I'm baaaaack!
This is the beginning of the end, guys. I can't believe that this the final ride to Sons of Anarchy. It makes me so sad and heartbroken. I'm hoping it doesn't the end the way I think it's going to. But in the meantime, this is the way I'm making it end with Drusilla Fallon along for the final ride.
You all have been asking for me to return. Well, I'm keeping my promise. This is, what will probably be, the last story in the Fallon saga.
Please enjoy and please review :)
Fallon: End of an Era
Chapter One
I had never intended for what I did to be held accountable by Jax. I had hoped he would not be the one to find Tara's body. That was a tragedy within itself. Even though the two of them were basically over, I know that Jax would be heartbroken. Too much history there for him not to be. And I know that he blamed himself. Not only because I know Jackson Teller, but also because I have seen Gemma the past couple of days. She has relayed such helpful information to me.
Jax is behind bars because of what I did; because of what Gemma did. They think he was the one to do it. Investigators are so intelligent these days. He's being held in county, unlike me who is already holding it down in Stockton. I'm in protective custody. I know too much and am capable of too much to be in population. However, I now find myself at a crossroads. I knew protecting Gemma would cause consequences that I might not be able to fix; unforeseen consequences that have not come to light yet. I can only imagine what's going to happen next.
Which is why I'm calling in favors now to get myself out. I am usually the first person to honor my word. I did this to protect Jax and the Sons, but now I must get out to protect them. I can't protect them from here. I must become a player in the game once again, and as much as I loathe thinking about it, it's the only option I have.
Dru was awaiting the two people she could count on to get her out of this mess. They alone had the power to pull the strings to make the charges disappear. She had been quite a catch for Patterson, but Dru knew people above her pay grade; people that owed her favors. She smirked. God, she loved her job sometimes.
"Miss Fallon." She heard her name and quickly smiled. She turned her head to find the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Attorney standing there. "We honestly did not believe that you'd be calling us so soon for that favor."
"What can I say?" she shrugged. "I did one thing, but now I need to do another."
"It seems that you jumped the gun without thinking through all the alternatives," the U.S. Attorney quipped. "That's not like you. You're calculating. This must've been something personal for you to go off half-cocked and get yourself placed behind bars."
"It was the only choice I had at the time to protect the people I love most," Dru told them.
The U.S. Attorney nodded. "So, it was personal. The Sons I'm assuming, correct?" She nodded. "Well, we did as you requested. It wasn't easy considering the shit they had on you, which included your confession, but with your connections to the U.S. government it made it go by faster."
"I figured. So, am I free to go?"
"You are free, Miss Fallon, but there's one thing you need to know before you walk out that door," the Secretary of Defense spoke.
She scoffed. "There's always a catch."
"Well, you called in a hell of favor. Of course there's a catch."
"What is it?"
"You'll be receiving a phone call in the future. You do whatever they request. No questions asked."
Dru bowed her head in acquiesce and slowly made her way out of the door to walk out to her freedom.
"I can't believe I just picked you up," he muttered as he drove her away from the prison.
"Well, believe it, Tig."
"This is madness. How the hell did you manage to get yourself acquitted of all the charges?"
"It's all about contacts, Tiggy. Favors owed. I know a lot of people, powerful people. That's all I can say," Dru answered.
"If you know so much, then why did you even turn yourself in the way you did? Why couldn't you make everything go away?" Tig questioned her.
"I can save myself. Saving the club is a different story. Just because you all are my family does not mean I can use my get out of jail free cards on you. There are people out there that cannot afford for me to be behind bars," she explained. 'Which is why the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Attorney were so relieved to get me out of there,' Dru thought to herself.
"I just can't believe I got a phone call from you an hour ago telling me that you were free to go home. You had some major charges against you. You aligned yourself with the fucking IRA, Dru. That took some balls. No one wants to be associated with IRA because they know it means a life sentence."
"Well, Tiggy, I was looking at thirty years," she quipped.
"Yeah. You were going to spend thirty years in prison for us. We never asked you to do that."
"You didn't have to. I'm always willing to sacrifice myself for the club."
"I think you mean you're always willing to sacrifice yourself for Jax," Tig corrected her.
Dru smirked. "Well, Jax is a part of the club, so I guess you could say that."
"Darling, we've known since you were a kid that you loved Jax. And since you're Connor Fallon's daughter, we also knew that you're willing to go to some extremes to make sure that the people you love are safe. We just didn't want for you to have to make those choices. You've already done more than enough."
"I can always do more, Tiggy," she told him. "But for now, I'm going to sit back and relax and you are going to drive me straight to Charming. I have some cleaning up to do."
"The evidence has been processed. All of the lab work is back, and other than the obvious facts, the results gave us nothing. We've talked to family, friends, neighbors, the MC, except Ortiz. He seems to be MIA, and no one can shed any light on whom or why Tara was murdered," Patterson told Jax.
She kept on looking at the file in front of her. She couldn't quite look at Jackson Teller. There was a coldness to him now that hadn't been there before. His eyes were somewhat empty. Patterson could only assume that losing the mother of your children to murder and your soulmate to justice could do that to a man.
"I understand the pain you're in, son; the reason for your silence," Patterson said as she played with the papers inside of the file. She needed something to do with her hands. "I lost a son…and a nephew to gang violence. I didn't want anyone arrested. I wanted them all dead. Heartless, cold bullets to the back of the head just the way they killed my boy. That's a natural reaction, the desire for revenge. It's a part of grieving. The difference is in my world, I knew that those violent desires would never become real. In yours, it's a very likely outcome.
"We couldn't tie you to either murder," she sighed in frustration. "Parole violation…the gun wasn't fired. It was in the house. We're going to let you go. Your mother's here to see you. She can take you home."
Patterson slammed the file closed and stood up from the table. She began chuckling when she came to a realization. "I've been doing this for over twenty years, and until today, I have never said a word about my personal life to someone on the other side of this table."
"So, why me?" Jax questioned her.
Patterson was stunned that he finally talked. At that point, she wasn't backing down. This was her chance. "Because I needed help to connect with the man who could've done the right thing ten days ago! We both know that Drusilla Fallon lied for you. But she didn't lie about her connection with the IRA. There were plenty of paper trails there which was peculiar. IRA doesn't leave paper trails. That woman has some strong ties, and I don't know how and I don't know why.
"She put herself on the chopping block for you because she loves you. I saw that love when she sacrificed her freedom for yours. She knew that you were needed more than her. In a roundabout way, she did the right thing. At the same time, she ruined any chance I had of putting you and your club behind bars where you belong. She knows the importance of family, and she knew that more violence will only destroy what was left behind after she was gone."
She stared at Jax for a little longer hoping that he would say something. She thought mentioning Dru's involvement would break him open a little bit, but to no avail. He simply sat there wiping the table off with his hand like he was imagining wiping her existence away. She was done. She motioned for the guard to let her out.
"Patterson grilled the guys," Jax commented as he drove down the roads of Charming. He was glad to be out, but yet it was bittersweet. He had nothing to return to.
"Yeah, me too. Everyone at TM and the hospital. I don't think they have any suspects," Gemma told him.
"They don't."
"Bobby said you reached out."
"Yeah, August got me a burner. Club's up to speed," Jax said. "Any word on Juice?"
"No. We tracked down his sister back east. She hasn't seen him in years. Tacoma's still watching his apartment and weed shop. You know why he split? Club shit?" Gemma asked.
"Yeah," Jax muttered. "Everything go okay with the funeral?"
"Yes. We had the service two days ago. Just club and family. It was quiet, respectful. Abel doesn't know what happened, just that his mommy's in Heaven," Gemma answered. "It's good you're out, baby. Those boys need you." Gemma paused as Jax took a right. He wasn't going the right way. "Where you going?"
"Scoops. I can't see them yet, Mom. I got to get clear on what I have to do."
"Yeah, okay. I get it."
"I know how much of this has landed on you, the burden of that. What you're doing for SAMCRO and my boys means a lot to me. I couldn't do it without you, Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart. I'm here. Whatever you need me to do."
Jax grabbed her hand. Gemma felt the comfort that he needed in that single action. Even though she was the one to start this chain reaction of events, she couldn't break now. She had to be strong for her son, her grandsons, and the club.
"Any word on Dru?" Jax asked.
Gemma smiled. She knew sooner or later Jax would get to that subject. "I went to see her a couple days ago. She's well and in good spirits. She knows turning herself over was the best thing for you and the club. It kept all of you safe."
"I didn't ask for her to do that, Mom."
"No, but she knows it was the right thing to do. She knows that the club needs you, your boys need you."
"And I need her."
Gemma squeezed his hand. "I know, baby. But for right now, there's nothing you can do."
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Thank you loving my Fallon saga! :)
