It's been a week since Wells, Clarke and Bellamy brought guns back to camp. For now, everything has been going pretty smoothly. Bellamy and Miller have been leading most training sessions because they were the only ones that knew how to properly use them.
Since the grounder escaped, the security around the walls has been bigger and more secure. They couldn't risk a grounder attack this close to winter.
And winter coming also meant one thing: Unity Day.
Wells was never a big fan of unity day. His dad forced him to be in the Unity Day pageant when she was like seven. He hated Clarke, on the other hand never minded it.
"My friends," His father said on the projector connected to The Ark he and Raven setted up. "This is a history Unity Day. Every year, we mark the moment our ancestors of the twelve stations joined to form The Ark, but this is the last time we do so while aboard her. Next year, on the ground."
"Right." Miller rolled his eyes, tuning out the rest of Jaha's speech. "After we did all the work. Someone shut him up."
"You do know i'm standing right here, right?" Wells quipped behind Miller who just rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He mumbled.
"You shut up Miller." Raven bit back "No one's forcing you to watch."
Wells chuckled at her remark and nudged her shoulder slightly, receiving the same gesture in return.
He noticed Raven gazing at Clarke, who were talking with Finn. Clarke noticed her gaze and not wanting to be in this awkward situation, she walked away. Wells wanted to give Raven a comfort pat on the shoulder before Jasper came out of nowhere carrying a barrel of Monty's moonshine. The teenagers immediately started cheering when they realized they'd be getting alcohol and a chance to get drunk before The Ark comes down.
"Call this batch 'Unity Juice'. Who's thirsty?!" Jasper yelled to the whole camp and Wells watched the teenagers circle around the table Jasper put the barrel down on. He felt a hand grabbed his and drawing his attention, he immediately knew who it was, Clarke.
"Come on." She said, motioning Wells over to the group of kids and handing one cup to Wells and one for herself.
"Whoa." He chuckled. "What's this for?" He asked, with a smirk on his lips.
"Well, I thought, 'Why not spend what could possibly be, the last holiday before the grounders kill us with my best friend'?" She smilied.
Wells smiled back. It was nice to see her smile and not have to worry about anything else on her mind. "Well you do make a good point." He and Clarke laughed.
"To the stars."
Her smile matches Wells', "To the moon."
They both tap the cups together before swallowing the juice quickly, urging it past down their throats before they could can think about the taste.
Wells scrunched his nose as he felt it trace a path through hid body, and he smiled when he find Clarke's expression matching his own. They both laugh as he felt spreading through his body, a mixture of pure joy and a nostalgia for something he'd never gotten to experience before. Going to a party with his best friend.
Night comes quickly, and with it, the sounds of partying only grow louder. Clarke was seated at a table with a couple of the other delinquents playing a drinking game when Finn's hand flashed out grabbing the metal washer they were using in place of a coin as it left her nose. Her eyes jumped up to his face in question.
"What do you need?" Clarke's eyebrows drew together in annoyance, her tone frosty.
"Let's take a walk." Ignoring the hostility from Clarke, Finn held out his hand.
"Sorry?" Clarke glanced down at the hand that was stuck out in front of her before looking back to Finn's face with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything okay?" She gave in and stood up from her seat at the anxious look on Finn's face.
"I need you to come with me, but I can't tell you why." He said in a low voice as he leaned towards her as he pulled her away from the table. He looked around as if to make sure that no one could hear what he was saying.
"Finn, tell me." Feeling the annoyance tightening in her chest again. She gave him an exasperated look as she pulled away from his demanding fingers that tried to pull her from camp. "Don't touch me."
"I made a meeting with the grounders." His shoulders hunched forward, long hair covering his eyes.
The statement caught her off guard, the air whooshing out of her in a slightly panicked breath. "I don't understand. A meeting? How?"
Finn's eyes connected with hers, his hand swept the hair back out of his eyes. She noted that his hair had been cut since the last time she had actually been able to bring herself to look at him.
"The grounder that has been stalking the camp. His name is Lincoln, they speak English. He is getting his leader to talk to us. They want you there because you are our leader."
Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline before her lips twisted into a tight line. "We can't have peace with people who have done nothing but try to kill us since we arrived."
His face mimicked hers pinching his face into a guarded one. "You really want to start a war with them? Because if we don't have peace before the guard arrives, that's where we are headed. I think we can do better than the first time around. I trust him."
She backed away from his angry face. "I don't." She shook her head as she considered his words. He was right, ultimately, unfortunately. She wanted to stay so mad at him that she could never find anything to agree with him on. The hurt in her chest still brought her twinges of pain when she caught him out of the side of her eye. But he was right. They had to live with these people for good or bad. "But if we go, we are bringing back up."
"No. We agreed on no weapons and if we're going to do this, we need to give it a fair chance."
The hope that sprung up on his face made her unruly heart race in her chest. She knew that she was going to have to lie to him. They couldn't afford to not bring people. "Okay. I'll get my pack and meet you at the gate."
"Okay." He smiled at her and headed towards the gate.
Clarke also nodded to Finn as she walked off to not only get her pack, but also to tell Bellamy to follow her and Finn to the meeting.
She weaved her way through the partiers in search of Bellamy. Then she spotted him, a familiar head of messy black curls.
"Hey," Clarke said tapping him on the shoulder. "I need to talk to you."
"Having fun yet princess?" Bellamy quipped with a smile.
"I'm serious," Clarke sighed with annoyance. Now was not the time.
"You always are," Bellamy stopped walking. "Speak your mind."
Clarke took a deep breath preparing herself for this conversation. "Finn just set up a meeting with the grounders. I'm leaving to go to them."
Bellamy's mood quickly changed. He furrowed his brows at her with a scoff. "Yeah, because you think that impaling people with spears is code for "let's be friends"?" He shook his head. "Have you lost your damn mind?"
Sighing she knew he wasn't going to like this. "I think this might be our best chance to avoid a war. We do have to live with these people."
"They will probably just string you up and gut you as a warning."
"That's why I need you. I need you to follow us and provide back up." She nodded, knowing that it was a very real possibility.
"Does Finn know about this?" Bellamy looked at her skeptically. He knew she rarely thought clearly around the boy.
"No. He doesn't need to know about some things, just like I didn't apparently." She looked up from the spot she had been staring at on the ground, to look in his eyes. "And Bellamy, bring guns." He just nodded back at her before she turned away from them and headed towards the gate.
"Hey." Raven had irritatedly turned her head to look at the guy who had entered the tent, only to realize it was Wells.
"Relax," He told her. "It's me. Monty told me you were here."
Raven turned around back to the table, continuing making bullets. Right now she didn't feel like talking to anyone, she just needed to be alone. "What do you want?" She asked, her voice a bit harsh.
Wells put his hands up in surrender. "Whoa. Calm down alright? I just wanted to check up on you. Making sure you're not blowing yourself up after-" He stops himself mid-sentence. Now was not the time to bring up Finn.
"After what?" Raven questioned, curious of what Wells was trying to say.
"Nothing." He shook his head. "I get you're stressed. But today's Unity day, although I'm not a big fan. You should get yourself a drink. Take a break. Clear your mind." He steps beside Raven as he sets his cup of what I asked calls it "Unity juice".
"Thanks Jaha but I'll pass."
"Alright." Wells accepted. "More for me then." He shrugged as he took a sip of the drink, maybe more than a sip. He was chugging the thing down as if he was a at a drinking competition.
"Jeez, relax Jaha, the drink's not going anywhere." Raven laughed as Wells set the cup down on the table and wiped his mouth with his sleeve and laughed with her.
"Sorry bout that. Its Just." Wells leans off the table. "I can't exactly remember the last time I felt like this before."
"Yeah." Raven agreed. "Well, might as enjoy it while it lasts right?"
"You should too."
"Yeah right."
"So um," Wells cleared his throat. "What're you working on?"
"I'm checking the gunpowder in these rounds so that way if the grounders tried to kill us all, maybe we can get a few shots off beforehand." Raven explained. Wells nodded.
"You sure you know what you're doing?" He asked.
"Of course I do, Wells." She answered a little annoyance in her voice.
"Alright. Just making sure." Before he could say anything, Jasper comes busting through the tent.
"Hey! Hey! There you are!" Jasper said, talking directly at Raven. "Listen. We're playing drunk ball. I bet Monroe my team's gonna win the Unity Day title." He hands her a cup of "Unity Juice".
"Ah, I don't think so, buddy. I already offered her. She said no." Wells told him, hands on his hips.
Jasper shrugged as he moved the cup away from Raven. "Suit yourself." He sets the cup on the table.
"Hey I know you zero-G mechs have crazy hand-eye skill soo...huh?" He smiled enthusiastically, getting a chuckle out of Raven.
"Well, it's gotta be better than," Jasper. looked at the bullets on table Raven was working on. "Whatever you're doing. You sure you know what you're doing?"
Raven makes an annoyed with. "Why does everyone keep asking me th-" Before she could finish, a bullet exploded and Raven was throwing her hand around, cursing at the world.
"You need a hand? Ya know. Now that you almost your hand?" Jasper asked in sarcasm, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't mind helping." Wells added.
"I'm fine."
"Hey, no one's a better mechanic all right? But this stuff requires a chemist how good were you at chemistry?"
Raven glared at Jasper, making him smile again. "Hmm, well the fates are smiling upon you my friend. so was great at chemistry." Jasper said with that big ole grin on his friend.
Raven and Wells laughed as Jasper opened up a bullet and dump the powder on to his hand. He smelled it before leaning back and cringing. "Oh. Nope. Oh, it's...it's gassed off.
pretty sure the uh, acidic smell means that the gunpowder is degraded." Jasper explained to the people in the tent.
"Better start a dud pile." Wells said.
"Ya know, when my parents get here, they can mix us up some new gunpowder." Jasper told them. My dad's gonna flip for this scrap metal. 'My kingdom for a soda can.' heh." Jasper chuckled.
"What about you?" Jasper asked Raven. "Got any family?" Wells noticed Raven's smiley face quickly falls. That was a really dumb question to ask at a time like this, at any time.
"Nope." Raven answered, her gaze focusing on the ammo on the table. "Just Finn."
"You?" Jasper asked Wells.
"Just Clarke and my dad." He answered. Jasper looked down at his feet, regretting ever asking that question.
"Well, hey." Jasper sniffed and wrapped an arm around Raven and the other around Wells. "At least we all got each other, now. Right?" They all retrieved a small smile.
It was quiet for a second before Bellamy barged in the tent. Way to ruin a moment. "Wells, Jasper. You're coming with me."
"I am?" Jasper asked, confused and surprised while taking his goggles off his head, rubbing his forehead. Bellamy nodded as he hands a gun over to Jasper and another to Wells.
"Why, what's going on?" Wells asked, also confused.
"You handled yourself well against the grounder in the cave." Bellamy answered, although that wasn't the answer Wells were looking for. Wells stepped out of the way.
"But that's not what I'm asking." Bellamy ignored the man as he reached for some of the bullets just as Raven put a hand out to stop him.
"If you're planning on shooting anything you'd better think twice, we haven't gotten to those yet," Raven told him
"Give me some bullets that work," Bellamy ordered.
"What for?" Raven questioned, turning her whole body towards Bellamy, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Your boyfriend's being an idiot," Bellamy responded, eyeing the mechanic.
Those words were all Raven needed to hear. Without thought, she grabs a stack of ammo and presses it against Bellamy's chest. "I'm going with you."
"We should get Clarke." Jasper remarked.
Bellamy didn't say anything, leaving Raven to ask the question. "She's with Finn, isn't she?"
The look on his face says it all as he left the tent, with Wells following behind him. Raven sighed grabbing her pack and followed them. Jasper went and took a swallow of the moonshine before exiting after her. So much for a holiday.
"I'd love it if you were right about this, but did you ever consider it might be a trap?" Clarke asked, walking down in the forest behind Finn. The whole way through the woods she couldn't help but look over her shoulders looking for a threat. Now that the shadow had come out and made contact she felt less and less safe as the seconds ticked by on her father's tattered old watch that sat on her wrist.
"Yup," Finn says nonchalantly, "But since it's Unity Day, I decided to have hope instead."
Finn's silent grunt of pain made Clarke snap her attention to him and stop walking to walk up to him. "Let me take a look at that."
He nodded and unzipped his jacket to lift up the hem of his shirt to reveal the still obvious wound. Clarke frowned deeply at the sight and looked up to see Finn watching her intently and held eye contact with him for a moment. She couldn't do this.
Clarke shook herself out of the small trance and pulled his shirt back down, allowing him to zip his jacket back up. She gave Finn a glare "Seriously, Finn. You're putting a lot of faith in a guy who stuck a knife in you."
"And you're sounding more and more like Bellamy." Finn said in disappointment, shaking his head at his former one night stand before he started walking in front of her.
Clarke made sure Finn wasn't looking back before throwing some jobi nuts on the ground to help Bellamy to know where they went.
Bellamy picked up the job nuts from the ground with Wells, Jasper, and Raven behind him. "At least they're good for something."
Jasper walked closer to Raven, both of them holding their guns in their hands. "Sorry for bringing up Clarke earlier." He said with a awkward chuckle, glancing at Wells, who just shook his head. "That was awkward."
"Shut up." Raven spat at him.
Bellamy doesn't even bother looking back at them. "Both of you shut up. Keep your eyes open." Then, they started walking again.
After a couple of minutes, Wells walked beside Bellamy, shoulder to shoulder. He looked around him and around his shoulders, searching for any threat in the trees or bushes. They couldn't take the chances of losing anyone else. He was more worried about Jasper. It was a bad idea to bring him here. After what happened with him getting impaled with a spear and the search party for Octavia incident. He had a very bad feeling that Jasper was going to do something incredibly bad.
He was afraid that Jasper would have some sort of PTSD attack. Hell, that was technically what happened back at the search party. Jasper had looked very uncomfortable being here, outside of camp, where it's safe. He really didn't want to be here, and Wells couldn't blame him.
"So let me get this straight." Wells started. "Finn had set a meeting with the grounders, who had did nothing but kill us, bringing Clarke with him? And Clarke wants us to be they're backup without him knowing?"
"You got it." Bellamy mumbled.
"You do realize this could be trap, right? They'll probably capture them, torture them, kill them or worse." Wells told him.
"Of course I do." Bellamy turned his gaze at Wells'. "Why do you think I agreed to this? We gotta keep moving. let's go."
As the sun began to lighten the sky, Finn and Clarke reached a bridge made of a hard material that was covered in leafy vines.
Clarke was surprised to see Octavia waiting for them, not realizing how she didn't notice her sneaking out of camp. Besides the Blake sister, the bridge was empty which meant the grounders weren't here yet.
"So that's how you set this up." Clarke realized with a short huff "You helped him escape didn't you?"
Octavia sighed and looked at Clarke solemnly "I trust him, Clarke."
"There's a lot of that going around." Clarke muttered, giving Finn a side glare, which he tried his hardest to avoid by looking at the other side of the bridge. He let out a short gasp, his eyes widening "Someone's coming."
All of them turned around to see the same grounder Bellamy and his boys locked in the dropship run across the bridge and straight to them, Octavia running straight into his arms to envelop him into a hug. Clarke's eyes widened and realization flashed across her features at the way they were looking at each other.
"Oh."
The grounder, who was named Lincoln, eye's soon shifted towards Clarke and his attention turned blank again. Clarke's eyes shone in fear and she took a step back.
Clarke turned her head to the side subtly, noticing four familiar figures behind the threes.
Wells, Bellamy, Raven, and Jasper.
She made eye contact with Bellamy, who was already watching her and gave him a small nod which he returned.
Several seconds later three people rode in on horses; animals she had never dreamed she would be able to see in person. "Oh, my God. Horses!" Clarke whispered to herself.
Clarke was so caught up in visually admiring the horses at the edge of the bridge she didn't even realize they were all armed to the teeth, until Finn called attention to it.
Nodding Lincoln agreed with Finn. "I was told there wouldn't be any." Lincoln's eyes shot towards the brunette at his hip who only looked back at him sheepishly.
"Well it's too late now," Clarke conceded with a sigh. Finn gripped her hand as Clarke started to move towards the other grounder who had dismounted and was stepping forward.
Lincoln's arm shot out to grab Finn. "She goes alone."
Clarke extracted her hand from his tight grip. "I'll be fine."
"Clarke-"
"Hey, It's time to do better, right?"
Clarke walked towards the woman who was covered in dark furs. Her black face paint, not as deep in color or as defined as the other female grounder. Her tan skin against her unkempt sun-bleached hair did nothing to detract from the sense of entitled beauty that rolled off her.
Reaching a handout Clarke introduced herself before withdrawing the hand after a few awkward seconds.
"Clarke? I'm Anya." The glare never left the tan face in front of her.
Pulling her shoulders back, Clarke steeled herself and pushed a quiet breath from between her lips. "I think we started off on the wrong foot. We want to find a way to live together in peace."
The snark rolled off of Anya as she crossed her arms over her chest, face unimpressed. "I understand, you started a war that you don't know how to end."
A surprised look jumped across Clarke's face before she could stop it. "No. We didn't start anything. You attacked us for no reason."
"No reason? The missiles you launched burned three villages to the ground."
Clarke gasped. They had hit villages. Her body curved forward in disbelief, they hadn't even considered that in their haste. "The flares? No. That was supposed to be a signal to our families. We had no idea-"
Anya's arms dropped to her sides as she interrupted Clarke. "You're invaders. You landed in our territory."
Clarke crossed her arms over her chest, comforting herself at the realization that they might have hurt innocent people in their effort to try to save their own. "We didn't know any people had survived this long. We thought it was uninhabited."
Huffing Anya glared at Clarke. The mask of hostility pinching Anya's features into a hawk-like appearance. "What you have done, those things, are all acts of war."
Conceding, Clarke nodded, letting her arms fall to her sides again. "I see your point. That's why we need to put an end to all of this."
"Lincoln said there are more of you coming down. Warriors?"
Straightening her spine, she nodded her head. She pushed back the unpleasant information now that they were getting to the meat of the conversation. She couldn't afford to be distracted. "The Guard, yes. But also, doctors, farmers, engineers. We can help each other but not if we're at war."
Anya looked smug as she stared down Clarke. "Can you promise that these new arrivals won't attack us. That they will respect the terms you and I agree on?"
Clarke's eyes shot down to the ground before she could meet the hawk-eyed stare Anya was drilling into her. "We lost contact with them today, but we will make every effort to intercept them before they have a chance to interact with your people."
"And if you don't? Why would I agree to an alliance your people can break the moment they get here?"
"Grounder princess looks pissed." Raven commented behind Wells and Bellamy, who were listening in the conversation.
"Clarke has that effect." Wells mumbled under his breathe.
Leaning forward in earnest, Clarke said. "If you fire first. Those people coming down won't bother to negotiate. Our technology, you will have no chance. They will wipe you out."
"Like I said." Wells smirked.
Clarke didn't think she was supposed to hear the mumbled "They wouldn't be the first to try."
"Oh no. No, this is bad." Jasper quietly panics. He peers through the scope on his rifle at the other side of the bridge.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bellamy whispers to him.
Jasper lowered his gun. "There's grounders in the trees."
Theirs eyes widened as they aim at the trees to see what Jasper is seeing.
"What?" Wells asked.
"Where?" Bellamy asked.
"Are you sure?" Raven asked.
Bellamy lowered his gun. "I don't see anything."
"I do." Wells said as he sees the grounders in the trees. He quickly lowered his gun and looked at Jasper, who looked like he already planning to do something incredibly stupid.
He reached his hand out to grab the rifle from Jasper. "Jasper,"
"They're gonna shoot!"
"Whatever you're thinking about doing do-"
Before he could finish, Jasper races out their hiding spot. He fires off his gun shouting, "CLARKE RUN, RUNN!!!!"
Damn it. I knew this was a bad idea.
The grounders in the trees started throwing spears at them as Jasper took a couple shots at them. Wells noticed the grounder lady was going to stab Clarke with a knife just as he reacted quickly he shot the knife out of her hand. Clarke turned and noticed It was Wells, who her a nod as he and Bellamy exchange glances after his gun clicks and ran after Jasper and Raven.
Somewhere during the run to camp, Clarke, Finn, and Octavia joined them but they still didn't stop until they got to the camp walls.
In darkness They finally arrived back at camp Once they finally got there, the ones who had guns dropped them onto the ground and they all tried to catch their breath from running that long. Bellamy and Wells gripped her shoulders worriedly before Finn met eyes with Bellamy who stood side by side. He looked pissed.
"Got anything to say?"
"You damn right I do." Finn stepped into Bellamy's space. " I said no guns!"
Clarke put her hands up between them to separate them before shooting a look to Finn. "I told you we couldn't trust the grounders. I was right."
Raven stepped towards the side of Clarke that Finn was on, grabbing him and pulling him away from Clarke's reach, though that didn't stop them from over hearing her words. "Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?"
Finn's glare dropped from his face, he looked at Clarke briefly before meeting Raven's eyes. "I tried, but you were too busy making bullets for your guns."
"You're lucky she brought that." Bellamy shouted at Finn from around Clarke. "They came there to kill you, Finn."
Finn's face turned hostile again as he turned towards Bellamy. "You don't know that!"
Wells, ever the political mind, stepped forward cutting through the line of sight for Finn and Bellamy. Though his words were sharp his tone was gentle. "I think the arrow that hit the ground next to Clarke's feet told us that, for sure."
"You ruined everything." Octavia finally spoke, glaring at Jasper and turning around to walk back into camp.
"I saved you!" Jasper called after her, tried to keep the hurt from showing in his voice "You're welcome." He too, walked back into the camp.
Sighing in resignation, Finn nodded. "Well, if we weren't at war before already. We sure as hell are now."
Finn turned to look at Clarke, his face a picture of devastation and longing. "You didn't have to trust the grounders. You just had to trust me." He turned around and started walking back towards camp, shoulders hunched forward. Leaving only Wells, Clarke, and Bellamy.
"Like I said. Best Unity Day ever." Bellamy bit out sarcastically. Clarke started after Finn until an explosion sounded from above them.
The whole group turned to look towards the sky. Finding an opening in the forest cover they spotted a ship making its way to Earth.
Wells tossed his arm over Clarke's shoulders, pulling her in tight to his side. "The Exodus ship? Clarke, your mom's early."
They watched the ship sink lower and lower down, the excitement palpable until the thrusters failed to engage, and the parachutes didn't open. Clarke gripped Wells' shirt where her hand rested by his hip. "Wait. Too fast. No parachute? Wells, something's wrong."
They all turned and ran back towards camp. They almost got to the camp when the explosion from the ship meeting the Earth, rocked them off their feet. Clarke fumbled to her feet; she wrenched her wayward hair out of her face. "No, no, no."
Her whole body shook as tremors ran down the length of her spine. She felt tense fingers grasp her shoulder. She knew someone was talking to her, but she couldn't hear them. Her vision grew hazy as tears filled her eyes. "I didn't even want to talk to her. I wouldn't let her even try to explain."
"You're alright, you're alright."
She looked up at the dark eyes that stared down at her. Wells just gripped her harder, pulling her closer to his body. Tucking her head against his chest with her ear over his heart. Hoping that she could use the steady beats to slow her rising panic. He had no words for her; she'd lost everyone but him now.
To be continued