Hello?
Anyone still around here?

Well, assuming at least one of you is... Hi! How are you? How have the last three years been?
I know, I am really terrible at committing to multi-chapter stories. I would say I'd start posting one-shots only, but my ideas tend to run away with me, so that wouldn't work either.

So, I'm not going to waffle on. I'm currently re-watching The 100 and both my love of these characters and my enthusiasm for this fic have been renewed (no guarantee how long the latter will last). I went dug out my old journal (when I say dug out I really mean I just grabbed it from a book shelf, no digging required) which I'd started writing this in, looked over my notes, found first drafts of a chapter and a half and here we are!

Up this chapter: Monty tries to understand the female mind and Raven doesn't like the idea of Murphy being ranked higher than her.

Shout out to the Guest reviewer from 24th June 2018 who asked for Emori's POV. Better late than never?


Disclaimer: The characters and settings depicted in this story are the property of the CW. I own nothing.


Contiguity

noun

the state of bordering or being in contact with something.

PSYCHOLOGY

the sequential occurrence or proximity of stimulus and response


Day 97

Emori POV

I chuckled under my breath, watching John and Clarke throw playing cards at each other, along with insults and petty accusations. They were really entertaining when they had these playful arguments – I saw a completely different side of them both that I had never known on the ground. It was nice to see John so relaxed, I guess. Even in our quiet moments alone, he had been so tense on Earth.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Monty interrupted my thoughts, also watching the two.

"What, John and Clarke?" I clarified. "Why would it bother me? Should it?"

"Well no. Murphy's crazy about you and Clarke's not interested. It's just… Most girls seem to have a problem when their boyfriend is really close with another girl," the boy shrugged.

I thought about this for a moment, confused. "So, in space women don't trust their men? And they stay with them anyway?"

Monty frowned as if he had never thought of it that way before. "I don't think it's that they don't trust us. Not for everyone anyway. It's more irrational than that. I think girls compare themselves to each other… maybe? And they think that guys compare them too, even though we don't. So, when a girl sees their boyfriend getting really close to another girl, they question it and compare themselves and then they make the girl a threat in their head. At least I think that's what it is," he shrugged. "I'm not an expert on the female mind – it's a terrifying place."

I threw a cushion at him for that comment and then dodged the return by shuffling along the couch – also making room for Raven to join us.

"I'm not threatened by John having female friends," I finally answer the original question. "I find them quite amusing half the time. But I guess I don't understand their friendship," I admit.

"What's to understand about being friends?" Raven joined the conversation.

"You guys have cast John out so many times. That's on all of you, but the way he's friends with you guys and Bellamy is … normal friendship I guess?" I tried to explain – unsure of my words. Friendship wasn't exactly my area of expertise. "The same way that I'm friends with you guys. It came from getting past any issues in order to survive and then we got closer and became friends because we're around each other all the time. I get that John doesn't hold a grudge and can be friends with you all. But I don't get how he can be super close with Clarke after she's cast him out so many times. Especially because she was the leader."

"That's a good point actually." Monty agreed, looking thoughtful. "I'd always seen it the other way, I didn't get how Clarke and Murphy had become so close after everything he'd done, but it goes the other way too. Murphy's good at holding a grudge."

"You're both only looking at one side of things," Raven argued. "I mean, I'd never given it much thought, but now you've brought it up… We've all accepted Murphy when something brought him back to us – some more quickly and willingly than others," she bumped her shoulder against Monty's and he nodded in agreement. "But Clarke actually brought him back to the fold or fought for him when circumstances lumped him with us again."

"She did?" Monty asked. I could see him working through his memory, trying to figure out what Raven meant.

"Yeah, you remember when the grounders infected Murphy and let him run back to camp? He'd been banished right? He was supposed to be killed if he ever came back and we all heard Bellamy lording it up – he was going to execute Murphy. Do you think he changed his mind about that on his own? I'd bet the rocket that Clarke convinced Bellamy not to kill him, and to let him stay in camp."

"The rocket isn't actually yours to bet," Monty pointed put.

"Sure, it is. Anyway. When Lexa wanted us to hand over Finn," Raven looked down and swallowed thickly, pain in her eyes, "I wanted to give them Murphy instead. He'd been with Finn at the village, I thought I could convince the grounders that he was the shooter. Bellamy and Octavia were against the idea too – they said that it wasn't right. But Clarke? She said that Murphy was one of us. She fought for Murphy himself, not just for our morality."

I nodded, seeing the difference – even though it was only slight, I knew it would have meant something to John.

"After that, Murphy wasn't cast out – he's the one who decided to leave with Jaha. Then, he told me that Clarke found him in Polis, when that Flame Keeper guy had him prisoner. Lexa had ordered Arkadia to be blockaded and there wasn't much time for her to get back, but she didn't just leave him prisoner. There wasn't any bond or friendship between them back then. Everything Clarke did for him was because she considered him one of her people. I don't think Murphy had really had that before, and I think it was after that, while they were stuck in Polis, that they started to become real friends. He was there for her when Lexa died and Clarke had cut herself off from the rest of us, so I think she understood him better. Like they were both outcasts then. And then it was Clark who said that you guys should come with us to the island. We knew when you volunteered that you guys would be useful, having been there and with you knowing the waters so well, but it was Clarke who said it was a good idea to bring you. She said that we could trust Murphy, and by extension you. I said she was crazy but that was the point: she didn't just let him back into the group, she trusted him. None of the rest of us had ever given him that before we came back up here."

I looked back at John and Clarke, who had finished attacking each other and opted to re-start their game. (Well, they'd stopped the physical attacks at least. The verbal jabs were still going.) I suddenly saw their friendship in a new light, and I had more respect for Clarke as a person, not just a leader. A small, selfish part of me was also a little upset: all this time I had thought I was the only one who had really been on John's side. Part of me didn't like that that wasn't true.

"Wow," Monty murmured. "That makes so much more sense."

Raven laughed. "What was your theory?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Maybe Clarke was being his friend so he wouldn't get all homicidal if anything went wrong with Emori? I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it beyond the fact that Murphy being Clarke's best friend was weird."

"I never said they were best friends," Raven corrected. "That implies that Clarke ranks us in her mind and I don't like the idea of Murphy being ranked higher than me."

Monty rolled his eyes.

"She's John's best friend though," I finally spoke. "And I'm glad he has her. He needs more than just me in his corner."

"That's why he came back for me on the island," Monty realised. "I thought maybe Bellamy dragged him back or something, but Clarke treating him like one of the group made him act like it, instead of just looking out for himself."

"Who knew our little cockroach had it in him to grow as a person, right?" Raven joked.

We all laughed.

"You know what?" John's voice cut across the room. "Screw this. I'm not playing with you anymore. You cheat." He was clearly frustrated but there was still a small smile at the edge of his mouth.

When we first met, I was instantly attracted to the broody, damaged vibe that fuelled John's fight for survival. It was sexy and addictive. Since being in space, I'd seen less and less of that, but I had realised that a happy, relaxed John Murphy had its appeal too.

"It's not cheating," Clarke laughed as she followed him over to sit with us. "You lean back, all cocky, whenever you have a good hand."

"Whatever," John sat and put his arm across my shoulders, his scent washing over me. "What are we talking about?"

"Emori's the most secure woman ever and you two are adorable. Still weird but adorable," Monty summarised.

John nodded and looked down at me with feigned hurt. "You hate it when I call you adorable, now Monty can get away with it?"

"Oh, he's not talking about you and me, John. We've been talking about you and Clarke," I clarified, nodding towards the blond.

The two looked at each other in confusion before shrugging.

"Just take the compliment, you don't get many." John through the nearest object – an empty tin cup – at Clarke and she swatted it away with a laugh. "Hey, has anyone seen Bellamy?"


There it is. I hope it was worth the wait.

So, when I wrote this chapter three years ago, it was largely to justify my love of platonic Clarphy but also to establish that in this AU their bond and closeness was not in anyway going to result in any conflict, jealousy or love triangle-esque drama with Emori. My original plan for this story had Murphy and Emori staying together because when we got the reasons for their break up in canon, I felt that it was in character for Clarke to give Murphy the necessary pep talks in order for him to not mess things up (see chapter 5). BUT: in canon I didn't really like that Murphy and Emori got back together. Don't get me wrong, I like Memori well enough, I just don't see them as a 'forever' kind of couple. And now on this rewatch... in season four I've noticed somethings that support this and make me think that, regardless of Clarke's pep talks, it may be in character for the relationship to end... Also, the things I have picked up on made like the relationship a little less.

So I'm not sure what I'm going to do here and therefore I am asking any and all readers to give me their opinions on Memori, their break up and their getting back together in canon. Also what you'd like from them in this fic. I feel like if I get other opinions I will be able to decide where I'm going, even if it comes from me disagreeing with people.

I said wasn't going to waffle... Well that turned out to be a lie didn't it? Sorry.

Thank you all so much for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review.
(Plus, if you want more, reviews genuinely do encourage me to update xD)