Thanks for sticking with me! Life's been hectic and it's about to more crazy so I don't know when I'll be able to update again. I do have big stuff coming up though so you'll want to stick around for this. I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow so I thought I'd update tonight! I do not own anything in this chapter, besides Savannah and Sky, everything else belongs to their rightful owners

Chapter 40

E^$^&%&*%&*^

Juice felt like a jittery mess as he showered. Savannah was still fast asleep, her body bare besides the sheet that fell low on her hips. Normally the image of her naked would relax him, please him even, but not today. He wasn't sure anything could. He started working for Luka and his father today, and he was hoping this didn't blow up in his face.

He wanted to call Luka and tell him never mind, tell him he couldn't do this, but then as he walked back into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist, he remembered why he was doing it. He remembered why he was basically joining the mob and risking it all. The naked girl sleeping soundly in their bed. Savannah was worth risking everything for. She was worth so much more than what he could give her, and that killed him.

He'd give her the world if he could, and it pained him that he couldn't. This was the girl he loved, the girl he wanted a future with. He could picture himself marrying this girl. Hell, he could even see himself settling down and having kids with her someday. Was he really giving up that future by taking this job though? He knew it wouldn't be just this job. There'd be another one after this, and then another after that. He was in over his head, but he didn't have a choice. He'd tried everything else, applied anywhere and everywhere he could. No one was buying what he was selling.

That didn't make him feel any better about this though. What would Sav say if she knew what he was about to get into? If she thought selling and going to Mel for cash were bad, there'd be no chance she'd be okay with this. He didn't have much of a choice at this point. It was either this, or he look into working nights at Billy's, the local male strip club.

He'd honestly considered it. Ironically enough, it'd be a lot cleaner than this, but he'd like to think he wasn't that desperate yet. Then again, how desperate did he have to be to be joining the mob? Pretty damn desperate, that's how much. Looking in the mirror, he gripped the sides of the white porcelain sink as he contented if he was really going to do this. There was still time to back out, he could call Luka and tell him he had a change of heart.

"JC?"

Oh, right, that was why he couldn't do that.

Savannah was counting on him. He needed to provide for her, show her family he could take care of her. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Gemma didn't like him much, if at all. She made her opinion clear, he was an outsider and he didn't belong with Savannah. He wanted to prove her wrong. He wanted to be worthy of her, be someone she could count on.

She wasn't able to before, because of Mel, because of the secrets and lies, but she could now. He was going to be better for her. Even if it meant throwing in with the devil himself. Juice lifted his head when the door opened, Savannah peeking her head inside. Immediately, he noticed that something was off. She looked paler than she had the night before. Her skin looked clamy and her smile was weak. "You feeling alright, babe?" He asked, concern in his eyes as he looked her over.

"I'm just a little queasy, it'll pass." She said, giving him a small smile as she move to the sink to splash some water on her face.

He didn't look convinced. Maybe this was his sign he should call Luka and back out? As if she could sense his concern, she touched his cheek and stroked the skin with her thumb. "I'll be fine. Go to work, I'll call you if anything changes. I'm just gonna get some homework done, someone of us still have another month of classes." She teased, trying to bring some comfort to him.

Putting his hand over her's, he kissed her head. She was looking at him curiously, taking in how nervous he looked. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but he cleared his throat and she dropped her hand. Looking down, he brushed her hair back and cupped her face. He was terrified to go to Rossi's, but he had to do it for her. For the future he wanted so badly for them. "I'll see you tonight. I'll bring dinner." He promised, giving her a lingering kiss before letting her go and heading out.

Savannah waited until he shut the door behind him before turning her attention to the sink, taking in her appearance with a grimace. She looked awful. She'd never seen her skin so pale before besides when she was sick. All week she'd been feeling like this, queasy in the morning, sometimes actually getting sick, but then by noon she'd be fine. If she was coming down with something, she wished it would hit her and be over with.

Unsurprisingly enough, the idea of doing homework was not appealing to her in the least. There was always time to do it later tonight, she supposed. That left with her a few hours of free time since she wasn't working today and didn't have any classes til tomorrow. The apartment was clean, thanks to JC's OCD tendencies. He'd been on a kick the last couple nights and spent his time, not in bed with her, but cleaning around the apartment.

He said he didn't want to wake her, he was just restless. It was his ADD acting up, he'd tell her. She wasn't sure how that worked, but she didn't question him. If he wanted to clean, she wasn't going to stop him. The place looked spotless, which she definitely wasn't complaining about.

That still left the question of what to do on her day off? She hadn't had a day to herself in a while. Her and Juice had been so busy between school work, getting him ready for graduation, and working. She really hadn't had a free day since . . . since the beginning of the semester when she and Sky went shopping. Wait . . .

Skylar.

How long had it been since they talked? It'd been months since they saw each other, and Savannah felt bad for loosing touch. What made it worse, was that she wasn't exactly far away. She was just across the hall. She'd been so busy, she forgot about her friend. Maybe that just meant today was the day to fix that?

It was strange how people could change so much over a semester. Savannah and Skylar barely talked since the semester first started. Life had gotten so hectic, and they just lost touch with the other. It was like they were strangers now, not that she could blame the distance completely on her blond friend. It'd been a stressful couple of months, catching up with friends was the last thing she had time for.

It was strange how she actually missed that friendship now that she had a minute to realize how she'd neglected her friend. JC was at work, and would be for a few hours, so she figured it was better late than never. She'd never seen JC this nervous to go to work. He was a jittery mess before he'd left, and she hadn't seen him like that since when they first got him back on his medication.

She was worried, but it wasn't like he'd done anything wrong. He'd been so dutiful while she was laid up in her casts. He cooked, which meant they lived off take-out for dinner after her ma left to head back to Charming. His OCD kicked in and he cleaned the entire appartment before she even got up. He was there for anything she needed, even if it was just to help her itch a scratch.

Now he was back to work, and he looked so nervous it worried her. He was as pale as a sheet, maybe even paler than she was, and his hands were shaking. She played it off as if she didn't notice, but it was hard not to. He tried to play it off as if he wasn't terrified, but she knew him well enough to know he was beyond terrified. He was absolutely petrified. What was so nerve wracking about the club, she wasn't sure, but apparently something was.

She was half tempted to go down to the club and check on him, but she thought against it when she realized how ridiculous she'd look. Not only would she be going in with a sprained wrist, but a broken leg as well. Besides the casts, she knew it'd look bad if she was checking in on him. He'd take it offensively, like she thought he couldn't handle himself or that she couldn't trust him.

He was finally gaining her trust back, slowly but surely. She loved JC, and she was finally able to admit it. After finding out about Mel and JC, and then the accident, she was so exhausted it wasn't even funny. Not just phsyically, but emotionally. She didn't have it in her to be mad at him. He knew he screwed up, but he apologized and he more than made up for it the past couple of weeks while he took care of her.

So, after months of not talking, Savannah texted her old friend and invited her over for coffee and a movie. Opening the door, she smiled at the sight of her friend and moved aside to let her in. "I brought donuts. I know Juice is a picky about those." She said, coming inside with a the Dunkin's box in hand.

Savannah laughed, shutting the door. Sky was definitely not wrong. JC had no problem when it came to ordering Chinese, but was a total health nut when it came to pastries. He was more of a smoothie kind of guy, and in honesty, she didn't mind. They weren't that bad, as long as put her own stuff in it. His personal favorite was not in the least bit appetizing. "You're an angel. I made coffee. Feel free to pour yourself a glass." She said, hobbling over to the chair to sit.

She had just another week in her cast and then she was free. She personally couldn't wait for the day this thing came off, but then she was dreading what her leg looked like. Disgust crossed her face just at the thought. "Don't mind if I do." Skylar said, giving her a wink as she poured herself a glass before joining her on the couch with the donuts.

Savannah picked up one of the chocolate frosted ones and didn't take a bite right away. Her stomach was finally starting to settle and she was worried about upsetting it again. Instead, she chose to just pick at it. "You feeling alright, Savvy? Don't tell me you're sick. Are you contagious? Don't tell me you just got lonely and was like 'hey, I think I'm gonna invite Sky over and get her sick too. We can be miserable together', because you have a boyfriend for that shit." Sky rambled on, nudging her with a smirk.

Only Savannah couldn't return the playful smile. The fact she'd been sick the past couple of mornings were really worrying her. What if something was really wrong? What if . . . what if she was . . . she couldn't even go there. That thought alone scared the crap out of her. They were careful. He almost always wrapped his junk up, and she was on the pill. The last time he'd forgotten was . . . was the day, and night, of his graduation. They'd been so happy and in the moment, neither of them stopped to grab a condom. That was one time though. Alright, a few times in the span of 24 hours, but that didn't mean she was . . . she was . . .

"Sav, I can practicularly hear the gears turning in that head of your. What happened? What's going on?"

She had turned as pale as a ghost in a matter of seconds. Just the idea of being . . . that, scared the crap out of her. She couldn't even think the word, let alone say it! Sky cleared her throat, waiting for her answer. Savannah blinked back, not sure what to say. 'Oh, I think I might be . . . that, will you just let me go to the corner store and get a test? I'll be right back.' Yeah, that'd go over well.

She had to tell her something though, or else she was going to pry and Sav wasn't sure she could come up with a good, believable, lie right now. Not when she was low key freaking out on the inside. Clearing her throat, she rubbed her hands together and adjusted herself on the couch. "Oh, um, no. I'm fine, Sky. I'm still a little sore though, I think I'm gonna go lay down for a while. We need to hang out for real though. Maybe tomorrow?" She said, giving her a small smile as she motioned to her wrist.

Skylar didn't look convinced, but she wasn't about to argue about it with her. Giving a look that told her she didn't buy it, she sighed and rolled her eyes as she got up. "Yeah, I get back after eleven tomorrow. I'm totally regretting scheduling morning classes. They're kicking my ass." She said, squeezing her hand as she passed by her and headed to the door.

Savannah watched as she gave one last wave before leaving. Counting to fifteeth once the door closed, she waited before scrambling to get up. She hadn't gone out much because of the casts, they were a big hassle, but this was dire and she needed to. Using her crutches, she hobbled across the room with her bag in hand and left the apartment with one thought in mind.

Please, God, let her be wrong.

#%&*%^&$^&

Savannah hobbled back into the apartment a good half hour later. Putting her crutches down, she settled for just wobbling around the room instead. Gripping the brown bag in her finger tight enough to make her knuckles to turn white, she used the wall to lean on as she made her way down to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind her, she locked it and took a deep breath as she leaned her head against the door. "You can do this. All you need to do is pee on a fuckin' stick. How hard is that? Just get it over with it." She mumbled to herself, closing her eyes as she tried to talk herself into it.

Nodding, she pushed away from the door and slipped her pants off before sitting on the white porcelain seat. Sitting down was a little bit of a hassle because of her cast, but it was nothing new and definitely not something she couldn't handle on her own. "Stop being a pussy about it, Teller. Just pee on the fuckin' stick. Just do it." She mumbled frustratedly at herself.

Taking another deep breath, she just got it over with. Finishing, she shoot the stick before putting it on the sink. Adjusting her clothes, she stood and washed her hands. Scrubbing so hard it felt like her skin was literally coming off, she couldn't help it. It was her nerves and they weren't just about shot. She never expected to be doing this, especially not right now and with a non-club member.

They weren't ready for a kid. There was no way she could raise a baby, especially not right now. She could barely take care of herself, and Juice wasn't much better. They weren't cut out to be parents, not right now at least. She cursed under her breath when she saw she'd have to wait ten minutes. As if this wasn't already bad enough of a situation. Setting an alarm on her phone, she tried to focus on something else, but she was finding it hard to. What could possibly go wrong next? Scratch that, she didn't want to know.

It'd be a few hours before Juice came back, so she wasn't worried about him walking in any time soon. Five more minutes wouldn't kill her, at least she was trying to convince herself that. She couldn't even pace the room because of her stupid cast. When her alarm finally went off, it seemed like a life time later. Shutting it off, she reached for the stick and closed her eyes, not wanting to see the result.

She could do this, she knew she could. All she needed to do was open her eyes and look, it was as easy as that. Taking another deep breath, she finally opened her eyes and her skinned paled at the sight before her. Her entire posture changed, her shoulders dropping.

"You've got to kidding me."