Sorry this took me so long to post! I'd posted this on Wattpad and stupidly forgot to post it here too! Sorry for the delay! :)

Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read and review! I promise, I haven't given up on this story! I just wish I had more time to write it!

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

Overexposed

Chapter 23: The Ring

By Love Ink

Kenny regretted his decision about going to a club party about half an hour into being inside the SAMCRO clubhouse. The party was going on in full force around him, but he felt incredibly out of place now that Piper had been ordered to bartend. For awhile, he'd sat at the bar with Piper, had even taken a couple of shots with him. Enough to make him feel a little tipsy but not enough for him to give in to the sweetbutts. A few of them tried to drape themselves on top of him, but he brushed them off with a quick 'no thank you'. They didn't bother him after that. He missed his girlfriend. He could practically picture Jazzy staring wide-eyed at all the party goers and asking him millions of questions. Now that would've been fun. He'd love her to see this. See the craziness he grew up in. He took a sip of his beer; he'd probably drank too much already, but he didn't care. The alcohol made being there easier, made him a little more relaxed. He didn't know what he'd been thinking when he'd agreed to go. Ellie had been wrong when she'd said this might be good for him; this was doing nothing for him except proving even more that he didn't belong in this life.

He looked around the clubhouse for a moment. As nice as the place looked all freshly remodeled inside; it still felt like some kind of strange mausoleum. Pictures of all the deceased members hung on the walls like a shrine. To his surprise, even Juice was up there. His picture had a black line threw it and was hanging upside down indicating he was a dead traitor. Kenny fought the urge to rip the picture off the wall or at least flip it over. Juice was no traitor. He refused to believe that. He moved his gaze to the picture of his biological father, trying to see some of himself in Opie. He certainly looked like him. There was no denying that. If he grew out his beard and hair, they'd look even more alike, but that's where the similarities stopped.

"Spittin' image of yer old man you are," Chibs stated, setting a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," he agreed softly for lack of a better thing to say. He wasn't sure that was such a good thing.

"Just need the beard and a cut."

Kenny sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Not gonna happen."

"You belong on that wall over there. 's in your blood, boy," he insisted, pointing to the wall with all the mugshots of the current SAMCRO members. "We could use a little more of that Winston stoicism around here. We need it."

"No, thanks. I'm goin' to college. Gonna get a degree and earn money straight."

Chibs smirked a bit. " 's what your Dad tried to do, once upon a time. Didn't fit in with all the school and shit. Ended up right back here with a cut."

"I didn't grow up like him," Kenny stated on a frown; though Chibs' words were giving voice to his biggest fears. Maybe once he was out from under Angela and Juice's watchful eyes, he'd slip right into the club life. He certainly was going to be close enough. But he was stronger than Opie. Had a better support system and better guardians. "Ope never pressured me to join the club, never even mentioned it to me. Not once. He didn't expect me to follow in his footsteps, and my birth mom sure as hell didn't want it. None of my parents do, and I got four of 'em."

"The Ortizes are not yer parents," Chibs said on a scowl.

Kenny grimaced; he did not want to have this conversation with him. Not again. "They are, though. They've given me everything I could ever I want. A perfect, normal life for the last three years. No bombs, no death, just a boring high school. And I've loved every moment of my normal ass life with my adorable little sister and amazing parents."

"Amazing parents," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'll give you Angie. I always liked her. But Juice is a spineless rat. Ye woulda been better off without him."

"No. I woulda been stuck here watching my family get picked off one by one. Juice saved my life. Gave me a future. I'm not about to spoil it by putting on a cut."

Chibs threw his arms out to the side, gesturing around him. "This is your future. This is your family."

Kenny grit his teeth together, feeling anger start to bubble up inside of him. "No, thanks. I don't want it," he said, starting to walk away.

"Then why are ye here?" he called after him.

"I don't really know," he replied on a shrug. "But it sure as hell wasn't to ask for a cut."

"Seems like the traitor you've been livin' with has poisoned you," Chibs sneered.

Kenny turned around, hands balled into fists. "Don't fuckin' talk about him! He did everything for you and this stupid club!"

"He's a rat! Killed a brother!"

"Fuck you!" he shouted back, getting into Chibs' face. "I don't give a fuck about that shit 'cause he's been nothing but good to me! Unlike the rest of this good-for-nothing club!"

"You talk a big game, Little Winston. How 'bout we sort it out in the ring?"

Kenny knew he should say 'no'. That agreeing to this made him just as bad as the Sons he thought he was so different from. He thought he was better than them, knew he was, yet he was ready to fight Chibs in the ring to defend himself, his family. "Let's go, old man."

Juice was out in the backyard of his old place in Charming, smoking a decent Cuban cigar with Nero seated beside him, a glass of tequila in his hand. Evie, Angela, and Graciela had kicked them out of the kitchen after dinner, insisting that they were going to clean then start baking something delicious for dessert. Nero had chuckled, smacking him on the shoulder and pushing him outside, but not before grabbing the tequila and his cigars. It was a warm night, thankfully, and the backyard was peaceful. He'd always loved his backyard. Even before he met Angela, when he wasn't passed out at the clubhouse, he'd spend nights out there smoking a blunt and staring up at the stars.

"This is a real nice place you got here," Nero commented, gesturing to the backyard. "Graci and Elena really love livin' here. Think it's the perfect size for 'em."

Juice nodded slowly. "Yeah. Lots of good memories here," he mused, looking around. He took a long drink of his tequila, grimacing as it burned his throat. "Bad ones too."

"Think that's true for all of Charming," Nero stated with a chuckle.

He smirked and nodded again. "Yeah," he said awkwardly, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he sighed, pulling out his phone. He expected to find a text from his sister, not from Piper. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he read:

"Ken and Chibs in the ring. Get to the clubhouse. Now."

Juice's stomach churned, a cold sweat breaking out across his back. His kid was at the clubhouse. At the clubhouse and fighting Chibs. "Shit," he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. He turned to Nero. "I gotta go."

"Que paso?" he asked, looking a little confused. (What happened?)

He gritted his teeth together; Kenny hadn't told him he was going to the clubhouse. "My kid is at the fuckin' clubhouse throwin' down with Chibs, and I gotta get there before he gets seriously hurt," he explained to Nero. "Which I can't do 'cause my pregnant wife is in there, and if she finds out, she'll go into fuckin' early labor!"

Nero grimaced, scratching at his neck. "Yeah, that's bad. All right, let's see," he started, looking around the backyard. "Through the back door, get in the car, and go. I'll tell her I asked you to get more tequila."

Juice glanced at the half full bottle hesitantly. Nero cringed before grabbing it and dumping it out into the grass. He waved Juice away with a hand. "Thanks, Nero. Owe you one," he said, sprinting towards the back door. He was thankful he had the keys to the rental car in his pocket, so he could make an escape without Angela seeing.

It didn't take long for him to get to the clubhouse. The second he pulled in, he could see a crowd of people around the ring. He was just barely able to make out Kenny and Chibs facing off in the middle of the old ring; the one piece of SAMCRO history which hadn't been damaged by the bomb that demolished the original clubhouse. He barely noticed how good the place looked after the rebuild. Barely noted the new Reaper painted on the wall. All he saw was his son in the ring with Chibs. Kenny already had blood on his face, his eyes slightly swollen. Juice watched as Kenny swung his arm out, his fist sinking into the Scot's cheek. A sense of pride filled him as Chibs stumbled back a bit, but then he came back with an ugly swing, catching Kenny in the eye and knocking him to the floor.

A flashback of the moment Chibs' fist had hit his own face in the TM garage hit Juice like a freight train. He remembered the sting of his knuckles against his cheek, the feel of the tool cart as he fell on top of it. He hadn't fought back then. He'd pushed himself back up and had taken blow after blow because he'd felt he deserved it. And at the time, he'd admit, he probably did. But not for the reasons Chibs thought, but for they way he'd treated Angela before that moment. Cheating on her, yelling at her, leaving her while she was pregnant and ready to pop. He'd been at his lowest point then, and if it wasn't for Angela, he would've sunk deeper into his head and drowned in all of his sins.

But Kenny didn't deserve it. And there was no way in hell, he'd stand for his son having a beat down he absolutely didn't deserve. Running towards the ring, he pushed through the crowd of people surrounding it, grabbing onto the ropes when he was close enough. Happy and Tig tried to stop him, tried to pull him down, but he was stronger than before and held on. He shook them off and ducked under the robes. "Stop! Ken! Stop!" he shouted, getting between them. Despite knowing better, he turned his back to Chibs and pushed Kenny as hard as he could, trying to get him into the corner of the ring. Kenny fought against him, so he shoved him down into the little stool there. His face was badly bruised, left eye an ugly shade of purple and practically swollen shut. Blood was coming out of his mouth, dribbling down his chin. Juice's heart hurt to see him in so much pain. Placing a hand at the back of his son's neck, he moved his head to get a better look at his face. "What the fuck are you thinking, Ken?"

"Keeps sayin' I'm not your son. That you're a rat. Pushin' me to join 'em," he said, spitting blood onto the mat. "Fuckin' tired of it."

Juice felt his own anger race through his veins. He'd already been upset to learn Kenny had gone to a SAMCRO party, but to hear Chibs had been trying to convince him to join when Kenny was so adamantly against it was the last straw. He turned to face Chibs, who was wiping the blood from his face. "Stay the fuck away from my son," he growled, his hands curled into fists.

"He's not your son! He's Opie's! He's a Winston!" Chibs shot back, taking a step closer. "Ye think because ye buy him fancy things and change his name, that he's yours? Winston blood runs through that boy's veins. SAMCRO is in his bones. He is not your son! He would never turn his back on his brothers like you did!"

A black rage filled Juice as he took a step towards Chibs. "Everything I did, I did for the club," he uttered, his voice low and rough. "I never turned my back on my brothers, you all turned your backs on me."

Chibs spat at his feet, shaking his head. "Fuckin' rat."

A black rage filled him, and before he could stop himself, his fist sunk into Chibs's face. He was aware of Chibs fighting back, but he barely felt the blows. All he could think about was the shit the club had put his family through. How it'd almost killed him. How it'd almost destroyed his family. He hated them. Hated Chibs. All that hate fueled his fighting, and he kept swinging until he had laid Chibs out on the floor.

"Dad! Dad! Stop!" Kenny's voice shouted, breaking through his fury. He felt arms wrap around him, physically pulling him away.

He was breathing hard, his vision tunneled at Chibs. He wasn't ready to end this fight. It had been a long time coming. "Enough!" this time it was Happy's voice interfering. Rat was helping Chibs to his feet and keeping him from coming back at him.

Juice looked down at his hands, stretching his fingers out in front of him. His knuckles were raw, blood covering his hands. His wedding ring was stained red with it. There was a time in his life when he'd worn multiple rings of all shapes and sizes. Skulls, reapers, and more. Chibs was lucky he'd grown out of that habit. Lately, the only one he sported was the most important one; his wedding ring. Seeing it now, thinking of Angela, calmed him down. Chibs and the club had sent him through hell and back, but she had saved him. He still had his family because of her.

As he calmed, his arms started to feel heavy, his head started to pound. All the injuries the adrenaline had masked were slowly starting to hurt. He stood tall until Rat had helped Chibs out of the ring. Only when they'd disappeared inside the clubhouse did he let out a long breath. "Shit," he groaned, rubbing at his ribs. He staggered forward, suddenly feeling just a little dizzy.

"C'mon, Juicy," Tig said, grabbing Juice's arm and moving it around his shoulders. "Let's get you and your kid to a nurse."

Juice saw Kenny sitting in the back seat of the rental car he'd driven over. Happy was in the driver's seat, his jaw clenched, long fingers drumming against the dash. Tig helped him into the back seat, closing the door behind him. Juice tilted his head back against the seat to keep more blood from pouring out of his nose. He looked over at Kenny who had an ice pack pressed to his eye. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered, staring at the floor. " 'm sorry, Dad."

He reached out and set his hand on the back of Kenny's neck, squeezing it lovingly. "Don't. 'm proud a you."

He grinned, showing off bloodstained teeth. "Thanks," he muttered before hanging his head. "Ma's gonna kill me."

Juice didn't correct him, but he had a feeling he was wrong; Angela was about to be proud as hell. "Anyone call her yet?"

"Not yet," Hap answered curtly as he followed Tig's bike out of the SAMCRO compound.

Juice let out a long breath, willing his head to stop pounding. "Where we goin' anyways?"

Happy's jaw clenched again before he replied, "To see a nurse."

Chloe staggered to the door using her stupid walker that she hated. She just wanted to be able to walk like a normal person all ready. None of this walker bullshit like some little old lady. She couldn't even sleep in her own bedroom since it was upstairs. Her dog, Hades, circled her excitedly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. It had to be Angela, or else Hades wouldn't be so damn excited. "Who's that, Hades? You smell someone you know?"

She opened the door, her eyes wide as Happy stood on the other side of it. She hadn't seen him since she'd first woken up in the hospital bed. She'd asked him to stay away, and he'd listened. Her eyes swept over him, taking in all the little details of him. His shirt hung off his shoulders, a little looser than before, and he looked tired. Like he hadn't slept in days. She was so wrapped up in looking at him, it took her a minute to realize Juice was at his side, his arm thrown over Happy's shoulder as he leaned against the other man, his face battered and bruised. "What the hell? Was this you?" she asked, moving back to let him in.

"No," he replied simply. "Where do you want him?"

"The kitchen, I guess," she answered, gasping when Tig followed behind him with Kenny in much the same condition, if not worse. "Holy cow, did they do this to each other?"

"Nah. This was Chibs," Tig said, helping Kenny into a chair. "What's next Nurse-lady?"

Chloe sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "I dunno. One of you needs to call Ang and one needs to go upstairs to grab my first aid kit," she instructed, glaring at the two non-injured Sons when they hesitated. "I won't even look at them until one of you calls Ang. You can't keep this from her. She's going to notice this shit."

"It's not that bad, Chlo," Juice said with a scowl. The movement pulled at his injured face and he hissed in pain.

"Think its just like a mild concussion," Kenny put in with a shrug.

"You should see the other guy," Juice commented, making both of them snicker.

Chloe rolled her eyes before looking to Tig. "Please get the first aid kit for me. It's upstairs under the sink in the master bathroom."

"On it," he said, disappearing up the stairs.

Happy's dark eyes were focused on her walker for a moment before he seemed to snap himself out of it. "I'll call the kid," he said, pushing away from the kitchen counter and heading to the backyard. Hades followed after him happily, no doubt expecting a fun game of fetch the second he stepped outside.

Chloe sighed and moved her way towards the sink, grabbing a towel and wetting it down. She went to Kenny first since he looked the worst, and she knew Angela would be there soon to take care of her husband. "Sit, Ken. You're too tall, and I can't reach up there. Tell me what hurts? He get your head? Ribs?"

"All of it," he replied miserably. "Thought he was an old man, but he hits fuckin' hard."

Juice chuckled. "Yeah, wrong Son to pick a fight with. Used to be a boxer."

Kenny started wiping off his face slowly. "Yeah, realized that a little too late."

"And you," she said turning to Juice's who still had his head tilted back. She threw a dishrag at him. "Head down. All tilting your head back is gonna get you is a throat full of blood."

Juice nodded slowly, leaning forward and using the dishrag to keep his nose plugged. "Yeah. Gross."

Chloe sighed, reaching for Kenny's hand just as Tig brought down her first aid kit. "Jeez, Kendo. He got you good," she said, lifting his chin up into the light. "Popped a blood vessel in your eye."

She heard a car pull up and cringed. The mere fact Angela got to the house before Happy even came in from calling her meant she must've driven like a crazy person to get there. "Mama bear's here," Tig sang, an amused grin on his face. "My cue to go. I'll see you guys later."

Angela had the key, so she let herself in. They all heard her say a quick greeting to Tig before her footsteps headed towards the kitchen. Everyone tensed as they heard her near, but instead of looking angry as they all figured she would be, she just looked exhausted. Juice smiled at her as best he could. "There's my beautiful girl," he proclaimed, stretching his hand out to her. She closed the distance between them, a small smile on her face as she set her hand on his cheek. "My wife. Can't believe you're my wife."

"And I can't believe you got in the ring with Chibs," Angela replied, shaking her head at him. "What were you thinking?"

Her voice was warm and loving instead of angry. Juice's hands were on her hips as he looked up at her, a look of complete adoration in his eyes. "Was thinkin' I had to stand up for my son. For my family. 'm not scared of him anymore, 'n' I wanted him to know it."

Angela sighed softly, leaning down to catch his lips in a quick kiss. "I love you, you big goof." She tapped her forehead against his softly. "But this was unnecessary and stupid."

"Wasn't for me. Needed to happen, Angel. He was trying to get our son to join his cult."

Chloe couldn't help but watch them for a moment and feel just a little jealous of the way they were together. Their love was so obnoxiously apparent, it filled the room with warmth and a sense of peace.

Angela kissed Juice one more time before looking over at Kenny. "And you, Ken? What the hell happened?" she asked, stepping away from Juice to assess her son. She leaned over and kissed his forehead, moving her hand through his longer hair lovingly. "Why were you even there?"

"Wanted to see what it was like," he answered dejectedly. "Why my family used to love it so much. Thought I'd get it now."

Angela sighed softly in response. "And?"

"I don't get it, Ma. They have these pictures of everyone who's died because of the club like some sick shrine. Why would anyone want to be a part of that?"

Chloe noticed the way Juice's head fell in what looked like shame; he'd clearly been fooled by the brotherhood the Sons had promised in his youth. "It's a family. When you don't got a good one to begin with, the brotherhood looks real good," Juice answered, his voice rough and sad.

Angela looked over her shoulder at her husband and frowned. "Right," she said under her breath.

"But you are lucky and have one strong ass family," Chloe threw in with a reassuring smile. "Which is why you don't get it."

"That's very true," Angela agreed, taking Kenny's chin in her hand, turning it this way and that to get a better look at his bruises. "God, he got you good."

Kenny sighed softly. "Yeah, not as practiced as he is, I guess."

"You did good." She shook her head before leaning in to kiss his forehead again. "Proud a you, kiddo. Don't do it again."

As sweet as the moment was, Chloe still couldn't believe Angela wasn't angry; that she was proud of both of them. "You're not mad?"

"Nope. Not mad, a little surprised, but not mad. Chibs deserves it." Angela shook her head as she looked over the first aid kit and then back at her husband. "You look a lot better than you did the last time you went toe to toe with Chibs."

"Fought back this time," Juice said, lifting his chin a bit. "Felt good."

"Wish I coulda seen that," she murmured as she stepped in front of him.

Chloe watched as Juice's hands found Angela's hips before sliding to her ass and grabbing a handful of it. "Hey! Public kitchen! Other people here!" she shouted, throwing a roll of gauze at Angela's back. Angela flipped her off, to which Chloe replied, "Your cousin's outside, you know."

Angela whirled around, her eyes wide. "Hap's here?"

"He brought us over," Juice answered, hissing when Angela swabbed an alcohol soaked cottonball over a cut in his cheek.

"He's out back playing with Hades," Kenny explained, wincing a bit as Chloe pressed particularly hard on his bruised cheek.

Angela still looked shocked. "Chlo..."

"Don't start, Ang. He just brought your boys over. That's it," Chloe stated quickly. "Barely even said two words to me."

"That's a little fucked up," Angela muttered, shaking her head. "How do you feel about it?"

"I feel like he was smart to bring them over to get checked out by a medical professional," she snapped back.

"That wasn't what I was getting at."

"I know what you were getting at, and I don't want to talk about it."

Angela sighed softly, shaking her head a bit. "He's keeping his distance because you told him to. If you don't want that, you gotta make it clear to him. He doesn't get it. Relationships aren't his thing."

"I know." Chloe was painfully aware that relationships weren't Happy Lowman's "thing", had been since they first started their weird relationship. "Where's Eves? I imagine she's going to be a little scared when she sees this carnage."

"Wow. Way to change the subject," Angela scoffed, laser focused on Juice's face as she applied butterfly bandages to a cut in his cheek.

"She'll be fine," Kenny replied on a sigh. "I looked worse after that fight I had back home."

Chloe looked from Kenny to Angela and Juice in shock; she hadn't heard about that. "What?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder. "Kid's a fighter. Like his old man," he explained nonchalantly.

Angela raised an eyebrow at him. "Really, Juice?" she asked flatly.

"Not me. Ope," he elaborated on a shrug. His hands found her hips again. Leaning forward, he nuzzled his nose against her stomach before kissing the bump there. "I've always been more of a lover."

Angela smiled warmly at him, moving her hands through his longer hair. Chloe wrinkled her nose. "We are all painfully aware of that, huh Ken?" She glanced at Kenny, expecting to find a grossed out look on his face. Instead, he looked like he was a million miles away. "You okay, bud?"

He's hooked himself out of it. "Huh? Yeah. Fine. I just...I haven't figured out if being like Ope is a good thing yet."

"It is," Happy's gravelly voice came from the doorway. Hades was at his feet, panting happily. Sometimes Chloe thought her dog loved him more than her.

Kenny didn't seem to believe him. He looked over at Juice for approval. Juice nodded in agreement. "Ope was a great guy. Loyal and kind. He'd do anything for his family. Gave up his life for them. And he loved you so much. You know that. I told you how he had you and Ellie's pictures up in his locker. How he'd talk about you and how worried he was that he was going to fuck things up with you and El after your mom died. Being like Ope ain't a bad thing. Not at all. It's Jax that was the asshole."

Happy glowered at him in response, his jaw clenching. "That ain't true."

"Let's not get into that," Angela stated, cutting them off. Chloe had a feeling that discussion was going to be a little more heated than their current one. She turned to Happy, arms crossed over her chest. "You didn't think you should stop this?"

He gave her a facial shrug in response. "Not my place. They handled it. Idiot practically knocked Chibs unconscious."

Angela grinned proudly, leaning down to kiss Juice. "That's my man."

Chloe rolled her eyes, tossing away the bloodied gauze in her hand. "You're all patched up, Ken," she told the younger man before looking over at Juice. "You look good, too. Kenny's concussed and Juice probably has a minor concussion."

"And some cracked ribs," Juice put in, rubbing at his side.

"I'll tape you up later," Angela told him on a smirk. She turned to Kenny, holding her hand out to him. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get you to the car."

"I got him," Happy said, gently pushing her aside and helping Kenny to his feet. Kenny thanked Chloe, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before letting Happy help him out to the car.

"I'm good," Juice stated, getting to his feet with a groan. "Thanks for everythin', Chlo."

Angela's dark eyes were worried as she watched him limp out. Shaking her head, she started cleaning up the bloodied gauze on the table. "You don't have to do that," Chloe said, sitting down heavily in the chair Kenny had been sitting in. Her back ached from standing up for so long, another reminder of her injury.

"It's cool. They're my boys. I don't mind cleaning up after them," she stated on a shrug.

Chloe knew the real reason she was lingering behind. "You can go, Ang. I don't need any interference here. I can talk to him just fine. I doubt he'll even come back in."

"He left his phone on the counter," Angela pointed out, waving the little black burner in his face. "I can bring it to him if you want."

She sighed softly, raking her hand through her hair. Her mind was working a mile a minute as she tried to figure out what she wanted. This was a test. If she let Angela take him the phone, it'd mean she still didn't want to see him. If she told her to leave it, she'd have to talk to Happy. Something she wasn't sure she was ready for. "Yeah. You should probably take it to him."

Angela looked disappointed for a brief moment before nodding. "Okay. If that's what you want..."

"I don't know what I want. That's the problem."

She nodded in understanding. "Fair enough," she said, messing with the phone a bit. "He um...he really cares about you, Chlo. Asks about you all the time. I know the club shit is scary but...sometimes, its worth it. He's worth it."

Chloe shook her head. "Think you're a little biased."

"Probably," she agreed on a shrug. "Just...think it through. You two were good together."

If only Angela knew how long she'd been thinking about it. How it kept her awake at night. She was right, of course. She and Hap had been good together. Their relationship had been so easy. Nothing fancy or overbearing. It was the kind of relationship she needed at that point in her life, and she missed it a lot more than she thought she would. But her injury was a constant reminder of what loving him could do. "Yeah," she replied lamely.

"Don't get so stuck in your head all the time. Sometimes, you gotta let your heart lead."

Chloe smirked. "You know you have the exact opposite problem. You're all heart."

"And that is why we're best friends," Angela shot back with a wink. "Thanks for taking care of my boys."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, waving away her thanks. "I'm just glad it was them and not you again."

She stuck her tongue out at her. "I'll see you later, Chlo," she said, heading out of the kitchen. "Think about what I said!"

Chloe grimaced when the door slammed behind Angela. She glanced at Hades who was seated at her feet looking up at her with his pretty light eyes. "What do you think? Should I give Hap another chance?" she asked, smiling when Hades tilted his head to the side as if he was actually thinking about his answer. His mouth opened a bit, tongue falling out as he panted; it almost looked like he was smiling. She laughed, scratching him behind the ears and kissing the top of his head. " 'course you do. I bet Hap gave you a treat, you little sucker."

Bones held Ellie's hand tightly in his own as they walked through the cemetery. They often walked together through the peaceful place, talking and discussing everything from school to their future. He'd taken delight in knowing she always included him in her future plans. They'd stop and visit his little family before going to hers. It'd be weird to anyone else, but it worked for them. They both found comfort in being surrounded by their family members even if they were six feet under. They wandered towards where Opie and Donna were buried, and he sucked in a deep breath.

"What's going on, Leo? You've been a little too quiet," Ellie asked, a teasing look in her pretty eyes. "You said you wanted to talk."

Leo. She was the only one who called him by his actual name, and he loved her for that. It was the same nickname his mother had used for him when she was still alive. "I um...I..." he stammered on his words, trying to come up with the right thing to say. "Y-yeah. I wanted to ask your parents somethin', actually."

She raised any eyebrow at him. "My parents..."

"Yeah," he said, trying to smile as best as he could in his nervous state. He pulled her in front of him just at the foot of Opie's grave and cleared his throat. "Um...hi Mr. and Mrs. Winston. I know I never really met you two, but I...I've heard so much about you guys from Ellie that I feel like I kinda do know you. And I wanted you to know how much I love your daughter. I love her more than I've ever loved anything on this earth, and I want to give her the world."

Ellie's brows furrowed in confusion. "Leo..."

Bones didn't look at her though, his eyes were focused on the headstones. "And since I can't ask you, I figured I'd ask her in front of you, and she can...she can speak for you or something," he said, before slowly turning to Ellie and getting down on one knee. "Ellie, I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I love how smart you are and the way you love your family and I...I love the way you take care of me and put up with my nerdiness. I love how you bring light into my life, which seemed so dark and sad before you, and I want you to keep shining that light on me. For the rest of my life."

Tears were streaming down her face, one hand covering her mouth. She sniffled a bit, wiping at her eyes for a brief moment. She went to speak, but he cut her off, opening the little ring box and showing it to her. "Ellie Winston, will you make me the happiest nerd ever by marrying me?"

She nodded quickly, swallowing hard. "Yes. Yes, of course!"

He slid the ring on her finger, getting to his feet with a big smile. As soon as she was standing, she jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she connected their lips in a long, sweet kiss that he could feel right to his toes. He held her tightly, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. His heart felt light, happy. It was until he felt Ellie's hands wiping the tears from his face that he realized he'd been crying happy tears right along with her. "Thank you," he told her, swallowing hard as he grinned at her.

She laughed, wiping at her own tears as she shook her head at him. "Don't thank me, Leo. Thank you! This ring is...it's beautiful!"

"It was my Mom's," he said, feeling his heart sink just a little. "She would've really loved you. I really love you."

"I love you too, Leo. So much," she said with a bright smile. "And my parents would love you too. My Dad would probably make fun of you, but deep down, he'd have loved you. And my Mom would be so grateful you aren't a Son, I think she would've been stoked!"

"I hope so. 'cause I don't think the Sons are gonna be offering me a vest anytime soon," he told her on a chuckle.

She laughed, standing on her toes to kiss him again. "They better not. I can guarantee you a ring around your finger is going to be a thousand times better than a stupid cut."

Bones grinned, nodding enthusiastically. "I whole-heartedly agree."