"What's wrong with a little chaos?" — Bellamy Blake, "Earth Skills"

They were all dragging their feet. It had been a week of patching up arrow wounds, knife wounds, sword wounds, healing infections, amputating limbs. They were nearing the end of it though, only a few people left in need of medical attention, all re-injuries. Abby was exhausted, Nyko was exhausted, Jackson was too. Kath and Troy were asleep on the ground in the corner of the medical tent they had set up at Lexa's camp. Ash and Wella, the two Grounder healers, who were with the Broadleaf and Blue Cliff clans respectively, were talking in low voices near the opening.

Abby walked outside, needing fresh air. She leaned against a crate and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted to Marcus, wondering what he was doing. They had barely any time to talk in the week she had been flitting between Arkadia and Lexa's camp. When they did, it wasn't for long and not much was said. Raven tried convincing her that no news was good news but Abby remained in a state of anxiety. How long did it take an army of Ontari's size to travel 400 miles?

Jackson touched her shoulder, startling her out of her thoughts. He crouched down and took her hand. She smiled at the gesture, he had been so kind — more than usual — since begging her to come back, to leave Clarke and Marcus. He whispered, "Munn needs that operation then you should go back to Arkadia."

She sat up, alert. "Is there a problem?"

He shook his head. "No, but you need sleep and you have barely seen Benja in the last two days."

She nodded after a moment's thought. "I've been a little busy."

"You have," he agreed with a pat of her hand. "And we are very appreciative. But you have to sleep too."

She sighed and let him pull her to her feet. Abby drew in a deep breath and walked into the medical tent. Munn was already on the table, prepped and ready for surgery. Ash stood there, ready to assist — Jackson had another surgery to take care of.

"Have you applied the local anesthetic?" Abby asked as she washed her hands. The Broadleaf healer nodded. "Let's get started then."

The surgery only took an hour. It was all blood and sutures, fixing the hole in his stomach that had opened again after he disregarded her advice of 'taking it easy' after getting stabbed there. She scolded him during the surgery when he said that she needn't bother, that he would just open the wound up again. Abby washed her hands again after and changed her bloody shirt right there in the tent with her back to the men who were talking in low voices. She didn't care about modesty anymore, the Grounders never had.

She nodded to them as she walked out of the tent and headed for Arkadia, a small backpack slung over her shoulders. It was a half mile back to camp and Abby took it at a leisurely pace. Her mind was blank the whole way as she listened to the birds in the trees and watched the sky turn from blue to pink, a faint orange on the horizon. She wondered if she would ever tire of seeing the sun set.

Shouts broke through her reverie as she walked through the gate and down the corridor of stables and storage buildings. She emerged into the yard and saw that the football field Marcus, Bellamy, Bennett, and Wick had made for the kids was packed with people, a match in progress.

Gwen stood on the sidelines with dozens of spectators, hands on her hips as she scolded, "Benja, if you don't calm down, you're out!"

He was on the ground with Domhnall Banks, legs tangled in the aftermath of a nasty tackle. He jumped to his feet and yelled, "I did no thing wrong!"

Wick ran over and grabbed Benja, pulling him away from the apparent referee. He said, "Nou ste laud, Ben. Em na jok yu au pleiplei. | Don't be loud, Ben. She will remove you from the game."

Jasper shouted from the other side of the field, "Control your player, Wick!"

It seemed that Jasper and Wick were the coaches and Abby couldn't think of worse picks to be in charge. She was just glad to see Jasper up and moving around, albeit with the assistance of crutches. She walked over and stood next to Gwen as she nodded to Ingrid Müller — the mechanics teacher — who stood amongst the players with the ball. She seemed to be the head referee while Gwen was the assistant of sorts.

"How did this start?" Abby asked, looking at the forty or so citizens watching the game.

She shrugged. "The kids wanted to play, the others got word of it. Before long, Harper, Gina, Monty and Rebecca wanted in. Wick and Jasper decided to coach. Ingrid figured we should make it a real competition. She thinks we should get a league going; all because of that lunatic you have living with you."

"You call it lunacy, I call it passion," Abby said dismissively as she watched Benja take the ball easily from Edric Lukacevic and dribble up the field toward the opposing team's goalie, Alexei Jephcott. Abby asked, "Isn't it unfair to have the teenagers involved?"

"They're only allowed to defend," Gwen replied, watching Gina try and stop Benja who easily dodged her with the ball. He passed it to Reese Lemkin whose shot was blocked by Alexei.

"Good job, Al!" Jasper shouted as he clapped his hands, urging his team to hustle toward the other end of the field on a quick counterattack. Harper smiled at him as she passed to keep a high defensive line with Gina. Abby could see that Kane's plan of letting romance take its course with the two was working. In the week she had been at Arkadia, she hadn't been able to visit Jasper's bedside without seeing Harper there too.

"How's Domhnall doing?" Abby asked quietly, watching the newest orphan run by on the field. It had been three weeks since he lost his father, killed by Octavia. Abby had seen him only a handful of times since the funeral where he had been too upset to stay and watch James Banks be lowered into the ground.

Gwen hesitated, keeping her eyes on the match. "He's better, he still cries some nights." She glanced at Abby and said, "I know James was horrible in the end, but that kid doesn't deserve this."

"None of them do," Abby said with a nod. Of the eight children on the field, only half had at least one parent, including Benja, and she knew she and Kane were poor substitutes for his real parents. Parish Helm's father was in Buffalo, so was Cara Costa's — both of their mothers were home though. Oswin Gottlieb was the only one with his father at Arkadia, as he was the chemistry teacher. Daniel was across the field, watching his son play goalkeeper on Benja's team.

"Do you ever wonder what our lives would have been like if the Ark hadn't been dying?" Gwen whispered. Abby looked at her, but her eyes were following the ball.

She would never admit how often she had thought about that very scenario in the early days following Jake's death. She would be in Go Sci right now, dealing with minor injuries or doing a checkup or at a Council meeting. But there was one thing for certain: she would have been going home to Jake and Clarke after. It was a bittersweet thought — going home to Jake. Though she had a loving man to go home to now, there was still that lingering what if in the back of her mind — what if Jake had survived? She didn't like to think about it because it would mean that Marcus wouldn't be hers.

Gwen looked at her, seeing the deep frown on her face. She touched her arm lightly, pulling her out of her thoughts, and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean…"

"It's fine, I—" Abby began, glad that the shrill whistle cut her off. She and Gwen looked at the field and found Wick storming at Ingrid, fired up about something.

He yelled, "That was a crap call! A dive if I've ever seen one!"

"Gwen!" Ingrid shouted, annoyance clear in her voice as she glared at Wick. "What's the verdict?"

She frowned as she looked at Ingrid. Benja stood next to Wick, his hands on his little hips as he scowled down at Cara Costa on the ground, clearly in agreement with his coach that the recipient of his challenge was overplaying the severity of it. Abby's eyes met his and she shook her head at him, he frowned and looked at the ground.

Bennett, on Gwen's other side, muttered in her ear, "Yellow card for Benja."

Gwen nodded and called, "Kane, that's a yellow card!"

Wick just shook his head, muttering to himself as he headed back to his stretch of sideline. Abby whispered to Gwen, "Send that little lunatic along after the game."

Gwen nodded and Abby started to leave, touching Bennett's arm as she went. She headed toward Gedanes and was halfway there when she heard a shout from behind her. She stopped, her shoulders tensing — she had nearly been home. She turned and found Penn running her way. She asked, "What is it, Penn?"

"The Commander wishes to speak with you."

"Can't she take it up with Sinclair?" She asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

He shook his head. "It's about Ice Nation."

"Tell her to meet me in the Council chamber," Abby replied with a sigh. She left without another word and went straight to the chamber, sitting down heavily and waiting. Her eyes followed Lexa and Indra as they entered the room and sat opposite her. "What's this about?"

Indra began, "The Commander believes—"

"Is the Commander incapable of speaking for herself?" Abby asked.

Lexa replied, "I want to send my fastest riders to aid Kane in Tonawa."

"What difference would a few of your warriors make?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have 400 ready to go, all on horseback. They can be there in two days—"

"What's to say they even make it in time?" Abby asked.

Indra said, "Our scouts have reported that Ontari is only halfway to Tonawa. Lexa's riders can make it to the village before the army. They need vengeance for what happened here."

"You people need to understand that vengeance is never the smart choice," Abby said, frowning. She understood that jus drein jus daun was their way of life, but she didn't see its appeal — it only ended in more death. "Do whatever you want, just don't get my people killed for your vengeance."

"No harm will come to Skaikru," Lexa offered sincerely.

"We've heard that before," Abby said, rolling her eyes. They settled on Lexa again and found a strange expression on her face, something between annoyance and regret. She asked, "Do you plan to ride off to battle with your warriors, Commander?"

She nodded. "A commander who does not fight with her people shouldn't be the commander."

"A commander who fights with a hole in her side won't be the commander for much longer either," Abby chastised. She had insisted on seeing Lexa's wound when she arrived at the camp and knew it needed more time to heal still. The Commander just gave her a look and Abby replied, "It's your life."

The sun was low in the sky by the time she finally made it back to her quarters. Benja was on the couch, lounging with Penn's book, studying. He smiled at her before turning back to the book. As she hung up her jacket on its hook, she called, "No talking back to Gwen or Ingrid again, okay?"

Benja nodded, not looking up. She smiled and walked to her bedroom, ruffling his floppy hair on the way. She shut the door behind her and stepped out of her pants before climbing into the bed. She reached absently for the small, handheld radio Wick had given her a few days ago. It was already set to channel three, the only one Kane ever had his set to — it was an established fact that that was the way to reach him, his own personal channel if only it was ever free.

No one was on the line now and Abby pressed the button, calling, "Marcus?"

It was nearly a minute before there was a break in the static and she heard a sleepy, "Abby?"

"Did I wake you?"

"I'm on guard duty tonight," he explained. After a moment, he asked, "How was your day?"

She smiled before she replied, "Exhausting. Too many surgeries and I think Benja's going to get kicked off the football league before it even starts."

"Too many yellow cards?" There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

"Don't encourage him, he's too aggressive on the field as it is," Abby replied, staring at the ceiling.

"As Chancellor, I forbid him from being kicked off the league."

Abby sighed into the receiver and he laughed quietly. She asked, "How was your day?"

"I spent most of it waiting around for Roan. Then there was another war council meeting before Roan did what he planning to do anyway."

She sighed and replied quietly, "I think that's the Grounder way."

"I think you are right."

She frowned and ran her hand through her hair as she glanced at the empty spot next to her on the bed. She wished she was having this conversation in person with him, either in Tonawa or here, it didn't matter as long as they were together. This week apart had done nothing good for her, the worry that was a constant nag in the back of her mind was exhausting.

"Hey," he said gently. "Are you okay?"

She didn't reply right away, not sure if she should tell him that she hated this, that waking alone was the worst thing after having him in her bed for so many months. She replied, "I'm fine."

"Abby, please. I'm not there, I…" He paused and she waited, imagining the concentration on his face as he struggled to find the right words. "I need you to tell me what's wrong."

She sighed and said, "I miss you."

"I miss you too," he said quietly, like it was a secret. "When are you coming back?"

"I didn't think you wanted me to come back," she said, brows knitting together. If it were up to her, she would have left after the major surgeries were handled. That was four days ago.

"Of course, I do, Abby."

"You said I was safer here."

"You are, but I'm selfish. Please, Abby, come back as soon—"

His voice cut off and Abby frowned, bringing the radio up to look at properly. The display wasn't lit up, it didn't look like it was even on. She fiddled with the dials before pressing the button and calling, "Marcus?"

There was no answer. Panic flashed through her and she called his name again to no avail. She slid out of bed and pulled her pants back on, grabbing the radio as she hurried out of the room.

"Weron yu kamp raun? | Where are you going?" Benja asked, watching her breeze through the living room to the front door.

"To see Raven," she said, clutching the radio tightly in her fist.

"All I'm saying is that the Grounders could pick up a book every once in a while," Bellamy muttered, forcing a quiet laugh from Kane's mouth. They sat on the railing of the battlement above the gate, watching the trees for movement, their guns across their laps.

After everything that had happened that day — communications going dead, Roan deciding on the blockade in the most illogical place — he was glad that Bellamy had offered to keep him company on guard duty, his mind wasn't something he wanted to be alone with right now. He was worried, thoughts consumed by any reason their radios might have gone dark. None of his people had been able to figure it out and he feared the worst, worried that something had happened to Arkadia. Bellamy was a welcomed distraction.

Kane replied, "You shouldn't have insulted them for not reading The Iliad and The Odyssey."

Bellamy rolled his eyes and said, "I was talking the Trojan War, it's history! How can they not know anything about this world they live in? We know about it and we grew up in space!"

"I would keep my voice down if I were you, I'm in no mood to pull an arrow from your back."

"I think you're supposed to leave it in unless you know how to remove it," Bellamy replied, glancing at him. "I would leave it to Clarke."

"She would be your best bet," he said with a nod, staring out at the trees. "Still, she wouldn't be too happy with you getting shot over an argument about what the Trojan Horse was."

"Okay, but, how could they not know!" Bellamy asked quietly. Kane rolled his eyes as the young man launched into a full history lesson, one Kane already knew by heart.

"Bellamy?" Neither of them had noticed her climb the ladder nor walk across the planks behind them. He chalked it up to the fact that they were focusing on the trees rather than the fact that they were poor excuses for guards tonight.

"Yeah?" He asked overeagerly, half-turning on the battlement railing.

"Can I talk to Kane alone?" She asked. Bellamy glanced at Kane who was still staring at the trees. Out of the corner of his eye, Kane saw him hop off the railing onto the planks. He touched Clarke's arm and whispered something to her, she shook her head and he started down the ladder.

Clarke climbed onto the railing and swung her legs over the ledge. She stared off into the trees and he asked, "What did he ask?"

"If he should come back," she replied. "I said I could keep you company."

Kane nodded and went back to watching the trees. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder and his body stiffened. He had never expected this out of her, not after what he had done. She was a constant surprise.

After a few moments, Clarke whispered, "I know you're worried about her. I am too."

"Ontari should have been here by now. What if she went back to Arkadia? What if that's why our radios went dead?" He wondered aloud, his hands gripping the railing under him. "I let Abby go back to uncertainty. I…" He drew in a rattled breath before he concluded, "I shouldn't have let her go."

Clarke frowned up at him. "She would have gone anyway."

He let out a breathy laugh and nodded, staring out at the trees, but not really seeing them. "She would have."

They were silent for a while and Clarke leaned more heavily against him. Tentatively, he wrapped his arm around her and she sank into him. He looked down at her face and found her eyes closed, a small smile on her face. He didn't deserve this, her acceptance was the last thing he should have been warranted. He was the one who charged her with treason along with her father. She should steer clear of him, she should hate him. But she didn't.

She whispered, "Kane?"

"Hmm?" He asked, eyes making a large sweep of the tree line.

"Were you friends with my dad?" She asked.

He frowned, unsure of where the question had come from. He said, "I was. Why?"

"I always wondered," she said with a shrug as she looked at the trees.

"Clarke—" he began but she cut him off.

She had perked up, pulling away from his slightly. "What was that?"

Kane looked in the direction she was and saw movement on the tree line. He looked at her, finding her eyes on him. He turned and hopped off the railing, grabbing his gun. She did the same before following him to the ladder.

They walked through the side gate and approached the movement as quiet as shadows. Whoever it was wasn't trying to hide their presence. Kane entered the trees first, Clarke at his heels. They approached the woman crouched in the shadow of a tree. She was watching Tonawa. Kane's eyes grew wide as he recognized Nati.

"What are you doing?" He asked, keeping his gun raised.

"Waiting for you," she replied, rising to her feet.

He began, "What—?"

The snap of a twig behind them cut him off and Clarke and Kane turned to find Carl Emerson walking through the trees toward them. They didn't have the chance to say a word or fire off a round as Nati attacked them from behind and two Grounders dropped from the trees to assist.

"It is good to see you two again," he said, watching as the Grounders relieved them of their guns and tied their hands behind their backs. "Our queen has a few questions for you."

Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! Again, sorry for taking forever, I suck.

-Lauren