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justinewt · 5 months ago

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Red Sky At Morning - THE 100 REWRITE Chapter Twenty-Six

[THE 100 MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (07/03/2024)

Summary: The group followed the map drawn in Lincoln's book to the sea but found no one there. Or so they thought. It wazsn't until night that the grounders they were looking for came for them and brought them to the one and only, Luna. But she wouldn't easily be convinced to help them, if she would be at all.

Words: 5.4k

Warnings: The 100 season 3 spoilers (episode 13 "Join or Die"; episode 14 "Red sky at morning"), same title as episode 14/ancient rhyme used by Sailors "Red sky at night, sailor's delight/Red sky at morning, sailor take warning"; fluff/romance, angst, a little blood, some violence

“It’s been an hour since we passed the airplane wreckage.” Jasper noted, following the map drawn on a double page in Lincoln’s notebook. The drawing was especially faithful, and Michelle was impressed by the Grounder’s skills. They wouldn’t have as much trouble driving around through the forest if he were still alive, but they didn’t have time to think in what if. “Seeing as we are using a map without any distances, it could be days before we reach Luna’s village.”

“At least we know we’re going in the right direction.” Bellamy retorted, focused on the road as he drove the Rover, Clarke in the passenger seat next to him. The confrontation with Emerson could have been messier, they were all there sitting at the back of the vehicle, except for Raven, Harper and Miller who stayed back. Michelle was slumped, staring into space while listening to the conversation quietly.

“We’re running out of daylight. We should stop in the sun, recharge the battery.”

“What sun? We keep going until it dies.” Clarke wasn’t wrong. One look through the window was enough to see the dark grey sky. It rained cats and dogs the whole time and stopped not that long ago. The trees were wet, their foliage and branches drooping under the weight of the water that fallen on them and gathered in the creases of the leaves, weighing down the wood.

“We keep going until we get to Luna.” Octavia chimed in. Both Clarke and Michelle gave the girl a look out of the corner of their eyes while thunder sounded in the distance and rain started falling heavily again. Octavia was understandably bitter at the whole situation, and no one really said anything. Jasper then flipped the notebook’s pages and showed another drawing to Octavia; a portrait of a woman with a thick head of hair. Her gaze, even as a drawing, was striking and severe. Octavia confirmed that it was the Luna in question.

“What do you think she’s gonna say when we show up to put an A.I. in her head?” Jasper asked sarcastically.

“Lincoln said she helps those that are in trouble. She’ll help us too.” Octavia declared. The three at the back were shaken when Bellamy suddenly pulled the car to a full stop, tires screeching in the muddy path. As she was slouched, Michelle slid off her seat and leaned on it to stand up, bending forward to peek out of the windshield while Jasper and Octavia kept talking about Luna and whether or not she would help.

“Backtrack.” Bellamy said in a low voice. Trees had fallen because of the thunder and were lying right across the road, blocking the way. “We’ll find somewhere where the trees aren’t so bad. Hey!” Octavia opened the backdoor and jumped out of the Rover. She wasn’t going to wait around and decided without a word that the whole ground would continue on foot. They all got out of the vehicle, following her in the rain. Michelle took off her father’s jacket, still wearing hers underneath, and put it over her head too keep dry. Jasper glanced at her after noticing she had two.

She shrugged, “What? I got mine and my dad’s, gotta make use of it.” He shrugged as well, nodding. While the others started running off, he rose his voice.

“Anyone hear the part where I said it could be days?”

“Stop.” Octavia stopped in her tracks, raising her hand. Water was rushing loudly nearby, and she looked around. She turned to Clarke. “you hear that?”

“Water.” The two girls took off and Bellamy still tried to warn them about whoever they could run into. Whoever might be there, they could indeed be hostile for all they knew. Michelle’s jacket fell down her head and onto her shoulders and she found herself too lazy to put it back up, and it was useless anyway, the rain had stopped already. One minute it was pouring, the other barely a few drops crashing on their scalps.

“They’re not hostile. Put the guns down.” Octavia then claimed, looking at her brothers before continuing to walk away. Michelle was standing next to him as Jasper joined the girls, her dad’s jacket resting on her shoulders as if it were a cloak when Bellamy put a hand on her backa dn they started running after their friends, going down the river cutting through the forest. They reached the sea a minute later, fog hanging over the body of water, but no village. It was silent, no more thunder either. Looking around, they saw a piece of land with piles of rock set up in a circle. Octavia checked the notebook. The stone circle was drawn on it, but there wasn’t any Grounder village. Maybe their village was further into the sea and not visible from shore. She ran to the stones, followed by the rest of the group.

“Isn’t a village. It’s just a bunch of rocks.”

“No shit.” Michelle said under her breath, slipping her arms back into her dad’s jacket’s sleeves now that they stopped running around.

“She’s gone.” Clarke said, desperate. Michelle then voiced her assumption, that the village was out in the sea, but it still didn’t help them figure out what to do now. Clarke turned around, following their gaze as they watched Octavia walk to the edge and kneel, leaning on the rocks as she let out a scream. The rest of them just looked at each other in a heavy silence. Eventually, they decided on making a fire. Bellamy was walking back and forth, bringing wood. Clarke stood up.

“It’ll be dark soon. We need to talk about what we’re gonna do.”

“We waitr until first light, and then we split up and search the shore in both directions.” Octavia declared without taking her eyes off of what she was doing, rubbing two long sticks together trying to start the fire, panting with the effort. When she saw a sparkle, she leaned forward and blew on it. A white smoke grew from it. She careful moved it to the pieces of wood set up at the center of the stone circle and kept blowing on it with Jasper. The fire then spread and grew over the wood. It was at least one good thing done.

“I agree. Lincoln wouldn’t have put this spot on the map unless it was important.”

“Yeah, if their village is out in the sea, maybe they come to check this spot to see if there’s anyone, and with the fire, hopefully they’ll see we’re here trying to make contact.” Michelle added, looking at Bellamy. He bent forward, picking up the notebook as she spoke and Octavia smacked his hand, urgning him to not touch it. He kept quiet for a second before crouching down. Clarke then agreed with her friend and the two moved closer to Jasper, on the other side of the fire while Bellamy attempted to talk to his sister, who was just ignoring him.

“Come on, O. How long?”

“I don’t know. I can’t even look at you…” She indeed avoided looking at him while she cracked some sticks, adding them to fuel the fire znd keep it going. She spoke through gritted teeth, staring at the flames, “because every time I do, I see Pike putting that gun to Lincoln’s head. I hear the gunshot. I see him fall.”

“I didn’t kill Lincoln.”

“No, but he is dead because of you.” She stood up, her tone rising with anger. Michelle, Clarke and Jasper were crouched by the fire, trying not to stare at the two siblings but it was obviously a little akward to be there in silence, in front of such a conversation.

“I came to you. You didn’t take my help. If you had just trusted me, I…” She threw her wood on the ground, and it fell, the pieces clattering against each other as she seemingly gave up talking to him, crouching down again. Clarke and Michelle stood up, looking at Bellamy walking away along the shore, alone. Jasper sighed and threw something in the fire, which turned the flame a weird shade of green.

“What did you just do?” Octavia enquired.

“Nothing. I just threw these in the fire.” He held a branch in his hand. Octavia stared at it as if she had just thought of something and picked up Lincoln’s book at her feet. She found a piece of a branch of the same tree in between some of the pages.

“Ugh. Signal fire. He was trying to tell us. Michelle, you were right. They must be watching this place, waiting for that signal. This is how we contact Luna.”

“I’ll get more.” He threw one more bit into the flames and ran around to get others. The three girls smiled at the discovery but Clarke and Michelle both looked over their shoulders at Bellamy, still walking away in the distance.

“Should we leave him alone or should I…?” Michelle wondered quietly. Clarke motioned for her to go after him, adding that she would join them later. Michelle didn’t plan on trying to talk to him about his situation with his sister, he wouldn’t like that. She wouldn’t like it if he tried to come up to her to if she was in such a situation with her father, which she used to, back when she was with Murphy and he knew it wasn’t his place to really say anything, and right now it was basically the same. It wasn’t exactly her place to try to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. He gave her a glance when he noticed her approach as he just stood there, facing the open sea, his arms crossed. She just tried to give him a smile as she sat down on a rock and his face relaxed a little. Michelle closed her eyes, the strands of hair falling along her face and stuck under her jacket, blown by the breeze, the sea wind caressing her skin. Her arms wrapped around her knees, she let her mind wander and lose itself in her memories. her mind quickly spiralled out of control, and she couldn't think about anything but how much she was worried about her father in Polis. She had a bad feeling. Her face reflected her trouble and her brows furrowed, her lips tightening. She rested the side of her face on her knees, looking at Bellamy and the forest sideways.

“Are you okay?” She asked quietly.

“I’m fine.” He, at first, responded quite harshly, though she obviously didn’t take offense. His eyes wandered back to the fire where his sister still was. She straightened up, looking up at him. It was easy to tell he was saddened by how downhill his relationship with Octavia went, and there was no one but himself to blame. He did choose to side with Pike and let the latter get to his head. He almost lost any chance of Michelle and him ever being a thing as well. He looked at her, his eyes glossy, widened in fear that the damage he did to their relationship was undoable. “Michelle, I think I’ve lost her.”

“Give her time, Bellamy.” She stood up, facing him, her hand softly holding his arm as she gave him a compassionate look. “She’s gonna need lots of it. And there may be blood on your hands, but it’s not Lincoln’s. That was Pike.”

“He did it because of me. I let him.” He slightly shook his head, glancing at the fire, his eyes getting glossier as he struggled to keep the tears at bay.

“Pike wouldn’t do something just because of you. You didn’t want that to happen. You tried to stop it. Octavia will forgive you eventually…” He looked away from her as a tear rolled along his cheek and randomly glanced at the forest behind him to try to hide it. Michelle frowned in concern, taking a heavy breath and turning his face back to her with her hand, wiping away the tear with her hand holding his cheek. “Question is, will you forgive yourself?”

“Forgiveness is hard for us.” His eyes were wet, and his bottom lip quivered as he looked at the fire again. She followed his gaze and saw Octavia stare at them before turning around and walk away, a plank of wood under her arm.

“I’m not Octavia but, I get it.” Her hand slid off his face and rested on his shoulder. He watched her attentively as she spoke. “It took me weeks to forgive my dad – for something he wasn’t even responsible for but anyway… took me some time to forgive you for choosing the wrong side too. But what did it for me was that both my dad and you showed that you were sorry for whatever happened, whatever you did... And I grew to love my dad, I didn’t wanna be mad anymore, and I—” Michelle cut herself off, looking into the distance, towards the sea. She pursed her lips, pressing them against each other. She knew what she wanted to say outloud and maybe it was the right time. With a sigh, briefly closing her eyes before looking back at him, she added; “I love you.” But she quickly went on to say something else, a little embarrassed by her confession which was ironic since they did already kiss and sleep together a few times, “Your sister loves you too, Bellamy. She will forgive you, give it time. She’s angry but one day, she won’t want to feel this way anymore.”

“Michelle.” His brows furrowed sadly as a couple more tears fell from his eyes, and he turned his head to wipe them off with his fist. She gently held his face and drew him into a kiss. He then wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly and buried her face in her hair and she in his neck as he whispered to her ear, “I love you too.”

“Could you have imagined, when we landed on the ground, that we would say stuff like this?” He chuckled, a sob breaking through his laugh as he held her tighter. She didn’t exactly remember how she felt about him in the beginning, but she remembered she didn’t really like him. He was somewhat cocky and acted so sure of himself, but she smiled, remembering it was him who showed her how to use a gun, though she did have beforehand knowledge on those weapons. She had no knowledge of what it was like to love someone like this, but now she did, and she only had him to thank for it. Her lips quivered, thinking of her father out of the blue but she was way more worried than she would ever admit out loud. It wasn’t just a bad feeling. She was terrified to find out whether he took the chip, and whether she would have to kill him which she wouldn’t be able to do so, if no one killed him, he would kill her, because of Alie’s grasp over him and the fact she would never take the chip. She held Bellamy tighter as well, feeling like she had already lost her father. She was getting ahead of herself too much and she knew it, but she couldn’t help but let her mind spiral. She would keep it to herself for now, it didn’t feel the right time to draw attention to her own troubles.

They were staring off into the distance, standing in the dark of night, still on the shore, when Clarke finally joined them. The trio began to talk about Octavia again and Clarke thought the same as Michelle, she would forgive him if he gave her enough time. They talked about when Clarke left them, how angry he felt but that he didn’t want to feel this way anymore and what Michelle said earlier seemed to clock in. As they were comforting each other, saying they were there for each other, Bellamy turned his head towards the sea and alerted them when he saw figures stick out the water. They were taken by surprise, tackled to the ground forcefully, grunting. Michelle felt warmth around her eyebrow and felt the blood drip on her eylid. She had been slammed on the sand so hard, her face hit a rock, but it was better than the concussion she got the last time she hit her head. The strangers put something on their mouth before tying and gagging them and bringing them back to the fire, where a few other of them were holding at gunpoint, but with crossbows. Octavia and Jasper held their hands up while the three others were forced on their knees. The Grounder addressed Octavia in trigedasleng. From what Michelle made out of it, it sounded like questions.

“Why should we give you safe passage?” The man then asked in English.

“Lincoln.” He glanced at his companions upon hearing the Grounder’s name. “He sent us.” He then spoke again in their language and the people standing behind Bellamy, Michelle and Clarke removed their gags and frees them.

“What’s going on?” Bellamy questioned in a whisper. Octavia had no idea either. The Grounder took a few steps towards her and handed her something.

“What is that?” Clarke asked.

“Safe passage.” He said as he gave one to each of them.

“Octavia, wait.” Bellamy rose his voice when his sister drank whatever it was in the little vial. Her only response was that she trusted Lincoln, and the Grounder that gave them those specified that if she was the only one to agree to drink this, she would be the only one to go. Michelle was the first to follow her lead and drink the content in one go. Bellamy repeated himself, grabbing her arm too late, she had already drunk. The two girls looked at each other, Michelle knew she was feeling this same weird way as she did. She felt all her strength gradually leave her body. Her vision got blurry as she fought to stay up but when she took a step to balance her weight on her feet, her knee bent and her leg way under her and she collapsed to the sand, her head turned towards Bellamy as he caught her in her fall. His face was the last thing she saw before it went dark.

She frowned, awakened by a ray of sunlight, and leaned on her hand to sit up. The others had woken up too, and everyone was looking around in complete confusion, having no idea where they had ended up. They were locked in a large, rusted container, and sunrays penetrated through holes in the metal here and there. Their guns were gone, and Octavia realized she didn’t have her sword anymore. She banged on the wall and soon after, whether or not it was related, the doors at the end of the container opened, blinding the group for a moment as a woman entered, her face hidden at first as she stood against the light but it quickly became clear that it was Luna that was in front of them.

“Where’s Lincoln?”

“Lincoln is dead.” Octavia told her.

“Lincoln said that you would help us.” Clarke stepped in.

“Did he?”

“Luna, you’re the last of your kind, the last nightblood.”

“So Lexa’s dead as well.”

“Her spirit has chosen you to become the next commander. Titus entrusted me with the flame to give to you.”

“Then he should have told you that I left my conclave swearing to never kill again.”

“You don’t have to kill. To lead is your birthright. How you lead is your choice. Here.” She stepped towards Luna, holding the small box in which she kept the flame and handed it over to her. She carefully brought her hands to her to observe the small object.

“I recognize the sacred symbol, but what is that?”

“This is the flame that holds the spirits of the commanders, of Lexa. Will you take it and become the next commander?” They all hung on Luna’s lips, waiting for her answer, hoping she would take it. The suspenseful silence was broken by her negative answer as she rolled Clarke’s fingers over the flame and pushed her fist away upon her refusal. They couldn’t believe they had come all this way for it to be over so quickly. Clarke glanced at her friends before running after Luna, calling out to her. She didn’t stop or turn back to them and just walked away. It was the group who stopped in their tracks, looking around in bewilderment. They were on a huge platform, an oil rig like the one Michelle saw on pictures, in the middle of the ocean.

“Everywhere I looked, there were fins. And teeth. And blood. I knew if they saw me, I’d be next, so I just floated there, waiting, praying they’d swim on.” Michelle stared into space listening with one ear the girl reading poetry in the hall of the Oil Rig. None of them was really paying attention. They were waiting, hoping for Luna to agree to help them and take the flame. A door opened and she entered.

“She’s here. Maybe she changed her mind.” Bellamy told the group, Clarke, Michelle and him standing up to go meet with her.

“The boats return at nightfall. Then you leave. Forever.”

“Luna, let us explain—” Clarke was cut off by the Grounder.

“I said no.”

“No, you need to hear this.” Bellamy stepped in front of her. She eventually looked at him. “There’s something out ther that is going to destroy us all.”

“Whatever it is, it can’t reach us here.” She walked pasted the trio and went to Octavia, telling her they needed to talk. Jasper took it as his cue to leave and got up, leaving the two women. Once Luna left, they returned to sit beside Octavia, having to wait it out since she was so against taking the flame and coming with them. In the distance, Jasper was chatting with the girl who recited poetry a moment ago.

“Jasper’s actually smiling.” Bellamy noted. He followed Clarke’s gaze as she looked at Luna, cuddling with her lover against the wall.

“Clarke. Let it go.” The latter glanced over at her best friend and shook her head.

“We can’t just leave.”

“It’s not like we have much of a choice.” Octavia added, fidgeting with a tiny piece of wood.

“Maybe we do.”

“What are you talking about?” Bellamy enquired.

“I’m talking about putting this into her head without asking.”

“Clarke, we can’t do this.” Michelle leaned towards her.

“We can fight and go back to Arkadia. We arm up.” He added, agreeing with his girlfriend.

“Fight who?” She questioned. “It’s an army of our own people. I don’t like this any more than you do. But if Raven’s right, and the code on this thing can stop Alie…” Two Grounders came in shouting in their native language; She paused, glancing over her shoulder before turning her head back to her friends, looking a little hopeless. “Give me a better idea.”

“We’ll stay here. It’s the only way they’ll leave you alone with her.” Bellamy concluded. As Clarke was about to stand up, she was briefly stopped by Octavia addressing her.

“Even Alie gives people a choice.”

“We gave Luna a choice. She said no.” He shrugged, exchanging a glance with Michelle and Clarke, nodding at one another before the blonde finally got up and walked away. They met up again once it was dark, and dark it was out in the open sea. Aside from the light of the moon shining on the waves, and a few spotlights on the rig, it was pitch black out there and the whole oil rig was dead silent, as everyone was asleep. They were being led back to the container in which they awakened this morning as they were going to be brought back to shore. Luna was waiting for them by the container. Jasper wasn’t with the group and according to Clarke, he was saying goobye to his new friend, not that Michelle cared much what he was doing right now. They opened the doors and a group of Grounders stepped out.

“Sorry, Cap. You gotta take them back.” She turned to them. “You get your weapons once you land.”

“Inside.” While Clarke tried to ask Luna about the flame since the later took it from her after she tried to forcibly put it in her neck, the others were pushed inside the container. They didn’t try to fight, it was pointless. They failed at convincing Luna and now they could only leave this place. Michelle’s thoughts were already, and as always, on going to Polis to check on her dad. She was anxious to find out whether he took the chip or not and what would be left of him. This was her main concern at the moment. Then suddenly, the Grounders that walked out of the container started attacking everyone outside, stabbing and grunting and slammed the doors shut, trapping the group in the dark. Michelle was quick to understand they had somehow been infected by Alie as she came to realize they attacked shortly after Luna pulled out the flame to show Clarke.

“They’re locking us in.” Octavia exclaimed, alarmed. Clarke started banging on the wall and shouting, eager to find out what was going on.

“They took the flame. Soemhow, while they were on land, they took the chip. Luna’s safe haven is compromised now.” Michelle said with a sigh.

“Yeah. Alie’s here.” Bellamy added, agreeing with her. Clarke looked at them, speechless, not knowing what to do, or how to get out of there. They had no weapon, nothing to free themselves while Alie’s minions tried to take over the oil rig. They only had a flashlight. Holding it in front of her, Octavia walked around the container while Bellamy tried to nudge the doors open.

“How did Alie even find this place?” Octavia wondered, kicking in the wall with anger.

“There was a drone at Niylah’s. She must’ve followed us looking for the Flame and now she has it.” Sat on the floor, Michelle looked at him while Clarke was frowning, her gaze staring into space. “She’s gonna put the AI in Luna.”

“She’d have to chip her first. If Luna’s chipped before she gets the AI, Alie’s gonna know everything. We’ll never be able to stop her. We can’t let that happen.” She sprung up on her feet and walked with a determined step towards the door, banging on it and shouting. Everyone ended up just sitting down in silence, trying to wait it out, or wait for someone to come open the door. There was nothing they could do from the inside. They were locked up, end of story.

“This place was safe until we got here.” Octavia spoke, flashing her light at the wall, up and down, aimlessly. They had no idea how long it had been, but they all turned their heads instantly and got on their feet when they heard the lock clancked against the door, meaning someone was messing with it. The door opened and they jogged outside, thinking it was Jasper who freed them, only for them to find the girl he was chatting with, gasping on the ground with an arrow in her shoulder. Clarke kneeled by her side and the girl tried to speak.

“Machine room… B level…” then she gave her final breath and they left her there, unable to do anything else. She was dead. Michelle gave her a horrifief glance out of the corner of her eyes, looking at the blood covering hre mouth and chin. It reminded her of when she had been infected with that weird blood fever back at the dropship, months ago. Or when she had her hands slashed, and her leg pierced through with a drill. She had had her share of her own bloodshed, but it was still not something she liked to see. They ran through the rig and got to their destination. Octavia ignored her brother’s warning, telling her to be careful and ran inside the machine room. They found Luna, on the ground, holding her lover, her other hand around the handle of a knife plunged into the man’s chest. Jasper was hanged by his wrist on the other side of the room. Two other grounders, those that came on the rig chipped were dead. A young girl was curled up near one of the bodies, she’d probably been used to pressure Luna into accepting the chip or something like that. Bellamy went to check on her while Michelle and Octavia cut Jasper down, and Clarke went to Luna, who let out a bloodcurling cry when her partner let out his final breath. Michelle felt her pain and looked at her, her mouth frowned slightly, her lips twitching. She was wailing, holding his body close to her, her face distorted by the heartbreak and grief, caressing his face and apologizing for what she had to do while sobbing.

Once she somewhat calmed down, the whole lot of the Oil Rig’s inhabitant gathered for the funeral ceremony. Michelle, Clarke, Bellamy, Octavia and Jasper were standing there in a corner. They had to wait for Luna to come to them when she was done.

“Any of them could be chipped, and we’d never know.” Bellamy whispered, her eyes glazing over the room.

“If they are, they’ll make their move before we put the Flame in Luna. Stay sharp.” Clarke watched as Luna came towards them, accompanied with another girl.

“The ceremony is about to begin.”

“I’m so sorry. But now you see what we’re facing. An enemy who will do anything to win. She won’t stop until she had everyone.”

“People I love died today. Needlessly, by my hand. I can’t let that happen.” Luna looked down at the Flame, held in between her fingers. She turned her back to them, facing everyong in the room. They all stood up, cups in their hands. The group had been giving cups too. “As we prepare to give our brothers and sisters to the sea, we honor their lives.” They spoke in their native language in unison, and everyone drank from their cups quietly. Luna turned back to them.

“I we’re gonna do this, we have to hurry. Alie will send reinforcements. We have to find some place private to perform the Ascencion.” Luna stared at her with an impassible face.

“You believe that to defeat an enemy who will stop at nothing, you must stop at nothing. How is that different than blood must have blood?” As she spoke, Michelle slightly frowned and squinted her eyes. For some reason, her mind felt clouded, and she began to have trouble on what was being said, looking into space, trying to focus her eyes. She took a step to the side as her sight began to sway, or maybe it was her body. She raised her hand, trying to reach for Bellamy’s shoulder and he grabbed her arm, catching her as she fell, but ended up collapsing in turn, his arm stretched out under her head. Their cups had broken to pieces on the ground. She opened her eyes and sat up with a start, a little disorientated still. Bellamy was already awake, walking around with his weapon in hand, watching over the others, still passed out. She put a hand to her eyebrow, the little cut that she had gotten after hitting her head on a rock before being transported to the Rig, had been stitched. Well, she was at least thankful for that. Her eyes went on the hand held out in front of her and looked up to Bellamy as she grabbed his hand and he pulled her on her feet. Movements caught their eye, and they glanced over at Clarke who woke up, checking the box put in her hand, to see if the Flame was inside. They exchanged a nod and kept on walking to the shore while Octavia and Jasper came back to their senses as well. They failed to convince Luna. And they were now back to square one.

“Now what?” He asked, turning his head to Clarke as all five of them stood in line, in front of the sea, clueless as to what to do. Michelle had her sight set on Polis, and getting news from her father, after being separated from him for three days. She had to chase away her bad feeling and keep hopeful that he was still alive and well.

[To be continued…]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (07/03/2024)

Published (06/19/2023) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405 @kika64 @mirellef2001

7 notes · View notes

lulupen2023 · 2 years ago

Text

My very first BellDom Fic 18/23

awww, thanks for the hearts here and there *O* If you're reading, I hope you're laughing special thank youuu to the lovely chaoticbebop , also for the kudos on ao3, it means sooo much to me *O*

Summary:

Do you want to meet a Matthew who sees conspiracy everywhere (oh wait, this is not big news!) and is so fond of his trolley that he treats it like a sort of puppy? Do you want to meet a Dominic in love with… himself (and with Matt, too, of course!)? And do you want to meet a Chris who wants to prove to the world he's the most masculine guy ever… but is unavoidably attracted by every… female hobby? This is what you'll find in this story, among lots of BellDom and… craziness!

Summary of the chapter: Matt and Dom need a good plan…

Notes:

Warning: Lots of fluff and crazy stuff (Uh! I made it rhyme, lol!)

Chapter XVIII: From Number Fifty-Seven!

WHAT'S THE WORST THAT I CAN SAY?

THINGS ARE BETTER IF I STAY

Matthew sings a cappella, at the end of their show, as he waves his hand and invites the crowd to do the same and also to sing along with him, at the Jobing.com Arena, the new tour date.

SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT, SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT

The crowd sings back as loud as they can, waving their hands even more than him, but for the frontman is not enough yet.

AND IF YOU CARRY ON THIS WAY

THINGS ARE BETTER IF I STAY

SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT, SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT

Matthew incites them with the second verse and this time the crowd sings along with him since the beginning.

Chris observes the whole scene dumbfounded, wondering which evil entity has possessed his friend to make him do such a thing.

Anyway, when he sees that Dominic seems to be very pleased by that and he is even laughing about it, he hopes that the drummer will promptly clarify things to him.

"Enjoy the rest of the show with My Chemical Romance! Thank you, Phonenix, see ya soon. Cheers!" Matthew greets the crowd, going towards the backstage as the other two follow him.

"I can't still believe I did that damn thing for real!" the singer comments, horrified.

"A payback is a payback!" Dominic states.

"Yeah, but it's unfair, I didn't even damage them at the show in Salt Lake City, at the very end; quite the contrary, people thought it was a joke and enjoyed that, laughing with them, not at them, as I wished!" Matt complains.

It's enough for the two lovers to see Chris's still confused face to understand what his question is, even before he asks them.

"Matt got the My Chemical Romance's guitars out of tune at the last show, that's why you heard that terrible noise at the beginning." Dom explains shortly as he glares at Matt.

"Yeah, and Mr. Fair here forced me to tell them the truth." Matt goes on, glaring back at Dom.

"Yeah, and the band looked for their more than deserved revenge. So they forced Matt to get the crowd ready for their arrival, singing a little bit of one of their most famous hits!" Dom concludes, glaring at Matt once again.

"So, that was one of *their* songs! I thought it was a new work in progress of yours and you hadn't told me about that. After all, you have the bloody tendency to hide so much stuff to me!" Chris strikes back as he glares at them both.

"Oh, c'mon, we told you everything at the end, didn't we? And we could never work on something new without letting you know about that!" Matthew assures him.

"Yep, except for the geezers' song." escapes from Dom's lips.

"Dominic! Damn you and your bloody mouth!" Matt snaps.

"Hey! If memory serves me right, yesterday you didn't complain at all about my bloody mouth!" Dom reminds to his boyfriend, making him blush.

Also Chris goes red... but with rage.

"What? Are you still working on that horror?" he roars.

"Can we just forget about the last minute and start it over again?" Dom attempts to ask them.

"No way!" Matt and Chris yell at him in unison.

"If only I had my time-machine!" the drummer mutters.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris, let's make a deal: you can work on a project on your own and Dom and I won't say a word!" the frontman tries to bargain.

"Don't you even try, Bells! Just abandon once for all this suicidal idea, you'll never make it! I'll warn every single recording studio in the world not to let you in, if I'm not with you; and if I see you two try something funny during one of our shows I'm gonna intervene, *violently* if necessary!" Chris threatens them and it works, of course.

"Ok, I got the message. " Matt ruefully surrenders.

"Gee, Chris, why do you have to be always such a pain in the ass? Plus, you're way too bloody serious!" Dominic snorts.

"I'm not serious, I'm just normal... but I can't say the same about you two!" the bassist defends himself. "And don't forget that Ricky from IV A is the coolest guy of the High School because he looks like me a little bit!" he adds before leaving, as he proudly remembers the diaries he read at Salt Lake City.

This time it's Dom and Matt who look dumbfounded, but they just decide to ignore that.

Plus, Dominic has something else to worry about.

"Sorry, Matt, I didn't do it on purpose..." he backs off prudently.

"But you did. When it's a matter to keep a secret you're worst than a gossiper!" Matt scolds him.

"You're right. I've been such a bad boy. I need a punishment." Dominic reckons.

"Yep, you do, so..." Matt agrees, but then he realizes the way the blond is looking at him. "Gee, Dom! You can't always turn everything into bloody sex! This is a serious issue!" he protests.

"But I'm bloody serious. Punish me!" Dom insists.

"Well, it doesn't work this way!" Matt grumbles.

"Why?"

"Because you don't look like someone who is gonna be punished." Matt makes him notice as he approaches him, still showing a serious and stern face.

"How do I look like then?" the drummer asks him, curious.

"Like someone who's gonna have a lot of fun!" the other strikes back

"Oh. And tell me, aint't so?" the blond wonders rhetorically as he resorts to his unfailing weapon.

As a matter of fact, Matt's harsh expression is replaced by a sexy smile.

"Damn you and your irresistible pout! Let's go to our room, can't wait to *punish* you!" the brunette growls as he drags his lover away with him.

---------------------------------------------------

Since he has found at the Salt Lake City airport a handbook of crochet-hook that answered even to his deepest inquisitions, after buying it and hiding it from his friends, two days later, at Los Angeles, Chris can finally take advantage of that. He knows that he can dedicate some time to his beloved hobby without being disturbed.

Mostly because Dominic and Matthew have something else to do.

They're lying on the bed, placidly, taking advantage not only of the free morning, but of the free day at their whole disposal.

Matthew is searching around the web at random, with his laptop on his lap as he takes notes on his Hello Kitty notebook about the potential changes of their playlists.

Dom looks at him absently, since he's all engrossed in listening to his iPod.

He wishes with all his being that Matt had not the brilliant idea of tugging on an earphone and listening to the music with him, because no matter how tender that gesture would be, Matt would end up listening to something he violently dislikes; since it's one of My Chemical Romance's songs and, maybe for a trick of fate, it's just the one he had to sing a cappella at the end of their last show.

Luckily for Dom, Matt doesn't seem interested at all in joining to that listening. Out of the blue, the blond starts caring less about the music and more about his mate who is drawing doodles around the pink, tied ribbon of the kitten with the date of January 20th above.

Suddenly realization hits them both.

"Tomorrow it's a whole week since we've been shagging like rabbits!" Dom exclaims.

"Tomorrow it's a whole month since we've kissed for the very first time!" Matt exclaims at the same time, but that doesn't prevent them from hearing each other.

"Oh, what you said is much more romantic!" Dom recognizes with a sweet smile.

"But what you said is much more exciting!" Matt replies with a horny look.

"So, tomorrow we'll have a double important occasion to celebrate. We have to get ready pwopewly." the brunette goes on.

"A private party?" the blond realizes with an expectant look.

"Yep, a very, very private one, my dear!" the other confirms.

"But tomorrow we have the show!" Dom reminds to him. "So, how..."

"We have all day long to find a way to escape right after the show!" the singer winks at him.

"You're right. By the way, since it's almost midday, can we finally open the window or what?" Dom changes topic.

"Already? Why? Dark rooms with switched on lamps are so nice, even better if the lamps are replaced by candles." Matt protests.

"Well, unlike you, my dear vampire, I happen to like the sun!" Dom strikes back as he pulls the curtains and opens the window. "Now we can start. You know, I plan better in the sunlight!" he grins, as he bathes in the sunlight.

Too bad that his boyfriend is still busy recording in his brain his previous sentence.

"Vampire?" he repeats as a question.

"To begin with, you're so pale..."

"Said the Californian surfer!" Matt strikes back, sarcastically.

"Well, at least I have sunlamps sometimes... whatever! That's not the point! Back to what I was telling you, you always lurk in the shadows and you seem to be much more active at night ... almost as if you spent the day recharging your batteries... just like vampires do!" Dom goes on.

"But I don't recharge my batteries sleeping in a coffin!" the brunet points out.

"Well, this is irrelevant. Plus, sometimes you can be so, so evil. Just think about what you did to those poor, dear guys on stage!" Dominic reminds to him.

"What about what *they* did to *me*? Wasn't it evil as well?" Matt makes him notice.

"Nope, that was just fair!" the blond clarifies, before he starts staring at him with diffidence. "Hey, wait a minute. How can I be sure that you don't eat food just for cover?" Dom insinuates as he starts enjoying that a lot.

"I'm not a vampire, Dom! Quit it, bloody quit it!" a fiery Matt snaps.

"You said 'bloody ' which reminds to blood. So, you do are a vampire! You... you... VladyMatt!" Dom strikes back, enlightened.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Matt roars.

"But it's what you are. And you're even growling now, just like a proper vampire. VladyMatt, VladyMatt, VladyMatt!" Dom insisted, amused as a child who has just discovered the funniest game ever.

"If you don't quit it I'll call you SpiderDom!" the brunette says, thinking that he's threatening him.

"Oh, please, do it. I like that!" the blond reveals.

"What? That's not fair. You weren't supposed to like that..." his boyfriend pouts.

"But I really do and I'll tell you what. We should dress up like these characters when we... you know!" the drummer suggests.

"Really?" the guitarist wonders, very intrigued.

After all, Dominic doesn't know that he has been thinking about that eventuality for awhile.

"Yep. You should get a black and red velvet cape and talk to me with Transylvanian accent... that would turn me on so bad!" the blond whispers at his ear, as the brunette shivers in pleasure.

"Sounds bloody good. So, can I also tell you what to do?" Matt purrs at his ear, but Dom pushes him away.

"No way! You can't tell me anything. After all, SpiderDom has already captured VladyMatt in his web, hasn't he?" he moans languidly as he lies down on the bed and with his look invites his partner to join him.

"Hell yes, he has!" the other smiles, as he crawls slowly on his giggling lover and places a tender chaste kiss on his soft lips. "Now, Dommy, get ready, because I'm gonna show you how much *active* I can be even during the day!" he warns him, before they both vent to their endless desire.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Please, repeat. You are going to do... WHAT?!" Chris exclaims, so stunned that the titbit of steak that he took with his fork falls inexorably on the plate, along with the fork.

"Just what we said. Tomorrow, after the show, we're going to escape and go celebrate our first week sexually together!" Dom explains to him again, with a wide grin at the thought.

"And also our first month since our very first kiss!" Matt adds, grinning as well.

"That's why we need our time to celebrate." Dom states, as he cuts his fillet.

"The more time we have, the better. That's why we need to skip the fans' time, although there will be just a few people, since we're not the headliner here!" Matt retorts as he makes the red wine spin around his glass, slowly and widely, before sipping it.

"But you usually adore fans' time... both of you!" Chris makes them notice.

"Yep, but not tomorrow!" Dominic remarks.

"Oh, c'mon, all they ask for is a bunch of minutes to spend with us..." the bassist insists.

"Well, tomorrow all the bunch of minutes I have will be just and only at my Dom's disposal and there's no fan who can make me change my mind!" Matthew states resolutely.

"Gee, you're so mean!" Chris grumbles.

"Well, after all I'm VladyMatt, am not I?" the frontman sneers, glancing at the drummer.

"So, you do like it at the very end!" the blond figures out, enthusiastically.

"Yes, I admit I do... but just a little!" the brunet confesses.

Chris has no idea what they're babbling about, as he keeps turning his head to one and then to the other, as if he was watching a tennis match.

"How did you just call yourself and why?" he asks Matt. "No, wait. On second thought, I don't wanna know!" he corrects himself a few seconds later.

"Oh, c'mon, Chris, think about the positive side of the situation: if Matt and I are out of the game, you'll get all the fans' attention!" Dom makes him notice.

"Uh! Well, I hadn't thought about that..." the bassist answers, delighted by that idea, but then he jumps to another conclusion. "Are you hinting that I'll get all the fans' attention just because I'm the only one left? Have you mistaken me for a stopgap?" he wonders, insulted.

"No, never! How can you think such a terrible thing? You rule, you're awesome, you're great. Does Matt have to dedicate another song to you in order to convince you of that?" Dom replies.

"Nope. One is enough. Ok, I believe you. Just what am I supposed to say if some fans ask me why you're not there?" Chris asks them.

"Uhmm. Maybe you could tell them that our girlfriends made us a nice surprise and joined us during this date of the tour, so we want to spend as much time as we can with them." Dominic suggests.

"We couldn't be more liar than that!" Matthew shakes his head.

"So? Do you have a better idea, maybe?" Dom asks him.

"I'm not saying that I don't agree!" the other points out.

"So, Chris, we can trust you, can't we?" Dom needs confirmation.

"Yep, but don't you dare complain if from tomorrow on all our fans will ditch you to spend their time with me!" Chris smirks.

"One more thing; Tom will never know about it, promise to me!" Matthew asks as he can already picture in his mind a never ending lecture from their manager.

"Oh, Matty, now we have to find the perfect plan to escape tomorrow!" Dom incites him.

"Why? Haven't you thought about it in the morning?" Chris asks them.

"Oh, no, we've spent the whole morning..." the blond informs him, but Chris immediately stops him, raising his hand.

"Please, shut up, this is another thing I absolutely don't wanna know!" he clarifies, before he leaves the room and after awhile also the other two follow his example.

---------------------------------------------------------

Saying that he needs his space sometimes, Dom spends the afternoon hanging around the town, going shopping, but mostly staring at himself from every shop-window Los Angeles has to offer him.

Matthew agrees without any problem, also because he has a pretty busy afternoon to deal with.

This was the fifth travel Dom made with Pinkie, so now his rightful owner has finally taken possession of his beloved trolley again.

He goes towards the bedroom, holding some tubes of red glitter and a set of golden wheels, ready to celebrate its return in the way he had promised to it.

He takes it from the closet, very carefully, and places it on an armchair.

"C'mon, Pinkie, let's get the party started!" he announces and the most worrying thing is that he's pretty sure that he's not just talking to himself!

-----------------------------------------------------------

After they had their dinner, Chris stays in the hall, entertaining himself with the barmen and some of the customers of the hotel, as Matthew and Dominic come back to their room.

The blond opens a drawer and takes a scratch pad and a blue felt-tip pen, as he starts writing 'Escape'.

No, they're not restudying that famous song of the Showbiz era.

As they have already decided, they're just plotting their way of escape.

Instead of writing, the brunette prefers drawing.

"So, we are these two.. " Matthew explains as he sketches in a very childish way two guys who are holding their hands, with a little heart in the middle.

"Aawww!" the blond melts down.

"And this is the Arena..." Matt goes on, turning page and drawing a circle with lots of rays that symbolize the several exits, but then he realizes that Dom isn't even looking at him anymore.

Following his gaze, he realizes what has drawn his attention so much.

"Gee, Dom, stop staring the sketch about us!" he reprimands him.

"I can't, you made me gorgeous even in this drawing!" the other states.

"Oh, c'mon, you don't even know which one is you!" the frontman teases him.

"Hell yeah I do, I'm the one on the left. To begin with, he's the taller one." he explains, turning the sketch towards Matt in order to make him see it better. "Then, the one on the right has crazier hair, see?" he goes on, snatching the felt-tip pen from his lover's hand and adding spiky and messy hair on the sketched out guy on the right. "And finally, didn't you notice that? The one on the left is holding drumsticks!" he concludes, drawing said drumstick in the guy on the left's free hand.

And then he admires his artwork very pleased.

"Dom, you're impossible!" Matt rolls his eyes.

"Well, we were plotting, weren't we?" the blond changes topic.

"Yeah..." the other replies, turning pages again. "So, these are the exits... how are we supposed to leave?" he wonders. "And please, don't you even try to name your bloody time-machine!" he summons him immediately after.

"Ok, also because the time-machine wouldn't help this time. C'mon, let's concentrate, we need an idea, a very good one!" Dom comments.

---------------------------------------------------

"For the last time, Matthew, no, no, and fucking NO!" Dom snaps after more than three quarters an hour of the brunette's impracticable suggestions.

"But why? It would be genial!" the other protests.

"It's impossible. We can't have a sort of spaceship and take off directly from the stage. We can't have the damned space skateboards you would also like to use at Wembley. And, mostly, there's no bloody, damn, sodding paralyzing ray that we can use on the crowd!" Dom explains to him, not very patiently.

"It would be so fun!" Matthew sighs unhappily and then he concentrates on the sketch of the Arena again, with the blond.

"Well, I bet that everyone expects us to get out from the exit number One... " Matt starts reckoning seriously.

"Or from the last one. It also would make sense." Dom adds and the other nods, before realization hits him.

"Let's go out from number Fifty-Seven!" the brunet exclaims.

"Why just from number Fifty-Seven?" Dom asks him.

"Because no one expects that. Plus, it's far from both of the main exits. It's a number like the others, nothing special. So, as everyone will wait for us at the main exits..."

"We'll escape from number Fifty-Seven! Yeah, that's brilliant!" Dominic rejoices.

"I'm sure it will work!" the other smiles.

"I think so, too. So, now that we made our plans... can I resume staring at my sketched out version?" the blond asks him eagerly and Matt is just too worn out to complain, so he lets his boyfriend do as he pleases.

TBC

What can I say? All the stuff involving VladyMatt and the infamous Number Fifty-Seven comes from the Muse Show at Verona in 2007, more specifically from all the absurdities my friends and I babbled about on our way back (but VladyMatt popped out from my degenerated mind... and I'm scarily proud of that, lol!)

Of course, I preferred to meet the dear guys instead of receiving this mad inspiration, but... whatever, lol!

Well, in case you didn't notice, I have a thing for Vampire! Matt... but you can't know, not here, at least, I've never posted 'Just a little bit' here ...

You know, I guess this is one of my favourite chapters of the whole fic, so I really, really hope you'll like it! ;)

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whumpwritings · 2 years ago

Text

Home Sweet Home?

@whumpsday has this excellent ongoing story, Kane and Jim, which I have read many times (master list here). A while back he posted an AU where Kane's friend Bellamy saves him from the hunters (here) and it made me wonder how it would go if Bellamy tried to save him from Jim instead. Last Friday I decided I should just write it. And, because I have no chill, it is 11,531 words long.

Hilariously, on Sunday @whumpsday actually posted a version of this idea as well (see here). I'm so glad I'd already started writing or I'd have chickened out. His version is set much closer to the beginning of the story. I didn't tie mine to any particular story events, but I was envisioning it being set closer to the events of Basement or Heat Wave (or a bit after that) when Kane and Jim have had time to build a routine.

Because this is an AU fanfic I may have made errors in the lore and unfortunately Bellamy is a bit OOC to make the story work. Please indulge me.

Home Sweet Home?

Summary: Bellamy tries to do a nice thing and everyone has a bad time about it.

Words: 11,531

Content Warnings: recapture, PTSD triggering, begging, vomiting, it as a pronoun (briefly), panic attacks, interrogation, kidnapping

Apparently, tumblr will only let me have one 'read more' link per post, so please be aware this is a VERY long scroll.

******

Bellamy wasn’t supposed to be there. He tried to remember how he got involved in this at all as he stared at the blank and bloodied hunter at his feet.

Things had gotten a little out of hand.

The hunter had been caught near the border, that much he knew. The vampire who’d caught him wanted the finder’s fee more than a personal bloodbag. The farms pay very well after all and keeping a personal human was logistically challenging.

Bellamy had been passing by when the kerfuffle at the gate started. The finding vampire’s persuasion slipping. (He didn’t seem to be very good at it, Bellamy thought). The realization growing over the hunter’s face. His desperate struggles.

It was a sight to see, so he stopped. A spectacle’s a spectacle, even if this was sad. The farms usually kept any…unpleasantness behind closed doors.

Bellamy had recoiled when the intake worker waved him over. He’d been so tempted to refuse to be an extra pair of hands for this. Helping the farms was not something Bellamy was at all interested in. Frankly, he was rooting for the human.

But then the hunter said, “Fuck you, you deserve to be in our fucking cells alongside that other fucking leech!”

What could he say? Bellamy loved a mystery. Almost as much as he loved drama. A captured vampire? One who was kept alive? Who? Why?

Bellamy couldn’t help but imagine Kane for a moment, slain on the border. Probably not by this individual human, but by hunters like him. His heart sank. Had they called him a leech while he lay dying? Perhaps this human, out of all of them, deserved less mercy than he generally held for the species.

Given the obvious hunter attire, the farm intake attendant had insisted on asking the human questions. Perhaps it knew the movements of other humans near the border. Such information could be useful. When Bellamy offered to keep him talking, the worker had accepted, and they’d retired to a small room off the gate. And now he was looking into the persuasion-calmed eyes of the human and wondering how his day had turned out like this.

“It’s resistant to persuasion I swear!” The finding vampire kept complaining as though that was the problem.

The intake worker just rolled his eyes at Bellamy before making the first vampire wait outside. He’d had Bellamy ask the hunter a series of questions about the border. His hunting associates. Their plans and movements. Any new tools. The worker took notes while the human droned. Finally, finally Bellamy got to ask the question that had brought him here.

“The vampire in your…cells, is it still alive?”

Bellamy saw the worker scrunch up his nose in disgust. Who cared about a vampire weak enough to be caught by humans?

“Dunno, we gave it away.”

“What did you do to them before they were sent away?” Bellamy asked since the worker was starting to look impatient. That made him click his pen. Techniques were something worth noting. The life of a weak vampire wasn’t.

The human began the most horrifying list Bellamy had ever heard. His wildest nightmares were never this vicious. His imagination couldn’t have conjured the dreadfulness necessary. The worker’s pen moved rapidly as he took notes with wide eyes.

“And then we strung him out in the sun on this rack. We told him we’d come get him at nightfall, but we lied. The guys thought it would be funny to tell him that so he’d think an end to the pain was coming when it wasn’t. We left him for a week instead. The next time we hung him out for a little tan Chris told him that if he was silent the whole time, we would bring him back in at nightfall. He always screamed when he sizzled though…”

Bellamy swallowed hard.

“Why would you do this?” He asked before he could help himself.

“It was fun. It was what a leech deserved for all the pain they cause.”

Bellamy noted with bitterness how the hunter couldn’t seem to separate this one vampire from the actions of vampire society as a whole.

“Well now,” the worker snapped his notebook shut. “This has been enlightening. I think given this one’s…resistance to persuasion he’ll have to be moved to the Awake section. I wonder how many of these techniques could be adapted to use on humans? I’m particularly interested in this choking device he mentioned. Perhaps with acid to simulate the effects of silver?”

The worker gave Bellamy a sadistic smile that he was meant to share. Just two psychopaths with an inside joke. The torturer becoming the victim and having his methods used against him. How droll! Bellamy managed to choke down his bile long enough to produce an unconvincing smile.

“Just one more question. When you sent the vampire away, where did you send it?”

“Gave the bloodsucker to his victim. Famous guy. Almost no one comes back once the leeches get ‘ya, but Jim Lieberman did. He deserved to end that fucker himself. Well,” the human chortled, still bespelled, “and the leech gave less sport after a few years. Less fun that way.”

Bellamy’s whole body went cold at the name. Caroline. He needed to talk to Caroline.

“Thank you for your assistance today, sir. In recognition of your help, we’d like to give you this gift certificate. It’s good for a month supply of blood packs.”

Bellamy took the envelope out of the worker’s hands numbly. “I must be getting home now,” he heard himself say. “Have a lovely evening.”

Bellamy didn’t remember walking out of the office. He didn’t remember the trip home or coming in the door. The next moment he had he was sitting on his kitchen floor. Caroline kneeling beside him, a look of concern written all over her face.

“Years ago, we went to a party and met Kane de Sang,” he said softly. “His human asked you to call someone for him. Did you end up doing so?”

“Yeah, sure. Oh Bel, what’s going on?”

“What was the name of the person he had you call?”

“Elizabeth Lieberman.” Bellamy supposed it had been a weird enough occurrence for the details to stick in her mind even all these years later.

“And his name was Jim, right?”

“Yeah, her brother. He just wanted me to make contact. Pass along a message. What’s this about, Bel?”

“I think…I think Kane might be alive. Or…if he isn’t, I know who killed him,” Bellamy whispered at his hands. Caroline clapped her hands to her mouth. She didn’t need to ask to know what he was going to do next.

It actually took weeks. Bellamy was nearly out of his mind with stress as he tracked down the house of Jim Lieberman. Procuring a phonebook had been risky and, as it turned out, fairly useless. Unlisted.

Hunters near the border had been more forthcoming. Liberal use of persuasion certainly helped. Frustratingly, they never seemed to know exactly where Jim lived now. Tidbits of information leaked out though.

There was a book about him. About surviving Kane. People admired him for it in human society.

His sister was a hunter and some of them had met her in passing. She lived close to the border for work.

All the hunters who knew about the situation assumed Jim killed Kane once he had been given to the human. They all seemed to think this was justice.

More than one confessed to having met the vampire without persuasion. One was able to confirm that he’d called himself Kane. Bellamy hadn’t needed proof exactly, but it helped lighten his burden to know he was on the right track.

He asked each hunter who had met Kane what they’d personally done to him. He wouldn’t make the mistake of treating every human as though they were responsible for his friend’s pain, but he would find out which ones were.

Those ones died bloody.

Elizabeth Lieberman’s house wasn’t as hard to find as he’d feared. He observed it carefully over several nights, retreating over the border before daybreak each time. No sign of Kane or any other captives. No sign of her brother. He’d tried to follow her car once, but he was no tracker. It wasn’t like he was practiced at any of this.

On the fourth night of hunter house watching, Bellamy saw the pink-haired person leave alone. They were dressed as a hunter, and they usually came and went with Ms. Lieberman. Bellamy assumed this was a colleague. Maybe they would know where their hunting partner’s brother lived? Or have clues Bellamy could follow?

It was the work of a moment to slip into the front seat of the hunter’s car.

“Drive away,” he commanded to the startled human. Driving under persuasion was probably unsafe, but the road had few cars. It was after dusk in a border town after all. He directed the human until they were on a wooded lane, far from any houses. “Pull over.”

“Where does Jim Lieberman live?”

The hunter rattled off an address immediately. Bellamy blinked. He dove for the glovebox and was pleased to find what he needed. With paper and a little pencil in hand, Bellamy asked again.

Bellamy swallowed hard. He had what he needed. Finally. But there were more questions to ask.

“Do you know of the vampire that was given to Jim?”

“Yes.”

“Is he still alive?” Bellamy’s voice broke on the last word. His persuasion wavered for a moment under the onslaught of his emotions, but he held it with difficulty.

“Yes…are vampires technically alive? Like the old movies would call them undead, but my science teacher in school said they’re just a different species…He’s whatever he was before though.”

Bellamy stared at this strange human. What an interesting mind. He had never had one muse while under persuasion before. For a second, it distracted him from the momentous news just imparted.

Kane was alive. Alive. Not slain all those years ago. He still had a chance. But there was more information to glean here before he made his move.

“What have you personally done to Kane?” He asked, steeling himself for the answer. These were always the most monstrous of tales. He would have nightmares once this was over for sure. Hell, he’d already started having them.

“I beat him at Uno,” the hunter said. “I let him win at Monopoly. He had a good grasp of real estate and he seemed like he could use the confidence boost. But there are no friends in Uno.”

Huh. That was…unexpected.

Bellamy felt suddenly cheered by the turn of events.

He had a location. Kane was alive. Kane was alive.

Maybe this hunter could drive him to Kane? No, running would be faster. It didn’t sound like they were culpable for the atrocities his friend had experienced. To be sure though…

“Did you hurt the vampire? Did you hurt Kane?”

“No…no need. Jim had things well in hand.”

Bellamy frowned. That didn’t sound as good. Still. Bellamy hated to kill. Until recently he’d never taken a life. It didn’t sound like this was one he needed to take at least. And if Kane said they were one of his tormentors, well, Bellamy could always find them again.

“Forget what questions I’ve asked you.” He had to put more oomph into this command than most. It wasn’t good for a mind to delete memories, but it shouldn’t do lasting damage to their brain. He couldn’t risk the Liebermans getting tipped off. He couldn’t risk Kane.

Bellamy dropped the persuasion once he was out of reach getting out of the car.

“Holy fuck!” the hunter yelled as they came to, already scrambling for the weapons at their belt.

“Thank you for the ride. You’ve been most helpful,” Bellamy said, leaning through the car door. “I hope you have a pleasant rest of your evening.”

The hunter stared at him incredulously before he vanished into the night. Jim’s house was further from the border. He had to move if he was going to get there and back before daybreak. Bellamy ran faster than he ever had in his life.

Jim stared at the garbage bags Kane had neatly piled by the door during this afternoon’s chores. Kane had seemed nervous about him opening the door while he was still upstairs, even in the next room. The sun was so close. So, Jim had put it off. He meant to take them out earlier, before full dark. But he got busy and forgot. Only they needed to go out. They were in the way, and they kind of smelled. If they were a touch stinky to him, he wondered how bad they smelled to Kane’s superior senses. Probably awful.

The garbage cans were just outside. Around the corner of the house. It wasn’t far. He was home. It was safe here. They weren’t that close to the border. Surely, he could manage taking the garbage a few steps away from his door. He wasn’t some baby, scared of the dark. He could do this.

Only, when he went to heft the bags, they were so much heavier than Kane made them look. Duh. It would take two trips. Jim suppressed a groan.

Bellamy crouched in a tree near Jim Lieberman’s house. No sign of Kane. Although someone was walking around inside. Someone was home.

The way here had been more perilous than he’d expected. Apparently, this area was well-patrolled by hunters. He’d had to skirt around a few groups. Hopefully, Kane was up to travelling, or this might get complicated.

The door to the house opened. Jim Lieberman stepped out onto the lawn, something in his arms. He was older than Bellamy remembered. It was strange watching the way the years gradually left their mark on Caroline, but this was even more jarring. Humans changed so rapidly.

There was nothing for it but to ask, Bellamy supposed.

Jim felt the crawling sensation of being watched as he walked towards the bins, huffing a little.

It’s all in my head, he thought to himself. Just the hypervigilance talking.

Still, as he put the lid back on he chanced a glance at the woods at the edge of the lawn. Nothing. Just limbs creaking in the light breeze. The feeling was so intense though. He walked quickly but stiffly back to his door. Trying not to sprint.

A weight lifted from his shoulders as he closed the door behind him. Nothing bad happened. Nothing bad was going to happen. He was home.

Jim felt silly. He was glad Liz wasn’t here to see him fussing over walking ten paces from his door. Honestly, he should be able to do better than this. This was pathetic. He was pathetic. Jumping at shadows.

He resolutely picked up the second bag of garbage, thankfully much lighter than the first. He could do this. He opened the door with one hand and looked straight into the eyes of a vampire.

Jim had time for a single moment of pure terror before his mind slipped away.

Bellamy only had one question for Jim. “Where is Kane?”

Jim blankly pointed at a door made of silver. It was locked, but it was more of a latch situation than one where you needed a key.

“Open it,” Bellamy said softly.

Kane was already waiting at the bottom of the steps, frowning towards the door. He’d probably heard something was happening.

“Bellamy?” His voice came out high pitched with shock. It was the sweetest sound Bellamy had ever heard.

Then Kane’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head. And. He. Just. Crumpled.

Bellamy was at his side in an instant, cradling his friend to his body. Kane was alive. Alive. Now he just had to get him home.

Bellamy carefully picked him up. He was far too light. He felt thin in Bellamy’s arms. Insubstantial. Not how Kane should be.

He scanned the room for anything of note. It looked almost like a bedroom, if one ignored the silver door and the restraints sitting by the stairs. No torture devices though. Perhaps a positive sign? After the horrors he had heard, however, Bellamy was not willing to make assumptions about how Kane had been treated here. How he had suffered over the years! It was too much to bear thinking about.

Nothing stood out as an object he needed to take with them. Maybe the papers on the desk? Bellamy wished Kane would wake so they could discuss it. Discuss anything. Everything.

Like what Kane wanted done with the human still standing, hypnotized in his own kitchen.

Looking at this cell, Bellamy didn’t think Jim fell into the same mindset as the hunters who had confessed to him so far. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t hurt Kane. At the very least, he was keeping him against his will.

Kane deserved to have his say against his captor. But Kane wasn’t awake just now to have that moment. That closure. The angry, bitter Kane he’d seen at the reunion would want revenge. But time had passed. Things could be more complicated than Bellamy knew.

All Bellamy knew was that he wouldn’t take that choice away from Kane. Whatever was going to happen next had to be because it was what Kane needed. After all Bellamy now knew he’d suffered, Kane deserved that much agency.

Jim’s terrified face appeared in his memory. Begging for help. Begging for consideration from the first kind vampire he’d met. Jim probably didn’t deserve what Kane might do to him. Probably.

Without input from either of them, it was impossible to do anything here. It would have to wait.

The sun would rise, and they would be trapped here for another day unless they moved now. They had just enough time to get back to Vampire Territory if they hurried. But Kane was out for the count and the woods were full of hunters.

Bellamy tapped his foot impatiently. He could wait out the day. Hopefully Kane would wake up, and they could plan together. But his friend was angry and impetuous and might refuse his help. Jim’s hunter sister might come to visit. Or other human visitors. They would be trapped by the sun and unable to escape if set upon before night fell again. Kane was too fragile and too important for such a conflict. No, they needed to leave.

Bellamy eyed the keys by the door. They could take a car. Running would be faster, but not if he were carrying Kane and dodging hunters. Bellamy was useless at driving though. It was impractical when he could just run normally, so he’d never really gotten good at it. Caroline enjoyed driving, so occasionally they would go out in a car. But she would drive. This did not solve his problem.

Jim could drive. He owned the car after all. A car with a human driving wouldn’t stand out as much as two vampires running through the woods for sure. Jim and Kane still needed to have a conversation. So, Jim would come along. Solved.

Bellamy was pretty sure he could convince Kane to return Jim to Human Territory once they’d talked. So long as he really wasn’t as bad as the other hunters…and if he was, well.

“We’re going for a drive.”

Jim woke up in his bed. No…not his bed. Not the one in his room, in his house, in his home. He woke up in his bed back in the human quarters of Kane’s house.

Oh, so it’s going to be that dream, he thought. Still half-asleep, Jim furrowed his brow at a hole in the wall. He didn’t remember that one. Kane always had him plaster over the holes he punched in the walls. This one was un-mended. It was also dusty. As in, there was dust in the hole like it had been punched years ago.

Jim rolled over. His pillow was dusty too. The bedspread under his hands, coated in a layer of grime that came off on him as he moved. Jim sat up slowly. Dread pooling into his stomach. The floor had dust bunnies. Kane would have never allowed it to get like this when he lived here. He would have been ordered to clean it.

The bed creaked in a terribly real way as he tentatively put his feet down on the very real feeling floor. Jim pinched himself as hard as he could. Still here.

Jim leaned over the side of the bed as all the dread in his stomach came pouring out his mouth in waves of vomit.

He was back.

Kane was dreaming of home. Home in the hateful house, in the hateful territory, with no one and nothing.

Except not so much. In this dream, Bellamy was sitting beside his bed, stroking his hair.

“Bel?”

“I’m here, darling. You’re safe.”

Kane let the words wash over him. This was going to be a good dream. He sagged back onto the silk sheets, relaxed for the first time in so long. His eyes slipped shut again.

Jim heaved until his stomach had nothing left, then he heaved some more. Finally, belly aching fiercely, he curled in on himself, pinching his arm over and over. He had to wake up. This couldn’t be happening.

His breath came faster and faster until it wasn’t coming at all. He sat up, gapping like a landed fish, heart pounding. His vision blackened around the edges until darkness took him.

Jim woke up on the floor of his room in Kane’s house. He sat up in panic, but the room was empty. He gingerly rose to his feet, checking himself for injuries as he went. He was as whole as he’d been at home…so far.

His head hurt as he strained to remember. Making dinner at home. Locking Kane in for the night. Routine good nights. Nothing had felt amiss. Taking…taking out the garbage.

The vampire on his stoop. Holy shit. Oh, God. He’d been taken. Right from his house. His knees went out from under him, and he ended up on the floor again with a thump.

That’s going to bruise, Jim thought, feeling a little hysterical. If he really was back under a vampire’s thumb, bruised knees would be the least of his worries very soon.

Nausea roiled him again, but there was nothing left in his stomach to lose. He needed to think. He needed a plan. Panic couldn’t keep him safe here. He needed to find a way to be safe.

The room hadn’t changed much since the last time he was there. His things were as he left them. The few books he’d been allowed stacked by the bed. The record player sat in one corner. The walls had a couple of new holes that he didn’t remember. Probably Kane having a tantrum after he’d escaped. The dust made sense if no one had been here since Kane…

Who had taken him? The vision of the vampire on the stoop swam in his mind’s eye. He had only seen him for a moment before the hypnosis had sunk in, and the horror of it all was making it hard to think clearly just now. His memory felt blurry.

Why take him back to Kane’s rather than to their house? Another shudder of horror ran through him. If this was supposed to be psychological torture, it was working.

Jim pushed himself off the floor. He needed out of this room. He couldn’t feel his body, but he could see himself moving towards the door that led into the kitchen. The light bulb flickered when he hit the switch but didn’t immediately go out. That was good. This room had no windows. If he were plunged into darkness just now, Jim knew he would flip.

This room was the same. Dusty. Unused. Small signs of damage. The kitchen table had been kicked into splitters at some point. Another reminder of the power of Kane’s rage Jim did not need to see right now.

He dug through the debris for something—anything—to use as a stake. The wood was rotten soft though and most of the pieces were small. He found one that might work at the very bottom of the pile. He poked at the end experimentally. It bent a little.

Jim suddenly pictured trying to stab Kane, old Kane, in the heart and having the wood bend rather than impale him. He dropped the stake like it burned him. Too risky.

Jim staggered to the door that led into the vampire’s part of the house. He knew it would be locked. It was never left unlocked. But everything else here was surreal so maybe…

It was more that he had to try. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t at least check and it turned out he had a chance. He reached towards the doorknob—

“Which arm did you use to open the gate?”

Jim flinched and spun wildly to look at the room. Empty. Still empty. But he’d heard…It was Kane’s voice. But Kane from back then. Tears slid down his face.

He wasn’t here. He wasn’t.

But he was…somewhere. Actually, that was a great question, where the fuck was Kane? Still in his basement at home? Wondering where breakfast was? When Jim was coming down?

Liz would find him, Jim comforted himself. When Jim didn’t answer the phone for a bit, she would come around to see what was up. She would find Kane. He wouldn’t be trapped in the basement, slowly starving.

Jim left the door untouched for the moment. He would try again when his arm stopped shaking. Instead, he went to the fridge.

Unsurprisingly, it was empty. Cleaned out at some point. Still running though. The building had power at least. Why he couldn’t say, he was just grateful. He checked the cupboards. A few tins and boxes of dried goods. Very expired. Maybe if he was desperate and no one came…

Jim’s eyes slid to the door again. He needed to know. He rubbed his bad arm as he walked towards it. Kane wouldn’t need to know he tried the door. No one was even here to see him do it.

Jim touched the doorknob. He swallowed hard and twisted. It rattled. It didn’t turn.

A sob choked him. Jim squeezed his eyes tightly but the tears escaped nonetheless. Right. He was locked into the human quarters of Kane’s house. Just like he’d been for five years. Just like he was in every goddamn nightmare.

He resisted the urge to crawl under the bed. It didn’t help. Kane—or his new mystery vampire master—would just drag him back out. No, he needed to be smart about this.

Jim jammed himself into the corner of the room as hard as he could. He drew his knees up under his chin and buried his face. He would be smart about this once he could stop crying.

Kane woke up again. This time was more confusing. The sheets were still silk. Bellamy was still sitting by his bed. His bed. In his house. In Vampire Territory. He felt the first pang of alarm go through him.

“Good...” Kane trailed off, hoarsely. What time was it? Was it a good morning or a good night or…?

“Hello there.” Bellamy smiled gently down at him. He sounded real. “Back with me, darling? I must confess, I have no idea why you’ve been unconscious this long, or truly why you lost consciousness in the first place. I suppose it was a shock seeing me. It’s been a while.”

Kane let those words wash over him, only semi-taking them in. Back with us. A shock. Seeing Bellamy.

“You…you were on the stairs. The basement stairs in Jim’s house. You were in Jim’s house!” The alarm pang was now a clarion call echoing in Kane’s brain. He couldn’t think through it.

“I came as soon as I could. I swear to you, darling. The moment I knew there was a chance you were alive, I was on my way. I am so sorry that I didn’t know about your situation earlier.”

Kane’s eyes filled with tears. His friend had come for him. Even after decades of hostility and silence. Even after all the things he’d said during their fight at the reunion. God, and his situation—

“Bellamy, you were right,” Kane blurted. “You were right about everything. Humans. Vampires. Me. I was a monster. I deserved what I got.”

Even as he said it, Kane could picture Jim shaking his head. Jim’s voice in his head telling him torture was wrong, even for him. No one had more right to hate him than Jim, and even he thought what Kane had been through was too much, taking things too far.

Bellamy shook his head ardently. “No! No, my friend, you didn’t deserve that. No one does.”

“You know?” Kane hated how small his voice came out. How he automatically shrank into the bedclothes.

Bellamy nodded mournfully. “The hunters I questioned gave me some details. Not all that you’ve suffered, I’m sure, but enough to know that the monsters in this situation don’t have fangs.” Bellamy hesitated before adding, “I’m sorry I learned of your experiences without your permission. It was not my intention to pry.”

Kane huffed out a bitter laugh. Privacy was something he hadn’t been afforded with the hunters. Anyone and everyone could watch what they did to him. It was a spectator sport. Not a secret. Still. Having another vampire know felt…strange. Like he wasn’t wearing enough clothes. Kane reflexively pulled the blanket closer to his body. He always felt better covered.

“If we could keep the details between us, I’d prefer that,” he said finally.

Bellamy immediately crossed his heart. “In the interests of full disclosure. I first heard the story from a bespelled hunter. He didn’t name you, but I pieced together enough to guess. A worker from one of the farms also heard the story, but he wasn’t paying much attention to your part of it. He just wanted to know what weapons they’d used.”

A bitter knot formed in Kane’s chest. It was good that it wasn’t a public story in vampire territory—another thing to mock him with— but it was also a reminder that vampires didn’t care about what happened to the weak. And Kane had always been weak. He knew that now more than ever.

Bellamy cared though. He cared enough to put the pieces together. He cared enough to track Kane down and stage a rescue. He cared enough to keep his secrets. Kane’s eyes filled.

“Oh, darling, I’m so sorry,” Bellamy murmured.

Kane couldn’t help it. He reached for his oldest friend, desperate for connection. Bellamy scooped him into his arms like they were seventeen again. Kane bawled into his shirt, wailing with abandon.

Jim lifted his head from his knees at a faint sound from above him. Crying? Maybe? He shuddered. If there was truly someone else in the house, he was running out of time. He needed a plan.

Jim tried to think. Attacking was suicide, and he wasn’t ready for that. Escape was impossible for the moment. The door was locked. He had no idea what time it was. He was days away from the border and very likely to run into another vampire while on the run. He’d been insanely lucky the first time. Maybe he could try again but not right this moment.

Jim swallowed hard. If he couldn’t escape, then maybe he could negotiate. There were a lot of small things that would make being here…more bearable was not the phrase for that. Less of a screaming horror?

Perhaps his new master would be reasonable, Jim thought dully. He was a trained bloodbag after all. He knew how to behave. Jim flinched at the very thought.

Then he flinched again when a new thought followed on its heels: why wasn’t he still hypnotized? Did it just wear off? Would the vampire come back, and Jim’s mind would just be gone again?

His breathing began to speed up again in panic. He pictured the zombified humans at the reunion, shambling mindlessly after their masters. The conversation about long-term effects of persuasion. After a few weeks under, there might not be much of him left to come back.

Jim wiped angrily at his eyes. He couldn’t lose it. Not now.

Kane’s brother had wanted him at the reunion. Wanted him because he was un-hypnotized. Because he was still capable of fear and pain.

The bile rose in his throat again. If that was why his mind was his own just now…he was in for a painful captivity. Then again, if it meant he kept his mind…

Jim weighed both sides. Both options sucked so much. None of this was fair.

It was probably too much to hope for that the vampire would let him use a blood-draw kit to feed them. Jim felt woozy at the thought. Maybe, maybe they would let him use a knife rather than bite him. Watching him slice himself might count as entertainment. He clutched at his neck. He just couldn’t bear being bitten all the time again. Or at all.

Okay, okay. Jim squeezed his eyes shut. Focus. Small things he could ask for. Negotiate for maybe. Kane had always been reasonable about some things. Food, for instance. Maybe the new vampire would be as well. No need to panic yet.

What could he ask for?

Kane’s sobs subsided eventually. He lay, cradled in Bellamy’s arms. Feeling safe, fully safe. When had he last felt like that?

Kane’s eyes drifted shut. That much emotion was exhausting. A shudder ran through him.

“Are we in my house?”

Bellamy cleared his throat awkwardly. “Yes, I—I bought it after you…um, died. It’s not very well taken care of. I’m sorry for that. I couldn’t bear to be here, but I couldn’t bear to leave it with your family either.”

Kane leaned back so he could look at Bellamy’s face. “Died? So, they think I’m dead?”

Bellamy nodded gravely. “You were believed killed in Human Territory. Many are after all,” he added quickly.

Kane appreciated his friend’s attempt to soften this. He assumed everyone would think he was dead. It was a little humiliating that the last chapter in his story was being killed by humans while incompetently trying to kidnap one without persuasion. The Kane from a decade ago would have been mortified. But now…he’d had so many greater humiliations. He just didn’t care. Okay, a small part of him twinged, but it was easy to suppress.

“I’m sorry,” he said instead. “Bellamy, that was the one thing I wanted to tell you these past few years. You were right about everything. I was an ass, and I’m so sorry.”

The tears began to pour down his face anew. Bellamy clutched him closer, rubbing circles into his back. A comfort which made Kane feel like he was about to shatter.

“I’m sorry too,” Bellamy whispered back. “I shouldn’t have pushed you that day. I knew how much a reunion like that must have meant to you. How stressed you must have been. It was the wrong time to rehash old arguments. I lost my head.”

Kane gave a watery laugh. “Can we start over?”

“Why, yes, good sir,” Bellamy put a false joviality into his voice. “So lovely to meet you. I’m Bellamy Verta.”

“I’m Kane—” he broke off, unable to finish. He hadn’t been a de Sang in…well, had he ever really been?

“Wonderful to meet you, Kane.” Bellamy saved him, his eyes kind and knowing. Kane’s lips wobbled. He was a mess.

“I should get up. What time is it?” Kane blinked around for a clock. He was reluctant to leave this intimate, dream-like bubble of Bellamy comforting him. Bellamy being here at all. But it was exhausting, feeling all these things he’d tried not to feel over the years.

“Middle of the afternoon, I’m afraid. We got to the house around daybreak, and I had to hustle us inside.”

Kane felt cold. He’d been that close to being outside during the day? A bubble of hysteria welled through him. He pushed it away as hard as he could. Bellamy didn’t let that happen though. Bellamy kept him safe.

Kane opened his mouth to thank him when his eyes landed on a familiar green jacket. He pointed at it wordlessly.

“Oh that? I took it off you before putting you to bed. It didn’t look comfortable to sleep in.”

Kane’s heart sank.

That’s yours to keep, alright?

Sure, Jim had given him. But it was his father’s. A precious possession.

Kane’s eyes filled again. Jim was so generous. He’d been nothing but kind to him. He deserved the world. Not for a vampire to steal his deceased father’s possessions. He still remembered how upset Liz had been when she’d first seen him in it. She’d capitulated once Jim argued for him to have it, but he remembered the fury in her eyes that he was even using it.

And now he’d run off with it, without even asking. It…it needed to go back. The thought hit him like a train. He needed to return it to Jim at the very least. He needed to thank Jim for all his kindness. Again. As many times as it took. He needed to make things up to him.

The thought occurred to him that he didn’t really want to be back in Vampire Territory. The safety of a land with no hunters appealed, to be sure, but he wanted to be safe with Jim. Somewhere free of the judgement and scorn of his family and peers. He was better off dead to them. Jim’s presence had almost become a safety blanket for him, and it felt weird to simply leave. This had been such an overwhelming moment—waking up in his house with Bellamy—that it had taken his mind a bit to catch up.

Bellamy was looking between him and the jacket with concern.

“Jim,” Kane whispered. He was unable to finish the thought. There were so many things he needed to say about Jim—to Jim— he couldn’t figure out how to begin.

“Oh!” Bellamy’s face lit up. “He’s here! Downstairs. When you’re ready to face him. I’ll come along for support if you like. He can’t hurt you; I promise.”

Kane sat up abruptly. “Jim is here?”

Kane’s hands shook as he unlocked the door to the human quarters. It creaked ominously as he swung it open. Bellamy gave him a supportive thumbs up from just out of view. It kind of helped. Bellamy had never been featured in his nightmares.

But this was a nightmare.

Jim was huddled in a corner, trying to make himself as small as possible. Kane knew that position intimately. He had dust in his curls. Tear-tracks were visible on his dirty face. He stared at Kane with wide, shocked eyes.

Kane had sworn he’d changed. That this would never happen. Yet here they were.

Then, to Kane’s abject horror, Jim began to crawl. Slowly, jerkily, he moved to kneel in the same place where he used to always await Kane’s breakfast bite. Jim tilted his head to the side, assuming the position.

Kane could see his full body shaking even from the doorway. Jim’s heartbeat was racing. Jim was afraid. Afraid of him. He hadn’t changed at all. In spite of everything, he hadn’t made anything right.

Jim was floored. The familiar click of the lock was enough to send him spiralling. But the sight of Kane in the doorway? That was the last thing he expected.

It was almost on autopilot that he moved to where he was expected to be when his master came to see him. It felt like a dream. He was literally living one of his nightmares.

Kane took a half-step towards him and that was all it took for him to snap out of it. In a reflex born of years of trauma response, one hand flew up to clutch his neck protectively. Trying to block the site of his scars. His soon to be torn open scars. A sob tried to burst out of his chest at the thought.

His other arm wrapped around his torso, attempting to protect himself from the blows to come. He was with Kane, with Kane. Oh, God.

He knew he needed to drop his arms. Not fight this. Not put up a resistance. He needed to demonstrate he could be a good bloodbag, and quick, or he would be in for a world of pain. But he couldn’t make his arms move. He clutched at his neck hard enough to bruise. It wouldn’t stop his hands from being ripped away, but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t.

Kane could see Jim’s chest begin to heave as he started hyperventilating. The room spun for a moment. This was always how it went in this nightmare. Jim, in his house, in pain, terrified and hating him. Then the hunters came. Kane would try to protest. Say he was making it right, taking Jim back. They never believed him. He always ended up having to go back to his cell. To the burning.

Kane stumbled backwards. Away from Jim. Away from the vision of what would happen to him next. He couldn’t be here. This couldn’t happen again.

Jim watched with wide eyes as Kane wheeled around and disappeared back the way he came. The door to the vampire side left hanging ajar in his wake. Jim tried to get his gasping breath under control. He couldn’t afford to pass out again so soon.

Another face peered around the doorframe at him. The vision of the vampire from his stoop collided with a memory and suddenly he knew who had taken him. (Them?)

The handsome vampire from the reunion. Kane’s friend. The one he’d been so furious with. The one that had a human who was there by choice. Jim swallowed hard. Maybe he could work with this.

The vampire looked between Jim and wherever Kane had gone to. “Well, this is terribly awkward.”

Jim blinked back tears, unable to respond. The situation as he knew it had just altered completely. He was back in Kane’s house, with Kane. The last memory he had of Kane in this place was him standing in the shade of the house screaming at him. Ordering him to return. Telling him what he’d do to him if he didn’t.

He hadn’t.

Jim’s body was shaking violently, and he couldn’t seem to get it to stop. Mentally, he reordered the list of requests he’d managed to come up with for his captor. Assuming his captor was reasonable. Keeping his ankles moved much higher all of a sudden.

Jim sucked in a breath, then another. Kane was different now. Right? It wouldn’t necessarily go back to how it had been. Things had been chill between them for some time. Maybe even friendly. To himself, sometimes, Jim could admit he and Kane shared a bond. Few other people could understand what they each had gone through. It was a weird bond, born of horrible circumstances, but it was something.

Or at least, Jim had thought so. Would it survive this though? Would Kane take the opportunity to go back to how things were now that he was in control again?

Jim could argue that he hadn’t done anything particularly terrible to Kane while he was captive in his basement. Maybe the new version of Kane would be more amenable to requests?

The only other vampire in the equation was one who seemed to like humans a little. Or at least, was less openly cruel with them. He didn’t really know the guy after all. But that was promising.

“I don’t think I’ve seen Kane that overwrought before,” the vampire said conversationally. “And I’ve seen him plenty worked up over the years.”

Jim’s mouth moved wordlessly. He didn’t know what to say here. His ankles, his life, his sanity was resting on how well he navigated this next conversation. And he had nothing.

“Please,” he said finally, his voice already breaking. He didn’t know what he was pleading for. Mercy? Nothing had happened yet. But God, it could. And he didn’t know how to live with that.

The vampire scrunched up his nose. “Perhaps it’s best if you come to the living room. We can all have a chat there more comfortably.”

Jim pushed himself to his feet with a wobble. His body knew a vampire’s command even while his brain was still playing catch up. He was grateful when the vampire turned to lead the way rather than make him walk past him. A shudder wracked his body at the very thought of being that close to a strange vampire. Again.

Please, please, please. Jim chanted in his mind. I can’t do this again. I can’t go back to before.

Bellamy had no idea what to do with this. Mr. Lieberman looked petrified. He’d expected Kane to take the lead here, to tell them what he needed out of this situation. Kane had melted down instead. So now, he had to direct this somehow. Gods, how he wished Caroline were here. She was good at this sort of thing. Or, better than him at any rate.

Luckily Jim seemed content enough to trail behind him. He seemed like a reasonable person. Rather scared just now, but that was understandable. What Bellamy really wanted to know was what Jim—or the others—had done to make Kane react like this, and how could he make it right.

“My goodness, darling,” Bellamy gasped as he came into the living room. Kane was curled into a ball on the couch, mumbling under his breath. Bellamy could hear him clearly, but they weren’t really words. More like sounds with an aspiration to be words one day. Kane stared forward, unseeing. Lost in whatever vision his mind had conjured.

Bellamy took a seat on the other side of the couch from Kane. Jim sank to the floor on the other side of the coffee table, semi-kneeling. He hugged himself tightly and watched the two vampires with round eyes.

“Well, I must confess, I’m not sure how to proceed here. I’m Bellamy. We met before, but you might not remember.”

“At the reunion, sir,” Jim said softly. “You had a human who was unhypnotized.”

“That’s right. My darling roommate, Caroline, was good enough to accompany me to the event. I’m glad you got a chance to meet. And your name is Jim, yes?” Bellamy figured some small talk might ease the tension. Provide time for Kane to return to earth.

“Yes, sir.” The human’s eyes flicked from him to Kane and back. “May—may I ask h-how we came to be here, sir?”

“Yes, I suppose you would have questions.” Bellamy resisted the urge to correct Jim’s formal language. Kane had been insisting ‘his human’ speak like that at the reunion, so perhaps it was a habit best left for now. “I heard my dear Kane might be alive, so I came to check. I’m sorry I startled you so much. Normally, I would ask permission before using persuasion, but I’d had a bad run with hunters in the area. I was worried to start a conflict with you, one that would perhaps draw attention. You understand, right?”

Jim just watched him with those big eyes. He swallowed and nodded, jerkily. He reminded Bellamy of a puppet on strings.

“Well, after you were under, I went to see Kane. I’d planned to wake you up once I’d discovered how he was. But he, unfortunately, lost consciousness upon seeing me, so I was unable—”

“Wait, Kane passed out?” Jim’s brow furrowed. “Has that happened before?”

He directed the question to Kane, seeming to forget his terror in his concern. Kane did not respond. He simply began to rock back and forth.

“O-kay,” Jim said.

“Yes…so Kane was unconscious, and I had to make a decision. So, I brought you both back here where we could be safe while we sorted it all out.”

Jim stared. Bellamy twitched in his seat. Mentally, he was willing to concede that while he and Kane were safer here, Jim certainly wasn’t. That was a tad unfair. He didn’t say this aloud though. The reproach on Jim’s face was enough.

“Alright, so…I’m back,” Jim’s voice broke. He wrung his hands in his lap. “I know I haven’t done anything to—to earn them yet, sir, but may I make requests?”

That seemed to get Kane’s attention. He stopped mumbling and his eyes flashed to Jim, although he still struggled to focus them. Jim flinched at the attention.

“I’d love to hear them,” Bellamy said. Anything to keep this conversation moving until Kane could handle it.

Jim cleared his throat. He glanced quickly from Bellamy to Kane, before lowering his gaze to the coffee table.

“Uh, okay. Umm. Food. There’s no food in the kitchen and if—if I’m to stay then I’ll need some. It’s a necessity,” he added, a touch defensively.

Bellamy nodded. Logical request. He’d have thought of it once he was done nursing Kane.

“A c-clock,” Jim continued. “Any clock will do. Just something to know what time it is.”

Bellamy glanced at Kane. “There aren’t clocks in your side of the house?”

That seemed odd. Granted, he’d never dreamed of restricting Caroline to one section of the house, so the positioning of clocks had never come up.

Jim shook his head, giving Kane a quick furtive glance. Kane had gone back to rocking.

“Okay, I’m sure one won’t be hard to find.” Bellamy shrugged. He wasn’t really sure how long Jim would be here for, but if it mattered to him, they could find a clock. Maybe it held more significance for humans to be near one? He’d have to ask Caroline. Cultural differences could be so interesting.

Jim swallowed hard. “Ummm, look. Last time—I—I ran. And Kane had said he’d….” Jim choked. Bellamy leaned forward, concerned. It made Jim flinch and shrink from him though, so he leaned back. “He said he would make sure I couldn’t run again. Like by smashing my ankles—”

Bellamy looked at Kane, appalled. “Really, darling.”

“—and I just wanted to say that there are other ways,” Jim finished with a squeak. “Restraints and stuff. See, if my ankles are crushed, I won’t be able to cook or anything for myself. I’d need help for a lot of basic tasks. That’s a lot of extra work for…for you. But if you used restraints, I’d still be able to do those things. It would save so much effort for you. Win-win!” Jim spoke quickly, a tone of desperation creeping into his voice. Bellamy felt his heart break.

Jim couldn’t tell if his sales pitch was working at all. He felt on the edge of hysteria, clutching at the last thread of his sanity with desperate hands. Kane looked like he wasn’t even here. Bellamy was listening at least, but who knew if he was actually receptive. Or if Kane would let him have a say in what happened to Jim next. Was he Kane’s human again? Or this Bellamy guy’s?

Jim thought of the one thing he really wanted above all else. It was risky to ask for it, but maybe…maybe. Bellamy was looking at him strangely now. An expression in his eyes Jim couldn’t read.

This may be his one chance though. He had to take it.

“Sir? There was one more thing.” Jim hated how his voice kept cracking. How he couldn’t hide his terror at this situation. Even if they were still just talking. Bellamy nodded encouragingly though.

“I know Kane doesn’t have a phone…but at the reunion Caroline said you do,” Jim started slowly, but the words came faster and faster. “I want to call my sister. Just once. Please. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye last time, and this time she won’t even know what happened. Please, please. Just one call. Just—just to tell her.” His voice broke for real this time. Jim couldn’t help it. He started weeping.

That seemed to cut through whatever episode Kane was currently experiencing. He sat up abruptly, a move that startled Jim into falling sideways to the floor.

“No,” Kane said, the word crackling with power and anger.

“No to all of it? Or just the phone call?” Jim squeaked, terrified.

“No,” Kane repeated, seemingly so angry he couldn’t continue right away.

Jim shook so badly he thought his body would fall apart. But this was for Liz. He had to try. He pressed lower to the floor, abasing himself.

“Please, please! Just one call! I c-can’t. I need to tell her. I need to. There’s nothing I could say that could get me rescued. Please, man. Sir! Sir,” Jim corrected himself rapidly. “Master?”

Bellamy looked from one to another, alarmed. “Kane, darling…”

“No,” Kane took his head violently. “You’re going back.”

“Back?” Jim repeated. He looked from Kane to Bellamy to the door to the human quarters behind him.

“Right now,” Kane said with so much rage that Jim scrambled for the door to his side of the house. If Kane wanted him out of his sight, he was gone.

The move seemed to confuse Kane though. His expression shifted from outrage to befuddlement. Jim froze against the doorway to the human quarters, still half on the floor. Unclear on his orders. He hadn’t actually been dismissed. Kane might chase him. Beat him. He curled in on himself. There were too many options. He didn’t know what the right answer was.

“It’s still daytime, darling,” Bellamy murmured. “We have a few hours.”

Jim whimpered from his ball. They could do so much damage to him in a few hours. Please, please, God. Please, Mom and Dad. I just want to go home.

Kane didn’t know what to do. His arms hung uselessly at his sides. At some point he had stood up because he was on his feet now. Jim was crumpled into a ball in the doorframe, making small, distressed noises. Bellamy was looking at him in alarm. Probably seeing him for the monster he was for the first time.

Kane felt sick. He…he had to fix this. But how?

Against his better judgement, he walked slowly towards Jim who watched him with huge eyes from between his fingers. His horror at the situation had come out as anger and now Jim was scared. Kane had scared hm. Like he’d sworn to never do again. He tried to think what Jim would do if their situations were reversed.

“Jim,” he said softly, using his name purposefully. “It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.”

Jim curled tighter like this was trap.

“It’s okay,” Kane repeated.

“Please,” he whimpered, “Please, I’ll do anything you want. I’ll be good, ma-master. Please.”

Jim tensed, clearly awaiting a blow. A continuation of the rage from a moment ago, only directed at him. But Kane hadn’t been angry at him. He was angry for him. He needed Jim to know that.

“The only thing I want you to do is calm down. You’re going home.” Kane turned to Bellamy. “Is my car still here?”

Bellamy shook his head. “I don’t think so. I bought the building as is, with all its objects included, but I didn’t look for a car.”

Kane sighed. “We’ll have to carry him then. I’m sorry, Jim.”

Jim looked a little dazed. “Wait, what?”

“You’re going home,” Kane repeated, trying to keep his voice soft but firm.

“R-really?” Jim’s eyes somehow got bigger. Then, to Kane’s horror, he began to sob anew. “I can—I can—go home?”

He looked at Kane with so much painful hope that Kane’s heart broke. He nodded.

“Thank you. Thank you!” Jim gasped out.

“We’ll only have to carry him to the border. We drove his car that far. It was only last night. I assume it’s still there,” Bellamy put in.

Kane nodded. Jim looked from one to the other, almost frantically. Like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing but was desperate to hear more.

“We’ll go as soon as the sun sets,” Kane told him, as reassuringly as he could. “I can’t…with the sun. The burning,” his voice wavered.

Jim nodded immediately. Of course, Jim understood. Jim always understood.

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Lieberman. It was not my intention to frighten you unnecessarily,” Bellamy said. “I was unable to facilitate a conversation between you and my dear friend while we were still in your home. I was hoping you both could come to some closure before departing each other, so I had brought you here simply for that conversation. I intend you no harm.”

“Me either,” Kane added, in alarm. “You know that right?”

Jim seemed to be calming down. “Yeah…yeah, man, I know. It was just…waking up here. Back.”

Kane shared Jim’s flinch at the thought. That was a horror beyond anything Kane thought he could survive. Waking up back in his cell. Back at the mercy of his tormentors. Jim was stronger than him. He would have been begging for death already.

Jim swallowed hard. “I—I can really go home tonight?”

Both vampires nodded.

“Oh, thank fuck.” Jim buried his face in his knees, seemingly in relief this time.

Closure, thought Kane. Something about that bothered him.

“As I said, it will be a couple of hours,” Bellamy reminded. “Perhaps, since we are waiting anyway, you two could discuss anything you feel needs airing?”

The two of them stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.

Bellamy cleared his throat. “I’ll excuse myself and wait upstairs. Unless you need me?”

He directed this last part at Kane. He shook his head. He was safe with Jim.

Did…did Jim know he was safe with Kane?

Jim sat back against the wall; legs stretched out in front of him once the other vampire left. He was going home. He was. To be sure though…

“You, you promise you’ll take me back? As soon as it’s dark?”

“I swear it,” Kane said with vehemence.

Jim nodded to himself. Okay. Okay.

“I’m going to—” Kane pointed at the couch. Jim waved an acquiesce. The silence between them stretched awkwardly again.

“It’s weird being back,” Jim said finally, looking around the room. He’d spent so much time here. It was familiar, but off. Old clothes that didn’t fit very well anymore.

“Yes,” Kane said. It had to be weirder for him, Jim mused. This had been his whole life.

“Is…is there anything about Vampire Territory that you missed? That you’re excited for?” Jim tried.

“No,” Kane admitted. “I didn’t have much here. …the lack of hunters, I suppose.”

Jim grinned half-heartedly. “I won’t tell Laken that.”

“Please don’t,” Kane agreed with an almost troubled expression on his face.

“They wouldn’t take it personally,” Jim said, aiming to reassure reflexively. “They’ll miss you during the next board game night though.”

I’ll miss you. The thought popped through Jim’s brain unbidden. It startled him to realize it was true. He’d gotten used to having a roommate after all this time. Granted it was a hostage situation, but still. The house would be weird with just him in it.

“Bellamy seems…” Jim actually didn’t know how to finish that sentence. “…like a good friend. Or someone who could be a good friend. Not that it’s any of my business,” Jim added quickly, remembering their fight the last time.

Kane’s expression softened. “He is. He came for me. I don’t know if he’s any good at board games though.”

Jim suddenly pictured the flamboyant vampire pitted against Laken in Uno. That would be a sight to see. He half-smiled at the mental image, but part of him was sad it would never happen. Jim glanced at Kane, who seemed absorbed in his thoughts. He seemed…like Kane. Like the Kane Jim knew. Not the old one. It was probably safe to say…stuff.

Jim tried to picture this as one of their last conversations, and it gave him an odd sense of panic. Like there were things he needed to say, would be upset he didn’t say later, but nothing came to mind exactly. The anxiety of losing his chance felt paralyzing.

“Hey, umm,” Jim swallowed. “I wanted to say…I didn’t keep you locked in my basement out of like, revenge. I didn’t really plan it. I just didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t want to let you go and have you take another human or something.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Kane said immediately. “I will never kidnap another person. If nothing else, know that…please.”

Kane stared at his hands in his lap.

“I believe you.”

Jim was a little surprised to find that he did. Kane looked up and met his eyes searchingly. His shoulders slowly lowered as he found whatever he was looking for.

“Jim, I—I know I’ve said it, but I need to say it again. I’m so sorry for what I d-did to you. I know I can’t ever fix it, but I wish I could. More than anything.”

“I know, man.”

Jim fidgeted. He wasn’t in danger so long as Kane was acting like the Kane he knew. And Bellamy didn’t seem all that threatening personality-wise. But Jim would never be able to relax while in this house.

Part of him wanted to ask to go outside. Get some air. Demonstrate he really wasn’t trapped here. But if he saw that gate right now, he might lose it. And he couldn’t be sure his instincts wouldn’t take over and he wouldn’t just book it. That would be a stupid move when he—allegedly—had a secure trip back to Human Territory planned. Jim took a careful breath. So long as Kane kept his word.

Kane looked weirdly miserable for a guy who just got rescued after years of captivity. Jim felt his heart twinge against his better judgement.

“I—I hope the basement wasn’t terrible for you,” Jim blurted out, no idea where he was going with it. “I know it was…prison and all, but I hope it wasn’t like, awful. The idea wasn’t for you to suffer.”

“I’d have deserved it…if you had wanted to make me suffer.” Kane’s voice was steady, sure of what he was saying, but he shivered at whatever memory his statement dredged up. “I made you suffer after all.”

Jim started to say there was a difference. Kane hadn’t tortured him…but he kind of had. Just…there were degrees here. Kane could have been worse than he was. That didn’t make any of it right. Just…

“No one deserves to suffer like you did. That was wrong. Nothing you’ve done could have warranted it.”

Some tension seemed to bleed out of Kane at the words.

“I’m still sorry,” he said. “For everything, but especially that you had to come back here. Look at all this again.”

Jim gave a shaky laugh, looking around the room. “It’s surreal. But as long as it’s temporary…I guess. I’m going home soon.”

He couldn’t help but glance at Kane as he said it, reassured when Kane immediately nodded.

“It’s weird, man. For both of us. It kinda felt like I handled it better than you did. Coming back,” Jim tried to tease him, lighten the mood. Some part of him knew he was testing the waters. The Kane he knew nowadays could take a gentle joke. The old Kane decidedly could not. Which was he speaking to?

Kane slumped. “Yeah.”

Jim drummed his fingers on his knee. He remembered Kane from back then. Angry. Bored. Friendless. Lonely.

Granted it seemed he had at least one friend now, but…this probably wasn’t exactly a joyous homecoming. Somehow Jim doubted Kane’s family would be knocking down his door in excitement. Kane didn’t have a Liz.

“It was…it was the nightmare,” Kane said in a small voice. “This is how it starts. We’re back here and I’m trying to make it right. Only I can’t. I can’t move. Or you can’t. Or we can’t leave the house. T-then the hunters come. And they take me b-back.” His voice got progressively quieter as he spoke until Jim found himself leaning forwards to hear.

“I’m back here in my nightmares too,” Jim admitted, not for the first time. “You’re…how you were before. And you’re furious with me and I’m trying to fix it but nothing is working. And—and…” Jim sucked in a breath. He dug his fingers into the doorframe to ground himself. “But it’s all dream logic bullshit. That’s not real. I mean, this is but…”

Jim waved a hand at the room, unsure of how to finish. Kane was nodding though.

“It wasn’t…it wasn’t like that when we were together at your house though,” he said, voice still small. “It wasn’t—”

He seemed to search for a word. Jim let him. He didn’t what adjective described that either.

“We were better than we’d been,” Kane settled on finally.

“Well, the bar was low, but yeah—” Jim cracked a half-smile. “—yeah, we were.”

They sat there for a moment in a silence more comfortable than before.

“The basement wasn’t terrible,” Kane said suddenly. “You—you said before that you hoped it wasn’t terrible for me. It wasn’t.”

“Oh,” Jim nodded vaguely. “That’s…that’s good. I knew I wasn’t the worst captor you had, but it’s good to hear—”

“You were the best,” Kane interrupted. “You’re the best human I’ve ever met.”

“Well, Laken.” Jim tilted his head jokingly considering. Kane could be intense sometimes, and it was good to head him off at the pass before he spiralled. It might weird out his friend if he started calling Jim a god.

“Laken didn’t save me like you did,” Kane said, still serious but not spiralling. “They weren’t the one spending time with me every day, feeding me every day. They weren’t…”

Kane trailed off. Jim knew this wasn’t about Laken.

“They weren’t your friend, the way I was,” Jim said. The words sounded firm coming out of his mouth. Like they weren’t the most insane thing he might have ever said. Like they weren’t the most insane thing to have ever happened.

Vampires and humans were not friends. Sitting in this house, Jim was about as far from his comfort zone as he’d ever been save his original captivity. Maybe it had broken his brain?

His words certainly seemed to have broken Kane’s. He was staring at Jim with an expression he couldn’t read. Jim felt a twinge of panic. Was that too far? Sitting in this living room, pushing Kane, had literally never ended well for him. Oh, fuck. Oh, God.

“I think liv—being in your basement—” Kane said, choosing his words with evident care. “—was one of the happiest times in my life.”

Suddenly neither of them could really look at each other. This was weirdly embarrassing.

“You could come back,” Jim said. The words out of his mouth before he’d even thought them through. “If—if you don’t want to leave, you don’t have to. Don’t get me wrong,” Jim added, hurriedly. “I know there’s no power I’ve got that could force you to come back. But if you wanted to be there…”

Jim shrugged. “Just an idea.”

“I could…” Kane seemed to be working through the idea. “No hunters?”

“No hunters,” Jim confirmed. “Fuck those guys.”

Kane twisted a throw pillow in his hands. “Just like before?”

“Just like before. Well, I guess we could discuss the ankle restraints since running off won’t be as much of a concern.”

Kane shrugged one shoulder. “I never minded them.”

He went back to twisting the pillow. Jim glanced at the door, wondering how soon nightfall was. He so wanted to be out of here.

“I think…I think I’d like to come back,” Kane said quietly.

“Alright, man. If that’s what you want.”

A sudden thump from above them abruptly reminded Jim they weren’t alone. The thought occurred to Jim that vampire hearing is very good. Was Bellamy able to hear this whole conversation and was just politely pretending not to?

Kane seemed to have a similar thought. “We should talk to Bellamy.”

Many hours later, Jim watched the dawn break over his backyard. He cradled the phone in his hands for a moment before dialling.

“Hey, Jim, what’s up?” Liz’s voice sounded tired. She was probably just getting home from a shift. “Did something happen?”

“I need to see you.”

“Jim, are you okay? What’s wrong?” She sounded much more awake now.

“Something’s happened. Nothing’s wrong. I need to see you."

****

And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading this very long piece. Please excuse any typos. I wrote much of this in one sitting and editing it was a beast.

#kane and jim #whump #whump fic #whump stories #whump story #k&j #whumplr #recapture #emotional whump #vampire whump #long post #my writing #whumpsday #vampire whumper #vampire whumpee

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snowbuxnyhoejo · 1 year ago

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The 100

Note: I have basically only read exclusively Murphamy fics but they're are some other ones too (Maybe lol idk).

♥️= Favorited

Murphamy (Murphy and Bellamy)

OmegaVerse

the moments go by by Miralana ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 61,090 Notes: This is a series of fanfics. Out of all the fanfics on the list this is for sure the one I go back to the most. This fic never ceases to amaze me.

i got me an appetite; now i can taste it by noodletastic ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 12,511 Notes: His heat had never been an immediate threat, but now it was here, there was nothing to stop it, and no one to help him.

save some for the rest of us by Angie_leena Rating: Explicit Words: 7293 Notes: Bellamy was an alpha who wasn't all that into omega's. Murphy was an omega who alpha's weren't all that into.

Easy Come, Easy Go by orphan account :( Rating: Mature Words: 23,182 Notes: Murphy is the worst excuse for an omega that Bellamy has ever seen.

Canon Compliant/Divergence

but darlin, i dont mean to beg by MooNSGLOW Rating: Explicit Words: 2,790 Notes: two years on the ring, and murphy has hated every second of it.

Now and Then by Captainmintyfresh ♥️ Rating: Not Rated Words: 82,435 Notes: If there was one thing Bellamy was sure of, it was that he wouldn't fail Murphy like he did on the ark.

the sounds of yesterday by Miralana Rating: Teen and Up Words: 4,369 Notes: “She had your hair and my eyes. She’s probably dead by now.”

Hide Your Soul out of His Reach by twinkjohnmurphy ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 30,140 Notes: When Murphy returned to Camp Jaha on a stretcher, he found himself face-to-face with someone from his past.

As Dark As You Make It by vipertooths Rating: Mature Words: 21,924 Notes: Murphy comes back from the lighthouse and murphamy get their crap together basically.

But It Is The Law by misha_collins_butt Rating: Mature Words: 23,560 Notes: In which Murphy is punished, Bellamy is angry, and the 100 realize how little they want to be in Camp Jaha.

But You Spoke So I Could Understand by zade Rating: Not Rated Words: 5,448 Notes: Murphy is a grounder and Bellamy gets lost in the woods looking for Octavia.

superstring by blueparacosm Rating: Mature Words: 36,247 Notes: Nothing like a little time travel AU.

When You're There by scruffylou Rating: Mature Words: 36,362 Notes: Now that they're in space again, things are a lot quieter. The time to think leaves Bellamy and Murphy both feeling very alone, for different reasons. Maybe letting each other in could be the thing that neither one of them knew they needed.

Safe Place by voidmox Rating: General Audiences Words: 1,065 Notes: This is really cute!!

thirty-five paper frogs by blueparacosm Rating: Mature Words: 12,310 Notes: He would never have guessed that being unkind to Jasper Jordan would become the wrong thing he hated most.

Fearful of the Night by Royalravens Rating: Mature Words: 13,804 Notes: Bellamy saves Murphy from the delinquents, and that has a lot of consequences.

Precarious Pasts on Sallow Skin by misha_collins_butt ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 9,276 Notes: Bellamy's on volunteer duty in the clinic and his last patient is, you guessed it, Murphy. He expects a lot of things of Murphy, but certainly not this.

six impossible things before breakfast by blueparacosm Rating: Mature Words: 22,458 Notes: A wormhole strands Murphy and Bellamy alone in the universe, and every planet they travel to seems intent on manufacturing romantic clichés, all designed to force the two voyagers together

not without you by arcadionparadigm Rating: Teen and Up Words: 16,678 Notes: Murphy and Bellamy find themselves trapped on a strange planet, and are forced to contend with more than just their own survival.

Modern Setting

i am mad all about you by noodletastic ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 122,279 Notes: This is also one I try to re-read but as you can see its a looong read. This is also one of my favorites. This is probably the longest murphamy fic you will ever find on the internet tbh.

Dumbass: A Terrible Office AU by zade Rating: General Audiences Words: 13,603 Notes: Assistant Murphy and his boss Bellamy :)

Teach Me a Lesson by assholemurphy Rating: Explicit Words: 10,255 Notes: Cop!Bellamy and Delinquent!Murphy, Slightly awkward car sex. Murphy’s a screamer and that’s a problem.

A Very Murphamy Christmas by awesomekittlesclw83 Rating: Not Rated Words: 25,188 Notes: Christmas has never been good for Murphy but when someone new moves in next door things begin to change. Can he get past all the pain from before or is Christmas always gonna be a nightmare?

Grit Your Teeth by Griselda_Howl Rating: Explicit Words: 13,203 Notes: a certain young women barges her way into his life, sets him up with a certain handsome man, and everything goes to shit.

1013 Romeo by orphan account :( ♥️ Rating: Explicit Words: 12,988 Notes: the one where Bellamy is a guard at the same prison where Murphy is awaiting his execution and they stupidly fall in love. (you will cry, proceed with caution)

Soulmates

Stars, hide your fires by Pinkiiie ♥️ Rating: Not Rated Words: 37,971 (kinda) Notes: If you dont like the ending. no worries! There are two versions.

The Kindred Spirit by CosmoKid Rating: Teen and Up Words: 13,918 Notes: Soulmate au where if one of them gets hurt, the injury appears on the other. Referenced child abuse.

Crossovers/ Others

a circus of carrion by oogaboogu Rating: Mature Words: 35,337 Notes: Welcome, welcome, to the 71st annual Hunger Games.

magical prophecies for miserable people by blueparacosm ♥️ Rating: mature Words: 69,153 Notes: Then he meets the royal jackass Prince Bellamy, the mad woman Lady Octavia, and a dragon— yes, a fucking dragon— who believes he and the prince are destined to unite the kingdoms and save magickind, together.

the rich inner lives of wanted men by blueparacosm ♥️ Rating: Mature Words: 66,199 Notes: Once chained up in the brig and heading out to sea, he wondered briefly whether or not it was his fault that everything always went tits up.

(and i feel fine) by oogabooga ♥️ Rating: Teen and Up Words: 22,203 Notes: M doesn’t know why, but he doesn’t really fancy the idea of eating Bellamy’s brains. (A warm bodies au so cute!)

the quiet hours by arcadianparadigm Rating: Teen and Up Words: 92,075 Notes: He could continue to write his undergraduate thesis and live his life in peace, or, he could take up the mantle as the world's greatest hero and accompany an ancient cursed sun god named Murphy on a quest to slay the ten most deadly monsters in the known universe.

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Updated: 04/05/2024

*list only consists of fics I have read

#murphamy #the 100 #fic rec

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whimsicalmeerkat · 11 months ago

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✨Fic Writing Review 2023✨

The ever-delightful @dear-massacre tagged me in this a couple weeks ago, but I decided to wait until the end of the year. I don’t feel like working today, so I figure it’s close enough!

Words

127,727 words posted on AO3

66 works posted or updated on AO3

Fandoms & Ships Represented:

Black Jewels - Anne Bishop (Daemon Sadi/Lucivar Yaslana: 5)

Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures- Shannon Mae (Adam/Minos: 1)

Men’s Hockey RPF (1)

Original Work (2)

Perilous Courts - Tavia Lark (Julien Sandry/Whisper: 2, Bellamy Sandry/Rakos Tem: 1, Daromir Azri/Vana Dire: 1, Corin Marcel/Audric Sandry: 1)

Psy-Changeling - Nalini Singh (Aden Kai/Vasic Zen: 1, Kaleb Krychek/Judd Lauren: 1, Lucas Hunter/Hawke Snow: 1)

Radiance Series - Tavia Lark (Evain Marha/Leth ka Tariel: 3)

Teen Wolf (Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski: 27, Derek Hale/Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski: 1, Derek Hale/Peter Hale: 1, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski: 7, Chris Argent/Derek Hale: 1)

The Authority - DC Comics (Apollo/Midnighter & Jenny Quantum: 1)

The Hollows - Kim Harrison (Trent Kalamack/Rachel Morgan: 7, Jenks/Matalina: 1)

Top Fics by Kudos

my heart was connected (Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

Trading Up (Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

won’t you take me from this valley (Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

devil don’t take a break (Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

I think I know a secret (Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

My Fandom Fic Events in 2023

30+ Fanfic (@thirty-plus-fanfic) 24-Hour Drabbles (drabbles)

sterekdrabbles (@sterekdrabbles)

The Sufficiently Advanced Exchange (so we remain the same: The Hollows, Trent Kalamack/Rachel Morgan)

Rare Male Slash Exchange (ah my love, remind me: Teen Wolf, Chris Argent/Derek Hale)

Battleship 2023 (15 works, multiple fandoms: series)

30+ Fanfic (@thirty-plus-fanfic) Third Serversary (Summer) Holiday Event (some glad morning: Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

Rare Pair Exchange (I’ll Always Know It's You: The Hollows, Trent Kalamack/Rachel Morgan)

Launch the Ship -⚓︎- Round 3 (We Were Helping!: Perilous Courts, Daromir Azri/Vana Dire, Vana Dire & Bellamy Sandry)

RelationShipping (take me to the edge so I can fall apart: Original Work, Werewolf Brother/Human Brother He Wants to Turn)

Sterek Prompt Meme (@sterekpromptmeme) (Trading Up: Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Peter Hale)

Trick or Treat Exchange (Trick or Treat!: The Hollows, Trent Kalamack/Rachel Morgan)

SPE (@sterekposevents) Fall In Love with Sterek (I think I know a secret: Teen Wolf, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

Wanksgiving (in the middle of the night: Teen Wolf: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

We Die Like Fen: We're Dark like Fen in a Storm at Night (then, now, and forever: Radiance Series, Evain Marha/Leth ka Tariel)

30+ Fanfic (@thirty-plus-fanfic) Holiday Bonanza and New Year's Shindig 2023 (Teen Wolf, multiple pairings: 2023 fics in series)

Upcoming 2024 Events & Projects

After making that last list my plan to do way fewer events in 2024 has been reinforced. I’m not going to list all of my projects. Most of what I plan to work on are my wips. Below are the events I plan to do:

Small Fandoms Big Bang

Sterek CollaBang (@sterekcollabang)

Battleship Exchange

RelationShipping Exchange

Various 30+ Fanfic Events (@thirty-plus-fanfic)

Rules & Tags

Honestly, do what you want to with this whether that’s putting in way too much effort like I did, ignoring it, or somewhere in between.

I’m not going to tag anyone, but if you see this and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

#year in review #fanfic #ao3 #author:whimsicalmeerkat

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starogeorgina · 8 months ago

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29 question tag gamem

Thank you @pinkpoppymoon for the tag 💙

1. Do you have a nickname? Wee shaky (top tier epilepsy humour)

2. Do you have tattoos? Yes, five

3. Star sign? Libra

4. Height? 5ft

5. Random fact about yourself? I have ghostface masks hanging on the wall next to my bed

6. Current job? I work as a NA in a hospital and in the process of opening up my own salon/piercing studio

7. Guilty pleasure character? Criston Cole - my heart says no, but vagina says yes 🤣

8. Favourite bands? Green day

9. Song that’s stuck in your head? Labour by Paris Paloma

10. Favourite fictional universe? ASOIAF

11. Favourite fanfic that isn’t your own? Inside, outside - been ride or die for this story for nearly two years! @topazy

12. What do you post on your account? Mainly fanfiction

13. Do you work in the career you first studied? No, I’m a fully trained combat medical technician/ EMT, but due to medical reasons, I can no longer drive so had to go down a different career path

14. Dream holiday destination? Australia, Canada, and Alaska

15. What country are you from? Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

16. What are three fictional universes you would like to live in? Harry Potter, the 100 and TWD

17. TV show ending that disappointed you? The 100! Clarke… Bellamy… I’ll never recover

18. Celeb crush? Pedro Pascal

19. What category is your favourite in film/tv? Horror and crime

20. What TV series did you give up on? Riverdale, season one was so good, but I lost interest halfway into season two

21. Are you named after anyone? My mum 💕

22. Do you have any pets? A very handsome doggo

23. What smell(s) remind you of home? Salty sea air & seafood, I live right on the coast and come from a family of fishermen

24. If you write, what fandoms do you write for? Currently, I write for GOT, HOTD, Criminal minds, TLOF, and Vikings

25. Comfort food? Pasta

26. Do you drink and smoke? No, and no

27. Are you attending any festival/concerts this year? Green day, Liam Gallagher, Calvin Harris, Example, Chase & status, Gerry Cinnamon, Courteeners

28. Are you a fussy eater? I’m vegetarian, so yes haha

29. Do you collect anything? Funko pop horror characters, graphic novels (the punisher, d&d, TWD), and ASOIAF dragon figurines

Tagging: @topazy @no-damsel @justinalovee @lenny09 @residentmoon @bucknastysbabe @starsandbutterfliesss

#tag game #question game

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bellamyblake · 27 days ago

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So this might be a random question. Lately, I've been reading alot of books. I'm a fan of fourth wing series. dragons and all. I was wondering if you know there's any bellarke inspired fourth wing fanfics or get the idea out there for any fanfic writers. I saw a video of a fan telling Bob he'd be a perfect xaden. I agreed. He def. look the part in my head and now i can't unsee it.

Hey! Not random at all, I love your blog and your gifs! If I have to be honest, I'm not much of a dragon fan myself, so I haven't been seeking such fics, I've read one where Bellamy turns into a dragon a long time ago by monroeslittle and I've read many fairy tales or mermaids or even red riding hood bellarke aus but not really that many dragon AUs. I am aware there are some by peggysousfan and a few more out there maybe try the ao3 tag and I think you'll find some, maybe even a recent one. I've heard of that book series but I had no idea they've imagined Bob could play the male lead.

So this goes out to those of you who are maybe looking for inspiration and want to fit bellarke into that verse too!

Thanks for sending me this! I appreciate it and I'm sorry if I'm not of much help! Perhaps my followers can do better (they usually do)!

#bellarke #bellarke fanfiction #the100edit #bellarke fanfic #au #dragon au #i loved that monroeslittle one but it's not what you're looking for im sure #there are a few others i've tried but its not really my thing like soulmates i dont read those fics no matter how great they are #and i know of this book but i haven't checked it out even if a friend of mine reccommended #i've never been a dragon person really not even with got #anyway lots of love to you i love your gifs and stuff!!!#thank you for thinking of little insignificant me #answered

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be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie · 11 months ago

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Quick! Name your fav unfinished/abandoned fanfics. Maybe shouting their names into the void will bring them back like some kind of Beetlejuice situation.

(A gal can dream lol)

Cool ask!! You didn't ask me to specify a fandom, so I didn't. As I've been going through my bookmarks, tagging them and sorting them into the correct collections, I've noticed several unfinished that I miss. Please do not judge how incredibly insanely varied my tastes are. If an author had a tumblr, I tagged it. Please note this list is heavily influenced by nostalgia:

At the Office by wolfqueen1015 , 62/70 chapters, The 100, multiship (but I read it for linctavia (Lincoln/Octavia Blake)), last updated 2/22/2021.

As a linctavia shipper, I actually did not care if Clarke was with Bellamy or Lexa, and read many a fic I enjoyed that went either way for side linctavia. (I will sincerely apologize for that @catthestral497). This is a bellarke fic, beware. It's just a silly stupid social media fic that I found really funny in 10th grade, and I actually think is still funny. I want my last eight chapters.

operation braven by orphan_account , 19/? chapters, The 100, multiship (but I read it for linctavia (Lincoln/Octavia Blake)), last updated 7/3/2018.

It's my honest prerogative to say The 100 is a bad show, it's really not good, but I have read this fanfiction all the way through at least five times and some of it lives in my brain in place of childhood memories. Again, it's a silly social media fic but it's so funny, I miss it.

Infinite Variations by Someone_else_before , 17/? chapters, Stranger Things, mileven (Mike Wheeler/Eleven), last updated 1/1/2018.

My guilty pleasure for so so long has been 2016 post season one Stranger Things fics. I think they have infinitely cooler plotlines than the actual show. This is slightly different, it's a full season one rewrite where the Demogorgan never comes and never takes Will, and Eleven and Mike meet through dreams. I could die to find out how this fic ends, it's been like six years.

Perry the Evil-Adjacent Boyfriend series by Kereea , 15/? works, Phineas and Ferb, perryshmirtz (Heinz Doofenshmirtz/Perry the Platypus), last updated 8/29/2020.

STAY WITH ME ON THIS. Me and my roommate decided to explore this tag as a joke (highly recommend), and I stumbled upon this?? Incredibly sweet and wholesome gem?? Anyways its about a human Perry who quits OWCA and adopts the kids after his brother Lawrence and Lawrence's wife Linda die in a car accident (insane premise) and then him and Doof raise the kids with Vanessa? It's literally so wholesome and cute and family friendly, god I love this fic I have to go read it again I wish there was more.

New Elysium by Cloud_Nine , 16/? chapters, The Walking Dead, multiship (but I read it for gleggie (Glenn Rhee/Maggie Greene) and richonne (Rick Grimes/Michonne)) last updated 3/21/2021.

This fanfiction. Lives with me almost every day, I am FURIOUS that there isn't more of it. This is a fic about the members of Rick's group waking up before the apocalypse began but some have their memories of the events to come, so they start gathering, finding each other, and setting up the best location to hunker down. I just for some reason could spend hours reading about their little house mission and the seeds and working on getting generators to the farm, god, the tension of the time ticking down gets me.

New Chat Created: North Island Daggers by Comin2U , 24/24 (now marked complete), Top Gun movies, multiship (but I read it for icemav (Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell) and a lil for the hangster (Jake "Hangman" Seresin/Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw), last updated 7/29/2022.

This fic, ohohoho. By now you all know I love a social media au, a text fic, anything of the sort. But this fic is creme of the crop of any social media au. It's just so magnificent. It's my fav thing ever, which is found family, and involves my two favorite things to see in a Top Gun fic; icemav adopting the dagger squad post mission, and also the Daggers being shocked and then pissed at Rooster when they discover Mav is married to Ice. Also Ice using sign is always a fucking bonus to me.

Spider Sully series by @alexihollis , 11/? works, James Cameron Avatar movies, Spider Socorro & Sully Family, last updated 4/11/2023.

I've raved about this fic enough for you all, but once again! This is the og and if I had my way it would go on forever and ever and never end. Especially now that it's ended up on the front lines fighting for aocorro, which you all also know I've recently decided I enjoy.

I Believe We're The Enemy by reginalds , 7/10 chapters, Spartacus (2010), nagron (Nasir/Agron), last updated 8/13/2015.

This fanfiction was last updated in 2015, but I only watched 2010 Spartacus in 2021 and that's what hurts most of all, huh? What a fantastic show. There would probably be a ton more nagron fics on here but I stopped reading unfinished fics from 2012 😔. Like genuinely though I've bled that fandom dry, I've read every single Barca/Pietros fic that exists.

The Pride of Burrough House by RonsGirlFriday @constitutionalweasleymonarchy , 23/65 chapters, Harry Potter series, multiship, last updated 12/8/2023.

This fic is still being updated, I believe it's just slow because each chapter is an epic. It's just really cool and you all should read it. It's a regency era Harry Potter fic which like, all the ships getting their own plot. Also love love Harry just, growing up rich and cool with his parents lol. I think the dialogue is super fun and I'm very invested in every characters plot so far.

a study in poor judgement by cze , 7/8 chapters, The Goldfinch, boreo (Theodore Decker/Boris Pavlikovsky), last update 8/29/2022.

It's so close though!!! I've read every boreo fanfiction that exists too, and for a bummer of a book, it's a bummer of a fandom as well lol. This fic (although it also manages to be a bummer), puts Theo in such a funny predicament that it combats enough of the bummer-ness that I just loved it. And just like almost every other boreo fic, it's stupidly well written.

Best Laid Plans by voiceoftime @music-is-love-90 , 30/40 chapters, Bridgerton, kanthony (Kate Sharma/Anthony Bridgerton), last updated 3/24/2023.

This is my favorite of my favorite type Bridgerton fics to read, which is Kate and Anthony courting from the beginning instead of the nonsense with Edwina. And this one is just *chefs kiss* I think it's still being updated as well though. Hopefully.

Holding On and Letting Go by Nizhoni93 , 9/? chapters, The Black Phone, rinney (Finney Blake/Robin Arellano), last updated 9/8/2023.

I have pushed this fic before, but once again it is absolutely heartbreaking. I cried seven separate times reading just one of the chapters. I need it finished so I know if it works the fuck out, because I literally cannot handle ghost Robin being stuck watching the boy he loves but can't see him for the rest of Finney's life.

When Eywa Sleeps, So Do Her Children by Aye_Dei , 9/9 (now marked as complete), James Cameron Avatar movies, Ao'nung/Neteyam/Spider, last updated 10/23/2023.

This one is a massive bummer, as it was ended due to newfound bigotry, but I was really enjoying it before it was discontinued.

And finally, I just wanted to express my deep disappointment that my icemav Star Wars au was deleted halfway through. I'm mad about it.

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sometimesanalice · 10 months ago

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Hello, Alexa!☺️

How are you?

A bit of a random Q, but! I remember you saying that the first fanfic you wrote

was ‘Oh Christmas Tree' and I was just wondering if there was any other fandoms

you ever thought about writing for? Even if you don’t want to publish them! :) An even more general question, what other fandoms would you say you're into?

I know it's a little random, but I just love hearing about other people's interests/loves! 🥰

(I’m sorry if you’ve answered these in some way before)

Have a lovely weekend!

Hi Bo!! 🌟 I'm so good! I'm having the best afternoon with some coffee and a treat from Trader Joe's and working on a fluffy oneshot! I hope you're doing well! I love seeing you pop in my inbox!

The call of Bradley with a pine tree allergy and getting his best girl a fluffy pink one was too strong for me to resist! It was such a new thing for me that I wrote the whole thing on the notes app on my phone, it didn't even cross my mind to open a word doc for it, lol.

It's such a funny thing that for the years and years that I've jotted down ideas and dialogue that I never once thought of actually sitting down and trying my hand at writing fanfic until last year!

More for you under the cut!

My first foray into fandom and fanfic was when I was a nugget out there wilding on fanfic.net and shipping Clark/Lana from Smallville and Padme/Anakin from Star Wars. (back when I didn't even know what shipping meant, lol)

In college, I didn't have much time to read books because of all the school work, so I turned to fanfic again and got really into The Hunger Games. Dandelion Peeta had my heart, and all the modern AUs really softened the dystopian angst. That fandom had so many truly terrific writers, ones that I still follow even today.

Which is how I ended up becoming a big The 100 girlie. Some of my favorite THG authors started posting and writing for a couple of the main characters on that show and I was hooked. (it's been a lot of fun to learn that some of my fav TGM babes were also the 100 babes, so we've trauma bonded over it, haha)

And let me tell you, I need to be financially COMPENSATED by the CW for the chokehold this man had on me for like 5 years. (the hair! the gravely voice! the chin dimple! the biceps! the grumpy king with a heart of gold!)

If I was going to write for another fandom, it would be that one. Bellarke (bellamy blake and clarke griffin) still has my heart. At the height of it, I was spending hours every day reading fic for them. The chemistry between them was bananas and every week I was waiting on baited breath for any little interaction between them. It's funny now because the actors are actually married now, haha! The show gave us crumbs and went out with such a tragic whimper, but the fandom and the incredible talent there is probably why I was so invested and still read fics about them on AO3.

When I reread my favorite series The Winners Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski I fall DEEP into an Arin/Kestrel spiral. It's such an underrated YA series that I'm pretty sure I've read every piece of fanfiction that's out there (which isn't nearly enough) at least 5 times.

There was a brief Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen GOT era, but it was short lived.

I also like the Darkling/Alina dynamic from Shadow and Bone. I read the series when the books first came out before the show, and wasn't particularly enamored with them as a couple. But then they had to go and cast the pretty bearded attention whore that is Ben Barnes and I had simply no choice but to ship, lol.

I always joke and say that I don't pick the hyperfixations, that they choose me. But it's really true. The 100 ended in 2020 and I didn't have anything really capture my attention in the same way until TGM. This is the first fandom that I've really participated in, like getting to know other people and creating content! And it's been so wonderful!

Oof! Well, this got out of control quickly, lol. This was such a fun ask to get! I haven't been asked before, so I really went off the deep end here giving you my full life fandom history, haha!

#answers from alexa #inbox 💌#this got out of control very quickly lol #i am also very happy to rec fics to anyone if we have some of the same fandom interests!

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justinewt · 4 months ago

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To Choose Who Lives And Who Dies - THE 100 REWRITE Chapter Thirty-One

[THE 100 MASTERLIST]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: Bellamy and Michelle had made a choice that sealed the fate of hundreds of their people, only making possible for 100 of them to survive inside Alpha station, but Clarke chose to keep their people in the dark, doing the exact same thing Jaha had done on the Ark. Everyone worked hard on fixing the ship, unaware that most of them wouldn't survive the radiation coming their way. Raven, Clarke and Bellamy argued over this for days and when they found Jaha trying to leave camp with the rover, they confront him, and he claims he has a lead - a way to ensure the salvation of all 500 of them, but is it another one of his whims that will cost people's lives? As were Mount Weather and Alie?

Words: 5.7k

Warnings: The 100 season 4 spoilers (episode 3 "The Four Horsemen"), title from a quote from the book Storm Siren by Mary Weber, angst, heart to heart, grief

Everyone was working hard to get the ship ready for the radiation, the black rain and everything that was yet to come their way. They made a choice when they decided to free their people from the Azgedan and they were now over 500 people in Arkadia, all while the ship, even fully fixed and prepared, would only sustain a little over a hundred people, as Raven said. Michelle wasn’t the only one to now realize that for the sake of a few, they comdemned 400 of their people and Clarke didn’t tell any of them, to use their hope as fuel for their determination to get the ship ready. Raven was mad about it and Michelle did feel responsible for it because she chose to make this choice, with Bellamy. He wasn’t the only one to blame. When the others had all voted, they looked at each other knowing they would follow whatever choice the other made and Michelle wanted to help them, and he did too. She wondered, if she had chosen the opposite, to bring back the hydrogenator, if he would have followed her call. He most likely would have, to be honest, but she didn’t. And neither did he.

“Two meals a day for people working as hard as ours, we won’t make any friends.” Bellamy said as they walked into the room. Raven was standing on the last step of a ladder, her back to them, blowtorch in hand as she repaired the structure of the ship. Clarke was pushing a full cart in front of her.

“Well, if there’s one thing our people understand, it’s rationing.” Clarke declared. It was true, with what they had to do on the Ark, it would make sense for them to understand the urgency of the situation. Michelle helped as they put away the plastic pockets of vacuum-packed food on the shelves. “Besides, once we close those doors, it’ll be one meal for the next 5 years.”

“Try one meal every other day.” Raven lifted her protective mask and turned towards them. She stepped down from the ladder and took it off. She was very much, and understandably, still bitter regarding their choice about the hydro generator, and the fact Clarke chose to lie to everyone. “Hunting parties are coming back with less and less. Thanks to your friend Niylah, we’re preserving more meat than ever, but it’s still not enough. Without a way to make water, growing our own protein like we did on the ark is not an option.” She stuffed her mask in Bellamy’s hand as she spoke. “Remember that when we’re starving.”

“I won’t be starving because I won’t be inside.” Michelle instantly looked up at him, frowning. Thoughts raced through her head, and she parted her lips, but she said nothing.

“Yes, you will.” Clarke was about as confused and as against it as she was. Michelle subtly shook her head – no, she wouldn’t let him sacrifice himself to make up for the decision he made. She made it with him. If he stayed outside the ship, she would too, and she quickly realized, as she thought about it, that her father would never let her die but if she stayed alive, Bellamy had to stay alive as well, otherwise how was she supposed to just go on with her life after basically letting him kill himself. It would be just like when she almost lost her father. She would never have been able to go on with her life. There were only three people whose deaths would destroy her – her father, Clarke, and Bellamy. When Clarke was away, she survived thanks to her father, and the thought that Clarke was alive.

“Does that mean you made the list?” Raven enquired.

“No. What about drinking water?”

“Clarke, don’t change the subject. We need to know who’s gonna be on the inside of these doors when the radiation comes.” Bellamy and Michelle were both watching them talk from the corner of their eyes as they kept on putting away the food, but she would have a chat with Bellamy later.

“We don’t need to know now.” The conversation was cut short when a voice came over the PA system. Sick people were at the camp’s gate. The four of them rushed outside and at the gate, the guards were holding a bunch of grounders at gunpoint, warning them not to come any closer. Bellamy, Clarke, Michelle and Raven broke through the small crowd and the line of guards to see what this was about. They recognized one of the grounders, Nyko, as he put a little girl on the ground. Two others were bent forward, on their knees, coughing. Michelle squinted her eyes, looking at the woman. Her long, dark red hair reminded her of someone else’s and as Clarke slowly walked up to them, she realized it was Luna.

“What if it’s a grounder attack like they did with Murphy?” Miller wondered, wary. Michelle shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. Bellamy, look, it’s Luna.” She patted his arm with the back of her fingers and pointed at the woman. He wasn’t sure as they couldn’t see her face, but she recognized her hair and was convinced it was the grounder from the oil rig, though her hair was less voluminous than it was then, and dirtier. She and Bellamy followed Clarke as she walked up to them.

“What happened to them?” She asked.

“The sickness. We lost more than 40 on the way.” The woman she thought was Luna coughed, lifting her head slightly and Bellamy finally saw it was actually her.

“Luna?”

“See? I knew it was her.” Luna looked up at them, weakly. She looked beyond exhausted and drained of all her energy. She exchanged a gaze with Michelle, probably wondering how she recognized her, but she then looked at Clarke.

“Please, don’t turn us away because of what I did to you.” Clarke didn’t say anything, turning to her friends next to her. Abby then arrived, joining them outside the gate. She put a cloth over her mouth and nose, just in case, but quickly took it off and got to her knees to take a close look at the little girl in Nyko’s arms. Clarke kneeled beside her while the others watched.

“Mom, what is this?”

“Fever, lesions, vomiting. It’s ARS.”

“What’s ARS?” Bellamy asked, really speaking for all of them as none, aside from Clarke maybe, knew what she was talking about.

“Acute radiation sickness.” He, Raven and Michelle all exchanged a glance as Clarke stood up.

“When did the symptoms start?”

“I’m not sure. Right before the fish started dying.” Luna said.

“The fishs are dying?” Raven spoke. If animals were dying, this meant less food for everyone.

“Floating on the sea to the horizon in every direction.” Nyko added.

“It’s not contagious. Let’s get them to Medbay. Come on.” Abby helped them up and Raven went with her and the grounders. Clarke went next to Bellamy and Michelle, who had kneeled next to a young woman lying on the ground.

“It’s already here.” Neither of them said anything else to Clarke’s statement. It was grave enough. What Alie had warned them about, the nuclear power plants melting and the radiation and everything coming, was already there. It it had hit the oil rig out on the ocean, it was but a short flight for land. Michelle immidietaly thought of her father still in Polis and pulled her eyebrows closer in worry, staring at the ground, hoping he would come back to Arkadia before it reached the city.

In Medbay, the sick grounders were getting worse, barely moving from their beds. Clarke was further in the room, with her mother and Jackson, discussing their state and possible treatments. Bellamy and Michelle walked in, looking around. She winced in disgust at the sight of Luna vomiting black blood into a bucket and frowned worriedly as she reached for a cloth and approached to give it to her once she was done. It was quite painful to see her like this. It didn’t matter that they weren’t close to her. Michelle felt Bellamy standing just a few inches behind her and his hand gently finding her shoulder.

“You think I deserve this for refusing the flame?”

“No.” Michelle replied, a mere second after Luna spoke. “No one deserves to suffer.”

“Besides, this would’ve happened anyway.” Bellamy added. Clarke came to see them.

“This is all that’s left of my people. Can you save them?”

“We’ll do everything we can. You have my word.” They took a few steps away when she coughed again, to talk, just the three of them. “Tell me something good.”

“Raven’s looking for us.” He walked back to the door, his hand sliding down as he let go of Michelle’s arm and they left the infirmary to go find Raven. She brought them to the computer screens and one of them showed a map, with dashed lines linking the rig to Arkadia and Polis.

“So, Luna’s rig is here, and if the fish in these waters are dying, well basically we’re screwed.”

“I don’t understand. Alie said we had 6 months.” Hands on his hips, he looked at the screen with a subtle frown.

“We don’t.”

“Well, then how long do we have?” Clarke wondered.

“It’s hard to say. Radiation is dispersed by jet stream and carried by ocean currents, so it’s not an exact science, but the leading indicators are small species die-offs — fish, insects. Based on the new data, I’d say we have… Two months of survivability…” Clarke looked defeated as she turned her head towards Bellamy and Michelle, and they seemed just as stunned. “Maybe less.”

“The ark won’t be ready.” He said quietly, shaking his head.

“It’ll be close. If we triple the man hours and work round the clock, we should be able to achieve a hard seal before the black rain comes. We just have to decide who gets to live here.”

“Raven, we’re not talking about the list again.”

Michelle sighed, “We have to talk about it.”

“Yes. Michelle’s right, Clarke. We are running out of time. We have to make a plan for the day we close the doors, drill for it, make sure only the survivors have guns, agree on protocols for dealing with the people who are pissed off they’re not chosen. You asked me to be in charge of rationing, and I’m doing it, but choosing who gets to live or die is your speciality.” As she was about to respond, the sound of the Rover’s engine reached their ears and she turned around, glancing over her shoulder. As Raven then added, no one was scheduled to take the rover. They walked briskly in the corridors and exited through the hangar’s doors. The SUV was right outside. Jaha was inside. Bellamy knocked on the driver’s side door, ordering the old chancellor to get out of the vehicle and opened the door.

“I need to make a run.”

Raven took a step forward, “All supply go through me, and you shouldn’t be working on the patch to sector 5?” Bellamy gave a nod to the side motioning for him to get out. Jaha stepped out of the rover and the door was slammed behine him.

“A patch for a ship that can only save a hundred people? Why are you surprised? I am an engineer. We have no way to generate water. The harder number is 400. Can you really sentence 400 more of our own people to death?”

“We don’t have a choice.” She exclaimed. They glanced over their shoulders at the people working nearby. They were looking at them after hearing her raise her voice at Jaha and quickly looked away.

“What if you do? What if I told you there might be a fallout shelter less than a day’s drive from here – a fallout shelter built to sustain thousands?”

“What if it’s like Mount weather or your fucking city of light? Both were your ideas, and they were terrible ideas – hundreds died.” Michelle spoke crossing her arms over her chest, glaring at Jaha.

“We’ve been through the chancellor’s file anyway. All the bunkers you considered for the hundred were listed as compromised or unviable, and now Mount Weather is too.” His eyes went from Michelle to Raven.

“Those were government bunkers.” He turned back around and opened the driver’s side door but instead of it being to get back into the vehicle, he handed something to Clarke. A notepad showing an article.

“A doomsday cult?” Bellamy read as Clarke swiped right to look at the other articles on there.

“That’s right – the second dawn.”

“They built a bunker?” She took her eyes off the small screen.

“Their whole theology was based on riding out the end of the world.

“And why didn’t you consider it?” Raven enquired. Michelle listened and looked at the notepad as Clarke read and swiped. There were lots of articles on this.

“We couldn’t prove it existed.”

“So why are you considering it now?” Bellamy wasn’t the only one of them to be doubtful of his intentions with this new plan of his. They were all distrustful of him after all that happened because of him.

“Because before now, we didn’t need it.”

“You found it, didn’t you?” He looked around before answering Clarke.

“We can’t be sure unless we check it out.” And on that he wasn’t wrong, and Michelle looked to the side, annoyed, her arms crossed in the same fashion as Raven’s. Both were reluctant to listen to the man. Michelle even more so. He did put her in solitary confinement when all she ever did ‘wrong’ was being Clarke’s best friend and knowing something she shouldn’t have known and for that she was then as much of a danger as Clarke was. And she was a pretty defiant teenager back on the ark. It was a known fact that she often talked back to her mom and though she wasn’t the kid she used to be anymore, she still heavily disliked Jaha and if he happened to be in a life-or-death kind of situation, she already knew she would let him die. While she was thinking, she heard Raven and Clarke argue. Raven wasn’t about to let Jaha take the rover.

“We need that rover for hauling pieces of a 3-ton patch we’re build—” She was cut off mid-sentence.

“Yeah, but if he’s right, we don’t need a patch.”

“Can I talk to you guys for a second?” They stepped aside to speak in private, out of Jaha’s earshot. “Can you, Michelle, please remind Clarke what happened the last time Jaha went looking for salvation, as you’ve already mentioned, in case Clarke wasn’t listening?”

Michelle sighed through her nose, letting her arms fall to her side, glancing at Jaha from the corner of her eyes, not so sure anymore of what to say, though she perfectly knew what Raven was referring to – what she had said about the city of light killing hundreds of people because of Jaha’s whim. She didn’t say anything this time and Bellamy spoke in her stead.

“Raven, if that bunker is real, we can save a lot more than a hundred people.”

“If it’s not, we’ve lost another day.”

“Hey, look. If it’s not, I’ll make the list… Okay?”

She sighed, glaring at the three of them, “Do what you want. I’ve got a ship to seal.” They watched her leave before turning to Jaha. This time, Michelle was the one glaring while Bellamy took his place in the driver’s seat, and they sat in the back and drove out of camp. Clarke was in the passenger seat at the front with Bellamy and Michelle was especially unhappy to have to sit across from Jaha, her arms crossed as she leaned back. Clarke watched the video linked on an article and the voice of a man doing a presentation on a stage rose from the notepad.

“The end is coming, and it’s coming soon.”

“He gave this speech two weeks before the bombs.” Jaha said. Michelle slightly lifted her head to look over the seat and Clarke’s shoulder at the screen, the man speaking was the founder of this Second dawn thing, shoulder-length hair and a beard, he kind of reminded her of how her father looked with his beard and hair too, but in black.

“The world is dark and getting darker all the time. Everything we once trusted has turned on us — government, religion. Even technology has become a weapon in their hands used to poison our minds. I know you’re in pain. I know you’re afraid, but it doesn’t have to be like this. There is a way out of the darkness. I can show it to you. You can be saved. Join us, and together, when the horsemen come, from the ashes, we will rise.”

Clarke handed it back to him, “Please tell me you have more than this.”

“In the two years before the bombs, Cadogan sold off most of the second dawn’s real estate holdings, generating tens of millions of dollars, but there was one thing he didn’t sell.” Michelle had seen him swipe a couple times across the pad’s screen before giving it back to Clarke to show her something else. Michelle leaned forward, resting her forearms on her thighs. “I found this in his autobiography. His father built a bunker there to save his family. I think Cadogan used the church’s money to expand it.”

“Grew up there. Maybe he kept it for sentimental value.” Bellamy figured.

Jaha quietly chuckled through his nose, “Hmm. His father beat him almost daily in that house. He hated living there.”

“Why keep it if you’re liquidating everything else?” Clarke wondered.

“Because that bunker is there. I can feel it.”

“Yeah, maybe it’s there. Doesn’t mean we can use it. It was a century ago. And we’ve been on the ground for almost half a year – if there were survivors like in Mount weather we would’ve known by now.”

“Maybe not survivors, but the bunker is there.”

She shot up her eyebrows, rolling her eyes, and repeated herself under her breath, “doesn’t mean we can survive there.”

“She’s not wrong. And the guy sounds like a religious fanatic to me.” Bellamy spoke.

“Maybe, or maybe he was just a leader willing to do whatever it took to save his people.”

“Like you, you mean?” Michelle chuckled but she wasn’t smiling, not even a smirk. She was glaring at him, slouching back, in the shadow of Clarke’s seat, arms still crossed, gripping tighly on each other. He locked eyes with her. She wasn’t one to speak much or initiate conflicts, but she couldn’t help but speak her mind and try to get into an argument with him though she knew beforehand that he would keep his composure easily and anger her. She felt as though she was 15 or 16 again and getting back at her mom for something she said or not wanting to tell her about her dad yet again. There were only few people whom she held a grudge against, and Jaha was the only one still alive. She had forgiven her mother months ago, same with her father and Pike was dead and she couldn’t care less about him. But Jaha was still annoying her with his presence. He let out another of his chuckles and she frowned.

“You hate me. I understand.” Her frown went from one of anger to one of confusion and she squinted her eyes, wondering what made him think he could understand her one bit. But his tone of voice aggravated her. He sounded as though she was still the kid he had locked up.

“Don’t patronize me, Jaha.” She gritted her teeth, clenching her jaw. Neither Bellamy nor Clarke said anything for now, looking at them through the rearview mirror. “Your mistake is that you think you understand. But you’re right – I do hate you.”

“I am sorry.”

“Well, you’ve got a lot of things to be sorry for.” She wasn’t buying it and wouldn’t accept his apology even if it were genuine and sincere. She wouldn’t accept any apology from him because she didn’t care about him and his words were of no value to her. She didn’t like him on the Ark, and she despised him on the ground. She never respected him, and he was smart enough to know it.

“I know.” He nodded, glancing at his hands joined at his knees as he leaned forward. “I want to apologize for a lot of things.”

“Save your breath.” She looked away, losing interest in talking to him. He began with apologizing for how the city of light events turned out and she pursed her lips, staring at the car’s back door. “You forced my dad to take the chip.” He was about to say something, and she knew he would find an excuse for himself, so she continued. “It was your choice to do what you did – your choice to take the chip. I saw his hands. You tortured him to make him take the chip.

“I am sorry, Michelle.” She finally crossed his gaze again. Her eyes were shining slightly, gradually getting teary as she spoke through her gritted teeth, trying to contain herself.

“I almost killed my dad, because he was under Alie’s control and almost— almost killed Bellamy. I picked up a fucking metal bar and almost bashed my father’s head in.” Her nostrils flared and she swallowed harshly. “You saw how Octavia stabbed Pike, at the end? If my dad was dead, I would have killed you too. My mother’s gone – I couldn’t have lost him too.” Her voice got quieter as she looked away. “It's not even been 5 months since I found out he’s my father.”

“Callie didn’t want you to know.” She instantly turned her face back to him. Her facial features were no longer so tense.

“You knew?” She asked, almost whispering.

“Most of us – at the council – did. Those close to your mother. But it was her choice not to tell you that Marcus was your father. It was obvious to us.”

“I’m aware that Abby knew but— the whole council?”

“Yes.” He finally admitted and Michelle’s facial expression was now overtaken by the shock. She had no idea that over a dozen people knew that Kane was her father the whole time, and that none of them ever cared enough to tell her when all she had ever wanted, ever since she was a kid, was to know her father. It was the cause of so much tension and so many disputes with her mother when she was a teenager. It could have all been avoided if she hadn’t been lied to her whole life. She wouldn’t have been too mad if Abby had been the only one to know – she was her mother’s best friend after all – but finding out that almost every single adult around her knew. She was so stunned she didn’t even know how to react to this. She shook her head, her arms uncrossing. She asked herself a question she had already asked herself before – if Kane actually knew or not. She didn’t exactly remember what Abby said to this. Maybe he knew but didn’t want to face it, or rather couldn’t face it. Or he really didn’t. Either way, she had forgiven him anything he might have done wrong, and they worked on their relationship and as she thought about this, she realized that their relationship got so good and close-knitted because he was alive, allowing them to talk things through.

And she also came to the realization that she had lied to herself – she hadn’t fully forgiven her mother and she was one of the dead people she still held somewhat of a grudge against, and she hated herself because it would always be this way because her mother was dead and they could never discuss all this face to face, and it was eating at her. She hated herself for not being able to just let it go and forgive her mother, because she loved her so much. She hadn’t realized that as she got lost in her thoughts, the rover had gotten silent. Her lips quivered and she squinted her eyes as tears flooded them. He spoke again and she glared at him through her tears and told him to shut up, eventually raising her voice at him and storming out of the moving car. She heard Bellamy swear and call out to her as she hopped off through the backdoor, almost losing her balance as she landed on the ground and she walked away with a brisk step, wiping the tears that had rolled down her cheeks and trying to keep the rest of them from falling. She could hear that the car had stopped behind her and though she walked quickly, Bellamy reached her even quicker, jogging towards her. He had called her names quite a few times, but she hadn’t responded. It wasn’t that she deliberately wanted to ignore him, but she just couldn’t respond.

“I can walk back.” She insisted. He grabbed her arms and drew her into a tight hug as she broke into tears. She tried to apologize for wasting their time with this, but he dismissed it and she cried, resting her cheek against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him, her hands gripping onto his jacket like claws. What she had just found out had made her feel like everyone around her had been taking her for a fool for her entire life and she felt disabused. He rubbed her back to comfort her and gently cradled her head, bringing strands of hair behind her ear. In this moment there was only one other thing that she wanted most. Her voice was shaking, broken with sobs, “I want to see my dad.”

“I know.” He felt for her, but unfortunately, he couldn’t really say anything else, because he couldn’t assure her that she would seem him soon. All he could do was support her as he did in this moment. They returned to the rover a minute later. Clarke was standing outside the vehicle, by the passenger’s door and she came up to them, giving a compassionate look to her childhood best friend.

“Ignore Jaha, okay? Take my seat. I’ll go in the back.” She walked around the car while Michelle took her place in the passenger seat, arms crossed as she slumped in the seat, bringing her legs to her chest and letting her knee lean against the door. Bellamy got in as Jaha quietly apologized again and he told him off.

“Shut up, Jaha. You’ve talked enough.” Michelle didn’t even look at him from the corner of her eyes. She stared straight ahead of her through the windshield and Bellamy started the car again. They drove through the thick forest until night fell, a few hours later. Jaha turned on a flashlight and if not for the spotlights at the front of the car, it would be totally pitch-black outside. They could barely see anything anyway. He stopped the rover, and they got out, sweeping the area with their flashligths.

“Cadogan learned how to survive from his father.” Jaha said. “They hunted in these woods.” He held up the tablet, lining up the pitcute of the house and trees with the background. “This is it.”

“Well, if anyone’s entitled to a lucky break, we are.” Bellamy declared.

“You hear that?” They all looked at him, not hearing anything and it was exactly what he wanted them to hear. There were no insects. Except he had no idea what it actually meant and he immidietaly saw the way the three of them looked at each other with worry. “What?”

“Luna said the fish were dying.” Clarke told him.

“What are the things that eat the fish and bugs gonna eat now?” Bellamy wondered.

“What happened to us deserving a lucky break?” They kept on walking. “So, what are we looking for?”

“The bunker would have been at the lowest point.”

“Anything structural. Be careful.” They gave Bellamy a nod and began searching the area. Michelle was following Clarke, and she glanced over her shoulder, stopping in her tracks for a second when she saw Jaha talking to Bellamy. She wondered what he might be telling him now but then Clarke’s voice got her attention and made her turn her head back to her, stepping over the fern’s leaves as she walked over to her. She had found something. Jaha and Bellamy joined them quickly. The latter advised them to stay behind him as they climbed down the stairs. Plants had grown over the entrance, and he cleared the way as he went down. The inside was insalubrious, roots growing all over the walls and spider webs absolutely everywhere – webs so big they were hanging from one wall to another like curtains. Bellamy broke them apart with his hand. At the back, they found a skeleton sat against the wall with thick spider webs covering him. Bellamy kneeled in front of it to take a closer look and grabbed something from its hand. What looked like a sort of large coin with the second dawn symbol and motto written around it.

“From the ashes, we will rise.” He stood up, glancing at the skeleton with a sigh. “Not this guy.”

Jaha turned the coin around and Roman numerals were written on the back. “The 11th seal. Their faith was based on 12 seals. Followers could level up by unlocking them one at a time. Only those who reached level 12 could achieve salvation.

“Huh. Maybe that’s why they didn’t let him in.” Clarke figured as she looked around, seeing a lichen covered bunker door behind them. Jaha was quite happy to see the bunker did exist. “What if they’re still in there?”

Bellamy knocked loudly on the door. “Hey! Is anyone there?”

“It’s still sealed.” Jaha concluded after looking along the door. But there were no locks or handles. There was no way they could unseal the door. The former chancellor than told them why it was – the door was designed to be opened from the inside.

“Or from the outside, by somebody with a rover.” They pulled a cable from the car all the way to the door and Bellamy started the vehicle. The cable tightened and he kept going. They all watched carefully to see if something happened. They heard metal creak, and something came flying out, hitting a tree and falling to the ground, barely avoiding the car. They had no idea if it worked or if something went wrong so they went down there again to see it for themselves. The bunker’s door was in fact open but Michelle was pretty pessimistic. She thought that, now that they forced the door open, it wouldn’t be livable anyway. And that was if the inside wasn’t as insalubrious as the first room. The room was plunged in the dark, and silence. Bellamy lit up a flare and held it high in front of him, the red incandescent light allowing them to see. The bunker was like an immense cave, spreading out before them. Hundreds of bodies were lying there. It wasn’t sealed. They all died from the bombs’ radiation, thinking they would survive.

“This won’t save anyone.” Bellamy concluded gravely. The trio glanced at each other. Michelle wasn’t so surprised, but it was still a great disappointment. They followed Jaha all the way there and again, he had been wrong and on top of that, she found out she had been lied to even more than she already knew. It had gotten her wondering if anyone ever took her seriously before.

When they returned to Arkadia, it was the middle of the night, but people were still up and going, working around the camp. They went to a room to talk privately after this failure of an outing and Bellamy and Michelle fell asleep on the couch, his arms wrapped around her as she lied on side, her face resting on his chest, blotti entre les coussins et le corps de Bellamy. They had gone to sleep, leaving Clarke to think about and work on the list of the 100 people that would have the right to be inside Alpha station when the radiation came. Michelle lifted her head when she felt Bellamy wake up and move. They looked at each other tenderly and sat up, noticing Clarke crying at the desk. She crossed their gazes as they stood up and approached and looked back to the sheet of paper in front of her.

“If we’re on the list, you’re on that list.”

“Bellamy, I can’t.” She cried.

“Write it down.” He insisted, speaking for the both of them. “Write it down, or I will.” He took the matter into his own hands when she shook her head, unable to bring herself to write her own name as the last of the list. He grabbed the pen and wrote it in her stead. Michelle walked past him, putting a comforting hand on Clarke’s shoulder. She put her hand on top of it.

“So what now?” She asked with a shrug.

“Now we put it away, and hope we never have to use it.”

“You still have hope?”

“We still breathing?” The corner of his lips rose in a faint smirk. His hand joined the two girls’ and Clarke rested her cheeks against them, taking a deep, shaky breath. Michelle then told her to get some sleep, she gave them a nod, and the two left, headed towards their room. It ended up being a quite emotional and tough day for all of them. When she would be reunited with her father, Michelle would ask if whether he really had no idea, she was his child, or if he did, and chose not to say anything, and how he actually felt about her the whole time because she knew how she felt about him – she didn’t like him and she let him know anytime she could. It was immature of her, but she was a child, and she knew her father wouldn’t hold it against her, ever. She really wanted to have this talk with him again. There were still things he had to tell her.

[To be continued…]

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Published (08/13/2024) by Andrea

Taglist: @mirellef2001

4 notes · View notes

lulupen2023 · 2 years ago

Text

My very first BellDom Fic 22/23

After what happened at Atlanta, lol, I just needed to post something BellDom ^^

Summary:

Summary of the chapter: Let's let the cat out of the bag! Chapter XXI: You don't know that...

"So don't' think, not even for a moment, that you can take flight again and elope who knows where, you, lovey-dovey couple. I promised that tonight you're gonna stay, so you gotta stay!" Chris summons his friends, as they are taking a more than deserved break from the sound-check of the afternoon.

"I promise, no more flings." Matt assures, with his best angelic attitude.

Chris is about to say something, but, almost as if the topic was too delicate to face it, he desists, but he's always wavering about it. The others two notice that.

"Wassup, Chris?" Matthew asks him.

"Err... could you let me see them?"

"See what?" Dominic narrows his eyes.

"Well, you know... your compromising tattoos." Chris clarifies, a little bit embarrassed. "It's just that I'm curious... " he adds, as if he wanted to justify himself.

Matt stares at him stunned, just like Dom does.

"No bloody way, buddy!" the first states.

"Chris, what's this sudden, worrying, but mostly insane desire to see our asses?" the second asks him.

"Ah! So, now it's me the one with sick desires! Do I have to remind you what you did last night, you, Mr. 1.000-ways-to-use-whipped-cream?" Chris addresses to the blonde.

Dominic turns pale instantly.

"But... but, how do you..."

"You should know better than me, Matt is such a chatterbox!" Chris comments as Matt is ready to clear off.

"Don't you dare to run!" Dom summons him, stepping in the way and closing the door of the rehearsal room. "Damn you and your damn mouth!" he curses, immediately after.

"Well, yesterday you didn't have to complain much about my mouth, especially when it took off the cream from your body and..." Matt justifies, with a silky voice in the last part.

"Please, guys, stop it! You're crossing the bounds of how much I'm disposed to hear about this kind of topics!" Chris warns them, cooling down their ardour and, for good measure, it's just Chris who incites his friends to resume playing.

Twenty minutes after they're done with the last song on their set-list, but although the others have already put their instruments into their cases, Dom is still bent on the drums, but not for playing.

"Dom, what the hell are you doing?" Chris asks him when he sees him all engrossed staring at a cymbal.

"It looks obvious to me. I'm looking at myself!" the blond replies with a shrug, as he keeps examining his face, very accurately.

"Even in a cymbal?" Chris asks him in disbelief.

"I don't think that there's a surface Dom wouldn't manage to look at himself in!" Matt replies for the drummer.

"Dammit! This black-eye doesn't seem to get any better. People will see it in the spotlight!" Dominic complains.

"So, what's the problem? You dress up like Spiderman every now and then, so you can dress up like a panda. It would draw lots of attention, plus that would justify the black-eye." Chris suggests.

"No way, a panda is too goofy, it doesn't suit me!" he grumbles, insulted, as he crosses his arms on his chest.

"So, you could use a bandage.... You could be a pirate, like Captain Hook!" Chris strikes back.

"Uhmm...nope, I don't picture myself as Captain Hook, but I would be just perfect as Peter Pan, I already have my acid green pants, a green t-shirt, a green beret and I would be ready!" the blond already plans everything, daydreaming, as he has totally forgotten that the dressing up is supposed to help him hide his beaten eye.

"Yeeesss! If you play Peter Pan, I could play... Tinker Bell!" Matt exclaims, overexcited.

"Tinker Bell?!" his friends question him, astonished and puzzled.

"Oh, please, don't stare at me like that! A pair of fake wings and a magic wand shaped microphone would suit me so impeccably. Plus, I'm * Bells*, so there could never be someone more perfect than me to play Tinker *Bell*!" he insists.

"Well, don't worry, Bells, it's not that Dom is contending with me for that role, you can keep it!" Chris warns him, as Dom jumps to an important conclusion.

"So, buddy, you'll just have to play Captain Hook!" the blond decides.

"Why just Captain Hook?" Chris narrows his eyes.

"No offence intended, dude, but I just can't picture you as a Lost Boy of NeverLand!" Matt makes fun of him.

"But... how am I supposed to play with a hook?" the bassist made them notice.

"We'll use a symbolic hook, maybe a sticker on one of your basses!" Matt explains.

"Firstly, I don't think that there are stickers like that. Secondly, no... I don't think that Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha would like it if I put stickers on them..." the bassist grumbles.

"What? Did I hear it right? Did you really give your basses women's names?" Matt questions him.

"This is not correct: Chris, did you really name your basses like the four protagonists of 'Sex and the City'?" Dom points out.

As Matt and Dom burst out laughing madly, Chris wishes he had kept silent.

<Lucky for me I didn't tell them that I named my other basses like the main characters of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'The bold and the beautiful'!> he ponders.

Anyway, he knows very well how to make them shut up.

"You shouldn't even talk about that! You, Matt, named your trolley, for God's sake! And you, Dom, you're the worst, since you named even your own reflection!" he strikes back, pungent.

The way Matt is looking at Dominic doesn't need any questions to be asked.

"No, that's not true, I have never named Jamie... oh, shit!" Dom betrayals himself.

"Jamie?!" the frontman repeats, very amused.

"Hey! We were talking about my black-eye, weren't we?" the drummer tries to change topic.

"Right. By the way, forget about the concert in disguise, we'll never do such a silly thing!" Chris disenchants them.

"Dommy, I guess the only solution is to rely on a good concealer, a lot of it!" Matt suggests to his boyfriend, as he leans closer to reach his ear. "Can't wait to have another wild meeting in our bed with you... and Jamie!" he winks at him, before leaving the rehearsal room, as Chris follow him.

-------------------------------------------------------

The concert was great, just like the short meeting with the fans, to take some pictures together, sign stuff and chat a little bit.

It seems that Matthew and Dominic kept their word.

Although they have nothing to do on the day after, except from the flight to take on early evening, Matt and Dom's rest is interrupted by a sudden phone call, at early morning.

Dominic is still trying to convince his body to get up from the bed, as Matthew has already made this effort, so it takes him only five rings, before he realizes which the source of that unbearable noise is and makes it end.

"'llo?" he slurs.

"Guys, come in my room. Tom called, he will be here in a few minutes!" Chris warns them, trying his best not to slur, due to the numbness that still overwhelms him.

This is enough to wake the two lovers up properly and they get ready as fast as they can, in order to face their manager.

Tom makes his entrance, carrying his trolley with him and showing such a tan that he could make a surfer envious.

"Hello guys, how are you?" he cheers, leaving his trolley on the floor and approaching to his friends.

"We are happy to see you and everything, but... what the hell are you doing here?" Dominic asks him, puzzled, as he sits on the bed, next to Matt.

"Well, a proper manager has to verify how his band is going with the shows and stuff like that."

"We tried our best in every single show we performed, the crowd seems to appreciate us a lot, so I guess we are being successful." Chris informs him as he stands in front of the window, taking a glimpse of the view outside, absently.

"What about the collaboration with My Chemical Romance? Did things improve between you and them?" Tom wonders.

"I haven't killed them yet, that's all you need to know about that!" Matt snorts, bored.

Tom is about to say something, but then he changes his mind, hearing a ring from the mobile inside the pocket of his trolley.

"Hey, Tom, look, your mobile is ringing." Chris warns him at the second ring.

"Uh? Are you sure? Uh! That's right, it's ringing." the manager replies with fake nonchalance, in a cold sweat, as he hopes that whoever is calling him will quit it, but at the fifth ring he begins to think he won't be that lucky.

"Wassup? Why don't you answer to the call?" Dom exhorts him, when the rings become seven.

"Well, it's not that important. Whoever it is, he/she will recall. Now I'm talking with you and..." he justifies, more and more agitated, realizing too late that Matthew has already opened the pocket of his trolley, taking possession of his mobile.

"No, Matt, what the hell are you doing?" Tom asks him, turning scarily pale, no matters how tanned he is.

"If you don't wanna answer, I'm gonna do it for you." the frontman decides, as he presses the key to answer, before the tenth ring.

"Hallo? It's... "

"I don't give a fuck to who the hell it is! All I know is that you have a mobile that doesn't belong to you, dammit, you, fucking, ugly, bastard, twat, asshole, stupid, moron, son of a ..." someone who Matthew already recognized roars from the other side, before Matthew moves the mobile away, as the speaker keeps cursing.

Matt looks at Tom in awe.

"Tom, just a little inquiry of mine, could you explain to me why *Brian Molko* is barking at me?" he asks him, as Chris did the wisest thing ever, i.e. he presses the key to end that call and, for good measures, he also turns the mobile off.

"Well, because I happen to have his manager's mobile." Tom explains, very innocently.

"And why the hell do you have her mob..." Dominic wonders, before Chris, Matt and he jump to the right conclusions.

"A girl with your same job..." Chris ponders loudly.

"The two bands who'd better never ever find the truth..." Matt recalls.

"That's who you were with: Placebo's manager!" Dom figures out.

"It's just outrageous! You're such an awful betrayer!" Matthew accuses him, with the most hurt expression he can show to him, but it's nothing compared to the hurt expression on Chris' face.

"I can't believe it... you didn't confess that to me! You always tell me everything." the bassist grumbles, deeply disappointed.

"You're right, Chris, but truth is that Gossip is your second name! You wouldn't be able to keep that secret, not even for one hour!" Tom strikes back.

"That's not true, when I try really hard there are secrets that I can keep very well." the other justifies, as he exchange an understanding look with Matt and Dom who confine themselves just to nod.

"Anyway, am I the only one to find that a very beautiful thing? I mean... this is soooo romantic! It reminds me to that little fairytale of 'Romeo and Juliet'. Who knows? Maybe with their forbidden love they will bring peace between the two factions, making them get along with each other." the blonde sighs with a daydreaming attitude, but it takes his soulmate less than half a second to disenchant him.

"Firstly, gee, Dommie, you're really obsessed over 'Romeo and Juliet' . Secondly, I'm sorry for disappointing you, but no-fucking-one will bring peace any-fucking-where, we'll keep merrily hating each other, cause things are perfect the way they are!" the singer swears. "And, thirdly, Dom, I don't think that Mr. Shakespeare would be happy to hear someone call one of his most famous and majestic tragedies ... fairytale!" he concludes, with a hint of reproach in his tone.

"Oh, c'mon! A boy and a girl flirt, hidden from everyone, in order to make a fool of their parents. A bunch of rhymes, some fights here and there and... ok, there's not a happy ending, but it's a nice fairytale, anyway!" Dom insists.

"Yeah, sure. So, let me see if I got it right: you probably think that Hamlet is only a guy who suffers from a big indecision and holds a skull in his hand, just because he thinks it's cool?" Chris asks him, sarcastically.

"Why, is it not so?" the blonde shrugs, looking kinda bored.

"Oh, God! Dom, you really need a good revision of Shakespearian literature." Matt rolls his eyes.

"Well, if you offer to be my private teacher, *very private*, I'll take the lessons more than willingly." Dominic replies mischievously, winking at Matthew.

Tom looks at them kind of dumbfounded, but lets it fly.

Matt takes a glimpse of Tom's look and that brings him back to the main reason why they start discussing.

"Don't think that I forgot it, you, shameful, abominable traitor!" he accuses him, once again.

"Actually, guys, we didn't even give him the time to explain. " Chris makes them notice and then he points at Tom. "Maybe it's not what we think, maybe it's just one of his shrewd plans to beguile their manager, getting precious information and then stealing her mobile, in order to prevent her from being in contact with her band." Chris presumes, knowing very well that 'conspiracy' is the keyword to be in tune with Matthew.

"Tom, did you really do such a thing?" the frontman asks him, as his eyes sparkle with hope.

"No, no, fucking no! We just decided to buy two identical mobiles, because we thought it would be something nice, but less binding than a ring. Anyway, I don't care, you just have to accept that, because I care about her, she cares about me and we are more than intentioned to turn this story into something serious." Tom warns them.

"So, you're not a simple traitor, you're a persistent traitor!" Matt snaps.

"Just quit it, Bells! It's not about you, it's not even about Placebo, it's just something between Alex and I" Tom states, intransigent. "Plus, you keep calling me a traitor, but you don't know what Chris did once..." he goes on, as the bassist glares at him with a 'Don't you dare!' look, dreading that he already knows what he's about to say.

"What do you mean?" Matt frowns.

"Do you remember your so beloved golden hat? Well, truth is that you didn't lost it, but it was Chris who stole it from you and got rid of it."

"You what?!" Matt exclaims, astonished, looking at Chris like he had stabbed him in the back.

"Damn you, Chris! Why did you do that? Do you have the slightest idea of how many stores I went to, before finding its perfect twin?" Dom intervenes.

"Oh, c'mon, Bells! Firstly, that hat was horrible. Secondly, just like Dom said, you have another one, now, so why should you complain?" Chris justifies.

"I just know that I' m gonna keep it in a strongbox, like a jewel, far away from you and your bloody clutches!" Matt perjures.

Chris looks at Tom with a hurt expression, once again.

"How could you blurt that to him? And to think that I even tried to help you, before..."

"Well, you gave me such a great help, after all!" Tom strikes back, sarcastically. "Anyway, Chris, nothing personal, really, but it's such a hard struggle for survival." he justifies.

"Okay, if it's so... well, Matt, you don't know that... Dom is a very big fan of My Chemical Romance!" Chris reveals.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Oh, God, I'm surrounded by traitors!" the frontman gets alarmed.

"Honey, please, try to understand, those guys are not so bad, after all, they have powerful guitars, a proper drummer and... damn, Matt, as catastrophic as you are, I just don't understand why you haven't fallen in love with the lyrics of their songs, yet!" Dom strikes back, as Tom can't help noticing that 'honey' the blond addressed to Matt with.

"Anyway, even if I don't agree, I'll let you free to sabotage them as much as you please!" the drummer adds, making his partner smile again.

Anyway, Dominic is too engrossed glaring at Chris, to notice that.

"Chris, I didn't mean to come to saying that, but you just deserve it, so ... Tom, Matt, maybe you don't know that... he likes crocheting!" Dom strikes, unmercifully.

His listeners immediately burst out laughing madly.

"But... no... Dom, what the hell are you blathering about?" Chris replies, panic-stricken.

"I saw you once, so don't you dare deny that!"

"But, no... it's just that I was using it as a weapon!" he tries to justify, unsuccessfully.

"Yeah, sure! And what did you exactly plan to do with it? To knit a sweater to your potential attacker?" Matt makes fun of him.

"Okay, guys, you just asked for that. Tom, you don't know that... Matt and Dom are together!" Chris reveals.

Everyone shuts up, but after some seconds it's Tom who breaks the silence.

"Together like the fact that you are one next to the other... right?" Tom asks them, wavering.

"Well, mostly one upon the other, or one behind the other... and vice versa!" the blond removes all doubt.

"Damn you, Dom!" Matt reproaches him.

"What? What did I do so wrong? After all, we'll have to tell him, sooner or later, so let's do it now! And we must thank Chris for that." Dominic explains.

"So, now I guess that you need explanations, right?" Matt wonders, turning to Tom.

"Explanation ... and a very alcoholic drink!" he replies.

-------------------------------------------------

"And that's how we came to this." Matthew concludes, as, taking turns, they all have informed Tom about the vicissitudes of the latest months.

"Oh." is all Tom manages to say, probably still too shocked to speak.

"So, you will keep being our manager, won't you?" Dominic asks him, with a hint of uncertainty.

"Of course, I will, you are and you'll always be my friends, independently of your... errr... sexual preferences!" Tom reassures them, a little bit embarrassed.

"Anyway, we're not going to spread the word about this. Chris and you, Tom, are the only ones who know... well, except from Gaia and Jessica, but I don't think they care about spreading this news." Matthew comments.

"But if somehow the truth came out, on the musical level it wouldn't change anything, we're still the Muse and if some of our fans won't accept that, well, they're not real fans, so we'd better lose them." Dominic goes on.

"Guys, don't cross your bridges before coming to them. If it doesn't happen it's better, but if it should happen, we'll know how to face everything." their manager heartens them. "So, now can we talk about something that it's not my sentimental situation, Chris' hobbies or your mutual love?" he exhorts them.

"Sure! We have such a big, epic event to face. I already have lots of ideas for it. You know, I was thinking about an advertising campaign with reverse psychology system." Matthew suggests, very excited.

"Such as?" Tom looks at him, in disbelief.

"You know, something like 'Hey, people, don't come to see our show at Wembley, it's nothing special, after all, it's not such a nice place, there won't be any cool bands, even our playlist will be kind of insignificant, and...'" he attempts to explain, before Chris and Dom promptly silence him up, wrapping their hand around his mouth.

"Damn you, Bells, didn't you cause enough damage with your fucking, bloody, sodding reverse psychology?" Dom snaps.

"Please, Tom, don't mind what Matt said." Chris advises him, as his listener rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"Don't worry, Chris, I've quit doing that a long time ago!"

TBC

So, are you ready for the (100% BellDom) epilogue?

Just a little note: in 'Try Something New' I started writing about Tom and Alex (the Placebo's manager) getting along, a lot... so I ended up falling in love with this pairing and I keep using it whenever I got the chance... hope you won't mind.

The most funny thing is that I've never seen Alex, but I like picturing her like a petite blonde, very pushy! ^^

Hope you'll still like it and have fun with this story, pleeeease let me know! ;P

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rue-when-was-this · 2 years ago

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Meet Henry Bellamy! 4⭑TOWN’s manager and my male OC.

Fanfic series: 4⭑Town’s Manager Being a Good… Manager!

Spotify playlist (more yet to be added): The Heart of Henry Bellamy | Turning Red M!OC

Hope you like it 😅

#turning red #4 town fanart #original male character #oc art #fanfic #do not steal #give cred if used

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mondfahrt · 10 months ago

Note

fanfic asks: 3, 5, 6, 7, 15, 18 + 29 (sorry i know that’s a lot)

Hiiiiii no worries, I love talking about writing almost as much as I love writing! <3

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Are you going to make me choose between my children?? ... Okay, seriously, I love all of my stories. I'm probably proudest of "Heartleaves", though, and I still regularly re-read "Everything That Touches Us". Even when I'm collaborating, I'm still writing for myself, you know? These are the stories and relationships I wanna read about, so I do!

Also, even if it's not done yet, I'm still very proud of "Neon, Neon". It took a lot out of me to start writing German fanfic again, to publish it, and then to also make it Explicit. I realised that I really like writing porn in German, I guess? Aaahhh, that sounds TERRIBLE!! xD

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

"Never" is a long time.... But I've had this idea of a OFMD/Steddyhands AU that's basically an OT3 take on "Sweet Home Alabama", you know, the romcom with Reese Witherspoon? I even have a playlist for it, but.... there's so many other things I want to write? Idk... Maybe some day...

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

YEEESSSSSS. There's "Benefits & Costs" by trans_chickens, I JUST reread that and it's still AMAZING. Then, the "Polyamory" series by Euphorion. Did I ever tell anyone that I'm obsessed with Kuroko no Basuke? WELL I AM OBSESSED. (Also, uuhhh, very E-rated, but go read the "A Firm Hand" series by lysapadin, it's so good!) I'm sure there are more but those are the ones I remember rn.

Already answered 7. in a previous ask!

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

Uuhhh, sometimes it's just words I like or that feel fitting. I like one-word-titles, especially for the German stories. And while I do love to get inspired by music and lyrics, I like lines from poems for titles even more!

(And then there's "Neon, Neon", which is called that, because I couldn't come up with a title, but I knew I wanted something related to Neon Trees.......)

Already answered 18. as well! (Normally I would give you another line, because there are more, but I'm super tired sorryyyyyy......)

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

This is just an excerpt from an Ed/Izzy, with past Izzy/Sam Bellamy story that I'll probably never finish.

"Later, there's a Sam-shaped hole burned into the inside of his chest as if was made out of paper, the edges black and fraying and still able to ignite if it catches the breeze wrong. He doesn't really think about it anymore, only that he burns and has been burnt, so he's decided that, for now, it's better to not think at all. About Sam. About Sam leaving. About any of it. And if, sometimes, he thinks about satin under his hands, cool and soft and almost liquid, if he thinks about Sam's fingers digging into his thighs, about the dark-blue-like-the-sky-just-before-dawn bruises he'd left there, if he finds himself reminded of him when looking out into the night, and reminded of silk when looking out to sea. Well, then, that's his own fucking business, and everyone else can go fuck themselves."

I like the words here, maybe I'll re-use them for something else. (I also thought about sharing something from the One Piece modern roadtrip AU that I have lying around but every excerpt looked too long and this is already such a long answer....)

THANK YOU FOR ASKING <3 this was funnnnn!!!

#anon #ask #writing #hawwww i love talking about (myself) my writing <3<3<3

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letmewritefreely · 1 year ago

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By Your Side: Part 8

Demetri Stevens had spent the last few years of her life in the skybox for a crime she didn’t commit. One morning she woke up to a huge commotion in her cell block and before she knew it, she was on a dropship. She was sent from the Ark, a space station that had spent the last 97 years in space, down to Earth to see if it is inhabitable with 99 other prisoners. Once on Earth she reconnects with her old best friend, makes new friends, steps on some toes, and helps the 100 survive as they have returned to what was their home once before. With each test and trial; things change, people change, and feelings change. This is a new start for the 100, will Demetri allow it to be a new start for her as well? Or will ghosts of her past keep her stuck, well, in the past?

A The 100 fanfic written by letmewritefreely Bellamy Blake x OC: Demetri Stevens warnings: based off the tv series; gore, mentions or implications of sexual content, angst, fluff, violence, death, gets darker as the series continues.

A/N: It’s been a few years. Sorry about that. Being an adult is pain but, I’m doing so much better than I was when I started this account & started writing this. I plan to get all the parts posted soon. And then continue till the series is finished <33

Anyways feedback, any feedback, is good feedback! Let me know your thoughts! And I’ll bet getting on a semi-regular schedule as I continue to work on the series! <3 ((S1:E10 & E11))

Parts: Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

She was running. Running through the woods from something but what Demetri didn’t know. All she knew is that she had to run and not stop. She wildly looked around her as she kept moving, leaving the part of the forest she had grown somewhat familiar with and entering completely new territory. Her legs abruptly felt detached like they weren’t her own. She stopped moving her body but it kept moving relative to the outside world. She tried to find something, anything to give her an idea of the time of day or her location.

Then she saw him. Her dad. He was just standing in the woods watching her pass. Then her mom. She looked just like the picture, her long and wavy blonde hair blowing in some invisible wind. Her piercing green eyes seemed to stare right through Demetri. They stood together, arms looped together loosely with faint smiles. Then there was Clarke and her parents. They waved as Demetri ran past, her chest constricted at seeing Clarke’s dad, Jake, and his wide smile while he had an arm locked around Clarke’s shoulders. Her attention focused forward to see the next human figure before her they faded into the forest. Her eyes locked on Bellamy, he was dressed much like she’d seen him the first day on Earth with his hair brushed back, a crisp button down and utility pants adorning his figure. Except he was standing between Octavia and their mom. Demetri had seen the woman only once, but she was so vivid and real in front of her, she believed she was really there. After the Blakes, she nearly came face-to-face with Marcus and Vera. Demetri couldn’t breathe as she looked at the woman who was practically her grandmother. Vera walked over to her and stepped into the time warp she was stuck in.

“I’ve missed you dear.” Vera’s voice was soft as she stepped closer and cradled Demetri’s face.

“Vera?” Demetri looked her over, “How are you here?” Her hands rested over the older woman’s, “The Ark isn’t scheduled to send more people down yet.”

“I won’t be coming down dear.” Vera’s face remained calm as she spoke. “I’m afraid I will stay up here in space.” The words settled funny.

“Up here?” Demetri’s face scrunched up. “Vera, I’m confused. What do you mean?”

“Why, we’re all dead up here.” Vera’s tone turned ice cold, her hands on Demetri’s face sucked the warmth from her body. “You’re living down on Earth and we’re dead. Floating around out of oxygen. You were sent down to save us and you can’t even do that.” Vera spat, her grip on Demetri’s face tightening enough to trigger Demetri’s fight or flight response.

“Vera, please let go.” Demetri winced as the woman’s hold got tighter still. “It hurts.” She struggled against the abnormal strength of the older woman.

“It hurts?” Vera cackled sarcastically. “Imagine how much it hurt when we all suffocated to death. All because you allowed some boy to steal a radio. A boy that isn’t even worth your time yet is far worthier than you to live.”

“Vera, what are yo--?” Demetri tried to push the woman away from her, aware of the probable nail marks along her jaw and neck. “Vera, if you’re here in front of me then you’re alive.” Demetri argued as she finally stepped away from the woman with her fingers rubbing the spots where Vera’s hands had been.

“But I’m not really here child.” Vera’s head snapped to the right, the loud crack made Demetri jump. “I told you, I’m dead. Up in space. Like everyone else. Because you are weak and you are negligent.”

“No, that’s not-- Ah!” It was like a wall was dropped in front of Demetri, who was still moving as fast as before, slammed into it. Her body crumpled to the ground.

“You’re the reason we’re dead my dear, you failed us. Brought shame to your parents.” Vera’s voice had changed, but the words are what hurt Demetri the most. “You got distracted by an attractive face and forgot about us aboard the Ark, left us to die.”

“I’m keeping people alive down here.” She shook her head. “You up on the Ark sent us down here to die.” She faced Vera. “If anyone has any right to be angry it’s me, one of the 100 who were sent down as an experiment.” Demetri stood up on shaky legs. “We’re trying our best with what we have, you don’t understand that.” Demetri felt defiance swell in her chest, the majority of her life she had had adults speak at her like they knew her. It was one of the reasons she ended up getting into trouble because people felt like they had a say in her life and put labels onto her and no matter how much she fought she always ended up succumbing to those labels one way or another. She had had enough, especially since landing on Earth had allowed her to be more herself than she had ever before.

“You’ve failed us.” Marcus called from behind her. “If we haven’t died yet up here, we will, because of you.” His voice turned sinister as two hands wrapped painfully around her upper arms. “I put so much faith in you Demetri.”

“I died trying to save everyone, and you’ve let them all die.” Jake said from her right as his hands wrapped around Demetri by her throat.

“I put too much trust in a piece of trash like you.” Abby’s voice rang out to Demetri’s left, her eyes barely locking with Abby’s glaring ones. “You’ve spent so much of your life trying to take care of her yet you can’t even protect Clarke, the only one worth saving out of you two.” Her words hurt, but Demetri stood tall.

“You’re all wrong, there’s still time for you.” Demetri managed to get the words out despite Jake’s grip tightening around her throat. “Jake you died trying to warn everyone, they’re doing what they can up there now to get down here. While we’re on the ground doing what we can to stay alive. All of us.” Her lips kept moving but the words stopped.

Demetri couldn’t focus on anything anymore, it was so hard for her to breathe. Jake let go just before she completely passed out and all the hands holding her up instantly disappeared. She fell to the ground again, her hands fisted the damp soil as she steadied herself. When she looked up again everyone she had seen before and more, many from the Ark she’d seen in passing, stood before her with grotesque injuries and dried blood everywhere. Movement to the left caught her eye and when Demetri jerked her head in that direction she was met with such a ghastly sight she almost threw up. Before her, torn to shreds with missing limbs and covered in gashes with weapons sticking from their bodies, stood the remaining members of the 100. Standing at the head of the group was Bellamy and Clarke, both beaten and barely standing. There was a giant gash down Clarke’s face as she stared down at Demetri with such a hatred in her one eye. And Bellamy, he was almost unrecognizable from all the blood covering his body and clothes.

“What -- “ Demetri sputtered crawling towards them a little. “What happened to you?” She froze after a few inches from the smell of decay and blood.

“You’re weak and couldn’t save us.” Bellamy words were gargled from missing half his lower jaw. “And now, we’re all dead.”

“No. We were just sleeping in your tent Bell” Demetri’s head shook as if it were on a spring as tears gathered. “And Clarke we --”

“Your incompetence killed us.” Clarke cut her off, “And now we’ll kill you.”

Clarke raised a handgun in her left hand, Demetri finally noticed that she only had one arm. Then she took three steps to stop right in front of Demetri and pressed the tip of the barrel against her forehead. Demetri blinked rapidly to rid her eyes of the tears but the world before her only got more and more blurry.

“I trusted you. We all trusted you.” Clarke’s voice was so quiet, like she was speaking into Demetri’s ear. “This is your fault.” Demetri heard Clarke pull the hammer back and it clicked into place. She drew in a deep breath, accepting of what was coming. In the next moment came the loud bang that shook Demetri’s entire being. She opened her eyes to see a red haze over everything as her body began to fall over.

Demetri jerked awake just as her body was about to hit the ground in her dream. Her cheeks were damp when she pulled her hands to her face and tried to slow her racing heart.

“It was just a nightmare.” Demetri mumbled to herself.

Her hands slowly rubbed up and down her face, pausing at her forehead. She poked around where she could still feel the cold metal of the tip of the gun and made sure there wasn’t a hole there. Then she felt the rest of her body, patting her feet first then moving up her legs and squeezing at her size and stomach as she continued up her chest, down each arm, and ended with resting her hands on either side of her neck. Demetri leant forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she brought herself back to earth, the vivid imagery of her nightmare flashing before her eyes again. The moment her friends in their varying states of decay came to the forefront of her mind her eyes shot open and she patter her cheeks lightly to try to clear her mind.

“Stay in the present Dem.” Demetri mumbled to herself as she sighed and looked around to see where she was. It took a second for her to remember she had fallen asleep beside Bellamy, she smiled to herself as she laid back and turned on her side to stare at him.

Demetri hadn’t been able to sleep for more than a few hours a night since they landed on Earth. It was a mix of the anxiety of never knowing what was coming and the nightmares that had started to plague her as more and more happened. They were often like the one she had just had, some tragedy that she couldn’t stop and everyone turns on her. She knew she’d only been out for a few hours when she woke up and her body was still sore and her eyes hurt. She focused on Bellamy still passed out beside her in hopes it would chase away the nightmares and his soft, even breaths almost coaxed her back to dreamland. But she remained awake, wanting to burn this moment into her memory for the rest of her days, however long or short.

Demetri had never seen Bellamy in such a peaceful state, she thought maybe he’d been like this when he was younger and he was surrounded by his family. But since she had known him, a month or two now, she’d only seen emotions like anxiety, fear, anger, determination, worry on his face. Now, with him asleep and the lines associated with those emotions nowhere to be seen he looked much younger, more his age. Her fingers traced up his cheekbones, down the slope of his nose, around the curve of his cupids bow. She counted his freckles and lashes with how close she was to him. She relaxed back against his side, in his sleepy haze he pulled her closer and held her to him. Demetri could have laid there and watched Bellamy forever, but the Universe proved it was never really on their side.

“Demi? Bellamy? Are you guys up?” Clarke’s voice called just outside the tent.

“I am, give me a second.” Demetri answered quietly.

She untangled herself from Bellamy’s still sleeping form and quickly threw her clothes on. As she was lacing up her boots, Demetri tried to push her nightmare to the back of her mind. Seeing the two most important people to her so clearly hurt and practically dead before her had really left her mind in a bit of a mess. She didn’t want to leave Bellamy in that moment, but she also needed to see Clarke. Just to reassure her subconscious that both of them were okay and that they were going to be fine. Demetri swore to herself in that moment that no matter what happened, she’d protect those she cared about and that meant all of the 100. With a final deep breath she stood and gazed down at Bellamy one last time before slipping out of the tent as quietly as she could.

After she unlatched the flap and stepped out of Bellamy’s tent, still getting her (his) jacket on, Clarke sent her a funny look. Demetri straightened herself out before she tugged her friend away from the tent a bit. The warmth from Clarke’s hand in Demetri’s eased her heart a bit and she subconsciously squeezed Clarke’s hand before letting it go. Demetri noted that the sky was still dark meaning she definitely hadn’t slept very long.

“Before you say anything, no, nothing happened.” Demetri stopped whatever thoughts were running through Clarke’s head. “We just talked some and fell asleep.”

“Is that what caused that entire braid to fall out.” Clarke motioned to Demetri’s left braid, which had in fact completely fallen out. Demetri didn’t even think about how she would look after having a nightmare like that, of course she’d look like a mess.

“I’ve haven’t redone them in a while, it was just a matter of time.” Demetri waved it off as she calmly removed her band and ran her fingers through what was left of the braid to try and untangle it. “I’ve been wanting to change it up anyway.” Demetri then did the same with the other braid and as she finger brushed her hair out she turned to Clarke. “Sun’s not up yet, so what’s up? That anxious to go to the crash site?” She quickly turned the attention onto Clarke before she could say anything else.

“No, I mean yeah I am but it’s not that.” Clarke watched Demetri tie her hair back into a low ponytail before she nodded at Clarke to continue. “I wanted to check on you, last night with Finn; I’ve never seen you lose it like that.”

“I admit, I lost it.” Demetri nodded as she looked away from Clarke and leant back against a wooden stand. “And I know you have feelings for him, but what that was yesterday was stupid and reckless. If you hadn’t asked me and Bellamy to follow you, you all could have died.” Demetri looked up at the night sky admiring the stars.

“You’re sure you saw grounders in the trees? Ready to shoot?” Clarke asked, needing that confirmation.

“I checked myself before Jasper jumped into action.” Demetri locked eyes with Clarke for a moment before looking back at the stars. “Sure, he should have waited a bit longer, but him stepping out and saving your life was brave. I didn’t see all of them, but the few I saw were all pointing at different people and you’ve seen their accuracy first hand Clarke.”

“I know Demi.” Clarke nodded. “Did you mean what you said?” She asked quietly.

“Which part?” Demetri cocked her head towards Clarke, “Because I meant every word I spat at Finn earlier.”

“The part of about you killing him?” Clarke couldn’t look at Demetri.

“Clarke, if you had gotten killed up there, Finn would have never made it back to camp.” Demetri’s voice was cold, so much so a shiver ran through Clarke’s body; the nightmare bringing a new sense of protectiveness forward in Demetri. “It sounds harsh, and maybe Raven would have fought me after the fact, but he’s not using his head. If you guys up on that bridge got shot down, it would have caused a ripple effect. A war would have started between me losing you and Bellamy losing Octavia. We might still have a chance at peace, at finding a middle ground. But Finn doesn’t get to make any calls. He’s already shown his true colors, blindly putting faith somewhere he shouldn’t.” Clarke just nodded. “Thank you for telling us, but please don’t run off like that again without a plan.” Demetri paused and turned towards Clarke with her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders. “I was terrified on the riverbank.”

“I won’t.” Clarke hugged Demetri tightly. “Should we get everyone up now?”

“Yea,” Demetri sighed as she looked up to see the sun starting to rise over the horizon. “Let’s get going soon, I’ll get Bellamy.”

“Of course, I won’t be waking Bellamy up.” Clarke teased, earning a jab from Demetri.

---

Within the next hour those going on the expedition to check the Exodus crash were up and ready to go. They set off in the direction they saw it crash in with weapons, supplies, and anything that could help any survivors. There was a solemn atmosphere around Clarke as she walked beside Demetri. She had nothing but her backpack and a hope that her mother either survived or wasn’t on the Exodus ship at all. Demetri talked quietly with her the whole way, trying to keep her spirits up while still preparing her for the worst. Demetri continued to remind her that she didn’t know if Abby was even on the ship since they hadn’t talked to the Ark yet. If anyone paid enough attention to Demetri they’d see she was off a little, Bellamy noticed of course but he didn’t ask, even though she hid it quite well.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they made it to the outskirts of the crash site. As they got closer they saw the surrounding vegetation charred black from the explosion. There were pieces of the wreckage everywhere with small fires still burning scattered around. Everyone stepped lightly, listening for calls for help even though they doubted there would be any. The charred, skeletal remains enforced that thought. Demetri walked along with Clarke, staying by her side as both protection and support as she held a rifle in her hands. Demetri kept a watchful eye on everything around them, both looking for anything to answer their questions and for possible Grounders. She would lock eyes with Bellamy whenever they passed him and he’d always offer a small nod, it was enough to keep her in the here and now. Demetri could hear Finn and Raven in the distance talking about Clarke who was in her own world.

“She shouldn’t be here.” Finn was focused on Clarke as she slowly walked around examining everything.

“Her mom was supposed to be on the ship.” Raven said as if it explained everything. “She’s looking for answers, you want to help her, find me the black box.” Raven paused her search of the pile of rubble before her. “Or hard drives, anything that will tell me why this ship crashed.” She continued her search, careful of everything.

“Stay sharp, retaliation for the bridge will happen it’s just a matter of when.” Bellamy’s voice rang through the space around them.

“Do you blame them?” Finn barked, spinning to face Bellamy.

“No,” Bellamy didn’t miss a beat, he stole a glance at Demetri before zeroing in on Finn a few feet away. “I blame you.”

“If you hadn’t brought guns--” Finn started, finger jabbing the air between him and Bellamy.

“If we didn’t bring guns, we’d all be dead right now.” Raven cut Finn off with a huff as she stopped searching again to speak directly to him.

“Why they’re coming doesn’t matter anymore.” Finn’s shocked gaze flitted to Bellamy, “It’s our job to be ready when they do. We’re on our own now.”

“Clarke?” Demetri squeaked when a smell that was so strong it almost knocked Clarke on her butt, then hit Demetri moments later. “What’s that?”

“Clarke! Demetri!” Raven yelled before heading over to them. “Get back!”

“Rocket fuel?” Clarke asked, covering her nose and glancing at Demetri as she coughed.

“Hydrazine. It’s highly flammable when not solid. If it meets fire, we’re all done for.”

Raven dipped a rock the size of an acorn into the pink liquid oozing from a small opening in the side of the ship. Hardly any of the fuel was on the rock before she yelled a warning and tossed it into a still burning fire. The explosion did not match the fuel and the ground trembled around them.

“Holy shit.” Demetri sighed, staring between the fire and the leaking pink liquid.

“We need to clear the area.” Raven turned from the pair beside her and back towards Bellamy.

“Okay, then.” Bellamy turned towards everyone else. “Move in formation, no stragglers, weapons at the ready. We need to get back before dark.”

Everyone moved as one to form a group and start back the way they had come. Clarke started to walk back, a deep sigh rattled her bones. Demetri fell in step beside her and nudged her best friend. Clarke gave her the tiniest, fake smile she could muster knowing Demetri would see through it. Demetri gave her a tiny smile in return and remained at her side. They had learned nothing from this little expedition except there was a lot of dangerous rocket fuel just waiting to explode and no one survived the crash. The weight of the situation sat heavily on both Clarke’s and Demetri’s shoulders, this left so many questions unanswered and created more questions. Why did the Exodus ship launch early? Why did it crash? Who was on it? Why couldn’t they get in contact with the Ark? Were they really on their own now? It all seemed surreal to Demetri. One minute they were planning the days for each drop ship to come down and the camp was buzzing with excitement then the next the Ark goes dark and the first drop ship since the 100 crashed to Earth. It made Demetri feel like they were never going to catch a break. Deep in her head, Demetri came back to notice they were coming up on a ridge that had taken them an hour to find a way across that morning. Thankfully, they knew where to go and it only took thirty minutes. They had made it pretty far without running into anyone or anything and it made the tension in the group die down.

Demetri had decided to walk a bit away from the group as they went since it seemed they were fine. She started to look around more as they went as she still really enjoyed taking in the scenery. She kept part of her attention on the group as they moved in a pretty straight line back to camp and hung towards the back of the group. Demetri could hear Clarke and Bellamy talking plans of action incase the Grounders attacked as she slowed her pace a bit. She was just enough off the trail and just busy enough looking up and around to miss the sudden decline. Demetri tumbled down the small hill, the rifle disappearing amongst the leaves as she rolled. Her yelp caught a few members of the group’s attention and they only jumped towards the sound with their own rifles raised. By the time she stopped at the bottom of the hill a loud metal clunk sounded and a piercing pain pulsed around her shoulder. Demetri struggled to turn her head around to see she where she had fallen. It looked like a bear trap she’d read about in her Earth science books.

“Bellamy? Clarke?” She gasped, suddenly feeling really stupid for wandering from the group, the fear of dying like this consumed her.

“Demetri?” Clarke yelled. “Where are you?” Panic overwhelmed her when she noticed the older girl was no where to be seen.

“Here! Down here!” Demetri cried out, she had landed on her stomach with her right shoulder in the center of the trap. There was no way she could ever get out of this trap herself. If she had been alone she would have died here.

“Oh my god!” Clarke ran down the hill, holding onto the trees as she went before she landed ungracefully next to Demetri. “What happened?”

“Fell into a trap.” Demetri gasped, biting back a sarcastic reply and swallowing a groan.

“Right, let’s get you out of here first.” At the moment, Clarke didn’t know what to do. She felt helpless. “Finn! Bellamy!”

The two guys bolted to the top of the hill and looked down to see Clarke trying to keep Demetri calm with a metal contraption digging into her shoulder. Bellamy moved first, he threw his gun over his shoulder and much like Clarke, ungracefully flew down the hill. Finn followed a few steps behind and landed across from Clarke just beside the trap. His attention was on the contraption as he stared placing it to his knowledge of trapping and tracking. Finn took only a few seconds take in the full scene. The teeth of the trap dug into her skin about half way up her collarbone, the metal just missing the actual bone. The semi-circle encompassed her entire shoulder and part of her upper arm. He didn’t know much about treating the wound but he knew Demetri would feel much better once she was out of the trap. Finn sighed before he leant over the trap and Demetri to inspect it closer.

“It’s an old bear trap.” Finn carefully moved it around, highly aware of the pained whines coming from Demetri. “There should be a catch that releases it. Bellamy and I can pulled it away from her, this will hurt.” He said the last part directly to Demetri who barely nodded as Clarke turned her onto her side enough for the entire trap to face Finn. All Demetri could do was hiss as the metal dug deeper into her skin.

“I’ll pull her away from of it.” Clarke mumbled as she grabbed ahold of Demetri around her waist, ready to haul her best friend away.

“Found it,” Finn said after a few seconds of feeling around the metal parts, “get ready Bellamy.” Finn looked up at Bellamy’s worried face. “Now.”

Finn pressed on the release and they heard a quiet wheeze from the contraption. The guys grabbed a side of the trap each, their fingers barely fitting in the gaps of the metal teeth, and they pulled. The trap was so rusted and aged it was a miracle that it even went off when Demetri fell on it, yet it barely gave as Finn and Bellamy broke a sweat from the effort. Finally the teeth started to budge from Demetri’s shoulder, blood seeped out of the various wounds left in their wake on her body. As soon as Clarke saw she was clear, she tugged Demetri away with all her might. Demetri clenched her jaw and kept as quiet as she could as she was dragged about five feet away. The pain had subsided a bit after the teeth of the trap were no longer digging into her skin but it still hurt a lot. Physically, this moment had to be the most painful for Demetri as her left hand tried to apply pressure to the wound out of reflex and just the movement of her own body made her whimper. Her entire body went limp in response to the wave of pain with her head was resting on Clarke’s stomach. Demetri just managed to turn her head in time to see Bellamy and Finn let go at the same time and the trap snapped shut with a metallic clunk, her blood covering the teeth.

There was a few moments of just heavy breathing before Clarke’s worry came back full force. She sat Demetri up, much to Demetri’s dismay, and carefully but quickly pulled her jacket off her right side. The wounds would be easy enough to treat, Clarke told herself, noticing how obvious it was that Demetri was in a lot of pain. As if her pale face, shaking body, and sweat covered forehead wasn’t a dead giveaway to that.

“They’re not deep, uhm, I can cauterize the wounds when we get back. But we don’t know what was on the trap. We need to get her back to camp and we need some of that seaweed.” Clarke took a few breaths, “I need something to stop the bleeding for now.”

Bellamy didn’t hesitate to start tearing the bottom of his shirt into strips so Clarke could wrap it tightly around Demetri’s shoulder to stop the bleeding. Once it was done to the best of Clarke’s abilities with what she had, she nodded to the rest of the group. Bellamy zipped his jacket up and hauled Demetri up onto his back.

“Bell, I can walk.” Demetri joked as she winced from the jarring action.

“We’ll move faster this way. We need to get you back to camp.” His tone left no room for an argument.

So Demetri didn’t argue. Finn grabbed the trap on his way back up the hill and followed behind the group as they continued to camp. Clarke had found Demetri’s gun when she headed back towards the group and they had switched places from when they had left, Clarke was beside Demetri watching like a hawk. If there would only ever be one thing Clarke and Bellamy would always agree on, it was Demetri. She was hurt and they were both internally freaking out over it.

---

As they came up on the camp Miller was just outside the doors waiting, his face was set in a deep frown. Bellamy let Demetri carefully slide down his back and stand beside him. In the time it took for them to get back to camp the pain had dissipated enough for Demetri to be able to think and breathe easily. She was also able to move on her own as long as she didn’t move her right arm too much. Even the slightest twitch sent a shock through her body. The rest of the group minus the two couples entered the camp.

“What is it Miller?” Bellamy’s arm stayed around Demetri’s waist to keep her standing.

“Murphy’s back.” Miller didn’t look away from Bellamy as more than just those two words were said.

Demetri felt a weird sense of relief flood her at Miller’s words, John was live. That was good news to her but she was curious why he had come back seeing as Bellamy made it very clear about him never returning. The after thought triggered the worry and Demetri straightened her spine as she tightened her grip on Bellamy’s waist.

“Where?” Bellamy’s face hardened.

“Dropship.”

Bellamy took off, barely registering that Demetri was clinging onto him and struggling to keep up. He halted and turned to her with worried eyes.

“You should go with Clarke and let her take care your shoulder.”

“After we deal with Murphy.” Demetri shook her head, pushed herself out of Bellamy’s arms and hiding a wince.

“You’re hurt.” Bellamy stated realizing afterwards how obvious that was.

“And you need me there to deal with him.” Demetri swallowed her sharp intake of breath and looked right at Bellamy. “Let’s go.” Demetri walked towards the dropship alone, telling herself they’d settle this and she’d rest. She wouldn’t let Clarke and Bellamy deal with Murphy alone, she was the tie breaker after all.

Clarke ran up to her side, scolding her but also supporting her as they kept going. Bellamy sighed before he moved to lead the way, his face quickly hardening as they got closer to the dropship. Finn followed on the girls’ heels because he was worried about the same thing Demetri was.

“Where is he?” Bellamy barked as he threw the tarp leading into the dropship to the side.

He stormed in first, the girls and Finn only a few steps behind. They all stopped just a few feet into the drop ship, a small crowd standing around the main area. They saw Murphy, bloodied and beaten, curled in on himself leaning the back wall of the dropship. He was dirty, covered in dried mud and grimy, he looked thinner and frailer. Demetri struggled to swallow down the guilt she felt rising in her chest. She had suggested to banish John, she did this. He seemed to be in worse shape than she was and that alone made her want Clarke to check on him and make sure he was okay.

“Everyone but Joseph and Connor out.” Bellamy commanded. The dropship emptied quickly just from the tone of Bellamy’s voice, no one was curious enough to defy him.

“He says he was with the grounders.” Connor broke the silence, the barrel of his gun resting right beside Murphy’s head in a threatening but non-threatening way.

“We caught him trying to sneak back into camp.” Joseph finished the thought, all his attention was on John Murphy.

“I was running from the grounders, not sneaking in.” Murphy coughed and kept his eyes on the floor.

“See any grounders?” Bellamy asked the guards beside Murphy with his hand resting on the handgun he’d always had on him.

“No.” They chorused looking way too pleased for Demetri to feel comfortable.

“Well in that case --” Bellamy started raised his gun towards Murphy, Demetri who had been clinging to Clarke, tried to stumble towards Bellamy with her left arm outstretched.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Finn shoved the nose of the gun down, moving to stand in between Bellamy and Murphy.

“We were clear about what would happen if he came back.” Bellamy looked past Finn and stared right at Murphy’s cowering figure.

“Bellamy, stop.” Demetri flinched as she grabbed his arm and tugged him back a bit.

“If he was with the grounders than he knows things, things that can help us.” Finn reasoned, practically begging Demetri to get Bellamy to stand down with his eyes.

“Help us?” Bellamy choked back a laugh of disbelief. “We hung him, banished him, and now we’re gonna kill him.” Bellamy raised his gun again, “Get out of my way.” Demetri’s grip slipped from his arm and she moved to stand in front of him but Bellamy’s other arm held her back.

“No, Finn’s right.” Clarke rushed out as she looked at Murphy’s hands.

“Like hell he is.” Bellamy’s voice thickened. “Clarke think about Charlotte.” His arm fell to his side as he focused his disappointed look at Clarke, everyone was against him at the moment.

“I am, Bellamy. But what happened to her is as much our fault as it is his.” Clarke turned her head towards him, sparing him a moment, before she focused back on Murphy.

“Bell, calm down.” Demetri tugged on his arm, pulling his attention away from Murphy and to her. “We don’t have to kill him, he’s still one of ours.” Demetri needed Bellamy to stand down, it was the only way she could even begin to make up for being the catalyst for this chain of events.

“Dem, he’s--” Bellamy was focused on Demetri as he tried to read her expression as her hands weakly wrapped around his forearm, begging him to listen to her.

“He’s not lying, his fingernails were torn off.” Clarke carefully looked at Murphy’s hands and the wounds on his face. “They tortured him.”

“You should compare notes.” Finn sneered at Bellamy, which earned him a glare from Demetri.

“They know we’re at war, what did you tell them Murphy?” Demetri asked changing tactics and wobbling towards Murphy. She stopped just beside Clarke and knelt before him, already doing a quick assessment of his condition.

“Everything.” Murphy swallowed thickly, eyes darting between those in the room.

“We see what he knows after he’s better then he’s gone.” Clarke stood and moved towards the exit of the dropship. She glanced at Demetri, who was still on one knee before Murphy, as she stopped just beside Bellamy.

“And if he refuses to leave?” Bellamy turned from Murphy to Clarke. “What do we do then?”

“Then we kill him.” She looked at Murphy before answering, there was a strange resolve in her eyes on full display, then she was gone.

“We’re not killing him.” Demetri said by Murphy’s side the guilt eating away at her.

“Demetri, we’re not letting him stay.” Bellamy asserted. Demetri locked eyes with Murphy and the raw fear she saw in them stole her breath.

“That’s fine, but there’s been too much death, we’re not adding John’s name to the list.” She stood and Bellamy moved to help her instantly. “If he doesn’t want to leave we can take him to one of the bunkers, let him fend for himself there. But we are not killing him.” Demetri looked up into Bellamy’s eyes, trying to share with him how she felt in that moment without words, and as his eyes searched hers she hoped he understood her.

“Ok, ok, fine. Let’s just get Clarke to look at your shoulder, okay?” Bellamy placated already turning towards Joseph and Conner. “Get him laid down somewhere, he needs to rest if he’s going to get better.”

---

The next hour was arguably the worst hour of Demetri’s life, at least since they had landed on Earth. There were twenty four individual cuts in her shoulder from the teeth of the bear trap, twelve for each side. Clarke ended up using a knife similar to the one she used when Jasper was hurt to cauterize each cut. Demetri honestly thought she was going to pass out half way through but somehow, maybe it was thanks to Octavia holding her hand so tightly, she stayed conscious. Demetri barely kept herself together as Clarke finally sealed the last cut and Octavia started wiping away the river of tears falling from Demetri’s eyes. The older girl heaved a huge sigh of relief once Clarke announced she was done. Demetri then watched Clarke use some of the seaweed to make a paste and rub it lightly onto the fresh burns on her shoulder. The sensation, though a little painful at first, ended up soothing away a lot of the remaining pain.

Soon after that Clarke had finished cleaning the wounds and had wrapped Demetri’s shoulder. Then she was left to wander around the camp a bit, prohibited from doing any strenuous labor, so really anything. Now that the wounds were taken care of properly they didn’t hurt as much, she just had almost zero movement. That was the real inconvenience.

Demetri had just managed to get herself sat down amongst the others by the fire when Joseph, one of the two that brought Murphy in, started yelling for Clarke. Demetri watched in horror as he coughed up blood and trails of blood trickled from his nose and his ears. Clarke came running out of the radio tent moments later and she had remnants of blood running from her eyes. Demetri jumped up and rushed to Clarke, only for Clarke to push her away as she gasped for air.

“Get away from us.” Connor, the other guy who brought Murphy in, who was sitting by the fire where Demetri had just been sitting puked up blood next. Clarke shared a look with Demetri. “They’re the ones who brought Murphy in.”

Clarke ran to the dropship with Demetri in tow. They found Murphy holding his stomach as he puked up blood, like the others. He couldn’t have looked more scared and beaten down than he did in that moment. The fresh blood mixed with the dried blood and he looked like he shouldn’t be breathing right now.

“Murphy, how did you escape? I need you to tell me.” Clarke knelt beside him, she was dealing with a bout of shortness of breath and was having trouble speaking well.

“I don’t know. I woke up.” Murphy gasped, “They forgot to lock my cage so I ran for it.” He started dry heaving, choking.

“They let you go.” Clarke mumbled.

“Here.” Demetri dropped to her knees and wiped at Murphy’s face. She tried to help him but she didn’t know what to do. All she could really think about was that she had done this to him, she had suggested banishing him and now this. Now he had come back to them to die.

“Demi!” Clarke turned to her fearful before turning to Bellamy who entered the dropship at that moment. “Bellamy, stay back.” Clarke was gasping as she spoke now.

“What the hell is this?” Bellamy looked between Murphy and Clarke.

“Biological warfare.” Clarke looked up at Bellamy. “You were waiting for retaliation? This is it. Murphy’s the weapon.”

Demetri watched Bellamy change, like a switch flipped. His worry became rage so quickly it could have given everyone whiplash. He stepped forward before Clarke threw her a look and he stopped.

“Is this your revenge on us? Helping the grounders kill us?”

“I didn’t know, I swear.” Murphy coughed, choking on another mouthful of blood. Clarke started to treat his wounds as Bellamy paced the dropship.

“Stop lying.” Bellamy bellowed.

“Bellamy, calm down.” Demetri sighed, “If he had known he wouldn’t have come back here, he’s not that type of person.” Bellamy only looked at Demetri for a moment as she helped Clarke take care of Murphy, he saw something flash across her eyes he didn’t recognize.

“When are they attacking?” Bellamy changed topics.

“Think Murphy.” Demetri encouraged. “Is there anything you can remember that will be useful?”

“They’re cruel, vicious.” Murphy managed, staring right at Bellamy.

“You wanna see cruel? Vicious?” Bellamy snarled, advancing towards him.

“Bellamy, stop. Whatever this is, it spreads through contact.” Clarke held her hand out to stop him. Clarke had barely glanced at Demetri when the damp cloth in her hand slapped against the floor.

Bellamy froze, so did Demetri. He watched Demetri turn to look at Clarke and watched it connect in her head that she was already exposed to whatever this was. And anyone Demetri had come in contact since they talked to Murphy the first time had been exposed to it too. Demetri swallowed down her panic and steeled her nerves before she picked up the wet cloth and started dabbing on the cut above Murphy’s eye again.

“It’s some kind of hemorrhagic fever.” Clarke explained, taking deep breaths as she went.

She was about to speak again when Finn barrelled in. Clarke’s eye twitched at seeing Finn look so worried for her. Demetri only spared the boy a look before focusing back on Murphy, who had been watching her now.

“I heard you were sick, how are you?” Finn froze when he saw the smears of blood on her cheeks.

“Those of you who haven’t come in contact with those exposed need to get out. If we keep it contained--” Clarke was cut off by Connor convulsing from where he laid on the floor.

His body shook as he coughed and choked, until he threw up a large pool of blood, much larger than the others. He rolled around onto his stomach and shook a bit more before he took one large, final breath before his just stopped. Clarke had moved as soon as he did, dodging Finn’s outstretched hands, and went to check for a pulse. It was quiet in the dropship as everyone waited with bated breath for what Clarke would say, even though they already knew the answer.

“Is he--” Demetri couldn’t finish her question, Murphy had curled in on himself just beside her.

“He’s dead.” Clarke confirmed, a worried look passing between everyone in the dropship.

“We need to quarantine everyone who had direct contact with Murphy. Get them in here.” Clarke watched Finn run off to start gathering people.

“Joseph, who brought Murphy in last night? Think.” Everyone watched Joseph process the question.

“The first one to get to him was” He gasped, fearful eyes darting to Bellamy. “Octavia.”

Bellamy was gone the moment her name was spoken. Clarke turned to Demetri and crawled over to her. Clarke’s movements were slow, but still calculated, she tried to not move unnecessarily to conserve energy.

“Hold still, I need to examine you.” Clarke checked Demetri’s throat and poked around her neck and face before she sighed. “No signs of swelling or bleeding, you don’t have any symptoms.”

“Great, I can help.” Demetri stood and started to move things around to the best of her ability to make space for the incoming sick.

“Just because you don’t have symptoms that doesn’t mean it you can’t start showing them later.”

“If they come, then I’ll cross that bridge then.” Demetri helped a girl who was definitely showing symptoms into the dropship as she spoke and stayed mindful of her shoulder, which still hurt.

Clarke was about to say something when Bellamy stormed back in with a worried Octavia behind him. There was palpable tension from the siblings as they walked up to Clarke, with Bellamy staying back far enough to avoid contact and he had gotten a piece of cloth to cover his nose and mouth. Clarke looked her over the same way she looked Demetri over and ended up with the same outcome.

“Like Demi, no symptoms. We need to keep Octavia here just in case, since she was the first one to come in contact with Murphy, she could be a carrier.” Clarke turned off the light she had used and turned towards Bellamy.

“She’ll get sick just by being here, both of them will.” Bellamy looked at Demetri who was a few feet away handing out cloth to those needing them to wipe their bloodied faces.

“I’ll keep Octavia on the third level, with others who haven’t shown symptoms. Think of it as a way to keep her in camp.” Clarke spared a glance at Octavia.

“Screw you Clarke.” Octavia rolled her eyes.

“If something changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Fine. What about Demetri?” Bellamy’s eyes shifted to her for a moment before she stood.

“Demetri is going to stay here and help take care of those who are sick, while you get out of here Bellamy.” Demetri informed him, using her foot to kick him lightly towards the door. He sighed, again getting a dreadful feeling seeing the three of them together like this.

“I’ll check in later.” Bellamy left them in the dropship, a worried look on his face.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking Clarke?” Demetri looked at her best friend.

“Probably.” She turned to Octavia. “I need you to sneak out again.”

“And I’m going with you.” Demetri stepped forward.

“Alright, we’ll be back later.” Octavia nodded after a moment understanding what this meant.

---

Demetri stayed a step behind Octavia, her left hand holding onto her right shoulder to try to ease the pain. They had snuck out of camp and were moving quietly further away from their home. They were just around the area that they rescued Octavia from before when she stopped Demetri.

“Why did you want to come?” Octavia turned to Demetri. “You’re not going to go crazy on him like Bellamy did are you?”

“No, I want to talk to him.” Demetri glanced at Octavia before wincing. “We’re facing a war Octavia, with a people who will probably slaughter most of us. I believe we can trust Lincoln.”

“I’m glad someone sees reason here.” Octavia mused, before she lead Demetri into the secret passage that lead into Lincoln’s hideout.

Octavia ran into the cave without stopping, right up to Lincoln who was waiting for her. He immediately began checking her ears and looking around her face. He sighed when he seemed happy with his findings.

“You knew?” Octavia whispered, eyes widening.

“I tried to get you out.” His focus was solely on her. “Didn’t you see the flower?”

“I saw it.” Octavia took a breath, “Before I found one of our own that your people sent to infect us.”

Demetri tried to step down quietly, without disturbing their moment but misstepped and rammed her shoulder into the wall. She had no idea something could hurt that bad, at this point she wondered if death would hurt this much too.

“Ah!” She gasped, the pain surging through her body.

Lincoln jumped, pushing Octavia behind him as he pulled out a knife, no doubt doused in poison. He lowered it moments later when he recognized the girl before him, the only other person from the people from the sky he had even considered trusting.

“She’s with me.” Octavia stepped out from behind him and rushed to help Demetri up.

There was blood pooling under her bandages but Demetri stood straight up and faced Lincoln head on. She took a step forward but stumbled a bit. Octavia held onto her.

“We’ve haven’t officially met, I’m--”

“Demetri, Octavia talks highly of you.” Lincoln nodded. “Here, sit down.”

“That’s good to know, sometimes I think Octavia hates me.” Demetri sent Octavia a fond look. “Thank you Lincoln.”

“You’re here about the sickness right?”

“That, but I also want to apologize again and thank you. What happened in the dropship, it shouldn’t have--.” Lincoln held up his hand. “I understand. I wanted to thank you because I saw you take that arrow for Octavia, I know you care about her. I also know that you know a war is coming our way. I’m not going to ask for you to fight with us, because you have no reason for that. But if it comes to it, can I trust you to get Octavia out of the line of fire and somewhere safe?” Demetri looked right at Lincoln.

“Demetri, I--” Octavia tried to interrupt.

“If your brother were a bit more trusting he’d consider asking the same thing.” Demetri stopped the younger girl and focused on the man before her. “Your people know the land, they’ve been surviving here on Earth the whole time our people been up in space. Unless we come up with some master plan we could all die. If it comes to it, can you promise me you’ll get Octavia out of here?” Lincoln nodded. “I want to hear you say it.”

“I promise you, Demetri.” Lincoln nodded again.

Demetri sighed as she slouched a bit in the seat Lincoln had gotten for her. A weight she didn’t know she had on her chest gone.

“Onto less serious matters, can you tell us about the disease, is there a cure?”

“No, there’s no cure.” Lincoln shook his head, looking away from the girls before him.

“You were gonna let my people die?” Octavia’s voice was loud in the small space, “Let me die?”

“It passes quickly, few are usually immune. We use it to soften the battlefield.” Lincoln moved to Octavia, cupping her face. “I am not surprised you are one of the strong ones.” Then he turned to Demetri, “You either.”

“Battlefield?” Lincoln’s hand dropped from Octavia’s face at her question.

“They will attack at first light.” His voice was quiet, he looked away from the girls.

“She might not ask you to help us, but I will, Lincoln, you have to help us.” Octavia pleaded.

Demetri watched them go back and forth, a sinking feeling in her chest. Lincoln wanted to take Octavia and go East, get away from it all. Demetri thought it wasn’t a bad idea.

“I can’t leave my brother to die, I can’t leave Demetri, my people.” Octavia got a little frantic, “There must be something we can do!”

“There’s nothing, not now. Even the mountain men are angry.” Lincoln shook his head.

“We warn them.” Demetri spoke, rising to her feet, making a mental note to ask about the mountain men if they live. “Octavia can come back here afterwards.”

“Demetri--”

“If you’re safe, your brother will be able to think clearer. I told you I trust Lincoln.”

“Okay, alright.” Octavia nodded after a minute. “Wait for me here, I’ll come to you.”

“Lincoln, please protect her.” Demetri pleaded.

“I will.” Lincoln nodded, he helped Demetri to her feet.

Lincoln held his arm out to Demetri, she moved to shake his hand but his hand grasped her forearm, she grabbed his and he squeezed her arm gently. They both nodded, understanding what they needed to do. Demetri turned towards the doorway they came in when Lincoln turned to Octavia and kissed her. Octavia pulled away and grabbed Demetri’s good hand and tugged her away. A new sense of urgency in their steps as they jogged through the now familiar woods.

---

They were just outside the wall when gunshots boomed in camp. The pair squeezed through the hole just behind the dropship and popped out beside it in time to see the panicked faces of the 100 looking at Clarke. She was standing at the edge of the dropship door with a rifle pointed to the sky.

“They won’t have to kill us if we all catch the virus, get back in the damn dropship.” A hothead with a gun to the right yelled at Clarke with his gun raised.

Bellamy ripped the gun from the guy’s hands and elbowed him in the mouth, which caused the guy to fall to his knees and stumble back. Demetri looked away from Bellamy and the guy in time to see Clarke falling backwards. Finn rushed forward and caught her just before she hit the ground. Demetri ran up and looked over Clarke, she looked worse than when they had left earlier. Lincoln was right, it traveled fast because they hadn’t been gone very long at all. Demetri felt calmer knowing it wasn’t meant to kill them, just weaken them.

“I’m fine, put me down.” Clarke held onto Demetri for support.

“No you’re not.” Finn argued.

“Octavia and Demetri will come back with a cure.” Clarke didn’t noticed that Demetri was right beside her and that worried Demetri a lot.

“There is no cure.” Octavia came out from behind the dropship. “They don’t use the illness to kill.”

“Tell that to them.” Bellamy pointed to the two dead bodies just outside the dropship.

“Bellamy, listen to her.” Demetri called to him. “What she has to say is important.”

“The grounders are coming and they’re attacking at first light. If there’s anything left to prepare, we need to do it now.” The camp fell into a slight panic as everyone started to get ready for whatever was coming.

Octavia moved towards Finn and Clarke, as Demetri told him to get Clarke inside. Octavia shoved Bellamy’s hand off her arm as he reached out for her, he sighed but turned to Demetri. Demetri took a few steps towards Bellamy, just close enough for their conversation to still be kind of private.

“You focus on a battle plan, I’ll take care of everyone who’s sick. Lincoln said that there are always some that are immune, if there are people who have been exposed and aren’t sick yet they’re probably apart of that few.”

“What about you and Octavia?”

“He said if we aren’t sick yet, we won’t be.” Demetri answered confidently.

“Why did you go with her?” Bellamy asked quietly.

“Because you wouldn’t have let her go alone.” Demetri teased, “And I wanted to talk to him. I trust him Bellamy.” Bellamy could only nod. “I’ll explain after this passes and we see the day after tomorrow.”

Bellamy was amazed Demetri could be so positive at a time like this, but he figured that’s why he was so drawn to her. He watched her jog into the dropship to take over while Clarke was sick and he began planning. He instantly started calling out orders and directing the flow of movement so that the time they had to prepare was used wisely.

---

Murphy was helping Finn get Clarke into a hammock when Demetri entered the dropship. Murphy had moved to a pull out seat on the far wall, as everyone gathered around Clarke.

“He said it passes quickly.” Demetri broke the silence, as everyone fretted over Clarke.

“It’s true, I feel better.” Murphy confirmed.

“They need to stay hydrated.” Clarke tried to sit up.

“You need to take your own advice.” Demetri said, pushing her back down.

Octavia brought her a cup of water and after Clarke finished it she tried to move again before Finn pushed her back into the hammock this time.

“You need to rest Clarke, we’ll take care of them.” Demetri moved to get some water to pass out.

“I’ll help.” Octavia nodded, passing out cloth and checking on everyone who was asleep.

“I will too.” Murphy stood and started taking the cups of water from Demetri and giving everyone some.

Clarke and Finn talked quietly until Clarke fell asleep. Demetri knew she told them to get away from camp, to leave her and the sick there. If she thought Finn would listen she was out of her mind, and if she thought Demetri would leave her she didn’t know her best friend that well.

“At this rate, there will be no one to fight back.” Murphy said as he handed Demetri a cup to refill.

“That’s the point.” Demetri told him, handing him the now full cup back.

“Then we slow them down.” Finn left Demetri, Octavia, and Murphy to care for the sick as he ran off, no doubt with a crazy idea. Demetri just hoped he thought it through a little more this time.

Bellamy stopped by the dropship about an hour later on to say that they were going back to the Exodus crash to get as much of the Hydrazine as they could to build a bomb. He said Finn had come up with the idea to blow up the bridge to slow down the grounders and Raven had figured out how to do it. Demetri told him to be careful before sending them off. She stood at the entrance of the dropship and watched them run off into the cool evening air as the sun started the set. She prayed to any of the gods she had heard about while on the Ark that all of them would make it back safely.

A few hours had passed by the time Demetri decided to take a short break. Most of those who had been sick at the beginning, had suffered, survived, and made their way back out into camp to hopefully live another day and prepare for the morning. Octavia was taking care of Clarke and Murphy moved to roll Joseph on his side when he started to convulse and vomit again. Demetri was just standing back up to pass out water again when she saw two people bring Bellamy into the dropship.

“Clear some space!” Demetri’s voice was shrill in fear as the guys carrying him laid him on a now open mat on the floor.

“Bellamy? You’re okay, get it out.” Demetri held him steady as he threw up blood while Octavia rushed to his side.

“Hey big brother.” Octavia cooed as she wiped his face.

Bellamy being so pale, with blood splattered all over his face and shirt, with tears in his eyes before them, left both of them terrified.

“I’m scared.” Bellamy whispered as his eyes rolled back in his head and he tried to focus.

Demetri and Octavia shared a look. Bellamy had never voiced that he was scared, he always wore a strong face and kept up the facade of never backing down. To hear him say it out loud, in such a weak voice, whatever emotion was worse than being terrified they both felt it.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” Octavia masked her fear well as she grabbed his hand.

“I said that to you the day you were born.” Bellamy managed a weak smile.

“I know, you tell me all the time.” Octavia’s voice was soft.

“I’ll take care of the others, you stay with him.” Demetri stopped petting Bellamy’s hair and went to stand up when his other hand grabbed the end of her jacket.

“Dem, I trust you. I need you to know that.” Demetri blinked away her tears.

“I know Bell, I know you do.” She kissed his knuckles. “O will take care of you okay? You’ll be better in a little bit.”

Bellamy squeezed her hand weakly and let Demetri go. The hand that had been holding onto Octavia’s tightened. Demetri went back to what she had been doing all day. Now more as a distraction over anything else. As time went by all she could do was spare glances at Bellamy as she worked to keep the dropship relatively clean of blood and do her best to insure no one else died. Not long after Bellamy had fallen asleep, Clarke woke up. Her face was less pale and there was no more bleeding from the various orifices. She appeared stronger and breathed just fine. When Clarke called out for Demetri she dropped whatever she was doing and rushed to her best friend.

“God I was so worried.” Demetri threw her good arm around Clarke.

“Demi, your shoulder!” Clarke scolded when she saw that she had bled through the bandages, “If you’re not careful there will be long term damage.”

“Taking care of our people is more important okay.” Demetri looked Clarke’s face over, “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, what happened while I was out.”

“A lot. Finn came up with the idea to bomb the bridge and Raven figured out how, so they’re probably off doing that now. A lot of people have survived the sickness, many have already moved back out into the camp. There have been a few that it’s hit late,” Demetri paused, looking at Bellamy’s sleeping figure. “Bellamy being one of them.”

“Have you slept yet? Eaten?” Clarke looked Demetri over next, noticing the bags under her eyes.

“How can I sleep when the people I care about most are lying in here? And we’re anticipating a grounder attack at daybreak?” Demetri scoffed, pretending she was not only physically exhausted but mentally too.

“Get some rest, I’ll take over.” Clarke took the cup and rag from Demetri, and nodded for her to leave.

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” Demetri looked around the dropship. “Octavia just left to take a break, she was up all night too. Murphy just took over for her.” Clarke nodded again. “I’ll go up to the third level, if anything happens yell for me okay?”

“Got it.” Clarke immediately got to work, caring for the sick still in the dropship.

Demetri ascended to the third level leaving the hatch open and laid down on the seats against the wall. She stretched her achy body, grimaced when her shoulder screamed in protest, and then moved around till she was in a decently comfortable position. The long night finally caught up with her and soon she was pulled into restful dreamland she hadn’t had in a long time.

---

A loud rumble woke Demetri maybe a few hours later. She hoped it was the bomb at the bridge Bellamy had told her about. She chose to be hopeful and always see a silver lining regardless of the situation as it made everything much easier to deal with. She slowly went down the ladder and just started right back up where she left off, giving out water and wiping sweat from foreheads because there was still people who needed her. Now there were even less people suffering with the sickness. It was a good sign in Demetri’s eyes, the bridge was blown up and their people were making it through a sickness sent to help wipe them out.

She moved to check on Bellamy but he wasn’t in the dropship anymore and she hoped that meant he had made a full recovery too. Demetri went to wringe out some rags in the corner into a barrel that was cut in half and had been moved into the dropship. Just as she finished wringing them out she went back into the main area of the dropship to get clean water when she noticed Raven in the hammock Clarke had been before. She took a newly cleaned rag and wiped at Raven’s forehead, helping lower her fever.

“You’re strong Raven, you’ll get through this.” Demetri assured quietly, she went to step away when Raven grabbed her hand. “Hey, you’re okay.” Demetri cooed, patting her hand.

“I just need someone here.” Raven’s voice was raspy, Demetri saw unshed tears in her eyes and she noticed the necklace she always wore was gone. Demetri’s gaze softened.

“Alright, I’ll stay. Don’t worry.” Demetri held Raven’s hand between her own as Raven fell back asleep.

“After all this time your heart is still pure gold huh?” Murphy asked from the side.

“What are you talking about John?” Demetri turned her body to face him, settling in the seat beside Raven.

“We’ve been down here what? A month now, maybe two. You’re still as caring and righteous as you were the day we landed. Still as much bite behind your bark too. You haven’t changed at all.” He mused, watching as Demetri leant back against the wall and slowly let go of Raven’s hand.

“I have changed John, I’ve watched friends die. I watched you get banished. I’ve seen more than enough death in my days, especially now, to never want to see it again. What’s wrong with staying positive?”

“Nothing is Demetri, but with what’s coming, the death is just starting.” Murphy sat down a few feet away. “I’m worried we won’t make it, I’m worried they’ll kick me out to let me die again.”

“Not this time.” Demetri shook her head. “I won’t let then.”

“It was your idea last time.” Murphy’s voice turned sharp, pointed like the knife he held at her throat all that time ago. The feeling of anger swelled in his chest as he stared at the girl before him, someone he had thought about getting revenge on since he was sent off to die.

“It was that or letting you die. I knew you’d survive, it’s what you do John.” Demetri remained calm, she turned to put the rag back into the bucket. “Ah!” Demetri froze her movement when her shoulder sent a shock of pain through her body.

“You should go see Clarke, you’re bleeding through your bandages.” Murphy nodded, taking the rag from her hand. “I won’t get near her, but I’ll watch her till you’re back.” He made a mental note about her shoulder.

“Thanks John.” Demetri nodded at him, before she left the dropship to find Clarke. Demetri missed the way Murphy glared at Joseph’s sleeping form, before descending on him, out for blood.

---

“It’s been two days.” Clarke said to Demetri as they stood atop a hill just outside the wall.

“I know.” Demetri looked at the scenery around them. “They’re still coming, they wouldn’t give up.”

“Which is why we don’t stop preparing.” Bellamy’s voice scared them from behind. “Jasper thinks he can throw together some more gunpowder with some sulfur and Raven thinks she can turn that into landmines.” Bellamy lead them down the hill. “So watch where you step.”

“Ha. Funny.” Clarke cracked a smile.

“What I want is more of those bombs from the bridge, so we could walk right up to their villages and blow them all to hell.” Demetri smacked Bellamy with her good arm. “What? That’s what they want to do to us.”

Clarke was distracted, her eyes were vacant as she followed the couple

“Anything from the Ark?” Bellamy looked between the two, missing the worried look Demetri sent Clarke’s way.

“No, complete silence.” Demetri answered.

“Ran out of air?” Bellamy said quietly.

“Maybe my mom was lucky, it was quick with Exodus.” Clarke looked down at Demetri’s hand in hers. Demetri kept the comment about it not meaning anything bad to herself. She made one only yesterday and Clarke snapped at her.

“Let’s get you two back in camp, you’re not carrying weapons.” Bellamy broke the silence, his hands moving down to guide them towards the gate.

“I’d carry one if you’d let me.” Demetri countered, but followed Bellamy back towards the gate anyway.

“You’re not suppose to be using your right shoulder or arm Demi, at all.” Clarke scolded her. “You already overextended it when everyone was sick.”

“I wasn’t just gonna sit around and do nothing Clarke.” Demetri turned on her friend. “Sure it hurt a lot then, but I can’t be a hindrance when the grounders could attack at any moment.” Then she turned to Bellamy, “And you, ordering me to either stay by Clarke or with you? I’m not at a hundred percent, but I’m not useless.”

“Can you raise your arm up this high?” Bellamy held his arm out to her shoulder level, Demetri winced when her arm got to just above her stomach area. “Exactly. You’re not useless, but you can’t fight right now. So you do what you can but you stick close to one of us. Or I can assign a guard to you.” Bellamy threatened airly, trying to get Demetri to listen.

“You think your sister was a rebel, just try and give me a babysitter like you did to her.” Demetri glared up at Bellamy.

She knew Bellamy was acting this way because he was worried about her, but she had more than proved to be capable of taking care of herself, injured or not. And with Bellamy suddenly on her case about everything with her shoulder injury, she felt like she was being boxed in. She was beginning to understand Octavia more and more.

“Just come walk rounds with me, okay?” Bellamy tried to placate Demetri.

“Let’s go then.” Demetri smirked.

“Good luck with her.” Clarke waved after Bellamy, sending him a knowing look. Nobody could ever really control Demetri, and Clarke found it amusing to see Bellamy try.

Just as they entered the camp and started Bellamy’s rounds, a fire broke out in the smoke house. Bellamy ran over to pull Octavia out of the doorway as it caught fire. Demetri rushed to check on Murphy who was on the ground trying to get air in and smoke out of his lungs. The entire smokehouse, and everything inside of it, was up in flames moments later. Murphy was only by Demetri’s side for a moment before he was in Del’s face, yelling at him about putting too much wood on the fire.

Demetri stood and went to pull them apart when the other guy shoved her to the ground where she landed on her bad shoulder. Her luck with her arm was proving to be the worst. Bellamy was quick to get between them, holding them at arm's length as he looked over at Demetri. She sat up, holding her shoulder giving him a small okay sign.

“That’s all our food Bellamy, what are we gonna do?” Octavia yelled, glaring at the guy Murphy had punched, Del.

---

After the fire died down, Clarke and Bellamy started poking around as some of the 100 checked to see if anything made it.

“Know what happened here?” Clarke asked as she walked over to Bellamy, who was squatted by a still simmering carcass.

“Murphy said Del kept feeding the fire mostly because Octavia told him it was a bad idea.” Bellamy sighed, realizing he really was dealing with a bunch of kids.

“And we believe Murphy?” Clarke asked.

“I do.” Demetri said as she walked up. “Shoulder’s better now, don’t worry.” She answered the looks she got from both Clarke and Bellamy.

“What we have in the dropship will last one, maybe two weeks depending on how we ration it. Did anything survive?” Clarke asked, considering solutions.

“Nope, not a thing.” Bellamy stood.

“Then we have to hunt. Anyone we can spare goes out.” Clarke decided, going to walk away.

“With a grounder army out there waiting?” Bellamy stopped her.

“We won’t be able to fight if we’re starving Bell.” Demetri added. “We go out in hunting groups then.”

---

“Everyone go out with someone with a gun, use the spears for hunting. Don’t shoot unless it’s grounders, we can’t waste the ammo.” Bellamy spoke over the quiet chatter as people began to get spears or axes from inside the dropship and move outside to form hunting groups. “Get what you can, and be sure to be back by nightfall. No one stays out after dark.”

Clarke sidestepped a few people as she moved to get a spear. Demetri walked into the dropship then, with her backpack on and went straight to the rack of spears too.

“Should I consider us a group?” Demetri nudged Clarke with her good shoulder.

“Demi, you really should stay in camp.” Clarke started exasperated by Demetri’s constant disobedience.

“Look, I’m following both yours and Bellamy’s orders. I’m staying with either of you and not doing anything strenuous.”

“Hunting can be hard on your shoulder, you still need to rest.”

“Look.” Demetri very slowly raised her arm up till it was almost even with her shoulder. “And it doesn’t hurt much anymore. I rewrapped it after I cleaned the scabbing wounds and it felt a lot better.”

“I’m not telling Bellamy.” Clarke picked up a spear and froze when Finn appeared beside her.

“What are we not telling Bellamy?” Finn asked, looking between the two.

“That I’m going out with Clarke in a hunting group.” Demetri picked up a spear and smiled at Finn. “But that’s okay, I’ll tell him.”

“Need someone else?” Finn asked.

“No.” Clarke said.

“Yes.” Demetri glared at Clarke. “You take this, I can handle a gun now.”

Demetri went up to Bellamy, he already had disapproval written on his face.

“Don’t start Bell, Clarke cleared me to go on the hunt so give me a gun.” Demetri held both of her arms out evenly before Bellamy.

“Did she now?” Bellamy turned to Clarke. “Clarke, is she good to go?” Clarke reluctantly nodded. “Alright fine. Who are you going out with?”

“Clarke and Finn.” Demetri gladly took the gun from Bellamy. “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful okay?”

“Why don’t you come out with me?” Bellamy grabbed her hand.

“Bell, I promised I’d go with Clarke. I can’t let her go alone with Finn anyway, girl code.”

“You’re gonna lead me to an early death.” Bellamy sighed. “I need to go see if Raven has had time to make anymore bullets. Please be careful okay? Come back safely.”

“I’ll do the best I can.” Demetri stood on her tippy toes to peck Bellamy on the lips. “C’mon guys, let’s head out!”

Bellamy watched Clarke and Finn follow Demetri out of the the dropship. He made his way towards Raven’s tent as they left camp. He turned to watch them just before he stopped at Raven’s tent.

---

Finn led the way, picking up on boar tracks rather quickly. The trio followed the tracks out and away from camp. Demetri followed at the back with Clarke in the middle. Demetri listened to the quiet conversation of the pair before her, until Finn dropped to his knees.

“These tracks.” Finn started, looking at them closely.

“What about them?” Demetri asked, sparing a glance at the tracks before training her eyes back on the forest around them.

“They’re perfect.” Finn looked up at Clarke.

“Too perfect.” She finished his thought.

“We’re the ones being hunted.” Finn’s attention flew up and around them.

“I don’t see anything.” Demetri said as she looked through the scope of her gun. “Are yo--”

Her words were cut off by an arrow landing in her shoulder, the bad one. The pain was so strong it knocked Demetri off her feet. Clarke rushed to Demetri, trying to figure out how to help her. She sat her forward to see the arrow wasn’t all the way through her shoulder and she tried to figure out the best way to remove it in that moment.

“Clarke, go.” Demetri shoved her away. “You and Finn need to get out of here.” She winced as she sat herself up. “I can hide by a tree, I’ll be fine.”

“Demetri, I can’t leave you.” Clarke cried, tears springing to her eyes.

“Clarke, get out of here now!” Demetri shoved Clarke as hard as she could before she started crawling backwards towards the nearest tree.

“I’m so sorry Demetri.” Finn panted, “Let’s go Clarke.” He forcibly pulled her away from Demetri with tears running down her cheeks.

Demetri watched them run away and played dead when the grounders ran past her, they hardly spared her still body a glance. She heard Finn yell from a distance away before it went quiet. She hoped they had gotten away but deep down she knew they’d been caught. The pain surged through Demetri’s body when she moved, it was so strong she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer and darkness took her away.

---

“Demi?” A familiar voice called, “Demetri, where are you?”

“Bellamy! Over here!” Another familiar voice called.

Demetri opened her eyes only to be surrounded by darkness before Bellamy’s face popped into view. His hands cupped her face as she looked over him, a small smile gracing her pale lips.

“You found me.” Demetri panted as the pain hit her again.

“What happened? Are you okay?” He looked her over as a guy with a torch stood close by, watching the area.

“Grounders were hunting us, they took Clarke and Finn.” Demetri tried to stand, “We need to go after them.”

“You need to get back to camp.” Bellamy held Demetri up. “You promised you’d be careful and look at you.”

“It’s a small scratch.” Demetri winced, “We should go find Clarke and Finn, I’ll be fine.” Demetri bent down to pick up her gun.

“You’re not going anywhere but camp.” Bellamy ordered, then he turned to Raven beside him, Demetri barely caught the strange look on his face. “I’m sorry Raven.”

“Let’s get her back, and regroup.” Raven started to walk away, “We need to make a stretcher.”

“Monty,” Bellamy spoke into a handheld radio, “We’re going home, check in?” Nothing. “Monty? C’mon.” Bellamy looked around those before him.

“Is Monty missing too?” Demetri asked, turning her head towards Bellamy.

“I don’t know, we’ll figure that out after we get you back.”

They quickly threw together a stretcher to carry Demetri back, the reality of the situation making everyone tense. Demetri grabbed Raven’s arm.

“Hey, they’ll be okay. They’re both smart and resourceful.” Demetri tried to smile up at Raven, “We need to believe in them.”

“I do.” Raven answered weakly, “I believe in them.”

---

As soon as Demetri was in the dropship and someone was assigned to look after her the camp broke out into a frenzy. Raven and Jasper started setting up mines just outside the walls and traps were being set to pick off any grounders that got too close. Demetri could vaguely hear all the noise through the walls of the dropship. She tried to focus but the pain from the arrow in her shoulder mixing with the already trying to heal wounds made it hard for her to focus on anything but the excruciating pain she was experiencing. A kid named Amy sat with her and made sure she watched over while all this went on. Demetri was sure if Amy hadn’t been sitting beside her, she would have lost her mind.

---

Bellamy came into the dropship a few hours later to check on Demetri, who was drenched in sweat and holding onto her shoulder tightly. Amy had spent her time wiping sweat from Demetri’s face and body and making sure she was still breathing. She didn’t know what else to do, so Amy just kept up a quiet and simple conversation until Bellamy came back. Amy left the dropship to get back to doing what she was doing before Bellamy asked her to sit with Demetri. Bellamy watched Demetri, afraid to touch her. He had had some of the 100 move stuff used to plan for battle and how to counterattack to a makeshift table in the dropship. He didn’t plan on leaving her side now. He had her stashed off to the side and out of the way in one of the corners of the dropship. So she was out of the way and hidden, just in case grounders came and they needed to hide in the dropship she would be okay. He side glanced a moaning kid named Miles, who also had an arrow sticking out of his body, one in his stomach area and one in his thigh. Bellamy tried to not get annoyed by Miles because he had no idea how much an arrow hurt but Demetri was lying there without hardly moaning while Miles hadn’t shut up.

“You should find Clarke.” Demetri mumbled, “She’ll be able to fix me up real quick.” She held loosely onto Bellamy’s arm, her eyes lazily focusing on him.

“I want to, but if we send people out to look for them, who protects the camp?” Bellamy’s voice was sad, he was torn.

“If the places were switched, they’d be out there looking for you.” Jasper said, from the front of the dropship.

“What I’m doing right now is what I think is right for the camp, for all of us.” Bellamy turned to Jasper.

“Hey, don’t get worked up.” Demetri tugged on Bellamy’s jacket, “You’re no fun when you’re worked up.” Demetri tried to keep the mood light, knowing Bellamy was going crazy on the inside.

“I’m going to work on sulfur for your mines.” Jasper deadpanned before he ascended the stairs, his gun left on the table.

“Water, please.” Miles whined. “Water.”

“Go take care of him. This is nothing for me.” Demetri shoved against Bellamy’s stomach as he stepped closer to her.

It was much weaker than he would have liked it to be, but he nodded. He pushed damp hair from her forehead and gave her a hopeful smile.

“I’ll be right back, don’t you go anywhere.” He teased, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“And where would I go Bell?” She replied, smiling weakly up at him through half lidded eyes.

Bellamy squeezed her hand before he left to get Miles some water.

“You’ll be fine Miles, don’t worry. They’ll find Clarke and we’ll be okay.” Demetri called softly, before resorting to focus on breathing.

---

A few minutes later she heard Miles making weird noises, she moved her body around enough to see Murphy standing over him with a plastic bag over Miles’ head. Her eyes shot open as it registered that Murphy was suffocating Miles just ten feet from her. Biting down hard on her bottom lip, as quietly as she could, she rolled out the hammock she’d been laid in and hid herself in the shadows of the corner. She watched in horror as Miles stopped fighting, she bit her forefinger to stop any noises from coming out of her mouth. Panic coursed through her veins.

A clunking noise drew both her and Murphy’s attention to the ladder as Jasper had started to come down. Everyone froze when Jasper looked up as he hit the ground to see Murphy stashing the plastic bag out of sight. The silence was tense.

“He stopped breathing, I was trying to help him.” Murphy lied.

Jasper nodded, Demetri wanted to yell at Jasper to run, to get help. But she knew if she opened her mouth, they would both die by Murphy’s hands. Nobody moved for a heartbeat before the guys both went for Jasper’s gun he had sat down earlier. Murphy got to it first and aimed it right at Jasper’s heart.

“Murphy,” Jasper whispered, “put the gun down.”

“He tried to kill me.” Murphy motioned to Miles’ body. “Hey! Don’t move!” Murphy yelled when Jasper made a move for the door.

“Okay, okay, it’s fine.” Jasper had a hand out in front of him. He seemed to have forgotten Demetri was in the dropship too and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“No, it’s not fine. We both know what will happen if you tell Bellamy.” Murphy sounded panicked.

“Tell Bellamy what?” Bellamy’s voice crackled from Jasper’s side.

Demetri saw the way Murphy tensed up. He took a step towards Jasper who took a step back.

“Give me the radio.” Jasper slowly pulled the radio from his pocket.

Demetri held her breath, if Jasper listened all would be okay.

“Murphy has a gun, he killed Miles.” Jasper barely finished before Murphy slammed the butt of the gun into Jasper’s face, knocking him to the ground.

“No, Jasper!” Demetri whispered to herself.

“Murphy, what the hell are you doing?” Bellamy’s voice crackled through the walkie.

Murphy moved towards the switch for the dropship door and he pulled it, pulling the door up. A ruckus started outside as the door had started to move.

“Murphy! Murphy open the damn door!” Bellamy yelled as the door started to shut.

“You try to be a hero and Jasper dies.” Murphy bellowed as the door shut, sealing them inside.

He already started tying Jasper up, his hands secured behind his back. Demetri started to panic in that moment. She needed to do something, but with the arrow in her shoulder she was practically useless.

“The arrow.” Demetri gritted her teeth together and pressed on the arrow, if she can get it to break the skin on the back she could pull it through.

Under the cover of beating on the outside of the dropship, she let out a soft groan as the arrow broke through the skin of her back. She had to stop because a new, stronger wave of pain washed over her. She felt faint as her body processed what happened. With another deep breath she reached behind her and jerked the arrow out of her shoulder. The pain sent shockwaves through her body again. Clarke was going to tear her a new one later but she’d welcome it then. As it went silent outside, so did Demetri as she tried to stop the shuttering of her body. She slowly forced her body into a sitting position and moved to where she could see the open area of the dropship.

“Murphy, I know you can hear me.” Bellamy’s voice broke through the silence. “All our ammo and food is in the middle level. You know that, you’re leaving us vulnerable to an attack right now. I can’t let you do this.”

“Well in case you haven’t noticed, you’re not exactly in control right now.” Murphy spat, moving away to watch the door and Jasper.

“C’mon Murphy.” Bellamy’s voice was strained, “You don’t want to hurt Jasper, you want to hurt me.” Demetri stopped breathing. “So what do you say? Make a trade, him for me?”

Demetri’s grip on the arrow was so tight her knuckles were white.

“Bellamy, no.” Demetri whimpered.

“All you have to do is let him go and I’ll take his place.”

Murphy looked over at Jasper, saw the tears gathering in his eyes, and smiled. It was then, as Jasper looked around a little frantic that he noticed Demetri tucked away in the corner. She held her finger to her lips to warn Jasper not to make a noise. His eyes widened, remembering she had been lying off to the side with an arrow through her shoulder just minutes before.

“How?” Murphy’s voice was light and airy.

“Simple, open the dropship door, I walk in, he walks out.” Murphy fidgeted with the radio in his hand as he thought.

Demetri realized that would be her only chance, if she could get Murphy after he opened the door and Bellamy was walking in, Bellamy could take care of him. Everyone would be okay. Demetri held her breath as Murphy walked over to the lever and pulled it. The door creaked as it went down.

“Bellamy, just you, unarmed.” He yelled. “10 seconds or I’ll put one in Jasper’s leg.”

Murphy started counting down, Jasper shook his head when he saw Demetri move into a ready crouched position. He stopped at five when Bellamy yelled at him.

“I’m here!”

Bellamy walked through the flap to find a gun pointed at his face as Jasper was pushed past him. Octavia could vaguely be heard telling Jasper to get up before the door started to go up again. With Murphy being distracted by Bellamy, Demetri tightened her grip on the arrow and she charged at Murphy. He spun, the barrel of the gun moving away from Bellamy for a moment. Murphy stepped out of the way and used his elbow to hit Demetri in the stomach. She dropped to the ground, the arrow scuttering away from her.

“Ah, look at this, your little girlfriend likes to play hero, just like you.” Murphy grinned as he grabbed Demetri by her hair and drug her to her feet just before him. “I liked you Demetri, in the platonic sense. You’ve got a good heart. A little in the not platonic sense to be honest, too bad you had to get mixed up with him.” Murphy wrinkled his nose at Bellamy.

“John, don’t do this.” Demetri gasped, the pain from her shoulder mixed with the air getting knocked out of her had left her in a bad momentary state.

“Don’t hurt her.” Bellamy’s voice was rough. “Let her go, this doesn’t involve her.”

“It does, actually.” Murphy held Demetri against him, arm holding her down around her collar bones with his fingers hovering over her wounded shoulder. “You see, while she believed I didn’t kill Wells and cut me down, she suggested banishing me. She told me it’s because she knew I’m a survivor but because she said to send me away I was caught by grounders and tortured.” Murphy growled.

“Take it out on me, don’t hurt her.” Bellamy inched forward just a bit.

A bullet went through the floor just in front of Bellamy and Demetri jerked back.

“That’s far enough.”

“Bellamy, what the hell was that?” Octavia’s voice crackled through the radio on Murphy hip. “Bellamy!”

“If you want her to know you’re still alive, start tying those together.” Murphy pointed to the pile of seatbelts. “Why don’t you get the radio for me sweetheart.” Murphy sneered, using Bellamy’s nickname for Demetri.

Demetri winced as she reached across her body with her good arm to get the radio then she put it in Murphy’s waiting hand. Bellamy slowly started tying together the seatbelts in front of him, Demetri saw the fear in his eyes.

“John,” Demetri tried again, “no one’s gotten hurt, if you stop this now we can figure something out, look the other way even. Now’s not the time fo-Ah!” Demetri’s words were cut short when she cried out on pain.

Murphy had dug his finger into her arrow wound which effectively stopped her talking.

“You’re always using reason, trying to persuade others to listen to you. It may work on everyone else but it won’t work on me, not now. So shut up.” Murphy’s voice was malicious.

“Bellamy, do you copy?” Octavia’s voice was loud in Demetri’s ear.

“I’m fine.” Bellamy called, when Murphy held out the radio with the button pushed. “It was a misfire, now stop worrying about me and get back to work. And tell Raven to hurry the hell up.”

“Alright, that’s long enough.” Murphy said after he let go of the button. He sat the radio down on the table, dragging Demetri with him as he moved. “Tie those two ends together.”

Bellamy exchanged a worried look with Demetri, who could only watch through teary eyes. She was badly hurt, she was exhausted, and she used what little strength she had left already. She felt absolutely hopeless in the moment.

“Now get up and toss it over.” Murphy instructed, nodding towards a pipe that ran front-to-back of the dropship.

“No, John, don’t.” Demetri started to beg, realizing that Murphy had Bellamy make his own noose. She was helpless as Bellamy did was Murphy said, before turning towards him.

“What do you want me to say? You want me to apologize? I’m so--”

Murphy kicked the back of Demetri’s knee and sent her to her knees as he raised the gun at Bellamy’s chest. Bellamy’s eyes focused on Demetri immediately before doubling back to Murphy.

“I’m sorry.” Bellamy let out a deep breath, watching Demetri struggle to sit back on her knees.

“You got is all wrong Bellamy. I don’t want you to say anything.” Murphy reached down and pulled Demetri’s head up by her hair. “I want you to feel what I felt and then,” He paused, tugging roughly on Demetri’s hair to make her to cry out. “Then I want you to die.”

“John, please.” Demetri begged, “please, don’t do this.” She felt like a broken record as she begged.

“Tell ya what, I know what else would destroy Bellamy here.” Murphy’s eyes turned dark as he looked at Bellamy. “I take what’s his, that’ll hurt won’t it Bellamy. Ruin something so pure to you.”

Murphy jerked Demetri to her feet and with the gun still trained on Bellamy with one hand he pressed Demetri’s back against his chest. Bellamy took a step forward, a fire in his eyes, when Murphy dug his fingers back into the hole in Demetri’s shoulder. Her cries stopped Bellamy in his tracks, he now looked hopelessly on at the scene before him.

“Stay right there, or I’ll kill her first.” Murphy warned Bellamy.

He hand moved from her shoulder, over her chest, down her stomach, and stopped at the button of her jeans. Murphy ran his hand up under her shirt as he palmed her breast while holding eye contact with Bellamy. Demetri was using all her remaining strength to remain on her feet, her hand had weakly tried to pry Murphy’s from her body.

“Get your hands off her.” Bellamy growled, the tears that fell from Demetri’s eyes only making him angrier.

“Why? I rather enjoy this.” Murphy chuckled, “I’m sure if we continued, she would too.”

Murphy removed his hand from under Demetri’s shirt and Bellamy let out a small sigh. Demetri hiccuped from the crying, she felt dirty, she felt like a stranger in her body. Murphy was just playing with them, that much was obvious. He knew all of this would get reactions, and he relished in it.

“You see, I’m gonna spare Demetri here because while I’m upset about getting banished, she is one of the only people in camp who has continuously treated me well this whole time. But, just because I’m not gonna kill her doesn’t mean I can’t have any fun. So Demetri, why don’t you go pull that little table over to Bellamy, so he has something to stand on.”

“No, don’t make me do this.” John squeezed her shoulder earning a whimper.

“Demetri, just do it.” Bellamy begged her, just wanting her to be okay. “Please.”

After she looked at him, searching his eyes to see if he had a plan and seeing nothing, she slowly left John’s arms to move the table. She drug it with one arm right in front of Bellamy. He reached out and squeezed her hand once before Murphy yelled at them.

“Great, now come here.” Demetri obediently went back to Murphy, who put his arm around her under her chest to hold her to him. “Now, you get up on it.” He waited until Bellamy was on the table. “Put it over your head.”

“This is insane.” Bellamy looked from the noose to Murphy, “The grounders could--”

A bang range through the dropship as Murphy shot at the floor, making Demetri jump. A whimper left her lips as she looked at the hole in the dropship floor.

“Put it over your head.” Murphy growled.

“Happy now?” Bellamy growled back after the noose was around his neck.

“John, please.” She tried one last time.

“Shut up!” Murphy threw her to the floor and kicked her in the stomach, “I can still kill you.”

“Focus on me Murphy.” Bellamy bellowed, getting Murphy to leave Demetri alone.

Murphy tugged on the seatbelts, tightening the noose around Bellamy’s neck and causing him to have to stand on balls of his feet. His hands flew to hold onto the seat belt wrapped snug around his neck.

“You’re so brave, aren’t you?” Murphy chuckled, “I mean, you walked in here thinking you’re just gonna turn this whole thing around, that you were stronger than me, and maybe one of your friends would come and help you since your girlfriend here is useless.” Murphy pulled on the seat belts as he spoke which put Bellamy more and more at risk of falling off the table. “Well what are you thinking now Bellamy?”

Bellamy glared down at Murphy. Murphy took a step forward and pulled the noose tighter, then he took another step forward. Demetri forced herself to sit up, thinking through the pain. If she didn’t do anything soon Bellamy would die. She looked around to see the arrow from her shoulder just out of reach. She moved towards it, watching Murphy tighten the noose more and more. By the time she got to the arrow, Bellamy was clawing at his neck, trying to steady his breathing, and keep himself up on his tippy toes.

Demetri steeled herself, made the choice then forced her body to stand. She ran right up to Murphy with what little energy she had left and stabbed her arrow into his side with the limited movement she had from her arm. He gasped and let go of a bit of length of seat belt before he jerked his hand back and smacked Demetri across the face. He retched the arrow from his side and broke it in half before tossing it to the other side of the dropship.

“Demi?!” Bellamy gasped.

“I’ve got to hand it to you Bellamy,” Murphy took control of the conversation again, “You’ve got them all fooled, they actually look up to you almost as much as they look up to Clarke. Especially this one right here. She might have fought you in the beginning, but now? She’s pretty obvious, the way she looks at you it’s easy to tell. But then again, you listen to her well Bellamy, you don’t listen to anyone else, so it was obvious she meant something to you before you realized it yourself.” Murphy looked down at Demetri who had finally started to scowl at him. “But we know the truth, don’t we? You’re a coward. I learned that the day you kicked the crate out from beneath me.” Murphy smirked up at Bellamy, whose face had gone stoic. “Isn’t that what you said, huh? That you were giving the people just what they wanted?”

“He’s not the coward here, you are.” Demetri barked, her glare set on Murphy.

“Oooh, she’s getting angry.” Murphy teased, his hand reach out and caressing her cheek.

“I should have stopped them.” Bellamy pulled Murphy’s attention back to him, he’d do whatever he could to ensure Demetri would be okay.

“Yea, it’s a little late for that now, but thanks for the effort.”

“You think they’ll just let you walk out of here?” Demetri asked, pulling Murphy’s attention back to her.

“Well, I’m pretty sure the Princess is dead, and the King’s about to die,” Murphy glanced over to Demetri, “Who’s gonna lead these people, huh? Me, that’s who. And yea, maybe I’ll have to kill your little grounder-pounder sister, but I’ll need the King’s Sweetheart here for some leverage.” Murphy dodge the kick Bellamy sent his way, and ran for the seat belt rope he had tied off to the ladder and pulled down on it. Bellamy went back to struggling before a shriek from below startled them.

“Raven.” Demetri breathed, knowing she had to stall a little longer now.

“I’m guessing that her right now.” Murphy thought it was Octavia so he pulled his gun up and emptied the clip into the floor.

When the gun clicked Demetri’s head shot up. She moved to tackled Murphy, but he was too fast and kicked the table from under Bellamy’s feet. Murphy side stepped Demetri again and grabbed ahold of her, he pulled her up by the collar of her shirt, till she was right in front of him. Murphy leant so close to Demetri’s face she could see the beads of sweat along his hairline. He stopped when his mouth was right beside her ear and he could see Bellamy just over her head.

“While you were out in the forest dying, Raven was waiting for Bellamy in his tent.”

Murphy let go and let Demetri fall to her knees, his smirk towards Bellamy was wide and sadistic. Demetri shook her head, she couldn’t get distracted, not now. She jumped up and tried to get the gun from Murphy’s hands, she got a nice hold of it but Murphy jerked it from her weak grasp. He brought the butt of the gun down on her right shoulder and knocked her back to the ground. He kicked her in the stomach once for good measure. Then he turned on Bellamy and hit him a few times when the dropship door started to go down. Murphy froze at the noise. When he looked over his shoulder to see the door going down he bolted for the ladder. Demetri pushed herself up and scrambled to try to get the knots of the seat belts undone.

“Demetri!” Jasper called as he entered the dropship.

“Help Bellamy!” She cried, Jasper moved to hold Bellamy up around his knees. Demetri grabbed the knife on Jasper hip and sliced through the seat belts before Bellamy and Jasper hit the ground.

“Oh my god, Bellamy!” She cried, as she loosened the noose and threw is across the room. She pulled his head onto her lap and held onto him. “Please breathe, Bellamy. Breathe.”

Octavia rushed in in the next moment, her eyes falling on both Bellamy and Demetri. He saw her brother’s red face and the blood stained shirt and the missing arrow in Demetri’s shoulder. She fell to her knees before Demetri, giving her good shoulder a squeeze.

“When Jasper said he saw you hiding in here, I was so worried.” Octavia then turned to Bellamy, “That was so stupid what were you thinking!” Octavia wanted to be mad at him. “God, I’m glad your okay.”

Bellamy started to sucking deep breaths, but the rage in his eyes was back. Instead of taking it easy, he scrambled to stand up and started yelling, his voice hoarse.

“Murphy!” Bellamy threw himself at the ladder. “Murphy, it’s over! Give it up!”

Demetri struggled to breathe herself as she watched Bellamy climb the ladder and start beating on the hatch as he yelled. She let Octavia check out her shoulder as Bellamy continued on his rampage, the adrenaline was almost out of her system and the pain was back.

“There’s only one way out of this for you now!” Demetri wasn’t sure she’d even be able to help Murphy now, not with what’s happened. She didn’t think she could try to help him even if she wanted to.

Bellamy continued yelling before a loud explosion just above them shook the dropship and almost knocked Bellamy off the ladder. But he held tight and then continued trying to get the hatch open until whatever blocked it broke. Demetri watched him disappear into the top level, yelling for Murphy, with Jasper on his tail.

Miller came in on the radio a minute later about movement along one of the walls and Bellamy flew down the stairs and out of the dropship. Octavia helped support Demetri as she followed him with a wad of cloth pressed to the hole in her shoulder.

“Wait! It’s Clarke and Finn! Open the gate!” Miller yelled as multiple people rushed to pull the gate back.

Demetri felt like she was going to pass out from both relief and blood loss and had Octavia not been holding onto her, she probably would have.

“We heard an explosion, what happened?” Clarke’s eyes darted to everyone around her. “Demi! Oh my god!” Clarke almost cried at the sight of Demetri leaning into Octavia, she immediately went over to them and started looking at the wound in Demetri’s shoulder.

“Murphy happened.” Bellamy replied, letting his gaze fall on Demetri for a moment.

“You’re okay, thank god. Where’s Monty?” Jasper asked as he hugged Clarke when she stopped to look at Bellamy with nervous eyes.

“Monty’s missing?”

“Clarke we need to go, we all need to go.” Finn cut off the previous conversation. “There’s a grounder army unlike anything we’ve ever seen coming for us right now. We need to pack what we can and run.” Finn was shaking as he spoke, his voice loud and clear.

“Like hell we do, we knew this was coming our way.” Bellamy shook his head.

“Bell, we’re not prepared and some of us are injured.” Octavia, readjusted her grip on Demetri for emphasis, who only shook her head slightly.

“And they’re not here yet. We still have time to get ready.” Bellamy’s gravelly voice travelled over everyone in camp. “Beside, where would we go? Where would be safer than behind these walls?”

“East, there’s an ocean. People there will help us.” Finn pulled out Lincoln’s notebook.

“You saw Lincoln.” Octavia stepped forward.

Demetri let go of Octavia and leaned on the wooden water trough in front of her. Bellamy moved forward to wrap an arm around her. He ignored the talk about Lincoln and turned his head towards the people around him.

“This is our home now. We built this from nothing with our bare hands.” Bellamy made sure Demetri could stand before he turned his whole body as he continued. “Our dead are buried just behind that wall. In this ground! Our ground! The grounders think they can take that away. They think that because we came down here from the sky that we don’t belong here.” Bellamy’s voice cracked from the use. “But they’ve yet to realize one very important fact about us: We are on the ground now, and that means We. Are. Grounders!” His words were followed with cheers.

“Bellamy’s right.” Clarke stepped up. “ If we leave, we may never find a place as safe as this. And God knows in this world, we could face something even worse tomorrow.” Clarke looked at the remaining members of the 100 as she spoke. “But that doesn’t change the simple fact that is we stay here, we will die tonight. So pack your things, only what you can carry, now.”

People jumped into action moments later, the crowd scattered to pack and Bellamy turned back to Demetri. He was about to open his mouth when a pained cry caught their attention.

“Help me!”

“It’s Raven!” Someone called.

“Raven!” Finn yelped.

“Get her into the dropship!” Clarke yelled as Finn rushed over and picked Raven up, carrying her into the dropship swiftly.

“Leaving is a mistake, Clarke.” Bellamy stopped Clarke as she rushed by, Demetri wobbled up to them.

“Decision’s been made.” Clarke answered, looking worriedly at Demetri’s current state.

“Crowds make bad decisions, just ask Murphy. Leaders do what they think is right.” Bellamy was pleading with Clarke.

“I am.” She replied before she went into the dropship to check on Raven.

Demetri grabbed onto Bellamy when she felt light headed and he turned to her and held onto to her arms. He peeled back her jacket to see the hole in her shoulder was still seeping blood.

“How are you still upright right now?” Bellamy picked her up like Finn just picked up Raven and carried Demetri towards the dropship. “Do you know how reckless you were being earlier. You should have stayed hidden.”

“And let you face Murphy alone?” Demetri’s head bounced over to rest on Bellamy’s shoulder, “That would be breaking my promise.”

“You’re not allowed to die for me, your life is worth so much more.” Bellamy’s voice softened.

“Life without you wouldn’t be worth living.” Demetri replied simply, acting like those words didn’t just leave Bellamy breathless.

“If you do something like that again, I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”

“Isn’t that how we ended up in this situation?” Demetri joked as Bellamy walked into the dropship. “Just thank me for helping stall, give me a kiss, and let Clarke fix me up. We did almost die so I’d appreciate a lecture later.” Demetri’s eyes closed, missing the softest of smiles Bellamy looked at her with.

“Thank you staying by my side.” Bellamy kissed Demetri’s pouty lips before he sat her down in a hammock. “Tell Clarke to check on Demetri after she has checked on Raven.”

“Of course.” Octavia nodded, she rushed over to check on Demetri as Bellamy stepped out of the dropship. “Thank you for watching out for Bellamy.”

“Anytime O.” Demetri grinned, but winced when her shoulder moved wrong.

“Just relax, Clarke will be over here soon.” Octavia held Demetri’s hand, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“It would be a lot of help if you could stop the bleeding.” Demetri said, “It’ll help me out a lot.”

“Right.” Octavia ran to get bandages and pressed them onto the wound. “Sorry if this hurts.”

“I don’t think anything can top the pain I’ve felt in the last 12 hours.” Demetri winced when Octavia used her palm to apply pressure. “And I’m still alive so that’s a cool thing.”

“Don’t talk Demi, save your strength.” Octavia chuckled softly, “You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

“I know, but it’s easier this way. Pretending to always be strong, it helps people.” Demetri felt like she was rambling but she couldn’t stop. Her head lolled to look at Octavia who, like her brother, had a fond smile on her face.

“How did my brother managed to trick you into liking him?” She mused.

“Maybe you should ask how I tricked him into liking me.” Demetri teased, her voice slurred.

“I will later, rest.” Octavia ordered as Demetri’s eyes fluttered shut.

#the 100 #the 100 fanfic #The 100 adaptation #bellamy blake fanfic #bellamy blake x oc #bellamy blake #best friend clarke #clarke griffin x oc #the 100 write along #letmewritefreely

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