Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and review! You all make me so happy! I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to you just yet, I wanted to make sure this got posted as soon as it was done!

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

Overexposed

Chapter 17: Paciencia y Fe

By Love Ink

Chloe couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Lyla's lifeless body on the ground, the blood pooling under her head. It could've been her. It should've been her. She looked over at Dia who wasn't sleeping either; she was plucking at a hole in her jeans. They were back in whatever shitty garage they'd started in, chained to the wall. "What happened to Lupe?" Chloe finally asked, just to start conversation.

"Dead," Dia answered on a shrug as if it were nothing.

Her breath caught in her throat, tears pricking at her eyes. "Shit," she gasped out. With Lyla and Lupe gone, it meant she was next. She raked her hands through her hair, letting out a shaky breath before a sob escape her hold. She'd tried her best to be strong, but enough was enough. Her cheek was throbbing and her friend was dead and she just wanted to go home.

She heard Dia's chain shift before she felt a soft touch brushing her hair away from her face. "I'm so sorry, mija," Dia murmured, her voice warm and soothing. "But you have to think about something else. Anything else. Mira, how about you tell me about your man? He has a lot of tattoos, no? How about you tell me your favorite? Dale, I know you have one. Close your eyes and picture them." (Look...Go...)

"I can't. I close them, and I see her and the blood," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"Close them," Dia insisted, grabbing her hand in hers. "Tell me about him. What's his name? He's Angelita's cousin, no? Did you know I've never met him? I've known her since she was fourteen, and I never met him."

Chloe nodded slowly, closing her eyes and trying to picture Happy, picture the way his skin looked illuminated by the sun peeking in through her bedroom window. A beautiful mixture of the caramel color of his skintone and the colors of his tattoos. So many colors. Blacks and reds, greens and blues. The snake on the center of his chest so bold and beautiful. She could spend hours tracing the curving lines of the animal's body, the feel of Happy's skin impossibly soft, a sharp contrast to the hard man it belonged to. "Happy," she breathed, feeling a little calmer.

"He's a strong man, no? Angela always spoke very highly of him."

"Yeah. They're really close," she agreed on a nod.

Diana smiled, squeezing Chloe's hand. "I know. My son, Esai, he hated Happy. Was scared to death of him."

Chloe sniffled a bit, wiping at her eyes. "He scares everyone."

"But not you."

She shook her head slowly. "I didn't know much about him when I met him. He was…he came to the hospital after Ang got shot, and he looked more like an over protective big brother than a big, bad scary biker. I don't even know how or when it happened. He just showed up on my doorstep and never left."

"Like a dog," Dia mused on a laugh.

Chloe laughed too. "Kind of." She tilted her head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Loyal like one too."

"That means he's a good man. Like mine. Marcus has done very many bad things, and he's not perfect pero I love him. He has always treated me well," she explained softly. "We met in high school and oh, how he chased me. I didn't want to give in pero he was relentless, and he caught me. We've been together since I was sixteen. Something my son tried to get with Angelita, but he couldn't he wasn't right for her."

She smiled a little at the mention of her best friend. "Pretty sure Ang and Juice are soulmates. Never seen two people who are so meant for each other as they are."

"I know. I didn't want to accept it at first. I wanted Angelita to find another Mayan and come back to us. Selfish, I know, pero I wanted that," she explained on a sad smile. "But then I saw how happy she was. Happier than ever before, and then I met Juan y es tan bueno. Such a good man. The kind of man she should be with." (He's so good.)

"They balance each other out," Chloe said softly. "Just hope she's okay."

Dia waved away her concern. "She's okay. She's strong that girl. And she's not here, so that's a good sign." She reached out her hand to pat Chloe's. "And you? How do you fit in with Happy?"

She snorted a bit, shrugging a shoulder. "I honestly don't know," she said on a sad laugh. "I just keep waiting for him to dump me. Move on to some newer, younger, hotter girl."

"You're smart. A challenge. That's why he likes you so much," she stated, patting her thigh. "And he's not young anymore, mija. He's too old for those little putas, too smart. They can't keep up with him, entertain him, not like you. He's going to keep you for as long as he can."

"I hope so," she murmured, wiping at her eyes. "If I ever see him again."

"You will. You will see him again, and I will see my Marcus again. You'll see. They'll come for us," she assured her confidently. "Paciencia y fe. Patience and faith. That's all we need right now, mija. Its all going to be okay."

Happy was covered in blood. It'd been awhile since he got to use his interrogating skills on someone, and he'd gone all out on the motherfucker who had been knocked out in his attempt to kidnap Angela. Squeezed him for every bit of information he could before cutting out his tongue and dismembering him piece by piece. His arms were sore, hands sticky with blood, but he was pleased with the information he'd managed to get. Locations, names, numbers, everything.

"You done?" Juice asked from his seat at the rusted table in the corner. His laptop was open, illuminating his face in a blue light. He'd sat quietly through the whole thing, his fingers flying over his keyboard as he verified every bit of information the man had given them. Happy was surprised Juice could stomach the torture he'd just witnessed, but he'd been good. Hadn't said a word or thrown up like Happy thought he'd might.

He nodded in response. "Yeah. You get all that?"

"Yeah. It all checks out. The warehouse is registered to the Lin family under Lin's Mom's maiden name but spelled differently so it doesn't come up on searches," he explained, still clicking around. At Happy's eyebrow raise, he shrugged. "Looked up the family tree before this shit. Wanted to make sure the names were familiar."

Happy would never admit how impressed he was with Juice's computer skills. "Good," he replied. Juice let out a long breath, rubbing at his eyes for a moment before muttering something under his breath and shaking his head. Happy narrowed his eyes at him. "You all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good, I'm good," he insisted, cracking his knuckles, his thumb rubbing over his wedding ring.

"The blood gettin' to ya?"

Juice scowled at him and shook his head. "No, no. Fucker deserved all that shit for what he tried to do to my wife. We coulda lost the twins. I coulda lost her. Feels good to see him get what's comin' to him."

Now Happy understood; Juice was going through what had happened earlier, dwelling on it. "Didn't happen. Kid held her own 'n' you protected her. You should be proud."

He nodded, swallowing hard. "I am proud."

"Then stop thinkin' about the other shit. The kid is fine, the brat is fine, and those monsters inside a her are fine too. Stop stressin' and find my girl," he said nodding to the computer.

Juice smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Your girl, huh?"

"Shut up."

"No, no, its cool. The Tacoma Killer and the Killer Nurse. Its cute," he commented on a shrug. Happy reached out a blood-soaked hand out to smack him in the face only to have him duck. "Don't touch me! Stop! That's fuckin' gross!"

Happy playfully lunged towards him, chuckling when Juice put his hands up to shield himself. "Best shut up then, idiot," he said, walking back towards his tools and grabbing the bucket of bleach and water. "Think all that hair is cloudin' your judgement."

Juice rolled his eyes, closing the laptop slowly. "Your cousin doesn't mind it," he muttered to himself.

He rounded on him threateningly. "What was that?"

"Nothin'," he said, trying to hide a smirk. "Think you're goin' deaf, old man."

Happy picked up an icepick from his tools looking it over and inspecting the blood that ran down its length before nodding to Juice. "You're about to be deaf if you don't shut the fuck up."

Juice didn't look at all frightened by the threat; he was used to them. "Go for it. My head's been too loud anyway."

The comment was a slight show of hand for Juice, a hint as to how his mental state was. Also a big red flag that he wasn't doing too well. Happy knew being in Charming was hard for him, adding on everything that had happened with Angela was probably not helping either. "Tell it to shut the fuck up."

"Yeah," he answered on a sad laugh. "Believe me, I've tried. Easier said than done. Doesn't help that I got Angel constantly askin' me if I'm okay."

"She's worried."

"I know, and I…I love her for that, but I don't want to keep talking about my crazy head shit. We go in fuckin' circles, and all it does is make me feel like some weak asshole," he admitted on a frown. "I'm okay. I really am. Its hard, but I'm dealin' with it, you know? I can handle this shit. I'm stronger than I was last time I was here, and she…she's got so much goin' on and she won't let me in. Makes me feel…inadequate or somethin'. Does that make sense?"

Happy nodded in understanding. It wasn't strange for Juice to open up to him like this. During the fourteen months they were locked in a cell together in county, they'd had a few deep talks. Juice usually did most of the talking, of course, but those talks were what made Happy feel comfortable with Juice's relationship with his little cousin, gave him better insight to the man everyone had called 'idiot' for years. While Hap would never stop calling him that, he also knew Juice was no idiot. The guy was smarter and more in tune with his emotions than most people gave him credit for. "It ain't 'cause she thinks you're weak. She knows you're not. Think its 'cause she don't want to feel it herself. Easier to focus on you than her."

"Drivin' me crazy," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his longer hair.

"Doesn't help you knocked her up. Hormones 'n' shit."

Juice smirked, playing with his wedding ring as a smile crossed his face. "Only good thing that's happened since I've been home is finding out she's pregnant."

"Home?"

He blinked, grimacing to himself. "Shit. Didn't mean that."

"Yeah, you did," he said, dunking another tool into the bucket of bleach. "You ever think about comin' back?"

Juice raked a hand through his hair, letting out a long, sad sigh. "Didn't until I got here. 'Til I found out I was safe. Despite all the shit that's happened; she's happy here with her family and the funeral home. Being here makes her happy."

"Wasn't happy 'til you showed up."

He smiled a little at that, looking back at the computer. "Good to know."

"You gonna move back?"

Juice sighed again, rubbing at his eyes. "Not to Charming, that's for damn sure. Bay Area, maybe. If that's what she wants. My brother-in-law wants a satellite office out here anyway, so I'll have a job, and she'll have the funeral home and her family so…she'll be happy. That's all I want for her."

Happy nodded slowly. "Good. Wouldn't mind havin' you guys back. Know my Ma and Graci would love it. Gettin' to see the brats grow up 'n' shit."

"Yeah. Ang would like that too," he said on a sigh. He looked back at the computer for a moment before sighing. "How's this shit end, Hap? You bring all this info to the club and what happens?"

He tossed his last tool into the bucket of bleach. "They all die. Every single one."

Angela let herself into the funeral home prep room, closing the door behind her and watching as Bones expertly worked on the blonde lying on his table. There was soft music playing in the background, some pretty movie score she was pretty sure was from Lord of the Rings. "Need help?" she asked, smirking when he jumped a little.

He looked up at her, pushing his glasses up his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm good. Embalming's done. Just making sure it all looks good."

She walked around the table, trying to focus on Bones' work and not that it was Lyla laying there. He'd covered her up out of respect, but her crow tattoo was still visible. Angela frowned at the sight of it; every SAMCRO woman who had worn one was now dead. Tara, Gemma, Luann, and now, Lyla. When things had first started to get serious with Juice, she'd considered getting a matching one. Putting it on the center of her back in the same location she now had Juice's head tattoos. She was thankful she'd decided against the crow and went for the tribal design instead. If she'd gotten the crow, she definitely would've had it removed. She nodded to Bones, knowing he was expecting some type of comment. "Looks perfect. Just needs some makeup," she complimented, reaching out a hand to fix a lock of Lyla's hair. "You mind if I do it?"

Bones hesitated for a moment. "Ang…"

"I did it for her wedding," she told him with a small smile as she remembered that day. "Was pissed as hell with her for callin' me since it was Juice's first day back and we were…sleeping, but I did it. She liked the smoky eye, big false eyelashes, but a simple lip. Before that, I'd do it for her…movies. It was how we became friends. Kinda want to do it again. One last time."

"Yeah, okay," he murmured, taking a step away. "El brought by all the make-up she thought I'd need. Think you'd be better at it anyway."

Angela scowled at him. "Not true. Don't doubt yourself, its unattractive."

"Thanks," he said with a proud little smile.

She patted his shoulder lovingly before going over to Lyla's makeup bag. They'd shared so much of this makeup. When something didn't work for one of them, they traded it with each other. She picked up one lipstick and scoffed. "I've been looking for this for years. Can't believe she stole it."

Bones smiled a little, his hazel eyes on her face for a moment. "You can have it back now, I guess. Ellie says she doesn't want any of it."

"Nah. I'll use it. Looked better on her anyway," she said with a small smile. She took in a deep breath as she picked out the right makeup. "All right. I got this."

"You want some space?"

She sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Yeah. Thanks, Boner."

He nodded, patting her on the shoulder lovingly before heading out the door. She waited until it was closed behind him to let out a small sigh. "Hey, Ly," she greeted, feeling her eyes start to tear up. "God, there's been too many of my friends laid out on this table."

Shaking her head, she turned the music on, determined not to dwell on what she was doing until she was done with the task at hand. She grabbed the colors Lyla used to request on her shoots, smiling to herself as she remembered the many times she and Lyla would swatch the colors on their arms, trying to find the perfect shades for that day. They'd had so much fun.

Even when she'd moved to Texas, she and Lyla had always kept in touch. Lyla had been so far removed from all of the club drama, there was no animosity between them. They'd often text about new lingerie or show each other what new makeup they'd found at Sephora. Lyla had even given her some advice on how to spice things up in the bedroom with Juice. Over the years, Lyla had grown to be one of her best friends, and she regretted not calling her as much as she could've. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve this. You deserved better."

She took in a deep breath, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. "I'll take care of El and Pipes. Make sure they're okay. That they're safe," she promised, squeezing her cold hand. "I'm gonna miss ya, Ly. A lot. Love you, lady. Hope you found some peace now."

Happy walked into the funeral home's work room slowly, his muscles aching from the intense "interrogation" he'd put the asshole through; he was getting too old for that kind of shit. He made his way towards the workroom to check on Angela, knowing she would've have some type of hand in Lyla's preparation. The music was loud, as it usually was when she was focused on her work. Pushing open the door, he found her at the table working, her long fingers moving gracefully and with purpose as she put makeup on Lyla's face. He reached over and turned down the music, catching her attention. She looked up from what she was doing, her eyes red and watery. "Hey," she greeted, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You guys get what you needed?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on Lyla; she looked a hell of a lot better than she had last time he'd seen her. The bullet wound in the center of her forehead was completely covered, almost as though it'd never been there. "Idiot's gettin' Ken to start up the ovens for us."

"Good," she stated on a nod as she appraised her own work. "How'd Juice do with the…interrogation?"

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest with a smirk. Of course, she was worried about the idiot; he had a feeling she was staying focused on him so she didn't have to think about her own feelings. But Juice had handled the interrogation like a champ, hadn't even gotten sick. Hap had to say, he was a little proud of him. "Fine. You need to stop babyin' him. It ain't helpin'."

She scowled, wiping some of the makeup off her hands on a towel. "I'm not babying him."

"You are. Makin' him feel real shitty which don't help his head."

Angela frowned, raising an eyebrow at him. "That what he told you?"

"Kinda," he replied on a shrug. "He's stronger than you think."

"I know," she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "He's one of the strongest men I know."

"Then treat him like it. You ain't helpin' him by keepin' him out."

"I'm not hurtin' him either."

Happy shook his head slowly; he'd seen the hurt look in Juice's eyes when he'd described how Angela was making him feel. "Yeah, you are. Gotta be a two way street, or he's gonna lose his shit."

"If I let him in, if I'm weak, then I'm going to lose my shit, Hap," she replied honestly as she went to wash her hands. "Telling myself I got to be strong for him is probably the only thing keeping me from fallin' apart."

He fought the urge to grimace. That was his fault. He'd instilled the idea of keeping a strong front in her since she was a kid, not really thinking about how it would affect her in the future. If he'd known it would make her bottle it all up and push people away, he would've been a little more lenient about it. "Then do it. Ain't a bad thing to do in front of him. 's not good for you to hold that shit in. Talk to the idiot. He gets it. Probably help you more than I can."

Angela looked him in disbelief before she narrowed her eyes at him. "That sounds more like Chloe than you."

Chloe. An unfamiliar pang went through his heart at the mention of her name. The look of fear in her eyes the last time he'd seen her was ingrained in his head; he needed to get her back and fast. "It is," he acknowledged on a nod.

Her eyes narrowed at him a bit, the look she got when she was analyzing him. "You get to see her?" she asked as if she could read his thoughts. At his nod, she sighed. "How'd she look?"

Happy grimaced, rubbing a hand over his face. She hadn't looked good, but he wasn't about to tell Angela that. It would only upset her. "She's holdin' strong, but with Lyla gone…"

"She's next," she finished, paling just a little.

"Yeah," he rasped, crossing his arms over his chest.

A soft gasp escaped Angela's hold, her eyes growing glassy with tears. "Jesus Christ."

"Hey, breathe, kid," he soothed, stepping in front of her and setting his hands on her shoulders. "That ain't gonna happen. 'm gonna bring her home. Promise you that."

She shook her head, sniffling slightly. "This is so fucked up. Why couldn't it have been me, Hap? I know how to deal with this shit. I…I could've found a better way out, I coulda…"

"Stop!" Hap interjected a little too loudly. Hearing her wish it had been her instead of Chloe angered him. How could she be so stupid? There's no way she would've been better off in Chloe's shoes! She would've gotten herself killed in any attempt she made to escape, and she would've attempted it because that's what he'd trained her to do. "Don't fuckin' say that shit. If Alvarez's Old Lady can't get 'em outta there, what makes you think you could, huh? You'd get yourself killed tryin' to be smart, trying to trick your way outta there. I saw the way that dumb bitch killed Lyla. The second you tried anything, she'd a put a bullet in your head and found someone else to replace you."

Angela shook her head stubbornly. "No. I would've figured it out! We should've let them take me, Hap! I could've helped them, I could've found a way to save them or at least led you to them!"

"Oh yeah? Let them take you bleedin' like you were with a busted lung?" he countered quickly. He saw the path her mind was taking and knew he had to end it before she did something seriously stupid and hurt herself. "You wanna put your kids in danger like that? All for what? So they could kill you later? Kill her sooner? 'Cause if they had you, you know they'd kill her. Probably kill both of 'em! All they need is you!"

"Maybe they would've let them go," she said, a desperate look in her eyes. "Maybe that's what you should offer. A trade. Me for them."

And there it was. The exact notion he knew was coming. Angela was as selfless as they came when it came to her family. She would throw herself in front of a moving vehicle to protect the ones she loved and that was exactly what she was offering. Happy knew if Lin's crew got their hands on Angela, there was no way they would ever let her out alive. Not again. "Are you fuckin' nuts?"

Angela's hands grabbed onto the front of his cut. "I need to help, Hap. I can't just sit here anymore and watch my friends die," she cried, pulling on his cut for emphasis. "Please just let me help!"

"No! Don't be stupid, kid!" he replied, scowling at her. "Maybe if you weren't knocked up or if you didn't have a kid or a family, maybe I'd think about it, but that ain't the case. You got people that need you, Angela! Don't be so fuckin' selfish."

"You don't be selfish," she contested, shoving him away from her. "I can help. Let me help!"

"Help what?" a voice came from the door way.

Relief flooded through Hap at the sound of Juice's voice. If anyone could talk some sense into her, it would be Juice. "Your wife wants to give herself up to Lin's crew in a fuckin' trade."

"What?" Juice breathed looking at her in shock. "Angel, are you serious?"

Angela shifted a bit, as if she suddenly realized how stupid the idea was. Then her chin jutted up obstinately, and she nodded. "Yeah. You can put a tracker in my shoe or something and that way you can be able to find them easier! It's a good plan!"

He looked from her face to Hap's, his eyes wide with disbelief. "A tracker…" he trailed off before shaking his head. "Are you serious?"

She nodded rapidly. "Juice, I gotta help. I gotta do something."

"I know how you feel, but you're pregnant, Angel. With twins and an injured lung to boot," he said choosing his words very carefully. Happy was surprised by how calm he was being in the face of Angela's craziness. He'd thought he'd get mad or fly into a panic attack of his own, but he was keeping his composure. Juice moved in closer to her, approaching her like a man would a rattlesnake about to strike. "Why do you want to put yourself in danger?"

"Because I want to help. Dia and Chlo are family, and I…I want to help save them," she rambled, her breathing a little harder than usual. "I don't want to see any more of my friends on this table."

Juice was close enough now to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. "I know, baby," he murmured, grabbing hold of her hands when she didn't pull away. "But I already found them, Angel. I…that guy that we caught, he squealed like a little pig, and I got everything I need to find them, okay? Couldn't a done that without you. You did help them, baby."

Happy fought the urge to smirk; he was exaggerating a little. Sure, they'd gotten good information from the man they'd just tortured, but it wasn't everything they needed. It did seem to calm Angela down a little, though, so he rolled with it. "He's right, kid," he put in. It wasn't a lie on his part; Angela had helped them. She was gasping a bit for air now, her hand pressed to her chest in a way that worried him. "Cut it out, kid. You're gonna hurt yourself."

"Angela! Hey! Look at me!" Juice shouted, grabbing her face in his hands and forcing her eyes to meet his. "Breathe, baby. I know it hurts. Know it's hard, but it's going to be okay. We're okay. Just breathe. Nice and slow. Match mine. C'mon."

Angela wrapped her hands around his wrist, her knuckles white as she held onto him. Happy watched her struggle for a moment, then her breathing starting to even out, matching Juice's as he kept murmuring comforting things to hers, their foreheads practically touching.

Happy had had his doubts about Juice's relationship with his cousin. He'd seen him hurt her, make her cry, but he'd also seen him make her laugh and now, watching him know exactly what to do and say to calm her down had served to banish any lingering doubts he had about Juice's ability to take care of Angela; the idiot clearly knew what he was doing.

He cast them one last glance, just in time to see the sweet kiss Juice laid on her forehead just before she crumbled into his chest and began to sob. Happy gave Juice a quick nod then ducked out of the room. As much as it hurt him to see his little cousin unravel like that, he was thankful Juice was there to be the strong one while she fell apart. Happy couldn't do that. He wasn't used to her tears, wasn't used to letting her cry. He didn't have the patience for it the way Juice did.

Walking outside, he took in a deep breath of the fresh air, letting it out slowly as he went for his cigarette packet that was usually stored in his cut. Except it wasn't there. Instead, he found a pocket full of toothpicks. He'd quit smoking almost two years before at Chloe and his Mom's insistence. At first, Chloe had refused to kiss him if he smoked, when that didn't work, she refused to have sex with him. If it'd been any other girl, he'd tell her to go fuck herself and fuck the next available sweetbutt, but Chloe was different. She had him hooked. So he quit smoking. Cold turkey. Had almost killed everyone in his path for a weeks after he did, but it'd been worth it. To her credit, Chloe made sure to send him sexy texts, teasing him with them, telling him if he was good, he'd have her to come home to, and she never disappointed.

Taking out one of the toothpicks, he unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth, chewing on the end of it until the only thing left were splinters. He spat them out and grabbed another one, repeating the process until the fire in his blood had calmed. His eyes followed the small trail that led to the cemetery, eyeing the first couple of headstones. A lot of his friends were buried out there, good brothers and good Old Ladies. His Old Lady would never be one of those headstones. No way in hell. He was going to get her back and anyone who tried to stop him would end up in pieces.

Hap's on a mission to get his lady while Angela's going a little crazy...

Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas, suggestions, etc., I'm all ears! :) I've got the next chapter partly written, and I'm trying to be better about updating, I swear!

Thank you all for your patience and for sticking with me!

~Love Ink