I AM SO SORRY! Its been a whirlwind of an end of a year. Lots of crazy stuff happening in my personal life which is why I haven't been able to update much.

Things have calmed down considerably though, so I'm hoping to able to write more!

THANK YOU ALL so much for your constant love and support! I really appreciate all the reviews and your patience! I know I didn't get back to y'all, but I wanted to post this as soon as possible! I'll be replying to all the reviews as they come in though, so please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Angela, Evie, Bones and Lino. The rest is all from the mind of the brilliant Kurt Sutter. :)

Overexposed

Chapter 16: The Sons

By Love Ink

Piper stared out over the cemetery from his seat at the top of the steps leading to the front door of Bones' apartment. He knew Kenny and Bones loved the funeral home. Loved hanging out there at the apartment and walking around the cemetery. He didn't get how they could spend so much time surrounded by death without getting depressed or creeped out. Even Ellie admitted she wasn't a big fan of spending the night there. Of course, she didn't like spending the night at his and his Ma's place either. Ellie preferred staying at her tiny apartment in Berkeley over anything. Frankly, Piper was pretty sure she'd prefer being anywhere but Charming.

He didn't blame her for that. Not after her history there. He, on the other hand, couldn't see himself living anywhere else. Moving to Charming when his Mom married Opie had saved them, given them a good place to live, a nice house, a family. Opie hadn't been a great father figure, but he'd been as close to one as Piper ever had and the few times they'd gone to the SAMCRO clubhouse for a lockdown, the Sons had treated him as if he were Opie's son. He had loved every moment of being in that place. Loved the way the Sons laughed and joked with each other, watched each other's backs. Ever since his first lockdown, he'd been dreamed of prospecting and joining the SAMCRO family. His mom had been all for it too. SAMCRO had given her everything including their brand new house and her job behind a camera. She'd been so happy when they'd given him his Prospect cut on the night of his eighteenth birthday. So proud. His mother's smiling face was a memory he kept revisiting now that she was kidnapped.

With his mom in danger, he was starting to question the Reaper and what wearing it would mean for the people he loved. It was easy to forget all of the bad things that had happened within the club when he was younger especially since he had been shielded from a lot of it. It'd been years since anything truly horrible had happened within SAMCRO. In those years, the Sons had found a strange sort of stability and had started to be less of a gang and more of the brotherhood Piper had always wanted to be a part of. He never thought prospecting would be so hard, though. He was everyone's bitch. Most of the time, he was on his hands and knees cleaning shit or running all over the place doing whatever his brothers wanted. He hated it. It was yet another reason he was debating going through with it all.

Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed and dug through his cut for the little joint and lighter he had stored there. He had just put it in his mouth when the door opened, a very frazzled looking Juice stepping outside. Piper watched him grip the railing at the top of the stairs, letting out slow breaths, his head bowed down. "You okay?" he asked, alerting him of his presence.

Juice's head whipped up, a look of fear flashing through his eyes for a brief moment before he quickly masked it. "Hey. Didn't know anyone was out here," he breathed, running a hand through his hair.

It was weird to see him with so much hair now, Piper thought, looking the older man over. It made him look like a completely different person than the goofy guy he'd met so long ago. "Yeah. Needed some air. Too much anxiety down there with the nerds," he explained on a shrug. He took the joint out of his mouth, playing with it for a moment and just dying to light it. He needed something to calm his nerves, to soothe the churning of his stomach as he waited to hear any news about his Mom. "You mind?"

Juice chuckled, shaking his head. "Not at all. Wanna share?"

Piper wasn't too surprised by the question. Once upon a time, he knew Juice had been quite the stoner. "Yeah, man," he said, lighting it up and taking a long toke. He let out the smoke, handing it over to him. "It's good shit. Got it from this weird place called Clear Passages."

He smirked, taking a long toke and holding it in his lungs for a moment before letting it out like a pro. "Good place."

"You know it?"

Juice nodded, passing the joint back to him. "Used to own a part of it."

"No shit? Didn't know that," Piper murmured. He frequented the place after finding some bullshit way to get a card so he could buy shit legally. While he loved all the different types of weed and edibles they had there, he knew it wasn't all they did there. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd gone in there and seen people in the waiting room who clearly weren't there for weed. "They do some weird butt shit there. Keep offerin' it to me."

"Colonics. You should try it some time. They ain't all bad."

Piper looked at him in shock. "You've done it?"

Juice bobbed his head in a nod. "Once or twice. I did own the place," he reminded him on a shrug. "Other two owners bought me out after I 'died'. They didn't really understand why I wanted out, but they knew I was alive. Kinda left a lot of shit hanging that way. Think if one of the Sons actually checked to make sure I was gone, they'd a found out right away."

He shrugged a shoulder. "Think after Jax died, they didn't really care about anything else so much. They were struggling just to keep it all together. No one mentions you unless Kenny is in town or Quinn and Tig are showin' each other pictures of Eves. They compare 'em like trading cards when Chibs isn't around. Ridiculous. Wish Ang would just send them the same ones."

He laughed, coughing on smoke as he did so. "No shit? Didn't realize it was such a problem."

"Yeah. Tig will be like, 'Look at this one, she's in the mermaid costume we got her' and then Quinn will be like, 'You think that's cute, check out this one of her on Ken's Harley.' Its ridiculous. I mean, Evie's cute and all, but two grown men comparing pictures is just wrong."

Juice's brow furrowed together in concern. "Should I be worried?"

Piper realized how bad that sounded and shook his head. "Nah, its never creepy. Its like two proud as hell Uncles competing over which one she loves more. I keep hopin' Ang will send Tig one of Eves with a doll and scare the shit out of him."

"Nah, she'd never do that to Tig. Not after everythin' he did for us," he said, looking down at his hands. Clearly, his mind had gone elsewhere, probably going back to their past and everything that had happened when they'd lived in Charming.

Piper could see the way his history with SAMCRO wore on him. Knew he was prone to panic attacks and nightmares because Kenny had asked him once if he could get him weed to help with them. Hearing the way it all affected him firsthand made Piper question finishing his prospecting year even more. He cleared his throat, wiping his hands on his pants nervously. "Look, I know you're all twisted up with everythin' that happened to Ang, but…can I ask you somethin'?"

He raised an eyebrow but nodded slowly. " 'course."

"I um…this prospecting thing…is it worth it?" he asked, scratching nervously at his eyebrow. "I know they technically killed you and shit, but before that…before it got bad, was it worth it?"

Juice considered his question, taking a long toke as he did so. His dark eyes looked over the cemetery in front of him as he let out the smoke. "Was for me," he admitted with a small smile. "When I first met Jax, I was…on the run from the mob. My Ma's a drug addict, Dad's a fuckin' ghost, and my sister had a life of her own that I didn't want to fuck up. I had no family. My friends had turned their backs on me. I was alone. My sister gave me her piece of shit slant bike, and I rode it until it broke down. Right in fuckin' Charming."

"Let me guess, the guys from TM picked you up?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Said they'd help me fix my bike if I helped out around the shop. One day, I caught Gemma cursin' at the old computer in the office and I fixed it. She told Jax, then he asked what else I could do, so I hacked into some places, got him some intel, erased some records, stopped Clay from goin' to jail, and the rest, as they say, is history."

Juice took a long toke before continuing, "I loved being a Son. I really did. Loved wearing that cut, being surrounded by my brothers. Everything about it. I loved riding around on my bike, feelin' invincible, keepin' the bad shit out of Charming, feelin' like the good guys. Shit, I didn't even mind doing the time with all of 'em. It wasn't until after that long stretch when shit went sideways. Lot of it was my own fault. If I had played it differently, I'd probably still be in there with you."

Piper was surprised by his answer. He hadn't expected him to be so honest with him when he'd asked him about it. In fact, he thought Juice would try to dissuade him from it. Tell him it wasn't worth it and how shitty the club was like Ellie had tried to, not for him to support it or say he would still be in it if he hadn't messed up. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he answered on a chuckle. "I had some of the best times while I was with them. I mean, I wouldn't a met the love my life if it wasn't for them, wouldn't a been able to travel across the country. Shit, I've been to almost every state visitin' different charters. Different countries too. I wouldn't trade any of that."

"There's a 'but' in there somewhere, huh?"

"Yeah. A big one. Being a member of the club was great. I loved my brothers and having the big family and being a part of something that felt good, but the second I fucked up, they all turned their backs on me," he told him on a frown. "I didn't do anythin' wrong and when I went to Chibs, my own damn sponsor, for help, he told me to put a gun in my mouth and pull the damn trigger. Then they killed me. For a reason they can't even put into words. Just keep that in mind when you're workin' for that top rocker. Everythin's all fun and games until you fuck up. That's when they turn on you. The club and its safety will always come first. The minute you become a threat to it, they'll get rid of you. Doesn't matter how close you are, or that they're your brothers, they'll kill you without asking any questions."

Piper tapped the ash off the end of the joint pensively before running a hand through his hair. "Kinda not the answer I expected from you, to be honest. Thought you'd shoot me down real fast. Tell me not to go through with it."

"I know where you're comin' from, Pipes. I was you not so long ago. If I hadn't found the Sons back then, I'da probably stumbled into somethin' worse. Dealin' drugs, maybe even doin' 'em. In that way, the Sons kinda saved me."

"You never thought about like…going to college?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. " 's not for me. School and I never got along. I got bored too easily and didn't pay attention. Ang says its because I was too smart for it, but I was just too busy hustling for my Ma's boyfriend. Plus, I didn't want my name on any university servers. Didn't want to be found. I do have my high school diploma, though. So there's that."

"Actual school or test?"

"School, believe it or not. My sister used to say her proudest moment was watchin' me walk across that stage to get my diploma. Honestly the only reason I rode it out was because I was dealin' dope and steroids to the football team and bein' a student made it a hell of a lot easier."

Piper smirked, raking his hand through his hair again. "Makes sense."

"You graduate?"

He snorted in response, shaking his head. He hadn't even tried. He took the GED the second he was allowed to so he could get out of school and start working at TM full time to earn money for his motorcycle. "Nah, I didn't do the big graduation like Ken. I took the test and passed. No big ceremony or party or trip for me," he said on an awkward laugh. "Best present I got was the cut."

Juice looked him over for a moment. "Suits you," he stated on a nod. Piper raised his eyebrows at him in surprise, and he shrugged. "I can't stand some of the Sons now 'cause of everythin' that happened, but I still love Hap and Tig and Quinn. Those guys saved my life more than a few times. I'd never turn my back on them just 'cause they're Sons. Same way I don't have a problem with you. SAMCRO ain't all bad 'n' I don't want my past to stop you from doin' somethin' that's right for you. It's ultimately your choice, Pipes. I just don't want you goin' into it blindly."

"Thanks," he said with a small smile. "I honestly didn't think it'd go this way."

He chuckled. "I didn't either. Guess it's the weed."

Piper laughed, stubbing out the very end of the joint. "Told you it was good shit," he said, nodding his head. While he was pleased by Juice's answer, there was one thing bothering him. It was easy to tell him to keep prospecting when he wasn't his own kid. "What if Ken wanted to be a Son? I know he's not really your son, but you adopted him and shit. Would you tell him the same thing?"

Juice sighed, scratching at the black square tattooed on his arm, the one covering his Reaper. "Ken is my son, but he's also Opie's son and Piney's grandson. SAMCRO is in his blood. If he wanted to prospect, I'd have no choice but to let him. I'd be hurt by it 'cause he'd be willingly joining a club that almost tore our family apart, but…if it was something he really wanted 'cause of the Winston ties to it, I wouldn't stop him," he explained on a frown. "Think Ang would have a bigger problem with it, to be honest."

"And if it were your own blood?"

He sucked in a hard breath, visibly pained by the question. "Shit, I don't know, Pipes. I'd make sure he knew everything that went down with me and them, and if he still wanted a part in it…it'd kill me to see it but…"

"You wouldn't stop him?"

"I would hope the history would be enough to stop him," he admitted, hanging his head. "But once he's old enough, I can't do much about it, y'know?"

Piper's blue eyes held a sense of admiration as he looked him over. "Wow. That's…that's big of you."

"Easy to say when it's a hypothetical, y'know? That and there's no way in hell Angela would ever let that happen. We both agreed to keep our kids away from the club at all cost. 's why I made her hide all our old pictures, why we don't let anyone wear cuts near Eves. We don't want her to ever know about SAMCRO."

"That's fair, I guess," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks for being honest with me. Didn't expect that."

Juice smirked. "You're a good kid, Piper. Would hate to steer you wrong," he said, slapping him on the back before getting to his feet with a grunt. He glanced out over the cemetery again just as the sound of Harley's filled the air. "Shit."

Piper scrambled to his feet just as the Sons rode in, their big black van behind them. Hope spread through him, if they had the van, they surely had to have saved his Mom and Chloe. "Mom," he breathed, a small smile on his face as he ran down the steps.

Chibs swung his leg off the bike, a grim look on his face. "Need to talk to you, son," he said, setting a hand on Piper's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Got some bad news."

Piper felt sick to his stomach as he listened to Chibs recount what had happened. His Mom had been shot point blank in the head in front of them. Tears filled his eyes as he took it all in; his Mom was gone. He'd never see her again. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his tears at bay. "No. No, this wasn't supposed to happen," he said, anger quickly replacing his sadness. He pushed Chibs away, shaking his head. He needed to get away, needed some space or he was going to hurt someone. Moving past all of the rest of SAMCRO, he ran to his bike, starting it up and letting the sound of it drown out his thoughts. He sped out of there, needing to get away. For the first time ever, he understood why Kenny hated SAMCRO and regretted ever asking to be a part of it. He'd counted on them to help him in his time of need, counted on them to save his Mom, and they'd let him down. He hated them for not being able to help her, hated that they were the reason she was taken in the first place. The smell of the leather coming from his cut made his stomach churn; he hated the idea of being a part of the reason his Mom was dead. He had to get it off and fast. Driving to the front of the clubhouse, he ripped it off, throwing it on the ground and running over it with his bike as he headed out. He needed to get out of Charming, fast.

Kenny sat on the floor of his Mom's old office, Evie sitting across from him slowly setting up her tea set in front of them. She was quieter than usual, more focused on her task than on jabbering at him. It worried him a little; it was unlike her to be so quiet. She was usually a ball of energy. "You okay, Monk?" he asked, tugging on one of her pigtails affectionately. "Crazy couple a days you had, huh?"

She nodded, a serious look on her cute little face. "Mama okay?"

"Mom's fine," he assured her, knowing it was troubling her. "She just needs some rest."

"She tired? From fighting bad guys like Wonder Woman?"

He nodded, chuckling a little. Juice had told him Evie had seen the guys coming after Angela, had been the one to alert them something was happening. That could be traumatic for a three year old, but it seemed she'd found a way to reconcile it; she'd turned her Mom into a superhero in her mind, and he wasn't about to tell her she was wrong. "Yeah, kiddo. Super tired."

Evie seemed to be pleased with that as she poured some pretend tea into his tea cup and then hers. "She sleep now? Play later?"

"Definitely. Once she's done resting, she'll be all about playing with you, Monk."

"Yay! Now, drink tea, Kendo!"

Kenny smirked, grabbing the little tea cup and taking a pretend sip. Evie giggled, sticking out her pinky as she slurped loudly. "Good tea, Eves. What kind is it?" he asked, setting the tiny cup down.

"Princess tea!" she answered with a big smile. She served an extra cup and ran over to Quinn who was sitting in her Mom's old office chair. "Here Uncle Q! You try too!"

The sight of Quinn holding the tiny, sparkly pink tea cup made him look even bigger than usual. Kenny wondered if he would pass on it to uphold his tough guy image in front of Lino, but to his surprise, he thanked her for it and took a long sip. "Good tea, Princess," he told her, rubbing one of his large hands over her hair. "Best I've ever had."

She clapped happily before getting the last tea cup and bringing it over to Lino. "You too, Tio Lio."

Like Quinn, Lino took it with enthusiasm, slurping loudly to make the little girl laugh. "Gracias, tesoro. This is delicious."

Kenny contemplated taking a picture of the two badass bikers sipping on imaginary tea but decided against it knowing as soon as he did, they'd take on that tough guy façade again and Evie was having too much fun to ruin it with that kind of shit. She kept running between the three of them to refill their cups, humming to herself as she went. "Crazy girl," he murmured under his breath, watching as she moved around the room.

"Daddy!" she cried out running to Juice as he stepped into the office.

He caught her easily, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he balanced her on his hip. "Hey Monk," he murmured, giving her a small, sad smile. "How's it goin'?"

"We have a tea party," she told him excitedly.

Juice exchanged a quick glance with Quinn. If he saw the bright pink teacup in his hand, he didn't comment on it; he seemed a little preoccupied with something else. "Glad you're havin' fun," he said, setting her back down on her feet. "Ken, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kenny got up warily, wondering what the hell had happened to make Juice look so upset. Evie seemed to sense something was wrong and wouldn't leave her Dad's side. "Daddy play tea?" she asked, tugging at his jeans.

"Not right now, Monk. Need to talk to your brother for a sec. How about you give Lino a refill?"

"Yeah! I drank it all up real fast. Was so good! Serve me another tesito," Lino coaxed, sitting down in Kenny's place before grabbing the tea pot. "C'mon, princesa, I don't know how to use this thing." (Little tea...princess)

Evie hesitated before going over to help Lino who was feigning being perplexed by the teapot. "Okay, Tio," she said, taking it from him. "I show you."

Juice watched her for a minute before taking a step out into the foyer. Kenny followed after him, his stomach already twisting with nerves. "What happened? Is Mom okay? Are the twins?" he asked, playing with the beaded bracelet on his wrist that Jasmine had given him. Juice was silent in response, heading towards the front door, farther away from the office. "Dad, you're scarin' me."

Juice swallowed hard before clearing her throat. "Your Ma's fine and the babies are too, probably. Graci's doin' an ultrasound right now, I think," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I just…something bad happened at the Son's meet up, and I want you to hear it from me. Not them," he explained before letting out a long breath. "Lyla…she…Lin's crew killed her. Right in front of them."

Kenny blinked at him, trying to understand what he just said. "Lyla's dead?"

He nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ken."

It wasn't sadness he felt, though. It was pure anger. "Fuck!" he shouted angrily, kicking at the leg of one of the armchairs.

"Hey, hey, take it easy!" Juice exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to face him. "Breathe."

"I can't! Don't you see? It's happening again!" he shouted, a tear sliding down his face as he struggled to breathe. "They went after Mom and she's hurt and Chloe's gone, and now Lyla's dead! When does it end, Dad? Who else is going to die in this fucking place?"

"I know. I know it fucking sucks and you're angry and you got every right to be. Let it out now, Ken. I got you."

"I can't…this is so fucked up," he said, his voice cracking. Juice pulled him into a tight hug that he returned, hating the tears he couldn't stop from falling. "Didn't even get to say goodbye."

"I know. I'm so sorry, Ken. I don't know what else to say here. I'm not good at this shit like your Mom, I just…I wanted you to hear it from me, not from some asshole in a cut. I'm sorry. So fucking sorry."

Kenny pulled away, wiping at his eyes as he let out a few long breaths. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault," he answered, his voice rough. "It's the club. It fuckin' kills everything."

As if on cue, the front door opened and Chibs strode in. Kenny turned around quickly, glaring daggers at him. He wasn't wanted there. Not one bit. "The fuck are you doing here? After all the shit you put my family though, you do not get to be here."

"Easy there, Ken," Chibs said, holding his hands up in a show of peace. "I'm not the enemy here."

That wasn't true though; he was the enemy. Had been for years. Every bad thing that had happened to his family had stemmed from SAMCRO and since Chibs was the president of the stupid club, Kenny put the blame on him. "Fuck you," he spat back. "You and your fucking club! You ruin everything, you stupid piece of shit!"

Chibs took a step closer to him. "You better watch your mouth, lad," he warned, poking him in the chest with his finger.

Kenny balled his hand into a fist, ready to launch it into Chibs' face when Juice pushed him back, getting in between them, shoving Chibs back forcefully. "Don't touch my son," he seethed, standing in front of Kenny.

"He is not your son, ye rat!" the Scot shouted back. "He's a goddamn Winston, and ye best not forget it!"

That was the final straw. Kenny pushed Juice aside, his fist flying towards Chibs and landing a hit square on his jaw, knocking him down. "Fuck you!" he repeated, shaking out his hand as it throbbed. "Juice has given me everything I could ever want. Don't you dare say he's not my Dad! Not when you and your stupid club were the ones who took away Opie in the first place!"

"What the hell is going on around here?" Ellie asked, Bones close behind her. She looked at Kenny with wide eyes. "Did you just hit him?"

Kenny nodded, ready and eager to do it again if he had the chance. His anger consumed him, making him see red. He moved towards Chibs again, but Juice intercepted. "Stop! Go get some air, Ken."

"No," he replied, his eyes never leaving Chibs. "Not until this asshole leaves."

"Are we on this shit again? C'mon, Ken. Let it go," Ellie said, rolling her eyes.

"Let it go?" Kenny repeated in shock. "Lyla's dead, and you want me to just let it go?"

Ellie froze, her whole body tensing as her eyes went even wider than before. "What?" she asked, her voice tighter and higher than usual. "Lyla's dead?"

Seeing the tears in Ellie's eyes made all of Kenny's anger fade away. He turned away from Chibs, nodding quickly in answer to his sister's question. "I'm sorry, Ell."

"No," she breathed, shaking her head as tears began to fall down her face.

Kenny took a step towards her to comfort her, but she turned to Bones instead. Bones wrapped her in a hug, holding her tightly. His hazel eyes were huge with shock and a little fear. "Holy shit," he said, his hand rubbing up and down Ellie's back as she sobbed into his chest. "What happened?"

"The club got her killed," he answered, glaring at Chibs. "Just like Mom and Pops and Grandpa."

"We were trying to save her," Chibs shot back, wiping at his split lip.

"Yeah, well, you didn't," Kenny sneered, clenching his fists again.

Juice put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed as he nodded to Chibs. "You said your piece. Think its time for you to go before anyone else gets hurt."

Chibs looked like he was going to argue then he sighed. "I'll get the boys to put her in the work room then," he said, grimacing when it only made Ellie cry harder. He stepped closer to her, setting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ellie. We did the best we could, love."

"Don't fuckin' touch her!" Kenny shouted, ready to hit him again. Juice's grip on his shoulder tightened, keeping him from moving.

"Kendo?" a little voice said from behind them. They all turned to find Evie standing there, her dark eyes wide. "Why so loud? Why the bad man here?"

Kenny didn't miss the small, proud smirk tugging up the corners of Juice's mouth or the grimace on Chibs' face at Evie's question. He shrugged off Juice's hand from his shoulder, going over to pick up his little sister and set her on his hip. "Hey Monk," he said, kissing her cheek. He felt himself relax as she clung to him, resting her head on his shoulder. "What's goin' on, sis?"

"They on the phone. Wanted someone to play with me," she explained, her dark eyes on Chibs, a concerned look on her face. She reached out her hand to Juice. "Daddy, play?"

Juice tore his eyes off of Chibs and gave his daughter a small smile. "Yeah, baby girl," he said, stepping in closer and taking her from her brother. "Let's go play. Think I could use a little tea."

Kenny watched them go, letting out a long breath. Though she didn't mean to, Evie had successfully broken the tension in the room and stopped him from sending his fist into Chibs' face again. He looked over at Bones and Ellie, watching as his best friend held his sister tightly, his hands rubbing over her back. He'd never been more thankful for their relationship than he was at that moment; no way could he comfort Ellie the way Bones could.

Bones cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose quickly. "Think you should go," he told Chibs with a grim look. "You've done enough damage for tonight. I'll take care of arrangements."

Chibs looked irked for a moment before he hung his head. "Yeah. I'll go check on Piper. Make sure he's all right."

The mention of Piper only served to make Ellie cry harder. Chibs hesitated, clearly wanting to comfort her, but he stopped himself and headed out the door like the coward he was. Kenny watched him go with a scowl, hid hands still curled into fists. It wasn't until after he heard the Harley start up that he unfurled his hands, wincing a bit as he did so. He looked around, feeling very alone all of a sudden when he realized Bones and Ellie had each other, and he had no one. For a moment, he regretted letting Jasmine go back to Texas; he needed her now, needed her to comfort him. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out, surprised to see Jasmine's picture on the call ID. How she'd known he needed her, he'd never know, but he was thankful as hell to see her name on that screen.

Bones studied Ellie from across the room. Her eyes were focused on the floor, glazed over as if they weren't really seeing anything. He didn't know what to do with her. Sure, he was used to comforting grieving people, but those had always been strangers. Strangers who usually had someone else to turn to when they left the funeral home. This was his girlfriend, and he was the one she had to turn to. He sat down on the antique couch next to her, leaning forward to tuck a stray lock of golden hair behind her ear. She didn't move, didn't say a thing, just sat numbly and stared at the floor. He didn't know what to say or do to help her. She was usually the strong one in their relationship. Without a word, he slid in closer to her, wrapping his arm around her in an awkward sideways hug and kissing her temple.

It took her a moment to react this time, but she moved her hand up to grip his arm, squeezing it tightly as a soft gasp escaped her hold. He squeezed her tightly, kissing her again. "I don't know what to do, El. How can I help you?"

She sniffled a little finally lifting her head. The sad look in her eyes broke his heart as she met his gaze. "Just stay," she told him softly. He nodded slowly, holding her as close as he could. She leaned into him, her eyes closing for a moment as she breathed in deeply. "I want to see her."

Bones grimaced a bit. "El, that might not be a great idea. I don't know what state she's in."

"I don't care," she said, moving away from him and turning so they could face each other. "This doesn't feel real. I can't wrap my head around her being gone. I need to see her. Need to know they're not fucking with me. She was the last person I had left, Leo. My last parent."

"I know, which is why you shouldn't see her this way. You should keep the memories you have of her close and that image of her in your mind. You don't want to see her like this," he assured her. He wasn't sure how Lyla looked, to be honest. The Sons had carried her in wrapped in a tarp, and he had made sure Ellie hadn't seen.

She shook her head stubbornly. "Don't give me that funeral home shit. I can do this. I need to do this," she insisted, reaching out to grab his hands. "Please."

"Let her," Kenny's voice came from the hallway as he came in from the back. "I'ma clean her up a bit first and then you can say your goodbyes."

Bones looked at him like he was crazy. "What? You can't…that's your stepmom! No way should you be preppin' her! Ang won't let you!"

"She doesn't have to know, and if you don't want to stress her out, you won't tell her."

Ellie scowled at that. "Don't be stupid, Ken."

"It's not stupid. You want to see her, I want to prep her. What's wrong with that?"

"It's not happening," Bones stated, getting to his feet and going to stand between him and the prep room door. He puffed out his chest a little, feeling a little bolder by having Ellie's support. "This is my funeral home, and I'm going to handle this case. You can come in and see her when I'm done, but I am not letting you do it yourself."

Kenny took a step closer to him, getting into his face. "You gonna stop me, Boner?"

Bones looked up at him. He was taller, stronger, but he wasn't going to back down so easily; he was right in this case. "I sure as hell am gonna try," he said, though his voice cracked at the end. He wasn't a tough guy like Kenny and didn't have a drop of outlaw in his blood, but Kenny was his best friend, and he wanted to protect him as best as he could. "I'm not doin' it to be an asshole or 'cause I think you can't, Ken. I'm doin' it 'cause I care about you and your sanity. It's not healthy to see someone you love like that! Findin' veins and using the trocar and stuff! That's intense! Even Ang has problems preppin' people she knows and loves and she's been doing it for years! She definitely wouldn't want you to do it!"

"But…"

"Its not happening, Ken!" Bones shouted, cutting him off. "I love you like a brother and I don't want you to see her like that! Shit, I barely knew her, and I don't want to do it! So please, let me do this, or I will tattle on you to Angela because I know she'll get you to do the right thing! And you can call me a rat if you want or whatever biker jargon you have, that's fine! I don't give a shit! I'm doin' it for you, so call me fucking Splinter if you want!"

The room was silent, their argument hanging heavy in the air as they eyed each other up and down. Ellie's giggle cut the tension in the room. "Splinter?"

Kenny chuckle soon joined hers as he shook his head. "The rat from the Ninja Turtles," he explained with a smirk. "God, you're a nerd."

Ellie sighed, the smallest smile on her face. Kenny knew that smile, it was similar to the one Angela got when she looked at Juice; his big sister was head over heels in love with his best friend. He was thankful they were together, that they loved each other especially since Bones had gotten her to feel better after hearing such horrific news. It was nice to know his sister was being taken care of when he wasn't around. She pecked Bones' cheek. "Thank you," she told him softly. "Love you."

Bones smiled just a little and nodded. "Love you too, El. Just want what's best for everyone involved."

Kenny rolled his eyes at them. "Think I'm gonna barf," he muttered. "I'm gonna go check on my other sister. She's got to be confused as hell."

Ellie watched him go with a little frown. Once he was out of the room, she sighed. "Still weird that he has another sister," she said on a sigh. "And he's not okay. The way he blew up at you, got in your face? That's not Kenny."

"Yeah," Bones agreed, frowning a little. "But letting him prep Lyla wouldn't help him any."

"I know. I don't know what else to do. Wish Jazzy had stayed, think he could use her now."

He shook his head in response. Having Jazzy here would help him a little, but in the end, he'd wind up stressed out beyond belief and paranoid something was going to happen to her. It wouldn't be good for either of them. "He'll be okay. Just needs to talk to Ang. She'll set him straight."

Ellie let out a long sigh, raking her hand through her hair. "I hope so," she said before grabbing Bones' hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Kinda badass of you to stand up to him like that."

Bones puffed out his chest a little, a proud smile on his face. "Yeah, well, I can be badass too when I want to be."

"A regular Captain Kirk," she replied, sliding her arms around his waist.

"Was that…you just referenced Star Trek! That is…wow," he said in shock. "Are you watching Star Trek?"

Ellie shrugged a shoulder simply. "You love it. Figured I should get familiar with it too."

"God, I love you," he murmured, kissing her softly.

She smiled at him, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Love you, too, Leo. Thanks for takin' care of me, of my family."

"Anytime. I'm here for you, El. I might not be a big, bad biker-man, but I'll take care of you the best I can every time. Promise you that."

"I don't need a big, bad biker-man. I'm good with my badass Trekker," she said, kissing him again. "Now go work your magic before my brother tries to get in on it."

He frowned slightly. "Don't want to leave you alone."

She pushed him towards the work room. "Go. I'm fine. I'm gonna go check on Ken, spend some time with him and Eves. Maybe she'll be able to make me feel a little better."

"Good plan. Think Monk could make anyone feel better with that smile a hers," Bones said on a smile. "Just knock if you need me. I'm gonna lock the door."

Ellie kissed his cheek again, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry so much, Leo. This isn't new to me. I got this."

Angela shifted nervously on the bed as she eyed the portable ultrasound machine her mother had stolen from the hospital. Her stomach was churning anxiously as she rubbed a hand over her lower belly hoping and praying the ultrasound would give her good news. "We can't start without Juice," she said, hating the way her voice shook just a little.

Graciela eyed her suspiciously for a moment before shaking her head. "We have to start soon, Angelita. If the babies are in distress, you could get very hurt. I already took too long in stitching you up first pero I didn't want you to be infected so I had to work fast. Now, we're already behind. We do this now."

She shook her head stubbornly. "We have to wait for Juice."

"Why? He missed all of Eva's didn't he? I'll do it again for him later," she said, shaking the tube of blue goo.

Angela scowled at her mother, hating how right she was. Her pregnancy with Evie was thankfully relatively easy for her health-wise; it was all the shit around her that was in turmoil back then. They fought the most in that time period, said the cruelest things to each other. He'd missed almost everything with Evie, including her birth. It was the absolute lowest time in their whole relationship, and she hated how it tainted what should've been such a happy time. She sighed softly. "This time was supposed to be different, though. The only reason he came to Charming was to be here for the baby stuff."

"I know, mija, pero you saw him. He needs to breathe. Better we know everything's okay first that way you being nervous doesn't make him more nervous."

She let out a long breath and nodded. "Guess you're right."

"Of course, I'm right! I'm always right!" Graciela exclaimed, flipping on the machine. "A ver. Let's see my grandbabies."

Angela lay back on the bed, letting out a long breath as she stared up at the ceiling. Her mother pushed back her shirt, applying some of the blue goo onto her stomach. She played with her rings nervously, holding her breath as her Mom put the probe to her belly. It didn't take very long for the familiar sound of a heartbeat came loud and clear over the machine. She let out a sigh of relief. "There's one," she said on a smile.

Graciela nodded, moving it around until she heard the second one. "There's two. Just as I expected," she said with a big smile. She sat back on the bed a little and sighed. "Your father would be so proud of you, mija. He would've loved the little family you have. Eva and Kenny and Juancito, he would've loved them all."

She felt a lump form in her throat at the idea of her father getting to know the little family she made for herself. Hap had said her father would like Juice, but it felt different coming from her mother. "Wish he could've met them. Think he woulda flipped when he found out Juice was a Son."

"He wouldn't be happy with that pero once he saw how happy Juan makes you, he wouldn't have cared. They would've gotten along. Your Papi would've loved him, I promise you. They would've been the best of friends."

Angela laughed lightly, reaching up a hand to wipe at her cheeks. "Surprised you're even talking about him."

Graciela looked down at her hands, playing with the wedding ring on her finger. Her husband had been dead for over thirty years, and she'd never once taken it off except while she was at work. Even then, she wore it on a chain around her neck. As a teenager, Angela had thought it was ridiculous for her to wear it after her dad had been dead for so long, but after losing Juice, she understood. If Juice had really been dead, she'd would've kept her rings on too. No matter what. Graciela smiled softly. "Nero has helped me heal. Letting him in made me heal, made it easier to think of your Papi without feeling so lonely," she said, gently wiping off Angela's stomach with a towel.

"I'm glad," she replied, sitting up a bit just as Nero walked in. "Speak of the devil."

Nero nodded his greeting, a grim look on his face. "I got uh…got some bad news, Angelita."

Dread filled Angela's stomach at his words. "What happened? Is it Juice? Where did he go? Is it Dia? Chloe?"

"No, Mama. Juice's okay. Dia and Chloe too. It uh…its Lyla. She didn't make it," he told her, hanging his head a bit.

Angela froze, not quite believing what she was hearing. It was Graciela who reacted with a gasp and a whispered, "What?"

"Lyla. They killed her at the meet," Nero repeated, wringing his hands together. He looked absolutely devastated. He'd been close with Lyla once upon a time; she'd work closely with him at Diosa. Angela knew he had to be just as upset about it as she was. A tear slid down his face, and he quickly covered it, letting out a breath and shaking his head. "Shit. Sorry."

"No, no, no. Come here, mi amor," Graciela said, crossing the room to him and wrapping her arms around him.

Angela walked past them numbly, feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't process it, but she knew one person who would need her. Kenny. The moment she stepped into the living room, the door that led to the funeral home opened and Kenny walked in. His face was blotchy, eyes red and desperate, searching for something. They landed on her, and his shoulders relaxed. "Mom," he said, his voice breaking as he spoke.

He practically ran to her, and she was ready for him, her arms open. She enveloped him into a hug, holding him close as he buried his face into her neck. "I'm so sorry," she murmured, smoothing her hand over his hair. He sobbed into her shoulder, holding her tightly as if he were afraid she'd disappear if he let go. She understood why; Lyla was the second mother he'd lost. Though he'd asked Angela to adopt him, it hadn't meant he'd loved Lyla any less. Losing her had to have hit him hard. She turned to kiss his temple, squeezing him tighter. "It's okay. I got you, Ken. I got you. Love you so much."

She looked over his shoulder as Juice walked in with Evie in his arms, making eye contact with her husband as she tried to console her son. Juice frowned, kissing Evie's cheek. "I think Kendo needs a little extra love, Monk. What do you think?"

Evie's brow furrowed in worry as she reached her arms out to her brother. "Nee-nee," she whined, moving her arms around Kenny's neck the moment Juice was close enough. "Don't cry, Nee-Nee. I love you."

Angela caught Kenny's small smile as Juice joined in on the big family hug. She moved her arms from around Kenny to Juice's waist pulling her family in a little closer. She knew losing Lyla would make him feel isolated and alone just as losing Donna and Opie had and hoped this big group hug would show him just how loved he was, how he would always have his little family there to love and take care of him. She sighed softly. "We got you, Ken. Everything's going to be okay."

I know its been forever, and I'm sorry for that. Been a little drama in my personal life, but I think that's over and done with. Hoping to be able to write more in 2018!

Please let me know what you think! Your reviews are so encouraging and make me so happy! :)

Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2018 brings you all the best!

~Love Ink