Chapter 10: Conflicts in Peace Times

Raven's POV

I had just begun to fall asleep when Diyoza walked into the room, where they'd kept Murphy and I. Shaw, hadn't shown by here again and I had to assume that Diyoza was either keeping him busy, gotten him caught, or worse he had betrayed us.

"Well girlie seems like we're going to be on the same side after all," Diyoza said when I focused my sight on her.

What? How? Had Bellamy and Clarke found a way to save us from these people's grasp without fighting?

"Your people's new Heda, radioed me earlier to discuss our peace treaty, apparently she believes that we can have a symbiotic relationship, plus she offered me a place in their new government. I thought it was fair enough that she also secured the safety of my men from your people, of course, my men have to behave, but that's alright. Now come on, I am going to let the ties go."

I grimaced, knowing that my arms were not tied anymore, and neither were Murphy's. I decided to bring my arms forward and be honest before she realized it herself.

Murphy groaned from beside me. He had been sleeping incessantly in the last few days, he blamed it on the dark and coldness of the room.

Diyoza's eyes followed my free arms with a smirk, "good this means you people will not be completely useless. I am going to free your legs then. After that I will leave you to free that one and go to the dropship bay, you're driving it with a couple of my men and well Shaw, although I had to punish him after he tried to help you before so maybe stay clear of him for now."

She stepped forward and used a knife to free my legs, then she gave me the knife and I must have had a bizarre look in my face because she laughed, "if you hurt me or any of my people, you are sentencing all of those people down there to a certain and painful death."

"I won't hurt anyone If Octavia deemed you a part of our people, then I will respect her wishes," I said still not quite understanding what she'd meant with new Heda.

"Oh no, the new Heda is a child, not Octavia. People in that bunker refused to have Octavia be their leader for much more. No this is that girl, Clarke's daughter, or something." She then walked out of the room leaving me with a sleeping Murphy and a cold steel knife sheathed in my hand.

I took a deep breath as my mind processed her words. Clarke's daughter? We had not really been able to speak since we'd established communication with the ground, but shouldn't someone tell me these kinds of essential things. "Murphy! Get up!" I stood up and walked over to him.

When he didn't falter in his sleep, I took to kicking him softly.

"Yeesh, Raven!" Murphy cried after only a few kicks. He looked at my completely free form and became silent.

"It seems like our people have made a deal to unite our peoples. We're free now, oh and Octavia is not commander anymore. Apparently, it's Clarke's daughter," I said trying to catch him up

"Clarke has a daughter?" Murphy asked silently getting up.

"My thoughts exactly. Let's go Murphy we have a lot to catch up on with our people." Then I began to walk towards the dropship bay, just like Diyoza instructed. I want to know what is going on and the only way that's going to happen is if I can sit with my friends and catch up.

Bellamy's POV

Walking toward the room where Aurora had stayed while we spoke in the radio room became an extremely sweaty experience. I was nervous; nervous about her reaction to sleeping somewhere without her mother; nervous of her seeing Echo as a mother figure rather than a family friend; nervous about what she would say when we told her, and how disappointed she would be that Clarke and I were not getting back together anytime soon.

"How do you think she will react?" I asked Madi, who had stayed silent since she had said goodbye to Clarke.

"Bad," was all she said before she walked ahead of me.

"Madi!" I called out but received no verbal reply, just a waved hand signaling me to leave her alone. Raising Octavia hadn't been enough preparation for raising my own children and apparently, I was nowhere near receiving the best dad of the year award, oh no, I was apparently off with some of the worst parents for not taking into account my children's feelings before making decisions.

I slowed my steps to give Madi a bit of time, hoping that she would come to terms and we would be able to begin t get to know each other more in-depth.

After a minute or so I came to a stop in front of the room where Aurora had been playing with some of the other children. Madi was already carrying her and walking toward me.

"Daddy!" Aurora exclaimed excitedly jumping out of Madi's grasp and running to me.

"Hey, sweetie!" I said kneeling to be at eye level with her. She smiled and jumped into my open arms and clung onto my neck. I closed my arms around her and stood up, holding her there. "Come on Madi, let's go start our sleepover."

Madi's mood didn't improve no matter how much I tried to cheer her up or get her to smile.

"Daddy, can we invite mommy to a sleepover as well?" Aurora asked breathing into my neck. I stiffened, had Madi not told her.

"Not tonight. Tonight, I want you and your sister to get to know someone new…" she pushed herself from my chest so that she could see my face. Her face was clouded in confusion, " She's someone important. A big part of our family."

She didn't answer instead just returned to rest on my shoulder.

I decided to speed up my walk so we could get this evening started and over with. Maybe it was still too soon for me to begin changing their lives like this. Madi knew what was going on, but Aurora would be hurt when she found out just what kind of special person Echo was to me. She had been very open about her desire that Clarke and I get together, never hiding or even attempting to be subtle about it and I could understand her. Every little kid wishes that their parents would be together.

Upon arrival at Echo's and my room, I decided that I'd hold on telling them that Echo was my girlfriend. I was going to introduce her as my friend. A very special friend.

"Alright girls, this person is very important to me, so I would love it if you guys will give her a chance."

Madi's gaze hardened and she looked as if she were ready to flee without much more notice. I placed my hand on her back and gently rubbed it, hoping it would have a positive effect and she would calm down.

"Daddy are we going to see mommy again tonight?" Aurora asked barely above a whisper. I realized that she was probably scared of sleeping without Clarke there because every time that had happened it was because something had been wrong, like the night I met them, or when Clarke was in prison.

"We should see her at the mess hall for dinner sweetie. You'll get to give her a sweet and passionate kiss and say goodnight. Now come on," I didn't even take the time to think it over before I opened the door to our room and allowed the girls in. "Echo! I brought the girls."

Echo was sitting on the bed facing the opposite wall, making it so her back was toward us. When she heard my voice, she turned toward us, and a cold glaze took over her eyes. Something she had only shown me when we had been in the cages at Mount Weather and later at the Conclave when she wanted Roan to win despite everything.

Aurora began to shake in front of me, intimidated by the warrior before her, meanwhile Madi took a step forward and covered her sister from the intense glare, a warrior herself indeed.

"Girls this is one of my best friends and one of the most important ladies in my life," I said carefully wording myself. I wouldn't tell them, yet that Echo and I were dating. No, I was going to tell them that she was important and once they were comfortable with her, and she with them then I would tell them the extent of my relationship with her. "Her name is Echo."

Echo's eyes softened understanding that I wanted the girls to create a relationship with her. Once we got back to Shallow Valley it would be easier for all of us to settle down and be a family once and for all. Clarke and I would come to some sort of custody agreement and whenever the girls were with me, they'd be comfortable because they already knew Echo.

"Hi Madi, Aurora…" Echo said attempting to sound enthusiastic, "I am Echo, Bellamy's friend. I am very excited to get to know the two of you tonight." The girls stayed silent and Echo bit her lip nervously unsure of how to get a conversation going.

"Hey Echo, around what time is it?" I asked thinking that letting the girls know that there was still an hour or two before dinner would be beneficial to their cooperation.

Echo looked at the clock adorning the plain wall of the bunker room, "about five-thirty. Why do you ask?" She said looking back at me.

"Just calculating how much time until dinner, so that we can do something fun, the four of us." I smiled when Madi's gaze shifted to me and I could see she was not hostile anymore. "What do you guys want to do since dinner is not until seven?"

Madi looked around as if wondering what they could do. Then her eyes caught on a book I had brought from Shallow Valley, her gaze stayed on it and I could see her eyes tear up, but she quickly hid it.

"Can you read us that," she said pointing to the book, surprising me. I had thought that for whatever reason she had cried she wouldn't want to hear it.

I nodded and walked over to where the book laid beside the bed. I then sat on the floor and waited for the three of them to sit around me.

Aurora rushed into my legs and smiled when she recognized the book, "mommy always used to read that book to us, she said it reminded her of you!"

Echo looked walked over to where we were sitting on the floor and joined us. She was still cautious about how she acted around the girls, but her behavior was calmer and more natural.

"Yeah, it's a Greek Mythology classic. I used to read it to Octavia when she was little too. In fact, I was so infatuated with the Greek world when I was younger that I named Octavia after Octavia Minor, the sister of the Roman emperor, Augustus."

Madi laughed, "Clarke was right you are a nerd!" She kept on laughing and Echo smirked knowing that this would hunt me forever.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with a little culture."

"No, but there's definitely something wrong when you name a child after a woman who lived thousands of years ago," Echo argued chuckling.

"Right, poor Octavia, she got the brunt of his nerdiness."

Aurora started laughing too, probably only understanding a bit of the conversation.

"Are we going to read the Odyssey or not?"

"Oh, valiant father of mine, please doeth yee me the pleasure of reading ye'r faithful lassies a wee bit of that book," Madi said imitating a Scottish accent in between laughs.

"Where did you learn to do that?" I asked her surprised. Madi had never been exposed to TV as far as I could tell so I didn't understand how she knew how to do the Scottish accent.

"Clarke used it to intrigue me when I was running wild through the Valley placing bear tracks everywhere." She shrugged and a smile adorned her pale face.

"Alright, alright settle down everyone. I am going to start reading."

The girls all settled down laughing as I focused on the words that I had read so many times before.

Clarke's POV

Being alone was a concept I hadn't really had to endure since Praimfaya had begun, because after I found Madi and gave birth to Aurora, my every day was filled with both of them. If I was hunting and they were in the village, I was in a hurry to get back to them.

If I was talking on the radio to the ring, I had them in my line of sight so I could act up if anything dangerous happened. Now I felt like I had no idea what to do with my free time. What did I like to do before, apart from drawing or painting?

"What are you doing Clarke?" Niylah asked as she passed me in the hallway.

I shrugged with a small laugh, "I am not really sure. Bellamy took the girls to spend the night with him and Echo and I feel like it's the first time in years where I am not with them or worrying about their safety, so I am unsure of what I used to like to spend my free time on."

She laughed when I finished, and my smile widened knowing that I was being ridiculous. "What do you suggest I do?"

She stopped laughing and smirked, "I heard Monty just finished one of his experiments with algae. I was going there to get myself a little drunk, want to join me?"

"I feel like I should say no to that, but if I am being honest that does sound like fun! Let's go."

We hurried up toward Harper and Monty's room, not thinking about the fact that we'd be drinking on an empty stomach since dinner had yet to happen and in the room beside Bellamy's.

Once we reached their room, we knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to open the door.

Then we stepped back when we heard a person on the other side of the door pushing it slightly open. "What's the secret passcode?" Harper asked completely drunk.

"Harper just let us in," I said laughing when I saw that she was using the door as a support for her body.

"No Clarke you need to tell me the passcode or I will not falter to close the door on you. We don't want to get in trouble!"

"In trouble with who?" Niylah asked chuckling, "You guys are basically the leaders of this base and the only other people who would have something against this would be Abby, Kane, and Jaha. The latter I heard was being kept under close surveillance at the farthest set up tent, Abby is aboard Eligius, and Kane well he has kept busy caring for Jaha and his health."

"I don't care you need to tell me the passcode or I will shut this door."

"Is the passcode by any chance 1-2-3-4?" I asked with a smirk, knowing that despite being drunk Harper would get my attempt at a tease.

"Ha-ha Clarke, how funny. I think I'll just shut the door."

"No, no, wait. I know the passcode is HarperlovesMonty, isn't it?" I smirked again and Harper broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"It's not! But I like it so you can come in," she moved back and opened the door fully. "Welcome to our Return to Earth II party."

"Is that seriously what you guys are calling it?" Niylah asked.

"Yes! Now shut up before I kick your cute buts out…" She wobbled as she stepped forward. "Ooh, Let's party!"

I looked around the room and found that we were not the only ones joining Harper and Monty, all over the room there were people from the bunker dancing messily and drinking.

I wish I could say that when I took the first sip, I didn't already feel the effects of the alcohol on me. But that would be a lie, apparently, six years of abstinence from alcohol had made me very weak to it. And added to that was the empty stomach on which I consumed the alcohol.

Maybe on my second shot, I already felt like things around me were shaking, but I felt a deep desire to forget the past few days and all of its occurrences even if that meant dealing with horrible consequences later on today.

Before I knew it the alarm for dinner filled the hall and everyone dispersed from Harper and Monty's room.

"I don't wanna go!" I cried as I continued gulping down another cup of Monty's gross alcohol.

"Clarke come on; we need to sober you up a bit! The food will be good for you," Monty argued trying to pull me up from where I was sitting on the floor.

"Noooo, mommy! I want to play some more," I whined not really conscious of what it was I was even saying anymore.

Monty sighed and let go of my arm, but by doing so he lost his footing and landed across from me on the floor. "Oh man I should have been careful to let you drink," he slurred, "I mean we had moonshine in space, cause I would make it, but down here you've practically become an alcohol virgin all over again."

"Mommy, why are my ears ringing?" I screamed as I barely made out what it was, he was saying.

"Alright that's it I am getting you, Bellamy. He is the father of your children and should therefore be the one to deal with you right now. Not me." He went to stand up, but I quickly grabbed his hand.

"No Monty, please don't get him. I don't want to see him. His face makes me want to cry and every time he is in the room, I feel more alone than I've ever before. Then there are times when I feel like maybe things could return to normal, but then he reminds me that six years have passed, and he got to move on. I need a break, please don't bring him here. I don't want to see him." I kept on repeating myself I think, but eventually, my grip on Monty's hand loosened.

"Clarke!" I heard Bellamy's voice call out from the door. I looked up slightly sobering up.

"Bell?"

"What are you doing on the floor drinking that horrible stuff?" He asked telling Madi to go to the mess hall with his hands as he walked into the room to help me.

I wanted to cry, but nothing happened. I wanted to convey my feelings of pain and agony, but instead I faltered as he tried to help me up and fell on the floor again, almost landing on Monty.

"I'm leaving, you guys are my family and I love you and all, but I have enough on my plate as it is, without meddling in your business. See you at the mess hall," Monty said as he struggled to get up, but somehow succeeded.

Once we were alone in the room, Bellamy sat beside me and patted my back as if comforting me. "Do you want me to bring you some water to splash on your face and drink?"

I shook my head staring at the floor in front of me.

"What do you want me to do then?"

"Nothing."

"Clark…"

"I wish you'd do nothing, because every time you do something you end up driving that cold steel sword of yours deeper into my heart and destroying it and maybe you don't do it on purpose, but I feel like ever since you guys came down I've lost my best friend. The best friend that I had even when you were up there, and I was down here." I stuttered as I began to lose consciousness.

"What do you mean Clarke? I am right here! I'm here for you!" Bellamy's eyebrows were scrunched up together as he thought my words over.

"Are you really?" I asked looking up to look into his eyes, "I felt like I had you more when I spoke empty words to a nonfunctioning radio for six years than I do now."

"You did that?"

I nodded gulping, "and you should know that I wasn't usually talking to everyone else," I looked forward as my vision unfocused. "Usually I was calling for you, for my best friend, for the man that I loved, and I believed loved me back. But I guess I can't fault you. You thought I was dead and gave up hope that somehow, I'd managed to survive. I mean how could I right?" I laid down sideways and placed my head on his thigh.

"I love you too Clarke, even if I don't get to say it. I wish I could turn back time and stay beside you. I wish we would have raised our family together from the beginning. I wish you were the first face I saw every morning and the last before I fell asleep. But that can't be. I can't do that to Echo. I made a promise to her and one I intend to keep."

"That's ok. I already knew you'd say that" I whispered falling asleep, "don't worry about me. I am a tough girl. In fact, I'll probably forget this entire conversation by tomorrow morning. I hope I forget this conversation."

It was then that I lost consciousness and finally let the darkness take me over.

A/N

Hey, guys I know I am a few days late, but hey better late than never right. Well, I have to make this short because I have to get back to working on the farm. Tomorrow is my last day here and while my body will be certainly grateful to get rest once more, I'll be missing the cows and horses forever and ever and ever.

I hope everyone is well and safe.

And let me know what you all thought of the chapter. I love getting feedback you guys, I don't think you guys understand how just a few simple words from you all can make a difference. As always love you and thank you for your follows, favorites, and reviews/comments.

Peace and out

Emily1050.