Seize Control

"Mom?"

Juliette bounded down the stairs two at a time until she reached the last one and looked around the apparently empty bottom floor. She shrugged to herself as she pulled on her black boots at the front door then grabbed her bag and left the house. She figured that if Gemma wasn't at home, she'd be in the office at the garage so she went there first.

When she parked her car and got out, she saw her stepfather, along with Tig and Piney, standing in the middle of the lot staring at the office, where the door was swung open. She walked over to them and looked in the direction they were, now seeing her mother inside the office slamming drawers and slinging papers all over the place. She glanced back at the three men who were just silently taking in the sight of her mother practically going crazy.

"Um, what's wrong with her?"

Clay tore his eyes away from his wife's meltdown and shook his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for mom so we could go Christmas shopping. But now I see that she's.....preoccupied."

"Yeah," he chuckled. He reached into his back pocket for his wallet and opened it to pull out the gold credit card inside, handing it over to his stepdaughter. "Go without her."

"Are you sure?" she asked, gently swiping the card from his hand.

"Take Juice."

"Dad, I don't need a babysitter."

He shrugged his shoulders as he slid his sunglasses down over his eyes. "I don't care. I don't need him today. Juice!"

Juice immediately dropped the wrench he was using and wiped the grease off his hands with a rag as he walked over to them. "Yeah?"

"Go with her."

"Yes sir," he replied without question. Clay headed toward the office while Tig and Piney went back toward the garage to work, leaving Juice and Juliette standing there alone. He turned his head toward her as he raised his hands which were stained almost black. "I'm gonna go wash up first."

"I'll be waiting."

She watched him silently as he made his way into the clubhouse before she went into the garage to annoy Tig while he worked. She hopped up onto the edge of the car he was working on and stared at him until he sighed and looked up at her. "What're ya doin', kid?"

"Nothing," she smiled.

"Yeeeeah right."

"What do you want for Christmas, Tiggy?"

"A few hookers and a bottle of whiskey."

"Wow, only a few this year?"

"I'm tryna cut back."

She laughed. "Right."

"Seriously don't get me anything. I hate getting gifts."

"Well, Mom always gets you guys gifts so it's my duty to do exactly what she does."

Tig rolled his eyes at her as he picked up a wrench. "No, Julie."

"Alright, fine. I won't buy anything for you. But you know Mom's just gonna go do it later."

"Stubborn ass."

She grinned at him. She wasn't sure if he was calling her mother that or calling her that, but either way it was true.

A short time later, Juice emerged from the clubhouse, showered and in clean clothes. "Wow, look at you all clean."

"Just for you," he grinned. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." She jumped down from the car and walked over to Juice, who was heading toward his bike. "Um, I'm not gonna be able to fit all my bags on that, you know."

"I know. I'm gonna follow behind you."

"That's stupid. Just ride with me."

He chuckled. "Let you drive me around town?"

She glared at him and pulled her key out of the pocket of her gray shorts, holding it out to him. "I'll let you drive then."

"I get to drive the camaro? You don't even like Jax driving it."

"Well then you should feel very special."

He rolled his eyes as she took the keys from her hand and headed over to Juliette's car. She jumped into the passenger seat while he climbed in the driver's side. The ride to town was quiet, except for her asking him to go to certain stores.

He parked the car outside her favorite boutique and got out, following her inside. The two women who worked there greeted her as she came in the door, but they eyed Juice nervously. Juliette walked around slowly, looking at practically everything. She glanced up and saw the look on Juice's face, somewhere between annoyed and bored.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up from the rack of clothing he'd been staring at and furrowed his eyebrows at her. "For what?"

"That you have to babysit me."

"I think of it more as escorting you."

"Well, regardless, I'm sorry you always have to follow me around."

"Clay just wants you to be protected."

"I know, but still."

He smiled. "You know I don't mind."

She sighed and went back to her browsing the racks of clothing, pulling a few items out and draping them over her arm. After thirty minutes or so, she turned back to him, her arm full of clothes. "Okay, I'm done. I should probably try this stuff on to make sure it fits my giant ass before I buy it, but I'm just too lazy today."

She took off toward the counter to pay and he couldn't help but pay attention as she walked away from him. After all, she had been the one to point it out. He stayed rooted to his spot while she paid for the clothes then returned to him with three large ivory bags.

"What's next?" he asked as he pushed the door open for her.

She shrugged her shoulders as she opened the car door and set the bags in the back and shut it back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm kind of bored of shopping. Let's just go get some food."

"Sure."

She took off toward the diner and he followed a step behind her. Since the lunch hour rush had passed, it was relatively empty, minus the few elderly people who spent their entire days there drinking coffee. She sat down at a booth near the front while Juice stepped back outside to answer his ringing phone. While she was waiting for her order to be taken, her eyes traveled out the window where Juice was standing on the sidewalk with his phone pressed to his ear and a frustrated look on his face.

She couldn't help the crush that hadn never gone away. There were so many things about him: how even though he was with her as protection, he treated her like an actual person rather than a child who needed to be watched like a hawk; how he felt more like a friend than just one of her dad's guys; even the smallest things like the way he twisted the gold ring on his middle finger while he was talking on the phone and how he fiddled with the buttons on his cut.

"Julie?"

At the sound of her name being spoken, she snapped out of her thoughts and turned toward the voice, breaking out into a big smile when she saw the person standing next to her table. "Hey, Kip."

Juice sighed annoyed as he hung up the phone and ran his hands down his face. He pulled the door open and reentered the diner, stopping short when he saw the guy standing next to the table talking to Juliette. He had seen the guy around town but he didn't know how Juliette knew him. He approached the table and slid into the booth across from her silently. Kip instantly stiffened up and became very nervous.

"Well, I should get going. Gotta get back to work," he gave as a lame excuse.

As soon as he could, he was out the door, leaving Juice laughing and Juliette rolling her eyes.

"Well you coulda cut that tension with a knife."

"It's your fault."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"Just wearing that cut is enough."

"How do you know that guy?" As the intelligence officer of the club, Juice was trained to be nosy investigate in every situation. The fact that he had particular personal interest in this situation might've also had an impact.

"I just met him in the park while I was out jogging one day. He's become a good friend."

"A good friend," he repeated. "And that's all?"

She looked down from his eyes guiltily and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity. "Jules?"

She chuckled nervously and she shook her head. "I can't talk to you about this."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't expect you to keep things from Dad and Jax."

"You and the Club are two separate things."

"I know, but they're your President and VP. If they were to ask you-"

"Don't you trust me any more than that?"

"You know I do."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just different when it's really personal information."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, Jules, you didn't-......"

She sighed, not answering his question, which was an answer in itself.

"There's no way that kid's your age which means it's illegal, Jules!"

"I know."

His fists clenched on the seafoam green table top. "I should kick his ass."

"He didn't know, Juice. I told him I was eighteen."

"Why would you lie?"

"Because I knew he wouldn't do it if he knew the truth."

Juice shook his head. "Why would you do that anyway?"

"Remember all my dumb high school shit? Well, I was upset about it that day in particular."

"That's really stupid."

"That's not even the stupidest part."

"What is?"

She dropped her face into her palms her now small voice muffled slightly. "It was my first."

His eyes widened. "Jesus Christ, Jules, what the hell were you thinking? That was really fucking stupid."

"I know, okay? I don't need your lecture. I just need your word that you're not going to tell anyone."

"I told you I wouldn't."

"Good."

Silence and tension overtook them and Juliette looked everywhere but his face. She did feel better now that it wasn't a complete secret anymore but she did hope he would keep his promise and not tell her stepfather or brother.