Fate Misunderstood

"Jules, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she shrugged, flipping on her blinker to turn right out of the hospital parking lot. "What is it?"

"Before you left, you said you wanted me to know how you felt. I guess I'm just wondering....." He trailed off, shaking his head as if deciding it was better not to finish his sentence.

Juliette chuckled, glancing over at him for only a moment before she focused on the road again. "I've had a crush on you since we met when I was fourteen. You were just unattainable then. When I moved to Seattle, I packed away everything in my mind that related to Charming because it was easier to move on that way. Still, I found myself asking about you every time I talked to Kip; he teased me about it relentlessly. When I turned around and saw you standing in my living room the other day, I just-....I guess I didn't move on as much as I thought."

"You sayin' you still feel that way?"

She licked her lips as she paused to contemplate his question, but then she nodded as she slowed down to make a left onto his street. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Yeah, good."

Nothing more was said on the subject and it was only another mile or so until they arrived at their destination. The grayish tan stucco house was small, but it was actually pretty nice. He didn't spend a lot of the money he made through the club unless he was doing something to his bike, so what he didn't save, he put into the house. She pulled into his driveway and put her car into park, switching it off before turning to look at him. "Race you to the door."

Before he even realized what she'd said, she was out of the car and running down the short path that led to his front door. He quickly hopped out of the passenger side, but his side still felt bruised so he wasn't very fast. She was standing on the top step, ankles crossed as she leaned against the door when he finally caught up with her.

"I can't even count that as a race because you're so crippled. Do you really think you can have sex in this condition?"

"I can and I will," he affirmed, reaching around her to unlock the black front door. She followed him inside the house, dropping her car keys on the coffee table in the middle of the small living room as she looked around. The last time she'd been inside his house was a few months before she left Charming five years prior. Things hadn't changed much, so it was more of a walk down memory lane for her. She walked around the table to sit down on the sofa, but before she could reach it, he'd grabbed onto her hand and held her back, shaking his head.

He led her wordlessly down the short hallway to the larger of the house's two bedrooms. It was simple, severely lacking every color of the rainbow, but it was much cleaner than the last time she'd been there. There were no dirty clothes littering the wooden floor and the thick black comforter on his king sized bed was neatly made up. Beyond that, she didn't see much else because he was spun her around and then his lips were on hers.

Juliette's hands slid up his shoulders to the back of his neck and he hooked his fingers in the belt loops of her jeans, yanking her forward into his chest. He wasted no time in slipping his hands under the loose fabric of her tank top and pushing it up her torso until she broke the kiss to pull it over her head and toss it behind her.

She kicked her boots off while he sat down to unlace his and a picture frame caught her eye, where it sat on top of the dresser. She walked over to it while he was peeling off his hoodie and she picked it up, her eyes scrutinizing it. It was an old photo, probably back from when she was about sixteen, and she didn't even remember it being taken. In the picture, Juice was standing with his arms crossed over his chest as he laughed at something outside the frame and Juliette was standing behind him, her arms wrapped firmly around him and her cheek resting against his shoulder blade, also laughing.

He walked up behind her, sliding his hands around to her sides and pulling her back against him as he ducked his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. "It's the only one I had."

She smiled as she set the frame back down and turned around to face him, lacing her arms around his neck. "I can't believe you have it framed in your room," she said softly before leaning up to kiss him again. He reacted immediately, his hands sliding up her back to bring her closer as his tongue tangled with hers. He reached down to pop the button of her jeans and then he moved his hands back up to her hips, pushing her jeans and panties down just far enough to slip one hand between her legs.

He pushed her back against his dresser, his hand moving in a maddeningly slow rhythm and she whined in protest until he shut her up by sliding a warm finger into her already wet center. She hissed in pleasure and threw her head back as he began to pump it in and out of her while using his thumb to rub circles over her clit. He leaned over her, attaching his lips to her neck as she held onto his strong shoulders, unable to do anything but gasp and moan as he pleasured her.

Eventually, Julie found the strength to push him back just enough to give her room to slide off the top of the dresser and she immediately reached for the bottom of his tee shirt, yanking it over his head and throwing it to the side. She softly ran her fingertips down his sculpted chest to his belt buckle and she undid it swiftly before unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. She pressed a simple kiss to his lips before ducking her head to do the same at the base of his throat. She left a trail all the way down his chest and stomach until she knelt down in front of him to press one more against the skin just above the waistband of his boxer briefs. She reached up, hooking her fingers into the waistband and very slowly dragging them down his hips and legs before letting him step out of them. Her blue eyes met his dark ones when she looked up at him, innocently biting her bottom lip as she gingerly wrapped her hand around his dick and slowly moved it up and down. "Shit," he muttered, breaking eye contact as he shut his eyes and took in a deep breath.

He took the time to enjoy it for awhile before he pulled her up to stand and then hauled her over his shoulder, forgetting all about the soreness in his side. She squealed as he carried her over to the bed and dropped her on her back. He leaned over to slide her jeans and panties the rest of the way off her body before he climbed onto the bed beside her, connecting their lips again as he reached down to shove her thighs apart, his fingers teasing her again.

She sighed into his mouth and he grinned as he pulled away, but she groaned in frustration from the sudden ceasing of his hand and shoved his back into the mattress, hitching her leg over his hip and rolling over to straddle him. She could feel his arousal against her and in retaliation for his teasing, she very slowly ground her hips down into his. "Ah, fuck," he groaned, moving his hands up to her chest. He slid them around to her back, swiftly unfastening the hook and yanking the material down her shoulders before tossing it out of sight.

Juice quickly flipped them over so that he was back on top of her, between her legs, and he rested one hand against the mattress next to her body, using the other to cup her left breast while he lowered his mouth to her right, using his tongue to tease the nipple before his lips closed around it. She sighed contentedly as she reached up to brush her fingers over the back of his neck and the tops of his shoulders, tracing intricate patterns in the skin.

He sat back on his knees, his hands running up and down her smooth legs as he took a moment to admire the woman below him. While his eyes were roaming across the planes of her body, her eyes stayed glued to his face. She desperately wanted to know what he was thinking as he silently observed her, lying completely bare beneath him, her chest rising and falling more rapidly than normal thanks to the effect his mouth and hands had on her.

"Goddamn, you're perfect," he murmured. He suddenly felt like slowing things down as she looked up into his eyes and he leaned forward, slowly sliding his hands up her sides. He wanted to feel every one of her ribs beneath his fingertips, wanted to see every little bump that rose on her skin as a result of the chills she got from the feeling of his warm breath ghosting over her stomach. He pressed a kiss to the center of her chest as his fingers traced the black words inked into the skin just under her left breast before he moved up to kiss the very faint scar on her cheek.

Juliette brushed her fingers over his cheek causing him to pull back to look at her and she leaned up to connect their lips gain. His hand traveled down between her legs again as they kissed and he rubbed her in slow circles. When he broke the kiss and sat back again, he wrapped his hand around his dick at about half his length and rubbed the tip teasingly up and down her slit, coating himself with her wetness in the process.

They both groaned as he slipped inside her, filling her completely. He slowly eased himself out of her and then back in a few times to get her used to his size before he picked up the pace. He leaned down to kiss her as he began to move steadily and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down so that his chest was flush against hers. The friction of his hips moving against hers was shooting waves of pleasure through her body and she moaned softly before sinking her teeth into her bottom lip to quiet herself.

He stilled his hips, causing her to open her eyes and look up at him in question. "What is it?" she asked breathlessly.

"There's nobody here but us so I don't want you holdin' back. Scream if you feel like screamin'."

She chuckled and licked her lips before tilting her head up to whisper in his ear. "If you don't start fucking me, I am going to scream." He thrusted his hips against hers roughly, causing her to gasp in surprise and pleasure and him to laugh. "Oh my God," she moaned, raising her hips to meet his next thrust and he hit the spot inside her, making her eyes flutter shut as he worked to move deeper so that he could hit it every time.

She slid her hands around his sides to his back, feeling the rippling of his muscles as he moved against her and she sank her nails into the skin, leaving light scratches. He lowered his mouth to her neck, sucking and nibbling the skin as his ragged breathing hit her ears. She was quickly spiraling down toward her release so she draped her legs over his hips, allowing him to reach even deeper spots inside her as she moaned in approval.

Julie knew he was close too when he picked up the pace even more, their hips meeting at such a rate that the headboard began to slam against the wall with every thrust. Her entire body started feeling tingly as she neared her orgasm and she reached one hand down between them, but he was quick to push it away when he realized what she was going for, insisting on doing it himself.

Within a few seconds of his fingers pressing against her clit, she reached her peak, letting out a loud moan as her walls tightened around his dick, which only increased the friction between them. He kept his pace as her back arched off the mattress and upward into him and she shuddered at the intense feelings of pleasure coursing through her body. She relaxed a bit as her orgasm receded and he knew that soon she would be extremely sensitive so he picked up the pace, driving himself to his own release. She sighed and groaned softly as she grasped at his back and he bucked his hips against hers once more, feeling his body finally let go as he spilled himself inside her.

Once he rolled over onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling, his ragged breathing making his chest rise and fall rapidly. He reached out one arm and grabbed her, pulling her body closer to him and he felt her lace her fingers with his, When he finally caught his breath, he pulled the sheets up over them and turned over onto his side to face her, sliding one arm under her head as he pulled her even closer to his chest. His other arm draped over her body, tracing patterns into her bare side as she turned her head to look into his eyes.

"How's the soreness?"

"I stopped feelin' it the second you grabbed my dick." Juliette laughed and shook her head before letting out a soft yawn. "Tired?" he asked softly and she just hummed affirmatively as her eyes fluttered shut. "Get some rest, babe." Juice pressed a gentle kiss to the pinkish scar on her shoulder before leaning back against his pillow and letting sleep overtake him.

It was the sound of his prepaid cell phone on the nightstand that finally roused him from the best sleep he'd ever had. He realized as he carefully slid his arm out from under Juliette's head that neither of them had moved the entire night, instead staying tangled up in each other just like they'd fallen asleep. He leaned over the side of the bed to reach the phone and when he flipped it open, he answered it softly in order to keep from disturbing her.

"We need ya at the clubhouse. Gotta get some info ASAP," was what Chibs said in lieu of a greeting.

"Yeah, alright. I'll be there in a few."

Juice hung up without a response, not that Chibs would have given him one, and he tossed his phone back onto the nightstand before rolling over to face Juliette. He propped himself up on one elbow, lazily running his fingertips up and down her arm, the only part of her exposed to the cool morning air. Goosebumps instantly rose on her skin and he smiled to himself as he leaned down closer to her ear. "I gotta get to the clubhouse," he muttered, brushing his finger over her cheek. Still half asleep, she only hummed in response.

He carefully pulled the comforter down from right under her chin and leaned down to press his lips to the small bruise he'd left on her throat before moving back to the spot just below her ear and leaving a trail of kisses all the way to her collar bone. She didn't respond at first, so he continued his travels downwards, his head soon disappearing beneath the sheets.

Juliette was fully awake now, but she didn't move to let him know that, too thoroughly enjoying the treatment he was using to rouse her from her sleep. She felt his lips brush over her belly button and then her hip bone before his large hand wrapped itself around her thigh, pulling her right leg further away from her left and giving him just enough space to move in between them. He left a trail of kisses up from one knee and down to the other before finally ducking his head down to flick his tongue against her center.

An involuntarily shiver rippled through her and she hissed in pleasure, causing him to chuckle against her then repeat his action. "Morning," he said cheerfully from under the black sheet, using his hand to replace his mouth for the moment.

She let out a gasp before lifting the sheet from her chest to look down at him. It was pretty dark under there, considering the sheets were black but she could still see the huge grin on his face and the slow, teasing movements of his hand. "Well, now I can't let you leave."

"I'm supposed to be in a hurry. Club shit."

Unable to find the voice to reply, she let out a soft moan, which prompted him to get down to business. She felt him hook his strong arms around her upper thighs to drag her body down the mattress, bringing her closer to him and then he ran his hands down to her inner thighs, pushing them apart as he lowered his head to lick her slit again before dipping his tongue inside her. She sighed, letting her head fall back against the pillow as she enjoyed the feeling of his mouth on her, but she couldn't help the sharp intake of breath and the expletives that spilled from her lips when he suddenly slipped a finger inside her.

His being in a hurry turned out to be not such a bad thing because only a few minutes later, she was beginning to squirm from the intensity of the fire building in the pit of her stomach. Her hands grasped at the sheets under her as her back arched off the mattress, but he kept his steady rhythm going, his middle finger pumping in and out of her at a rapid pace while his lips closed around her clit, sucking and periodically flicking his tongue against it.

The speed of his skilled movements only increased when she moaned loudly and he felt her body tense, finally overcome by the tingling pleasure that exploded deep inside and spread to every part of her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She let out a string of curses through her ragged breathing as he briefly lifted his mouth from her clit to rub it vigorously with his thumb before attaching his lips to it again, making her cry out as she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Her orgasm eventually receded back to a dull throb but his mouth and fingers didn't move from her body until she threw the sheets back off of them and sat up, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him up to connect their lips.

He kissed her hungrily, wanting nothing more than to stay in bed with her for at least the rest of the hour to finish her off, but he knew the guys were waiting for him at the clubhouse. She was making it very difficult, her hand sliding down his bare chest and abdomen to grab his dick, and she smirked as she started to pump him up and down, feeling how painfully hard he already was. He finally succeeded in breaking the kiss, but her lips moved down to his neck instead, sucking the skin there as she increased the speed of the hand wrapped around him. He groaned as he let his head fall back to enjoy if for only a brief moment, but then they were interrupted by the phone ringing.

It was her prepaid this time, but he knew it was someone from the Club who probably needed her for something, just like they needed him. It was unfortunate really. "Aren't you gonna get that?" he breathed heavily as the phone continued its shrill melody.

"Nope," she said simply before pushing him onto his back and straddling his legs as she grabbed him again.

"I really have to go," he reminded her, but he made no moves to support that.

"It wouldn't be very nice of me to let you leave like this," she said, giving him a gentle squeeze for emphasis. Without allowing him a chance to respond, she leaned down to slip his dick into her mouth and he immediately cursed, letting his eyes close as he reveled in the feeling of her lips wrapped around him. He decided she was better than any crow eater who'd ever gone down on him, and ten times hotter. He was having a hard time deciding whether he wanted to lie back and just enjoy it or if he wanted to watch her head bob up and down on him so he alternated.

When he looked down at her, he nearly came right then. She kept eye contact with him as she dipped her head down and he inhaled sharply as he felt his tip hit the back of her throat. She slackened her jaw, repeating the movement a few more times and he was amazed that it never made her gag. She removed his dick from her mouth with a loud pop and went back to pumping him up and down, but with much more vigor than she had been. She could tell by his heavy breathing and how tense his abdominal muscles were that he was getting close so she went back to deep throating him.

He groaned, feeling himself near release, and as if she knew exactly what to do to push him over the edge, she used one hand to massage his balls. He emptied himself in her mouth and she pulled back, swiping her tongue over his tip before swallowing it all and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. He laid there perfectly still for a few minutes as he regained his breath and the strength to stand on his legs again before he finally got up from the bed, simply pulling on some clean clothes since he didn't have time to shower.

Juliette leaned back against the headboard, pulling the sheet back over her bare body and giving him a warm smile as he walked around to the opposite side of the bed to pull on his boots. He slipped his phone into his pocket then handed hers over so that she could see who had called before. "Jax," she muttered. "What the hell did he need me for?"

"I don't even know what they need me for and I doubt I'll be able to concentrate on it anyway after the last twelve hours." She grinned, shaking her head, and he leaned down right in front of her face, resting his palms flat against the bed as he connected their lips again. "See you later," he muttered, kissing the top of her head before and disappearing from the room.

Once he was gone, she finally dragged herself out of his amazingly comfortable bed and quickly dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the night before. She decided to wait and return Jax's call when she got back to her house, that way if he asked where she was, she wouldn't have to lie. As soon as she walked in her front door, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and called the number back, waiting four rings before her brother finally answered. "Where are you?" Of course.

"I'm at home," she replied easily.

"Well get here when you can. We're talkin' about plans to get to Belfast and I thought you might like to know what's goin' on."

"Are you all going to Belfast?"

"Only if we can scrape some major cash together in a very short time. The money we gave the trackers in Vancouver is gone. They're not fond of giving refunds, I guess. We have a couple more ideas about how to get some cash, and we're settin' that up today."

"Okay, well I'll be on my way over soon."

"Alright. Be careful."

Once she hung up the phone, she went upstairs to take a very quick shower before hurrying back to her room to get dressed. She'd originally planned to wear one of her better outfits, considering she'd be parading around Juice all day, but once she was standing in front of her dresser, convenience won out and she ended up pulling on some faded cutoff shorts and an old Angels tee shirt that either Jax or Opie had grown out of when they were about twelve, now slightly baggy and delightfully comfortable on her frame.

She pulled her damp hair back into a loose ponytail and quickly brushed some loose powder onto her face, not wanting it to seem like she'd just rolled out of some guy's bed and shown up without caring about her appearance even though that was exactly what she was doing. She dug into one of the small compartments of her jewelry box to pull out a pair of simple silver earrings and as she fastened them into her earlobes, Jax's words crossed her mind. Scrape some major cash together in a very short time. An idea popped into her head as she went back to her jewelry box, searching through each compartment before remembering the location of what she was looking for.

Inside a trinket music box she had sitting out on her dresser was a smaller maroon-colored velvet box. She checked to make sure the diamond earrings were still inside before she stuffed the small box into the front pocket of her shorts, slid her feet into a pair of boots, and left the house, sliding her dark sunglasses over her eyes on the way out the door.

Jax was probably ready to strangle her when she finally arrived at the clubhouse over two hours after she'd talked to him, promising to be over soon. She'd had to drive to Stockton for a jewelry store because the one small store Charming used to have had been recently closed down, along with a lot of other businesses. Then there was the negotiating with the man running the store. He didn't want to give her a penny over eight thousand for the pair of never-even-taken-out-of-the-velvet-box two carat diamond and platinum earrings when she knew that buying them for her Christmas gift last year had set Ryan back at least twenty thousand. She'd insisted that was a ridiculously extravagant gift, but he was a trust fund baby, so he didn't care.

Juliette walked into the clubhouse, immediately met with the stares of all the club members and three new prospects who had just received their cuts. There was a chair in pieces and a table that was broken in half lying on the floor by one of the pool tables, but she didn't think too much of it."Where the hell have you been?" her brother called over everyone's heads. She just rolled her eyes as she walked over to where they were huddled around the bar and she leaned in between Opie and Juice to toss the stacks of cash in her hand onto the counter. They were all confused as they stared at the money and then at her. "What's this?" Jax piped up again.

"It's 12k."

"Where the fuck did you get twelve thousand dollars?"

"Sold some of my earrings."

"Exactly how many?" he asked skeptically, eyeing the multiple little green stacks.

She shrugged. "Just the one pair. They were worth at least twenty, but the guy at the jewelry store said twelve was the maximum he could give me for 'em. I figured this is better than nothing though."

"We can't take this money, Jules. This is yours. It's-"

"Jax, they were a gift from my ex boyfriend and I never wore them anyways. Abel's my nephew. Let me help."

He scrutinized her for a moment before glancing over at their stepfather, who simply held his hands up as if to tell Jax that she was making a good point but that it was his decision. Jax walked around Bobby to pull her into a tight hug and kiss her forehead. "Thanks, Jules."

She caught Juice giving her a grin when Jax let her go but then Chibs draped one arm over her shoulders and Bobby patted her on the back, shifting her attention to them as they expressed their thanks as well. It wasn't long before Jax and Clay were leaving to go to the hospital to check up on Gemma and then Tig called everyone's attention to say it was time to get ready to go. For the first time since she came in, she looked closely at him and that's when she noticed that his left cheek was bruised and he had a cut on the bridge of his nose.

He was the first out the door of the clubhouse, shortly followed by Chibs, Bobby, Juice, and Happy while Piney went down the hall and Kozik stayed where he was, sitting on a bar stool nursing a beer. She walked around the bar to stand in front of him and she frowned when she saw the state of his face. "What happened with you and Tig?" He looked up, probably wondering how she knew that the two had come to blows, but she just leaned over the bar, propping on one elbow as she gently pressed her finger to the nasty red mark around his left eye, which was probably going to be pretty gnarly by tomorrow. "You have matching battle wounds."

He flinched at the contact but when she dropped her hand to shake her head, he answered her question. "Vote for my transfer didn't pass."

"So you punched him?"

"Yeah, but he started it," Kozik grumbled, bringing the bottle to his lips. "The vote has to be unanimous so even if the rest of 'em vote yes, he can vote no and I don't get to transfer to Charming."

"He'll come around eventually. He's just a stubborn ass. You gotta let him get used to the idea of you bein' around all the time." Piney's gravelly voice echoed through the clubhouse as he said it was time to go and Kozik downed the last of his beer before sliding off the bar stool. "Be safe, Koz," she said softly and he only gave a short nod before walking away after Piney. Juliette sighed, removing the empty bottle from the bar. She felt bad for him; obviously she didn't know what had happened between them years ago that started the whole feud, but it was obvious how much Kozik wanted to be SAMCRO and Tig just wasn't going to accept it.

It was already noon, so she left the clubhouse and took the short walk down to the diner to have some lunch. She pushed the glass door open, deciding that she was going to just ignore all the stares she was sure to get and she was going to enjoy her lunch as if there were no one else in the room. She spotted a man she definitely didn't care for sitting in a booth on one side of the diner, so she walked over to the opposite side to take a seat.

Things went pretty smoothly for the first thirty minutes; she didn't feel any stares on her and she didn't hear the whispers of people trying to hide their gossip. But just as her young waitress refilled her glass and walked away, the man she'd seen earlier came waltzing over toward her and she grimaced, looking down at her almost finished burger in order to avoid his gaze. "Well, well. The prodigal daughter has returned."

She took a deep breath through her nose before she looked up at him, her eyes narrowing at the smirk on his face. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Hale." She felt sympathy for Jacob Hale because he had just lost his brother, but it didn't give him an excuse to act like an asshole.

"I wondered how long it would take you to come running back to your precious club. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long. Guilt still eatin' you up, sweetheart?"

Her jaw clenched as she balled her hands into fists in her lap. "I have nothing to feel guilty for, Mr. Hale. It wasn't my fault."

"Teller family motto," Jacob chuckled, buttoning his blazor with a satisfied grin. "I'm sure Mrs. Ramsey will be pleased to know you're back in town." He disappeared out the door, whistling a cheerful tune and she sighed in relief when he was gone, sitting back against the booth.

Her stomach growled in protest as she got up and dropped some money onto the table, leaving the still half full plate of fries she hadn't had a chance to eat yet as she walked out of the diner, her hunger no longer on her mind. She walked down Main Street in somewhat of a daze, not even looking at the faces she passed, but instead keeping her eyes focused only on the tall cross extending from the wrought iron gate of the cemetery in the distance. She briefly stopped inside the florist's shop to purchase a few roses but then she was back to walking.

Walking through the cemetery only brought back bad memories. People she loved were scattered all around the huge space and she was already fighting tears when she reached the shady area where Silas was buried. It had been five years, but the dark gray headstone was still as shiny and clean as if it were brand new. Her eyes scanned over the words a million times as she thought back to some of the time she'd spent with the boy. She wondered what 23 year old Silas would be like if 18 year old Silas hadn't been taken away from her.

She sighed shakily as she crouched down, gently placing a white rose on top of the massive stone and muttering an apology before she stood up and walked away. A name caught her eye as she walked though the sea of stones back to the sidewalk and she froze for a moment before turning her course to go over to it.

Of course Kip had told her the news when Donna was killed, but this was the first time she was coming face to face with that fact. Donna Winston had been like the sister she never had. She was the person Juliette went to for advice or just normal girl talk when she was younger; she babysat Juliette when she was sixteen and Juliette was nine; she let preteen Juliette help her pick out her wedding dress after Opie proposed. And now she was gone too.

Juliette set a rose on top of her headstone and shook her head as she wiped her cheeks and continued on to the other side of the cemetery. Her older brother Thomas was buried a little ways up, not too far from Donna's grave and she made sure to set a rose on his stone as she passed. She didn't remember anything about him because she had not yet turned three when he died, but he was still her brother.

Eventually she reached the sea of white headstones where both her father and now Kip were laid to rest as former members of the US military. Kip was close to the end corner, his headstone still pristine compared to the others because it was the newest. She spent a good bit of time just staring at his name etched into the rock before she set down a rose for him and moved on. She found her father's headstone on the other side of the area but she didn't stay at it long before she leaned over to put a rose on top of the stone and walked away. She'd hardly known him; she was only six when he died and for most of that time, he was either doing prison time or overseas with other charters besides his own. He was her father biologically, but Clay had been the one who raised her so she didn't feel the attachment to JT that Jax did.

After her emotionally draining visit to the cemetery was finished, she trudged back to the compound and went into the clubhouse, walking straight around to go behind the bar to grab herself a glass and the bottle of vodka. She'd only gotten through one glass when some of the guys returned and she sighed, momentarily leaving her need for alcohol to take her post and serve them. It wasn't surprising that people were assuming she was a crow eater with how often she was around the clubhouse, serving drinks from behind the bar or cleaning up after the guys.

Once they all had a beer (or whisky in the case of the Scotsman), they disappeared into the chapel, and she was finally able to take a breather. Tig and Kozik stormed in only a few minutes later, both of them looking extremely pissed off and they went straight in to join chapel. She wondered why Clay had sent them to do something together when they hated each other so much.

She wiped down the counters after the prospect removed the empty bottles littering it and then she took all the bottles into the kitchen to be rinsed out before she recycled them, tuning out the muffled yelling coming from the closed off room. She'd just walked back into the main area when there was a heavy pounding on the door just before it burst open and the room flooded with at least a score of police officers. "Sanwa County sheriffs! Everybody get down!"

The guys came hurrying out of the chapel as she laid down on her stomach on the cold floor and she watched as the officers shoved the club members to the floor to check them for weapons. There was a lot of yelling from police and the club alike, and a bit of scared squealing from the crow eaters who had been lounging on the sofas waiting for church to be over. Juliette looked over at the prospect who was lying on the floor right beside her- Mike, or Miles, or something like that. He looked completely disoriented by what was happening as one of the officers came to stand in front of them, his gun already aiming just in case. She had personally never been present when this happened before, but she knew it was bound to happen at some point and she knew to keep her mouth shut and just obey the officers' commands.

When they were finally allowed back on their feet, it was only to herd them all through the door to the outside while PD did a sweep of the entire compound. Juliette climbed up to sit on top of the picnic table and two crow eaters joined her, one the blonde bitch who hated her guts and another one with curly bright pink hair. They sat at the opposite end of the table, giving her glares the entire time she sat there while the other crow eaters crowded around the tables to watch what was going on as they whispered amongst themselves.

All of the guys who had been standing in front of them watching the officers do their thing began to disperse, Clay going over to have a word with Chief Unser while Tig went back into the clubhouse to answer the phone and Juice walked right up to stand in front of her, almost close enough that his body was pressed against her bare knees. She didn't miss the super forceful looks of death she was now getting from about three feet away.

He started to say something to her, but then he stopped to look around at their audience before grabbing her hand to pull her up from the table and out of earshot of all the women eyeing them suspiciously. She crossed her arms over her chest as soon as he dropped her hand and looked up at him. "You okay?" he asked gently.

She cracked a smile when she realized that he had pulled her away, not to tell her something secret, but to make sure that she was alright. "Yeah, I'm fine. Never been part of a police raid before. That was fun." Juice rolled his eyes at her playful dig but then he smiled too. "What exactly was all that for?"

"Lookin' for some scrips we had earlier. Although we don't know how they found out about 'em. Nothin' to worry about though." Juliette wasn't sure if that was true, or if he was just saying that so she wasn't worried. Regardless, she thought it was sweet. "Are you, uh.....where are you stayin' tonight?"

"I don't know yet," she replied smoothly. "Any ideas?"

"I might know of a place. Excellent service."

Juliette quirked her brow at his innuendo as she raked her teeth over her bottom lip, giving him a small smirk. "Maybe I'll stop by then." She turned on her heel to walk back into the clubhouse but she'd only taken two steps when he called her name, causing her to stop and look back at him over her shoulder.

He took the two steps she had taken, plus one more, which put him less than a foot away from her, dangerously close for how many people were around that could see them. "It's not fair, you wearin' shit like that around here when I can't touch you," he said lowly.

She looked down at her outfit, the loose tee shirt with no sleeves from probably twenty years ago and the tattered cutoff shorts. "Shit like this?" she asked, tugging at the bottom hem of the red material. "What's so special about this? It's just a tee shirt and an old pair of shorts." Juice shook his head in disbelief, letting his eyes wander and she just laughed. "Alright, well I guess now I know what works for you."

"With you, everything works for me."

"Good to know," she smirked before walking away.