I own nothing you recognize. Only original characters and storylines are my own.

Drawn and Quartered

"Somethin' on your mind Juicy?" Clay asked as he sat in the truck with Juice while they waited for the light to turn green.

"Naw, I had a long night last night. Stuff with the kids." He explained before he pulled back into traffic.

"Espy ok? I haven't seen her in a while. I think her Mama's avoidin' me." Clay said as he glanced sideways at Juice who kept his eyes forward. "Heard she's cut Gemma out completely. How'd you let that happen? Gemma needs her family right now and Milla cuttin' her out is tearin' her up."

"Milla has her reasons for cuttin Gemma out and I've tried to get her to change her mind but she won't. Besides, I doubt it's really hurting Gemma to be cut off from Milla. I keep running into her and she hasn't asked me about Milla or the kids once.". Juice explained and Clay sighed.

"You know those two have a fucked up relationship. Just...talk to her, get her to remember how much she needs her family. You're a good man Juicy, do the right thing." Clay told Juice and after that they were quiet as Juice drove him to the pharmacy.

Clay was right, Gemma needed her family but she also needed to get her shit together and until she did Milla wasn't going to give an inch. Gemma had burned her too many times for her to just forgive and forget.

"Hey Chibs, ya busy?" Juice asked as he saw the Scotsman lounging at a table. He'd just dropped Clay off at home so he was going to take the opportunity to ask the questions he didn't dare ask Clay.

"I got a minute or two. What d'ya need Juicy?" Chibs asked as he lit his cigarette and leaned against the railing with Juice.

"I need to ask you something serious. Something that can't go past us." Juice looked Chibs in the eye and Chibs nodded as he took a drag.

"Ya 'ave my word. What's on yer mind?" He asked and Juice ran a hand over his head to steady his thoughts.

"If you had a chance to get outta here and be with your family would ya do it? I don't mean leavin' the Club, I mean finding somewhere else to call home." Juice asked and Chibs stared at him thoughtfully as he took another long drag.

"I'd 'ave ta think about it long an' hard. Why's this on yer mind?" Chibs asked and Juice took a deep breath.

"Milla's done, she can't handle this shit anymore. The drugs, Gemma's shit, Clay...and now we're raising Ope's kids... It's too much for her and it's hard on me too. I promised I'd do whatever I could to make her happy and keep her safe, I can't do that if we stay in Charming." Juice confessed and Chibs ran a hand through his hair and stood up.

"She give ya an ultimatum?" Chibs asked and Juice stared at his feet for a few moments before he answered.

"Not really, she told me that she needs to leave and she wants our family to leave together. She says she can't be happy here and that she knows our family won't be happy here either. All I know is I need my family, both of 'em." Juice explained and Chibs placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What d'ya think is the right choice fer ya?" Chibs asked and Juice gave him a long, tortured look.

"I don't know man, I just don't know." Juice said hopelessly and Chibs squeezed his shoulder.

"Ya have ta decide what's more important ta ya. Is it keepin' yer family safe an' happy or stickin' around? It's not a question a' loyalty Juicy, it's about what's right for you an' yer family. Ya can be a Son anywhere. Whatever yer decision is I stand by ya. Go on in, Jax has shit fer ya to do." Chibs ordered and squeezed one last time before Juice nodded and walked away. The talk they'd just had left him with even more to think about but, for some reason, he wasn't as overwhelmed as he'd been the night before.

…

"What are you doing here?" Milla asked coldly as she looked at the visitor on her porch.

"I wanted to see you, see my grandbaby." Gemma explained and Milla walked out of the house and shut the door before she turned to her Mother with her arms crossed.

"First, I need you to take off your sunglasses." Milla told her as her mouth set into a firm line.

"What?" Gemma asked incredulously and Milla just gave her a hard stare.

"I don't have a breathalyzer on me so I need to see your eyes." She explained and Gemma glared at her daughter but complied. Milla moved closer and looked into her Mother's eyes. As she made note of the blood-shot, glassy quality and large pupils she backed up again and scoffed.

"It's nine-thirty in the fucking morning Ma. You couldn't even make it through breakfast without a hit?" Milla asked and Gemma took a deep breath.

"Don't judge me little girl. You may not like me but I have the right to see my grandchild." Gemma tried to push forward and Milla uncrossed her arms and pushed her hands against her Mother's chest just hard enough for her to stumble back.

"I'm her Mother and you have NO rights where she's concerned. I could care less what you do alone at night but you will not see my baby, still high and drunk from the night before. Tara may have fallen for your shit, let you in again, but I've been putting up with it too damn long. I see you for what you are Gemma and unless you can get out of this self destructive chasm you're in you will never see my children again." Milla laid it all out on the table and Gemma stared at her in shock, not used to this firm and demanding Milla, but her face changed to confusion when Milla's words came through.

"Children? What do you mean children?" She asked and Milla gave her a small, sad, smile.

"If you gave a damn about me at all and asked after me once in awhile, you'd know that Juice and I are the legal guardians of Ellie and Kenny. Other than that though you'd know that I'm almost ten weeks pregnant. Dr. Nior thinks the conception date was the day the guys got out of prison." Milla actually smiled but it disappeared when she looked at her Mother. "Unless you get your shit together you're never going to meet your new grandchild. You aren't the Queen anymore so you can't use the Club to meet your ends and force me to let you into our lives again. Get sober, get straight and we'll talk, but for now get off my property."

"Milla..."Gemma started to reach toward her daughter but Milla turned and opened the door.

"Go on Gemma, you have no place here. Lord knows if you have a place anywhere anymore." With that Milla walked into the house and shut the door.

As Gemma heard each lock in the door turn it was a stab to her heart. She knew that she focused on Jax and poured all her love into him and the boys but that could change. She wasn't going to lose her daughter, but she knew what she had to do. She had to back off and figure out a plan. No way was Milla keeping Espy away from her too.

…

Milla pressed her back against the door and took a series of deep breaths. The confrontation was easier than she thought it would be. She thought she'd end up caving rather than hurt her Gemma. Instead of remorse she felt relief as twenty six years of frustration and pain from emotional neglect, distance and coldness came pouring out. That little shove exorcised some of her demons and the words vanquished more. With a deep breath Milla pushed off the door and went into the living room where Espy was chattering in her baby talk to Ellie and she smiled at her babies and felt a burst of confidence. Everything she was doing was for them and she'd continue to do everything in her power to keep them happy and build a good life for them.

…

"Hey, Juice, what's up? You seem more distracted then usual?" Bobby asked as he came up to the desk where Juice was pulling up some information Jax requested.

"I've just got a lot on my plate right now Bobby, a lot's goin' through my mind." Juice made a concerted effort not to look at Bobby and Bobby just grabbed a chair and sat by Juice, forcing him to pay attention to him.

"I know things are strained around the table Juicy, no one's more twisted around than you. If you need to talk about that shit, I'm here for ya man, We've been through too much shit for you not to trust me." Bobby encouraged and Juice looked down for a second before he looked at Bobby and decided that he did trust Bobby enough to tell him what was on his mind.

"Milla and I had a talk last night. She needs to leave Charming, for the kids and her sanity. She wants me to go with her, transfer to another Charter, but Clay and the Club need me here. I'm bein' pulled a million different directions man." He said as he shook his head and Bobby nodded. He'd been watching Milla for the last couple of weeks and had definitely noticed that her tether was starting to unravel. He loved that little girl and would miss her a hell of a lot but he agreed with her assessment. Milla needed out and she needed her family whole. There really was no other option for them.

"Do you want my opinion?" Bobby asked and Juice nodded, tears of frustration clouding his eyes. "You have to leave, if you wanna keep your family whole and your old lady happy it's the only way. Thief River needs someone without their head in their ass at the table and you'd be close enough to Charming to come if SAMCRO needed you. It would work for everyone, even Jax would understand."

"What about Clay?" Juice asked and Bobby looked thoughtful for a moment.

"If he loves Milla and your kids at all he'll understand. If he doesn't..." Bobby shook his shaggy head. "You've gotta do what's right for you and believe me when I say you need your family. Fight for them."

"Would you support me at the table?" Juice asked and Bobby stood and looked at him solemnly.

"No question." He patted Juice on the back before he walked away while Juice took a eep breath and went back to work. So far he had the support of two brothers if he chose to transfer, but the decision wasn't any easier. As he thought about it he knew what he had to do and the thought terrified him. Now filled with resolve he turned back to the task at hand, he had work to do before he went to his doom.

…

"What are you doing Auntie Milla?" Ellie asked as she joined her at the kitchen table while Espy napped and Kenny played Xbox in the basement.

"Looking for a new job baby." Milla explained as she uploaded a job application.

"You already have a job. You work where Lyla used to work." Ellie said with the confidence every nine year old had and Milla smiled.

"Well, I'm looking for a job somewhere else, somewhere not in Charming." She told Ellie before she closed out of her application and shut her laptop. "Can I ask you something sweetheart?"

"Yeah." Ellie said as she nodded.

"How would you feel about leaving Charming, moving to a new place?" She asked the little girl who looked thoughtful for a second.

"If we weren't here would you be safe? Would Uncle Juice stay alive?" She asked and Milla felt tears in her eyes. A little girl should never have thse concerns but Ellie had seen way too much in her short life.

"I think it would go a long way in helping our family, keeping us whole and safe." Milla explained. "What do you wanna do Elliedoll?"

"I think we need to go. Too much bad stuff happens here, I don't wanna lose you and Uncle Juice too." Ellie said as she hung her head and Milla moved around the table and knelt by her.

"You aren't gonna lose me Ellie, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you guys safe." Milla vowed as she hugged Ellie close. If Ellie felt this way, chances are that Kenny felt the same and her decision became cemented. Regardless of Juice's decisions she was taking her kids and getting as far away as she could.

…

Later that night Juice walked into the house and groaned as the stress caught up to him. He'd spent all day thinking and talking to the Brothers he trusted most. He got the same answer from all of them. They advised him to do whatever was right for him and his family but he was still as confused as he was the night before and he knew he would be until he talked to Jax and Clay. At the thought of talking to them he felt bile rise in his throat but he forced it down. Life was all about tough decisions and this was one that needed to be made for the good of his family. As he walked into the living room he found himself smiling as he saw his family sitting on the couch, eating Chinese food and watching a movie.

"Dada!" Espy yelled as she fought out of her Mama's grip and climbed from the couch. She moved as fast as her chubby legs could carry her and launched herself into her Daddy's arms as he knelt down. He picked her up and hugged her tight while she wrapped her little arms around his neck and he breathed in her baby scent. How could he ever think about losing this?

"Come on and join us babe. We're watching Homeward Bound and I ordered some Mongolian beef for you." Milla invited him over and he happily complied as he carried Espy to the couch and sat between his wife and Ellie.

As he relaxed he held Espy in his lap and ran his hand over Ellie's head. It felt good to sit with his family and just enjoy being with them. He looked in Milla's eyes and knew he needed to stop being a pussy and make up his mind.

"You got any white rice?" He asked as he moved around Espy and picked up the carton of beef while Milla smiled at him and picked up a smaller container and handed it to him. "Thanks babe."

They continued to smile as they settled into the couch and enjoyed their dinner and movie. It felt so right to be together as a family and Juice allowed himself to relax a bit. He had a big decision to make but at that moment he allowed himself to just enjoy being surrounded by his wife and kids, soon enough their world would change and they'd need these memories. Time would tell whether the decision made would be for better or worse.

…

Author's Note: I'm taking liberty with Sutter's time frame. This is before Juice gets suspicious of the Nomads and definitely before the confession to Clay. As far as I'm concerned it didn't happen (though Theo was AMAZING in that scene) his death warrant was most likely signed when he told Clay everything. I didn't watch the show tonight but I have read spoilers and need this story now more than ever, I hope you're enjoying this alternate scenario and thank you for reading and reviewing. You're all awesome :)