THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE END! I want to thank everyone who's read and kept reading. I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to review or message me. You guys are a big inspiration for me, and I love hearing your ideas, what you did or didn't like, and I hope you guys stick with me for the next installment of Savannah Teller's story. Big shoutouts to Kupkakes and Love Ink for bouncing ideas with me and betaing the chapter when they could! You guys are awesome! If you haven't read their stories yet, you're insane and definitely should! Both have amazing Juice/OC stories! PS the next story will be called Back to The Start so be on the look out!

I do not own anything in this chapter, besides my ocs, everything else belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter 48

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When Juice was told he had a visitor for the first time since he'd been sent here, his mind immediately went to the brunette who haunted his dreams. He had her face memorized in his head, not daring to forget a single thing about her. Some nights it was the reminder that she was waiting for him outside that got him through the bad days.

She'd been able to write letters to him, which had helped his first few weeks lot. Everyday he was afraid it was going to be his last. He had no one to befriend in here, no one he could trust to protect him. He was a dead man walking and it was only an amount of time before Rossi had someone get to him.

When the guard brought him out, his eyes immediately scanned the room for Savannah. He couldn't wait to see her, and apologize profusely for how he left her when they arrested him. The sound of her cries and the sight of her tears, the heartbroken expression she'd worn, it haunted him every night. He wanted to kiss her, however shortly, and tell her he loved her. He wanted to believe she'd wait for him, that they'd have a future still. Instead his eyes found someone who made his blood run cold.

It was Luka.

Anger flowed through him. The image of him lunging and choking Luka with everything had flashed through his head, but he thought better of it. He knew the guard holding him would kill him before he even got close to Luka. Before he could tell the guard to take him back, Luka stood and motioned him over. He didn't have the chance to protest before the guard was pulling him over to the table.

His glare never left Luka's smug face as the guard uncuffed him and pushed him into the seat opposite to his old friend. His friend who betrayed him. Luka had to have screwed him over somehow, it was the only explaination that made sense to him. "How'd you do it?" He asked before Luka fully settled back into his seat.

Luka looked smug as he folded his hands on his lap. He looked bigger, more important, than he was. He acted as if he was the king, like he'd won, and maybe he had. Juice was the one behind bars with everything to lose, not him. "It's your own fault, Ortiz. You told me what you did. You gave me the leverage I needed. You made yourself a pawn, and I just played the pieces I was given." He said with a shrug, not guilty for putting his friend behind bars.

Juice was confused, not knowing what he was talking about. He'd never told Luka about his doings with Rossi's money. Then it dawned on him, the night at the bar he couldn't remember that clearly. Savannah had mentioned she spent most of the night with Luka at the bar. He knew he'd blacked out some of the night, and it was the only time that made sense with what he was telling him.

The only part that didn't make sense to him was why? What was Luka's angle and what was his motive behind turning him in? He didn't understand it. Luka could practically see the questions playing through his head. "You're wondering why I turned you in?" Juice didn't answer, simply leaned back and crossed his arms, waiting for an explaination. "I'm takin' over the business, Juice. Dad won't see it coming, but he was getting suspicious. I couldn't have him figure it out, and I knew telling him what you were doing would turn his attention away from me." He explained, keeping his voice low so no one overheard them.

Juice didn't understand how Luka could turn on his friend like he had, but then again, he'd done the same thing to Prulow. His eyes snapped up at the thought of his old friend. He remembered how Prulow had said repeatedly he hadn't ratted. "You made up that crap about Prulow. Swipin' product was all him, but rattin'? It never made sense to me. Pru knew the rules, he was smart enough not to talk to the cops. You were talkin' to them, weren't you?" He asked, though he already knew the answer from Luka's expression.

Luka looked guilty. He did feel guilty for what happened to Prulow, but it didn't stop him from doing the same thing to Juice. Shifting around in his seat, Luka cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Pru saw me talkin' to a detective. He swore he wouldn't say anything, but I knew he had loose lips. I couldn't trust him not to say anything. Pru had to go, and I wish I could change how it happened, but . . . I had to protect my investments." He said, refusing to meet Juice's eyes now.

"Where's that leave me? Why haven't I been shanked? Why was I arrested and not exacuted like him?" Juice asked, leaning forward in his seat.

Luka finally raised his head, the guilt flashing in his eyes briefly. He could see it loud and clear in his old friend's eyes. His guilt over what happened to Prulow was why Juice was in prison and not dead in the river right now. "I couldn't . . . I didn't want your blood on my hands too. You won't be touched in here unless you force my hand, Juice. Keep your head down, do your time, and when you get outta here? Leave. Don't ever come back to New York." He said, explaining his terms.

As much as Juice wanted to tell him to go fuck himself with his conditions, he knew it wasn't just him Luka could hurt to get back at him for causing problems. He wouldn't put it past his old friend to hold Savannah and the Perellis over him. "If I agree, you gotta promise no harm will come to the Perellis or Savannah. Don't drag her into this. Let her finish school and leave without any involvement from you." He said, holding firm on this. There'd be no deal if he even thought for a second Sav or his family would be in danger.

At the mention of Savannah, Luka's smug grin returned as he straightened in his chair. He'd seen the little minx a few times over the past couple of weeks. She wasn't aware of him being there, but the details didn't matter. "Don't worry. Savannah will have a shoulder to cry on when you end up dead because you couldn't put your pride aside." He said, rising to his feet as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" Juice suddenly blurted out, getting the attention of the guards who all raised their weapons. Juice held his hands up and slowly sat back down.

Luka stayed where he was, smug as a fox knowing he'd won. "Fine. I do my time and leave town. Just . . . just don't involve her."

Luka finally turned back around and sat in his seat. "Then don't involve her. Break it off, it'll be better in the long run." He said, as if it was the easiest thing to do.

Deep down Juice knew he was right. Breaking it off with Savannah would save her a lot of heartbreak and pain if something were to happen to him while he served his time. He'd be protecting her, if not from anything else other than Luka. Luka held out his hand, fully expecting Juice to shake it in agreement. Juice glared at his hand for a long minute before sighing and shaking it. They had a deal.

Savannah Teller had been to a prison before. She'd gone to see Tig, Happy, even Clay. She was no stranger to how this worked. She went through the motions of being allowed into the visitor's room. It had been a few weeks since Juice's arrest, and she was finally able to come see him. The first couple of weeks had been the hardest, just waiting to hear about how some tragic accident had happened to him. When it didn't, she wasn't sure if she should be relieved or paranoid.

What was Luka's father waiting for? Juice was a sitting duck in there alone. They could take him out whenever they wanted to, but they didn't. The naive part of her wanted to believe that meant he was safe, but she knew he wasn't. She'd called home, begged Clay to do something to help him, but he couldn't make any promises. He didn't have many connections in the prison Juice had been sent to. He promised to put the word out though, and she'd just have to settle for that.

Walking into the visitor's room, she scanned the room for him, and tensed when she found Luka first. He was getting up from his table with Juice and the sight of them together made her blood run cold. Luka was nothing but trouble for Juice, and she only blamed him for Juice being mixed up with the mob. No matter what brought Juice there, Luka let him in when he could have turned him away.

Luka looked smug as he turned and spotted her. Her eyes flickered to Juice, who hadn't noticed her yet. He looked defeated, like he lost a battle. His black eye was not making her feel any better about this situation. Whatever Luka had said to him, it wasn't anything good and she could only imagine what damage it'd done to Juice's already unstable mind.

Her eyes narrowed angrily on Luka as he headed toward her, towards the exit that was behind her. She had no doubt this asshole was the reason behind Juice's arrest. She wasn't sure how he knew about what Juice had done, or how Rossi knew what Juice had been doing with the off shore accounts, but she had a gut feeling it was Luka behind everything. She didn't trust his smug face the night she met him, and especially not now. He was a snake. She'd seen plenty in her short life to know what a snake looked like, and Luka was one without a doubt about it.

He paused as he stopped beside her, his hand grabbing her arm to keep her from moving toward Juice. He leaned over, brushing back her hair so he could whisper in her ear. She stood there tense, her eyes never blinking as she stared at the floor. "Your boyfriend lives because of me. One snap of my fingers, and he's a dead man walking. Don't forget that, princess. I always win." He whispered, his knuckle tracing her jaw.

Flinching away from his touch, she had to take a deep breath before turning her head. If looks could kill, Luka would be ten feet under already. "I'm not a prize you can win. So don't even think about it, Luke." She said, daring him to try something.

"It's Luka." He corrected through gritted teeth.

Smirking, she knew it bugged him when she said his name wrong. It was petty, she knew that, but it was something she could get away with that wouldn't blow up in her face and hurt Juice. Tugging her arm free, she didn't give him another second of her time before heading over to Juice's table. His eyes lit up when he saw her, straightening in his seat. Now that she was sitting across from him, she found herself to be a mix of nerves and excitement. He reached over and took her hands in his. "I-I wasn't sure you'd come." He said, a sad smile playing on his lips.

Juice looked broken. Not just physically, but mentally broken. He wasn't built for prison, she knew that. He was too sweet, wore his heart on his sleeve. It was a miracle he'd lasted this long, let alone his entire sentence. Reaching up, she stroked his cheek. "How could I not come? I love you, JC." She whispered, wanting to keep this conversation as private as she could. She wanted this to be about them. She wanted to block out the rest of the world.

The guard cleared his throat, reminding them to keep the touching to a limit. Dropping her hand from his cheek, she straightened in her seat and wiped her eyes. They would not see her weak in here. She had to be strong for Juice. "What did Luka want?" She asked, though she wasn't sure he'd tell her.

The way his body tensed up and his eyes shifted around the room told her whatever it had been about wasn't good. He didn't want to involve her, but he knew she wouldn't drop it until he told her. He couldn't protect her if she didn't know what was going on. "He, uh, he told me I'd be alright in here if I followed the rules. When I get out, I can't show my face in New York again. If I do, I'm as good as dead. He'll leave everyone else alone if I don't expose him for his part in his father's downfall." He whispered, keeping his voice low so no one can easily overhear them.

Savannah knew it couldn't be that easy, but she wasn't gonna upset Juice while he was in here and couldn't do anything about it. She could live with him thinking she and everyone else were safe. It occured to her that this must be how her ma felt when she had to keep secrets for Clay. Squeezing his hand, she nodded in understanding. "So we won't rock the boat while you're in here. When you get out, I'll be done with school and you can come back to Charming with me. Like we planned." She said, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

Like she wanted to comfort him with the notion her and the Perellis, his sister too, would be safe while he was inside, he wanted to comfort her with the idea that their plan would still work out. He had no doubt she would move on before he's released, if he survived that long. Asking her to wait for him would be cruel and he couldn't . . . he wouldn't do that to her. "Sav, I . . . I don't want you to wait for me. I didn't do what I did so you could waste your time waiting for me. Finish school, travel, and if our paths cross again? If we're meant to be together, I'll find you." He said, wiping her traitor tear away before it fell too far.

She wanted to scream, refuse him of his one wish. Juice was the first man she ever loved, and she'd be damned if their future, the one they deserved, was taken from them. Deep down, she knew he was right, but she didn't want to believe it. "Stop it, Juan Carlos. Don't you dare talk like that." She snapped quietly, trying her back to keep her composure together. She couldn't break down here. Not in front of all these people. They wouldn't see her break.

Juice lowered his head, pulling his hand from hers even though it went against everything in him that just wanted to hold her tighter. "You should go, and don't . . . don't come back. I don't want you to come back. I'll tell them no if you try to. I'll send back letters." He said, suddenly cold as he refuses to look at her.

Savannah felt her entire world crumble at his words. Her heart was breaking all over again. It was like she could feel it ripping in two. When she needed Juice to believe in them the most, he was choosing to do the opposite and was break up with her. "If you think breaking up with me will make me forget you or move on, JC . . ."

"You have to. I don't want you here, Savannah. I don't . . . I don't want you. Please, just go and don't come back. Guard, I'm ready to go back." He said, turning his attention to the guard who had brought him out.

Savannah sat there in shock, not knowing how this visit turned to shit so quickly. She couldn't understand how it could end just like that. She and Juice had made it through so much crap, but he wasn't even going to try this time. He'd given up on her, on them. The guard came over and recuffed him before lifting him up to his feet. It was silent as he led Juice away. She couldn't help but follow him with her eyes, knowing this could very well be the last time she saw him.

As angry as she was with him ending things between them, she couldn't help but feel a sadness when he looked over his shoulder. His expression was one full of sadness befoe they pushed him through the doorway and back inside. Wiping her eyes, she took a deep breath to control herself and left.

This was it, this was the end. They were over.