Ellie was having so much fun running around the amusement park on the pier close to the little house Piney had let them stay at in San Diego. It felt good to laugh again. To be outside in a place that was warm and filled with smiling people. Going back to school after losing her mom had been tough; every one treated her with little kid gloves. All the teachers looked at her with the same sad look in their eyes. She was tired of it. She wanted someone to treat her like a normal girl for once. She'd been worried about the trip. Worried Angela would force her to talk about her Mom more. Try to therapize her like others had done, but Angela hadn't mentioned her once. It made it easier for her to move past it for a couple hours. Enjoy what she was doing. Angela had even let her borrow her fancy camera and was teaching her how to use it. Ellie hadn't been so sure at first. At their quick stop at the mission, Angela had handed it to her and briefly explained how to use it. Ellie had snapped a few pictures and was kind of surprised by how much she liked it. Angela hadn't asked for it back yet, so she'd taken it with her to the boardwalk.
They were eating snow cones now. The syrup staining their lips and tongues. Angela and Juice were currently sticking their tongues out at each other, laughing at how blue his was. Ellie lifted the camera and snapped a picture, smiling with them. She'd never seen grown-ups act so silly.
"What's next, guys?" Angela asked, wiping at her face with a napkin and handing one to Kenny to do the same.
"Can we ride that one, Angie?" Kenny asked, pointing at the large wooden roller coaster.
Angela grinned in response, excitement in her dark eyes. "Oh hell yeah. You in, Ell?
Ellie had been watching it wearily all day. She'd never been on a roller coaster like that, and she didn't really want to do it. It looked too fast and too high. Nothing about it looked like fun. She bit her lip and kept quiet. If they all wanted to go, she'd force herself, but nerves were already starting to make her feel sick to her stomach. She looked down at the camera, messing with one of the buttons. "I dunno..."
"Y'know, I'm not feelin' great. Think I'm gonna sit this one out," Juice stated, rubbing at his stomach as he wrinkled his nose. Angela's eyes immediately grew concerned, and he shrugged. "Too much sugar, probably. You want to hang back with me, Ellie-belly? Can take some sweet shots of these two clowns on the roller coaster."
Her cheeks warmed at the nickname. She didn't know a lot of her dad's friends. She swore most of them didn't even know her name. She liked Juice, though. He was kind and just a little nerdy. He was like a big kid. She felt a wave of relief at the easy out he'd given her. She wondered if he'd known how much she didn't want to ride that thing. "Y-yeah," she answered softly. "Sounds good."
"All right, then. C'mon Kendo," Angela said with a shrug. "Ell, you make sure he stays away from that cotton candy."
"I will," she agreed. Ellie saw Juice scowl, but it looked like he was hiding a grin too.
Angela stood from the table. Juice tilted his head back a bit, and she leaned over to kiss him quickly. "Have fun, baby," he told her. "Ken, make sure to put your hands in the air, all right?"
Kenny nodded, following after Angela, a slight skip in his step. When he caught up with her, she ruffled his hair and slung an arm around his shoulders. Ellie smiled a little, happy to see her brother happy. She glanced over at Juice who was grinning at them as well. He turned towards her with the same big smile. "You havin' fun so far?"
Ellie nodded, blushing at his blinding smile. He was one of the more handsome Sons, and she couldn't help but have a little crush on him. "Yeah," she answered softly.
"There anythin' you wanna do?" he asked, gesturing around them. She shrugged a shoulder, feeling just a bit shy. He bobbed his head in a nod, messing with the ball cap on his head for a moment. "Okay. I got it. Let's get some good shots over there. I'll teach you some shit."
That piqued her interest. Juice knew how to use the fancy camera? She walked a little faster to keep up with his long strides. "Do you know how to use it?"
Juice shrugged. "A bit. C'mon, think we can find some good angles over here."
He knew more than a bit. Within minutes, he'd explained all the different settings and features and how to use them. "Are you...is this a hobby for you too?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "Nah. Ang taught me. She loves this shit. Made me go to Central Park with her and spend the day watching her snappin' away at random shit. After the first few times, I got curious. Told her she had to be in some of the pictures, so she taught me how."
"Ang is really cool," she said, staring at the camera again. She glanced at Juice, whose eyes were on the coaster. The line had been long, so Kenny and Angela weren't on it yet, and she could tell he was watching for them.
He nodded in agreement, and she could just make out the smallest smile on his face. If there was one thing about Juice, it was that he was bad at hiding any emotion. Ellie had learned that in their short time together. When he felt something, you could see it all over his face. "Yeah, she's the best. Glad she planned this trip out. Nice to get away from Charming for a bit, huh?"
She sighed and nodded; he had no idea how nice it was to be out of that small town. Free of the pitying looks of all of its residents. Everyone seemed to know what happened to her, who she was. She couldn't go anywhere without someone looking at her with that sad look on their face. "Yeah. Real nice. Kinda get why my dad left."
She was letting him in just a little, curious about how he'd react. Would he skirt around the comment, or would he address it? He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I don't know Ope real well," he said, his smile fading just a little. "But I know he loves you guys. A lot. Him leavin' had nothin' to do with you. Think it's his way of protecting you guys, to be honest. Wants to clear his head. Come back with his shit together, so he can take better care a you guys."
She liked Juice's explanation much more than the way it'd felt when he'd left. She'd felt abandoned right when she needed him most. Her father had gone inside when she'd been young, too young to really remember what he'd been like as a father. When he'd come home, she'd had all these ideas that he would be the fun kind of dad some of her friends had. He hadn't been, though. Their relationship had been awkward at best, and there was a divide she couldn't really bridge. She didn't know how to act around him. Even more so now that her mom wasn't there to help with it. "Hope so," she murmured, fidgeting with the camera. "He doesn't really talk a lot."
"He really doesn't," Juice agreed on a chuckle. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't care. Think if you wanted to talk to him, he'd listen. If not, you can always talk to Ang...or me. I mean, she'll probably be more helpful and available, but I can try if you need like a...guy's perspective."
Ellie appreciated the offer, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be taking him up on it anytime soon. "Thanks."
He smiled again, nodding in acknowledgement. "Get ready, think they're gonna be on this one."
It was as if he had a sixth sense because there was no way he could've known it'd be Angela and Kenny on that coaster, but there they were. Front row. Both of them with their arms in the air. Ellie took picture after picture, giggling as Juice hooped and hollered to get their attention. It was good to laugh again; she felt like she hadn't laughed since her Mom died.
Once they were done, Juice turned to her, his grin at full wattage. "All right, Ellie Belly, let's see what you got," he said holding out his hand for the camera. Ellie blushed again at the silly nickname. If it wasn't Juice, she would've hated it, but there wasn't an ounce of teasing in his expression when he used it. It was really a term used for endearment, and she found herself kind of liking it. She followed him to a bench, sitting down beside him as he started going through the pictures on the tiny screen. "These are awesome, El! You got some skills! We can amp them up a bit on the computer, and they'll look amazing!"
Ellie grinned proudly; it'd been a long time since someone had praised something she'd done like that. "Thanks!"
Angela and Kenny approached, eyes bright, hair wind tousled. Juice stood immediately, showing Angela the camera. "Look at these!"
Angela grinned at his excitement, taking the camera and looking through them, her smile growing bigger. "These are awesome, Ell! You've got a great eye!" she exclaimed, showing them to Kenny when he peeked. "Think I'm gonna print some of these out. Frame 'em for our house."
Juice nodded in agreement. "Love that."
Ellie couldn't stop smiling as Angela handed her the camera back. "Keep goin', Ell. We'll look 'em all over when we get home and pick the best ones," Angela said with an encouraging smile.
"Awesome," Ellie replied, slipping the strap back around her neck. There was a new happiness blooming inside of her, making the dark clouds she'd had hanging over her head dissipate just slightly as she dove into taking pictures of anything and everything at every angle with all sorts of settings. It felt good to have something to do for once. She even wondered if maybe she could take a picture for her dad. One that'd make him smile. He didn't do much of that, and she hoped she could find a way to get him to smile. That'd be the ultimate prize.
~'~'~'~'~'~
Angela caught Ellie frowning as she stared at the simple black one piece swimsuit she was wearing in her reflection. Kenny and Juice were out at the store getting some food for their beach trip. She and Ellie had decided to hang back a bit and gather all the beach gear that was at the house. Angela was currently in the bathroom with Ellie, braiding the young girl's hair into the same two boxer braids she herself had at her request. "That's a nice swimsuit, Ell," she told her with a little smile.
Ellie sighed sadly, her hazel eyes falling on the silver bikini she was wearing. "Not as fancy as yours."
She grimaced a bit; she hadn't had time to get a simpler swimsuit like she'd planned and had ended up in the same silver bikini she'd had for years. She wasn't exactly comfortable wearing something so revealing in front of the kids and had decided to wear a tank top over it. Ellie must've noticed the straps of it tied around her neck. Still, she understood where Ellie was coming from and thought of an idea. "Nah, mine's old. Outdated. How 'bout we go get new ones? There's a shop a few blocks away. We can surprise the boys."
Ellie's eyes lit up, a big smile crossing her face. "Really?"
"Yeah! C'mon," she said, tying off the second braid and tugging on it lovingly.
The surf store that was near the beach was small and insanely overpriced, but Angela was willing to shell out the cash if it meant Ellie would be happy. They had fun trying on all sorts of swimsuits before Ellie ended up finding a bright turquoise tankini with brightly colored tropical flowers all over it that she loved. Angela had even let her pick a suit for her. She'd picked out a bikini with the same print, looking pleased that they matched. Angela got them both cover up dresses to wear over them and together, they headed to the beach. She noticed Ellie walked with a little more confidence, her head held high. Angela couldn't help but smile along with her.
Juice and Kenny weren't difficult to find. They were working together to put up an umbrella. Both of them already shirtless. Juice was talking Kenny through what to do, and the younger boy seemed to be enjoying doing it all on his own.
Juice spotted them first, wolf-whistling and clapping as they neared. "Wow! Look at these gorgeous girls, Ken," he said, throwing an arm around Ellie's shoulders and pulling her in for a side hug. "Love that color, Ellie Belly. Looks good on both of ya."
Ellie blushed and stammered out a thank you. Juice dropped his arm from around her, gesturing to their set up. There were plenty of towels all laid out, a large cooler underneath the umbrella, and a speaker on top of it playing some Sublime. "Think we got everythin'."
"Looks perfect, baby," Angela said, pecking his cheek.
"Can we go in the water now?" Kenny asked, his voice borderline whiny.
"Sunblock first," she replied, digging in her bag for the spray on sunscreen. She tossed one bottle at Juice. "Both of you make sure you're covered. Don't want Gemma to come after me if I bring you guys back with a sunburn. You guys do know how to swim, right?"
"Yes," Ellie replied as Angela sprayed down her back. She made sure to rub it underneath the straps and on her ears while Juice made sure Kenny was covered.
Kenny was squirming before Juice was finished. "Can I go?" he asked, grabbing the boogie board.
Angela nodded, gently nudging Ellie too. Ellie grabbed the other boogie board, skipping after him with a laugh. She watched them go with a grin, a happy feeling in her heart at seeing the kids who'd been through so much just be kids and have fun. She sat down the towel, grabbing her bag and pulling out her sun tan oil. She knew it wasn't great for her skin, but she'd eventually put sunblock on. She just wanted to tan a little first. Juice plopped down beside her, stretching out with a little groan and pillowing his hands underneath his head. He was in his black board shorts with a hat on that he pulled low over his eyes for a moment. She knew he was exhausted from driving all morning the day before, and then they'd stayed up way too late having fun at the boardwalk.
She took advantage of his face being covered to look her fill, letting her eyes trace over the bulk of his muscles and the tattoos on his arms, lingering on the one underneath his pec. The urge to lean in and trace the foreign script with her tongue filled her along with the all too familiar urge to have her hands all over him. The smallest smirk turned up the corners of his lips, and she knew she'd been caught. "Keep lookin' at me like that, 'n' we're gonna have a problem."
Angela laughed, shaking her head at him. "Kinda hard. You're very distracting, Ortiz."
There was another flash of a grin as he tipped his hat up slightly so she could actually see his face. "Keep it in your pants, Ruiz. There's kids around."
She leaned over and pecked his cheek before stretching out beside him and enjoying the warmth of the sun as it soaked into her skin. "Mmm, this feels amazing," she said on a sigh. "And I think the kids are actually having a good time."
"Hope so," Juice replied, sighing softly. "Kenny is for sure, but I dunno about Ellie. Think she feels awkward."
Angela glanced over at Ellie who was boogie boarding with her brother, both of them laughing together. "I dunno. She's warming up to you, that's for sure. Was real sweet of you to hang back while Ken and I did the coaster. Definitely not like Mr. Cyclone Ortiz, the roller coaster enthusiast," she teased, remembering how much he loved the old Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island.
Juice chuckled, shrugging a shoulder. "Could tell she didn't want to go. Didn't want her to get sick on the ride or feel like we're forcin' her. Plus, that coaster's got nothin' on the Cyclone."
God, she loved him. How he had connected with the pre-teen girl had warmed her heart. She saw the way Ellie looked at him with a sense of admiration, the way she'd taken pictures just to show him. He'd praised each and every image, teaching her little things as they went. Angela had never seen Ellie smile so big or so much. "Definitely didn't," she replied with a content sigh. "Was fun though. I woulda hung back with her if you wanted to go with Ken."
"Nah, think that woulda made Ell feel worse. Like I was babyin' her or some shit. I didn't mind skippin' the coaster. Kinda fun showin' Ellie how to use the camera anyway. Somethin' different."
"That's...wow. Who knew you spoke pre-teen girl," she said around a laugh. "You surprise me every day, goof."
He shrugged a shoulder as if it was nothing, pulling down the brim of his hat again. "Good. Gotta keep things exciting. Keep ya guessin'," he replied around a yawn. " 'm gonna nap. Then I'm gonna need help building a massive sandcastle."
God, she loved him. Loved how big his heart was. He was going to make a great dad someday, she mused. She froze at the thought like she did every time she thought of the future. This wasn't the first time the idea of having babies with Juice had crossed her mind; her aunt talked about it all the time. She could see it. A beautiful baby or two with his caramel skin and smile. They'd take weekend trips to the beach and run around Teller Morrow, loving every minute of being around the motorcycles. They'd be smart as hell, no doubt. Her heart fluttered a little at the fantasy; it was the first time she realized how badly she wanted that kind of future. How she wanted to build a little family with him. "Hey Juice?" she asked, knowing he wasn't' asleep yet. He grunted in response. "You want kids, right?"
She couldn't see the top half of his face, but she could tell his brows were furrowed. "With you? Yeah, 'course. Bunch of 'em."
"A bunch?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
He nodded, yawning again. "They'll be pretty and smart like you. All fifty of 'em."
He was messing with her now. She could tell by the smirk on his face. "Yeah? What are we going to name these fifty children?"
"Dyna, Harley, Redwood, Reaper, Anarchy," he replied, continuing with the joke.
"Sound more like dog names."
He shrugged a shoulder. "We can have fur babies too."
"Gonna need a bigger house," she commented, enjoying making these exaggerated plans with him especially since he wasn't remotely freaked out by talking about the future.
"Buy you a mansion. Up in the hills."
"With a pool?"
"Big pool with a water slide," he confirmed on a nod. "Make it go from the house to the pool."
Angela smiled, leaning over to catch his lips in a soft kiss. "Love that. None of that's necessary, though. Long as I have you, I don't need the water slide," she told him, tapping her forehead to his. "And I'm not havin' fifty kids, or down there is gonna be like a water slide. Just shootin' them all out."
He considered it for a moment before giving her a wicked grin. "I'd still ride it. Best slide ever."
She smacked his chest, fighting against a laugh. "Ew! Goof!"
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his chest, both of them laughing now. She nuzzled her nose against his, enjoying the warmth of his skin against hers, the feel of his calloused hand as it settled into the dip of her back. "Not lyin', though," he said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "We got time, though. Don't want to rush anythin'."
Angela nodded, smacking a kiss to his lips. She didn't mind moving slowly if it meant more moments like these where they could just enjoy each other's company without any distractions. The future had so many things to look forward to, and as long as she had Juice, she was happy to wait for them to happen. She set her head down on his chest with a happy sight. "Definitely no need to rush anythin'. 'm happy right where we are."
~'~'~'~'~'~
Just some fluffy stuff before heading back to Charming and diving into Season 2!
Happy New Year to you all!! Thank you for sticking with me! :)
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