Chapter Eleven: Fight For You (part one)
"So what do you want and what are you thinking?
Isn't it about time you stuck up for me?
But what you can't see is we're under siege
And I only fight because I believe
Not gonna share you no
I'd fight for you
I never knew that I could feel this way
I'm right for you
This kinda love don't happen everyday…"
-Morgan Page ft. Elisabeth Maurus
xxXxx
The first night after they left Camp Jaha, he dreamed of her.
She was lying in the flower bed in the forest, gazing up at the sky. The wind stirred the grass, the flowers, and her long pale hair. Her eyes were a clear, pure blue and a butterfly danced in the air above her, its wings glinting in the sunlight, their color matching her eyes.
Then she spotted him and smiled. Her hand stretched out across the grass, reaching out for him.
"Sit with me," she requested, beckoning him.
He moved closer to her. His hand met hers and their fingers wove together firmly. Her thumb brushed over the back of his hand slowly.
His gaze traced the burn marks on her arm, the silver-pink scars that licked up her skin to her shoulder. He knew there were similar scars on her leg and partially on her side where she had fallen when the Reapers had attacked their first camp.
"Stop staring," she murmured, nudging him with her shoulder.
His eyes flickered up and met hers.
You're beautiful, he thought. He had to tell her.
But before he could speak, his eyes slowly opened.
"Murphy."
Murphy lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the rising sun.
Roxanne was standing over him, arms crossed and brow cocked. "Get up. We have to keep moving." Then she offered her hand to help him up.
He took it and let her haul him to his feet. He nodded at her, running a hand through his hair to smooth it away from his eyes.
"You were saying her name in your sleep," Roxanne commented. "Bradley."
Murphy avoided her pointed stare. "What's your point?"
The brunette smiled. "I think someone has a crush."
"I don't get crushes. If I did, that's not what I'd call my-," He stopped abruptly when he saw the glint in Roxanne's eyes.
"Your what?" she asked teasingly.
When he narrowed his eyes at her, she laughed and bumped her shoulder against his companionably.
"Come on," she told him, striding towards the others who were heading down the path they had chosen to take back to the mountain.
Shaking his head, he followed her.
xxXxx
"Hello? Earth to Bradley!"
Bradley blinked at the hand waving in front of her face.
Raven huffed. "If you're going to keep daydreaming, get out of my tent."
Bradley shook her head a little. "Sorry," she muttered, tugging at her ponytail. "Lost in thought."
"Yeah for the last ten minutes. I think you started drooling."
Bradley rolled her eyes. "Like you haven't daydreamed of Finn or Wick."
"That's different," Raven said, tightening the screw into the pole that they would erect for another hub that they needed for shelter.
"How?"
"I don't let it affect my work."
"I'm just worried," Bradley said in a low voice.
Raven sighed, placing her tools down. She looked Bradley in the eye. "I know. I get it. I'm worried too. But sitting around worrying isn't going to do anything."
"But-,"
"No buts, Brad," Raven interrupted.
Bradley set down her own tools. "I'm going for a walk. I'll send Wick in."
She turned and walked out before Raven could protest. She sent Wick on his way before taking up his post at the front gate. She leaned against one of the wooden beams.
Staring out towards the east, she thought about the other day when the others had left.
She had woken up with a pit in her stomach. She stayed close to Murphy, pressing herself into his side before he gently urged her to get up. He repeated his promise to her right before they had left, before he had kissed her forehead softly, then her lips.
She had watched him walk away with her fists clenched, resisting the urge to sprint after him and protest against Clarke's orders to stay behind. But with the others gone, she had split her role as substitute leader with Wells.
Even now, he stood watch further down from where she was. Strapped to his back was one of their larger guns and like the others, he had a large knife strapped to his belt.
Bradley wondered how someone like him could live with a father like his. Clearly it wasn't easy, since most of the people here treated him poorly because of Jaha's actions. She sympathized with him, knowing his position was difficult, since he wanted to do what was right but he would always be judged through his father.
Wells seemed to notice her gaze and glanced over before nodding.
She nodded in return before sighing and looking back out towards the long stretch of trees in the distance.
xxXxx
Clarke maneuvered herself so she was walking in between her people and the Grounders. This led her to be sandwiched between Bellamy and Lexa, which did weird things to her stomach.
When they had first been sent to the ground, she had thought she had had feelings for Finn, which led to a night alone in the buried structure where they had found weapons and supplies. They had spent a couple of nights alone after that, but Clarke had quickly realized it wasn't anything other than lust between them. And when she did, even those feelings disappeared. They had ended their arrangement after Finn had admitted to still harboring feelings for Raven.
Not long after that, Clarke had started to spend more time with the Grounders. She didn't miss the way her stomach flipped around their Commander, who always watched her with those large, cool eyes.
Yet she felt torn, since the rest of her time was spent at the camp, dealing with Bellamy. Their arguments left her frustrated at first, but slowly each time they yelled at each other, they were suddenly face to face and she had felt this insane urge build up inside her chest that kept her springing back so that nothing happened.
Clarke continued to push those confusing feelings aside, trying to reason with herself that it was not worth it, especially after what happened with Finn. A few nights of pleasure had not paid off in the end, and if she kept letting this distract her, mistakes were going to be made.
Even now, she glanced warily over at Lexa then at Bellamy. They both had their gazes fixed on the road ahead, unaware of her stare, or at least pretending to be.
Shaking her head, Clarke ordered herself to focus, knowing that they were getting close to the mountain.
"What's with the scowl, boss?"
Clarke glanced over her shoulder and saw that Roxanne was a step behind her and Bellamy, walking with her machete slung over her shoulder.
The other girl lifted a pointed brow at Bellamy and Lexa.
Clarke sighed quietly before falling back into step with her, letting Bellamy take point. "Nothing," she muttered lowly. "It's nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing," Roxanne commented. "Looks like a lot of something."
Clarke pressed her lips together firmly, her only outward sign of her frustration. She eyed the tall brunette at her side. "Just a distraction."
Roxanne's brow seemed to climb higher on her forehead. She nodded at Bellamy, then looked at Clarke questioningly.
Clarke nodded.
Roxanne blew out a breath. Something flickered across her face. "I don't know what to tell you, boss. We all get distracted by pretty things sometimes."
"But what would you do about these… pretty things?"
This time, it was Roxanne who pursed her lips. "Depends. Which is the most distracting one?"
There was a pause before Clarke replied. "I don't know."
Roxanne's lips then curved sympathetically. She placed her hand on Clarke's shoulder and squeezed. "Don't feel bad about the pretty things, Clarke. We all get distracted by them. You're only human."
Clarke blew out a breath. "There's more important things to worry about."
The other girl nodded. "True. But that doesn't mean the pretty things are going to lose their appeal and sparkle. Take your time and figure it out when we're done with the mission."
Clarke glanced at Roxanne. "When did you become so wise?" she asked in a little bit of a teasing voice.
Yet the look that shadowed Roxanne's face almost made Clarke regret asking that question.
Roxanne smiled, but it was forced. "You're not the only one who has been distracted by a pretty girl."
Then it clicked in Clarke's mind, and she grimaced. How could she be so stupid? She had seen Roxanne on the Ark before with that other girl, the one with red and blonde streaks in her dark hair.
Mia.
Clarke reached over, wrapping her arm around Roxanne's waist since she couldn't reach the other girl's shoulders. She gave her a squeeze. "Sorry."
This time, Roxanne's smile was more genuine. She put her arm back around Clarke's shoulder. "It's all right, boss. It was a long time ago."
xxXxx
Bradley was working with Wick and Raven again on the newest hub when she heard the low sound of a distant explosion, followed by the rumbling of the ground beneath their feet.
She whirled away from her work, her gaze turning towards the east once again.
Miles away, she could make out a dark cloud of smoke emerging from the hills and trees.
The breath seemed to freeze in her lungs, yet a scream bubbled up in her chest.
The only sound that emerged was a whispered exhalation.
"Murphy."
Then her body jumped back into action as she turned again to sprint back inside the main hub. Her mind was miles ahead of her body, thinking and calculating, worrying and wondering as she tore through their supplies until she found the communicator that Raven had built with the help of Jasper and Monty. The two boys had taken one with them before the group had left, making jokes about how they were like old Earth walkie-talkies.
Pressing on the button, she lifted it to her lips. "Jasper! Monty! Can you hear me?" she cried out.
The only response she got was static.
Clenching her free hand, she bit back the tears that were building up. "Jasper!" she screamed into the device. "Monty!"
More static.
Then suddenly, there was crackling, before a wheezing voice replied. "B-Bradley?"
"Monty!" Bradley nearly sobbed. "What the hell happened? Was there an explosion?"
"Y-yeah. The Mountain people-," Static cut him off.
"Monty? Monty!"
"Had the base rigged-,"
Static.
"Don't know about the oth-,"
Static.
"Injured-,"
Then the device cut off completely.
Bradley clenched her teeth. "Monty! Monty!"
When there was no response, not even static, she turned and ran out again. She burst into Raven's tent, nearly throwing the communicator at her. "Fix it!" she screamed.
Raven picked up the device and pressed the button. "Hello? Hello?" Her eyes narrowed when there was nothing but silence. "The other communicator might be jammed," she said, partially to herself. "Or broken."
"Jammed? What do you mean jammed?" Bradley demanded.
Raven's gaze lifted to meet Bradley's. "What did they say before the device was cut off?"
"It was Monty. He said something about the Mountain people and the base being rigged. I couldn't make out much after that."
"It was a trap," Wick spoke up. He rubbed a hand over his chin. "The Mountain people must have known they were coming."
"And if they cut off all communication…" Raven continued before trailing off.
"Then we have no way of reaching them," Wick finished.
Bradley slammed her fist down on the table. "Then figure out another way!"
"We can't, not without the other communicator," Raven stated, crossing her arms.
Bradley's nails bit into her palms as she clenched her fists. "So we're supposed to just sit there?" She shook her head, turning. "I'm going there. I have to help."
Wick reached out, grabbing her arm before she could leave the tent. "You can't," he said. "You're in charge."
"I don't care!" Bradley exclaimed. "They might be hurt or d-d…"
Wick's gaze gentled. "I know. I get it. But dashing over there now isn't going to solve anything, especially if you get hurt too. Clarke told you to stay here because she needed you here."
Bradley's shoulder slumped and she placed a hand against one of the tent poles to lean her weight against something. "I can't just sit here," she whispered brokenly.
"We know," Raven said, her calm tone matching Wick's. "We know."
xxXxx
When he opened his eyes again, instead of the blinding sun, all Murphy saw was swirling smoke and ash. His eyes watered at the burn of it and he coughed when he inhaled it.
Rolling to his side, he took in the sight before him.
They had reached the base of the mountain when one Grounder had stepped forward, per the Commander's orders, to approach the door. But before he reached it, the ground beneath his feet suddenly erupted and a series of mines had exploded one after another.
Murphy had been farther back, so he had been blown back by the explosion into a large tree, where he had smacked his head and fallen unconscious.
When he touched the back of his head, he felt blood smear along his fingertips. He grimaced at the sharp pain before he struggled to his feet. Coughing, he reached into his pocket and felt the large strip of cloth there. He took it out, eyeing it for a brief moment.
"It's just a piece of my shirt," Bradley had told him shyly before he had left. "Wrapped inside in that paste Lincoln taught me how to make. Just in case."
He put the vial back into his pocket before typing the cloth around his nose and mouth. And when he inhaled, he could smell her.
Looking around, he spotted Roxanne a few feet away. She was on her feet, swaying slightly, bleeding from a large gash on her cheek and arm. When she saw him, she stumbled over, keeping her weight off of her left leg.
"How bad?" Murphy asked, his voice hoarse from the ash. His ears were still ringing from the explosion.
"Nothing I can't deal with. You?"
"Same."
"And the others?"
"Let's find them."
They searched through the ashes of burnt trees, only to discover most of the ash wasn't from the trees, but from the Grounders that had been standing too close to the mines.
They both exchanged a look before they kept looking. They found Clarke and Bellamy quickly, followed by the Commander.
Clarke stood and leaned against Roxanne heavily. She breathed hard and listened when Murphy instructed her and the rest of them to cover their noses and mouths from the smoke. "Where are the others?" Clarke asked before coughing.
"Still looking," Murphy replied, tightening the cloth around his face. "I'll go. Stay here."
He stepped forward, blinking through the smoke which was still as thick as fog. When he walked deeper through the aftermath of the explosion, he noted the scorched bodies scattered across the ground. He winced.
Then he heard the distinct sound of someone walking towards him. There was the snapping of broken tree branches and ashy remains, which had Murphy sliding behind one of the smoking trees.
When he peered out from behind it, he saw about five or six men walking through the destruction, which their faces covered with some kind of gas mask. They were talking amongst themselves.
"Look for the others-,"
"Collect the survivors-,"
"The President wants the blonde girl alive-,"
"And the Commander-,"
"Spread out. Find them."
Murphy slipped away into the thick smoke, retracing his steps back to the others. They looked up when they saw him approaching. When he told them about their guests, Clarke and the Commander exchanged a wary glance.
"The Mountain men, they did this," Lexa nearly snarled.
"We can't fight them, not now," Clarke murmured. "We have to fall back, find whoever survived."
The rest of them nodded before they started moving.
Roxanne found Monty huddled behind some buses, clenching something to his chest. He told her that it was the communicator that he had built, but it had died before he could tell Bradley what happened.
Murphy's fists clenched at the sound of her name.
Jasper and Fox were close by as well, both of them sporting cuts from the exploding trees. They led the group to where Finn and Octavia were, since they had hidden themselves, claiming they saw the same men that Murphy had.
Once the rest were gathered, they followed the Commander and Lincoln deep into the forest, away from the mountain. They found a clear stream so everyone could drink and wash the ashes from their faces.
Murphy dipped the ripped shirt into the cool water and cleaned his face before slicking his hair back. He rubbed the cloth against the back of his head, wincing again.
"Got a good bump there," Roxanne commented, crouching down next to him. "Let me see."
When she began poking at it, Murphy hissed and swatted her hands away. "I'm fine."
Roxanne rolled her eyes. "Shut up and stay still."
Murphy grumbled, but she ignored him. Her fingers parted through his hair and found the gash. "Not too bad," she told him.
Taking the cloth from him, she cleaned it. But when her hands began to reach inside his jeans pocket, he flinched and glared.
Roxanne glared back. "I know she gave you that paste, which you need right now, if you haven't noticed. So give it, or I'll go back in."
Murphy reached inside his pocket and slapped the vial into her open palm.
"Quit being such a baby," she scolded him as she applied the paste. When she was done, she leaned back. "There. All better."
"Thanks," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head.
Roxanne exhaled deeply, shifting so she could sit more comfortably. "Well. Now what?"
Murphy looked around. Clarke was helping the others with their injuries, cleaning and wrapping them as best as she could. She was whispering with Lexa, who seemed angry. Which was justified, if you asked him.
"No idea," he admitted. "But I have a feeling we got a long fight ahead of us."
He looked back towards Mount Weather, his eyes narrowing as the diminishing smoke. But then his gaze turned towards the west as he thought about her once more.
Quietly, he renewed his promise.
xxXxx
Disclaimer: I do not own the 100.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, but I just graduated college and moved, so I hope you liked this update!
Please review.