When he finally located her at the far end of the courtyard, Bellamy wasn't surprised to hear that Echo had been looking all over for him.
"Where have you been?" she demanded as soon as she saw him.
He took her arm to guide her toward a quieter corner where they could have more privacy.
"I was talking to Clarke," he told her, "and then Gabriel came by and insisted I had to go back to his hut."
Echo ignored his first statement and focused in on the second.
"You were at Gabriel's?"
"Yeah. Look, something's come up, something important. It looks like I'm going to have to… to go on a mission. It may take a while."
She nodded. "I will accompany you."
"No! That is… I appreciate the offer, Echo, but I'll be going with… with Clarke."
Her face went blank. "With Clarke."
"Yes. It's really mostly her mission. I'll be there to help her, to protect her…"
"And when is that going to end?" she interrupted impatiently. "When will you finally be free of your obligation to Clarke?"
Bellamy blinked. "My… obligation?"
"Look, I'm as grateful as anyone for what Clarke did for us," Echo said earnestly. "Getting the satellite in place so we could survive on the Ring. I know we'd all be dead otherwise. So when you went off to save her from Josephine, I wanted you to do that. I encouraged you. We all did. Because we owed it to her."
"I know that. I'm… we're both really grateful, because we know that put you all in danger."
"Right. But now Clarke is back, she's safe and sound, she's herself again."
"She is," he nodded, agreeing.
"Yes. And now that you've saved her… Bellamy, you don't owe her anything more. So why does it have to be you going on this mission?"
Bellamy stared at Echo and realized how unfair he'd been. How unfair and how dishonest. And consequently, how little she understood.
"Echo," he said gently, "I didn't save Clarke from Josephine out of any sense of obligation. Yeah, I owe her a lot. We all do. But that's not why…"
She interrupted again.
"Okay, maybe obligation is the wrong word. But I know you, Bellamy. I know how you always try to do the right thing…"
"Echo, stop!"
The words burst out of him, startling them both. He took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to soften his tone, hoping like hell to dull the impact of his next words, words he knew she wasn't going to want to hear.
"Look," he said, kicking himself for not having spoken to her sooner, "the reason I threw myself into saving Clarke wasn't out of some sense of obligation, or because I owed her, or wanted to do right thing. It was because I couldn't stand the thought of losing her again."
He sighed.
"When she died…when Russell killed Clarke…that just about finished me, too. I mean, I knew she meant a lot to me, but I didn't understand how much until she was taken away again. So when I realized there was still a chance to save her, however small, I just… I couldn't think about anything else. It was all I cared about, Getting Clarke back. Having her here. With me."
He paused then, and when Echo didn't react or respond, Bellamy realized he'd have to spell it out.
"So I would never let her go on any kind of mission without me. Because the thing is… I don't want to be free of Clarke, Echo. Or really… ever again separated from her."
For a long moment, Echo stared at him in silence, and he watched as she tried to process what he'd told her.
"So… where does that leave you and me, Bellamy?" she asked finally. "You promised before we left the ring that nothing would change between us. But when we got to Earth, all we did was fight a war. And I've barely seen you since we got to Sanctum. There was always something else to take care of, And now you're telling me the person you can't be without is… is Clarke?"
Bellamy could see Echo was getting more and more upset, but he had nothing to defend himself with.
"I'm so sorry, Echo. You're right, I did promise you that, and I tried to keep that promise. But back then… back on the ring… I thought Clarke was dead. And as much as I tried to ignore it, things did change for me when I realized she was alive."
Echo's face twisted as she made the effort to understand. "But… we had years together, Bellamy."
He nodded. "Yeah, we did. But my connection to Clarke goes back to long before we were on the ring, long before I knew you as anything but an enemy. And that connection between Clarke and me… it's still there. When we first came down from the ring, I tried hard to convince myself it wasn't. But when I thought I'd lost her again — and the only things I could feel were grief and despair — I knew that'd been a lie."
"So… you never cared for me at all, then?"
"Of course I did! I still do. Like I told you back on the ring, you're family to me and you always will be. But… we can't be together in any other way, Echo. Not anymore."
"And… Clarke?" Her voice was clipped, as though the words were forced out of her. "What is she to you? Is she… family, too?"
Bellamy sighed. He hated to be cruel, but if he wanted to be honest with her he couldn't really see any way around it.
"Clarke is my person, and there's nothing I can do to change that. The truth is… there's nothing I'd want to do."
"I see," she said coldly, her back stiffening, her face devoid of all expression.
"I'm sorry," he said again. And he was. Sorry for hurting her. But he couldn't be sorry for the way he felt about Clarke.
Echo gave him a jerky nod, and as she walked quickly away, for the first time in years he was reminded of the long-ago Azgeda warrior.
XXXXXXXXXX
It had taken some persuasion on Clarke's part, but after a thorough examination showed no signs of permanent damage, Madi was finally sleeping.
Clarke was exhausted herself but she knew there was one more important decision to be made before she could rest: what to do about Russell Lightbourne.
In truth, while she'd never been bloodthirsty or vindictive, she wasn't sure she could be objective about Russell's fate. This was the man who had taken away her consciousness to use her body as a shell for his daughter. And then later… done the same to her mother!
Clarke's eyes closed and her body trembled as she recalled again the sheer horror of seeing her mother's face, and her mother's body, and knowing that it wasn't really Abby, that her mother was gone forever. And then, like rubbing salt in a fresh wound, she'd had to endure the pain of floating her body.
Of course, those heinous acts of his were merely the culmination of years — decades — of abuse of the very people Russell Lightbourne should have been protecting.
And then there was the sheer hypocrisy of the man! Chiding her at lunch that day. Throwing in her face all the terrible things she'd had to do to save her friends, when all the time he and his cohorts had spent lifetimes using other people as fodder for their bizarre flirtation with immortality.
The Primes! What a sick and twisted joke that was.
But there were those in Sanctum who'd been so thoroughly indoctrinated that they believed it still. While the Children of Gabriel, with Nelson at the helm, seemed to have the city under control at the moment, the "faithful" hadn't see the downfall of the Primes as a deliverance but as a sacrilege.
And now here came Russell, their erstwhile leader, and it was damned important that the man did not become a rallying point for a civil war.
They'd met in the palace dining room and had been discussing it for nearly an hour, but were no closer to a solution.
"We can't let that asshole live, Clarke! Look what he did to you. And to Abby."
Clarke took Miller's point, but to actually execute the man? She wasn't sure she could stand even one more death laid at her door. And there were other considerations.
"I get it, Miller. I do. But even if we could agree on a method of execution, don't you think that might not cause other problems? At the moment, per our agreement with Nelson, you're the head of security in the city. So you know there are lots of people who still believe in the divinity of the Primes. Do you want to turn Russell Lightbourne into some kind of martyr to their cause?"
Miller sighed. "Jesus, no! But I'm not looking forward to having to guard the bastard until his current body reaches its expiration date."
"Guard him where?" Raven piped up in frustration. "And why the hell should we have to watch over this guy like he was the god he pretended to be. Not after Clarke. And… and Abby. We should just hand him over to Nelson. I'm sure they'd know how to deal with him."
"No, you can't do that!"
Heads turned toward her in surprise as the words burst from Emori.
"I mean…" Emori sighed in frustration. "Look, some of these people… John and I have to deal with them so carefully because they still think we're a couple of Primes. Crazy as it seems, they still believe in the bullshit. And that belief's not going away overnight."
"Emori's right." Murphy jumped in. "The glamour of being some kind of fucking god has kinda worn off, and I'd love to be able to stop pretending to be something I'm not. But it's not safe yet. We need more time to, uh… bring them around."
Clarke's lids began to droop, and she felt she was very near to falling asleep right in her chair. They were getting absolutely nowhere, and she knew she was too damn tired to come up with a creative solution.
"Maybe we should think about this a little more and meet again tomorrow…"
The door opened then, the sudden noise interrupting her. She looked up, hoping to see Bellamy, but it was Gabriel who entered the room.
Octavia asked the question before Clarke had the chance.
"Gabriel! Do you know where my brother is? Clarke said he was with you."
"Bellamy was with me for a while, Octavia, but then he said he had something to take care of."
Gabriel glanced around the room. "Am I interrupting something?"
Miller shrugged. "We're just trying to decide what to do about Russell. The guy's been murdering these people for years and we can't just let him get away with it."
Gabriel's look was rueful. "Than you might also want to consider my crimes…"
"Gabriel, no!" Octavia jumped in before he could continue. "You realized it was wrong a long time ago and tried to help. Without that help we wouldn't have gotten Clarke back, or been able to defeat the Primes." She sighed. "More than anyone, I know what it means to be given a second chance."
He didn't look completely convinced, and merely nodded before turning his attention to Clarke.
"Can I speak to you, Clarke? It's important?"
"Right now?" she asked, echoing Bellamy's reaction earlier in the day. "I'm not sure I have the brainpower to focus on anything important."
Gabriel gave her a small encouraging smile. "I think you might be energized by what I have to tell you. Is there somewhere we can talk…"
Clarke rose. "Madi's asleep in Josephine's room but there's a small sitting room…"
He smiled. "I'm familiar with it."
Her look was wry. "I suppose you are."
She turned to the others. "So we'll meet again tomorrow to find a permanent solution?" When they nodded, her eyes fell on Miller. "And meanwhile, you'll arrange to keep Russell under close guard."
Miller nodded, sighing in resignation. "Will do."
XXXXXXXXXX
Clarke gaped in astonishment at the sheer breadth of Gabriel's plan. Of what he expected of her. And of Bellamy.
"You really think that Bellamy and I can… can save the planet? We'd be changing the course of human history!"
The whole idea seemed astoundingly arrogant to her. To think that the two of them could accomplish something like that.
On the other hand… if there was any possibility of it succeeding, didn't she have to try?
She closed her eyes, as the enormity of the proposed task swept over her again. And yet, if she succeeded, wouldn't it be a redemption of sorts? She'd never have killed all those people, never have needed to, because they wouldn't exist…
"Wait!" The thought came suddenly. "If this actually works, what about everyone here who comes from Earth after the apocalypse? Won't they all just… cease to exist?"
"The answer to that, Clarke, is that I just don't know. Which is why, like I've explained to you, it's important that all of you from the Ark, and from the Ground, transport back to Earth before the date the bombs dropped."
"So… there's no coming back then."
He shrugged, his expression wry. "Why would you want to? This isn't exactly a welcoming planet for humans."
"What about you? And the others here in Sanctum?"
"We should be fine. On the date I'm proposing to send you back to, the Eligius 3 had already left Earth."
"And if we don't succeed? Then we die along with everyone else."
"You and Madi might not, with your black blood. But the others? Yes, unless you can change their blood, too, they'll die. That's the danger."
"Right." But there were only a dozen or so of them left. Surely she could use herself and Madi to make them nightbloods if it seemed likely they weren't going to be able to stop ALIE.
But in the end she knew none of that really mattered. Given the chance to save the Earth and its billions of inhabitants, what choice did she really have?
"If you think there's any chance at all this might actually work, of course I have to try." She paused. "But does it have to be Bellamy? He might not want to go…"
"It's why I spoke to him first, because I knew you'd agree. And yes, Clarke, it does have to be Bellamy. There's something profound… something almost magical… about how the two of you together are able to make things happen, even against the most astronomical odds."
He smiled at her.
"Besides, you know damn well Bellamy would never let you do this without him. He'd never leave your safety in someone else's hands."
Maybe that was true. Still. "But what about…"
"What about what?" Gabriel prompted when she stopped abruptly.
She shook her head. "Never mind." This wasn't the place and Gabriel wasn't the person for that particular question.
Clarke was considering Gabriel's plan when she heard a new voice.
"I thought I might find you both here," Bellamy said from the doorway, stepping into the room and dropping onto the couch beside Clarke. "So have you explained it to her?"
"Yes. Like I thought, she wants to do it."
Bellamy shrugged, smirking. "Right. No surprise there. So… when do we leave?"
Gabriel chuckled, shaking his head. "I suppose I should have known that once the two of you agreed to go you'd want to jump right into it. But it'll be couple of days, yet. I'm still working out a way for you to communicate back to us."
"That would be great!" Clarke said. "And two-way communication would be even better."
Gabriel shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid there's no chance of that. At least not until you, or maybe Raven, can get to the ground and send back some information from that end. So even if I can work it out, I'm afraid it'll be you speaking into the void and hoping we get your message."
Clarke side-eyed Bellamy and they both huffed a laugh.
"Yeah, I have experience with that," she said.
"But even if I can't get that to work, you still have to leave within the next three days. That's the window, and I don't want to wait until next month. Things on this planet are volatile, in more ways than one, and it'll take several months to get all your people transported. So we need to start as soon as possible."
Bellamy nodded. "Okay. Then let's hope you catch a break."
"I need get back to it." Gabriel rose. "And… your meeting tomorrow about Russell? I think that'd be a good time to tell the rest of them about this. Because if it works, they'll have to prepare themselves to go back to a mid-21st century Earth, or risk the consequences of staying here."
"You'll come to the meeting, right?" Clarke couldn't imagine trying to explain this mission to the others.
"I'll be there, Clarke, but you two are their leaders. I'll leave it up to you to persuade them."
And with that he was gone, and she was alone with Bellamy.
"So," he said, smiling wryly. "If we thought our days of adventure were behind us, I guess we'll have to think again."
When Clarke frowned, Bellamy caught the look immediately.
"What's the matter?"
"It's just… Gabriel shouldn't have assumed you'd be the one to come with me, Bellamy. That wasn't fair to you. Maybe it could be someone else…"
"Bullshit!" he snapped. "You know it has to be the two of us, Clarke, because when we do things together that's when it works. And anyway, who the hell do you trust more than me?"
"No one."
"Right. So let's not even have this stupid conversation…"
"But... just because I trust you the most doesn't mean you always have be the one to… to watch my back."
"The hell it doesn't. You know damn well I wouldn't leave your safety to anyone else."
He gazed down at her in confusion.
"Where is this coming from, Clarke?"
But Clarke found she couldn't quite look at him, and barely glanced at him sideways as she tried to explain.
"I was just wondering about… Echo?"
Bellamy's shoulders seemed to stiffen. "What about her?"
"Is she going to be okay with you going off with me for months and months? I mean, who knows when the rest of them can be transported? Gabriel mentioned Raven, so she'd probably be a top priority, ahead of the others, but Echo might not be and you'd be gone with me and…"
Clarke stopped when she realized she was beginning to babble, and finally looked him square in the eye to ask, "Did you even tell her yet?"
"Yeah, I told her about it. Not the details because I didn't want to tell anyone until I knew Gabriel had spoken to you. So I just said there was a mission, and that you and I would be going together."
"What did she say?"
He stared at her in silence for a moment, then shrugged. "It doesn't matter what she said. This is my decision."
"What do you mean? Of course it matters! I know this mission is incredibly important, but if you're going to be… distracted because Echo is upset with you…"
"That won't be the case."
"So… she doesn't mind?" Clarke could hardly believe it.
"She wasn't happy about it."
Clarke frowned. "I don't understand, Bellamy. That must matter if you're together…"
"We aren't," he interrupted quickly.
Clarke blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Echo and I… we're not together, at least not in the way you mean. Not anymore."
Tiny tendrils of guilt begin to unfurl within Clarke.
"Is this… is this my fault? Are you not together anymore because you wanted to help me?"
"Jesus, Clarke!" Bellamy shook his head. "Not everything that happens is your fault. I'm pretty damn sure I get to make decisions about my own fucking life. Including whether or not I want to be with someone."
He sighed heavily. "The truth is, I probably should've talked to her about this a long time ago, because I've known for a while now that Echo and I… we aren't meant to be together. This mission just forced me to finally deal with it."
Bellamy sounded so certain about his decision that relief coursed through Clarke. But she quickly pushed down the feeling of elation that threatened to follow.
"Oh, okay," she said quietly.
He frowned down at her, looking slightly perplexed. "Is that all you have to say about it?"
She shrugged lightly. "I'm pretty sure it's not my place to comment on your… personal life."
"We're friends, Clarke. You can have an opinion."
"Okay. Well, if you're sure it's what you want, then that's all that matters."
Bellamy stared at her in silence for a moment.
"It is," he said finally. "So… no more concerns about the mission, then?"
"Oh, about a million." She smiled. "But no more concerns about you tagging along."