Chapter 36:

Lexa reached out to Clarke. The burning in her chest told her she had been hit by Emmerson's bullet. She could feel her black blood seeping out onto her armour and into the hand she had on her chest. She stumbled trying to grasp at Clarke's hand. She felt the intense spark that told her she had made contact before Clarke was forced to the ground and Lexa fell back out of the opening and down. Her last image of the girl was Clarke's blue eyes full of panic and despair.

She felt like she was falling slowly. The whole incident had moved in slow motion. Emmerson, the man she should have killed on sight, the man who helped her betray Clarke Griffin. She deserved this fate. She deserved to have herself literally ripped from Clarke's fingertips. She deserved to die, falling to her death trying to make up her betrayal to her love.

"I'm sorry Clarke." She whispered before everything went black as her body hit the water.

To Lexa's surprise she opened her eyes, water was surrounding her, she struggled to breathe. She felt herself being dragged through the ripping current, pulling her under, pushing her against rocks, knocking her around like a rag doll. She tried to grab on to stop the motion but her hand slipped everywhere she placed it. A roar of water buckled her and slammed her hard into a rock pinning her against it and knocking her out.

Lexa opened her eyes again, she was on shore. She coughed out some water as she felt hands on her side pushing her to her roll on her left side. She coughed and sputtered out the water and groaned in agony. The bullet wound still burned despite the cool water. Sghe felt the hands lay her back down and start putting pressure on her chest. Lexa looked up to find Octavia soaking wet with smudged war paint breathing heavily.

"Just relax, I got you. Try to breathe. Here hold this on tight, keep the pressure on it, I'll be right back."

Lexa clutched at the fabric Octavia had placed on the wound.

In moments Octavia was back and removing Lexa's armour. She shoved some cool wet weeds into the wound. "This should help, we can slow the bleeding and it'll fight off any infection."

Lexa couldn't speak. She couldn't find any words. Where was Clarke? Why was Octavia here and Clarke wasn't? What happened after Lexa fell? Was Clarke alive?

A fresh wave of tears began to well in Lexa's eyes. She struggled for breath against the physical and emotional pain before going unconscious again.

When Lexa woke she felt herself in motion though she was not moving. She looked around to find herself on a crude gurney being dragged through the woods by Octavia. She heard footfalls in the trees and she struggled against the pain to speak. "Someone is out there."

Her voice was barely a whisper but Octavia paused and gently set Lexa down. She rounded to crouch as if she was protecting her. Lexa peered out to where she heard the noises. She saw Lincoln and Jasper coming through the trees. They had lost a member; it was written on their faces, the third member had been lost…just like theirs. No. She is not dead. Lexa's little voice in her head spoke up. It refused to be ignored. It refused to let Lexa give up hope.

Lincoln rushed to her side and assessed the wound. He looked at Octavia and Lexa did not miss the look of panic. She knew she was in bad shape. She had lost a lot of blood already. The burning in her chest wasn't abating and she felt increasingly cold and weak. Lincoln quickly flipped her on her side gently. She heard him sigh, before laying her gently back down on her back. She looked at him worried, "it's through and through, if we hurry you should be okay," he said quietly.

Lexa felt herself get lost in a memory, of Clarke shooting through Lincoln to kill the sniper. Lincoln had been okay. Lexa would too with a little luck. Then she could find Clarke…then I will find Clarke, she told herself.

She heard Lincoln bark some orders at Jasper and Octavia before she felt herself being lifted by both ends of the gurney and being sped off into the woods away from the mountain. Lexa lost consciousness again.

"You need to wake up. You need to come back to us. We need you to find Clarke." Lexa heard a woman's voice. Lexa fought through the black and the fog in her head before opening her eyes to find Raven sitting at her bedside. Lexa was in Ark.

Lexa struggled to raise her head. "Woah, easy champ, " Raven spoke up laying a hand on Lexa's arm, "you were just shot yesterday."

Lexa opened her eyes wide, "Clarke?" she asked questioningly through a dry voice.

Raven's smile faded, "here drink." She lifted a cup to Lexa lips and Lexa drank deep.

"Clarke?" Lexa demanded again after she swallowed.

Raven looked away. "The boys saw what happened on the monitors. They saw you fall and they patched me in to blow the mountain's missiles up. I blew it as they took Clarke out of the dam entrance you had gone through. Lincoln and Jasper escaped through the tunnels barely making it out before they collapsed."

Lexa swallowed, "So she's alive?"

Raven nodded sadly, "as of yesterday yes…"

Lexa could tell that there was more to this story. "What is it?" she demanded a little more forcefully than she intended.

Raven flinched at the harsh tone before looking at Lexa, "Pike was there. He took her…along with Bellamy."

Lexa stared at her wide-eyed. She didn't believe it, "Bellamy? He took her?"

Raven nodded sadly, "Jasper saw them together on the monitor going to assist the guy that knocked her out. She killed Emmerson and the other guy."

"Where would they be taking her? To the Ark?"

Raven shook her head, "Not likely. Kane and Abby rounded up the troops here and did a mutiny of their own while you in the mountain. Those loyal to Pike were sent beyond the gates with limited supplies." Raven looked at Lexa shrewdly before continuing, "I…I sent a few of your men to follow them, hopefully they lead them to Pike and Clarke."

Lexa smiled, and put her hand on Ravens, "Good. That's what I would have done."

Raven returned the smile, "We'll find her. As of right now if Pike wants anything from the Ark he needs Clarke alive as a bargaining chip. Your men are going to radio as soon as they know anything."

Lexa looked away, her mind drifting back to Clarke. She was so worried but she tried to hide it. She had to get out of this bed and be useful. She made to sit up, while she was in the painful motion she heard the door open and Abby came through.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't move."

"Abby, I must get out of this bed." Lexa stated flatly.

"You were shot, at least let me look you over again."

Abby gently laid a hand on Lexa's chest and Lexa let her begin examining her. She checked the wound and redressed it, she checked Lexa's vitals and exclaimed, "It's incredible."

Raven looked at her questioningly before Abby took another moment to respond to the girls curious looks.

"Your blood is unlike anything I have ever seen. I knew you healed fast but this is remarkable. It's been a day and this wound looks 3 days old."

"Nightbloods go back to the first commander." Lexa explained, "Our blood heals us faster than most…among other rumours and myths among my people. Now, when can I get out of this bed?"

Abby looked at her curiously before saying, "If you take it easy today you can get up now."

With that Raven and Abby helped Lexa get on her feet. They helped her strap on the leathers and armour. LExa winced with every step but she instantly felt better being able to move around and be useful. She was led out of the medical room by Raven towards Raven's workshop. Lexa sat with raven the rest of the day staring at the radio. Abby popped in a few times to check on Lexa before night fell.

Lexa remained with the radio in the workshop long after Raven left to get some sleep.