It seemed appropriate that it had rained the night before Wayne Unser's funeral - a surprising number of people came by the cemetery to pay their last respects to the former sheriff, plodding through the damp earth with wet squelches of their shoes. Denise had bundled Sofia up, a bit more than she needed to, and was standing next to Juice, who kept an eye on his daughter more than anything else - any suspicious sniffle or sneeze from the little girl, and he was apt to bring her straight back to the car rather than risk her catching a cold.

The most jarring part of the funeral, however, was the fact that Gemma Teller-Morrow - per Wayne Unser's last request - was one of the people asked to say a few words before his coffin was lowered to its final resting place.

"Wayne was... a good man. A good friend," Gemma began carefully, hardly able to look up at everyone around her, her eyes instead planted on the coffin, ready to be lowered and buried. There were too many people, she knew, who didn't want her there, who likely wished it was her being put into the ground instead. "He was everything you needed him to be. I always thought maybe he was a little too good for Charming, but he always stuck around," she laughed sadly. "Always - always gave, even when he knew he would never get anything in return..."

Gemma surprised even herself when her voice caught in her throat - an unexpected sob came over her. No one stepped forward to comfort her, and she slowly regained her composure on her own. "He was always so good to the people who least deserved it. Least deserved him," she finished. "We're gonna miss you, honey. All of us. I'm gonna miss you," she said finally, placing a lily down on top of the casket.

Juice reflexively put his arm around Denise when he found that she let out a sob as well. Even Jax looked over, finally realizing how deep of a connection Denise had formed to his mother that when Gemma cried, it affected Denise more than it did anyone else. He realized that in the year out in Nevada, Gemma had been a mother to her - and he knew that there were shining moments, even if in recent years they had been few and far between, that she was a mother for the history books.

Denise held her daughter a little more closely, and she didn't recoil this time from Juice's arm, instead leaning in closer to him and allowing him to simply support her, even if just for now. He silently reveled in the warmth of her, standing this close to him, but it was marred by the fact that her lithe form still shook with each sniffle.

After the final blessings were said and the casket was finally lowered into the ground, the small crowd had started to file away - Juice still had his arm around Denise and he felt her flinch when a voice spoke up, approaching them from the outskirts of the crowd and walking up from behind.

"Is this my niece, Meimei?"

Denise's head whipped around, and her gazy grew cold at the sight of her brother, Charles - and the fact that he now stood on the right-hand side of a dark-skinned man, clad in a long black coat and dark sunglasses, which he removed slowly and deliberately to reveal his face. August Marks. Denise clutched Sofia closer, and her entire body stiffened protectively.

At the sight of the meeting, Jax too walked briskly over, leaving his sons with the other SAMCRO members and Wendy.

"Charles," Denise said coolly. "What are you doing here?"

"Miss Jarry informed us about Mister Unser's unfortunate passing," Marks said evenly. Jax's eyes drifted instinctively over to Chibs for barely a second before returning to Marks, who he seemed reluctant to take his eye off of - August Marks would have no qualms, even at a man's funeral, raising hell if it was necessary. "Mister Kwan and I came to pay our last respects."

Denise felt her hackles raising for the first time in many months - they had left her alone for so long, left all of Charming alone. She knew that this had to mean something else was in the works, but she would have been damned if she said she didn't hope for some better resolution.

"Well, you've paid them," Jax said through slightly gritted teeth. "So there's no need to hold up the rest of your day. Is there, gentlemen?"

"I suppose not, Jackson," Marks said, his gaze locked on Jax just as Charles' was locked on Denise. Juice again felt the unpleasant but all-too-familiar sense of helplessness, of being an outsider. Marks, however, gave a curt nod and gestured for Charles to follow him away, and they returned to their car without another word. Jax stared after them for a few moments, just as the rest of their party came plodding on over to join them.

"Deedee," he said, his jaw set and his watching Marks and Charles drive away from the cemetery, "I think it's time you settled back here in Charming where we can keep an eye on you."

Normally, Denise would have bristled at the idea that she needed someone to keep an eye on her, but she was so unsettled, seeing Charles again for the first time since their last very unfortunate meeting that had left her with a burn scar which went up her entire left side. She inhaled sharply at its mere memory and glanced at Juice for a moment before Abel spoke up.

"Please, Aunt Deedee?" he said, leaving Wendy's side for a moment to reach out and tug on Denise's sleeve. "Then you can come and watch me play baseball every time. You and grandma."

All eyes went to Gemma, who was standing a short ways away but close enough to hear everything, then to Jax. Denise inhaled sharply and glanced back and forth between them a few times before her gaze settled on Jax, whose nostrils flared slightly before he could manage to look his mother square in the eye for the first time in a long time. His jaw clenched, and Abel's forehead wrinkled, not comprehending that look that Daddy was giving Grandma.

"Daddy?" he asked, walking over and grabbing Jax's hand. "Please."

"I don't have anywhere to sleep at night, sweetheart," Gemma said, her voice clearly tight and tortured at being forced to say it to her grandson. "But... maybe one day, I can come and visit."

It was often said that time healed all wounds, but Jax had never put effort into rebuilding this burned bridge in particular. Gemma was his mother, but she had also killed his wife. He harbored that anger against her, but his sons loved her. It was a precarious balance to maintain, but he knew also that he too had covered for her - he, too, had hidden her crime. He could have made things right, and he knew that, but Jax had consciously chosen to do exactly the same as Juice did. First and foremost because he didn't want to close the window of opportunity for revenge against the Triads, but on some level, because she was still his mother.

"We'll... find you a place to stay," he nodded, causing a small gasp to leave Gemma's lips. Granted, it was not an invitation to come home, but it was a concession - it was permission to not be dead to her grandchildren, to resume some semblance of her life..

"But why can't she stay with us?" Abel asked, his brow furrowing deeply. There were a few hesitant back and forth glances among the group, knowing they couldn't simply tell him the root of Jax's anger towards her.

"Because," Jax began carefully, his eyes focused and locked on Gemma's. "Your grandma's sick. She's very, very sick and she can't be with us until she gets better."

The cluster of mourners slowly began dispersing - Denise hung back slightly, glancing at Gemma with a worried expression, but the older woman assured her she'd be fine at a motel, or if push came to shove, inside the office at TM. Though this answer seemed less than satisfactory, Denise knew that there were limitations in there situation, and as close as she was to Gemma, she had to respect that boundaries Jax needed from her.

Denise felt strangely numb as she drove back to Juice's house with Sofia - he had sped ahead and gotten there first, so he was standing on the front porch waiting for them before going inside.

"This is a first," he said with a lopsided grin. "I don't think I've ever gotten somewhere before you."

"I don't think Fifi's designed to withstand my top speeds quite yet," she replied weakly, hurrying up the steps so she could get her daughter in out of the nippy outside air. Juice followed her and staood behind her, lingering so that Denise could practically feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. "So..." she began hesitantly. "I know I didn't get a chance to ask when Jax brought it up, but... is it okay if Fifi and I..."

Her voice trailed off, and Juice smiled boyishly, even if Denise couldn't see him. He shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded.

"You know you always have a home here," Juice said. Denise, unable to stop herself from a small smile, concealed the fact by pressing a kiss into Sofia's hair before turning back to face Juice.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

A/N's

Short update this time, because this was originally squished in with the next chapter, but it felt a little better as its own episode. The next chapter has some news that will kick off a little more story action. That chapter should be posted soon, I've just had a hectic time of things over the holiday and wanted to at least give you something to keep you busy. I should be getting back to my usual updating routine soon! Cheers!