Here's a brand new chapter!

We're getting down to the wire. I'm so excited to end it, but at the same time I'm so sad. I've been writing this trilogy for two years. It's become a part of me. Dru has become a part of me. I know the character came from my mind, however the woman has intertwined herself in my heart. It's such a peculiar feeling.

Please enjoy! And remember to read and review!

Note: This story probably has anywhere from 2-5 chapters left. I haven't made up my mind yet, so just hang in there.

Fallon: End of an Era

Chapter Thirty-Three

"What do you mean they're hunting?" Jax questioned her.

She quickly swallowed the thick bile that threatened to spill. "Just that," Dru shrugged. "They're hunting."

Jax let her go and looked to his guys. They were just as puzzled as he was. Jax assumed she meant hunting as in she was the prey and 'they' were the predators. It implied…

"Are they looking for you?"

"Well, technically they can't look for me. They already know where I am," she corrected him.

Jax's eyes expanded. Why the hell did she come back if they were already looking for her? It didn't make any sense. "What the fuck are you doing here then?!" he bellowed.

"Dru, you should've run," Chibs told her.

"Run where?" Dru asked as if it didn't matter. "There's nowhere on this planet that I can possibly run to and hide. They will find me."

"Goddamn it, Dru!" Jax roared.

"It's fine, Jackson. I'll be fine," she assured him.

"You'll be fine?!" he incredulously asked. "You just told us there's nowhere you can hide, that they will find you. You won't be fine! Because what happens whenever they find you, Dru? Do you get a happy ending?"

Dru struggled to not react to the helpless emotions pouring from Jax. She struggled to not break under the words 'happy ending'. She wanted a happy ending more than anything. She especially wanted a happy ending with Jax. She just didn't know how to get one at this point. Dru had returned to do what she had planned. She had envisioned a long future for SAMCRO and she had fought tooth and nail for it to happen, and she had succeeded in ensuring its survival. It didn't matter that it was at the cost of her life.

"After everything I've done, Jax, I don't deserve a happy ending," she answered. "You have no idea…" she cut herself off before she gave too much away.

"I don't care, Dru. That's what you've never understood. I've never cared. I've done the same, if not worse."

Dru began shaking her head. "No! You don't understand! I know what you've done, Jackson! I know every facet of what you've done." She looked at the others. "What all of you have done! The difference between me and you is that I did it for nothing. I did it just to say I did and I liked it!"

She slapped her hand over her mouth. Dru was horrified. She couldn't believe she had admitted that much. She had never meant… Jax's eyes were as wide as saucers. Oh, God. Now he would look at her differently.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he softly asked.

"Tell you that I liked killing people? Yeah, because that's a great thing to tell someone they love," Dru sarcastically remarked.

"No. Why didn't you tell me how much suffering they had caused you?"

"They might've started it, but I was the one who ended up enjoying the power of playing judge, jury, and executioner. It's exhilarating. They called me a death dealer in Ireland. To know I had that title gave me immense pride. And that is sick. I'm sick."

"Dru, you didn't choose this," Jax tried to tell her.

"Yes, I did! I chose all of this. I could've walked away after I escaped from the Kings, but I continued what I had been trained to do. It was the only thing I knew how to do and because of that it gave me comfort when I needed it most. It was routine and I drew a certain amount of security from that. Who gets comfort from killing people? I did. That makes me one sick bitch."

Jax didn't know what to say to her. He didn't know how to comfort her. She was as lost as he was, but she was his anchor. She was so traumatized that she didn't see him as hers. It hurt Jax to know how powerless he was against her pain.

He looked around at the guys in his club. They appeared to be as destitute as he felt. Dru had been a part of their family since she was a child. Jax knew that Bobby had hoped for the best whenever it came to her disappearance. He'd had high hopes for her and expected her to find a better life than what they were leading. It had broken Bobby's heart to find out the truth of her fate when she had left four years ago. Because of him, because of the club and their past, Dru had been dealt a horrifying destiny. It was their fault.

There was no clearer truth than that.

"What are you going to do, Dru?"

She could only shrug. "There's really nothing I can do, Jackson. I've lived the way I've lived for far too long to do anything at this point."

"So, you're just giving up? You don't fight wanna fight this, for me, for us?" he questioned her.

"I wanna fight this more than anything, Jax!" she yelled as she grabbed his head. Dru wanted him to comprehend everything that was coming out of her mouth. She wanted there to be no miscommunication. "I wanna fight this! I want to stay with you till I'm old and gray. That's been my dream since I was a teenager. You were my first crush, my first love. Why would I want anything else besides to stand by your side for the rest of my life? But, Jax, I've lived a life that does not allow me to have that. I was warned that I couldn't have happily ever after. Who I am and what I am doesn't gift me the joy of normal people. And I'm so sorry for that, Jax. You have no idea how sorry I am."

Jax felt the tears fall. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now. He had moved things around to his way so that this wouldn't happen. All the while she had been going down her own path. He had tried so hard to avoid this. Why wasn't he as surprised as he should be? Had he been expecting this all along? He had anticipated Dru's involvement. After all, she'd been keeping them safe for four years; had slid beneath the radar to make sure that everything went smoothly. Sure, there had been hiccups—lost alliances, members dying. But all in all, where there should've been more chaos there hadn't been. And it was because of Dru. Jax should've known all along that this would come to pass.

This very fate was to transpire. There were no second chances.

However…

"I can't just stand around and wait for you to die, Dru," he told her.

"I'm not expecting you to. That's not what I want." She suddenly smirked. "What I expect is one hell of a goodbye."

Jax grinned. He knew what she meant. "Bring out all the liquor there is, boys. We're gonna have one hell of a night," he told the others.

While they hooped and hollered, Jax brought Dru closer to him and whispered in her ear, "And then we'll have our own private party later. And if I have my way, you will be bent over my Harley, darlin'."

Dru bit her lip and savored this feeling. She had accepted her death on the drive here. A sense of peace had come over her that she had never felt before. It was a sentiment she had been chasing all of her life. Who knew it would come when death was practically on her doorstep…

Jax pulled away and kissed her lips. He was smiling until he turned his back on her. His face instantly fell as he walked up to Chibs. "There has to be another way," he whispered to his VP, "and we're gonna find it. I don't care about the consequences."

"Jackson, think about—"

"I'm thinking of the life I've always wanted," Jax cut him off. "The only way I'm gonna live is if she's by my side. So, I'm gonna fix this."

"And what if she's right?" Chibs asked him as he watched Happy hug Dru. He was thinking on their conversation they'd had that morning. "What if there's no other ending for her?"

"There has to be," Jax simply answered. "Otherwise…" he stopped talking and shook his head.

"Otherwise what, Jackson?"

"Nothing. There's another way, Chibs. We just have to find it."

When Jax stepped away to be with his lady love again Chibs stayed back to observe. Unlike Jax he knew the truth. He knew Dru didn't have a way out of this situation. And try as he might he didn't have the heart to admit the reality of Dru's fate.