somewhere | b.blake ✔️

2x07 Part 2✔️

I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
So I sat quietly, agreed politely
I guess that I forgot I had a choice

- Roar, Katy Perry

*****

In all honesty, it's a reckless plan—one that reminds Ash of someone trying to find a needle in a haystack while the whole thing's on fire. The reality of it settles like a rock in her stomach. They're desperate. Clarke knows it. Bellamy knows it. And Ash knows it too.

But there's no time to dwell on how everything could go wrong. As they approach the gates, the camp is already a frenzy of movement, with people packing what little they have into bags. The panic is palpable, reminding Ash of the last time Clarke and Bellamy rallied the 100 to flee from a Grounder attack. It hadn't worked then, and the four of them—Clarke, Bellamy, Ash, and Finn—know it won't work now either.

"Mom!" Clarke's shout slices through the noise, drawing all their eyes to Abby's anxious face as she rushes toward them.

Abby looks worn down, dark circles under her eyes, but there's relief too, seeing Clarke and the others safe. "Where have you been?" she scolds, worry lacing her words. "We're leaving."

Ash, still catching her breath after sprinting for miles, steps forward. "We can stop the attack," she says, her tone low but determined.

Jaha, passing by as she speaks, halts abruptly, his expression one of disbelief. "What are you talking about?" he demands, clearly frustrated.

Ash rolls her eyes. "Exactly what I just said. We don't need to run, only to get hunted down anyway. We have a way to stop this. 

Clarke steps in, her voice more measured but no less urgent. "Mom, we can negotiate with them. We can stop this. We saved Lincoln—turned him back from being one of the Reapers. We can do it again."

Abby's interest piques, but before she can respond, Jaha's harsh whisper cuts in. "Abby, you can't be serious." His anger is barely contained as he glares at Clarke, Ash, and the others.

Before anyone can respond, a murmur runs through the crowd. Ash turns instinctively, and her heart skips a beat when she sees it—just outside the camp, the flicker of flames in the pre-dawn darkness.

"They're here," Bellamy mutters under his breath, his voice tight with dread. He steps closer to Ash, their shoulders almost brushing. The quiet, steady presence of him grounds her, but the fear in his voice is unmistakable. They've all seen this before.

The tension in the air thickens, and Abby quickly ushers them into a private room, away from the growing panic outside.

As soon as the door closes, Clarke is already pressing her case. "They haven't attacked yet. We still have time."

"We have two hours until dawn," Abby counters, her face pinched with worry.

"Let us talk to the Commander," Clarke insists. "She was Anya's second. She'll listen."

"We don't even know if the Commander is here," Jaha snaps, but Ash can feel him losing control of the conversation.

Ash, standing by the table, listens in silence, her fingers tapping restlessly against the wood. She's not the type to explode, not like this. But with the tension in the room rising, she suddenly slams her palms down against the table. The sharp sound echoes, startling everyone. "Yes, we do know," she says, her voice lower than before, eerily calm. "The fires? They're the Commander's sign. If you'd paid attention to what we've been through down here, you'd know that."