In the beginning
Isla and John are strange. On more than one occasion Emori has witness them laugh, at one of their stupid little jokes, in the middle of making love. Isla would tear her mouth away from the suction she's creating on his cock, or John would still the movement of his hips against hers, and just laugh. Deep belly laughs, for a good ten or twenty seconds, before resuming like nothing ever happened. Emori doesn't understand it, but she has always been unspeakably fond of their strange exchanges.
Emori is tricky. Isla struggles endlessly to understand her. Isla cares for her, loves her, that part wasn't hard. But the actual understanding of Emori as a person, to feel like she truly knows her; takes the better part of two years.
Isla has never been an outsider amongst her people like John. Isla was essential personnel. Always picked first or somewhere close to it. She was beautiful, in every traditional sense of the word. John often referred to her as sex on legs, which was far too crass for Emori's taste. Or baby, which was closer, yet still not quite right. What do you call a person like her? Love. Emori decides finally, you call her love.
In the end
Isla and John don't laugh anymore. They don't do much of anything any more. Once Murphy starts lashing out at her and Emori, the air between them shifts. Things are different, hanging on to something that used to be. Afraid to let it go.
Emori is angry. She never lets him see her cry. Never lets anyone. But somehow Isla does see her. It was an accident really, a change in work schedules. A break down, a moment of weakness. Isla doesn't ask questions. Doesn't judge. Love is patient, love is kind. She crawls into bed and holds Emori. Emori had almost forgot how much she missed being held.
John wants to apologize, has every intention of doing so. Until he gets to the door of their bedroom and he hears them. Filling the air with deep belly laughs. They don't need him. Nobody does.
Now (Polis Ruins)
"She thinks this is our fault." Bellamy tells Isla, leaning in close. So their conversation isn't public to the people of Wonkru, that flourish about them.
"Well," Isla smirks begrudgingly, "Octavia has a tendency to bite the hand that feeds her. Guess we taught her that; no matter what you do to someone, if they love you, they'll just keep coming back for more. That is our fault." The blonde sighs, wringing her hands infront of her. Twisting the cool chunk of metal on her left ring finger until it chafes the skin underneath. "Opening Pandora's box, also our fault. But not Diyoza turning on us. We made the only choice we could. They would have rotted in that bunker. Maybe they should have."
"Hey," Bellamy shakes his head at her. "You don't mean that."
"Maybe not," Isla takes a steadying breath. She doesn't actually wish Octavia dead, the red queen was another story.
"Murphy and Raven are gonna be ok." He assures her. Not because he believes it but because he wants to.
"I hope so." She sighs.
"They're hard to kill, plenty of people have tried." Everybody knows that.
"Alive and ok are two different things." Isla reminds him. Murphy hasn't been anything close to 'ok' in many months.
"I know." Bellamy understands what she means.
"Miller." Clarke's voice calls their attention.
"What now?" Isla has been in the presence of Wonkru for a little less than a day and she already feels her life force dwindling.
"Miller!" Clarke says a second time.
"Hey woah," Bellamy stalks over with Isla in toe, "what's going on?" He asks Miller. Miller was one of the hundred, that had to mean something.
"Wish I could tell you Bellamy." Clearly not.
"Octavia told you not to?" The realization slaps him in the face.
"I'll go talk to her." Isla turns on her heels without a second thought.
"Hey Isla," Miller lunges for her, grabbing her upper arm and turning her back to him. "You guys can't just do whatever the hell you want here." These idiots are gonna themselves thrown in the pits.
Isla arches a brow, looking him up and down before yanking her arm away.
"Let me guess," Clarke cuts in, "you're moving ahead of the army to scout terrain. Which route are you taking?" She cocks her head to the side. "The wind moves in a predictable path across the dry sea bed. I've made the trip dozens of times. Like it or not you need my help."
Miller nods against his better judgement. Leading the three into Octavia's meeting.
"Miller your orders were-"
"I know my orders," Nate cuts Cooper off. "But I think we should listen to what Clarke has to say."
Octavia's brows lurch upward.
"Please O." Bellamy blocks the tent exit and the other occupants of the room aim their guns at his head. "Just listen."
"We're all on the same side." Clarke begins, swearing she sees a hint of a smile on Octavia's lips. "No one wants to get to that valley more than me; it's my home. But this way is too risky."
"Risky how?" Indra wonders.
"You chose the shortest route; which makes since, but this part of the wasteland is hit by constant sand storms."
"We have the tents from the second dawn. Sand won't be a problem." The wind doesn't move Wonkru.
"It's not just sand," Clarke goes on. "Some of it crystallized in praimfiya. I'm talking shards of glass that cut like razor blades. The tents will be torn to shreds and so will you."
Bellamy crosses both arms over his chest.
"How do we know there won't be sand storms on the longer routes?" Indra is obviously Octavia's only advisor with her best interest at heart.
"Enough," Blodreina narrows her eyes, her mind already made up on the matter. "We're doing this. If this is the last survivable land on earth then it should be ours."
"Diyoza thinks the same thing." Bellamy reminds her, raking a hand through his hair.
"And so we fight." Octavia takes her leave, the other members of Wonkru following immediately after her, all except for Indra.
"Your sister needs you," her eyes flicker between Isla and Bellamy, "I'm glad you're here for her."
"Too bad she doesn't see it that way." Isla mutters under her breath.
"There are packs with rations here by the door." Is the only response Indra supplies before going to take her place at the head of the first battalion.
"Am I crazy, or were they going to kill me for getting in her way?"
Clarke shakes her head with a shrug. "What do we do?"
"Pick a pack any pack." Isla steps up first.
"A six day hike through sand storm country with a gladiator cult. What could go wrong?" Bellamy quips.
"After you." Clarke says tiredly.
She and Bellamy fall into place beside each other. Isla a few paces ahead. Clarke isn't sure if they should talk or just make the trip in silence. Talk; she decides after a while, "so," she begins lamely, "how've you been?"
A chuckle rumbles out from deep in his chest, "can't complain."
Woods Outside The Valley
"Can I help mama?" Pandora skips over to the log Emori is sitting on; gutting fish.
"Let me guide your hand this time," Emori agrees, making room for the little girl in her lap, "and then you guide my hand."
"Ok." Pandora slaps her palms together. "Show me!"
"Press the blade in deep near the mouth," Emori demonstrates with the tip of her blade. "Then drag it down to the tail. The scales are tough so you have to press hard, but watch your fingers P." She finishes the cut. Setting the fish aside and grabbing a fresh one.
"The knifoo." Pandora waves it giddily with her left hand as soon as Emori releases it. She is definitely their kid.
"Knife," Emori corrects her gently, "it's not a toy, we do not play with it."
"Sorry Mama." The three year old huffs.
It's a little awkward because Emori is right handed and Pandora is not, but they manage a slightly crooked line down the center of the fish. "Good job P." Her mother kisses the back of her head.
"Now the guts." The little girl says with a renewed sense of excitement.
"Pandora don't-" Emori ends her warning abruptly as the fish blood and organs splash up into her cheek, "yank it." She finishes with a sigh, swiping her face with the back of her hand.
"Sorry Mama." Pandora says a second time.
"That's enough for one day hmm?" Emori hums patiently. "Why don't you go ask Madi for a story?"
She loves to tell them.
"Ok, love you." Pandora sings, bouncing off her mother's lap. "Madi! Story time please!"
"Another one?" Madi replies in disbelief.
"Pllllleeeaaaasssseeee," P begs, lacing her fingers together.
"Ok, come sit." She pats the space beside her. "What story do you want to hear?"
"The hundred!" The tiny Murphy insists.
"I've told that one five times." Madi reminds her with a smile.
"But it's my favorite."
"Fine." Madi agrees, she likes that one too. "Once upon a time there was a ship far far away called the arc."
Inside Eligius IV
Torture. Only seven letters; but endless possibilities. When Murphy was tortured by the grounders they took his finger nails, bits and pieces of his skin, stabbed, scratched, ripped, burned, you name it. When Ontari tortured him it was more mental, not all of it was bad. So there were times when he could have been fooled into thinking it wasn't torture. But it was; because he didn't have a choice, chained up without chance of release. Tortured. The Eligius people are a lot like the grounders, except most of the pain is inflicted through the shock collar around John's neck; great.
McCreary left a while ago, now the two remaining miners take turns punching and kicking at him whenever they get tired of sitting around waiting for Raven to cave and unlock the missile system.
Raven.
Murphy tries not to think about what's happening to her. The mechanic who he's robbed of the ability to walk properly, the woman who forgave him and eventually became his friend.
When McCreary returns for him, leading him down the hall toward another room he sees Raven. Shirt wet and hair dripping with sweat, a matching collar around her neck. And he has to think about it then; what's happened to her. He tries uselessly to free himself from the assholes restaining his arms, but all that earns him is a punch to the gut.
"Stop!" Raven screams in protest. "He didn't do anything!" Neither did she.
Even as McCreary demands that she unlock the mistle system with his knife pressing into John's throat there's still nothing she can do.
Shaw watches, he can't come clean. He can't fire the mistles into those people. But he can't let these people die for something he did. He does the only thing he can do, points a gun at McCreary's head until he backs off.
"I might not be able to kill you." Paxton takes a step toward the pilot, contempt in his eyes, "but you don't need your legs to fly."
Once the criminals are out of the room, the pilot, Shaw; confesses to them. And between the three of them, they come up with a plan.
Raven stays, because she can't run fast enough. Murphy goes, because he can. But they both stay collared.
Seems pretty cut and dry. Except to Emori; who despite him just being tortured, scolds him for leaving Raven.
"Why am I not surprised?" Murphy's estranged wife shakes her head at him.
John tries not to take it personally. "Look we don't have time for this. Raven said we need to get into radio range and warn the others about the mistles."
"Mistles?"
"Yeah, as in fiery death from above." John elaborates. "We have a friend inside, so the eye in the sky won't be watching but they need to move now."
"Daddy, up?" Pandora blinks in his direction, stretching her little arms toward him.
"I can't right now babygirl." And that breaks his heart.
"Is that a shock collar?" Monty asks, tentatively reaching toward the metal ring.
"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Murphy skirts away from him.
"Well take the rover," Madi offers. "It's in the bear cave. Don't worry the bears are gone."
"Who's the hobbit?" Murphy cocks his head to the side.
"Come on." Echo rolls her eyes.
Pandora is thoroughly upset by the time they get inside the rover. Beyond confused as to why Murphy won't hold her.
"It's not your fault P." John wants to just say; screw it, and let her sit in his lap. Because what are the chances that this thing is gonna go off. But knowing his luck it will and he'd never forgive himself. "Nothing that you did. I love you so much. Nobody can touch Daddy right now because I could hurt them and I never want to hurt you."
The little girl sniffs, leaning into Emori, "ok Daddy."
"Bellamy, Isla, come in." Murphy says into the radio. "What?" He wonders, the kid aside of him is staring.
"Pandora was right," the hobbit shrugs, "you're not funny."
"Clarke told her stories." Harper explains.
"Ahhh." John muses. "Was I The dashing hero who got the girl?"
"Or the selfish fool who lost her?" Emori mutters under her breath.
Murphy purses his lips at this.
"Octavia is my favorite." Madi tells them. "No offense. Clarke says she wouldn't have made it without each one of you."
"We wouldn't have made it without her." Echo says.
"Not even close." Harper agrees.
The collar around Murphy's neck hums to life, sending electrical jolts that seize his body.
"John!" Without thinking Emori reaches for him, the current sends her backwards, clutching her hand.
"Is Daddy ok?" Pandora all but screams.
"The shock collar must have a tether, Madi back up the rover." Monty says, shining the flashlight at Murphy's neck, waiting until the sparks inside die off to tell Madi, "stop, that's far enough."
Murphy slumps in his seat, relief washing over him.
"Monty can you get it off?" Harper asks.
"There's no time." Echo reminds them. "We have to warn them before those mistles fire."
"Echo's right," Murphy sighs.
"If it has a tether, it'll have a tracker too." Monty argues.
"Which is why you've gotta go." John understands, but if Isla and the rest of them get the message in time, then it doesn't matter what happens to him. "Go get our friends before they explode." He hops down out of the passenger seat.
Emori is out the back door before the rover pulls away. Part of her still not believing that she's standing here with John despite everything. The other half of her wondering why he looks surprised, because of course she's standing here despite everything, they're family. A dysfunctional one, but a family none the less. "Come on." She rolls her eyes in exasperation.
He nods, feeling a renewed sense of hope. Yeah things were shitty and his collar could go off at any moment but Emori is here. She's still here. He is still worth staying behind for, he is still worth saving. And that makes all the difference.
"If you have something to say," she knows him well enough to tell when he's biting his tongue, "just spit it out John."
"I was just gonna say, thanks. For sticking around, you don't have to be here but you are. So thank you." Murphy tells her as they trek through the forest, leaves and twigs snapping beneath their shoes.
"I'm guessing you have a plan." She arches a brow at him.
"The plan is to get the rover into radio range before our wife explodes. Outside of that I've got nothing." Admittedly not the most well thought out decision he's ever made, but somehow when it involves her the decisions never are well thought out.
"My wife." Emori reminds him, a joking tone to her voice that he hasn't heard in a while.
"Technicalities." He brushes it off.
"Does it hurt?" She wonders. "Your neck?"
"No." Yes.
"Liar." Emori smirks knowingly, "let's find a place to hold up for a while, I'll see what I can do."
"Yep." He pops the p.
He's still cute for a thief.
The Wasteland
"Bellamy come in." It's Monty's voice over the radio. "Isla can you hear me?"
Isla yanks the radio from where it's clipped around Bellamy's belt loop. "Hey Monty. If you're calling to warn us about the burrowing parasitic bugs, you're a little late. Clarke's cutting one out of Octavia as we speak."
"Not quite," Monty takes a deep breath, "there's an eye in the sky on the mother ship and mistles ready to launch. Raven says we have a friend inside so they won't see you but you've got to move now."
"Ok, be safe. We're on it." Isla says, watching as the worm is freed from Octavia's arm and then sealed inside Cooper's tin can.
"Where do we find cover in the middle of a wasteland?" Indra asks, eyes darting about the group of them inside the tent.
"If we retreat, they'll stand down." Clarke offers, holding pressure on Octavia's wound as she wraps a dressing around it.
"The wind doesn't move Wonkru." The red queen reminds them, making to leave the tent the second she can.
"Octavia!" Bellamy shouts after her.
"You don't understand us, because you're not us." She says lowly, while the other members of Wonkru exit. "Get ready to understand."
"Isla's pregnant." Bellamy grabs Octavia's uninjured arm. "She shouldn't be out here but she is. She's not going to say anything, because no; she doesn't think she's too good to stand out in the middle of a sandstorm to protect you. Even after you got her stuck between that and parasitic worms."
"Wonkru will cover her." Octavia's eyes move to her sister.
Bellamy swallows.
"No." Isla shakes her head. "I'll stand with you."
"Good." Octavia replies, as she leaves on shaky limbs.
"I'll go keep an eye on her." Clarke tells them, the effects of the worm venom evident in Octavia's slightly slurred words and uncoordinated motions.
"What the hell are you trying to prove?" Bellamy demands, when Clarke is out of earshot.
"I know you're trying to protect me Bellamy," Isla sighs, because he always is. "But I made my choice when I decided to open that bunker. I chose to follow Octavia into the wasteland."
"So this is your idea of atonement?" He wonders.
"This is my idea of trying to understand what the hell happened to our sister and I need her to trust me in order to do that."
"That is not the priority right now." Bellamy reminds her as if she's forgotten.
"Wonkru has armor." Isla reasons, trying to put his mind at ease. "I need to do this, I need you to let me."
"The baby-"
"Will be fine." She cuts him off.
"Your Murphy is showing." Bellamy says disapprovingly, yet his tone holds a certain fondness to it.
"I'm gonna take that as a compliment." Isla smirks, dawning a red leather chest plate.
It's hardly a surprise the next morning when Clarke decides that Indra has glass in her lungs. The first battalion leader spent the better part of the night ordering them to, "hold!"
Eleven members of Wonkru have died, twelve including Obeka. The original carrier of the worms. Octavia is definitely feeling the effects of the venom less than she was and her arm should heal with little muscle damage.
"I'm glad you're alive big brother." Octavia tells Bellamy, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, then pulling back with his face trapped firmly between her hands. "But if you ever speak out against Wonkru again, you are an enemy of Wonkru. And you are my enemy."
The sound of the rovers engine breaks up the exchange. Leaving Bellamy, Isla, and Clarke reeling in the harshness of Octavia's words.
But that's the last thing on their minds once the rover comes to a halt a feet yards away. Madi charges out first, finding Clarke.
Monty and Harper follow, hanging back near the machine. Monty warily raises one hand to Octavia in greeting; which she returns.
"Mommy!" Pandora pushes harshly against Harper's chest. Demanding to be set on her own two feet; and making a beeline for Isla the second she hits the ground. Isla meets her three quarters of the way, sweeping the little girl up into her arms.
"Hi sweet girl." Isla kisses her dark hair, Pandora's hands fisted in the material of her shirt.
"No more leaving. I miss you."
"I missed you too baby, so much." She breathes her daughter in deeply. "Where's your Mama?" Isla scans the area around the rover, realizing that Emori still hasn't come out.
"Gone." Pandora pulls back to look at her. "Daddy has a special necklace that makes him dance when he gets too far away. We had to keep going because the radio didn't work and we couldn't talk to you. Mama had to go with Daddy so he wouldn't be alone. I was really brave just like she said."
"You're are brave P." Isla blinks back the tears burning behind her eyes. "I'm so proud of you."
Octavia squints into the sun, the little girl called her Mommy. Clearly she not biologically. Her hair is too dark and something is wrong with one of her hands. However the kid's nose and eyes have Murphy written all over them. Deductive reasoning tells her that Murphy was the father of Isla's baby too. It wasn't Monty or Bellamy and only eight of them were on the Ring. Before she can spend anymore time trying to figure it out she sees Echo. The traitor who stabbed her. Azgeda spy who killed Gina, and Illian and all those people inside mount weather. The bitch who's kissing her brother.