Once all the other girls had left, and Chibs and Tig too, Juice decided it was worth it to venture a risk to the dressing room and seeing what was taking Grace so long. She was just flipping her phone shut when he found her, and her face was flushed.

"Rough phone call?" he asked.

Grace startled, her hand flying to her throat. "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry. You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ready to get out of here."

Juice studied her as she finished packing her things. "You're exhausted, Gracie. Why don't I just drop you off at Luann's, and we'll talk later?"

Gratitude flooded her features but she assured him she would be fine. "You know me. I put this off now and I'll put it off forever."

Juice smirked. Yes, he did know that about her. Some things never changed, he supposed. Grace stopped on their way out to let Luann know she'd be with Juice. He led her out to the bike, handing her his helmet. She secured it under her chin, pulled the strap of her bag across her chest, and sat nervously behind him on the bike.

"Don't go too fast," she warned him.

"It's all right," Juice smiled. "I won't let you get hurt, Gracie."

Her arms wrapped firmly around his waist while he navigated to his apartment. Juice kept a careful hand over hers as he pulled the bike into a parking spot; Grace leaned her cheek against his back, lingering momentarily.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Grace replied, letting go and sliding off the bike. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Juice assured her. He took the helmet from her and carried it inside. He unlocked the door and motioned for her to go in ahead of him. "It isn't much. It's really only ever me here."

Grace shrugged. "It's not too bad."

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck while Grace looked awkwardly for a place to sit. Juice picked up a few t-shirts from the couch and offered the seat to her. "Go ahead and sit. If you're thirsty I have … water."

Grace smiled as she sat. "I'm fine, Carlos."

"I missed your accent," he said, giving her a small smile.

She gave a nod and returned his smile. "Listen, I want to apologize for freaking out last time I saw you. It was unexpected and it caught me off-guard. I was so happy to see you, and then you freaked out over me stripping – which I understand, by the way. The girl you knew eight years ago never would have done that."

"Why did you start?" Juice ventured.

"Well," Grace started, taking a deep breath, "I stayed in New York for about three years after you left. I went to a community college and started working on my nursing degree. I was almost done, actually. I had two semesters left, mostly clinical hours, and then I moved to Orlando."

"You quit nursing school?"

"I did."

"Must have been something pretty important."

"My mom died," Grace answered tearfully. "She just … died. There was no warning. No money for an autopsy, but everyone said it was probably an aneurysm. Anyway, she died and there was nothing left for me in New York. You were gone and she was gone. I was working at the diner on the weekends and one night this guy came in. He was charming and handsome and kind of swept me off my feet." Jealousy rose up in his chest, and it must have showed on his face because she looked away quickly and continued. "He was on vacation from Orlando, so when he went back, I went with him. And everything about me changed from there."

"The stripping?"

She sighed. She'd been hoping that he'd forget about that part. "This guy, he lost his job not long after we got to Orlando and then decided to start his own business. I hadn't finished my degree and waitressing just wasn't making ends meet."

Juice's frown deepened. "It was your idea?"

"Not exactly," she whispered.

He stood and tried to take some deep breaths to work out his anger. "That bastard asked you to do it? He wanted you to be naked, with other men putting their hands all over you?"

"He wasn't like you, Carlos! Tyler's dad took care of everything – Tyler didn't know how to do it for himself. He wasn't raised like we were, to take care of ourselves. I stayed because I thought I loved him, and once the business took off, he was supposed to take care of me. He was going to give me the money to finish school, and things were going to change. They just never did. So I left."

Juice took another deep breath and sat back down. "If you needed money, why didn't you come to me? I would have helped you – taken care of you."

Grace reached for his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. "Besides the fact that I was with another man, I had no idea where you were. You left New York and you were just … gone. You had dreams, Juice. I didn't."

He smirked and Grace asked him what it was. "You called me Juice."

"Well, yeah. That's who you are now, right? I keep calling you Carlos and – I don't know. Just doesn't seem right anymore."

He squeezed her hand and pulled her a little closer. "You did have dreams, Gracie. I remember. Dreams of being happy, of being part of a family."

"Yeah, and I was gonna live in Fenway Park, too," she scoffed. "Those weren't dreams. That was just wishful thinking."

"What about the nursing," Juice tried, putting a hand on her cheek. "Nursing was your way of reaching those dreams. I know you had to have been good at it; you always were a caretaker."

Grace leaned into his hand and sighed. "It's just not the same anymore."

"Because I left."

"No," she replied adamantly, this time being the one to stand. "None of this is your fault. I made these choices on my own."

Juice pulled her into his lap, thoughts of their earlier actions clouding his brain. Grace didn't fight him, letting her hands rest on his shoulders. He pushed back the hair from her face; this time his motives were softer. He still wanted her in the worst way – that would never change – but earlier it was about the alcohol and his anger.

"Everything happens for a reason, right?" Juice said quietly. "You and I ended up in the same place again for a reason."

Grace didn't care what that reason was or if there even really was a reason. She leaned in and kissed him. Juice's kisses were so soft in return, it made her heart beat faster. He stood up off the couch, picking her up with him and carrying her to the bedroom. He set her down carefully on the bed before pulling his shirt over his head and crawling over her. Grace smiled up at him, suddenly reminded of the first time they had done this – before he was Juice, when he was still just Carlos.

Grace smoothed down her satin dress as Carlos drove them through the city in her mother's beat up car. He reached for her hand, gently kissing her knuckles.

"You were, without a doubt, the prettiest girl there," he complimented. "I'm glad you made me go."

Grace smiled and snuggled against his shoulder. "It's Senior Prom. You can't not go. And thanks for ignoring all the skanks trying to get you to go with them to go with me."

He smiled at her. "You're my best friend, Gracie. Something like this, I can't take just anyone."

She smiled even bigger and let out a content sigh. She couldn't believe they'd be graduating high school in a few weeks. So much had happened in the last eight years, it seemed. She'd work for the next year to save some money to get started in school. Carlos planned on working at a garage not far from where they lived. If they could save enough and her financial aid came through, they might even be able to move out of their respective mother's place and get a place of their own.

Carlos directed the car into the parking garage of a hotel and found a spot not far from the door. Grace frowned, letting go of his hand.

"This isn't where the after party is."

"I know. Look, if you want to go to the after party, we will. I just thought – we've never talked about any of this, and I know it's probably coming from left field. I don't want you to flip shit. You really are my best friend, Gracie, and I know we have all these plans together. We have these plans for after graduation and I want it to be more than just plans with my best friend."

The smile that had faded slowly started to make another appearance. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

He let out a nervous breath. "The car was not exactly where I pictured saying this. I'm a little nervous."

Grace giggled. "Then come on. Take me up to our room and you can finish what you have to say."

They both retrieved their bags from the backseat, and he checked them into their room. Grace held his hand tight – Carlos knew then that she knew exactly what was coming. He also knew there was no way she was going to let him get away with not finishing what he had to say.

She sat on the bed and looked up at him expectantly. "All right, out with it."

"All right," he agreed. "I'm probably going to repeat myself here. You're my best friend, but I want more. I've loved you from the first day I met you. I don't care if we were ten. I knew then what I wanted and it hasn't changed at all."

Grace frowned. "But you've been with other girls. Karla and Shay … those girls fought multiple times over who you loved more."

"Karla and Shay were distractions. I don't expect you to feel the same way I do, so they were a weak attempt at changing my mind."

"Didn't work so well, did it?"

He shook his head. "Not at all."

Grace stood, wrapping her arms around him. "You should have said something sooner, Carlos. There's a reason I turned down every guy since the fifth grade. It wasn't just for good grades."

He chuckled and his heart swelled. Grace lifted her face to him and Carlos held her as close as possible, finally connecting their lips. Having her permission to kiss her and hold her was more than he had hoped for.

As the kiss lengthened, Grace pulled him backwards towards the bed. She kicked off her shoes and pulled him down on top of her.

"We don't have to rush things," Carlos assured her. "I want you, Gracie, but it doesn't have to be like this."

She kissed him chastely. "What better way than this? We've both wanted this forever and it's Senior Prom. Maybe it's a little typical, but I want to do this."

He rolled over and sat up. "We don't talk about this much … I've never done this, Grace."

She bit her lip nervously. "Neither have I. It's a girly, cheesy thing, but I was sort of saving myself for you."

He put a hand on her cheek and kissed her sweetly. "If you're sure you want to do this, we will. But I don't want to push you."

"I don't expect it to be rainbows and ponies," she told him. "Everyone says the first time never is. But with you, I know it'll be all right."

Knowing he was defeated from the beginning, Carlos put his arms around her again, laying her back on the bed.

Now, almost nine years to the day from that first time, Grace and Juice laid in his bed, tangled together in the sheets and each other. They were both sweating and trying to catch their breaths. Juice kissed her forehead.

"You all right?" he asked.

Grace nodded. "Fine."

"Good. Want to take a shower with me?" Juice offered mischievously.

Grace laughed. "We just went twice, and you haven't had enough of me yet?"

"Baby, I'll never get enough of you."

Grace's chest tightened; every single bit of love she had once seen in his eyes was still there. She didn't doubt it, and that fact alone didn't make her uncomfortable. What worried her was that she was different, and completely unsure of how she felt.

"Look, maybe we shouldn't tell anyone about us hooking up," she commented. "Not that you're one to kiss and tell, I just think … I don't know."

Juice frowned. "You're not just a piece of ass. You know that, right?"

"No, I know. This is just complicated. I'm working at the club and it kind of happened fast. Luann explained a little bit about everyone in the club, just so I'm aware, so I know about Jax and Austin. I didn't come here for you, Carlos, and I didn't come for any kind of protection. I just want everyone to get to know me before adding anything to it."

"Yeah, I get that. Fine." He reached for a nearby towel. "I'll leave some hot water for you."

Grace buried her face in her hands as he disappeared into the bathroom and she heard the door lock behind him. She'd messed that up, big time. It just couldn't be that easy to pick up where they left off.

.:.

Austin was finishing up for the day, glad that the day was over. If one more customer had bitched about whatever was wrong with their car, she was going to knock someone out – and the possibility of that being a literal expression was pretty significant with her.

Some of the Sons were getting ready to go on a run to Tacoma; Jax and Juice were among them. She wasn't thrilled about either of them going. It would be Jax's first run not only since they became a couple, but since he had been released from the hospital. It wasn't supposed to be too stressful, but Austin still worried about his heart.

As for Juice, she wasn't sure his head was in a good place. He'd been distracted since Grace had come back to Charming, and Chibs had told her that Grace went home with Juice a couple nights before, when they had gone to be a presence at the strip club. He'd seemed even more distracted since that night, but he hadn't volunteered any information about it.

"All right, babe. We're heading out," Jax announced, breaking her from her thoughts.

Austin sighed, setting down the wrench in her hand. "Be careful, okay? And stay away from the girls."

"I'll be careful – and you know you're the only girl I love."

"Just remember that I may not be as tough as your mother sometimes, but I'm not as accepting of some things."

"You have nothing to worry about."

She sighed; her worry really wasn't too great. She trusted Jax. Maybe what happened on runs was supposed to stay on runs, but things were different for her and Jax. Shaking those thoughts from her head, she glanced at Juice.

"Watch out for him, Jax. Grace is messing with his head. I don't know if it's on purpose or not, but I don't like it."

Jax nodded. "I'll look out for him. Maybe you should try and meet up with her while we're gone, feel her out."

Austin gave him an ornery grin. "Feel her out? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Jax chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. "You're a brat."

"You love me."

"That I do," he agreed. "I'll see you in a couple days, all right? Chibs will be around if you need anything."

Austin kissed him. "See you in a couple days."

She grinned as Jax took a few steps backward to his bike, blowing her a kiss as he walked away. She was sure the romance and affection would wear off eventually, but she was going to enjoy softie Jax Teller as long as he was around.

Juice walked by, breaking her from her thoughts. She grabbed for his arm and hugged him fiercely.

"Whoa," he said, hugging her back. "You all right?"

Austin pulled back. "Are you?"

Juice sighed. "I'm fine, Aus. It's just weird with her here. It's different."

"I know. You gonna be all right on the run?"

"When did you become Gemma's backup caretaker for all of us, anyway?" Juice teased her. "Really, I'll be fine. A few days away will be good. And I promise to keep the girls away from Jax."

"You're the best," Austin smiled, picking up the wrench and going back to finishing her work.

A/N: I had to get some Austin/Jax in there. I'm not ready to start their next story till this one is complete, I think, but I miss writing them already. Don't hate me too much.

My last final is on Thursday, so I probably won't post again till after that. Thank you for everyone who has read/reviewed/alerted!