Bygones

~{Chapter 23}~

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{Anyone else still recovering from (Spoiler Alert) Finn's death? 😭}

It was the next day and Bellamy still wouldn't talk to me.
"I mean he won't even look at me," I sat myself down in Raven's tent.
"Well... You should've told him."
"I know, I know. I didn't tell him because there were other life or death situations that needed to be focused on."
"It seems like to him that this baby is a life or death situation for you."
Raven was right. Me having this baby is dangerous, but I was confident in myself.
"Clarke is here and so is Lincoln. I have an even higher chance of living with their help."
"Sloan... It's been eight years."
"If you're asking me if I'm scared, yes, actually. But I need to be sure about this because no one else is going to do it for me."
"Fine. Add me to the list of people-who-can-help."
I smiled, "I'd knew you'd come around. Plus you can whip some device up if anything goes wrong."
"Sorry, mechanics only fix things," she said sarcastically.
We both laughed at her remark.
"Does Leyla know?"
"Not yet."
She gave me a side look that said tell-her-sooner-or-later.

It was now in the afternoon. The winter sun barely kept my teeth from chattering. I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked through the damp woods. Thoughts about what I was going to say to Bellamy flooded my brain. Just as I made my way back to camp, Bellamy joined my side and draped a blanket over my shoulder.
"Thanks."
"I could hear your chattering miles away," he teased, "Let's walk."
There was a long silence. Both of us were waiting to see if the other person had something to say first. Finally I broke the silence.
"Bel, before you say anything about me getting an abortion-"
"I want you to have the baby."
"Wh-what changed your mind?"
He stopped walking and faced me.
"Leyla did. Thinking about her and how even though she is surrounded by people, she still feels lonely."
"You talked to her?"
"She talked to me actually. She told me that having a friend near her age around could help her."
My heart broke when I heard this. I tried my hardest to make Leyla feel comfortable and at home. I feel so stupid for not seeing that.
Bellamy continued, "Most importantly, I'm here. I want to be here by your side. This is for the times I weren't there when you needed me. This is for our future. Our life. Our family. And I sure as hell won't let those savages take away my son or daughter."
I was blown away. Never have I ever seen Bellamy this dedicated and passionate about something other than Octavia. I stepped up to him and cupped his face with both of my hands.
"You are going to be one hell of a great dad again."
He chuckled.
"But just know that you're in for a crazy ride," I warned him.
"I'm not backing out. No matter what."
He stroked my cheek with his thumb.
"We should break the news to Leyla."
He took my cold hands and we headed back.

"Leyla?," I popped my head in the medical tent.
Jasper, Monty and Leyla were hovered over something.
"Whatcha' got there?" I plopped down next to Leyla as Bellamy sat next to Jasper.
"We're looking at the necklace," Jasper said.
He held up the same necklace Finn and his group found. The one with an engraving that I knew from somewhere.
"What about it?" Bellamy started studying it too.
Monty sat back and stretched, "Leyla said she's seen it before."
"Mommy carved it in a tree before."
I was confused, "That's just leaving a sign to the Grounders about where we are. Even then I would've remembered it."
"Not if you were half asleep," Jasper said.
"You mean sleep walking?," I said.
Leyla shifted in her seat, "Remember before how you would sometimes have bad dreams?... Well one night you just got out of bed and went outside with a knife. I followed you and saw you were carving something. Then the next morning you passed by it not even noticing, as if it weren't there."
"... And this was before we came here?"
"Mm-mhm," Leyla nodded.
"Do you remember anything at all," Bellamy asked.
"I... I don't know," I closed my eyes as if it would help me, "The only thing I faintly remember is that I was outside without my jacket and shoes and... that's all."
I reopened my eyes and Leyla put her hand on mine. I took her small body and held onto it.
"So this print... You've never seen before," Jasper asked me as he held it up.
"...No," I lied.
Jasper lingered a bit before setting the necklace down. Just then Finn rushed in and warned us Anya is back. We all rushed out to the wall.
Anya was standing in the same spot a few days ago. As the guards opened the gate a wave of uncertainty came over me. On the outside I seemed sure about it, but on the inside, as a mother, I couldn't bear to see my own child stripped away from right when he enters the world. I imagined this uneasy scene in my head as I walked up to Anya.
"I've made a decision," I exhaled, "The baby is yours, under one condition."
Anya didn't seem to like what I was about to say, but I continued.
"I have the baby for his first month."
"No."
"Yes, or you don't get him at all."
"Grounder's tradition is to test whether the next heir is bound to take the position or not. We need to complete that tradition when he is a newborn."
"Why should we respect your tradition if you and your people don't respect ours."
"And what tradition is that?," she hissed.
"That we have the right over our own children!" I yelled.
I felt a warn hand on my shoulder; Bellamy stepped up to my side.
"Respect ours and we'll do the same."
Anya glared at him, "Fine. If you do not hand us him in time-"
"War. We know," I cut her off.
She got on her horse and galloped away; her army slowly drifted back into the woods.

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