Another four years had passed and the children, now teenagers, had taken the space and designated it as theirs. After their training sessions, the entrance would lock and only those with a specific code could enter. They had brought in couches, tables, and chairs. A few Raven-made fridges filled with electrolyte heavy drinks and some infamous Monty moonshine which was only drunk on special occasions. Charlotte had finally joined the group and spent many hours grumbling about having to catch up to the rest. Octavia was snuck in whenever the chance presented itself. She spent most of her time split between training with Miller, who had taken to the training like a fish to water, and getting tutored by Tennyson.

That afternoon, the discussion centered around Octavia and the difficulty they were having getting her in and out of the space.

"It's not fair," Octavia bemoaned as she flopped on one of the couches, dislodging her own brother. "I'm never going to get caught up if I stay stuck underneath the floor all the damn time."

"You're worrying too much, O," her brother said, trying to calm the pouting twelve-year-old. "You'll get it. You're as smart as the rest of us. And in four years when Clarke and Ten take over the Council…"

That had apparently been the wrong thing to say as Octavia jumped up and glared hotly at her brother, "Four years! Four Years! Do you know how much can happen in four years?! I'm a ticking time bomb, Bell. All it would take is a guard passing by at the wrong moment and it's over. For me. For Mom. Hell, even for you."

"That's enough, Octavia," Clarke said from her seat. "We've actually been thinking about this and we may have come up with a solution. We'll tell you if you settle down."

Octavia whirled around to look at Clarke, hope daring to show on her face. So, as calmly as she could, she sat back down and turned her attention to the thirteen-year-old blonde, "What kind of solution are you talking about, Princess?"

Clarke rolled her eyes at the nickname and sent a mental call out to Raven and Monty to bring their focus on to the impending conversation. When she was sure that the right people had turned their attention to her, she said, "The solution is to make you an orphan, Octavia."

"An orphan?! You're going to turn in my mom and Bellamy," Octavia shrieked and would have lunged at her if Bellamy hadn't held her down.

With a tight grip on his sister, he hissed at her, "Calm down, O. That's not what she meant. Shut up and listen before you start assuming things. Got it?"

Octavia took a calming breath and nodded before Bellamy loosened his grip and allowed Clarke to continue.

"Thanks, Bell," she said, smiling at him and then said, "We give you a new identity, Octavia. There were a few stillborn births around the time you were born. I've seen the medical records when I've helped my mom in Medical. It's unfortunate that it still happens, but this only helps you and us. Thanks to Monty's mad hacking skills, he's been able to cross-check that information with couples that have been floated recently. Monty?"

Startling at being put in the spotlight, he stammered out, "Um, right… according to ArkSec's logs, there were three couples that were summarily floated that fit the parameters that we needed. Couples that bore a strong enough resemblance to Octavia. Dark hair, blue or green eyes, olive complexion stemming from possible Mediterranean descent. Our best couple out of the three was floated less than a month ago."

"What were they floated for," Octavia asked, unsure how she felt about being associated with criminals.

Monty looked at the tablet he had in his hand and with a few swipes of his fingers, he answered, "They were caught stealing opioids with the intent to sell."

"I guess that's not too bad," Octavia said mostly to herself. "At least they weren't murderers."

"True," Raven said, speaking up finally. "According to the files, they had a stillborn girl thirteen years ago. The couple had hidden the pregnancy from their families and the subsequent death was kept under wraps. Honestly, we couldn't have come up with a better cover story if we invented it ourselves. They didn't even bother to name her before she was shot out into space."

Octavia nodded and asked, "So, how would this work? How do you suddenly make a dead baby suddenly appear thirteen years later?"

This time Ten spoke up, "According to neighbors, the couple kept to themselves. Barely spoke to anyone outside what was necessary for their jobs. They never left the confines of their home except to go to work or to sneak out and deal with their products. They were quiet enough that their neighbors pretty much forgot they were there. Until the guard showed up, of course. So, it wouldn't be surprising to find out that they had a child that was kept close to home. There have been instances when parents have decided to homeschool their children, which is part of your cover story."

"Which means that it would have been unlikely for me to have ever needed to step out of the home. Or if I supposedly did, it was after hours like when they snuck out."

Tennyson grinned and said, "Right. So, to get you out and about, we create the identity. Clarke can take your medical history and create the necessary medical records. Monty and Raven create the necessary documentation; birth certificate, educational transcript and so on. Once that's done, you can enroll yourself in school with the rest of us."

"Um, one question. Where would I live," she asked worriedly.

"Orphan ward," Raven answered. "It's not the best place to live, trust me, but it's better than living under the floor."

"True," Clarke interjected. "There's a good possibility that once you're enrolled and have 'joined' our pack, that one of us may be able to convince our parents to let you live with us. Especially, once my mom figures out that you share the same qualities as the rest of us."

Tennyson chuckled and shook her head, "Your mom's really not that great at hiding the fact that she's been studying us, is she?"

Clarke laughed, "She has no clue that I caught her taking notes after every conversation we've had. Or the fact, that we caught on to all those 'tests' she's requested on us over the years. I have no problem that she's doing it. It only helps us better understand exactly what we are and what we might be capable of."

"You don't think she's let Jaha in on her studies, do you," Monroe asked worriedly.

"No, I don't think so," Clarke answered, shaking her head. "Her Alpha pride won't let anyone else have the knowledge that she alone possesses. She'll use it as leverage to gain a higher seat on the Council if she feels like it's worth it. Only then, will we have to worry about it."

"I think we're digressing from the conversation," Tennyson said, returning everyone's attention to the plan.

"You're right. That's a topic of discussion for another day. Anyway, Octavia, that's pretty much the solution. Do you think this is something you want to do? I mean, it gets you out and into our small world. Bellamy and your mother won't have to worry about you accidentally being found out. You won't lose either one of them and you'll be able to visit your mom whenever you want since you'll be 'friends' with Bellamy."

Everyone waited patiently as Octavia thought about it. She knew that Monty and Raven were the best when it came to forging the necessary documents. Thanks to Bellamy being there, they would have intimate details regarding her birth. She'd still be his sister and her mom would still be her mom, she'd only have fake parents who just happened to have existed but are now dead. She didn't like the idea of living in the Orphan Ward, but she thought it would be worth it to finally be free to have a life. She wouldn't have to hide anymore.

"I say we do it," she said, coming to a decision. "It'd be great if we could convince someone's parents to let me live with one of you, but I think I can handle living in the Orphan Ward if it doesn't pan out. And hey, it makes me one year older than I really am!"

Everyone laughed at that and Tennyson said, "That's the spirit, O. Bellamy, you gonna be okay with this?"

"It's going to be weird not having her around the place anymore," he said carefully. "I know Mom may have a hard time adjusting, but she'll see that it's the best possible solution. I mean, it keeps all of us alive."

"Exactly, Bellboy," Raven said. "You stay alive. Octavia stays alive. Your mom stays alive. Ah, ha, ha, ha, Stayin' alive. "

"No, don't you dare, Raven," Clarke said, getting up quickly and lunging at the suddenly singing Latina.

Raven only cackled and ran over to one of her fridges, "Ya know? I think this is cause for a celebration. What do you say? Octavia, you with me?"

"Hell yeah, I am," Octavia replied, grinning and making gimme hand motions. "Happy Birthday to me! By the way, what's my name now?"

"Octavia Marie Essex," Monty supplied.

She nodded, liking the name, "Not bad. I like it."

"Good," Raven said as she plunked back down next to Octavia and took a swig of moonshine, "Now, let's celebrate our baby girl's birth. Long live Octavia Marie Essex!"

A cheer went up around the room as music started blaring through the speakers. Clarke and Tennyson shared a look of pride over their pack.

Clarke leaned against Tennyson's shoulder as she watched everyone enjoying themselves, "They needed this, didn't they?"

"It's more like they'll use any excuse to bring out the moonshine and weed," Ten countered, laughing. "But, yeah, I gotta agree, they need something to celebrate."

"Speaking of celebrations isn't your birthday next week," she asked, coyly.

Ten nodded, "Yep."

"Got anything planned yet?"

"Nope. Why? You're not gonna plan a party, are you," she asked, looking down at Clarke and for a moment she felt something squeeze in her chest at Clarke's small smile.

It squeezed harder when Clarke turned her intense blue eyes to look at her and between one heartbeat and the next she forgot to breathe. Her mind froze as she lost herself in the deep blue shade. She didn't come back until Clarke's lips quirked up in a smirk drawing her gaze down. She had never noticed how full Clarke's lips were or how her beauty mark immediately drew the eye to them. She shifted a little and coughed to cover up her lapse before she focused on what Clarke was now saying.

Except that Clarke felt her smirk falter and the words she wanted to say died on her lips. She inhaled deeply, which was a mistake, as her senses were suddenly filled with Tennyson's scent. She couldn't place it because she had never smelled something like it, but she imagined that maybe it could be what the Earth smelled like on a warm summer day. Inviting you to be lazy as the sun warmed your skin and a gentle breeze blowing through your hair. Clarke closed her eyes without meaning to as she pictured herself on Earth and experiencing such a day. She didn't come out of her daydream until a voice called her back to reality.

"Clarke, you okay," Ten asked softly.

Clarke's eyes snapped open, "Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

Concern flitted across Ten's eyes as she asked, "You sure? I kinda lost you for a minute there."

She sat up straighter, clearing her throat and giving Ten a smile, "Yeah. Just daydreaming about Earth again."

Ten nodded, not completely believing her, but she let it go and asked instead, "You were going to ask me something. What was it?"

Clarke felt herself blush and replied hastily, "It was nothing. Nothing important, really. You don't want a birthday party?"

Ten chuckled, her face changing as she smiled and shook her head, "No. No party. I'd like something low-key this year. Just me and Mom watching some of my favorite movies. She's been so busy with work lately that we haven't spent a lot of time together. Not like we used to."

Clarke felt her heartstrings pull because of how close Ten and her mom were, which made her immediately feel bad for wanting to take that away from her. Instead, she said, "Why's your mom been working so much lately?"

Ten shrugged and replied, "Don't know. Since Jaha was elected Chancellor, she's been a lot busier. It probably has something to do with how Diana Sydney left her post. From what I've overheard, she had a lot of back table dealings going on and they're trying to get it all sorted out."

Clarke made a face, "Ugh, that woman is the absolute worse. Puts on a nice face, but is a complete snake."

"Yeah, but we'll just have to see what Jaha does now that he's Chancellor. Speaking of Jaha, do you think Wells would be willing to help us out with Octavia? It would make the transition go much smoother if we had him in our corner."

Clarke thought about it and nodded, "Yeah. We can trust him to help us out. You know that he doesn't agree with all of the laws. I thought you would have learned to trust him by now, Ten. He's never betrayed my trust."

"I trust him, Clarke. He's a good guy and I know I still give him a hard time sometimes, but you're the pack leader. It's my duty to protect you. I just don't want him to ever hurt you."

"He'd never hurt me, Ten. And I can take care of myself," she replied defensively.

Ten held up her hands in surrender and said, "I know you can, but as your Second and your friend, I worry. It comes with the territory."

Clarke huffed, but acquiesced, "Alright. I'll give you that, but you gotta be more open to trusting Reds. There's more of them then there are of us. We have to be able to work together if we want to make our home better. Okay?"

"Okay," she said and they lapsed into silence.

That had not been the way Clarke had envisioned her conversation going with Ten, but it seemed the inevitable path their conversations always went. Sometimes, Tennyson could be too serious and Clarke felt it was her duty to remind her to have fun sometimes. That was what she had been aiming for, but she had become distracted and it had fallen flat.

Instead, she turned her attention to the rest of the group. Laughing and joking with the others, but she couldn't escape the fact that Tennyson was mere inches away from her. It felt like her body was so intuned that she could feel every breath, every movement that the older girl made. Tennyson wasn't doing much better. Even though outwardly she was tuned in to the world around her, inwardly she was quaking with nervousness. She spent most of her time trying to figure out when her feelings for Clarke had changed. Or if they had always been there, but she just hadn't taken the time to notice. Well, she noticed now and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe Clarke felt the same way.

Unbeknownst to both of them, their circle of friends noticed and would give each other side glances and knowing smiles. In secret conversations, they were betting how long it would take before they finally took the plunge and admitted their feelings to one another.