Hey Guys!

This is it, the final chapter! I hope you enjoy and thanks for everything!

Enjoy!

~IfWritersCouldSpeak~

"Jerome?" I asked, standing up. He shot two more bullets at her, until I put my hand on his, and I lowered the gun. "It's over. She won't hurt them now."

The silence ensured, until a groan rippled in the air. "Fabian!"

I went to his side, until Jerome pulled me back. He opened a drawer on the side table, and began to pull of medical supplies. He first did all of the minor injuries, like the scratches he obtained, before doing his stomach.

When Fabian became Jerome's new patient, I stood guard at the door, despite Jerome's protests that no one was out there.

"I killed them," he stated, while he applied antiseptic. "I came in here, looking for you, and they saw the gun in my hand, and they all ran for cover. One of the members came out and said I was loyal. They all came out, and he commented that if I wasn't my wife and child would be dead by now." He took a deep breath. "I got angry, and I shot him in the chest. Then I killed everyone else."

"You came back for me?" I asked.

"I've always wanted to help you, Nina, I just didn't know how," he replied honestly.

Had he not been saving the love of my life, I would have hugged him.

Once Jerome finished with Fabian's stomach, he inspected Fabian's arm wound. "Dear God," he said.

"What?" I questioned, already moving away from my position as guard.

Jerome looked at me. "It's getting seriously infected. Plus, it's way too deep. We're going to need the special meds."

"Ok, so where is it?" I asked him.

He looked at me. "It's outside."

I was about to ask him what's so scary about that, until the gunshots rang out. I pressed my back to the door. "There's more?" I screamed at him.

"The guards don't know they're dead, yet," he shouted. "You're still the enemy."

The shots rang louder, and the booms were shaking the ground. "They're going to see the bodies!" I yelled to him.

"But the leader's is in here!" he stated.

I shivered, as I realized I was a mere five feet away from a cold, dead corpse. "So what do we do?"

He shivered himself, the idea seeming to haunt him. "We have to go outside."

"Are you insane?" I bellowed, as a bullet struck the door.

"I'm still an ally," he explained. "I can say I captured you, we can get the medicine for Fabian, and run back in here."

"Then how do we get out?" I questioned him.

"We'll them it was the leader's orders. That he had to be executed with you in public tomorrow, and to put him through even worse pain, they decided they would fix him up, and then kill him. We can get him ready, and say the leader's downstairs. Then we can run for it."

"Fabian can't run," I stated.

"I can carry him," Jerome offered.

"Yeah, like five feet. I've seen you lift heavy things. No offence, Fabian."

Jerome stood right in front of me, his blue eyes staring daggers at my emerald green ones. "That was an old Jerome, in case you haven't noticed."

My breathing hitched, and the sound of bullets ricocheting against the door brought me back to the real world. I nodded, and Jerome helped Fabian up. He put one arm around his neck, and I came around, and placed one arm around his waist. Fabian's wrapped around my waist as well, and if we weren't about to die, I would have said it was a picturesque moment.

Jerome let go of Fabian, and went to the door, his hand on the knob. "Ready?" he asked.

Fabian nodded, but I said, "Wait."

The two men turned to me, but I just looked at one. I wrapped my other arm around his neck, and kissed him as hard as I could. I could feel his lips smile, and his arm tighten around me.

"Alright, Nina, I get the point, you can be loved, now can we go?" Jerome whined, as Fabian and I separated.

"I love you," I told my husband, ignoring Jerome.

"I love you," he told me, his concrete blue eyes boring into mine.

"Ok, yes, I love you guys too, can we go?" Jerome begged.

"Yes," I said.

He twisted to knob, and we were meet to the sight of at least seven men holding out guns in our direction.

Jerome stepped forward, and raised both his hands up. I raised one, the other around Fabian's waist. Fabian's lightly held up his bad arm, but no one bothered to tell him.

"I am Jerome Beatrice Clarke," he began and I could see a few of them stifle their giggles. Jerome glared at them, before he continued, "I am an ally to The Council. I am a doctor. These two are sentenced to public execution tomorrow. The leader wants them both cleaned up, so they can be publicly tortured."

"If you are saying the truth," one of them started, "then what is the name of the leader of The Council?"

Jerome didn't hesitate before answering, "Beatrice."

I gasped. Jerome turned around and looked at me, right in the eye, "My mother."

The guns were put down, and we lowered our hands.

Jerome cautiously moved to the right, where a large black bag was, and he opened it. We laid Fabian on the ground, and Jerome pressed a needle into his skin and pushed down on the plunger. Fabian immediately sighed, and I hugged him tight.

I laid out my leg, like Jerome told me to, and he stuck another needle into my skin. He pushed down again, and I sighed loudly. My leg felt flexible again. I could feel the infection leaving and the skin healing itself.

"Hey, boss," one of the men with guns, said. "Take a look."

Jerome went pale, and I couldn't see anything because they were behind me. "We have to go. Now." He yanked on the bag, and Fabian and I leaped up, strength surging through us. We ran to the door when someone yelled, "She's dead!" before the shots fired around us.

We pushed open the door, and we scrambled out. We flew down steps, bullets ricocheting and surrounding us. Jerome fired a few times, with a gun he salvaged from the room, but it did nothing

We got to the bottom floor, and were outside when Jerome yelled, "Nina!"

I turned around and was pushed aside, as Jerome groaned.

"No!" I screamed. I grabbed the gun in my best friend's hands and I began to shoot. The bullets hit all of them, and I dropped the gun, and placed my fingers on Jerome's neck.

"Nina…."

"Shh, shh, you're ok. It's fine," I told him, tears running down my face.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her," he whispered. "I didn't know 'til after the test."

He gasped, and coughed. "Mara, and Jennifer…."

"I'll take care of them," I promised, "I'll protect them as long as I can."

"My mom was wrong," he said. "Loved ones make you stronger. She told me her famous quote when she first met me, as a reason for throwing me to that place."

"That's awful," I commented.

"It wasn't completely awful," he replied. "I mean, I met you. You changed my life."

I looked at Fabian briefly, before turning back to him. "Yeah, I've been told to have that effect on people."

He laughed, "Tell Mara I love her ok?"

I nodded.

"When Jennifer's old enough, tell her. About everything. What I did, what I wished I could, tell her. Say I love her and that I'm sorry."

I nodded again.

"I'm sorry, Nina."

"Don't apologize," I begged him, "You never have."

"What do I have to lose?" he asked, bitterly.

It was silent for a minute, before he called out, "Fabian?"

Fabian stepped forward, and sat in front of the dying man.

"Take care of her," Jerome told him. "She's a handful."

Fabian chuckled, before looking at me. "She sure is."

"Love her with all you got, or else my ghost will haunt you," Jerome threatened.

"Jerome, can I ask you for permission? To be with Nina?" Fabian asked, nervously.

Jerome laughed, "Yes. You get full permission."

Fabian smiled, before he looked back at Jerome with a sad face. "I'm sorry I didn't get to know you better."

"Not you fault," Jerome gasped.

There was about thirty more seconds, until Jerome said his final word, "Sorry."

Then he closed his eyes, and it he looked like he could have been sleeping.

And I buried my head in Fabian's shoulder, my hands stained with my best friend's blood.

Epilogue

(5 Years Later)

"Jerome! Jerome, slow down!" Fabian yelled, as my husband and son flew into our house.

"No! Face it Dad, you're too slow!" Jerome teased.

The four year old ran upstairs, while my husband came in panting. I chuckled and he looked at me. "Not you too."

I raised my hands in defense. "You could have beaten him, I'm sure."

"That kid runs fast," Fabian protested. "Did old Jerome use to?"

I nodded. After four years, I could start talking about Jerome without crying. "I saw Mara."

"How is she?" Fabian asked.

"Good, her hospital's gotten pretty busy though, she wants us to take care of Jenny."

"Sure," Fabian agreed, "When?"

"Tomorrow," I informed.

"Ok," he confirmed.

"Now go wash up, I'm not letting you in here all messy and gross!"

He kissed my cheek, before exiting.

I leaned on the counter, and thought about everything. The Council was gone, and I was the leader of the new government that included everybody. I was like the president, as one of the e-papers stated.

President Nina.

It had a nice ring to it.

Just like the one around my finger.

There! Done! I would like to thank you guys for the amount of support I've gotten for this fanfic, it was so much fun!

Thank you for everything! I love you guys!

~IfWritersCouldSpeak~