CHAPTER 3 NEW GROUNDERS

They were lying on the ground, hiding.

Madi whispered. "Clarke, what's happening?"

"Ssshh" Clarke tried to zoom in with her rifle, on the new spaceship that was landing nearby. Her stomach hurt and her heart was racing. It had been a long time since she felt this frightened, but she didn't want to show Madi. "I'm sure we'll be fine.

Madi had a concerned look on her face, she sensed this was not okay at all, she was a smart kid. "Are they coming down? How many people are there?"

Clarke shrugged. "I'm not sure Mads, we should go to the cave to hide."

Madi shook her head. "No! We should find out who they are right? And what they're doing here." She was curious.

"You think we should just go there and talk to them?" Clarke sarcastically pointed out with a smile and then looked serious again. "No. We're not doing that. This is our home and we have to protect it."

Madi smiled back. "If there is going to be any one else on our land, we should defend ourselves. Maybe this is the time to finally use the trees? Like my family did when you landed on earth." that's right, Madi was originally Trikru. But she ended up with Luna's clan, to stay safe and her biological mum didn't want her to end up like the other nightbloods.

Clarke had found Madi in the first year after Praimfaya, on the beach, nearly dead. That's how their mother-daughter bond started. And Madi showed up just at the right time, when Clarke was about to give up. So, they saved each other.

Clarke had this wide and proud motherly smile on her face. Her 'little' girl wasn't so little any more. "You're right, we should do just that. But we first have to hide the car and take some stuff with us, from camp."

The two of them decided to use their skills and trained every day, also to keep healthy and to stay sane. It wasn't easy being the only ones on earth. They started to climb trees too, Madi was young but she taught Clarke how to do it.

And Clarke also needed to figure out a way to protect her daughter, for the time when the 1200 would find their way out of the bunker. She had been thinking; her young and real nightblood might actually stir up a few things from the past. And what could happen in those six years? Besides, people change. And after all this time maybe, if they would all reunite again, they might be more like strangers instead of friends?

Suddenly Clarke's hand began to shake, as she saw the ship touch the ground and shortly after that the huge door opened. Who the hell were they? And how many?...She quickly put the rifle away, firmly grabbed Madi's hand and pulled.

"We should move. Now."

They ran as fast as they could, took the car and drove to the cave to hide it there. The cave was their hiding place, camp was nearby, but it wasn't safe to go there, as long as they didn't know who'd just landed on earth.

… … …

Bellamy was lying in bed, alone this time. But after a while Echo knocked on the door.

He opened up quietly and looked at her, but he didn't say a word. It was okay, as always. He stepped backwards into his room, Echo followed and closed the door behind her. She wanted to kiss him, but noticed how pale and sweaty he was, so she reached out her hand to feel his forehead.

"Your cold." She said and shook her head.

Bellamy didn't respond and walked back to his bed to lay down again. Echo watched him as he put his hands underneeth his head and stared through the small window there.

"It's ok if you wanna stay." was all he said, without even looking at her and moved to one side of the bed, to create a spot for her.

Echo hoped that maybe the warmth of her embrace might help. But she found out soon enough that it didn't, he also had a bad cough and despite the body-heat he even shivered a bit, which wasn't good.

"Bellamy, you're sick again." she said concerned, with one hand on his chest, her cheek resting on his shoulder.

But it was like he didn't care and kept on staring through that window. "I know. And this time I might not get better."

Echo jumped up. "What are you trying to say?!"

He moved towards her and pulled her back against him and started to caress her arm, he glanced at her. "Hey calm down, it doesn't matter anymore. Look at us, what we've been through and where we are now...At least we can say that we had a good time."

"A good time? I'm in love with you." she admitted, but it wasn't the first time.

She was in fact so in love with him, that she was kind of okay with this 'on and off' relationship...and with -whatever it was- he had with Raven. Those times when Bellamy choose to be with Raven, Echo just knew he would come back to her eventually, because they had something special. Ever since Mount Weather.

He turned his head away from her and stared through the small window again, but Echo suddenly punched him in the face. "If you think I'll let you die here, then you're even more stupid then I thought you we're."

He moaned, rubbing his head. "Was that really necessary?" then he sat up and looked in her eyes. "Echo listen" he moved his hands to her face and caressed her cheek "you're very special to me."

But she responded cold "You should lay down. I'll get someone to check on you."

Bellamy did what she said, but wasn't happy that she ignored what he just said. It wasn't like he was a bad guy, or that it was all just a flirt. He meant it and he really wanted things to work out for them, but failed every single time.

… … …

"He's sick again." She stated, in the door opening. Echo and Raven weren't really friends, they were there for each other when they had to, but nothing more. Jealousy had come between them.

Raven nodded and stood up right away.

Raven lowered herself on the bed and touched Bellemy's forehead. "No fever, he's to cold." she looked behind her at Echo.

Bellamy slowly opened his eyes. "I'm still here."

Raven smiled at him and began to strike his his long, wavy hair out of his face with one hand. In the other hand she held one of the last oxygen bottles. He closed his eyes for e second, but then looked again. She waved the bottle in front of him.

"Here."

But he became restless. "No." he said very determined.

His friend shook her head and suddenly looked angry. "You have to take it Bellamy."

There eyes were locked "I said no." he repeated.

Raven knew this would be his reaction. "So, you don't trust me at all, do you? After almost thousand attempts of getting us to the ground, you just decided, somewhere along the line, that it was enough and that we just should give up."

Bellamy swallowed, he hated it to let a friend down. "I'm sorry." he softly said.

But Raven was angry. "Save your apologies. All I care about is that we make it to the ground, all of us. And when we do, we need you! So take the damn oxygen." she demanded. But they were both stubborn.

Suddenly Monty entered the room.

"Raven! I need you to check something out." He seemed so exited.

It made Raven smile "What is it?"

Monty stared from Echo to Bellamy. "I can't tell you. You should come with me."

Bellamy suddenly grabbed the bottle from Raven and nodded at her. "Go."

When Raven left, he put it down on the ground and glanced at Echo before he made himself comfortable on the bed again.

Echo slowly walked towards him and took a seat on the bed. "This is not what a true leader should do. You should be an example...and the strongest."

Bellamy sighed. "After six years you should know. A Skaikru leader is not the same as an Azgeda leader. We don't have to prove and show how strong we are all the time, we're not bad-ass warriors."

She stood up and shook her head, so disappointed in him. "You once were."

Echo walked to the door, then she turned and glanced at him. "That's the man I fell for. But you're so weak now, it's pathetic. Those men? We either banish or kill 'm."

He frowned, hurt but also angry. And even scared when she really left.

"You got yourself banished, remember!" he yelled after her.

… …. …

Early in the morning Raven came back to Bellamy's room. He was still awake, grumpy and didn't feel good at all.

"What the hell do you want Raven? You suddenly need me again? I'm not taking the damn oxygen." he said, still angry and completely misunderstanding the reason why she's there.

"Are you done?" Raven wasn't impressed and shook her head, she grabbed his blanket and pulled it off.

"Goodmorning to you to. I need you to hear something...on the radio." Then she turned and walked out of his room.

Bellamy was confused, the radio? He quickly grabbed some clothes and followed her, not even fully dressed.

"Wait, Raven." But she didn't wait. He tried to catch up, but because he was to ill and couldn't make it, half way there he fainted.

Raven just wanted to check if he was following her and found him lying in the hallway. "Oh shit!" she kneeled down and slapped his cheeks "Bellamy! Wake up, wake up damn it!"

She had to leave him behind to get some help. With her bad leg she walked as fast as she could to get Murphy.

When they finally had him back in his room and on the bed, Bellamy opened his eyes again, but he wanted to close them when he saw Murphy.

John Murphy moved his eyebrows and then glanced at the spot where Bellamy left the oxygen bottle.

He knew exactly what they wanted, but still refused "You can't make me."

Now Murphy shook his head and paced back and forth a few times before he suddenly took a turn and walked towards the bed. He grabbed the bottle off the floor and held it up, looking straight in his friends eyes

"You've got two options. Either you'll take it or you don't."

Bellamy, obviously short of breath, didn't want to give in "Or..."

Murphy laughed. "I said two options, smart ass."

Despite the situation, Raven looked pretty happy and suddenly asked "What if we told you that Clarke's still alive, would you take it then?"

His eyes moved fast and his heartbeat suddenly quickened. "Clarke is dead."

Murphy had enough of it and looked at Raven, the group had a lot to do and Bellamy wasn't a priority right now. "Look, we've got a lot to do. Let him."

They were about to walk away, but Bellamy was confused. "Wait, why did you ask that? Raven!"

Raven and Muprhy both were smiling, they nodded at each other, before she looked back "I'll tell you, if you let me help you first."

Now he got even more confused, was it a trick, no they couldn't do this to him. Could they?

Murphy sighed. "You heard her." and they walked further, to the door.

"Wait." Bellamy begged another time, but they had no intentions to come back this time.

Finally he gave it up "Okay! I'll take it!" he yelled after them when they were out of the room.

Raven couldn't wait to go back and when she did, she first gave him a hug.

"Are you with me?" she asked while giving him the oxygen, tears were in her eyes. Bellamy nodded, he remembered him asking her the same thing, when they just arrived in space six years ago.

She sat down on the bed and stayed, to make sure he took as much oxygen as he needed. "After you feel better, I'll come and get you. We found something on the radio that you might want to hear." She winked at him.

Bellamy blinked his eyes and carefully breathed in the oxygen, he was calm, but also exited. There were so many questions going through his mind, but he stayed calm and decided to just trust Raven and wait.

… … …

Echo came to see how Bellamy was doing and walked in while he saw Raven hug him, that hurt of course. And then she heard the reason why he would take the oxygen from Murphy. That hurt too, why didn't he took it for her? She hesitated first when she wanted to walked towards the bed, but Bellamy had noticed her and stared at her, while he was on oxygen. Raven looked behind her, took a breath and then handed the bottle to Echo.

"Here. You should do it." she said.

Bellamy nodded to confirm, obviously glad that she came back. Echo carefully smiled and then took her place.

When the others left the room she straightforwardly asked:

"It's all about Clarke isn't it? It has always been about her." Bellamy just stared at her, still inhaling oxygen.

"She's the one that kept you going, all this time. You know, I suddenly realized tonight, why our relationship isn't working."

He moved his hand to the mask and ripped it off. He wanted to get up, but got dizzy, his hand moved to his head.

After a pause, he frowned and looked in her eyes. "Not long ago, I told you that you are very special to me. And this is your response?"

Echo smiled and then gave him a soft and long kiss on his cheek. "You're very special to me too." she whispered in his ear and then sat up straight again, she just looked at him.

He looked back and said nothing. Because she was right.

Hope you enjoyed it again ;) Leave me a review? :P ...Next chapter is about CONTACT and hopefully a reunion :P