Two days pass after Finn's massacre, largely uneventful, marked only by periods of planning to invade Mount Weather, and tension between Finn and everyone else.
You're currently walking towards Bellamy's tent, situated on the opposite end of the camp from yours and Clarke's, when you see him.
Shumway.
You make eye contact and he starts to walk towards you, and you turn and duck between a row of buildings, bobbing and weaving between them, hoping that he doesn't find you. A voice drifts between the buildings, sinister enough to make your skin crawl. "La lune, where are you hiding?"
You start to run faster, maneuvering through the camp until you burst out on the other side, near the group of tents. You run towards Bellamy's, not stopping until you burst inside, unannounced.
He looks up at you in surprise, his pants held in his hands, and his body uncovered except for his gray boxers. You quickly cover your eyes and mutter, "Sorry I saw Shumway and-"
He laughs, "You don't have to do that."
"Do what?"
His voice is closer when he answers, right in front of you. "Cover your eyes."
His fingers close around your wrist and lower your hand, and your eyes open to his bare chest. His pants are now pulled up and secured, and you look up to meet his eyes. His hands lift to your cheeks, holding you in place as he dips his head, his lips meeting yours.
You lose yourself in the kiss instantly, forgetting Shumway, forgetting why you were looking for him, focusing only on the way his lips feel against yours. How his curls tickle your face, and how his hands are now roaming over your body. They have just reached your butt, giving you a light squeeze, when you hear both your names called from outside his tent. You pull away, breathless, and a second later Clarke steps inside, instantly eyeing you both suspiciously. "Are you coming or what?"
"Yes."
"Good." And then she exits without another word, already making a beeline for the bar, leaving you to grab Bellamy and follow.
"Wait, what's going on?"
"I was supposed to come get you for a meeting." You blush when you remember his distraction. "She thinks she finally got the map right."
"Oh. Good."
When you reach the table, Clarke is already sitting, map open and spread out, three drinks already waiting. You and Bellamy sit, and she launches into her explanation.
"It's a Labyrinth. We got to the dam through this tunnel," She uses her pencil to point it out. "It's all connected to the mine system. That's our way in."
You give her a skeptical look. "Sure, if we can get past the Reapers and the Mountain Men."
Bellamy sighs and leans back in his chair, looking between you and Clarke. "I swear to God, if your mom doesn't sanction the mission soon, I'm going by myself."
You and Clarke answer in unison, "You won't be by yourself."
Bellamy pulls a face, weirded out by the synchronization, and you and your twin let out a laugh. Her laughter dies out quickly and you turn to her to see why, finding that her eyes are locked at something over Bellamy's head. You follow her gaze and Bellamy does too, spotting Finn and Murphy, before you both turn back to Clarke. He attempts to sound casual when he asks, "How's Finn doing anyway?"
She shrugs. "I haven't talked to him since we got back. I don't know what to say." Her gaze drops to the table, and you can tell she's somewhere else, stuck in a memory. "He just kept shooting."
Bellamy tries to comfort her, offering her a similar sentiment to the one he gave you previously. "We're at war, Clarke, we've all done things."
She doesn't say anything, and a second later the moment is lost, Finn now standing beside you. "Hey."
Clarke avoids his eyes. "Hey."
Bellamy looks between Finn and Clarke, before grabbing your arm and pulling you from your seat. "Next round's on us."
"Wait-" You start to protest, turning to look at your twin, but she nods her approval, so you let Bellamy lead you away. You watch the former couple talk as you wait in line, Clarke's shoulders rigid with tension. When you reach the counter Bellamy hands you a cup of Monty's stash while he grabs the other two, and you both head back to the table. You note that Finn is now gone, and Murphy is left behind in his place.
He doesn't last long though, because Raven reaches the table the same time you and Bellamy do, and she turns towards him. "Beat it, Murphy."
After he walks off, her face splits into a grin as she looks between the three of you. "I know why we haven't heard from any of the other Ark stations. Mount Weather's jamming us."
"Show us."
She turns and quickly heads towards Engineering, and you all follow, abandoning your drinks on the table. She leads you straight to a radio, appearing to be in a state of disrepair, before she looks between you. "I tweaked the resonator and got this."
She turns a knob and reveals a high pitched hum, paired with a quiet clicking sound. "It's on every frequency. Long range communication is totally screwed. It's also the reason the range on our walkies sucks. It's the same signal Monty heard in the black box of the Exodus ship."
Realization hits you. "Wait, so Mount Weather crashed the Exodus ship?"
She nods and Clarke comes around the table to get a better look at the radio. "Can you get around the signal?"
"Around it? No. But if I can get to the tower that broadcasts it, I can make it go boom."
"No one is going anywhere."
You all turn towards the door, watching as your mom steps inside, looking pissed. You have the distinct feeling of being caught doing something you aren't supposed to, but you push it aside as she starts in on her lecture. "What do I have to do to get through to you? You and your friends are not soldiers, and continuing to act like you are puts lives at risk."
You let out a huff of frustration, but Clarke steps towards her, reasoning with her. "You don't understand, Raven found something. Mount Weather is jamming our communications."
"It's true. There could be other Ark stations on the ground."
Major Byrne cuts in, ignoring the good news. "The Grounder retaliation for the massacre could happen at any time, and when it does, we need every available man to defend this camp."
You turn and snap at her, "So let us go!"
"Neither of you are gonna stop, are you?"
You and Clarke deadpan, "No." And she adds, "Not until our friends are safe."
Your mom sighs, "Okay. But I'm coming with you."
"Then it's settled, we're going back to Mount Weather."
-
Later that night, after the team has been chosen and briefed, Clarke approaches you once you're alone in your shared tent. "I need you to do something tomorrow. You, Bellamy, and Octavia."
"What is it?"
"You need to look for a way into Mount Weather." She pulls a map out of her pocket and hands it to you. "Mom seems hellbent on keeping us locked up or keeping an eye on us, and this might be our only chance to find one."
"Okay, so what's the plan?"
She points at the map, drawing your eyes to a forked path. "We're supposed to go down this path tomorrow, bringing us opposite of the mountain. But this path takes you towards the mountain. When we get close, I'll distract mom, and you three can sneak off and go that way. You already know all the rendezvous points, so if you find anything or if something goes wrong, you can meet back up with us and let us know."
You nod and fold the map up, putting it in your pocket. "I better go tell Bellamy."
"Don't let anyone see you. We already know that Byrne is one of mom's spies, but who knows who else is. If she gets suspicious at all, she might call the whole thing off."
"You're right." You head over to your bed and grab a small blanket off the top, draping it over your shoulders and around your head, shielding your face from view. When you turn to Clarke, she gives a nod in approval, and you slip out of the tent and into the cool night air.
You slink through the camp, avoiding the busy areas and sticking to the shadows. You make it to Bellamy's tent without being seen, and you call out his name before entering, giving him fair warning this time instead of barging in. He's already in bed when you slip inside, and he sits up as you pull the blanket back from your face, revealing yourself to him. "I'm sorry, were you asleep?"
"No, just laying here. I have a hard time sleeping these days."
He swings his legs out of his bed, making room for you to sit down beside him. "I do too. I think I'm missing the stars." Or maybe it's the guilt.
You look to the roof of the tent, opaque, just like all the others, keeping the view of the sky hidden from you. Bellamy hums in response, before asking, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"
You pull the map out of your pocket, and start to explain the plan. "Clarke wants us to look for a way into Mount Weather tomorrow. You, me, and Octavia. She'll keep mom distracted so we can slip away and search without a chaperone breathing down our necks."
"I've noticed we've had more eyes on us lately."
"Mom is worried about us leaving again. I get it, I guess, but I don't like having babysitters that report my every move to her."
He nods towards your disguise, "That explains the blanket."
"She's got spies everywhere. I swear I can't breathe without one of them telling her about it. And she shows up almost anytime me and Clarke are talking together, instantly suspicious."
He laughs, "I mean, we are planning a rogue mission as we speak."
"I didn't say it was an unwarranted suspicion."
You both laugh, and when it dies down, you fold up the map and stand to leave. Bellamy reaches out and grabs your hand. "Where are you going?"
"Back to my tent. We both need rest for tomorrow."
"You can stay, if you want."
Your brows lift in surprise, but you consider his offer. "Are you a blanket hog?"
"No. Never."
You smile, unable to resist your amusement at the serious way he answered your question. His face splits into a grin and he swings his feet back up into the bed and scoots over, pulling back the covers and inviting you in. You don't know if it's the cups of Monty's stash that you drank, or just a desire to be near him, but you lower yourself into his bed, kicking off your shoes before lifting your feet off the ground and sliding beneath the covers. He pulls them up to your chin and you lay stiff beside him, unsure on what the rules are. But then he scoots closer to you slowly, giving you time to protest. And when you don't, he tugs you closer, wrapping his arm around you and guiding your head onto his chest.
Once you get comfortable and settle into his warmth, you feel the haze of sleep start to whirl around you, which surprises you. Sleep never greets you quickly, but you welcome it, allowing your lids to drop closed and your brain to slip into a swirl of dreams.
-
You wake the next morning, warm, happy, and wrapped up in a pile of blankets. When you turn to look beside you, you see that Bellamy is missing. You turn towards the rest of the tent and find him slipping his boots on in the center of the small space. He smiles when he sees you. "I was just about to wake you up. We're leaving soon."
You nod and reluctantly slip out of the covers, stretching and fighting off the sleepy haze. Bellamy watches you for a second before reaching down to grab his knife and strap, securing it around his thigh. "You're a blanket hog, by the way."
"What?"
"You took all the blankets last night. I had to wrestle them back from you."
"I did not!"
He laughs and nods his head, his messy morning curls bouncing. "Yes you did."
You tug your shoes on and glare at him. "I probably had to steal them from you first."
"Whatever you say."
You roll your eyes and pat your pocket, checking for the map, before standing and heading for the door. You ignore his earlier accusation. "You ready?"
"After you." He pauses and you step out of the tent, and then he whispers, "Blanket hog."
You turn and punch him lightly when he steps out, both of you laughing. "Shut up!"
Both of your laughter dies in your throat when a voice cuts through the early morning air. "Well, isn't this sweet."
You cut a glare at Shumway, and open your mouth to say something, but Bellamy grabs your hand and pulls you away, stopping you. "Keep going."
As you put distance between you and Shumway, he calls out to your retreating figure, "You got a deal with her too, Bellamy?"
The words stop you both dead in your tracks, and you feel Bellamy tense up beside you. You resist the urge to scream at Shumway, kick him, push him into the electric fence. Instead, you take a deep breath, remember the stars, your father, and saving the 47 before continuing to walk, pulling Bellamy with you.
You reach the front gate and meet up with the others, the last of the group to arrive. Your mom stares at your approach, and her eyes drop down to your hand, still held in Bellamy's, and you release it, feeling guilty for some reason. Her eyes shift to the rest of the group, "Alright, let's head out."
Everyone follows her from the camp as she takes the lead, map in hand, gun tucked into her pants. Octavia and Clarke hang back and wait for you and Bellamy, and Octavia hands Bellamy his pack while Clarke hands you yours. She whispers, "Did you tell him?"
"Yes."
"Good. We'll reach it about mid day. Be ready."
You nod in confirmation and she jogs ahead, rejoining your mother, leaving you behind with the Blake siblings. Bellamy quickly explains the plan to Octavia, who agrees as soon as he mentions the idea.
When the sun stands tall above you, nearing noon, Clarke turns back to look at you and you know it's time. You motion to the siblings and they spread out, looking up in the trees and pausing to survey the area. Bellamy yells out, "Don't forget to look up, because the Grounders use the trees. That's how we lost John Mbege."
You watch as space grows between you three and the rest of the group, everyone too busy watching the trees to notice three teenagers dropping away. When the group starts to disappear around the bend in the path, still oblivious, you all take off running down the other path, heading down towards the mountain.
You don't stop running for a while, trying to put as much space as possible between you and the others, but you finally slow to a walk when you've made it far enough down the path. You pull out the map and hand it to Bellamy, who unfolds it and looks it over before glancing at the area around you. "Before the bombs, there were buildings everywhere. I'm guessing some of them had access to the bunker."
He pushes on, turning to glance at you and Octavia. "So we're looking for ruins. Anything that's man made, okay?"
You and Octavia nod the same time a voice cuts through the woods. "Griffin! Blake! Let's go right now!"
You all freeze in place before turning around slowly. You meet Sergeant Scott's eyes and shrug. "In case you've forgotten, we're not under your command."
"Don't make us do this the hard way."
Bellamy steps closer to the man, "Come on Scott, 47 of our people are prisoners in this mountain!"
"That's why we're out here."
You cock your head to the side, and correct him. "Wrong. You're out here to find other stations of the Ark. We're out here to find our friends."
Beside you, Octavia glances down at her feet and whispers, "Bell."
You both turn and look at her in confusion, but her gaze is still locked on the ground. You both follow it and realize that all around you, mice and insects are scurrying away, running in the direction you were originally walking in. Scott asks, "What are they doing?"
Bellamy's voice is confused, but he replies, "Running."
You hear a pop of thunder behind you, so you turn, and your eyes land on an ominous yellow cloud, crackling with electricity. You point towards it. "Acid fog! We need cover now!"
"Deploy your tents, go!"
The guards pull off their packs and start digging around, looking for their tents. Octavia ignores the command and runs off, following the rats, and you and Bellamy instantly turn to follow her. "O! O! Get back here!"
She comes to a stop around a bend in the path, lifting up shrubbery, and revealing a small crack in between two pieces of metal. "Bell, there's something in here! Maybe there's some ruins."
Bellamy turns and yells at the others, "Hey! Hey! Over here!"
You all start frantically tearing the vines and bushes away, searching for a door handle. When you find it, Bellamy and Scott grab it and tug, as the acid fog closes in on you. You and Ocatvia start yelling, "Hurry up!"
They finally pry it open and Bellamy pushes you and Octavia inside, followed by Scott. He turns to yell at the other guards, "Hurry, get inside!"
One guard immediately spins and runs towards you, joining you inside. But the other fumbles with his tent for a second longer before deciding to run, sealing his fate as the acid fog rolls over him seconds later, killing him. Scott tries to run back outside and grab his guard, but Bellamy pulls him back inside and closes the door.
With the door closed, you are all plunged into darkness. You can hear fumbling for a second before everyone pulls out their flashlights and switches them on, bringing in enough light to see each other and some of the area around you. The guards step deeper into the space first, guns raised, and you, Bellamy, and Octavia follow.
You draw closer to the siblings, feeling uneasy as your flashlight bounces over abandoned vehicles and dark corners. Nearby you can hear the rats squeaking and other unusual sounds, and you try to ignore it, focusing only on what's in front of you. Scott swings his gun and light around, searching, before muttering, "Where are we?"
You shake your head, "It looks like a garage."
"More like a tomb," Octavia corrects you. You find yourself nodding in agreement.
She pulls Lincoln's sword out, armed up, and you pull out the only weapon you have on you: the Grounder knife. You and the siblings share a look before Bellamy turns to Scott. "Look, I'm sorry about your man, but we need to find an access door to Mount Weather."
Bellamy doesn't wait for a response and is already turning away when Scott stops him. "Hey, not so fast."
"Sir, that fog will keep us pinned down for another-"
Bellamy cuts himself off when he sees the reason for Scott's protest, a pistol, now offered out to Bellamy for protection. Bellamy takes it and Scott grabs and takes the pistol off his guard, handing it to you. You take it with a nod of thanks as he adds, "We'll split up, meet back here in fifteen. Be safe."
You break apart, you and the siblings traveling forward, while the two guards veer off to the left. You move through the garage slowly, your flashlight only lighting up small sections of the space at a time, leaving dark corners largely unexplored. You hear Bellamy make a sound of surprise beside you before he breaks into a jog, and you and Octavia share a confused look before taking off after him.
He pulls to a stop at a door, and you all exchange an excited smile as he reaches for it, only to freeze in place when a scream echoes through the dark garage. You all immediately turn away from the door, guns lifted and sword out as you start walking back into the pressing darkness of the garage. You can now hear music playing nearby, pretty and melodic and you creep towards it, searching for the source. Bellamy stops and ducks behind a car, pulling you and Octavia behind it and calling out, "Scott? Are you there?"
When no answer comes, he motions for you to start moving again, spread out into a line, creeping along. Your flashlight finally lands on a small wind up radio, abandoned on the ground next to one of the guard's rifles. Bellamy bends to pick it up, shouldering it, as the sound of rustling reaches your ears. Octavia whispers, "Bell, what was that?"
He swings his gun to the right, illuminating two bodies bent over a third. When they turn towards you, you can see blood dripping from their mouths, and over their clothes. Bellamy fires a few shots, killing them both. "Reapers."
A shudder passes through you and you hold your light in the direction of the third body, spotting the guard whose name you didn't know. Bellamy passes his pistol to Octavia and whispers, "Take this."
She complies, and you all start creeping forward again, now more cautious than before. Your flashlight lands on another body, and it only takes a second for you to identify Sergeant Scott, silent and unoving. Bellamy turns his flashlight to join yours, and it illuminates a third Reaper. He lifts his gun, ready to kill him too, when Octavia reaches out and grabs his arm. "Don't. It's Lincoln!"
When the Reaper's face lifts, blood is pouring from his mouth, courtesy of whatever body part he was chewing on. Lincoln stands and starts to step towards you, and Octavia tries to reason with him. "Lincoln. Lincoln, it's me! It's Octavia!"
He looks right at her, not recognizing her and charges, lifting her and tossing her to the side. "Don't kill him!"
Lincoln spins on you and Bellamy, guns both raised, unsure what to do if you can't kill him. You both start to back up, keeping your distance, and just as he starts to charge at you, a shot rings out. Lincoln drops down and grabs his leg, grunting, and Bellamy rushes forward and knocks him out with the butt of the rifle. You step around him, tentative, and grab Octavia, pulling her away from him. Bellamy reaches out for your hand and you take it, forming a human chain. "We need to get somewhere safe!"
He pulls you through the garage, stopping when he finds a car with dark, tinted windows. He checks the door to the backseat and it pops open, so he slides inside, pulling you in behind him. Octavia slides in behind you, sandwiching you between them, and pulls the door closed softly. You all sit inside, panting and struggling to catch your breath, wondering how to get out of the garage alive. Octavia looks back at you, face fixed in disbelief. "He's a Reaper. How is it even possible? He just looked right through me."
You hear metal clang nearby and your head snaps up, listening. Bellamy must hear it too, because he whispers, "Shh."
"How-"
You clap a hand over her mouth, cutting her off, before lifting your finger to point out the window. Lincoln is standing right outside the door, blood dripping from his mouth, face twitching. You whisper back to Bellamy, so quiet he barely hears it, "Can he see us?"
His breath rushes past your ear, his response carried within it. "I don't know."
Lincoln stands at the window for a long minute, just staring, before smacking the window and smearing blood across the glass. And then he turns away, leaving you alone again. You drop your hand from Octavia's mouth, and she turns to Bellamy, mouth already open to say something, but he beats her to it. "Shh, just listen to me. We'll get him back, I promise."
"How?"
He thinks for a long minute. "We need to knock him out long enough to get him out of here."
"Scott has a shock baton."
He turns to you, eyes lighting up. "If we can get the shock baton, we can hit him with it until it knocks him out." He glances at his little sister, "You'll need to distract him long enough for us to shock him."
"Okay."
His eyes are on you again. "You head to Scott and get the baton. I'll stand in between the two of you, watching both your backs. Then you give the baton to me and I'll take him down."
"Okay."
He takes a breath and then pulls open the car door, helping you and Octavia out. He looks between you both, now hesitant. "You sure you're ready for this?"
When you both nod, he starts to creep forward, leading you around the corner and back to the two dead guards. He swings his light towards them before whispering to Octavia. "Stay here. I'm gonna follow her halfway."
You both start walking again, heading closer to the bodies, and when you're halfway between Scott and Octavia, Bellamy stops and takes up his post. You take in a breath of courage before continuing on, now alone, light trained on Scott's side and the baton that is situated there. You reach him and drop to your knees beside him, struggling to wrestle it free from his belt. When you finally get it, you lift it in the air, high enough that Bellamy can see your success.
You hear him say your name a split second before a hand closes around your wrist, and you let out a scream, looking up and making eye contact with Reaper Lincoln. Fear freezes every muscle in your body as he pulls you to your feet and then flings you, sending you flying into a car. You feel the baton roll out of your grip when you hit the front of the car, and you land on the ground with a groan. You hear Octavia yelling in the distance, calling to her boyfriend, and you shake off the pain and scramble to your feet. You pick up the fallen baton and take off running towards the siblings, yelling at Bellamy as your approach, "Catch!"
You toss the baton and he catches it with ease, pushing the button and lighting it up, uttering a quiet apology before he presses the baton to the Reaper's neck and holds it there, shocking him until he drops to the ground, unconscious. You jog up as he lands with a thud, and you all look down at him, panting form exertion. Octavia eyes him. "Now what?"
"Now we take him home."
You turn towards Bellamy, already shaking your head. "We can't take him back to Camp Jaha."
His eyes meet yours, and he shakes his head. "Our real home."
You think of the Delinquent Camp, full of tents, home of the dropship, and smile. Home.
-