…

The explosion came with an earsplitting crushing noise, so loud, so vast, that Clarke felt her ears start ringing before the sound had even completely reached them. The flames, the smoke went up high, for what seemed like miles, into the sky. Up up, and farther up, illluminating and darkening the world around them at the same time.

"Oh my gosh," it escaped Raven, and it was Clarke's turn to freeze. She stared up at the fire, so all encompassing, so devastating, until she felt the other girl tug at her arm.

"We gotta run."

"Bellamy was right there. Where did he go? I need to-"

"We gotta leave," Raven urged, interrupting her. Out of the corner of her eye, Clarke suddenly saw her mom reappear, saw Finn half stumble toward them. "Clarke. Now. Bellamy will catch up."

"But…" She didn't want to leave without him; and where were Octavia and Lincoln?

They're not with you?

She took a deep breath when she felt him back with her.

I haven't seen them in a while. Bellamy... She tried looking for him, but couldn't see much through the wafts of smoke and debris clouding everything around them.

Go, Clarke. Go with Raven. I'll come find you, but I have to find O first. If she ran into the tower...

But he didn't have to explain. As much as Clarke wanted to argue and implore him to come with her, their bond made it almost impossible. She understood him too well. He couldn't go without his sister. So she bit down hard, and forced herself to let it go.

Be careful.

You too...

She swallowed to get the lump out of her throat. Because I need you too...

I know, and I need you. - I'll meet you soon, princess. There's a small settlement not too far from here, we can make it by nightfall if we all go now. Raven knows where...

Will you-

I'll meet you there.

She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. Staring up at the fire in the sky one last time, blazing and raw, piercing the clouds like a giant sword, she swallowed down her fear, her urge to stay and wait, and signaled to the others. Abby had reached them by then, panting and grimy from her own fights, while Finn was still stumbling on toward them, trying to get away from the fire, but also still fighting off the last desperate disbelieving guards that wouldn't let up, not even in the eye of imminent defeat from a more powerful source.

"Hurry!" Clarke yelled over to him, then looked at her mom, desperately. "Fast."

Then they all began to run.

…

Kane grinned to himself. It all had gone according to plan - well, except the part where he had filled his bag with metal and had accidentally already dropped the bottle with the liquid, making it spill out and onto the Eternal metal. He had barely gotten half the amount that he had wanted, but it was as good as it was going to get. So he packed up quickly and made a run for it.

There were a few soldiers on guard duty getting too close, and he feared they would cut his escape short, but then he suddenly saw unexpected help magically appear in front of him when Nyko greeted him, staring down at him from the ladder he was about to climb up.

"Nyko, old friend," he said by way of greeting as the other man gave him a hand, lifting him the last bit up, then turning around to call out to the fast approaching guards.

"There's been an incident, the core is unstable. The captain ordered us all to leave, now! The situation is out of control."

"But sir," one of them tried to argue, frowning uncertainly, and Marcus watched as Nyko stared him down.

"Now! If you want to live, you run."

And suddenly, Marcus was free to go.

"My friend," he said, panting, "what are you doing here?"

"Good to see you, too," Nyko drily replied, giving him a mild half smile. "I thought you had gone rogue with one of our loads there for a bit."

Kane grimaced. "Our loads?"

Nyko merely stared at him, and he clenched his teeth, forcing himself to focus on the more imminent problems first.

"We really got to get the hell out of here," he hissed, and the other man nodded, thankfully not arguing for the time being.

...

They galloped alongside each other for a while, almost too out of breath to talk. Marcus knew that Nyko was trading lost Eternal weapons, giving them to the highest bidder on either side. The trek his hired hands went on was almost legendary. Coast to coast, spanning the whole continent, Silveren territories, Neutral Zone, and Golden lands. Who better to be in charge of that than a man of the forest?

"I believe you just set out to destroy my half of the business, Marcus." Nyko eventually hissed, not looking very pleased. "I thought we had an understanding-"

"Yeah, well," Kane interrupted him, "We also had an understanding regarding which side we'd be on in this war…"

"You're fooling yourself if you ever thought it was any other side but our own. I'm only fighting for myself, for my people. Besides," he raised an eyebrow. "I merely did what I had to to escape torture. You, on the other hand-"

"I'm working on destroying the one Silveren advantage; I'd say it's pretty clear which side I'm on." Marcus glared at him.

But Nyko raised an eyebrow at him. "Working together with the Silveren Captain's son? I just met him. Nice enough kid... - But Marcus. You're playing everyone again, aren't you? I only hope the poor fool knows not to trust you…"

Kane merely smirked in return, then he reined in his horse, pointing toward a silhouette on the horizon.

"There," he said. Let's follow them for now. My job is not quite done yet, and you, my friend, might like what I have in store. First we destroy the Silveren advantage, then it'll be the Golden bonds, and soon, it'll be just us..."

Nyko raised an eyebrow at him, huffing. "After you," he eventually grumbled, waving a hand as if out of courtesy. With a grin at him, Marcus dug his heels into his horse's flanks, and off he sped, soon just another silhouette against the horizon.

...

Bellamy had found himself racing against the flames before he could finally breathe a little easier again as the plume of fire and ashes slowly fell away. Whatever Kane had done, the reaction had definitely been accelerated, the explosion happening before the hour was up.

He was just glad that Clarke was on her way out with Raven. Now he had to find Octavia and he tried not to panic as the fire grew closer to Aurora's tower. She had to be in there, his sister had to have snuck away from the battle to get to her, there was no other way. He shouldn't have ever let her out of his sight. He clenched his jaw in agitation.

It'll be okay.

I hope you're right...

...

Octavia found her where Bellamy had left her behind, still in her office, looking out over the disaster happening down below.

Aurora Blake stood lost in time, unable to comprehend what had just happened, and didn't even turn when her door opened, and her daughter walked in. She hadn't cared when the council members had urged her to leave, she hadn't cared when they had left her, shooting awkward glances her way. She hadn't cared about anything anymore, just that blazing growing fire, that pillar of smoke and flames rising up higher than her tower.

Octavia expelled a shuddering breath, watching the woman for a long moment. This was her mother, the woman that had never wanted to see her, had forced Bellamy to take care of her if he wanted her to live, and thanks to her brother she was alive now, alive and breathing, and finally ready to do her part.

"Hello, mom," she breathed, and for a split second she thought she saw a shiver go through Aurora upon hearing her.

She was the Captain of the Silveren, a strong, tall woman, formidable, yet in this moment, Aurora Blake was beginning to crumble in on herself. Once, she had been a kind person, with dreams and hopes like everyone else. Then love had taken her down a dark road, a road she didn't have the strength to leave until much later, when it was already too late, when her soul had already been crushed.

A child, something good had come of her wrong decisions, of her relationship with a heartless brutal man. She had kept the baby despite the threats, had held onto him with the fierce love of a mother. She had wanted to raise him to be a better person, a gentle, caring man. She had worked so hard for it. Then his father had returned for one last time, a Golden soldier on his way to war, coming through their town to claim what he thought was his, and he had destroyed even that last piece of good.

When another child had been the result of that too long short nightmare, Aurora's plans had changed. She was no longer trying to see the good in anything, to turn something dark into something better. No, she didn't want to be reminded of the worst moment in her life, and she got rid of the child, turning the other one into what would hurt his father the most: a weapon, a threat, someone to help her destroy the man's whole people, his everything, and she had trained hard to do her part, had risen higher and higher through the ranks, excelling in any fight with her ruthlessness, until she had replaced the old Captain.

"It was all planned," she was muttering now. "I don't… I don't understand. It wasn't supposed to happen like that…"

"Oh, it was," Octavia replied, though of course Aurora wasn't actually talking to her. Now, though, she suddenly did turn around and Octavia took a step back when she saw the almost warm smile on the woman's face.

"Octavia…"

She scoffed. "You actually know my name." She was only a little surprised. Her mother had never fooled her. She had always known that Aurora had kept taps on her daughter, just like she had always kept taps on her son.

"Of course."

"Well, then I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that I am here to end your despair now. Over having to see me, having to see your grand plan of winning this war fail."

Octavia inhaled deeply, taking her sword in a hard grip, slowly walking toward her mother, then breaking into a run. When she had been younger, she had often dreamed of what she would do when she met her mom, what questions she would ask.

Why did you do it? Why did you have me if you hated me so much? Why did you turn Bellamy into an Eternal? Why couldn't you have given us both away to someone who would have loved us despite what our father did. Why…

She was past that stage. Deep down she knew that once, Aurora had deserved sympathy, maybe even pity. But those times were gone, too, and now it was her turn to pay for what she had done. It was time to—

...

"O! No!"

She whirled around to see Bellamy race toward her, his face showing so much pain and anguish that hers scrunched up in sympathy, her own pain growing too strong, too much to bear, and she faltered briefly, before tensing again.

"She has to pay…"

Bellamy lowered his arms, the Old One dangling from his grip as he shook his head. "Not like this, O."

"What she did to you! To me…"

Aurora was strangely quiet through all of it, not moving to protect herself, not saying anything, her face a blank mask as her gaze was locked on her eldest child.

Bellamy shot her a glance, but quickly focused back on his sister, trying to save her, ignoring the shadow of their parents, both of them.

"Let's go. The tower is gonna go up in flames soon. I found Lincoln downstairs, he's got the horses. We still have time, but we need to go now."

"Not before she's gotten what she deserves. She needs to suffer—"

"O, stop! It's over, okay? She is getting what she deserves. Did you look at her?! She's not going anywhere. But if you kill her now, with your own hands, you will go down that same dark road and I'm not gonna let you. It's always been you and me, O. Come with me. Lincoln is waiting, the others… We have people to look out for now, it's not just us anymore. We can do better than her, we already have. Don't destroy that, don't destroy yourself. Just come with me."

He could see her falter, could see a shiver rake her thin frame, but she was still clinging to her sword.

"You should go." Aurora's voice sounded calm, almost disembodied, and they both glanced at her. That strange smile was back on her face, as she took a step toward the long row of windows that showed the inferno outside. "The fire will probably reach the outer layers of the metal soon. There's a vein leading right up into the ground floor of the building. You don't want to be around for when that happens…"

Bellamy swallowed, making himself say, "You can still leave, too."

But she shook her head, averting her gaze again, turning to face the flames. Bellamy expected her to say something else, but when she didn't, he quickly rushed toward Octavia and grabbed her by the arm, looking her in the eyes. Her lower lip was wobbling, and suddenly he saw her five or six or ten year old self again that had cried because her mother was a monster, and he pulled her in for a brief hug, his heart in a vise, before making her go with him, not letting go of her arm until she broke into a run with him, both of them headed toward the exit, down the stairs, down down down, without even so much as a last look at their mother.

It's going to be okay, Clarke whispered inside his head and he hoped she was right, he so hoped she was right because he felt like he was about to break any moment, and he knew he couldn't. He needed her to help him, needed her to believe for the both of them.

…

Outside, Lincoln was waiting for them, solemnly nodding toward a small group of anxious looking guards. Bellamy understood without explanation. He guided Octavia over to Lincoln, who hugged her tightly before guiding her to her horse while her brother went to the few strangers.

"You gotta run. Fast. This was only the first explosion," he explained, and one of the men, a fellow Eternal, stepped forward, eyeing him warily.

"The Captain?"

"She isn't coming… Listen, you can come with us." He pointed to the man's arm. "There's a cure for this we've been working on, something we want to make accessible for everyone." He worked to take his weapon off his arm, showing the guard the spot on his wrist where Kane had poured his concoction. The usual sheen was a little duller there, and the man's eyes widened.

Bellamy could see it work in him as he looked up to squint at him, gauging his sincerity.

"Alright," he said. "You lead the way, Captain son."

Bellamy flinched at the denomination, but didn't say anything and nodded. "Let's go then."

...

And as the second explosion Aurora had foreseen eventually happened, they were already out in the open, racing against time, toward where dusk was starting to envelope the world.

We're on our way, Clarke.

Just come back to me…

He sighed as he felt Clarke, and her being there kept him going when his mind was starting to get too exhausted to function. The thought of his mother dying in the flames threatening to surface and overwhelm him. But he had to pull himself together, had to keep going, because he had responsibilities, not just Clarke and Octavia, or his friends, but also the few men that had decided to follow him. He saw them ride along, shocked and shaken, wide eyed and in disbelief. They all had been riding for a while, when they finally saw two figures on horseback approach and Bellamy knew before they had even gotten close who they were. Of course.

...

Just a few minutes later he was facing the smug smile of Marcus Kane, who had triumph written all over him.

"Best fireworks I've seen in a while," he stated, grinning, turning around to the other rider, then back to Bellamy. "I believe you've met Nyko. He's an old friend…"

Bellamy raised an eyebrow, still not sure what to make of either Marcus or Nyko. Had the forester somehow been in on Kane's plan? He decided he didn't trust either of them.

Gotta keep a close eye on them, Clarke tbought, and he very much agreed.

But they had succeeded. The largest mining site was destroyed. And the best part: the Captain, who had ruled with terror and fear, was gone.

She was still your mother. It's okay to be sad...

No.

He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to keep going, going, faster.

Bellamy.

He swallowed, clenching his teeth hard. I'm not sad. She deserved so much worse. She...

Was still your mother.

He closed his eyes briefly, just wishing himself to be with Clarke already. Having her in his mind was suddenly not enough anymore. He needed more.

…

She was waiting for him. When he came riding into the small settlement, not careful and quiet this time, but barging in, she was already waiting.

...

A little earlier, their little group had arrived at the settlement, just a small nest of homes, really, and greeted a few of the settlers who had been outside, minding their business, staring in awe at the dark plume hovering in the sky not far from them, when they had first walked in, carefully and guardedly.

"You here to stay?" one of them, a young man with jet black hair, had casually asked, as if he was used to people just popping up and putting down roots.

Clarke guessed that it probably did happen that way a lot, so close to the Eternal mining site. People probably started feeling unsafe soon, then left, then new ones came in, with big dreams, maybe even hopes of working in the mines, then those went on their way too, a constant shifting in the population.

To the man she had merely said, "Maybe for a night or so."

"Be careful." He pointed at the sky. "Something bad went down at the mining site, I'm sure you saw... I bet there will be a lot of military presence here soon. You might want to go elsewhere…" He gave Clarke a knowing look, making her feel slightly awkward. But he didn't have to be very perceptive to put two and two together, a group of strangers appearing right after a giant explosion couldn't be coincidence.

She mumbled a rushed "I will, thanks," and moved to catch up with her people.

He nodded at her one last time. "You might want to stay under the radar for a bit, tell your... friend to hide his arm better." He jerked his head in the direction of Clarke's group, who had walked over to a nearby boarding house by then, trying to get rooms for the night. Finn was barely hanging in there anymore, even with both Raven and Abby keeping him upright, and Clarke saw what the stranger had meant. Under his torn shirt, the blazing scar on his arm was widely visible, even from a distance.

"Thank you," she breathed, meaning it, then she raced after her friends quickly. They needed to get Finn out of the open, patch his arm up, and then they would wait, for Bellamy, Octavia, and Lincoln.

When she got to them, she exchanged a quick look with her mom, who looked at her urgently. They finally persuaded the reluctant boarding house owner they wouldn't give him any trouble and would leave come morning, and he grudgingly gave them two rooms.

Once they were up there, Raven and Abby guided a spent Finn over to the first bed, making him sit down. Clarke sighed, kneeling down in front of him for just a moment, gently cupping his face. "You'll be alright," she whispered, trying to smile as he stared past her vacantly, Raven already busy getting his bandage. Clarke swallowed as she met the other girl's gaze. Raven's lips formed a thin line.

"We made it out," she quietly breathed, returning her attention to Finn, but addressing Clarke. "Bellamy and Octavia on their way?"

Clarke nodded. "Let Abby take a look," she said. "If he lets her..."

"Yeah."

The moment felt strangely tense, and Clarke was glad when her mom interrupted them by giving Clarke a brief hug. "Go," she told her daughter. "We'll be fine here for the time being. You just make sure Bellamy and the other two find us." She gave her a warm look, a soft smile pulling her lips upward, and Clarke tried to smile back, before she nodded and walked a few steps backward then turning around to run out the door, down into the road, where it led into the settlement, right where the first few buildings stood. Then she began to walk until she could finally make out his dark form against the fire in the distance.

A silent gasp escaped her.

She knew it was him. Even from that far away and without him telling her so over the bond, she knew. How he sat on the horse, leaning down to be faster, holding onto the horse more than the reins, helming a small group of riders, not just Octavia and Lincoln.

Bellamy.

She smiled until her expression grew wistful, and by the time he finally slowed to a stop just a few feet away from her, she couldn't contain her tears anymore, couldn't wait anymore, and she ran to him.

When she finally reached him, he pulled her in for a fierce hug, and she clawed at him as if needing to make sure he was really back, really whole. Eventually she pushed herself off him a little, moving her hands up to frame his face, as he rested his forehead against hers, the plumes of their breaths meeting between them before they finally kissed, so achingly longingly that Clarke's breath hitched.

It's over...