Disclaimer: I don't own Animal Kingdom.

A/N: So just a little post 4.3 "Man vs. Rock" fic as if it took place in my "Family Ties" verse, which means Baz is alive. This takes place a couple of years after "Family Ties" so by now Baz sees J as being his son. Main thing to remember is that Baz is alive therefore Lena is still around oh and there is no Mia. I know the last thing I should be doing is posting another one shot for this verse while "Family Ties" is still unfinished, but I can't help myself.

"Hey, I got your message." Baz says as he takes a seat at the bar. Craig is nursing a beer as Deran wipes down the bar top. "What's going on?"

Deran and Craig look at each other. But neither says anything. Baz rubs the bridge of his nose tiredly. He's too tired to deal with this shit. He just got back late last night from Mexico and was up early in the morning to get Lena off to school because J couldn't. It's Tuesday which means J has class at eight and was already gone by the time Lena usually wakes up.

"It's about…." Craig starts but Deran finishes. "Have you talked to Pope?"

Baz shakes his head. "Not since before I left for Mexico. So a couple of days. Why?"

Deran refills Craig's glass. "He's been acting… off."

He sighs. What the hell. It's like his brothers are speaking in circles. "What do you mean off? He's Pope. When is he not off?"

Craig shakes his head. "It's not like that. He's acting stranger than usual. Even for Pope. When I stopped by the house earlier today, he was beating the shit out of a punching bag. Nearly took my head off when I got too close."

"So?" Baz asks. "Better he beats the shit out of a punching bag than a security guard when we're out on a job."

Craig shakes his head. "No man, you didn't see his eyes. It was like he wasn't even seeing me. Something's up."

"Or it could be that he's been around Smurf too much," Deran adds.

"I don't think that's it. Besides, we're getting ready to move on this statute job. It's 800 grand. He needs be on his A game or sit this one out."

"And let me guess, you don't want to make that call. That's where I come in," Baz says.

Craig and Deran don't deny it. Bingo. He's here to make the call whether or not Pope sits this one out.

"Has J said anything to you?" Craig asks. "I know he's been back and forth between your place and Smurf's. He might have picked up on something. Heard something."

"Nah, he hasn't said anything. But I haven't seen him since I got back. Didn't get back until after two this morning and he was in bed. He has classes this morning so he was gone before I woke up this morning."

"So he's really doing the college thing?" Deran says with a smirk.

Baz nods. He looks down so Deran and Craig can't see the smile on his face. He can't help but feel proud of J. Only Cody to have graduated from high school. Not just a Cody, but his kid. And now he's going to college. He's also happy that J is living the life of a normal nineteen year old. Going to college. Even if it's only to give those outside of the family the image that he's merely a college kid and not a criminal mastermind.

"Says he's doing it to help fool the cops when they come around asking questions.," Baz says.

"And what do you say?" Craig asks

"I say, the kid has a thing for math. If he can try and figure out a way to get us from under Smurf's thumb, so be it. It'll be good for us in the long run."

"True that," Craig says.

"Enough talk of J's academic career. Deran, get me a drink. I'm going to need a few before I head over to Smurf's to talk to Pope."

Baz shakes his head when he sees Deran pouring him a beer. "Fuck that, give me a shot"

Deran smiles as he pours each of them a shot.

XXXXX

The sounds of Pope's heavy breathing and skin hitting leather greets Baz as he enters the garage. Careful as if not to scare his brother, Baz makes sure his steps are deliberate and loud as he makes his way towards his brother. Still Pope continues his assault on the punching bag.

"Hey…." Baz says.

Pope doesn't stop his attack. If anything the punches become harder and more frequent.

"Pope…" Baz tries but to no avail. What the hell. Deran and Craig were right. There's something definitely going on with Pope. This is not Pope being off. This something more than that.

Throwing caution in the wind and despite his better judgment, Baz puts his hand on his brother's shoulder the next time he calls his name.

Pope's head whips behind him when he feels the touch, his lip curled into a snarl.

Baz holds up his hands, "Easy, Pope! It's just me!"

Pope drops his arms to his side, his hands curled into fists. "What?!"

Yeah, Pope is way past "off." He's in Pope level 11 on a scale of 1 to 10.

"Easy, what is going on?" Baz asks in a calm tone. One that's close but not exactly like the one he uses when Lena wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.

"Why are you here? J's been staying at your place with Lena since you left last week," Pope says as he goes to raise his hands, eyes tracking back to the punching bag.

"Stop, Pope," Baz says once Pope resumes his assault on the punching bag. "I didn't come over here to see J. I came here to talk to you."

"Me?" Pope says turning to face Baz. "Why do you need to talk to me? J say something to you?"

Why would J say something to him? And about what? What the hell is going on? If he was confused before, Baz is really fucking confused now.

"No, I haven't seen J since I got back. It's Tuesday. He's in class all day until he picks Lena up from school and takes her to soccer. I came here because Deran and Craig are worried about you. I told them I would come by and talk to you."

"Baz?" A voice calls out from the doorway. "Is that you?"

Curious to see who is behind the new voice, Baz turns towards the source. It takes him a few seconds to register who the voice belongs to. Someone who he hasn't seen in years. Not since before Julia left with J.

"It's me Angela. Julia's friend," she says.

Angela. Julia's friend. Shit.

Baz gives an awkward sorta wave. What do you do when you see your son's mother's junkie best friend for the first time in ten years? What do you say to the woman who no doubt had a hand in your kid's shitty childhood?

"It's good to see you," Angela says with a smile as she steps towards them. But then she stops. Sensing that she walked in on something. "I'll leave you guys alone. See you around, Baz."

And as soon as she appeared, she's gone.

Baz turns back to Pope. "She have anything to do with what's going on with you?"

Pope throws a vicious punch. "J's not happy to see her."

Baz frowns. "what?"

Pope throws another punch. "He knows she's back in town. Saw her last night when he stopped by to get something for school."

"And?" Baz prods for Pope to continue. He doesn't like where this is going.

"I asked him if he was happy to see her since she was Julia's friend. Told me no. And said some fucked up shit."

This is like pulling teeth. It's no wonder why J says so little. He no doubt inherited his uncles' ability to say close to nothing when there's a problem.

"What did he say?" Baz asks.

"That Angela used to have him shoot her up. She bailed on them. And when Julia was going through withdrawal, he had to get her stuff. Shit was a bad batch. Julia got sick and ended up in the ER."

"Fuck," Baz curses. It's been a couple of years since J has moved in with them, but he forgets how little he knows about J's childhood. That besides Damien, only bits and pieces of J's past has trickled out from the kid. It's easy to forget how little Baz knows about his kid's childhood when J is joking around with him when they're out to dinner or Lena says how jealous her friends are that she has an older brother who takes he surfing. But then J flinches when Lena wakes him after falling asleep on the couch, or Julia's long lost friend makes an appearance, and Baz is instantly reminded of everything that he was never there for.

Now Baz wants his own turn on the punching bag.

XXXXX

Baz follows Pope quietly into the house after Pope get his fair share of aggression out on the poor punching bag and Baz is finally able to convince Pope to take a shower. With Pope in the shower, Baz easily finds Angela in the kitchen. He stands in the doorway silently as she moves around the kitchen making herself at home. She notices him out of the corner of her eye when she closes the fridge door, an apple and bottle of water in her hand.

"Jesus, Baz!" she exclaims holding her chest. "You scared the shit out of me."

Baz walks into the kitchen so he's a couple of feet away from Angela.

"Where's….where's Pope?" Angela asks nervously.

Baz points with his thumb towards the bathroom. "He's in the shower."

Angela nods her head and goes to leave, but Baz steps in her way. "Hold on. We need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Angela asks.

"Did you know about Damien?" Baz asks.

Angela bites her lip. And the die is cast. She knew. She knew.

"I don't know why you're here. And frankly, I don't give a shit. If I had my way, you wouldn't be staying here. You would be crawling back to whatever alley you crawled out of. But, for some reason Pope wants you here. He thinks you changed now that you're sober. I'm not going to say anything. He'll figure it out on his own."

"I've changed," Angela says. "I did. I have. I'm no longer that same person. It tears me up inside what Julia and I put J through when he was a kid."

Pope puts his finger up to silence her and steps closer to her. "Pope is a big boy and he can make his own decisions. But you stay the hell away from me and my kid. Got it?"

Angela shakily nods her head.

Baz takes the apple from her hand and takes a bite. "Good. Glad we cleared that up."

He throws the nearly whole apple into the trash as he makes his way out of the kitchen.