What If (Season 5 AU)

Chapter 19

Clarke leaves Gaia to do what she wishes hiding Nylah while she leaves to check on the kids. It was late into the night and she was in  so much of a hurry that she never noticed the small group of people headed her way. A body rams into her own, and before she knows it a pair of hands reach out to grip her arms, an attempt to stabilize her before she falls. She doesn't look up to see exactly who she ran into because the familiar build of the body and deep voice was all she needed to know. 

"Clarke? You okay?" She stops and looks between each of the three faces now lookin at hers before straightening herself up. Although Bellamy kept his hands close to her.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm good."

"You don't look like it." Monty points out. Bellamy steps forward and places his hand on her shoulder. 

"Tell me what's wrong. Where are the kids." He looks around but sees nothing.

"They're okay. They're in my tent." Bellamy uses other hand to uplift her chin, eyes boring into hers, pleading. Her eyes glass over and she pulls away, but he doesn't let her. "Nylah knows. She wants to tell Octavia about the kids."

"That they're real nightbloods?" Echo asks. Bellamy shoots her a look and she quiets down. "But you told everyone they were created that way, how did she find out?" 

"She saw through my lie." 

The three all look between each other, then land on Bellamy. The man who stiffened the most at what Clarke has said. The children could be in danger if Octavia or Wonkru knew they were true nightblods. No one could know yet. "Where is she now?" Bellamy asks, anger rising in him. 

"She's taken care off for now." At his inquisitive brow she sighs. "Gaia has her locked up somewhere. But... I can't stay here." Her words drift in the air between everyone, the seriousness of their situation worsening by the second. She looks up to Bellamy, here eyes pleading. "Please tell me you have a plan."

The three look between each other before Bellamy tells Clarke the plan. They were on their way to tell Octavia now. Echo isn't turning in the names of the defectors, which means her banishment will still stand, but they could get Octavia to change her mind another way. Monty needs someone on the inside to get though Eligius's firewall to give them access to the eye in the sky. Echo could go as a defector and plug in the back door with they thumb drive Monty used to insert the program. Once in Wonkru will march into the Valley and their problem with Eligius will be dealt with. It was a good plan, smart even given the circumstances, at least from their perspective. Clarke however? Did not agree.

"And start a war on the last inhabitable place on the planet?" She pulls away completely from Bellamy, a single tear falling. "Octavia was right..." She huffs a dry laugh and runs a hand in her hair.

"O was right about what?" Clarke turns to face them, her eyes landing on Echo as she avoids Bellamy's question.

"I'll defect with Echo." 

 "Clarke you can't-" 

"I can." Her eyes fill with defiance and fire as she gets in his personal space. "It isn't safe here anymore. Once Octavia finds out about the kids, what I did to Nylah, she could come after me! We don't know what she is capable of anymore. The only thing we do know is she won't hurt them. But me? She'd use me to make a point in her power play."

"Clarke you can't be serious right now?! You can't risk your life on a maybe. And the kids need you!"

"Augy and Madi have you! They can't come with me. I know that valley better than anyone else here! If I can get there and convince Diyoza to make peace, then its worth a try. And if not... then I'll tear them apart from the inside before you get there. No massive war needed."

"We wouldn't have a war at all if Octavia would just surrender." Monty mumbles and they all look to him. 

"It'll never happen. But you leaving," Bellamy address to Clarke "Is not happening either. " 

"Bell-" 

"No. End of discussion." 

Without another word Bellamy storms away in the opposite direction the others stood. No one moved except for Clarke herself. Monty threw a nod in her direction while Echo watched her go. For once the spy doesn't fight. She lefts Clarke go. Right now Bellamy needed to hear from her and no one else.

Clarke finds Bellamy quickly on the door steps  of an old building that still stood after primfaya. His head was down, hands resting on one knee as he stares down on them. She sighs quietly before sitting next to him, her leg bumping against his own. Nothing is said between the pair for some time before one word is uttered in the silence. 

"I stand by what I said. You're not going." Clarke does all she can to stay calm and not snap back. 

She understood his reasoning, but this would have the best outcome out of any other plans they've come up with. Echo defecting can go wrong, Eligius doesn't know or trust any of the defectors, but they know Clarke. They may not trust her but they know her. Her presence there would be to help make peace, speak on Octavia's behalf and those that are innocent, and to help her mother with whatever it is they wanted her for.

At first Clarke didn't agree with Octavia's plan but it was the best option they had besides surrender. she tries to explain this to Bellamy, but he pulls away from her touch. He didn't want to listen. So instead of using her words to explain she allows the silence to fill the void around them and places her head to rest on his shoulder. 

"Bell, you have to let me do this" Clarke reaches her hand in his own, and she takes it as a good sign he doesn't pull away this time. Instead he does the opposite. He uses his free arm and pulls her into his side, squeezing tight.

"I lost you once already, Clarke. I can't go through that again."

As they pull away their eyes meet in an intense gaze- time standing still in this moment. Neither pull away further, instead a magnetic force pulls them together. Clarke's words being the last words spoken through the small space left between them before its gone. "You won't." 

As their lips met in a soft kiss the world around them faded away. Nothing else mattered in that moment but the raw spoken truth and undying feelings left sparking in the air.