It has been years, readers. Years. And it's been so rough, but I am still here. And this story is about to be concluded.

All will be explained in the next and final chapter, which I am working on right now. Until then, enjoy this, the penultimate chapter in my love story between Juice and Ana.

"What do you mean Gemma already knows?"

Ana sat in her rocking chair, nursing Gia as she talked on the phone. Tara had called her in a panic, saying that Gemma had known about the plan to divorce Jax and take the boys with her. She was terrified. Jax had Rat supervising Tara at all times, and had even removed the boys from the daycare. Gemma was to watch them while Tara worked from now on.

"She knows," Tara said, shakily. "Wendy told her."

Wendy. The woman who was in Gemma's house now, detoxing. That would explain why Gemma was feeling merciful to the woman who nearly killed her grandson in the womb.

Remembering the paperwork that was in her safe, Ana felt a pang of fear.

"Do you know what Wendy told Gemma, exactly?" she asked.

"You should be good," Tara replied. "Wendy didn't know I gave you the copies."

They were silent on the phone, Ana's head still reeling from everything Tara had told her.

"You faked a miscarriage, T," she said. "I love you, and I understand the why of the situation. But there really wasn't another way? Why didn't you come to me?"

Tara chuckled without humor.

"You were going through enough during the pregnancy, and I remember the fog of the first weeks of motherhood. I didn't want to burden you. What's done is done," she said. "I just need to figure out my next steps."

Anna took a deep breath, looking down at her daughter. In that moment, she was terrified. She knew Juice was out on the road, ready to take out the Irish and Clay with the club. This was supposed to be his last big job with the club before they began to plan for their departure from the Sons and Charming.

She wished with all her heart that Tara's escape could have been as easy as she had it. Most of the club accepted Juice leaving with his family, but it had a lot to do with the fact that Juice simply had too much to lose. Chibs even discussed it the night before at dinner; Juice had come too far from the broken man he was to stay in this life of chaos.

"You're one of the good guys, son. Time to go before this life changes you."

"What are your next steps?" Ana finally asked.

It sent a chill down her spine when Tara whispered "I don't know."

Juice felt sick to his stomach as he drove. He had run over a cop after Bobby had been shot, and right now all he could focus on was getting to the airstrip.

Jax crawled up front, hanging up his phone as he did.

"How is he?" Juice asked, scared to look at his president.

"It's bad. Tara and Mom are on the way," Jax replied. "How are you?"

"I'm sorry man," Juice replied. "He was going to keep shooting."

Jax sighed.

"I know. You did the right thing. Don't let this get to you. Let's get to the airstrip, so you can get home to your girls."

They arrived at the airstrip, and Juice hopped out the truck and shed the disguise they'd been wearing. As he did so, he looked up to see Clay walking over.

Juice took a moment to really look at the man he once saw as a leader. As a father. As a brother in arms.

This was also the man who recklessly and countlessly put his family at risk. His brothers. Gemma. Tara.

Ana. His love, his world. Soon to be his wife.

And his entire universe, Gianna. For it had been the bombing that brought her into this world a month early. It had been Clay stressing Ana to the point of almost losing her completely.

All of that steeled Juice's resolve. What was going to happen to Clay needed to happen.

So it's why he remained stoic and silent when Clay kissed his cheek and said thank you for the prison break, and for saving his life.

Juice didn't save his life. He just prolonged the inevitable.

Jax glanced over and saw the look on Juice's face, the twitch of his hand toward his pistol.

"Hey, man. Let me know when Tara and Mom get here," he said, pushing Juice to the door. At Juice's look of protest, Jax shook his head.

"You're almost free of this, Juicy. You stay for what goes down, you'll be stuck forever. Ana and Gia deserve you whole. Physical and mental. Stay here. And help Tara when she gets here," he said. There was a pleading look in his eyes, and Juice nodded. He knew what that look meant.

You have the choice that I can't have. Take it for all of us.

"No problem."

Ana was waiting on the porch with a baby monitor, Gia fast asleep. In her other hand was a beer.She laughed a little as she thought back to a little over a year ago when she was waiting for Juice in the exact same fashion. The night she told Juice she was pregnant.

A conversation best had outside, away from underage company. Those had been her words that day.

The roar of a motorcycle had her glance up, smiling a little as Juice pulled into the drive. He took his helmet off, his shoulders slumped a little, until he saw Ana.

He almost ran forward, pulled her to him, and kissed her so deeply that the breath left her body.

"I love you so much," he whispered as he pulled away. "It's done. He's dead."

Ana let out a breath of relief. She kissed him back, the love she'd had for him for nearly four years poured into it.

"Thank you for coming home to me," she whispered, knowing deep in her heart that this would be the last time she'd ever have to worry about if he'd return.

Juice pulled back a second and smiled mischievously.

Ana raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked with a smile.

"There is one little thing we need to do before we leave Charming," he said.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

Juice laughed, and pulled her inside. They had a lot to do, a lot to plan, and not much time to plan it.

But first, he needed to show his love how much she meant to him.