Lots of skipping parts in this chapter, so maybe refresh yourself on how Season 1 ended. Due to changes in previous chapters, the Murphy in this story is different than the one in the TV show, so his return isn't accompanied with revenge.
They didn't get a break to mourn, not on the Ground.
They'd returned from the crash site, nearly empty handed, to find John Murphy. Bellamy wanted to kill him, follow through on his promise from the week before. Clarke stopped him, looking at Murphy's weakened form. He had knowledge on the Grounders, they'd keep him alive and clean him up, then send him out again.
That was until Clarke had cried blood, Drake had puked it, and Connor had sneezed it. Bellamy had been hard to contain when he'd walked in and seen Clarke next to Murphy with blood on her face. She'd ordered him out to stay away from the sickness.
He hadn't been thrilled, and he'd been even angrier when she told him she'd sent his sister to Lincoln to bring back a cure. But that argument had been interrupted by the camp revealing itself to be infected by Murphy's disease. Clarke had calmed the people down, right before she'd collapsed into Bellamy's arms. Before she could convince him to put her down and not catch something, Octavia had returned.
With news that there was no cure, and a battle was coming for them at dawn.
Bellamy had to put her down at that point, handing her to Murphy and Octavia while he handled preparations for battle. Inside the dropship, Clarke was worse, but with Murphy's recovery and Octavia immunity, she was able to delegate tasks to help her patients from a cot.
Then Bellamy had gotten sick, meaning both leaders were out of commission. Though she had a lot of patients to tend to, and Octavia and Murphy were exhausted, Clarke stayed by Bellamy's side most of the night.
They worried about Jasper, Finn, and Raven with the bomb at the bridge. Worried about the battle to come and how they were going to keep their people alive.
By morning, both leaders were healthy enough to make the decision of getting everyone into the dropship, even those not sick, to protect them from the Grounder's battle. They were in the process of doing so when the bridge blew.
"They did it."
Again, Clarke looked up at the mushroom cloud in the sky. This time, it meant Grounders were dead, last time, it meant her mother was.
"I am become death, destroyer of worlds."
Bellamy rolled his eyes at her. "Oppenheimer, really, Princess?"
*
When Bellamy returned from the hunting party, he went in search of Clarke to check how much food she and Finn had gathered. She hadn't been in camp. Bellamy tried not to worry. Clarke was fine, and Spacewalker cared for her, he would protect her when Bellamy couldn't. Which turned out was a problem, when Bellamy returned to his tent to find Raven.
"What are you doing in here?"
"They don't waste time, I'll give them that. What's it been? A day and half since I broke things off with Finn, and they're already off in the woods together?"
Bellamy crossed his arms. He didn't mind Raven; thought she was wicked smart and had been the least annoying person in camp. Up until she came to his tent to vent about her ex-boyfriend.
"You've mistaken me for someone who cares. Move on."
He took off his jacket and waited for her to leave his tent, eager to go to sleep and stop thinking about Clarke in the woods. They had a battle approaching, and Spacewalker thought now was a good time to woo her?
Raven didn't leave, instead she started undressing. Bellamy, who hadn't been with anyone since Raven's pod came down, watched with an unmoved expression. He knew what this was about.
"If you're looking for someone to talk you down, tell you that you're just upset and not thinking straight, I'm not that guy." Bellamy was always straight with girls in his tents. At first, it had been just because he could. Then it had been to fight off nightmares. Now, he guessed he was fighting off something else.
"Good." Raven kissed him.
Afterwards, Bellamy lay on his back, staring up at the top of his tent. With a headache. Raven was also awake. He wanted her to leave but had never kicked a girl out and certainly wouldn't try with Raven.
Eventually, she sat up. He looked over when he knew she was dressed. "Did that help?" he asked.
"Did it help you?" He laid back down and let her leave in silence.
Bellamy stared at where his jacket was hung up. After a moment, he reached over and dug his hand into its pocket, plucking out a piece of cloth. Just a rough strip of a bed sheet that had traveled around the Ark and down to Earth with him.
He thumbed the note. Some of the words had smudged from how often he'd done this, but the end of it remained clear. He always hovered over those letters.
Love, Clarke
"Bellamy!" He stuffed the note back into his pocket, sitting up as his sister rushed into the tent. "Bell, get up we got to go."
"What's wrong?" he asked, standing and dressing.
"Finn and Clarke aren't back yet, but all the others are."
"So, I've heard. They're probably at their art store again."
Octavia shoved him angrily. "Myles was with them too, Bell! Something happened to Clarke and we've got to go get her!"
Bellamy's heart banged against his ribcage as he ran out the tent, organizing a team quickly of Raven, Monty and his sister, then heading back into the woods.
Octavia looked up at him with big, worried eyes when he handed her a gun. Despite his mind insane with worry, he managed to squeeze her hand and whisper, "We'll get her back, O."
"She still thinks I'm mad at her about Lincoln, Bell, but I'm not."
"It's Clarke. The Princess will be back in camp in no time."
He wondered when Octavia stopped being the only person he cared about. Clarke had wormed her way into both Blake's' lives, even if Bellamy had done everything he could to keep her from doing so, and recently so had Octavia. They still needed her.
The night got darker and the woods more dangerous. They were worried about the Princess and Spacewalker, but Bellamy had to detach from those feelings to track in the dark. He had to ignore the fact that he hadn't been there to protect her, again.
They came across Myles in a bush, injured from a Grounder's attack.
"We have to get him back to camp," determined Bellamy. The words hurt to say.
"Bell, what about Clarke? And Finn?" Octavia looked at him, confused. Bellamy swallowed and stood up straight. Raven stood as well, walking away and running a hand through her ponytail.
"Raven, I'm sorry."
"We would find them tonight if we could. I know you would." She sniffed and nodded. "We need to make a stretcher."
Octavia moved closer to Myles, whispering words Clarke had told her about taking care of someone injured. Bellamy raised the walkie-talkie and called for Monty, who didn't reply. He ignored the feeling of dread creeping up on him.
Clarke would be fine.
*
They had packed, left, and returned to camp in a matter of hours. Clarke had made the wrong call, again, but Bellamy had been prepared.
Then, all hell had broken loose.
She was holding down camp, Bellamy was protecting it. While he organized his gunners, Clarke, Jasper, and Raven worked on getting the thrusters to work. Murphy, who hadn't been banished after he'd helped her take care of the patients he'd unknowingly infected, was ordered by Bellamy to remain with the three of them as a lone man line of defense. Sporadic messages came through the radio on his hip from Bellamy and the others. Clarke was left to grasp at messages sent back and forth, wondering what was happening between silences.
When it got worse outside, when one of the 100 sounded on the radio that the Grounders had broken through the gate, Raven's hands grew shaky. Clarke tried to calm the woman but got a snap in reply. Clarke left Raven to her work. She exited the Dropship just as Miller yelled they had to retreat.
"No!" ordered Clarke. "We need more time, gunners to your posts, the rest of you inside now. Hurry." Miraculously, they listened.
Bellamy wasn't in sight. Neither was Octavia, who had pushed to be a fighter. Clarke stayed at the entrance of the Dropship with Murphy, watching her people. All around, there was shouting, screaming, and shooting.
The battle paused when a bang came from above. All eyes turned from the enemy to the sky. A massive shape was passing into the atmosphere, breaking apart.
"Is that from the ark?" asked Murphy, lowering his rifle.
Clarke tasted hope, "that is the Ark."
The respite was only long enough for both sides to realize that their arrival wouldn't change this battle. The Arkers could still be too late.
"Inside! Come on, get inside!" Clarke shouted and watched the gate and her gunners. Eyes out for Octavia and Bellamy. "Gunners, hold your position!"
A few shots were made, but over them, they all heard another approaching sound, this time from the ground. Murphy turned to look at her, but she shook her head. Those were howls, from humans.
A grounder shouted on the other side of the gate. The sound of fighting started anew, except Clarke had eyes on nearly all of her people, and none of them had taken up aim.
The answer came to her left as Finn emerged from the foxhole. "I bought you some time."
"Reapers?"
Finn nodded. They started jogging towards the dropship, everyone but the gunners inside now. Murphy stayed stationed at the door, either to cover a retreat or be the first inside. "How's Raven?"
"The rockets aren't ready yet."
The Reapers bought Raven the time she needed. Miller came in to say the Gate was breached just as Raven popped up to say she did it.
"I'm closing that door," said Miller. Clarke shot to her feet.
"Wait, we've still got people out there. Bellamy and Octavia aren't back yet." Clarke ran to the door. "Raven did it! Everyone inside now!"
The retreat had already started, but few were making it to the door. Finn and Clarke ran outside, grabbing who they could and helping them along, dodging arrows and spears while Murphy covered the retreat.
"There he is!" Finn pointed to the fox hole, where Bellamy appeared.
Clarke locked eyes with him. She registered the distance and the number of Grounders between him and her. "Bellamy, run!" Bellamy picked up a gun, but found it was out of bullets as a Grounder attacked. "No!" Clarke pleaded with this damned planet.
She looked around for something to help as Bellamy was knocked to the ground. Murphy took aim and shot the Grounder before he could stab Bellamy. Finn grabbed a gun from a retreating fighter; he and Murphy ran to help.
"BELLAMY!"
He turned at her cracked voice, and she hated the way his eyes took her in. Don't look at me like that, she wanted to scream. Don't look at me like you won't see me again.
"Clarke, come on, you can't save everyone." Miller was at her side again, pulling her into the dropship.
All of the gunners that had been holding their ground, had been taken down. A Grounder was after Bellamy again, but he'd found a spear and stabbed his attacker. Over the shoulder of the dead Grounder impaled on the spear, he stared at her getting pulled away. And nodded. She was tugged away as a Grounder attacked from behind. The sight weakened her enough for Miller to tug her to the door.
Inside, Clarke walked slowly to the lever and, with a strangled sob, pulled it to close the door.
Had she been given the opportunity, had she not become the sole leader of the remaining 100 delinquents sent to the ground, expected to finish this battle so that they could live, she would have dropped to the floors. But she couldn't. His arms weren't going to be there to catch her.
And, besides, Anya decided to jump over the rising door to land next to Clarke, weapons out while she was surrounded by the 100. Then, Raven set off the thrusters, torching everyone that was still outside, be it Grounders or members of the 100.
*
End of Season 1
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