Disclaimer - I own nothing.

A.N - So, I know plenty of you are thinking right now that I must be a lunatic for writing this when I have so many stories in progress. However, I already have all of Season 1 completely outlined , and I'm crazy excited to write this. Anywho, hope this meets everyone's expectations!

/Though our feet might ache, the world's upon our shoulders

No way we gon' break, 'cause we are full of wonder

Whoa, oh we ain't failing under

Whoa, oh we are full of wonder/

-Wonder, Emeli Sande

Chapter 1 - The Reigns of Justice

Bellamy's heart galloped in his chest as he screamed, kicked, thrashed against the guards who were picking up Octavia's fighting form and trying to carry to her away. Maybe he wouldn't have exploded in such violence if Octavia hadn't whimpered.

But her noise of fear curled into his stomach, and twisted until all the fire that lived deep inside of him came crashing out against those who threatened his family.

His attack on the guards spurred Octavia, little Octavia who still couldn't stop herself from being afraid of the dark.

The guards tried to calm them, but it was no use. The fire burned too deep inside of Bellamy. The fear inside of Octavia was too large.

The guards never stood a chance, and they ran-their legs taking them right and left. They didn't know where they were running, but Octavia was only seven years old. Her little legs couldn't stretch as far as Bellamy's could. Bellamy wasn't much better, at thirteen, he'd hit a small growth spurt and his body felt awkward, gangly-out of balance with the ark all around him as he tried to run and pull Octavia along.

But she'd never been outside of their small apartment. She'd never had to jump or run so much, and her little legs finally gave out. A cry escaped her as her right leg cramped, and Bellamy cursed.

He could hear the boots of the guard chasing them bouncing off the walls. He lifted Octavia off of the floor, and place her on his hip, like he'd seen his mom do a thousand times. He started running again, but the shadows were his enemy and all the corridors seemed to be blocked or neverending.

He couldn't run as fast while carrying Octavia, and as he heard the Guards come closer and closer, he knew they'd be caught soon.

He knew-but there was a light. There was a light and a little girl, maybe only a couple of years younger than him standing next to a door.

She looked upon him and without thought, out of breath, he said, "Help!"

Clarke took in his scraggly hair, and the little girl on his hip. She had no idea why he was running, but she knew that everything was a 'capital' offense on the ark, though her mom still refused to tell her what 'capital' meant.

She opened the door and Bellamy rushed through and kept running through until he reached the last bedroom. This apartment was clearly ten times the size of his, but he was grateful that she'd let him in.

He doubted anyone would look for them there...for now.

"Thanks," he mumbled, still trying to catch his breath.

"I'm Clarke," she announced.

"Bellamy," he nodded his head in that way he'd seen older men do.

"Why were you running?" Clarke took Octavia from his arms, and took her to sit on the bed. He'd hesitated, but in the end, his trembling arms couldn't hold her much longer. The second Octavia felt the softness of the bed, her eyes fluttered shut. Her snores followed not long after.

"Guards are after us."

"Why?"

Bellamy shrugged, "They need a reason?"

His bitterness was a direct result of living a life of poverty, hardship, and distrust. But Clarke had been raised in the complete opposite circumstances.

"Of course they need a reason!" She declared importantly.

"Hn, not a very good one," Bellamy pursed his lips and bit the inside of his cheek. He was grateful for the help, but he found Clarke's inquisitiveness a bit annoying.

"Well, why were they chasing you?"

"They're chasing us because Octavia exists" he snapped, and felt a strange victory at seeing the girls face pale.

"That can't be it!"

"Just like you heard it, princess," he raised an eyebrow and let his body sink to the floor against the closest wall that wasn't decorated. His family could barely afford to eat and this little girl had enough to be able to decorate her space. He felt indignity and envy curl inside of him, but he tried to push it down. He tried to keep those dark feelings at bay because she had helped them and she didn't have to. "Octavia was born a crime-she's my sister."

"No one has a sister on the ark," she said cautiously.

Clarke felt like the world was tilting. The ark was everything good and kind. But there was a darkness that she didn't understand. There was a darkness she'd never seen, being only eleven years old and sheltered among the privileged.

"I do. That's the problem."

There was a silence that was slightly suffocating. Bellamy knew he couldn't hide here forever.

"So the guards found out?" Clarke looked at Octavia who'd fallen asleep on the bed.

"Yeah," he sighed and ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "I don't how, but they came in and started searching, and they were tearing the place apart. It's like they knew she was there somewhere and they just needed to find her. And they did. And shit got crazy."

"You shouldn't curse," Clarke gave him a superior look.

"Yeah, princess," Bellamy scoffed. "Because that's my biggest problem."

"You still shouldn't curse," Clarke insisted. "My dad has the same problem sometimes and my mom says that it's a bad habit."

He glared, "Can we focus on the fact that we're gonna be floated?"

"Only adults get floated," Clarke imparted her limited knowledge. His eyes were the darkest brown she'd ever seen and they seemed to know more than her, understand a life she didn't.

"Do you know what it means to get floated?"

Clarke glared right back at him and crossed her arms. "Of course! Jeremy's mom got floated last year, and I asked my mom about it. She said I don't have to worry because only adults get floated."

"Well, one day we'll be adults." His heart started beating in his chest wildly at the thought, but he held onto what he'd try to teach to Octavia. I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid. But he was, and he hated the feeling. "They can just hold us, lock us up, until we're old enough to float."

"Just for being alive?" Clarke bit her nail. It was a nasty habit her mother was trying to break her from, but she figured if there were ever a moment to be allowed to bite her nails, it was right then. "They can't do that!"

"They can," Bellamy felt his eyes well up with tears. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. "They will, we both know they will. What am I supposed to do?"

"Is there no way to get around it?"

"Maybe on Earth, sure," Bellamy joked dryly, slowly despairing, as he watched Octavia sleep peacefully. "But up here, there's nowhere to run and hide forever."

Bellamy at thirteen was jaded-courtesy of his mother's bitterness seeping into his very soul, alongside the tragic lives of those living in Factory Station. But Clarke was raised in a bubble of wonder, and at eleven, she still thought anything was possible.

"But on the Earth you can…"

"Sure...but I'm not on the earth, princess," Bellamy rolled his eyes, confused as to where this was going.

"But you could be on the Earth!" Clarke smiled brightly as though she'd discovered all the answers to the universe.

"Are you crazy?" Bellamy asked her seriously.

Now, it was her turn to roll her eyes. "No. Listen, you said it yourself-you can't outrun your fate here. They're..they're gonna float you when you become an adult. But if you're on Earth they can't."

"I won't be able to do much on Earth since I'll be dead. Isn't that why we're all up here-because we can't live down there?"

It was a fair question, and Clarke could only shrug. It wasn't ideal, but it was some kind of plan at least.

"Do you think there's a chance they won't float you up here?"

Bellamy thought of the way he'd attacked those guards to get away. He thought about the way they cried out in anger, and the sounds of their heavy footfalls.

"No," he said quietly. There was no chance they wouldn't float them. Not anymore. Not after that ruckus. Maybe they never had stood a chance, but now they'd float them for sure. He felt sick to his stomach.

"Then what other choice do you have? Better to take your chances down there then up here where you don't have a chance."

He wanted to ask how they would even get to the ground, but right then the door opened and a woman he recognized as being on the council entered the room.

They'd been so engrossed in their conversation they hadn't realized the front door had opened.

Bellamy jumped up and stood in front of Clarke and Octavia sleeping form, his body poised to attack. It was ridiculous, protecting Clarke, because this was probably her mother if the similarities of their features meant anything, but he didn't know if helping them was a crime. He didn't know anything except protect, protect, protect.

Even at thirteen, it was intrinsically who he was.

Abby looked upon him and Clarke in surprise. She'd gotten home to check on Clarke before her next shift only to find the children the guard was searching for desperately.

She also noticed that he wasn't just positioned to protect his sister, but Clarke as well. Abby had no idea how this current situation came to be, but she was not amused.

"The entire guard is looking for you, young man," Abby frowned severely. "You and your sister."

"We can explain!" Clarke piped up, and moved around Bellamy to stand right beside him.

He looked and Clarke, and she looked back. They had a plan. Not a very good or well thought out plan, but it was a plan nonetheless.

Abby saw the determination in their faces, the silent conversation taking place between the two children, and she didn't know what to do. Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder, and her husband's face appeared right behind her.

"Well, let's take this to the living room and hear all about it."


Clarke's couches were comfortable, but Bellamy couldn't relax. Once in the living room, Abby had sent for the Chancellor and Councilmen Kane. They'd given the council in front of them their half ass plan, but they didn't look convinced.

"Look, kid-" Jake Griffin started, but Bellamy was a fighter. And Even though he didn't really believe in this plan, it was better than the alternative.

"You guys never pardon anyone!" Bellamy said firmly. "You know you don't. And what has octavia done except be born? How is that her fault? On the Earth we've got a shot."

"The Earth won't be livable for another sixty years at least," Jaha tried to explain calmly. Abby nodded alongside the Chancellor; she saw the hope in her daughter's eyes, and she felt horrible for ripping it apart.

"That's just science!" Clarke pushed. "But science isn't a guarantee right?"

"She's right," Bellamy saw where Clarke was going. Or, he thought he did. He hoped he did, or else this conversation was going to devolve really quickly. "Science up here can't dictate what's happening on the ground. Maybe it won't be livable for another sixty years, or it's livable right now. Either way, we're voluntary guinea pigs-we're asking you to send us and let us find out for you."

"You're kids. You can't operate a ship to get down there, and you won't be able to fix anything if it goes wrong," Abby stated matter-of-factly.

"So make it automatic," Clarke sighed harshly. She didn't understand why they were finding every reason to say no. "And if something goes wrong, it won't matter much because they'd still have been floated up here anyway...right?"

Somewhere inside of Clarke, she wanted her parents to say that they wouldn't float Bellamy and Octavia. She wanted to believe that her parents wouldn't float someone just for existing, just for protecting their sister, but Abby smiled grimly and she knew that Bellamy had been right.

Bellamy could see the rejection on their faces. But he had to try, at least one last time.

"Give us a fighting chance," he slammed his fist against the arm of the sofa. He looked at Marcus Kane and saw something of himself in the man's features. It hurt, the idea that this man could be his father. He'd had his suspicions, but his mother refused to answer him either way. "Up here, we're goners. But down there, if there's a way to survive, I'll find it. If there's a way to beat the odds, I can do it. I know I can. Because dying isn't an option. Not for me. Sure as hell not for Octavia. She's my sister, my responsibility. But you've gotta let me try."

Clarke could feel the air change the second he finished his speech.

Give us a fighting chance.

She saw Councilman Kane's eyes soften for a second, and without anyone's input, Kane stepped forward and nodded his head.

"Alright," he locked eyes with Bellamy. Father and son, though neither knew it and both suspected. "Prove you're a fighter, kid. Beat the odds."

Bellamy smiled and turned to Clarke who glowed.

They'd succeeded, together, and Bellamy was sure he could achieve anything at that moment.


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