Most of the others were already assembled by the time Bellamy entered the Primes' enormous dining room, the space they'd found most convenient for group meetings. As he slid into the seat next to Clarke, he noted that only Echo appeared to be missing. Then she wandered in at just that moment, carefully not looking in his direction, and took a seat at the far end of the table.

"Is everyone here now?" Gabriel murmured from his place on the other side of Clarke.

Clarke raised her brows, looking to Bellamy for confirmation before they both nodded.

"Yeah, we can start," Bellamy said.

He turned to the group.

"Some of you are probably wondering why we asked you to come to the meeting about Russell Lightbourne, since you don't have anything directly to do with Sanctum's security."

"I thought you might have finally come to your senses," Indra suggested drily, "and realized the man's punishment should fit the crime. And wanted me to take care of it… Trikru style."

Beside her, Miller snorted, while Bellamy cleared his threat.

"Thanks for the offer, Indra, but we haven't yet made the decision to execute Russell…"

"You have no right to kill him," Jordan Green suddenly interjected from the other end of the table. "The man is the spiritual leader for all of Sanctum."

"Spiritual leader?" Miller didn't content himself with a mere snort this time. "The guy's been offing his own people for years. Not only that, he killed Abby and Clarke and stole their bodies so his wife and kid could live their seventh fucking lives or something…"

"And Clarke never killed anyone?!" Jordan was on his feet now. "From the stories I heard from Mom and Dad…"

Bellamy had tried to be sympathetic toward the naive Jordan, but this was a bridge too far.

"Sit down, Jordan! You don't know what the hell you're talking about. "

Clarke turned toward him with a quiet, "Bellamy," and he knew she wanted him to drop it, but he was sick to death of people condemning Clarke when what they should be doing was showing a little gratitude.

"Did it ever occur to you that if it weren't for Clarke you wouldn't even be alive? Because she saved Monty and Harper's lives more times than I can count. And if they were here right now, they'd be pretty fucking upset with you. So don't go mouthing off about shit you know nothing about. About things that happened long before you were born."

He paused again and glanced around the table.

"We've all done some shitty things. Every single one of us. Things we're probably ashamed of and wish we could take back. Or at least… wish there'd been some other way. But everything we did, even the bad decisions we made along the way," his eyes flicked briefly toward Octavia, and she gave him a wry smile of acknowledgement, "we did because we thought it gave the best chance for our people to survive."

He paused, sighing. "But we didn't breed our people like cattle, and we didn't use their bodies so we could try to live forever. And we sure as shit never tried to pretend we were gods. So, yeah, Russell Lightbourne's actions were horrific. And he killed two of our own, totally unprovoked, for no reason other than to satisfy his own selfish aims."

Bellamy nodded toward the end of the table, where Jordan had retaken his seat.

"But Jordan's right about one thing. A lot of people still believe in Russell's divinity, so we're going to have to think of a way to keep the man on display while at the same time removing his power and authority. And his chance of ever regaining them. Because killing him outright might provoke a bloody civil war and I'm pretty sure no one here wants that."

"Can't we just… remove his mind drive?" Octavia asked. "Murphy and Emori could take theirs out if they wanted to, right?"

"We could," Murphy agreed, "but all that'd do is stop our lives from being recorded on the thing. Same with Russell. We can take his mind drive out, and even destroy it so he'd never be able to plant himself into some other poor sap. But he'd still have the body he's got until it reaches its expiration date, and still be a potential threat. Right, Clarke?"

She nodded. "Yes. We have to come up with something else. And it needs to be something that Nelson and the Children of Gabriel can agree on, because ultimately, they're going to be in charge of the city. And of Russell."

"What the hell does that mean?" Raven asked, speaking up for the first time. "After everything we went through to get rid of those creeps, we're just… handing over authority to someone else?"

He heard Clarke's soft sigh and knew she was sorry she'd alluded to their leaving Sanctum, but for the moment Bellamy just brushed by Raven's question.

"Well, it is their city, Raven, but… more about that after we figure out what to do with Lightbourne…"

"May I make a suggestion?" a soft voice asked.

Bellamy blinked in surprise because Eric Jackson rarely had an opinion on security, generally leaving those matters to his partner. But he was a respected doctor, so Bellamy figured whatever he had to say was probably worth listening to.

"Of course. What did you have in mind?"

Jackson frowned. "I've been a little reluctant to even suggest this because one of the oaths I took was to do no harm. But in this case, I think maybe…"

He sighed, seeming to come to a decision.

"I've spent some time studying the pharmaceuticals here, everything they've created since they arrived a couple of centuries ago. And one thing they came up with is a substance that keeps the recipient… compliant, but otherwise appears to have no ill effects." He shrugged. "They may well have used it to keep control of their own population."

"You're suggesting… we drug Russell?" Clarke asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Jackson nodded. "I suppose I am. Unless you think it's… crossing a line."

"I think it's fucking brilliant!" Clarke enthused. "Kept in line by the very method he used on everyone else for two centuries. And no more than the man deserves."

"And this would actually work?" Indra sounded unconvinced.

"Yes," Jackson assured her. "We can even deliver the drug via his food. No need for special pills or injections."

Bellamy nodded. It sounded to him like it might be a viable solution. "Okay, what does everyone think of that plan?" He smiled. "We already have Clarke's opinion."

Echo shrugged heavily. "I'm with Indra. I think we should just get rid of him. But if that'll cause more fighting then I guess this is better than nothing."

Each of the others around that table nodded in agreement as Bellamy caught their eye, until at last his gaze fell on Jordan Green.

"So what do you think, Jordan? This work for you?"

"I think… it's more humane that killing him."

"No concerns about keeping the spiritual leader of his people on a pharmaceutical leash?"

"I suppose not. If it allows the believers to maintain their faith, and also keeps the peace."

"Good. But of course, it'll only work if no one knows about it, including Russell. I'm sure everyone in this room gets that." His eyes flicked here and there before returning to Jordan. "Because if word were to get out, if questions were to be asked — if the faithful, for instance, were to become angry and provoke a civil war — then whoever let the information slip would be responsible for that war. And have all those deaths to answer for."

Bellamy pinned Jordan with his gaze. "Understood?"

Jordan nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed heavily. "Completely"

Bellamy nodded. "Good." His head swung towards the opposite end of the table. "Miller, why don't you and Jackson coordinate on a plan, and let me know the details by the end of the day."

Miller nodded. "Will do."

"Okay, so… now that that's settled, we can talk about why so many of you were asked to attend this meeting today. And at the same time, answer Raven's question. I'm going to let Gabriel explain it to you."

A dozen faces looked surprised when Bellamy surrendered the floor to Gabriel, but that was nothing to their reactions when he started to explain the plan.

"Time travel?" Murphy's skepticism was palpable. "Is that even fucking possible?"

Gabriel shrugged. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think it was. If I didn't think the plan could work."

"And just like always it has to be Clarke who goes. With Bellamy to look after her."

Raven's biting remark cut through the general muttering, but Indra spoke up before Gabriel had a chance to respond.

"Of course it does," she snapped. "Bellamy and Clarke together are what make things work. That's just the way it is…"

"Indra's right," Octavia said. "I'm not crazy about the idea of my brother going off on another dangerous mission, but I know he and Clarke together have the best chance of pulling it off."

"Agreed," Miller said. "Everything went to shit the last time they weren't working together. And if they're willing to go…"

"And of course Clarke has actually met Becca, isn't that right?" Murphy smirked at Clarke. "Old friends, aren't you?"

Clarke rolled her eyes and said drily, "Uh, since that was in the City of Light, Murphy, which didn't actually exist, I'm not sure it counts."

There were a few chuckles around the table until Raven cut in again.

"And… what about us? If those bombs don't drop, and the Ark never existed, will we ever have been born? Or did nobody think of that little wrinkle?"

"Of course we did, Raven," Bellamy assured her. "Everyone from Sanctum will be okay because the Eligius 3 left some time before the bombs dropped, so it won't matter. But for the rest of us — for all the descendants of the Ark and the Grounders — all of you are gonna have to transport back to 21st century Earth. A few of you can go every month, until everyone's back to Earth before the date the bombs dropped. Gabriel's pretty sure we'll all be safe then."

"Pretty sure? Is that supposed to make me feel safe…"

"Look," Clarke broke in, rising from her seat before Raven could get wound up again. "Do you all realize what's at stake here? Everything that happened to the Earth — all the bad shit that went down over and over again — it all started with that one incident. Becca's insane computer dropped bombs all ever the world, killing billions of people. Billions. Isn't any small risk to ourselves worth it if we can somehow stop that from happening? How can we not at least try?"

"She's right," Emori spoke up. "With everything that's happened to us, if this actually works, and we can save the planet…"

"And as a bonus end up in a time period where booze was everywhere and mind-altering substances were plentiful," Murphy interjected with a grin.

"Shut up, John," Emori said, rolling her eyes. "You sound like an ass. And I know damn well you understand how important this is. Even if there are risks."

But Octavia had something to say about that.

"About the risks. Look, I've seen first-hand what Gabriel is capable of doing, so I have complete faith that he can get us all out of here on time. And I've also seen what Bellamy and Clarke can make happen when they work together. They can do this. We can all do this."

Bellamy gave his sister a crooked smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, O."

"So when do you plan to leave?" Miller asked abruptly, cutting to the chase. And in a few words shifting the conversation from a possible plan to a definite mission. "Because we'll want to get everything in place with Russell before you go."

"No later than two mornings from now," Gabriel answered for them. "After that, the window closes for another month."

"Then I'd say we've all got a lot to do before then," Bellamy said, rising, "so let's get on with it."

The meeting broke up then, and Gabriel asked Bellamy and Clarke to come back with him to go over some important details.

"That'll have to wait until after I talk to Madi," Clarke told him. "I don't want her hearing about this from anyone else."

Bellamy nodded and told Gabriel, "I'll wait until Clarke's ready and we'll come together."

When Clarke hurried off to find Madi, Bellamy thought he might actually get a few moments to himself. Maybe a little time to reflect on the extraordinary task before them… or at the very least grab a nap. Because sleep seemed to be in short supply these days.

But he'd barely left the dining room when he was accosted by Raven, who grabbed his arm and pulled him into a smaller side room.

"I need to talk to you," she said, and her tone said it wasn't a request.

"Okay. What's up?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Bellamy frowned. He was sure Raven had understood.

"I know it sounds absurd when I say it out loud, but we're going to try to… save the Earth."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then… what?"

Raven stared at him like he was an idiot. "Why isn't Echo going with you?"

Bellamy tried to control his annoyance at being interrogated by Raven.

"You heard Gabriel. At least for now, only two of us can go at once."

"And so of course it had to be you and Clarke. Jesus, Bellamy! Did you even bother to tell Echo you were going off for months with Clarke? Or was she blindsided about this… this mission like the rest of us at that meeting?"

"I told her yesterday."

"And what'd she say?"

Bellamy stared at Raven for a long moment, and his annoyance became tinged with anger.

"You can ask her yourself if you're so interested," he said finally, "but right now I'm gonna go take a nap."

He turned to leave, but Raven was insistent.

"I'm asking you, Bellamy."

He whirled on her, trying to control his growing anger.

"What the hell gives you the right to poke into my personal life like this, Raven?"

Her chin rose and her eyes narrowed. "Echo is family."

"Yeah? Well, she's family to me, too."

Raven frowned. "What the hell does that mean? She's more than family to you, Bellamy. You… you're together."

Bellamy closed his eyes in frustration, appalled that he'd somehow allowed himself be cornered into this conversation.

"No," he said flatly, "we're not."

She gaped at him, her brow furrowing. "You broke up with her? Because… because of Clarke?"

"I broke up with her because of me, Raven. This is my life."

"But…"

"You know, I thought you and I were family, too."

"Of course we are."

"Then maybe you'll let me be in charge of my own life. And give me a little credit for knowing what I want."

For a moment Raven was silent, and then she shrugged lightly. "All right," she said. "So… how did Echo take it?"

He gritted his teeth and promised himself this would be the last question he'd answer.

"She accepted it. Accepted that it was my choice. I hope you will, too, and that you won't decide it's somehow all Clarke's fault." He sighed. "But if you can't, if you have an issue with… anything, then that's your problem. Don't try to make it mine."

"So you and Clarke… you're together now?" she asked then, her voice carefully neutral.

Okay, one more answer just so she wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"No," he shook his head. "Not in the way you mean."

"But… you want to be."

"And that could not be less your business," he said, moving towards the doorway. "That's it, Raven. I'm done."

"Wait!" she protested as he left the room and started down the hallway. But Bellamy had run out of patience.

XXXXXXXXXX

Clarke was reminded once again what a quick mind her thirteen-year-old daughter had when Madi immediately caught the implications of their mission — both pro and con.

"What you and Bellamy are trying to do is amazing," she enthused. "Think of all the people you can save!"

"That's why we're going, Madi. But there's… kind of a downside…"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I already figured that out. If the Earth never got destroyed, then we — you and me and all our friends— we can't possibly exist. So I suppose, if fixing things works, we could all just… disappear."

"Gabriel's not going to let that happen," Clarke hastened to reassure her. "You're all going to be transported to Earth, a few at a time, long before the date the bombs were dropped. I'll ask Gabriel to send you first."

"No, please don't, Clarke. You know the others would be a lot more help with the mission. I'll be fine here. I have Gaia. And… and Octavia."

"Octavia?"

Madi laughed. "You should see your face! But Octavia isn't Blodreina anymore. She came to me to apologize for the danger she put me in. She said…"

Madi paused, as if trying to recall Octavia's exact words.

"Octavia said she lost herself when she was in the bunker. Forgot who she was. That she let bad ideas get inside her head that persuaded her to do terrible things. Things she regrets a lot. But she's trying to become herself again. She also said she's grateful that Bellamy decided to give her another chance to prove she's a decent human being, and she hopes I will, too."

Madi looked up at Clarke with solemn eyes. "Honestly, Clarke, after everything that happened with Sheidheda, I know how easy it can be for things to get twisted up inside your head."

"But you had the Flame in your head," Clarke reminded her. "Octavia had nothing like that."

Madi shrugged. "I think she was probably terrified inside, so it wasn't all that different for her. But she deserves a second chance, Clarke. Everyone does, Besides," her eyes glinted, "I want to get to know the real Octavia better because she's Bellamy's sister. And that makes her my family."

Clarke rolled her eyes as she pulled her daughter into her arms.

"I love you, Madi," she told her. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you, too, but I'm so proud of you, Clarke. And don't worry… I'll be okay."

"I know you will. You hardly need me at all anymore."

Madi snuggled into her shoulder, "Maybe there'll come a time when I won't need you in the same way," she said, "but I'll still always want you around."

Tears sprang to Clarke's eyes, and she wondered for the zillionth time what she could possibly have done to deserve having Madi in her life.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was late afternoon by the time Clarke and Bellamy finally made it to Gabriel's, and it was clear he'd become impatient.

"You leave in less than two days and we still have a lot of important things to get done."

Clarke nodded. "Okay, then let's get to it."

"The first thing is… I think we need to convert Bellamy's blood to what you call nightblood."

A surprised Bellamy objected immediately.

"Why the hell do I need to do that? If we have to convince Becca we're really from the future, Clarke already has nightblood. Not to mention she still has that damn mind drive in her head, even though I wanted her to get rid of it."

Gabriel nodded. "All of which will help prove your case with Becca, assuming you can get to her. But that's not really why I'm suggesting it."

"Then what?"

Bellamy would need to be given a damn good reason why he should become a nightblood.

"Because there's always the chance this mission might not succeed. That you'll be stuck on the planet when those bombs drop…"

He shrugged. "Then Jackson can do his thing and make us all nightbloods. You said the rest would be down by then."

"That's the plan, yes. But plans sometimes fail."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

"Bellamy!"

Clarke had been quiet during his short exchange with Gabriel, but now she burst into speech, her face filled with anxiety.

"I think what Gabriel is saying is that things could go… completely wrong. And that there's at least some possibility you and I could end up stranded on Earth without our friends when the bombs drop."

"Exactly," Gabriel agreed. "And Clarke wouldn't be able to extract the marrow from herself to help you. Isn't that right, Clarke?"

"Yes. Please, Bellamy, I know you don't think it's necessary, but Gabriel's right. Our plans could get shot to hell and then I'd be spending all my time worrying about you. But if you let us make you a nightblood now, at least we'd both have a fighting chance."

Bellamy sighed, seeing her point. Understanding the wisdom of taking the extra precaution against failure. But most of all, wanting desperately to wipe the look of worry from Clarke's eyes.

"Okay," he nodded, resigned. "So how do we do this, Gabriel?"

"If I do it now, that'll give Clarke enough time to get back to full strength before you leave."

"Right now?" It was the last thing he'd expected.

"Good to get it over with," Clarke said, quickly removing her jacket and rolling up her sleeve.

It was the work of only minutes for Gabriel to take Clarke's bone marrow and make the necessary adjustments before injecting it into Bellamy.

And just like that, Bellamy was a nightblood.

He was surprised that he felt no effects at all from such a major modification to his body chemistry. Clarke was clearly weakened, but when he suggested they call it quits for the day, she insisted she'd be fine.

"Too much to do. What's next, Gabriel?"

"If you're sure." She nodded. "Then let's go over what you'll need when you get to the ground."

"What we'll need?"

Gabriel gave them one of his rare smiles.

"Yes, like food and shelter. You're not going back to an Earth that's uninhabited forests, but to one filled with people. People who wouldn't be happy to find you camping in their yard or trying to hunt in their parks. You'll need money. Actual cash."

He opened a cabinet and pulled out a wooden box.

"I brought this with me a couple of centuries ago as a reminder of home." He huffed a laugh. "I never thought it would be anything more than an antiquity."

He took out a stash of hundred-dollar bills and handed some to each of them.

"This isn't enough to get you very far, but you'll be able to buy food and hopefully transportation to your first stop."

"Which is?" Clarke shot back immediately.

"My sister's house in Arlington, Virginia. If the stone lands you in some other part of the world, I hope the cash will be enough to get you to the east coast of the US. After you find Rosa, she'll give you all the funds you need."

"Your sister's just going to hand over piles of money?" Bellamy couldn't help being skeptical.

"It's my money, so she will when you give her the letter I'm going to write, along with some personal mementos."

"Okay," Clarke nodded quickly, as though eager to move on to the next issue. But when she swayed on her feet a bit, Bellamy could see she wasn't nearly as strong as she was pretending to be.

"That's it," he said immediately. "We're going back now, Clarke, if I have to carry you,"

"But…"

"No, Bellamy's right," Gabriel said. "You should rest while you can. I just need to take some quick pictures so I can make you some IDs."

There were no questions about that. IDs were a concept the former Ark dwellers were more than familiar with.

Pictures taken, they were soon on the path back to Sanctum. And as they hurried through the forest and across the fields, Bellamy tried to digest the fact that he'd suddenly and unexpectedly become a nightblood.

XXXXXXXXXX

Their last day on Sanctum passed in a blur of activity. Clarke and Bellamy spent most of the day with Gabriel, going over details of the mission and collecting everything they'd need to make sure they wouldn't fail. That evening there were so many lingering goodbyes that Clarke was eventually overcome with exhaustion.

"I'm going to bed," she finally told Bellamy, heading toward the room she shared with Madi in Josephine Lightbourne's old quarters.

"Yeah, me, too," he said, "as soon as I say good night to Octavia."

And then he began to look just slightly uncomfortable, not quite meeting her eye.

"I was thinking… would it be okay if I slept on the couch in the anteroom outside your door. Might make it easier in the morning, since we have to leave so early..."

"Sure, why not?" she said lightly, only then beginning to consider that soon she and Bellamy would become inseparable companions.

A few moments later she slid into bed beside a sleeping Madi. She was so tired that it felt like she'd only just fallen asleep when, several hours later, Bellamy gently shook her awake.

"Morning, Clarke. The sun'll be up soon. It's time to go."

She pulled herself out of bed, leaving a soft kiss on Madi's forehead. Minutes later, they were hurrying across the courtyard toward the path that would take them into the forest and on to Gabriel's hut.

When they got there, they found him anxiously awaiting them in the doorway.

They all spent a little time on last-minute reminders and instructions as he handed them each a two-pronged metal rod that bore a strong resemblance to a tuning fork.

"Try to send a message back from that end if you can. You can use the code we talked about, assuming the stone at the Earth end looks like this one."

Bellamy nodded. "We won't forget."

"Any last minute questions before you leave?"

Clarke glanced at Bellamy and then shook her head.

"No, but… I just want to say… this mission, what you've figured out, Gabriel… saving an entire planet… it's just amazing. And if it works, no one will even know you saved them."

Gabriel shrugged. "I've done a lot of terrible things since we arrived here, Clarke. Maybe this can make up for some of them. "

It was a sentiment she understood completely.

They grabbed the backpacks that'd been carefully packed the night before with everything they might need for their journey, and then descended the stairway to the lower level and the enormous, symbol-inscribed stone that was about to change their destinies. And, if they were successful, save billions of others.

Clarke watched as Gabriel touched a series of symbols on the stone, and then a green glow began to emanate from it.

"It's time," he told them. "Good luck."

She stepped into the glow and instinctively reached for Bellamy's hand, but it was already too late. The light had grabbed onto them and she could see nothing, not even Bellamy, although he'd been standing right next to her. Clarke wasn't sure what she'd expected from the wormhole, but it certainly wasn't this lack of sensation. All she could feel, all she could hear, were her own harsh breaths.

When the light abruptly disappeared, and she found herself in utter darkness, panic began to set in.

"Bellamy!" she whispered hoarsely. "Are you there?"

"Clarke! Thank god!" She could hear the relief in his voice. "Don't move. I'll find you."

A light clicked on, and she knew by the narrow beam that it must be Bellamy's flashlight.

"I'm here," she said, the direction of her voice helping him find her at last.

And then he was beside her, clutching at her hand like he'd never let go. They smiled at one another in the dim light of Bellamy's flashlight.

"Where are we, do you think?" she asked, reassured by the feel of Bellamy's large warm hand.

"No idea."

When he began to play the light carefully around them, it looked to Clarke that they might be inside a room made entirely of concrete.

And then something caught her eye.

"Wait! Go back! To the left."

He followed her instruction, the beam inching slowly leftward, and suddenly… there it was. Exactly what she thought she'd seen. A symbol etched into the concrete wall that she would surely have recognized anywhere.

A rising sun.

They gazed at each other in disbelief, and then Bellamy voiced what they both knew must be true.

"Son of a bitch. We're inside the bunker."