Juice stared at the programming code on his work computer without really seeing it. Rubbing at his tired eyes, he focused on the pictures he had pinned to his cubicle wall instead. Pictures of Kenny in his football uniform, Evie in her princess dress, Angela in her little black dress from their last work party, a picture of the four of them together on their vacation to Disney World. He'd worked his whole life to be a part of a family like the one he had now, and it hurt like hell to be away from them. It didn't help that he hadn't heard from his wife once that day. He checked his phone again, typing out a quick text to her and making sure to add just enough emojiis to make her smile. Tapping his fingers on his desk, he watched the screen waiting to see the little bubble that told him she was typing back. So far, nothing. "C'mon, baby," he muttered, a bad feeling sinking into his gut. Sighing, he picked up his phone and went to his favorite contacts, pressing Kenny's number and hoping his son would give him some insight as to why she wasn't answering.
"Hey Dad," Kenny's voice was tired as he answered. It made sense since he'd just had one long ass flight and it was still early over there. "Was just about to call ya. What's up?"
"Nothin' just...wanted make sure you guys got in all right," he replied, feeling the ache of loneliness ease a bit at the sound of his son's voice. "Everything good over there?"
He yawned into the phone. " 's far as I know. Haven't seen Mama yet. Skeet said she was hanging out at the cemetery earlier, but I think she went to see Lena already."
"Must be why she's not answering," Juice muttered more to himself then to Kenny. "You staying at the Alvarez place?"
"Nah. I'm at the funeral home. Jazz is only here for a week 'fore she's got orientation, so once she's gone, I'ma help out here. Get a refresher on all the dead people stuff 'fore I start goin' to legit school for it."
Juice bobbed his head, proud of his son's worth ethic. "Good plan, Kendo. Always good to get a head start," he encouraged, playing with the stress ball on his desk. "You heard from your Ma at all today? She said she caught some bug on the plane that's fuckin' with her stomach. 's makin' me a little worried. Think she's avoidin' me 'cause she doesn't want to go to the doctors."
"I talked to her earlier just to see when to head over to Lena's. She didn't say anything about being sick though. I'll keep an eye out for it. Let you know when you really need to start pushin'," he assured him. "How are you?"
He sighed, raking his hands through his thick hair. "Fine, I guess. Wish I could be there with you guys."
"But you're dead here, so you can't," Kenny reminded him. "Which sucks because we all need you here... 'specially Mama. But you can't come so...don't stress her out anymore by like...surprising her, okay?"
For a moment, Juice felt a strange sort of happiness when he heard Kenny say he was needed. They'd been a strong family unit for a couple of years now, yet he still couldn't believe he had a real family that wanted and need him around. It blew his mind sometimes. "Okay."
" 's gonna be bad enough keepin' Eves quiet about you. Dunno how Ma's gonna explain that to her 'fore they meet up with Chibs."
"They're not meeting up with Chibs," Juice stated hoping to God that was the case. Angela knew how strongly he felt about keeping the Scot away from his daughter; she'd never go behind his back and meet up with him. "She promised."
Kenny was quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Chibs' got this kinda obsession with...the Dead Dad club. Like...he always checks in on El and the Teller boys 'n' when I was here for El's graduation, he was like insistent that we get lunch together. He asked about Eves and Mom and...I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to meet Evie whether Mama had a say in it or not."
"Dead Dad club?" he repeated in disbelief, crushing the stress ball in a tight fist. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me with this shit, Ken."
"I kid you not. He feels real bad about it all. Ellie says he drives up to Berkeley sometimes to get coffee with her and talk about our Dad. He gives her cash, makes sure she's doin' all right. Think he feels guilty about everythin'," he explained thoughtfully.
Juice ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Jesus Christ, Ken. How come you didn't say anything?"
He could practically hear Kenny shrugging despite being in a different state. "El's a big girl. She can do whatever she wants, and I...I didn't want to upset you 'n' Ma. Nothin' happened. I asked him questions about my other Dad, stuff about when he was my age that you wouldn't know. Then he asked about Evie."
He felt like he was going to be sick. He hated the idea of Chibs of all people worrying about Evie. He was the one who forced their hand, made them leave Charming. If he'd only agreed to help him when he'd come to him that day in the diner, things would be totally different. "What'd you tell him about her?"
"Nothin' really. Just that she was happy. He asked for pictures, I showed him the one I had as my lock-screen but that's about it," he explained simply. "Oh. Also mentioned that she asked about her Daddy all the time. Made him feel like shit. Know it was bad, but after hearing what he said to you in that diner, I couldn't resist."
"That's my boy," Juice laughed feeling proud as hell of his kid. "Love you, Ken."
"I know, I know," he replied, a smile in his voice. "Love you too, Dad. But I gotta go. Gotta head to the hospital 'fore I give Jazzy the big Charming tour. Introduce her to my other parents."
His heart felt heavier when he thought of Opie and Donna and all of the other friends he'd lost over there. "Good. Say 'hi' to them for me and tell your Ma to call me please!"
He chuckled in response. "Will do. Later, Dad."
Juice said his goodbye and hung up the phone with a sigh. Sitting back in his chair, he chewed at a stray hangnail on his finger, deep in thought. Something didn't feel right. Angela was avoiding him which meant there was something she was hiding, but what could it be? Had she already met up with Chibs and was nervous about telling him? Maybe she was so happy about being back in Charming that she'd started to resent him for taking her out of there? What if his relationship was disintegrating before his very eyes and he wasn't there to stop it?
"Hey! Jay!" Dino's voice cut into his thoughts, making him sit upright with a jolt. "You all right, man?"
He nodded quickly, though it was a lie. "Yeah. Totally fine." At Dino's doubtful look, he sighed. "Ang isn't answering my texts. 'm worried she's mad at me for making her move out here and leave her family and then she's gonna wanna stay there or somethin'."
"You're crazy. She's probably busy," his brother-in-law reminded him.
"Yeah, but...she always answers my texts," he muttered to himself. "I just got this weird feelin' something's up."
A worried look crossed Dino's face. He was one of the few people who understood the bond he and Angela had since his and Jo's wasn't so different. "You think somethin' crazy happened? Know you guys were into a lot of weird stuff over there."
Juice shook his head, nodding to the laptop he had set up on his desk; his personal one. "Nah, I'd a gotten an alert. Hacked into all the servers I could over there. Law enforcement, hospitals, got Tig sending me info in Charming, Lino in Oakland, anythin' and everythin'. Somethin' bad happens and I'll know."
"Wow. Impressive," he replied, bobbing his head. He ran his fingers through his hair, chuckling softly. "Damn, I'm glad I hired you. Knew you were more than just some biker gang hacker."
"Intelligence officer," he corrected with a smirk. He'd long since given up correcting his sister and brother-in-law when they called the club a gang. That wasn't his life anymore; he didn't give a shit what they called it now. "After all we've been through, it's just...hard being away, y'know? Makes me nervous about her changing her mind somehow. 's not like I don't trust her I just...I'm still in disbelief that this all worked out. I'm just holdin' my breath, waiting for something bad to happen."
"Don't. It ain't about you, trust me," Dino assured him. "I get it though. Every so often, Jo takes a trip back to Queens to visit your Ma, 'n' I feel like the world has flipped upside down. Keep worrying she'll want to stay. I used to call her every hour 'fore she started a rule. Two calls a day. More if something big happens. 'course then she ends up callin' me all the time to bitch about everythin'."
Juice chuckled, shaking his head. "She's a lunatic."
He scowled playfully. "Hey, don't talk about my wife like that," he defended, but his smile shone through. "In all seriousness, though, if you need to leave, go. Take your computer and work from Cali. 's not like you're working so hard over here, all distracted and shit. Plus, you might actually be able to help us over there."
He tilted his head to the side at the suggestion. Dino's company was based in Texas with a satellite office in New York; both offices far from California. "How?"
"We're lookin' to expand a bit. Thinkin' of putting a satellite office out in Silicon Valley since that's where all the techie shit is jumpin' off. Might be good for us to be thrown in the mix," he explained on a shrug. "You know Cali. You could go over there and scout locations."
Juice considered it for a moment, wondering how much trouble he'd get in with Angela if he just went and blamed it on work. " 's not a bad idea. She'd kill us both, though."
"Jo too," Dino agreed on a shrug. "But, hey, you're already dead over there so...she can't really make you any deader, right?"
They both laughed at that. It was easy to make fun of the situation from a million miles away, but Juice knew as soon as he set foot in California, it would become all too real. "Guess not. I'll think about it. Feel Ang out and see how long she think she'll be there."
"Fair enough. Let me know when you figure it out. Gotta prep your sister. Know Ang put her in charge of keepin' you here."
Juice smirked; he secretly loved how well Angela and Jo got along. They were incredibly close, often times ganging up on their husbands to get their way. "Those two are a dangerous combination."
"Don't I know it." He looked over to where some of the other programmers were leaning over a computer. "I gotta go. Make sure the rest of the nerds are workin'."
"Good luck with that. Last time I checked they were Pokemon-ing," Juice muttered, going back to his work.
Dino looked over at the crowd, tilting his head to the side. "Anythin' good?"
"Just another Pidgey," Juice said flatly. "Whole office is filled with fuckin' Pidgeys."
"Don't I know it," he muttered, crestfallen. "But I need one more to evolve mine so...I'll see yeah later."
"Loser." He snorted, laughing lightly as he opened his own Pokemon app and scrolled through to check what he had.
------------------
Chloe stared at Elena's chart for the hundredth time. She'd had it practically memorized, but she still studied it, trying to see if she'd missed anything while she waited for her latest lab results in front of the hospital's lab. Drumming her fingers on the counter, she glared at the tech sitting in front of the computer. "There a reason they're taking years back there?"
"Just busy," the lab tech, Miguel, answered on a shrug. "Chill. 's not like she's gonna die, right?"
"She dies, and I kill you," she threatened, sick of his lazy ass. She knew he got labs through faster for nurses that sucked up to him, but she refused; it wasn't in her DNA to brown nose, people needed to do their jobs the right way regardless of personal opinions. He didn't seem that intimidated and kept messing around on the computer, muttering something to himself. Chloe felt like reaching over and throttling him.
Graciela breezed in, grinning at her as she approached the counter. "Hola Miguelito, mi amor," she greeted the tech. "How's your wife doing?"
Miguel smiled at her, shrugging his shoulder. "She's real good, Graci. She wanted me to thank you for the tamales. Said it was just what she was craving," he told her with a big grin.
"Good! I'll give you the recipe, so you can make them for her," she promised, winking at him. "Did you get my results, mijito?"
"Let me check," he said, pushing away from the computer and heading towards the back.
Chloe stared at them in disbelief. "When did you turn those labs in? Yesterday?"
Graciela laughed, checking her watch for a moment. "No, like five minutes ago. Why? What are you waiting on?"
"Five minutes ago?" she questioned, dumbfounded. "Seriously? I've been waiting on labs for hours now! They're Lena's and...and..."
"Ssshh callate, nena. Elena's going to be just fine," she said, patting her arm lovingly. "I'll tell him to rush them." (Shut up, girl.)
Chloe sighed softly, raking a hand through her hair. "What are you here for? You usually get someone else to run samples to the lab for you."
"I was bored," she answered on a shrug, though the smile tugging at her lips told her the older woman might be lying.
Miguel handed her the test results with a small smile. "Think you got some good news to give."
Graciela's smile was almost identical to Angela's as she took the read out from him. "Thank you, Miguel," she replied, folding the paper and tucking it into her front pocket. "And please, get the poor girl Elena Lowman's labs. She's my sister, you know. I want the best treatment for her."
"On it. Give me ten minutes," he said, hopping to it and going to the back.
"See? A little kindness goes a long way. I always tell my nephew that. You get more bees with honey than vinegar, sabes?" she told Chloe, a patronizing tone to her voice.
After working with Graciela for almost two years, Chloe understood why she and Angela butted heads so much. The older woman drove her nuts! She thought she knew everything. "Yes, ma'am," she answered on a polite smile. "What's the good news?"
"Don't worry about it, mijita," she said on a flippant shrug.
She grimaced at those words, shaking her head at her. "If I had a nickel for every time someone from your family said that to me, I'd be so rich..."
Graciela laughed, shaking her head. "You should start cashing in on it. I'm going to go check on my sister. You let me know when her labs come in, okay?"
Chloe nodded, watching her walk away with a sigh. Looking back over the counter, she smirked when she saw Miguel wasn't there. She took a look around to make sure to one was nearby before slipping behind the desk. Quickly, she leafed through the logbook behind it, brows furrowing together when she read the name of Graciela's patient. "Jane Doe," she muttered to herself. It was a place holder name, one used when they couldn't identify someone, yet Graciela seemed to know her patient well. She typed the patient's number into the computer database, looking over her information. The birthday, weight, height all lined up perfectly with one person. "Oh that whore."
"I got your...hey!" Miguel exclaimed indignantly. "You're not supposed to be on that!"
"I have clearance for it, thank you!" she replied, ignoring him. "I'm done anyway. Those my test results?"
"Yeah but..."
"Thanks." She grabbed them from his hand, not even bothering to look at them as she shoved it into Elena's file and heading out the door on a mission to find her so-called best friend. She found her standing outside of Elena's room with Graciela. The older woman was gesturing excitedly with her hands while Angela was looking sullenly at the paper in her hands. Chloe recognized that look and felt her anger dissipate; she was scared.
She approached them slowly, fighting the urge to smirk when Graciela immediately shut up. There wasn't much that could shut Graci up when she was on a tear, but Chloe had a feeling she quieted to stay on Angela's good side. They had so much bad history that she didn't want to jeopardize what little progress they'd made by spilling a secret. "Hate to interrupt...whatever this is, but can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, watching as Angela immediately straightened up, quickly masking whatever fear she'd been showing just seconds before.
"Yeah," Angela murmured, pushing off the wall and giving her mother a warning look before starting to head down the hall. "What's up?"
Chloe let out a long breath. "How far along are you?"
She blinked at her in response, her mouth agape for a moment before she recovered. "I'm sorry...what?"
"I saw the test results. Graci might've put a fake name, but she used your real birthday, weight, height, and blood type."
"You know my blood type?" Angela repeated, her brows drawn together in confusion.
Chloe rolled her eyes, huffing slightly. "Of course I do! You come to me with gunshot and stab wounds or your husband all beat up or you giving birth, so I know all of the Ortiz medical information just in case," she explained, trying her best to keep her voice down. "I've been through all that shit with you which is why I'm pissed that I'm the last one to know you're pregnant again!"
Angela's eyes widened, her hand flying up to cover Chloe's mouth. "Shut. Up. You are not the last one to know. You are third, okay?" she hissed, pushing her into an empty storage closet. "And I'm sorry I went to my Mom to ask her to test me, but she was the first one I saw, and you told Hap last time, and I can't have that happening because I haven't told Juice yet because I can't tell Juice because if I tell Juice, he'll come here, and he's dead here!"
"Woah, woah, woah," Chloe said, interjecting before she could ramble anymore. "Calm down. I get it! Just thought it was weird you went to your Mom and not me."
She shrugged a shoulder, raking her hand through her hair. "I...Dia was the one who caught it first and then I saw my real Mom and thought that maybe...maybe it was time to start letting her be my Mom," she explained softly. "Yeah, she treated me badly when I was a kid, but after thinking I'd lost Juice and having to see his smile on Evie's face every day, I...I understood where she was coming from. It hurt every time she smiled because I could see him in every inch of her face. It made me want to hold her closer, but I can see why my Mom thought it was easier to push me away. So I...I forgave her. Not to her face, of course, but...yeah...time to let her be a crazy, overbearing Mom."
Chloe fought the urge to smile at her best friend's emotional rambling; the pregnancy hormones were clearly in full effect. "Wow. You gonna tell her all that?"
Angela smirked in response, shaking her head. " 'course not. We don't talk about that shit."
"Right," she muttered, rolling her eyes. She was familiar with her family's 'we don't talk about feelings' policy. "You gotta tell Juice about the baby, though."
"I can't tell him, Chlo. Did you not hear me? He will come here, and they'll kill him."
Chloe shook her head slowly. "The club's different now, Ang. They don't do all the violent shit anymore. There hasn't been a lockdown since Jax died. They're moving in a different direction, and I seriously think Chibs would be happy about it. You can tell he still feels guilty about what happened."
"As he should," she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And even if that's the case, I'm not willing to risk my husband's life on it."
"Okay, so say you don't tell him. You don't tell him and he somehow doesn't find out you're pregnant for...however long it is that you're here for and when you finally get home, he meets you at the airport and you've got this big ass belly, or worse, a new baby in your arms, you don't think that would crush him?"
Angela lifted her chin stubbornly. "No. He'd understand."
"Bull shit," she replied quickly. "You don't think it would destroy him to know you kept something that big from him for that long? That once again, he couldn't be there to hold your hand through the appointments, to watch his baby being born...only this time it was because you felt you didn't need him? Because you didn't want him there."
"Of course I need him. I just need him alive," she stated, her hands clenched into fists. "You don't think I hate this? Because I do! We've been trying for over a year to have another one and got nothing! I come here for a week and find out that it finally happened? That's fucked up, Chlo!"
"It's more fucked up that you're considering not telling him! After all that waiting, you're just going to keep him out? That's fuckin' stupid! Tell him, Ang. Tell him or the relationship you fought so hard to keep together all these years will fall apart!" she shouted, frustrated by her friend. Angela looked like she'd been slapped which Chloe considered a triumph. Good. The girl needed a slap in the face figuratively or literally. She was just glad it came figuratively; she really wasn't in the mood to slap a pregnant lady. "I know you're coming from a good place but think big picture. This is something you'll have to deal with for the rest of your lives."
Angela sighed softly as she twisted the ring around her finger. "Fuck, I hate it when you make sense."
"So you're gonna tell him," she stated, opening the door for her.
"I'm gonna think about it," she conceded on a smirk.
Chloe rolled her eyes, hoping she made the right choice. "Just do it. Please."
She waved her off as they headed down the hall towards Elena's room. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"And congrats, Ang," she said, pulling her into a hug. "Elena's gonna be so excited for you. Might pick her up a bit. Give her a reason to fight a little harder."
Angela rubbed at her stomach, making a contemplative face. "That's a lot of pressure to put on a baby."
"Yeah, but its an Ortiz. You guys are stronger than most."
She grinned in response. "True that," she agreed. "I'm going to make sure my kid's not torturing my Aunt."
"Tell him, Ang," Chloe repeated just as Happy walked out of the hospital room. Angela scoffed, rolling her eyes again as she disappeared inside the room.
Happy raised an eyebrow at her. "Tell him what?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she told him, throwing his own words back at him.
He pulled a face, clearly displeased. "Fuck that."
She laughed lightly, standing on her toes to peck his cheek. "And now you understand why I hate those words," she said, patting his arm. "I gotta do my rounds. See you later?"
"You ain't gonna explain?"
"You gonna explain next time you tell me not to worry about somethin'?" she shot back, arms crossed over her chest.
"No."
"Then don't worry about it," she replied, walking away. She could feel his eyes on her back and turned to wink at him over her shoulder. He shook his head at her, the slightest hint of a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. It was gone just as quickly as it had come, yet it still made her day. Making Happy smile was a rare feat, so she made it into a game, keeping track of how many times a day she did it. That smile was number three, and it wasn't even noon yet.
----------------
Angela sat on Esai's bed with her laptop open, wondering if Juice would be close enough to his computer to answer her video call. It'd taken her a few hours to work up the nerve to call him, and now that the line was ringing, her stomach was churning with nerves. The line finally connected and Juice's smiling face popped onto the screen. "Hey baby!" Juice's voice came over the speaker. "Almost missed ya! I'm at work so...what's up? Everything okay?"
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Right. He was at work. Because they were a normal couple now, and her husband had a steady nine to five job. "Yeah. Everything's...fine," she stated distractedly.
His eyes searched her face for a moment before his smile faded. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Of course he saw right through her. They'd been together too long, knew each other too well for it to be any different. A flicker of hope filled her; this was the right decision. He had to know. He had to know so they could celebrate together despite the distance between them. "Yeah. Just...you know that bug I've been fighting for the past couple of days?"
The worry on his face intensified as he nodded. "Yeah."
"I finally asked my Mom about it," she said, running her hand through her hair. "Got some tests done and stuff..."
"And?" he pressed, leaning forward into the computer.
"She said it might be a couple of months 'fore I start feeling better," she told him, wondering if he'd understand.
His eyes widened, fear coming over his face. "Months?" he asked in shock. "Holy shit! Is it some kind of mutant virus? Can you treat it? Who the hell brought that mutant virus on the plane?"
She felt her fear ease a bit at how cute he looked when he was worried. "Not from the plane, baby. I got it from you, actually."
"Me?" he repeated, his eyebrows raised. "Baby, I haven't been sick in years! How could I have been the one to give you a bug?"
"It's not a bug, it's a baby, ya goof!"
He blinked at her for a second, his brows furrowing in confusion. It took him a minute to process before the biggest smile spread across his face. "A baby?" he repeated in awe. "Really, Angel?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Really, really."
"Holy shit! We're having another baby!" he shouted, raising his hands in triumph.
She heard scattered clapping and shouts of joy and congrats from around him. "Goof! Shush! You're at work!" she reminded on a laugh.
He didn't seem to care though, since he pulled off his headphones and shouted. "D! You're gonna be an uncle again!"
"Fuck yeah!" came Dino's response. A huge dimpled grin was on his face as he ducked into Juice's cubicle. "Congrats, Angie! That's awesome! How far along are you?"
Juice went quiet as he put his headphones back in to hear her answer. She bit her lip as she shrugged. "Just a couple weeks. Dia caught it first and then my Mom ran a test at the hospital to be sure. Set up an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow."
"Hold on a sec, Angel," Juice replied, putting her on mute as he looked up at Dino. He unmuted it after a moment before grinning at her. "What time?"
Dread filled her; she knew exactly why he was asking her the time. He was already planning on taking the trip over. "Juice...no. You can't come here."
"I'ma talk to Hap and figure it out. I'll stay in Oakland if that's what it takes, but I'm not leaving you alone," he promised passionately. "Didn't put you first with Monk. Not making that mistake again."
She swallowed hard as she shook her head. "No, Juice. Its not safe. Please don't..."
Juice stood up, walking with the laptop to a conference room for privacy. She heard him lock it behind him before he settled down in one of the cushy chairs. "Think of the guys at the table now, Angel," he said, keeping how voice low. "Hap, Tig, and Quinn. Vote needs to be unanimous for Mayhem. You can't tell me those guys would say 'yes'. Not under Chibs' rule. Chibs' doesn't have the leverage to pull for that."
"Yeah, but you being here, alive, could put Hap, Tig, and Quinn in some deep shit," she explained, doing her best to discourage him. "I'll come home, Juice. Don't come here. It's fine. I'll say my goodbye to Lena and just come home."
"You can't leave Lena, Angel. Not now. You gotta be there for her. You leave, and its something you'll regret for the rest of your life. I don't want that on my conscience."
Angela shook her head. She knew he was right in a way, but there was no way she'd tell him. She had to keep him away at all costs. "Please, Juice. I can't lose you. Baby won't be here for nine months, okay? The early stuff is lame anyway. You can't see anything, and I'm not showing or anything so its okay."
She watched him clench his jaw, looking away as he ran a hand over his face. She'd seen this lost look before, this look of utter hopelessness, and she hated it. It brought back memory upon memory of the worst part of her life. His shoulders lifted and fell as he took in a deep breath. "I hate this," he rasped, shaking his head. "I should be there. I want to be there. Please, Angel. Just let me go. 'm goin' crazy here without you. Don't want to be alone out here anymore. Let me talk to Hap."
"No," she insisted, wiping at her eyes. "Stay strong, Juice. Its okay. I'm telling you, you're not missing anything. I'll come home as soon as I can. Probably before this little bug starts looking like a person. Okay?"
He shook his head again. "No, its not okay. Not at all. I want to be there, Angel. With you and with Eves. I'm tired of SAMCRO ruinin' my life. I never did anythin' wrong. Never ratted, nothin'. This shit ain't fair."
Angela gave him a sad smile. "I know," she murmured before letting out a long breath. "We'll be home soon, baby. Just hold on. I'll send you pictures and stuff. Maybe I'll convince Chlo to let me video chat with you at the appointment. You can ask all your questions and shit, okay?"
With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah, okay."
"Okay," she repeated, wiping at her eyes. She was proud of herself for not breaking down completely in front of him. "Juice, I love you. Only reason I'm pushing you away is because I want you to stay safe. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do, baby," he replied, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "Just wish you'd let me help you. Hate to think you're doin' this all alone...again. This is...we've been trying for this for so long, and its finally happenin' and I'm here and you're there and it sucks."
She felt a lump form in her throat as she nodded. "I know, baby. Wish it could be different, but it can't. Don't forget why we left. Wasn't just for shit and giggles."
Juice sighed, moving his fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Angel. This is all on me."
Angela recognized the defeated look in his eyes, the guilt that made his shoulders slump; this was not good for him. He'd been struggling a bit ever since he'd left Charming. Most days, he was okay, but every so often, he'd have these intense nightmares, bouts of depression, all brought on by the smallest things. Usually she was there to pull him out of it, make him go running with her or take the kids out for the day, or even just give him some space. She worried about what he would do without her there to take care of him. "No it's not, Juice. Don't go there. We're okay. Happy, healthy, and alive. Remember, that's the only thing that's your fault. Our happily ever after."
He snorted a bit, rolling his eyes at her. "If you say so."
"I do," she told him, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Now get somewhere private. I'm all alone and have some very, very pretty panties on."
Juice groaned, shaking his head at her. "You tryin' to distract me with sex?"
"It working?"
He considered it, tilting his head to the side a moment. She took advantage of his hesitance and pulled her shirt off, revealing one of his favorite lacy bras. His eyes grew wide as he leaned in closer. "Oh, its definitely working. Door's locked, shades are drawn. Show me those panties."