Hands All Over

Ch. 23 Fine by Me

After a long day, Juice walked into the clubhouse, trailing his brothers. His eyes swept the small room, looking over a few Croweaters chatting in the corner, some kids spread out over the floor coloring, and Angela sitting on the couch next to Abel's car seat, making faces at the baby boy while he cooed and laughed in response.

That warm feeling he was so unfamiliar with spread through his stomach at the sight of them. She was so comfortable around the SAMCRO kids and they all loved her. Kenny was sitting on the ground by her legs, his head against her knee while he played his game. Ellie was spread out on the ground in front of her, working on a coloring book, her hair done up in an intricate braid that could only be Angela's handiwork.

Juice took a seat behind Angela, sliding one arm around her hip and setting his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back against him, a small smile on her face. "Hey you," she greeted, one hand reaching to touch his cheek while she turned her head and met his lips with a sweet kiss.

"Hey baby. Having fun?" he asked, reaching out a hand to tickle Abel's tummy.

"Oh yeah, me and Abel have just been laughing it up. Huh, cutie?" she cooed at the infant. For a split second, the image of Angela cooing at another, darker baby flashed across Juice's mind; a baby with her dark eyes and pretty smile. He tensed slightly, afraid of what that image could possibly mean and where the hell it had come from. She glanced back at him, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion. "What?"

Juice shook his head. "Nothin'," he said kissing her once more before pushing himself off the couch and heading towards where Tara was patching up Chucky's hand.

She shook her head at his retreating back. "Goof," she murmured to herself.

A few minutes later, Gemma sat down on the other side of Abel's car seat. "We got a few errands to run," Gemma stated, glancing down at Abel with a smile.

"Okay," Angela replied, not really sure why she needed to know.

"You think you can handle watching him while we're gone?" Normally, she wouldn't have trusted a woman other than Neeta or Tara with Abel, but she'd been watching the way Angela was playing with not just Abel but the rest of the kids. If she could handle watching all those kids at one time and give Abel attention, she was a fine caretaker in Gemma's book.

She smiled as she nodded, holding back a sarcastic response that went along the lines of 'how hard can it be.' She had a feeling Gemma would not appreciate it. "Of course," she said with a nod. "We'll have some fun, huh Abel?"

Abel gurgled in response. "Thanks, baby," Gemma said, patting her shoulder lightly before heading out the door with Tara.

Angela stared at the Queen's back as she walked out the door, a quizzical look on her face. Though she'd heard Gemma use the term many times before, it was the first time the endearment had ever been used on her. "Huh," she said, wondering what that could mean. She glanced at Abel who was watching her with his dark blue eyes. "What do you think it means, Abie Baby?"

He gurgled back at her and she laughed. "Oh really?" she asked, tickling his tummy with a small smile. "That's interesting."

She smiled at Juice as he carefully stepped around the kids on the floor and sat behind her on the couch again. "What's he sayin'?"

"Oh loads of interesting things," Angela lied with a smile.

Juice chuckled, tugging at the end of her braid to catch her attention. She turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "I gotta go, but I'll come back. Pick you up so we can sleep at my place."

"We don't have to stay here?" she asked, a surprised look on her face.

He shook his head. "If we got a house close by, we can leave. That way it's not so crowded here. It's Gemma's rule; she likes to sleep in her own bed."