Chapter 1: Set up
The Ark. Five years before The 100 are sent to the ground.
Starlette Devonstan remembers the first time she met Marcus Kane. She didn't like him very much from what she had seen of him. There was no denying that he was good looking and all but he seemed to have a great stick up his ass - like being a member of the council meant he was higher than the 'ordinary workers' or something. Starlette only agreed to meet him because Vera had insisted upon it and she couldn't deny Vera anything, she adored her.
Kane had promised to have dinner with his mother one evening after not seeing her for weeks because he was "too busy" and without his knowledge she had invited Starlette. He entered her quarters to see her giggling with a young woman easily ten years younger than him. She had beautiful dark hair and eyes filled with mirth. He immediately decided that he didn't like her but he couldn't figure out why. Was he jealous of how clearly his mother adored this girl? He didn't recognise her either which seemed strange because the Ark only contained a little over 2000 people. He should at least recognise her face.
"Oh Marcus honey I'm so glad you came. Come give your mother a kiss," Vera said smiling as she got up to greet her son. Marcus looked at Starlette with a grim smile. Starlette noticed that Vera was the one who kissed him on the cheek and not the other way around. Kane letting her do so seemed to be all he could give her. Poor Vera.
"Marcus, this is the gorgeous girl I was telling you about, this is Letty." Starlette reached out her hand to shake his and he did so as he sat down.
"Starlette, but everybody calls me Letty."
"Pleasure," he said stiffly in reply. He was upset with his mother for inviting her. Clearly this was a set up. She was beautiful and could easily find a partner her own age so why did she agree to this? Marcus decided that this woman, this Letty, wanted to snag herself a councilman. Well he wasn't having any of it.
As they settled down to eat he began to pepper her with questions.
"So Starlette," he began, he used her full name, he wasn't going to be friendly towards her, "I don't recognise you, where have you been hiding?"
"Maybe you just haven't been looking Kane," she wasn't going to be friendly either but she hid it with a teasing tone and glint in her eye. The truth was that for the past seven years she had been hospitalised. That's how she and Vera met. She was surprised Vera hadn't mentioned it.
(a/n: I'm guessing the Ark would have rules against letting a patient live this long, but for this story's sake let's just say they're ok with it.)
"I told you dear, I met Letty when I had my heart attack last year."
Marcus felt a wave of guilt pass through him. She must have been one of the nurses who helped his mother.
"Were you a nurse there? I never saw you." He asked, this time with a gentle tone.
"No." Letty answered simply, not offering up any more information.
"Marcus I've told you about Letty a thousand times," Vera said in exasperation. "She was the one who would sing to me and read to me -"
"It doesn't matter Vera," Letty interrupted as she put a gentle hand upon Vera's. She hoped she wouldn't say anymore. She didn't want Kane to know she had been a patient. For some reason to her, letting him know meant he could somehow take advantage of her. As if he could have the power to make her feel weak.
Marcus surmised that Starlette was a volunteer at the hospital.
Wanting to change the subject Vera asked both Marcus and Letty how their days were. Marcus replied with a disinterested monosyllabic "fine" while Letty gushed over her kids.
"They're just so cute. I love them to bits." At Kane's confused look she clarified that she was a teacher to the junior children of the Ark.
"I thought you were studying to be a doctor."
"I am but I'm taking night classes with Doctor Griffin."
They had finished their dinner and Vera had poured them some wine.
"Oh dear," Vera said suddenly and dramatically as she set the bottle down. "I forgot to water the tree today, I must go." She hurried out of the room.
Both Marcus and Letty watched her go and then turned back to each other. Marcus was frowning and Letty could barely contain her laughter. Vera NEVER forgot to water the tree and they both new it.
"Your mother has all the subtly of a blazing comet you know that?" Letty giggled. Kane did not laugh or even crack a smile.
"Well I don't know why she would try to set us up if she wasn't given encouragement."
Letty wasn't smiling anymore. "Excuse me?"
"If you're interested in snagging yourself a council member there are plenty of other's whose mother's I'm sure would love for you to sing to them."
Starlette looked at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe that he would dare suggest that she sucked up to Vera to get to him.
"Wow, you're real asshole you know?" Marcus smiled at this, so she wasn't all smiles and laughter.
"How dare you accuse me of using your mother to get to you. For your information, I spent seven years in hospital and when your mother came in all distraught that her son barely came to visit her, I was there for her. And she was there for me. You have no idea how lucky you are to have her. If my mother was still alive I would make sure to spend time with her every single day no matter how busy I was. You're a real piece of work, you don't get that from her. I wouldn't be surprised if she adopted you as a baby. It would make sense, you're nothing like her!"
Marcus swallowed, she had been a patient and he had never noticed, but how could he have? She was right, he had always avoided visiting his mother as much as possible. His father had been severely sick and being in the hospital part of the ark had always brought up bad memories for him.
Starlette got up to leave.
"Please tell Vera that I'm sorry for leaving early." She spat out hastily as she put her jacket on.
Kane rose as she made her way to the door.
"Starlette -" he began, but he had no idea what to say. He wasn't the type to apologise and she was being unnecessarily dramatic.
As she opened the door Vera's face appeared. Poor Vera had hoped to see her two favourite people laughing and getting along. No such luck.
"Where are you going dear?"
"Home," and she turned to glare at Kane as she answered. "Your son has a pole stuck so far up his arse he has shit pouring out of his mouth."
She turned back to Vera and kissed her on the cheek, "thanks for dinner, love you." And then she was gone.
Kane was surprised Starlette would act like that in front of his mother, he assumed she would be all fake as he thought she was being earlier. Maybe she hadn't been. Vera was furious with him but he defended himself saying she shouldn't have meddled in his love life. But in the back of his mind he felt guilty for the way he acted. A part of him wished he could smooth things over with Starlette but every time he saw her he stopped himself. He didn't give apologies. Over the next few years they crossed paths every now and then but not enough to mean anything. Whenever she was with Vera he made sure not to interrupt them. They mostly stayed out of each other's way. Though things changed a lot more after The 100 were sent to the ground.
Review if you want more. I am a Kabby shipper but this story has been forming in my mind for a few weeks now so I wrote it down. I hope you like it :)
