A/N: All right, everyone, here it is, the final chapter. I know this story ended up taking a completely different direction from canon, but writing it was fun and it means the world to me that you all took the time to read it. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I appreciate all your comments. If you ever want to talk Wentworth or writing or anything, feel free to hit me up here or my Tumblr is in my bio. I say this is the final chapter, but I'm rewatching season six at the moment, so you never know... Until next time!

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...

The cries could be heard throughout most of H-block. Some of the women responded, demanding H1 quiet down. Bea and Liz sat in the common area of H1, trying but failing to comfort a sobbing Boomer.

"It's gonna be okay, Booms," Bea said with tears in her eyes.

"No it's not!" Boomer screamed. "Franky left me, Sonia left me, Dors left me, and now Maxi…"

Boomer continued to cry as Maxine stepped out of her cell, carrying her personal belongings in a clear plastic bag. Bea, Liz, and Boomer all stood up, but Boomer pushed Liz out of the way back onto the sofa and rushed towards Maxine to hug her.

"I love you, Maxi," Boomer cried.

Maxine smiled and hugged Boomer with all her strength. She dropped her bag and motioned for Liz and Bea to come over. The women embraced one another, all trying to put on brave faces as they were forced to say goodbye.

"It's only for a few months, girls. Trust me, if I didn't need the treatment…"

"You won't in a couple of months! And, and you'll be back, right?" Boomer nodded, awaiting confirmation.

"That's right, Booms," Maxine cried as she let go. "Until then, you all look out for each other, you hear?"

"And, and if you don't come back, Bea will break us out to come get ya at Barnhurst, right, Bea?"

"Boomer!" Liz cried out.

"That's right, Boomer," Bea smiled. "You can't get rid of us that easily, Maxine."

"I'll come back home before you know it, Bea."

As Maxine hugged Bea, Miles walked into the unit.

"Ready, Conway?" Miles asked.

Maxine quickly nodded, bending over to pick up her bag.

"I love you, girls."

Maxine blew each of them a kiss before turning around and walking out of the unit. Boomer continued sobbing and after grabbing her pack of biscuits, she walked into her cell and shut the door. Bea took a deep breath and sat down at the table. Liz sat down across from her.

"I feel for Boomer. All this change is overwhelming," Liz sighed.

"Yeah but it's for the best, Liz. Maxine gets the proper treatment, Doreen gets to be with her family, and Sonia…"

"Gets to avoid justice and be a psychotic billionaire again."

Bea tapped her fingers on the table. Liz shook her head.

"Sorry."

As Bea was about to respond, Jake walked into the unit.

"Hey, Mr. Stewart," Liz greeted.

"Birdsworth," Jake nodded in her direction. "Smith, Governor wants to see you."

Bea raised her eyebrows as she stood up from the table and walked with Jake out of the unit.

"Wow, must be pretty important for the deputy governor to take the time to come get me," Bea joked as they headed for Vera's office.

"Hey, just because I'm deputy doesn't mean I can't still help out with regular officer duties," Jake smiled.

"Hope the badge is helping keep you out of trouble."

"Please, you should know better than anyone that the better the title, the bigger the problems."

"So should I be concerned that you're taking me to see the governor now?"

"Not until you get a new title."

They both laughed and continued walking towards Vera's office. As they descended a staircase, Jake stopped walking and held his hand up to stop Bea.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you… Do you still think about her?"

Bea took a deep breath and looked around.

"She hasn't been gone long. Her…presence... is still fresh…"

"No, no, I know that it's just… You know her better than anybody."

"Please…"

"I'm serious. You knew how to get under her skin. You had more experience with her than anyone else in this prison."

"Yeah, lucky me. Can we…"

Bea started to walk but Jake stopped her.

"Why…" Jake looked around, barely whispering as he continued to speak. "Why do you think she didn't name me?"

Bea scoffed and shook her head.

"I don't know. I wasn't there for her trial. You got lucky I guess."

"I got out from underneath her by the skin of my teeth, Smith. You know how involved I became with her and yet… Why wouldn't she give me up during her trial?"

"Look, if you expect me to be able to give you a look inside the Freak's mind…"

"I do."

"…All I know is that everything she did, everything she does is for power. That's it. That's all she wants. And while I'm… happy… that she's gone now… I made the mistake of underestimating her in the past. I won't do that again."

"So, you think she's still a threat too, then?

"She's at Ashcroft now but…yeah… And no offense, but if it comes down to you and Ferguson, you don't stand a chance."

"But you do."

"Hardly."

"Don't underestimate yourself either, Smith. Even if you refuse to admit it, both you and I know that the Freak wasn't the mastermind behind the riot…"

"Not this shit again. Listen, Mr. Stewart…"

"No, you listen, I won't say anything, you know that. I still don't know how you did it, but… You managed to put her away. I made the mistake of allying myself with the wrong inmate in the past, and that won't happen again. I just want to make sure that… If the time comes… you've got my back with Ferguson, right?"

Jake extended his hand. Bea looked down at it, hesitating to take it.

"You promise to keep an eye on Allie, no matter what?"

"I swear."

Bea looked him in the eyes then took his hand, realizing that in that moment, he was better off as an ally than as an enemy. They continued walking towards the governor's office. The door was wide open, and Jake motioned for Bea to head inside, shutting the door behind her. Vera sat at her desk, turning from her computer towards her.

"Smith," Vera greeted.

"Governor," Bea greeted back as she took a seat.

"How've you been?"

"I honestly don't think I've ever been better."

"Glad to hear that, especially because I wanted to inform you of some changes that will be taking place."

"What kinds of changes?"

"As you are aware, J-block has been getting rather…difficult to manage."

"I'm not top dog anymore, Governor."

"I know that, Smith, and I respect your decision to not take up the mantle again, but with that vacancy, the women have been giving us all a hard time as they vie for the role. Last week two inmates ended up in the hospital after an incident I can only assume was meant to determine top dog. I can't keep having these fights."

"I can't stop them, Governor."

"I know that, but I wanted to let you know that in an effort to break these alliances, I'll be doing a… redistribution of some of the women in J-block."

"…And you needed me to know this because…?"

"H-block will be getting new blood, and I need to make sure that whoever ends up sharing the unit with you will… know who's in charge."

"You're not putting the most problematic women with me, are you, Governor?"

"No, no, not the most, just some of our more… vocal inmates."

"Ah… Much better," Bea sighed.

"I wouldn't assign them to H-block if I didn't think you could handle them."

"Clearly. You could've just given them new cells, Governor. Making a meeting out of it seems a little much, don't you think?"

"I thought you deserved a warning, yes, but there was something else. And please, I want you to truly consider the offer I'm about to make you."

"Offer?"

"Look, it's no secret that the women here respect you. Even at your weakest, they still turned to you to lead them. You did it for so long, it was hard for some of the women to move on from seeing you as their leader."

"They have though."

"Not quite. They still turn to you for support, especially knowing that you can intercede on their behalf… They trust you."

"…What are you getting at, Governor?"

"I'd like for you to become peer worker, Bea."

Bea bit her tongue but she was only able to keep a straight face for a few seconds before she started snickering.

"…Peer wor… A convicted murderer with a life sentence?"

"Yes," Vera smiled.

Bea opened her mouth to speak but was at a loss for words.

"You don't have to make a decision right now, but I figured it'd be good for you as well as for the women. All the women here know you and they definitely respect you. I don't think anyone knows more about how to deal with this place than you do, and I think it'd be good to have you help new inmates make the transition… Could also give the former top dog something to do."

Bea looked up at Vera, shaking her head as she began to smile.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. If I can still help the women, I'm all for it… I still needed something to do anyways."

"I'm glad you're taking the opportunity, Bea."

Vera stood up from her chair and held her hand out. Still smiling, Bea took it in hers, shaking it before turning to walk out of the office.

…

Allie sat across from Bridget in her office during her weekly check-in. She finished drinking from a glass of water before rolling it between her hands as she looked at it, the glass still half-full.

"I still think about it all, sure," Allie began. "It's hard not to. I came so close to losing my life, so close to losing… You know I didn't have much of a life outside of here. Turning tricks in the hopes of scoring money or gear, thinking that's what I needed to stay alive. I don't know what I would've done if Kaz hadn't found me…"

"And you feel no resentment towards her for her role in getting you here?"

Allie shook her head and smiled.

"Kaz and the girls were my family outside of Wentworth. Honestly, I couldn't imagine surviving long without them on the outside."

"And now?"

"Now…" Allie paused. "All I've done is add to my family."

Allie looked up at the clock before looking back down at the glass in her hands, unable to erase the smile from her face as her eyes went to her ring. She set the glass down on the table next to her and stood up as Bridget stood up as well.

"Give my love to Franky," Allie said as she turned to walk out of the office.

"Allie, hang on a sec…"

Allie turned back around. Bridget walked past her and went to open the door, poking her head outside into the hallway and motioning someone over. Bridget walked out of the office, and a few seconds later, Franky walked inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Blondie," Franky greeted as she sat down in Bridget's chair.

"What brings you in today? In need of a little midday action with my psych?" Allie asked as she went to sit on the armrest of her chair.

"God yes. Your session interrupted my sexting so I figured why not just have dessert for lunch instead?" Franky grinned.

Allie laughed as Franky reached into her bag and pulled out an item.

"Also, I figured I might as well drop this off," Franky said, reaching her hand out to Allie.

Allie took the item from Franky, a tiny clear bag with a silver band that was identical to hers.

"You are a godsend," Allie said.

"I know right? Seriously if you and Red don't make me your best man when you actually get married, I'll be so fucking pissed."

"Best man at our wedding, godfather to our child, whatever you want," Allie said as she took the ring out of the bag

Franky laughed as she watched Allie examine the ring. She looked out the window for a second before turning back towards Allie.

"Did Red ever tell you why she got you a ring in the first place?" Franky asked.

Allie looked up at Franky, a confused look on her face.

"I thought it was because of my birthday."

"That's a no then… She'd wanted to give you a ring before she even knew it was your birthday. When I went to see her in the hospital, after she had scissors kicked into her back… she was a mess. She wanted to see you, just talk to you and tell you everything was gonna be okay… Then she found out what you ended up doing and she felt guilty."

"She shouldn't have…" Allie interrupted. "Franky, what…"

"I know that Ferguson was the one to do it. I know that, Allie, but for you to even be in that vulnerable a position…" Franky began as she shook her head. "She told me that she'd heard you and Bridget talking back when you were slotted next to each other about why you were able to stay sober. Something about her strength and her being an inspiration to you?"

Allie pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Red took that to heart… When she was in the hospital, she was freaking out over you. She was blaming herself for what happened to you because she wasn't there for you and… She asked me to get a ring she could give to you that wouldn't raise alarms with this place's security so you'd be able to keep and wear it and know that no matter what happened, she'd be there for you, so you'd… so you'd have something that reminded you of her in case… Allie, to be completely honest that woman wasn't as afraid of death as much as she was afraid of something happening to you and…"

Allie watched Franky look down at the floor as she waited for her to finish her statement. Franky smiled before looking back up at her.

"Bea needed something to keep her going and I… I just wanted to thank you for being that source of strength… for her."

Allie softly smiled at Franky before looking back down at the ring.

"She's saved my life in every way imaginable. I love her and I need her, Franky. She was always strong for the both of us, and now it's my turn. You can be sure that I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, sound, and smiling."

Allie placed the ring in her pocket before standing up. Franky stood up as well and tightly hugged Allie. When she pulled away, Franky wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before ruffling Allie's hair.

"All right, get the hell out of here now, Blondie. Go find your wife because I sure as hell need time alone with mine."

Allie smiled before turning and walking out of the office, waving goodbye down the hall to Bridget before being led back to her unit. Bridget walked back into her office, shutting the door behind her. Franky smiled at her before stepping over and kissing her.

…

Allie walked into the shower block, smiling when she saw Bea in the farthest stall with her back to her. Allie made eye contact with the two women at the sinks, winking and gesturing with her head towards the door. The two women quickly gathered up their belongings and walked out of the showers. Allie made her way towards the last stall, removing her robe and hanging it on the hook before quickly stepping inside and gently pushing Bea against the wall, pressing her body into hers as she placed her hands on the wall on either side of her.

"This getting you wet?" Bea asked, smiling as Allie ran her hands from her shoulders to her lower back.

"What do you think?" Allie responded, grabbing Bea's hand and placing it between her own legs.

Allie moved against her hand, moaning into Bea's ear as Bea started slowly sliding her fingers up and down Allie.

"Allie…" Bea groaned as she shut her eyes. "I was almost done with my shower…"

"Why didn't you say so? I'd be more than happy to help you finish…"

Allie quickly spun Bea around, pushing her back into the wall as she placed her hands on her neck and passionately kissed her. They kissed for a few seconds before Allie moved her lips down Bea's neck, then further down, stopping to massage her breasts before taking one into her mouth. Bea moaned as she gripped Allie's neck, holding her in place as Allie's tongue and lips teased her.

Knowing they didn't have all the time in the world, Allie forced herself away from Bea, only to immediately drop to her knees, push Bea's legs slightly apart, and lick a trail from her opening up to her clit. Nearly losing her balance from the sudden and electrifying contact, Bea grabbed onto the stall wall with one hand as she held onto the back of Allie's head with the other one.

"Allie…"

"I've got you…"

Allie pushed Bea's thigh up to hook her leg over her shoulder, holding onto Bea and helping keep her up as she kissed and licked her all over. When she felt Bea grip her hair, Allie ran her right hand up her torso, as Bea dropped her head forwards, grabbed Allie's hand, and took her fingers into her mouth, licking and sucking them as both women moaned. Instead of letting go of her hand when she felt Allie pull away, Bea gripped her wrist and pulled Allie to stand.

"Are you okay?" Allie asked, swallowing hard and trying to stabilize her breathing as she worried about why Bea had stopped her.

Bea looked into Allie's eyes for a few seconds as the water hit her. She placed her right hand on Allie's cheek, stroking her with her thumb before bringing her own fingers to Allie's mouth, brushing them over her soft lips. Allie smiled before beginning to kiss Bea's fingers, running her tongue up and down them, before finally taking them into her mouth as she held Bea's gaze. Bea smiled before pulling her fingers out and pulling Allie in for a deep kiss.

They ran their hands down each other's bodies, pausing to tease one another for a few seconds, before sliding their fingers into and eliciting gasps from one another. Bea wrapped her left arm around Allie, resting her head on Allie's shoulder and holding onto her as her legs threatened to give out. Allie pressed their bodies flush together and pushed Bea up against the wall to keep from falling as their fingers pushed in and out of each other, their hips thrust against one another, and their moans echoed each other, keeping a steady rhythm as they both picked up the pace.

"I love you…"

Allie traced Bea's ear with her tongue before bringing her lips down to Bea's neck, gently sucking but still managing to leave a small bruise. Bea turned to face Allie.

"I love you, too."

Bea kissed Allie, the passion of their kiss sending them over the edge as they both stopped breathing and fought to keep their eyes open and on one another, both women shaking and riding out their high together. No longer able to remain standing, they slowly sank to the floor, never letting go as the water continued to pour over them.

…

The women of H3 sat in the common area of their unit playing poker. Jake walked into the unit, greeting the women who all set their cards face down before walking over to stand next to their doors. Jake went through the head count and the women all went back to the common area except for Allie, who followed Jake as he walked to close the gate.

"I heard about J-block," Allie spoke.

"Yeah, ever since the riot they've been giving H-block a run for their money as home of the most fucked up women," Jake smiled.

"Shut up," Allie laughed. "Seriously is it that bad?"

"Governor's trying to break up a couple of the crews. I don't know how that's gonna work inside a prison but as long as there's no top dog, this is the most she can do to try to keep them under control. Should shake things up a bit."

"Things were just starting to settle down…" Allie sighed.

"Paradise in prison couldn't last forever, Novak. I'll let you get back to your game, even though I'm sure you're fucked. You've got a shit poker face," Jake remarked as he turned to leave.

"Hey," Allie called out. "Any chance you can work the graveyard shift tomorrow?"

"Sure… Guessing you miss sleeping next to your wife?" Jake smiled.

"Yes, but not really planning on sleeping this time."

Allie winked and smiled before walking back to rejoin the card game.

…

Bea stirred in her sleep when she heard the door to her cell open. She sat up, hoping to see Allie but saw Jake in the doorway instead.

"Smith, come with me," he whispered.

"Is everything okay?" she asked as she stood up.

"Boss wants to see you. Let's go."

Jake walked out of the cell. Confused that Allie would ask her to come to H3 instead of just coming to H1 as usual, Bea threw her shoes on and rushed out of the cell and the unit. Jake quietly shut the gate before beginning to walk with Bea right next to him.

"We're not going to H3?" Bea asked as they passed the unit.

"No."

Jake led Bea outside to the exercise yard, opening the gate to allow her to pass through. Bea stared at him for a few seconds before walking through and out into the yard. She looked around for Allie for a few seconds before looking up at the sky.

Bea looked to see Allie approaching her and standing next to her, also turning to look up at the sky.

"Are you okay?" Bea asked.

"Never better."

Bea turned back to look up at the sky.

"Can't remember the last time I looked up at the stars," Bea said.

"I'm luckier than you then."

"Yeah? D'you get to come outside often?"

Allie took hold of Bea's hands as they turned to face each other.

"I see stars whenever I look at you."

Bea softly smiled as Allie pressed their foreheads together. She let go of Bea's hand to reach into her pocket for a second before grabbing Bea's left hand, bringing it up to her lips and giving it a small kiss before placing a ring on her finger.

"…How did you…"

"Happy birthday, Bea."

Bea looked up at Allie, her eyes twinkling in the night.

"I know that back in the hospital, I promised I would wait for you, but… I don't think we need to wait anymore… We're here, and I promise we'll always be together, no matter what."

Bea couldn't help but smile as tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew Allie would be released someday, a thought that both vitalized and terrified her, but for now, she took comfort in the realization that for the moment, they were together and that no one and nothing could ever tear them apart.

…

The sun beaming down on the prison, Bea walked along the edges of the yard, running her fingers along the fence that separated the yard from the pathways leading towards the exit. As she did so, she looked over at the women she passed by. Some were in groups, some were alone. Some were talking, some were exercising, some were playing, some were reading, some were sleeping. Bea softly smiled as she reached the end of the fence but continued to walk alongside the walls of the yard, turning her eyes downwards to look at the ground, strolling along as the women slowly began to clear out.

Bea thought back to her first day in prison, how terrified she had been, how devastated she had felt, how alone she had become. The only family, the only love, the only hope she had known was her daughter, who was taken away from her because she herself had refused to become a victim of the prison and its toxicity. From then on all she could focus on was getting justice for her daughter, an innocent soul who had her life stolen from her as a twisted form of collateral damage. Obtaining that justice, exacting that revenge came with the task of seizing the leadership of the prison, a role she had never desired but had to step into when a new source of terror was set on getting her own revenge against her, tormenting her to the brink of madness.

That source of terror proved to be stronger than anyone else Bea had faced in her past, gaining even greater force and strength as Bea struggled to find a reason to keep going, making a habit out of harming herself in an attempt to quiet and quell her inner demons. Then at her lowest, after hurting one of her closest allies, after being shunned and attacked by the women she had tried to take care of, after bringing the blade down on herself so many times, after nearly being erased from existence, a ray of light finally shined down on her dark life, a ray of light that ignited a fire inside of her, a ray of light that gave her a family, gave her love, and gave her hope again.

As Bea walked along the walls, thinking of how fortunate she was to have been given another chance at happiness, she was bumped into. Bea stopped walking and turned to see who had done it, only to see golden locks of hair continuing forward as if nothing had happened. Bea smiled and ran after Allie, jumping on her from behind as Allie laughed and hooked her arms around Bea's legs to hold her up, as Bea wrapped her arms around Allie. Allie ran around with Bea on her back for a few seconds before spinning, stopping, and slowly falling to the ground, lowering Bea before she lied down next to her on Bea's outstretched left arm. Both women gazed up at the clouds in the blue sky.

"That cloud looks like a prawn," Allie said, pointing towards the sky.

"Where?"

"That one right there. Can't you see it? Looks like a prawn."

"No it doesn't," Bea laughed. "It looks like a seahorse."

"Oh shit, yeah it does! Hey, did you know that seahorses like to swim in pairs?"

"Do they?" Bea asked, turning her head towards Allie.

"Yeah, they do!" Allie reached her left hand out to Bea, curling her pinky finger. "They link tails so they don't lose each other."

Bea smiled, as she reached her right hand out, curling her own pinky and linking it with Allie's. They both laughed before Allie completely intertwined their fingers, pushing Bea back as she rolled over to lie on top of her, smiling as she gazed into Bea's eyes and stroked her face with her right hand, not letting go of Bea's hand for a second.

Bea tapped Allie's shoulder and pointed upwards. Allie turned her head to look up at the sky, giving Bea the opportunity to catch her off guard and roll her over on the grass so now she lay on top. Bea nuzzled Allie's neck, both women laughing as Bea softly bit her. Allie placed her hands on Bea's face and pulled her up to look at her. Bea ran her right hand up Allie's left arm, grabbing her hand and turning to look at her ring. Bea intertwined their fingers before bringing Allie's hand to her lips and kissing her ring finger.

As Bea brought her face down to Allie's, Allie wrapped her arms around Bea and rolled them over once more. Allie took both of Bea's hands in her own and interlocked them, gently pushing them down against the grass as Allie brought her lips to Bea's. They became lost in their kiss, in their love, in each other, forgetting everyone and everything around them, focusing only on taking in, giving back, and breathing into one another.

"Smith! Novak! Finish that in H1!" Jake called out.

Allie and Bea stopped kissing as they both turned to the side to look at Jake. Allie laughed and flipped him off as he turned to walk away. They turned to look back at each other.

"Finish what?" Bea asked, beaming with joy.

"I don't know… This is only the beginning," Allie replied as she stroked Bea's cheek.

They both smiled as they gazed into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Allie leaned down to kiss Bea. Allie then stood up and pulled Bea to stand, holding her hand as they walked together through the gate to H1, happy to finish what they started in the yard, hypnotized by the warmth emanating from their interlocked hands, and hopeful to begin their lives anew within the prison.