Camp suffered a few casualties following the grounder fever debacle – adding Connor and Derek to their deceased – but most had fully recovered from the virus within two days. Murphy was also quickly recovering from his injuries while he worked vigilantly to regain moral standing within camp.

Merit was immensely proud of her friend as she watched him try to peacefully reconcile the damage he caused and restore the relationships he had broken. He was pulling his weight around camp by not only helping, but volunteering to undertake some of the most tedious daily chores that no one else cared to do. He was exhausting every bit of effort in his body to prove to everyone that he wasn't a villain, that there was goodness inside of him, and that people could change. Nothing pleased Merit more than to see her best friend flourish, to watch as he rose above adversity and took his first steps on the road to absolution with strength and humility.

Merit could've borrowed some of Murphy's compassion as she wasn't being so merciful in her journey to forgiving Bellamy. Bellamy was unwavering in his belief that he could fix things and he took every available chance to repent for his transgressions, but Merit shot him down each time he tried. She was freezing him out with the cold shoulder and even flat out ignoring him as he struggled to regain her trust. Still, the guy just wouldn't give up and when apologizing wasn't enough, he was constantly trying to show her how remorseful he felt, yet nothing seemed to penetrate Merit's solid state of resolve.

It was morning, the third morning in a row that Bellamy would vie for her forgiveness. The sun had just begun to peek through the gray haze that darkened the sky and Merit was on early watch with Harper. She looked down from her position to find Bellamy right on schedule for his morning atonement.

"Harper, take five," Bellamy said, calling the young woman down from her post. He took her spot next to Merit. He held a small bag of rations, juggling it in one hand as he stared at Merit. "Breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," she replied dully.

"You should eat something," Bellamy said, stuffing the bag into Merit's jacket pocket. "Can't fight grounders on an empty stomach."

Merit sighed, lifting her weapon and looking down the scope to survey the surrounding woods. She tried to focus her energy on the task at hand to stifle the frustration she felt toward Bellamy.

"You look good holding a gun," Bellamy smirked, trying to use his charm to lighten the mood. His attempt fell flat and Merit still didn't respond. Bellamy took a deep breath, realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere with his methods. All he had left was sincerity and he hoped that Merit would hear him out. "I know it's going to take time, but I hope you can trust me again," he said softly.

Merit lowered her weapon and turned to Bellamy. "It's time to move on," she said impassively.

She loved Bellamy, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to trust him. If he would lie about someone being dead then there was no telling what else he would try to cover up. It was unsettling, to say the least, to put her faith into someone with such a dishonest past. She wasn't sure if her heart could tolerate another let down of such magnitude.

"Merit-"

Bellamy's next words were drowned out by the panicked cries of "Fire! Fire!"

Merit and Bellamy turned to see the smokehouse go up in flames. Knowing that Murphy, Octavia, and another boy, Del, were working away in that smoker, they dashed over to help extinguish the fire. However, their efforts weren't enough to save their friends and their food.

The intense fire ravaged through all of the food, leaving not one edible scrap behind. The smokehouse was home to all of their protein. It was where they preserved and stored their meat which was the bulk of the food that they counted on for nourishment and nutrition. Everything was burned beyond repair and they would sooner starve if they did nothing about it.

Clarke and Bellamy decided that it was best to spare any available campers to go out and hunt while the rest stayed behind to prepare for any incoming grounder attacks. They would go out in pairs, one gunner and one hunter equipped with a spear. Bellamy insisted that the bullets were only for grounders and not for capturing food as they didn't have the ammunition to waste. All hunting parties were expected to gather the bare necessities and return by nightfall. No goofing off, no exceptions, and no excuses.

Merit figured those strict rules would be a tad hard to follow with Murphy as her partner. They always seemed to find a way to mess around. He was her partner in crime, the Clyde to her Bonnie, and even with the danger lurking outside of the walls; she was relieved to get to spend some time with her close companion. It wasn't every day that someone came back from the dead and Merit wanted to make up for lost time.

She approached Murphy who was diligently sorting through the remainder of the food resources stored on the dropship.

"I know how much you enjoy playing with nuts, but it's time to go," Merit said with a cheeky grin. "Let's go, partner."

"I'd love to, but I don't think prince charming is going to let me leave his sight," Murphy said in reference to Bellamy.

"Since when do you listen to Bellamy?"

"Since you fell in love with him," Murphy snapped back with a quick crack of his own. His playful tone turned serious as he continued, "Look, I need him to trust me again and he's not going to do that if I get you in trouble."

Merit agreed with Murphy albeit with a heavy heart. "I'm proud of you, John."

"Yeah, yeah. Stuff it," Murphy drawled.

Murphy was doing everything in his power to carve out a new name for himself and Merit didn't want to screw that up for him. She had to respect his wishes even if that meant finding a new and less entertaining partner.

When Miller came strolling into the dropship, Merit realized that he would be the perfect stand in for Murphy. He was a smartass and he was good with a gun, while Murphy was only one of those things. If trouble arose, she would at least have a fighting chance with Miller. The only guarantee she had with Murphy was that they would both die laughing.

Just as Merit went to speak with Miller, Bellamy appeared. They made brief eye contact as their paths crossed, Bellamy making his way to the small camp model he had created to work on battle strategy. He was leaning over the 3D diagram and scanning it with a concentrated expression, but Merit could tell that he was just pretending to be busy to cover up his eavesdropping.

"Be my partner?" Merit asked Miller.

He gave her a quick nod. "Sure. I'll grab my gear."

"No way," Bellamy interrupted, immediately looking up from his work. "You're not taking my best gunner off the wall."

"You're just as good, so fill in for him," Merit argued.

Bellamy crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. "Find someone else."

"I'll feel a lot safer with him watching my back."

Bellamy rolled his eyes before agreeing. "Fine. Just be back before dark," he reiterated.

Merit nodded as she grabbed a spear. She and Miller left the dropship to start their search for food.

As soon as the pair was out of sight Murphy spoke. "Talk about awkward," he huffed, combing the hair out of his face with his fingers. "Walked in on them sucking face last night. I guess it's safe to say if the tent's rockin, don't come knockin."

"Why are you talking to me?" Bellamy growled in irritation.

"Just talking out loud," Murphy shrugged before returning to his work. A sinister smirk spread across his face as he watched a clearly flustered Bellamy stomp out of the dropship.

As Merit trekked through the forest with Miller, she was reminded of the first hunt she went on with Bellamy. How they walked silently side by side for hours only to come up empty handed, how they spent the night trapped in a cave hiding from acid fog, and how one night changed their entire perceptions of each other.

She was reminded of all of the firsts they shared on that night. She remembered the freedom she felt in kissing Bellamy for the very first time, the invigoration that she received from feeling his bare skin against hers, and the way her heart nearly burst seeing him in danger. Then she realized that those rich feelings of excitement hadn't changed since then. Merit would've never imagined how much Bellamy would change her life after spending one night together and suddenly she missed him.

Merit was absentmindedly twirling her spear around like a baton, enamored by the nostalgia she felt in these woods when she heard her stomach growl. She placed a hand on her abdomen as her hunger pangs continued to make her stomach grumble. Then she felt the lump protruding from her jacket pocket. She shoved her hand into the pocket, fishing out the culprit and saw that it was the rations that Bellamy had given her earlier.

She let out a deep sigh, realizing that no matter where she looked, she was constantly reminded of him. No matter how much she tried to deny Bellamy, her heart always went crawling back to him.

"Merit, look out!" Miller yelled, breaking her from her stupor.

She turned her head mere inches just to look at him and an arrow grazed her face. She wailed in pain, holding a hand over her cheek, knowing that she would've suffered much more than a scratch if Miller hadn't called out to her. She wouldn't have lived to know the stinging ache of her small injury.

Merit ducked down in her place to avoid the instance of more flying arrows as Miller shot for the trees. A grounder riddled with bullet holes dropped at her feet.

Miller grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the ground. "We have to go. Now!" he shouted.

The pair took off in a full sprint through the forest. They were much too far from camp to run all the way back, so they desperately sought after refuge. Merit noticed a familiar cave in their path and pulled Miller into the cover of the rocky fortress.

"You saved my life," Merit whispered breathlessly.

Her back was placed firmly against the wall while Miller's hand pressed against the solid stone behind her. They were both breathing heavily, riding the intense wave of adrenaline as their chests heaved against each other. Merit's eyes fell on Miller's lips as she felt them silently calling out to her. Her hand gripped tightly on the waist of his jacket as she began to slowly close the small gap between them. Miller tilted his head slightly, signaling that he was willing to accept her offer. Then she kissed him, soft at first, but harder and deeper as the length of the kiss extended.

Then she saw his face. She saw his dark hair and his olive skin that was dotted with freckles. She saw his deep brown eyes that were merely a window to his vast and complex soul. She heard his voice and felt the husky bass of his tone vibrating in her ears. She felt the warmth of his skin and was reminded of the comfort of home. His scent flooded her nostrils and she remembered how he smelled like the earth after it rained. She saw Bellamy and everything that she loved about him.

She broke away from the lusty kiss, realizing that it was an empty endeavor and she felt nothing. "I'm sorry," Merit said dipping underneath Miller's arm and separating herself from him. "I shouldn't have done that."

Miller was handsome. He was brave and outspoken, witty and humorous. He was a fighter and a survivor. He understood what it was like to have a father in the guard and to be ashamed of being a criminal when his father was in such an honorable position. Miller was almost a direct reflection of Merit as they shared many traits, struggles, and disappointments. He was everything she could possibly want in a partner except for one thing; he wasn't Bellamy.

"Heat of the moment," Miller shrugged. "No hurt feelings here."

"I'm really sorry," Merit stressed. Miller was still her friend and she didn't want to do anything to hurt or mislead him.

"Merit, we're good," Miller assured. "I get it. You're into Bellamy." He looked incredibly at ease as he spoke, never once losing his cool demeanor. "Look, if you plan on telling him about this at least give me a heads up. That way I'll have a head start."

They looked at each other and laughed, although Merit wasn't sure it would be so funny if Bellamy actually found out.

"We should get back to camp. It'll be dark soon," Miller finished.

They returned to camp just in time. The sun had gone down and they were one of the very last hunting parties to return.

Merit was greeted by Murphy who was working on cleaning the day's seafood catches.

"What's for dinner?" Merit said, leaning up against Murphy's ramshackle work table.

"Some type of ugly fish," Murphy replied, dangling the gutted sea creature in front of Merit's face. "Fuck if I know."

"Right. Didn't you fail earth skills?"

"Fuck off, Merit," Murphy snorted. "Your ass is gonna be on the fire pit next."

Merit chuckled. "I'll put my gear away and help you finish up."

"Don't bother," Murphy said, skewering a few of the fish. "Loverboy was looking for you earlier. Should probably see what he wants."

Merit let out a deep sigh and nodded hesitantly, knowing that she would have to face Bellamy at some point, but she was trying her best to postpone the unavoidable.

Merit wanted to be honest about what she did as well as being truthful about her feelings, but her anxiety was riding high as she wasn't sure how Bellamy would react. He had every right to be pissed with her and even though they weren't officially in a relationship, lines could still be crossed. She knew Bellamy's feelings for her and it would probably crush him to find out that she was interacting affectionately with someone else, especially as he was working earnestly on convincing her to forgive him. She may have ruined everything with one silly moment of weakness.

She trudged to Bellamy's tent, hopeful that he would understand her, yet still prepared for the worst. However, she would never be fully prepared for what she would witness.

She pushed back the tent's curtain to find Bellamy and Raven engaged in a passionate kiss. She stood there for less than a second, but it felt like forever as she watched the man she loved in the arms of another woman. Either she was too quiet or they were just too engrossed with each other to notice her, so Merit decided to leave. She didn't make a scene or cause a fuss. She didn't freeze in fear or boil with anger and she didn't stop them. She just walked away.

Bellamy's arms were wrapped around Raven. His hands travelled up and down her back until they gripped firmly around her waist as their lips clashed against each other.

She appeared in his tent moments earlier fuming about how Finn and Clarke weren't back yet and how she was trying to move on. Move on. Those words rang in his head as he thought about what Merit said to him earlier that morning. Then Murphy's words about Merit and Miller snaked their way into his ear, fogging up his sense of clarity. Merit had moved on and he deserved the same courtesy. With the opportunity currently presenting itself on a silver platter, Bellamy thought he should seize the moment.

As he kissed Raven, he was trying to forget about Merit. He wanted to forget how her kisses tasted sweeter than honey. How her smile was the sun to the dark gray clouds that often hovered over his head. How she nuzzled into him on cold nights like a cozy blanket and slept like a rock. How she challenged him with her wit and made him consider his actions. How everything about her made him want to be a better person. In all of his forgetting, he was only digging up more thoughts of Merit.

Bellamy was desperately trying to convince himself that he didn't want her, that he didn't need her, and that he wasn't falling head over heels in love with her, when in reality; he could hardly sleep without her next to him. Merit was who he wanted to be with and no amount of pretending could change his heart.

Bellamy pushed away from Raven. "Raven, I can't do this," he panted. "I'm sorry."

He grabbed his jacket and jetted out of the tent.

Merit scurried over the wall, walking aimlessly into the forest as one of the gunners yelled after her. She ignored him, following the short trail that led to the familiar glen covered in butterflies.

The glowing monarchs seemed to dance as they glided in midair, fluttering from tree to tree. Merit followed them until they led her to a tree with a nicely curved branch suited for a natural hammock. She climbed the tree, seeking refuge in Mother Nature's beauty, and hunkered down against the branch.

Musings of the shared kiss between Bellamy and Raven plagued her mind and suddenly she began to understand her father's feelings of dejection from the day that he caught her mother with Kane. Seeing the person she loved in the arms of another was painful. She wanted Bellamy to save all of his kisses for her, to be the only object of his affection, and to be the only one to make him happy.

She wasn't angry with Bellamy, but with herself. He was only doing what she told him to and now she was stuck wishing that she could take back her words.

Merit heard the light patter of approaching footsteps. She looked down from her perch to find Bellamy below her.

"Merit, what're you doing out here?" Bellamy asked. "It's too dangerous."

"How'd you find me?"

"Sterling said he saw you wandering around outside of the wall." He approached the tree, placing his hand against the trunk. "I took a wild guess. Seeing as this is the spot of our first date."

Merit chuckled softly at Bellamy's sarcasm, knowing that by first date he meant the time that Octavia had tricked them into meeting up. It was the first time that Merit recognized her romantic feelings for Bellamy and their first major squabble as he rejected her. They had come a long way since then, but Merit was afraid that history was about to repeat itself.

"Now come down from there so I can get you back to camp," Bellamy said, offering Merit his hand. She took it as she climbed down from the tree.

Merit stood in front of Bellamy, still holding tightly onto his hand. He pulled against her grasp, trying to lead her back towards camp, but she didn't budge. She was trembling, shivering in her skin as the nerves sent cramps contracting within her stomach, but she had to do it. She had to tell Bellamy what she did and be prepared to lose him forever.

"I kissed Miller," Merit said, wasting no time to be temperate in her admission. The confession shot out like ripping off a band aid.

"Come again?" Bellamy questioned with raised eyebrows.

"I kissed Miller," she repeated, this time much slower. She took the time to enunciate each syllable as she studied Bellamy's face. "And the entire time I wished it was you."

Bellamy was quiet, his face placid as his lips parted to let out nothing but air. He inhaled deeply as he gathered his thoughts to speak. "I tried to listen to you," he started slowly. "I tried to move on…so I kissed Raven." He paused for a moment and took Merit's other hand in his. "Kissing her only made me realize how much more I wanted to be with you."

Merit closed her eyes and let out a breath, trying to hold back the grin that tugged at her lips. She felt so relieved that she nearly burst into laughter. They had literally put each other through hell, only to experience the same epiphany that would, in the end, lead them back to each other.

"I knew about the kiss, Bellamy, but thanks for being honest with me."

"Are you mad?"

"No," Merit replied, finally letting the smile creep across her lips. "I'd kiss Raven too if she asked me." The pair shared a warm laugh and Merit relaxed the tension in her shoulders. "What about you?" she asked, searching for any sign of anger rising within Bellamy, but he was surprisingly composed.

"Mad? No," Bellamy said calmly. He spun Merit around and pulled her into a tight hug from behind. "I'm furious," he growled playfully, burying his face into his favorite spot on Merit's neck. Bellamy cleared his throat before going on, "Since we're being honest…was he a good kisser?"

"Was Raven?"

"Don't try to change the subject," Bellamy deflected. "Tell the truth. Did he slobber all over you? Try to eat your face off?" He placed his lips against Merit's earlobe as he made repetitive slurping and smooching noises. "Did he try to use tongue? Oh God, don't tell me."

The hands that encircled Merit's waist began to mercilessly tickle her ribs.

"Bellamy, stop it," Merit giggled as she squirmed in his arms. "I will still knee you in the balls."

"You sure know how to turn a guy on." Bellamy released Merit from his tickle torture hold before revealing yet another secret. "Well guess what? I knew about you and Miller too."

"What?" Merit stuttered in surprise. "How?"

How could Bellamy possibly have known about the kiss when it happened away from camp? Either Miller had immediately gone back to tell him or Bellamy was psychic and neither of those scenarios was very probable. Something just wasn't adding up.

"Murphy said some things- Look, it's not important."

Merit was still confused by Bellamy's disclosure. Murphy was still at camp when the kiss happened so there was no way he could possibly know either. The only other option was that Murphy had led Bellamy into a trap, a sneaky trick set up to get he and Merit to turn on each other. Merit knew that Murphy didn't favor her feelings for Bellamy, but she never imagined that he would go as far as trying to sabotage their relationship.

Bellamy pulled Merit back into his embrace, releasing her from her thoughts, as he continued. "What is important is that we're here together now." He kissed Merit on the forehead as he rocked her gently in his arms. "I told you this wasn't over."

Merit held onto Bellamy as tight as she could, content in the fact that he hadn't given up on her. "What I said before…when we fought about Murphy…I meant it."

"What? That you'll never trust me again?"

"No…The other thing. Before that."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Bellamy said with a dumbfounded expression, feigning ignorance.

"Don't play with me," Merit responded, not buying into Bellamy's unwitting act. He knew exactly what she meant and he probably just wanted the satisfaction of hearing her say it again. He wanted to hear her say that she was in love with him. "I don't expect you to feel the same way or say it right away, but I just thought you should know…" she rambled, avoiding the subject.

"Merit, are you through?"

"Yes," she squeaked, gazing up at Bellamy. The forest lights projected hues of blue and purple against his face, the shadows sharpening his jaw line and facial structure. She had never seen him look more ethereal, more like a heavenly creature, and more like his inner aura was shining brilliantly from beneath his skin.

"I think I've been falling in love with you since the moment your clumsy ass bumped into Octavia," Bellamy smirked. "I always had an idea of what love was, but I never believed it existed until I met you."

Merit kissed Bellamy, first showering him in gentle, heartfelt pecks and then steadily increasing into firm, ardent kisses. Each kiss exemplified the joy she felt in hearing Bellamy's tender confirmation.

"Can we call it official now?" Bellamy asked breathlessly, finally receiving a quick break from the onslaught of kisses.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Merit teased, draping her arms around Bellamy's neck and pressing her forehead against his. "What if we don't know how to stop fighting?"

"I can't stay mad at you," Bellamy sighed against Merit's lips. His hands journeyed down her waist, following the curve of her hips and back up again. "Besides, fighting will totally be worth it if you always kiss me like this when we make up."

Bellamy met Merit's lips in yet another fervent kiss. Jubilant tongues met to communicate the elation that words could not possibly convey, their moment of rapture drowning out the inherent dangers that encompassed the world around them.

"I really hate to interrupt," a voice echoed from behind the trees, promptly ending the make out session.

The pair scanned the area to find Octavia approaching them. A huge smile stretched across her face as she spoke, "Like really, really hate to interrupt."

"Don't make a big deal out of this, O," Bellamy groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

Merit laughed seeing the younger Blake so happy for her older brother, knowing that Octavia was content in finally getting her wish.

"I'd totally squeal about this, but we have a big problem," Octavia said. "Clarke, Finn, and Myles still aren't back yet. We're going to look for them."

The group of three had gone out earlier to hunt and never returned. Octavia, Raven, and Monty were starting to get worried and they had good reason to be. Merit knew that the trio could've run into trouble just like she and Miller had and going after their friends was the best way to ensure their safety.

"Let's get back to camp so I can gear up," Merit said eagerly. She felt Bellamy tug on her hand.

"I need you to stay here."

"Don't try to start babying me just because we're together now."

"That's not it," Bellamy stressed. "I need you to keep an eye on Murphy."

Bellamy insisted that he still didn't trust Murphy enough to leave him unsupervised. Merit being the only person that Murphy would listen to was the appropriate choice to stay behind.

Instead of arguing, Merit took this as a good opportunity to confront Murphy about his devious little plot. With Murphy working so hard at being the nice guy, Merit was shocked that he would do something so sneaky, but she also knew that Murphy was wary of her involvement with Bellamy. He didn't have to approve of their relationship, but he was going to have to learn to respect it.

Merit stalked onto the dropship to find her old cohort taking a peaceful break in one of the do-it-yourself hammocks.

"Murphy, get your ass up," Merit barked.

"Oh hey, Mer-" Merit overturned the hammock, dumping Murphy onto the floor before he could finish his sentence. "What the hell's wrong with you?" Murphy said picking himself up from the floor and rubbing his possibly bruised behind.

"What did you tell Bellamy about me and Miller?" Merit cut directly to the chase, not giving Murphy any time to formulate a well thought out excuse. He'd better start talking fast and with good reason if he wanted her to go easy on him.

"I may have embellished a little," Murphy said, scratching the back of his head. There was an air of indifference in his voice. "You know, something about you two making out. My memory's a little foggy."

"How'd you know that I kissed Miller?"

"Wait, you actually kissed him?" Murphy asked in disbelief. He let out an emphatic cackle as he slapped a hand against his knee. "So technically I didn't lie. I just predicted the future."

Murphy didn't know at all. He had made the entire thing up just as Merit suspected. He created a hoax with the motive to rile Bellamy up enough to get him to do something stupid, something that could jeopardize his standing with Merit. All of the talk about getting Bellamy to trust him was just for show, a mere cover up for the conniving head games he intended to play.

Merit grabbed Murphy's nipple and twisted it. "You sneaky little shit!"

Murphy yelped, jumping backward away from her, and placed his hands over his chest. "Back off, Murdock! You're not going to bully me when I was only looking out for you."

"You baited Bellamy."

"And he bit hard. Not my problem," Murphy shrugged. "I was just trying to show you what kind of guy he is."

Merit was stalking Murphy as he circled around the hammock. They were playing a game of cat and mouse as Murphy tried to keep an obstacle between him and his predator.

"Yeah. The kind of guy that I want to be with," Merit argued.

"Oh God, Merit. Listen to yourself," Murphy sneered. He stuck out his tongue and made over exaggerated gagging noises before meeting Merit with a serious gaze. "Bellamy is a coward and a fake and I will expose him for what he really is."

"That's not fair, Murphy."

"What's not fair is how he treated me," Murphy spat. He raised his voice, biting on his words full of spite.

It was clear that Murphy was still harboring much disdain for Bellamy and Merit couldn't blame him. Bellamy was acting under mob mentality when he committed the heinous act of leaving Murphy to hang. That didn't excuse him from what he did, but just like Murphy; Bellamy was working eagerly to atone for his offenses.

"Well maybe you should talk to him about it instead of using me to get back at him," Merit suggested. She only wished to find a way for the two most important men in her life to coexist. However, Bellamy and Murphy both had egos larger than their heads and hoping that they would come to a civilized agreement was akin to waiting for pigs to fly.

"Yeah cause we'll just bro hug it out and things will be all better," Murphy retorted. "Get a grip, Merit."

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you. Instead of supporting me you're just trying to destroy things," Merit said in frustration. She didn't want to be on the receiving end of any more of Murphy's schemes. She expected much better from her close friend. "Bellamy has changed. I thought you did too."

"So you're taking his side over mine, now?" Murphy's anger was growing and Merit's words struck a sour chord within him.

"There are no sides, John."

"One day you're gonna have to choose, Merit," Murphy snapped. "And when that day comes, I hope you remember that you were my friend before you were his girlfriend." Murphy stormed out of the dropship, leaving Merit with a mouthful, a trail of sobering words that she would've never considered.

Murphy presented her with a dilemma that she would've never thought to be relevant. Would she ever be able to remain neutral in a situation that pitted her best friend against her significant other? Could she measure loyalty in ways of time or feelings or titles? Murphy had been there since day one, her lifelong friend and Bellamy was someone new, but someone she loved with her entire heart. It would be damn near impossible to put one above the other. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, hoping that she would never be put in such a critical situation.

It was late when the small rescue team returned from searching the woods. Unfortunately, they didn't come back with Clarke and Finn, but instead, a severely wounded Myles. The missing group had gotten attacked by grounders, Clarke and Finn taken against their will. Merit also noticed that the rescue team had returned missing a member of its own. Monty was gone; they had lost all contact with him and his whereabouts were unknown.

Bellamy was struggling to hold himself together as the camp members appeared to be dropping like flies. His worries were sinking camp morale as he openly raged about how Clarke, Finn, and Monty were probably dead and everyone else was next if they didn't work harder and faster. He was losing his people and his mind in his strenuous efforts to maintain authority and camp organization.

As much as Bellamy tried to be a sound leader, Merit realized that the delinquents needed Clarke just as much as they needed him. She could see that Bellamy was making hasty decisions without the presence of his co-leader and the weight of solely managing this many teenagers was becoming more than he could handle. The stress was crippling him, eating him alive, and rendering the logical part of his brain useless. Clarke was definitely the more level headed of the two and the camper's relied on her leadership to balance out Bellamy's abrasive techniques.

"Bellamy, we should look for our friends," Merit reasoned. "I can go. I can do it." She knew it was a dangerous task, but it was a risk worth taking.

"No one is leaving this camp," Bellamy snapped. "The grounders are just waiting to pick us off."

"I know you're freaked, but you can't lead with fear tactics," Merit continued. "How is anyone going to fight when they're too busy shitting themselves?"

Bellamy was scaring everyone. He was yelling and roughing people up when they committed a mistake. Everyone was already tired, practically running on fumes, and adding mass amounts a fear on top of exhaustion was a recipe for defeat. Preparing for the unavoidable grounder attack was important, but the camper's needed strength and confidence if they were ever going to survive. They needed a fearless leader who was going to rally them together, a leader who would make them feel like warriors, and Bellamy couldn't be that if he was going out of his mind.

Bellamy let out a long breath and grabbed Merit's hand. "I need you here. I need you safe," he said, regaining a bit of his composure. "If you're out there then my head is out there."

Merit understood that Bellamy was already struggling to focus and the last thing he needed was for another person to go missing. She agreed to stay behind and get back to work, although; it still left her feeling quite uneasy to know that her friends were out there and most likely in danger.

After working on the minefield for several more hours, another camper relieved Merit from her duties. She retreated to Bellamy's tent, slipping off her boots and sliding into his bed for a quick nap, knowing that he would be there to wake her up after his patrol. Hours later she woke up alone, realizing that is was morning and that Bellamy never made it to the tent. He probably stayed up all night, burning the midnight oil, just to maintain camp security.

Merit poked her head out of her tent to find camp a flutter, a feeling of great anxiety infusing the air. No one was working and they all stood about fretfully chattering. The grapevine was buzzing with ramblings of a hostage situation with Murphy and Jasper's names floating around on the breeze.

Merit looked for Bellamy and found him standing in front of the dropship; the big sturdy door which was usually open was now closed. Bellamy was talking on the radio, an arm folded across his chest and a pensive expression etched on his face.

"What's going on?" Merit asked apprehensively.

"Murphy is holding Jasper at gunpoint," Bellamy replied. He'd been on the walkie-talkie having a standoff with Murphy for the past few hours, calmly trying to convince him to let Jasper go, but nothing was working.

Murphy had finished off Myles, suffocating the defenseless kid with a plastic bag and Jasper caught him in the act. Murphy was handing out fresh vengeance to the ones that participated in his hanging and Jasper had only gotten in the way. Murphy had made a wrong turn and his road to absolution quickly turned into a fast lane to retribution.

"Just let me talk to him," Merit pleaded, knowing that her friend was acting on rage and not thinking clearly. She hoped she could talk some sense into him and not only save Jasper, but save her friend from suffering through another disaster.

Bellamy handed her the walkie-talkie and she pushed the button, "Murphy…John, listen to me." There wasn't a response, just static. "You can come back from your mistakes."

"Merit, stay out of this," Murphy finally replied. "This is between me and Bellamy."

"I get it. You're mad and you have every right to be, but you don't have to do this," Merit said. "I'm asking you not to do this." Murphy was silent on the other end.

Octavia ran up howling about how she was going to kill Murphy if he even touched one hair on Jasper's head, which prompted Bellamy to reveal his secret plan. He informed his fiery sister and Merit that Raven was currently underneath the dropship and working diligently to get the door open. Until then, Bellamy was doing everything in his power to keep Jasper alive.

Bellamy took the radio back from Merit and attempted to make contact with Murphy again. "How about we make a switch?" he offered. "You let Jasper go and I'll take his place."

Merit looked at Bellamy with wide eyes, slowly shaking her head. She grabbed his arm. "I won't let you go in there." She didn't want anyone to get killed, not Murphy, not Bellamy, and not Jasper. There had to be a better way to go about this, but she was grasping at thin air.

"Murphy will kill you," Octavia added, staring at her big brother with much worry.

"I have to do this," Bellamy stated. He seemed calm as he observed his sister and Merit's fretful expressions.

"Only Bellamy comes in," Murphy replied. "If anyone else comes near this door, Merit included, I'll put one in Jasper's leg," Murphy continued with a stern warning. "10 seconds!"

Murphy's voice counted down in the background as Merit retained a tight grip on Bellamy's arm. He didn't say anything, probably not wanting to risk speaking any final words. He gave her a look that didn't want to say goodbye, but one that wanted to leave her with the hope that he would return alive.

With 5 seconds left, Bellamy gave the radio to Octavia and went into the dropship, Jasper taking his place on the outside. Then the door closed securely behind him.

Merit was so full on fear she thought she would vomit. Her heart ached for her best friend who seemed to suddenly lose his way and for the man that she loved, who was willing to put his life in danger to save his friend. The fate of two very important men held in the balance and she didn't want either of them to get hurt.

Merit snatched the walkie-talkie from Octavia's hand. "Murphy, don't do this," she pleaded. "This isn't who you are."

"I told you this moment would come. Time to pick a side," Murphy spat.

"Murphy if you hurt him, I will never forgive you," Merit vowed. It was a response purely based on emotion and panic. She always told Murphy that she would forgive him as many times as he needed to be forgiven and she just broke that covenant with her declaration. With those words Merit seemingly swore her loyalty to Bellamy. She should've chosen her words more carefully, knowing that Murphy was in such a ragged state of mind. He wouldn't take her proclamation so lightly, it would be considered betrayal.

There was radio silence for about ten seconds before Murphy transmitted his next message. "Octavia, if you give Merit the radio again, I will shoot your brother."

Octavia pressed her lips together, placing a hand on the walkie-talkie and another on Merit's back. She took the radio from Merit with zero resistance, both parties realizing they had to keep their emotions in check if Bellamy was going to survive.

Murphy was steadfast in his vendetta and Merit could see that now. He wasn't going to let Bellamy walk away and that door had to be opened before he had the chance to follow through on his threats.

Suddenly gunshots rang out from inside the dropship. Merit looked at Octavia with dread in her eyes and Octavia was already screaming her brother's name into the walkie-talkie. Bellamy's voice resounded from the other side, stating that it was just a misfire and that he's okay, but he needed Raven to hurry up. He didn't sound scared, but there was a sense of alarm and urgency in his tone that was readable even across the radio transmission.

Jasper appeared from the back of the dropship, ordering the gunners to line up as Raven cracked the component to open the door. Seconds later the dropship door started to creak open and the gunners began to move in, taking cautious steps toward the spacecraft.

Merit swallowed hard, knowing that the delinquents would not have mercy on her friend and she begged them not to meet him in a hail of bullets, but no one seemed to listen. She ran ahead, unarmed and unafraid of what Murphy could possibly do to her. The air got caught in her chest as she entered to see Bellamy hanging lifelessly from a noose. He was unresponsive as she shouted his name.

Jasper held Bellamy by the legs, releasing the suffocating pressure on his throat and giving him room to breathe. Octavia unhooked the seatbelt that was holding her brother up, successfully releasing him from his hanging position. Merit untied the noose from around his neck as they all coaxed him to breathe and waited anxiously for him to take his first breath of air.

By this time Murphy had already fled to level two of the dropship, locking himself in.

Bellamy's body finally jerked from its limp state and he gasped for air. He barely gave himself a moment to recover before he was flying off the handle, ready to inflict some retribution of his own onto Murphy. He went for the ladder, climbing it while growling Murphy's name and all of the ways in which he was going to enjoy killing him.

"Bellamy, wait!" Merit cried.

"Murphy! It's over!" Bellamy yelled, ignoring Merit's pleas and ramming the hatch door with his shoulder.

Everything was moving so quickly, jumping from one extreme to another and Merit could hardly think clearly. She was trying to save two guys who were both hell bent on killing each other.

Merit ran outside when she heard an explosion sound off. Murphy had used what was left of the gun powder reserves to blow a large hole in the back of the dropship, which he used to escape. Merit went to the back side of the dropship, watching as Murphy fled into the forest and suddenly her feet were moving just as fast as she sprinted after him.

She could hear Bellamy calling out after her and she looked back at him for a moment. He was staring at her from the hole in the dropship wall and she could see his figure getting smaller the further she ran and the closer she got to Murphy.

"Murphy, stop!" Merit yelled. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the dropship had gotten lost in the array of trees.

Murphy halted in his place, slowly turning to look at Merit. "I told you to stay out of this."

"I can't let you leave."

"You're not going to stop me and I sure as hell can't go back"

"We can figure this out," Merit said breathlessly. Murphy tried and almost succeeded in killing Bellamy, yet here she was trying to help him. She was just holding onto the fact that he was still the boy she befriended so many years ago on the Ark. Underneath all of the battle scars, he was still John.

"I can take you some place safe," Merit continued, remembering the bunker that she frequented in her early days on the ground.

Murphy looked around hesitantly before nodding.

They walked silently as the sun set on the horizon before them. Merit wasn't sure what she should say to her friend. Her spirit was torn between being upset with him and wondering what went wrong. Murphy broke the silence before she could.

"How could you, Merit?" he sniffed. "How could you take his side over mine?" He was hurt and emotionally exhausted, the pain igniting like a fire in his eyes.

"It's not like that," Merit replied, feeling Murphy's disappointment weigh down on her.

She hadn't seen her friend look this miserable in years. The tough and destructive Murphy persona seemed to dissipate and the precious John from long ago appeared. She saw the John who cried for hours in her arms when his father was floated. She saw the young boy who came running to her the day that he found his mother dead in a pool of her own vomit. She saw the boy who was left scarred and orphaned by misfortune, the boy she always fought to protect, but this time she let him down.

"You were the last good thing I had in my life and Bellamy took you from me," Murphy said, keeping his eyes on the ground beneath him. His hair hung in his face, but Merit didn't have to see the tears to know that they were there, streaming down his cheeks.

"Look, I'm here now and I'm going to help you. I'm going to keep you safe."

Murphy stood there shaking his head, constantly fighting against Merit's words of assurance.

Suddenly, Merit could see torch light emanating from behind him. It was one faint light at first, but it grew into more as the flames spread across the forest. She knew it was grounders.

"Murphy, we have to go now," she whispered.

Murphy looked over his shoulder to see the looming lights coming closer. "Merit, get out of here," he said in a low voice.

"No."

He finally looked up, meeting Merit's gaze with bloodshot and teary eyes. "I won't let you die because of me."

"I'm not leaving you," Merit asserted, grabbing onto Murphy's hand. The torch light seemed to draw closer with every word they spoke.

"Get the hell out of here!" Murphy hollered, wrenching free from Merit's grasp. "I don't want you here, so just leave dammit! And take your stupid doll!" He removed the action figure from his jacket pocket and threw it at the tree behind Merit; the head snapped off on impact.

The lights moved even faster toward their location upon Murphy's outburst.

Merit didn't have time to respond as Murphy pushed her hard, knocking her over into a large bush. Then he ran off in the opposite direction, shouting as loud as he possibly could, "Hey assholes, over here!" The torch light followed Murphy and strayed from Merit's position.

Merit crawled out from the brush and saw the lights fading into the distance. She couldn't hear Murphy's voice ringing throughout the forest anymore and she cried knowing that he sacrificed himself so she could get away. She scrambled to pick up the broken pieces of the action figure as tears blurred her vision. Murphy was gone and once again she failed at protecting him.

Merit winced, standing from her spot on the ground, realizing that she had once again sprained the same ankle as before. It was getting dark and she would never make it back to camp in this state, especially since she sprinted after Murphy without any equipment. She was much closer to the bunker, so she carried on with her journey, waiting until daylight to return to her people.