Chapter Eleven - Five months (and a few days) since moving to the bunker

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Abby asked Clarke the question as the two women sat together inside Abby and Kane's room. Abby's voice was soft and tender, like a fresh wound, one that wouldn't be mortal but would cause untold pain.

Since the signing of the binding contract with Cadogan, it had been a hectic three days. Skaikru and the Second Dawn had to prepare for several members of Skaikru leaving, which meant going over countless lists of which exact supplies would be going with them. Clarke and the others were glad that the rovers and hazmat suits were Skaikru's property, and thus didn't need to be haggled over.

This afternoon, Clarke and Abby had decided to follow the Second Dawn's custom of afternoon tea just to give themselves a break. They sat together inside Abby's room. It was a welcome respite for Clarke, who felt like she'd spent the last 72 hours doing nothing but going over lists with Abby, Raven, Monty, and Bellamy as various Second Dawn elders pestered them for updates.

"You know all the reasons why I have to go, Mom," Clarke said quietly, answering her mother's previous question as she held a mug in her hands. Its warmth had already started to dissipate.

"I know," Abby said, a look of understanding her eyes. "You were born to be a leader, Clarke. And the people who are leaving are going to need you now more than ever."

Clarke nodded, looking at the pride and pain on her mother's face. There were other reasons for Clarke to leave too, beyond her leadership skills. Although the Second Dawn had promised to allow Skaikru the privacy of their own bedrooms, Clarke still felt that as "a queer" (as the Second Dawn would label her, if they knew), life would be better away from here. What if one of the elders somehow found out that she'd once been Lexa's lover? But Clarke's main reason for leaving was Bellamy. Octavia had wanted to leave this place the moment she'd set foot inside, and now she had the chance to. That meant that Bellamy would go with her. There was no way that Clarke and Bellamy weren't remaining together.

But that also meant Clarke would need to say farewell to her mother for now. Kane was staying here as Skaikru chancellor, and Abby was needed in med bay - especially with Jackson leaving, and Dr. Jones mostly retired at this point. Abby would also need to do as she'd done with Jackson years ago and begin training a new doctor.

"But once again, I'm staying somewhere and sending you out into the unknown," Abby added, her voice sounding far away as she remembered the events on the Ark.

Clarke knew that her mother wasn't a crier - and wasn't about to become one now. But the look on Abby's face was so intensely sad that Clarke reached for something optimistic to say.

"We survived that. So we'll survive this too." Clarke gave a soft laugh. "And I can certainly say that I've learned a lifetime's worth since I went down with the rest of the 100!" She added, "Once the planet is habitable again, you know we'll come right back here and get you."

Abby let out a resigned sigh and a small nod, "I know you will."

The two women then sat in silence, drinking their tea. The idea of leaving her mother cut at Clarke's heart, leaving her with fear and sadness. But when she could put that aside, a small part of her was energized. The group leaving the bunker was small, but she would be leading them into something new – and she was determined to be the best leader she could be.

And leadership would not, as Jaha had once said, be a lonely pursuit. She had Bellamy by her side.

"I have faith in you, Clarke. We will meet again," Abby said into the silence.

But there was no denying it. A lot could happen in four and a half years, and no one knew what awaited Clarke and the others when they set foot outside the bunker.


Following her breather with Abby, Clarke headed down the corridor towards her room. It now was officially her and Bellamy's room, since Miller had been able to move out and share Jackson's room. Clarke had a couple of hours before the funeral service but wanted to take a look through her meager belongings for the most appropriate outfit to wear.

On her way to her room, Clarke ran into Monty and Harper. The couple was holding hands and walking slowly down the hallway.

"Hey," Clarke said.

"Hey," Monty and Harper replied simultaneously. Monty then added, "We're still talking after the service about the algae farm, right? We have that quirk with the generator to go over." He usually had an enthusiasm to his voice when he spoke of the algae farm, but today his voice was tinged with sadness – as it had been ever since the Second Dawn had made their 'request' of him.

"Yeah, definitely," Clarke replied. She took a step closer. "How are you two holding up?"

Their answers were polite and noncommittal. Clarke resumed her steps towards her room, mulling over the agreement with the Second Dawn as it related to Monty and Harper. She didn't like it. Raven, of course, was leaving for the Unworthy bunker – that was non-negotiable. Monty and Harper had wanted to do the same, but there were two roadblocks in their way.

One was Jasper Jordan, who was still suffering from depression and had no desire to leave the Second Dawn bunker. He wasn't happy here, but he knew well enough that he'd be less happy at the Unworthy bunker given that it was an utterly unknown quantity.

The other problem was the Second Dawn elders themselves. Despite Cadogan's earlier boasting to Kane about their engineers having learned so much during the past five months, the elders wanted a Skaikru engineer to remain. True, Jaha had been an engineer but he'd focused on leadership duties here. Monty – not Jaha - was the one who the Second Dawn viewed as the most competent engineer and they wanted him to stay. They weren't going to give him up, at least not permanently. But Clarke needed Monty at the Unworthy bunker to set up the hydrofarm and the algae farm. So a compromise was reached during negotiations with the elders. Monty would initially head out for the Unworthy bunker, but would return to the Second Dawn once he was confident that the farms were running smoothly. And to ensure his return, Harper would remain here as "collateral".

Clarke and Kane repeatedly asked Monty if he wanted to fight that stipulation, but in the end his refusal to do so always came back to Jasper. Jasper had no one else to look out for him and was afraid to take a chance on the unknown - and as his best friend, Monty didn't want to abandon him and neither did Harper. The three had become a tight knit group after their experiences in Mount Weather, and Clarke understood and respected the level of loyalty they had for one another. So, Monty would return to the Second Dawn bunker to be reunited with Harper and Jasper once the farms were up and running, and that was that.


Jackson stopped in med bay to check on a patient who had requested him, an elderly Second Dawn man named William. Jackson took a deep breath as he entered William's recovery room. 'Does he know that I was arrested?' Jackson wondered. 'All of Skaikru knows everything – we're masters at gossip. Do the Second Dawn people talk amongst themselves the way we do?' He shook his head. If they did, the man wouldn't have requested Jackson.

"How are you today, William?" Jackson asked, stepping towards the bed.

The two men casually talked as Jackson checked William's bandages and charts. William seemed the same as always, chatty and upbeat. It was a bit fascinating, Jackson thought, to work with someone William's age. The Ark had had its share of senior citizens, but they had been a rarity. Jackson hadn't seen too many older people during the limited time he'd spent with grounders either. He wished he could study more on the subject of geriatrics.

As he finished writing a few notes on his chart, Jackson promised William he'd check back in on him later that day.

"I know all about you, son," William said, a smile of self-satisfaction on his face. "Just wanted to let you know that it doesn't bother me at all. I don't have a problem with it."

Jackson stood motionless and quiet for a few seconds. He'd never heard sentiments like these before and was unsure how to respond. He muttered a quick thank you before leaving the man's room.

"Jackson, good, you're here," Abby said, as soon as he re-entered med bay's main area. She went up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "How are you? Are you ready for the service today?"

Jackson nodded. "It won't be easy but – well, nothing ever is," he cracked an awkward smile at his own words. His interaction with William still left him feeling confused, but now with the reminder of the funeral looming, it made the interaction with William pale in comparison. He took his own advice and took in a deep breath. "It's so nice to be, uh, out here," he said, tilting his head up. "Out of the darkness of that horrible cell. Thank you again for-"

Abby waved his concern away. "There's no need to thank me Jackson, I promised your mother I would keep you safe. And I meant it. Though most of the credit has to go to the others involved. I just mixed the compound Bellamy used - and treated John Murphy's injury." She paused. "His arm is going to be out of commission for a while though."

"Yeah. Thank goodness it wasn't worse."

Abby nodded and looked around med bay. William was their only current patient, as Murphy had insisted upon leaving as soon as he'd been cleared to do so.

Jackson followed her gaze and visually surveyed the room. "I'll miss working here. When else have we worked in a med bay that was so well-stocked and had everything we needed?" He spoke the words and then reflexively gulped. He turned to glance Abby and knew she could easily see through what he was saying.

It wasn't really med bay that Jackson was going to miss.

"I'll miss you too, Eric," Abby said sofly.

His ears twitched at the mention of his first name. His mother had been the last person who ever really used it. Even his own lover called him "Jacks" instead of using his first name.

"I never told you this," Abby continued, "but training you has been one of my proudest achievements."

Jackson's disbelief almost made him want to interrupt. Surely Abby had at least a hundred better accomplishments – becoming chancellor, putting Jaha's intestines back together and saving his life before the Ark went down, raising Clarke Griffin and training her so that she was a doctor in all but name. But he closed his mouth. He understood what Abby was trying to say.

"Now I'll have to train someone else," Abby continued. Both Skaikru and the Second Dawn had a couple of good candidates – young people with an aptitude for math and science and a desire to learn medicine. Once Jackson departed, Abby would be sitting down with each candidate to decide whom she would train. "But they won't be as good as you. And I mean good in every sense of the word."

This time Jackson did have to swallow back against the lump that was lodged inside his throat. The group leaving for the Unworthy bunker wasn't leaving just yet, so part of him wondered why Abby was doing this now. But he realized it made sense. Med bay was quiet now. The funeral was later today. And more importantly, Abby would have a far more wrenching farewell soon enough when she'd have to say goodbye to her own daughter. Maybe, Jackson mused, conversations like this helped Abby mentally prepare for it.

"Thank you, Abby," Jackson stammered. "I wish I had the words to tell you how grateful I am to you. How important you are to me."

Abby pulled Jackson into a hug, one which he warmly accepted and returned.

"Well, come on," Abby said, stepping out of the hug. "Back to making lists of which items are staying and which are going. We have a lot to get done before the funeral."

The funeral. That was going to be rough. Perhaps, Jackson thought, Abby was doing him a kindness by giving him something else to focus on in the meantime.


Bellamy soon joined Clarke inside their room. It was almost time to go to the funeral. He sorted through the clothes folded neatly on his shelves and held up a different pair of trousers. He decided it was better than the pair he usually wore.

"One great thing about living here," Bellamy began. "Clean clothes."

"Yeah," Clarke said, sitting on the bed, watching him change. "No more picking through a pile of clothes and just hoping for one item that's not filthy."

He laughed at her comment, enjoying the shared moment. The scenario she described had been all too familiar to both of them. "Pretty soon we'll be back to roughing it though," Bellamy said, sobering up and glancing back at his other apparel on the shelves. "This shirt is fine, right?" he asked, gesturing to the one he was wearing.

Clarke nodded. "It's good. But yeah, you're right – we'll be back to roughing it soon. Unless Raven and Monty are way off with their estimates, the Unworthy bunker wasn't livable. And even if by some chance it was, what's the likelihood that any of the twelve people who left here actually made it – and lived on to have children?" She paused and then said, "I'm pretty sure that bunker will be empty of people when we get there. And," she added with a smile, "empty of washing machines and dryers as well. We'll manage though."

"I get the idea that you're eager to leave," Bellamy said, sitting down next to her.

"I am a bit," she said simply. "I haven't trusted the Second Dawn since the day Jaha first met with them. And after what they did to Miller and Jackson….I'm eager to get the hell out of here."

"I think Octavia's counting down the days and the hours." He reached to hold her hand. "But….I mean, are you okay? It's gonna be hard to leave your mom." He looked down for a second before meeting her eyes. "Sometimes I worry because I haven't heard you talk about it much."

"I'm good, Bellamy," Clarke said straightforwardly. "I haven't talked about it much since the agreement was signed just because we've been so busy."

Her tone, Bellamy felt, suggested a forced casualness. He wasn't sure if it was genuine.

"But sometime, I mean not now, but whenever you're ready...well, I think it would be good for you to talk about it," Bellamy insisted. "Leaving emotions bottled up isn't good. Think about the scene Miller made yesterday."

"Yeah. That wasn't good," Clarke said. She hadn't been there herself but she'd heard every detail.

It had happened in the cafeteria during lunch. Miller had been sitting at a table with Bellamy, Octavia, Murphy, and Emori. (Clarke was in engineering and Jackson in med bay). Emori was assisting Murphy, since his arm was in a cast. Miller had been laughing and joking, looking like a man who was thrilled to be free (and perhaps in some denial about his father's death).

But then Miller had spotted Bryan entering the cafeteria. Bellamy grimaced. He had people tasked with keeping Bryan away from Miller, ensuring they didn't end up on the same work shift. Someone was supposed to be taking meals to Bryan so that he didn't have to make a public appearance at mealtimes. Apparently something had fallen through the cracks.

"That son of a bitch piece of shit," Miller growled the second he spotted Bryan. He bolted upright, as his chair loudly scraped backwards. "My dad is dead because of you! You bastard!" he yelled at Bryan.

As shocked members of the Second Dawn looked down at their plates, Bellamy and the others sprung into action. He ushered Bryan out of the cafeteria while the others ensured Miller didn't take a step.

"Hey, hey, man let's talk," Murphy said to Miller, quiet but firm. "I know what it's like to lose a parent."

"Yeah, but not because of your asshole ex!" Miller shot back.

Octavia put a grip of steel on Miller's arm, preventing him from going after Bryan. It seemed to have the desired effect as Miller slowly sat back down.

"Blame the Second Dawn bastards," Octavia said through clenched teeth. "And in a few days, we'll be out of this place. Forever."

Eventually Miller had calmed down and the incident had blown over.

"I guess it's just a reminder that we all need…outlets," Bellamy said, returning to the present moment.

"I know. I'm okay," Clarke tried to reassure, taking a deep breath. "I don't like the idea of not seeing my mom for four and a half years, but she's safe here." With a bemused sniff she added, "Safer here than she's ever been. Let's not forget that the Ark was hanging by a thread. And living up there you always had the risk of getting…."

Clarke abruptly stopped.

"Floated," Bellamy finished for her. It had happened to his mother and her father.

They met each other's eyes. They shared a lot, wordlessly, within that look. A whole lifetime of pain packed into a couple decades. The ache of pointless loss of life. The knowledge that they could talk to each other about it if and when they wanted. The sense of comfort knowing that the offer was there, and that they didn't have to take it if they didn't want to.


The funeral for Sergeant David Miller was held in the great hall with Kane presiding. He had approached Nathan Miller the day before and softly asked for his approval to conduct the service. During their fight against Pike, Miller and Kane had been close allies, so Miller nodded his ascent.

During daily religious services, by tradition the Second Dawn members sat in the pews upfront, with Skaikru in the rows behind them. Today for the Sergeant's funeral, the attendees were mostly Skaikru. A few Second Dawn members who had started to develop a friendship with the Sergeant sat quietly, clustered together in the back. Part of the agreement with the elders specified that the man who had shot the Sergeant wouldn't be punished. By all appearances, the Second Dawn people acted as if they wanted to forget the entire incident.

Sitting next to Miller in the front row, Jackson craned his head around. It looked like pretty much all 450 members of Skaikru were in attendance. (Bellamy had assured Jackson and Miller that Bryan had been spoken with and would not set foot inside the hall).

As Kane walked towards the pulpit to begin the ceremony, Jackson reached for and held Miller's hand to offer what little comfort he could. Had they been a couple before they'd moved to the bunker, he would've made the move automatically and without any forethought. But five months of life with the Second Dawn had made even this small gesture feel risky. Today, however, Jackson didn't care. And without any comment or even a glance, Miller responded, interlacing his fingers with Jackson's.

It did, Jackson noted, feel strange to be sitting in the front of the great hall. It provided a different perspective on the large room. Jackson had always found the hall a bit off-putting and – as he'd once confided to Miller – secretly preferred the days when he had a plausible excuse to remain in med bay instead of attending services.

The funeral service was brief – Skaikru people were not ones to harp on loss, especially since each and every one of their people had experienced the death of loved ones. In less than a year, their population had gone from 2,200 to 450, and a service like this could almost feel indulgent to some. But the Sergeant had been the first of their people to perish since entering the bunker, and he had been universally loved. And five months of mostly peace had lulled people a bit, so this loss felt especially jarring. There was also the fact that the 760 people living inside the bunker were likely the last of the human race, which made the death of one person feel that much more significant.

Jackson kept looking at Miller during the service. The younger man sat like a stone statue, causing Jackson's heart to lurch. He silently reminded himself that there were many ways to handle bereavement, many stages of grief - and he had to expect Miller to cycle through a lot of different emotions in the weeks and months to come.

Jackson knew that Kane had also asked yesterday whether or not Miller might want to say a few words during the service. Miller had just sat quietly for a few moments before mumbling, "I don't think so." Kane had assured him that he could change his mind if he wanted. Today at the service, a few others aside from Kane got up to speak, but Miller shook his head at Kane's questioning look.

After the funeral, Abby leaned over and said softly, "Jackson, I have med bay covered. Why don't you two take some time together?"

And so, not long afterwards, Jackson and Miller were alone inside their room. Since being released from prison, they'd been given as much reprieve in their duties as possible so they'd been spending a lot of time together inside their room.

"Hey, Nate, do you want to talk?" Jackson asked softly, stepping towards his lover and placing both his hands upon his shoulders. Since their release from prison, Jackson had been careful not to push Miller too much in this area. But he'd heard all about the incident in the cafeteria with Bryan yesterday, making him think that Miller was going to need to open up at some point.

"I'd rather do this instead of talk," Miller replied, pulling Jackson into a kiss that could only be described as hungry. His mouth pressed firmly against Jackson's.

Jackson returned the kiss, and Miller's touches only grew more insistent by the minute, leaving no doubt what he wanted. Jackson was surprised but not at all put off – in fact he was glad to go along with it. For most of Skaikru, sex was something you went for whenever you had a willing partner, a private space, and of course the desire itself. There were few other prohibitions against it –people had so few pleasures in life on the Ark – so it was not considered a breach of morality to indulge in it even after your own parent's funeral.

Afterwards, the couple lay spooned together. Jackson was satisfied, as he always was – from the start Miller had been a passionate and affectionate lover, which Jackson had always appreciated. Yet he wanted to give Miller every opportunity to open up and talk.

"Nate," he began softly, turning his head slightly. "I'm here for you if you need to talk."

"I know," Miller said, yawning. "Gonna sleep now," he whispered, nestled against Jackson's back. He nuzzled the back of Jackson's neck. And although they'd exchanged the words many times before, it was good to hear them again, "Love you," Miller whispered.

"I love you too."

Miller had been sleeping a lot lately, Jackson observed. But he pushed any worries aside. It had been only three days since his father had died. 'I need to be patient,' Jackson thought to himself. 'Patient and supportive.'


Less than 48 hours after the funeral service, it was time. Lists of supplies had been made, debated, and resolved. Medical, farming, and engineering equipment had been packed up into several rovers. Farewells had been said.

The final roster of those who'd be permanently departing the Second Dawn bunker was comprised of: Clarke, Bellamy, Jackson, Miller, Raven, Octavia, Niylah, and Niylah's girlfriend Anne. Given that Anne was Second Dawn, her desire to leave had caused a stir among her own people, but it was explained away by saying that a trained nurse would be needed at the Unworthy bunker. Many Second Dawn members apparently preferred to believe that rather than the obvious truth.

Monty's arrangement, of course, hadn't changed: he would depart with the group and then later return to the Second Dawn bunker alone, once the Unworthy bunker's hydro- and algae farms were set up.

A few other members of Skaikru had initially expressed a desire to go with the departing group. But the fact remained that Skaikru had only a limited number of rovers, hazmat suits, food, and medical supplies. The group would be mostly living off of dried beans and rice until the farms were fully up and running, and had to only hope that their medical supplies lasted until the medicinal plants were fruitful. There were plenty of other reasons to stay. The binding contract signed with the Second Dawn had given Skaikru the right to privacy in their own rooms, so those whose partners were of the same sex were no longer as frightened as they'd been before. Perhaps when all was said and done, security was more enticing than freedom.

Not so for Clarke and the others who were leaving. They simply didn't trust the Second Dawn. The Second Dawn had tossed two of their people in jail – and killed a third – and could do it again someday, despite what they'd agreed to in their binding contract. Clarke and her group preferred freedom.

Murphy and Emori were staying behind. As much as they had started to bond with Raven and the others, they had no compelling reason to leave. Inside the Second Dawn bunker, Murphy and Emori had their own private room and three meals a day. True, the Second Dawn people didn't like grounders, but Emori generally felt safe once the shock over her hand had dissipated. Children occasionally went up to her and asked her to show them her "weird" hand, but that was about the worst of it. There was also the fact that Murphy's dominant arm had been injured during the fight, and he wouldn't have been able to do much to help get the Unworthy bunker set up anyway.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Not really," Clarke replied. "It was the kind of sleep where you just lose consciousness for a bit but then wake up feeling like shit. That kind of sleep."

Bellamy chuckled at Clarke's words and added, "Had plenty of those nights myself."

Clarke turned over on the bed and stretched. She glanced at the time. Twenty minutes until daily service started, but one of the joys of leaving this place today meant that there wasn't much the Second Dawn could do if Clarke and Bellamy decided to play hooky this morning – which they definitely would be doing. She rubbed her eyes.

"Might as well shower now," she said. "I'm not gonna get any more sleep today."

"Wait," Bellamy implored, rolling onto his side. Clarke lay on her back, and he reached a hand to caress her shoulder and arm. "Today's the day," he began gently. "Should we talk about it?"

Bellamy could only describe the look on Clarke's face as somewhere between touched and annoyed. He smiled tolerantly at her expression. "I know, I know," he continued. "You didn't realize what you were in for by getting into a relationship with a guy who's all heart and no head. You wish—"

Clarke cut him off to make a joke, "Your head is phenomenal."

At that, Bellamy could only burst out laughing, and Clarke followed suit. "Well thank you," Bellamy managed in between laughs, and added, "Yours isn't so bad either."

When they were finished laughing, Clarke turned to Bellamy, her expression sobering up. "I will take your advice. I'm gonna say goodbye to her in private. It makes a lot more sense than doing it while we load stuff into the rovers."

"Yeah." He continued to gaze at her, his expression imploring. "So…how are you feeling?" he asked, and he had to admit to himself that he'd describe the way he asked the question as 'gingerly'.

Clarke took a breath, raising her hands into the air, and lowering them. "Guilty. That's how I feel," she admitted, her voice harsh like a whip.

"What do you mean?" Although Clarke's tone was off-putting, Bellamy was glad that it finally seemed as if a dam might burst.

Clarke turned to face Bellamy, meeting his eyes. "You're an orphan. Raven's an orphan, and she lost the one father-figure she had with Sinclair. Most of Skaikru are orphans. Miller's dad was just gunned down. Monty was forced to kill his own mother. Every single person Niylah knew a year ago is dead and gone. I don't," she said passionately, "get to be upset about saying a temporary goodbye to my mother!"

Bellamy quietly considered her words. He let them hang in the air for a while as she searched her face. "You didn't float my mother," he said quietly. "You didn't shoot Miller's dad and you certainly didn't build nuclear power plants 100 years ago."

Clarke was silent. Bellamy looked at her, unsure as to whether or not she was absorbing his words. He let more time pass. She closed her eyes. "Clarke?" he began gently.

She turned towards him. "Did I ever tell you that I love it when you say my name?"

"You do?" he asked, taken aback by the warmth and love in her voice. They had yet to say the words to each other, and Bellamy idly pondered the fact. He knew that she loved him, just from things like the look on her face now and even what she'd just said about loving when he spoke her name. He was uncertain why the words hadn't come out. Maybe, he wondered, it had to do with the very discussion they were having now. They lived in a world where love was a liability. A weakness, as Lexa had called it. And they were about to set out into the unknown. Speaking the words out loud would open the floodgates to even more risk.

"It just makes me feel good all over," Clarke responded, reaching out a hand to stroke his arm. She had, many times, expressed appreciation for the strength and look of his sculpted arms. In this moment, Bellamy could see that her face bespoke of a desire he knew well. Clarke pulled Bellamy into a kiss, opening her mouth so she could explore his with her tongue.

Bellamy eagerly returned the kiss, only pulling away moments later to breathlessly speak. "Clarke. This isn't a distraction from what we were talking about, is it?" he asked the question with a smile but hoped she knew he was serious too.

"Not at all," she answered, though again she had that playful and hungry look on her face that Bellamy knew – and usually loved. "But we were saying something a minute ago about head, weren't we?" she asked, reaching a hand towards his boxer shorts. "I don't reciprocate enough."

"Clarke," he groaned, knowing he was losing this battle. He decided to surrender this time. She clearly didn't want to talk more right now, and he couldn't force it. And his body continued to just respond to hers. She whispered a few ideas into his ear, and Bellamy soon abandoned rational thought.


In the end, the Griffin women kept their goodbye short. And as Bellamy suggested, they kept it private – inside Abby's room. Clarke and Abby had spent as much time together during the past few days as possible, and much had already been spoken. Abby had continually reminded Clarke that she was an excellent leader who could handle anything. She had, of course, asked Clarke if she was sure that leaving was the right thing to do. Clarke had always responded that her people needed her, "and besides – Cadogan and his men can't wait for 'contentious women' like Raven, Octavia, and me to be gone!" she'd added with a snort.

"Maybe we can get a comms system up and running," Clarke said, standing before her mother. "And once Monty gets back here, he can try to do it on this end."

"Yes. I hope so. It would be good to be able to talk."

"Yeah." Clarke looked down, "Hey, what did you decide about training another doctor? Did you meet with all the candidates?"

"I did," Abby responded matter-of-factly. "Compared to you and Jackson they all leave a lot to be desired!" She and Clarke shared a laugh over that before she continued, "It's down to two Second Dawn teenagers. James and Elizabeth. Both are brilliant at math and science and both want the job. But James is arrogant and I'm not sure how well he'll take direction from a mere woman as myself." They both smiled at Abby's sarcasm, as she went on, "And unsurprisingly Elizabeth has a serious confidence-gap. She's as meek as a mouse, and a doctor needs to be strong and confident."

"Look," Clarke said, holding her hands out, "if anyone can reign in James's ego or build up Elizabeth's, it's you, Mom. We both know you can do it."

"I know." Abby reached for Clarke's hands and squeezed them. "I just need to pick wisely. And to stop constantly comparing them to you and Jackson."

Mother and daughter stood looking at each other. They had discussed every possible topic the past few days. It was time, and they both knew it.

"This is better than our goodbye on the Ark," Clarke said, forcing a smile. "At least there's that."

"Much better. We will meet again," Abby said firmly. Her voice was steady. Clarke suspected that her mother had done some crying earlier, either alone or maybe with Kane. Abby was presenting a brave face today, and Clarke would do the same.

Without any more preamble, Clarke pulled Abby into a hug, trying to hold back her tears. "Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Clarke."


Kane escorted the group to the bunker's entrance. He and Jaha would examine the group's hazmat suits to ensure they were sealed up properly. And Kane would give Clarke what Cadogan had given him: a key that he promised would open the Unworthy bunker.

When Skaikru had first moved in, they'd driven their rovers down into the landing bay. Raven had inspected them a few days ago, and had cleared three rovers for departure. Clarke, Bellamy, and Octavia would make the trip inside one. Monty and Raven in the second. Miller, Jackson, Niylah and Anne in the third. Each vehicle was crammed with supplies, and with hope that they had enough to withstand whatever might face them on the outside.

Harper and Jasper had done with Monty what Abby had done with Clarke: said farewells in private. Clarke glanced at Monty. He wasn't letting his pain show right now. "Let's go over our checklist one more time," Monty said tonelessly.

Clarke nodded, and Bellamy stood a few paces away, observing. She'd said to him earlier that it felt like they'd been over each list a hundred times already. But she apparently saw the wisdom in going over it again. So, with the rest of the group standing around, they once again looked at the checklist.

Bellamy turned his attention then to taking a mental inventory of each member of their team. The two who he'd been most worried about seemed fine. Octavia, he knew, had been ready to leave since the moment they'd first moved in. She stood looking at the entrance, wearing the awkward hazmat suit, and perhaps trying to will their final preparations to go faster. Miller surprisingly seemed almost relaxed and happy, like a different man than the one who had yelled at his ex in the cafeteria a couple days ago.

"Any last words of wisdom for us, Kane?" Clarke asked their chancellor, when it was time.

Bellamy stood looking at Kane. The chancellor's words were not what he expected. "I will miss you," Kane said. "Keep each other safe. May we meet again."

Everyone repeated the phrase, "May we meet again." And with that, Kane and Jaha left the bay.

Clarke turned to her team. Bellamy again admired her presence. She looked every bit the leader which, of course, she had been since the day the dropship landed almost a year ago.

"When we leave, we need to keep our caravan tight and start out driving slow. Be ready for anything," Clarke gave the group some parting orders and advice. "We will probably see a lot of disturbing things so you need to mentally prepare for that. Also be ready for the fact that we might reach a point where the rovers can't get through. So be ready for lots of walking. And carrying." She nodded, and then asked, "Any questions?"

"I have one," Bellamy began, simply. "What are we gonna actually call the new bunker? I think we all decided that we gotta stop calling it The Unworthy."

"We should name it after Clarke," Jackson piped up. "As our leader."

Miller then playfully nudged Jackson. "Yeah but what about Bellamy? Isn't he co-leader?" He then made up the appellation, "Bellarke. Let's call it Bellarke, for Bellamy and Clarke."

Several guffaws followed his suggestion, along with what became an increasingly awkward silence until Raven cleared her throat. "Yeah, that's great and all but what about the genius engineer who made it possible for you to get out of prison in the first place? Hmmm?" she prompted with the slightly teasing and sarcastic tone that the group all knew and loved.

A few giggles and smirks followed Raven's declaration but no one spoke up with any better ideas.

"Come on," Bellamy said with a bemused smile. "Maybe we'll think of a good name on the way."


Final chapter coming soon! Thank you to everyone who has left a comment.