Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy

Written by BansheeGirl

A/N: Yes folks, it's finally that time. This is the last chapter of MFoLaC! It has been more than a year in the making, but you finally have your finale. I have had an amazing time writing this story for you all, and I really hope you enjoyed reading it just as much. Please, read on – do enjoy this last stretch, and please leave me one last review when you're done! Thankyou all!

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 or 2!

Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy

Chapter 24: Rest Your Heart

James sat at the kitchen table, staring down at the local newspaper before him but not absorbing a single word. After fruitlessly reading the same sentence three times, he finally flipped the newspaper shut and rested his head in his hands atop the table.

For a month it had been like this. He had been completely unable to concentrate on anything, and it was frustrating the hell out of him. All he could think of was Jessie, and how she had so easily slipped straight through his fingers. That frustrated him even more. Everyday he felt like jumping on one of the helicopters and heading straight to Saunders City to see Jessie; to plead for forgiveness, and to tell her that she was all he ever thought of. But as more and more days passed, the thought of things ever reconciling between him and Jessie became less and less plausible. James kept telling himself to let her go, but she was like a thorn buried too deep under his skin – and every time he tried to dig her out he only made things worse.

"Are you alright, dear?" Came Mary's voice, piercing James' reverie.

James lifted his head from his hands, eyeing the elderly woman who was characteristically stirring something in a pot over the stove.

"I'm fine," he murmured.

"Why don't you go watch some television with the others?"

"I'm fine," James repeated, having no desire to go and pretend to be distracted by some meaningless TV show. He thought of Ian, Sam, Cate and her two children sitting in the living room, and Mary here with him, and how distant he had felt from them all since he had arrived back in Fieldsville. It was like Jessie had torn a gaping chasm within him, and his friends here in Fieldsville paled in their efforts to fill it.

When James had arrived back in Fieldsville after quickly leaving Saunders City, the Lodging House had already caught news of the incident at Paramount Corps. Everyone was entirely shocked at Olivia's involvement in the scheme, and even still were struggling to get over their friend's betrayal. James, on the other hand, had an easy time forgetting his raven-haired ex-girlfriend. All he had to think of was her hands clasping tight around his neck, or her gun pressing down upon Jessie and Olivia could rot in jail for all he cared.

What had suddenly struck James just a few days ago, however, was something Olivia had said to him before her tranquilised form was carted away by the police:

"Just so you know… I wasn't the only one from Fieldsville who betrayed you. Think about that, James…"

Had Olivia just been toying with James? Deliberately trying to cause a rift among the Lodging House residents? Or was she speaking the truth, and there was someone else involved in her deceitful scheme?

James thought about this now, as he sat at the kitchen table. He wondered whether there was someone else in this House right now, guilty of contributing towards a crime and yet happily remaining undetected. Would he ever know? Did he want to know? The thought of another one of his friends betraying him made him sick. He looked up at Mary, debating as to whether he should tell her what Olivia told him. Perhaps Mary had noticed something odd about one of the other residents…

"Mary?"

"Yes, dear?"

James took a deep breath. "Just before the police took her away… Olivia told me… She said that there was someone else from Fieldsville involved in her plan."

Mary immediately stopped stirring whatever was in the pot on the stove, but remained facing away from James. "James, you can't keep dwelling on that incident. Don't you think it's time you moved on?"

"How can I move on if I know there's somebody else here who helped Olivia?

"Come on, James. Don't be ridiculous," Mary laughed, and started stirring her pot again.

James looked incredulously at Mary. "I'm being serious, Mary. Why are you dismissing this?"

"James, I really think you should just go watch some television, or have a quiet nap before dinner. You are obviously very tired," Mary said in a stern voice.

James pushed himself up from his chair and skirted around the table to stand beside Mary at the stove. "Mary," he began, in an equally firm voice, "Do you think someone here was involved in Olivia's plan, or not?"

He watched Mary as she quite obviously tried to suppress a nervous tremor in her hand while she continued to stir the substance in the pot. He inwardly prayed that she wouldn't try to avoid the question again, for that would undoubtedly only mean one thing…

"James, please. I'm trying to cook dinner here," she replied, this time in a much weaker voice.

James felt his insides sink.

"It was you," he stated, his voice tinged with disgust. "You helped Olivia. You helped her try and kill Jessie."

Mary finally lifted her head to look at James. Her expression called for sympathy, but James only felt his utter disgust heighten.

"You, Mary. You of all people! How could you?" He spat.

"James, I wasn't about to sit back and watch Fieldsville destroyed! I've lived here my whole life! And I had all of you to think of," she offered pleadingly, but James had already turned on his heel and was rapidly making his way out of the kitchen.

He absent-mindedly grabbed a thick jacket from a closet near the front door, and determinedly stepped outside into the snow. Stuffing his hands inside his pockets, he began walking along the snow-covered street, making deep impressions in the soft white powder as anger and frustration and disgust was infused into every single step.

Mary. Mary had betrayed him. Olivia had betrayed him. He looked out along the street, and realised that Fieldsville – the Fieldsville he thought he loved so much – had betrayed him too. He had saved his town, but in the process his town had been unable to save him. He wanted to keep walking – walk straight out of Fieldsville, walk on and on until he found somewhere he belonged again. But where would that be?

James pushed on, not knowing where his feet were taking him. He was simply glad to be getting away. He ignored the 'hello's and 'how are you, James's from various Fieldsville residents he passed by. He just kept walking.

As he neared the edge of Fieldsville, James spotted a figure walking in the opposite direction to him, towards town. Off a little way in the distance he spied an extra helicopter on the town's designated helipad area. Its rotors were still spinning, indicating that it had probably just landed.

James continued to walk away from Fieldsville, and the figure continued to walk toward it, and the gap between the two people began to diminish rapidly. As James became closer, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he realised the figure seemed hauntingly familiar. Looking rather odd in a business jacket and skirt teamed with high snow boots and a wool-lined parka, it was in fact Jessie that was advancing toward Fieldsville. Toward him.

The pair stopped at about two metres between them. Each was wordless for several moments.

"Hi," Jessie finally articulated.

"Hi. How are you?"

Jessie shrugged noncommittally. She looked behind James toward Fieldsville, up at the mountains looming above, and then back to him. "What are you doing out here?" She questioned.

James looked at Jessie. Why was she here? How had she suddenly just appeared, after weeks of nothing? It was almost surreal. There was so much he wanted to say to Jessie, and yet now he was suddenly faced with her the words simply wouldn't come.

"I just needed to get away," he responded.

"I see."

"What are you doing out here?"

A brief smile flickered across Jessie's face. "I just needed to get away."

"You needed to get away… and you came to Fieldsville?"

James watched Jessie as her eyes dropped to stare at her feet. What was she thinking? It seemed ridiculous that they were standing here, together, in the snow, in the middle of nowhere. They both obviously had things to say to one another. And yet they were both still acting so restrained, as if neither mattered to the other in the least.

James took a step toward Jessie, so that only a metre remained between them. This made Jessie quickly snap her head up to look at him, and James froze, wondering whether he had just made a very bad move.

"I quit my job," she quickly stated, taking James very much off-guard.

"What? Why?" He exclaimed. He had not expected her to come out with that at all.

Jessie shrugged again.

"Jessie…"

"I didn't feel I belonged there anymore," she instantly responded, and her voice was suddenly picking up speed. "I don't want to be the CEO of Paramount Corps. anymore… I don't want to be the person I was before!"

James frowned, starting to become confused as to why Jessie was really here.

"What? Then… who do you want to be?"

Jessie sighed as though she were about to cry, but she swallowed quickly and looked up at James with gleaming eyes.

"I just want to… I don't know! I just want to be me. I just want to be… Jessie. I want to go far, far away from Paramount Corps., and from Saunders City. I want to leave everything behind…"

What was Jessie saying? Was she here to say goodbye to him, once and for all? James wanted to reach out and hold her, to pull her close. How could he let her go again?

"Jessie, I-"

"-Wait, James. I need to say more," Jessie cut in, and she quickly wiped away a stray tear that had managed to make its way down her cheek. "For the past month, I haven't stopped thinking about you. No matter how hard I try, I just can't get you out of my mind. But I've realised… I don't want to get you out of my mind! I don't want to forget about you. I don't want to never see you again…"

James' mouth gaped slightly as Jessie's words washed over him.

"…I do want to leave everything behind, James. But I want you to come with me," Jessie finished.

The metre closed between them.

James reached out and wrapped his arms around Jessie, holding her tight like he had dreamed of doing every night since they parted. Jessie complied entirely, leaning in against his chest. She sobbed against his jacket, and James ran a hand over her soft crimson hair as he too closed his eyes tightly to try and hold back a wave of stinging tears.

"I would go to the end of the earth with you, Jessie," he whispered into her ear.

And there the pair stood, embracing, alone but finally together in the cold winter snow of the Crystal Mountains. Just like the mysterious magnetic forces that skewed any compass in these mountains, it seemed that some strange but powerful magnetic force had drawn them together again. And this time things would stay that way.

…And that's a wrap! See? A happy ending after all. You can all sleep peacefully tonight!

Wow, I truly can't believe it's all over. I feel very accomplished for finally finishing this long story. I really hope that you – all my wonderful, wonderful readers – have enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing it.

I need to shout out a huge thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to leave me a review throughout the course of this story. Most importantly, I want to thank the amazing people who have constantly reviewed almost every chapter, and have stayed with me right through til the end. You know who you are. You all really kept me going on this one.

Now, this is a big goodbye for me. Magnetic Forces of Love and Conspiracy marks the end of my fanfiction writing career. I have devoted a lot of my time to writing fanfiction, and I don't regret a single minute of it. But I'd really like to move on and start working on my own ideas and characters in the future, so I won't be posting here anymore. I hope that Rocketshippy fanfiction doesn't die out, though… keep the spirit alive, guys!

Once again a big thankyou to everyone reading this. Take care everyone!

Blasting off for the last time,

BansheeGirl.