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It Was Always You

Ch. 6 Little Moments

By Love Ink

~'~'~'~

Angela smiled as she held Juice's hand while they walked around the Fun Town carnival, swinging their interlaced hands between them. She was still on a high from the night before when Juice had told her he loved her. The words had come to him so easily, she hadn't thought she'd heard him right at first, and his responding smile when she'd said it back had knocked her off her feet. She'd been on cloud nine ever since. Not even Gemma could knock her down that night at dinner with her little remarks, even though in the end, they'd found some kind of even ground. She didn't think there was anything that could dim her sunshine. She wanted to revel in it, sear this feeling into her brain forever. She squeezed his hand, catching his attention as she nodded towards a photobooth. "Let's take some pictures," she said, tugging him towards it. "Replace those old ones from Coney Island."

He slowed, dragging his feet a little as he frowned, his brows pulling together. "I don't wanna replace those," he said, pulling her in closer to him. He let go of her hand to pull on his wallet chain, opening the fold and taking out a worn and faded strip of photos. "Some of my favorites here."

She was shocked as she stared at the photos from almost five years before, surprised he still had them. Even more so that he had them in his wallet. "How long have you had these in there?" she asked, smiling at how young they both looked in the photos. Juice had a full head of hair that was spiked with gel, though the tops curled slightly. Her hair was in two Dutch braids, and she was rocking a pair of hoops, winged eyeliner, and a darker lip color than she'd wear nowadays. They were making faces at the camera in each frame except the last one. They'd clearly been caught off guard by it because they were facing each other, leaning into each other as they laughed; a candid shot since neither of them realized there was one photo left to take. Looking at it now, she could see what everyone else had always said was obvious; they loved each other. Even back then.

Juice shrugged a shoulder, putting them back in his wallet and putting it back in his pocket. "Since we took 'em. Wallet's changed a few times, but I wasn't gonna toss these. You got 'em in your room at your Ma's. I saw 'em."

Angela nodded, a blush creeping up into her cheeks; she couldn't believe he'd noticed. "I took them home 'cause it felt weird having them up at the apartment with Raj there. Used to look at them when I didn't want to go back to remind myself I had you to come back to. I had pictures of me and Raj too, of course, but it was these that made me miss New York the most."

He moved his arm around her shoulders, bringing her in closer to his side. "And you say I'm the mushy one," he murmured, kissing her temple.

She slid her arm around his waist. "No mush. All truth. All my best memories over there were with you. Some had Raj in them too, but he was always so busy. We did some fun shit back then just the two of us."

"Like that time we ditched the waiter gig at that fancy hotel and ended up drinking expensive ass champagne in that indoor pool."

Angela laughed, remembering the way he'd stripped out of his waiter garb to his boxers and cannonballed into the pool they definitely were not supposed to be in. She'd been content sitting on the edge of the pool watching as he splashed about, champagne bottle in his hand. She'd wanted to get in with him but stripping down to her lacy underwear in front of him while she had a boyfriend had felt wrong so she enjoyed watching Juice splash about while she kicked water at him. They'd gotten caught the next morning by one of the hotel staff members, passed out on the lounge chairs with multiple empty bottles of champagne around them. "That was amazing. Best champagne ever."

"Agreed," he said, pulling back the curtain on the photo booth and allowing her to go inside first. He squished in beside her, feeding money into the machine. His eyes were bright with excitement as he looked at her. "Ready?"

She nodded, grinning at him instead of the camera as the first picture was taken. The made funny faces for the next three and on the last one, she caught him off guard by catching his attention and planting a kiss on his lips. He leaned into the kiss, his hand moving to cup the side of her face as he deepened the kiss. To make more room, she moved a leg over his lap, straddling him as his hands dropped to her hips to hold her there as they made out like teenagers in the tiny booth.

Angela couldn't get enough of the feel of him. She was drowning in him. Every aspect of him. The smell of his aftershave and cologne, the taste of his mouth, the warmth of his skin under her fingertips as she stroked them over his cheeks, the feel of his hands as they slid under her shirt, stroking over her skin. She wished they could've gotten together earlier. That all the crazy New York memories they shared had this aspect intertwined with them to make them even better.

The little curtain was ripped open, and Angela pulled away, blinking in the bright sunlight that was let in. "Well, aren't you two just the cutest?" Gemma asked, holding their pictures in a hand, Clay at her side.

Juice grinned in response, squeezing Angela's hips. "Hey guys. Sorry, 'bout that. Got a little carried away."

"No kiddin'," Clay replied before jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Go find somewhere else to canoodle. 's our turn now."

Angela bit her lip to stifle a laugh at the word 'canoodle' leaving Clay's mouth, but she didn't comment. She got off Juice as gracefully as she could and took the photos from Gemma, smiling at the sequence of images. They were pretty cute, if she did say so herself. "Thanks," she said, turning to Juice. The way his whole body language had changed in front of his president was intriguing. Gone was her goofy man, instead there was a tougher, meaner looking biker in his place. He was talking to Clay with his shoulders squared, hands tugging on the front of his cut. Gemma was looking impatient beside them. The mischievous look in her eyes had Angela thinking she and Clay weren't there to take pictures. She wanted to reach for Juice's hand to pull him away so they could continue with whatever they were going to do, but she wasn't sure if he'd be okay with her doing that in front of the President, so she didn't. She nudged her arm against his to get his attention instead. "C'mon. Let's go see if you can win me something stuffed."

Juice caught her gaze and relaxed a little, reaching for her hand. "See you guys later," he said, nodding to Clay. Together, they started walking towards the carnival games. He stopped once they'd gotten close to a basketball one. "Lemme see those pictures."

She handed him one of the two copies, tucking her own into the mini-backpack she was using as a purse. "Like 'em?"

He nodded emphatically, taking the old strip out to compare them. "Love 'em. Crazy to think how far we've come," he mused, tracing his finger over the last picture of the new set. The one of them kissing. "Never thought we'd get here."

Angela's heart did a little flip at the love in his voice. She leaned in and pecked his cheek. "Fate has a funny way of working stuff out."

"Yeah, definitely," he said on a soft chuckle, gingerly putting the photos in his wallet together before tucking it back into his pocket. He moved his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side to kiss her cheek. "All right, now, which prize am I winning you?"

She laughed, nodding towards a basketball game she already knew he was good at. There was a silly neon orange and yellow monkey hanging there that was the size of a small dog, or as the carnival workers called it, "medium." She pointed to the monkey with a huge grin. "That one."

He sized up the monkey, then the hoop and grabbed his wallet again, throwing down a five dollar bill. "Let's go. Show me that monkey."

Angela enjoyed every minute of watching Juice shoot the basketball. She loved the way the muscles in his arms moved as he lined up the shot. It took him a few tries before he finally sunk one in, pumping a fist in the air in triumph. Juice pointed to the monkey she'd requested, and the worker handed it to him with a scowl; clearly unaccustomed to having people win the most likely rigged game.

Juice presented the monkey to her as if it was the best present in the world, and at the moment, she felt like it was. "For you, my angel," he said, his smile big and bright.

She couldn't help but blush at his sweetness. Taking the monkey, she held it under one arm and hugged him tightly with the other, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I knew you could do it! Thank you!"

He pulled her in front of him, kissing her softly as he tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Love you."

She grinned at him, feeling her heart flutter at his words. Leaning in, she kissed his nose. "Love you too, goof."

His smile grew, lighting up his handsome face. He offered her his hand, his left, as always. His right hand, his dominant one, he kept open just in case he needed to hit someone...or grab his gun. He also kept all his rings on his right hand. Three of them at least, each more gaudy than the next. Skulls, spikes, reapers. Mostly gold. On every finger but his thumb and pinky. They made an impromptu set of brass knuckles. She was sure anyone on the receiving end of one of his punches would end up with one hell of an injury. His left hand was bare though. She was surprised because she knew while his right was his stronger hand, he could hit with his left too. She swung their hands between them, looking up at him. "There a reason you never wear rings on this hand?"

Juice shrugged a shoulder, though his cheeks turned a shade of pink that told her he most certainly had a reason. "Dunno."

"Don't lie to me, goofy," she pressed, squeezing his hand.

"It's stupid," he muttered, squeezing her hand back. She stopped walking, raising her eyebrows and waiting for him to elaborate. He looked down at their entwined hands and shrugged again. "I um...I think it feels weird when we hold hands and I got rings on. Makes our hands fit differently. Like a barrier or somethin'. I don't like it."

Angela's cheeks grew hot at the sweetness in his explanation. She squeezed his hand once more, realizing he was right. There was no awkward pinch from the bands of his rings, just an almost perfect fit of her fingers between his. "I don't like it either. Don't really like anything between us, in all honesty," she said, moving in front of him and tugging on the front of his cut with her free hand. She leaned in, nuzzling her nose against his neck before pressing a kiss to his throat softly. "Jewelry, clothes, panties..."

His free hand went to her ass, sliding into the back pocket of her jeans. "Baby..."

And then his phone went off, and she sighed as she pulled away. "That," she continued, glaring at the burner phone as he pulled it out of his pocket. "I hate when that gets in the way the most."

Juice grimaced, kissing her forehead quickly. "Five minutes, Angel. It'll be quick, promise."

She sighed impatiently, heading towards the food stall to give him some privacy and get some cotton candy that she decided she was not going to be sharing with him. He jogged towards where Clay and Gemma, stopping to tell them something. She ignored him, contemplating if she wanted just cotton candy or actual dinner. She was almost at the front of the line when his hands landed on her hips as he kissed the back of her head. She knew exactly what was coming as his arms slid around her from behind, his chin dropping to her shoulder. "I love you, you know that right?" he asked, guilt noticeable in his voice.

She sighed heavily. "You have to go," she stated, leaning back into him.

"Yeah," he said on a sigh. He lifted his head, his lips pressing to her temple. "I'm sorry," he murmured against her skin.

She elbowed him off, rolling her eyes as she turned to face him. "You're the worst, and I don't have a ride home."

He glanced over to where Clay and Gemma were parting ways. "Clay said you can ride back with Gemma."

Her heart sank; she did not want to be stuck in a small space with Gemma for an extended period of time. "Can you drop me off on your way to wherever you're going? Please."

He hesitated, glancing at the large monkey under her arm. "What about Monk?" he asked, nodding to the stuffed animal.

"Tangerine," she said, deciding on the spot what to name it, "can ride with me. I can hold onto it and you. Promise."

"Ang..."

She rolled her eyes again, resigned to her fate. "Fine. Go do your badass biker shit with your little buddies. Just know you're leaving me behind. Sad and alone...with Gemma."

Juice grimaced again. "I'm sorry," he repeated, dipping his head to kiss her. "I'll make it up to you, I swear."

Angela nodded, pushing him away gently. "You better. Go. Be safe. Come home to me."

He kissed her cheek. "I will, promise. Love you."

"Love you too," she replied, watching him leave as she hugged the stuffed monkey close to her chest. She walked around the carnival alone for a bit, dreading having to approach the SAMCRO queen. It was a lonely feeling that she, unfortunately, was used to. She was alone a lot growing up. This was really no different. She wasn't alone for long, though; Gemma spotted her and sauntered over, looking at her from over the top of her oversized glasses.

"Hey undertaker," Gemma greeted with the smallest hint of a smile.

Sometimes Angela wondered if Gemma knew her name since she rarely used it. "Gemma," she replied, smiling at her as best she could. "I'm guessing you've been abandoned too?"

"Oh yeah," she said on a sigh. "Part of the package, of course. You learn to drive separately."

"Noted," Angela stated, tapping on her temple. She glanced at the food stall again, remembering her forgotten quest for cotton candy and feeling her stomach grumble; it was almost dinner time. "You don't...eat fair food, do you?"

Gemma laughed, tilting her head to the side. "Haven't in a long time, but I can indulge in something."

"Sounds good. I'll treat," she replied, getting in line. Gemma ended up with a hot dog with a soda while Angela opted for a corn dog. They ate in relative silence on one of the benches nearby, both of them observing the carnival. She watched as normal couples walked around the place hand in hand, not a care in the world and wished Juice was there with her.

"You mad about your abandonment?" Gemma asked, taking a sip of her drink.

Angela considered the question as she took a bite of her corn dog. "Not mad but annoyed, I guess. Thought we were gonna get a normal date. He usually warns me if there's a chance of club interruption. 's why I agreed to come on his bike."

"There's always a chance of a club interruption," she said before sighing heavily. " 's all part of being an Old Lady."

She wrinkled her nose at the term. For some reason the idea of it wasn't very appealing to her. Old Ladies were well respected, of course, but Angela had always felt there was a negative connotation to it. Like an Old Lady had to put up with all the shit that was thrown at them and just grin and bear it. The lies, the cheating, it seemed Old Ladies were supposed to let it slide without complaint. She'd seen it with Dia and the Mayans, had Esai mention it was something he expected from her. Angela wasn't a fan. She wasn't about to disagree with Gemma, though. Not when she clearly held the title in high esteem. "Guess so," she muttered, sighing softly.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Gemma assured her with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

Angela smiled a little; that was a welcome change, Gemma usually doubted her longevity within the club. This was the first time she implied she believed she'd stick around. "You think?"

She nodded. "Had my doubts before, but after hearin' you get into it with your Ma about switchin' hospitals to keep him safe, I got the feeling you were in this for the long haul."

"Yeah, that wasn't my most winning moment," she commented, still a little embarrassed Gemma had to see that. "I'd do it again, though. Whatever it takes to keep him safe. I love him, a lot."

She patted Angela's thigh lightly as she chuckled. "Oh I know, baby. Believe me, everyone knows."

"Tristan!" a loud, almost feral scream sounded through the carnival. "Tristan!"

Gemma sat up ramrod straight, standing and heading towards the sound of it. Angela threw away their garbage and followed after her. She saw a couple frantically walking around, looking terrified. Angela nodded towards them. "What's going on?" she asked Gemma.

"Their teenage girl is missin'," she explained, worry all over her face. "Gotta see if we can find her."

Despite having no idea what the girl looked like, Angela helped with the search. The Oswald family was apparently a big deal in Charming, and while Angela had seen the name before on big lumber and construction trucks, she'd never met any of them. It took a few hours before a Charming PD officer found her in the nearby wooded area. They were keeping silent about what happened to her, but Angela had a feeling it wasn't just a violent assault. She could tell by how pale the girl had been, the way her hands shook. She watched the little family walk away with the police, and her heart sunk. That poor girl was going to need a lot of help. She just hoped whatever shithead did that to her got what was coming to him.

"C'mon, undertaker. I'll get you home," Gemma said, already heading towards the parking lot.

Angela followed behind at a slower pace. She wasn't surprised that Gemma knew where she lived and how to get there; she seemed to know everything about "her boys." The trip over was done in silence. Not even the radio was on. Both of them were in their own heads, thinking of what happened to the poor Oswald girl. Once Gemma stopped in front of her house, Angela let out a long breath. "Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah," she replied on a nod. "Have a good night, sweetheart. Stay safe."

Angela nodded back, grabbing the large stuffed monkey and heading towards the house. Juice wasn't home, and she had a feeling he wouldn't be for a long time. Sighing, she got ready for bed, smirking at the large orange monkey. "Guess I gotta cuddle with you," she said, jokingly tucking it into Juice's side of the bed. She made sure to move his pillow out of the way so the monkey wasn't touching it knowing he'd be annoyed about the carnival prize touching the pillow where his face went. She settled in beside it, wishing she could see Juice's reaction when he got home to find the monkey in his place. "Good night, Tangie. Hopefully Juice doesn't shoot you when he gets home."

Juice hated that he got home just a few hours before sunrise. Angela would definitely be sleeping, and he'd do his best not to wake her. He hated nights like these. Nights where he had to leave her in the middle of a date, nights where he got back and she was dead to the world asleep. He wished they could've finished their night out at the carnival. Rode some of the rides. He'd have won her a whole zoo of stuffed animals if she wanted. He groaned as he leaned over to untie his boots at the door. He toed them off, placing them in the shoe rack beside the door before padding his way towards the bedroom, dragging his finger along the wall as he did so. The door to their room was closed, but he knew it would be, Angela had read somewhere that if there was a fire, and the door was closed, it increased the chances of survival. He smirked at the memory of her and Raj arguing over the logic of it since Raj insisted the door needed to be open for a quick escape, and she was stubborn about keeping it closed so they didn't burn to death. After she showed him enough articles about it, Raj had finally caved and told her she was right, and she never let him live that one down.

He quietly opened the door, smiling when he saw she was sound asleep on her side, the blankets pulled up over her shoulder. He chuckled softly at the obnoxiously orange monkey that was on his side of the bed, tucked in like it was sleeping too. Shaking his head, he turned to their dresser, taking his rings off one by one and setting them in the little dish beside her smaller rings. He tucked his gun still in its holster in his bedside table, taking off his belt and setting his knife in its sheath on top of the dresser. He wanted to shower, but he was tired as hell, and it sounded like a lot of work. He changed into some clean boxers before grabbing the monkey from the bed. "No more monkeys in the bed," he murmured, smiling at his own joke as he set it on the floor.

He slid into bed behind Angela, moving his arm around her torso and forming himself around her. He buried his nose into her sweet smelling hair. "Love you, Angel," he murmured, his eyelids already growing heavy. He was going to need a shit ton of coffee if he was going to make it through the next day.

His alarm clock went off way too early, and to his surprise, he woke up cuddled with the big orange monkey, not Angela. With a groan, he rolled out of bed, getting dressed before trudging tiredly to the kitchen. Rubbing at his eyes, he opened the fridge door and grinned at the health shake waiting for him with a heart drawn on a sticky note attached. He smiled, grabbing the drink and taking a long sip. It was fucking perfect. Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his cell phone and pressed her speed dial.

She didn't answer, and he frowned, clearing his throat before he left a message. "Hey Angel. It's me. Just callin' to say thanks for the shake. Hope you're having a good day. Talk to you later. Love you."

The rest of the morning was spent as usual around the SAMCRO compound. He sat through Church where they decided to help Oswald get revenge on whoever raped his daughter. An easy vote despite Tig's protests; the club didn't put up with men violating women. After that, he did some research for Clay about Darby's boys to see if he could find anyone that might be connected, and then he and Sack were sent out grab some tires from a local store. They got into the big black van and headed downtown to grab the shit and bring it back. It was a small store, and they were usually given carte blanche to pick whatever they needed in exchange for protection and the occasional referral. He took the assignment willingly, knowing he had to drive past the funeral home to get there.

He turned the van into the cemetery road, smirking when Sack groaned in response. "C'mon, Juice. We gotta get those tires."

He ignored Sack's protest, hoping Angela was out in the cemetery and not inside the actual building. If she was inside, he'd leave her alone since she might be with clients, and he didn't want to intrude on her work. She wasn't, though. He spotted her outside in a pair of overalls with a white tank underneath, her hair up in a ponytail, gardening gloves on her hands. He stopped the van just a few feet away from her. "Five minutes," Juice promised the prospect, holding up five fingers. He left the van running and jogged over to her.

Angela must've heard the van because she turned to him with a huge grin. "Hey you," she greeted, laughing as he swooped her off her feet into a tight hug. She hugged him back, giving his shoulders a tight squeeze as she tilted her head back to connect their lips in a sweet kiss. "What are you doin' here?"

He set her down on her feet but kept his hands on her hips. Her skin seemed to sparkle with a thin layer of sweat, dirt apparent on her arms, a streak of it across her cheek. Clearly, she'd been out cleaning and gardening in the cemetery for awhile. She still looked amazing to him. "Just sayin' hi," he replied on a shrug. "Got Sack in the car with me. Gotta go pick up some tires."

She waved to Half-Sack who gave her a two fingered wave back. "And you stopped to say hi to little ole me?"

"Missed you last night," he replied on a nod. He leaned in to catch her lips in another quick kiss.

Angela's smile made his heart flutter. "Missed you too," she said, taking off her gardening gloves and shoving them in her back pocket. "That monkey is not a good substitute."

"Agreed," he replied on a chuckle. "Thanks for the shake. Was delicious."

"Yeah? Figured you could use a little boost," she commented, her dark eyes studying his face with a look of concern. "You look tired."

Juice nodded; he was exhausted. He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a long time. The club had been a little demanding the past week and their activities tended to take place late at night. "Feel it. I'll grab somethin' caffeinated and be fine. Don't worry about me."

Angela rolled her eyes at him, playing with the front little pocket of his cut. "I always worry about you, goof," she told him.

He secretly loved how much she worried about him. She was one of the few people that cared enough about him to worry, and he loved knowing someone cared. It was something he hadn't felt a lot growing up. He lifted a hand from her hip to brush away some dirt from her cheek with his thumb before moving his hand to cup the back of her neck as he fused his lips to hers. She leaned into him, her lips parting as he deepened the kiss.

The loud beep of the van's horn pulled them apart. Angela laughed softly, flipping off Half Sack from afar. The prospect kept his hand on the horn in a continuous beep in response. With a heavy sigh, she pushed him away. "Get outta here. He's disturbing the peace."

"Asshole." Juice frowned and nodded. "Might be home late again tonight. We're doin' shit to help that Oswald girl."

He'd thought she'd be mad, but she looked almost proud instead. "Good," she stated on a nod. "Make sure whoever did it gets what he deserves. I'll leave some dinner in the fridge."

"Thanks, baby," he replied, leaning in to kiss her once more. "Love you."

Her eyes sparkled as she grinned at him, throwing her arms around his neck and bringing him in for another kiss, which only earned them more honking from Half-Sack. "Love you too, goof," she told him. "Now, go! Before he wakes the dead with the shit!"

Juice chuckled, almost tripping over his feet as he walked away from her. He turned to look at her over his shoulder, and she blew him a kiss. He turned, pretending to catch it with a hand before shoving that hand in his pocket as if to save it. He could hear her laughter as he got into the van again and couldn't keep from chuckling himself.

"You two are fuckin' corny," Sack muttered, shaking his head.

He reached out and smacked him upside the head. "Fuckin' asshole. That's for being a fuckin' cockblock."

Just some fluff and stuff. ;)

Continuing on with the SOA storyline and having a little more fun with it this time around.

As always, let me know what you think! Your comments make me so happy! :)

~Love Ink