Abby looked at her daughter sitting between two men who obviously cared a great deal about her. She had so many questions she wasn't sure she actually wanted answers to. She wanted to be brave, but her heart hurt to think of the things Clarke went through after praimfaya. "How did you survive?" Abby asked "We didn't know if the nightblood treatment worked. "We weren't sure either" Bellamy shook his head "so when she took off her helmet after we were attacked in the woods, I wanted to shake her" he swore. "You what?" Abby looked at her "and when were you were attacked?" the latter was directed at Bellamy, who conveniently forgot to mention that piece of the story when he was talking to Abby all those years ago.
"Emori's helmet was damaged in the attack and she would not have survived if I hadn't. It wasn't a big deal, Monty and Harper were close to us and they had an extra suit" Clarke shrugged. "You knew that?" Abby asked eyebrows arched at her stupid, daring daughter. "No, she didn't" Bellamy answered for her, "but as usual she didn't think five minutes ahead of her next decision" he scowled, leveling his eyes at her. "That never changed by the way" Roan chipped in "at least until we found Maddi" he said. Clarke looked on either side of her and rolled her eyes "Like you two have never done that?" she scoffed. "You are too much like your father" Abby sighed, her head held in her hands.
"Ok, I don't really need to know any more details about that"Abby said"How you survived. Where did you survive?" she asked. "Once I got the radio hooked up and adjusted the dish, I climbed back down and ran like hell to the lab" Clarke told her. "I saw the fire rolling toward me. I tripped over a limb and the helmet of my suit was cracked, but I made it inside. I passed out soon after. I don't know for how long, but when I woke up, I was okay." Bellamy paled at her words. There were parts of her story that she definitely hadn't told him. "What about you?" Kane looked at Roan, "you weren't a nightblood before, plus we saw Luna drown you" He said.
"He plays dead really well" Clarke replied. "I was injured, badly, but when I saw Octavia take out Luna, I bided my time, and then I did what I'd seen Clarke and Abby do in the lab. When I had to chance, I snuck out of Polis and hid in a bunker for a few days" Roan answered. "Like Clarke, I had sores and boils for a few days, but after the fire went out, I could walk around outside" he said. "And Maddi?" Abby asked. "We don't know" Roan admitted "by the time we found her she'd been on her own for almost a year, but she must have been a nightblood from birth" he said.
Abby looked at them "how old was she when you found her?" she asked. "Five" Clarke answered. "So this little four-year-old survived a whole year after praimfaya by herself?" Abby asked. Roan nodded "I daresay better than Clarke" Maddi's spear actually killed things" he chortled. "I'm going to drown you in the pool at the ark" Clare swore, shaking her head. "Yeah, you tried and failed at that too" he shot back grinning at her.
"Anyway" Clarke shook her head "I stayed in the bunker for a while, but I started to go stir crazy, so when I realized I could survive outside, I started living in the lab" she said. "I dug through the ashes of the house and took what I could to make a radio and a raft"
"Which sank after one trip" Roan snorted,
"At least it got me off the island" she retorted. Bellamy watched their display with a mixture of amusement and envy. Clearly, what the two of them had become because of their ordeal was as strong as the bond he and Clarke shared.
"When I started running low on MREs and other supplies I decided to leave the island to search the bunkers and buried cars" she said. The first night I slept in the woods. "I was a little worried because I didn't know if anyone or anything else was out there, but I was so tired and there wasn't a bunker for miles" she sighed.
"That she knew of" Roan chimed in again.
She looked over at him "I knew someone was watching me" she shook her head. "I was shocked to see you, I should have known even praimfaya couldn't kill the mighty Wanheda" he scoffed. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked him "There was no need to. I knew there was nobody else in the woods besides the two of us" he shrugged.
"How long before your revealed yourself" Bellamy asked, curious to hear his answer.
"The next night, right before I was trying to get some sleep" Clarke answered. "I bet that was a shock" Abby chortled. "Oh yeah, especially since he was supposed to be dead" Clarke agreed. "After that we stayed together, finding and raiding all the bunkers and buried cars we could. Finally, we decided to stay at the ark" she said. "Thanks to Jasper's decision to ride and die the radiation there, parts of the ark were virtually untouched. It's been our home ever since" she finished.
Maddi, who had been sitting quietly in Roan's arms listening to the things that were being said, whispered something in his ear. "Soon sprite" he smiled "very soon." Clarke looked over at him "she wants to go home, huh?" She asked. He nodded and was about to say something else when Maddi looked at Clarke warily before whispering something else. Roan laughed "I think it's safe to ask her that question, just give us a few minutes, okay?" he asked. She nodded and laid her head back on his shoulders. Clarke didn't need to know what question Maddi had asked him "Yes, Maddi" she sighed "We will go swimming in a little bit" she said. Maddi grinned "okay" she said.
"She can talk" Abby smiled at her. Maddi buried her face back in Roan's shoulders. "Come here doodlebug" Clarke said reaching for her. Roan shifted Maddi's little body to Clarke, who put her on her lap. "Remember you wanted to meet my mom?" she asked. Maddi nodded "well, here she is, so why don't you at least say hi?" Clarke prompted. "Hi" Maddi mumbled obediently. "This is Kane" Clarke said pointing at him, "and that little boy" who was acting as shyly as Maddi "is Ethan" Clarke told her.
"Is he your little brother?" she asked. "I guess you could say that" Clarke replied. "He came to them like you came to Roan and I" Clarke explained. "So, they're like his mom and dad?" Maddi asked. Clarke looked at her mom, who was giving her and "I told you so" look. "Yes, they kind of are" Clarke agreed. "Did his mom and dad die like mine did?" she asked. Clarke closed her eyes; Maddi had never spoken of her parents before. "Yeah they did" Clarke answered her, trying to hold her voice level. "Does that make you sad?" she asked. "A little" she sighed, leaning into Clarke.
Abby watched the exchange, tears glistening in her eyes. She had so many more questions for Clarke, but those would have to wait. "So, there is somewhere to go swimming around her?" she asked Maddi. Maddi nodded "Roan said it used to be an oasis before the fire burned it up" she said, forgetting to be shy. "I bet Ethan would love to go outside and play in the water" Abby told her "Do you think you can show me where it's at?" she asked. Maddi turned her head, looking to Clarke for permission. Clarke nodded "yes" Maddi responded. "Oh good" Abby told her "We have to get Ethan into some other clothes though. Can we leave in a minute?" she asked. Maddi nodded. Kane and Abby left with Ethan to change clothes.
"I'm proud of you doodlebug" Clarke smiled at her "I bet that was hard, huh?" she asked. Maddi nodded "sometimes I miss my mom and dad" she replied sadly "but I think they would be happy knowing I have you and Roan to take care of me" she said. "I hope so" Clarke sighed hugging her "but we're not trying to replace your mom and dad" she said looking Maddi in the eye. "But I don't want anyone else to be my mom" Maddi said gazing at Clarke. "I would love to be your mom Maddi" Clarke told her. Bellamy sucked in a breath, fearing what would come next; but as it turned out Clarke had that covered already. "What about Roan?" Clarke asked "and Bellamy? Where do they fit in?" she asked. "They can be my two dads Maddi declared" grinning.
"What a lucky little girl you are" Raven declared "to have not one, but two daddies." Maddi grinned "and two moms, too" she replied. "Two?" Raven asked. "Who's the other one?" she asked "You" Maddi answered. Raven looked at Clarke clearly confused. Bellamy dropped his head into his hands, something told him he was about to be busted big time. "Yeah, Bellamy says you should be with Roan and that would make you my other mom."
"Oh really?" Roan drawled "do tell Bellamy, what your plan was?"
Bellamy groaned "Maddi that was supposed to be our little secret" he told her. "You didn't say it was a secret." Clarke snickered "No you didn't Bellamy" she agreed. He just shook his head.