Happy was laying on the couch in his Ma's house, thankful to get some rest in before his long drive to take the Irishman and the little sweetbutt up to Canada so they could board a plane out of the country. He tried to make a habit of stopping by to see his Ma before long runs just in case something should happen while he was away. His Ma's multiple sclerosis kept them all on their toes; though it was a topic his whole family avoided like the plague. Most days, she pushed through it, but some days, it was too much. Like just moments before, when she'd kissed his head and told him she was going upstairs to take a nap. He hated seeing her weak, hated that he wasn't around more to be there for her. Thankfully, Angela was nearby and seemed to visit relatively often. Hell, he was even thankful for the idiot and his constant check-ins. Still, Happy was considering going Nomad just for the option of being home more. It'd make his Ma happy, and he'd do anything to make her happy.
He heard the front door open and sat up quickly before he heard the kid's voice call out, "It's just me! Stand down!"
He smirked, relaxing back into the couch. She walked into the living room looking very professionally dressed in her usual work attire. The pride that swelled in his chest when he saw her dressed for work never ceased to surprise him. He was proud as hell of how hard she'd worked to get her position. How she was thriving in a good profession instead of settling for being someone's old lady. "Hey kid," he greeted on a nod.
"Hey," she replied, throwing herself onto the couch beside him with a heavy sigh. She rolled her head over to look at him. "An ice pick. Really?"
Happy barely hid a smirk; it'd been one of his more creative methods to kill someone, and he'd been surprised with how well it'd worked. No fuss, no mess. Just one clean hit. "Was quiet," he explained on a shrug. She rolled her eyes, but he got the sense there was more to it. "You good?"
"Yeah. Fine. Juice explained what it was for. Said it wasn't 'cause a me, which I get, but I also have a feeling you loved getting that smiley face more than any of those other smiley faces you got."
She wasn't wrong, of course. He'd had an immense feeling of satisfaction at seeing the man who'd put his kid through so much go down like a sack of potatoes. "He deserved it."
"Whatever," she muttered, messing with her ring for a minute before she dug into her pocket. She handed him a little business card. "This lovely lady paid me a visit today."
He read the name on the card and sneered. Agent June Stahl. "This ATF bitch has been sniffin' around the club for a minute," he said, handing the card back to her. He knew Angela had a few ties to the club, but he was curious which one of them led the agent to her. "How'd she find you?"
"Juice," she answered on a sigh. "My lovely mother put me down as his wife for all of his hospital shit."
Of course Graciela would be the one to ruin years of his hard work to keep the kid's name clear of the club. He got where she'd been coming from though. Juice had been knocked out, needed someone to make decisions for him, and the kid was the closest one to him. Still, it left her vulnerable to interrogations like that with one easy to find way to tie her to the club. "She tryin' to get you on insurance fraud?"
"Can't. Never used my insurance for his stuff," she explained on a shrug. "First, she threatened to go to the club with my Mayan past. When that didn't work, she brought up the funeral home break in. Didn't mention you at all, though, so that tie is still buried pretty fuckin' deep."
Happy nodded; he'd worked hard to bury the tie between them. He never wanted anything he did to blow back on his kid. He'd even gotten Juice to go into prison databases and wipe his visit records to bury their relationship. "Good. She ask anything specific?"
She shrugged, not looking too concerned about it. "Not too specific. Asked if I knew anything about SAMCRO's illegal activities."
He smirked. Though he usually kept her in the dark about the business side of the club, he had a feeling Juice told her a little more. "And?"
Angela sat up a little straighter, and he watched with pride as she made her eyes big and innocent, a sweet naïve smile on her face. "As far as I know, Juan is just a mechanic who likes to ride around town with his biker buddies."
Happy chuckled, shaking his head at her. "She buy it?"
"Nah, but it doesn't really matter. I can play that game all day. I'm no rat," she answered, relaxing back into the couch. "You stayin' long?"
He shook his head slowly. A part of him wished he could stay longer; he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed being home with his family. "Gotta make a run up North tomorrow."
She sighed heavily, a frown turning down the corners of her mouth. "Miss when you were SAMCRO. Feel like I don't see you anymore."
Happy ducked his head to hide a smile; he loved that his little cousin still made time for him. That she loved him enough to see through all the heinous shit he did and want to hang out wit him. "Thinkin' of goin' Nomad. Be able to be here more."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up, a small smile spreading across her face as she sat up a bet. "Not SAMCRO?"
" 's too thick right now with the prospect 'n' shit," he explained on a shrug. "Nomad means I can do a little of everythin'. Go wherever I want whenever. Could help more with Ma."
Angela considered his explanation for a minute before shrugging. "She'd love that. I'd love that."
Happy nodded, a little surprised she said she'd love for him to be home again. A part of him thought she would want him around because of her relationship with Juice. They both knew if Juice fucked up, there'd be no helping him. Nothing stopping Hap from beating the shit out of him. "Yeah?"
" 'course," she said on another shrug. "Where's your Ma?"
"Upstairs restin'," he explained, catching the worry on Angela's face before she masked it. "She's fine. Just tired."
She rolled her shoulders, sighing softly. "Yeah, good. She should rest," she said, though she'd started fidgeting with her ring.
He could see her starting to worry, so he nudged her knee with his. "Get the cards. Let's play a game," he suggested, knowing it'd distract her. His kid was competitive as hell and was always up for a challenge.
Angela smirked, getting to her feet with a grunt. "Ready to lose, old man?"
Happy chuckled, shaking his head at her as he headed to the kitchen to grab them beers while she set up for the game. "Fat chance, kid."
~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~
Angela stared at her card and the cards on the table, mentally doing the math. She and Hap were playing the Spanish game of Escoba, a game she and her aunt had played since she was old enough to count to fifteen. She and Happy were tied, which was a difficult feat since he usually won. They heard the steps creak as Elena walked down them slowly. She walked into the room looking refreshed and rested. Her short dark hair perfectly brushed and styled. The smallest hint of make up on with a loose white pant and a bright orange top. Elena rarely wasn't dressed somewhat nicely. "Escoba?" Elena asked as she approached, setting her hands on the back of Angela's chair.
Happy nodded, studying his cards for a moment. He put down one of them to make fifteen, swiping away the three cards off the table. "Fuck," Angela cursed under her breath, earning her a gentle tug on her braid from her aunt.
"Language," Elena chastised, shaking her head at her.
Angela fought against the urge to make a face, knowing Happy would kick her under the table if she did. Sighing, she leaned back into her chair to look up at her aunt. "Need me to start dinner?"
Elena shook her head slowly. "No, I was craving Chinese. Juancito's bringing it in a bit."
She raised an eyebrow; Juice had mentioned he was going to come over to Lena's later, but he didn't mention bringing food. "Juancito? My Juancito?"
"Is there another?" she asked in response with a fond smile. Angela couldn't help but smile with her; she loved that Juice and Elena were familiar enough with each other that they talked almost daily. That I was something they'd been doing since the moment he'd gotten to California. Elena truly accepted him as one of her own. "Did you go to that boy's funeral? Mari said it was today."
That boy. Esai had always been "that boy" to Elena, usually uttered with a tone of disgust. It wasn't even the Mayan thing that made her dislike him; it was the fact that, unlike Juice, he'd never once come over for dinner, never once made an effort to befriend her family. Trust Lino's mom to have a big mouth about Esai's funeral. She wondered if her aunt knew it was Happy who had killed that boy. Angela sensed Happy's glare and stared at her cards, not wanting to look up to meet his stare. "I went to the cemetery. Didn't go anywhere near the ceremony, but I could see it. No one knew I was there 'cept Lino and Rosa."
Happy shook his head in disapproval, but Elena leaned forward to kiss Angela's cheek lovingly. "Good of you to go. For closure."
Before Happy could say anything in response, the sound of a key turning in the front door's lock made them all still for a moment. "Just me," Juice's voice came from the entry way.
Angela set her cards down, angling in her seat a bit to find him carrying two large bags filled with Chinese takeout cartons. He set them down on the entry table and shrugged out of his cut, hanging it besides Happy's along with his holster and gun. She watched him go through all the motions, her heart swelling with love for him at his show of respect for her family.
He put the food in the kitchen first, then went to the dining room. "Hey Ma," he greeted Elena first. Another show of respect. This was her house; she should be greeted first. The way he treated her aunt never failed to make Angela's heart flutter. He moved around Elena, and Angela lifted her head to smile up at him. He grinned back at her, dipping his head to give her a chaste kiss. "Hey Angel."
"Hey you," she replied, wanting so much more than the sweet peck he'd laid on her lips and knowing there was no way he'd oblige her in their present company. "How'd you ride with all that food?"
He nodded his greeting to Happy as he shrugged a shoulder. "I didn't. Borrowed a car from TM that was repo'd," he explained as if it were no big deal. "Whatcha guys playing?"
"Escoba," Happy answered, sweeping the cards from the middle again much to Angela's dismay. "I win."
Angela scoffed at him, pushing away from the table. "You sit, Tia. I'll get everything ready. C'mon, Juancito. You can help me."
"No funny business," Elena stated, sitting down with a soft groan. She nodded towards Happy. "Deal me one, mijo. We go fast."
Once out of sight, Juice started to untie the tops of the plastic bags. Angela had other ideas. She slipped his arms around his waist from the side, squeezing a bit to get his attention. He chuckled, moving his arm around her shoulders before leaning in to give her a quick kiss. "Mmm, give me another," she hummed, smiling up at him.
"Lena said no funny business," he reminded her, the smirk on his face telling her he was just joking.
She shrugged a shoulder. "What she don't know don't hurt her."
He chuckled, framing her face with his hands before dipping his head to fuse his lips to hers. She leaned into him, enjoying the electric feel of his mouth on hers. His tongue traced over her lower lip, and she parted hers to allow him access. This was the kiss she'd wanted before. The kind that made her whole body ache for more. One of his hands slid into her hair while he wrapped his other arm around her back, drawing her in even closer.
" 'ey! Cut that shit out," Happy barked from the entry way.
Juice pressed one quick kiss to her lips before pulling away. A bold move for him to do in front of Happy, but she could tell by the hazy lovestruck look in his eyes, he hadn't realized what had happened. She laughed, gently pushing him away. He turned back towards the Chinese food, going through it and handing Happy the largest carton with chopsticks. "Got your combo chow mien."
"Good," Happy stated, opening the carton and digging in. He eyed the two of them, leaning against the entry way. "Go 'head. Get Ma's shit together and go eat, kid."
Angela rolled her eyes, grabbing two plates and serving both her and her aunt. Chinese food was something their family ate often when Elena came home too late from work to cook. Angela was used to letting her sit while she served both of them. It was something she'd done since she was a kid especially since Happy didn't mess with the other shit; he was happy with his chow mien and maybe a potsticker. She placed the plate in front of Elena, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Here you go, Tia."
"Thank you, mi vida," Elena murmured, patting the seat beside her for Angela to sit.
Juice walked in after with his plate piled high with food. He saw down in the seat across the table with a tired sigh. "What'd you do today, Angel?" Juice asked as Happy sat beside him.
"Oh lots," she answered on a sigh as she struggled to use the chopsticks to pick up some rice. "Got questioned by an ATF agent, worked, went to the cemetery over here for a bit."
"Went to the cemetery to that boy's funeral," Elena put in.
Angela saw Juice's shoulders tense just a moment as he turned to look at her. She knew he was going to have a problem with almost everything she listed off. He just was struggling with which to pick first. He looked at Happy for a moment. Happy shrugged a shoulder and said, "ATF's sniffin' around for club shit. Leave it."
Juice understood; no club talk in front of Elena. Instead, he glanced back at her, brows drawn in confusion. "You went to the Mayan's funeral?"
"I went to the cemetery," she corrected quickly. She wondered why her aunt even brought it up. It was like she was trying to stir the pot or something. "I stayed far away from the ceremony. No one even knew I was there."
"Why'd you go?"
"She needed the closure, mijo," Elena explained, using her fork to spear some sweet and sour pork.
She understood now why Elena brought it up; she wanted to help her explain it. Play referee in a way. Angela nodded in agreement. "The whole thing felt surreal. Being there, seeing that box get lowered into the ground...made it real. I needed that."
Juice nodded slowly, letting what she said sink in. "Okay," he said, though his shoulders didn't lose their tenseness. She had a feeling they were going to be talking about it later.
"Y tu, Juancito? What did you do today?" Elena asked to steer the conversation away from the funeral.
Juice answered half-heartedly, his shoulders still tensed. The conversation flowed easily, but she could see his mind was on what he'd just learned. He was angry at her. She could tell by the way he hadn't tried to steal the remaining potsticker from her plate even though she was purposefully leaving it there for him. In New York, he was constantly stealing the last potsticker from her knowing she had a habit over overserving herself. He'd go for it with his chopsticks, and she'd block him, both of them laughing as they battled over the potsticker. He hadn't even tried. Sighing, she ate it just as everyone was finishing with dinner. Without a word, Juice and Happy stood to help clear the table. "No, no," Elena said quickly. "You relax, Juancito. Have a smoke. Angelita, you too. Happy and I will take care of this."
Juice hesitate for a moment before realizing resisting was futile. He nodded slowly and headed towards the backyard without even looking at her.
Angela meandered after Juice, trying to figure out the best way to start the conversation. She sat down heavily in the empty chair beside him. Juice still didn't look at her, he was staring off into the distance. "Hey," she started, trying to get his attention. It didn't work well. "What's goin' on between those two tats?"
He shrugged a shoulder, looking everywhere but at her. "Nothin'."
"Bull shit. Talk to me, Ortiz," she said putting out the joint in the nearby ashtray.
He sighed heavily, scratching at his eyebrow with his thumb. "I'm not mad you went to the funeral. I get it. You needed the closure, whatever," he explained, clearly annoyed but not angered. "I don't like that you didn't tell me about it. We talked like three times today, and you didn't mention the funeral or that you were goin'. Makes it feel shady when it's not."
Angela blinked at him for a moment, trying to process what he was saying. He wasn't mad she went to the funeral; he was mad she didn't tell him before. "No, it's not." She looked down at her hands, trying to figure out how to explain her choice. Her history with men wasn't great, and she was drawing on old habits that weren't helping. "I dunno. I'm not used to you, Juice. I'm used to Raj who didn't really care what I was doing, so I stopped telling him, and Esai who'd flip out on me if I didn't anything he didn't like, so I didn't tell him things I knew would set him off."
His eyes warmed a bit at her explanation, shoulders relaxing. "I'm not them," he stated, shaking his head as he leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. "I care what you're doin'. 'course I do. 'specially this hard shit. And maybe I'll get mad at your choices, but not scary mad or anythin'. We can always work it out, but you gotta tell me shit, or my brain will make up stupid reasons why you didn't."
She didn't know what to say to that. It was just another way Juice was different than the two men she'd loved before him; he actually talked to her about what he was thinking, what he was feeling. "Makes sense. You gonna start tellin' me stuff?"
"I do," he said on a little shrug. At her doubtful look, he sighed. "I tell you what I can. Not gonna go into the business shit, but that's to protect you more than anythin'."
That she could handle; she really didn't want to know about SAMCRO's illegal business anyway. She just wanted to make sure Juice didn't get lost in his head and drive himself crazy as he was so apt to do on his own. "Fair enough," she agreed, scooting in closer to him. She leaned over the arm of the chair to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head to capture her lips with his own instead. A sweet kiss, which sealed the agreement they'd just made. She pulled away, knowing she had a silly smile on her face because it was mirrored on his. She'd never imagined her relationship with Juice would be so complicated yet so easy at the same time, but she loved it. Loved learning the little nuances she'd missed being just his friend. Loved how different it was from anything she'd ever experienced. She'd been told love could be like this, but she'd never truly believed it. Not until him.
"So tell me about this ATF bitch," Juice said, a look of concern on his face. "The fuck she want with you? How'd she even make that connection?"
Angela shrugged a shoulder. "She's just trying to get some info. Didn't give her anything, obviously. But apparently, she somehow has access to your medical records, and I'm listed there as your wife."
She didn't miss the way the corners of his lips turned up for just the briefest moment. He swiped a hand over his face, sighing heavily. "Shit. I guess I can fix that, so you don't got ties to me or whatever."
A part of her knew that was the smart thing to do, but a part of her also didn't want to lose that connection as fake as it was. She didn't mind being his 'wife' at the hospital. Hell, she wouldn't mind being his wife in real life too. "I mean, its already out there. What's the harm in keepin' it as is?" she answered on a shrug. "Unless you want a divorce..."
Juice's eyes widened as he shook his head quickly. "No, no, definitely don't want that," he said before grabbing her hand and playing with her fingers. "I know we haven't been together long, but I...some day, I want that to be real."
He could've proposed right then and there, and she would've said yes, but she understood him holding off on it. They were still learning each other, figuring out how they worked. That, and they both knew the pressure that would come with a wedding ring. Elena and Graciela were already dropping hints about grandbabies, and she definitely was not ready for that yet. They were good where they were at; she didn't see any reason to rush into things. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss as she squeezed his hand. "Some day, I do too."
~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~
Not gonna lie, I don't think I stuck the landing for this chapter. >.<
It's a little filler, but I love writing the "at home" moments of Angela's family. ;)
Please let me know what you think!!
💙