Author's Note:
This is a long one-shot I wrote while waiting for Episode 7. I had this idea for how Octavia pulls Lincoln from being a Reaper. By sitting with him and reminding him of their time together. This covers season two through episode 6.
Please excuse the typos, I didn't get a chance to proofread this before I posted.
Lincoln is gone. Octavia woke every night screaming as her dreams reminded her of how he was taken. She finally got him back from his village by taking his friend Nyko hostage. She felt horrible for using him like she did, but the grounders were about to kill Lincoln for being a traitor. She waited at the memorial until dark with Nyko, both sitting in silence. Finally Octavia heard movement coming down the trail a stood, holding the blade to Nyko's neck again. Indra walked slowly around the bend, and Octavia smiled when she saw Lincoln behind her. Her joy quickly turned to anger when she saw him limping.
She held the blade firm against Nyko's throat and spoke to Indra, "He was not supposed to be harmed!" Indra stopped moving several meters away and spoke with venom in her voice, "He is supposed to be dead. Send Nyko over and I will return him to you."
"I don't think so. We send them at the same time." Indra nodded and pulled Lincoln around to her side. Octavia lowered the blade from Nyko's neck and whispered to him, "I'm sorry but I had to do this. Thank you for helping me." Nyko didn't reply, he simply stepped forward. Lincoln started walking toward her as well and Octavia had to force herself not to run to him. Lincoln looked up to Nyko as they passed each other, and sped up to reach her.
Octavia jumped forward finally to embrace Lincoln. He nuzzled into her hair and breathed deep the scent of her. She felt his bound hands grasp her by the front and was surprised when he spun her behind him, shouting, "Reapers!" She scrambled to regain the sword that she dropped before turning to fight.
A group of eight Reapers poured out from the trail behind the memorial. Lincoln was fighting two with bound hands. Indra and Nyko ran forward to join the fight. Octavia swung at a Reaper as he ran by. He turned and swung his club at her, striking her across the temple. She fell to the ground and struggled to regain her vision. Shadows moved around her quickly, and she tried to focus and find Lincoln. Her vision finally cleared and Octavia rolled onto her knees and found her sword. She finally found Lincoln, surrounded by three Reapers. She rose, running to him when another group of Reapers knocked her down while they drug Nyko along with them. Octavia struggled to get back up and could see that Lincoln was being carried by the Reapers also.
"Lincoln, NO!" she screamed as she tried to run after him. Indra grabbed her by the shoulder and held her in place. Octavia swung at the woman, but fell to her knees in agony. "I had him," she cried out. Octavia starred at the monument, cursing herself for losing Lincoln so easily. Indra drew Octavia from her sorrow and urged her to leave the area. "It is too dangerous to stay child, they may decide to return." Octavia rose and turned away. She followed Indra back to the Grounder village, determined to seek vengeance.
The two women travelled in silence until they reached the edge of the village. Indra turned to Octavia and spoke, "I'm sorry for your loss Octavia of the Sky People. Lincoln was a brave warrior. You must leave our land quickly, before one of my people decides to thank you for your interference. Your camp is that direction, return to your people." Indra motioned to the west before turning and entering her camp. Octavia was insulted "Wait, aren't you going after them. Those are your people!" Indra stopped and spoke with the guards outside, "She does not stay on Grounder land. If she returns, kill her."
Octavia balked at the woman's order. The guards drew their weapons on her and Octavia slowly backed away. She turned and ran back down the trail. She stopped when she reached the monument. She fell to her knees in front of the statue, and stared down the path Lincoln disappeared down.
Lincoln told her about the Reapers one night in his cave. He told her that they were a horrid violent group that lived in the mines that ran through these mountains. The Reapers attacked the Grounders occasionally, and every Grounder that had been taken was never seen again.
Octavia refused to believe that Lincoln was gone forever. She knew that he would not rest until he saved her, and she planned to do the same. Octavia returned to the forest and settled in to watch the Grounders. She knew that Indra would attempt to find and rescue her people, and she was determined to join them. At dawn, a small group left the village lead by Indra.
Octavia moved quietly and quickly between the trees as Lincoln taught her to so. She followed the group silently as they discussed their plans. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but eventually she realized that Indra knew she was following by their guarded looks and tone. One of the warriors, a young man, grabbed Octavia from behind and forced her down to the trail.
"I am going with you. Lincoln taught me how to fight," she told Indra.
The woman looked at Octavia for a moment before speaking. "Alright, you can help us. We need someone to draw in the reapers so we can defeat them. My scouts reported a group of reapers transporting prisoners nearby."
"Okay, what do you need me to do?" Octavia asked.
"Nothing, you will lay here on the trail and not move. We will handle the rest." Octavia was wary to be put in such a vulnerable position, but she had no choice. She laid down on the trail and hid her blade for protection. Indra and her people retreated to the trees to set up the ambush.
Octavia waited and stayed as still as she could. She worried about how the mission would work out. Eventually, Octavia could hear the Reapers moving closer and she fought to hold still. One of them moved up to investigate and when he leaned over, Octavia rolled, thrusting the blade deep into the Reaper's chest. She kept her grip on the blade's handle as he fell and pulled it free. Octavia stood and joined the Grounders that were still fighting. Octavia felled one more Reaper, slashing across his throat.
Octavia moved to the group of Grounders that gathered near the prisoners. Five men were tied along a log with their heads covered. Octavia pulled the hoods off of each man as she moved down. She reached the last man and pulled the hood of hopefully. Nyko blinked as he looked up at her. "No, no. Where is Lincoln?" she begged grabbing onto him. "I don't know." Nyko returned sadly.
Octavia collapsed onto the ground and let her grief take over. Nyko helped her to her feet and held her steady, "He was a good man." When she looked up at him he spoke quietly, "You have proven yourself." Octavia slowly composed herself in order to stand tall. She knew it was an honor for her to be accepted as worthy in their eyes. They brought her back to the camp and treated her to the Grounder way of life for the night.
When Octavia rose the next morning, she went to speak with Indra. She entered the woman's hut and sat with her. "Can you tell me anything about my people?"
Indra looked down at the girl, deciding how much to tell her. "The campsite your people were using was abandoned after the battle. Another group of Sky People landed and created a settlement not far from here. I can provide you a map to its location if you wish to leave."
Octavia had to think about what she would plan to do from now on. She knew she needed to find her brother. "I need to find my brother. He saved me during that battle, and I don't know if he survived. He is all I have left now." Indra nodded, understanding the girl's desire. "Then you are free to go. You have proven your worth, but I will not help you in this." Octavia rose and thanked the woman before she left.
Octavia left the village and travelled to Lincoln's cave. She wanted to visit one last time before she started her search for her brother. She entered the cave and lite several of the candles. She caressed the shelves of books, pulling several of the tomes that she wanted to keep. She found his foghorn near the bed, and held it to her chest. Octavia struggled to keep her sorrow at bay, until she came here. Octavia collapsed onto the bed and let everything go.
Octavia woke up a few hours later and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked around the cave again, deciding that it was time to leave. She grabbed his carry sack and filled it with the possessions that she wanted to keep and attached his foghorn to her hip. She sighed as she looked around the cave a final time and blew out the candles.
Octavia climbed up out of the cave and closed the hatch back down. She pulled out the map the Indra gave her and estimated her location based on the landmarks on the map. Octavia headed out, making her way toward her people, hoping that she would find her people.
Octavia found her brother the next day being attacked by Grounders. She was closing in on one of the crash sites that Indra noted on the map when she heard gunfire. Her heart soared at the sound, knowing that her people were the only group with such weapons. Octavia lifted the foghorn up to her lips and blew a long note through it, knowing that the sound would force the Grounders to retreat; they wouldn't risk being caught in the open by the fog. Octavia ran through the trees toward the origin of the gunfire. She broke through trees and spotted her brother in the middle of the group. Octavia ran to embrace her brother, glad that she still had him.
Octavia had to admit that Lincoln was gone when Finn asked where he was. She was grateful that none of them asked her to explain what happened. Octavia helped Bellamy and Monroe take the injured girl back to their new home, Camp Jaha. Clarke ran to embrace them when they entered the gate, and Raven followed behind her. They explained that the rest of the survivors of the battle were captured by the Mountain Men and were being held deep within the compound.
Octavia travelled with her brother and Clarke to find Finn the next morning. When Octavia found out that Finn was searching for Clarke at Lincoln's village, she led the way. Octavia stopped when she arrived at the memorial, remembering the attack that took Lincoln. "They took him. I couldn't save him, Bell. I couldn't save him." She cried into his shoulder. The sound of gunfire drew their attention, and Octavia lead them through the trees to the edge of the village.
They watched in shock as Finn murdered the villagers. He finally lowered the weapon when he caught sight of Clarke in the tree line. Octavia ran forward to the people, trying to find any survivors. She fell to her knees next to Artigas's lifeless body and wept with Nyko. The young warrior was part of the band that she helped to rescue Nyko and the others. "He was brave, he tried to fight back after one of the elders was killed," Nyko explained.
Octavia stayed to help Nyko and the other survivors to tend to their dead. She couldn't understand what came over Finn to make him, of all people, massacre these innocents. When she could do no more, Octavia bid Nyko and the others farewell and started for her new home.
Octavia jumped at the opportunity to join Bellamy and Clarke on the trip to Mount Weather. Several members of the guard, Abby, Raven, and Finn all travelled toward the mountain in order to find the cause of the interference and destroy it. Octavia and Bellamy decided before they left that they would sneak away to find an access to the compound.
Octavia and Bellamy snuck away from the group when they neared the base. They moved quickly, and kept their eyes out for anything that looked out of place or manmade. Three of the guards followed after them shortly, demanding that they return to the main group. Octavia noticed the beetles converging on the forest floor around them and watched their pattern. Lincoln taught her to read the animals, explaining that they knew much more of what was happening than they ever could. Octavia looked around and spotted the fog rolling in through the trees. She called out to Bellamy and followed the beetles, knowing that if they sought shelter nearby, she might be able to as well.
Octavia followed the beetles to the face of a cliff and started pulling the brush away from the base of the wall. Her fingers found the frame of a door and Octavia yelled out to her brother again. He appeared behind her with one of the guards, and she explained what she found quickly. The two men fought with the lock on the door and she pushed them inside when they finally got it open. They called out to the other two guards to follow them, but one tripped over the tent he was trying to construct and fell. They forced the door closed again when the fog started to seep in.
The small group caught their breath and looked around to see where they were. They appeared to be in an old car garage. The guard agreed to split up and search the area for anything that could be useful. Bellamy holstered the handgun one of the guards gave him before they went separate directions. She and Bellamy searched the vehicles, but couldn't find anything that would benefit them. They followed along the wall as they moved, trying to find a portal that might lead into Mount Weather.
They heard music travel through the structure at an ominous volume. Suddenly they heard the guards screaming and shots fired. Bellamy and Octavia ran across the parking garage, toward the sound of the music. They crouched and moved slowly as they got closer, and Octavia felt Bellamy place the small gun to her palm. She grasped it tight as they continued moving. They examined the source of the music, but quickly turned their attention to the source of another sound. They used their flashlights to find the source of the wet ripping sound, and spotted a couple of Reapers ripping apart the corpses of the guards.
Bellamy shot quickly, killing both of them before they were able to charge. Octavia spotted a third nearby. She lifted her gun and flashlight together to look at the Reaper. Bellamy lifted his rifle to take aim, and Octavia gasped. She lowered Bellamy's gun and whispered, "Lincoln, that Reaper is Lincoln." She ignored the confused look he gave her and called out to him. "Lincoln, Lincoln, It's me. It's Octavia."
Lincoln looked up when she spoke and focused on the two. He rose and staggered toward them with a feral expression. Octavia continued speaking to him, hoping to somehow get through to him. Lincoln closed in on them, and lifted Octavia and threw her behind him. She saw him going after her brother and lifted the gun back up. She shot him, hitting him in the arm. She ran to her brother when Lincoln returned to the shadows.
Bellamy pulled her into one of the cars nearby. Octavia was trembling, trying to understand what could have made Lincoln turn into a Reaper. Lincoln appeared again, looking into the window. Octavia feared that he heard them and was going to attack again. She watched him stare into the window, and she could see something familiar in his eyes. He wiped his hand over his reflection and turned away.
Octavia looked at her brother, "Did you see that? He is still in there."
Bellamy nodded, "I saw. Do you think we can get him back?"
Octavia shook her head, "I don't know, but if he is still in there, we have to try."
"Okay, I think I have a plan then," Bellamy said. "I can use the guard's weapon to incapacitate him if you draw him in. Once he is down, we will have to get him somewhere safe, fast."
Octavia didn't even have to think about her options; she knew what Lincoln would do for her. "Let's do this." They quickly arranged themselves so they could move quickly. Bellamy exited the car first and ran to the guards. He nodded to her when he was ready, and Octavia called out. "Lincoln, are you still out there? Lincoln, it's me, Octavia. Come to me Lincoln." She could hear him moving toward her, and she kept talking to him to cover any sounds that Bellamy made. Lincoln appeared out of the shadows and walked straight to her. When he passed Bellamy, her brother leapt out and thrust the shock wand against Lincoln's neck. Bellamy held it to him until Lincoln finally relaxed.
Octavia and Bellamy both took a deep breath and looked down at Lincoln. "What now?" Octavia asked.
"Now we take him home." Bellamy replied.
Octavia and Bellamy struggled to lift Lincoln up and drag him outside. Bellamy checked for fog before they continued. "its all clear now," he said, leaving the door open. They brought Lincoln outside and set him with the third guard's body and the supplies.
"We have to make something to carry him on, or we will never make it." Bellamy reached for Octavia's blade and used it to fall a couple of young trees nearby. They worked together in silence, securing the tents between the trees to create a stretcher. Bellamy thought it would be a good idea to restrain Lincoln before they left, in case he came to before they got to the drop ship. They used the guard's belt and some wire from Bellamy's pack to tie Lincoln up, but neither thought it would hold him for long. They placed Lincoln on the stretcher and slowly drug him to the drop ship.
Thankfully, Lincoln did not wake during the trip. Octavia and Bellamy set the stretcher down on the bottom floor of the ship and looked around. Bellamy left for a moment and returned with a chain to tie Lincoln up with. They both seemed to understand what the other was thinking, and they worked in synchronous to feed the chain around Lincoln. Bellamy released his hands from the wiring and hoisted him up. Octavia quickly wrapped the chain around his torso, and around his arms. She attached the chain to two of the frame posts so that he was restrained by his arms. Bellamy carefully released him and checked her work.
Octavia sat on the floor and looked up at Lincoln. She could believe she had to tie him up in the drop ship again. She hated to remember the pain that he went through when Bellamy captured and tortured him. Octavia stared at Lincoln's face and wondered what could have turned him into the thing he hated and feared most. She assumed that the Reaper's killed him after he was captured. This thought never crossed her mind. "This shouldn't be possible." She thought. Bellamy placed his hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her before he stepped outside to radio Clarke.
Octavia sat with Lincoln for almost an hour before he woke up. She stood when he started to move, and started talking to him. She told him who she was, and she told him where he was. Lincoln groaned and fought against the chains that were holding him up. Octavia continued talking to him. She spoke of everything she could think of; from how they met to how he taught her to be a warrior. She talked to him for hours, but he never seemed to hear her. Lincoln continued to fight against the chains until his fatigue finally won out. When he slipped back into unconsciousness, Octavia walked to the door to speak with her brother.
Octavia asked Bellamy to radio Clarke and ask her to come. Bellamy called out to Clarke and had to wait for one of the guards to retrieve her. When she answered, Octavia grabbed the radio. "Clarke, its Octavia. I need you to come to the drop ship. We found Lincoln, but I think we need your help." Clarke agreed and said that she would leave immediately. Octavia and Bellamy walked back inside and sat together in silence.
Clarke entered a couple of hours later. Bellamy rose to tell her what the situation was, while Octavia continued to watch Lincoln. Octavia stood when the conversation drew Lincoln out of his sleep. He pulled against the chains again, fighting for his release. Clarke moved closer to observe Lincoln and try to find the reason for his behavior.
"I don't know if I can help him. I can't figure out why he is so aggressive, or why he doesn't recognize us." Clarke spoke quietly. Octavia moved closer to force Lincoln to look at her. His eyes finally met hers and he stilled for a moment. She tried speaking to him again, but he soon started fighting his restraints again.
Clarke and Bellamy spoke in the background for a while, before Clarke approached Octavia again. "I am going to go and talk with my mother; she might know something that I don't. I will be back as soon as I can." Octavia nodded at Clarke, but stayed focused on Lincoln. He continued to fight the restraints, and Octavia continued talking to him, trying to pull him from the depths.
Octavia woke up disoriented. She could hear a pained groaning coming from somewhere nearby, but she couldn't place what was causing the sound. When she recognized that she was in the drop ship, Octavia jumped up. She crossed the ship to check on Lincoln. He seemed to be in the same condition as he was last night. Bellamy was sitting, watching the wall, appearing to try to block out Lincoln's struggles.
Octavia stepped in front of Lincoln again and tried to gain his attention. She couldn't get him to look in her eyes again, which was starting to scare her. She moved to sit next to her brother. "Was I wrong, Bell? Is he still in there?"
"I don't know, Octavia, but I hope he is." Bellamy replied. She could see the exhaustion on his face. "Go and rest, I can watch him now. Thank you for letting me sleep." Bellamy slowly rose and climbed the ladder to rest where it was a little quieter. Octavia grabbed the water from her bag and quenched her thirst. She moved slowly up to Lincoln and tried to offer him water, but he didn't even notice. She sat down in defeat and tried to talk to him again.
Clarke returned at midday with additional people. Abby immediately entered to examine Lincoln. Octavia walked over and greeted Indra and Nyko. She nodded to the other Grounder woman, but didn't introduce herself. She spoke with Nyko about Lincoln, trying to find out if the Grounders knew where the Reapers originated. Nyko explained to her that the Reapers they encountered in the past were disfigured beyond recognition. No Grounder before thought that the Reapers could have been created. None of the people could think of any way to help Lincoln recover.
After the conversation, Octavia returned to Lincoln's side. He looked around with a hungry look in his eyes. He finally stopped fighting against the restraints and stood on uneasy legs. Octavia lifted the water to his mouth again, "Drink," she said quietly. He looked at the water, but wouldn't meet her eyes. She carefully tipped the water into his mouth, and sighed when he finally drank. She knew his body was far past exhausted at this point. He had been tied here in the drop ship for a day now, and he had spent most of that time wasting his energy trying to escape.
Lincoln stayed awake, watching the people talk in the drop ship during the afternoon. He still tested the chain, but he wasn't fighting and groaning against it anymore. Octavia tried to talk to him, reminding him of the life he seemed to have lost. Lincoln drifted back to sleep as evening set in. Octavia bid goodbye to the Grounders, and to Clarke and Abby.
Bellamy sent Octavia to rest in the upper level of the ship while he watched Lincoln. She knew she couldn't do anything more for Lincoln at the time, so she agreed. Octavia climbed the ladder to the second floor and walked over to the makeshift bed that Bellamy created. She eased herself down onto the bed and quickly fell asleep. She dreamt of Lincoln; of how he saved her, and of how he taught her the ways of his people.
When Octavia woke up, the happiness she felt in her dreams gave her hope. She climbed down to the lower level and roused Bellamy. "I'm sorry O, I guess I didn't realize how tired I was."
"It's fine, he is still here. Go and rest." She replied.
"No, I need to go and get more supplies. We are almost out of water, and we are out of food. If you think you can handle everything here, I'm going to leave now so I can get back soon."
"I will be fine, go." Octavia watched as Bellamy rose and grabbed his pack. He pulled out his water and poured the remains into Octavia water pouch. She accepted the pouch from him and drank a small amount before setting it aside. Octavia walked Bellamy outside, and they said goodbye. Bellamy told her that he planned on returning before evening set in that night. Octavia watched Bellamy walk into the woods.
Octavia returned inside the ship and approached Lincoln. He was still asleep, but he started moving as if in a bad dream. Octavia carefully placed her hand on his head, hoping to comfort him, but quickly pulled it back. His skin was burning hot. Octavia felt his skin again and realized that he was burning with fever. Octavia grabbed her water pouch poured some onto a scrap of cloth she found in the ship. She used the cloth to wipe his face, hoping that it would help to break his fever.
Octavia kept wiping the damp cloth across his face and neck for the next couple hours. She couldn't tell that it was doing any good for his fever when she checked. His flesh still burned when she touched it, and Lincoln still wouldn't wake up. Octavia stared up at his now clean face and wondered if this fever could be a good thing. Octavia dropped the cloth next to the now empty water pouch.
Octavia walked outside to find out what time of the day it was. The sun was still high in the sky, so Octavia knew she had hours yet before Bellamy would be returning. Octavia went back inside and stopped in front of Lincoln again. She leaned against the wall and started talking to him. She felt like she was repeating the same information, but she held out hope that the memories would help pull her Lincoln to the surface.
When Bellamy finally arrived, Octavia grabbed the water from him and drank some of it down. She moved over to Lincoln and tried to trickle some down his throat, and he swallowed on instinct. She explained to Bellamy that Lincoln developed a fever and that she couldn't get it to lower. Bellamy placed his hand to Lincoln's forehead and winced when he removed his hand. "Has it been this high all day?"
Octavia nodded, not bothering to let her worry hide anymore. "I used all of the water you left me trying to break his fever. He's been moaning in his sleep all day. I still can't get through to him. Octavia felt the tears break free and started wiping them away.
"Go upstairs and bring the bedding down here. I think we should lay him down so his body can rest. Maybe that will help." Octavia jumped up at Bellamy's words, eager to do anything that could help Lincoln.
She dropped the cushions and blankets down the ladder, and climbed back down. Bellamy helped her arrange them behind Lincoln. Bellamy lifted Lincoln's weight as Octavia released the chains from the wall. She helped Bellamy lower him down onto the bedding, and sat next to him as Bellamy attached the chains to the frame again. Octavia stroked her hand across his face.
Bellamy handed Octavia food and water, and forced her to eat. She ate only a small amount, placing the food to the side. She trickled some more water into Lincoln's mouth, and was glad that he swallowed it. Octavia sat with him the rest of the night, giving him water slowly. Lincoln continued moaning in his sleep, until his fever finally broke just before dawn. Octavia fell asleep sometime in the night.
Octavia woke up shortly after dawn. She sat up and saw Lincoln still sleeping next to her. She stretched before she reached over to check his temperature. She was relieved that his fever finally broke. Octavia drank some water and ate the food she had left from the night before. She rested her hand back on Lincoln's forehead. She started talking to him again quietly.
"Octavia." She jumped at the hoarse voice that spoke her name. She looked up at Lincoln and met his eyes. "Lincoln?" She leaned down to look into his eyes, and could see her Lincoln looking back. She lifted the water up to his mouth and held his head for him so he could drink. He started coughing and laid back down.
Bellamy came down the ladder and saw Octavia helping Lincoln drink. He moved slowly so he wouldn't disturb them. Octavia saw him and called him over. Bellamy looked down and saw the joy and relief in his sister's eyes. He looked to Lincoln, who was laying back staring at Octavia. Bellamy greeted Lincoln and was relieved to see that he survived this ordeal. Bellamy moved outside to radio Clarke and let her know that Lincoln's memory and control returned.
Octavia embraced Lincoln, before she asked him what he remembered. Lincoln shook his head, not wanting to discuss it at the moment. "I could hear you. Your voice pulled me out."