Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Before the season finale aired, I binged all the other episodes of this show, and one of the things that jumped out at me was the relationship between Abby and Raven. They have this really interesting dynamic where they're like a mentor and student, but at the same time they sometimes treat each other like they're equals. Sadly, they don't get a whole lot of screen time together where they can actually play with that dynamic instead of trying to solve massive problems. So I was thinking about that, and then this idea popped into my head of the two of them ending up in the infirmary together. I decided to run with it, and this is what happened. Enjoy!
The Sun Will Rise
The infirmary is remarkably quiet at night. Abby's never realized how quiet. Mostly because she's not usually in here this late unless there's an emergency, and then this place is anything but quiet. But tonight she's stuck here staring at the darkened ceiling with only her thoughts for company. And the silence is starting to get downright eerie.
Upon returning from Mount Weather, Abby noted that she and Raven were the only two with any serious injuries. Many of the others had scrapes and bruises, but nothing that required an extended observation. And besides, they all wanted to be with their friends and family. Raven had tried to get away as well, but Abby had finally managed to convince her that the two of them should stay in the infirmary overnight just to be sure they're okay after the drilling procedure.
Marcus had tried to stay, but Abby had finally convinced him to go look after their people and then get himself some sleep. Wick had stuck around for most of the day as well. It was really quite sweet how he refused to leave Raven's side. But he had carried her for the full eight hour trek back, and it was clear he was exhausted. When his eyelids started to droop, Abby finally ran him out after promising to keep an eye on Raven.
Now that darkness has fallen outside, the steady stream of smaller injuries has finally stopped. Jackson promised to send someone in to check on Abby and Raven every few hours, but for now, the infirmary is completely silent. Raven has been asleep for some time. Abby doesn't blame her. She's exhausted too after everything they went through. But unlike Raven, she can't sleep. Not when she knows that Clarke is out there somewhere alone.
She can still remember the moment Bellamy told her Clarke was gone. His eyes had been on the floor as if he couldn't bear to look at him. Abby had been shocked at first. Then she had yelled at him, demanding to know how he could've just let her walk away. Bellamy hadn't said a word the whole time. He had just stood there looking like a lost child. Abby owes him an apology, she decides. It's not his fault. Nobody can stop Clarke when she sets her mind to something. She's far too much like her mother.
After the anger faded, Abby had cried. Marcus had sat on the bed and held her while she wept into his shoulder. It wasn't fair. They had won. They had their people back. It was finally starting to look like things were going to be okay. And now Clarke is gone? Marcus has promised to send out a search party in the morning, but they both know she won't be found. Not if she doesn't want to be. There is nothing for them to do except pray that she comes home safe. It kills Abby to be this helpless when she knows her little girl is hurting.
Her train of thought is broken by a tiny sound. It sounds like a sniffle. Abby strains her ears against the silence, wondering if she only imagined it. But then she hears it again. And again. It sounds like someone trying to hide the fact that they're crying. And there's only one person in the infirmary besides Abby.
"Raven?" she asks softly. Immediately the noise stops. So does the barely audible sound of Raven's breathing. Abby's ears had stopped registering the sound a while ago, but now its absence is deafening.
"I know you're awake," Abby says. Raven sighs heavily in surrender.
"I can't sleep," she says. She tries to sound like it doesn't matter, but her voice is hoarse.
"Me neither," Abby admits. There's something about nighttime that always brings out a person's fears and darker memories. Abby keeps trying to remind herself that the sun will come back up in a few hours, but that knowledge only goes so far in vanquishing her current demons.
"Every time I close my eyes, I'm back on that table," Raven says.
She starts out strong, but by the end of the sentence, her voice is shaking. It's too much for Abby to handle. She pushes herself up into a sitting position and carefully eases her legs over the side of the bed. It hurts like hell, but Abby is already tired of this damned bed anyway.
Raven's bed is a few steps away, and she lifts her head up in surprise.
"Abby, what are you doing?" Raven demands.
"Coming to you," Abby says. There's an IV pole still standing beside her bed from the fluids Jackson gave her earlier, and she wraps her hand around it now as she prepares to get to her feet.
"You can't walk," Raven tells her.
"I can walk better than you can," Abby says pointedly.
"Damn doctors," Raven says as she lets her head drop back against her pillow. "You're the worst patients."
"Followed by mechanics," Abby says defiantly.
She carefully stands to her feet, and her leg just about collapses right there. But she's not backing down now. So instead she sets her teeth and grips the IV pole with both her hands. It's only a few steps over to Raven's bed. Even so, it's a wonder she makes it. Each step is agonizing. She can see Raven watching her carefully in the dim light.
Finally Abby reaches the chair Wick was sitting in. She collapses into it and gives Raven a weary smile. Raven is looking up at her in concern, but her cheeks are damp with tears.
"Hey," she says quietly.
"Hey," Abby responds.
"You're insane, you know that?" Raven says. She reaches up to quickly wipe the tears from her face, even though they both know Abby's already seen them.
"This from the girl who came to the ground in an escape pod that was over a hundred years old," Abby points out.
"Hundred and thirty," Raven corrects. "And at least I didn't decide to crash the whole Ark."
Abby smiles a little in spite of herself. There's the fiery mechanic she knows.
"We make quite a pair, don't we?" Abby says as she leans back into the stiff chair.
"Who needs friendship bracelets when you have matching scars, right?" Raven says. Despite her joking tone, Abby can see the fear hiding in her eyes.
On a sudden impulse, Abby reaches out and gently runs her hand through Raven's hair, pushing a strand of it away from Raven's face. Then she drops her hands to the bed and takes Raven's hand in both of hers. Raven squeezes back tightly.
"You're gonna be okay," Abby says softly."We both are."
Raven takes a shaky breath and lets it out before forcing a nod.
"I know," she says. She swallows hard to try and clear up her scratchy voice before adding, "And so will Clarke."
Abby's gaze drops to the floor. Raven has an uncanny way of always knowing what Abby is thinking. Maybe because they're so much alike. They're both stubborn as hell and brave to the point of occasional stupidity. They're also fiercely protective of the people they care about. Abby had begun to worry that she had lost Raven's trust since arriving on the ground, but here Raven is talking to her just like she always does. Like an equal instead of a superior. Sometimes that familiar manner irks Abby because it feels like disrespect. But there are other times like now when it's incredibly refreshing to not feel like she's being looked to for all the answers.
"She's out there alone," Abby says quietly. "Anything could happen to her."
"She'll be okay," Raven insists. "Clarke's a survivor. She somehow managed to keep all of us alive this long. She can take care of herself."
"How could she just leave?" Abby asks. Now it's her own eyes that are damp as she looks up at Raven.
"Because she's Clarke," Raven says simply. "She cares about people. It's what makes her a good leader. It's why we're all still alive. But right now that's hurting her. She just needs some space to get her head straight. Once she does, she'll be back."
"I hope so," Abby whispers.
"She's strong, Abby," Raven says, giving Abby's hand a comforting squeeze. "She gets it from her mom. Her stubbornness too."
Abby smiles a little as Raven intended.
"You should get back in bed before Jackson sees you," Raven says.
"I can handle Jackson," Abby says with a conspiratorial grin. But she leans forward in a silent signal that she's about to get up. "Try to get some sleep."
"Roger that," Raven says wearily.
Abby gives Raven's hand a final squeeze before letting go. She takes hold of the IV pole and carefully stands to her feet. Her leg still hurts like hell. By the time she finally hobbles back to her own bed, she's expended whatever energy she had managed to store up today. She lifts her injured leg back up onto the bed, fighting the urge to cry out as she does so. Finally she manages to get herself settled back under her blanket, and then the infirmary is quiet again.
"Hey, Abby?" Raven says after a moment. She sounds almost timid. It's a strange tone for Raven.
"Yes?" Abby answers.
There comes a long pause. Abby can almost feel Raven wrestling over her next words.
"I still can't sleep," Raven says finally.
A fond smile creeps across Abby's face. Raven is a doer. She's not good at sitting still, and she's even worse at asking for help. But the fact that she's trying says a great deal about just how highly she thinks of Abby.
"When Clarke was little, she had trouble sleeping sometimes," Abby says. "I used to tell her stories until she fell asleep."
"What kind of stories?" Raven asks in interest.
"All kinds," Abby says. "Sometimes they were stories from books. Other times I just made them up."
"My mom never really had time for me as a kid," Raven admits. "She was always out getting drunk. But we lived next to Finn's family, and he used to sneak over sometimes in the middle of the night and check on me. Sometimes he'd make up these insane stories to tell me. He had a crazy imagination for a kid."
"I know I barely got the chance to know him," Abby says quietly, "but it sounds like he was a wonderful young man."
"He was," Raven says.
"You know, Wick's quite a nice young man too," Abby says as innocently as possible.
"Shut-up," Raven tells her. But there's laughter in her voice, and if the lights were on, Abby is pretty sure she would see Raven blushing.
"He is," Abby says. "He's very protective of you."
"Yeah, well, Kane's pretty protective of you too," Raven shoots back.
"Marcus and I are colleagues," Abby says firmly.
The snort that escapes Raven is the very definition of undignified.
"Right," Raven says drily. "And that's why he walked right beside you the whole way back. And why Jackson practically had to shove him out of here."
"Yes," Abby insists.
"Whatever you say, doc," Raven says. Abby hears the sheets rustle as Raven shifts around. "You know what? No. I bet you a bottle of Jasper and Monty's moonshine that you and Kane end up together before spring gets here."
Abby doesn't really know how to take that, so she decides to just focus on the most obvious part.
"Jasper and Monty don't have any moonshine," she says.
"Oh, they will," Raven says with a chuckle. "Just you wait. And that stuff is strong."
"Well, either way, my love life or lack thereof is not betting material," Abby says in the sternest voice she can manage.
"I think you missed the boat on that one," Raven says. "There's a whole pool going on in engineering."
"There is not," Abby exclaims. Raven just laughs.
"You may be the chancellor, but that doesn't mean you know everything that happens in this camp," she says.
"Maybe not," Abby admits. "But I do know that you, young lady should be sleeping."
"Okay, Mom," Raven says as rebelliously as she can manage.
"Good night, Raven," Abby says pointedly.
"Night, Abby," Raven says.
Silence falls once again over the infirmary. This time the darkness doesn't feel quite as eerie as it did earlier. But still Abby can't sleep. Neither it seems can Raven. She keeps shifting on her bed, causing the sheets to rustle quietly. Finally she sighs.
"Abby?" she asks.
"Raven," Abby says, trying to keep the exasperation out of her tone.
"Never mind," Raven says quickly. Too quickly.
Abby frowns. She manages to push herself up on her elbows, and in the darkness of the room, she can just make out Raven staring up at the ceiling.
"What's wrong?" Abby asks in a gentler tone.
"Nothing," Raven says. She's definitely lying.
"It doesn't sound like nothing," Abby tells her.
"I just..." Raven pauses, unsure of how to continue. "I can't close my eyes."
Abby lays back down on her bed as a wave of understanding washes over her.
"Neither can I," she says quietly.
"So what do we do about it?" Raven asks.
"We keep reminding ourselves that it's over," Abby says. "And that the sun's going to come back up in a few hours just like it always does."
They both fall silent again, each lost in their own thoughts.
"If I ask you something, will you promise not to laugh?" Raven asks carefully.
"I promise," Abby says.
"Could you maybe tell me a story?" Raven asks.
A smile spreads across Abby's face. It's exactly the right thing to ask. Raven has no mother to speak of, and for the moment Abby's daughter is goodness only knows where. It's like the two of them fit together in a strange way. Maybe this could give them both a bit of peace.
"I would love to," Abby says honestly.
She can hear the relieved breath Raven lets out. Raven shifts around again to get comfortable, and then she falls silent in expectation.
"Once upon a time," Abby begins, "there was a very brave princess."
She makes up the story as she goes along, telling how the princess refused to simply sit in her family's castle and wait for a prince to find her. So instead she left the castle and went off to see the world. Along the way, she met a knight, and together they slew monsters and helped peasants and had all sorts of other adventures, including falling in love. Eventually they returned to the castle where the princess' family had been waiting for her to come back. And after reuniting with her family, the princess decided to marry the knight.
"And they lived happily ever after," Abby finishes. "The end."
The infirmary is silent as her voice fades. The only sound is Raven breathing quietly in the next bed. Abby cranes her head as she tries to see Raven in the dim light.
"Raven?" she whispers. Raven doesn't answer. She must have finally fallen asleep. Abby smiles as she leans back against her pillow.
It's not long before her own weary eyes finally drift closed. But this time there are no drills or restraints waiting to haunt her. Instead she dreams of a brave princess coming home.
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
The first thing Abby notices when she opens her eyes is that the room is filled with light. The second thing she notices is that Marcus is sitting in a chair beside her bed.
"Good morning," he says warmly.
"Morning," Abby says, stifling a yawn. She begins to push herself into a sitting position, and Marcus quickly moves to help her.
"Easy," he says as she carefully puts her legs over the side of the bed.
Once Abby is sitting up, she can see that Raven is in the same position. Wick is kneeling on the floor helping strap a new brace on her leg. Raven sees Abby watching and gives a pointed look at Marcus' back. Abby puts on her best mom glare, which just makes Raven grin.
"Did I miss something?" Marcus asks. He glances over his shoulder at Raven, who quickly looks down at her brace.
"I'll tell you later," Abby says with a shake of her head. Or not at all, which is far more likely. But Marcus doesn't know that. "What are you doing in here?"
"Just checking on you," Marcus says. "Thought I'd stop by before I organized the search party."
"Don't organize one," Abby blurts out. Marcus gives her a strange look. Abby sighs and forces herself to elaborate. "Clarke's a strong kid, Marcus. She can take care of herself. She'll come home when she's ready."
It kills her to say the words out loud, just as it kills her to know that her baby is out there all alone. But in her heart, Abby knows that Raven is right. This is something Clarke needs to do for herself.
"Are you sure?" Marcus asks carefully. Abby glances over his shoulder and catches Raven watching her again. Raven nods in encouragement. This is the right thing to do.
"I'm sure," Abby says, returning her attention to Marcus.
"Okay," Marcus says. "Then we'll wait for her to come home."
Wick stands to his feet then, having finished strapping on Raven's brace.
"That should do it," he tells her. "Ready to give her a whirl?"
"Absolutely," Raven says.
Wick holds out his hands, and Raven takes them before carefully sliding off the bed. She winces a bit as the foot of her injured leg touches the floor, but Wick takes the extra weight and she's able to keep standing.
"Told you my brace was better," Wick says. That must mean something to Raven, because she shakes her head.
"Damn engineers," she says with a fond smile.
"Damn mechanics," Wick responds with an equally fond smile.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Abby asks as Raven and Wick take a slow step away from Raven's bed.
"Breakfast," Raven says. "Where else?"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Marcus says.
"Actually, it sounds like a great idea," Abby says. Raven looks surprised that Abby hasn't argued, but she says nothing. Abby reaches over and takes hold of the IV pole, clearly intending to get out of bed. Marcus quickly puts his hands on her arms to stop her.
"Abby, what are you doing?" he asks.
"Going to get breakfast," Abby says. She tries to inch forward, but Marcus holds her back.
"You can barely walk," he says.
"I'll manage," Abby says with the barest hint of a smile.
"Let me bring you something instead," Marcus insists.
"You might as well help her," Raven calls. She's already shuffled over to the door with Wick's arms supporting her. "She's just gonna do it anyway."
"She's right," Abby says with a shrug. Marcus sighs in surrender.
"Fine," he says. "At least let me put your shoes on first."
Abby waits patiently as he picks up her shoes from beside the bed and carefully slips them onto her feet. Then he holds out his hands.
"Ready?" he says. Abby nods and takes his hands.
Her leg is still incredibly sore, so it takes a bit of work to get to her feet. She has to lean heavily on Marcus as they make their way out the door. He makes sure to walk slowly, his arms carefully supporting her. The walk down the corridors of the Ark takes time, but Marcus gives no sign that he minds.
They have to pass the main door on the way to the makeshift mess hall, and Abby comes to a stop when she sees the natural light coming in from outside. It would seem that the sun came up after all.
"Are you okay?" Marcus asks in concern.
"Fine," Abby assures him. "Let's go outside for a minute."
Marcus readjusts their trajectory, and a moment later they're stepping through the door of the Ark into the large yard. Abby has to hold up her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden sunlight. The grass around is a brilliant green, and the sky is a deep blue. It looks exactly like Abby always imagined the ground would look. In this moment, it feels like paradise.
"It never gets old," Marcus says with a shake of his head.
"I hope it never does," Abby tells him.
There are people moving around the yard as the day begins. Many of them have visible bruises and cuts, but they're smiling anyway. Abby catches sight of a group of teenagers sitting together on the ground near the fence. She recognizes them as some of the kids who were held inside Mount Weather. Now they're all laughing so hard they look about to cry.
"Time is wonderful healer," Marcus says, seeming to read her mind.
Abby doesn't answer. Instead, her gaze drifts to the main gate and the road beyond it. Clarke's out there somewhere. But Abby suddenly has the inexplicable feeling that she's going to be okay. And someday she'll come walking back through that gate. And when she does, Abby will waiting for her with open arms. Until then, she's going to do everything she can to take care of these people. It's what Clarke would want.
"Let's go eat," Abby says, looking up at Marcus.
"About time," Marcus says with a teasing smile. "I'm starving."
As they turn back around toward the Ark, it suddenly occurs to Abby that when she looked up, Marcus was watching her with the same expression she has occasionally seen Bellamy directing at Clarke. And while Clarke may be oblivious, there is definitely something there on Bellamy's end. Now Kane is apparently giving Abby the same look, and the craziest part is that Abby doesn't even mind. Maybe Raven was onto something after all.
Abby shakes her head and decides that Wick said it best. Damn mechanics.
Hopefully you enjoyed this story. Please take a few seconds to leave a review and let me know what you thought about it. It will make my day. Also, if you enjoyed my writing, I have six other stories that I've written for this show, so feel free to check those out. If you want to read more of Raven and Abby, each of them has a character-centric chapter in my compilation story "All's Fair in Love and War" (chapter 1 is Raven and chapter 2 is Abby). Thanks for reading!