Epilogue

The sun was relentless. Nearly unbearable, even for a native Californian. Kyra took two steps out of her car and could already feel sweat trickling down her back, and she imagined that the thin cotton of her maxi dress would be soaked by the time she left the cemetery, but it didn't matter. She felt guilty enough about skipping her Mother's Day visit back in May to spend her birthday weekend with Juice in Santa Cruz. It would take more than 98 degree temperatures or the fact that they were moving the last of their things from her apartment to their new house to keep Kyra from celebrating her mother's birthday.

She stared at her mother's headstone for a moment, reading the engraved letters with reverence, as if she hadn't seen them a million times in the last six years. Rhonda Clarice James, July 22 1960 - November 11, 2006. Loving Mother, Lifelong Ambassador of Beauty and Grace. The second epithet had been Kyra's idea. Merely resting in peace wouldn't do for a woman as strong and elegant as Rhonda James. Kyra wanted her to rest in the same style that governed all forty-six years of her life.

"Hey Ma," she started, wiping a bead of sweat from her hairline. "I hope you're not too mad at me for missing Mother's Day a couple of months ago. As you know, a whole lot's changed since the last time I was here. Some of it, I know you'd like. Other parts, well, sometimes I swear I can hear you in my head asking me what the hell I'm doing. I want you to know there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about how different my life would be if you were still here. I know it's not all what you would have planned, but I'm happy.

"I passed my state accountants' exam back in March, so it's official. I am a certified public accountant in the state of California. Man, Ma, I don't think I've ever been happier than when I heard those test results. I wish you could have been here to see it. And I'm doing well at my new job. I know you cringe sometimes when you see me wear jeans to work, but I work at a trucking company. I promise it's allowed. And you'd be happy to know that I almost always wear pearls. Just like you told me a lady always should.

"And I bought a house. Yup, I am officially a homeowner. I know it was hard on you doing everything by yourself back then, but Ma. The headache I got from house hunting with a man made me wish some days that I was doing it all by myself. You'd be proud though. I made sure to buy something I could afford by myself if the worse should happen. See? I may seem different in a lot of ways, but deep down I'm still the girl you raised me to be.

"I know you probably don't like Juan and I get it. He does bad things sometimes, and I don't make excuses for him. It's just the life he leads. But Ma, at the same time, he loves me. Like, really, really loves me. He's a good man. Strong, hard-working, loyal. And I know it doesn't always seem like it, but he's so smart.

"And the club. I know it looks crazy. I know you'd call it a gang. I know you think I'm nuts, down here getting tattoos and running with these crazy white folks. They're not all bad. My best friend is a pediatric surgeon who I know you'd like if you met her.

"The thing is Ma, I've done everything you asked me to do. I got my degree, I became an accountant, I don't depend on anybody to take care of me, and I'm a homeowner. I love you and everything you sacrificed to make me who I am, but I can't be you. I gotta be me. I'm happy. Truly. And even if you don't agree with every piece of that puzzle, I hope the big picture makes you smile sometimes, because I smile everyday.

"Aunt Neeta sends her love. You know her asthma gets bad in this kinda heat, so she couldn't make it today. I know she talks to you everyday though. Oh, and we got you flowers. The calilillies are from me and Neeta, because we know they're your favorite. And the two roses are from Juan. He didn't want to intrude on our time today, and he's busy with moving, but he wanted to make sure he paid his respects.

"I gotta go now. God only knows what my house looks like with Juan and his brothers handling this move. But I miss you, Ma. And I love you. Happy Birthday. I'll make sure to pour a glass of White Zin for you tonight."

The sun was setting when Kyra returned to Charming. As she pulled up to the one-story flat that once belonged to Tara, she was surprised at the warm feeling that filled her body. This hadn't been her first choice at all and the process of selecting and buying a house had put a strain on her relationship with Juice for months. The beautiful neighborhood where Opie and Lyla lived didn't have any houses on the market, so that dream was quickly shot to hell. Her second choice was a townhouse in one of the newer developments, but Juice absolutely refused to sign a mortgage that would build on Hale's "New Charming" dream. He wanted one of the ranch style houses in Clay and Gemma's neighborhood, but she shot that down when she realized she couldn't afford those payments on her salary. He'd tried to persuade her, explaining that he wasn't going anywhere and if something happened to him the club would take care of her, but Kyra wouldn't have it. Sure, their promises to stay together sounded sweet, but at the end of the day, they weren't married. "I don't make financial decisions with my heart or my vagina," she'd said. She loved the hell out of him, but when it came to money, she was still Rhonda James's child.

They remained in a stalemate until Jax and Tara announced that they were unloading both of their houses and wanted to sell by late summer. Juice would have settled for either property, but Kyra knew for sure that she didn't want Jax's house. Sure, it looked nice on the inside, but it was a bit small and the exterior looked too trailer-parky for her taste. Tara's house didn't wow her on first, second, or third sight, but it was a hell of a deal and met their price range, so they signed the mortgage in early June; and Juice agreed to let her remodel as she saw fit, as long as he got dibs on the basement. New paint, carpeting, kitchen tiling and cabinets, as well as the refinished basement were all complete in time to move before the lease on her apartment ended on August 1st.

Kyra opened the door and found boxes littered across the living room, with nothing unpacked except for the 60 inch plasma that was proudly mounted on the wall and running Sportscenter. Of course, she thought, shaking her head as she navigated the mess. She'd have to get the Prospect and his little girl toy to the house sometime over the weekend to help sort through all of it. She certainly wasn't going to do it all by herself. And where the hell was Juice? His bike was parked in the driveway, so he had to be home. "Juice?"

He emerged from the bedroom with a white towel slung around his waist, his bare chest slick with water. It had been a year, but she never got tired of staring at his body, especially since he'd inked "Kyra" in large cursive letters on his left pec, right over his heart. "Hey babe. How was your drive?"

"It was fine," she pointed toward the living room. "I see you've been soooo productive while I was gone."

He smiled sheepishly. "My bad. It was so hot, I just set up the bed and some essentials for tonight. I've got the guys coming back in the morning to arrange the living room and shit though."

"And the TV was essential?"

He gave her a look that said "Uh. Duh," and she smiled. No matter how much he matured, Juice would always be just a tad goofy. "Since I didn't unpack the kitchen, I ordered some take out. There's pad thai and shrimp fried rice on the counter. I was waiting for you to get back before I ate. You know, do the whole first meal together in the new house thing."

"Good thinking," she said, holding up two bottles: a Budweiser for him and the White Zinfandel she'd promised to drink for her mother. "I brought the refreshments."

He followed her into the kitchen, where they sat side-by-side on the counter and dined on their first meal. They sat in silence for awhile, and Kyra knew it was a big deal for both of them. She'd dreamed of owning a home for years, and as comfortable as he'd been in her apartment, she knew that deep down, he wanted something that would belong to him, as well. It was why she'd agreed to purchase a house with him, despite the fact that they weren't married. She knew her man. Knew that they were in it for the long haul. The ring and the ceremony weren't too high on her priority list, especially since neither of them was gung-ho about children.

"Wait," Juice said, breaking the silence. "Today's your mother's birthday."

"Yeah...?"

He laughed. "You remember what happened a year ago today?"

She'd been so focused on the move and getting to Oakland that she didn't pay any attention. It was a year ago that he'd taken her to her mother's grave after her car broke down on the 4. It was the first time she'd ridden on the back of his bike. The first time they kissed. The start of their relationship. She wasn't the type to get caught up on anniversaries, but even she had to admit that moving into their new home a year to the date of their first kiss was a nice piece of symmetry. "Wow. It's really been a year."

"So I guess this is like our anniversary? Am I gonna have to buy you flowers and shit next year?"

Kyra leaned over, poking her fork into his carton and retrieving a piece of shrimp. "Nope. This shrimp here will do just fine."

He broke into a wide grin. "I knew there was a reason I love you so much."

"Love you too, babe." She poked around her carton of pad thai, unashamed of the giddy smile plastered on her face and hoped that somewhere, her mother was smiling too.

A/N: Excuse me now while I cry hysterically and wonder what I'm going to do with my life now that this fic is over. Lol.

Thanks to everyone who took time to read, share, or review this story. Even though I enjoyed writing "The Sweetest Taboo," I'm more attached to "Evolution." I didn't know exactly where I wanted it to go when I started. I just let the characters dictate the plot and it unfolded into an entertaining journey that excited me every time I sat down in front of my keyboard. The first story was about establishing Kyra as the "perfect old lady" for Juice and this story was about breaking both characters down and revealing them as real people, with flaws and hang ups. Those became my favorite parts to write (chapters 13 and 14 were my favs of both fics), because I liked seeing how this very controlled woman and this very laid back man drove each other to unreasonable extremes.

The Jax and Tara pieces were fun to write as well. I'm a HUGE Jax and Tara fan, so I wanted to portray them as happy and finding their rhythm after the chaos of season three.

Thanks again to everyone who came along for the Kyra and Juice ride. I greatly appreciate it. I do have another fic floating around in my head, involving Juice's pre-SAMCRO life that I'll start to sit down and really flesh out over the next few weeks. Also, I'm sure I'll be inspired to add Kyra into whatever plots Kurt Sutter cooks up for season four, so we'll see how that goes.

Glad you all enjoyed the story!

- SBG