Chapter 18

When Clarke woke up in the morning, she knew that they had to get back to work. She opened the drop ship and sent teams out to start gathering what they needed to be holed up for two days because of the coming hurricane. Due to the acid fog and other things, Clarke knew that they were a little behind what she wanted, but they were still ahead of where they had been in past. Clarke and Octavia's early planning from when they landed had them better than they had been in at least three life times.

She looked over at Raven and Octavia. They were both standing near by and talking about something. Lincoln was still inside the ship. He'd been curious about some of Clarke's medical equipment. She didn't mind it. She was happy to have him be curious and help her out. She was glad that he was willing to work with Monty to make the plants book more thorough. She turned back to Raven and Octavia. Her mind was racing.

Finally, she looked down at her hand and saw the "O" carved there. She knew that it was Octavia's knife that made the mark, just like it was hers that made the mark in Octavia's palm. Could she really curse Raven to this life? She wasn't so sure, but she knew that if she gave her a transfusion, it would only do so much for her. Raven needed marrow if she was going to really survive Praimfaya. She looked around at all the delinquents. There were few that she was willing to die, but she wanted to protect them all.

Raven turned and looked at her. She could see the look in Clarke's eyes. Then Octavia saw it. They tapped each other and moved back to Clarke's sides. Bellamy, Wells, and Lincoln were helping the different crews set up their assignments. Monroe and Harper were heading for the gate, but they turned to look back at Clarke, Raven and Octavia. A quick nod and they were off. Raven and Octavia grabbed Clarke pulling her into the ship as Octavia motioned and gave some quick commands. She didn't need to be told twice that Clarke was breaking.

She needed to keep Clarke together. They wouldn't survive it if Clarke broke down. She'd seen too much and done too much, Octavia knew that, but she had to help Clarke keep it together. Octavia pushed her up the ladder and to the top tier. Clarke said something about her medical bag or something to that effect, so Raven grabbed it and followed them up there. Once they were in the top, Octavia shut the door and locked it. She knew that if Clarke broke down up here, it would be okay. Raven also brought the radio. She figured that Clarke might need to talk to her mother. She could see that Clarke wasn't quiet well, but she couldn't figure what could have set Clarke off. Then, she wondered what Clarke and her mother talked about the night before.

"Okay, so what the hell is going on? What's with the face, Clarke? I thought we were all good until the storm hits. What happened last night after I went to get some sleep?" Raven asked.

"Nothing happened," Clarke insisted.

"Then why do you need your bag?" Octavia questioned.

"What do you know about the black blood, Octavia?" Clarke asked.

"Just that it will protect those that have it from high amounts of radiation. They'll get sick at first, but then they get better. You've proven it yourself. Luna proved it when Floukru was the first to get hit by the black rain and radiation. That was how we knew it would work."

"Okay, that's a start," Clarke replied. "But, it is also the thing that allows someone to become Heda. You already know that Lexa has it."

"Yeah, duh, there are also like ten to fifteen kids that have it in Lexa's tower in Polis."

"But they aren't the only ones," Clarke added.

"Yeah, well, there's you two," Raven said.

"I know that, but Lexa doesn't know that Nia has Ontari in her back pocket."

"Yeah, so are you going to use that to do what?" Octavia inquired.

"Nothing, but she needs to know. It is the only way that she can protect the natblida noviates. Ontari will kill them in order to take the Flame. It's Nia greatest wish. If she gets the throne," Clarke warned.

"We're all fucking dead," Octavia lamented.

"Exactly," Clarke stated.

"But, that isn't what has you on edge," Raven commented. "Look, I know that I might be new to this, but that isn't what's got you thinking. You've already got a plan for all that. So, what is it about the blood that is bothering you now? Does someone else have it?"

Octavia looked at Clarke. There was something different in her eyes. The worry she saw there wasn't the worry that she knew.

"Who is it?" Octavia asked.

"It's someone on the Ark, isn't it?" Raven questioned. "It has to be. What did your mother tell you last night?"

Clarke raised her hand and showed the "O" carved in her hand. Octavia looked at it. She knew that she didn't give Clarke her blood. She got the blood from Clarke, not the other way around. Clarke got hers from the serum that Abby made from Luna's blood. Octavia scrunched up her face in question. She didn't know what it meant. She wasn't connecting the dots. But, she figured that Raven was right. Someone on the Ark had the blood, but who?

"It's mom. She has an 'O,' too. She 'woke' up after we left."

"How? When? Why would I do that?" Octavia asked.

"She said that you did to save her for me. You didn't want me to be alone, so you gave her a serum that was made from your blood. I think I was already dead. She doesn't remember it all, but she had no idea what happened with it until we had already been sent to the ground."

"Oh my..."

"She wants me to start giving my blood to Raven, though," Clarke stated.

"Will that even work?"

"No, and she knows that. A transfusion would alter her blood until it's replaced by her natural bodily functions. It would only work with a bone marrow serum. I don't have the capability to do that now. We would have to trek to Becca's island, and that isn't really a priority right now," Clarke explained.

"So we do that after the mountain," Octavia replied.

"I planned on it."

"Are they're any other properties to the blood?" Raven questioned.

"Faster healing," Clarke said.

"Okay, so why would Abby be so worried about me getting hurt or something?" Raven proved add she started at them both.

Clarke and Octavia looked at each other. Clarke sighed. She'd only told Raven part of what had happened to her. But thinking about it now, she realized that her mother was trying to protect her from Murphy's bullet. If Raven had the blood, then maybe it wouldn't paralyze her. It was wishful thinking, but it was also helpful.

"We all have the she blood type from years of cultivation and necessity. We can donate to each other. I think Mom is hoping that if we give Raven enough blood, she'll survive the surgery without paralysis," Clarke answered.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Raven asked as she jumped up and started pacing. "What do you mean paralysis? What haven't you told me?"

"A lot," Octavia replied and fell against the hull.

"So, start talking," Raven demanded. "Cause you said you'd put me first add right now, I'm not feeling it. So someone better fucking talking, because I'm about to lose my shit."

"In one timeline, you were accidentally shot by Murphy in the back. I did what I could to stabilize and get what I could of the bullet out, but it wasn't enough. You almost died. It was pushing on your spine and some nerve clusters. We were under siege from the Grounders. Lexa had put a kill order on all of us. We were running, so I could only do so much and I didn't have a lot of stuff, as you can see now. Murphy ended up saving you and taking you to Arkadia," Clarke started.

"Arkadia?"

"It was what was left of the Ark when it fell to Earth," Octavia added.

"Continue," Raven said, staring hard at Clarke.

"I was taken into the Mountain, Mount Weather. Murphy and the others that didn't get taken took you on a litter to Arkadia. Finn and Bellamy met you there. Mom was happy to see you, but upset about losing me and the others. She took you to medical and had Sinclair run as much power to it as she could. In the end, she had to do surgery on you without painkillers or anesthesia. She did what she could and she got you back on your feet," Clarke explained.

"But? I feel like there is a big but coming. Lay it on me, Clarke. What was wrong with me? What couldn't your mom fix?" Raven asked.

"You walked with a limp. You had hardly in feeling in your left leg. You designed a leg brace for yourself to support you so you could walk, at least. In the end, Sinclair and I think Wick tried to make you a better one, but you tore it apart and and used part of it to fix yours," Clarke answered. "It didn't matter what we did, you were in pain, but you learned to live with it. You are so strong, Raven. And, I think that is why Mom wants me to give you the blood. The fight would be in a week or so. It takes some time for your body to reproduce red cells. If I gave you my black blood or even Octavia's, it would be weeks before you would have totally red blood again. I think this is what Mom wants. Should something happen to you, you would already have enough black blood in your system that hopefully it would help your nerves repair themselves better."

"Do you think that it will happen?" Raven asked her.

"Well, most times I keep it from happening, so yeah, I do. Mom is only working on one lifetime though. O and I have several to work through. We know what works most times and what doesn't. Which is why I made Murphy a deal quickly. He has no reason to be all defensive and go shooting around like an idiot," Clarke answered.

"Wish we could say the same about Finn, though," Octavia quipped and then covered her mouth.

"I already know. She dropped that bomb on me already. I'm not sure what to do with it," Raven stated. "Does he know about you two, though?"

"No, he hasn't been told."

"Why not?"

"Because he usually doesn't make it longer than a month or two," Clarke answered simply.

Raven just nodded. She looked dejected, but she knew, somehow, that Clarke wasn't lying to her. She'd only met Clarke after she landed and Clarke knew way too much about her, Finn, and what happened on the Ark. Plus Clarke was still trying to save everyone, even when she knew that she couldn't. She hadn't been petty and just killed Finn already. She was actually giving him a chance. Just like she and Octavia seemed to be doing with Bellamy. She knew that there were caveats to the deal, but Raven was willing to listen and do whatever Clarke said until Finn fucked up. It was the least she could. Besides, Clarke hadn't really given her a reason not to trust her. She'd told Raven everything and anything she asked, too. Raven could suck it up and deal with it. She'd dealt with worse on the Ark.

"So, we going to stick me or no?" Raven asked, shrugging her shoulders.

They both looked at Raven like she was crazy. Clarke had already explained that it wasn't a permanent fix, but yet, Raven was willing to do it anyway. Clarke wondered about her reasoning. It just didn't make sense that she would needless want some procedure done if it didn't need to be done. What did Raven know that she didn't?

"You know that this isn't really going to do anything for you, right?" Clarke questioned.

"Yeah, I get that, but it isn't going to hurt me either. If anything, I'll heal a little faster for a few weeks, right? That can't be a bad thing. Plus, this means that I should be ready to take the serum better when we can get you to Becca's lab, right? I mean, I'll already be halfway there, right?" Raven inquired.

"I mean, yeah, I guess. It isn't going to hurt you. As for preparing your body for the serum, I don't know. We've never done this before. But, if it works and you start producing faster then it might be a way for us to inoculate everyone faster."

"Good, then let's do it," Raven said.

"I need time to prepare it. I can't just give you my blood," Clarke stated. "I mean I could, but I want to do this right. We won't be able to store it. It will have to be a direct and live transfer. Which means that whenever we do it, we'll have to be stable and not dealing with anything."

"Why don't we commandeer the top during the hurricane? I mean, couldn't we do it then? That way we wouldn't have to explain what we're doing. We'll just make sure that only those who know and we trust are up here," Octavia suggested.

"That would work I guess as long as the ship doesn't get hit, but we know it does," Clarke answered.

"Yeah, but it is a lower level, not the top. You can be up here with Raven doing your thing and I'll make sure that everyone else is good. I'll be the one in charge for a day or two. It won't be that big of a deal," Octavia stated.

"It will be for Bellamy," Clarke said.

"So, keep him up here with you. We'll put Monroe, Harper, and Miller in charge of the base and remind them to stay away from the side that gets hit. Then, we'll leave Wells and Murphy on the second tier. I'll float. That will leave you, Bellamy and Raven up here. Bell can get me if something goes wrong," Octavia explained.

"That might actually work," Clarke stated. "But who can we put up with us? There needs to more than just the four of us."

"Monty and Jasper?" Raven asked.

"That would work, but Harper will be on the first floor," Clarke said. "I don't want separate them. They deserve all the time that they can get together."

"Then, who then? Everyone doesn't know about you," Octavia countered. "I would suggest Charlotte, but I'm sure that you don't want expose her to this yet."

"I don't," Clarke replied.

"Then, who?"

"We'll figure it out tonight. For now, Raven move the radio and everything to the top so it's protected. We need to check in with everyone and see how we are doing."

"Okay, Princess," Raven said sarcastically as she mock saluted Clarke and got to work on the radio to move it.

Clarke gave her a look, but laughed it off as she and Octavia started moving back outside. Looking around the camp, she saw that everyone was working together. It was good. They had a goal, and they were learning quickly not to doubt Clarke and her "wisdom." She knew that it would take them longer to warm up to Lincoln, but they were actually trying.

Murphy was already smoking what meat they had left from the hunts. She knew that it would take most of the day, so she left him alone. She was glad to see that Charlotte was with him and occupied. Monty and Jasper were loaded up for another trip to get water. She knew that they would start moving it into the drop ship after this run. Thankfully, Lincoln had showed them how to build a water point out of some of the skins and materials that they had salvaged from the drop ship. It didn't hold much, but it would get them through the storm. Bellamy was working with a few groups to work on gathering some nuts and berries. Wells had just a few working on the fence and gate. It wasn't necessary, but they were trying to shore up what they already had built. She knew that they were hoping that it would survive the hurricane. She did, too. It would be one less thing that they had to worry about.

She looked up at the sky. The day was getting away from them. They only had a day and a few hours left. They didn't have time to play around. She needed to make a trek to the river to get some more items for her "clinic" just in case. She'd take someone random to go with her, but for now, she wanted to make sure that they had enough meat.

"O, go hunting and check the traps. Take one of the other hunters with you. Teach them more while your out. See if you can find something big enough that we can pit on the spit for dinner. It might be our last warm meal for a while," Clarke told her.

"On it," Octavia said as she ran to get her sword and other weapons.

"What do you need me to do, Princess?" a voice asked behind her.

Clarke flinched at the name and the voice. It had to be Finn. She turned around and hated that she was right. He really just wouldn't get a clue.

She rolled her eyes as she turned around again. Everyone else was busy or they were already out of the camp. She shook her head, praising herself for putting the right people in charge. They would make it this time. She was sure of it. So far, she'd lost four. It was better than the normal eight to ten that would be gone by now. And, she still had Wells and Charlotte. She'd definitely take that as a win. But, then there was Finn.

It wasn't that she didn't like him. She didn't trust him. She couldn't. Somehow he always ended fucking up royally and it didn't matter if she treated him well or not. He always seemed to come back to her like a lost puppy. She'd hoped that Raven being there now would change things, but he wasn't trying to be Raven's ass. He was always up hers when he could get her alone. She knew that she should be worried about that, but she wasn't. She could handle him. She had handled him before. Sighing, she turned back around.

"Grab a water skin and some empty ones," Clarke told him.

"Why?" he asked.

"We're heading out to get some medicinal supplies. I want to make sure that I have enough cover us should something bad happen during the storm. We'll have to be quick. We need more fires to work on the meat that they are going to bring back today."

"Okay, Princess. I'll grab a pack and meet you at the gate in ten," he replied and ran off to get the supplies.

Clarke rolled her eyes and sighed. She popped back into the drop ship to grab her pack and talk to Raven quickly. Raven was still dismantling the radio.

"Hey, when you're done with all that, will you help Murphy finish smoking the meat?" Clarke asked her.

"Yeah, no problem," Raven answered without looking at her and then popped up from where she was to see the look on Clarke's face. "What's wrong?"

"Finn."

Raven cocked her eyebrow.

"I'm taking him with me to get some supplies."

"Okay."

"He keeps flirting with me and I want to punch him."

"So do it. I would. I'd talk to him for you, but I need to get this to the top of the drop ship in one piece. And, knowing what I know now, I might actually kill him myself. So, do whatever you have to do," Raven told him. "I promise I won't be mad if he comes back a little worse for wear."

Clarke laughed. "Okay, Raven. Take it easy. I'll see you all in a few hours. Let Murphy know that you two are in charge until Octavia gets back."

"Will do, Princess," Raven called as she got back into position on the floor. "Don't hurt him too bad. I still kinda like his face."

"That is all up to him."

"He's a goner then," Raven yelled as Clarke left the drop ship.

She smiled as she walked towards the gate. She situated the bag back on her shoulder as she walked. She told Murphy that he and Raven were in charge until Octavia got back, just in case Raven forgot. She saw Finn, sighed again, and headed for him.

"This is going to be a long day," she mumbled as they started out of camp.