Forever Us

Opening Up

John Murphy

I sat close to Emori, watching her out of the corner of my eye as she stared into the flames and across at Ontari.

The Nightblood had been a little less than cooperative, much to Clarke's frustration, but I could understand.

I didn't know if anyone knew the depth of Ontari's relationship with Echo (other than the two of them obviously), but I knew that they cared for each other - that much was obvious to the blind.  And I had to say, I could feel for her - after all, I knew what it was like to be distanced from someone you care about.

Emori must have finally noticed my sidelong staring because she looked away from Ontari to me.  "What?" She asked softly, amusement sparkling in her gaze.

"I was just thinking about how I'd hope that if it was you injured Ontari wouldn't sit here in silence staring at me." I mused aloud.

"We've told her everything we possible can, what can I say?" Emori asked, slightly desperately.

I shrugged, then moved to sit beside the young Nightblood (why am I calling her young?  She's almost the same age as I am).

She barely spared me a glance and  I could feel Emori's curious gaze boring into me through the flames of the fire.

"Believe it or not, I know what you're going through." I said softly, staring into the flames and trying to see what Ontari did.  If the Nightblood saw something in the fire, I didn't see it.

Ontari looked up now, "How could you possible know what I'm going through?" She huffed out softly.

I gave a slight shrug, trying my best to distance myself from the event, "I was captured by the previous Flamekeeper - Titus - who decided I was the perfect person to be framed for the murder of Clarke Griffin.  The guy hated her.  After his failed murder attempt and near murder of the Commander, I was set free.  I stayed for a little while to make sure Clarke would be alright.  But the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about Emori, about how she could be hurt and alone - or how someone could have killed her." I kept my voice quiet enough that Emori wouldn't hear over the crackling fire but I paused here, struggling to continue through the lump forming in my throat.

"I left as soon as I was sure Clarke would be alright to find her.  But I still didn't know if I'd ever find her, or if I'd like what I would find.  I'd been searching probably two weeks when I heard rumor at an outpost that a young woman had been by searching for her partner a couple days before.  I managed to get out which direction she'd gone and chased after her.  I almost found what I'd been fearing.  A couple guys that apparently had old scores with her had found her as well.  It was the first time I'd ever seen her disarmed." I paused again, trying to steady my voice.

Emori and I had actually never talked about it after hand, too caught up in being reunited and then just never revisiting it.  I wouldn't have minded leaving it like that.

"Even going against two men with swords she was managing to avoid getting hurt.  They didn't know I was there so I managed to get the drop on them.  Dagger to the one's heart, Emori grabbed his sword and managed to kill the second guy.  Only injury to either of us was a cut on her arm."

"So you got your happy ending." Ontari pointed out, a bit bitterly.

"That not the point of the story Ontari." I returned, making her look at me with a bit of confusion.  "The whole time I was locked in Polis and the whole time I was looking for her, I kept imagining the worst possible scenarios.  I'd never find her again, I'd find her injured and dying alone, I'd find her body..." I shook my head to banish the old nightmares from my head, "I love her, and yeah she's my partner not my family, but is it really that different?"