Blood was splattered across the wall. Tara Knowles-Teller sat in the corner of her kitchen, emptily gazing out at the puddles of carnage that remained. Shock flooded her being. She still couldn't believe what had happened. Just a couple of hours ago, she'd been in Jax's arms. Now, she didn't know what the fuck to do.

"I can't let you go, Jax." They were sprawled naked together in the hotel room she'd just shared with the boys. They were in the capable hands of Bobby and Chibs, and even though SAMCRO was the beginning and end of everything she loved, she knew they'd die protecting her boys. Sheets haphazardly covered their naked bodies. She couldn't tell if she was clinging to him, or he was clinging to her. Maybe they were clinging to one another, praying for a miracle, even though they knew miracles didn't happen in Charming.

"You have to Tara. You have to let me go. For our boys and for yourself. I cannot bring you down. I cannot let our boys have this life. Not anymore." He gently kissed each knuckle on her hand. She looked up at him. God, I love this man. I love him so much. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to be his Old Lady. That's what broke my heart in the first place.

"We don't have much time, Jax." It was the truth. The DA wanted him to turn himself before night's end. He still had to see Thomas and Abel. He still needed to say goodbye to SAMCRO. As much as she wanted to be selfish, she knew that, above all else, Jax was a man of honor. The months since Pamela Toric's murder had caused him to lose himself, but her husband's moral compass was right and whole again.

"I know." He bent to kiss her, and an electric fire lit within her belly. She needed him one more time. Her hands twined in his hair. His mouth kissed her slowly, stoking the flames. His mouth was liquid heat on the soft column of her throat as it moved to her breasts. She cried out with each touch, and she pulled his head back up and locked mouths once more.

He slid inside her easily. With Tara, it never took effort, even when they hated one another. He always longed to touch her, to love her, to explore the body he knew, inside and out, all over again. The time apart had been hell, and he knew that, if the DA got what she wanted, he'd have precious few moments like this anytime soon.

"Jackson, I love you." Her eyes met his, and he smiled a wicked grin.

"I love you Tara. More. Than. Anything." His hips found a wonderful, comfortable rhythm. She knew it well, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. After all this time, she still couldn't get enough. Her nails dug into his back as she climaxed, and he allowed himself the release he'd needed for so long. Tears streamed down their faces and mingled together as they kissed. At that moment, they were all that mattered. Their love was all that mattered.

A knock on the door startled them both.

"Uh, Jax…Tara…we should probably get going soon." Eli Roosevelt's voice penetrated the thin hotel room door. Wordlessly, Jax stood. Tara watched as he walked over to the bathroom. He turned and faced her. The anguish was palpable. Tara sobbed, but she caught herself.

"I'm getting a quick shower, Babe." She nodded. She sat up and covered herself with a sheet as she swung her legs over the bed and stood. Visions of their wedding day played in his head. His mind's eye reminded him of the moments that would be all but lost to him, once he was in prison. She is so worth it. He turned and went in the bathroom to cry in peace. She slowly pulled her clothes on, knowing her life would be drastically different once he left her.

Within half an hour, they stood outside Roosevelt's cop car. He was clean and shiny in his kutte, and she longed to wake from the nightmare she was living. Roosevelt stood quietly, his soul aching as he watched Jax and Tara say their goodbyes. I never got a goodbye, he thought bitterly. The loss of his wife and child still cut him to pieces. It never got better.

"I have to go see the boys," Jax murmured in her ear. She nodded.

"Yes you do. All of them." It was Jax's turn to nod.

"I'll take you home, Tara," Eli said quietly. Tara stepped away from him and let him walk towards his bike. The kutte almost sparkled in the late afternoon sun. He looked like a god as he walked from her.

"Teller!" she cried into the vast emptiness. He turned and grinned beautifully.

"I love you too, Tara," he replied. She looks like a goddamned angel. She turned away. She couldn't watch him go. The sound of the bike starting jolted her to life again, and she wanted to cry with the sound. They said they would meet later at the house, and he would turn himself in to the DA. She prayed he'd keep his word, even though she knew she didn't have to. Jax would keep his word.

Eli was taking her home. She stared at the landmarks of Charming as they passed. They passed Burosky's bakery. The school they'd met at so long ago. The intersection that changed Opie's life forever. Donna. Oh God, I miss you. They passed Teller-Morrow, in all its destroyed glory. Goosebumps pricked her skin as they rolled by. Gemma's house was down the road.

It seemed like an eternity before they arrived home. Tara thanked Eli as he parked the car. He nodded. He liked the good doctor. He did. She was a good woman.
Tara breezed past Unser's truck as she walked in the house. It was quiet. She stood looking across the living room, letting memories carry her to better times. She smiled for the first time in ages. Jax loved her. Jax loved his boys. He's doing right by us, and that's all that matters.

A noise caught her attention. She peered around the corner.

"Wayne, is that you?" Her eyes widened as she saw who really had driven to her home.

Gemma. Tara stared at Jax's mother, and like the proverbial deer caught in headlights, she froze. Gemma's dark eyes were wild and crazed. She stumbled only slightly, and Tara suddenly realized she was drunk or high, or both. There was no warning. Gemma lunged after Tara, iron in hand. The older woman caught Tara. Somehow, she'd managed to grab an iron. Gemma slammed the iron into Tara's stomach. Payback is a bitch, Tara.

What Gemma didn't plan for was Tara's fingers gripping the iron and tearing it from her. Tara clocked Gemma in the face, and she screamed.

"You fucking bitch!" Gemma and Tara struggled towards the sink. Gemma caught Tara by the hair and pushed her face deep into the water. Who left water in the sink? Goddamnit. The doctor kicked and thrashed. She's killing me. I'm going to fucking die here. Tara struggled to stand, but Gemma's force was too strong. Goodbye Jax, I love you…oh Abel, Thomas…I love you more. Mommy loves you so much. Unconsciousness penetrated her brain, and she drifted off.

Drowning isn't a horrible way to go, once you let go…Wait. Am I dead? Is this Heaven? Tara's eyes blinked open. The first thing she saw was blood. There's no blood in Heaven. It was black and sticky, and it was everywhere. The only thing she could truly focus on was a long, spiked heel. Her heart began to race. Gemma. Oh God. I'm still alive. She's still here. What the fuck do I do. The shoe didn't move, neither did the leg attached to it. Tara pulled her head up. When her eyes focused, her heart told her to scream, but her head told her to stay silent.

Gemma is dead. She's fucking dead. Tara sat up slowly. Her head throbbed with pain. Her entire body couldn't comprehend its current living status. I'm alive. And she's dead. As she focused on the scene, she gasped with what she saw. Eli. Oh no.

Charming's sheriff lay dead just feet away from Gemma. Both corpses sported bullet wounds. Gemma's went straight through her skull, and Eli's had cleared his chest. Tara couldn't think. She could barely move, but she pulled herself up and sat in the corner. She began to rock slowly back and forth.

She had no idea what happened. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the scene in front her. She began to hum. The rocking and the humming helped.

"Babe?" Tara hadn't even heard the door open, much less heard Jax walk through.

She couldn't speak. All she could do was hum. She heard him pull his gun.

"Oh my God." Jax's voice was barely a whisper. His kitchen floor was covered in blood. He was the only person in the room left unscathed. It looked as though everyone that had been present had been bleeding at one time or another.

"Mom?" Jax looked at Gemma Teller-Morrow's body. A single bullet wound to the head. Her beautiful brown eyes were now lifeless and lackluster. Her fingers were covered in blood, and Jax wasn't sure if it was hers or Eli's, because he lay just a few feet from her. The gaping wound in his chest left a massive pool of congealed blood behind. His eyes, unlike Gemma's were at peace. A gentle smile was etched on his face. At least one of you found relief, Jax thought. Tears filled his eyes.

"J…J…Jax-x-x-x-," Tara's soft voice broke the silence. Jax hadn't even seen her there. He gasped and dropped the gun. He went to his wife and embraced her. She trembled fiercely. Her hazel eyes were blinking rapidly, and she was completely shellshocked. Her hands fluttered, because she had no idea what to do. She didn't want Jax to hold her, but she couldn't fight him. Horror permeated every fiber of her being. Did I kill them? Who killed them, if I didn't? Are they going to kill me? Am I next? Oh. My. God. Please. Please. Please. Help. Me.

"Shhh, Babe, shhh. It's okay. I'm here. Jax is here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." He rocked her back and forth. He didn't even realize he was crying until he felt the tears drip off his jaw.

"Mr. Teller," Tyne Patterson's regal voice filled the silence. "Do you mind telling me what the hell just happened." Jax turned to see the strangely beautiful woman standing in the doorway. Disgust and terror covered her face. Jax gritted his teeth and surveyed the blood soaked floor.

"I don't know exactly," he replied, "But I think it's safe to say our deal is off."