"The whole town'll come out, it'll be amazing," Lyla said casually - she was perched in the front seat of the car as Nero drove, while Denise sat in the back with Sofia's carseat. It was six in the morning and barely light out, and they were already heading out to the park to make sure that it was being set up properly.

"Here's hoping," Denise said nervously. "The guys are all supposed to get here together in a little while - entertain everybody and all that."

This whole carnival idea rested on so many "ifs" - if it all went to plan. if everyone showed up, if Melissa was able to bring the news cameras in, then they'd have something. If just one piece fell out of place, however, then it would all be for nothing.

"Are you sure watching Fifi isn't a bother?" Denise asked Nero, though it was clear she was only asking so she could have some sort of distraction from her nerves. Nero loved watching Sofia, loved the little girl almost as though she were his own granddaughter. The idea that he'd ever say no to watching her for a day, in his mind, was preposterous. He wasn't getting any younger, and while he had his son, and loved his son more than anyone in the world, a man getting on in age held on tight to anything he found to love. He chuckled, clicking his tongue.

"You should be more worried about me not wantin' to give the princess back at the end of the day," he laughed, glancing back into the rearview mirror. "I figure it'll be nice to let her test out her legs around the park, see the sights for a little while before you and Jax get started on whatever you got planned."

"Yeah," Denise nodded with a nervous smile. "I think that'd be nice."

They pulled up in front of the park, and they found that, contrary to what Denise had thought earlier, the boys were there already, helping to set up, directing the different tents and vendors where to set up. Bobby and Happy were putting up the large banner that Denise had designed onto two large poles behind a very simple center stage. It was a large tarpauline sign that read "Keep the charm in Charming!" in elegant, goldenrod lettering, surrounded by photos that Denise had taken around town. Lyla whistled, digging her hands into her pockets and raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"Deedee, that's badass," she said with an incredulous laugh. "You made that yourself?"

"Juice helped me with it a little bit," Denise said with a proud smile. "Speaking of which - is he -"

"Over there, helping the Deli guys set up," Lyla nodded, spotting him first with the old Italian men who owned the sandwich shop about a block down from Lumpy's.

As though he could sense when he was being talked about, Juice looked over and flashed a bright smile - an exaggerated smile, even - in his wife's direction. Lyla glanced over at Denise as she and Juice gave one another a wave, but she opted not to say anything. Juice was a weird guy. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was all in her head.

Whatever the case, the event was already shaping up to be quite impressive, with all of the businesses owned in Charming setting up tents to display their best. Within minutes, a van pulled into the parking lot, and Melissa, along with a couple of other young men carrying cameras and tripods, came tromping down towards the area.

"Bright and early," Melissa grinned, taking a swig from the Starbucks cup in her hand. "I have some friends interning at other networks coming down too, this is probably the biggest local news piece any of us are gonna get our hands on."

"Are you actually gonna, you know - talk?" Lyla piped in. "On camera? Are you sure that's a good idea, Deedee?"

"I don't think I have a choice, I'm the mastermind behind all of this," Denise laughed casually, opting simply not to recognize the dangers of being the face of something that, for all intents and purposes, spit in the face of someone as big as August Marks. Lyla didn't even know how Denise intended to do it, but she knew that there was no safe way.

"I got the announcement on the air on KCRA," Melissa continued as they all strolled down to where the event was getting set up. "So you can count on at least a few folks from Stockton showing up. Aired all over Sac too, so we're bound to catch a few people."

It was a good setup, Denise decided. Maybe she wasn't hopeless with business after all. Sure, she had sworn to stay out of business entirely, sworn it didn't interest her in the least, but this - bringing together an entire town of entrepreneurs, essentially - was strangely gratifying. All of the small businesses in town got publicity and new customers, since she had let them all set up for free as long as they reserved the space, and the town came out in full force under one motto:

Keep the charm in Charming.

And the motto seemed to really stick - people quickly swooped up the free t-shirts and took photos. Denise felt a strange surge of pride, realizing that a little bit of clever branding and a few willing participants was a powerful thing indeed.

"Aunt Deedee, Aunt Deedee!"

Abel came plodding down the sidewalk to where Denise extended her arms, sweeping him up into a tight hug and lifting him off the ground - only briefly, but for a good few seconds more than she'd been able to in recent weeks. She was thankful to see Abel doing well - he'd been keeping up with seeing a therapist and was now down to one visit a week, but for the most part he seemed recovered from what he'd seen that night with his grandmother.

Jax came up as well, followed by Wendy, who held Tommy's hand as he hobbled down the walkway. Denise gave them a friendly wave while Abel gestured for them to come over - Jax grinned back, but Wendy quickly averted her gaze back to Tommy.

Her too? Lyla thought to herself, her forehead wrinkling briefly. She had been around enough to know that something was off - but it was Denise's day, she reminded herself. She didn't need any distractions.

And within a couple of hours, the day took off.

It started with the people of Charming coming out to participate in the festivities, with children playing and begging their parents for money to buy snacks from the vendors. But then, curious tourists who had heard about the event on the local news began trickling in, buying food and goods from the vendors and listening to music from the local schools' acts. Bobby was backstage getting dressed in his Elvis garb when cars full of university students from Davis and from Berkeley came out in droves - hipster types that Denise hadn't been able to stand, admittedly, but she wasn't surprised to see them at all. They ate this kind of stuff up.

After a short while of spending time with his sons, Jax made his way over to Denise - this time, Denise noticed the slightly sour expression on Wendy's face as Jax left her with the boys, but she had no time to think anything of it, since Jax's arrival seemed purposeful.

"So you got your crowd, you got your cameras," Jax said, nodding around at the spattering of videographers scattered in the crowd - a mix locals and out-of-towners. "I think it's showtime, ringleader. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Denise said with a heaving sigh, though she glanced around to try and catch sight of Juice. When she was unable to find him in the crowd, however, she nodded and walked towards the center stage, not noticing the black sedan pull up in the parking lot.

August Marks, after all, would not have missed such a quaint event for all the world.

"Could I bother you to watch the boys for a second, Ly? I gotta use the ladies' room. Port-o-potty. Whatever," Wendy asked, though her expression was flighty, paranoid even. Lyla's brow furrowed, but she could hardly deny the request. She nodded and muttered unenthusiastic agreement while Wendy walked off.

She had seen him off by the corndog stand. Juice was wandering around alone, just like her. He was alone, just like her - Denise had put business first, just like Jax. Wendy managed to catch up with Juice just as Denise's voice first came loudly over the loud speakers when she stepped up to the microphone. Juice looked over towards her, but only for a moment before Wendy took a hold of his arm, pulling him gently through the crowd towards one of the nearby storage tents, where they could talk without being seen.

"Juice -"

"No," he said, raising his eyebrows and backing away, holding up his hands. "Nope - I'm not gonna -"

"I just wanted to talk about what happened," she said, her expression sad and pleading. "We were both lonely, and - and they've been forgetting all about us. We didn't do anything wrong -"

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wendy?" Juice asked, infuriated. "We didn't do anything wrong? That's my wife out there, and you and Jax -"

"What about me and Jax?" Wendy snapped resentfully. "I told you, he won't even admit to it. Everyone knows about him and me and he still won't. But you? Juice - you're the only one who gets it. You're the only person who know how hard it is for me -"

"Stop it," Juice said, clenching his eyes shut briefly. He hated when women cried - it made him nervous. Made him panic. Especially when they were women who had been good to him, been important to him, and no doubt, Wendy had helped him out in the past too. But seeing women cry like this put him in a bad state, made him make bad calls. He remembered seeing Gemma on the floor, terrified next to all of that blood...

"Juice, please," Wendy pleaded, reaching out and gripping the front of his kutte. "You gotta understand. You - you don't like being alone either, right? You know how bad this hurts, and I just -"

"Listen, Wendy," he interrupted, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "This can't happen, a'right? It can't. I get how you feel, I get it, but -"

Before he could finish, however, she had pressed her mouth again to his to shut him up.

The roar of the crowd cheering "Keep the charm in Charming", led by Denise Ortiz on the stage, would make the evening news for sure. The college students had instant whipped out their phones to post photos and videos everywhere, and more than one person had taken a video of Denise's entire speech about how Charming would stand for big corporations like Marks Incorporated to come into their town and turn it into a tourist trap, to put a Starbucks on every corner and light up the sky with the neon lights of a strip club.

It was only in the middle of the chant that Denise caught sight of one figure in the crowd specifically - August Marks was her. She felt her heart skip a beat when his gaze met hers directly, even while the crowd still roared in approval.

And he didn't look pleased in the slightest.

But it was too late now - the damage had been done, and Denise knew that backing down now wouldn't save her if her number was already up. She raised her fist in the air and continued leading the crowd in the cheer, looking directly at Marks, whose face contorted into a slight sneer before he weaved his way into another area of the crowd.

Leaving the festivities to resume with a second wind - the out-of-towners now had a second wind, and were more resolved to spend money at the booths of local vendors - Denise recalled what she had said to Jax when they had first planned this event. Marks knew how to deal with outlaws. He'd need to retreat back into his hole for a short while, at least, to plan his next move, and every second of time was money. She let out a heaving breath as she finally retreated from the stage.

"Missus Ortiz," Marks said, striding up to the petite woman backstage just as she stepped off. "It's... a pleasure to finally meet you. Don't worry," he smirked derisively. "I can't lay a hand on you here, I know that. Not after that little stunt you just pulled. It was very cute. Very clever."

Denise backed away a few steps, and she hoped against all odds that somehow Juice would know that Marks was here in front of her, that he would just show up. He didn't.

"You're not gonna get Charming," Denise spoke up, sounding deceptively brave. "You can plow through every town in the Central Valley, but -"

"I can't have Charming right now," Marks said, leaning over so that his face was close to her. "I'll admit your little hippie tactics put a speed bump in my way, but in the end, all you've done is make me annoyed," he explained smoothly. "I'm a resourceful man, Denise. In the end, I will always get what I need."

The next words that came from Marks' mouth gave Denise a chill, and she couldn't help but gasp sharply when she heard them.

"Just because I can't touch you and your family doesn't mean that there's no one else I can leverage to gain a foothold in this town."

Denise took a step backwards from Marks, who was now flashing her a cruel, toothy grin that seemed angry, almost predatorial - he didn't take another step closer to her, only stared her down for a few seconds, causing the skin on her arms and the back of her neck to prickle, and her chest to tighten as though his stare was siphoning the air out of it.

"I only came to congratulate you on winning one round. But," he said, rolling his shoulders, "I have someone else with me who might have something to say to you as well."

Denise stiffened when she saw Charles come around the corner, walking with some support from a wooden cane. The pair stared one another down, and Marks gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "I love family reunions. Very touching," he smirked. "Charles. See if you can talk some sense into your baby sister. It may be the last chance I give her to see reason."

Marks then strode away, leaving Charles and Denise standing together. Charles grabbed a hold of Denise's sleeve and, with surprising ability, managed to pull her along with one hand, still using his cane with the other. "You have no idea what you've done," he said quietly through clenched teeth. "You have no idea -"

"Let me go," Denise hissed, attempting to wrench her arm away but, out of old habit of not wanting to harm her own brother, she didn't through her full weight into trying to escape. "Charles -"

"Denise, what did you do?" he hissed, glancing around at the entire event - the beautiful facade for a clever scheme that he never would have thought his younger, more impressionable sister capable of. Now that he thought of it, he should have expected no less of her. "I told you, it's dangerous to cross August this way-"

"Let me go -"

"Would you just listen to -"

Charles stumbled slightly, causing Denise to fall like a domino as well so she stumbled into a nearby storage tent, falling in between two figures inside. She leapt to her feet, and felt her stomach drop when she realized what she had just come across.

Juice.

And Wendy.

Both of them were red in the face and short of breath, and Juice had a distinct smear of lipstick along the neckline of his white t-shirt. Wendy's lipstick.

Juice and Wendy.

Juice, for one, looked at his wife with a horrified expression to match the sickened look on her face, and she backed away from them, just as Charles managed to regain his bearings. Denise's gaze flicked in between all three of them. Juice. Wendy. Charles. Juice and Wendy. And Charles.

All of them had betrayed her. She inhaled with a deep gasp, and took a step backwards, while Juice stepped forward, reaching out to try and grab a hold of her arm, keep her from running away.

"Baby. Dee," he said, his voice quivering as he reached out for her. "This - this isn't what it -"

SMACK!

He didn't have a chance to finish his sentence before Denise's palm collided with the side of his face so forcefully that his head turned off to one side. He winced, but accepted the blow. Maybe if he did, he hoped, she would forgive him. Maybe if he just took the punishment like a man, he could get right with her. Maybe -

"It isn't what it looks like?" Denise supplied with a shrill, humorless laugh, the cold tone of her voice killing his hopes of this being solved so easily. "It's not what it looks like. Juice? Is that what you're telling me?"

"Nothing was happening! I was telling her to stop," Juice said miserably, taking a few careful steps towards his wife. "Baby, please -"

"You stay away from me! You all stay the hell away from me," she said, her voice finally cracking in a hopeless sob. "All of you -"

Juice, her husband. Charles, her brother. Wendy, who had been her friend, who had looked out for after coming home from the hospital. They were all traitors.

"Please," Juice begged, his voice cracking as well. He made a strange movement, as though considering the possibility of getting onto his knees and begging for forgiveness, but he thought better of it, not wanting to create a scene. Maybe if he didn't make things any worse, it would go away. Maybe. Maybe. "Dee. Denise, please -"

"Save it, Juice. Just - just..."

But whatever she was going to suggest he do, he wouldn't know as she quickly turned on her heel and ran away. Feeling strangely out of place in the scene he had just witness, Charles spared Juice only a briefly glare before regaining his composure and walking away. Wendy hesitantly reached out to touch Juice's arm apologetically, but he yanked his arm away, shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck.

"Get away from me," he said frantically. "You - you might'a just ruined everything -"

"I ruined everything?" Wendy said, her face screwed up in frustration. "This is on both of us, Juice, not just me -"

"Just get the hell away from me!" Juice roared before he clenched his eyes shut, rubbing over his eye sockets with his palms. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be losing her like this. Wendy made small, disgusted noise before turning and walking away, but not without a few parting words, punctuated by her index finger jabbing into Juice's chest.

"You wanted this too," she said as she left.

No, Juice thought. He had never wanted this. He had never wanted her. It was a mistake. It was an enormous mistake that he thought he would be able to take to the grave because Denise didn't need to know. But now? Now it was too late.

A/N's

So, slightly longer chapter than usual, and a lot happened in here, so I hope I didn't lose any of you along the way! But we've gotten the revelation out of the way, and now, Juice and Denise are just going to need to deal with the aftermath. So are Jax and Wendy, for that matter. My next update may be slightly delayed, because I have a ton of work-related things I need to prioritize, as well as some family things. But, I'm hoping that I won't keep you waiting for too long. No more than a week scout's honor!

Your reviews all mean a ton to me, and I'm happy that you've all stuck around - I love writing this story, and it means the world to me that some number of you guys enjoy reading it. Anyway, until next time, cheers!