Wentworth: A Queen Will Rise (fan-fiction)
Season Five: Episode Six – Take Me Home
#AuntyLizWW
Note: includes images of extreme violence. Practice self-care.
Previously on Wentworth: A Queen Will Rise
The sound of the battle between the guards and the prisoners echoed through the empty prison halls. Joan Ferguson walked quickly down the corridor, her feet strangely quiet in her white prison sneakers. She stopped when she reached the doorway to the exercise yard where the guards and members of H1 and H3 were trying to hold off against the women of J Block. She quickly took account of the opposing sides and noticed that J Block was heavily armed with knives, kitchen tools, chains, and pots. Joan knew that if Juice and Mercado won, the balance of power would be shifted away from the administration, and they would have to answer with more stringent controls and less freedom for the prisoners. As the former governor, she relished the power that would bring. But she wasn't the governor any longer and the freedom the prisoners were allowed, gave her the opportunity to manipulate and control from within.
Joan looked through the door searching for Vera but couldn't find her. Her eyes rested on the scene of Sonia holding a viciously long kitchen knife against Allie Novak's neck. No one saw Joan Ferguson until she was standing behind Sonia. She grabbed Sonia's hand that held the knife and pulled it away from Allie, the tip of the blade cutting deeper into Allie's neck. Joan twisted and squeezed her hand and Sonia screamed in pain as bones shattered. Then she grabbed Sonia by the neck and pulled her up and away from Allie, dangling her like a life-sized doll.
"JOAN!" Kaz shouted and Joan turned to look at her. "Don't kill her."
Joan tossed her at Kaz' feet and the older woman balled up, screaming in pain as guards, police officers, and tactical officers flooded into the yard.
When the rioting crowds finally parted, Joan saw Vera lying on the ground holding her head as blood flowed between her fingers. Joan walked over and picked up the smaller woman like she was lifting a child at bedtime and carried her to the outer gate, unconcerned about the blood dripping onto her clothes. Vera looked up in shock when she realized who was carrying her. Then Joan looked down at her and when their eyes met, Vera saw just the tiniest bit of humanity in them. She wrapped her arms around the tall woman's neck and allowed herself to be carried to the waiting ambulance. Joan placed her gently on the gurney as guards and police officers watched, and then she turned around and walked back into the prison.
A week later:
"HEY, MINI ME!" Boomer shouted and the whole group turned toward her. "Look what we have for ya!" She stepped aside and revealed a large pile of Monte Carlo's and other goodies on the table. "Welcome back!"
Mel smiled at her but that was all. Bea leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"Hey? What's this?" Boomer asked.
Mel rolled the wheelchair closer to Boomer. "I can't see it, Boomer. I'm sure it's great. Is that my stash of Monte Carlo's?"
"No. Well… yeah," Boomer admitted. "What do you mean you can't see it? It's right there." She pointed to the table about five feet in front of Mel's wheelchair.
Mel turned her face toward Boomer. "I can't see, Booms."
"What? Like nuthin?" Boomer kneeled down beside Mel's wheelchair and put a hand on her arm.
Mel shook her head and Boomer just looked at her. Then she looked up at Maxine, who was trying very hard not to cry. Then she looked at Bea and her face asked what the knot in her chest wouldn't let her ask and all Bea could do was shake her head. They all watched as the information sank in and Boomer started to turn a brilliant shade of red from her neck to her ears.
Mel patted Boomer's hand that was squeezing her arm very tightly. "Boomer? Booms?" Mel patted Boomer's hand harder. "Boomer!" and she punched Boomer in the arm.
"What!?" Boomer asked and Mel looked down at her arm. "Oh! Sorry." Boomer stood up and started walking out of H1.
"Boomer, where ya going?" Bea asked.
"I'm going to kill Juice," Boomer answered rather matter-of-factly.
"Jenkins!" "Boomer!" Everyone shouted at her.
"NO!" Boomer turned on them. "NO!" She pointed down the hall toward J Block. "She doesn't get away with this! I don't give a fuck what she did to the Freak! And I'm real sorry that she bashed you and Mr. Jackson," she said as she looked at Vera.
Boomer looked at Maxine, who was slowly moving toward her. "She's part of our crew now!" Maxine nodded. "So she's like a sister." Maxine nodded again and took a step closer. "But not like my sister cuz my sister's a whore." Maxine tilted her head and gave her a half smile. "So we have to make her pay!" Boomer's hands started to shake as she paced in front of the gate.
Mel turned her wheelchair toward Boomer. "Boomer, we can't."
"Why the fuck not?!" Boomer shouted.
Mel tilted her head towards the tall woman. "The only way they would send me back was if I promised to not get revenge."
"Why the FUCK did you do that?!" Boomer asked incredulously.
"There's been so much killing already. I heard about Kim Chang and all the guards. It has to stop," Mel answered in a quiet, even tone.
At the mention of Kim's name, Bea looked over at Allie, who stood next to Doreen stoically but didn't look at her.
"That's bullshit!" Boomer shouted, tears starting to run down her cheeks as Maxine moved in.
"I know, Luv. I know," Maxine pulled her in and held her tightly.
"That's bullshit." Boomer began to cry and wrapped her arms around Maxine. "She has to pay. She's like a sister."
Maxine started to walk Boomer to her cell but Boomer turned and looked at Vera.
"Miss Bennett?" She looked at Vera, who raised her eyebrows at her. "Can I take Mel to H3? I'll… I'll come right back."
Vera let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding and thanked the gods she wasn't going to have to try to stop Jenkins from stampeding to J Block. "Sure, Jenkins. Miss Miles will escort you."
"Thank you. Thanks, Miss Miles." Boomer nodded at them both and then walked over to the table and scooped up all the cookies and candy her arms could hold. She walked back to Mel and dropped them all in her lap. "Here. You may be blind but that don't mean you can't eat. We've got to get you strong and back on your feet."
Linda started to correct Boomer but Vera put a hand on her arm and shook her head. The blond guard shrugged her shoulders and had to jog to catch up to the women. Boomer kept up a running narrative of everything she saw as they walked down the hall while Mel just smiled.
"… and here are the bathrooms…"
"There?" Mel pointed to her left toward the strange smell of steam and bathroom cleaner.
"Yup." Boomer nodded. "And here's the corridor to J Block. But we won't go down there just yet."
Mel nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, not yet… But we will… We will," she whispered to herself.
Bea watched them go and then turned to speak to Allie but she had already walked into Bea's cell. When Bea got to the cell, she had to stop. Allie was leaning against the window, the light framing her and giving her hair a soft, golden glow. With all the things she wanted to say, Bea couldn't find any words and the two lovers just looked at each other.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Allie finally asked. The harsh tone of her voice made Bea take a mental step back and she closed the door.
"Allie, you need to know that you didn't kill Kim Chang."
"I did. I saw what she was about to do and I jumped and grabbed the knife. We twisted and when I got up the knife was sticking out of her. There was blood everywhere."
"I know. I know what that feels like. I know that smell. But it wasn't your fault."
Allie looked at her angrily. "How do you know that?! You weren't there! I was there! I know what happened! I see it every FUCKING time I close my eyes!"
"Your mind is filling things in. But you didn't kill her." Bea tried to plead with her.
"YES, I DID! I KILLED KIM CHANG!" Allie shouted.
Bea looked at her calmly. "No, my beautiful girl, you didn't."
"YOU CAN'T KNOW THAT!" Allie felt like she was about to burst with anger, filled with feelings of abandonment, deep guilt, and fear of the reprisals and revenge she knew would come.
"I can. I do. Frankie saw the forensics report. You didn't kill her."
Allie looked at Bea and waited for her to continue.
"Bridget's fingerprints were on the knife."
The shaking blond woman dropped to the floor, her hands over her face, weeping. Bea rushed over and knelt beside her. She wrapped her arms around the young woman and rocked her while they both cried.
After a while, Bea shifted so they both were sitting on the floor. Leaning against the bed, knees pulled in, Allie leaned against Bea's shoulder as she continued to cry. Relief and sadness for her friend slowly replaced the disgust and self-hatred that had been locked in her mind since that morning.
Eventually, Allie was able to take a deep breath and wiped away the tears. Bea leaned over and kissed the top of the blond head and gave her a long hug.
Allie looked up at her, love and sadness in her eyes. "You didn't tell me about your plan with Kaz."
"No."
"You promised me you wouldn't hide anything from me."
Bea nodded but couldn't look at Allie. "I tried but then everything went to hell. I'm sorry."
Allie got up from the floor and grabbed a small bundle that had been sitting on the desk. Bea saw that it was Allie's make-up bag, her purple toothbrush, and her hairbrush all wrapped in the long t-shirt she used as pajamas. Allie opened the cell door, walked out and went back to her own cell on the other side of the H1 suite. Bea sat there on the floor as she heard Allie's cell door close and lock.
S5:E6 – Scene 1
The lockdown continued for another week while Vera reclaimed her role as governess. She held a series of meetings to get to know the new guards that had been reassigned from Wolford. They treated her with a quiet respect because of the ordeal she had lived through, the fight she had lead, and though no one said it, because Joan Ferguson had saved her. In their eyes, the fact that the infamous Joan Ferguson was on Vera's side put a protective shroud of reverence around her.
She was grateful that Bridget had managed to get Linda out of the prison before the riot started. The lead guard had been saved from the fighting, burnings, and death that most of the guards had endured or witnessed and Derek Channing had promoted her to acting deputy governor while Will was on sabbatical. Vera and Linda worked to return the prison to operating condition and made plans to restore some of the key programs. Vera spent her days at her desk working on budgets and schedules, dealing contractors, and handling media inquiries, while she let Linda handle officer training and the necessary prisoner movements to shower, cook meals, and handle the nearly one ton of laundry the prison created every week.
Except for those prisoners who had been selected for kitchen and laundry duty, most of the prisoners spent their days locked in their cell blocks watching television, reading, playing card games, or just sleeping. Twice a day, calisthenics was guided by a voice over the PA system but most of the women just tuned out the cheerful voice and continued with whatever they were doing.
Bea Smith filled her days during the lockdown by reading, meditating, and drawing. During the day, she would curl up on one end of the couch with one eye on her book and another on Allie's cell door. At night, she would sit on her bed drawing until she finally fell asleep. She always kept her door wide open on the chance that Allie would come to her so they could finally talk about the prisoners' war, about Kim, and about their future.
But Allie only left her cell to shower and get her meals. Though many tried, she spoke to no one and wouldn't join them in the evening for cards or to watch TV. The young woman just stayed in her cell writing in a glue-bound notebook or reading.
Bea knew it would take time but she had to get Allie back. The war between the cell blocks had derailed their plans to live a happy life. For the first time in her life, Bea felt what it was like to be in love and she thirsted for their future, and she was willing to do anything necessary to make it happen.
Everyone looked up when the Governor walked up to the cell block and unlocked the gate. She walked in and went straight to Bea.
"Will you come with me, please?" the Governor asked. Bea raised her eyebrow, and Vera gave her the slightest nod before Bea put her book down and joined Vera for a walk out of the cell and down the empty hall. They walked in silence past the other cell blocks and down the corridor to the cafeteria. The new paint smell clouded the air but couldn't remove the memories of Mr. Fletcher and the other guards lying in charred piles on the floor, steam and the smell of burnt flesh rising from their bodies. The water from the sprinkler system may have put out the flames, and paint may have covered the scars on the wall, but nothing – not even time – would remove the images from either of their minds.
When they got to the cafeteria, Bea looked through the bars at the others waiting there while Vera opened the gate. They walked in and Bea silently looked around the room. A group of women she barely recognized from other cell blocks sat around a table near the door. Kaz was sitting on top of a table near the meal-line, her feet resting on the long seat. Joan Ferguson sat at a table in the far corner, her hands folded on the table, only her eyes showing any sign that she noticed Bea and Vera had arrived. At other tables were representatives from Juice's crew and the Asian population, which Vera had dispersed throughout the prison cell blocks. For every prisoner in the room, there were twice as many guards spread out and stationed between each of them.
Bea looked at Kaz and gave her another raised eyebrow and Kaz gave her a brief wink of an eye.
Vera turned to Bea. "Please have a seat," she said as she swiped a hand around the room. Bea went to the table that Kaz was sitting on and sat on the end of the seat. She leaned against the table casually and folded one leg over the other. Vera nodded at Bea and Bea gave her a look asking "what this was all about."
Vera looked around the room, straightened up and pulled her jacket down. "Thank you all for coming." Vera rolled her eyes at her own statement; they didn't really have a choice did they. She looked at Joan and received an unusually encouraging smile.
She laughed at herself as she looked at a young, thin woman from B Block who looked remarkably scared being in a room with some of the most notorious prisoners at Wentworth. She smiled at the girl. "Well, you didn't really have a choice, did you?" Vera smiled at the girl who shook her head and smiled at the Governor's joke. "But I really am grateful that you all have come and spent the day coming to a place where we can all work together."
Bea sat up and started to complain about her cell not being included in this meeting but Vera put her hand up to stop her.
Vera continued. "As we prepare to remove the lockdown, I knew that the only way we would move on from the situation last month, and the divisiveness that created it, would be to learn to work together to ensure a common peace." She looked at Bea. "So I put your suggestion into action."
"What suggestion was that?" Bea asked, confused.
"To create a council of representatives from each cell block who share responsibility for maintaining communication, liaise with the administration about concerns, and offer suggestions for programs." Bea nodded, remembering the suggestion she had tossed to Vera during an argument.
"This is your home," Vera said as she looked around the room. "For some of you, for only a short time; and for others, the rest of your life." She looked at Joan, who simply tilted her head. "And I think we all want the same thing – to make the best of being here for as long as we are here." She looked at the young girl near her and received a smile and an encouraging nod.
"So instead of having a top dog and a daily struggle for power, I have decided to initiate a Prisoners Council. Together with Deputy Governor Miles, who will be included as a liaison from the administration, you all will schedule work shifts, develop educational programs and activities that you feel will benefit the prison population, and help to create a prison that is drug and alcohol-free. Everyone here wants to help the women better themselves and be prepared for life on the outside." Everyone nodded.
"The best way to do that is to work together." Everyone nodded and Vera heard a couple of yeses around the room. "In male prisons like Wolford, their deeply ingrained system of domination and retaliation based on the use of power and fear doesn't rehabilitate prisoners. They turn boys who make one mistake into men who will spend their lives in and out of prison." She put her hand on the shoulder of the girl beside her. "And we don't want that for Chrissy here." Chrissy looked up at her and softly shook her head. Vera walked through the center of the cafeteria and looked first at Kaz and then Bea. "Or for Allie." They shook their heads.
"We want to help return them to their families, their children, their partners." Vera looked at Joan. "The name of this facility is 'Wentworth Correctional" and we want to correct what the world has done to make these women into criminals. We want to give them the tools to hold jobs, avoid drugs, reduce recidivism, and if necessary, find a way to stand on their own. And this group has the experience and leadership to do that. We will create a new Wentworth! Together!" The room broke into applause and banging on the tables.
Vera turned in the center of the cafeteria and looked into the eyes of each woman. She could tell which ones were skeptical and which truly believed her, and it was about even. When her eyes settled on Bea, there might have been flashing lights over her head, the skepticism was so apparent.
"What's the catch?" Bea asked as the room finally settled down.
Vera looked at her and squinted her eyes. Now for the big finish, she thought to herself. "The catch is that these women have unanimously voted for you as the leader of the council. Each and every woman here speaks for their cell block. And each and every woman here has asked me to ask you to lead them. You will have an equal voice like everyone else but you are the tie-breaker in any vote."
Bea was taken aback and worried that this would conflict with her goal of winning Allie back. "Can I refuse?" Bea asked.
"No," Joan answered before Vera could. She stood up and walked around the table toward Bea. "This is everything you wanted." She swirled her finger like she was stirring a pot. "Since I've met you, you have preached about a drug-free prison, safety for the women, and against the top dog mentality. How many times have you tried to walk away from that role? And how many times have you been thrust back into it in order to protect the people you care about?" Joan crouched down in front of Bea. "And now everyone here has agreed to join you in your mission – even me." She ticked off the points on her fingers. "No drugs. Collaboration with the administration. No top dog. An equal vote for everyone. And they voted for you," she tapped on Bea's chest, "as their leader. We all did." Joan stood up and held her hand out to Bea. "Take the position and let's all work together to fix what's been wrong for so long."
Bea stood up and looked around the room at all of the women nodding their heads at her. She looked at Vera, whose face said so many things. "Please," her mouth moved silently. Then Bea looked at Kaz. She too was nodding, but in a way that almost said, "This is inevitable. Go ahead and do it." And she made a pushing motion toward Ferguson. Bea looked at Joan and, for the first time since she had met her, didn't find a combination of distaste and distrust. When she took Joan's hand, the room burst into a thundering applause.
"Wonderful!" Vera thumped her on the back and handed her a sheet of paper as they all began moving toward the door. "Here is a list of rules and things we've already agreed on. Meetings are Mondays at 1400 hours. All decisions must be made by a majority. The lockdown will be lifted the day after tomorrow. The council will have a breakfast meeting tomorrow to discuss what needs to happen for that to occur safely.
As the prisoners were escorted back to their cell block with the good news, each one thanked her as they left, finally leaving Bea alone with Vera to walk the rest of the way back to H Block. Bea fell into a pensive silence and Vera asked her what she was thinking.
"I'm wondering how I'm going to tell Allie. What do I say to her?"
"Tell her you're finally making a safe place for you both. Where you're both not in constant danger of being shivved in the yard or raped in the shower because someone wants your power. Each cell has someone with just as much power, and who is just as vulnerable as you are. We will run this prison like women – equally, progressively, together. And everyone will be safer and happier because of it."
Bea stopped and put her hand on Vera's arm. "Do you really believe that?" Bea asked incredulously.
Vera put her hand over Bea's. "I HAVE to. I cannot lose any more guards to the horrible violence and the…" she choked as the images of Fletcher came to view in her mind. "We have to find a way to move forward…" Bea saw the tears well in the smaller woman's eyes. "And the only way I can see us doing that is to do it together."
Bea nodded, trying to hold back her own tears. Prisoners had died too. And Bea knew that Allie would never forget how Bridget looked after being tortured, she would never get over believing that she had killed Kim Chang, and she would never forget how the blade felt against her neck. She thought of Bridget and wondered how she and Frankie were. And she wondered what was going to happen to Juice, Tina Mercado, and Sonia. So much blood was spilled that night and they had so much to answer for. Would it be possible to move on without meting out justice, would it be possible to simply paint over what had happened and not hold anyone accountable?
"Probably not," the former top dog thought to herself. "But if we can keep it limited and focused, then maybe we won't set up the prison for another war."
Bea looked at Vera and put on her most encouraging smile. "Okay. Let's do this."
Vera wrapped her arm around Bea and gave her a sideways hug. "Great! Thank you."
The women of H Block gathered around Bea as Vera locked the gate behind her. "What happened?" "What's going on?" "What did she want you for?" They questioned.
Bea raised her hands to silence them and said the first thing that came to mind. "The lockdown will be lifted on Wednesday." She could hear the cheering roll through the halls as the news spread. Plastic cups clanked on the metal bars and music blared in the cells. The whole prison filled with excitement at the thought of seeing friends from other cells and getting back to their classes and work shifts, and spending time outside in the warm Australian Spring. Everyone wanted to put the recent events behind them and finally get back to their "normal" lives.
Bea found Allie on the edge of the women crowding around her and gave her a smile but it wasn't returned. Allie turned and went back to her cell, closing the door behind her.
Liz watched Allie leave and patted Bea on the arm. "Give her time, Love. Give her time."
As the women started making plans for Mel's birthday party and seeing friends who they missed, Bea thought that perhaps the Prisoners Council wasn't a bad thing. It would let her share the power and give her time to work on winning Allie back. She wanted that; she needed that. She needed Allie and the plans they had made for a happy future. And NOTHING was going to stop her from having it.