock was still there, swaying in the breeze making her smile. She couldn't count how many nights she and Juice had spent swinging on that hammock together, talking about life, staring up at the stars. The sight of it made her miss him even more. Looking away, she surveyed the rest of the backyard. There was a neat little vegetable garden in the corner. Even in the fading daylight, she could see the large red tomatoes. "Wow. These tomatoes could rival Vivica's."
"Yeah, your Ma and the boys spend a lot of time out here," he said with a warm smile. "She's real good with 'em. Think it's 'cause she misses her real grandkids."
Angela crossed her arms over her chest, sighing softly. "It'd be nice to be closer, but…"
"Juice is dead here. Your Ma told me all about it," he admitted, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, I won't say anythin' to the Sons. Think it was a real honorable thing your primo did, lettin' him go like that."
"Yeah," she answered with a light laugh. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed heavily. "Look, the way I treated you before was awful. There's just a lot a shit goin' on and you bein' here threw me for a loop."
Nero gave her an understanding smile as he nodded. " 's all good. I get it. This shit is overwhelming," he told her, stepping a little closer. "You know, I like your Ma a lot. My son was in 'n' outta St. Thomas for a while, and she was his nurse. She took care of him every step of the way. Always made sure he was comfortable and happy. Made sure I took care a myself too."
"She's a great nurse," she agreed on a nod. Because she was a great nurse. She'd been told that time and time again. Her Mom was great at taking care of other people. It was her own daughter that used to get kicked to the wayside. She swallowed back her bitterness. It was in the past now. Nothing she could change about it. "How's your kid?"
"We uh…lost him a year ago. Got some bad infection and couldn't shake it," he said, frowning down at his feet.
Angela felt her heart sink. She couldn't imagine the pain that came with losing a child. "I'm so sorry, Nero."
He nodded slowly. "Thanks. Your Ma helped me through that too. She's a great lady. I see where you got a lot of your strength."
"Uh-huh," she replied, choosing not to tell him it was Elena and Happy who'd taught her to be strong. She hesitated a moment before clearing her throat. "Look, it's taken my Ma a really, really long time to get over my Dad, and she seems happy with you and I haven't seen her this happy in...well...ever, so please, if this is a rebound from Gemma or whatever..."
"It's not," he interjected quickly, holding his hands up to stop her rambling. "Gemma was a long time ago, nena. This thing I got goin' with your Ma is legit, te lo juro. Wasn't easy to get her to let me in. Your Dad must've been one hell of a man." (I promise you)
Angela smiled softly, hugging herself a little as she looked up at the stars in the sky. Her Dad had been the best man she'd ever met, and though he died when she was three, she still felt that loss. Still wondered what her life would've been like if he was still around. "He was, and he'd want her to be happy, and I…I want her to be happy so…please, just…make her happy. She's nicer when she's happy."
Nero tilted his head to the side, a curious look in his eyes. "You and your Moms...you ain't too close, huh? She says you uh...you talk to Elena more. That's where she gets her chisme from, sabias?" (gossip...did you know?)
She laughed lightly, shrugging a shoulder. "Lena raised me while my Mom worked. That's just how it was. I'm workin' on things with my Mom, though. Been a lot better since Juice came into the picture actually," she said with a smile. "Think I made her lifelong dreams come true when I finally got married and had a baby."
He chuckled, nudging her with his arm gently. "Achieved every Latina Ma's dream, huh?"
"Yeah, somethin' like that," she replied with a smirk. "So this thing with Thomas and Abel...how does it work? I know I should've kept tabs on them, but its hard to reach out back to Charming. Always felt like it'd try to pull me in again or something."
" 's all good, Mama. Seems like you got pulled in anyway," he said on a chuckle. "They boys are good. Wendy took over Gemma's old house since she left it to the boys. Didn't think it was right to take Tara's. Too much history there. That one got sold. College money for the boys. Wendy takes Abel to school, Tommy to the hospital with her for day care. I pick 'em up when I'm done at Diosa. Either take 'em back to her place or bring 'em here depending on what your Ma's doin'. Abel's doin' a little therapy pero they're both stable. Happy for the most part."
Angela felt relieved to hear Abel was getting some help. She knew if Gemma were still around the poor boy would be going through everything without getting the help he definitely needed. He'd been through a lot in his six years and needed someone to help him through it. "Good."
"Your little girl...she's the sweetest thing. Takes a minute to warm up pero once she does...she's all love. That innocence, that...that sweetness," he stated, shaking his head with a big grin. "That's one lucky girl you got there. She's bein' raised right."
She smiled, shrugging a shoulder. She was grateful for how innocent Evie was. It just went to show how much safer their living situation was in Texas than it had been in Charming. "You suckin' up to me, Nero?" she asked around laugh. " 'cause its real lame."
He chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a side hug. "Little bit, Mama. Little bit. Gotta get in good with my woman's little girl, que no?"
Angela laughed, rolling her eyes at him as they walked back towards the house. "That is so weird."
Chloe could feel the nerves radiating off of Happy in waves as she clung to him on the back of his Dyna. They were headed to Graciela's house for a family dinner, which wasn't a totally crazy thing. Why was he so nervous? He pulled to a stop, holding the bike stable so she could get off before gracefully getting off himself. Everything the man did was graceful, though she'd never tell him that. He moved with a stealth and a confidence that she loved...well, except when he crept up behind her and scared the shit out of her. That she could do without. He slid his cut off his shoulders smoothly while opening his saddlebag. The only time she'd ever seen Hap take off his cut was before he went to sleep. It was strange to see him without it now. "No cut?" she asked curiously.
"No cuts in front of the brat," he explained, gingerly putting it inside, closing, and locking it.
She nodded slowly. It made sense that Angie wanted all things SAMCRO related far away from Evie, but it still didn't explain why he was fidgeting nervously with his rings. "Right. But why are you so nervous? Thought you were over the Nero thing?"
He cracked his knuckles, his jaw tightening a bit. He'd almost knocked Nero flat on his ass when he'd found out he was dating Graciela. Luckily, Tig had been there to hold him back or else Nero would've wound up in a hospital bed. "He's fine," he answered, approaching the door.
She looked over at him, contemplating. If it wasn't Nero, then it had to be Angela or… "Are you nervous about Evie?" she asked, stopping him before he could put the keys in the door. He looked guilty for a brief moment, and she found the urge to laugh. Instead, she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "She's gonna love you. Trust me."
Happy shrugged a shoulder. "She's not gonna even know me."
"Don't be stupid. Of course, she will. She's Ang's kid. She'll know you right away. Promise," she assured him.
"Hope so," he muttered, turning the key in the door and letting her walk in before him.
Chloe smiled when she saw Evie playing with a baby doll on the living room floor, Angela on the couch watching over them while her fingers typed rapidly on her phone. The smirk on her face and the flush in her cheeks told Chloe she was more likely than not sexting Juice. She looked up from her phone when she saw them walk in and reached out a hand to stroke over Evie's head. "Evie-doll, look who's here!"
Evie lifted her head, her eyes lighting up when they fell on Happy. "Tio Happy!" she exclaimed, throwing down her doll and skipping towards him. She stopped right at his feet, tilting her head all the way back to look up at him, a look of awe in her pretty brown eyes. "You remember me?" (Uncle)
If the Tacoma Killer was capable of melting, he would've just then. Instead, his eyes grew warm as he crouched down in front of her, his tattooed hand mussing her soft hair. " 'course I remember you, brat," he told her with a smile. "Lot bigger now, though."
Much to his surprise, the little girl smiled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Happy hugged her back, using his hold on her to lift her off the ground and set her on his hip. "I heard lots about you, Tio. Mama says you did her tattoos!"
"I did," he answered, looking over at Angela with a smirk.
"They're really pretty, Hap. You do mine one day too?" she asked, already marveling at the ink on his arm. "You got a lot more than Daddy. And they have pretty colors. Daddy doesn't have pretty colors. Daddy's got skulls and a box and a scary mask and Mama's name but you got a lots of pretty designs."
Chloe sat down on the couch next to Angela while Happy patiently listened to Evie's rambling. Though he wasn't outwardly smiling or laughing, there was a sense of calm and contentment radiating off of Happy as he listened to his niece. It didn't bother her that Evie didn't notice her; she saw Evie all the time over Face Time and talked to her on the phone. She wasn't as exciting as meeting her mythical Tio Happy. "He was worried Evie wouldn't know him," she told Angela. The other woman didn't answer, she was totally engrossed in her phone. With a roll of her eyes, Chloe grabbed it out of her hands to get her attention. " 'ey! You listenin' to me?"
"Chloe!" Angela shouted, scrambling to get it back.
She held her off, scrolling through the text messages and feeling her cheeks heat up at the content. "Holy shit, Ang! These are...insanely dirty," she muttered, the texts in front of her could've made Happy blush. "You two have quite a way with words...and emojiis."
She smirked, grabbing it out of her hands. "Hey, after numerous runs and a whole year in county, you get really good at long distance sex," she stated on a laugh. "Phone sex, sexting, letters, we've done it all."
"Snail mail sex, huh?"
"Yeah. I'd basically find the dirtiest passages from romance novels and switch it up a bit. Put our names in there. He liked it," she elaborated with a shrug. "Doing anything else while he was locked away was too creepy. Phone calls are monitored and there's no conjugal visits unless you're married and even then, I heard the guards watch. Its...gross. So yeah, snail mail sex. Lots of it."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Did he write naughty letters back?"
"Yeah, but he's more creative than I am," she admitted, smiling as her phone buzzed in her hand.
"You're sexting while your daughter was playing right in front of you," she stated in disbelief. "Isn't that awkward for you?"
Angela looked up from her phone to Evie and shrugged again. "How do you think she was made?"
Chloe scoffed, shaking her head at her friend. "You two really have no shame, do you?"
"Nope!" she agreed around a laugh. She put her phone down for a brief moment, her eyes falling on Happy and Evie, a warm smile spreading across her face. "She's been waiting to see him for a really long time."
"Think the feeling's mutual. He was nervous she wouldn't recognize him."
She snorted derisively, rolling her eyes. "We show her pictures, tell her stories...well, the appropriate ones. She knows him. Juice is really into having her know how big a family she's got, how many people love her. Think its because he never wants her to feel alone like he sometimes did growing up," she mused with a small, loved-filled smile.
Chloe could remember the first time she'd seen Angela and Juice together. Juice had been laid up in the hospital bed after a stabbing incident in county, and Angela had gone to visit him. The first time she'd stop by the room, she'd found them making out like teenagers, her hand on his crotch, his hand underneath her shirt. She'd written Angela off as one of the club's girls until she'd walked in again to find them talking to each other, laughing like they were the best of friends. The way he looked at her had made Chloe stop at the door. It'd brought back memories of her dead fiancee, of the good times they'd had together. Chloe had seen them together many times after, and that look in his eyes never faded. The love they had for her had always so obvious it was almost tangible. It was disgusting. "You two are still crazy in love, huh?"
"Who?" she asked, deeply immersed in her texts again.
"You and Juice?"
She looked up from her phone and smiled again. "Of course. Fall more and more in love with him every day."
"Gross," Chloe said, sticking her tongue out in disgust.
Angela shrugged a shoulder in response. "You know what's gross? Nero and my Mom," she asked and answered all in one breath. "Could've used a heads up about that one, best friend."
"That's Graci's business, not mine. You talk to her. I figured she told you," she explained, easily. She knew Angela would have a problem with it, but it really wasn't any of her business. Graci and Angela's relationship was already so crazy, she hadn't want to get in the middle of it. "I'm going to go see my goddaughter because she's cute as hell and I want to get as much time as I can in with that little Monkey."
She rolled her eyes at her, waving her away. "Yeah, yeah, dodge the subject. Go 'head. Let me sext in peace."
Chloe leaned over and ruffled her hair. " 's good to have you back, kid," she told her as she stood, ignoring the scowl on Angela's face. She wandered back to Evie's room, knowing that was where Happy had disappeared to. She leaned against the doorjamb, peeking into the lilac painted room and drinking in the sight before her. Happy was sitting on the ground with Evie between his legs, a sketch pad spread on his knees, crayons at their side. He was making outlines for her in all black marker while she colored in the designs, not bothering to stay in the lines. Evie was talking up a storm while he quietly nodded along, his cheek pressed against her head as he worked. Chloe snapped a quick picture on her phone for posterity. "Whatcha colorin'?" she asked, catching their attention.
Evie looked up first, smiling at Chloe. "Hi Aunt Coco! Tio's drawin' me mermaids and fishies! He's a good drawler. Better than Daddy and Daddy's really good."
Happy smirked proudly as he moved the pad from in front of her. "Go say hi to your aunt, brat."
The little girl didn't move, just looked up and waved a little hand, still distracted by the pretty drawings in front of her. "Hi Coco!"
"Brat," he warned, pushing her gently, but Evie didn't budge. He smirked, running his hand over her head. "Stubborn like her Ma."
Chloe chuckled, plopping down on the ground next to him. She leaned over and kiss her cheek. "Good to see you, lil' mermaid. You havin' fun with your Uncle Hap?"
"Uh-huh!" Evie smiled at her, leaning back against Happy's chest and tapping his arm. "Draw more, Hap!"
Happy rolled his eyes at her but pulled the pad towards him. "Demandin' little brat, aren'tcha?" he stated around a chuckle.
"Auntie Jojo says brat is not a nice name, but Mama said when Tio says it, it means he loves me," she explained to Chloe before tilting her head back to look at Happy. "Right, Tio?"
"Yeah, brat," he agreed with the smallest hint of a smile. "Love you a lot."
Evie grinned like she'd won a gold medal, Juice's smile with Angela's dark, expressive eyes. "I love you too, Tio."
Chloe fought the urge to lean over and kiss him then. She'd seen him play with Thomas and Abel before but this was different. His blood flowed through Evie's veins creating a special bond between them that was deeper than his bond with the Teller boys would ever be. Seeing him with Evie was like getting a peek into how he'd been with Angela, and she was loving that little peek into his past. She could feel herself falling just a little more in love with him as she saw this side of him. Biting the inside of her cheek, she resisted saying those three little words again, keeping them inside. His dark eyes met hers, the smallest hint of a smile turned up the corner of his lips as if he sensed her thoughts. He set his free hand on her thigh, squeezing it lovingly as he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Brat," he called her, his voice a low whisper in her ear, the simple word carrying more weight than it ever had after Evie's little explanation.
Juice tapped his fingers on the side of his laptop nervously while he waited for the video chat to connect. He was exhausted from a long day at work, but he wanted to see his girls before he went to sleep. He'd spent the last two years seeing them at least once before he went to sleep and couldn't fathom not seeing them before bed this time. He needed to see them. Needed to know they were there, that they were okay. He ran his hand over Rigor's head, smiling when he move in closer, setting his head on his lap. "Yeah, soak up being on the bed, you big baby," he murmured, leaning over to kiss the dog's head. "Know Mama lets you do it all the time. I need some company too. Miss them just as much as you, dude."
"We miss you, too, goof," Angela's voice replied around a laugh.
He looked up at the screen; he hadn't noticed it had connected. A wave of relief washed over him at the sight of her smiling face, and he couldn't help but smile back. "Hey baby. You have no idea how good it is to see you."
"Feel the same way," she replied, looking a little relieved herself. He had no idea where she was, but he was grateful to see she was alone. Meant he could talk to her a little more freely. "How are you? How was your day?"
Juice knew she was asking him before he got the chance to ask her which meant it hadn't gone as well as she wanted. "Normal. Went for a run, went to work, read your texts, took a cold ass shower," he described knowing it would make her laugh, "went for another run, took another cold shower, was forced to have dinner at Jo's since she's worried about me bein' alone."
"Good. 'm worried too," she admitted on a frown.
"Don't be. I'm fine, baby," he insisted around a laugh. He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Speaking of cold showers, where you at, baby?"
She panned the camera around the room and his heart almost stopped in his chest at the sight of the white design on the wall. His tattoos facing each other, connected with a heart, a halo over it. It looked the exact same as the last time he'd seen it. The same night he'd tried to OD in front of Evie's crib because he had wanted to end it all so he wouldn't hurt his family anymore. Thinking about it now was strange. It felt like a completely different life than the one he was living now. "Holy shit," he breathed, feeling a strange tightness in his chest. "Your Ma didn't…"
"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Didn't change a thing about Eve's room. As for ours…I'm scared to look, to be honest. But everything else is the exact same. Same couches, same everything, and Evie's got toys galore! I swear to God, my Ma bought the whole store for her! Evie's having the time of her life here! And guess who she's dating?"
He blinked at her, trying to process the rush of words she'd just thrown at him. It sounded like she was saying Evie was dating, but that couldn't be. There was no way. "She's only three! Who the fuck could she be dating?" he exclaimed, trying to figure out what the hell Angela was talking about.
Angela gave him a confused look before laughing. "No, not Eves...though she and Thomas Teller seem to be getting along real well. Still, no wedding bells yet. I was talking about my Mom, goof."
Juice clenched his teeth, hating the mention of Jax Teller's son in association with his daughter. No way in hell would he ever let that happen. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me."
She frowned slightly, clearly aware that he wasn't happy about Evie's new friend. "Yeah. 'm sorry, Juice. I had no idea that my Ma takes care of the Teller boys sometimes since she's dating Nero."
"What?" he asked, fighting a laugh. "Nero Padilla? The pimp?"
"Yeah! Can you believe it?" she exclaimed in disbelief, raking a hand through her hair. "I walk into our house and who do I find in my kitchen? Fuckin' Nero Padilla in his stupid sweater vest drinking tea because he and my mom are a thing! Which is totally bizarre! My Mom doesn't date! She hasn't dated since my Dad died! And then Chloe had me hauling ass over here because she was worried about Hap, but he's fine! And Elena's stuck in the hospital for the foreseeable future, but she seems to be okay too! Adding to that, Lino knocked up the spawn of Satan and wants me to forgive her for all the shit she put me through in high school which is bullshit. I'm sorry, but I was nothing but nice to that loca. And Evie's here loving every minute of seeing her crazy ass family meanwhile I'm in hell missin' you and being stuck in Esai's old room. Its crazy, Juice. Absolutely insane."
Juice blinked at her, watching as she breathed hard from her rant. He fought back a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand to try to hide it, but she caught it and scowled. "Don't you laugh at me, Juan Carlos Ortiz," she said, pointing a finger at the camera. But he couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. She glared at him for a moment before she started laughing with him, the camera shaking as she did so. She shook her head at him as her laughter calmed. "Asshole."
"Love you," he reminded her, blowing a kiss her way. "Everything else okay?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah. 'cept I think I caught some kind of stomach bug on the airplane," she admitted, wrinkling her nose. "Been feeling sick all day. Either that or I'm developing one hell of an ulcer."
That wiped the smile away from his face real fast. He didn't like the idea of being so far away from her when she was sick. Angela was always so busy putting everyone before her, she often didn't take care of herself. That was his job. Whenever she got sick, it was him that made her rest or go to the doctor or take medicine. How was she going to handle it without him there? "You should go to the doctor, baby. An ulcer isn't good."
"Nah, I'm all right. Its probably just a bug. Don't worry about it," she brushed it off. "You at home?"
He nodded, looking around at his perfectly pristine bedroom. Not a thing was out of place in the entire house since he'd spent hours stress cleaning it after Jo finally let him go home. "Yeah. Scrubbed the place clean."
That worry wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. She knew him too well to believe he just felt like cleaning. He didn't want to get into it, though. How could he not be stressed and worried when his whole family was in a different state? "Your hands okay?" she asked, skirting the real issue.
Juice was thankful she'd asked about his hands instead of asking if he was okay again. He wasn't okay. Neither was she. It was something both of them had to accept. Looking down, he frowned at his dry and chapped hands. She'd told him time and time again to wear gloves when he used cleaning chemicals, but he couldn't find them this time. He held one up to the camera, wiggling his fingers at her. "Fine. Nice and rough just like you like 'em."
"Mmm. I miss those hands," she practically purred, that lustful look he was so familiar with filling her dark eyes. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed as he started to get a little hard. God, he missed her.
"Miss yours too. All graceful and pretty," he murmured, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. The mere mention of her hands had him starting to get hard as his mind went to the many times she'd had her hands all over his body. He loved those hands and the way they'd made him feel. He bit his lip, wishing he could touch her through the screen. "Miss all of you, Angel."
Angela smirked, looking towards the door. "Don't start with me, Juan Carlos," she murmured, her low voice sending shivers down his spine. She looked somewhere off screen with a frown. "The door doesn't lock."
Juice chuckled, letting out a long breath. They'd taken the lock off of Evie's door before she was even born, both of them scared she'd lock herself in either on accident or on purpose. "Damn," he sighed, shaking his head. "Think you can get away later?"
"I'll make it happen," she promised with a wink. He heard the door open, and a huge smile spread across her face as she gasped in mock surprise. "Look who's here!"
"Mama!" Evie's excited exclamation made him smile. He sorely missed having his little girl running around the house. It was incredibly too quiet without her laughter.
"Brat was askin' for ya," a gravelly voice replied making Juice griace. The last time he'd heard Hap's voice had been when he'd had a gun pointed at him while he was telling him to leave. He was thankful Hap had decided to save him, but he'd scared the shit out of him first.
Juice swallowed hard, thankful Angela was wearing earphones so Hap couldn't hear him. "He mad at me?"
She shrugged a shoulder discreetly, her eyes still on Hap as she reached for Evie. The Tacoma Killer was no fool, though. "That the idiot?" he asked, still off camera.
"Yeah," she answered simply. "Want to say hi?"
Juice held his breath as he waited for his reply. It was a quick 'no', which is he was thankful for; he wasn't sure what they'd say to each other. He smirked when he came up with something. "Hey. Tell him to take care a my girls," he requested, knowing Happy couldn't reach out to choke him through the screen.
"He says to take care of us," she told Hap on a smirk.
"Tell the idiot to shut up," came Happy's response.
"Daddy!" Evie shouted as if it was the best news she'd heard all day. He heard the sound of little feet before he saw her cute little face as she plopped herself down into Angela's lap, reaching for the phone. Angela laughed, taking out her headphones and unplugging them so they could hear him. She carefully kept the phone out of Evie's reach, softly telling her not to touch in Spanish. Evie stopped reaching and sat calmly. Juice leaned in to the camera, Rigor perking up at his side and sitting up next to him. The little girl's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Hi Daddy! Hi Riggy! Daddy, Tio drawed me mermaids! He a good drawer!"
Juice grinned at his little girl; her excitement was contagious. "That's awesome, Monk! Are you having a good time over there?"
"Yeah, Daddy! I made new friends! Abel and Tommy and they're so nice!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands. "And we played all day!"
Juice listened to her ramble on just like her mother had, all the while Angela sat behind her, playing with her pigtails, helping her when she got stuck on a word or when she asked questions. It was like they were back at home, and she was telling him about her day at day care only instead, she was telling him about how much fun she'd had with Thomas. An unsettling idea; he didn't want anything starting between those two no matter how little they were. What made things worse was the way she gushed about Happy as if he was her favorite person in the whole world. He frowned a little. "Daddy still your number one guy?"
He didn't miss Angela's smirk, despite the way she tried to his it by dropping a kiss to Evie's head. Evie's dark eyes grew wide as she nodded emphatically. "Yes, Daddy! I love you the mostest! You number one and Kendo one too and Hap two! And Tommy three! Right, Mama?" she asked around a yawn.
Angela's soft laughter made him smile. "Yeah, baby girl," she murmured, running a hand over her daughter's head. "Think its time to head back to Abuela Dia's. Get some sleep in."
"No," the little girl whined in response. "No! I'm not tired! I want to show Daddy Abuela Graci's house and all my toys! Please, Mama!"
"We'll show him tomorrow, Eves," Angela assured her, just the smallest hint of authority in her voice. She'd always been better at telling Evie 'no' than he was. He usually gave in after a few minutes. "Give Daddy besos, mi amor. We gotta go." (kisses, my love)
"No! I wanna talk to Daddy!" she insisted, fat tears sliding down her cheeks. "I want Daddy!"
Juice felt like his heart was breaking in two as she started to cry. "C'mon Monk. Don't cry, baby girl. You gotta be good for Mama. You promised, remember?"
Evie shook her head, reaching for the phone. "No! Daddy, please! I dont' wanna go to sleep! I wanna stay 'n' talk with you! I miss you!"
"I know, Monk. I miss you too, but I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Love you so much, Eves. Please don't cry," he urged, trying his best to soothe her. He knew Angela was being patient, letting him try without cutting him off. He was thankful she was letting him be a part of it and not shutting him out. "You gotta go to sleep, okay? That way you can have good dreams."
"Yeah, Evie," Angela agreed, her voice soft and soothing. "We gotta go to bed so we can have more fun tomorrow and tell Daddy all about it."
She calmed down considerably, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes. "Pwomise, Daddy?"
Juice smiled, thankful she'd calmed down. If he and Angela had been in the same room, they would've discreetly bumped their fists against each other as they usually did when their teamwork paid off. "Of course. I'll be waiting by my phone all day to hear from ya."
"Okay," she replied, smiling a bit. "Love you, Daddy."
"Love you too, Monk. Besos, monito," he replied, blowing her a kiss. (kisses, little monkey)
She sniffled, blowing a kiss back. "Besos, Daddy. Love you."
Angela kissed her cheek softly. "How 'bout you go say goodnight to Abuela and the rest of 'em? Let Mama say goodnight to Daddy."
Evie nodded, kissing her Mama's cheek before toddling off the screen. Angela let out a long breath, shaking her head at him. "Well that was...awful."
Juice sighed, running a hand over his face. His heart still aching from seeing his baby girl cry. "Yeah. This fuckin' sucks," he agreed on a frown.
He could see the guilt in her eyes and felt terrible. She was going through a hard time, and she wasn't making it any easier. "I'm sorry, Juice. She's about to crash, so she's cranky. Next time we'll call you when she's actually awake and happy."
He shrugged a shoulder, letting out a long breath. " 's fine. Just happy to see my girls."
Her eyes grew warm, giving him butterflies. "I love you," she said, her voice soft and sweet. "Have I said that enough? I love you so much."
He loved hearing her say those three words. They were a confirmation that she was his, that everything he'd dreamed of had come true. She was his everything, and when she told him she loved him, he knew she felt the same way. It was further confirmation that despite all the shit he'd done in his life, he had to have done something right to get her. "Never gets old," he answered on a smile. "Love hearing you say it."
"Goof," she replied around a warm laugh. "Want to see something pretty?"
"Show me, Mama," he replied, leaning forward eagerly. Angela gave him a wicked grin, tugging down the neckline of her shirt to reveal a very pretty purple bra that complimented her skin tone just right. He groaned at the sight of it, feeling his boxer briefs get just a little tighter. "Very pretty, ya tease. You're killin' me over here."
Angela laughed, blowing him a kiss. "Sweet dreams, Juan Carlos."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. 'bout to go take another cold shower," he muttered, smirking at her. "Good night, my Angel."
She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. "Good night, goof."
Kenny couldn't stop his leg from shaking nervously as he sat next to Jazzy in the airplane terminal, waiting to board their flight from Los Angeles to Oakland. His stomach was in knots at the prospect of taking his girlfriend back to Charming, at going back there to say goodbye to Elena. Through the years, he'd grown attached to her, started to see her as a grandmother, and he wasn't ready to lose another family member. Not when he'd lost so many already. Jazzy appeared in front of him, two white coffee cups in her hands. He reached for one of them, but she held it away and gave him the other one. "Tea. Because you need to calm down a bit," she told him, sitting down next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder as she put her coffee cup to her lips.
He tugged at his beanie, hiding a smile as he sipped on his tea. "It's not you," he told her, squeezing her thigh. "I swear its not."
He could feel her smirk against his shoulder. "It is, in part," she said around a sigh. " 'm not stupid, Ken. You're taking me back to where you grew up. Lots of history there."
"You have no idea," he stated around a sigh. He messed with his ring, the big one Ellie had given him that had once been his biological father's. It hit him then that he'd never told Jazzy that he was adopted. It'd never come up, and she'd never asked. They'd just come from a week with Ellie and Bones, and she'd never asked why Ellie was his sister but had a different last name. Had she not noticed? Or did she not care? He hoped it was the former. "Jay and Ang...they're biological parents. I'm adopted."
Jazzy lifter her head from his shoulder, grabbing his hand. "I had a feeling," she replied with a smirk. At his look of surprise, she shrugged. "Well, at first I thought you were just Ang's son, like she had you when she was really young and Jay adopted you and then they had Evie. Then I met Ellie, and she's got a different last name and looks nothing like Ang or Jay. So I figured you might be half-siblings too, but on your dad's side or something. So I kind of just...stuck with that."
He stared at her in wonder. God, she was smart. He liked her so much it scared him. "But...you never asked."
"Does it matter?" she asked, her brows furrowed a bit. "They're your parents now, and I see a lot of Jay and Ang in the way you are, the way you act. Seems like they've had a good effect on you, birth parents or not."
He couldn't help but smile at that. He'd grown a lot in the two years he'd lived with his new parents. It was nice to live in a safe, stable place, surrounded by family and filled to the brim with love. Without the weight of the club's reputation on his shoulders, he was finally able to make friends, join sports teams, and just act his age. "Thanks," he replied, feeling his cheeks flush a bit. "But since you're walking right into my past, you should know that my Moms and Pops were both brutally murdered and the woman my Pops married after that is a porn star...or was a porn star. She just produces and directs them now."
To her credit, Jazzy didn't laugh or question him. She just nodded her head. "That's cool, I guess."
"That's a nice way to put it." Kenny looked down at his ring and sighed softly. "All happened 'cause my Grandpa founded this stupid motorcycle club that my Pops was also a part of."
"What happened to your Grandpa?"
"Murdered," he replied quickly.
Jazzy stared at him in disbelief. "Holy cow, Ken."
"Yeah. Ang took me and El under her wing a little. Made sure we got out, that we had some fun. So when the shit hit the fan and Ang wanted out of Charming, I asked her to take me with her. To adopt me," he explained with a shrug. "I wanted a new start too."
She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You're lucky," she told him, kissing his cheek. At his doubtful look, she squeezed his hand again. "Hear me out. All that stuff that happened to you could've made you hard and bitter and just...awful, but it didn't. You're the nicest, kindest guy I've ever met. That whole thing could've broken you, but it just made you stronger. You got a brand new start, and you're so lucky because of that."
He stared at her in wonder, surprised by her whole little speech. He knew she was right, but he just hadn't seen it coming. Leaning over, he caught her lips in a quick kiss. "You're somethin' else, Jazz."
She grinned at him and shrugged a shoulder. "Just tellin' you what I see." Sitting back in her chair, she took another long sip of coffee. "Now, is there anything else I should know?"
"Jay is...Juice. I mean, they'll all be calling him Juice over there, and he's kind of...supposed to be...dead."
"Shut up. Are you serious?" she asked, her hazel eyes wide.
He nodded, smirking a bit. "Yeah, that uh...motorcycle club I was telling you about? They were supposed to kill him but my Uncle Hap and Uncle Tig kinda...let him go free."
"Okay, that's...insane," she said, shaking her head. "What kind of place is Charming anyway?"
Kenny shrugged a shoulder, thinking about the little town he'd spent most of his life in. It was funny how normal Charming looked without factoring SAMCRO. "Charming is...this small ass town in the middle of nowhere. If it wasn't for the club, it'd be a totally normal, totally boring place. No big cities or big chains. Just little locally owned stores and everyone knows everyone. The memories are what make it hell to me, but you'll probably like it."
"Hmm," she hummed pensively. "Well, I want a big Kenny Ortiz tour when we get there. I want the funeral home and meet the rest of your family...everything."
"The rest of my family," he repeated on a laugh. "Gonna be talking to a lot of headstones, Jazz."
A sad look filled her eyes before she shrugged. "That's fine. Puts less pressure on me," she told him with a smile. "You know I'm no good with small talk anyway."
He chuckled, shaking his head at her. She was perfect. He'd always thought so. So smart and sweet and kind. Always ready with a joke or a snarky remark to make him laugh. He loved her so much it scared him; everyone he loved ended up hurt in some way besides his sisters. Evie was too little to remember the craziness, and he didn't know how Ellie managed to make it out of everything unscathed and without being traumatized by staying in Charming after everything went down. He admired her strength. A strength he hadn't had. He'd hightailed it out of there the first chance he got and never looked back. Strangely enough, Ellie always said there was strength in leaving like he did, said she thought it was brave of him to leave everything he knew and loved. Jasmine had just called him strong too. Maybe it was time he started believing them. "I love you, you know that right?" he told her, saying the words he'd often heard Juice and Angela exchanging.
Jazzy's smile widened, making her eyes sparkle. "You say that more than my parents ever have. I have never felt more loved than I do when I'm with you. Did you know that?"
Kenny couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. "I do now."
:)
A bit of a filler...ish. Setting up ground work. Big stuff is coming, I swear. ;)
If you like it, let me know! I would love to hear from y'all! Your reviews are what keep me writing!
~Love Ink